UK

Downing Street has refused to confirm President Trump’s claim that Keir Starmer was “very happy” about the treatment the UK is getting under the new US global tariff regime. (See 9.32am.) Asked about the president’s words at the morning lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson said that the government had already set out its position yesterday and that it was “disappointed” by the US tariff policy.

Livia Tossici-Bolt has been sentenced at Poole magistrates’ court to a conditional discharge for two years for two charges of breaching a “buffer zone” outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, PA Media reports. See 11.22am.

Union says the government should intervene directly and force the council to settle the dispute

Trump claims Starmer ‘very happy’ about tariffs

Downing Street has refused to confirm President Trump’s claim that Keir Starmer was “very happy” about the treatment the UK is getting under the new US global tariff regime. (See 9.32am.) Asked about the president’s words at the morning lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson said that the government had already set out its position yesterday and that it was “disappointed” by the US tariff policy.

Livia Tossici-Bolt has been sentenced at Poole magistrates’ court to a conditional discharge for two years for two charges of breaching a “buffer zone” outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, PA Media reports. See 11.22am.

Her introduction to politics began in Birmingham as the child of a Labour councillor and as justice secretary she’s made tough decisions from day one

Shabana Mahmood’s potential as a future cabinet minister was first noticed by the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson in the 90s over tea and samosas at her family’s end-of-terrace Birmingham home.

Watson, a seasoned fixer, had become a close friend of her father, Mahmood Ahmed, a Labour councillor. When political problems arose, Watson and fellow Labour party organisers would be guided through to comfy sofas in the family sitting room.

Broadcaster wants to branch out with shows covering crime, history and sport and says he has investors lined up

Piers Morgan is planning to create a YouTube empire covering true crime, history and other genres, claiming to have “significant players” already lining up to invest.

Morgan said he was looking to branch out from his Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel and find a series of “mini-mes” to front other shows under the brand. He said his current show was already turning a profit since he broke away from Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in January.

Actor and comedian charged with rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault, say police

The comedian and actor Russell Brand has been charged with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape as well as two counts of sexual assault.

Brand will appear in court in London on 2 May, according to the Metropolitan police, which began investigating him in September 2023 after a range of allegations.

Plan to add 90 turbines to Rampion will create 4,000 jobs in construction and could power 1m homes

The government has approved plans to build an offshore windfarm capable of powering about 1m British homes before the end of the decade.

The plan to extend the Rampion offshore windfarm by adding 90 turbines off the Sussex coast is expected to add about 1.2 gigawatts of clean power for British households and businesses.

Donald Trump’s tariffs signal a new global economic era, Downing Street has said, as economists warn the British government is likely to have to raise taxes in response.

No 10 said on Friday the prime minister believed that this week’s trade announcement by the US president, which has started a global trade war and sent stock markets tumbling, marked a turning point in history.

No 10 says US president’s decision is ‘disappointing’, as experts warn UK may have to raise taxes in autumn

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Donald Trump’s tariffs signal a new global economic era, Downing Street has said, as economists warn the British government is likely to have to raise taxes in response.

No 10 said on Friday the prime minister believed that this week’s trade announcement by the US president, which has started a global trade war and sent stock markets tumbling, marked a turning point in history.

A glass factory in Wigan that produces fibreglass for electric cars and wind turbines faces closure and the loss of 250 jobs unless its Japanese owner can find a new partner or a buyer.

In the latest blow to Britain’s industrial base, Nippon Electric Glass (NEG) announced a “strategic review” of its composites business Electric Glass Fiber UK (EGF), which it expects to last approximately two months, putting about 250 jobs at risk.

Closure of Nippon Electric Glass plant would put further pressure on Rachel Reeves’s industrial strategy

• Business live – latest updates

A glass factory in Wigan that produces fibreglass for electric cars and wind turbines faces closure and the loss of 250 jobs unless its Japanese owner can find a new partner or a buyer.

In the latest blow to Britain’s industrial base, Nippon Electric Glass (NEG) announced a “strategic review” of its composites business Electric Glass Fiber UK (EGF), which it expects to last approximately two months, putting about 250 jobs at risk.

Livia Tossici-Bolt given conditional discharge and ordered to pay £20,000 costs in case that drew US state department concern

An activist whose case had been cited by the US state department over “freedom of expression” concerns in the UK has been convicted of breaching a buffer zone outside an abortion clinic.

