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Government pledges support for Stormont stability Reuters By Jayne McCormack BBC News NI political correspondent The UK government has said it will work alongside Stormont’s power-sharing executive to maintain stability. It comes amid upheaval in the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) following the resignation of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson as its leader. He quit after he was… Continue reading Government pledges support for Stormont stability

Renter reforms watered down after Tory concerns Reuters By Becky Morton & Harry Farley BBC Politics The government has set out a series of changes to planned protections for renters in England, after some Conservative MPs raised concerns they would be too burdensome for landlords. The proposals include making tenants commit to a minimum six-month… Continue reading Renter reforms watered down after Tory concerns

Housing fleeceholds the next big scandal, peer warns Getty Images By Jennifer McKiernan BBC political reporter A Conservative peer – and ex-adviser to Boris Johnson – has warned “fleeceholds” will be “the next great scandal” to hit the housing market. The term is used to describe the plight of homeowners on new-build estates locked into… Continue reading Housing fleeceholds the next big scandal, peer warns

Council spending on special needs transport doubles By Phil Kemp, Jack Fenwick & Alex Forsyth BBC News Council spending on school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has almost doubled in the last five years, BBC research has found. Spending is set to hit £1.4bn across local authorities in England in… Continue reading Council spending on special needs transport doubles

UK approach to China is ‘robust’, Sunak says UK Parliament The UK’s approach to China is “more robust” than most of its allies, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said. It comes after some MPs criticised the response to cyber-attacks against the Electoral Commission and UK politicians, which the government has blamed on Beijing-linked hackers. Ministers… Continue reading UK approach to China is ‘robust’, Sunak says

Rishi Sunak being grilled by senior MPs Up next is Steve Brine, of the health select committee, who quotes Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and asks the PM to identity which parts of the NHS are “woefully inefficient”. Sunak responds that the NHS has it’s own productivity plan – not decided by the government – and suggests… Continue reading Rishi Sunak being grilled by senior MPs

UK hits out at Chinese-backed cyber-attacks This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Sam Francis & Jennifer McKiernan Political reporters, BBC News The UK government has formally accused China of being behind what it called “malicious” cyber campaigns against MPs and the Electoral… Continue reading UK hits out at Chinese-backed cyber-attacks

UK accuses groups linked to China of two ‘malicious cyber campaigns’ There are several key standout phrases in the response by China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian earlier, who avoided mentioning the United Kingdom by name in his statement on cyber incidents. He said countries should have “sufficient, objective evidence” before making what he described… Continue reading UK accuses groups linked to China of two ‘malicious cyber campaigns’