UK

Education minister Andrea Jenkyns has explained why she made a rude gesture while entering Downing Street this week. The Morley and Outwood MP made the sign with her hand on Thursday as she walked through the black gates, where she says a “baying mob” outside were insulting MPs on their way in. Ms Jenkyns, who

The UK has started turning the first of around 10,000 Ukrainian recruits into frontline soldiers at four bases across England, safe from Russian missile fire, it can be revealed. The new troops, operating in groups of about 200, have been arriving from Ukraine daily to join a specially-condensed training programme offered by British soldiers. They

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner have been cleared of breaking lockdown rules on a visit to Durham last year, following a police investigation. Both had vowed to step down if they were found to have breached regulations during a trip to the city in April 2021, ahead of the Hartlepool

The resignation of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid could be the final blow for Boris Johnson’s premiership after the political heavyweights attacked the PM’s “lack of integrity”, competence and leadership. The prime minister narrowly survived a confidence vote in him last month. Tory MPs voted by 211 to 148 in support of

Boris Johnson has told his cabinet ministers his government will not seek to implement new policies or make major changes of direction after he resigned as Conservative Party leader. Addressing his reshuffled top team of ministers for the first time since resigning earlier on Thursday, Mr Johnson said his priority is “to continue delivering on

As he stood outside Number 10 and resigned as prime minister, Boris Johnson spoke of the herd instinct in parliament, the ‘Darwinian’ system that will produce the next leader… and warned colleagues that ‘no one is remotely indispensable’. Here’s his resignation speech in full: Politics Hub: Reaction to Johnson’s ‘painful’ resignation statement – follow live

Brandon Lewis has resigned as Northern Ireland secretary following Boris Johnson’s refusal to stand down, despite calls from some of his own cabinet ministers to do so. He tweeted this morning: “A decent and responsible government relies on honesty, integrity and mutual respect – it is a matter of profound personal regret that I must

Boris Johnson has said he will “of course” still be prime minister tomorrow despite facing an avalanche of resignations from members of his government. Speaking at a hearing of the powerful Liaison Committee – which has a membership made up of parliamentary select committee chairs – the PM was told by SNP MP Angus MacNeil

Nadhim Zahawi has been appointed Boris Johnson’s new chancellor after Rishi Sunak dramatically quit the role. He moves from the post of education secretary, a role which has now been awarded to former universities minister Michelle Donelan. The resignations of Mr Sunak and his fellow senior minister Sajid Javid have left the prime minister battling

Boris Johnson has apologised for appointing Chris Pincher deputy chief whip, saying it “was a mistake” and “in hindsight the wrong thing to do”. The prime minister said sorry to “everybody who has been badly affected” adding, “I just want to make absolutely clear that there is no place in this government for anybody who

A Premier League footballer has been arrested on suspicion of rape. The footballer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in north London. The Metropolitan Police confirmed an allegation of rape of a woman in her 20s was reported to police. The force said the alleged rape reportedly happened in June 2022. In

One person has died after an “inferno” at a block of flats in Bedford following a suspected gas explosion. Authorities fear more people may have lost their lives in the blaze on Redwood Grove. Earlier it was announced three people, including a firefighter, had been injured. Two of them suffered smoke inhalation and were taken

The British Army has launched an investigation into a breach of its Twitter and YouTube accounts. Its YouTube channel featured videos on cryptocurrency and images of Mr Musk, while its official Twitter account retweeted several posts appearing to relate to NFTs. An NFT, or non-fungible token, is a distinct cryptographic token that cannot be replicated

There were two horror crashes in the Formula One and Formula Two races at Silverstone today, with experts saying both could have been deadly but for a life-saving “Halo” device. Formula 2 drivers Roy Nissany and Dennis Hauger collided on the opening lap at Silverstone on Sunday morning, as Hauger’s car was launched over the

Security tests for new airport workers are being completed in record time, ministers claim, despite travel disruption continuing to dog holiday plans. The time taken to vet new employees has been raised as one of the reasons for shortages in airport staff, contributing to thousands of flight cancellations, delays and missing luggage. Airports across the

British hope Liam Broady has crashed out of Wimbledon hours after Katie Boulter also lost her third round tie. Broady was beaten in straight sets by Alex de Minaur as the Australian claimed a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win on court one. Earlier, France’s Harmony Tan outclassed Katie Boulter, winning 6-1 6-1 in just 51 minutes.

Frustrated travellers face more flight cancellations over the coming weeks, as airlines rush to re-work their schedules. The upheaval comes in response to last month’s announcement that an amnesty will allow airlines to cancel flights while still retaining take-off and landing slots next year. Airlines buy slots to operate their schedules but can lose them

A Tory MP accused of drunkenly groping two men has been suspended by the party. Chris Pincher has had the Conservative whip withdrawn at Westminster over the claims, forcing him to sit as an independent without the support of the parliamentary group. The 52-year-old resigned from his role as deputy chief whip and apologised after

People in some parts of England could be offered blood pressure checks in betting shops under the biggest shake-up of the NHS for a decade. Some 42 integrated care systems (ICSs) come into force today, bringing together GPs, hospitals, care services, and other local groups. Clinical commissioning groups, which previously controlled local health budgets, will

A 14-year-old sentenced to life in prison for murdering five-year-old Logan Mwangi has been named as Craig Mulligan. It is common for children in criminal cases not to be named, but a judge at Cardiff Crown Court has decided to lift an anonymity order in this instance. Earlier, Mulligan, along with Logan’s mother and stepfather,