Politics
Miley Cyrus Reveals She’s Dropping New Music In The Most ‘Miley’ Way
Miley Cyrus knows how to drum up attention.
The 33-year-old teased that something big was on the way on Instagram Monday, when she appeared to drop the “Cyrus” from her handle.
She posted two photos in red and black, captioning one of her face just “MILEY” – the same as her Instagram bio.
The change prompted speculation from media outlets and fans alike, though the singer didn’t make people wait long.
Cyrus revealed her big news on Tuesday, saying she is dropping a new album later this month.
“My tenth studio album, BASS PERSUADES, is yours September 18th. Music takes hold of us,” she wrote.
“We feel it, sing it, sometimes dance to it, let it out and carry on. It is powerful, vulnerable, sweet and strong. Heart full, heartache, every part of life in between,” Cyrus added. “That’s what the title means to me. Thank you for being a part of making my wildest dreams come true. I sincerely hope you love this album. ❤️ Miley.”
Kevin Winter via Getty Images
In the black-and-white photo accompanying the announcement, the singer has a flower in her mouth – which could be a reference to her hit single “Flowers.”
In addition to the singer’s new music, she also revealed that she’ll be performing two shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in October.
While Cyrus is headed back onstage, it’ll be interesting to see if she wants to tour again.
In an interview with “Good Morning America” last year, the “Hannah Montana” star explained what’s keeping her off the road.
“I do have the physical ability and I have the opportunities to tour. I wish I had the desire, but I don’t,” she said at the time.
“There’s artists like Prince that are not here today that lived such a high-intensity lifestyle out on the road,” she added. “And it’s really hard to maintain sobriety when you’re on the road, which is a really important, kind of, pillar of stability in my life.”
4 min read
Fifty years after the drought of 1976, the images of the 2026 drought will also last long in the memory.
Parched brown lawns and fields, failing crops and sustained high temperatures have become a familiar sight, along with queues for water as taps run dry in some parts of the country.
The difference between now and 1976 is that drought in the UK is becoming a regular occurrence rather than a once-in-a-generation event.
In May of this year, the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, which I chair, published our report Surviving drought: reclaim the rain. It warns that England’s water supply is under growing strain due to a combination of climate change, population growth, public water supply leakage and water-intensive industries. Without considered Government action to reduce demand and increase supply, as well as working with our natural catchment areas, the risk of drought in England threatens the very systems on which people and nature depend.
Despite commonly held assumptions, water in England is a precious resource. Ever drier summers and wetter winters, coupled with new housing developments, data centres and energy infrastructure, are projected to lead to a shortfall of 5 billion litres per day by 2055. It is under growing strain, particularly from new housing developments, data centres and energy infrastructure.
Given the weather events of 2026, with a potentially drier 2027 as the “super El-Nino” gathers force, it is disappointing that the much-touted cultural and behavioural change campaign has been a damp squib. There has been no high volume campaign targeting how businesses and households use water. For example do we really need to use clean drinking water to flush our toilets, water our gardens and cool industrial plants?
During our inquiry, the Committee heard of serious gaps in the way industrial and commercial water use is planned and managed. Developments relying on major water usage are too often proposed in places that are already under water stress, without a clear assessment of whether there is sufficient local supply or how a projected shortfall might be met.
The Government disappointingly rejected our recommendation that water companies should be statutory consultees on all major planning applications. It is simply not sensible to approve large, water-intensive developments before the people responsible for supplying water have had a formal opportunity to assess the consequences.
The Government is backing itself into a corner by not setting out clear guidance on how water companies should prioritise the supply of water.
Calls in our report for the Government to urgently publish a prioritisation plan for an emergency drought has been echoed in the media by the water trade body Water UK and environmental charity Global Action Plan.
There will soon come a time when it will need to decide and communicate whether water supply to hospitals, households and schools should be prioritised ahead of data centres and other heavily water-reliant industries. The sooner the Government lays out and communicates their plans for such scenarios, the sooner services, organisations and businesses can plan for future droughts.
