Leeds Bradford Airport closed after plane skids off runway in storm - BBC

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By Pritti Mistry & PA Media

BBC News

A holiday jet skidded off a runway as it came in to land amid wet and windy conditions as Storm Babet swept the UK.

The TUI flight from Corfu "moved off the runway whilst landing" at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) on Friday afternoon, an airport statement said.

Firefighters attended the scene but all passengers had been safely taken off the plane and the airport had closed, it added.

Travel firm TUI apologised to all passengers affected by the closure.

Leeds Bradford Airport said it hoped to reopen at 10:00 on Saturday, but bosses warned the updates are subject to change.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said there was no fire and that crews assisted "in evacuating all persons from the aircraft to the terminal".

PA Media

An LBA spokesperson said: "We can confirm there are no reported injuries from this incident and that all passengers have now safely disembarked the aircraft. The airport is now closed.

"We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to resolve this situation and return services safely as quickly as possible.

"We ask passengers to contact their airline to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport."

A spokeswoman for TUI said: "We would like to apologise to all those impacted by the closure of Leeds Bradford Airport on Friday following an incident that took place shortly after landing on TOM3551 from Corfu.

"The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority and we can confirm there were no reported injuries, with all passengers disembarking the aircraft via the steps."

All bags had been removed from the aircraft and TUI had teams "on hand to support customers".

Passengers due to depart on Friday would be taken to Manchester Airport, where an aircraft was ready to take them on holiday as planned, the company said.

TUI said it is assisting the Air Accidents Investigation Branch with their investigation.

PA Media

One person believed to have been on the stricken jet posted pictures from the plane on social media and said they were "going to be here a while" after commenting on the "interesting landing".

"Oops overshot runway at Leeds Bradford airport, bogged down on the grass - interesting landing greeted by fire engines and airport authorities," they said.

"Going to be here a while."

Another eyewitness posting on Facebook said she was at the airport when the "TUI plane skidded off [the] runway" with "a bumpy hard landing".

PA Media

Passengers arriving for flights from Leeds Bradford Airport on Friday evening were faced with departure boards filled with cancelled departures, and queues for taxis and buses in pouring rain.

Customers were also arriving on coaches from other airports, having been diverted.

One group said their flight from Majorca had been diverted to Manchester and they had just arrived at Leeds Bradford on a coach.

"We hoped to be back home and having a cup of tea by 2.30pm," one of the women said.

"But we're still here, drenched, waiting for another bus into town.

"It's not a great end to the week."

Are you a passenger who is affected by the incident at Leeds Bradford Airport? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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Related Topics

• Storm Babet
• Leeds Bradford International Airport

Related Internet Links

• Leeds Bradford Airport

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2023-10-21 04:49:29Z
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Rishi Sunak considers tax cut for top earners after byelection defeats - The Guardian

Rishi Sunak is considering a tax cut for the 5 million highest earners and reducing stamp duty in an attempt to ease the pressure on his leadership after two historic byelection defeats, it has been reported.

The Conservatives may raise the 40% income tax threshold after Labour’s victory in Mid Bedfordshire, Nadine Dorries’ former seat. It was the largest majority to be overturned at a byelection.

Labour also won Tamworth in Staffordshire after the second biggest byelection vote swing from the Tories to Labour since the second world war.

The Daily Telegraph reported that surveys have been carried out by Downing Street to ascertain which tax reduction could give the party the biggest political pre-election boost with the 2024 spring budget considered the earliest it could be announced.

Sunak froze income tax thresholds in 2021 for six years while chancellor.

The Conservatives are also planning to reduce stamp duty for their general election manifesto next year if the economy has strengthened, the Times reported.

A source told the newspaper the Tories are planning to either cut stamp duty or abolish inheritance tax.

A senior Tory told the Times that reducing stamp duty would be “aspirational” and improve the economy in addition to attracting middle-class voters who had left the party.

Stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland is now 5% for a main residence bought for between £250,001-£925,000, rising to 10% for a property bought for £925,001-£1,500,000.

Meanwhile, the pressure to announce tax cuts before the next election has increased after figures showed government borrowing was lower than expected last month on the back of a large drop in the Treasury’s debt interest bill and strong tax receipts.

