HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has reversed a decision to close its self-assessment telephone helpline for half of the year. The tax authority announced on Tuesday that the line would be closed between April and September, with taxpayers directed to online services instead.more

Train drivers are set to strike again next month as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. Aslef members at 16 rail companies will take part in rolling one-day walk outs between 5 and 8 April, along with a six-day overtime ban. The union said the new industrial action was to "increase the pressure" on train companies for a pay rise.more

Australia and the UK signed a new defence and security cooperation agreement in Canberra today. The agreement is expected to facilitate joint operations between the two countries' defence forces.more

For most people, finding a £20 banknote lying unclaimed on the ground would be the highlight of their day. But choosing to pocket cash you find in public is not nearly as innocent an act as you might think – and could see you hauled into court and prosecuted for theft. That’s what happened to 23-year-old Nicole Bailey of Highfield Drive, Blurton, when she found a £20 note in a convenience store more

Support for Ukraine and the fight against illegal immigration are to be the main themes of the fourth European Political Community (EPC) summit to be hosted by the UK on 18 July, the British government said on Tuesday.more

At least one person is believed to have made attempt to see Princess of Wales’s notes while she was at the London Clinic.more

High Street fashion chain Ted Baker is set to be put into administration, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. Authentic Brands Group, the Ted Baker brand owner since 2022, said "damage done" during a tie-up with another firm was "too much to overcome".more

The Duchess of Sussex is as narcissistic as Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, a royal biographer has claimed. Sally Bedell Smith, whose latest book explores the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936, said Prince Harry is as weak as the former King.more

The UK's annual inflation rate stood at 3.4 per cent in February, down significantly from 4.0 per cent in January and the lowest level since September 2021, the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported today.more

TfL has revealed when the next revamped Central line trains will enter service on the London Underground. The 1992 stock is being upgraded as part of a £500 million programme.more

Rishi Sunak’s plan to save public money by moving asylum seekers out of hotels is in tatters after Whitehall’s spending watchdog disclosed that the government’s alternative sites will cost millions of pounds more. The National Audit Office said attempts to place people seeking refuge in a barge, two former RAF bases and former student accommodation will cost £1.2bn.more

In a statement issued by the Chinese embassy in London yesterday, China called on the UK to stop making "unfounded accusations" over Hong Kong's adoption of a new security law. This is Beijing's response to David Cameron's statement that the bill would further erode freedom of speech, assembly and the media.more

A plane travelling from Thailand to the UK was forced to make a swift landing at a London airport after a passenger reportedly attempted to commit suicide in a cabin toilet. EVA Air BR67 flight from Bangkok to London had started its descent into the capital when flight attendants realised someone was occupying one of the cabin bathrooms.more

A 39-year-old man yesterday became the first person convicted in England and Wales of cyberflashing, the sending of sexual images unwanted by the recipient via instant messaging.more

A leading government adviser on cities has urged ministers to make urban areas friendlier for walking and cycling, saying this would boost prosperity, health and personal freedom, and could even help solve the housing crisis.more

The owner of the block of flats on which Banksy painted his latest mural has said he does not plan to raise the rent but would potentially sell. Several residents in the building, in Finsbury Park, north London, said they were worried their rent would be hiked now that Banksy has confirmed the tree painting which appeared over the weekend was his.more

London is not a child-friendly city and more must be done to stem the exodus of families, the head of the country’s oldest children’s charity has warned. Dr Carol Homden, CEO of Coram, said families in the capital are under more pressure from the cost-of-living crisis than those elsewhere, and urged the government to act to make London a more affordable place for families to live.more

Getty Images flags second royal photo days after storm over image of Princess of Wales...more

Unilever is to cut 7,500 jobs globally as part of an overhaul aimed at saving about €800m (£684m) over the next three years. The consumer goods company, whose brands range from Marmite and Hellmann’s mayonnaise to Dove soap, Lynx deodorant and Domestos bleach, employs 128,000 people worldwide, including 6,000 in the UK.more

Roads in England and Wales are at "breaking point" due to potholes, with repairs at an eight-year high, according to a new report. The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) said councils were expected to fix two million potholes in the current financial year. That is up 43% on the previous year and the highest annual total since 2015-16.more

On Monday evening, the British House of Commons rejected all 10 amendments to the bill to allow the deportation of illegal immigrants to Rwanda proposed by the House of Lords, which means that the bill will return to the upper house.more

Mortgage deals are typically on offer for just 15 days before being pulled, despite homeowners and buyers having the widest choice for 16 years. This is the shortest shelf-life in six months, according to financial information service Moneyfacts. As a result, people have little time to decide when rates are volatile.more

The V&A Museum has been criticised after Margaret Thatcher was described as a “contemporary villain” alongside Hitler and Osama Bin Laden in an exhibit. The late Conservative Prime Minister is described as a villain in a display on British humour throughout the ages.more

The British Embassy in Ukraine has been forced to deny rumours that King Charles III has died after Kremlin-approved state media channels, some with millions of followers on social media, began spreading the fake news.more

The British Museum was the UK's most-visited attraction for the first time since before the Covid pandemic, according to a tourism industry body. Figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) showed there were 5,820,860 visits to the central London museum in 2023, a 42% increase on 2022.more