‘Nepotism and bias’ rife in England and Wales police leadership, report finds pred 12 urami in 55 minutami Inquiry co-chaired by David Blunkett uncovers loss of focus on fighting crime, plus low standards and need for reformPolice leadership in England and Wales is plagued by “nepotism and bias” and too many chiefs have lost focus on fighting crime, a government-backed report has found.The inquiry, co-chaired by former home secretary David Blunkett, found a reset was needed at all levels, with scores of top officers facing misconduct inquiries. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minister calls on Burnham to show path to 3.5% target on UK defence spending pred 12 urami in 55 minutami Dan Jarvis, who wants to stay on as defence secretary, says he is confident PM-in-waiting values national securityThe new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, has called on Andy Burnham to increase defence spending dramatically from 2030 and “evidence the trajectory” towards a Nato target that would mean £25bn a year more for the military by the middle of the next decade.The former paratrooper said he was confident that the prime minister-in-waiting valued national security, as he openly lobbied him for cash that would probably have to come from cuts elsewhere. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Making public transport fully accessible ‘could boost UK economy by £176bn’ pred 12 urami in 55 minutami Report says current network of buses, trains and stations effectively locks 2.8m people out of workforceInvesting in the UK transport network to make it fully accessible to disabled passengers could boost the economy by £176bn by helping millions more people into work, according to a report.Making the economic case for an inclusive transport network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) said the current system was inaccessible to almost a quarter of the working-age population. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ministers to crack down on political donations as Farage faces calls for second inquiry pred 12 urami in 55 minutami Measures to be announced to make funding more transparent amid new revelations about Reform UK leaderMinisters will launch a crackdown on large political donations on Monday, as Nigel Farage faces a possible second investigation into gifts he received from a convicted fraudster before becoming an MP.The government will announce a series of measures to make political funding more transparent, including restrictions on donations from foreign-based benefactors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mobile internet coverage in UK worse than any EU or G7 country, Which? says pred 12 urami in 55 minutami Analysis finds services cheaper but country ranks 57th in network performance and 70th for download speedsBritish holidaymakers watching online videos while they sit on a European beach this summer are likely to be pleasantly surprised: the signal should be better than at home.Mobile coverage in the UK is worse than in any of the 27 EU member countries, and every other member of the G7 group of large economies, according to analysis by consumer group Which? of data from Opensignal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One woman is killed after July 4 fireworks exploded on her in California