The Met Office has issued two further weather warnings for strong winds and heavy rain after two storms struck Britain across the weekend.
Yellow wind warnings will be in place for western areas of the UK on Monday and Tuesday as gales and spells of rain bring the potential for ongoing disruption, particularly around exposed coasts and higher ground, the Met Office said.
The continued winds could also hamper recovery efforts in some places after Storm Boelo hit the north of the UK, bringing 84mph gusts and a third of a month’s usual rainfall to areas of Scotland.
Why you’re set to pay thousands more in income tax
Workers could lose thousands of pounds more from their incomes over the next few years – unless Chancellor John Healey acts to reverse his predecessor’s “stealth tax” rule.
What is the ‘stealth tax’?
The personal allowance – the amount people can earn before paying income tax – has been frozen at £12,570 since 2021, and the freeze was extended at last year’s Budget.
This creates a so-called “stealth tax” as salaries grow to keep up with inflation, causing workers to pay more in income tax and national insurance over time.
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How your tax bill will be affected
The biggest rises in tax are seen for those on salaries of around…
This is because every extra pound these people earn is effectively taxed at 60 per cent until they earn £125,140.
When you earn an extra £2 in this bracket, you pay…
40%
… higher rate income tax on it (costing you 80p), and you lose £1 of your tax-free allowance.
Total tax and lost allowance equal £1.20 out of every £2 earned.
Will Burnham change things?
Experts say it is unlikely Burnham will take action to increase the tax thresholds at the Budget, largely because of the cost.
However, reports this weekend have suggested there could be changes made for some pensioners.
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María Machado returns after months in exile – what we know
The Venezuelan opposition leader has finally come home to crowds of ecstatic supporters after more than 10 months away.
A triumphant return
On Sunday, she was spotted attending mass in the Lara state after being repeatedly barred from re-entering her home country.
She later travelled to Caracas where she was mobbed by jubilant crowds.
Machado wrote on X: “Night of reunion in our Caracas. For the reunion of each family, for the Freedom of each political prisoner, for the Freedom of Venezuela.”
Where does this leave Venezuela?
- In December 2025, Machado left Venezuela in secret to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.
- In January, US forces abducted former president Nicolás Maduro, her authoritarian political opponent.
- Maduro is now in jail in New York and due to be tried in June 2027. He denies all charges.
- He was replaced by deputy Delcy Rodríguez, the interim President.
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The American outlook
Machado’s return to Venezuela needed US approval.
The opposition figure gave Trump her peace prize in January after he made it clear he felt he had been snubbed.
Trump said: “I think she’s a very nice woman. She gave me her Nobel Prize, so how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe.”
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Chris Brown avoids jail over London nightclub attack
The singer was handed a suspended sentence after he admitted hitting a man with a tequila bottle in a central London club.
CCTV footage was shown where Chris Brown struck Abraham Diaw, connecting twice with his head, and then hitting his shoulder.
What you need to know
The 37-year-old admitted to affray earlier this year after attacking his former friend in Mayfair in February 2023. The incident lasted around 20 seconds and started at around 3am, the court heard.
On Monday at Southwark Crown Court, Brown was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.
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A ‘plainly dangerous’ attack
Brown’s vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, 40, who joined the attack, was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and both men were ordered to pay £1,500 costs.
Judge Tony Baumgartner called the attack “plainly dangerous” and warned that “commercial success does not attract preferential treatment” in court.
us news
Rapper Nicki Minaj joins Trump onstage at Michigan rally
The musician joined the Republican campaign ahead of the midterm elections on 3 November.
What did she say?
Minaj, who has shown support for Donald Trump in the past, called herself his “number one fan”.
On Sunday, she flew into Port Huron on Air Force One, before she addressed the rally. She said: “We really need all these great people to be elected, because this is a major turning point for our country.”
Rallying support for the GOP
Trump called the rapper “beautiful” and “smart” before adding: “By the way, I looked at a beautiful ass before. Nicki Minaj. That’s hard to miss.”
He also hit out at Democratic senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, alleging he would “invite jihadists” to the US.
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Locked in a tight race
El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers are locked in an extremely tight race just days ahead of the midterm elections.
Former president Barack Obama lent his weight to the Democrat campaign at a rally on Saturday.
Campaigning in Ohio and Michigan, Obama told crowds: “This election is our last best chance to at least rein in some of the foolishness of this administration.”
Brazil’s President Lula wins fourth term – what we know
The left-wing incumbent has prevailed after a bitter election campaign, but his right-wing opponent Flávio Bolsonaro has not conceded.
Lula clings on to presidency
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won 51.79 per cent of votes in the run-off agianst Bolsonaro, who gained 48.21 per cent.
