The Government has cut nearly £2bn from frontline British Army equipment as it attempts to plug a multibillion-pound hole in the defence budget.
The Army has scrapped plans for three new armoured vehicles, all variants of the Boxer, as part of “reprioritisation” by military planners, defence minister Luke Pollard said.
Among the equipment cut are repair-and-recovery vehicles, which Conservative MP and former Army officer Ben Obese-Jecty warned could leave soldiers “fighting with one hand behind their backs”.
What could happen to mortgage rates in 2027
Homeowners are being told to brace for continued high mortgage rates next year – with the Bank of England set to raise interest rates. Most economists expect the Bank to hike rates twice in the next few months, while financial markets are forecasting even more rises – as many as four in the next year.
Why are rate rises expected?
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has driven the cost of oil up, which has fed through into a higher rate of inflation. Economists expect inflation to continue rising and peak at above 4 per cent, which will drive up swap rates – contracts between banks which are linked to fixed mortgage rates. Banks are pricing their mortgages above swap rates to make some profit.
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Elevated rates in 2027
Although experts have said the outlook for mortgage rates remains uncertain for next year, experts expect them to remain elevated. How much will depend on whether inflation and the BoE’s base rate go higher or lower than markets currently expect.
Alper Kara, professor of banking and finance at Brunel University, said he expected rates to “remain around these levels next year”, while Nick Mendes from John Charcol brokers said they will go “higher”.
Is there any hope?
The reverse pattern is very possible.
Peter Stimson, director of mortgages at lender MPowered, is hopeful that the Bank of England may cut interest rates next Spring in response to easing inflation, causing mortgage rates to fall.
A ceasefire in the Middle East would make this more likely as energy prices and government borrowing costs would fall.
Where first named storm of the season could hit UK
As heavy rainfall hits most of the UK over the course of the day, the Met Office has named the first storm of the autumn.
Storm Austen is due to batter southern parts of the country on Friday.
Where will the storm hit?
A yellow severe weather warning has been issued from midnight to noon on Friday, with Storm Austen set to hit the south-west of Wales and England, up to west Sussex. Eastern coastal counties could also be affected by the storm.
There is also a chance that the storm could change its course and hit Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern parts of England. Severe gales and disruption are expected wherever the weather front hits, with winds of up to 70mph.
Why is this the first named storm?
The unusually warm and dry weather means the UK has not yet had a named storm this autumn. The jet stream bringing wind and rain has mostly avoided the UK so far this season, but the weather front moving in this week is set to change that.
Although the storm is expected to move away later on Friday, Saturday will still be wet and windy for much of the UK.
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When is a storm named?
- In the UK, a storm is named when it is expected to cause disruption or damage significant enough to warrant an amber or red warning.
- This decision is based on the National Severe Weather Warnings service.
Naming storms is a vital part of how the Met Office communicates severe weather risks.
Australian MP loses leg in car ‘attack’ – what we know
An independent Australian politician is fighting for her life in hospital and has lost one leg, after an allegedly deliberate attack in broad daylight.
Hit and run ‘deliberate’, says PM
Helen Haines, 65, an independent member of Australia’s lower house of parliament, was hit by a car on Monday afternoon, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called “a deliberate act”.
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What is her condition?
- Haines remains in a critical condition in hospital and has lost a leg.
- The former nurse, mother of three and grandmother has suffered “severe” lower-body injuries.
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Hero challenged attacker
Ricky Jefferies, a barber working next door, rushed to Haines’s aid and pulled the driver from the car. Jefferies said he had “no choice” but to take action “because it was the right and safest thing to do”.
Police confirmed that at this stage it appeared to be an isolated incident “and there are no known threats connected to this matter”.
Who has been charged?
Brendan Nugent, 43, has been charged with driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and causing harm to a commonwealth public official.
- He will be held overnight to appear at Wangaratta magistrates court on Wednesday, Victoria police confirmed in a statement
Watch more from The i Paper
All the channels the BBC will shut down as of spring 2027
The BBC has announced it will stop broadcasting three of its channels on linear TV and radio, as part of cost-cutting measures which will also see it cut jobs across BBC News.
Which channels are being axed?
Content from this channel will still be available on iPlayer and on other platforms, including YouTube.
The Scottish channel will still be an option online but not on television.
Programmes from the station will still be on the BBC Sounds app and the Daily Service will be broadcast on local radio.
What is behind the cuts?
100
jobs from next spring in a bid to make savings to secure the broadcaster’s future.
The BBC needs to save…
by 2028 to respond to the pressures of rising costs.
“We need to make every pound work harder for audiences as we respond to the immediate cost pressures and reinvent the BBC for a changing world. We all know that means tough choices… I recognise the confirmation of this news will be hard for audiences and colleagues”
bBC Director-General Matt Brittin
The poll that shows how Badenoch bounce is punishing Reform
Kemi Badenoch‘s rising popularity has pushed the Conservative Party ahead of Reform UK to being seen publicly as the main opposition party to Labour for the first time this Parliament, a new poll has found.
