Tax and energy policy: BP says it paid £1.2bn in UK taxes in 2025, including £422m from the energy profits levy, as Rachel Reeves moves to close an overseas-trading loophole for oil and gas firms. HMRC support for struggling taxpayers: HMRC has opened a £11.18m three-year grant pot for voluntary groups to help customers with tax affairs, with applications due by July 3. Online safety and children: The PM is pushing “world-first” restrictions on social media for under-16s, with new rules aimed at stopping children sending or receiving nude images. Cost of living housing: Ground-rent caps are set to arrive a year earlier, with reforms moving to late 2027 instead of late 2028. Retail recycling rules: A Deposit Return Scheme is confirmed for October 2027, with supermarkets and other outlets paying back deposits for returned bottles and cans. Transport and travel disruption: British travellers face potential six-hour airport queues this summer due to EU entry-exit checks. Local government politics: The County Councils Network appoints a Reform UK chair-elect, signalling a shift in county-level influence. Defence and finance: UK Finance calls for a UK-EU “political mandate” to unblock defence lending by aligning regulators and easing cross-border barriers. AI investment: AMD pledges up to £2bn in the UK for sovereign AI compute and research, while Nvidia-backed infrastructure deals expand UK AI capacity. Environment and supply chains: New analysis warns UK imports still drive deforestation, despite earlier promises to tackle nature risks. Aviation closure: Coventry Airport will shut permanently on June 11 after 90 years, to be replaced by Greenpower Park.