Labour conference: I don't slag London off, insists Andy Burnham - BBC News

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Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has denied "slagging off" London when calling for better treatment for his own region from the government.

The Labour politician has frequently demanded increased central funding for northern England, arguing that the capital gets better treatment.

But he told his party's conference: "It's not about pulling London down but saying, 'What about us?'"

Mr Burnham also called for more spending on transport in his region.

His comments came after Labour's London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, told a fringe meeting at the conference in Brighton: "One of the things we have got to do is remind our friends from the North, in our own party, why London-bashing, talking London down, is not a sensible way to have a national recovery.

"The message to those in our party who think it plays well slagging off London is you will not get a national recovery without a London recovery."

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But, asked about Mr Khan's remarks, Mr Burnham said: "I in many ways praise London... It has a public transport system that's brilliant."

He added that Greater Manchester had been particularly badly affected by the pandemic, with the region spending much of the past 18 months under lockdown and other restrictions.

It and other northern city regions, including Sheffield and Liverpool, needed more investment to boost employment and education, Mr Burnham said.

"People are hurting," he added. "They need help and something to lift them."

A report published earlier this month by the Northern Health Science Alliance found that people in northern England had been 17% more likely to die with Covid than those in the rest of the country.

It said they had also spent almost six weeks longer in lockdowns, while unemployment levels were higher.

The government says its "levelling up" project, including more investment in housing, jobs and training, will improve equality across the UK.

It is expected to give more details of its programme in the next few months.

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2021-09-28 10:52:36Z
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'First signs of stabilisation' in fuel supply crisis, says Shapps, urging people to return to 'normal buying habits' - Sky News

The first "very tentative signs of stabilisation" are being seen on petrol forecourts, the transport secretary has said, following days of long queues and closed pumps at some filling stations across the country.

Grant Shapps said the sooner people returned to their normal habits and stopped panic buying petrol and diesel, the sooner the fuel supply crisis would start to ease.

He said queues are likely to continue in the coming days, but fuel levels on forecourts were beginning to increase.

"A lot of petrol is now being transferred into people's cars and there are now the first very tentative signs of stabilisation in the forecourt storage which won't be reflected in the queues as yet, but it's the first time we've seen more petrol in the petrol stations itself," said the cabinet minister.

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Woman fills water bottles with petrol

"I think as the industry said yesterday the sooner we can all return to our normal buying habits, the sooner the situation will return to normal.

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"We all need to play our part and certainly don't do things like bring water bottles to petrol stations, it is dangerous and extremely unhelpful."

Responding to criticism that government action - such as putting the Army on standby to deliver fuel where it is needed the most - has been slow, the cabinet minister said "numerous different measures" had been put in place since April to remedy the supply crisis which has been caused by a shortage of fuel tanker drivers.

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Denying the government had ignored warnings for months about a looming driver shortage, Mr Shapps said: "We have already put 18 different steps in place, which I should say stretch right the way back to the spring."

He said as a result of the measures put in place the system was just about coping until last weekend, and would have continued to, but for the "stampede" in panic buying.

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Motorist fills up drum with petrol

"Unfortunately, as we have seen with toilet rolls and other things, once people start to pursue a particular item it can quickly escalate... There is almost nothing you can do to the supply system to prevent it," he said.

"But there is only so much petrol you can transfer into tanks. That is starting to work its way through."

Mr Shapps said the primary cause of the shortages had been the cancellation of HGV driver testing last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, which he said had delayed 30,000 drivers from taking their tests.

However, he also acknowledged the role of Brexit in the crisis for the first time.

"Brexit I hear mentioned a lot and it no doubt will have been a factor," he said.

"On the other hand, it has actually helped us to change rules to be able to test more drivers more quickly. So, it has actually worked in both ways."

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Army tanker drivers have been put on a state of readiness should they need to be deployed to ease the chaos on fuel supply chains.

Motorists are still facing long queues at filling stations, with fights breaking out on some forecourts as petrol pumps run dry and limits on sales are imposed.