What did the poll find?
Of the 2,200 surveyed by pollster Ipsos…
35%
said they view the Conservatives as the main opposition party.
This put them three points ahead of reform on…
32%
Reform was the party in second place for most of the summer, at around three points behind Labour.
Party conference push
Ipsos conducted the poll from 9-13 October after the Tory party’s conference in Birmingham, suggesting Badenoch’s speech went down well. She promised to scrap inheritance tax on family homes, a £10bn air and missile defence system and 50,000 new prison places. The Tories could also be benefitting from the racism and sexism scandal dogging Nigel Farage’s Reform.
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A temporary bounce?
Meanwhile, in the battle for hearts and minds on the right, the Conservatives continue to make progress. Time will tell if this leads to a decisive shift in voter preferences in their direction or if this is merely a low ebb for Reform UK that they recover from.
Keiran Pedley, UK Director of Politics at Ipsos
Badenoch attacks Reform UK
How AI tool can predict cancer survival by patient selfie
An AI tool developed by doctors can predict a cancer patient’s chance of survival by scanning a single picture of their face, new research has found.
What does the research show?
Researchers at academic health centre Mass General Brigham in Boston, Massachusetts, trained the AI tool on more than 40 million images of cancer patients. The scanner estimates a person’s biological age (how old they look rather than their chronological age) and predicts their chances of survival from cancer.
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How does the technology work?
The system relies on two tools which scan different parts of the face for clues, one looking at the area below the eyes and the other focussed on the creases around the mouth, forehead and temples.
The people who looked five or more years older than their actual age had a 21 per cent higher risk of dying during the average four-year follow-up than the rest of the group. The patients who looked five or more years younger had a 17 per cent lower risk.
Results could guide treatment plans
As the population ages, physicians need better ways to estimate physical reserve and frailty before recommending intensive treatments such as radiation, surgery or systemic therapy…[The technology] can support personalised treatment decisions.
Dr Raymond Mak, radiation oncologist at Mass General Brigham
More health from The i Paper
New rights for drivers to challenge ‘rip-off’ parking fines
Andy Burnham has announced a new set of rules to protect drivers from unfair parking charges, giving them the right to appeal fines they receive as a result of “honest mistakes” or certain acceptable excuses.
What do the new rules cover?
Grace period
Drivers will get 5 minutes to buy a ticket on arrival and 10 minutes to leave.
Honest mistakes
Time to check directions once in the car.
Extraordinary situations
Problems outside a driver’s control such as a breakdown or medical emergency.
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How will the rules work?
- Drivers will still be fined but will have the right to appeal.
- Not displaying the permit or mistyping your number-plate will see the fine reduced to £20.
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What is not changing?
- The code comes into force on 21 December.
- Most parking firms were already following these rules as set by their trade bodies, but they can now be legally enforced.
- There was already a cap of £100 on fines, which remains in place.
- Fees for late payment are still capped at £70, though the Government has promised a consultation on the charge.
How to be more grateful for daily life in five easy steps
The world feels like a difficult place at the moment, and it can feel very hard sometimes to find things to be thankful for; when we are overwhelmed, we have less capacity to notice and reflect on the good things. Yet, ironically, proactively cultivating gratitude is one of the things that can actually help us feel less stressed.
NHS GP dR RADHA
The science
Research has shown that feeling or expressing thanks can actually alter our brain.
- The balance of neurotransmitters change; more serotonin and dopamine (feel good chemicals) are produced.
- This can be long lasting if we make gratitude a regular habit.
- We also get a decrease in our cortisol (stress hormone) levels which helps lower anxiety.
- Being grateful can strengthen the nerve pathways which triggers positive emotion.
How can we build gratitude?
Change your words
Instead of seeing something as a problem, try to see the opportunities within it.
Our brains are very receptive and what we read or write can alter our emotional system.
Express it
This will not only make you feel good, but you will also get a positive response from others.
How can we build gratitude?
Notice more
Throughout your day, try to notice all the things that are going well; has someone opened a door for you, or smiled?
The basics
By being thankful for the small things every day, we are far more likely to be and stay healthy so that we can enjoy them.
What to do
Gratitude can lead to feelings of optimism, lower our blood pressure, and improve sleep quality.
- Write down what potential good aspects there are to the things you don’t feel like doing, or even what could be worse about it.
- Spend a few minutes writing down three things that you are looking forward to that day, or the good things that have happened to you that day.
- Say thank you to yourself for the things you have achieved, or managed to get through and changed that day.
It comes one week ahead of Chancellor John Healey’s first Budget, where he is expected to outline how he will fill a £4.7bn defence spending gap left by Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
What is the Boxer – and which versions are being cut?
The Boxer is an armoured fighting vehicle that is modular, meaning it can have different functions fitted atop a common frame and engine.
