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Experts take a forensic look at the PM’s promise to axe to up to 2,400 laws on British statute booksLiz Truss has promised to “consign to history” all EU red tape within the next year, axing to up to 2,400 laws on British statute books.It was not just party conference rhetoric. Her government is planning to pass legislation to give itself the power to simply switch off 40 years of EU harmonisation legislation at the stroke of midnight 31 December 2023. No list of laws targeted has been published. Continue reading...

Authorities announce plans to reduce Wivenhoe dam level to mitigate flood risk, with residents encouraged to start hosing

Government says authorities will refer children under 12 and their families to parenting and behavioural change programs to break the cycle of offending

State school pupils twice as likely to feel they have fallen behind than peers in private schools, landmark study findsFour out of five teenagers say their academic progress has suffered as a result of the pandemic, with state school pupils twice as likely to feel they have fallen behind than their peers in private schools, according to initial findings from a landmark study.Half of the 16- and 17-year-olds questioned said the Covid disruption had left them less motivated to study, while 45% felt they have not been able to catch up with lost learning.There was a lot of chaos in my life at the time and then we went into lockdown quite unprepared. There was a lot of confusion about schooling. I didn’t really have access to technology. I didn’t have online lessons, things like that. There was work that went on every week, but I couldn’t access it because I didn’t have the internet. I remember talking to one of my friends and they were like, ‘Oh have you seen the work that’s been put for English’, and I was like, ‘We have work?’It was only in the September when we came back I finally got more support. I got a laptop and I got better access. A lot of people in my school had issues like me. A lot of people didn’t have technology or they didn’t have structured lessons, so we’ve had a lot to try to catch up on. A lot of the lessons have been quite content-heavy because it felt like we were trying to do two years in one, so that was quite stressful. And I felt like I had to work harder to do my GCSEs. I felt I had to do more to recover to my peers’ level. Continue reading...

Lawyers for Casey Jenkins, who alleges council’s withdrawal of funding was discriminatory, says ‘security for costs’ order is ‘cynical’

Kim Jong-un says tests are a warning to Pyongyang’s enemies and its nuclear combat forces were at ‘full preparedness for actual war’Kim Jong-un supervised the launch of two long-range cruise missiles, North Korean state media said, adding that the weapons were equipped to carry tactical nukes and had already been deployed to some army units.Pyongyang has conducted a blitz of ballistic missile tests recently, which it described as tactical nuclear drills that simulated taking out airports and military facilities across South Korea. Continue reading...

Lawyer argues Natalie Moses exercised her workplace right to go to the regulator, and her suspension amounts to adverse action

Reserve bank says system is back up and running on Thursday, and they are working to clear the backlog

Influential National party figure said he had never voted ‘anything other than right’, but that some on the right were ‘getting pretty crazy’Former New Zealand prime minister Sir John Key has suggested he would have voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 US election, and far-right president Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil’s 2022 elections, had he been eligible to do so.Key, who served three terms as prime minister from 2008 to 2016, revealed his preferences in a quick-fire round of 20 questions that featured at the end of a new online series called Both Sides Now, hosted by members of the Labour and National youth wings. Continue reading...

Chief executive says feedback from workers has been ‘a huge thank you to the management of Qantas for getting the company through the Covid period’

Exclusive: Donation is believed to be the largest single donation towards helping solve the problem of uncorrected blurry visionMacKenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist and former wife of the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated $15m (£13.5m) to a social enterprise that helps provide glasses to farmers in developing countries.Scott’s donation to VisionSpring is believed to be the largest single private donation towards helping solve the problem of uncorrected blurry vision which leaves hundreds of millions of people in poverty. Continue reading...

Below-inflation rise would save exchequer tenth of £40bn to be given out through tax cuts, says thinktankIf the government raises benefits in line with earnings rather than inflation next year, it would drastically cut the incomes of poorer working-age families, while saving less than a tenth of the cost of recent tax cuts, a leading economic thinktank has calculated.Such a change, which would mean a significant real-terms cut given that wages are rising at 5.5% with inflation close to 10%, could see the effective income of some families reduced by up to £1,000 a year, the Resolution Foundation said. Continue reading...

Settlement was down from £41.7bn, reflecting payments already made to cover UK obligationsThe UK’s Brexit “divorce bill” stood at €41.8bn (£36.7bn) in 2021, according to the EU’s official auditors.The European court of auditors’ annual report revealed that the UK was expected to make €10.9bn in payments to the EU during 2022. Continue reading...

Film shown to hundreds of Australians and Indonesians at late-night ceremony depicted explosions and their gruesome aftermath

Campaign adviser says public should be told of any progress on securing Assange’s release if he is extradited from UK

PM accused of ‘trashing’ Conservative values and a PMQs performance that was ‘just appalling’Liz Truss’ leadership was in fresh peril on Wednesday with calls growing among senior Conservatives to reverse more proposed tax cuts and MPs accusing her of “trashing” Conservative values.As the cost of government borrowing soared further, Truss used her second PMQs appearance to “absolutely” rule out further spending cuts, instead allowing borrowing to rise over the next few years. Continue reading...

