Tag: News Story

STORY

Passengers faced fresh disruption on the beleaguered rail network after engineering works overran between Peterborough and St Neots, causing delays and service disruption on the route. National Rail said the problem was caused by overrunning engineering works between Peterborough and St Neots. The disruption affected services on one of the key routes into and out of London, adding to passenger frustration after a period of unreliable timetables, replacement buses and repeated disruption across parts of the network.

The incident caused further inconvenience for passengers who have already faced a difficult period of altered services and rail replacement arrangements. Although National Rail later said that all lines had reopened and that the disruption had ended, passengers were still warned that services would need time to recover.

The latest disruption will increase scrutiny of Network Rail and train operators over the planning and delivery of engineering work, with questions being asked about the oversight of the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.

STORY

Sir James Cleverly has distanced himself from Kemi Badenoch’s comparison of a Government minister to a Gestapo officer, saying he would not have used the language deployed by the Conservative leader.

Badenoch has faced criticism after Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, said the Conservative leader had compared her to a Gestapo officer during a row over Labour’s decision to end tax exemptions for private schools. Phillipson said Nazi comparisons rarely served political debate well and accused Badenoch of engaging in a “unique brand of unpleasant politics”.

Asked about the remarks, Cleverly declined to endorse Badenoch’s wording. The former Home Secretary said he would not have compared a Government minister to a Gestapo officer, although he also said opposition politicians had a role in challenging ministers robustly.

STORY

Joe Biden has accused Donald Trump of corruption in one of his strongest public attacks on the US President since leaving office. The former President made the comments during a speech to Democrats in Hanover, Maryland, where he criticised Trump’s conduct in office and sought to rally the party ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Biden described Trump as corrupt, incompetent and vain, and told Democrats they had a duty to challenge what he called an abuse of presidential power.

Biden used the speech to attack Trump over public spending, White House renovation projects and alleged political favouritism. He singled out work connected to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, saying Trump had given work to an old associate and using the episode as an example of what he described as “brazen, blatant corruption”.

The remarks marked a notably combative intervention from Biden, who has been less prominent in day-to-day political campaigning since ending his re-election bid in 2024. His comments came on the second anniversary of the televised debate that badly damaged his campaign and led to Democratic pressure for him to withdraw from the race.

Biden also criticised Trump’s approach to foreign policy, accusing him of weakening America’s alliances and damaging the country’s standing in the world. He said Democrats needed to present themselves as defenders of democratic institutions, international partnerships and basic standards in public life.

STORY

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has declined calls for passengers to receive discounted tickets when rail replacement services and extended journey times are imposed on Government-operated Great Northern routes.

James Wild, the Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, said passengers faced a journey of four hours and 20 minutes with three changes and rail replacement services for a route which should take around one hour and 45 minutes by train. He said the continued poor service was causing significant inconvenience to passengers and damaging the economy.

Wild said the situation was particularly serious because Great Northern is now under state control, meaning the Government has direct responsibility for both the track and the trains. He argued that passengers should not be expected to pay full fares when they are given a materially worse service than the one advertised.

STORY

Uganda’s military chief has ordered the closure of leading independent media outlets in a sharp escalation of the country’s authoritarian drift, using the power of the army to suppress journalism and tighten control over public debate.

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni and a likely successor to his father, ordered the shutdown of the Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda, two of the country’s most prominent independent media organisations. Soldiers were deployed to the Daily Monitor’s offices in Kampala, preventing staff from entering or leaving the premises.

The move represents a grave attack on press freedom in a country already facing growing concern over militarisation, political intimidation and the repression of dissent. Kainerugaba made no serious attempt to disguise the nature of the intervention, declaring on social media that he did not believe in a free press and that the media should be guided by cadres of the revolution.

The closure order comes after a period of deepening repression in Uganda, where Museveni has ruled since 1986 and where opposition figures, lawyers and activists have faced increasing pressure. Kainerugaba has become an increasingly powerful political figure, combining his military role with open political ambition and a public style marked by threats and inflammatory statements.

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.

STORY

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.