The spring statement occupies an unusual position in the UK’s economic policy landscape. When I think of spring statements I think of Philip Hammond, now Lord Hammond, chancellor under Theresa May from 2016 to 2019. His spring statement of 2018 was the purest form of the genre. “I won’t be producing a Red Book [the budget document] today, Mr Speaker,” he announced, instead providing an update on “the economic and fiscal position”. A year later, however, Hammond’s spring statement was

Britain’s National Crime Agency has warned of an “unprecedented risk” to young people from online groups that encourage teenagers to share sadistic and misogynistic material and to coerce others into sexual abuse, self-harm or violence. The agency, which is responsible for combating serious and organized crime in Britain, said Tuesday in an annual assessment of crime trends that reports of incidents related to the threat from online groups increased sixfold between 2022 and 2024 in Britain and warned of significant numbers of victims being groomed or blackmailed. “Young people are being drawn into these sadistic and violent online gangs, where they are collaborating at scale to inflict, or incite others to commit, serious harm,” said Graeme Biggar, director general of the agency, in a statement. Image Graeme Biggar, director general of Britain’s National Crime Agency. Credit... Liam McBurney/PA Images, via Getty ImagesHe added, “These groups are not lurking on the dark web, they exist in the same online world and platforms young people use on a daily basis,” and noted that young girls were being “groomed into hurting themselves and in some cases, even encouraged to attempt suicide.”

So, no shock to see the National Grid boss, John Pettigrew, turn up the heat on his opposite number at Heathrow, Thomas Woldbye, over who was most at fault for the near 24-hour closure of Britain’s premier airport. Sure, an “unprecedented” blaze had taken out the North Hyde substation. But, as Pettigrew told the Financial Times, that was just one of a trio serving the airport. “Each substation individually can provide enough power to Heathrow.”For Woldbye, that is not a helpful intervention. He was already on the back foot after the Sunday Times disclosed that he’d retired to bed on Thursday night, leaving it

The hit Netflix drama 'Adolescence' has made history by becoming the first streaming show to take the top spot in the UK's weekly TV ratings, according to Variety.According to official data from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB), the show outperformed popular traditional TV programs 'The Apprentice' and 'Death in Paradise', reported Variety.The first episode of Adolescence drew 6.45 million viewers in its debut week, breaking the previous UK streaming record of 6.3 million set by Netflix's Fool Me Once in January 2024.Adolescence is a British crime drama miniseries created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini The four-episode series follows the arrest of a 13-year-old schoolboy, Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper , who is accused of murdering a female classmate. What also makes the series a masterclass is that each episode is filmed in a single, continuous take.Graham, who is co-creator of the show, also plays Eddie Miller, the father of the accused Jamie Miller.The series premiered on Netflix on March 13 and has received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, direction, and performances.Earlier, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also praised the series and said he watched it with his own teenage children. He also backed the idea of the crime drama being shown in the UK Parliament and in government schools.

According to a spokesperson for the company, the site will be 20,000 square metres and will reportedly double the firm’s capacity. “The site will form a key part of the land for our new meals factory and a circa £100 million investment.”The company employs around 2,000 workers across the UK with 670 people working on its Trowbridge site. We are working with planners, local partners, and experts to deliver a site that the town can be proud of”. The announcement of the plans also follows hot on the heels of proposals to invest £74 million at the Cereal Partners’ factory in neighbouring Staverton. According to the company, the proposals would also see 60 jobs added to the site.

Strangers turning up at your house, a vehicle vandalised, violent commentary online, eyes tracking you as you shop – the last episode of Adolescence chillingly shows the modern consequences of sudden public attention. View image in fullscreen Media storm … Richard Gadd as Donny and Jessica Gunning and Martha in Baby Reindeer. However, perhaps the greater problem for the corporation is that the three recent drama hits – Adolescence, Baby Reindeer and Mr Bates – were all produced by other broadcasters. In the case of Adolescence, Netflix and the production company (Brad Pitt’s Plan B) had two separate duties of care. Great drama reflects society, but Adolescence has found a terrifying reflection staring back at it.

£10bn Lower Thames Crossing greenlit after £300m planning application that ran 250 times as long as War and PeaceHow the Lower Thames Crossing could look. Read more: Thames crossing planning process racks up £1 billion bill -even before decision made to go forward with projectRead more: Ready for take off? A view of the River Thames from Gravesend looking west towards London, at the location of the proposed Lower Thames Crossing between Kent and Sussex. Picture: AlamyThe Lower Thames Crossing is aimed at reducing congestion on the Dartford Crossing and the M25 with a new motorway-style road. Picture: AlamyHe said: “For far too long governments have dodged making a decision on the Lower Thames Crossing leaving Dartford residents to endure endless gridlock.

