Jumat, 09 April 2021

COVID-19: People can now think about booking foreign holidays, says transport secretary - Sky News

People can "start to think" about booking foreign summer holidays, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has told Sky News.

The cabinet minister issued the change in advice, as the government unveiled plans for a traffic light system to allow overseas leisure trips to resume.

It comes just days after Downing Street published an official document that urged people "not to book summer holidays abroad until the picture is clearer".

Live COVID updates from across the UK and around the world

However, the government has refused to confirm whether foreign holidays will be permitted from 17 May - and where Britons will be able to travel without self-isolating on their return.

Mr Shapps also insisted the government is trying to make foreign travel as affordable as possible amid criticism that a coronavirus testing requirement will drive up holiday costs.

The traffic light "framework" includes making all UK arrivals take pre-departure and post-arrival COVID-19 tests.

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Post-arrival tests must be the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) type which cost about £120, he said.

This has led to a backlash from the travel industry which has warned foreign holidays this year would be "just something for the wealthy".

The sector wants travellers returning from low-risk countries to be allowed to take lateral flow tests, which are cheaper and quicker.

Asked on Sky News if people could start to book foreign holidays now, Mr Shapps said: "I'm not telling people that they shouldn't book summer holidays now, it's the first time that I've been able to say that for many months."

He added: "For the first time people can start to think about visiting loved ones abroad or perhaps a summer holiday but we are doing it very, very cautiously as we don't want to see any return of coronavirus in this country."

Mr Shapps said he was looking to "make it as affordable as possible to travel" and "drive down the costs" of tests.

He said: "Costs are definitely a concern. It is one of the factors this year. We have to accept we are still going through a global pandemic.

"We do have to be cautious and I am afraid that does involve having to have some tests and the like.

"But, I am undertaking today to drive down the costs of those tests and looking at some innovative things we could do.

"For example, whether we can help provide the lateral flow tests people need to take before they depart the country they are in to return to the UK and also drive down the costs of the tests when they get home if it is in the green category.

"We are trying to make it as practical as possible."

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COVID cost to global tourism was '$4.5trn' in 2020

Mr Shapps said: "I am not telling people that they shouldn't book summer holidays now. That's the first time I have been able to say that for many months.

"But I think everybody doing it understands there are risks with coronavirus and I think people would want to be clear about which countries are going to be in the different traffic light system.

"There's only two or three weeks to wait before we publish that list itself.

"For the first time people can start to think about visiting loved ones abroad or perhaps a summer holiday but we are doing it very, very cautiously as we don't want to see any return of coronavirus in this country."

Under the traffic light system, assessments will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country's population which has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and the country's access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

Restrictions will be "formally reviewed" on 28 June to take account of "the domestic and international health picture and to see whether current measures could be rolled back", the department added.

Further reviews will take place no later than 31 July and 1 October.

Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of Airlines UK, said the framework "does not represent a reopening of travel as promised by ministers".

He added: "The insistence on expensive and unnecessary PCR testing rather than rapid testing - even for low-risk countries - will pose an unsustainable burden on passengers, making travel unviable and unaffordable for many people."

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said the plan was "a blow to all travellers" and risked "making flying only for the wealthy".

He added: "As the rest of British society and the economy opens up, it makes no sense to treat travel, particularly to low-risk countries, differently."

Mark Tanzer, boss of travel trade organisation Abta, said permitting the use of lateral flow tests would "make international travel more accessible and affordable whilst still providing an effective mitigation against reimportation of the virus".

It has also been revealed the Civil Aviation Authority will be given additional enforcement powers to act on airlines that breach consumer rights, after many passengers struggled to obtain refunds when flights were grounded.

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2021-04-09 08:37:30Z
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COVID-19: Government trying to make holidays 'as affordable as possible' amid test cost fears - Sky News

Grant Shapps has insisted the government is trying to make foreign travel as affordable as possible amid criticism that a testing requirement will drive up holiday costs.

The transport secretary also told Sky News that people could now think about booking a break abroad in a change from previous advice as the government unveiled plans for a traffic light system to categorise countries based on risk.

However, the requirement for travellers to be tested on departure and arrival has sparked industry warnings that foreign holidays this year would be "just something for the wealthy".

