News 22/10/26

The Department for Work and Pensions is to be granted new powers to deduct cash directly from bank accounts without needing a court order.

The measures allow the DWP to recover outstanding debts through regular payments or one-off deductions from former benefit claimants who are not currently employed, addressing a group from whom reclaiming money has previously proved difficult for authorities.

A report by MPs on the Commons Defence Committee has warned that glaring gaps in UK Arctic defenses leave critical infrastructure exposed to potential Russian attacks.

The committee highlighted a shortage of Royal Navy warships and submarines, warning that undersea cables, energy supplies, and transatlantic supply routes could be threatened in a conflict. The Ministry of Defence insisted it remains clear-eyed regarding threats.

More than 100 pubs and bars have closed across the South East over 15 years, according to new research analysing official data.

Study figures show venue numbers fell from over 6,000 in 2010 to 5,120 by 2025. Significant declines were recorded across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire, representing a seventeen percent drop for the region.