The decision, first reported in the Financial Times, comes after a bruising few days which has brought about a change of heart in Downing Street. Read more: How No 10 plunged itself into crisis I understand Downing Street has backed down amid fears about the backlash from disgruntled MPs and voters. The Treasury and Number 10 declined to comment. The decision is a massive about-turn. In a news conference last week, the chancellor appeared to pave the way for manifesto-breaking tax rises in the budget on 26 November. She spoke of difficult choices and insisted she could neither increase borrowing nor cut spending in order to stabilise the economy, telling the public "everyone has to play their part". The decision to backtrack was communicated to the Office for Budget Responsibility on Wednesday in a submission of "major measures", according to the Financial Times. The chancellor will now have to fill an estimated £30bn black hole with a series of narrower tax-raising measures and is also expected to freeze income tax thresholds for another two years beyond 2028, which should raise about £8bn. Tory shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: "We've had the longest ever run-up to a budget, damaging the economy with uncertainty, and yet - with just days to go - it is clear there is chaos in No 10 and No 11." How did we get here? For weeks, the government has been working up options to break the manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT on working people. I was told only this week the option being worked up was to do a combination of tax rises and action on the two-child benefit cap in order for the prime minister to be able to argue that in breaking his manifesto pledges, he is trying his hardest to protect the poorest in society and those "working people" he has spoken of so endlessly. But days ago, officials and ministers were working on a proposal to lift the basic rate of income tax - perhaps by 2p - and then simultaneously cut national insurance contributions for those on the basic rate of income tax (those who earn up to £50,000 a year). That way the chancellor can raise several billion in tax from those with the "broadest shoulders" - higher-rate taxpayers and pensioners or landlords, while also trying to protect "working people" earning salaries under £50,000 a year. The chancellor was also going to take action on the two-child benefit cap in response to growing demand from the party to take action on child poverty. It is unclear whether those plans will now be shelved given the U-turn on income tax. A rough week for the PM The change of plan comes after the prime minister found himself engulfed in a leadership crisis after his allies warned rivals that he would fight any attempted post-budget coup. It triggered a briefing war between Wes Streeting and anonymous Starmer allies attacking the health secretary as the chief traitor. Read more: Is Starmer 'in office but not in power'? The prime minister has since apologised to Mr Streeting, who I am told does not want to press for sackings in No 10 in the wake of the briefings against him. But the saga has further damaged Sir Keir and increased concerns among MPs about his suitability to lead Labour into the next general election. Insiders clearly concluded that the ill mood in the party, coupled with the recent hits to the PM's political capital, makes manifesto-breaking tax rises simply too risky right now. But it also adds to a sense of chaos, given the chancellor publicly pitch-rolled tax rises in last week's news conference.

Crowds cheered at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as they watched liftoff, which had been stalled for four days by bad weather, and then on Thursday suffered two further delays. Blue Origin latest: Successful launch after last-minute delay On board were two identical Mars orbiters, named Escapade, which are now heading to the Red Planet and due to arrive in 2027. But the firm's big success was the recovery of the rocket's reusable first-stage booster, a critical development in the space race with SpaceX. Mr Musk posted his congratulations on X. It is only the second flight for this new type of rocket, from the company owned by Amazon tycoon, Jeff Bezos. The rocket headed out over the Atlantic, where it split into its two stages. The inaugural test flight in January delivered a prototype satellite into orbit, but failed to land the booster stage. Relief after booster recovery This time, staff cheered wildly as the booster landed upright on its platform 375 miles (600km) offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. The company had never managed the feat before with a rocket so large. The recovery of the booster is an essential step to recycle and slash costs. The feat has already been achieved with such large rockets by SpaceX. Blue Origin had achieved this with its much smaller models, but if it wants to consistently run science-scale missions for NASA this is an important step. The rocket, named after American astronaut John Glenn, weighs roughly the same as 20 trucks. It can put into space a payload of 45 metric tonnes. At 98m tall and 7m wide, it is larger than most rockets, but not as big as SpaceX's Starship nor the Saturn Vs which sent humans to the moon. Blue and Gold to visit Red Planet Meanwhile, NASA's Escapade (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission comprises two identical orbiting spacecraft named Blue and Gold. The probes intend to study how solar wind interacts with Mars's magnetic environment and how this impacts the planet's atmospheric escape. Read more from Sky News:Tourists visit the edge of spaceMusk ally to lead NASANASA's first woman commander This matters because it will help scientists understand Mars's climate and protect future crews intending to reach the Red Planet. This was Blue Origin's third attempt to launch, with the first on Sunday scrapped because of clouds and the threat of lightning strikes. Wednesday's attempt was also postponed as a powerful "cannibal storm" hit Earth.

