News 03/12/25

Penrith and Solway MP Markus Campbell Savours has had the Labour whip suspended after voting against the government.

He was the only Labour MP to oppose the motion changing inheritance tax rules for farmers, a key part of last night’s budget measures. A senior parliamentary source said the budget was a confidence matter and any rebellion would result in losing the whip.

Parents will be able to use gift vouchers and supermarket loyalty points to buy infant formula under a government plan to make baby milk more affordable.

The measures will give clearer guidance on nutritional standards that all formula sold in the UK must meet and encourage retailers to follow them. Officials say families could save up to five hundred pounds a year.

King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales have welcomed the German president to the UK for a state visit.

President Frank Walter Steinmeier and his wife were greeted with a ceremonial reception in Windsor before a carriage ride to the castle. The visit marks the first German state trip in twenty seven years and focuses on diplomacy and cultural ties.

A Maidenhead mother has admitted killing her four year old son by stabbing him at their home.

Akanksha Adivarekar, 37, of Dunholme End, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility at Reading Crown Court. She was arrested after attending St Marks Hospital with wrist injuries, saying she had killed her son and consumed bleach. She had previously denied murder over the death on 10 June.

The Kremlin says it is wrong to claim President Putin rejected a US plan discussed yesterday.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks were only a first exchange of opinions, and that Putin accepted some proposals while rejecting others in a normal negotiation process. He declined to comment further, saying the discussions would be more productive without public statements.

A nursery worker has pleaded guilty to 26 serious sexual offences against children.

Vincent Chan, 45, from Finchley, worked at a north London nursery between 2017 and 2024. The charges include assaults by penetration, assaults by touching, and taking and making indecent images across categories A, B and C, with category A involving the most severe abuse

The public inquiry into the Covid pandemic has cost the government more than one hundred million pounds to respond to, in addition to the one hundred and ninety two million spent by the inquiry itself.

This means the total bill to the taxpayer is far higher than previously believed. Government spending has covered legal advice and staffing, with a team of two hundred and forty eight people working across departments to provide evidence. Inquiry sources say the government has at times been hostile and difficult, blocking information and submitting documents late. The Cabinet Office says it remains committed to the inquiry and to learning lessons for the future.

Experts say people having cosmetic filler injections in their face should be warned about the risk of blocked arteries, which can cause skin loss and even blindness if blood flow is damaged.

Researchers used ultrasound to study one hundred cases where fillers went wrong. Clinics are now being advised to use scans when giving dermal fillers to avoid harming nearby arteries. Lead researcher Dr Rosa Sigrist says vascular occlusion is uncommon but can be devastating, causing tissue death and facial deformity if not treated quickly.

New data from the Office for National Statistics shows more people in England are contacting their GP online than by phone.

Figures covering three weeks from mid September show just over forty three percent contacted their GP online, compared with forty one percent by phone. The shift follows a government requirement for all practices to offer web bookings. Ministers say more than eight million people used online consultation services in October, up by a fifth on the previous month. The British Medical Association warns surgeries could be overwhelmed and patients put at risk.

FIFA has backed away from using dynamic pricing for all 2026 World Cup tickets after concerns about the cost of attending matches in North America.

Organisers say they always intended to keep some fixed price tickets so fans could follow their own team. The announcement comes days before Friday’s draw in Washington DC, with fans learning schedules on Saturday.

Nurses warn hospital patients are being set up to suffer this winter, with distressing scenes of elderly people waiting in corridors likely again.

The NHS faces a difficult season, made worse by a bad flu outlook and a looming resident doctors strike. The Royal College of Nursing says there has been insufficient urgency to fix undignified care, recalling last year’s horrendous winter.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces a budget setback as rural Labour MPs rebel over inheritance tax plans on farmers.

During the final budget debate, backbenchers demanded a U turn. The proposal would impose a 20 percent tax on farm estates above one million pounds from April. Protesters have gathered in London, fearing bills that could force small farms to sell up.