UK

Each day Ron and Maxine Flewett wait for the phone to ring, hoping it is the news they have waited 20 months for. Mr Flewett has a health condition causes scarring on the lungs – he relies on a constant supply of oxygen and now he is waiting for a transplant. His wife, who is

National exemptions are in place to provide critical care during strike action by nurses, a union leader has insisted, telling Sky News staff would never leave patients unsafe or create more risk. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen was speaking to Sophy Ridge On Sunday ahead of a 28-hour walkout by members

A lavish new Robe of Estate, decorated with bees, a beetle and flowers, has been made for the Queen Consort to wear after her coronation. Only small glimpses have been released, ensuring the whole ensemble remains under wraps until the big day. Announcements have also been made about traditional languages forming part of the coronation

Hospitals are bracing themselves for “exceptionally low” staff numbers in some regions as nurses prepare to go on strike over the bank holiday weekend, NHS England has warned. The latest walkout comes as the health service warns that, due to nearly six months of strike action, the number of rescheduled appointments is set to hit

The body of a man recovered by officers investigating the death of a pregnant teacher has been formally identified as her partner David Yates. Police Scotland officers made the discovery at Mugdock Reservoir on Thursday. The search was under way for Yates, 36, after Marelle Sturrock, 35, was found dead in a property in Glasgow’s

Richard Sharp has resigned as chairman of the BBC in the wake of a report into his appointment following a cronyism row. Mr Sharp said the report found he had breached the government’s code for the public appointments but said it was “inadvertent”. The matter has been a “distraction” for the BBC and he has

Police looking for the partner of a pregnant teacher found dead in Glasgow have found a body. Officers were looking for David Yates after the body of Marelle Sturrock, 35, was discovered at a property in the city’s Jura Street on Tuesday morning. Police said the body is yet to be formally identified but it

British nationals in Sudan have been warned the UK “cannot guarantee” how many more evacuation flights will leave Khartoum after the 72-hour ceasefire expires. So far, 536 British nationals have been airlifted to safety on six flights, according to the Foreign Office. The US-Saudi mediated ceasefire between Sudan’s two warring factions is due to expire

Ten people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of a man in west London. Seven men and three women are being held after police were called to “reports of intruders” at an address in Brentwick Gardens in Brentford shortly after 5am on Wednesday. The London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance

The Bank of England’s chief economist has urged people to accept they are poorer, warning that inflation risks remaining stubbornly high. Huw Pill told a podcast that people and businesses have responded to higher bills and costs by asking for higher wages or charging their customers more money. His remarks echoed warnings from Bank governor

A mother and her “monster” partner have been jailed over the death of a two-year-old girl. Kyle Bevan, 31, was given a life sentence for murdering Lola James, the daughter of his partner, in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, with a minimum term of 28 years. Sinead James, Lola’s mother, was sentenced to six years for causing or

The UK is coordinating an evacuation of British nationals from Sudan, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said. Military flights are due to depart from an airfield outside Khartoum, supported by diplomats from the Foreign Office, the government has said. Mr Cleverly says the Foreign Office has started contacting nationals directly and is providing routes to

A team of British troops have flown into a port in eastern Sudan on a reconnaissance mission as the UK works out options to help evacuate British nationals stranded in the crisis-hit country, Sky News understands. The soldiers landed at Port Sudan, on the Red Sea on Monday. A flight tracking website showed a C-17

There are understood to be around 4,000 British passport holders in Sudan after foreign secretary James Cleverly warned the UK government is “severely limited” in its ability to help British nationals until the conflict ends. It comes after diplomats and staff in Sudan have been evacuated by governments around the world as rival generals battle

Tens of millions of mobile phone users have received a message and loud alarm during the first nationwide test of the government’s new public alert system. The distinct sound and vibration was accompanied by a message telling people about the service, which is designed to warn if there is a life-threatening emergency nearby. Many people

The investigation into claims former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab bullied staff has led to a “complete breakdown” in trust between ministers and civil servants, a thinktank has said. Alex Thomas, programme director at the Institute for Government, said the inquiry has exposed “deep flaws” in the process for handling poor ministerial behaviour and that