Mr Hamdi, who returned to the UK on Thursday, was initially arrested at San Francisco International Airport on 26 October. US officials revoked his visa without warning while on a speaking tour, during which he criticised Israel's actions in Gaza. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the tour was cancelled due to security rules and that he was in the country illegally. Sitting alongside him in an interview for Sky's The World With Yalda Hakim, Soumaya Hamdi explained her concerns about British people travelling to the US. "I would say to British citizens who value their freedom of speech to be very careful, because you got the World Cup in the United States coming up next year. "If this could happen to Sami on a valid visa, a British citizen, a registered journalist, then it could very well happen again." Ms Hamdi added she was not happy about how the UK government had handled their case. "The assistance that we received from the British government... was really very disappointing. "I think this is really very concerning that the government is not taking more serious action with regards to our closest ally." Speaking about his arrest, Mr Hamdi said it had been "quite an aggressive experience". "They escorted me outside of the airport, there was this black car, the kind of things you see in the movies," he said. "When I asked them 'Can I call my family to let them know I'm OK?', a lady from behind grabs me, pushes me on the car, and says, 'All right, that's enough. You're under arrest'." Read more from Sky News:New arrest over alleged Hamas plotFears about ceasefire in SudanBritish man returns following ICE detention He added that, while in detention, he felt there was an attempt to wear him down by restricting access to justice. "You felt, like, with ICE, it's a battle of wills. Based on the merits of the case, they can't actually win, but what they do is they keep delaying you and delaying until you're just desperate to go home." Mr Hamdi, who is Muslim and lives in London, insisted he had complied with all visa conditions and alleged the move was linked to his advocacy for Gaza. According to Mr Hamdi's legal team, he accepted an offer to leave the US voluntarily after being charged with visa overstay. His family announced on Monday the US government had agreed to free him and confirmed on Thursday morning he was on a flight home. Discussing his treatment while in detention, Mr Hamdi said he noticed a distinct change when news outlets like Sky News became aware of his case. "They throw you in a cell, you sleep in the foot cuffs. They kept me there with 24 hours until my legs were swollen. When I told the guards, 'Look, my legs are swollen, visibly swollen', the guards simply ignored it. "They only started treating me better when everybody at Sky News and the other media started raising their voices." The Trump administration has pursued a sweeping immigration crackdown this year, revoking visas for people accused of supporting terrorism and deporting foreign nationals who have voiced support for Palestinians. After Mr Hamdi's arrest, a spokeswoman for the US Department of Homeland Security said his visa had been revoked as "those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country". But he told Sky News he strongly disputed the reason for his detention. "On the charge sheet... there was no mention of anything related to terrorism or anything related to what they were saying online," he said. "They knew no evidence existed of any of the accusations they were making. And in the end, the deal was about face-saving. I was happy to go home. "Of course, they get to say that Sami Hamdi ended up leaving America, the case gets closed, and it worked out for both of us."

The schoolgirl was murdered by Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool in August 2023 after a brutal campaign of abuse - which a judge at the Old Bailey later described as "torture". Her body was found in a bunk bed at the family home, after a crying Urfan Sharif dialled 999 from Pakistan, saying he had "killed" and "beaten" his daughter. The 10-year-old was covered in fractures, bruises and burns. It became clear that in the weeks before her death, Sara had been beaten at home with items such as a cricket bat and metal pole, and burnt with an iron. She had clearly also suffered a traumatic head injury. She had been known to social services from birth, and was twice placed in foster care by the time she was three. Later in life, she would be moved between the custody of her father and mother - with both accusing the other of abuse. In December 2024, a local Child Safeguarding Practice Review was instigated, and its independent report has now been published, concluding that "the system failed Sara" - from social services to the NHS and education. "Sara's death was not caused by one specific malfunction within the safeguarding system," it said. "Numerous factors came together over many years, which cumulatively laid the foundations for the severe abuse she experienced." The Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership said: "All agencies represented by the Partnership take the findings of this report extremely seriously and will work urgently together to agree a joint action plan that puts in place the local learnings from the review." The report also contained 15 recommendations, which included calls on the Department for Education to close loopholes around at-risk children being withdrawn from school. The report also demanded safeguarding teams be better trained in understanding the manipulative behaviours of domestic abusers. It said agencies must ensure more robust, joined-up safeguarding processes when children are first referred to social care, and called for the impact of culture, race and language to be considered in safeguarding decisions. Surrey County Council says it will be "working to implement all local recommendations relating to the organisation in full. Many of those are well under way or already complete, but practice is continuously reviewed and this report will help all partners improve further". Read more from Sky News:The migrants stuck in East Libya's detention centresPM apologises to Streeting after 'Traitors' row In a statement, Terence Herbert, chief executive of Surrey County Council, said: "We are deeply sorry for the findings in the report related to us as a local authority. We have already taken robust action to address those relating to Surrey County Council, and that work will continue with every recommendation implemented in full." Sharif and Batool were respectively sentenced to at least 40 and 33 years for the murder, while Sara's uncle, Faisal Malik, was sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment after being found guilty of causing or allowing Sara's death.