Livia Tossici-Bolt, an anti-abortion campaigner, went on trial at Poole magistrates court last month accused of breaching a public spaces protection order on two days in March 2023 near to a clinic in Bournemouth. On Friday she was found guilty of two charges of breaching the order.

Shoppers also face more ‘shrinkflation’ as manufacturers ‘try to offset rising production costs’

Exchanging Easter eggs and tucking into a roast dinner are among the highlights of the spring holiday but Britons face paying more for this year’s celebrations after a sharp rise in the price of essentials such as chocolate, lamb and hot cross buns.

A leg of lamb joint now costs on average £13.94 a kilo in supermarkets, which is 10%, or £1.31, more than last year, according to the price analysts Assosia. Over two years, the jump is nearly 27%, or approaching £3 more a kilo, based on the pre-promotion price across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons.

Temperature could hit 24C in central England on Friday with ‘very high to extreme’ risk of wildfires across Britain

The UK could experience its warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures higher than European holiday hotspots.

The Met Office said much of the country would be dry and sunny on Friday, and some of central England could hit 24C (75F) as weather “nearer to what we’d expect in July” continued.

Economists say levies of between 10% and 50% have dramatically added to the risk of a worldwide downturn

Global financial markets have been plunged into turmoil as Donald Trump’s escalating trade war knocked trillions of dollars off the value of the world’s biggest companies and heightened fears of a US recession.

As world leaders reacted to the US president’s “liberation day” tariff policies demolishing the international trading order, about $2.5tn (£1.9tn) was wiped off Wall Street and share prices in other financial centres across the globe.

County councils across England are being elected on 1 May, along with four regional mayors. Find out which areas are voting and search for your own

In many other years, the first set of local elections with a new government and prime minister in place would be scrutinised keenly as a judgment on the PM’s performance so far. This year the runes will be harder to read because so many of the councils that are up are Conservative councils in Conservative areas. Few of the big cities are up, although some university cities and towns will be voting.

In contrast, the results will probably be read as judgment on the performance of the new Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch. The last time these council seats were contested, in most cases, was in 2021, when the Conservatives under Boris Johnson were riding high in the polls on “the vaccine boost”, and before the partygate scandal started to dent their popularity.

Damning report by public accounts committee finds some of Tory government’s initiatives have worsened the crisis

The official plan to increase access to NHS dental services in England has been a “complete failure”, and some of the government’s initiatives have worsened the crisis, a damning report warns.

Millions of patients continue to be denied dental care, forcing them to pay for private treatment, build up mountains of credit card debt, or even worse perform dangerous DIY dentistry on their own teeth, the research by MPs found.

Dr Amy Orben says there are no ‘one-size-fits-all answers’ given importance of access to online information

A leading academic tasked by the UK government with reviewing the effects of smartphones on teenagers has suggested blanket bans are “unrealistic and potentially detrimental”.

Amy Orben, from the University of Cambridge, will lead the work on children and smartphone use that has been commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) along with a team of other academics from a number of UK universities.

A draft transatlantic trade agreement contains commitments to review enforcement of the Online Safety Act, according to a report on Thursday, amid White House concerns the legislation poses a threat to free speech.

Child protection charities say watering down Online Safety Act would be an ‘appalling sellout’ by government

Child safety campaigners have warned the government against watering down landmark online laws as part of a UK-US trade deal, describing the prospect of a compromise as an “appalling sellout” that would be rejected by voters.

A draft transatlantic trade agreement contains commitments to review enforcement of the Online Safety Act, according to a report on Thursday, amid White House concerns the legislation poses a threat to free speech.

We are dismayed and appalled by reports that the Online Safety Act could be watered down to facilitate a US trade deal.

We have written to Jonathan Reynolds [business secretary] urging him not to continue with an appalling sell out of children’s safety and to meet with lived experience campaigners to understand the dire consequences.

The Online Safety Act offers a foundation that we believe will vastly improve children’s experiences online.

For too long, too many children and young people have been exposed to harmful content, groomed, harassed and bullied online. The Government must not roll back on their commitment to making the online world safer for them, now and in the future.

