Downing Street was plunged into further turmoil tonight after the top civil servant appointed by Boris Johnson to lead a significant inquiry had to quit the role.
Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, stepped down from the investigation into Downing Street Christmas parties after it emerged that his office had held one itself during lockdown.
Johnson admitted that public anger about the parties last year had contributed to the Conservatives’ capitulation in the North Shropshire by-election today, a seat that they had held for 200 years.
Downing Street’s hopes of a clean bill of health over the parties from an inquiry led by Case, head of the civil service, were dashed after The Times revealed that his office organised a party on December 17 last year.
A man has been found guilty of murdering one of Britain's wealthiest men, Sir Richard Sutton, and attempting to kill his own mother.
Thomas Schreiber was convicted following a three-week trial at Winchester Crown Court, which heard how he stabbed the millionaire hotelier and his wife, Anne Schreiber, at their Dorset country estate on 7 April, 2021.
The 35-year-old closed his eyes as the majority guilty verdict was announced.
Image:The 35-year-old admitted attacking Sir Richard Sutton and his wife Anne Schreiber
A cry of "Yes" was heard from the public gallery, where some members of the family were sitting.
Others, including the defendant's mother who he was convicted of trying to kill, watched by video-link.
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Adjourning for sentencing on Monday, Mr Justice Garnham told Schreiber: "The only sentence I can pass is of life imprisonment but for the offence of murder I have to set the minimum number of years and I also have to sentence you for the attempted murder of your mother."
Sir Richard's family said in a statement: "How could any family recover from such a sudden and devastating loss.
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"We can never bring back Sir Richard but his spirit will very much live on, alongside the very happy memories we have of our incredible father, brother and grandfather.
"His values of being warm, generous and compassionate to everyone he met will be carried forward by future generations, and will never be extinguished."
Image:Sir Richard's family have spoken of their 'devastating loss'
Schreiber admitted carrying out the "horror show" knife attack on the pair on the eighth anniversary of the death of his alcoholic father, David Schreiber, after he said his mother shouted at him for being "drunk like his father".
He had admitted manslaughter but denied the murder of Sir Richard, saying he had "lost control" of himself and had not intended to hurt him or his mother.
Ms Schreiber suffered up to 15 separate injuries on her head and body, including a partially severed spinal cord which has left her paralysed.
Sir Richard suffered three deep wounds to his face and five to his chest, up to 12cm deep.
Image:As he was detained in Chiswick, the defendant stabbed himself in the chest
Schreiber had also pleaded guilty to driving a Range Rover dangerously on the A303, A4 and M3 when he failed to stop for armed police in a 135mph pursuit into central London.
As he was detained in Chiswick, the defendant stabbed himself in the chest and told officers: "Please kill me now, please just shoot me."
The trial heard the defendant was angry with his mother for "abandoning" his father, who suffered from depression, to move in with Sir Richard and accused her of being a "gold-digging b*****".
Schreiber, an aspiring artist, also felt Sir Richard treated him unfairly compared to his two sisters despite him receiving a £1,000 monthly allowance and £100,000 towards buying a house.
The defendant blamed lockdown for worsening his mental health by forcing him to remain in the "toxic pressure boiler" environment of Sir Richard's estate.
In March 2021, he had written to a friend: "I'm so sad to report that my mind is consumed with hatred of the very worst kind towards my family.
"They really hurt me, betrayed me and destroyed all trust. Simply put, I contemplate murdering them all, morning, day and night. It's not what I want to think about but it's the truth. I want them to suffer."
Image:The millionaire hotelier suffered knife wounds to his face and chest
Detective Inspector Simon Huxter, of Dorset Police, said: "This was an utterly tragic and senseless incident that has left Sir Richard and Anne's family and friends devastated and our thoughts remain with them at this extremely difficult time."
According to The Sunday Times, Sir Richard's fortune was worth an estimated £301m in May 2020, making him the 435th-wealthiest person in the country.
The entrepreneur owned the five-star Sheraton Grand and Athenaeum hotels on London's Park Lane and had an extensive property and farming portfolio.
A man has been found guilty of murdering one of Britain's wealthiest men, Sir Richard Sutton, and attempting to kill his own mother.
Thomas Schreiber was convicted following a three-week trial at Winchester Crown Court, which heard how he stabbed the millionaire hotelier and his wife, Anne Schreiber, at their Dorset country estate on 7 April, 2021.
