Widespread sunshine and temperatures as high as 18C could make Easter Sunday the UK’s warmest day of the year so far.
Forecasters said high pressure moving across the UK had “timed itself nicely”, with sunny weather expected over the bank holiday weekend.
At 18C, the country could be warmer than some Greek islands – including Santorini, Mykonos and Crete – all usual Easter holiday destinations.
The Met Office warned people in the UK not to underestimate the strength of the sun, with UV levels as strong as the “back end of summer”, carrying the risk of sunburn.
However, rain will arrive in Northern Ireland on Sunday, before sweeping across the rest of the country on bank holiday Monday, which is described as the “day to do anything you want indoors”.
Craig Snell, a Met Office forecaster, told the PA news agency: “Saturday is going to be another fine day for the vast majority. However, some of the eastern coast of Scotland and north-eastern England will remain disappointingly grey.
“Inland, the sun will be shining for a lot of the UK and it’s going to be a relatively reasonable Saturday out there; temperature-wise in the sunshine it will feel pleasantly warm, reaching as high as 17C in some parts.
“Then on Easter Sunday for a good chunk of the UK it’s going to be fairly reasonable, the only place we’ll probably see a change is Northern Ireland where it’ll turn increasingly breezy, cloudy and eventually damp.
“But for the most part it will be fairly sunny and temperatures may peak at around 18C – so, pleasantly warm out there.”
That would set a new warmest day for 2023, exceeding the current highest temperature of 17.8C on 30 March in the village of Santon Downham, Suffolk.
It comes as an estimated 2 million British holidaymakers head overseas during the Easter bank holiday weekend, according to travel trade organisation Abta, which calculated the figure.
Snell continued: “It’s a bank holiday weekend, so the weather has timed itself nicely really because it looks like it’s going to turn wet and windy as we go into next week.
“People can enjoy the early spring sunshine, but even though it’s not really warm the sun is still strong –it’s as strong as it is towards the back end of summer now.
“Just be careful if you’re out for a long time, you can easily get sunburned out there. This time of year catches a lot of people out.
“But it’s not going to last too long. Monday is certainly going to be that day of change, as low pressure starts to dominate the scene. With blustery showers it’s the day to do anything you want indoors.”
The "boy in the tent" - who raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for a hospice - is among more than 850 community and charity representatives invited to the King's coronation.
The feat has earned him an invite to the historic event next month, along with hundreds of British Empire Medal (BEM) recipients in recognition of their contributions.
The BEM recognises the achievement or contribution of service to the community in a local area.
Many of those attending the coronation were "instrumental in providing services and support to their local communities during the COVID-19 lockdowns", Buckingham Palace said.
Max, of Braunton, Devon, first pitched his tent in March 2020 with the aim of raising £100, inspired by his neighbour and friend Rick Abbot, who died of cancer in February 2020.
He went on to set a Guinness World Record for the biggest sum raised by camping, with the proceeds paying for 16 community nurses across north Devon.
Other BEM recipient invitees include Dawn Wood, a constable with Essex Police's marine unit, who became the second fastest woman to row solo across the Atlantic in February 2019, after a 3,000-mile journey from the Canary Islands to Barbados in 51 days.
Grandfather John Anderson, 72, from Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, who was honoured for his community work throughout the pandemic, has also been invited.
The retired firefighter helped set up a call centre where people with COVID could get in touch for a food parcel and have it delivered to their home, and he later established a community food pantry in Fraserburgh.
Former president of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) Franstine Jones, 60, from Ipswich has also been invited, describing it as the "biggest recognition" of her work to ensure diversity.
Some 400 young people representing charities will also be able to watch the coronation service and procession from the adjacent St Margaret's Church.
They were nominated by the King and Queen Consort and the government.
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Bell-ringers needed for King's coronation
Half of them are involved with the Prince's Trust, the Prince's Foundation, Barnardo's, the National Literacy Trust or the Ebony Horse Club, after the organisations were chosen by Charles and Camilla.
The other 200 are from the Scout Association, Girlguiding UK, St John Ambulance and the National Citizen Service and were nominated by the Government.
The four organisations are providing stewarding, route lining and first aid services on coronation day across London.
And it was a Londonderry man, proud still of his small part in history, who made that announcement.
Former Northern Ireland chief electoral officer Pat Bradley was the face and voice of a moment in history that went around the world.
It was a result that, he said, was met with astonishing noise.
"Before I read that sentence I could feel the tension in the room," he told BBC Radio Foyle.
