United Kingdom

    Theresa May is set to ask the European Union for an extra transition period that would see full Brexit delayed until around seven years after the vote to Leave. Under the plans, briefed by government officials to The Timesnewspaper, the whole of the United Kingdom would stay aligned with EU regulations and customs procedures until 2023 to help avoid a hard border in Ireland. It comes on top of a two-year transition period from 2019 to the start of 2021 which has already been agreed. The latest plan for a longer transition is intended as a replacement for the border backstop agreed by negotiators in December under which the UK would maintain full alignment with the single market if no other solution could be found, to remove the need for border checks. Despite havin...

    Sustainable long-term funding for the NHS could cost £2,000 for every household in Britain, or the equivalent of 9p on income tax, two respected think tanks have said. In a joint report, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the Health Foundation have calculated that health spending will have to rise faster than the economy grows for the foreseeable future, and meeting this expense will inevitably lead to tax increases. The report comes as hospital trusts in England prepare to reveal the cost of coping with soaring demand in the worst NHS winter since current standards began. Sky News understands hospitals will record a combined deficit in excess of £1bn, more than double the target for the year. The overspend, driven in part by a bad flu outbreak, came despi...

    Boris Johnson held an 18-minute phone call with a prankster claiming to be the Armenian prime minister. The pair talked about Russia, Vladimir Putin and the Salisbury poisoning during the conversation, audio released on Thursday revealed. Mr Johnson began by congratulating the hoax caller very sincerely on your remarkable success, believing he was talking to the newly-elected Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan. You can definitely count on the UK and I admire your vision and what you're trying to achieve, he said. Later in the call, Mr Johnson was prompted to discuss Russia. He said that obviously we had hoped to have better relations... than we currently do, adding: I'm afraid that Russia seems to be unable to resist malign activity of one kind or another. ​​​​​ Mr...

    Britain will be legally bound to pay its £39bn Brexit divorce bill before the details of a future EU trade deal are agreed, a minister has admitted. MPs will be asked to authorise the payment when they vote on the withdrawal deal in the autumn, Suella Braverman said but there will be no trade treaty until after the UK leaves the EU next year. The admission was seized on by some MPs, who said David Davis had previously vowed to impose conditionalities in the Brexit deal, to protect the taxpayer. But, under fierce questioning, Ms Braverman acknowledged the EU would only be signing a duty of good faith to pursue an extensive trade agreement. Pat McFadden, a pro EU Labour MP said it exposed Theresa May’s promise that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed to be ...

    Households are £900 worse off since the Brexit vote, Bank of England governor Mark Carney has claimed. Despite global and European economies being much, much stronger than they were when the Bank made its economic predictions ahead of the 2016 referendum, and a very large stimulus provided by the Bank of England, the UK's economy is up to two per cent lower than it would have been, he said this morning, adding: That is a reasonable difference. If you map that into household incomes... Real household incomes are about £900 lower than we forecast in May 2016, which is a lot of money, he added. Carney said investment spending was three or four percentage points lower than expectations but struck a note of optimism, saying the Bank now expected that to increase, which ...

    A man has been jailed for two years after admitting possessing and sharing terrorist-related material, a police force has said. Farooq Rashid, of Bradford, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a publication likely to be useful to a terrorist and one count of disseminating a terrorist publication, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said. The 43-year-old was jailed for 24 months at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday, the force added. support, radicalise, and provoke individuals to carry out attacks abroad and in the UK. By sharing and possessing such documents, Rashid has now received a prison sentence.

    Meghan Markle has laid out her royal plans after she and husband Prince Harry returned to London to begin married life. The Duchess of Sussex now has her own page on the official royal.uk website, with a short biography that emphasises her charity work and downplays her acting career. The site confirms that Meghan will undertake royal duties in support of the Queen both in the UK and overseas. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have left Windsor after their wedding was watched by millions around the world on Saturday. It has not been confirmed where they are heading on Sunday evening, but their official residence is Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace. The destination of their honeymoon has not yet been confirmed but it is expected to be Namibia or...

    Britain is to review its contribution to the EU’s Galileo satellite programme and plan for alternative systems in this crucial area, Gavin Williamson has said as he announced the launch of the UK’s first Defence Space Strategy. The move follows an increasingly bitter dispute between Whitehall and Brussels over the access the UK, the European Union’s biggest spender on defence, will have to the bloc’s satellite navigation project after it leaves the EU. Britain is a world leader in the space industry and our defence scientists and military personnel have played a central role in the development of the EU’s Galileo satellite programme alongside British companies, so it is important we also review our contribution and how we plan for alternative systems in this crucial...

    Now that rings have been exchanged and bells have rung throughout the nation for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the attention upon the newest royal newlyweds turns to their next steps as a couple. After months of anticipation following the announcement of their engagement – plus the wedding plans that followed the Prince and Ms Markle have captured the hearts of many thousands around the world. Royal fans will be eager to watch the couple as they both grow into their newly defined roles and royal duties.  Here is everything we know so far about the next steps of Britain's newest royal duo: Where will they live? The Prince and Ms Markle will live in Nottingham Cottage, where they have been residing since their engagement in November 2017. Reportedl...