Boris Johnson has apologised after a version of the Sue Gray report criticised Downing Street for a “serious failure” over a number of gatherings during COVID restrictions, as he declared: “I get it and I will fix it.” A limited version of the Cabinet Office inquiry by Ms Gray has been made public, a document
UK
The sister of a teenager shot dead on Bloody Sunday, 50 years ago this weekend, has urged the soldier who fired the fatal shot to admit it. Kay Duddy, 75, says her brother Jackie, 17, cannot rest until that happens and is directly appealing to former members of the British Parachute Regiment. She said: “Please
A woman has been killed and 62,000 homes have suffered power cuts after extreme weather swept parts of UK – amid warnings another storm is set to batter the country with strong winds, snow and heavy rain within hours. Police said the woman died after being hit by a fallen tree blown over in Aberdeen
As an angry mob gathered outside a police station, Alison Lewis thought she was going to be killed. The former Welsh women’s rugby international, and ex-policewoman, had been arrested over the brutal killings of three generations of the same family – and a “baying, screaming” crowd was waiting for her. After four days of intense
Boris Johnson is reportedly considering a U-turn on plans to raise national insurance as the wait goes on for the publication of Sue Gray’s inquiry into partygate allegations. The prime minister is facing pressure from some Tory MPs to scrap the controversial tax hike in order to win back support to save his job. The
A couple are facing jail terms today after their eight-week-old baby died with more than 60 broken bones in her body following “the most despicable abuse”. Naomi Johnson, 24, and Benjamin O’Shea, 26, claimed paramedics caused the fractures suffered by their daughter Amina – but they were found guilty of causing or allowing her to
A man has admitted intending to cause Professor Sir Chris Whitty distress when he approached him in June last year. Jonathan Chew, 24, was one of two men who filmed themselves with England’s chief medical officer as he walked through St James’s Park in Westminster on 27 June. Prosecutor Iestyn Morgan said that Chew started
Prince Andrew has asked for a jury trial and denied all the allegations against him as he officially responded to Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit. Court documents filed in New York show he “hereby demands a trial by jury on all causes of action asserted in the complaint”. Ms Giuffre accuses the Duke of York
A man who suffocated a suspected burglar while performing a citizen’s arrest in the street has been cleared of manslaughter. Nathan Smith, a 38-year-old carer, knelt on Craig Wiltshire’s back for nine minutes in the early hours of 20 November 2019 after tackling him to the ground. He refused to ease off when the victim,
The return to school is driving up Omicron infections in children and could lead to another surge in adults, scientists have warned. The latest results from the REACT-1 study, which is based on around 100,000 random tests across England, show that the infection rate in primary school-age children was 7.8% – and rising – during
Children’s and social care services at Bradford Council are to be placed in a trust in the wake of the Star Hobson case. The council had contact with the family of 16-month-old Star before she was murdered by her mother’s girlfriend. The not-for-profit trust will be owned by the council but operate at arms-length under
Pressure on the NHS created by COVID led to at least 4,000 excess deaths from other conditions and mean that 32,000 cancer patients who should have started treatment are still waiting, according to new analysis. The figures come from a new report published by the CAGE centre at the University of Warwick. It is thought
Dominic Cummings has revealed he has provided written evidence to the investigation into Downing Street parties during lockdown – and claims “other damaging stories” will emerge until Boris Johnson is out of office. Sue Gray is looking into parties and gatherings in Number 10 and other government departments during COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021.
Some of the most “insidious” images of child abuse and violence against women and girls could evade new online safety laws, a group of MPs has warned. The Commons’ Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee which is scrutinising the government’s draft Online Safety Bill says the legislation is currently neither clear nor robust enough to tackle
Gavin Williamson has been accused of threatening to withdraw funding for a school in Bury after a former Tory MP considered voting against the government. Christian Wakeford, who recently defected to the Labour Party, had previously said that he was warned funding for a new secondary school in his constituency would be scrapped if he
Grieving relatives have paid tribute to a teenage soldier who died suddenly – describing her as “the light of our life”. Gunner Jaysley-Louise Beck, 19, was found dead at Larkhill military barracks on Salisbury Plain on 15 December last year. Another soldier, Lance Corporal of Horse, Michael Miah, 28, was discovered dead at nearby Bulford
Attempts to pressure Tory MPs trying to topple Boris Johnson are illegal, the head of a Westminster sleaze watchdog has argued. Labour MP Chris Bryant, who is chairman of the Commons Standards Committee, said alleged threats to pull public funding from members’ constituencies amounted to “misconduct in public office” and should be reported to the
Could the timing be any worse? A new “sub-lineage” of Omicron coming along just as the government abandons all COVID restrictions. But while BA.2 is definitely something to be keeping an eye on, it’s not one to worry about too much based on what we know so far. BA.2 has been circulating in the UK
The UK Health Security Agency has designated the Omicron variant sub-lineage, known as BA.2, as a variant under investigation – with current case rates very low. Just 53 sequences of the sub-lineage had been identified in the UK by 10 January, the HSA said. The health body said further analysis will be undertaken. BA.2 does
Bury South MP Christian Wakeford’s defection from the Conservative Party to Labour has left voters questioning whether there will now be a by-election in his constituency. The MP was elected in 2019 to the Greater Manchester constituency with a slim majority of 402 in a seat that had been Labour since 1997. His announcement that