National News

Britain’s blue light services are facing “significant costs” because of Home Office failures with a scandal-hit project for a new communications system, MPs have warned. The proposed new Emergency Services Network (ESN), first announced in 2015, was supposed to have replaced the ageing Airwave system for police, fire and ambulance services in England, Scotland and Wales, by 2020. But the Government still does not know when the replacement network will be ready, despite already spending £2 billion

The funeral is taking place of one of the victims of the Nottingham attacks. The funeral is taking place of one of the victims of the Nottingham attacks. Family and friends will gather in Taunton, Somerset to pay their respects to Barnaby Webber, 19, who died after being attacked in Nottingham on June 13. Hundreds of people, including friends from Taunton School and the University of Nottingham, are expected fill

NatWest is planning to help 10 million people to manage their financial wellbeing per year by the end of 2027. The bank aims to reach the target through methods such as digital tools, financial health checks, and its “know your credit score” service, which is also available to non-customers. NatWest Group chief executive Alison Rose said: “We recognise the important role we play in helping people build their financial capability.” The bank

Shoppers hunting for deals on food and household essentials have driven up sales at Poundland in recent months, the budget retailer’s owner said. Pepco Group, which owns the Pepco and Dealz brands in Europe and Poundland in the UK, saw its revenues grow as it opened new stores and kept prices low. Poundland revenues jumped by 9% to 539 million euros (£460 million) in the three months to the end of June, compared with the

The Prince of Wales has called footballer Dele Alli “brave and inspirational” for speaking out about his mental health struggles, telling him “We’re all with you”. William shared his message after the Everton midfielder revealed that he had suffered sexual abuse as a child and has battled a sleeping pill addiction, coming out of rehab last month. In an emotional interview, England international Alli fought back tears as he said he was sexually abused at

WhatsApp messages from Boris Johnson’s old mobile phone have still not been handed over to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry because he has reportedly forgotten the passcode. The former prime minister stopped using the device in May 2021 due to security concerns but it likely contains crucial correspondence about the Government’s early pandemic response. Mr Johnson’s spokesman did not deny that he cannot remember the code to unlock the iPhone, as first

It comes following recommendations from pay review bodies Rishi Sunak has urged unions to call off strike action after accepting recommendations for pay rises for millions of public sector workers. The Prime Minister accepted the recommendations from pay review bodies, including 6.5% increases for teachers in England for 2023-24, which education unions said could allow them to call off strike action. Junior doctors, who began their longest walkout yet in

Angela Rayner has acknowledged that Labour’s proposed overhaul of the standards system would still involve “a role for the prime minister” of the day but promised greater powers for an independent ethics watchdog. The party’s deputy leader accepted that the process would not be entirely separate from politics but said improved transparency under the plans would ensure action is taken against rule-breaking. Labour has pledged to create a new Ethics and

Chinese state intelligence targets the UK “prolifically and aggressively” in a way that poses a “challenge” for British intelligence agencies, Parliament’s spy agency watchdog has said. A new and wide-ranging report by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is critical of the UK Government’s response to the threat posed by China, questioning the trade-off between economic interest and security concerns. It also raises concerns about Chinese influence in UK universities