Author: Fatimah Idera

Trans women will not be permitted to take part in the main sessions of Labour’s Women’s Conference next year, following a legal review prompted by the Supreme Court’s April ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under equality law. Under the new rules, trans women will be excluded from formal proceedings, including speeches in the main hall and policy debates. However, they may attend fringe events, which will remain open to all regardless of sex. The party considers this structure the least restrictive option that still meets legal requirements. Labour cancelled the 2025 Women’s Conference after receiving legal…

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Downing Street on Monday for an in-person meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor-designate Friedrich Merz, in a renewed display of European backing for Ukraine. The leaders will discuss ongoing negotiations between US and Ukrainian officials over a draft peace deal centred on Ukraine’s long-term security guarantees. The meeting follows a virtual session of the “coalition of the willing” held two weeks earlier, where the leaders examined proposals for a European peacekeeping force that could be deployed if a ceasefire is reached. In a joint statement…

Labour has announced a sweeping child poverty strategy aimed at lifting more than half a million children out of hardship, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling it the most significant anti-poverty initiative introduced by any UK government. The centrepiece of the plan is the scrapping of the two-child benefits cap, a policy brought in by the Conservatives in 2017 that had pushed more than 1.7 million children below the poverty line and limited support to low-income families. From April next year, families with more than two children will be able to access full welfare support. With around 4.5 million children…

A doctor has been charged with a series of serious sexual offences involving 38 patients under his care, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed. Nathaniel Spencer, 38, from Quinton, Birmingham, is alleged to have carried out the offences over a four-year period while working at hospitals in Stoke-on-Trent and Dudley. According to the CPS, Mr Spencer faces 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, and nine counts of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13. He has also been charged with three counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration, along…

The government says 60 food-delivery riders found working illegally in the UK are now facing deportation following a nationwide Home Office operation. The riders were among 171 people arrested during a seven-day enforcement blitz across towns, cities and villages in November, part of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s focus on unlawful employment in the gig-economy sector. Border Security Minister Alex Norris said the action should serve as a clear warning that those working illegally will be arrested and removed. He added that the government is tightening laws to curb illegal working in the delivery industry, including measures targeting identity sharing and…

Hospitals across England are grappling with an unprecedented flu season, as the number of patients admitted with the virus reaches record levels for this time of year. NHS figures show an average of 1,700 flu patients were in hospital last week, more than 50% higher than the same period last year, with early indications suggesting the numbers are continuing to rise sharply. The flu season has started a month earlier than usual, and experts warn a more severe strain of the virus appears to be in circulation. England’s chief medical officer, Sir Chris Whitty, has stressed that illnesses such as…

Household energy bills are set to rise as Ofgem approves a £28bn investment to upgrade the UK’s electricity and gas networks.  The regulator says the five-year plan, aimed at strengthening energy security and modernising ageing infrastructure, will add an estimated £108 to bills by 2031—£48 for gas and £60 for electricity.  However, Ofgem argues that reduced reliance on imported gas and cheaper wholesale energy will generate about £80 in savings, leaving a net increase of roughly £30 a year. Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said the investment would keep the system “safe, secure and resilient” while helping the UK diversify…

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has ordered an independent review into the rising demand for mental health, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism services in England. This comes amid concerns about over-diagnosis and overstretched NHS support. The review will be led by clinical psychologist Prof Peter Fonagy, will examine whether some referrals are unnecessary and identify gaps in early or alternative forms of support. Findings are expected in summer 2026. The government says pressure on services has resulted in long waits, with NHS figures showing significant increases in mental health problems and ADHD over the last two decades. Ministers believe growing numbers…

According to Naccom, a network of 140 frontline refugee and migrant organisations. The charity warns that thousands are increasingly being pushed into destitution due to near-constant government policy changes and problems linked to the rollout of eVisas, which many refugees have been unable to activate to access essential services. In 2024–25, Naccom members were approached by at least 3,450 refugees and migrants seeking accommodation who could not be housed, figures the network says significantly understate the true scale of the crisis. During the same period, members provided 672,807 nights of accommodation to 4,434 homeless people, the highest number recorded since…

A ship’s officer in charge during a fatal collision between a ferry and a fishing boat has been sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. Lewis Carr, 30, was on duty on the bridge of the Commodore Goodwill when it struck the trawler L’Ecume II off the coast of Jersey in December 2022, killing fishermen Michael Michieli, Larry Simyunn and Jervis Baligat. Carr was convicted in September of breaching Jersey’s shipping law, though jurors were unable to reach verdicts on three gross negligence manslaughter charges. The Royal Court heard the Goodwill was behind schedule, and Carr ignored flashing…