Tag: News Story

STORY

Cardiff businesswoman Rupali Wagh has been jailed after fraudulently claiming £216,250 from the Covid Bounce Back Loan Scheme across four companies. The Insolvency Service said Wagh secured five loans between May and September 2020 by inflating company turnover figures, obtaining duplicate loans and using public funds for personal purposes.

Wagh, of Harrison Way, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud at Cardiff Crown Court in November 2025. She was jailed for two years and three months when she appeared at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday 17 July 2026.

The 50-year-old made her first fraudulent application in May 2020 for One2Four Accounting Ltd, a bookkeeping company she had set up in 2018. She claimed the company had a turnover of £65,000, although its actual turnover for the previous calendar year was £39,000.

After receiving the £16,250 loan, Wagh transferred the money into her personal bank account. The Insolvency Service said she spent most of it paying off debts and buying stocks and shares.

The following month, Wagh applied for a £50,000 loan for Talensetu UK Ltd. She claimed the business had a turnover of £218,000, even though dormant accounts filed by the company showed that it was not trading.

Within days of receiving the money, Wagh transferred the full £50,000 into her personal account. The Insolvency Service said she spent the money on personal finance and stocks and shares, and transferred more than £25,000 to an account in India.

Wagh then applied for a second £50,000 Bounce Back Loan for Talensetu UK Ltd in July 2020, using a different bank. She falsely declared that this was the company’s only application under the scheme.

A fourth fraudulent application followed in August 2020, when Wagh sought £50,000 for White Coconut Ltd, which traded as an Indian street food outlet in Cardiff. The Insolvency Service said she claimed a turnover of £252,000, contradicting a £72,000 estimate she had provided on a bank account application.

Her final fraudulent application came in September 2020 for Indian Canteen Ltd, another street food business. She claimed the company had a turnover of £206,000, despite previously estimating turnover of £82,000 on a bank account application.

David Snasdell, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said Wagh had systematically targeted a scheme designed to help genuine businesses survive the pandemic. He said she lied about turnover, obtained duplicate loans for the same businesses and used the money to pay off personal debts and buy stocks and shares.

The Insolvency Service said Wagh initially tried to blame a third party for one of the loan applications, claiming someone else using her computer had made the application without her knowledge. She later retracted the claim and accepted that she had acted alone.

Wagh admitted using the funds to clear personal credit card debts and loans, saying she believed that paying off her personal debts would help her businesses. The Insolvency Service is now seeking to recover the fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

STORY

Andy Burnham is taking office as Prime Minister today after Sir Keir Starmer formally resigned to King Charles III, completing one of the most significant mid-Parliament transfers of power in recent years. Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, became Labour leader after standing unopposed and securing overwhelming support from Labour MPs.

The changeover follows Starmer’s decision to stand down after a period of falling confidence inside the Labour Party and wider political pressure on his Government. Starmer led Labour to a landslide general election victory in 2024, but his premiership ended before the completion of a full Parliament.

Burnham will take office without a general election because Labour still commands a majority in the House of Commons. Under the UK’s parliamentary system, the monarch appoints as Prime Minister the person most likely to command the confidence of the Commons, which in this case is the newly elected Labour leader.

Starmer is expected to make a final statement outside Downing Street before travelling to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation. Burnham will then meet the King and be invited to form a Government, before returning to Downing Street to make his first speech as Prime Minister.

The ceremonial transfer will be swift, but the political change is substantial. Burnham becomes the seventh Prime Minister since 2016, continuing a period of unusually rapid turnover at the top of British politics.

In his first remarks, Burnham is expected to acknowledge the instability of recent years and promise a more stable and less divisive style of Government. He has also signalled that cost-of-living support will be an early priority, alongside a longer-term programme for economic renewal.

Markets were calm ahead of the transition, with sterling remaining steady as investors waited for confirmation of Burnham’s senior appointments. Reuters reported that attention was particularly focused on his choice of Chancellor, with speculation around Shabana Mahmood helping reassure investors expecting a disciplined approach to public spending.

Burnham inherits a difficult economic and political position, including sluggish growth, pressure on public services and the need to rebuild public confidence after another change of Prime Minister without a general election. He will also face immediate questions over taxation, spending, public sector reform and Labour’s response to Reform UK’s advance.

