Michelle O'Neill has been appointed PM of Northern Ireland; she is Vice-President of Sinn Féin, the left-wing nationalist party historically in favour of reunification with Ireland, and it is the first time that one of its members becomes Prime Minister

So-called puberty-blocking drugs will be banned indefinitely in the country, whereas until a few months ago they were prescribed to trans children and adolescents to delay the puberty period and to orientate their sexual development differently

Many farmers protested for changes to inheritance tax for farms announced in the budget: from April 2026, inherited farm assets worth more than £1 million, previously exempt, would be subject to inheritance tax at 20%, half the normal rate

The coronation of King Charles III last year cost taxpayers £72 million, including £50 million for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and almost £22 million for policing costs, Government figures revealed

Weird weather across the UK has been blamed on an anticyclonic gloom: fog, low clouds and spots of drizzle caused Odiham, a small town in Hampshire where some 4.400 people live, to record just 12 minutes of sunshine in the past 11 days