Dominic Raab resigns – latest: Ex-deputy PM attacks ‘activist’ civil servants after bullying report - The Independent

Keir Starmer says Dominic Raab’s resignation shows Rishi Sunak's ‘continual weakness’

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Dominic Raab has accused “activist” and “passive aggressive” civil servants of trying to block reforms like Brexit in a new interview.

Mr Raab resigned from cabinet this morning after a report upheld two claims of bullying against him and found he was “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” in a meeting while foreign secretary.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Raab charged a small group of “very activist” senior civil servants with pushing back against proposed government reforms because they don’t support them.

The former deputy PM complained that the report into his conduct did not make clear that no complaints lodged by junior officials were upheld.

He told the BBC that two instances where he was found at fault came from a “handful of very senior officials”.

Mr Raab said there was risk that a “very small minority of very activist civil servants” not in favour of the reforms were “effectively trying to block government”.

“That’s not on. That’s not democratic,” he added.

Mr Raab’s departure sparked a mini-reshuffle, with Alex Chalk, a former junior minister for the Ministry of Defence, replacing him as justice secretary, and Oliver Dowden as deputy prime minister.

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Raab attacks ‘activist’ and ‘passive aggressive' civil servants in new interview

Dominic Raab has accused “activist” and “passive aggressive” civil servants of trying to block reforms like Brexit in a new BBC interview.

In an interview with the broadcaster’s political editor Chris Mason, Mr Raab charged a small group of “very activist” senior civil servants with pushing back against proposed government reforms because they don’t support them.

The former deputy PM complained that the report into his conduct did not make clear that no complaints lodged by junior officials were upheld.

He told the BBC that two instances where he was found at fault came from a “handful of very senior officials”.

Mr Raab said there was risk that a “very small minority of very activist civil servants” not in favour of the reforms were “effectively trying to block government”.

“That’s not on. That’s not democratic,” he adds.

Emily Atkinson21 April 2023 17:15

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ICYMI: Meet Sunak’s new deputy PM: comprehensive kid known as ‘Olive’ who was compared to Tony Blair’s attack dog Alastair Campbell

Some in the Conservative Party are calling it an “Olive branch”.

Rishi Sunak has sought to restore order after the resignation of his deputy prime minister in a bullying scandal by calling on one of his closest allies in politics.

Oliver Dowden – affectionately known as Olive to his Tory friends – is the prime minister’s new deputy, appointed just hours after Dominic Raab quit the cabinet.

More below:

Matt Mathers22 April 2023 14:00

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Recap: 7 important things you might have missed from the Dominic Raab bullying report

The report that prompted Dominic Raab‘s resignation runs to a densely packed 47 pages.

But the report also contains interesting details about what did and didn’t go on while Mr Raab was a cabinet minister.

Policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:

Matt Mathers22 April 2023 13:30

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Envoy who nailed bully boy Dominic Raab unmasked

A British ambassador was at the centre of one of the bullying complaints upheld against former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, it has been reported.

Mr Raab resigned from the cabinet on Friday, following the conclusion of an investigation into multiple allegations against him.

Adam Tolley KC, the senior lawyer who led the probe, concluded the MP for Esher and Walton behaved in an “intimidating” and aggressive” way towards officials.

Full report:

Matt Mathers22 April 2023 12:56

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Raab would have been sacked had he not resigned - report

Dominic Raab would have been sacked by Rishi Sunak had he not resigned after two bullying complaints against him were upheld, a report says.

The Esher and Walton MP was effectively forced out after Adam Tolley KC submitted his report to the PM, which concluded that Mr Raab had behaved in an “intimidating” and aggressive” way towards officials, sources told The Times.

“The prime minister would have sacked him,” a cabinet minister told the paper.

Matt Mathers22 April 2023 11:33

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Report doesn’t show examples of bullying - former minister

Lord Swire, a former Conservative minister and ally of Dominic Raab who helped raise money for the former justice secretary’s failed leadership bid in 2019, said the report by Adam Tolley KC did not seem to show examples of bullying.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the former East Devon MP, after quoting a passage from Adam Tolley KC’s report in which the investigator said he did not find Mr Raab had intended to "upset or humiliate" with his behaviour towards staff, said: "That does not show to me bullying."

He added: "I’m actually struggling to work out why Mr Raab has actually gone. The fact is, this is a question of style."

