UK

Tens of millions of mobile phone users have received a message and loud alarm during the first nationwide test of the government’s new public alert system. The distinct sound and vibration was accompanied by a message telling people about the service, which is designed to warn if there is a life-threatening emergency nearby. Many people

Dominic Raab says he left office with his “head held high” after resigning over a report which found he had bullied staff. The former deputy PM believes he was forced out by civil servants who were opposed to Brexit and his attempts to reform human rights legislation. A report conducted by Adam Tolley KC upheld

Jacob Rees-Mogg has dismissed a report that found Dominic Raab had bullied staff as a “veritable blizzard of snowflakes”. Mr Raab, who had been a close ally of Mr Sunak, resigned as deputy prime minister and justice secretary on Friday after a report upheld two out of eight bullying complaints against him. The report from

The investigation into claims former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab bullied staff has led to a “complete breakdown” in trust between ministers and civil servants, a thinktank has said. Alex Thomas, programme director at the Institute for Government, said the inquiry has exposed “deep flaws” in the process for handling poor ministerial behaviour and that

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said he plans to “pursue legal action” over the Royal College of Nursing’s upcoming strike action. In a statement, Mr Barclay said: “Following a request from NHS Employers, I have regretfully provided notice of my intent to pursue legal action to ask the courts to declare the Royal College of

Dominic Raab’s fate is in the hands of Rishi Sunak after a long-awaited investigation into bullying claims by his deputy concluded. A report on the findings, which is understood to be “very lengthy”, was handed to Number 10 on Thursday morning, with the prime minister said to be “carefully considering” its conclusions. Senior lawyer Adam

Dogs and their owners lined the streets for the funeral procession of Paul O’Grady – TV star, LGBTQ campaigner and animal lover.   A private funeral for O’Grady, who died on 28 March, will follow the procession through the village of Aldington in Kent. Dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home will form a guard of

A Russian “spy” ship stopped at sites around wind farms off the Scottish coast in order to gather intelligence, an investigation has claimed. The Admiral Vladimirsky was part of an operation to map undersea infrastructure in the North Sea, according to a joint report by broadcasters in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. It is officially

SNP treasurer Colin Beattie is stepping down from his role after he was arrested on Tuesday. He said he will also step down from Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee while the police investigation into the party’s funding and finances takes place. Mr Beattie, who has been SNP treasurer for most of the past 19 years, was

The rate of inflation has eased slightly but still remains above 10%, according to official figures showing record costs for some essential foods. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the consumer prices index (CPI) measure slowed to 10.1% in March from 10.4% the previous month. Economists had largely expected a figure of 9.8%. The

SNP treasurer Colin Beattie has been arrested by police investigating the party’s funding and finances. In a statement, Police Scotland said: “A 71-year-old man has today, Tuesday, 18 April 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party. “The man is in

The UK’s unemployment rate ticked up to 3.8% in the three months to February, according to official figures that also highlighted a faster than expected spike in wage rises. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the jobless rate rose from 3.7% due to a surge in the number of people unemployed for more than

At least 195,000 procedures and hospital appointments in England had to be rescheduled due to the junior doctors strike last week – but the true figure is likely to be higher. Some 20,470 inpatient procedures were rescheduled, along with 175,755 outpatient appointments, making a total of 196,225. An average of 26,145 staff per day were

A disability campaigner has told police forces they should “do more” to combat a rise in hate crimes targeting people with disfigurements. It comes after “sobering” research shows 33% of people with visible differences or disfigurements said they had experienced a hate crime – compared with 28% in 2019. The Changing Faces survey also suggests

Escalating nurse strike action by withdrawing protection for emergency hospital care will endanger patient safety, a NHS leader has warned as the government said a “full and final” pay offer had been made to staff. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health trusts, also raised concerns over the possibility of nursing

The mother of Ava White, a 12-year-old girl who was stabbed to death, says new police powers to tackle adult knife crime should also be applied to younger offenders. When Ava was murdered in Liverpool city centre in 2021, it was a crime that stunned and appalled the nation. Her mother Leeann, now a knife

The Grand National got under way following a 12-minute delay after protesters were removed from the racecourse at Aintree. The race started at 5.27pm after around 15 demonstrators were reported to have been on the track, clinging to some of the 30 fences. Horses were taken away from the parade ring while racegoers were informed

An animal rights group says it will attempt to stop the Grand National from going ahead this afternoon. Animal Rising activists are planning to scale fences and storm the track – and it’s claimed up to 300 protesters will attend. Others will block traffic by performing a slow march along the main access route outside

Doctors who treated a British woman after she caught “break-bone fever” in the south of France have warned climate change could cause outbreaks as far north as the UK. The 44-year-old woman was infected with dengue, a mosquito-borne disease, while visiting family near Nice last September and developed a fever, muscle pain, headache and rash.

A teenager from Essex has been sentenced to at least six years in prison after admitting he was planning a terror attack on the police and military. Matthew King, 19, from Wickford, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on 18 May last year, and charged with the preparation of terrorist acts. King had told an