Labour MP Dawn Butler says racism led to police car stop - BBC News

A Labour MP has accused police of racially profiling her after she was stopped while travelling in a car in east London.

Former shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler tweeted she had been pulled over in Hackney and had recorded the stop.

The MP for Brent Central said police had to "stop associating being black and driving a nice car with crime".

The Met said the stop was a mistake caused by an officer incorrectly entering the car's registration number.

She told the Press Association: "It's obviously racial profiling.

"We know that the police is institutionally racist and what we have to do is weed that out. We have to stop seeing black with crime. We have to stop associating being black and driving a nice car with crime."

The BMW was being driven by a male friend, who is also black, and it was pulled over by two police cars, Ms Butler said.

She said officers said the car was registered in North Yorkshire and took the car keys while checking the registration.

They then admitted there had been a mistake, that it was registered to the driver, and apologised, she said.

'Ridiculous reason to stop'

Her footage of the stop, which happened at about 12:00 BST on Sunday, showed an officer saying police were carrying out searches because of "gang and knife crime".

She is heard in the video telling the officers: "It is really quite irritating. It's like you cannot drive around and enjoy a Sunday afternoon whilst black, because you're going to be stopped by police."

She goes on to say: "If you are driving outside the area, I think that's a ridiculous reason to stop.

"If you are profiling people who are driving in a certain type of car, that's an inappropriate reason to stop, and if you are profiling people because of the colour of their skin, that's an inappropriate reason to stop."

One of the officers in the video tells her: "I appreciate everything you say and I do apologise for wasting your time."

Ch Supt Roy Smith tweeted earlier to say he had spoken to the MP who had "given me a very balanced account of the incident".

The Met Police officer added the force "are listening" to concerns she had about the police stop and the officers involved, and she was "quite entitled to raise them".

In a statement the police force said: "Prior to stopping the vehicle, an officer incorrectly entered the registration into a police computer which identified the car as registered to an address in Yorkshire.

"Upon stopping the vehicle and speaking with the driver, it quickly became apparent that the registration had been entered incorrectly and was registered to the driver in London.

"Once the mistake was realised the officer sought to explain this to the occupants; they were then allowed on their way.

"No searches were carried out on any individuals."

The force said "one of the occupants" had been contacted by a senior officer and they had discussed "subsequent interaction as well as feedback regarding the stop".

It added: "We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further with the occupants if they wish to do so."

The statement did not explain why the registration was entered in the first place.

In the video, one officer can be heard saying the initial search returned a car of the same make, model and colour but registered to North Yorkshire.

Ms Butler questioned the officer, asking for the police to share the registration they initially searched for.

'So unsurprising'

"It's exhausting doing things whilst black," she told PA.

"Because you're just doing every day things and you have to explain yourself away or justify the reason why you're driving through Hackney. It's exhausting and I'm tired of it."

This week Ms Butler was named by Vogue magazine as one of the 25 most influential women for her support of Black Lives Matter protests.

She has previously described how her backing of the anti-racism movement had led to threats on her office and staff, and last month had to shut her headquarters for safety reasons.

Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott tweeted that Ms Butler's experience on Sunday was "so unsurprising".

Last month the Met apologised to GB sprinter Bianca Williams and her partner Ricardo dos Santos who were pulled from their car and handcuffed in front of their three-month-old son.

Nothing was found in the search and the Met referred itself to the police watchdog.

On Saturday, Ms Butler wrote in her Metro column that Met Commissioner Cressida Dick appeared "incapable" of tackling institutional racism in the police and called for her resignation.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating whether officers in England and Wales racially discriminate against ethnic minority people.

The latest official statistics for stop and search showed a disparity rate of 4.3 for all black, Asian and minority ethnic people and 9.7 for black people.

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2020-08-09 17:58:44Z
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Coronavirus: Moral duty to get all children back in school - Boris Johnson - BBC News

There is a "moral duty" to get all children back into schools in England next month, Boris Johnson has said.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said it was the "national priority" after months without in-person education during the coronavirus pandemic.

Government advisers have warned of risks in the plans to open up society.

Geoff Barton, head of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) union, said schools should have been a priority "right from the beginning".

The prime minister is understood to have made clear that schools should be the last sector to shut in any future local lockdowns.

A Downing Street source said Mr Johnson believes the harm being done to children's education prospects and mental health by not attending school is far more damaging than the risk posed to them by the virus.

The source said in the event of future stricter local lockdowns, the PM's expectation was that schools would be the last sector to be closed, after businesses like shops and pubs.

Schools across the UK closed on 20 March, except to children of key workers or vulnerable children. On 1 June, they began a limited reopening for early years pupils, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.

