The Untold Battles

HMS Portland at sea. The Type 23 frigate conducted the Royal Navy's first operational Naval Strike Missile firing during Exercise Atlantic Thunder. File photo: Royal Navy / Ministry of Defence via Wikimedia Commons (OGL v1.0). The Royal Navy has confirmed the first operational firings of two of its newest ship-busting missiles, in a landmark joint exercise with the United States in the North Atlantic. HMS Portland, a Plymouth-based Type 23 frigate, fired a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) at the decommissioned American warship USS Klakring at the MOD Hebrides range off the north-west coast of Scotland. Her Wildcat helicopter, from 815 Naval Air Squadron, followed with the first live firing of an operational Sea Venom missile from a Wildcat against a realistic target. The Navy announced the milestone in an official release on 29 September. Key facts Ship: HMS Portland (F79), a Type 23 frigate based at Devonport, Plymouth. Aircraft: A Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadro...

The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, with justice sector leaders during her visit to Liverpool on 29 September 2026, where she announced the nationwide rollout. Image: gov.uk (Open Government Licence v3.0). Every Domestic Abuse Victim to Get a Dedicated CPS Liaison Officer in Nationwide Rollout Every victim and survivor of domestic abuse in England and Wales will now have a dedicated victim liaison officer at the Crown Prosecution Service, under a nationwide expansion of victim support announced today by the Attorney General. The rollout makes two CPS services permanent across every CPS Area. The Universal Service will give all victims more frequent and better quality communication. The Enhanced Service, aimed specifically at domestic abuse victims, provides a named liaison officer to support them from the point a case is charged through to trial. Key facts What: The CPS is making its Universal Service for victims and its Enhanced Service for domestic abuse survivor...

SAS Veteran Cleared Over 1991 Coagh Ambush Faces New Supreme Court Challenge A former SAS soldier who has been cleared three times over a deadly 1991 ambush in Northern Ireland is facing another legal fight after legal aid was granted for an application to take the case to the UK Supreme Court. The development, reported by The Times on Tuesday, means the legal saga surrounding the former soldier, known only as Soldier B, is set to continue into a sixth year of investigations and court proceedings. Court 1 at the UK Supreme Court in London. Legal aid has been granted for the family of Tony Doris to apply for leave to appeal to the court in the case of a former SAS soldier known as Soldier B. (Image: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA) Key facts What happened: Legal aid has been granted to the family of Tony Doris, an IRA man killed in a 1991 SAS ambush in Coagh, Co Tyrone, so they can apply for leave to appeal to the UK Supreme Court. Who is involved: The challenge co...

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the electoral reform commission during his first conference speech as Labour leader. (Image: House of Commons / CC BY 3.0)   Burnham Pledges Electoral Reform: Labour to Fight Next Election on Promise to Scrap First-Past-the-Post The prime minister has promised to set Britain on course for the biggest shake-up of its voting system in modern history. Addressing the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, Andy Burnham announced he will establish a national commission on electoral reform and pledged that Labour will contest the next general election with a manifesto commitment to scrap first-past-the-post. The announcement marks a decisive shift in Labour's position on voting reform. Burnham has long backed replacing first-past-the-post with proportional representation, and today he moved that conviction from the backbench debating chamber to the heart of government policy. Key facts What: A new national commission on electoral r...

Orion Point flats, Isle of Dogs, London. The government says over five million leaseholders will benefit from its fee caps and agent licensing plans. (Representative image) Credit: Image © Acabashi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) Government Announces Leasehold Fee Caps and First-Ever Property Agent Licensing The UK government has set out plans to cap the fees landlords can charge leaseholders and to introduce independent regulation of property agents for the first time, in a package of housing reforms announced on Tuesday. More than five million leaseholders and future homeowners are expected to benefit from the measures, which will need new legislation before they take effect. What has been announced The government will legislate to give the Secretary of State powers to introduce caps on "permission fees", the charges leaseholders must pay their landlord before making simple requests such as keeping a pet. The same powers will cover homeowners on privately manag...