Lula celebrated a “historic victory”, his fourth after serving as president from 2003 to 2010, then again from January 2023.
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Bitter road to victory
- Bolsonaro had beaten Lula in the first round vote on 4 October.
- Observers thought it might not be possible for the incumbent to turn his fortunes around in less than a month.
But Lula’s camp successfully utilised popular demonstrations and a significant social media drive.
Bolsonaro refuses to accept defeat
- The son of the former president criticised the extension of polling by two hours.
- He told supporters he would try and get the election annulled.
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Who will be hit badly by the Budget?
John Healey will deliver his first Budget as Chancellor on Wednesday, but he may have little room to manoeuvre due to surging Government debt costs.
Any new spending will probably have to be paid for with trade-offs elsewhere.
Who will be worse off?
- Business sources suspect Healey is set to pause Labour’s pledge to bring rates for young workers on minimum wage into line with over-21s.
Healey signalled concern about the impact on jobs.
- reports that Healey is considering reversing former chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s cut to the surcharge.
Worse off: people who owe tax
It can currently only do so where a debt exceeds £1,000, and must leave at least £5,000 in the account – but under the reported plans the threshold would fall to as little as a few pounds.
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Who will be better off?
- For the first time, the full new state pension is set to rise above the personal allowance.
- This means will be better off as they will not pay income tax.
- Households struggling with energy bills are also anticipated to have some relief.
- Healey is expected to expand the Warm Home Discount, which takes £150 off bills for households on means-tested benefits.
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Who else?
Burnham and Healey are committed to replacing the Lifetime ISA with a new ISA, The i Paper has been told, which would pay a government bonus when savers buy their first home.
The decision to leave capital gains tax untouched will be beneficial for , too.
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Two men were killed by falling trees on Sunday – a man in his 20s in Finchley, north London, and a 60-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. The latter has been named as Richard Baines, the curator of the Logan Botanic Garden.
Two women were also taken to hospital after they were struck by another falling tree in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross.
Power cuts hit 838,700 properties during Boelo and its predecessor, Storm Austen.
At 8am on Monday, 39,000 customers were still without power, the Energy Networks Association, which represents operators in the UK and Ireland, said.
In Aberdeenshire, 13 primary schools without power were shut on Monday.
Strong winds across the west of the UK
The cleanup comes as a fresh yellow warning for wind has been issued from 6pm on Monday until 3am on Tuesday.
The warning – covering parts of north-west England, Northern Ireland, south-west England, Strathclyde, south-west Scotland and Wales – forecasts gusts of 45-50mph inland and 60-65mph along exposed coasts and over high ground.
It adds that the strong winds will be accompanied by heavy rain at times, and there could be some disruption.
A yellow Met Office warning for strong winds and potentially damaging gusts is in place from 3am on Tuesday to midnight for the far north of England, Scotland, and the far north-east of Northern Ireland.
Monday will remain wet and windy as rain moves across southern and western areas before spreading north-east, which brings the potential for coastal flooding, particularly in northern areas, the Met Office said.
As this clears, drier conditions will develop across England and Wales later in the day.
On Tuesday, early rain will clear eastern and south-eastern England, while heavier rain in the north west of Scotland gradually turns to showers, the forecaster said.
70mph gusts possible in Scotland
The strongest winds will continue to affect Scotland, particularly in the far north and northwest where gusts of more than 70mph are possible.
The Hebrides are most likely to experience the strongest winds, which could potentially last several hours.
Elsewhere, there will be sunny spells and showers will continue, with some heavy in western areas.
The Met Office said that conditions will begin to settle down from Wednesday as high pressure increasingly begins to influence the UK.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Steven Keates said: “While the start of this week will be notably wet and windy, high pressure is expected to bring a quieter spell of weather later in the week.
“From Wednesday, high pressure will start to build, which will ease the winds and bring a quieter and largely drier end to the week for many, although some rain is still possible in the north and west.
“However, with wind warnings in place, those in warning areas, particularly in northern Scotland and western high ground, continue to be exposed to strong winds and heavy rain before the more settled weather arrives.”
The Environment Agency on Monday issued 13 warnings that flooding is expected and 44 alerts where it is possible.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said 33 flood warnings and 13 flood alerts were in place, while Natural Resources Wales reported three flood warnings and 14 flood alerts were active at the same time.
Sefton, Thurrock and Hackney are among the areas where households are most at risk of flash flooding as El Niño increases the risk of wet weather this autumn.
The Government is launching a new taskforce to prepare Britain for extreme weather, initially focusing on potential flooding this winter.
The Met Office has previously warned of an increased likelihood of wetter-than-normal conditions across the country in late autumn and early winter.