News about Harold Wilson

Last Saturday marked 50 years since the Provisional Irish Republican Army's infamous Guildford pub bombings that left five dead. It was one of the bloodiest and most spectacular atrocities in what went on to become the deadliest year of the Troubles in mainland Britain. Forty-one civilians and soldiers were killed in 1974, while hundreds more were injured in a series of attacks. Jonathan Mayo tells the story of the IRA's year of terror...

Growth is a nebulous concept, and in the past has left many government efforts sinking in the treacle of bureaucracy. The ultimate irony would be the sight of a Labour government sweeping the rule-based system put in place by the Tory dominated coalition into the sea. Under Nikhil Rathi, the FCA rapidly has sought to simplify enforcement and make listings easier. Reeves is set to formally remind the FCA and the Bank of England's rigid Prudential Regulatory Administration of the 'growth' mission at the time of the budget.

Union barons yesterday vowed to seize control of the economy now that their Labour 'friends' are in power. Militant RMT boss Mick Lynch said the 'prize' union chiefs were seeking was 'the complete organisation of the UK economy by trade unions'. It comes as Labour's first party conference back in power has seen unions flexing their muscles, forcing an embarrassing vote on reversing plans to axe winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners. And Chancellor Rachel Reeves was left red-faced after the Royal College of Nursing overshadowed her keynote speech by announcing it was rejecting the Government's 5.5 per cent pay hike offer.

Tributes have been paid to Mr Jay by colleagues in both the political and media world following the news of his death. Mr Jay's family said he died 'peacefully at home' on Sunday. 'He was a much loved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, friend and colleague,' they added in a statement. Mr Jay had been one of the country's foremost economics commentators, with time spent as the economics editor for both the BBC and The Times.

On the evening of Tuesday March 24, 1953, Harry Procter, the star crime reporter of the Sunday Pictorial newspaper, drove to a Victorian terrace in Notting Hill, a then rundown area of London. Disturbingly, the bodies of three young women had been discovered. They were rumoured to have died accidentally in botched back-street abortions. But Procter thought the story worth checking out anyway. He turned into Rillington Place, parked his car and switched off the headlights. No 10, a house divided into flats, was the last building on the left. A police constable stood guard at the front door. Detectives told Procter that the first body had been discovered that afternoon by a tenant who was cleaning the kitchen in the ground-floor flat. He had torn a hole in the wallpaper as he tried to fix a shelf and in the shadows behind he saw what seemed to be the bare back of a woman.

A deeply divisive vote to legalise assisted dying could be held within weeks after Sir Keir Starmer backed plans to fast-track it through the Commons, The Mail on Sunday understands. The Prime Minister is privately paving the way for a vote before Christmas - much sooner than expected - which could usher in one of the greatest social changes in the UK since the Abortion Act 1967. A law to allow terminally-ill adults with a life expectancy of less than six months to end their lives with medical help would spark an intense moral debate over the sanctity of human life and the risks of the legislation being abused. Sir Keir's own Justice Secretary has warned that it could prove to be a mandate for 'granny killers'.

Overview

Are Oxford and Cambridge really better than every other British university? How do the likes of Leeds, Manchester and Bristol compare? And what about up-and-coming institutions such as the University of Leicester? Today, we publish The Mail University Guide rankings for 2025 - and there are some big surprises in the results. Our guide is the most comprehensive, broadly based, in-depth analysis of the UK's leading universities you'll find. The Mail ranking is based on recent performance data in areas such as teaching and research, as well as the views of the 346,000 final-year students. Plus, we've crunched the numbers to identify universities where students stand the best chance of getting a high-skilled job when they graduate, the salaries they will earn (useful for paying off that student loan) and whether they feel, 15 months after leaving, that their careers are on track.

The Open University

Sir Keir Starmer (pictured below right) joined members of the royal family for a Sunday church service at Crathie Kirk at Balmoral on Sunday morning. The Prime Minister is being hosted by King Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla (left), 77, for a traditional weekend at the royal Scottish residence. The royal couple were pictured making their way to the service in the back of the royal Bentley, and Charles was seen waving to onlooking crowds. Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence are pictured top right.

Analysis of annual accounts shows a string of unions representing millions of workers have boosted their reserves for spending on party political activities in anticipation of a Labour Government. The dedicated funds, which union bosses use to support Labour activities and push their political agendas, have swelled by up to two-thirds in recent years. The Tories last night warned it would 'open the floodgates' to a raft of Left-wing policies, with the Government having already surrendered to rail union barons by agreeing to bumper pay hikes with no strings attached. The analysis found the GMB union, behind last year's crippling ambulance worker strikes, has boosted its 'Political Fund' by another £600,000 between 2021 and 2024, taking it to £1.6million.

The sheer stupidity of Labour ministers as they try to justify the massive pay awards they're doling out to all and sundry in the ­public sector beggars belief. One by one they step up to the microphone to claim it was cheaper to capitulate to union demands than to put up with the cost of continued disruption. Thus do they demonstrate a breathtaking naivety when it comes to industrial relations.