Rob made 20 jumps strapped into a special harness, including one into Nazi-held Italy with the SASBravery medals awarded to a collie called Rob that made 20 parachute jumps during the second world war and is credited with frequently saving his human colleagues have sold at auction for a record £140,000.Rob was strapped into a special harness and calmly followed infantry troops into north Africa and parachuted into Nazi-held Italy with the SAS, one of his jobs to stand guard and alert his human comrades of danger by licking their faces. Continue reading...

Advocates call for reform as report finds residents left with untreated wounds, overcharged and wrongly prevented from leaving

Former prime minister suggests royal family ‘would have been so glad’ if 1999 referendum on becoming a republic succeeded

Casey Jenkins believes emails linking then arts minister to council’s withdrawal of funding may not have been disclosed, their lawyers said in court

Sayed Abdellatif has been held in immigration detention since 2012 after being convicted of terrorism offences in Cairo in a discredited trial

Eight people detained in Russia over Crimea bridge attack; Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station loses off-site power again Continue reading...

DJ and presenter will take over the reality TV show returns for ninth series early next yearMaya Jama is to succeed Laura Whitmore as the host of Love Island, it has been announced.ITV said Jama would take over when the reality TV show returns for its ninth series early next year. Continue reading...

MPs question union leader and Network Rail negotiator over progress on resolving disputeTalks to resolve the rail dispute have yet to start discussing pay, according to union leader Mick Lynch, dampening hopes of a breakthrough before more strikes are called.The RMT’s general secretary said the union was still negotiating to avoid redundancies and cuts to maintenance work before they would tackle pay. Continue reading...

Analysis of ONS data shows black African women earn 26% less than men; Bangladeshi women 28% and Pakistani women 31%Most UK women from ethnic minority backgrounds have already stopped earning two months before Equal Pay Day, a new analysis by the Labour party shows, renewing calls for the government to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reports.Last year, 18 November was marked by Fawcett Society as Equal Pay Day, the last day in the year where the average woman stopped earning relative to the average male worker because of the gender pay gap. Continue reading...

Retailer to open 104 Simply Food outlets as high street chain speeds up turnaround plan amid rising costsMarks & Spencer is planning to close 25% of its bigger stores selling clothing and homeware while opening more than 100 new Simply Food outlets, as it speeds up its turnaround plan in the face of a “difficult economic backdrop” and rising costs.The retailer told investors it aims to have 180 “full-line” shops – selling its full range of food, clothing and homeware products – by early 2028, down from 247 at present, and said it would get rid of “lower productivity” outlets. Continue reading...

BDO understood to have told club it won’t do work on its accounts, which sources say is related to Farhad Moshiri’s ownershipEverton football club’s auditor is considering walking away from its role signing off the club’s accounts, raising questions over its financing and ownership, according to sources.The Guardian understands that the accounting firm BDO has told Everton it will not be conducting the work, a decision which sources said was related to Farhad Moshiri’s ownership of the Premier League team. The firm had audited the club’s financial accounts for the previous two years, but the Merseyside club is now believed to be searching for a replacement. Continue reading...

Campaigners say emergency response to fuel poverty risks shifting focus away from government responsibilityScotland’s leading anti-poverty campaigners are urging councils and communities “not to repeat past mistakes” by allowing “warm banks” – for those unable to afford heating their homes over the winter months – to become as entrenched as food banks.The plea was made in a joint statement from the Poverty Alliance, Trussell Trust Scotland and the Cyrenians that cautions that emergency responses to escalating fuel poverty, however well-intentioned, risk shifting the focus away from government responsibility to ensure all citizens are able to heat their homes. Continue reading...

Shares slide after developer warns of ‘less certain’ outlook as housing market hit by jump in borrowing costsBarratt Developments has reported a slump in reservations of new homes in recent weeks, as the housing market is hit by economic uncertainty and rising mortgage rates.Shares in Britain’s largest housebuilder tumbled by as much as 8% in early trading on Wednesday, the biggest faller on the FTSE 100, and dragged down the share prices of its housebuilding rivals after it warned of a “less certain” outlook. Continue reading...

Committee report says government approach on guiding people in tackling climate crisis is muddled and inadequateA third of the UK’s emissions reductions must come from people’s behaviour changing, a House of Lords committee has said.A report published on Wednesday by the upper house’s environment and climate change committee urged ministers to lead a public campaign and use regulations and taxation to guide public behaviour change in order to stop the decline of nature and reach legally binding net zero targets. Continue reading...

The money saving expert has teamed up with the UK’s library and information association to offer tips and guidanceMoney saving expert Martin Lewis has teamed up with the UK’s library and information association to offer advice to libraries considering becoming “warm banks”.Warm banks or warm spaces are places where vulnerable people and those hit hard by the cost of living can spend time. Continue reading...

