National News

The UK’s retail sector did unexpectedly well last month as it sold more fuel due to falling prices and more summer clothes thanks to a spike in temperatures. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that retail sales volumes rose 0.3% in May, better than the 0.2% drop that economists had forecast. The bounce was largely due to a rise in petrol and diesel sales, which the ONS

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is to ask banks if they can do more to support struggling households after a shock interest rate hike deepened the mortgage crisis. He is meeting large lenders including HSBC and Santander in Downing Street on Friday as the Government comes under pressure to relieve the pain. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Mr Hunt have ruled out a financial intervention as rates were hiked as the Bank

A man has been charged after two people were stabbed at a hospital in north-west London. Armed officers were called to Central Middlesex Hospital at around 1.20pm on Wednesday to reports that two people had been stabbed. Officers arrived to find two men, both believed to be in their 40s, with stab injuries after they are thought to have been attacked with a mattock. The conditions of both men are

A statement moments ago, from the US Coastguard has confirmed catastrophic damage to the pressure chamber on the craft. The pilot and four passengers of the missing Titan submersible are believed to be dead, as a result. The news was confirmed by the operators of the craft and the US Coastguard. A spokesman offered condolences to the loved ones of those on board.  He also thanked the many people who

The Bank of England has pushed up interest rates to 5%, the highest rate in almost 15 years, as policymakers and the UK Government come under mounting pressure to control the cost-of-living crisis. The move is set to deepen the mortgage crisis as borrowing costs are hiked up for the 13th time in a row. The 0.5 percentage point increase was the sharpest increase since February, surprising economists who had

It's thought oxygen supplies on the Titan will be close to running out Additional help is being sent to find the missing Titan submersible with just hours of oxygen thought to be left for those onboard. The vessel lost communication with tour operators on Sunday while about 435 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada. As of Wednesday afternoon, it was

The Defence Secretary had been thought to be one of the frontrunners for the job British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has ruled himself out of contention to succeed the secretary general of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg. Mr Wallace told The Economist “it’s not going to happen” and there are “a lot of unresolved issues in Nato”. He said the US wants Mr Stoltenberg to stay in the role. Earlier in the month, US President Joe Biden

The Prime Minister says he feels a “deep moral responsibility” to deliver on his pledge to halve inflation after the key driver behind the cost-of-living crisis stayed static last month. Office for National Statistics data published on Wednesday showed that the Consumer Prices Index inflation (CPI) remained at 8.7% in May, the same level as in April, despite experts forecasting a fall to 8.4%. Rishi Sunak, due to speak on

A spokesman for the mothership which launched the missing submersible has defended OceanGate, saying it runs an “extremely safe operation”. Questions were raised about the safety of the vessel, called Titan and run by OceanGate, during a press conference in Canada on Wednesday. Five people are on board the submersible, which went missing on Sunday off the coast of Canada during a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic, and