Businesses also need clearer incentives to use water efficiently. Where water is treated as a cheap and effectively unlimited input, there is little reason for a large commercial user to invest in water recycling, rainwater harvesting, closed-loop systems or less water-intensive technology.
Households are rightly encouraged to save water and to repair leaking taps and toilets. Industry should face an equally clear expectation to reduce waste and make better use of water. We need a system that rewards efficiency rather than excessive consumption.
Climate change is gathering pace and droughts have become a regular fixture in the UK. The Government must act now to ensure we are prepared as a nation to adapt to the impacts of this reality.
Baroness Sheehan is Chair of the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee
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Jamie Foxx is reflecting on surviving a life-threatening brain bleed that led to a stroke in April 2023, suggesting he had some questions for God at the time.
“I was talking to him,” said the Oscar winner, 58, gesturing toward the sky on a recent episode of “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer.” “This is me, bro. I put the smiles on people’s faces. Why me? Look at all these bad people out here.”
Foxx said that after his medical emergency, when he asked his loved ones what had happened to him, he was astonished to find out he had suffered a stroke.
“[I said,] ‘What are you talking about?’ I couldn’t make sense of it,’” he shared during the Aug. 25 podcast episode. The actor called rehab “frustrating,” saying people told him, “You got a second chance.”
“I said, ‘Fuck the second chance! What was wrong with my first chance?’” Foxx recalled. “This doesn’t happen to anybody. How does it happen to me?”
The “Django Unchained” star then cracked that his health care team couldn’t do wellness checks on him because he was constantly telling jokes, noting that he “only had comedy to lean on” during the challenging time.
“So, I was just funny. I was always joking all the time. So, when they [would] come and say, ‘Who are you today, sir?’ I was somebody different [everyday]. ‘Who are you today?’” Foxx recalled before doing an impression of fellow comedian Dave Chappelle.
Youtube/Baby, This Is Keke Palmer
The actor’s daughter, Corinne Foxx, also appeared in the interview and told Palmer that her dad had imitated Denzel Washington when he was first admitted to the hospital.
“Not because he didn’t know who he was, but because he was making a joke,” she clarified before her dad interjected to say that his impersonations were “the only way I could find myself.”
Foxx also revealed that one nurse told him that his survival was a miracle.
“I said, ‘What you mean?’ She said, ‘Less than 3% of people that come in with what you have walk out of here. We usually put them in a box.’”
In April 2023, Foxx was hospitalized after he suffered what was then vaguely described as a “medical complication.”
Foxx told a group of people in downtown Phoenix in summer 2024 that his health issues began with a “bad headache.”
“Look, April 11 last year, bad headache, asked my boy for an Advil. I was gone for 20 days,” he said in a clip shared on X. “I don’t remember anything. I’m in Atlanta, they told me … my sister and my daughter took me to the first doctor. They gave me a cortisone shot.”
“The next doctor said, ‘There’s something going on up there,’” the actor added while pointing to his head.
Watch Foxx’s appearance on the “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast below. Skip to the 1:11:41 mark to hear his comments.
Kelly Clarkson said goodbye for good from “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Monday – and she made the moment count. (Watch the video below.)
As she closed out her seven-year run, the daytime host welcomed her son, Remington, 10, and daughter, River, 12, onstage one last time and gave helpful advice to her audience.
It came therapist-approved – from the singer’s own mental health professional, apparently.
“For seven years, I’ve ended each episode by saying, ‘Have a great day. And if it’s not, change it,’” Clarkson began. “I say that because, while we have to accept that life is totally out of our control, each moment, though, truly depends on how we choose to respond and react to it. ‘You don’t have to attend the negative party you were invited to,’ I’ve been told by a therapist. So there ya go.”
Clarkson reinforced her point as she savored the waning moments of her show.
“If you remind yourself once a day that you have that choice to respond [with] how you really want to be and who you really are inside, I promise that habit is gonna become a part of you, and your life will respond to you in return.”
Then it was truly time to say goodbye.
“I loved being in your homes each day,” Clarkson said, eventually pivoting to her signature ending one last time.
