2 h. ago Ancient trees are shipped to the UK, then burned – using billions in ‘green’ subsidies. Stop this madness now | Dale Vince

The evidence against the Drax power station is damning, yet the government wants to continue its massive public fundingHow green is this? We pay billions of pounds to cut down ancient forests in the US and Canada, ship the wood across the Atlantic in diesel tankers, then burn it in a Yorkshire-based power station.Welcome to the scandal of Drax, where Britain’s biggest polluter gets to play climate hero. The reality is that billions in public subsidies has enabled Drax to generate electricity by burning 300m trees. Now the government is trying to force through an extension that would grant Drax an estimated £1.8bn in public subsidies on top of the £11bn it has already pocketed, keeping this circus going until at least 2031.Dale Vince is a green energy industrialist and campaigner Continue reading...

Events

6 h. ago 'I saved over £1,300 by cancelling payments and cutting my bills'

Every year I grit my teeth and go back through all of my accounts to look for sneaky subscriptions hiding in my regular payments, says consumer rights expert Martyn James

Economics

39 h. ago Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft resigns over plans to cut £5bn from the benefits bill

Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft has resigned as a Government whip over the party's welfare proposals.

Economics

48 h. ago Welfare reform legislation to be debated next month, MPs told

The Government has faced backlash from some Labour MPs over the ‘damaging disability benefit cuts’, which it said could save up to £5 billion a year.

Politics

62 h. ago 110,000 extra households in Wales will see energy bills cut by £150

The warm home discount is being extended, which means thousands of more households in Wales will see their energy bills slashed by £150 this winter

Economics

66 h. ago Starmer braces for biggest backbench rebellion yet as ‘horrendous’ welfare cuts spark immediate backlash

Charities warned Keir Starmer’s cuts will drive disabled people into poverty

Politics

69 h. ago DWP says transitional payments scheme for those losing Pip ‘one of most generous ever’ – UK politics live

Department for Work and Pensions publishes text of bill cutting benefits and claims three-month transitional period is ‘one of most generous ever’Angela Rayner, the deputy PM, will be taking PMQs shortly. And she will be up against Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary.When Kemi Badenoch became Tory leader, she did not appoint a deputy (or even a “de factor deputy”, a post that has existed in Tory politics in recent years) and she said she would decide who would stand in for her at PMQs on a case by case basis. Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, got the gig the first time Starmer was away.Chris Philp follows Alex Burghart in rotating for Kemi Badenoch at PMQs. One Westminster wag asks “When is it going to be Robert Jenrick’s turn?”We have this profound challenge of the number of people joining the armed forces being outweighed by the outflow the people leaving. So ultimately its about retention.And the number one issue reason cited in last month’s attitude survey fo...

Politics

4 d. ago Judge extends pause on Trump’s efforts to block Harvard from enrolling international students

Harvard is challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to cut billions in funding in a separate lawsuit

Politics

6 d. ago Labour's £14bn 'fixation' with new nuclear power 'won't cut bills or help climate'

The UK Government last week announced a new 'golden age' of nuclear but academics and campaigners warn it will be a costly energy fail.

Economics

8 d. ago Kendall to add protections to welfare Bill amid backlash to cuts

Dozens of Labour MPs last month urged the Prime Minister to pause and reassess planned cuts, saying the proposals are ‘impossible to support’.

Economics

9 d. ago Government to end use of hotels for asylum seekers – Chancellor

Rachel Reeves set out how funding will be provided to cut the asylum backlog and save taxpayers billions of pounds.

Politics

1 week ago Eurostar to Launch Direct Train Routes from London to Frankfurt and Geneva with a Two Billion Euro Investment in Cutting

Eurostar to Launch Direct Train Routes from London to Frankfurt and Geneva with a Two Billion Euro Investment in Cutting-Edge Trains, Enhancing Long-Distance Travel Across Europe  Travel And Tour World

Economics

1 week ago Donald Trump faces Lettuce Liz Truss crisis over 'crazy' tax cuts, says ex IMF man

Donald Trump is heading for a "Lettuce" Liz Truss "moment" after spooking the markets with his "beautiful" tax cut bill, economists say.

Politics

1 week ago The Guardian view on Zambia’s Trumpian predicament: US aid cuts are dwarfed by a far bigger heist | Editorial

As the US decries corruption, a paper suggests the real scandal is multinationals legally extracting billions from Africa’s resource-rich nationDonald Trump’s decision to cut $50m a year in aid to Zambia – one of the world’s poorest nations – is dreadful, and the reason given, corruption, rings hollow. There is evidence of large-scale looting, but the real scandal is that the theft appears legal, systemic and driven by foreign interests. In a paper presented to the Association for Heterodox Economics conference in London later this month, Andrew Fischer of Erasmus University Rotterdam argues that Zambia’s economy is not being plundered by domestic actors but rather by transnational corporate practices enabled by opaque accounting. His findings point to a staggering extraction of wealth that dwarfs the value of the aid intended to help.Zambia is blessed – or perhaps cursed – with mineral wealth. It is Africa’s second-largest copper producer. The metal, key to the green...

Politics

1 week ago Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ bill is built on falsehoods about low

Republicans portray those in poverty as lazy people who make poor decisions. They’re using that trope to justify huge cuts to the social safety netAs they race to deliver Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax bill, Republicans in Congress are using familiar tropes to justify massive cuts to the safety net that will leave millions of low-income children and families without healthcare or sufficient food. The programs, they argue, are rife with waste, fraud and abuse, and the people who use them just aren’t working hard enough. So work requirements are necessary to force the obviously lazy “able-bodied” people to get to work.Here’s the reality check: a majority of those receiving this aid who can work are already working. More than 70% of working-age people who receive nutrition benefits or Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income children and adults that covers one in five Americans, are already working, according to the Government Accountability Office. Those who aren’t w...

Politics

1 week ago Amazon flash sale slashes price of Google Pixel Pro that’s ‘much better than iPhone’ by £300

Shoppers can currently save a whopping £300 on a Google Pixel Pro smartphone that shoppers have touted as 'much better than iPhone' as it gets its price axed in an Amazon flash sale

Economics

2 w. ago Man United handed PSR boost after confirming major cut to wage bill

United hope their latest figures will provide greater flexibility in the transfer market, after an early move for Matheus Cunha from Wolves and a bid for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo

Economics

2 w. ago There’s up to £100 off Sonos smart speakers – here’s how to find the best deal

Save £100 on the Sonos Era 300 and find the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar for £899

Economics

2 w. ago How much money Elon Musk lost because of feud with Donald Trump

Musk's government contracts were on the line as he continued to take part in a savage war with words against Trump, with their partnership breaking down over a tax-cut and spending bill.

Politics

2 w. ago Birmingham residents could suffer bin misery until Christmas

Unite says the cuts will leave many unable to pay their bills, rents and mortgages

Politics