A long-standing friend and political colleague of William Hague called on the press to "back off", branding coverage of the Foreign Secretary's personal life "contemptible".

The three Pakistan cricketers at the centre of match-fixing allegations have been released without charge by police.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has led tributes to "larger-than-life" politician Sir Cyril Smith, who has died at the age of 82.

The director general of the BBC has defended the Corporation's impartiality after it was disclosed he met a senior government aide in Downing Street to discuss coverage of the Government's spending cuts.

There may be a case for HM Inspector of Constabulary to be called in to investigate allegations relating to phone-hacking by journalists at the News of the World, shadow home secretary Alan Johnson has said.

A mother charged with murdering her two-year-old son has been remanded to a secure psychiatric hospital.

Firefighters said it was an "absolute miracle" no-one was killed in an explosion at a Hare Krishna temple.

Two students who set fire to a friend in a drunken prank that went horrifically wrong have been sentenced.

Two police officers have been suspended from driving duties after they stopped a suspected drink driver then wrote-off his sports car by crashing through a garden wall.

Cheryl Cole's four-year marriage to footballer husband Ashley has ended on the grounds of his admitted unreasonable behaviour.

A former member of MI6 who tried to sell secrets for £2 million has been sentenced to 12 months in jail.

Union leaders have warned that plans by a county council to axe 1,500 jobs over the next three years because of cuts in Government funds will pile "misery" into a recession-hit region.

A stalker has been jailed after writing a blog about raping and murdering a woman he had been harassing in real life for two years.

A former boarding school head is facing a lengthy jail term after being convicted of abusing boys during the 1970s and 1980s.

An investigation has been launched after a man arrested for begging was found collapsed in a police cell and later died, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has said.

David Cameron welcomed a new arrival to Downing Street, posing for pictures with his 10-day-old daughter.

Presenter Sarah Kennedy is to leave BBC Radio 2 after more than 17 years in the early morning slot, it has been announced.

Fugitive tycoon Asil Nadir has stood in an Old Bailey dock, 17 years after he fled Britain.

UK Independence Party MEP Nigel Farage has confirmed he is standing for the party's leadership.

Crime could rise if hundreds of police jobs are axed because of the Government's budget cuts, a chief constable has said.

A family said they have been left baffled and upset by the theft of their Yorkshire terrier dog, which was bundled into a car by a motorist outside their country home.

The wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow has criticised William Hague for detailing his wife's miscarriages in a statement denying a sexual relationship with an aide.

Long-running morning show GMTV has bowed out with presenter Andrew Castle thanking the loyal viewers who watched it in its 17-year run.

The UK has seen its biggest fall in alcohol consumption in 60 years, according to new figures from an industry body.

Details of a "major effort" to help people get to work during a strike by London Underground workers have been unveiled, including extra buses, escorted bike rides and more river journeys.

Oil giant BP has said that the cost of tackling the Gulf of Mexico disaster had risen to 8 billion US dollars (£5.2 billion) so far.

A hidden danger in the garden has been highlighted by the case of a man who contracted Legionnaires' disease from handling compost.

Cheryl Cole is due to be divorced from her footballer husband Ashley, according to reports.

The Spice Girls musical will get an absolutely fabulous plot - courtesy of writer Jennifer Saunders.

A four-year-old boy who disappeared with a couple who were fostering him has been found.

A controversial "lottery" designed to allocate school places fairly has failed to reduce segregation between rich and poor pupils, research suggests.

Ed Balls has put employment at the centre of his campaign for the Labour leadership by outlining a £250 million plan to create 200,000 jobs and work placements for the unemployed.

The pathologist who carried out the first post mortem on Ian Tomlinson, who died at last year's G20 protest, is due to find out whether he is to be struck off the medical register.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has said his decision to publicly deny speculation about a gay affair with an aide was "not an easy thing to do".

The BBC has defended its impartiality after the director general of the corporation was photographed going into a meeting in Downing Street to apparently discuss coverage of government spending cuts.

The three Pakistan cricketers at the centre of match-fixing allegations have been suspended from playing cricket after being charged under the anti-corruption code of the sport's governing body.

Royal Bank of Scotland is axing another 3,500 jobs under plans to more than halve the bank's administration centres across the UK.

Police forces would face "Armageddon" if ministers imposed funding cuts as high as 40%, a chief constable has said.

A businessman who battered his wife and daughter to death with a mallet professed his love for his family repeatedly in the moments after their brutal killings, an inquest heard.

Economists are divided over the future direction of the housing market as Nationwide said prices fell for the second consecutive month during August.

The parents of suspected honour killing victim Shafilea Ahmed have been questioned by detectives investigating her murder.

A team of professionals held an urgent meeting to discuss a disabled pensioner who repeatedly threatened to kill himself seven months before he ended his life at a Swiss clinic.

The brakes have been slammed on racing driver Ben Collins's career as Top Gear's The Stig because of his High Court battle with the BBC.

A shopkeeper was battered to death in his own store as he tried to protect his "hard-earned money" from a gang of robbers, a jury has been told.

British men are losing sight of their manhood as they pile on the pounds, a survey showed.

A four-year-old boy has gone missing with two adults who were looking after him.

Around 2,000 police officers have had at least three complaints made against them by members of the public over the past year.

Tony Blair has revealed in his newly published memoirs that he came close to ordering the RAF to shoot down a passenger plane over London.