Category: News Story

STORY

Bill Butler has been named as the Government’s preferred candidate to chair the new Local Audit Office, as ministers seek to overhaul the local audit system in England.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said Butler would be appointed for a five-year term, subject to a parliamentary pre-appointment hearing. The new chair will help establish the organisation and provide strategic leadership as it takes on statutory responsibilities for local audit.

Local Government Minister Alison McGovern said Butler brought “a wealth of leadership experience” from across the public and regulatory sectors and would help restore confidence, strengthen accountability and secure better value for taxpayers. Butler is currently chair of Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd, which appoints external auditors to local authorities, police bodies and other public organisations in England.

Butler said he was honoured to have been nominated and that, if confirmed, he would focus on establishing a robust organisation to support the recovery and long-term resilience of the local audit system. He is due to appear before the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee on 16 June before a final appointment decision is made.

STORY

The Youth Justice Board has said public concern over the sentencing of three boys convicted in the Fordingbridge rape case should not be dismissed, while warning that youth justice services and judges should not be unfairly criticised for applying the law.

The statement was issued after criticism of the decision not to impose custodial sentences in the case, which involved serious sexual offences against two girls. Cheryl de Freitas, Chief Operating Officer of the Youth Justice Board, said confidence in the justice system mattered, particularly in cases involving violence against women and girls. She said it was essential that public concern was taken seriously.

De Freitas said that, while most children did not commit offences of such seriousness, the response in those cases had to balance accountability, public protection, victim harm, deterrence and the long-term aim of preventing future violence. She also acknowledged the “immense bravery” of the girls who came forward.

The Youth Justice Board said it welcomed the Attorney General’s review of the case and would not comment further while awaiting the outcome. The review follows calls for the sentences to be examined under the unduly lenient sentence scheme, amid wider debate over youth sentencing, public confidence and the treatment of victims of sexual violence.

STORY

The UK and South Africa have launched a new international coalition aimed at preventing violence against women and girls and strengthening accountability for perpetrators. The coalition was announced at the Global Partnerships Conference in London, co-hosted by the UK and South Africa. It brings together eight founding countries: the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Morocco, Spain, Jamaica, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Australia. The Government said the initiative would support international work to prevent abuse, improve protection systems and share best practice across borders.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said violence against women and girls was a “global emergency” as well as a national one. The Government said the coalition would build on the UK’s work with South Africa’s Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Response Fund, which supports prevention programmes, survivor services and community-based initiatives.

The coalition will also focus on violence in conflict and humanitarian settings, where women and girls face particular risks. The UK is due to convene a global summit in 2027 to review progress and seek further commitments, with members expected to develop or strengthen national action plans. The announcement also sits alongside the Government’s domestic pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

STORY

Gisèle Pelicot has condemned the decision not to send three teenage boys to custody after they were convicted of raping two girls, saying she was “deeply shocked” that they had been allowed to remain free.

The French rape survivor, who became internationally known after waiving her anonymity during the trial of her former husband Dominique Pelicot and dozens of other men, spoke after the sentencing decision in Hampshire caused widespread criticism. BBC Breakfast said Pelicot had told the programme that she was shocked “that these individuals were able to gain their freedom” following the case.

The boys, who were aged 14 and 15 at the time of the offences, were given youth rehabilitation orders rather than custodial sentences. The case involved the rape of two girls in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, with reports saying the assaults included threats, filming and subsequent harassment of the victims. Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said the sentencing was “unusual” and could be reviewed by the current Attorney General.

The case has reignited debate over youth sentencing, rehabilitation and justice for victims of sexual violence. Critics have argued that the decision risks discouraging victims from reporting rape, while supporters of youth justice approaches point to the legal requirement to consider the age and welfare of young offenders. The Attorney General’s office is reviewing the case under the unduly lenient sentence scheme, which could lead to the matter being referred to the Court of Appeal.

