Reeves to promise free summer bus rides for children and food tariff cuts in living costs package
Posted on Wednesday May 20, 2026

Chancellor launches ‘Great British summer savings scheme’ after Keir Starmer postpones fuel duty increase

• Planned fuel duty rise to be scrapped, says Keir Starmer

Rachel Reeves is to promise free summer bus rides for children and cut tariffs on some food imports, as part of a package of measures aimed at easing the costs of the Iran conflict.

The chancellor will give a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday, outlining her latest plans for cushioning the blow to consumers from an expected rise in inflation later this year.

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Call for food price caps ‘completely preposterous’, says M&S boss
Posted on Wednesday May 20, 2026

Stuart Machin argues government should reduce tax and regulatory burden on supermarkets instead

• Treasury’s supermarket food price cap wheeze was bananas

The boss of Marks & Spencer has called a government proposal for voluntary price caps on essential food items “completely preposterous”, saying it should reduce tax and regulatory burdens instead.

Stuart Machin, the chief executive of the clothing, homewares, food and beauty retailer, said M&S already lost money on some basic items such as milk, bread and baked beans and made very slim profits on other products such as eggs and sugar.

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UK inflation slows to 2.8% as energy price cap softens impact of rising fuel costs
Posted on Wednesday May 20, 2026

Lower than expected April annual rate a lift for Rachel Reeves as impact of Iran war yet to fully hit households

• Business live – latest updates

UK inflation slowed to 2.8% in April, the lowest rate in more than a year, as a reduction in the household energy price cap helped soften the sharp rise in fuel costs since the start of the Iran war.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the consumer prices index measure of inflation eased from March’s reading of 3.3%, suggesting the impact of the Iran war has not yet hit UK households as much as feared, despite prices at the pumps rising at the fastest rate in nearly four years.

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Rachel Reeves to protect ‘critical’ clean energy projects from legal challenges
Posted on Wednesday May 20, 2026

Chancellor’s planning shake-up in England and Wales would ‘reduce exposure from judicial review on all but human rights grounds’

Rachel Reeves is poised to fast-track clean energy projects in England and Wales with planning reforms to curb the use of judicial reviews against new infrastructure, the ​Treasury has said.

Under the chancellor’s proposals, parliament will be able to designate and approve the most important clean energy projects as of “critical national importance”, as part of a wider package seeking to boost the UK’s energy security and soften the economic fallout from the Iran war.

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Google DeepMind in talks with UK unions amid staff concern over US and Israel’s AI use
Posted on Wednesday May 20, 2026

Exclusive: Google DeepMind agrees to Acas talks after workers sign petitions about governments’ use of AI for defence and intelligence

Google DeepMind has agreed to enter formal talks with UK tech workers that could lead to trade union representation amid growing staff concerns about the use of its AI by the US and Israeli governments’ defence and intelligence.

In a groundbreaking move, the artificial intelligence arm of the multi-trillion dollar Google empire, led by the Nobel prize winner Demis Hassabis, has agreed to meet the Communications Workers Union and Unite at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) after workers based at its London headquarters this month voted to make a bid to unionise.

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ChatGPT and other AI bots made huge errors before Scottish election, study finds
Posted on Wednesday May 20, 2026

Exclusive: Electoral Commission calls for new controls as Demos finds tools made up fake scandals, invented candidates or gave wrong date

• UK politics live – latest updates

The Electoral Commission has called for new legal controls over misinformation from AI chatbots, after a thinktank found they had made serious mistakes during the recent Scottish election.

The thinktank Demos said its investigation had found that AI services gave voters misinformation to 34% of the questions it posed, which it said raised worrying questions about the lack of regulation of AI platforms in the UK.

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Tielemans starts party as Aston Villa outclass Freiburg to claim Europa League glory
Posted on Wednesday May 20, 2026

Where would you like your statue, Mr Emery? Even before this emphatic Europa League triumph, Aston Villa supporters could hardly have held their manager in greater esteem. But now Emery, in winning the competition for a record fifth time, has delivered the thing he always wanted, a trophy to show for his transformative body of work.

Those who were not around for Rotterdam in 1982 will always cherish Istanbul in 2026. Thomas Tuchel had it right a few years ago when he suggested Uefa might as well rename the Europa League the Unai Emery trophy.

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Southampton appeal against expulsion from playoffs for spying is dismissed
Posted on Wednesday May 20, 2026

• Saints believe penalty is ‘manifestly disproportionate’

• Hull and Middlesbrough will meet in final on Saturday

Southampton’s appeal against their expulsion from the Championship playoff final for spying on opponents’ training sessions has been dismissed by an English Football League arbitration panel, leaving Middlesbrough to contest Saturday’s Wembley showpiece with Hull. The panel also confirmed the original decision of an independent disciplinary commission to deduct four Championship points from Southampton next season.

It is a verdict that leaves the position of Tonda Eckert, the south coast club’s manager, seemingly untenable. While the 33-year-old German faces the sack, Southampton directors are facing the wrath of players furious at missing out on potential promotion bonuses and wage hikes.

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