IS bride Shamima Begum's appeal to restore UK citizenship to begin in London court - Sky News

Shamima Begum's appeal over the removal of her UK citizenship for joining Islamic State begins in a London court today.

She ran away from her London home as a 15-year-old with two other girls in 2015, ending up in Syria and marrying one of the terror group's fighters.

Ms Begum was found pregnant in a Syrian detention in 2019 and her citizenship was revoked for national security reasons.

She's set to base her appeal on claims that she was a victim of child trafficking because she was allegedly smuggled into Syria by a Canadian spy.

The claims were made in a book that said a double agent got them into the country and that his role was covered up by police and the UK government.

Her appeal will be heard by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission and is expected to last five days.

Ms Begum has denied involvement in any terror activities when she was living in Islamic State's former heartland.

More on Shamima Begum

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The UK Supreme Court last year denied her permission to return to the UK to challenge the stripping of her citizenship in person.

She remains imprisoned in a camp in northern Syria.

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In 2019, she told Sky News she was "just a housewife for the entire four years" she was with IS and claimed she "never did anything dangerous" or encouraged others to join.

Last year, in another Sky interview, she said she wanted to go on trial in the UK and invited British officials to question her in prison.

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3:44

'I didn't hate Britain, I hated my life' - Begum

However, a succession of Conservative home secretaries have insisted she is a potential danger and should not be allowed back in the UK.

Her lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee, previously said in a statement that "one of the main arguments will be that when former home secretary Sajid Javid stripped Shamima Begum of her citizenship leaving her in Syria, he did not consider that she was a victim of trafficking".

"The UK has international obligations as to how we view a trafficked person and what culpability we prescribed to them for their actions," Mr Akunjee added.

The other girls who left for Syria with Ms Begum, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, are believed to be dead.

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2022-11-21 05:25:40Z
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Police confirm deaths of three-year-old girl and 79-year-old man in M6 crash last night - Lancashire Evening Post

Officers say the child was travelling in a Vauxhall Meriva which collided with a Porsche Boxter sportscar being driven by the man. One of the vehicles flipped over and burst into flames.

Two other adults in the Vauxhall suffered serious injuries and were taken to the Royal Preston Hospital for treatment.

An appeal for witnesses and dashboard camera footage was launched this afternoon. The collision occurred at around 5:50pm yesterday and closed the motorway overnight. Two lanes of the southbound carriageway are still closed awaiting emergency resurfacing repairs which will be carried out this evening.

Police confirm girl, 3, among two who died in M6 crash

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said this afternoon: "Officers were called around 5.49pm yesterday (November 19) to reports of a collision between two cars on the southbound carriage between junctions 29 and 28.

"Sadly, a three-year-old girl and a 79-year-old man, suffered fatal injuries. Our thoughts are with their families at this sad and distressing time and they will be supported by specially-trained officers.

"We believe a Porsche Boxster car driven by the 79-year-old man collided with a Vauxhall Meriva car in which the young girl was travelling. Two adults in the Vauxhall Meriva suffered serious injuries and were taken to the Royal Preston Hospital for treatment.

"The motorway was shut for several hours while the collision was investigated and for repairs to the carriageway."

M6 was still expected to be partially blocked almost 24 hours after crash.

Sgt Craig Booth, serious collision investigator, said: “These are very sad and tragic circumstances. This was a traumatic scene for all witnesses and emergency services involved. I would like to pass on my thanks for their dedication in dealing with an incident which can only be described as horrific.”

Anyone with information or who has footage, please contact 101 – quoting log 1102 of November 19.

This afternoon there were still tailbacks of up to four miles north of the collision site with vehicles delayed by around 45 minutes.

Motorists trapped in the tailbacks last night between junctions 29 and 28 took to social media overnight to condemn "heartless" drivers who used the hard shoulder to get past.

One said he had dashcam footage of the "disrespectful" drivers and would be handing it to police for action to be taken against them.

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2022-11-20 20:11:23Z
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Police confirm deaths of three-year-old girl and 79-year-old man in M6 crash last night - Lancashire Evening Post

Officers say the child was travelling in a Vauxhall Meriva which collided with a Porsche Boxter sportscar being driven by the man. One of the vehicles flipped over and burst into flames.

Two other adults in the Vauxhall suffered serious injuries and were taken to the Royal Preston Hospital for treatment.

An appeal for witnesses and dashboard camera footage was launched this afternoon. The collision occurred at around 5:50pm yesterday and closed the motorway overnight. Two lanes of the southbound carriageway are still closed awaiting emergency resurfacing repairs which will be carried out this evening.

Police confirm girl, 3, among two who died in M6 crash

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said this afternoon: "Officers were called around 5.49pm yesterday (November 19) to reports of a collision between two cars on the southbound carriage between junctions 29 and 28.

"Sadly, a three-year-old girl and a 79-year-old man, suffered fatal injuries. Our thoughts are with their families at this sad and distressing time and they will be supported by specially-trained officers.

