'Woeful budgeting' behind asylum overspends | Ministers consider tighter outdoor smoking rules | Former shoplifter chats to the BBC

Plus, the new BBC comedy 'We Might Regret This'  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

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News Daily   Sophie Zeldin-O'Neill 29 August 2024 Good morning. Today we'll examine the findings of a think tank which blames "woeful budgeting" for the Home Office overspending on asylum support by over 20 times. Elsewhere, ministers are considering tighter restrictions on smoking outdoors as part of a drive to phase out tobacco, and we'll meet the passengers on a round-the-world cruise who have been left stranded in Belfast for three months after their voyage was beset by delays.

Image:  Reuters 'Woeful' budgeting behind asylum overspends - IFS A think tank has blamed "woeful budgeting" at the Home Office for repeated overspending on asylum support. Over the last three years, the department's initial budgets for spending on asylum, border, visa and passport operations amounted to £320m. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said it had ended up spending £7.9bn over the period, £7.6bn more than forecasted. The IFS also warned the department had submitted figures it "knows to be insufficient" for this year. According to Treasury guidance, departments must ensure their estimates are "consistent with their best forecasts of requirements", which the IFS report says "certainly does not appear to be the case" for the Home Office. Rachel Reeves's spending audit at-a-glance UK foreign aid spending on asylum seekers rises again Read the latest

UK storm names for 2024/25 released The list of the coming season's storm names has been announced. Names run in alphabetical order and will start with Ashley, followed by Bert, then Conall, and later on might reach as far as Izzy, Rafi and Tilly. But how do storms get their names? And why are there never any beginning with Q, U, X, Y, or Z? Find out here.

Ministers consider tighter outdoor smoking rules Ministers are considering tighter restrictions on smoking outdoors as part of a drive to phase out tobacco. As first reported by the Sun , smoking could be banned in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants, outside hospitals and sports grounds. The measures are being proposed as part of a toughened-up version of the last government's Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would outlaw the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 2009. That Bill was introduced in Parliament but was dropped once the general election was called. Read more 'I stole to order', £300-a-day former shoplifter tells BBC A former shoplifter who stole "tens of thousands" of pounds' worth of goods has said he regularly sold stolen items to other shops. Ross, who has 15 convictions for shoplifting but has never been to prison, estimated he stole £300 worth of goods every day from shops around Leeds which he would then sell on to fund his crack cocaine and heroin addiction. He told the BBC about what he used to steal.

Essential read Three months into their global cruise, they've not left Belfast Passengers on a round-the-world cruise have been left stranded in Northern Ireland. Meet the voyagers

More top stories Man in wheelchair stabbed to death in east London Parents warned of back-to-school measles surge Spectacular opening ceremony ignites Paris Paralympics Ambulances ‘waste vital time’ on prison call-outs

Take a moment Image: Roughcut/BBC New comedy 'We Might Regret This' aims to show the spectrum of ableism We Might Regret This is a new BBC Two comedy-drama where intimacy and crossed boundaries are front and centre. The series explores what would happen if your best friend turns into your personal assistant - and it all starts with a sex scene. Filmmaker and disability activist Kyla Harris, who wrote the series, explains why TV needs more sex scenes with disabled people. Read more

BBC SOUNDS The Men Subjected to Coercive Control One tells us why he believes authorities missed the red flags in his case. Listen now BBC iPLAYER Incident Room: The Mpox Outbreak Experts take a close look at the virus spreading in Africa and beyond.  Watch now

What the papers say 'Fuel duty next' and 'Brexit reset' The i newspaper says Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to agree to ease immigration controls for young people to strike a better relationship with the European Union. Elsewhere, The Daily Telegraph leads with a report that the prime minister may raise fuel duty in the October budget in what it describes as "next in the tax grab". The paper also mentions comments by Tim Davie on the BBC being "let down" by Huw Edwards and Jermaine Jenas. Meanwhile, the Metro features an image of Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary, who has said he wants people to be restricted to two drinks at airports to tackle a rise in poor behaviour on flights. See all this morning's front pages Listen to our review of the papers

Before you go One of Britain's rarest plants has been discovered in the wild for the first time since 2009. The plant is a ghost orchid - a rare flower with no leaves which, unlike most plants, doesn't need sunlight. Instead it feeds on nutrients from fungi underground. Its location in England is being kept secret to protect the orchid from being squashed or stolen. Not to worry though, because you can see some stunning photos of it here. More newsletters from the BBC US Election Unspun: Follow the twists and turns in the race for the White House with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher. Subscribe Future Earth: Get exclusive insight into the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Subscribe Politics Essential: Read top political analysis and stay up to speed with the big moments in Westminster and beyond. Subscribe These newsletters are part of BBC emails for you, our personalised email service. By signing up, we will also send you email updates on the latest shows, services, and experiences from across the BBC. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time. Feedback Thanks to those who have given us feedback on News Daily. We appreciate it and will continue to develop the newsletter further. You can still let us know what you think by emailing bbcnewsdaily@bbc.co.uk. To recommend News Daily to a friend, please forward this email. New subscribers can sign up here. More from the BBC Terms of use   |   Privacy and Cookies   |    Unsubscribe  To stop receiving ‘BBC News’ newsletters click here to unsubscribe. Or you can update your email preferences in your BBC account settings. This email is intended for UK residents. Please note that some features and content in this newsletter are only available to people in the UK. You can update your personal details including your Postcode and Email Address in your account settings. Find out everything you need to know about using your BBC account, all in one place. This email newsletter suggests things we think you'll like based on what we know about you. To find out more about personalisation at the BBC, click here. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London W1A 1AA, UK Copyright © 2‌024 BBC