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Reform UK leader has again denied allegations about his behaviour as a schoolboy but what are the facts?Nigel Farage has again denied allegations of racism as a schoolboy and repeated his claim that some had been concocted because people disliked his politics.During a press conference, he snapped at one reporter who asked about the issue, saying: “I think we’ve gone quite a long way towards answering all this, don’t you?” Continue reading...

Damaging events could knock finances off course, says Treasury’s independent forecaster as it downgrades growth outlookReeves says budget will cut living costs after shock OBR leakBudget 2025: key points at a glanceThe Treasury’s independent forecaster has warned that Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising budget will still leave the public finances in a “vulnerable” position despite her more than doubling the UK’s financial buffer.The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said the potential for damaging events – such as a global stock market crash or future pandemic – to knock the government’s finances off course remained high, even while the chancellor increased her headroom from £9.9bn to £22bn. Continue reading...

By the time the chancellor reached the dispatch box, the OBR had accidentally published its verdict in full onlineAt a glance: the key points from the budgetShortly before midday on Wednesday, a series of headlines about Rachel Reeves’s budget began appearing on the Reuters newswire, sending instant ripples though financial markets.The details were jaw-dropping: they appeared to spell out the key policies of the chancellor’s budget more than 40 minutes before she was due to deliver them to a crowded Commons chamber. Continue reading...

Sainsbury’s chief executive says ‘industry concerns have been heard’, although others outside retail industry are left frustrated by changesRetailers have breathed a sigh of relief after changes to their business rates bills in the budget were not as bad as feared, after the industry had warned for months that more punitive measures could lead to shop closures and jobs losses.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, on Wednesday revealed plans to permanently reduce business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties – although the discounts are not as generous as those that have been in place since the pandemic. About 750,000 properties in those sectors will see their bills set below the current standard level, with deeper discounts for smaller operators, according to the government. Continue reading...

Commission president says undermining of sovereign European nation would ‘open the doors for more wars’The European Commission president has warned against “the unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation” as Europe scrambles to assert influence over the US’s attempt to end the war in Ukraine.Speaking to European lawmakers in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen said Russia showed “no signs of true willingness to end the conflict” and continued to operate in a mindset unchanged since the days of Yalta – the much-criticised and misunderstood 1945 summit to settle the postwar order. Continue reading...

MEPs pass resolution to help parents tackle growing dangers of addictive internet platforms Children under 16 should be banned from using social media unless their parents decide otherwise, the European parliament says.MEPs passed a resolution on age restrictions on Wednesday by a large majority. Although not legally binding, it raises pressure for European legislation amid growing alarm about the mental health risks to children of unfettered internet access. Continue reading...

Justice department maintains that Trump administration didn’t violate judge’s order to return flights to USThe Department of Justice said in a statement that Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was the one who made the decision to continue with the deportation flights of Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador in March, despite a federal judge’s directive that the flights must be returned to the United States.In a court filing on Tuesday, the justice department said that “Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove provided DHS with legal advice regarding the court’s order as to flights that had left the United States before the order issued, through DHS Acting General Counsel Joseph Mazzara” and that “after receiving that legal advice, Secretary Noem directed that the AEA detainees who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador”. Continue reading...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday new supports for the steel and lumber industries hit hard by U.S. tariffs.