UK

The chief executive of Thames Water has refused to rule out bill increases of up to 40% for customers as the troubled company tries to secure its future. It comes as the business, which serves nearly a quarter of the UK’s population, struggles with more than £15bn of debt and the huge interest payments required

The Met Office has warned there is a “small chance” of injuries and “danger to life” as a result of strong winds and large waves hitting the south of England. Winds of up to 70mph battered the south coast, along with hail and thunder, as the Easter weekend kicks off. Yellow weather warnings for rain

There are fears innocent people could end up on police databases with controversial new hate crime laws in Scotland being weaponised to “settle scores”. Legislation is being introduced on 1 April criminalising threatening or abusive behaviour which is intended to stir up hatred based on certain characteristics including age, disability, sexual orientation, and transgender identity.

Public satisfaction with the NHS has dropped to the lowest level on record, according to findings from a long-running poll. Just 24% of people said they were satisfied with the health service in 2023, with poor access to GPs and long wait times for hospital treatment the main reasons for dissatisfaction. More than 3,000 people

Documents revealing why Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi – a convicted sex offender – was granted asylum have been made public for the first time, while Sky News has obtained pictures of him being baptised in church. Ezedi attacked a woman and two children with an alkali on a street in south London in January.

The King will attend the Easter Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on Easter Sunday, Buckingham Palace has announced. The Queen and other members of the Royal Family will also attend. In February, he was pictured attending church in Sandringham but it had not been confirmed until now that he would attend the

The mastermind of an armed robbery in which PC Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead nearly 20 years ago has been found guilty of her murder. Prosecutors said Piran Ditta Khan, 75, planned the raid at Universal Express travel agent in Morley Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire on 18 November 2005. PC Beshenivsky, 38, and her colleague

The Duchess of York has said she is “full of admiration” for the Princess of Wales after Kate announced she was being treated for cancer, adding: “I hope she will now be given the time, space and privacy to heal.” Sarah Ferguson, who was married to Prince Andrew and had daughters Beatrice and Eugenie with

The King is “frustrated” about the speed of his cancer recovery and is “pushing” staff and doctors to be able to return to duties, according to his nephew, Peter Phillips. However, Mr Phillips – the son of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal – says the monarch is in “good spirits” and remains “pragmatic”. He made

Four people have died in a single-vehicle crash in Armagh, Northern Ireland, police have said. The crash, involving a grey Volkswagen Golf, occurred on Ballynahonemore Road at around 2.10am this morning. The driver and three passengers – who have not yet been identified – were declared dead at the scene. District Commander Superintendent Paul McGrattan

The Prince and Princess of Wales are “extremely moved by the public’s warmth and support” after Kate revealed she is receiving treatment for cancer. Kensington Palace said the future king and queen are “enormously touched” by the outpouring of “kind messages” from across the world following the release of Kate’s emotional video message on Friday.

As the Princess of Wales reveals cancer was found during her abdominal surgery in January, experts explain what preventative chemotherapy is, how it works and when it’s used.  What is preventative chemotherapy? The Princess of Wales says that at the time of her surgery, it was thought her condition was non-cancerous. But tests following the

Kate, Princess of Wales, has revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing preventative chemotherapy. In a personal message, the 42-year-old said planned abdominal surgery in January was successful and it was initially thought her condition was non-cancerous. But tests after the operation found cancer had been present, she said, adding: “This of

Rishi Sunak has warned against “messing with” the national flags after Nike changed the colour of the St George’s Cross on a new England football shirt. Wading into the controversy, the prime minister argued the standards are “a source of pride, identity, who we are and they are perfect as we are”. His comments came

An NHS consultant at the hospital where Lucy Letby murdered seven babies has warned the health service is “almost guaranteeing” another big scandal if whistleblowers are not offered more protection. Dr Ravi Jayaram, a consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital where Letby killed the babies and attempted to murder six more, says “the

A long-awaited report on how women born in the 1950s were affected by increases to their retirement age has recommended they are owed compensation. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has been looking at potential injustices resulting from the decision to raise women’s retirement age to bring it into line with men’s. Women Against State

The family of a British woman who has been missing for three years in the US Virgin Islands are pleading for help from President Biden to find her. Sarm Heslop, a former air hostess from Southampton, was living what seemed to be her dream life in the US Virgin Islands, a group of Caribbean islands

What was Jeremy Hunt up to? Was he aiming to snatch the headlines from his Labour rival Rachel Reeves on the evening of her weighty and well-trailed lecture on the economy? Almost certainly. Was he also aiming to tease Labour MPs about an October election when he and the prime minister are really planning for

An IT worker has been found guilty of murdering a couple with strong opioid Fentanyl. Luke D’Wit was accused of killing Stephen Baxter, 61, and his 64-year-old wife Carol and rewriting their will to take charge of their shower mat and bathroom company. The 34-year-old from Mersea worked for the couple and is said to

A photograph of the late Queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, was “digitally enhanced at source”, according to Getty Images. The picture agency says it has added an editor’s note to the image, which was shared by Kensington Palace in April 2023 on what would have been the late Queen’s 97th birthday. The palace shared