Stormont

Labour MPs are urging ministers and London’s mayor to abandon controversial proposals that would reduce affordable housing quotas in the capital in a bid to revive stalled housebuilding. Housing secretary, Steve Reed and mayor Sadiq Khan are considering changes that would allow developers to secure fast-track planning approval by committing to deliver just 20% affordable housing, down from the current 35% minimum. The plan is being developed amid a dramatic…

More than two decades after the legendary Concorde made its final flight, the dream of supersonic passenger travel is set to take off once again. Aviation insiders have confirmed that a new generation of high-speed jets, informally dubbed Concorde 2.0,  could enter commercial service within the next few years, promising to whisk passengers from London to New York in as little as two hours. The breakthrough follows a landmark move by…

Four councillors have been suspended by the Reform UK for putting “party disrepute” following the leak of a heated virtual council meeting video clip.

SWR spent more than £370,000 reimbursing passengers for hotels and taxis as a result of cancellations and delays, the Freedom of Information request said.

The son of former England football star Stuart Pearce has died following a tractor crash in Gloucestershire, police have confirmed. Harley Pearce, 21, from Marlborough in Wiltshire, was killed in the incident on the A417 at Old Birdlip Hill in Witcombe, near Gloucester. In a tribute, his family said they were “truly shocked and utterly heartbroken by the loss of their cherished son and devoted brother”. They described Harley as…

White working-class pupils who fail English and maths GCSEs will soon benefit from a new “core skills diploma” designed to support students with lower attainment and end the cycle of repeated resits. The Department for Education (DfE) is set to unveil the qualification on Monday as part of a sweeping package of reforms aimed at addressing what ministers describe as a “lost generation” of pupils left behind by the current…

The United Kingdom has formally reduced the length of stay permitted for international students after graduation, cutting the post-study work period for bachelor’s and master’s degree holders. The change, announced by the Home Office on October 15, follows the government’s plan to tighten migration rules and curb what it sees as misuse of the Graduate Route visa. Under the new legislation laid before Parliament on October 14, bachelor’s and master’s…

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has called for an immediate suspension of penalties and repayment demands imposed on thousands of unpaid carers caught up in broken and discredited allowance system. Investigation by the Guardian revealed that carers across the UK had been saddled with large debts and in some cases prosecuted for fraud after unknowingly breaching strict earnings rules linked to the £82.30-a-week benefit. Despite a government pledge last year…

The UK government has unveiled a national jobs and skills plan aimed at creating 400,000 positions in the green energy sector within five years, with plumbers, electricians and welders expected to be in especially high demand. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the initiative would double the current clean energy workforce by 2030 and prioritise training for school leavers, unemployed people, veterans, ex-offenders, and workers transitioning from fossil fuel industries. He…

Britain’s economy is on course for a historic decline in global prosperity, with living standards expected to fall behind those of Malaysia, Poland and Turkey by 2050, according to new analysis published this week. The report, cited by The Telegraph, projects that the UK’s GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) will slide from 25th place in 2000 to 46th by 2050 , overtaken by Poland as early as…

A major UK mussel exporter has suffered losses o around £150,000 after French customs rejected three recent shipments. While raising fears of renewed post-Brexit trade tensions. Industry figures suspect the move may be politically driven, coming months after the UK’s reset trade deal with the EU aimed at easing border friction. Offshore Shellfish, a family-run business based in Devon, said three of its four latest lorryloads of mussels were rejected…