Labour must not rubber-stamp torture policy, say campaigners

Policy review of intelligence-sharing with foreign countries risks leaving ‘very serious flaws’, say NGOs and MPs

Labour has been accused of rubber-stamping torture policy it criticised while in opposition for enabling UK complicity in serious human rights abuses overseas.

The policies regulating British support for foreign security and intelligence services were blamed for facilitating injustices in cases such as those of Jagtar Singh Johal and Ali Kololo, and it was hoped Labour would strengthen them in government.

Continue reading...

Doctor criticises ‘lightweight’ assessment of impact of assisted dying

Palliative care consultant says insufficient consideration given to how disadvantaged communities may be affected

Ministers have not adequately considered how assisted dying would affect disadvantaged communities, a palliative care doctor and clinical academic has said.

Bradford-based Jamilla Hussain said the equality impact assessment for the assisted dying bill was “lightweight”, and her own research had highlighted concerns that had not been reflected in the document.

Continue reading...

Foreign office supporting British woman after reports of drug-smuggling arrest in Sri Lanka

Former cabin crew member Charlotte May Lee, 21, reportedly accused of trying to bring 46kg of cannabis strain kush into country

UK officials have said they are supporting a British woman arrested in Sri Lanka amid reports a former cabin crew member has been accused of smuggling cannabis into the South Asian country.

MailOnline and the Sun reported that Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was detained at the main airport in the country’s capital, Colombo, on Monday after arriving on a flight from Bangkok.

Continue reading...

Layla Moran urges more action on Israel and warns of ‘cruel destitution’ in Gaza

Lib Dem MP says UK’s recent tone is tougher but ‘in terms of concrete actions, not much has changed’

Layla Moran has told the UK government to match its tougher tone on Israel with action as she warned that people in Gaza face “unbearably cruel levels of destitution”.

The Lib Dem MP called for further action, including recognition of a Palestinian state, in a renewed appeal for the family of Mohammad, an NHS doctor who operated on her last year, whose elderly parents remain stuck in northern Gaza.

Continue reading...

Second arrest after suspected arson at properties linked to Keir Starmer

Man, 26, apprehended at Luton airport by counter-terrorism police in connection with fires that included damage to a car

A second man has been arrested in connection with suspected arson attacks on two properties in London and a vehicle linked to Keir Starmer, police have said.

The 26-year-old was arrested at about 1.45pm on Saturday at London Luton airport on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, the Metropolitan police said.

The arrest was made by counter-terrorism officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, and the suspect has been taken into police custody in London, the force added.

Officers from the Met’s counter-terrorism command have led the investigation into the three incidents.

One was a fire at the prime minister’s family home in north-west London, which he lets to his sister-in-law, the Guardian understands. The blaze was reported to police by firefighters in the early hours of Monday. Police said damage was caused to the property’s entrance but nobody was hurt.

A car that Starmer had sold to a neighbour last year was set alight four days earlier on the same street.

On 11 May, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house where the Labour leader is understood to have lived in the 1990s before it was converted into flats. One person was helped to safety by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus, the London fire brigade said.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation has been asked to contact the Met.

A 21-year-old man, Roman Lavrynovych, has already been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life and appeared in court on Friday.

The Ukrainian national was remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster magistrates court. He did not enter any pleas to the charges.

Lavrynovych will appear next at the Old Bailey for a plea and trial preparation hearing on 6 June.

Continue reading...

UK government dropped health push after lobbying by ultra-processed food firms

Exclusive: Guardian investigation reveals guidance for retailers in England changed after campaign by global food firms

Government legal guidance urging retailers in England to offer millions of consumers deals and discounts on minimally processed and nutritious food was dropped after a lobbying campaign by the world’s biggest ultra-processed food firms, the Guardian can reveal.

Ahead of new regulations banning junk food promotions from October, the Department of Health and Social Care issued advice to thousands of shops, supermarkets, online retailers and other businesses to help them comply with the law.

