Category: News Story

STORY

The Government is reported to be considering greater flexibility in parts of its net zero programme, including its clean power timetable and targets for electric vehicle sales. The Times reported that Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is prepared to prioritise affordability for households if meeting the existing 2030 clean power timetable would put additional pressure on bills.

The report said that the target for substantially reducing fossil fuel use in electricity generation could be allowed to slip by one or two years if necessary. The Department for Transport is also expected to examine the zero emission vehicle mandate, which currently requires an increasing proportion of new car sales to be electric and is scheduled to reach 80% by 2030. Options reportedly under consideration include lowering that 2030 requirement.

No final change to either policy has been announced and the Government continues to say that the overall direction towards net zero remains unchanged. Any relaxation would nevertheless represent a significant adjustment in the way the targets are delivered, with ministers seeking to balance environmental commitments against the cost of living, consumer demand and concerns from manufacturers about the pace of the transition.

STORY

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and deputy leader Richard Tice have begun legal action against the National Crime Agency, alleging that confidential financial information connected with suspicious activity reports was disclosed to journalists. The Financial Times reported that the claim seeks more than £25,000 in damages, an admission of fault and disclosure of who received the information.

The case concerns banking information linked to large financial transactions involving the two politicians. Reports have referred to a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency businessman Christopher Harborne to Farage and a £1 million transfer from Fiona Cottrell to a company connected with Tice. Suspicious activity reports are submitted by financial institutions where activity requires examination and do not themselves establish criminal wrongdoing. Farage and Tice have denied wrongdoing in relation to their finances.

The NCA has said that an internal investigation is under way and has declined to comment further on the litigation. Separate scrutiny of Reform UK finances has included a Metropolitan Police investigation into donations made through Britain Means Business. The legal action against the NCA is distinct from those inquiries and centres on the allegation that confidential banking information was improperly disclosed.

STORY

Counter Terrorism Policing has reopened an investigation into an attempted burglary reported in Greater London in April 2025 as part of the inquiry into the murder of former minister and Reform UK politician Ann Widdecombe. The earlier investigation had been closed after no arrests were made.

Police said a line of inquiry identified during the Widdecombe investigation should have been pursued during the original case. The matter has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is examining the actions of a Counter Terrorism Policing London staff member. Reports have linked the 2025 incident to a property associated with Nigel Farage.

Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, has been charged with Widdecombe’s murder and remanded in custody. The reopening of the 2025 investigation does not itself establish a connection between the two incidents, and police have not announced any further charge arising from the earlier case.

STORY

The Trades Union Congress has called on Chancellor John Healey to order a ‘root and branch’ review of the Office for Budget Responsibility, arguing that the fiscal watchdog’s approach can hold back public investment. The union wants the issue examined ahead of Healey’s first Budget on 28 October.

The TUC has focused particularly on the OBR’s treatment of public investment and its assumption that some Government spending can crowd out private capital. General secretary Paul Nowak said the watchdog had become a ‘millstone preventing good growth across the country’ and argued that its economic models should be reassessed.

The union also wants the Government to expand the mandate of the National Wealth Fund so it can support investments taking up to 15 years to generate a return. A Treasury spokesperson said fiscal discipline remained the foundation of economic stability and national security and that the Government would continue to meet its fiscal rules with a buffer against uncertainty.

STORY

The United States embassy in London is offering up to $500,000 for public education and civic engagement programmes in the United Kingdom under a scheme called ‘Liberty Under Law: The Shared Anglo-American Tradition’. The funding opportunity, published by the US Department of State, is open to eligible US organisations and UK charities, educational institutions or non-profit bodies working with a US partner.

The official notice says priority will be given to projects connecting principles including freedom of speech, due process, trial by jury, limited government, the rule of law and taxation by consent with contemporary civic life. It lists total programme funding of $500,000, with three awards expected and individual grants ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.

Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart accused the United States of ‘meddling in British democracy’ and criticised what she described as ‘Trump’s Maga money’. The US embassy said the initiative was intended to strengthen US-UK ties and deepen understanding of constitutional principles, the rule of law and democratic norms, and the funding notice states that it is not intended to support partisan political activity or lobbying.

STORY

The Competition and Markets Authority has proposed bringing Aldi and Lidl within rules designed to stop major supermarkets using restrictive land agreements that can prevent rival grocers opening nearby. The regulator said the change would help maintain consumer choice as the two discounters have grown their UK store networks.

The rules currently apply to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, the Co-op, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose. The CMA said its provisional view was that Aldi and Lidl should now be included because of the scale and geographic reach of their networks, the range of groceries they sell and their procurement model. Aldi is the UK’s fourth-largest grocer and Lidl is fifth.

The CMA has opened a consultation running until 7 September and expects to make a final decision in the autumn. Aldi and Lidl both said the proposal would not affect their UK growth plans, with each continuing to plan further store expansion.

STORY

Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake has told Conservative councillors that Tory-run local authorities should comply with Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance on single-sex spaces. His intervention followed reports that some councils led by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens could choose not to follow the guidance.

The guidance covers the operation of single-sex services including toilets and changing rooms under the Equality Act 2010. The Guardian reported that it states such facilities should be used according to a person’s sex at birth and sets out the circumstances in which a service remains legally separate or single-sex.

Hollinrake said he would ensure Conservative-run authorities comply and circulated his position in a letter to Tory councillors that was subsequently posted online. The letter followed reports that some Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green-led councils could choose not to follow the guidance.

STORY

Scottish Labour leadership contender Monica Lennon has criticised the state of the party as she continues trying to secure enough support to reach the ballot in the contest to succeed Anas Sarwar. Lennon said Scottish Labour had “turned to rubble” after 19 years in opposition and six Holyrood election defeats.

Lennon made the intervention after Labour MP Jon Trickett publicly called for her to be included on the ballot. At the time of the latest update, she had not secured enough support to join MSPs Michael Marra and Joe Fagan in the leadership contest.

Lennon said the party needed more time to determine its future direction before losing further members and activists. The nomination process remains ongoing as Scottish Labour prepares to choose Sarwar’s successor.

STORY

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered an urgent review of historical grooming gang cases after concerns that some offenders could remain eligible for early release despite Government promises to exclude grooming gang members from the scheme. Downing Street said the Prime Minister had personally intervened in the issue.

The concern relates to offenders convicted for abuse committed before changes to sexual offences legislation in 2003. Some were prosecuted for offences such as indecent assault rather than offences that now fall within the Government’s explicit exclusions, creating the possibility that the legal wording of older convictions could affect eligibility.

Around 5,000 prisoners are expected to qualify for earlier release under the revised sentencing arrangements, reduced from an earlier estimate of 6,000 after additional categories of serious sexual offenders were excluded. The Ministry of Justice is examining case records to identify grooming-related convictions and determine whether further changes are required before the scheme begins.