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Laura Kuenssberg Corners Minister Over Real-Life Impact Of Bus Fare Cap Hike

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Laura Kuenssberg put the transport secretary on the spot this morning over Labour’s decision to increase the bus fare cap to £3 by reading out the real-life impact of the move.

The government decided in last month’s Budget that, to help fill the “black hole” the Tories supposedly left in the public finances, they would increase the cap from £2.

The department for transport has now announced £1bn of funding will go on delivering London-style buses nationwide, with an extra £151m going on funding the £3 cap outside of the capital until 2025.

But, as the presenter told Louise Haigh, this still means some people will be worse off.

On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC host began by asking: “Do you admit just it’s logical that will make it more expensive for people to get around?”

“The £2 fare cap was due to finish on 31 December, that was the funding settlement I inherited,” Haigh replied.

She said that Labour then “stepped in” to protect the cap at £3, adding: “That means for rural routes in particular where bus fares could have leapt back up to £13 or £14 in some instances, we are keeping it much lower at £3.”

Haigh also said the government has made sure some operators cannot raise fares more than in line with inflation, so that they would not expect all fares to raise to £3, that is just a maximum amount.

But Kuenssberg pushed: “Protecting the cap, as you put it, means increasing fares for lots of people.”

She then read out of an example from a viewer’s relative, who may now have to pay an extra £15 per week just to get to work as she has to get three buses in her commute.

“Where’s she meant to get the money from?” Kuenssberg asked.

Haigh said it would be more economical to buy a weekly card, but the presenter cut in: “OK, this is a real-life example.

“One of our viewers says in their family they’re going to have to find an extra £15 a week, and that’s money they don’t have. What are they meant to do?”

Haigh just said the government stepped in with £150m to protect the fare at £3, and said the fare should not go up to that full amount in urban areas.

The exchange comes a few weeks after health secretary Wes Streeting claimed the bus cap would have risen to £10 if Labour had not acted.

Haigh also refused to commit to extending the £3 cap beyond 2025, telling Times Radio this morning: “So the fare cap is funded until the 31st of December 2025 and over the next year.

“We’ll work to evaluate how that is having an impact and where the cap should land and what the best intervention is.

“We made the choice to step in and fund the cap at £3 after the 31st of December this year.

“But we’re also making the choice to fund £1 billion worth of local bus services today in this announcement because the major thing that keeps people off the buses is the total lack of reliability.”

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Thought The Stars Of Hot Frosty Looked Familiar? Here’s Where You’ve Seen The Cast Before

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We’ve only just passed the halfway mark of November, but apparently people are already flocking to watch Christmas films in their droves.

No sooner did Netflix’s original festive movie Meet Me Next Christmas rise to the top of the platform’s list of most-watched films this week than it was replaced by another new Yuletide film, Hot Frosty.

If you’re not familiar with the new Netflix original, it centres around a young widow whose life changes when she accidentally brings a snowman to life with a magic scarf (yes, really), only to discover that, as the title suggests, he’s actually extremely hot.

And for those who are familiar with Hot Frosty, you might have found yourself pondering exactly where you’ve seen certain members of the cast before.

Well, wonder no more. Here’s a quick guide to where you recognise the stars of Hot Frosty from…

Lacey Chabert

Lacey Chabert in Mean Girls
Lacey Chabert in Mean Girls

Lacey Chabert’s most famous role is as Regina George’s second-in-command, Gretchen Wieners, in the cult teen comedy Mean Girls (y’know, the one whose dad invented toaster strudel).

As well as playing Gretchen, Lacey is also a voice actor, playing Eliza Thornberry in the animated series The Wild Thornberrys and originating the role of Meg Griffin in Family Guy, before Mila Kunis took over the character.

The US star is also no stranger to a Christmas movie or two, appearing in *deep breath* A Christmas Melody, All I Want For Christmas Is You, Black Christmas, A Royal Christmas and The Three That Saved Christmas, to name but a few.

Dustin Milligan

Dustin Milligan in Schitt's Creek
Dustin Milligan in Schitt’s Creek

Dustin Milligan plays the titular Hot Frosty, and will be familiar to Schitt’s Creek fans for his portrayal as Ted Mullens in all six seasons of the Emmy-winning comedy.

