Author: Fatimah Idera

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has outlined a new golden economic rule aimed at tackling Britain’s £50bn financial black hole through sweeping spending cuts and targeted investment in growth. Speaking on the final day of the Tory conference in Manchester, Badenoch said a future Conservative government would implement £47bn in spending cuts, pledging that every pound saved will be put to work, with half going toward deficit reduction and the rest funding tax cuts and economic growth. “It starts with fiscal responsibility,we must get the deficit down. Living within our means is our first priority and with the rest, we’re going…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for the rapid implementation of the UK’s landmark trade deal with India, saying it should take effect as soon as humanly possible. The Labour leader made the remarks on Wednesday as he began a two-day visit to India, accompanied by more than 100 business, culture, and university leaders. The free trade agreement, signed in July during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London, is the largest post-Brexit trade pact secured by Britain. It aims to cut tariffs on key goods such as whisky, textiles, and cars, while expanding market access for both…

Millions of UK motorists could receive average compensation of about £700 each after the financial regulator unveiled details of a redress scheme for victims of car finance mis-selling. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the payouts could apply to 14 million motor finance agreements signed between April 2007 and November 2024, potentially costing lenders up to £8.2bn. The regulator had earlier estimated average payouts would be below £950 per deal. The compensation relates to unfair commission arrangements, misleading sales practices, and inaccurate information provided by car dealers and lenders. Under now-banned discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs), dealers could raise interest rates…

Metro Bank customers have expressed outrage after a major IT glitch left many unable to make payments, access funds, or facing unexpected negative balances. The disruption, which began early Tuesday morning, affected both inbound and outbound payments, with customers reporting duplicate charges and incorrect account balances. Although the bank announced that the issue had been resolved, users continued to experience problems hours later. Several customers took to social media to voice their frustration. One user on X, Colleen, wrote that people were “missing work and going without food” due to the outage, demanding compensation. Another, Emily Gregory, said charges for…

The conservative proposal to abolish the independent, judge-led Sentencing Council and transfer its powers to the Ministry of Justice has drawn fierce criticism from across the political spectrum, with former Tory ministers describing it as bonkers, unwise, and potentially dangerous. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick is expected to announce the plan at the Conservative Party conference, arguing that the Sentencing Council is not fit for purpose and accusing it of undermining parliamentary intent by softening sentences for serious crimes. He said that a future Conservative government would allow lord chancellors to set sentencing policy directly, claiming this would restore public…

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has criticised plans by students to hold pro-Palestine demonstrations on the second anniversary of the Hamas-led 7 October attacks on Israel, describing them as “un-British” and disrespectful. Starmer said protests planned at universities on Tuesday showed so little respect for others, accusing some demonstrators of using the movement as a despicable excuse to attack British Jews. Today, on the anniversary of the atrocities of October 7, students are once again planning protests, he wrote. “This is not who we are as a country. It’s un-British to have so little respect for others. And that’s before some…

A Reform UK-run council where the party sought to pilot drastic cost-cutting plans is going to have to raise council tax, a cabinet member has admitted. Services at Kent county council were already “down to the bare bones”, said Reform’s cabinet member for adult social care, Diane Morton. It makes Kent the latest local authority controlled by Nigel Farage’s party to signal its intention to raise council tax. “We’ve got more demand than ever before and it’s growing,” Morton said, “We just want more money.” Morton said she believed the local authority would raise council tax by 5% the maximum…

Nursing leaders have warned that the NHS and social care could cease to function under Labour’s proposed immigration rules, describing the policy as divisive, xenophobic, and ignorant. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) criticised the plan, which would double the time foreign workers must wait before applying for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years and bar them from claiming benefits such as child support, housing allowance, or disability aid during that period. RCN General Secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger said the proposal panders to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and ignores the essential role of migrant health workers. “Health…

Foreign nationals denied access to benefits under new Conservative welfare proposals would have the option of returning to their home countries, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has said. Speaking ahead of his address at the Conservative Party Conference on Monday, Stride defended the party’s plan to save £47 billion a year from public spending, with £23 billion coming from cuts to welfare. The proposed reforms include restricting social security payments to UK citizens only, a move that would exclude long-term residents with indefinite leave to remain. In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Stride said: “If they’ve come from…

Hundreds of international students left in limbo after University College London (UCL) exceeded its visa allocation have now been cleared to take up their places following successful negotiations with the Home Office. The students, many from China, were initially told to defer their studies until next year after UCL ran out of Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) documents electronic certificates required for student visa applications. The shortage followed what the university described as an extraordinary surge in demand for places this academic year. In a statement, UCL confirmed that the Home Office has now granted additional CAS numbers, allowing…