A year ago, Ben Wallace was seen as a potential candidate to replace Boris Johnson after the former PM’s resignation. Wallace was tipped as a possible favourite following his handling of the Russia-Ukraine war and topped a ConservativeHome poll of Tory party members about who should become the next prime minister.
He was a staunch remainer and ruled himself out of the race to become PM that was initially won by Liz Truss saying: “I didn’t want it enough. I think at my stage in life ... to want to be prime minister, you have to really, really want it. You have to want it above all else, to be ruthless at one level. I can be ruthless in certain things. But I have three teenage children, my wife and I had separated, so no one’s going to come and live with me in Chequers.”
Wallace did not go to university. He left school at 18 and became a ski instructor in Austria before attending the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He joined the Scots Guards in 1991 and served in Germany, Cyprus, Belize and Northern Ireland. He left in 1998 to pursue a political career and was elected a year later as a member of the Scottish parliament, where he served a single term.
He later moved to Lancashire and was elected as the MP for Lancaster and Wyre in 2005. He was appointed defence minister four years ago and his profile rose with the war in Ukraine and the prior evacuation of UK forces from Afghanistan.
The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, will appoint a new defence secretary after Wallace’s formal resignation. He praised Wallace’s “strategic foresight” in dealing with Vladimir Putin and the Ukraine war and said he played an instrumental role in the evacuation of Afghanistan.
In his resignation letter, Wallace points to his handling of threats including the Salisbury poisonings, Afghanistan, Sudan and Ukraine and points to increased funding he secured for the armed forces. But he warns against cutting investment in the armed forces, saying he believes “over the next decade the world will get more insecure and more unstable”.
Ever since I joined the Army I have dedicated myself to serving my country. That dedication however comes at a personal toll to me and my family. After much reflection, I have taken the decision to ask that I be allowed to step down. I won my seat in 2005 and after so many years it is time for me to invest in the parts of life that I have neglected, and to explore new opportunities.
Ben Wallace has confirmed his resignation as defence secretary after four years in the post, saying the Ministry of Defence is “back on the path to being once again world class”.
The move is likely to lead to a mini-reshuffle, with the chief secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, and the former defence secretary Liam Fox in the mix to replace him.
Wallace played a key role in responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was a close ally of Boris Johnson, but told the Sunday Times in July he was “not standing next time”. However he ruled out leaving parliament “prematurely” and forcing another byelection on Rishi Sunak, of whom he remains supportive.
Met Police / Cheshire Constabulary / Merseyside Po
By Oliver Slow
BBC News
Families of victims of serious offenders say plans to give judges more powers to make criminals attend sentencing hearings will ensure loved ones are "put first".
The mother of shooting victim Olivia Pratt-Korbel and the sister of murder victim Sabina Nessa have been campaigning for the law change.
It comes after baby killer Lucy Letby refused to appear for her sentencing.
Critics say the move is a "knee-jerk, headline-grabbing" response.
Under new rules, judges will be able to order an offender to attend a sentencing hearing and make it "clear in law" that reasonable force can be used.
Those who refuse could face an extra two years in prison - although this will make no difference for someone like Letby who has been given a whole life order and will never be released.
Powers already exist for judges to compel people to attend, but officials said they are rarely used, and a law change would "make it clearer" for judges to enforce it.
Jebina Islam, Ms Nessa's sister, told the BBC she was "delighted" to see victims and their families being "put first".
"We've worked hard for this and it's about time that we've seen this change happen," she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
She said her family felt angry when Ms Nessa's killer refused to stand in the dock for sentencing.
"How is this fair? How is this allowed? He murdered my sister, our sister," she said.
Cheryl Korbel, whose nine-year-old daughter Olivia was killed by Thomas Cashman - who also refused to appear in court when he received his life sentence - has been among those campaigning for the law change.
She told ITV she hoped Olivia was "proud of what we've done".
"Because at the end of the day, it's in her name, it's why we've done this. And not only in her name, it's for every family out there that has gone through it," she said.
"We just hope it gets changed so no-one else has to go through it."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was "unacceptable" that some of the country's "most horrendous criminals" have refused to come to court.
"They cannot and should not be allowed to take the coward's way out," he said.
However, the father of a murdered police officer warned against a "knee-jerk, headline-grabbing response".
Former prison officer Bryn Hughes' daughter PC Nicola Hughes was killed in 2012 alongside a colleague in a gun and grenade ambush while on duty in Greater Manchester.
He said he had witnessed the issue from "both sides of the courtroom".
