UK news today

Sir Mark Rowley, head of the Metropolitan Police, will warn that policing is 'heading for failure' without urgent reform. He is proposing to replace the current structure of 43 forces with eight to ten regional police forces, supported by local policing commands and a new National Police Service tackling the most serious crimes. Sir Mark argues that organised crime groups, fraud networks and cyber-criminals increasingly operate across borders, while current police structures remain locally organised. He says merging forces would reduce duplication and free up thousands of roles for frontline policing.

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway staged Forged, a theatrical event during Bonfire Night. Passengers boarded a steam train at the recently-restored Grade II listed Keighley station after dark, with carriage lights dimmed to red and an actor playing a superstitious railway fitter explaining they were bound for the Forge. As the train climbed towards Oxenhope, the Furnace Crew visited passengers with spooky railway tales and local history. The event concluded at Oxenhope Carriage Shed, the southern terminus, where passengers were greeted by a stern-looking railwayman.

Ellis Feldon, a baby from North Devon, has been diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, a rare genetic blood disorder that almost exclusively affects boys. His parents Matt and Caitlin are seeking a stem cell donor to give him a transplant, but no suitable matches currently exist on the international register. The condition impairs the body's ability to fight infection and causes symptoms including severe eczema, easy bruising, bloody diarrhoea and prolonged bleeding.

Six beavers have been reintroduced to waters around Loch Ness, ending a five-century absence after the species was hunted to extinction. The family, comprising a mother, two juveniles aged around two years and three younger kits, were released on Wednesday at Dundreggan rewilding estate in Glenmoriston. They were relocated from Tayside where they were causing problems for farmers, and underwent health checks before their release.

The Public Accounts Committee has warned the Crown Estate should prohibit sub-letting as standard, following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's rental income from cottages at his former Royal Lodge home. The committee found the Crown Estate did not learn specific lessons from the Royal Lodge arrangement and was reluctant to explain how it would apply them. MPs also called for the Royal Household to establish consistent rent-setting policies after Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie adjusted rents based on outdated valuations.

The UK has strict laws governing when fireworks can be set off. Generally, fireworks are legal on private property between 7am and 11pm, but on Bonfire Night, 5 November, this extends to midnight. On New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, the cut-off is 1am. Breaking these rules can result in fines. Paula Moses, Legal Director at Blacks Solicitors, advises that if neighbours set off fireworks outside these hours, residents should first try speaking to them directly, then contact police or the local council if the issue persists. Emergency services are preparing for potential disorder on Bonfire Night, with some areas implementing fireworks control zones.

More than 1,000 people were diagnosed with cancer each day in England in 2024, with 373,574 new diagnoses representing a record high. However, cancer charities warn the NHS is still failing to meet its targets on diagnosis and treatment timescales, with only 78.6 per cent of urgently referred patients diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days against a target of 80 per cent.

The UK government is considering restrictions on smart glasses and limits on who can buy them, amid concerns the devices are being used to secretly film women and girls. MPs warned in a parliamentary debate on Wednesday that footage is being posted online for profit, with current harassment law failing to prevent this because it requires repeated targeting of the same individual. Safeguarding minister Satvir Kaur said the government is reviewing options to restrict smart glasses in certain settings and to certain users, with work happening 'at pace'.

Gwent Police have arrested a 49-year-old man from Cardiff and a 29-year-old woman from the Caerphilly area on suspicion of child neglect at a nursery on Bridge Street in Blackwood. The investigation was launched following a tip-off from Caerphilly County Borough Council. Police say they are conducting a thorough investigation with partner agencies and have warned of an increased police presence in the area.

Nyan Maritime one-way drones, manufactured by Callen-Lenz in Salisbury and TEKEVER in Swindon, have been launched from HMS Queen Elizabeth during North Atlantic trials in mid-October. The trials demonstrated how autonomous strike systems could operate alongside the Navy's F-35B stealth jets. A Royal Navy spokesperson said the drones 'bring together crewed aircraft and drones to increase the carrier's reach, lethality and flexibility, while keeping personnel further away from danger'. The drones were previously launched at sea from an experimentation ship earlier this year but this was their first deployment from an aircraft carrier. The trials were designed to improve understanding of how uncrewed strike systems could support future Carrier Strike operations.