Lord Swire denied that, in reminding a civil servant of their duties under the Civil Service code of conduct, that Mr Raab had "threatened" that employee’s career.

He said: "On this instance of Gibraltar, here we were, a senior civil servant was allegedly, according to this report, wanting to involve Spain more in those negotiations in direct contravention to what the cabinet had agreed.

"So here you have Dominic Raab as secretary of state saying, ‘Hang on a minute, you’re going beyond your brief, this is not what I said and not what the Cabinet said’.

"Now surely as head of that department, he is entitled to get extremely cross and remind civil servants of their obligations to carry out ministerial wishes under the code."

(Chris McAndrew)

Matt Mathers22 April 2023 11:00

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Raab didn’t listen to concerns about his behaviour - Lord McDonald

A former top civil servant who worked with Dominic Raab as foreign secretary said he had to speak to the former cabinet minister about how he dealt with staff.

Lord McDonald, who was head of the Foreign Office between 2015 and 2020, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: "I witnessed a tough taskmaster, I witnessed a minister who knew what he wanted to do.

"Frankly, I witnessed somebody whose methods did not help him to achieve what he wanted to do, and that I raised with him more than once."

Asked whether Mr Raab listened to the issues raised with him, the peer said: "No, he disputed it. He disputed the characterisation."

Lord McDonald said the high threshold for submitting a formal complaint against ministers meant civil servants were reluctant to put their names to specific grievances.

He added: "Without that evidence, Mr Raab was able to deflect. He said, and in a way reasonably, ‘What is the evidence?’. And without being able to present names and particular detailed instances, he resisted my representations."

Lord McDonald said he did not ever suggest to Mr Raab that he was bullying colleagues as it would have been "too aggressive".

He added the two Foreign Office complaints upheld against the former deputy prime minister occurred after he had left his permanent secretary role.

Matt Mathers22 April 2023 10:30

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I’ve seen no evidence of ‘activist’ civil servants - former perm secretary

Lord McDonald, a former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, said he had seen no evidence of Dominic Raab’s accusation of "activist" civil servants working against his ministerial agenda.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the peer, who worked with Mr Raab while he was foreign secretary, said: "I disagree strongly with Mr Raab.

"I think all the civil servants I saw working for Dominic Raab worked very hard for him in the way they are required to do.

"There is no Civil Service activism, there is no Civil Service passive aggression, there is no separate Civil Service agenda.

"And another key point is that serving civil servants cannot defend themselves in public, so no serving civil servant is now going to come forward and offer an alternative account because that is not allowed.

"As a retired civil servant, I can make part of the case but I was not there when these cases arose - my knowledge is imperfect - but I think it is important that the ethos, the handwork of civil servants, should be defended.

"I saw no evidence of a small group of activists trying to undermine a minister. The issue is a minister’s behaviour."

Matt Mathers22 April 2023 10:00

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Political sketch: Farewell, Raab the ridiculous: a bully to the last

Raab had five months to come up with some kind of dignified response to being branded a bully, and this was the best he could do? writes Tom Peck.

Read Tom’s full piece below:

Matt Mathers22 April 2023 09:30

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Comment: Raab quits – but his petulance and anger say it all

In the end, Raab took the slightly more dignified route of quitting rather than being publicly fired, as he once promised he would, but that’s about all he can say about this miserable denouement, writes Sean O’Grady.

Read Sean’s full piece here:

Matt Mathers22 April 2023 09:00

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2023-04-22 13:00:12Z
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Barry Humphries: Dame Edna Everage comedian dies at 89 - BBC

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By Paul Glynn, Phil Mercer & Antoinette Radford

BBC News, London and Sydney

Australian entertainer Barry Humphries, best known for his comic character Dame Edna Everage, has died aged 89.

The star had been in hospital in Sydney after suffering complications following hip surgery in March. He had a fall in February.

Humphries' most famous creation became a hit in the UK in the 1970s and landed her own TV chat show, the Dame Edna Everage Experience, in the late 1980s.

His other personas included the lecherous drunk Sir Les Patterson.

In a statement, his family remembered him as "completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit".

They said Humphries' fans were "precious to him", and said his characters, "which brought laughter to millions, will live on".

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute shortly after the news of Humphries' death broke.

"A great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind, he was both gifted and a gift." Mr Albanese said.

