British man guilty of trying to spy for Russia

A British man who "dreamt about being like James Bond" has been found guilty of trying to spy for what he believed to be Russian intelligence service agents.

Howard Phillips, from Harlow, Essex, wanted to pass on personal information about former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps.

The 65-year-old offered to help two agents called Sasha and Dima, but Winchester Crown Court heard they were actually undercover British intelligence officers.

Phillips, who was found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act, will be sentenced at a later date.

Senedd Conservative Laura Anne Jones defects to Reform

16 minutes ago Share Save David Deans Political reporter, BBC Wales News Share Save

Getty Images Nigel Farage unveiled Laura Anne Jones' defection at the Royal Welsh Show on Tuesday

Senedd politician Laura Anne Jones has defected from the Conservatives to Reform, party leader Nigel Farage has announced. Jones becomes the party's first Member of the Senedd (MS) and is Reform's highest profile defection in Wales. She said she could no longer justify Conservative policies on the doorstep, and said her former party found out as the press conference was unfolding. Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar said voters in her region of South Wales East will feel "very let down by her announcement".

Recent polls have suggested Reform has a chance of being the largest party at next May's Senedd election. It follows the decision of former Conservative Welsh Secretary David Jones to join Reform and followed weeks of speculation that the party was trying to persuade an MS to join. Speaking at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd, Jones said: "I've just suddenly felt that the Conservative Party was unrecognisable to me. It wasn't the party that I joined over three decades ago." She said Reform "is listening to the people of Great Britain". Jones had been reselected by the Conservatives for the new Senedd seat of Sir Fynwy Torfaen, but she faced a contest with Tory MS Peter Fox for the top spot on the party list there. She denied that she had joined Reform because she was worried about not getting re-elected. "I had a fair chance of getting in," she told a news conference. Farage said Jones brings "experience. She knows how the place works, and that's very important for us".

Getty Images Laura Anne Jones said the Conservatives found out on Tuesday she was defecting

Jones was first elected to the then-National Assembly in 2003, serving one term until 2007, before returning in 2020 after the death of Mohammad Asghar. She was re-elected the following year, at the 2021 election, for South Wales East. Her defection means the Conservatives are down to 14 politicians in the Welsh Parliament.

Tory reshuffle under way as Badenoch brings Cleverly into shadow cabinet

Stuart Andrew moves from culture to health, replacing Edward Argar, who has confirmed he will be standing down following a "health scare".

In other moves, the BBC understands the current party chair Nigel Huddleston will become shadow culture secretary.

He is expected to replace Kevin Hollinrake, who will become Conservative Party chairman.

The new role would see Sir James, a former foreign and home secretary, go head-to-head with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in Parliament.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has made Sir James Cleverly her shadow housing secretary as part of a reshuffle of her senior team, the BBC has been told.

In a letter to Badenoch, the Melton and Syston MP said he had "listened to what the doctors said to me... and have concluded that lightening my front bench workload over the coming months in order to complete my recovery and fully restore my health in that period, is the sensible approach".

Badenoch had been poised to make small changes to her frontbench team in order to replace one or two shadow ministers who wanted to step down for personal reasons.

However, the Tory leader opted for a bigger shake-up, with about half a dozen changes expected. A full list of appointments is expected to be published later on Tuesday afternoon.

No one from the 2024 intake of Conservative MPs is expected to get a promotion to the shadow cabinet.

Badenoch's front bench currently includes shadow home secretary Chris Philp, Dame Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary and Laura Trott in the education brief.

Earlier on Tuesday, a party source confirmed the reshuffle to the BBC, saying: "The changes reflect the next stage of the party's policy renewal programme and underline the unity of the party under new leadership.

"Sir James Cleverly, is expected to return in a prominent front bench role to take the fight to this dreadful Labour government."

Sir James has been a backbench MP since being eliminated from the Tory leadership election in October 2024, after which Badenoch went on to defeat her closest rival, the now-shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick.

He received a knighthood in April 2025 as part of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list.

