United Kingdom

    New mothers may have lost out on more than half a billion pounds in state pension rights since changes to benefit rules were introduced in 2013, according to analysis. Royal London, which made the calculations, said it was due to changes in rules on child benefit - and the number at risk was growing. At present, a parent, usually a mother, receiving child benefit for a child under 12, gets a year of national insurance credits towards their state pension record. This means that even if a mother is not in paid work and does not pay national insurance contributions, her state pension record is protected. But a new Royal London policy paper titled the Mothers Missing Out On Millions argues the system is not working for new mothers affected by the high income child benefit tax ...

    Prince Harry’s new girlfriend Meghan Markle is understood to have stayed with him at Kensington Palace. The 35-year-old actress reportedly took a break from filming her hit US TV show Suits to fly over to London. She allegedly told studio bosses she had “something important to do” and was understood to have been “desperate” to see the ginger prince. The brunette babe last night reportedly stayed with Harry at his Nottingham Cottage pad, which Prince William and Kate used to live in. Actress Meghan took a break from her busy schedule Meghan was spotted shopping in west London’s posh Kensington High Street, just down the road from the palace - where she is said to have returned with two bulging bags. She was originally due to visit London last weekend but was forced to cance...

    Stupid, divisive, and wrong" was how Theresa May’s predecessor in Downing Street characterised the President-elect Donald Trump’s incendiary remarks on Muslims earlier this year. The Prime Minister, however, had remained careful during the campaign not to express a preference for either candidate. In a statement released 90 minutes after the majority of news outlets called Mr Trump the victor in the American election over Hillary Clinton, Ms May also congratulated the new leader and insisted Britain and the United States will remain strong and close partners. I would like to congratulate Donald Trump on being elected the next president of the United States, following a hard-fought campaign, the Prime Minister said. Britain and the United States have an enduring and special...

    Prince Harry has attacked the racial undertones of press coverage of his girlfriend Meghan Markle in an extraordinary statement in which he warns that he fears for her safety. The prince said a line has been crossed in reporting of his relationship with the mixed race 35-year-old American actor who lives in Toronto. Some of this has been very public, his spokesman said in a statement. The smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments. The statement confirms for the first time that the pair are in a relationship but launches a powerful and unprecedented attack at the media by the prince. Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply...

    Marks & Spencer has said it is to cut the number of its UK clothing and home stores by 60, as it reported an 88% fall in half-year profits. The changes will mean the closure of 30 full line" stores offering all M&S ranges and the downsizing or replacing" of a further 45 to Simply Food stores, over the next five years. Other stores will be relocated while some new full-line stores will be opened in underserved areas, M&S said. Details of the changes confirm a story first reported last week by Sky News. It follows a review launched by new M&S boss Steve Rowe earlier this year. Mr Rowe said: "These are tough decisions, but vital to building a future M&S that is simpler, more relevant, multi-channel and focused on delivering sustainable returns." M&S re...

    The Government has been accused of chilling callousness over a tough new benefit cap that could lead some families to lose more than £100 a week. From Monday, the annual limit on welfare payments to unemployed households will drop from £26,000 to £23,000 in London and £20,000 outside the capital. The move was announced by George Osborne last year and has been described as a "monstrous" assault on struggling families that will shatter the life chances of the poorest children. Around 20,000 families are currently capped by an annual limit of £26,000 (or £500 a week) on total household benefits, introduced in 2013. But the new lower caps are set to bring an explosion in the numbers affected to around 64,000 households. Nearly two thirds of those affected are single mothers, a...

    A woman walking her dog following a light dusting of snow at Tan Hill in North Yorkshire on Sunday. Sub-zero temperatures are expected to sweep across Britain this week after the first cold snap of the year, prompting warnings that vulnerable people should prepare for a freezing winter. The chilly weather coincides with the launch of a major NHS campaign urging people with long-term health conditions and the over-65s to take action in an effort to reduce the 25,000 extra deaths that occur each winter. Prof Keith Willett, medical director for acute care at NHS England, said: It is vital that the most vulnerable people take preventative steps to keep healthy and stay well. We have a high number of A&E attendances over this time that are due to issues that could have been...

    A luxury supercar was left a crumpled wreck after a crash in Manchester city centre. The orange Lamborghini was involved in a collision on Charles Street in the early hours of Saturday. Eyewitnesses said the high-powered motor struck a van and some scaffolding surrounding a building at around 3.30am. Emergency crews were dispatched and police began directing traffic. Paramedics also attended as a precaution, although police said no-one was injured. A GMP spokesman confirmed they were called to reports of a collision between a Lamborghini and a Renault van, but no arrests were made. Photographer Reece O’Bierne, 19, from Salford, was working at a nearby nightclub and captured the aftermath on his camera. He told the M.E.N the Lamborghini hit a van, and added: “The car was a ...

    Labour will block the UK’s exit from the European Union if the Government is unable to guarantee access to the single market, Jeremy Corbyn has said. The opposition will join forces with Tory Remain supporters and other parties to prevent Article 50 from being triggered if this trade access is not assured, the Labour leader told theSunday Mirror. Mr Corbyn suggested Prime Minister Theresa May, who has a slim Commons majority, would be forced into an early general election if she fails to meet Labour’s “Brexit bottom line”. The Government is appealing a High court ruling ordering that Ms May must seek MPs’ approval to trigger Article 50. Mr Corbyn said: "The court has thrown a big spanner in the works by saying Parliament must be consulted. "We accept the result of the refe...

    Farage Nigel Farage has said that if Britain’s exit from the European Union is derailed there will be political anger the like of which we have never seen in this country in my lifetime. Mr Farage also questioned the independence of the judiciary, in response to this week’s High Court ruling that said parliament must vote on when to deploy Article 50, and the claims by Jeremy Corbyn that Labour could demand continued membership of the single market. If that’s where we end up we’ve got half a Brexit,” he told the Andrew Marr Show. Asked about whether the judges who made the decision had not acted independently, as he has previously he said. Look at Lord Justice Thomas, the founding member of a body seeking to integrate law at an EU level. Surely will that background he shou...