“Have a great day, and if it’s not – change it!” she said as audience members joined in.
Thanks for the rec, Kelly.
Clarkson announced the end of her show in February after a tumultuous 2025 in which Brandon Blackstock, her ex-husband and the father of River and Remington, died of cancer at 48.
The former “American Idol” champ can still be seen on TV as a coach on NBC’s “The Voice” starting Sept. 21.
Once your parents, grandparents or other older adults in your life reach a certain age, it’s natural to become hypervigilant about their changing health, wanting to catch any potential issues as soon as possible. (Not to mention, it makes you more self-aware about your own signs of aging.) Certainly, that includes being aware of the early signs of dementia.
Though there is no cure for dementia (which is an umbrella term describing multiple forms of cognitive impairment, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common type), there are treatments that can slow progression so those who have it can have a better quality of life for longer. While memory problems are the hallmark symptom of dementia that many people focus on, it’s not the only early sign of dementia. Certain changes in eating habits and mealtime can also be signs of dementia.
“As a neurologist who has spent decades studying brain health and memory, one of the most common questions I get from families is this: ‘My mother has started eating strangely. Does that mean she has Alzheimer’s?’” Dr. Majid Fotuhi, a neurologist, adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Mind/Brain Institute, and author of “The Invincible Brain,” told HuffPost.
Willowpix via Getty Images
Fotuhi explained that the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes-or-no, but there are specific changes that often serve as a tell. Below are five changes in eating habits that can be signs of dementia, according to neurologists.
Changes To Watch Out For
Futuhi emphasised that if someone you love develops new and unusual eating habits but their memory, judgment and daily functioning otherwise seem fine, that alone should not make you worry about Alzheimer’s. He explained that the changes could be an indication of something else, such as depression, anxiety, a side effect from medication or dental problems.
“This is exactly why a distinct and lasting change in eating behaviour deserves a proper medical evaluation rather than a guess,” Fotuhi said, adding that any changes in eating habits should be evaluated by a medical professional. With that in mind, below are five changes in eating habits to be on the lookout for.
1. Mealtime gets simpler
“One of the earliest changes families might describe is that their loved one who cooked elaborate meals for decades starts making simpler dishes, then stops cooking altogether,” said Dr. Joel Salinas, a clinical associate professor of neurology at New York University Langone Health and chief medical officer at Isaac Health. Salinas pointed out that complex meals require planning and sequencing, skills that dementia affects. Dr. Adam Mednick, a neurologist and the author of “Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: From Diagnosis to Treatment,” added that having trouble planning, shopping for and preparing meals can be early signs of dementia.
Just because someone stops cooking elaborate meals doesn’t mean they have dementia. But when accompanied by the other signs shared here, it’s something to be mindful of.
2. Losing interest in food
All three neurologists shared that losing interest in food is a common symptom of dementia, and there are several reasons why it happens. Fotuhi told HuffPost that changes in the brain can lead to loss of smell, which reduces the pleasure of eating, since much of what we experience as taste actually comes from smell. Salinas said this too, explaining, “Reduced smell strips much of the pleasure from food. Someone with dementia may describe meals as bland or flat.”
People with dementia are also at higher risk of experiencing depression, which Fotuhi said can blunt interest in activities, including mealtime. On top of that, all three experts point out that mealtime requires using utensils and maintaining conversations at the same time, which can feel stressful to someone with dementia. “A noisy, overstimulating, or unappealing setting makes this worse by making it harder to focus and engage,” Mednick added.
3. Forgetting to eat or that mealtime happened
Since dementia impacts memory, all three neurologists say that it can lead to forgetting to eat or forgetting that they’ve already eaten. Part of what makes this even more likely is that dementia impacts the body’s hunger and fullness cues.
“Dementia makes it difficult to interpret the body’s internal signals for hunger and fullness and to connect them to external cues, such as the time of day or the sight of food,” Mednick said. He explained that damage to the brain regions that regulate appetite can blunt the drive to eat, while memory loss can cause someone to forget to eat, forget they just ate, or no longer recognise or communicate that they are hungry. “The result can go either way, leading to eating too little or, in some cases, overeating,” he said.
