Independent

In an eleventh-hour compromise with the housing ministry, the chancellor has ended a damaging cabinet conflict over spending allocations, just days before unveiling the public spending review.

Rachel Reeves robustly defends her spending proposals, insisting expanded free school meals for disadvantaged pupils and targeted measures to support lower-income communities are vital for economic fairness, even as some senior colleagues question potential public service cuts.

Foreign aid reductions by the US President, particularly affecting global HIV programmes, have spurred widespread criticism from health experts and prompted calls for greater European involvement, as he maintains the United States has already spent “billions” on the crisis.

Police are under scrutiny after a car allegedly tailgated an ambulance through a security cordon at a Liverpool victory parade, colliding with fans and injuring dozens while questions remain over the robustness of safety measures.

Amid a staffing crisis plaguing overcrowded prisons, the number of officers investigated for inappropriate relationships with inmates has nearly tripled over five years, sparking concerns about corruption and the recruitment of inexperienced personnel.

Pollsters warn that Starmer’s shifts on contentious benefit policies may not be enough to recapture lost support, with sceptics suggesting they could deepen doubts over his leadership.

Ministers face renewed pressure to accelerate the relocation of Afghans who supported British forces, after numerous credible applications were wrongly rejected and have now been identified for urgent review.

The PM, bowing to pressure from concerned MPs and the public, has abandoned a previous plan to cut winter fuel support and pledged to extend eligibility for more pensioners, aiming to calm growing discontent and reassure voters ahead of the colder months.

A renewed blockade has trapped two million Palestinians in Gaza and left children facing severe harm from malnutrition, prompting urgent calls on Britain and its allies to intervene and bring an end to a conflict initially sparked in October but now condemned as lacking moral justification, with demands for a swift humanitarian resolution.

The PM explains how a late-night phone call bridging political divides with a former US leader secured a crucial trade deal, underscoring Britain’s global standing.