Pictures from Stalybridge show trees on top of cars and houses destroyed following what has been provisionally assessed as a T5 tornado.
Image:Damage in Stalybridge the morning after the tornado
'Absolute disaster'
Tornadoes are assessed on a scale from 0 to 10, with five being considered "intense".
Around 100 properties were evacuated, with residents talking of "absolute disaster" in the village of Carrbrook.
The Liberal Democrats have called on Rishi Sunak to convene a COBRA meeting in the aftermath of the tornado.
A major incident was declared, but a local council leader said the area is now in a "recovery phase".
Ged Cooney, executive leader of Tameside Council, said: "Thankfully there are no casualties from the incident but there are of course local residents who are devastated by the damage caused to their homes."
In Scotland, more than 3,000 homes and businesses are still without power due to damage caused by Storm Gerrit.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) warned some people could still be without energy into Friday, as workers battle coastal winds of 80mph to reconnect properties.
More than 40,000 customers have seen their connections restored, however.
Travel networks have also been affected, with drivers left stranded overnight on the A9 in the Highlands following heavy snowfall and several other roads still closed.
Train services between Cupar and Dundee and Kilmarnock and Dumfries also remain down.
There are a number of flood warnings in place in across England, indicating flooding is likely, as well as many more lesser flood alerts.
There are also delays on some cross-Channel ferries due to the strong winds, but passengers are encouraged to check in as normal.
Margaret Thatcher was “utterly shattered” by the revelations in Spycatcher, the memoirs of the retired MI5 officer Peter Wright, files released publicly for the first time reveal.
The files also reveal the dilemmas faced by Thatcher’s government in its futile battle to suppress the book, including whether to agree to the Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer mediating an out of court “solution”.
Allegations by Wright, a former assistant director of MI5 who retired to Tasmania, included that the security agency had bugged embassies, that a small group of agents had plotted against the prime minister Harold Wilson, and that Sir Roger Hollis, the director general of MI5 from 1956-65, had been a Soviet mole.
The book, which was banned in the UK in 1985, was first published in Australia and the US after the government lost its long-running high-profile court case against Wright in Sydney in 1987.
The documents show the government losing control in a legal game of “whack-a-mole” as extracts popped up in newspapers and books appeared in shops and on library shelves around the world.
The government insisted the allegations were not new and had previously been investigated by MI5 and no evidence found, though Thatcher wrote on one document in October 1986: “I am utterly shattered by the revelations in the book. The consequences of publication would be enormous.”
The fear was that Wright, as an “insider”, could give the allegations greater credence, with the government seeking an injunction on the grounds of his “duty of confidentiality”, having signed the Official Secrets Act.
Offers by Wright to try to settle the case were made up to, and during, the Australian trial. As Sir Robert Armstrong, who was the cabinet secretary and the government witness in the case, was mid-evidence, Wright’s lawyer, Malcolm Turnbull, who would later become Australia’s prime minister, proposed a “solution” to be mediated by the Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer, the papers released by the National Archives show.
Turnbull suggested that Thatcher would recognise the problems with “old spooks wanting to tell their stories”, and set up an inquiry to look into adopting the US system, which allowed CIA agents to seek permission to publish books, so allowing Wright to publish with permission.
In return, Armstrong reported, she would be seen as a “champion of freedom of expression and freedom of speech” and Turnbull would do his best to say that he, Armstrong, “did a splendid job”. “Very good of him, I must say,” Armstrong added.
Noting the judge’s last words that afternoon had been Timeō Danaōs et dōna ferentēs – roughly translated as “beware the Greeks even when bearing gifts” – Armstrong pondered Turnbull’s motives. There was “not much enthusiasm for starting down” the road of negotiating the terms, if “we do not trust our Greek”, he wrote. After Thatcher held a meeting of senior government ministers and officials, the offer was rejected.
When the government lost the case, the question turned to appeal. The downside, one adviser told Thatcher, was Wright, aged 70 and in ill health, might die before the appeal, and the government would be “accused of ‘killing’ him by our intransigent attitude”. But Sir Nigel Wicks, Thatcher’s principal private secretary, believed the case for appeal was “overwhelming”. She agreed, writing in the margin of his memo: “We must appeal.”
It proved largely irrelevant, though, as the government then learned a US publishing house was planning to publish, and was advised it could not succeed in legal action in the US. “Very disturbing,” wrote Thatcher.
Douglas Hurd, the home secretary, warned “seepage” could affect the Australian appeal, and other cases in which the government was seeking to uphold injunctions against the Guardian, the Observer and the Sunday Times to prevent publication of Wright’s material, as well as against the Dominion newspaper in New Zealand. The files, dense with legal analysis and advice, show other countries where action possibly might be needed included Italy, South Africa, Pakistan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
One disheartening memo, from the arts minister Richard Luce, warned of a forthcoming international library conference in the UK, “with many American librarians coming over … we know that at least one British librarian has arranged to receive a copy of Spycatcher from a colleague for his library”.
