Politics

Energy secretary Grant Shapps has visited Ukraine to announce fresh financial support for its nuclear fuel supply in a bid to end its reliance on Russia. The UK will provide a £192m loan guarantee to Ukraine’s national nuclear company, Energoatom via the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance. Through the deal, UK-headquartered Urenco will

Half of private renters in England are only “one paycheque away” from potentially losing their home, a new study by Shelter has found. Some 51% of private renters surveyed by the housing charity were at risk of not being able to pay a full month’s rent, while more than a third said they did not

Home Office plans to clamp down on illegal migration risk creating a “perma-backlog” of asylum seekers that could end up costing the taxpayer over £6bn a year, a think tank has said. Researchers at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) argue that measures in the Illegal Migration Act – which aims to detain and remove

Sir Keir Starmer has said questions about his role as the director of public prosecutions (DPP) during the wrongful conviction of Andrew Malkinson should be “directed elsewhere”. The Labour leader said Mr Malkinson – who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit before having his conviction overturned – had been

Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to “say something” about the case of a man who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit before having his conviction overturned. Former justice secretary Robert Buckland has said the Labour leader – who was director of public prosecutions (DPP) and head of the

Sadiq Khan’s deputy and a scientist the mayor’s office helps to fund have been accused of working together in an attempt to criticise research that questioned the effectiveness of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Emails obtained by the Conservative Party under the Freedom of Information Act showed Professor Frank Kelly of Imperial College London

Better data over the use of handcuffs and other restraints on young innocent people in care is needed to help bring an end to the “brutal handcuffing of vulnerable children”, a cross-party group of MPs and peers has said. In a letter to children’s minister Claire Coutinho, the signatories said they are concerned at what

The government has confirmed that two-thirds of NHS England cancer targets will be scrapped by the autumn as it aims to bring cancer care “into the modern era”. The new guidelines will see the 10 targets currently in place reduced to three – and the two-week wait target will be scrapped in favour of the

Downing Street has not denied reports that Rishi Sunak will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in the autumn  – just five years after the murder of a US-based journalist caused outrage around the world. The crown prince and the state’s day-to-day leader was accused of ordering the assassination of the Washington Post writer

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has been criticised for suggesting employers won’t ask pupils about their A-levels in a decade’s time. Ms Keegan said students “shouldn’t be disappointed” if their results were not what they had hoped for as top grades fell from last year – although they remain above pre-pandemic levels. Please use Chrome browser

Suella Braverman has been urged to “stand up” to France as reports emerged the country is intercepting fewer migrants in the Channel despite a £480m funding deal. The call from Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis came as The Telegraph claimed just 45.2% of migrants have been stopped by French patrols since January, down from 45.8% in

There have been over 100 sewage leaks in government buildings across the UK in the past 12 months, data obtained by the Liberal Democrats reveals. Legionella was also discovered in water outlets in HMRC’s Liverpool offices, leading civil service unions to criticise the “unsafe and unsanitary environments” for civil servants. But the government says it

Calls from pubs and the Liberal Democrats for alcohol licensing laws to be relaxed for Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final have been rejected by ministers. Pubs can choose when they open on Sundays, but the time from which they can start selling alcohol varies depending on each pub’s individual licence. The British Beer and Pub

A Tory MP has written to his local police force asking officers to “turn a blind eye” to pubs opening an hour early for the Women’s World Cup final this weekend. Pubs can choose when they open on Sundays, but the time from which they can start selling alcohol varies depending on each pub’s individual