16 m. ago Treasury 'already drawing up tax rises for the Autumn' as grim poll shows just a fifth of Brits say Rachel Reeves had priorities right in Spending Review

Dividends and bank profits are among the areas being mooted for drumming up revenue to balance the books.

Economics

54 m. ago Andy Burnham welcomes grooming inquiry, admitting his review had 'limitations'

The Greater Manchester backed calls for a national probe earlier this year

Events

2 h. ago Pulp at the O2 review: Jarvis Cocker, sorted for snacks and wizardry

Pulp take to the O2 for a weird and wonderful celebration of uncommon music led by their one-off frontman

Politics

2 h. ago BBC examining plans that could lead to US consumers paying for its journalism

Corporation has been targeting audiences across the Atlantic as it tries to shore up revenue streamsSenior BBC figures are examining plans that would lead to American consumers paying to access its journalism, as the broadcaster looks to the US to boost its fragile finances.The corporation, which is facing fierce competition from streamers and falling licence fee income, has been targeting US audiences as it attempts to increase its commercial revenues outside the UK. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Anna Karenina review – Tolstoy’s tragedy fizzes with theatrical brilliance

Chichester Festival theatreNatalie Dormer is exceptional in the title role with Phillip Breen’s clever production reflecting the full scope of the novel’s ambition The stampede of actors making their way from screen to stage continues with Natalie Dormer’s return to the boards as the lead, tragic figure in Leo Tolstoy’s story of one aristocratic unhappy family.She is exceptional in the part of Anna, inhabiting the boldness, insecurity and anger of the discontented wife seeking her freedom through romantic passion. But there is little chemistry in her relationship with Vronsky (Seamus Dillane) – the rakish military man for whom she leaves her loveless marriage, and he is a non-character, left uncoloured. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago The Woodland Suites at The Montenotte: luxury treehouse living with Cork on your doorstep

Sleep amongst the trees at this stylish hotel bringing nature to the city, where the champagne flows and the eco-lodge residences come with all the mod cons

Politics

5 h. ago 'I built a fairytale home on the back of a truck and now live off

EXCLUSIVE: Cedar shake siding wraps the entire frame, salvaged century-old windows add soul and light, and a hand-built Dutch door makes the entryway look like it belongs on a woodland fairy tale set

Society

5 h. ago Brat summer is forever at Charli XCX’s victory lap LIDO Festival show

One year on from the birth of the cultural phenomenon, Charli and her fans at Victoria Park are holding on tight to the moment she created

Culture

6 h. ago Outlander fans divided over 'lukewarm' love story as they slate key character

Richard Rankin's portrayal of Roger Wakefield has caused a stir of controversy among book fans of Diana Gabaldon's hit franchise as they all said the same thing.

Events

7 h. ago Bavuma’s brave team make giant leap for South African Test cricket | Andy Bull

With World Test Championship win, the Proteas have made a strong case for Tests to gain greater prominence at homeSouth Africa lost their shot at winning this World Test Championship in 2022, when their board announced the team were going to play 28 games in the next four years. They lost it for a second time during the spring of last year, when they packed their reserve team off to play a series against New Zealand because their centrally contracted players had to stay back and play in a franchise tournament.They lost it a third time when the team were bowled out for 138 on Thursday morning and they lost it a fourth when they let Australia’s tail put on 134 runs for the last four wickets, leaving them needing 282 to win. Finally, after they had just about run out of ways to lose, they won. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago Reeves braced for OBR forecasts to blow £20bn hole in tax and spending plans

Downgrades by Treasury watchdog could force chancellor to raise taxes or cut spending at budget to meet fiscal rulesRachel Reeves is braced for revised forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to blow a £20bn hole in her tax and spending plans before the autumn budget.Even without changing the totals the chancellor set out in her spending review on Wednesday, a weaker forecast from the the Treasury’s independent watchdog could force her to find significantly more money at the budget to meet her “non-negotiable” fiscal rules. Continue reading...

