General election 2024: Sunak should suspend betting scandal Tories, Conservative minister suggests - The Telegraph

Rishi Sunak should suspend any Tories who placed bets on the general election date, a Government minister has suggested.

Steve Baker, the Northern Ireland minister, said if it were up to him, anyone who admitted to gambling on the timing of the ballot would be temporarily kicked out of the party.

He said it was for the Prime Minister to explain why he hadn’t taken any action to date, adding he had “no inside information” on Mr Sunak’s reasoning.

It will pile further pressure on the Prime Minister to suspend those caught up in the scandal, with Craig Williams, a Tory candidate and one of his closest aides, having already admitted to putting “a flutter” on the general election some weeks ago. He now faces an inquiry by the Gambling Commission.

Laura Saunders, another Conservative candidate, and her husband Tony Lee, the party’s director of campaigning, are also being investigated by the watchdog over alleged betting on the election date.

Speaking to ITV’s Peston on Monday night, Mr Baker said: “If they placed bets it was disreputable and I would call them up and ask them, did you do it? And if they did it, then they are suspended.”

He added: “But the Prime Minister would have to answer why he hasn’t done it, I haven’t got inside information on why the Prime Minister hasn’t done it.”

Tobias Ellwood, the former Tory defence minister, also argued on Monday that Mr Sunak should have suspended the Conservative candidates caught up in the betting scandal.

Asked if the Prime Minister should have taken that action, he told the BBC: “Given the scale of this as we see now and the potential for this story to continue to eclipse, to overshadow the election, I would now agree.

“I am not sure anyone, including the Prime Minister, could have predicted the number of people involved when this story first broke. The public want to see clear, robust action now.

“The practical dilemma you face, though, is were individuals responding to the whirlwind of the rumour mill around Westminster at the time… about a pending election announcement, or were they in the room when the decision was made?

“If it was the latter, the party can take immediate action. Otherwise it is for the Gambling Commission to rightly make that judgement.”

On Monday, Mr Sunak, who has ordered an internal inquiry to run separately to the Gambling Commission’s investigation, said he was “incredibly angry when I learned about the allegations, as everybody would be when they would hear about something like that”.

He said he was not aware of any other Tory candidates being investigated but stressed that any internal inquiries by the Conservative Party must not “compromise the integrity of… police and other investigations”.

Meanwhile, Sir Iain Duncan-Smith said that he was “opposed to people associated with politics betting on political outcomes in general”.

The former Tory leader told The Guardian: “You can either do it by the party saying it won’t be tolerated, or you could do it by legislation. If you start relying on legislation, it would be a complex process.

“Parties are capable of saying that anyone who does this shouldn’t be in the party. They can move quicker than governments.”

He added: “But one way or the other, it needs to be made clear that the public takes a dim view of it and it shouldn’t happen. It’s a matter for the next parliament.”

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2024-06-24 22:02:00Z
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UK weather: Four-day heat health alert comes into force today - as forecasters reveal warmest day this week - Sky News

A yellow heat health alert comes into force for most of England today, as temperatures are set to hit 31C in parts of the country.

The notification, covering all but one region of the country, highlights the risk of increased pressure on healthcare services as a result of the forecast mini-heatwave.

The alert, issued jointly by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Met Office, comes into force from 8am and remains in place until 5pm on Thursday.

Temperatures are expected to spike at 31C (87F) in parts over the coming days, with "many places" due to see the thermometer reach the mid-20Cs (77F).

Image: The yellow alert covers most of England. Pic: UKHSA

See the latest weather forecast where you are

The strongest warnings have been given for the East Midlands, the East of England, East Anglia and the South East with the "potential for significant impacts to be observed across the health and social care sector due to the high temperatures".

These include an "observed increase in mortality across the population likely, particularly in the 65+ age group or those with health conditions, but impacts may also be seen in younger age groups", the UKHSA said.

Image: A high-pressure system will see a hike in temperatures. Pic: iStock

For the North West and North East of England, the West of England, the South West and London, there is an "increase in risk of mortality amongst vulnerable individuals and increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm", the alerts warn.

The heat health alert service covers England only, with colours including green (meaning no alert is issued); yellow (meaning a response is required); amber (an enhanced response is required); and red (an emergency response) which would indicate a significant risk to life.

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What are the different types of alerts?

Green - An alert is not issued during these conditions as it is likely to have minimal impact on health.

Yellow - Issued during periods of heat which would mainly impact people who are vulnerable. People can still continue with their daily routine, but there may be some minor impacts such as travel disruptions.

Amber - Issued when a situation is likely to impact the whole health service, with potential risk to lives and properties, as well as travel delays and rail closures.

