Babak Belurs

Sabtu, 28 Januari 2023

Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford's wife, Clare, dies - Sky News

Clare Drakeford, the wife of Wales's First Minister Mark Drakeford, has died suddenly.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Welsh government said: "It is with deep sadness that we confirm the sudden passing of Clare Drakeford, reportedly 66, wife of the first minister.

"The thoughts of everyone in the Welsh government are with the family at this time and we ask that their privacy is respected."

The Prince and Princess of Wales tweeted: "Sending our thoughts and prayers to Mark Drakeford and his family. W & C"

Rishi Sunak sent his "heartfelt condolences" to Mark Drakeford and his family.

The Prime Minister tweeted: "Incredibly sad to hear about the sudden death of Clare Drakeford.

"I know how committed Mark and Clare were to each other. I can't imagine the pain Mark and his family will now be feeling.

"My heartfelt condolences go out to them."

First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, responding to the news in a post on Twitter, said she was sending her Welsh counterpart "love and strength".

"My thoughts are with Mark and his family at this terribly sad time," Ms Sturgeon tweeted.

"On the occasions I met Clare, it was obvious how strong the bond between her and Mark was, and I can only imagine the depth of grief he is feeling."

Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies said: "My thoughts and prayers are with Mark Drakeford and his family at this exceptionally difficult time.

"On the occasions I met Clare, she was always a lovely lady and was very warm and kind. I'm shocked and deeply saddened to hear of her passing."

Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, said his heart was "absolutely breaking" for Mr Drakeford, who is also the leader of Welsh Labour, while Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said: "I extend our deepest condolences to Mark, his family and friends."

Downing Street said that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had passed on his deepest condolences to Mr Drakeford privately.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also sent his and his party's condolences, saying: "I know just how close they were as a couple, and I can only imagine the sense of loss Mark and the whole family are feeling.

"They are all in our thoughts and prayers."

Mr Drakeford and his wife married in 1977 and have three children together.

The family have lived in the Pontcanna area of Cardiff for 30 years.

The couple lived apart during much of the COVID pandemic, with Mr Drakeford staying in a building at the end of the couple's garden to allow him to carry on work while his wife remained at the house with his elderly mother-in-law, who was shielding.

Mr Drakeford, who became first minister in 2018 and was reappointed to the post in May 2021, later described their reunion as "a bit emotional".

Speaking to the ITV Wales podcast in August 2021, he said: "I've been married for a very long time and not to be in the house and to be at a physical distance, even though we saw each other every day and talked every day, it was a puzzling experience in that sort of way and for that to be over it is a bit emotional for everybody."

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2023-01-28 17:26:15Z
1757000572

Fresh trans prisoner row as girl's stalker approved for move to women's jail - Sky News

Another trans prisoner has been given the green light to transfer to a women's jail in Scotland, Sky News understands.

The latest controversy follows double rapist Isla Bryson being removed from an all-female prison near Stirling this week after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was forced to intervene in the row.

Bryson, a serial sex offender who attacked vulnerable women when she was known as Adam Graham, decided to transition while awaiting trial, which provoked outrage among campaigners.

It is now understood prison chiefs have in recent weeks approved the move of Tiffany Scott, who stalked a 13-year-old girl while known as Andrew Burns.

It is believed Scott will switch from a male wing to an all-female unit.

It is unclear where this location will be.

Cornton Vale is Scotland's only all-women site, but female prisoners are also detained at other jails.

The Scottish Conservatives have told Sky News they want Ms Sturgeon to again block the move.

'Absolutely appalling'

The party's equalities spokesperson, Rachael Hamilton MSP, said: "The fact that such a violent and dangerous criminal is set to be transferred to a women's prison is absolutely appalling.

"It is clear that Tiffany Scott continues to present a grave risk to the safety of any women that come in contact with them - even trained prison staff.

"The idea that this violent individual may soon have access to scores of vulnerable women within our prison estate is truly repellent.

