Category Archives: UK news

British public support for monarchy at historic low, poll reveals

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On eve of king’s coronation, survey shows only three in 10 Britons think monarchy is ‘very important’

Only three in 10 Britons think the monarchy is “very important”, the lowest proportion on record, a poll shows as the king’s coronation approaches.

A survey by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) shows public support for the monarchy has fallen to a historic low. A total of 45% of respondents said either it should be abolished, was not at all important or not very important.

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‘No Mow May’: UK gardeners urged to let wildflowers and grass grow

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Public asked to put away lawnmowers next month to deliver big gains for nature and the climate

A top 10 of the most common plants in British lawns has been revealed as conservationists urge gardeners to let their grass grow for the month of May.

Scientists at the charity Plantlife are asking the public to look out for wildflowers and other plants in their lawns as they put their lawnmowers away for a campaign labelled “No Mow May”.

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HMV to return to flagship Oxford Street store after four-year absence

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First HMV shop was opened in 1921 by British composer Sir Edward Elgar and closed in 2019

HMV is to return to its former flagship store on London’s Oxford Street after a four-year absence. It is expected to reopen towards the end of this year, in time for Christmas.

The store was empty for an extended period after the music and entertainment company vacated the site in 2019, before most recently becoming home to one of the many American candy stores that popped up on Oxford Street during the pandemic.

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Dogs with dementia also have sleep problems, finds study

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Humans with condition can have disturbed sleep, and similar symptoms in dogs indicate cognitive decline is under way

From loud snores to twitching paws, dogs often appear to have a penchant for a good snooze. But researchers have said elderly canines with dementia appear to spend less time slumbering than those with healthy brains – mirroring patterns seen in humans.

It has long been known that people with dementia can experience sleep problems, including finding it harder to get to sleep. Researchers have also found changes in the brainwaves of people with dementia during sleep – including decreased slow brain waves that occur during non-rapid eye movement deep sleep. These are important in memory consolidation and appear to be linked to the activity of the brain’s system for clearing away waste.

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BBC chair Richard Sharp braced for potentially damning report on his appointment

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Report expected imminently will detail how Sharp came to be recommended for job by Boris Johnson

A potentially damning report on how Richard Sharp was recommended for the job of BBC chair by Boris Johnson is expected to be published on Friday morning.

Sources say the report, by the barrister Adam Heppinstall KC, could prove uncomfortable reading for Sharp.

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UK says nearly 900 evacuated from Sudan amid hopes of further flights

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Foreign secretary welcomes ceasefire but cites need for haste as Tory MP presses him over fate of Britons’ Sudanese parents

Britain said it had evacuated nearly 900 people from Sudan and was hoping to continue evacuation flights overnight, although violence flared as the country’s warring factions agreed to extend a ceasefire.

The foreign secretary was under pressure over a refusal to allow Britons trying to flee to take elderly parents with them, amid fears that renewed fighting between the army and paramilitaries could halt the airlift at any time.

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Meloni praises Sunak’s immigration policies on visit to No 10

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Far-right Italian prime minister in London for ‘new beginning’ aiming at deeper and wider alliance between the countries

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has praised the work undertaken by her British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, to fight people traffickers and clandestine immigration networks, as two of the most prominent rightwing leaders in Europe met in Downing Street.

At the start of a two-day visit designed to deepen relations between the two governments, Meloni was greeted outside Downing Street by a small group of demonstrators carrying placards reading “stand up to racism” and “no to fascist Meloni”.

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Steve Barclay says RCN left him with no choice but to go to court to block unlawful strike – UK politics live

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Health secretary defends court action as Pat Cullen says government decision could make nurses more determined to vote for further strike action

Maclean tells MPs that the last Labour government required photo ID for voting in Northern Ireland. She claims fears that this would lead to people being disfranchised did not materialise.

Earlier, in response to opposition claims that the policy was all about voter suppression (reducing the chance of non-Tories voting), she said Labour required party members to provide photo ID when they turned up to vote to select a Labour candidate.

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No 10 says UK ‘extremely attractive’ for business after Microsoft broadside

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Downing Street responds to stinging attack from US firm’s president over blocking of $69bn Activision deal

Downing Street has defended the UK as an “extremely attractive” place for tech startups after Microsoft’s president said Brexit Britain was worse for business than the EU, in a stinging attack on the UK’s decision to block a $69bn (£55bn) deal to take over Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft rounded on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Thursday after a surprise decision to block its planned takeover of the Call of Duty games developer, with its president, Brad Smith, describing it as the “darkest day in our four decades in Britain”.

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Alfred the Average? Court case coins may alter the view of a king

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Treasure from Viking hoard shows Alfred the Great in alliance with ruler who later ‘mysteriously’ disappeared

He’s been known as Alfred the Great since the 16th century, celebrated for his wisdom, generosity and mercy.

