Solar powers record share of Britain’s electricity mix in July

Chancellor says the government wants to prevent shoppers being ‘taken for a ride’ at the pump or tillThe chancellor, John Healey, has said the government is standing by to prevent the public from “being taken for a ride at the pump or the till” as the Iran war continues to hit prices.While he said there had been “no significant evidence of so-called price gouging” during the crisis, he used a weekend column to tell the big retailers that ministers were “watching closely” for any signs of profiteering. Continue reading...

Paedophile breached non-molestation order before killing and sexually assaulting girlfriend’s daughterCleveland police failed to arrest a paedophile for breaching a non-molestation order, 18 months before he murdered and sexually assaulted his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter, Teesside crown court has heard.Isabelle Welsh died on 14 September 2025 after what police described as a “campaign of violence” against her. The two-year-old collapsed at her home in Teesside after she suffered weeks of abuse which left her with a body covered in bruises and 21 broken bones. Continue reading...

Wheat is half normal height, while England is seeing earliest ever harvest as farmers battle to salvage what they can of their cropsBritain could face shortages of certain foods after parts of England faced a punishing drought, the president of the National Farmers’ Union has warned.Farms across the country faced floods over the winter, making planting extremely difficult, and now they do not have access to water in many parts of England as irrigation is being restricted due to drought. Continue reading...

Review goes down to the wire after ministers speak with victims’ representatives and support servicesAndy Burnham is focused on preventing the release of child sexual abuse perpetrators as part of the government’s early release scheme, as urgent talks on which serious criminals could be exempted go down to the wire.Government ministers are understood to have 24 hours to assess which criminals can be released early to free up prison space, with every exemption weighed up against the threat of the criminal justice system’s collapse. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Outsourced guards, largely from ethnic minority backgrounds, barred from staff hub for mainly white employeesThe National Gallery’s security staff, of whom the vast majority are from ethnic minority backgrounds, are facing shocking segregation, a senior curator has claimed.Its outsourced guards are barred from the building’s high-quality “hub” – bright and airy recreation rooms that are available to the institution’s mainly white employees. Continue reading...

The 85-year-old former broadcaster faces 22 charges from six different complainants in what is expected to be a four-month trialGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe high-profile trial of former broadcaster Alan Jones for indecent assault and sexual touching charges begins on Monday in Sydney’s Downing Centre local court and is expected to run for four months and hear from 76 witnesses.Judge Glenn Walsh will hear from six complainants who were allegedly indecently assaulted by the 85-year-old between 2003 and 2020. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Karlene Whitton says her son Matthew Roberts took his own life three months into his jail term. ‘I keep picturing it every night’Warning: This article contains images and names of Indigenous Australians who have diedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFirst Nations advocates warn that prisons in New South Wales could exceed the record number of Indigenous deaths in custody set last year, after two men died this month.Matthew Roberts, a 27-year-old Bundjalung, Yaegl and Gamilaroi man and father of two young boys, took his life inside Lithgow correctional centre on 7 July after he was remanded in custody in March. Another First Nations man, 21, died a week later at Clarence correctional centre. Continue reading...

Greek police say 26-year-old foreigner is believed to have left Elisabeth-Jane Ross’s body in derelict buildingA man has been arrested after the death of a Scottish woman whose body was found inside a suitcase in Athens.The 26-year-old man, who Greek police said was a foreigner, was arrested after the death of Elisabeth-Jane Ross. The 38-year-old’s body was discovered inside a suitcase by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of Athens on 18 July. Continue reading...

Labour chair accuses Reform of making ‘grubby pacts’ after contradictory reports emerge on timeline of eventsReform UK is operating under a “stench of sleaze” Labour have said, after reports that Nigel Farage struck a secret deal to return as leader of Reform UK months before the general election.Farage was in discussions about a return to the political frontline from as early as March 2024, despite claiming that he had no intention of returning to politics until June 2024, the Sunday Times reported. Continue reading...

Cotality data shows a drop in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, as nation’s median home price falls about $19,000 below its March peakGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHouse prices have fallen in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth as the market downturn spreads across Australia.New Cotality data, released on Monday, showed prices have fallen across most of the nation since May. Continue reading...

New education secretary says it is ‘false trade-off’ by critics to suggest schools cannot pursue academic excellence alongside technical skillsLucy Powell has said she wants to be an ambitious “tiger mum” for all young people, whatever their route through education, after the government was accused of dumbing down England’s schools with plans to create more vocational routes.The new education secretary said secondary pupils should be able to pursue academic excellence as well as high-quality vocational training, and it was a “false trade-off” to suggest schools could not provide both. Continue reading...