NATIONAL INSURANCE RISE ANNOUNCED IN BUDGET WILL RESTORE FAIRNESS, SAYS MINISTER

Ministers have rejected calls for a re-think of Philip Hammond's £240 Budget hike in National Insurance contributions for 2.5 million self-employed amid Tory fears it will hit traditional supporters.

Chancellor Philip Hammond departs 11 Downing Street, London, as he heads to the Palace of Westminster for the delivery of the Budget statement

Labour said the rise was a clear breach of David Cameron's Conservative manifesto commitment that there would be no increases in income tax, VAT or National Insurance contributions (NICs).

The Treasury said the overall impact on the self-employed of the Government's NIC changes would be relatively small.

PM TO ATTEND WHAT COULD BE HER LAST EU LEADERS' SUMMIT BEFORE TRIGGERING BREXIT

Theresa May will attend what could be her last European Union leaders' summit before formally triggering Brexit under Article 50.

The Prime Minister will attend the first day of the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday for talks on migration, security and economic growth.

But she will leave on Thursday night, allowing the other 27 leaders to use Friday's informal meeting to discuss the next summit in Rome on March 25, which will celebrate the EU's 60th anniversary.

UK CHILDREN 'MAY MISS OUT ON NEW CANCER DRUGS POST-BREXIT DUE TO EUROPEAN RULES'

Cancer experts have warned that British children may miss out on new cancer drugs post-Brexit because of European clinical trial regulations.

European rules currently allow drug companies to opt out of running clinical trials of new cancer drugs in children.

And after Britain leaves the EU, this loophole could mean youngsters in the UK missing out on European trials and suffering even greater delays in access to the latest cancer treatments, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, (ICR) and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust said.

ANTI-TERROR POLICIES RISK STIRRING 'FEAR AND RESENTMENT', REPORT CLAIMS

Counter-terrorism policies and anti-extremist programmes are jeopardising efforts to promote integration in Britain, a new report suggests.

A European watchdog claims government initiatives such as Prevent and Channel risk "fomenting fear and resentment" among people from national and ethnic minorities, and the Muslim community in particular.

Prevent is a strand of the Government's overarching counter-terrorism strategy, while Channel is a scheme through which those identified as being art risk of being drawn into extremism are given support by various agencies. It has been receiving a rising number of referrals in recent years.

NICOLA STURGEON 'NOT RULING OUT SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM IN 2018'

Nicola Sturgeon has refused to rule out a second Scottish independence referendum in 2018.

Pressed on the timing of a possible second referendum while on BBC Two's Brexit: Britain's Biggest Deal, the First Minister said she was "not ruling anything out".

Speaking on the programme, she said she was not "bluffing" about holding another referendum and warned politicians in Westminster that Brexit is not "some kind of game".

NO POLICE MISCONDUCT FOUND SO FAR IN ROTHERHAM CHILD SEX ABUSE PROBE - WATCHDOG

No police misconduct has yet been identified by investigators looking into officers' roles in the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal, according to the police watchdog.

But the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it has identified "significant failings" in the way survivors of abuse and alleged perpetrators were treated.

The commission is looking at allegations which include 91 named police officers in the biggest inquiry it has undertaken outside its investigation into the Hillsborough Disaster.

MOTHER OF MISSING CORRIE MCKEAGUE SAYS 'SEEMS SO UNLIKELY' SON IS STILL ALIVE

The mother of missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague has said it "seems so unlikely" that her son is still alive.

As a search team investigating his disappearance trawled through 60 tonnes of waste at a landfill site, Mr McKeague's mother Nicola Urquhart said she was "terrified" of what they might find.

Her 23-year-old son, from Fife, vanished on a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on September 24.

QUEEN TO UNVEIL NATIONAL MEMORIAL FOR SERVICE IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WARS

A national memorial honouring the Armed Forces and civilians who served their country during the Gulf War and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will be unveiled by the Queen today.

Prime Minister Theresa May, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and senior figures from the Cabinet will attend the ceremony.

Around 2,500 invited guests, including representatives of veterans, serving military, bereaved families, charity workers, civil servants and politicians, will attend a military Drumhead Service on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.

AT LEAST 22 DIE IN FIRE AT GUATEMALA CHILDREN'S SHELTER

A fire has swept through the female section of a crowded children's shelter near Guatemala City, killing at least 22 girls and leaving dozens more injured.

Distraught relatives waited outside the walled facility for news of their children.

Shelter personnel gave them pieces of paper to write down their children's names so they could try to locate them.

HARRY POTTER ACTOR JIM TAVARE IN INTENSIVE CARE AFTER HEAD-ON CAR CRASH

A Harry Potter actor is in intensive care after a head-on car smash left him with a broken neck and punctured lung.

Jim Tavare, known for his role in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, also suffered 15 broken ribs, breaks in his right leg and fractured breastbones in the crash, his wife said.

A picture of the bruised actor lying in a hospital bed and giving the thumbs up was posted to his Facebook account by partner Laura.