UK News: Letters show Blair and Brown leadership deal

A CACHE of documents from the heart of the former Labour government has shone a light on Ed Miliband and Ed Balls's roles in Gordon Brown's plot to take over the leadership from Tony Blair.

Included are letters between Blair and Brown in which they haggle over the terms for a handover of 10 Downing Street.

Prince Philip turns 90

THE Duke of Edinburgh turned 90 today but was set to keep working as normal.

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It is a milestone birthday for Philip, but as with many past anniversaries he planned to carry on with his public engagements. More than 2,000 birthday cards have flooded into Buckingham Palace - ten times the normal amount.

Millions drive while high on illegal drugs in UK

MILLIONS of Britons are driving while high on illegal drugs, a report said today.

Some 2.8 million people have driven while under the influence of drugs, with four in 10 of these doing so within the past 12 months, a survey showed.

But one in three drug drivers still thought they were "very safe" or "quite safe" with just one in five admitting they were a danger on the road.

The poll showed one in 10 drug drivers thought they would get away with it.

Fears of hosepipe bans

A STATE of drought has been officially declared in some parts of England following the driest spring since records began. The announcement comes amid fears of an imminent hosepipe ban in Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, along with low river levels and very dry soil.

Severn Trent Water has warned customers they may face restrictions.

Moss officially retires at 81

RACING legend Sir Stirling Moss has officially retired from motor racing at the age of 81.

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Sir Stirling decided to call it a day following a qualifying session at Le Mans for the Legends race in which he was due to compete in his own restored Porsche RS61.

LONDON: Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and released on bail. It is understood the 46-year-old MP for North West Leicestershire was arrested in relation to allegations of assaulting a 29-year-old woman in central London yesterday morning.

BELFAST: Sinn Fein's new MP for west Belfast has vowed to hold constituency surgeries in loyalist heartlands like the Shankill Road. Paul Maskey, who replaces Gerry Adams, said he wanted to reach out the hand of friendship across community divides and represent all the people in the area.