The current plan is for most children across the country to be back in class by next month.

Guidance on reopening has been published for England. There are also separate plans for Wales, Northern Ireland and also Scotland, where schools are scheduled to return from Tuesday.

In his article, Mr Johnson said: "This pandemic isn't over, and the last thing any of us can afford to do is become complacent.

"But now that we know enough to reopen schools to all pupils safely, we have a moral duty to do so."

The PM also warned of the "spiralling economic costs" of parents and carers being unable to work.

He added: "Keeping our schools closed a moment longer than absolutely necessary is socially intolerable, economically unsustainable and morally indefensible."

Shadow education secretary Kate Green told Times Radio it was "essential" that schools reopen next month, but would not say whether schools were safe yet.

The Labour MP said the government could be doing more to support teachers, such as providing extra resources for staggered start times and additional cleaning.

Analysis

By Matthew Cole, BBC political reporter

All children were meant to be back in England's classrooms before the summer holidays - but that plan failed.

Now the prime minister is making it clear he is committed to things being different in September.

He is putting considerable political weight behind the plan to keep schools open - making it very much a test of his government.

Labour is questioning the safety measures for reopening, and voices within the party say the current test and trace system will need significant improvement to ensure pubs do not have to close to keep classrooms open.

But that aside there is a broad consensus across the political spectrum that closing all other things before schools is the right idea.

The ASCL union has urged greater clarity - rather than rhetoric - from the government on its schools policy, citing confusion over advice on the wearing of face coverings by pupils.

Its head, Mr Barton, told the BBC: "It is a little bit rich I think to be hearing a prime minister say this is a priority. It should have been a priority right from the beginning."

Meanwhile, the children's commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, told BBC Breakfast schools "should be the last to close their doors and the first to open".

She added that she would like to see regular testing in schools.

However, schools minister Nick Gibb told Times Radio he does not support routine testing for teachers and pupils who do not have symptoms.

'Enthusiasm waning'

The PM's comments have been welcomed by some parents whose children have been out of the classroom for several months.

Claire, from Bristol, said her two children - one in Year 8 and another in Year 10 - were keen to return to school in September.

"I am so proud of the way that both my children coped with home school, they were up at 08:00 BST every day and completed almost everything that was set, however towards the end their enthusiasm was waning and they are looking forward to returning," she told the BBC.

"They need that teacher and pupil interaction to keep them motivated."

But concerns remain about schools returning among other parents.

Dr L Kohli, from Warwickshire, has a 15-year-old son with a heart condition, who has been shielding since February. She will not be sending him and her eight-year-old child back to school, and has instead arranged online learning.

"It is my role as a parent to mitigate risks. That includes the risk mitigation of this government and the abysmal Covid-19 response placed on my family," Dr Kohli told the BBC.

The schools minister said this week that the government could not "decree" that classroom education would be prioritised, as decisions would be made by local health chiefs.

However, Mr Gibb told the BBC all children in England would be returning to school next month, including in those areas currently affected by local lockdowns, amid a spike in cases.

A rise in cases in a number of areas across England prompted the prime minister to pause the easing of the lockdown nationally last month.

• What can't I do in the local lockdowns?

Speaking at the time, Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, warned the nation had "probably reached near the limit or the limits" of what can be done to reopen society safely.

"What that means, potentially, is if we wish to do more things in the future we may have to do less of some other things," he said.

Prof Neil Ferguson, a former member of the government's scientific advisory group, Sage, whose modelling led to the decision to impose the lockdown, also suggested ministers would need to "row back on the relaxation of restrictions" to allow a full-time return to schools and keep the virus under control.

On Sunday, the UK reported a further 8 people had died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total to 46,574. A further 1,062 people tested positive for Covid-19.

• CARE HOMES: The forgotten frontline?
• FORT SALEM: Fancy some escapism? Binge-watch the new series

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Are you a parent of a child due to return to school in the autumn? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist.

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2020-08-09 15:22:30Z
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Coronavirus: Boris Johnson told teachers and students must get weekly COVID-19 tests for safe return of schools - Sky News

Boris Johnson has been urged to boost the government's coronavirus test and trace scheme in order to safely reopen schools next month, with calls for teachers and students to be tested as often as once a week.

The prime minister has declared it is a "national priority" to get all children back into the classroom from the start of the new academic year in September.

But with scientific advisers having warned that "trade-offs" may be needed, impacting businesses or social lives, concerns remain about whether sufficient coronavirus safeguarding measures are in place.

Allana Gay, headteacher at the Vita Et Pax Prep School in north London, told Sky News "the most important role of a teacher is safeguarding".

