18 h. ago Government is 'blowing £270million a year on army of 6,500 spin doctors' instead of cutting public services

Labour is being urged to slash the 6,500-strong army of government spin doctors instead of cutting public services.

Economics

56 h. ago Ministers accused of being ‘asleep at the wheel’ over UK’s soft power around the world

Government’s own advisers warn of funding crisis for BBC World Service, British Council and universitiesAs US retreats, is there a ‘soft power’ opportunity for UK?Ministers have been accused of being “asleep at the wheel” over threats to the UK’s soft power around the world, as some of their own advisers warned a funding crisis is undermining key institutions promoting British influence.Members of the government’s new soft power council, set up by ministers earlier this year, warned the BBC World Service, the British Council and universities – regarded as the bodies at the forefront of the UK’s soft power efforts – all face major financial pressures. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Waspi campaigners say they have been given green light for High Court challenge

Campaigners are aiming to secure a costs capping order to protect against significant legal fees should they lose their case.

Events

4 d. ago Woman who won payout after rape case dropped welcomes new review scheme

A new pilot gives rape victims the right to ask for their case to be reviewed if it emerges prosecutors plan to drop investigations.

Events

6 d. ago Omagh bomb inquiry chair refuses Government’s bid to redact civil servant names

The decision relates to the dissemination of the names to other core participants to the inquiry, not their publication in the media.

Politics

7 d. ago UK civil servants who used AI saved two weeks a year, government study finds

Staff used Microsoft’s Copilot to help draft documents and summarise meetings

Politics

1 week ago With Elon Musk out of the picture – what happens to DOGE now?

Musk officially announced he was stepping down on Wednesday night. As a Special Government Employee, he is restricted to serving 130 days

Politics

1 week ago China accused of ‘indoctrinating’ Tibetan children from age of four with state

Group says lives of Tibetan children are ‘irrevocably altered to serve the purposes of the Chinese government’

Politics

2 w. ago Kemi Badenoch denies ignoring security advice over taxpayer funded private driver

Tory leader's comments follows reports she refused a vehicle from the official government car service (GCS) and instead given access to a private driver

Economics

2 w. ago UK child poverty taskforce set to recommend return of Sure Start scheme

Despite praise for Sure Start from some in the Labour party, there are also concerns that resuming the service would be difficult and costlyThe government-backed child poverty taskforce is likely to recommend the return of the early years service Sure Start, the Guardian understands, though there are doubts in government about whether it could be funded.Senior ministers including Rachel Reeves, Liz Kendall and Bridget Phillipson have praised the service in the past, citing it as one of the crowning achievements of the last Labour government. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Republicans are dodging fired federal staff: ‘They will not even look in our direction’

Members of Congress are accused of hiding out when workers have sought answers on why their jobs were axedWorkers hit by the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts of federal government jobs, programs and services turned to congressional Republicans for help. But Republicans don’t want to talk about it, according to people who have tried to reach the politicians.Sabrina Valenti, a former budget analyst for the Coastal Wetland Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), was fired in February, then reinstated, and fired again weeks later. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Fury as Welsh Labour government spends £250,000 on project to count MOTHS while it cuts public services

The 'Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn' project is surveying the moths' limestone habitats on Llandudno's Great Orme headland and in neighbouring areas.

Economics

2 w. ago Plans for North Wales metro service unveiled by Welsh Government

More rail and bus services, pay as you go technology and station improvements have been promised for North Wales over the next decade.

Politics

3 w. ago Train services between Bradford and London more than triple thanks to government funding

Train services between Bradford and London more than triple thanks to government funding  GOV.UK

Politics

3 w. ago Elderly passengers lose vital Hamilton bus service because of Scottish Government ban on pavement parking

The 226 was re-routed from Brankholm Brae as buses can’t get past cars that are being parked on the street to avoid a £100 fine.

Politics

3 w. ago Foreign groups are stealing $1 trillion a year through identity theft – and DOGE is just letting it happen

Report by identity verification services company says scammers are bilking billions from US government agencies and citizens

Events

3 w. ago Having risked my life in war zones for the BBC, I know this: cuts to the World Service will be disastrous | Martin Bell

In an age of disinformation, our broadcaster is trusted to find and tell the truth. Now more than ever we need itMartin Bell is a Unicef ambassador and a former BBC war reporterIn a short space of time, the British government has made two decisions that will negatively affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. The first was the severe cut in foreign aid announced in March. The second was the similarly severe reduction in Foreign Office support for the BBC World Service. And these from a supposedly progressive government. It doesn’t seem progressive to me, but cheap and reactionary.I have double interest to declare. I am a long-term BBC loyalist who served the corporation for more than 30 years in the unquiet corners of the world, from Vietnam to Bosnia and from Belfast to Angola. My loyalty survived even such daft editorial decisions as to give an interview with Prince Harry precedence over real news. (That was little more than 10 days ago.) I have als...

Events

3 w. ago 'If you want to serve the government you shouldn't have to move away from your community'

Writing exclusively for the Manchester Evening News, Georgia Gould, Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, explains why the government is moving more civil service jobs out of London

Politics

3 w. ago Thousands of London civil servants to leave city as government cuts costs

Thousands of London civil servants to leave city as government cuts costs  South China Morning Post

Politics

3 w. ago Thousands of civil servants to be moved out of London as government cuts costs

New regional hubs are set to open across the country

Politics