Inequality Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

It's one of the biggest issues facing Greater Manchester and the UK. But in Parliament, it was debated in a room of empty chairs.

More than 8,500 people have signed an online petition calling for a public inquiry to be held into changes made to the State Pension age for women. Petition creator Kay Clarke argues that increases to the State Pension age have left many women in “financial and mental despair” and believes that an inquiry “is necessary to expose the truth”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told MPs that he “understands the strong feelings” across Parliament over the lack of response to the recently published Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s (PHSO) final report into the impact of changes to the State Pension age for women born in the 1950s. During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, he acknowledged the “desire for urgency in addressing them” but added that an update “will be given to the House once those findings have been fully considered”.

A new Pretty Little Liars crime has just been revealed… But this one took place behind the scenes!

WASPI campaigners have told a committee of MPs that they believe the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is "playing for time" and "trying to kick the ball into the long grass" on paying millions of women money that they are owed.

MSPs have backed the Scottish Government’s call for “compensation in full” to be paid to women impacted by changes to their State Pension age. In a Holyrood debate on Wednesday, the Scottish Parliament voted by 75 votes to zero, with 52 abstentions, which included Scottish Labour.

The stars are stepping out for the National Theatre’s big event!

The Scottish Government has announced an extra £80 million for affordable housing over the next two years.

Scotland’s First Minister has urged Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer to be “on the right side of history” in delivering compensation for women impacted by changes to the State Pension age. Humza Yousaf has written to who he said are the “current and future” incumbents of Downing Street after he met with Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament on Thursday.

Thousands of households are overpaying their energy bills each month, with many that pay through a direct debit not realising that they could be sat on a large pile of cash that is rightfully theirs. One savvy Money Saving Expert reader even managed to get £1000 back from his energy supplier after realising he was being overcharged.

There are two key dates women born in the 1950s impacted by changes to the State Pension age should add to their diary this week as MPs return to Parliament after the Easter recess. The second reading of the State Pension Age (Compensation) Bill, which was brought before the House in February by SNP MP Alan Brown, will have its second reading on Friday, April 19.

Meghan Markle and Serena Williams are together again!

An open letter to Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt MP, demanding a debate and vote in Parliament on compensation for Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, has been signed by more than 156,000 people in just 10 days.

A woman who was bullied at school for the colour of her skin has been crowned Miss Manchester 2024.

The first teaser for Mayor of Kingstown‘s third season is finally here…and we also have an official Paramount+ premiere date!

Angela Rayner has blasted a Tory levelling up promise as a 'sham and a scam'.

An open letter has been sent to the House of Commons Leader, urging for compensation for women affected by state pension changes.

Tackling poverty could become an even bigger priority for Dumfries and Galloway Council with the establishment of a group focused solely on this pervasive issue.

Olivia Colman is opening up about the pay disparity in Hollywood and says that she would make way more money if she were a man.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) published a report on Thursday which said that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to adequately communicate changes to women’s State Pension age, and those affected are owed compensation. As a result of its findings, the Ombudsman has asked Parliament to intervene and “act swiftly” to make sure a compensation scheme is established.

Millions of 1950s-born women who lost out when the State Pension age changed cannot afford to wait much longer for compensation, campaigners said as they acknowledged that for some it was “already too late”. Age UK accused the UK Government of “seemingly endlessly dragging its feet in situations when there have been clear findings of fault”, and compared the situation to concerns around the Windrush Compensation Scheme and the Post Office and Contaminated Blood scandals.

A report looking into how raising the age when women retire has impacted them is to be published on Thursday.

When Richard Midgley's daughter was moving up to secondary school in 2022 she applied to five places, but didn't get in any. The family, of Bowdon, later discovered they were just four metres outside the catchment zone for their first choice, North Cestrian in Altrincham.

The north faces decades of lower healthy life expectancy compared with the south east - and things might not change until 2080 - the authors of a new study say.

Martin Lewis has explained which method of paying for energy will be the cheapest once the new Ofgem price cap comes into force in April.

Advocates for the millions of women affected by changes to the State Pension age have stated who is likely to finally start seeing payments landing in their accounts from the Department for Work and Pensions. The Women Against State Pension Inequality campaigners say that women's health and finances have all been impacted by a lack of notice that the age at which you claim the pension had increased suddenly.

Songer has revealed details of his biggest UK tour to date, which will take place in April – check out all the dates below.The Reading-based rapper will kick off ‘The Price of Therapy’ tour on April 2 at Glasgow’s SWG3 Warehouse, before taking in Dublin, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham, before rounding things off with a date at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum on April 13.Support at all dates of the tour will come from the West London rapper KiLLOWEN. Tickets for the shows are available here.Songer released his third studio album ‘Skala’ last year, while his current single ‘Toxic’ has just delivered him his first ever entry in the UK Singles Chart, reaching Number 39 last Friday (January 12).Last March, Songer spoke to NME about tackling racism as a white rapper.

Businesses owned by people of ethnic minority origin struggle to raise funds in Greater Manchester compared to London, according to a new report. The study commissioned by GM Business Growth Hub found that despite contributing more than £25bn to the UK's economy and employing more than 1m people, only a fraction of ethnic minority businesses are tapping into available resources.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Oscars love it when a movie sticks it to the man. Films focusing on systemic inequality, or the monied elite’s morally murky ways, arrive as many industry voters have spent the better part of the year on the picket lines, holding out for a better contract from studios. These movies could strike an emotional chord with Academy members when they cast their ballots.

More needs to be done to address inequalities in the uptake of breast screening across Ayrshire, say MSPs.