The reshuffle comes eight months into Badenoch's leadership of the Conservatives - a period which has seen the party regularly poll third or fourth, behind Labour, Reform UK and sometimes the Liberal Democrats.

In May, the Tories suffered a poor set of results in the local election, losing control of 16 councils.

In an interview with the BBC in June, Badenoch said she was "going to get better" as leader, adding: "You don't want people to be the very best they're going to be on day one."

She added that the Conservatives had "hit rock bottom" at the last general election and that her efforts to change her party was "not going to happen overnight".

Responding to the reshuffle, a Labour source said: "After initially claiming her shadow cabinet would be in place until the next election, Kemi Badenoch has already hit the panic button.

"The Tory leader can shuffle as many deckchairs as she likes, but it'll still be the same old faces that were responsible for 14 years of failure."

Food bills on course to rise by £275 a year as prices jump

57 minutes ago Share Save Tom Espiner BBC business reporter Share Save

Getty Images

The average household spend on food and drink is on course to rise by £275 this year as the price of groceries gathers pace. Over the past month, food prices have risen by 5.2% at the same time as consumers' concerns about the cost of shopping has accelerated, according to market research firm Worldpanel. It said people are changing their shopping habits to buying supermarkets' own-brand products, which are sometimes cheaper, as well as preparing simpler and lower cost meals at home. The increase in prices over the last four weeks is the highest since the beginning of 2024.

On average, UK households spend around £5,283 for a year on groceries but this could increase by £275 unless people change what they buy. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, formerly known as Kantar, said current food inflation brought to mind the sort of prices people were paying in supermarkets after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The cost of energy and commodities soared before easing in 2023. But Mr McKevitt said: "We're back up on that rollercoaster." Chocolate, butter and spreads as well as fresh meat recorded the sharpest rises in the four weeks to 17 July, according to the company, which monitors prices on 75,000 identical products. At the same time, the cost of dog food, sugar confectionery and laundry dropped. Mr McKevitt said most people have options when it comes to managing food costs such as buying more own-brands goods from supermarkets, looking for promotions or going to cheaper shops.

Getty Images Dog food is one area where prices are falling

'On my budget I could only rent a parking space'

30 minutes ago Share Save Kevin Peachey Cost of living correspondent Share Save

BBC Neil Jacob says bills add to the cost

When Neil Jacob was looking to rent somewhere to live in central Manchester, the soaring cost of being a tenant soon became clear. "All I could afford was a parking space in town - that's what my budget gets me," said the 37-year-old circus performer. The monthly cost of renting a home in the UK has risen by £221 in three years, according to property portal Zoopla. The BBC has heard how the pressure has led to some tenants making decisions about jobs based on what the rental costs are in the area and parents who are helping their grown-up children with living costs.

The increase is very similar to the typical rise in monthly mortgage repayments for homeowners. However, Zoopla says the rate of rent increases has slowed, particularly in cities. Eventually Neil found a place to live but it remains expensive and means that his budget is still squeezed. "At the end of the month I feel lucky if I've covered the rent, I've paid my bills and I've paid council tax," he said. "If there's food in the fridge after that, you have to count yourself lucky."

Neysa Killeen says it is hard to cover the rent

The cost of renting has risen sharply in recent years due to high demand from tenants. At the same time, the number of properties available to rent has either fallen or failed to keep pace with demand. Analysis by Zoopla, shared with the BBC, suggests that rents for new tenancies are 21%, or typically £221 a month, more expensive than three years ago. The average monthly rent this spring was £1,283, the figures show.

