UK

Hundreds – if not thousands – of police officers who should have failed vetting checks may be serving in England and Wales, a watchdog has warned. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services looked at 11,277 police officers and staff across eight forces, examined 725 vetting files, considered 264 complaint and misconduct investigations,

Boris Johnson has told Sky News that he does not think Vladimir Putin will use a tactical nuclear weapon in his war in Ukraine. There have been suggestions that the Russian president could carry out such a military strike as his forces continue to lose territory which they captured earlier in the invasion. But in

British spies have been playing a key role in defending Ukraine from widespread Russian cyber attacks since the start of the invasion, it has been confirmed. The damage caused by Russian hackers would have been “very significant” without the British assistance, Leo Docherty, a junior foreign office minister, said. He told Sky News the UK

Suella Braverman has admitted sending official documents from her government email to her personal email address on six separate occasions. In a letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee, she apologised again for breaching security rules and set out her version of the events leading to her resignation under former prime minister Liz Truss. A

Two men have been killed after a shooting in south London. Police were called to reports of gunshots in Railton Road, Brixton, at about 7.50pm on Sunday. Armed officers attended the scene, along with ambulance crews, and found two men injured. They were both pronounced dead at the scene. The Metropolitan Police have said no

Petrol bombs have been thrown at a Border Force migrant centre in Dover. Kent Fire and Rescue Service were called to The Viaduct in Dover at 11.22am after Reuters news agency – who had a photographer at the scene – reported a man threw petrol bombs attached with fireworks at the centre. The photographer captured

Labour is urging the government to publish its assessments of Suella Braverman’s security breach following her controversial reappointment as home secretary just six days after she was forced out. New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure over reinstating Ms Braverman as home secretary after a former party chair claimed she had committed “multiple

Britain has denied Russian claims that Royal Navy personnel blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month, saying the story is “invented”. A Ministry of Defence tweet said: “To detract from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic

The head of the Royal Navy has ordered an investigation into “abhorrent” claim of “sexual bullying” in the submarine service. Admiral Sir Ben Key, the First Sea Lord, said sexual assault and harassment has no place in the Royal Navy and that anyone who is found culpable will be held accountable. Responding to the allegations

A woman has been sentenced to 34 years for murdering and decapitating her friend in a row over money. Jemma Mitchell, 38, became the first woman in England and Wales to be sentenced live on television for killing Mee Kuen Chong, 67, also known as Deborah, and dumping her headless body in some woodland more

Northern Ireland is set to have a pre-Christmas Assembly election as the deadline to restore devolved government at Stormont has expired. The region has been in a political crisis for months with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refusing to return to power-sharing since losing its status as the nation’s largest party to Sinn Fein in

Liz Truss was “crazy” when she raised concerns about nuclear weapons, Vladimir Putin has claimed. During a major speech in Moscow, the Russian president hit out at the UK’s former prime minister. He said she must have been “a bit out of it” and he claimed to have “never said anything proactively about possible use

Britain’s year of political turmoil could cost the taxpayer up to £726,000 in severance payments to former ministers and whips, Sky News analysis of House of Commons library data has found. Since the beginning of the year, 79 government ministers and whips have either been sacked or have resigned. And 71 of them are likely

Two members of a Rochdale sex grooming gang have lost their long-running appeal against being deported to Pakistan. Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Abdul Rauf, 52, had fought the deportation on human rights grounds but an immigration tribunal said they should be removed from the UK. Judges said Khan had shown a “breathtaking lack of

Rishi Sunak will make his debut at Prime Minister’s Questions at lunchtime, in what is shaping up to be the first big test of his leadership.  The new PM will face Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons – a day after culling almost a dozen Conservative ministers from the cabinet. Jacob Rees-Mogg has

Rishi Sunak has made his first speech as prime minister, saying he was chosen to take over to “fix” the mistakes made by Liz Truss. Speaking outside Number 10, the former chancellor praised his predecessor’s “restlessness” and her “noble aim” to improve economic growth in the UK. But, he added: “Some mistakes were made, not

Rishi Sunak is being urged to overhaul the cabinet on his first day as prime minister. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told Sky News that the new PM’s government should feature the best ministers available – rather than focusing on those who are loyal. “We have got to have the first 15 on the pitch. I

Rishi Sunak has said the UK faces a “profound economic challenge” in his first comments since being announced as the next prime minister. He said he is “humbled and honoured” after he was selected by Conservative MPs to lead the party, and the nation, describing it as the “greatest privilege in my life”. Mr Sunak

Boris Johnson has pulled out of the Conservative leadership race. His withdrawal leaves the path open for Rishi Sunak, who has a chance of picking up the keys to Downing Street as early as today. The former prime minister had the public backing of 59 Tory MPs – far short of the 100 required to

Liz Truss’s “disastrous premiership” means British families are spending an extra £530 a month on their mortgage than they were a year ago, Labour has claimed. The Opposition claims the effects of higher interest rates will be felt by tens of thousands of households for years to come. Labour’s analysis is based on the current