That question - once the realm of science fiction - is becoming increasingly urgent. An AI-generated country track, Walk My Walk, is currently sitting at number one on the US Billboard chart of digital sales and a new report by streaming platform Deezer has revealed the sheer scale of AI production in the music industry. Deezer's AI-detection system found that around 50,000 fully AI-generated tracks are now uploaded every day, accounting for 34% of all daily uploads. The true number is most likely higher, as Deezer's AI-detection system does not catch every AI-generated track. Nor does this figure include partially AI-generated tracks. In January 2025, Deezer's system identified 10% of uploaded tracks as fully AI-generated. Since then, the proportion of AI tracks - made using written prompts such as "country, 1990s style, male singer" - has more than tripled, leading the platform's chief executive, Alexis Lanternier, to say that AI music is "flooding music streaming". 'Siphoning money from royalty pool' What's more, when Deezer surveyed 9,000 people in eight countries - the US, Canada, Brazil, UK, France, Netherlands, Germany and Japan - and asked them to detect whether three tracks were real or AI, 97% could not tell the difference. That's despite the fact that the motivation behind the surge of AI music is not in the least bit creative, according to Deezer. The company says that roughly 70% of fully AI-generated tracks are what it calls "fraudulent" - that is, designed purely to make money. "The common denominator is the ambition to boost streams on specific tracks in order to siphon money from the royalty pool," a Deezer spokesperson told Sky News. "With AI-generated content, you can easily create massive amounts of tracks that can be used for this purpose." The tracks themselves are not actually fraudulent, Deezer says, but the behaviour around them is. Someone will upload an AI track then use an automated system - a bot - to listen to a song over and over again to make royalties from it. Even though the total number of streams for each individual track is very low - Deezer estimates that together they account for 0.5% of all streams - the work needed to make an AI track is so tiny that the rewards justify the effort. Are fully-AI tracks being removed? Deezer is investing in AI-detection software and has filed two patents for systems that spot AI music. But it is not taking down the tracks it marks as fully-AI. Instead it removes them from algorithmic recommendations and editorial playlists, a measure designed to stop the tracks getting streams and therefore generating royalties, and marks the tracks as "AI-generated content". "If people want to listen to an AI-generated track however, they can and we are not stopping them from doing so - we just want to make sure they are making a conscious decision," the Deezer spokesperson says. Read more from Sky News:How Elon Musk is boosting the British rightThe extraordinary impact of a crime on UK growth Concerns about artists' livelihoods Deezer's survey found that more than half (52%) of respondents felt uncomfortable with not being able to tell the difference between AI and human-made music. "The survey results clearly show that people care about music and want to know if they're listening to AI or human-made tracks or not," said the company's boss Alexis Lanternier. "There's also no doubt that there are concerns about how AI-generated music will affect the livelihood of artists." Earlier this year, more than 1,000 musicians - including Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn and Kate Bush - released a silent album to protest plans by the UK government to let artificial intelligence companies use copyright-protected work without permission. A recent study commissioned by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers suggested that generative AI music could be worth £146bn a year in 2028 and account for around 60% of music libraries' revenues. By this metric, the authors concluded, 25% of creators' revenues are at risk by 2028, a sum of £3.5bn.