STORY

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is among 26 people nominated for life peerages in a new list issued shortly before Sir Keir Starmer leaves Downing Street. The appointments include Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat nominees as well as crossbenchers drawn from public services, trade unions, business and the voluntary sector.

Khan is expected to remain focused on his role at City Hall and has reportedly indicated that he does not currently want a ministerial post in Andy Burnham’s Government. The timing of the list has nevertheless renewed debate about prime ministerial patronage and the size of the unelected second chamber, particularly as Burnham has previously advocated replacing it with a body representing the nations and regions.

STORY

Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham has confirmed that the Government’s proposed national digital identity scheme will be abandoned as part of what his team described as a reset of priorities. The programme had originally been presented as a way to strengthen right to work checks and tackle illegal employment, but its scope was reduced after opposition over cost, privacy and whether participation should be compulsory.

The Office for Budget Responsibility had estimated spending of around £1.8 billion between 2026-27 and 2028-29, although ending the programme will not necessarily release the whole amount for other uses. Burnham has said attention and resources should instead be directed towards the cost of living, while existing documents and digital systems will continue to be used for employment checks.

STORY

The Government has confirmed local government reorganisation decisions affecting 14 more areas in England, including Kent and Medway, Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland. Ministers said the changes would replace fragmented two-tier structures with stronger unitary councils.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said 134 councils would be streamlined into 38 unitary authorities. Ministers argued that the reforms would reduce duplication, improve accountability and create better foundations for devolution and economic growth.

Council leaders have warned that reorganisation will involve major transition risks, particularly for adult social care, children’s services and public health. The Government has published guidance on protecting those services during the move to new council structures.

STORY

The European Union has opened negotiations with Ukraine on the part of the EU acquis covering external relations policies. The step was taken at the third meeting of the Accession Conference and marks further progress in Ukraine’s path towards membership.

The talks cover the extent to which Ukraine’s policies align with EU rules and international commitments in external relations. The accession process requires candidate countries to satisfy detailed legal, institutional and political conditions before joining the bloc.

Ukraine’s membership bid has become a central strategic issue for the EU since Russia’s invasion. European leaders continue to support Kyiv’s European ambitions, although enlargement also raises questions about institutional reform, funding and the future shape of the Union.

STORY

The Council of the European Union has given final approval to the modernised EU-Mexico Interim Trade Agreement. The decision follows consent from the European Parliament and represents a further step in updating the EU’s trade relationship with Mexico.

The agreement is intended to deepen economic ties, reduce barriers and support investment between the EU and Mexico. It forms part of the EU’s wider attempt to strengthen partnerships with countries beyond its immediate neighbourhood.

The deal comes as the EU continues to adjust its trade policy in response to global competition, supply chain risks and geopolitical uncertainty. Supporters say modernised trade agreements can help diversify markets, while critics often call for stronger safeguards on labour, environmental and food standards.

STORY

The European Commission has proposed significant changes to the European Union’s emissions trading system, the bloc’s central carbon market. The proposals are intended to balance climate targets with concerns from industry about costs and global competitiveness.

The plan would allow some industries more time to reduce emissions while offering additional support for investment in cleaner technologies. Commission officials argue that the changes are needed to keep the transition politically and economically sustainable.

Environmental groups are likely to scrutinise whether the changes weaken the pace of emissions reductions. Industry bodies have argued that the EU needs to prevent carbon-intensive production from moving overseas while maintaining pressure to modernise.

STORY

Southern Water has been fined £7.1 million following a prosecution over sewage pollution. The Environment Agency said the case reflected serious failures and forms part of wider enforcement action against water companies over pollution incidents.

The penalty comes as water regulation remains a major political issue for the Government. Ministers have promised tougher action against companies that fail to protect rivers, coastlines and communities from sewage discharges and other environmental damage.

Campaigners have argued that fines must be matched by stronger regulation, investment in infrastructure and accountability for company executives. Water companies say they are investing in improvements, but public anger over pollution has continued to grow.

STORY

The Government has announced further action to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children in England. Ministers said the measure was intended to protect children’s health and respond to concerns from parents, schools and public health experts.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the policy would cover drinks with high caffeine content and would build on voluntary restrictions already used by many retailers. The Government said consistent national rules would make enforcement clearer and reduce children’s exposure to products linked to sleep and concentration problems.

Public health organisations have welcomed the move, while the drinks industry is expected to examine the detail of the restrictions. Ministers will need to define which products are covered and how the rules will be enforced across shops and online sellers.