UK

A scheme to plant 50 million trees in the north of England has been given almost £15m of funding by the government. The Northern Forest will connect five community forests across the north of the country, creating a band of native broadleaf trees such a oaks, and conifers like spruce and pine. Planting will span

The UK is temporarily suspending competition laws for the fuel industry to allow the sharing of information and to target petrol stations running dry around the UK as a result of driver shortages. Earlier, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng met with fuel industry executives in an effort to find a way through the current supply chain

A future Labour government would scrap business rates as part of “the biggest overhaul of business taxation in a generation”, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to announce. In her address to Labour’s conference in Brighton on Monday, Ms Reeves will highlight how high streets are “struggling” due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

Sir Keir Starmer has seen his reform of Labour’s rulebook approved by the party’s conference in Brighton despite another day of opponents continuing their fight against the changes. In a vote at the Labour gathering in Brighton, Sir Keir’s overhaul of how the party elects future leaders was passed by 53.67% to 46.33%. But the

Lewis Hamilton has spoken of the “magical moment” of winning his 100th Formula One race at Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix. Hamilton, 36, used his driving and overtaking skills, and his strategic thinking in the rain, to fight back from seventh place on the first lap to a landmark victory. He is the first driver to

A Labour MP was wrong to say that “only women have a cervix”, party leader Sir Keir Starmer has said. Rosie Duffield has been criticised for her opposition to transgender women being able to access single-sex spaces such as domestic violence refuges, school toilets and prisons. The Canterbury MP is not attending Labour’s conference in

The UK has recorded 32,417 further COVID-19 cases and 58 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest government figures. There have been 239,342 cases over the past seven days – an increase of almost 31,974, equivalent to 15.4% – data published on the government’s coronavirus website showed. A total of

Len McCluskey has firmly rejected suggestions that he failed to appoint his preferred successor as Unite general secretary, insisting it is “not true” that Sharon Graham was only his third preference. It is understood Mr McCluskey was privately supportive of the left wing candidate Howard Beckett, before publicly committing his support to Steve Turner’s failed

Fulham footballers players have been praised for creating “a beautiful moment in the beautiful game” after celebrating a goal with a disabled supporter who had been bullied online. Several of the London team’s players ran over to Rhys Porter, who was sat in the front row of one the stands, after Aleksandar Mitrovic put Fulham

A father of two who has spent four years looking for a stem cell donor after he was diagnosed with blood cancer said he had not “felt this alive for years” after completing a charity wing walk. Peter McCleave was diagnosed with myeloma in 2017 and was told that he has seven years to find

The transport secretary has said “there’s plenty of fuel” in the country as he urged motorists to only fill up “when they need to”. Grant Shapps was speaking on Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday programme as panicked motorists caused lengthy queues at petrol stations for a third day. A shortage of fuel tanker drivers

Detectives investigating the murder of Sabina Nessa have arrested a 38-year-old man in what Scotland Yard said was a “significant development”. The suspect was held by police on suspicion of murder at around 3am on Sunday at an address in East Sussex. Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, from the Met’s specialist crime command, said: “Sabina’s

Sir Keir Starmer’s watered-down proposals for changing Labour’s rulebook will be put to the party’s conference in Brighton following a bruising internal row. The Labour leader has been forced into retreat, amid opposition from trade unions and the party’s left wing, in his bid to alter the rules on how his future successors are elected.

Anthony Joshua has failed to retain his heavyweight titles after being beaten by Oleksandr Usyk. Ukrainian Usyk won on a points decision after 12 rounds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, meaning he takes Joshua’s IBF, WBA and WBO belts. The 34-year-old became the third man, after Evander Holyfield and David Haye, to

Sir Keir Starmer has been forced to water down his planned overhaul of Labour rules at the opening of the party’s conference in Brighton, as he was accused of an “almost pathological fear of democracy” in pushing for change. The Labour leader had sought to use the Brighton gathering to alter the rules on how

Panicked motorists have caused lengthy queues at petrol stations for a second day – as an industry expert predicted the “catastrophic situation” is going to get worse before it improves. Long lines of cars continued to form at forecourts across the country on Saturday after a shortage of HGV drivers forced some fuel retailers to