Author: Darren Smith

British pubs will save an average of £1,650 annually under a business rates relief package announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, as the government moves to address declining numbers across the sector. The Treasury confirmed that approximately 75% of pubs will see their business rates bills either fall or remain unchanged in the coming year. The sector as a whole is expected to pay 8% less in business rates by 2029 compared to current levels. From April, eligible pubs will receive a 15% reduction on their business rates bills, followed by a two-year freeze in real terms. The measures come as…

An academic who spent years researching populist movements across Europe has been chosen to contest a crucial Greater Manchester by-election for Reform UK. Matthew Goodwin, 44, brings credentials as an author of two books examining shifting political trends and currently holds the position of honorary president of Students for Reform. He studied contemporary history at the University of Salford, located near the constituency. The announcement was made during a campaign launch event in Greater Manchester, where Mr Goodwin appeared alongside Reform UK MP Lee Anderson. He becomes the first major party candidate confirmed for the contest, although Shahbaz Sarwar from…

A major offshore wind project capable of generating enough electricity to power more than half the homes in Wales has taken a significant step forward after securing a contract in the UK Government’s record-breaking renewable energy auction. The Awel y Môr development, located in the Irish Sea off the North Wales coast, was among the successful projects in the auction announced on 14 January, which delivered the largest single procurement of offshore wind energy in British and European history. Developer RWE is now working towards a final investment decision on the project, which will see up to 50 turbines constructed…

A wave of high-profile defections from the Conservative Party to Reform UK has intensified in early 2026, raising questions about the future direction of Britain’s traditional party of the right. The most recent departure came on January 26, 2026, when Suella Braverman, the former Home Secretary and MP for Fareham, announced her defection at a Reform rally in London. Speaking at the event, Ms Braverman said she felt “like I’ve come home” after 30 years as a Conservative, and accused the Tories of “betrayal” on border control and what she described as lies about the European Convention on Human Rights.…

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK, declaring that joining Nigel Farage’s party “feels like I have come home.” Ms Braverman was unveiled by Mr Farage at a Veterans for Reform event in London today, confirming months of speculation about her political future. The former Cabinet minister, who served as Home Secretary under both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, had long been regarded as a likely candidate to cross the floor. She sat on the right wing of the Conservative Party and had repeatedly urged the Tories to pursue an electoral pact with…

Andy Burnham has criticised Sir Keir Starmer and his allies after being denied permission to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election, warning he is “concerned” about the impact the decision may have on upcoming elections. The Greater Manchester Mayor was blocked from contesting the seat by Labour’s 10-strong National Executive Committee, which ruled that allowing his candidacy would trigger an unnecessary mayoral by-election. In a statement released this afternoon, Mr Burnham expressed his disappointment and took aim at those in control of the party’s ruling body. Writing on X, he said he had put himself forward to prevent “the…

A newly published Air Accidents Investigation Branch report has revealed that a Beechcraft Bonanza suffered a complete engine power loss moments after takeoff from Norwich Airport, forcing the pilot to carry out an emergency landing during which the aircraft’s landing gear collapsed. A Beechcraft B36TC Bonanza, registration N5073C, was involved in an incident during takeoff from runway 27 at Norwich Airport, after the aircraft’s engine lost power in the seconds following lift-off. At the time, the airport said the aircraft had developed “a small fire in its engine on take off,” and a photograph of the aftermath appeared to show…

Three Slovak nationals have been convicted in connection with the kidnap and rape of a 12-year-old girl who was abducted from a supermarket car park in Dover last August, with sentencing due in September. Three Slovak men have been convicted over the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl in Kent, following a trial that heard how she was taken from a supermarket car park in Dover before being held and repeatedly assaulted over several days. The men, named as Kevin Horvath, 26, Ivan Turtak, 38, and Ernest Gunnar, 27, were convicted of offences including kidnap and rape, with sentencing…

Two men have been jailed at the Old Bailey for conspiring to carry out arson attacks on property and a car connected to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, in a plot the BBC has revealed was ordered on behalf of Russia. Two men have been sentenced at the Old Bailey over a conspiracy to set fire to property and a vehicle linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, in attacks the BBC has revealed were ordered on behalf of Russia. Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, was jailed for seven years, while Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Ukrainian-born Romanian national, received a…

Textile fragments from Viking Age boat graves in Sweden, dismissed for more than a century as ordinary funeral garments, have been found to contain Arabic script spelling out the words “Allah” and “Ali,” according to research reported by the BBC’s Tharik Hussain, raising fresh questions about contact between Viking and Muslim societies. Burial costumes recovered from Viking Age graves in Sweden have been found to contain patterns spelling out Arabic words, including “Allah” and “Ali,” according to new research reported by BBC journalist Tharik Hussain. The garments, taken from graves dating to the 9th and 10th centuries, had spent more…