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The Government has announced nearly £130 million of public and private investment for zero-emission vehicle technology, including funding for automotive research and connected transport projects. Almost £65 million will come from public funds, with the remainder being provided by industry partners.

Nearly £50 million of Government funding has been awarded to automotive companies and research partners to develop and scale technologies intended for zero-emission vehicles. A further £17 million is being provided for nine connected and automated mobility projects covering areas including sensors, brake-by-wire systems and artificial intelligence simulation.

Industry minister Blair McDougall said the Government wanted the next generation of vehicles to be designed and manufactured in Britain. The funding forms part of wider efforts to support the automotive sector as manufacturers prepare for the transition away from new cars powered solely by petrol or diesel, sales of which are due to end in 2030, with all new cars required to be zero-emission by 2035.

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Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced plans for a crackdown on misleading retail discounts and unwanted subscription renewals as part of the Government’s cost of living programme. Ministers intend to consult on adding practices such as false previous prices, invented discounts and misleading recommended retail prices to the list of commercial practices that are explicitly prohibited under consumer law.

The Government also intends to bring new protections for subscription customers into force from January 2027. Businesses will be required to provide clearer information before customers sign up, send reminders before renewals and make cancellation easier. Consumers will also receive a new 14-day cooling-off period after a free or discounted trial ends or after certain longer-term subscriptions renew.

The British Retail Consortium said major retailers already comply with rules requiring promotions to offer genuine savings. Conservatives said parts of the package implement measures originating in legislation passed under the previous Government, while the Liberal Democrats called for stronger action in other areas of household costs. Burnham said further cost of living measures would follow.

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Reform UK has proposed deporting foreign national offenders serving sentences in England and Wales as part of a plan it says would ease pressure on the prison system. Nigel Farage and the party’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf are setting out proposals to transfer foreign prisoners either to their home countries or, where that is not possible, to third countries including El Salvador and Kosovo.

There are just over 10,000 foreign nationals currently in custody in England and Wales, although nearly a third are being held on remand rather than serving a sentence following conviction. Reform officials have said the deportation plan would apply to foreign nationals once convicted. The party is also proposing around 12,000 temporary prison places through what it has described as ‘Nightingale prisons’, alongside measures intended to restore greater use of short custodial sentences.

Labour rejected the proposals and said the Government was already working to deport foreign criminals and expand prison capacity. The dispute comes as the Government reviews its own early release arrangements, which were introduced to prevent prisons reaching capacity. Reform says its proposals would create space to keep more offenders in custody, while questions remain over the legal, diplomatic and financial arrangements that would be required to hold prisoners in third countries.

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Business leaders have called on Chancellor John Healey to accompany the Government’s ‘Buy British by design’ procurement policy with action on taxation, energy costs and regulation. Healey has said that public procurement should be used to support British jobs, apprenticeships and businesses, with departments expected to favour domestic economic benefits when spending public money.

Industry figures quoted by The Sun said that procurement changes would not on their own address the pressures facing firms. Representatives from construction, motoring, farming and hospitality called for measures including changes to VAT, lower energy costs and reductions in regulatory burdens. Hospitality businesses renewed calls for a lower rate of VAT, while manufacturing and motoring figures highlighted the effect of high industrial energy prices on competitiveness.

The Government has said that supporting British business and using public spending to generate domestic jobs form part of its wider growth strategy. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also promised a stronger relationship with business and greater use of procurement to support UK companies. The specific tax and regulatory changes sought by the industry groups have not been adopted by the Government and will add to pressure on Healey ahead of his first Budget.

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The European Union is reported to be considering extending temporary flexibility around its Entry/Exit System beyond 6 September amid concerns about disruption and queues at busy borders. The Times reported that EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas is supporting an extension and has privately reassured UK officials that additional flexibility is likely.

The Entry/Exit System records the arrival and departure of non-EU travellers visiting the Schengen area and requires biometric information, including a photograph and, for many travellers, fingerprints. The system has been fully operational since April, but temporary arrangements allow border authorities greater flexibility when checks create excessive congestion. Several EU member states have already sought an extension of those arrangements beyond the summer.

The UK Government has repeatedly said that it supports the security objectives of EES while wanting implementation to minimise disruption for British travellers. Ministers have raised the issue with EU counterparts and provided additional funding for preparations at UK transport points where French border checks take place. No formal extension beyond 6 September has yet been announced.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.