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.