PM says measures mark ‘the beginning of a new era’ for trade and the global economy

Internet safety campaigners have expressed alarm about reports that the Online Safety Act could be reviewed as part of the economic deal the UK is negotiating with the US.

According to a Politico report, quoting unnamed sources who have been briefed on what is in the potential deal, it will include a commitment to a review of the Digital Markets and Competition Act and the Online Safety Act.

We are dismayed and appalled by reports that the Online Safety Act could be watered down to facilitate a US trade deal.

We have written to Jonathan Reynolds [business secretary] urging him not to continue with an appalling sell out of children’s safety and to meet with lived experience campaigners to understand the dire consequences.

The Online Safety Act offers a foundation that we believe will vastly improve children’s experiences online.

For too long, too many children and young people have been exposed to harmful content, groomed, harassed and bullied online. The Government must not roll back on their commitment to making the online world safer for them, now and in the future.

Jonathan Reynolds tells MPs he is keeping ‘all options on the table’ after Trump’s announcement of import taxes on British goods

The UK has launched a formal process to retaliate against Donald Trump’s tariffs if it does not secure a trade deal with the US, the business secretary has said.

Jonathan Reynolds told the Commons he was taking the first step towards retaliatory action against the US so as “to keep all options on the table”.

PM uses launch of Labour local election campaign to attack Nigel Farage over past comments about Russian leader

Keir Starmer has accused Reform UK of “fawning over Putin” as the prime minister used the launch of Labour’s local election campaign to attack Nigel Farage repeatedly over his past comments about the Russian leader.

With Labour viewing Reform as potentially its greatest rival in next month’s elections, Starmer devoted more time to attacking the rightwing populist party than criticising the Conservatives.

As global stock markets fall, personal investments including pensions and stocks and shares could be affected

Global stock markets have been falling sharply for a second day running after Donald Trump’s announcement that the US planned to charge tariffs on goods from around the world. A global trade war intensified when China responded on Friday by announcing tariffs of 34% on imports of US goods, accelerating the market sell-off. For people in the UK, there are reasons to be concerned about the falls:

Although the UK faces a lower tariff than many other countries, for UK consumers there could still be some fallout. How it all plays out remains unclear.

A global trade war could affect everything from prices to pensions, and inflation to interest rates

Donald Trump’s announcement that the US will put tariffs on goods from around the world, including a 10% charge on UK imports, has signalled the start of a global trade war.

Although the UK faces a lower tariff than many other countries, for UK consumers there could still be some fallout. How it all plays out remains unclear.

Downing Street has said talks were at an “advanced stage” and officials have indicated that the broad outlines of a deal have been agreed.

Ministers are considering how to secure an agreement that might exempt Britain from Trump’s tariffs

UK ministers are redoubling their efforts to agree a trade deal with Donald Trump after he announced sweeping 10% tariffs on British exports to the US.

Downing Street has said talks were at an “advanced stage” and officials have indicated that the broad outlines of a deal have been agreed.

There are signs that this strategy is bearing fruit. On Wednesday night, the president announced “reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world” including a 10% import tax on UK exports to the US – crucially, lower than the 20% imposed on the EU. The 10% rate was the lowest rate Trump announced and applied to several other countries including Australia, Singapore and Brazil.

100 days of Trump’s presidency, with Jonathan Freedland and guests

Retaliation may not be needed as Britain likely to be ‘front of the queue’ in agreeing deal to redraw trade relationship

What is the best way to respond to Donald Trump and his sweeping tariffs? Keir Starmer thinks the answer is to tread softly, softly – while engaging in intensive negotiations behind the scenes.

There are signs that this strategy is bearing fruit. On Wednesday night, the president announced “reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world” including a 10% import tax on UK exports to the US – crucially, lower than the 20% imposed on the EU. The 10% rate was the lowest rate Trump announced and applied to several other countries including Australia, Singapore and Brazil.

100 days of Trump’s presidency, with Jonathan Freedland and guests

Sheen will take the lead in a new play, Owain & Henry, to be staged by his fledgling company, Welsh National Theatre, and hopes it will become a “defining moment” for Wales, triggering conversations about how it became the country it is, the pressing social issues it faces and the question of independence.

Actor hopes Owain and Henry, one of two new productions by the Welsh National Theatre, will be a ‘defining moment’

He has been celebrated for playing the roles of a British prime minister and an English king but the Welsh actor Michael Sheen is now relishing the prospect of starring as a noted leader from his homeland – Owain Glyndŵr, the medieval Prince of Wales.

