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Most of Great Britain’s major rail operators are back in public hands – is it working?

Wales and ScotRail were each nationalised by the Welsh and Scottish devolved governments, in 2021 and 2022 respectively. However, under the current transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, the Department for Transport (DfT) has accelerated the pace

Single-sex space guidance for organisations to be published after May elections

new guidance on single-sex spaces next month after elections on the 7 May, equalities minister Bridget Phillipson has said. Updated draft guidance was submitted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on Monday

Australia news live: banks pass on interest rate hike to customers; Sydney ‘globalise the intifada’ forum held in park

first Australian bank to announce it would [pass on the 0.25% interest rate rise](https://www.macquarie.com/au/en/about/news/2026/macquarie-banks-response-to-the-rbas-interest-rate-decision.html) to its variable home loan customers from 22 May. The country’s big four banks – Commonwealth Bank

Prince William selling 20% of duchy properties to build homes

Wales, is to sell off 20% of its property over 10 years. The £500m raised will be invested in local communities, including affordable housing and environmental projects, as first reported in The Times. The property

Healey quits as defence secretary in row over military spending

Wales last month, although he has [told supporters he will stand in any Labour leadership contest](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vyxzl625po). Internal wrangling over defence spending has been rumbling on for months following multiple delays

Federal government paid $3.8m in personal protection for then CFMEU administrator

New South Wales executive officer, was appointed as administrator last month. Watt, now the minister for the environment and water, also needed personal security after sending the CFMEU into administration. Hume asked the former minister

If Plaid win in Wales, that won't mean independence - at least not yet

First Minister Eluned Morgan has warned that "separatism is now very much on the agenda in our nation". But Labour is facing a threat on all sides, with polling analysis suggesting it is losing voters

May elections live: millions cast their votes across England, Scotland and Wales

minister in our lifetime is to back Reform. > > Together, we can continue the journey of getting our great country back on track. > > Reform made history and won the local elections last year. If you really

Winners, losers and a PM on the brink - what to expect in next week's elections

ministers - try if you like, but I'll fight you to stay. Starmer's camp is overtly rejecting any notion that he might, as Theresa May was forced to do, put a sell-by date

Starmer sets out changes to education, health and courts in king’s speech

Wales – a bill to make it harder for people to buy their own council houses and another to all but end the leasehold system. The leasehold bill will introduce a ban on new flats being

Wes Streeting pledges 'wealth tax that works'

minister in my letter and privately, this is a government that lacks definition and also direction and vision," Streeting said. "When people don't know who you are, and what you stand for, they

Co-op marking commonly-stolen items with forensic spray to track reselling

new standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker and will also make it easier for action to be taken when items worth less than £200 are stolen by repealing a measure which downgraded the police

British leader Keir Starmer under pressure after heavy election losses

Wales and Scotland. The elections, the biggest since Starmer won power in mid-2024, showed how the UK’s traditional two-party system of Labour and the Conservatives has been smashed, with Reform taking

Starmer brings in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman to ease pressure on him to resign

Wales, the party lost power for the first time, plummeting to just nine Senedd seats behind Plaid Cymru and Reform UK, while also losing ground in the Scottish parliament. While none of Starmer’s cabinet

Streeting says he is 'full of rebellious hope' as he delivers resignation speech

first time in our modern history, face worse prospects than the last." In his speech, the Ilford North MP listed his achievements as health secretary before summing up his vision using the quote from cancer

Great Western Railway to be nationalised in December

new fleet of intercity trains. The operator connects Paddington station in west London on the mainline to west and south-west England and south Wales, as well as running services on lines to Oxford

NSW police to avoid mental health incidents under UK model after spate of fatal shootings

Wales police and the health department are expected to sign a new agreement on how to deal with mental health incidents, as the police union demands officers no longer be the “default response for every

Swinney defends food prices policy ahead of first minister vote

Wales, and Northern Ireland as powers returned from the EU. Swinney accepted that, having fallen short of an SNP majority in the election, he would have to work with other parties in Holyrood as well

Armed forces minister quits after Healey exit as defence funding row deepens

Wales last month, although he has told supporters he will stand in any Labour leadership contest. His new defence secretary Jarvis now faces the daunting task of helping Sir Keir finalise a defence investment plan

Hastie says falling house prices might not be ‘all that encouraging’ for recent buyers – as it happened

New South Wales (sixth warmest) and [Victoria](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/victoria) (equal sixth warmest). Mean maximum temperatures in Tasmania were the second-highest on record for autumn. The bureau said there had been persistent, unusually warm