UK

The Foreign Office has been accused of “washing its hands” of a British man detained in Saudi Arabia since February. Crispin Blunt MP told Sky News that the Foreign Office appeared to have a “regional policy of doing nothing to support the position of UK citizens” including his constituent Christopher Emms. Emms was arrested in

The Lionesses are celebrating after they thrashed Sweden 4-0 to book their place in the women’s Euro 2022 final. Sarina Wiegman’s side won their semi-final in impressive style at Sheffield United’s ground Bramall Lane and will now face either Germany or France who play on Wednesday in Milton Keynes. There was elation in London’s Trafalgar

Droughts have been declared across swathes of England as the result of the driest summer in 50 years. On Friday, the Environment Agency (EA) announced that drought trigger thresholds have been met in eight parts of England – across southwest, southern, eastern and central England. As part of their announcement, officials warned that during the

Liz Truss castigated Rishi Sunak’s “doom and gloom” approach to the economy during another Conservative leadership debate in which the candidates appeared willing to trash the party’s own record in government. The foreign secretary, who sat alongside the former chancellor in Boris Johnson’s cabinet for more than two years, suggested the government’s raising of taxes

Swathes of England may face drought as soon as August if the hot and dry weather persists, the Environment Agency has confirmed. A dry spring and early summer have already withered rivers and reservoirs and watered down water quality in many parts of England, pushing most of the country into “prolonged dry weather” status, the

“The greatest workforce crisis” in the history of the NHS is putting patients and staff at “serious risk”, MPs have said in a damning new report. The study says there is a shortage of 12,000 hospital doctors, and more than 50,000 nurses and midwives – and that the government has “no credible plan” for making

Fires in Surrey and London are largely under control, after crews were sent out to battle earlier “weather-related” blazes. In Surrey, a fire at Hankley Common near Farnham had drawn “several fire engines” to the area, and had earlier been described as a “major incident”. The fire service tweeted: “There is a great deal of

Holidaymakers have travelled overnight to reach the Kent coast as they enter a third day of traffic chaos, despite the Port of Dover “now flowing normally”. It took until the early hours to clear yesterday’s backlog at Dover, with the port tweeting at 2.15am that the temporary traffic management system had ended, freight vehicles could

A housing group said it is “devastated” and “sorry for our part” in failing to realise one of its tenants had been left dead in her flat for two and a half years. Sheila Seleoane, 58, was last heard from in August 2019, the last month she made a rent payment. When police forced their

Britain’s travel chaos could get even worse today, with further delays expected at the Port Of Dover as the UK and France continue to argue over who is to blame for the gridlock. Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “As the schools closed their doors fully yesterday, Saturday could prove busier

A mother and her boyfriend have been found guilty of murdering her 15-year-old son who died after a campaign of torture at his home in Huddersfield. Sebastian Kalinowski died of an infection caused by “untreated complications of multiple rib fractures” after weeks of “cruel assaults and abuse”, prosecutors said. Sebastian was beaten with a bed

Holidaymakers are stuck in long queues heading into the Port of Dover – with French immigration being blamed for causing a “critical incident”. The delays are currently “in excess of four hours”, P&O Ferries said, adding: “Please arrive prepared for a prolonged wait. Carry snacks and additional water with you.” One traveller said they were

Fuel price protests planned for Friday are set to unleash chaos on major roads as millions of families head off on their summer holidays. Protesters plan to cause delays with “slow-moving roadblocks” – when motorists drive really slowly – on parts of the M4, M5, M32 and A38, police warned. Fuel Price Stand Against Tax,

Government borrowing was £22.9bn last month, the second-highest June borrowing since monthly records began in 1993. The Office for National Statistics said that borrowing was £4.1bn more in June than the same month a year ago. Interest payments increased by £10.3bn compared to this time last year, reaching a total of £19.4bn in June alone.

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will go head-to-head to become the next leader of the Conservative Party – and prime minister of the UK – after Penny Mordaunt became the latest candidate to be knocked out of the contest. In the fifth and final round of voting by Tory MPs, the leadership contenders received the

Many parts of the UK are today counting the cost of the country’s hottest day on record, with homes and businesses claimed by wildfires as temperatures topped 40C. Flames ripped through homes as Britain was scorched by extreme heat and the country glimpsed what could be the new reality in the summer months. A ring

Firefighters tackling blazes which have ripped through homes and buildings in London have described the conditions as “absolute hell” on what is the UK’s hottest day on record. Residents were evacuated, people were taken to hospital and a major incident was declared by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) which was “under immense pressure” after a

The UK is braced for temperatures as high as 41C today with increased travel chaos – after night-time record temperatures of 26C were provisionally reported in parts of West Yorkshire and London. The Met Office has also provisionally reported last night was the warmest on record after temperatures didn’t fall below 25C (77F) in places.

Britons are bracing themselves for extreme disruption, as forecasters predict possible temperatures of more than 40C (104F) in parts of the country this week. Amid warnings that lives are at risk, a national emergency has been declared by the UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office has issued its first-ever red warning for extreme

Britons have been urged to stay inside as the UK braces for “ferocious” temperatures breaching 40C, and swathes of the country are now covered in the first ever red warning for extreme heat. A national emergency has been declared amid the threat of severe disruption as schools close, hospitals cancel appointments and events are scrapped.