[ad_1] A company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone has failed to meet a deadline to repay £122m for breaching a Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) contract.The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) won a legal case earlier this month against PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Lady Mone's husband Doug Barrowman, over claims the PPE did not comply with relevant healthcare standards.A High Court judge ruled some of the
[ad_1] Brian WheelerPolitical reporterGetty ImagesWomen and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson has been urged to speed up her approval of new guidance on the use of single-sex spaces by trans people.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says its new code of practice must be brought into force "as soon as possible" because some organisations are using old guidance, which is unlawful.The updated code sets out how gyms, clubs and hospitals
[ad_1] A report into the construction of a new £9.6m entrance to the House of Lords has identified the errors which led to delays and spiralling costs.In his 15-page review, Lord Morse concluded that a decision to limit building work to times when the House of Lords was not sitting was key factor in the delays. He also said the project had been further postponed by the death of Queen
[ad_1] The row over why the case of two men accused of spying for China collapsed continues to rumble on and on for the government (not least, of course, because the opposition senses it is worth stoking).The government does seem to have painted itself into a corner over the release of witness statements related to the case.Suggesting that the Crown Prosecution Service was stopping their release, only for the CPS
[ad_1] BBCRussell Findlay, seen here shortly after the attack, had sulphuric acid thrown at his face but avoided permanent scarringScottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has hit out at Scotland's parole system as the man who attacked him with acid 10 years ago is considered for release.Findlay was working an investigative journalist for the Sun newspaper when William Burns knocked on his door disguised as a postman and threw corrosive liquid
[ad_1] Chancellor Rachel Reeves has acknowledged she is "looking at tax and spending", ahead of her autumn Budget next month.Reeves said she would "always make sure the numbers add up", in an interview with Sky news against a backdrop of slow economic growth and mounting government debt.The chancellor has previously hinted at tax rises, and economists have said they expect taxes to go up in the Budget if the chancellor
[ad_1] Simon DedmanEssex political reporterSimon Dedman/BBCKatie Amess is asking to meet the prime minister again to get answers about her father's murderThe family of the murdered MP Sir David Amess say they have yet to receive a response from the prime minister or home secretary after calling for a meeting in the summer.Wednesday marks four years to the day since Sir David, the Conservative MP for Southend West, was stabbed
[ad_1] Iain WatsonPolitical correspondent andChris MasonPolitical editorAFP/Getty ImagesChristopher Cash (left) and Christopher Berry (right) were both accused of spying for ChinaThe Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are demanding the Labour government publish the evidence it submitted in the now-collapsed case against two people accused of spying for China.It follows another public intervention from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which has made clear it would not stand in the way if
[ad_1] ReutersSome migrants coming to the UK will need to speak English to an A-level standard under tougher new rules set to be introduced by the government.The changes, which will come into force from 8 January 2026, will affect those applying for skilled worker or scale-up visas, which are for people employed by fast-growing businesses.The new rules form part of wider plans to cut levels of immigration to the UK
[ad_1] Kate WhannelPolitical reporterGetty ImagesEurope's human rights watchdog has raised concerns about the policing of protests in the UK following arrests over the ban on Palestine Action, and called for broader protest laws to be reviewed.In a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Council of Europe human rights commissioner Michael O'Flaherty said law changes had allowed authorities to "impose excessive limits on freedom of assembly and expression and risk over-policing".
