UK

The health secretary has blamed high cases of flu, COVID and fears about Strep A for the “massive pressure” the NHS faced over the festive period. Several trusts have announced critical incidents in recent days, and ambulances have waited hours outside hospitals to transfer their patients, as the government faces growing questions over what it

There is “not a bottomless pit of money” to be spent on increasing workers’ pay, Transport Secretary Mark Harper has warned the RMT union – as rail staff undertake further strike action today. Mr Harper told Sky News “there is a fair and reasonable pay offer on the table” and said it is “deeply unhelpful”

Prince Harry has said “I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back” in the release of a trailer for an upcoming TV interview. The Duke of Sussex also says “I want a family, not an institution” and “they’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile”. In a series

Pressure on the NHS is worse now than it was at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a leading doctor has said. Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said “urgent action” is required to bring the NHS back from the brink. Speaking to Sky News, he said the National Health Service

Police searching for a teenage arsonist who has escaped from a mental health facility have warned the public: “Do not approach him under any circumstance”. Johnny Brady, a 19-year-old who is serving a hospital order for serious assault and arson, escaped St Andrew’s Healthcare facility in Northampton at about 3.30pm on New Year’s Eve. Brady

A tribute to the late Queen and a show of support for Ukraine featured in London’s New Year fireworks display, as more than 100,000 people gathered on the banks of the Thames to mark the beginning of 2023. Some 12,000 fireworks lit up the sky in the sold-out show, which was created with the theme

Two people have been charged with murder and affray after footballer Cody Fisher was stabbed to death in a nightclub on Boxing Day. Kami Carpenter, aged 21, and Remy Gordon, aged 22, both from Birmingham, have been remanded into custody to appear before Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 2 January. It comes following the stabbing of

Four Lionesses have been recognised in the New Year Honours list, which also sees Queen guitarist Brian May and artist Grayson Perry knighted. The gongs are the first to be issued by King Charles, with a range of politicians and charity workers also honoured. Lionesses make the list – but not all of them Captain

The family of a woman shot dead at a pub have described her as the “most beautiful and bright star” as police continue their hunt for her murderer. Elle Edwards, 26, was attacked on Christmas Eve at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on the Wirral. Detectives say the beautician was not believed to have

Some of the fashion industry’s biggest names have paid tribute to designer Dame Vivienne Westwood after she died at the age of 81. Dame Vivienne died peacefully surrounded by her family in Clapham, south London, on Thursday her representatives said in a statement. American fashion designer Marc Jacobs said he was “heartbroken” at the news

A third man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after footballer Cody Fisher was stabbed to death in a Birmingham nightclub on Boxing Day. The 22-year-old suspect was arrested in London at around 3am today. West Midlands Police said the man will now be questioned over the killing of Mr Fisher, who was stabbed

There are no plans to introduce mandatory COVID-19 tests for arrivals from China, a UK government spokesperson has said. The news comes after China announced it was abandoning its COVID-zero policy and was preparing to reopen its borders in January. There are fears that the end of strict measures in the country of 1.4 billion

Friends of footballer Cody Fisher have paid tribute to him, laying flowers outside the Crane nightclub, and calling his loss “a hole that can’t be filled”. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder over the stabbing of the 23-year-old in a Birmingham nightclub on Boxing Day. One friend, James Behan, told Sky News:

Parts of the UK are expected to see ice, heavy rain and potential flooding in the next few days, with a warning issued for disrupted power supplies and travel delays. A yellow rain warning is in place in parts of southwest England and South Wales from 2am on 27 December until 3pm on Wednesday. Across

The 23-year-old man stabbed to death on the dancefloor of a Birmingham nightclub has been named as footballer Cody Fisher. His family said in a statement: “They have broken our hearts; I have lost my best friend. My family and I are asking for privacy and respectfulness at this heart-breaking time.” West Midlands Police were

Two people have been arrested after a 26-year-old woman was shot dead in a pub in Merseyside on Christmas Eve. A man aged 30 from Tranmere was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, and a woman aged 19 from Rock Ferry was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Both are in police

A woman who was shot dead at a pub on Christmas Eve has been named as 26-year-old Elle Edwards. Ms Edwards was out enjoying Christmas with her sister and friends when she was shot in the head at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on the Wirral, in Merseyside, shortly after 11.50pm. She is not

There are major fears homeless deaths in Scotland could rocket this winter as the cost of living crisis worsens. The Simon Community charity, which is supporting record numbers of vulnerable people, has told Sky News the number of Scots suffering homelessness is a “massive concern”. Recent official figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS)

The family of a 26-year-old woman have been left “devastated” and “inconsolable” after she was killed in a Christmas Eve shooting at a pub in Merseyside, police have said in a fresh appeal for information. Officers said the woman, who was shot in the head, is not believed to have been targeted in the shooting,

A murder investigation is under way after a woman was fatally shot at a Merseyside pub on Christmas Eve. She and three men were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds after the incident at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on the Wirral shortly after 11.50pm. The woman was later pronounced dead, and her family