National News

Consumer confidence climbed slightly in March despite the cost-of-living crisis remaining a “stark reality” for most, according to a survey. GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index increased two points in March, masking ongoing concerns about personal finances and rising to an overall score of minus 36. Confidence in personal finances over the next 12 months remains weak, falling three points to minus 21 – three points lower than this time last

The value of households’ spending on subscription services, home improvements and dating fell annually in February, according to analysis by Britain’s biggest building society of its members’ outgoings. The volume of dating transactions fell by a third (33%) in February 2023 compared with the same month in 2022, also falling by 7% by value, Nationwide Building Society found. Spending on subscriptions fell by 6% annually by volume and by 3%

England record-breaker Harry Kane reflected on a “magical moment” after he put his World Cup pain behind him to stand alone as the country’s all-time leading goalscorer on Thursday night. Kane’s 44th-minute penalty in Naples helped England to an impressive 2-1 win away to Euros champions Italy and earned him a slice of history. It moved Kane top of the national team scoring charts with 54 goals and ahead of

He'll now have to await the verdict of the Privileges Committee Boris Johnson is fighting for his political future after MPs investigating his partygate denials denounced the “flimsy” assurances they were based on. In at times short-tempered testimony lasting more than three hours, the former prime minister insisted there was not a “shred of evidence” to show he lied to MPs. It would have been “utterly insane” for him to have

Rishi Sunak has hailed the “incredibly strong support” for his new deal with Brussels on post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland after seeing off a backbench revolt by Tory hardliners. A total of 22 Conservative rebels, including former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, defied a three-line whip to vote against regulations to implement a key plank of the Windsor Framework agreement. The so-called Stormont brake, designed to give

Rishi Sunak has hailed the “incredibly strong support” for his new deal with Brussels on post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland after seeing off a backbench revolt by Tory hardliners. A total of 22 Conservative rebels, including former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, defied a three-line whip to vote against regulations to implement a key plank of the Windsor Framework agreement. The so-called Stormont brake, designed to give

Emma Raducanu fell at the first hurdle of the Miami Open following defeat to Bianca Andreescu. Raducanu, looking to build on her run to the fourth round of last week’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, was out of sorts early on as her Canadian opponent eased into the lead by taking the first set 6-3. However, Raducanu, 20, raised her performance in the second – which included a marathon

Two children have been arrested after an altercation in a Superdrug store that has been widely shared on social media. A video appears to show a black 15-year-old boy being restrained and handcuffed by two civilian security staff, with one kneeling across his legs. Sussex Police said its officers were called to the shop in East Street in Chichester, West Sussex, shortly after 3.30pm on Wednesday to reports that a

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has said Rishi Sunak’s newly-published tax summary shows he pays a “far lower tax rate than working people”. She said: “After much delay, it is right that the Prime Minister has published his tax returns. “They reveal a tax system designed by successive Tory governments in which the Prime Minister pays a far lower tax rate than working people who face the highest tax burden