United Kingdom

    The Queen might be 92, but she still leads an incredibly busy life packed with royal engagements and visits. In the last few weeks alone she's attended the full Royal Ascot, handed out awards to her Young Leaders, and taken Meghan on her first official trip without Harry. But despite her smiles, it seems her majesty is actually is a fair bit of pain at the moment due to an issue with her knees. However she's refusing to have surgery, and the reason why is just incredible and shows how committed to her work she really is. It's simple she doesn't want to take any time off and miss any of her engagements. Speaking to the Sun , a royal source said: She was talking to friends at the Chelsea Flower Show and said her knees were playing up. But she is reluctant to have ...

    The warring cabinet will be urged to back a third proposal at its crunch Chequers gathering on Friday, after the first two were rejected by senior ministers and Brussels. The new blueprint is said to be distinct from both current models which provoked bitter disputes in the cabinet, although no details have been set out yet. The signs that the government is starting from scratch nearly one year after customs plans were first published and just four days before the Chequers showdown are certain to add to criticism of Brexit chaos. The plan will be put forward as hardliner Jacob Rees-Mogg steps up his threats of open revolt in the Tory party if Ms May breaks her promise of a clean break from the EU. The senior backbencher likened her fate to that of 19th-century Tor...

    The NHS is preparing to stockpile medicines and equipment to ensure hospitals can function after a no deal Brexit, the health service chief Simon Stevens admitted today. Simon Stevens said there was immediate planning around the Department for Health and in hospitals about securing medical supply under different scenarios. The health service chief executive said making sure there was enough medicine was top of the list of contingency planning. Mr Stevens said plans would be implemented once the state of the deal crystallised in the autumn. It emerged last month there are secret plans in Whitehall for what happens if no contingencies are made for a sudden no deal Brexit. The plans suggest that with no replacement for EU medical agencies, hospitals could run out of...

    Sajid Javid, the home secretary, is the popular choice of Tory activists to be the party’s next leader, a survey revealed on Saturday. The MP for Bromsgrove came top of in the monthly poll by the ConservativeHome website with the backing of 22% of the 1,107 votes cast. He replaces Jacob Rees-Mogg who last month topped the poll for the fifth time in succession having been either at the top, or second choice to “other”, since the 2017 general election. Rees-Mogg is now the fourth most popular choice, with Michael Gove, the environment secretary, lying second and other third. The shift in opinion has been dramatic. Three months ago Javid was polling just 2%. In the wake of his appointment as home secretary, he took 10% of the vote, coming third. Last month, that rose...

    People caught in the rain on Oxford Street, central London as forecasters have warned of the risk of more flooding, travel… The Met Office has issued its first ever thunderstorm warning with torrential rain, hail and lightning predicted across parts of the south.. The yellow 'be aware' warning is for South West England and South Wales and will be in effect from 6am-10pm on Sunday. It comes as the UK continues to be in the grip of a heatwave that is expected to last for several more days. The Met Office said the heavy rain could lead to flooded homes and businesses and difficult driving conditions. Forecasters said: "Some 30mm-40mm of rain in an hour is possible. Where surface water flooding or lightning impacts do occur they are likely to be in only a few places ...

    Seventeen procedures have been earmarked for the chop Breast reductions, tonsil removals, and operations to stop people snoring are among several procedures that could no longer be offered by the NHS as part of a drive to save millions of pounds a year. Such treatments have been identified as risky or unnecessary, which the health service has said could be dealt with in a more cost-effective manner, including through injections, dietary changes and physiotherapy. The proposal to cut back on the number of operations offered will be discussed by the NHS England board of directors next week, after which it go out to consultation. NHS England drew up a list of 17 procedures including grommets for glue ear and the removal of skin lesions with input from the National Ins...

    A surge has been recorded in the number of British people obtaining the nationality of another EU member state since the referendum, with German citizenship being the most frequently sought after. According to new data obtained by the BBC from 17 out of 27 EU member states, 12,994 British citizens obtained nationality from another member state in 2017. It claims this compares with 5,025 in 2016 a 158 per cent increase and just 1,800 in 2015. Germany was the most the popular member state for Britons seeking citizenship, with 7,493 people gaining nationality in 2017 compared with 2,702 in the previous year a 177 per cent increase. The BBC claims this dramatic rise is consistent among many EU member states, with France the second most popular and Belgium the third wi...

    Michel Barnier warned Theresa May that time is short and she must hurry up and publish workable and realistic Brexit proposals to get the deal done. The EU's chief Brexit negotiator issued the stark warning ahead of a Brexit brunch where leaders will discuss the looming departure at talks without the PM. But she left the tense summit at 5am this morning leaving the other 27 member states to discuss the crunch negotiations in her absence. Speaking in Brussels this morning, Mr Barnier blamed Britain for the lack of progress in talks saying they are waiting for a long-delayed UK white paper on the future relationship. He said: We are waiting for the UK white paper and I hope it will contain workable and realistic proposal. EU Council President Donald Tusk revealed E...

    The Home Office mistakenly detained more than 850 people between 2012 and 2017, some of whom were living in the UK legally, and the government was forced to pay out more than £21m in compensation as a result, officials have revealed. Figures released to the home affairs select committee this week show there were 171 cases of wrongful immigration detention in 2015-16, triggering compensation payments totalling £4.1m, and 143 cases in 2016–17, triggering a further £3.3m in compensation. Between 2012 and 2015 a total of £13.8m was paid out to more than 550 people after a period of unlawful immigration detention. The document also reveals that bonuses were paid to both senior and junior Home Office staff according to whether targets for enforced removals from the count...

    Stargazers are in for a treat with both the Strawberry Moon and Saturn clearly visible on Thursday. Saturn is expected to appear in the night sky at around midnight on Wednesday and will be at its highest point at 1am on Thursday. The planet should be visible for at least the next month. While those wishing to see the Strawberry Moon will be able to see it at around 5.53am BST on Thursday. On Thursday, Saturn will be the closest to Earth than it has been this year, meaning the planet can be seen with the naked eye. Skies should be fairly clear thanks to the current heatwave in the UK. For those with telescopes, Saturn’s rings should also be visible. According to Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, the rings will be brighter than the planet this week. Astronomer ...