UK

A woman has been found dead after a suspected gas explosion saw a house destroyed in Kingstanding, Birmingham last night. West Midlands Fire Service said: “We’re very sad to confirm that a woman has been found dead at the scene of last night’s explosion in Kingstanding. “Our thoughts and sympathies are with everyone affected.” A

One house has been destroyed and several others have been significantly damaged after an explosion in Birmingham. West Midlands Police has said there have been reports of casualties but the number and the severity of the people’s injuries are currently unknown. Emergency services and utility companies are currently at the scene in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding.

Motorist William Smith was proud of his perfectly clean driving record before he crashed his car last year. The 50-year-old was driving home after visiting his mother when his Ford Focus went into the back of an Audi that had stopped suddenly at a roundabout in Nottinghamshire. He admitted responsibility for the collision, having been

Boris Johnson wants to serve a third term as prime minister despite a bruising week in which the Conservatives suffered two by-election defeats. Speaking to reporters on the final day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, Mr Johnson said the government was “embarked on a colossal project to unite and level

Boris Johnson has said voters are fed up of hearing about things he had “stuffed up” as he played down a bruising double by-election defeat as a “safety valve”. The prime minister, who has faced a barrage of criticism over lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street and over his own conduct, argued people had not been

Thousands of people with weekend plans will face disruption and chaos as rail workers strike for the third day this week. Only a fifth of services will run and half of lines will be closed as 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators walk out.

Boris Johnson has acknowledged that the government’s defeat in two by-elections were not “brilliant results” – but insisted he was not worried about Conservative MPs plotting to replace him while he’s abroad. The prime minister was speaking at a press conference in Rwanda hours after the Liberal Democrats overturned the Tories’ 24,000 majority to win

The prospect of strikes affecting BA services at Heathrow this summer are another headache for a struggling airline and also passengers who were, likely, already nervous about getting away after disruption at airports across Europe. Here, Sky News explains your rights as a consumer in the event British Airways is hit by strikes involving hundreds

British Airways (BA) workers have voted to strike during the school summer holidays in a move set to cause more travel chaos as the industry struggles to recover from the pandemic. Members of the GMB and Unite unions overwhelmingly supported the prospect of industrial action over pay with 95% of those voting, at both unions,

A member of the infamous Rochdale gang that groomed dozens of girls for sex has told a judge he shouldn’t be deported because his son needs a role model. Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Abdul Rauf, 52, are due to be sent back to Pakistan for the public good after being convicted in May 2012.

Traces of the polio virus have been found during a routine sewage inspection in London, leading the UK Health Security Agency to declare a national incident. Health officials are now concerned about the community spread of the virus after samples were collected from the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works in London, but have stressed the risk

Millions of people have been hit by severe travel disruption on the first day of the biggest rail strike for a generation – with passengers set to face more cancellations tomorrow. Although it is not officially a strike day on Wednesday, only 60% of trains are expected to run – mostly because of a delay

Millions of Britons are being hit by severe travel disruption, with only a fifth of train services running today due to the biggest national rail strike in 33 years. Half of lines are closed – affecting large swathes of the UK and most of Scotland and Wales – with limited hours of 7.30am to 6.30pm

Boris Johnson will condemn unions for what is expected to be the biggest train strike in three decades. Around 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators will walk out from midnight for all of Tuesday, as well as Thursday and Saturday in a dispute over

The biggest rail strike in three decades is expected go ahead after last-ditch talks failed, the RMT union said. A walk-out by 40,000 workers on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday will cause “total misery” according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Mr Shapps said the walk-out was “totally wrong” and would inconvenience millions – including those like

Motorists are being warned to expect a surge in traffic on the roads when this week’s strikes bring large parts of Britain’s rail network to a halt. The AA believes the worst-affected roads are likely to be main motorway arteries, in addition to rural and suburban areas. And although the rail strikes are only taking

Britain is facing a summer of discontent with more workers set to be balloted on strike action, a union chief has warned, as a series of walkouts is set to cripple the rail network. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has predicted industrial action could spread to other services, arguing that “people can’t take it anymore”.

