UK

British troops must prepare “to fight in Europe once again” as the war in Ukraine continues, the new head of the Army has warned. General Sir Patrick Sanders took over from General Sir Mark Carleton Smith on Monday and wrote to his charges about the challenges they face. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underlines our core

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”.

The RMT’s decision to proceed with train strikes next week will “punish millions of people”, the transport secretary has said. Grant Shapps warned the UK is “now on the cusp of major disruption which will cause misery for people right across the country”. He also claimed the RMT union had been repeatedly urged not to

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

Britain’s sweltering heatwave is set to peak on Friday with temperatures of up to 34C (93.2F). The Met Office said London and potentially some spots in East Anglia are most likely to reach this high, making it the hottest day of the year so far. Away from the capital and the South East, 27C to

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

Dominic Raab has said he does not know why Boris Johnson’s ethics adviser quit – as Number 10 came under pressure to explain what was behind the decision. Mr Raab batted off the suggestion that the departure of Lord Geidt reflected badly on the prime minister in an interview with Sky News – and said

Lord Geidt has resigned as the prime minister’s adviser on ministerial interests. He tendered his resignation to Boris Johnson, according to a brief statement on the government’s website on Wednesday evening. “With regret, I feel that it is right that I am resigning from my post as Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests,” the statement reads.

The EU has begun legal proceedings against the UK after it published legislation that would override the parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the European Commission, said the plan to tear up the agreement, which governs Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements, was illegal. The commission confirmed that Brussels will resume legal

The first deportation flight due to take asylum seekers to Rwanda will not be taking off tonight following a series of last-minute legal appeals, the Home Office has confirmed. A Home Office source said the plane, which was stood ready on a Ministry of Defence runway at Boscombe Down in Amesbury, would not be departing

Church of England leaders have said the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is an “immoral policy that shames Britain” – with the first flight set to depart today. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York – as well as 23 other bishops – have written a letter to The Times that claims no

The European Commission has warned it will take “proportionate action” to secure the legal implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol after the UK government published legislation which will override the mechanism. The commission’s vice president Maros Sefcovic said the EU viewed the UK’s actions with “significant concern” and that it would consider what steps to

The UK economy contracted by 0.3% in April, according to official figures released as the CBI, Britain’s biggest employers’ group, demanded “vital actions” from the government to prevent an inflation-driven recession. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had been expected by economists to confirm a slight rise in gross domestic product (GDP) for the month

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

The Queen has become the world’s second-longest reigning modern monarch. She has overtaken Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for 70 years and 126 days between 1927 and 2016. Louis XIV of France remains the longest-reigning monarch, with a 72-year and 110-day reign from 1643 until 1715. The Queen, crowned in 1953, became the longest-serving

The family of a British man sentenced to death by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine have said they are “devastated and saddened” at the outcome of the “illegal show-trial”. Shaun Pinner was captured in Mariupol in April alongside fellow Brit Aiden Aslin during the intense fight for control of the port city. The pair were found

He’s the famed ex-detective who caught Milly Dowler’s murderer and the Night Stalker rapist, one of Britain’s most depraved sex attackers. Now Colin Sutton has turned his attention to a controversial murder case that led to two secret trials and claims of a miscarriage of justice. The former senior Met Police officer was involved in

A deportation flight taking the first asylum seekers to Rwanda next week can go ahead, the High Court has ruled. They will be the first migrants to be sent there to have their asylum claims processed since the government announced the controversial policy in April. A judge refused to grant an injunction sought by campaigners

Family members of two Britons sentenced to death by a Russian-backed court after fighting in Ukraine, have described their devastation at the news. Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, have been accused of being mercenaries. They were captured in Mariupol in April during the intense fight for control of the port city, before appearing