Live COVID updates from across the UK and around the world

In unveiling the system, the government has also refused to confirm whether foreign holidays will be permitted from 17 May - and where Britons will be able to travel without self-isolating on their return.

Mr Shapps said: "In the green category, we will try to make it as affordable as possible to travel but taking an abundance of caution as we go because we don't want to thro away all the good work of these lockdowns and people coming forward for vaccines by picking up variants of concern or anything else.

"It's a cautious move but at least it provides that framework for people."

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He added: "Costs are definitely a concern. It is one of the factors this year. We have to accept we are still going through a global pandemic.

"We do have to be cautious and I am afraid that does involve having to have some tests and the like.

"But, I am undertaking today to drive down the costs of those tests and looking at some innovative things we could do.

"For example, whether we can help provide the lateral flow tests people need to take before they depart the country they are in to return to the UK and also drive down the costs of the tests when they get home if it is in the green category.

"We are trying to make it as practical as possible."

A report by the Global Travel Taskforce suggests international travel could resume from 17 May "in an accessible and affordable way" - and passengers would no longer need to prove they have a valid reason to leave the UK.

But firmer details of what will be allowed under the new measures - and when - may only emerge in a few weeks.

Mr Shapps said: "I am not telling people that they shouldn't book summer holidays now. That's the first time I have been able to say that for many months.

"But I think everybody doing it understands there are risks with coronavirus and I think people would want to be clear about which countries are going to be in the different traffic light system.

"There's only two or three weeks to wait before we publish that list itself.

"For the first time people can start to think about visiting loved ones abroad or perhaps a summer holiday but we are doing it very, very cautiously as we don't want to see any return of coronavirus in this country."

Under the traffic light system, assessments will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country's population which has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and the country's access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

COVID cost to global tourism was '$4.5trn' in 2020

Restrictions will be "formally reviewed" on 28 June to take account of "the domestic and international health picture and to see whether current measures could be rolled back", the department added.

Further reviews will take place no later than 31 July and 1 October.

Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of Airlines UK, said the framework "does not represent a reopening of travel as promised by ministers".

He added: "The insistence on expensive and unnecessary PCR testing rather than rapid testing - even for low-risk countries - will pose an unsustainable burden on passengers, making travel unviable and unaffordable for many people."

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said the plan was "a blow to all travellers" and risked "making flying only for the wealthy".

He added: "As the rest of British society and the economy opens up, it makes no sense to treat travel, particularly to low-risk countries, differently."

Mark Tanzer, boss of travel trade organisation Abta, said permitting the use of lateral flow tests would "make international travel more accessible and affordable whilst still providing an effective mitigation against reimportation of the virus".

It has also been revealed the Civil Aviation Authority will be given additional enforcement powers to act on airlines that breach consumer rights, after many passengers struggled to obtain refunds when flights were grounded.

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2021-04-09 08:15:00Z
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Moment armed police arrest murder suspect, 34, in swoop 100 miles from £2m Dorset mansion - Daily Mail

Dramatic moment armed police arrested murder suspect, 34, in west London - 100 miles from £2m Dorset mansion where multi-millionaire Sir Richard Sutton, 83, was stabbed to death three hours earlier - while his wife remains 'critical'

  • Suspect arrested on Wednesday night three hours after Sir Richard Lexington Sutton, 83, died at mansion 
  • Man, 34, stopped by police in Chiswick in West London, 100 miles away from scene of killing in Gillingham
  • The suspect - known to Sir Richard - suffered five 'self-inflicted' stab wounds and was taken to hospital
  • Second victim, named locally as Sir Richard's wife, Anne Schreiber, 65, today remains in 'critical' condition
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This is the dramatic moment armed police swooped on a Range Rover driver and arrested him on suspicion of murdering one of Britain's richest men who was stabbed to death in his country mansion - as his wife continues to fight for her life.   

Three hours after hotelier Sir Richard Sutton, 83, was killed inside his £2million home in north Dorset on Wednesday night, police performed a 'hard stop' on the 34-year-old man 100 miles away in West London after tracking him across five counties. 

Pictures from the scene show the 4x4 had been boxed in by police in Chiswick, London, before the driver - who was known to Sir Richard - was carried away in a stretcher after he was found to have received 'a number of serious self-inflicted injuries'.

