UK

“I smell a virgin…” Katie Hopkins said, looking straight at me. “I smell lefty, pressy scum!” The far-right commentator was addressing an audience of 500 people in a soggy tent in a rural corner of North West England. I was standing at the back but that didn’t stop her singling me out. The crowd theatrically

The British ambassador to Mexico is no longer in post after a video emerged online of him apparently pointing an assault rifle at an embassy employee. The video, shared on X, shows Jon Benjamin pointing the firearm at a person whose face has been blurred out. “In a context of daily killings in Mexico by

A woman who, along with her partner, lay undiscovered in a crashed car for days probably would have survived, but for “organisational failure” in police call handling procedures, an inquiry has found. Lamara Bell, 25, and John Yuill, 28, died after their car careered off the M9 near Stirling on 5 July 2015 as they

Sir Keir Starmer is celebrating the third defection by a Tory to Labour in just over a month. Mark Logan, who was elected Conservative MP for Bolton North East in 2019, has told Sky News he is quitting the Tories and is urging people to vote Labour in the general election on 4 July. In

A girl is in a critical condition after being shot by an attacker on a motorbike while having dinner with her family. The nine-year-old was one of four people injured at about 9.20pm on Wednesday at a restaurant in Hackney, east London. Police said the girl was “fighting for her life”, while three men who

A child is among four people shot near a restaurant in east London. Police have said the child is in a serious condition and are waiting for updates on the health of three adults also injured in the incident in Hackney. All four were taken to hospital with gunshot injuries. Officers were called to the

A 20-year-old man from London has been charged with murder after a woman was stabbed to death on a beach in Bournemouth. Amie Gray, a 34-year-old personal trainer from Poole in Dorset, was killed on Durley Chine Beach on Friday 24 May. Police were called to a report that two people had been stabbed at

The Labour Party has extended its lead over the Conservatives, according to the first exclusive YouGov poll of the campaign for Sky News. One week into the race for Number 10, Labour is 27 points ahead of the Tories – erasing a small drop in the lead recorded at the end of last week. The

A 20-year-old man from London has been arrested over the murder of a woman on a Bournemouth beach. Amie Gray, 34, was stabbed to death on Friday night. Another woman, 38, and also from Poole, suffered serious injuries and is still being treated in hospital. This breaking news story is being updated and more details

Rishi Sunak has argued national service will “keep kids out of trouble” – and lots of parents are “worried” about what their children get up to at the weekend. The plan, which has faced criticism from some Tory ministers, would see 18-year-olds given the choice of a full-time military placement for 12 months, or a

If the Conservatives win the general election, teenagers will be expected to take part in national service when they turn 18.  Exactly how the scheme would work has not yet been hammered out. The Tories have said they would set up a royal commission – a type of public inquiry – to come up with

Thunderstorms will strike across large parts of Scotland today – with a warning that flooding could cause “danger to life”. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather alert – stretching from the Scottish Borders up to Edinburgh, Fife, Perthshire, Tayside, Aberdeenshire, Moray and parts of the Highlands. The warning came into force at 11am

The prime minister appears to have had a belated epiphany about the critical importance of defence – and now even National Service. It was just four months ago that Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson slapped down the outgoing head of the army for advocating the need for civilians to be trained to fight given the dangers of

The UK will “compel” young people to partake in National Service if the Conservatives win the general election, after seeing “enthusiasm” from other countries with similar schemes, the home secretary has said. Speaking to Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, James Cleverly supported Rishi Sunak’s plan to introduce a new form of mandatory National

Music star Nicki Minaj has been arrested at an airport in the Netherlands hours before she was due to perform at Co-op Live in Manchester. The American rapper was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possession of soft drugs. She posted a series of messages on the social media site X – including

A bereaved mother who has “absolutely no idea” why her son took his own life aged 14 is fighting social media companies to hand over his search history. Jools Sweeney was found dead in April 2022. A coroner was unable to rule his death was a suicide as they were unable to prove he was

It’s taken less than 10 minutes to find someone willing to sell me abortion pills. Dr Jane* tells me she is based in Dubai but assures me the medication will arrive in the UK in a matter of days. How pregnant you are doesn’t matter – she provides pills as late as eight months. *Warning:

A driver who shouted and swore at a lone female motorist has avoided being sent to prison – but has been ordered to complete an anger management course as part of his sentence. Peter Abbott, 60, was convicted of using threatening abusive or insulting words or behaviour against Samantha Isaacs during the incident outside a

A father whose British-born baby is being threatened with removal from the UK is urging the Home Office to be flexible with how it enforces rules on visas. Massah, who is 13 months old, was born in the Midlands in April last year. Both her parents have been living legally in Britain since 2021 when

Sir Keir Starmer has said the “opportunity for change” will define the general election on 4 July. The Labour leader said Rishi Sunak’s announcement was the “moment the country needs and has been waiting for”. Speaking in central London, Sir Keir reiterated the six “first steps” for government he outlined last week and added: “It