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STORY

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has launched a consultation on a proposed framework intended to make it quicker and less costly to develop therapies for rare diseases. The regulator said the new approach could help patients with rare conditions access treatments earlier where conventional development routes are difficult.

The proposed Rare Disease Therapies Regulatory Framework includes plans for an Investigational Marketing Authorisation and compressed development pathways. The MHRA said the framework is designed to address scientific, evidentiary and commercial barriers that can prevent rare disease therapies from reaching patients.

The Government said rare diseases affect up to 3.5 million people in the UK. The consultation will allow the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors, patient groups and other stakeholders to comment before the framework is finalised.

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The UK has announced up to £20 million in new funding to help contain an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the funding would support the World Health Organisation, UN agencies, international partners and NGOs responding to the outbreak.

The funding is intended to strengthen disease surveillance, support frontline health workers, improve infection prevention and control and help affected communities access care. The Government said most confirmed cases are in the Ituri region, an area already facing serious humanitarian and security challenges.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and the Health Secretary chaired a cross-government meeting to coordinate the UK response, including work to protect British nationals overseas. Ministers said the UK was also working with authorities in DRC and Uganda, the WHO and international partners on vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.

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The UK has agreed a trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council which ministers say will be worth £3.7 billion a year to the economy in the long term. The agreement covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, making the UK the first G7 country to agree a trade deal with the bloc.

The Government said the deal would remove tariffs on food exports, medical equipment and advanced manufacturing, while also including commitments on the free flow of data. Reuters reported that the agreement would remove 93% of GCC tariffs on British goods, with cars, aerospace, electronics and food and drink among the sectors expected to benefit.

Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said the agreement would give exporters greater certainty at a time of regional instability. Campaign groups have criticised the absence of enforceable human rights provisions and raised concerns about investor protection arrangements, but ministers said the deal would not weaken UK environmental or data protection standards.

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Newly released Government documents have raised questions about the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a UK trade envoy. The Guardian reported that ministers said there was no evidence of a formal due diligence or security vetting process when he was appointed to the role in 2001.

The papers also show that Queen Elizabeth II was keen for Andrew to have a prominent role promoting national interests. Sky News reported that a briefing note said no one else had been approached for the role and that his value was considered to be the high profile and commitment he could provide as a member of the Royal Family.

Andrew served as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment between 2001 and 2011. The release of the documents follows parliamentary pressure for greater transparency over the appointment and wider scrutiny of his conduct while carrying out the public role.

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Andy Burnham has said he would support major electoral reform if he became Prime Minister, including changes intended to make politics less focused on party conflict and more focused on problem-solving. The Greater Manchester Mayor made the comments in an interview with BBC Radio Manchester as he campaigns as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election.

Burnham has previously supported proportional representation for UK general elections and said the political system needed to become more place-led and long-term in its approach. He argued that politics in Britain was at risk of becoming broken unless power was shared more effectively and public trust was rebuilt.

The Makerfield contest is due on 18 June and is expected to be one of the most significant by-elections of the Parliament. Burnham is seeking a return to Westminster before any possible Labour leadership challenge, while Reform UK is expected to make the seat a major test of Labour support in the north-west.

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Wes Streeting has called for capital gains tax to be brought into line with income tax as he continues to set out his case for Labour’s future direction. Reuters reported that the former Health Secretary said income made from owning assets should not be taxed less heavily than income earned from work.

The proposal would mean higher capital gains tax rates than those currently charged, with Reuters reporting that Streeting’s plan could raise rates from 18% to 24% at present to as much as 40% or 45%, depending on a taxpayer’s income band. A study cited in the report estimated that such a change could raise around £12 billion a year.

Streeting has said he would like to challenge Keir Starmer if there is a Labour leadership contest. His latest intervention comes as Andy Burnham also prepares for the Makerfield by-election, which is due to take place on 18 June and is expected to be closely watched by Labour MPs.

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Long-term net migration to the UK nearly halved in 2025, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. Reuters reported that net migration fell to 171,000 in the 12 months to December, down from 331,000 a year earlier and well below the record peak of 944,000 in 2023.

The fall follows a series of restrictions introduced by successive Governments, including tighter rules on student dependants, higher salary thresholds for skilled worker visas and limits on overseas recruitment into the care sector. The Labour Government has also set out further reforms, including changes to settlement rules and measures aimed at increasing removals.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (in photo) welcomed the fall but said there was more work to do to restore order and control to the immigration system. Business groups and immigration specialists have warned that sharp reductions in migration could add to labour shortages in sectors including care and hospitality.

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Rachel Reeves has announced a summer cost of living package including free bus travel for children and targeted food tariff cuts. The Treasury said children aged five to 15 will be able to travel free on participating local bus services in England throughout August, as part of the Government’s Great British Summer Savings Scheme.

The Government also said it would launch a business engagement exercise on further targeted cuts to agri-food tariffs, including a planned suspension of tariffs on more than 100 types of products such as biscuits, chocolate, dried fruit and nuts. Ministers said the measures were intended to reduce pressure on household budgets during a period of higher prices linked to the conflict in Iran.

Reeves said her priority was protecting households from rising costs and said the package would help families enjoy the summer. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said free bus travel would help children and families during the school holidays, while transport and passenger groups welcomed the measure as a way of supporting affordable public transport.