UK

Labour frontbencher Jess Phillips has been accused of “racist and bullying behaviour” after getting into a row on social media with high-profile headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh. Ms Birbalsingh, former chairwoman of the Social Mobility Commission and once dubbed “Britain’s strictest headteacher”, accused the Birmingham Yardley MP of seeking to “whip up a social media mob” against

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a two-year-old girl in Ipswich. Police officers attended a property on Sidegate Lane just after 11.45am on Friday where they discovered the girl’s body. In a statement, Suffolk Police said: “In the early hours of this morning (Saturday 1 July), officers arrested a 22-year-old man from

A Jeremy Clarkson column about Prince Harry and Meghan in The Sun newspaper was sexist, a press watchdog has ruled. The column – headlined “One day, Harold the glove puppet will tell the truth about A Woman Talking B*******” – contained a “pejorative and prejudicial reference” to the sex of the Duchess of Sussex, the

The government plans to more than halve the number of NHS staff being recruited from abroad in the next 15 years, according to its long term workforce plan. On Thursday, a preview of the plan announced the intention to funnel £2.4bn into solving the severe staffing crisis in NHS England. The full document, which was

Shorter medical degrees, apprenticeships, and £2.4bn in funding are among the radical plans being put forward to solve NHS England’s severe staffing crisis. The long-awaited NHS workforce plan is due to be published in full on Friday, outlining how the service will address existing vacancies and meet the challenges of a growing and ageing population.

Satellite images have picked up an area of smoke lying across the UK which can be traced back to wildfires in North America, according to the Met Office. It said the cloud of smoke has “over the last day or so given us some vivid sunrises and sunsets”. Twitter This content is provided by Twitter,

Presumed human remains have been recovered from the wreckage of the Titan submersible, the US Coast Guard have said. It comes after debris from the craft was brought ashore earlier on Wednesday. Five men died, including three British citizens, when the submersible is believed to have suffered a catastrophic implosion while attempting to view the

The government said it is prepared for a range of scenarios amid fears Britain’s biggest water company could collapse. Sky News has learnt that ministers and Ofwat, the industry regulator, have started to hold discussions about the possibility of placing indebted Thames Water into temporary public ownership. Contingency plans are being drawn up amid growing

The government has begun drawing up contingency plans for the collapse of Thames Water amid growing doubts in Whitehall about the ability of Britain’s biggest water company to service its £14bn debt-pile. Sky News has learnt that ministers and Ofwat, the industry regulator, have started to hold discussions about the possibility of placing Thames Water

There was “nothing” in Nicola Bulley’s medical records to suggest she was suicidal, her former GP has told an inquest into her death. Dr Rebecca Gray told the hearing at County Hall, Preston, that Ms Bulley had spoken to her about feeling a “low mood and anxiety” since 2018, later speaking of headaches, fatigue and

Institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination are deep-rooted and widespread in English cricket, a report has found. After receiving evidence and recommendations, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) acted on one recommendation – saying sorry. “We certainly apologise to anybody that has felt excluded or discriminated against,” ECB chairman Richard Thompson told Sky News.

There is no evidence Nicola Bulley was harmed before she drowned in the River Wyre, a Home Office pathologist has said. Dr Alison Armour, giving evidence at an inquest at County Hall in Preston, said watery fluid and fragments of dirt found inside Ms Bulley’s body were “typical features we see in cases of drowning”.

The US Coast Guard has said investigators looking into the Titan submersible implosion are “taking all precautions” in case they find bodies on the sea floor. Captain Jason Neubauer, who is leading the probe, said it was a “priority” to salvage debris after pieces of the vessel were found on Thursday about 487m (1,600ft) from the

A man has died after a hot air balloon caught fire and plummeted to the ground in Worcestershire. Witnesses said they saw a fireball coming from the craft before it “dropped like a stone” on to some trees near the village of Ombersley. The man, said to be aged in his 20s, was pronounced dead

Canadian police are looking into the deaths of five people killed in the implosion of the Titan submersible. Superintendent Kent Osmond, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, confirmed on Saturday it was looking into the circumstances. Parts from the sub were discovered on the sea floor on Thursday, only about 400m from the wreck of

Reports that Rishi Sunak could block 6% pay rises for public sector workers have been criticised by unions. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) accused the government of “blaming workers who can’t afford to put food on the table” after the Times reported that the prime minister could overrule recommendations from pay review bodies. Government sources

A water company boss has blamed people working from home for a new hosepipe ban.  South East Water will impose the first hosepipe ban of the summer from Monday, affecting more than two million homes and businesses across Kent and Sussex. Its chief executive, David Hinton, said in a letter to customers that post-pandemic working

A former Royal Navy submarine captain has explained the possible reasons for the “catastrophic implosion” suffered by the Titan submersible on its descent to the wreck of the Titanic. All five people on board are now believed to have lost their lives in the catastrophe after debris from the vessel was discovered on Thursday. “The

The 19-year-old university student who was killed in the Titan submersible was “terrified” before the trip but went as a Father’s Day present. Azmeh Dawood, the older sister of Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, told Sky’s US partner network NBC News that Mr Dawood’s son Suleman was “very not into doing it”. “Suleman had a sense

The Bank of England has shocked economists and investors by raising interest rates half a percentage point to 5% – the highest level since 2008. Economists had expected the Monetary Policy Committee to raise interest rates by only a quarter percentage point, but the MPC voted 7-2 for the surprise increase, explaining that it was