Day: July 5, 2025
Family hubs to be rolled out across every council in England
July 5, 2025Family hubs offering parenting support and youth services are set to be rolled out across every council in England, ministers have announced. The Department for Education is putting £500 million targeted at disadvantaged communities into the scheme, to put a Best Start family hub in every local authority by April 2026. Family hubs were originally […]
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Shona Robison urges Prime Minister to follow Scotland on taxation
July 5, 2025Scotland’s Finance Secretary said Labour needs a “new direction” as she called on the Prime Minister to look north of the border for a more progressive tax system to protect public spending. Ms Robison said that if Labour had followed the Scottish model, where higher earners pay more tax, Labour would not be in the […]
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Conservatives will look to amend Government welfare Bill
July 5, 2025The Conservatives will try to change the Government’s welfare Bill to tighten up access to personal independence payments (Pip) and universal credit. Kemi Badenoch will pledge that the Tories are “now the only party committed to serious welfare reform” after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer shelved plans to restrict eligibility for Pip in the face […]
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Islamic charity warned over ‘inflammatory’ sermon after October 7 attacks
July 5, 2025An Islamic charity in Britain has been given a formal warning and one of its trustees disqualified after an “inflammatory and divisive” sermon about Muslims and Jews in the days after the October 7 Hamas attacks. Language in the sermon included “the hour will not begin until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims […]
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James McMurdock says ‘business dealings’ compliant after he resigns Reform whip
July 5, 2025MP James McMurdock has said “all” of his “business dealings” complied with regulations after he resigned the Reform UK whip amid questions related to Covid loans. The MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock “removed the party whip from himself” pending the outcome of an investigation relating to allegations around “business propriety during the pandemic”. […]
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Hundreds of thousands celebrate London Pride with focus on trans rights
July 5, 2025A Pride party brightened up a drizzly central London today — although many of those thronging the streets had a serious message to deliver. Tens of thousands took part in the rainbow march taking place in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman. More than a million people overall were expected […]
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I thought I was safe from racism at Pride – until last year
July 5, 2025It was a hot mid-afternoon in June 2024, and I’d been soaking up both the sunshine and good spirit of Pride in London when something – or more accurately, someone – stopped me in my tracks. As I fanned an acquaintance, Albert*, an outspoken anti-discrimination advocate and gay man of Turkish heritage, he turned to me and said: ‘And who said slavery was […]
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Legendary restaurant chain launches UK ‘comeback’ with new menu after rescue
July 5, 2025A popular American restaurant chain has announced a ‘full brand reset’ as it looks to regain its presence in the UK. TGI Fridays said it undergone a major transformation, with new dishes and improved grill items, after it filed for bankruptcy last November. The group’s UK owner, Hostmore LLC, had announced plans to purchase the […]
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I moved to London dreaming of LGBTQ+ paradise — the reality is bleak
July 5, 2025I was 22 when I first moved to London. I thought I’d be skipping around Soho, going to drag brunches every weekend, and hanging out every day with a queer-version of the Sex and the City friendship group. But the reality is far bleaker than I imagined. Perhaps I’d been spoiled living in Manchester for […]
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What I Own: We bought our £260,350 London home through a government saving scheme
July 5, 2025Welcome back to What I Own – Metro’s property series where we speak to homeowners about getting on the ladder. When drag artist Nick Collier, who performs as Ella Vaday, first moved to London, aged just 16, he was paying just £266 per month in rent. Living in Dalston, long before it was trendy, he’d moved into a friend’s room on […]
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