thursday the 6th of 12:00 on thursday the 6th of february. i'm tom harwood. >> and i'm emily carver. >> and i'm emily carver. >> d0 >> and i'm emily carver. >> do you live in essex? suffolk? sussex, perhaps? norfolk? well, you'll be one of millions without a vote or a voice this may 9th, councils representing 5 million brits are delaying elections. nigel farage says it smacks of dictatorship. >> and why is the government so desperate to give up these chagos islands and give away up to £18 billion of our money to mauritius? well, new reports suggest the bizarre decision could all come down to a satellite communications system. we'll reveal. >> all and the conservative leader. kemi badenoch has vowed to ban migrants who claim benefits from becoming british citizens. but is it enough to win back votes from the reform party? >> and the government has plans to make it easier than ever for new nuclear power plants to be built as they rush to avoid net zero blackouts? previously, just

eight sites in the uk were allowed to host nuclear power stations. now, could one be coming to your backyard. and could greggs become the new favourite? not only for sausage rolls but burgers too? we've sent our intrepid reporter out to try the new recipe. some breaking news for you to start the show. the bank of england has announced that interest rates have been cut. yes, they're down from 4.75% to 4.5%. >> well, there you go. that's what the experts were saying would happen. i thought maybe they'd be a little more cautious. let us know your thoughts, though. gbnews.com/yoursay will that impact you? perhaps your mortgage, perhaps your savings? let us know. >> it is, of course, a sign that the uk economy is getting back to a level of health. or could it be that the bank is worried

about the sclerotic low growth rates that we've had in the economy? >> i think it might be that one, trying to get things going desperately with the sad growth that we're having at the moment. but we'll be discussing this with john redwood actually very soon. but let's get the headunes soon. but let's get the headlines with tatiana sanchez. >> emily, thank you very much. and good afternoon. the top stories. well, that breaking news that the bank of england lowered interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point. the benchmark rate has reduced from 4.75% to 4.5%, as the bank had come under pressure to boost the uk economy, which had been showing slow growth. bank of england governor andrew bailey said the bank of england would be monitoring the uk economy and global developments very closely and taking a gradual and careful approach to reduce rates further. more in the next half an hour. in other news, tory leader kemi badenoch says immigrants should

have to wait at least 15 years before they become eligible for british citizenship, making one of her first policy announcements since becoming leader. badenoch also said indefinite leave to remain should not be granted to those who have criminal records or who had claimed benefits. social housing. miss badenoch has also announced plans to kick out low paid migrants and ban those who claim benefits from becoming citizens. shadow home secretary chris philp told gb news there were mistakes made under the previous government and that's why under a new leader, there's a new approach. >> in fact, they will be asked to leave and required to leave at the end of their visa and in fact, if they try and claim benefits before the end of their visa, then they will have the visa, then they will have the visa revoked and will be removed from the country. because i think what the british public want to see is very small numbers of people coming in to do high school jobs. what they don't want, we don't want to see, are people coming here who say they're going to work and then don't work or end up in very low paid jobs, which

actually don't make a contribution to the exchequer to the taxpayer. overall, this is quite a radical new policy. >> the move comes just a day after deputy prime minister angela rayner confirmed local elections in nine council areas will be postponed until 2026, as part of its reforms of local government. leader of reform uk nigel farage had this to say. >> there is no justification for cancelling these elections whatsoever other than sheer cowardice of what reform might do to them in those campaigns. >> in other news, the government has announced plans to make it easier to build mini nuclear power stations in england and wales as part of its efforts to boost economic growth in the country. the prime minister announced that more nuclear power plants will be approved as red tape will be, he says, slashed. the reforms will clear a path for so—called small modular reactors to be built for the first time in the uk, which

ministers say would help to deliver clean, secure and more affordable energy. the government announced that archaic rules will be ripped up . archaic rules will be ripped up. the metropolitan police has stepped up its efforts to clamp down on phone thieves, seizing 1000 stolen mobiles and arresting 230 people in a single week. during a week of coordinated action across london. the force specifically targeted and clamped down on phone thieves. this included action in hotspot areas like west end and westminster, where nearly 40% of thefts occur, it said. the met police described it as a £50 million a year trade that saw stolen phones resold abroad and in the uk. the home secretary, yvette cooper, is chairing a summit today with law enforcement bodies to focus on tackling the issue. grenfell tower is to be demolished eight years after a fire claimed the lives of 72 people. bereaved families of the fire were told of the government's decision last night at a meeting with the

deputy prime minister. however, members of the grenfell united group who represent some of the survivors and bereaved families, said some of the bereaved and survivors are upset about not having their views heard or being considered in the decision . being considered in the decision. and finally, dog treats made from lab grown chicken have gone on sale at a uk pet retailer in what's been claimed as a world first. the treat, called chick bites, is made from plant based ingredients combined with cultivated meat, which is produced by growing cells and doesn't require the raising or slaughter of animals, and is being sold at pets at home meat. lee said the chicken was produced from a single sample of cells taken from one chicken 999, cells taken from one chicken egg, from which enough cultivated meat could be produced to feed pets forever, it says. the retailer, which has invested in meat, said the snack was nutritious, healthy and sustainable alternative to traditional dog treats. and those are the latest gb news headlines. for now, i'm tatiana sanchez. more news from me in half an hour.

>> good afternoon britain at seven minutes past midday. we're going to go straight back to that breaking news this hour. the bank of england has indeed cut interest rates from 4.75 to 4.5%. >> so the bank's governor, andrew bailey, said it will be welcome news that we've been able to cut interest rates again today. we'll be monitoring the uk economy and global developments very closely and taking a gradual and careful approach to reducing rates further. >> well, let's break it down now with the former conservative mp, sir john redwood. john, thanks for joining us. i suppose the forjoining us. i suppose the big question here is, does this mean that the bank of england thinks inflation is going to stay low and is frankly have have the rates done their job? >> i think they're taking a risk with inflation. i think they're responding to an extremely damaging budget, which has knocked all the growth out of the economy completely, and

they've worried that there's more bad news to come when the national insurance rises really hit home, leading to fewer jobs and less output. so from that point of view, it's good news and i hope it can be reflected in mortgage rates, but it doesn't necessarily follow. but i think it's a risk because actually the government is allowing or forcing quite a lot of inflationary rises through. so we're seeing 5% on council tax or more. we're going to see quite big fares increases on nationalised railways. we're seeing very big increases in water bills to come. we are seeing a general worry that there's going to be an increase in service sector prices because of those huge national insurance increases that are going to be forced through. and what i want is the bank of england to do was to stop, stop selling all these bonds they paid too much for. but it's the only central bank in the world that has decided to sell a huge number of bonds at

massive losses and send the bill to the treasury. i think that is a disgrace. a di