UK

West Midlands Police will be put into special measures, inspectors have said, following a series of failings including poor investigations. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) said the force has been moved into an enhanced level of monitoring. The force is not carrying out investigations “which lead to satisfactory results for victims”, or effectively

Pro-Palestinian protesters will be handed leaflets by police telling them what will land them in a cell, with more than 100,000 people expected to march in London on Saturday. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan assured Jewish people they will be “absolutely” safe with around 1,500 officers on duty on both days over the

If I was nervous, how must our two guests have been feeling? The last time they’d met, one was blocking a road and the other looked like she was trying to run her over in a Range Rover. “I have to hold my hands up. I did do wrong,” says Sherrilyn Speid, the driver, to

A woman has told a court she did not feel safe around her dance instructor, who is on trial accused of sexually abusing her and other students, due to how he touched her when correcting her movement. The woman, now 31, told jurors that the corrections dance teacher Jonathan Barton, 41, would make “felt inappropriate”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has insisted his tax cuts are about “long-term growth” for the economy, calling it “silly” to think they were instead about the timing of the next election. The Conservative Party has been told to be ready for a general election from 1 January, a senior government source told Sky News’s political editor

The King presented K-pop band Blackpink with honorary MBEs a day after hailing them as environmental champions. Charles handed medals to South Korean megastars Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim, Lisa Manobal and Rose Park at Buckingham Palace. They were joined by the country’s President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee during their state

Motorists could face a charge to travel on some Welsh roads in future to meet clean air targets. The Welsh government has increased the circumstances under which charging schemes could be introduced on trunk roads. Charges may now be introduced on roads in order to reduce or limit air pollution, as part of the amendments

National Insurance is to be cut by two percentage points, the chancellor has announced, as he pledged to “honour the triple lock in full” and increase Universal Credit by inflation. Delivering his autumn statement in the Commons, Jeremy Hunt said the main 12% National Insurance rate would fall to 10% from 6 January – saving

The national living wage will rise to £11.44 per hour from April. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced he is accepting the recommendation from the Low Pay Commission – an increase of £1.02 from the current rate of £10.42. The national living wage is the minimum people aged 21 and over must be paid for their

Police have launched a search for four young men who have gone missing in North Wales . North Wales Police said they had gone missing from the area around Harlech and Porthmadog in Gwynedd. Officers said the group was last seen on Sunday morning. The force has expressed concern and is appealing for information to

The electricity, phone and broadband provider arm of Shell has been fined £1.4m by the communications regulator for breaking customer protection rules. Shell Energy was hit with the fine for failing to flag contract ends and the best deals for phone and broadband customers, Ofcom said. More than 70,000 such customers were not properly prompted

A nurse who suffered life-changing injuries in a fatal crash with an uninsured driver has told of her “nightmare” ordeal – as the worst areas for motorists without insurance are revealed. Toni Wallace was on her way to volunteer as a medic at a festival in Bristol when her car was struck by an oncoming

Police have launched a manhunt after a woman died in West Yorkshire. West Yorkshire Police said officers were called to a property where the woman was found seriously injured in the Ravensthorpe area of Dewsbury at 6.43pm on Sunday. The woman later died, the force said. Image: An air ambulance near the scene. Pic: YappApp

Strong winds and staff shortages have led to temporary flight restrictions at the UK’s busiest airport causing passenger delays. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said it was working to minimise disruption at Heathrow caused by weather conditions and short notice absences in the tower. Passengers have been encouraged to check with their airline for information

The government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is “probably dead” after it was ruled unlawful this week by the Supreme Court, one of its former justices has said. The court confirmed its “unanimous” decision on Wednesday after 18 months of legal battles, saying those sent to the country would be at “real risk”

Mia was just 10 years old when she and her family knew she needed mental health support.  But their attempts to access help were met with delays and denials that lead to such a severe deterioration in her condition it nearly cost Mia her life. “I wasn’t deemed sick enough, I was told it was

A man has been given a suspended sentence and a five-year football ban after mocking the death of child mascot Bradley Lowery at a football match. Dale Houghton, from Rotherham, pleaded guilty to a public order offence at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court in October and received a 12 week sentence suspended for 18 months. He is

Graham Linehan isn’t a stand-up comedian. While he’s known for writing some of TV’s most successful comedies – including Father Ted, Black Books and The IT Crowd – he spoke to Sky News after giving an impromptu set at a special night called Comedy Unleashed. Organisers defend cancelled comedians’ right to offend, offering the likes

A 17-year-old boy stabbed to death in west London has been named as Simarjeet Singh Nangpaul. Four men – aged 21, 27, 31 and 71 – have been arrested on suspicion of murder after police were called to reports of a fight in Hounslow on Wednesday morning. The teenage victim was found at the scene

Rwanda’s government has attacked what it called a “disappointing” verdict from the UK’s top court which ruled a scheme to deport asylum seekers to the African country was unlawful. The UK government suffered a major setback over its Rwanda scheme when the plan was dismissed by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. But a spokesperson for