The man suffered five stab wounds, according to an eyewitness. He received medical treatment for more than an hour, initially by police with a defibrillator before paramedics took over. The suspect was eventually put on a stretcher with an oxygen mask and taken to hospital in an ambulance. 

Sir Richard's second wife, named locally as Anne Schreiber, 65, today remained in a 'critical' condition in hospital after suffering knife injuries in the attack at their country house, Moorhill. 

The multi-millionaire - dubbed an 'old English gentry land owner' - recently ranked at number 435 on the Sunday Times Rich List and owned the five-star Sheraton Grand on London's prestigious Park Lane and the luxury Athenaeum in Piccadilly.

He also owned other hotels in Bath, Cheltenham and Windsor, and had farming and property businesses.

Sir Richard , who is divorced from first wife Italian Fiamma Sutton, has two children, son, David, 61, and daughter, Caroline, 55, as well as five grandchildren. Ms Schreiber is believed to have three children, two daughters and one son.   

Pictures from the scene show the 4x4 had been boxed in by police in Chiswick, London, before the driver - who was known to Sir Richard - was carried away in a stretcher after he was found to have received 'a number of serious self-inflicted injuries'

Pictures from the scene show the 4x4 had been boxed in by police in Chiswick, London, before the driver - who was known to Sir Richard - was carried away in a stretcher after he was found to have received 'a number of serious self-inflicted injuries' 

Police attended an accident involving a Range Rover (pictured) in Chiswick on Wednesday evening. The vehicle is seen with severe damage

Police attended an accident involving a Range Rover (pictured) in Chiswick on Wednesday evening. The vehicle is seen with severe damage

The millionaire landowner, who is divorced from first wife Italian Fiamma Sutton, has two children, son, David, 61, and daughter, Caroline, 55, (pictured) as well as five grandchildren

The millionaire landowner, who is divorced from first wife Italian Fiamma Sutton, has two children, son, David, 61, and daughter, Caroline, 55, (pictured) as well as five grandchildren

A woman, thought to be his second wife, named locally as Anne Schreiber (pictured), is also believed to have suffered knife injuries in the attack at the home, named Moorhill

A woman, thought to be his second wife, named locally as Anne Schreiber (pictured), is also believed to have suffered knife injuries in the attack at the home, named Moorhill

On Wednesday night police arrested a 34-year-old man, known to Sir Richard, on suspicion of murder. Pictured: A map showing how police tracked the suspect from Dorset to London

On Wednesday night police arrested a 34-year-old man, known to Sir Richard, on suspicion of murder. Pictured: A map showing how police tracked the suspect from Dorset to London

The Ranger Rover had been tailed by two marked police 4x4 cars and an unmarked BMW X5 as it travelled along the Chiswick High Road in west London at about 10.45pm on Wednesday night

The Ranger Rover had been tailed by two marked police 4x4 cars and an unmarked BMW X5 as it travelled along the Chiswick High Road in west London at about 10.45pm on Wednesday night

A man was seen being stretchered into an ambulance after the crash in west London on Wednesday night

A man was seen being stretchered into an ambulance after the crash in west London on Wednesday night 

Found: Knife, shoes, jeans and a passport on the ground at the scene of the crash

Found: Knife, shoes, jeans and a passport on the ground at the scene of the crash

Police guard Sir Richard's £2million property yesterday. The landowner, 83, who owns twice as much land as the Ministry of Defence - is estimated to be worth £301million

Police guard Sir Richard's £2million property yesterday. The landowner, 83, who owns twice as much land as the Ministry of Defence - is estimated to be worth £301million

Who is millionaire hotelier Sir Richard Sutton? 

Hotelier Sir Richard Lexington Sutton, 83 - who owns twice as much land as the Ministry of Defence - is estimated to be worth £301million.

He is a baronet, a hereditary honour awarded by the monarch.

It is the lowest-ranking hereditary title, but baronets are able to use the prefix 'sir.

The Sutton Baronetcy of Norwood Park in the County of Nottingham, dates back to October 1772.

It was created by King George III for politician Richard Sutton.

He was the second surviving son of the distinguished diplomat Sir Robert Sutton. 

The latter was the grandson of Henry Sutton, brother of Robert Sutton, 1st Baron Lexinton.  

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the family seat was at Benham Place. However, the house was sold in 1982.

