Local News

Benefit fraudsters could be banned from driving and subject to bank account snooping if they fail to pay back the taxpayer, under a new government crackdown.In an effort to curb welfare fraud, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched what has been dubbed the biggest fraud crackdown in a generation. The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill would introduce new measures, including allowing the government to recover […]

The family of the Southport attacker have been moved to a "secret location" by police for their own protection, leaders at the church his father attended say.Axel Rudakubana, 18, yesterday pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder for fatally stabbing Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and injuring 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club on 29 […]

Prince Harry and the publisher of The Sun "are very close" in negotiations over a potential settlement, the High Court has heard. The Duke of Sussex and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson are suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over allegations of unlawful information-gathering. NGN, which also ran the now-defunct News Of The World, denies any unlawful activity took place at The Sun.The trial had been due to start […]

Pauline Quirke has been diagnosed with dementia and will be stepping away from acting, her husband has confirmed.The 65-year-old star was best known for her role in the hit sitcom Birds Of A Feather, playing Sharon Theodopolopodous opposite Linda Robson, who played her sister Tracey.Steve Sheen, who has been married to Quirke since 1996, said she had been diagnosed with the condition in 2021.In a statement, he said it was […]

David Beckham has said that "girls are held back" in an awards ceremony speech in Davos."I want my daughter Harper to have the same opportunities as her brothers and that should be the case for all girls everywhere," the former England captain said as he was recognised as a cultural leader in Davos during the World Economic Forum (WEF). He was presented with a Crystal Award in Switzerland on Monday […]

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will travel to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week to court potential investors in UK growth projects, joining hundreds of political and economic leaders gathering in the Swiss Alps in the shadow of Donald Trump's inauguration.Ms Reeves will join political leaders including German chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, and a vice premier of the […]

A father accused of stabbing his 14-year-old daughter during a "play-fight" has told a court it was a "freak accident" - claiming he accidentally threw a knife at her without realising.Simon Vickers, 50, denies both the murder and manslaughter of his only child Scarlett in the kitchen of their home in Darlington on 5 July last year.Teesside Crown Court has heard Scarlett died after being stabbed through the heart.Prosecutors said the 11cm […]

The trial of an 18-year-old accused of killing three girls in a knife attack at a dance class in Southport is due to begin today.Axel Rudakubana, from Lancashire, will appear at Liverpool Crown Court charged with the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.The girls died following the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at The Hart Space shortly before midday […]

There's a deep, transatlantic contrast between the bombastic billionaire Donald Trump and the bespectacled human rights lawyer Sir Keir Starmer, on a political and a personal level.Despite the so-called "special relationship" it's clearly going to be an uphill battle for the British PM to forge a productive relationship with the incoming president, but he has no choice but to do so. Politics latest: Trump 'within his right' to make statement […]