The Canadian performer got his start in the teen drama 90210 as Ethan Ward, and has since appeared in X Company, A Simple Favor and the star-studded reality show RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race.

Craig Robinson

Craig Robinson in The Office
Craig Robinson in The Office

Chris Haston/NBC

Craig Robinson was previously nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award alongside the rest of his co-stars in The Office, in which he played warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin.

He’s also known for his work on Mr Robot and his many collaborations with Seth Rogen, which have included Pineapple Express, This Is The End and the X-rated animated comedy Sausage Party.

More recently, he fronted the US version of The Masked Dancer and took the lead in the comedy Killing It, on which he was also executive producer.

Joe Lo Truglio

Joe Lo Truglio in Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Joe Lo Truglio in Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Erica Parise /NBC

If you’ve seen the police comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the chances are you remember Joe for his portrayal of detective Charles Boyle, the right-hand man of Andy Samberg’s character.

As well as his own career as a stand-up, Joe also has roles in a number of hit American comedies including Superbad, Role Models, Wet Hot American Summer and I Love You, Man.

Chrishell Stause

Chrishell Stause in Selling Sunset
Chrishell Stause in Selling Sunset

No, you weren’t mistaken, that was, indeed, Selling Sunset’s own Chrishell Stause playing Jan.

Before venturing into the world of real estate, Chrishell was a US soap star, with long-standing roles in both All My Children and Days Of Our Lives.

Since her new-found rise to fame, she’s also competed on Dancing With The Stars and the US version of The Traitors.

Katy Mixon

Katy Mixon as Victoria Flynn in Mike And Molly
Katy Mixon as Victoria Flynn in Mike And Molly

Katy’s TV work has included leading roles in American Housewife and Eastbound And Down.

Comedy fans might remember her from her performance opposite Melissa McCarthy in Mike And Molly or her short stint in Two And A Half Men.

Like co-star Lacey, Hot Frosty is also not Katy’s first time at the festive rodeo, as she previously appeared alongside Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn in the comedy Four Christmases.

Lauren Holly

Lauren Holly in NCIS
Lauren Holly in NCIS

Again, Lauren already had plenty of Christmas films to her name before being cast in Hot Frosty, such as The Town That Christmas Forgot, Christmas Catch and Country Roads Christmas.

NCIS devotees will also remember her for her role as Jenny Shepard in three seasons of the police drama, while her additional film work has included Dumb And Dumber and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.

More recently, she also played Monique in Tiny Pretty Things and Joanne Kowalski in Family Law.

Sherry Miller

Sherry Miller in Queer As Folk
Sherry Miller in Queer As Folk

Like Hot Frosty co-star Dustin Milligan, Sherry will be a familiar face to Schitt’s Creek fans thanks to her two-episode stint as Bev in the hit Canadian comedy.

Prior to that, she was part of the US remake of Queer As Folk, playing Justin’s mother, Jennifer Taylor.

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It’s Not Just Bread And Milk ― Hedgehog Food Can Be Bad For Them Too

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As we head into the winter months, hedgehogs are weeks away from settling into hibernation.

During their seasonal slumber, the animals rely on fat stores accumulated over the summer to survive, making this a crucial period for their diet.

To keep the creatures fed, many of us might start thinking about leaving food out for them in our gardens (though it’s also helpful to keep late-blooming plants like some ivy untrimmed and avoid raking leaves, so they have a store of bugs to eat).

Most of us know not to feed them milk or bread, as this is bad for their stomachs.

But according to hedgehog rescue centre Hedgehog Cabin and The Wildlife Trusts, what would seem like the safest alternative ― specially-designed hedgehog food ― can often pose its own threats.

Why would food designed for hedgehogs be bad for them?

The Wildlife Trust points out that unlike cat food (which actually suits hedgehogs just fine), hedgehog food is not regulated.

Therefore its quality and ingredients vary.

“There are many unscrupulous companies keen to cash in on the growing army of kind people trying to halt the hedgehog’s decline, and will happily sell little more than floor sweeping of the cheapest, most unsuitable products, all wrapped up with a nice picture of a cute hedgehog, at the highest possible price,” Hedgehog Cabin warns.