Mr Bradley was appointed deputy electoral officer in 1974 and then chief electoral officer for Northern Ireland in 1980.
He took centre stage, result in hand, as those in Belfast's King's Hall and around the world watched on for a moment that would alter the course of political history in Northern Ireland.
"I was calm and collected because I knew I had to do the job that I was assigned to do," Mr Bradley said.
"If I take a job on, I want to do it properly, I was not nervous but I was more concerned about what the reaction would be of the audience to my announcement."
"I was scared that the result may not have been accepted - we had hundreds of people packed in there from around the world and my concern was if the result was not acceptable to some people there would be problems."
However, despite his concerns, he knew he could do nothing to control people's reactions but could only carry out his duty.
"I just walked up on stage and said: 'I hereby give notice that the percentage votes given at the referendum was as follows, Yes - 71.12% and the percentage for No was 28.88 %.'
"That figure is embossed into my mind and into my soul," he added.
"I saw a cheer from one side, but I saw no negativity from the other side, so that was a good thing."
PAcemaker
Mr Bradley said he did not really get a chance to reflect much of the significance of the result that day because he was so tired after putting in the hours to ensure the vote and announcement ran smoothly.
He said that both himself and the police stayed with the ballot boxes all through the night to ensure there was no suggestion of foul play that could put the result in jeopardy.
"I didn't want any hints or any innuendo that the boxes had been tampered with - I didn't want anybody to say that something was done," he said.
"I stayed up all night until my staff came in just prior to the count - I had been going non-stop for about 40 hours.
"After the result that day, I drove home to Derry and had to stop four or five times to get a cup of coffee."
Labour's Emily Thornberry has defended a party advert which claimed Rishi Sunak did not think adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison.
The shadow attorney general insisted the prime minister was responsible for a "broken justice system".
She said that some people thought the graphic was racist but in her belief, they were wrong.
The advert has been condemned by politicians from all major parties.
Next to a photo and mock signature of the prime minister, the ad posted on Thursday said: "Do you think adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison? Rishi Sunak doesn't."
The caption accompanying the campaign graphic read: "Labour is the party of law and order."
Twitter
Ms Thornberry was pressed on Radio 4's Any Questions if she genuinely thought Mr Sunak held these views.
She replied: "If he believes that everyone responsible for child abuse should get a custodial sentence, why are so many not getting a custodial sentence? He is the prime minister and that is a legitimate question for the opposition to ask."
Ms Thornberry did acknowledge many people she likes and respects had criticised the advert.
"Some felt very uncomfortable about it, some thought that it was racist - and I have to say I think they are wrong.
"I think that the truth is that we do need to have a debate in this country and Rishi Sunak in this country is the Prime Minister and he is responsible for a broken justice system."
'Political opportunist'
Also on the programme, Pensions Minister Laura Trott branded the ad a "desperate stunt" and called Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer a "political opportunist".
Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson said: "I was pretty disgusted by it when I saw it last night. This is not an attack ad my party would use."
Earlier on Friday, Labour's Lucy Powell refused to endorse the ad but said she stood by the party's campaign, arguing it highlighted apparent failings in the justice system.
The shadow culture secretary told BBC Breakfast: "I stand by what this tweet and this campaign is trying to highlight.
"The graphic itself, obviously, is a skit based on his own graphics that he extensively uses," she added, in a sometimes fiery exchange with BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty.
"I can see it's not to everybody's taste and some people won't like it."
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Labour's former deputy leader John McDonnell was among those who criticised the approach and he urged the party to withdraw the tweet.
Former Conservative cabinet minister Rory Stewart - who served as justice minister under Theresa May's premiership - was also critical, and called for "policy not polarisation".
He said: "Is someone going to point out that this is about laws, sentencing guidelines and judicial practices? That were not and would not be different under Labour? Or talk about how even tougher sentences have overcrowded prisons?"
Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood described the ad as "appalling" and claimed it threatened to undermine the democratic process, adding: "We should be better than this. I've called it out on my own side for stooping low and do so again now."
Scottish National Party MP John Nicolson said the post was "nauseating" and that it "cheapened and debased" politics.
Despite the backlash, Labour tweeted a second advert on Friday - accusing Mr Sunak of being soft on gun crime.
The ad asked: "Do you think an adult convicted of possessing a gun with intent to harm should go to prison? Rishi Sunak doesn't."
It said 937 adults had been convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to harm but served no prison time, citing Ministry of Justice data.
We asked Labour how it came up with the figure - featured in the ad - of 4,500 adults "convicted of sexually assaulting children under 16" who served no prison time under the Conservatives.
