UK

Priti Patel has praised “brilliant civil servants” in her first televised comments since being forced to apologise over bullying allegations. The home secretary said she was “sorry that my behaviour has upset people”, adding that she had “never intentionally set out to upset anyone”. She continued: “I work with thousands of brilliant civil servants every

The UK’s reproduction number has fallen slightly to a maximum of 1.1 from a maximum of 1.2, according to new figures. The figure has been confirmed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which advises the government on its response to the pandemic. Scientists have estimated the reproduction number, known as R, is now

More than a quarter of teenage girls have self-harmed by the age of 17, according to an “alarming” new study into teenage mental health. Researchers at University College London Social Research Institute surveyed 10,000 young people in the period 2018 – 2019. Their study found 28% of girls and 20% of boys reported self-harming at

Supermarkets are the most frequent common exposure setting for those catching COVID-19 in England, new data suggests. Public Health England (PHE) collated the data using the NHS Test and Trace app. By analysing the contacts and retracing the steps of the 128,808 people who’d reported they had tested positive between 9 November and 15 November,

A nationwide police crackdown on knife crime has produced “staggering” results, according to police chiefs, with more than 10,000 bladed weapons taken off the streets. In the capital alone, officers arrested more than 1,000 people as part of Operation Sceptre. In all 43 police forces across England and Wales, police stepped up activities to try

A man has been arrested in connection with the murders of 21 people in the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, West Midlands Police has said. The 65-year-old was arrested in Belfast by counter-terror officers under the Terrorism Act. His home is being searched and he will be interviewed under caution at a police station in Northern

The tiered system introduced in England in an effort to fight COVID-19 is “inadequate” and “did not contain the spread of the virus”, according to the British Medical Association (BMA). The BMA has also said it was “inconsistent” in the way it was applied, and that it must be “urgently revised” before the country exits

Eleven local authorities are to be placed into Scotland’s highest level of coronavirus restrictions. The areas will enter Level 4 of the country’s COVID-19 measures from Friday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced during a statement in the Scottish parliament. They are: City of Glasgow Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire East Dunbartonshire West Dunbartonshire North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire

The Scottish government will announce later today whether parts of the country will be moved into Scotland’s highest tier of COVID-19 restrictions, Level 4. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will address parliament at Holyrood this afternoon following a cabinet decision in the morning. On Monday, Ms Sturgeon said it was “likely” some areas of Scotland will

The idea of a national road pricing scheme has reportedly been revived by the chancellor as the green car revolution applies brakes to £40bn of annual tax revenue. The Treasury, according to The Times, is exploring ways in which Rishi Sunak can replace lost fuel duty and vehicle excise duty (VED) – known more widely

Two new “mega labs” to turnaround 600,000 coronavirus tests a day are planned for next year, as Boris Johnson tries to draw a line under losing two key advisers. The prime minister will make a “series of critical announcements”, Number 10 said, following the sudden departure of aides Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain. And in

Police have found the body of a woman in Manchester after reports of a person on fire in woodland. Officers were called at around 6.15pm on Saturday to reports of a blaze near Williams Road in Moston, about 3.5 miles northeast of Manchester city centre. Greater Manchester Fire Service said they had been called to

A new pilot is set to launch that will give family members the chance to visit loved ones in care homes over Christmas. The scheme will take place in several homes in Hampshire, Cornwall and Devon from 16 November, in the hope it can be rolled out more widely before the festive period. One family

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Sergeant Matt Ratana, the Metropolitan Police says. Mr Ratana was shot at Croydon Custody Centre in the early hours of Friday 25 September. He was taken to hospital but later died from his wounds. A 23-year-old man, who had been arrested earlier in

Psychiatrists are braced for a surge in demand for mental health care in the months ahead, as people struggle to cope during the coronavirus lockdown. The number of people experiencing severe mental illnesses and needing urgent care amid the pandemic has become a serious cause for concern, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has told Sky

The serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper has died. Peter Sutcliffe, 74, was one of the UK’s most notorious prisoners, having murdered at least 13 women across the north of England in the late 1970s. His prison term had been increased to a whole life sentence in 2010 and he was being held at