HSBC director Nicholas Brandram, 44, was found unresponsive by emergency services on Tuesday evening A senior city banker suspected of pushing a woman into the path of a moving bus in the “Putney pusher” case has been found dead. Nicholas Brandram, 44, was discovered at his home in Chiswick, west London, on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Body found in pond in Suffolk village of Brantham, where Noah was last seen on Tuesday afternoon Police searching for a three-year-old boy who went missing from a playground on the Suffolk-Essex border have found a body. Noah Woods was last seen at 3pm on Tuesday in Merriam Close, Brantham, near Manningtree, before becoming separated from a relative. Continue reading...

Key allies of PM issue warning as details emerge of his plan to give mayors powers to oversee water companies Key allies of Andy Burnham have warned the prime minister not to back down over his promises to put water companies under public control, after details emerged about the prime minister’s plan to give mayors more oversight of the industry. Mathew Lawrence and Mark McVitie, who helped provide an intellectual underpinning to Burnham’s project over the summer, have both warned that merely giving politicians oversight of key utilities rather than financial control will fall short of what the prime minister promised. Continue reading...

Ivan Jennings, 46, sentenced to five years after pleading guilty to encouraging terrorism on social media A rightwing extremist who discussed poisoning Jews and Muslims and called for the killing of migrants and minority communities has been jailed. Ivan Jennings, 46, called for the murder of hundreds of people he labelled “subhumans”, saying it was “justified and actually needed”, in extreme far-right groups over a period of three months in 2024. Continue reading...

In the Trusster’s latest appearance, she says Blair and Brown had a plot to dismantle civilisation and the Tories were part of the woke establishment Some things you can set your watch by. Like every time small boats are in the news, the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, will manoeuvre himself in front of a camera to suggest that all male migrants are either murderers or rapists. Probably both. But some things feel older than time itself. Like Liz Truss trying to persuade the world she was right all along. Most former prime ministers leave Downing Street relatively quietly. Lord Big Dave, the Maybot and even Boris nurse their grudges in private. Rishi lives in semi-retirement – almost a recluse – and only attends parliament when it suits him. Keir has been almost totally airbrushed out of history in a couple of months. Continue reading...

National Education Union welcomes news that schools will not have to partly fund increase from their own budgets The UK’s biggest education union is claiming a significant victory after the government bowed to pressure and agreed to fully fund a forthcoming pay increase for teachers in England in a sudden U-turn. Members of the National Education Union (NEU) were due to vote in a ballot for strike action next month over the government’s recent pay offer which provided for a 3.5% increase from this month, with an additional 3% from next September. Continue reading...

Hundreds of volunteers join hunt for three-year-old who went missing on Tuesday afternoon A massive search operation is under way in and around a Suffolk village for a missing three-year-old boy with autism, supported by hundreds of volunteers. Suffolk police have said the hunt for Noah Woods remains a missing persons investigation with no indication anything sinister has happened. Continue reading...

PM responds to criticism from former Bank of England chief economist Wes Streeting , the defence secretary, has posted this on social media ahead of Andy Burnham’s meeting with the Nato secretary general Mark Rutte later. Today I am reminded of the words of my Labour predecessor Denis Healey: “Once we cut defence expenditure to the extent where our security is imperilled, we have no houses, we have no hospitals, we have no schools. We have a heap of cinders.” [Britain] is leading, along with Nato allies, the push back against Russia’s dangerous and reckless campaign against us. Collectively we will continue to strengthen our ability to deter and defend all allies, against any threat. Nato will not be intimidated by Russia’s campaign of hostile actions. Russia wants to stop us helping Ukraine – but their actions will only lead us to do more for Ukraine. Russia’s actions are a sign of weakness, and a symptom of Putin’s failure in Ukraine. To stay transatlantic, Nato is becoming more European. A Nato with Europe, and Canada, spending more, producing more, and doing more for their security. This is the idea of Nato 3.0. Building for the future. A stronger Europe, in a stronger Nato. Continue reading...

Labour has also increased fundraising from members in response to Reform’s £72m donations from crypto billionaires Labour has hosted major party donors at No 10 for a drinks reception, as the party comes under growing pressure from MPs and unions to consider a donations cap. The Guardian understands that high-level donors, including business leaders and philanthropists, were hosted by cabinet ministers in Downing Street for an evening reception on Tuesday. Donors from the party’s Rose Network give thousands of pounds a year to the party. Continue reading...

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PM rejects claim he leads a ‘tax-and-spend’ government, as Bank of England prepares for interest rates decision Andy Burnham has said “difficult decisions” will need to be taken in next month’s budget after a rise in energy prices triggered by the Iran war drove UK inflation above 3%. In a fresh blow for living standards amid the worsening damage to the global economy from the Middle East conflict, official figures showed soaring fuel prices pushed inflation from 2.9% in July to 3.1% in August. Continue reading...