It pointed us to Ministry of Justice statistics for England and Wales from 2010 to 2022.
If you look at adults - those over 18 - then you do get to that figure of people who were convicted but received a community sentence or a suspended sentence, rather than being sent to prison.
It's worth noting the figure covers both sexual assault of a child and sexual activity with a child - Labour's ad says the figure relates to sexual assault only, though its press release does mention both categories.
Sentencing Guidelines for courts in England and Wales do also allow for community sentences - as an alternative to prison - in cases of sexual activity with a child over 13.
The guidelines say: "Community orders can fulfil all of the purposes of sentencing. In particular, they can have the effect of restricting the offender's liberty while providing punishment in the community [and] rehabilitation for the offender".
Crime is traditionally safer ground for the Conservatives, but Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer believes the issue can be a vote-winner for his party.
Although it is not something councils are directly responsible for, crime has become a key talking point in the run-up to the local elections next month.
In the cut-and-thrust of campaigns, parties often make spurious claims about their opponents.
However, Sir Keir has been careful to cultivate the perception that his party is the "grown-up in the room".
With that in mind, many Labour supporters believe these adverts could do more harm than good.
The auditors of the SNP’s accounts have quit, as sources warned that Nicola Sturgeon’s silence over the scandal engulfing the party was becoming a “festering wound”.
On Friday, it emerged that Johnston Carmichael, an accountancy firm that has worked with the party for more than a decade, had quit amid a police probe into the party’s finances that saw Ms Sturgeon’s home searched and her husband, Peter Murrell, arrested.
While the firm refused to reveal the reason for walking away, citing client confidentiality, the move was seen as a sign of deepening crisis linked to the SNP’s financial position.
One senior supporter of Kate Forbes, who narrowly missed out on the SNP leadership, said: “If a firm of chartered accountants makes a statement they are not willing to carry out an audit, there’s usually a serious disagreement with the client. There may be some irregularity or impropriety.
“The big picture is there’s so many questions that require an answer and they are not going to go away. They are going to suppurate like a festering wound. Until they are answered, the new first minister will be the victim of collateral damage.
“It’s necessary for Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell to start giving answers to all these questions. What on Earth is going on?”
They warned that the furore would continue for months if Ms Sturgeon, the former first minister, and her husband remained silent and the SNP could not start recovering. She pulled out of a climate change event she had been due to take part in on Thursday and has gone to ground, with Mr Murrell’s location also unknown.
Police outside the home of Nicola Sturgeon, the former Scottish First Minister, and her husband Peter Murrell on Thursday
Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
The SNP has until July 7 to present its next set of accounts to the Electoral Commission or face possible sanctions.
Referring to the auditors quitting, the source added: “This is a serious development. Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell, John Swinney and Liz Lloyd – these people were the inner circle.
“It’s time that the quad spoke out in the interests of the party. They got us into this mess and they need to get us out of it. There’s more and more people in the party who are getting angrier and angrier and angrier by the day, watching the party they love implode and face destruction.”
On Thursday, Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader, insisted the party was in “good financial health” but admitted that “I want it to be better.”
It is understood the auditors resigned prior to the arrest of Mr Murrell, who was the SNP chief executive for more than two decades.
The police probe into party finances involves questions over how around £600,000 of donations, which were solicited for independence referendum campaigns that never happened, had been spent. Complaints were made to police after members noticed that the supposedly ring-fenced cash was “missing” from the accounts.
An interest-free loan of £107,620 which Mr Murrell gave to the party in May 2021 is also believed to be being looked into by police. According to the most recent public financial disclosures, £60,000 of the balance remains outstanding.
Over recent years, the SNP has struggled to attract large donations, leaving it reliant on membership fees for the bulk of its income. However, membership numbers have plummeted by around 30,000 since the last accounts, for 2021, were published.
Then, the party had around 104,000 members, who were worth £2.5 million in annual membership income. As of last month, there were only 72,169 members.
The 2021 accounts showed the SNP had income of £4.5 million but expenditure of £5.2 million. In those accounts, Johnson Carmichael said it had worked with the SNP to avoid fraud or misstatements.
An SNP spokesman said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on any live police investigation, but the SNP have been cooperating fully with this investigation and will continue to do so.
“At its meeting on Saturday, the governing body of the SNP, the NEC, agreed to a review of governance and transparency. This will be taken forward in the coming weeks.”
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Labour was accused of “gutter politics” over the social media post, which has been condemned by politicians from across the political spectrum as well as high-profile Labour supporters.
