20 DECEMBER 1925
It was reported that there had been an explosion at Birchenwood colliery in Staffordshire, killing seven miners and injuring seven others. It was later confirmed that there had been 374 persons underground when the explosion took place.
It was confirmed that the men had returned to work at the Ulster Special Constabulary and duties were being completed as usual.
The comments made by Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark, on 5 January 2026.
If the United States decides to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything would stop, that includes NATO and therefore post-Second World War security.
STORY
The UK has called for a “safe and peaceful transition” to a legitimate government in Venezuela, telling the UN Security Council that Venezuelans “have suffered for years” under Nicolás Maduro’s rule and deserve a government that reflects their vote at the ballot box.
Speaking in New York, Ambassador James Kariuki said Maduro’s actions had fuelled poverty, violent repression and failing basic services, while also driving a displacement crisis across the region. He repeated the UK’s longstanding position that Maduro’s claim to power was fraudulent and pointed to the fact that Venezuela’s National Electoral Council has still not published full results from the July 2024 presidential election, alongside reports citing irregularities and a lack of transparency.
The remarks came as the Security Council met at what the UK described as a “pivotal moment” for Venezuela’s future, amid heightened international scrutiny of events in the country and wider debate over how external powers are responding to the crisis.
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 January 2026.
Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Venezuela.
The Venezuelan people have suffered for years.
This Council now meets at a pivotal moment for Venezuela’s future.
Maduro’s actions created extreme levels of poverty, violent repression, and failing basic services.
His regime’s rule precipitated a displacement crisis affecting the whole region.
The United Kingdom has long been clear that Maduro’s claim to power was fraudulent.
To date, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council has failed to publish the full results of the July 2024 Presidential elections.
Independent domestic and international reports also observed significant irregularities and a lack of transparency.
President, the United Kingdom wants to see a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.
They deserve a government which reflects their vote at the ballot box, and delivers a more stable, prosperous future for all Venezuelans.
Finally, President, the United Kingdom reaffirms its commitment to international law and the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
These foundations are essential for maintaining global peace, security, and the rule of law.
The statement made by the European Commission on 3 January 2026.
We follow closely the unfolding situation across Iran, with demonstrations reflecting the demands of many Iranians. We are concerned by the reported deaths and injuries and urge Iran’s security forces to exercise maximum restraint in handling peaceful protests. Socio-economic challenges were acknowledged by authorities and should be addressed through inclusive dialogue, not through violence.
We call on Iranian authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and to enable the free flow of information and access to the internet. All individuals arrested for peacefully exercising their rights should be immediately released.
The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 4 January 2026.
First Venezuela, next Greenland?
You don’t suck up to bullies like Trump, he will just see it as a sign of weakness.
Keir Starmer needs to get on the phone to our European allies including the Danish PM, and show a united front against Trump’s threats.
The press release issued by OFCOM on 5 January 2026.
We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children.
We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK. Based on their response we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation.
The comments made by Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, on 5 January 2026.
Labour should scrap the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.
Our veterans are being treated “worse than terrorists”. That damning indictment is not from me as Leader of the Opposition, but from Labour’s own Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner.
![PRESS RELEASE : 5.65 million still to file as the Self Assessment deadline looms [January 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/hmtreasury-150x150.png)
The press release issued by HM Treasury on 5 January 2026.
Millions of taxpayers have less than one month to file their Self Assessment tax return.
Thousands of people got a head start on their 2026 resolutions by filing their Self Assessment tax return over the New Year.
With less than a month to the 31 January deadline, 54,053 customers chose to ring in the New Year by filing their tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The figures, show:
More than 6.36 million taxpayers have submitted their tax return so far, which leaves almost 5.65 million who still need to complete their Self Assessment. Those who miss the deadline could face an initial late filing penalty of £100.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said:
New Year is a great time to start afresh. What better way than to ensure your tax affairs are in order for another year than completing your tax return. If you have yet to start, the clock is ticking, go to GOV.UK and start today.
A wide range of online help and support is available on GOV.UK to help people fill in and file their tax return.
