8 h. ago Major inheritance tax change talks as Sky News host grills minister on plan

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly exploring changes to inheritance tax - such as tightening the rules around gifting - as she battles to plug a hole in the public finances

Politics

2 d. ago Netanyahu defends Gaza City plan as UN warns of ‘calamity’ and starvation

Israeli PM says taking over city is ‘best way’ to end war, despite condemnation from within Israel and around worldMiddle East crisis – live updatesBenjamin Netanyahu has defended his plan to take control of Gaza City in the face of widespread international outrage, even as senior UN officials warned that the move risked unleashing “another calamity” on a territory already experiencing “starvation, pure and simple”.In a rare press conference with foreign journalists in Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister said the plan, signed off last week by the security cabinet to criticism both at home and abroad, was “the best way to end the war and the best way to end it speedily.” Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Watch: Netanyahu claims government’s plan to take over Gaza City is ‘best way’ to end war

Watch the moment Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declares that his government’s plan to take control of Gaza City is the “best way” to end the war — a move that has prompted the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting.

Politics

3 d. ago Netanyahu’s Gaza war plan will fail, warns Israel’s finance minister

Far-right ultranationalist Bezalel Smotrich says he has ‘lost faith’ that PM can achieve ‘decisive victory’

Events

3 d. ago Demonstrators seeking release of Gaza hostages to march in London as Middle East tensions grip UK

Police in London are bracing for more demonstrations on Sunday as the war in Gaza continues to inflame tensions across the U.K. Demonstrators plan to march to the prime minister’s residence, demanding the release of hostages in Gaza

Events

5 d. ago Netanyahu announces plan to take over Gaza City in further escalation

Proposal that needs to be approved by full cabinet would mean sending Israeli ground troops into remaining territoryMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s security cabinet has approved a plan to take over Gaza City, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said, marking another escalation in the 22-month offensive that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed most of Gaza and pushed the territory into famine.Ahead of the security cabinet meeting, which began Thursday and ran through the night, Netanyahu had said Israel planned to retake control over the entire territory and eventually hand it off to friendly Arab forces opposed to Hamas. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Gaza latest: UK to evacuate 100 children for urgent medical care as Netanyahu pushes for ‘full occupation’

Israeli prime minister signals plan to expand military offensive in Gaza

Events

3 w. ago Ministers plan to axe toothless water regulator Ofwat as serious sewage leaks rise 60% in a year while bills for homeowners soar

The Environment Agency revealed there were 2,801 sewage leaks, up from 2,174 in 2023, with just three firms behind 81 per cent of the most serious - Thames, Southern and Yorkshire.

Politics

4 w. ago French PM may scrap two public holidays to reduce country’s crippling debt

François Bayrou says Easter Monday and VE Day could become normal workdays as critics call plan ‘a direct attack on France’France’s prime minister, François Bayrou, has proposed scrapping two public holidays as part of radical measures aimed at reducing the country’s ballooning deficit, boosting its economy and preventing it being “crushed” by debt.Outlining the 2026 budget on Tuesday, Bayrou suggested Easter Monday and 8 May, when France commemorates Victory Day, marking the end of the second world war, although he said he was open to other options. Continue reading...

Politics