Dear readers — we hope you enjoyed your weekend. If you work for Jaguar Land Rover, it’s unlikely you did, however, — the company is still reeling from a summer cyber attack that brought business to a halt, with shockwaves experienced throughout the supply chain. Now, chancellor Rachel Reeves has blamed the seismic event for slowing down the country’s overall growth in the past three months. That’s at the top of today’s Brum in Brief.
Also today, Home secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to bring in era-defining changes to the country’s asylum system which will make Britain the hardest place in Europe for refugees to settle in permanently. Plus, concern over city centre stabbings is at a high, following an attack on a 17-year-old boy on Friday.
Elsewhere, revisit the 1973 movie that almost ended Cliff Richard’s career and pop our pick of things to do this week in your calendars.
Catch up and coming up:
- On Saturday, freelance writer Xi’an Loves wrote about the impact of Hurricane Melissa on people in Jamaica — and their relatives in Birmingham. A few readers have asked for suggestions of where to donate, so here are a couple of fundraiser’s set-up by two people mentioned in the story:
- Will you or anyone you know be impacted by Shabana Mahmood’s upcoming, major asylum system changes? Reach out at editor@birminghamdispatch.co.uk.
In the words of local legend Noddy Holder, "iiiiiit's Chriiiistmas!" Well, it's almost, the festive season and at The Dispatch we are already getting merry, planning our big Christmas quiz! Join us for a fun evening and the chance to win £100 in cash on 18 December at the JQ's premier pub Temper and Brown. Tickets are £3 for Dispatch members and £4 for non-members - everyone is welcome.
Photo of the week
Selly Oak Pumping Station (Birmingham, 2025). Photo by @dirty.brum. Selly Oak Pumping Station operated between 1879 and the 1920s. The pumping house became obsolete once the Elan aqueduct was built, which connected Birmingham to Welsh reservoirs.
Heard tales of the Selly Oak pumping station? Comment below.
Brum in Brief
🚗 Ahead of the budget in late November, chancellor Rachel Reeves has blamed poor GDP growth on the cyber-attack experienced by West Midlands based car manufacturers Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The economy grew by just 0.1% in the third quarter of 2025, its growth rate falling by 0.1% from previous quarters. Reeves has pointed to the cyber attack against JLR in August as the main reason the economy is struggling. The hack cost the company £1.5bn in sales and the economy £1.9 billion in lost growth and expenditure. The attack has also affected over 5000 companies and experts estimate a full recovery will not be reached until January 2026. In September 2025, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded a 28.6% fall in car manufacturing in the UK, bringing output to the lowest-levels since 1952, while also breaking recent low-records set during the pandemic. The ONS have also reported that the JLR hack directly knocked 0.17% off of growth in September.
⛔ This week, Shabana Mahmood will launch what some are calling the biggest changes to the country’s asylum system since WWII. These include making “illegal” immigrants — such as those who arrive by small boat or lorry — wait 20 years for permanent residency. The home secretary is set to announce that refugee status will become temporary, with those affected being reviewed every 30 months. Under the new rules, if and when their home country becomes safe at any point during 20 years of living in the UK, they will be sent back. Under the current system, introduced by Labour in 2005, refugees can apply to stay after five years, at which point they get access to benefits, public funds and a route to citizenship. The changes will mean Britain has the longest route to settlement in Europe. (The Times).
🚨 Two men and a 15-year-old boy have been charged after a teenager was stabbed in Birmingham city centre on Thursday. A 17-year-old boy was taken to hospital, but has not been left with life-threatening or life changing injuries, after a disturbance outside the Bullring just after 8pm. Mussa Gul, 18, Zain Hussain, 18, and the 15-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, were charged with wounding with intent, affray, and possession of a bladed article and are expected to appear at Birmingham Magistrate’s Court today. The incident occurred just a week after 34-year-old Katie Fox was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack while she waited for the bus, also outside the shopping centre. (BBC).
Quick Hits
☘️ A new Irish centre has opened in King’s Heath, after the previous centre was demolished in Digbeth. (BBC).
🏗️ A student housing project has been recommended for approval on the former site of the Golden Eagle pub in Birmingham city centre. (Express and Star).
🚚 DPD delivery vans “takeover” a street in Bearwood: frustrating residents (Birmingham Mail).
👮 West Midlands police and crime comissioners have complained about a lack of consultation from government over the scrapping of their roles. (BBC).
🏠 House prices have plummeted across the West Midlands in areas including: Rotton Park, West Bromwich and Acocks Green. (Birmingham Mail).
Media picks
📰 Joe Rigby, who was born in Birmingham and left school at 15 before rising the media ranks to become head of programming at Granada Television, has died. His son has written an obituary for The Guardian, detailing his father’s upbringing in Erdington, from where he and his four siblings were evacuated to Worcestershire during the second world war. On his return, Joe attended services at Erdington Abbey and helped to run the local youth club, but his passion for media was sparked during national service, when he worked with Forces Radio in Cologne, Germany. At Granada, he “hired, inspired and nurtured” a team of scriptwriters including the young Jim Grant — better known today as the hugely successful novelist Lee Child.
📰 Ever seen the Cliff Richard film Take Me High? Us neither. Made in 1973, the movie has been described as a “love song” to Birmingham in which Richards plays unlikeable banker Tim Matthews, according to this recent BBC feature. After moving to Birmingham, Matthews buys a barge and enters into a power struggle with the leftie council leader before setting up a fast food restaurant called Brumburger. It’s “a really, really odd vehicle," says local writer Catherine O’Flynn. “It's like a musical in which none of the songs became hits and a comedy in which there are no discernible jokes.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, Take Me High marked the end of Richards’ acting career — and almost his singing career too.
Our to do list
📖 Tomorrow, enjoy a free history talk about the Women of WWII and their impact on the war effort and beyond at Stone Cross library in West Brom. Call the library to book your place.
🎤 There are just a few tickets left for Birmingham bard Bradley Taylor & Friends for an evening of poetry and music on Thursday. Buy them here from £5.
🏘️ This RIBA tour on Thursday sounds like a Dispatch history article. Explore Birmingham’s housing evolution from garden villages to contemporary regeneration. Free for RIBA members or £13.55.
🧥 On Saturday, find vintage clothes, homeware, collectables and street food all under one roof at Ginger’s Flea Market in Digbeth. Tickets from £2.50.
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