Author: UK News

Peer suspended from House of Lords for launching tirade at parliament security staff A former Marks and Spencer boss has been suspended from the House of Lords for six months after he was found to have launched a tirade of abuse at members of parliamentary staff. The lengthy suspension was handed down to Lord Stone of Blackheath after he was found to have been rude and aggressive, with the decision noting he poses a “continuing risk to those on the parliamentary estate”. The incident showed the “clear pattern” of the non-affiliated peer’s poor behaviour continued, according to the House of…

Bitcoin miner refused access to landfill site to retrieve £598m hard drive, judge rules A man’s bid to sue a council over his attempts to excavate a rubbish tip to find a Bitcoin hard drive worth nearly £600m has had his case thrown out of court by a judge. James Howells says his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive in 2013, only for it to increase in value over the last year to be now worth an estimated £598m. While the landfill in Newport in Wales holds more than 1.4 million tonnes of waste, Mr Howells said he…

Warning food prices could soar by 20% as pressure mounts on Reeves over flailing economy Rachel Reeves has been hit by a triple whammy of setbacks that appear to have shattered Labour’s dreams of boosting Britain’s economic growth. With the chancellor set to fly to China on Friday, the pound fell amid fears of surging borrowing costs and future tax rises – and a shocking new report seen by The Independent suggested that the price of food and household staples could rise by 20 per cent. The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) revealed that massive problems with supply…

Religion, police and education leaders unite with grooming survivors to demand immediate government action Police chiefs, head teachers, faith groups and charities are among groups urging the government to implement recommendations from the child sex abuse inquiry as the row over grooming gangs continues. A coalition, made up of 65 major charities, community leaders and abuse survivors, says it has “significant concerns” about the government’s failure to act on proposals made by the chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in 2022. The inquiry is back in the limelight after the Tory party backed calls from tech…

Liz Truss lays into Rachel Reeves over economy and trip to China Rachel Reeves has been blamed by Liz Truss for a dramatic drop in the value of the pound which has sparked fears of a new recession. The former prime minister accused the chancellor of pushing Britain “to the brink of economic crisis”. The scathing attack came as both Tory and Lib Dem MPs called on Ms Reeves to scrap a planned trip to China this weekend in which she is to seek closer economic ties to Beijing to revive Britain’s struggling growth. The intervention by Ms Truss marks…

Lammy declares ‘Trump is right’ on defence spending as he warns post-Cold War peace is over David Lammy has declared that the hard-won “post-Cold War peace is well and truly over” as he used his first major speech of 2025 to take aim at Vladimir Putin and Russian aggression. The foreign secretary threw his weight behind demands by Donald Trump that Nato allies significantly increase their spending on defence, while laughing off the president-elect’s expansionist plans for Greenland and Canada. Mr Trump demanded earlier this week that Nato allies commit 5 per cent of GDP to defence spending. While Mr…

Meta oversight board members say losing fact-checking could undermine public trust Two members of Meta’s independent Oversight Board have warned that misinformation will “undermine public trust”, after the social media giant announced it is planning to ditch fact-checkers. Alan Rusbridger, Independent collumnist and former editor of The Guardian, and novelist Khaled Mansour have stressed that the impact on the credibility of sites such as Facebook could be “exorbitant” and could lead to wide civil disturbance. Their comments come after Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta is to scrap its longstanding fact-checking programme in favour of a community notes system similar to…

These are London deals you won’t want to miss Looking for 10 things to do in London? Luckily, there’s lots to do in this city for cheap! At least… There is now. Metro has teamed up with Time Out to bring you the best deals across the capital. Every Friday, 10 new deals will drop, available in the Metro newspaper, on Metro.co.uk, and on our socials. You’ll also find them in our weekly London newsletter, The Slice, in your inbox every Wednesday. This week, treat yourself to a three-course feast with stunning riverside views and a bottle of prosecco for just £30 at Sea…

Truss sends cease and desist to Starmer demanding he stop saying she crashed the economy Liz Truss has sent Sir Keir Starmer a cease and desist letter, warning him to stop saying she “crashed the economy”. The former prime minister’s lawyers have said the remarks – made since the lead-up to the general election – are likely to “cause serious harm to her reputation”, claiming they are “false and defamatory”. They also suggest that assertions made by the Labour leader before the July general election contributed to Ms Truss losing her South West Norfolk seat. Sir Keir has repeatedly claimed…

