Alcohol misuse killed more people last year in England and Wales than in any of the previous 20 years, according to official data. In 2020, there were 7,423 deaths related to alcohol misuse – up from 19.6% in the previous year, according to data from the Office of National Statistics. Deaths increased from March 2020,
UK
The polls open at 7am today for the biggest set of elections outside a general election in almost 50 years. Voters will cast their ballots despite the many COVID-19 restrictions still in place, with 48 million people given the chance to have their say. In Scotland and Wales, the electorate will decide on their national
Bridget Jones is on a list of international celebrities granted VIP status under the government’s new points-based immigration system. V good, she would write in her diary. Renee Zellweger, the Texan actress who played the 30-something singleton who cooked blue soup, wore enormous pants and drank and smoked too much, tops the list. She is
Laboratories to test current and new COVID-19 vaccines against variants of concern are to be built at Porton Down, the government has announced. A total of £29.3 million will go towards building the “state-of-the-art” laboratories at Public Health England’s new testing facilities at the Ministry of Defence’s top-secret complex in Wiltshire. Scientists will be able
Government-funded nurseries are facing a crisis which is threatening their survival, according to a survey by leading unions and charities. A third of maintained nurseries, which are financed and controlled by local authorities, are cutting staff and services because of the impact of coronavirus, and uncertainty over the funding they will receive in the next
Restoring the seas around Britain is as important to achieving net zero carbon emissions as reforesting, campaigners have said. Around 205 million tonnes of carbon are stored in the UK’s coastal waters, 50 million more than is held in all of the country’s standing forests, according to a report by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS)
Limits on international leisure travel should continue even after 17 May, a cross-party group of MPs has warned. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on coronavirus has told the government to “discourage all international leisure travel” to protect the UK from COVID-19 variants. The group said that airport arrival halls are a “breeding ground for infection”
Limits on international leisure travel should continue even after 17 May, a cross-party group of MPs has warned. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on coronavirus has told the government to “discourage all international leisure travel” this year to protect the UK from COVID-19 variants. The ban on foreign holidays is expected to end for England
Angry Manchester United fans are staging a protest against the club’s owners after getting inside their Old Trafford stadium. Supporters had gathered outside to demonstrate ahead of Liverpool’s visit this afternoon following the club’s failed attempt to join the controversial European Super League. Fans were also earlier seen letting off flares and blocking the entrance
Four children have been taken to hospital after suffering a “violent reaction” from eating sweets believed to contain cannabis, police have said. Officers were called to a parade of shops on Pound Lane, Epsom, at 2.15pm on Saturday, and found three children vomiting uncontrollably and falling in and out of consciousness. The 12-year-old girl, 12-year-old
Police have said they have received a third party report relating to claims of sexual offences committed by a male, after allegations were made against the actor Noel Clarke. In a statement, the Met Police said: “On Wednesday 21 April police received a third party report relating to allegations of sexual offences committed by a
A police community support officer who was murdered in a Kent village died from “significant head injuries”, police have said. Officers say they are “working very hard” to find a motive for the killing of Julia James whose body was found in Akholt Wood earlier this week. The 53-year-old was off-duty at the time and
Sky and production company Vertigo Films have dropped Noel Clarke from any future productions after he was accused of sexual harassment and bullying. BAFTA described the allegations as “abhorrent” and claims it did not know about them until after Clarke received his most recent award. “Sky stands against all forms of sexual harassment and bullying
Travellers reporting a failure to receive expensive COVID testing kits or results from private providers has raised fears that the UK’s current system for managing airport arrivals is not fit for purpose. People arriving in the UK, from countries that are not on the “red list”, currently have to quarantine for 10 days and pay
Heathrow’s chief executive has said he is “deeply concerned” the UK’s Border Force will not be able to cope with additional COVID checks if all foreign travel resumes from 17 May. John Holland-Kaye told Sky News the Home Office and UK Border Force “need to get a grip” on the checks or change the system
The UK is “at or close to the bottom” of coronavirus case levels, according to England’s deputy chief medical officer who praised the public for sticking to lockdown measures. Speaking at a Downing Street COVID briefing, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said: “We are really in very low levels that are comparable to where we were in