Tag: News Story

STORY

UK Minister for the Indo Pacific Rosie Winterton has called for continued peaceful dialogue between Cambodia and Thailand during her first overseas visit in the role, as Britain reiterated its support for the December 2025 ceasefire between the two countries.

Winterton is visiting Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey and Phnom Penh, where she is expected to meet Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. The visit will include discussions on trade and investment, development and human rights, as well as the UK’s support for communities affected by the recent border conflict. In Oddar Meanchey, the minister will visit an education programme supporting children displaced by the fighting and meet organisations involved in humanitarian mine clearance.

The Government said the UK has supported demining work in Cambodia for more than three decades and announced a further £1.6 million for mine clearance and risk education in May. Winterton said Cambodia was important to UK security and prosperity and that Britain remained committed to stability, long term development and a peaceful region. She is also expected to sign an education agreement intended to strengthen links between British and Cambodian institutions.

STORY

The UK is to allow classified information about British missile components to be released to help Ukraine establish production lines for long range weapons, following Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first overseas visit since taking office.

The Government said defence company MBDA would be permitted to share information relating to British components used in the SCALP long range cruise missile. The agreement is intended to allow more of the weapons to be assembled in Ukraine and strengthen the country’s ability to maintain its own missile supply.

Burnham announced the move during a visit to Kyiv for Ukrainian Independence Day, where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and chaired a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. Russia criticised the decision and warned that missile production facilities would be considered military targets, while Burnham said Britain would continue supporting Ukraine despite what he described as threats from Moscow.

STORY

The Government has called on social media companies to remove material which glorifies dangerous driving following the A66 collision near Middlesbrough in which seven people died.

Two police officers and five occupants of another vehicle were killed when a car travelling on the wrong side of the dual carriageway collided with a police vehicle. Police have subsequently made 12 arrests as part of an investigation into suspected organised crime connected with events surrounding the collision.

Downing Street described the online glorification of dangerous driving for entertainment as disgraceful, while ministers said platforms should enforce their existing rules against harmful content. There is no evidence that the fatal collision itself was being filmed for social media, but the incident has renewed concern about videos showing high speed driving, police pursuits and other dangerous behaviour being circulated online.

STORY

The Treasury has launched an independent review of the way pubs and hotels are valued for business rates following concerns from businesses about sharp increases in rateable values.

Business rates specialist Jerry Schurder will lead the review, which will examine whether the existing valuation methodology remains appropriate and how the system could be made clearer and fairer. Publicans, brewers, hotel operators and other interested groups have been invited to submit evidence before the consultation closes on 16 October.

The review will report by the end of March 2027, although any accepted changes would not affect current business rates bills and would instead be introduced at the next revaluation. The Government has said pubs, social clubs and live music venues will separately receive a 20% reduction in business rates bills from April 2027.

STORY

Millions of women in England are to be offered free home testing kits for the virus that causes almost all cervical cancers as the NHS attempts to increase screening rates.

Women aged between 30 and 65 who are not up to date with cervical screening will be able to carry out a vaginal swab themselves before returning the sample to an NHS laboratory. Kits will be available through the NHS app and website, while some eligible women will receive invitations by text, email or letter.

Around four million eligible women are currently not up to date with cervical screening and uptake is below the NHS target. The programme is intended to remove some of the practical and personal barriers associated with attending a conventional screening appointment and forms part of the NHS ambition to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2040.

STORY

Young people are being prevented from taking up jobs because of lengthy waits for driving tests, according to new research from the Centre for Social Justice. Analysis of Department for Transport data by the think tank found that learners in England faced an average wait of 20.8 weeks for a practical car test in July 2026, compared with around five weeks in 2020. The CSJ said test availability remained extremely limited, with only 7.7% of slots across English test centres available on average during 2026.

The organisation said the backlog was particularly significant for young people who are not in employment, education or training because many jobs require applicants to hold a driving licence. Research cited by the CSJ found that 17.4% of job vacancies required applicants to be able to drive, rising to 34% of roles in care and social work and 68% of plumbing vacancies. Nearly one in five unemployed people also reported having turned down a job or decided not to apply because of transport difficulties. The proportion of 17 to 20 year olds in England holding a full car licence has fallen from 48% in 1994 to 29% in 2024.

