Author: UK News

A London-based family-run food store that is a favourite among royalty is closing its flagship store, its owner has confirmed. Partridges will close its store located on Duke of York Square, Chelsea, on February 2. The business has been running in the capital for 53 years and owner John Shepherd confirmed the store at 17-19 Gloucester Road in Kensington will still operate. He posted on the website: ‘We are of course very sad to be leaving Chelsea and are grateful to landlord Cadogan for allowing us the opportunity to develop our creativity in Duke of York Square, especially in supporting us to…

“As the rest of the world ages, Africa will become a crucial source of labour: more than half the young people entering the global workforce in 2030 will be African.”

Treasury minister Siddiq quits over corruption probes The lead story for The Independent reports Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq has resigned over an anti-corruption probe in Bangladesh – despite an independent adviser clearing the PM’s “ally” of breaking the ministerial code. A large image of Princess Kate makes the front page as she visits the hospital which treated her cancer. She later announced she is now in remission.

Kate’s return to cancer hospital: Thank You The Princess of Wales is featured on the front splash of the Metro after she returned to the London hospital which had treated her cancer. The princess announced she is now in remission.

‘It’s a relief to be in remission’ The front page of The Sun newspaper leads on Princess Kate’s announcement that she is now in remission. The princess returned to the London hospital that treated her thanked staff and met with patients. Last night’s Notts Forest vs Liverpool match makes the front splash after a 1-1 draw leaves the title race on a knife’s edge.

Siddiq quits as minister after inquiry probe The Guardian highlights Siddiq’s status as the “second senior woman” to resign over ethics issues in Starmer’s administration. Though an investigation cleared her of rule-breaking, it concluded she should have been more aware of potential reputational risks tied to her family’s connections to Bangladesh. Tony Slattery is pictured on the front splashed following his death from a heart attack.

Siddiq quits over links to Bangladesh ‘corruption’ The Times leads on the Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq’s resignation following an anti-corruption inquiry linked to Bangladesh. The paper says while Siddiq stated she resigned to avoid becoming a “distraction,” the paper notes her departure is “politically damaging” for Sir Keir, who has vowed to restore integrity after past Tory scandals. Princess Kate is pictured on the front splash after she announced she is in remission from cancer.

Another Starmer shambles: One lame duck down! The front page of the Daily Mail reacts to the resignation of Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq and calls for the “crisis-hit” chancellor to be sacked as well. The paper suggests Siddiq’s resignation is a sign of Labour’s instability. Princess Kate is pictured at the top of the paper, reporting that she is now in remission after battling cancer last year.

Reactions to the resignation of Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq and calls for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to resign amid doom and gloom over the state of the UK economy.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is preparing to reduce its global workforce by approximately 5%, according to an internal memo from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. 

Almost all the tabloids lead with the news Princess Kate is in remission, following her cancer treatment last year. The princess visited the London hospital that treated her, meeting with patients and staff, before sharing the health update. 

Away from the royals, the broadsheets lead with the latest from No 10 as Tulip Siddiq stepped down from her role as a senior Treasury minister last night after she was linked to an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh. 

Many of Wednesday’s front pages offer their opinion of the resignation and ask questions of Keir Starmer’s government. 

The ongoing discussions for a ceasefire in Gaza, the LA wildfires and TikTok looming ban in the United States all find space on the UK front pages this morning. 

It has been an intense past year for the Princess of Wales as she underwent cancer treatment Kate Middleton’s cancer timeline: From diagnosis after secret surgery to remission The Princess of Wales is making a steady return to royal duties following what has been one of the most tumultuous years of her life. In March, Kate confirmed she had been diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer. What followed was a nine-month battle as she underwent “preventative chemotherapy”. She endured intense online speculation in the weeks leading up to the public announcement and has largely stayed out of the spotlight…

MPs call on government to introduce entitlement to paid bereavement leave for miscarriage in new legislation ‘I had three miscarriages in one year – bereavement leave would have helped us process our grief’ Women and their partners should be entitled to paid bereavement leave if they experience a miscarriage as part of new employment laws being brought in by the Labour government, MPs have urged. MPs and campaign groups are calling on ministers to ensure that a period of paid leave is available to all women and partners who experience pre-24 week pregnancy loss – to match the existing provision…

Shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson KC says Labour’s reasonings for planning to repeal the Legacy Act ‘make no sense’ Gerry Adams in line for ‘payday from taxpayer’ under plans to repeal Legacy Act, says think tank report Former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams will receive taxpayer-funded compensation if government plans to repeal the Legacy Act go ahead, a think tank has claimed. Mr Adams, 76, is currently blocked from receiving compensation over his detention in prison without trial in the 1970s, despite winning an appeal in the Supreme Court in 2020 to overturn historical convictions for two attempted prison breaks.…

Sir Keir Starmer hit by second ministerial resignation in six months as Tulip Siddiq steps down as anti-corruption minister No 10 refuses to rule out emergency budget as fresh inflation figures due  Rachel Reeves has opened the door to emergency spending cuts as No 10 refused to rule out the possibility of an emergency budget in the spring. Facing a grilling from MPs in the Commons on Tuesday over the rising cost of government borrowing and the recent falls in the value of the pound, Ms Reeves said there was a need to go “further and faster” in search of…