Some renters are having to move or turn down jobs owing to high rents. Neysa Killeen now works in musical theatre after studying in Dublin. She had wanted to accept a job in a school in the city but said the wage did not cover the rent. "That was the first time I had to turn down a good opportunity," she said. After moving to the north of England, she has faced similar pressures. "I've been able to do fringe shows but now I'm looking at having to move to somewhere else because realistically I won't be able to keep up with the rent, and that's the second time this will have happened to me and I'm 26," she said. One mum, called Karen, contacted us through Your Voice, Your BBC News to explain how her son - a father himself - needed financial help from her and her husband. Her son is a graduate with a good job, but needed their help because rent was so high. However, she said her own plans to retire meant it was not a sustainable solution. Lucian Cook, head of residential research at estate agency Savills, said more parents were acting as guarantors when tenancies were agreed. He said the period of high rental growth meant it was inevitable that parents were helping to pay the rent on an informal basis too. Aneisha Beveridge, from Hamptons, said that many young people had been leaving the family home much later in life in recent years because of rent rises.

More encouraging news for renters is that Zoopla data shows that rent rises have slowed, or even reversed in some areas – particularly in cities. Annual growth in average rents for new tenancies in the UK has slowed from 6.4% last year, to 2.8% in the year to April, according to Zoopla's latest report. Rents have fallen compared with a year earlier in Leeds, Dundee and parts of London. However, they continue to rise quite sharply in more affordable areas adjacent to large cities. Wigan, Carlisle, Motherwell, Chester and Blackburn have all seen annual rent rises of 8% or more.

Renters might not be able to buy

Over the last three years, homeowners were faced with much higher mortgage rates, and typically saw their monthly repayments on a new fixed deal rise by £218 compared with three years earlier. Although the increase for renters and homeowners is very similar, Zoopla's executive director of research Richard Donnell said that property owners tended to have bigger homes. They were more likely to have a two to four-bedroom home, while renters were often younger and living in a one to three-bedroom home. Mortgage holders were also likely to be reducing their debt with each payment.

While rents and mortgage repayments were rising sharply, Zoopla said house prices were relatively steady. They rose by 4% over the same three-year period. Normally that would be a boost to first-time buyers, keen to see house prices stagnate rather than get even more out of reach. However, rising rent and deposit demands mean the financial pressure can still be difficult to manage, even before a mortgage needs to be paid. "I don't know anyone who expects to be able to buy a house, it's just not something we talk about," said Neysa.

Stefania Calhoun says prices are high

The government has announced a permanent extension to the mortgage guarantee scheme, which should ensure low-deposit mortgages remain available to first-time buyers. The City regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, has confirmed plans for simpler rules around mortgages. There is also a plan to allow people to show evidence of rent payments as part of lenders' affordability checks. That would be welcomed by another stretched renter, Stefania Calhoun. "I'm not look for an extravagant house, I'm not looking to live above my means, I just want a cosy house and to invest in something that's mine and leave a legacy for the kids," the 41-year-old said.

Lifelong renting

However, renters may not have any intention to buy, and Mr Donnell said they also needed support. "Home ownership remains out of reach for a large proportion of households on lower to middle incomes with small deposits," he said. "This is a large and important group of private renters, who still face strong competition for rented property. Those on lower incomes tend to be limited in their ability to move home, which risks triggering higher rental costs. "Policymakers need to prioritise measures to grow the supply of affordable rented homes to boost choice for lower income renters."

Welsh Conservative Laura Anne Jones defects to Reform

10 minutes ago Share Save David Deans Political reporter, BBC Wales News Share Save

Getty Images Nigel Farage unveiled Laura Anne Jones' defection at the Royal Welsh Show on Tuesday

Senedd politician Laura Anne Jones has defected from the Conservatives to Reform, party leader Nigel Farage has announced. Jones becomes the party's first Member of the Senedd (MS) and is Reform's highest profile defection in Wales. She said she could no longer justify Conservative policies on the doorstep, and that her former party found out she was leaving as the press conference was unfolding. The announcement prompted anger among Welsh Tories - Senedd Conservative leader Darren Millar said voters in her region of South Wales East will feel "very let down by her announcement".

