Economy records fastest growth in two years
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The economy grew by 0.7% in the third quarter, its briskest pace in two years. This burst of activity arrives just as the government prepares to cut £217 a month from disability benefits for those under 25. Under the plan, young people with ADHD or anxiety who lack severe work-limiting disabilities will be steered toward training and employment instead of monthly payments.
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has proposed merging police forces into larger regional constabularies, a move that usually invites more friction from local chiefs than it saves in administrative costs. At the COP31 summit, Prime Minister Andy Burnham promised a "new era of British leadership" on climate, though he noted that the previous consensus on the matter has largely vanished.
The literary and entertainment worlds remain preoccupied with the scrutiny of powerful men. Investigations into the conduct of children's author David Walliams continue, while the Booker Prize win for M John Harrison has reignited the perennial debate over whether science fiction is finally being permitted into the literary establishment.