5 important things happening in the UK today

Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today – 17 July 2025.

UK hit by wave of job cuts: Britain’s economy lost jobs again in June as the Labour government faces growing criticism for lifting the minimum wage and imposing a £26 billion ($35 billion) payroll tax hike on companies. Tax data showed the number of employees on payrolls dropped by 41,000 in June, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday. It was worse than the 35,000 fall expected by economists surveyed by Bloomberg. [Bloomberg]

Doctors’ strike to hit hard next week: Resident doctors have been accused of being “very greedy” over their 29% pay demand, before talks with Wes Streeting on Thursday and a planned five-day strike next week. The Guardian spoke to hospital trust bosses and senior medics, all of whom criticised the walkout in England and warned that it will cause ‘absolute chaos’ in the NHS. [Guardian]

UK’s busiest airports raise drop-off fees: More than half of Britain’s busiest airports have raised “kiss-and-fly” fees for cars dropping off passengers close to terminals, according to research from the RAC. The motoring group found 11 out of 20 UK airports had put up prices since last July, with Gatwick, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Southampton joining Stansted in charging the top rate of £7 to park for a matter of minutes. [BBC]

More US students choosing UK universities after Trump attacks on higher education: A record number of Americans have applied to undergraduate courses at UK universities, according to new data, as Donald Trump’s attack on higher education shows signs of putting people off studying in the US. Data published by the UK’s university admissions service on Thursday showed 7,930 US students applied for undergraduate courses starting this autumn, an annual rise of 13.9 per cent and the highest number since records began in 2006. [Financial Times]