UK news

UK news

David Jones, president of the Institute of Construction Management, says the guidance for multi-storey residential buildings is "loose", "spineless" and "open to interpretation". He argues it permits too many "tolerable" risks - for example, allowing flammable materials in window systems and between floors to remain even if they could let fire spread. "It's allowing developers to game the system," the veteran of more than 50 years says, adding that making it law would be an "absolute abomination".

We have been running large-scale multimedia campaigns to tackle sexual offences and sexual harassment on our transport networks since 2015. These campaigns have aimed to raise awareness of unwanted sexual behaviour; reassure victims that we take this issue seriously and improve their confidence to report knowing that action will be taken; and sending a strong message to perpetrators that this behaviour is harmful and won't be tolerated on our networks.

Authorities found the teenager and the suspected attacker suffering from multiple stab wounds after receiving a domestic violence report in a home in Casais, in the Tomar municipality. Moments after arriving at the scene, a suspected gas explosion tore through the house, believed to have been deliberately caused by the attacker, injuring one officer in the process. The teenager was found in cardiorespiratory arrest and pronounced dead at the scene.

"Playing fields are irreplaceable - and Sport England's statutory consultee role is an important line of defence. "Weakening this protection risks accelerating the loss of the very spaces that make grassroots sportand physical activity possible, at a time when participation is growing and demand has never been higher." Sport England declined to comment, but this month said it protected more than a thousand playing fields across the country last year.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

The Post Office made a confidential deal with Fujitsu 19 years ago to fix errors in subpostmasters' accounts, a document has revealed. The 2006 agreement suggests both companies were aware of bugs in the Horizon IT system, with Fujitsu liable for a 100-150 "liquidated damages" penalty per faulty transaction. The document indicates the Post Office and Fujitsu had authorisation to alter accounts, despite claims it was not possible to do so remotely and that there were no bugs in the system.

A two-year-old boy has died and five people left seriously injured after their car broke down and was hit by another vehicle on a busy dual carriageway. A Volkswagen Touran smashed into them in the live northbound lane at around 6.20pm on Saturday. Five others inside the Toyota, two adults and three children, were rushed to Peterborough City Hospital. Paramedics took the boy there in a critical condition, but he sadly died.

A church in Holland Park hosted a carol service with a difference, welcoming people and their pets to sing together. The sold-out event at St John the Baptist Church was held for a second year, attracting up to 400 people and animals. Organisers said visitors travelled from far afield to one of the few churches offering pet blessings in a festive service.

Two men have been convicted of planning an Islamic State-inspired attack on a mass gathering of Jews in the Manchester area. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, had a visceral dislike of Jewish people and wanted to cause untold harm, the court heard. But the plot was scuppered as they unknowingly laid bare their scheme to an undercover operative (UCO).

I think it's really important that we have honesty in the way that we talk about human rights, and that we also have a recognition that the demonisation of migrants creating this idea that migration causes huge risks for the country can make the lives not just of migrants to the UK, but of ethnic minority UK citizens, very, very difficult.

(Screengrab via Channel 4) Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will warn the UK of rising fascism on Christmas Day as he becomes the chosen face of Channel 4's 2025 alternative speech that will air at the same time King Charles addresses the British citizens on the BBC. While Channel 4's press release noted Kimmel's speech will retain a characteristically jovial tone, the network confirmed that the comedian's message will be deeply personal as he brands 2025 a great year for fascism.

Acklom convinced Carolyn Woods in 2012 that he was both a Swiss investment banker and an MI6 agent, and had celebrity friends with whom he regularly spoke. In reality, the man was not an international banker, nor was he in espionage, and his fabled friendships with British celebrities such as Chris Evans were allegedly also fabricated. He also did not have a string of properties in need of renovation. He left Woods penniless.

I have taken note of the psychological trauma as well as the inconvenience caused to the victims, and the distress that all of them have expressed at allowing you into their homes into their private space only to be violated.

An elderly man has died after being hit by a car in northwest London. Metropolitan Police officers attended alongside the London Ambulance Service at around 1pm on Friday. He was taken to hospital where he sadly died on Monday. A force spokesman said: His family are aware and continue to receive support from specialist officers. An investigation into the collision remains ongoing. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or

Philip Young, 49, formerly from Swindon but now living in Enfield in north London, has been charged with 56 sexual offences. They include multiple counts of rape, administering a substance to overpower his victim to allow sexual activity, voyeurism, possession of indecent images of children and possession of extreme images. The alleged victim, Young's now ex-wife, Joanne Young, 48, has waived her right to anonymity.

When jumping fans of any age talk about a proper, old-fashioned steeplechaser, they have a strapping colossus of a horse in mind, with the strength to keep jumping and powering on through the deepest of winter ground when lesser rivals have cried enough. A horse like Pendil or The Dikler in the 1970s, Desert Orchid or Carvill's Hill a decade or so later, or Denman lugging top weight to victory in the Hennessy - when it still was the Hennessy, back in 2009.

December is traditionally one of the quietest months for Channel crossings, as a combination of low temperatures and stormy weather makes the journey particularly difficult. Poor visibility and less daylight have also been cited as factors influencing the crossings. The most arrivals recorded in December was 3,254 in 2024; 2,163 people have arrived so far this month. The arrivals on Saturday bring the total number of people who have crossed the Channel this year to 41,455.

Ever since Team GB's velodrome successes at the 2008 Olympics, campaigners and government ministers have confidently predicted that Britain is about to become a nation of cyclists. There is just one problem: for the most part, it has not happened. Apart from a very concentrated spike in bike use during Covid, the level of cycle trips in England has stayed broadly static for years, and things do not appear to be changing.

Landowner, City of London Corporation (CLC) has chosen Daisy Green to run cafes at Queen's Park, Golders Hill Park, Parliament Hill Lido and Parliament Hill Fields from spring 2026, after putting these leases out to tender. Emma Fernandez, who co-runs three of the sites, said the CLC was "destroying this fabric which is holding together the community". The corporation said Daisy Green, would bring new investment to the sites, and said its remarketing exercise was carried out in an "open, inclusive, widely publicised" way.

My thoughts are with the victim's family at this unimaginably difficult time. Our investigation is continuing at pace as we work to establish the full circumstances around this incident. Were you in the area or on Tollgate Gardens on Friday, 19 December? Do you have any mobile phone or dash cam footage of individuals in the area around the time of the incident? If so, please come forward and speak to police.

While this has obviously been a very difficult decision - and it is the greatest honour of my life to represent Glasgow - I do not wish for a personal friendship to become a distraction. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve, and I remain committed to returning a Scottish Labour government next year.