United Kingdom

    The number of applications is down on previous years across the board, the prime minister has been warned even as the turmoil at Westminster cuts the odds on a snap poll. Some branches in target seats have been forced to postpone decisions, despite pressure to get candidates in place early, the executive editor of the ConservativeHome website said. The warning comes as the Democratic Unionist Party’s threat to pull its backing for the Tories, in a bitter clash over Brexit, leaves the government’s future in growing doubt. Without the DUP, Ms May lacks a majority and if unable to pass a budget will face demands to accept she is unable to govern and must stand down. Mark Wallace, the ConservativeHome editor, wrote: The number of applications submitted to stand in the...

    A murder probe has been launched after a gunshot victim was found dead in a Mercedes that had smashed into parked cars in west London. The male passenger in the car was pronounced dead at the scene in Hillingdon, despite efforts from paramedics to save him. His next of kin has been informed. The 20-year-old was being driven in the silver car which spun out of control and collided with parked vehicles on Thursday. Police and paramedics were called to the scene in Uxbridge Road, at the street’s junction with West Drayton Road, at about 2.45pm. The driver of the Mercedes has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and was in custody at a west London police station. Police have now launched a murder investigation into the man’s death and are appealing for wit...

    Firms are to be forced to publish their ethnic pay gap, Theresa May has announced. The PM is launching a major consultation on mandatory reporting of wage differences between white workers and those from different ethnicities. The dramatic move is part of a series of measures to be unveiled today aimed at tackling barriers facing ethnic minorities in work. It comes after a previous voluntary call for all firms to publish ethnic pay gap details sparked only low levels of responses. Leaders of the NHS , Army, schools and the police will also today set out plans to boost the proportion of public sector leaders from ethnic minority backgrounds. Mrs May’s Race at Work Charter will commit businesses to a new set of principles and actions designed to drive forward a chan...

    She is ninth in line to the throne, grand-daughter of the Queen and the second royal bride to tie the knot at Windsor in 2018. The Royal wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and her fiancé Jack Brooksbank will take place tomorrow, on Friday October 12, with rapturous applause no doubt provided by 1,200 public invitees who are expected to gather in the historic grounds of Windsor Castle. Windsor residents, charity representatives, and school children on the guest list, just as they were for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which took place on May 19. Once the ceremonial trumpets are silenced and the rings exchanged, the carriage ride through the streets of Windsor will take place although not quite the same streets as the procession of the Duke and Duch...

    A Government study quietly published last month found there is no evidence that benefit sanctions work. Sanctions, which can result in the stopping of benefit payments for claimants who do not comply with rules laid out by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), have been proven to be ineffective in a three-year study carried out by the Government. The DWP published the findings in the paper Universal Credit: in-work progression randomised controlled trial on the Government's website on 12 September, as MPs prepared for party conference season. There was no ministerial announcement about the results. In the study, which was carried out over three years, the paper found no evidence that sanctions for failing to apply for additional work, or undertake additional tr...

    Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has said he is confident of a Brexit deal by this autumn. Mr Raab addressed MPs on the latest negotiations on Tuesday evening, making the bold claim. Speaking at the House of Commons, Mr Raab said the final few weeks of talks are always going to be tough but that was all the more reason for the UK to hold our nerve. He added: I remain confident we will reach a deal this autumn, saying it is time for the EU to match the pragmatism we have shown. Labour’s shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer argued against Mr Raab’s claim however, saying the statement would have been much better coming from the Prime Minister. He said: It’s no good hiding behind the badge of the Salzburg summit as informal. Mr Raab also categorically ruled out an i...

    The stunning ring features a large pink padparadscha sapphire surrounded by 10 brilliant cut diamonds and two pear cut diamonds. According to reports, it is estimated to be worth £100,000, which is double the cost of Meghan Markle 's ring from Prince Harry. But when it comes to comparisons of rings, it's much more interesting to examine Eugenie's alongside another royal piece of bling. And there's a very good reason for this. Eugenie's ring isn't intended as a copy of the Duchess of Cambridge's, but instead as a copy of another iconic ring - one that belonging to her mother, Sarah Ferguson. Some may recall that Garrard & Co also created the ring worn today by Kate, which previously belonged to Princess Diana and as both rings were made in the 80s it is underst...

    Plans to publish a document outlining the nature of the Canada-style free trade deal being offered by Brussels look likely to be put on ice after the prime minister’s Brexit adviser, Olly Robbins, warned that aspirational language had to be included for the British government to be able to sell a deal to parliament. The political declaration had been set to be discussed by the European commission’s 28 commissioners on Wednesday, and shared among the member states. That is now set to be pushed back until next week with sources claiming that the moment is too sensitive. Over the the weekend, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European commission, had said the prospects of a deal had increased in recent days, prior to a crucial summit on 18 October. In response, th...

    The Justice Secretary has told how his trust in the police was shaken after he was stopped and searched more than a dozen times, warning that there is still structural racism in Scottish society. Humza Yousaf said the colour of his skin meant he had frequently been stopped by officers while he was growing up in Scotland, despite never committing a crime. I was never committing a crime, I had never committed a crime Speaking at a fringe meeting during the SNP conference in Glasgow, he said he still believed stop and search was a legitimate police tactic as long as there were checks and balances. In a discussion involving Calum Steele, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, Mr Yousaf said his early experiences of dealing with officers had not been p...

    The Scottish National party will vote against any Brexit deal that takes the UK out of the single market and customs union, the party’s Westminster leader has said. Ian Blackford said the SNP’s 35 MPs would also resist a blind Brexit, where little was known about the substance of the deal, or a no-deal Brexit, suggesting Theresa May would struggle to command a majority in the Commons next year. Addressing delegates at the SNP’s annual conference in Glasgow, Blackford said: The only deal we will accept is one that keeps Scotland in the single market or customs union. Any other deal sells us short. I put the prime minister on notice we will not support any measure that threatens Scottish jobs and living standards. His speech echoes a warning on Sunday from Nicola Stu...