There have been calls for key workers including healthcare staff and teachers to be given priority access to petrol pumps, as desperate drivers are held-up in mile-long queues at stations.

The British Medical Association has warned essential services could be hit and the NASUWT teachers' union has said there is a risk of further disruption to children's education - if staff are unable to get to work.

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2021-09-28 10:35:44Z
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Ex-Domino's delivery driver, 36, arrives at court charged with murdering Sabina Nessa - Daily Mail

Delivery driver appears in court charged with murdering Sabina Nessa: Man, 36, stays silent and follows proceedings through Albanian interpreter as lawyer says he will deny murder of primary school teacher

• Sabina Nessa was killed as she walked through Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, on September 17 
• Former Domino's delivery driver Koci Selamaj, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was arrested on Sunday 
• Lisa Ramsarran, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said they authorised a charge of one count of murder 

By Dan Sales and Paul Thompson for MailOnline

Published: 11:31 BST, 28 September 2021 | Updated: 12:30 BST, 28 September 2021

A 36-year-old ex-Domino's delivery driver will deny murdering primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, a court was told this morning.  

Koci Selamaj, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was arrested in the seaside town in the early hours of Sunday, and a light-coloured Nissan Micra was seized in a residential street around half a mile away. He appeared before Willesden Magistrates' Court this morning.

He was driven in by prison van and was kept in the cells before his appearance, where he was assisted by a translator.

Selamaj looked straight ahead during a brief hearing on Tuesday and after being asked for an indication of plea by District Judge Dennis Brennan, Selamaj's solicitor Aidan Harvey said he intended to plead not guilty.

He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Thursday and will be asked to enter a plea at the same court on October 26. 

Ms Nessa was killed as she walked through Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, on her way to meet a friend on September 17.

Her body was found nearly 24 hours later covered with leaves near a community centre in the park.

Neighbour Jas French said: ‘On Sunday morning police arrived around 3am. It wasn’t until I left at 8am that I saw that they were still here and they’ve been here ever since.

‘From what we’ve seen he was really nice. I’ve got a little girl and he’s offered to take the buggy down for me. He’s helped me open bin lids and he seemed to be a really nice person.’

Until recently Selamaj had been living with his Romanian girlfriend in the flat behind a burger takeaway in the centre of Eastbourne, but the couple recently split up.

A worker in a newsagents near the flat where Selamaj was living said he would come in to the shop to top up his phone or energy key, but would not make conversation. 

Koci Selamaj (left), from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was arrested in the seaside town in the early hours of Sunday. Sabina Nessa (right) was killed as she walked through Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, on her way to meet a friend on September 17

Sabina Nessa, 28, originally from Bedfordshire. Ms Nessa was killed as she walked through Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, on her way to meet a friend on September 17

A police van being driven through the gates of Willesden Magistrates Court ahead of the hearing this morning

The suspect is understood to have been working as a Domino's delivery driver in Eastbourne and is thought to be originally from eastern Europe

Koci Selamaj, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was arrested in the seaside town in the early hours of Sunday (pictured: Police in Eastbourne on Sunday) 

A light-coloured Nissan Micra was seized in a residential street

'He was so quiet, he didn't say anything, just came to top up and left,' the member of shop staff said. 

Ms Nessa taught a year one class at Rushey Green Primary School in Catford, also south-east London.

On Friday, hundreds of people - including her sister - gathered for a candlelit vigil organised in Pegler Square, Kidbrooke, in her memory.

Jebina Yasmin Islam, Ms Nessa's sister, broke down as she addressed crowds.

She said: 'Words cannot describe how we are feeling, this feels like we are stuck in a bad dream and can't get out of it - our world is shattered, we are simply lost for words.

'No family should go through what we are going through.'

Lisa Ramsarran, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the Metropolitan Police Service to charge Koci Selamaj, 36, with one count of murder.

'The charge relates to the murder of 28-year-old primary school teacher Sabina Nessa in Kidbrooke, south-east London, on Friday, September 17 2021.

