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Labour will not ‘spend its way out of the mess’ but will a more pragmatic approach persuade the core support the party still stands for something?

This blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereStarmer says voters looked at Labour again in 2022. And he felt, “for the first time in a while that we could return their gaze with confidence”.But Labour must not rest on its laurels. It needs to push forward, and show it can be a “bold, reforming government”, he says. Continue reading...

Kyiv says Moscow’s declaration of truce, after Russian president cited appeal from patriarch, is ‘hypocrisy’

Parole Board says Russell Causley, who killed Carole Packman in 1985 and has never revealed location of her body, poses low riskA man convicted of killing his wife, who faced the first public parole hearing in England and Wales, should be released from prison, a panel has decided.Russell Causley was freed from prison in 2020 after serving more than 23 years for the murder in 1985 of Carole Packman but was returned to jail in November 2021 after breaching his licence conditions.In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...

Maggie Oliver Foundation says it would be ‘unethical’ to accept money raised on crowdfunder page in aid of Eleanor WilliamsA charity that helps victims of sexual exploitation has refused £10,000 originally raised to help Eleanor Williams, convicted this week of lying about being trafficked by an Asian grooming gang and making false rape claims.Maggie Oliver said it would be “unethical” for her charity to accept any of the money. Oliver is a former Greater Manchester police (GMP) detective who rose to prominence as a whistleblower on sexual exploitation in Rochdale. Continue reading...

Labour leader pledges major push to devolve power from Westminster in ‘decade of national renewal’Labour will launch a “take back control” bill aimed at devolving sweeping powers to local communities in its first term if it wins the next election, Keir Starmer has promised.In a speech setting out his vision for a future Labour government, the party leader pledged a major push to devolve power away from Westminster as part of what he said would be an “end to sticking-plaster politics”. Continue reading...

Mourners celebrate life of one-time resident Ray Nash, after MoD permits burial in village of ImberOver the decades, Ray Nash would return to the “ghost village” of Imber to visit his father’s grave on days when military exercises were halted and public access was granted.On Thursday, Nash’s final wish was fulfilled when he was laid to rest in the same graveyard, after the Ministry of Defence gave permission for his funeral and burial to take place in the deserted Salisbury Plain settlement in Wiltshire. Continue reading...

NHS trusts in south-west using hotels to free up beds to help them cope with winter crisis

Tarek Namouz, 43, sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of funding terrorismA barber has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after sending thousands of pounds from taxpayer-funded coronavirus grants to the terrorist group Islamic State in Syria.Tarek Namouz, 43, told an associate he had transferred up to £25,000 to an Islamic State fighter after discussing purchasing bombs, Kalashnikov rifles and other firearms as part of a plot to attack the Syrian government, the court heard. Continue reading...

Northern Ireland police say weapon appears to come from home of victim, who may have known her killerPolice in Northern Ireland believe they have recovered the weapon used in the killing of Natalie McNally, who was stabbed multiple times in her home in Lurgan, County Armagh, on 18 December.DCI Neil McGuinness said the weapon appeared to come from the victim’s home rather than having been brought to the property by the killer. Continue reading...

Liverpool coroner describes shot 26-year-old as beautiful young woman, before inquest adjourned until 5 MayA beautician who was shot dead outside a pub on Christmas Eve was a “beautiful young woman” who had a “bright future ahead”, a coroner said as she opened an inquest into the death of the 26-year-old.Elle Edwards was celebrating with friends when she was shot in the head outside the Lighthouse pub, in Wallasey Village, Wirral, just before midnight on 24 December 2022. Continue reading...

The Avengers actor, who suffered a snowplow accident, shared his first video on social media showing himself in recoveryActor Jeremy Renner has shared his first video on social media since he suffered a snowplow accident that left him in critical condition.The Avengers star and two-time Oscar nominee is seen in the short clip receiving a shampoo massage from his sister while his mother looks on. The accompanying caption reads: “A “not no great” ICU DAY, turned to amazing spa day with my sis and mama. Thank you sooooo much.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Hospitals and councils have not received £300m in funding promised four months ago to free up beds

Netflix series, memoir and ITV interview reveal Harry has ammunition on William and is prepared to use itIf the Duke of Sussex’s hopes are for an early reconciliation with his family, his wishes seem unlikely to be fulfilled anytime soon, judging from extracts published from his tell-all memoir, Spare, due out on Tuesday.The dramatic scenario Harry describes, with his brother William, now Prince of Wales, allegedly physically attacking him and knocking him to the floor in a furious row over the Duchess of Sussex, is startling. It shows, despite the six-hour Netflix documentary series, Harry still has the ammunition; that he is happy to take aim at his family and the institution; and that he is capable of inflicting deep wounds that may take some time, if ever, to heal. Continue reading...

