UK

The King has poignantly chosen a former hospital chapel to deliver his annual Christmas broadcast. The message was recorded earlier this month by Sky News inside the Fitzrovia Chapel in central London. It is a tiny building, originally for staff and patients of the now-demolished Middlesex Hospital. At the end of a year of change

Four flights have been cancelled at Belfast City Airport this morning, along with a swathe of delays after a plane’s nose wheel collapsed during a hard landing in bad weather. Almost all flights set to depart before 10am are delayed from Belfast City Airport, with one 6.35am flight to London Heathrow now due to depart

Labour are on track for their worst end to the year in opinion polls since the Second World War. Sir Keir Starmer‘s party is now averaging just 26.6%, despite winning one of the largest-ever majorities five months ago. Analysis of nearly 1,000 polls across 75 years found Labour are now 1% behind their previous end-of-year

Oleksandr Usyk has beaten Tyson Fury in their rematch in Saudi Arabia. Ukrainian Usyk, 37, who had entered the bout as a narrow favourite, retained his WBO, WBC and WBA heavyweight titles with his win at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena. British fighter Fury, 36, had hoped to take revenge after his previous defeat to Usyk in

Pensioners have until the end of Saturday to apply for benefits which could unlock access to the winter fuel payment, or risk missing out on up to £300. It has been switched to a means-tested benefit including for those on pension credit, but official estimates suggest there are 760,000 households who do not claim pension

The Prince and Princess of Wales are set to work with a local charity to launch a mental health programme to support those living on the Sandringham Estate and in the surrounding areas. The royals are partly funding the new pilot programme with Norfolk and Waveney Mind. It will provide additional mental health support for

The co-manager for Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign has called Lord Peter Mandelson an “absolute moron” – as the peer was officially announced as the next UK ambassador to the US. The Labour grandee, who served in Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s cabinets, will become the UK’s top diplomat in Washington as president-elect Donald

The King’s cancer treatment will continue into the New Year, Sky News understands. Palace sources have said “his treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year”. The source added there is a sense of optimism, which can be seen in the King’s

Four teenagers who murdered two boys in Bristol in a case of mistaken identity have been detained for life. Riley Tolliver, 18, a 16-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy, and getaway driver Antony Snook, 45, were convicted of the murders of Mason Rist, 15, and 16-year-old Max Dixon in November. A 15-year-old boy was also found

Almost 60,000 homes across Hampshire are without water because of a “technical issue” at a Southern Water supply works, the company has said. Homes in Southampton, Romsey, Eastleigh, Totton, and parts of the New Forest have been affected by problems at the Testwood water supply works preventing water from leaving the site. Southern Water apologised

Not guilty pleas have been entered on behalf of Southport stabbings suspect Axel Rudakubana after he refused to speak in court. The 18-year-old appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today by video-link from Belmarsh prison, wearing a grey tracksuit. He didn’t answer when asked to confirm his name and sat fiddling with his hands as a

Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother have been handed life sentences for murdering the 10-year-old after she suffered years of abuse. Warning this story contains distressing details. Urfan Sharif, 42, will serve at least 40 years in prison and Beinash Batool, 30, a minimum of 33 years. Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was also sentenced to

The government and the water regulator broke the law by allowing sewage to be discharged outside of “exceptional circumstances”, according to the green watchdog. Outlets called combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are only meant to be opened on rare occasions, such as during very heavy rain to stop sewage flooding back into homes and businesses. But

The alleged Chinese spy with links to Prince Andrew has said he did “nothing wrong or unlawful” – as he was named publicly for the first time. In a statement, Yang Tengbo added that the “widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue”. It comes after the High Court lifted restrictions on naming

Children in some parts of England are spending more than five and a half years in temporary accommodation, a Sky News investigation has found. Data from Freedom of Information requests shows London and the South East are the regions seeing the longest stays for homeless households. More than two-thirds of local authorities saw households with

“Removing the right to trial by jury” and “intermediate courts” may be the only way to clear the crown court backlog in England and Wales, the chief inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has said. Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Anthony Rogers says “radical action” is needed urgently. “The number of cases waiting to

A murder investigation is under way after a woman was killed and two men injured in a triple shooting in northwest London. Metropolitan Police officers were called to reports of a shooting at around 9.15pm on Saturday in Gifford Road in Harlesden. The woman, believed to be in her 40s, was found injured but despite

Eight people are injured in Glasgow after a double decker bus hit a railway bridge. One person is in a critical condition, according to the police, and five people were taken by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for treatment. Footage posted online shows a First Bus wedged under the bridge on Cook Street on

Government departments are doing “anything to avoid” sharing information about Prince Andrew’s past business dealings. The claim comes from author Andrew Lownie who’s been working for four years on a new book about the Duke of York. He has submitted over a hundred requests to Whitehall departments only to find that information “has vanished”. Speaking

Prince Andrew says he “ceased all contact” with a businessman accused of being a Chinese spy after concerns were raised with him by the government. In a statement from his office, the Duke of York said he had cut ties following “advice” from officials but insisted the pair had never discussed anything of a “sensitive