Rail fares in England will be frozen next year for the first time in three decades, the government has confirmed. The freeze, which will remain in place until March 2027, applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and off-peak returns that typically rise annually. The most recent increase, introduced in March 2025, was 4.6%. Although rail fares traditionally rose each January based on the July retail price index (RPI) plus…

A new UK clinical trial will assess the risks and benefits of puberty-blocking drugs for children experiencing gender distress, following last year’s nationwide ban on their routine use. The trial, led by researchers at King’s College London (KCL), aims to provide robust evidence on the controversial treatment, which the Cass Review previously found lacked sufficient clinical data to justify use in under-18s. Around 220 children under 16 who have reached…

Former Reform UK Wales leader Nathan Gill has been sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for accepting bribes to deliver pro-Russia statements while serving as an MEP. Gill, who was aligned with Ukip and the Brexit Party under Nigel Farage, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between December 2018 and July 2019. Police say Gill received at least £30,000 from Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian MP…

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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) will be doubled from five to 10 years, affecting an estimated 1.6 million people who have arrived since 2021. Those who already hold settlement will not be impacted. Mahmood told MPs that becoming part of the UK is “not a right but a privilege and one that must be earned,” as she unveiled the latest in…

By Eniola Amadu The only Reform member in the Welsh Parliament has been debarred for two weeks from the Senedd chamber, following the description of Chinese people with a racial slur. The suspension backed by Senedd members restricts her from participating in proceedings for 14 days and imposes a reduction in her pay. The member of Senedd (MS) chamber, Laura Anne Jones expressed her regret for violating the parliament’s ethical…

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Keir Starmer has urged Nigel Farage to publicly explain himself after the Reform UK leader issued a blanket denial of multiple detailed allegations of racist behaviour during his school years. Speaking during prime minister’s questions, Starmer referenced reports, which contains accounts from more than a dozen of Farage’s former classmates. Responding to Reform MP Lee Anderson, the prime minister criticised Farage’s repeated refusal to condemn racist comments by members of…

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been accused of ethnic stereotyping and indecent demagoguery by Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, after she highlighted Albanian families in plans for escalated deportations. Rama criticised Mahmood on X, questioning why a Labour home secretary would “echo the rhetoric of the populist far-right” by singling out around 700 Albanian families who face removal from the UK if they refuse cash incentives to return home.…

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