DWP slammed again after WASPI scandal as 10,000 pensioners urged to check for bungle The Department for Work and Pensions has been criticised for more failures of communication after its much-maligned handling of the WASPI pension changes. In a damning statement, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), Rebecca Hilsenrath, said the department was “failing to learn from its mistakes” as she revealed the case of a pensioner who was not told for eight years about a change to his payments that would leave him £3,000 a year worse off. She urged the more than 10,000 pensioners who were on…

IBM to supply tech for new Emergency Services Network A new communications system for emergency services to share more information in real-time is to be designed and built by tech firm IBM, the Home Office has announced. The scandal-hit project to bring in the Emergency Services Network (ESN), first launched in 2015, was supposed to have replaced the ageing Airwave system for police, fire and ambulance services in England, Scotland and Wales, by 2020. But it has been beset by years of delays and costs running into billions of pounds. It is set to support more than 300,000 emergency responders…

Warning over bill that could change what you talk about in the pub Workers who go for drinks together have been warned about what they talk about in the pub. The equalities regulator has warned of the “complexity” employers might face in deciding whether an overheard conversation in a workplace could amount to harassment. The Government’s Employment Rights Bill includes provisions to require employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment at work by third parties. Warning over bill that could change what you talk about in the pub https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ehrc-pub-talk-work-workers-bill-b2679714.html

Starmer’s Chagos deal in the balance ‘as UK to wait for Trump approval before signing’ Britain will await approval from Donald Trump before signing a controversial deal on relinquishing control of the Chagos Islands, it has been revealed. Sir Keir Starmer’s government had reportedly been optimistic about a deal to cede control of the islands to Mauritius, following a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), before the US president-elect is inaugurated on 20 January. But officials briefed on the talks told the Financial Times that while “good progress” has been made in the protracted talks with Mauritius, they…

The SMEs shortlisted for the Cork Chamber Company of the Year Awards in Ireland. Since then, the company has grown rapidly and today employs 35 people helping firms to decarbonise and providing ESG solutions. Based on the South Mall, in Cork, Climeaction was founded in 2021 by Paul Murphy, below, with the aim of providing specialised energy audits for micro-businesses and SMEs. The firm’s services include consultancy, digital tools, and climate action programmes that are tailored to companies to achieve their sustainability targets and goals. Cork Chamber Company of the Year Awards Climeaction said its approach to companies is a…

Police have issued a ‘do not approach’ warning to two teenagers after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death on a bus in Woolwich. Detectives investigating the murder of Kelyan Bokassa, 14, have said they want to speak to Colin Chabikwa, 15, and Mosawar Zazi, 16. Kelyan was attacked and killed as he travelled on the 472 bus on Woolwich Church Road on January 6. No arrests have been made. The Metropolitan Police said they are following ‘a number of lines of inquiry’ relating to the murder investigation, which has led to them wanting to speak to the teenagers. They…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves continues to face pressure despite the pound and the UK government borrowing costs showing signs of stabilising after a turbulent few days.

A man has been cleared of manslaughter after his partner’s suicide. Ryan Wellings was cleared of manslaughter but found guilty of assault and prolonged domestic violence.

British people who own homes in Spain (but don’t live there) could soon be facing taxes of up to 100% as part of plans being proposed in Spain to help tackle the country’s housing shortage.

Mostly dry, though rather cloudy. Patchy drizzle England and Wales. Early fog becoming mainly confined to hills. Sunniest across eastern Scotland and northeast England, with morning brightness in the far south and northwest. Generally milder, though breezy in the north. Tonight: Remaining rather cloudy for many with patchy drizzle. The best cloud breaks developing across eastern Scotland, northeast England and Cornwall, where patchy fog and frost forming. Breezy in the north. Source: Met Office

The front page of The Guardian reports that “ruthless” public spending cuts may be implemented as the government seeks significant savings. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones is expected to address potential “sweeping changes to public services” in an upcoming speech. A report on the front suggests there are risks of a rise in unwanted pregnancies as women are ditching the pill in favour of fertility-tracking apps. Elsewhere, the cost of cleaning up toxic forever chemical pollution could reach more than £1.6tn across the UK and Europe over a 20-year period, an annual bill of £84bn, research has found. The front…

Metro’s lead story reports Ryan Wellings has been labelled an ‘innocent monster’ after being convicted of prolonged domestic abuse but acquitted of manslaughter. His partner, Kiena Dawes, left a note before her death, blaming Wellings. Innocent Monster Outside court, mum Angela Dawes said: ‘Justice has not been done. It breaks my heart that her beautiful baby girl doesn’t have her mummy because of that monster.’ Described by prosecutor Paul Greaney KC as an ‘entitled, aggressive bully’ and by Kiena’s friends as a ‘horrible little bastard’ with a jealous streak, he did not like being answered back – which ‘triggers his…