Dame Kelly Holmes has announced she is gay, and says she has hidden it for 34 years. Speaking during Pride month, the two-time gold medallist said she realised she was gay at the age of 17 after kissing a fellow female soldier, and that her family and friends have known since 1997. The Olympic champion

The grounding of the first flight of asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda was an “absolutely scandalous” move, Priti Patel has said. Judges at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) granted an injunction that resulted in a chartered aircraft to Kigali being unable to depart Wiltshire on Tuesday. And in an interview with

British hosts of Ukrainian refugees have experienced a postcode lottery in receiving monthly £350 “thank you” payments, according to a charity. Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, households hosting Ukrainians are entitled to the cash for stepping forward. But in some areas, the rollout of the payments has been slow or delayed. Rend Platings, chair

Boris Johnson has made a second surprise visit to Kyiv for a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after pulling out of a major red wall conference in Doncaster at the last minute. The prime minister was due to make a speech before Tory northern MPs, councillors and business leaders on Friday afternoon. Sky News’ deputy

Passengers at Heathrow will not face major disruption this summer despite an industry-wide international labour crisis that could take 18 months to resolve, the airport’s chief executive has said. Travellers at airports across the UK faced significant disruption to flights during a chaotic half-term week culminating in the Jubilee weekend, sparking concern that summer holidays

The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the fifth time in a row to 1.25% and set the scene to act more “forcefully” ahead because of a mounting inflation threat. There had been speculation of a more aggressive tightening after the sharpest rate hike since 1994 of 0.75% was imposed by counterparts at

The captain of a £38m superyacht detained in London has said it is the victim of a “PR stunt” and that the government has “got the wrong guy”. Sky News was given exclusive access on board the 58m (190ft) long Phi, which has been unable to leave Canary Wharf since March. The vessel is being

Network Rail has warned that the three-day train strike next week will cause six days of disruption to services. More than 40,000 staff at Network Rail and 13 train operators are expected to walk out next week on Tuesday 21, Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June in a dispute over pay and redundancies. Network Rail

A man has had a bid against his deportation to Rwanda on a government flight tonight rejected by the Supreme Court. A panel of three justices refused permission to the man to challenge the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Monday, which upheld the earlier decision of a High Court judge not to grant an injunction

On 14 June 2017, a small flat fire spread rapidly up a west London tower block and engulfed the building in a raging inferno. The Grenfell Tower fire left 72 people dead in what is remembered as one of the worst tragedies in the history of modern Britain. Feelings of despair turned into anger in

Life support treatment for a 12-year-old boy with brain damage should be stopped as he is clinically dead, the High Court has ruled. Archie Battersbee has been at the centre of a legal dispute after he was seriously injured in an incident at his home in Southend, Essex, in April. Doctors treating the child at

Divers searching for a missing British journalist and his colleague have found a backpack and laptop in a remote part of the Amazon. Journalist Dom Phillips, 57, and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, 41, were last seen on 5 June near the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory, which is in western Brazil near the borders of Peru

A former British soldier has died fighting Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, his family have said. Jordan Gatley left the British Army in March and flew to Ukraine soon after to help fend off Russian forces and train Ukrainian soldiers. Announcing the news on Facebook, his father Dean wrote: “Yesterday (10/06/22) we

Rwanda’s government has asked for the scheme to send some illegal migrants to its country to be given “a chance”, after Prince Charles is said to have privately called it “appalling”. Yolande Makolo, a spokesperson for the Kigali government, told Sky News the scheme is “well thought out” and it is the responsibility of governments

The family of a British man sentenced to death by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine have said they are “devastated and saddened” at the outcome of the “illegal show-trial”. Shaun Pinner was captured in Mariupol in April alongside fellow Brit Aiden Aslin during the intense fight for control of the port city. The pair were found

Prince Charles is said to have privately called the UK government’s plans to send some illegal migrants to Rwanda “appalling”. The first deportations under the contentious deal are expected to happen next week after the High Court ruled on Friday that a flight taking asylum seekers to the east African country can go ahead. They