National News

Both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss are to vote against Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal in Parliament. The two former prime ministers will form part of an expected backbench rebellion against the agreement negotiated with Brussels, although the extent of Tory opposition remains unclear. Mr Johnson confirmed on Wednesday that he will not be backing the deal when MPs vote on the Stormont brake in the Commons later on Wednesday, with

UK inflation shot up unexpectedly last month as vegetable shortages pushed food prices to their highest rate in more than 45 years, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rose to 10.4% in February from 10.1% in January. Most economists were expecting CPI to fall to 9.9% in February. The surprise jump in inflation comes after food and non-alcoholic drinks prices

Boris Johnson faces a televised grilling by MPs investigating claims he knowingly misled Parliament over the “partygate” affair in a hearing which could determine his future as a MP. The former prime minister is expected to be questioned for around four hours by the Commons Privileges Committee over his denials of No 10 parties during the pandemic in violation of lockdown rules. If he is found to have deliberately misled

The UK’s energy import bill more than doubled in a year to £117 billion, a report has found. The Offshore Energies UK report (OEUK) has said this is the first time that annual UK energy import costs have broken the £100 billion barrier and it equates to £4,200 per UK household. In 2022, the UK spent about £63 billion on crude oil, petrol, diesel, and other oil-based fuels, with another

Google has begun rolling out its rival to ChatGPT. The tech giant said it is giving some over 18s in the UK and US access to its Bard chatbot from Tuesday. The company hopes the artificial intelligence tool will be available in more countries and different languages over time. Unlike its rival, which was developed by OpenAI, the brand new bot has access to the internet and has a “Google

Any type of hormonal contraceptive may increase the risk of breast cancer, new research suggests. The study indicates that use of progestogen-only hormonal contraceptives is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. While previous studies found that use of the combined contraceptive pill, which combines oestrogen and progestogen, is associated with a small increase in the risk of developing breast cancer that declines after stopping use. The researchers looked

England defender Ben Chilwell insists he is mentally stronger after returning from an injury which forced him to miss the World Cup. The Chelsea left-back tore a hamstring just a couple of weeks before the tournament and missed out on going to Qatar. However, having regained fitness, he has been recalled by manager Gareth Southgate and the 26-year-old is determined to take positives from the experience. “Of course mentally it

The Peaky Blinders movie is set to begin filming in Birmingham “soon”, its creator has said. Steven Knight, who brought the Shelby street gang’s exploits to television screens through the hit BBC series, said the call for the forthcoming movie’s extras would also be going out shortly, adding “all you need is a haircut – and a cap”. He was speaking at the announcement on Tuesday, of a new “world-beating”

Former Tottenham defender Matt Doherty is hoping “unbelievable” manager Antonio Conte stays with Spurs “as long as possible” amid speculation over his future. The Italian, whose contract is due to expire during the summer, has found himself under the spotlight following a weekend rant during which he accused his players of lacking professionalism and questioned the club’s culture over the last two decades. Conte spoke out after seeing his team