'The CPS London Homicide Unit authorised the charge following a review of a file of evidence received from the Metropolitan Police Service.

'The defendant's first court appearance will take place on September 28 2021.

Pictured: Police and forensics believed to be investigating the death of Sabina Nessa are pictured at a flat in Eastbourne

The sister of primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, Jebina Yasmin Islam, is embraced by well-wishers in Cator Park, Kidbrooke

More than 500 well-wishers, including Ms Nessa's sister Jebina, gathered in Pegler Square for a vigil on Friday

'The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has a right to a fair trial.

'It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.'

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2021-09-28 10:31:40Z
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Sabina Nessa: Man charged with teacher's murder @BBC News live BBC - BBC

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2021-09-28 05:29:32Z
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Sir Keir Starmer's allies look to take fight to Tories as Labour's left-wings claim conference 'falling apart' - Sky News

Sir Keir Starmer is being warned that his party's Brighton conference is "falling apart" following the dramatic resignation of a shadow minister.

The Labour leader has been rocked by Andy McDonald's decision to quit as shadow secretary of state for employment rights and protections midway through the party's gathering on the South Coast.

Mr McDonald's resignation, which the left-winger announced with a blistering attack on Sir Keir's leadership and policies - including a claim he was blocked by the leader's office from voicing his support for a £15 per hour minimum wage - has prompted a fresh bout of Labour infighting.

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Party conferences: What's the point?

And those who had supported Sir Keir's predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, might look to turn up the pressure on the Labour leader when many of them speak during a rally at the left's alternative conference, The World Transformed, in Brighton on Tuesday.

"To be honest, the conference is falling apart because of the behaviour of the leader - it's appalling," said former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who is among those listed to speak at the Socialist Campaign Group rally.

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Mr McDonald's resignation came hours after former Labour MP, Dame Louise Ellman, announced she was rejoining the party nearly two years after she had quit Labour over antisemitism and Mr Corbyn's leadership.

But, despite the drama, there were claims that Sir Keir's office had "no sense of loss" over Mr McDonald's departure and "no tears" were being shed.

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And, on the eve of his first in-person conference speech as party leader, Sir Keir will on Tuesday look to wrestle the focus of the conference back onto how he is trying to move Labour on from Mr Corbyn's era.

This will include some of Sir Keir's key shadow cabinet allies attempting to take the fight to the Conservatives on the issues of law and order, health and education.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds will use his conference speech to accuse the Tories of being "soft on crime and soft on causes on crime".

He will also announce Labour's new plans for increased visible policing with "eyes, ears and boots on the ground".

"In Tory Britain, people say you never see police on the beat any more," Mr Thomas-Symonds is expected to say.

"That school children feel afraid at the bus stop, that people feel unsafe going out after dark. This is the price of years of Tory cuts to neighbourhood policing.

"With me as home secretary - if there is trouble on your street Labour will make sure that someone is there. You will see officers on the beat.

"In every community where people are frightened and afraid there will be a new police hub, and new neighbourhood prevention teams which bring together police, community support officers, youth workers and local authority staff to tackle anti-social behaviour at source."

Meanwhile, Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth will accuse the Conservatives of having failed to put in place a plan to tackle NHS waiting lists or to improve social care.

"The NHS is in crisis not simply because of COVID," he is expected to say.

"The NHS is in crisis because of the Conservatives. A crisis that sees NHS services collapsing, the army called in to the aid of ambulance trusts.

"Hospitals ration chemotherapy. And more and more people taking out loans, crowd-sourcing for donations in pain and desperation."

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Labour's shadow education secretary Kate Green will also challenge the government to deliver a coronavirus crisis "recovery guarantee" for school children.

"Our children's futures, life chances and aspirations must not be limited by the Conservatives treating them as an afterthought," she is expected to say.

"They must not be limited by a recovery plan that the government's own catch-up expert described as 'feeble'.

"And they must not be limited by a weak prime minister who took months to sack a failing secretary of state.

"That is why today, conference, I am challenging the new education secretary [Nadhim Zahawi] to deliver a recovery guarantee.

