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    David Davis has resigned as Brexit secretary, shattering the hard-won consensus around Theresa May’s Chequers deal and plunging her government into crisis. His resignation was swiftly followed by that of fellow Department for Exiting the EU ministers Steve Baker and Suella Braverman. It forces May to reshuffle her government, at the same time as trying to convince backbenchers to support her plan. Davis has told friends he cannot live with the soft Brexit stance agreed between ministers on Friday, which proposes a UK-EU free trade area, governed by a common rule book. He is also said to have been livid about hostile briefing from senior figures in Downing Street about how Brexiters would be treated at Chequers including suggestions they would be given the number of...

    The downside of the Meghan effect From her Stella McCartney fishtail halterneck gown worn to the royal wedding reception, to her vast collection of Strathberry bags and Burberry coats, women from London to Los Angeles can’t help but covert the Duchess of Cambridge’s royal looks. And while photos of the Duchess wearing a brand’s pair of jeans might cause items to sell-out in seconds, websites to crash, and fashion houses to double their effect to supply demands, we often overlook the downside of the so-called Meghan Effect. To put it simply, the Meghan Effect' is the phenomenon where every item of clothing Meghan Markle wears immediately sells out. While the term might sound twee, it's worth noting that in April, Women's Wear Daily estimated the total effect of Markl...

A police officer who was hospitalised over concerns that he may have been exposed to Novichok has been given the all-clear. The officer, believed to be with Wiltshire Police, initially attended Swindon's Great Western Hospital after feeling unwell. He was later taken to Salisbury District Hospital, a short distance from Amesbury where Dawn Sturgess, 44, and her partner Charlie Rowley, 45, fell ill last Saturday. They remain in a critical condition in hospital after exposure to Novichok by handling a contaminated item. Forensic investigators are continuing to comb for clues in Wiltshire after the latest Novichok poisonings the second major investigation involving the nerve agent this year, following the case of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March. Investigators wearing camouflage p...

    Theresa May’s desperate attempts to unite her party and country behind a new Brexit blueprint were under severe strain on Saturday night, as more than 100 entrepreneurs and founders of UK businesses dismissed it as unworkable and hardline anti-EU Tory MPs warned it could mean an outcome worse than no deal at all. There were also signs that Brussels was less than impressed after an initial examination of the plans, which were thrashed out and agreed by the entire cabinet at an all-day summit at Chequers on Friday. The proposals would involve a new facilitated customs arrangement intended to remove the need for a hard border in Ireland, and the creation of a UK-EU free trade area, in which the UK would abide by a common rule book of EU regulations. As the prime minis...

    Harry Maguire and Dele Alli were the goal heroes as England saw off Sweden to make the World Cup semi-finals. The Leicester defender powered in a header from a corner after half an hour to send fans across the country back home delirious. Alli buried another header in the 59th minute to make it 2-0 as England continued to dominate. Gareth Southgate’s men were also indebted to Everton keeper Jordan Pickford who pulled off a string of superb saves to preserve the Three Lions’ lead. First he kept out a powerful header from Sweden striker Marcus Berg, a minute after the break. Then he denied midfielder Viktor Claesen who looked certain to score in the 61st minute and, ten minutes later, he pushed a header from Berg over the bar. 1. Maguire: Cometh the hour, cometh th...

    When a video of the Duchess of Sussex greeting the public surfaced this week, America’s greatest fear was confirmed: the duchess has gained a British accent. It’s a subtle difference, but one can detect a hint of the Queen’s English in the duchess’s intonation. You can hear some sounds changing, yes, confirms speech and dialect coach John Fleming. Some examples can be heard in her R sounds at the end of syllables. In recent clips, those Rs are lighter than the typical general American accent. She is also using the British English vowel normally heard in the word thought in the phrase We all had a nice day, in the word all. People changing accents is often criticised as a sign of inauthenticity. Madonna, for example, was ridiculed when she started talking like her f...

    England fans will be sweating over the result of the  Saturday's World Cup match on what could be the hottest day of the year so far. Temperatures could soar over 33C (91.4F) in the afternoon, just as millions assemble to cheer on the Three Lions as they take on Sweden in the quarter finals - with many watching on outdoor screens. Porthmadog in Wales is the current record holder, reaching 33C exactly on June 28, but this weekend the thermometer could edge just above it. United Utilities - which serves the North West said it urgently needed help and support to stop a ban from coming into force, while a hosepipe ban is into its second week in Northern Ireland. Nicola Maxey, Met Office spokeswoman, said temperatures in London and south east were likely to reach 31C (...

    Theresa May has secured approval to negotiate a soft Brexit deal with the European Union, signing up her fractious cabinet at a Chequers away day to what had been a controversial plan to match EU standards on food and goods. The prime minister released a statement following the critical afternoon session of the long-awaited summit, in which she also confirmed she had won over the cabinet to new customs arrangements ending political deadlock on the issue. May said that the cabinet had agreed our collective position for the future of our negotiations with the EU. That included a proposal to create a UK-EU free trade area which establishes a common rule book for industrial goods and agricultural products after Brexit. On Thursday, when the common rule book proposal wa...