38 m. ago Reeves refuses to say she will stick to manifesto pledge on tax rises and insists she must face world ‘as it is’ – UK politics live

Chancellor says she is focused on priorities for British people in pre-budget speech laying ground for expected tax risesBusiness live: UK borrowing costs fall and pound hits six-month lowReeves says welfare needs to be reformed.There is nothing progressive about refusing to reform a system that is leaving one in eight young people out of education, or employment. I put our public finances back on a firm footing, provided an urgent cash injection into a faltering public services and began rebuilding our economy.But since that budget, the world has thrown even more challenges our way. Continue reading...

Politics

43 m. ago Income tax fears rise as Rachel Reeves gives clear sign she will break Labour manifesto pledge

Chancellor rolls ground for tax rises in unusual pre-Budget speech at Downing Street

Politics

52 m. ago Why comedian Jake Lambert regrets every penny he's spent on his picky cat

Hosted by presenter Matt Edmondson, Spent! puts celebrities in the hot seat to share their receipts and reveal the purchases, big or small, that have impacted their lives.

Politics

53 m. ago Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out tax rises in 'unusual' pre

The Chancellor set out her priorities in an unusual speech

Politics

54 m. ago Rachel Reeves speech LIVE: Chancellor gives stark warning of tax rises on way in pre

Rachel Reeves has said the Budget will focus on ‘getting inflation falling’ and ‘creating the conditions for interest rate cuts’

Events

68 m. ago Deliveroo's most popular order in the world is revealed as bagel made by family

Papo's, founded by husband and wife due Georgia Fewick-Gomez and Gabe 'Papo' Gomez, beat restaurant giants and international chains to boast the top-trending dish.

Society

1 hour ago BP accelerates overhaul with higher asset sale target as profits beat forecasts

The oil giant reported third quarter underlying replacement cost profits of 2.21 billion US dollars (£1.68 billion), down 3% on a year earlier.

Economics

2 h. ago Shein to cooperate with French investigation into sale of childlike sex dolls

Spokesperson says company prepared to share names of those who bought dolls before they were removed from saleThe Asian e-commerce company Shein has pledged to cooperate with French prosecutors who have opened an investigation into the sale of childlike sex dolls on its platform.“We will cooperate fully with the judicial authorities,” Shein’s spokesperson in France, Quentin Ruffat, told RMC radio, adding that the company was prepared to share names of those who had bought such dolls. Continue reading...

Economics

2 h. ago Rachel Reeves speech live: Chancellor to pave way for tax hikes in major pre

Speculation mounting that government’s promise to not hike income tax could be broken in Budget

Politics

2 h. ago Reeves braces Britain for hefty Budget tax rises as she warns of need to understand 'circumstances we face'

Chancellor rolls ground for tax rises in unusual pre-Budget speech at Downing Street

Events

2 h. ago Jacoby Brissett steps up for Cardinals to sink Cowboys and end losing streak

Kyler Murray said to be not ready after foot problemsDallas fall to 3-5-1 as Arizona move to 3-5 with winJacoby Brissett had a stock answer ready for the question of whether the Arizona quarterback has done enough to be the replacement, not just the fill-in, for Kyler Murray. Coach Jonathan Gannon barely had an answer at all. The Cardinals will worry about what appears to be a full-blown controversy later. For now, they’ll enjoy ending a five-game losing streak.Brissett threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score in another game with Murray sidelined by a foot injury, and the Cardinals beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-17 on Monday night. Brissett made his third consecutive start after the week began with expectations of Murray returning coming off the team’s open week. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago ‘I felt violated’: the Italian women taking on porn sites over doctored images

Giorgia Meloni, Sophia Loren and writer Francesca Barra among prominent figures to have ‘nudified’ photos posted on sexist forumsAs she reeled from the discovery of a pornographic website featuring AI-generated images of herself naked, the prominent Italian journalist and writer Francesca Barra said the question that struck her the most came from her young daughter.“She asked me: ‘how do you feel?’,” Barra, 47, said. “But what I heard was another more subtle question that my pre-adolescent daughter perhaps didn’t have the courage to ask, and that was: ‘If it happened to me, how would I handle it?’.” Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Playing dirty used to be the west’s preserve. Now we’re letting Moscow beat us at our own game | Joseph Pearson

The Berlin airlift was a cold war victory that relied on a persuasive story about starving civilians. But was it true?We in the west used to play dirty – and during the cold war, we were good at it. Nowadays, we leave grey-zone tactics and hybrid warfare to Russia, which is winning the disinformation war. Europe’s pride in playing by the rules might just be democracy’s achilles heel.The Berlin airlift is a good example of what we once did well – and have since forgotten. The cold war arguably began and ended in Berlin, bookended by the 1948-9 airlift and the fall of the wall in 1989. The former was the largest air relief operation in history. It supplied Berlin when Stalin tried to force out the western allies. In parallel, the west used radio (RIAS, or Radio in the American Sector, a precursor to the CIA-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE) and Radio Liberty), and strengthened soft power with cultural missions such as the British-staged Shakespeare in the rubble, and education through Am...

Politics

5 h. ago ‘I felt violated’: the Italian women taking on pornography sites over doctored images

Giorgia Meloni, Sophia Loren and writer Francesca Barra among prominent figures to have ‘nudified’ photos posted on sexist forumsAs she reeled from the discovery of a pornographic website featuring AI-generated images of herself naked, the prominent Italian journalist and writer Francesca Barra said the question that struck her the most came from her young daughter.“She asked me: ‘how do you feel?’,” Barra, 47, said. “But what I heard was another more subtle question that my pre-adolescent daughter perhaps didn’t have the courage to ask, and that was: ‘If it happened to me, how would I handle it?’.” Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago Shein bans sex dolls after French authorities launch investigation into some that resemble children

France opened investigations against the e-commerce giant for selling the items, just days before it was due to open a physical store in ParisE-commerce company Shein has announced it will ban sex dolls from sale on its sites, after French authorities condemned the company for featuring some that resembled children.In a statement on Monday, the company said that it was imposing a “total ban on sex-doll-type products” and had deleted all listings and images linked to them. A spokesperson told the AFP news agency the ban applied globally. Continue reading...

Events

10 h. ago Christmas stamps 2025: when are Royal Mail Christmas stamps available at the Post Office

This year’s designs some of Royal Mail’s most beautiful yet 🎄

Politics

14 h. ago Best Black Friday phone and contract deals that are live now

From the latest flagships to budget-friendly bargains, the sale is the best time to upgrade your smartphone

Economics

14 h. ago EFL issue fierce statement after 'unavoidable' Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Carabao Cup row

Arsenal's Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace has been rescheduled by the EFL during the incredibly busy pre-Christmas period, leaving neither side happy

Politics

15 h. ago Police investigate four other knife incidents possibly linked to Cambridgeshire train attack

Questions mount for officers as Anthony Williams, 32, appears in court on charges of attempted murderPolice investigating the mass stabbing on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire are examining four other knife incidents alleged to have taken place hours before passengers fled in terror on Saturday evening.Questions mounted for police as Anthony Williams, 32, appeared in court on Monday on a series of attempted murder charges related to two stabbing incidents. Continue reading...

Events

15 h. ago Police investigate four knife incidents possibly linked to Cambridgeshire train attack

Questions mount for officers as Anthony Williams, 32, appears in court on charges of attempted murderPolice investigating the mass stabbing on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire are examining four knife incidents alleged to have taken place hours before passengers fled in terror on Saturday evening.Questions mounted for police as Anthony Williams, 32, appeared in court on Monday on a series of attempted murder charges related to two stabbing incidents. Continue reading...

Events