Category: News Story

STORY

Sir Jeremy Hanley, the former Conservative Party chairman and minister under Sir John Major, has died at the age of 80 following a short illness. His family confirmed that he died on 22 May 2026 and thanked staff at Torbay Hospital for the care they provided during his final days.

Hanley served as Conservative MP for Richmond and Barnes from 1983 until 1997, and was brought into the Cabinet in 1994 as party chairman and minister without portfolio. He held the post for a year before moving to the Foreign Office, having previously served as a defence minister in Major’s Government.

After leaving front-line politics, Hanley remained involved in business and public life, including work with Brain Games Network and other organisations. He was also known beyond Westminster as the son of actors Dinah Sheridan (1920–2012), best remembered for The Railway Children, and Jimmy Hanley (1918–1970).

STORY

The Government has introduced new financial services legislation which ministers say will support growth, increase investment and strengthen consumer protections. The Financial Services and Markets Bill is intended to modernise regulation of the sector, support lending to businesses and maintain the UK’s position as a leading global financial centre.

The Bill includes measures to widen access to credit unions, simplify regulation and update the statutory framework for the bank ring-fencing regime. The Government said the reforms would help financial firms make decisions more quickly, reduce overlapping regulation and make it easier for businesses, including smaller firms, to access finance.

Ministers said the legislation would also improve consumer protections, including clearer terms and conditions and changes to the Financial Ombudsman Service to help resolve disputes more quickly. The Government said the Bill would also include a power, subject to an independent review, to protect access to face-to-face banking services where communities rely on them, particularly in rural areas and for people who are not online.

STORY

The European Parliament has adopted resolutions on human rights violations in Iran, Afghanistan and Indonesia. MEPs condemned repression in Iran, expressed concern about women and girls in Afghanistan and criticised impunity for attacks on human rights activists in Indonesia.

On Iran, Parliament expressed solidarity with people facing repression and condemned the use of the death penalty against protesters, dissidents and political prisoners. MEPs called for political prisoners to be released and urged the EU to expand sanctions against Iranian officials and entities responsible for repression.

The resolutions are part of the Parliament’s regular scrutiny of international human rights issues. They do not create direct legal obligations, but they shape political pressure on the European Commission, the Council and the EU’s external action service when developing sanctions, diplomatic positions and international policy responses.

STORY

European Union and Mexican leaders have agreed a joint statement following the eighth EU-Mexico summit in Mexico City. The European Council said the meeting on 22 May marked a new stage in the strategic partnership between the two sides, with leaders emphasising co-operation on trade, investment, multilateralism and shared international challenges.

The summit followed a visit by European Council President Antonio Costa to the Mexican Senate and came after the Council endorsed agreements intended to boost EU-Mexico co-operation and trade. The EU has presented the relationship as part of a wider effort to strengthen international partnerships at a time of geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

The summit is politically significant for the EU because Mexico is one of its major partners in Latin America. Brussels has sought to build deeper ties with democratic partners outside Europe, including through trade and strategic agreements, as the bloc responds to the impact of the war in Ukraine, the Middle East crisis and global supply chain pressures.

STORY

The European Union has rejected a British proposal to create a single market in goods as part of a wider reset of UK-EU relations, according to reports cited by Reuters. The proposal would have involved closer regulatory alignment in order to reduce trade barriers for goods between the UK and the EU.

The EU is reported to have suggested that Britain should instead consider joining a customs union or accepting deeper economic alignment through the European Economic Area. Those options would be politically difficult for the UK Government because they could require a reversal of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s position against the return of free movement of workers.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the Government was negotiating an ambitious package of measures before a planned UK-EU summit in July. The talks are expected to include arrangements on food and drink standards, emissions trading and wider economic co-operation, as ministers seek to reduce some of the trade frictions created by Brexit.

STORY

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised a German proposal to give Ukraine an associate form of European Union membership, saying the arrangement would leave the country without a proper voice inside the bloc. The proposal from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz would allow Ukraine to take part in some EU meetings and institutions without voting rights as an interim step towards full membership.

Zelensky said Ukraine wanted full and meaningful accession rather than a limited status. He argued that Ukraine was defending Europe against Russian aggression and said it would be unfair for the country to be present in the European Union while remaining voiceless. His comments were made in a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Cypriot presidency of the Council of the EU.

EU diplomats have responded cautiously to the German idea, with some noting that associate membership does not currently exist in EU treaties and could require legal changes. Ukraine hopes to open negotiations on several accession clusters within the next two months, but full membership would still require the approval of all 27 member states.

STORY

Peterborough City Council has confirmed that contracts have been exchanged on a half-built hotel project which has stood unfinished since the COVID-19 pandemic. The development was abandoned after the companies behind it went into administration, leaving the council facing the possibility of a multimillion-pound loss.

Council leader Shabina Qayyum said a sale had been agreed on the site. LocalGov reported that some accounts suggest the authority could make a loss of around £13m on money lent to the developers before the project stalled.

The case has drawn attention to the financial risks faced by councils involved in commercial investment and regeneration schemes. It comes at a time when many local authorities are under pressure over borrowing, capital projects and the long-term sustainability of their finances.

STORY

Essex County Council has begun legal proceedings against the Government over local government reorganisation proposals. LocalGov reported that council leader-elect Peter Harris confirmed the move after writing to Local Government Secretary Steve Reed to outline the authority’s intention to mount a legal challenge.

The dispute relates to plans for the future structure of local government in Essex, where ministers have been considering options for creating new unitary authorities. Essex County Council has previously argued for a model based on three unitaries, while alternative proposals would divide the area differently.

The legal action follows a wider period of debate over local government reorganisation and the timetable for elections and new authorities. The case is likely to be closely watched by other areas considering structural reform, particularly where councils disagree over the size and number of future authorities.

STORY

A cross-party committee of MPs has said physical activity should be treated as seriously as medication in NHS care for older people. The Health and Social Care Committee warned that deteriorating leisure facilities and the lack of a coherent national strategy were limiting opportunities to embed physical activity in community-based care.

The committee said partnerships between health services, leisure providers and community groups can support long-term condition management, improve wellbeing and reduce pressure on hospitals. It welcomed the Government’s £400m announcement for grassroots sports facilities but said the money must be used strategically.

Committee chair Layla Moran said promoting active lifestyles among older people would support two policy objectives at once: shifting the NHS towards prevention and bringing services closer to home. The findings are likely to be relevant to councils because local authorities are central to leisure provision, public health and community services.

STORY

Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council have completed a major air quality monitoring project intended to protect internationally important heathland habitats from traffic pollution. The project examined pollution levels at heathland sites close to busy roads across the county.

Between August 2025 and January 2026, 15 trained volunteers collected monthly air samples at 14 heathland sites. Laboratory analysis measured nitrogen dioxide and ammonia, with ammonia levels exceeding thresholds known to harm lichens and mosses at every site monitored.

The councils said the data has been used to categorise heathland sites by risk level, with mitigation work under way at Avon Heath, Upton Heath and Matchams View. The findings will also be used to assess the air quality impact of new developments in the area.