"We believe a Porsche Boxster car driven by the 79-year-old man collided with a Vauxhall Meriva car in which the young girl was travelling. Two adults in the Vauxhall Meriva suffered serious injuries and were taken to the Royal Preston Hospital for treatment.

"The motorway was shut for several hours while the collision was investigated and for repairs to the carriageway."

M6 was still expected to be partially blocked almost 24 hours after crash.

Sgt Craig Booth, serious collision investigator, said: “These are very sad and tragic circumstances. This was a traumatic scene for all witnesses and emergency services involved. I would like to pass on my thanks for their dedication in dealing with an incident which can only be described as horrific.”

Anyone with information or who has footage, please contact 101 – quoting log 1102 of November 19.

This afternoon there were still tailbacks of up to four miles north of the collision site with vehicles delayed by around 45 minutes.

Motorists trapped in the tailbacks last night between junctions 29 and 28 took to social media overnight to condemn "heartless" drivers who used the hard shoulder to get past.

One said he had dashcam footage of the "disrespectful" drivers and would be handing it to police for action to be taken against them.

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2022-11-20 19:10:23Z
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Nottingham: Murder probe as children, three and one, die in flat fire - BBC

By George Torr

BBC News

A murder investigation has been launched after two children died in a flat fire in Nottingham.

The children, aged three and one, died in hospital after the blaze in Fairlisle Close, Clifton, early on Sunday morning.

A woman has also been left critically injured, Nottinghamshire Police said.

A joint fire and police investigation has concluded the fire, which was extinguished at about 04:00 GMT, was started deliberately.

The fire was in a first floor flat of a two-storey residential property.

Neighbouring properties were temporarily evacuated as fire crews tackled the blaze.

The injured woman, who is thought to be in her 30s, and the children were initially treated at the scene by paramedics for smoke inhalation and taken to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.

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• Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service

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2022-11-20 16:37:59Z
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Labour would abolish the House of Lords - BBC

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By Ione Wells

Political correspondent

Labour would abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a "new, reformed upper chamber", the party has confirmed to the BBC.

Sir Keir Starmer told Labour peers that he wanted to strip politicians of the power to appoint people to the chamber in the first term of a Labour government.

He said that Tory leaders have handed peerages to "lackeys and donors".

The party is expected to confirm its plans in its next manifesto.

The Observer first reported that part of the reason for reform was because the public "have lost faith in the ability of politicians and politics to bring about change", according to Sir Keir.

It plans to hold a consultation on what a reformed new chamber would look like - including on its size and composition - in addition to reforming the current appointments process.

Sir Keir also told peers there was strong support for reforming the House of Lords and that any new chamber should be elected by voters not fellow politicians, but that the second chamber would remain a place for scrutinising and amending new laws rather than forming governments or setting budgets.

A government source said the measures proposed by Sir Keir "risk undermining the Union of the United Kingdom".

"A second chamber of politicians with their own elected mandates would invariably clash with the House of Commons and other devolved chambers," the source said.

"Legislative gridlock and confused mandates would make it harder for Parliamentarians to deliver commitments to their constituents - as illustrated by the paralysis and stalemate over Brexit in the last Parliament."

• Ministers withhold Lebedev peerage security advice

The size and role of the House of Lords has come under scrutiny in recent years, with warnings that membership has grown excessive, with 784 sitting members.

Concerns have also been raised about some of the peerages issued by former prime ministers including Boris Johnson, notably the peerage of Lord Lebedev.

The media mogul and son of an ex-KGB agent was given a life peerage in 2020 but has spoken just once on the floor of the House.

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Mr Johnson has also faced accusations that he has proposed several Conservative MPs for peerages but told them to delay accepting them to prevent triggering by-elections.

Plans to reform the appointment process of the House of Lords are one step closer to becoming law after several peers from across the political spectrum acknowledged the upper chamber is "too large".

On Friday, the House of Lords (Peerage Nominations) Bill passed its first reading, which would require the prime minister to wait until a commission advises on whether a nominated individual met specified criteria to be granted a peerage.

This is not the first time the plans to abolish the upper chamber have been mentioned by Sir Keir.

The Labour leader made the same pledge as part of his leadership campaign.

His comments also echo ideas that have formed part of a review overseen by former prime minister Gordon Brown into the constitution of the UK.

The plans also advocated expanding devolution - the decentralisation of power and decision-making from central government to nations and regions.

• THIS CULTURAL LIFE: Florence Pugh on her big break and plans to become a singer
• SHINING A LIGHT: Can SAD lamps and wake-up lights help boost your mood?

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2022-11-20 15:04:08Z
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Awaab Ishak: Councils put 'on notice' following toddler's mould death - BBC

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Housing providers are being put "on notice" following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, the government has said.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has written to every English council leader and all social housing providers saying they have to improve conditions.

Awaab died in Rochdale from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his family's flat.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing's chief executive was sacked on Saturday.

• Housing boss sacked after boy's mould death
• Awaab's family call for accountability over death
• How dangerous is mould in the home?

Gareth Swarbrick had been in charge of the housing association since 2008.

