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A Conservative former energy minister said he cannot support the King’s Speech over the Government’s plans for new oil and gas licensing. Chris Skidmore, who led a government-commissioned review on net zero, offered an apology to the King over his decision and said he regrets that the future use of fossil fuels has become “politicised”. The Government has proposed the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, which would mandate licences for oil

That's according to the boss of National Grid, John Pettigrew The boss of National Grid has again called for reforms to slash delays that threaten the rollout of renewable energy across the UK. Wind and solar farms are being forced to wait as long as 14 years before they can be connected to the grid and start producing electricity. But John Pettigrew, the man responsible for the cables that connect

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has sparked a fresh row within the Conservative Party by accusing police of “playing favourites” with pro-Palestinian protesters, with the claim slapped down by a Cabinet colleague. Rishi Sunak is facing calls from opposition parties to sack Mrs Braverman over the “irresponsible” and “divisive” remarks which they say fan the risk of unrest on Armistice Day. In a Times article, the Home Secretary said aggressive right-wing

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with murdering Alfie Lewis, who was stabbed near a school in Leeds. Alfie, 15, was attacked in the Horsforth area on Tuesday afternoon as children were leaving two nearby schools. West Yorkshire Police said a 14-year-old has been charged with murder and possession of a knife. The boy will appear at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. The teenager was arrested shortly after the incident,

The NHS waiting list in England has hit a record high as new figures show that more than a million patients are on more than one waiting list. The overall waiting list hit a new high of 7.77 million at the end of September – up from 7.75 million at the end of August, according to NHS England data. But officials have said this figure is actually made up of

John Lewis has released an upbeat tale of a young boy whose grow-your-own Christmas tree turns out to be a mischievous Venus flytrap as it firmly sidesteps the nation’s woes for the festive season. The highly anticipated advert – a long-established feature of the UK’s festive retail landscape – is titled ‘Snapper, The Perfect Tree’ and follows the boy as he lovingly nurtures the plant from a seed bought at

Britain will lead the world in the development of self-driving cars, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said. He made the claim after an Automated Vehicles Bill to create a set of laws for using autonomous vehicles was included in the King’s Speech. The legislation will aim to ensure there is clear legal liability over who or which organisation is responsible during crashes involving self-driving cars. This is seen as vital to

Offering more bursaries to trainee teachers can help with recruitment challenges, a report has suggested. High bursaries for shortage subjects, such as physics, are effective and should be retained to tackle teacher shortages, according to a report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). Increasing bursaries to boost teacher numbers is particularly cost effective where bursaries for a subject are currently low, the analysis said. It found that teachers

A hotel which inspired Charles Dickens’ first novel and counts the Beatles and King George II among its former guests has been named as a historic site at risk of being lost forever. Over the past year, Historic England has added 159 buildings to its Heritage at Risk Register under threat from decay, neglect or inappropriate development – while 203 sites have been rescued. Holmfirth Conservation Area in West Yorkshire,