UK

Failings by probation officers left a sexual predator able to stalk and kill law graduate Zara Aleena – just days after he was released from jail, according to a watchdog. A damning report found a catalogue of errors in the Probation Service’s handling of Jordan McSweeney, which meant he was not treated as a high-risk

An investigation will be launched into the appointment of the BBC chairman following reports he helped Boris Johnson secure a loan. William Shawcross, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, said he would review the competition which led to Richard Sharp’s appointment while Mr Johnson was prime minister. He made the announcement in response to a request

Ambulance workers are staging a fresh strike in the escalating dispute over pay and staffing. It comes after the chancellor was told he can halt industrial action and begin solving the staffing emergency if he comes up with new money to pay health workers “fairly”. But Unison warned Jeremy Hunt that if he continues to resist

The foreign secretary has evaded answering questions on the latest ‘sleaze’ allegations surrounding Boris Johnson to hit the Conservative Party. James Cleverly was asked about a claim that the BBC chairman Richard Sharp helped the former prime minister arrange a guarantee on a loan of up to £800,000, weeks before he was then recommended for

Buckingham Palace has squashed any suggestions of a slimmed down coronation by announcing a three-day weekend of “ceremonial, celebratory and community events”. Taking place between Saturday 6 and Monday 8 May, King Charles has insisted the historic moment should be “rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry” but also “look towards the future”. The King’s first

Nadhim Zahawi says his tax error was found to be “careless and not deliberate” after Labour called for him to be sacked over his finances. The Tory chairman and cabinet member released a statement saying he wanted to “address some of the confusion” about his finances. He said his father took founder shares in YouGov

A mother has accused her daughter’s school in Birmingham of having a “racist hair policy” after she was “banned” from the canteen and playground. Jade Samuels claimed her daughter was barred from the areas at Bishop Challoner Catholic College due to her braided hairstyle which featured a heart shape. In a viral tweet which has

Rishi Sunak has been given a fixed penalty notice after being caught not wearing a seatbelt. Lancashire Police issued the notice after the prime minister appeared without a belt in a clip on Instagram as he promoted his levelling-up funding in Lancashire. Mr Sunak has accepted the fine. ‘Hapless’ Sunak has photo-op blow up in

The father of Elle Edwards, who was shot dead at a pub last month, has said “Christmas will never be the same” for him and his family.  In his first interview since her death, Tim Edwards spoke of how his “beautiful and caring” daughter “with a heart of gold” will never leave him – as

Two retired Metropolitan Police officers have been charged with offences related to the possession of images showing child sex abuse as part of an investigation into a serving chief inspector who was found dead before he was charged. Jack Addis, 63, of no fixed address and Jeremy Laxton, 62, from Lincolnshire, will appear at Westminster

NHS leaders are making contingency plans as the biggest walkout in the health service’s history looms. Ambulance staff and nurses are both set to go on strike on 6 February – taking industrial action on the same day for the first time ever. Saffron Cordery, the interim chief executive of NHS Providers, has said the

Thousands of nurses will go on strike today as a bitter pay dispute with the government continues. Nursing staff from more than 55 NHS trusts will take part in industrial action on Wednesday and Thursday following two days of action in December. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has announced that two further, bigger strikes

Forces have been asked to check all officers and staff against national police databases to “identify anyone who has slipped through the net” in the wake of the David Carrick rape case, the Home Office said. The 48-year-old – who had served as a Metropolitan Police officer for more than 20 years – was found

Dozens of people have been injured and “a number” have been taken to hospital after a double-decker bus overturned in Somerset. A major incident was declared on Tuesday morning, which saw a “significant number” of police, fire and ambulance crews sent to the scene in Bridgwater, but this has now been stood down. Giving an

Probation officers made a series of failings before a “psychopathic” criminal murdered three children and his pregnant partner, a watchdog has said. Damien Bendall killed his 35-year-old girlfriend Terri Harris, her 11-year-old daughter Lacey Bennett, her 13-year-old son John Paul Bennett, and Lacey’s 11-year-old friend Connie Gent in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, in September 2021. They were

A serving Metropolitan Police officer has admitted dozens of rape and sexual offences after he carried out sex attacks on 12 women. PC David Carrick – who was known to his colleagues as “B*****d Dave” – entered guilty pleas when he appeared at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Monday. He admitted 49 charges – including

A man has been arrested following a drive-by shooting outside a church near London’s Euston station. Four women and two girls, aged seven and 12, were injured in the shooting outside St Aloysius Church on Phoenix Road on Saturday afternoon. The Metropolitan Police said a 22-year-old man was arrested after a car was stopped in

Suspects in a shooting outside a church in north London yesterday fired a shotgun from a moving car at the crowd of mourners, police investigating the attack have said. Superintendent Jack Rowlands of the Metropolitan Police described the shooting on Saturday afternoon as a “senseless act of violence” and said officers were looking for a

A seven-year-old girl is in a life-threatening condition, while four women and another girl were also taken to hospital, after a shooting outside a funeral near Euston station in central London. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to Phoenix Road at 1.30pm on Saturday to reports of a shooting. Police initially said the seven-year-old

A woman mauled to death at a Surrey beauty spot was attacked by “multiple dogs” and screamed at passers-by to “turn back”, a witness has said. Paramedics were unable to save the 28-year-old victim after she was attacked at Gravelly Hill, Caterham, on Thursday. A second woman who received treatment for dog bites has since