UK

The UK is coordinating an evacuation of British nationals from Sudan, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said. Military flights are due to depart from an airfield outside Khartoum, supported by diplomats from the Foreign Office, the government has said. Mr Cleverly says the Foreign Office has started contacting nationals directly and is providing routes to

A team of British troops have flown into a port in eastern Sudan on a reconnaissance mission as the UK works out options to help evacuate British nationals stranded in the crisis-hit country, Sky News understands. The soldiers landed at Port Sudan, on the Red Sea on Monday. A flight tracking website showed a C-17

There are understood to be around 4,000 British passport holders in Sudan after foreign secretary James Cleverly warned the UK government is “severely limited” in its ability to help British nationals until the conflict ends. It comes after diplomats and staff in Sudan have been evacuated by governments around the world as rival generals battle

Tens of millions of mobile phone users have received a message and loud alarm during the first nationwide test of the government’s new public alert system. The distinct sound and vibration was accompanied by a message telling people about the service, which is designed to warn if there is a life-threatening emergency nearby. Many people

The investigation into claims former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab bullied staff has led to a “complete breakdown” in trust between ministers and civil servants, a thinktank has said. Alex Thomas, programme director at the Institute for Government, said the inquiry has exposed “deep flaws” in the process for handling poor ministerial behaviour and that

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said he plans to “pursue legal action” over the Royal College of Nursing’s upcoming strike action. In a statement, Mr Barclay said: “Following a request from NHS Employers, I have regretfully provided notice of my intent to pursue legal action to ask the courts to declare the Royal College of

Wrexham will be in the Football League once again next season after a 3-1 win over Boreham Wood. The crucial three points secured on Saturday means the Red Dragons have gained automatic promotion to League Two with a game to spare. Wrexham were bought by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Tens of millions of phones will receive an emergency alert today as the government tests the system nationwide for the first time. At 3pm, a distinct sound and vibration will be accompanied by a message telling people a new service has launched that will “warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby”. You will be

Dogs and their owners lined the streets for the funeral procession of Paul O’Grady – TV star, LGBTQ campaigner and animal lover.   A private funeral for O’Grady, who died on 28 March, will follow the procession through the village of Aldington in Kent. Dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home will form a guard of

Just Stop Oil activists have refused to rule out targeting Sunday’s London Marathon, following their disruption of the World Snooker Championships earlier this week. Some 50,000 demonstrators are expected to gather around Westminster from today until Monday to demand an end to fossil fuels, according to Extinction Rebellion, which is organising the event. It is

A Russian “spy” ship stopped at sites around wind farms off the Scottish coast in order to gather intelligence, an investigation has claimed. The Admiral Vladimirsky was part of an operation to map undersea infrastructure in the North Sea, according to a joint report by broadcasters in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. It is officially

SNP treasurer Colin Beattie is stepping down from his role after he was arrested on Tuesday. He said he will also step down from Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee while the police investigation into the party’s funding and finances takes place. Mr Beattie, who has been SNP treasurer for most of the past 19 years, was

The rate of inflation has eased slightly but still remains above 10%, according to official figures showing record costs for some essential foods. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the consumer prices index (CPI) measure slowed to 10.1% in March from 10.4% the previous month. Economists had largely expected a figure of 9.8%. The

Hundreds of thousands of people could be denied their right to vote unless new compulsory voter ID rules are delayed, a former Conservative cabinet minister has warned. Raising the alarm about the impact of forcing voters to produce ID in England for the first time at May’s local elections, Tory grandee David Davis urged the

The UK’s unemployment rate ticked up to 3.8% in the three months to February, according to official figures that also highlighted a faster than expected spike in wage rises. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the jobless rate rose from 3.7% due to a surge in the number of people unemployed for more than

At least 195,000 procedures and hospital appointments in England had to be rescheduled due to the junior doctors strike last week – but the true figure is likely to be higher. Some 20,470 inpatient procedures were rescheduled, along with 175,755 outpatient appointments, making a total of 196,225. An average of 26,145 staff per day were

A disability campaigner has told police forces they should “do more” to combat a rise in hate crimes targeting people with disfigurements. It comes after “sobering” research shows 33% of people with visible differences or disfigurements said they had experienced a hate crime – compared with 28% in 2019. The Changing Faces survey also suggests

Escalating nurse strike action by withdrawing protection for emergency hospital care will endanger patient safety, a NHS leader has warned as the government said a “full and final” pay offer had been made to staff. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health trusts, also raised concerns over the possibility of nursing

The mother of Ava White, a 12-year-old girl who was stabbed to death, says new police powers to tackle adult knife crime should also be applied to younger offenders. When Ava was murdered in Liverpool city centre in 2021, it was a crime that stunned and appalled the nation. Her mother Leeann, now a knife

The Grand National got under way following a 12-minute delay after protesters were removed from the racecourse at Aintree. The race started at 5.27pm after around 15 demonstrators were reported to have been on the track, clinging to some of the 30 fences. Horses were taken away from the parade ring while racegoers were informed