Month: January 2025

Patients will be able to book more tests and scans after work and at weekends as part of plans to free up millions of medical appointments and slash waiting lists for elective treatment. The elective reform plan, to be published by NHS England and set out by the Prime Minister on Monday, is part of a drive to deliver two million extra appointments by the end of next year. Labour’s […]

Justin Welby is spending his final day as Archbishop of Canterbury, as he prepares to step down over failures in handling a Church of England abuse scandal. Almost two months after announcing his resignation, he will officially quit the role at midnight on Monday. It follows an independent review which concluded barrister and Christian camp leader John Smyth – thought to have been the most prolific serial abuser to be […]

RuPaul’s Drag Race star The Vivienne has died aged 32, their publicist has said. James Lee Williams, who performs as the drag queen, won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and came third on the 2023 edition of Dancing On Ice. Williams, who was born in Wales, adopted the drag name as they were known for wearing Vivienne Westwood clothing. Their publicist, Simon Jones, announced the news on […]

Elon Musk has said Nigel Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead Reform UK, just weeks after the pair had a “great” meeting in the US. The owner of Tesla and X – the social media site formerly known as Twitter – met with Mr Farage in December at US President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, which Mr Farage described as “historic”. That meeting came amid reports Mr Musk was […]

Heavy overnight snow is causing disruption across the UK as the cold start to the new year continues. Two amber weather warnings from the Met Office have been put in place in England and Wales, with 3cm to 7cm of snowfall predicted for much of the affected area, mixing with rain at times in lower-lying areas. The Met Office said Bingley, West Yorkshire, had seen 12cm of snow up to […]

More NHS patients who need elective care will be able to decide where they are treated under new Government plans to slash waiting lists. More NHS patients who need elective care will be able to decide where they are treated under new Government plans to slash waiting lists. The NHS App will be overhauled to give patients more choice under the elective reform plan, which is set to be announced […]

Nearly 40% of Scots registered with a dentist have not seen one in two years, figures have revealed. A freedom of information request by the Scottish Liberal Democrats found 39.5% of all those registered with a practice have not been to one in 24 months. That includes 1.8 million adults and 177,318 children, according to Public Health Scotland. Another 80,000 children have not seen a dentist in five years. Meanwhile, […]

The Prince of Wales said he was “shocked and saddened” by the “tragic” death of his former nanny’s stepson in a New Year’s Day vehicle attack in New Orleans. The Metropolitan Police confirmed they were supporting the family of Edward Pettifer, 31, of Chelsea, who was killed in the attack in Bourbon Street, Louisiana. Authorities have confirmed 14 people died and at least 35 others were injured when the suspect, […]

Luke Littler believes he can hunt down Phil Taylor’s record of 16 world titles after becoming the youngest ever champion. The 17-year-old consolidated his status as the biggest star in the game by winning the World Championship with a 7-3 demolition of Michael van Gerwen at Alexandra Palace. Littler has already achieved things away from the oche that the great Taylor could never do by transcending the sport, but says […]