"To ensure that every single child who has been let down, ignored and undervalued by this government not only recovers from the pandemic, but thrives on new opportunities to learn, play and develop - just as Labour's plan would enable them to do."

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2021-09-28 00:28:12Z
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Fuel supply: Army put on standby to ease pressure on petrol stations - BBC News

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The Army has been put on standby to help ease pressure on petrol stations and deliver fuel after days of long queues and pump closures.

Military tanker drivers will be trained so they are ready to be deployed if necessary, the government said.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng described it as a "sensible, precautionary step", saying the UK had strong supplies of fuel.

Fuel suppliers say they expect demand to return to normal in the coming days.

But motoring group the RAC say the price of a litre of unleaded petrol has risen by a penny since Friday and it is aware of a small number of retailers taking advantage of the current situation by hiking prices.

Ministers have blamed queues at petrol stations and empty pumps on people buying fuel when they do not need it.

Many drivers rushed to petrol stations amid fears a shortage of lorry drivers would hit fuel supplies.

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Mr Kwarteng said: "We are aware of supply chain issues at fuel station forecourts and are taking steps to ease these as a matter of priority.

"If required, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help ease pressures caused by spikes in localised demand for fuel."

The government has also authorised an extension to ADR driver licenses - which allow drivers to transport goods such as fuel. Licences due to expire between 27 September and 31 December will have their validity extended until 31 January 2022 without the driver having to undertake the usual refresher training or pass an exam.

The government said the change would provide "immediate relief" to the shortage of fuel drivers by allowing those affected to stay on the roads.

Earlier, a group of leading fuel suppliers, including BP and Shell, said there was plenty of fuel at UK refineries.

"As many cars are now holding more fuel than usual, we expect that demand will return to its normal levels in the coming days, easing pressures on fuel station forecourts," they said in a joint statement.

Prioritise key workers

Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association, said the industry had problems with a shortage of HGV drivers but it only became a "critical situation" when a submission by BP to the cabinet was leaked, sparking widespread coverage and panic buying.

The shortage of lorry drivers has caused problems for a range of industries in recent months, from supermarkets to fast food chains.

Meanwhile, doctors and home care staff have called for essential workers to be given priority for fuel.

The UK Homecare Association said people had been left waiting for carers at home because staff had been caught in queues for petrol.

However, ambulances have their own fuel pumps in their depots and their supplies are expected to be prioritised.

More on the lorry driver shortage

• How serious is the HGV driver shortage?
• 50,000 more lorry driver tests promised a year
• Temporary visa plan to ease lorry driver shortage
• Visas won't solve petrol supply issues - retailers

The government has temporarily exempted fuel companies from competition law, as part of "long-standing" contingency plans to maintain supplies, allowing them to target supplies at areas most in need.

It has also announced temporary visas, lasting until Christmas Eve, for 5,000 foreign fuel tanker and food lorry drivers and 5,500 poultry workers in a bid to limit disruption in the build-up to Christmas.

Other measures include sending nearly a million letters to drivers who hold an HGV licence, to encourage them back into the industry, and plans to train 4,000 people to become HGV drivers.

Factors including Brexit, Covid, pay levels and an aging workforce have all contributed to a shortage of lorry drivers.

After the UK left the EU, many European drivers went back to their home countries, or decided to work elsewhere because of the additional border bureaucracy and the impact it had on their income.

The pandemic also prompted many foreign drivers to return home and led to a huge backlog in HGV driver tests.

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2021-09-27 22:16:01Z
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Labour conference: Frontbencher Andy McDonald quits in protest at Sir Keir Starmer - BBC News

Shadow cabinet member Andy McDonald has quit Labour's front bench with a scathing attack on Sir Keir Starmer.

In his resignation letter - published in the middle of Labour's party conference in Brighton - the MP said his party leader had made Labour "more divided than ever".

Mr McDonald also accused him of not honouring his pledges to members.

Sir Keir thanked him for his service but said his own focus was on "winning the next general election".

