Dog attack: Four-year-old girl dies in back garden of home in Milton Keynes - Sky News

A four-year-old girl has died after a dog attack in Milton Keynes.

Police officers were called by the ambulance service shortly after 5pm on Tuesday after a report that a dog had attacked a child in the back garden of a property in Broadlands, Netherfield.

The child died at the scene shortly after.

Officers remain at the site, where the dog has since been put down.

No one else was hurt in the incident, and the child's family are being supported by specially-trained officers.

No arrests have been made in connection with the investigation.

'Absolutely tragic incident'

More on Buckinghamshire

Related Topics:

Superintendent Matt Bullivant said: "This is an absolutely tragic incident, in which we believe that a child has been killed after being attacked by a dog.

"Clearly, we are in the very early stages of an investigation, and it would be wrong and unhelpful to speculate as to the exact circumstances of this incident at this point."

He added: "I understand how much of an impact this will have on the community and on the wider public, and people can expect to see a large police presence in the area this evening and beyond while our investigation continues.

"I would like to reassure people that there is no reason to believe there is any danger to the wider public at this time."

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2RvZy1hdHRhY2stZm91ci15ZWFyLW9sZC1naXJsLWRpZXMtaW4tYmFjay1nYXJkZW4tb2YtaG9tZS1pbi1taWx0b24ta2V5bmVzLTEyODAwMjYz0gFyaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL2RvZy1hdHRhY2stZm91ci15ZWFyLW9sZC1naXJsLWRpZXMtaW4tYmFjay1nYXJkZW4tb2YtaG9tZS1pbi1taWx0b24ta2V5bmVzLTEyODAwMjYz?oc=5

2023-01-31 21:37:13Z
1760616090

Hillsborough disaster: Families profoundly failed, say police - BBC

By Samantha Jagger & Tom Mullen

BBC News

Police forces have apologised for "profound failings" which have "continued to blight" relatives of victims of the Hillsborough disaster.

On behalf of all 43 forces, police chiefs have promised "cultural change".

They admitted "policing got it badly wrong" in the aftermath of the fatal stadium crush and said a range of key lessons had been learned.

Ninety-seven Liverpool supporters died as a result of the April 1989 disaster at Sheffield's Hillsborough ground.

The National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing published a joint response to a report published in 2017, which consulted the families.

It is the first reply from a major public body to the report, published by former Bishop of Liverpool James Jones.

In his 117-page report, he said: "The experience of the Hillsborough families demonstrates the need for a substantial change in the culture of public bodies."

'Pain and suffering'

Bishop Jones said "a change in attitude" was needed to ensure the "pain and suffering" of the families - who spent decades fighting for justice - was not repeated.

He also called for a charter for bereaved families, the right to publicly-funded legal representation and a "duty of candour" for police officers, amid a series of other recommendations.

In response, Chief Constable Andy Marsh, the College of Policing's chief executive officer, said: "For what happened, as a senior policing leader, I profoundly apologise. Policing got it badly wrong."

The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and College of Policing said the code of ethics used by forces would be reviewed, with a duty of candour becoming a key theme.

Hillsborough Inquests

Bishop Jones had said the response of South Yorkshire Police to criticism over Hillsborough showed "institutional defensiveness" and recommended training for senior officers to ensure an "open and transparent approach" to inquiries. 

A first inquest verdict of accidental death, which the families campaigned against for more than 20 years, was quashed in December 2012.

In 2016 a new inquest jury found the victims had been unlawfully killed due to gross negligence manslaughter by the police match commander Ch Supt David Duckenfield.

And, last year, the South Yorkshire and West Midlands police forces agreed to pay damages to more than 600 people over a cover-up which followed the disaster.

At the time, South Yorkshire's Acting Chief Constable Lauren Poultney said the force acknowledged that "serious errors and mistakes were made" by its officers "both on 15 April 1989 and during the subsequent investigations".

Solicitors acting for the families said they hoped the settlement would "put an end to any fresh attempts to rewrite the record and wrongly claim that there was no cover-up".

Bishop Jones's report also said the first inquests failed to accurately establish how the supporters came about their deaths, and families were unable to successfully challenge their "flawed basis" because their legal representation was inadequate.

Ch Con Marsh, who is from Liverpool, said: "What we're talking about is cultural change and cultural change takes a long time, but my goodness we have started."

He said new police recruits would study the report into the experiences of the Hillsborough families. New guidance for family liaison officers will be issued, while guidance on disaster victim identification has also been revised.

