UK

The Home Office spent a record £5.38bn over the last year on asylum – more than a third higher than the previous year. Figures released on Thursday showed spending on asylum rose by £1.43bn in the 2023/24 financial year to £5.38bn – 36% higher than in 2022/24 when £3.95bn was spent. The latest figure, covering

A police officer is under criminal investigation for potential assault after an actor claimed he was unlawfully arrested earlier this year. Sex Education star Reece Richards said he was unlawfully arrested in September after being mistaken for a suspect he claimed he “didn’t fit the description” of. He claimed he was sprayed with an incapacitating

Standing with a group of friends in the market square in Romford, Jordan reveals he’s been signed off work for the last four years due to mental ill health. At 23, he’s one of a growing number of young people in Britain living on sickness benefits. Latest figures revealed there are almost a million people

A number of drones have again been spotted over three air bases in Britain that are used by the United States Air Force. US military units on Tuesday were still monitoring the airspace over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk after the unmanned aerial vehicles were sighted overnight, a

The world’s oldest man has died at the age of 112, the Guinness World Records has announced. John Tinniswood was born in Liverpool on 26 August 1912, the year the Titanic sank. He died on Monday at a care home in Southport, Guinness World Records said. “His last day was surrounded by music and love,”

Tourists visiting Wales could soon face a tax of up to £1.25 per person per night. That would mean a family of four holidaying in Wales for a week would face a bill of £35. The levy could generate up to £33m, the Welsh government said, which would be used to support local tourism activity and

Microsoft has said it is “investigating an issue” after users reported problems with Outlook and Teams. In a post on X, Microsoft 365 Status said: “We’re investigating an issue impacting users attempting to access Exchange Online or functionality within Microsoft Teams calendar.” Microsoft Exchange Online is a platform for business communication that has a mail

Zayn Malik paid tribute to former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne as he kicked off his solo tour. Payne died last month of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, according to a post-mortem. Images from Leeds’s O2 Academy on Saturday showed Malik – who delayed

Russia is prepared to launch a wave of cyber attacks on Britain – and can “turn the lights off for millions of people”, a minister will warn. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will tell a NATO conference next week allies must “not underestimate” the threat Moscow poses in its “hidden war”. Russia

A cat had to be freed from a drainpipe by firefighters after getting stuck in the middle of wriggling through. The female black cat, called John, was found with her head poking through one end of the pipe, which was connected to a garage in Clevedon, North Somerset. Image: Pic: Clevedon Fire Station Firefighters were

Routine domestic activities could expose people to a cloud of plastic particles so small that they can be inhaled deep into the lungs, according to research seen exclusively by Sky News. The study at the University of Portsmouth found a fitness workout on a synthetic carpet could result in up to 110 plastic fibres or

Police in Greater Manchester have made a direct appeal to the mother of a baby whose remains were found in a park. The remains were discovered by a woman walking her dog just before 12.30pm on Wednesday in the vicinity of Ashton’s Field in Little Hulton, Salford. At a press conference this afternoon, detective chief

Two people detained during a security incident at Gatwick Airport have been allowed to continue their journeys after a suspect package saw a “large part” of the South Terminal evacuated. The terminal was closed for hours after the discovery of a “suspected prohibited item” in a passenger’s luggage sparked an emergency response. It reopened at

Officers arresting a man with a rucksack full of over-the-counter medication detained a second person in the same shop for allegedly stealing meat. The officers were on their way to work when they arrested the first man on suspicion of shoplifting from a Sainsbury’s store in Bethnal Green, east London. The Metropolitan Police’s Tower Hamlets

Ukraine has fired British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles into Russia, a source has told Sky News. The UK and Ukraine have not yet confirmed the use of the Storm Shadow missiles in Russia but their deployment has been widely reported in British media. Image: A Storm Shadow cruise missile on display in June 2023. Pic: AP

A lawyer has told Sky News 290 women have applied to the Harrods compensation scheme over claims they were sexually abused by its former owner Mohamed al Fayed. Fayed, who died aged 94 in August 2023, has been accused of widespread abuse of female staff while he owned the department store. Dame Jasvinder Sanghera has

Ford has announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs across Europe – including 800 in the UK. The car manufacturer said the cuts are needed as part of plans to bolster its competitiveness amid the stuttering drive to an all-electric vehicle (EV) future that has hit sales. Ford said the cuts would take place over the

A police officer has pleaded not guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm after he was accused of tasering a man who then fell off an outbuilding and suffered life-changing injuries. Metropolitan Police officer Liam Newman appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning to deny the charges. It is alleged he unlawfully and maliciously wounded

Non-crime hate incidents guidance needs to be urgently changed because officers are “not the thought police”, the shadow home secretary has said. Chris Philp told a major policing conference that the police should “apply common sense and not waste time and resources” investigating incidents unless there is “an imminent risk of criminality”. He said forces

A family has been left “completely devastated” after a woman was found dead in a flat in South Lanarkshire. The body of Phoenix Spencer-Horn, 21, was discovered at the property in East Kilbride’s Glen Lee at around 12.10pm on Monday. A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident and is