UK News

BT has revealed almost another 8,000 jobs have been axed since the end of March as part of its ongoing programme to slash costs. The group – which last month rescued telecoms firm TalkTalk from administration for £400 million – saw its total workforce, excluding the international business, fall 7,731 to 90,000 over its half-year to the end of March. Year-on-year, the group’s workforce is 11,712, or 11% lower. Most […]

The US owners of Poundland have said the high street chain remains “challenged and vulnerable” after holding talks with ministers amid Government criticism of their handling of the retailer. Gordon Brothers said in a statement on Thursday morning that they still are in “active discussions” with interested suitors and have been seeking to “protect as many jobs as possible”. It comes after Poundland filed a notice to appoint administrators last […]

A Cabinet minister told her interviewer to “get a life” when asked about claims that smoky bacon crisps could be banned under a deal to be signed with the European Union this month. The food and farming deal is among three agreements Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to sign with Brussels negotiators at the EU-UK summit on November 20, alongside a deal on emissions trading and a youth mobility […]

The Bank of England is poised to hike interest rates for the first time in more than three years, economists think. Rate-setters are widely expected to tighten monetary policy in a bid to tackle rising inflation in the UK economy. Traders in the financial markets are predicting that rates will increase to 4% from 3.75% when the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) announces its next decision on Thursday. This would […]

James Blunt has said he thought Romesh Ranganathan “betrayed” him during the final of The Celebrity Traitors. The singer, 52, and the comedian, 48, both reached the final three, along with actor Sebastian Croft, but Ranganathan then voted for Blunt to leave, believing him to be a traitor. Blunt was shocked by the move and then voted for Ranganathan to be banished himself. Ultimately, Blunt was banished, with Ranganathan and […]

Multiple flights have reportedly been diverted on Thursday morning following a further series of bomb threats. The incidents come after several planes, including some departing from the UK and Ireland, were subject to hoax security alerts on Tuesday. One flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to an airfield in northern France amid a bomb alert on Thursday morning. A statement from the French Prime Minister’s Office said the A320 […]

Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football. The 41-year-old made his debut for Portugal in 2003 and has gone on to play 234 times for the national team, scoring 146 goals – both of which are records in the men’s game. In a video on social media, Ronaldo said: “To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our […]

Channel 4 has cancelled Married At First Sight UK following an external review triggered by “serious allegations of wrongdoing”. Earlier this year two women who participated in the show made allegations of rape and a third of sexual misconduct by their on-screen husbands, speaking in a BBC Panorama documentary which aired in May. In June a Mafs UK cast member was arrested on suspicion of rape. All three men deny […]

It follows the birth of his first child Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will miss media duties ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix following the birth of his first child. The Monagesque driver announced on Instagram that his wife Alexandra gave birth to their daughter Bianca on Tuesday. Leclerc had been scheduled to answer questions from the press on Thursday but has been allowed extra time at home with his family in […]