News 25/01/26

Police officers in England and Wales could spend more time on the streets under sweeping reform plans to be unveiled on Monday.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will pledge to cut “red tape” and “unnecessary admin” that currently keeps officers in stations. She will also introduce faster response times for emergencies by setting a national standard for 999 calls. Mahmood said: “People are reporting crimes and then waiting hours or even days for a response.”

The body of a man who disappeared during a Christmas Day swim in Devon is believed to have been found.

Police say it is thought to be Matthew Upham, one of two men missing at Budleigh Salterton last month. Formal identification has not taken place, but the family of a sixty four year old man from town has been informed.

Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing as an MP in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by election by Labour’s governing body.

He requested permission on Saturday, but as mayor of Greater Manchester needed approval to contest another election. His return to Westminster was seen by some as a challenge to Sir Keir Starmer. The National Executive Committee, including the Prime Minister, voted against the request on Sunday.

A new mural warning the United States not to launch a military strike on Iran has been unveiled in central Tehran.

The image shows damaged aircraft on the deck of a carrier alongside the slogan If you sow the wind you will reap the whirlwind in Farsi and English. It appeared in Enghelab Square after a senior Iranian official warned any attack would be treated as an all-out war as US warships arrive.

The Crown Estate wants to take back management of Home Park in Windsor and two nearby car parks from the local council after more than eighty years.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead says it cannot afford improvements. The Crown Estate says it is unhappy with maintenance and would invest to enhance the experience. The council would receive six hundred thousand pounds if it gives up control, despite no compensation being owed.

The Labour Party’s national executive committee has blocked Andy Burnham from running in the Gorton and Denton by election.

It is understood that the ten person panel voted eight to one against him. Deputy leader Lucy Powell supported Burnham, while NEC chair and cabinet minister Shabana Mahmood abstained. As a directly elected mayor, he required NEC permission to stand as Labour’s candidate.

A drink driving woman from Berkshire has been jailed for more than two years after a footballer lost his leg in a motorway collision, police say.

Anna Malgorzata Bogusiewicz, forty five, of Wraysbury, was charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink driving. Officers were called to a serious crash on the M27 after her Mercedes hit a car parked on the hard shoulder.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who also chairs Labour’s National Executive Committee, has been questioned about Andy Burnham and whether he will be allowed to run in the Gorton and Denton by election.

She praised Burnham as a fantastic mayor and said she appreciated the letter he sent to party leaders setting out his case. Mahmood added that as NEC chair she did not want to appear to sway the debate.

A total of eighty six people have been arrested after protesters supporting a Palestine Action linked activist on hunger strike at Wormwood Scrubs breached prison grounds, police say.

The group refused to leave when told, allegedly blocking staff, threatening officers, and several entered a staff entrance area. Police say they did not get past security.

The main railway line in south west England has been declared safe after engineers inspected damage where a sea wall collapsed during a storm.

Network Rail says a limited service is operating in Dawlish after safety critical checks. Storm Ingrid hit the south Devon coast, damaging a historic pier and homes. Debris was cleared and speed restrictions remain, causing delays.

A so called British FBI will be created to fight the most serious crime and allow local police forces to focus on everyday offences.

The National Police Service will be established in England and Wales to tackle terrorism, fraud and organised crime that operate across force boundaries. The home secretary Shabana Mahmood says it will attract staff, although date is unknown currently.

Motorists using the busy Crown Corner junction in Slough may not realise that more than seventy years ago it was central to a bold road safety experiment.

From 1955 to 1957 the town became a testing ground for ideas that shaped traffic management nationwide, including linked lights, zebra crossings and a signal that turned red if someone had died there.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a one hundred percent tariff on Canadian goods if Canada strikes a trade deal with China.

Writing on Truth Social he said any such agreement would trigger the move. It is unclear which deal he meant. Last week Prime Minister Carney announced a strategic partnership with China and agreed to reduce tariffs, a move Trump previously described as good, despite growing tensions.