US president says British PM has a ‘lot of assets on his side’ as pair meet at UN in New York UK politics live – latest updates Donald Trump has praised Andy Burnham as a “natural businessperson” and said the UK was “more up” than under Keir Starmer. But he berated the UK for its decision to give up the Chagos Islands. In their first face-to-face meeting, Trump gave a warm assessment of the relationship, saying he thought Burnham had a “lot of assets on his side” and would be a “great prime minister”, adding: “We talked about everything from Rolls-Royce to energy to immigration – we covered a lot.” Continue reading...

One other person being treated in hospital after fire crews respond to early-hours incident at home in Bootle A woman and three children have died after an overnight fire ripped through a semi-detached house on Merseyside. The Merseyside fire and rescue service (MFRS) said crews arrived at the blaze in Bootle at about 3.45am on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Counter-terrorism police say ‘long-running investigation’ disrupted alleged plot days after two men arrested on eve of the holy day Yom Kippur Police believe they have stopped an imminent plot to attack Jewish communities in the Manchester area. The announcement on Tuesday follows the arrest of two men on Sunday at 2.45pm in Manchester and comes during the Jewish holy month. Continue reading...

Entire £233m budget for 2026 allocated in less than a day, leaving thousands of farmers disappointed Thousands of farmers have been left empty-handed with the government’s 2026 nature funding spent in just six hours. The £233m sustainable farming incentive (SFI) scheme opened for applications from farmers at 10am on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Charity’s head coach ‘shocked’ after Sunderland council leader says it will not support ‘politically charged’ groups Anti-racism education in some schools will be scrapped after a city council now led by Reform UK ended its 30-year support for the charity Show Racism the Red Card. Announcing the decision last week, the Reform leader of Sunderland city council, Christopher Eynon, said it would no longer support “politically charged organisations with an agenda”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Social platforms and police are failing women abused online, report finds, with many saying complaints are not taken seriously When Jane* learned that intimate photos of her had been posted on a website without her consent, she expected the police would help her. Instead, she was warned that researching where her photos had been shared might put her at risk of breaking the law. After she was handed a leaflet on internet safety and told to go to tech companies for help, but to expect little from them, the case was closed. Continue reading...

Church, a prominent supporter of Palestinian causes, criticises Sheeran over removal of Macklemore from US tour Charlotte Church has accused Ed Sheeran of choosing “consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing” over the removal of his friend and support act Macklemore from his US tour. Sheeran’s tour was thrown into crisis after Macklemore made “free Palestine” declarations on stage . After a significant backlash, including pressure from the owners of stadiums hosting scheduled shows, the rapper was removed from the tour. Shortly afterwards, Sheeran’s other support acts quit in solidarity. Continue reading...

Westwood, 68, accused of indecently assaulting teenage girl in 1991 and sexually assaulting 18-year-old woman in 2004 The former BBC DJ Tim Westwood has been charged with two additional offences dating back to 1991 and 2004. The 68-year-old will appear at Westminster magistrates court on a date to be fixed accused of indecently assaulting a girl aged 16 or 17 in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in 1991, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Billionaire owner of Ineos says company ‘cannot compete’ with global market despite efficiency of Humberside sites Billionaire industrialist Sir Jim Ratcliffe is pausing production at three chemical plants in Hull, blaming the UK’s “ridiculously high” gas prices. Ratcliffe’s chemicals conglomerate, Ineos , said on Tuesday it would “mothball” three chemical plants because the cost made it difficult to compete in the global market. Continue reading...