UK

The UK will send 20,000 troops to one of NATO’s biggest military drills since the Cold War as the alliance practices repelling an invasion by Russian forces, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to announce today. Army, navy and RAF personnel will be deployed to the 31-nation Steadfast Defender exercise in a bid to provide

Britain could strike Houthi targets in Yemen again if the rebel group continues to attack ships in the Red Sea, the foreign secretary has suggested. Lord Cameron warned the Iran-linked fighters could force up prices in Britain if they are allowed to block the passage of container ships in the busy trade route. The US

A woman who spent more than three decades working for the Post Office is planning to stand against Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey – a former postal affairs minister – at the next general election. Yvonne Tracey, who said ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office had made her “very sad” and “very

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has said he cannot remember receiving a detailed briefing about the Horizon scandal while he was prime minister – but says he is sorry for an “appalling miscarriage of justice”. The apology by the former Tory leader and MP comes amid continuing fallout from the Post Office debacle that led to

The Post Office could be facing a £100m bill and insolvency after claiming tax relief for its compensation payments to sub-postmasters, a tax expert has claimed. Dan Neidle, the head of non-profit organisation Tax Policy Associates, said the Post Office claimed £934m tax relief for its compensation payments, and suggested it could be “unlawful”. The

Lord David Cameron has not ruled out the possibility of further strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, arguing the UK must do “what is necessary” to protect its ships. Speaking to NBC, Sky News’s sister outlet in the United States, the foreign secretary said “warnings” issued to the rebels – who had been attacking UK

Rishi Sunak is due to hold a full cabinet call this evening which is thought to be about UK and US military strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The meeting is due to start at 7.45pm tonight. Attacks by Houthi fighters – both on Israel and on commercial ships in the Red Sea – have stoked

British and US forces have launched an attack on Houthi targets in Yemen after the Iranian-backed militant group defied a warning to stop targeting ships in the Red Sea, according to reports. Reuters said four US officials confirmed strikes had begun. In addition, three explosions were heard in the country’s capital of Sanaa, according to

The family of murder victim Muriel McKay have offered a landowner £40,000 to let them excavate the farm where they believe her body was buried 54 years ago. They hope the money would compensate the banker for the inconvenience and any damage and repairs to his land. The offer was made in a letter hand-delivered

The prime minister has said a new law will be introduced so people wrongly convicted in the Horizon scandal are “swiftly exonerated and compensated”. In the first Prime Minister’s Questions of the year, Rishi Sunak said he will make sure those convicted as part of the Post Office scandal will be “swiftly exonerated and compensated”.

More than half of child sexual abuse offences recorded in 2022 were committed by other children, new figures reveal. Police say the rise of child-on-child abuse is fuelled by access to violent pornography and smart phones. Data from 42 police forces in England and Wales shows that a total of 106,984 child sexual abuse offences

Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells will hand back her CBE with immediate effect amid the fallout of the Horizon IT scandal. The scandal led to the convictions of hundreds of sub-postmasters. Ms Vennells said in a statement: “I continue to support and focus on co-operating with the inquiry and expect to be giving evidence

Hundreds of domestic abuse survivors will receive cash payments of £2,500 each to help them flee their tormentors, under a new initiative. The £2m scheme, which launches this month, is described as a “lifeline” for women who can’t flee – or are forced to return to – abusive relationships because they cannot afford essentials. A

Gill Catchpole, the wife of singer James Morrison, has died.  Ms Catchpole, who had two daughters aged 15 and five with the singer, was found dead in her home in Whitminster, Gloucester, on Friday. In a statement, Gloucestershire Constabulary said: “Police were called to Whitminster in Gloucester at around 9.10am on Friday 5 January following

A petition calling for former Post Office boss Paula Vennells to lose her CBE over the Horizon scandal has attracted more than one million signatures. Demands to remove Ms Vennells CBE emerged again after ITV aired a new drama into the scandal, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which tells how former subpostmasters and subpostmistresses

Planned strikes which would have crippled London Underground services this week have been called off, according to a union. RMT say the industrial action by its workers on the Tube network – scheduled to take place from Monday to Thursday – will no longer go ahead, after positive talks with Transport for London (TfL). The

The government is being urged to “wake up and smell the flood water” following Storm Henk – amid fears that climate change is making extreme weather events more common. More than 1,800 properties have flooded after heavy downpours fell on already sodden ground, and the Environment Agency has warned more homes will be affected as

Areas hit hard by flooding after Storm Henk will be able to apply for thousands of pounds in government money to pay for recovery work and repairs. The government has announced the financial support will be available to eligible areas in England that have experienced exceptional localised flooding. Schemes include flooded households being eligible for

A yellow cold weather alert across England comes into force at 9am this morning – and will remain in force for most of next week. All of this comes as many parts of the country continue to grapple with the aftermath of Storm Henk, with heavy rainfall inundating homes and almost cutting off communities. As

HMRC used a sarcastic post on X quoting a Sky News story to remind Luke Littler of his income tax obligations after his remarkable run to the World Darts Championship final. After reporting in our new Money blog that Littler, 16, will pay £83,000 in tax from his £200,000 earnings collected from his stunning performance