They explain that some hedgehog feed includes mealworms, peanuts, oats, sunflower hearts and other ingredients that the creatures might like eating, but which are bad for them overall.

Mealworms, for example, are low in calories but delicious to hedgehogs, meaning they overeat on the food and ignore more nutrient-dense fare (a bit like ducks with bread).

Eating too many mealworms can even lead to metabolic bone disease, a painful condition that can unfortunately be fatal to hedgehogs.

What should I feed them instead?

You can get good hedgehog feed from reliable sources, but it’s important you ensure that its main ingredient is meat, and that it contains zero sunflower hearts, mealworms, oats or peanuts.

These are the worst ingredients they could have, Hedgehog Cabin write, as they can all contribute to metabolic bone disease.

But there’s a simpler solution ― “plain kitten biscuits or meat-based wet dog or cat food” are perfect for their nutritional needs, The Wildlife Trusts say.

As cat food is more meat-heavy, though, it may sometimes do a better job. Don’t feed them dry dog food, either, which may contain too much grain.

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How Your Parenting Style Could Be Impacting Your Child’s Brain

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A team of researchers from the University of Michigan have found that harsh parenting during infancy can impact children right into adolesence.

The data, which originated from the Future of Families and Child Well-being Study, was collected between February 1998 and June 2021. The current study sample includes an analysis of 173 youths.

“Harsh parenting in late childhood more specifically affected the corticolimbic circuit—a specific part of the brain that includes the amygdala and frontal cortex and is involved in processing and regulating emotion,” researches said.

However, it’s not all bad news.

The team also found that warm parenting — which they define as “responsiveness” — during middle childhood was associated with how the amygdala (a small part of the brain involved in emotion and processing threats) was differentially connected to other parts of the brain.

Importantly, parenting warmth predicted reduced anxiety and depression 15 years later during the Covid-19 pandemic due to its effects on the amygdala.

Why this research is hopeful

“Understanding these sensitive periods can inform more effective policy and intervention strategies,” says Luke Hyde, a University of Michigan professor of psychology and faculty associate at the Institute for Social Research.

Cleanthis Michael, a graduate student and the study’s first author, says the “findings indicate that earlier interventions may offer broader benefits for brain development”.

Michael added: “Because these experiences seemed to affect later risk for depression and anxiety, this research highlights periods of vulnerability and opportunity for treatments and policy to promote healthy, long-term development. Interventions for parents, and policies that support parents, may have more profound impacts earlier in life.”

Strict parenting is often detrimental

Counsellor Marissa Moore wrote for PsychCentral about strict parenting and said: “There are a few benefits to strict parenting, such as having your children behave in public or setting high expectations for themselves in achieving their goals.

“However, the long-term effects of authoritarian parenting tend to negatively affect children’s self-esteem, academic achievement, and overall life satisfaction.”

Instead, she recommends authoritative parenting, explaining: “Authoritative parenting, which finds a balance between having rules and supporting them if they don’t meet them, appears to have the best outcomes.”

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Hit Podcast Host Becomes Third Celebrity Confirmed For Strictly’s Christmas Special

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Vogue Williams has become the third celebrity confirmed for this year’s Christmas special of Strictly Come Dancing.

The Irish presenter is perhaps best known as one of the co-hosts of the podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me, and previously fronted her own documentary series On The Edge.

She’s also competed on reality shows like Bear Grylls: Mission Survive, The Jump and Stepping Out (the short-lived ITV dance series, on which she competed with then-husband Brian McFadden).

She also competed on the Australian version of Strictly, Dancing With The Stars, back in 2012, and was the third person to be eliminated.

Vogue Williams
Vogue Williams

Vogue will compete with Carlos Gu in the festive special, which will air on BBC One on Christmas Day.

“I’m so excited to join the Strictly family! Carlos would have more of a chance of winning a Nobel prize than turning me into a good dancer but I am determined to try my very best!” she joked. “I’m loving it so far, bring on the ballroom floor.”

Earlier this week, comedian Josh Widdicombe became the first celebrity confirmed for the special, followed by Drag Race UK finalist Tayce.

