National News

James Cleverly has met senior officials in Beijing in a visit aimed at easing tensions with China but which risks deepening divisions in the Conservative Party. The Foreign Secretary insisted the visit would allow him to have “tough conversations” with the Chinese on issues including repression in Hong Kong, and human rights abuses in Xinjiang province. In a face-to-face meeting with Vice President Han Zheng, who played a leading role […]

Gatwick Airport has seen half-year profits jump by nearly two-thirds as travel demand surged, but said air traffic remains below pre-pandemic levels due to “challenging” restrictions across Europe. The airport, near Crawley in West Sussex, reported pre-tax profits of £100.2 million for the six months to June 30, up 65% from £60.7 million a year ago. Underlying earnings rose 59% to £235.7 million from £148.3 million a year ago, with […]

Toy giant Lego has seen half-year earnings tumble by nearly a fifth as the boom in demand seen during the pandemic faded. The Danish group reported a 19% fall in operating profits to 6.4 billion Danish krona (£738 million) in the six months to June 30. Lego saw sales growth slow to 1% with revenues at 27.4 billion Danish Krona (£3.2 billion) as it came up against “exceptional” trading a year earlier, with […]

That's according to Zoopla The number of home sales taking place across the UK this year is on track to be around a fifth (21%) lower than in 2022, according to a property website. About one million sales could be completed in 2023, which would be the lowest total since 2012 and equate to the average household moving just once every 23 years, Zoopla said. The website made its predictions […]

The first easyJet repatriation flights returning passengers to the UK following an air traffic control (ATC) fault will set off for London Gatwick as disruption continues. The failure, which led to a spate of cancellations and delays, was caused by flight data received by National Air Traffic Services (Nats) – with both primary and back-up systems responding by suspending automatic processing. Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe gave the explanation in […]

Jos Buttler believes the Hundred has made England “very battle-hardened” ahead of the white-ball series against New Zealand. The competition’s third edition concluded at Lord’s on Sunday with Southern Brave winning the women’s competition before Oval Invincibles scooped the men’s prize. England begin the T20 leg of the Black Caps’ tour at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday and plenty of players included in their squad have put in solid performances throughout the […]

Rishi Sunak said he wants people to “have confidence” in his plan to curb Channel crossings, as the total so far this year approaches 20,000. The Prime Minister said the number of migrant arrivals was lower than last year and this showed his plan to “stop the boats” was “working”. Crossings resumed on Tuesday, with pictures showing a dinghy packed with men and boys, some without lifejackets, perched on the […]

Environmental campaigners have hit out at the Government after it confirmed that EU-era restrictions that force housebuilders to mitigate the impact new developments have on river health are set to be scrapped under plans to provide an additional 100,000 new homes in England by 2030. The Government said the measure could provide an £18 billion boost to the economy, and that housing developments contribute only a small fraction of nutrient […]

Joel Dommett has said making sure his script for the National Television Awards (NTAs) pokes fun while also steering away from controversy is what he finds “hardest” about hosting the show. The comedian and TV presenter, 38, said he works on the script solidly for a month before the ceremony at The O2 in London, to ensure he pushes his jokes far enough, while being on the “right side” of […]