"On being the father of someone who was murdered and being in court, and a former prison officer who has actually restrained someone into court. It is difficult," he told PA news agency.
He said it was often very difficult to force people up the often narrow steps from the cells into courtrooms, and had seen the behaviour of prisoners forced into courtrooms.
"Foul abuse towards the family, abused the court, turned their back, kicked off, fought, spat, bitten people," he said.
Guidelines already exist for judges to increase sentences for those convicted failing to appear, under the Content of Court Act. But Ministry of Justice officials say they could only find one example in a decade of a judge using their powers to make someone attend.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said a law change would "make it easier" for judges to ensure those found guilty appear in court. The families of victims of serious offenders said plans to give judges more powers to make criminals attend sentencing hearings will ensure victims are "put first".
Most people attending the Notting Hill carnival had a “fantastic time”, the head of the Metropolitan police has said while also expressing concern over violent incidents committed by a “small number of very dangerous people”.
The comments by Sir Mark Rowley, Metropolitan police commissioner, came as Rishi Sunak used stabbing incidents at the event to help justify new powers against so-called zombie knives and machetes.
Joining the prime minister on a visit to Kilburn police station in north London, Rowley said about two-thirds of stabbing murders in London involved these types “ghastly weapons”.
The organisers of the Notting Hill carnival said they “deplore all acts of violence” after a number of stabbings at the festival on Monday, its final day.
Two men are in hospital, with one, a 29-year-old, in a critical condition, after incidents at the west London street party, which attracted an estimated 2 million people over the bank holiday weekend. The other man, 19, is in a serious but stable condition.
Police said six other men, aged 18, 19, 20, 25, 28 and 40, sustained non-life threatening injuries in separate stabbing incidents on the same day.
There were 275 arrests during the two days of the carnival, with 165 arrests on Monday for a range of offences including possession of offensive weapons, assaults on police officers, possession of drugs and sexual offences.
Speaking before the visit to Kilburn, Rowley said he was worried about the use of weapons at the carnival and would work with organisers to improve safety, but praised the “fantastic heritage” of Europe’s largest street party.
He declined to comment on calls by Susan Hall, the Conservative London mayoral candidate for 2024, for the carnival to be moved from the streets of west London to a park.
“We’re not the organisers of the carnival. It’s an amazing community event with over a million people attending and it’s got such a fantastic heritage,” he said. “We will be reviewing what’s gone on with the organisers and looking at what more can be done to improve safety, and what more can be done to help keep away the small number of very dangerous people who turn up there.
“But you’ve got a million people there turning up and having a fantastic time. We’ve got to be careful how we refer to it. But I am worried about the weapons and the incidents we saw.”
But Hall had said police “don’t want to be there”. She was criticised for saying the week before the carnival that it was “dangerous” and should be moved, and has previously said she should not be accused of racism for saying there were “problems with crime in the black community”.
People flocked to the annual celebration of Caribbean culture and history, which this year also marked the 75th anniversary of the Windrush arrival, and thousands took part in a jubilant adult parade that closed the festival on Monday.
The organisers said they deplored acts of violence that had “nothing to do with Notting Hill carnival and its values”, noting that 12,786 knife offences were carried out in the capital over the 12 months to the end of March.
Sunak, speaking alongside Rowley, said the incidents at the carnival were a “good illustration” of the need to act on knife crime.
The Home Office has announced new powers for police to seize and destroy “zombie knives” and machetes that have no practical use, with a two-year maximum jail sentence for the importation, manufacturing, possession and sale of the weapons.
A new offence will be introduced for possessing bladed articles “with the intention to endanger life or cause fear of violence”. The measures were proposed in April, and will be put into law “when parliament allows” after a public consultation.
Sunak told reporters: “I’m grateful to the police for all their efforts to ensure the safety of the carnival and it’s a good illustration of why we need to take action.
“That’s why we consulted on these measures earlier in the year. That’s why we’ve spoken to the police to hear first-hand from them what do they need to keep reducing knife crime, and today’s powers will help them do that.”
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Criminals will be forced into the dock for sentencing hearings under laws being rolled out in the wake of Lucy Letby’s conviction.
Judges will be given the power to order an offender to attend a sentencing hearing, including by force if necessary, under plans announced by the Ministry of Justice.
The law change is being rolled out in the wake of the serial killer nurse’s conviction for murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of six others.
She refused to appear in court for her sentencing, prompting renewed calls for ministers to speed up a promised change in the law to force criminals into the dock.
