There has been a record jump in the number of UK businesses in critical financial distress, according to insolvency specialists. Businesses in the most distress include those in hospitality, leisure and retail, but the construction industry is also facing challenges.more

Sainsbury's has announced it will cut 3,000 jobs as it shuts down its remaining cafés and closes its patisserie and pizza counters. The supermarket says the move will "simplify the business", adding that most Sainsbury's shoppers "do not use the cafés regularly".more

HMRC has denied running a "deliberately poor" phone service in an attempt to push taxpayers to seek help online instead. Nearly 44,000 customers were cut off without warning after being on hold for more than an hour last year, a report by a committee of MPs has found.more

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to a minimum of 52 years for the "sadistic" murders of three young girls in an attack described as "shocking" and "pure evil". Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died while eight other children and two adults – dance class leader Leanne Lucas and businessman Jonathan Hayes – were seriously wounded.more

The UK government has ‘no current plans’ to join the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM), EU Relations Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds announced, as quoted by the media yesterday. This possibility had been mentioned by EU Trade Commissioner Marosz Szefczovicz.more

The Silvertown Tunnel, London’s newest Thames crossing and the city’s first new sub-river road tunnel in three decades, has been in the works since way back in 2012. After well over a decade, it’s been revealed that it’ll open on April 7, connecting Newham and Greenwich Peninsula.more

You might be thinking of finding a new job in 2025; if so, gear up for a change of approach to how you landed your last one. That seems to be the prevailing opinion heading into the new year, with data emerging that not only are thousands keen to change jobs - but also that it’s getting harder to even get a response from companies, let alone land the job.more

The government is to make digital versions of a range of official documents available via a dedicated app and a digital wallet, as part of what ministers say is an attempt to bring interactions with the public "in tune with modern life". Veteran cards and driving licences will be the first to be incorporated into a gov.uk wallet, which is being launched this year.more

A man has been arrested after five people were injured in a suspected stabbing attack near an Asda supermarket in Croydon, south London. Police were called to Marlowe Way in Beddington to reports of a stabbing at a warehouse.more

A growing number of homeowners in the UK are opting for 35-year or longer mortgage terms, with a significant rise in older borrowers stretching their repayment periods well into their 70s.more

People trying to buy knives online will face tougher measures to prove their age under new restrictions being brought forward in the wake of the Southport knife attack. Axel Rudakubana, who has admitted murdering three young girls last July, bought a knife from Amazon when he was just 17, despite existing laws which prohibit the sale of most knives to under-18s.more

Waitrose has reintroduced free coffee for all loyalty scheme members even if they haven't bought anything from the supermarket. The company has told those signed up to its My Waitrose scheme that from 27 January they can get one complimentary hot drink a day with no purchase needed - provided they bring a reusable cup.more

A Royal Navy attack submarine surfaced close to a Russian spy ship off the UK coast in an extraordinary warning to stop spying on British undersea cables, the defence secretary has revealed.more

Plans for a huge £2.5bn theme park out of London dubbed Britain’s answer to Disneyland appear to have been scrapped after the company behind it was ordered into insolvency. The proposed London Resort would have covered 535 acres of the Swanscombe Peninsula near Dartford, consisting of an amusement park and water resort on the banks of the Thames.more

TikTok users posting videos of cats or dancing do not pose a security threat to the UK, a cabinet minister has said, as he defended the government’s decision not to ban the Chinese-owned video platform. The government has allowed the app to continue running in Britain, as it stopped working in the US before a federal ban comes into force.more

Convicted benefits cheats who fail to pay back the taxpayer could be stripped of their driving licences, under government plans to crack down on fraud. Those who repeatedly cheat the system and have debts of £1,000 or more could be punished with a driving ban of up to two years.more

Thousands of London homeowners will face their council tax bills doubling from April under new rules. Struggling boroughs are set to increase payments for some residents and property owners by 100% in a bid to bring in more cash and help ease the housing crisis. more

Prince Harry has today reached a financial settlement with Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun and the defunct tabloid News of the World. The son of Britain's King Charles III took both newspapers to court, accusing them of illegally obtaining private information about him between 1996 and 2011.more

The ‘100-year partnership’ agreement between the two countries, signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, allows for the deployment of British military bases on Ukrainian territory, according to the European Truth portal.more

Airports across the UK could be expanded, including the controversial third runway at Heathrow, under government growth plans. The Treasury is looking at whether to support a third runway at Heathrow, approve a second runway at Gatwick, and increase capacity at Luton airport.more

A fleet of electric buggies has launched on the streets of west London, with the company behind them hoping to expand across the capital. There are currently ten Yo-Go buggies which are being operated as part of a “world-first” trial in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. more

The peace process following the Gaza ceasefire must lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared yesterday in an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.more

Located at the south-east corner of Trafalgar Square, just steps from a bustling exit of Charing Cross station, stands Britain's smallest police station. This world record breaker is often missed by those passing by. Built in 1926, this tiny box could accommodate two prisoners at a time, but it was designed to house a single police officer to look over the area during commotion.more

Female family ties were at the heart of social networks in Celtic society in Britain before the Roman invasion, a new analysis suggests. Genetic evidence from a late Iron Age cemetery shows that women were closely related while unrelated men tended to come into the community from elsewhere, likely after marriage.more

Storm Éowyn has been named by the Met Office and will bring severe gales to parts of the United Kingdom on Friday. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind on Friday and Saturday. Gusts of up to 90mph (145km/h) - or possibly even more - could bring localised damage, power cuts and travel disruption. Heavy rain and hill snow are also expected.more