Author: UK News

The new cycle lane would go through Bank (Picture: Richard Baker/Getty) The plans for a new cycle lane through the City of london are set to transform major junctions through the financial area. The City of London Corporation has proposed to build a £4,500,000 stretch of new cycle lane between Aldgate and Blackfriars. Campaigners welcomed the plan, saying there is a ‘clear need,’ but that the upgrade should be delivered faster than by 2028 when it is estimated to be completed. The proposed route would run along St Bodolph Street, Aldgate Square, Leadenhall Street, Cornhill, Bank Junction and Queen Victoria…

Actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, who made history on Strictly Come Dancing as the show’s first deaf contestant, is to receive a royal honour at Windsor Castle.The former EastEnders actress will be honoured by the Princess Royal on Wednesday alongside 60 others, including Hari Budha Magar – the first above-the-knee double-amputee to summit Mount Everest.Born deaf, Ayling-Ellis, 30, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours for voluntary services to the deaf community.Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice (Jacob King/PA) The first deaf contestant to ever take part in Strictly, she won the 2021…

The BBC is under pressure to pull MasterChef off the air following the accusations against presenter Gregg Wallace. The BBC has so far rejected the calls. 

Greg Wallace is facing further backlash after his apology for recent comments that those who accused him of inappropriate behaviour were just ‘middle-class women of a certain age.’ The BBC is also under pressure to pull his hit show MasterChef amid the allegations.

The prime minister delivered a foreign policy speech on Monday saying the UK does not need to choose between the US and the EU and that keeping close relations with both was vital. The comments come ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House – which could be a tough time for the bloc as well as Canada and Mexico, as Trump threatens tariffs.

Stalking victims will get “peace of mind” by being told the identity of their abusers under new government proposals, the minister for safeguarding has said. Jess Phillips said the proposed “right to know” statutory guidance aims to tell victims the identity of their abuser at the earliest opportunity.

Tuesday will be dry, bright and cold across England and Wales. A dry and cold start further north too, but rain will arrive into Northern Ireland and northern Scotland around lunchtime, turning to snow across the hills in Scotland. Tonight: Rain will move into northern England for a time this evening, before fading away. Largely dry elsewhere with just a few showers in the north and west. Cold and frosty.

What’s on the front page of The Irish News this morning? The front page of The Irish News this morning – 03/12/2024 – reports on the father of Chloe Ferris, who died in a nightclub while out celebrating her 25th. The father of Chloe Ferris, who died in a nightclub while out celebrating her 25th birthday, has spoken of his family’s heartbreak over the loss of a young woman who “lived life to the full”. Chloe (24) had been attending Lux nightclub in Belfast city centre with friends to celebrate her upcoming birthday when herself and another friend fell unconscious.An MP has…

What’s on the front page of Western Mail this morning? The front page of Western Mail this morning – 03/12/2024 – reports the Welsh Government has announced a new £8.8m plan to get truanting kids back to school.More than four years after classrooms first closed in the pandemic school attendance in Wales still trails more than 4% below pre-pandemic levels. Persistent absence is also a stubborn problem with 3% of Wales’ 469,00 pupils missing 10% or more school sessions in the last school year, rising to 7.2% of those eligible for free school meals, latest Welsh Government data shows.Rhian Wilkinson says…

What’s on the front page of The National this morning?  The front page of The National this morning – 03/12/2024 – reports the UK Government has been blasted over new plans to prioritise UK-based defence firms for investment. On Monday, Defence Secretary John Healey launched the Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy, with a view towards growing the UK’s defence sector. Speaking at a London Defence Conference event with investors in London, Healey set an ambition to increase defence sector jobs in “every nation and region of the UK”. THE SNP and Plaid Cymru are to submit a cross-party amendment calling for…

