World · United Kingdom

Somerset cider orchards are harvesting as little as 10% of their normal apple crop due to a severe summer drought, threatening cider production and tree health.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced he will host a summit of the first ministers of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland in October to discuss economic growth, and suggested deeper devolution for Wales and Scotland.

Scotland's information commissioner is seeking permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court over a ruling that allowed the Scottish government to withhold documents related to an inquiry that cleared Nicola Sturgeon of breaching the ministerial code.

The UK government is considering changing the law on unfitness to plead after a driver who caused a fatal crash was given an absolute discharge because he was deemed unfit to stand trial.

The clearance of one of England's largest illegal waste tips in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, has been completed, costing taxpayers £6m. The government vows to recover costs from criminals, but figures show only £7.3m has been clawed back from waste criminals in five years, against £1bn annual cost of waste crime.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham ruled out a border poll on Irish unification during his first official visit to Northern Ireland, focusing instead on public services and cost-of-living pressures.

The UK government has brought forward the rollout of specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams to all police forces in England and Wales by 18 months, now targeting completion by end of 2027, and announced additional funding for protection order teams.

Hundreds of UK military veterans have had their pensions cut after being told they were overpaid due to clerical errors, with some owing tens of thousands of pounds.

Home Office data shows the number of asylum seekers in hotels halved to about 16,000 in June 2026, with falls also in asylum claims and small boat arrivals.

Unilever has put the Colman's Mustard brand and assets up for sale to address competition concerns ahead of its proposed £48bn merger with McCormick.