But coins at the heart of a major heritage crime court case suggest we may have to rethink the ninth-century Anglo-Saxon king. “Alfred the Average?” suggested Det Supt Lee Gosling, who led the police operation which resulted in guilty verdicts for two men on Thursday.

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Marelle Sturrock: murder investigation launched into death of Glasgow teacher

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Police search for partner David Yates after body of 35-year-old, who was pregnant, found

A murder investigation has been launched into the death of a pregnant teacher as officers search for her partner, Police Scotland has said, confirming that her unborn baby had also died.

The body of Marelle Sturrock, 35, who was due to give birth in the summer, was discovered on Tuesday morning at a property in the Craigton area of Glasgow.

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Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black to face trial on charge of assaulting woman

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Husband of diver Tom Daley is accused of attacking Terry Edwardes in a London nightclub last year

The Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black will face trial in August accused of assaulting a woman in a London nightclub.

The American film-maker, 48, who is married to the Olympic champion diver Tom Daley, appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Thursday, a court official confirmed.

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Sainsbury’s and Unilever deny claims of profiteering in cost of living crisis

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Supermarket chain and consumer goods company insist they are protecting shoppers from inflation surge

Sainsbury’s and the Marmite maker Unilever have both insisted they are protecting shoppers from inflation, amid accusations that some companies are profiteering from the cost of living crisis.

“We are not profiteering in any form,” the chief executive of Unilever, Alan Jope, said as the consumer goods company insisted it was only passing on three-quarters of its increased costs to customers.

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Sentence of Kenyan man convicted of role in Briton’s murder is quashed

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David Tebbutt’s widow ‘delighted’ as court rules conviction of Ali Kololo for robbery with violence was unsafe

A man found guilty of being part of a gang of pirates who murdered a British tourist 12 years ago has had his conviction quashed by Kenya’s high court.

Ali Kololo, from Lamu County, was convicted of robbery with violence in connection with the 2011 attack that left David Tebbutt dead and his wife, Judith, held captive in Somalia for six months.

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Ivory displayed at Prince William’s palace despite his criticism of trade

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Artwork exhibited at Kensington Palace among nearly 2,000 artefacts in royal collection

For more than a decade, Prince William has spoken out vehemently against the use of ivory, calling it “a symbol of destruction, not of luxury”. The royal patron of the anti-ivory charity Tusk has lobbied leaders in China, the US and countries across Africa.

He has even said that he wants to destroy all the ivory owned by the royals. In 2019, a spokesperson for William clarified that while destroying all the ivory in the royal collection was beyond the prince’s control, he had “ensured there is no ivory from the collection at Kensington Palace”, his place of residence.

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UK and Europe are falling behind US and China in biotech, says AstraZeneca boss

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Pascal Soriot says decline in startups across Europe differs markedly from ‘explosion’ of firms and clinical trials in China

The boss of Britain’s biggest drugmaker has said that the UK and the rest of Europe are falling behind China and the US in the creation of biotech firms and clinical trials of new medicines.

Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, said that while China had seen an “explosion of biotech companies”, and a “rapid expansion of clinical trials” that puts it ahead of the US, the UK and EU had posted declines.

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Sudan conflict: renewed clashes raise fears ceasefire will not be extended

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UK military chiefs say flights will continue as long as conditions are safe

Renewed clashes in Khartoum and in south-west Sudan have raised fears that the current three-day ceasefire due to expire on Thursday night will not be extended and fighting will instead intensify

A surge in violence would threaten the evacuation of thousands of foreign nationals who remain in Sudan. UK military chiefs said flights would continue as long as conditions were safe, although the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said the UK “cannot guarantee” how many would depart once the ceasefire ends.

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UK company set up in name of top Putin official in Ukraine

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Volodymyr Saldo, a Kremlin puppet in the Russian-occupied territories, listed as firm’s owner, despite being under sanctions

A UK company has been set up in the name of one of Vladimir Putin’s top officials in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine despite him being under sanctions.

Volodymyr Saldo, a notorious puppet of the Kremlin in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, is listed as the owner of a UK company registered in November, five months after his name was added to the sanctions list.

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Chinese vice-president’s coronation appearance would be ‘outrageous’, say Tories

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Senior MPs say attendance of Han Zheng, accused of breaching Sino-British treaty with Hong Kong crackdown, would be insult

Senior Conservative MPs have labelled the expected attendance of China’s vice-president at King Charles’s coronation as “outrageous”.

Han Zheng, who was recently appointed as president Xi Jinping’s deputy, is expected to represent China at the May event, Politico reported.

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Police hunt suspect after woman found dead in Glasgow

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Officers search Mugdock country park after death of primary school teacher Marelle Sturrock

Police are searching for a man at a country park in Scotland after a schoolteacher was found dead nine miles away.

Marelle Sturrock, 35, was discovered at 8.40am on Tuesday in a property in Jura Street in Glasgow. Police Scotland said her death is being treated as suspicious.

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