Sir Richard Sutton's estates is still worth several million pounds.

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A police statement said of Wednesday's arrest: 'At approximately 22.30pm on Wednesday, 7 April, police stopped a vehicle in Chiswick High Road. When they approached the vehicle, officers discovered that the lone male occupant had sustained a number of serious self-inflicted injuries.

'First aid was commenced immediately and the London Ambulance Service were called. The male was taken to a west London hospital. His injuries have been assessed as non-life threatening.'  

The Ranger Rover was tailed by two marked police 4x4 cars and an unmarked BMW X5 as it travelled along the Chiswick High Road in west London at about 10.45pm on Wednesday night.

One of the Metropolitan Police 4x4s appeared to have clipped the back of the Range Rover as the X5 pulled in front of it to perform a hard stop.

The Metropolitan Police operation involved armed police, police dog handlers and the force helicopter.

An eyewitness told MailOnline on Wednesday evening: 'I counted about 17 police cars and two ambulances. The whole street was bathed in flashing blue lights.

'There had been two or three large bangs, which drew me to the window. I saw what looked to be a Range Rover that had come to a stop between two police 4x4s and a BMW X5.

'The police swarmed around the Range Rover and the driver was brought out and laid out on the road. He was clearly in some distress, the police crowded around him and began to assess his injuries.

'They cut his clothes off, his shirt and trousers, and then wrapped him in a silver foil wrap as they administered first aid.

'I saw an officer go to the back of the X5 and bring out what looked like a defibrillator. The ambulances showed up a short while later.

'The paramedics took over the medical treatment. The driver of the Range Rover appeared to be conscious as the officers were talking to him and I could see him move slightly.

'After maybe an hour to 90-minutes he was placed on a stretcher with an oxygen mask over his mouth and placed in the back of one of the ambulances.' 

Hotelier Sir Richard Lexington Sutton (pictured), 83, was found stabbed to death inside his £2million home in north Dorset, on Wednesday night

Hotelier Sir Richard Lexington Sutton (pictured), 83, was found stabbed to death inside his £2million home in north Dorset, on Wednesday night

Sir Richard also owned the luxury Athenaeum Hotel and Spa on London's Piccadilly Road

Sir Richard also owned the luxury Athenaeum Hotel and Spa on London's Piccadilly Road 

Sir Richard is the owner of the luxurious five-star Sheraton Grand (pictured) in London's prestigious Park Lane

Sir Richard is the owner of the luxurious five-star Sheraton Grand (pictured) in London's prestigious Park Lane

The witness continued: 'I heard him say 'five stab wounds' which I took to be the injuries of the driver they'd stopped.

'It was a big, big operation. There were armed police everywhere and a dog unit. At least two helicopters hovered overhead.

'The forensics arrived in the early hours and were searching the scene of the stop. They were there until about 4am this morning.'

The crash was captured on camera by resident Maureen Kane, 50, whose flat overlooks the street.

Ms Kane, who works in video marketing, told how up to 40 police officer attended the scene.

She said: 'I just heard a loud screech of cars swerving and then crash sounds. Then I looked out of my window and saw lots of armed police jumping on top of a car and aiming guns at a man and all around his car.

'He was a white male in his 30s and seemed to be injured. It looked pretty bad but I'm not sure if he was injured in a crash or if police shot him.

'He was naked as they ripped his clothes off and pulled him out of the car. I was scared as I thought it was a terrorist and there were so many police officer with guns. About 10 policemen surrounded him until an ambulance arrived. Then I saw another 30 or 40 police cars arrive and lots of people were shouting with guns.'

The ambulance arrived within 30 minutes, Ms Kane said, adding: 'Police were still in the road and had all the roads blocked for hours after this until I went to bed at 2am.

'I've not heard anything about it from my neighbours or anything since.'

Sir Richard was found with fatal stab wounds following the attack at his large detached home near Gillingham, Dorset. He bought the Moorhill country estate, set in the tiny hamlet of Higher Langham, in 2014 for £1.4million.

Sir Richard, who inherited his estate with his baronetcy in 1981, has been described as an 'old English gentry landowner'. 

Alongside his two Park Lane hotels he owned a swathe of property and farms across the country.  

