Will Meakin-Durrant

Sadiq Khan set to be given extra powers over London's pubs, bars and nightclubs It has also been confirmed the possibility of a tourist tax is in 'the remit of the Chancellor', Rachel Reeves, who will unveil her Budget on Wednesday

Expanded licensing powers for the Mayor of London will "create the conditions for London’s night-time economy to thrive", says Miatta Fahnbulleh

www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-...

Lords clash over assisted dying Bill ‘time wasting’ A former Cabinet minister has said she will not be “bullied” into silence over assisted dying, after Dame Esther Rantzen warned peers not to “sabotage democracy”. Baroness Therese Coffey has tabled mo...

"We are not wasting time," says former Lord Justice of Appeal Baroness Butler-Sloss.

nation.cymru/news/lords-c...

Peers took 4h44 to debate just 21 amendments to the assisted dying Bill - and there are now more than 1,000 to get through.

Children’s services should come before Parliament over Sara Sharif failings – MP Officials from Surrey child services should appear before Parliament to answer to failings in their care of murdered 10-year-old Sara Sharif, an MP has urged. Widespread condemnation of authorities th...

Surrey County Council leader Tim Oliver has vowed to “review and strengthen” the organisation’s systems and culture “as per the recommendations”.

careappointments.com/care-news/en...

After the review into Sara Sharif’s murder, Will Forster last week described “constant management failures” at Surrey County Council.

“I don’t have faith and trust that they’ll put this right,” he tells me.

Treasury ministers criticised over ‘hokey cokey’ budget teasers Treasury ministers have faced criticism for their “hokey cokey budget” teasers, amid fears speculation is behind sluggish economic growth. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said ministers of old “would be res...

"We will meet the iron-clad fiscal rules, we will make public finances more resilient, we will reduce inflationary pressures and we will get the cost of borrowing down," says James Murray ahead of next week's Budget.

nation.cymru/news/treasur...

“It’s the hokey cokey Budget – one minute it’s in, the next minute it’s out"

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said a minister of old "would be resigning for anything that was released", as James Murray took questions about pre-Budget briefings.

Westminster must ‘avoid treading on Cardiff Bay’s toes over assisted dying’ Peers began their line-by-line scrutiny of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday.

Peers debated assisted dying and the devolution settlement as they began line-by-line scrutiny of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Benefit fraud crackdown should not see claimants ‘de-banked’ – minister Several MPs urged the Government to consider widening the role of an independent person, whose job will be to keep ministers’ new powers in check.

Benefit claimants risk falling victim to Government “mass fishing” exercises, as ministers receive new powers to look at bank account details to tackle fraud, says Steve Darling.

www.independent.co.uk/money/govern...

Hiding money away in overseas territories starves Treasury, warns MP Phil Brickell will call for Whitehall clarity over ministers’ efforts to tackle financial secrecy in the British Overseas Territories.

Hiding money away in British overseas territories has a knock-on effect for British families, a Labour MP has warned.

www.independent.co.uk/news/busines...

Treasury ministers stand by farm tax plan Exchequer Secretary Dan Tomlinson said the Government made ‘the right decision’ at last year’s budget to end a tax relief for farmers.

Labour backbenchers David Smith and Maya Ellis challenged Treasury ministers to consider tweaking their plan to bring farms into inheritance tax

www.independent.co.uk/news/busines...

‘Pause’ operation of trains without carriage crew, urges Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn urged the Home Secretary to make the move in the Commons.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Home Sec Shabana Mahmood to “look at the very serious problem of some trains operating without any staff on at all”.

www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

MP in bid to stop ferry firms leaving islanders high and dry Tory MP Joe Robertson said the Isle of Wight’s 140,400 residents have little say over how Solent ferries are run.

Are ferry firms leaving island and river communities high and dry? Joe Robertson has tabled the Ferry Services (Integration and Regulation) Bill in an effort to bring boats more in line with buses and trains.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

‘No plans’ to ban VPNs but ‘nothing off the table’ to bolster online safety Baroness Liz Lloyd warned there was ‘limited evidence on children’s use of VPNs’.

There are “no current plans” to ban VPNs, but “nothing is off the table when it comes to keeping children safe”, a tech minister has said.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Football fans have ingenious ways of breaking in without tickets – Lord Mann Lord John Mann cited an ‘ingenious’ example from an Oxford United game.

