The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
The co-chairman of West Ham football club, David Sullivan, steps down in response to allegations dating back to his time in the pornography industry. BBC Panorama and The Times are due to publish a joint investigation on Monday. Also: A Ukrainian commander involved in drone strikes on St Petersburg tells the BBC it was easy to hit Russia. And some of Britain's last surviving D-Day veterans mark the 82nd anniversary in France.
A man has been sentenced to a minimum of 14 years in prison after being found guilty of the rape of a woman more than two decades ago. Andrew Malkinson served 17 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of the crime. The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, has dismissed President Zelensky's proposal for a meeting to end the war. Also: astronauts on the International Space Station told to take emergency shelter.
The prime minister has accused Elon Musk of 'interfering' in UK politics, after he posted repeatedly on X about the police's treatment of Henry Nowak. NHS England says it will ban staff from wearing political badges as part of measures aimed at tacking antisemitism and other forms of racism. Britain's only serving female commando Lieutenant Lily-Mae Fisher has been named as one of the three members of the Royal Navy who died in a helicopter crash yesterday. She was on board the Merlin 4 aircraft...
The Princess of Wales has expressed her sorrow at the death of the three Royal Navy personel who died after their helicopter came down during a training exercise in Devon early this morning. The Chief Constable of Hampshire Policehas has apologised for his force's handling of the murder of the teenager Henry Nowak, which sparked violent unrest in Southampton. The former Head of MI6 - Sir Alex Younger - has died at the age of 62 after being treated for cancer. President Trump has suggested he wou...
The Prime Minister has said there are "serious questions" for the police to answer about the murder of a student who was handcuffed and arrested while he lay dying - after his killer falsely accused him of racism. Henry Nowak was stabbed as he returned from a night out in Southampton in December last year. Also: New phase of the El Niño could be one of the strongest ever recorded. Evacuations in Ukraine's Kharkiv region as Russian attacks intensify. UK Athletics fined for manslaughter after athl...
Thousands of documents published by the government have revealed that while Lord Mandelson was the US ambassador, he repeatedly criticised Sir Keir Starmer's leadership in discussions with ministers. The exchanges were released as part of the publication of the second set of documents relating to Lord Mandelson's time in Washington. In other news, Israel's military has told residents of Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered his forces...
The former First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has insisted she knew nothing about her estranged husband's crimes, after his admission of embezzlement. Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to spending more than £400,000 of Scottish National Party funds. In other news, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered his troops to advance further into Lebanon as Israel fights the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah; and thousands of Arsenal fans have filled the streets of north London t...
The charity, Médicins Sans Frontières, has warned that no previous outbreak of Ebola has recorded as many cases at such an early stage as the current one in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has spent the day in the city of Bunia in the north-east of the country - the epicentre of the outbreak. In other news, it's emerged that Buckingham Palace was handed emails six years ago that appear to show the then-Prince Andrew was sha...
Romania expels a Russian diplomat and announces plans to strengthen its air defences -- after a drone crashed into an apartment block close to the border with Ukraine. A Canadian man who sent toxic chemicals to people in dozens of countries – including the UK, Australia and Italy – has pleaded guilty to aiding suicide. President Trump says he is meeting advisers at the White House to decide whether to back a proposed agreement with Iran. NASA considers how its plans for a permanent base on the M...
The author of a government-commissioned review of the rising number of young people not in employment or education has said there needs to be a whole-system reset to tackle the issue. New figures show more than a million people aged between 16 and 24-years-old were neither working nor learning in the first three months of this year.Delivering his report, the former Labour cabinet minister, Alan Milburn, said 'NEETs' were caught in a perfect storm, and that the first rung of the career ladder was...
The regulator Ofgem says its energy price cap will go up by 13 per cent in July, because of volatility in the gas market, from the conflict with Iran. The British Medical Association says resident doctors in England, who are in dispute with the government about pay, will go on strike for five days next month. Ministers have dismissed Sir Tony Blair’s criticisms of Labour's policy agenda -- saying the government is taking "big steps" to change the country. 01:21 – Energy price cap to rise 05:38 –...
The Attorney General says the sentences of three teenage boys who were spared custody over the rape of two girls in Hampshire, will be referred to the Court of Appeal. The boys were given rehabilitation orders by a Judge who said he would avoid "criminalising" them because of their ages. Bereaved parents meet the prime minister to urge him to ban social media for under 16s, as a government consultation on the issue draws to a close. Also: BP removes its chairman. Another record breaking hot May ...
The former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, Peter Murrell, has been remanded in custody after admitting embezzling more than 400 thousand pounds from the party, over a period of 12 years. The estranged husband of the former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, will be sentenced next month. Also: The UK records its all-time hottest May temperature. The Pope warns about the potential risks posed by artificial intelligence. Man City bids farewell to Pep Guardiola. And: Scientists recogni...
Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed an urgent review of a judge's decision not to give custodial sentences to two boys found guilty of raping two girls. He also praised what he described as the "harrowing and brave testimony" of one of the girls, who told the BBC the sentences had made her question whether it was worth giving evidence in court. Also: Donald Trump says US negotiators should not rush into a deal with Iran. And: A heatwave is declared in several parts of southern England.
