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STORY

From 2030, Gatwick Airport’s expansion is expected to enable up to 100,000 additional flights a year, increasing passenger choice and boosting airline competition.

• Gatwick Airport’s second runway can now be brought into full use after the Court of Appeal dismissed a legal challenge against the expansion project, bringing years of uncertainty to an end
• expansion will create 14,000 new jobs across the region and deliver an additional £1 billion in economic benefits every year (PDF), helping to drive growth across the South East and beyond through Gatwick’s national supply chain
• first flights to take off from the extended Northern Runway from 2030, which will mean 100,000 additional flights each year – massively expanding on the 200+ destinations currently offered to give passengers more choice and boosting competition to drive down fares
• the government remains committed to improving sustainability in aviation, with any expansion project – including a third runway at Heathrow – required to meet strict conditions on air quality, carbon emissions and noise
• the government has just announced £219 million to boost production of sustainable aviation fuel in the UK, as well as £43 million to drive forward hydrogen-powered and electric flight, to make the UK a leader in greener flight
• the Court of Appeal has also today refused permission for the campaign group to appeal

Heidi Alexander, Transport Secretary, said:

This is a major milestone for Gatwick and for local communities, with expansion unlocking investment and creating thousands of new jobs.

Around 13 million more passengers and 100,000 more flights will give holidaymakers greater choice and strengthen global links to help make the UK one of the most attractive places in the world to invest.

We’ll back expansion that supports growth and our climate goals. To drive forward sustainable change, we’re also investing over £219 million for green fuel production to cut emissions from flying and secure the future of aviation.

STORY

Simon & Schuster is proceeding with the publication of Jason Arday’s memoir despite continuing questions about claims made by the former University of Cambridge professor and allegations concerning his academic work. Great and Unfortunate Things is scheduled for publication in the United States on 11 August and in the United Kingdom on 27 August, with the publisher continuing to promote it as an account of Arday’s journey from a non-verbal childhood to becoming Cambridge’s youngest Black professor.

Arday resigned from Cambridge after the university and Jesus College began examining questions about his qualifications, honorary appointments and published biography. He has also faced allegations that passages in his doctoral thesis resembled an earlier academic work, although Liverpool John Moores University previously concluded that he had not committed plagiarism. Arday has denied dishonesty and said his resignation was intended to protect his wellbeing and family rather than represent an admission of wrongdoing.

The Guardian reported that Arday had said Simon & Schuster paid him an advance of £1.4 million, although the currency and precise terms have not been confirmed. The publisher has declined to explain how the memoir was fact checked, stating only: “We do not comment on our editorial processes.” By continuing with publication while questions remain about parts of Arday’s public story, Simon & Schuster is placing its editorial judgement and reputation behind a book whose central claims are likely to receive intense scrutiny.

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Police and the local MP have appealed for calm following two nights of disorder in Thetford connected with claims that properties in the town were being used to accommodate asylum seekers. A crowd gathered outside homes on Tuesday evening, with police reporting attempts to enter properties, smashed windows and damage to a fence, door and letterbox. Five men believed to be asylum seekers were removed from one address by officers for their own safety, although their immigration status has not been officially confirmed.

A largely peaceful anti-immigration demonstration was held outside Thetford Police Station on Wednesday before further disorder was reported elsewhere in the town. Norfolk Police said a male officer was struck by a rock, a female officer was bitten badly enough to break the skin and a third officer was spat at. Two men were arrested on suspicion of offences including public order violations, harassment and possession of an offensive weapon, while significant police resources were deployed to maintain public safety.

South West Norfolk MP Terry Jermy condemned what he described as mob rule and vigilantism, while acknowledging the legitimate opposition to proposals to use nearby RAF Barnham as asylum accommodation. Norfolk Police said it would continue to support peaceful protest but warned that violence, intimidation and criminal behaviour would not be tolerated. Residents have been urged to remain calm, avoid speculation on social media and allow the police investigation to continue.

