Author: UK News

Exclusive: The first Techne UK weekly tracker poll of 2025 has put Reform ‘within the margin of error’ for a three-way split at the top with Labour and the Tories Nigel Farage’s big poll leap leaves Reform breathing down neck of Labour and Tories  The onward march of Reform has seen the party come “within the margin of error” of topping the first of 2025’s weekly tracker polls for The Independent in a major blow to Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch. The Techne UK survey results came in as Nigel Farage prepared to host a major pre-inauguration party in Washington…

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox and White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg were at the Hay Adams hotel opposite the White House as Brexiteer Brits hosted the biggest inauguration party in town and plotted a populist future with their US allies Nigel Farage proclaimed ‘Britain’s future PM’ at champagne-fuelled Trump celebration party  Nigel Farage was proclaimed “the next prime minister of Great Britain” at a huge party overlooking the White House to celebrate the upcoming inauguration of his friend and ally Donald Trump. The Stars and Stripes Union Jack reception on the rooftop of the Hay Adams hotel on Friday…

Christoforos Nicolaou, 15, was blackmailed through an online gaming forum. Now his parents are fighting to protect others from the same fate Our son was lured into a dark web forum while gaming – 50 days later, he took his own life A grieving family is warning of the hidden dangers of online gaming after their 15-year-old son took his own life following weeks of blackmail and psychological torment by an anonymous predator on a dark web forum. Christoforos Nicolaou, 15, died just 50 days after he began receiving disturbing messages after clicking a pop-up link that appeared while he…

The UK’s car colour choices remained steadfastly monochrome in 2024. Britain’s favourite car colour for 2024 has been revealed. Britain’s favourite car colour for 2024 The top colours it seems reflect our nation’s mood. Previous research from The Economist showed that British buyers have traditionally bought cars which are darker when the national mood is less optimistic. When times are better, we dare to buy brighter colours. Colours are the safe choice Lots of buyers still stick to silver, grey, and black as they think these colours are the safe choice and hold their resale value. Britain’s favourite car colours have been revealed,…

A paedophile has been sentenced to life in prison after he kidnapped an 11-year-old girl on her way home from primary school and sexually assaulted her. Adam Baillie, 39, from Harrow, kidnapped the girl and took her to his home on April 19 2024. She was able to escape from her attacker and ran to neighbours for help who called the police. The victim was able to show police where Baillie lived before they arrested him. Baillie was found guilty of kidnapping and sexual assault in October at Harrow Crown Court. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum…

Polish PM says he wants Breturn not Brexit as Starmer visits Warsaw Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly ruled out rejoining the customs union or single market, but that did not stop the premier of Poland pushing for Britain’s return the EU. Mr Tusk, who was president of the European Council when Britain voted to leave the trading bloc, said he would “harbour these dreams in my heart” as “sometimes they come true in politics”. Post-Brexit ties with Brussels The UK prime minister, who had a bilateral meeting with his Polish counterpart earlier on Friday, has repeatedly ruled out rejoining the customs…

A selection of images chosen by the Irish Examiner picture desk The Photographs of the Week as selected by our Visual Media team. 18/01/2025 A selection of images chosen by the Irish Examiner picture desk https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41555503.html

A shield which has been missing from a London swimming club for more than 70 years managed to make its way to Boston, Massachusetts. The plaque, which was donated to the South London Swimming Club at Tooting Lido in 1907, was spotted at a Ralph Lauren store in the US city. But it went missing in 1953 after it was retired as the winning trophy for being too cumbersome, and was not seen again until November last year. Margy, South London Swimming Club’s membership secretary, told Metro: ‘A keen-eyed south Londoner on holiday in Boston managed to spot the shield…

Hassan Sentamu, the 18-year-old who repeatedly stabbed schoolgirl Elianne Andam in a row over a teddy bear has been found guilty of her murder. Sentamu, now 18, admitted manslaughter, claiming he was not in control of his actions because of his autism but the jury, after deliberating for nearly 12 hours, did not accept this defence of diminished responsibility.

The murderer of schoolboy Jimmy Mizen has been recalled to prison after “shamelessly boasting” about his crime, the Probation Service said. Jake Fahri, then 19, was convicted of murder after he threw a large glass dish that shattered, severing an artery in the 16-year-old’s neck, at a bakery in Lee, south-east London, in 2009.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans for a nationwide review of grooming gang evidence and five government-backed local inquiries. She stopped short of launching a statutory national inquiry, as called for by the Conservatives and some Labour MPs, but this marks a clear shift in the government’s position.

Manchester United beat Southampton late on in last night’s Premier League match thanks to a really late hat-trick from Amad Diallo. Erling Haaland has signed a nine-and-a-half-year deal with Manchester City and Utd reject Napoli move for Garnacho.

Mostly cloudy across Scotland and Northern Ireland, with patchy rain, though mainly focused over the hills in the west. Mild and breezy here. Largely dry but often cloudy across England and Wales but feeling chilly. Tonight: Further rain and brisk winds across northern Scotland, though clearing during the early hours. Cloudy for many, with clear spells in the north and west. A patchy frost in places.

The terrible cost of 466 days in conflict The Independent dedicates its entire front page to assessing the cost of the war – both looking at death tolls as well as the humanitarian crisis.

Mizen mum’s outrage: Lock him up again THE mum of murdered teenager Jimmy Mizen says she’s “disappointed” with the BBC for playing the music of her son’s killer – and has demanded answers from the MoJ. A Sun probe discovered TEN is Jake Fahri, 35, recently released from a life sentence for the 2008 murder of gentle giant Jimmy, 16, in South London.

