Mass for victims of deadly 2017 attack followed by tea at mosque, representing ‘British values of unity and hope’
A service of commemoration has been held to mark the fifth anniversary of the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack in which eight people were killed.
A further 48 were injured on 3 June 2017, when terrorists drove into pedestrians in a hired van before attacking passersby with 12-inch knives.
Continue reading...Charles stands in for his mother at St Paul’s Cathedral in ceremony that pays tribute to her seven-decade reign
The symbolism of a great state service of thanksgiving for an absent Queen was not lost beneath the imposing dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. All the more so as the country was paying tribute to her seven decades of public service as Britain’s now longest-reigning monarch.
The Prince of Wales was in her stead for the formal procession through a 2,000-strong congregation of prime ministers past and present, parliamentarians, diplomats, a full squad of other royals and 400 members of the public honoured for their community work.
Continue reading...Former world heavyweight champion arrested at Heathrow after alleged assault in west London
The former world heavyweight boxing champion David Haye has appeared in court charged with assault.
Haye, 41, who retired from the sport in 2018, is accused of assaulting Nickesh Jhala at the Hammersmith Apollo in west London on 30 October last year.
Continue reading...Latest updates: monarch misses service after experiencing ‘some discomfort’ during trooping the colour
The Archbishop of York has thanked the Queen for “staying the course”.
Stephen Cottrell said he assumed she was watching the service on television and said he was sorry she couldn’t attend.
Now we all know that the Queen likes horse racing. And, Your Majesty, I’m rather assuming perhaps you’re watching this on the television.
I don’t have any great tips for the Derby tomorrow, but since the scriptures describe life as a race set before us, let me observe that your long reign reflects the distance of Aintree rather than the sprint of Epsom, certainly less dressage than most people imagine.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
Continue reading...Law firm brings group litigation aiming to recoup at least £18m on behalf of 1,500 people
Investors who lost millions in the collapse of a fund run by the former star stockpicker Neil Woodford have brought group litigation against the administrator in hopes of recouping at least £18m.
The law firm Harcus Parker lodged its first batch of claims on behalf of 1,500 savers at the high court in London on Friday morning. Woodford himself is not the target – the claim is against the administrator of his fund, Link Fund Solutions, which is accused of failing in its duty to protect investors. Lawyers expect to expand the suit to represent at least 7,000 claimants.
Continue reading...Amid leaks of strategy’s review, Sara Khan says focus on only one form of extremism is counterproductive
The counter-terrorism Prevent programme, which has been dogged by claims of being a cover to spy on Muslim communities, should be “ideologically blind”, a government adviser has said.
The strategy is currently the subject of a review by Sir William Shawcross, and leaks suggest it will conclude that Prevent has been too focused on rightwing extremism in recent years. Instead it will say there should be a renewed focus on Islamist extremism, the leaks show, prompting accusations that the findings are politically motivated.
Continue reading...Archbishop of York says monarch is ‘still in the saddle and we are all glad there is still more to come’
It was a service of thanksgiving for an absent Queen, a St Paul’s Cathedral celebration to mark the longest reign of any British monarch. But the person to whom it was dedicated was far away at Windsor Castle, forced to watch on television, indisposed by the mobility problems that have plagued her jubilee year.
Senior royals, parliamentarians and diplomats joined 400 members of the public honoured for key roles they have played in their communities in the 2,000-strong congregation to celebrate the 70-year reign of the Queen, a lover of horses whose time on the throne, they heard, reflected “the distance of Aintree more than the sprints of Epsom”.
Continue reading...Prime minister greeted with whistles and jeers by crowd waiting at cathedral for Queen’s thanksgiving service
Boris Johnson was greeted by a chorus of boos as he arrived at the Queen’s platinum jubilee thanksgiving service on Friday morning.
Stepping out of his car when it pulled up at St Paul’s Cathedral in London with his wife, Carrie, the prime minister was met with boos and whistles by frustrated spectators.
Continue reading...Fivefold increase in refugees from Afghanistan crossing in small boats this year as they flee Taliban
Refugees who worked alongside international organisations in Afghanistan are among a rising number of Afghan asylum seekers in camps in northern France planning to cross the Channel in small boats.
The number of asylum seekers from Afghanistan crossing the Channel in small boats has risen fivefold this year, according to immigration figures released last week, as more refugees flee in the wake of the Taliban takeover.
Continue reading...Fresh from US defamation case win against Amber Heard, actor has been playing UK gigs with Jeff Beck
On the latest stop of his UK tour, days after winning a multimillion-dollar defamation trial against Amber Heard, Johnny Depp was spotted holding a badger cub in Kent.
“Guess who’s been to see us,” Folly Wildlife Rescue Trust wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, which received thousands of likes. “That’s the real Johnny Depp!”