Economics

9 h. ago ‘It’s not a genuine apology’: Spanish women reject Catholic attempt to redress Franco incarceration

Many survivors believe organisation’s request for forgiveness over abuse in Women’s Protection Board centres does not go far enoughAs the members of the Catholic organisation wrapped up their speech with an appeal for forgiveness, the auditorium in Madrid exploded in rage. For decades, many in the audience had grappled with the scars left by their time in Catholic-run institutions; now they were on their feet chanting: “Truth, justice and reparations” and – laying bare their rejection of any apology – “Neither forget, nor forgive”.It was an unprecedented response to an unprecedented moment in Spain, hinting at the deep fissures that linger over one of the longest-running and least-known institutions of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship: the Catholic-run centres that incarcerated thousands of women and girls as young as eight, subjecting them to barbaric punishments, forced labour and religious indoctrination. Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago Ragù, Bristol B3: ‘I recommend it wholly, effusively and slightly enviously’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Some of the most skilful cooking happening anywhere in Britain right nowRagù is a cool, minimal, romantic ode to Italian cooking that’s housed in a repurposed shipping container on Wapping Wharf in waterside Bristol. No, come back, please – don’t be scared. There are tables, chairs, napkins, reservations and all the other accoutrements of a bricks-and-mortar restaurant, even if this metal box may at some point in its existence once have been used to ship things to China and back. To my mind, Wapping Wharf has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and no longer feels at all like one of those novelty “box parks” that have about them a heavy whiff of the edgy temporary fixture. Today’s Wapping Wharf is a true independent food destination in its own right, and with a bird’s-eye view from one of Ragù’s window seats, while eating venison rump with gorgonzola dolce and sipping a booze-free vermouth, you can watch the crowds head for the likes of the modern French Lapin, Tokyo din...

Politics

14 h. ago Fantasist who invented claims of a VIP paedophile ring at Westminster set to have jail term cut by three years in Labour's sentencing review

The serial liar (pictured) triggered an investigation in 2014 into allegations of child sexual abuse and murder involving politicians, generals and senior figures in the intelligence services.

Sport

15 h. ago How Animals Heal Us by Jay Griffiths: Forget dogs, get a THERAPY SKUNK

We all know how invaluable animals can be for our wellbeing, but in a new book, Jay Griffiths reveals just how extraordinary animals really are.

Politics

17 h. ago Thousands more smokers to get help to quit after cash boost of at least £80 million

The bumper funding, announced in this week’s Spending Review, will help pay for smoking cessation programmes, including local stop smoking services which provide access to patches and gum and give dedicated advice and support

Economics

18 h. ago ‘A giant parenting group’: how online comedians are making a living by laughing about the chaos of kids

Comedians like the UK’s George Lewis, Farideh Olsen from Canada and Sean Szeps in Australia have huge audiences because ‘if we can’t laugh we’re going to sob uncontrollably’Many Instagram-frequenting parents of small children will have seen George Lewis’s sketch about two toddlers discussing their feelings of abandonment and relief wrapped in a game of peekaboo.“It was a normal day, I was just playing with Dad. And then he put his hands in front of his face and he was just gone,” the British comedian and father says in the widely shared video. “He was behaving so erratically.” Continue reading...

Events

22 h. ago Lenovo Legion Go S review – a great device hamstrung by below

The Lenovo Legion Go S is among the cheaper gaming handheld devices, but with some pretty beefy specs but, spoiler alert, there's a catch.

Politics

23 h. ago Vodafone terminates contracts of 12 franchisees who joined £120m lawsuit

Telecoms group says it strongly refutes claim by 62 franchisees that it ‘unjustly enriched’ itself at their expenseVodafone has terminated the contracts of 12 franchisees who have continued running the brand’s high street stores while also being part of a £120m high court claim against the telecoms group.The legal case was launched in December, when 62 franchisees claimed Vodafone had “unjustly enriched” itself at the expense of scores of vulnerable small business owners by slashing commissions to franchisees operating the mobile phone company’s retail outlets. Continue reading...

Economics

25 h. ago Voices: Rachel Reeves has bet all our money on Wes Streeting saving the NHS

With the cost of living and immigration being too severely impacted by outside factors, backing the NHS was the right choice – and delivering results on health is Labour’s best chance of winning the next election, writes John Rentoul

Economics