4. Rigid food choices
Even for someone without dementia, answering the whole “what’s for dinner?” question can be challenging. As the doctors explained earlier, mealtime requires planning, shopping and preparation. This, they shared, is why it’s common for people with dementia to eat the same meals or foods repeatedly.
Sandor Mejias Brito via Getty Images
“When thinking becomes effortful, every decision has a cost, and eating the same meal removes one decision from the day. Familiar foods are also predictable, which can feel safer when so much else feels uncertain,” Salinas said.
Fotuhi agreed, explaining that the same rigidity often shows up in other areas of life at the same time, such as insisting on the same daily schedule or the same clothing.
5. Cravings for sweets
“A shift toward sweets is by far the most consistently reported change,” Mednick said, explaining that this change likely stems from damage to the brain’s reward and impulse-control circuits.
Fotuhi said that a newly developed sweet tooth is most common in those with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which is a distinct group of brain disorders that damage the frontal and temporal lobes. “The frontal lobe normally helps us regulate impulses and food choices. When it is damaged, that regulation weakens, and a strong pull toward sweet and starchy foods often emerges, sometimes dramatically,” he explained.
Tips For Navigating Mealtime
If you are a caregiver or loved one to someone with dementia who is experiencing these changes in eating habits, confronting these new hurdles can feel overwhelming. But there are ways you can make mealtime less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone.
1. Avoid pressuring them to eat
Instead of pressuring your loved one to eat, Alison Neov, a registered dietitian specialising in geriatric nutrition, told HuffPost that it’s more effective to focus on creating a positive mealtime environment. You can do this by keeping meals on a consistent schedule and serving foods you know they like.
Neov said she finds it helpful to offer smaller meals and avoid overcrowding the plate with food. “A large meal can be overwhelming when your appetite is low,” she said. If using utensils is a struggle, Neov and Salinas both said that serving finger foods, like sliced chicken with a dipping sauce or a sandwich cut into fours, can be helpful.
If possible, Neov recommends eating meals together. “Sometimes a person with dementia may struggle with a familiar task like eating, and seeing someone else pick up a fork and start eating can remind them to do the same,” she said.
2. Only set the table at mealtime
A set table indicates that it’s time to eat. To avoid confusion, Neov told HuffPost that it’s best to keep the table set only at mealtime, something she said is especially helpful if someone is eating too frequently. Between mealtimes, keep the table cleared to signal that it’s not time to eat.
When it is time to eat, Neov recommends eliminating other distractions, such as having the TV on.
Milky Way via Getty Images
3. Pair sweet foods with nutrient-dense ones
As the neurologists explained earlier, one of the eating changes that often happens with dementia is a craving for sweet, carb-dense foods. “It’s also OK if your loved one is not eating perfectly. The emphasis at this time is on making sure that they are eating enough calories and maintaining their weight. If they are only willing to eat a few different foods, I would rather see them eating enough than worry about whether every food choice is perfectly nutritious,” Neov said.
Instead of taking away the foods they seem to be interested in Neov shared that it can be more effective to find ways to enhance them. “For example, you can make a delicious smoothie with nutrient-dense ingredients that tastes like a milkshake. My favourite combination is yogurt, frozen fruit, banana, nut butter, and a splash of milk or water,” she said.
Neov shared that pairing not-so-healthy foods with healthier options (like fruit, vegetables, and nuts) is another way to add nutritional value to snacks that are nutritionally lacking.
Navigating changes in eating habits can be challenging, so don’t be afraid to reach out for help, either to your loved one’s healthcare provider or a registered dietitian specialising in geriatrics. “They can provide you with strategies to help keep mealtimes stress-free and also as nourishing as possible,” Neov said.
Changes in eating habits don’t mean that someone definitely has dementia, but they do deserve a medical evaluation. Before jumping to conclusions, the first step is making an appointment with a healthcare provider. That way, you’ll truly know how you can offer your support.
Vladimir Putin is trying to “get Britain stressing” over the possibility Russia could target the UK, according to a BBC expert.