The 35-year-old closed his eyes as the majority guilty verdict was announced.
Image:The 35-year-old admitted attacking Sir Richard Sutton and his wife Anne Schreiber
A cry of "Yes" was heard from the public gallery, where some members of the family were sitting.
Others, including the defendant's mother who he was convicted of trying to kill, watched by video-link.
Advertisement
Adjourning for sentencing on Monday, Mr Justice Garnham told Schreiber: "The only sentence I can pass is of life imprisonment but for the offence of murder I have to set the minimum number of years and I also have to sentence you for the attempted murder of your mother."
Sir Richard's family said in a statement: "How could any family recover from such a sudden and devastating loss.
More on Dorset
Related Topics:
"We can never bring back Sir Richard but his spirit will very much live on, alongside the very happy memories we have of our incredible father, brother and grandfather.
"His values of being warm, generous and compassionate to everyone he met will be carried forward by future generations, and will never be extinguished."
Image:Sir Richard's family have spoken of their 'devastating loss'
Schreiber admitted carrying out the "horror show" knife attack on the pair on the eighth anniversary of the death of his alcoholic father, David Schreiber, after he said his mother shouted at him for being "drunk like his father".
He had admitted manslaughter but denied the murder of Sir Richard, saying he had "lost control" of himself and had not intended to hurt him or his mother.
Ms Schreiber suffered up to 15 separate injuries on her head and body, including a partially severed spinal cord which has left her paralysed.
Sir Richard suffered three deep wounds to his face and five to his chest, up to 12cm deep.
Image:As he was detained in Chiswick, the defendant stabbed himself in the chest
Schreiber had also pleaded guilty to driving a Range Rover dangerously on the A303, A4 and M3 when he failed to stop for armed police in a 135mph pursuit into central London.
As he was detained in Chiswick, the defendant stabbed himself in the chest and told officers: "Please kill me now, please just shoot me."
The trial heard the defendant was angry with his mother for "abandoning" his father, who suffered from depression, to move in with Sir Richard and accused her of being a "gold-digging b*****".
Schreiber, an aspiring artist, also felt Sir Richard treated him unfairly compared to his two sisters despite him receiving a £1,000 monthly allowance and £100,000 towards buying a house.
The defendant blamed lockdown for worsening his mental health by forcing him to remain in the "toxic pressure boiler" environment of Sir Richard's estate.
In March 2021, he had written to a friend: "I'm so sad to report that my mind is consumed with hatred of the very worst kind towards my family.
"They really hurt me, betrayed me and destroyed all trust. Simply put, I contemplate murdering them all, morning, day and night. It's not what I want to think about but it's the truth. I want them to suffer."
Image:The millionaire hotelier suffered knife wounds to his face and chest
Detective Inspector Simon Huxter, of Dorset Police, said: "This was an utterly tragic and senseless incident that has left Sir Richard and Anne's family and friends devastated and our thoughts remain with them at this extremely difficult time."
According to The Sunday Times, Sir Richard's fortune was worth an estimated £301m in May 2020, making him the 435th-wealthiest person in the country.
The entrepreneur owned the five-star Sheraton Grand and Athenaeum hotels on London's Park Lane and had an extensive property and farming portfolio.
Nicola Sturgeon has informed Scots that Omicron has become the dominant strain of covid north of the Border.
The First Minister said the “tsunami” of cases she had previously warned of is now coming to pass.
She estimated 51.4% of infections are now of the Omicron variety.
She told a media briefing: “Omicron has now replaced Delta as the dominant Covid strain circulating in Scotland."
However, she added: "We should not be fatalistic about this. We are not powerless in the face of it."
On claims Omicron may not be as severe as other variants, she said: "Even if it did turn out to be generally a little less severe for most people - and let me stress we still don’t know that to be true - for some people it will still cause serious illness and hospitalisation. Tragically, more people will die.
"And even if the number of people falling seriously ill is a smaller percentage of cases than with Delta, the basic fact of arithmetic is inescapable - a smaller percentage of a much bigger number of infections will result in a massive number of cases needing hospital care.
"Total hospital admissions in Scotland in the week up to 13th December were slightly higher than in the week previous - so we are already starting to see an increase as a result of the relatively moderate rise in cases seen in previous weeks.
"In London, where the number of Omicron cases is currently the highest in the UK, hospital admissions are now rising quite sharply. If we don’t act now, what we have feared all along but so far avoided - the overwhelming of the NHS - could happen."
