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PM’s waiting list pledge hinges on resolving NHS strikes, Atkins suggests Victoria Atkins has suggested that the Prime Minister’s pledge to cut NHS waiting lists relies on the “threat” of further NHS strikes being “removed”. The Health Secretary, who was appointed to the role just under three weeks ago during a Cabinet reshuffle by Rishi Sunak, has made tackling the disputes with doctors one of her top priorities. Her approach has produced

Former Labour minister and MEP Baroness Kinnock dies Baroness Glenys Kinnock of Holyhead, a former minister, MEP and wife of ex-Labour leader Lord Kinnock, died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, her family said in a statement. Baroness Glenys Kinnock died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday with her husband and former Labour Party leader Lord Kinnock by her side, her family said. She served as a minister in the

A British man was among those injured in a suspected terror attack in Paris which left a German tourist dead, the Foreign Office has said. A 25-year-old man attacked a German couple with a knife on Saturday night, killing the man, and used a hammer to injure two others, according to reports by AP. He was later arrested after he was tasered by police and expressed anguish in custody about

More than 2,500 people in Cumbria were without electricity on Sunday morning, as the county’s fire and rescue service said it worked through the night to rescue drivers from cars trapped in deep snow. Power cuts followed Saturday’s heavy snow in Cumbria, with the Met Office issuing new weather warnings for across the UK on Sunday morning. Electricity North West’s list of live power cuts showed at 10am that 2,508

Scotland’s First Minister has accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of insulting Scotland after appearing to praise former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Baroness Thatcher – who died in 2013 – presided over a privatisation agenda during her time in Downing Street in the 1980s which saw the decline of industry in Scotland, including coal mining and steel working. Her administration has long been maligned by those on the left of

Shoppers, diners and pub-goers are being urged to be kind and considerate to staff this Christmas amid concern for their welfare at their busiest time. The plea comes as violence and abuse against those in customer-facing roles continues to climb, with a recent union survey showing 65% of retail staff experienced verbal abuse and 42% have been threatened by a customer in the last 12 months. Trade bodies are reminding

Police officers seized more than £4.5 million worth of drugs in Scotland over a period of three months earlier this year, according to a new report. The figure was contained in Police Scotland’s latest performance report covering the second quarter of 2023/24 detailing drug discoveries between July and September. It said activity over the period included two men being arrested and charged after a pill press and nearly one million

Strikes by train drivers will continue on Sunday, leading to the cancellation of services, with more disruption set to hit passengers for the rest of the week. Members of the drivers’ union Aslef are staging a series of walkouts in the coming days in a long-running dispute over pay. They are also banning overtime until next weekend which will lead to disruption and cancellations. Drivers on East Midlands Trains and

Cumbria Police has urged people not to travel to the county on Sunday after it declared a major incident because of heavy snowfall on the county’s roads. The force said a multi-agency response was ongoing on Saturday evening to “minimise the challenges that heavy snowfall is continuing to have on the county’s road network”. It has urged people not to travel to the county on Sunday unless necessary, adding that