United Kingdom

    The family of four will soon become a family of five The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Kate and William are expecting their third child, Kensington Palace has announced. In a statement the palace said the Duchess was suffering from severe morning sickness, as she did with her previous pregnancies, forcing her to cancel a public engagement she had later. The statement said: Their royal highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arriving at the British Embassy in Paris The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news. As with her previous two pregnancies, the Duchess is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Her royal highness will ...

    Boris Johnson has warned President Donald Trump that taking military action against North Korea could provoke Kim Jong-un to “vaporise” the South Korean population in response. Pyongyang announced on Sunday that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded onto a long-range missile, which Mr Johnson described as a new order of threat. The Foreign Secretary condemned Pyongyang’s reckless act, and said that all options are on the table, but we really don’t see any easy military solution. President Trump led world condemnation of North Korea’s biggest ever nuclear test, describing the actions of the rogue nation as very hostile and dangerous to the US. He added that appeasement with North Korea will not work, having recently promised to rain fire and fury” ...

    Theresa May was warned by campaign guru Sir Lynton Crosby that her gamble of calling a snap general election carried a lot of risk, a leaked memo has revealed. The memo written in April, just days before May announced her surprise decision, said voters did not want the uncertainty an election would cause. The document, obtained by the Mail on Sunday, warned there was a risk the Tory vote share would end up broadly similar to that achieved by David Cameron in 2015 when he won a narrow victory, rather than the landslide sought by May. When told about the plan to call the June 8 election by Tory campaign chief Lord Gilbert, according to the newspaper Australian Lynton responded by saying: I’m not sure that’s a smart idea, mate. The leaked Election Strategic Note – April 2017 ...

    Theresa May faced a growing Tory revolt over her leadership as it emerged that Remain-supporting Conservative MPs are being told by party whips that they will be seen as “supporting Jeremy Corbyn” if they attempt to soften the Brexit bill. Furious Conservatives, including former ministers, said such threats and arm-twisting from the whips’ office would “backfire” spectacularly, making it more likely the prime minister would face a leadership challenge this autumn. Tory tensions over Brexit, coupled with dismay over May’s insistence last week that she wants to lead the party into a 2022 general election, reached new heights as MPs prepared to debate the European Union (withdrawal) bill when parliament returns after the summer break on Tuesday. Related: Brexit 'costing too m...

    A five-year-old girl who wrote to the Queen to ask if she could borrow a swan for the weekend has received an unexpected reply from Buckingham Palace. Lyndsay Simpson penned the letter after being informed by her mum Jennifer Bax that the Queen owns all the swans in Britain. The little girl told Her Majesty of her love of swans, promising she would take good care of one by keeping it in the bath, the Times reported. In a kind reply, Jennie Vine, deputy correspondence co-ordinator at the Palace, thanked the little girl for the request and said that the Queen had taken “careful note” of her comments. She also explained that the Queen does not own every swan in the land, and added the idea is nothing more than a centuries-old urban myth. She added: Her Majesty owns mute swans...

    Footage is said to show officers mocking and assaulting detainees at centre near Gatwick. The private security contractor G4S has suspended nine staff from an immigration centre near Gatwick after fresh claims of abuse and assaults against detainees, prompting calls for the government to stop awarding it contracts. An investigation has also been launched into allegations by the BBC’s Panorama of “chaos, incompetence and abuse” at Brook House immigration removal centre. The programme claims to have undercover footage showing officers “mocking, abusing and even assaulting detainees” at the facility, where drugs are allegedly rife. G4S said nine staff had been suspended pending further investigation in the latest scandal to hit the controversial firm. Jerry Petherick, the man...

    An assembly hall sits rusting on a 55-acre factory complex in eastern England, surrounded by a vast expanse of green, productive farmlands. The forlorn structure is a reminder of the latest failed attempt to revive Lotus Cars, a specialist sportscar maker and engineering powerhouse. In its heyday, Lotus was revered for lightweight racers favored by James Bond and Mario Andretti. The company’s engineering talent alone was so well respected it developed a successful consulting firm with clients that included General Motors, Aston Martin, and Tesla. But consumer tastes changed. When sports cars gave way to SUVs, Lotus suffered. Under an ambitious plan hatched in 2009, Lotus started building the new hall in anticipation of producing an expanded lineup of five new models. But t...

    Senior Tories today crushed Theresa May’s claim that she will lead them into the next election. MPs and grandees shot down her surprise assertion that she is “here for the long term” and will remain Prime Minister into the next parliament. Even loyal supporters, who said Mrs May was right to assert her authority as premier, admitted there could be no second chance for her to run a general election campaign after throwing away David Cameron’s 2015 majority. Related: Theresa May: I'm not a quitter (Sky News) Former Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan said it would be “difficult” for Mrs May to stay on until 2022, when the next election is due. Lord Heseltine, the former deputy prime minister, said Mrs May had no long-term future. Privately, two executive members of the 1922 Commit...

    Ryanair's Michael O'Leary has criticised British Prime Minister Theresa May for swanning around Japan eating cakes and drinking sake. Despite being on a visit to the Asian economic powerhouse, May has struggled to shrug off questions about her leadership of the Conservative party and O’Leary has said that he believes her days are numbered. There have been reports that May was considering stepping down after the UK leaves the EU in 2019 but she denied this in a series of interviews in Japan, insisting that she is staying for the long term. There is absolutely no basis for those reports whatsoever, I am in this for the long term, because this is a long-term challenge for the United Kingdom,  May said. We need to get the Brexit deal right, deliver the right deal for the peopl...

    One of the country’s leading grammar schools has been accused of acting unlawfully by throwing out sixth form students who failed to get top grades in AS and equivalent internal exams ahead of their final A-level year. About 16 pupils at St Olave’s grammar school in Orpington, in the London borough of Bromley, were told their places for year 13 – the last year of school – had been withdrawn after they failed to get the required three Bs. One father accused the school of dumping his son like “old garbage”. Other students were told they would be allowed to continue on a discretionary basis and were asked to sign a contract warning that if they did not get a minimum B grade in their mocks the school reserved the right not to enter them for their A-level exams. Lawyers acting ...