UK

Former Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick has been charged with eight sexual offences against two women. The 49-year-old faces five counts of indecent assault against one woman. Hertfordshire Police also charged him with two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of coercive and controlling behaviour against another woman. Detective Chief

A GP has admitted plotting to kill his mother’s partner by disguising himself as a community nurse and poisoning him with a fake COVID booster jab. Thomas Kwan, 53, was on trial at Newcastle Crown Court and had initially denied attempted murder, but changed his plea after he heard the prosecution open the case against

Sue Gray has resigned from her position as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Number 10 has announced. Ms Gray has instead been appointed as the prime minister’s envoy for nations and regions. Morgan McSweeney, the party’s former campaign director who masterminded July’s election landslide, will replace her as the prime minister’s chief of staff.

A blood test that could detect 12 cancers is being developed by scientists at a British university, the health secretary has said. “Just a couple of drops of blood could tell you if you had lung, breast or bladder cancer, helping end months-long waits for tests and scans,” Wes Streeting added. Academics from the University

A child is among “several” migrants who have died while attempting to cross the English Channel, according to a French minister. The country’s interior minister Bruno Retailleau said the child was “trampled to death” on a boat. “Several people died trying to cross the Channel. A child was trampled to death in a boat,” he

A Metropolitan Police officer has been charged over the death of a woman who was hit by a motorcycle escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh through London. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had authorised a charge of causing death by careless driving against 67-year-old Christopher Harrison. Helen Holland, 81, suffered serious injuries in the

Residents who escaped a fire in a “deathtrap” block of flats have told Sky News they feel abandoned after both the management firm and owner of the building have failed to meet them. The response has been branded “woeful” by the local council – who have had to pay £500,000 to support residents who have

The UK will hand over sovereignty of the remote Chagos Islands to Mauritius after a decades-long dispute. The deal to transfer the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, home to a military base used by the UK and the US that plays a crucial role in the region’s stability

Police Scotland considered recording notorious double rapist Isla Bryson as a female on the sex offenders’ register, Sky News can reveal. Bryson, who changed gender while waiting to stand trial, was last year jailed for eight years for raping two women in West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow while known as Adam Graham. Scottish Prison Service (SPS)

The father of a six-year-old girl who was operated on by former surgeon Dr Yaser Jabbar multiple times over 15 months is among the first to be told she suffered harm during her care. Dean Stalham’s daughter Bunty was born with the rare bone condition neurofibromatosis. It means she has been in and out of

A 14-year-old girl may have suffered life-changing injuries after a suspected acid attack injured two pupils and a staff member at a school in west London. Police said they were flagged down in Alfred Road by staff at the school while on patrol at 4.42pm on Monday, with paramedics and the London Fire Brigade also

“If it gets much colder, I am thinking of doing something, just to go back to prison,” says Leon Lear, 43, as he sits next to the remnants of his failed fire on the edge of a playground in Bridgend, South Wales. The wood was too damp to burn; the only ash is from cardboard

A 96-year-old has been given a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to causing the death of a woman by dangerous driving. June Mills, from Ainsdale on Merseyside was handed an 18-month suspended sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday. She pleaded guilty to causing the death of Brenda Joyce, 76, in Formby in August

The UK’s biggest steelworks will cease production today after more than 100 years, leading to thousands of job losses across South Wales. Blast Furnace 4 – the final furnace operating at Tata Steel’s plant in Port Talbot – will be fully shut down at about 5pm, with the last steel made late on Monday evening.

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has resigned from the Labour Party. The 53-year-old MP is the first to jump ship since the general election and in her resignation letter criticised the prime minister for accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts. She told Sir Keir the reason for leaving now is “the programme of policies you

Boris Johnson claims he considered authorising a raid on a warehouse in the Netherlands during the pandemic to retrieve COVID-19 vaccines. In his upcoming memoir, he described meeting senior military officials in March 2021 to discuss the plans, which he admitted were “nuts”. Another extract from his upcoming book, released by the Daily Mail, describes

Maggie Smith, known for her roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89, her sons have said. The actress died in hospital, her children Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said. In a statement, they said: “An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She

Dame Maggie Smith was a highly versatile actress whose repertoire ranged from Shakespeare to Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. She won her first Oscar for The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969 and went on to garner several Golden Globes and BAFTAs throughout her long career. Dame Maggie, who has died at the age

An amber warning for heavy rain has been issued by the Met Office – warning of further flooding and travel disruption across large swathes of the UK. The new weather alert covers central England from 6pm on Thursday until 6am on Friday. Nearly three inches of rain could fall over several hours in the worst-affected

Sir Keir Starmer accepted a £20,000 donation for the use of a flat during the election after promising his family he would protect them. The prime minister‘s register of interests shows a declaration for accommodation provided by Lord Waheed Alli to the value of £20,437.28 from 29 May to 13 July this year. The election