Elianne’s life mattered … her legacy will live on According to the Daily Mirror, Elianne’s parents said they are “crippled with pain” but vowed to honour her memory by campaigning against knife crime and ensuring her legacy lives on. The death of TV Star Paul Danan makes the front page as does the latest from Strictly.

No Israel vote on deal ‘until Hamas agrees to all terms’ The Guardian warns that Israel will not vote on a ceasefire deal with Hamas until all terms are agreed upon. This delay, the paper says, has raised fears that disputes or hardliners could scuttle the agreement before it takes effect on Sunday.   A tribute to American director David Lynch who has died at the age of 78 makes the front page.

Justice is done but our hearts are broken Metro leads with the heartbreak expressed by the family of 15-year-old Elianne Andam after her killer, Hassan Sentamu, 18, was convicted of her murder. The paper describes Sentamu’s visible distress during the verdict, noting he clutched a stress ball, wiped away tears, and refused to sit down in the dock.

Looser loan rules could get economy on the move The Times reports that first-time home buyers may find it easier to enter the housing market due to proposed reforms in the mortgage market. Regulators are considering loosening loan rules to make homeownership more accessible. Donald Trump’s portrait is pictured on the front splash ahead of his return to the White House.

Friday’s newspapers lead with various domestic and international stories. There is front-page coverage of the sentencing of Hassan Sentamu, the 18-year-old convicted of murdering Elianne Andam in a knife attack in London. Labour’s grooming gangs inquiry, the ceasefire negotiations in the Israel-Gaza war and tributes are paid to the film director David Lynch, who has died at the age of 78. 

The back pages lead with Manchester United’s late 3-1 win over Southampton in last night’s Premier League match.

An 18-year-old student carried out a knife attack at a school in eastern Slovakia, killing two women aged 18 and 51 and injuring another young woman.  

She was stabbed nine times with the attack filmed and shared on social media Gang of youths who punched and stabbed transgender teen in attack planned on Snapchat jailed  A gang of youths who stabbed, punched and kicked a teenager in a transphobic attack after luring her to Harrow Leisure Centre under the pretence of going to a roller disco have been jailed. The 18-year-old transgender victim was stabbed nine times after she was dragged to the floor by the mask-wearing gang and was subjected to transphobic slurs. The act was organised as revenge after one of her attackers was…

Her killer Hassan Sentamu had a history of violence towards girls after putting two in a headlock Elianne Andam’s father says killer’s conviction is a ‘message’ violence against women ‘will not go unanswered’ The father of schoolgirl Elianne Andam who was murdered in a row over a teddy bear said the conviction of her killer is a “message” that violence against young women “will not go unanswered”. Elianne’s father Michael Andam, speaking outside the Old Bailey following the conviction of Hassan Sentamu on Thursday, said: “The verdict today is the first step towards justice for Elianne, but also a message…

Heathrow jubilant as ministers back down on plans to require visa from every passenger changing planes at Britain’s busiest airport Government reverses new visa requirement for Heathrow transit passengers London Heathrow airport has welcomed a Home Office U-turn on transit passengers needing online ETA permits simply to change planes. Since earlier this month, all non-Europeans intending to travel to Britain without a visa have needed to apply in advance online and pay £10 for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). Unlike almost all hub airports worldwide, the permit was deemed necessary even for passengers who were changing planes at Heathrow with…

Teenager Cameron Finnigan encouraged a girl online to film her suicide so he could share it with a satanist group he had joined Teenager in neo-Nazi satanist group jailed for encouraging suicide online  A 19-year-old who was part of a neo-Nazi satanist group has been jailed for six years for encouraging girls to die by suicide and self-harm, as well as possession of a document for terrorist purposes. Teenager Cameron Finnigan was found guilty of five charges, including telling one girl to kill herself “for me” on video so he could share it online with a satanist extremist group known…

Kiena Dawes had left a suicide note which read: ‘I was murdered. Ryan Wellings killed me.’ ‘Monster’ who abused partner Kiena Dawes for years and threatened to drill out her teeth jailed An abusive boyfriend who subjected his vulnerable partner to two years of assault and domestic abuse has been jailed, after being cleared of her manslaughter earlier this week. Ryan Wellings, 30, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison but was cleared of the unlawful killing of Kiena Dawes, who left a suicide note calling her partner a “monster” who had “killed me”. Wellings was seen smiling as he…

The Conservative Party leader has been called on to ‘urgently clarify’ what she meant in an LBC interview Kemi Badenoch in row over pension triple-lock interview question Kemi Badenoch has come under fire after she was asked whether the Conservative Party would look at the triple-lock pension system in a radio interview. The leader of the opposition was asked on LBC on Thursday evening about how certain people benefit from the triple-lock when, the caller claimed, they do not need it. The current system ensures state pensions rise by whichever is highest out of the rate of inflation, average earnings…

The exact location of most of these small chips remains a mystery Search for 30 missing fragments from ancient Stone of Destiny after Westminster Abbey heist A search is underway for more than 30 fragments of the ancient Stone of Destiny after they separated from the ancient artefact following its famous theft from Westminster Abbey and secret repair. The exact location of most of these small chips remains a mystery as they have been passed down through families or are in private collections. Professor Sally Foster has been painstakingly collating the history of as many of the pieces as possible,…