It comes after Germany confirmed Russia was responsible for last month’s drone attack at Leipzig airport in a worrying sign that Putin’s war in Ukraine was reaching into other countries.
The BBC’s Russia editor Steve Rosenberg suggested the Kremlin leader was now deliberately using “psychological pressure” to intimidate the UK over its support for Kyiv, too.
When asked by a journalist if military industrial facilities in the UK could become Russian targets – as Putin’s ally Andrei Fedorov said last week – Putin told the media on Tuesday: “That is classified. A military secret.”
Rosenberg told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he could not say with “100%” accuracy what the Russian autocrat meant by those words.
But he added: “My impression is the aim of that short sentence was psychological pressure, to keep Britain guessing, to get Britain stressing, stressing out about Russia’s intentions, and maybe to encourage Britain to think twice before being such a staunch supporter of Ukraine.”
He pointed out that a Russian newspaper recently claimed Andy Burnham should see Putin not in his dreams but “in his nightmares”.
“It doesn’t mean that Russian missiles are about to come raining down on UK defence facilities,” Rosenberg said. “But having said that, yesterday we did hear Germany’s interior minister talking about the well-established pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe.
“There may well be concern in the UK that Russia could step up hybrid activity in Britain [like] hybrid attacks, sabotage, or covert operations.”
However, he noted: “Over the last four and a half years we have heard from Moscow to the west many warnings, many threats.
“We’ve witnessed much saber-rattling here.”
He added that Putin was even issuing threats to foreign nations on the day he invaded Ukraine, warning they would face intense consequences if they supported Kyiv.
So far, UK prime minister Burnham has shrugged off the heightened rhetoric coming from the Kremlin.
Moscow accused Burnham of adding “fuel to the fire” of the Ukraine war last week over the PM’s decision to give Kyiv key missile blueprints.
The PM replied: “Who started the fire? That’s the question, isn’t it.”
Putin has also deflected any blame over the drone attack at Germany’s Leipzig airport, claiming Berlin had planted evidence to blame Moscow.
He had no proof to back up his claim.
Rosenberg said: “Russia’s reaction is as you might expect: denial, and prolific finger-pointing the other way. In other words, Russia accusing the accuser.”
“We’ve seen this kind of reaction many times before whenever Russia is accused by something by western governments,” the specialist noted, pointing to Moscow’s reaction when accused over the Salisbury poisonings.
Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
Politics
Politics Home | The St Leger turns 250. The partnership supporting racing must be protected
Credit: Adobe Stock
As Parliament marks 250 years of the St Leger, Grainne Hurst of the Betting and Gaming Council and Martin Cruddace of Arena Racing Company argue that the future of British racing is closely tied to the health of the regulated betting industry, and warn that policies which weaken high street betting shops will be felt across the sport
In 1776, a small crowd gathered at Cantley Common outside Doncaster to watch a new horse race, won by a filly called Allabaculia.
Few of those watching that first running could have imagined they were witnessing the beginning of a sporting institution that would endure for a quarter of a millennium.
Later named after the man who conceived it, Colonel Anthony St Leger, the race predates the Derby by four years. Today, it is the world’s oldest Classic, the North’s only Classic and the final leg of the British Triple Crown.
There is an old racing saying that the fastest horse wins the Guineas, the luckiest wins the Derby and the best horse wins the St Leger. Run over more than a mile and three-quarters, it is a test of speed, stamina, courage and class.
For 250 years, generations have returned, and Race Week has become woven into the life of Doncaster and Yorkshire, drawing huge crowds and producing champions whose names still echo through the sport. In 1970, Nijinsky became the last horse to complete the British Triple Crown.
Last night we marked that anniversary together in Parliament because the story of British racing cannot be told without recognising the vital role played by regulated betting.
BGC members contribute more than £350m every year to British horseracing through the Levy, media rights and sponsorship, supporting prize money, racecourses, trainers, breeders, jockeys, stable staff and horse welfare.
Racing supports around 85,000 livelihoods and generates roughly £4bn for the economy, much of it through the yards, haulage firms, feed merchants, vets, hotels, pubs and local businesses far beyond London.
