UK

Four Lionesses have been recognised in the New Year Honours list, which also sees Queen guitarist Brian May and artist Grayson Perry knighted. The honours are the first to be issued by King Charles. Lionesses make the list – but not all of them Captain Leah Williamson is among four of England’s Euro 2022-winning side

The family of a woman shot dead at a pub have described her as the “most beautiful and bright star” as police continue their hunt for her murderer. Elle Edwards, 26, was attacked on Christmas Eve at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on the Wirral. Detectives say the beautician was not believed to have

Legendary British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood has died aged 81. A statement said she died on Thursday in London, surrounded by her family. Dame Vivienne found fame in the 1970s when she brought punk fashions into the mainstream, running a boutique on London’s King’s Road alongside Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. She went on

A third man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after footballer Cody Fisher was stabbed to death in a Birmingham nightclub on Boxing Day. The 22-year-old suspect was arrested in London at around 3am today. West Midlands Police said the man will now be questioned over the killing of Mr Fisher, who was stabbed

There are no plans to introduce mandatory COVID-19 tests for arrivals from China, a UK government spokesperson has said. The news comes after China announced it was abandoning its COVID-zero policy and was preparing to reopen its borders in January. There are fears that the end of strict measures in the country of 1.4 billion

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder over the stabbing death of footballer Cody Fisher in a Birmingham nightclub. Police said a 22-year-old man was held at an address in Birmingham city centre just after midnight while a second man aged 21 was arrested in London. West Midlands Police have said the men

The 23-year-old man stabbed to death on the dancefloor of a Birmingham nightclub has been named as footballer Cody Fisher. His family said in a statement: “They have broken our hearts; I have lost my best friend. My family and I are asking for privacy and respectfulness at this heart-breaking time.” West Midlands Police were

Two people have been arrested after a 26-year-old woman was shot dead in a pub in Merseyside on Christmas Eve. A man aged 30 from Tranmere was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, and a woman aged 19 from Rock Ferry was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Both are in police

Friends of the woman killed in a Christmas Eve shooting at a pub said they were dancing and enjoying a night out when “in a split second” everything changed. Elle Edwards, 26, was shot in the head at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on the Wirral in Merseyside shortly after 11.50pm. Her friends Meg

A tenth person has been confirmed dead following an explosion at a block of flats in Jersey earlier in December. Kathleen ‘Kathy’ McGinness, 73, who lived in an adjacent building and was injured in the explosion, died in hospital on Christmas Day, Jersey police said. The blast ripped through the three-storey Haut du Mont block

The King has used his first Christmas Day broadcast to pay tribute to those trying to “pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm” amid the cost of living crisis. It is a historic first address – both for King Charles personally, and the UK, as it marks the first time a male

A murder investigation is under way after a woman was fatally shot at a Merseyside pub on Christmas Eve. She and three men were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds after the incident at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on the Wirral shortly after 11.50pm. The woman was later pronounced dead, and her family

A four-year-old boy has died after an incident at a Center Parcs resort. The emergency services were called to the resort at Longleat in Wiltshire after a “serious medical incident” at a swimming pool at around 11am this morning. Wiltshire Police said: “Our thoughts are with the boy’s family at this difficult time.” The death

The Scottish Highlands can expect to see a white Christmas this year, while flood warnings are in place for several parts of England. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice across the Scottish region, as well as some lowland areas, from 9pm on Christmas Day to 6pm on Boxing Day.

Families driving home for the festive period face travel misery, with further rail strikes set to take place from 6pm on Christmas Eve. Thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union at National Rail walk out on Saturday evening, causing train services to finish at 3pm. An overtime ban is also causing

Thousands of nurses in England will go on strike again next month in a dispute over pay. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced that nurses would strike on 18 and 19 January and said further dates would be confirmed in the new year. Pat Cullen, head of the union, said: “The government had the

Ambulance workers will stage two further strikes in January amid a dispute over pay and staffing. The Unison union says the industrial action will take place in England on 11 and 23 January. The strike action will involve staff employed by London, Yorkshire, North West, North East and South West ambulance services. It comes after

