This Is Why

The price of everyday things - mainly food - is now rising at the lowest level since 2021.   Official data shows inflation eased last month to 3.2% - down from 3.4% - but the fall was slightly less than economists expected.   On the Daily, Niall Paterson looks at what's going on with inflation and what it might mean for interest rates with Sky's economics and data editor Ed Conway - who's in the U...

'Absolutely nuts' was how former Prime Minister Boris Johnson described Rishi Sunak’s plan to gradually phase out smoking – banning anyone born since the start of 2009 from ever being able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products like vapes.      Liz Truss, who was also briefly prime minister in-between the two men, is also among some critical of the proposal – which she described as 'profoundly unco...

Military experts have called Iran's ariel attack on Israel on Saturday night 'ambitious' and warn it could push an already fragile region into a dangerous new phase.   On the Sky News Daily, host Matt Barbet examines how Iran and Israel's 'shadow war' has moved out into the open, alongside defence and security analyst Michael Clarke.    Matt is also joined by Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian, affiliated l...

On Saturday night Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel, which Tehran has claimed is in retaliation for an attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus by Israel on 1 April.      Some 170 explosive drones, 120 ballistic missiles, and 30 cruise missiles were launched by Iran, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), who said "99%" were inte...

Ex-armed forces minister James Heappey has told Sky's defence and security editor Deborah Haynes the UK should consider sending its forces to Ukraine to train troops.   On the Sky News Daily, host Tom Cheshire talks to her and Sky's military analyst Professor Michael Clarke about the interview with Mr Heappey, who stepped down from his role last month.   They assess the bleak situation in Ukraine...

The death of arguably one of America’s most talked about names in the 1990s has re-ignited conversations about who OJ Simpson was and how he will be remembered.   The former NFL star was tried and acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He later spent time in jail for armed robbery and kidnap.  On the Daily, Niall Paterson talks to our US corresp...

President Biden has stated US support for Israel is 'ironclad' after reports an Iranian attack is imminent. Iran had promised to retaliate after Israel killed a top Iranian commander in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month.  It has led to fears the Israel-Gaza war could escalate to a wider Middle East conflict. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu did nothing to allay concerns when he said his forces were...

More than 55,000 asylum seekers whose applications have been refused since 2011 may not have left the UK.The analysis of Home Office data does not include partners or children - so could be even higher. On the Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to our communities correspondent Becky Johnson about how delays in deporting failed applicants have led to some people being able to make multiple appeals. In on...

Yemen is in the middle of a humanitarian disaster after nearly a decade of civil war between the Saudi and Western-backed government, and the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.  As Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford has found, war in Gaza is making the situation even worse for Yeminis already facing violence, starvation and disease.  On this edition of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is join...

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner is facing questions about whether she paid enough tax on a house sale, almost a decade ago.       She denies any wrongdoing and has been backed by the party's leader Sir Keir Starmer, with some colleagues claiming she's being "smeared".       On the Sky News Daily, Mark Austin unpicks exactly what Angela Rayner is accused of and discusses if the allegations are...

Next week, millions of people across North America will be able to see a total solar eclipse, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.  A total solar eclipse - where the moon moves in front of the sun - happens about every 18 months. However, it rarely takes place over land, so next week's is an incredibly rare opportunity for scientists and amateurs alike to witness the phenomenon. On the Sky Ne...

Three former Supreme Court justices have warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the UK is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel.     They are among over 600 lawyers and academics who are signatories of a 17-page letter, which also urges ministers to work towards a ceasefire in Gaza and resume funding to the UNRWA aid agency.  It comes as civil servants overseeing arms exports cou...

The UK spends more than £50bn a year - 2.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - on defence, but government documents shared with Sky News show the country has no preparations for a nuclear war.     In January, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned the country is approaching a pre-war era and that in five years' time the UK could be looking at conflicts with Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.     S...

Aid group World Central Kitchen says seven members of its team have been killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza. The charity said the volunteers had just unloaded more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by sea. The foreign nationals killed were from the UK, Australia, Poland, and a dual US-Canadian citizen.      Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari...

It’s the height of lockdown, 19-year-old Ellie Williams claims on social media she's been raped and exploited by an Asian grooming gang across the north of England. Photos of her alleged injuries add to the outrage and the post goes viral - shared more than 100,000 times.   Social media rumours lead to attacks on Asian men and businesses in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness. But when she's arreste...

The amount of raw sewage being spilled into England’s waterways has hit a record high – more than doubling since last year.    Water companies are allowed to do this, but only in exceptional circumstances to prevent sewage washing back up into our homes.   But, there’s growing evidence sewage is being routinely dumped by water firms when it’s not needed, polluting England’s waters more to the poin...

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a cargo ship leaving the US city of Baltimore catastrophically struck a major bridge. The entire middle section of the 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River.    The ship lost power as it left the port, but the crew had enough time to make a mayday call so officials on the bridge were able to shut it to most traffic. Two peop...

Four men have been charged with carrying out an attack at a concert in Moscow on Friday that killed more than 130 people. They all appeared in court on Monday heavily bruised with swollen faces and black eyes – with one attending in a wheelchair wearing a hospital gown.    The Islamic State group said it carried out the attack on the Crocus City Hall, but President Putin has insisted Ukraine was i...

The US has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the first time as secretary of state Antony Blinken lands in Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. An American-sponsored resolution demanding a truce was rejected by the UN Security Council. The US policy change comes amid fears the Palestinian territory could be on the brink of famine. On the Daily, Niall Paters...

The Princess of Wales has issued a personal message revealing that she has been diagnosed with cancer following her abdominal surgery earlier this year and that she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy. The news comes after many weeks of speculation about the health of the 42-year-old future queen, who has not been seen on official duties since Christmas. On the Sky News Daily, Jonathan Samuels...

Thousands of women should get payouts because of the way changes to the state pension affected them, according to a watchdog. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said the women who were born in the 1950s didn't get their pension when they expected because they didn't know about the reforms.    The PHSO report added that they are "owed" money by the Department for Work and Pension...

The resignation of Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has come as a shock. He suffered defeats in two referendums earlier this month, where the public voted against the government's plans to remove "sexist" language from the constitution. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by Ireland correspondent Stephen Murphy to look at Varadkar's legacy as both the youngest and openly gay Taois...

More than half of people in the UK have seen online conspiracy theories about why the Princess of Wales has been absent from public life, but it hasn't dented trust in the Royal Family, according to Sky News polling.       Speculation on social media about Kate's health and whereabouts have been rife in recent days – despite Kensington Palace announcing she would be recovering from abdominal surge...

A new Sky News series 'Faultlines' covers in-depth and immersive reports exploring contemporary social challenges across the UK.       This episode asks 'is our housing market in crisis?', with not enough homes and expensive rentals forcing an increasing number of people into homelessness.     In 2021/22, just 7,528 new social homes were delivered. Nowhere near enough for the 1.1 million people on...

As Russians go to the polls, the outcome is certainly already written as Vladimir Putin runs pretty much uncontested in his bid for a fifth term in office.    Opposition candidates were banned from standing, fled the country or are dead - like Putin's most prominent critic, Alexei Navalny.    So, what will another six years of rule mean for Russians, the war in Ukraine and the world?   On the Dail...