Vandals’ clothing leads to claims they are Jewish extremists who have desecrated over 30 Christian gravesSecurity camera footage of men dressed in Jewish religious clothing and smashing a stone cross in a historic Jerusalem cemetery has led to claims that Israeli extremists are responsible for the desecration of more than 30 Christian graves.The vandalism at the Protestant cemetery on Mount Zion, conducted in broad daylight on Sunday afternoon, has shocked church leaders and led to calls for Israel to crack down on racist far-right settlers. Continue reading...

Culture secretary Michelle Donelan reverses proposals set out under predecessor Nadine Dorries in Boris Johnson’s governmentPlans to privatise Channel 4 have been formally abandoned, ending years of threats to the broadcaster that cost the government millions of pounds and were opposed by the vast majority of the media industry.The culture secretary, Michelle Donelan, said Channel 4 was a “British success story and a linchpin of our booming creative industries” and therefore should not be sold. Instead, she is suggesting a relative modest series of tweaks to Channel 4’s remit, with the business continuing to be owned by the state. Continue reading...

Elliot Benham and Sophie Harvey, both 23, accused of charges including procuring poison to cause miscarriageA man and a woman in their 20s are to face trial over allegations that they were involved in an illegal abortion.Elliot Benham and Sophie Harvey, both 23, are jointly accused of procuring a poison to cause a miscarriage, concealing the birth of a child and intending to pervert the course of justice by disposing of a baby’s body. Continue reading...

David Crouch says incarcerated son-in-law Babis Anagnostopoulos wrote him letter about Athens killingThe father of Caroline Crouch, the British woman who was murdered by her helicopter pilot husband as she lay asleep in their Athens home, claims his daughter died because her self-confessed killer got involved in drug smuggling.Speaking publicly for the first time, David Crouch, 79, said his incarcerated Greek son-in law had gone so far as to give a detailed account of the events that led to her death in a typewritten letter. Continue reading...

Government introduced free travel on train journeys in SeptemberFree train travel introduced by the Spanish government in September to offset the rise in the cost of living has been extended to intercity bus services with free travel on the 389-mile (626km) Madrid to Barcelona route as of 1 February.A 50% discount has been in effect on this and 41 other bus routes since September and it is expected that the 100% discount will be applied to all long- and middle-distance journeys. Continue reading...

The main themes in play as the two leaders stepped up for their set pieces, and how they tackled, or evaded, them

Ruling says enough scrutiny exists to detect fraud while naming recipients in £47bn scheme puts them at riskThe British government has been given the go-ahead to keep concealing the names of companies that received in total more than £47bn in state-backed Covid loans, after a tribunal ruled in its favour.The tribunal case had been brought by campaign group Spotlight on Corruption, amid concerns fraudsters and organised criminals had exploited government-guaranteed loans intended for struggling firms during the pandemic. Continue reading...

‘Minimum service level’ legislation covering sectors including health expected to be announced this weekKeir Starmer has said an incoming Labour government would repeal Rishi Sunak’s anti-strike legislation, setting out clear dividing lines with the Conservatives on workers’ rights before the next general election.In a major speech to kick off the new year, the party leader suggested that the prime minister’s plans, expected to be brought forward later on Thursday, would fail to end ongoing strikes. Continue reading...

National leaders and royals among those gathered to see Pope Francis bury his predecessorAn estimated 100,000 Catholics descended on St Peter’s Square for the funeral of the former pope Benedict XVI.Benedict died on Saturday, aged 95, almost a decade after becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign. He now also becomes the first former pontiff in the modern history of the Catholic church to be buried by an incumbent pope, Francis, who arrived outside St Peter’s Basilica in a wheelchair on Thursday. Continue reading...

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves confirms Labour will oppose plan because it is likely to erode goodwill of doctors and nurses

Jamaica police say fatal shooting of Sean Patterson, 33, was ‘contract killing that emanated from Britain’A British man who was shot dead in Jamaica earlier this week was the victim of a contract killing ordered in Britain, according to local police.Sean Patterson, 33, a personal trainer from west London, was found with gunshot wounds to his upper body and head at about midday on Monday in Bogue Hill, St James, police said. Continue reading...