Labour MEPs read extracts of the book in the record at the European parliament, which was included in the parliament’s official journal, due to be distributed in the UK through HMSO, the government’s stationery office. It left the government looking “foolish”, Wicks told Thatcher. “Yes, we must do everything we can to ensure the one hand of the government does not distribute what the other hand is trying to stop,” she wrote. But there was nothing, legally, they could do.
The Treasury solicitor, meanwhile, was dispatched to the clerk of the Commons to ensure no MPs attempted to read extracts in parliament, which would allow newspapers to report them “in plain frustration of the purpose of the injunctions”.
The files show how Thatcher tried, and failed, to dissuade the former prime minister Jim Callaghan from calling for an inquiry, which she was determined to resist. Meanwhile, her famously blunt press secretary, Bernard Ingham, predicted any inquiry would be “doomed before it begins to eventual dismissal as a whitewash”.
He wrote: “I consider a far more effective remedy would be for the security services (who have, after all, largely got themselves into this mess) publicly to shut up and secretly to grit their teeth, pull themselves together and get on with it.”
The book was cleared for sale in the UK in 1988 after the law lords – who carried out the judicial work of the House of Lords – acknowledged it contained no secrets. Wright was barred from receiving royalties from UK sales – the one victory the government could claim. He died, aged 78 and a millionaire, in 1995.
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Thousands of British people in receipt of regular benefits payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) face seeing their entitlement cut from April 2024 despite the 6.7 per cent raise announced in the chancellor’s recent Autumn Statement, a charity has warned.
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has cautioned that Jeremy Hunt’s decision not to raise the benefit cap – the total amount people of working age in need can claim – in tandem with payments, as he did in his 2022 statement, will mean that the increase he did announce will actually serve to push more people beyond the cap’s threshold.
“Increasing benefit rates and support with rent costs will make a difference to many families continuing to struggle with rising prices, who approach this winter terrified about how they will get by. But, sadly, these changes will provide absolutely no help to the over 85,000 households affected by the benefit cap, who will receive not one penny more,” CPAG said in a statement.
“The benefit cap severs the link between need and entitlement in our social security system: a household will have their total need for support assessed, and if this comes out above the level of the cap (currently £22,020 per year for families with children, or £25,323 for families in London) they will simply receive less than they need.
“There are wide variations in the amounts that households are capped, but the average is £53 a week, a loss keenly felt by those already struggling to survive below the poverty line.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the cap.
What is the benefit cap and how much is it?
The cap is determined according to an applicant’s circumstances, taking into account their location, whether or not they have children and whether they are applying as a single person or as part of a couple.
The cap is set at the following rates if you live outside of London:
£423.46 per week or £1,835 per month if you’re a couple
£423.46 per week or £1,835 per month if you’re a single parent and your children live with you
£283.71 per week or £1,229.42 per month if you’re a single adult
If you live within greater London, the cap is set at the following rates:
£486.98 per week or £2,110.25 per month if you’re a couple
£486.98 per week or £2,110.25 per month if you’re a single parent and your children live with you
£326.26 per week or £1,413.92 per month if you’re a single adult
Who does it apply to?
The cap typically applies to people aged between 16 and state pension age and in receipt of any of the following payments:
Universal Credit
Bereavement Allowance
Child Benefit
Child Tax Credit
Employment and Support Allowance
Housing Benefit
Incapacity Benefit
Income Support
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Maternity Allowance
Severe Disablement Allowance
Widowed Parent’s Allowance (or Widowed Mother’s Allowance or Widow’s Pension if you started getting it before 9 April 2001)
Who is exempt?
Anyone above state pension age is not affected by the cap and it will not affect anyone below that marker if they or their partner:
Receive Working Tax Credit
Receive Universal Credit because of a disability or health condition that stops you from working
Receive Universal Credit because they care for someone with a disability
Receive Universal Credit and they and their partner earn £722 or more a month combined, after tax and National Insurance contributions
People are also exempted from the cap if they, their partner or any children under 18 living with them receives:
Adult Disability Payment
Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
Armed Forces Independence Payment
Attendance Allowance
Carer’s Allowance
Child Disability Payment
Disability Living Allowance
Employment and Support Allowance (if they receive the support component)
Guardian’s Allowance
Industrial Injuries Benefits (and equivalent payments as part of a War Disablement Pension or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme)
Personal Independence Payment
War pensions
War Widow’s or War Widower’s Pension
If you are affected by the cap, it is worth bearing in mind that it might not start to apply for nine months, depending on your earnings, thanks to a “grace period” allowed for.
Around a hundred homes have been damaged after a "localised tornado" tore through the Tameside area of Greater Manchester.
Police declared a major incident at about 23:45 GMT on Wednesday "due to the severity of the damage caused and potential risk to public safety".
The Millbrook and Carrbrook areas of Stalybridge were the worst affected by Storm Gerrit.
Roofs were torn off houses, trees were blown down and walls collapsed.
The force said there had been no reported injuries.
Elsewhere in the UK Storm Gerrit has brought flooding and disrupted travel, with Scotland being the worst affected area.
The north-west of England, the southern coast, Wales, and Northern Ireland were also covered by Met Office yellow weather warnings on Wednesday, with heavy rain and wind battering those areas.
