Local News

Kemi Badenoch has stood by her comments about Nigeria after the country's vice president criticised her remarks.Ms Badenoch was born in the London suburb of Wimbledon, and raised in Nigeria, before returning to the UK at the age of 16. She has spoken often about her life and childhood in Nigeria - especially during the Tory leadership race.Who is Kemi Badenoch?But now one senior Nigerian politician has taken issue with […]

Prisons minister Lord James Timpson has told Sky News that he is having "a conversation" with parliament and the public sector about hiring more ex-convicts.Lord Timpson pushed for ex-offenders to get employment at his family's Timpson chain while CEO - with around 10% of employees being former convicts - and previously chaired the Prison Reform Trust. He stepped down from both roles when he became a minister and peer after […]

Data-crunching elves at Royal Mail have revealed the toys children are asking for the most in thousands of letters to Father Christmas this year.An old-school classic - Lego - tops the list for the first time in seven years. In-demand gifts from Santa also include Barbie dolls, scooters, Squishmallow stuffed toys, and bikes. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:33 Cost of Christmas dinner increases The […]

The state of military accommodation is "shocking", with two-thirds of service family homes "in such poor condition that they are essentially no longer fit for purpose", a report by MPs has found.The Defence Committee highlighted persistent issues with damp and mould and urged the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury to commit more funds to improve the entire military estate "before it deteriorates beyond repair". The MPs warned that more […]

Two people have been taken to hospital after a gas explosion at a terraced house in east London.Footage on social media showed the moment of the blast on a residential street in Ilford - which caused a fire that significantly damaged the roof, both of its floors and the loft conversion. The house had been converted into flats, the London Fire Brigade said. Please use Chrome browser for a more […]

An MP has spoken against calls to ban first cousin marriage in the UK, suggesting instead that advanced genetic screening is made available to prospective married couples.Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed said while "freedom of women must be protected at all times", he did not believe outlawing the practice would be "effective or enforceable". Politics latest: £1,200 of taxpayers' money spent on two foldersHe argued that rather than "stigmatising" cousin marriages, a […]

Rachel Reeves has said she is "determined" government departments will find 5% savings through a crackdown on "wasteful spending".The chancellor said this was not a return to austerity as departmental budgets "will increase" over the next five years, but said it was "absolutely vital that we get value for money". "It's through finding those efficiency savings that we'll have the money to spend on the priorities of the British people," […]

Sir Keir Starmer has said UK economic growth was his "number one mission" as he defended his trip to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.The prime minister accused predecessor Boris Johnson of "going cap in hand from dictator to dictator" when the former PM met Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2022. But after having a meeting with the crown prince on Monday, Sir Keir said he […]

Bankers are to review state spending as part of a push to bring the private sector "into the heart of government".External oversight is to be incorporated into the first line-by-line spending review of government departments in 17 years. Under plans announced by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves "every pound" of government spending will be interrogated to ensure it represents value for money.Departments will be expected to find savings and "efficiencies" in […]