Official figures showed that public sector net borrowing was £14.3bn last month, lower than the £20.5bn that had been forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

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2023-10-20 23:23:00Z
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UK weather: Major incidents declared as three killed amid red warning for floods - The Independent

Storm Babet: Plane skids off runway at Leeds Bradford Airport amid extreme weather

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Major incidents were declared in parts of the UK after three people were killed as Storm Babet continues to batter the UK with high winds, torrential rain and severe flooding.

Across the UK, roads have closed and train services have been left in disarray or cancelled.

Suffolk and Derbyshire county councils declared major incidents, and a man died in fast-flowing floodwater in Shropshire.

It was the storm’s first death in England after a van driver was killed by a falling tree near Forfar, Scotland, and a woman was swept away in a river in Angus.

A passenger plane had to be evacuated after it skidded off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport as it tried to land in high winds.

The village of Edzell, near Brechin in eastern Scotland, was completely cut off by flooding, while people in 60 homes around Brechin who had refused to budge when the rest of the town was evacuated were finally rescued as hundreds of houses flooded.

The Met Office issued a new red warning for rain, meaning there is a risk to life, in eastern Scotland for all day on Saturday.

Have you been affected by Storm Babet? Email athena.stavrou@independent.co.uk.

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In pictures: Storm Babet raging through the UK on Friday

A couple and their dog are rescued by a Coastguard team from a flooded street in Brechin, northeast Scotland on Friday

(AFP via Getty Images)

Storm Babet Plane skids off runway at Leeds-Bradford Airport amid extreme weather

(Storm Babet Plane skids off runway at Leeds-Bradford Airport amid extreme weather)

Waves crash near to the 'Freddie Gilroy' sculpture by artist Ray Lonsdale in Scarborough, as Storm Babet batters the country

Tara Cobham21 October 2023 08:10

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‘A very wet start to Saturday’, says Met Office

“A very wet start” is how the Met Office has described the beginning of Saturday as Storm Babet continues to batter the UK.

The forecaster wrote on X: “A very wet start to Saturday in Scotland and parts of northern England with strong easterly winds.”

“Brighter further showers, although scattered showers continue, particularly in the southeast.”

Tara Cobham21 October 2023 07:47

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Storm Babet shows no signs of abating on Saturday

Storm Babet shows no signs of abating as downpours continue to batter the UK on Saturday, with three people dead and another red "danger to life" warning in place.

The rare red weather warning has been issued for parts of eastern Scotland all day, prompting First Minister Humza Yousaf to warn: "We have not seen the last of this."

Yellow and amber warnings for rain that were in place across much of England overnight have expired, however a yellow warning for wind remains in place until 12pm across the north east of England and eastern Scotland.

Across England, there were over 353 flood warnings and 248 alerts on Saturday morning, while 55,000 people were left without power on Friday as a result of the storm. Around 45,000 of those were reconnected to the grid as of the evening, the Energy Networks Association said.

Met forecaster Jonathan Vautrey said: "The focus of the rainfall from Saturday shifts back northwards over towards eastern and northern Scotland.

"Some parts of those areas have seen about a month and a half's worth of rain already, but there's another band that's forecast to track its way northwards over the course of the night and push its way towards relatively similar areas.

"So there are further red and amber rain warnings in force for Saturday, with the potential to push those areas close towards two months of rain in the span of three days."

Simon O'Brien (left) using his homemade boat, which he built for his grandchildren, to rescue elderly residents from their home in the village of Debenham, Suffolk

Tara Cobham21 October 2023 07:30

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Dozens in rescue centres in Angus

More than 75 people were in rescue centres in Angus, east Scotland, on Friday night, while Angus Council said people in more than 60 homes in Brechin, who refused previous evacuation attempts, required rescue.

Jacqui Semple, head of risk, resilience and safety for Angus Council, said: “People are devastated. This is awful.

“It would be awful. Your house flooded, your belongings, the impact emotionally and physically and everything that goes with that.

“They’ve got all of those people who have been affected arriving at our rest centres in such a state – wet, cold, and just so unbelievably upset.”

