Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today – 22 May 2025.
- Prison rules: Violent prisoners, including those convicted of sex offences and domestic abuse, could be released after serving just a third of their sentence, under new reccomendations. The proposals come as the UK battles to reduce overcrowding in its prisons. [BBC]
- Harder rules for migrants: A leaked memo shows Angela Rayner urged Rachel Reeves to consider restricting access to the state pension for recently arrived immigrants. She also suggested making it harder for immigrants to get access to Universal Credit and raising the fee they must pay for using the NHS. [Telegraph]
- Return to office: HSBC has told staff in its UK high street banks that it may cut their bonuses if they do not work in the office frequently enough. The group has warned that anyone who did not spend at least 60% of their time in the office could end up being paid less. [Bloomberg]
- Energy issues: The UK is set to miss its 2030 clean power targets after one one of the country’s biggest energy developers said it will cut its planned spending on new renewables projects. SSE warned that it would be unlikely to meet its own renewable energy goals for the end of the decade after shrinking its five-year spending plans by £3 billion to £17.5 billion. [Guardian]
- Oil drops slightly: Oil prices settled lower on Wednesday, after Oman’s foreign minister said a fresh round of nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. would take place later this week. It is currently trading at $64.91 a barrel. On Thursday, the pound was trading at £1.34 to the dollar, £1.19 to the euro and £9.67 to the yuan.
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