A government minister has challenged Andy Burnham to produce a concrete roadmap for reaching the UK’s 3.5% of GDP defence spending target. The clash reflects a deeper divide over military funding priorities ahead of the autumn spending review.
Nigel Farage has denied any wrongdoing after reports claimed he failed to declare financial benefits from an ally before becoming an MP. The story leads Wednesday’s front pages as Reform faces renewed scrutiny.
A three-year-old boy has survived five surgeries following a crocodile attack, but his parents say there is real uncertainty about whether he will regain movement and feeling in his arms and hands. His recovery is expected to take months, possibly years.
Scotland fans’ World Cup habit of coning statues abroad has sparked a full-blown craze at home, with landmarks from Ayr to Stirling now regularly sporting orange headwear. Councils are counting the cost while the internet keeps the joke very much alive.
The NHS is launching a “marathon a month” walking scheme developed with Olympic medallist Sir Brendan Foster, rewarding people who walk 30 minutes a day. The programme targets Britain’s 12 million physically inactive adults and is set to launch in early 2025.
William Davies’s new essay in the London Review of Books revisits James Burnham’s theory of managerial power with striking relevance to today’s political battles. The piece raises urgent questions about who actually controls modern economies — and who benefits from the answer.
The Queen welcomed JK Rowling to Buckingham Palace on Monday for a 45-minute conversation about their shared love of literature. The meeting marked the start of one of the monarch’s busiest royal weeks in recent months.
Refugees granted asylum in the UK could face repayment demands of around £10,000 under new government proposals. Ministers want legal powers to claw back accommodation and living costs from those deemed able to pay.
Britain’s weak growth and its strained EU trading relationship dominated discussion at this week’s UKICE Lunch Hour event. Economists warned that political short-termism is making structural economic reform nearly impossible.
Labour promised to fix Britain’s broken foundations. A year on, the picture is complicated — some green shoots, plenty of thorns.