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More than 500,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Government to prevent Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole from being released early from prison. The petition was launched by Aileen O’Connor, chair of the Thames Valley Police Federation, after it was confirmed that the two men remain eligible for release under changes intended to reduce pressure on prison capacity.

Bowers and Cole were each sentenced to 13 years after being convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper. The Thames Valley Police officer died in August 2019 after becoming caught in a strap attached to a car as the defendants fled from the theft of a quad bike in Berkshire. Henry Long, who was driving the vehicle, received a 16-year sentence and is not eligible for release under the scheme.

PC Harper’s widow, Lissie Harper, has supported the petition and urged the Government to exclude the two men from the changes. Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg has said he may support legal action being considered by the Police Federation if ministers do not reverse the decision. The Government has argued that selecting individual prisoners for exemption would not be lawful and that releases are necessary to prevent the prison system running out of places.

The petition is located at https://www.change.org/p/petition-to-stop-the-early-release-from-jail-of-pc-andrew-harper-s-killers.

STORY

The United Kingdom has told the United Nations Security Council that it will continue working with international partners to combat terrorism and disrupt extremist networks. UK representative Jess Jambert-Gray welcomed the Syrian Government’s decision to join the Global Coalition against Da’esh as its ninetieth member.

The statement said approximately 6,000 Da’esh detainees in Iraq must face justice and warned that the organisation and its affiliates were attempting to regroup in several regions. The United Kingdom also highlighted coordinated attacks in Niger and Mali and the effect of terrorism on displacement, humanitarian need and regional stability.

The UK said it is supporting counter-terrorism capability in West Africa and the Sahel through intelligence sharing, investigations and action against terrorist finance. The statement also referred to the continuing threat from ISIL-Khorasan and called for international frameworks to adapt as terrorist organisations exploit technology, online platforms and instability across borders.

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Nathan Owen has been jailed for four years and three months after falsely claiming that his Jaguar I-Pace had suffered a brake failure during a 38-mile motorway journey. Liverpool Crown Court heard that he drove at speeds of up to 86mph across the M58, M57 and M62 while telling emergency services that the vehicle was out of control.

Police mounted a major operation and attempted to bring the car to a safe stop, during which Owen collided with a police vehicle 31 times. Investigators later established that the car had no relevant defect and that Owen had not attempted to brake, concluding that he staged the incident while experiencing financial difficulties linked to the vehicle.

Owen pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and two counts of fraud. He was also disqualified from driving for five years after his release, with the court told that the false account caused public alarm, substantial disruption and reputational costs for Jaguar Land Rover.

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The Government has announced a £343 million programme to open up to 159 NHS mental health facilities across England. The plans comprise 100 community mental health centres offering walk-in support without a referral and 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments intended to provide specialist crisis care outside general accident and emergency units.

The first facilities are expected to open from autumn 2026, with further centres following from March 2027. The community centres are intended to bring together mental health teams, GPs, councils, voluntary organisations and services dealing with employment and housing, so that patients can receive help before their condition reaches crisis point.

Ministers said the programme represented the largest redesign of mental health services in a generation. The Government said demand has risen sharply, particularly among children and young people, and that the new model is intended to reduce long waits, improve access close to home and ease pressure on busy hospital emergency departments.

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More than 60,000 rural homes and businesses across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire can now access faster broadband through the Government’s Project Gigabit programme. The latest connections include communities around Barnsley, Huddersfield, Hull, Bradford, York, Boston and Wisbech, where poor connectivity has previously restricted working, studying and access to online services.

Quickline is delivering the network after receiving £127 million through Project Gigabit. The company said its full fibre network now reaches about 260,000 premises across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, while the publicly funded work has also supported more than 130 apprentices and science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities involving more than 1,700 young people.

The Government said Project Gigabit has helped upgrade more than 1.3 million premises across the United Kingdom, with most of the work focused on rural and hard-to-reach areas. Ministers said the programme is intended to extend gigabit-capable connections to locations where commercial investment alone would be unlikely to deliver them quickly.