Tag: News Story

STORY

MPs declared almost £400,000 of complimentary tickets, hospitality and other gifts between January and July 2026, prompting renewed criticism over the acceptance of freebies by politicians. The total does not include foreign trips and follows controversy in previous years over ministers and opposition politicians accepting tickets to sporting, cultural and entertainment events.

Recent declarations include £858 of Harry Styles tickets accepted by education secretary Lucy Powell from PRS for Music, £1,839 of Chelsea Flower Show hospitality accepted by defence secretary Wes Streeting from Lloyds Banking Group and £1,480 of Wimbledon men’s final tickets accepted by transport secretary Heidi Alexander. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also declared Wimbledon tickets worth £1,360, while shadow chancellor Mel Stride accepted Chelsea Flower Show hospitality worth £1,839.

The hospitality was declared under parliamentary transparency rules and acceptance of a declared benefit does not itself indicate that any rule has been broken. However, Spotlight on Corruption and Transparency International UK have questioned whether politicians should accept some invitations even when permitted, arguing that MPs should consider why businesses and organisations are offering hospitality and how its acceptance may be viewed by the public.

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Russia has withdrawn its ambassador to the United Kingdom, with no replacement yet announced as relations between London and Moscow remain severely strained over the war in Ukraine. Andrey Kelin left Britain last month after seven years in the post and his name has now been removed from the diplomatic list published by the Russian embassy.

The embassy’s list of senior diplomatic staff currently names Vasily Tsyganov as chargé d’affaires. A Russian embassy spokesperson said no candidate had yet been put forward to replace Kelin and accused the UK Government of pursuing a confrontational approach towards Russia. Kelin joined the Soviet diplomatic service in 1979 and had served as ambassador in London since 2019.

The change comes amid renewed tension over British support for Ukraine. The Russian embassy warned of consequences last week after reports that attack drones made by British companies had been used by Ukrainian forces against targets inside Russia. UK defence sources indicated that reports concerning the British-made drones were accurate, while the Government has maintained its support for Ukraine.

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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has ruled out an electoral deal or coalition with Reform UK and criticised former Conservatives who have defected to Nigel Farage’s party. Speaking at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Badenoch described some of those who had left the Conservatives for Reform as among the most dishonest people she had met and said she did not want what she called “drama queens” returning to the party.

Former Conservative parliamentarians who have moved to Reform include former home secretary Suella Braverman and former shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick. Badenoch said some defectors had left when the Conservatives were at a low point after having themselves contributed to the party’s problems. She also criticised Reform’s approach to policymaking and said the Conservatives would seek to win the next general election on their own terms.

Badenoch said she would not support a Conservative-Reform coalition even if the next election produced a hung parliament, arguing that another election would be preferable if no party could form a government. An Ipsos poll carried out between 30 July and 4 August put Labour on 28%, Reform UK on 25% and the Conservatives on 18%. The next general election must be held by August 2029, although it can be called earlier.

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Ethel Caterham, recognised as the world’s oldest living person, is celebrating her 117th birthday at her care home in Surrey. Caterham was born in Hampshire on 21 August 1909 and became the world’s oldest person in May 2025 following the death of a 116 year old Brazilian nun.

Her 116th year included a visit from King Charles, who met her at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home last September. Caterham told the King that she remembered watching his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969 and joked that all the girls at the time had wanted to marry him. She said meeting the King had been one of the highlights of her year.

Caterham is the last surviving person who was a subject of Edward VII, who died in 1910. Six monarchs have occupied the British throne during her lifetime: Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI, Elizabeth II and Charles III. She is spending her birthday with friends and family at the care home.

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Prince Harry and Meghan are planning to move back to Britain with their children for an extended period, six years after stepping away from royal duties and relocating to the United States. A person close to the couple told Reuters that Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will attend school in Britain and the family will live outside London in a non royal residence.

The move has renewed questions over security arrangements for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Harry lost a legal challenge in 2025 over changes to his police protection after he ceased to be a working royal. Former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent Dal Babu told Sky News that state provided protection, if granted, could cost millions of pounds, while private security personnel in Britain cannot be armed.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the couple’s security was a private matter and wished them well with the move. Harry and Meghan will remain non working royals. Buckingham Palace and Harry’s spokesperson declined to comment on the move when approached by Reuters.

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Travelodge chief executive Joanna Boydell has left the budget hotel chain following criticism of its handling of guest security incidents. Boydell departed after 13 years with the company and chief financial officer Ray Reidy has been appointed interim chief executive while Travelodge searches for a permanent replacement.

