Poppy Atkinson, from Kendal, was involved in a collision with a car on Wednesday

The deputy party leader says beating the Conservatives is ‘done’ as two Tory councillors defect

Richard Tice clashed with a Scottish journalist as he refused to give the surnames of two councillors who have defected from the Conservatives to Reform when questioned. The party’s deputy leader was speaking in Glasgow on Thursday, to announce that Ross Lambie of South Lanarkshire Council and John Gray of Renfrewshire Council had joined Reform. Footage showed Mr Tice referring to both councillors only by their first names when questioned. Mr Gray said his defection was driven by “years of disappointment with the Conservative party,” while Mr Lambie said his decision was driven by “legacy parties” letting down South Lanarkshire “time and time again”.

Powis, who had a key role in advising ministers and public during pandemic, follows chief executive in resigning

Stephen Powis will leave position in July after nearly eight years in the role

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, 64, has been in the role for seven years.

Treasury committee finds disruption a result of 158 IT incidents affecting millions of customers

Think tank says updated forecasts likely to see Rachel Reeves’s headroom disappear because of higher borrowing costs and weak growth

The collaboration will be outlined at a summit in Liverpool, which aims to reduce trade barriers created by Brexit

A driver told officers he “just had a sip” as he was caught drinking a pint of lager while behind the wheel of his car. Essex Police were on patrol on 22 December 2024 when they saw a car partially blocking the road in Brentwood. With the car’s engine still running, the man was seen sipping beer from a Stella Artois pint glass. He proceeded to fail a roadside breath test. Andre Ali-Baba, 25, of Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, was arrested and charged with drink driving. Appearing at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 20 February, he was banned from driving for 14 months and ordered to pay £256 in fines and court costs.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Micheal Martin will take part in the first in a series of annual UK-Ireland summits.

Editorial: As the chancellor prepares to present her plans for social security reforms she must assess whether her cost-cutting measures are unnecessarily punitive, or indeed realistic

Officials hope the new deal will speed up investments and developments in infrastructure.

Whitehall departments and the welfare budget are areas being targeted for spending cuts ahead of the Spring Statement

Sir Keir Starmer and Micheal Martin spoke at a reception at the Museum of Liverpool on Wednesday evening.