Katy Clifton21 October 2023 06:00

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Flood warnings

Across England, there were over 283 flood warnings and 243 alerts on Friday evening, while 55,000 people were left without power as a result of the storm.

By Friday evening, around 45,000 of those were reconnected to the grid but 10,000 were still without power, the Energy Networks Association said.

Flooding caused 70-minute delays on the A1 near Grantham, National Highways said, while further south, Suffolk declared a major incident on Friday as Storm Badet caused “major flooding” across the county.

Jane Dalton21 October 2023 05:00

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Flights cancelled after Tui runway incident

The closure of Leeds Bradford airport after a Tui plane veered off the runway caused dozens of delayed, cancelled or diverted flights.

More than 2,000 passengers were hit by a total of 34 cancellations, including Ryanair flights to Palma, Malaga and Chania in Crete.

Wizz Air has cancelled flights linking Leeds Bradford with Krakow and Katowice in Poland as well as Bucharest and Cluj in Romania.

Travellers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to be flown to their destination as soon as possible, and meanwhile the airline must provide hotels and meals as appropriate.

Tui holidaymakers hoping to return from Corfu to Manchester were also affected.

The aircraft involved in the runway excursion was flying what is known as a “W-pattern”. It began in Manchester on Friday morning, with a plan to fly to Corfu, back to Leeds Bradford and out to Corfu again before the return flight to Manchester.

Simon Calder21 October 2023 03:00

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ICYMI: Tui plane skids off runway

A passenger plane at Leeds Bradford Airport had to be evacuated yesterday after it skidded off the runway as it tried to land in high winds.

Operator Tui said no one was injured, although the airport was briefly closed.

One passenger, Malcolm Fell, said the skid had been “a little bit dramatic” but everyone onboard was “quite calm”.

“'My wife, [who] was sat next to me, turned to me and said I think you better brace yourself because this is not going to stop. And then all of a sudden...we were at a standstill on the grass,” he told MailOnline.

(Bradford T&A / SWNS)

Katy Clifton21 October 2023 02:00

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In pictures: winds and rain

Waves crash near sculpture in Scarborough

High water levels around a stadium in Rotherham

People stand on a bench at a bus stop in Dublin’s city centre

Jane Dalton21 October 2023 00:00

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Roads and bridges collapse

Roads and bridges collapsed as Storm Babet hit Scotland.

A 200-year-old bridge on the Rottal Estate in Angus was washed away by torrential flood water, while a road connecting Marykirk, Angus, where some houses were evacuated also collapsed.

Dee Ward, 58, estate manager for the Rottal Estate said: “I think this is the new pattern, I don’t think we will go back to normal.

“The frightening thing is how much water is coming down in a short space of time.

“I wasn’t surprised the bridge got washed away.

“Big posts had been ripped out further up the hill.”

Zena Cowie, 28, said a road had collapsed that connected Marykirk with the dual carriageway to Montrose, Angus.

Ms Cowie said: “The road at the start of the bridge that crosses the river has collapsed.

“Marykirk is the main way to the dual carriageway to get to the dual carriageway, to go into Montrose.

“The other way is to go into Brechin which is also flooded.”

Jane Dalton20 October 2023 22:30

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Amber and yellow weather warnings for swathes of UK

An amber weather warning for rain is in place for some parts of northern England including Yorkshire and Manchester, as well as some of the Midlands, including Nottingham.

And a yellow weather warning for much of the east coast of the UK has been put in place for wind and rain on Saturday.

Weather warnings for Saturday

(Met Office)

Jane Dalton20 October 2023 21:30

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2023-10-21 07:03:13Z
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Labour overturns huge Tory majority to win Tamworth byelection - The Guardian

Labour has overturned a near 20,000-vote Conservative majority in Tamworth, winning back a seat it lost to the Tories in 2010.

Labour’s Sarah Edwards received 11,719 votes ahead of Andrew Cooper, the Tory candidate, who received 10,403 – a majority of 1,316 for Labour. It was a 23.89% swing to Keir Starmer’s party. Voter turnout was low at 35.87%, little more than half the 2019 figure. Thursday night proved to be a signal occasion for Labour which also swept away a huge Tory majority to win Mid Bedfordshire, the former seat of Nadine Dorries.