Court drawing by Elizabeth Cook of empty chairs in court after nurse Lucy Letby refused to attend
Announcing the reform on Wednesday, Rishi Sunak said: “It is unacceptable that some of the country’s most horrendous criminals have refused to face their victims in court.
“They cannot and should not be allowed to take the coward’s way out,” said the prime minister.
“That’s why we are giving judges the power to order vile offenders to attend their sentencing hearings, with those who refuse facing being forced into the dock or spending longer behind bars.”
Justice secretary Alex Chalk told ITV News the law was being changed to ensure “natural justice, because for many victims, they will never be able to sleep peacefully again because their lives have been shattered by what the offender has done”.
He added: “It is only right that as the offender is trying to get to sleep that they hear society’s condemnation expressed through the sentencing remarks of the judge ringing through their ears.”
Critics of the idea say it is an unworkable policy, as there is “no incentive” for those with a whole life tariff to appear in the dock if they do not want to.
Labour MP and former shadow justice secretary Karl Turner told The Independent: “It is all too tempting in these tragic cases for politicians to promise to force the guilty, dragged kicking and screaming if need be, to court.
“But to make such promises that are not, in reality, actually possible to deliver, may just cause further suffering to victims of crimes.”
He added: “Politicians pretending otherwise is, in my view, very unwise because it risks adding insult to those already badly injured”.
And Labour criticised the government for yet again failing to set out a timeline of when the law change would take effect, instead saying legislation would be brought forward “in due course”.
Sex attacker Jordan McSweeney murdered 35-year-old law graduate Ms Aleena as she walked home in Ilford, east London, and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 38 years.
Koci Selamaj received life with at least 36 years behind bars for murdering primary school teacher Ms Nessa after travelling to London to carry out an attack on a random woman.
All refused to appear in court for sentencing, with their punishments being handed down in their absence.
Rishi Sunak says criminals won’t be allowed to ‘take the coward’s way out’
Steve Reed, Labour’s shadow justice secretary, said the opposition had called for new laws to force criminals to attend sentencing back in April 2022 – claiming the Tories had “dragged their feet”.
He said: “This is the fourth time in over 18 months the government has promised action – and yet again they have failed to outline a proper timeline on when they will act.”
Calling it “disrespectful and grossly offensive” for criminals to avoid hearings, Mr Reed added: “In government, Labour will give judges the power to force offenders to face justice in court. The families of victims deserve nothing less.”
Labour has previously said it would back such a change, meaning the reforms announced by Mr Sunak today could be passed into law relatively quickly.
Olivia’s mother Cheryl Korbel called for the law to be changed to make sure criminals are forced to appear, saying Cashman’s absence was “like a kick in the teeth”.
The laws, which the MoJ said will be “set out in due course”, will mean offenders who refuse could be forced into the dock by prison staff or receive an extra two years in prison.
Judges will have the discretion to use the powers as they see fit to ensure justice is done.
A police officer who died after being hit by a train while helping a distressed man has been described as “everything that you would want in a police officer” by a former colleague.
The chair of Nottinghamshire Police Federation, Insp Simon Riley, said Sgt Graham Saville was a “caring, compassionate, strongly determined, and just generally an all-around good, professional police officer”.
He added: “It’s fair to say that it has absolutely devastated the force.”
Saville, 46, died on Tuesday with his family at his bedside after sustaining serious injuries when he was hit by a train on the east coast mainline near Newark where he was attempting to help a distressed man.
The man sustained non-life threatening electrocution injuries and was treated in hospital.
Riley said the circumstances of Saville’s death had affected officers around the country.
“It is often a cliche that we are a police family and when something like this happens it deeply affects us all, and that extends to beyond Nottinghamshire as well,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“We’ve been contacted by federations and officers up and down the country who’ve reached out to us to offer their condolences.”
Saville was responding to a call shortly before 7pm last Thursday over concerns for a man’s safety. A number of other officers were also at the scene and provided first aid to Saville.
“There were a number of colleagues present, unfortunately they did witness the incident, and we have been providing support to them,” said Riley. “As you can probably understand it’s been very traumatic for them.”
He said the situation had been very dangerous but was “indicative of the dangers that our members put themselves in day in day out, shift in shift out, in order to protect the public”.
“You don’t really think about it, you sign up to be a police officer to help the public and understand that there are going to be occasions where you are placed in dangerous situations,” he said.
He added that as the investigation, which is being led by the British Transport Police, continued, there may be “lessons that need to be learned”.
