UK

More British people than ever before are being trapped in modern slavery, according to the latest available Home Office figures.   A quarter of all referrals to the UK’s national modern slavery safeguarding scheme were related to British nationals. Albanian and Vietnamese nationals were the second and third most referred, respectively. But despite some police

The body of a woman has been recovered from the River Dee near to where two missing sisters disappeared in Aberdeen. Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both aged 32, were last spotted on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday 7 January. The women were seen crossing the bridge

The furore surrounding Michael Matheson’s near £11,000 iPad data roaming bill was “completely blown out of all proportion”, according to the shamed MSP. The SNP politician stepped down as Scotland’s health secretary last year after questions were raised over the eye-watering invoice. The Falkirk West MSP had initially billed taxpayers before U-turning, claiming the device

The Bishop of Liverpool has announced his retirement days after facing allegations of misconduct from two women, including another bishop. One woman said the Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath kissed her without consent and groped her, while the second accused him of sexual harassment. The bishop has vehemently denied the allegations – and in his

The average annual water bill will rise by £26% or £123 in the next financial year alone, according to industry figures covering England and Wales. Water UK confirmed how inflation-busting hikes, determined by the regulator Ofwat in December, would play out from 1 April when a new five-year pricing period begins. The watchdog allowed bills

Lloyds Banking Group is to close a further 136 branches. Britain’s biggest mortgage lender said It will shut 61 Lloyds, 61 Halifax and 14 Bank of Scotland sites between May this year and March 2026. All workers affected by the closures would be offered alternative roles, the group said. A list of the affected branches

Prisoners are being sent back to jail by the probation service because it’s the “easiest thing to do”, rather than solely for public protection, the chief inspector of probation has told Sky News. Martin Jones cited caseload “pressure” in the service meaning officers are recalling people to jail to get them out of their “worry

Rachel Reeves will unveil Labour’s plans to grow the UK economy on Wednesday, warning it “will not come without a fight”. The chancellor is expected to announce a raft of measures including developing Oxford and Cambridge – which she says has the “potential to be Europe’s Silicon Valley” – building nine new reservoirs and the

Victims and relatives will take centre stage as the inquiry into the worst atrocity of the Troubles gets underway today. For the next four weeks, commemorative and personal statements about the 29 people killed in the 1998 Omagh bombing will be heard at the Strule Arts Centre in the County Tyrone town, in what victims’

The King delivered a speech to Holocaust survivors on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and said “remembering the evils of the past remains vital”. “It is a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long for the world,” he

Angela Carson struggles to pull the damp laundry out of her washing machine. Her hands are so weak she can barely stop them from shaking. The 65-year-old places the wet clothes onto her lap and slowly moves herself in a wheelchair through the small kitchen to another room, so they can dry. Angela suffers from

A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a female police officer was hit by a vehicle driven “at speed” towards her.  She was seriously injured in the incident at a retail park in Cheadle on Saturday night. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the “truly shocking” incident happened in a car park on

Storm Eowyn was “probably the strongest” to hit the UK in at least a decade, according to the Met Office – and in some areas was the most intense in “20 or 30 years”. But don’t expect settled weather because Storm Eowyn has gone, Sky News meteorologist Dr Chris England warned. “The Spanish named Storm

Anti-Muslim graffiti has been found daubed on seven London buildings this month, including mosques, community centres and a primary school. The Metropolitan Police said it is investigating “several incidents of criminal damage” and is treating them as “shocking” hate crimes. They took place between Monday 6 January and Thursday 23 January and the force is

The deaths of five people, including Leicester City’s owner, in a helicopter crash were accidental, an inquest jury has ruled. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, referred to in court as Khun Vichai, died in the crash along with two of his staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer, and Mr Swaffer’s girlfriend Izabela Roza Lechowicz, a

A woman whose four young boys died in a house fire after she went to a supermarket has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Deveca Rose, 30, was found guilty of the manslaughter of her twins, Leyton and Logan Hoath, aged three, and Kyson and Bryson Hoath, aged four, in October last year. Jurors

Storm Eowyn brought widespread closures in Ireland and parts of the UK on Friday as flights, rail services and hospitals were all disrupted. But Saturday is set to see more disarray in the wake of the battering communities took. Here’s what we know: Police Scotland asked people to “continue to avoid” travelling in the dangerous

Police have launched a murder investigation after the death of a woman in Plymouth. Devon and Cornwall police said officers were called to the West Hoe area of the city at 8.55pm on Wednesday after the woman in her 40s was found seriously injured in the street. She was taken to hospital, but was pronounced

A rare red alert for “very strong” wind has been issued for parts of the UK ahead of Storm Eowyn. The alert, which covers all of Northern Ireland from 7am on Friday until 2pm, and parts of Scotland from 10am to 5pm, warns of “very dangerous conditions” and “widespread disruption”. Tornados could also hit parts

A Russian “spy” ship has been monitored by the Royal Navy after it entered UK waters earlier this week, the defence secretary has said – as he issued a warning to President Vladimir Putin. The vessel, called Yantar, has been used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure, John Healey told MPs.