Action on energy costs is my overriding aim, says Fahnbulleh

Exclusive: Cross-party call for ethnicity options to be broadened beyond ‘English’ being only within ‘White’ category Britons should be able to define themselves as both Black and English, according to senior MPs who are calling to broaden the range of ethnicity options in the census. The cross-party push is a riposte to Reform UK politicians who have claimed that people from minority ethnic backgrounds cannot have English ethnic identity. Continue reading...

This week the British prime minister will join world leaders in Turkey for the Cop31 summit. But he may raise some eyebrows as it looks like domestically he is prioritising the cost of living over tackling the climate crisis. The government is set to reduce electric vehicle targets from 80% to 60%, which will please car manufacturers. Meanwhile tensions are still high over the Rosebank oilfield and if it will get the go-ahead. Should Burnham prioritise the climate over the cost of living? Read K

Troubled utility lobbies for deadline on part of the debt to be extended to March 2028 Thames Water has asked its creditors for more time to pay back billions of pounds in debt, as the water company scrambles to keep itself afloat. The UK’s largest water company said it had proposed an “interim” deal under which the deadline to pay off an unspecified portion of the £20bn of debt on its balance sheet would be extended from 2027 to March 2028. Continue reading...

Louise Haigh is expected to agree to cut a target for EV sales by about a quarter Good morning. Monday is often the busiest day of the week at Westminster but, with the Commons still enjoying a mini November recess, today is looking a bit quiet. Andy Burnham is on a visit to a hospital this morning and he wants to talk about a £40m programme in England to try to keep vulnerable patients out of hospital. The Department of Health and Social Care has the details here, and Andrew Gregory explains it