Author: James Carter

Britain’s national debt has surpassed £3 trillion for the first time in the country’s history, according to estimates from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, with the campaign group describing the level of borrowing as “out of control” and warning that the Government is adding to the debt pile at a rate of more than £4,000 every second. Britain’s national debt has topped £3 trillion for the first time, according to estimates from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, which believes the historic threshold was crossed in recent days based on the current trajectory of Government spending. The figure equates to more than £100,000 for every…

Sales of newly built homes in London have fallen to their lowest level on record, according to property consultancy Molior, with soaring construction costs, the end of Help to Buy and growing concerns over leasehold ownership all combining to drive buyers away from the market. Sales of new-build homes in London have dropped sharply this year, with just 5,606 sold in the first six months of 2026, according to the latest figures from property consultancy Molior. That figure marks a fall of almost 37% compared with the same period last year, when 8,840 new homes were sold, and represents the…

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has said a North Korean missile unit, potentially equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers, has begun deploying to western Russia, in what would mark a significant escalation of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. A North Korean missile unit has begun deploying to western Russia and could eventually be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for use against Ukraine, according to an official at Ukraine’s military intelligence agency. Andrii Cherniak, of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), said the unit, comprising around 90 North Korean personnel, is expected to be based in…

A Road Safety Strategy consultation being considered by Andy Burnham’s government could bring penalties for driving without ever holding a licence into line with those for driving while disqualified, potentially exposing offenders to a 12-month prison sentence. Andy Burnham, MP for Makerfield, is considering changes to driving licence penalties as part of the Road Safety Strategy inherited from the previous government under Sir Keir Starmer. The proposals, aimed at cutting road deaths and improving safety on UK roads, could see unlicensed drivers face up to 12 months in prison, bringing their punishment into line with the penalty for driving while…

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting accepted £37,500 in donations from Labour for the Long Term, a think tank founded by David Lawrence, who separately received around £500,000 from disgraced US financier Sam Bankman-Fried — though there is no suggestion Streeting was aware of any link between the two. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting received £37,500 in donations between 2022 and 2023 from Labour for the Long Term (LLT), a think tank whose founder, David Lawrence, accepted approximately £500,000 from convicted American fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried around a month before LLT made its first donation to the Ilford North MP. Bankman-Fried, founder of the…

South Korea’s Kospi index tumbled more than 4% on Thursday, leading broad declines across Asian markets, after chipmakers including SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics were caught up in fresh selling of technology stocks tied to the artificial intelligence boom on Wall Street. Asian shares were mostly lower on Thursday, with South Korea’s Kospi falling more than 4% after declines among major US technology companies overnight. The losses were led by semiconductor firms, with memory chipmaker SK Hynix among the worst hit as investors pulled back from stocks linked to the artificial intelligence sector. Markets across the region also weighed continued…

Former US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has signed up to celebrity video platform Cameo, offering fans birthday messages, pep talks and roasts for a starting price of $180, with a business-use option available for at least $5,000. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former Republican congresswoman for Georgia’s 14th district, has joined Cameo, the platform that allows public figures to sell personalised video messages to fans. Announcing the move on TikTok on Tuesday, Greene told her followers: “If you have a special message for a friend or loved one, I would love to deliver it for you. Or any other message for…

President Donald Trump intervened to stop a young child from wandering off the edge of a stage during a Las Vegas event on his economic agenda, quipping that he didn’t want the toddler to suffer the same fate as Joe Biden did at a 2023 commencement ceremony. President Donald Trump rushed to prevent a toddler from falling off a stage during a televised event in Las Vegas on Wednesday, joking about a previous mishap involving his predecessor as he did so. The moment occurred at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Summerlin, where Trump had been speaking for…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has accused fellow EU governments of a “selfish” and unlawful response to the escalating crisis in Ceuta, as the confirmed death toll passed 60 and world leaders including Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni weighed in ahead of an emergency meeting of EU interior ministers. Spain has accused other European Union member states of responding selfishly to the deepening migrant crisis in Ceuta, as the confirmed death toll from Thursday’s mass border crossing climbed past 60. Around 60,000 people crossed into the North African enclave from Morocco in scenes captured in widely circulated footage, prompting Prime…

President Trump has threatened to leave Todd Blanche in place as Acting Attorney General indefinitely and revive a controversial $1.8 billion fund, after Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis refused to back his confirmation. President Donald Trump has unveiled a plan to keep Todd Blanche serving as Acting Attorney General for as long as necessary, in an apparent attempt to pressure two Republican senators standing in the way of his confirmation. In a post on Truth Social on Saturday morning, Trump warned Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas that he would push ahead with…