She revealed the new figures a day after effectively admitting even more restrictions may be necessary.
Fresh curbs for business and advice on limiting social contacts are now in force, but the First Minister believes extra restrictions on pubs, football matches, concerts and nightclubs may be required.
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People in Wales are being "strongly advised" to limit socialising in the lead up to Christmas with new Covid restrictions coming into force from the 27th of December.
First Minister Mark Drakeford will set out a "two-phase plan" on Friday to respond to the Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants.
The omicron variant is expected to be the dominant form of the virus in the UK by the end of the month.
From December 27th nightclubs in Wales will have to close and there will be new restrictions - including a 2m social distancing rule for businesses, as well as other measures to protect customers and staff.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Delta will continue to be the main cause of coronavirus infections in Wales up to Christmas. But we are seeing cases of omicron increasing rapidly every day in Wales – and across the UK.
“We need a plan to keep us safe this Christmas and we need stronger measures to protect us afterwards, as we prepare for a large wave of omicron infections.
“Omicron poses a new threat to our health and safety. It is the most serious development in the pandemic to date.
“It is one we must take seriously. We will continue to put in place proportionate measures to protect people’s lives and livelihoods.
“This is a virus which thrives on human contact. Every contact we have is an opportunity for us to spread or catch the virus.”
As of Thursday, there have been 95 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Wales but Public Health Wales have said "a rapid increase over the coming days and weeks is expected.”
Mr Drakeford has previously warned that some estimates suggest "half of the population of the United Kingdom will fall ill" from Covid during the next wave of the virus.
What does this mean for Christmas?
Although new restrictions are not being introduced before Christmas, people are being encouraged to limit how much they socialise over the coming week.
The Welsh Government is "strongly advising" people to follow these five measures in the run up to Christmas:
Get vaccinated
Take a lateral low test before seeing people
Meet outdoors rather than indoors
Space out your socialising over time
Keep 2m from others, wear a face mask and wash your hands.
People will be required to work from home wherever possible.
Credit: PA
What about after Christmas?
From the 27th of December, Wales will essentially move into Alert Level 2 although not all restrictions will be adopted.
Nightclubs will have to close and the new restrictions mean that hospitality, sports and entertainment venues will most likely see significantly reduced capacity.
People will have to follow 2m social distancing rules with those who are not part of their household, or exclusive extended household, and face covering will have to be worn in all indoor public places.
Businesses will also be expected to put measures in place to protect customers and staff, such as one-way systems and physical barriers.
People will continue to be required to work from home whenever possible.
Up to £60m will be available to support businesses affected by the new restrictions.
Mr Drakeford said: "This year a smaller Christmas is a safer Christmas. The fewer people we see, the less chance we have of catching or passing on the virus.
“Please enjoy Christmas with your nearest and dearest – and think about meeting up with wider circles of friends when the threat posed by the omicron variant has passed over.
“I also want to thank the many thousands of people who will be working this Christmas to keep us safe – especially all those who have cancelled their plans to work in the vaccination centres across Wales to increase our protection against this awful virus.”
The Welsh Government have not announced any restrictions on gathering within households.
Four children who are believed to be related have died in a house fire in south London.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were sent to Collingwood Road, Sutton, just before 7pm on Thursday.
Crews faced an "intense blaze" throughout the whole of the ground floor of the property.
Four young children were taken out of the house and given CPR by firefighters at the scene before being taken to two south London hospitals where they died.
The fire was under control by 8.36pm and the cause is under investigation.
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London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said the deaths had "left everyone numb with profound sadness".
Mr Roe said: "My thoughts are with the family and friends of the children, the whole local community and all those who will be affected by this fire.
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"Fire crews arrived quickly and located the children inside the property. They were brought out of the house and given immediate emergency care.
'Devastating and tragic loss'
"The welfare of our staff involved in this incident is very important to us and all of them will be offered counselling as a priority."
Image:Four children were given CPR by firefighters before being taken to two south London hospitals where they died
Superintendent Rob Shepherd said: "The thoughts of everyone at the South Area Command Unit are with the family and friends of these four young children, who have suffered such a devastating and tragic loss tonight.
"I know these sentiments will be shared by the local community, Sutton and London as a whole.
"We remain on scene with our emergency service colleagues and will be working through the night and beyond. At this very early stage the cause of the fire is unknown and will be investigated."
