UK

Britain is facing a summer of discontent with more workers set to be balloted on strike action, a union chief has warned, as a series of walkouts is set to cripple the rail network. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has predicted industrial action could spread to other services, arguing that “people can’t take it anymore”.

Dame Kelly Holmes has announced she is gay, and says she has hidden it for 34 years. Speaking during Pride month, the two-time gold medallist said she realised she was gay at the age of 17 after kissing a fellow female soldier, and that her family and friends have known since 1997. The Olympic champion

Thousands of people have marched in central London demanding more action from the government over the rising cost of living. Beginning in Portland Place, they walked to Parliament Square for a rally organised by the TUC. Banners read “end fuel poverty, insulate homes now”, “nurses not nukes” and “cut war not welfare”. Songs including I

Britons cannot expect pay rises to keep up with the soaring cost of living, the government has warned. Treasury Chief Secretary Simon Clarke has said matching salaries to inflation risked causing prices in the shops to surge even higher. His intervention comes as more than 40,000 staff prepare for a three-day strike that will cripple

Boris Johnson has made a second surprise visit to Kyiv for a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after pulling out of a major red wall conference in Doncaster at the last minute. The prime minister was due to make a speech before Tory northern MPs, councillors and business leaders on Friday afternoon. Sky News’ deputy

An investigation is under way following the death of a passenger at Gatwick Airport. EasyJet confirmed the death in a statement, adding members of its cabin crew gave medical assistance to the unnamed passenger while waiting for help from paramedics. The airline said: “A number of our cabin crew provided medical assistance to a passenger

Young gymnasts were starved and made to hang from the rings in punishment as part of an abusive culture in British Gymnastics, according to a damning new report. The Whyte Review, which examined over 400 complaints, uncovered an “unacceptable culture” that has left countless young people humiliated, shamed and permanently psychologically or physically damaged by

Lord Geidt has resigned as the prime minister’s adviser on ministerial interests. He tendered his resignation to Boris Johnson, according to a brief statement on the government’s website on Wednesday evening. “With regret, I feel that it is right that I am resigning from my post as Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests,” the statement reads.

Plans to ban “no-fault” evictions and to make it easier for tenants to keep pets will be unveiled as part of the government’s new deal for private renters published later. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is set to publish its Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper, which it describes as “the biggest

The government will appeal against a European court ruling that grounded the first flight due to take asylum seekers to Rwanda and is “highly confident” the next plane will take off, a Cabinet minister has told Sky News. Therese Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, said the public would be surprised that the European Court

Two asylum seekers due to be deported on a flight to Rwanda tonight have had their exit from the UK postponed following last-ditch legal appeals. A Boeing 767-300 stands ready on a Ministry of Defence runway at Boscombe Down in Amesbury to take the first migrants to the east African country later this evening. But

Church of England leaders have said the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is an “immoral policy that shames Britain” – with the first flight set to depart today. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York – as well as 23 other bishops – have written a letter to The Times that claims no

The European Commission has warned it will take “proportionate action” to secure the legal implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol after the UK government published legislation which will override the mechanism. The commission’s vice president Maros Sefcovic said the EU viewed the UK’s actions with “significant concern” and that it would consider what steps to

The UK economy contracted by 0.3% in April, according to official figures released as the CBI, Britain’s biggest employers’ group, demanded “vital actions” from the government to prevent an inflation-driven recession. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had been expected by economists to confirm a slight rise in gross domestic product (GDP) for the month

A former British soldier has died fighting Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, his family have said. Jordan Gatley left the British Army in March and flew to Ukraine soon after to help fend off Russian forces and train Ukrainian soldiers. Announcing the news on Facebook, his father Dean wrote: “Yesterday (10/06/22) we

The Queen has become the world’s second-longest reigning modern monarch. She has overtaken Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for 70 years and 126 days between 1927 and 2016. Louis XIV of France remains the longest-reigning monarch, with a 72-year and 110-day reign from 1643 until 1715. The Queen, crowned in 1953, became the longest-serving