Red - A red alert would indicate that there is a huge risk to life across the population. People are advised to take action in order to stay safe. There may be disruption to travel, energy supplies, damage to property and risk of life.

Liam Eslick, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said Monday would see mostly dry weather with "plenty of sunny spells" and a maximum temperature of 28C (82F).

On Tuesday, conditions are expected to become cloudy and murky in western Scotland and Northern Ireland. Some showers will be seen across northern England which could turn thundery, but the rest of the country will see "more sunshine" and temperatures up in the mid to high 20Cs.

Image: People took to Bournemouth beach over the weekend. Pic: PA

The forecaster said Wednesday is likely to be the warmest of the days so far with highs of 30C (86F) in the South East.

Temperatures on Thursday are expected to remain "widely warm" with some areas seeing highs of up to 31C.

Hotter spells will be fleeting

The upcoming hot spell marks a break from the rainy spring, which saw 32% more rainfall than the average in England and Wales, making it the fifth wettest for England and the eighth wettest recorded for Wales, according to the Met Office.

However, the heat is only expected to last until midweek, giving way to showers, thunderstorms and persistent rain.

The wet weather has been coming from the Atlantic and a high-pressure system is expected to halt it for a few days.

Met Office operational meteorologist Honor Criswick said: "As we're pushing into next week, we're starting to see the hotter spells, but it is going to be quite brief."

Read more:
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Despite the wet weather, it has been the warmest May and spring ever recorded in the UK.

The average temperature has been 13.1C, beating the previous 2008 record of 12.1C.

Dan Rudman, Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, said: "Whether or not everyone experiences heatwave thresholds, the majority of the UK will experience the highest temperatures so far this year.

"Confidence in the forecast reduces markedly from Wednesday onwards, with uncertainty in both how long the heat will last and how it will break down, which we will be keeping an eye on for the coming days.

"However, by next weekend, cooler, changeable conditions become more likely."

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2024-06-24 05:19:24Z
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Nearly 19000 NHS patients left waiting for three days in A&E over 12 months - The Guardian

Almost 19,000 NHS patients were left waiting in A&E for three days over a 12-month period, an investigation has revealed.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, nearly 400,000 people were left waiting more than 24 hours across A&E departments, a 5% rise on the previous year. Channel 4’s Dispatches programme also found that 54,000 people had to wait more than two days, a freedom of information request to NHS England found.

The investigation exposed “suffering and indignity faced by patients on a daily basis”, after an undercover reporter secretly filmed himself working as a trainee healthcare assistant inside the emergency department of the Royal Shrewsbury hospital for two months.

The “harrowing” scenes from the hospital’s A&E department came as an analyst from a thinktank said people were dying in emergency care in England “who don’t need to be dying”.

Footage shows one patient waiting for 30 hours in a “fit to sit” area while a suspected stroke sufferer was there for 24 hours, the broadcaster said.

Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “I don’t think this is unique to this hospital by any stretch of the imagination. The things we’ve seen here today are clearly not just confined to winter. It was a year-round crisis in emergency care.

“Spending two days in an emergency department is worse than spending two days in an airport lounge. These are people who are sitting in uncomfortable seats where the lights never go off. There’s constant noise, there’s constant stress. There’s no end in sight.”

Clips from the investigation showed an elderly man forced to urinate in a trolley on the corridor in full view of staff and other patients while in another, a woman is left crying in agony for hours, Channel 4 said.

A total of 18,638 people waited more than three days in A&E over the period, a 60% increase on the previous 12 months. A spokesperson for the hospital trust said: “As with other hospitals, our trust is facing significant challenges with urgent and emergency care.

“We understand our challenges and are investing in our services and making steady improvements as a trust, as noted in our recent CQC report. However, there is still much more to do; we do not want to be in a position where we are caring for patients in corridors.

“We are very sorry that our patients have experienced anything less than the quality care we strive for and we are determined, working with partners, to improve the care and experience for everyone.”

The spokesperson added that although the trust disputed some of the claims made in the Dispatches programme, it would “fully investigate all of the claims to identify and embed any learning into our continuous improvement work”.

The latest figures show that more than one in four people waited longer than the target of four hours in A&E, according to the King’s Fund. Patients are waiting 33 minutes on average for an ambulance in emergency cases such as strokes and heart attacks, when the target is 18 minutes, the thinktank added.

Undercover A&E: NHS in Crisis – Dispatches - is due to air on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday.

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2024-06-24 01:31:00Z
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Jay Slater search: Tenerife police focus on outbuildings near last phone signal - The Guardian

Outbuildings close to where the missing teenager Jay Slater’s phone last picked up signal are the current focus of a police search in Tenerife.

