8 h. ago How Labour's energy policies are making the cost of living crisis even worse

As the Tartan Army considers the price of a trip to next year’s World Cup finals, the cost-of-living crisis is being exacerbated by high energy prices

Events

16 h. ago CLAIRE COUTINHO: Starmer needs to rein Ed Miliband in but he's too weak

Remember when Ed Miliband promised to cut your energy bills by £300, asks CLAIRE COUTINHO. Well, since Labour came to power, bills have gone up by almost £200 - and they're going to rise again.

Politics

19 h. ago Cop30 delegates ‘far apart’ on phasing out fossil fuels and cutting carbon

President of talks urges ministers and high-ranking officials to find common ground as conference nears its endCop30 live – latest updatesClimate crisis talks look likely to stretch well into the weekend in Brazil, with countries still far apart on the crucial issues of phasing out fossil fuels and cutting carbon.The Cop30 president, André Corrêa do Lago, urged ministers and high-ranking officials from more than 190 countries to find common ground: “We need to preserve this regime [of the Paris climate agreement] with the spirit of cooperation, not in the spirit of who is going to win or is willing to lose’” he said. “Because we know if we don’t strengthen this, everyone will lose.” Continue reading...

Politics

50 h. ago The two extraordinary young activists making me feel optimistic at Cop30

In today’s newsletter: Despite valid criticisms, the summits are filled with smart, passionate people dedicating their lives to fighting the climate crisis• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIt is easy to criticise the UN climate conferences. But unless you’ve been, there’s one wonderful, almost miraculous, thing that you may not be aware of: it is a beautiful gathering of humanity, people from virtually every country on Earth, all thrown together in common cause.What’s more, many are incredibly smart, passionate and dedicating their lives to fighting the climate crisis. The more of them you meet, the more your hope grows that global heating can be defeated.Trump’s anti-climate agenda could result in 1.3m more deaths globally, analysis findsTropical cyclone Fina intensifies to category two and could hit NT coast on FridayEngland’s Beth Mead: ‘If we don’t adapt to climate change, football becomes a privilege, not a right‘ Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Marjorie Taylor Greene's boyfriend risks his livelihood to showcase his devotion amid her MAGA crisis

Brian Glenn, who works for pro-Trump outlet Real America's Voice, was dragged into the MAGA meltdown for declaring his love for his girlfriend Marjorie Taylor Greene online.

Events

6 d. ago ‘I was a pandemic hero – now I’ve been forced to live in a caravan because of housing crisis’

For carer and cleaner Kirsty Brett, ‘extortionate’ asking prices for housing rents meant she had to find other ways of living outside the parents’ home

Events

6 d. ago Trump live: Fallout with ‘traitor’ MTG over Epstein files adds to Republican crisis as House vote looms

Trump called Greene, who is expected to vote next week on a proposal to force the government to release more Epstein files, a ‘traitor’

Politics

8 d. ago Homelessness is increasingly hard to ignore – unless you are the Labour party | Simon Jenkins

The government is focused on building new homes for floating voters, while landlordism is discouraged and homes stand empty As opera-goers trooped into the London Coliseum this week, three helpless drunks were camping on the adjacent front steps. One was struggling to stop another pulling down his trousers – or possibly helping him. In Chandos Place around the corner, half a dozen more were bedding down out of the rain. Over the road, staff at the hallowed St Martin-in-the-Fields homeless charity were under siege.There is only one housing crisis. It is not the lack of somewhere nice to live. It is the lack of somewhere to sleep. Rough sleeping is vagrancy, and illegal in England and Wales under the Vagrancy Act. It means the police can “move you on”. The government promised to “develop a new cross-government strategy” to “put Britain back on track to ending homelessness” in its election manifesto, so next spring it is scrapping the 19th-century act. Rough sleeping will be decriminal...

Society

9 d. ago Wishaw MSP calls on Labour to back SNP’s call for “social tariff” on energy bills

Such a system would follow the example of other European countries like Spain who already offer substantial discounts on energy costs for struggling billpayers.

Economics

1 week ago Tim Davie tells BBC staff ‘we have to fight for our journalism’ but does not address Trump’s $1bn lawsuit threat – live

Outgoing director general says freedom of press under pressure and that he sees ‘weaponisation’Here is a round-up of what various lawyers and commentators have been saying about Donald Trump’s legal case against the BBC.Joshua Rozenberg, the legal commentator and a former BBC journalist, has said in a post on his A Lawyer Writes Substack that the corporation should settle. He explains:Given what Brito is claiming, the lawyer is unlikely to be impressed with the BBC’s assertion that “the purpose of editing the clip was to convey the message of the speech made by President Trump so that Panorama’s audience could better understand how it had been received by President Trump’s supporters and what was happening on the ground at that time”.So the BBC would be well advised to draft a retraction and apology in terms that the president’s lawyer finds acceptable. Brito is also calling for this to be broadcast as prominently as the original programme. And the corporation will have to pay compe...

