Category: News Story

STORY

The Government has confirmed that it will not intervene in Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery after accepting legally binding commitments intended to protect media plurality and editorial independence in the UK. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the assurances provided sufficient protection for the continued availability and separate identities of broadcasting, streaming and news services.

Paramount has undertaken to retain the distinct editorial identities of its television channels and streaming services. Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network will remain editorially separate and continue commissioning and acquiring original British children’s programmes. Channel 5 News will remain independent from CBS News and CNN International, while CNN International will continue to be available in the UK. Channel 5 will also retain its public service broadcasting role and maintain a UK focused commissioning strategy.

Most of the commitments will apply for five years after the acquisition is completed, although those concerning Channel 5 will remain in force until the end of its current broadcasting licence in December 2034. Paramount must provide annual statements showing its compliance and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has said it will monitor implementation. The Competition and Markets Authority has separately cleared the transaction, while Nandy said there were no reasonable grounds at present for intervention under the foreign state influence regime.

STORY

The Foreign Office has summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires following an alleged attempted drone attack on Leipzig Halle Airport in Germany. The diplomatic action followed a statement from the German Government attributing the incident to Russia.

A UK Government spokesperson expressed solidarity with Germany and described the alleged attack as egregious and reckless. Ministers said the incident formed part of a broader pattern of Russian activity intended to undermine European security and weaken the unity of countries supporting Ukraine.

Russia denied involvement and described the allegations as fabricated. Its embassy in London accused Britain and other European countries of pursuing a coordinated provocation and warned that further action would receive what it called a proportionate response. The dispute adds to already strained relations between London and Moscow over the war in Ukraine and security threats across Europe.

STORY

Two senior Reform UK officials have stepped down while the party investigates allegations concerning the funding of opinion polling. James Orr, the party’s head of policy, and Dan Jukes, a longstanding aide to Nigel Farage, were named in an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News.

The programme alleged that three polls costing £32,500 were paid for by a United States company after discussions involving people whom the officials believed represented a wealthy American donor. Reform UK said it had been targeted by a hoax and denied wrongdoing. Orr said no money had reached the party and described the polling as public work arranged by an independent individual who paid an independent pollster.

Reform UK said Orr and Jukes had stepped down to allow an independent and impartial internal inquiry to proceed. The allegations have also been reported to the police. The Electoral Commission said that information about any potential attempt to evade controls on political donations was a matter for the police to consider. No regulator, prosecuting authority or court has made a finding of wrongdoing against the party or the individuals involved.

STORY

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at Downing Street, with migration across the English Channel, support for Ukraine and European security among the principal subjects. Macron is the first European Union leader to meet Burnham at Downing Street since he became Prime Minister.

The two leaders discussed cooperation intended to reduce small boat crossings and agreed that measures which had proved successful in the Channel should be expanded through wider European collaboration. Defence, energy security and continued assistance for Ukraine were also included in the discussions.

The meeting represented an early opportunity for Burnham to establish his approach to relations with European partners. Macron said Britain and France shared responsibility for the continent’s future and would continue working towards what he called a stronger, safer and more sovereign Europe.

STORY

The Conservative Party has proposed increasing annual defence expenditure by £10 billion as part of a plan to spend 3% of gross domestic product on defence by the end of the decade. Kemi Badenoch said the additional resources were needed in response to a growing threat from Russia and wider international instability.

The Conservatives said the increase would be financed principally through reductions in welfare spending. Badenoch argued that defence had to take priority in a more dangerous international environment and said the Armed Forces required firm financial commitments rather than expressions of support.

Labour disputed the Conservatives’ costings and accused the party of relying on savings which could not be delivered as claimed. The dispute leaves defence and welfare spending at the centre of a broader argument about the choices facing the Government as it prepares its future fiscal plans.

STORY

Reform UK has set out proposals which it says would reduce public spending by more than £100 billion following a general election victory. Shadow Chancellor Robert Jenrick said an emergency Budget would be introduced during the party’s first 100 days in office, with the savings used to support reductions in taxation.