Tories lose vote on grooming gangs inquiry as Starmer hints at U-turn A Conservative Party amendment calling for a national inquiry on grooming gangs has been rejected in the Commons. The amendment to Labour’s flagship Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill received 111 Ayes and 364 Noes, majority 253. Mrs Badenoch’s amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill called for ministers “to develop new legislative proposals for children’s wellbeing including establishing a national statutory inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation, focused on grooming gangs”. Prime minister Keir Starmer hit out at the Tory leader earlier on Wednesday over “lies and…

Weather UK live: Snow and ice warnings across country as cold snap could see temperatures hit -20C Three fresh weather warnings for ice have been issued by the Met Office as an icy blast continues to sweep the UK. Two of the ice warnings will cover most of England’s east coast, Wales, the Midlands northwest England, and Northern Ireland until 10am on Friday. “Scattered wintry showers on Thursday evening will slowly fade overnight, leading to the risk of icy patches on untreated surfaces as temperatures fall below freezing,” the Met Office says. A snow and ice warning for northern Scotland…

The chancellor is under pressure as the pound has dropped to its lowest level for more than a year and UK government borrowing costs have continued to rise as concerns about public finances and the economy grow.

The ongoing spat between European leaders and American tech companies continues as well as pushback from Europe on Elon Musk’s continued meddling in European politics.

Wildfires are rapidly spreading across Los Angeles, destroying homes and businesses, in the worst fires the county has ever seen. At least 5 people have been killed.

UK weather today 09 January 2025 Thursday will be another cold day with icy stretches to start and a few freezing fog patches may be slow to clear. There will be plenty of sunny spells with further wintry showers possible in the north and west. Another cold night to come with a widespread severe frost and ice forming in places. Wintry showers continue in the north and west, but generally dry elsewhere with clear skies. Source – Met Office

The Independent front page headline: MPs vote against rape gangs inquiry – but PM may U-turn The front page of the Independent says No 10 has confirmed the prime minister will consider a new public inquiry into grooming gangs if victims demand it after a safeguarding minister says it’s still on the table. The paper says the news comes despite a Tory motion in the Commons being defeated. MPs vote against rape gangs inquiry – but PM may U-turn The prime minister will consider a new inquiry into grooming gangs despite MPs voting against a new probe. The news comes…

Metro front page headline: Mum’s tears at rapper’s knife killing. Groomed by gangs … butchered on the bus at 14 “Groomed by gangs… butchered on bus at 14” is the Metro’s headline as the mother of the boy stabbed to death in south-east London speaks to the paper. Mary Bokassa told the paper her son Kelyan was taken advantage of by gangs. The 14-year-old was killed travelling on a bus in Woolwich on Tuesday. Groomed by gangs … butchered on the bus at 14′ Mary Bokassa says her 14-year-old son Kelyan – who was stabbed to death on a bus…

The Guardian front page headline: Mass evacuations in Los Angeles as deadly wildfires wreak havoc A harrowing image of a large home totally engulfed in flames in Los Angeles is the main image on the Guardian front page. The paper says fast-moving wildfires have torn through several neighbourhoods of Los Angeles, killing at least two people and destroying more than 1,000 buildings. The paper says about 70,000 people were ordered to evacuate. Mass evacuations in Los Angeles as deadly wildfires wreak havoc The Guardian leads on the Los Angeles wildfires, which have killed at least two people and seen more…

Daily Mirror front page headline: Teen Knife Victim’s Mum: Groomed by gangs … now he’d dead Daily Mirror leads with the comments from a mother whose 14-year-old son was stabbed to death on a London bus. She opens up about the death of her only son Kelyan who she says was groomed by gangs from a young age. The paper writes there are fears “he was deliberately targeted in a tit-for-tat war”. Groomed by gangs … now he’d dead Mary Bokassa says her 14-year-old son Kelyan was “groomed by gangs” before he was stabbed to death on a bus in…

