Labour still faces risks on energy despite ‘record’ wind power auction | Nils Pratley

The government has defied gloomy price expectations for its latest auction for offshore wind capacity. The worry a few months ago was that bill payers would be forced to pay more than £100 a megawatt hour (MWh) via contracts that give developers guaranteed prices for their electricity output. In the event, winning projects landed at roughly £91/MWh.Cue some forgivable crowing from Ed Miliband, the energy secretary. “A monumental step towards clean power by 2030,” he declared

Trump hits back at JP Morgan CEO’s defence of Federal Reserve

Donald Trump has hit out at the JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon, saying the Wall Street executive was wrong to suggest he was undermining the independence of the Federal Reserve.The US president and his administration have come under fire for their attacks on the Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, who is facing a criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice over alleged “abuse of taxpayer dollars” linked to renovations to the central bank’s headquarters in Washington.Powell has suggested the allegations are baseless and merely a punishment for not cutting interest rates as fast as Trump would like. Central bankers and chief executives have since started rallying around the Fed, raising concerns about political interference in monetary policy.However, Trump defended his campaign against Powell on Tuesday, saying: “I think it’s fine what I’m doing

Rachel Reeves ‘pretty relaxed’ about what form of digital ID workers use

The chancellor has insisted she is “pretty relaxed” about what form of digital ID people use to prove their right to work in the UK, amid criticism of the government’s latest U-turn.It emerged on Tuesday that a central element of Labour’s plans for digital ID cards was being rolled back, leaving open the possibility that people would be able to use other forms of identification to prove their right to work.This will mean that the IDs, announced in September to some controversy, will no longer be mandatory for working-age people, given that the only planned obligatory element was to prove the right to work in the UK.Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Rachel Reeves said: “We are saying that you will need mandatory digital ID to be able to work in the UK. Now the difference is whether that has to be one piece of ID, a digital ID card, or whether it could be an e-visa or an e-passport, and we’re pretty relaxed about what form that takes

England seek new head coach for Rugby League World Cup after Shaun Wane leaves

Shaun Wane has left his position as England head coach with immediate effect, the Guardian can reveal, leaving the national team on the hunt for a replacement for the Rugby League World Cup later this year.Wane oversaw England’s 3-0 Ashes defeat against Australia last autumn but insisted in the aftermath of that series that he was keen to continue and rebuild going into the World Cup in the southern hemisphere this year.However, the Guardian has learned this will now not be the case. Wane held discussions with the Rugby Football League this week about his future and those decisions have reached a conclusion, with it decided that the national team will go in a new direction for the World Cup.Wane had insisted previously that he felt he was the right man to take England into the World Cup this year, saying: “I don’t believe – I know I am

Jon Stewart on the Minneapolis ICE shooting: ‘We are in a confusing, dark place’

Late-night hosts recapped a weekend of nationwide protests over the killing of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer as Donald Trump made a social media post referring to himself as the “acting president” of Venezuela.Jon Stewart wasted no time expressing outrage from the Daily Show desk on Monday evening, after a particularly dark week for US news. “What the fuck is happening?” he exclaimed. “What the fuck is happening in this country? From Minnesota, to Venezuela, to Iran, to Greenland, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia.“We are on the Donald Trump Gravitron,” he concluded

Religious tradition, child safety and the law on circumcision | Letters

I would welcome criminalising circumcision if it was performed by an unqualified person – just as would be the case if someone unqualified conducted any other surgical operation (Circumcision classed as possible child abuse in draft CPS document, 10 January). But leaping from that to banning the practice altogether is not justified.Given that it is a longstanding and important tradition among Jews, Muslims and various other cultures, the best way forward is to only permit circumcision if it is practised by someone specifically qualified for it and who belongs to a nationally accredited scheme. This would involve compulsory training, monitoring all cases and producing annual reports.Such a step is vital if we value both the safety of children and the integrity of faith backgrounds, and should be implemented as soon as possible