Tayce will make history as the first drag artist to compete on the Strictly floor, where she’ll be paired with Kai Widdrington.

Next week, the remaining three celebrities who’ll be put through their paces on the Strictly Christmas special will be unveiled.

Before that, though, the regular series will be taking its annual trip to Blackpool, with a special episode broadcast live from the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

Take a peek at what to expect below:

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Has Wes Streeting Dealt The Final Blow To The UK’s Assisted Dying Bill?

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Wes Streeting is a very clever man.

As one of the government’s best communicators, the health secretary knows that when he speaks, people tend to listen.

So when he decided to make an intervention on fellow Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Assisted Dying Bill this week, he knew that it would make waves.

Streeting, who has already said he intends to vote against the bill, told Times Radio: “It would be a big change. There would be resource implications for doing it. And those choices would come at the expense of other choices.”

His message was clear: passing the bill would cost money, and that would have to come at the expense of frontline NHS services.

Leadbeater told HuffPost UK that she found Streeting’s comments “upsetting”, especially since the government’s official position is to remain neutral on the legislation.

“It’s a difficult balance for people,” she said. “I was disappointed that he made those comments before he saw the bill. But everyone is entitled to their view.”

Others are less sanguine about Streeting’s intervention, however.

Labour peer and former minister Baroness Hodge said: “I’m a great Wes Streeting fan but I think on this issue he should do what the Cabinet Secretary said and just hold fire a little bit.”

On his specific suggestion that the bill could see the NHS starved of resources, she said: “If you look at the NHS budget, most of it goes on the last six months of life.

“To argue that this is going to cost extra – I mean I haven’t done the arithmetic on it – sounds to me a bit daft.”

Another Labour grandee, former deputy leader Baroness Harman, told the Electoral Dysfunction podcast that Streeting had “crossed the line” by speaking out.

“He should not have said how he was going to vote, because that breaches neutrality and sends a signal,” she said.

Wes Streeting's interventions on the assisted dying debate have angered some of his colleagues.
Wes Streeting’s interventions on the assisted dying debate have angered some of his colleagues.

via Associated Press

Several MPs HuffPost UK has spoken to admitted privately that Streeting’s intervention could lead to previously-undecided colleagues opting to vote against the bill.

One newly-elected Labour MP said: “Wes’s comments will help a lot of us make up our minds, I think. I was already pretty sceptical about the bill, but what he said has made me much more likely to vote against.”

A senior Tory MP said: “When Wes said there will have to be NHS cuts, that probably killed the bill stone dead.”

But Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon, who is a supporter of the bill, said Streeting’s remarks could actually have the opposite effect.

“A lot of Labour MPs feel let down by Wes,” he said. “They think he’s gone too far and that’s made them more determined to support the bill.”

The debate around the issue has already been lengthy and intense, despite the fact that the bill itself was only published last Monday night.

If passed, it would allow terminally ill adults who have less than six months to die if they wish.

They would have to be over the age of 18, be registered with a GP for at least a year, have the mental capacity to make a clear choice and express a “clear, settled and informed” wish to die without any coercion.

Two independent doctors and a High Court judge would also have to confirm the person is eligible for assisted dying.

“When Wes said there will have to be NHS cuts, that probably killed the bill stone dead”

The all-important Commons vote on the second reading of the bill takes place on November 29.

While no one is expecting a repeat of the last time MPs voted on the issue nine years ago, when Rob Marris’ private member’s bill was resoundingly defeated by 330 to 118, there is a growing feeling that it could be narrowly defeated.

One former Tory cabinet minister said: “There’s an expectation that a lot of the new Labour MPs will vote for it, but I don’t think that’s right.

“A lot of colleagues are also concerned about the lack of parliamentary time being given to it.”

The debate on November 29 is only scheduled to last five hours, which Conservative backbencher Alec Shelbrooke told HuffPost UK was nowhere near enough for an issue of such importance.

The Wetherby and Easingwold MP asked Keir Starmer at PMQs on Wednesday for the government to make available two days of parliamentary time – 16 hours in total – for the bill to be debated. He declined.

