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STORY

Kemi Badenoch ignited fresh controversy today by declaring that she will refuse to speak to any woman wearing a burqa, or indeed any face covering, at her constituency surgery. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, the Leader of the Opposition insisted that “if you come into my constituency surgery, you have to remove your face covering, whether it’s a burqa or a balaclava,” arguing that effective communication demands a clear view of one’s interlocutor.

Badenoch went on to extend the principle to the workplace, asserting that employers should have the right to ban staff from wearing full-face veils. “Organisations should be able to decide what their staff wear” she noted, adding “It shouldn’t be something that people should be able to override.” The intervention follows a recent Commons exchange in which a Reform UK MP pressed the Prime Minister on whether the UK should emulate France and Belgium by outlawing the burqa.

Badenoch defended her position by drawing parallels with past parliamentary practice. In 2006, former Labour minister Jack Straw famously asked burqa-wearing constituents to unveil during surgery, provided a female aide was present, a policy that stirred its own row at the time. But critics point out that Straw’s appeal was framed as a courtesy rather than an outright ban, and that no change in the law followed. The Institute for Public Policy Research has warned that any move to ban religious attire in workplaces or public services would face legal challenges under the Equality Act, unless employers can demonstrate a “proportionate” justification, such as health and safety. As the row deepens, legal experts expect any attempt at formal prohibition to be swiftly tested in the courts.

STORY

The Reform Party has been hit by new allegations about the personal conduct of Sarah Pochin after photos were revealed of her holding a mug with a photo of Keir Starmer wearing a hijab. Pochin’s conduct at Prime Minister’s Question Time this week split the party and led to the resignation of the party chair, Zia Yusuf who had called Pochin’s behaviour as “dumb”.

Georgie Laming from Hope Not Hate said:

“This photo and Pochin’s comments this week show her extreme anti-Muslim prejudice. The image on the mug has been shared widely in far right circles by extreme figures who use the image to suggest Labour is complicit in the Islamification of Britain.”

Pochin has so far refused to comment on the new allegations made against her as figures in the Reform Party have expressed concern about the new MP’s behaviour.

STORY

Rob Cross, the former PDC World Darts Champion famously crowned “Voltage” in 2018, has been banned from serving as a company director for five years after his business failed to pay over £450,000 in taxes. The Insolvency Service announced today that Cross’s company, Rob Cross Darts Limited, fell into liquidation in November 2023 owing more than £400,000 to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) alone.

Cross, 34, set up Rob Cross Darts Limited in May 2017 to manage his prize money and sponsorship income. However, an investigation revealed that between March 2020 and the date of liquidation, he removed in excess of £300,000 from the company—funds that should have been paid to creditors, including HMRC. By the time the firm went under, the director’s loan account that Cross had racked up stood at £423,608, and the business owed £403,896 in corporation tax, £49,071 in VAT and a further £12,436 in PAYE and National Insurance contributions.

In a bid to address some of the outstanding debt, Cross entered into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) last year. Under the IVA, he has undertaken to make regular payments to an insolvency practitioner, with the monthly amount fluctuating based on his future earnings in darts tournaments. Rob Cross Darts Limited had received just over £1 million from his winnings between March 2020 and November 2023, alongside nearly £170,000 in sponsorship money and more than £260,000 from Cross’s management company—but only paid £41,936 to HMRC in that same period.

Kevin Read, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, emphasised the wider impact of such shortfalls. “When directors fail to pay the correct amount of tax, it directly impacts the nation’s ability to fund vital public services such as the NHS, schools and transport infrastructure,” he said. “Rob Cross’s company owed more than £400,000 in corporation tax alone when it went into liquidation. For more than three years, he withdrew funds from the company that should have gone to HMRC and other creditors. This case demonstrates that we will pursue action against directors who deprive the public purse of much-needed funds.”

As part of the disqualification sanction, which began on 5 June, Cross is barred from promoting, forming or managing any company without prior permission from the court, a prohibition set to last until June 2030. Any breach of the ban could land him in court and carry further penalties.

STORY

More than eight decades after he was lost in action, Flying Officer Philip Anthony Neville Cox’s final resting place has been confirmed in the Netherlands, and a rededication service was held at his grave yesterday. Cox, who flew with 501 Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force during the Battle of Britain, was originally buried as an unknown airman after his Hurricane failed to return from an operation over Dover on 27 July 1940. A body washed ashore a month later on the Dutch coast and was interred as “an unknown British Air Force Officer,” with only fragmentary details of his name and service number recorded. When wartime graves were consolidated into the Bergen op Zoom War Cemetery in 1946, those scant records were lost, leaving his plot unmarked by name for nearly 80 years.

The Ministry of Defence’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC)—known informally as the MOD War Detectives—led the multi-year effort to uncover Cox’s identity. Collaborating with the RAF Air Historical Branch and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), researchers examined Dutch and German wartime archives and cross-checked survival and loss records. They discovered that although another serviceman named Cox had gone missing, only Flying Officer P.A.N. Cox matched the date and location of the crash, eliminating any doubt.

Yesterday’s service at Bergen op Zoom was conducted by Reverend Jonathan Steward, station chaplain at RAF Odiham, who spoke of the emotional significance of finally engraving Cox’s name on his headstone. “Having his name forever written in stone is more than symbolic,” Reverend Steward said. “It shows our commitment to honour and commemorate his sacrifice, ensuring it will not be forgotten.” Family members from the UK were present alongside Dutch dignitaries and military representatives, witnessing the unveiling of a new Commonwealth War Graves headstone bearing Cox’s name and rank. A small military party stood in solemn tribute behind the marker, and wreaths were laid to mark the occasion.

Born in Gloucestershire, Cox was noted in his RAF reports as a skilled pilot and accomplished sportsman, excelling in both fencing and soccer. He joined the Auxiliary Air Force in 1932 and quickly earned a reputation for dedication and bravery. His loss on that July day in 1940 came during a critical period of the Battle of Britain, when every pilot’s contribution was vital to the RAF’s defence against the Luftwaffe. Tracey Bowers, a caseworker with the JCCC, expressed gratitude for the tip that first pointed investigators toward the Dutch burial records. “This brave officer served his country for eight years,” she said. “Thanks to painstaking research, Flying Officer Cox will now be remembered by name, and his grave will be cared for by the CWGC in perpetuity.”

Fergus Read, Commemorations Case Officer at the CWGC, noted that the identification process drew on sources that had never before been connected, including eyewitness accounts, crash-site reports, and local wartime documentation. “It was a privilege to play a part in establishing where this Battle of Britain pilot was laid to rest,” Read said. “The Commission will honour his memory and maintain his grave for generations to come.”