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said he plans to “pursue legal action” over the Royal College of Nursing’s upcoming strike action. In a statement, Mr Barclay said: “Following a request from NHS Employers, I have regretfully provided notice of my intent to pursue legal action to ask the courts to declare the Royal College of

Wrexham will be in the Football League once again next season after a 3-1 win over Boreham Wood. The crucial three points secured on Saturday means the Red Dragons have gained automatic promotion to League Two with a game to spare. Wrexham were bought by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Tens of millions of phones will receive an emergency alert today as the government tests the system nationwide for the first time. At 3pm, a distinct sound and vibration will be accompanied by a message telling people a new service has launched that will “warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby”. You will be

Dogs and their owners lined the streets for the funeral procession of Paul O’Grady – TV star, LGBTQ campaigner and animal lover.   A private funeral for O’Grady, who died on 28 March, will follow the procession through the village of Aldington in Kent. Dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home will form a guard of

Just Stop Oil activists have refused to rule out targeting Sunday’s London Marathon, following their disruption of the World Snooker Championships earlier this week. Some 50,000 demonstrators are expected to gather around Westminster from today until Monday to demand an end to fossil fuels, according to Extinction Rebellion, which is organising the event. It is

A Russian “spy” ship stopped at sites around wind farms off the Scottish coast in order to gather intelligence, an investigation has claimed. The Admiral Vladimirsky was part of an operation to map undersea infrastructure in the North Sea, according to a joint report by broadcasters in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. It is officially

SNP treasurer Colin Beattie is stepping down from his role after he was arrested on Tuesday. He said he will also step down from Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee while the police investigation into the party’s funding and finances takes place. Mr Beattie, who has been SNP treasurer for most of the past 19 years, was

The rate of inflation has eased slightly but still remains above 10%, according to official figures showing record costs for some essential foods. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the consumer prices index (CPI) measure slowed to 10.1% in March from 10.4% the previous month. Economists had largely expected a figure of 9.8%. The

SNP treasurer Colin Beattie has been arrested by police investigating the party’s funding and finances. In a statement, Police Scotland said: “A 71-year-old man has today, Tuesday, 18 April 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party. “The man is in

The UK’s unemployment rate ticked up to 3.8% in the three months to February, according to official figures that also highlighted a faster than expected spike in wage rises. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the jobless rate rose from 3.7% due to a surge in the number of people unemployed for more than

At least 195,000 procedures and hospital appointments in England had to be rescheduled due to the junior doctors strike last week – but the true figure is likely to be higher. Some 20,470 inpatient procedures were rescheduled, along with 175,755 outpatient appointments, making a total of 196,225. An average of 26,145 staff per day were

A disability campaigner has told police forces they should “do more” to combat a rise in hate crimes targeting people with disfigurements. It comes after “sobering” research shows 33% of people with visible differences or disfigurements said they had experienced a hate crime – compared with 28% in 2019. The Changing Faces survey also suggests

Escalating nurse strike action by withdrawing protection for emergency hospital care will endanger patient safety, a NHS leader has warned as the government said a “full and final” pay offer had been made to staff. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health trusts, also raised concerns over the possibility of nursing

The mother of Ava White, a 12-year-old girl who was stabbed to death, says new police powers to tackle adult knife crime should also be applied to younger offenders. When Ava was murdered in Liverpool city centre in 2021, it was a crime that stunned and appalled the nation. Her mother Leeann, now a knife

The Grand National got under way following a 12-minute delay after protesters were removed from the racecourse at Aintree. The race started at 5.27pm after around 15 demonstrators were reported to have been on the track, clinging to some of the 30 fences. Horses were taken away from the parade ring while racegoers were informed

An animal rights group says it will attempt to stop the Grand National from going ahead this afternoon. Animal Rising activists are planning to scale fences and storm the track – and it’s claimed up to 300 protesters will attend. Others will block traffic by performing a slow march along the main access route outside

Doctors who treated a British woman after she caught “break-bone fever” in the south of France have warned climate change could cause outbreaks as far north as the UK. The 44-year-old woman was infected with dengue, a mosquito-borne disease, while visiting family near Nice last September and developed a fever, muscle pain, headache and rash.