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In a question about sprinklers being urgently needed in tower blocks after the Grenfell Tower disaster, Prime Minister’s Questions today heard how the Prime Minister’s constituency has been protected from the austerity cuts that have ravaged other local authorities around the country. “Not one penny to fit sprinklers to Birmingham’s 230 tower blocks from Government,” said Jack Dromey, MP for the Birmingham constituency of Erdington. "Now the city suffering the biggest cuts in local government history is to suffer a further...

White Alabamans voted enthusiastically for Donald Trump's Republican candidate in yesterday's election. Doug Jones became the first Democrat in 25 years to win a US Senate seat for Alabama after a bitter campaign against Roy Moore. His unexpected victory deals a blow to President Donald Trump, who backed Mr Moore, and narrows the Republican majority in the Senate to 51-49. Mr Moore has been criticised for being a white supremacist in the past and has alleged sexual assaults against his name....

Millions of Brits are being tricked into buying FRENCH turkeys for Christmas dinner because of an EU loophole, experts warned today (Weds). Campaigners say some supermarkets will be selling birds from the continent due to an outbreak of avian flu which hit UK turkey production. They are warning that by the time the turkeys hit the shelves the birds could have changed nationality thanks to the EU’s “flag of convenience” labelling rules. Agriculture activist Richard Haddock says turkeys can be...

Dozens of workers on London’s multi-billion pound Crossrail project claim they have been ‘sacked’ just days before Christmas - after a dispute with bosses over a £5,000 bonus. A total of 54 electricians were axed from their jobs yesterday by Balfour Beatty, the infrastructure company awarded a £70 million contract for Woolwich Crossrail station in south east London. They claim they were ‘sacked’ by the company after voicing concerns over a finishing bonus of up to £5,000. The electricians say...

York has become the latest UK city to deny Uber a license to operate in the city. The historic town joins Yorkshire counterpart Sheffield in banning the taxi hailing app, with London famously leading the charge earlier this year. A committee at the City of York Council cited the number of complaints it had received about the service and a recent well-publicised data protection breach as reasons for the decision. Saf Din, chairman of the York Hackney Carriage Drivers Association,...

Pro-Leave daily The Express has dramatically backtracked on Brexit - admitting that the UK will be worse-off under "most plausible scenarios". The paper, which actively encouraged Brits to vote Leave before the referendum, has today published a damning report seemingly reversing its stance on the breakup. A report from the Rand Corporation found a no-Brexit deal would cost the UK nearly five per cent of its overall GDP – around £104 billion – over the course of ten years after...

The struggling honey bee could be saved by boosting its gut bacteria, according to new research. Just like humans, the vital pollinator has bugs in its intestinal tract that improves digestion and fuels health. But the system is much simpler, relying on only a few different species - compared to up to a thousand in ours. This has enabled scientists to identify those that allow them to digest a pollen rich diet - a breakthrough that could lead to bacterial...

Amazon drivers are being forced to deliver up to 200 parcels a day and urinate in plastic bottles so as not to leave their vans, a shocking new investigation has revealed. With deliveries ramping up ahead of Christmas a saddening report finds many drivers routinely exceed the legal maximum shift of 11 hours and finish their days dead on their feet. They also have so little time for food or toilet stops they snatch hurried meals on the run and urinate into...

Astronomy boffins have come up with a new modern day series of star constellations - which include famous names like Usain Bolt, Tim Peake and Sir David Attenborough. University of Birmingham scientists created the star-studded designs in a bid to get younger people more interested in the cosmos. In one of the constellations, Harry Potter’s glasses light up the night sky as a tribute to the famous author JK Rowling. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt can also be seen pulling his...