https://thedailymeridian.uk/Latest news, sport, business, comment and analysis from the Daily Meridian.en-gbSat, 10 Oct 2026 23:15:44 GMThttps://thedailymeridian.uk/lifestyle/cornwall-second-homes-council-taxhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/lifestyle/cornwall-second-homes-council-taxSat, 10 Oct 2026 21:50:44 GMTThe levy raised £25m; owners paid it rather than sell. Locals say the policy was never going to be enough on its ownPropertyhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/cambridge-chip-cluster-strategyhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/cambridge-chip-cluster-strategySat, 10 Oct 2026 21:40:44 GMTThe government has decided not to compete on fabrication plants. Its bet is on design, and on one cityTechnologyhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/solent-seagrass-restoration-doubles-fish-nurserieshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/solent-seagrass-restoration-doubles-fish-nurseriesSat, 10 Oct 2026 20:45:44 GMTThree years after seeds were planted in hessian bags off the Hampshire coast, researchers say the meadows are now functioning as nurseries for bass, bream and cuttlefishSciencehttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/ai-triage-gp-surgeries-pilot-evaluationhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/ai-triage-gp-surgeries-pilot-evaluationSat, 10 Oct 2026 20:27:44 GMTIndependent evaluation of a 180-practice trial finds the software sent most patients to the right place faster, while routing some with serious symptoms to pharmacists or self-careTechnologyhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/lifestyle/settle-carlisle-railway-autumn-weekendhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/lifestyle/settle-carlisle-railway-autumn-weekendSat, 10 Oct 2026 20:24:44 GMTSeventy-two miles, 14 tunnels, 20 viaducts and not a single reason to hurry, on the railway that nearly closed and is now the finest in EnglandTravelhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/barbershop-blood-pressure-checks-birmingham-undiagnosed-hypertensionhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/barbershop-blood-pressure-checks-birmingham-undiagnosed-hypertensionSat, 10 Oct 2026 19:45:44 GMTA Birmingham scheme that trained barbers to take readings between haircuts has referred more than 900 men to their GP in its first yearHealthhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/chancellor-stamp-duty-housing-stallshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/chancellor-stamp-duty-housing-stallsSat, 10 Oct 2026 19:42:44 GMTTreasury officials have modelled a temporary holiday for first-time buyers after transactions fell to their lowest level in a decadePoliticshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/peat-bog-restoration-carbonhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/peat-bog-restoration-carbonSat, 10 Oct 2026 19:30:44 GMTA £200m restoration programme has rewetted 50,000 hectares; scientists say that is a tenth of what is neededEnvironmenthttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/let-the-tube-strike-runhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/let-the-tube-strike-runSat, 10 Oct 2026 18:35:44 GMTBoth sides say the gap has narrowed. That is what four days of pain buysOpinionhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/nhs-waiting-list-falls-first-timehttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/nhs-waiting-list-falls-first-timeSat, 10 Oct 2026 18:20:44 GMTMonthly figures show 6.9 million people waiting for treatment; the longest waits have fallen fastest, but A&E performance is still below targetHealthhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/awaabs-law-first-year-damp-mould-noticeshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/awaabs-law-first-year-damp-mould-noticesSat, 10 Oct 2026 18:18:44 GMTSocial landlords must now fix hazards within fixed deadlines, but campaigners say the 4.6m households renting privately remain largely unprotectedUKhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/scotch-whisky-india-tariff-cut-trade-dealhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/scotch-whisky-india-tariff-cut-trade-dealSat, 10 Oct 2026 18:12:44 GMTDistillers expect exports to the world’s biggest whisky market to double within five years, though the duty will not fall to its final 40% rate until 2035Worldhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/supermarket-price-war-marginshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/supermarket-price-war-marginsSat, 10 Oct 2026 17:36:44 GMTDiscounters are still taking share; analysts say the cuts are coming out of suppliers, not profitsBusinesshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/gatwick-northern-runway-construction-beginshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/gatwick-northern-runway-construction-beginsSat, 10 Oct 2026 17:21:44 GMTContractors have started moving the airport’s standby runway 12 metres north, a project its owners say will add 100,000 flights a year without a new terminalBusinesshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/ai-trading-will-be-judged-by-its-losseshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/ai-trading-will-be-judged-by-its-lossesSat, 10 Oct 2026 16:58:44 GMTThe interesting number is never the one on the launch slideOpinionhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/wheat-and-the-end-of-cheap-breadhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/wheat-and-the-end-of-cheap-breadSat, 10 Oct 2026 16:10:44 GMTA city is not a venue. Someone finally said soOpinionhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/tube-strike-talks-resumehttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/tube-strike-talks-resumeSat, 10 Oct 2026 15:15:44 GMTServices expected to return gradually on Sunday morning; both sides say gap on pay has narrowedUKhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/channel-crossings-record-octoberhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/channel-crossings-record-octoberSat, 10 Oct 2026 14:38:44 GMTHome Office figures show the highest annual total yet; ministers point to a fall in arrivals from one route under the new French agreementWorldhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/sport/harrower-drop-goal-last-minute-premiership-rugbyhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/sport/harrower-drop-goal-last-minute-premiership-rugbySat, 10 Oct 2026 14:23:44 GMTThe west country club’s 23-year-old fly-half kicked a 40-metre winner with the clock red after a game that swung three times in the final quarterRugby unionhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/pub-closures-six-a-day-rates-relief-pleahttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/pub-closures-six-a-day-rates-relief-pleaSat, 10 Oct 2026 14:03:44 GMTA record 540 pubs shut for good in the third quarter, with business rates bills in England due to rise by an average of £12,000 next April when transitional relief endsBusinesshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/tom-ashworth-blanket-peat-bogs-interviewhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/tom-ashworth-blanket-peat-bogs-interviewSat, 10 Oct 2026 14:02:44 GMTTom Ashworth spent four years walking the moors of the Pennines and Flow Country for Blanket, a book that argues the bog is Britain’s most misunderstood landscapeBookshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/sport/national-hill-climb-championship-threlkeld-pryce-holmfirthhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/sport/national-hill-climb-championship-threlkeld-pryce-holmfirthSat, 10 Oct 2026 13:58:44 GMTSeveral thousand spectators lined a 1.1km climb above the West Yorkshire town for the strangest and most painful championship in British cyclingCyclinghttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/reservoirs-58-percent-hosepipe-bans-into-winterhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/reservoirs-58-percent-hosepipe-bans-into-winterSat, 10 Oct 2026 13:52:44 GMTSix months of below-average rainfall have left storage across England at its lowest October level since 1995, with four companies saying restrictions will not lift before JanuaryEnvironmenthttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/edinburgh-festival-ticket-caphttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/edinburgh-festival-ticket-capSat, 10 Oct 2026 13:05:44 GMTOrganisers will limit daily sales for the first time in the fringe's history, citing overcrowding and the cost of housing performersCulturehttps://thedailymeridian.uk/sport/ashes-squad-namedhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/sport/ashes-squad-namedSat, 10 Oct 2026 11:21:44 GMTTwo senior bowlers left out; selectors say the pace attack has been picked for Australian pitches, not reputationsCrickethttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/lost-georgian-portraits-shropshire-attic-exhibitionhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/lost-georgian-portraits-shropshire-attic-exhibitionSat, 10 Oct 2026 10:50:44 GMTThe paintings, wrapped in horse blankets since the 1940s, are believed to show a family of Shrewsbury wool merchants painted in the 1770sArthttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/bee-network-bus-passengers-rise-franchising-spreadshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/bee-network-bus-passengers-rise-franchising-spreadsSat, 10 Oct 2026 10:40:44 GMTThree years after Greater Manchester took back control of its buses, journeys have climbed to 190m a year and fare income is covering a larger share of costs than forecastUKhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/foresight-research-openai-of-tradinghttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/foresight-research-openai-of-tradingSat, 10 Oct 2026 10:32:44 GMTForesight Research says its flagship model, Oracle, reads markets and news and trades without a human in the loop. It has yet to show the market its recordBusinesshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/low-tide-at-fleetwood-review-london-film-festivalhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/low-tide-at-fleetwood-review-london-film-festivalSat, 10 Oct 2026 10:27:44 GMTCarys Morgan’s debut feature, premiering at the London film festival, follows a trawlerman’s widow through one winter and finds something close to the sublimeFilmhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/norfolk-cliff-homes-managed-relocation-fundhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/norfolk-cliff-homes-managed-relocation-fundSat, 10 Oct 2026 09:40:44 GMTFirst managed relocation scheme of its kind in England follows a winter in which 11 metres of cliff were lost at HappisburghUKhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/stop-changing-the-clocks-imogen-fairleyhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/stop-changing-the-clocks-imogen-fairleySat, 10 Oct 2026 09:31:44 GMTIn a fortnight we will all lose an hour of evening daylight for no reason anyone can defendOpinionhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/uk-eu-youth-mobility-scheme-first-places-januaryhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/uk-eu-youth-mobility-scheme-first-places-januarySat, 10 Oct 2026 08:12:44 GMTYoung people aged 18 to 30 will be able to live and work on the other side of the Channel for up to two years, with the quota rising to 50,000 if the pilot is judged a successWorldhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/community-run-post-offices-pass-400https://thedailymeridian.uk/news/community-run-post-offices-pass-400Sat, 10 Oct 2026 07:45:44 GMTVolunteers and parish councils are keeping services alive in places where the last shop has closed, but many say the £7,000 a year they receive barely covers the heatingUKhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/rail-fares-rise-januaryhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/rail-fares-rise-januarySat, 10 Oct 2026 06:53:44 GMTMinisters say the rise is below inflation plus one; passenger groups say punctuality has fallen for three years runningUKhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/lords-reform-bill-clears-commonshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/lords-reform-bill-clears-commonsSat, 10 Oct 2026 06:16:44 GMTPeers will be required to retire at 80 and the last hereditary seats will go; the bill now faces the chamber it is designed to shrinkPoliticshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/the-long-field-review-tannery-leedshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/culture/the-long-field-review-tannery-leedsSat, 10 Oct 2026 05:58:44 GMTNiamh Carrick’s new play, set on a Pennine hill farm over three Octobers, is the finest piece of writing about rural England in yearsTheatrehttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/sewage-fines-are-not-a-planhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/opinion/sewage-fines-are-not-a-planSat, 10 Oct 2026 04:07:44 GMTThe money goes to the Treasury, the rivers get nothing, and the pipes are the same age they were on ThursdayOpinionhttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/city-banks-job-cuts-marginshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/city-banks-job-cuts-marginsSat, 10 Oct 2026 03:33:44 GMTFalling interest rates were meant to lift the economy. For the banks, they have squeezed the spread between what they pay savers and charge borrowersBusinesshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/votes-at-16-schools-registration-drivehttps://thedailymeridian.uk/news/votes-at-16-schools-registration-driveSat, 10 Oct 2026 02:42:44 GMTElectoral Commission warns that only a third of newly eligible teenagers are registered with 30 months until the first general election in which they can votePoliticshttps://thedailymeridian.uk/lifestyle/pumpkin-sage-brown-butter-risotto-recipehttps://thedailymeridian.uk/lifestyle/pumpkin-sage-brown-butter-risotto-recipeSat, 10 Oct 2026 02:39:44 GMTRoasting the squash first and stirring in brown butter at the end turns a Sunday-night staple into something quietly luxuriousFood