John Bercow pledged to heal public “anger and disappointment” over the expenses scandal as he was installed as the UK's House of Commons’ 157th Speaker.

Gordon Brown has marked his first anniversary in No 10 with the humiliation of seeing Labour beaten into fifth place in the Henley-on-Thames by-election.

Officers investigating the murder of Mary-Ann Leneghan, whose family is from Co Mayo, arrested a man in his 20s today, Thames Valley Police said.

A 16-year-old girl was killed and her 18-year-old friend was seriously injured after they were abducted and sexually and physically attacked by a gang of at least six men, police revealed tonight.

US president George Bush was arriving in Britain today for a four-day state visit expected to be marked by massive demonstrations against the war in Iraq.