UK

The Queen has been seen for the first time during her four-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The monarch, 96, took the salute from the Irish Guards alongside the Duke of Kent as thousands of people crowded central London to celebrate 70 years of her reign. She wore the same pale blue

­­­The Queen has said she is “inspired by the goodwill shown to me” and thanked the nation as a new portrait of her was unveiled for the Platinum Jubilee. In a special message to the country, Her Majesty said “many happy memories will be created” over the next four days. The 96-year-old monarch is celebrating

Boris Johnson has said he was “very, very surprised” to receive a fine for attending a lockdown-breaking gathering in Downing Street. The prime minister, talking to Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts, was questioned on issues from partygate and Northern Ireland to nappies and his favourite book to read to his children. Asked by a teacher why

The Queen has arrived back at Windsor Castle ahead of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations this week. The 96-year-old monarch was photographed at Aberdeen airport, after staying at Balmoral, her Scottish estate, for a few days before festivities begin to mark 70 years of her reign. She was then captured again being driven into Windsor Castle.

Another Conservative MP has submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson, making him the 28th Tory to publicly call for him to go over the partygate scandal. John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle, said he has been “deeply disappointed” in the rule-breaking parties at Number 10 and Mr Johnson’s response to parliament. He said

Nearly a year on from a government pledge to overhaul the way rape cases are investigated, victims are still being asked to hand mobile phones over as part of “excessive” police scrutiny, according to the Independent Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Traumatised victims are being given “wide-reaching” consent forms for digital searches when they are unable to

A former cabinet minister has become the latest Conservative MP to publicly call for Boris Johnson to resign in the wake of the partygate scandal. Jeremy Wright, who was culture secretary and attorney general under Theresa May, posted a statement on his website saying “accountability and restoring faith in good government” required more than apologies

The culture secretary has called on UEFA to launch a formal investigation into violent scenes in Paris that delayed the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. The size of the crowd outside the Stade de France on Saturday evening appeared to overwhelm security, with many supporters waiting outside for hours, while others were

Legendary jockey Lester Piggott has died aged 86, his son-in-law has said. Piggott, who won the Derby nine times, had been in hospital in Switzerland. During a career lasting almost 50 years, he rode 4,493 winners, the first coming at the age of 12 at Haydock Park in 1948. His final victory was on the

The race is on to prevent a massive oil spill off the coast of Devon after a superyacht caught fire and sank. The 85ft vessel had been carrying around 8,000 litres of fuel when it was engulfed by flames while moored at Torquay on Saturday. Witnesses said that the fire burnt through the rope mooring

EasyJet says it will cancel more than 200 flights over the next 10 days, putting half-term breaks at risk for thousands of travellers. The airline said about 24 flights from Gatwick would be affected each day between now and 6 June. A spokeswoman for the company said: “We are very sorry for the late notice

Senior Tory MP Sir Bob Neill has submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson’s leadership as the number of Conservatives calling for the prime minister to go ramps up after the Sue Gray report. Sir Bob, who chairs the Justice Select Committee, said Ms Gray’s report into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street has

A Tory MP has resigned from the government saying he was “shocked and angered” by revelations about partying in Downing Street. Paul Holmes said he was quitting his role as a parliamentary private secretary at the Home Office, saying a “deep mistrust in both the government and the Conservative party” had been created by the

The boss of one of Britain’s biggest airports says staffing levels may not fully recover until the autumn, and has predicted a busy summer ahead. Passengers have faced long delays at airports recently and are being warned to prepare for a busy week ahead with families jetting off for half term and the jubilee bank

Eight million of the poorest UK households will receive a one off “cost of living payment” of £650 – and there will be an effective windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas companies, the chancellor has announced. Rishi Sunak said the package of support for households is worth over £5bn and will come

Boris Johnson has insisted the UK needs to move on from partygate after the Sue Gray report revealed a slew of lockdown-breaching events at Downing Street. The prime minister said he took “full responsibility” for the scandal but defied renewed calls to resign as he sought to play down his personal involvement in the gatherings.

The senior leadership at Downing Street – both political and official – must “bear responsibility” for the culture of partying during COVID lockdowns, according to a report from senior civil servant Sue Gray. The report added that “while there is no excuse for some of the behaviour set out here it is important to acknowledge

Pressure is mounting on the prime minister over Downing Street lockdown parties ahead of the release of the Sue Gray report into partygate. Number 10 is expecting to receive the inquiry’s final report on Wednesday. It is anticipated to be more in-depth than the Met Police investigation that concluded last week – and will include

London mayor Sadiq Khan has asked police for an explanation after “smoking gun” pictures emerged of Boris Johnson drinking at an event during lockdown – for which he was not fined. Mr Khan, who oversees policing in the capital, told Sky News’ Kay Burley that the pictures from a Downing Street leaving do in November

Tory MPs have criticised photos of Boris Johnson drinking with colleagues during lockdown ahead of the Sue Gray report into parties being published. New pictures emerged on Monday of the prime minister appearing to toast colleagues allegedly during the second national lockdown when people were not allowed to mix with other households inside. The photos,