High temperatures, rain and mosquitos make life unbearable for those still affected by the longest blackout in US historyAlexis Robles has slept a mere three hours a night since Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico on 18 September, causing a total blackout across the Caribbean island.Robles, 52, a systems analyst in the seaside town of Cabo Rojo in south-west Puerto Rico, has been living without power for 24 days. Continue reading...

Move comes only days after manufacturer reportedly asked government for financial supportBritish Steel’s auditor has resigned, days after the manufacturer reportedly asked the government for financial support to save its operations, including the Scunthorpe steelworks.The accounting firm Mazars said the troubled Chinese-owned steelmaker had balked at the fees it quoted to sign off the company’s books for this year and was refusing to compensate it for difficulties with the previous year’s audit. Continue reading...

Money raised after wave of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities on Monday will be used to support army

Nationals MP said he was concerned about the government wanting to ‘reinsert racial distinctions’ into the constitution

Operators reject class action claims it was ‘negligent’ for ship to sail as it had insufficient medical supplies to combat an outbreak

Mark Dreyfus says most anti-corruption hearings will be private and only public in exceptional circumstances. This blog is now closed

Mark Ryan says he is appalled by ‘disgraceful’ evidence heard at inquiry and calls for changes to system

Exclusive: Company owned by Hinduja family refuses to offer workers inflation-matching pay riseThe UK’s richest family has been accused of “playing Scrooge” after allegations that they refused to pay all UK workers the “real living wage” while their own personal wealth swelled by £11.5bn in a single year.A company majority-owned by the Hinduja family, which was named by the Sunday Times earlier this year as the wealthiest people in Britain, is refusing to offer its workers – who help run a crucial government service – an inflation-matching pay rise. Continue reading...

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says people should not reveal to funeral providers they are eligible for payments from government scheme

Court controlled by junta adds a further three years in jail to raft of other sentences handed to the former leader

Thirty-four officers travel to China as part of effort to improve cooperation between the two forcesA delegation of more than 30 Solomon Islands police officers has travelled to China to undergo training for the first time, in a sign of deepening ties between the two countries, which signed a controversial security deal earlier this year.The group of 34 officers, including a deputy and an assistant commissioner, will be in China for a month, during which time they will receive training, visit police stations and departments and learn from the expertise of Chinese police, according to a statement issued by Solomon Islands government. Continue reading...

US president tells CNN he believes Putin’s objectives in Ukraine invasion were irrational but that he would not use a nuclear weapon

All-party group report on menopause also calls for more workplace support and training for health workersMillions of women across the UK should be invited for an NHS health check at the age of 45 to discuss the menopause and HRT prescriptions should be free, MPs have said.The all-party parliamentary group on menopause (APPG) said on Tuesday that more needs to be done urgently to help women, including boosting support in the workplace, introducing fresh training on symptoms for health workers, and improving access to treatment. Continue reading...

Streaming service’s decision to sign up to independent ratings agency is world first and will give insight into its cultural powerNetflix will finally reveal exactly how many people watch its programmes in the UK, giving an insight to the true cultural power of the streaming service and its impact on British viewing habits.Until now it has been possible to know that 13 million people tuned in for the finale of the BBC’s Line of Duty or that 31 million viewers watched England in the Euro 2020 final – but Netflix has closely guarded the numbers of people who stream its hit shows such as Squid Game or Heartstopper. Continue reading...

Christopher Backhouse falsely portrayed Erica Smith as a sex worker and signed her up for far-right groups and fetish websitesA former academic at University College London must pay almost £50,000 in damages to a former colleague after falsely portraying her as a sex worker on social media as part of a months-long campaign of harassment.Christopher Backhouse, a former research fellow at the department of physics and astronomy at UCL, has settled to pay £49,975 to Erica Smith, a physicist and a postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University in the US. Continue reading...

Four women say BBC failed to act until high-profile man became Alex Belfield target, and still refuses independent inquiryThe BBC has been accused by senior female employees of failing to help them during a 10-year campaign of harassment against them by a former local radio presenter, Alex Belfield, who is now in jail for stalking.The women – who include the corporation’s outgoing director of BBC England, Helen Thomas – are furious that the BBC wouldn’t commission an independent investigation into how it “ignored” their suffering until a high-profile man, Jeremy Vine, became a Belfield target. Continue reading...

Experts are sceptical about the chance of Belaurusian troops fighting against Ukraine, even if Putin is pushing for itAlexander Lukashenko, the dictatorial leader of Belarus, has executed a careful balancing act during the war in Ukraine.On 24 February, Russian troops that had massed on Belarusian territory surged across the border into Ukraine, using his country as a staging ground in the largest invasion in Europe since the second world war. Continue reading...

German airline classifies lithium-charged devices such as Apple AirTags as similar to laptops and phones and won’t allow them to be checked in with luggage

Attorney general says bill, which will create a separate offence, could be ‘difference between life and death’