Lead News

Labour leaders in Edinburgh and Cardiff sought credit for the most progressive measures in Rachel Reeves’ budget on Wednesday, pinning their hopes for next year’s critical elections on a package that increases funding for Scotland and Wales by nearly £2bn. That funding boost and the abolition of the two-child limit for universal credit recipients were seen as a relief in ...

Rachel Reeves targeted Britain’s wealthiest households with a £26bn tax-raising budget to fund scrapping the two-child benefit policy and cutting energy bills. On a chaotic day that involved key details of her budget accidentally being released early by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the chancellor defended the measures, saying she was “asking everyone to make a contribution to repair ...

Two peers are set to be suspended from the House of Lords for breaching rules, including providing parliamentary services in return for “payment or reward”. Former Army chief Lord Richard Dannatt and businessman Lord David Evans of Watford face suspensions of four and five months respectively. The House of Lords’ standards watchdog launched separate investigations into the two men following ...

By Rashed Belal: Bangladesh could be among the next countries to face visa restrictions from the United Kingdom, following the government’s announcement of tough new measures aimed at nations that refuse to take back illegal migrants. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed this week that Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are the first countries to be formally ...

Bangla Mirror Desk:   London, 18 November:  The 16th annual edition of the British Bangladeshi Who’s Who was unveiled at a distinguished gala ceremony at the Meridian Grand Hall, recognising the outstanding achievements and contributions of British Bangladeshis across the United Kingdom. The publication continues to showcase the community’s remarkable progress and its significant role within multicultural Britain. Baroness Pola ...

Britain warned Russia on Wednesday that it was ready to deal with any incursions into its territory after the spy ship Yantar was detected on the edge of UK waters north of Scotland, reports AP. Defense Secretary John Healey said the Russian vessel had directed lasers at pilots of surveillance aircraft monitoring its activities. He described it as part of ...

Britain will drastically reduce protections for refugees under plans to overhaul its asylum system, the Labour government said. The measures were announced on Saturday as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure over irregular migration in the face of soaring support for the hard right. “I’ll end the UK’s golden ticket for asylum seekers,” Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood declared in ...

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would likely sue the BBC next week for as much as $5 billion after the British broadcaster admitted it wrongly edited a video of a speech he gave but insisted there was no legal basis for his claim, reports Reuters. The British Broadcasting Corporation has been plunged into its biggest crisis in ...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has decided against raising income tax rates at the Budget later this month. In recent weeks, Reeves had given strong indications she would increase the rates – a move that would have broken Labour’s election manifesto promise not to raise “the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax”. However, as first reported in the Financial Times, ...

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has assured the UK that Bangladesh’s upcoming general election will be inclusive and participatory, while confirming that Awami League will be barred from contesting due to its suspension under anti-terrorism laws. He made the remarks on Thursday evening during a meeting with visiting British Minister for International Development Baroness Jenny Chapman at the State Guest ...