Author: Fatimah Idera

Lucy Powell has called on Labour to be bolder after winning the party’s deputy leadership contest triggered by Angela Rayner’s resignation last month. Powell defeated education secretary Bridget Phillipson in the final vote, securing the second-most senior position in the party. In her victory speech, Powell vowed to “wrestle back the political megaphone”, arguing Labour had allowed Nigel Farage and other rivals to dominate national debate. She warned that the party must sharpen its message and speak with greater confidence if it wants to retain public trust. Phillipson congratulated her opponent but admitted she was “disappointed to have lost”, adding…

Thwaite’s warning mirrors recent remarks by Lloyds boss Charlie Nunn, who said higher bank taxes would run counter to Labour’s pledge to boost growth.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in London on Friday for a high-level meeting with more than 20 European leaders, as Western efforts to step up military and financial pressure on Russia face delays. The gathering of the “Coalition of the Willing,” hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, focused on how allies can intensify support for Kyiv amid escalating Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid. Starmer said there was more we can do on capability, signalling a renewed push for allies to supply long-range weapons that would allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory. The talks came days after…

Authorities have shut down a counterfeit weight-loss drug operation in Northampton, seizing illegal products worth more than £250,000.

UK counter-terrorism officers have arrested three men on suspicion of assisting a Russian intelligence service, as part of an ongoing national security investigation. The suspects, aged 44, 45 and 48, were detained during coordinated operations in west and central London on Thursday morning, the Metropolitan Police said. The arrests were made under section 3 of the National Security Act, which covers assisting a foreign intelligence service. Officers carried out searches at the locations where the men were arrested, as well as at an additional address in west London. Police have not disclosed the men’s nationalities. Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads…

The UK government has confirmed plans to cut affordable housing requirements in London in a bid to evive the capital’s faltering housebuilding sector. Housing Secretary, Steve Reed announced on Thursday that developers will now qualify for fast-track planning permission if their projects include just 20% affordable housing , a sharp drop from the current 35% quota. Of that 20%, at least 60% must be offered at the lowest social rent levels. The move aims to address a dramatic slowdown in construction, with developers blaming soaring interest rates, rising material costs and cumbersome planning procedures. Recent figures show private homebuilding has…

Dozens of Labour MPs have warned that forthcoming gender recognition guidance could trigger confusion, legal disputes and major costs for UK businesses. This was disclosed in a private letter to Business Secretary Peter Kyle, nearly 50 Labour backbenchers said companies across the country were alarmed by the expected regulations and feared a legal and compliance minefield if the draft plans go ahead. The final guidance, prepared by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has not yet been made public, but is understood to closely mirror interim advice issued after April’s supreme court ruling, which confirmed that sex in the…

Resident doctors in England will stage a five-day strike in November as tensions deepen between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government over pay and the growing number of unemployed doctors. The industrial action, announced by the BMA recently, will run from 7am on 14 November to 7am on 19 November, marking one of the longest walkouts so far by resident doctors, who make up roughly half of the NHS medical workforce. The dispute centres on pay erosion and the rise in unemployment among newly qualified doctor is an issue the BMA says is worsening an already strained health…

A migrant who was removed to France under the government’s new one in, one out returns scheme has crossed back into the UK on a small boat less than a month later. Reports revealed that the man, believed to be an Iranian national, has claimed he was a victim of modern slavery in France, alleging that smuggling gangs forced him into labour, abused him and threatened his life. He said, he fled back to the UK out of fear for his safety. According to BBC, the man was first detained in the UK on 6 August and removed to France…

The UK Foreign Office has expanded its travel guidance to warn Britons about the risk of methanol poisoning from counterfeit or contaminated alcoholic drinks in eight additional countries. Ecuador, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Russia and Uganda have now been added to the advisory, following recent incidents involving British travellers. The warning already covered Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica and Fiji. The update comes after a string of high-profile cases, including the deaths of six tourists in Laos last year. Officials caution that methanol poisoning can cause nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, blindness and, in severe cases,…