The Independent also understands that members of Sir Keir’s own shadow cabinet are uncomfortable with the tactic. One Labour frontbencher, shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell, refused to endorse the advert when asked, although she said she did not think it should be removed.
But the party said it stood by the graphic – and later doubled down, releasing a second advert suggesting that the prime minister doesn’t think people convicted of firearm possession with intent to harm should be jailed.
An outcry erupted on Friday morning after Labour posted a photograph of Mr Sunak alongside the words: “Do you think adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison? Rishi Sunak doesn’t.”
In the same post, Labour describes itself as “the party of law and order”. Crime is a key battleground in the run-up to May’s local elections.
Denis MacShane, who served as a minister in Tony Blair’s government, criticised the ad, saying Labour “should not get into [the] gutter”.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell urged his party to remove it, saying: “This is not the sort of politics a Labour Party, confident of its own values and preparing to govern, should be engaged in ... please withdraw it.”
Conservative MP and science minister George Freeman described the initial advert as a “new low in British politics” and denounced it as “appalling”.
And the chair of the Commons defence select committee, Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, said: “I’ve called it out on my own side for stooping low and do so again now.” He warned that if such attacks became commonplace they could “put people off entering politics”.
Condemnation of the advert has come from all sides of the political divide
(Getty/Labour Party)
Former justice minister Rory Stewart denounced the advert as “bile” and “nasty politics”, while Tory party deputy chair Lee Anderson accused Labour of resorting to a “vile and desperate” campaign strategy.
SNP MP John Nicolson said the advert “cheapened and debased” politics.
Criticism also came from beyond the world of politics, with The Rotters’ Club author Jonathan Coe tweeting: “Please don’t go down this road, Labour.”
Actor Samuel West, recently seen in All Creatures Great and Small, described it as “lower than low” and said he was “embarrassed” to be a Labour member.
Judges, rather than MPs, are responsible for sentences given to individual criminals. The figures quoted by Labour are also controversial because they cover the period since 2010, which was five years before Mr Sunak became an MP.
The Twitter post, which referenced a Labour analysis of Ministry of Justice data, said: “Under the Tories, 4,500 adults convicted of sexually assaulting children under 16 served no prison time. Labour will lock up dangerous child abusers.”
A second advert claims that Rishi Sunak doesn’t think people convicted of possessing guns with intent to harm should go to prison
(Labour Party)
Former Tory cabinet minister Sayeeda Warsi criticised both the graphic and recent comments by the home secretary Suella Braverman, saying: “Dog whistle met by dog whistle. Disgraceful comments by Braverman over the weekend has triggered an appalling fight into the gutter.”
A Labour source said: “We stand by the graphic.” However, in an appearance on BBC Breakfast, Ms Powell declined to say publicly that she stood by the advert.
“What I stand by is what that graphic is trying to show, which is that the prime minister of our country is responsible for the criminal justice system of our country, and currently that criminal justice system is not working,” she said.
Asked again whether she stood by the message, she said: “I stand by what this tweet and this campaign is trying to highlight.”
Commenting on the fact that the ad featured a large picture of Mr Sunak’s face and his signature, she added: “The graphic itself, obviously, is a skit based on [Mr Sunak’s] own graphics that he extensively uses.”
In response to Mr McDonnell’s criticism, she said: “I can see that it’s not to everybody’s taste, absolutely, and that some people won’t like it ... But that is the cut-and-thrust nature of politics. I didn’t design the graphic; it’s not my graphic.”
Ms Powell told Sky News: “We do have serious criminals now, in this country, almost routinely getting more lenient custodial sentences than they would otherwise do, because the system is creaking at the knees.”
Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell has admitted that the advert is ‘not to everyone’s taste’
(PA Archive)
She said this was not down to sentencing guidelines, but to a lack of “capacity in the system to actually implement those guidelines”, with a “huge backlog” in court cases and pressure on prison places.
She later said she did not think the advert should be withdrawn.
“I don’t think it should be deleted ... this graphic that came online last night is, as I say, it’s a skit; it’s a take on other graphics that the prime minister himself has produced in the past,” she told Times Radio. “And at the end of the day, he is the prime minister of this Conservative government, he is responsible for the criminal justice system of this country, and the fact that, at the moment, it is on its knees, and unable to process and deal with serious criminal offences. And he should be, along with his ministers, accountable for that.”
A Tory source pointed to Sir Keir’s time as director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013, saying: “Labour HQ have highlighted Sir Keir’s appalling record at keeping children safe.”
If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call the NSPCC free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331
