Pippa Crerar is joined by the election analyst Prof Rob Ford to look at the upcoming local and devolved elections. Will Reform dominate across England? Can the Greens remove Labour’s longstanding hold over London? And will the nationalists win in Scotland and Wales? Continue reading...
A government-backed report found "nepotism and bias" in UK police leadership, with many senior officers losing focus on fighting crime. The inquiry highlighted systemic issues, inconsistent capability, and a broken professional culture, leading to calls for significant reform and a new national police leadership academy.
A report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) suggests that making UK transport fully accessible to disabled passengers could boost the economy by £176bn annually by enabling millions more people to enter the workforce. The current system excludes nearly a quarter of the working-age population due to accessibility barriers.
UK Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis is pushing for a significant increase in defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2030, urging a £25bn annual rise. He aims to secure this commitment from potential Prime Minister Andy Burnham, emphasizing the need for enhanced national security amid global challenges.
The UK government is introducing new rules to enhance transparency in political funding, including restrictions on foreign donations and a £100,000 cap for recent UK arrivals. This comes as Nigel Farage faces potential investigation over undeclared benefits from a convicted fraudster, George Cottrell, alongside an ongoing probe into a £5m donation.
The UK government announced new NHS performance standards that will rate trusts on how well they address racism, violence, and sexual misconduct towards staff. Starting July, these measures will affect over 1.5 million staff across England, influencing overall trust ratings alongside waiting list and A&E metrics.
UK mobile coverage lags behind EU and G7 countries, ranking 57th globally for network performance. Despite cheap costs, poor signal quality and slow speeds affect over a third of customers, impacting modern economy infrastructure and daily use.
