Former business and trade minister Kemi Badenoch and former junior immigration secretary Robert Jenrick entered the crucial round of voting yesterday to find a new leader for the British Conservative Party. Whichever one wins, it will mean a significant shift of the party to the right.more

Most dog owners are unaware that flea and tick repellents are harmful to water-dwelling organisms, suggesting that greater awareness could alleviate the problem, reports the journal ‘Science of The Total Environment’.more

Sixty of the wealthiest people in the UK collectively contributed more than £3bn a year in income tax, the BBC has learned. Each of the 60 individuals had an income of at least £50m a year in 2021/22, but many will have earned far more and probably pay large amounts in other taxes too.more

UK travellers risk being stuck on planes after arriving at European Union (EU) airports once enhanced border checks are introduced, the boss of easyJet said.more

A British auction house has withdrawn from sale human and ancestral remains, including shrunken heads and skulls, from communities across the globe after criticism from native groups and museums, the BBC reported today.more

Former Foreign and then Home Secretary James Cleverly unexpectedly came to the fore yesterday in the election for the new leader of the Conservative Party, which lost power in the UK at the beginning of July after 14 years in government.more

The UK yesterday imposed sanctions on the radiological, chemical and biological defence units of the Russian armed forces, their commander, Igor Kirillov, and two Russian defence ministry laboratories where chemical warfare agents are developed and produced.more

Volunteers are searching for an invasive species of bug which poses a threat to plane trees lining streets and parks in London and other cities. The Woodland Trust says a team of "Observatree" volunteers are supporting official survey activities to track the appearance of the plane lace bug, native to North America and now widespread in Europe.more

Water companies have been ordered to return £158m to customers via lower bills next year after missing key targets on pollution and leaks. But most customers will only see their bills fall by less than £10. This is the fourth year in a row that firms have had to refund customers, prompting questions over the effectiveness of the regulator.more

Russia's intelligence agency has been on a mission to generate "sustained mayhem on British and European streets", the head of MI5 has said. Giving his annual update on security threats faced by the UK, Ken McCallum said GRU agents had carried out "arson, sabotage and more dangerous actions" in Britain as the UK continues to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.more

A record increase in the UK population has been driven by immigration, new figures suggest. The number of people resident in the country is estimated to have increased by 1.0 per cent in the year to June 2023 - the largest annual percentage since comparable data began in 1971.more

The Palace of Westminster in London, which is the seat of the British Parliament, on Monday evening saw the opening of an exhibition prepared by the Institute of National Remembrance as part of the project ‘Trails of Hope. Odyssey of Freedom'.more

The trial of three defendants in the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sh., a girl from a Polish-Pakistani family whose body was found in her home near London last August, began yesterday before a London court. The accused are the girl's Pakistani father, his partner and his brother.more

British sovereignty over Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands is non-negotiable, Prime Minister's spokesperson Keir Starmer stated yesterday. He stressed that the situation of these territories is quite different from that of the Chagos Islands, which, according to the agreement reached on Thursday, will be ceded to Mauritius.more

For years, King Charles considered lunch a fad and a waste of time. But that has changed. At the urging of his wife and doctors, the 75-year-old monarch has incorporated a light meal into his daily menu. Or rather, a snack, as the king has taken a liking to half an avocado.more

‘Poland's strong economy, military strength and awareness of the Russian threat make it a key country in Europe, which is particularly important in the face of US indecision,’ Edward Lucas, this newspaper's columnist and security expert, writes in ‘The Times’ today.more

Thunderstorms and heavy rain may cause travel disruption across parts of southern England and Wales, the Met Office has forecast.more

The British Foreign Office today announced the withdrawal of family members of its embassy staff in Israel, due to the escalating fighting between the country and the Hezbollah organisation and the risk of wider conflict in the region.more

Israel has failed to fully achieve either of the two objectives of the operation launched after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, the only thing Israel has fully succeeded in is revenge, assessed Dr Ahron Bregman of the Department of War Studies at King's College London.more

At least 973 illegal immigrants in 17 boats crossed the Channel into the UK on Saturday, the UK Home Office reported yesterday. This is the highest daily total in almost two years.more

Sue Gray, Downing Street's Chief of Staff, resigned yesterday, explaining that to continue in her role would risk distracting attention from the government's actions. Indeed, for some time now, the attention of the British people has been focused not on the actions of the government, but on what is happening around it.more

The London area where homes sell the fastest has been named. New data from property site Rightmove has listed the fastest-selling areas in the capital, and the top area sees homes change hands in just a month.more

Sparks from the Middle East conflict are igniting hatred in the UK too, wrote British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in The Sunday Times on the eve of the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. He stressed that only a two-state solution could break the cycle of violence in the Middle East.more

Fifteen people were arrested yesterday in London in connection with a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians and a counter demonstration, the London Metropolitan Police reported. However, police are not ruling out further arrests.more

Workers should be offered tax breaks on private health insurance to tackle the worklessness crisis facing Britain, business leaders have said. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is calling for an overhaul of the tax system to improve workplace health.more