Following May’s elections, first ministers committed to independence could be in place in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast The general election of July 2024 did not just call time on a decade and a half of Conservative rule. It also delivered the most pro-Union parliament since the early 2010s, when the meteoric rise in support for the Scottish National party (SNP) began. In Scotland, a 16-point swing away from the SNP allowed Labour to win the most votes and most seats; in Wales, Plaid Cymru made modest gains but won only four places in the House of Commons, compared to 27 for Sir Keir Starmer’s party. Since then, the many missteps of Sir Keir’s government have contributed to a swift and remarkable reversal of fortunes. In May’s Senedd elections, Plaid is on course to replace Labour as the largest party in Wales for the first time since devolution. Also profiting from the government’s woes, a revived SNP has weathered its own scandals to lead comfortably in polling for the Scottish parliament. At the party’s spring conference on Saturday, its leader, John Swinney, pointed to the “absolutely seismic” possibility that come 8 May, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (which does not vote again until next year) could all have first ministers in place committed to taking their countries out of the United Kingdom. Continue reading...

Lack of confidence in the voluntary sector seems linked to a more general fraying of social bonds BBC Radio 1’s Greg James reached the halfway point of his 1,000km bike ride for Comic Relief just outside Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, on Tuesday lunchtime. The Radio 1 stunt is a popular fixture of the annual charity fundraiser – played out all day long with regular updates on the station, and enthusiastic reminders to “text 10, 20 or 30”. On Red Nose Day, which falls on 20 March, Mr James and his tandem – on which assorted celebrities have joined him – can expect to be greeted by cheering crowds in Edinburgh. There is nothing not to like about this warm-hearted caper. The takings from these feats of endurance by presenters reached a record £2.2m last year – when Jamie Laing ran five ultra marathons in five days. But away from the buzzy spotlight of national radio, and seasonal appeals such as the Guardian’s, which raised more than £1m between December and January, charities are facing tough times. Concerning details of the current downward trend are set out in the latest report from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), which recorded the first overall drop in donations since 2021. Continue reading...

Updates on the second legs of the last-16 ties Get in touch! Share your thoughts with Scott Sporting: Rui Silva, Fresneda, Quaresma, Inacio, Araujo, Hjulmand, Morita, Catamo, Trincao, Pedro Goncalves, Suarez. Subs: Virginia, Callai, Debast, Nuno Santos, Vagiannidis, Faye, Braganca, Simoes, Couto, Nel, Diomande, Flavio Goncalves. Bodø/Glimt: Haikin, Sjovold, Bjortuft, Gundersen, Bjorkan, Evjen, Berg, Fet, Blomberg, Hogh, Hauge. Subs: Lund, Nielsen, Aleesami, Auklend, Saltnes, Helmersen, Klynge, Riisnaes, Bassi, Maatta, Mikkelsen, Sjong. Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen (agg 1-1) Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain (agg 2-5) Sporting v Bodø/Glimt (agg 0-3) Continue reading...

Court finds Unite repeatedly breached injunction by blockading and ‘slow walking’ next to waste trucks The union representing striking bin workers in Birmingham has been fined £265,000 for breaching an injunction which prohibited the blocking of waste lorries at depots. Justice Jefford found that Unite had repeatedly breached the injunction issued in July by blockading and “slow walking” next to vehicles. Continue reading...

Updates from 8pm GMT kickoff at Etihad Stadium Get in touch! Share your thoughts with Daniel In one way or another, most stories are about identity: roughly, who are we and we cool with that? Well, our teams tonight arrive at this game as potential protagonists, both in something of quandary. City are in between teams, problem being they’ve been there a while and it’s not exactly clear what sort of one they’d like to become. A few years ago now, Pep Guardiola experienced a revelation –physicality and good defending are necessary when you no longer have Lionel Messi and the best midfield of all time – winning his first Champions League since those days as a consequence. But without Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and that version of Rodri, he’s scrabbling for a new way, ingredients for a possession team that’s also a power team not easily come by. Never has it been harder to predict who Guardiola will pick or how they’ll try to play – and not in a good way. Continue reading...

But Michael Shanks says government will not be rushed into plans to reduce costs faced by households due to war in Iran Britain’s energy minister has said “every penny” levied on household energy bills will be scrutinised after suppliers warned that households could face a price hike of £250 a year due to the war in Iran. Michael Shanks told MPs that the government would stand ready to provide support wherever needed, but it would not be rushed into plans to reduce the costs faced by households or offer direct financial support. Continue reading...

Margaret Hodge, who led report into arts funder, tells DCMS committee that grant recipients have lost confidence in the body Arts Council England (ACE) requires a “radical” overhaul so that it is able to respond to the challenges of the culture sector, according to Margaret Hodge, who said if ACE leaders did not heed her warnings it would be a “disaster”. The Labour peer, who led a wide-ranging and critical report into ACE, made the comments at a Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, where she reiterated her calls for the organisation to embrace reform. Continue reading...

