UK

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have doubled down on a controversial hike to National Insurance, following reports the prime minister was having second thoughts about the policy. Mr Johnson is under pressure from some Conservative MPs to scrap or at least delay the increase to win back support as he awaits the findings of Whitehall

A woman has been killed and 62,000 homes have suffered power cuts after extreme weather swept parts of UK – amid warnings another storm is set to batter the country with strong winds, snow and heavy rain within hours. Police said the woman died after being hit by a fallen tree blown over in Aberdeen

As an angry mob gathered outside a police station, Alison Lewis thought she was going to be killed. The former Welsh women’s rugby international, and ex-policewoman, had been arrested over the brutal killings of three generations of the same family – and a “baying, screaming” crowd was waiting for her. After four days of intense

Boris Johnson is reportedly considering a U-turn on plans to raise national insurance as the wait goes on for the publication of Sue Gray’s inquiry into partygate allegations. The prime minister is facing pressure from some Tory MPs to scrap the controversial tax hike in order to win back support to save his job. The

A couple are facing jail terms today after their eight-week-old baby died with more than 60 broken bones in her body following “the most despicable abuse”. Naomi Johnson, 24, and Benjamin O’Shea, 26, claimed paramedics caused the fractures suffered by their daughter Amina – but they were found guilty of causing or allowing her to

Boris Johnson has dismissed claims he approved the airlift of animals out of Afghanistan, saying they are “total rhubarb”, as Sky News obtained more emails which call into question the government’s account. Leaked messages appear to show that the prime minister‘s top parliamentary aide, Trudy Harrison, told Virgin Atlantic her efforts to secure a plane

Prince Andrew has asked for a jury trial and denied all the allegations against him as he officially responded to Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit. Court documents filed in New York show he “hereby demands a trial by jury on all causes of action asserted in the complaint”. Ms Giuffre accuses the Duke of York

Whistleblower emails have raised further questions over Boris Johnson’s insistence that he did not intervene to assist animal charities during the evacuation of Afghanistan. Last December the prime minister dismissed claims made by a former Foreign Office official that the government prioritised animals over people as “complete nonsense”. But new emails released by the Foreign

The return to school is driving up Omicron infections in children and could lead to another surge in adults, scientists have warned. The latest results from the REACT-1 study, which is based on around 100,000 random tests across England, show that the infection rate in primary school-age children was 7.8% – and rising – during

Boris Johnson is meeting his Cabinet amid the growing threat of war with President Putin in eastern Europe and more humiliating Downing Street party allegations at home. After a lengthy council of war with President Biden and other European leaders, the prime minister is expected to step up diplomatic efforts to prevent a Russian invasion

Dominic Cummings has revealed he has provided written evidence to the investigation into Downing Street parties during lockdown – and claims “other damaging stories” will emerge until Boris Johnson is out of office. Sue Gray is looking into parties and gatherings in Number 10 and other government departments during COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021.

The Liverpool terror attacker’s asylum claim was dismissed six years before he tried to carry out his strike, court documents show. Emad al Swealmeen died after his homemade bomb detonated inside a taxi outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Remembrance Sunday last year. He came to the UK legally in May 2014, with a Jordanian passport.

Boris Johnson met Tory MP Nusrat Ghani in 2020 following her claim she was sacked over her “Muslimness” – and “invited” her to make a formal complaint, Number 10 has said. The prime minister’s official spokesman said Mr Johnson held a meeting with Ms Ghani after she claimed a Tory whip told her her faith

The chief whip has said an MP’s claims that she was sacked as a minister because of her Muslim faith are “completely false”. Nusrat Ghani, the 49-year-old MP for Wealden in East Sussex, was sacked as transport minister in a February 2020 re-shuffle. Ms Ghani said she was told by a whip, who she did

Attempts to pressure Tory MPs trying to topple Boris Johnson are illegal, the head of a Westminster sleaze watchdog has argued. Labour MP Chris Bryant, who is chairman of the Commons Standards Committee, said alleged threats to pull public funding from members’ constituencies amounted to “misconduct in public office” and should be reported to the

Police will meet with a Conservative MP who has alleged that government figures have been engaging in “intimidation” that amounts to “blackmail” against Tories who have questioned Boris Johnson’s position. A Scotland Yard detective will talk with William Wragg next week about his allegation, which comes as the prime minister is under pressure over a

The UK Health Security Agency has designated the Omicron variant sub-lineage, known as BA.2, as a variant under investigation – with current case rates very low. Just 53 sequences of the sub-lineage had been identified in the UK by 10 January, the HSA said. The health body said further analysis will be undertaken. BA.2 does

COVID-19 restrictions introduced to curb the spread of the Omicron variant toward the end of last year are now being relaxed across the UK and in the Republic of Ireland. Boris Johnson confirmed on Wednesday that most measures under Plan B will end on 26 January, while work from home guidance has already been dropped.

Conservative MPs who want Boris Johnson to resign have been intimidated by the party and should contact the police if they have been blackmailed, a senior Tory has warned. William Wragg, chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, said a “number of MPs have faced intimidation” after declaring, or assumed to have declared,

A defiant Boris Johnson is clinging on to power, insisting he won’t quit even if his enemies in the Tory party force a vote of confidence in his leadership The prime minister is determined to fight back, boosted by an apparent split among the Tory plotters on when to launch their coup and on who