UK politics news today: gas standing charges to go, facial recognition law, young people out of work
By the Population Decides team. Every story summarised from several outlets, with links to the originals.
Good morning. It is Thursday 5 November 2026. The government brings in a new energy law that would scrap the daily standing charge on gas, sets out tighter rules for police use of facial recognition, and new figures show nearly half of young people not in work or education are classed as disabled. The Bank of England also decides on interest rates today. Here is what happened and what it means for you.
New energy law would scrap the daily standing charge on gas bills
The government has brought a new law called the Energy Independence Bill to Parliament, and says it will be changed to scrap the daily standing charge on gas for around 23 million households.
A standing charge is the fixed amount you pay each day just for being connected, however much energy you use. The government expects around 60% of gas customers to save an average of £45 a year. The Bill also makes permanent, until March 2029, a move that shifts 75% of the cost of an older green energy scheme off household bills and onto general government spending. Ministers say that has already taken around £90 a year off a typical bill.
Other parts of the plan include fines of up to £30,000 for landlords who break energy efficiency rules, a right for local communities to be offered up to a 20% share in new wind and solar projects, and a publicly owned Great British Grid. There will be no new licences to explore for new oil and gas fields in the North Sea, with a £2 billion Energy Wealth Fund and a jobs service for workers in the industry. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said "bills are too high". Supporters of more North Sea drilling argue that new fields would protect jobs and energy security. Read our guide to energy and the Rosebank oil field, and check last week's help with bills in our Budget calculator.
Explain it like I'm 15
Right now you pay a fixed daily fee for gas even if you use very little. The government wants to get rid of that fee, which would cut most gas bills a bit, and it is also stopping new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.
The People's Verdict: Should the government stop new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea?
Police use of facial recognition cameras to get its own law and watchdog
The Home Secretary has set out new legal rules for how police can use facial recognition, the technology that scans faces in a crowd and checks them against a list of wanted people.
Under the plans, an independent watchdog would oversee the technology and could go to court to stop a police force using it if the rules are broken. Systems would have to be tested independently to check they do not treat people unfairly because of their age, gender or race. Police could only use live cameras when they believe wanted people may be in an area. There would be a code of practice for police and a separate one for private businesses such as shops.
The Home Office says fixed cameras in Croydon led to 173 arrests between October 2025 and March 2026, and £11 million will triple the number of facial recognition vans in England and Wales. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called it the biggest breakthrough for catching criminals "since DNA matching". Privacy campaigners have long argued that scanning the faces of everyone who walks past a camera goes too far, while supporters say clear laws will build trust. See what your MP has said about policing.
Explain it like I'm 15
Some police cameras can now spot wanted people by their face. The government wants a proper law and a watchdog to control how and where these cameras are used.
The People's Verdict: How should police use live facial recognition cameras?
Nearly half of young people not in work or education are classed as disabled
New government figures show that 45.3% of young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training were classed as disabled in the year to March 2026.
These young people are often called NEETs. The share who are disabled has more than doubled from 21.1% in the year to March 2014, according to the Department for Work and Pensions. The most common main health condition among disabled NEETs was depression or anxiety, followed by autism. The Office for National Statistics estimates there were about 981,000 NEETs between April and June 2026, down from just over a million earlier in the year.
A government review of young people not in work is expected in the coming weeks. The disability charity Sense urged ministers not to cut the health part of universal credit for young disabled people. The Prime Minister has said he wants to bring down the benefits bill without "crude cuts", while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has proposed stopping under 25s going straight from school onto benefits. Read our guide to welfare and try your own plan in the People's Budget.
Explain it like I'm 15
Almost a million young people are not working or studying, and nearly half of them have a disability or long term health problem. The big question is how to help them into work and what that means for benefits.
The People's Verdict: What is the best way to get more young people into work or training?
Councils get new duties to stop young people leaving care becoming homeless
The government has launched a plan that aims to halve the number of people who grew up in care and are now homeless.
There are 86,890 care leavers aged 18 to 24 in England, up almost 10% in two years. Under the plan, councils will have new duties to plan housing for young people leaving care. Care leavers under 25 can no longer be judged to have made themselves homeless on purpose, which could otherwise limit the help a council must give. They also will not have to prove a local connection to get social housing.
A scheme called Staying Close, which supports care leavers up to age 25 in 50 areas, will become a legal duty for all councils from 2029, and £3 million will go to testing new ways to prevent youth homelessness. Children's Minister Josh MacAlister said it was part of the mission to end rough sleeping. The plan follows a review into the early deaths of care leavers published in August.
Explain it like I'm 15
Young people who grew up in care are more likely to end up homeless when they turn 18. Councils will now have to plan homes and support for them so that happens far less.
Eight regional councils to have a say over water investment
The government says eight new regional councils will help decide how water is managed in each part of England, including flooding, drought, water quality and supply.
Each council will bring together 10 to 15 people, such as mayors or council leaders, customers, farmers and builders. The areas are based on river basins. Their priorities will feed into water companies' future spending plans and the 10 year flood defence programme, which the government says means a say over billions of pounds.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said local people should have "a real say" over their water company. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said the industry had failed people for decades. In 2025, eight of the nine English water companies were rated poor or in need of improvement by regulators. Read our guide to water.
Explain it like I'm 15
Water companies have been criticised over rising bills and big payouts to bosses and shareholders. New local groups will tell them what people in each area need, but the companies stay privately owned.
The Bank of England announces its latest interest rate decision today. Bank Rate, which affects mortgage and savings rates, has been held at 3.75% at every decision since at least June. The next decision after today is on 17 December. Make the big money calls yourself in the game.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told an LBC phone in that if the NHS cannot survive without nurses from abroad, its model needs to change. She said she wants more homegrown nurses paid better, and that nurses should not always need a university degree.
The Ofgem energy price cap stands at £1,723 a year for a typical household paying by Direct Debit, for October to December 2026. Ofgem sets a new cap every three months.