"Women's safety must not take a backseat to the wishes of violent criminals.

"Nicola Sturgeon has already U-turned under public pressure to belatedly remove double rapist Isla Bryson from a women's jail, she must now intervene to block the transfer of this violent individual before it takes place, or knowingly risk the safety of some of Scotland's most vulnerable women."

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said it does not comment on individual cases, but confirmed it was drawing up fresh proposals on dealing with trans prisoners.

An SPS spokesman said: "We do not comment on individuals.

"Decisions by the SPS as to the most appropriate location to accommodate transgender people are made on an individualised basis, informed by a multi-disciplinary assessment of both risk and need.

"Such decisions seek to protect both the wellbeing and rights of the individual as well as the welfare and rights of others around them, including staff, in order to achieve an outcome that balances risks and promotes the safety of all.

"Where there are any concerns about any risks posed by an individual, either to themselves or others, we retain the ability to keep them separate from the mainstream population until an agreed management plan is in place."

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "The placement of prisoners is an operational matter for the Scottish Prison Service who use comprehensive individualised risk assessments to inform decisions, such as the appropriate location of transgender people in custody.

"SPS is reviewing their policy on managing transgender prisoners in partnership with the Scottish government and that process is nearing completion."

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2023-01-28 15:13:46Z
1744262867

Hexham stabbing: Murder arrest after girl, 15, dies - BBC

A 15-year-old girl has died after being stabbed in Northumberland.

She was fatally wounded in the Priestpopple area of Hexham at about 17:10 GMT on Friday.

She and a 16-year-old boy were taken to hospital where the girl later died. The boy's injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Northumbria Police said another boy, also 16, was arrested on suspicion of murder having initially been arrested on suspicion of assault.

He remains in custody.

'Devastated beyond words'

The force said it believed the three teenagers were known to each other.

Ch Supt Sam Rennison described the girl's death as a "tragedy" and said her family was "devastated beyond words".

Two police cars blocking the street where officers were conducting inquiries

"Our thoughts are very much with their loved ones at this awful time, and we are supporting them in every way we can," Ch Supt Rennison said.

"We are determined to find out exactly what happened. A full investigation is ongoing into the circumstances."

Officers remain in the area to continue their inquiries and provide reassurance to the community, she added.

'Ruin so many lives'

Hexham mayor Derek Kennedy said the the town was "in complete shock".

"To lose one of our children who attends a local high school is just horrendous.

"To happen to such a young person and the alleged perpetrator to be a young person, in the high street at 5pm, is just shocking.

"Everyone is struggling to come to terms with it.

"It will ruin so many lives."

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.

Jumat, 27 Januari 2023

HS2 will run through to London Euston, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says - BBC

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By Aoife Walsh & Charley Adams

BBC News

The HS2 rail line will go all the way to London Euston, the chancellor has said, following a report the scheme may no longer reach the capital's centre.

The Sun reported that rising inflation and construction costs mean trains may terminate in west London instead.

The paper said bosses were considering pushing back its Euston terminus to 2038, or scrapping it completely.

Jeremy Hunt said he did not "see any conceivable circumstances" why it would "not end up at Euston".

HS2, or High Speed 2, was originally intended to connect London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

The leg to Leeds has since been scrapped.

The Sun had reported that the move would mean trains would run from a new hub at Old Oak Common, about five miles (8km) away, and commuters would have to use the Elizabeth Line or Tube to travel to central London.

When asked if he, and the government, were committed to HS2 going all the way to London Euston, Jeremy Hunt said: "Yes we are and I don't see any conceivable circumstances to why that will not end up at Euston."

Earlier, in a speech setting out his long-term vision for economic growth, the chancellor said HS2 was a "specific priority for me in the Autumn Statement".

He said the government was "absolutely committed to showing that we can deliver big important infrastructure projects".

