United Kingdom

    Britain is set to make an offer to the EU on future immigration which would see arrangements very similar to current free movement rules put in place after Brexit, The Independent has learned. UK negotiators would like to put the proposal forward to coincide with a European Council summit in June, in a bid to break a deadlock in Brexit talks. The plan would see a high level of access to the UK for EU citizens in the future, but would leave the British government power to halt it in certain circumstances. But it is likely to enrage hardliners who would see anything even mildly like free movement as a betrayal of the 2016 referendum result – on Saturday cabinet minister David Davis, who has fought for a harder Brexit, was reported to be on the brink of resigning over...

    Meghan Markle's engagement ring already has diamonds from Princess Diana's personal jewellery collection, but with the future royal's wedding quickly approaching, she reportedly will wear something else of Lady Di's for the big day. According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, Markle’s something borrowed could be another piece of the late princess jewellery. Harry made sure Diana wasn’t forgotten on the day of his engagement, she said in an interview with Express. Two of the diamonds in Meghan’s ring are from Diana’s personal collection. So I think there’s every possibility that Meghan might wear a piece from Diana’s jewellery collection on her wedding day. Another tiara the late princess was fond of was the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara. Kate Middleton has worn it on ...

    South Yorkshire Police HQ in Sheffield A female police officer was sexually assaulted as she tried to arrest a man on suspicion of attempted rape. She was one of two officers who came under attack while on patrol in Sheffield city centre in the early hours of Friday morning. South Yorkshire Police said they had responded to a report of an attempted rape on Scotland Street in the heart of the city. The suspect is said to have attacked both officers with a wooden for sale sign, before sexually assaulting one of them as she tried to arrest him. One of the officers was left with severe bruising, while both involved in the attack are said to be recovering at home. A man is in police custody after he was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, assault, sexual assault ...

    Sainsbury's and Asda J Sainsbury and Wal-Mart, the world's biggest supermarket retailer, are in advanced talks about a shock tie-up that would create ‎a more powerful rival to Tesco, the UK market leader. Sky News can exclusively reveal that the two companies are in negotiations about combining Wal-Mart's Asda business with Sainsbury's, in a deal that would send shockwaves through the entire British retail industry. Sources said an announcement could be made as early as Monday, or even sooner if the two sides are forced to accelerate their public disclosures. It was unclear this weekend how a deal would be structured, including whether Wal-Mart would reverse Asda into Sainsbury's while taking a big stake in the combined group. Another huge uncertainty surrounding ...

    Police are investigating after two men were injured in a hit and run incident outside a mosque in Birmingham. The victims, who are both in their 20s, were hit by a silver car as they stood outside the Shah Jalal mosque in Aston. One was said to have suffered a head injury while the other was described by West Midlands police as walking wounded. West Midlands police said they had not ruled out the possibility that the incident could be terrorism-related. They are trying to trace the driver of the car who did not stop at the scene. Officers were called to Ettington Road at 2.15pm, after the Friday congregational prayers. Witnesses said the two victims were left covered in blood, with one of the men being knocked on to the bonnet of a parked car, which police have co...

    President Trump’s on-again, off-again visit to Britain is on again for this summer. But Mr. Trump most likely will not get the honors of a traditional state visit, a highly ceremonial and very British affair, when he arrives on July 13. Here is what he can expect. What will be missing? Invitations for state visits, extended by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the government, are rare, honorific and convey a strong relationship between Britain and the country of the visiting foreign leader. But just how different in substance such visits are from working or official visits is less obvious. A state visit is a firmly structured event over four days, including talks, pageants, a banquet and a visit outside London. A working visit does not include the pomp, but st...

    British Prime Minister Theresa May has called an emergency cabinet… Amber Rudd braved a second ferocious Westminster interrogation on Windrush in 24 hours, but inadvertently triggered a new row on Brexit. After a torrid two-hour hearing in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee of MPs, she subjected herself to 40 minutes of questions from political journalists. She refused to say whether she had considered or offered her resignation, admitted Windrush was both a crisis and a fiasco and admitted she was fighting to stay in the game. But she blundered when she was asked if the UK would stay in the Customs Union after Brexit, which Theresa May has ruled out, replying: I'm afraid I'm not going to be drawn on that. We still have a few discussions to be had, in a re...

    Donald Trump set to meet the Queen when he visits the UK on 13 July. The trip is only being billed as a flying visit rather than an official state one, which would have seen Mr Trump hosted by the Queen. But he is expected to meet Her Majesty either at Balmoral or Windsor. Trump and Theresa May enjoyed a cosy meeting at the White House shortly after his inauguration. Following the visit Mrs May promised Mr Trump a lavish state visit but following outrage and threats of protests that offer has been kicked into the long grass. Trump was previously expected to make a working visit in February, to cut the ribbon on the new US Embassy in London. He pulled the plug on the trip, claiming it was because the Embassy had got a "bad deal" on the new building. But, sources...

    The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their new son Louis Arthur Charles. Kensington Palace announced in a tweet: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles. "The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge. Prince Louis shares his middle name with father Prince William and grandfather Prince Charles, with William's full name being William Arthur Philip Louis. The new prince, who was born weighing 8lb 7oz at 11.01am on Monday, is the William and Kate's third child and fifth-in-line to the throne. He was shown to the world by proud parents on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, just hours after his birth on St George's Day. W...

    Knife crime soared 22% across England and Wales last year with more than 36,500 offences recorded, shocking new figures show, new statistics reveal. Police recorded 39,598 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the year ending December 2017 - a 22 per cent increase compared with the previous year (32,468). The figures show the highest number registered since comparable records started in 2010. The Office for National Statistics said: The past three years have seen a rise in the number of recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument, following a general downward trend in this series since the year ending March 2011. Offences involving firearms were also up, by 11 per cent to 6,604 recorded crimes. These offences tend to be disproportionatel...