Category Archives: UK news

Wayne Rooney had ‘awkward’ chat with Jamie Vardy about wife’s column, court told

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Roy Hodgson was concerned Rebekah Vardy’s career was distracting Euro 2016 squad, ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial hears

Wayne Rooney asked Jamie Vardy if his wife could cut back on her media activities during the Euro 2016 football tournament because it was causing “distractions” for the England team, the high court has heard.

Rooney told the “Wagatha Christie” libel trial that the then-England manager Roy Hodgson and assistant manager Gary Neville were both concerned that Rebekah Vardy’s decision to write a column for the Sun during the contest was disrupting the squad.

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Homes for Ukraine: refugees being left homeless, UK community groups warn

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Fears system could crash entirely amid growing reports of people being made to leave by sponsors

Growing numbers of refugees are being made homeless, and in many cases destitute, after relationship breakdowns with their Homes for Ukraine hosts in the UK, community organisations have said.

Some predict the system could crash entirely after reports of Ukrainian refugees being asked to leave the homes of their sponsors with only one day’s notice, leaving them with no option but to be referred to local authorities as homeless or, if they can afford to, attempt to seek last-minute rented accommodation.

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UK will not ‘shy away’ from unilateral protocol change, says Brandon Lewis

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Northern Ireland secretary reiterates stance as Liz Truss prepares to tell MPs of plans to lift checks

The UK will not “shy away” from legislating to change the Northern Ireland protocol without agreement from the EU, the Northern Ireland secretary has said, as Liz Truss prepares to tell the Commons about plans to unilaterally lift checks.

The foreign secretary will tell MPs of plans to bring forward the draft legislation after a cabinet discussion on Northern Ireland. However, the timetable for the draft laws has slipped, with the text now only promised before the summer break, according to Whitehall sources.

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Boris Johnson claims planned Northern Ireland protocol law is ‘insurance’ in case talks fail – live

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Latest updates: UK prime minister meets Sinn Féin and DUP as Mary Lou McDonald suggests forming Stormont assembly is not UK government priority

This is from my colleague Jennifer Rankin in Brussels on the UK government’s mixed messaging over the Northern Ireland protocol.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Sinn Féin’s leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, have said they recognise there are “serious issues” in relation to the implementation of the Brexit protocol that Boris Johnson is planning to override in part.

They expressed serious concern about possible unilateral moves on the protocol by the British government, which would have a destabilising impact on Northern Ireland.

They recognised that there are genuine issues regarding aspects of the implementation of the protocol but these can be taken forward in the context of EU-UK discussions.

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Police force refers itself to IOPC over boy killed by dog near Rochdale

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Officers reportedly investigated previous attacks on people by dogs from same property where three-year-old was attacked

Greater Manchester police have referred themselves to the independent complaints body after it emerged that officers had had previous involvement in the case of a three-year-old boy killed by a dog.

The child died on Sunday after what police described as a “tragic, devastating incident” at a farm property on Carr Lane, Milnrow, near Rochdale.

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Greek helicopter pilot found guilty of murdering British wife Caroline Crouch

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Tribunal finds Babis Anagnostopoulos culpable of premeditated murder and perverting course of justice

A Greek helicopter pilot who claimed he killed his British wife, Caroline Crouch, 20, in a fit of anger after a row that had “blurred” his senses, has been found guilty of murder at the end of a trial watched closely in Greece and abroad.

The seven-member mixed tribunal of judges and jurors concluded unanimously that Babis Anagnostopoulos was culpable of premeditated murder and perverting the course of justice. He also killed the family’s dog.

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Private papers show extent of row between Patel and police leaders

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Home Office plans have been described as a power grab by chief constables and crime commissioners

The home secretary faces fresh criticism over plans described by chief constables and police and crime commissioners (PCCs) as a “power grab”.

It comes as the Guardian publishes private documents at the centre of an extraordinary row between Priti Patel and police leaders.

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Tesco to pay out more to pig farmers as industry warns of ‘critical’ situation

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Extra £6.6m in support takes total to £10m, after criticism supermarket was not paying ‘fair price’ for pork

Tesco is to hand pig farmers £6.6m in additional support, taking the total to £10m, after warnings that a slew of producers could go out of business.

The UK’s biggest supermarket said farmers would get £6.6m until August on top of £3.4m handed out since March under an “accelerated and enhanced payment plan”, after being criticised for not paying a “fair price” for its pork.

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Rebekah Vardy’s WhatsApp messages ‘just evil’, Coleen Rooney tells court

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Rooney says she did not tell anyone about months-long sting operation on Instagram

Coleen Rooney has said Rebekah Vardy’s private WhatsApp messages were “just evil”, as she finished giving evidence in the “Wagatha Christie” libel trial.

The court has previously heard that Vardy and her agent, Caroline Watt, had lengthy WhatsApp exchanges about Rooney’s personal life, in which Rooney was allegedly branded a “nasty bitch” and a “cunt”.

