The Albanese government’s radical plan to double taxes on Australians with more than $3million in superannuation looks dead in the water because it doesn’t have the votes to pass the Senate. The Greens are opposing the proposal on the grounds that it does not go far enough and independent crossbench senators have also flagged issues of principle with the bill that could result in them blocking legislation. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has now indicated he would be unwilling to compromise with the Greens to get the bill through before the next election, which is due by May 2025.

Conor McGregor last night issued a fresh statement vowing to appeal his civil 𝑠e𝑥ual assault case defeat but admitted he has made ‘mistakes’. The 36-year-old UFC star is fighting to salvage his reputation after he lost a civil case brought by Nikita Hand, 35, who won almost €250,000 (£210,000) in damages on Friday after accusing him of rape. McGregor has been known to post and delete furious rants about his victim, recently uploading and removing an angry tirade against Ms Hand on Sunday.

A 33-year-old aide with the nickname ‘human printer’ has ‘unnerved’ staff of President-elect Donald Trump for her excessively fawning letters and undying loyalty to their boss. Natalie Harp penned the devotional missives Trump last year that showed an almost Christ-like devotion to the 78-year-old incoming commander-in-chief. The New York Times reported Monday that sources were left uncomfortable about the obsequious messages.

A footballer who missed a major tournament amid a gender eligibility row over high testosterone levels has been named as BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year. Zambia and Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda received the most votes from BBC Sport website readers after being included on a five-player shortlist. Banda’s place in the running for the annual prize was criticised by women’s rights groups because she was previously left out of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2022 by team bosses over allegedly high testosterone levels.

Worklessness due to long-term sickness has risen seven-fold in parts of the country since Covid, according to startling figures laying bare the crisis Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to tackle. The Government estimates that around 2.8million people are currently off work with a continuing illness. This is up by around 700,000 on before the pandemic. Dire forecasts warn this could exceed 4million by 2030, with much of the explosion down to an increase in benefits for mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Labour’s big ‘back to work’ threat to strip unwilling teens of their benefits if they don’t try to get a job or train is just a continuation of the current system, a senior minister admitted today. Alison McGovern was grilled over the drive to ‘get Britain working again’ and achieve an ‘ambitious’ target of getting another 2 million people into jobs. As well as targeting the long-term sick, ministers have also vowed that those aged 18 to 21 who are out of work but refuse to look for a job, seek training or an apprenticeship, will get no taxpayer cash.