Sheen will take the lead in a new play, Owain & Henry, to be staged by his fledgling company, Welsh National Theatre, and hopes it will become a “defining moment” for Wales, triggering conversations about how it became the country it is, the pressing social issues it faces and the question of independence.

Director Kevin O’Hare announces staging of NYCB choreographer Peck’s 2014 piece, as well as new works by Akram Khan and Cathy Marston

A ballet by one of New York’s hottest choreographers, set to the music of Sufjan Stevens, and Akram Khan’s first work for the Royal Opera House stage are two highlights of the Royal Ballet’s 2025-26 season, announced on Wednesday. They will be seen alongside the first commission for a UK company from choreographic duo Paul Lightfoot and Sol León, premieres from Wayne McGregor and Cathy Marston and a new ballet based on Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, with live music by John Grant.

“It’s about working with new voices, looking for what we haven’t experienced and what’s important to see,” said artistic director Kevin O’Hare about what will be his 14th season in charge of the company.

Officers attended theatre in Southend after reports of altercation at end of Paul Chowdhry’s show

Police were called to a comedy show in Essex after a fight broke out in the audience, which reportedly led to a man being assaulted.

Inquiries are ongoing after the altercation at the end of standup comic Paul Chowdhry’s performance of his Englandia tour at the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend.

Government plan over copyright-protected work would put industries in ‘dangerous position’, Alex Mahon tells MPs

The chief executive of Channel 4 said that artificial intelligence companies are “scraping the value” out of the UK’s £125bn creative industries, and urged the government to take action.

Alex Mahon told MPs that if the government pursues its proposed plan to give AI companies access to creative works unless the copyright holder opts out, it would put the UK creative industries in a “dangerous position”.

Varada Sethu joining series as Doctor’s latest companion, marking first time Tardis team is wholly people of colour

Criticisms that Doctor Who has become too “woke” prove the series is doing the right thing by being inclusive, its new star Varada Sethu has said.

Sethu plays the Doctor’s latest travelling companion, Belinda Chandra, in new episodes airing this month. With Ncuti Gatwa returning as the Doctor, the pairing marks the first time a Tardis team will comprise solely people of colour.

The drama teachers behind the young actors in the Netflix smash say their lack of recognition ‘has caused wide upset’

Adolescence’s stratospheric success has catapulted its young cast of unknown actors into the limelight. Reams of headlines have suggested that they have come from nowhere – yet the grassroots regional drama schools that trained them say this overlooks their hard work.

To find undiscovered talent for the show, Adolescence’s casting director, Shaheen Baig, visited two northern drama schools that work with children from underrepresented and deprived communities.

Everyone from the prime minister down seems to have a view on Adolescence, the Netflix smash about a teenage murder fuelled by social media and toxic masculinity.

But there is one voice missing from the debate: teenage boys themselves. We gathered a group of sixth-formers from Xaverian college in Manchester to get their views on the show, and find out what it is really like to be a teenage boy in Britain today.

Sixth-formers discuss the hit show and what it is really like to be a young male in Britain today

• Warning: contains spoilers
• Podcast: What teenage boys really think of girls, influencers and porn

Everyone from the prime minister down seems to have a view on Adolescence, the Netflix smash about a teenage murder fuelled by social media and toxic masculinity.

But there is one voice missing from the debate: teenage boys themselves. We gathered a group of sixth-formers from Xaverian college in Manchester to get their views on the show, and find out what it is really like to be a teenage boy in Britain today.

Study finds larger drop-off among girls aged 13-14 who feel safe than among boys, compared with age group in 2019

Girls in England say they feel less safe at school and are more disenchanted with their education, research has found.

Using data from an international study of pupils at primary and secondary schools, researchers said the steep fall in girls’ “emotional engagement” compared with the years before the Covid pandemic has become a pressing issue for schools.

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, says there are too few men working in schools as UK reflects on TV series Adolescence

The fate of boys “is a defining issue of our time”, according to the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, as she calls for more men to become teachers to combat “toxic” behaviours.

Speaking at a conference on Thursday, Phillipson will warn that boys and young men growing up in Britain need stronger role models to counteract the dangers they face, illustrated by the Netflix series Adolescence.

