Unions split over ‘ridiculous’ Birmingham bin strike
Unite is pursuing a “vexatious” strike using “bully boy tactics of the past”, it has been claimed, as talks over Birmingham’s bin dispute remained in deadlock for another day.
Exclusives
New workers’ rights bill allows officers to go into homes
Officers enforcing Labour’s workers’ rights overhaul will have the power to enter people’s homes and seize documents and laptops while investigating potential breaches of new laws.
Biological sex erased from official data on health, crime and education
Cancer referrals have been missed and previous convictions overlooked because biological sex has been erased from official data on health, crime and education, a review has found.
Efficiency tsar targets ‘Friday night scramble’ for migrant hotels
The government’s money-saving tsar is considering taking over booking hotels and hostels for the homeless and asylum seekers in an effort to find £4 billion in savings.
Workers’ bill ‘won’t work unless tribunal backlog is cleared’
Labour’s promises on workers’ rights will be “illusory” and nothing more than “virtue signalling” unless the growing backlog in tribunals is tackled, employment lawyers have warned.
Peter Kyle: I’ll use AI to boost efficiency like Musk
The technology secretary has described himself as a “disruptor” with similarities to Elon Musk or Dominic Cummings, but with the added “hard work of delivery”, as he boosted public sector pay to attract AI experts.
Chinese group backing new embassy gave award to ‘spy’
A business group supporting China’s application to open a super-embassy in London gave a “contribution of the year” award to the alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew, it has been claimed.
I excluded 11 pupils on day one as head — look at our school now
When Simon Ward arrived at Kingsway Park High School in Rochdale two years ago, he had to exclude 11 pupils on the first day. Now the school, in one of the town’s most deprived neighbourhoods, rarely sees a fight — and Ward proudly displays a counter on his whiteboard saying “days since last incident”.
Tory HQ has cut staffing by three quarters since election loss
Conservative headquarters has reduced staffing by three quarters since the general election in July, as members were warned there was no “magic money tree” to help the party recover from the defeat.
Second Labour MP in sacked minister’s WhatsApp group named
A second Labour MP has been named as being part of a WhatsApp group with the sacked minister who joked about a constituent being “mown down” by a truck.
Labour shelves plans to make gender change easier
Labour has mothballed plans to make it easier to legally change gender, The Times has learnt, in a step to counter Reform UK’s surge in the polls.
Lord Hermer claimed pledge to ‘control our borders’ was de-humanising
The attorney-general said that pledges to “control our borders” are de-humanising and there is a “moral argument” for Britain to pay reparations for slavery, in comments which put him at odds with key government positions, The Times can reveal.
Doctors’ union demands never-ending right to strike
Doctors are demanding an indefinite right to strike during industrial disputes under Labour’s workers’ rights overhaul.
Lord Hermer KC’s legal guidance has led to ‘freeze on government’
The attorney-general is facing a backlash from cabinet ministers over claims that his changes to legal advice have led to an effective “freeze on government”.
Neighbours go into battle against Chinese embassy scheme
A stone’s throw from Tower Bridge, in central London, David Lake is standing on Chinese land. The car park of his flat, in a small development called St Mary Graces Court, is on the site of what would be the largest Chinese embassy in Europe, and is separated from the former Royal Mint building which would house it by only a small wooden fence.
Pubs ‘could ban patrons from talking about transgender rights’
Pubs could ban customers from speaking about contentious beliefs such as religious views or transgender rights over fears of falling foul of Labour’s workers rights reforms.
Angela Rayner positioning herself as the woman to take on Reform
Angela Rayner ended the year on something of a high. After being handed the politician of the year award at a ceremony in Westminster, she could not resist making a joke about her own leadership aspirations.
Earl of Onslow criticises National Trust plan for Clandon Park House
A burnt-out Palladian mansion will be left looking like “a cross between an office block and an airport” with a Georgian façade if a planned National Trust renovation goes ahead, a relative of its former owner fears
Blasphemy work on hold despite rise in extremism reports
The government has shelved work surrounding the issue of blasphemy in Britain at the same time as warnings over extremism are on the rise.
Child maintenance fees ‘would make loan sharks blush’
Ministers have been accused of acting like “loan sharks” after a record £16 million was raised in fees from those paying child maintenance.
Labour’s workers’ rights could cost millions of part-time jobs
Businesses could be forced to choose between offering millions of part-time workers full-time contracts or making them redundant under Labour’s plans to overhaul workers’ rights.
How civil servants really use AI, from lesson plans to recruitment
Picking top civil servants, testing tax policy and exploring export opportunities has long been the work of Whitehall and its thousands of staff. However, mandarins are being swapped for machines across the government.
Civil servants could sue over Christmas party snubs
Civil servants who are not invited to Christmas parties by their colleagues have been advised that they could bring legal claims for discrimination.
Rise in AI and ‘nudification’ apps aiding child abuse deepfakes
Predators are using artificial intelligence apps to “nudify” children using regular family photographs taken from social media, while a fifth of schools have reported that pupils as young as eight are accessing nude content online.
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