Football fans have “ingenious ways” of breaking into grounds, a Labour peer has warned.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Jeremy Clarkson told me ‘don’t do it’ as I planned charity pub opening – peer Baroness Monckton is about to launch a pub in Brighton with her charity Team Domenica, which supports young people with learning disabilities.

Peers gave the Licensing Hours Extensions Bill their backing at second reading, in a bid to ease the process of extending licensing hours for nationally important special events.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

✍️ Abbie Llewelyn

“A food allergy enthusiast will claim they saw a potato which has made them go blind.”

Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest, who is opening The North Star in Brighton with her charity Team Domenica, reads some advice she got from Jeremy Clarkson about running a pub.

Minister vows to consider improving Heathrow rail links in third runway review The Transport Secretary faced a call for a ‘cast-iron guarantee’ that towns near the airport will get a rail link, if work begins to expand Heathrow.

"How people get to and from an airport is as important as the number of flights and planes that are landing and taking off," says Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Giving less than 8% of fishing fund to Scotland deemed ‘ocean-going madness’ Scotland is set to receive £28 million from the £360 million UK-wide Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.

Scotland lands the most fish by quantity and value out of the four UK nations, but will get less than 8% of a new fund for fishing and coastal communities.

This is "ocean-going madness", says Alistair Carmichael.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

The still Adriatic Sea off the coast of Budva - with its Old Town in view - as parasailing takes place above.

Budva's Old Town

A view of Budva's suburbs from atop a hill, with mountains beyond.

A postcard from Budva 🇲🇪

Labour has 'no plan' to fix Birmingham debt amid major bin strike Labour has "no plan" to fix the debts blighting English councils, a trade...

Labour has "no plan" to ease the debts blighting English councils, one Unite delegate warned on stage at the party's conference. Unite the Union is behind the long-running Birmingham bin strike

hellorayo.co.uk/hits-radio/b...

Miliband vows to permanently ban ‘dangerous and deeply harmful’ fracking The Energy Secretary used the announcement to attack Reform UK, which has called for more extraction of oil and gas.

"Let’s ban fracking," says Ed Miliband, as he warns it is "dangerous and deeply harmful to our natural environment"

www.independent.co.uk/news/busines...

Losing Commons seat to Reform UK in by-election was ‘wake-up call’ Labour’s Karen Shore lost to Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by six votes.

EXC: When Reform UK overturned a 14,696 majority in the only by-election of the Parliament so far, it was a "wake-up call" for Sir Keir Starmer, Labour's losing candidate tells me

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Labour demands recognition and prevention of Gaza ‘genocide’ at conference The Unison trade union tabled an emergency motion on Monday.

In a blow for Sir Keir Starmer and the Government, Labour conference has approved a motion which says Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

After a brief speech, where he said his “marching orders” to “get Britain building again” came directly from Sir Keir Starmer, Steve Reed signed bucket hats, caps and t-shirts.

It’s not even day one proper and the bucket hats are out

Starmer faces calls to scrap two-child benefit cap as MPs head to Liverpool The Prime Minister will be joined in Liverpool by delegates and activists for Labour’s annual conference.

Sir Keir Starmer is heading for the Labour conference in Liverpool, which begins this weekend.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Starmer to call for ‘difference under the same flag’ at London summit Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney will join Sir Keir Starmer in London.

Sir Keir Starmer will pitch the idea of “difference under the same flag”, days after St George’s crosses appeared on landmarks such as the Westbury White Horse and Nottingham’s Goosey the Goose

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Lucy Powell: Labour must grab ‘political microphone’ back from Nigel Farage The Manchester Central MP made her pitch just days before party delegates and activists gather in Liverpool for their annual conference.

This summer, Nigel Farage "has been allowed to hog the political microphone", says Labour deputy leadership hopeful Lucy Powell in her pitch to voters ahead of this weekend's conference

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

‘We’ve proved the concept’ of deportations, says Starmer Referring to a one in, one out returns agreement with France, Sir Keir said he wanted ‘to ramp that up’.

“Small numbers – I accept we want to ramp that up but we’ve been able to prove that you can actually remove people,” Sir Keir Starmer tells Kit Bradshaw as he faced questions about the one in, on out deal with France

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...