John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, will warn opposition parties that they will fuel populist forces if they prevent his budget from being passed this month. In a keynote speech in Edinburgh on Monday to mark the new year, Swinney will say Scottish voters would be astonished and public services damaged if MSPs fail to allow…

A charity founded by the former prime minister Gordon Brown is to increase its campaign efforts against child hygiene poverty this year. The Multibank, which was founded by the former Labour leader, is working with a number of sports clubs across Britain and the Hygiene Bank charity. Over the Christmas and new year period it…

American thriller writer Harlan Coben said experiencing “quite a bit of tragedy” in his 20s made him a better writer. The bestselling author, who wrote the Myron Bolitar thriller series and novels turned Netflix shows such as Fool Me Once and Missing You, said he was in his 20s when his father died of a…

Labour must offer extra support to working parents, including with childcare and commuting, if it is to fulfil its promise of cutting child poverty, the Resolution Foundation thinktank has argued. The government’s manifesto promised an “ambitious strategy” on child poverty, and ministers have said they will publish a 10-year plan in the spring. A report…

Patients in England will be offered 500,000 more appointments a year via seven-day health hubs under plans to tackle lengthy waiting times, as ministers warned the NHS could collapse like Woolworths without major reform. Millions of people will be able to access checks, tests and scans closer to home as the health service expands the…

Tributes have been paid to Jenny Randerson, a “titan” of Welsh politics who introduced free entry to museums in Wales, after her death at the age of 76. Lady Randerson brought in the measure while a minister in the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition in the Welsh parliament between 2000 and 2003. She died on Saturday. Speaking…

Kemi Badenoch has defended Robert Jenrick after he described Britons of Pakistani origin as “people from alien cultures”, saying it was vital to have an open debate about the abuse and rape of women and girls by grooming gangs. The Conservative leader’s intervention was made after Samuel Kasumu, a former Tory adviser on race issues,…

The New Orleans Saints and the National Football League in which they compete have pledged to donate $1m to the victims of the Bourbon Street terror attack on New Year’s Day that left 14 people dead and 35 others injured. In a press release issued on Saturday, the Saints and their owner, Gayle Benson, who…