by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6ZXHX)
Both policies have been criticised for being too simplistic, and the star regime was eventually scrapped, will Wes Streeting's update work?The Department of Health and Social Sare (DHSC) was glowing in its description of the league tables by which all of England's 205 NHS trusts are now being judged: a landmark" moment, a pioneering new system" and a new era of transparency".Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that sunlight is the best disinfectant" in his zeal to expose, and drive out, poor care. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot, Tom Burgis, Rob Evans and Henry Dye on (#6ZXHY)
Office is part-funded by public duty costs allowance, which should only be used to support public work of former PMsBoris Johnson is under mounting pressure to explain how his private office complies with rules over taxpayer subsidies after further revelations about how his staff appear to be overseeing his global commercial operations.A leak of data from the Office of Boris Johnson appears to show all three of his staff helping Johnson's business and profit-making ventures.Secretly lobbied the UAE for a billion-dollar private venture in a potential breach of ethics rules. His work as a principal adviser" for Bia Advisory, a climate finance solutions" firm seeking backing from Abu Dhabi's $300bn investment fund, involved courting a top Emirati official Johnson hosted in No 10 when he was prime minister.Approached Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, on behalf of Evgeny Lebedev. The Evening Standard owner, whom Johnson made a peer, was seeking a business relationship between his newspaper and Musk, who bankrolled Donald Trump's ascent to the White House.Secured contracts with a combined total of more than 850,000 in separate deals with GB News and Associated News, the owner of the Daily Mail. GB News suggested some of the information was incorrect but confirmed an ongoing arrangement with Johnson.Earned more than 5m from less than two years of paid speeches, for some of which he charged $350,000 (259,000). The 34 speeches include a conference leadership in Delhi, a blockchain symposium in Singapore and a bizarre turn as the headline act at the 50th birthday party of a German pharmaceuticals company boss. Continue reading...
Loughborough University and ONS study of 1 million school-age children reveals risks increase with longer absenceSchool absences significantly contribute" to children's mental ill health, according to research backed by the Office for National Statistics that shows the risks increase the longer a child is absent.Our research shows that the more times a child is absent from school, the greater the probability that they will experience mental ill health," the authors, from Loughborough University and the ONS, concluded. Continue reading...
Terminal 4's check-in area evacuated for three hours on Monday while police located CS sprayPolice have arrested a man on suspicion of bringing teargas into Heathrow airport, which caused Terminal 4's check-in area to briefly shut down.The check-in area at the UK's main international airport was evacuated for around three hours on Monday evening as emergency services probed a potential hazardous materials incident". Continue reading...
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield say it is not the Ben & Jerry's' they founded after being silenced' by Unilever over matters of social justiceThe co-founders of Ben & Jerry's have called for the ice-cream brand to be made independent and excluded from current owner Unilever's plans to list its ice-cream business on the stock market.Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield say The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC), a new division of Unilever that is set to be separately listed in November and includes the brand founded by the pair in 1978 alongside Magnum, Cornetto and Wall's, must free Ben & Jerry's" in an open letter to prospective investors and the group's board. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#6ZX5R)
Findings of CQC survey from November 2024 lead experts to say waiting in such settings has become normalisedCorridor care has become the new normal in England, experts have said, as a national survey found that one in five patients admitted to hospital had to wait in such settings.The report by the Care Quality Commission also found that nearly 10% of patients waited more than 24 hours to be admitted to hospital and 17.5% waited 12 to 24 hours.More than half of all patients waited more than six hours. Continue reading...
Leaked files show former PM made 34 paid appearances in less than two years and reveal details of his disclosuresBoris Johnson earned more than 5m from less than two years of paid speeches after standing down as prime minister, leaked files suggest.Transcripts and itineraries demonstrate the globe-trotting nature of the former prime minister's new life as a public speaker. He made 34 paid appearances between leaving office in September 2022 and May 2024, according to a file in the leak. Continue reading...
Education secretary up against Emily Thornberry, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Lucy Powell, Alison McGovern and Paula BarkerKemi Badenoch has just delivered a speech offering to help Labour with legislationg for welfare cuts. I will post key points soon.She is now taking questions. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#6ZX43)
Mother tells how elder daughter was stabbed multiple times while protecting little sister in July 2024 attackA hero" girl saved her younger sister's life by shielding her from the Southport attacker despite being stabbed in the chest and arm, the inquiry into the atrocity has heard.The mother of the young siblings, who were both stabbed multiple times, said they showed a level of bravery that no child should ever need to show" on 29 July last year. Continue reading...