The St Leger is one of racing’s great showcases. Last year, more than 52,000 people attended the four-day Festival, including more than 26,000 on St Leger Saturday, up 11 per cent and making it the best-attended British Classic of 2025. This year, we expect a crowd of more than 30,000 on St Leger Saturday alone.
The St Leger is a national sporting treasure, but it is not a museum piece. Its future depends on people continuing to watch it, work in it, invest in it and bet on it.
A substantial part of the money sustaining racing comes through one of the most frequently misunderstood parts of our industry: the high street betting shop.
Betting shops contribute around £140m a year to horseracing. They pay roughly £1bn in direct tax and a further £60m to councils in business rates. They are also racing’s shop window, where generations of fans have watched and enjoyed the sport.
Last month, the Government set out plans to give communities more say over what opens on their high streets, alongside tougher action against criminal operators. We support both principles.
But good policy must draw clear distinctions. A licensed betting shop, staffed by trained employees and operating under strict regulation, is not a rogue or criminal operator.
Betting shops are legitimate high street businesses which have made enormous progress in preventing gambling-related harm. They employ tens of thousands of people, contribute to local economies and operate under some of the toughest regulation anywhere in the world. Policy should recognise that reality rather than treating them as a problem to be managed out of our high streets.
Shop numbers have fallen by more than a third since 2019. Around 3,000 have closed and more than 15,000 jobs have been lost. The 37,500 people still working in them support local economies and bring footfall to neighbouring businesses.
For some customers, particularly older people, the local betting shop is also somewhere to see familiar faces, talk about racing and enjoy a shared interest. Racing is a sport enjoyed by people from every section of society, and it is proud to be so.
Respecting communities means respecting those choices too. An empty unit is not regeneration. A lost job is not renewal. A regulated business should not be stigmatised simply because some politicians dislike what it sells.
The Government says it wants thriving high streets with a diverse mix of businesses that serve their communities. We agree. But that should not mean politicians deciding that a licensed, regulated betting shop is somehow less worthy of a place on the high street than another vape shop, fried chicken takeaway, dingy barber, nail bar or coffee shop where the cost of two oat milk lattes would trigger an affordability check. People should be trusted to choose where they spend their money, without politicians passing judgement on one legal product but not another.
But there is a consequence here that has gone almost entirely unmentioned. The closure of 500 betting shops would cost racing around £20m. Every closed shop means a little less prize money, a little less investment in the sport and, ultimately, greater difficulty in exporting one of Britain’s great sporting products and attracting international investment.
Affordability checks pose another challenge. The Gambling Commission has confirmed that the checks will proceed, so what matters now is whether the promise that they will be genuinely frictionless is honoured.
If credit reference agency data is inconsistent, customers could still find themselves restricted or asked for payslips and bank statements simply to continue with a legal activity that 22.5 million adults enjoy safely every month.
Racing customers are particularly exposed because the sport is seasonal. Someone may bet very little for much of the year and then have several more bets during Cheltenham, Aintree, Royal Ascot or the St Leger. That is normal behaviour for a racing fan, not necessarily a sign of financial risk.
Our modelling suggests the proposed approach could reduce Levy receipts by around £13.2m a year and push more than 70,000 customers towards the illegal gambling market.
That market pays no British tax, buys no media rights, contributes nothing to the Levy and offers none of the protections of the regulated sector.
We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fair, proportionate policy based on evidence and an honest understanding of how closely racing, betting and local communities are connected.
Our message to the Prime Minister, and indeed former prime ministers, is clear: please do not treat the betting shop as something you accidentally trod in. It is so much more than that, and it deserves respect.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, people came to Doncaster to watch a horse race. What began there became part of Yorkshire’s identity and Britain’s sporting heritage.
The St Leger is, fittingly, a race about staying power. After 250 years, few sporting institutions have shown more.
That legacy is worth protecting. As Parliament marks this extraordinary anniversary, public policy should create the conditions for racing to flourish and for the partnership that sustains it to remain strong.
