National News

The firm say 15 new routes will be added to their services Coach firm National Express has revealed plans for 15 new routes across the UK this spring. The company said it is also adding 130 new vehicles to its fleet under “significant” investment. The announcement follows an increase in passengers last year, with more than 16 million people travelling on its services, up by 10 million from 2021. The

That's according to the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper Transport Secretary Mark Harper said “no option is off the table” ahead of his decision on whether to renew the contract of train company TransPennine Express (TPE). Passengers of the FirstGroup-owned company have suffered from widespread delays and cancellations over the past year. Its contract to run the service expires on May 28. Commons Transport Select Committee member Mike Amesbury, the Labour

Beer prices have shot up but sales have begun to decline, alcohol giant Heineken said as the business and punters have felt the effects of higher inflation. Heineken, which owns hundreds of brands including Amstel, Birra Moretti, Beavertown and ciders Strongbow and Orchard Thieves, said average selling prices were 12% higher in the latest quarter compared with the previous year. It helped lift the global brewer’s revenues by around 5% in

Fewer than half of children saw a dentist in the past year in England, with opposition MPs warning parts of the country have become “dental deserts”. Data commissioned by the Liberal Democrats found there are as many as 3,000 people per NHS dentist in some English areas. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey is expected to caution on Wednesday that the dental crisis is leading desperate people to resort to

Paddington’s meeting with the Queen during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations is in the running to be voted the TV moment of the year at the Bafta Television Awards. The comedy sketch, part of the BBC’s Party At The Palace broadcast, saw the duffle-coat-wearing bear offer the late monarch a marmalade sandwich from his hat during a cream tea at Buckingham Palace. The Queen responded by revealing she also loves marmalade sandwiches,

Ofgem has announced all UK household energy suppliers have agreed to a ban on forcibly installing prepayment meters in the homes of people over the age of 85, Ofgem said suppliers have signed up to a new code of practice which will also see them give customers more chances to clear debts. PPMs have been in the spotlight after some energy suppliers, including British Gas, were caught breaking into the

Manchester City have submitted a planning application to expand the capacity of the Etihad Stadium to more than 60,000 while adding a hotel, museum and other facilities. The plans will add around 7,000 new seats to the stadium by expanding the north stand with a larger, single upper tier, following a different design to the expansion of the south stand which opened in 2015. Last week, the Etihad was included

Michelle Yeoh has said she is looking for new challenges, including as a producer, as she credited perseverance, hard work and passion for her historic Oscar win last month. The 60-year-old became the first Asian to win the Academy Award for best actress for her performance as a laundromat owner in Everything Everywhere All At Once. The movie won a total of seven awards, including best picture. Returning to her native Malaysia

Jeremy Corbyn has also said that Sir Keir Starmer’s insistence that the pair were never friends is “primary school stuff”. The former Labour leader, who has been blocked from running as the party’s candidate in Islington North at the next general election, said that he had always seen Sir Keir as a “colleague” when the pair worked together. The veteran left-winger, who sits in the Commons as an independent, also