Author: David Pike

Woman winched to safety after falling off Isle of Wight pleasure cruise A woman who fell overboard from a pleasure cruise was stuck in the water for more than two hours before being rescued by helicopter off the coast of the Isle of Wight. A huge search using helicopters and rescue boats was launched when the woman vanished into the English Channel, south of Ventnor at around 1.45pm. The woman was finally located around 6…

Tech titan Mike Lynch testifies at fraud trial that Autonomy was ‘not perfect’ UK founder, accused of inflating sales and misleading regulators, takes stand and says he wasn’t fully responsible for firm’s decisions British entrepreneur Mike Lynch took the stand on Thursday in a San Francisco federal courthouse as a key witness in his own criminal fraud trial, defending his role at Autonomy, the tech firm he co-founded and then sold. While the government has…

General election 2024: Ten top Tories at risk of losing seats at the general election 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 emailRishi Sunak has finally fired the starting gun on the general election campaign, stunning Westminster by calling a snap poll for 4 July, ending months of speculation.In a speech in the pouring…

Michael Matheson suspended from Holyrood over iPad roaming bill row | News There is no bias in the original title Former health secretary Michael Matheson has been suspended from the Scottish Parliament for 27 days and will lose his salary for 54 days after racking up a near-£11,000 data roaming bill.Mr Matheson was found to have breached the MSP code of conduct by attempting to use expenses and office costs to cover the bill for…

Labour says early general election leaves many government commitments ‘in the bin’ – UK politics live Bills, including smoking ban for people born after 2009, unlikely to become law before 4 July vote Sign up for our general election newsletter Rishi Sunak is now speaking at an event in Ilkeston in Derbyshire. It is in the Erewash constituency, where the Tory MP Maggie Throup had a majority of 10,606 at the last election. He repeats…

What laws can the Conservative government pass before the general election? 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 emailThe Conservatives and Labour have held talks to work out what outstanding legislation can be rushed through parliament to become law before the Commons closes for the general election. Compensations for victims of the subpostmaster scandal…

Thursday’s front pages all lead on the announcement of a July 4 general election. Regardless of political leanings, all the papers note the snap election is a “gamble” on PM Rishi Sunak’s part. 

The media, public and even Tory MPs were shocked by the announcement of a July 4 election. Many Tory MPs were hoping for a November election so the benefits of the improving economy could be felt in the pockets of the public. 

The opinion polls still put the Conservatives far behind Labour and many struggle to see what the government’s plan is now. 

It feels reckless, and like a government who’s already thrown in the towel and has accepted defeat. With the hopes the summer’s Euros might act as a distraction, perhaps if the Tories do lose power, it’ll be against a backdrop of a public enjoying themselves and not looking too hard at No 10.

Hostages’ families and interstellar dust: photos of the day – Thursday New York, US Members of the US Navy walk through Times Square on the first day of Fleet Week, which brings thousands of active naval personnel to the city for seven days of ship tours, concerts, demonstrations, and other events. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/gallery/2024/may/23/a-star-former-and-angela-merkel-photos-of-the-day-thursday

Election headache for Rishi Sunak as UK population grows by 685,000 in past year UK’s population grew by 685,000 people in 2023, a drop from record high net migration in 2022, official estimates show. The latest figures, published a day after Rishi Sunak called a surprise general election on July 4th, will feed the debate about immigration – a key campaign battleground. The Office for National Statistics said that it was too early to tell…

The Met Office has warned that further heavy rain could pose a danger to life and cause travel disruption, following a fatal mudslide in North Yorkshire. Flood warnings have been issued across England, with one in Scotland.