Louise Haigh calls for end to two-tier system over complaints of sexual misconduct or harassment

Bosses should be banned from the “improper” use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for low-paid workers in the service, retail or hospitality sectors, a former cabinet minister has said, as she calls for an end to a two-tier system for victims.

Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary, has urged MPs to look beyond high-profile cases linked to the #MeToo movement and advocate for workers in insecure employment who may not have “the means and the confidence to pursue their employers through the courts” to be able to challenge the NDAs.

Legal action claims policy breaches rights of children with SEN whose requirements cannot be met by UK state schools

Adding VAT to private school fees discriminates against children with conditions such as autism whose needs cannot be adequately met by UK state schools, the high court has been told.

The legal action against Labour’s policy is being taken by parents claiming that VAT on school fees is a breach of human rights law and discriminatory on grounds including religion, nationality, disability and mental health.

Joanne Sharkey admitted manslaughter after secret birth while she had postnatal depression after first child

A woman who killed her newborn baby 27 years ago while she had severe postnatal depression has been handed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, as a judge said the case “calls for compassion”.

Joanne Sharkey, 55, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility over the death of her days-old son, whose body was found wrapped in bin bags in woodland in 1998.

Duke of Sussex says he hopes Charity Commission will ‘unveil the truth’ about governance of Sentebale

Prince Harry has launched a thinly veiled attack on the chair of the Sentebale charity he founded two decades ago for telling “blatant lies”, as an inquiry was launched into claims about the organisation’s governance.

In a statement issued in response to the Charity Commission’s decision to open a “compliance case”, the prince said he hoped a “robust inquiry” would “unveil the truth”.

Lead signatory of letter to Church Times says it is ‘moral and Christian imperative’ to ensure dignified retirement

Church of England vicars are demanding an increase in pensions amid claims that many face an impoverished old age, with some forced to rely on food banks or move in with adult children.

Almost 2,000 C of E clergy have joined an action group on Facebook in the past few weeks and 700 signed a letter to the Church Times calling for “urgent and decisive action”.

Chancellor says autumn budget enabled £25bn of extra investment into NHS and shorter waiting lists

Rachel Reeves has defended the £40bn in tax increases in autumn’s budget as businesses brace for their impact, saying NHS waiting lists would now be higher if she had not taken action.

Employers are set for a £25bn increase in national insurance contributions (NICs), which comes into force on 6 April, at the same time as consumers are being hit by a slew of increases in bills for everything from utilities to car tax.

Survey finds vast majority of doctors are concerned at impact of health inequalities on their patients

Doctors have reported a rise in the number of patients with Victorian diseases such as scabies, as the Royal College of Physicians urged the government to do more to fight poverty.

The survey of 882 doctors found 89% were concerned about the impact of health inequalities on their patients, while 72% had seen more patients in the past three months with illnesses related to poor-quality housing, air pollution and access to transport.

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

The UK’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, has suggested the US president Donald Trump’s recent announcement of tariffs against the country’s trade partners takes US policy back to ‘something that we’ve not seen for nearly a century’. Lammy said ‘all options’ were on the table for the UK in responding to the White House’s decision, but said the UK was engaging in trade talk to find a way forward

• Global markets in turmoil as Trump tariffs wipe $2.5tn off Wall Street

• Trump claims Starmer is ‘very happy’ about tariffs imposed on Britain

• David Lammy says Trump has taken US economic policy back 100 years with ‘return to protectionism’ – UK politics live

From a Devon terrace in need of modernisation to a vast six-bedroom house near Aberdeen, properties that exude craftsmanship

John Harris on how music helped him connect with his autistic son James

When James was a child, he loved playing songs over and over. I Am the Walrus, by the Beatles. Autobahn, by Kraftwerk.

“He hears emotion in music. I know that for a fact,” James’s father the Guardian journalist John Harris tells Helen Pidd.

Northern Ireland MP Sorcha Eastwood told the House of Commons how she was targeted by Andrew Tate and his followers for speaking out against Elon Musk online. Eastwood spoke to MPs during a debate on digital platforms' impact on democracy in which she shared her own experience with online hate and death threats.

'We have seen a deliberate, organised effort to create an environment where extremism flourishes, intimidation becomes the norm and women, minorities and political opponents are driven out of public life,' she said