Markus Andrews

Reform UK is on course for a major upset in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, according to the latest poll, despite a week of bitter infighting in the party.The first poll of the constituency since MP Mike Amesbury quit after being convicted of attacking a constituent, forecasts Nigel Farage’s party will take the North West seat from Labour. It comes after more than a week of rows in the insurgent right-wing party, with Mr Farage suspending one of its five MPs, Rupert Lowe.In July’s general election, Mr Amesbury won the seat for Labour with 22,358 votes, with Reform UK a distant second on 7,662. Labour is facing an uphill battle after its former MP quit the seat in disgrace More

As Labour announces the end of NHS England to “cut bureaucracy” and bring the health service “back into democratic control”, all eyes are on the hundreds of other quangos which could face a similar fate.Funded by billions in government spending, NHS England is Britain’s largest quango and makes decisions on the running of the national health service. Carrying out an administrative function, it is largely run by managers and officials.The change will result in the loss of 9,000 jobs as this control is moved away from NHS England and folded into the Department for Health and Social Care. Health secretary Wes Streeting said the move will end a “complex bureaucracy with two organisations doing the same jobs”.Health secretary Wes Streeting said the move will end a “complex bureaucracy” More

UK food and drink exports are down by more than a third since Brexit, with claims bureaucracy is to blame. Although some products including whisky, chocolate and cheese remain popular with EU customers, overall, there has been a sharp decline in food and drink traded with the bloc, according to the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) latest report. It found export volumes of food fell 34.1 per cent in 2024 in comparison to 2019 figures, to 6.37bn kilograms.The FDF blamed post-Brexit trading arrangements for the slump, highlighting how bureaucratic barriers have changed the relationship between the UK and the EU. The UK’s global food export volumes are almost 20 per cent lower on average between 2020-2024 than they were between 2015-2019. Although some of the fall in exports since the UK left the EU five years ago can be attributed to the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, other countries including Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands all saw an increase in their average volumes. “This decline shows that the UK’s challenges aren’t part of a global trend but rather unique to the UK’s post-Brexit circumstances,” the report said. Food and drink imports entering the UK are subject to fewer checks than UK businesses exporting similar products (Liam McBurney/PA) More

The minister responsible for artificial intelligence (AI) turned to ChatGPT for policy advice, it has emerged. Science and tech secretary Peter Kyle asked the AI chatbot why small businesses in the UK were slow to adopt the technology, records show. Mr Kyle also asked the software which podcasts he could appear on to reach the widest audience possible, and for definitions of terms such as “quantum” and “digital inclusion”. Records obtained under freedom of information laws by the New Scientist magazine show Mr Kyle asked ChatGPT: “I’m secretary of state for science, innovation and technology in the United Kingdom. What would be the best podcasts for me to appear on to reach a wide audience that’s appropriate for my ministerial responsibilities?” Peter Kyle, secretary of state for Science, Innovation and Technology, said he uses ChatGPT “often” in an interview More

The UK economy unexpectedly shrunk by 0.1 per cent in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in a massive blow to Labour’s growth agenda.The figure comes just weeks before Rachel Reeves’s spring statement on 26 March, when the chancellor will give her updated plans for the UK economy. Billions in welfare cuts and reduced spending for other departments are widely expected to form part of her announcement.Responding to the new GDP figures, Ms Reeves said Britain was “feeling the consequences” of global events, likely referencing the ongoing Ukraine peace negotiations and US president Donald Trump’s imposition of international trading tariffs.Rachel Reeves will deliver Labour’s spring statement on 26 March More

Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget triggered a rush to pull cash out of pension funds which has led to six-week delays for savers withdrawing money. The chancellor’s October inheritance tax raid has sparked a surge in people seeking to take their cash out of retirement pots in a bid to avoid paying the levy, after Ms Reeves scrapped an exemption on them.One person was left waiting two months for their payment, it has emerged.Currently, the levy is charged at 40 per cent on assets over £325,000, with those passing on their main homes eligible for an extra £175,000 allowance meaning couples can pass on up to £1 million tax free.Rachel Reeves’ Budget sparked a rush in savers trying to access their pension pots More

Wes Streeting squirmed when asked if abolishing NHS England to bring the health service back into government control would result in job losses for doctors and nurses.On Thursday, 13 March, Sir Keir Starmer announced he would abolish the independent quango which has run the health service for more than a decade, cutting up to 10,000 jobs.Ministers said the plans would help deliver savings of hundreds of millions of pounds every year, which would be used to cut waiting times by slashing red tape to help speed up improvements in the health service.Speaking to Andrew Marr, the health secretary said: “I can’t say there’ll be no changes to services.” More

Ministers are ploughing £1.3bn into army recruitment to bolster the UK’s depleted armed forces and tackle a crisis of staff retention, The Independent can reveal. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) last month announced the creation of a new body, the Armed Forces Recruitment Service (AFRS), to streamline the hiring process and ensure the British military “remains ready to face emerging threats”. It is set to launch in 2027 and will replace individual schemes run by the Royal Navy, British army, and Royal Air Force. John Healey said ‘deep-set problems’ were plaguing the armed forces’ ability to recruit and retain staff More