UK

Ferry passengers heading to France face disruption today after cross-Channel services from Dover to Calais and Dunkirk were hit by weather conditions yesterday and overnight. Queues have been reported due to a shortage of ferries, with capacity already reduced after P&O services were suspended. A statement from DFDS Ferries said: “Customers are advised to travel

“There were times when I didn’t want to be here,” says a former drug user after her dealer took over her flat. Sarah effectively became a prisoner in her own home, too afraid to cook or even shower. Sky News has changed her name to protect her identity. Sarah used crack cocaine and heroin from

The first fines have been issued to people in government for breaking COVID rules at the height of lockdown. Officials are understood to have received fines thought to be in connection with an event in the Cabinet Office on 18 June 2020. The fines, worth £50, have been sent to individuals by email. The names

Household energy bills prices are likely to rise even higher this autumn as the war in Ukraine deepens the gas crisis, the boss of one of the UK’s largest energy companies has told Sky News. Greg Jackson, founder and chief executive of Octopus, which has more than two million direct customers, said volatility in wholesale

A man on trial for allegedly murdering his neighbour said his childhood teddy bear “told him to kill”, but an expert has said he is “sceptical” of his claim. Can Arslan, 52, fatally stabbed father-of-three Matthew Boorman 27 times on his front lawn last October, before forcing his way into the home of a second

Delays in the UK visa scheme for Ukrainian refugees are “disgusting” and “shambolic”, according to a volunteer who helps run a Facebook page matching refugees to hosts in the UK. Sarah Cocks, who spends her spare time finding homes in the North West for individuals and families fleeing the war in Ukraine, says the people

The mother of 17-month old Peter Connelly, known as Baby P, can be freed from jail, the Parole Board has decided. Tracey Connelly, 40, was jailed in 2009 over the death of her son who died after suffering more than 50 injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken back. The case sparked outrage as Baby

A major report into maternity failings at an NHS trust has found at least 210 deaths could have been avoided. At least 201 babies could have lived if their care had been better, including 131 who were stillborn and 70 who died soon after birth. Nine mothers also died avoidable deaths. In 94 cases babies

Free COVID tests will still be available to certain groups after universal testing ends on Friday – but it could still be rolled out again if a new variant of concern emerges, the government has announced. As the pandemic enters a new phase, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said COVID will start to be treated like

The Metropolitan Police is to issue 20 fines to people who attended lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street and Whitehall. But the force has not named the individuals facing the penalties or revealed which events they attended. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among 100 people who were sent formal legal questionnaires relating to the investigation –

A second P&O ferry, the Pride of Kent, is being detained after it failed safety checks by authorities amid the backlash over the company’s decision to replace 800 seafarers with lower-paid crew. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) made the revelation as a new crewmember aboard a P&O vessel told Sky News there was an

A man has been charged with murder after a mother was stabbed to death while her two children were at school. The victim of the attack on Thursday in Bethnal Green, east London, was 40-year-old Yasmin Begum, who lived in the area. Quyum Miah, 40, has been charged with murder, burglary and two counts of

A whistleblower who worked at a hospital trust where hundreds of babies died or were left brain-damaged says there was “a climate of fear” among staff who tried to report concerns. Bernie Bentick was a consultant obstetrician at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust for almost 30 years. This week, an independent inquiry will reveal

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a mother-of-two was stabbed to death while her children were at school. Police have released a picture of the victim of the attack in Bethnal Green, east London, who has been named as 40-year-old Yasmin Begum. Scotland Yard said a 40-year-old suspect was detained on

There must be no “appeasement” of Russia, the Ukrainian ambassador to London has said, adding that the UK’s help during the invasion will “never be forgotten”. Vadym Prystaiko was addressing people in Trafalgar Square following a march through central London. They chanted “we stand with Ukraine” and carried banners reading “stop Putin’s war” and “no

A P&O ferry has been detained in Larne, Northern Ireland, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The agency said the ship, the European Causeway, was held “due to failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training”. In a statement it said: “The vessel will remain under detention until all these issues are resolved

A 28-year-old man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years after he was found guilty of murdering his partner’s two-year-old son Kyrell Matthews. Kyrell was found in cardiac arrest at his home in London in October 2019, with 41 rib fractures from being “crushed or broken by blows” and a

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said the boss of P&O Ferries should quit for his “brazen, breathtaking arrogance” in admitting “breaking the law” in sacking staff. The cabinet minister also said he would change the law to force a U-turn and prevent the ferry operator paying below minimum wage to its crews. It comes after

Bodycam footage showing the moment an alleged killer was arrested following the stabbing of Sir David Amess has been shown to jurors. Alleged terrorist Ali Harbi Ali is standing trial accused of murdering the Southend West MP, who was killed as he held meetings with constituents in Essex on 15 October. The case continued on

The Duke of Cambridge has expressed his “profound sorrow” about the horrors of the slave trade, adding that “the appalling atrocity…forever stains our history”. Speaking in Jamaica, in what will be his only speech of a three-day visit to the fourth-largest Commonwealth realm, he stopped short of apologising, but said: “I want to express my