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.