Mike McGrath, CEO
| Air Ambulances UK
Support Air Ambulance Week, 7–13 September 2026, and celebrate the lifesaving work of air ambulance charities, while raising awareness of the vital hospital helipad infrastructure and policy improvements needed to support patients across the UK
Hospital helipads are a critical part of the emergency healthcare infrastructure supporting air ambulance operations across the UK. For patients requiring urgent specialist care, safeguarded 24/7 on-site helipad access is an important part of the journey from the scene of an emergency to definitive hospital care.
The APPG for Air Ambulances report, Critical Moments, Life- Saving Infrastructure: The Case for Safeguarded 24/7 On-Site Hospital Helipads at Major Trauma Centres and Specialist Hospitals, published in June 2026, sets out the need for a national policy framework for safeguarded 24/7 on-site hospital helipad access across the UK. The report was prepared with research and evidence contributions from Air Ambulances UK, the UK’s air ambulance charities, the HELP Appeal and the University of Liverpool’s Flight Science and Technology Group.
The report assessed 43 Major Trauma Centres and specialist hospitals and found that more than half did not have 24/7 on-site helipad access at the time of publication. The findings highlight significant variation in helipad provision and the need for a more consistent approach across the UK.
This creates a wider challenge for the emergency care pathway. Air ambulance crews provide advanced pre-hospital care at the scene of serious incidents, but many patients then require rapid transfer to specialist hospitals for definitive treatment.
Where an air ambulance cannot land directly at a hospital, patients may need to land at a secondary off-site location before continuing by road. The report highlights that this can introduce additional delays and complexity into the patient journey, potentially affecting access to definitive care and contributing to longer hospital stays and more complex treatment pathways.
The report is not primarily about securing large-scale capital funding. Rather, it highlights the absence of a co-ordinated national, policy-led framework to enable safeguarded 24/7 on-site hospital helipad operations.
The report sets out six recommendations requiring action across three government departments, the NHS and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), highlighting that delivering a fully operational network of safeguarded 24/7 on-site helipads requires a co-ordinated, cross-government framework. This includes the Department of Health and Social Care providing national health policy, strategic provision and oversight; the Department for Transport supporting aviation policy and regulatory oversight through the CAA; and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ensuring 24/7 helipad access and safeguarding are properly reflected in the national and local planning system.
This work forms part of a wider effort to secure the future of air ambulance care. The UK’s 21 air ambulance charities work alongside the NHS to deliver lifesaving pre-hospital emergency care, collectively responding to an average of 137 missions every day.
Air Ambulance Week 2026, taking place from 7–13 September, will celebrate the people and communities who make these missions possible. This year’s theme, Every Mission Starts With You, recognises the donors, fundraisers, volunteers and supporters whose contributions help keep air ambulance services flying.
Find out more at www.airambulancesuk.org
Join us during Air Ambulance Week
Tuesday 8 September | 11am – 1pm | Room S, Portcullis House
Air Ambulances UK, in alignment with the APPG for Air Ambulances and the APPG for Aviation, invites you to meet the air ambulance and aviation community to hear about the lifesaving work taking place across the UK, and learn more about the policy priorities shaping the future of air ambulance and aviation services.
Zack Polanksi has dropped his heaviest hint yet that he will stand for the Greens in the crunch Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
The party’s leader said the contest – triggered by Keir Starmer’s resignation yesterday – would be “a referendum on ending rip-off Britain” as he launched a bitter attack on the former prime minister.
A Green Party spokesman on Tuesday refused to rule out Polanski would be a candidate, pointing out “he has always made it clear he would like to be a London MP”.
Speaking as he marked his first anniversary as Green leader, Polanksi said: “The Holborn and St Pancras by-election will be a referendum on ending rip-off Britain. Only the Greens have a real plan for real hope and change.
“We will announce our candidate in due course and they will set out an exciting agenda for the deep change our country needs.
“I am proud of what I have achieved in the first year of my leadership of the Green Party but it is just the start.
“I am very excited for the next chapter for myself, for the Greens and for people across the country.”