The victory in Tamworth will further bolster predictions that Labour stands to win a large majority at the next general election. The almost 24-point swing is greater than the 22-point swing Labour won in a 1996 byelection in the area by under Tony Blair, a year before the party won a landslide victory in the 1997 general election.

In her victory speech, Edwards said the voters of Tamworth had “sent a clear message to Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives that they have had enough of this failed government, which has crashed the economy and destroyed our public services.

“The people of Tamworth have made it clear. It’s time for change.”

Cooper, the Conservative candidate, was late to arrive at the counting hall. The other candidates were standing waiting on stage for the results to be announced. In the moments before he arrived, council officials warned Conservative party operatives that the declaration may go ahead without him. One Tory staffer was overheard saying Cooper got lost in the car park. He eventually rushed on stage after entering the counting hall through a back door.

After the result, while Edwards was making her victory speech, Cooper rushed off stage and dashed out through the fire exit.

The byelection was called when Chris Pincher, a former deputy chief whip, quit the House of Commons in September after losing an appeal against an eight-week suspension from parliament for groping two men at a private members’ club last summer.

The scandal hastened the downfall of Boris Johnson, who resigned as Conservative leader eight days after the allegations were first reported, during which time the former prime minister denied but later admitted to knowing of separate allegations made against Pincher before making him deputy chief whip.

Cooper came under fire this week after it emerged he had shared a Facebook post in 2020 telling jobless parents who cannot feed their children to “fuck off” if they still pay a £30 phone bill. Rishi Sunak refused to condemn Cooper’s comments at prime minister’s questions, saying he was proud of the government’s record on supporting families during the cost of living crisis.

On Wednesday, Cooper defended sharing the post, telling the Daily Mirror: “There are too many people on out-of-work benefits and there needs to be improved incentives to get people into work.”

Before the byelection on Thursday, the Conservatives held all 12 parliamentary seats in Staffordshire. In 1997, nine of the 12 MPs in Staffordshire were Labour. This remained the case until 2010, when only four Labour MPs remained. The Tories gained another seat in 2017. In 2019, the Conservatives gained the last three remaining seats held by Labour.

Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said: “This is a phenomenal result that shows Labour is back in the service of working people and redrawing the political map. To those who have given us their trust, and those considering doing so, Labour will spend every day acting in your interests and focused on your priorities. Labour will give Britain its future back.”

In local elections held in May, the Conservatives lost overall control of Tamworth borough council after Labour won eight out of 10 seats up for contention.

The Tamworth constituency was created in 1997. Prior to some minor boundary changes, the constituency was called South East Staffordshire and was held by the Tories from 1983 to 1996, when Labour won a byelection to take the seat in a 22-point swing. The result was seen as a bellwether for the following year’s Labour landslide.

The Labour candidate in that byelection, Brian Jenkin, remained in the seat until 2010, when Pincher won the seat for the Tories. The constituency became one of the strongest Tory seats in the country, with the party winning 66% of the vote with a nearly 20,000 majority in the 2019 general election. The same proportion of voters in the constituency voted to leave the EU in 2016.

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2023-10-20 15:17:50Z
2521439183

Travel disruption and flooding as Storm Babet hits Yorkshire and Lincolnshire - BBC.com

By Alex Moss & Tim Dale

BBC News

Storm Babet has brought travel disruption, localised flooding, closures and cancellations as heavy rain lashed parts of Yorkshire.

More than 2in of rain has fallen in some areas in 24 hours, with up to 4in (100mm) possible by the end of the day.

Rotherham Central station has been closed and a number of rail services have been delayed or cancelled, while tram and bus routes have also been hit.

In Bradford, the M606 northbound exit slip road at junction 3 has been shut.

Northern Rail has urged customers not to travel to and from South Yorkshire and said multiple routes were affected.

It has also advised customers in West and North Yorkshire to check before travelling.

TransPennine, LNER, Grand Central and East Midlands Railway have all issued the same advice to passengers.

John Pasley

Across Yorkshire there are 17 flood warnings - meaning flooding is expected - currently in place and yellow and amber weather warnings are in place across the region, with a forecast of heavy and persistent rain and wind until 06:00 BST on Saturday.