UK Launches AI Drone Swarm Competition Using Ukraine's Battlefield Data British defence firms will get access to real battlefield data from Ukraine to develop artificial intelligence for autonomous drone swarms, under a new competition launched by the Ministry of Defence. The UK is the first international partner to gain access to Ukraine's coveted Avengers AI Labs platform, following an agreement struck between Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Key facts What: The MOD's Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce (Taskforce RAID) has opened an industry competition inviting UK companies to use Ukraine's Avengers AI Labs datasets to develop autonomous drone swarming and collaborative drone operations. Who: Up to 12 UK-registered companies will be selected for Phase 1 of the competition, gaining free access to the Avengers Labs platform for approximately three months. When: The competition opened on 25 September 2026; proposals are due by ...

Prime Minister Andy Burnham will use his first leader's speech to the Labour Party conference on Tuesday to promise an end to "politics as usual", unveiling a publicly owned Great British Grid to bring down energy bills, and setting out his long-held ambition for free social care in England, all against the backdrop of a growing cabinet and union row over the future of the pensions triple lock. Burnham, who became Labour leader and prime minister in July, will address delegates in Liverpool at 2pm under the conference slogan "Hope again". Advance briefings of the speech indicate he will frame the address as an "honest conversation" with voters about the difficult issues Westminster has avoided for too long. Key facts What: Andy Burnham's first leader's speech to the Labour Party conference as prime minister, in Liverpool. When: Tuesday 29 September 2026, 2pm BST. Main announcement: a publicly owned "Great British Grid" unde...

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey has confirmed that three new floating docks for the Royal Navy's submarine base at Faslane will be constructed in Britain, under a UK-only tender competition held on national security and sovereign industrial capability grounds. The announcement, made in his speech to the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Monday 28 September 2026, commits a major programme of submarine support infrastructure at HM Naval Base Clyde entirely to domestic shipyards. Key facts Three new floating docks will be built in the UK for HM Naval Base Clyde (Faslane), under a UK-only competition, as confirmed by Chancellor John Healey at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on 28 September 2026. The docks fall under Programme Euston and will provide out-of-water inspections, repairs and upgrades for the UK's current and future nuclear submarines, including the Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarines and the future SSN-AUKUS attack submarines. They...

British counter-terrorism police are leading an investigation after five men were arrested in the early hours of Sunday 27 September 2026 near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, after reports of three suspicious vehicles apparently travelling towards the airbase. The arrests prompted a major incident declaration, the precautionary evacuation of about 85 households, and a 400-metre cordon while Army bomb disposal specialists examined the vehicles. Key facts Gloucestershire Police received a call at about 00:45 on Sunday 27 September 2026 reporting three suspicious vehicles apparently heading towards RAF Fairford. Armed officers responded and arrested five men in the Whelford area, about a mile from the base. The men were first arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act, then further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. A major incident was declared. About 85 households in Whelford were evacuated as ...

HMS Agamemnon, the sixth of seven Astute-class attack submarines built for the Royal Navy, has left the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness to begin sea trials: the final round of testing before she joins the fleet for active service. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the milestone in an official news release. Known to her crew as "Awesome Aggie", the submarine will now go through an extensive trials programme before heading to her home port, HM Naval Base Clyde in Scotland, the headquarters of the UK's submarine service. Key facts Vessel: HMS Agamemnon (S124), the sixth of seven Astute-class attack submarines Departed: BAE Systems shipyard, Barrow-in-Furness, on 25 September 2026 Phase: sea trials, the final testing stage before she joins active service Displacement: 7,400 tonnes; Length: 97 metres Propulsion: Rolls-Royce nuclear reactor, built in Derby, requiring no refuelling for the vessel's service life Weapons: Heavyweight Spearfish torped...