UK news
UK news in brief for Russian speakers: laws, tax, prices and rules, each linked to its primary source. Search and filter by date.
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Unpaid parental leave: 18 weeks per child and 4 weeks a year
Employees have a right to 18 weeks of unpaid leave for each child, up to that child's 18th birthday. No more than 4 weeks a year, whole weeks only, and 21 days' notice.
Shop theft in England: seven years maximum, the truth about £200 and what the 2026 Act changes
Seven years maximum under the Theft Act 1968. The £200 rule only decides which court hears the case. Charges rose 17% in a year, and a conviction blocks visas and settlement.
Medical cannabis in the UK: who can prescribe it and for what
Lawful since 2018, but only a specialist hospital doctor can prescribe, never a GP, and only for three groups of conditions. Stress is not among them, and an on-the-spot fine goes on a criminal record.
Redundancy in the UK: up to £22,530, 12 weeks' notice and six months to claim
Statutory redundancy pay starts at two years of service. It is built from years and age, weekly pay is capped at £751 and the total at £22,530. Here are the notice periods, the consultation rules, the tax and the claim deadline.
Poetry London in a day: a museum, a poets' cafe, a library and an abbey
Four stops on foot around Poems on the Underground: the London Transport Museum at £27 for a year, the free National Poetry Library, the Poetry Cafe on Betterton Street and Westminster Abbey at £32. Prices and times checked on 19 October 2026.
A degree from elsewhere: who converts it into Britain's language of qualifications, and what that costs
The official body is UK ENIC, the document is a Statement of Comparability, and it costs £69.60 including the e-Statement. It takes up to 15 working days. What it is not is permission to practise a regulated profession — and confusing the two is expensive.
Contactless on iPhone: the CMA moves to open the NFC chip to rivals
The CMA is consulting on a requirement for Apple to open its contactless chip to other businesses and to charge substantially less for access. The consultation closes on 17 November 2026.
Pets in a rented home: the request must be considered, the refusal justified
A tenant can ask to keep a pet, the landlord must consider the request, and a refusal needs a valid reason. There is no such thing as a separate pet deposit: the list of permitted payments is closed.
No more than three branded items: what changed in school uniform
From September 2026 schools must limit compulsory branded items of uniform and PE kit to three, or four in secondary and middle schools if one is a tie. A school may still specify colour and fabric; what it may not do is demand a crest beyond the limit.
The UPE scheme: 18 months, a 90-day window and one decisive day
A Ukraine Permission Extension grant runs for 18 months, a second for a further 24, and both are free. You can apply in the 90 days before your permission ends without losing any time. Being a day late costs you the right to work, rent and claim until a decision comes.
MMRV replaces MMR: chickenpox joins the childhood schedule
MMR has been replaced in the NHS schedule by MMRV, which adds protection against chickenpox. The number of doses depends on the child's date of birth, and children born between 2020 and 2022 who have not had chickenpox get a catch-up dose between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2028.
Moving out without paying on: two months' notice, given on the right day
Since 1 May 2026 almost every tenancy is periodic and has no end date. Notice to leave is two months, in writing, and must be given on the day the rent is due or the day before. Give less and the landlord can require the rent up to the end of those two months.
Elizabeth line: severe delays to Reading, only minor delays to Heathrow after Langley bridge strike
At 09:20 TfL rewrote the disruption: severe delays now run only between Reading and Hayes & Harlington, while the stretch into Paddington and the Heathrow terminals has minor delays. The cause is now given as an earlier bridge strike at Langley. The window runs to 01:29.
Your child needs collecting now: when the law lets you leave work
Employees have a right to a reasonable amount of time off for an emergency involving a dependant, with no limit on how often. But your employer does not have to pay for it, and if you knew about the situation in advance the right does not apply at all.
ONS labour market: 691,000 vacancies, a 2014 level, and pay up 3.7%
ONS published its October release on 20 October at 7am. Vacancies stand at 691,000 — outside the pandemic, the last comparable level was 2014. Unemployment 4.7%, employment 75.3%, pay up 3.7% over the year but only 0.6% in real terms.
Student loans: five plans, five thresholds and 9% of everything above
What comes out of your pay depends on your income alone, never on the size of the debt. The thresholds are £26,900 a year on Plan 1, £29,385 on Plan 2, £33,795 on Plan 4, £25,000 on Plan 5 and £21,000 on a Postgraduate Loan. You repay 9% above the threshold, or 6% on a Postgraduate Loan.
Second homes and empty properties: when Council Tax doubles or quadruples
A council can charge up to twice the normal Council Tax on a furnished home nobody lives in, and up to four times on one empty for ten years. The exceptions are few, and some of them last only 12 months.
Laid off with no work: £41 a day, five days a quarter, £205 in all
Your employer can keep you at home when there is no work. You only lose your full pay if the contract says lay-offs can be unpaid — otherwise they must pay you as normal. The statutory floor is £41 a day, for no more than five days in three months.
Tax relief on uniforms and tools: £60 by default, £1,022 for pilots
HMRC gives back part of what you spend cleaning, repairing and replacing a uniform and small tools. Not as a payment but as less tax: £60 at a 20% rate is worth £12 a year. You can claim for the current tax year and the four before it.
Excluded from school in England: the deadlines and who to complain to
45 school days a year is the cap on suspension. Education must be arranged from the sixth day. The governors' meeting falls within 15 school days, and a discrimination claim has six months.
Council Tax Reduction: how to cut your bill when money is tight
The average Band D bill in England for 2026–27 is £2,392. Every council must run a reduction scheme for households in financial need, but it is only granted on application. Here is how much you can save, what to send and what to do if you are refused.
UK interest-free government loans: £100 to £812
A washing machine, a move, a rent deposit or a funeral can be covered by an interest-free loan from the state. Who gets a Budgeting Loan, who gets a Budgeting Advance, how much, and what the money cannot be spent on.
Adoption leave and pay in the UK: 52 weeks, £194.32
Statutory Adoption Leave runs for 52 weeks and 39 of them are paid. Who qualifies, how much you get, the notice deadlines, and who gets nothing at all.
Private parking: £100 cap frozen, 10 minutes to leave and £20 for a mistyped plate
The Private Parking Code of Practice is before Parliament: five minutes to decide, ten to leave, charges cancelled when the machine is broken, and a £20 ceiling for a mistyped registration.
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