Author: Fatimah Idera

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has raised doubts about whether the UK’s minimum wage should rise any further, warning that many businesses are already struggling to cope with current rates. Speaking in an interview, Badenoch recalled increasing the minimum wage while she was business secretary, only to hear from employers who said the higher costs forced them to cut staff. She argued that the government must listen to business concerns rather than assuming wage rises automatically help workers. Recall the Newdailyprime had earlier reported that from April, the minimum wage will increase to £12.71 per hour for workers over 21, with…

A former children’s commissioner, Baroness Longfield, has been appointed to chair the government’s inquiry into child sexual abuse carried out by grooming gangs. Her appointment follows months of turmoil after four women resigned from the survivors panel and two previous chairing candidates withdrew. Announcing the decision in the Commons, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the three-year inquiry would be a “moment of reckoning” and pledged to “root out this evil once and for all.” The inquiry, covering England and Wales, was commissioned after Baroness Louise Casey recommended a national investigation into group-based child sexual exploitation. Baroness Longfield will work alongside…

The Conservative Party has launched review of the UK’s benefits system, with party leader Kemi Badenoch warning that rising claims linked to low-level physical and mental health conditions are making welfare increasingly unsustainable. Speaking in London, she said the review would examine when support should begin, how long it should last, and which medical conditions should still qualify for state assistance. Badenoch argued that the current system was not designed for what she called today’s “age of diagnosis”, citing growing numbers of people receiving benefits for conditions such as ADHD. She said the rise in claims required the government to…

Prince Harry’s access to police protection during visits to the UK is currently being reassessed. The development comes months after he lost a legal bid to reinstate automatic police security for himself and his family while in the country. Following the ruling in May, the Duke of Sussex said he could not safely bring his wife and children to the UK, as he was unable to guarantee their protection. The Home Office review will now consider whether he should receive full police protection automatically, despite no longer being a working royal. Sources close to Harry say such a security reassessment…

Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for discussions on the latest Ukraine peace plan. The proposal was developed last week during meetings between Ukrainian and US officials in Florida. The meeting comes as Europe and the US appear increasingly divided in their approach to the war, according to security analysts. Before the talks began, Starmer said the UK “stands with Ukraine”, while Zelensky stressed the need for “important decisions”. Unites States of America President, Donald Trump, later claimed Ukrainian negotiators love the new plan…

A new review has revealed that the average waiting time for NHS 24 calls in Scotland has risen sharply from just nine seconds in 2014 to more than 22 minutes this year. The report, commissioned by Scottish Labour and led by former Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons president Mike McKirdy, warns that Scotland’s health service is “failing to deliver” despite having more staff, more funding and more policy initiatives than ever before. McKirdy said he uncovered a central puzzle, demand has remained fairly stable, yet overall NHS activity has fallen since 2018. He argued that the problems cannot be…

Human rights organisations say the UK’s hardline policy aimed at stopping asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small boats has increased violence, deaths and smuggler activity rather than deterring arrivals. A new 176-page report by Humans for Rights Network, produced with 17 rights groups in France and six in the UK, documents the growing dangers faced by migrants in northern France. The report includes testimonies from asylum seekers and medical professionals, describing the use of rubber bullets, teargas and frequent evictions by French police actions partly funded by hundreds of millions of pounds from the UK. Despite heavy spending,…

UK youths face benefit cuts for rejecting job scheme

Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he fully expects Angela Rayner to make a return to cabinet, praising his former deputy as hugely talented despite her resignation in September over an underpayment of stamp duty on a property purchase. In an interview with the Observer, Starmer described Rayner who left school at 16 with no qualifications as the best social mobility story this country has ever seen. He added that her departure from government had been a personal loss, saying: “Of course I miss her. I was really sad that we lost her. She’s going to be a major voice in…

Man arrested after Heathrow airport pepper-spray incident