The ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral in London also confirmed the 63-year-old as the first woman to assume the spiritual leadership of the Church of England in its nearly 500-year history.

Dame Sarah, who is married to Eamonn Mullally and is a mother-of-two, is now officially the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.

She was named in October after her predecessor, Justin Welby, stepped down in November 2024 after an independent review found he "could and should" have reported decades-long abuse of men and young boys by his former friend.

Cancer nurse turned cleric Dame Sarah officially took up the responsibilities of her new job on Wednesday as bewigged judges presided over a legal ceremony confirming her appointment.

As the lengthy process came to a close and her election was confirmed, Dame Sarah, who was born in Woking, Surrey, stood and faced the congregation to loud applause.

"We welcome you," the bishops surrounding her shouted in unison.

The ceremony was interrupted by a heckler as it was announced that no person had appeared in opposition to the confirmation. The heckler was then escorted from the cathedral.

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The bishops declared that no objection had been made in a timely way and Dame Sarah took her oath of allegiance to the British crown and the church.

Her official installment is to follow in March at Canterbury Cathedral.

Dame Sarah, in an interview as she took up her new role, shared her gratitude for the "support of a whole range of people, including men, in my ministry".

But the former chief nursing officer for England, added: "It is fair to say that I have, both in my secular role as well as in the church, experienced misogyny at times."

She said over the years she has learned it must be spoken about "so that you bring it out into the open".

Hampshire Police said the lorry driver, who was in his 60s, was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident in the New Forest.

"We were called just after 1pm on Tuesday to a report that a lorry had gone into a river off Ringwood Road in North Gorley," a force spokesman said.

"Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding his death."

Storm Chandra brought weather warnings, disruption and flooding across several parts of the UK on Tuesday.

Hundreds of flood warnings and alerts are in place on Wednesday, with the Met Office saying further rain could bring more disruption.

Residents at a home park in Dorset were told to evacuate their properties "as quickly as possible" by the Environment Agency after it issued a severe flood warning, meaning danger to life.

The agency said it expected the flood water at Iford Bridge Home Park near Christchurch to be "deep and fast flowing", with residents told to pack essential items and prepare to be away from their properties overnight.

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There were 85 flood warnings and 214 flood alerts in place across England on Wednesday morning.

Nine flood alerts were in place in Wales, while there were eight flood warnings and three flood alerts in place across Scotland.

There was 103mm of rain in Katesbridge, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday, according to the Met Office.

Nine schools in Somerset were closed because of the weather after the council declared a major incident on Tuesday evening.

A yellow weather warning for rain is in place for the southwest of England on Thursday from midday until 11.59pm.

There are multiple road closures in the region, with rail services also being disrupted by conditions in Somerset and Cornwall.

Passengers are being advised to "check before they travel".

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Sky News meteorologist Dr Christopher England said there will be an "ongoing flood risk in the South and East, as yesterday's [Tuesday's] rain moves through the river systems" - and the unsettled conditions could remain "into next week".

"Further heavy rain moving into the South West tomorrow [Thursday] and again on Friday will add to the threat," he added.

"The wind will pick up too, although it won't be anything like as windy as yesterday.

"It's looking fine for most of today, although there'll be some showers, mainly over Ireland, Northern Ireland and northeastern Scotland."

Barron Trump, 19, was in the US when he told a 999 call handler that a woman was "getting beat up" in London, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Prosecutors said 22-year-old Russian national Matvei Rumiantsev was jealous of her friendship with the US president's son, possibly because of his "public profile".

He was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm between 17 and 18 January last year, and perverting the course of justice, after he wrote to the victim from prison asking her to withdraw her allegations.

But Rumiantsev was cleared by the jury of rape and intentional strangulation relating to the same date when Mr Trump made his report to police, and another count of rape and assault alleged to have occurred in November 2024.

The court had heard Rumiantsev answered her phone to a FaceTime call from Mr Trump and turned the screen to the woman, who was crying and screaming on the floor.

In a transcript of the call he made to the City of London Police, Mr Trump said: "Oh I'm calling from the US, uh I just got a call from a girl, you know, she's getting beat up."

He later told investigators in an email sent in May last year: "What I saw was very brief indeed but indeed prevalent."

"I didn't expect her to pick up due to the difference in the time zone to the fact I am in the USA, the phone was answered but not by her, to my dismay," he said.

"The individual who picked up the phone was a shirtless man with darkish hair, although I didn't get a good look, this view lasted maybe one second and I was racing with adrenaline.

"The camera was then flipped to the victim getting hit while crying, stating something in Russian. The guy had hung up. This whole interaction had lasted five to seven seconds."

The court heard Rumiantsev became aware of the woman's friendship with Mr Trump in October 2024.

He told the jury he was "jealous to some extent".

"I am being portrayed as a jealous person who can lose his temper due to jealousy," he said.

"I want to just make clear that her actions towards him was wrong and it was not fair."

Retired electrical appliances engineer Kevin Rees was found to have damaged a camera in Willersley Avenue, Sidcup, in southeast London, by using a low-sophistication, improvised explosive device at 6.45pm on 6 December 2023.

A jury at Woolwich Crown Court found Rees guilty of one count of causing an explosion likely to endanger life on Wednesday.

