Snow expected in UK over weekend with ‘coldest days of season so far’

As the clocks go back this weekend, cold Arctic air will cause temperatures to plummet across the UK with the wintry conditions expected to bring the first snow of the season.

Showers of snow are set to fall across the Scottish mountains on Saturday, the Met Office said, as a “patchy frost” will cover England and northern Scotland on Sunday morning.

This weekend will also see the “coldest pair of days so far this season” with temperatures diving to single digits. The forecaster added that strong winds on Saturday will make the day feel like December, with a “brisk, blustery feel” making conditions feel several degrees lower.

“The combination of strong breezes and incoming, colder air means it will feel raw in exposed spots through daylight hours,” the Met Office said.

Frequent showers are also expected across Northern Ireland, northern Scotland, Wales and the South West.

An Atlantic low from the North West will give Saturday night a chilly feel, but Sunday morning will have “plenty of sunshine to begin with” across most central and eastern areas.

The Met Office said: “Eastern Scotland and the east of England may hold on to brighter skies into the afternoon.

“Elsewhere, cloud will increase, with a few early showers followed by a band of more persistent rain arriving around lunchtime for Northern Ireland, Scotland and western fringes of England and Wales.”

The cold weekend comes after Storm Benjamin battered the UK this week with heavy downpours and winds over 70mph.

Four yellow weather warnings were issued by the Met Office for Thursday, while over 40 flood alerts were in place in the morning.

Tonight:

Showery rain will move southwards across much of the country through this evening and overnight, reaching south-east England by dawn. A mix of clear spells and scattered showers following from the northwest. Remaining windy and turning chilly where skies clear.

Saturday:

Remaining rather cloudy in the North East with some further rain at times. Scattered showers also moving into western areas, but mostly dry with sunny spells elsewhere. Another cold feeling day.

Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:

A mainly dry start on Sunday, but rain spreading in from the North West throughout the day. Remaining changeable early next week, especially in the North West, but temperatures gradually recovering.

Starmer vows Ukraine allies will take Russian oil and gas off market

Allied nations have pledged to act to take Russian oil and gas off the global market, Sir Keir Starmer said, after leaders gathered with Volodymyr Zelensky in London.

The prime minister urged other nations to follow the US and impose sanctions, and said allies had agreed on a “clear plan for the rest of the year” in supporting Kyiv.

Among the further pledges were plans to “push on with the progress” on Russian assets and “keep up the military pressure on Putin” as the conflict heads towards its fourth winter. The UK also said it would “accelerate” its missile production programme to get more weapons to Ukraine.

It comes days after the White House imposed new sanctions on Russian oil in an attempt to squeeze Moscow.

Speaking in London after a coalition of the willing meeting alongside Mr Zelensky, Sir Keir said: “We will act to take Russian oil and gas off the global market.

“Last week, the UK became the first country to sanction all of Russia’s oil majors. On Wednesday, the US acted decisively to join us together with further sanctions from the EU, and we’re choking off funding for Russia’s war machine.

“I’m urging others to take these steps too, to go further to reduce their dependencies and incentivise third countries to stop buying these tainted resources.”

The British and Ukrainian leaders were joined by Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen for a press conference at the Foreign Office in Westminster following their discussions.

Mr Rutte described Vladimir Putin’s refusal to engage in ceasefire talks as “deluded aggression” and said that “the truth is that Putin is running out of money, troops and ideas”.

The leaders in London were joined by others virtually. Mr Zelensky said that the group discussed “enhancing our air defence”.

In a post on social media on Friday afternoon, the Ukrainian leader said he is “grateful for the shared position on the need to further increase pressure on Russia and continue work with the United States on developing clear and reliable security guarantees for Ukraine”.

Sir Keir also said that the UK was “accelerating” the push to provide Kyiv with “more than 5,000 lightweight multirole missiles”. He told the press conference that the project is “creating 200 jobs and supporting 700 existing roles at Thales in Belfast”.

It comes amid a diplomacy push over the US providing Tomahawk missiles. Mr Rutte said the matter remains under “review”.

Earlier on Friday, Mr Zelensky got a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle before a meeting with King Charles.

There was a royal salute as the Ukrainian leader shook hands with the King in the castle’s royal quadrangle – the first ceremonial welcome he has received in the UK.

Mr Zelensky inspected the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards and was then led inside the castle for an audience with the King.

The Ukrainian president told the press conference later that Russia “want to break Ukraine. They are doing everything to achieve it.”