Calum Bell from Ballymena was sentenced to 60 months at Antrim Crown Court after being convicted of riot, intentionally encouraging or assisting riot, and burglary with intent to cause unlawful damage. Half the sentence will be spent in custody and half on licence. The disorder occurred on 9 June 2025.

Jon Boutcher, Northern Ireland's police chief, said his officers are working to combat an increasing threat from right-wing extremism in the region. He was commenting after 17 improvised explosive devices and two detonators were recovered last week in an investigation linked to extreme right-wing terrorism. A man was arrested and later charged in connection with searches on the Shankill Road and Edwina Street.

Police officers in Edinburgh had fireworks set off in their direction on Thursday evening during Bonfire Night celebrations. A group of youths created a blockage in the road on Oxgangs Road North at around 5.30pm on 5 November. Several small fires in bins and the park were extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and no injuries were reported. Police said enquiries are ongoing to trace those involved.

Russell Brand, 51, has been found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court following a four-week trial. A jury of eight men and four women deliberated for eight-and-a-half hours before reaching their verdicts. Brand was convicted of raping a fan he met at his 2009 Hammersmith Apollo show and sexually assaulting three other women during his career peak. He was acquitted of two other rape charges and one attempted indecent assault charge. The judge told Brand to expect a 'significant custodial term' and remanded him in custody pending sentencing on Monday. The Metropolitan Police revealed Brand is under investigation for two further rape allegations, including one involving a 16-year-old girl, and urged other potential victims to come forward.

A pub and adjoining campsite near Hook Norton in the Cotswolds, dating to the 1830s, has been listed for online auction later this month with a guide price of £175,000. The sale is being conducted by Joint Fixed Charge Receivers, appointed when a borrower defaults on a fixed charge or mortgage. However, the pub's owners deny it is up for sale and state that 'the auction is not going ahead' and 'the business is not insolvent'.

Graham Janes, 50, of Chard, Somerset, has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility. He killed Colin Lawson, 43, who lived in South Petherton and had taken Janes into his home on 22 August 2025 while Janes was experiencing mental health difficulties. Lawson, who had severely impaired vision, was fatally attacked in front of his family and sustained multiple injuries including stab wounds.

A British healthcare worker who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been medically evacuated to the UK. The patient, whose identity has not been disclosed, is in stable condition and arrived at RAF Northolt before being transported to a specialist infectious diseases unit at the Royal Free Hospital in north London. This is the first confirmed case of a British national contracting Ebola during the current outbreak in the DRC. The UK government said it has well-established procedures for dealing with such cases and that the risk to the UK public remains low. The DRC outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, has resulted in more than 10,000 confirmed cases and more than 5,000 deaths since May.

Metropolitan Police PC Omer Farok has been sacked for gross misconduct after pushing a handcuffed homeless man face-first onto the pavement in central London in June 2024. The man, unable to break his fall with his hands restrained behind his back, suffered a cut near his right eyebrow requiring hospital treatment. Farok was cleared of assault in a criminal trial but dismissed following a misconduct hearing.

Shouts were heard on the Corridor Route up Scafell Pike on 4 November, prompting Cumbria Police to contact Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team at 12.08pm. The team was not deployed due to limited information and no further public reports, but two team members were involved in the alert for six hours and eight minutes. The incident was closed at 6.16pm.

A 26-year-old hiker was assisted by Keswick Mountain Rescue Team after becoming stranded in darkness on the Coast-to-Coast path above Lining Crag on 4 November. Without an adequate torch, he found himself unable to continue by 6.18pm. Three team members met him and escorted him safely down to Stonethwaite.

Charles Maynard, a skipper from Sevenoaks, was driving a Thames river boat when he spotted someone jump from Westminster Bridge on February 18. He alerted his colleague Ian Davis from Eltham, who used a boat hook to reach the man in the water whilst Maynard ran along Westminster Pier to join him. Both men pulled the man from the water, risking being swept into the Thames themselves, and kept him warm and conscious until emergency services arrived. They are to receive Royal Humane Society Testimonials on Parchment.

Drivers have been warned of 40-minute queues on the M4 following reports of a crash. The incident has caused significant disruption to traffic on the motorway.

Cumberland Council is hosting a free morning conference at Keswick Pencil Factory on Thursday 12 November to explore opportunities for Cumbrian businesses and community groups from the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ. The event will feature speakers including council leader Mark Fryer, broadcaster Mark McAlindon, and representatives from the Grand Départ GB project. Attendees will hear practical advice on how organisations can engage with and benefit from the event, along with networking sessions and a panel discussion. The 2027 Grand Départ begins in Edinburgh on 2 July, with the opening stage finishing in Carlisle. Stage two starts in Keswick on 3 July and travels through the Lake District and Lancashire to Liverpool. Cumberland will host two stages of the race.

