UK politics

UK politics

The trial of former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson for alleged sex offences is set to begin in a case that triggered a political earthquake in Northern Ireland. Donaldson, 63, is charged with rape, gross indecency and other sexual offences spanning 21 years. His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, is charged with aiding and abetting rape and indecent assault and will be subject to a trial of facts. A heavy security and media presence is expected at Newry crown court for the opening of a trial on Tuesday that is expected to last at least four weeks.

The court of appeal will review the non-custodial sentences given to three teenage boys for the rape of two girls, Keir Starmer has announced. The boys, two of whom were 15 and one aged 14 at the time of sentencing, were given youth rehabilitation orders after the judge in the case said he wanted to avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily and support their reintegration into society.

Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil however that "pushing forward with hollowed-out legislation is a cop-out". She said the proposed legislation did not cover services, which represent 70pc of exports from the occupied territories on the West Bank. The Bill only addressed goods, which made up 30pc of such exports, she said. This was despite the fact that Spain's legislation had included both goods and services.

BP has removed its chair, Albert Manifold, with the oil company's board saying it had serious concerns about important governance standards, oversight and conduct. The FTSE 100 company announced Manifold's departure with immediate effect on Tuesday, without giving further details. He lasted only eight months in the role. BP's share price slumped by 9% in the minutes after the announcement just before lunchtime in London before recovering slightly to a6% decline, making it the FTSE's top faller.

Getty Images Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is to ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to examine the hidden costs parents may be charged by childcare providers. The Conservative government introduced 30 hours of free childcare for most working parents of three and four-year-olds in England for 38 weeks a year, and Labour extended eligibility to parents of children as young as nine months old. But ministers are concerned that families are still facing costs to secure places through demands for non-refundable deposits.

Parents of nursery children in England are being charged extra fees to cover for government underfunding of free childcare hours, with some paying thousands of pounds a year for consumables such as food, wipes and nappies, campaigners have said. The comments came as the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, asked the competition watchdog to investigate hidden extra charges that parents have encountered when trying to access government-funded childcare.