As the hunt for the 19-year-old continued for a seventh day on the Canary island, his mother thanked those who had together donated more than £30,000 to a GoFundMe page, exceeding its target.

Slater, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, disappeared on Monday morning after attending the NRG rave on the island. He told a friend that his phone battery was about to die and that he planned to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus, a journey that would take about 11 hours on foot.

Phone signal data showed his last location as the rugged Rural de Teno park, an area popular with hikers. On Sunday, Spanish police were searching around two structures at the bottom of a ravine in the park. They were seen examining the inside of blue barrels outside one of the small buildings.

Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, travelled to the island on Tuesday and his father is now also there. Asked how the family were coping with the situation, Duncan told PA: “We’re not. I’m not coping very well at all. I’ve not slept, I’m exhausted. It’s been awful. I can’t give up on him, I just can’t.”

Conspiracy theories about Slater’s disappearance have multiplied online. In an interview with the Guardian over the weekend, Duncan said police were concerned about there being “too much noise” around the case.

“They have actually said that there’s too much noise, that’s affecting it,” she said. “They’ve got all the plans, their locations. They have got this map they were showing us, shaded different colours.”

Questions had been asked by donors about the “Get Jay Slater Home’” GoFundMe page, set up by the last friend to have spoken to Slater, Lucy Law. It is not yet clear what the money would be used for. But in an apparent response to comments, Duncan posted on the site thanking donors and confirming it was an official fundraiser.

“Hi everyone, this is Debbie, Jay’s mother,” she wrote. “Thank you all for your generosity and kindness during this difficult time. I wanted to confirm that this is the only GoFundMe fundraiser approved by our family.

“We have not yet withdrawn any funds and are currently covering the expenses, such as the trip to Tenerife and accommodation, ourselves. The funds will remain on hold with GoFundMe until we post a further update on this page.

“We are extremely worried and are doing everything we can to find Jay. Please continue to share our fundraiser far and wide. Your support means the world to us, and we are grateful for any help you can provide.”

Lancashire constabulary said it had made “an offer of support to the Guardia Civil to see if they need any additional resources” but this had been rejected by Spanish authorities. The NRG festival also issued a statement saying it was able to “give some practical support” to Slater’s family.

When asked whether Spain should have accepted help from the UK, Duncan told PA: “They say they’ve got enough resources to get on with the investigation … I don’t know, I don’t know.”

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Manchester Airport flights resume after power cut chaos - BBC.com

Flights at Manchester Airport have resumed after a power cut caused a day of chaos.

Up to 90,000 passengers were affected as flights were cancelled and scheduled arrivals diverted.

Check-in and departures at Terminal 1 and 2 have now fully re-started, the airport said in an update.

Officials said further disruption is not expected on Monday and they are working to reschedule cancelled flights and reunite passengers without their bags.

Airport managing director Chris Woodroofe said a "fault with a cable had caused a power surge that took down security systems and baggage screening".

Mr Woodroofe said: "When Terminal 1 and 2 can't depart passengers for an entire morning there is going to be an impact.

"And I'm really sorry that happened and we're now making sure as we look forward, that impact doesn't carry on into tomorrow."

He said an investigation into what happened would take place in the coming week.

'Mess'

Huge queues formed when a quarter of all flights from the airport had to be cancelled.

Passengers travelling via Terminals 1 and 2 had been told to stay away.

Aviation analytics company Cirium said that by lunchtime 66 outbound flights and 50 inbound were axed.

The disruption comes at the start of the summer holiday season at the UK's third-busiest airport, which has apologised to passengers.

Kelvin Knaver, of St Helens, Merseyside, had been due to fly to Amsterdam with EasyJet before his flight was cancelled.

He told BBC North West Tonight: "It's been a mess.

"There's such a backlog that it's going to take forever to clear."

Passenger Kelvin Knaver said the airport was a "mess" after his flight to Amsterdam was cancelled

Many people affected posted on social media photographs of long queues for check-in desks and passport control, and complained of a lack of communication from staff.

Pictures and video footage showed long queues of people, some waiting in near darkness.

Mr Woodroofe had earlier said that power had been restored but that there would be no departures at all from the two terminals for the rest of the day.

More than 100 flights had been due to depart from the UK's largest airport outside London when the problems started, and many inbound flights had to be diverted.

The airport told the BBC inbound flights had been diverted because "planes can’t take off" due to limited space.

This made it harder to accept aircraft, which would be sent elsewhere, a spokesman said.

Among those affected was a flight arriving from Houston in Texas which had to go to London Heathrow while another, coming from Singapore, was forced to land at London Gatwick.