The Ministry of Defence has in recent years ordered 623 Boxer vehicles, which it says will enable the Army to “operate differently from conventional industrial age combat forces”, offering “unique competitive advantage whether fighting, peacekeeping or delivering humanitarian aid”.
But the latest annual Government finance reports show the budget for the Boxer programme was cut from just over £7bn to £5.16bn.
Asked about the funding removal, Pollard confirmed in a parliamentary statement last week that the Army is no “longer pursuing” three variants of the Boxer and is “considering how the underlying capability requirements will be addressed”.
One is the mounted close-combat overwatch version, a long-range system providing anti-armour support, capable of carrying multiple missiles weighing up to 50kg with a range of around 10km, defence blog reports suggest.
The second is the armoured mortar variant, which includes a mortar weapons system integrated onto the Boxer and allows the vehicle to fire while moving. Its prototype was first revealed in 2024, with the UK Defence Journal reporting that the system “can perform both direct and indirect fire, adding flexibility to various combat scenarios”.
The MoD declined to say what role these vehicles were designed to play in the Army or how they could be replaced.
But the slashed variant causing the most concern in defence is the repair-and-recovery vehicles used to retrieve and refit damaged Boxers.
Repair vehicle cuts ‘huge disadvantage’ on battlefield
Under the plans, the MoD will also no longer buy a dedicated repair-and-recovery vehicle for Boxers.
While all Boxers are technically capable of helping tow other Boxers, Obese-Jecty said that it will be impossible to tow a vehicle if its wheels have been blown off, or unsafe for crews to get out and attach a winch in a firefight.
The lack of a dedicated recovery vehicle means heavy damage could take Boxers out of a fight – left on the battlefield and destroyed by the Army – rather than recovered and reused, Obese-Jecty said.
“We would lose vehicles that you could otherwise save for want of having a recovery vehicle,” he told The i Paper. “This is a huge disadvantage on the battlefield. If [the] 3rd Division gets deployed in a warfighting scenario, it may be unable to recover any of its vehicles.”
The 3rd Division is one of the Army’s two deployable divisions held at operational readiness, and includes armoured brigades.
“These cuts mark a reduction in overall capability for Boxer, which was supposed to be the future of the Army’s mechanised infantry capabilities,” Obese-Jecty said.
“If the Government is skimping on the number of Boxers being purchased and the capabilities they have, this calls into question the wider strategy for the Army’s development and the deployability of [the] 3rd Division, who could be going into battle with one hand behind their back.”
Soldiers could be left vulnerable
At 38 tonnes, Boxers are difficult to recover and repair, said Sam Cranny-Evans, an associate fellow at Rusi. Due to extensive use on the battlefield, Boxers can shed tyres, break down, get stuck in mud and suffer damage from explosives.
If Boxers cannot be easily recovered, their crews could be left vulnerable, and forced to ditch an expensive vehicle that could otherwise have been fixed and reused. This is particularly alarming at a time of strained defence budgets and concerns about military resources available in the case of all-out war.
Without a recovery vehicle, “you’re selling yourself short on that vehicle’s full potential”, said Cranny-Evans.
Cranny-Evans pointed to the experience of US forces deployed in Afghanistan, who had a similar vehicle named Striker, 10 to 20 tonnes lighter than Boxer. If Striker went over an IED or mine, it would lose its tyres and lock up the brakes or suspension, leaving it stranded.
“The US didn’t have a Striker-based recovery vehicle. They just had a general vehicle which serviced all of the vehicles they were using in Afghanistan. Because of this, there is anecdotal evidence that [they] had to sometimes leave guys outside of vehicle to defend it while they waited for recovery to come,” he said.
Obese-Jecty also noted that other armoured vehicles, like the Ajax and Challenger 2s, have designated recovery vehicles.
Released cash could be spent on higher priorities
But defence insiders stressed the money had never been fully committed to the three Boxer variants, and this was all a future funding plan. There are no changes to the immediate £2.2bn budget for Boxer over the next four years.
An MoD spokesperson said the British Army is still receiving “hundreds of cutting-edge Boxer vehicles to support soldiers on the front line” which will “absolutely have the ability to recover such vehicles from the battlefield”.
The MoD has also ordered Boxer equipment-support vehicles in production, and plans to procure a heavy-wheeled recovery vehicle that could help recover damaged Boxers.
“We are prioritising spend against those capabilities as recommended by the Army,” Pollard said.
An Army source suggested they could use existing recovery vehicles, like the Challenger 2’s version, to rescue Boxer if needed.
And in a life-or-death situation, the Army may choose to abandon the Boxer anyway. “The living take priority over the dead,” Cranny-Evans said. “In a mass war, you’re just going to leave it.”
He added that if the money is being diverted to other capabilities more important for the Army in the short term – such as ammunition and shells, whose stockpiles are feared to be low – this could ultimately be a sensible decision.
“Bluntly, if you don’t have bullets, you can’t fight a war,” he said. “If they’re saying, ‘We’d rather have ammunition’, that’s the right decision.”