United Kingdom

Three of the UK's leading charities have come together and called on Rishi Sunak to increase benefits in line with inflation in this week's budget, warning "people are existing, not living" amid the worsening cost-of-living crisis. Their intervention comes after inflation hit 10.1% in the 12 months to September and the average yearly energy bill hit £2,500 in October - almost double what it was last year. Amid the bleak economic backdrop, chancellor Jeremy Hunt intends to raise £33bn through spending cuts and £22bn through tax rises in Thursday's autumn statement, according to The Telegraph. The government has hinted pensions will be protected and will still get a 10.1% inflationary increase – with Sunak claiming pensioners are "always at the forefront" of his mind. However, he has n...

England have beaten Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final after a superb bowling performance set up Ben Stokes for another match-winning innings. Chasing 138, England got home by five wickets despite losing Alex Hales early to an unplayable delivery by Shaheen Afridi. But Ben Stokes was once again England's hero, scoring an unbeaten half century with the bat to calm nerves and secure victory. The match in Melbourne looked set for a tight finish until Stokes hit a flurry of late boundaries, including a six, to break Pakistan's hearts. Left-arm seamer Sam Curran was the pick of England's bowlers, conceding just 12 runs and taking three wickets. Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan chipped in with two wickets each, with Stokes picking up one. Only Shan Masood, with 38 and captain Babar Azam, on ...

Rishi Sunak would suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of Keir Starmer if a general election were it to take place now, a polling company has said. Sunak won the Tory leadership race on Monday to officially become the UK's next prime minister. But despite being more popular among voters than his predecessor, Sunak trails Labour leader Starmer in the polls. According to a modelling sample of 12,000 people by YouGov, Starmer would win 389 constituencies, and Sunak just 127 constituencies. In 116 constituencies voters would not be sure of who to choose between the two. Rishi Sunak would suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of Keir Starmer if a general election were it to take place now, a polling company has said. Sunak won the Tory leadership race on Monday to officially become the UK's nex...

More than 900,000 drivers risk a £1,000 fine after failing to renew photocard licences which expired in the past year, an investigation has found. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) figures obtained by the PA news agency following a Freedom of Information request, show 926,000 people entitled to drive in Britain held cards on September 3 which became out of date in the 12 months to the end of August. That represents 2% of all drivers. A small proportion of the 926,000 are likely to have stopped driving without notifying the DVLA. Some 2.5 million drivers renewed their photocard after it had expired or within 56 days of the expiry date in the past year. Driving entitlement normally remains until someone reaches 70, after which they must renew their licence every three years to ...

Rishi Sunak could be declared the next prime minister within hours after Boris Johnson ruled himself out of the race for No 10, with uncertainty over rival Penny Mordaunt’s prospects of securing sufficient support from MPs. Tory MPs will choose who they want to be their new leader in the first stage of the contest on Monday, should both remaining candidates get the 100 nominations required to reserve a place on the ballot. If Ms Mordaunt falls short of this total by the deadline of 2pm, or pulls out of the contest, Mr Sunak will take charge of the party without the need for a vote. It comes after Mr Johnson dramatically withdrew from the race – having never officially entered, claiming he had the numbers but admitting he could not unite his warring party. In a statement on Sunday even...

Boris Johnson is privately urging Conservative MPs to back him for a dramatic return to Downing Street with a pledge that only he can win the Tories the next election. The former prime minister is pressing Rishi Sunak to reach out and get back together in a remarkable olive branch after their public falling out at the top of government. Mr Sunak was pulling narrowly ahead of Mr Johnson among Tory MP nominations on Thursday night in a bid to claim the leadership victory he missed last month. Liz Truss quit on Thursday after just 44 days in Number 10, accepting the near total collapse of support among colleagues and becoming the shortest serving prime minister in British history. In an 89-second resignation speech in Downing Street, Ms Truss admitted: I cannot deliver the man...

Liz Truss has handed a prime seat at her Cabinet table to renowned strategist Grant Shapps after the departure of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary. It may be a calculated move by the embattled Prime Minister to get a Tory big beast on her side and one who is seen as a sharp-elbowed plotter who could otherwise help bring about her removal from No 10. After a short lived Tory leadership bid of his own, Mr Shapps became a major backer of Ms Truss’s rival Rishi Sunak in the contest over the summer. The former transport secretary is said to have recorded Tory colleagues’ doubts about Ms Truss in a running spreadsheet, wielded on a pricey foldable smartphone. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. He also caused a headache for Ms Truss when he joined a revolt a...

China has recruited dozens of former British military pilots to train its military forces on how to take down western helicopters and warplanes, according to the officials. A rare 'threat alert' from British defence intelligence warned by stating that the Chinese military has been attempting to employ serving and retired RAF jet pilots to assist in training its own air force, The Guardian reported. Referring to this, officials voiced 'concern and disapproval' of these plans because they represented 'a threat to UK and western interests'. Although it is not specifically prohibited, they want to 'manage the risk' by taking precautions. Approximately 30 former British pilots are thought to have already taken advantage of China's 'very generous' recruitment incentives to work for the nati...

After weeks of turmoil Jeremy Hunt has been appointed Chancellor to replace Kwasi Kwarteng. Prime Minister Liz Truss has also this afternoon announced another U-turn on Kwarteng's mini-Budget; this time scrapping plans to stop corporation tax from rising next April. The pound has today fallen further against the American dollar as currency investors grow nervous over continued political uncertainty plaguing the UK. Others are more optimistic: the FTSE 100, London's benchmark index, has rallied as stock investors hope that the Government will backtrack on controversial economic policies announced just three weeks ago in the mini-Budget. But are the changes in Westminster today good or bad for your wealth? Telegraph Money explains. Investing The Prime Minister will now go ahead with ...

This is the moment a female diner appears to remove a piece of plastic hidden from her bra then place it in her food to avoid paying a £170 bill, according to a curry house boss. The suspected “con artist” was captured on CCTV at the Namji restaurant in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, apparently tearing the wrapper off a cigarette packet she'd stored in her underwear and placing it in her bowl of chicken curry. Restaurant owner Naseem Khan, 44, said the family of five had woofed down their pricey dinner at the establishment on Monday afternoon, But when the bill arrived, they reportedly made threats and stormed out while complaining about the plastic in their food even after being offered a 20% discount. Ms Khan, dubbed the Queen of Curry due to her work with homeless people, said sh...