£4.5bn black market cigarette tax loss should be ‘a major wake-up call’ for Labour Tax Over half of cigarettes smoked in the UK are black market and are contributing £4.5bn to the country’s tax losses – a record high – according to new analysis from KPMG and tobacco giant Philip Morris. The findings show that 1.5bn more black-market, tax-free cigarettes were consumed by UK smokers last year compared to 2024, [...]
Billionaire Labour backer John Caudwell: I was misled by ‘disastrous’ Starmer Politics Billionaire John Caudwell has said he was “misled” by Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and revealed that he hopes to once again back the Tories at the next election. The entrepreneur and philanthropist said there is “no chance” of him voting Labour at the next election, which he says the government is bound to lose. Labour [...]
NATO military chief presses UK to accelerate defence pledges Politics Nato’s military chief has urged Britain and other allies to speed up the delivery of their defence pledges. Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Nato’s military committee chair, said he is “frustrated” by the UK and its allies’ commitments to spend on defence which he said do not stand if there is no equipment to show for [...]
Ministers back SNP probe as Sturgeon refuses to apologise for Murrell May 31, 2026 Two top government ministers have backed an inquiry into the SNP after its former chief executive Peter Murrell admitted to embezzling over £400,000 from the party. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that there “should definitely be an inquiry because trust in politics has been fundamentally undermined by the [...]
Key Mandelson file withheld by Cabinet May 31, 2026 The Cabinet Office will not release a key document linking to Peter Mandelson’s vetting following police warnings that it could derail the ongoing investigation into the disgraced peer. Government officials will not release the summary document, complied by the UK Security Vetting Agency (UKSV), following advice from Scotland Yard that it could jeopordise prosecuting Mandelson [...]
Streeting suggests North Sea drilling and NI cuts in latest pitch May 31, 2026 Former health secretary Wes Streeting has suggested cutting national insurance and issuing new North Sea oil drilling licenses as he continues to make his leadership pitch. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Streeting set out a series of policies ahead of a potential leadership contest expected within the coming months in Westminster, including drilling [...]
‘Defining moment’: UK’s largest train operator enters public ownership May 31, 2026 Ministers have hailed the nationalisation of the of the largest train franchise as a ‘defining moment’ as the government pushes forward with nationalising the railway. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander hailed the nationalisation of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), with its services accounting for one in six train journeys in the UK. Its four brands, Southern, Thameslink, [...]
Trump yet to make ‘final determination’ on Iran war despite discussions May 30, 2026 US president Donald Trump is yet to make his ‘final determination’ on the war in Iran, despite holding a meeting with advisers on Friday to reach a decision on extending the ceasefire. Trump is yet to decide whether to move forward with a deal to extend the Iran ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, [...]
Burnham would end asylum hotel contracts if he was PM, allies say May 30, 2026 Andy Burnham would end the multibillion-pound asylum accommodation contracts if he became prime minister, according to allies of the Labour leadership hopeful. Since March, the Home Office has had the opportunity to trigger a break clause in the ten-year contracts it signed with three private companies which are responsible for sourcing accommodation. The clause allows [...]
Palantir ‘should challenge Sadiq Khan in court’ over blocked Met Police contract May 25, 2026 American tech firm Palantir should challenge Sadiq Khan in court after the London mayor blocked a £50m contract with the Metropolitan Police, former government legal officer Sir Michael Ellis has said. Sir Michael Ellis KC, a former Tory attorney general under Liz Truss, said Khan’s decision is “an extraordinary intervention, which may be susceptible to [...]