6:35 am, May 21, 2024
Infected blood victims awaiting details on compensation
Victims affected by the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS are waiting to hear details about how much they will be paid in compensation after the government vowed to pay ‘whatever it costs’.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak issued a ‘wholehearted and unequivocal’ apology to the victims of the infected blood scandal, saying that the publication of the report into the disaster was ‘a day of shame for the British state’.
The Infected Blood Inquiry identified a ‘catalogue of systemic, collective and individual failures’ that amounted to a ‘calamity’.
Disgraced ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells set for Horizon inquiry showdown
Disgraced ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells is set to be questioned under oath on Wednesday about her role in the Horizon scandal which unfolded under her watch.
Vennells, who was chief executive at the company from 2012 to 2019, will give evidence over the course of three days at the Horizon IT inquiry.
The 65-year-old has been accused of a cover-up by subpostmasters, with campaigner and former subpostmistress Jo Hamilton calling on her to tell the truth.
Home secretary: We are determined to stop the boats
The home secretary has insisted the government is still determined to ‘stop the boats’ as migrant Channel crossings near 10,000 for the year so far.
James Cleverly said people smugglers had changed the way they operate when questioned over why the number of migrants arriving in the UK continued to rise despite the government’s efforts to curb crossings.
He also sought to blame Labour, accusing the opposition party of delay tactics over the plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Sunak to meet Austrian chancellor in bid to strengthen illegal migration efforts
Rishi Sunak and his Austrian counterpart will agree in a face-to-face meeting that schemes like the UK’s Rwanda plan are needed to tackle illegal migration into Europe.
The prime minister will meet with chancellor Karl Nehammer in Vienna on Tuesday, with the two expected to agree in a joint statement that sending migrants to designated safe third countries, such as the Rwanda plan, play a part in tackling the Europe-wide issue.
The Vienna meeting comes after 15 EU countries, including Austria, signed a letter calling on the European Commission to tighten migration policy and to look at third country schemes.
GB News accuses Ofcom of trying to silence it after watchdog considers sanctions
GB News has accused Ofcom of trying to silence it after the regulator warned the TV channel that it was considering whether to impose a fine or revoke its licence.
The media watchdog ruled that the People’s Forum: The Prime Minister, which saw Rishi Sunak take questions from the audience during a live hour-long programme on February 12, broke broadcasting due impartiality rules.
Ofcom said on Monday the programme did not have an ‘appropriately wide range of significant viewpoints’ and compliance by GB News was ‘wholly insufficient’. It said it was starting the ‘process for consideration of a statutory sanction against GB News’ following a ‘serious and repeated breach’ of the rules.
UK aid still largely blocked from entering Gaza, watchdog says
UK aid is still largely being blocked from entering Gaza despite diplomatic efforts, the development assistance watchdog said in a report released on Tuesday.
The UK has committed an extra £70m in humanitarian funding to the Palestinian Territories since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October 2023 and had diplomatic discussions at senior levels to seek to encourage Israel to ease restrictions on humanitarian access, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact said.
But at land crossings, the Israeli military subjects aid convoys to exhaustive inspections to prevent the delivery of ‘dual use’ items that might benefit Hamas or be used as a weapon, which leads to trucks frequently being delayed or turned back, according to the ICAI.
Monday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- ‘Digital will only grow but physical auctions are going nowhere’ – Dealer Auction
- Warranty Solutions explains how ground-breaking Carwow partnership is protecting dealers
- Car dealership which closed after more than 60 years set to be bulldozed under new plans
- Vehicles donated to Ukraine via Ulez scrappage scheme arrive for duty in war-torn country
Woman in fifties mauled to death in home by her registered XL bullies
A woman in her fifties has been mauled to death by her two registered XL bully dogs.
Armed police officers were among those who attended the woman’s home in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, east London, at just after 1pm on Monday.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the two registered dogs were safely seized having been contained inside a room.
Mini’s upcoming John Cooper Works to race at 24 Hours of Nurburgring
Mini’s upcoming John Cooper Works model will appear in camouflage form at the upcoming 24 Hours of Nurburgring race.
The new petrol-powered John Cooper Works model has been shown wearing light camouflage with the red and white colour scheme referencing the classic Minis that were used throughout the 1960s in events such as the Monte Carlo rally. It’ll be used by the Bulldog Racing team in the SP 3T category of the Nurburgring 24 Hours, which is a gruelling day-long race taking in laps of the famous ‘Green Hell’ in Germany.
Mini has stated that this new John Cooper Works will also be available as an electric model. It’s expected to gain significant upgrades over the standard Cooper, with an inevitable boost in power and extra suspension tweaks applied to make it even more involving to drive.
Weather
A bright start for most but it’ll turn cloudy later on with scattered showers, reports BBC Weather. A bit chillier than of late with temperatures no more than 19 degrees.
Clear spells for many areas tonight, though parts of Scotland and eastern England will see a few showers.