“The types of incidents our members are called to are often very dynamic, fastly paced and our members are expected to make decisions very quickly, on the hoof,” he said.
“It’s always very easy to pick apart any decisions people might make in the cold light of day, but that’s what we’re paid to do … make decisions very very quickly with the ultimate aim of protecting members of the public.”
The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, was one of a number of people who paid tribute to Saville after the news of his death. “It is a testament to his bravery that he died in the line of duty and a terrible reminder of the work the police do every day to keep us safe,” he said.
“My thoughts are with his family, friends and the whole of Nottinghamshire police force.”
An EU provision - known as the "single source test" - closed this loophole, giving workers the right to equal pay if they ultimately work for the same "source".
It helped low-paid women take action against their employers over pay, but was one of hundreds of laws to be abolished by January 2024 under the EU Retained Law Act, which was passed in June.
On Tuesday evening, the government announced that it was planning to pass laws to keep the protections by the end of the year.
"There will be absolutely no reduction in equal pay protections," a spokesperson for the government's Equalities Hub said.
"The new secondary legislation will be laid in Parliament long before the end of the year."
It came after Labour accused the government of destroying the rights of some of the country's lowest paid women - and promised to reinstate the "single source" test if it wins power.
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the government's announcement, Labour's shadow women and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds said: "A Tory U-turn within hours of Labour committing to keep vital equal pay rights for women.
"But women will wonder if the party that put these rights at risk can really be trusted to protect them.
"Only Labour will act to deliver equal pay justice for women."
Supermarket giants, including Asda and Tesco, have faced legal action over pay differences between shop workers and warehouse staff.
Labour-run Birmingham City Council has been forced to pay out £760m to settle equal pay claims.
And SNP-led Glasgow City Council is still involved in a long-running legal battle over pay, despite paying out a total of £500m to current and former workers.
Workers in female-dominated roles such as catering or cleaning staged strikes because they were getting up to £3 an hour less than those in male-dominated areas such as refuse collection.
An incorrectly filed flight plan by a French airline cannot be ruled out as the cause of the air traffic control meltdown, No 10 has said.
Speculation is mounting that an error converting a flight plan – which are filed in an international format – could have knocked out the system at the Hampshire headquarters of Nats, the British air traffic controller.
Downing Street confirmed that an investigation, overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being carried out into the collapse, which caused a third of all flights to and from the UK to be cancelled on Monday.
The report will be submitted to Mark Harper, the transport secretary. A source said it would be expected “within days, not weeks” but needed to be comprehensive.
The prime minister’s spokesman would not rule out that the issue was caused by a French airline, as reported by The Times overnight.
He said: “I’m not going to pre-empt that. I’ve seen, obviously, various bits of speculation, but I’m not going to pre-empt the work that needs to be done.” But he added that experts had confirmed it was a “technical issue, not a cybersecurity incident”.
Flight plans are filed for every plane. They are uploaded in an International Civil Aviation Organisation standard format and then converted by each air navigation service provider – in the case of the UK, Nats. The suggestion is that an issue occurred during this process.
A call is being held between Harper, the airlines, airports and official bodies this afternoon as the government seeks assurance that passengers are being looked after.
Asked if officials would speak to counterparts across the English Channel, Sunak’s spokesman said “you would expect them to be speaking regularly” with other countries “but I’m not aware of any specific conversations with French counterparts”.
UK air traffic control meltdown: disruption to last until Friday
45 minutes ago
1.40pm
Eurostar runs extra services between London and Paris
Eurostar has put on extra trains to help passengers affected by the air traffic control issues (Seren Hughes writes).
One extra train ran between London and Paris yesterday, while three added trains are running today.
The first of Tuesday’s additional trains ran at 6.01am from London to Paris. There will be two supplementary services this afternoon — one from London to Paris at 3.01pm and another from Paris to London at 8.36pm.
“So far Eurostar has helped nearly 1,000 new customers get home following their cancelled flights with that number currently growing,” the company said.
An update on its website urges passengers to avoid Eurostar stations if they do not have a ticket.
It reads: “Please continue to check our booking page for the latest availability. Our trains and stations are very busy today, please don’t come to the station unless you have a ticket to travel.”
1 hour ago
1.05pm
‘We spent £12,000 and we’ve been treated like muck’
Katrina Harrison and her family – including one-year-old twin grandchildren – spent the night at Leeds Bradford Airport after their flight to Antalya, Turkey, was cancelled on Monday afternoon.
