UK

A teacher found guilty of having sex with two schoolboys broke down in tears as she was jailed for six and a half years. Rebecca Joynes, 30, groomed her victims from the age of 15 and had a child with one of the teenagers, Manchester Crown Court heard. Jurors heard Joynes joined their high school

Millions of people across the UK will head to the polls today to vote in the general election. A total of 650 parliamentary constituencies are being contested in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with polling stations open from 7am until 10pm. Find more details of what you can expect here There are around 40,000

Financial markets are giving their first reaction to the early evidence of a record-breaking win for Labour in the general election. A respected exit poll by Ipsos, carried out for broadcasters including Sky News, was the first to put an estimate on the size of the majority expected for Sir Keir Starmer’s party. The 170

The Home Office is launching social media adverts to deter Vietnamese nationals from travelling to the UK illegally in small boats. According to the government, an increasing number of migrants arriving illegally in the UK via the Channel are from Vietnam. New ads, building on similar ones already used in Albania, will be written in

The King is “frustrated” about the speed of his cancer recovery and is “pushing” staff and doctors to be able to return to duties, according to his nephew, Peter Phillips. However, Mr Phillips – the son of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal – says the monarch is in “good spirits” and remains “pragmatic”. He made

China is “threatening to undermine our democracy”, a senior Conservative has claimed – as MPs are set to be warned about a fresh swathe of cyber attacks. Sky News understands that a small group of MPs and peers are due to be told about recent attempts to infiltrate their “digital presence” – while MPs in

Police are searching for three young siblings and their mother after the children were reported missing from Gloucestershire. Officers say they are concerned for the welfare of three-year-old Pauly-Boi, five-year-old Jolene, and eight-year-old Betsy. The children were last seen in Cheltenham at around midday on Friday. Their current whereabouts are unknown, though police believe they

Home Secretary James Cleverly used a private chartered flight to visit Rwanda at a cost of £165,561.53 to the taxpayer, government documents have revealed. The latest transparency data from the Home Office showed Mr Cleverly took the flight in December last year as he headed to Kigali to sign a new treaty with the African

Diane Abbott has said she is “glad” police are investigating alleged racist comments made by Conservative Party donor Frank Hester. The remarks, first reported by the Guardian, were said to have been made by businessman Frank Hester during a company meeting in 2019, where he said Ms Abbott made him “want to hate all black

Police are investigating alleged racist comments made by a major Tory party donor about former Labour MP Diane Abbott. The remarks were made by businessman Frank Hester during a company meeting, where he said Ms Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and she “should be shot”. A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said

The Queen has said she tries to keep the King “in order”, as she responded to quips about men “not being the best patients”. On a visit to Belfast, she said the monarch was “doing very well” as he receives treatment for cancer. It came on the day a new picture of the King was

Emmanuel Macron’s new boxing photos have impressed so many people online that he’s got “Rocky” trending on social media. The French president’s official photographer, Soazig de la Moissonnière, posted two black and white images of him in action using a punch bag, looking determined as he offloads right hooks in a fitted black T-shirt. Image:

A Botswana minister has defended “trophy hunting” and compared it to “culling”, saying it is a way of controlling wild animal numbers in his country and a source of income for communities. It comes as MPs prepare to debate a proposed ban on UK safari hunters bringing body parts of animals they shoot, like tusks,

The King’s medical records were not accessed during an alleged data breach at the London Clinic, it is understood. As many as three staff members could have been involved in allegedly accessing the Princess of Wales’s private records, according to The Mirror, after Kate was discharged from the exclusive hospital in central London in January.

A government bill centred on deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda has been sent back to MPs after peers rejected it. The Safety of Rwanda Bill had been debated in the House of Lords after their previous changes were dismissed by the Commons earlier this week. In the upper chamber, the government lost seven votes by

Two serving police officers and a former officer are facing gross misconduct proceedings over the alleged sharing of offensive WhatsApps. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began the investigation in November 2022 after a referral from Gwent Police. Derogatory and inappropriate messages were found on the phone of deceased former officer Ricky Jones, who

The rate of inflation slowed sharply to an annual rate of 3.4% in February, according to official figures. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed an easing from the 4% rate recorded the previous month. It marks further progress in the battle against energy-led price growth that followed Russia’s war in Ukraine and

The hospital where the Princess of Wales was treated in January has launched an investigation into claims staff attempted to access her private medical records, according to reports. At least one member of staff was alleged to have been caught trying to access the royal’s notes, the Mirror reported. Kate attended The London Clinic in

A man arrested in connection with two east London crossbow attacks has now been released, police say. The 47-year-old was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of murder, but police confirmed on Tuesday that he had been released while they continue to investigate the case. Two people were attacked earlier this month. The first was a

A gender-critical teacher was sacked for refusing to use a student’s preferred pronouns, an employment tribunal has heard. Kevin Lister refused to refer to a 17-year-old biologically female student by their preferred male name and he/him pronouns in A-level lessons. The 60-year-old is claiming unfair dismissal by New College Swindon after he was sacked for