UK

Another winter. Another strike. Except this time the industrial action by junior doctors will be longer than any other NHS history. In total, three days starting on Wednesday morning. Then back out again for six consecutive days from 3-9 January. In all, there will only be four weekdays unaffected by strike action or holidays over

The long-awaited transgender guidance for schools in England has been published by the government. The main points from today’s developments include:• Schools and colleges to be told that parents should be involved in decisions affecting their children• Single-sex spaces must be protected for the safeguarding of all children• A sea change in approach on social

Alex Batty – the British teenager found in France after going missing for six years – has reportedly told journalists he is “glad to be home for Christmas”. He was 11 when he went on holiday with his mother Melanie Batty – who does not have legal parental guardianship – and his grandfather, David Batty,

A body found in the search for Gaynor Lord has been formally identified as the mother-of-three. The remains were recovered from the River Wensum on Friday, a week after Mrs Lord disappeared. The 55-year-old was last seen on CCTV walking along St Augustines Street in Norwich, at 4.01pm on Friday 8 December, having left work

The owners of a French guesthouse have revealed missing British teenager Alex Batty spent recent years staying with them under a fake name without his mother. Frederic Hambye and Ingrid Beauve said the teenager first arrived at their traditional gite farmhouse in late 2021 and had stayed with them on-and-off ever since. The couple said

David Cameron has called for a “sustainable ceasefire” in the escalating Gaza conflict – adding to growing global pressure on Israel. The home secretary’s intervention saw him warn that “too many civilians have been killed”. It sees the UK follow Joe Biden’s White House in expressing unease about the failure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration to

A teenager found in France six years after he was reported missing has been reunited with his family and returned to the UK. Alex Batty was 11 when he never returned from a holiday to Spain with his mother Melanie Batty, 38 – who does not have legal parental guardianship – and his grandfather David

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a van hit a group of people in a town centre in Derbyshire. One man suffered serious injuries and died at the scene in Ilkeston, while two other people were taken to hospital with injuries that are not thought to be serious, Derbyshire Police said.

Former Mirror editor Piers Morgan has said there is “no evidence” to suggest that he ever hacked a phone, or told someone else to do so, as he launched a scathing attack against Prince Harry. His comments came as he made a statement outside his house this afternoon after a High Court ruling this morning.

British teenager Alex Batty did not seem angry about being “kidnapped” by his mother six years ago and now just wants to live a “normal life”, the French student who found him has told Sky News. Fabien Accidini offered the 17-year-old a lift in the early hours of Wednesday morning after spotting him walking alone

A body has been found in the search for missing mother-of-three Gaynor Lord, police say. The 55-year-old was last seen after she left work early at Jarrolds department store in Norwich city centre at 2.45pm on Friday 8 December. Norfolk police said: “Police searching for missing Norwich woman Gaynor Lord can confirm a body has

A nurse and a healthcare worker have been jailed after patients were sedated for an “easy shift” and “amusement”. Catherine Hudson, 54, and Charlotte Wilmot, 48, ill-treated those in their care on a stroke unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in Lancashire between February 2017 and November 2018, the trial heard. Sentencing the pair at Preston

A major incident has been declared in South Wales as roads were closed around an industrial estate after a “loud explosion” was heard before a “large fire” broke out. South Wales Police said roads around Severn Road in Treforest are expected to remain closed for some time due to the “serious incident”. Local councillor Karl

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced his resignation. Mr Drakeford made the announcement in the Senedd on Wednesday morning five years to the day since he was first elected as leader of Welsh Labour. He had already indicated he would step aside during the current Senedd term and that he would not be standing

Rishi Sunak has avoided a damaging Tory rebellion over his flagship Rwanda bill in a crunch vote in the Commons. The totemic legislation, which aims to revive the stalled £290m deportation scheme after the Supreme Court ruled it unlawful, has been backed by MPs at its second reading by 313 votes to 269, a majority

An asylum seeker has died on board the Bibby Stockholm barge. Further details concerning the incident are yet to be confirmed, including the individual’s age and country of origin. The Bibby Stockholm, docked in Portland Port in Dorset, is one of a number of alternative sites the Home Office is using to house asylum seekers.

The One Nation group of centrist Tory MPs have recommended its members vote for the government’s Rwanda bill tomorrow. It comes after MPs on the right of the party earlier today suggested they may not support the legislation. The faction of about 100 One Nation MPs met this evening to discuss their concerns that the

The UK is considering extraditing an American driver who fled the country after a crash that left a British nurse unable to walk. Mystery surrounds exactly who the other driver – 22-year-old Issac Calderon – really is after the victim of the crash was told by police that he had been visiting a British special

Rishi Sunak will be challenged at the COVID inquiry on claims that government scientists branded him “Dr Death” – and called his scheme to kickstart the economy “Eat Out to Help Out the Virus”. The inquiry has also been told that Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s chief adviser in Downing Street at the time, claimed Mr

The government is “not contemplating” an early general election because ministers are “confident” the Rwanda bill will be approved by MPs, Michael Gove has told Sky News. Speaking to the Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme, the cabinet minister said the emergency legislation was “a tough but also proportionate measure”. The levelling up secretary also