Awaab's family first raised the issue of mould in the flat in 2017 but it had not been fixed by the time of his death in 2020.

Mr Gove sent a separate letter to housing providers saying the country needed to "raise the bar dramatically" on the quality of social housing and "empower tenants" to ensure "their voices are truly heard".

He said that housing providers should carry out assessments of damp and mould in their properties, as well as any action that may need to be taken to tackle the issue.

He added he had been made aware of many cases where this had gone unaddressed for too long.

"Where people complain about damp and mould, you must listen; where you find them, you must take prompt action. To keep tenants safe, you must not hide behind legal process," he said,

In the letter to council leaders, he called the death of Awaab an "avoidable loss" and said councils must make an urgent assessment of housing conditions for tenants with particular focus on issues of damp and mould and the enforcement action being taken.

"This becomes ever more urgent as we go into winter with a cost of living and energy crisis, which may exacerbate damp and mould conditions in some homes," he said.

"I am putting housing providers on notice, I will take whatever action is required to improve standards across the country and ensure tenants' voices are heard."

Eleanor Barlow/PA Wire

Awaab's inquest, which finished on Tuesday, heard that his father Faisal Abdullah - who came from Sudan to the UK in 2016 and was joined by his wife Aisha Amin a year later - reported mould in their flat to RBH in 2017 and was told to paint over it.

In June 2020, the family contacted solicitors and initiated a claim over the recurring mould issue, but policy meant any repairs would not be done until an agreement had been reached.

The inquest heard Awaab had consistently suffered from cold and respiratory issues. He died after being rushed to hospital with shortness of breath in December that year.

After the inquest finished, Mr Swarbrick, who was appointed chief executive in 2008, apologised for the organisation's response over the mould but rejected calls to quit his job, saying he had the board's "full backing".

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Related Internet Links

• Housing Ombudsman

• Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH)

• Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

• Rochdale Borough Council

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2022-11-20 04:46:16Z
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'More people could die', claim ex-staff at housing body criticised after Awaab Ishak's death - Sky News

Two former employees of the housing association that managed the flat in which mould killed toddler Awaab Ishak have claimed more people could die as they accused it of having a "toxic and bullying culture".

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) controls more than 12,000 homes in the area.

Two years on from Awaab's death, Sky News witnessed a number of properties on the Freehold Estate in Rochdale, where the boy and his family lived, with severe mould and damp.

Two ex-employees who resigned over the culture within RBH told Sky News that tenants are suffering because of the poor standard of accommodation.

Gareth Swarbrick, its chief executive, was sacked on Saturday, with the association's board saying he had been removed with "immediate effect".

An employee who worked at RBH for six years, Dave (not his real name), told Sky News: "The culture was horrible. It was bullying, toxic for the employees. It's not fit for purpose at all. It's meant to be run as a charity for the focus of the tenants [but] nothing could be further from the truth."

When Awaab's parents were complaining about the state of their mouldy and damp flat in 2017, Dave was working in the association's call centre.

"All the staff were advised to tell anyone ringing up to just open up your trickle vents on your window - make sure you ventilate your property and put heating on and they would fob people off," he said.

"The total disregard for the tenants and cost-cutting was so obvious and it's really sad to be honest."

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1:34

'Awaab's death must not be in vain'

'Association is racist'

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Awaab's parents, who fled Sudan to seek asylum in the UK, claimed the housing association was racist.

Dave said he agrees with them. "In my view, yes [it is racist]," he said. "It's sad to say but it is."

RBH refuted his claim, telling Sky News: "We are not a racist organisation, but we accept that assumptions were wrongly made in Awaab's case. We are taking swift action to review our current approach and changes we need to make."

There is only one way to avoid another tragedy, Dave claimed. "I definitely think there'll be more deaths due to the lack of repairs," he said.

"I think the only way that tenants will be safe is if RBH is closed down and the council takes it back over."

Another employee, who resigned this year, quit after she heard about how and why Awaab had died.

Julie (not her real name) claimed the management "covered it up" and did not tell staff what had happened.

She told Sky News: "I knew one day RBH would make headlines because of how bad it was getting. I just hoped it wasn't through the death of someone, especially a tenant. Even worse, it was a little boy."

Julie added: "It just wasn't right what they were doing. They were saying one thing and doing another - and that wasn't right for me morally."

On the culture of RBH, Julie commented: "It was toxic and people were getting away with treating employees how they wanted to, especially ones that challenged decisions. They'd be disciplined. In the end it just put a fear factor through the organisation."

Image: Former chief executive of RBH, Gareth Swarbrick, has been sacked

Awaab, who was two, died in December 2020. A coroner's inquest concluded this month that he lost his life because of prolonged exposure to mould and damp in the inadequate accommodation provided by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

This should be a defining moment for the social housing sector, the coroner said.

RBH told Sky News it was "disappointed that two former employees claimed there is a culture of bullying", adding: "We are an employee and tenant-owned mutual organisation with a strong set of values at our core. Our culture is one of collaboration and mutuality."

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2022-11-19 17:04:08Z
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