Alison Moore, 63, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault after subjecting her husband to a violent attack at their £1 million farmhouse in Damerham, New Forest on 20 August. The incident followed an argument about him not standing up for her at a pub. Moore told her husband 'you talk so much s***, I'm going to make you eat it' before smearing faeces in his mouth. He photographed the evidence before washing himself. Southampton Crown Court heard Moore had subjected him to violent attacks over a lengthy period, including hitting him in the face while wearing a ring and striking him with a broom handle in March 2024. Moore was spared jail and received a suspended sentence. The pair left court together after sentencing.

The Police Ombudsman has cleared police officers of wrongdoing after they arrested Sue Pentel, 72, and Martine McCullough in their 50s during a pro-Palestine protest outside Barclays Bank in Belfast City Centre in May 2025. The women were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after applying stickers to a cash machine. The investigation found the arrests did not breach police policy or the PSNI's Code of Ethics, though it raised concerns that officers took no action against two other women suspected of similar actions.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has endorsed Labour candidate David Allen, the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, ahead of Cumbria's mayoral election next year. In an op-ed for the News & Star, Burnham praised Allen's work, citing his initiative giving young mechanics students at Carlisle College access to vehicles seized from criminals. Burnham said that with greater resources as Cumbria's first metro mayor, Allen could transform opportunities across the region.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, who murdered 18-year-old student Henry Nowak in Southampton on 3 December, had the minimum term of his life sentence increased from 21 to 25 years on Thursday. Digwa stabbed Nowak repeatedly with a ceremonial knife, then filmed him as he lay dying and falsely told police that Nowak had racially abused him. The Court of Appeal rejected Digwa's argument that his original sentence was manifestly excessive, and accepted the Attorney General's argument that it was unduly lenient. Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said the minimum term did not adequately reflect the seriousness of the murder, and highlighted Digwa's 'incomprehensible cruelty' in filming the dying teenager. The court also noted Digwa had abused the religious privilege afforded to Sikhs to carry a ceremonial knife. Nowak's family said the ruling represented 'an important step towards justice' but that no sentence could restore their son's life.

Cocaine has overtaken heroin as the substance most often involved in drug-related deaths in England and Wales, according to Office for National Statistics data released in 2025. The drug was linked to 1,233 deaths last year, compared with 1,210 for heroin and morphine. Cocaine-related deaths have nearly quadrupled over a decade and are now eight times higher than in 2010. Charities blame increased purity, lower prices and growing social acceptability, with the price of cocaine falling to £60 per gram or less compared with around £100 previously. Overall drug poisoning deaths fell slightly to 5,519, marking the first decline since 2012, though experts note the rate remains historically high and regional inequality is widening.

The Department for Transport has launched a consultation to end the 'wild west' of e-bike parking and riding across the UK. The proposals aim to establish national standards on parking, fleet sizes and insurance requirements for operators such as Lime, Voi and Forest. Currently, rules vary between councils, with some enforcing designated parking bays whilst others have looser restrictions, leading to complaints about bikes blocking pavements, particularly affecting wheelchair users, people with pushchairs and those with impaired vision. The consultation will also consider ways to tackle antisocial and illegal behaviour, including riding whilst drunk, underage or on pavements, and jumping red lights. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the measures would give local leaders power to enforce standards. In London, the government is working with Mayor Sadiq Khan to devolve powers to Transport for London to create a London-wide licensing scheme.

Police were called at 12.28pm to Cambrian Way in Hemel Hempstead after reports of a man seen carrying what appeared to be weapons. Hammond Academy, a primary school, closed as a safety measure while officers searched the area with support from a police helicopter. Two men were detained and questioned but were established not to be involved. Police confirmed the man was not on school premises. No weapons have been located and there is not believed to be an active threat.

Police have arrested two men in connection with a stabbing in Trowbridge on 31 October, with a manhunt under way for a third suspect, 47-year-old Redouane Bendhiyaf. The attack happened under a bridge on a footpath near Tesco Extra on County Way shortly before 2pm. A man in his 20s remains in hospital with potentially life-changing injuries.

