UK

Britain has denied Russian claims that Royal Navy personnel blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month, saying the story is “invented”. A Ministry of Defence tweet said: “To detract from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic

A man wanted in connection with the deaths of 39 people found in the back of an Essex lorry will appear in court this morning. Marius Mihai Draghici is suspected of being part of a conspiracy that led to the deaths of the Vietnamese nationals, whose bodies were discovered in the lorry container on 23

Britain’s Ministry of Defence sent serving Royal Air Force pilots to China to teach a course to their Chinese counterparts and allowed Chinese nationals to study at UK military colleges, Sky News can reveal. Up to four frontline pilots took part in the ‘Aviation English Course’ in Beijing that ran in 2016, while at least

Public support for sanctions on Russia remains overwhelming, but could erode if the cost-of-living crisis worsens, an exclusive poll for Sky News has found. The poll by Ipsos suggests that 70% of the public support implementing sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. However, just 41% of people now say they would still back

Northern Ireland is set to have an Assembly election before Christmas because the deadline to restore devolved government at Stormont has expired. The region has been in a political crisis for months with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refusing to return to power-sharing since losing its status as the nation’s largest party to Sinn Fein

More than 20 former patients or their relatives have revealed how they were “treated worse than animals” and failed by the “awful” care they received at mental health hospitals for teenagers. Testimonies gathered in an investigation by Sky News raise repeated allegations of over-restraint and inadequate staffing which youngsters say left people at increased risk

Britain’s year of political turmoil could cost the taxpayer up to £709,000 in severance payments to former ministers and whips, Sky News analysis of House of Commons library data has found. Since the beginning of the year, 79 government ministers and whips have either been sacked or have resigned. And 71 of them are likely

On the face of it, Rishi Sunak’s first Prime Minister’s Questions was an assured performance. The former chancellor was combative, confident and fluid. But it was also a session in which the new prime minister showed us how conscious he is that his political legitimacy hangs by a thread. Because being appointed as the UK’s

Rishi Sunak will make his debut at Prime Minister’s Questions at lunchtime, in what is shaping up to be the first big test of his leadership.  The new PM will face Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons – a day after culling almost a dozen Conservative ministers from the cabinet. Jacob Rees-Mogg has

Rishi Sunak has made his first speech as prime minister, saying he was chosen to take over to “fix” the mistakes made by Liz Truss. Speaking outside Number 10, the former chancellor praised his predecessor’s “restlessness” and her “noble aim” to improve economic growth in the UK. But, he added: “Some mistakes were made, not

Rishi Sunak is being urged to overhaul the cabinet on his first day as prime minister. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told Sky News that the new PM’s government should feature the best ministers available – rather than focusing on those who are loyal. “We have got to have the first 15 on the pitch. I

Rishi Sunak has said the UK faces a “profound economic challenge” in his first comments since being announced as the next prime minister. He said he is “humbled and honoured” after he was selected by Conservative MPs to lead the party and the nation, describing it as the “greatest privilege in my life”. Mr Sunak

After a mad dash back from his Caribbean holiday, a flurry of canvassing, secret summits with rivals Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, and a significant air war campaign, Boris Johnson announced shortly before 9pm last night that he would not run for PM after all. It was the most Boris Johnson way of admitting defeat:

Boris Johnson has pulled out of the Conservative leadership race. Mr Johnson had the public backing of 59 Tory MPs but had to reach 100 to proceed in the race. This leaves the race open for former chancellor Rishi Sunak who leads nominations among Tory MPs, with 144 supporters. In a statement, the former prime

Early morning in south Manchester – and a prolific burglar known to police is arrested for a spate of thefts. Officers from Greater Manchester Police were granted a warrant to enter and search the home of the man, who is believed to have stolen items from student accommodation. Enough evidence was seized and examined to

Remains found in the loft space of a house have been formally identified as those of missing teenager Leah Croucher. The 19-year-old disappeared on her way to work at a finance company in Milton Keynes on 15 February 2019. A murder investigation was launched last week after the discovery of the remains in a house

Rishi Sunak has become the first to receive 100 public endorsements from Tory MPs – enough to meet the threshold for nominations in the leadership race. The news came before a source close to Boris Johnson claimed he had also reached the threshold to reach the ballot, although this has yet to be verified. The

A cabinet minister has told Sky News they believe Boris Johnson could secure the 100 nominations from Conservative MPs he needs to stand in the second Tory leadership race in three months. The contest got under way on Thursday after the extraordinary resignation of Liz Truss, who was forced from office 44 days into her

Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister just 44 days after taking over from Boris Johnson. She will be the shortest-serving PM in British history. A new Conservative leader, who will get the keys to Number 10, is set to be elected next Friday. In a statement read outside Downing Street, Ms Truss admitted she

The Chinese consul-general accused of attacking a protester has denied the claims and said his alleged victim was “abusing my country, my leader”. Senior diplomat Zheng Xiyuan was pictured pulling Bob Chan’s hair before yanking him into the Chinese consulate in Manchester. Mr Zheng told Sky News that it was his “duty” and he was