Tag: News Story

STORY

The Government has announced £85 million of public and industry funding for projects intended to improve obesity care and reduce pressure on health services.

The Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme will support 12 projects across the UK, including apps, round the clock virtual advice and AI assisted triage. The funding includes up to £50 million from Government and up to £35 million from pharmaceutical company Lilly.

Ministers said the programme would help people access support earlier and make services easier to use, particularly in underserved communities. The announcement comes as the NHS faces increasing demand linked to obesity and associated long term health conditions.

STORY

Reform UK has made a combative start as the official opposition in the Senedd after its strong performance in the 2026 Welsh election gave the party a significant role in Cardiff Bay.

The party won 29% of the vote and moved ahead of the Welsh Conservatives, taking leadership of five Senedd committees. Its early weeks have included sharp exchanges over migration and refugee policy, with criticism from other Members of the Senedd over language used in the chamber.

Reform UK has defended its approach as a challenge to established politics, while opponents have questioned whether the party is adapting to the more consensual working style of the Senedd. Its performance in Wales is being watched closely because of Nigel Farage’s wider ambitions for the party across the UK.

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Andy Burnham is facing growing scrutiny over how far he would expand public control of essential services if he becomes Prime Minister, with water, transport, energy and housing emerging as early policy tests.

The debate follows Burnham’s previous support for stronger public control of utilities and his record in Greater Manchester, where bus services were brought under public oversight through the Bee Network. Labour figures and policy advisers are now watching whether his leadership platform will include direct nationalisation, tougher regulation or new public development bodies.

Thames Water’s financial position is likely to be one of the first major tests of the next Labour leader’s approach. Burnham’s choice of Chancellor and his first economic speech are expected to give clearer signals about whether he intends to shift Government policy towards a more interventionist state.

STORY

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has set out plans for new legal routes for eligible refugees, with community groups, universities and employers able to sponsor people coming to the UK.

The proposals are expected to form part of the Government’s wider Immigration and Asylum Bill. Ministers have presented the scheme as a way to create controlled routes for genuine refugees while tightening rules around asylum appeals, modern slavery claims and the use of legal challenges to delay removals.

The announcement has drawn criticism from opposition politicians who argue that it could increase migration numbers. Mahmood said the aim was to combine compassion with firmer control of the asylum system, while replacing ad hoc schemes with a more structured sponsorship model.

STORY

The Government has confirmed that the Vagrancy Act will be repealed on Monday, ending legislation that has criminalised rough sleeping and begging for nearly two centuries.

Ministers said the 1824 Act had punished people for not having a home and could push vulnerable people away from support. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said repeal would form part of a wider approach focused on prevention, housing supply and services for people sleeping rough.

The announcement follows renewed pressure from homelessness charities and campaigners, who have long argued that criminal sanctions are not an effective response to rough sleeping. The Government said it was also expanding housing support, with recent affordable housing starts and completions increasing under programmes delivered through Homes England and the Greater London Authority.

STORY

The UK Government has announced a 1 billion dollar tranche of fiscal support for Ukraine through World Bank backed financing. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy confirmed the package during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk. The Government said the UK backed funding would help unlock more than 4 billion dollars in additional financing to support hospitals, schools and essential public services in Ukraine.

The support forms part of a previously announced 5 billion dollar loan guarantee commitment. The Government also said a separate package worth almost 290 million pounds would support Ukraine’s recovery, energy security, judicial reform and anti corruption work.

STORY

Twelve projects aimed at changing how obesity care is delivered across the UK will receive up to 85 million pounds in funding from Government and industry.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department of Health and Social Care said the programme will test new ways to improve access to care, including artificial intelligence triage, virtual advice and new neighbourhood support hubs.

The funding includes up to 50 million pounds from Government and up to 35 million pounds from Eli Lilly and Company. Ministers said the projects are intended to support people in areas where access to obesity care is limited and to provide evidence for future services.

STORY

Southport has been chosen to host the national Armed Forces Day event in 2027, the Ministry of Defence has announced.

The announcement was made as tens of thousands of people attended events across the country to mark Armed Forces Day. The national event for 2026 was held in Aldershot, where Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis joined serving personnel, veterans, reservists, cadets and their families.

The Ministry of Defence said more than 230 events took place across the UK. Southport will receive 50000 pounds of event funding, as well as access to military assets and planning support for next year’s national event.

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Matthew Torbitt, a political commentator and GB News pundit, has been charged with two counts of fraud relating to his time working as a Labour adviser.

The Crown Prosecution Service alleges that Torbitt made false travel and accommodation claims while working with MPs between 2018 and 2024. The Guardian reported that the allegations include use of the parliamentary travel system to obtain rail tickets and the submission of false expenses claims.

The Metropolitan Police investigation began after a report of unauthorised travel bookings in April 2025. Torbitt is due to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 27 July.

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A dispute inside the Home Office has intensified after Shabana Mahmood sought to restrict Mike Tapp’s access to papers and called for him to be removed from his post as migration minister.

The row followed an article by Tapp in The Times on settlement rights for migrant care workers. The Guardian reported that Mahmood viewed the intervention as unauthorised and as an attempt to claim work that was being developed by her department.

Downing Street has said Keir Starmer is taking advice on whether ministerial rules were breached. The episode comes during the transition period before an expected Burnham premiership and has added to questions about discipline inside the outgoing Government.