Continue reading...Labour leader writes to Boris Johnson after UN working group declared Johal’s five-year detention arbitrary
Keir Starmer has asked Boris Johnson to intervene and request that the Indian government release a British citizen after a UN working group declared his five-year detention arbitrary and without any legal basis.
In a letter, the Labour leader asks why Johnson has not acted to ask for the release of Jagtar Singh Johal given the findings of the UN report on arbitrary detention last month.
Continue reading...Latest updates: Labour’s deputy leader says her party would clean up politics and restore standards in public life
Prendergast also encouraged travellers to only take hand luggage on their holidays to beat long queues at the airport.
The national secretary of the GMB union told The Daily Telegraph: “If individuals can check in online and don’t take luggage, that limits the disruption. It’s not a magic bullet however it does scale back the prospect of there being issues.”
This unfortunately was a foreseeable problem, it was one we warned about at the point at which the mass redundancies were made.
We asked the government to look at the aviation industry as a special case and they refused. And now, quite frankly, for Grant Shapps to come out as he has in the last 24 hours is a little bit disingenuous considering these problems have been on the radar for a long time.
Continue reading...Queen’s son will not attend service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, palace says
The Duke of York has tested positive for Covid and will no longer attend the Queen’s jubilee service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday, Buckingham Palace said.
A palace spokesperson said: “After undertaking a routine test the duke has tested positive for Covid and with regret will no longer be attending tomorrow’s service.”
Continue reading...Queen, Kate, Camilla, Meghan and younger Cambridges wear harmonious shades of blue
Most of the jubilee audience tuned in not for the trooping the colour, but to watch the royal family observe the proceedings. While the bunting and high-stepping horses trumpeted an official message of unity, the optics of the royal family were closely scrutinised for what they tell us of fraught Windsor family dynamics, of the health of the 96-year-old Queen, and of the messaging “the firm” plans to broadcast during their weekend in the spotlight.
Watching the military flypast from a Buckingham Palace balcony, the Queen wore blue and white, two of the three colours of the union flag. At the Royal Windsor horse show last month, she had dressed for comfort in a woollen shawl in place of a coat, but here she was in her customary crisp, no-nonsense, boxy tailoring.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Gender bias means debilitating gynaecological conditions are played down, says RCOG president
Doctors’ routine dismissal of women’s debilitating health problems as “benign” has contributed to gynaecology waiting lists soaring by 60% to more than half a million patients, a senior health leader has said.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) president, Dr Edward Morris, told the Guardian that waiting lists for conditions such as endometriosis, prolapse and heavy bleeding had increased by a bigger proportion than any other area of medicine in the past two years.
Continue reading...Thousands turn out in sunshine to watch trooping the colour parade kick off long weekend of celebrations
It has been 70 years since Brenda Dalton, 81, last caught a glimpse of the Queen. As a schoolgirl in Northolt, west London, she won the school ballot to watch the Queen’s coronation and saw her ride past in a golden carriage.
Standing on the Mall on Thursday morning, the retired factory worker was hoping for a second chance. “That’s why I wanted to come. I was there that day when she was crowned and I think she’s done marvellous,” Dalton said.
Continue reading...GMB union says passengers should consider not checking bags into hold amid shortages of ground and air staff
Holidaymakers facing long queues at UK airports amid shortages of ground and air staff have been told they should travel with only hand luggage to minimise the disruption.
GMB, one of the unions that represents aviation workers, said passengers should consider taking a small bag and not checking anything into the hold, as the country’s travel hubs battle delays and cancellations amid a surge in half-term demand.
Continue reading...Boris Johnson allies seize on Tobias Ellwood’s comments to say Brexit would not be safe with rebel Tories
A Tory MP and arch critic of Boris Johnson has sparked a backlash from Brexiters after suggesting Britain rejoin the EU’s single market to help ease the cost of living crisis.
Tobias Ellwood’s comments were seized upon by allies of the prime minister as evidence that deposing Johnson would threaten the country’s more distant relationship with Brussels.
Continue reading...Rebecca Tuck says internal investigation into president-elect Shaima Dallali will take priority
The QC leading an independent investigation into alleged antisemitism within the National Union of Students has announced she will examine the election of the organisation’s incoming president as well as wider concerns.
Rebecca Tuck, who was appointed to head the inquiry after consultations between the NUS and the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), said an internal investigation into Shaima Dallali, the president-elect, under the NUS’s code of conduct would take first priority, with her findings to be announced within weeks.
Continue reading...Latest allegation against 27-year-old France international footballer relates to new complainant
The Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been charged with a further count of rape.
The latest allegation, relating to a new complainant, means the 27-year-old stands accused of eight counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape, relating to seven young women.
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