UK

Two more Tory MPs have withdrawn their support for Boris Johnson in the wake of Sue Gray’s report into Downing Street lockdown parties. The announcements by John Baron and David Simmonds follow a similar call by their backbench colleague Julian Sturdy on Wednesday. Mr Baron said the findings by senior civil servant Ms Gray as

Boris Johnson has insisted the UK needs to move on from partygate after the Sue Gray report revealed a slew of lockdown-breaching events at Downing Street. The prime minister said he took “full responsibility” for the scandal but defied renewed calls to resign as he sought to play down his personal involvement in the gatherings.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has asked police for an explanation after “smoking gun” pictures emerged of Boris Johnson drinking at an event during lockdown – for which he was not fined. Mr Khan, who oversees policing in the capital, told Sky News’ Kay Burley that the pictures from a Downing Street leaving do in November

Photos have emerged of the prime minister drinking at a gathering allegedly during the second lockdown. The photos, obtained by ITV News, show Boris Johnson holding a glass with at least six other people around a table with several empty wine bottles, biscuits and crisps. In the series of photos, the group appear to be

Boris Johnson has received Sue Gray’s updated report into lockdown-busting parties held in Downing Street and across Whitehall, Sky News understands. The release of the senior civil servant’s full report had been delayed until the Metropolitan Police finished their investigation into COVID rule-breaking events at the heart of government – named Operation Hillman. The conclusion

A man who murdered his partner’s three-year-old son has been sentenced to at least 24 years in prison, while his mother has been jailed for 11 years. Kemarni Watson Darby died from abdominal injuries on 5 June 2018, after his rib cage was “crushed” at the home he shared with his mother and her partner

Amber, 19, has waved her anonymity to tell her story. From the age of 13 she bounced through the care system, on a journey to ever-greater isolation and abuse, which ended in her being placed in “prison-like” secure accommodation “for her own safety”. Like many children, she was removed from home, in part, due to

Close contacts of monkeypox cases with the highest risk of exposure should self-isolate for 21 days, latest government guidance says. New guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recommends people who have had “unprotected direct contact or high risk environmental contact” with the disease should isolate – and avoid contact with immunosuppressed people, pregnant

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has said he does not know who requested a meeting between the prime minister and Sue Gray over her partygate report, but is confident there was “no way” she would allow herself to be influenced by anybody. Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, the cabinet minister also insisted

The UK is facing a “significant rise” in monkeypox cases over the next week, an expert has warned, with some health clinics stopping people walking in as they try to slow the spread of infections. About 80 cases have now been confirmed across 12 countries – including 20 in the UK – with the majority

A woman who was groped by Jimmy Savile on Top Of The Pops fears Steve Coogan will “struggle” to portray the “monster” in an upcoming BBC drama, amid calls for the series to be axed. Sylvia Edwards was 18 years old when she was assaulted on camera during a recording of the music show, but

Sue Gray and Boris Johnson had a private meeting to discuss the handling of the partygate report, Sky News can reveal. The pair discussed where Ms Gray believed the Metropolitan Police were with the inquiry, and Whitehall’s understanding of where the police were on interviews. The revelation of an undisclosed meeting is likely to trigger

Eight new cities have been created as part of the celebrations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee taking place in two weeks. The Cabinet Office announced the capital of the Falkland Islands is among the eight places to win converted city status, alongside Bangor in Northern Ireland, Douglas on the Crown Dependency of the Isle of

The investigation into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street and around Whitehall has concluded, the Met Police has announced. In all, police have made 126 referrals for fines relating to the partygate scandal – not all of which have yet been issued. Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are among those that have

“Open the curtains,” Emma Eastham tells her son Alex, “shall we show them your oxygen and what we do with it?” Alex is a thriving 16-year-old who loves music, DIY and (of course, because this is Wigan) Rugby League. “I want to go to College,” he tells me, “and become a joiner.” But when he

Britain’s biggest-ever lottery winners are to go public tomorrow. The winners of more than £184m in last week’s EuroMillions have so far kept quiet. They are now known to be a couple from Gloucestershire. Tuesday’s jackpot scoop made them the UK’s largest-ever National Lottery winners. And they will reveal themselves to the world tomorrow morning.

A Conservative MP has been arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault offences spanning a seven-year period. Scotland Yard confirmed in a statement that a man aged in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust and misconduct in public office. The individual remains

Inflation has hit its highest level in 40 years amid the deteriorating cost of living crisis. The rate shot up to 9% last month – its highest level since comparable readings in 1982. Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a broad-based hike in prices for everyday goods and services during April

A man has been found guilty of the murder of police community support officer Julia James. Callum Wheeler, 22, beat the mother-of-two to death as she walked her dog in fields and woodland near the back of her home in Snowdown, Kent. Mrs James was off duty on the afternoon of 27 April last year

More than four in five people in Britain are concerned about the rising cost of living in the coming months, according to an Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Sky News. Rising bills have meant that one in four people have resorted to skipping meals, according to the survey of more than 2,000 Britons. Data also