UK

At least three people have died after a small migrant boat with up to 50 on board capsized in the English Channel off the coast of Kent, near Dungeness. A major search and rescue operation involving helicopters and lifeboats was launched at 3.07am and is ongoing, with 43 people rescued alive – some from the

Rishi Sunak has promised to bring in new laws to tackle illegal immigration, saying anyone who comes to the UK illegally will not be allowed to stay. Making a raft of announcements in the Commons, the prime minister said the legislation would be introduced early next year and mean people who do not come to

The “tide is turning” in rail unions when it comes to pay offers on the table, Transport Secretary Mark Harper has claimed. Members of the RMT rejected the latest offer from Network Rail yesterday by 64%, with general secretary Mick Lynch calling it “substandard”. The deal would have included a 5% and 4% pay rise

Talks to avert the nursing strike on Thursday have failed after the union leader behind the action accused the health secretary of refusing to discuss pay. Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said on Monday night: “I needed to come out of this meeting with something serious to show nurses why

Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 have died after falling into an icy lake in Solihull, police have confirmed. A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition after the incident at Babbs Mill Park on Sunday afternoon. A search of the lake is continuing after reports up to six children fell in,

Four children are in critical condition after falling through the ice at a Solihull lake, police have said. A search and rescue operation is under way at Babbs Mill Park after the children fell into the water and suffered cardiac arrest. Police did not confirm how many children were involved in the incident – or

Rescuers searching for survivors of an explosion at a tower block in Jersey no longer expect to find anyone alive. Robin Smith, chief of police, said: “It is with sadness that I am confirming that the search and rescue operation had been moved to a recovery operation. Three people are confirmed to have died in

England’s World Cup dream lies in tatters after being knocked out by holders France in their quarter-final clash. Having reached the semi-finals in 2018 and then finishing runners-up at last year’s European Championship, Gareth Southgate’s men were confident of a ticket to the semi-final. Despite going behind to an early first-half goal, England pulled level

One person has died and “around a dozen” are missing after a large explosion at a block of flats in Jersey. Two “walking wounded” have been taken to hospital as police on the Channel island search the site following the blast at Haut du Mont on Pier Road, St Helier. Officers have said relatives are

A pupil at a school in Sussex has died after suffering a suspected infection of the invasive strain of Strep A. The UK Health Security Agency said the child attended Hove Park School and that specialists from the UKHSA are working with the city council following the death. Dr Rachael Hornigold, consultant in health protection

People are facing “dreadful consequences”, a charity has warned, as parts of the UK face plummeting temperatures. The Met Office has issued several yellow weather warnings for snow and ice over the next few days, and the UK Health Security Agency has also issued a level three cold weather alert covering England. Get the five-day

Anne Sacoolas has been sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months, for causing the death of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn by careless driving. Sacoolas, 45, was driving her Volvo on the wrong side of the B4031 in Northamptonshire, a two-lane road with a 40mph limit, when she hit Harry, 19, who was

Prince Harry has described the “feeding frenzy” surrounding his relationship with Meghan in the couple’s much-anticipated documentary series – with the duchess saying the press would always “find a way to destroy” her. The first three episodes of the couple’s six-part Netflix series Harry & Meghan were released on Thursday morning, with the Royal Family

Border Force workers across UK airports and ports will take strike action on key dates in December as their union calls for the government to come back to the negotiating table. Strikes will take place between 23rd and 26th December, and from 28th to 31st December, impacting Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow and Manchester airports,

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said there is a “good supply” of penicillin after a senior pharmacist warned “there’s no drugs”. Pharmacy director Zeshan Rehmani criticised the Department of Health for being “out of touch” after it mooted proposals to give antibiotics to children in schools to help fend off illnesses including Strep A –

A five-year-old girl who died after contracting a Strep A infection has been named by her school as Stella-Lily McCorkindale. The P2 pupil attended Black Mountain Primary School in Belfast, which sent a letter to parents on Friday, addressing the “tragic loss” and sending thoughts to the pupil’s family and friends. In a statement on

Antibiotics could be given to children at schools affected by Strep A to stop the spread of the infection, schools minister Nick Gibb has said. Mr Gibb told Sky News that the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) is “working closely with the schools involved and giving very specific advice to those schools which may

