UK

Talks between the education secretary and the teaching unions have failed and the biggest teachers’ strike in years will go ahead. Last-minute talks were held by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan on Monday in a bid to resolve a teachers’ pay dispute ahead of planned strikes this week. Members of the National Education Union (NEU) in

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

Clare Drakeford, the wife of Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford, has died suddenly. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Welsh government said: “It is with deep sadness that we confirm the sudden passing of Clare Drakeford, reportedly 66, wife of the first minister. “The thoughts of everyone in the Welsh government are with the

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 has died after being crushed by a telescopic urinal in central London. Emergency services were called to the scene at Cambridge Circus in the West End just after 1pm today to reports of a “seriously injured” man. The incident took place outside the Palace Theatre, home to Harry Potter and the Cursed

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

Ambulance workers are staging a fresh strike in the escalating dispute over pay and staffing. It comes after the chancellor was told he can halt industrial action and begin solving the staffing emergency if he comes up with new money to pay health workers “fairly”. But Unison warned Jeremy Hunt that if he continues to resist

The foreign secretary has evaded answering questions on the latest ‘sleaze’ allegations surrounding Boris Johnson to hit the Conservative Party. James Cleverly was asked about a claim that the BBC chairman Richard Sharp helped the former prime minister arrange a guarantee on a loan of up to £800,000, weeks before he was then recommended for

Buckingham Palace has squashed any suggestions of a slimmed down coronation by announcing a three-day weekend of “ceremonial, celebratory and community events”. Taking place between Saturday 6 and Monday 8 May, King Charles has insisted the historic moment should be “rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry” but also “look towards the future”. The King’s first

Nadhim Zahawi says his tax error was found to be “careless and not deliberate” after Labour called for him to be sacked over his finances. The Tory chairman and cabinet member released a statement saying he wanted to “address some of the confusion” about his finances. He said his father took founder shares in YouGov