While Mr Zelensky continued to push for more military support from Europe, the Russian defence ministry said on Friday its forces had taken control of three more villages in eastern Ukraine.

According to the ministry, Russian troops have taken Bolohivka in the Kharkiv region, Promin in the Donetsk region, as well as Zlagoda in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Earlier, the ministry also said its forces had captured the settlement of Dronivka in the Donetsk region.

The reported gains come after Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Vladimir Putin with new sanctions on Russian oil.

The United States this week imposed sanctions on Russia’s largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, while EU countries approved their 19th package of sanctions on Moscow that included a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports.

Building collapses in centre of Manchester as hundreds evacuated

Hundreds of people were evacuated on Friday after part of a building earmarked for demolition collapsed in Manchester.

Locals described a “strong earthquake-like feeling” after the building on Bridge Street in the city centre collapsed with some scaffolding into the River Irwell.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue said it rushed to the scene on Friday afternoon “after scaffolding on a building being demolished partially collapsed”.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the building, Alberton House, was scheduled for demolition.

A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “One fire engine from Manchester Central attended St Mary’s Parsonage just after 2.50pm today after scaffolding on a building being demolished partially collapsed.

“No people involved and the crew are leaving, and leaving this with building control.”

The owner of the building next door said he had to evacuate 500 people after the incident.

“About 500 people have had to go for the day, I’ve got multiple businesses in here,” George Jones told the Manchester Evening News.

“We were aware of the renovations for sometime but were not told that we would be in fear of safety or need to evacuate.

“It felt and sounded like an earthquake. People have left because they don’t feel safe. When we went around afterwards to speak to the workmen, they told us to evacuate the building.

“The scaffolding fell in the river and the building was moving. I bought this building and turned it into a business centre a couple of years ago. When I went outside, it looked like all smoke.”

Fake weight-loss jabs worth £250,000 seized in first-of-its-kind raid

Around £250,000 worth of fake weight-loss jabs have been seized in what is thought to be the biggest crackdown on the illicit medicines worldwide.

Officers uncovered tens of thousands of empty weight-loss pens ready to be filled, raw chemical ingredients, and more than 2,000 unlicensed retatrutide and tirzepatide pens in a raid on a warehouse in Northampton.

The medicines regulator said the raid is the first illicit production facility for weight-loss medicine discovered in the UK, and is believed to be the largest single seizure of trafficked weight-loss medicines ever recorded by a law enforcement agency.

The finished products of the materials taken by officers have a street value of around £250,000, according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Officers also recovered large amounts of sophisticated packaging and manufacturing equipment, and £20,000 in cash suspected to be linked to medicines trafficking.

The Independent previously reported on illicit retatrutide, a weight-loss jab still in development, being sold via social media. The drug is pitched as a “Triple G” weight-loss drug because of its unique ability to mimic the actions of three different hormones – GLP-1, glucagon and GIP – which are released after eating and work to reduce appetite, help regulate blood sugar levels and support fat loss.

But health bosses warned that such compounds are illegal and could expose users to “dangerous ingredients that can have serious health consequences”.

MHRA head of criminal enforcement Andy Morling said taking out the facility was a “landmark result”, but warned people to be “extremely cautious” when buying medicines online.

He added: “Prescription medicines should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a prescription issued by a healthcare professional. Taking prescription medicines sourced in any other way carries serious risks to your health – there are no guarantees about what they contain, and some may even be contaminated with toxic substances.

“Taking out the first illicit weight-loss medicine manufacturing facility found in the UK is a landmark result for the MHRA and a major blow to the illegal trade. These products are untested, unauthorised, and potentially deadly. By taking this organised criminal network out of operation and stopping tens of thousands of potentially fatal products from entering circulation, we’ve prevented a serious risk to public health.

“This is an illicit global market that endangers patients, puts big money in the pockets of organised criminals, and undermines legitimate healthcare. This operation demonstrates, once again, that my officers will stop at nothing to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the organised criminal networks who put profit before safety.”

Health secretary Wes Streeting said the seizure was a “victory” in the fight against criminals “peddling dangerous and illegal weight-loss jabs to make a quick buck”.

“These unregulated products, made with no regard for safety or quality, posed a major risk to unwitting customers,” he added.

“My message is clear: don’t buy weight-loss medications from unregulated sources. Talk to your GP, seek NHS advice, and don’t line the pockets of criminals who don’t care about your health. Safe, appropriate, licensed obesity drugs can greatly benefit those in need if taken under medical supervision, and I urge people to only purchase and use them with the approval and oversight of medics and pharmacists.”

