Calls grow to end troop cuts to help British Army cope with increased demands at home June 10, 2022 Troop cuts should be halted to help the armed forces cope with increased demands on them to respond to emergencies in the UK, Labour has said. Requests to bring in the armed forces to assist civic authorities more than doubled during the pandemic, Ministry of Defence figures show. In the years before the Covid-19 pandemic [...]
Nine in 10 Londoners struggle to pay the rent as cost of living onslaught eats up tenants’ budgets June 9, 2022 Rental cost increases are contributing to a strain on household finances for nearly nine in 10 tenants, with many facing further cutbacks should their household costs continue to increase. 86 per cent of all tenants confirmed the cost of living crisis is hitting them in their wallet, putting a further strain on Londoners’ household finances. [...]
Brits to be allowed to use housing benefits for a mortgage to buy their homes June 9, 2022 Allowing lower-paid workers to use housing benefits to buy their homes and an extension of the right to buy for housing association tenants should give Tory support a boost. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to confirm his intentions in a major speech today as he seeks to repair his fortunes after a bruising Tory [...]
Govt buys UK’s first-ever quantum computer in ‘milestone moment’ for Ministry of Defence June 9, 2022 The Government’s first quantum computer has been acquired by the Ministry of Defence. The machines are able to rapidly make highly complex calculations that cannot be done by regular computers. The BBC said the ministry will work with London-based firm Orca Computing on applying the computers to defence applications. It marked a “milestone moment”, according [...]
Sadiq Khan warns Londoners to brace themselves for more violent crime due to cost of living crisis June 9, 2022 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, warned this morning the cost-of-living crisis could lead to more violent crime. Khan spoke of his fears that progress in tackling violent crime could be jeopardised as figures show that London’s knife and gun crimes plus teenage murders have been reduced. “We must acknowledge that the spiralling cost of [...]
Thousands of Brits received ‘unacceptable service’ after Storm Arwen, Ofgem rules June 9, 2022 Electricity networks provided an “unacceptable service” to thousands of customers following Storm Arwen, which left nearly one million homes without power, industry watchdog Ofgem has said. Winds of 100mph caused widespread disruption, uprooted trees and damaged power lines, cutting the electricity supply from November 26 across northern England and Scotland. Power outages lasted for more [...]
Labour throws weight behind biggest railway strike in decades: ‘We are on the rail workers’ side’ June 9, 2022 Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy has said she supports the strikes by rail workers in the coming weeks if the Government fails to address their concerns. Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, she said: “We want to avoid the strikes and we’re on the public’s side on this. “We’re also on the rail workers’ [...]
Govt declares war on smokers as Javid looks at ‘radical ways to create a smoke-free Britain’ June 8, 2022 The UK government is about to declare war on smoking as health officials are considering “radical ways” to reduce the number of smokers in England, Sajid Javid said today. But the Health Secretary would not be drawn on whether or not the Javed Khan review on smoking would recommend that the legal smoking age should [...]
Moderna’s new ‘bivalent’ coronavirus vaccine gives eight-fold boost in antibodies and fights both original Covid and Omicron June 8, 2022 Pharma giant Moderna said this afternoon that its new bivalent vaccine targets both the original Covid strain and the Omicron variant. The US firm said early clinical trials on 437 people had shown the jab led to an eight-fold jump in the levels of Omicron-specific “neutralising” antibodies compared to people who had not received a [...]
UK house price skyrockets to record £289k: ‘Any mutterings of a market crash are greatly exaggerated’ June 8, 2022 The average UK house price hit a record high of £289,099 in May, but the pace of growth in values is slowing, according to an index this morning. Russell Galley, managing director of Halifax, said: “The average cost of buying a home in the UK is up 1 per cent, or £2,857, on last month, [...]