Customers can start their tax return, save it and re-visit it as many times as they need to before they submit it. And, once they’ve sent it, the bill doesn’t have to be paid straight away, but does need to be paid before the 31 January deadline.
The easiest way to pay is through the HMRC app. Customers can also set up notifications in the app to ensure they know when payments are due so they don’t miss a deadline.
Information about different payment options can be found on GOV.UK.
Customers who are unable to meet the tax return deadline need to tell us before the 31 January. HMRC will treat those with reasonable excuses fairly.
The penalties for late tax returns are:
There are also additional penalties for late payments of 5% of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months. If tax remains unpaid after the deadline, interest will also be charged on the amount owed, in addition to the penalties above.
People who complete a Self Assessment tax return to pay the High Interest Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) can opt out and choose to pay it through their tax code via the new PAYE digital service.
Eligible customers need to notify HMRC to stop Self Assessment before the filing deadline. Where a tax return has already been sent, customers can choose to stop from the following tax year. HMRC will then amend their tax code and they will be registered to pay HICBC through PAYE.
Customers do not need to include their 2025 Winter Fuel Payment, or Pension Age Winter Heating payment in Scotland, on their tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year as payments received in Autumn 2025 will be recovered in the 2025 to 2026 tax return, due by 31 January 2027.
Self Assessment customers are at increased risk of being targeted by criminals and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone, including a tax agent, if they have one. HMRC scams advice is available on GOV.UK.
See more information about Self Assessment.
New Year filing figures include:
More than 12 million people are expected to file a Self Assessment tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year.
Sole traders and landlords with a turnover above £50,000 will be required to use Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax from 6 April 2026 and be required to submit quarterly summaries of their income and expenses to HMRC. HMRC is urging eligible customers to act now and sign up to Making Tax Digital as this is the best way to get ahead, giving you extra time to select software and familiarise yourself with the new service. Agents can also register their clients via GOV.UK.
People who have sold assets such as shares after 30 October 2024 need to be aware of changed rates of Capital Gains Tax for the disposal of assets when completing their Self Assessment tax return as it won’t automatically calculate the correct amount of Capital Gains Tax due. Instead, they may need to work out an adjustment to the tax automatically calculated using the adjustment calculator on GOV.UK.
![PRESS RELEASE : Landmark junk food ad ban to protect kid’s health [January 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/health-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 5 January 2026.
Children will be protected from exposure to junk food ads under new regulations, in a bid to tackle childhood obesity.
Kids will be protected from exposure to junk food advertising on TV and online as new regulations come into force to help tackle childhood obesity.
From today, adverts for less healthy food and drinks will be banned on television before 9pm, and online at all times.
This decisive and world-leading action by this government is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year, reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver around £2 billion in health benefits over time.
Evidence shows advertising influences what and when children eat, shaping preferences from a young age and increasing the risk of obesity and related illnesses. The ban targets the media children and young people use most at the times they use it.
At the start of primary school, 22.1% of children in England are living with overweight or obesity and this rises to 35.8% by the time they leave. Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for young children (typically ages 5-9) in the UK.
Minister for Health, Ashley Dalton said:
We promised to do everything we can to give every child the best and healthiest start in life.
By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods – making the healthy choice the easy choice for parents and children.
We’re moving the dial from having the NHS treat sickness, to preventing it so people can lead healthier lives and so it can be there for us when we need it.
This government has worked closely with health campaigners and industry leaders to find the right balance which combines our commitment to raising healthy kids and economic growth. It’s in everyone’s interest that parents and children can make healthy choices and we thank food and drink companies for getting behind these restrictions voluntary since October ahead of them taking legal effect today.
Previous interventions, such as the Soft Drinks Industry Levy resulted in businesses reformulating to make products healthier, and the measures coming into effect today have already had a similar impact, driving the development and promotion of healthier options.
This change is part of a range of measures the government is taking to lift children out of poverty and help give them the best start in life.
To tackle obesity and improve diets, this government has introduced the Healthy Food Standard to make the average shopping basket of goods healthier, and we’re giving local authorities the power to stop fast food shops setting up outside schools.
