UK budget watchdog in danger of strangling economic growth, says TUC boss 16. November 2025 (11:15) Paul Nowak says OBR should be modernised to ditch ‘hardwired’ support for austerity economicsBritain’s budget watchdog is in danger of strangling growth and should be modernised to ditch its “hardwired” support for austerity economics, the Trades Union Congress has warned.Less than two weeks before Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget, the trade union umbrella group said the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was at risk of being a “straitjacket” on growth in living standards. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Business secretary backs shift to electric arc furnaces at British Steel plant 16. November 2025 (11:00) Move would secure future of steel production at Scunthorpe but raise questions over future of blast furnacesThe business secretary, Peter Kyle, has backed a shift to cleaner electric arc technology at the state-controlled British Steel plant, raising questions about the future of the UK’s last remaining blast furnaces.Kyle said the government was “keen to see that transition happen”, as he works on a new steel strategy, which is expected to be published in December. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
When reality bites: the rapid rise and chaotic fall of Reform UK in Cornwall 16. November 2025 (11:00) Resignations, suspensions and infighting lead to party losing crown of highest number of seats in the county“I know whenever I come back here next,” Nigel Farage told a jubilant crowd of hundreds in a leisure centre in Redruth, “Reform UK will become a dominant force, not just in Cornwall politics, but in British politics.”That was in February and when the local elections arrived three months later it appeared Farage’s prophecy was in part coming true – Reform took 28 seats on Cornwall council, the highest number of any party. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK weather: Storm Claudia clean-up continues with cold snap on the way 16. November 2025 (10:38) Flood warnings still in place in England and Wales, as plunging temperatures forecast with possible snow and iceEmergency services are continuing to deal with severe flooding caused by Storm Claudia.A major incident was declared in Monmouth, south-east Wales, where people were rescued or evacuated from homes that were flooded during torrential rain on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