Israel claims it has killed the influential Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani in overnight strikes. If confirmed, Larijani’s death would represent a devastating blow to the regime, and the most senior official to die since Ali Khamenei’s death. Lucy Hough speaks to deputy head of international news, Devika Bhat. Continue reading...

Minister says the change is needed to protect the corporation from repeated ‘culture war’ attacks The government is to put the BBC’s charter on a permanent footing for the first time, after the corporation said the change was needed to protect it from political interference. In a significant change to the governance of the BBC, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said she wanted to grant the corporation’s demand for a permanent charter. She said she wanted to protect it from repeated “culture war” attacks. Continue reading...

In letter to justice secretary, groups say judge-led decisions more likely to be influenced by bias than those made by 12 random people Thirty organisations representing victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) have written to the justice secretary, David Lammy, urging him to drop plans to significantly reduce the number of jury trials. The groups said that the proposals, which will affect court cases in England and Wales, will deepen mistrust in the justice system among victims and distract from measures designed to reduce offending. Continue reading...

Prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre says connections have been proved between those in ‘trusted and central positions’ and late sex offender The Norwegian parliament has voted unanimously to appoint an independent investigative commission to look into connections between its foreign office and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Speaking before the vote on Tuesday, the prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, paid tribute to Epstein’s victims and said that the files released by the US Department of Justice had clearly shown “it is possible to buy and abuse influence if you are rich enough”. Continue reading...

Many have left for the Easter holiday early after in-person university assessments were cut and exams moved online At The Cricketers pub in the centre of Canterbury, staff had been geared up for lively St Patrick’s Day celebrations. The pub’s “Paddy shots” were on offer: two for £7. Irish music played in the background. But, on Tuesday lunchtime, there were few revellers. “Normally, as soon as the doors open on St Patrick’s Day, we’re full,” said the manager, Ash Bolonghe, casting his arm around the near-empty pub, with only a handful of matinee theatre-goers sitting by the window for a pre-performance snack. “But not today.” Continue reading...

‘We want to turn things around’ says Tottenham defender Romero returns as Udogie and Bergvall back from injury Micky van de Ven has hit back at suggestions that he and his Tottenham teammates do not care about the club’s plight and will dig out escape routes in the summer. The defender has endured a terrible couple of weeks, taking in his gamechanging red card in the defeat by Crystal Palace and the performance against Atlético Madrid when he fell over to give up a goal and was fortunate not to be sent off again. Continue reading...

Cutting period of protection from five years to 30 months is a risk to social cohesion, say bishops, rabbis and imam Religious leaders have said that plans to rip up the UK’s asylum rules by ending the right to permanent refugee status would damage integration and should be rethought. A group, which includes seven bishops, three rabbis and an imam, said they had “grave concerns” about Shabana Mahmood’s proposed changes to settlement and citizenship rules. Continue reading...

But their latest stunt suggests Reform may be hitting the law of diminishing returns with a press conference too far Nige and Honest Bob. Honest Bob and Nige. Reform’s answer to the Chuckle Brothers. Robert Jenrick is just about the only other member of Reform that Nige will be seen dead with now. Apart from Richard Tice, everyone’s favourite fake-tanned beta male. Almost everyone else in Reform is dead to Nigel Farage. Zia Yusuf barely gets a look in now. Nadhim Zahawi and Suella Braverman? Buyer’s remorse. Andrea Jenkyns and Sarah Pochin? Who? So, Nige and Honest Bob it is. The double act that’s guaranteed to raise a laugh. If you’re very lucky. The pair who want to turn politics into a downmarket reality gameshow on their own YouTube channel. Last week it was your turn to win the cheapest petrol in the country. Though it turned out not even to be the cheapest petrol within a 20-mile radius. Details, details. Continue reading...

At least in Iraq the Americans had the ‘Pottery Barn rule’: you break it, you own it, writes Prof James Pattison. Plus, letters by Ivette Félix Padilla, Chris Lake and Diana Francis In justifying the joint United States-Israel airstrikes on Iran, US politicians have adopted humanitarian rhetoric, claiming that their actions will enable the liberation of the Iranian population from repression (Even taking Trump’s confused reasons for the Iran war at face value, it’s still a total disaster, 13 March). The arguments echo the justifications offered before the 2003 war in Iraq. But the strikes on Iran have even weaker grounds to be considered humanitarian than the war in Iraq. During the buildup to the Iraq war, there was at least a clear military objective: removing Saddam Hussein’s regime. By contrast, there is little evidence of a coherent plan for achieving regime change in Iran. Bombing alone is unlikely to produce it, yet no alternative strategy has been articulated. Humanitarian action would normally prioritise the minimisation of civilian harm. Yet early reports already suggest otherwise. An elementary school has been struck, killing 168 people, most of them young girls. Continue reading...