Daily Express front page headline: ‘It’s blindingly obvious’ we need care plan The Daily Express quotes the head of a review criticising Labour’s three-year delay in reforming social care. Sir Andrew Dilnot said the wait is “inappropriately” long and will fail millions. Proposals on social care’s long-term funding is unlikely to be delivered before 2028. ‘It’s blindingly obvious’ we need care plan Sir Andrew Dilnot, who wrote a review into social care reform, has said it is “bleedin'” obvious that proper funding is needed by the end of this year, the Daily Express says. Kate’s quiet birthday at home with…

The Sun newspaper front page headline: Cheryl stalked by killer “Cheryl stalked by killer” reports the Sun, as it writes the singer has been stalked by a convicted killer. The paper says Daniel Bannister, 49, who was jailed for the manslaughter of a man in 2012 in a separate offence, has admitted breaching a restraining order by trying to contact the star. Cheryl stalked by killer The Sun reports Cheryl Tweedy was stalked by a man who was jailed for manslaughter in 2012. He pleaded guilty to three charges relating to breaching a restraining order in December. Labour in chaos…

Thursday’s front pages feature images from the rapidly spreading LA wildfires – the worst in Los Angeles history. At least five wildfires are now raging in Los Angeles and parts of its neighbouring counties – three of the blazes are completely uncontained. 

Closer to home, the front pages report on the ongoing impact of the chancellor’s October Budget as the Treasury has been forced to intervene to calm the markets. 

The ongoing spat between European leaders and American tech companies continues to find space on the UK front pages, as well as the pushback from Europe on Elon Musk’s continued meddling in European politics. The incoming US director of counter-terrorism has told Britain to take back UK members of ISIS being held in Syria – including Shamima Begum, offering a key insight into how America plans to deal with its allies.

Financial value of stay-at-home parents undervalued by 90% of people  Almost 90% of adults nationwide underestimate the financial value of stay-at-home parents, new findings from Royal London Ireland show, with just over 10% valuing the cost to employ someone to perform the duties of a stay-at-home parent at over €50,000.Surveying 1,000 adults, the life insurance and pensions provider calculated the estimated annual salary of a stay-at-home parent to be €57,140, up from €54,590 in 2023 and €40,560 in 2015 when it first undertook the same research.In its latest survey, respondents in 2024 estimated the potential salary of a stay-at-home parent…

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a mother shot dead at a wake in London. Michelle Sadio, 44, was among a congregation of 120 people at River of Life Elim Pentecostal Church on Gifford Road, Willesden, on December 14. As she left around 9.15pm, she was gunned down by shots fired from a black Kia Niro, which was later abandoned and set on fire on Barnhill Road. Today an 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of her murder. Police believe Sadio may not have been the intended target of the attack. Police described the car used in…

London braced for snow as yellow weather warning extended after icy -5.5C night: live A blanket of up to 10cm of snow could fall across the south of England on Wednesday, with snow and ice warnings issued across the UK after temperatures plummeted to -5.5C overnight. Four yellow weather warnings are in place as a cold snap continues to grip the UK, prompting mass school closures and travel disruption. A yellow snow warning, in place until midnight covers almost the entire south coast and reaches London. On Wednesday morning, the warning was extended to areas in the south west and…

Investigation launched into Met’s handling of sexual assault allegations made against Mohamed al-Fayed An investigation has been launched into the Metropolitan Police’s handing of sexual assault allegations made against former Harrods boss Mohamed al-Fayed. Two complaints from victim-survivors raising concerns about the force’s handling of allegations they made against al-Fayed will be investigated by the Met itself under the direction of the independent policing watchdog. The Independent understands the allegations, which the victim-survivors each reported to the Met in 2008, were both accusations of sexual assault. The Met is currently reviewing a total of 21 allegations that were made before…

Badenoch urged to sack Jenrick for saying ‘immigrants with alien cultures have medieval attitudes to women’ Robert Jenrick stood by his claim that Britain has failed at integrating immigrants from some countries, pointing to the grooming gangs scandal as apparent evidence Badenoch urged to sack Jenrick for saying ‘immigrants with alien cultures have medieval attitudes to women’ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jenrick-grooming-gangs-badenoch-immigration-b2675049.html