The company has faced scrutiny after two cases in which men were given access to rooms occupied by women. In one case, a guest at a Travelodge in Maidenhead was sexually assaulted in December 2022 by a man who had been given a key card to her room. Kyran Smith was jailed for seven and a half years in February. A second woman later said staff at a London hotel gave a key to a domestic abuser who then assaulted her.

Travelodge has introduced a new room access policy requiring explicit permission from the guest before an additional or replacement key can be issued. It has also commissioned an independent review led by barrister Paul Greaney KC, introduced additional training and carried out a deadbolt audit across its UK rooms. Reidy said the company would remain focused on the safety and wellbeing of guests.

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The UK public finances recorded an unexpected £1.8 billion deficit in July, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected the public finances to be broadly balanced, while the Office for Budget Responsibility had forecast a £500 million surplus for the month.

The ONS said higher Government spending offset record self assessed income tax receipts. Central Government spending on social benefits was £2 billion higher than in July 2025, while spending on goods and services, including staff costs, increased by £1.2 billion. The deficit for June was revised down from £16 billion to £12.8 billion.

Public sector borrowing reached £56.7 billion during the first four months of the 2026 to 2027 financial year, compared with the £54.4 billion forecast by the OBR. Chancellor John Healey said the Government remained committed to its fiscal rules ahead of the Budget in October.

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Councils could be given powers to require people responsible for fly tipping to carry out up to 20 hours of unpaid clean up work under new Government proposals. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched an eight week consultation on the plans, which would allow local authorities to use conditional cautions to make offenders help clear the areas they have damaged.

The proposals would also allow councils to recover the costs of clearing dumped waste directly from offenders. Ministers say the aim is to speed up enforcement in appropriate cases without requiring lengthy court proceedings, while ensuring that taxpayers are not left paying for the removal of illegally dumped material. The consultation is due to close on 16 October 2026.

The measures follow an increase in the maximum on the spot fine for fly tipping from £1,000 to £5,000. The Government has also announced a new Tackling Waste Crime Alliance bringing together regulators, police, councils and the waste industry, while the Environment Agency is reviewing the level of fixed penalty notices available for waste crime offences.

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The Adam Smith Institute has called for five new defence focused enterprise zones to be established in the North East of England as part of proposals it says could increase manufacturing and encourage regional economic growth. The think tank has identified publicly owned sites at High Hanning, Quarrington Hill, High Pittington, Blaydon Quarry and Newburn Riverside as potential locations for the scheme.

Under the proposals, businesses operating within the zones would benefit from faster planning decisions, full factory write offs, zero rated business rates, lower employer National Insurance contributions and discounted electricity costs in areas with surplus energy. Each zone would be built around a large defence company acting as an anchor tenant, with the Institute arguing that this could encourage suppliers and other manufacturers to establish operations nearby. It said the North East already has a manufacturing workforce of around 110,000 and relatively low land costs.

The proposals have received support from a number of local political figures. Sunderland City Council leader Chris Eynon described the idea as an innovative way of strengthening manufacturing and the defence industry, while Gateshead Council leader Nick Allan said the authority was keen to explore the proposal and had asked its economic development team to carry out an initial assessment of the Blaydon Quarry site. Reform UK Durham County Council cabinet member Kyle Genner also backed the plans, saying they could provide long term employment and support industrial regeneration in County Durham.

Bluesky

STORY

Merseyside Police has introduced a dispersal zone across Liverpool city centre following a series of reports of antisocial behaviour. The order came into force at 10.30pm on Wednesday 19 August and will remain in place until 10.30pm on Thursday 20 August. It covers a wide area of the city centre and waterfront, as well as Liverpool Lime Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool Central, James Street and Moorfields railway stations.

The order was authorised under Section 34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. It allows officers to direct people suspected of causing, or being likely to cause, crime, nuisance or antisocial behaviour to leave the designated area and prevent them from returning for up to 48 hours. Officers can also seize items, including vehicles, used in antisocial behaviour. Returning to the area after being directed to leave can amount to a criminal offence.

Chief Inspector Christopher Ruane said the measure followed several incidents in the city centre during the week. He said a 16-year-old boy from Liverpool was arrested after being chased into a McDonald’s on Lord Street by a group of youths and was subsequently found with a knife in his jacket. Extra officers are being deployed across the city centre while the dispersal zone remains in force, with police urging parents and guardians to know where their children are and who they are with during the summer period.