Those on typical 200,000 mortgages taken out between October 2020 and February 2023 may see costs jump by 3,996 a year this winterMore than 350,000 households who locked in to low-interest fixed-rate mortgages five years ago are expected to see their costs jump this winter as they reach the end of their deals.Analysis by the bill management app Nous found almost half of mortgages taken out between October 2020 - as the housing market revived after an initial Covid shock - and February 2023 were five-year fixed-rate deals. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi and Gaurav Pokharel on (#6ZWWE)
Thousands joined Gen Z' demonstrations, which protesters said reflected frustration with ban and anger over alleged corrupt officialsNepal's prime minister KP Oli Sharma has resigned after some of the worst unrest in decades rocked the country this week, sparked by a ban on social media and discontentment at political corruption and nepotism.At least 19 people were killed and hundreds were injured on Monday after protests against a ban on 26 prominent social media sites and corruption issues was met with deadly force by police. Continue reading...
Eldest son will now be what Rupert Murdoch has described as protector of the conservative voice in the English-speaking world'Lachlan Murdoch, now flying solo without the constraints of his more progressive siblings, has taken control of his father's global media empire, securing the future of the Australian stable of newspapers, magazines and news channels.An Australian resident who raises his two children with wife Sarah in the affluent Sydney suburb Bellevue Hill, Lachlan is committed to the Australian business which includes Sky After Dark's line-up of right-wing pundits. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6ZWZ5)
TfL's regulation proposals also include enhanced criminal record checks, vehicle inspections and driver IDLondon's party rickshaws will be told to turn down the music and clock up legitimate fares under plans to regulate the pedicabs, which are known for riotous journeys and ruinous expense.Transport for London (TfL) is releasing its detailed proposals as it vows to remove unsafe vehicles from the streets after overwhelming support for regulation in an initial consultation earlier this year. Continue reading...
The 55-year-old actor has been playing Emcee in Cabaret, which will now shut a month earlier than plannedBilly Porter is recovering from a serious case of sepsis", forcing the early closure of Broadway's revival of Cabaret in which he played a leading role.The show's producers announced on Sunday that Porter is recovering from a serious case of sepsis" that will prevent him from returning to the stage. Continue reading...
Family announces Rupert Murdoch's eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, will secure control of businessThe succession battle at Rupert Murdoch's media empire has ended.The family announced on Monday that Lachlan Murdoch, Murdoch's eldest son, will secure control of the Murdochs' sprawling media empire that includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The Times in the UK, with his three oldest siblings receiving an estimated $1.1bn each for their shares in the business. Continue reading...
Deputy leader tells firms considering bidding for contracts to not bother' as party would spend on what country needs more'A Reform government would axe any high-speed rail schemes earmarked for the north, the party's deputy leader has warned.Richard Tice said companies considering bidding for contracts should not bother" as the party would spend the money instead on things the country needs more". Continue reading...
by Pippa Crerar and Richard Partington on (#6ZWM4)
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak urged government to show working people whose side you are on'Union chiefs have warned that Labour must do more to tackle the threat of the populist right amid concerns the party is losing support among working people to Nigel Farage's Reform UK.Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC, urged the government to show working people whose side you are on", saying too many felt that Labour's promise of change was just a slogan. Continue reading...
Apparent meeting with David Brownlow is one of several potential further lockdown breaches revealed in Boris FilesBoris Johnson hosted the Tory peer who funded a lavish refurbishment of his Downing Street flat for dinner the day after the second national coronavirus lockdown came into force in an apparent breach of the rules, leaked files suggest.David Brownlow, who provided 58,000 to cover some of the cost of the renovations, which included 2,260 worth of gold" wallpaper, joined the then prime minister in the small dining room at No 10 on Friday 6 November 2020. Continue reading...
Leaked documents appear to show Johnson used political contacts in commercial approach to crown princeBoris Johnson recently approached senior Saudi officials he had met when he was prime minister to pitch the services of a consultancy firm he claimed could be useful" to the petrostate's autocratic crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, leaked files suggest.Johnson, who resigned from government in 2022, appears to have led the newly formed company's efforts last year to persuade the Saudi government to hire it to provide advice on reducing carbon emissions. Continue reading...
