UK

Politicians have paid tribute to former Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson after his death aged 91. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the party grandee “was a transformational chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others” as he paid tribute on Twitter. Lord Lawson was a Conservative MP representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974 to

The man who shot and killed Liverpool schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 42 years for her murder. Gunman Thomas Cashman, 34, fired shots into the nine-year-old’s family home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on 22 August 2022, during what prosecutors described as a “ruthless pursuit” to execute another man. He

British men being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been in contact with their relatives, a family spokesman has said. Charity medic Kevin Cornwell, 53, and an unnamed UK national who manages a hotel in Kabul are believed to have been detained by secret police since January. A third Briton – so-called “danger tourist”

A new grooming gangs taskforce will be launched to stop the exploitation of children and young women, the government has announced. Specialist officers will help police forces with child sexual exploitation and abuse investigations “to bring more of these despicable criminals to justice”, Downing Street said. The new taskforce will be made up of officers

Extra sailings will run through the night at the Port of Dover to help clear the backlog that left passengers stranded for up to 14 hours.  A spokesperson for the port said they hoped to clear the backlog by Sunday lunchtime, blaming increased Easter traffic, earlier bad weather and delays in French border processing for

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman’s body was found in a marina in Reading, Thames Valley Police have said. Police were called just after 10.30am on Saturday to reports of a body in the water at the Thames & Kennet Marina in Caversham. Officers recovered it from the water

The government has delayed a key announcement on a pay rise for the military despite the soaring cost of living, leaving troops feeling “undervalued”, Sky News can reveal. Military sources said the move was particularly galling because soldiers, sailors and aviators are not allowed to strike over pay but are expected to backfill for other

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has been released from jail in Romania. He and his brother have been placed under house arrest instead. The 36-year-old former professional kickboxer and his brother Tristan are being investigated over allegations of sexual assault and exploitation. They are also being detained on suspicion of organised crime and human trafficking. The

House prices fell by 3.1% year-on-year in March, marking the biggest annual decline since July 2009, Nationwide Building Society said. The figures also showed a monthly price fall of 0.8% – the seventh consecutive fall – which leaves prices 4.6% below their August peak. Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said: “The housing market reached a

A self-confessed drug dealer has been convicted of the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel at her home in Liverpool last August. Thomas Cashman, 34, was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and two charges of possession of firearms by a jury at Manchester Crown Court. Olivia died

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder after two men were found shot dead at two different locations in Cambridgeshire. Police said they found the bodies of a 32-year-old and a 57-year-old after they were called to incidents on Wednesday evening. They described the attacks as “targeted”. In the early hours

The King and Queen Consort are in Germany – the first state visit since the start of the new monarch’s reign. The couple arrived at Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport at about 1pm UK time, and are currently at the Brandenburg Gate, the first time the landmark has been used to welcome any visiting head of state.

Tributes are being paid to Paul O’Grady after the TV star died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening. ITV presenter Lorraine Kelly described O’Grady as “a really special man” adding that it was “such sad news”. She said Paul O’Grady was “funny, fearless, brave, kind and wise” and “will be sorely missed”. Commenting on Mr

Prince Harry has said the Royal Family witheld information from him about phone hacking because they didn’t want him to bring a claim as it would “open a can of worms”. In a witness statement submitted before his civil claim against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers, the Duke of Sussex said that he was conditioned

The increasing cost of sugar is driving food prices to record highs, new figures have revealed, amid warnings shop inflation is yet to peak. Shop prices are now 8.9% higher than they were a year ago, up from February’s 8.4% increase, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-NielsenIQ index. Overall food inflation accelerated to 15%,

Humza Yousaf has won the SNP leadership contest and is set to be named as Scotland’s new first minister, replacing Nicola Sturgeon. The explosive leadership contest was sparked following Ms Sturgeon’s shock resignation last month. Lorna Finn, the SNP’s national secretary, stated that the total turnout in the leadership election was 70% with 50,490 of

A major incident has been declared after a leak from an oil field in Dorset. The leak has come from the Wytch Farm facility in the Purbecks which is one of the largest onshore oil fields in Europe. Philip Broadhead, the leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, has said oil has escaped into the

A major incident has been declared after an oil leak from an onshore field in Dorset. The UK Health Security Agency in the South West said members of the public should not swim in Poole Harbour or the surrounding area until further notice after 200 barrels of reservoir fluid, consisting of 85% water and 15%

People convicted of anti-social behaviour will be ordered to repair the damage they have caused within two days of being told their punishment, under new plans. Making justice “immediate” and ensuring that communities can visibly see efforts to clean up vandalism and graffiti will be a key plank of the measures. The scheme will be

Plans to start moving migrants out of hotels and into military bases or even disused ferries are expected to be announced by the government within weeks. Ministers have already signalled that they want to end the use of hotels as asylum seeker accommodation. Previous suggestions of using holiday camps and student halls are less likely