Ministers plan to postpone May’s local elections in parts of England during local‑government reorganisation, extending terms for sitting councillors and affecting millions of voters. The move, billed as avoiding duplicate polls during mergers, faces opposition, with Reform alleging it shields incumbents.
The PM plans school programmes to counter misogyny, with targeted behaviour‑change courses for boys showing concerning conduct. Lessons will address coercion, harassment, sexting and harmful online content, piloted in secondary schools and potentially extended to primaries.
Britain will rejoin the Erasmus programme from 2027, restoring funded study exchanges across Europe. UK students can spend a year abroad with reciprocal fee waivers for EU visitors. Ministers say it widens opportunity and skills; universities broadly back the move, with costs and implementation still to be set.
Junior doctors will stage a five-day walkout after 83% of BMA members rejected the government’s latest offer. No 10 branded the action “self‑indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous”, with the PM urging medics to push back against the union. The NHS warns of severe disruption amid a flu surge.
At Bondi Beach, a father and son carried out an attack on a Jewish celebration, killing at least 15 and injuring many. A local shopkeeper overpowered one assailant. Police detained a suspect and are searching for another. Authorities tightened security and urged vigilance.
The King reported encouraging progress in his cancer treatment, saying it will be dramatically reduced next year. Calling it a “personal blessing”, he thanked clinicians and researchers and urged people to take up screening to support early diagnosis.
Wes Streeting warns the NHS could collapse over Christmas if doctors’ strikes coincide with a severe flu surge. He urges compromise on pay and productivity reforms to avert a worst‑case scenario, while hospitals prepare contingency plans to protect urgent care during peak winter pressure.
Official modelling suggests the drive to hit net zero by 2050 could add about £500 a year to the average household, reflecting higher spending on energy networks and heating upgrades. Ed Miliband faces warnings to reassess timelines and funding to avoid a heavier burden than a slower pathway.
The Home Secretary proposes the biggest policing overhaul since the 1960s, merging England and Wales’s 43 forces into about a dozen regional services. The plan aims to raise standards, strengthen specialist capability and cut duplication, with consultation and legislation to follow.
Britain is close to finalising a £100bn package with France, Germany and EU leaders to provide long‑term support for a partner nation. Funding would use profits from immobilised foreign assets and European banks. The PM says agreement could come within days after talks at Downing Street.
Ministers plan to require all employers to give staff Whitehall‑drafted guidance encouraging union membership under the Employment Rights Bill. It would set out benefits and contact routes, seek to curb anti‑union practices and be shaped by consultation on implementation and enforcement.
Baroness Falkner, former EHRC chair, says Labour has let women down, abandoning feminism and failing to protect single‑sex spaces after a Supreme Court ruling. She accuses ministers of delaying guidance and being slow to tackle grooming gangs, blaming internal pressures.
Household bills are set to rise as Ofgem introduces levies to fund grid and pipeline upgrades. The charges, supporting a £58bn networks programme and wider expansion, will climb over the decade, offsetting the Chancellor’s £159-a-year bill cut and reaching about £116 annually by 2030.
The health secretary has ordered an independent review into rising ADHD diagnoses and associated benefit claims. It will scrutinise assessment standards, private clinics and medication, and pressures on services. The aim is to tighten rules while protecting support for genuine need.
Plans for a per‑mile levy on electric driving could leave millions of plug‑in hybrid owners paying twice, with a 15p‑a‑mile charge from 2028 on top of fuel duty and existing taxes. Industry groups warn this may deter buyers and slow the shift to cleaner cars, urging ministers to clarify how charges will apply.