National News

Thomas Frank said the uncertainty that hung over Ivan Toney and Brentford due to the striker’s FA charge of breaking gambling rules was allowed to run on for too long. Toney was charged with 262 betting offences in November and December last year, with the 27-year-old admitting to 232 of them in February, but it took until Wednesday for an eight-month ban from football to be handed down. The England

A masked man has attacked a statue on the front of the BBC’s Broadcasting House in central London with a hammer and chisel. It comes days after repair work was started to the previously-attacked Grade II listed statue, of Prospero and Ariel from Shakespeare’s The Tempest by Eric Gill, who is said to have sexually abused two of his daughters. A man wearing a Spiderman mask seen on scaffolding surrounding

The Chancellor has urged Conservatives “not to talk ourselves down” as he warned that creating an “inaccurate narrative” about Britain could make it into a reality. Jeremy Hunt said he had noticed an “insidious declinism” creeping in among “those who used to be optimists like me” when it came to topics such as Brexit and UK economic performance. It follows a week of blue-on-blue attacks in which Tories, including Home

Schools are “bewildered” by the rate of change in artificial intelligence (AI) and believe it is moving “far too quickly” for government alone to provide the advice that is needed, leading head teachers have warned. Their comments come after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “guardrails” are to be put in place to maximise the benefits of AI while minimising the risks to society. Mr Sunak said the UK’s regulation must

Ministers have moved to restrict the dispensing of a medicine used to treat the symptoms of menopause due to shortages being experienced in Britain. The UK Government issued a serious shortage protocol (SSP) for Utrogestan 100mg capsules on Friday. It means pharmacists will be able to dispense a maximum of two months’ supply per prescription in a bid to ensure women who use the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can continue

A 21-year-old terrorist has admitted plotting a gun attack in London’s Hyde Park. Edward Little planned to buy a gun to kill a Christian preacher and her camera crew at Speakers’ Corner as well as any police or soldiers in the area at the time, it was alleged. He was on his way into London in a taxi with thousands of pounds in cash when he was stopped and arrested

Thousands of households were receiving homeless duties after a “no-fault” eviction at the end of last year, new figures show. The Government has announced Section 21 – commonly known as no-fault – evictions would be abolished as part of the Renters’ (Reform) Bill. New figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, show 5,120 households were given homelessness duties in the last three months of 2022 after being

Volodymyr Zelensky is joining the G7 summit in Hiroshima in person as Rishi Sunak and allies seek to turn up the pressure on Russia. The Ukrainian president will attend the summit in Japan on Sunday, it is understood, as the Prime Minister warned Vladimir Putin “we’re not going away”. It will potentially bring Mr Zelensky into contact with India’s Narendra Modi and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who have

The Smiths’ bassist Andy Rourke has died aged 59, his former bandmate Johnny Marr has said. A post on Marr’s Twitter account said on Friday morning: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer. “Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans.