Add source Login
Rights group disputes claim ministers cannot act over Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers

Rights group disputes claim ministers cannot act over Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers

Human Rights Watch says attorney general has power to facilitate immediate bail, one of activists’ key demands Human Rights Watch has written to the attorney general saying ministers’ claims that they cannot intervene in the hunger strike by Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners is “not fully true”. One of the demands by those refusing food is for immediate bail and the NGO says Richard Hermer, the government’s most senior law officer, could facilitate this by instructing prosecutors not to oppose their bail applications, although the government denied this. Continue reading...

UK borrowing costs drop to lowest level in more than a year

UK borrowing costs drop to lowest level in more than a year

Greater scope for interest rate cuts and reduced fears about government finances prompt bond yields to fall UK borrowing costs have dropped to their lowest level in more than a year, as investors were encouraged by more stable government finances and the prospect of further interest rate cuts. The yield, or interest rate, on 10-year UK government bonds fell to 4.34%, down from 4.41%, to the lowest level since December 2024, with the prospect of the UK public finances being put on a firmer footing lowering the risk of holding UK debt. Continue reading...

The Guardian view on Labour policy U-turns: a dangerous pattern that corrodes confidence | Editorial

The Guardian view on Labour policy U-turns: a dangerous pattern that corrodes confidence | Editorial

It is better to correct policy than persist in error, but Keir Starmer cannot afford to keep signalling his lack of coherent direction In practical terms there is not a huge difference between proving your identity online with a passport and using a government-issued digital ID. But when possession of the latter is a legal requirement, the distinction has clear political significance. So does the government’s decision this week to abandon proposals to make digital ID mandatory. People will still have to verify their identities in order to work in Britain. That was declared as the main purpose of the scheme when Sir Keir Starmer announced it last autumn. It would prevent people without the proper entitlement – illegal migrants, in short – having jobs. Now the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, says she is “ pretty relaxed ” about what kind of ID is used for verification. Continue reading...