Walking around Tower Hamlets, the huge economic divide that polarises this east London borough is stark.
Canary Wharf’s glistening skyscrapers and iconic capital landmarks like the Tower of London nestle alongside the shadow of dilapidated tower blocks.
More than half the children here live below the poverty line and the area has seen claims for benefits balloon among its older working-age population.
How the UK rejoining the EU could impact your money
With the prospect of rejoining the EU now a possibility, many questions have been asked about the possible impact on people’s finances. Our business columnist Hamish McRae aims to answer 10 such questions on what this seismic change could mean.
The impact of the euro
- 1Would we have to adopt the euro? We don’t know. The opt-outs we had previously have lapsed but we could renegotiate.
- 2Would the euro be better? Historically, the euro has been stronger, but it would only be a marginal advantage.
- 3Would inflation be higher or lower? Historically, the UK has a much worse record so you would expect slightly lower inflation.
- 4How would it affect interest rates? They are generally lower in Europe, but when this has led to inflation or a surge in borrowing, governments have been forced to take other measures to hold down prices.
Membership pros and cons
- 5Would the EU have control of tax and spending policies? No, but the European Central Bank could have a big influence on these.
- 6What about unemployment? Unemployment is generally higher in the EU; so, on balance, it would probably go up in the UK.
- 7Are there practical advantages of membership? There are some, like individuals and companies not having to change currencies, but it does come at a price.
- 8Is the euro popular with the European public? Yes, 83 per cent support it as per a survey carried out last year.
How popular would it be?
9. What about euro popularity here?
It is impossible to unpack that from the issue of rejoining the EU. If you look at where Britons emigrate to, the top three are Australia, the US and Canada, which all have their own currencies. In that sense, our links are with the Anglosphere, not Europe.
10. What will happen to the Eurozone?
The answer, inevitably, is that we don’t know. What we do know is that adopting the euro, if it were ever to happen, is a long, long way down the line.
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New world-leading NHS genomics lab to improve cancer care
A world-leading NHS laboratory has launched in the UK to advance personalised cancer testing and treatment.
Making use of AI
The Royal Marsden Centre for Cancer Genomics will work with to deliver a new generation of cancer diagnostics known as .
This involves information about a patient and their tumour being combined with artificial intelligence to give the fullest picture of their cancer.
It will help doctors ensure NHS patients can access clinical trials, more personalised treatments and flexible treatment plans that can change with their cancer.
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“Currently, workflows in the NHS very much focus on doing a single test for a patient with a single action that follows it. We think that, in the future, to really refine patient treatment to make sure that it’s truly personalised… we’ll be taking multiple measurements from patients during the course of treatment for cancer”
Professor Michael Hubank, scientific director of clinical genomics at the Royal Marsden
How will it work?
- AI will “integrate” the information to create a score which is very specific,” said Hubank.
- This score tells doctors where the patient sits on a spectrum of how to treat them and what therapies to give them in the first place.
- Hubank added: “Not only that, the continuous monitoring of those patients down the line will tell doctors how to tailor that treatment to each individual patient.”
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Rayner ‘confident’ rough sleepers offered Christmas shelter
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has said she was “very confident” that everyone sleeping rough would be offered accommodation this Christmas.
A “whole-systems approach”
Rayner said she hoped the push to end rough sleeping would become “as entrenched” as the national minimum wage.
She added that Andy Burnham asked her to speak about homelessness to the Cabinet, with the PM stressing the need for a “whole-systems approach” and intra-departmental collaboration to address the problem.
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The issue is ‘entrenched’
“I’m confident everyone will receive an offer this Christmas. But it can’t just be about a Christmas offer, and we know some of the reasons why people are rough sleeping are quite entrenched. We have to sustain it and we have to build on it… I’m not confident you won’t see any rough sleepers, I’m confident that everyone will have an offer”
Housing secretary angela rayner
Changing the system
Rayner spoke of the Government’s shift away from centrally-imposed “draconian” targets towards giving local areas more ownership of the drive to tackle the issue.
- She said local authorities had been given funding and were expected to make sure everyone sleeping rough received an offer of accommodation.
The one simple Budget change that would lead to thousands of new homes and towns
Behind the scenes, there has been a fair amount of wrangling over funding Labour’s new towns, set to provide a minimum of 10,000 homes each across England.