Two days of strikes by nurses and paramedics will have a knock-on effect on appointments with a return to “very high numbers” of emergency calls in the coming days, NHS Providers has warned. Historic strike action saw thousands of nurses picket on Tuesday and ambulance staff stage their biggest strike in 30 years yesterday. Saffron

The number of people phoning 999 appears to have dropped in parts of England as thousands of ambulance staff and paramedics strike until midnight. The West Midlands Ambulance Trust thanked people for heeding their advice to only call in an emergency as ambulance trusts reported receiving fewer calls. The drop in calls comes as health

A man has pleaded guilty to the murders of a “defenceless” pregnant woman and three young children who were found dead at a house in Derbyshire. Damien Bendall had previously denied murdering his then partner Terri Harris, her 11-year-old daughter Lacey Bennett, her 13-year-old son John Paul Bennett, and Lacey’s 11-year-old friend Connie Gent, but

Jeremy Clarkson’s column about the Duchess of Sussex has become the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s most complained about article ever. The regulator said the piece, which has since been removed from The Sun’s website at Clarkson‘s request, had received more than 17,500 complaints as of 9am on Tuesday. “We will follow our usual processes to

Ambulance and hospital trusts across the country have declared critical incidents as a result of “sustained” and “unprecedented” pressure on services. Declaring a critical incident allows trusts to prioritise the patients most in need and to instigate additional measures to protect patient safety, trusts said. It comes as nurses were striking for a second day

Thirty new patients have contacted Sky News following our investigation into the treatment of teenagers in mental health units run by a single provider. They include a 16-year-old boy whose mother told us her son’s self-harming increased. Rachel Vickers said of her son Tyson: “He looked like he’d been in a car crash”, and Tyson

A government plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful, the High Court has ruled. Lord Justice Lewis said the controversial policy, introduced under Boris Johnson, was “consistent with the refugee convention”. However, he said the home secretary should look at people’s “particular circumstances” before deporting them to the central African country. Politics live:

New legislation in memory of Manchester Arena bombing victim Martyn Hett will be introduced to ensure stronger protections against terrorism in public places, the government has said. Mr Hett, 29, was one of 22 people killed during the attack at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May, 2017. The new rules, which

Gareth Southgate will stay on as England manager and lead the Three Lions at the 2024 Euros, the FA has confirmed. The 52-year-old had been mulling his future following England’s 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France at the World Cup. Southgate had a contract until the 2024 European Championships, but admitted to feeling “conflicted” about staying

A 52-year-old man has been charged with the murders of a mother and her two young children in Kettering, Northamptonshire, police have said. Officers arrested Saju Chelavalel after they were called to his address in Petherton Court on Thursday and found Anju Asok, 35, Jeeva Saju, six, and Janvi Saju, four, with serious injuries. Ms

Hospitals should free up beds by safely discharging patients in advance of “extensive disruption” caused by industrial action by ambulance crews, health chiefs have said. They warned of “a very challenging period” when ambulance crews in England and Wales are due to walk out for two days on 21 and 28 December in a dispute

An investigation has been launched into the deaths of two children after their bodies were found at a residential address in Dagenham, in east London. Emergency services were called at around 2pm on Friday to the property in Cornwallis Road, where the bodies of a two-year-old boy and a five-year-old boy were discovered. Metropolitan Police

Labour has comfortably held on to its seat in Stretford and Urmston, in its second by-election victory in two weeks.  Andrew Western, who is the leader of Trafford Council, retained the Greater Manchester constituency with a majority of nearly 10,000. He secured 69.65% of the votes, up 9.34% on the snap general election three years

Four boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in Solihull have been named by police. Brothers Samuel Butler, six, and Finlay Butler, eight; their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, 10, were identified by West Midlands Police. Three of the boys, Jack, Thomas and Finlay, died on Sunday after falling into Babbs

Thousands of people in Shetland are facing a fourth day without power as engineers battle to restore supplies amid the threat of further snowfall and freezing temperatures. Some 2,400 homes remain without power in Voe, Brae, Yell and the West Mainland – with engineers warning power may not be restored to some properties until the

NHS nurses are striking today in a dispute with the government over pay and patient safety. Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will take industrial action on 15 December and 20 December across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the first time in the union’s 106-year history. Strikes by ambulance staff and some