There have previously been calls for a Hillsborough Law, which would help victims of future disasters and atrocities.

Merseyside Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said she supported calls for the legislation, to "rebalance the scales of justice and ensure these principles are enshrined throughout our system".

• Hillsborough Law would be 'valuable legacy to 97'
• 'Culture change' call after Hillsborough
• Mayors urge MPs to back Hillsborough Law

However, NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said legislation was a matter for Parliament.

He said: "What we have really focused on is doing that which is really within our power.

"The issue of candour is very clear within the charter for bereaved families and it will be incorporated explicitly in the review of the code of ethics."

Ch Con Marsh added: "We have been robust as possible and it's for Parliament to make any legislation that they feel is necessary."

Mr Hewitt said the response to the 2017 report had not been published earlier due to legal processes and added it was important to ensure a full response was made.

But he said he "absolutely accepted that every week or month that has gone by has added to the pain of the families and not being able the whole process to conclusion".

Among those who died at Hillsborough was 18-year-old James Aspinall.

His mother Margaret, who campaigned for justice for the victims, said she was disappointed the response had taken so long to come.

She said: "I remember writing to someone in government to say 'I hope this report doesn't get put on a shelf gathering dust for years like other things in the past have done'.

"We are now into 2023. How long does it take to read a report to come out with your findings of what you think should happen?"

A spokeswoman for the Hillsborough Law Now campaign said the group was "extremely disappointed" with the police response.

• Timeline of the Hillsborough stadium disaster
• Home Office apologises to Hillsborough families
• Hillsborough Law would 'level scales of justice'

While welcoming the apology, she said it made "no reference to a change in legislation which would put an immediate stop to families battling against the state".

An actual law would mean "the culture of denial that we have seen in other inquiries, such as infected blood and Grenfell, would be minimised".

Pete Weatherby KC, who represents many of the Hillsborough families, said "everyone knows" a Hillsborough Law would be a "game changer".

He added it was "tiresome to watch another report which says the right things but achieves very little".

The government is yet to respond to the report but Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the timing had been impacted by the need to avoid the risk of prejudice during any criminal proceedings.

She added: "The government remains absolutely committed to responding to the bishop's report as soon as practicable and our focus now is on engaging in a meaningful way with the bereaved families of the Hillsborough disaster prior to publishing the government's over-arching response."

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiN2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay1lbmdsYW5kLW1lcnNleXNpZGUtNjQ0NTQ3NzjSATtodHRwczovL3d3dy5iYmMuY29tL25ld3MvdWstZW5nbGFuZC1tZXJzZXlzaWRlLTY0NDU0Nzc4LmFtcA?oc=5

2023-01-31 15:42:40Z
CBMiN2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay1lbmdsYW5kLW1lcnNleXNpZGUtNjQ0NTQ3NzjSATtodHRwczovL3d3dy5iYmMuY29tL25ld3MvdWstZW5nbGFuZC1tZXJzZXlzaWRlLTY0NDU0Nzc4LmFtcA

Teachers prepare to strike in England and Wales - BBC

Helen Butler

By Hazel Shearing

Education correspondent

Teachers in England and Wales are preparing to walk out over pay, in the first national strikes since 2016.

More than 100,000 could strike on Wednesday, the National Education Union has said - along with university staff, civil servants, train and bus drivers.

The education secretary said the teachers' strike meant "huge uncertainty for parents".

Some schools may not decide until the morning whether to close, as it depends on how many staff join the strike.

About 500,000 workers are due to take part in walkouts across a range of sectors, making it the biggest strike in more than a decade, according to the Trades Union Congress.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan said the strike would have a "significant impact on children's education".

But Schools Minister Nick Gibb later said he expected the "majority" of schools to be open in some capacity.

Downing Street said mass action would cause "significant disruption".

In Wales, striking teachers will be joined by support staff, while members of the National Association of Head Teachers begin action short of a strike.

Teachers are also striking in two parts of Scotland - Clackmannanshire and Aberdeen - as part of rolling industrial action.

• Strike action: What do firefighters, teachers and others want?
• When are teachers striking, and will schools close?
• 'Deciding to close our school has been horrible'

Year 5 teacher Helen Butler will be joining a picket line in Portsmouth for the first time in her 26-year career. She has voted against strike action in the past - but this time feels different.

"We've got some teachers now that are going to food banks," she said, adding her salary had fallen in real terms over a decade.

Ms Butler said she loved her school, where she is an NEU representative, but there were insufficient resources and her workload had increased.