The corporation said it was an "error of judgement" and the programme will "not be broadcast again in this form on any BBC platforms". But it added that it "strongly" disagrees that there is "a basis for a defamation claim". The White House has not offered comment, but instead told Sky News to direct questions to "the president's outside counsel on this matter". Sky News is awaiting a response from the President's counsel. BBC Trump row latest: BBC apology may be better for Trump than a lawsuit Donald Trump's legal team earlier revealed that the US president has not yet filed a lawsuit against the BBC over thebroadcaster's editing of a speech he made in 2021 on the day his supporters overran the Capitol building. Legal experts have said that Mr Trump would face challenges taking the case to court in the UK or the US. Deadlines to bring the case in English courts, where defamation damages rarely exceed £100,000 ($132,000) expired more than a year ago. Because the documentary was not shown in the US, it would be hard to show that Americans thought less of him because of a program they could not watch. Despite this, Mr Trump's legal team sent a letter over the weekend threatening to sue the BBC for $1bn and issuing three demands: • Issue a "full and fair retraction" of the Panorama programme• Apologise immediately• "Appropriately compensate" the US president On Sunday evening, two of the BBC's top figures, including the director-general, resigned amid the row over the edit and concerns about impartiality. In a statement, the corporation said: "Lawyers for the BBC have written to President Trump's legal team in response to a letter received on Sunday. "BBC Chair Samir Shah has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the Corporation are sorry for the edit of the President's speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme. "The BBC has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary 'Trump: A Second Chance?' on any BBC platforms. "While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim." On Thursday, the BBC said it was looking into fresh allegations, published in The Telegraph newspaper. The Telegraph claims another BBC programme, Newsnight, also selectively edited footage of the same speech, in a report broadcast in June 2022, two years before Panorama's edit. A BBC spokesperson said: "The BBC holds itself to the highest editorial standards. This matter has been brought to our attention and we are now looking into it." Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, on Thursday said the party had written to Sir Keir Starmer, calling on him to demand that Mr Trump "drop his ludicrous one billion dollar lawsuit against the BBC".

Sir Keir Starmer's closest confidante has been under fire in recent days following a briefing row that saw allies of the PM say Sir Keir Starmer would fight any attempts to remove him from office. Health Secretary Wes Streeting was also accused of plotting to replace Sir Keir Starmer after the chancellor's autumn budget. Mr Streeting has strongly denied the claim, and accused Number 10 of having a "toxic" culture and of attempting to "kneecap" him. Sir Keir also disavowed the briefings, saying he "never authorised" the attack on his health secretary, and said cabinet ministers should not be briefed against. This morning, several national newspapers led with calls from Labour MPs and unnamed ministers for Mr McSweeney to resign or be sacked - the chief of staff himself becoming a victim of anonymous briefings. But Sky News understands that he categorically denies he was "directly or indirectly" behind the briefings and will be remaining in his job. Mr McSweeney has been in post as chief of staff since October 2024, and is credited as being a key architect of Labour's transformation following the 2019 election defeat and subsequent victory in 2024. Mr Streeting was not among those who had called for Mr McSweeney to go, saying on Wednesday that "there wouldn't be a Labour government" without him. But he had a furious reaction to the briefings against him, telling Mornings With Ridge And Frost: "I do think that going out and calling your Labour MPs 'feral' is not very helpful." He added: "I do think that trying to kneecap one of your own team when they are out, not just making the case for the government, but actually delivering the change that we promised, I think that is also self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour." Sir Keir said at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday: "Let me be clear. I've never authorised attacks on cabinet members. I appointed them to that post because they're the best people to carry out that job." He also said: "Morgan McSweeney, my team and I are absolutely focused on delivering for the country." The prime minister and his health secretary spoke "very briefly" later that evening, in which he apologised. On Thursday, Sir Keir said that he had been "assured that no briefing against ministers was done from No 10", and it appears that no formal investigation into who spoke to journalists on Tuesday is under way. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of having "lost control of Number 10" and said two weeks from the 26 November budget, "the government has descended into civil war".

Flooding is likely, with some areas facing up to 150mm (6in) of rain. The warning is in place from noon until the end of the day, and covers parts of Wales, the Midlands, the South West, South East and East of England. Check the weather forecast where you are The storm, named by Spain's meteorological service, has also triggered weather warnings in Spain and Portugal, and is currently affecting the Canary Islands. Claudia could result in travel disruptions, power cuts, and flooding, according to the Met Office. Flooding in some areas could be severe, the Sky Weather team warned. Southern Britain can expect 30mm (1.2in) to 50mm (2in) widely, with 80mm (3.1in) for parts of east Wales and central England, but the far south of England should escape the worst of it, according to the Sky Weather team. The easterly flow means east-facing hills could see much more rain, potentially up to 150mm (6in) in southeast Wales. Met Office Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: "Storm Claudia will bring very heavy rainfall to a large swathe of central and southern England and Wales on Friday into Saturday. "This rain will become slow-moving, and some areas could see up to a month's worth of rain in 24 hours." Ireland's meteorological service, Met Eireann, has also issued weather warnings for parts of Ireland, with significant rain likely in the south-east into the weekend. The rain is the main hazard from Storm Claudia, but a strong easterly wind will develop, bringing gusts up to 70mph to parts of northwest Wales and north-west England, the Met Office said. A colder weekend By the weekend, the north of the UK will see a colder air mass, with overnight frosts, according to the Met Office. Some showers will persist, but overall it will be a considerably drier and brighter period of weather in this area. Further south, the weekend will start off largely cloudy and wet, and still mild in the far south. Gradually, the rain will ease and eventually clear to the south, with the drier, colder conditions further north spreading to all areas by the start of next week. Early next week, temperatures will drop sharply across the country, particularly in the north and east, bringing the first snow of the season in some areas. Read more from Sky News:Duchess of Edinburgh tours world's oldest river gunboatEconomy grew by 0.1% in third quarter, official figures show Warnings in Spain and Portugal An elderly couple in eastern Portugal died inside their flooded house on Thursday due to Storm Claudia, the Portuguese Authority of Civil Protection told Sky News. The couple lived in Fernao Ferro, in the municipality of Seixal, around 26km (16 miles) south of the capital Lisbon. Half of the country was under red and orange weather warnings on Thursday, with nearly 14,000 people left without electricity. Parts of Spain have also been under orange and yellow weather warnings on Thursday due to Storm Claudia.

