The measure – part of ‘Raneem’s Law’ – will speed up referral of domestic and sexual abuse victims to support services

Domestic abuse specialists will be embedded in 999 control rooms from early next year in the first step towards the government’s goal of halving violence against women and girls in a decade, the home secretary has said.

The advisers will make risk assessments on cases involving rape, domestic and sexual abuse claims to ensure that victims are referred to support services as quickly as possible, as part of an initiative to be announced by Yvette Cooper on Friday.

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Man, 26, who has not yet been identified, died in Stockton-on-Tees on Thursday

Five people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was stabbed to death on Teesside.

The 26-year-old man died on Hills Drive in Stockton-on-Tees after a stabbing about midnight on Thursday, Cleveland police said.

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Cabinet ministers rally around chief of staff as Keir Starmer insists he is in control of No 10

• Why is Sue Gray at the centre of a new political storm?

Cabinet ministers have begun rallying around the Downing Street chief of staff, Sue Gray, saying the briefing against her is “appalling” and risks undermining the whole government.

In attempt to put an end to a series of damaging rows, Keir Starmer denied he had lost grip of his team and insisted he was “completely in control” of his No 10 operation.

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Actor who played dastardly Don Brennan in ITV soap is remembered by family as ‘restless, adventurous and funny’

Geoff Hinsliff, the former Coronation Street star, has died aged 87 after a short illness.

Hinsliff, who also had minor roles in the films O Lucky Man and I, Claudius and played a wireless operator in Richard Attenborough’s epic A Bridge Too Far, won the role of Don Brennan on the soap after previously appearing in one episode a decade earlier, in 1977, as a minor character named Eric Baile.

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Serco says it is working to fit electronic devices, which were a condition of early release of 1,700 last week

Prisoners freed early to ease overcrowding in jails have not been fitted with electronic tags despite it being a condition of their release, prompting criticism from a parliamentary watchdog.

Officials have declined to say how many of 1,700 prisoners in England and Wales who were allowed out after serving 40% of their sentences last week were not given tracking devices. It is understood to be “hundreds” rather than “dozens”, said a source.

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Rows over donations and the role of Sue Gray have exposed a disturbing lack of grip in Keir Starmer’s government

Labour’s conference next week will be a celebration of the party’s spectacular victory over the Conservatives in July. Understandably so. But warning signs for the future cannot now be brushed aside. Neither the government nor Sir Keir Starmer has enjoyed a political honeymoon since July. Poll ratings are increasingly poor. Something is failing in Labour’s way of governing. This needs to be addressed – and fast.

The big picture, Labour will insist, is that it takes time to undo the economic, social and cultural damage left by the Conservatives. That is undoubtedly true, and Labour was careful – to a fault – not to promise quick remedies during the election campaign. But the July manifesto could not have been more emphatic about Labour’s commitment to doing politics and government differently and better from day one. This is exactly where Labour seems to have lost the plot.

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MPs demand ‘forensic’ look at Labour’s plans to protect football pyramid in light of Premier League hospitality

Keir Starmer is facing questions about whether his £35,000 of free tickets from football clubs risks a conflict of interest as his government prepares to bring in a new regulator opposed by the industry.

The prime minister has been under scrutiny for days over his more than £100,000 of freebies and gifts over the last parliament, with another £8,000-plus due to be registered for the free use of a box at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

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Alex Edwards, 19, sentenced to five years and four months in jail as judge says he has ‘entrenched mindset of hatred’

A teenage far-right extremist has been jailed for more than five years for sharing terrorist documents and attacking a transgender woman by kicking her in the head before posting “best day ever” online.

Alex Edwards, formerly known as Alex Hutton, was sentenced at Winchester crown court for causing actual bodily harm, disseminating terrorist material and having a bladed article in a public place.

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Loss of key data when changing registered gender with GP means thousands are not invited to routine exams

Thousands of transgender patients in England are missing out on vital cancer screening because of the way their GP records are drawn up, experts have warned.

Everyone registered as female with their GP is automatically invited to breast screening from the age of 50 to 70, and to regular cervical screenings from 25 to 64.

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