The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported today that the unemployment rate rose to 4.7 per cent. - and is the highest in four years - while the wage growth rate fell by 5 per cent between March and May. Economists expect the Bank of England to cut interest rates in August.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signed the Kensington Treaty on defence and migration policy in London today. It is the largest agreement between the two countries since the end of the Second World War in 1945.more

Eight healthy babies have been born after in vitro fertilisation using the DNA of three people, a Newcastle infertility clinic in the UK has reported. The method used involves transferring the genetic material of the mother and father into a healthy donor egg to reduce the risk of disease.more

The taxman has no idea how much is being collected from billionaires amid mounting calls for a wealth tax, a powerful Commons committee has found. With Rachel Reeves seeking billions of pounds to plug a gaping hole in the public finances, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) cannot identify how much tax is paid by Britain’s billionaires. more

British aviation authorities on Wednesday lifted a five-year ban imposed on airlines from Pakistan. The Pakistani carrier, which until recently was also not allowed to fly to the EU, is to be privatised in the coming months.more

The chief executive of Co-op has confirmed that all 6.5 million of its members had their data stolen in a cyber-attack on the retailer in April. "I'm devastated that information was taken. I'm also devastated by the impact that it took on our colleagues as well as they tried to contain all of this," Shirine Khoury-Haq told BBC Breakfast in her first public interview since the hack.more

Prices rose by more than expected in the year to June, pushing inflation to 3.6%, the highest it has been since January 2024. Higher prices for food and clothing, air and rail fares - and a lower drop in fuel prices than this time last year - contributed to higher inflation, official figures show.more

Sainsbury’s is axing free crisps and biscuits from staff rooms as the Government steps up a drive to tackle obesity across Britain. Sainsbury’s has sent managers a new list of food items that they are allowed to buy in for staff, urging them to swap crisps and biscuits for “light meal” options.more

Wacky London weather is set to see the city sizzle in 30C of sunshine after days of thunderstorms hit the capital. July has seen scorching temperatures in London so far with highs of 34C. So anyone looking for relief from the capital’s scorching sun will be left sorely disappointed.more

The statement of changes to the immigration rules HC 836, published on 24 June, will amend the definition of “continuous qualifying period” in Annex 1 of Appendix EU from 16 July to offer an another way for a pre-settled status holder to complete a five year continuous residence period.more

Banks will push Britain’s savers to invest in the stock market under plans drawn up by Rachel Reeves. Savers with money piling up in low-interest accounts will be offered investment opportunities by their banks in a bid to funnel funds into British businesses, the Treasury has announced.more

The UK is a “powder keg” of social tensions, with a third of people rarely meeting anyone from different backgrounds, research has found. A report from the thinktank British Future and the social cohesion group Belong Network found that a year on from last summer’s riots, there was a risk of unrest being reignited unless urgent action was taken to address issues of polarisation and division. more

Thousands of Afghans have moved to the UK under a secret scheme which was set up after a British official inadvertently leaked their data, it can be revealed. In February 2022, the personal details of nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan were leaked.more

Two men have been sentenced to four years and three months in prison for illegally cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree. The world-famous tree, which stood next to Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, was felled in September 2023.more

An airport staff member will undergo “retraining” for asking a woman if she was pregnant. Claire King, who is a size 12 and is not pregnant, said a Jet2 male gate agent had “looked her up and down” before asking if she was “expecting”.more

The cost of some new electric cars will soon be reduced by up to £3,750 under grants being introduced by the government to encourage drivers to move away from petrol and diesel vehicles. The discounts will apply to eligible vehicles costing up to £37,000, with the most environmentally friendly vehicles seeing the biggest reductions, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.more

Heathrow Airport has unveiled a £10 billion investment plan to expand capacity, aiming to handle an extra 10 million passengers per year by 2031. The plan forms the core of the airport’s 2027–2031 business proposal, which was submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Fridaymore

You don't need to travel miles from London to get lost in the winding walking trails right here in the city. Despite the London Olympics in 2012 feeling a million years away now, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park still exists and invites Londoners to explore through two very special trails.more

A fear of being ordered back to the office is having an impact on workers’ wellbeing, according to a poll, after a string of companies issued return-to-office mandates.more

Britain must prepare for a potential war with Russia within the next five years by building bunkers and strengthening air defences, the former head of the Army has warned.more

Most of England is expected to face hosepipe bans this summer in a historic drought. The Environment Agency (EA) warned on Monday that swathes of the country, from Cumbria to the Isle of Wight, could have drought status declared by September.more

Researchers at UK Biobank, the world's largest human body imaging project, today announced that they have reached their goal of scanning the brain, heart and other internal organs in 100,000 people. The research has been ongoing for 11 years.more

Four foreign nationals died on board a plane that crashed after taking off from London Southend Airport, Essex Police said. The medical transport plane bound for the Netherlands crashed at around 3.48pm on Sunday.more

All-inclusive family package holidays from the UK have jumped in price for some of the most popular destinations, including Spain, Cyprus and Turkey. The average price for a week in Cyprus in August has gone up by 23%, from £950 per person to £1,166, figures compiled for the BBC by TravelSupermarket show.more

The UK has delivered more than 70,000 drones to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. - Luke Pollard, Under-Secretary of State at the UK Ministry of Defence, announced yesterday, the UK Defence Journal website reported.more

The biggest new park since the 2012 Olympics has officially opened in London, as part of the creation of a new village. Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan formally opened Springfield Park in Tooting, which is part of the new Springfield Village that South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust has created around Springfield University Hospital.more

The number of people hunting for jobs in Britain surged in June at the fastest rate since the height of the Covid pandemic, industry figures show, amid growing business fears over tax rises and the economic outlook.more

The pound has dropped to a three-week low after the governor of the Bank of England said it could make bigger cuts to interest rates if the job market slows too quickly. Andrew Bailey said “slack” was opening up in the UK economy, as higher taxes have squeezed employers.more

Four people were killed when a plane crashed and exploded in a "fireball" at London Southend Airport on Sunday, the PA news agency said it understands. The airport has been closed until further notice after the small plane crash - with video footage emerging showing a huge fireball in the aftermath.more

The UK is breaking heat and rainfall records increasingly frequently as its climate continues to warm, the Met Office has warned. The country's changing weather patterns mean the UK now experiences a "notably different" climate to what it was just a few decades ago, its State of the UK Climate report says.more

London’s housing crisis has become a “housing emergency” – with the latest figures revealing the boroughs where barely any affordable homes have been started in the last two years.more

People have been urged to beware of scams linked to winter fuel payments after HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) received more than 15,000 reports of bogus activity last month. HMRC received a total of 15,100 reports of bogus activity in June, with fraudsters targeting vulnerable people using texts and phishing websites.more

A plane has been involved in a collision at Southend Airport, police said. In a statement, Essex Police said they were alerted shortly before 4pm on Sunday to reports of a serious collision involving one 12-metre plane.more

Live facial recognition camera technology could be introduced on the Tube to help catch fare dodgers. Transport chiefs are also considering whether to install new barriers that will make it harder for evaders to “tail-gate” fare-paying passengers.more