"We're given 10 glue sticks for a class of 30, because it's expensive. I've ended up buying my own," she said.

"I do not know one teacher who doesn't work in their holidays.

"What other job expects you to work in your holidays?"

Taking exams

Most state-school teachers in England and Wales had a 5% pay rise in 2022. But inflation means this is actually a cut, unions say. And they want to make sure it is not paid for out of school budgets.

Wednesday will be the first of seven national and regional NEU strike dates.

Schools have been advised to open for vulnerable pupils, key workers' children and those taking exams.

Some will open for certain classes only.

Children may be set work to do remotely - but striking teachers are not required to do so.

Paula Arnold, who works in a law firm in Poole, said she would not find out until Wednesday morning whether her daughters' schools would open.

Paula Arnold and her daughters

"I don't know whether I'm going to be in or out [of the office] or working from home or unable to work," she said. And working from home with children was not easy - especially if they were not set work.

"I'd like to say my kids are angels," she laughed. "Children are children. They need feeding. I don't want to just... put them in front of devices and crack on."

Ms Arnold said she wanted to stay supportive of striking teachers but needed more certainty to plan childcare.

"I end up just pulling my hair out because it's just tricky trying to juggle everything," she said.

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Sam Done, the principal of Hillcrest Academy primary school, in Leeds, is unsure how many staff will be working and how many pupils could be accommodated.

"We will have to wait and see what happens, right up until the 11th hour almost, on the night before and the morning of industrial action," he said.

Schools in England will each see four days of strike action:

• three national days
• one affecting their region

Just over 53% of teachers in the NEU in England voted in its ballot - 90% of them supported a strike.

A secondary-school teacher in Cambridgeshire, who asked not to be named, said she understood why her colleagues were striking but she could not afford to lose the pay.

"Morally, it just doesn't sit right with me," she added.

"The kids have suffered so much through Covid and I just feel like striking and them missing another four days of school is not going to help anybody. They're already so far behind."

Teachers have already been on a national strike in Scotland - and action is continuing on a rolling basis. Most teachers in Northern Ireland will walk out for half a day on 21 February.

Teachers join a wave of public sector workers striking over pay and conditions.

Workers represented by seven different unions across the UK will strike on Wednesday.

They include:

• Civil servants across 124 government departments
• Rail workers at 15 different companies
• Some London bus drivers
• Lecturers, librarians and other university workers

Earlier, the Unison union announced its members in five ambulance services in England will strike on Friday of next week, as part of a dispute about pay and conditions.

The walkout will affect London, Yorkshire, the South West, North East and North West.

Unison also says its members at the Environment Agency will join members of the Prospect union in striking for 12 hours next Wednesday. The action will include workers in flood forecasting and pollution control.

Have you been affected by issues covered in this story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC News journalist. You can also make contact in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
• Upload pictures or video
• Please read our terms and conditions and privacy policy

If you cannot see the form, visit the mobile version of the BBC News website to submit your question or comment or email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiLWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL2VkdWNhdGlvbi02NDQwNjUyMNIBMWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL2VkdWNhdGlvbi02NDQwNjUyMC5hbXA?oc=5

2023-01-31 19:16:26Z
1751343223

Nicola Bulley: missing dog walker's phone was still on work call - The Times

A missing dog walker’s phone was still connected to a conference call when it was found, police have said.

Nicola Bulley, 45, disappeared while walking her springer spaniel after dropping her children at school on Friday morning. She was last seen at 9.15am on a footpath by the River Wyre in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire.

Her phone was found on a bench on the river bank and her dog was near by. The conference call was still going.

Ben Pociecha, director of Exclusively Mortgages, where Bulley is an adviser, told The Daily Telegraph that she had logged on to a team meeting at 9.01am on Friday.

“It seems as if she was muted and didn’t have her camera on. She

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXRpbWVzLmNvLnVrL2FydGljbGUvbmljb2xhLWJ1bGxleS1taXNzaW5nLWRvZy13YWxrZXItbXVtLXNlYXJjaC1sYW5jYXNoaXJlLXVrLTIwMjMtMGJtZzhuenYz0gEA?oc=5

2023-01-31 07:35:00Z
1757068355

UK firefighters vote to strike in row over pay - BBC

Getty Images

By Jasmine Andersson

BBC News

Firefighters across the UK have voted for strike action in a row over pay.

The Fire Brigades Union said while it had a mandate to take its members out on strike, it would not announce any dates until after it meets employers.

More than 80% of members who voted backed strike action across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland when they were balloted last month.

