Tag: News Story

STORY

Up to 70 young people aged between 16 and 21 are taking part in a new Government backed artificial intelligence bootcamp in the North West aimed at helping those who are out of work or at risk of becoming unemployed. Participants from areas including Wigan, Blackburn and Blackpool have started three weeks of AI and workplace skills training.

The pilot forms part of the Government’s TechFirst AI Apprenticeship Pathway and is being delivered by IN4 Group with businesses and public sector organisations across the region. Participants will learn how to build and use AI tools responsibly, alongside workplace skills including professional communication, teamwork, organisation and problem solving.

Companies including JD Sports and Heinz are among the employers expected to have apprenticeship opportunities available at the end of the programme. The Government said the results of the pilot will be used to inform an England wide AI skills and early careers scheme planned for next summer, building on the wider £200 million TechFirst programme.

STORY

A row has developed over Nigel Farage’s decision not to attend the declaration of the Clacton by-election result after Reform UK said Essex Police had advised him to stay away because of a credible threat. Farage instead attended a private Reform event while the result was announced at the Clacton count.

Essex Police disputed the suggestion that it had advised Farage not to attend. The force said there had been a full policing operation surrounding the election, that there were no incidents or issues and that decisions over whether candidates attended the count were matters for individuals and their security teams.

Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson defended Farage during an appearance on BBC Breakfast. Anderson acknowledged that he had spoken neither to Farage nor Essex Police about what had happened, but said some police forces were “about as honest” as the BBC. He added that if Farage said he had been advised not to attend, he would believe Farage above the police and the BBC.

STORY

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been returned to Parliament after winning the Clacton by-election with 22,239 votes. Farage secured 63.34% of votes cast, while Count Binface finished second with 9,455 votes, or 26.93%. Turnout in the Essex constituency was 44.37%.

The contest featured a record 34 candidates, the largest field in a UK parliamentary election. Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens did not field candidates after Farage resigned his seat in July and announced that he would immediately seek re-election. The by-election followed scrutiny of a £5 million gift Farage received from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne and questions over whether it had been properly declared.

Farage increased his share of the vote from the 46.2% he secured when he first won Clacton at the 2024 general election. His return to Parliament also means an investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog into his financial interests can resume after being paused during the election period.

STORY

The Prime Minister spoke to the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, today. 

The Prime Minister began the call by welcoming the friendship between the UK and Finland, noting the recent commissioning of the first Finnish cadet from Sandhurst as an example of the two countries’ close ties. 

Turning to Ukraine, the two leaders agreed the vital importance of continuing to stand with President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Prime Minister then reiterated the UK’s enduring commitment to NATO and noted the key role that Finland plays within the alliance. The two leaders discussed the need to remain vigilant to the threat posed by Russia, including through the important work of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). 

The Prime Minister also set out his commitment to strengthening the UK’s relations with the EU, with the two leaders agreeing to stay in close contact as this work progressed.

The two leaders look forward to meeting in person at the earliest opportunity.

STORY

Joint statement from the United Kingdom, Albania, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the High Representative of the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

We condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The use of capital punishment to silence dissent, intimidate communities, and punish individuals exercising their human rights can never be justified. The people of Iran must be free to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear.

We call on Iran to immediately end the use of the death penalty and release all those arbitrarily detained.

We further call on Iran to listen to the voice of its people as they demand change, and to take meaningful steps toward ensuring respect for human rights.

STORY

Voters in Clacton are choosing their next MP in a by-election featuring a record 34 candidates, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and satirical candidate Count Binface. Polling stations opened at 7am and will close at 10pm, with the result expected after counting overnight.

The contest was triggered when Farage resigned from the House of Commons in July while facing scrutiny over a £5 million personal gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. Farage has said the money was a personal gift which did not require declaration as a political donation. The parliamentary standards investigation was paused when he ceased to be an MP and could resume if he returns to the Commons.

Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have not fielded candidates in the contest. Tendring District Council confirmed that the 34-candidate field exceeds the previous record of 26 candidates at the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election. Farage won Clacton at the 2024 general election with 46.2% of the vote.

STORY

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has said Labour ‘did not do government very well’ during the final period of Keir Starmer’s premiership and criticised the way Downing Street operated while she was Home Secretary. Cooper made the comments during an interview on the Political Currency podcast with former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne.

Cooper said Starmer’s leadership approach was characterised by the instruction to ‘bring me solutions, not problems’ and argued that this did not always work in politics. She cited the launch of the Government’s immigration white paper in May 2025, saying the Home Office had carried out much of the policy work but that Number 10 wanted Starmer to announce it without her fronting the launch.

She contrasted that approach with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, describing his style as more collegiate and saying he wanted ministers to discuss problems as well as possible solutions. Cooper also said she wanted the Government to build broader political agreement on reforming social care and on support for young children and families based on the principles of Sure Start.

STORY

Intensive care admissions among babies under six months with respiratory syncytial virus fell by around 50% during the first full winter of the NHS maternal RSV vaccination programme, according to the UK Health Security Agency. Twenty NHS trusts participating in surveillance recorded 63 admissions to intensive care or high dependency units in 2025 to 2026, compared with 131 the previous winter.

The maternal vaccination programme began in September 2024 and is offered from 28 weeks of pregnancy to provide protection to newborn babies. UKHSA said 61.7% of women giving birth between March 2025 and February 2026 had received an RSV vaccine. Peak weekly attendances at accident and emergency departments for infant bronchiolitis were also lower and the peak season was shorter than in previous years.

UKHSA said an earlier study found the maternal vaccine provided more than 80% protection against hospital admission for newborn babies. The annual report also found that 65% of eligible older adults had received an RSV vaccination by the end of May, with hospitalisation rates among eligible adults aged 75 to 80 reduced by more than 40%.

STORY

A record 262,820 UK 18-year-olds have secured a university or college place on Level 3 results day, according to figures published by UCAS. The total is 3% higher than the 255,130 recorded last year, although the proportion of the 18-year-old population entering higher education remained broadly unchanged at 31.6%.

UCAS said 228,990 UK 18-year-olds had been accepted by their first-choice university or college, an increase of 1% from last year. A further 31,770 were placed with their insurance choice, up 21% from 26,330 in 2025. Overall, 79% of applicants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who were holding an offer and received a decision were placed with their first choice.

Across applicants of all ages and nationalities, 446,690 people had been accepted, also a record. UCAS said more young people from the most disadvantaged areas had gained places, while engineering and technology recorded the largest year-on-year increase among subject groups. More than 26,000 courses remained available through Clearing.

STORY

The UK economy grew by 0.4% between April and June 2026, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. The increase followed growth of 0.6% in the first three months of the year, while gross domestic product was 1.2% higher than in the same quarter of 2025.

Services provided the largest contribution to growth, increasing by 0.5% during the quarter. Construction output rose by 0.3%, while production showed no overall growth. The ONS said output increased in 15 of the 20 industrial subsectors measured in the latest estimate.

GDP per head is estimated to have increased by 0.4% during the quarter and was 1.0% higher than a year earlier. Separate ONS figures showed business investment rose by 1.7% between April and June and was 0.8% above its level in the same period last year.