Continue reading...

Three Iranians in UK charged after counter-terrorism investigation

Met police say the three charged under National Security Act for allegedly assisting Iranian foreign intelligence service

Three men have appeared in court charged under the National Security Act on suspicion of assisting the Iranian foreign intelligence service.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, of St John’s Wood, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, of Kensal Rise, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, of Ealing, appeared before Westminster magistrates court on Saturday.

Continue reading...

‘It feels like we never left’: resentment builds in one of UK’s firmest Brexit-backing areas

Keir Starmer says Britons have moved on but many in Thurrock think they were lied to in debate about leaving EU

When Keir Starmer was asked last week whether he thought Britons had finally moved on from the issue of Brexit, his answer was a definitive yes.

It’s not difficult to see why the prime minister would hope to settle the question, before a week in which he hopes to reset the UK’s relationship with the EU, clearing a way for easier access to a marketplace that could help increase the economic growth he badly needs.

Continue reading...

No 10 actively investigating winter fuel payment changes as fears grow over voter anger

Keir Starmer did not deny a rethink of benefit cut to 10 million pensioners blamed for Labour’s electoral losses

Downing Street is actively investigating changes to the controversial winter fuel payment cut over growing concerns about the policy’s deep unpopularity among voters.

No 10 has stepped up its work on reviewing the policy by carrying out internal polling and focus groups on how voters would respond to potential modifications to it.

Continue reading...

Campaigner wins court case over festivals in south London park

Rebekah Shaman, of Protect Brockwell Park, took action against Lambeth council over number of large-scale events

A campaigner who argued that music festivals held in a south London park unfairly cut off large sections of the space and made it a “mud bath” has won a court case that could result in events being banned there this summer.

The Protect Brockwell Park (PBP) group, which includes the actor Mark Rylance, complained about walls being erected in the park, and noise and environmental damage, leading to a tense debate about the use of public space, nimbyism and the importance of summer cultural events.

Continue reading...

‘Something a bit naughty’: British snackers fall for the posh crisp

Top chefs and brands transform once-humble snack with growing number of imaginative flavourings

When it comes to crisps, British appetites have traditionally been sated by a packet of Frazzles or a bag of Skips. But, according to chefs, supermarket insiders and social media, 2025 is gearing up to be the summer of the posh crisp.

Jay Ledwich, a crisp buyer at Waitrose, said demand for premium and unusual flavoured crisps was “soaring”. This week, the shop became the exclusive British supermarket stockist of what it is tipping to be the next viral hit in crisps – a fried-egg flavour from the Spanish specialist Torres. It follows other savoury sensations from the brand, including black truffle, caviar, and sparkling wine flavours.

Continue reading...

Two teenagers arrested after death of two kittens in north-west London

Met police says boy, 16, and girl, 15, being held on suspicion of animal cruelty in relation to incident in Ruislip

Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty in connection with the deaths of two kittens in London, the Metropolitan police have said.

A 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl were arrested on Friday in relation to an incident in Ruislip, north-west London, on 3 May. The pair remain in custody, the force added.

Continue reading...

MPs opposed to assisted dying criticise ‘distasteful’ Esther Rantzen claims

Objections raised to Rantzen’s accusation of ‘undeclared religious beliefs’ in five-hour Commons debate

MPs opposed to assisted dying have criticised “distasteful” claims from the prominent campaigner Esther Rantzen, who argued many are fighting against the changes to the law because of secret religious views.

Rantzen made the remarks in a letter urging MPs to back the “strong, safe, carefully considered bill” to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.

Continue reading...

Week of geopolitical poker over Ukraine ends with no endgame in sight

Path to peace looks as unclear as it was before European leaders’ meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv

This week began with four European leaders, standing defiantly in Kyiv alongside Volodymyr Zelenskyy, issuing an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin: sign a ceasefire now, or together with Donald Trump we will force you to do so, with sanctions and other tough measures.

