Cash use in the shops rose for a second year in a row after a decade of falls, according to retailers. Notes and coins were used in a fifth of transactions last year, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said, as shoppers found cash helped them to budget better. The amount spent per purchase also dropped slightly from £22.43 in 2022, to £22.03 last year, it said.more

The NHS in England is busier than it has ever been heading into winter, the country’s medical director is warning. Prof Sir Stephen Powis said rising rates of flu and the vomiting bug norovirus were putting hospitals under huge strain. Around 95% of beds are already occupied at the start of December – rates normally only seen in the depths of winter.more

People selling unwanted items online can continue to do so with confidence and without any new tax obligations, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has confirmed. However, online platforms will start sharing some user sales and personal data with HMRC from January 2025.more

The London Underground trains will not be driven by robots any time soon after confirmation from the London Mayor. The London Underground is not going automatic any time soon after Sadiq Khan said work to introduce driverless Tubes ‘shouldn’t be progressed any further.’more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled a six-point ‘Plan for Change’ for his government in a speech today. Five months after its historic victory, Labour is facing waning support among Britons who say politicians have abandoned their promises.more

The renationalising of train companies will not necessarily bring cheaper rail fares but should reduce cancellations and late trains, the UK transport secretary has suggested. South Western Railway is to become the first train operator nationalised under the Labour government, ministers announced on Wednesday. Greater Anglia and C2C will also be brought into public ownership next year.more

Almost half of Britons say they experience loneliness during the festive period, and more than a third will be spending Christmas apart from loved ones this year, a survey has suggested.more

UK missile frigate HMS Iron Duke has arrived in Tallinn to demonstrate to Russia its commitment to protecting the underwater infrastructure of NATO allies in the Baltic, Estonian broadcaster ERR reported today.more

The leader of a criminal group which, operating in Poland and Western Europe, defrauded more than 230 people using the accident method, has been arrested in the UK and handed over to Polish law enforcement authorities, the Gliwice prosecutor's office reported yesterday. The victims of the gang lost more than PLN 12.5 million.more

Mobile network EE has topped the tables again as the UK’s best network in the umlaut connect 2025 Mobile Network Test, which marks the 10th year in a row that they have won the award. The test was carried out by independent network testing organisation umlaut, an industry-recognised evaluation study.more

London residents working night shifts are 40 per cent more likely not to earn a 'real living wage' compared to those who work during the day, a report has found. The Living Wage Foundation (LWF) published research this week revealing that 17 per cent of the city's night workers earn less than £13.85 per hour, in contrast to 12 per cent of daytime workers.more

British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, known for his role as Sherlock Holmes, among others, will read a memoir by Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny entitled ‘The Patriot’ on BBC Radio 4. ‘Patriot’.more

It’s not the first time that The Grand Tour star’s prices have been questioned since opening the establishment in the summer.more

Passengers will be allowed to use expired identity documents to travel to the UK because of flaws in the eVisa system, a minister has told the Guardian. Seema Malhotra, the migration and citizenship minister, said the government had postponed a planned full shift to the new digital immigration system amid “real fear” of another Windrush-style scandal among minority communities.more

Yasmin - not her real name - came from Iran to study for a master’s degree at a new university in the UK, but she was "shocked" to find many of her fellow students had limited English, and only one or two were British. "How is it possible to continue this coursework without understanding a British accent or English properly?" she tells BBC File on 4.more

The Post Office has announced that it is expecting Monday, December 9, to be its busiest day across UK branches for sending Christmas parcels and post.more

“Italian” tomato purees sold by several UK supermarkets appear to contain tomatoes grown and picked in China using forced labour, the BBC has found.more

Plans for a new Overground line linking Hounslow with Hendon have taken a step forwards, after Sadiq Khan confirmed this week that “feasible solutions” have been identified for “all elements” of the project. more

Journalists at the UK's Guardian and Observer newspapers, owned by the Scott Trust, began a 48-hour strike today in protest at the planned sale of the Observer to Tortoise Media, British media reported. This is the first strike at the Guardian in more than 50 years.more

A new map shows the London boroughs with the biggest increase in people coming from abroad. Every area of London had a net increase in migration. This means more people moved in from abroad than moved away.more

Just over a stone's throw away from London, two hours to be exact, lies one of the world's most beautiful villages that has become an international sensation, drawing visitors from as far as Japan. Bibury, nestled in the heart of the Cotswolds, has been dubbed "the most beautiful village in England" and it's easy to see why it garners global attention.more

The prime minister has rejected any suggestion that the UK must choose between closer ties with the US or the European Union, when Donald Trump returns to the White House.more

Nearly half of UK mortgage holders are set to see their payments rise over the next three years, according to the Bank of England (BoE). The central bank estimates that around 4.4 million mortgages will experience higher payments by 2027, with 420,000 households facing hikes of £500 per month.more

The Ministry of Defence is war-gaming a major conflict to "stress-test" supplies of ammunition and equipment in a war time scenario. The MoD says it is the first war games to involve representatives of the defence industry – alongside military commanders and officials. more

Londoners have mocked the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree as it was installed in place in central London on Monday. Officials have said the spruce needs time to unfurl after being transported hundreds of miles from Norway’s Nordmarka Forest last week before appearing at its full “majestic” height of 66ft.more