The grandfather of the new MI6 boss Richard Moore was an IRA fighter who won a medal from Sinn Fein for fighting against British rule. Mr Moore, 57, said his grandfather Jack Buckley joined the IRA in Cork in 1916 and fought until 1922. His grandfather even won a medal …...Read More

Royal aides are despairing that their Covid-secure sleeping quarters in Balmoral are like a 'Colditz prison camp'. A group of servants have travelled up to the Scottish home of the Royal Family ahead of the Queen and Prince Philip's arrival this summer. The hand-picked team of aides are in a …...Read More

Advertisement For years, they were synonymous with accommodation that placed functionality and financial prudence firmly above style. But this week the humble prefab — a house manufactured offsite in kit form — is being touted as a solution to our current housing crisis. Treasury chief secretary Steve Barclay announced a …...Read More

A conman has been spared prison because he is too fat. Jail staff would have problems looking after 28-stone Barry Beardall – including getting him out of bed, the judge said. Judge Peter Henry said because of the 74-year-old’s size and ill-health, he needed carers to help him out of …...Read More

A majority of the population said they do not observe social distancing at all times, according to a new official survey. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that only 47 per cent said they ‘always’ kept a safe distance from others. Some 31 per cent said they kept a …...Read More

Clingy lycra, helmet hair and a rusty bicycle you have not ridden in years — cycling does not exactly have a glamorous reputation. But if you are a billionaire who bikes, there are lots of options. From an £800,000 bicycle made from 24-carat gold to a leather basket that costs …...Read More

Polish towns that declared themselves 'LGBT free zones' in a backlash against gay rights are to be denied EU funds. Hardline president Andrzej Duda has just won five more years in power after a campaign that included attacks on the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. Now six towns …...Read More

Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena, 37, was working for the US government in Mexico when he was abducted, tortured and killed by cartel members in February 1985. The lead investigator in his death believes a CIA agent was involved in his murder A new Amazon docuseries claims that a CIA agent was …...Read More

To arrive in the pretty Somerset village of Witham Friary on a perfect English summer day is to feel instantly envious of its residents. Who wouldn’t want to live in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where neighbours leave out honesty boxes alongside bunches of flowers and the traditional pub …...Read More

Few men in the first half of the 20th century knew more royal secrets than Sir Alan 'Tommy' Lascelles, who served four monarchs, from George V to the Queen — and now features as a pivotal character in TV's The Crown, which returns for a fourth series later this year. …...Read More