A man has been convicted after being arrested by the Met for threatening behaviour towards an MP.
James Phillips pleaded guilty to malicious communications at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 7 February, the day after he was arrested by Met Police.
An investigation was launched on Thursday, 1 February after the Met was contacted by the office of Mike Freer MP that he had received a threatening and abusive phone call the previous day.
Phillips was identified and arrested on Tuesday 6th February.

The Scottish Government has announced plans to continue setting a minimum price per unit of alcohol and to increase it by 15p.
The plans are set to go before the Scottish Parliament for approval.
As part of a ‘sunset clause’ when Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) legislation was introduced in 2018, it will end on 30 April this year unless Parliament votes to keep it.
The price increase is included to counteract the effects of inflation and 65p has been selected as the Scottish Government seeks to increase the positive effects of the policy.

Scottish cabinet secretary for NHS recovery, health and social care Michael Matheson has handed in his resignation to the first minister.
Matheson joined the Scottish Government in 2011 as minister for public health. He was appointed cabinet secretary for justice in 2014, cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity in 2018, cabinet secretary for net zero, energy and transport in 2021, before being appointed as cabinet secretary for NHS recovery, health and social care in March 2023.

The government has announced funding for projects to improve lowland peat soils.
The projects will use government funding to improve the management of water on lowland peat and enhance understanding of climate change impacts and flood risk
Peatlands are the country's largest terrestrial carbon store. However, due to centuries of drainage for agriculture, only 1 per cent of  England’s lowland peatlands remain in a near-natural state. Drained peatlands account for 88 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions from England’s peat.

Homes England and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enter into a Strategic Place Partnership (SPP) designed to deliver more high quality and affordable homes that support regeneration and placemaking.
Homes England uses SPPs to advance locally led housing growth and regeneration. They are designed to support sub-regions with the most ambitious proposals for housing growth and are centred around a shared business plan for bringing those proposals forward.

The government has released new plans intended to ensure that social housing tenants will receive fairer and better service from their housing provider.
New standards set by the government will make sure that providers equip staff with the skills, experience and knowledge to deliver the excellent service that tenants want and deserve.

According to official statistics, the UK is the first major economy to halve its emissions.
The statistics show that the UK has cut emissions by 50 per cent between 1990 and 2022. This compares to a 23% reduction in France and no change in the USA between 1990 and 2021.
According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the reductions are largely due to cutting emissions from energy generation, through the shift away from using coal to using renewables.

A man has been charged with malicious communications after an abusive and threatening phone call to MP Mike Freer.
James Phillips is also charged with assaulting an emergency services worker (police officer).
The 46-year-old will appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 7 February.
Mike Freer is the MP for Finchley and Golders Green is to stand down at the next election over safety fears.
There was an arson attack at his office on Christmas Eve, with a man and a woman charged with arson with intent to endanger life.

New measures to support electric vehicle drivers from the Plan for Drivers have come into effect.
The measures include grants for schools, money for councils and new proposals to increase the number of charge points.
The first capital payments from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund have be approved to three local authorities and two London boroughs. The funding will support the installation of thousands of new chargers.
A consultation has also been launched to look at ways to speed up chargepoint installation.

The Levelling up secretary has confirmed the final local government finance settlement for 2024-25, which makes available £64.7 billion for local government.
There will be up to £4.5 billion more for councils in England in 2024-25.
The package includes the already announced £600 million in extra support to bolster council budgets, including £500 million for social care.
The Funding Guarantee will ensure that all councils will see an increase in Core Spending Power of at least 4 per cent before any local choices on council tax.