UK

Rising COVID-19 cases heading into winter “suggest this peak could be as serious as the last”, the UK’s former chief scientific adviser has warned. Sir David King was speaking to Sky News a day after 49,156 cases were reported – the highest since mid-July. Cases have been regularly over 40,000 in the last week –

Gracie Spinks, a 23-year-old Derbyshire woman who is thought to have been killed by a man she had reported for stalking, was let down by the police, according to her family. Speaking exclusively to Sky News ahead of what would have been Gracie’s 24th birthday, her parents said officers failed to recognise the danger their

Newsreader George Alagiah said he is “determined to come back” as his agent confirmed the presenter is dealing with a “further spread of cancer” and is to take a break from broadcasting. The TV journalist, 65, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2014 and again in December 2017. In 2020, he also contracted COVID-19

Instances of abuse reported to the police by politicians are not always followed up by forces, an MP has told Sky News, as he recalled having his car vandalised and office subject to an arson attack. Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, said there are “a lot more nasty people around than ever before”. Killing

Saturday in Southend is quiet, and lacking in the usual buzz of a seaside town on a weekend. Local MP, Sir David Amess, has been murdered and everyone is talking about it. People here seem to be seeking solace, or someone to share their grief, or better still someone to tell them this nightmare isn’t

Leading politicians and local figures are among those who have left moving tributes to Sir David Amess, following the death of the 69-year-old. Those paying their respects to the Southend West MP at the scene of his killing include Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle,

A soldier has died during a military training exercise in Wiltshire, the army has said. The soldier died on the Salisbury Plain Training Area, with local news website Wiltshire Today reporting that a tank had rolled over in the incident. An army spokesperson said: “It is with sadness that we can confirm the death of

Former US vice president Al Gore has said the Queen is right to feel “irritated” at climate change inaction and those who “talk but don’t do”. It comes after the 95-year-old monarch was overheard making the remarks after opening the Senedd in Cardiff, in a conversation with the Duchess of Cornwall and Elin Jones, the

COVID testing has been suspended at a private laboratory in Wolverhampton after an estimated 43,000 people were given incorrect results. An investigation was launched into reports of people receiving negative PCR test results after they had previously tested positive on a lateral flow device. NHS Test and Trace estimates that 400,000 coronavirus test samples were

Butchers and abattoir workers from overseas will be granted seasonal worker visas to deal with the backlog of pigs that need to be slaughtered, the government has announced. Agriculture Secretary George Eustice said about 800 pig butchers from overseas are needed to avoid a mass cull of up to 150,000 of the animals. He expects

Insulate Britain has announced it will “suspend its campaign of civil resistance” until 25 October, in an open letter written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The campaign group has been causing chaos by blocking major roads around London. Police have made multiple arrests during the demonstrations, with angry motorists often clashing with protesters. Several injunctions

One in five public sector key workers are “actively considering” quitting and changing jobs, according to the Trade Union Congress. A study conducted by the TUC revealed “serious disillusionment” among employees, with complaints about low pay, excessive workload and feeling undervalued. It found one in five people are thinking of leaving the public sector and

The NHS app and website experienced an outage on Wednesday afternoon, with users unable to access their digital COVID vaccine passes, NHS Digital said. An NHS COVID Pass shows proof of a coronavirus vaccination as well as test results. ‘Potent’ variant-beating antibody discovered – COVID latest There are currently issues with accessing the Covid Pass

Doctors believe the NHS is inadequately prepared for the winter months, a poll from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has found. The RCP is warning that one in three doctors believes the NHS is not ready for the challenges that lie ahead and medics also felt personally unprepared to deal with the upcoming pressures.

Two people have been injured after a rush hour London Overground train crashed through buffers at Enfield Town station. Images show the train seemingly within inches of striking a building, having come off the tracks at the busy north London station on Tuesday morning. The injuries reported are “minor” and the driver of the train

The family of a care worker who could have been saved following the Manchester Arena bombing has refused to accept an apology from the senior paramedic on the night of the attack. The family of John Atkinson, 28, from Bury, Greater Manchester, said “mistake after mistake was made, and precious time was allowed to ebb

The education secretary and health secretary have written to parents of secondary school and college students, urging them to ensure their children are testing regularly and also encouraging them to get vaccinated against coronavirus. The letter from Nadhim Zahawi and Sajid Javid comes after official estimates showed that around 270,000 secondary pupils had COVID-19 in

The Metropolitan Police are taking no further action after reviewing allegations connected to Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. The force had assessed a document released in August 2021 as part of Virginia Giuffre‘s US lawsuit against the Duke of York. Ms Guiffre is suing him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager

COVID-19 and flu are co-circulating this year for the first time and those who catch both are twice as likely to die, early evidence suggests. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), also warned that there could be multiple strains of flu ahead of an uncertain winter. Speaking to Trevor Phillips

The UK government has approved visas for a group of young female footballers from Afghanistan. The girls had fled to Pakistan after their country fell to the Taliban in August, and it was from there that they had told Sky News that they were desperate to find safety in the UK. At the time, they