United Kingdom

    The opinions in this article are the author’s, as published by our content partner, and do not represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. In a vast college sports hall in south-west London, Theresa May's worst week as Prime Minister has gone from bad to truly terrible. Even though he wasn't officially a Conservative candidate, Zac Goldsmith's defeat by the Liberal Democrats is a disaster for the Tories. The defeat - in a by-election the Lib Dems turned into a referendum on Brexit - capped a horrible week for Mrs May, with a Brexit embarrassment every day. • On Monday, notes carried by an aide to Tory MP Mark Field were photographed and revealed a "have cake and eat it" strategy; • On Tuesday, a brusque letter from Donald Tusk to MPs on ex-pats and EU citizens in the UK said ...

    Experts at Nice also recommended that speed bumps should be removed so motorists do not create fumes by constantly breaking and accelerating as they drive between them. New draft guidance for England said some stretches of the motorway should have 50mph speed limits – displayed on overhead signs – to encourage drivers to stay at a constant speed and which could then be relaxed at night when there was little traffic. Other suggestions include reducing the impact of air pollution include rolling out 20mph zones across built-up areas and extra speed cameras. Nice also said a review of tree-lined streets was required as tree canopies stop fumes escaping and make the roads below more polluted and that councils should display ‘no-idling’ signs urging drivers not to leave their c...

    The 33-year-old told a jury she was regularly molested in her family home from the age of six until she was 15 or 16 by Michael Burke, who is five years older than her. The estranged wife of Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk waived her right to anonymity by speaking publicly after her brother's conviction at Manchester Crown Court of a series of sex attacks. She said: "Most people remember their first time having sex with somebody they love. Whereas my first time of having sex was with my brother. "It's horrible. Even now I can't sleep naked. I can't even cuddle in bed. "I will never love properly, I will never be able to let someone in. It's horrible." Burke, 38, described as a "controlling and violent" man, denied 15 counts of rape, one attempted rape and one indecent assault ag...

    Advocate general Eleanor Sharpston QC told Sky Newsjudges hearing the Government's upcoming Supreme Court appeal against a ruling that Article 50 cannot be triggered without a Parliamentary vote could refer the matter to Luxembourg. She said the 28-member ECJ was “fully aware of the sensitivity and delicacy and constitutional importance of the issue”, adding that a European ruling could take between four and eight months in the event of a referral. Any input from Strasbourg would be certain to inflame hardline Brexit supporters, after the Prime Minister vowed to end its jurisdiction in the UK. “If you join the club and you wish to leave the club, you leave in accordance with the rules when you joined the club," Ms Sharpston added. "The rules of this club are the ones conta...

    Taxpayer-backed bank unveils plan to bolster its capital by £2bn after faltering in annual health check of UK banking system Barclays and Standard Chartered also struggled to pass the Bank of England’s annual stress tests. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA Royal Bank of Scotland has emerged as the biggest failure in the Bank of England’s annual health check of the UK banking system. The bank, which is 73% owned by taxpayers, issued a plan on Wednesday to Threadneedle Street intended to bolster its financial strength by an estimated £2bn. Two other banks, Barclays and Standard Chartered, also struggled in the so-called stress tests, the toughest yet, which are based on hypothetical scenarios including house prices falling and the global economy contracting by 1.9%. Barclays alr...

    Vegans and vegetarians have voiced outrage after it emerged the new £5 notes contain tallow, a substance made from animal fat that is often used in the making of soap and candles. The news came to light when the Bank of England replied to a question on Twitter. "There is a trace of tallow in the polymer pellets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes," it confirmed. More than 1,700 people so far have signed a petition demanding that the substance is no longer used in the production of the currency "The new £5 notes contain animal fat in the form of tallow. This is unacceptable to millions of vegans & vegetarians in the UK. We demand that you cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use," the petition read. As the tweet was s...

    With the festive season fast approaching, speculation over whether we could be getting a white Christmas this year has already begun - and it's looking like good news for snow-loving Brits. The Met Office said there is a chance of snow falling in the UK on December 25 in its latest predictions released this weekend. Weather models are still to be updated closer to the day but the latest outlook says "some snow" could be expected over high ground in the north. A statement posted online yesterday said: "High pressure is likely to dominate from mid December, with fairly 'blocked' conditions becoming established across the UK. "This weather pattern would lead to drier than average conditions and lighter winds. "Interludes of more unsettled weather are expected to be fairly lim...

    The government may be preparing to increase the official state pension age to 70 for millions of people currently in their 20s, a former minister has claimed. Steve Webb said documents produced by the Department for Work and Pensions suggested a “more aggressive” timetable on state pension age (SPA) increases than previously planned was being prepared. Steve Webb. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA This could affect tens of millions of workers aged under 55, and bring a pension age of 70 into the official timetable for the first time for people currently aged between 22 and 30, he added. The current official SPA for people in their 20s is 68, though under the existing schedule it could be expected to rise to 69. The SPA is the earliest age someone can start receiving their state pe...

    The Labour Party believe the Tories must uphold their promise of free TV licenses made in the election (Photo: PA) Plans to target free TV licenses for over-75s could spark a Tory rebellion as pressure grows on Theresa May to cancel the scheme. Last year, the government announced plans for the BBC to fund the cost of free TV licenses which will cost £750m by 2020/21 - almost the entire budget of BBC One. And experts said the corporation would have no choice but to abolish or restrict the free licenses. Labour has tabled an amendment to the Digital Economy Bill - currently going through Parliament to ask the government to think again. Labour’s shadow digital minister Louise Haigh wants to protect the entitlement which the Party introduced over a decade ago and return both t...