Defence secretary 'furious' as he orders review of MoD diversity and inclusivity policy - Sky News

The defence secretary is said to be "furious" after it was reported that the Army wants to relax security clearance vetting for overseas recruits to boost diversity and inclusion.

The UK's Armed Forces are looking overseas to boost ethnic minority representation because they have consistently failed to hit recruitment targets, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

The newspaper said it had seen a document, titled The British Army's Race Action Plan, which outlines a series of "actions" to boost representation and describes security checks as "the primary barrier to non-UK personnel gaining a commission in the Army".

The guidance reportedly vows to "challenge SC [security clearance] requirements" to increase representation in the intelligence and officer corps, roles which have "uncontrolled access to secret assets".

Image: Defence Secretary Grant Shapps. Pic: PA

Grant Shapps was reportedly "furious" about the findings and was "ready to go to battle".

"I am ordering a review of diversity and inclusivity policy at the MoD (Ministry of Defence)," the defence secretary told the paper.

"We want people from all backgrounds to serve in our military but some policies appear to be more about a political agenda than practically improving the lives of our dedicated soldiers and military personnel.

"There will certainly not be any lowering of security clearance requirements on my watch.

"And no one should be offended by having religion as part of remembrance services. You don't have to be Christian to appreciate and respect the history and traditions of the United Kingdom."

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An MoD source told the paper: "There are personnel issues that need addressing in the armed services but some of these policies are about a woke agenda and extreme critical race theories.

"These are leftist ideas that have leaked into the civil service and they are at best a distraction and at worst poisoning the wider discussion."

Read more:
British Army 'may have no choice' but to enlist citizens
Minister rejects claims army will shrink after danger warning
Are we heading for World War Three? Experts give their verdicts

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1:27

UK 'won't hesitate to respond' to Houthi attacks

'Lunacy of pushing woke ideas'

Twelve former senior military officers lambasted the relaxed vetting policy as "dangerous madness" in an open letter to the defence secretary.

"Among the lunacy of pushing woke ideas around the use of 'gender neutral' pronouns, or allowing male soldiers to wear make-up or flowing locks on parades to accentuate their feminine side, we pick out the wickedness of a policy to dilute security vetting in order to boost representation of ethnic minorities," they wrote.

"With Islamism and other extremism rampant, this is nothing short of dangerous madness."

An MoD spokesperson said: "Our priority is protecting the national security of the United Kingdom and ensuring the operational effectiveness of our armed forces.

"We take security extremely seriously and ensure that all personnel have the appropriate security clearance, which is reviewed on a case-by-case basis."

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Pilot in hospital after crash-landing plane into garden in Wales - The Guardian

A pilot who crashed his plane into a garden in Wales has been airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The unidentified pilot, who was alone in the plane, “ploughed down into a tree” in the back garden of a house in Bodffordd, a small village in Anglesey, north Wales.

Steve Davies, who lives next door to the site of the crash, told the PA news agency he heard a noise “like an engine misfiring and cutting out” followed by “a sound like trees getting hit then a loud bang”.

“I didn’t know it was a light aircraft crashing until my neighbour came over asking if I saw anything,” he said. “At that point police and fire service were on the way.”

Another neighbour, Arwel Jones, told the BBC he heard the light aircraft’s engine “getting starved of fuel and just ticking over”.

“He was so low to the ground and he just ploughed down into a tree in a neighbour’s garden. I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Jones said. “When we saw that happening, I was just hoping he hadn’t crashed into anybody or into anybody’s house.”

He went to check on the pilot, who he said was “OK and talking”.

There were no other casualties.

Rees Roberts, who was working outside nearby, told the BBC he saw the “black and yellow bumblebee aeroplane” flying lower than usual. He heard the engine suddenly “cut off completely” and then the plane “just fell like a brick”.

The plane had crashed into some Cypress trees, which had broken its descent, he said.

North Wales fire and rescue service said in a statement: “At 1.44pm today, we received reports of a light aircraft crashing close to a residential area.

“We attended the location, along with North Wales police officers and ambulance crews.

“The male pilot was the only occupant of the aircraft and he was subsequently conveyed to hospital by air ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries.

“No other injuries were reported from the scene.”

