UK & Politics
Bills, government consultations and regulator decisions — no party rhetoric, always with the date the rules take effect.
UK population has almost stopped growing: net migration down by two thirds, births at a 43-year low
The ONS has published mid-2025 estimates. The UK has 69.5 million people, up 227,700 over the year — the weakest growth since 2020. Net migration collapsed from 651,700 to 222,900 and births hit their lowest level in 43 years. Here are the numbers and what follows from them.
Arrested in Britain: legal advice at the station is free, an interpreter is yours on request, and 24 hours is the limit without charge
Legal advice at a police station in England and Wales is free and not means-tested, and the duty solicitor is independent of the police and available around the clock. Once you ask for one, you cannot be questioned until you have had that advice. From GOV.UK: what else you can insist on, what the caution really means, how long you can be held without charge, and how police bail differs from release under investigation.
Stopped by police in London: what the officer must tell you before a search, what you can be asked to remove in the street, and what only out of public view
You do not have to answer questions, and refusing is not on its own a reason to search you. A search needs reasonable grounds; without grounds it needs a senior officer's authorisation. In the street it is coat, jacket, footwear and gloves — everything else comes off out of public view. Point by point from GOV.UK and the Metropolitan Police: what the officer must tell you, what you are entitled to afterwards, and the rules for under-18s.
Phone theft collapses in London: Westminster down 46%, the West End halved — and what to do in the first minutes if yours is snatched
The Met reports 14,000 fewer phone thefts and robberies across London in a year, a 45.8% fall in Westminster and close to half in the West End. Borough by borough: where street crime fell most, why a stolen handset stopped selling, and what to do in the first minutes so your insurer cannot refuse.
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Not just Wandsworth: Westminster says the government expects a 75–100% council tax rise, while Kensington and Chelsea pay £1,643
The council tax referendum cap has been lifted for five London boroughs at once — Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City and Wandsworth. Westminster says the government expects it to raise bills by 75% to 100% as its grant is cut by £100m over four years. From the councils' own documents: who pays what now, and when the 2027/28 rate will be known.
Wandsworth council tax to rise 94% from April 2027: a Band D bill goes from £1,020 to £1,978
England's cheapest council tax is about to stop being cheap: Wandsworth plans to add £958 to the annual Band D bill. The government has lifted the referendum cap for six councils — five of them in London: Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City and Wandsworth itself. From the primary sources: how much bills rise, why no referendum is needed, when the decision becomes final and what to do if the bill is unaffordable.
English mayors to get the power to charge a tourist tax — with no cap on the rate
The government has confirmed new powers for mayors: a levy on overnight stays in hotels and short lets, set as a percentage of the bill, with no upper limit. London has floated 3%, worth around £350 million a year. Hoteliers and family resorts object and business travel wants an exemption. Who pays, and how much.