UK

Rishi Sunak has argued national service will “keep kids out of trouble” – and lots of parents are “worried” about what their children get up to at the weekend. The plan, which has faced criticism from some Tory ministers, would see 18-year-olds given the choice of a full-time military placement for 12 months, or a

The rate of price rises in UK shops has returned to “normal levels”, according to new industry figures. Overall annual shop price inflation eased to 0.6% in May, down from 0.8% in April, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NielsenIQ said. The figure is the lowest since November 2021. Please use Chrome browser for a

The King has been given the first seedling from the famous Sycamore Gap tree, which was cut down last year. The National Trust has presented the monarch with the first seedling grown from seeds collected from the felled landmark for Celebration Day. The event takes place on the last bank holiday Monday in May and

A search has been launched for a missing hillwalker who may have become “disorientated” during a trek on the Isle of Rum. Keen hiker Mary Molloy, 68, was last seen walking in the area between Trollabhal and Bealach an Fhuarain at around 2.30pm on Saturday. She later got in touch with her family at around

Manchester United have won the FA Cup after beating rivals Manchester City 2-1 in the final at Wembley. Alejandro Garnacho put the Red Devils ahead with a close-range effort in the 30th minute after a mix-up between City defender Josko Gvardiol and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. Kobbie Mainoo then doubled United’s lead nine minutes later with

A total ban on under-16s owning smartphones should be considered by the next government, according to a report from MPs. The House of Commons Education Committee also called for a statutory ban on mobile phones in schools. It argued that screen time was harmful to children’s mental and physical health, and both schools and parents

An aircraft has crashed in a field in Lincolnshire, police say. Emergency crews are at the scene in Coningsby following reports the aircraft went down shortly before 1.20pm. A Lincolnshire Police spokesperson said a “single occupant aircraft” is believed to have crashed and nobody else is thought to have been involved. The Air Accidents Investigation

Migration has taken centre stage on the first day of the general election campaign, with the prime minister and Labour leader trading blows on the government’s flagship Rwanda policy. Sir Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of never believing in his deportation plan as he kicked off his campaign in Gillingham in Kent, a traditional Conservative

Police Scotland has sent a report to the country’s prosecution service in relation to Peter Murrell after the former SNP chief executive was charged with embezzling party funds. The force said in a statement on Thursday it had submitted a “standard prosecution report” to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). A spokesperson added:

Paloma Faith, KT Tunstall and other songwriters at the Ivor Novello Awards have spoken out about the use of AI in music, saying meaningful songs cannot be written by “robots”. The awards ceremony, which honours the craft of songwriting, was held in London this afternoon, with artists including Raye, Bruce Springsteen, Lana Del Rey and

The King shared a fist bump and greeted winners of the Prince’s Trust Awards in his latest public appearance. The monarch was pictured skipping the formal handshake with Tyler West, a presenter and DJ, at Buckingham Palace while celebrating the 20th edition of the awards ceremony. Hosted on Tuesday, the Prince’s Trust Awards “shines a

Paula Vennells arrived at the Post Office Inquiry a former chief executive, a former Church of England lay preacher and an ex-CBE, with only her reputation, and perhaps her liberty, left to defend. After more than five hours of questioning she has done very little to restore the former, with the latter still very much

The mother of a victim of the Manchester Arena bombing has walked from the venue to Downing Street to deliver a letter calling for new terror laws. Figen Murray’s son, Martyn Hett, was one of 22 people killed when terrorist Salman Abedi detonated a bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May

Police in Essex are cracking down on illegal car meets, saying they will “never accept people treating roads like racetracks”. Unauthorised car meets or car cruises – where drivers meet on the public highway or large public car parks to race or show their vehicles to others – have recently gained popularity, according to police.

A COVID vaccination centre in Ceredigion has been forced to temporarily shut its doors after two snakes were found on site. The snakes have been named Cwm and Cou after the Welsh village where the centre is located. Cou is the larger of the snakes and is believed to be an adder, while Cwm is

The wet weather in the UK and Ireland that seemed almost unrelenting last winter was made worse by climate change, scientists have said. October 2023 to March 2024 was the second wettest such period on record for the UK and the third wettest for Ireland, bringing more than a dozen severe storms. The weather caused

Police have launched a search for an 18-year-old man who may be camping in the Edinburgh area. Anthony Cook was reported missing from Grimsby in Lincolnshire on Sunday and is believed to have travelled to the Scottish capital. The teenager was spotted buying equipment at a camping shop on Causewayside on Monday, including a dark

The rate of price rises has dropped to 2.3% in April – the lowest in nearly three years and closer to the Bank of England’s target, according to official data. Inflation is at a low not seen since July 2021, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Money latest: Do Sunak and Hunt deserve any

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the UK economy is heading for a “soft landing” but reiterated its message to Jeremy Hunt that he should not have cut national insurance at the last two fiscal events. In its annual check-up on the state of Britain’s economy, the Washington-based Fund also warned of a black

“Workers united, will never be defeated!” a man shouts into a loud hailer. He is part of a crowd marching through the streets of Manchester in a May Day parade, organised by some of Britain’s biggest trade unions. The sun is shining and there’s a festival atmosphere, as his fellow marchers hold aloft placards about