Kamis, 31 Agustus 2023

Top military brass ask if Grant Shapps is up to defence secretary job - The Independent

Grant Shapps was urged to be willing to defy his “mate” Rishi Sunak and push for greater military spending after he was revealed as the surprise replacement for Ben Wallace as defence secretary.

Military chiefs and MPs questioned his appointment during a mini-reshuffle on Thursday – saying they feared Mr Shapps was a “yes man” who had been given the job to avoid “rocking the boat” at pre-election budgets.

Defence figures in Whitehall also questioned his military experience at a “dangerous period” in the Ukraine war. Mr Shapps takes up his fifth cabinet role in less than a year, having assumed a series of jobs in the whirlwind of Boris Johnson’s final months and Liz Truss’s short-lived spell at No 10.

Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the armed forces, expressed his concern that he had been given the job to “support” Mr Sunak rather than “make the case” for defence spending.

Lord Dannatt told Sky News: “Will he really understand and make the case for defence ... or will he be more political and support the prime minister for party political purposes? Ben Wallace was arguing for [defence investment]. Is that discussion going to continue? Or will Grant Shapps choose to go quietly?”

Sir Richard also said Mr Shapps knows “very little about defence” and it will take him “quite some time to get up to speed”, adding that there was a risk the debate on resources for defence now “stagnates”.

Admiral Lord West – the former chief of UK naval staff – told The Independent: “It’s a surprising appointment. He’s obviously great mates with Sunak. I fear he is putting him in so he will not create any waves by demanding extra money for defence, which is very much needed.”

Lord West added: “I think it was designed to get someone who won’t rock the boat or upset the apple cart, particularly with an election coming next year. Will Grant Shapps fight that corner? I have my doubts about that. He doesn’t have a particularly brilliant background in defence. That’s my worry.”

Grant Shapps made a visit to a Ukrainian power station last week

Tory MP Mark Francois – a former armed forces minister – has said many people at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not want Mr Shapps to get the job.

“Many people in the building wanted James [Heappey] to get the job – he hasn’t,” Mr Francois told GB News. He added: “Grant Shapps is a bright bloke, but he’s going to have to come up with the speed very, very quickly … this is going to be a very steep learning curve.”

Defence figures in government have also raised eyebrows. One officer, currently in Whitehall who had served with Nato, told The Independent: “We are now in one the most dangerous period in decades with the Ukraine war and also at a time the forces are having to cope with more challenges with less money.

“This is a time to have someone in charge of the department with knowledge of defence to deal with complex issues. Instead we’ve got someone who’ll need to ‘learn on the job’, and that’s worrying.”

Senior Tory MP Julian Lewis, former chair of the defence select committee, has encouraged Mr Shapps to push the Treasury for as much money as possible to reverse a relative decline in spending on the military.

“Defence expenditure under successive governments has declined in comparison with other priorities,’’ Mr Lewis told The Independent. “The new defence secretary should use all his powers of persuasion to build on the foundations laid by Ben Wallace in light of the considerable threats we face.”

Grant Shapps arriving at No 10 on Thursday to get new job

Claire Coutinho – the junior education minister and Sunak loyalist – will take over from Mr Shapps as energy secretary. Another Sunak ally from the 2019 intake, David Johnston, takes up her old job at the education department.

Mr Wallace revealed last month that he would resign at the next reshuffle. Officially stepping down on Thursday, he had a parting message for Mr Sunak on defence spending. “We must not return to the days where defence was viewed as a discretionary spend by government and savings were achieved by hollowing out,” he said in his letter.

Speaking shortly after his resignation, Mr Wallace told The Independent that he would continue to champion the cause of Afghans who helped the British armed forces – with thousands still waiting to hear if they will be accepted for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap).

Mr Wallace said: “From the start, I said that Arap is not time-limited. Our obligation to these people will endure. Wherever there is an opportunity to bring these people back, we should explore it and do so. We have already brought back thousands and these people are now living fulfilling lives in the UK. We stand by our word.”

Mr Wallace added: “I will still stand for increased investment in defence, the fight for Ukraine and fulfilling our commitments to people who supported us, like Arap. That’s not changing.”

Rishi Sunak thanked Ben Wallace for his four years of service in the job

Despite Armed Forces minister James Heappey and Treasury minister John Glen being favourites for his job, Mr Shapps began to be linked with the role after making a trip to Ukraine last week.

