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Leader proposes taking steps to reduce availability of ‘zombie’ knives and creating bespoke plans for all offendersKeir Starmer has promised to “get a grip” on soaring knife crime as he announced that a Labour government would bring in a bespoke plan for every offender, including tags and curfews.The Labour leader said there would be an urgent crackdown on the availability of machetes and zombie-style...

Fast-growing monocultures are less able to withstand extreme weather events than varied woodlands, researchers findAs 90mph winds whip across the UK and Europe this week, new research shows forests containing diverse tree species are more likely to stay standing than monocultures when hit by extreme weather.Forests with two or three tree species are on average 35% more resilient to storms than forests with only...

Clarke, a Truss ally, says Tory party should ditch PM ahead of general electionAs Eleni Courea reports, in private Conservatives have been even more critical of Simon Clarke than the former ministers who have been criticising him on X. She says:Speaking privately, other Tory MPs were even more forthright. “Not sure we should be taking top tips on leadership from Liz Truss’s right hand,”...

Owner says shutting Welsh blast furnaces will cut emissions, but it is opening a new one in IndiaThe owner of the Port Talbot steelworks has been accused of “gross hypocrisy” as it prepares to open a new blast furnace in India, while citing a cut in carbon emissions for its decision to close two blast furnaces in south Wales, costing thousands of jobs.Tata announced...

Rail services to and from Scotland suspended until at least noon on WednesdayStorm Jocelyn has brought fresh travel disruption to much of the UK, less than two days after Storm Isha left two people dead and thousands without power.The 10th named storm of the season brought an amber warning for wind to parts of Scotland on Wednesday morning, with much of the UK covered...

Regulator sets out possible ways forward in review of requirement to deliver across Britain, six days a weekBusiness live – latest updatesRoyal Mail could save up to £650m if it delivered letters just three days a week and £200m by stopping Saturday deliveries, the communications regulator has said.The watchdog said a reduction from six to five days a week would save £100m to £200m,...

Study by Appeal finds there was a desire to dilute influence of minority ethnic and working-class jurorsThe introduction of majority verdicts in criminal trials in England and Wales was partly motivated by a desire to dilute the influence of minority ethnic people and the labouring classes serving on juries, according to research.The study, by the miscarriage of justice charity Appeal, said that while the...

The Smiths guitarist and co-songwriter says ‘consider this shit shut right down right now’ after seeing footage of rally in South DakotaThe Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has signalled that he will move to stop Donald Trump’s presidential campaign from using the band’s music at his rallies.Marr responded on X after a user shared footage of a Trump rally in South Dakota in 2023 in...

UK, US and others use universal periodic review to speak out over Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong KongThe UK, the US and several other countries criticised China’s human rights record on Tuesday as the country was subjected to rare scrutiny of its policies at the United Nations.The UK called on China to “cease the persecution and arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and Tibetans and allow genuine...

Price rises help lift profits as sales of its sparkling wine soar but still products slideBusiness live – latest updatesEnglish sparkling wine maker Chapel Down toasted a 14% rise in sales last year to £15m as the company said homegrown fizz makers had grabbed share from champagne.The Kent-based vineyard, which listed on the Aim junior stock market last month, said it had increased sales...

Charities call on government to prioritise outside spaces for play as MPs begin inquiry into planning and children’s wellbeingChildren and young people are suffering huge damage to their health and wellbeing from policymakers refusing to prioritise the need for outdoor play, charities have said.As MPs begin an inquiry into how better planning could enhance the wellbeing of children, the charities said urgent change was...

December deficit is less than expected at £14bn – the lowest for the month since 2019Business live – latest updatesA halving of UK government borrowing over the past year has created scope for Jeremy Hunt to make tax cuts worth about £20bn in his March budget.Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that higher VAT and income tax receipts coupled with lower spending...

Capital accounts for almost half of sector’s exports and action needed elsewhere, says Resolution FoundationLondon is capturing an ever-bigger share of the UK’s record service sector exports and government action is needed to ensure other big cities keep pace with the capital, a report says.The Resolution Foundation said London accounted for almost half of the UK’s service sector exports, with its share of the...

US officials confirmed attacks amid footage of explosions around the capital city of Sana’aMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US and the UK have conducted a further round of strikes against the Houthis in an attempt to stop the rebel group targeting shipping in the southern Red Sea.A joint statement from both countries said that they had conducted “an additional round of proportionate and...

Lords to debate whether it should delay ratification of UK-Rwanda treatyThe Post Office Horizon IT scandal has placed into sharper focus the number of bodies that can bring prosecutions, and the TV Licensing authority is one of them. Possibly not for much longer, if the words of culture secretary Lucy Frazer this morning carry any weight.She said it is not appropriate for the BBC...

Disruption expected on Monday as cancellations and delays issued for rail, sea and air with heavy rain and high winds forecastTrain services in Scotland are expected to be suspended until around noon after “a wild night”, Network Rail says.The railway has recovered quickly this morning following Storm Isha with trees and debris cleared across routes in England and Wales, and route proving trains reporting...

Survivors say in wake of Post Office scandal: ‘Those in power have lost their moral compass’Grenfell Tower survivors will this week confront executives from companies blamed for the disaster, after they said that in the wake of the Post Office scandal it was increasingly clear that “those in power have lost their moral compass”.Over four days in central London, dozens of the bereaved and...

Thousands without electricity while roads closed, rail services suspended and flights cancelledStorm Isha – latest updatesThousands of people have been left without power as Storm Isha brings disruption to electricity and transport networks.The storm battered the UK with heavy rain and gusts of up to 99mph with the entire country subject to wind warnings issued by the Met Office. Continue reading...

Royal college voices concern at rise in number of prosecutions of ‘deeply traumatised’ womenMedical staff in the UK should not report women to the police if they believe their patients may have illegally ended their own pregnancy, a professional body has said.The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has said it is never in the public interest to report women who have abortions...

Historians analysed dyes in the 16th-century Glen Affric tartan, found in a peat bog, to recreate the true coloursThe oldest known piece of tartan ever found, which was discovered in a peat bog, has been recreated by experts.Uncovered about 40 years ago in a bog in Glen Affric in the Highlands, the tartan underwent rigorous testing last year to confirm it was the oldest...

Former journalist had lived in public eye for almost 30 years as prime suspect in 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du PlantierIan Bailey, an English former journalist who was the prime suspect in one of Ireland’s most notorious murders, has died near his home in Bantry, County Cork, at the age of 66. He suffered a heart attack on Sunday.Bailey had lived in the...

Opposition politician Frank Ntwali says country is unsafe and Sunak’s pursuance of policy ‘quite bizarre’A Rwandan opposition politician who narrowly survived an assassination attempt has condemned the UK’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Kigali.Frank Ntwali, chair of the exiled Rwanda National Congress (RNC) movement, said the country was unsafe and that Rishi Sunak’s persistence with the policy was “quite bizarre”. Continue reading...

National Museums Scotland restores soldier’s brass guard, only the third of its kind known to existA spectacular brass guard that would have protected the sword arm of a high-ranking Roman soldier some 1,800 years ago has been reconstructed from more than 100 fragments found at Trimontium, the Roman fort complex in Scotland.The extraordinary jigsaw puzzle has been pieced together by National Museums Scotland (NMS)...

More than 1.5 million women in the UK are affected by the painful condition - but new study says NHS is failing themWomen with endometriosis who have endured years of excruciating pain are being “fobbed off” by doctors and told their symptoms are “all in their head”, leading them to give up seeking NHS treatment, new research has found.A study carried out by academics...