National News

Ministers are facing calls to make further concessions to their sweeping asylum reforms, after senior Tory MPs joined a small backbench rebellion amid a parliamentary tussle over the Illegal Migration Bill. Senior Tories used Tuesday’s debate to call for further reforms, as MPs spent more than three-and-a-half hours holding 18 votes in the Commons that saw several amendments made by the House of Lords overturned. The Illegal Migration Bill was

Daniel Ricciardo will make a shock return to Formula One at the Hungarian Grand Prix a week on Sunday. The eight-time grand prix winner, who was axed by McLaren at the end of last year, will replace Nyck de Vries at Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri for the rest of the year. Rookie De Vries was hired by AlphaTauri at the beginning of this season but he has been dropped

Tyson Fury has announced a clash against mixed martial arts fighter Francis Ngannou in a boxing contest on October 28 in Saudi Arabia – but the Briton’s WBC heavyweight title will not be at stake. Fury most recently fought last December, stopping compatriot Derek Chisora inside 10 rounds, but talks over an undisputed world title showdown against Oleksandr Usyk bitterly broke down earlier this year. While Usyk defends his WBA,

The BBC’s gender pay gap has increased to its highest level since 2018. The median pay gap is now 7.3%, up from 5.9% for 2021/22. The BBC said this is due to investment in technology and product areas, which are male dominated. The public broadcaster has come under fire for its pay gap and last month director-general Tim Davie told MPs there are still eight equal pay cases open internally

Artificial intelligence and heightened sensitivity about fraud are causing banks to shut down the accounts of innocent people, a lawyer has warned. High-profile cases involving Jeremy Hunt and Nigel Farage have led to ministers calling for an urgent review of how banks treat politicians. But Jeremy Asher, a solicitor at law firm Setfords, said members of the public were also having their lives ruined by the sudden and unexplained closure of their bank accounts thanks to

The 154th Open Championship will be played at Royal Birkdale in 2026, the R&A have announced. The Southport venue has hosted the Open on 10 previous occasions, most recently in 2017 when Jordan Spieth edged out fellow American Matt Kuchar to lift the Claret Jug. Three shots clear of Kuchar heading into the final round, Spieth was a shot behind after his fifth bogey of the day on the 13th,

A group of meerkats is to move into a children’s hospital to give young patients the opportunity to connect with nature. The meerkats from Edinburgh Zoo will live in a new enclosure to be built at NHS Lothian’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) in the Scottish capital. The initiative, said to be the first of its kind outside Australia, is being delivered through a partnership between Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC),

Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana has joined Union Berlin on loan for the 2023-24 season. Fofana moved to the Blues from Molde on a six-and-a-half-year deal in January but has found opportunities limited at Stamford Bridge, making just four appearances and only one start. The 20-year-old Ivory Coast international will now look to gain more first-team experience at a club who have qualified for next season’s Champions League after finishing

Ange Postecoglou will relish the chance to prove people wrong at Tottenham after claiming he has needed to be “faultless” to reach this stage of his managerial career. A coaching journey spanning nearly three decades has taken the Australian from Melbourne to London via spells in Yokohama and Glasgow. Success has followed the 57-year-old, but he is now tasked with a sizeable rebuilding job at Spurs, who have not won