The Sunak ally said that he was “honoured” to succeed Mr Wallace and paid tribute to the “enormous contribution” he had made to UK’s security over the past four years in the job.

Mr Shapps also said he was “looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our armed forces” and “continuing the UK’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion”.

Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey congratulated Mr Shapps but added: “After 13 years of Tory defence failures, a change at the top will not change this record.”

The Liberal Democrats said Mr Sunak had appointed a “yes man” in a crucial role. The party’s defence spokesperson Richard Foord said: “This is Shapps’ fifth cabinet role in less than a year. The Conservative government merry-go-round has to stop.”

Mr Sunak has given a major promotion to Ms Coutinho – a former special adviser at the Treasury when he was there – by appointing her energy secretary while the West is still reeling from the price shock caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The loyalist’s arrival comes amid accusations that Mr Sunak and his ministers are rowing back on net zero commitments – with critics hitting out at plans to grant new licences for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea.

Labour’s shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband said “reshuffling of the deckchairs will not deliver the proper energy policy Britain needs” and said Ms Coutinho “needs to recognise that Grant Shapps’ approach has been a disaster”.

Mr Johnson paid tribute to the outgoing defence secretary, calling him a “fine defence secretary” and describing Mr Shapps as “an excellent choice to succeed him”. Mr Sunak praised Mr Wallace in a reply letter, telling him he leaves office with “thanks and respect”.

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2023-08-31 16:40:12Z
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Samuel Newey: British volunteer, 22, killed fighting in Ukraine - BBC

Samuel NeweyFamily

A British volunteer has been killed fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, his family have said.

Samuel Newey, 22, had been in the country for over a year, his brother Daniel said.

Posting on social media he wrote: "My little brother Sam was killed in action yesterday in Eastern Ukraine. I cannot put into words how broken I feel.

"Sam you gave your life for people you never knew and acted with courage, morality and honour."

Samuel Newey had just turned 21 when he decided to travel to Ukraine "to push back against Russian Imperialism", his brother wrote in a Facebook post.

"Not only are you my little brother, but you're an exceptional man, a good soldier and one of the bravest people I ever had the privilege of knowing," he said.

"Thank you so much for being part of my life for these 22 years. I love you always brother."

Samuel Newey and supporters

In 2020, Samuel Newey and his father Paul, from Solihull, were charged with terrorism offences in relation to Daniel's decision to join the Kurdish YPG militia to fight the Islamic State (IS) group.

The father denied one count of funding terrorism with Samuel also denying a charge of assisting his brother to prepare for acts of terrorism.

At the time, the Kurdish YPG were the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Western ally against IS and supported by the UK government.

All charges were eventually dropped, and no further action was taken.

Paul Newey posted on his Facebook page his son had been killed on Wednesday morning "in combat fighting for the Ukraine".

Presentational grey line

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2023-08-31 14:02:35Z
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Ben Wallace resigns as defence secretary with mini cabinet reshuffle expected – UK politics live - The Guardian

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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.

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2023-08-31 07:34:00Z
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Families welcome plan to force offenders into dock after Lucy Letby case - bbc.co.uk

Mugshots of Jordan McSweeney, Lucy Letby and Thomas CashmanMet Police / Cheshire Constabulary / Merseyside Po

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".

Ms Nessa was murdered in September 2021 by Koci Selamaj as she walked through a park in south-east London - he refused to appear in court for his life sentence.

"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."

Letby refused to appear in the courtroom for her sentencing hearing, something the mother of two of her victims said was "just one final act of wickedness from a coward".

'Coward's way out'

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".

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2023-08-31 06:59:26Z
2364339531

Rabu, 30 Agustus 2023

Most people had a fantastic time at Notting Hill carnival says, chief of Met police - The Guardian

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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2023-08-30 14:59:00Z
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Criminals will be forced to face sentencing after killers 'take coward's way out' - The Independent

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”.

Letby’s refusal to turn up for sentencing followed former justice secretary Dominic Raab’s promise to act after the non-attendance of the killers of schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa.

Lucy Letby has begun her whole-life prison sentence

Thomas Cashman was jailed for life with a minimum term of 42 years for fatally shooting nine-year-old Olivia at her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, while pursuing a fellow drug dealer.

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.

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2023-08-30 15:53:38Z
2364339531

Tributes paid to Nottinghamshire police officer who died trying to save man’s life - The Guardian

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.

Sgt Graham Saville

“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.”

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2023-08-30 13:31:00Z
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