Harrison, from Stockton-on-Tees, told the PA news agency: “We were given a bottle of water, a KitKat and a packet of crisps but no proper food. Apparently some people have got vouchers but we haven’t been given any.
“All the shops sold out of food and drink last night. We weren’t given a blanket, we’ve been absolutely freezing.
“There were no hotels to stay in, we couldn’t get the car out of the car park. We haven’t slept, we tried to sleep on the floor but couldn’t. Luckily the children could sleep in the pram.
“The holiday was supposed to be a family celebration of a few things. We’ve spent £12,000 on it and we’ve been treated like muck.
“We’re hoping to get on a flight tonight but if it doesn’t happen tonight we’ll have to go home. We can’t keep sitting here with the babies.”
1 hour ago
12.55pm
It’s your duty to get people home, Downing Street tells airlines
Airlines have a responsibility to “get customers back to where they should be”, Downing Street has said, as thousands of British holidaymakers remain stranded across Europe (Kieran Gair writes).
The prime minister’s spokesman said airlines should consider all “possible steps” to ensure passengers get home, which could include replacement transport and accommodation until a flight departs. Airlines should also provide stranded passengers with meals, he added.
“We rightly expect all airlines to be fulfilling their duties,” the spokesman said.
Carriers should also be “proactively” communicating with passengers about their rights, he said.
1 hour ago
12.50pm
Train company offers free travel to diverted flyers
LNER is offering free standard class travel to people whose flight back to the UK landed at a different airport
ALAMY
A train company is offering a second day of free travel for customers affected by the air traffic control failure (Seren Hughes writes).
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is offering free standard class travel for anyone whose flight back to the UK has resulted in them landing at a different airport or on a different date than originally planned.
Customers will be asked to present their airline ticket or boarding pass to make use of the offer, which was introduced yesterday and remains available today.
LNER serves key cities including London, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen.
2 hours ago
12.20pm
Stranded passengers dream of home
Passengers make a bed where they can, whether it’s the floor at Manchester airport ...
PAUL COUSANS/ZENPIX
... the chairs in Palma ...
JOAN LLADO/SPLASH NEWS
... behind a suitcase ...
IOANNIS ALEXOPOULOS/LONDON NEWS PICTURES
... or in a Burger King at Dublin airport
SASKO LAZAROV/ROLLINGNEWS.IE
2 hours ago
11.40am
Your travel rights explained
What rights do you have if you’re caught up in the chaos? Ben Clatworthy, Travel Correspondent, has the answers
2 hours ago
11.35am
No nappies, no clean undies and no flights until Sunday for Strictly winner’s family
Ore and Portia Oduba. She wrote on Instagram “I better sharpen up on my Greek as at this rate we are going to become citizens”
SOPA IMAGES LIMITED/ALAMY
Ore Oduba, the TV presenter and Strictly Come Dancing champion, and his wife, Portia, are among thousands of holidaymakers who have been left “stranded” after their flights home from Greece were cancelled.
The couple and their children, Roman and Genie, were expecting to travel back to London Gatwick Airport on Monday.
Portia wrote on Instagram: “Currently ‘stranded’ in Greece with no flight home. No nappies and no clean knickers.
“Easyjet have cancelled all flights leaving till Sunday. But it’s ok. They’ve offered us a voucher for the next time we fly. Maybe we can fly home on that, magic carpet style.”
She added: “I better sharpen up on my Greek as at this rate we are going to become citizens.”
“The next available flight from where we’re staying back to London Gatwick isn’t until Sunday I believe so we’re trying to find an alternative flight, potentially trying to get to another island and fly with a different airline who’s flights are all still leaving.”
2 hours ago
11.30am
Have you been caught up in the chaos? Tell The Times about it
4 hours ago
10.05am
Hours-long delays possible, airport warns
Passengers scheduled to fly to and from the UK today could face delays of several hours or more, Heathrow airport has said (Kieran Gair writes).
The warning comes after an estimated 1,200 flights to and from the UK were cancelled yesterday by Nats, the national air traffic provider.
A Heathrow spokesman said: “Schedules continue to be affected by yesterday’s restrictions on UK airspace.
“While the majority of passengers will still be able to travel, there will unfortunately be some disruption on some routes, including flight cancellations.
“It is important for all passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to Heathrow.
“Teams across the airport continue to do everything they can to minimise the impact on passengers and support those whose journeys have been affected.”
4 hours ago
9.45am
Third of UK flights were cancelled
The scale of disruption at UK airports yesterday has been revealed (Ben Clatworthy writes).
