UK

Thousands of nurses in England will go on strike again next month in a dispute over pay. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced that nurses would strike on 18 and 19 January and said further dates would be confirmed in the new year. Pat Cullen, head of the union, said: “The government had the

Ambulance workers will stage two further strikes in January amid a dispute over pay and staffing. The Unison union says the industrial action will take place in England on 11 and 23 January. The strike action will involve staff employed by London, Yorkshire, North West, North East and South West ambulance services. It comes after

Two days of strikes by nurses and paramedics will have a knock-on effect on appointments with a return to “very high numbers” of emergency calls in the coming days, NHS Providers has warned. Historic strike action saw thousands of nurses picket on Tuesday and ambulance staff stage their biggest strike in 30 years yesterday. Saffron

The number of people phoning 999 appears to have dropped in parts of England as thousands of ambulance staff and paramedics strike until midnight. The West Midlands Ambulance Trust thanked people for heeding their advice to only call in an emergency as ambulance trusts reported receiving fewer calls. The drop in calls comes as health

A man has pleaded guilty to the murders of a “defenceless” pregnant woman and three young children who were found dead at a house in Derbyshire. Damien Bendall had previously denied murdering his then partner Terri Harris, her 11-year-old daughter Lacey Bennett, her 13-year-old son John Paul Bennett, and Lacey’s 11-year-old friend Connie Gent, but

Jeremy Clarkson’s column about the Duchess of Sussex has become the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s most complained about article ever. The regulator said the piece, which has since been removed from The Sun’s website at Clarkson‘s request, had received more than 17,500 complaints as of 9am on Tuesday. “We will follow our usual processes to

Ambulance and hospital trusts across the country have declared critical incidents as a result of “sustained” and “unprecedented” pressure on services. Declaring a critical incident allows trusts to prioritise the patients most in need and to instigate additional measures to protect patient safety, trusts said. It comes as nurses were striking for a second day

Thirty new patients have contacted Sky News following our investigation into the treatment of teenagers in mental health units run by a single provider. They include a 16-year-old boy whose mother told us her son’s self-harming increased. Rachel Vickers said of her son Tyson: “He looked like he’d been in a car crash”, and Tyson

A government plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful, the High Court has ruled. Lord Justice Lewis said the controversial policy, introduced under Boris Johnson, was “consistent with the refugee convention”. However, he said the home secretary should look at people’s “particular circumstances” before deporting them to the central African country. Politics live:

New legislation in memory of Manchester Arena bombing victim Martyn Hett will be introduced to ensure stronger protections against terrorism in public places, the government has said. Mr Hett, 29, was one of 22 people killed during the attack at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May, 2017. The new rules, which

A teenager has been charged with people-smuggling after four people died while attempting to cross the Channel. Ibrahima Bah, 19, of no fixed address, was arrested by police after the incident on Wednesday. Four people died and 39 were rescued when a migrant boat capsized in the Channel. A statement from Kent Police said: “The

A 52-year-old man has been charged with the murders of a mother and her two young children in Kettering, Northamptonshire, police have said. Officers arrested Saju Chelavalel after they were called to his address in Petherton Court on Thursday and found Anju Asok, 35, Jeeva Saju, six, and Janvi Saju, four, with serious injuries. Ms

Hospitals should free up beds by safely discharging patients in advance of “extensive disruption” caused by industrial action by ambulance crews, health chiefs have said. They warned of “a very challenging period” when ambulance crews in England and Wales are due to walk out for two days on 21 and 28 December in a dispute

An investigation has been launched into the deaths of two children after their bodies were found at a residential address in Dagenham, in east London. Emergency services were called at around 2pm on Friday to the property in Cornwallis Road, where the bodies of a two-year-old boy and a five-year-old boy were discovered. Metropolitan Police

Labour has comfortably held on to its seat in Stretford and Urmston, in its second by-election victory in two weeks.  Andrew Western, who is the leader of Trafford Council, retained the Greater Manchester constituency with a majority of nearly 10,000. He secured 69.65% of the votes, up 9.34% on the snap general election three years

Four boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in Solihull have been named by police. Brothers Samuel Butler, six, and Finlay Butler, eight; their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, 10, were identified by West Midlands Police. Three of the boys, Jack, Thomas and Finlay, died on Sunday after falling into Babbs

Thousands of people in Shetland are facing a fourth day without power as engineers battle to restore supplies amid the threat of further snowfall and freezing temperatures. Some 2,400 homes remain without power in Voe, Brae, Yell and the West Mainland – with engineers warning power may not be restored to some properties until the

NHS nurses are striking today in a dispute with the government over pay and patient safety. Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will take industrial action on 15 December and 20 December across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the first time in the union’s 106-year history. Strikes by ambulance staff and some

At least four people have died after a small migrant boat with up to 50 on board capsized in the English Channel off the coast of Kent, near Dungeness. A major search and rescue operation involving helicopters and lifeboats was launched at around 3am and is ongoing, with 43 people rescued alive – some from

Rishi Sunak has promised to bring in new laws to tackle illegal immigration, saying anyone who comes to the UK illegally will not be allowed to stay. Making a raft of announcements in the Commons, the prime minister said the legislation would be introduced early next year and mean people who do not come to