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

Labour MP Diane Abbott has apologised for remarks in which she suggested Jewish people do not face racism but instead face prejudice similar to “redheads”. In a letter to the Observer in response to an article which had the headline “Racism in Britain is not a black and white issue. It’s far more complicated,” Ms

The UK will evacuate British diplomats from Sudan as soon as possible but other British nationals are being advised to stay put, despite deadly fighting in the capital, it is understood. UK troops and military aircraft have been moved to an overseas base to prepare for what would be a high-risk rescue mission into an

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 has resigned after allegations he bullied staff members while working as a cabinet minister across different departments. In a letter posted on Twitter, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary revealed a report into his behaviour upheld two claims against him. But he took issue with the findings, calling them “flawed” and claiming

A long-awaited report into bullying allegations against Dominic Raab has been handed to Number 10 – with the prime minister “carefully considering” its findings. Mr Raab, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, has been subject to an independent investigation by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC since November last year. Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said the

Just Stop Oil activists have refused to rule out targeting Sunday’s London Marathon, following their disruption of the World Snooker Championships earlier this week. Some 50,000 demonstrators are expected to gather around Westminster from today until Monday to demand an end to fossil fuels, according to Extinction Rebellion, which is organising the event. It is

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

Thousands of street parties are expected to be held today, with people coming together across the UK for the Coronation Big Lunch. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will attend a Big Lunch in Cranleigh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence will attend a community street party in Swindon, and Princess Beatrice

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

Hundreds of thousands of people could be denied their right to vote unless new compulsory voter ID rules are delayed, a former Conservative cabinet minister has warned. Raising the alarm about the impact of forcing voters to produce ID in England for the first time at May’s local elections, Tory grandee David Davis urged the

A nationwide emergency alert will set people’s phones off for 10 seconds at 3pm on Sunday 23 April. Domestic violence charities are concerned the alert could let abusers discover secret phones survivors are keeping hidden. Survivors may have a secondary phone as some abusers confiscate or control their primary mode of contact. These secondary phones

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

The UK must end its “anti-maths mindset” so the economy can grow, Rishi Sunak will say today. The prime minister will also announce a review into how the subject can be taught to make sure all pupils in England study some sort of maths, without the need to make it compulsory. Back in January, Mr

The father and husband of three British-Israelis murdered in the West Bank this month has told Sky News that he is immensely proud of his wife and daughters, and called on the international community to come together to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians.  In an exclusive interview at the family home in the Israeli

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

“All options are on the table” regarding possible coordinated strikes by junior doctors and nurses, a union representative has warned. Dr Arjan Singh, chair of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) junior doctors committee, refused to rule out the possibility of coordinating industrial action with Royal College of Nursing (RCN), saying: “We have a very close

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.