I think both sides have ruled out that this is talking about the uk rejoining the eu in any way, shape orform, or even the customs union, for that matter. But what this is about is some quite concrete bilateral talks. This is the fifth meeting, but this is the first official visit of the prime minister to berlin. And it s just two months after he was elected as prime minister. Now, for his predecessor, rishi sunak, it took 18 months. And i thinkjust that alone is a signal of what london wants to achieve. It s, on the one hand, it s a strong signal that the uk is now open for business with germany and, you know, is very serious about pushing forward some quite concrete bilateral agreements, particularly on defence, because i think that s something that the two countries are keen on working together on. What they can t really do much is when it comes to trade, because that s within the. . . That s within the responsibilities of the eu. But what. . . I think when it comes to closer cooper
On the government to ban flavoured and disposable vapes to protect children against what they say is a growing epidemic in the uk. A bill aimed at restricting the sale and marketing of vapes, especially to children, ran out of time to pass into law under the last government. The british medical association says bold action is needed. Here s our health reporter michelle roberts. According to the latest estimates, around 8% of 11 to 17 year olds vape. Although it s already illegal to sell e cigarettes to anyone under 18, the british medical association says more needs to be done, and quickly, to protect children and young people from a vape epidemic. The bma wants disposable vapes and all flavoured ones to be banned. It s also calling for curbs on how vapes are marketed and sold, similar to cigarettes, with plain packaging and products kept behind the counter. If you re stopping smoking, you need a tobacco flavoured vape to just transfer from one to another. There is no need for any of t
And charities are meeting with ministers to discuss the difficult winter ahead. Energy bills will rise again in october, when the price cap increases by 10%. Rachel reeves said she had to take difficult decisions in very challenging circumstances. The conservatives are calling for her to scrap the changes. Our political correspondent iain watson reports. Energy prices are increasing and so is the pressure on the government to help those who are struggling to pay their bills. We are bracing ourselves for a really difficult winter. We are already seeing record numbers of people coming to us with energy debt in the height of summer. That is only going to get worse when the energy price cap rises. From october, the energy regulator ofgem is allowing prices to rise by 10%, and that represents bills of more than £1700 a year for a typical household. This morning, the government brought together big energy companies, the regulator, and citizens advice bureau to discuss what more could be don
For the games. It s always important. We are here an elite sport, winning medals is what we are about, but we are part of an incredible no one movement, the paralympic movement, which on and off the field of play once disabled people to be recognised wholly in society, and those performances on the field of play can only help us in that cause. To the us open where britain harriet dart will begin her second round match against marta kostyuk in the next hour or so, novak djokovic and coco gauff will also be on court later but no such luck for former champion emma raducanu who lost her first round to sofia kenin despite winning the second set. Raducanu was knocked out by the 2020 australian open champion. Kenin plays fellow american and sixth seed jessica pegula tomorrow. England and sri lanka are making their final preparations ahead of the second test at lord s tomorrow. England beat the visitors by five wickets in the opener at old trafford last week, chasing down a fourth innings targ
He was speaking after talks with the german chancellor olaf scholz in berlin. Both men are proposing a new bilateral treaty covering science, technology, trade and business, but sir keir says he has no plans for a youth mobility scheme, which could have given young people in the eu the right to live and work here in the uk. Henry zeffman is travelling with the prime minister. Clearing the way for something new. The prime minister s first official visit to germany, with early steps towards greater unity. The launch of talks on a treaty between the two countries, encompassing trade, defence, migration and plenty more. A new agreement, a testament to the depth and potential of our relationship with deeper links on science, technology, development, people, business, culture. A boost to our trading relations. The german chancellor was to our trading relations. The german chancellor was notably to our trading relations. The german chancellor was notably promising chancellor was notably p