Ben Wallace has resigned as defence secretary after four years in the role and nine years in total as a minister. Grant Shapps has been announced as his successor.
In his resignation letter to prime minister RIshi Sunak, Wallace said that the time he spent in the Army and as a politician has taken a personal toll on him and his family and it is now time for him to invest in the parts of life he has neglected and explore new opportunities.

Twelve projects are to receive a share of £16 million to restore peatlands across England.
The government has a commitment to restore approximately 35,000 hectares of peatland in England by the end of this Parliament. It is hoped that the funding will help tackle climate change and recover biodiversity.

A new report by the Geospatial Commission has revealed that location data can provide the evidence base needed to support better decisions about local charging infrastructure.

London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has expanded to cover more of the city from Tuesday 29 August.
It is hoped that the expansion will improve air quality and therefore protect people's health and tackled the climate crisis.
ULEZ now covers every London borough and is expected to bring cleaner air to five million people and reduce carbon emissions is outer London by 27,000 tonnes.
Drivers must pay a charge of £12.50 per day to drive a non-compliant vehicle anywhere in the zone.

More than 400 youth services across England have been awarded funding from the Million Hours Fund to improve access to opportunities like cooking lessons, day trips and sporting activities during the summer holidays.
Thanks to the funding, 427 youth services have been able to stay open longer over the summer holidays.
AutismAble CIC in South Tyneside has received £10,000 to put on activities aimed at encouraging positive choices and Central Swindon North Parish Council is using £6,500 to deliver sport, dance and forestry sessions.

Welsh Office minister James Davies has visit sites in Gwynedd who are beneficiaries of £19 million of Levelling Up funding.
Davies visited the National Slate Museum and Parc Padarn in Llanberis and the Ty’n Llan pub in Llandwrog.
£18.8 million is being spent on Gwynedd’s World Heritage slate landscape, as part of Round 2 of the Levelling Fund. Some of the money is being invested in redeveloping buildings at the museum and improving the surrounding park environment.

Access to veteran-specific supported housing and healthcare services is at an all time high, according to recently released figures.
The latest six monthly report published by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs shows that there is at least on veteran-friendly GP practice in 71 per cent of Primary Care Networks.
The government has been working with NHS England, housing providers and charities to provide dedicated support for veterans.

Local authorities across the country have been selected to deliver a new programme to test and refine SEND reforms to improve services for young people and families.
Backed by £70 million, the local authorities will help inform the development of new national standards to improve the consistency of provision across the country.

The Welsh government has announced an increase in support for young people in education or training.
The minister for education and Welsh language has announced a 6.5 per cent increase to the Financial Contingency Fund for 2023 to 2024. The fund provides financial support for eligible learners at further education colleges and can be spent on childcare costs, transport, meals, equipment and learning materials.