National News

Thousands of protesters descended on London and chanted “Free Carla Foster” as they demanded an end to the criminalisation of abortion. Foster, 44, was given a 28-month extended sentence earlier this week after she admitted illegally procuring her own abortion when she was between 32 and 34 weeks. The protesters marched from the Royal Courts of Justice to Whitehall on Saturday, holding signs saying “abortion is healthcare” and “policing our

Some areas of the country could see as much as 80mm of rain in just hours on Sunday, the Met Office has warned. A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms almost entirely covers England and Wales between noon and midnight on Sunday. Lightning, strong winds and hail are all to be expected, with the forecaster saying London through to the Midlands as well as eastern England, east Wales and lower areas

Take That member Howard Donald has said he is “deeply sorry” after making a “huge error” by “liking social media posts that are derogatory towards the LGBTQIA+ community”. Donald, 55, who performs in the pop group alongside Gary Barlow and Mark Owen, has been dropped from playing at Groovebox’s Nottingham Pride Festival event in July. In an Instagram story on Saturday, Donald wrote: “I have made a huge error in my judgement (by) liking social

The King has received the official birthday wishes of the nation during his first Trooping the Colour ceremony as monarch. Pomp and pageantry were on display during the military spectacle where the most prestigious regiments in the British Army honoured their Colonel in Chief by parading to mark his anniversary. Charles had deputised for Queen Elizabeth II at last year’s event, also known as the Birthday Parade, but now rode

Labour and Conservative former ministers along with two prominent Tory backbenchers are among the politicians recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours for public service. Sir Ben Bradshaw, who served in both Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s governments and was only the second MP to be openly gay when elected in 1997, is receiving a knighthood. Long-serving Tory MPs John Baron and Bob Blackman are both made CBEs while former

Former England footballer Ian Wright and ex-England rugby captain Sarah Hunter are among the sporting stars who have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list. Hunter, who won a record 141 caps and was part of the team which won the 2014 World Cup, has become a CBE, and is one of a number of influential women on the list which also includes former UK Sport chief executive Liz

Martin Amis, the British literary giant whose work was respected by contemporaries across the creative sphere and who died last month, has been knighted. After publishing his first novel at the age of 24, he went on to write 13 more – as well as a memoir, two collections of stories and eight collections of non-fiction works. The author was given a knighthood before his death from cancer at the

An award-winning hairdresser who started free pamper sessions for women with cancer said she does not feel “worthy” after being awarded a British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours. Jill Lauder, 53, from Grangemouth, said the medal came as a complete surprise and she has no idea who nominated her. She opened her salon Lady J’s in the town in 2011 and started hosting the free pamper sessions three

The first test of this summer's series begins today at Edgbaston Ben Stokes has told his team a big Ashes summer will “never be forgotten” as he prepares to lead England’s battle to reclaim the urn for the first time since 2015. Stokes already owns a significant slice of Ashes history, with his match-winning century at Headingley four years ago inked into the folklore of cricket’s most storied series. He and his 10 team-mates