An MP accused of making threatening phone calls to her partner’s friend and threatening to send naked pictures of her to her family has been found guilty of harassment. Claudia Webbe, 56, claimed she called Michelle Merritt because “we were in a national crisis and lockdown had to be adhered to strictly”. The MP was
UK
Ofgem, the energy regulator, is braced for a fresh wave of supplier collapses this week as the crisis engulfing the industry continues to accelerate. Sky News understands that at least four suppliers were in talks with Ofgem on Tuesday about entering its Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR) system in a development expected to add several
Doctors believe the NHS is inadequately prepared for the winter months, a poll from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has found. The RCP is warning that one in three doctors believes the NHS is not ready for the challenges that lie ahead and medics also felt personally unprepared to deal with the upcoming pressures.
Thousands of lives were lost due to delays and mistakes made at the start of the COVID pandemic by both ministers and their scientific advisers according to a highly critical report by MPs. A pandemic plan based too much on influenza and “groupthink” among public health officials meant early opportunities to delay the spread of
The family of a care worker who could have been saved following the Manchester Arena bombing has refused to accept an apology from the senior paramedic on the night of the attack. The family of John Atkinson, 28, from Bury, Greater Manchester, said “mistake after mistake was made, and precious time was allowed to ebb
The Metropolitan Police are taking no further action after reviewing allegations connected to Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. The force had assessed a document released in August 2021 as part of Virginia Giuffre‘s US lawsuit against the Duke of York. Ms Guiffre is suing him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager
COVID-19 and flu are co-circulating this year for the first time and those who catch both are twice as likely to die, early evidence suggests. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), also warned that there could be multiple strains of flu ahead of an uncertain winter. Speaking to Trevor Phillips
The UK government has approved visas for a group of young female footballers from Afghanistan. The girls had fled to Pakistan after their country fell to the Taliban in August, and it was from there that they had told Sky News that they were desperate to find safety in the UK. At the time, they
The French interior minister is to visit Calais to inspect efforts in the fight against illegal immigration in the Channel – after Sky News filmed dozens of migrants leaving for the UK as armed police stood by and watched. Gerald Darmanin is expected to talk to police and address France‘s role in controlling migration as
Around one in six adults in Britain have been unable to buy essential food items in the last fortnight, representing up to eight million people – new figures indicate. Some 17% of adults said they had not been able to purchase such goods because they were not available, according to newly released data from the
Sky News is following the lives of three families who all face a difficult winter ahead. With energy and food bills rising, they say they are dreading the next few months. Jackie & Jason Jackie lives with her partner Jason and their three children – Skyler, seven, Kayde, six, and four-year-old Marshall. She was working
The UK has recorded 39,851 new COVID cases and 143 coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, government data shows. It is the highest number of daily infections reported since 6 September – when 41,192 cases were recorded. The latest figures compare with 33,869 COVID-19 infections and 166 fatalities recorded yesterday, and 36,722 cases and
A watchdog investigating the decision to grant Plymouth gunman Jake Davison a shotgun licence has issued two disciplinary notices to Devon and Cornwall Police staff. Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regional director David Ford said: “Based on the evidence gathered so far, we have now served disciplinary notices on two individuals within the force
The mother of a teenager who was shot dead in the street says her hopes are fading that her son’s killer will ever be caught – and believes police have “prioritised” other murder cases. Cherie Nedd told Sky News that her 18-year-old son Ethan Nedd-Bruce “was just coming home” when he was attacked outside a
Priti Patel has announced an independent inquiry into the “systematic failures” by the police following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer. Speaking at the Conservatives’ party conference in Manchester, the home secretary said the incident had “exposed unimaginable failings” in policing and added that an inquiry will “ensure something like this can
A life-changing drug treatment is to be released to thousands of people in England in what has been described as a historic moment for people with sickle cell disease. The condition – which is particularly common in people with an African or Caribbean background – causes severe pain and organ failure, often requiring hospital admissions.
Soldiers will begin delivering fuel to petrol stations this morning as parts of the country continue to struggle with shortages. Around 200 military personnel are being deployed on Operation Escalin in an effort to increase the number of tanker drivers. Most of the troops, who have been on standby since last week, will work in
The fuel supply crisis is “virtually at an end” in parts of the UK, but problems persist in London and the South East, the Petrol Retailers Association has said. There has been no overall improvement in the crisis in the last 24 hours, the group added. However, issues with getting fuel were “virtually at an
A mother has warned that anyone can die from COVID-19, even young people after her teenage daughter died just days after contracting the virus. Jorja Halliday, 15, from Portsmouth, died at the Queen Alexandra Hospital on 28 September after she tested positive for the coronavirus four days earlier. Her mother, Tracy Halliday, 40, said: “Some
A US private equity firm has won the auction for British supermarket group Morrisons with a £7bn bid. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) bid 287 pence per share. Morrisons is Britain’s fourth-biggest supermarket by market share, after market leader Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda. Based in Bradford, the business began as an egg and butter merchant