United Kingdom

    The Labour leadership contender Jess Phillips has said she would be prepared to argue for Britain to re-enter the European Union at the next general election, opening a divide with the shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer, who has insisted Labour must move on. Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill cleared its first parliamentary hurdle before Christmas, and the prime minister is expected to use his comfortable majority to carry it through parliament in time for Britain to leave the EU at the end of this month. When Phillips, who came third to Starmer in an early poll of Labour members last week, was asked on the BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday whether Labour should become the party of rejoining the EU, she declined to rule it out. You would have to look at what is going...

    Universal Credit, the so-called new welfare state, has been plagued by back-to-back problems since launching in the UK led mostly by its controversial five week wait for first payments. However, 2.7million people are already enrolled onto it - and more in counting as the roll-out continues. But what other help can you claim once you're on the new six-in-one benefit and how can you access the extra perks? Those on Universal Credit can claim back up to 85% of their childcare costs, as well as access free work clothes to get to and from interviews. Half price train and bus travel is also available as well as a savings scheme that gives you a 50p bonus for every £1 you manage to lock away. "Universal Credit can help you pay essential bills, such as housing and childca...

    Side-by-side maps of UK constituencies at the start and end of the 2010s show a clear picture of how Labour’s support has eroded over the decade. Labour faces a major rebuilding job in the 2020s, starting with the election of a new leader in the New Year. The two maps available under Creative Commons - show how the Conservatives have made gains in northern England and Wales, while Labour has also lost a huge amount of ground to the SNP in Scotland. They are a stark representation of Labour’s failure in the last four elections, having only gained seats once, in 2017. Labour leadership candidates and MPs expected to run have been making suggestions on how the party can make up these losses and win a future election. Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, s...

    The Santa rally well and truly ran out of steam for the FTSE 100 on the last day of 2019. Investors had been enjoying an 11-day rise on the blue-chip index, including nine days of gains following Boris Johnson’s decisive Tory victory in the election. But the FTSE 100 dipped 0.6 per cent, or 44.61 points, to 7542.44, during a half-day of trading curtailed for New Year’s Eve. It was the second consecutive day of losses, drawing a line under its longest climb for three years, as a stronger pound dragged down internationally exposed companies. Sterling rose 1.2 per cent against the dollar over the course of the day to around $1.328, its highest level in two weeks. A rise in sterling generally has the opposite effect on the FTSE 100, since a more valuable domestic curr...

    The London fireworks are an iconic British symbol of celebrating New Year's Eve, and millions will watch them light up the sky tonight. Broadcast around the world, the display lasts around 15 minutes and comprises of 12,000 fireworks 2,000 of which will be set off from the London Eye. It's the largest annual fireworks display in Europe, and an impressive spectacle whether you are watching it in person, or on TV. Ahead of what is sure to be another dazzling display this evening, here's everything you need to know about how much the fireworks cost, and how they are financed: How much do the London fireworks cost? The budget for the annual London New Year's Eve fireworks is decided by the mayor, Sadiq Khan . Last year, £2.3 million was allocated for the display, ...

    The medieval city of York has announced plans to ban private cars from the city centre within three years in a bid to cut carbon emissions. Councillors spelled out the unashamedly ambitious goal that would follow the lead of Bristol, which is due to become the first UK city to ban diesel cars by 2021. The historic Yorkshire city, which attracts nearly 7 million visitors a year, is one of several UK cities with illegally high levels of air pollution. The ban would stop all non-essential private car journeys inside York’s city walls by 2023, with an exemption for people who rely on cars such as disabled residents. Jonny Crawshaw, a Labour councillor in the city, said: People’s first response might be to be a bit anxious about what we’re proposing. But that doesn’t m...

    Britain is set to welcome a record number of international tourists in 2020, a new forecast shows. Visit Britain, the national tourism agency, is predicting that the number of overseas visitors to the UK next year will rise to 39.7million - up 2.9 per cent on 2019. It also estimated that spending by these visitors will hit a record £26.6billion next year - a 6.6 per cent increase in spending in 2019, which is expected to top out at £25billion. Meanwhile, data from ForwardKeys, a flight data analysis firm, shows that flight bookings overall to the UK from December 2019 to May 2020 are up five per cent compared to the same period last year. Forward bookings to the UK from China and South Asia are particularly strong, up 33 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. The...

    A clampdown on illegal immigration was relaxed because Ministers feared the Queen believed it could affect the polo season, it was claimed last night. The Home Office had planned to close a loophole that granted special visas to hundreds of foreigners working in the so-called 'sport of kings' amid fears it was being used as a backdoor for low-skilled migrants to enter the country. But the proposals were watered down in the wake of Buckingham Palace's considerable interest in the matter, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. One source said the Queen became 'very animated' over the plans, while a former official said Ministers went 'above and beyond' normal practice to address Palace concerns. Whitehall sources told this newspaper the subject was discussed when Queen had ...

    Millions of pieces of microplastic are raining down on London each day, a new study suggests. Researchers at King’s College London, analysed the number of particles and fibres falling on to the roof of a nine-storey building in the middle of the capital, on eight separate days. They picked a spot high up to ensure that only microplastic from the atmosphere was collected, rather than pieces being deposited daily at ground level. Tiny pieces of plastic were found in all eight samples, with numbers ranging from 575 to 1,008 per square metre (10.7 square foot) each day. If the same amount was falling across the capital, it suggests millions of pieces of plastic fall on London each day. Previous studies have shown that microplastic can travel great distances in the air...

    The Prime Minister has saved British taxpayers tens of thousands by flying economy class for his Caribbean holiday with girlfriend Carrie Symonds. Boris Johnson touched down in St Lucia on Thursday morning after a long-haul British Airways flight from London. In a photograph taken by a fellow passenger, the Prime Minister can be seen at a window seat reading a book while Ms Symonds snuggles underneath her coat. The pair appear to be seated in economy towards the back of the plane, where passengers can often feel more turbulence than those at the front. A source told MailOnline that the couple kept a 'low profile' for the duration of the flight and were accompanied by 'little security'. The cost of the flight would have cost in the region of £1323 each, significan...