• Storm Babet: Two people dead as another red warning issued
• Storm Babet: How do storms get named?

In Sheffield several roads have been hit by the adverse weather, including flooding in Woodhouse and Jordanthorpe Parkway.

The city council also said Blackstock Road Household Waste Recyling Centre had been temporarily closed due to flooding while Millhouses Park has been closed for safety reasons.

Elsewhere, photos taken in Endcliffe park show torrents of water sweeping across the paths and children's play area.

Spencer Stokes/BBC

In Rotherham, the new £4m canal flood barrier at Forge Island was lowered into place.

Bradford City Council has advised residents in areas where there are flood warnings and alerts to "monitor local water levels and weather conditions and consider putting their flood plan into action".

The council also stated a flood warning for Bradford Beck and tributaries had been triggered by a faulty reading at a monitoring station.

Lisa Thwaites, who runs a cafe in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, and has experienced flooding in the past said she had had an anxious night on Thursday.

"My alarm was set for every two hours so I could check the weather forecast, check what was happening with the river, check the CCTV," she said.

"I've done that all night until first light this morning when I was in clearing everything out and getting prepared."

Weather Watchers/Michael K

North Yorkshire Council and HM Coastguard have urged people not to travel to the coast unless essential.

"We are urging people in the strongest possible terms to stay away from the coast," a coastguard spokesperson said.

"We would encourage people to stay away from the water's edge - it's not worth risking your life for 'that selfie'.

"If you can feel the spray, you're too close."

In Scarborough, two shows at the Spa have also been cancelled tonight due to the closure of Spa Road and the Cliff Lift has closed due to high winds.

The council said it was also monitoring the situation at the former Marine Residence Hotel on Belmont Road, which was destroyed by fire earlier this year.

A spokesperson said: "A number of people are being moved to safety due to concerns regarding the continuing risks relating to high winds and potential debris."

BBC/Oli Constable

North Yorkshire Police added they had received many calls about fallen trees and debris.

Supt Rachel Wood said: "Where temporary road closures have been put in place due to flooding or over-topping waves from the sea, it is essential to follow the diversions for the safety of everyone involved.

"If you find yourself stuck in flood water or in any other dangerous situations as a result of the storm, please make sure the emergency services are called by dialling 999."

The force has said anyone coming across fallen trees within office hours should alert North Yorkshire Council's highways department.

Fire services across Yorkshire have urged motorists to drive carefully and not to ignore road closed signs.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it had already received calls from people trapped after attempting to drive through flood water.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.

Related Topics

• Storm Babet
• Sheffield
• Bradford
• Rotherham

Related Internet Links

• Environment Agency - GOV.UK

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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2023-10-20 15:11:43Z
2526507806

By election results: Labour overturns Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire seats - The Independent

Mid-Bedfordshire and Tamworth by-elections: Key statistics

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The Tories are facing wipeout after suffering defeats in two fiercely contested by-elections, with huge majorities evaporating overnight and Sir Keir Starmer claiming he was “redrawing the political map”.

Overturning the biggest majority in British by-election history, Labour took Mid Bedfordshire from the Tories for the first time ever.

While in Tamworth, the party saw the second biggest swing from the Tories to Labour in a by-election in post-war history.

Former chancellor George Osborne warned the record defeats spell “armageddon” for the Conservatives at the general election.

Nadine Dorries won her Mid Bedfordshire seat in 2019 with a majority of 24,664, and the Conservatives have held Mid Bedfordshire since 1931.

The Conservatives were defending a 19,634 majority in Tamworth, but Labour candidate Sarah Edwards won the seat by a margin of 1,316 votes.

Ms Edwards said the people of Tamworth had “made it clear it’s time for change”.

“Winning in these Tory strongholds shows that people overwhelmingly want change and they’re ready to put their faith in our changed Labour Party to deliver it,” said Sir Keir.

A Conservative loss in both is a major setback for Mr Sunak and sets Labour on course for a major win in the next general election.

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Labour “made history”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the party’s winning candidate for Mid Bedfordshire had “not only won” but “made history”.

