UK

A mobile Santa’s grotto was “pelted with objects” on its journey through a North Wales village – with fears Father Christmas won’t return if it happens again. Caernarfon Round Table’s mobile Santa’s grotto is visiting different parts of Gwynedd throughout December. The group said the incident happened on Friday night as the Land Rover and

Rishi Sunak’s new Safety of Rwanda Bill should stop 99.5% of legal claims made by migrants to block their deportation, a minister has said. The prime minister is trying to convince his own backbenchers to support the legislation – with both the right of the Conservatives and separately the One Nation caucus set to announce

A police chief who took a high-profile role in the search for Nicola Bulley earlier this year has died suddenly at his home. Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson, of Lancashire Constabulary, died on Sunday at the age of 50, according to the force. His death is believed to be “medical-related” and has been referred to

Police investigating the death of a newborn baby in Ipswich have been given more time to keep three people in custody over the incident. Police said two men and a female continue to be held for questioning after being arrested on suspicion of murder. Officers were called at about 12.30pm on Saturday after a baby’s

The UK is considering extraditing an American driver who fled the country after a crash that left a British nurse unable to walk. Mystery surrounds exactly who the other driver – 22-year-old Issac Calderon – really is after the victim of the crash was told by police that he had been visiting a British special

Police investigating the murder of a man near a London Tube station almost 40 years ago have made an arrest. Anthony Littler, 45, was found with “catastrophic” head injuries near East Finchley Tube station shortly after midnight on 1 May 1984. His murder was never solved, despite extensive inquiries at the time and further investigations

A judge has ordered the BBC to release a large number of emails in relation to Martin Bashir’s now infamous 1995 interview with Princess Diana. The emails all relate to a period in 2020 when the broadcaster was dealing with the scandal around the interview. They were initially requested via a Freedom of Information (FOI)

More heavy rain is expected as the second named storm of the weekend is set to sweep the UK. The Met Office warns Storm Fergus could bring gusty winds, particularly in the West, as well as further rainfall on Sunday evening. A yellow rain warning covering an area stretching from Carlisle to Sheffield was in

The festive season may bring back memories of Christmas COVID waves gone by. While restrictions were in place in 2020 and 2021, many were forced to spend Christmas Day alone or isolated from loved ones. In the latter part of this year, virus levels decreased month-on-month, but positivity rates have crept up again with increased

Paul O’Grady has been posthumously named Peta’s person of the year. The TV and radio presenter died in March, aged 67. He spent most of his career advocating for animal welfare. He was a leading figure in numerous animal rights campaigns, and joined Peta in the 1990s to raise awareness about testing on animals. He

The Metropolitan Police has closed its investigation into whether COVID rules were broken during a gathering in parliament on 8 December 2020. The event was reportedly hosted by the deputy speaker of the Commons, Eleanor Laing, to mark the birthdays of Conservative MP Virginia Crosby and peer Baroness Jenkin – the wife of fellow Tory

Vodafone, EE, Three and O2 are facing a “£3bn-plus” class action claim that alleges they used their market dominance to overcharge on up to 28.2 million UK mobile phone contracts. The four largest network operators are accused of penalising loyal customers – meaning they paid more than new customers for the same services. Many contracts

Rishi Sunak is facing fresh pressure over his Rwanda policy after it emerged the scheme has already cost £240m, despite never being used. The government spent a further £100m in the 2023-24 financial year while flights remained grounded amid a series of legal setbacks – on top of the £140m previously paid out. According to

The BBC licence fee will go up next year – from an annual fee of £159 to £169.50. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer also told MPs she was launching a review of the BBC‘s funding model as she announced the 6.7% increase. The fee had been frozen and was set to increase by 9% from April

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