3 h. ago Universal Credit rule change to help more working parents get help with childcare costs

WORKING parents on Universal Credit are set for a major boost, as the Government unveils new support to cut the crippling cost of childcare. Ministers have confirmed that Universal Credit rules will change next year to stop families from falling into a "debt trap" when they try to return to work. The strategy targets one...

Society

3 d. ago WRU plan latest as reason for west Wales axe and potential new 'fourth team' emerge

More details about the WRU's plan to cut from four to three teams emerged on the weekend as director of performance Dave Reddin appeared on TNT Sports ahead of Wales v South Africa. Here's what you need to know

Politics

8 d. ago Cash Isa allowance slashed to £12,000 for under 65s in the Budget

The Chancellor has decided to cut the cash Isa allowance as part of a plan to divert billions of pounds sitting in savings accounts into investments.

Economics

1 week ago Top minister blasts Reform and Tories' views on Britain as she unveils major tech plan

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall criticised Reform UK and the Tories for talking the country down as she hailed Labour’s record funding in research and development

Politics

1 week ago The Guardian view on animal testing: we can stop sacrificing millions of lives for our own health | Editorial

New technologies can reduce our reliance on animal experiments. This isn’t just morally right, it could have scientific and economic benefits tooScience is a slaughterhouse. We rarely acknowledge the degree to which animal life underwrites the research that provides us with medicines, or the regulation that keeps us safe. Live animals were used in 2.64m officially sanctioned scientific procedures in the UK in 2024, many of them distressing or painful and many of them fatal. But the government’s new strategy to phase out animal testing – published earlier this month – suggests that in the near future emerging technologies can largely replace the use of animals in our scientific endeavours.The UK previously banned cosmetics testing on animals, and has already taken steps to regulate and reduce their use in research. But some needlessly cruel experiments still take place: the forced swim test (FST) for example, in which a rodent is placed in a body of water it canno...

Society

1 week ago Chilling reason Epstein wanted to 'wipe out' Andrew and Sarah Ferguson relationship

In 2011, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was provided with a reputational management plan to rehabilitate his image - and he was advised to cut all ties with Andrew and Sarah Ferguson

Politics

1 week ago Zelensky & Europe give nervy response to Trump’s Ukraine peace plan – as US warns ‘sign by Thursday or have weapons cut’

VOLODYMYR Zelensky and Europe have offered a shaky response to Donald Trump's peace plan as the US warned Ukraine must sign the deal by Thursday - or have weapons "cut". Sources close to the situation said that Kyiv was under greater pressure from Washington than during any previous peace discussions. In a post on X,...

Events

2 w. ago And cut! Nevada lawmakers narrowly reject plan to lure movie projects to Vegas

Nevada wrapped up a seven-day legislative session with a major proposal to offer tax credits to film studios failing, and the governor's sweeping crime legislation passing

Society

2 w. ago Putin is still pulling Trump’s puppet strings with a new Ukraine ‘peace’ plan – but they can be cut

The ‘deal’ being briefed out by Washington and Moscow is really just a blueprint for Russian conquest. Sam Kiley explains it doesn’t have to be that way

Politics

2 w. ago NHS failing to cut waiting times as promised in recovery plan, report warns

Public accounts committee finds Labour’s progress ‘appears to have stalled’ despite billions of pounds in investmentThe NHS has failed to cut waiting times as promised in its recovery plan despite billions of pounds in investment, the public accounts committee (PAC) has warned.The influential parliamentary committee’s verdict raises serious doubts over whether Labour can fulfil its key pledge to voters to “fix the NHS” by ensuring that patients can once again get hospital care within 18 weeks by 2029.Key NHS targets to improve access to both planned care and diagnostic tests by last spring “were missed”.NHS England had spent £3.24bn setting up community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs but had not achieved the aim of reducing delays.In July, 192,000 people had been waiting at least a year for care, despite a pledge to eradicate that practice altogether by March 2025.22% of patients were having to wait more than six weeks for a diagnostic test, even though that was due to be cut ...

