London’s royal parks closed due to strong winds; Scotland hit by power cuts and travel disruption – Storm Amy as it happened

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The Environment Agency has issued two flood alerts where “flooding is expected” for Keswick Campsite in the Lake District and locations near the River Ure, particularly around Boroughbridge Camping and Caravanning Site in North Yorkshire.

“Avoid using low-lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses. Take care and avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water,” it advises.

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British teenager dies in car crash months after being freed from Dubai jail for sex with girl, 17

Marcus Fakana, 19, died in hospital after police pursued a vehicle in Tottenham, London, which was then involved in a collision

A British teenager who was jailed in Dubai for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl while they were on holiday has died in a car crash three months after he was released, a campaign group has said.

Marcus Fakana, 19, died in hospital in the early hours of Friday after police pursued a vehicle in Tottenham, north London.

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Metropolitan police officer arrested after undercover BBC investigation

Sergeant arrested on suspicion of perverting course of justice after colleagues filmed making racist and sexist remarks

A serving Metropolitan police officer has been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, after undercover footage showed colleagues at Charing Cross police station making racist and sexist comments.

The footage, gathered for a BBC Panorama documentary, appears to show officers at a central London station calling for immigrants to be shot and boasting about using violence against suspects.

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Conservatives would take UK out of ECHR, Badenoch confirms

Leader says move is is necessary ‘to protect our borders, our veterans and our citizens’

Kemi Badenoch has announced that a Conservative government under her leadership would pull the UK out of the European convention on human rights.

The move marks a lurch to the right for the Tories, who are attempting to stem a loss of support to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Farage has long been a critic of the ECHR and has pledged to leave it if he becomes prime minister.

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Rabbi who confronted Manchester synagogue attacker vows community will not be defeated

Daniel Walker helped worshippers hold doors shut as Jihad al-Shamie tried to force his way inside

A rabbi who looked into the face of Jihad al-Shamie as he mounted a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue has vowed not to allow the “evil” and “hatred” he saw to triumph.

Rabbi Daniel Walker helped others to hold the doors of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue shut as Shamie “body-charged” them during Thursday’s attack, throwing “heavy plant pots” and “doing everything he could to get in”.

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Manchester synagogue victims named as home secretary criticises pro-Palestine marches – latest

Two men were killed when an attacker used a car to ram into the grounds of a synagogue, then stabbed worshippers

The home secretary has urged pro-Palestine protesters not to carry out demonstrations in the wake of the terror attack in Greater Manchester.

Speaking on GB News, Mahmood said:

As far as I am concerned, I would have wanted to see people in this country step back from protesting for at least a few days, just to give the Jewish community here a chance to process what has happened and to begin the grieving process as well.

I am very disappointed that some of the organisers haven’t heeded the call to step back.

In terms of the attacker, this individual was not known to the security services.

He has obviously been shot dead at the scene, but the police investigations will now continue at pace.

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Sarah Mullally is named as first female archbishop of Canterbury

No 10 announces decision although role will not legally be taken on until January, before an enthronement service

Sarah Mullally has been named as the first female leader of the Church of England as Downing Street announced the 106th archbishop of Canterbury nearly a year on from Justin Welby’s resignation over the handling of a safeguarding scandal.

This is the first time an archbishop of Canterbury has been chosen since the Church of England allowed women to become bishops in 2014.

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Labour are ‘handmaidens’ to Reform UK’s ‘dangerous’ politics, Polanski to tell Green conference – UK politics live

New leader to make case for immigration, more investment in public services and a wealth tax as Green party membership hits record high

In an interview on the Today programme, Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, was asked at length about anti-Israel comments by the co-deputy leader, Mothin Ali, and other Green members. Polanski said some of the comments referenced were “totally unacceptable”, but he also said it was important to understand the context, and he said Ali deserved credit for apologising.

Justin Webb, the presenter, said that after 7 October Ali described Israelis as colonialists and defended the right of indigenous people to fight back. Ali apologised. But Ali had also targeted a Leeds-based rabbi who went to Israel after 7 October to serve as a reservist in the IDF, Webb said. He asked if Ali was the right person to be deputy leader of a political party.

Well, I want to be clear that I’m a Jewish person, and I feel this genocide incredibly deeply.

As a Muslim man, I can only imagine what it feels like to know that every single day in Palestine the equivalent of a classroom of children are dying.

It doesn’t excuse it, but I think it’s contextual. This rabbi went off to fight for the IDF … I absolutely defend [Ali’s] right to be annoyed and upset about what is happening.

I think there is a context to this. I think if someone goes to fight with an army who’s committing a genocide, that there are consequences.

Now I don’t stand by what Mothin said, and neither does he. But ultimately, I do think we need to have a context on this.

