UK News

Katie Zacharia is departing as White House press secretary, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, after a short and rocky tenure that was defined by questions about her professional background and lack of polish in fielding questions from journalists. The person, granted anonymity to discuss a personnel decision not yet made public, said Ms Zacharia would be transitioning out of the role. The shift comes after President […]

Andy Burnham said he wanted to “move beyond the old politics of conflict” as he offered to work with the SNP to deepen devolution in Scotland. The Prime Minister used his first major speech north of the border since entering No 10 to offer an olive branch to John Swinney, saying he wanted to work together on giving more power to local communities. Describing Scotland as “one of the most […]

A teenage hitman from Norway has been locked up for 20 years for plotting a murder on British soil for an Iran-backed international crime gang for a “thrill”. Talented footballer Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, agreed to shoot an unknown target for 25,000 euros (£21,500) in March last year. Two days after he arrived in the UK on a flight from his home in Stavanger, armed police arrested him at a […]

England captain George Williams is convinced his squad have learned the lessons of their heartbreaking 2022 semi-final defeat as they prepare for a potentially crucial opening game of the Rugby League World Cup against Tonga in Perth on Saturday. Williams was part of the side that were stunned by a sudden-death 27-26 loss to Samoa at the Emirates Stadium and acknowledged that in a career sprinkled with Grand Final glory […]

Sonay Kartal claimed one of the best wins of her career as she sunk world number six Elina Svitolina to reach the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open. Kartal, playing in only her third tournament since returning from six months out with a back injury, seized her first match point opportunity to complete a hard-hitting 6-2 2-6 6-4 win. Her win means the 24-year-old, who made her breakthrough by reaching the […]

Britain’s energy watchdog has launched a consultation on plans to reintroduce a measure to help protect suppliers from big swings in gas and electricity prices as the Iran war continues to impact wholesale markets. Ofgem said it was looking at activating its market stabilisation charge, which is designed to help prevent energy suppliers from collapsing when wholesale energy prices fall back sharply amid volatile markets. Suppliers can be left vulnerable […]

The UK Government is being “cautious” about making public announcements over its decisions on the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas fields in order to avoid the “mistakes” of the previous government, the Scottish Secretary has said. On Thursday Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh told a conference in London that a decision on whether to give the green light to the Jackdaw gas field is “imminent”. She also said a decision […]

Banks have seen their shares sink lower amid mounting speculation the Chancellor is planning to hike taxes on the sector in his upcoming Budget. Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest led falls on the FTSE 100 Index, both down 2% in morning trading on Friday, with Barclays shares slipping lower as well after reports that John Healey is eyeing a raid on lenders. The Chancellor is seeking ways to raise revenue […]

Visitors have returned to a wildlife park nearly a week after a young man was mauled to death by one of its tigers. William Chapman, 24, died at Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP) in Doncaster on Saturday after scaling two fences at the attraction’s Land of the Tigers enclosure, an inquest has heard. A coroner has been told how Mr Chapman had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, had suffered previous bouts of […]