Katharine Jenner, Executive Director, Obesity Health Alliance, said:
It’s been one battle after another, but we are finally going to see children being protected from the worst offending junk food adverts. This is a welcome and long-awaited step towards better protecting children from unhealthy food and drink advertising that can harm their health and wellbeing. These new restrictions will help reduce children’s exposure to the most problematic adverts and mark real progress towards a healthier food environment.
For the government to achieve its ambition of raising the healthiest generation ever, this is an important policy as part of a broader approach to preventing obesity-related ill health. Continuing to strengthen the rules over time will help ensure these protections remain effective.
Colette Marshall, Chief Executive at Diabetes UK, said:
With type 2 diabetes on the rise in young people, the need to improve children’s health in the UK has never been greater. Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and the condition can lead to more severe consequences in young people – leaving them at risk of serious complications like kidney failure and heart disease.
The long-awaited move to restrict junk food advertising – along with other measures such as mandatory healthy food sales reporting for businesses and the extension of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy – can help protect the health of our children, creating a future where conditions like type 2 diabetes can be prevented in young people.
The Soft Drink Industry Levy will be extended to cover more products, including sugary milk-based drinks – and we’re helping to further improve kids’ diets by banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16.
In December, the Prime Minister announced parents could save up to £500 a year on baby formula thanks to new government measures aimed at reducing household costs and easing the cost of living for hard-working families.
This government has also introduced supervised toothbrushing for three to five-year-olds to protect those in the most deprived communities from tooth decay.
Our landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill, meanwhile, will break the cycle of addiction and stop the next generation getting hooked on nicotine. It will also halt the advertising and sponsorship of vapes, limiting their packaging, flavours and displays which lure young people in.
These measures combined with the junk food ban mark the 10 Year Health Plan’s shift towards prevention and significant progress towards the government’s our pledge of raising the healthiest generation of children ever.
Farid (17), Bite Back Activist, said:
Today is a milestone moment – one that young people across the UK have been campaigning for over many years. We welcome the government taking action to put children’s health front and centre, to protect young people from the predatory and manipulative marketing of unhealthy food by junk food giants.
These new rules are an important first step that begins to rip down the wallpaper of junk food advertising that surrounds young people on TV and online every day. We’re proud to see this change finally happen. But this cannot be the end. Young people are energised to keep pushing, working hard to make 2026 the year we fully transform the environments children grow up in.
Malcolm Clark, Senior Policy Manager at Cancer Research UK, said:
The world around us heavily influences what we eat and drink, which is why Cancer Research UK has long campaigned for restrictions on advertising unhealthy foods to children.
Measures announced today – if properly enforced – are a crucial step towards creating an environment that protects children and empowers healthy lifestyle changes.
Obesity and overweight causes at least 13 different types of cancer, and children living with obesity are much more likely to live with obesity as adults too. The UK Government must build on this landmark legislation with further bold action to make a healthy diet more accessible and reduce people’s risk of cancer in the future.
Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor MBE, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said:
This is a positive step towards creating healthier environments for children and tackling childhood obesity.
Childhood obesity remains one of the most significant public health challenges we face, driving health inequalities and placing a significant cost burden on the NHS and wider society. These measures are an important part of a whole systems approach, alongside local action to improve access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity.
We are pleased to see that these measures complement other public health initiatives, such as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which together signal a strong commitment to prevention and improving health outcomes.
Alice Wiseman MBE, Vice President of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said:
The vast majority of deaths in this country are caused by preventable illnesses and disease, including many cancers, respiratory, heart and liver disease. These illnesses are often linked to the consumption of harmful products like unhealthy food and drink, but this is not the result of personal choice.
The reality is that what we eat and drink is heavily influenced by cheap prices and clever marketing campaigns backed by multi-million pound budgets. We simply don’t have the freedom to choose.
There is no quick fix, but we know from our experience of tackling tobacco harm, that one of the key ways to reduce illness and death caused by harmful products is to introduce tighter restrictions on advertising those products.
There is of course further to go, but today’s legislation is a significant and welcome step forward in protecting people from industry influence and reducing the number of people living with – and dying from – preventable illness and disease.