Simon Israel , Senior Home Affairs Correspondent

An investigation is underway into the fire which swept through a six storey student accommodation block in Bolton – gutting and badly damaging several floors.

A police constable has appeared in court, charged with the murder of former footballer, Dalian Atkinson.

In an official report released today, Sir Martin Moore-Bick castigated the London Fire Brigade and blamed the presence of cladding at Grenfell Tower as a key factor in the rapid spread of the flames.

It is two years since the terrible fire which killed 72 people at Grenfell Tower.

The Vietnamese Embassy in London says it has received requests from a number of  families asking for help to find out if their relatives were among the 39 people found dead inside a refrigerated trailer in Essex. In the last few minutes police say a fourth person has been arrested.

It’s all about the lure of the snakehead – the Chinese term for human smuggling syndicates which seek to transport migrants halfway across the world for profit. They are undoubtedly behind this latest tragedy.

Today’s events bear many of the hallmarks of a similar tragedy at Dover 19 years ago.

London’s fire chief has called for urgent government research on the ‘stay put policy’ in tower blocks fires, a fortnight before the Grenfell public inquiry is to publish its findings.

Tributes have been paid at the funeral of PC Andrew Harper, who was killed as he responded to a burglary in Berkshire back in August.

Leave has been cancelled for thousands of police officers in 26 forces across the country – in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

While the Government can think of little else but Brexit, there are other problems looming, not least a criminal justice system in meltdown. 

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has said she is “deeply sorry for the mistakes that were made” during the force’s investigations into false claims of sexual abuse and murder involving a series of leading establishment figures. 

Boris Johnson has called on the United States to waive the diplomatic immunity granted to a diplomat’s wife, who’s the main suspect in a road crash which left a teenager dead.

“We are deeply, deeply sorry,” said the Metropolitan Police today in response to a former judge’s highly critical review of how it investigated an alleged VIP paedophile ring.

Cleveland’s Police and Crime Commissioner has apologised but says he won’t resign.