ITV News at Ten

The bulletin opened with the aftermath of the arrests near RAF Fairford, where five UK nationals in their 20s from London were released on police bail after being arrested under the Explosives Act. The site is used by US bombers for operations in Iran. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said it remained a live investigation with lines of inquiry including proxies or state-backed actors, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham interrupted the Labour conference for an emergency COBRA meeting. President Trump said he was surprised by the release and would not have let the suspects out. Police later said they did not believe this was a terrorist cell posing an imminent threat or that there were viable explosives, but the investigation continued and no line was drawn on links to Iran; the Iranian Embassy denied involvement. Residents reported the base had been on high alert and a farmer said a Ministry of Defence line went unanswered. The conference then dominated the next section, with Chancellor John Healey making his first conference speech. He pledged hope, said he would not allow the benefits bill to soar, described getting people into work as an economic must and moral duty, and announced money for apprenticeships and £6 billion of shipbuilding contracts. Diesel prices had topped $1.99 per litre, and fuel duty was due to rise in January and March; Healey spoke of giving breathing space and cushioning the pain, and did not rule out another tax-raising budget. Andy Burnham was due to give his first conference speech as prime minister, including plans for social care and possibly reforming the pensions Triple Lock, which had already caused a row.

The bulletin reported fresh allegations against Blue Ribbon Healthcare Group, a private company paid by councils to care for adults with learning disabilities. A mother said her son was sexually assaulted by a fellow resident and was left in the same home as his alleged attacker for another 10 months; the family also found hundreds of pounds stolen from a cash card, and Blue Ribbon repaid £479 as a gesture of goodwill while saying there was no evidence of theft. Whistleblowers described a vulnerable resident being screamed at, and Blue Ribbon said appropriate action was taken against employees involved. The company said the allegations were historical and fully investigated by police, the CQC and the council, with none substantiated, and that night-time supervision had been strengthened; the Department for Health and Social Care called the revelations disgraceful and disturbing and said the CQC was investigating urgently. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, then announced the reopening of safe and legal routes and the refugee resettlement scheme, with around a quarter of first arrivals this year to be Afghan women and girls fleeing the Taliban and Palestinians who had fled Gaza. This followed the deaths of a 10-year-old child and two women in their 30s, crushed in a dinghy packed with around 100 others, while about 100 people were rescued and returned to Calais. She also indicated a softening of the government approach to indefinite leave to remain after opposition from unions and Angela Rayner, with care workers facing a wait of 15 years rather than five and proposals applying retrospectively from 2021; the Prime Minister wanted to look again at the reforms.

In Northern Ireland, the Orange Order march at Drumcree prompted a bitter split, with First Minister and Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill backing protests against the march and Democratic Unionist opponents saying she had broken her pledge of office by breaking the law. The parade was deemed legal by the courts and attempts to block it illegal, while nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road opposed the march. Nationalist leaders said they were open to international mediation. The bulletin also reported that SpaceX's Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, reached orbit despite an engine shutting down too soon. It deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites but managed one orbit instead of the planned six, returned to Earth after about three hours and ended in a fireball rather than a soft splashdown; it was not known why the mission ended early or why the landing did not go as planned, though SpaceX was said to be pleased many aims were achieved. Finally, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin discussed his new film Social Reckoning about Facebook and social media, saying he hoped audiences would be alarmed that a runaway train was coming for them; the actress playing Frances Haugen supported an under-16 social media ban as a step in the right direction.