Over the subsequent days, there followed a series of offers, counter-offers, ultimatums and deflections, in a dizzying week of high-stakes diplomacy that often seemed to resemble a geopolitical poker game.

Continue reading...

Rantzen accused of being ‘disrespectful’ as MPs debate assisted dying bill – UK politics live

About 150 changes have been made to the bill since MPs voted on it last year

One of the amendments to the bill being debated today has been tabled by the Labour MP Naz Shah, who voted against the bill at second reading. Her amendment 14 would tighten the bill so that anyone not terminally ill cannot qualify as terminally ill (meaning they can use assisted dying) “by voluntarily stopping eating or drinking or both”.

In her speech Leadbeater said that she could understand the concerns behind Shah’s amendment, but that she thought the risk of anyone being able to qualify for assisted dying as a result of anorexia was “negligible”. She said:

Not only would someone with severe anorexia be highly unlikely to be assessed to have capacity to make a decision about assisted dying, the other tragic reality is that if a patient was so ill as a result of not eating and drinking for whatever reason, they would die before the process of assisted dying would be able to take place.

I know that some people have expressed concerns that the severe physical consequences of a decision to stop eating or drinking could still enable someone to claim eligibility for assisted dying when otherwise they would not be able to do so, and I believe that is the motivation behind this amendment … As I’ve set out, I think that risk is negligible.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists have stated that they do not feel at the moment in time there are sufficient psychiatrists who would be able to deliver that position on such a panel. What response does the member have to that?

Continue reading...

More protections have been added to assisted dying bill, says Kim Leadbeater

MP behind bill for England and Wales says changes being debated in parliament on Friday will make it stronger

The bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people in England and Wales will be strengthened and made more workable by proposed changes, Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the legislation, has said.

As the House of Commons prepared to debate amendments, Leadbeater said fresh protections had been introduced to allow a further check on applications for assisted dying, and ensure doctors and others were able to opt out of involvement in the process.

Continue reading...

Prince Harry accused the Sun of printing story linking him to P Diddy out of revenge

Exclusive: court documents reveal Harry claimed front page story and other articles had ‘hugely negative impact on his mental health and that of his wife and children’

Prince Harry has accused the Sun newspaper of being motivated by revenge when publishing a front page story reporting that he had been named in a lawsuit accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of sex trafficking, according to claims in a newly disclosed court document.

The story was said by the Duke of Sussex to be among “a large number of false and highly derogatory articles” published by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) “in retaliation” for his claims of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering.

Continue reading...

UK agrees to fly home wrongly deported Windrush generation man from Jamaica

Exclusive: Winston Knight’s deportation order revoked by Home Office after a decade living on streets in Kingston

The Home Office has agreed to fly home a member of the Windrush generation who lived in the UK for 47 years before being wrongly deported and forced to live on the streets of Jamaica in horrific conditions for more than a decade.

In a highly unusual move and after protracted legal action, Home Office officials have accepted that Winston Knight, 64, is a member of the Windrush generation and have agreed to revoke his deportation order.

In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is at 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org

Continue reading...

Two firefighters among three people killed in blaze at former RAF base in Oxfordshire

Member of public the third person to die in large fire at Bicester Motion that started on Thursday evening

Two firefighters and a member of the public have died after a large fire at a former RAF base in Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire county council said the two firefighters died while tackling the blaze at Bicester Motion on Thursday.

Continue reading...

General accused of locking away SAS war crimes evidence is made navy chief

Royal Navy leader also accused of overseeing denial of resettlement claims made by Afghans who aided UK forces

A general accused of failing to report evidence of war crimes committed by the SAS in Afghanistan has been appointed as the new head of the Royal Navy.

Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins – the first Royal Marine to become First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff – replaces Adm Sir Ben Key, who was removed from it last week while under investigation over allegations of misconduct.

Continue reading...