22 h. ago Oldham council issues statement after government says it will have to bid for grooming inquiry cash

Oldham's local inquiry will still go ahead but the council expects to have to apply for government support

Politics

22 h. ago Oldham council issues statement after government update on grooming inquiry cash

Oldham's local inquiry will still go ahead but the council expects to have to apply for government support

Politics

24 h. ago Government's first back to work scheme rolls out in London as benefits cuts loom

West London is the first area in the country to get funding from the Government’s ‘Connect to Work’ programme, which aims to support 100,000 people per year people into jobs as disability payments are cut

Politics

30 h. ago New calls for DWP to ‘halt’ all proposed changes to benefits for disabled people

A new online petition is urging the UK Government to deliver more support and not cuts for people with a disability.

Politics

3 d. ago Starmer wants Britain at front of electric car ‘revolution’ as reforms unveiled

The Prime Minister said the ‘new era of global instability’ will push the Government to go ‘further and faster’ to support businesses.

Politics

6 d. ago Nepal is betting its future on hydropower – but the climate crisis is washing those hopes away

Nepal’s clean energy transition, almost entirely dependent on hydropower, is dangerously exposed to the very climate risks it hopes to solve. Mukesh Pokhrel reports from Kathmandu, Nepal

Events

7 d. ago Scotch Whisky Association ‘disappointed’ with Donald Trump’s tariff announcement

The SWA said it would continue to support efforts by the UK Government to reach a compromise agreement with Mr Trump’s administration.

Politics

1 week ago Lanarkshire MSP urges UK Government to extend maternity pay to support parents and children

Gillian Mackay, who is expecting her first child this summer, has urged the UK Government to give mothers everywhere the gift of more time with their loved ones by expanding support for statutory maternity, paternity and shared parental leave to cover 52 weeks full pay.

Politics

2 w. ago Kent awarded framework contract to support UK government’s energy transition

Kent, a global leader in engineering and energy transition solutions, has been awarded a place on the UK government’s Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) ENZPS Framework to provide strategic advisory and engineering services.

Politics

2 w. ago Donald Trump’s ‘war on woke’ is fast becoming a war on science. That’s incredibly dangerous | Christina Pagel

Contrary to claims by the US president, we have found that diversity initiatives result in better scientists and greater progressChristina Pagel is a member of Independent SageDonald Trump’s attacks on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives since his January inauguration have been intense, indiscriminate and escalating. A tragic plane crash was baselessly blamed on DEI. All DEI programmes within public bodies have been ended and private contractors face cancellation if they also don’t comply. Webpages that defend religious diversity in the context of Holocaust remembrance have been taken down.Science and academia have been particularly targeted. Universities are threatened with losing federal funding if they support DEI. Government reports and government-funded research are being held back if they include prohibited terms such as “gender”, “pregnant person”, “women”, “elderly”, or “disabled”. Grants funded by the National Institutes of Health are being cancelled if they...

Politics

2 w. ago Teen member of Musk’s Doge staff provided tech support to cybercrime ring, records show

Edward Coristine, who is 19, is among members of Doge effort that has been given access to official networksThe best-known member of Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) service team of technologists once provided support to a cybercrime gang that bragged about trafficking in stolen data and cyberstalking an FBI agent, according to digital records reviewed by Reuters.Edward Coristine is among the most visible members of the Doge effort that has been given sweeping access to official networks as it attempts to radically downsize the US government. It is headed by Musk – the world’s richest man – with a powerful mandate from Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Is this the end of fish and chips? Ed Miliband's Net Zero plans put British favourite at risk, industry warns

The head of The National Federation of Fish Fryers (NFFF) has voiced concerns that the transition to green energy risks exacerbating costs for chippies.

Events

2 w. ago ‘Nobody found him in time’: how neglect and stress led to the deaths of a full

David Lodge died after being found next to his father and full-time carer Peter’s body. His sister Keri believes the strain of caring and lack of government support contributed to their deathsPeter Lodge devoted his life to his son, David. He cherished every moment with him, even when David’s condition left them effectively housebound. Right up until he was 74, Peter would sleep on the living room floor beside David’s hospital bed. Not once did he see his role as a burden.He was angry, though. He was angry at what he described as the “state exploitation” of family carers. Angry at the pittance paid in carer’s allowance to those giving up their lives to care for loved ones, propping up the UK’s ailing social care system in doing so. It was, he said, “insulting”. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago ‘I’m not stepping down’: Chuck Schumer defies Democrats’ calls over funding bill

Party leader faces backlash over his decision to support Republican-led bill to avoid government shutdownChuck Schumer defied calls to give up the top Democratic position in the Senate after he voted for Republicans’ funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, saying on Sunday: “I’m not stepping down.”Schumer has faced a wave of backlash from Democrats over his decision to support the Republican-led bill, with many Democrats alleging that the party leader isn’t doing enough to stand up to Donald Trump’s agenda. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Inside the battle to make ends meet as benefits fail to keep up with soaring rents

New analysis has found almost half of all private renters who receive housing benefit experience a shortfall between the government support and monthly rents. Holly Bancroft and Albert Toth speak to claimants and charities about the struggle to keep up with rising rents

Events

3 w. ago London’s black cabs destined for extinction in 20 years, TfL warned

Centre for London says numbers are falling and wants the government to step up to support the industryBlack cabs could disappear from London’s roads in 20 years, a thinktank has warned, unless authorities take steps to halt the decline – including giving cabbies bigger loans for new electric taxis and making the Knowledge test easier.Centre for London said that if the number of taxis in the capital continues to fall at the current rate, there would be none left by 2045. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago West Lothian Council facing £85m bill to tackle crumbling concrete

It is understood negotiations between the council and the Scottish Government about support for RAAC costs is ongoing.

Economics

3 w. ago Ministers face Labour pressure to establish Waspi compensation scheme

MPs from the Government back benches and opposition parties offered their support for an e-petition pressing for compensation.

Politics

3 w. ago Chuck Schumer postpones book tour stops amid shutdown vote backlash

Senate majority leader cites security concerns as fury grows over New Yorker’s support for Republican funding billUS politics live – latest updatesThe Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, has postponed several stops on a tour to promote his new book, citing security concerns, as the New York Democrat faces intensifying backlash over his vote to support a Republican-drafted spending bill and avert a government shutdown.Schumer was scheduled to participate in events in Baltimore, Washington DC, New York City and Philadelphia this week to discuss his new book, Antisemitism in America: A Warning, which is set to be released on Tuesday. The tour dates were expected to be rescheduled but the cancellation drew criticism from both political wings. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Diane Abbott rejects Starmer’s proposal to cut disability benefits: ‘It’s not a Labour thing to do’

Diane Abbott has strongly condemned the government's plans to cut benefits, arguing that reducing financial support is not the answer to helping people move off welfare.

Politics