The CSJ has called for accredited employers to be allowed to conduct car driving tests for employees who require a licence for their work, through an expansion of the existing Delegated Examiner Scheme. It also proposed regional testing hubs involving employers and further education colleges and allowing vocational and apprenticeship funding to help cover the cost of driving tests. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has been recruiting additional examiners and changing booking rules in an attempt to reduce waiting times, with 1,604 full time equivalent examiners in post by April 2026, its highest level since March 2018.

STORY

A 24-year-old Afghan man is due to appear before Manchester Crown Court on 25 August 2026 after being charged in connection with the reported rape of a 17-year-old girl in Manchester city centre. Greater Manchester Police confirmed the charges following an investigation into an incident that occurred in the early hours of last month.

Abdul Shinwari, of no fixed abode, faces two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, non-fatal strangulation and possession with intent to supply. The charges follow reports that the teenager was attacked on Hope Street, located near Piccadilly Gardens, at around 1.30am on Tuesday 14 July 2026.

Following his arrest and subsequent charging, Shinwari was remanded into custody ahead of his crown court appearance. Police have confirmed that specialist safeguarding officers are continuing to provide dedicated support to the victim.

STORY

A man has been charged with murder following the fatal shooting of 42 year old Masum Miah in Newham. Sergiu Leahu, 40, of no fixed address, was charged on Monday 24 August with Mr Miah’s murder and was due to appear before Bromley Magistrates’ Court.

Police were called to St Bartholomew’s Road at around 3am on Tuesday 18 August following reports of a shooting. Officers attended alongside the London Ambulance Service and found Mr Miah suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he died at the scene. His family are being supported by specially trained officers.

Detective Chief Inspector Dan Whitten, who is leading the investigation, said officers were continuing to appeal for information and were particularly interested in anyone who saw a black Nissan Juke near St Bartholomew’s Road between the evening of 17 August and the early hours of 18 August. Police have also asked anyone with CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage which could assist the investigation to come forward, quoting reference CAD 797/18AUG.

STORY

Transparency International UK has launched a three part documentary series examining the growing role of wealthy donors in British politics and arguing that tighter controls are needed on political funding. Going, Going, Almost Gone: How the Super Rich Are Buying UK Democracy, produced with Democracy for Sale, looks at who provides large political donations, the access and potential influence associated with them and proposals to reform the system.

The organisation says political parties have become increasingly dependent on a relatively small number of wealthy donors. Its analysis found that in 2015 just 1% of private political donations came from individuals and companies giving £1 million or more, rising to 35% by 2024. Separately, Electoral Commission figures show that political parties, candidates and non party campaigners spent a record £94.5 million during the 2024 general election, compared with £72.6 million in 2019. Transparency International argues that the increasing cost of campaigning is creating pressure on parties to seek ever larger individual donations.

The documentary series features contributions from figures including author Oliver Bullough, Transparency International UK chief executive Duncan Hames, Spotlight on Corruption executive director Susan Hawley and Tax Justice UK executive director Faiza Shaheen. It is being released as Parliament considers the Representation of the People Bill, with Labour MP Stella Creasy proposing an amendment that would introduce a £100,000 annual cap on most political donations. The Government has already announced a separate £100,000 annual limit on donations from overseas electors and a moratorium on cryptocurrency donations as part of measures intended to protect elections from foreign financial interference.

STORY

More than one in ten dental practices that provided NHS treatment in England in 2017 have since stopped doing so, according to new analysis from the Nuffield Trust. The proportion of dental practices offering general NHS dentistry fell from around 65% in 2017 to 56% in 2026, with nearly 600 practices withdrawing from NHS provision. Over the same period, the number of practices without an NHS general dental contract, largely private or specialist providers, increased by almost 1,000.

The decline was recorded in 41 of England’s 42 integrated care board areas, with particularly large reductions in parts of the South West and East of England. The Nuffield Trust said NHS dental activity also remains below its pre pandemic level, while its wider data shows that in June 2025 only 40% of adults had seen an NHS dentist within the previous two years. The think tank warned that the continuing movement of practices away from NHS work risked creating an increasingly two tier system in which access depended on patients’ ability to pay and where they lived.

The Government said it recognised that too many people were struggling to obtain dental treatment but argued that it was rebuilding NHS dentistry through contract changes, additional treatments and an expansion of the workforce. Reforms introduced from April include changes to payments for urgent and complex treatment, while ministers have also said newly qualified dentists will be required to work in the NHS for at least three years. The Nuffield Trust said the recent contract changes could improve urgent access but argued that more fundamental reform would be needed to reverse the decline in practices willing to provide NHS care.