Shelbrooke said: “I am open minded but without extra floor debate I would not be able to give this a second reading.”

Kim Leadbeater speaks to the press during a gathering in favour of the proposal to legalise euthanasia in the UK.
Kim Leadbeater speaks to the press during a gathering in favour of the proposal to legalise euthanasia in the UK.

JUSTIN TALLIS via AFP via Getty Images

But Leadbeater said those with concerns should back the bill at the end of the month, after which there will still be a lengthy parliamentary process for it to be thoroughly debated.

“Once we get it through on November 29 – if we do – we’ve then got committee stage, report stage, third reading and then it goes to the Lords, so that is a six month process,” she said.

“Just because the debate is not happening on the floor of the House doesn’t mean it’s not happening at all.”

She also pointed out that MPs have been able to take part in drop-in events in parliament, where those on both sides of the argument have been setting out their case.

“I’ve had a number of messages from colleagues saying they had gone through the bill and will now be voting for it,” Leadbeater said.

“You’ve got people in the middle who looking at the bill and really doing the research, speaking to constituents, having round tables and speaking to various organisations.

“But I also respect those who say they won’t be voting for it. Whatever happens with the bill, and I desperately hope it passes, I hope it leads to a wider debate on the issue. There are a lot of positives that can come out of it.”

Campaigners near Parliament Square against the proposed bill to legalise assisted dying.
Campaigners near Parliament Square against the proposed bill to legalise assisted dying.

Dan Kitwood via Getty Images

Views on the issue among the public appear to be just as mixed as they are in parliament.

A poll by Savanta found that 46% support assisted dying for non-terminal degenerative diseases, compared to 20% who are opposed.

However, 61% said they were concerned that if the bill passed, terminally ill people might be pressured into taking their lives due to cost or inconvencience.

Emma Levin, associate director at Savanta said: “Our polling suggests there are significant levels of support among the UK public for the legalisation of assisted dying – in the abstract.

“That being said, there continues to be widespread concern that people could be pressured into taking their own life prematurely. Campaigners for the legalisation of assisted dying will need to convince the public of the safeguards put in place to stop this happening.”

The vote in two weeks’ time is set to be one of the most significant of this or any parliament.

It is impossible to predict how it will go, but the pressure is on the bill’s supporters to convince the sceptics that it is an idea whose time has come.

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Hugh Grant Reveals What Moved Him To Tears About New Bridget Jones Film

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Hugh Grant has revealed he had a big reaction when he first read the script for the upcoming Bridget Jones movie.

The British actor is set to reprise his role as Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, after previously sitting out the third instalment in the series.

A new trailer for Mad About The Boy dropped earlier this week, introducing Bridget at a new stage in her life, following the death of her husband Mark Darcy.

During a new interview with SiriusXM, Hugh was asked if there were any details he could share about the forthcoming movie.

“I haven’t seen it, but obviously I know the script,” the Bafta winner began. “I’m a harsh judge of scripts, and it was really good. Really moving, as well as funny.

“Helen Fielding, who wrote the Bridget books, this [story] is based on her own experience of losing her husband and bringing up her kids alone. So it’s got a huge amount of heart. It made me cry.”

“Have I made it sound too dark? It’s also extremely funny,” he quickly added.

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Back in September, Hugh reflected on his decision not to return for Bridget Jones’s Baby, claiming: “I really couldn’t fit my character in – he just didn’t belong, so I stepped aside.”

In his new interview, the Heretic star elaborated further on his absence from the third Bridget Jones movie, recalling: “It had a great set-up, that she’s pregnant, and doesn’t know whether it’s Darcy’s baby or Daniel’s baby. That was marvellous.

“But I could never work out how Daniel would handle either being a father, or not being a father. Couldn’t make him work. And we went through agony, months and months, and in the end I said, ‘I think I’d better sit this one out’. So I did. And they made a wonderful film anyway.”

Bridget Jones’s Baby actually opens at Daniel Cleaver’s funeral, although the end of the movie hints the character may still be alive after all, which, of course, turns out to be the case in film number four.

While Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy will be a streaming exclusive in the US, it’s due to hit UK cinemas on Friday 14 February 2025.

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