UK

Energy suppliers need to do more to help vulnerable customers this winter, the industry’s regulator has said, with “severe weaknesses” found in the practice of five suppliers. Ofgem said failings included customers missing out on free gas safety checks, vulnerable customers not being offered the support they need, and ensuring those on prepayment meters are

England won their World Cup opener against Iran – following a build-up that was dominated by a decision not to wear the OneLove armband, the taking of the knee and the Iranian players’ own silence during the national anthem. The Three Lions disappointed many fans by reversing plans to wear a pro-inclusivity armband after FIFA

England and Wales open their World Cup campaigns today in Qatar – but it has now emerged both sides are undecided on whether their captains will wear the OneLove armband after they were threatened with sanctions by FIFA. It comes amid ongoing uncertainty about potential FIFA punishments for their activism – including potential yellow cards

A murder investigation has been opened after a baby and a toddler died in a ‘deliberate’ flat fire in Nottingham. The emergency services were called to reports of a fire the Clifton area of the city at 3.17am today, where people had become trapped in a first-floor flat. An initial investigation concluded the fire was

A person staying at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent has died in hospital, the Home Office has said. They were admitted after becoming unwell and died on Saturday morning. It is understood the person travelled to the UK by small boat and arrived last Saturday. There is “no evidence at this stage” to

The housing secretary has put social accommodation providers “on notice” as he hit out at the “abhorrent” mouldy flat that killed two-year-old Awaab Ishak. In a letter to every English council leader and social housing provider, Michael Gove said Awaab’s death was an “appalling case of the utmost gravity” and “must never be allowed to

A woman has been reportedly swept into the River Don in Aberdeenshire, as heavy rain is set to bring more disruption to Scotland as well as the northeast of England today. Police Scotland said the force was called to the river near to Monymusk in Aberdeenshire at around 3.05pm on Friday following reports of a

A sexual predator has pleaded guilty to murdering law graduate Zara Aleena just days after being released from prison. Jordan McSweeney appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday where he admitted murdering Ms Aleena, who was brutally kicked and stamped on, then left for dead, in the early hours of 26 June this year. The

The UK’s economic outlook will be “challenging” for the next two years, Jeremy Hunt says. The chancellor presented his autumn statement to parliament on Thursday, littered with stealth taxes and curbs on government spending amounting to £55bn in an attempt to plug the black hole in the public finances. But the independent Office for Budget

Here are all the main announcements from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement to MPs: • Energy bill aid for households extended beyond April for a further year through energy price guarantee, but average annual bill will be £3,000 from current £2,500. Amounts to around £500 support for households. • Additional cost of living payments next

Jeremy Hunt will promise to weather an economic “storm” by raising taxes, cutting public spending and scaling back energy support to fill a £54bn black hole in the nation’s finances. The chancellor will insist to MPs on Thursday that his autumn statement puts the UK on a “balanced path to stability” as he tackles the

Iran has made at least 10 threats this year to kidnap or kill people in the UK deemed as “enemies of the regime”, the head of MI5 has revealed. Ken McCallum also warned the UK must be ready for more aggression from Russia, saying that over 100 suspected Russian spies have been refused entry to

There has been a higher than expected leap in the rate of inflation, to a 41-year high of 11.1% last month, led by the latest rise in energy bills. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the increase, from 10.1% in September, as the cost of light and heating for homes rose further despite help

A two-year-old boy’s death was caused by “extensive” mould in his family’s flat, a coroner has concluded in a case that should be “a defining moment” for the housing sector. Awaab Ishak died shortly after his second birthday in December 2020. Joanne Kearsley, the coroner, found that he “died as a result of a severe

Wage growth picked up by more than expected over the three months to September, according to official figures also showing a rise in the jobless rate. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said average weekly earnings, excluding bonus payments, rose at an annual rate of 5.7% during the three months to September. That was up

A gang of armed robbers have been jailed for a total of 141 years after a wave of violent attacks on security guards refilling cash machines. They used guns, knives, hammers and crowbars to terrorise staff before fleeing in a fleet of stolen vehicles and leaving few clues behind them. When banknotes got stained by

Home Secretary Suella Braverman will travel to Paris to sign a new joint declaration with French officials to ramp up efforts to stop migrant crossings in the Channel. The home secretary will sign the agreement with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin on Monday morning. According to the Financial Times, the agreement will significantly increase the

As it was revealed a total of 40,885 migrants have reached UK shores in 2022, Sky’s Europe news editor Sophie Garratt and her team headed to Calais, where they discovered people traffickers are adapting to new methods to evade getting caught. Below is her harrowing account of migrants using a dangerous taxi boat service to

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has warned there will be no rabbits in the upcoming budget, describing himself as “Scrooge who is going to do things that make sure Christmas is never cancelled”. Mr Hunt spoke to The Sunday Times ahead of Thursday’s autumn statement, which is likely to see a number of tough measures taken to

Thousands of migrants passing through the Manston processing centre will be vaccinated against diphtheria after dozens of cases of the highly contagious disease were confirmed in England, health authorities have said. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it is moving with the Home Office to vaccinate migrants at the centre after it revealed on