Appearing alongside Alistair Strathern at the Forest Centre & Millennium Country Park near Bedford, he said: “What a fantastic candidate… He has not only won here, he’s made history here over the past 24 hours. An incredible achievement already.”

Thanking Labour campaigners, he said: “Every vote that you persuaded to come across to us was worth it.

“This is an incredible night in politics, an incredible morning, an incredible result here for so many reasons.

“It is clear that the voters here have turned their back on a failed Tory Government. They’ve had enough of the decline of the last 13 years and they are crying out for change – positive change that the Labour Party can bring them.”

(AFP via Getty Images)

Athena Stavrou20 October 2023 09:08

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What the by-election double whammy means for Rishi Sunak

In the space of 30 minutes in the early hours of Friday morning the Conservatives lost Tamworth – which it held with a majority of 19,634 in 2019 – and then Mid Bedfordshire, where there had been a massive 24,664 vote cushion.

The Tories expected a difficult night, in part because governing parties often suffer a by-election backlash but also because of the controversies that led to the two vacancies.

But the defeats cannot be shrugged off, especially not with a general election next year. Mr Sunak has to go to the country by January 2025 at the latest, but spring or autumn 2024 are more likely options.

Considering the Tories won in 2019 with a majority of 80, the prospect of a Conservative defeat would represent a seismic shift in British politics in the space of five years.

The phrase “it’s the economy, stupid” has become a political cliche, but Mr Sunak has to a large degree pinned his hopes on an improving economic picture.

He will hope that growth picks up, inflation falls and people feel a sense of optimism about the direction of the country. With discretion over the timing of the general election, he can choose the point he feels it is most likely to result in a Tory win.

But the state of the public finances could restrict Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s ability to deliver a tax-cutting, voter-pleasing budget in the run-up to the election.

And problems with NHS waiting lists and small boat crossings of the English Channel are unlikely to disappear despite promises to deal with them featuring prominently in Mr Sunak’s priorities for government.

Athena Stavrou20 October 2023 08:57

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Sir Keir Strarmer: “Voters have turned their back on a failed Tory government"

Sir Keir Starmer spoke in Mid Bedfordshire following Labour’s double by-election win there and in Tamworth.

In Mid-Bedfordshire, Alistair Strathern overcame a 24,000 majority by taking the seat by 1,192 votes over his Tory rival Festus Akinbusoye – a swing of 20.5 percentage points to Labour.

Making a short speech about the “incredible” by-election Starmer said: “It is clear the voters here have turned their back on a failed Tory government.”

He added that the result showed voters are “crying out for change”.

Athena Stavrou20 October 2023 08:41

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Recap: Labour win two key by-elections

Sir Keir Starmer claimed Labour was “redrawing the political map” by overturning huge Tory majorities in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire and dealing a double by-election blow to Rishi Sunak.

The result in the “red wall” Midlands seat saw a mammoth 23.9 per cent swing from the Tories to Labour. Polling guru Prof John Curtice said “no government has lost a seat as safe as Tamworth”.

The result in Nadine Dorries’ old seat was the single largest majority overturned by Labour at a by-election since 1945.

Sarah Edwards of Labour gives a victory speech after being declared the Member of Parliament for Tamworth following Thursday's by-election.

(Jacob King/PA Wire)

Athena Stavrou20 October 2023 08:33

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Voters are ‘happy’ with Rishi Sunak, claims Tory chair – who insists he is staying on

Greg Hands said he believes people are “happy with the job Rishi Sunak is doing as prime minister” despite the Tories’ two humiliating by-election defeats overnight.

He said that “legacy issues” that “predate” Sunak’s time at No 10 have caused the two by-elections.

Hands also argued that there was “a lot of fury” among voters about the background to the two by-elections – the exit of Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher.

Asked whether he was considering his position, Mr Hands told Sky News said: “No, I’m going to be looking at the dynamics and the operation of those by-elections but I think we had a very good campaign, we had good candidates, we just need to find a way of incentivising Conservatives to turn up to vote next year at the general election.”

Athena Stavrou20 October 2023 08:26

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Tory MP demands ‘far-reaching changes’

The Tories need to make “far-reaching major changes now” in the wake of the party’s two crushing by-election losses, one of its right-wing MPs has warned.