• The man behind Dame Edna
• Barry Humphries: A life in pictures

Getty Images

Melbourne-born Humphries moved to London in 1959, appearing in West End shows such as Maggie May and Oliver!

Inspired by the absurdist, avant-garde art movement Dada, he became a leading figure of the British comedy scene alongside contemporaries like Alan Bennett, Dudley Moore and Spike Milligan.

Comedian Rory Bremner described Humphries as "lightning quick, subversive, mischievous... & savagely funny" in a tweet.

He said with his passing "we lose an all-time great".

Welsh actor and comedian Rob Brydon also described Humphries as a "true great who inspired me immeasurably" and said it was a "delight to call him my friend".

He said he was also with him only three days ago, where he was "as ever, making me laugh".

Australian actor Jason Donovan tweeted a photo of him with Dame Edna and said Humphries was "quite simply an entertaining genius".

'Hello possums!'

In 1955, Humphries introduced Mrs Norman Everage, the housewife from Moonee Ponds, a suburb in Melbourne, in a university production.

It was the first iteration of the irrepressible character that would define his career.

Humphries said his creation was supposed to last only a week.

Instead, it blossomed into Dame Edna, his gaudy, sharp-tongued comic alter ego who would leave audiences in stitches in Australia and beyond for decades. He said the character was based on his own mother.

"Edna was painfully shy at first," Humphries told the Guardian in 2018. "Hard to believe!"

She became more outrageous as the years went on, and was famed for her lilac-rinsed hair, flamboyant glasses and catchphrase: "Hello possums!"

Dame Edna surprised the then Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, at the Royal Variety show in 2019 when she sat near the two and joked "they've found me a better seat" before moving.

Getty Images

Humphries even wrote an autobiography, My Gorgeous Life, as the character.

His other popular characters on stage and screen included the more grandfatherly Sandy Stone.

He said of Stone in 2016 that he could "finally feel myself turning into him".

Humphries also presented six series for BBC Radio 2, the latest being a three part series celebrating 100 years of the BBC.

The commissioning executive for Radio 2, Laura Busson, said his series "Barry Humphries Forgotten Musical Masterpieces" was hugely popular with audiences, and would be published on BBC Sounds today as a tribute to the comedian.

Getty Images

The comic actor, author, director and scriptwriter, who was also a keen landscape painter, announced a farewell tour for his satirical one-man stage show in 2012. But he returned last year with a series of shows looking back at his career.

His other credits included voicing the shark Bruce in 2003 Pixar animated film Finding Nemo, as well as appearances in 1967 comedy Bedazzled, Spice World, The Hobbit and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

Humphries was made an Officer of the Order of Australia, one of the country's highest civic honours, in 1982.

Later in his career, he was criticised for referring to gender affirmation surgery as "self-mutilation" and described transgender identity as a "fashion".

But his fans in Australia are mourning the loss of a comedy legend.

He was married four times, and leaves behind his wife of Lizzie Spender and four children.

What are your memories of Barry? Did you ever meet him? Share your recollections by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
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• Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

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2023-04-22 12:08:46Z
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Neville Lawrence says Met police surrendered to son’s killers - The Guardian

Scotland Yard surrendered to the racist killers of Stephen Lawrence who are still walking free, his father has said, as he demanded police reopen their investigation and hunt them down.

Neville Lawrence said the police decision three years ago to close the investigation into the remaining gang members who escaped justice for the 1993 attack was made because black life was viewed as cheap.

Saturday is the 30th anniversary of the murder that shamed the Metropolitan police and brought about national soul searching on race. Stephen’s mother, Doreen, will attend a memorial service, while her ex-husband will lay flowers at the site in south-east London where his firstborn child was murdered.

Neville Lawrence condemned the betrayal of the promises of change after his son’s death, and continuing police failings on race.

New research for the Guardian shows that in the two decades since an official inquiry into the Lawrence case, black people were selected by police to be stopped and searched 2.7m times more than if they had been treated the same as white people. The vast majority uncover no wrongdoing.

For Lawrence, one of his priorities is getting police to restart their pursuit of the three or four white youths who took part in the attack at a bus stop on 22 April 1993. Two men – David Norris and Gary Dobson – were jailed for murder in 2012, but police believe more were involved in the attack, in which Stephen was racially abused, then surrounded and stabbed twice.

