UK

The UK has announced sanctions on 386 Russian politicians who supported Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Foreign Office has said. The sanctions mean bans on travel to the UK and the freezing of assets for those who voted for the independence of separatist regions Luhansk and Donetsk. Fears Putin’s forces could use chemical weapons

Boris Johnson has said it has been “deeply upsetting” and “absolutely agonising” to refuse President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a no-fly zone over Ukraine. The prime minister, speaking to Sky News’ Beth Rigby Interviews programme, said the pair have had some “very frank conversations” but the UK and NATO cannot cross that line. On Wednesday, Mr Zelenskyy

Boris Johnson has said he fears Vladimir Putin may deploy chemical weapons in Ukraine as that would be “straight out of Russia’s playbook”. Speaking on Sky News’ Beth Rigby Interviews programme, the prime minister said the only way the war in Ukraine can end is if the Russian president realises he has made a “catastrophic

The coronavirus pandemic is not over and cases among older people are increasing, an expert has warned. Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), sounded the alarm after data showed that an increasing number of people aged 55 and older have COVID-19. About one in 35 people (2.88%) of people

Drivers in the UK have been hit by the largest daily rise in average diesel prices, as the cost per litre shot up by nearly 3p in a single day. Figures from data firm Experian Catalist show the average cost of a litre of diesel at UK forecourts reached 165.2p on Tuesday, up from Monday’s

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced the UK government will send more weapons to Ukraine, including fresh supplies of anti-tank missiles, for the country to defend itself against Russian aggression. Updating MPs on the Ukraine war in the Commons, he told MPs that the UK has delivered 3,615 anti-tank (NLAW) weapons and will soon be

John Bercow has been found guilty of bullying House of Commons staff by the standards watchdog and banned from holding a pass allowing him access to parliament buildings for life. A report published by the Independent Expert Panel into the former Commons speaker’s conduct states Mr Bercow “has been a serial liar” and “a serial

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address British MPs via video link tomorrow. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted Mr Zelenskyy’s request to read a statement to the House of Commons at 5pm GMT on Tuesday. It is expected he will ask for more arms and will repeat calls for a no-fly zone over Ukraine,

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mark Rutte of the Netherlands will visit Downing Street today for talks about the international response to the Ukraine crisis, as the UK government is criticised for moving too slowly on sanctioning oligarchs. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will launch into a week of what Number 10 called “focussed engagement”

More than 10,000 people have applied for the UK’s Ukraine Family Scheme since Friday. Under the scheme Ukrainian refugees who have family settled in the UK will be able to apply to come to Britain for three years. The numbers were announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel – on the same day France publicly criticised

Boris Johnson could increase the defence budget within weeks, amid fears the fallout from the Ukraine crisis will cost the exchequer tens of billions of pounds. Chancellor Rishi Sunak will deliver the spring statement on 23 March alongside the latest Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts, which are published twice a year. The OBR is

Boris Johnson has claimed Vladimir Putin is trying to “rewrite the rules” of international order “by military force” – as he prepares to host world leaders for talks at Downing Street. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mark Rutte of the Netherlands will visit Number 10 on Monday. On Tuesday, Mr Johnson will host leaders

UK volunteer groups have praised the “overwhelming” response from the public in support of people affected by the ongoing Ukraine invasion.  On Friday, the Disasters Emergency Committee – an umbrella group for 15 charities – confirmed it had raised £55m within 24 hours of launching its appeal. But smaller groups, set up by local community

Ukrainian refugees who have family settled in the UK will be able to apply to come to Britain for three years, the Home Office has confirmed. Initially, the UK offered a visa to just immediate family but on Tuesday that was widened to include parents, grandparents and siblings Announcing the first extension of the scheme

Priti Patel will meet Ukrainians trying to flee to the UK as she faced calls to extend visas to all fleeing the war zone. The home secretary will be in Poland on Friday to launch the Ukraine family scheme to allow Britons and those settled in the UK to bring their relatives over to join

Ministers are considering emergency legislation to push through sanctions on Russian oligarchs linked to President Putin. Government sources have told Sky News that experts are looking at whether current laws could be tweaked or new ones brought in to speed up the process, which has stalled over recent days. Ukraine-Russia news live: Dire warning from

The government should seize properties owned by oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin and use them to house Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion, the Liberal Democrats have said. Alistair Carmichael, the party’s home affairs spokesperson, has made the call in a letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel. Russia ‘seizes’ Kherson, as blasts light up sky

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich said he will sell the club – with the “net proceeds” of the sale going to benefit victims of the war in Ukraine. The Russian billionaire, who took over in 2003, said money generated from his sale of the club will go to a foundation benefiting “all victims of the war

Shop prices rose at their fastest rate in over a decade last month, new figures show. Retail price annual inflation accelerated to 1.8% in February, up from 1.5% in January – the highest rate of inflation since November 2011, according to the BRC-NielsenIQ Shop Price Index. Rapidly rising food prices, particularly for fresh produce –

The Queen has hosted two virtual engagements just over a week after testing positive for COVID-19, Buckingham Palace has said. Earlier on Tuesday, she received His Excellency Carles Jordana Madero, who presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as ambassador from the Principality of Andorra to the Court