News – World and UK

Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality he received since entering Number 10 after a row over ministerial donations. The Prime Minister is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer. It comes after Sir Keir and other Cabinet members – who vowed […]

Israel’s ground incursion into Lebanon to battle Hezbollah militants has left eight Israeli soldiers dead while the region braced for further escalation as the government vowed to retaliate for Iran’s ballistic missile attack. The Israeli military said seven soldiers were killed in two separate attacks. Another seven troops, including a combat medic, were wounded. Earlier, the military had announced that a 22-year-old captain in a commando brigade was killed in […]

The father of a 14-year-old girl has said his daughter is “traumatised” after being injured in a suspected acid attack outside a school in west London. A boy aged 16 and a 27-year-old woman were also injured after the substance, believed to be acidic, was thrown at the victims outside Westminster Academy on Monday afternoon. Police believe the teenagers were approached by a lone suspect who was on an e-scooter, […]

The ringleader of a plot to smuggle £76 million of cocaine into Britain from Ecuador in consignments of bananas has been jailed for 20 years. James Stevenson, 59, known as The Iceman, pleaded guilty mid-trial at the High Court in Glasgow to two charges – directing a serious criminal offence of importation of cocaine, and being involved in organised crime through production and supply of etizolam, known as street valium. […]

Sir Keir Starmer promised a “pragmatic, sensible” approach to the UK-EU relationship in order to “make Brexit work” as he held talks in Brussels. The Prime Minister met European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, saying he was determined to put the relationship with Brussels on a “stable, positive footing”. Sir Keir is pushing for a better trading relationship and greater co-operation on defence and security measures as part of […]

Conservative leadership candidates looked to voters who turned away from them at the general election in their final speeches at the party’s conference. Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch are all pitching to members in Birmingham, in their bid to replace Rishi Sunak. Mr Tugendhat told delegates that the party needs to “face the truth” that many people with conservative values “did not vote for us”. Mr […]

Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from the front-line eastern town of Vuhledar, after more than two years of grinding battle, military officials said. Kyiv’s military had fought hard to keep Vuhledar, which is perched on top of a tactically significant hill in the east and becomes the latest urban settlement to fall to the Russians. It follows a vicious summer campaign along the eastern front that saw Kyiv cede several thousand […]

Defence Secretary John Healey is in Cyprus as the Government steps up efforts for a potential evacuation of Lebanon with the Middle East teetering on the brink of wider war. Mr Healey confirmed British forces were involved in efforts to defend Israel from Iran’s ballistic missile barrage as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned of the risk of a “miscalculation” after the escalation of violence in the region. It is […]

JD Sports has said it is doing better than other struggling sportswear labels after reporting rising sales this year, as the group continues to cash in on demand for trainers around the world. The group reported total revenues of £5 billion in the 26 weeks to August, which it said was a record amount. This was 6.8% higher than the same period last year, at constant currency rates. Compared like-for-like, […]