A young child has died after being diagnosed with Strep A – the eighth to have been killed by the bacterial infection in recent weeks. The latest victim was a pupil at Morelands Primary School in Waterlooville, Hampshire. An invasive form of the Strep A bacterial infection has spread across the UK in recent months,

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to abolish the House of Lords in his first term if he were to be elected as prime minister. Speaking to Sky News, the Labour leader confirmed his party “do want to abolish the House of Lords“, adding that he does not think anybody could “defend” the institution. Sir Keir’s

England cruised past Senegal 3-0 in their first World Cup knockout match, with a mouth-watering clash against holders France awaiting them in the last eight. Two quick-fire goals – the first from Jordan Henderson, the second from Harry Kane – put Gareth Southgate’s side in control going into the half-time break, after what had been

Harry Kane only has to think back to the past two tournaments to ease any doubts about not scoring so far at the World Cup, as England prepare to face Senegal in the last 16. The captain did collect the Golden Boot as the top scorer on the last world stage in Russia with six

A Year 8 pupil at a school in southeast London has died after contracting Strep A – as another bereaved family revealed the symptoms their son experienced in his final days. Colfe’s School wrote to parents on Thursday to inform them a student had died after developing the infection. Sky News understands that the pupil

Less mixing between children due to the pandemic could have caused a drop in immunity to infections such as Strep A, a leading expert has suggested. Six children have died in the UK after being found to have the bacterial infection and there have been more cases than normal this year. Most Strep A cases

There have been five recorded deaths within seven days of an invasive Strep A diagnosis in children under 10 in England this season, the UK Health Security Agency has said. A child under the age of 10 has also died in Wales after contracting the infection. Group A strep bacteria can cause many infections, ranging

A black domestic abuse campaigner who was repeatedly asked where she “really came from” by Prince William’s godmother said she felt abused, verbally attacked and “trapped”. Ngozi Fulani, founder of the charity Sistah Space, works as an advocate for survivors of domestic abuse and described the exchange as a “violation”. “I was not giving the

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ first overseas trip since the Queen’s death has been overshadowed by controversy at home. William and Kate arrived in Boston yesterday for a three-day visit before the Earthshot Prize, the prince’s environmental awards ceremony, on Friday. Hours earlier, the prince’s godmother resigned from her duties at Buckingham Palace after

Prince William’s godmother has resigned from her duties at Buckingham Palace after making “unacceptable” comments at a reception hosted by the Queen Consort. Lady Susan Hussey, 83, quit after asking Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of Sistah Space, where she “really came from” during a reception at the palace on Tuesday. A spokesperson for her godson

Labour has comfortably won the Chester by-election, the first public vote since Boris Johnson and Liz Truss were forced out of Number 10. Samantha Dixon retained the seat for her party with 17,309 votes, a 61% share and nearly 11,000 more than the Conservative candidate. Labour was expected to win, but the margin was bigger

Royal Mail workers, university lecturers and sixth-form college staff will walk out over pay disputes today as strikes continue across the country. Picket lines will be mounted outside universities, colleges and Royal Mail centres in one of the biggest walkouts on the same day. Royal Mail has warned that the postal strikes will “hold Christmas

Up to 100,000 nurses will go on strike next month in a dispute over pay. Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will stage their biggest-ever walkout on 15 and 20 December after voting in favour in a ballot. Nurses and other nursing staff will take action at half

Rishi Sunak has said the “golden era” between the UK and China is over as he called for a new approach to the Chinese government. The prime minister, speaking at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet at London’s Guildhall, criticised China’s human rights abuses but said the UK “cannot simply ignore China’s significance in world affairs”. Mr

Fifty migrants who have arrived in the UK this year have been diagnosed with diphtheria, the immigration minister has revealed, with the vast majority being reported in the last two months. Robert Jenrick told MPs that the number has increased significantly since he first gave an update on 1 November. The latest UK Health Security

Three people have been arrested after the bodies of two babies were found at a house in South Wales, police have said. Two men aged 37 and 47, and a 29-year-old woman, were arrested on suspicion of concealing the birth of a child and they remain in custody, South Wales Police said. An investigation was