She said keeping staff, students and their families safe was vital - and the government should "get things like track and trace working really well".

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Children's commissioner for England Anne Longfield echoed the message, calling for pupils and teachers to be able to get tested as often as every week - even if they do not have COVID-19 symptoms.

Longfield: Children desperately need to be back in school

In a newspaper article published on Sunday, Mr Johnson wrote "social justice demands" that classrooms are full again and that education is crucial for children's welfare and future - especially the most disadvantaged.

More from Boris Johnson

He warned of the "spiralling economic costs" of parents and carers being unable to work, and added: "Keeping our schools closed a moment longer than absolutely necessary is socially intolerable, economically unsustainable and morally indefensible."

It is understood Mr Johnson favours only closing schools as part of any future local lockdowns as a last resort.

Image: Ms Gay said test and trace should be working 'really well'

Ms Longfield said testing for teachers and pupils needed to be a priority ahead of schools reopening.

"I think it needs to be as regular as it needs to be, to ensure that the infection is caught and identified as quickly as possible and then the tracking system can move on from that," she told Times Radio.

Labour's shadow education secretary Kate Green also told the broadcaster: "I do think the government could be doing more to support them [teachers] - particularly, for example, making sure we've got a really robust test and trace system in place.

"It's really, really important that we don't write off a generation of COVID children - they need to be back in class the whole of our futures depend on this."

But schools minister Nick Gibb said this week that the government could not "decree" that classroom education would be prioritised, instead saying decisions would be made by local health chiefs.

Shadow health secretary: School reopening should be 'national priority'

However, a Number 10 source said on Saturday that Mr Johnson's expectation is that schools would be the last sector to close, with businesses being shut first in the event of severe local lockdowns.

"The PM has been clear that businesses including shops, pubs and restaurants should be forced to close first, with schools remaining open for as long as possible," the source said.

Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, warned last week that the nation has "probably reached near the limit or the limits" of what can be done to reopen society safely.

And Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the decision to impose the lockdown, suggested ministers would need to "row back on the relaxation of restrictions" to allow a full-time return to schools while keeping the virus under control.

Jeremy Farrar - director of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the government's advisery group SAGE - also wrote in The Observer: "As we head into autumn we will be forced to make tough choices in order to keep transmission down while restarting the economy, increasing employment and protecting public health.

"There are no easy answers, but one thing is clear: Reopening schools must be the priority."

Govt approach to schools is 'Corporal Jones-like'

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Regarding getting all pupils back, Mr Johnson writes in the Mail on Sunday: "This pandemic isn't over, and the last thing any of us can afford to do is become complacent. But now that we know enough to reopen schools to all pupils safely, we have a moral duty to do so."

He says the "costs of school closure have fallen disproportionately on the most disadvantaged, the very children who need school the most", and time out of class leads to lower academic attainment on average, affecting "future life chances".

There is a concern, he writes, that "some will tumble out of education, employment or training altogether, never to return".

'School attendance mandatory from September'

He also says the "less children are in school, the worse it is for their health".

Citing Sport England, the PM says a third of children have done less physical activity in lockdown, "with many suffering from poorer mental health".

While Mr Johnson warns about complacency, he also points out that scientists have "learned more about how the virus spreads and how we can control it".

He says scientists from the government's advisory group SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) have advised that the risk of children becoming severely ill with COVID-19 is low.

He adds that the government has "worked closely with teaching unions and school leaders on measures to ensure our schools are COVID-secure".

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2020-08-09 14:48:45Z
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Woman dies after jet ski and boat collide in North Wales - Sky News

A woman has died after a collision between a jet ski and a boat in North Wales.

Emergency services were called to the scene in the area of Menai Bridge, Anglesey, at about 7.30pm on Saturday.

The woman was taken to hospital, where she later died.

North Wales Police said: "Officers received a call from the Welsh Ambulance NHS Trust at 19.29hrs yesterday.

"One female casualty was transferred to hospital following the incident but has sadly since passed away."

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No further details about the victim were given.

Witnesses to the incident should contact North Wales Police on 101, quoting reference number Y114906

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2020-08-09 13:49:05Z
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BBC apologises over racial slur used in news report - BBC News

BBC director general Tony Hall has apologised and said a mistake was made after a news report containing a racial slur was broadcast last month.

The N-word was used in full in a report about a racially aggravated attack in Bristol, broadcast by Points West and the BBC News Channel on 29 July.

The BBC initially defended the use of the slur after more than 18,600 complaints were made.

Lord Hall said he now accepts the BBC should have taken a different approach.

On Saturday, BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ Sideman - real name David Whitely - quit the station over the BBC's use of the N-word.