Verstappen dominates Mexico GP practice to pile pressure on McLaren

Max Verstappen threw down the gauntlet to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by setting a dominant pace in practice for the Mexican Grand Prix as his McLaren title rivals struggled.

The Dutchman has roared back into championship contention by winning three of the last four races and is favourite to rack up another victory in Mexico City, where he has won five times before.

Verstappen, chasing a fifth successive title, finished Friday’s running 0.153 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Norris 0.251sec off the pace in fourth and championship leader Piastri enduring a horrible session to finish 12th and a whopping 0.840sec adrift.

McLaren have further cause for concern due to the apparent pace of Leclerc, who finished third last weekend in Austin, while Kimi Antonelli was third-fastest in second practice for Mercedes.

Piastri and Norris can ill-afford other drivers getting between them and Verstappen as they bid to hold off the charging Dutchman.

Australian Piastri will be desperately keen for a strong weekend to boost his stuttering push for a maiden title.

He has seen his title lead slashed since victory in Zandvoort at the end of August, having been beaten by both Norris and Verstappen in all of the four races since.

Piastri, the front-runner since Saudi Arabia in April, now leads Norris by 14 points and Verstappen by 40 – having been 34 and 104 points clear of his rivals respectively after his Zandvoort win.

Norris, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton sat out first practice and the McLaren driver had some hairy moments early on in his opening running of the weekend, running off the track at turn 11 as he struggled for balance.

Leclerc, who topped first practice where Piastri was only fourth-fastest, set the pace again early in FP2 on medium tyres before Verstappen came to the fore on the soft-tyre runs.

Hamilton finished the day fifth for Ferrari ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell in sixth.

The weekend’s opening running at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was largely unrepresentative, with Norris and Verstappen among nine drivers sitting out the session.

Norris handed his car over to Mexican Pato O’Ward while Verstappen’s Red Bull was driven by 18-year-old British driver Arvid Lindblad.

Russell donned a traditional Mexican Luchador wrestling mask to covertly watch Fred Vesti drive his Mercedes from the stands in the stadium section.

Lindblad boosted his hopes of landing a seat with Racing Bulls for next season by posting the sixth-fastest time in FP1.

Enriching escapes: find your perfect luxury break

Do not cut cash Isa allowance in the Budget, senior MPs warn Reeves

A group of senior MPs has warned the government not to cut the cash Isa allowance at the Budget as chancellor Rachel Reeves is understood to be considering the measure.

In a candid intervention, the cross-party Treasury Committee has unequivocally told the government that it should not introduce a cut to the £20,000 tax-free allowance granted to every saver.

The chancellor is reportedly considering dropping the figure significantly to £10,000 in a bid to boost investment in stocks and shares of British companies.

But this “simply will not deliver the change she seeks”, warns Treasury Committee chair Dame Meg Hillier, sharing a new report from the group of MPs that finds savers are unlikely to be incentivised to switch to investing.

The government’s focus should instead be on financial literacy, the report adds, and enabling people to make informed decisions with their savings.

An Isa is a tax-efficient pot which can hold cash or investments. Since 2017, holders have been able to add up to £20,000 a year to their account or accounts (combined if several) and they won’t be taxed on interest, capital gains or dividend income generated.

Cutting back the cash Isa allowance would also have a negative impact on mortgage savers, the committee warns, as it would constrain building societies’ access to retail savings – a “critical” funding source for their mortgage lending.

The measure would undermine the “stability and competitiveness” of these lenders, having an impact on both consumers and the broader financial ecosystem.

Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Dame Meg Hillier, said: “The committee is firmly behind the chancellor’s ambition to create a culture in the UK where savers are sensibly investing their money and getting better returns through well-informed financial decisions. But we are a long way from that point.

“This is not the right time to cut the cash Isa limit. Instead, the Treasury should focus on ensuring that people are equipped with the necessary information and confidence to make informed investment decisions.

“Without this, I fear that the chancellor’s attempts to transform the UK’s investment culture simply will not deliver the change she seeks, instead hitting savers and mortgage borrowers.”

Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, comments: “While the chancellor’s policy goal of boosting retail investing in the UK is the right one, slashing the cash Isa allowance would be a clumsy and ineffective way to go about it.

“All this would do is hardwire the barriers that currently exist between cash Isas and stocks and shares Isas, when behavioural research tells us tearing these barriers down and simplifying the landscape would be the most effective way of helping more people invest for their financial future.”

