Controversy over Boris Johnson’s involvement in partygate and COVID-19 rule-breaking has been dismissed as “soggy sandwiches and a slice of birthday cake” by an ally of the former prime minister. Tory MP Paul Bristow told Sky News the fine handed to Mr Johnson by Scotland Yard over a lockdown-busting gathering in Downing Street was “ridiculous”.
UK
Dozens of people in and around Leicester have reported hearing an explosion or a sonic boom overhead. There are suggestions it was heard as far away as Oxford. The loud bang led to a swift reaction on social media as people speculated about the cause, including whether it was a jet breaking the sound barrier.
The holy oil, chrism, which will be used to anoint King Charles III during his coronation on 6 May has been consecrated at a ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Friday. It was created using olives which had been harvested from groves on the Mount of Olives, a mountain ridge
Boris Johnson says he believed “implicitly” that he was following COVID rules after a committee of MPs said it would have been “obvious” they were being broken around him at Downing Street gatherings. He also suggested that Sue Gray, who led an earlier civil service report into parties and has just been appointed Sir Keir Starmer’s
The King will make his first overseas visits as monarch to France and Germany at the end of March. Buckingham Place has confirmed the King and Queen Consort will travel to Paris before visiting Berlin and Hamburg on their six-day trip starting on 26 March. The King will address the Bundestag in Berlin, making him
Evidence strongly suggests it would have been “obvious” to Boris Johnson that COVID rules were being breached at Downing Street gatherings he attended, a committee of MPs examining the issue has said. MPs on the cross-party Commons Privileges Committee were tasked with investigating whether Mr Johnson misled parliament over partygate allegations after Sir Keir Starmer
This is the moment a driver behind the wheel of a loaded car transporter is seen using his elbow to steer while on a motorway. The video shows the driver with both hands off the steering wheel, instead using his elbow to keep it in place. It was filmed on the M40 near Gaydon in
Police say a body found in the search for the missing sister-in-law of actor Mackenzie Crook is that of Laurel Aldridge. The 62-year-old was reported missing from her home in the village of Walberton, near Arundel in West Sussex, on 14 February. Crook, who is known for roles in The Office, Pirates Of The Caribbean
The Chinese owner of Thomas Cook is plotting an outright sale of the British holiday brand three years after it rescued the name from corporate ignominy. Sky News has learnt that Fosun Tourism Group is in preliminary discussions with a number of potential purchasers of the online travel agent (OTA). Fosun, which is part of
Sue Gray has been appointed by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to serve as his chief of staff. The senior civil servant became a household name during the partygate scandal, authoring the report which found “a failure of leadership and judgement” in Number 10 during Boris Johnson’s premiership. Conservative MPs and former cabinet ministers have
Police questioning Constance Marten and Mark Gordon believe the baby, whose remains were found in Brighton, may have been dead for “several weeks” and have been unable to confirm its gender. The Metropolitan Police said it was “too early” to provide a specific date as to when the baby died, adding that a post-mortem examination
Sir Gavin Williamson accused teachers of looking for an “excuse” not to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to leaked messages from Matt Hancock published by The Daily Telegraph. In May 2020, as teachers prepared for classrooms to reopen, the then education secretary had messaged Mr Hancock asking for help in securing personal protective equipment
England has had its driest February in 30 years prompting a warning of the potential for a drought. The nation saw its eighth driest second month since 1836 with an average of just 15.3mm of rainfall. The south and east of England faced particularly dry conditions. Essex was the most affected county with only 3.5mm
An urgent search for the baby of aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon has entered its second day amid growing fears for the child’s safety. Marten and Gordon were arrested in Brighton on Monday on suspicion of child neglect after being spotted by a member of the public at about 9.30pm. They were
Household bills could rise if the government further delays its plan to rid the power network of polluting fossil fuels by 2035, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned. Energy officials committed to the target almost 18 months ago, but their plan to deliver it was delayed by the energy crisis as they focussed instead
The COVID inquiry has “doubled down” on its decision not to examine the impact of structural racism during the pandemic, according to bereaved families and campaigners. People from ethnic minority backgrounds, whether healthcare workers, key workers, or members of the public, were disproportionally impacted by COVID-19 and racism should be “explicitly interrogated” by the inquiry,
The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, has called for people to “come together and celebrate Wales” in his St David’s Day address. In his remarks, Mr Drakeford also made reference to Wales being a “Nation of sanctuary”, having welcomed more than 6,400 refugees from Ukraine in the year since the start of the war
New details in the decoration of the chair the King will be crowned on during his coronation ceremony have been revealed. King Henry VIII, King Charles I, Queen Victoria and the late Queen Elizabeth II were all crowned on the golden throne. Despite its history, the chair is covered in graffiti – much of it
Drivers leasing new electric cars are being overcharged by hundreds of pounds each month, it has been claaimed. Companies have been accused of failing to reflect the strong resale value of cleaner cars when they set their prices, according to clean transport campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E). The monthly cost is typically based on
England’s Sarina Wiegman has been named women’s coach of the year at the Best FIFA awards. The Dutch coach masterminded England’s Euro 2022 run last summer, which resulted in them winning the tournament for the first time. She beat off Lyon’s Sonia Bompastor and Pia Sundhage of Brazil at the awards ceremony in Paris. Accepting