(Sharecast News) - YouTube channels spreading fake, anti‑Labour content have racked up more than a billion views this year, according to research seen by the Guardian.
The study found more than 150 anonymous channels promoting anti‑Labour narratives and inflammatory claims about prime minister Keir Starmer, amassing 5.3m subscribers and producing over 56,000 videos with a combined 1.2bn views in 2025. The Guardian reported that Starmer was personally targeted, with his name appearing in video titles or descriptions some 15,600 times.
With Starmer in mind, the Guardian also reported that the PM was said to be preparing to appoint a new UK ambassador to Washington, as relations with the US face strains over Ukraine and president Donald Trump's criticism of European leaders.
The Guardian said the prime minister interviewed three finalists this week, with Downing Street aiming to confirm the appointment before year‑end. Candidates included Varun Chandra, Starmer's business adviser who has helped negotiate deals with the Trump administration; Christian Turner, a diplomat due to become ambassador to the UN; and Nigel Casey, currently Britain's ambassador to Russia.
Kemi Badenoch said the Conservatives would scrap the planned 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars if the party wins the next election, according to the Telegraph.
The Tory leader added she would also ditch Downing Street's electric vehicle quotas, describing them as an "economic act of self‑harm". Writing in the Telegraph, Badenoch warned that Labour's "ideological zeal" risked leaving Britain uncompetitive and playing into China's hands. Her comments set up a clear dividing line with the government, which has argued that net zero represents the "economic opportunity of the 21st century".
Elsewhere, the Telegraph reported that NHS productivity was faltering, with almost half of surgeons now operating just once a week.
Doctors told the paper they were arriving "prepared to operate" but often unable to enter theatres due to shortages of space and beds. An audit of more than 4,000 medics by the Royal College of Surgeons found more than eight in ten consultants were carrying out two or fewer inpatient surgery sessions per week, while over two in five were limited to one session. The college warned it was now "near impossible" for the government to meet its pledges to reduce waiting lists without major investment.
Donald Trump vowed "serious retaliation" against ISIS after two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria, according to the Independent.
The Pentagon said the Americans had been ambushed by a "lone ISIS gunman," leaving three other soldiers injured. Trump described the incident as "an ISIS attack against the US and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria," adding that Syrian president Ahmed al‑Sharaa was "extremely angry and disturbed" by the assault. The Independent reported that Trump pledged retribution against those believed to have carried out the attack.
In a separate development, Ukraine's navy accused Russia of deliberately striking a Turkish vessel with a drone, also reported by the Independent.
The ship, named Viva, was carrying sunflower oil to Egypt with 11 Turkish citizens on board. No injuries were reported and the vessel continued its journey. Ukraine's navy said the strike occurred in its exclusive economic zone, outside the reach of its air defence systems, and accused Russia of breaching maritime law. The Independent noted that Russia had attacked two Ukrainian ports the previous day, damaging three Turkish‑owned vessels, while a large fire broke out on one of them. The reports come as Trump's top envoy and son‑in‑law prepare for talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders over a potential peace deal.
Drax is cutting more than half of its global carbon capture division, according to the Times, in a significant retreat from ambitions to lead the controversial green technology.
The owner of Britain's largest power station, which converted its North Yorkshire site from coal to wood pellets in the 2010s, is scaling back operations amid growing scepticism over the viability of carbon capture. About 100 jobs are expected to go across the main group and its Elimini business in the UK and US. The Times noted the move marks a sharp climbdown from earlier claims that the company could be creating "tens of thousands" of jobs in the sector by 2024.
Separately, the Times reported that Lord Rothermere has agreed to pay £500m for the Telegraph newspapers, with the deal structured in two instalments.
The Daily Mail owner's DMGT is expected to confirm the terms on Monday, funded by NatWest loans and existing cash. Sources told the Times that up to £100m a year could be saved by merging back‑office functions and relocating Telegraph staff from central London to the Mail's Kensington headquarters, though others cautioned it was too early to speculate on changes. Leaders in both organisations are said to be keen to conclude the takeover swiftly, ending more than two years of uncertainty for the Telegraph.