Davies praised the emergency services for their speedy response.

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Abdul Ezedi: Police search River Thames for body of Clapham chemical attack suspect - Sky News

Police have started searching the Thames for the body of chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi.

A boat was seen circling near Vauxhall and Chelsea bridges this morning during low tide on the river.

Detectives now believe Ezedi is dead after CCTV showed him leaning over railings at Chelsea Bridge on the night of the attack.

Ezedi, who went on the run 10 days ago, is believed to have "gone in the water" a few hours after the attack in Clapham.

He's accused of throwing a strong alkali on his ex-partner and injuring her daughters, aged three and eight, in an attack that left 12 people wounded.

A manhunt had been ongoing after a badly injured Ezedi was caught on CCTV in various locations in London.

Police had warned the public not to approach him - but a behavioural psychologist viewed the footage and it's now thought Ezedi took his own life.

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0:19

CCTV shows last sighting of Clapham suspect

Image: Ezedi was seen looking over the railings at Chelsea Bridge. Pic: PA

The last sighting of the 35-year-old was on Chelsea Bridge just before 11.30pm on the night of the attack.

Commander Jon Savell said Ezedi's body may never be found due to the strong current.

"At this time of year, the Thames is very fast flowing, very wide and full of lots of snags," he said.

"It is quite likely that if he has gone in the water, he won't appear for maybe up to a month and it's not beyond possibility that he may never actually surface."

Image: Abdul Ezedi's last known movements on day of attack

Image: Pics: Met Police

The injuries suffered by Ezedi's ex-partner's are thought to be "life-changing" and she may lose the sight in one eye.

She remains sedated in hospital but her children have been discharged.

The Met said the breakdown of their relationship could have been the motive for the assault, which happened on a quiet residential street.

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2:09

What happened in the Clapham attack?

Read more:
Timeline of hunt for Ezedi
Clapham attack victim just wanted safe home for her children

Ezedi was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK in 2016 and claimed his life would be in danger if he returned to Afghanistan.

He was convicted of two sexual offences in 2018 but was allowed to remain because his crimes were not serious enough to meet the deportation threshold.

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Rishi Sunak paid effective tax rate of 23% on £2.2m income last year - The Guardian

Rishi Sunak paid more than half a million pounds in tax in 2023 after making a £1.8m profit on his holding in a US investment fund, a summary of his tax affairs shows.

The prime minister published the document on Friday, showing he paid a tax bill of £508,308 in the financial year 2022-23 on overall earnings and gains of £2.23m.

This means he paid an effective tax rate of 23% in the UK – much lower than the top rate of 45% – because some income was taxed at source in the US and the rate of capital gains tax is lower at 20%.

Sunak has in effect been raising income taxes because of the freeze on the tax thresholds and the temporary rise in national insurance, but headline rates on capital gains have remained unchanged during his time as chancellor and then prime minister.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) tweeted after the release: “It really is a mystery why Rishi Sunak raised income tax but not capital gains tax.”

His £139,477 salary as prime minister represents just 7% of his total income that year. In addition to the £1.8m gain, he received a £276,218 dividend, and £17,189 of interest on savings and an investment fund in the US.

The tax return will raise questions about why Sunak appears to hold much of his wealth in the US rather than the UK.

According to the summary provided by Sunak’s accountants, those investments were held under a “blind management arrangement”, which meant he did not receive the gains as income but had to pay tax on them nevertheless.

Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, published his tax return at the same time. It showed he paid tax of £117,418 on income of £208,547 plus a capital gain of £208,058.

Within his earnings, Hunt made £27,370 from a rental property and £35,997 in dividend income.

Sunak first published his tax return in 2023, showing he had made nearly £5m over the previous three years due mostly to his US investment fund income.

Sunak’s personal wealth and his links to the US have been a sensitive issue for the prime minister. A former Goldman Sachs banker and hedge fund manager, he joined one of India’s richest families when he married Akshata Murty, the daughter of Narayana, the billionaire founder of Infosys.

Sunak was criticised in April 2022 after it emerged he had held a US green card while in office – meaning he had declared himself a “permanent US resident” for tax purposes for 19 months while he was chancellor and for six years as an MP. Murty was also criticised when it emerged she was a non-dom, and she subsequently pledged to pay tax on all worldwide income in future.

