UK

The National Grid’s electricity system operator and gas system operator will release one of their regular winter outlook reports later. They are designed to set out supply and demand scenarios as the weather gets colder and energy consumption tends to peak. Amid an energy security and price crisis, this year’s outlook report has taken on

Three British rockets streaked into the sky towards Russian forces under attack in a key frontline town in eastern Ukraine. The target was a mobile Russian command post. A Ukrainian artillery officer said it would have been hit because his soldiers never miss. Sky News is the first to be granted permission to film a

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has urged his ministerial colleagues to keep their views on government policy “around the cabinet table” as Liz Truss faces an open split within her top team over the 45p tax rate U-turn. The senior cabinet member warned his peers that it is “always better to feed straight into the boss”

Liz Truss says she had “absolutely no shame” in performing a dramatic U-turn on the government’s plan to scrap the 45p higher rate of tax. The prime minister told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby she “took the decision very rapidly” to axe the policy, which was “becoming a distraction” from the rest of the

Liz Truss has refused to commit to raising benefits in line with inflation, despite growing pressure from a cabinet minister and senior Tory MPs. The prime minister said she was “fully committed” to raising pensions, but that “no decision” had been made on the benefit uprate promised by her predecessor Boris Johnson. Politics Hub: Truss

The energy regulator has warned the UK is facing a “significant risk” of gas shortages this winter. The information, which was revealed in a letter sent from Ofgem last week and first revealed by The Times, spoke of the possibility of “gas supply emergency” measures to help preserve stocks due to the impact of Russia’s

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has confirmed that the government is axing plans to give the wealthiest 1% a tax cut following a bitter backlash from Tory MPs. Mr Kwarteng said in a tweet that the measure had become a “distraction” from his objection to grow the economy. He said: “We get it, we have listened.” Politics

Christmas turkey supplies could be at risk if the worst avian flu outbreak in UK history continues to spread, the National Farmers’ Union has warned. More than three million birds have had to be culled so far, with Avian Influenza Prevention Zones introduced in Norfolk, Suffolk, parts of Essex and the whole of the South

Liz Truss has doubled down on her controversial tax-cutting agenda, telling Conservative rebels that she is “going to do things differently” and that “there is no option but to change”. The prime minister is set to face a wretched week at the Tory Party conference after the disastrous reaction to Kwasi Kwarteng‘s tax-cutting mini-budget last

A man has been charged with the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel who was shot dead in her home in Liverpool. The Crown Prosecution Service said 34-year-old Thomas Cashman has been charged with the girl’s murder and the attempted murder of her mother Cheryl. Cashman has also been charged with the attempted murder of convicted

Prince William has called for improved online safety for children after a coroner ruled social media contributed to the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell. The Prince of Wales said: “No parent should ever have to endure what Ian Russell and his family have been through. They have been so incredibly brave. Online safety for our

Consumers are being warned they may be targeted by scammers as the government’s energy price guarantee comes into effect. Messages asking for people to provide personal or financial details to receive support should be treated as fraudulent activity, as no applications are required, the business secretary has said. The £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme will

Labour has surged to record leads in multiple polls in the wake of the economic turmoil after the government’s mini-budget. A YouGov/Times poll placed Labour 33 points ahead of the Conservatives, believed to be the largest lead for Labour in any recorded poll since 1998, when Tony Blair was enjoying his “honeymoon period”. And a

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng will meet the head of the UK’s independent fiscal watchdog today amid the fall-out from the government’s mini-budget. The talks with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) come after a week of economic turmoil following last Friday’s announcements, which saw the pound plunge, mortgages rocked and pension funds needing to

Prime Minister Liz Truss’s external adviser on the economy has told Sky News that the chancellor had “taken his eye off the ball” and “overstepped the mark” with his mini-budget. Gerard Lyons, who is often referred to as Ms Truss’s favourite economist, said the the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng failed to adequately prepare the financial markets

Liz Truss is a “danger” to the economy and has “lost control” after the fallout from the government’s mini-budget, Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News. Speaking to political editor Beth Rigby, the Labour leader stopped short of calling for the PM and her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, to quit, saying it was a “secondary” issue.

Shoppers are paying a record 10.6% more for food than they were a year ago, figures show. Overall shop price inflation accelerated to 5.7% in September, up from 5.1% in August, in another record since the British Retail Consortium-Nielson IQ index began in 2005. Food price inflation rocketed past last month’s 9.3% to 10.6%, driven

The Bank of England’s chief economist has said the government’s mini-budget, which led to the pound falling to a record low against the dollar, will require “a significant monetary policy response”. Speaking at the International Monetary Policy Forum, Huw Pill reasserted the Bank of England’s willingness to act to rein in inflation. Mortgage repayments could

The collapse of the value of the pound in the wake of Friday’s mini-budget appears to have stalled, for now, but only thanks to market expectations that the Bank of England will be forced to intervene. The rout for sterling, which began after Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng revealed a £45bn tax cut plan on top of

The pound has fallen to a record low against the dollar amid a fresh investor rush towards the US currency globally. Sterling slipped by nearly 5% early on Monday to $1.0327 – building on fresh 1985 lows seen on Friday after UK chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled the biggest programme of tax cuts for 50 years.