Stephen’s parents fought for the police to take the case seriously and in 1999 the Macpherson inquiry found that institutional racism in part explained the Met’s failings. In 2020, the Met announced an end to the active hunt to find the remaining killers.

Lawrence said he wanted the murder hunt reopened, warning that it gave the racist killers confidence and deterred new witnesses and testimony. “It sends out a message that they are OK, you don’t have to worry about anyone coming for you.”

He said of the Met: “They have more than surrendered, they have told them they are safe. They have told them: we are not going to come for you. Black life is cheap.”

He added: “I can’t see us becoming involved with the Met again. If we found something really consequential, how could we trust that they would do the right thing?”

The Met said: “Stephen’s murder will be subject to periodic review to see if matters can be progressed with the passage of time and advances in technology and forensic.”

Lawrence said progress on race had been reversed in the last 13 years of Conservative government. “The system has gone back to where it was, because they don’t care. They don’t have any feeling for the black community.”

Confidence between police and minority ethnic communities is undermined by stop and search, especially among black people. Analysis for the Guardian shows that black and Asian people were subjected to nearly 2.7m more stop and searches in the 22 years after the Macpherson inquiry report in 1999 than if the police had treated them the same as white people.

Disproportionality in stop and search was 10 times worse for black people in 2017-18, but this has now come down to five times worse, analysis of the last official figures shows.

In 2010-11, the numerical equivalent of 10% of the black population of England and Wales were stopped. By 2021-22, that had fallen to 3%, but this was higher than figure for white people of 0.6%.

To mark the 30th anniversary, the Guardian commissioned fresh research and repeated an exercise first carried out a decade ago. The research, based on analysis of official figures, showed that the differing rates in stops of ethnic groups resulted in black and Asian people experiencing 1.478m excess searches in the decade after Macpherson.

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That figure was obtained by comparing the rate at which white people were stopped with that for other ethnic groups, and their respective share of the population.

The new research shows that from 2010-11 to the last official figures in 2021-22, there were another 1.2m excess stops of black and Asian people. This came despite a significant reduction in police use of stop and search overall. In 2010-11, there were 1.2m stops where ethnicity was recorded, compared with just over 512,000 in 2021-22.

The data was analysed by a team including Dr Krisztian Posch, of University College London, and Amal Ali, of the LSE.

Nationally, black people were 5.45 times more likely to be stopped than white people in 2021-22. But there were big variations. The highest disproportionality was in Dorset, at 13.59 times, followed by the City of London (10.23 times), Warwickshire (8.57 times), West Mercia (8.46 times) and Sussex (8.3 times).

The rate for the Met was 3.43 times, and the force is reeling from being found to be institutionally racist by another inquiry, this time by Louise Casey for the Met. Her report last month also found it to be institutionally misogynistic and homophobic.

Lawrence, in a Guardian comment article, condemned the Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, who said he would not use those descriptions about Britain’s largest force.

“Reform is not impossible, but if the person in charge of the organisation refuses to accept changes, then how is the force going to change?” Lawrence said. “If I was in trouble today, I wouldn’t call the police for help. Absolutely not. I have no confidence I would be treated with fairness or respect.”

In a statement, Rowley said progress had been made but huge problems persisted. “It is now clear that we did not dig deep enough to confront the cultural and systemic failings that allow discrimination to propagate. This failing has undermined the experience of our increasingly diverse workforce and compromised the trust of Londoners and our ability to protect them from crime,” he said.

“We have let Black communities down. They feel over-policed and under-protected. We are still not sufficiently representative of London, Black officers and staff still face discrimination and are not always sufficiently supported to progress within the Met. There are disproportionalities and systemic biases in our use of policing tactics and our support to victims of crime. We are deeply sorry for these failings.”

Rowley committed the Met to being “anti-racist” but made no mention of accepting that the force was institutionally racist.

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, condemned equivocating on accepting institutional racism. “While progress may have been made, the Met remains institutionally racist,” he said. “This is a reality we simply can’t ignore or equivocate on. Rather, we must confront this truth and recommit to eradicating racism from the Met and from every other sector and sphere of our society.”

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2023-04-22 06:00:00Z
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Dominic Raab resigns – latest: Deputy PM ‘humiliated’ civil servants, damning report finds - The Independent

Keir Starmer says Dominic Raab’s resignation shows Rishi Sunak's ‘continual weakness’

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Dominic Raab “humiliated” and “intimidated” civil servants, a damning report on the Tory MP’s treatment of ministerial staff found.

