Exclusive: 125-strong team hired through outsourced contractor given informal notice they no longer have jobs More than 100 guards at the British embassy in Kabul have been told they are not eligible for UK government protection because they were hired…
Former MP Jared O’Mara charged with seven counts of fraud
Ex-Labour MP charged with making fraudulent invoices to Independent Parliamentary Standards AuthorityThe former Labour and independent MP Jared O’Mara has been charged with seven counts of fraud.O’Mara will appear in court next month alongside former a…
Unions urge Commons Speaker to take tougher line on unmasked MPs
Ministers and backbenchers criticised for unwillingness to take basic measures to help protect staffCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is facing calls to urge MPs to wear masks in the cha…
Trump team thought UK officials ‘out of their minds’ aiming for herd immunity, book says
Trump officials tried to convince him to take threat seriously and British experts ‘oddly pessimistic’ on defeating virus, says bookUS officials thought their British counterparts “were out of their minds” in aiming for herd immunity as part of Boris J…
UK wrestles with effects of Taliban rule on terror, drugs and aid
Analysis: whether Britain should recognise Afghanistan’s new regime, and how soon, is a fraught question for officialsWith the Taliban now firmly in control of most of Afghanistan, British government figures have been wrestling with what that means for…
Universal credit cut will come as shock for claimants, says Labour
Government accused of failing to effectively communicate £20 reduction with many families unaware of imminent cutLabour has accused the government of failing to prepare struggling low-income families for October’s £20-a-week cut in universal credit pay…
Geronimo the alpaca given 24-hour reprieve
Owner receives word that officials will not try to enforce warrant before 5pm on FridayGeronimo, the condemned alpaca, has been granted another 24-hour reprieve, with its owner claiming the UK government hopes she will carry out its “dirty work” and pu…
Extinction Rebellion targets City of London over climate role
Protests starting next week aim to highlight the billions poured into fossil fuels by financial sectorThe City of London will be the target of a new round of Extinction Rebellion protests aimed at highlighting the role of high finance in the climate cr…
Sentences for violent and sexual crimes fall sharply in England and Wales
MoJ report also shows pandemic led to huge drop in number of people dealt with by criminal justice systemAverage sentence lengths for violent and sexual offences in England and Wales fell steeply last year as the Covid pandemic also led to a huge slowd…
Extremely vulnerable in UK must urgently get booster shots, say campaigners
Government’s vaccines watchdog has cast doubt on start date for Covid jab booster programmeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCampaigners for clinically extremely vulnerable people have called for urgent government action to en…