Charlie Alford

TUC says up taxes on banking profits to fight rising cost of living

Post author:Grace
Post published:29 July 2026
Post last modified:30 July 2026

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for Andy Burnham to raise taxes on banks, following Barclays‘ announcement of bumper second-quarter profits. The trade union body is advocating for the government to spend the money on a social energy tariff. According to the TUC, this measure could decrease middle and lower-income household energy bills by as much as £559 a year. Paul Nowak, the TUC’s general secretary, said: Big banks like Barclays are raking it in while working people and local businesses are struggling. High interest rates have been a boon for banks but have meant mortgage misery and higher bills…

Thames Water to fight Burnham as ‘temporary nationalisation’ rumours swirl

Post author:Willem Moore
Post published:18 July 2026
Post last modified:18 July 2026

Thames Water has f*cked up so badly that the government may be forced to nationalise it. Rather than holding its hands up and saying sorry, though, it seems the incompetent vultures managing the company are planning to take the government to court. BREAKING: The group of investors engaged in a rescue bid for Thames Water are plotting a legal fight with Andy Burnham's new government over nationalisation. Our city editor @MarkKleinmanSky has the exclusive storyhttps://t.co/SHT8Hbpwmz pic.twitter.com/9rSuAm06yV — Sky News (@SkyNews) July 18, 2026 Thames Water the focus of scandals upon scandals Thames Water is arguably one of the worst companies operating…

Graham blows £0.5m of members’ cash in Beckett legal fight and fails

Post author:Skwawkbox
Post published:17 July 2026
Post last modified:17 July 2026

Unite’s former legal director, Howard Beckett, will have his claims heard at a full hearing after securing an employment appeals tribunal win. Beckett is suing Unite the Union — and current general secretary, Sharon Graham, personally — for breaching his privacy. Yet again Graham’s attempts to have the case thrown out have failed, at a huge cost, as the employment appeals tribunal (EAT) has given permission for all 11 grounds to proceed to hearing. Skwawkbox has previously covered Unite’s attempts to use a technicality against the union’s ex-general secretary candidate. Unite, Howard Beckett and the media pipeline Apart from Skwawkbox and…

Reform & Restore fight over who lost Makerfield worse

Post author:Willem Moore
Post published:20 June 2026
Post last modified:20 June 2026

In the Makerfield by-election, the three parties of the right failed to win enough votes between them to match Labour’s result. Rather than reflecting on what this means, however, Reform UK and Restore Britain have decided to argue over who lost hardest: You got less than the BNP in 2010. You threw everything you had at it, day and night and got only 3000 votes. It was an unmitigated disaster. https://t.co/rSi63Fe6Sp — Rt Hon Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) June 19, 2026 Come on now, there’s no need to argue! You’re all losers, and that’s what matters. Let them fight The rise of…

Tuchel tells Bellingham to fight for his place

Post author:Alaa Shamali
Post published:8 June 2026
Post last modified:9 June 2026

England manager Thomas Tuchel has sent a direct message to Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, emphasising that competition for starting places in the squad heading to the 2026 World Cup will be wide open, with no guarantees for any player. Bellingham’s place not confirmed – yet According to Sky Sports, Tuchel emphasised that Bellingham is one of several players in contention for the playmaker role (No. 10), given the wealth of options available within the England squad. This comes at a time when Bellingham has featured in just four matches during the qualifiers, whilst the coaching staff have relied on other…

Garcia vs Benn fight looks set for Las Vegas

Post author:Faz Ali
Post published:29 May 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

The Benn vs Garcia world title fight is still being finalised for September in Las Vegas, with contracts and sanctioning yet to be agreed. Momentum is building towards a WBC title clash with Ryan Garcia. He named 12 September as his expected defence date in a TV appearance. The claim — yet to be confirmed by promoters and sanctioning bodies — has sparked a wave of media speculation. Addressing this, Conor Benn’s trainer, Tony Sims, told Sky Sports: What I’m being told is that negotiations are still going on for the fight, so the date or the venue hasn’t been done…

Fight to end guga hunt intensifies as NatureScot receives 2026 licence application

Post author:The Canary
Post published:26 May 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

Pressure is mounting on Scotland’s nature agency after it confirmed a new licence application has been received for the guga hunt this year. The guga hunt involves the annual killing of gannet seabird chicks in the Outer Hebrides. Now the controversial practice is once again under consideration for 2026 after an application was submitted by the 10-man hunting team based in Ness on the Isle of Lewis. The hunt, which takes place on the remote island of Sula Sgeir, has been carried out for centuries and was once used for food during harsh winters. However, campaigners argue that young gannet flesh…