The government said the threat of strikes would be "disappointing and concerning for the public".

The FBU said it would delay announcing any strike dates until after it had met fire service employers - the brigades in English local authority areas, the regional fire services in Wales and the national organisations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

• Northern Ireland firefighters vote overwhelmingly for strike
• Scottish firefighter strike 'inevitable' over pay deadlock
• Strike action: What do firefighters, teachers and others want?

That meeting is scheduled for 8 February - where the FBU said it hoped to receive a revised pay offer.

The union says that since 2010, its members have experienced a 12% drop in real terms earnings.

It also says that in the same period, about one in five firefighter jobs have been cut.

Of the 73% of union members who voted, 88% of staff voted to take action.

In a separate ballot, control room staff in the north-west of England also agreed to the proposed walkouts.

The earliest likely date for any action would be 23 February.

If the strike goes ahead, it will be the first nationwide walkout over pay in 20 years.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said the government "need to wake up and wise up to the level of anger among their employees about falling real pay in the fire service".

He told the BBC's Radio 4 PM programme: "They clearly have misjudged the mood... and now they best move. Otherwise we'll be setting strike dates."

In response, Downing Street said the government would urge the FBU to "reconsider and keep negotiating".

The prime minister's official spokesman said the government was working to "mitigate the possible risks that [strike action] poses".

Elena Whitham, Scottish Government community safety minister, called the strike threat "disappointing".

She said: "At this point, we would encourage continued negotiations through the well-established collective bargaining arrangements."

But the FBU said the responsibility for any disruption "lies squarely" with union employers and government ministers.

PA Media

Union members rejected a previous 5% pay offer in November, arguing it would equal a real-terms pay cut given current high rate of inflation.

Inflation measured by the Consumer Prices Index rose by 10.7% in the 12 months to November 2022.

Currently, a trainee firefighter in London can earn a salary of £28,730, including London weighting. Once they are qualified, their salary can increase to £37,032.

Outside London, trainee firefighters earn £24,191 rising to £32,244 after qualification.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTY0NDU3ODQz0gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstNjQ0NTc4NDMuYW1w?oc=5

2023-01-30 18:23:13Z
1753271448

UK firefighters vote to strike in row over pay - BBC

Getty Images

By Jasmine Andersson

BBC News

Firefighters across the UK have voted for strike action in a row over pay.

The Fire Brigades Union said while it had a mandate to take its members out on strike, it would not announce any dates until after it meets employers.

More than 80% of members who voted backed strike action across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland when they were balloted last month.

The government said the threat of strikes would be "disappointing and concerning for the public".

The FBU said it would delay announcing any strike strike dates until after it had met fire service employers - the brigades in English local authority areas, the regional fire services in Wales and the national organisations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

• Northern Ireland firefighters vote overwhelmingly for strike
• Scottish firefighter strike 'inevitable' over pay deadlock

That meeting is scheduled for 8 February - where the FBU said it hoped to receive a revised pay offer.

The union says that since 2010, its members have experienced a 12% drop in real terms earnings.

It also says that in the same period, about one in five firefighter jobs have been cut.

Of the 73% of union members who voted, 88% of staff voted to take action.

In a separate ballot, control room staff in the north-west of England also agreed to the proposed walkouts.

If the strike goes ahead, it will be the first nationwide walkout over pay in 20 years.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said firefighters were compelled to take action because "they have faced a sustained attack on pay for more than a decade".

But he said the government and local authority employers have the power to stop the strikes from happening by "making a credible offer".

"The ball is in their court," he added.

In response, Downing Street said the government would urge the FBU to "reconsider and keep negotiating".

The prime minister's official spokesman said the government was working to "mitigate the possible risks that [strike action] poses".

Elena Whitham, Scottish Government community safety minister, called the strike threat "disappointing".

She said: "At this point, we would encourage continued negotiations through the well-established collective bargaining arrangements."

FBU members rejected a previous 5% pay offer in November, arguing it would equal a real-terms pay cut given current high rate of inflation.

Inflation measured by the Consumer Prices Index rose by 10.7% in the 12 months to November 2022.

Currently, a trainee firefighter in London can earn a salary of £28,730, including London weighting. Once they are qualified, their salary can increase to £37,032.

Outside London, trainee firefighters earn £24,191 rising to £32,244 after qualification.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTY0NDU3ODQz0gEA?oc=5

2023-01-30 17:16:42Z
1753271448

Teachers' strike to go ahead after education secretary 'squandered the opportunity' to avoid action, union says - Sky News

Talks between the education secretary and the teaching unions have failed and the biggest teachers' strike in years will go ahead.

