News 22/01/26

The UK is preparing for the largest policing overhaul in decades, with the number of constabularies set to be reduced.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will outline plans next week to cut the current 43 forces. Critics argue the existing system is bureaucratic and expensive, and some officials say smaller forces struggle to tackle serious crime. Reforms are expected to merge back-office functions, freeing resources for more frontline officers.

Owners of a Slough car park have had plans to use the space for storage refused, after it was described as “a mess of discarded vehicles and fly tipping.”

Retrospective planning for 2 Cherwell Close, the parking spaces behind the shops, was rejected by Slough council on 15 January. The proposal noted the client had repeatedly complained to the council about fly tipping and unruly use of the open area, where cars were dumped with no regard for public safety.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised European allies for failing to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and for not earning respect from US President Donald Trump.

Speaking in Davos, he compared the situation to the film Groundhog Day, saying the UK and Europe repeat rhetoric without taking meaningful action, leaving them reacting to events instead of shaping their collective future.

While Sinners exceeded expectations at this year’s Oscar nominations, receiving sixteen nods, not every film shared the success.

Wicked For Good performed strongly at the box office, but that popularity did not translate into academy votes. After the first instalment earned ten nominations last year, the sequel failed to secure any nominations and missed out on the best picture category.

The family of a pensioner killed in a ritual sacrifice say authorities failed to protect him.

Roger Leadbeater, seventy four, was stabbed by Emma Borowy, thirty two, while walking his dog in a Sheffield park in August twenty twenty three. An inquest heard Borowy absconded while on leave. The coroner said her leave would probably have been refused if procedures had been followed.

The government plans to reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales in what sources call the biggest reform in decades.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will announce proposals next week, pledging to cut the current total of forty three forces and focus on serious and organised crime. Changes may take years, with sources saying reforms would be completed by the end of the next parliament around twenty thirty four.

Two people have been charged after the collapse of a pre paid funeral firm that left thousands out of pocket.

Around forty six thousand customers lost money when Safe Hands Plans Limited collapsed in twenty twenty two. The Serious Fraud Office charged Richard Wells and Neil Debenham with conspiracy to defraud. Both men are due at Westminster Magistrates Court on five February.

The owners of a cat reported stolen by a delivery driver say they are delighted she has been returned.

Carl Crowther from Elland appealed for Nora’s return, saying she was ill. Doorbell footage showed a driver taking her. Police said the cat was located and returned.

While Volodymyr Zelenskyy was speaking in Davos, France announced its navy had intercepted a sanctioned Russian tanker in the Mediterranean.

President Emmanuel Macron said the operation was carried out with support from several allies and was conducted in full compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. France said the mission was carried out with the UK, which gathered and shared intelligence.

Former Labour MP and health minister Andrew Gwynne is expected to step down from parliament.

The fifty one year old was sacked from government and had the Labour whip removed after racist and sexist WhatsApp messages emerged last February. In a group used by Manchester Labour politicians, he mocked a constituent complaining about bin collections in explicit terms and made offensive remarks about Diane Abbott.

After meeting US President Donald Trump, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says documents aimed at ending the war are nearly ready.

He says Ukraine is working with honesty and determination and insists Russia must be prepared to finish the aggression. Zelensky says earlier US meetings delivered defence missiles and discussions on protecting the skies. He says he hopes the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine and calls for a strong Europe and an independent Ukraine.

A police video shows an alleged underground cable thief being arrested in Birmingham city centre.

Officers are seen encouraging the suspect to climb a ladder from underground back to street level. West Midlands Police said officers were flagged down by the public as men attempted to steal cables on Great Charles Queensway at around seven thirty on Tuesday. Two men were arrested on suspicion of theft and a van carrying cables was recovered.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says the UK will not yet join US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace.

She told the BBC Britain was invited but will not be a signatory at a ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Cooper said concerns remain over possible involvement by Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The board would give Trump wide decision making powers and is described by the US as a new organisation to resolve conflicts.

Liverpool are the Premier League’s top earning club for the first time, according to Deloitte.

The title winners generated eight hundred and thirty six million euros, around seven hundred and two million pounds. Manchester United dropped to their lowest ever position in the Money League. Real Madrid again lead globally with one point two billion euros in revenue, despite not winning the Champions League or La Liga.

UK government borrowing fell sharply last month as higher tax income and increased National Insurance outweighed spending.

In December borrowing was eleven point six billion pounds, the Office for National Statistics said. That was seven point one billion pounds lower than a year earlier and below forecasts. However it was still higher than the amount borrowed in the same month of twenty twenty three. The ONS said receipts were up strongly while spending rose modestly.

Heavy rain is expected to cause flooding and disruption in parts of the UK, according to the Met Office.

An amber warning is in place for areas of Scotland until six pm. Forecasters say homes and businesses are likely to flood, with potential damage to some buildings. The warning affects Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, the Highlands, Eilean Siar, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.

US envoy Steve Witkoff says negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are now down to a single issue.

Speaking in Davos before travelling to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin, he said significant progress had been made. Witkoff added that discussions are at their final stage, saying negotiators are close to an agreement and he believes the process can be concluded.

President Donald Trump says the United States is exploring a deal on Greenland after talks with Nato, backing away from threats to impose tariffs on European allies.

He said the meeting created a framework for an agreement. However, there was no indication of any deal meeting his demand for ownership of Greenland, an ambition he repeated while ruling out military force.

The use of medication to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has risen sharply in the UK, largely driven by higher prescription rates among adults, particularly women.

Research shows the proportion of people taking ADHD drugs has tripled over the past decade, rising from zero point one two percent in 2010 to zero point three nine percent in 2023. The biggest increase was among those over twenty five, with academics at the University of Oxford describing a twenty fold rise among women and a fifteen fold increase among men.

Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, says it plans to launch more than five thousand four hundred satellites to create a new communications network.

Known as TeraWave, it would offer continuous global internet access and move large amounts of data more quickly than rival services. Even after thousands of launches, Blue Origin would still have far fewer satellites in orbit than Elon Musk’s Starlink. Unlike Starlink, TeraWave will focus on data centres, businesses and governments rather than individual users.