The author of the government's review of youth inactivity has told the BBC that 25 times more is being spent on benefits for young people than schemes to get them into jobs. Alan Milburn - who was a Cabinet minister under Tony Blair - says it is "shameful" that nearly a million young people aren't in work or education, and called for a "complete" reset. Also: France has suspended the new EU border checks at the port of Dover after holidaymakers - trying to cross the Channel at the start of half ...
A team of scientists from Oxford University say the new Ebola vaccine could be ready for clinical trials within months. Also; police investigating Andrew Mountbatten Windsor could look into allegations of sexual misconduct as part of their inquiry into potential misconduct in public office. He's denied wrongdoing. And, there's mixed messages from a NATO summit about US troop deployments in Europe.
The Prime Minister says the government is delivering on its promise to regain control of the UK's borders, after official figures showed that net migration fell sharply last year. Also: New papers released by the government suggest the late Queen Elizabeth was "very keen" for Prince Andrew to be made a trade envoy. And Aston Villa players take part in an open top bus parade in Birmingham to mark their Europa League victory.
The government has announced an extension to the 5 pence cut to fuel duty until the end of December. Also: The UK condemns Russian jets which flew within six metres of an RAF plane. And Southampton appeal against their disqualification from the Championship play-off final.
The Metropolitan Police says it is sending evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service for a decision on criminal charges, in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire, for 57 individuals and 20 companies and organisations. Also: The Transport Secretary says the HS2 high speed rail link may end up costing more than a hundred billion pounds. And three presenters have been chosen to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as the hosts of Strictly Come Dancing.
Two women have told the BBC they were raped during the filming of one of Channel 4's biggest shows. Channel 4 said it had commissioned an external review into contributor welfare on the programme in April. Also: Sir Keir Starmer says he won't walk away from Downing Street. And The Prince of Wales is to sell twenty per cent of his Duchy of Cornwall estate to help fund social housing and environmental projects.
Lisa Nandy, a member of Sir Keir Starmer's cabinet, backs Andy Burnham's bid to return to Westminster, and says she can't guarantee the prime minister will fight any leadership challenge. The BBC's political correspondent, Paris Gourtsoyannis, has the latest. Also: Steve Rosenberg reports from Moscow on one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia since the start of the war four years ago. We hear from the BBC's Africa correspondent Thomas Mukhwana as a growing Ebola outbreak in the Demo...
Wes Streeting has confirmed he'll challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has said he is standing in the Makerfield constitutency to "save" the party. A massive police operation has taken place in central London where two major protest marches -- one led by the right wing activist, Tommy Robinson and the other a pro-Palestinian rally -- have passed off largely without incident. More than 30 people have been arrested. The last senior Ha...
Labour's National Executive Committee has given the go-ahead for Andy Burnham to seek selection to be the party's candidate in a by-election in Makerfield. Also: The UK and other European countries have signed a landmark declaration, which calls on courts to rethink how they decide migration cases, in a bid to make it easier to deport illegal migrants. And China's foreign minister has announced that President Xi Jinping has accepted an invitation from Donald Trump to travel to the United States ...
The Labour MP for Makerfield has offered to give up his seat to allow the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, a chance to get into Parliament and possibly bid for the Labour leadership. Also: Wes Streeting resigns as the Health Secretary, saying he has "lost confidence" in Sir Keir Starmer's leadership. And Madonna, BTS and Shakira will headline the first ever football World Cup Final half time show.
Allies of the health secretary, Wes Streeting, say they expect him to launch a challenge against Sir Keir Starmer tomorrow. Also: A parliamentary investigation is to be held into whether Nigel Farage broke Commons rules by not declaring a five-million pound gift from a supporter. And the Princess of Wales embarks on her first foreign tour since being treated for cancer.
Some government ministers and MPs have called for Sir Keir Starmer to step down, despite his insistence that he wants to "get on" with running the country. Also: The leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorweth, has been voted in as the new First Minister of Wales. And Donald Trump flies to China for a state visit.
More than 50 Labour MPs have called for the prime minister to resign, despite Sir Keir Starmer's vow to stay on, and prove his doubters wrong. Also: President Trump has said the American ceasefire deal with Iran is "on life support", as the sides fail to agree terms for talks on ending the war. And the British actor Michael Pennington, best known for his performances of Shakespeare, has died at the age of 82.
The former Deputy Prime Minister has warned that Labour is on its 'last chance' and 'needs to change now' -- following the party's losses in local elections. Angela Rayner has backed Andy Burnham to return to Westminster as the Prime Minister faces calls from within Labour to step down. Also: British passengers from the cruise ship hit by an outbreak of hantavirus are being flown back to the UK after landing in Tenerife. And the Netflix drama, Adolescence, picks up more prizes at the television ...
Sir Keir Starmer insists he won't step down following his party's heavy election losses in England, Wales and Scotland — but one former minister says she'll try to trigger a leadership contest next week if no-one in the Cabinet comes forward. Also: President Putin watches a scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow as a three day ceasefire with Ukraine begins. And British nationals on board the cruise ship at the centre of the hantavirus outbreak are to be taken to a Merseyside hospital.
The Labour party has suffered huge losses in English local elections and has lost control of the parliament in Wales, while Reform makes historic gains. The Scottish National Party eye a record fifth term in power, but without an overall majority. There are gains too for the Greens and Liberal Democrats. Sir Keir Starmer has defied calls to step down, saying that would plunge the UK into "chaos".
