5 top UK news stories today (26 February 2026)

Here’s your UK news roundup for Thursday (26 February 2026):

UK moves towards greater EU alignment

Business Secretary Peter Kyle has declared that aligning with European Union rules is where the magic happens, as he unveiled a new deal with Brussels and hinted at further concessions ahead. Kyle believes the British public had moved on from Brexit, having thrown his weight behind Sir Keir Starmer’s drive to rebuild ties with the bloc. He is also said to have indicated the Prime Minister could be willing to go further still, offering additional concessions in pursuit of deeper economic, energy, and defence links. [Express]

Push to ban social media for under-16s

Mumsnet has launched a campaign to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s featuring health warnings in the style of those on cigarette packets. The deliberately provocative national advertising campaign calls for all social media to be banned for children under the age of 16. The images on billboards and social media make a number of stark statements related to health. [Guardian]

UK’s first geothermal plant set to go live

The UK’s first geothermal power plant is set to go live, providing a completely new type of renewable electricity using hot water from underground. On Thursday morning, the Cornish plant will be switched on after nearly two decades in development which required Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) to drill the deepest on-shore well in the UK. The water, super-heated by rocks, will help drive turbines to generate electricity for 10,000 homes, but will also provide the UK’s first domestic supply of lithium – a critical mineral used in green technology. [BBC]

Reeves set for low-key Spring Budget

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is hoping that next week’s Spring Statement will be a boring affair after the chaos of the November Budget. According to Treasury sources, Reeves wants to keep the drama to a minimum when she stands up in the House of Commons to update the House on the state of the economy on Tuesday. Speculation and confusion were rife in the run-up to the November Budget, with the government abandoning reported plans to raise income tax and moving to reassure the markets that it was not planning to break its own fiscal rules. There was further chaos on the day when the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) accidentally published details of the government’s spending plans before Reeves could announce them to MPs. The OBR error resulted in Richard Hughes resigning as chair of the independent watchdog. [Reuters]