The defection comes just under a year since Jones apologised for using a racist slur about Chinese people in a WhatsApp chat. She has been investigated by the Senedd's standards commissioner Douglas Bain, a probe believed to be related to allegations of bullying by a senior member of staff. Suggesting she is about to be cleared, Jones said she has seen the report and is confident "with the outcome". A separate police investigation into complaints about her expenses found "no evidence of fraudulent activity". Recent polls have suggested Reform has a chance of being the largest party at next May's Senedd election. Tuesday's news follows the decision of former Conservative Welsh Secretary David Jones to join Reform and weeks of speculation that the party was trying to persuade an MS to join. Jones's former staff member, Ed Sumner, has been working as Reform's director of communications for several months.

Getty Images Laura Anne Jones, stood alongside former Welsh Secretary David Jones, said the Conservatives found out on Tuesday she was defecting

Laura Anne Jones had spoken for the Conservatives on Local Government, Housing and the Armed Forces, and has regularly criticised the Welsh government's approach to transgender people. Speaking at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd, Jones said: "I've just suddenly felt that the Conservative Party was unrecognisable to me. It wasn't the party that I joined over three decades ago." She said Reform "is listening to the people of Great Britain" and called Farage "a great man". "Wales is a complete mess. As you know, we've got the worst educational outcomes. We've got health statistics that are the worst in the UK. "Farmers are getting battered, pensioners are getting battered... we can't have this go on." Unveiling Jones, Farage said she brought "experience. She knows how the place works, and that's very important for us". Jones had been reselected by the Conservatives for the new Senedd seat of Sir Fynwy Torfaen, but she faced a contest with Tory MS Peter Fox for the top spot on the party list there. She denied that she had joined Reform because she was worried about not getting re-elected. "I had a fair chance of getting in," she told reporters.

Jones was first elected to the then-National Assembly in 2003, serving one term until 2007, before returning in 2020 after the death of Mohammad Asghar. She was re-elected the following year, at the 2021 election, for South Wales East. Her defection means the Conservatives are down to 14 politicians in the Welsh Parliament.

If head coach Andy Farrell was looking for men to put their hands up for Saturday's second Test he will have been disappointed by what he witnessed.

The outstanding player, by a country mile, was Pasifika openside Charlie Gamble.

This was a repeat performance from the flanker, who had been equally brilliant when playing for the Waratahs against the Lions earlier in the tour.

It had been a promising start from the Lions, who galloped into a commanding lead and looked as if they were going to steamroll their opponents.

The Lions' early momentum was helped by Reilly being sin-binned for a high shot on the unfortunate Graham.

Then, a dink over the top from Farrell - who had a solid game - was seized on by Osborne, who got a kindly bounce and scored. Fin Smith landed the conversion.

Three minutes later, Smith flung a long pass out to Graham, who continued his remarkable try-scoring record for every team he plays for.

The sadness for him is that he did not get to play for the Lions for much longer, succumbing to injury before the first quarter was done.

The wing left the field in an emotional state, his dreams realised then shattered. Then things got difficult for the Lions, as Pasifika got up a head of steam and began to clatter into collisions.

When Blair Kinghorn, playing for a Test spot on Saturday but playing inconsistently, got loose with a pass, Reilly intercepted it and bolted away to score, with Kurtley Beale converting.

Physically, Pasifika were a sight to behold, huge men fighting for every inch for the Pacific Islands heritage. Some of the tackles they put in were monstrous and they unsettled the Lions.

They also had the outstanding Gamble in full flow against the Lions for a second time, the openside causing havoc for the tourists with his work on the floor and his aggression in contact.

More muscle, via the gargantuan Taniela Tupou in the main, took them back into the Lions 22 and another colossal unit, Uru, blasted over. The totemic Beale converted and from 0-14 it was now 14-14.

To make matters worse for the Lions, James Ryan was shown a yellow card for an illegal attempt to slow ball down as Pasifika hammered away at the line before Uru pounced.

And it could have been worse again before the break as Kinghorn was intercepted for a second time. Jack Debreczeni was the man who jumped on his pass but he did not have the pace to go all the way.

It petered out when Van der Merwe scrambled back to mop up.