Prove how many potholes you’ve fixed or lose cash, councils told
The government is telling local councils they must publish data on how many potholes they have fixed or risk losing their share of an extra £500m set aside for fixing roads.
From the middle of next month, local authorities across England will start to receive their allocation of the £1.6bn for fixing roads across the country.
But in order to get the full amount, all councils must publish annual reports on how many potholes they’ve filled – or see a quarter of the additional £500m in funding the government has allocated this year withheld.
By 30 June, all councils must publish reports detailing how much they are spending, how many potholes they have filled, what percentage of their roads are in what condition, and how they are minimising disruption.
Meanwhile, the transport secretary is unveiling a funding package of £4.8bn for 2025-6 for National Highways to deliver critical road schemes and maintain motorways and major A-roads.
This new money will mean “pivotal” road construction schemes can be pushed forward, the government said.
This is a key part of Downing Street’s drive to ensure the voting public sees and feels the difference the government is making in their local communities as they fight off a challenge from Reform UK.
The transport secretary has promised £4.8bn for National Highways to deliver improvements and maintenance. Pic: PA
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “The broken roads we inherited are not only risking lives but also cost working families, drivers and businesses hundreds – if not thousands of pounds – in avoidable vehicle repairs.
“British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them. That ends with us.
“We’ve done our part by handing councils the cash and certainty they need – now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “After years of neglect we’re tackling the pothole plague, building vital roads and ensuring every penny is delivering results for the taxpayer.”
Responding to the announcement, the transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association said the cash will “help start to address the previously ever-growing backlog of local road repairs” which, he added, “could take more than a decade to fix”.
Councillor Adam Hug also called for the government to “play its full part” by using its Spending Review “to ensure that councils receive sufficient, long-term funding certainty, so they can focus their efforts on much more cost-effective, preventative measures”.
The Conservatives have responded by claiming Labour “want credit for handing councils a pothole sticking plaster”.
Gareth Bacon, shadow transport secretary, continued: “Labour are running on empty. They’ve got no plan for motorists, no grip on the problem, and no credibility.
“Voters shouldn’t be fooled – Labour aren’t fixing the roads, they’re steering Britain into a ditch.”
Spending on roads and cuts in Whitehall
The spending on roads across England comes as the chancellor is preparing to make billions of pounds of spending cuts at the spring statement on Wednesday.
A turbulent economic climate since October means the £9.9bn gap in her fiscal headroom (the amount she could increase spending or cut taxes without breaking her fiscal rules) has been wiped out.
The government has confirmed it will force the civil service to slash £2bn a year from its budget by cutting administration costs by the end of the decade.
Rachel Reeves told Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips she is “confident” they can cut 10,000 jobs from “back office” roles to ensure resources can be spent on front-line services.
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Chancellor says 10,000 civil service roles could be axed
A total of £5bn is expected to be saved by making it more difficult to qualify for Pip, and also abolishing the work capability assessment in 2028, which determines whether someone on universal credit is fit to work.
Quangos are also on the chopping block, with the prime minister having already announced NHS England is being abolished to both bring the health service back under more direct ministerial control, and also save money.
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Money is being redirected towards defence, with the chancellor expected to announce £400m in spending on the government’s new UK Defence Investment body to “harness UK ingenuity and boost military technology”, The Mirror reports.
And the full details of how international aid funding will be reallocated to defence are expected, after the prime minister said UK defence spending will rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.
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How will the UK scale up defence?
Speaking to Trevor Phillips, the chancellor said “the world has changed” as she laid the groundwork for the spring statement.
“We’ll respond to the change and continue to meet our fiscal rule,” she said. “But we’re also shaping the new world, whether that’s in the defence and security realm, or indeed on the economy.
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What could be in the spring statement?
The chancellor highlighted that “interest rates have been cut three times since the general election”, adding: “That’s a far cry from the 11% inflation and the interest rate hikes that we saw under the previous government.”
But shadow chancellor Mel Stride said the government has not “gripped the economy”, accusing ministers of having talked it down and having a negative impact on growth.
Efforts to pass crypto legislation in the US Senate face mounting resistance amid growing ethical concerns around US President Donald Trump’s ties to crypto.
In a May 5 letter to the Office of Government Ethics, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley said that Trump and his family stand to personally profit from an investment involving UAE state-backed firm MGX, crypto exchange Binance and World Liberty Financial (WLFI).
The senators called for an urgent probe, warning the deal may violate the US Constitution’s Emoluments Clause and federal bribery statutes.
At the center of the controversy is WLFI’s USD1 stablecoin, reportedly chosen for a $2 billion investment MGX plans to make into Binance.
The senators said the transaction amounts to a potential backdoor for foreign influence and self-enrichment, with Trump’s allies allegedly set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars:
“This deal raises the troubling prospect that the Trump and Witkoff families could expand the use of their stablecoin as an avenue to profit from foreign corruption.”
Further complicating ethics concerns, Trump hosted a $1.5 million-per-plate dinner on May 5 at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia. The event came just days after hosting a $1 million-per-plate fundraiser for the MAGA super PAC.
He also plans to hold a gala dinner with major Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin holders on May 22, despite multiple US lawmakers expressing concerns.
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GENIUS Act faces roadblocks
The Trump family’s controversial $2 billion crypto deal comes as the Senate prepares to vote on the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act and other crypto-related bills.
The fallout is already being felt in Congress. Some Democratic lawmakers are pushing for additional hearings before advancing any legislation, while others question whether Trump’s personal stake in digital assets is undermining bipartisan support for crypto regulation.
On May 5, Senate Majority Leader John Thune signaled a willingness to amend the GOP-backed stablecoin legislation to pass the bill in the coming weeks.
