UNITED KINGDOM

Right-wing interior minister Suella Braverman said Thursday that three of the changes previously promised were unnecessary.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked Conservative Party chair Nadhim Zahawi on Sunday after an investigation found he committed a serious breach by not being open about a tax probe, the latest scandal to hit one of Sunak's top ministers.

The latest wave of Russian attacks came as the Kremlin said it perceived the tanks "as direct involvement in the conflict".

Britain and the European Union are unlikely to fundamentally change their underlying Brexit settlement, making sector-specific deals for financial services, fisheries and energy necessary to prevent more disruption, a report said.

British private-sector economic activity fell at its fastest rate in two years in January, a survey showed on Tuesday, as businesses blamed higher Bank of England interest rates, strikes and weak consumer demand for the slowdown.

Britain's government borrowed more last month than in any December since monthly records began 30 years ago, reflecting the huge cost of energy support and soaring debt interest linked to rising inflation.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday urged allies to double down on sending military equipment to support Ukraine and speed up an end to the war with Russia.

British Labour Party leader Keir Starmer set out his green growth plan in Davos on Thursday and criticised British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for not showing up at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.

British consumer sentiment fell for the first time in three months in January, returning near to historic lows as concerns about the economy and the soaring cost of living tightened the squeeze on household finances, research showed on Friday.

British house prices registered the most widespread falls in 13 years last month as buyer demand and sales activity weakened more sharply than expected in the face of higher borrowing costs and the risk of a recession, a survey showed on Thursday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Saturday that his government would provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks, leading Russia to charge that Britain was worsening the conflict.

On leaving the European Union, Britain agreed to a protocol that lets Northern Ireland remain in the EU common market.

Spain's foreign minister said on Tuesday that Madrid and London were closing in on a deal to find a definitive solution settling the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar.

Britain's trade surplus in financial and related professional services edged up in 2021 as the United States cemented its position as the top customer, while the European Union eased in importance following Brexit.

The Kremlin said on Monday that tanks Britain plans to send to Ukraine "will burn", warning the West that supplying a new round of more advanced weapons to Ukraine would not change the outcome of the war.

Met Commissioner Mark Rowley apologised to Carrick's victims, saying he "abused women in the most disgusting manner" and went unpunished due to "systemic failures".

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has struck a deal with publisher Harper Collins to write a memoir that will cover his role at the centre of one of the most dramatic periods in recent British history.

This week nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to resume strike action on Wednesday and Thursday.

Ukraine's European allies have sent Kyiv more than 300 modernised Soviet tanks since Russia invaded in February 2022.

The reimagined 1.2-kilometre (0.75-mile) viaduct will eventually link bustling Camden with the revamped King's Cross district.

Strikes disrupting swathes of the British economy look likely to intensify this week, with teachers ready to announce industrial action, according to the Sunday Times, and nurses warning their strikes could double in size next month.