Taking aim at Starmer, Polanski attacked his decision to remove winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners, initially keeping the two-child benefit cap and trying to cut the welfare bill.
“He wanted people to honour him for being an international statesman but his pick for US ambassador was Peter Mandelson, friend and confidant to the world’s most notorious paedophile,” the Green leader said.
“He allowed Donald Trump to use air bases in the UK to wage his war on Iran, while cutting international aid to low-income countries.
“Worst of all, he said Israel had the right to cut off water and power to Gaza as part of his government’s ongoing support for the genocide of the Palestinian people.
“And back in the UK he made it a crime to oppose this genocide, locking up scores of peaceful protesters.
“This is not a legacy to be proud of, it is a legacy of shame. One that only the Greens can draw a line under and offer a real alternative.”
No date has been set yet for the by-election, although it is likely to take place at some point in the autumn.
Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
Katie Lam is the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the MP for Weald of Kent.
For far too many people in Britain today, the phrase ‘anarcho-tyranny’ is a frighteningly accurate description of day-to-day life.
In short, it describes a situation in which the law-abiding are punished, while rule-breakers get away with wrongdoing. Despite no longer having the will, or ability, to maintain control over rule breakers, the government compulsively creates new rules and new sanctions for the law-abiding, in order to maintain some semblance of authority. Sound familiar?
Though there are many contenders for the government department most guilty of imposing anarcho-tyranny, the Ministry for Housing, Local Government, and Communities must surely warrant a place on the podium. Few other departments are as guilty of making life harder for people who are just trying to do the right thing, while turning a blind eye to the most flagrant misconduct elsewhere.
On the one hand, young people who work hard and do the right thing are finding it harder and harder to move out and start building their own lives. Thanks to this Government’s Renters’ Rights Act, rents are rising, and landlords are busily offloading their properties – meaning fewer options for those looking for somewhere to live. At the same time, Labour have totally failed to tackle the problems in our planning system, and their tax hikes and red tape are just resulting in fewer new houses being built. That’s particularly true in Sadiq Khan’s London, where housing starts fell to their lowest ever level in 2024-25; construction began on just 4,170 new homes across the entire capital.
For people wanting to rent, to buy a new home, to make changes to their existing home, to build houses in the places that people want them, or to rent out property that they already own, the answer from this government has consistently been more regulations, more rules, and more restrictions.
That’s not to mention the rise in council tax, or the department’s absurd ‘Anti-Muslim Hostility’ definition, a rebranded version of their Islamophobia definition, a backdoor blasphemy law which will prevent public servants, including the police, from talking openly about difficult subjects like Islamist extremism or female genital mutilation.
At the same time, the department is a soft touch when it comes to rule-breakers.
A small minority of travellers are breaking the rules and being allowed to set up new caravan sites, without permission, causing massive disruption to the people living nearby. Far too many councillors openly pander to particular ethnic, religious, or racial groups in their campaigns, including through campaign materials in foreign languages. Some of the most expensive property in the country is being used as taxpayer-subsidised social housing, often for people who have come here from abroad – today, nearly half of London’s social housing goes to people born overseas.
And far too many people see local councils handing out dodgy contracts, or wasting taxpayer money, while failing to deliver basic services.
People are fed up, and rightly so. We all deserve to live in a country where people who work hard and do the right thing are rewarded. Those who work hard, and who want to, should be able to buy a new house, in the place that they want to live, without having to save up for several decades. They certainly shouldn’t have their hard-earned money spent on providing subsidised housing to foreign nationals, in some of the country’s most expensive properties. Nor should they have to put up with the disruption caused by those who break the rules, or with the religious and cultural separatism which has taken root in far too many of our towns and cities.
I’m so grateful to Kemi for asking me to hold the Government to account on all of this, as Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government. James Cleverly has left big shoes to fill, and I look forward to following in his footsteps.
It’s also a real privilege to join so many talented colleagues in the Shadow Cabinet – both existing and newly-appointed. Kemi has put together a superb team, and I’m proud to be working alongside them. I can’t wait to start taking the fight to this Government.
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