The prime minister and his family own several properties, including the home in his constituency of Richmond, in North Yorkshire, a Grade II-listed manor with a private lake and a new heated swimming pool. The pool will make such a large demand for energy that Sunak had to pay for the local electricity network to be upgraded.

Robert Palmer, the executive director at Tax Justice UK, said: “People will be shocked to learn the prime minister has such a low tax rate despite bringing in millions. But this is a feature of our broken tax system. At the moment someone who earns most of their money from their wealth – like the prime minister – pays a much lower tax rate than someone who relies on going out to work for their living. We need to fix this to make sure that income from wealth is taxed at the same rate as income from work.”

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Clapham attack: Police to search Thames for suspect Abdul Shokoor Ezedi - BBC

Metropolitan Police

By Natasha Preskey & Sam Hancock

BBC News

Police are to search the River Thames for the body of Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, the Clapham chemical attack suspect.

Detectives believe the 35-year-old went into the water near Chelsea Bridge in west London on the night of the attack, after walking "with purpose" for hours.

CCTV footage shows him pacing and leaning over the bridge before he disappears from view, police said.

Ezedi is suspected of dousing a mother and her daughters with an alkaline substance on the night of 31 January.

He was last seen at 23:27 GMT, on Chelsea Bridge, about four hours after the attack in Clapham, south London. He was never seen leaving the bridge area.

At a briefing on Friday, Metropolitan Police officers said the search of the Thames would involve boats from the Marine Policing Unit - and would take place at low tide.

They warned that at this time of year the Thames was very fast flowing and full of snags, and that it was possible Ezedi's body may never surface.

• Clapham suspect convicted of sex offence in 2018
• Ezedi arranged to meet victim before attack
• 'I can't see': Witnesses recount 'horrific' scene in south London

Speaking at Scotland Yard, Cmdr Jon Savell said officers had spent the last 24 hours "meticulously" following CCTV and their "main working hypothesis" was that Ezedi had gone into the water.

"We have looked at all of the available cameras and angles, and with the assistance of Transport for London and CCTV from buses that were travelling over the bridge at the relevant time, and there is no sighting of him coming off the bridge," he said.

Cmdr Savell said that a marine support unit would be "carrying out some searches of the Thames" in the area he was last seen.

He told reporters that it may take "some time... for a person to surface and sadly, they may never actually be found".

Cmdr Savell added that police were in contact with a member of Ezedi's family to "break that news".

Det Supt Rick Sewart, also at the briefing, said death was the "most probable outcome" if Ezedi had gone into the water.

This development came days after police said they believed Ezedi was "being helped by others" to evade capture, and that their inquiries were targeting "more of Ezedi's associates" following the arrest of one man on suspicion of assisting an offender. He was later bailed.

Searches have been ongoing for more than a week, with police raids carried out in the Newcastle area at properties linked to Ezedi on Thursday.

Originally from Afghanistan, Ezedi is believed to have arrived in the UK by lorry in 2016 - the same year he made his first unsuccessful asylum application. He settled in north-east England and is thought to have been living in Newcastle at the time of the attack.

He is wanted on suspicion of attempted murder over the attack, which took place in Lesser Avenue at about 19:25 GMT.

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The injured woman remains sedated in hospital and there are concerns she may lose sight in one eye. She and Ezedi had been in a relationship that broke down, police have said, and they arranged to meet before the attack took place.

Both her children, aged eight and three, have been discharged from hospital.

The suspect, who is not the father of the children, suffered serious facial injuries in the attack. Police have repeatedly encouraged him to seek medical attention.

He had his asylum claim rejected twice before he successfully appealed against the Home Office by claiming he had converted to Christianity.

Ezedi was convicted of two sexual offences in 2018 but was allowed to remain in the UK because his crimes did not meet the threshold for deportation.

Related Topics

• Clapham
• Metropolitan Police Service
• London

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Clapham attack: Suspect Abdul Ezedi likely dead after fall from Chelsea Bridge - The Independent

Clapham attack suspect may have ‘gone into’ River Thames

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The man suspected of carrying out the Clapham chemical attack is believed to have died after jumping or falling into the River Thames, detectives say.