Last-minute talks were held by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan on Monday in a bid to resolve a teachers' pay dispute ahead of planned strikes this week.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) in England and Wales will now walk out on Wednesday, with more industrial action planned in the following weeks.

The strike on Wednesday is expected to encompass up to half-a-million workers, with teachers due to be joined by train drivers, civil servants, university lecturers, bus drivers and security guards from seven trade unions in what will be the biggest day of industrial action in over a decade.

The NEU has announced seven days of strikes in England and Wales in February and March, with the walkout on Wednesday expected to affect over 23,000 schools.

Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said: "Gillian Keegan has squandered an opportunity to avoid strike action on Wednesday.

"The government has been unwilling to seriously engage with the causes of strike action.

More on Cost Of Living

Related Topics:

"Real-terms pay cuts and cuts in pay relativities are leading to a recruitment and retention crisis with which the education secretary so far seems incapable of getting a grip.

"Training targets are routinely missed, year on year. This is having consequences for learning, with disruption every day to children's education."

Advertisement

Read more:
Fresh wave of strikes this year- who is taking action and when
Firefighters set to strike for first time since 2003 after real-terms earnings 'drop by 12%'

In a separate comment, Mr Courtney said: "I regret to say that we didn't hear anything that enables us to say that the strike shouldn't go ahead on Wednesday.

"There's no offer from the secretary of state trying to bridge the gap between us."

Meanwhile, a headteachers' union boss has described the talks with Ms Keegan as "deeply disappointing".

Following the meeting with the education secretary, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: "Parents will have been looking for the government to avert the planned strike on Wednesday.

"Instead, the government continues to talk around the issues rather than putting anything on the table which allows for any meaningful negotiation.

"It is deeply disappointing."

Mr Barton added: "We are sorry to report that there is therefore no resolution to the dispute and the strike is set to go ahead."

The teachers' strike was confirmed shortly before British firefighters voted to carry out nationwide action in a dispute over pay.

About 88% of members of the Fire Brigades Union had voted in favour of strike action, on a 73% turnout, the union said.

Its members had rejected a 5% pay offer in November.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L3RlYWNoZXJzLXN0cmlrZS10by1nby1haGVhZC1hZnRlci10YWxrcy1iZXR3ZWVuLXVuaW9ucy1hbmQtZ292ZXJubWVudC1mYWlsLTEyNzk5MzMz0gFyaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL3RlYWNoZXJzLXN0cmlrZS10by1nby1haGVhZC1hZnRlci10YWxrcy1iZXR3ZWVuLXVuaW9ucy1hbmQtZ292ZXJubWVudC1mYWlsLTEyNzk5MzMz?oc=5

2023-01-30 16:07:30Z
1752124830

Nadhim Zahawi committed a serious breach of ministerial code, says Sunak - BBC

EPA

Nadhim Zahawi has been sacked as Tory Party chairman after an inquiry by the PM's ethics adviser found he had failed to disclose that HMRC was investigating his tax affairs.

The PM said Sir Laurie Magnus's inquiry made clear there had been a "serious breach of the ministerial code".

Rishi Sunak asked for the investigation after reports Mr Zahawi had paid HMRC a penalty over previously unpaid tax.

Sir Laurie concluded the MP had failed to be open about his finances.

After receiving the findings, Mr Sunak wrote to Mr Zahawi praising his time in government but saying he had decided to remove him from government.

In response, Mr Zahawi thanked the prime minister and said he took pride in his achievements - highlighting the vaccine rollout and the Queen's funeral - but did not offer an apology for breaching the rules or mention his tax affairs.

He promised to support the prime minister "from the backbenches in the coming years".

• Who is Nadhim Zahawi?
• Zahawi sacking letters in full
• Chris Mason: Should Sunak have appointed Zahawi?

In a four-page report to the prime minister, Sir Laurie criticised Mr Zahawi not only for failing to include the HMRC investigation in his register of interests until July 2022, but also for failing to update it once a settlement had been reached.

Taken together these "omissions" constitute a "serious failure to meet the standards set out in the ministerial code", he said.

Sir Laurie was also critical of Mr Zahawi for describing new stories about his tax affairs as "smears" in July 2022 and failing to correct the record until January 2023.

"I consider that this delay in correcting an untrue public statement is inconsistent with the requirement for openness," he said.

He concluded that Mr Zahawi had shown "insufficient regard for the general principles of the ministerial code and the requirements in particular to be honest, open and an exemplary leader through his own behaviour".