The property is a large detached home in a tiny hamlet, near Gillingham, Dorset. Pictured: Flowers left at the scene yesterday, as police continue their investigation

The property is a large detached home in a tiny hamlet, near Gillingham, Dorset. Pictured: Flowers left at the scene yesterday, as police continue their investigation

A woman, believed to be his wife, also suffered knife injuries in the attack at the home, named Moorhill. Pictured: Police at the scene yesterday

A woman, believed to be his wife, also suffered knife injuries in the attack at the home, named Moorhill. Pictured: Police at the scene yesterday 

A spokesman for the Sir Richard Sutton Limited (SRSL) said: 'We are deeply saddened and devastated by the sudden death of Sir Richard Sutton, announced this morning.

'Sir Richard was a caring, generous and warm family man, who genuinely regarded those who worked for him as part of his extended family. Sir Richard was passionately devoted to both his company and its people, setting the highest and standards for quality in the hotels, farming and property interests within the group.

'His loss will be felt by everyone within the company, those who worked with him, and his family who have lost an incredible individual. Our thoughts are with the Sutton family at this tragic time.' 

Sir Richard's company has donated more than £240,000 to the Conservative Party in the past 20 years.

Yesterday three police vans were seen at the entrance to a long drive which leads to the remote property, while forensics officers were observed inside.

A neighbour said: 'The Suttons live there. They have two grown up children and grandchildren. It is just awful. You would never imagine something like this could happen. They are lovely people.'

A local farmer said: 'I saw a search helicopter with a spotlight overhead on Wednesday night and then an air ambulance landed. The people who live there is an old English gentry landowner and his wife.'

Another neighbour said they were aware of police helicopters flying over the house for a number of hours.

Yesterday three police vans were seen at the entrance to a long drive which leads to the remote property, while forensics officers were observed inside

Yesterday three police vans were seen at the entrance to a long drive which leads to the remote property, while forensics officers were observed inside

Sir Richard Lexington Sutton, 9th Baronet, was head of the Sutton family, which owns land in Dorset, Berkshire, London and Lincolnshire and Aberdeenshire. Pictured: Police had taped of the entrance to the property yesterday

Sir Richard Lexington Sutton, 9th Baronet, was head of the Sutton family, which owns land in Dorset, Berkshire, London and Lincolnshire and Aberdeenshire. Pictured: Police had taped of the entrance to the property yesterday 

Their family has been informed and the Dorset coroner has been notified of the death.

Detective Inspector Simon Huxter, of Dorset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team, said: 'Our thoughts are with the family of the man who sadly died and the injured woman at this extremely difficult time and they are being supported by specially-trained officers.

'We will be carrying out a full investigation to establish exactly what happened at the address in Higher Langham and I would appeal to anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area on the evening of April 7 to please contact us.

'A cordon remains in place at the address and there will continue to be a heavy police presence in the vicinity as we carry out enquiries. 

'Officers can be approached by members of the public with any information or concerns.'

Sir Richard Lexington Sutton, 9th Baronet, was head of the Sutton family, which owns land in Dorset, Berkshire, London and Lincolnshire and Aberdeenshire.

He married wife Fiamma in 1959, but the pair are said to have divorced. It is believe she now lives at a farm in a village near Hungerford, Berks.

His second wife has been named locally as Ms Schreiber. She owns and runs The London Road clinic in Sherborne, Dorset, an exclusive clinic with services such as osteopathy, physiotherapy and counselling. 

Local MP Simon Hoare, who knew Sir Richard Sutton well, paid tribute to the landowner who he said was a 'country gentleman'.

The Conservative MP for North Dorset described the incident as 'deeply awful' and said he received a 'full briefing' on it from police. 

Sir Richard inherited his title and estate from his father in 1981 and was worth an estimated £301m in May 2020, placing him 435th on the Sunday Times' Rich List. Pictured: Police at the scene yesterday

Sir Richard inherited his title and estate from his father in 1981 and was worth an estimated £301m in May 2020, placing him 435th on the Sunday Times' Rich List. Pictured: Police at the scene yesterday 

Officers were yesterday seen searching a wooded area of the estate, near to Gillingham in Dorset

Officers were yesterday seen searching a wooded area of the estate, near to Gillingham in Dorset

Mr Hoare MP, 51, said: 'I knew him, strangely enough I knew him before I was an MP as my company did a lot of work for his estate many years ago.

