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The fall-out from the Autumn statement continues, and this time it is a former Minister who has laid into Philip Hammond. During his Autumn statement, the last one ever apparently, the Chancellor should have given more funding to the social sector, Stephen Dorrell claims. Dorrell, a former Health Sec told the Andrew Marr show that he was “very disappointed” that Hammond didn’t use his statement to plough additional funds in social care. Dorell is not a lone voice in his...

Cuba's former president Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90. One of the world's longest-serving and most iconic leaders leaves the country in a state of progressive transition as it opens its arms to the World after years of isolation. His younger brother and successor as president Raul Castro told the nation on state television that Fidel had died and would be cremated later on Saturday. "The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died at 22:29 hours this...

A Tory MP who once appeared half naked in a TV advert has finally taken the plunge and admitted to being a 'giant penis'. In a move that will hopefully inspire others, Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer responding to a tweet about a genital-shaped cloud on a BBC weather report which appeared to show a rudely-shaped cloud pointing at the Devon city. But while BBC weatherman Matt Taylor appeared not to spot the willy shape several viewers - including Johnny - were quick to...

Warning of shopper fatigue looks to have materialised this year as the Black Friday rush flops on the high street. Fences were erected outside many shops to avoid the chaos that broke out over the past few years, but they stood empty at the start of trading as most shoppers decide to stay at home to bag the best deals. Online spending on Black Friday is expected to reach £1 billion, up 16 per cent on last year, while it...

The constant stress of being poor really does make you ill, a new study found. Being on the bottom rung of the social ladder can alter the body's immune system so it goes into overdrive and starts attacking the body by causing inflammation.  The findings may help explain why the rich tend to live longer than the poor which cannot be explained just by better health care or lifestyle such as smoking, diets or exercising. The US study found social...

They say that the grass is always greener on the other side, but in this instance they could be right! An eco pioneer says he has found the answer to Britain's growing energy needs by making gas from grass. Dale Vince claims the ultra-green technology is a viable alternative to fracking and could produce enough energy to heat 97 per cent of the country's homes. He said if fully developed the new industry would pump £7.5 billion each year into the economy and...

Polysemy: the capacity for a sign (such as a word, phrase, or symbol) to have multiple meanings. There are few responses that evoke as many connotations as "I'm Fine". You can be fine as in you're feeling fine, comme ci comme ça, bene, sound. You can be fine as in your neither here nor there, mediocre, average. Or you can be fine as in you're not fine but you don't want to bother anybody, and according to a new study, that's a...

The NHS is in a mess. Doctors say it. The BMA says it. Journalists say it. And most importantly patients say it. The only people who don’t say it are the Tory government. During today’s PMQs Corbyn made another telling performance, attacking May on the health service, and the “post-truths” her party has made up about it. May said there was £10bn extra funding for the NHS but that figure has been questioned by the UK Statistics Authority, and the...

The World’s Largest Lego Ship docked in Trafalgar Square last week as part of a UK tour that ends in Dover before setting sail to Copenhagen. The ship was built as part of DFDS’ 150th Anniversary and consists of over a million Lego bricks. It took 900 hours to construct and stretches 12 metres long! A time-lapse film of the construction has also been released: Vital statistics: Length:12.035m Width: 1.67m Height: 2.72m Weight: 2,860kg Number of Lego bricks used: 1,015,000 Time to build: 900...