British car and van manufacturing slumped in the first half of the year to its lowest since 1953 outside the Covid pandemic, as Donald Trump’s US tariffs caused global industry chaos. UK vehicle manufacturing declined by 12% to 417,200 units in the first six months of the year, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group, show.more

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a trade agreement with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. According to analysts, this is the most important trade agreement since the UK left the European Union, as well as India's first free trade agreement with a partner outside Asia.more

More than 30 former British ambassadors and 20 former senior diplomats at the United Nations have called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to recognise the Palestinian state in light of the growing political and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.more

The Union Flag has been thrust into the national spotlight this week after a 12 year old schoolgirl was put into isolation for wearing a Union Flag dress to celebrate being British at her school's culture day. There are a number of rules that must be followed if you want to fly the Union Flag from your home and if you violate any guidelines it could lead to a fine of up to £2,500. more

Yesterday, the British government presented a detailed plan to reduce foreign aid, including significant cuts to support for children's education and medical assistance for women in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Somalia. The UK had already announced plans to reduce spending on this area by 40 per cent.more

London’s status as a global financial hub has been left “fragile” by Brexit, the boss of Goldman Sachs has warned. David Solomon, chairman and chief executive of the bank, said it is diverting staff away from London to rival cities such as Paris, Frankfurt and Munich.more

A woman and two children were killed in a shooting yesterday morning in the village of Maguiresbridge in Northern Ireland, local police said. A seriously injured man is in hospital. Police have launched a murder investigation.more

Irlam's Beach, on the north-east coast of the UK, is a hidden gem nestled along the Essex coastline - and much of the time it doesn't even show up on satellite navigation. "At one stage I thought I was at one of the secret locations we visited in Lanzarote" states a review of Irlam's Beach.more

Tens of thousands of homes fitted with wall insulation installed under a popular scheme could cause owners serious health issues as the government warns of “systemic” installation failures. Solid wall insulation was made available under two government-backed schemes over the past few years, allowing homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient for free.more

UK travellers have been waiting almost 20 years for airports to scrap the 'temporary' hand luggage limit on liquids – a procedure that can cause long delays at security. New CT scanners have now been installed at many major UK airports, meaning there’s likely no need to remove electrical items or LAGs (liquids, aerosols and gels) at these airports.more

Campaigners have called for Keir Starmer to tell parliament whether US nuclear weapons have returned to British soil after a distinctive US air force transport flight was spotted landing at RAF Lakenheath on Friday morning.more

Growing numbers of women in the UK are dying during pregnancy or soon after giving birth, even though fewer babies are being born, official figures show. While 209 maternal deaths occurred in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during 2015-17, that rose to 254 during 2021-23, data compiled by the House of Commons library shows.more

Two people have died and two people have been seriously injured in a shooting incident in County Fermanagh. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it received a call at 08:21 BST on Wednesday and sent three vehicles and the air ambulance to the scene in Maguiresbridge.more

Anyone complicit in facilitating people smuggling to the UK will be at risk of having their assets frozen and being banned from travelling to Britain, under new powers announced by the Foreign Secretary today.more

Heavy metal star Ozzy Osbourne has died aged 76, just weeks after reuniting with his Black Sabbath bandmates and performing a huge farewell concert for fans.more

The number of cigarettes smoked in Britain every year has been revealed in a shocking new study from Cancer Research UK and University College London (UCL). Smokers are getting through an estimated 28.6 billion cigarettes each year on average, equating to 78 million every daymore

The cost of renting in the UK has seen a sharp rise over the last few years, new data shows, increasing by an average of £221 a month in just three years. This makes the cost of renting 21 per cent more expensive than three years ago, the analysis by Zoopla finds, far outstripping inflation.more

NHS bosses are putting patients at risk of harm in the upcoming doctors' strike, the British Medical Association says. The union believes NHS England's plan to limit the number of routine treatments being cancelled will stretch senior doctors covering for striking resident doctors too thinly.more

The parliamentary committee overseeing the activities of the UK's intelligence services (ISC) has announced the launch of an investigation into the leak of personal data of 19,000 Afghans and more than 100 British spies and secret service agents, the BBC reported today.more

Superbugs, or antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, could kill millions of people by 2050 and cost the global economy an estimated $1.7 trillion a year, says a report published by the think tank Centre for Global Development (CGD). People in China, the US and the EU will be most affected.more

The UK government has today given final approval for the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk, eastern England. The cost of the investment is £38bn. The plant is expected to provide power to six million homes and is scheduled to be operational in the 2030s.more

The UK yesterday announced new sanctions on Russian shipping company Intershipping Services LLC and oil trader Litasco Middle East DMCC. The government explains that this is another blow aimed at an energy sector crucial to Vladimir Putin.more

Bournemouth has been voted the best beach in the UK, with holidaymakers praising its miles of sand and attractions including a zipline. A survey of 70,000 people found other popular beaches include Bamburgh in the North East, Brighton in East Sussex, St Ives and Newquay in Cornwall, and Llandudno in Wales.more

People retiring in 2050 will be worse off than pensioners today, the government has warned, unless action is taken to boost retirement savings. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is reviving the Pensions Commission, which first reported nearly 20 years ago, to look at how to tackle the issue.more

The cost of applying for a free travel card for older Londoners is to almost double. Transport for London has announce that it will increase the cost of obtaining a 60+ Oyster card from £20 to £35. In addition, the annual eligibility check – an administrative process required to retain the perk – will increase from £10 to £18.more