But former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, a leading figure on Labour's left, said: "Questions have got to be asked about Keir Starmer… the conference is falling apart."

Mr McDonald previously served as shadow transport secretary on Jeremy Corbyn's front bench, but he became one of the few members to survive the handover of power to Sir Keir, and stayed in the top team as shadow secretary for employment rights and protections.

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In recent months, his focus had been on creating Labour's new programme of employment rights, which was unveiled at the conference on Saturday by deputy leader Angela Rayner.

'Closing the door'

Mr McDonald said he had accepted the job "because I wanted to fight for the working people of this country", but had quit over a lack of support from his leader over bringing in a £15-an-hour minimum wage.

Sources close to Sir Keir told the BBC they were not unhappy at the departure, insisting this week was "all about change and closing the door on the Corbyn era".

The Labour leader's team sought to play down tensions over the minimum wage issue, with party sources telling the BBC they would be relaxed if members supported a rise.

Labour MP Barry Gardiner - who served alongside Mr McDonald in Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet - told the BBC he was "extremely shocked" to hear of the resignation, saying he had been "a very powerful voice for workers in the country".

But the founder of left-wing Labour activist group Momentum, Jon Lansman, joined Mr McDonald's criticism of Sir Keir, telling BBC News: "He promised to unite the party and actually, unfortunately, he's driving wedges within the party."

Fellow members of Sir Keir's top team expressed shock at the resignation.

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said: "It's a shame. I'm sure he'll focus on working for the party from the back benches."

Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Mr McDonald was "a friend of mine" and he was "sad to see him go".

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But he disagreed with the remarks about division in the party, adding: "We have seen this conference, frankly, Labour facing towards the general election in a way that is not just ambitious in terms of the pledges… but we have also tried to do that in a gain that gains credibility that is required to win power".

As news of the resignation broke in the conference hall, one delegate shouted "Andy McDonald, solidarity!" to loud cheers from some in the crowd.

The reaction of sources close to the Labour leadership to Andy McDonald's resignation can best be described as "close the door on your way out".

But they clearly want to turn adversity to advantage.

Having pushed through leadership rule changes which infuriated the left, they insist that this week is all about change and showing Labour is a potential party of government.

So the departure of a survivor of the Jeremy Corbyn era is seen to play into that narrative. One source described him as "the last Corbynista standing".

Some are suggesting it was part of a co-ordinated attempt to undermine Sir Keir's leadership.

Mr McDonald's resignation letter says Sir Keir's pledges to the membership were not being honoured - raising directly an issue of trust.

His demand for a £15 minimum wage is supported by some unions who feel bruised by the Labour leadership's focus on changing party rules when they wanted the focus to be in members' living standards.

Mr McDonald insists he still wants to see Sir Keir in Downing Street - but he should "reflect" on his style of leadership and consult the party and the unions more.

In Mr McDonald's letter, the MP claimed his position was "untenable" after the leader's office instructed him go to a meeting at Labour's party conference and "argue against a national minimum wage of £15 an hour and against statutory sick pay at the living wage".

He said it was "something I could not do", adding: "After many months of a pandemic when we made commitments to stand by key workers, I cannot now look those same workers in the eye and tell them they are not worth a wage that is enough to live on, or that they don't deserve security when they are ill.

Mr McDonald said it was a "bitter blow" that Labour had not followed the country in its "renewed awareness of how important the work done by millions of low-paid workers truly is".

He added: "I joined your frontbench team on the basis of the pledges that you made in the leadership campaign to bring about unity within the party and maintain our commitment to socialist policies.

"After 18 months of your leadership, our movement is more divided than ever and the pledges that you made to the membership."

Responding to the letter, Sir Keir released a statement which said: "I want to thank Andy for his service in the shadow cabinet.

"Labour's comprehensive New Deal for Working People shows the scale of our ambition and where our priorities lie.

"My focus and that of the whole party is on winning the next general election so we can deliver for working people who need a Labour government."

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2021-09-27 20:57:18Z
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