At least 785 flights were cancelled arriving into UK airports yesterday, according to new data from Cirium, the flight analytics company. A further 790 departures were cancelled.
The figures equate to about a third of the flying programme on what was due to be one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Heathrow had the most cancellations, followed by Gatwick and Manchester.
The figures lay bare the scale of the disruption airlines are facing today as they patch together their shattered schedules.
Most flights yesterday morning arrived as scheduled. Air traffic control systems were down for about five hours, with cancellations starting about lunchtime.
4 hours ago
9.35am
Holidaymakers stuck in storm-hit Mallorca
The violent storm that hit Mallorca brought strong winds and heavy rain
SOLARPIX
Holidaymakers in Mallorca are among the worst affected by the widespread flight delays and cancellations (Kieran Gair writes).
A combination of technical difficulties with air traffic control in the UK and a violent storm in the region saw hundreds of customers’ stranded overnight at Palma airport.
Heavy rains have swept across parts of the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, and Catalonia in north-eastern Spain. Several flights from Palma were delayed on Tuesday because of high winds and issues with air traffic control in the UK.
Julie, 45, from Kent, said that she waited with her children at the airport for 18 hours without accommodation or information on when their flight would take off.
The family were travelling back from their hotel, Playa de Muro, when the rain and hurricane-force winds began to hammer down on the area.
She told The Independent: “The storms were wild. There was flooding, branches falling and some structural damage on the accommodation.
“You could tell something was up as there were people strewn everywhere. Nevertheless, we were ushered to check in, which we did. There was no mention that our flight was delayed or cancelled at that point.”
She added: “Parents resorted to blowing up inflatables or using beach towels to make temporary beds. My favourite was the blow-up dinghy.”
Among the passengers stranded amid the travel chaos are members of the British team who have been competing at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
A group of 30-40 athletes and staff were forced to return to their hotel in the Hungarian capital on Monday night, some of whom were told they will have to wait until Thursday for a flight home.
Members of the BBC’s commentary team for the championships — the three-times Olympic medal winner Steve Backley among them — have tried to get home from Budapest using the train. Backley has posted a series of videos on social media detailing what is becoming a nightmare journey.
5 hours ago
9.10am
Heart transplant patient misses appointment
Serena Hamilton was given a heart transplant just over a year ago
The cancellations meant Serena Hamilton, the recipient of a heart transplant, will miss her check-up appointment scheduled for today (Kieran Gair writes).
Hamilton, from Cookstown, Northern Ireland, said she would miss the appointment as the next available flight from Belfast International Airport would not get her into Newcastle upon Tyne in time.
She told BBC News NI: “I had a transplant 15 months ago and these appointments are very important … that’s a loss of an appointment not just for me, but someone else could have taken that appointment and I’m not going to be able to inform them because the clinic is closed today.”
Leah Washington, who lost her leg in the Alton Towers crash in 2015, had been in the Algarve for her hen do. The bride-to-be posted a photo on Instagram with the hen group still smiling, captioned with: ‘Cancelled flight to end the hen party’, followed by one crying emoji and a second laughing emoji.
5 hours ago
9.00am
Air traffic control crash not caused by hackers, says transport secretary
Ministers do not believe hackers are behind the issues with air traffic control (Ben Clatworthy writes).
Mark Harper, the transport secretary, apologised for the disruption and told Sky News: “Our technical experts have looked at it and are clear that it wasn’t a cybersecurity incident.”
Harper said there would be an independent review into what happened, with a report produced in the coming days.
He told GB News: “The system was fixed yesterday afternoon and things are getting back to normal but there’s obviously some disruption that’s going to continue today for people, and I know thousands of people have been impacted.
“Airlines will be stepping up, I hope, to their responsibilities to make sure that they get people back home, get them on an alternative flight and deal with food and drink and accommodation in the meantime.”
5 hours ago
8.55am
Airline crew are out of position
Passengers at UK airports are facing a second day of severe disruption after a systems failure at air traffic control. They told of arriving at airports last night for flights that, albeit delayed, were scheduled to operate only for them to be cancelled at the eleventh hour.
As the day wore on the biggest challenge for airlines was pilots and crew “going out of hours” — leaving them unable to work and, in many cases, out of position — having wasted precious hours earlier in the day when many planes were effectively grounded.
Airline crew are strictly regulated on the number of hours they can work in a single shift as well as over the course of a week, month and year. These rules are designed to limit the impact of fatigue on pilots and crew whose primary responsibility is safety.
