News 15/03/26

The Bank of England has said it will replace Sir Winston Churchill and Jane Austen with British wildlife on its next series of banknotes, reflecting public wishes.

Political leaders have criticised the move, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calling it “a silly thing to do” and Reform’s Nigel Farage saying it was “absolutely crackers.” The Bank said the change is mainly an anti-counterfeiting measure, and that historical figures will eventually have to be replaced. The RSPCA has joined the debate, suggesting pigeons, rats, and gulls could feature on the new designs.

Iran’s foreign minister says the country’s leadership has never asked for a ceasefire or negotiations with the United States, contradicting comments from President Donald Trump.

Trump told NBC News that Iran was seeking a deal but he rejected it because the terms were not good enough. Abbas Araghchi said Iran was ready to defend itself for as long as necessary. Asked directly if Iran had requested a ceasefire, he told CBS News the country had never asked for one and had not even asked for negotiations.

Police have released identifying details of a man found dead in a wheelie bin in Coventry.

The victim, believed to be aged between forty and fifty, had a tattoo on his back of a cross with a snake wrapped around it and the words Little Stardust. He also had a tattoo on his right arm saying nan with a clover and the colours of the Irish flag. His body was found in a council bin in Cash’s Park on Friday. Officers think he may have been hit by a vehicle before being moved.

The government says it is considering all options to secure shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, including working with the United States and allies.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said it was very important the route remained safe. Donald Trump has urged countries including the UK, China and France to send warships to the area. Iran’s actions in the strait, one of the world’s most important shipping routes, have affected global supply chains and pushed up energy prices.

Two mothers and their daughters say sharing a policing career has brought them closer together than they expected.

The pairs work for Thames Valley Police in a range of roles from neighbourhood teams to roads policing. PC Molly Clague from east Berkshire says her mother, Superintendent Helen Kenny, inspired her career. She says both are working towards the same goal of keeping people safe and supporting the public, which has given Mother’s Day extra meaning for their family.

President Trump has suggested Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may be dead, despite Iranian TV broadcasting a statement attributed to him earlier this week vowing to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking to NBC News, Trump said he was unsure if Khamenei was alive and added: “Some of them think he’s alive but very badly wounded.” He urged that if he is alive, he should act wisely for his country. The remarks follow comments from US war secretary Pete Hegseth, who said the supreme leader was likely disfigured after being wounded in US-Israeli attacks.

The Formula 1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, organisers have confirmed.

Both events were scheduled for April, with Bahrain on the 12th and Saudi Arabia on the 19th. Alternatives were considered but rejected, and the FIA also cancelled rounds of Formula 2, Formula 3 and the F1 Academy. Organisers cited the “ongoing situation in the Middle East region” as the reason for the cancellations.

Actor John Alford, known for his role as Billy Ray in ITV’s London’s Burning, has died in prison two months after being jailed for sexual assault.

Alford, whose real name was John Shannon, was sentenced in January to eight-and-a-half years for sexually assaulting two teenage girls in 2022. He also appeared in BBC’s Grange Hill. A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed his death on 13 March 2026, saying the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate, as with all deaths in custody.