59 m. ago These unanswered questions could be Rachel Reeves’s downfall

Analysis: Chancellor accused of unveiling a spending review which is ‘full off numbers, few of them useful’

Politics

63 m. ago Rachel Reeves has given the Starmer administration a new narrative: Investment, growth and expansion

Editorial: Alongside the Brexit reset, new trade deals and planning reforms, the chancellor’s spending review should result in a stronger economy with a better long-term growth rate. But it will take time

Politics

72 m. ago 'Bombshell' council tax rise warning over Rachel Reeves' police funding plans

Chancellor accused of ‘relying on a hidden council tax bombshell to fund a half-hearted rise in police funding’ as she outlines Spending Review

Events

92 m. ago What Rachel Reeves didn't say in the Spending Review and what it means for Greater Manchester

Many questions remain unanswered following some glaring omissions

Politics

93 m. ago Lyma’s laser claims to ‘make skin look younger’ – but does it actually work?

As a 58-year-old with pigmentation and marionette lines around my mouth, I was keen to test the tool

Politics

1 hour ago Reeves ‘failed’ to back English councils in spending review, MPs warn

Woking MP Will Forster called on the Chancellor to ‘justify’ a ‘lack of investment’ into local government.

Events

1 hour ago Police leaders say they will struggle to fulfil Labour’s promise to recruit 13,000 officers

Projected £1.2bn police funding shortfall expected to grow after spending review outlined fall in Home Office spending powerPolice forces will struggle to fulfil Keir Starmer’s promise to recruit an additional 13,000 officers and the public will “pay the price”, police leaders have warned, after the chancellor outlined a decline in Home Office spending power on Wednesday.The National Police Chiefs’ Council said it would be incredibly difficult to deliver the prime minister’s election pledge within the lifetime of this parliament, with a projected £1.2bn shortfall in police funding expected to grow. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago The Guardian view on Labour’s spending review: the chancellor tightened belts and loosened seams | Editorial

The government offers capital investment and fiscal prudence but real-terms department cuts and grand promises could strain political credibilityBrexit’s ghost haunts a Labour spending review intended to lay the foundations for a second term. Its headlines echo the twin themes of the referendum campaign: control immigration, fund the NHS. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said she would end the use of hotels for asylum seekers “in this parliament” saving £1bn a year, while NHS spending will rise by 3% a year. Ms Reeves framed it as a politics of security and compassion. Yet it reads as Brexit’s populist promises, filtered through Westminster orthodoxy.The risk is that this is all slogan and very little solution. The asylum savings are speculative, and the annual increase in NHS budgets is below its historical average. There are also real-terms cuts or essentially flat budgets for key departments such as transport, education and local government. The Home Office faces cuts deeper than a...

Politics

2 h. ago Meater Pro Duo review: The essential smart thermometer for perfect BBQs

Let overcooked chicken and underwhelming steak be a thing of the past

Politics

2 h. ago ‘Bombshell’ badger cull study review ‘disproves evidence’ used by governments to justify killings

‘Justification for lethal control to date appears to have been based on basic statistical oversight,’ says independent reviewer

Events

2 h. ago Rachel Reeves unveils 3% NHS spending boost but cuts other budgets

Home Office and Foreign Office among Whitehall departments facing squeeze in chancellor’s spending review

Economics

2 h. ago Labour promised people we would rebuild Britain – and that’s what we’re doing | Keir Starmer

This week’s spending review marks a new stage in the mission of national renewal, built on the foundations laid last yearKeir Starmer is the prime minister of the United KingdomThe mandate we received from the British people could not have been clearer. First, we had to stop the chaos and return Britain to economic stability. Second, we had to turn the page on Tory decline with clear Labour choices. Third, we were instructed to rebuild our country.Wednesday’s spending review turbocharged that rebuilding. It is an investment in Britain’s renewal, so working people have more money in their pocket, more pride in their community and more hope for their children’s future. It’s what people voted for. An NHS cutting waiting lists, with care closer to the community. Wealth and opportunity no longer hoarded by only a few towns and cities. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Spending review a ‘huge blow’ for police and ‘will hamper efforts to recruit 13,000 neighbourhood police officers’

The government’s £2bn spending plans will cover ‘little more’ than basic pay increases for existing staff, police chiefs have warned

Events

2 h. ago Voices: Rachel Reeves sounded like she was fighting for her political life

Delivering her spending review, the chancellor even made her theatrical opposite number look convincing – she needs to rediscover her firebrand energy and win Labour MPs back onside, says John Rentoul

Politics

3 h. ago Government can hit NHS waiting times targets despite scepticism, says Reeves

The NHS has received a 3% increase in real terms per year in the Government spending review.

Events

3 h. ago Growing proportion of aid budget to be spent on asylum hotels next year

Hotel accommodation for asylum-seekers strips money from the aid budget and threatens the health of people seeking safety, charities warn

Economics

3 h. ago Spending review in six charts: Where Rachel Reeves cuts and pay boosts will land

Departmental spending will increase by 2.3 per cent each year, with some areas seeing real-terms losses

Economics

3 h. ago Rioters livestream themselves burning down a HOUSE on TikTok in Balleymena after 'Romanian' teens 'tried to rape girl'

Footage shared on social media shows thugs giggling as they torch a residential home after smashing the windows and breaking in.

Events

3 h. ago British & Irish Lions calm fears over Tadhg Furlong’s fitness for Australia tour

Leinster prop may feature in URC final against Bulls‘We will put our best foot forward for Argentina’The British & Irish Lions have insisted they have no fitness concerns over the veteran tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong and have revealed he and other Premiership and URC finalists will be considered for their opening match against Argentina in Dublin next Friday.Furlong, who has started the last nine Lions Tests, has not played for his province since early May due to a calf injury, prompting fears over his availability for the Australia tour. Zander Fagerson also withdrew from the squad on Monday, leaving options at tighthead severely limited. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Reeves unveils record spending plans but experts warn of tax rises ahead

Chancellor announces £39bn boost for social housing, £29bn for NHS and £11bn for defence – and promises to close all asylum hotels as she takes a swipe at Farage and dismisses Tory warnings of a ‘cruel summer’ of tax rise

Events