UK

The Duke of Edinburgh “was involved in every detail” of the planning for his funeral, the Archbishop of Canterbury has told Sky News. The Most Rev Justin Welby said Saturday’s order of service has been in the planning for more than 25 years. “He was more than involved in the planning of it – he

Actress Helen McCrory, best known for starring in Peaky Blinders and the Harry Potter films, has died after a “heroic battle with cancer”, her husband Damian Lewis has said. The actress, who also appeared in the James Bond film Skyfall and in the TV series Quiz and Roadkill last year, was 52. “I’m heartbroken to

Ocado has revealed plans to develop self-driving delivery vehicles and “kerb to kitchen” robots as part of a tie-up with tech firm Oxbotica. The online grocery firm hopes to see prototypes developed within two years though it will take longer before they are ready to start serving customers. Vehicles that operate within Ocado’s depots will

England’s R number has dropped slightly to between 0.7 and 1 – as the average level of coronavirus infection has dropped sharply across the UK, according to the latest data.  Last week, the figure was estimated to be between 0.8 and 1 by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). R represents the average

The cost of COVID-19 tests for holidaymakers should be cut to £30 to encourage people to start travelling again, a boss at one of Britain’s biggest travel chains has told Sky News. Jonathan Woodall, chief operating officer at Hays Travel, said that the current price of up to £200 for PCR tests was too high

Whitehall’s spending watchdog has launched an investigation into Greensill Capital’s involvement in government-backed COVID support schemes prior to the firm’s collapse. The National Audit Office on Friday announced the latest Westminster inquiry into Greensill, which is at the centre of a lobbying row involving former prime minister David Cameron. In June last year, the government-owned

The new Indian variant of the COVID virus that’s been detected in the UK has all the hallmarks of a very dangerous virus. It has two new significant mutations in the spike protein that help it infect cells and evade the immune system. New figures from Public Health England (PHE) show there have been 73

Former Gladiators star Jefferson King – known as “Shadow” in the show – has been pictured in a police mugshot after he admitted to being involved in a blackmail plot. The one-time bodybuilder appears gaunt and very different to his former self, having struggled with drug addiction for years. The 59-year-old is currently in custody

Dulux has apologised after making fun of Tottenham Hotspur – immediately after being signed as their new sponsor. The paint brand said it was “deeply sorry” for social media posts that mocked the team’s performance and would investigate them. The apology came after the paint supplier announced its new partnership with Spurs on Twitter on

The government has denied it is planning to scale back rapid coronavirus testing after reports claimed senior officials are concerned about false positives. Ministers have spent billions of pounds on making lateral flow tests (LFTs) widely available nationwide, with Boris Johnson urging everyone in England to take two a week. But senior advisers are concerned

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is being accused of “cronyism at the heart of government” by Labour after it was revealed he has been given shares in a family firm that has done business with the NHS. Mr Hancock has declared in the Commons register of MPs’ interests that he now owns shares in Topwood Ltd,

A 21-year-old university student suffered heart failure after “excessive” consumption of energy drinks, a medical journal report has revealed. The man drank four 500ml cans every day for two years, leaving him in intensive care and unable to complete his studies, the BMJ Case Report shows. For four months he suffered shortness of breath and

Warnings have been put in place after a large section of cliff in Dorset collapsed on to a beach and into the sea. The stretch of cliff spanning about 300m was affected when 4,000 tonnes came away in massive chunks. The rockfall along the Jurassic Coast was reportedly the biggest in the UK for 60

Young people who have already tested positive for coronavirus are not fully protected against reinfection, new research suggests. A study of 3,000 members of the US Marine Corps, mostly aged between 18 and 20, showed that 10% of participants (19 out of 189) who had contracted COVID-19 before tested positive again. This is compared with

A pub owner has been jailed for nine years for the manslaughter of a seven-year-old boy who was electrocuted while playing in a beer garden. In September 2018, Harvey Tyrrell suffered a fatal shock when he touched poorly installed outdoor lights as he played in the garden at the King Harold in Romford, east London.

A police dog has died after being struck by a train while he was chasing suspected burglars. Police Dog Jet, a six-year-old German shepherd, was killed following a burglary at a commercial property in Yate, south Gloucestershire. While pursuing the suspects, PD Jet ran on to an obscured section of track and was hit by