National News

A hotel which inspired Charles Dickens’ first novel and counts the Beatles and King George II among its former guests has been named as a historic site at risk of being lost forever. Over the past year, Historic England has added 159 buildings to its Heritage at Risk Register under threat from decay, neglect or inappropriate development – while 203 sites have been rescued. Holmfirth Conservation Area in West Yorkshire,

John Lewis has released an upbeat tale of a young boy whose grow-your-own Christmas tree turns out to be a mischievous Venus flytrap as it firmly sidesteps the nation’s woes for the festive season. The highly anticipated advert – a long-established feature of the UK’s festive retail landscape – is titled ‘Snapper, The Perfect Tree’ and follows the boy as he lovingly nurtures the plant from a seed bought at

Britain will lead the world in the development of self-driving cars, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said. He made the claim after an Automated Vehicles Bill to create a set of laws for using autonomous vehicles was included in the King’s Speech. The legislation will aim to ensure there is clear legal liability over who or which organisation is responsible during crashes involving self-driving cars. This is seen as vital to

Nearly twice as many used electric cars are being sold in the UK than a year ago, new figures show. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 34,021 pure battery electric cars changed hands between July and September. This was 99.9% more than the same period a year ago. Pure battery electrics took a record quarterly market share of 1.8%. The SMMT attributed the rise to an increase

Manchester United’s Champions League hopes received a huge blow as Erik ten Hag’s side twice blew a lead following Marcus Rashford’s red card before super sub Roony Bardghji sealed a bonkers 4-3 win for Copenhagen. A fortnight on from injecting hope into a faltering continent campaign by narrowly beating the Danish champions, Parken witnessed a scarcely believable comeback that leaves the Red Devils bottom of Group A. Rasmus Hojlund’s brace

Home Secretary Suella Braverman accused police of “double standards” and “playing favourites” with protesters as a pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day appeared set to go ahead despite Government objections. Mrs Braverman claimed that “pro-Palestinian mobs” are “largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law”. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hauled in Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley for an emergency meeting about the march planned in London, saying he would hold

Blood tests for Alzheimer’s could be available on the NHS within five years, experts have said. Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Alzheimer’s Society have launched a £5 million project to bring simple tests to the health service, with the hope of speeding up diagnosis and reaching more people. At present, diagnosing people with Alzheimer’s can be tricky and relies on brain imaging or painful lumbar punctures, where a sample of

House prices are expected to be around £45,000 higher on average by 2028, as market demand and buying power recovers, according to a forecast. Property adviser Savills, which released the research, said the market looks set to “bottom out” around the middle of next year. Across Britain, the average property value will increase to £300,108 in 2028, marking a £45,521 or 17.9% increase from an average house price of £254,587

Manchester City defender John Stones is facing a lay-off after suffering an injury in the holders’ Champions League stroll against Young Boys on Tuesday. The England international was withdrawn at half-time at the Etihad Stadium. Manager Pep Guardiola described the loss of Stones as the “deep bad news” from a night when City secured their place in the last 16 for an 11th successive year with an otherwise straightforward 3-0