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Jeremy Hunt says the measures he's announced will ease labour shortages which have been holding back growth Jeremy Hunt has defended his Budget plan to get people back to work amid accusations he is handing a massive £1 billion tax giveaway to the some of the wealthiest people in the country. The Chancellor said the measures he set out in the Commons on Wednesday will have a “transformational” impact on the economy,

Train services will be crippled on Thursday because of a fresh strike by rail workers as the wave of industrial action continues to spread across the country. Teachers in England and university staff will also be on strike in a continuation of a walkout on Wednesday, when they took part in one of the single biggest days of action in a decade. Up to half a million teachers, lecturers, junior

Sir Keir Starmer has said transforming medical research will be key to boosting Scotland’s economy ahead of a visit north of the border. The Labour leader will visit the medical research hub in Edinburgh’s BioQuarter on Thursday. He said his party’s industrial strategy would make Scotland a “world leader” in medical technology. The visit takes place during the SNP’s leadership contest, where three candidates are vying to replace Nicola Sturgeon

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp accepted his side could not raise their game against Real Madrid in the Champions League and were second best in the Bernabeu. Karim Benzema’s 78th-minute goal gave the hosts a 1-0 victory on the night but all the damage had been done in the first leg which Liverpool lost 5-2. “It’s true. We came here with the backpack we had with the three goals difference, and

Southampton remain bottom of the Premier League but Brighton are up to seventh. Ivan Toney was on target again to give Brentford’s slim chances of securing a place in Europe a boost following a 2-0 Premier League win at struggling Southampton. The Bees had a 12-match unbeaten run that bolstered the aspirations broken by a 1-0 defeat at Everton but bounced back on a wet day on the south coast.

Charities and community groups struggling to deal with increased demands from society’s most vulnerable people are to get a share of a £100 million support package announced in the Budget. Charities and community groups struggling to deal with increased demands from society’s most vulnerable people are to get a share of a £100 million support package announced in the Budget. The money is likely to go to organisations in England

The BBC has apologised directly to the mother of missing university cook Claudia Lawrence over letters about licence fee payments being sent to her daughter’s property. In an interview published in The Sun on Wednesday, Joan Lawrence said the letters, which she said had threatened up to £1,000 in fines, were causing her “untold heartache”. The BBC has since apologised to Mrs Lawrence and confirmed to her that no further

Unions criticised the Budget for failing to tackle the pay disputes ongoing across the country. As the Chancellor delivered his speech in the Commons, thousands of workers staged a demonstration outside Downing Street as part of a day of action by unions involved in long-running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions. Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack said: “The multimillionaire Chancellor has declared war on hard-pressed workers today, with

Jeremy Hunt says the UK will avoid entering a recession as the Chancellor hailed an economy “proving the doubters wrong”, although growth remains sluggish. The Chancellor used the improved economic picture to promise an extension of support for household energy costs and he is also expected to promise a major expansion of free childcare. He said the economy would avoid a technical recession, although the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)