Politics

A High Court judge is to decide if a hotel has breached planning rules by becoming a site for migrant accommodation. And the case that could have repercussions for councils across the country where asylum seekers are housed in hotels. Epping Forest District Council wants an interim injunction against The Bell Hotel in the town,…

The UK’s largest bioethanol plant is set for closure with the loss of 160 jobs after the government confirmed it would not offer a bailout deal to the facility in Lincolnshire.  Owners Vivergo, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods, had warned that the plant would close without government support, and sources at the company have…

Influential TikTok stars are to help the government highlight the risks of travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures. A new campaign will explain how hair transplants and dental treatments can go wrong overseas, so Britons can make “more informed choices before they go under the knife”. Videos featuring well-known medical influencers such as Midwife Marley and…

The Ministry of Defence is being urged to reveal details of a nuclear incident that took place at Faslane naval base earlier this year. Figures show that a Category A event occurred at HMNB Clyde between 1 January and 22 April. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) defines Category A as the most serious – however,…

Since last year’s general election, Sir Mel Stride has become a familiar face for those of us who like our politics. During the campaign, he regularly found himself on breakfast TV and radio. So much so, Sir Mel was referred to as the “minister for the morning round” by some of our industry colleagues. By…

👉 Click here to listen to Electoral Dysfunction on your podcast app 👈 Nigel Farage’s Reform won more than 40% of seats at May’s council elections. The Conservatives lost control of 16 English councils and won 20% of seats – one of the lowest proportions in the past two decades. How do the Tories make…

Growth figures for the second quarter of the year have something for everyone. A better-than-expected outturn of 0.3% over three months, helped by a healthy 0.4% bounce in June, put a little spring in the chancellor’s step on the long road to the autumn budget. For her critics, meanwhile, any slowdown from the 0.7% recorded…

More migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats in the 13 months that Sir Keir Starmer has been in power than that did during the whole of Rishi Sunak’s 20-month premiership. The total number of people who have arrived under Sir Keir’s time in government has now reached 50,716 – equivalent to 126…

Former Scottish parliament presiding officer Sir George Reid has died at the age of 86, his family have announced. Sir George died in the early hours of Tuesday at Strathcarron Hospice near Denny, just a few miles from where he was born in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire. First Minister John Swinney paid tribute, saying: “I am desperately…

The police’s use of facial recognition technology is to be significantly expanded in an attempt to catch more offenders, ministers have announced. Under the plans, 10 live facial recognition (LFR) vans will be used by seven forces across England to help identify “sex offenders or people wanted for the most serious crimes”, according to Home…