UK

Traces of the polio virus have been found during a routine sewage inspection in London, leading the UK Health Security Agency to declare a national incident. Health officials are now concerned about the community spread of the virus after samples were collected from the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works in London, but have stressed the risk

Millions of people have been hit by severe travel disruption on the first day of the biggest rail strike for a generation – with passengers set to face more cancellations tomorrow. Although it is not officially a strike day on Wednesday, only 60% of trains are expected to run – mostly because of a delay

The rate of inflation has risen to a fresh 40-year high of 9.1% in May, according to the latest official figures. The update, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), represents a slight uptick on the 9% figure of the previous month – driven upwards by April’s unprecedented rise in the energy price cap. The

Boris Johnson will condemn unions for what is expected to be the biggest train strike in three decades. Around 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators will walk out from midnight for all of Tuesday, as well as Thursday and Saturday in a dispute over

The biggest rail strike in three decades is expected go ahead after last-ditch talks failed, the RMT union said. A walk-out by 40,000 workers on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday will cause “total misery” according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Mr Shapps said the walk-out was “totally wrong” and would inconvenience millions – including those like

Nearly a third of people say they feel more depressed about the rising cost of living than they did six months ago, a Sky News poll can reveal. As households face increasingly squeezed budgets and with the government under mounting pressure to tackle Britain’s worsening cost of living crisis, we asked people how the crisis

Britain is facing a summer of discontent with more workers set to be balloted on strike action, a union chief has warned, as a series of walkouts is set to cripple the rail network. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has predicted industrial action could spread to other services, arguing that “people can’t take it anymore”.

Dame Kelly Holmes has announced she is gay, and says she has hidden it for 34 years. Speaking during Pride month, the two-time gold medallist said she realised she was gay at the age of 17 after kissing a fellow female soldier, and that her family and friends have known since 1997. The Olympic champion

Thousands of people have marched in central London demanding more action from the government over the rising cost of living. Beginning in Portland Place, they walked to Parliament Square for a rally organised by the TUC. Banners read “end fuel poverty, insulate homes now”, “nurses not nukes” and “cut war not welfare”. Songs including I

Britons cannot expect pay rises to keep up with the soaring cost of living, the government has warned. Treasury Chief Secretary Simon Clarke has said matching salaries to inflation risked causing prices in the shops to surge even higher. His intervention comes as more than 40,000 staff prepare for a three-day strike that will cripple

Boris Johnson has made a second surprise visit to Kyiv for a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after pulling out of a major red wall conference in Doncaster at the last minute. The prime minister was due to make a speech before Tory northern MPs, councillors and business leaders on Friday afternoon. Sky News’ deputy

An investigation is under way following the death of a passenger at Gatwick Airport. EasyJet confirmed the death in a statement, adding members of its cabin crew gave medical assistance to the unnamed passenger while waiting for help from paramedics. The airline said: “A number of our cabin crew provided medical assistance to a passenger

Young gymnasts were starved and made to hang from the rings in punishment as part of an abusive culture in British Gymnastics, according to a damning new report. The Whyte Review, which examined over 400 complaints, uncovered an “unacceptable culture” that has left countless young people humiliated, shamed and permanently psychologically or physically damaged by

Plans to ban “no-fault” evictions and to make it easier for tenants to keep pets will be unveiled as part of the government’s new deal for private renters published later. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is set to publish its Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper, which it describes as “the biggest

An asylum seeker who was due on the UK’s first deportation flight to Rwanda has claimed he was hit, kicked and pushed by security officers while he was held in detention. Zahir, whose name has been changed, fled Iraq two months ago and arrived in the UK in March, before being told he would be

A man has had a bid against his deportation to Rwanda on a government flight tonight rejected by the Supreme Court. A panel of three justices refused permission to the man to challenge the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Monday, which upheld the earlier decision of a High Court judge not to grant an injunction

Legislation which will override the Northern Ireland Protocol section of the post-Brexit deal that the UK agreed with the EU does not breach international law, the government has insisted. But the controversial bill, which has just been published, has been heavily criticised by senior EU figures. The bill to amend the protocol unilaterally will allow

On 14 June 2017, a small flat fire spread rapidly up a west London tower block and engulfed the building in a raging inferno. The Grenfell Tower fire left 72 people dead in what is remembered as one of the worst tragedies in the history of modern Britain. Feelings of despair turned into anger in

The man behind a major review of the UK’s food system has criticised the government’s vision for the industry, saying it is “not a strategy”. A draft of the government’s food strategy leaked last week ignored a number of recommendations from Leon founder Henry Dimbleby, including a salt and sugar tax, and government action on

A former British soldier has died fighting Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, his family have said. Jordan Gatley left the British Army in March and flew to Ukraine soon after to help fend off Russian forces and train Ukrainian soldiers. Announcing the news on Facebook, his father Dean wrote: “Yesterday (10/06/22) we