The basic aspects of local democracy in Liverpool aren't functioning: that, this programme understands, is one of the damning conclusions of an inspection into the city council due out tomorrow.

 A former vicar who bullied and psychologically abused men and boys was protected by a church culture where he was “untouchable”.

A year of pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on the British economy. Unemployment has jumped by almost 700,000 and trillions of pounds have been knocked off the country's output as companies struggle to survive.

 Boris Johnson admitted today there are many things he would have done differently during the pandemic, as his chief scientist warned that Covid will be with us "for the foreseeable future".

The nation fell silent at noon today to remember all those who have died during the pandemic, a year after the first UK lockdown was imposed.

The size of the army is to be reduced by thousands of troops over the next four years, as part of what the government is calling the most significant defence review since the end of the cold war.

Yang Xiaoguang is chargé d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in London.

The Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has announced sanctions against four senior Chinese officials accused of being behind abuses of  Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang,  calling it one of the "worst human rights crises of our time".

We have some new information about what he's been up to.

Boris Johnson has warned that the third wave of coronavirus sweeping through Europe is likely to “wash up on our shores as well".

We spoke to Sir Peter Fahy, former chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, and began by asking if the politicians are putting the police in an impossible position.

The Home Secretary Priti Patel has condemned what she called the "anarchic and violent" scenes in Bristol yesterday evening, when a protest against plans to give police increased powers descended into violence.

Jackie Baillie is Labour's deputy leader in Scotland.

We spoke to Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party leader in the Commons, and asked if recent events had exposed a terrible schism in the Scottish National Party.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been cleared of breaching the ministerial code in relation to sexual harassment allegations against her predecessor, Alex Salmond.