Author: UK News

Emotional moment as MP Craig Mackinlay who lost his hands and feet to sepsis returns to Parliament There is no bias in the original title provided. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThere were emotional scenes in the House of Commons as Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, who lost his hands and feet to sepsis, returned to Parliament. Mr Mackinlay, who has joked he wants to be known as the “bionic MP”, received a standing ovation on Wednesday as he made his first appearance in the Commons…

‘I have no sense there was any conspiracy at all’, Paula Vennells tells Post Office Horizon inquiry – live Former chief executive of the Post Office tells the inquiry she does not think there was a conspiracy but that mistakes were made Paula Vennells has made an opening statement at the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry where she apologised to the victims of the scandal and offered to stand outside the old Post Office of one of the victims with them to explain to people what happened and what they went through. She said she had been deeply affected by…

No10 blocked veterans IDs at polling stations over fears it would ‘open floodgates’ to students, minister claims There is no original title provided. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak blocked veterans using their IDs at polling stations over fears it could “open the floodgates” to more students voting, a cabinet minister has revealed.Veterans minister Johnny Mercer complained he had tried “for months without success” to convince Downing Street to let veterans use their IDs to vote. But he said the prime minister’s special advisers…

DWP under investigation over disability benefit assessments after claimant deaths There is no bias in the title provided. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMinisters could face an unlimited fine if they are found to have broken the law in their treatment of disabled people after a watchdog launched the first investigation of its kind into a government department. The probe, by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, follows the deaths of a number of vulnerable benefits claimants. Baroness Kishwer Falkner, the chair of the EHRC,…

UK inflation falls less than expected to 2.3% in April There is no bias in the title provided. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsUK inflation has fallen by lower than expected, despite falling gas and electricity prices, dashing hopes that the Bank of England will lower interest rates at its next meeting in June.The figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday morning showed that the consumer price index was 2.3 per cent in April, down from…

One of today’s biggest trending stories is a report on the British man who died on board a Singapore Airlines flight hit by severe turbulence. He has been named as Geoff Kitchen. 

Geoffrey Kitchen: ‘Popular and kind’ musical theatre director died on Singapore Airlines flight on ‘last big holiday’ with wife A much-loved musical theatre director died on a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence while his family said he was on his “last big holiday” with his wife. Father-of-two Geoffrey Kitchen has been named as the 73-year-old Briton who died on board the Boeing 777-300ER plane, which was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok en route to Singapore from London on Tuesday. A spokesman for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport said a British man suffered a suspected heart attack on…

UK inflation falls by less than expected to 2.3% Smaller annual drop in April than forecast could delay Bank of England interest rate cut UK inflation fell to 2.3% in April – its lowest level for almost three years – but the decline was smaller than expected, denting hopes of a return to the Bank of England’s 2% target. The drop in the consumer prices index (CPI), down from 3.2% in March, was driven by easing energy and food costs. The last time it was lower was in July 2021. Continue reading… https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/22/uk-inflation-falls-bank-of-england-interest-rates

Kate Middleton news: Princess of Wales gives update on project as she continues cancer treatment An “excited” Princess of Wales has given her first major project update since beginning her cancer treatment. Her Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood has released a new report today (21 May) that suggests £45.5 billion could be added to the economy a year if businesses introduce more family-friendly working practices. Palace sources have confirmed that the report has been viewed in full by Kate from home. A spokesperson said: “The work of The Prince and Princess’ projects is ‘always on’… early childhood is…

Singapore Airlines death: Briton describes screams and lacerations on chaotic flight that plunged 6,000ft in fatal turbulence A British passenger has described the carnage onboard the Singapore flight that dropped rapidly in turbulence killing one person and injuring dozens more. The Boeing 777-300ER plane was en route from Heathrow to Singapore carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew when it made the emergency landing in Bangkok, the airline said in a statement. Seven of the 30 people wounded during the flight are seriously injured, Bangkok airport’s general manager told a news conference on Wednesday. Passenger Andrew Davies, from Lewisham, south London,…

Growing calls for Ken Clarke to be stripped of his peerage over infected blood scandal Calls are growing for the former health secretary Ken Clarke to be stripped of his peerage after he was condemned for “indefensible” actions during the infected blood scandal. Demands for Lord Clarke to be kicked out of the House of Lords are “totally understandable”, a cabinet minister said. Mel Stride also said the Tory grandee still had questions to answer over the biggest healthcare failure in UK history. The final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry accused Lord Clarke of “misleading” the public and attacked…

Family warn XL Bully owners after ‘kind-hearted’ Hornchurch mother killed by pets The family of a “kind-hearted” mother killed by one of her registered XL Bully dogs have urged other owners to give up the breed if they show a hint of aggression. Angeline Mahal, believed to be in her fifties, was attacked by her two dogs at the semi-detached home in Cornwall Close in Hornchurch just after 1pm on Monday. Armed police attended the scene and told neighbours in the cul-de-sac to stay indoors before the area was evacuated shortly after 4pm. Despite London Ambulance Service sending paramedics and…

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline to become ‘dark, spangly’ stage musical Playwright Zinnie Harris and composer Louis Barabbas’s adaptation of the novel will open at Leeds Playhouse and tour in 2025 Neil Gaiman’s award-winning novella Coraline is to be turned into a musical that will tour the UK in 2025. The children’s fable, which found a new audience 15 years ago as a stop-motion animation by Henry Selick, has been adapted by playwright Zinnie Harris and composer Louis Barabbas. Harris fell in love with Gaiman’s dark fantasy when reading it to her children and quickly saw its potential for the stage. Over…