The plans include a stated ambition to remove £50 billion from welfare spending and between £20 billion and £30 billion from departmental budgets. Reform also anticipates £28 billion in lower debt interest costs, while proposing reductions in spending associated with net zero policies, overseas aid and arm’s-length public bodies.

Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson described the proposals as reckless and questioned how cuts of that scale could be delivered without damaging public services. The figures are expected to face further scrutiny over their assumptions, the timescale for achieving them and the consequences for people receiving disability and other welfare payments

STORY

Reform UK accepted more than £5.3 million in reportable private donations during the second quarter of 2026, placing it ahead of Labour and the Conservatives. Electoral Commission figures showed Labour receiving approximately £3.59 million and the Conservatives £2.81 million in private donations during the same period.

Approximately £4 million of Reform UK’s total came from Ben Delo, the British co-founder of the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX. Delo pleaded guilty in the United States in 2022 to violating the Bank Secrecy Act over failures to maintain an adequate anti-money laundering programme at the exchange. He was subsequently pardoned by US President Donald Trump.

The donation accounted for roughly three quarters of Reform UK’s private fundraising during the quarter. The figures are likely to intensify the political debate about large donations and the influence of wealthy individuals, with proposals to tighten eligibility rules and limit some donations already under consideration.

STORY

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has announced that he intends to stand in the Holborn and St Pancras parliamentary by election. The contest was triggered by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to stand down as the constituency’s MP.

Polanski said he had lived and worked in the community for many years and would represent people struggling with the cost of living. He accused Labour of standing up for corporations and wealthy interests, while arguing that the Greens could offer local voters an alternative. Polanski is currently a citywide member of the London Assembly, although Green Party members in Holborn and St Pancras will have the final decision over the selection of their candidate.

Labour has represented Holborn and St Pancras continuously since the constituency was created in 1983. At the 2024 general election, Starmer secured 48.9% of the vote, independent candidate Andrew Feinstein finished second with 18.9% and the Greens came third with 10.4%. Polanski said the forthcoming contest offered the constituency an opportunity to elect London’s first Green MP.

STORY

The Government has announced a £442 million Rough Sleeping Programme intended to ensure that everyone sleeping on the streets is offered accommodation and support before Christmas. Homelessness Minister Florence Eshalomi said the programme would combine urgent winter provision with longer-term help for people who have experienced persistent rough sleeping.

Local services will be able to provide accommodation alongside tailored assistance with mental health, substance use, employment, training and maintaining a tenancy. Part of the investment is expected to deliver more than 1,000 settled homes with intensive support for people who have the most complex needs.

Funding will be concentrated in areas experiencing the greatest pressure, with mayoral strategic authorities and councils given flexibility to design local services. Guidance also requires accessible provision for women, who may be underrepresented in official figures and face particular risks of violence and exploitation. An additional £8.1 million will take the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund to £47 million, while total Government investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services over three years will exceed £4 billion.

STORY

The Government is developing proposals for the formal regulation of the funeral industry as part of plans to improve standards, remove rogue operators and provide stronger protection for bereaved families. Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said clearer safeguards and consistent oversight were needed to ensure the deceased were treated with dignity.

The work follows the sentencing of Robert Bush, who operated Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull and received a 20-year prison sentence for 67 offences including preventing a lawful and decent burial, fraud, fraudulent trading and theft. Cooper said the case, together with the findings of the inquiry into David Fuller’s crimes in hospital mortuaries, demonstrated the need for improved standards across every setting responsible for caring for people after death.

The Department of Health and Social Care will lead the work alongside the Ministry of Justice and other departments. The Law Commission will review the criminal law concerning the deceased, identify potential gaps in existing protections and consider whether new offences are required. Bereaved families, funeral providers, faith groups and local authorities will be consulted before detailed proposals and an implementation timetable are published.