Johnson's office sent invoice to hedge fund manager, which was paid, weeks after meeting Venezuelan leader last yearFrom a private jet somewhere over the Caribbean Sea in February last year, Boris Johnson called his old political adversary David Cameron, then the foreign secretary, to notify him of a visit.Johnson had taken a day out from a family holiday in the Dominican Republic for an unlikely meeting with the leftwing president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, a man whom Johnson, when in office, had likened to a dictator of an evil regime". Continue reading...
by Paul Lewis Head of investigations and Pippa Crerar on (#6ZWJJ)
Leaked material from Johnson's private office raises serious questions relating to his time in No 10 and since he resignedThe Boris Files are a trove of leaked data from the office of Boris Johnson, the former prime minister's private office. The data shines a spotlight on Johnson's commercial interests since he left Downing Street in September 2022.It reveals how the former Conservative leader is using the relationships he forged in the UK's highest elected office to facilitate his personal enrichment. He appears to be doing so via his private office, which is subsidised by the public. Continue reading...
by Harry Davies, Henry Dyer and Pippa Crerar on (#6ZWJK)
Exclusive: Leak exposes how former leader has used publicly subsidised office to manage commercial interestsA trove of leaked data from Boris Johnson's private office reveals how the former prime minister has been profiting from contacts and influence he gained in office in a possible breach of ethics and lobbying rules.The Boris Files contain emails, letters, invoices, speeches and business contracts. They shine a spotlight on the inner workings of a publicly subsidised company Johnson established after leaving Downing Street in September 2022.Johnson lobbied a senior Saudi official he had met while in office, asking him to share a pitch with the petrostate's autocratic crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for a firm he co-chairs.The ex-PM received more than 200,000 from a hedge fund after meeting Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro - contrary to statements he was not paid.While in office, Johnson appears to have held a secret meeting with Peter Thiel, the billionaire who founded the controversial US data firm Palantir, months before it was given a role managing NHS data.In an apparent breach of Covid pandemic rules, Johnson hosted a dinner for a Tory peer who financed a lavish refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, a day after the second national Covid-19 lockdown came into force. Continue reading...
Andrew David Kenneth Young, a transport enthusiast, among 16 who died when tourist attraction derailedThe third British victim of the Lisbon funicular crash has been named by Welsh police as Andrew David Kenneth Young, 82, a transport enthusiast from Holyhead.Young was among 16 people who died when the Elevador da Gloria, a popular tourist attraction, derailed in the centre of the Portuguese capital on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Artist's latest work at Royal Courts of Justice in London is thought to refer to pro-Palestine demonstrationsA painting by Banksy of a judge using a gavel to beat a helpless protester appeared on the walls of the Royal Courts of Justice in London before quickly being covered up by guards.Banksy confirmed the artwork was his by posting a picture of it on Instagram on Monday morning. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#6ZWA3)
Jonathan Hayes tells inquiry he thought he was dying at every stage' after grappling with Axel RudakubanaA man who tried to apprehend the Southport killer said he thought he was dying at every stage" after being stabbed in a scene of horror".Jonathan Hayes, speaking at the inquiry into the attack, told of his terror" as he witnessed Axel Rudakubana wielding a bloodied 20cm kitchen knife. Continue reading...
Beck's family say failures within justice system led to her death after Michael Webber pleaded guilty to crimeA former senior noncommissioned army officer has admitted sexually assaulting the teenage soldier Jaysley Beck, who later killed herself.WO Michael Webber pleaded guilty to assaulting Gunner Beck during a training exercise and will be sentenced at the military court in Bulford, Wiltshire on 31 October. Continue reading...
Patients who opt for surgery, which is storyline in Materialists film, warned they risk infection, nerve damage and disabilityIt is the ultimate eyebrow-raising kitchen table confession in Celine Song's romantic comedy-drama, Materialists.After matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) grows suspicious of scars on her new partner's body, financier Harry (Pedro Pascal) makes a startling admission: he has had leg-lengthening surgery - and gained six inches in height. Continue reading...
Duke of Sussex visits Windsor, where his grandmother was laid to rest, on third anniversary of her deathPrince Harry has laid a wreath and flowers in memory of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II on the third anniversary of her death.The Duke of Sussex arrived in the UK on Monday and travelled to Windsor, where the late queen was laid to rest at the King George VI Memorial Chapel within the castle's St George's Chapel. It is understood he laid a wreath and flowers and privately paid his respects. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#6ZW83)
Finisher T-shirts also feature outline of River Wear, as organisers spin medals as most unique' in event's historyThe organisers of the Great North Run have apologised after finisher T-shirts and medals were printed with a map of rival northeast city off Sunderland, in place of Newcastle.About 600,000 took part in the half marathon on Sunday, running 13.1 miles from the centre of Newcastle, across the River Tyne, and through Gateshead, finishing by the coast in South Shields. Continue reading...
Opposition parties planning to remove centrist and bring down minority government after just nine monthsThe French prime minister, Francois Bayrou, is expected to be ousted in a confidence vote on Monday afternoon, plunging the eurozone's second biggest economy into political crisis.Opposition parties from the left to the far right have made clear they will vote against the 74-year-old centrist, meaning he and his minority government would fall after only nine months in office. Continue reading...
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