There are reasons to be cheerful about UK plc in 2026. Here are four | Heather Stewart

Stalling growth, sticky inflation and fragile bond markets, the UK’s economic record in 2025 has hardly been one to inspire cheer. But in the spirit of the festive season, here are a few reasons to hope for a happier new year.The first is that, barring external forces, 2026 should not involve a repeat of this year’s fiscal drama.Rachel Reeves more than doubled the margin of error, or headroom, against her fiscal rules at last month’s budget, and that should gift the Treasury a quieter 2026.The chancellor’s spring statement should be a non-event for another reason, too: she announced that while the Office for Budget Responsibility will still carry out a forecast, it will not formally assess her against the rules

UK supermarkets turn to European turkeys as avian flu hits supply

Several of the UK’s big supermarkets have been forced to source turkeys from elsewhere in Europe to keep shelves stocked this Christmas, after avian flu curtailed UK production.Asda, Lidl and Morrisons are understood to be stocking branded turkey imported from mainland Europe – a move industry sources described as “unprecedented” – to “protect availability” and ensure sufficient supply for festive meals.All three retailers’ own-label fresh and frozen turkeys will be entirely British-sourced. However, Morrisons is stocking Bernard Matthews-branded turkey from Poland, and Asda is selling a Cherrywood-branded turkey crown from mainland Europe.Lidl said a small proportion of its branded frozen turkey, sold under the Gressingham label, was sourced from the EU

‘It can be quite a thankless job’: why driving examiners are quitting

It has long been a stressful rite of passage for many young people but, in recent years, passing the actual driving test is the easy part. Now, many people seeking a test need to wake up early to snag a date before the bots do and, even then, they are looking at a long and arduous wait.Despite moves from the government to address the issue, an audit report released this week found plans to cut the wait for a driving test to seven weeks by the end of the year would not be achieved until November 2027.One of the main barriers is an exodus of driving examiners. Only a net 83 more driving test examiners have been hired despite 19 recruitment campaigns since 2021, with the average wait for a practical test now at 22 weeks across Great Britain, according to the National Audit Office

Tinsel and Home Alone back in style as TikTok seeks comfort in #90sChristmas

Tinsel, DIY tree decorations, deep burgundy drapes – and Home Alone on VHS. Christmas has gone retro on TikTok, and in people’s living rooms.The app has reported a surge in Christmas decor videos, with an emphasis on nostalgia as users embrace festive looks from bygone eras. For younger TikTokers, that means the 90s.More than 8,000 videos have been posted under the hashtag #90sChristmas, celebrating a look that includes multicoloured tree lights, homemade felt ornaments and – in a post with nearly 4m views – VHS tapes of Christmas classics such as the Macaulay Culkin caper

Mass clearout of England leadership not in ECB plans after Ashes failure

The England and Wales Cricket Board is eager to avoid a mass ­clearout of England’s senior leadership in the wake of another humiliating away Ashes series defeat.England’s hopes of winning the urn were expunged inside 11 days for just the fourth time in the contest’s 143-year history with Sunday’s 82-run defeat in Adelaide, and a fourth Ashes whitewash is on the cards in Melbourne and Sydney, unless the tourists can arrest a dismal 18-match run without a win in Australia that stretches back to 2011.A full review of the tour’s planning and execution will take place following the final Test next month when jobs could be on the line, with Brendon McCullum’s position as head coach expected to come under the most scrutiny.The Guardian has been told that the ECB do not want to repeat the mass cull that followed their 4-0 defeat in Australia four years ago, however, when coach Chris Silverwood and director of cricket Ashley Giles were sacked the following month, with Joe Root resigning as captain following another series defeat in the West Indies two months later.While changes could still be made depending on the outcome of the rest of the tour, the ECB believes that mass sackings would be a mistake and leave England less well-placed to learn the lessons of the tour

Dan Frost freezes out Newcastle to put dominant Bath back on top of Prem

Bath returned to the summit of the Prem, ruthlessly exposing the gulf between top and bottom at Kingston Park. Despite resting several front-liners, including Finn Russell, they ran in eight tries against Newcastle to bounce back emphatically from last week’s Champions Cup defeat in Toulon.They simply had too much firepower for Newcastle who were shut out for the last 53 minutes of the game.If there was a disparity between the starting lineups, the bench mis-match was colossal and Bath’s head coach, Johann van Graan, rubbed it in by introducing all eight of his replacements in one fell swoop with 25 minutes to go.It was a shock and awe move with Sam Underhill, Ted Hill and Thomas du Toit emerging from the fog and Bath, leading 33-14 at the time, eased away with three more fine tries to reach their half-century