Batter denies the team ‘weren’t fussed’ in Australia 28-year-old believes his ‘best batting years are to come’ Ollie Pope has challenged the perception England “weren’t fussed” during their troubled Ashes tour but accepts why it formed. Ben Stokes’ tourists crashed to a 4-1 series defeat by Australia that is being reviewed by the England and Wales Cricket Board, with tour planning, preparation, individual performances and behaviour all under scrutiny. Continue reading...

Religious leaders, faith groups and charities urge Labour to ensure the proposals are fair and strengthen integration We write with grave concern about the government’s proposed changes to settlement and citizenship rules (Report, 5 March). We urge ministers to slow down and rethink their proposals, which contain serious flaws. Massive changes to rules that could shape the lives of more than a million people in the UK for the next 20 years or more should not be made in haste. There is already significant disquiet among communities, employers, faith groups and civil society that these measures would be damaging to integration. Stability, belonging and a clear pathway to citizenship are essential to building cohesive communities. Policies that make status more precarious and pathways more distant risk undermining that. Continue reading...

Readers respond to an editorial about rescuing the economist from being invoked by rightwing free-marketeers Your editorial (11 March) is correct in insisting that the economist and philosopher Adam Smith used “invisible hand” only once in The Wealth of Nations: to discuss investing at home or abroad, not as a general description of economic structure. If the capital is invested at home, the decision to do that being purely a selfish and personal one, then, as if led by an invisible hand, this benefits the domestic economy. Continue reading...

With a lazy-Susan-style rotating rail that you can dump your clothes over, this invention functions as chair and wardrobe. But is it really any better than ... any other chair? Name: The laundry chair. Age: Less than a week old. Continue reading...

Eyewitness photo | A forpit of potatoes | Milli-Helens | UK nuclear weapons | Say it’s not Serco Flicking through the paper, I remarked that it was all bad news and upsetting items. Then I came across the centrefold photograph taken in Erzurum, Turkey and found myself close to tears. Young and old chess players together in a coffee house. What a great picture. Carol Taylor Darley Dale, Derbyshire • Regarding unusual measurements (Letters, 15 March) my Scottish mother used to send me to the local Co-op to purchase a forpit of potatoes: a fourth part of a stone, ie three and a half pounds. The cost in 1950 was thruppence, compared to £1.60 for the same weight of spuds today. Dr Allan Dodds Bramcote, Nottinghamshire Continue reading...

Spokesperson for Reform UK leader says paid-for Cameo videos 'should not be treated as political statements or campaign activity' after Guardian unearths clips containing offensive remarks and far-right slogans Newly unearthed Nigel Farage videos reveal support for rioter, neo-Nazi event and far-right slogans Continue reading...

The final instalment in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi trilogy brings back Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Florence Piugh and introduces a nasty new villain Timothée Chalamet may have finally escaped Oscar season, but not movie promotion – the first look at Dune: Part Three is here. The first trailer released for the final installment in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi trilogy sees further war and political upheaval in the galaxy beyond Arrakis – plus a possible future child for Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and Chani, the Fremen warrior played by Zendaya. “If we have a girl, what should be name her?” Chani asks, suggesting the two have reconciled since the end of Part Two. Continue reading...

After two deaths, it’s right to be concerned and to discuss investment in public health. But our system is good and it’s working Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh With the tragedy of two young people dying, and a further 13 confirmed cases, meningitis is back in the headlines in the UK, prompting public concern and worry about the risk. What’s happening and why? Meningitis has been an ongoing public health concern for decades. Back in the 1990s, around 2,500 lab-confirmed cases of meningococcal disease were recorded annually, largely caused by meningococcal group C bacteria – the disease is caused by a range of bacterial strains, each of which require a different targeted vaccine to prepare the immune system. With the adoption of the MenC vaccine in 1999, cases of group C disease fell by around 96% to roughly 30-40 cases per year. Soon after, vaccination programmes were expanded to cover groups ACWY, which caused steep declines in all of those groups, because the vaccines reduce the transmission of infections. Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...

While the health secretary posts shirtless workouts and AI videos, he should be focusing on soaring cases of measles Vladimir Putin loves bombing Ukraine and taking his shirt off – not necessarily in that order. The Russian leader is well known for his macho photoshoots, including that infamous shot of him horse-riding bare-chested in Siberia. While various politicians have mocked Putin for his posing, others have been taking notes. And by others I mean Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has spent a large portion of his time in politics spamming social media with increasingly weird footage of him working out. In 2023, when Kennedy ran for president, he posted a video of himself doing shirtless push-ups in an empty car park as preparation for his debate with Joe Biden – bizarrely, he was wearing blue jeans for the stunt. Now that Kennedy is the US health secretary, the videos are coming at a faster clip. Continue reading...