Four women who resigned from the national grooming gangs inquiry victims liaison panel say they would consider returning if safeguarding minister Jess Phillips resigns. In a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, they claim Phillips labelled some of their claims as untrue and that they provided evidence to the contrary. Ellie-Ann Reynolds said the turning point came when the remit was changed to widen it in ways that downplay the […]

The Royal Mint has announced that 23.2 million King Charles III 5p coins are entering circulation across the UK. The coins were minted in October 2023 and bear the King’s portrait on the obverse with an oak leaf design on the reverse, symbolising biodiversity in woodlands. The move follows rising demand for the 5p denomination. It is the first time the 5p bears the King’s effigy, and the last design […]

The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil groups, Rosneft and Lukoil, along with dozens of subsidiaries, the Treasury Department said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the measures, describing them as a response to months of bipartisan pressure to tougher sanctions on Moscow. He described the move as targeting firms that fund the Kremlin’s war machine and urged allies to join the action, while signalling the possibility […]

A 15-year-old boy who stabbed fellow pupil Harvey Willgoose to death during a school lunch break can be named, a judge has ruled. Harvey, also 15, was stabbed in the heart by Mohammed Umar Khan at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on 3 February, in front of pupils who fled in fear. The attack led some students to hide in a cupboard, the Crown Court heard. Khan, found […]

A migrant deported to France under the UK–France returns deal has re-entered Britain on a small boat. He is being held and the Home Office intends to send him back to France again. He told a newspaper that he had been subjected to modern slavery by smugglers in northern France, describing fear, abuse and coercion. He said he would not have returned to the UK if France had felt safe, […]

Charities are forecasting a shortfall of about three million volunteers over the next year, which could affect hospices, conservation work, animal welfare and local community support. A Nottingham Trent University study for the Royal Voluntary Service found that more than two in five charities report rising requests for help, while around one in four say they cannot meet demand. The Royal Voluntary Service has launched a digital volunteering platform, GoVo, […]

The first NHS patient outside of clinical trials has received histotripsy, a pioneering ultrasound treatment for liver cancer, at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. The hospital is the first in Europe to offer the procedure outside trials. The method uses focused ultrasound to destroy tumour tissue and can take around 30 minutes, with no need for surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, allowing patients to spend less time in hospital. The treatment was […]

The Office for National Statistics says the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.8% in September, unchanged from July and August. Economists had expected a reading closer to 4%. The Bank of England had previously predicted that inflation would peak around September before easing thereafter. ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said that a variety of price movements meant inflation was unchanged overall in September. 'The largest upward drivers came from […]

An analysis of older women shows that taking 4,000 steps a day on just one or two days each week is linked to a 26% lower risk of death from any cause and a 27% lower risk of heart disease. Researchers including Harvard University colleagues led the study, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The study followed 13,547 women without heart disease or cancer at the […]