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Wetherspoon’s boss vows to keep price rises to a minimum as he criticises energy bills

Beefed-up packaging tax will triple pub chain’s costs from the levy to £2.4m a year, says Tim Martin

The boss of the pub chain Wetherspoon’s has vowed to keep price increases to a “minimum”, after blaming a beefed-up packaging tax and rising energy bills for extra costs.

Tim Martin said the recently introduced “extended producer responsibility” levy on packaging would lead to the company’s costs from the tax tripling from £800,000 to £2.4m a year.

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Russia persistently targeting British satellites, UK Space Command chief says

Maj Gen Paul Tedman says Moscow trying to disrupt UK’s military activities on ‘weekly’ basis and closely monitoring space assets

Russia is attempting to jam UK military satellites on a regular basis, according to the head of the UK Space Command.

Speaking to the BBC, Maj Gen Paul Tedman said Russian forces were actively trying to disrupt UK-based military activities “weekly” and were closely monitoring the country’s space assets.

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Manchester synagogue attack: what do we know so far?

Attack at Heaton Park synagogue that killed two people has been declared a terrorist incident

At 9.31am on Thursday a member of the public rang the police saying they had witnessed “a car being driven towards members of the public, and one man had been stabbed” outside Heaton Park shul, a synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, where people had gathered to observe Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish faith.

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Sarah Hall and Charlie Porter among writers on ‘genre-defying’ Goldsmiths prize shortlist

The £10,000 award, whose judges include Mark Haddon and Megan Nolan, recognises ‘mould-breaking’ fiction

Sarah Hall, Charlie Porter and Yrsa Daley-Ward are among the writers shortlisted for this year’s Goldsmiths prize.

The £10,000 award recognises fiction that “breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form”.

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UK’s Jewish community feels much less safe since 7 October attack, survey finds

Research found 35% of Jews felt unsafe in Britain and 32% reported at least one antisemitic incident in 2024

Feelings of safety in the UK’s Jewish community have declined sharply in the last couple of years, according to the largest survey of British Jews since 7 October 2023.

The research, conducted in June and July, found 35% of Jews felt unsafe in Britain in 2025, compared with 9% in 2023 before the Hamas attacks.

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UK and EU poised to strike deal sparing British business from carbon border tax

Exclusive: Temporary deal to shield UK exporters from levy’s impact is now viewed by both sides as likely

The EU and Britain are poised to agree a deal sparing British businesses from a carbon border tax being introduced in 2026, with officials targeting late spring for the next EU-UK summit.

The EU is introducing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January targeting imports produced using carbon-intensive methods, such as steel, glass and fertiliser.

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Palestinian food brand says UK sales up 50% as shoppers show solidarity

Zaytoun’s olive oil and dates provide a tangible way to help Palestinians, says the business’s managing director

A Palestinian food brand says its UK sales increased by 50% to £3.2m in 2024 as shoppers seek out its olive oil in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Zaytoun, the Arabic word for olive or olive tree, is a social enterprise set up to support the resilience of Palestinian communities through fair trade.

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Sunbeds should be banned in UK, skin cancer experts say

Campaigners urge ministers to close tanning salons across country over dangers posed by UV radiation

Sunbeds are so dangerous they should be banned in the UK, cancer experts and campaigners say.

They have urged ministers to order the closure of the thousands of tanning salons operating across Britain, using public funds to compensate owners if necessary.

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Starmer to end asylum ‘golden ticket’ of resettlement and family reunion rights

People granted asylum will have to earn right to invite family in plan charities call ‘straight from populist playbook’

People granted asylum will no longer be given “the golden ticket” of resettlement and family reunion rights, Keir Starmer said, amid deepening concerns from charities that his words are demonising refugees.

As the prime minister prepared to discuss illegal migration with European leaders, No 10 outlined plans to strip successful claimants of the right to automatically invite spouses and children to join them.

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Met plunged into crisis amid fresh claims of misogyny and racism

Commissioner Mark Rowley says prejudice has ‘put down deep roots’ within force after BBC Panorama investigation

​Metropolitan police officers have been recorded calling for immigrants to be shot, bragging about excessive force, being dismissive about a rape complaint and making anti-Muslim and anti-women comments.

The BBC Panorama programme followed seven months of undercover filming at Charing Cross police station.

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Jaguar Land Rover parts makers asked by banks to put up homes as loan security after hack

Lobby group says urgent government intervention required as small suppliers on brink of collapse during shutdown

Small companies who supply parts used in Jaguar Land Rover cars have been asked by banks to put up their family homes as personal guarantees in order to access emergency loans, with no direct UK government support on offer for parts makers a month after the carmaker was hit by a crippling cyber-attack.

JLR, Britain’s biggest automotive employer, is considering making advance payments to top-tier suppliers as it tries to restart production after the hack, but smaller parts makers warn they are on the brink of collapse without urgent cash injections.

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