Royal Mail investigating claims that postal worker ‘binned Reform UK election leaflets’
Royal Mail is investigating allegations that a postal worker claimed to have “dumped” Reform UK campaign leaflets in a bin ahead of local elections on 7 May.A post on a Facebook group for Royal Mail staff said: “My DO had reform party’s D2D today.I dumped them all in a bin.They can sack me! Idgaf!”“DO” is an acronym for delivery office, “D2D” for door-to-door or unaddressed advertising mail, and “IDGAF” means “I don’t give a fuck”.The message was shared to a private 30,000-member Facebook group called Royal Mail Chat.
It is unknown which part of the UK it involved.A Reform UK legal representative wrote a letter of complaint to Alistair Cochrane, the chief executive of Royal Mail, which said the screenshot was circulated on Saturday.Royal Mail said it “plays a crucial role in elections” and “we take our responsibility very seriously and do not tolerate the deliberate non-delivery of mail”.It added: “We are investigating this allegation and remain committed to impartial delivery for all candidates.”The Reform leader, Nigel Farage, said on X: “It is right that @RoyalMail have launched a full investigation into this allegation.
“If found to be true, it would be very disturbing and an attack on the democratic process itself.”Reform has demanded an “immediate and thorough internal investigation” within three days of its letter, dated Saturday, and a full written explanation in addition to any compensation measures “Royal Mail proposes to offer Reform UK for the loss and disruption caused by this incident”.The party is also seeking confirmation that appropriate disciplinary action “up to and including summary dismissal” has or will be taken “against any employee found to have participated in or condoned the destruction of the materials”.It called for written assurances that future Reform campaign deliveries will be “prioritised, properly monitored, and safeguarded against any recurrence”.The legal representative said of the Facebook post: “This admission provides clear prima facie evidence of the deliberate destruction or non-delivery of Reform UK’s door-to-door campaign materials that had been entrusted to Royal Mail.
“Such conduct constitutes a wilful breach of Royal Mail’s statutory and contractual obligations to deliver mail and literature impartially and efficiently.“It also undermines the democratic process and Reform UK’s lawful right to engage in political campaigning.”The Facebook group is open to Royal Mail employees and partners, as well as members of the Communication Workers Union, a trade union covering postal delivery workers.
TikTok and Visa launch debit card to speed payouts to UK creators
TikTok and Visa have launched a debit card for content creators in the UK which they say will allow people to quickly access their earnings from the platform.The creator card is designed for the growing numbers of people making money through TikTok Live, a livestreaming feature where creators receive virtual gifts from viewers that are later converted into cash.The two companies said the card, which links to a user’s creator account on TikTok, was designed to address cashflow issues faced by users who often wait days or weeks for payments to clear.Launched in 2020, TikTok Live is a section of the app where users can broadcast to viewers in real time. According to TikTok, more than 15 million people broadcasted via its platform in Europe in 2025
Officials hugely underestimated impact of AI datacentres on UK carbon emissions
The UK government vastly underestimated the climate impact of artificial intelligence, it has emerged, after officials raised their estimate of carbon emissions from AI by a factor of more than 100.According to new data quietly published this week, energy use by AI datacentres in the UK could cause the emission of up to 123m tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) – about as much as generated by 2.7 million people – over the next 10 years.That latest figure replaces a previous estimate – since deleted – that claimed emissions would reach a maximum of 0.142m tonnes of CO₂ in a single year
‘Look, no hands’: China chases the driverless dream at Beijing car show
At the world’s biggest car fair, which opened in Beijing on Friday, there were hundreds of manufacturers, more than 1,000 vehicles, hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts – and hardly anyone behind a wheel.China’s car companies have cornered the domestic electric vehicle market, and are increasingly visible on the global stage. Now they are turning their attention to what they are betting is the future of mobility: autonomous driving.At the Beijing Auto Fair, officially called Auto China 2026, a huge industry event that covers 380,000 square metres on the outskirts of the capital, the country’s carmakers showed off a range of intelligent driving technologies.In China’s cut-throat domestic market, nearly every big carmaker is investing heavily in the software and computing power needed to make “hands-free” driving a reality as they compete to offer additional perks and find new ways to generate revenue
What is a passkey, how does it work and why is it better than a password?
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has called time on the password – from now on, you should use a passkey.The NCSC said this week it would no longer recommend using passwords where passkeys were available. They should be consumers’ first choice of login across all digital services because passwords were not secure enough to stand up to modern cyber threats.Security officials describe a passkey as a “digital stamp” that allows you to sign in to apps and websites and is stored on your device.It is a password-free form of login
Grok tells researchers pretending to be delusional ‘drive an iron nail through the mirror while reciting Psalm 91 backwards’
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok 4.1 told researchers pretending to be delusional that there was indeed a doppelganger in their mirror and they should drive an iron nail through the glass while reciting Psalm 91 backwards.Researchers at the City University of New York (Cuny) and King’s College London have published a paper on how various chatbots protect – or fail to safeguard – users’ mental health.Experts are increasingly warning that psychosis or mania can be fuelled by AI chatbots.The Cuny and King’s pre-print study – which has not been peer-reviewed – examined five different AI models: Open AI’s GPT-4o and GPT-5
Microsoft and Meta announce large staff reductions as they spend big on AI
Meta and Microsoft are trimming their workforces by thousands as they make heavy investments in AI and executives claim that the technology is meeting their companies’ productivity needs.Meta told staff on Thursday that on 20 May it would cut some 10% of its personnel – just under 8,000 employees– to boost efficiency, part of a layoff plan made months ago. The company is also closing about 6,000 open roles. The same day, Microsoft announced to employees, for the first time, that it would offer voluntary retirement to about 7% of its American workforce of roughly 125,000.In an internal memo to Meta’s staff, Janelle Gale, the chief people officer, didn’t mention AI explicitly but said the cuts would allow the company to “offset the other investments we’re making”
Children’s shoe retailers say closure of specialist shops is harming foot health
UK urged to deploy EU-style ‘trade bazooka’ against Trump’s tariffs
Musk and Altman’s bitter feud over OpenAI to be laid bare in court
UK departments at odds over energy demands of AI datacentres
London Marathon hails ‘greatest day’ as Sawe breaks two hours and records tumble
Sibley’s century gives Surrey edge over Essex: county cricket, day three – as it happened