Crucial reforms to help thousands trapped in indeterminate jail terms fail after Labour peers ‘bottle it’ Crucial reforms to help thousands of prisoners trapped under abolished indefinite jail terms have failed after Labour refused to back changes to the parole process. The party has been accused of turning its back on desperate families of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners in a crunch House of Lords debate on Tuesday. The controversial sentences – in which offenders were handed minimum jail terms but no maximum – were scrapped in 2012 amid human rights concerns, but not for those already sentenced, leaving thousands languishing in…

Demand for Taylor Swift’s UK tour could fuel summer ticket fraud bonanza | Ticket prices The clamour to secure tickets for Taylor Swift’s sold-out UK shows is expected to fuel a summer fraud bonanza as figures showed a “staggering” £1.2bn was stolen from unwitting consumers in 2023. Swift’s Eras tour, which arrives in the UK in June, and the Olympic Games, are contenders for biggest ticketing scam of the year. The warning, from industry group UK Finance, came as its annual fraud report revealed that the number of people succumbing to a “purchase scam” in 2023 soared. In this type…

Mr Ryan said the asylum seekers were moved as accommodation became available and not because of the sporting spectacle.

More than 1,000 slave labourers may have died in Nazi camps on Alderney, review finds | Channel Islands More than 1,000 slave labourers may have died on British soil at the hands of the Nazis in the second world war, hundreds more deaths than were officially recorded in historical archives, a review has found. Labourers on the island of Alderney were “subject to atrocious living and working conditions, which included starvation, long working hours, completing dangerous construction works, beatings, maiming, torture, being housed in inadequate accommodation and, in some cases, executions”, the review said. Alderney constituted a ‘mini-Auschwitz It also…

Tory MP Craig Mackinlay opens up after losing hands and feet to sepsis A Conservative MP has opened up about losing his arms and legs to sepsis. Craig Mackinlay is due to return to parliament for the first time after suffering a septic shock in September 2023. Speaking to the BBC, the MP for South Thanet recalled the shock of waking from a 16-day induced coma to find his limbs had turned black. “I remember coming to and there were discussions happening about these arms and legs. By then, they had turned black, they were like plastic,” Mr Mackinlay said.…

Police chiefs say prison crisis in England and Wales is ‘unsustainable’ | Prisons and probation Police chiefs have told ministers they fear that the crisis gripping the Prison Service in England and Wales is “unsustainable” and risks public safety, the Guardian has learned. Government and prison chiefs have taken a series of crisis measures because of overcrowding, including plans to free convicted criminals early and using police cells to house those who otherwise would be in jail. Sources with knowledge of the discussions between government and senior police leaders, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council chair, Gavin Stephens, confirmed the…

Rishi Sunak backtracks plan to restrict graduate visas after cabinet opposition | International students Plans for a radical crackdown on graduate visas that allow overseas students to work in the UK for up to two years after graduation look set to be abandoned by the prime minister after coming up against staunch opposition from cabinet colleagues. Rishi Sunak had been considering restricting and even scrapping the graduate visa route as a way of reducing migration figures, but he is now expected to opt for more modest reforms to close loopholes and “prevent abuse” of the immigration system. Among the measures…

XL Bully attack – latest: Woman killed by two dogs in Hornchurch named as neighbours feared for their children There is no bias in the original title provided. Rishi Sunak explains why the XL Bully dog was added to the banned breeds under the Dangerous Dogs Act earlier this yearGet the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailA woman killed by her XL Bully dogs at her house in east london has been named locally as Angeline Mahal. Ms Mahal, believed to be in her 50s, was attacked…

Briton who died on Singapore Airlines flight named as Geoffrey Kitchen | Air transport The British passenger who died after a flight to Singapore was hit by severe turbulence has been named as a 73-year-old grandfather, Geoffrey Kitchen. Kitchen, a retired insurance professional turned amateur dramatics performer, had travelled to Singapore on Monday on the 10pm flight from Heathrow. He and his wife, Linda, were to stop over en route to Australia, where they planned to enjoy a six-week holiday, neighbours told the Guardian. Kitchen, originally from Bristol, had lived in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, most of his life, moving into his…

First infected blood scandal victims to receive payments by end of 2024 The first victims of the infected blood scandal will receive their final compensation payment before the end of the year, the government has said. Announcing the details of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, cabinet office minister John Glen also promised that all those affected by the scandal will be eligible to claim compensation under the scheme. And, to cheers from campaigners watching in the Commons’ public gallery, Mr Glen announced Sir Robert Francis as the interim chairman of the body that will administer the compensation scheme. Sir Robert…

Ex-Royal Marine charged with spying for Hong Kong found dead in park A former Royal Marine commando who was charged with spying for the Hong Kong intelligence service has died, police have said. Matthew Trickett, 37, who was on bail, was found by a member of the public in a park near where he lived in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Thames Valley police said officers attended and administered emergency treatment but he was pronounced dead at the scene in Grenfell Park on Sunday. The force said: “An investigation is ongoing into the death, which is currently being treated as unexplained.” Trickett appeared…

David Lammy heckled by pro-Palestine protesters during speech David Lammy was heckled by pro-Palestine protesters as he tried to speak at an IPPR anti-corruption event in London on Tuesday 21 May. The disruption went on for ten minutes as the shadow foreign secretary defended his position on the war in Gaza. “We have been calling for a ceasefire for months,” Mr Lammy said, responding to shouts from the audience. “I’m not currently in government, I’m not arming anybody,” he added, firing back at calls from the protesters to “stop arming Israel”. Mr Lammy was speaking at an event hosted by…