A study of 2,000 adults found 60 per cent have swapped nights out in bars and clubs for home cooking. Seventy-three per cent look forward to spending weekends at home, with 56 per cent doing so more than previously. The shift is not solely driven by cost: 40 per cent of those staying home simply feel happier there.

A woman was raped on the Trans Pennine Trail between Mexborough Road and Harlington Road, near Bolton-upon-Dearne, at about 14:50 GMT on Wednesday. Police have cordoned off the area for forensic examinations and are appealing for information. The suspect is described as tall with a stocky build, wearing a dark jumper, black gloves and a black face covering, and spoke with a southern accent. Police are exploring previous reports of a man behaving suspiciously on the trail in connection with the investigation.

Bekonscot Model Village and Railway in Beaconsfield has secured funding ahead of its centenary by advertising food brand itsu. The 1.5-acre attraction, which opened in 1929 and has largely avoided advertising during its near-century of operation, placed miniature promotional signs throughout its model towns, railway and cinema. The brand ambassador for the campaign was a miniature recreation of internet personality the Wealdstone Raider, placed beside the model football pitch.

A bomb threat forced a Ryanair flight from London Stansted bound for Sofia to divert to Plovdiv in Bulgaria on Thursday. Several other European flights were also targeted, including an Aer Lingus service from Dublin to Rome diverted to Evreux airbase in France, and a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw that landed in Vienna. A Finnair plane from Helsinki to Rome landed safely despite the threat. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the UK had 'robust aviation security systems' and described the threats as 'malicious hoax threats'. The incidents follow similar bomb threats affecting at least seven flights earlier in the week.

Albert Kweku-Duah, 21, of South Marston, Swindon, crashed his blue BMW 116i into a mains gas supply on Station Road in Tidworth on the evening of August 6, just three weeks after passing his driving test. The collision caused a substantial leak, prompting emergency services to declare a major incident. Residents in the area were evacuated from their homes overnight, and some were left without gas for a week. Kweku-Duah pleaded guilty to careless driving and driving without insurance at Salisbury Magistrates' Court on 30 October. He was fined £511, ordered to pay a £204 surcharge and received five penalty points on his licence for careless driving. The case relating to driving without insurance was adjourned, with Kweku-Duah due to reappear on 30 March 2028.

Birmingham's German Frankfurt Christmas Market opens today, running until Christmas Eve with stalls selling traditional food, drink and handcrafted gifts across Victoria Square and New Street. The Ice Rink, Big Wheel and Cathedral Square Christmas Market also launch the same day. The market will operate from 11:00 to 21:00 weekdays, with extended hours on weekends, and is the largest authentic market of its kind outside Germany or Austria.

Channel 4 has permanently cancelled Married At First Sight UK after commissioning an external review triggered by allegations made in a BBC Panorama investigation that aired in May. Two women alleged they were raped by their on-screen husbands during filming, and a third alleged sexual misconduct; all the accused men deny the allegations. A cast member was arrested on suspicion of rape in June. An external review by law firm Clyde & Co found that Channel 4 and production company CPL Productions' welfare protocols complied with Ofcom's Broadcasting Code, though it identified isolated instances where protocols were not fully implemented. A second review by former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey found the show could theoretically continue with enhanced safeguarding measures, but Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra said implementing these recommendations would fundamentally alter the show's format. Series six, which was already filmed, will not be broadcast, and the spin-off Second Married at First Sight has also been cancelled.

A reward of up to £20,000 has been offered for information about the murder of Graham Pennycook, a 64-year-old dog walker from Wiltshire. Pennycook went out for a morning walk near Perham Down in Ludgershall on 24 September 2026, but his dog returned home alone, prompting his wife to raise the alarm. His body was later found in nearby woodland. Investigators believe he was assaulted in the woods approximately 40 to 45 minutes into his regular route. Crimestoppers, an independent charity, is offering the reward for information leading to arrest and conviction. Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously.

The UK government is planning a consultation on whether to ban single-use plastic sachets of ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar and other condiments from restaurants and cafes, aligning with EU environmental regulations. The EU has outlawed such packaging, and the ban already applies in Northern Ireland under post-Brexit arrangements. Environment minister Emma Hardy confirmed the planned consultation in parliament. Downing Street later clarified that any ban would be the government's own decision, not a requirement of its EU reset deal on food and farming. Environmental campaigners note that 855 billion such sachets are used annually, with many discarded unopened.