Max Frankel, the former executive editor of the New York Times who fled the Nazis as a child, has died at the age of 94. He died on Sunday at his Manhattan home, according to an obituary in the Times. Born to Jewish parents in Gera, Germany, in 1930, eight years later Frankel was deported with his parents to Poland. He spoke German, Polish and Yiddish, and was conversationally proficient in Russian, French and Spanish, according to the Times. He is survived by his wife Joyce Purnick, a former reporter and editor at the Times, and his three children and six grandchildren.

The Times has recently written pieces critical of Elon Musk, including one on Sunday detailing how the billionaire presidential aide stands to enrich himself further from new government contracts. “The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times,” Trump said in a post. Musk also went after the Times. “I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT,” Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “They will be found.”AdvertisementAttacks on the media have been a hallmark of Trump’s second term.

Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Georgia Lambert’s poignant piece captures the dilemma facing the government: how to put the ballooning benefits bill on a sustainable footing while not compounding the counter-productive injustice inherent in a system that fails to recognise the fluctuating nature of many disabilities (“Thanks to the PIP benefit I could work. So why remove it?”, Times2, Mar 24). Sadly, as I also know to my cost, a disability can particularly affect energy levels, which are key to both the ability to function and, thus, productivity at work. Employers making reasonable adjustments in the workplace, such as the ability to work from home and flexible hours, can undoubtedly help. But so too can ensuring that policymakers learn from business that what gets

Early analysis of the hoard, released on Tuesday, suggests a lot of the items had been purposefully burnt or broken before being buried as a show of power and wealth. He said the hoard showed there was more wealth in the north of England at the time than previously thought. "Whoever originally owned the material in this hoard was probably a part of a network of elites across Britain, into Europe and even the Roman world," he said. "The destruction of so many high-status objects, evident in this hoard, is also of a scale rarely seen in Iron Age Britain and demonstrates that the elites of northern Britain were just as powerful as their southern counterparts." It is thought the objects may have been burnt on a funerary pyre before being buried, though no human remains were found.

The decision to end the contract comes with immediate effect after a review of all contracts to provide asylum accommodation. Asylum seekers currently living in SBHL sites will be moved to other housing across the asylum estate. Minister for border security and asylum Dame Angela Eagle told MPs on Tuesday the Government “will not hesitate” to take further action against companies contracted to provide accommodation for asylum seekers. The minister also refused to comment on reports that the Government is considering an offshore processing scheme for asylum seekers. He added: “We did need to review these disastrous contracts on asylum accommodation we inherited.

Surat: Three people were cheated of Rs 43.33 lakh by a Mumbai-based father-son duo who promised to arrange UK visas for them.The accused, Mohammad Tarik Gaur and his son Mohammad Akif Gaur, own a visa office in Jogeshwari area of Mumbai. A year ago, they came to Chikhli and met Javed Pathan, who runs a coaching class in Chikhli town. The accused assured Pathan of UK work, study, and visitor visas.Lured by the promise, Pathan and his friends Aiyaz Kazi and Shahrukh Shaikh gave the father-son duo a total of Rs 54.43 lakh for UK visas. When the victims objected, accused Akif threatened to kill them if they demanded the visas.When the victims asked for the return of their money, the accused returned only Rs 11.1 lakh. Chikhli police on Sunday booked both the accused for criminal breach of trust , cheating, criminal intimidation, and conspiracy, and started an investigation.

The Times ended up with a total of 72 places, including neighbourhoods, villages, towns and entire cities. Named the best of the best was Saffron Walden. County Down’s Dundrum was named the regional winner for Northern Ireland. Britain’s best places to live in 2025, according to the Sunday TimesHere’s a full list of the best places to live in the UK right now, according to the Times. But the Sunday Times aren’t the only ones with things to say about the UK’s best places to live.

Labour’s proposed education cutsThe Times claims that education secretary Bridget Phillipson has “offered” to cut programmes like free period products, dance, music, and PE schemes. This was drastic for school sixth forms that underwent cuts of 26%. The lack of funding forced 47 school sixth forms to close from 2016-2019. The private school shamOne way to improve education would be to stop diverting resources to private schools that function to unfairly reproduce a ruling class. On top of that, private schools receive double the teachers with classes around half the size.