Politics

1 week ago Tim Davie tells BBC staff ‘we have to fight for our journalism’ as Trump threatens $1bn lawsuit – UK politics live

Outgoing director general says freedom of press under pressure and that he sees ‘weaponisation’Here is a round-up of what various lawyers and commentators have been saying about Donald Trump’s legal case against the BBC.Joshua Rozenberg, the legal commentator and a former BBC journalist, has said in a post on his A Lawyer Writes Substack that the corporation should settle. He explains:Given what Brito is claiming, the lawyer is unlikely to be impressed with the BBC’s assertion that “the purpose of editing the clip was to convey the message of the speech made by President Trump so that Panorama’s audience could better understand how it had been received by President Trump’s supporters and what was happening on the ground at that time”.So the BBC would be well advised to draft a retraction and apology in terms that the president’s lawyer finds acceptable. Brito is also calling for this to be broadcast as prominently as the original programme. And the corporation will have to pay compe...

Politics

1 week ago Minister suggests BBC should apologise to Trump over documentary as president threatens $1bn lawsuit – UK politics live

Alison McGovern speaks to media about BBC crisis as culture secretary due to address MPs in attempt to contain falloutYesterday Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, gave an interview that indicated very strongly that she will get rid of the two-child benefit cap in full in the budget. It had been reported that the government was only going to partially remove it (by replacing the cap with a softer version, like a three-child benefit cap), but Reeves signalled that the cap will go in its entirety.If anyone did not get the message, Keir Starmer has signalled exactly the same intention – only even more strongly. In an interview with Amir Khan, a doctor and ITV broadcaster, the PM said he was determined to drive child poverty down. In the clip, recorded yesterday but broadcast this morning, Starmer said:I can tell you in no uncertain terms I’m determined to drive child poverty down. It is what the last Labour government did. And it’s one of the things we were proudest of. I am personally dete...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Young audiences are less scared of it’: why London jazz clubs are expanding and thriving against the odds

As the Jazz Cafe and Ronnie Scott’s expand, and Blue Note eyes its arrival, proprietors say there’s an energy in the scene – but financial pressures remainAs small gig venues around the country nervously eye their futures amid rising utility prices and a cost of living crisis, one corner of the live music scene seems to be thriving: London’s jazz clubs.The Jazz Cafe is extending its Camden venue and opening an east London location, Ronnie Scott’s is being refurbished, and New York’s iconic Blue Note club, which has already spread to Japan, Brazil, Italy and China, will open its first London venue next year. And while financial pressures remain, a host of other, smaller venues are bringing in vibrant new audiences. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago How could Zohran Mamdani pay for his bold agenda for New York? We broke it down

A look at the realities the mayor-elect will face to pay for his progressive policies – and whose support he needsWho is Zohran Mamdani, New York’s democratic socialist new mayor?Bold promises to make the city more affordable propelled the New York City mayor-elect and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani to his unlikely win on Tuesday. Among them: free buses, universal childcare and a massive expansion in low-cost housing.But making the city more affordable for residents is an expensive government task, and many economists and politicians to Mamdani’s right say he faces too many obstacles to meaningfully deliver on his signature ideas. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Liverpool news: Marcus Rashford could wreck £51.5m transfer plan and truth of 'agreement'

Liverpool are in crisis after another dreadful defeat and the opportunity to sign a stellar new winger could depend on the future of Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford

Economics

1 week ago Roy Keane says 'weak' Liverpool are in CRISIS after Man City defeat

Liverpool’s title defence was handed another brutal blow after they were torn apart by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and Roy Keane offered some sobering words to the Reds

Events

1 week ago BBC crisis live updates: White House gloats as DG Tim Davie quits over Trump speech row

This evening Mr Davie admitted he had to 'take responsibility' and that 'mistakes had been made' after the documentary, 'Trump: A second Chance?' was aired on the BBC.

Events

1 week ago Man City 3 Liverpool 0: Pep’s 1000th game ends in triumph as Reds’ crisis keeps getting worse after VAR controversy

PEP GUARDIOLA has collected 12 league titles on his way to 1,000 matches in management.  And after this demolition job on the reigning champions, which propelled Manchester City back into serious contention, we should not rule out a 13th this season.  This was a grand old way for Guardiola to clock up his 1,000th game...

Events

2 w. ago North Sea oil firm Harbour Energy axes 250 more jobs as pressure mounts on Labour to scrap windfall tax

The company said the latest cull means it has cut around 600 jobs since the so-called 'energy profits levy' was introduced in 2022 - underlining its damage to the economy.

Economics

2 w. ago Irresistible Liverpool put crisis talk to bed with emphatic response in Real Madrid win

LIVERPOOL 1-0 REAL MADRID: Alexis Mac Allister's header made it back-to-back victories for Liverpool for the first time in September, suggesting that their crisis is over

Events