Mr Raab resigned from cabinet this morning after a report upheld two claims of bullying against him and found he was “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” in a meeting while foreign secretary.

The investigation by Adam Tolley KC concluded that the former deputy prime minister’s behaviour “also involved an abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates”.

Mr Raab went down swinging, dismissing the investigation as a “Kafkaesque saga” and warning its findings set a “dangerous precedent” for ministerial conduct.

Rishi Sunak, who was called “weak” for failing to sack his deputy over the findings, accepted Mr Raab’s resignation on Friday morning with “great sadness”.

The prime minister followed his outgoing colleague in attacking the investigation. He said “shortcomings” in the process “negatively affected everyone involved”.

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Full report: Dominic Raab resigns after bullying investigation

Dominic Raab has resigned as deputy prime minister after a damning report into claims he bullied civil servants was finally published (Adam Forrest writes).

The findings of Adam Tolley KC’s independent probe in the bullying claims landed on the PM’s desk on Thursday morning, but the results were not initially revealed.

Mr Raab has denied allegations of bullying – insisting that he believes “heart and soul” that he is not a bully.

In a punchy resignation letter he said he felt “duty bound” to accept the outcome of the inquiry.

Full report from The Independent’s politics team here:

Liam James21 April 2023 10:10

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Sunak takes Raab resignation as opportunity for mini-reshuffle

It appears the prime minister is taking Dominic Raab’s departure this morning as an opportunity for a mini-reshuffle of his Cabinet.

With the next general election fast approaching, these latest movements inside Rishi Sunak’s inner circle give us an idea of how the Tory command might look when the country next takes to the polls.

Here is a rundown of the latest appointments:

The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments: · Alex Chalk KC MP as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice; · James Cartlidge MP as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence; · Gareth Davies MP as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, has also been appointed Deputy Prime Minister.

In addition, His Majesty has approved the following appointments under the provisions in the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021: · Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP as a Minister on Leave (Secretary of State); · Rt Hon Chloe Smith MP as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology; · Julia Lopez MP as a Minister on Leave (Minister of State); · Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale OBE MP as a Minister of State jointly in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

These will take effect when maternity leave is triggered.

Emily Atkinson21 April 2023 14:04

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Oliver Dowden appointed deputy PM

Oliver Dowden has been appointed deputy prime minister, Downing Street has announced.

Mr Dowden is the Conservative MP for Hertsmere, and has been an MP continuously since 7 May 2015.

He currently holds the government posts of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and secretary of state in the Cabinet Office.

Emily Atkinson21 April 2023 13:55

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No 10 backs ‘thorough report’ after Raab’s criticism

Downing Street said that the report into Dominic Raab was “detailed” and “thorough”, following the former justice secretary’s criticism.

Mr Raab earlier dismissed the investigation as a “Kafkaesque saga” and warned its findings set a “dangerous precedent” for ministerial conduct.

The PM’s official spokesman said: “This is a very detailed, thorough piece of work. He thanks him for it.

“It has allowed him to come to the judgment with regards the former Secretary of State.

“It is important he appointed someone of significant experience, which Adam Tolley is, to carry out this work and I think it will give people confidence that these issues are looked at thoroughly and properly.”

Emily Atkinson21 April 2023 13:51

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Dominic Raab replaced as justice secretary by Alex Chalk

Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell has more:

Emily Atkinson21 April 2023 13:49

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Lizzie Dearden, our Home Affairs Editor, writes:

The fallout from Dominic Raab’s resignation is not the only internal battle faced by the government today.

It is yet to publish an amendment to the Illegal Migration Bill demanded by a right-wing faction of the Conservative Party.

The “Common Sense Group” of MPs successfully lobbied the prime minister and home secretary to create a clause overriding interim measures by the European Court of Human Rights, after they grounded the first attempted flight to Rwanda last June.

Downing Street agreed the change in principle, angering critics and charities who accused the government of “increasingly authoritarian” behaviour and wrecking “respect for human rights and the rule of law”.

But the new clause did not appear on a list of amendments published on the parliament website, and The Independent understands it will be tabled later today.

What was on the list, however, was the government’s concession to a separate rebellion by a group of cross-party MPs headed by Conservative Tim Loughton on creating more safe and legal routes.

