Month: September 2022

Getty Images Support to help people deal with soaring energy bills this winter has been outlined by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak. The measures are a mix of broad help and specific payments to those on lower incomes. All UK households to get an energy bill discount All UK households will get a grant which will

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Russia has formally annexed four occupied regions of Ukraine, in a move sparking international condemnation. President Vladimir Putin signed “accession treaties” with the regions’ Moscow-installed leaders at a ceremony in the Kremlin’s opulent St George’s Hall on

Russell family The “negative effects of online content” were a factor in the death of a girl who took her own life, an inquest has found. Coroner Andrew Walker said material viewed by 14-year-old Molly Russell on social media “shouldn’t have been available for a child to see”. Molly, from Harrow, viewed thousands of images

Reuters The prime minister will meet the head of Britain’s independent forecaster on Friday after days of market turmoil. In an unusual move, Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng will meet the chairman of the Office of Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) to discuss the fallout after Friday’s mini-budget. The watchdog offered to prepare a draft forecast

Reuters Russia’s Vladimir Putin will hold a signing ceremony on Friday formally annexing four more areas of Ukraine after self-styled referendums condemned by Ukraine and the West as a sham. Russian-backed officials had earlier claimed the five-day exercise secured almost total popular support. So-called votes were held in Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and

PA Media The government will not abandon its mini-budget despite the Bank of England having to step in amid market turmoil, a Treasury minister has said. Labour called for the tax-cutting measures to be ditched after they sparked a fall in the pound and a surge in borrowing costs. Government departments are also being asked

Ukraine’s progress in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia has been far more limited than its successes in the north-east. Front line positions come under regular fire as both Russia and Ukraine attempt to push forward. The BBC’s Abdujalil Abdurasulov gained rare access to the front line in Kherson, a region where Ukrainian men

Getty Images The International Monetary Fund has openly criticised the UK government over its plan for tax cuts, warning that the measures are likely to fuel the cost-of-living crisis. In an unusually outspoken statement, the IMF said the proposal would be likely to increase inequality and add to pressures pushing up prices. Markets have already

Getty Images Some mortgage deals have been withdrawn by banks and building societies after a fall in the pound fuelled forecasts of a sharp rise in interest rates. Virgin Money and Skipton Building Society halted mortgage offers for new customers, but said submitted applications would still be processed. Halifax said it would stop mortgages with

Getty Images The Bank of England has said it will “not hesitate” to hike interest rates to curb inflation after the pound fell to a record low against the US dollar. The Bank said it was “monitoring developments closely” and would make a decision on any action in November. Its statement came after the Treasury

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Labour has accused Kwasi Kwarteng of “fanning the flames” of the falling pound by hinting at further “unfunded tax cuts”. The pound hit a record low against the dollar in early trading as markets react to the

Reuters Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni has won Italy’s election, according to exit polls, and is on course to become the country’s first female prime minister. If they are confirmed, Ms Meloni will aim to form Italy’s most right-wing government since World War Two. A Meloni-led Italy will alarm much of Europe with Russia at war

PA Media Labour would reverse the government’s cut to the top rate of income tax, leader Sir Keir Starmer has said. He told the BBC the move was “the wrong choice” during a cost-of-living crisis. But Sir Keir said he supported the decision to cut the basic rate of tax from 20% to 19% as

Getty Images Iran’s president has vowed to take action against protesters after more than a week of anti-government demonstrations. President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to “deal decisively” with the protests, which have now spread to most of Iran’s 31 provinces. Officials say some 35 people have been killed since protests broke out over the death of

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The government’s tax cuts will benefit the richest 1% and make the next generation worse off, Labour has said. Deputy leader Angela Rayner told the BBC the chancellor’s approach of “trickle-down economics” was a “dangerous gamble”. Independent

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Kwasi Kwarteng has said massive tax cuts aimed at boosting economic growth are fair for all despite the highest earners gaining the most. The chancellor scrapped the top rate of income tax as part of the biggest