Events

2 w. ago Chinese spying amounts to interference in UK democracy, minister says, after MI5 warns MPs – politics live

Dan Jarvis, the security minister, says China is trying to contact MPs and peers to get sensitive information about parliamentBack at the Reform UK press conference, Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy, has just finished outlining his plan to cut spending on foreignersAs he finished, Yusuf claimed this was “treachery”.Labour is making the conscious and deliberate decision to continue funding extortionate amounts to foreign nationals, to the detriment of British citizens.And I don’t know what to call that. Frankly, in my view, it’s treachery. I think it’s appalling. British people are sick and tired of it.Just a few months ago, Rachel Reeves was saying she couldn’t afford to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Now it looks like becoming her latest U-turn.This isn’t because the economic circumstances have improved. Quite the opposite. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Reform’s plan to cut EU citizens’ benefits would risk trade war with Europe, Labour claims – UK politics live

As Reform announces what it claims are £25bn in savings through cuts, Labour says ‘Farage’s fantasy numbers don’t add up’ Good morning. Yesterday, as the government announced drastic plans to curb the number of asylum seekers able to stay in the UK, it was accused of adopting the politics of Reform UK, the anti-immigration party with a big lead in the opinion polls. In response, ministers argued that Labour would be doing even worse if it just ignored the legitimate concerns of voters who are supporting Nigel Farage’s party.But, when mainstream parties move on to the territory of the more extreme parties, those parties often respond with a further lurch to the right, and we will see an example of that today. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, is holding a press conference where he is going to announce proposals that cover immigration and the budget (the other huge story preoccupying Westminster politics at the moment). As Peter Walker reports, Farage will propose spending cuts whic...

Events

2 w. ago Government to ban resale of tickets above face value amid tout crackdown

Ministers are expected to unveil plans to tackle sites that offer tickets at several times their original face value

Politics

2 w. ago Reform's plan to cut immigration is just 'gimmicks', says minister

Immigration minister Seema Malhotra has dismissed Reform's plans to tackle immigration numbers as "gimmicks" that have "unravelled on basic facts and figures"

Politics

3 w. ago WRU's plan to cut region takes shock twist as URC enter talks with English club

The WRU's plan could depend on the URC expanding

Events

3 w. ago Worth a shout? Yelling is best way to deter gulls, UK study suggests

Animal behaviourists tested 61 gulls in Cornwall to find most effective method of countering feathery threat Some people respond to the unwanted attentions of a gull eyeing up a bag of chips or a Cornish pasty by frantically flapping their hands at the hungry bird while others beat a rapid retreat into the nearest seaside shelter. But researchers have found that a no-nonsense yell – even a relatively quiet one – may be the best way to get rid of a pesky herring gull.Animal behaviourists from the University of Exeter tried to establish the most effective method of countering a feathery threat by placing a portion of chips in a place where gulls were bound to find them. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago UK Government unveils plan to phase out animal testing in 'ambitious' move

A UK minister has set out plans to phase out animal experiments in science

Politics

3 w. ago Britain's ambitious plan to end animal testing: UK government reveals shift away from 'suffering' creatures toward futuristic organ

Science ministers have laid out their ambitious plans to eliminate the use of animals in research, marking a significant step away from the 'suffering' of millions of creatures in the UK.

Politics

3 w. ago UK minister unveils plan to cut animal testing through greater use of AI

New funding for researchers and streamlined regulation part of roadmap for phasing out use of animals in scienceAnimal testing in science would be phased out faster under a new plan to increase the use of artificial intelligence and 3D bioprinted human tissues, a UK minister has said.The roadmap unveiled by the science minister, Patrick Vallance, backs replacing certain animal tests that are still used where necessary to determine the safety of products such as life-saving vaccines and the impact pesticides have on living beings and the environment. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago £250m plan to cut drug deaths in Scotland was 'more about controlling the narrative' claims expert

Professor Catriona Matheson, the ex-chair of a taskforce assigned to tackle drug deaths, says the plan was doomed from the start.

Events