"That is why in the Autumn Statement we protected key projects like HS2, East West Rail and core Northern Powerhouse Rail", he said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government was "committed to delivering on the plans it's announced with rail".

The Sun also reported that a two to five-year delay to the entire project is also being considered.

Speaking at Bloomberg's European HQ, in London, Mr Hunt said he was "incredibly proud that under a Conservative government for the first time we have shovels in the ground".

"But large infrastructure projects still take too long and if we are to deliver our ambitions we need to find a way to speed them up."

Martin McTague from the head of the Federation of Small Businesses said HS2 was an "enormous boost" for economic prospects in the Midlands.

"It's part of the levelling up process and I think if it falls short in west London then that defeats many of the objectives of the line," he told the BBC.

Work on the first phase of the project - between London and Birmingham - is well under way and that part of the line is due to open by 2033.

But the project has faced delays and mounting concerns over the exact route and its potential environmental impact.

The estimated cost of HS2 was between £72bn and £98bn at 2019 prices. A budget of £55.7bn for the whole of HS2 was set in 2015 - but this was made before the Leeds leg was cancelled.

A report published last October found it was unlikely that the £40.3bn target for the first section of the line would be met.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said HS2 was "experiencing high levels of inflation" and it was working with "suppliers actively to mitigate inflationary increases".

Research from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Office for National Statistics published in September showed that construction materials across the UK experienced inflation of 18% from August 2021 to August 2022.

Mr Harper said inflation was not affecting the "overall affordability of HS2 in real terms" but it was "creating pressures against its existing annual funding settlements".

Henri Murison, CEO of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said that if the HS2 rail link did not go to Euston, this would have "a number of significant disadvantages".

"Because actually people in the north of England, people in Birmingham, will want to get access to central London - that's what they currently have through the normal mainline network", he told the BBC.

However, Lord Tony Berkeley questioned whether more services to London were needed and said money would be better spent on local and regional services.

The Labour peer, who in 2019 was deputy chairman of a government review into HS2, said: "My view is that we should aim for the regions - the north and the Midlands - to have a commuter service as good as in the south-east."

The head of the National Infrastructure Commission, Sir John Armitt, told BBC News in November that cutting back on the HS2 rail route would be "silly".

"I think you've got massive investment, which has happened in Birmingham ahead of HS2 - it just shows what can happen.

"And Manchester of course equally is now seeing investment off the back of HS2. I think that would be a very strange decision," he said.

Pressure group Stop HS2 said it believed the project would increase carbon emissions and damage areas of natural beauty. Protesters, including veteran eco-protester Swampy, have built tunnels in an attempt to disrupt HS2 construction.

A senior figure at the Department for Transport warned last week that "quite tough decisions" could lie ahead for the scheme.

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2023-01-27 13:00:38Z
1755037856

HS2 will run through to London Euston, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says - BBC

By Aoife Walsh & Charley Adams

BBC News

The HS2 rail line will go all the way to London Euston, the chancellor has said, following a report the scheme may no longer reach the capital's centre.

The Sun reported that rising inflation and construction costs mean trains may terminate in west London instead.

The paper said bosses were considering pushing back its Euston terminus to 2038, or scrapping it completely.

But Jeremy Hunt said he did not "see any conceivable circumstances" why it would "not end up at Euston".

HS2, or High Speed 2, was originally intended to connect London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

The leg to Leeds has since been scrapped.

The Sun had reported that the move would mean trains would run from a new hub at Old Oak Common, about 8km (five miles) away, and commuters would have to use the Elizabeth Line or Tube to travel to central London.

However, when asked if he, and the government, were committed to HS2 going all the way to London Euston, Jeremy Hunt said: "Yes we are and I don't see any conceivable circumstances to why that will not end up at Euston."

Earlier, in a speech setting out his long-term vision for economic growth, the chancellor said HS2 was a "specific priority for me in the Autumn statement".