He praised Mr Zahawi's "willingness to assist with my inquiry" and said he appreciated the pressures of being a minister.

However, he added: "These factors, however, cannot mitigate my overall judgement that Mr Zahawi's conduct as a minister has fallen below the high standards that, as prime minister, you rightly expect from those who serve in your government."

Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairs have been a headache for the government for the past 10 days.

Rishi Sunak has argued that due process is important. But he's faced accusations he was weak for not acting earlier to get rid of Mr Zahawi.

The PM got the report from his ethics adviser early this morning. He spoke to Mr Zahawi to tell him he was being sacked, then it was confirmed publicly.

The report from Sir Laurie Magnus left little room for any other conclusion than Mr Zahawi's departure.

He highlights a number of times Mr Zahawi should have declared more about his tax affairs - and didn't.

Hence the conclusion that there was a serious failure to follow the ministerial rulebook.

In his letter to Mr Zahawi, Mr Sunak said the MP for Stratford-On-Avon could be "extremely proud of your wide-ranging achievements in government over the last five years".

He specifically cited Mr Zahawi's work overseeing the Covid vaccine, saying it was "critical to ensuring our country came through this crisis and saved many lives".

But Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said Mr Zahawi should have been sacked "long ago" and accused the prime minister of being "hopelessly weak".

Ms Rayner and Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds have now written to the prime minister asking him to "come clean" about when he was made aware of the HMRC investigation into Mr Zahawi.

Downing Street has previously insisted that Mr Sunak "was not informed of these details, informally or otherwise".

The SNP's Kirsty Blackman echoed Labour's concerns saying: "Sunak still has questions to answer over this whole affair about what he knew about the settlement and what advice he received about Zahawi's tax on his appointment."

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said Mr Zahawi should "do the right thing" and resign as an MP.

Levelling up Secretary Michael Gove told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that it was important the facts were "investigated fully and properly" and the situation had required "cool forensic analysis".

Asked whether he should ever have been appointed, Mr Gove said his "understanding" was that there was "no information that was brought to the attention of the prime minister, either Rishi or indeed Liz Truss which would have led them to believe at the time it was inappropriate to have Nadhim on the team".

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

During his interview, Mr Gove also said he expected Mr Zahawi to "reflect" on how he had told journalists looking into his tax affairs that they were attempting to smear him.

Dan Neidle, the tax lawyer who began investigating Mr Zahawi's taxes last year, told BBC News the MP had "set lawyers on me... he tried to shut me up".

"Regardless of what happened with the tax, his behaviour... I feel, was a breach of the ministerial code," said Mr Neidle, who is a Labour supporter but insists his investigations are non-partisan.

In his letter to Mr Sunak, Mr Zahawi expressed concern about the conduct of journalists in recent weeks, specifically mentioning one headline which said the "noose was tightening".

Timeline

April 2021: HMRC starts having interactions with Mr Zahawi, including a meeting with him and his advisers. Mr Zahawi - who was vaccines minister at the time - told Sir Laurie he believed he was "merely being asked certain queries" rather than being investigated. Sir Laurie says Mr Zahawi should have understood this was "a serious matter" and included it in his declaration of interests

15 September 2021: Mr Zahawi is made education secretary by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Sir Laurie says Mr Zahawi again failed to declare his interest

5 July 2022: He is promoted to chancellor. He completes a declaration of interest for his new role but makes no reference to an investigation by HMRC

10 July 2022: Mr Zahawi describes reports he is being investigated by HMRC as "smears"

15 July 2022: He receives a letter from HMRC and subsequently updates his declaration of interests to acknowledge an investigation was under way.

August 2022: Mr Zahawi reaches an agreement with HMRC for failing to take "reasonable care". The BBC has been told the total amount paid to the taxman was in the region of about £5m

September 2022: A final settlement is agreed with HMRC but Mr Zahawi does not update his declaration of interest form with the new information

September and October 2022: Mr Zahawi becomes a levelling up minister under Liz Truss's short-lived premiership and Tory Party chair under Rishi Sunak. Again, Mr Zahawi does not update his declaration of interest form

21 January 2023: Mr Zahawi issues a statement acknowledging he reached a settlement with HMRC following an investigation

23 January 2023: The prime minister asks his ethics adviser Sir Laurie to look into the disclosures made about the tax affairs of Mr Zahawi

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTY0NDQ0MjY10gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstNjQ0NDQyNjUuYW1w?oc=5

2023-01-29 15:45:36Z
1741247949