Responding to the report, Ms Reeves said: “My understanding is that the report says that changes to Isas shouldn’t be made in isolation of other policies. I’ll be setting out any tax changes in the budget in November. And of course we need to get that balance right.

“We want to help people to be able to save for mortgages, but we want people to get better returns on the money they’re investing. To put money in an Isa or indeed in a pension means that you’re sacrificing spending today to save for the future.

“At the moment, often returns on savings and returns on pensions are lower than in comparable countries around the world, and I do want to make sure that when people put something aside for the future, they get good returns on those savings.”

Abolished indefinite jail term is an ‘embarrassment’ to Britain, prison union chief says

Prison officers have been left in an “intolerable” position of dealing with frustrated and hopeless prisoners trapped on abolished indefinite jail terms that are an “embarrassment” to Britain, a union chief has warned.

Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association, hit out at the government for leaving almost 2,500 prisoners languishing on “grossly unjust” imprisonment for public protection (IPP) jail terms, despite scrapping them 13 years ago.

“There are some people who are well over their tariffs who shouldn’t be in prison, quite frankly, because they are there for the most trivial crimes with no sign of release,” he told The Independent. “That just can’t be fair in a civilised society.”

His comments come as Napo, a union representing probation workers, called for the government to “finish the job” and address the injustice of those still serving the jail terms.

The open-ended punishments, which have been branded inhumane by the UN, were abolished in 2012, but not retrospectively, leaving thousands already sentenced incarcerated without a release date until they can convince the Parole Board they are safe to be released.

Victims of the scandal, whose tragic cases have been highlighted by The Independent, include: Leroy Douglas, who has served almost 20 years for robbing a mobile phone; Thomas White, 42, who set himself alight in his cell and has served 13 years for stealing a phone; and Abdullahi Suleman, 41, who is still inside 19 years after he was jailed for a laptop robbery.

Despite at least 94 IPP prisoners taking their own lives after losing hope of release, successive governments have refused calls from the justice select committee to resentence them.

The POA has no official position on the jail term. However, Mr Gillan warned that the government’s lack of action has left prison officers to manage IPP inmates who are frustrated, hopeless or struggling with their mental health inside overcrowded prisons.

“If you don’t give people hope, they just rebel against the system,” Mr Gillan said. “It’s my members who are on the receiving end of that.”

The United Nations is currently investigating whether Britain is breaching human rights law by arbitrarily detaining IPP prisoners after campaigners launched a landmark legal complaint on behalf of five men who have served a combined total of 84 years. The government is due to publish a response to their complaint next month.

Mr Gillan added: “I think it’s an embarrassment to be honest with you because by now, since the legislation in 2012 became defunct, I would have thought in the intervening years this would have been dealt with and not just ignored.

“It has forced families to appeal to the UN over incarceration in Britain. We are better than that.”

He called for ministers to find a way to address the scandal, which both protects the public and is “fair and just to the individuals serving these sentences”.

Separate proposals calling for remaining IPP prisoners to be given a release date within two years, put forward by the Howard League for Penal Reform, are also in front of ministers.

Mr Gillan’s concerns are shared by the union representing probation officers. Speaking at a meeting in parliament organised by campaign group IPP Committee in Action on Wednesday, Ranjit Singh, assistant general secretary of Napo, said the jail terms are “institutionalised harm”.

Prisons minister Lord James Timpson was among those listening at the meeting, along with Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is backing the calls for the government to help those trapped on the sentence.

The calls follow a protest outside the Houses of Parliament, led by family members and former IPP prisoners.

“If IPP is an unfair sentence and that has been recognised [when it was abolished], then it needs to be addressed for those that are still serving it,” Mr Singh later told The Independent.

“It’s an injustice that needs to be corrected. These individuals who are still languishing in prison on IPP are being harmed because they are being made unwell.”

Napo is backing proposals for remaining IPP prisoners to be resentenced on a case-by-case basis and for a review of the Parole Board’s release test.

Even once IPP prisoners are finally freed by the Parole Board, many find themselves in a vicious cycle of recall to prison, which sees them hauled back to prison for minor infractions of strict licence conditions.

Mr Singh added: “Nobody wants to make those recalls, we want to see people succeed in the community.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished, but public safety must come first.

“Every IPP prisoner is entitled to a parole review at least every two years – and no one is kept in prison unless the independent Parole Board judges they still pose a serious risk.”