The airport urged passengers to contact their airlines

The airport's back-up power came on when the primary system went down, but the situation was complicated by mains power cutting out multiple times.

Airlines have said problems with baggage processing meant customers could only board with a cabin bag.

In a statement, Jet2 said handlers had been unable to load bags on to planes due to the outage.

An Easyjet spokesman said passengers could only board their flight with a cabin bag because of problems with the baggage system.

Passengers flying via Terminal 3 were also warned about delays.

'Chaos'

Bobbi Hadgraft, who is travelling to watch England at Euro 2024, told BBC Radio Manchester she arrived at the airport at about 04:00 BST to see "enormous queues" outside Terminal 1.

"We were worried we would miss our flight," she said, adding the power outage had affected display boards and scanners so staff had to direct passengers around the site.

Olwyn Hocking said one member of staff looked like they were trying to hide as "hundreds and hundreds of people poured into the airport, with not a clue there was problem".

She said it was "chaos".

Flights travelling out of Terminal 1 and 2 have been affected by the power loss

Balázs Fazekas, who was due to fly to Montenegro for a week-long holiday with his wife and eight-month-old baby, arrived at 02:00 BST and, after eight hours standing in queues, found out the flight had been cancelled.

"There are bigger issues in life than this," he said, but added the lack of communication from the airport had been "quite frustrating".

Another passenger, Phillip Banfield, said his plane had taken off while he was stuck after going through passport control.

He said he was surrounded by an "enormous number of passengers, stranded, wondering how they’re going to continue onwards journeys".

It had been "virtually impossible" to get through check-in and security, which was only feasible if you were just carrying hand luggage, he added.

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2024-06-23 19:26:10Z
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Senior Tories line up to denounce Nigel Farage's defence of Putin's war - The Guardian

Rishi Sunak and a string of senior Conservatives have condemned Nigel Farage for claiming the west provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine, amid a growing internal Tory battle over how to deal with the Reform UK leader.

The prime minister accused Farage of playing “into Putin’s hands” after he made the claim in a BBC Panorama interview on Friday, in which he linked Nato and EU expansion to the conflict in eastern Europe. Tom Tugendhat, the security minister went further, telling the Observer: “It doesn’t matter whether you’re Jeremy Corbyn or Nigel Farage – if you parrot the Kremlin’s lies, you cannot be trusted with our national security.”

Home secretary James Cleverly also criticised the comments, adding that Farage wanted to “destroy our party”. Ben Wallace, a former defence secretary, described Farage as a “pub bore”. Labour leader Keir Starmer also condemned Farage’s comments as “disgraceful”.

The Tories are desperate to halt the huge threat Reform UK poses to them, in some scenarios reducing their seats in the next parliament to below 100. The latest Opinium poll for the Observer gives Labour a 20-point lead over the Tories. It shows Reform only four points behind the Conservatives, on 16% of the vote

“Clear blue water still exists between the Conservatives and Reform, but Rishi Sunak will balk at a quarter of 2019 Tory voters backing Nigel Farage’s party,” said James Crouch, head of policy and public affairs at Opinium.

The comments from Farage were also seized upon by the Conservatives’ liberal wing, who fear that figures on the right of the party will encourage him to join the Tories after the election. “This is a very revealing comment showing the mask slipping,” said Damian Green, chair of the One Nation caucus. “Showing sympathy for a murderous tyrant who has killed hundreds of thousands of his own people is not the position of a mainstream democratic politician.”

There is a huge split among the Tories over Farage – part of a wider battle over the direction of the party, which is set to burst into the open the moment the election campaign is over. Some senior Conservatives fear the party could break in two, especially if a new leader opens the door to Farage joining. One former cabinet minister said he now feared “a fissure” after the election.

Tories on the liberal wing are concerned that in the heat of a leadership election, the main candidates may feel compelled to commit to allowing Farage in to appease the party membership. Tory moderates have been largely holding their tongues during the campaign, which has seen the Conservatives focus on immigration to unite the right vote. That tactic was brutally undermined by Farage’s re-entry as Reform UK’s leader.

Moderate MPs say they have been concentrating on limiting the damage with local campaigning and trying to keep the party in the centre ground as far as possible. They have also been examining what the party may look like after the election based on current polling and are confident that “no matter what the outcome”, the party can be stopped from lurching to the right in opposition.

Some senior figures have been particularly worried about the party’s lack of appeal to young voters, which was already evident but may have been exacerbated by policies such as the return of national service, designed to appeal to older voters considering a vote for Reform UK.