Christopher Harrison, 68, struck Helen Holland at a pedestrian crossing while he travelled through Earl's Court, west London, on 10 May 2023. The 81-year-old woman suffered serious injuries in the collision on West Cromwell Road and died in hospital two weeks later. PC Harrison was travelling at between 44mph and 58mph as he approached the crossing, which had a 30mph speed limit, the trial previously heard. On Thursday, the officer was found not guilty at the Old Bailey of causing death by careless driving. He was acquitted by a jury who had deliberated for more than two hours. After the verdict was returned, someone shouted from the public gallery: "You ruined our family with no consequences." The judge, Mr Justice Martin Chamberlain, then said PC Harrison was free to leave. The defendant, who had 21 years of experience in the specialist escort group, said he "couldn't put it into numbers" how many times he had undertaken the trip and that he was "very familiar" with the route. Ms Holland was 2.9 metres on to the crossing when PC Harrison's motorbike struck her, the court heard. She suffered a skull fracture, bruising to her arms, legs and body, as well as sustaining fractures to her lower legs. A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as complications from a severe head injury. PC Harrison, who became emotional while giving evidence during the trial, told jurors the crash was a "tragic accident" which happened in circumstances that he had "no control over". Under cross-examination, he accepted he forgot to switch on his body-worn camera and did not use his whistle as he approached the pedestrian crossing, but insisted he had not been complacent on the day. "She was just there in front of me," he told jurors. "She just appeared, between the kerb line and the point of collision. "At no point did I see her on the island, I'm sorry."

From 2 January, the owners of electric cars will be charged £13.50 a day, while electric van and lorry drivers will pay £9. These are reductions of 25% and 50% respectively on the £18 which other motorists will have to pay from that date, a £3 increase on the current fee of £15. At the moment, pure battery-powered EVs are eligible for a 100% discount on the congestion charge, which was first introduced in 2003. The charges are paid to drive into central London between 7am and 6pm on weekdays, and between noon and 6pm on weekends and bank holidays. Mayor Sadiq Khan has insisted it is essential the scheme "stays fit for purpose", claiming the capital faces an increase of 2,200 extra vehicles in the zone on an average weekday next year. The EV discount will be cut further from 4 March 2030, to 12.5% for cars and 25% for vans and lorries. But Ginny Buckley, chief executive of EV advice website Electrifying.com, said: "It's far too soon for TfL (Transport for London) to remove exemptions for electric vehicles from the London congestion charge." 'Move will backfire on air quality' Edmund King, the AA president, has urged Sir Sadiq to reconsider. He said: "This is a backward step which sadly will backfire on air quality in London. "Many drivers are not quite ready to make the switch to electric vehicles, so incentives are still needed to help them over the line. "This policy sends a confusing signal. You can't champion clean air while penalising the vehicles that deliver it." EVs will account for nearly a fifth of all vehicles in the congestion charging zone by the end of this year, according to Transport for London (TfL). Read more:Octopus COPs £500m financing boost for electric vehicles armM&S criticised for selling two slices of bread for £4.50 | Money blog Without the changes, TfL has estimated there could be more than 2,000 additional vehicles on the roads during operating hours in the zone on an average weekday. TfL said this would "undermine the benefits" of the scheme by causing "more queues and delays". Sir Sadiq said: "Keeping London moving by reducing congestion is vital for our city and for our economy. "While the congestion charge has been a huge success since its introduction, we must ensure it stays fit for purpose." The decision to put up the charges comes ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' budget - when there are suggestions she could bring in a pay as you drive tax on EVs in the upcoming budget.