Category: UK

NHS Waiting Lists Reach Record High as Industrial Action Continues

NHS waiting lists in England have climbed to a record high amid continuing industrial action in the health service. According to official data released on Thursday, 7.47 million people were waiting to start routine hospital treatment at the end of May, up from 7.42 million at the end of April. It is the highest number…


Government Gets Go-ahead to Appeal Against Rwanda Decision at Supreme Court

The government has been given the go-ahead to take a legal battle over its Rwanda deportation policy to the Supreme Court. Under the government’s proposed Illegal Migration Bill, anyone who arrives in the UK illegally will be banned from claiming asylum, and will be deported to their home country or a safe third country like…


Ons Jabeur Beats Aryna Sabalenka to Reach Her 2nd Wimbledon Final in a Row

WIMBLEDON, England—Ons Jabeur came back from a set and a break down to defeat Aryna Sabalenka 6–7 (5), 6–4, 6–3 on Thursday and reach the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year. This will be the third title match for Jabeur in the past five Grand Slam tournaments. The 25-year-old from Tunisia already was the only Arab woman and only…


UK’s Response to Chinese Threat ‘Completely Inadequate,’ Report Says

The UK government has acted too late to tackle the risks posed by the Chinese communist regime and the response has been “completely inadequate,” a report said. The report, published by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) of Parliament, said China has managed to overtly “penetrate every sector of the UK’s economy” through takeovers, mergers,…


Sunak Tells Unions to Halt Strikes After Announcing ‘Final’ Pay Offer

Rishi Sunak has challenged union leaders to call off strike action after offering public sector workers pay rises of up to 7 percent. The prime minister said on Thursday that he has accepted the recommendations from independent pay review bodies, including 6.5 percent increases for teachers in England for 2023-24, which the education unions said…


Watchdog Calls for More Transparency Over UK Aid for China

The UK government’s aid to China has fallen rapidly but there is limited transparency over where it is still being spent, a watchdog has said. According to a new report by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), UK aid to China fell to approximately £48 million in 2021-22—down from £82 million in 2019—and is…


HS2 Chief Executive Resigns Amid Delays for High-Speed Rail Line

After six and a half years leading Britain’s new HS2 high-speed railway line, its chief executive has stepped down from the project. The announcement came on Wednesday when Mark Thurston announced he will be leaving the organization in autumn. Under Mr. Thurston’s leadership, the company has employed 28,500 people across the country. The HS2 commended…


Attacks on Civil Service ‘Blob’ Are ‘Self-Defeating Cowardice,’ Says Cabinet Secretary

Calling the civil service a “blob” is insulting and totally unacceptable, the UK’s most senior civil servant has argued. Ministers who use such “dehumanising” language to characterise the civil service demonstrate “self-defeating cowardice,” cabinet secretary Simon Case told a cross-party group of MPs. He attributed the worsening relations between the public sector staff and ministers…


NHS Facing ‘Huge and Growing Risk’ as Junior Doctors Launch 5-day Strike

The NHS is facing a “huge and growing risk” amid disruptions caused by continuous industrial action, health service bosses have warned. Junior doctors launched a five-day strike on Thursday, in what is being described as the longest walkout of its kind in the NHS’s history amid ongoing protests over pay. Members of the British Medical…


Poll Reveals 1 in 6 Turn to Private Care as NHS Struggles With Waiting Lists

At least one in six people have turned to private health care as patients have had trouble accessing the NHS since 2020, poll results suggest. The most common reason people turned private was to avoid the NHS waiting list, according to the think tank Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), which commissioned the YouGov poll. Among those…