April figure more than expected and comes despite increase in employer national insurance contributions

• Jump in UK borrowing shows Rachel Reeves needs to relax her strict budget rules

• Business live – latest updates

The UK government borrowed more than expected in April, underscoring the challenge for Rachel Reeves to fix public services and grow the economy while meeting her fiscal rules.

With the chancellor under pressure on Labour’s tax plans, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing rose to £20.2bn in April, £1bn more than the same month a year earlier. City economists had forecast borrowing of £17.9bn.

Sam Altman and Jony Ive say mystery product created by their partnership will be the coolest thing ever

Everything over the last 30 years, according to Sir Jony Ive, has led to this moment: a partnership between the iPhone designer and the developer of ChatGPT.

Ive has sold his hardware startup, io, to OpenAI and will take on creative and design leadership across the merged businesses. “I have a growing sense that everything I have learned over the last 30 years has led me to this place, to this moment,” he says in a video announcing the $6.4bn (£4.8bn) deal.

Analysis comes as energy agency predicts systems will need as much energy by end of decade as Japan uses today

Artificial intelligence systems could account for nearly half of datacentre power consumption by the end of this year, analysis has revealed.

The estimates by Alex de Vries-Gao, the founder of the Digiconomist tech sustainability website, came as the International Energy Agency forecast that AI would require almost as much energy by the end of this decade as Japan uses today.

Chinese owner owed almost £1bn as government weighs up how best to attract buyer for Scunthorpe works

• Business live – latest updates

Ministers are reportedly considering legislation to relieve British Steel of debts that have risen to nearly £1bn, as the government considers how best to prepare the Scunthorpe steelworks for sale.

The government took control of the business last month after it said its Chinese owner, Jingye Steel, planned to close the plant within days. The move required emergency legislation that was passed in a historic recall of parliament.

Steepest drop in nearly eight months as club misses out on lucrative place in next season’s Champions League

Manchester United shares have slumped after the football club was defeated in the final of Europe’s second-tier tournament, which will ultimately lead to £100m in lost revenues.

United lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the Uefa Europa League final in Bilbao on Wednesday night, dealing a further blow to its billionaire owners, the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. It means the club has failed to qualify for next season’s lucrative Uefa Champions League, Europe’s top-tier football competition.

New trade deal with EU could make 41 border control posts built after Brexit redundant

The UK government is reportedly considering selling a post-Brexit border check facility in Kent that could fall out of use as a result of this week’s trade pact with the EU.

The site, based in Sevington, Ashford, was erected in 2021 with capacity for 1,300 lorries that were expected to face extra checks on plants and animal goods, including dairy and meat, entering and leaving Britain after Brexit.

Global prices drop after reports that Opec+ is ready to raise output despite weaker demand for fossil fuels

Global oil prices have tumbled by more than $1 a barrel in a sign that pressure on households at the petrol pumps could ease further.

The price of Brent crude fell to $63.86 a barrel on Thursday following reports that the Opec oil cartel and its allies may increase their production for July, despite weaker global demand for fossil fuels.

Disruption to online shopping could derail retailer’s successful pivot to cater to fashion-focused customers

In September 2019, as Marks & Spencer fell out of the FTSE 100 for the first time, its then chief executive, Steve Rowe, described the retailer as having a “reputation for frumpiness”. Just six years later, thanks to clever campaigns, unexpected collaborations and a focus on catwalk-influenced pieces, the retailer has transformed itself into the go-to fashion destination for high street shoppers.

Annual results, released on Wednesday, showed a 22% rise in pre-tax profits in the year to 30 March. Overall sales were up 6% to £13.9bn with fashion and homeware increasing 3.5% to £4.2bn.

Measure would tighten eligibility for health and food programs for poor people and could add $3.8tn to US debt

• Analysis: Promises of an American ‘golden age’ – that conveniently ends with Trump’s presidency

Republicans in the House of Representatives won passage on Thursday of a major bill that would enact Donald Trump’s tax and spending priorities while adding trillions of dollars to the US debt and potentially preventing millions of Americans from accessing federal safety net benefits.

The One Big Beautiful Bill act was approved in the early morning hours mostly along party lines by the slim Republican majority, with 215 votes in favor and 214 against. Its passage ended weeks of negotiations that drew into question the GOP’s ability to find agreement on Trump’s top legislative priority in a chamber they control by just three seats.

Brand shifts away from dieting towards weight-loss injections after filing for bankruptcy in the US

WeightWatchers is teaming up with a provider of weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, in a seismic shift for the brand away from a focus on dieting as it tries to turn around its struggling business.

WeightWatchers, which has promoted a non-medical, points-based approach to food intake since its creation in the 1960s, has announced a strategic partnership in the UK with CheqUp, a provider of GLP-1 weight-loss medication and accompanying clinical support and health coaching.