Trump posts ‘offensive’ videos after man killed by tiger
The family of William Chapman, who was killed by a tiger last weekend, say “deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress”, as US President Donald Trump posted multiple videos related to the attack.
What to know about the tiger attack
Chapman, 23, was mauled to death when he entered the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday.
- His family have criticised the online reaction to his death and questioned what part his “significant mental illness over a number of years” and strong prescription medication played in the incident.
More details
- Chapman was pronounced dead at the scene on Saturday, according to South Yorkshire Police.
- City of Doncaster Council, which is responsible for licensing the park, said on Monday it had started a health and safety investigation.
- The park remained closed on Wednesday for a fourth day after the attack.
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A statement from the family
“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened […] The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this”
statement WILLIAM CHAPMAN’S family
What did Trump post?
The President reposted a short clip to his Truth Social account, which has 13 million followers, on Tuesday showing the tiger biting and clawing Chapman, but not him being killed. The caption of the post read: “Don’t ever mess with nature!”
On Wednesday morning, Trump then posted an AI-generated video of himself grappling with a tiger. The song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by Tight Fit plays over the clip.
Trump’s sadistic tiger videos are a hideous window into his mind
It is hard to avoid facing the reality that Trump shared footage of a man’s death, against the express wishes of his grieving family, so he could use an AI slop video to suggest he could beat a tiger in a fight.
The firms fined millions for misleading sales tactics
Three major firms have been fined £6m for misleading sales tactics, the UK’s competition watchdog said.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also ordered two of the companies to pay customers £440,000.
The firms fined – and why
The online furniture retailer was fined £4.8m for misleading customers with time-limited offers.
The online electronics seller was fined £1.2m for the same practice.
The gym chain has been fined £48,000 for not telling customers the total price of memberships in a clear and timely way.
Two to pay refunds
Gold’s Gym and Appliances Direct have been ordered to refund a total sum of £440,000 to affected customers.
- Appliances Direct, which was found to have automatically opted customers into paid-for extras, is responsible for about to customers affected by opt-ins, at an .
What did Gold’s Gym do?
The CMA said Gold’s Gym did not include joining fees in the price shown to consumers for annual and direct debit memberships, or the total price was shown in a way that was unclear and unlikely to be seen. It ordered that the 726 affected customers should be refunded a .
The amount repaid to will depend on the type of membership they bought, but it will be .
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No customer action needed
- The CMA said Gold’s Gym and Appliances Direct would contact affected customers about their refund. Customers do not need to take any action.
- The CMA investigation found products advertised on Wayfair’s website with labels like “daily deals” and 24-hour “flash deals” implied customers needed to act quickly to get the best deal.
- However, it found many products remained available at the same price or lower after the stated deadline, making the time-limited offers false.
‘Time up for this behaviour’
“At a time when many households are carefully managing their budgets, people shouldn’t lose out because of misleading sales tactics. The time is up for this kind of behaviour. Businesses must treat their customers fairly and make sure they comply with the law – or risk hefty fines”
Hayley Fletcher, senior director for consumer protection at the CMA
Burnham rules out Greens coalition after Zionism motion
Andy Burnham has ruled out forming a coalition with the Green Party while it keeps its “antisemitic” policy that defines Zionism as a form of racism.
After the Greens passed the controversial motion at their conference this month, the Prime Minister faced pressure to rule out a pact with them in a future hung parliament.
- At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Burnham said he condemned the policy “unequivocally” and wouldn’t commit to a “partnership” with the Green Party for as long as it was still in place.
Burnham’s statement
“It is wrong, it is antisemitic and this side of the House will have nothing to do with it. We will always take the right response when it comes to any partnerships we have with other parties. We cannot support a partnership with a party that holds the position that has recently been adopted”
prime minister Andy Burnham
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More than half of the 50- to 64-year-olds in Tower Hamlets claim universal credit (UC), the highest in England and Wales, research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) shows. It also has the joint-highest share of people in their 40s claiming universal credit (43.5 per cent), alongside Birmingham.
People who are on a low income, out of work or unable to work can claim the benefit, which is designed to help with living costs.
When presented with the data, some residents were shocked, while others weren’t surprised, saying that the area has “fallen by the wayside” and that there is a lack of opportunities.
Tower Hamlets Council says the reasons the area has the highest number of benefit claimants aged 50 to 64 are “complex and cannot be viewed in isolation”, with the borough facing “significant levels of poverty, high housing costs and wider economic pressures”.
