UK

A plan to hike National Insurance contributions will raise “enough money” to pay for reforms to the care sector in England and is “a very Conservative thing to do”, Sajid Javid has said. The health secretary told Kay Burley that while “I don’t like raising taxes”, without these changes, NHS waiting lists would have reached

People in the north of England were more likely to die from COVID-19, spent longer in lockdown, and were made poorer than the rest of the country, a new report states. The Northern Health Science Alliance – which includes universities and NHS Trusts – commissioned the study to establish the impact of the pandemic on

National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25% to pay for the social care system in England in a bid to end the “unpredictable and catastrophic costs” faced by many. A social care package, which the prime minister has called “the biggest catch-up programme” in the NHS’s history, will be funded through a new, UK-wide 1.25%

Teachers lack the resources needed to “stamp out [the] root causes” of extremist views among children in classrooms in England, a study suggests. Staff say they are concerned about the increase in pupils looking at hateful content online and developing dangerous ideas linked to racism, homophobia and conspiracy theories. Extremism is being allowed to flourish

Some children as young as 12 should be allowed to overrule their parents on whether they have the COVID vaccine, a senior doctor has said. Dr David Strain, a clinical lead for COVID services, told Sky News he believed there were 12-year-olds “mature enough” to decide to have the coronavirus jab without the consent of

Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding has died aged 39, her mother has said. The singer had announced she was diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer in August 2020, saying the disease had spread to other parts of her body. On Instagram, her mother Marie wrote: “It is with deep heartbreak that today I’m sharing the news

One of Prince Charles’s closest aides has stepped down from his role following claims he offered to help secure an honour for a rich Saudi donor. Michael Fawcett, a former assistant valet to the prince, has temporarily left his job as chief executive of The Prince’s Foundation, the charity confirmed on Saturday. The Sunday Times

Flying at the Bournemouth Air Festival has been suspended after a light aircraft crashed into Poole Harbour. Police said in a statement: “We received a report at 3.50pm on Saturday 4 September 2021 that a small aircraft had crashed into the water in the Sandbanks area of Poole Harbour. “Emergency services are at the scene.

Two divers are missing and presumed dead after they were reported to be trapped on a wreck off the coast of Cornwall. HM Coastguard confirmed that the rescue phase of their search is over and it has now become a recovery operation. The two divers were exploring HMS Scylla, a popular diving destination near Whitsand

Almost three quarters of people under 50 who needed hospital treatment for the COVID Delta variant last week in England were unvaccinated, figures have revealed. Data released by Public Health England showed 9,472 people were admitted to hospital with the highly transmissible coronavirus variant in the seven days up to 29 August. Of this number, 5,098

Freed double child killer Colin Pitchfork will be subject to the most strict licence conditions ever imposed, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has told Sky News. The cabinet minister moved to reassure the public after his efforts to keep the murderer behind bars for longer failed. He also highlighted a far-reaching review being carried out into

Racist chants were directed at England players during their 4-0 win over Hungary. Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett said he heard “sporadic monkey chants from various areas of the crowd” at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. They were “primarily towards Raheem Sterling when he touched the ball”, Dorsett added. “I have seen four separate

The education secretary has insisted children must return to a “normal pre-pandemic” experience in schools, despite the risk of an increase in COVID cases. Gavin Williamson said testing would be key to guarding against rising infection rates, but refused to outline what the government’s “contingency plan” for other potential measures might involve. Experts are predicting

The UK has recorded 207 more coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, government data shows. It is the highest figure since 9 March when 231 deaths were reported. There have also been another 35,693 COVID cases recorded. The figures compare with 32,181 infections and 50 fatalities reported on Tuesday and 35,847 cases and 149

Students go back to school in England and Wales this week amid concerns over a lack of preparedness for COVID-19. Representatives of headteachers and other school leaders have criticised the government for what they call a “hit and hope” strategy for pupils returning. Many of the precautions present during the last academic year – including

Fereba Hafizi couldn’t sleep last night, she was so excited to see her 79-year-old mother, Layloma, again. Fereba ran towards her mother as Layloma waited outside the hotel where she’s been quarantining for 10 days since returning from Kabul. As they embraced, both women sobbed and kissed each other’s faces. Then, Layloma fainted. Afghanistan latest

A policeman’s widow is increasing her pressure on politicians to make killing an emergency worker punishable with a mandatory life sentence, a  year after launching her campaign. Lissie Harper was left bereaved when her husband, PC Andrew Harper, was caught in strapping attached to a car in August 2019 and dragged behind the vehicle. It

The former Royal Marine who founded an animal shelter in Afghanistan has apologised for the “incredibly embarrassing” language he used in a voicemail to a government aide as he tried to leave the country. Paul “Pen” Farthing arrived at London Heathrow on a privately-funded charter flight from Kabul at around 7.30am on Sunday – with

A woman found dead at a property in Kettering, Northamptonshire, has been named as Maddie Durdant-Hollamby. Northamptonshire Police said the 22-year-old’s death is being treated as murder. The body of a man was also found in the property, and police have said they are not looking for anyone further in connection with their inquiries. Senior

The human cost of Britain’s withdrawal from Afghanistan will be felt by those who were eligible to return to the UK but did not make it on to flights out of Kabul.  It is unclear exactly how many eligible people remain, but among them are the family of a man called Mohammad, whose name has