While weaker than wanted by rebels, who originally demanded that alternatives to Channel crossings were set up before the government could detain and deport asylum seekers for using small boats, it forces the government to lay out new routes within six months of the bill passing.

Liam James21 April 2023 13:40

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Sunak 'accepts Raab broke ministerial code’

Rishi Sunak accepts that Dominic Raab broke the ministerial code with the finding of bullying, No 10 says.

The PM’s official spokesman said: “You can see the aspects relevant to the code are set out in the report. I think those speak for themselves.

“The prime minister thinks it’s right that any findings whatsoever that are deemed to be bullying, it’s right to resign. That’s the commitment the former secretary of state made and he’s upheld that commitment.”

Asked whether he would condemn the behaviour, the spokesman said: “Clearly, any bullying in general terms is unacceptable and there are clear rules that apply to that.”

Emily Atkinson21 April 2023 13:40

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‘Entirely right’ for PM to take time to consider Raab report, says No 10

Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has the latest from No 10:

Rishi Sunak does not regret not acting more swiftly over Dominic Raab, No 10 has said.

The prime minister was criticised by even his own ministers after he failed to decide his deputy’s fate on Thursday.

But asked if the prime minister regretted not acting more quickly, No 10 said “No”.Downing Street said it was “entirely right” that he took time to consider the report carefully.

(AFP/Getty)

Emily Atkinson21 April 2023 13:37

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Raab was ‘intimidating and insulting’ on several occasions – report

Dominic Raab complained about a lack of “the basics” or “basic information” while working at the Ministry of Justice, according to the report.

He was “intimidating” and “insulting” on a number of occasions in meetings, the report found.

“On a number of occasions of meetings with policy officials (albeit by no means in every case) the DPM acted in a manner which was intimidating, in the sense of going further than was necessary or appropriate in delivering critical feedback, and also insulting, in the sense of making unconstructive critical comments about the quality of work done (whether or not as a matter of substance any criticism was justified),” Adam Tolley KC wrote.

Emily Atkinson21 April 2023 13:35

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Sunak held phone call with Raab this morning

More now from the lobby...

Rishi Sunak spoke to Dominic Raab ahead of his resignation, but Downing Street declined to set out whether he told him he had to go.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “He spoke to Dominic Raab this morning, that was on the phone rather than in person.”

The official would not say whether the prime minister asked his deputy to resign from the Cabinet, saying: “I’m not going to get into their conversation.”

Mr Sunak consulted both Mr Tolley and his ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus on Thursday, but did not speak to Mr Raab that day, the spokesman said.

Emily Atkinson21 April 2023 13:29

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2023-04-21 12:55:23Z
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Thomas Cashman: Calls to extend jail term for Olivia's killer - BBC

Merseyside Police

An appeal has been lodged to extend the jail sentence of the man who shot dead nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

Thomas Cashman was ordered to serve a minimum of 42 years behind bars after he was found guilty of shooting the schoolgirl in her Liverpool home.

The 34-year-old refused to go into the dock for the sentencing on 3 April.

The Attorney General's Office said it had received a request to increase Cashman's sentence under the unduly lenient scheme.

A spokesman said several members of the public had made the appeal, and law officers had 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision.

Cashman was handed the life sentence after a trial which lasted more than three weeks at Manchester Crown Court earlier this month.

The judge said his failure to appear in the dock was "disrespectful" to Olivia's family.

Family handout

His trial heard how a fellow drug dealer, Joseph Nee, was the intended target of the attack and Cashman, armed with two guns, had been "lying in wait".

Fleeing the gunfire, Nee had run towards the open door of Olivia's home after her mother went out to see what the noise was.

Cashman continued shooting and a bullet went through the door and Ms Korbel's hand, before hitting Olivia in the chest with a fatal wound.

• Olivia's murderer jailed for at least 42 years
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• Olivia's mum 'ecstatic' as gunman guilty of murder

Ms Korbel told the court life was "so very quiet" without her daughter, adding: "I just can't cope with the silence."

She said she spent every afternoon thinking about the end of the school day and her "sassy, chatty girl who everyone adored".

She added: "My mind keeps telling me that I've forgotten to pick her up from school."

Caught in the Crossfire

Nine year old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed when shots were fired into her family home.

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Related Topics

• Knotty Ash
• West Derby
• Liverpool

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• HM Courts & Tribunals Service

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2023-04-21 09:03:45Z
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