Former minister Andrea Jenkyns – a big Boris Johnson supporter – wrote on social media: “Voter apathy is evident yet again in both the by-elections, low turnout … We need to make far reaching major changes now to instil confidence in the Conservative voters.”

Athena Stavrou20 October 2023 08:08

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Still no enthusiasm for Labour, claims Tory chairman

Conservative Party chairman Greg Hands said he does not “see any enthusiasm for Labour” despite the party’s victories, adding that turnout had been low.

He said he had campaigned in both seats, telling Times Radio: “I don’t think a single person came to the door to say that despite all the problems people are facing, that Labour and Sir Keir Starmer were the solution to their problems.

“So I don’t see any enthusiasm for Labour … But clearly we need to reflect on that and we need to continue to deliver against our priorities and make sure that people see that Rishi Sunak is doing a very good job as prime minister.”

Athena Stavrou20 October 2023 07:58

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Armageddon coming for Tories’, says George Osborne

George Osborne, the former Tory chancellor, had warned earlier in the night that losing Mid-Bedfordshire — a Tory seat since 1931 — would mean “Armageddon is coming for the Tory party”.

His podcast co-host Ed Balls, the former Labour shadow chancellor, said: “If Labour was to win Tamworth and mid-Beds it’s a political earthquake.”

Athena Stavrou20 October 2023 07:38

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Tories ‘staring general election defeat in face’, says John Curtice

Prof Curtice told the BBC: “No government has hitherto lost to the principal opposition party in a by-election a seat as safe as Tamworth.”

He added that the result shows the Tories “may get caught in a pincer movement between some of their former Leave voters wandering off to Labour but others going off to Reform UK”.

Prof Curtice said the two results were “extremely bad news” for the Conservatives and suggested Mr Sunak was on course for general election defeat.

“This isn’t destiny, but it is a pointer and it is a pointer that, unless the Conservatives can fairly dramatically and fairly radically turn things around, then they are in truth staring defeat in the face in 12 months’ time.”

Athena Stavrou20 October 2023 07:33

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Sunak ‘staring defeat in the face’ after double by-election blow

Read this joint report from Archie Mitchell and Kate Devlin:

Namita Singh20 October 2023 07:17

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2023-10-20 08:13:47Z
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Plea to evacuate as 'serious emergency' declared amid record flooding - STV News

A Scottish council is in “the middle of a very serious emergency” with “unprecedented” record-breaking flooding.

Angus Council has pleaded for those at risk of floods to not leave it too late.

It comes after a 57-year-old woman died after being swept into a river in Angus while more than 400 homes in the area were told to evacuate.

Flood levels are more than half a metre over the highest recorded. Defences in Brechin were breached at around 4am with River South Esk 4.4m above normal.

“We completely understand that it is very hard to leave your home but parts of Brechin, and increasingly other parts of Angus, are now only accessible via boat,” a council spokesperson said.

Watch
River South Esk in Brechin bursts its banks

“Rescue crews are now dealing with around 100 calls from areas which were asked to evacuate yesterday evening.

“Angus is in the middle of a very serious emergency. Flooding is unprecedented. Levels are over half a
metre over the last highest ever.

“Most roads are affected. A90 is closed in both directions and is not passable for any have-a-go heroes.

“Do not travel. If you think you have an appointment, you don’t. If you really think you need to get to work, check with your boss. If you’re a boss, please consider your employees and the need for them to attend work.

Getty Images

Police officers close the road as members of the coastguard go door to door to evacuate residents along River Street in Brechin. Getty Images

“It has been a very challenging night, Brechin defences were breached around 4am this morning and the river levels are around 4.4m above normal levels. This is completely unprecedented and at these heights, gauges have become unreliable.

“If you think that you are in danger of flooding, please don’t leave it too late. If asked to
evacuate, please do so, hard as it is.”

Angus Council has set up three rest centres at Montrose Sports Centre and Brechin and Forfar Community Campuses. They are open for all, including pets.

There are 30 flood warnings in place across Scotland. This includes four severe flood warnings, 16 flood warnings and 12 flood alerts.

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2023-10-20 07:25:28Z
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