UK

Politicians have paid tribute to former Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson after his death aged 91. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the party grandee “was a transformational chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others” as he paid tribute on Twitter. Lord Lawson was a Conservative MP representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974 to

The man who shot and killed Liverpool schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 42 years for her murder. Gunman Thomas Cashman, 34, fired shots into the nine-year-old’s family home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on 22 August 2022, during what prosecutors described as a “ruthless pursuit” to execute another man. He

British men being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been in contact with their relatives, a family spokesman has said. Charity medic Kevin Cornwell, 53, and an unnamed UK national who manages a hotel in Kabul are believed to have been detained by secret police since January. A third Briton – so-called “danger tourist”

A new grooming gangs taskforce will be launched to stop the exploitation of children and young women, the government has announced. Specialist officers will help police forces with child sexual exploitation and abuse investigations “to bring more of these despicable criminals to justice”, Downing Street said. The new taskforce will be made up of officers

Extra sailings will run through the night at the Port of Dover to help clear the backlog that left passengers stranded for up to 14 hours.  A spokesperson for the port said they hoped to clear the backlog by Sunday lunchtime, blaming increased Easter traffic, earlier bad weather and delays in French border processing for

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman’s body was found in a marina in Reading, Thames Valley Police have said. Police were called just after 10.30am on Saturday to reports of a body in the water at the Thames & Kennet Marina in Caversham. Officers recovered it from the water

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has been released from jail in Romania. He and his brother have been placed under house arrest instead. The 36-year-old former professional kickboxer and his brother Tristan are being investigated over allegations of sexual assault and exploitation. They are also being detained on suspicion of organised crime and human trafficking. The

Ukraine’s foreign minister has branded Wimbledon’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete as “immoral”. Dmytro Kuleba urged the UK to deny the athletes visas to enter the country. “Has Russia ceased its aggression or atrocities? No, it’s just that Wimbledon decided to accommodate two accomplices in crime,” said Mr Kuleba in a

Ten days of of strikes by security guards at Heathrow Airport start today after last-minute talks failed to resolve a pay dispute. Around 1,400 members of the Unite union who are employed by Heathrow Airports Ltd (HAL) are expected to take part in the 10-day walkout which ends at 23.59pm on Easter Sunday. The strikes

A self-confessed drug dealer has been convicted of the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel at her home in Liverpool last August. Thomas Cashman, 34, was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and two charges of possession of firearms by a jury at Manchester Crown Court. Olivia died

Environmental campaigners have warned they could once again take the government to court over its “lacklustre” climate policy. Friends of the Earth said it was “poised to act” if the revised net-zero strategy, published today, failed to meet legal obligations to cut carbon emissions. The campaign group – along with ClientEarth and the Good Law Project – took the government to the High Court last year

Britain’s most notorious inmate Charles Bronson has claimed he now “hates violence” and has been a “model prisoner” for the last decade. In a voice note sent to Sky News, Bronson said he has “never been a danger to the public” and that “I love the world”. Bronson, 70, was jailed for armed robbery in

Tributes are being paid to Paul O’Grady after the TV star died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening. ITV presenter Lorraine Kelly described O’Grady as “a really special man” adding that it was “such sad news”. She said Paul O’Grady was “funny, fearless, brave, kind and wise” and “will be sorely missed”. Commenting on Mr

Prince Harry has said the Royal Family witheld information from him about phone hacking because they didn’t want him to bring a claim as it would “open a can of worms”. In a witness statement submitted before his civil claim against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers, the Duke of Sussex said that he was conditioned

Humza Yousaf has won the SNP leadership contest and is set to be named as Scotland’s new first minister, replacing Nicola Sturgeon. The explosive leadership contest was sparked following Ms Sturgeon’s shock resignation last month. Lorna Finn, the SNP’s national secretary, stated that the total turnout in the leadership election was 70% with 50,490 of

The home where Awaab Ishak died still has problems with damp and mould more than two years after his “tragic and preventable” death. A new report into Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) paints a “disturbing picture” of life on the estate where the toddler died after being exposed to extensive mould in his family’s flat. RBH

A major incident has been declared after a leak from an oil field in Dorset. The leak has come from the Wytch Farm facility in the Purbecks which is one of the largest onshore oil fields in Europe. Philip Broadhead, the leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, has said oil has escaped into the

Nitrous oxide is set to be banned under government plans to clamp down on anti-social behaviour. Levelling up secretary Michael Gove made the announcement this morning on the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme. “Antisocial behaviour can ruin lives,” he said. Confirming the ban on laughing gas, Mr Gove said: “I think anyone who has the

People convicted of anti-social behaviour will be ordered to repair the damage they have caused within two days of being told their punishment, under new plans. Making justice “immediate” and ensuring that communities can visibly see efforts to clean up vandalism and graffiti will be a key plank of the measures. The scheme will be

Plans to start moving migrants out of hotels and into military bases or even disused ferries are expected to be announced by the government within weeks. Ministers have already signalled that they want to end the use of hotels as asylum seeker accommodation. Previous suggestions of using holiday camps and student halls are less likely