UK

Girls were left “at the mercy” of paedophile grooming gangs for years in Rochdale because of an “inadequate” response by police and council bosses, a new report has found. The damning 173-page report into Operation Span – Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) much-criticised investigation into the grooming allegations – also identified 96 men still deemed a

Not taking military action against the Houthis would have led to “more attacks” in the Red Sea, according to Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron. The British military took part in joint action with the US this week in retaliation for the targeting of international trade in the key shipping lane – followed up by a fresh

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

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice at the weekend and into next week. The alert, which warns some travel disruption is likely, covers northern Scotland and is in place over Sunday. Another warning for snow and ice has been issued for the whole of Northern Ireland and will

Rishi Sunak will visit Kyiv today as he announces a new package of military aid, security assurances and humanitarian support. Mr Sunak will sign a UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – committing the UK to provide intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training, and defence industrial cooperation. The UK will

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

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

The justice secretary is meeting with senior judges today to discuss ways to accelerate the appeals of those convicted in the Horizon scandal, with cabinet minister Mel Stride saying an announcement could come this week. The government is facing fresh calls to act following the airing of the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post

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

Ministers are meeting today to discuss the Horizon scandal, as the petition to remove the CBE from ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells reached one million signatures. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk and postal minister Kevin Hollinrake will discuss the scandal in the wake of renewed scrutiny following the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office,

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

A major incident has been declared after Nottinghamshire was hit by widespread flooding – as the south of England faces another deluge of rain. Nottinghamshire County Council said the incident was declared “due to rising levels along the River Trent” and that residents who live in flood risk areas should be prepared to evacuate their