• Streaming platform in line to agree five-year deal

• Dazn has shown Champions League for four seasons

The streaming platform Disney+ is set to show live Women’s Champions League matches from next season across multiple European broadcast territories, including the United Kingdom.

It is understood Disney+ has agreed a five-year deal which will mean that it broadcasts every single match in the competition live, which is being perceived as a major step forward for coverage of the European women’s game’s top club competition.

As pressure grows on chancellor to rethink constraints she imposed on herself, No 10 adds to her problems

• UK borrowing rises to £20.2bn
• Business live – latest updates

There is mounting pressure on Rachel Reeves to relax her budget rules and to prepare the ground by telling voters in the next few weeks.

The latest public borrowing figures for April, which show a rise above most City forecasts, indicate that the chancellor will struggle to stay within the constraints she imposed on herself at last year’s budget.

Our voters wanted change, not more austerity. Will the PM and his chancellor apologise for the anxiety and stress they’ve caused?

• Jon Trickett is the MP for Normanton and Hemsworth in West Yorkshire and former member of the shadow cabinet

On Wednesday, Keir Starmer indicated he may U-turn on last year’s winter fuel payments cuts. The prime minister announced in the Commons that he would look again at the £11,500 threshold over which pensioners are no longer eligible for the payment, meaning that more pensioners will again be eligible for the benefit. As a Labour MP who voted against the cut, I think the government should go further.

During the election, I promised I would defend the community I represent, fight for working-class people and stand by my principles. And so I could not in all conscience vote for the removal of the winter fuel payment from up to 10 million pensioners as one of the first actions of the new Labour government in September. Approximately 17,000 people in my constituency lost their winter fuel payment. Similar numbers can be seen in constituencies throughout the country.

Jon Trickett is the MP for Normanton and Hemsworth in West Yorkshire and former member of the shadow cabinet

The ‘big, beautiful’ measure going through Congress would cut health, food and education benefits – and offer a huge boost to the richest

With Donald Trump pushing hard to give big tax cuts to the rich and do huge favors for crypto billionaires, it was jarring to see a photo of a Trump aide carrying a sign that said: “President Trump’s Pro-Worker Priorities”. The aide was about to place the sign on Trump’s lectern; it mentioned such “pro-worker priorities” as ending federal taxes on tips and overtime pay: catchy, but scattershot policies that will help only a fraction of the nation’s workers.

Not surprisingly, that sign made no mention of Trump’s many anti-worker policies that will do serious harm to millions of workers and their families. Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill, which is advancing in the House, includes the biggest cuts ever to Medicaid, a nearly 30% reduction in food assistance, and a $350bn cut in aid that helps working-class kids afford college. Trump has also pushed to end home-heating assistance and to make it harder for millions of Americans to afford Obamacare. If that isn’t painful enough, GOP deficit hawks have vowed to torpedo the budget bill unless it includes even more cuts. Under the current Trump House bill, at least 13.7 million people would lose health coverage – and the deficit hawks’ demands would increase that number.

Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author focusing on labor and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues

Labour’s pivot to welfare cuts and targeting of rightwing voters has backfired. If the party leadership won’t adapt, the public will move on

Sir Keir Starmer’s U-turn on winter fuel payments did not just represent a policy reversal. It was the moment when the prime minister, elected on promises of national renewal, was forced to confront the political reality that his strategy had refused to acknowledge. It may also prove to be the moment he lost control.

The original policy, hatched in the Treasury and defended for months, had cut winter fuel payments, worth up to £300 annually, to millions of pensioners. It was unpopular, and unnecessary. Local election losses and a looming backbench revolt over disability benefit cuts made it politically toxic. The result? On Wednesday, Sir Keir reversed course at the dispatch box – with his chancellor, Rachel Reeves, notably absent. Too little, too late: voters saw delay; activists cried betrayal.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Revealed: an investigation shows how consumers buying fish in the UK are playing a role in food insecurity and unemployment in Senegal

Read more: Chris Packham calls sea bass labelling in UK supermarkets a ‘dereliction of duty’

At the entrance to the fish market in Joal-Fadiouth, a coastal town in central Senegal, a group of women have set up shop under the shade of a small pavilion. A few years ago, they say, the market would have been bustling with ice-cream sellers, salt vendors and horse-drawn carts delivering freshly caught fish to the women, who would set about sun-drying, salting and sorting the catch into affordable portions for local families to buy.

Today, trade is dead, says Aissatou Wade, one of the remaining small-scale fish processors left in the town. “Without fish [to sell], we have no money to send our children to school, buy food or get help if we fall ill,” she says.

