Local News

A scheme meant to boost access to NHS dentists under the last government appears to have "comprehensively failed", MPs have saidIntroduced in February last year by Conservative health ministers, the Dental Recovery Plan promised to introduce 1.5 million new treatments for patients and offered dentists a "bonus" to take NHS patients. According to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the scheme appears to have "resulted in worsening the picture" more than […]

A 'vile' former police officer who was caught in a sting operation after travelling to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old boy has been jailed. Thomas Kettleborough, 35, then an inspector with Avon and Somerset Police, was arrested in July 2023 while attempting to meet up with 'the teenager' after communicating with him on Grindr and Snapchat. However, he was actually speaking to undercover officers.After being detained at a […]

The expansion of Luton Airport has been approved by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.She said she approved the airport's expansion plan, which is for a new terminal rather than runway, despite the Planning Inspectorate recommending she reject it over environmental concerns. Chancellor Rachel Reeves had been considering whether to expand the airport as a means to boost UK growth, following a similar decision to give the green light to a third […]

An MP has told Sky News she was attacked online by the Tate brothers after she participated in a debate in the House of Commons about violence against women.The controversial duo, Andrew and Tristan Tate, are facing charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK - all of which they deny. But they are still very active online, and according to Sorcha Eastwood, the MP for Lagan Valley, are […]

The US is "our closest ally" but "nothing is off the table" in response to Donald Trump's 10% tariffs on imports from the UK, the business secretary has said.In a statement following the US president's nearly hour-long address to the world, Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: "We will always act in the best interests of UK businesses and consumers. "That's why, throughout the last few weeks, the government […]

The assisted dying bill is entering the make-or-break stage.The message from those around Kim Leadbeater is that all is calm and well. She tells me she is "not particularly worried" about 28 MPs changing their minds and overturning the previous, historic, vote at the bill's second reading. But the mood at the assisted dying campaign's press conference today is different. The cheerful optimism that marked the last one has turned […]

A Mercedes driver has been arrested after a collision involving a tractor that crashed into two houses.A Mercedes driver has been arrested after a collision involving a tractor that crashed into two houses. The Mercedes and the tractor collided on the A51 Vicars Cross Road in Chester, Cheshire, at around 6.35am on Tuesday, police said.The tractor crashed into two semi-detached properties, causing extensive damage including the collapse of outside walls, […]

Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app On Day 73, the eve of President Donald Trump's new tariff announcements, US correspondent Mark Stone and deputy political editor Sam Coates discuss what they may bring for the UK. Can PM Keir Starmer negotiate a better deal? And, immigration, it's a challenging issue for both Trump and Starmer. Is the approach in America working while in Britain it's not? Or […]

An 11-year-old girl who went missing after entering the River Thames has been named as Kaliyah Coa.An "extensive search" has been carried out after the incident in east London at around 1.30pm on Monday. Police said the child had been playing during a school inset day and entered the water near Barge House Causeway, North Woolwich.A recovery mission is now said to be under way to find Kaliyah along the […]