STORY

The Green Party has announced Sarah Wakefield as its candidate for the Makerfield by-election, following the withdrawal of its previous candidate, Chris Kennedy. Wakefield is a Manchester City councillor representing Deansgate and will contest the seat in what has become a closely watched contest involving Labour’s Andy Burnham and Reform UK.

Wakefield said she was proud to represent the party and argued that voters should be given a genuine choice. She said the Greens wanted to “bring back the hope that politics can create a better life” and pointed to the party’s recent success in Gorton and Denton, where it defeated Reform, as evidence that it could challenge what she described as divisive politics.

The selection comes after Kennedy withdrew from the contest, with the party saying he had stood down for personal and family reasons. The by-election has also prompted internal debate within the Greens over how hard the party should campaign, with some senior figures concerned about the risk of splitting the anti-Reform vote, while others argue that voters should have the chance to back a Green candidate.

STORY

Senior Conservative figures have warned that leaving the European Convention on Human Rights would risk damaging UK national security and weakening cooperation with European partners.

The warning came in a report by the Conservative European Forum, with figures including former justice secretaries and law officers arguing that withdrawal from the convention would complicate extradition, policing and migration cooperation. The intervention comes as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch faces pressure from Reform UK and some in her own party to adopt a harder line on the ECHR.

Supporters of withdrawal argue that it would give Parliament and the courts greater freedom over migration and asylum policy. The report’s authors instead called for reform of the convention system, warning that an abrupt departure could create legal and diplomatic consequences, including for the Good Friday Agreement and wider European security cooperation.

STORY

The Conservatives have accused the Government of having no border control after hundreds of people crossed the English Channel in small boats over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Sky News reported Home Office figures showing 231 people crossed on Sunday, following 287 on Saturday and 394 on Friday. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp (in photo) said Britain faced a summer of high crossings and argued that Labour was distracted by internal leadership disputes.

The figures will add to political pressure on ministers, although Sky noted that small boat crossings remain significantly down compared with the same point last year and net migration has fallen to its lowest level since 2021. Ministers are likely to point to warm weather as one factor behind the recent increase in crossings.

STORY

The Green Party has said it will still contest the Makerfield by-election despite calls from senior party figures for it to step aside to improve Andy Burnham’s chances against Reform UK.

Ellie Chowns, the party’s Westminster leader, said it was important that the Greens stand in the contest, although she suggested the party may not run its most intensive campaign in the constituency. A group of Green councillors, activists and former leaders had argued that the party should consider standing aside if Burnham backed proportional representation.

The decision means the Makerfield contest is likely to remain a multi-party fight, with Labour, Reform and smaller parties all seeking to shape the political meaning of the by-election. The seat will be watched closely because of Burnham’s possible role in any future Labour leadership contest.

STORY

Reform UK MP Danny Kruger has defended the party’s Makerfield by-election candidate Robert Kenyon after past social media posts were criticised as inappropriate.

ITV reported that Kenyon had used a now-deleted X account to support an offensive post about Carol Vorderman. Kruger told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the comments were clearly inappropriate publicly, but argued that Kenyon had not been a politician at the time and had been speaking as a private individual.

The row has added pressure to Reform’s campaign in Makerfield, where Andy Burnham is attempting to return to Westminster for Labour. Reform has said it has no plans to investigate Kenyon’s previous social media use.

STORY

Jess Phillips has said Labour’s failure to elect a permanent female leader shows the party is “a bit sexist”, in comments made during an appearance at the Hay Festival.

The former safeguarding minister said Labour, like many institutions, was shaped by patriarchal structures. Her comments highlighted the contrast with the Conservatives, who have had three female prime ministers, while Labour has only had women serve as acting leaders.

Phillips resigned from Government earlier this month after saying she had lost confidence in Keir Starmer’s leadership. Her remarks come during renewed speculation about Labour’s internal direction after poor election results and continuing pressure around the Prime Minister’s future.