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‘Apocalyptic’ food prices will be disastrous for world’s poor, says Bank governor

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Bank of England’s Andrew Bailey blames UK’s highest inflation rate for three decades on Russia-Ukraine war

The Bank of England governor has blamed the war in Ukraine for the highest inflation in the UK for three decades and warned that “apocalyptic” food prices caused by Russia’s invasion could have a disastrous impact on the world’s poor.

Giving evidence to MPs, Andrew Bailey said while he was unhappy about the level of price rises, 80% of the inflation overshoot was caused by factors outside the Bank’s control.

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E-cigarettes ‘as safe as nicotine patches’ for pregnant smokers trying to quit

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Pregnant smokers were more likely to quit when using e-cigarettes than patches after four weeks, study shows

E-cigarettes are as safe to use as nicotine patches for pregnant smokers trying to quit, and may be a more effective tool, researchers have revealed.

Smoking in pregnancy can increase the risk of outcomes including premature birth, miscarriage and the baby having a low birth weight. But stubbing out the habit can be a struggle.

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Rwanda president suggests UK extradite genocide suspects after asylum deal

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Exclusive: Comments raise concerns UK will find it difficult to refuse requests from Kigali on sensitive issues

Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, has suggested the UK extradite suspects wanted in the east African country for alleged roles in the 1994 genocide, after a controversial deal with the Home Office to process asylum seekers there.

Speaking less than two weeks after the deal was announced, Kagame told an audience of diplomats in Kigali that included the British high commissioner he hoped “that when the UK is sending us these migrants, they should send us some people they have accommodated for over 15 years who committed crimes [in Rwanda]”.

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Priti Patel accused of ‘power grab’ over new policing proposals

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Exclusive: chief constables and commissioners criticise plans to make it easier for home secretary to intervene

Police leaders have accused Priti Patel of a “power grab” that would allow the home secretary to intervene in local law enforcement matters and silence chiefs who want to speak out on issues deemed politically sensitive.

An extraordinary row has broken out behind the scenes, with police bosses accusing Patel of trying to obtain new powers without parliamentary approval.

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UK police ‘are not thought police’, says new chief

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HM inspector of constabulary Andy Cooke says constables should focus on dealing with actual offences and avoid ‘politics with a small P’

Police forces are not “the thought police” and should focus on dealing with actual offences and keeping the public safe, the new HM chief inspector of constabulary has said.

Andy Cooke, who took over last month, said chief constables should avoid “politics with a small P” and remember there is a clear distinction between what is and is not a crime.

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Cutting City regulation risks another financial crash, say economists

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Leading economists publish letter to Rishi Sunak in response to proposed financial services and markets bill

A group of 58 leading economists and politicians, including the former business minister Vince Cable, has written to the chancellor to say that scaling back City regulation will put the UK at risk of another financial crash.

The open letter, which has also been signed by the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and Columbia University professor Adam Tooze, was sent in reaction to the Queen’s speech, which outlined Rishi Sunak’s plans to “cut red tape” through a financial services and markets bill.

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Children’s activity levels have not recovered after end of Covid restrictions – study

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Only about a third of children and young people are meeting recommended activity levels, Bristol study finds

Children have become more sedentary and their physical activity levels have deteriorated in the wake of the pandemic even after the lifting of restrictions, a study suggests.

Researchers said child physical activity levels fell below national guidelines during the Covid-19 crisis and did not recover when lockdowns ended.

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Priti Patel lifts restrictions on police stop and search powers

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Home secretary announces the end of limitations on use of section 60 powers where serious violence anticipated

The government is lifting restrictions placed on police stop and search powers in areas where they anticipate violent crime, the home secretary has announced.

In a letter to police forces on Monday, Priti Patel outlined the easing of conditions on the use of the tactics under section 60 of the criminal justice and public order act.

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‘Painful choices’ remain over tribute to Grenfell Tower victims

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A memorial garden is the most popular option but families and the community have different views on the future of the tower

Bereaved relatives of those killed in the Grenfell Tower fire and the community living in its shadow are struggling to agree on the best way to commemorate the disaster.

Next month marks five years since a fire engulfed the tower block in North Kensington, west London, killing 72 people.

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Russia likely to have lost third of its Ukraine invasion force, says UK

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Ministry of Defence says Putin’s campaign in the east has lost momentum and has failed to make big gains in past month

Russia may have lost a third of the invasion force it sent into Ukraine as its offensive continues to struggle in the face of stiff resistance, British military intelligence has said.

In its latest assessment, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Russian campaign in the east of Ukraine had “lost momentum” and was now “significantly behind schedule”.

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Ireland says UK risks sending message it will break treaties in Brexit row

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Foreign minister criticises ‘sabre-rattling’ from UK amid signs British rhetoric is softening over Northern Ireland protocol

Plans to shred parts of the Northern Ireland protocol “would send headlines around the world” that the UK is prepared to break treaties, Ireland’s foreign minister has said, as a British cabinet minister insisted the UK did not intend to break the law.

The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said the UK had “the right to act in a sovereign way” and to “reopen or re-examine the protocol” but denied the actions would constitute a breach of international law.

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