UK News

Sir Keir Starmer will be among world leaders and dignitaries to attend the funeral of Pope Francis this weekend. The late pontiff will be buried on Saturday, following his death on Easter Monday aged 88. His body will be laid out for public view from Wednesday in St Peter’s Basilica, so mourners can pay their respects to a man dubbed the People’s Pope. The Prime Minister will join other leaders […]

Kemi Badenoch has admitted that May’s local elections are “going to be very difficult” for the Conservatives. The Tory leader told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that July’s general election was a “historic defeat” for the party. Voters in 23 local authorities across England will go to the polls on May 1 to choose their new councillors, with mayors also up for election across six regions. It will be the […]

King Charles has met with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon ahead of visits today. Sir Keir Starmer will aim to strengthen the UK’s defence ties with New Zealand as he hosts the country’s prime minister on Tuesday. The Prime Minister and his counterpart, Christopher Luxon, are expected to visit a military base to see British and New Zealand personnel train Ukrainian troops as part of the UK’s Operation Interflex. […]

Pope Francis has been remembered as someone full of compassion, mercy and “irrepressible hope” as Catholics came together to mourn the death of a pontiff hailed by the King and other world leaders. Francis, who died following a stroke aged 88 on Easter Monday just a day after greeting crowds in Vatican City, drew tributes for his strong advocacy for the poor and marginalised. The leader of the world’s Roman […]

Pope Francis has died, a senior Vatican official has said. Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in a statement on Monday: “At 7.35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church. “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the […]

Prison officers are calling on the Justice Secretary to allow the use of electric stun guns in the UK’s most dangerous jails. Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), said they will make the demand when they meet with Shabana Mahmood on Wednesday. The meeting comes after guards at HMP Frankland in County Durham were attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter […]

Teachers will be given permanent contracts after one year, under new measures announced by the education minister. Helen McEntee has put forward a new set of policy steps to address teacher supply, which also include assistance for eligible teachers who trained outside of Ireland to work within the country. Currently teachers are required to complete two consecutive contracts before qualifying for a permanent position. Under the new regulations, teachers taking […]

Gatwick has retained its position as the UK’s worst airport for flight delays, as it continues to suffer from air traffic control (ATC) disruption. Departures from the West Sussex airport were an average of more than 23 minutes behind schedule in 2024, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by the PA news agency. This represents an improvement from nearly 27 minutes during the previous 12 months but […]

They met briefly on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings, after they got into a long-distance tangle over the Trump administration’s migrant deportation plans. Francis, who is recovering from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia, received Mr Vance in one of the reception rooms of the Vatican hotel where he lives. The 88-year-old pope offered the Catholic vice president three big chocolate Easter eggs for Mr Vance’s three young children, who did […]