Category: News Story

STORY

Chancellor John Healey has addressed Treasury staff after taking office under Prime Minister Andy Burnham. He used the speech to set out five priorities for the department and paid tribute to former Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Healey said his priorities were fiscal discipline, growth in every postcode, backing British industry and apprenticeships, wealth creation, and affordability for households. He said the Treasury would meet the Government’s fiscal rules.

The speech followed Burnham’s Cabinet appointments earlier in the week. Healey has taken charge of the Treasury after previously serving as Defence Secretary.

STORY

Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook has directed Basildon Council to make progress on its local plan after Government concerns about the age of the authority’s planning framework. Basildon has not adopted a local plan since 1998.

The minister’s intervention letter requires the council to begin Regulation 19 consultation by 10 August. The council has also been directed to submit the plan for examination by 31 December 2026.

Basildon councillors have criticised the intervention and backed a motion calling for the Government to revoke its housing target for the area. The council also sought a commitment that new housing should be matched by infrastructure and public services.

STORY

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is visiting Scotland today for meetings with Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth. Downing Street said the visit forms part of the Prime Minister’s first week in office.

The meetings are taking place in Glasgow before Burnham attends the opening ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. He is expected to discuss devolution, economic growth and the cost of living with the devolved leaders.

Downing Street said Burnham is also expected to visit Northern Ireland in August. The Government said he will meet the First Minister and deputy First Minister during the wider UK tour.

STORY

Single bus fares in England outside London will be capped at £2 from 1 January 2027 under a Government announcement made during Burnham’s first week as Prime Minister. The Government said the cap would apply for the rest of 2027 and would cut maximum fares by a third.

The measure is backed by £400 million in additional funding. Ministers said the funding would support everyday travel for work, education, healthcare, childcare and leisure.

Current single fares outside London remain capped at £3 until the end of March 2027. The Government said the new £2 cap would prevent fares rising next spring and would give local authorities more time to plan services.

STORY

Harlow Council has become the latest local authority to launch a legal challenge against the Government’s local government reorganisation plans in Essex. The council described the decision-making process as deeply flawed, rushed and lacking proper evidence.

The challenge concerns proposals to replace the current two-tier system across Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock with five new unitary councils. Harlow Council said the timetable proposed by ministers was not deliverable.

The authority has joined other councils pursuing legal action over the plans. It said the reorganisation would involve substantial transition costs and would abolish Harlow Council in 2028 if implemented.

STORY

EU member states have approved UK participation in the European Union’s Ukraine support loan framework. The Council of the EU said the decision means Ukraine will be able to use loan financing to buy defence products made by UK-based companies.

The wider support loan makes €60 billion available for Ukraine to invest in defence industrial capacities. A further €30 billion is being made available as direct economic and budgetary support.

The Council said the UK had met the conditions for participation in the defence procurement part of the framework. The loan is intended to cover Ukraine’s urgent budgetary and defence needs in 2026 and 2027.

STORY

Peter McGuigan, 56, of Shop Lane, Telford, has been convicted after admitting that he acted as an unlicensed gangmaster. The Fair Work Agency said he supplied workers to an abattoir near Kenilworth between January 2022 and June 2023 without holding the required licence.

Coventry Magistrates’ Court heard that McGuigan supplied around 125 workers to the abattoir. He had previously been investigated in 2017 and his licence was revoked in 2019 after an inspection found he was not operating to the required standard.

McGuigan pleaded guilty on 15 July and was fined £1,000. He was also ordered to pay a £400 victim surcharge and £85 in costs, and the court imposed a 12-month Labour Market Enforcement Order.

STORY

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a 20% cut in business rates bills for pubs, social clubs and live music venues in England from April 2027. The Government said the measure would apply to nearly 32,000 venues and would save the typical pub an estimated £1,100 next year.

The announcement was made with the Treasury and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. Ministers said the support package would be worth around £100 million a year.

The Government is also reviewing reliefs for businesses it says do not make a positive contribution to local communities, including vape shops. It has also launched a consultation on online marketplace VAT compliance.

STORY

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will review the Government’s early prisoner release scheme after concerns that two men convicted over the killing of PC Andrew Harper could be released from prison earlier than expected. Burnham said he would examine the policy with Justice Secretary Alex Norris before it proceeds, amid growing criticism from the police, opposition politicians and PC Harper’s family.

The controversy centres on Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who were convicted of manslaughter in 2020 and each sentenced to 13 years in custody. They were passengers in the vehicle involved in PC Harper’s death and may be eligible for release after serving half their sentences under the new Sentencing Act arrangements due to begin in September.

PC Harper, a Thames Valley Police officer, died in 2019 after being dragged behind a car while responding to a report of a quad bike theft. The case prompted national outrage and later led to Harper’s Law, which introduced mandatory life sentences for offenders who kill emergency workers while committing a crime.

Burnham said the “main perpetrator” in PC Harper’s killing would not be subject to early release. That refers to Henry Long, who was given a 16-year extended sentence after being convicted of manslaughter.

The Prime Minister said he understood the pressure on prison places but wanted to assure himself that every part of the policy had been examined before it went further. He said he could not promise to change the policy completely, but would look at it in detail with the Justice Secretary.

Debbie Adlam, PC Harper’s mother, has strongly criticised the possibility that Bowers and Cole could be released early. She described the prospect as an insult to her son’s memory and said the news had left her feeling sick.

The early release scheme is intended to ease pressure on overcrowded prisons, with thousands of offenders expected to be affected during its first months. Critics argue that the policy risks damaging public confidence in the justice system if it applies to offenders convicted of serious violence.

STORY

British Transport Police have released an image of a woman they want to identify after a member of rail staff was assaulted at Ilford railway station in east London. Officers are investigating the incident and believe the woman shown in the images may have information which could assist their enquiries.

The incident happened shortly before 5pm on 22 May, when a woman passed through the station’s ticket barriers without paying. British Transport Police said she was challenged and then responded by spitting in a member of rail staff’s face.

The woman then quickly left the station. Officers have now issued the images as part of an appeal to the public for help identifying her.

Anyone who recognises the woman is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40. The force has asked people to quote reference 530 of 22 May when providing information.

Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. British Transport Police said the investigation remains ongoing.