UK

British Gas has suspended the use of court warrants to force-fit prepayment meters after a report alleged it sent debt collectors to break into customers’ homes to install them – ignoring their vulnerabilities. Centrica, the owner of British Gas, said in a statement that “all warrant activity” had been suspended and that protecting vulnerable customers

Rishi Sunak was told about Dominic Raab’s “unacceptable behaviour” over the summer before he became prime minister and appointed the deputy PM to his cabinet role, a source has alleged to Sky News. The source told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby that Mr Sunak was made aware of Mr Raab’s conduct but the PM

Hundreds of thousands of workers are going on strike, in what will be the biggest day of industrial action for more than a decade. Teachers in England and Wales who are members of the National Education Union are set to stage walkouts – affecting 23,000 schools. Estimates from the NEU suggest 85% of schools across

A “potentially key” witness to the disappearance of dog walker Nicola Bulley has been found and is now being spoken to by Lancashire Police, officers have revealed. The force had put an appeal out for the man to come forward earlier on Tuesday. He was described as about 70-years-old, and is believed to have been

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has told Sky News that the British Army has “fallen behind its peer group” and “needs investment”. It comes after Sky News yesterday revealed a US general privately told Mr Wallace that the UK’s armed forces are no longer regarded as a top-level fighting force. Defence sources revealed the US general

Britain’s economic reputation has been dealt a further blow after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that this year the UK economy will fare worse than any other country in the developed world – including Russia. In the latest update of its economic forecasts, the IMF said that it expected the UK’s gross domestic product

Scotland has paused the movement of any transgender prisoner while it carries out an “urgent” review of the rules. It comes after prison chiefs in Scotland in recent weeks approved moving Tiffany Scott, who stalked a 13-year-old girl while known as Andrew Burns, to an all-female prison. Last week, Nicola Sturgeon said that Isla Bryson,

A senior US general has privately told Defence Secretary Ben Wallace the British Army is no longer regarded as a top-level fighting force, defence sources have revealed.  They said this decline in war-fighting capability – following decades of cuts to save money – needed to be reversed faster than planned in the wake of Russia’s

The government is partially to blame for the Grenfell Tower tragedy because of “faulty and ambiguous” government guidance, Michael Gove has said. The housing secretary added the guidance allowed “unscrupulous people to exploit a broken system in a way that led to tragedy”. He made the admission in an interview with The Sunday Times as

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 15-year-old girl died in a stabbing in Northumberland. Police said they were called to the Priestpopple area of Hexham shortly after 5.10pm on Friday to reports that the two teenagers had what appeared to be knife injuries. They were both taken to hospital,

British airline Flybe has ceased trading and all scheduled flights have been cancelled. In a statement posted on its Twitter account Flybe said: “We are sad to announce that Flybe has been placed into administration. “David Pike and Mike Pink of Interpath have been appointed administrators. “Regretfully, Flybe has now ceased trading. “All Flybe flights

A maintenance worker in central London has died after being crushed by a hydraulic telescopic urinal – one that’s kept underground during the day and kept out overnight. Emergency services were called to Cambridge Circus in the West End just after 1pm on Friday to reports of a “seriously injured” man. The incident took place

The chancellor will dismiss “gloom” about the prospects for the UK economy and say the government will bring about long-term prosperity in a plan “energised” by Brexit. Mr Hunt will deliver an upbeat message in a keynote speech today, where he will say the government has a plan to use “British genius and British hard

Sir Rod Stewart has called in to a live Sky News phone-in offering to donate money for medical scans after hearing stories from people about treatment ordeals on the NHS. The singer said it was “ridiculous” that people were having to wait long periods to get essential scans and treatment. The 78-year-old told Sky News:

The NHS winter crisis has been a struggle for patients and staff alike – but it has also prompted a long overdue and necessary debate about its sustainability and future. There are those – like former health secretary Sajid Javid – who think the way forward for the free cradle-to-grave service is to start charging

Two to three criminal cases against officers are expected to go to court every week in the coming months, the Met Police commissioner has revealed. The criminal cases are a “mix of dishonesty, violence and violence against women and girls”, Sir Mark Rowley said. He also apologised to the victims of former officer David Carrick

Ambulance response times are currently the worst on record and the NHS is struggling to cope with a surge in demand this winter. Sky News joined West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic Danny Thompson and ambulance technician Dan Fiedler for a 12-hour shift. 7am: Elderly couple ‘too scared’ to call 999 Freezing fog hangs over Coventry

Police searching for a missing couple and their newborn baby believe the family has been sleeping in a tent in sub-zero temperatures. Officers have been trying to find Constance Marten, 35, and Mark Gordon, 48, since their car broke down on the M61 near Bolton on 5 January. Police say they went into an Argos

Failings by probation officers left a sexual predator able to stalk and kill law graduate Zara Aleena – just days after he was released from jail, according to a watchdog. A damning report found a catalogue of errors in the Probation Service’s handling of Jordan McSweeney, which meant he was not treated as a high-risk

An investigation will be launched into the appointment of the BBC chairman following reports he helped Boris Johnson secure a loan. William Shawcross, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, said he would review the competition which led to Richard Sharp’s appointment while Mr Johnson was prime minister. He made the announcement in response to a request