British Steel: No10 ‘confident’ it will secure materials to keep plant running Politics The UK government is confident it will beat a race against time to keep the British Steel furnaces running after taking control of the plant from Chinese owners Jingye this weekend. Civil servants and steel workers were rushing to secure the raw materials to keep the Scunthorpe site’s furnaces going – which supply Network Rail [...]
Runcorn by-election: Reform UK reveal Sarah Pochin as candidate Politics Reform UK have unveiled Sarah Pochin as their candidate for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election ahead of their first major electoral test since the general election. The party announced on Monday that the former magistrate would stand in the upcoming ballot to replace former MP Mike Amesbury, who stood down following his assault conviction. Pochin, [...]
Heathrow fire ‘not believed suspicious’ but under Met counter-terror probe Politics The cause of the fire which shut down Heathrow Airport is “not believed to be suspicious” but is under investigation by the Met Police counter-terrorism squad, a minister has said. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander updated MPs on the “unprecedented” power outage which shut Britain’s busiest airport over the weekend in the House of Commons on [...]
Chancellor rules out ‘tax and spend’ policies ahead of spring statement March 22, 2025 The Chancellor has ruled out “tax and spend” policies ahead of her spring statement next week. Rachel Reeves is under pressure to increase taxes or cut spending to meet the financial rules she set at the budget in October amid disappointing growth figures and higher-than-expected borrowing. Figures released on Friday came as a further blow, [...]
Sky, BT, IMG, ITV and BBC: Broadcasters caught in freelancer pay fixing scandal March 21, 2025 The UK’s sports broadcaster heavyweights have been fined for unlawfully colluding to fix freelancer pay rates, leading to over £4m in penalties. BT, IMG, ITV and the BBC have all admitted to illegally sharing sensitive payment information and details to suppress wages for production staff. Sky, which also participated, avoided a financial penalty by reporting [...]
Don’t ask business to ‘shoulder more burden’, CBI chief urges March 19, 2025 The government should not “ask businesses to shoulder any more of a burden”, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) chief has warned in the wake of the welfare cuts. Work and pensions secretary Lilz Kendall announced on Tuesday a raft of welfare measures she said will help bring more working age people back into jobs. [...]
Netball Super League 2025: Learning from the WNBA – and coming to the O2 March 8, 2025 New teams, new rules, a new competition structure and a big bump in pay; a new era of the Netball Super League begins this weekend with the biggest shake-up in its 20-year history. Gone are Bath, the league’s most successful side, and three other teams as the field has shrunk from 10 to eight. In [...]
Drax ‘misled’ government over wood sourcing, ex lobbyist alleges March 7, 2025 Drax’s former public affairs lead has accused the company of “misleading the public, government and its regulator” over its sourcing of wood for biomass pellets. Rowaa Ahmar was employed by Drax in 2022 amid allegations in a BBC Panorama documentary it had sourced wood from environmentally important forests in Canada instead of using sawdust and [...]
Freddie Flintoff firm in the red after Top Gear horror crash March 3, 2025 The company Freddie Flintoff runs to manage his post-cricket business activities, such as media appearances, has fallen into the red after he took time off after a horror crash filming Top Gear for the BBC. Freddie Flintoff Enterprises, which is run by the former England star and his wife, Rachael, has reported a £646,823 loss [...]
Defence spending: 2.5 per cent of GDP is ‘ambitious,’ minister says February 23, 2025 Raising UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national income is “ambitious”, a cabinet minister has insisted as the government faces pressure to increase investment. It comes amid uncertainty over the future of the war in Ukraine, as the US began negotiations with Russia, excluding Kyiv from talks. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson sought to [...]