The explosion damaged cars and property up to 100m away, including a child's bedroom, the Metropolitan Police said.

ULEZ cameras allow Transport for London to monitor cars that enter the zone where drivers are required to pay depending on how polluting their vehicles are.

The cameras have become the targets of frequent vandalism after the ULEZ area was expanded to cover all of London in 2023 in a bid to improve London's air quality.

Jurors heard how investigators identified that Rees had travelled in his car from his home in Sidcup to Shuttle Close shortly after 6.20pm on the day of the explosion.

The ULEZ camera had been installed earlier that day, but had been cut down by another individual in an unrelated incident.

Rees walked from his car to the camera, planted the device and lit the fuse, police said. A witness saw him walking away from the scene.

Police arrested Rees at his home on 18 December.

Three home-made stun guns were found at his address, leading to Rees being convicted by the jury of three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon.

Rees's social media activity showed that he had posted multiple times about ULEZ cameras and encouraged damaging them, police said.

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Detective Superintendent James Derham said: "It was miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured in the large explosion caused by Rees.

"He showed a complete disregard for the welfare and safety of the people who live in, or were travelling through, the area at the time of the explosion - all because he was unhappy with the ULEZ scheme."

Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counter terrorism division, said: "This was not an act of protest or momentary vandalism. This was a deliberate and dangerous attack involving a home-made explosive device, carried out in a residential street and designed to destroy public infrastructure.

"Kevin Rees knowingly and intentionally placed an explosive device next to the ULEZ camera, lit the fuse and retreated before the explosion, showing clear planning and an obvious disregard for the safety of others.

"Whatever his views on the ULEZ scheme, Kevin Rees crossed a serious line by constructing a home-made bomb and detonating it in a public place. It was pure chance that no-one suffered serious injury or worse."

Rees will be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court at a later date.

It comes as the super hospital remains under intense scrutiny amid long-running infection concerns as the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry continues.

In closing submissions earlier in January, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) admitted, on the balance of probabilities, that there was a "causal connection between some infections suffered by patients and the hospital environment, in particular the water system".

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar tabled a motion in an attempt to have inquiry chairman Lord Brodie consider the political decision-making of the SNP government in the commissioning, construction and opening of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).

The motion also calls for the immediate full disclosure and preservation of key records held by Scottish government in connection with the hospital's contaminated water, ventilation system, the "premature opening" of the facility, and subsequent communications relating to the handling of infection.

The motion will be voted on later on Wednesday, and looks set to be passed.

Opening the debate, Mr Sarwar paid tribute to the three "inspiring and courageous" whistleblowers - Dr Teresa Inkster, Dr Penelope Redding and Dr Christine Peters.

He also praised the courage of the families who "refused to stay silent", including Kimberly Darroch, whose daughter Milly Main died after contracting an infection at the flagship hospital.

Mr Sarwar said: "I want to put on record that I recognise the extraordinary work that happens at this hospital every single day, and that many NHS staff go above and beyond.

"But that must be true for every patient and every family, and one failure is one too many.

"But this is not simply one failure. This is, without question, the biggest scandal in the history of this Scottish parliament."

After being repeatedly asked by MSPs if the QEUH is currently safe for patients, Health Secretary Neil Gray eventually said: "I have no doubt that the hospital is safe."

The QEUH opened in 2015. At the time, Nicola Sturgeon was first minister, John Swinney was deputy first minister and finance secretary, and Shona Robison was health secretary.

Scottish Labour have called for Lord Brodie to reopen the inquiry and question the trio.

The party has also requested information from the SNP on if any emails, texts, letters, documents and other records from this time, including relevant WhatsApps and other messages, have been deleted.

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Mr Sarwar said: "Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney and Shona Robison have not given testimony at the inquiry, and have not been cross-examined. Without that, we will never have the full picture of what happened.

"And there's a further risk, presiding officer, if political decision-making is not examined, ministers will attempt to use the final report of the inquiry as proof that the problems were contained entirely within the health board and could not have been prevented by government intervention.

"That claim cannot be allowed to stand without proper scrutiny."

During First Minister's Questions last week, John Swinney said his government had shared all relevant evidence that addresses the terms of reference of the inquiry.

However, he said he would be "happy to release" further documents if required, "subject to any appropriate redactions".

Responding to the debate motion, Mr Gray said instructing the inquiry to investigate political decisions would breach the law.

The health secretary said he understood the motivation behind Mr Sarwar's motion, but added: "When something goes badly wrong in a project of this scale and significance, it is entirely reasonable to want every possible line of responsibility examined.

"However, while I recognise the concern that underpins the motion, I cannot support it because it would be incompatible with the legal framework that governs this inquiry.

"All statutory public inquiries in Scotland operate under the Inquiries Act, which was passed by this parliament. That act exists to protect the independence, integrity and credibility of inquiries.

"It gives inquiry chairs powerful legal tools, the power to compel witnesses, to require the production of documents, to take evidence on oath and to determine what evidence is relevant to their terms of reference.

"Those powers are not held by ministers, they are held by the independent inquiry chair.

"Any member seeking to support the motion's attempt to influence the action of the chair is calling for the government to act in a manner incompatible with that legislation which, of course, presiding officer, we cannot do."