UK

Average ambulance response times in England last month were the longest on record – as more than half of people at major A&Es had to wait longer than four hours for the first time since records began in 2011. New figures show the average response time in December for ambulances in England dealing with the

Around 100,000 civil servants will strike on 1 February in a worsening dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, the Public and Commercial Services union has announced. It will be the largest civil service strike for years and coincides with the TUC’s “protect the right to strike day” announced yesterday in response to new government legislation.

About 25,000 ambulance workers across England and Wales will strike today in a dispute with the government over pay, amid fears some patients will be forced to make their own way to hospital. Staggered walkouts will take place over a 24-hour period and will include paramedics, call handlers, drivers and technicians from the Unison and

Ambulance unions placed people’s lives at risk when they refused to introduce countrywide minimum levels of service during strikes last month, the business secretary has said. Grant Shapps hit out at ambulance workers for only agreeing on a local level to minimum service levels after he earlier told Sky News it was a “regional or

The crew behind an historic rocket launch from UK soil have vowed to bounce back after their highly anticipated space mission ended in failure. LauncherOne suffered an “anomaly” in its bid to reach orbit on Monday night, after being carried skyward from Spaceport Cornwall by a converted jumbo jet named Cosmic Girl. Relive UK’s historic

The UK is considering supplying Ukraine with British tanks for the first time to fight Russia’s invading forces, Sky News understands. Discussions have been taking place “for a few weeks” about delivering a number of the British Army’s Challenger 2 main battle tank to the Ukrainian armed forces, a Western source with knowledge of the

MPs have earned £17.1m on top of their salaries in this parliament, with around two-thirds of the money going to just 20 MPs. As part of Westminster Accounts, a joint project between Sky News and Tortoise Media to shine a light on how money works in politics, we found the majority of the extra earnings

Prince Harry says he was “unable to show any emotion” in the days after the death of his mother Diana, as it was reported William has kept quiet about his brother’s book “for the good of his family and the country”. The Duke of Sussex, whose upcoming memoir Spare has created a storm, told ITV

Prince Harry’s claims in his autobiography are the “most sensational royal revelations” in almost 30 years and will “shake” the foundations of the monarchy, according to a royal expert. Michael Cole says the Duke of Sussex has metaphorically “detonated a huge landmine” under Buckingham Palace with his claims in his book Spare, which emerged after

MPs have been accused of failing to provide “sufficient” transparency after a Sky News investigation struggled to uncover basic details about who is behind major donations. Among the top donors to individual politicians are companies where little detail was provided in the MPs’ declarations about who they are, who is in charge and where they

Princess Diana’s former protection officer has said that he thinks Prince Harry has a “revenge issue” with the royal family and that she would have told him publishing the memoir ‘isn’t a good idea’. Ken Wharfe, who was Diana’s personal protection officer from 1988 to 1993, told Sky News he felt that the Duke of

A senior Taliban leader has told Prince Harry that the militants he killed in Afghanistan were “not chess pieces, they were humans”. Responding to revelations in Harry’s forthcoming memoir that he killed 25 Taliban fighters, Anas Haqqani, a senior aide to the interior minister, tweeted: “Mr Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces,

Prince Harry has said he asked a driver to replicate his mother’s final journey in Paris – travelling through the tunnel where Princess Diana’s fatal crash took place at 105kph (65mph). Writing in his memoir, entitled Spare, the Duke of Sussex said he was in the French capital for the Rugby World Cup semi-final in

Prince Harry has said in his new book that he asked his father not to marry Camilla. The duke also talks about the moment he was told his mother had a car accident, amongst a number of other revelations. Speaking about the time his father was introducing him to Camilla, the prince writes: “That’s why

Rail strikes across the UK are set to escalate today as drivers begin a new walkout – meaning some areas will have no trains at all. Although 48 hours of industrial action by the RMT union has now come to an end, members of the Aslef union are now striking as part of a long-running

Pharmacy bosses have warned of a shortage of cough and cold medicines, with some pharmacists “struggling to obtain the very basic” supplies. Throat lozenges, cough mixtures and some painkillers are among the over-the-counter medicines in short supply, according to the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies. The industry group warned of supply issues of both branded

Pupils in England will study maths up until the age of 18 under plans to be unveiled by Rishi Sunak. The prime minister will say there is a need to “reimagine our approach to numeracy” in his first speech of the year today, adding: “Letting our children out into the world without those skills is

NHS hospital staff have been told to return their Christmas bonuses after it was paid to them by mistake. A number of employees at the Milton Keynes University Hospital in Buckinghamshire were told the day before Christmas Eve that the money would have to be repaid as they were not eligible for the payment. The

Strikes by rail and road staff are set to cause extensive disruption to commuters returning to work after the Christmas break – amid fears that continued walkouts could cause a years-long slump in demand for train travel. About 40,000 members of the RMT union from Network Rail and 14 train operators are taking industrial action

Prince Harry has said “I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back” in the release of a trailer for an upcoming TV interview. The Duke of Sussex also says “I want a family, not an institution” and “they’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile”. In a series

Pressure on the NHS is worse now than it was at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a leading doctor has said. Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said “urgent action” is required to bring the NHS back from the brink. Speaking to Sky News, he said the National Health Service

Police searching for a teenage arsonist who has escaped from a mental health facility have warned the public: “Do not approach him under any circumstance”. Johnny Brady, a 19-year-old who is serving a hospital order for serious assault and arson, escaped St Andrew’s Healthcare facility in Northampton at about 3.30pm on New Year’s Eve. Brady

A tribute to the late Queen and a show of support for Ukraine were among the features of London’s New Year fireworks, as more than 100,000 people gathered on the banks of the Thames to mark the beginning of 2023. Some 12,000 fireworks streaked across the sky in the sold-out show, which was created with

A wandering Walrus, which has popped up in several North Sea and Atlantic coastal harbours in recent months, has appeared in Scarborough just in time for 2023. Thor, as the mammal has become known, surfaced in the Yorkshire seaside town on Friday night and has drawn huge crowds to the area. The Arctic walrus was

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