UK

Lee Anderson has refused to apologise for saying asylum seekers who don’t want to be housed on barges should “f*** off back to France”. But the Conservative deputy chairman also said there was “no doubt” the government had failed to tackle illegal immigration. Tory MP Mr Anderson made the remark about asylum seekers after it

The government will fail to meet its asylum backlog target without a drastic increase in the processing of applications, a Sky News analysis has found. At present, there are more than 136,000 asylum applications waiting for an initial decision, including 62,000 that were made before 28 June 2022 – the so-called “legacy backlog”. In December

Consumers spent less in shops as wet weather dampened demand for typical seasonal goods in July, latest figures show. Total UK retail sales increased 1.5%, according to the retail sales monitor from retail representative British Retail Consortium (BRC) and big four accountancy firm KPMG. But at the same time official figures showed the rate of

Football fans could be banned from games if they mock tragedies such as the Hillsborough disaster, the Munich air crash or the Bradford City fire. Updated Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance is seeking to tackle tragedy-related abuse, which is when fans chant or gesture offensive messages about disasters or accidents involving players or fans. The

England have finished runners-up to Australia in the Netball World Cup after reaching the final for the first time ever. The Roses trailed the 12-time champions at half-time on Sunday and despite a spirited effort in the second half were unable to triumph in the final in Cape Town, which finished 61-45. Coming into the

The police watchdog has launched an investigation into a woman’s claim she was drugged and sexually assaulted while in police custody. Zayna Iman told Sky News the incident took place while she was held by officers from Greater Manchester Police. CCTV footage shows the 38-year-old being carried into a police cell unconscious and with her

Police in a remote Welsh town are on the hunt for a thief who stole 14 beehives. Witnesses have been urged to come forward after the hives disappeared from Blackwood Lane near Llangollen, North Wales, over the weekend. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:44 Officers investigate ‘unusual’ crime In a

A police dog has been shot and killed after it turned on its handler and attacked her. Lancashire Police teams were searching for a missing person in Walton-le-Dale when PD Jax became aggressive, biting the handler and causing serious injuries. Further patrols, including armed officers, attended the scene and attempted to restrain the dog, a

GPs in England are to be given greater powers to fast-track testing in a bid to help diagnose and treat patients with heart and breathing problems more quickly.  Under the plans, doctors will be able to directly order diagnostic checks for some conditions without needing to go via a consultant. Patients with symptoms of asthma,

Artificial intelligence (AI) can “safely” read breast cancer screening images, a preliminary study suggests. Researchers found computer-aided detection could spot cancer in mammograms – X-ray pictures of the breast – at a “similar rate” to two radiologists. The NHS is already looking at how it can implement such technology in its breast screening programme. However,

The number of children and young people starting treatment for eating disorders has more than doubled – as patients with life-threatening conditions face “worrying” delays for care, analysis has shown. Around 11,800 children and young people under 18 began treatment in 2022-23 – up from 5,240 in 2016-17, a study by the Children’s Commissioner for

Rishi Sunak will head to Scotland on Monday as the Conservatives kick off a week of campaigning on energy security. Number 10 said the prime minister would use the trip to “highlight the central role” the country will play in “defending the UK against disrupted global energy supplies” and reaching the government’s net zero targets.

A major search is under way after a person was swept into the water from rocks in Anglesey. The operation is taking place at Trearddur Bay in North Wales after a ‘serious police incident’ was reported at Ravens Point on Saturday. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed the search was continuing as of Sunday morning.

The COVID pandemic is long gone, but we are still being stalked by the virus. Boots reports that sales of COVID tests have jumped by more than a third this month as people suffer more coughs, sore throats and headaches. And users of the ZOE health app are also reporting more COVID symptoms. Data for

The body of a firefighter who disappeared more than a month ago as he attempted to swim the English Channel for charity has been found. Iain Hughes, crew manager at Wednesbury fire station, West Midlands, set off from the Kent coast on the morning of 20 June accompanied by a support boat but went missing

Craig sits on the edge of his chair, his hands shaking as he looks blankly at the church wall. He’s fighting a withdrawal from crack and alcohol that rattles through his body. His eyes are empty, but you can sense the turmoil he’s fighting. Some 20 years of addiction has left him teetering on the

Police forces in England and Wales have laid out plans to drastically reduce the number of mental health callouts they respond to. Under a new framework, known as the National Partnership Agreement, some forces will only attend 20-30% of what was referred to as health and social care incidents within the next two years, down

Apple is being sued for £1bn (£785m) by UK app developers over its App Store fees. Professor Sean Ennis from the University of East Anglia Centre for Competition Policy is bring the class action lawsuit on behalf of 1,566 app creators because of the tech giant’s “excessive” charges. Some app makers are charged 15% to

BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died at the age of 67, his agent has said. The Sri Lanka-born journalist – the face of BBC One’s News At Six since 2007 – was diagnosed in 2014 with stage four bowel cancer, which had spread to his liver and lymph nodes. He endured two rounds of chemotherapy

Sea evacuations have begun from a beach in Corfu to transport individuals fleeing wildfires on the Greek island – as scores of Britons await repatriation flights out of Rhodes. Around 59 people have been evacuated from Nissaki beach on the northwest coast, the Greek Coast Guard has said. The evacuation involved six coast guard vessels