Author: David Pike

British-Asian woman charged with hate crime for placard depicting Sunak and Braverman as coconuts There is no bias in the original title provided. Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent’s Race Correspondent Nadine WhiteSign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race ReportA British-Asian woman who carried a placard depicting prime minister Rishi Sunak and former home secretary Suella Braverman as coconuts has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence.Marieha…

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…

‘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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…