Twenty-seven-year-old held on suspicion of child neglect after deaths of three- and four-year-old boys in Sutton A 27-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect after a house fire in south London caused the death of two pairs of twin boys, who had been left alone at the […]

Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, allegedly had drinks for up to 20 staff in his Whitehall offices in December last year The country’s leading civil servant has stepped down from his role investigating alleged lockdown-breaking parties inside Downing Street after claims emerged he had hosted an event himself over the […]

Makeshift vessels got into trouble attempting to make crossing from France to the UK More than 130 people have been rescued after their makeshift vessels became stranded in the Channel as they tried to reach Britain from France, French authorities said. Two navy vessels and two lifeboats brought the 138 […]

Drop in protection against Omicron variant may lead to ‘a large number of people’ needing treatment Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Hospitalisations from Covid could pose major problems for the NHS as Omicron surges in the winter despite the acceleration of the booster programme, leading scientists […]

Party figures demand shake-up of No 10 operation after byelection defeat to Liberal Democrats Boris Johnson is “on notice” and could be gone within a year unless he cleans up his act and shakes up his No 10 operation, senior Tories are warning, after the Liberal Democrats scored an extraordinary […]

First minister Mark Drakeford tells public to reduce Christmas socialising to stop spread of Omicron Covid variant Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Welsh government will bring in new restrictions including closing nightclubs and imposing a 2-metre social distancing rule in offices from 27 December to […]

Pressure on chancellor to help hospitality firms hit by cancellations amid record Covid surge Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Rishi Sunak has been forced to cut short a trip to California and fly back to London to draw up an emergency rescue package for hospitality firms […]

Firefighters faced an ‘intense blaze’ throughout the ground floor of the property, said London Fire Brigade Four children have died in a house fire in south London. The London fire brigade (LFB) said eight fire engines and about 60 firefighters were sent to Collingwood Road, Sutton, at just before 7pm […]

Confident verdict so early in a byelection night is rare and highlights the optimism of the Lib Dems in challenging a usually ultra-safe Tory seat The Liberal Democrats have said they will “comfortably” win the North Shropshire byelection, with the count still under way, a result which would, if it […]

National Audit Office says there is little extra left to cut behind the scenes as licence fee income falls The BBC could be forced to replace expensive high-end dramas and natural history shows with cheaper programmes owing to government-imposed funding cuts. The broadcaster is required to make deep and continued […]