UK

Rishi Sunak has dodged questions over whether he will call a general election if he loses a crunch vote on his Rwanda bill – which he insisted was not a vote of confidence in his leadership. The prime minister repeatedly defended the bill from its critics at a press conference on Thursday as questions mount

Homes have been evacuated as a bomb disposal squad investigates a “suspicious item” found in a house in north-west England. Cumbria Police declared a “major incident” after they discovered the item on Wednesday afternoon following concerns for the welfare of an individual in Steel Street, Ulverston. A 46-year-old man was arrested and is being held

A teacher at a school in north London has been suspended after claims a 10-year-old pupil was “punched multiple times”. The Metropolitan Police are investigating allegations that a member of staff at Christ the King Primary School in Islington punched the 10-year-old which resulted in the child needing to receive treatment at A&E. Sky News

The Russian security service has compromised the private conversations of high-profile politicians and civil servants as it tried to interfere in UK political processes, Foreign Office minister Leo Docherty has said. The Foreign Office has since summoned the Russian ambassador and two members of the “Star Blizzard” group, which is believed to be controlled by

China has accused Britain of violating international law after the UK announced new sanctions targeting “individuals and groups supporting and funding Putin’s war machine”. China’s embassy said it firmly opposes the sanctions and has warned that any action harming China’s interests “will be met with a firm response”. In a statement, the embassy insisted that

The King and the Princess of Wales have been pictured together for the first time since being named in a book as the senior royals who allegedly questioned what skin colour Prince Archie would have. The Dutch edition of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame claimed they raised “concerns” during family discussions about how dark the skin

Cold case detectives believe a baseball bat attack near to the site of an unsolved murder may hold the answer to the 1984 crime. Anthony Littler, 45, was found with “catastrophic” head injuries near East Finchley Tube station, in north London, a little after midnight on 1 May 1984. The “kind and gentle” civil servant,

An Afghan migrant, whose brother was murdered by the Taliban, says he still plans to make the dangerous journey across the Channel to get his family to Britain, even if UK flights begin taking asylum seekers to Rwanda. It comes as the UK has signed a new treaty with the African nation which Number 10

Denny Laine, the lead singer of English rock band the Moody Blues and guitarist with Wings, has died aged 79. The co-founder of both Wings, which also featured Sir Paul McCartney, and The Moody Blues “passed away peacefully” following a battle with lung disease. In an Instagram statement, Elizabeth Hines wrote that it was an

A man who died after being found unconscious in a South Lanarkshire street has been named by police as detectives continue to investigate his murder. Robert Yuill, 33, was found injured in Smyllum Road, Lanark, at around 9.45am on Saturday. Emergency services attended but Mr Yuill, from the local area, was pronounced dead at the

James Cleverly is travelling to Rwanda to sign a new treaty for the government’s asylum plan. It is part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s mission to make the deal to send migrants there legally watertight following the Supreme Court’s ruling against the scheme. In the wake of the judgement on 15 November the government insisted

A Fiji rugby international has admitted sexually assaulting three women days before he was due to play for the Barbarians in Cardiff. Api Ratuniyarawa pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday to two counts of assault by penetration and a further charge of sexual assault. The 37-year-old denied two further charges of sexual assault

Police are hunting a man accused of spraying antisemitic graffiti on an MP’s office building. Feryal Clark’s constituency office in Hertford Road, Enfield, north London, was vandalised just after 11pm on 21 November, the Metropolitan Police said. A CCTV image of the suspect, with his hood up and wearing a blue face mask, was published

A dog walker is being hunted by police after he tried to steal a canine and then attacked its owner before fleeing empty-handed in a van. The 66-year-old woman was targeted by a man in a wooded area near Benbecula Park in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire. The victim was assaulted as she held on to

Gas is believed to have caused an explosion at a house in Edinburgh that killed a pensioner and injured two other people, according to the Health and Safety Executive. The HSE said the focus of its investigation relates to the internal gas installations at the property and not the network that supplies the area. An

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has said she is concerned the planned 9% rise in the BBC licence fee is “very high” and that the BBC must remain “value for money”. Ms Frazer said the government wanted to ensure the licence fee rises by an “appropriate amount” amid the ongoing cost of living crisis. The licence

Around 1,500 homes and businesses are still without power after heavy snow caused major power cuts in Cumbria. It came as much of the country was hit by cold and wet conditions over the weekend, including a low of -12.5C recorded in northern Scotland overnight. Freezing conditions are forecast to continue on Monday and the

The COVID inquiry is about “scapegoating” those at the top of government, Boris Jonnson’s sister has told the Politics at Jack and Sam’s podcast.  Ahead of the former prime minister taking the stand on Wednesday and Thursday, Rachel Johnson has said the multi-year inquiry is a “show trial” just like the Parliamentary Privileges inquiry into

A wealthy tech entrepreneur who got an MBE for his work has been jailed for 15 years for two rapes and a sexual assault. Lawrence Jones, 55, was convicted in January of assaulting an employee on a 2013 business trip. Last month he was found guilty in another trial of drugging and raping two women

King Charles has urged world leaders assembled in Dubai to make the COP28 climate summit a “critical turning point” in the fight to tackle global warming. “Real action” is needed to tackle the climate crisis and steer people and nations “away from practices that make our world more dangerous”, he told global leaders. He said