A lost computer disc containing personal details about thousands of justice staff is not thought to have fallen into the wrong hands, a Government minister said.

Next year's Sats tests could be the last, Schools Secretary Ed Balls has signalled.

Hundreds of thousands of civil servants are to be balloted on whether to take industrial action for at least three months in a bitter dispute with the Government over pay.

Ministers have rejected proposals for a cap on immigration, ahead of a cross-party report which is expected to call for a sharp reduction in the numbers allowed to settle in the UK.

A teenager stabbed to death after rival "postcode" gangs clashed at a girl's birthday party has been named by sources as Dale Robertson.

Fears of floods crippling Britain have eased overnight despite concerns rain could see water levels continue to rise.

Councils must keep track of recycled rubbish to ensure it is not dumped illegally in poor countries, local government leaders have said.

Mortgage lender Nationwide has said it was in advanced talks over mergers with the Derbyshire and Cheshire building societies.

Police have arrested a man over the murder of two people on a canal boat.

David Cameron has hinted at the possibility of tax cuts under a Conservative government, saying that it was right for those who "put their backs into the British economy" to be rewarded.

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