Nigel Farage says he will not stand in general election in bombshell announcement 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 emailNigel Farage is not standing as a candidate in the general election, he has announced. The former Ukip leader said he thought “long and hard” about contesting the general election, but has decided to…

General election 2024 live: Sunak’s July vote branded ‘kamikaze’ as PM says no Rwanda flights before polls There is no bias in the original title provided. Rishi Sunak announces general election on July 4 2024Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailConservative MPs were left stunned by Rishi Sunak’s shocking decision to fire the starting gun for a 4 July general election.Tory…

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the next general election will be held on July 4. The snap election has shocked the press – and the Tories but has been welcomed by Labour.

Former Post Office Chief Executive Paula Vennells has acknowledged that the testimony she provided to MPs in 2012 regarding issues with the Horizon IT system was inaccurate.

Senior Tory MP says he won’t cancel holiday for general election campaign: ‘I’m going stick to my plans’ 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 emailA senior Conservative MP has said he won’t cancel his holiday plans for his party’s general election campaign despite admitting he will likely lose his seat.Steve Baker, MP for…

Paula Vennells faced heavy criticism over her handling of the Horizon affair, finally stepping down from her role as Post Office chief executive in February 2019.

Paula Vennells has said she was “too trusting” as she was asked if she was the “unluckiest CEO in the United Kingdom”. Giving evidence on her first day at the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry on Wednesday (22 May), Jason Beer KC asked Ms Vennells: “Do you think you are the unluckiest CEO in the United Kingdom?”

Paula Vennells repeatedly burst into tears during her first appearance at the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry as she mounted a desperate bid to salvage her reputation. The disgraced former boss of the Post Office offered an apology to subpostmasters caught up in the scandal, dubbed the worst miscarriage of justice in British history.

Councils refuse to fix potholes that are ‘too small’ – how big do they have to be? Potholes are going unfilled because councils think they are too small, analysis shows. A total of 35% of local authorities say the size potholes must be before they will act. The most common depth stated is 4cm (54 councils), but in the case of six councils – Warwickshire, Torbay, Thurrock, Nottingham, Torfaen and South Lanarkshire – potholes need…

Prime minister Rishi Sunak to announce July 4 general election 2024 Rishi Sunak is today set to dramatically announce that the general election will be held on July 4 after months of intense speculation. Mr Sunak is expected to take Westminster by surprise by revealing the date following a year and a half of scutiny and questions over his leadership. His anticipated announcement comes after factions within Downing Street had been vying between a “do…

July 7 general election: Postal vote rules and everything else you need to know Rishi Sunak has called a General Election for July 4, saying it was “the moment for Britain to choose its future”. The Prime Minister has gambled that improved inflation figures and a recovering economy will help him overturn Labour’s 20-point opinion poll lead. In a sign that security and the economy will be key battlegrounds, Mr Sunak said: “This election will…

General Election announcement: Rishi Sunak calls 4 July election Rishi Sunak has fired the starting gun for a 4 July general election – but his opening speech was marred after journalists were forcibly ejected from his event by security. The political correspondent Darren McCaffrey said they had not been allowed in because broadcast arrangements had been “pooled” – so other broadcasters there were obliged to share footage with others. It came after the prime minister…

General election: What are Labour and the Conservatives key manifesto policies? 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 emailAfter a day of fervent speculation, Rishi Sunak has finally called a snap general election on July 4.Mr Sunak confirmed the news in a speech outside No 10. Almost upstaged by the rain – and pranksters…

Watch: Aerials of central London as Sunak calls snap general election Watch aerials of central London after Rishi Sunak announced a general election for Thursday 4 July. The Prime Minister made a statement outside No 10 shortly after 5pm on Wednesday 22 May, naming the summer polling date. He has gambled that improved inflation figures and a recovering economy will help him overturn Labour’s 20-point opinion poll lead. In a sign that security and the…

Covid inquiry: the questions cabinet secretary Simon Case will be asked The most senior civil servant in the UK is to give his testimony, delayed for months, with no shortage of queries to address The Covid inquiry makes a brief return on Thursday to considering how Westminster and Whitehall responded to the pandemic, as the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, gives evidence delayed for months because of illness. Case had been due to appear before the…