With less than a fortnight to polling day, morale in the party’s campaign has also taken a huge hit over two issues. Firstly, the revelations that three people linked to the Conservatives are subject to Gambling Commission inquiries over alleged betting relating to the election date has caused serious anger.

With candidates braced for further revelations, Sunak has refused to disclose how many Tories are under investigation. The party has said it will not “give a running commentary”, but it has led to ministers and candidates being asked about the inquiry during the crucial last weeks of the campaign. Sunak has said that anyone found to have broken the rules would “not only face the full consequences of the law but I will ensure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party, too”.

The second issue to hit morale has been the re­allocation of resources at Conservative campaign headquarters to defend safer seats, apparently now considered marginal according to the latest polling. It has led to some internal concerns about giving up swathes of the so-called red wall captured by Boris Johnson in 2019, though the accusation is rejected by the party.

Money is also said to be an issue. Some Tory candidates have said they have struggled for resources, while some regular donors have opted to sit out the 2024 contest. A fund­raising event at London’s exclusive Hurlingham Club last week took place without the prime minister, who instead sent a video message. The star turn of the evening was business secretary Kemi Badenoch, seen as a frontrunner for the leadership should the Tories crash to defeat. Several major donors did attend the event.

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2024-06-23 08:00:00Z
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Election betting scandal grows as Gove likens controversy to Partygate - The Independent

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The general election betting scandal engulfing the Conservative Party continues to grow, with its chief data officer Nick Mason under investigation by the Gambling Commission.

Michael Gove has compared the scandal to Partygate, saying it looks like there is “one rule for them and one rule for us” as Mr Mason faces claims he placed bets on the timing of the general election.

The data chief is the latest senior Conservative to take a leave of absense while under investigation by the gambling watchdog for allegedly betting on the timing of the election before the date had been announced,.

Michael Gove said the election betting scandal is like Partygate (PA Wire)

The latest allegations were published by The Sunday Times, which claimed dozens of bets had been placed with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds.

Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.

Speaking to the paper, Mr Gove said: “It looks like one rule for them and one rule for us ... That’s the most potentially damaging thing,” he said.

“The perception that we operate outside the rules that we set for others. That was damaging at the time of partygate and is damaging here.

“If you’re in a privileged position [close] to the prime minister at the heart of a political operation and you use inside information to make additional money for yourself, that’s just not acceptable. So if these allegations are true, it’s very difficult to defend. “

The revelations are a fresh blow to Rishi Sunak’s hopes of getting the Tory election campaign on track after three other Conservative figures were caught up in the scandal.

And it comes as Labour launches a social media campaign aimed at questioning Rishi Sunak’s judgement by ramping up pressure for him to suspend 12 candidates caught up in different controversies including the betting scandal.

It is to target Craig Williams, Mr Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary standing in Montgomeryshire, who was the first Tory candidate publicly linked to the betting scandal.

The revelations are a fresh blow to Rishi Sunak’s hopes of getting the Tory election campaign on track (via REUTERS)

And Labour will attack Laura Saunders, who has worked for the Tories since 2015, married to director of campaigning Tony Lee, and standing in Bristol North West, who are both being investigated by the Gambling Commission for betting on the election date shortly before it was called.

Ms Saunders has said she will cooperate fully with the investigation, while Mr Williams said: “I clearly made a huge error of judgement that’s for sure and I apologise.”

The Liberal Democrats meanwhile called on Mr Sunak to personally intervene, with a Cabinet Office inquiry into the reports.

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “This is now an all-out scandal at the heart of Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.

Tony Lee, the Tory director of campaigns, and his wife Laura Saunders, are under investigation by the Gambling Commission (Supplied)

“Sunak must personally intervene to order a Cabinet Office inquiry and suspend all those under investigation by the Gambling Commission.

“People are sick and tired of this sleaze. Day by day, hour by hour, the Conservative Government mire themselves in more of it.”

A Conservative spokesman said: “As instructed by the Gambling Commission, we are not permitted to discuss any matters related to any investigation with the subject or any other persons.”

The revelations come as the opinion polls continue to suggest poor public support for the Conservative party.

In the latest Savanta poll published for the Sunday Telegraph, Labour are on 42 per cent of the vote, and the Conservatives are on 19 per cent, their lowest ever vote share in a test of public opinion by the company.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK meanwhile are on 16 per cent of the vote, in a poll of 2,103 UK adults conducted between June 19 and 21.

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2024-06-23 07:31:58Z
CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvcG9saXRpY3Mvbmljay1tYXNvbi1iZXR0aW5nLXRvcnktcmlzaGktc3VuYWstYjI1NjcyMjUuaHRtbNIBAA