Lead News

King Charles has arrived in Samoa for a four-day state visit where he will preside for the first time over a gathering of Commonwealth presidents and prime ministers. Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa greeted the King and Queen Camilla at Faleolo International Airport where a red carpet had been rolled out amid high winds and last-minute vacuum cleaning. The Royal ...

Conservative leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch has criticised a Tory MP who said he wouldn’t choose her as leader as she is “preoccupied with her own children”. Sir Christopher Chope told ITV that “you can’t spend all your time with your family” while being leader of the opposition. He said he would be voting for Robert Jenrick – Badenoch’s opponent in ...

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke today met with Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain and discussed the UK’s support for Bangladesh’s interim government. During the meeting, the British envoy reiterated the UK’s commitment to assisting Bangladesh’s interim administration as it works to lay the foundation for a democratic transition in the country. Both of them also discussed the ...

Sir Keir Starmer has not ruled out a National Insurance increase for employers in the Budget, in a BBC Breakfast interview. The prime minister side-stepped questions over whether Labour’s manifesto promise not to raise taxes for “working people” covered employers’ National Insurance (NI), but it was apparent from the prime minister’s interview that NI for employers is going to rise. ...

After a torrid few weeks, Labour now has the opportunity to get on the front foot, and deliver on a major election pledge. The government will fulfil their promise to bring forward legislation on workers’ rights within 100 days. But in some cases employees will have to wait nearer to 1,000 days to enjoy new rights. The new Employment Bill, ...

Former deputy Labour leader Baroness Harriet Harman has said “missteps” and “clunkiness” should be expected when a new administration arrives in Downing Street. She was speaking to the BBC after Sue Gray quit her role as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, amid intense criticism and controversy. Defence Secretary John Healey said she had played a “massive role” ...

Sue Gray has quit her role as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, saying she “risked becoming a distraction”. She had been caught up in rows over pay, after the BBC’s political editor revealed her salary was higher than Sir Keir’s, and donations from Lord Alli. A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed Ms Gray is to take up a new ...

Former cabinet secretary Lord O’Donnell has said the position of top civil servant is “massively underpaid”. He is involved in the recruitment process for the £200,000-a-year role, following Simon Case’s decision to step down on health grounds. Lord O’Donnell, who held the post between 2005 and 2011, told the BBC the “incredibly demanding job” should have a higher salary. The ...

The government has pledged nearly £22bn for projects to capture and store carbon emissions from energy, industry and hydrogen production. It said the funding for two “carbon capture clusters” on Merseyside and Teesside, promised over the next 25 years, would create thousands of jobs, attract private investment and help the UK meet climate goals. Sir Keir Starmer, who is to ...

The UK is about to stop producing any electricity from burning coal – ending its 142-year reliance on the fossil fuel. The country’s last coal power station, at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, finishes operations on Monday after running since 1967. This marks a major milestone in the country’s ambitions to reduce its contribution to climate change. Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel producing ...