Celebrated British novelist Joanna Trollope has died at the age of 82. Her daughters, Louise and Antonia, announced that she passed away peacefully at her Oxfordshire home on Thursday. Widely recognised for her sharp portrayals of middle-England family life, Trollope was often labelled the “queen of the Aga saga” a description she rejected as patronising. With a career spanning more than five decades, Trollope authored over 20 contemporary novels, including…

The UK government has announced a £3bn plan to create 50,000 new school places for children with Special Educational  Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in England. The investment will be delivered over the next three years and will help councils expand specialist spaces in mainstream schools. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the funding will support upcoming SEND reforms expected in the next schools White Paper. Part of the investment comes from…

A cross-party group of MPs has launched an inquiry into the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), following intense scrutiny of the government’s economic watchdog in the run-up to the Budget. The Treasury Committee will assess the OBR’s first 15 years, including its remit, performance, independence and potential areas for reform. The move follows heightened debate over the OBR’s influence, particularly after its chair, Richard Hughes, resigned when the body mistakenly…

Robert Rhodes, 52, killed his wife, Dawn Rhodes, at their home in Redhill, Surrey, in 2016 after discovering she had been having an affair with a work colleague. What followed was a calculated and chilling attempt to conceal the crime . According to prosecutors, Rhodes devised a deliberate plan to eliminate his wife and manufacture a believable defence. Using the couple’s child, then under the age of ten, he instructed…

Four in 10 asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected remain in Britain, costing taxpayers billions of pounds each year, according to a damning new report by the National Audit Office (NAO). The public spending watchdog said the UK still lacks a “realistic approach” for dealing with the significant number of cases where it is not possible to remove people whose claims have been refused. The NAO warned that long-standing…

A former police officer has admitted causing the death of his wife’s aunt in a head-on collision on the A737 in Ayrshire. Andrew Hyams, 62, was driving 88-year-old Annie Sinclair between Kilwinning and Dalry on 9 January 2024 when he failed to negotiate a bend and veered into oncoming traffic. His car narrowly missed one vehicle before crashing directly into a van driven by Carl Egerton. Ms Sinclair was rushed…

A new report has emerged that the leader of the Islamic State faction in Somalia, Abdul Qadir Mumin, has a wife and three children living in the United Kingdom, despite his long-standing ties to extremist activities in East Africa. Mumin, believed to be around 70 years old, lived in Britain between 2003 and 2010, during which he obtained UK citizenship and preached in several London mosques. His radical sermons drew…

An Afghan asylum seeker who repeatedly told British immigration officials “I don’t know” during questioning has been granted permission to remain in the United Kingdom until 2029, following a significant legal victory that also confirmed he was a minor at the time of his arrival. According to court documents, the migrant, whose name was withheld because he arrived as an unaccompanied child,  said “I don’t know” 158 times and “I can’t…

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dismissed suggestions that he is a caretaker PM after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch used Prime Minister’s Questions to attack both his leadership and Labour’s record in office. During the exchange, Badenoch focused on rising energy bills, education challenges and policing concerns. She argued that everything is getting worse under Labour and highlighted claims circulating in Westminster that some Labour MPs see Starmer as a temporary…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has denounced the unauthorised leaks that emerged ahead of her crucial budget, describing them as unacceptable and very damaging as she defended her decisions before MPs on the Commons Treasury Committee. Reeves said she had been frustrated by widespread speculation and inaccurate briefings in the run-up to her November statement, insisting none had been authorised. She also raised concerns over associated IT security issues, saying they contributed…

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged European leaders to support reforms to human rights laws in a bid to strengthen efforts against illegal migration. The appeal comes ahead of high-level talks in Strasbourg on potential changes to how the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is applied in migration cases. The UK government has already proposed restricting the use of the ECHR’s right to family life by asylum seekers…

Medical doctors have cautioned the public against the heavy consumption of energy drinks citing risk of heart disease and risk of stroke. The warning was made known by doctors in Nottingham, England after a man in his 50s, previously described as healthy, had a stroke that left him with permanent numbness in his hands and feet, after reportedly consuming an average of eight energy drinks per day. Doctors treating the…