He said "the action and the defence of the action feels like a slap in the face of our community".

His actions were backed by a number of politicians and BBC staff, who offered support to the DJ.

In an email, sent to all BBC staff, Lord Hall said: "I recognise that we have ended up creating distress amongst many people."

His statement followed high-level discussions with BBC colleagues on Sunday morning.

'Strengthening guidance'

The Points West story described an attack on a 21-year-old NHS worker and musician known as K or K-Dogg, who was hit by a car on 22 July while walking to a bus stop from his workplace, Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

In his message, Lord Hall emphasised it was "the BBC's intention was to highlight an alleged racist attack".

"This is important journalism which the BBC should be reporting on and we will continue to do so," he said. "Yet despite these good intentions, I recognise that we have ended up creating distress amongst many people.

"The BBC now accepts that we should have taken a different approach at the time of broadcast and we are very sorry for that. We will now be strengthening our guidance on offensive language across our output.

"Every organisation should be able to acknowledge when it has made a mistake. We made one here."

K-Dogg suffered serious injuries including a broken leg, nose and cheekbone in the attack.

Police said the incident is being treated as racially aggravated due to the racist language used by the occupants of the car.

In its initial defence, the BBC said that the organisation felt it needed "to explain, and report, not just the injuries but, given their alleged extreme nature, the words alleged to have been used".

It said at the time that the decision, which was supported by K-Dogg's family, had not been taken lightly and that the BBC understood people would be upset.

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2020-08-09 14:42:26Z
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'This simply cannot go on': UK-France row intensifies as Channel migrant crossings top 4,000 - Sky News

A political row between the UK and France over migrant crossings in the Channel has intensified, with Britain's immigration minister saying the "unacceptable" increase in numbers "simply cannot go on".

Chris Philp is due to meet his French counterpart in Paris on Tuesday to discuss stronger measures, including "interceptions and returns".

It comes as 151 migrants reached the UK on Saturday - taking the total since 1 January to 4,100.

While southeast England basked in roasting sunshine on Sunday, a dozen people arrived in Dover after making the dangerous crossing.

Migrants met by Border Force in Kent

Mr Philp said the UK government wants to make the route across the Channel "completely unviable" so migrants "have no incentive to come to northern France or attempt the crossing in the first place".

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"We intend to return as many migrants who have arrived as possible," he added.

"There are returns flights planned in the coming days. And we will also continue to go after the heinous criminals and organised crime networks putting people's lives at risk."

More from Migrant Crisis

The government has asked the Navy for help and a former Royal Marine has been appointed "clandestine Channel threat commander" to try and cut down the numbers.

Image: Home Secretary Priti Patel

Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed last year that the crossings would have become an "infrequent phenomenon" by now.

She has since called the figures "appalling" and levelled blame at her counterparts on the continent as she revealed the UK and French governments were locked in a row over the interpretation of maritime law.

The Sunday Telegraph reported France wants £30m to cover the costs of increased policing to stop the migrants crossing into English waters.

It also claims ministers are looking into chartering spy planes and drones.

Migrants beach landing 'was a mad show'

Bridget Chapman, spokeswoman for the Kent Refugee Action Network, said the government's handling of the situation is "increasingly chaotic".

"Nothing they have done so far has worked," she said.

"They have spent millions of pounds of taxpayers' money fortifying the port at Calais, have increased patrols in the Channel, and are now escalating a failing strategy by calling in the military to deal with a humanitarian situation.

"Priti Patel has said that she wants to make the Channel 'unviable' for people attempting to cross. But what is unviable is her approach."

British family find migrants in their car roof box

A government source told Sky News earlier this weekend that a "passive blockade" in the Channel was being considered.

Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover, is calling for migrants to be returned to France irrespective of whether they are picked up in British or French waters.

'France is a safe country for asylum'

Recent calm conditions on the sea have prompted a huge surge in people trying to make the journey.

Kent County Council has said that 400 migrant children have been taken into its care this year, including 60 in the first week of August and 23 on Friday alone.

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2020-08-09 13:18:45Z
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Coronavirus UK: Boris Johnson says he would close shops and pubs ahead of schools - Evening Standard

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1. Coronavirus UK: Boris Johnson says he would close shops and pubs ahead of schools  Evening Standard
2. Coronavirus: Moral duty to get all children back in school - Boris Johnson  BBC News
3. Boris Johnson to bring family on 'two-week Scotland summer staycation'  Daily Record
4. In the next lockdown, schools should close last  Financial Times
5. Boris Johnson: Moral duty to get all children back in school - Top stories this morning - BBC  BBC
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2020-08-09 12:24:30Z
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