What’s on the front page of the Metro this morning? The front page of the Metro this morning – 03/12/2024 – reports on the government’s clampdown on stalkers. Victims of online stalking will get the right to learn the identity of their tormenters as part of a new government clampdown on the terrifying crime.At the moment, those whose lives are thrown into turmoil by chilling messages and pictures sometimes need to wait until a court appearance to find out who is responsible for them.But the Home Office has today announced plans to introduce a ‘Right to Know’, which would allow the police…

What’s on the front page of The Guardian this morning? The front page of The Guardian this morning – 03/12/2025  – reports that the new head of National Cyber Security Centre is  to warn of the risk to infrastructure in first major speech.The UK is underestimating the severity of the online threat it faces from hostile states and criminal gangs, the country’s cybersecurity chief will warn. Richard Horne, the head of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, will cite a trebling of “severe” incidents amid Russian “aggression and recklessness” and China’s “highly sophisticated” digital operations.Caps on political donations are being considered by…

What’s on the front page of The Independent this morning?The front page of The Independent this morning – 03/12/2024 – reports on the latest in the Gregg Wallace scandal. A large image of Joe Biden makes the front splash as the US – and incoming president Donald Trump – react to news that Joe Biden has given his son Hunter Biden a ‘full and unconditional’ pardon. Gregg Wallace has been forced to apologise for saying that allegations that he had made inappropriate sexual comments had come from “middle-class women of a certain age”, after Downing Street called his explanation “inappropriate and misogynistic”.President Joe…

Tuesday’s tabloids continue coverage of the Gregg Wallace scandal – reporting that he has since apologised for his comments that his accusers are just “middle-class women of a certain age”. Several papers report MPs want a cultural change at the BBC, noting this is another in a string of allegations made against a BBC presenter, whilst other headlines reflect news that the BBC will continue to air his show MasterChef, despite the growing list of accusations.

The prime minister’s foreign policy speech at the Lord Mayor’s banquet on Monday has provoked contrasting reactions from the press.

International news also finds a place on the UK front pages this morning. Donald Trump has threatened to release and pardon January 6 rioters, in response to Joe Biden issuing a ‘full and unconditional’ pardon to his son Hunter Biden.

There are fears that the French government is about to collapse after the French prime minister pushed through his ‘austerity’ budget.

The latest Premier League gossip dominates the back pages.

Campaign launches to help save lives on rural roads The figure was despite there being fewer than half the number of collisions. NFU Mutual has partnered with the four UK farming unions, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Farm Safety Foundation, British Horse Society and Older Drivers Forum to create a Code for Countryside Roads. In its 2024 Rural Road Safety Report, NFU Mutual found that collisions on rural roads were around four times more likely to result in a fatality. In 2023, an average of one in every 32 collisions (969 of 31,183) on rural highways resulted in…

What really helps with hangovers? – podcast What if you could take a pill or a shot that could reduce your blood alcohol level and make you feel better in the morning? That’s the promise of a range of wellness products aiming to be the next big hangover antidote. But what exactly are hangovers, and which methods of preventing them are backed by science? Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Sally Adams, an alcohol researcher and associate professor of psychology at the University of Birmingham Clips: @drinklikecut, @visitourmedia, @thegutgirlie, @settingthebrowlow Continue reading… What really helps with hangovers? – podcast https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2024/dec/03/what-really-helps-with-hangovers-podcast

Fast forward in your mind to summer 2024, the Euros about to kick off and excitement building right across our shared islands. We all know the stature of the event and what it means when our own team is taking part – in this case the games themselves will be within reach so we might be making plans to get tickets, travel to games, be a participant rather than an armchair supporter. England will have cruised through their qualifying group, most likely winning every game en-route and they will be playing their matches in a sold out Wembley.Scotland are on…

Local authorities have not prioritised enforcement action to prevent water, air, and noise pollution to protect the environment, with poor inspection rates and follow-up actions, a watchdog has found.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that while the prioritisation of resources towards waste activities delivered improvements and positive environmental outcomes, there were areas that councils around the country needed to improve on.“The effective enforcement of environmental law is essential to identify polluters and noncompliant operators, and to hold them to account,” the EPA’s director of environmental enforcement Dr Tom Ryan said.“Local authority leadership is critical in delivering better environmental outcomes through…