'He was a charming man, he had a very good sense of humour, he was politically astute and genial.

'If you wanted to conjure up a picture of a country gentleman then that was him.

'It is a huge loss for his family in what is clearly deeply awful circumstances.'

Mr Hoare MP also said: 'This is not the sort of thing you expect to see happening in North Dorset nor the sort of thing we are used to seeing here.

'Based on what I have been told by the police there is cause for shock and sadness but no cause or reason for alarm.'

The politician added that he is hoping medics are able to help save the injured woman in her 60s as 'one murder is shocking but a double murder would be chilling'.

Mr Hoare MP said he would not disclose details about the circumstances of the incident nor the identity of the 34 year old man who has been arrested. 

Richard Gallop, a retired air traffic controller in his 70s, who is involved in the local neighbourhood watch, said: 'Anne is quite chatty while Richard kept himself to himself.' 

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2021-04-09 06:57:20Z
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Lex Greensill cited David Cameron in bungled Australian lobbying - Financial Times

Lex Greensill pressed Australian prime minister Scott Morrison to introduce a lending scheme for government workers in a lobbying effort that included a misdirected WhatsApp message citing David Cameron.

In the October 2019 message, intended for Morrison but sent by mistake to a different number, the financier played on his association with the former British prime minister: “David Cameron, who is on our board and a material shareholder, speaks most highly of you,” Greensill wrote.

In reality, Cameron was a paid adviser rather than a board member and was not a material shareholder, although he is believed to have options that could have entitled him to about 1 per cent of Greensill Capital. At one stage, these were thought to be worth tens of millions of pounds but since Greensill Capital’s collapse last month are now worthless.

Greensill then pitched an idea “we are about to announce with the UK government — where we give all NHS employees the option to get paid every day”, adding: “It is something we think would be a powerful policy in Australia (and one I will carry the cost of as a gift to the nation).”

The financial product — offered through a Greensill subsidiary called Earnd — was later rolled out to frontline NHS workers as the first wave of coronavirus hit the UK in March 2020.

Greensill announced live on Sky News that his company would enable doctors and nurses to cash a part of their pay cheque every day, at no additional cost. Earnd, which had its own advisory board that included former Labour politician David Blunkett, filed for administration last month.

Text of a WhatsApp message sent by Lex Greensill and intended for Scott Morrison

The Australian government was more sceptical than the UK about the merits of Greensill’s schemes in spite of a sustained lobbying effort that included Cameron.

Scrutiny is growing over Cameron’s dealings with Greensill during his time as prime minister and after he joined Greensill Capital in 2018. His work has included privately lobbying the UK government to increase the finance group’s access to pandemic loan schemes and even visiting a little-known insurance firm in Sydney, where an underwriter was later dismissed for allegedly providing too much coverage to Greensill.

Later in October 2019, Greensill met with Morrison. “Mr Greensill was referred to meet with relevant staff in the Prime Minister’s office if he wished to provide a detailed proposal,” said a spokesperson for the prime minister. “The Australian government did not pursue any part of Mr Greensill’s proposal.”

At Davos the following January, Greensill pitched the idea to Australia’s then finance minister Mathias Cormann, at a meeting that included Cameron and former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop — newly hired as an adviser by Greensill. 

Briefing notes prepared for the meeting by government officials show Cormann agreed to meet the Greensill delegation between 5.30pm and 6pm on January 22. His office requested a briefing note from officials, which was later released under freedom of information rules and describes Greensill’s flexible pay scheme as “economically similar to payday lending” and urges the government to take a cautious approach.

“Any consideration of the Scheme for use by Australian Government entities would need to consider legal regulatory and procurement requirements and the benefits, costs and risks to the Government and its employees,” said the briefing note. The late October and January meetings were first reported by The Australian.

A spokesperson for Australia prime minister Scott Morrison said “the Australian government did not pursue any part of Mr Greensill’s proposal” © Darrian Traynor/Getty

Cormann, who was last month appointed secretary-general of the OECD, told the FT the media interest generated by his meeting with Greensill, Bishop and Cameron was “ridiculous” because he never promoted any aspect of Greensill’s proposal and nothing ever came of it. 

