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.

Read more:
Who is Sarah Mullally, the first ever female Archbishop of Canterbury?
Sarah Mullally's confirmation is immense step for Church of England

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.

Check the forecast for your area

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".

Read more from Sky News:
Chris Brown appears in London court over alleged attack
Teenager charged with arson and manslaughter

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.

Read more from Sky News:
Inquiry to be held into baby's death after 'party' drug exposure
Boy, 16, charged with arson and manslaughter after fire killed girl

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.

Its roots can be traced back to last year when its value against a basket of other international currencies, including the pound, fell by 9%.

We've seen that extend by more than 2% in January to date. Earlier on Tuesday, the pound was at its highest level against the dollar since July 2021.

Money latest: The boom of chicken shops in UK

What's behind it?

Much of the dollar weakness is being attributed to the actions and threats that have oozed from Donald Trump since he returned to power.

The US president's trade war has damaged the effect the greenback (the world's reserve currency) has on the world stage.

Wider foreign policy, including military action against Iran and in Venezuela too, hasn't helped. Remember the tariff threats against NATO allies over Greenland - since dropped?

Other factors include market fears over the Federal Reserve's independence and huge increases in public spending which have called into question the chances of a budget deal on Capitol Hill to avert a fresh government shutdown ahead.

In effect, we're seeing a crisis of confidence engulf the dollar under a weight of uncertainties, despite a healthy pace of economic growth in the world's largest economy. Consumer confidence data out this week added to the jitters of a big shift towards negative sentiment.

Japan's contribution

The pressures on the dollar have been compounded this week by speculation of joint US and Japanese central bank action to help stabilise the weak Yen.

Its value has collapsed on the back of persistently low interest rates which have made it attractive as a source of credit to invest in higher-yielding currencies.

The falling dollar, however, has eroded expectations that intervention will actually be needed.

Isn't this all a problem for the president?

Mr Trump described the dollar's fortunes as "great" on Tuesday. That triggered a further slump.

There is more below on the effects, but there are pros and cons.

A weaker dollar makes US exports more attractive - and imports (mostly subject to tariffs too) less attractive.

There is a widely held suspicion that Mr Trump wants dollar values down as part of a push to shrink US trade deficits.

The problem with that is that it risks a rush abroad to sell US treasuries - government debt - at a time of well established concerns over the sustainability of the US debt pile.

That could spark a spike in government borrowing costs beyond America.

What does it mean for Britain?

The pound is at its highest level against the dollar since the summer of 2021, as we've said, standing above $1.38.

It's fair to say that it's pretty much all down to dollar weakness than any great push for the pound.

The result is good news for anyone travelling to the US, as your pound will go further.

It's positive too for the cost of US goods and dollar-priced commodities when imported. It means less upwards pressure on UK inflation.

Conversely, it does little to bolster competitiveness for UK exporters to the US, especially at a time of heightened US trade tariffs.

The comforting element here though is that it's the same for other non-US nations, many of which have higher levels of tariffs against them.

The weak dollar will hurt US earnings of UK-based companies and any US-based investment values, especially when transactions are booked in sterling.

Many workplace pension schemes, for example, will have dollar-denominated assets.

When you consider the extent of the dollar weakness, a fall of more than 11% in the dollar since President Trump's return will have cancelled out similar gains in an asset's value in dollar terms.

When turned on its head, it makes UK market investment by Americans more attractive at a time when many US investors are searching out value and a hedge against an AI-driven stock market bubble.

Dodging the 'falling chainsaw'

Karl Schamotta, chief market strategist with payments company Corpay, said of the mood: "With the 'tariff man' showing no sign of repentance and the US government headed into another shutdown, economic ‌policy uncertainty is soaring once again, leading to an intensification in the 'Sell America' trade that has dominated markets for the better part of a year.

"Positive fundamentals should eventually reassert themselves, but for now, no one is willing to catch the falling chainsaw that is the US dollar."