All hail the Kult of Kemi – captain, coach and owner of the Conservatives | John Crace 07. October 2026 (17:17) The Tory leader is now too big for the party to allow her to fail, so everything she does is acclaimed a work of geniusWhere’s AI slop when you need it? It could all have been so much simpler. Just ask ChatGPT to write me a leader’s speech in the style of Kemi Badenoch. Make it an hour and 10 minutes long, so plenty of room for padding. Go heavy on the slogans, cliches and the obligatory crap politician jokes. Ones we’ve all heard many times before. Not least at this conference.Make the usual digs at Labour and put the boot in to Reform. The main aim of the speech is to try to reposition a party that is tanking in third place on 20% in the polls as the main opposition to the government. And just to give everyone a reason to go home with a feeling of mild optimism, chuck in a retail offer at the end. An uncosted tax cut for people who are rich but don’t feel quite rich enough. The new multimillionaire common-or-garden lower middle classes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Artists including Noel Gallagher show support for Garvaghy Road residents 07. October 2026 (17:15) Actors and musicians sign open letter urging government to protect residents amid impasse over Drumcree paradeDozens of artists, actors and musicians including Susan Sarandon and Noel Gallagher have expressed support for Garvaghy Road residents in the impasse over the Drumcree parade in Northern Ireland.In an open letter to the secretary of state, Chris Bryant, they urged the government to protect residents and to appoint an international mediator to resolve the dispute between the Catholic residents and the Orange Order in County Armagh. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Palestinians will bear the cost’: UK consulate in East Jerusalem prepares to shut its doors 07. October 2026 (17:14) Forced closure marks low point in UK-Israeli relations, with reports UK is considering retaliatory expulsion of Israeli diplomats from LondonIsrael marks three years since 7 October attack – liveThe UK consulate in East Jerusalem gave few signs it was at the centre of a geopolitical controversy this week, with little movement around the high-walled building save the fluttering of the union jack and the occasional car exiting the compound.The mission is to shut its doors on Thursday after Israel ordered its closure in response to a UK ban on trade with illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and sanctions on those who help build or finance them. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Canada’s Weston family buys Boots for $8.9bn 07. October 2026 (17:12) Former Selfridges owners buy UK high street institution from long-term backer Stefano PessinaThe Canadian family that once owned Selfridges department store has bought UK pharmacy and beauty retailer Boots for $8.9bn (£6.74bn).Wittington Investments, the holding company of the Weston family that controls the Loblaws grocery chain and Drugmart pharmacy chain in Canada, will own Boots’ UK and Irish retail operations and opticians chain, the No7 beauty brand and a franchise arm in Thailand. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mother, 35, deliberately crashed car on interstate near Seattle then tried to stab her two daughters to death, prosecutors say
LA man, 26, kills himself at $3.3m home hours before he was due in court on charges of raping one woman and kidnapping another, as stricken family blasts DA
Boy, 9, tossed around like a ragdoll on 62mph Universal Orlando rollercoaster after passing out, lawsuit claims, with mom sharing photo of him unconscious