Tameside Correspondent
Fire and Ambulance crews and officials from Electricity North West and the council were also called to multiple sites across Tameside and a rest centre has been set up at Dukinfield Town Hall.
Greater Manchester Police said the damage had been caused "due to a localised tornado".
Ch Supt Mark Dexter said: "This incident has undoubtedly affected numerous people in the Stalybridge area with many residents displaced from their properties during the night.
"Our highest priority is keeping people safe which is why we are advising those who have been displaced not to return or enter their properties which have significant damage until they have been assessed by structural engineers."
Tameside Correspondent
He added: "I would also like to urge members of the public to avoid the area where possible and take extra care when travelling in vehicles on the roads in Stalybridge and the surrounding areas, due to debris in the road.
"This has understandably caused some disruption and, though we are not yet in a position to confirm when the area will return to normal, further updates will be communicated when we have them."
Tameside Correspondent
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Storm Gerrit was named by the Met Office on Tuesday and was forecast to bring heavy rain to many parts of the UK on Wednesday, with wintry hazards also likely, especially across northern Scotland.
Warnings for snow, wind and rain are in place across the UK
( Met Office)
People planning to travel back home after the Christmas holidays have been urged to take care on the roads.
Simon Partridge, a Met Office meteorologist, said wet and windy weather will cover “pretty much the whole of the UK”, with significant snowfall in parts of Scotland.
A yellow rain and snow warning is in place from 6am to 9pm across much of Scotland on Wednesday.
“There are wind warnings out for the south of England, across the English Channel coast,” Mr Partridge added.
“But we also have wind warnings in force for parts of western Wales, North West England, Northern Ireland, northern Scotland and the Northern Isles.”
He said only the central section of the UK does not have a wind warning.
‘Significant’ amount of snow forecast in Scotland
( Met Office)
Northern Ireland is covered by a wind and rain warning
( Met Office)
Wind warning areas can expect gusts of 50-60mph, with up to 70mph on high ground and exposed coasts.
“In terms of rain, we have rain warnings out for the whole of Northern Ireland, western Wales, North West England, and then there’s a combined sort of rain and snow warning for Scotland,” Mr Partridge said.
Rain in the warning areas is forecast to be between 40-60mm, with the potential for 70-90mm in the western hills of Wales and the western side of the Pennines.
Anywhere above 200 metres in Scotland and the Northern Isles is likely to see some snow, he added.
The storm is also forecast to hit Ireland, where an orange warning for rain has been issued on the southwest coast.
The warning covering Kerry and west Cork comes into effect at 8pm on Tuesday and will be in place throughout Wednesday, lifting at midnight.
Met Eireann said very heavy rain is expected overnight on Tuesday with intense heavy showers on Wednesday.
A large cordon is in place in Liverpool city centre and a number of roads are cordoned off. Superintendent Helen Bennett said: "Urgent CCTV, witness and forensic enquiries are being carried out in the city centre and as such a large area has been cordoned off.
"It appears that a large disturbance took place on Victoria Street in which three people have been injured. We know that there were people in the city centre who may have witnessed the disturbance or possibly come to the assistance of the injured males and we would ask those people to come forward and speak to officers as soon as possible.
"Incidents such as are unacceptable and we will do everything within our powers to find the people responsible and bring them to justice. Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or contact Crimestoppers UK anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting log 156 of 27th December."
Storm Gerrit was named by the Met Office on Tuesday and was forecast to bring heavy rain to many parts of the UK on Wednesday, with wintry hazards also likely, especially across northern Scotland.
Warnings for snow, wind and rain are in place across the UK
( Met Office)
People planning to travel back home after the Christmas holidays have been urged to take care on the roads.
Simon Partridge, a Met Office meteorologist, said wet and windy weather will cover “pretty much the whole of the UK”, with significant snowfall in parts of Scotland.
A yellow rain and snow warning is in place from 6am to 9pm across much of Scotland on Wednesday.
“There are wind warnings out for the south of England, across the English Channel coast,” Mr Partridge added.
“But we also have wind warnings in force for parts of western Wales, North West England, Northern Ireland, northern Scotland and the Northern Isles.”
He said only the central section of the UK does not have a wind warning.
‘Significant’ amount of snow forecast in Scotland
( Met Office)
Northern Ireland is covered by a wind and rain warning
( Met Office)
Wind warning areas can expect gusts of 50-60mph, with up to 70mph on high ground and exposed coasts.
“In terms of rain, we have rain warnings out for the whole of Northern Ireland, western Wales, North West England, and then there’s a combined sort of rain and snow warning for Scotland,” Mr Partridge said.
Rain in the warning areas is forecast to be between 40-60mm, with the potential for 70-90mm in the western hills of Wales and the western side of the Pennines.
Anywhere above 200 metres in Scotland and the Northern Isles is likely to see some snow, he added.
The storm is also forecast to hit Ireland, where an orange warning for rain has been issued on the southwest coast.
The warning covering Kerry and west Cork comes into effect at 8pm on Tuesday and will be in place throughout Wednesday, lifting at midnight.
Met Eireann said very heavy rain is expected overnight on Tuesday with intense heavy showers on Wednesday.
