UK

Hundreds of thousands of workers are going on strike, in what will be the biggest day of industrial action for more than a decade. Teachers in England and Wales who are members of the National Education Union are set to stage walkouts – affecting 23,000 schools. Estimates from the NEU suggest 85% of schools across

Police searching for missing Lancashire woman Nicola Bulley are “especially keen” to speak to a witness aged around 70 who was in the area at the time she vanished. The 45-year-old mother of two was last seen at 9.15am on Friday by a member of the public. Her mobile phone was found on a bench

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

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

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 15-year-old girl died in a stabbing in Northumberland. Police said they were called to the Priestpopple area of Hexham shortly after 5.10pm on Friday to reports that the two teenagers had what appeared to be knife injuries. They were both taken to hospital,

A maintenance worker in central London has died after being crushed by a hydraulic telescopic urinal – one that’s kept underground during the day and kept out overnight. Emergency services were called to Cambridge Circus in the West End just after 1pm on Friday to reports of a “seriously injured” man. The incident took place

A British teenage extremist has been jailed after his far-right videos were linked to two mass murders in the US. Daniel Harris used an online platform called World Truth Videos to disseminate a “call to arms” for his violent racist beliefs, a court heard. The 19-year-old from Glossop in Derbyshire was convicted of five counts

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

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

Nadhim Zahawi has been sacked as Tory party chairman after an ethics inquiry into the handling of his tax affairs found a “serious breach” of the ministerial code. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had resisted earlier calls from opposition parties to fire Mr Zahawi following reports that he had paid a penalty as part of an

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

Winter pressures, an ageing population, strikes, staff shortages and COVID backlogs have left the NHS in crisis. Reports of ambulances queuing to get into A&E, sick patients in hospital corridors and people unable to get a GP appointment have reignited the debate about whether the health service can cope in its current form. Ahead of

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

BBC chairman Richard Sharp has asked for a review into potential conflicts of interest following reports he helped Boris Johnson secure a loan. Mr Sharp said that while the appointment of the chairman is “solely a matter for the government”, he wants to ensure that “all appropriate guidelines have been followed within the BBC since

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