UK

Britain and its allies face their “1937 moment” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and must do everything possible to avert another world war, the new head of the Army is set to signal. The warning emerged as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce an uplift in UK defence spending this week, in line

Podcaster and campaigner Deborah James, whose frank accounts of life with bowel cancer sparked an extraordinary deluge of charity donations, has died, her family have announced. James, the driving force behind BBC podcast You, Me and The Big C, broke the news of her diagnosis to followers last month that she had moved into end-of-life

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 suffered a double blow as the Tories crashed to two by-election defeats in his first test at the ballot box since a bruising no-confidence vote. The Conservatives saw a majority of 24,000, or 40.6%, in the Devon seat of Tiverton and Honiton evaporate – a record reverse for the party – as

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

Heathrow has asked airlines to cancel 10% of their flights today as the airport faces a baggage backlog. It comes after hundreds of passengers were left waiting for over three hours during the weekend to retrieve their luggage. Airlines have been given the option of consolidating their flights at Heathrow – meaning that instead of

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”.

The RMT’s decision to proceed with train strikes next week will “punish millions of people”, the transport secretary has said. Grant Shapps warned the UK is “now on the cusp of major disruption which will cause misery for people right across the country”. He also claimed the RMT union had been repeatedly urged not to