Life behind that austere black door hasn't always been as upstanding as you'd think. Anne de Courcy uncovers No 10's risqué past and the 'love tangle' that rocked the nation

More than 98 per cent of family doctors in England last week backed the proposed British Medical Association (BMA) disruption. It means BMA GPs can now 'pick and choose' from 10 measures designed to wreak chaos across the health service, including a daily 25 appointment cap per family doctor, which could see the up to a third of appointments slashed. But modelling drawn up by NHS England suggests the work-to-rule action could heap huge pressure on hospitals and pharmacies and cost more than half a billion pounds. It comes as Wes Streeting yesterday labelled the decision 'unnecessary' arguing it was 'punishing patients', while Britain's most senior A&E doctor warned elderly and vulnerable patients were being put most at risk.

More than 98 per cent of family doctors in England last week backed the proposed British Medical Association (BMA) disruption. It means BMA GPs can now 'pick and choose' from 10 measures designed to wreak chaos across the health service, including a daily 25 appointment cap per family doctor, which could see the up to a third of appointments slashed. It comes as Wes Streeting today labelled the action 'unnecessary' arguing it was instead 'punishing patients' and forcing other parts of the NHS to 'pick up the pieces'. The health secretary urged family doctors to back down on the action and instead form a 'serious professional partnership' with the Government.

Stock markets have been plunging and the new Labour chancellor has been painting a dire picture of the economy. But if the strength of a currency is a measure of a country's financial fortunes, then the UK is going gang-busters. Sterling is the best-performing currency among the world's ten major economies this year - after being the second-best last year.

Hundreds of Muslims gathered near a mosque in Birmingham after rumours of a far-right gathering spread online. Some of those who had travelled to the area were filmed attacking a pub, the Clumsy Swan. Meanwhile, police in Plymouth made arrests as they sought to separate two groups of protesters - with a commanding officer describing the policing efforts needed as 'off the scale' with 150 officers deployed in the city centre. Frightened by the despairing scenes of violence and looting in other UK cities in recent days, many businesses have chosen to pull down the shutters ahead of time - while police have been mobilised in the town centre.

Big Brother's Narinder Kaur has admitted she and her husband are too scared to let their children leave the house amid the UK's 'race riots'.  The broadcaster, 52, whos parents emigrated from India, said she had been left 'distressed and disheartened' at the sight of far-right thugs targeting ethnic communities, decades after she was spat at for the colour of her skin.   Community centres, charities and local businesses were targeted in shameful scenes this weekend that have blighted towns and cities across the country in the wake of last week's Southport stabbing attack.

More than 98 per cent of family doctors in England today backed the proposed British Medical Association (BMA) disruption. It means from today, BMA GPs can 'pick and choose' from 10 measures designed to wreak chaos across the health service, including a daily 25 appointment cap per family doctor, which could see the up to a third of appointments slashed. Health leaders and campaigners labelled the action 'very damaging' and warned it would pile 'huge extra pressures' on the rest of the health service. Experts even said family doctors working-to-rule could 'have a far greater impact on patients than the junior doctors' strike'.

More than 8,500 family doctors in England took part in the British Medical Association (BMA) ballot, with 98.3 per cent backing the mass action. It means GPs, who earn up to £700,000, could slash the number of daily appointments by a third. Doctors have said the action could last for 'months'. So what does this mean for your GP appointment? How have the Government responded? And why is it so difficult to access your local surgery? Here MailOnline explains everything you need to know about the upcoming action.

More than 8,500 family doctors in England took part in the British Medical Association (BMA) ballot, with 98.3 per cent backing the disruption. It means from today, BMA GPs will be able to choose from a list of 10 industrial actions, such as capping employments with family doctors able to choose to implement as many as they want. Patient groups have already described the move as 'selfish', warning GPs risk harming those in need of care - and losing the public's support. One NHS chief even said the effect of a cap on the number of appointments could be 'catastrophic'. The health service has, however, called on the public to still come forward as usual for GP care, despite the collective action.

ROBERT HARDMAN: Surely after almost six decades, it had to be time for a new script? For an exquisite 13 minutes last night, it seemed that England's last-minute merchants might just pull off another great escape and lift their first trophy since that 1966 World Cup. But, with extra time just four minutes away, Spain fired in the goal which dictated there would be no happy ending. Spain 2 - England 1. No Bellingham bicycle kick riding to the rescue this time.

Reeves portrayed herself as a woman of action as she unveiled her plans to 'fix the foundations of the economy' just 72 hours after taking over the fiscal hot seat. Her Treasury team had assembled an audience of City grandees and key business leaders in Whitehall in an effort to win their support from the outset. At the core of her mission is a new approach to growth. She and Labour are to rip up planning laws and regulatory protections as the first step in an agenda to get the economy moving faster.

A delve back into historical data shows that Labour has largely had positive returns when it's in office. In the past, Labour governments have delivered market returns of more than double that of the Conservatives, according to analysis by InvestEngine.