United Kingdom

    Festival-goers arriving at Glastonbury will face temperatures of 30C as a heatwave grips the country for a fifth day. Music fans arriving at Worthy Farm, Somerset, on Wednesday will face a hot walk to pitch their tents. But extensive thunderstorms are expected to sweep in from late afternoon into the night, bringing torrential downpours, frequent lightning and a chance of hail. The UK is expected to bask in the hottest June day for 40 years with highs of 34C (93F) forecast in west London. It could make it the hottest June day since the 35.6C (96F) recorded in Southampton on June 28 1976. If the mercury surpasses the 31.7C (89F) recorded at Camden Square, north London, in 1936, it will be the hottest summer solstice on record. People enjoy the hot weather on the beach in Sc...

    Tommy Robinson's appearance on Good Morning Britain has sparked outrage as the EDL founder attacked the Quran as a violent and cursed book the day after the Finsbury Park terror attack. Piers Morgan branded Mr Robinson a bigoted lunatic and told him to show some damn respect for people’s religious beliefs as Mr Robinson held up the Islamic holy book. Mr Morgan said: Now you're sounding like a complete lunatic. You're sounding like a bigoted lunatic. You are an Islamophobe who hates Islam, you basically think all Muslims are to blame. What you are doing now is deliberately inflammatory, its deliberately poisonous, and you are having the complete opposite effect to the one you say you have. Viewers took to social media to react with anger. One wrote: I feel sick. Why would y...

    The Met Office has issued the second highest heatwave alert for all of Britain as the country endures some extreme heat. The level three amber heatwave warning is one behind a national emergency and has been issued from 9am Monday to 9am Thursday. On Monday the temperature reached 32C (91F) at RAF Northolt, west London. The amber warning is issued when there is a 90% probability of heatwave conditions according to the Met Office website. It means social and healthcare workers should ensure high-risk groups including the elderly, children and those with medical conditions, are kept cool and hydrated. The NHS has issued advice and guidelines on the www.nhs.uk website to help people deal with the blazing sunshine. NHS advice includes urging people to: Spend time in the shade ...

    The newly-elected MP for Kensington has claimed that Grenfell victims who used to live in the tower are having to live in cars and parks. According to Sky News, Emma Dent Coad spoke at a Justice for Grenfell march on Monday night and spoke of the total chaos in the borough. People have been sleeping in cars and in parks because they don't know where to go and they aren't being looked after, she said. Secondly they need to be re-housed permanently and thirdly they need a long-term care package... people who'll always be there for them. It has been confirmed that at least some victims have been rehomed in hotels. The government said 126 hotel places have been given to families while 78 were due to be homed in properties locally or in a neighbouring borough by Monday night. T...

    Every council in England has been ordered to make an urgent list of buildings that have the cladding suspected of speeding up the Grenfell Tower fire. The government has demanded two lists - all buildings with aluminium composite panels and all buildings over 18 metres high - by the end of today in a bid to stop other towers being a death trap. All the latest news, views and opinion on the Grenfell tragedy Town halls will then be ordered from tomorrow to send samples of any ACM cladding for government-run fire tests. Cladding was suspected of speeding up the blaze that killed at least 79 people in the 24-storey block in west London. Yesterday Chancellor Philip Hammond appeared to say the type of cladding used on the tower was already banned in the UK on blocks more than 18...

    The biggest test of any prime minister is how they represent the country in times of crisis and grief. In her response to the Grenfell Tower fire, Theresa May is failing that test. Her botched private visit to the scene of the fire, in which she failed to meet any residents, reportedly because of "security fears" caused huge anger among those affected, as did her subsequent media interviews in which she failed to even acknowledge the anger that had been caused. Pictures of the PM at the scene, taken from a distance, helped crystallise what is fast becoming a settled view of the PM as a cold and distant figure out of touch with the public she represents. The contrast with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who spent a long time speaking, hugging and listening to those affected by...

    Theresa May will face a stalking horse challenge to topple her as Prime Minister if she waters down Brexit, senior Tories have warned. Leading Eurosceptic MPs have told The Telegraph they are prepared to mount an immediate leadership challenge if Mrs May deviates from her original plan. The revelation comes after a torrid week for the Prime Minister in which she faced fierce criticism for her handling of the Grenfell Tower catastrophe. Conservative MPs including Cabinet ministers have concluded that Mrs May cannot lead them into the next election and they are now discussing when she could go. Related video: What does the election result mean for Brexit? (Provided by Sky News) Eurosceptic MPs have warned that any attempt to keep Britain in the customs union and single marke...

    Cladding used on Grenfell Tower blamed for spreading the blaze is banned in Britain, Philip Hammond has said. The Chancellor said a criminal investigation would examine whether building regulations had been breached when the block was overhauled. Mr Hammond said the public inquiry set up by the Government following the tragedy would also examine if rules had been broken. "These are very complex technical issues" @PhilipHammondUK says public inquiry into #GrenfellTower will determine who's at fault #marrpic.twitter.com/Hzyu5In6H8 — The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) June 18, 2017 He told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “My understanding is the cladding in question, this flammable cladding which is banned in Europe and the US, is also banned here. So there are two separate questio...

    The Queen today issued a statement saying the UK has been resolute in the face of adversity following recent tragedies in London and Manchester. She said: Today is traditionally a day of celebration. This year, however, it is difficult to escape a very sombre national mood. The Head of State released her statement on her official birthday, the day after she visited the survivors and heroes of the Grenfell Tower tragedy accompanied by Prince William. In recent months, the country has witnessed a succession of terrible tragedies, Her Majesty said. As a nation, we continue to reflect and pray for all those who have been directly affected by these events. During recent visits in Manchester and London, I have been profoundly struck by the immediate inclination of people through...

    He’s one of the most adored royal family members who looks to have finally found his princess. But long before Prince Harry fell for actress Meghan Markle, his other big love was Zimbabwean beauty Chelsy Davy. And now royal reporter and the former royal editor at The Sun Duncan Larcombe, who spent 10 years on the road with Prince Harry, has penned a new tome on the prince’s fascinating life. Here are the most surprising revelations from Prince Harry: The Inside Story, which have been serialised by The Sun. His relationship with Chelsy Davy was doomed from the start. According to Duncan, the prince was smitten with Chelsy from the moment they met but their romance was never going to work as she had very little interest in royal responsibility. The constant theme throughout ...