The world’s richest person has placed his mission to Mars in a low-income county near the US-Mexico border. As a small cluster of voters connected to SpaceX decide to incorporate their own ‘Starbase city', Oliver Laughland and Tom Silverstone meet environmental opponents, space enthusiasts and residents who decry the gentrification Musk's expansion has brought

In response to a question by Sarah Owen (Lab) as to how the government would help struggling pensioners, the prime minister said he wanted 'more pensioners' to get winter fuel payments. He added that the economy was improving and he wanted people, including pensioners, to feel the benefits. Starmer said the government would make decisions at the next fiscal event – the autumn budget. The announcement marks a significant U-turn as Downing Street previously insisted the policy would not change

• PMQs live: Keir Starmer faces questions from Kemi Badenoch

Deputy political editor Jessica Elgot explains the new deal signed between Britain and the EU, and asks whether UK politics is finally over Brexit

On Monday Britain and the EU announced a series of new agreements ranging from sausages to arms sales.

While the details of the deal are yet to be signed, it seemed to many like the start of a new, post-Brexit era.

National Parking Platform, where motorists can pay for all parking on single app, to launch ‘as soon as possible’

For motorists fed up with having to wrestle with a phone full of apps to pay for parking their car, relief could finally be in sight with a unified app.

Lengthy delays have dogged a government-funded initiative, the National Parking Platform (NPP), designed to let people use one app to pay for all their parking instead of having to sign up to a plethora of services.

UK software engineer successfully sues employer for disability discrimination after complaining about manager’s sighing

Sighing at a colleague at work in frustration could breach equality laws, an employment tribunal has ruled.

Nonverbal expressions of disappointment or irritation could amount to discrimination, a judge said.

How to prove your identity after your account gets hacked and how to improve security for the future

• Phone lost or stolen? Practical steps to restore peace of mind
• UK passport lost or stolen? Here are the steps you need to take

Your Facebook or Instagram account can be your link to friends, a profile for your work or a key to other services, so losing access can be very worrying. Here’s what to do if the worst happens.

If you have access to the phone number or email account associated with your Facebook or Instagram account, try to reset your password by clicking on the “Forgot password?” link on the main Facebook or Instagram login screen. Follow the instructions in the email or text message you receive.

If you no longer have access to the email account linked to your Facebook account, use a device with which you have previously logged into Facebook and go to facebook.com/login/identify. Enter any email address or phone number you might have associated with your account, or find your username which is the string of characters after Facebook.com/ on your page. Click on “No longer have access to these?”, “Forgotten account?” or “Recover” and follow the instructions to prove your identity and reset your password.

If your account was hacked, visit facebook.com/hacked or instagram.com/hacked/ on a device you have previously used to log in and follow the instructions. Visit the help with a hacked account page for Facebook or Instagram.

Change the password to something strong, long and unique, such as a combination of random words or a memorable lyric or quote. Avoid simple or guessable combinations. Use a password manager to help you remember it and other important details.

Turn on two-step verification in the “password and security” section of the Accounts Centre. Use an authentication app or security key for this, not SMS codes. Save your recovery codes somewhere safe in case you lose access to your two-step authentication method.

Turn on “unrecognised login” alerts in the “password and security” section of the Accounts Centre, which will alert you to any suspicious login activity.

Remove any suspicious “friends” from your account – these could be fake accounts or scammers.

If you are eligible, turn on “advanced protection for Facebook” in the “password and security” section of the Accounts Centre.

Reader is willing to pay original sum but says no one should be fined for stopping for just over 2 minutes

In February, I parked briefly outside a clothing store to visit a nearby shop. As soon as I entered, the shopkeeper informed me that parking was not allowed in that area.

I immediately returned to my vehicle and left. The total duration of my stop, according to the parking charge notices (PCNs) I received the following week from Euro Parking Services (EPS), was just two minutes and 24 seconds.

Ofgem price cap on gas and electricity likely to drop by £129 to £1,720 a year, says consultancy Cornwall Insight

• Business live – latest updates

Household energy bills could drop this summer but experts have warned that “the crisis is not over” for households and manufacturers struggling to afford gas and electricity costs.

The industry regulator’s quarterly price cap is expected to fall in July by an average of £129, or 7%, according to forecasts from Cornwall Insight, a leading energy consultancy. It has predicted that the cap will fall to £1,720 a year for a typical dual-fuel household this summer, from £1,849 under the current limits.

From planning ahead to knowing what looks (and smells) good, a carnivore’s guide

It is estimated that UK households throw away 10 % of beef, pork and poultry they buy each year. That’s about 250,000 tonnes in total, so it is important to plan what you are going to buy to avoid waste and save money.

Reader accuses reselling site of giving customers no recourse over quality issues after sneakers began to fall apart

In January, I bought a pair of designer “snakeskin” trainers by A Bathing Ape for £300 from the online reseller StockX. Several years ago I had the same pair and loved them.

Unfortunately, a few weeks after I started wearing them, I noticed the leather was peeling, and I contacted StockX to see whether it could help. I found its response unsatisfactory.

If you are sticking loyally with a bank, using an overdraft or failing to read the small print, you may well be losing out

Many of us frequently shop around for the best insurance deals or supermarket offers but forget about their bank account – and it could be leaving you hundreds of pounds worse off.

Here are five the most common banking mistakes and how to avoid them.