The wider benefits issue
The i Paper previously visited Blackpool and Thanet – areas which have the highest and second-highest numbers of UC claimants aged between 20 to 29 – but Tower Hamlets’ issues lie with the older generation.
Statistics from the TPA show that 50.4 per cent of those aged 50 to 59, and 51 per cent of those aged 60 to 64, claim UC in the local authority.
The research also found that 43.5 per cent of 40- to 49 year-olds in Tower Hamlets are on UC, the joint highest alongside Birmingham.
Benefit reform is set to be a key issue for Chancellor John Healey in the autumn Budget and the coming months, with leading economists warning he faces having to raise taxes or slash the welfare bill by up to £35bn.
Amid growing pressure on Healey to cut spending, the welfare system is straining under a record number of benefit claimants – 24.5 million in March 2026, according to the latest Government figures.
Of that total, almost 8.3 million were claiming UC.
‘Everything has fallen by the wayside’
In the middle of a quiet market, Erica, 74, told The i Paper of the difficulties faced by those living in Tower Hamlets.
“Everything has fallen by the wayside. I just feel that the council are not willing to come forward and help as much as they should and that’s why a lot of people want benefits to survive,” she said.
“The cost of living is just so high here, the rents are going up every year and salaries are not high enough for people to live on.
“I know people that have two or three jobs, so obviously they are going to take universal credit if they can get it.”
The pensioner added: “That’s something that the Government should look at in the October Budget.”
One woman told The i Paper that she claimed UC as she was out of work due to a medical condition.
“I know that a lot of people around here have lost their jobs due to things like automation,” the 49-year-old said.
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said three-quarters of the increase in universal credit cases since July 2024 have been driven by people moving from legacy benefits that UC replaced, a transition started by the previous government.
The DWP added that many UC recipients are already in employment, but reforms from two reviews into benefits and joblessness commissioned by the Government, the Timms and Milburn Reviews due this autumn, will “put work and opportunity at the heart of the system”.
The Government is also investing £3.5bn in employment support for disabled people and those with long-term conditions, the department said.
Matthew Illing, 30, was another who wasn’t surprised by the borough’s UC figures. “It’s certainly not a wealthy area,” the data analyst said.
“When I’m out during the day, I often see a lot of people that you would expect to be at work, more so than when I have lived in other areas of London.”
Ethnic minority communities ‘face disadvantage in job market’, says council
Ahmed Elnaggar, who works in the energy industry, said he was shocked by the statistics.
The 32-year-old said a contributing factor could be that large parts of the population in Tower Hamlets are from ethnic minority backgrounds, “which traditionally have disadvantaged socio-economic situations.”
DWP data from May 2026 found that 62.2 per cent of UC claimants in Tower Hamlets were Asian/Asian British, 20 per cent were white, 9.2 per cent were black and 3.5 per cent were mixed race.
Figures from a 2021 census carried out by the Office for National Statistics found the population of Tower Hamlets is 44.5 per cent Asian/Asian British, 39.3 per cent white, 7.4 per cent black and 3.6 per cent mixed race.
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said the area “has a diverse population, and national evidence shows that some ethnic minority communities experience higher levels of poverty and disadvantage in the job market throughout their working lives”.
Elnaggar added that there is a lack of employment opportunities in the area.
“I find that it is very residential and there aren’t many small businesses compared to other areas of London I have lived in, which I guess means less job opportunities,” he said.
Jim Ford, one of the directors of community-based, anti-poverty charity SocietyLinks, said that older people struggle with job opportunities.
“A lot of younger people will move out of Tower Hamlets to raise families, but older people don’t necessarily want to move out of the area, and they suffer with the lack of opportunities,” he said.
“What also doesn’t help is that the area is probably overpopulated, which just increases the competition for jobs,” the 74-year-old added.
What is being done to help the situation?
Many of the residents that spoke to The i Paper called on both the council and the Government to implement policies that would help those struggling with the cost of living and voiced support for Andy Burnham’s back-to-work scheme.
Responding to questions about the high percentage of 50- to 64-year-olds on UC, the council said: “What is encouraging is that many people in this age group want to work, remain in work or increase their earnings, but often need tailored support.”
Through the support it provides, the council said that it has helped 350 residents get back into work in the last year.
The spokesperson added: “There is no single solution, but by combining employment support, skills development and strong partnerships with local employers, we are helping residents access sustainable, rewarding work and greater financial security.”