Images of new electric Jaguar car leak out before official Miami unveiling Spokesperson says firm aware of pictures circulating online – but it is unclear how accurate they are Jaguar unveiled its much-hyped electronic concept car in Miami on Monday, just hours after leaked images of the rebranded vehicle were circulated online. Early online reaction suggests the concept car might appear more familiar to fans of Barbie or the Pink Panther than the traditional owners of a Jag. Continue reading… Images of new electric Jaguar car leak out before official Miami unveiling https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/02/images-of-new-electric-jaguar-car-leak-out-before-official-miami-unveiling

  QUESTION: Were farmers the only business group adversely affected by the budget? ANSWER: Farmers have been seriously affected by the budget with their farms now subject to inheritance tax (IHT) where previously they were completely exempt. The National Farmers Union has been lobbying strongly against the proposed IHT measures which take effect from April 2026. However the IHT budget change affects all business and not just farmers, because both agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR), have been reduced to 50% (from 100%), after a new exemption of £1 million. The reduction in BPR to 50% will…

An Australian police officer found guilty of manslaughter after shocking a 95-year-old woman with a Taser in a nursing home has been sacked, New South Wales (NSW) Police confirmed.

In Northern Ireland we are making our own strides toward net zero, with industry professionals leading change to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. But with the built environment contributing to over a third of the world’s carbon emissions, there is much to be done. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) recently published its 2024 global sustainability report, and whilst surveyors indicated that occupier and investor demand for sustainable buildings increased over the past year, there are many barriers in adopting sustainable construction practices. Looking at factors deemed to be holding back the industry, high initial…

Harvey Weinstein was hospitalised Monday following an “alarming blood test,” his lawyer said, less than a week after the disgraced movie mogul filed a legal claim alleging substandard medical care at New York City’s notorious jail complex Rikers Island. Weinstein, 72, was sent to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for an “emergent treatment due to an alarming blood test result that requires immediate medical attention,” his lawyer Imran Ansari said in a statement. “It is expected that he will remain there until his condition stabilises.” Mr Ansari added: “His deprivation of care is not only medical malpractice, but a violation of…

The Emir of Qatar will begin a two-day state visit to the UK hosted by the King.Charles will welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the first of his three wives, Sheikha Jawaher, during a ceremony of pomp and pageantry staged in Whitehall.But missing will be Queen Camilla who, on Monday evening, pulled out of the official open-air greeting on Horse Guards Parade and a carriage ride back to Buckingham Palace, due to lingering effects of a recent viral chest infection.Queen Camilla contracted the illness a month ago following her long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa (Aaron Chown/PA) Camilla…

Hard-pressed families in Cork and around the country are facing the choice of heating their home or buying food on any given day, a leading charity has said.The Society of St Vincent De Paul (SVP) said it continues to receive a high volume of calls, particularly as we head towards Christmas.“The main thing is having enough money to cover food on the table and heat their homes, but trying to manage Christmas at the same time is difficult,” said SVP’s southwest regional co-ordinator Gerry Garvey.“In a country that’s comfortably well-off, we should ensure that families have a basic standard of…

Cladding will be fixed on high-rise buildings in England by 2029, says Angela Rayner Deputy prime minister announced acceleration plan and criticised pace of works seven years after Grenfell fire Dangerous cladding on all high-rise buildings in government-funded schemes in England will be fixed by the end of 2029, Angela Rayner has pledged. Criticising the pace of remediation, more than seven years after the Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people, the deputy prime minister announced an acceleration plan on Monday for buildings of 18 metres and over, which will include severe penalties for freeholders who fail to act. Continue reading……

A band of cloud and rain will spread south through today, with colder air spreading across the country. Scattered showers and sunny spells will move into the north, with snow, hail and strong winds in northeast Scotland. Tonight: Largely dry tonight as rain clears to the south, apart from some showers along the east coast. Cold with a frost for many, and some icy stretches in the east.