Author: James Carter

The Office for Budget Responsibility says soaring energy costs will dent growth, push up inflation and leave living standards in a “grim” place. The Chancellor has only £15bn of headroom against his main fiscal rule. The UK may not be involved in the US-Iran war, but its economy is feeling the full force of the conflict. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), in its first assessment since the Middle East conflict began, says soaring energy prices will hurt growth in the short term, raise inflation and leave living standards in a “grim” place. Interest rates are also forecast to rise,…

The Tory leader called the Chancellor’s package “not good enough, not strong enough, not bold enough”. The Budget also holds a pension triple-lock change from 2030, energy bill help and a cash ISA U-turn. Kemi Badenoch has condemned John Healey’s debut Budget as “not good enough, not strong enough, not bold enough”, saying it ducked the country’s most urgent problems. The Conservative leader’s reply to his near hour-long speech was: “Is that it?” The Chancellor delivered the Budget on Wednesday 28 October, with 98 measures. Mr Healey said it would give families “breathing space” as the Iran war pushes up…

Alex Castellanos says the bigger risk for the GOP next week is not a “blue wave” but frustrated Republicans and independents not turning out. A veteran Republican campaign strategist has warned that Donald Trump’s party faces a threat from its own side as voters head to the polls in next week’s midterm elections. Alex Castellanos, who has worked on six Republican presidential campaigns, says the biggest concern this year is not a “blue wave” but a phenomenon he has dubbed the “Red Scream”. According to Axios, he believes “Republicans and independents are going to be screaming for attention, and many…

The defeated candidate says he will “lead the opposition from here”. He has offered no evidence of fraud, and international observers found the vote fair. Flavio Bolsonaro has declared himself the “true elected president of Brazil”, despite losing Sunday’s run-off to the incumbent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The 45-year-old right-wing senator landed in Miami on Wednesday morning local time after travelling from Argentina by private jet. He thanked Donald Trump and “the wonderful American people for welcoming me”. He had been ordered by Brazil’s Supreme Court to surrender his passports to federal police as part of a money-laundering inquiry,…

CTV reports Pete Hoekstra told business leaders in a closed-door meeting that losses in swing races could make life harder for Canada. The US embassy says his remarks were “grossly taken out of context”. The US ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, has suggested that Canada could be blamed if Republicans perform poorly in next week’s midterm elections. CTV News reported on Wednesday that he told business leaders at a closed-door meeting that if swing races, including those in Maine and Michigan, go to the Democrats, it could make things harder for Canada because Donald Trump might try to blame it…

Channel 12’s projection gives Likud 24 seats to Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party’s 22. Neither bloc is shown to have a majority, and weeks of coalition talks are likely. Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party will remain the largest in the Knesset, according to a national exit poll by Israel’s Channel 12. It projects Likud on 24 seats and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, billed as Mr Netanyahu’s closest challenger, on 22. The figures are estimates, not counted votes or official allocations of seats. The election therefore has no clear winner, and weeks of jockeying to form a government are likely. Exit polls usually…

The prime minister has told voters to choose him or risk nuclear annihilation, and is reported to have pressed the military and Donald Trump for action against Iran. Tuesday’s vote is too close to call, and neither bloc is on course for a majority. Benjamin Netanyahu has sharpened his rhetoric on Iran in the final days before Israel’s election on Tuesday. He is also reported to have pressed the military to act against Tehran, as polls suggest his coalition narrowly trails the opposition. He posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv. Reports of a clash…

The former BT hut beside the B3227 in Somerset measures 10ft by 10ft. Buyers have until 3 November to submit offers. A 10ft by 10ft building billed as England’s smallest home has gone on sale for an advertised £27,000. The former telecommunications hut stands beside the B3227 Milverton road, near the hamlet of Croford in Somerset. Inside it has an open-plan living area, a kitchenette and a ladder to a mezzanine sleeping space, plus a separate shower room with a toilet, sink and shower cubicle. It has planning permission for holiday accommodation, not unrestricted permanent residential use. The sale Stags…

The Home Secretary would not confirm in the Commons that she will implement her indefinite leave to remain changes in full. Labour MPs, the London mayor and some Cabinet colleagues are pressing her to soften them. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood faced fresh taunts over whether she is “calling the shots” on Labour’s immigration policy, as a possible climbdown looms. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said millions of foreign nationals who arrived during the so-called “Boris wave” should not have to wait longer for settlement rights. Ms Mahmood wants to raise the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR)…

The longtime leader said “it is clear that we lost” after a high-turnout vote. Seat and vote figures so far are projections, not certified results. Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia’s longtime leader, has conceded defeat to a student-led movement in Sunday’s parliamentary election, ending more than a decade of rule by his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). “Based on a stratified sample, it is clear that we lost these elections,” he told supporters at SNS headquarters in Belgrade. Pre-election polls had suggested a tight race with the newly formed Students’ List. Celebrations broke out in the capital as soon as he conceded, with…