United Kingdom

    Tory MP Nicky Morgan and Labour's Yvette Cooper have tabled an amendment to the Finance Bill which would limit the government's spending powers in the event of the UK leaving the European Union without a deal. It has the support of Tories Sir Oliver Letwin, Nick Boles and Sarah Wollaston as well as Hilary Benn, the Labour chairman of the Brexit select committee. A separate measure put down by Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable would also prevent ministers from collecting key taxes unless parliament has approved its approach to Brexit. Sky's chief political correspondent, Jon Craig, said the amendments could starve the government of cash and create a Donald Trump-style shutdown in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Ms Cooper said: The risks to our economy and security...

    Up to five migrants are understood to be in police care after a dinghy was found on the Kent coast. The empty inflatable boat was found on a beach in Dungeness at 8.10am on Monday, prompting an extensive search of the Channel by the coastguard. Search teams were stood down when it became clear there were no maritime casualties. According to the Press Association, five migrants were found. The Border Force has not commented on the incident, but a spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "HM Coastguard has been coordinating a search at Dungeness in Kent after an empty RHIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) was found on the shore. The spokesman added the coastguard is "only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them sa...

    One of Britain's nuclear deterrent submarines has suffered an unusual amount of damage as pictures emerge of HMS Vengeance returning from patrol with around 30 per cent of her sonar panels missing. The ballistic missile submarine returned last week from her latest three-month patrol. As the nuclear-armed vessel surfaced near the Faslane naval base on the Clyde it was obvious the expected level of wear and tear had been exceeded by up to  three times the usual amount. Britain’s ballistic missile submarines are covered with sonar panels specially designed acoustic shields to mask any sound from inside the submarine and absorb the sound waves of an active sonar emitted by another vessel looking for the boat. Maybe her replacement wasn’t ready, meaning she had a longe...

    Theresa May has insisted she will go ahead with a crucial vote on her Brexit deal amid growing speculation that it could be delayed. The prime minister said she was seeking further clarification from the EU to address the concerns of MPs, as well as specific measures relating to the backstop on Northern Ireland before the vote in the week beginning 14 January. She also said she would look at giving parliament a greater say in how the UK’s future relationship would be negotiated, but refused to say exactly what that might be. May said a second referendum would be disrespecting people who voted for Brexit and warned that it could not be held before 29 March, the date of Britain’s departure from the EU. On her own future, she refused to put a timescale on her departu...

    A man called the emergency services on New Year’s Day asking for an ambulance to come to his home to perform a DNA test because his partner cheated. The man spoke with an operator from North West Ambulance Service, which covers Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. In a recording of the conversation the operator asks the man is the patient breathing” to which he replies: OK, please I’m just ringing because my partner has cheated on me. – Operator: Right, listen to me is the patient breathing? – Caller: Hello? – Operator: Is the patient breathing? – Caller: Everything okay, I want you ambulance to come to my house to go to do DNA test. – Operator: Excuse me? Why? – Caller: Because my partner has cheated on me. – Operator: Right, OK ...

    A homeless man used a magic cash card to go on a £60k spending spree in Tesco, raiding branches across the north of England 167 times and even loaning the card to his friends. Father-of-two Allah Ditta, 49, from Bradford, realised that there was a glitch with his card when a £68 transaction at Tesco went through, even though he had no money in his account. Together with friends, the drug addict then went on a spending spree at 14 Tesco shops in Bradford, Leeds, Garforth, Oldham and Manchester. Ditta realised something was wrong and dashed to another store in Bradford to try the same trick again. The court heard he and his friends electrical items like phones and computers, picked up gift cards and even obtained cash back in store. Mrs Drake said Ditta carried on ...

    A new warning has been issued about a convincing scam email pretending to be from TV Licensing. Action Fraud has said it has more than 5,000 complaints about the scam email in the last three months alone as criminals try to con people into passing them their details. The emails try to trick people with subject lines like correct your licensing information and your TV licence expires today to convince people to open them. TV Licensing warned that it never asks for this sort of infomation over email. Some customers are receiving scam email messages saying they are due a refund or need to keep up their payments, it said in a warning to customers . A link directs customers to a fake version of the official TV Licensing website which asks them to enter personal inform...

    A series of recent and forthcoming changes made to motoring laws mean 2019 could prove to be an expensive year for drivers who fail to brush up on their highway code. Changes to the amount of room drivers must leave for cyclists, how we use smart motorways, guidelines for learners and the way cars are assessed for their MOT mean there are several new ways road users an fall foul of the law. How the Highway Code is going to change There is now a defined amount of space drivers must leave for cyclists when overtaking, or face a £100 fine. The Highway Code says there must be at least 1.5 metres (4ft 11in) between the car and the cyclist, which is roughly the width of a car door. Those who fail to leave enough of a gap will face a £100 fine. Smart Motorways Chan...

    The British government pursued arms deals with Saudi Arabia in the weeks after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, even as it publicly condemned the murder. Khashoggi was killed by Saudi officials inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, prompting global condemnation and calls for a re-evaluation of ties with the Kingdom. As the UK government called for answers over the dissident’s death, British trade officials responsible for arms sales continued to hold high-level meetings with their Saudi counterparts. A delegation from the Defence and Security Organisation an office within the Department for International Trade that promotes arms exports for UK companies travelled to Riyadh on 14 and 22 October, according to a Freedom of Information requ...

    The stabbing of three people at Manchester Victoria station on New Year's Eve is being treated as a terror related incident, police have confirmed. A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the attack, which happened shortly before 9pm. Two knives were recovered at the scene and a property is being searched in the Cheetham Hill area. In a briefing on Tuesday morning, police said they were keeping an open mind about the motive. They have not yet confirmed whether the suspect is a British national. A British Transport Police (BTP) sergeant in his 30s was also treated after he was stabbed in the shoulder, but has since been released.