DVLA-registered suppliers are reportedly selling number plates that evade ANPR, with up to one in 15 cars affected. Ministers are warned a regulatory loophole lets criminals and unscrupulous drivers avoid detection, posing a serious security and enforcement risk.

UK retailers face a predicted £1bn shortfall in Boxing Day takings as consumer confidence weakens and fewer people hunt for bargains. Barclays expects about £3.6bn to be spent, down on last year. Critics blame Labour’s tax and economic approach; others cite squeezed household budgets.

After pressure from Labour backbenchers, the PM revised plans for the family farm inheritance tax, lifting the threshold from £1m to £2.5m and cutting by about half the estates affected. The move follows other reversals, prompting renewed scrutiny of his authority at Westminster.

Former councillor Philip Young is due in court charged with multiple offences against his ex-wife over 13 years, including assault and administering a substance. Five other men face related charges. The complainant has waived anonymity. The case will first be heard by magistrates.