Abdul Ezedi, 35, was last seen on Chelsea Bridge just before 11:30pm on 31 January, but the Metropolitan Police say that after studying CCTV and bus footage of the area, no cameras captured him leaving, so their main hypothesis is that he went into the water.

While no body has been found, detectives say his death is the “most probable outcome”. The Afghan national was seen pacing up and down the bridge - the last known sighting of him - before leaning over the railings.

Marine search units will monitor the Thames, but officers warned it may take months for a body to be recovered – or it may never be found.

“If he has gone into the water, he might not come up for months and it is a possibility that he may never actually surface,” said Det Supt Sewart.

In a briefing at Scotland Yard, Commander Jon Savell said: “We have spent the last 24 hours meticulously following the CCTV, and it’s our main working hypothesis that he’s now gone into the water.”

1707496620

Suspect went into river after being spotted leaning over railings: police hypothesis

Detectives are working on the hypothesis that Abdul Ezedi entered the River Thames at Chelsea Bridge after he was seen leaning over railings, they have revealed.

Ezedi was captured on CCTV at Battersea, and is seen at the bottom right of the photo

Jane Dalton9 February 2024 16:37

1707532200

Moment armed police raid pizza takeaway where chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi worked

Moment police raid pizza takeaway where chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi worked

This is the moment armed police raid a Newcastle takeaway where Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi worked. The Metropolitan Police said the warrants, including one at Ezedi’s place of work, were carried out in the early hours of Thursday (8 February). No arrests were made and inquiries and searches continue, police said. It came as the Clapham chemical attack victim was revealed to be a “devoted mother” who just wanted a safe home for her two girls. The 31-year-old, who is still sedated and unable to speak to detectives may lose the sight in her right eye eight days on from the attack.

Alexander Butler10 February 2024 02:30

1707528600

Pictured: Newcastle pizza takeaway raided by police

A view of the Best Bite pizza and grill house in the Forest Hall area of Newcastle upon Tyne, one of two addresses raided by armed police as part of their search for Clapham alkali attack suspect Abdul Ezedi

Alexander Butler10 February 2024 01:30

1707525000

Clapham chemical attack suspect likely ‘plunged from Chelsea bridge into the Thames’, say police

Alexander Butler10 February 2024 00:30

1707521417

Watch: Clapham attack suspect Abdul Ezedi filmed walking through Tesco on CCTV

Watch: Clapham attack suspect Abdul Ezedi filmed walking through Tesco on CCTV

Newly-released CCTV shows Clapham attack suspect Abdul Ezedi in a Tesco shop on Caledonian Road, London, on Wednesday (31 January). Metropolitan Police officers have been searching for the 35-year-old from Newcastle since Wednesday after a 31-year-old mother, believed to be known to Ezedi, was attacked with a “very strong concentrated corrosive.” She sustained injuries thought to be “life-changing”. Her daughters were also hurt but their injuries are “not likely to be life-changing”. Authorities have offered a reward of up to £20,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Alexander Butler9 February 2024 23:30

1707517817

Watch: CCTV footage shows Clapham chemical attack suspect walking towards Victoria Embankment

New CCTV shows Clapham chemical attack suspect walking towards Victoria Embankment

The Metropolitan Police have released new CCTV images of Abdul Ezedi, including footage of the Clapham chemical attack suspect walking towards Victoria Embankment on Wednesday evening. The footage, released on Tuesday, 6 February, is the last known sighting of Ezedi, in which he passes the Unilever building and heads towards Victoria Embankment at 10:04pm. “Our teams have been working tirelessly through the night and into today to pinpoint Ezedi’s latest movements and we are now able to release the latest images and footage of him,” Commander Jon Savell said. The Met warned that anyone hiding or assisting Ezedi is a criminal action, as a 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender on Monday.

