Politics LIVE: Keir Starmer's Chagos deal threatening UK-US 'special relationship' as Donald Trump to give verdict in DAYS

UK borrowing rises unexpectedly as Rachel Reeves claims 'country's finances are in order' following Budget

UK borrowing costs rose unexpectedly to £17.8billion in December, but Chancellor Rachel Reeves remains confident in the country's financial health following the October budget.

This figure was around 25 per cent higher than what economists had predicted and was £10.1billion more than the same time last year, making it the highest borrowing in December for four years.

The unexpected rise puts pressure on Reeves to make tough decisions on budget cuts before the upcoming spending review in the summer.

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Tice calls to scrap the Equality Act 2010 - 'only Reform will cut daft regulations'

Richard Tice has called to scrap all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) jobs and the Equality Act 2010 following the inauguration of Donald Trump.

It comes after a Trump administration official said one of the orders would "end DEI inside the federal government", cutting funding to DEI programmes across all agencies and including a review of offices renamed because of DEI initiatives.

The Reform UK deputy leader and Boston and Skegness MP said: "US DESTROY DEI UK must do same - fire all public sector DEI jobs, scrap the bloated 2010 Equality Act. Only Reform UK will do this. Only Reform will cut daft regulations and turbocharge growth."

Labour MP says NHS eating disorder services are 'beyond broken'

A Labour MP has called for more funding for NHS eating disorder services, describing the current system as "beyond broken"

Richard Quigley, MP for Isle of Wight West described the "nightmare" of watching his own child battle an eating disorder.

He said: "To watch someone who is bright and funny and clever just look lost and scared because there's no treatment coming - you feel like you're letting your child down. We're not just talking about a half day of training here.

"We're talking about days over a year to fully understand the nuances of, not just eating disorders, but the different types of eating disorders."

NHS England says it has invested additional funding to improve waiting times for eating-disorder services and more than £1bn a year goes into the provision of community mental-health care for adults.

Cooper and Starmer pledge tougher checks to stop youngsters buying knives online

Online retailers will be forced to put in place tougher checks to stop youngsters buying knives after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it is “shockingly easy” for children to buy blades.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs it is a “a total disgrace” that Rudakubana, then 17, and with a history of violence, was able to buy a weapon online and promised new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring.

Writing in The Sun, Starmer said: "It remains shockingly easy for our children to get their hands on deadly knives. The lessons of this case could not be clearer. Time and again, as a child, the Southport murderer carried knives. Time and again, he showed clear intent to use them.

"And yet, tragically, he was still able to order the murder weapon off of the internet without any checks or barriers. A two-click killer. This cannot continue. The technology is there to set up age verification checks, even for kitchen knives ordered online.

"We must now use it to protect our children from future attack and I will ensure that this happens."