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A phone service aimed at protecting women has been backed by the Home Secretary, but critics are calling for her to tackle male violence head on. BT set out plans for “walk me home”, an emergency number to allow vulnerable women to have their journeys tracked and an alert triggered if they do not reach home in time. The firm’s chief executive Philip Jansen said the idea came because he […]

Thousands of pounds have been raised so far in memory of former government minister James Brokenshire. The family of the 53-year-old, who died on Thursday after suffering lung cancer, set up a fundraising page to encourage people to share memories, photographs and donate in his memory. Less than 24 hours after the page was announced on Friday, more than £12,000 had been pledged by the public to the Roy Castle […]

The not-for-profit service could be used by anyone fearful while out walking. BT is working on an emergency phone service to protect women as they walk home, which Home Secretary Priti Patel is considering amid public anger prompted by Sarah Everard’s murder. – How will it work? Users will be able to download a mobile phone app then enter their home address and other regular destinations. Before walking the user […]

It's according to the boss of energy regulator Ofgem Households can expect to see a “significant rise” in their bills when the price cap review takes place in February, according to the boss of energy regulator Ofgem. Chief executive Jonathan Brearley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We can’t predict everything, and the wholesale market, as we’ve seen, has gone up and down extremely quickly so we can’t predict fully […]

England bosses have given the green light for this winter’s Ashes tour. The England and Wales Cricket Board has issued a statement that will pave the way for the blue-chip series to start as scheduled in Brisbane on December 8. England captain Joe Root last week refused to confirm he would tour Australia, while opposing counterpart Tim Paine had suggested the tourists would pitch up for the series with or […]

Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack for No Time To Die has become the highest charting James Bond album in the history of the film franchise. The album has debuted at number seven in the Official Charts Company rankings following the long-awaited release of the film last week. The film’s title track by Billie Eilish previously reached number one in the singles chart last February. Zimmer created the soundtrack with former Smiths guitarist […]

Tap water in thousands of homes could have been contaminated with E.coli, a water company has warned. Sutton and East Surrey (SES) Water has advised people living in parts of Kent and Surrey to boil their water as a “precautionary measure” after a routine test detected a possible outbreak of the bacteria. The company said that water supplies at 6,500 properties “could be affected” by the bacteria, which can cause […]

Baroness Casey of Blackstock will lead the review of culture and standards at the Metropolitan Police in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder. Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick announced the appointment on Friday, saying it was an “important step in our journey to rebuild public trust” which would scrutinise the force’s vetting, recruitment, leadership, training and “all manner of processes to see how they reinforce the best possible standards”. An “urgent […]

The Health Secretary is urging people to have their flu and Covid-19 booster vaccines after experts predicted the viruses could push the health service to breaking point this winter. The Government has launched the biggest flu programme in the NHS’s history, with more than 35 million people in England eligible for a free vaccine. Covid booster jabs are also being rolled out, with around 1.7 million people given these third […]