Alexander Butler9 February 2024 22:30

1707514217

Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi’s sex assault victim says fugitive is ‘danger to women’

Alexander Butler9 February 2024 21:30

1707510617

Clapham chemical attack suspect may have ‘gone into’ River Thames

Clapham chemical attack suspect may have ‘gone into’ River Thames

The Met Police issued an update on their search for Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, revealing their theory that the suspect has “gone into” the River Thames. The police’s main working hypothesis is that the 35-year-old has gone into the water. “We have spent the last 24 hours meticulously following the CCTV, and it’s our main working hypothesis that he’s now gone into the water,” Met Police Commander Jon Savell said in a briefing at Scotland Yard. Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, is accused of attacking his ex-partner and injuring her two young children, aged three and eight, with an alkali substance on Wednesday, 31 January in Clapham, south London.

Alexander Butler9 February 2024 20:30

1707507017

Mapped: Ezedi’s movements

Alexander Butler9 February 2024 19:30

1707505814

Ezedi’s demeanour changed on bridge

Commander Jon Savell said: “When he gets to Chelsea Bridge, his demeanour appears to change.

“I would describe him previously as walking sort of purposefully, as if he knew where he was going and he was walking at a reasonable pace.

“As he gets onto Chelsea Bridge, he does cross the bridge more than once.

“And then when he gets back to the centre, he appears to be moving from the railings back to the pavement and looking over the edge of the railings.

“So a distinct change in how he’s been moving about.”

Jane Dalton9 February 2024 19:10

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Clapham chemical attack: Police believe suspect may have died in Thames - BBC

Met Police

By Doug Faulkner

BBC News

Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Shokoor Ezedi may be dead after going into the River Thames, police say.

The 35-year-old has not been seen since the night of the attack on 31 January, when an alkali substance was thrown over a mother and her two children.

At a press conference on Friday police said their working hypothesis was that he had gone into the water after last being seen at Chelsea Bridge.

No body has been found and officers said one may never be recovered.

At the briefing Metropolitan Police officers said Ezedi could be seen on CCTV "walking with purpose" for four miles to the Thames and said his behaviour changed at Chelsea Bridge.

They said he could be seen to "lean over the railings" of the bridge before CCTV sightings ceased.

• What we know about Clapham suspect's movements
• Clapham suspect convicted of sex offence in 2018
• Clapham suspect arranged to meet victim before attack
• Watch on iPlayer: Manhunt: Clapham Chemical Attack

Speaking at Scotland Yard, Cmdr Jon Savell said officers had spent the last 24 hours "meticulously" following CCTV and their "main working hypothesis" was that he had gone into the water.

"We have looked at all of the available cameras and angles, and with the assistance of Transport for London and CCTV from buses that were travelling over the bridge at the relevant time and there is no sighting of him coming off the bridge," he said.

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Detective Superintendent Rick Sewart said death was the "most probable outcome" if Ezedi had gone into the water.

From the hundreds of hours of CCTV officers have combed through, it does not look as though Ezedi has been in contact with anyone else, the force said.

Manhunt: Clapham Chemical Attack

The search for Abdul Shakoor Ezedi, wanted over a chemical attack in Clapham.

Watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK Only)

The most recent sighting of him remains an image captured on CCTV at about 23:27 GMT on 31 January, crossing Chelsea Bridge.

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Cmdr Savell said the forces' marine support unit would be searching the river but said experts had warned that if someone had gone into the river it might take some time for them to surface.

He added that police had spoken to a member of Ezedi's family to "break that news".

A manhunt had been ongoing for more than a week, with police raids carried out in the Newcastle area at properties linked to Ezedi on Thursday.

He is wanted on suspicion of attempted murder over the attack, which took place in Lesser Avenue at about 19:25.

The woman, who police revealed had been in a relationship with the suspect, remains sedated in hospital and there are concerns she may lose sight in one eye. Both children, aged eight and three, have been discharged.

Police said their thoughts remained with the mother, who was still "very poorly and unable to speak to police".

The suspect, who is not the father of the children, suffered serious facial injuries in the incident which police had said could be fatal.

Ezedi is an Afghan refugee who came to the UK in a lorry in 2016.

He had his asylum claim rejected twice before he successfully appealed against the Home Office by claiming he had converted to Christianity.

Ezedi was also convicted of two sexual offences in 2018 but was allowed to stay because his crimes did not meet the threshold for deportation.

Related Topics

• Clapham
• Newcastle upon Tyne

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