News 07/12/25

Reform UK is rejecting allegations that Nigel Farage breached electoral law during his successful Clacton on Sea campaign in the 2024 General Election.

A report in the Daily Telegraph said a former campaign team member had referred him to police, claiming he falsified expenses. The party called the accusations inaccurate and said they came from a disgruntled former councillor seeking attention.

Police have arrested one man and are tracing further suspects after twenty one people needed medical attention following a suspected pepper spray incident at Heathrow Airport.

Officers were called at eight eleven on Sunday to a multi storey car park at Terminal Three, where armed officers detained a thirty one year old man within nine minutes.

Ministers warn young people could lose access to universal credit if they refuse to take part in support offered through a new scheme.

Officials say almost one million could benefit from plans to move more young adults into work. The number not in employment, education or training has risen since the pandemic, with around nine hundred forty thousand now classed as NEET.

Lando Norris has secured his first Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship after finishing third in the deciding race in Abu Dhabi.

McLaren complete a clean sweep after taking the Constructors’ Championship in Singapore. Max Verstappen won from pole, but Norris’s third place left him two points ahead and ended Verstappen’s four year title run.

Donald Trump’s son says his father may step back from the Ukraine peace process, suggesting it is not a concern for Americans.

Speaking at the Doha Forum with Sky’s Yalda Hakim in his role as a business leader, Donald Trump Jr outlined an agenda linking defence technology and artificial intelligence to stability and economic growth.

Sir Keir Starmer says Angela Rayner will return to the cabinet after resigning over a tax scandal.

The former deputy prime minister quit in September after failing to pay the correct stamp duty on an eight hundred thousand pound flat in Hove. An investigation found she acted with integrity, though missing proper tax advice fell short of ministerial standards. Starmer says she remains a major Labour figure.

Police have arrested one man on suspicion of assault after several people were sprayed with what is believed to be a form of pepper spray in London this morning.

Officers were called at 08:11 following reports that a group of men had assaulted a number of people before leaving the scene. Armed response officers attended and detained one man, who remains in custody. Enquiries continue as police work to trace further suspects.

Emergency services are responding to an incident at Heathrow, with crews attending the multi storey car park at Terminal 3.

It is understood that several people are receiving treatment at the airport, though their injuries are not believed to be serious. The London Ambulance Service declared a significant incident at around 8.40 this morning, and emergency teams remain on site.

At least twenty five people have died in a fire at a nightclub in Goa.

Police say the blaze began around midnight on Saturday, with most of those killed believed to be kitchen staff. Authorities think several tourists may also be among the victims. Video posted online shows emergency workers lining up to assist the injured, and some people have been taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Health leaders warn that as many as eight thousand people could be admitted to hospital before the current flu wave reaches its peak.

A highly infectious strain is driving record numbers needing urgent care. The UK Health Security Agency reports rising cases among younger patients and fears the virus will soon spread to older and more vulnerable groups. Consultant epidemiologist Dr Jamie Lopez Berbnal says the circulating strain has evolved more quickly than usual.

More than half a month of rain could fall in some areas within twenty four hours this week.

A Met Office yellow warning takes effect from six on Monday evening, covering parts of southwest England and Wales through to Herefordshire and Hampshire. Forecasters say up to forty millimetres of rain may fall, with as much as sixty to eighty millimetres expected across Dartmoor and high ground in South Wales, hitting already saturated ground and making travel difficult.

Young people on benefits are to be offered job opportunities in sectors including construction and hospitality.

The government will fund three hundred and fifty thousand training and work experience placements and guarantee fifty five thousand jobs in high need areas from spring 2026. The eight hundred and twenty million pounds of funding aims to move young people off Universal Credit, though the Conservatives argue the Budget has pushed unemployment higher.