UK

The Chinese state has hacked the Ministry of Defence, Sky News understands. MPs will be told on Tuesday of a massive data breach involving the MoD, targeting service personnel. It is understood investigations have not shown any data has been taken. The government will not name the country involved, but Sky News understands this to

John Swinney has won the SNP leadership contest and is set to be named as Scotland’s new first minister, replacing Humza Yousaf. Mr Swinney could become Scotland’s seventh first minister as early as Tuesday. He is expected to give a speech later on Monday. The former deputy first minister, who served under close ally Nicola

Actor Bernard Hill, who played roles in Lord Of The Rings and Titanic, has died aged 79, his agent has confirmed. Hill also featured as Yosser Hughes in the iconic drama series Boys In The Blackstuff. Hill was given a number of awards for his role as King Theoden in the Lord of the Rings

A child has died in a house fire in Bradford. A woman and three other children managed to escape the property and are being treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. In a statement, West Yorkshire Police said: “At 1.08 this morning (5 May) Police were called by the fire service to reports of a serious

Tory incumbent Andy Street has suffered a shock defeat to Labour in the West Midlands mayoral election after a partial recount was ordered. Labour’s candidate, Richard Parker, beat Mr Street by just 1,508 votes – 0.25% – to deliver a major blow to Rishi Sunak in the key electoral battleground after a hammering in the

The Conservative Party has suffered its worst electoral defeat in years, losing more than half of its councillors who stood for re-election across England. Labour hailed a “truly historic” result in Rishi Sunak’s own backyard of York and North Yorkshire, where David Skaith smashed Tory Keane Duncan by almost 15,000 votes. The region, which was

After counting more than two million votes cast in the English council elections, a provisional National Share Estimate shows the Conservatives on just 26% of the vote, a 19-point drop compared with the 2019 general election and one of its worst ever performances in any set of local elections. Labour‘s vote rises from 33% in

The Conservatives are on track for their worst local election results ever – as counting continues. In a strong night for Labour, the party has taken control of a string of Leave-voting councils and won the Blackpool South by-election. It’s a bleaker outlook for the Tories, who in some areas have been pushed into third

Vote counting is under way after polls closed in local elections taking place across England and Wales. More than 2,600 council seats across 107 councils are up for grabs in England, alongside 11 mayoral elections, a parliamentary seat and police and crime commissioners throughout England and Wales. Polls opened at 7am and closed at 10pm.

After a night of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, the UK could see its warmest day of the year so far, the Met Office has said. Following on the back of two severe storm warnings covering parts of southern England and Wales, Thursday could reach 24C – the warmest day of 2024 so far. Thunderstorms hit

A man has been charged with murder after 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin was killed and four people were injured near a London Tube station. Two Metropolitan Police officers were among those hurt as they responded to reports of an attacker with a sword in Hainault, northeast London, on Tuesday. The man charged has been named as

The 14-year-old boy killed in a sword attack in London yesterday was a pupil at the same school attended by Nottingham stabbing victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Sky News understands. The schoolboy killed in Hainault, northeast London, on Tuesday was a student at private school Bancroft’s in Woodford Green. Grace O’Malley-Kumar – who was killed in the

Dramatic footage shows the moment police tasered and arrested a 36-year-old man after a stabbing attack in northeast London. A 14-year-old boy was killed and four people, including two police officers, were left injured after a man went on a rampage in Hainault. Police were called to reports that a man was wielding a sword

A critical incident has been declared near a tube station in northeast London after reports a man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers. The man, alleged to have been carrying a sword, crashed a vehicle into a house in Thurlow Gardens, before reportedly stabbing a number of people, police said.

The next leader of the SNP could be “crowned… with no contest”, the Scottish Conservatives have claimed, after Humza Yousaf stepped down from the role on Monday. Mr Yousaf – who has been leader and first minister of Scotland for just over a year – announced his resignation after his decision last week to cut

Humza Yousaf is considering resigning as Scotland’s first minister as early as today, Sky News understands.  A senior source has said the embattled SNP leader could “call it quits” later ahead of a key vote of no confidence later this week. Mr Yousaf is facing two no confidence votes at Holyrood in the coming days

More human remains have been found in two locations as part of an investigation that started when a man’s torso was discovered in Salford. Police believe the torso belongs to a man in his 60s and have informed his family about his death, but have not yet identified him publicly. In a news conference today,

Rishi Sunak has failed to rule out holding a general election in July, as speculation remains rife over the timing of the national vote. The prime minister has repeatedly said his “working assumption” is the election would take place in the second half of this year – with the law stating January 2025 is the

Migrants travelling to Ireland after arriving in the UK on small boats is a sign the Rwanda scheme is already working as a deterrent, Rishi Sunak has said.  Sky News’s Trevor Phillips asked the prime minister if migrants finding their way to Ireland was a sign the UK was “exporting the problem”. Ireland’s deputy prime

A Jewish campaign group has cancelled today’s Walk Together demonstration amid safety concerns, as the Met Police says the risk of disorder from a pro-Palestinian march is not high enough to seek a ban. Thousands had been expected to attend the event in central London as part of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) event, which