Former comedian, in court on rape and sexual assault charges, says he misused position but ‘consent is more important than sex itself’

Russell Brand has told a court that he was wrong to have used his fame and success to “facilitate” sexual activity with women.

The 51-year-old comedian said he had “misused” his position “very selfishly” and dedicated his life to “reckless philandering and idiocy”.

Few surprises as chancellor uses low-key speech blaming ‘global economic storms’ for stoking energy prices and cost of living crisis

• Budget 2026: key points at a glance

• Briefing: key questions answered by Heather Stewart and Pippa Crerar

• Editorial: Budget’s bold ambitions and welcome first steps

John Healey raised taxes on banks and landlords to fund a £100 winter handout for 20 million families as official forecasts made clear there is no end in sight for the cost of living crisis.

In his first budget, the chancellor blamed “global economic storms” for the grim outlook, as the war in Iran drives up oil and gas prices.

Anthony Williams is accused of attempting to murder passengers and staff on board a London-bound train last November

A knifeman “caused terror and fear on an unimaginable scale” to passengers when he stabbed 10 people on a London-bound train, a court has heard.

Anthony Williams, 33, is accused of attempting to murder 10 passengers and staff on an LNER train on 1 November last year and stabbing four people in the 24 hours before.

Reform UK leader ‘shocked’ by £10bn pledged to Ukraine and doubles down on cutting tax for crypto investors

• Budget 2026: key points at a glance

Nigel Farage skipped the chancellor’s first budget because he was worried he would get in a “physical altercation” with another MP in a row over seating arrangements.

The Reform UK leader was not present in the House of Commons but gave a press conference afterwards in which he said he was “shocked” by the £10bn going to support Ukraine and doubled down on his party’s policies on cutting tax for crypto investors.

Columnist’s relations with some senior editorial figures said to be strained over subjects she raised in her columns

The controversial Daily Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson is understood to be in negotiations about leaving the broadsheet as the newspaper’s new owner makes significant newsroom cuts.

Sources told the Guardian that Pearson – firmly on the right of the Telegraph’s roster – is preparing to announce her exit imminently and is crafting a statement about her future plans.

How the Burnham government’s first attempt to ease cost of living pressure pans out for key stakeholders
Budget 2026: key points at a glance

Every budget has its winners and losers, and John Healey’s first as chancellor was no exception. While some gained from tax breaks and rule tweaks, others will either pay more, or had their hopes of reforms dashed. Here are some of those with reason to cheer, or sigh:

Mohamed Amersi is suing over Panorama episode that made claims of his suspected involvement in corruption

A Conservative and Reform UK donor lost out on a knighthood and a peerage amid claims of his involvement in corruption, the high court has heard at the start of his defamation case against the BBC.

An episode of Panorama in 2021 and a BBC article caused “very serious harm” to Mohamed Amersi, his barrister, Oliver Powell, said on Wednesday.

Use our interactive tool to see how you have been affected by John Healey’s tax and spending announcements

• Healey keeps income tax thresholds frozen. How much more will you pay?

• Budget 2026: key points at a glance

• Budget 2026 live – latest updates

Prime minister warns cabinet not to express opinions about future relationship with Brussels before review of options

Andy Burnham has warned ministers not to express their opinions about how the government should approach Brexit, as he argued that the Conservatives’ deal with Brussels had been more extreme than that promised in the 2016 referendum.

In another series of announcements connected to his plan to seek closer links with the EU, Burnham told ministers at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the current deal was a bad one, before writing to frontbenchers setting out his hopes to address this.

Prime minister warns cabinet not to express opinions about future relationship with Brussels before review of options

Andy Burnham has warned ministers not to express their opinions about how the government should approach Brexit, as he argued that the Conservatives’ deal with Brussels had been more extreme than that promised in the 2016 referendum.

In another series of announcements connected to his plan to seek closer links with the EU, Burnham told ministers at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the current deal was a bad one, before writing to frontbenchers setting out his hopes to address this.

OBR cautions about Middle East war dragging down growth and triggering a fresh cost of living crisis

• Healey offers £100 payment to households to help navigate ‘global economic storms’

• Budget 2026: key points at a glance

• Budget 2026 live – latest updates

British households face a “pretty grim picture” for living standards as the war in the Middle East drags down growth and triggers a fresh cost of living crisis, the government’s independent forecaster has said.

