Home News

The UK’s historic Brexit vote may have been almost a decade ago, but the fall out has rumbled on interminably – now, EU rules on oat production are the latest flashpoint threatening to undermine government efforts to work with the bloc.Ministers are said to be engaged in a battle to save the humble oatcake, as Keir Starmer’s government seeks to reset relations with the EU.UK efforts to realign agricultural policy with Brussels means that British oats could fall foul of regulations for being too mouldy – containing too high a level of mycotoxins – which proliferate in crops like oats when they are grown in damper coastal climates like Britain’s.Farming groups raised concerns last year following the introduction by the European Commission of restrictions on mycotoxin levels in foods sold in the EU. Consumed at high levels, mycotoxins can be damaging to human health. As well as cereal crops, they can be found in nuts and dried fruits, and eaten in large quantities can lead to various adverse health effects, including kidney and liver damage, immune suppression, and have been linked to cancer. The concern for British farmers is that during damp, warm seasons, much of Britain’s oat harvest risks being condemned as unfit for human consumption under these EU rules, rendering the crop unsellable. The EU has turned up the heat on UK oats, angering farmers More

Allies of Angela Rayner have hit out at “false” claims that she is eyeing up a Labour leadership bid after the ex-deputy PM insisted she has “not gone away” when asked about a return to frontline politics. A source close to the MP said Ms Rayner is “focussed on representing her local community” as they dismissed reports around her alleged plans to topple the prime minister as “silly games”. It comes after the Telegraph reported that the ex-housing secretary was laying the groundwork for a leadership bid, at the end of a week which saw a bitter briefing row surrounding Sir Keir Starmer’s future. A source close to Ms Rayner said: “This is total rubbish and obviously false. Amidst all the stirring and silly games, Angela is focussed on representing her local community and ensuring that the priorities she championed in government are delivered in full.”Meanwhile, Ms Rayner said Labour MPs should be drowning out the “tittle tattle” in SW1 as she urged leaders to focus on “real challenges that real people are facing” in her first interview since stepping down as deputy prime minister.Angela Rayner More

Two men have been arrested after a mobile phone was planted in the House of Commons to play “sex noises” during Prime Minister’s Questions.The device, discovered near the front bench, is thought to have been hidden there to deliberately disrupt the weekly showdown between Sir Keir Starmer and the opposition.It had been taped to the underside of a table but had lost its grip and fallen on the floor, according to reports. It later rang twice during PMQs with a sexually explicit ringtone, but had already been discovered during a routine security sweep on 3 September.Scotland Yard launched an investigation into the prank, which is being treated as a major security breach. A man in his 30s and a man in his 60s were arrested on suspicion of attempting to intentionally cause a public nuisance and bailed later that month, it has now emerged. The device was found near the front bench, it is understood More

Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) across England and Wales are to be abolished in a bid to save tens of millions of pounds. Ministers have declared the roles to be a “failed experiment” that has cost too much money and which the public are mostly unaware of. First established in 2012 by Theresa May, these elected officials are currently responsible for setting police force budgets and appointing chief constables in their respective areas. They were set up as part of efforts to increase accountability and standards of police forces, but critics have said they were ineffective.Ministers intend to scrap the positions in 2028, coinciding with the next scheduled elections, a move projected to save at least £100m, which will be redirected to neighbourhood policing. Their duties concerning policing arrangements will instead be absorbed by mayors and local council leaders. The decision was confirmed by policing minister Sarah Jones in the House of Commons on Thursday. In a statement, home secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “The introduction of police and crime commissioners by the last government was a failed experiment.“I will introduce new reforms so police are accountable to their local mayoralties or local councils.“The savings will fund more neighbourhood police on the beat across the country, fighting crime and protecting our communities.”Ministers intend to scrap police and crime commissioners in 2028, coinciding with the next scheduled elections More

Tributes have been paid to “committed and passionate” victims’ commissioner Baroness Helen Newlove, who has died following a short illness. The dedicated campaigner, aged 63, fought against antisocial behaviour after her husband Garry was beaten to death in front of his daughters as he tried to confront teen vandals in 2007.She earned herself a peerage for her campaigning in 2010 and later the job of victims’ commissioner for two periods between 2013 to 2019 and from October 2023 until her death. The announcement was made at the start of proceedings on Wednesday, where she was described as a “committed and passionate advocate for victims”. In a statement, her office said: “We are deeply saddened to share that Baroness Helen Newlove, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, has passed away following a short illness. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.“Helen was a committed and passionate advocate for victims, drawing on her own experience of the criminal justice system. She was determined that all victims should be treated with compassion, decency and respect – and she consistently led by example.Baroness Helen Newlove’s office paid tribute to her as a ‘committed and passionate advocate for victims’ More

The government is set to re-examine its decision not to award compensation to up to 3.8 million women affected by changes to the state pension age, following the emergence of new evidence.Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden informed the Commons that ministers would reconsider the refusal of compensation for women born in the 1950s, whose state pension age was raised to align with men’s.He stated that “evidence” not presented to his predecessor, Liz Kendall, has come to light since the decision was made last December.Labour had previously faced criticism for rejecting compensation, despite a recommendation from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).The PHSO had suggested that these women should receive up to £2,950 each, amounting to a potential total cost of £10.5bn, due to poor communication that hindered their ability to adequately plan for retirement.Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden that new evidence has come to light (Ben Birchall/PA) More

IT companies that provide services for the NHS, as well as the UK’s energy, water and transport infrastructure, will face tough new security standards in a new law introduced by ministers to mitigate the threat of cyber attacks.The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will be introduced on Wednesday in a move that ministers hope will strengthen national security by boosting cyber protections for the services that people and businesses rely on. The aim is to keep taps running, lights on and the UK’s transport services moving as businesses, transport hubs and government organisations continue to be targeted by cyber attacks. Liz Kendall, as technology secretary, will get new powers to instruct regulators and the organisations More

Online pornography depicting women being choked is to be banned, following a review that found such images are rife and have helped establish the act as a sexual norm.The government confirmed the possession and publication of images showing strangulation and suffocation will be criminalised, as part of a crackdown on violent pornography. While non-fatal strangulation is already an offence, its online depiction is not currently illegal.This legislative action follows Conservative peer Baroness Bertin’s warning earlier this year of a “total absence of government scrutiny” in the pornography industry. Her independent review, published in February, cited worrying anecdotal evidence from teachers about students asking how to choke girls during sex.Baroness Bertin cautioned that people acting out choking in their sex lives “may face devastating consequences”.Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, due before peers in the House of Lords next week for further scrutiny, were confirmed by the government on Monday.Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said the Government was cracking down on violent pornography More