News 20/11/25

The UK’s response to the pandemic has been judged a repeated case of too little, too late, according to the COVID 19 Inquiry.

Its chair, Baroness Heather Hallett, said tens of thousands of lives could have been saved, including around twenty three thousand in England alone, had mandatory lockdowns been introduced earlier. In her summary she acknowledged ministers across all four governments were often forced to choose between bad options, yet concluded the overall response was too slow.

The report says the UK’s administrations failed to grasp the scale of the threat in early 2020 and missed clear global warnings that urgent action was needed.

Gary Mani Mounfield, the bassist for The Stone Roses, has died at the age of sixty three.

His brother Greg confirmed the news in a post on Facebook, saying it came with the heaviest of hearts. Mani was a central figure in the Madchester scene after the band formed in nineteen eighty three and went on to influence a generation of indie and alternative musicians.

Tributes have begun to pour in from across the music world.

A crash outside a Slough school has left seven children injured after a car mounted the pavement. It happened at about three twenty five yesterday afternoon on Cippenham Lane outside Westgate School.

Police say a black Audi and a red Hyundai were involved in a collision that forced the Hyundai onto the pavement where it struck the group of pupils. Six children suffered minor injuries while a seventh was taken to hospital as a precaution and has since been discharged. Officers remain in the area speaking to witnesses as the investigation continues.

Migrants who are in the UK legally could soon have to wait up to twenty years before they can settle permanently under new government proposals.

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain will be doubled from five years to ten and will apply to an estimated one point six million people who have arrived since twenty twenty one. The change will not affect those who have already secured settlement. Mahmood said that becoming part of the UK is not a right but a privilege and one that must be earned.

Former Met Police officer and serial rapist David Carrick has received his thirty seventh life sentence after being convicted of further sex offences. Carrick was sentenced at the Old Bailey for molesting a twelve year old girl and raping a former partner.

The fifty year old was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault, two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one of controlling or coercive behaviour. Mrs Justice McGowan handed down a life sentence with a minimum term of thirty years which will run concurrently with his existing terms.

Two men accused of a violent attack at a Slough garage that left a woman fighting for her life have appeared in court.

Matthew Smith, aged twenty four from Iver, and Joshua Watt, also twenty four, from Aylesbury, are both charged with Section eighteen wounding with intent. They appeared before Reading Magistrates on the thirteenth of November where the case was sent to the Crown Court. Their next hearing is scheduled for the fifteenth of December next year.

Both men remain in custody as the investigation continues.

Andy Burnham has once again refused to rule out a bid for the Labour leadership after MP Clive Lewis offered to step down from his Norwich South seat to make way for the Greater Manchester mayor.

Burnham was pressed on the suggestion during appearances on BBC Breakfast, Radio 4’s Today programme and BBC Radio Manchester, but said he is “fully focused” on his current role as mayor and would not be drawn into speculation. His repeated evasions have reignited rumours that he may challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the top job, though he would need to return to the Commons first.

Parts of Paris were hit by a widespread power blackout early this morning according to France’s electricity grid operator Enedis.

The outage disrupted several metro and suburban rail services, leaving parts of the city facing significant delays during the morning commute. Power was expected to be restored by eight o clock UK time, which is nine o clock in France. Enedis has not yet given any indication of what caused the blackout or whether further disruption is expected later in the day.

Donald Trump has signed a bill ordering the US Justice Department to release all files it holds on Jeffrey Epstein.

Announcing the move on his Truth Social platform, he wrote, “I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” Trump went on to claim that his Democratic opponents have “used the Epstein issue … to distract from our AMAZING Victories.” The bill cleared Congress after the Senate finalised the legislation, following a strong show of support in the House.

In Slough, the borough council’s lead finance member has described its second-quarter budget report as “difficult and sobering,” warning that significant spending cuts are needed.

At Monday’s cabinet meeting, councillors were told that the council is on track to overspend by around £17.5 million this year. A large part of that sum — £9 million — is linked to the council’s Dedicated Schools Grant, specifically its High Needs budget.

A Sky News investigation has uncovered that the ringleader of a Romanian grooming gang was offered £1,500 by the Home Office to be deported, even while he was in prison awaiting trial.

Owners say 38-year-old Mircea Marian Cumpanasoiu led a network that abused vulnerable women in Dundee. He was given a “voluntary return” form under a scheme paying foreign nationals to leave Britain — a move later dropped as court proceedings were imminent.