In a report as John Healey announced his first budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) issued a sharp downgrade for growth in 2027, household disposable incomes and the public finances despite the measures taken by the chancellor.

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Jury at Winchester crown court sees video evidence by Joanne Young in trial of four men accused of sexual assault

A woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by men invited by her ex-husband into their family home described how she would wake in the middle of the night restrained and blindfolded and feeling “hazy”.

Joanne Young said that on one occasion she managed to remove her blindfold and was shocked to glimpse a stranger in her bedroom whom her then husband, Philip Young, had allegedly arranged to have sex with her.

EHRC says we need transparency if workers suspect other staff are being paid more for similar work

Workers should have a legal right to know their colleagues’ pay to help prevent pay discrimination, particularly against women, the UK’s human rights watchdog has said.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) made the recommendation in response to government proposals to overhaul equal pay laws, saying workers deserve a right to transparency if they suspect other staff are being paid more for similar work.

Payment to 20m homes part of package to help cut energy bills and ease cost-of-living crisis, paid for by smaller than expected bank windfall tax

• Budget 2026: key points at a glance

• Budget 2026 live – latest updates

John Healey promised to steer Britain through “global economic storms,” as he announced a package of measures to cut consumers’ energy bills, funded by a smaller-than-expected windfall tax on banks.

In his first budget, the chancellor said 20m households in council tax bands A to D would receive a £100 payment – a measure he said would cost £2.6bn.

Jonathan Reynolds’ team has written to Gordon Brothers, which bought retailer for £1 last summer, to ‘establish the facts’

The business secretary’s team has written to the owner of Poundland amid fears that the cut-price retailer could collapse into administration, threatening to overshadow John Healey’s budget.

Sources said that Gordon Brothers, the US investment firm that bought the 600-store Poundland chain for £1 last summer, looks set to appoint administrators to the struggling retailer.

British pharma company one of biggest fallers on FTSE 100 despite better than expected financial results

• Business live – latest updates

Shares in GSK slid on Wednesday despite the UK drugmaker reporting better than expected financial results, as investors were unnerved by weaker sales of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and shingles vaccines, and recently launched medications.

Britain’s second-biggest pharmaceutical company reported a 19% decline in pre-tax profit to £1.9bn in the July to September quarter and £318m of restructuring charges, with more to come. Core operating profit and core earnings per share rose 5% and 1% respectively, however, beating analysts’ expectations.

John Healey is announcing his financial update – here are the main points, with political analysis

• Budget 2026 live – latest updates

John Healey starts by saying that his budget is “delivered at a time when global uncertainties and pressures are swirling worldwide and hitting people here at home”.

Healey says he will meet the fiscal rule that day to day spending must be covered by tax receipts and the investment rule that government debt, defined as public sector net financial liabilities, must be falling as a percentage of GDP in the third year of the forecast.

The government will have £15bn of headroom in 2029-30 and £20bn in 2030-31, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the government’s forecaster.

Government borrowing will be 4.2% of GDP this year, 3.4% next year, then 2.9% and 2.1% 1.8% by 2030-31, the OBR says.

Predictions of slowing growth were wrong, Healey says. The OBR says GDP will grow by 1.2% this year, 1% next year, 1.6% in 2028, 1.8% in 2029, 1.7% in 2030, 1.6% in 2031. In March the OBR had predicted GDP growth of 1.1% in 2026, rising to 1.6% in 2027 and 2028, and dropping to 1.5% in 2029 and 2030.

Government debt is forecast to be 83.2% of GDP this year, 83.8% next year, and then falling to 83.1%, 82.3% and 81.7% in the following years.

Chair of membership council says legal advice obtained at own expense suggests offences could have been committed

Bafta trustees may have breached charity and company law by accepting free tickets for guests at the organisation’s awards ceremonies, the chair of its membership council has claimed.

Michael Pritchett told members at Bafta’s annual general meeting that legal advice obtained at his own expense suggested offences could have been committed by trustees who approved the charity’s accounts, which stated that no trustees had received remuneration or benefits.

OBR says that living standards are forecast to rise by just 1% over the whole post-Covid decade

• Budget 2026: key points at a glance

Martin Lewis said that, when he met John Healey this morning, the chancellor said that, having removed standing charges from gas bills, he would also like to get rid of them from electricity bills. Lewis said:

The chancellor said he will be talking to Ofgem about how they get rid of the charge on electricity as well, but that is ‘trickier’ apparently and will take longer.