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STORY

Torsten Bell has said Labour’s manifesto did not set a fixed timetable for removing age bands from the national living wage, despite the party’s commitment to ending what it described as discriminatory rates. The pensions minister said the Government remained committed to the policy but would rely on advice from the Low Pay Commission on how and when it should be delivered.

The comments came after Alan Milburn suggested that changes to youth pay rates could form part of a wider response to rising youth unemployment. Labour’s manifesto said that all adults should be entitled to the same minimum wage, a pledge which unions have interpreted as a commitment to equalising rates during this Parliament.

The issue could become a difficult internal argument for Labour, with ministers balancing employment concerns against pressure from the trade union movement. The Government is already under scrutiny over youth joblessness, with more than one million 16 to 24-year-olds outside work, education or training.

STORY

The UK and France have agreed a new science and technology partnership covering women’s health, infectious diseases, artificial intelligence and supercomputing. The Government said the agreement would support research into conditions including endometriosis, complications from childbirth, drug-resistant infections, tuberculosis, malaria and emerging viruses.

The partnership brings together institutions in both countries and will use AI, data and advanced imaging to speed up diagnosis and treatment. Ministers said the collaboration would also strengthen links between Britain’s Isambard-AI supercomputer and France’s GENCI computing centre, with almost £900,000 of UK Government funding committed to the work.

Liz Kendall, the Science and Technology Secretary, announced the deal as she attended G7 digital and technology talks in Paris. The summit is also considering AI adoption and security, digital resilience and online safety for children, giving the announcement a broader political context as ministers seek to present the UK as a leading science and AI partner.

STORY

The Government has announced a £340 million community pharmacy deal intended to give patients faster access to care on the high street. Ministers said the agreement would allow more services and treatments to be delivered through pharmacies, as part of wider plans to move more NHS care out of hospitals and into neighbourhood settings.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the programme would build on Pharmacy First, which already allows patients to receive advice, over-the-counter treatments and some prescription-only medicines for a range of minor conditions. The Government said this would help patients with conditions affecting the ears, nose, throat, eyes and skin, while also reducing pressure on GP appointments.

Independent prescribing will be rolled out nationally from autumn 2026. Stephen Kinnock, the health minister, said community pharmacies had an important role in delivering the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan, with the announcement coming as ministers continue to argue that NHS reform must shift more treatment closer to people’s homes.

STORY

Patients in England will be able to receive more NHS treatments directly from community pharmacists under a new £340 million Government-funded deal. The Department of Health and Social Care said pharmacists with Independent Prescribing qualifications will be able to assess patients and prescribe medicines directly from autumn 2026. Ministers said the move would build on the Pharmacy First service, improve access to treatment for common conditions and reduce unnecessary referrals back to GPs, urgent treatment centres and A&E.

Care Minister Stephen Kinnock said the change formed part of the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan and would make greater use of highly skilled pharmacists. NHS England said community pharmacies already played a vital role in providing care closer to home, while Chief Pharmaceutical Officer David Webb said it would be the first time community pharmacists could prescribe NHS medicines across a range of conditions as a nationally commissioned service.

The Government said more than 3.3 million Pharmacy First consultations were delivered between March 2025 and February 2026, up 43% on the previous 12 months, with 86% of users reporting a positive experience. Community Pharmacy England welcomed the agreement as a first step towards making fuller use of pharmacists’ clinical expertise, while sector representatives said the deal also recognised the financial pressures facing pharmacies.

STORY

A judicial review challenge over Caerphilly County Borough Council’s plan to close ten libraries is due to be heard in the High Court next week.

The council paused implementation after campaigners launched legal proceedings and secured an interim injunction. The authority has said its library strategy would replace the ten sites with seven enhanced community hubs in strategic town centre locations, alongside outreach services in affected communities.

Campaigners argue that the libraries are important community assets. The council has said it will robustly defend the claim, while also pointing to discussions with community groups interested in taking ownership of some of the sites.

STORY

Lincolnshire County Council and North Kesteven District Council have formally issued judicial review proceedings over ministerial approval for what would become the UK’s largest solar farm.

The Springwell Solar Farm, approved by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband in April, would cover around 1,280 hectares of land near Scopwick. The councils argue that the application did not properly assess effects on rural villages and landscapes, or adequately consider the cumulative impact of developments in Lincolnshire.

A judge will now decide whether there are arguable grounds for the case to proceed beyond the permission stage. North Kesteven’s leader said the councils were acting on nine points and that, although the action would have a cost, failing to challenge the decision was not considered to be in residents’ interests.

STORY

Rugby Borough Council has been found to have serious failings by the Regulator of Social Housing after around 4,000 tenancies were potentially overcharged rent.

The regulator said the council had applied a general rent-setting approach which failed to use the correct property valuations as the basis for formula rent. When the correct valuations were applied, the overcharges were estimated at about £415,000.

The council said it had identified the historic issue through its own investigation and reported it to the regulator. It apologised to tenants, said further verification work was continuing and promised that where tenants had been overcharged it would put matters right.