‘I don’t know how staying silent is ever going to make things better,’ Duke of Sussex tells interviewerThe Duke of Sussex has explained his decision to publish details of his relationships with family members in his forthcoming memoir, telling an interviewer: “I don’t know how staying silent is ever going to make things better.”In a trailer for an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby, due to air on Sunday, Prince Harry also does not confirm if he will attend his father’s coronation, saying: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then.” Continue reading...

Would-be thieves of Banksy graffito painted in ruins of war anticipated challenges facing those hoping to preserve it for nation’s futureA wide-ranging public discussion is taking place in Ukraine over what to do with seven street murals painted in November by the British artist Banksy on a series of destroyed buildings in and around Kyiv.The conversation has grown urgent after thieves last month made off with one artwork from the town of Hostomel, about 15 miles (25km) outside the capital. It shows a woman in a gas mask and dressing gown holding a red fire extinguisher. She is standing next to a real flame-blackened window. Continue reading...

Ex-tropical Cyclone Ellie brings once-in-a-century flooding, forcing evacuations and road closures

Retailer reports much better than expected data in December but remains ‘cautious’ about 2023Next has upped profit forecasts for the year by £20m after better sales than expected in the run-up to Christmas, but said it remained “cautious” about the year ahead.The fashion and home retailer said sales had risen by 4.8% in the nine weeks to 30 December, well above predictions of a 2% fall, delivering £66m more sales than expected. Continue reading...

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Governing body of women’s tennis says it wants to meet Peng in person before it resumes tournaments in ChinaThe return of WTA tournaments to China in 2023 will hinge on a resolution to the Peng Shuai issue, with the governing body of the women’s game telling Reuters on Wednesday it had still not personally met with the Chinese former doubles world number one personally since she briefly disappeared last year.Peng accused Chinese former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault in 2021 in a post on social media which was soon removed from the country’s internet. She later said the post was “an enormous misunderstanding” and that she was retiring from tennis. Continue reading...

CEOs pass milestone nine working hours earlier than last year, with pay up 39% on January 2022The bosses of Britain’s biggest companies will have made more money in 2023 by Thursday afternoon than the average UK worker will earn in the entire year, according to analysis of vast pay gaps amid strike action and the cost of living crisis.The High Pay Centre, a thinktank that campaigns for fairer pay for workers, said that by 2pm on the third working day of the year, a FTSE 100 chief executive will have been paid more on an hourly basis than a UK worker’s annual salary, based on median average remuneration figures for both groups. Continue reading...

Removing sculptures from Greece was like ‘removing Eiffel Tower from Paris’, says actorThe removal of the Parthenon sculptures from Athens was akin to removing the Eiffel Tower from Paris or Stonehenge from Salisbury, Stephen Fry has said, as he called for the return of the classic Greek sculptures to their country of origin.The actor and writer, who has been advocating for the return of the sculptures held at the British Museum in London, said there was a “win-win” solution to the centuries-old debate over ownership of the Parthenon marbles. He called for a cultural partnership under which other incredible Greek artefacts would be exhibited in the UK for the first time. Continue reading...

Overworked staff allocated extremely short care calls by local authority struggling to meet users’ needsCare workers are taking as little as three minutes to help vulnerable people in their own homes, the social care ombudsman has found, after discovering a council was allocating extremely short visits to hundreds of people.Amid chronic staff shortages and rising unmet care needs nationwide, a homecare worker commissioned by Warrington metropolitan borough council sometimes stayed for just three minutes, despite the family paying for the full visit. The council was found to have allocated 15-minute care calls to more than 300 people in the region, despite national guidance stressing these were “not usually appropriate”. Continue reading...

Band may have been snubbed by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but Royal Mail pays tribute to ‘bona fide rock legends’Iron Maiden may have been snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, but Royal Mail at least has given its stamp of approval to the heavy metal band.Twelve stamps will pay tribute to the “bona fide rock legends” – making Iron Maiden the fifth music group to feature in a dedicated stamp issue, following the Beatles in 2007, Pink Floyd in 2016, Queen in 2020, and the Rolling Stones in 2022. Continue reading...

