5 top UK news stories today (2 April 2026)

Here’s your UK news roundup for Thursday (2 April 2026):

No repreive as Trump pledges to continue attacking Iran

Oil prices climbed more than $4 on Thursday after president Donald Trump said the US will continue ‌to attack Iran, including energy and oil targets, over the next few weeks. Brent crude futures rose $4.88, or 4.8 per cent, to $106.04 per barrel by 2am GMT. US West Texas ⁠Intermediate crude futures were up $4.17, or 4.2 per cent, to $104.29 per barrel. In his address to the nation, Trump said almost all of America’s military objectives had been met, while rehashing many of his previous talking points about the conflict. [The Independent]

Airlines have five weeks before fuel shortages could ground flights

Britain’s airlines face significant disruption in a matter of weeks if the war in Iran continues throughout April, as a global jet fuel shortage has already forced carriers in Asia to slash service levels in a bid to manage supplies. Major UK-based carriers have said that they have between five and six weeks’ worth of supplies before their reserves will begin to run short as a result of the protracted closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Several Asian airlines have already been forced to cancel some routes until as far out as September because of their reliance on fuel from the Persian Gulf which, before the conflict erupted, was responsible for carrying over a quarter of seaborne oil. [CityAM]

New laws to make it easier to cancel subscriptions

New laws will make it easier to cancel subscriptions and get refunds for unwanted auto-renewals, the government has said. A crackdown on “subscription traps” could save the average person nearly £170 a year, according to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Consumers will no longer have to make “endless phone calls” to cancel a subscription, and they will be given a 14-day cooling off period after the end of a trial period, or when an annual subscription automatically renews. The changes are expected to come in to force in spring 2027. The laws will enable people to cancel subscriptions “with the click of a button”, the DBT said. [BBC]

Pupils in England are losing their thinking skills because of AI

Pupils using artificial intelligence are losing their capacity for critical thinking, according to a survey of secondary school teachers in England. Two-thirds said they had observed the decline among children who they also said no longer felt the need to spell because of voice-to-text technology. “Students are losing core skills – thinking, creativity, writing, even how to have a conversation,” one teacher told the National Education Union poll. [Guardian]