UK drivers caught using hand-held devices will face fines and points on their licence in tough new laws.
The Government is strengthening existing laws on using mobile phones while driving to include scrolling through playlists and taking photos.
It’s already illegal to make phone calls or text while behind the wheel, unless in an emergency.
The new laws will make it easier for police to prosecute drivers caught using hand-held devices, with £200 fines and six points on driving licences.
The new law will make it illegal to scroll through playlists while driving. Credit: Brake.org.
That includes when cars are in stationary traffic, like at traffic lights or in traffic jams.
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The news was announced this morning by the Department for Transport.
Drivers will be able to use hands-free modes still for things like navigation apps, but only if the phone’s secured in a cradle.
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Another exemption will be when drivers need to use contactless payments – like at the entrance to toll roads, or in drive-thrus – to ‘ensure the law keeps pace with technology’.
But they can still be charged with an offence if they’re found to ‘not be in proper control of their vehicle’.
Drivers will face £200 fines and six points on their licence. Credit: Peakpx.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Too many deaths and injuries occur while mobile phones are being held.
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“By making it easier to prosecute people illegally using their phone at the wheel, we are ensuring the law is brought into the 21st century while further protecting all road users.
“While our roads remain among the safest in the world, we will continue working tirelessly to make them safer, including through our award-winning THINK! campaign, which challenges social norms among high-risk drivers.”
Mary Williams OBE, chief executive of road safety charity Brake, said: “Driver distraction can be deadly and using a hand-held phone at the wheel is never worth the risk.
“This important road safety decision by government, coinciding with Road Safety Week, is very welcomed.
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“This news is particularly welcomed by families suffering bereavement and catastrophic injury due to drivers being distracted by phones.
“The theme for Road Safety Week is road safety heroes – we can all be road safety heroes by giving driving our full attention.”
Featured image: Pixabay
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Police pursuing civil action after reports of women being filmed without consent on nights out in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Civil action is now being pursued after a police investigation into reports of women being filmed on nights out in Manchester.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed in a statement that it is ‘exploring’ civil action in connection with ‘several’ reports of women being filmed without their consent on nights out in Manchester city centre, particularly around the Deansgate and Peter Street areas, following an investigation which began after social media videos of this nature were brought to its attention.
The police‘s subsequent public appeal lead to multiple women coming forward to report the impact finding themselves in these videos, and the commentary by the public, had on them.
GMP says it had to conclude its criminal investigation ‘due to limitations within the current legislation’, which is why it working with Manchester City Council to look at other routes of taking action.
“We took the reports from women who came forward, as well as the public feeling towards this behaviour, really seriously,” explained Superintendent Nicola Williams, from GMP’s City of Manchester district.
“The arrest of an individual in November 2024 was the first in the country and was our commitment to acting on all the information we have received.
“Throughout our investigation, we explored all lines of enquiry thoroughly, including digital forensic examination of various devices. The investigation was also reviewed by an experienced, senior detective to ensure no stone was left unturned.
Police are pursuing civil action after reports of women being filmed without their consent on nights out in Manchester / Credit: GMP
“Predatory behaviour is completely unacceptable, and tackling this has been a priority for our night time economy policing operation.”
GMP says it encourages anyone who experiences anything that ‘makes them feel unsettled or unsafe’ on a night out to report it, as all information received helps build a picture of the issues, allocate our resources effectively, and take action under our the dedicated nighttime policing operation, Op Safer Streets.
Reports can be made to GMP via 101, or on the website or Live Chat service, but you should always call 999 in an emergency.
Featured Image – GMP
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Entertainment union Equity makes £1 bid for Manchester Pride to protect workers from ‘further exploitation’
Emily Sergeant
Performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity has made a £1 bid for Manchester Pride.
You may remember that, back in October last year, Manchester Pride – the charity / organisation that ran the Manchester Pride Festival – entered into voluntary liquidation, and news emerged last week that the assets were being sold off to the highest bidder by liquidators.
By offering a ‘symbolic’ £1 for the assets – which include the Manchester Pride brand name and associated domain names – Equity says its bid has been made to give workers the opportunity to ‘decide the future’ of the event.
The bid is also said to have been made to prevent a repeat of 2025 – which apparently left Equity union members more than £70,000 out-of-pocket in unpaid fees.
Equity’s variety organiser, Nick Keegan, warned that selling the Manchester Pride brand to a commercial buyer risks ‘undermining the values’ of the event and the community that built it.
He worried it could also leave performers and workers ‘vulnerable to further exploitation’.
“Manchester Pride is not just a city-wide party,” Mr Keegan explained. “Its roots in protest are as important today as then.”
He added: “Manchester Pride was built by the LGBTQ+ workers of Canal St and beyond who provide a space and a community for LGBTQ+ people all year round. The event should not be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold off to the highest bidder.
“The cultural workforce are at the heart of Pride, without them, there is no festival.
“After what happened in 2025, with members left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket, we don’t want to see history repeat itself.”
Equity says that if its bid is successful, the workers will have control over who the ‘asset’ goes to.
“Our bid is about protecting Pride as a community asset, not a commercial one,” the union’s statement continued.
“Allowing the people whose labour was used to build this ‘asset’ to decide how the trademark of Manchester Pride is used in the future will help protect them from further exploitation, as well as preserve the values and the longevity of the event itself.”
Daisy Jackson -
19th November 2021 
