News

Political reporter
LIVERPOOL: The Labour Party’s annual conference has concluded after several days of debate, political speeches and policy discussions, with the government seeking to demonstrate progress on its domestic priorities and restore public confidence. Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his keynote speech to announce a series of major policy proposals, including the creation of a National Care Service, greater public control of water companies and reforms to the housing market. Key outcomes included:
Social care: Plans for an NHS-style National Care Service offering free personal care for older people.
Pensions: Changes to the state pension triple lock from 2030 to help finance social care.
Housing: Further council house-building, restrictions on Right to Buy for newly built social housing and assistance for first-time buyers.
Water industry: Plans to remove legal barriers to public ownership of water companies.
Brexit: Burnham said Brexit had done more harm than good and called for a fresh discussion about Britain’s long-term relationship with the European Union.
Electoral reform: A national commission will examine alternatives to the first-past-the-post voting system.
Public transport: A £2 cap on single bus fares across England throughout 2027.
The conference also heard Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband acknowledge public anger over the suffering of Palestinians, signalling a change in the government’s tone on the Middle East.
However, questions remain over the cost, funding and timetable for implementing several of the proposals. Business representatives and political observers have called for greater clarity on how the ambitious programme will be delivered.
The conference closed with Burnham’s message of national renewal under the slogan “Hope Again”, as Labour sought to establish a new political direction

Staff reporter
LONDON: Prime Minister Andy Burnham is to introduce a new “Your First Home” scheme aimed at helping first-time buyers in England who struggle to save a large deposit or cannot rely on financial support from their families.
Under the proposal, eligible buyers will be able to receive an equity loan worth 20% of the purchase price of a new-build home. The scheme will require buyers to provide a minimum deposit of 2.5%, with the government loan making up part of the remaining cost. The loan will initially be interest-free.
The programme is specifically designed for people with regular incomes who can afford mortgage repayments but have been unable to build up a substantial deposit. Household-income and deposit limits, along with regional property-price caps, are expected to prevent the scheme from being used by higher earners or buyers purchasing expensive properties.
The government says the scheme will be announced by Housing Secretary John Healey in the Budget, with registration expected to open by the end of 2026. Funding is expected to come from reallocating existing government budgets rather than additional borrowing.
Burnham said the policy was intended to help young people who have been priced out of home ownership and do not have access to the so-called “bank of mum and dad”. He also argued that giving buyers additional support would provide developers with greater confidence to build new homes.
The announcement comes after a government review of the previous Help to Buy programme, which supported more than 387,000 home purchases. The earlier scheme was criticised by some economists and campaigners for benefiting people who might have been able to buy without government assistance and for potentially contributing to higher house prices.
Burnham’s new proposal therefore represents a modified return to government-backed assistance for first-time buyers, with tighter eligibility rules intended to focus support on households facing the biggest deposit barriers.

Inam Sehgal
LONDON: The use of fake and cloned vehicle number plates is increasing across England, prompting the Government and police to step up efforts to identify drivers using false registrations to evade enforcement and conceal criminal activity.
Official figures show that the number of people contacting the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) after receiving correspondence or penalties relating to vehicles they did not recognise rose from 7,377 cases in 2020 to 10,461 in 2024. There were a further 9,385 reports in the first ten months of 2025. The figures can include cases caused by registration errors, so they do not represent confirmed cases of cloning alone.
The problem includes cloned plates, where criminals copy the registration of a legitimate vehicle, and so-called “ghost plates”, designed to prevent automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras from reading a vehicle’s registration. Police say such plates can be used to evade fines and facilitate more serious offences.
In September, the Government announced a new National Roads Policing Coordination Centre, bringing police forces across England together to share intelligence and improve the use of technology against illegal number plates and organised crime.
The Government is also considering tougher penalties, including penalty points and vehicle seizure for drivers caught using incorrect, altered or false number plates. The DVLA is reviewing its system for regulating number-plate suppliers, with tighter checks also under consideration.
Police forces have reported the impact locally. Avon and Somerset Police said cases of cloned vehicles seized in its area had doubled compared with 2023, while a recent West Yorkshire operation resulted in six cloned vehicles being seized during a week-long crackdown.
For innocent motorists, number-plate cloning can lead to unexpected speeding, parking or clean-air-zone penalties. The DVLA can issue a replacement registration number where cloning is established, while motorists may be asked to provide evidence showing that their vehicle was elsewhere when an alleged offence occurred.
The use of fake and cloned vehicle number plates is increasing across England, prompting the Government and police to step up efforts to identify drivers using false registrations to evade enforcement and conceal criminal activity.
Official figures show that the number of people contacting the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) after receiving correspondence or penalties relating to vehicles they did not recognise rose from 7,377 cases in 2020 to 10,461 in 2024. There were a further 9,385 reports in the first ten months of 2025. The figures can include cases caused by registration errors, so they do not represent confirmed cases of cloning alone.
The problem includes cloned plates, where criminals copy the registration of a legitimate vehicle, and so-called “ghost plates”, designed to prevent automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras from reading a vehicle’s registration. Police say such plates can be used to evade fines and facilitate more serious offences.
In September, the Government announced a new National Roads Policing Coordination Centre, bringing police forces across England together to share intelligence and improve the use of technology against illegal number plates and organised crime.
The Government is also considering tougher penalties, including penalty points and vehicle seizure for drivers caught using incorrect, altered or false number plates. The DVLA is reviewing its system for regulating number-plate suppliers, with tighter checks also under consideration.
Police forces have reported the impact locally. Avon and Somerset Police said cases of cloned vehicles seized in its area had doubled compared with 2023, while a recent West Yorkshire operation resulted in six cloned vehicles being seized during a week-long crackdown.
For innocent motorists, number-plate cloning can lead to unexpected speeding, parking or clean-air-zone penalties. The DVLA can issue a replacement registration number where cloning is established, while motorists may be asked to provide evidence showing that their vehicle was elsewhere when an alleged offence occurred.