“I ran into somebody at the World Economic Forum that was there with Julie Bishop, at a function that I was co-hosting with Julie Bishop,” Cormann told the FT. “You know he had a five to 10 minute conversation with me, and that is the first and the last that I've ever had anything to do with that.”

The misdirected message, seen by the FT, also refers to an event attended by Morrison and Sanjeev Gupta, the British steel magnate whose GFG Alliance group has now defaulted on billions of dollars of debt from Greensill Capital.

It contains familiar themes from Greensill’s patter, including references to his family farm. “I can say as someone who has lived abroad for the past 20 years that Australia is an extraordinary country and will always be home to me,” he wrote, pointing to the jobs created by his family in Queensland.

Greensill’s brother Peter heads a large agricultural operation near Bundaberg, a city in Australia’s farming belt. Greensill Farming Group specialises in producing sugarcane, sweet potatoes and watermelons. 

Greensill made his experience of growing up on this family farm central to his corporate vision of helping small companies get paid faster, through an often repeated origin story about the financial hardships his parents suffered when large corporations delayed payments.

Spokesmen for Greensill and Cameron declined to comment.

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2021-04-09 04:00:35Z
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Kamis, 08 April 2021

Ministers allow international travel from 17 May – but expensive Covid tests will still be required - The Independent

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  1. Ministers allow international travel from 17 May – but expensive Covid tests will still be required  The Independent
  2. Covid plan for England: trips abroad could be permitted from May  The Guardian
  3. Global Travel Taskforce sets out framework to safely reopen international travel  GOV.UK
  4. How would a foreign travel traffic light system work?  Evening Standard
  5. Travellers are set to get free Covid testing kits and more countries will join our 'green list'  Daily Mail
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2021-04-08 23:28:41Z
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Worst violence in Belfast for years as British and Irish leaders call for calm - BBC News - BBC News

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2021-04-08 21:13:42Z
52781489304732

Gillingham stabbing: Sir Richard Sutton named as victim - BBC News

Sir Richard Sutton
FAMILY HANDOUT

One of the UK's richest men has been stabbed to death.

Sir Richard Sutton, 83, was pronounced dead at a his mansion near Gillingham, Dorset, at 21:15 BST on Wednesday. A woman, in her 60s and believed to be his wife, was also stabbed and remains in a critical condition.

The businessman and his family's wealth was valued at £301m in the 2020 Sunday Times Rich List.

A 34-year-old man, from Gillingham, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

He was stopped in a vehicle in the Hammersmith area of London and taken to hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

Dorset Police said the arrested man and the victims were known to each other.

Sir Richard, who was number 435 in last year's Sunday Times Rich List, owned a string of top hotels.

The baronet had an extensive property and farming portfolio, including owning the freehold of the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane and the Athenaeum Hotel in Mayfair.

Gillingham

A statement from the businessman's company, Sir Richard Sutton Limited, said staff were "deeply saddened and devastated by the sudden death".

"Sir Richard was a caring, generous and warm family man, who genuinely regarded those who worked for him as part of his extended family," it said.

It added he was "passionately devoted to both his company and its people, setting the highest standards for quality in the hotel, farming and property interests within the group".

Describing him as an an "incredible individual", the firm said Sir Richard's loss "will be felt by everyone within the company".

A cordon is in place at the property and police have appealed for information.

Gillingham

North Dorset Conservative MP Simon Hoare, who was a friend of Sir Richard, said he had received a briefing from Dorset Police and described the death as "deeply awful".

"I knew him, strangely enough I knew him before I was an MP as my company did a lot of work for his estate many years ago," he said.

"He was a charming man, he had a very good sense of humour, he was politically astute and genial.

"If you wanted to conjure up a picture of a country gentleman then that was him.

"It is a huge loss for his family in what is clearly deeply awful circumstances."

The MP added the incident was rare for his constituency and there was "no cause or reason for alarm" based on the police briefing.

Flowers laid at police cordon

Dorset Police said it received a report at 19:30 on Wednesday raising concerns about the welfare of the occupants of an address in Higher Langham.

Det Insp Simon Huxter, of Dorset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), said the force is appealing for anyone to come forward who saw or heard anything suspicious.

"Our thoughts are with the family of the man who sadly died and the injured woman at this extremely difficult time and they are being supported by specially-trained officers," he said.

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2021-04-08 20:22:54Z
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