Speaking to reporters, Thune said changes can be made on the floor and that he is waiting to hear what Democrats are asking for, per a report from Politico.
Internal GOP challenges also remain, with Senator Rand Paul expressing uncertainty about backing the bill, according to the report.
The stalling isn’t limited to the Senate. House Financial Services Committee ranking member Representative Maxine Waters plans to block a Republican-led event discussing digital assets on May 6.
The hearing, “American Innovation and the Future of Digital Assets,” will discuss a new crypto markets draft discussion paper pitched by the House agricultural and financial services committee chairs, Representatives Glenn Thompson and French Hill, respectively.
Related: Elizabeth Warren joins call for probe of Trump over crypto tokens
Crypto community slams political pushback
Prominent crypto figures are speaking out as political resistance threatens to derail stablecoin legislation in the Senate.
“Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer haven’t learned their lesson,” Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of Gemini, posted on X.
“If they want Democrats to continue losing elections, they will continue standing in front of crypto legislation like the stablecoin bill which they are stalling out in the Senate.”
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Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former CEO of bankrupt crypto lending platform Celsius, has blasted the government’s 20-year “venom-laced” sentence request, declaring it a “death-in-prison sentence.”
The US Department of Justice requested Mashinsky receive at least 20 years behind bars in the May 8 sentencing for his role in misleading Celsius users and profiting from the price manipulation of Celsius (CEL), which would make the 59-year-old 79 if he serves the whole sentence.
Lawyers acting for Mashinsky argued in a May 5 reply memorandum filed in a New York district court that he should receive no more than 366 days, because the DOJ hasn’t taken into account his status as a nonviolent first-time offender with a previously unblemished 30-year history in business.
“The government’s venom-laced submission recasts this case as one involving a predator with an intent to target victims, harm them, and steal their money,” they said.
“It concludes by recommending that a first time, nonviolent offender who pled guilty and accepts responsibility receive a death-in-prison sentence.”
Mashinsky pleaded guilty to two out of seven charges
As part of a plea agreement, Mashinsky pleaded guilty in December 2024 to commodities fraud and manipulating the price of CEL, earning $48 million by selling his holdings before Celsius collapsed in June 2022. Prosecutors initially filed seven charges in July 2023.
Lawyers acting for Mashinsky allege the DOJ’s push for a 20-year sentence is because their client is unwilling to “capitulate to the government’s exaggerated characterizations of his actions,” specifically that he was a “fraud from the get-go.”
“Alex is inserted as the scapegoat for every corporate action, every group decision, every unanimous vote, every market fluctuation, and every employee’s watercooler speculation,” they said.
As part of its April 28 sentencing request, the DOJ said Mashinsky’s guilty plea showed that his crimes were deliberate, calculated decisions to lie, deceive and steal.
Days earlier on April 23, US federal prosecutors also filed statements from hundreds of victims who lost money due to the Celsius collapse. They detailed how some had entrusted their life savings to the protocol, believing Mashinsky’s assurances that it was safe.
Related: What do crypto users want to happen to Alex Mashinsky?
Celsius filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 13, 2022, owing $4.7 billion to creditors after halting withdrawals in June, citing volatile market conditions.
In November 2023, a US bankruptcy court approved Celsius’ restructuring plan to repay customers, and in August 2024, $2.53 billion was paid to 251,000 creditors.
Former Celsius chief revenue officer Roni Cohen-Pavon also pleaded guilty in September 2023 to similar charges, but his Dec. 11 sentencing has been delayed until after Mashinsky is sentenced.
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A Russian-Israeli citizen allegedly involved in the $190 million Nomad bridge hack will soon be extradited to the US after he was reportedly arrested at an Israeli airport while boarding a flight to Russia.
Alexander Gurevich will be investigated for his alleged involvement in several “computer crimes,” including laundering millions of dollars and transferring stolen property allegedly connected to the Nomad Bridge hack in 2022, The Jerusalem Post reported on May 5.
Gurevich returned to Israel from an overseas trip on April 19 but was ordered to appear before the Jerusalem District Court for an extradition hearing soon after, according to the report.
On April 29, Gurevich changed his name in Israel’s Population Registry to “Alexander Block” and received a passport under that name at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport the next day.
He was arrested at the same airport two days later, on May 1, while waiting to board a flight to Russia.
Gurevich allegedly identified a vulnerability in the Nomad bridge, which he exploited and stole roughly $2.89 million worth of tokens from in August 2022.
Dozens of copycat hackers discovered and capitalized on the security vulnerability soon after, leading to a total loss of $190 million.
Gurevich allegedly reached out to a Nomad executive on Telegram
Prosecutors allege that shortly after the hack, Gurevich messaged Nomad’s chief technology officer, James Prestwich, on Telegram using a fake identity, admitting that he had been “amateurishly” seeking a crypto protocol to exploit.
He allegedly apologized for “the trouble he caused Prestwich and his team” and voluntarily transferred about $162,000 into a recovery wallet the company had set up.
Prestwich told Gurevich that Nomad would pay him 10% of the value of the assets he had stolen, to which Gurevich responded that he would consult his lawyer. However, Nomad never heard back from him after that.
At some point during the negotiations, Gurevich demanded a reward of $500,000 for identifying the vulnerability.
Related: Do Kwon is in US custody after extradition battle
US federal authorities filed an eight-count indictment against Gurevich in the Northern District of California on Aug. 16, 2023, in addition to obtaining a warrant for his arrest. California is where the team behind the Nomad bridge is based.
The US submitted a formal extradition request in December 2024, the Post noted.
The money laundering charges that Gurevich faces carry a maximum of 20 years, significantly harsher than what he would face in Israel.
Gurevich is believed to have arrived in Israel a few days before the $190 million exploit occurred, prompting Israeli officials to believe he carried out the attack while in Israel.
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