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Piddington goes to the polls: Villagers vote in ‘independence referendum’ on leaving UK as they fight plans to house 1,250 migrants at MoD base next door
Residents of Piddington, a small Oxfordshire village of around 350 people, held a symbolic “independence referendum” today to protest government plans to house 1,250 male asylum seekers at a nearby former Ministry of Defence garrison. The vote, which has no legal standing, was organised after villagers said ministers ignored their objections, and campaigners hope it…
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Reform ‘already spending’ £72m super-donations’ despite risk they are blocked – as party warns of tit-for-tat ban on Labour’s union cash if it wins next election
Reform UK has begun spending £72million in donations from crypto-billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, despite the risk that the money may have to be returned under proposed foreign-donor rules. The funds are already being used to hire additional staff and launch Reform TV online, even as Labour signals it could tighten the law in…
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MPs call for iconic bearskin caps of Buckingham Palace guards to be replaced by fake fur to ‘meet today’s ethical standards’
A cross-party group of 18 MPs and one peer has written to defence minister Luke Pollard calling for the real bear fur used in the King’s Guard’s ceremonial caps to be replaced with a faux alternative, arguing the practice no longer meets “today’s ethical standards”. The letter says continued use of Canadian bearskin is “impossible…
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Jaguar Land Rover in talks to sell Defender to Nato countries
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is in talks with Nato member states to sell them its newly revamped Defender military vehicle, as the British carmaker looks to capitalise on Europe’s rearmament drive. The Tata Motors-owned firm has created a new Defender defence division to pursue partnerships supplying transport vehicles to defence sectors worldwide, seeking to offset…
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Trump facing AI backlash in Congress as push for guardrails intensifies
Donald Trump is facing pushback from members of both parties in Congress over his dismissal of growing concerns about the dangers of artificial intelligence, as Democrats and some Republicans call for regulatory guardrails on major AI companies. After tech leaders warned this week about the rapid pace of AI development and its potential threat to…
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Wannabe Trump assassin Thomas Crooks described by father as quiet loner with gun obsession who used Bob Dole as pseudonym: new docs
Newly released FBI interview documents give the first detailed account of the childhood and upbringing of Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. The records, based on interviews with his father Matthew, were handed to US Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley as…
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Help-to-Buy scheme delivered ‘very high value for money,’ review finds
A government audit has found that George Osborne’s Help-to-Buy scheme delivered “very high value for money”, providing £25bn of social value to the UK in the last financial year. The findings strengthen the hand of senior Labour figures, including housing minister Matthew Pennycook and former housing secretary Steve Reed, who have been pushing behind the…
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Emmy Awards’ hidden political moments as TV’s biggest stars fail to mention Trump by name before Colbert makes desperate attempt to dodge question backstage
At the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday night, Hollywood’s winners notably avoided mentioning President Donald Trump by name during their acceptance speeches, a departure from previous years when liberal-leaning stars often criticised him directly. Trump also did not comment on the ceremony via his Truth Social platform, though the event was not entirely free of…
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Lawmaker recalls terrifying moment his plane crashed into Wisconsin lake: ‘Like staring into the abyss’
US Republican congressman and Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany has described the terrifying seconds before the small plane he was travelling in crash-landed into a lake, saying it felt “like staring into the abyss.” Tiffany, who was returning from a campaign event in La Crosse County, said the pilot warned him they were going down…