A multimillion-pound tax on poorly performing rail companies should be used to freeze fares for passengers hit by weeks of disruption, Labour says. Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, backed the move as another major… Read More
UK news
Cancer: one in four too scared to seek medical help over symptom
Despite discovering a potential symptom of cancer, half the UK population would not seek medical help with many too afraid that they may be wasting a doctor’s time by raising it. In addition, one in… Read More
More than 100 seats that backed Brexit now want to remain in EU
More than 100 Westminster constituencies that voted to leave the EU have now switched their support to Remain, according to a stark new analysis seen by the Observer. In findings that could have a significant… Read More
Plans to remove women’s refuges from UK welfare system dropped
Survivors of domestic abuse will be able to continue to pay for places in women’s refuges through the #welfare system, after the government ditched plans to overhaul funding for the life-saving accommodation. The government announced… Read More
House of Fraser sets deadline for new funds in battle for survival
House of Fraser has admitted it needs to secure new funding by no later than 20 August as it battles for survival. Sources said the ailing department store was facing a cash squeeze that could… Read More
Theresa May calls on Boris Johnson to say sorry for burqa remarks
Boris Johnson is defying calls from Conservative party chiefs to apologise for his claim that Muslim women in burqas resemble letter boxes and bank robbers. The former foreign secretary is understood to view the instruction… Read More
Scottish figures ‘point to hidden UK crisis in tranquiliser abuse’
A rise in prescription drug use across the UK could be fueling a hidden crisis affecting millions, experts have said, as Scottish government data shows a dramatic rise in deaths linked to tranquilisers. Doctors, drug… Read More
Virgin awarded almost £2bn of NHS contracts in the past five years
Virgin has been awarded almost £2bn worth of NHS contracts over the past five years as Richard Branson’s company has quietly become one of the UK’s leading healthcare providers, Guardian analysis has found. In one… Read More