Industrial action by Aslef members will stop services on major national rail lines, halting commuter servicesAlmost no trains will run in most parts of England on Thursday as train drivers at 15 operating companies go on strike.The 24-hour strike by members of the Aslef union will stop services entirely across major national rail lines, halting most commuter services in the south-east, Midlands and north of England. Continue reading...

Mark Butler signals measure could be lifted if China provides ‘real-time uploading’ of genomic sequencing of cases

Anne Jakrajutatip, boss of JKN Global, recently made headlines by buying the firm behind the contest for $20mAnne Jakrajutatip, 43, has a story unlike many of the world’s media moguls. Growing up in Bangkok, the child of shop owners, she felt that she was trapped in the wrong body. At school, she faced constant bullying and stigma. She tried to carefully manage her identity, showing what she believed to be her true self in front of friends, and acting as a good son in front of her parents. She experienced sexual harassment while still a child.It was reading a local newspaper article about Oprah Winfrey, a survivor of child abuse, that led Jakrajutatip to want a career in the media and to become a TV chatshow host. A microphone seemed like a powerful weapon. Continue reading...

NSW leader says counterparts will back moves to fix national health system, after raising issues with access to bulk-billing GPs

Exclusive: Harry writes in new autobiography Spare that William ‘knocked me to the floor’ during confrontation in London in 2019In his highly anticipated autobiography, Spare, Prince Harry recounts what he says was a physical attack by his brother, William, now Prince of Wales, as their relationship fell apart over the younger prince’s marriage to the actor Meghan Markle.Describing a confrontation at his London home in 2019, Harry says William called Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”, which Harry calls a “parrot[ing of] the press narrative” about his American wife. Continue reading...

After Bolsonaro’s defeat and Duterte’s departure, 1.7bn people are now living under populist rule, report saysThe number of populist leaders around the world has fallen to a 20-year low after a series of victories for progressives and centrists over the past year, according to analysis from the Tony Blair Institute showing the number of people living under populist rule has fallen by 800,000 in two years.The research claims 2023 could be an equally decisive year for populism, with critical elections in Turkey and Poland. Those two elections could see two of the most influential populist governments in the world fall, though that may yet require divided opposition parties in both countries to form clearer coalition programmes than they have managed so far. Continue reading...

Analysis of Chinese data finds no new variants of concern emerging, but world health body says it still does not have ‘complete data’The World Health Organisation has criticised China’s “very narrow” definition of Covid-19 deaths, warning that official statistics are not showing the true impact of the outbreak.There is growing concern over the steep rise in Covid infections since Beijing last month abruptly lifted years of hardline restrictions, with hospitals and crematoriums quickly overwhelmed. Continue reading...

Passenger taps pilot’s shoulder shortly before collision that left four dead in video shot by survivor

Pharmacy leaders cite ministers’ ‘lack of planning’ amid problems obtaining common productsA shortage of cough and cold medicines in the UK is a result of ministers’ “lack of planning”, according to pharmacy leaders.Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives were accused of “being in denial” as supply chain problems worsen, with pharmacists reporting shortages of once-common cold and flu medicines. Continue reading...

Party leader’s new year speech to promise ‘national renewal’ if elected but stress role of private sector tooLabour will not open the “big government chequebook” in an attempt to repair Britain’s faltering public services if it wins the next election, Keir Starmer will warn.In a new year speech in London on Thursday, setting out his principles for government, the Labour leader will promise a “decade of national renewal” if the party returns to government. But he will deny that the country’s problems can be fixed by more spending, even as doctors say the NHS is in crisis and strikes bring a number of public services to their knees. Continue reading...

With one horrific viral post, a young woman set off a domino run that derailed lives, damaged community relations and created fear among the Asian community in BarrowIt was around the halfway mark in Eleanor Williams’s trial for perverting the course of justice when Mohammed Ramzan found himself at Preston crown court, waiting to give evidence.A number of young women were there too, summonsed after Williams told police that they, like her, had been trafficked by an Asian grooming gang and made to have sex with men at “parties” across the north-west of England as well as abroad. Continue reading...

Prime minister urges public to judge him on whether he delivers on new pledges but Labour says most ‘were happening anyway’. This blog is now closed

PM plans a ‘no tricks’ reset but with an inflation fall already expected this is more about hanging on at an election

Exclusive: DHSC alleges gowns were not sterile, could not be used within NHS ‘for any purpose’, and technical labelling was ‘invalid’

Kyrylo Budanov says he expects fighting to be ‘hottest’ in March, with a Ukraine counter attack in the spring. This blog is now closed