People trying to buy knives online will face tougher measures to prove their age under new restrictions being brought forward in the wake of the Southport knife attack. Axel Rudakubana, who has admitted murdering three young girls last July, bought a knife from Amazon when he was just 17, despite existing laws which prohibit the sale of most knives to under-18s.more

Waitrose has reintroduced free coffee for all loyalty scheme members even if they haven't bought anything from the supermarket. The company has told those signed up to its My Waitrose scheme that from 27 January they can get one complimentary hot drink a day with no purchase needed - provided they bring a reusable cup.more

A Royal Navy attack submarine surfaced close to a Russian spy ship off the UK coast in an extraordinary warning to stop spying on British undersea cables, the defence secretary has revealed.more

Plans for a huge £2.5bn theme park out of London dubbed Britain’s answer to Disneyland appear to have been scrapped after the company behind it was ordered into insolvency. The proposed London Resort would have covered 535 acres of the Swanscombe Peninsula near Dartford, consisting of an amusement park and water resort on the banks of the Thames.more

TikTok users posting videos of cats or dancing do not pose a security threat to the UK, a cabinet minister has said, as he defended the government’s decision not to ban the Chinese-owned video platform. The government has allowed the app to continue running in Britain, as it stopped working in the US before a federal ban comes into force.more

Convicted benefits cheats who fail to pay back the taxpayer could be stripped of their driving licences, under government plans to crack down on fraud. Those who repeatedly cheat the system and have debts of £1,000 or more could be punished with a driving ban of up to two years.more

Thousands of London homeowners will face their council tax bills doubling from April under new rules. Struggling boroughs are set to increase payments for some residents and property owners by 100% in a bid to bring in more cash and help ease the housing crisis. more

Prince Harry has today reached a financial settlement with Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun and the defunct tabloid News of the World. The son of Britain's King Charles III took both newspapers to court, accusing them of illegally obtaining private information about him between 1996 and 2011.more

The ‘100-year partnership’ agreement between the two countries, signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, allows for the deployment of British military bases on Ukrainian territory, according to the European Truth portal.more

Airports across the UK could be expanded, including the controversial third runway at Heathrow, under government growth plans. The Treasury is looking at whether to support a third runway at Heathrow, approve a second runway at Gatwick, and increase capacity at Luton airport.more

A fleet of electric buggies has launched on the streets of west London, with the company behind them hoping to expand across the capital. There are currently ten Yo-Go buggies which are being operated as part of a “world-first” trial in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. more

The peace process following the Gaza ceasefire must lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared yesterday in an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.more

Located at the south-east corner of Trafalgar Square, just steps from a bustling exit of Charing Cross station, stands Britain's smallest police station. This world record breaker is often missed by those passing by. Built in 1926, this tiny box could accommodate two prisoners at a time, but it was designed to house a single police officer to look over the area during commotion.more

Female family ties were at the heart of social networks in Celtic society in Britain before the Roman invasion, a new analysis suggests. Genetic evidence from a late Iron Age cemetery shows that women were closely related while unrelated men tended to come into the community from elsewhere, likely after marriage.more

Storm Éowyn has been named by the Met Office and will bring severe gales to parts of the United Kingdom on Friday. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind on Friday and Saturday. Gusts of up to 90mph (145km/h) - or possibly even more - could bring localised damage, power cuts and travel disruption. Heavy rain and hill snow are also expected.more

"Terrorism has changed" as Britain faces a "new and dangerous threat" from extreme violence, Sir Keir Starmer has said in a statement on the Southport murders. Speaking in Downing Street after the government announced a public inquiry into the case, the prime minister said failings by the state "leap off the page".more

The UK is the second most attractive country for investment behind the US, signalling a climb up the rankings, according to an annual survey of global business leaders by the consultancy PwC.more

Crime statistics released by the Metropolitan police have been used to determine which London boroughs have the highest crime rates. The data covers all types of crime recorded from January 2021 to December 2024.more

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said yesterday the government would investigate the July tragedy in Southport, announcing a public inquiry would be held to find out why authorities failed to prevent the attack.more

A knowledge gap around cervical screenings is currently "costing lives", a cancer charity says. The Eve Appeal says more women need to know they can ask for adjustments to their cervical screenings, which can be painful, uncomfortable or distressing for some.more

Police have urged the public to use different pin codes at the gym after a prolific thief stole hundreds of pounds from a man he snooped on while entering a locker code that he also used for his bank card.more

British Foreign Office chief David Lammy, who has been sharply critical of Donald Trump in the past, yesterday praised him as ‘friendly, generous and warm’ before the new US president was sworn in. According to the Daily Telegraph, this is part of an effort to secure a trade deal.more

There is a Tube station in London built from a very special stone - Portland Stone, a Jurassic-era limestone from Dorset. more

Tax changes announced in the Budget could make it "harder for people to enter the workforce", according to the boss of retail giant Next. Lord Wolfson told the BBC that a rise in National Insurance paid by business would hit the retail sector in particular and meant "the axe [had] fallen particularly hard" on entry-level jobs.more

Regional inequality means annual pay in the capital almost £20,000 higher than in the lowest-paid places in UK, writes 'The Guardian'.more