Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today – 12 August 2025.
- UK job vacancies tumble: The UK jobs market has continued to cool as vacancies fell and the number of people on payrolls dropped, the latest official figures suggest. Job openings fell by 5.8% to 718,000 between May to July across nearly all industries, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [BBC]
- The UK is looking at introducing mandatory eye tests for older drivers: Older drivers could face mandatory eye tests, and the drink-drive limit could be cut as the government tries to reduce the number of road deaths. In a major overhaul of the UK’s road safety laws, ministers are also reportedly considering tougher penalties for uninsured drivers and failing to wear a seatbelt. The proposals, expected to be published as part of a road safety strategy in the autumn, come amid concern about the number of people being killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads. [Guardian]
- Data centre developers hand cash to Labour: The developer behind one of Europe’s biggest data centres has donated tens of thousands of pounds to Labour amid a race to get more properties built across Britain. DC01, a property developer that is seeking to build a £3.75bn data centre in Hertfordshire, gave £20,000 to the Labour Growth Group, which includes dozens of Labour MPs, in May, according to Electoral Commission records. [Telegraph]
- Over 50,000 migrants have now crossed the Channel since Labour took office: More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats since Sir Keir Starmer took office, official figures are expected to confirm on Tuesday. The most recent Home Office figures showed that 49,797 people had arrived by small boat since Labour won the general election in July last year. That total is expected to rise after a further 430 migrants made the journey from France on Monday. [Times]
- On Tuesday, Oil was trading lower at $65.89. The pound is trading at £1.34 to the dollar, £1.16 to the euro and £9.66 to the yuan.
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