STORY
Mel Stride is the second candidate to have left the contest to become the next Conservative leader after he secured the lowest number of votes in the second round of voting by Conservative MPs. Robert Jenrick secured 33 votes, Kemi Badenoch secured 28 votes whilst James Cleverly and Tom Tugenhadt received 16 votes. The next vote of Tory MPs will be after the party’s conference, when the party members will then decide between the final two candidates.
STORY
The Foreign Office have announced a change of the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, with Matt Woods taking over Barry Lowen in September 2024. Woods’s previous roles include:
| 2019 to 2024 | Madrid, Head of Political Team |
| 2016 to 2019 | EU Delegation to Haiti, Head of Political, Press and Information Section and Chargé d’Affaires |
| 2013 to 2016 | Rio de Janeiro, Deputy Consul General |
| 2009 to 2012 | Addis Ababa, Second Secretary Political |
| 2007 to 2009 | FCO, Roles in Consular and Europe Directorates |
| 2002 to 2007 | Roles at Deloitte Consulting, the Home Office, French Civil Service and the OECD |
STORY
Serious allegations have been made against Jeremy Kyle during the inquiry into the suicide of Steve Dymond. Kyle’s show was cancelled by ITV after reviewing the footage and Dymond’s landlady Michelle Thaxter revealed that he had told her that Kyle had “backed him into a corner”. It was revealed that Kyle had used aggressive language against Dymond during the show, with Thaxter’s son saying that Dymond was “mortified and disgusted by the way Jeremy Kyle had treated him”. It was also revealed by the inquest that producers on the show had laughed in private messages that Dymond had been crying before appearing on the show. The inquest is continuing.
STORY
It was revealed today at Winchester Coroner’s Court that Jeremy Kyle, the controversial presenter of the show which took his name, told guest Steve Dymond to “grow a pair of balls”. Dymond committed suicide shortly after the show and in response ITV permanently scrapped the show after reviewing evidence of the broadcast. Kyle also admitted that he said on the show that “he wouldn’t trust [Dymond] with a chocolate button”, but said that he said this as he wanted there to be a chance that Dymond “had a chance of being together” with his former partner. Kyle rejected serious allegations of any bullying linked to Dymond’s death, saying “from the moment Steve Dymond came out, I called him ‘mate’, I called him ‘pal’”. Kyle claimed that he relied on the support of the production team and Dymond’s GP that his appearance on the show would be appropriate.
STORY
Priti Patel has been knocked out of the first round of the Conservative Party leadership race, the first of five candidates to be eliminated.
The result was:
Robert Jenrick – 28 votes
Kemi Badenoch – 22 votes
James Cleverly – 21 votes
Tom Tugendhat – 17 votes
Mel Stride – 16 votes
Priti Patel – 15 votes
Patel had previously served as the Home Secretary under the Johnson administration.
STORY
Ukraine’s incursion into Russian territory continues in an attempt to bring Putin’s Government to the negotiating table in a bid for peace. The surprise Ukrainian attack on Russia nearly two weeks ago, which their Government have been unable to successfully defend, has seen the Ukrainian forces take a foothold as they today destroyed two key bridges the Russians used for their supply lines. The Russian Government had said that they would take firm action to remove the Ukrainians, but their efforts have met with little success and further evacuations of Russian civilians have since taken place. Putin’s Government has been attempting to downplay the first invasion onto Russia soil since the Second World in an attempt to avoid panic, with analysts expecting troops to be moved from the Ukrainian front in a bid to liberate the occupied territories in Russia.
STORY
Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, has said at the UN Security Council meeting that Palestinians have nowhere safe to turn following the attack made on them by Israel. Kariuki said:
“The UK is appalled by the Israeli military strike on al-Tabeen school where Palestinian civilians were sheltering. The UN tells us this strike killed dozens of Palestinians, many of whom are reported to be women and children. Sadly, this was not the only Israeli strike on schools, turned-shelters, we have seen. There were 17 such attacks in July alone. Palestinians have nowhere safe to turn. 86% of Gaza is now under evacuation orders. And in recent days we have seen some of the largest orders to date, impacting tens of thousands of people, displaced multiple times over. Families are forced to move back and forth, back and forth but with none of these places offering the safety or security they so desperately need. On top of that, some of these orders have been issued by Israel in the middle of the night with minimal notice to allow civilians to flee. Israel must ensure it complies with its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.”
STORY
Liz Truss, the Prime Minister who was forced from office after just 49 days following a failed mini-budget and economic collapse, has been subject to a prank organised by Led By Donkeys where a banner was unfurled during a Q&A session in Beccles, Suffolk. Truss left the stage saying “that’s not funny” after the banner saying ‘I crashed the economy’ was unveiled. Truss posted on Twitter:
“What happened last night was not funny. Far-left activists disrupted the event, which then had to be stopped for security reasons. This is done to intimidate people and suppress free speech. I won’t stand for it. Would we see the same reaction if the activists were far-right?”
STORY
The Russian Government has announced the evacuation of 11,000 more people in the Belgorod region as Ukrainian troops penetrate further into the country. The invasion, which is now in the sixth day, has led the Russian army to struggle to take back control. The Russian Foreign Office said that they expected to secure the region quickly and denied that they had set fire to Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility.
STORY
The Russian Government has confirmed rumours that the country’s defences appear to have failed as the Ukrainian army is over 30 kilometres into the country. Over 75,000 Russians have been evacuated as the Russian army is unable to defend the country, with confusion as how the Ukrainian army have been able to make the advanced assault with limited military response from the Russians. The situation has become critical for Vladimir Putin, the President, as the Ukrainian army are now in their sixth day of occupation, despite Russian claims that they had the situation under control. Vladimir Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, said in a statement:
“Ukraine is proving that it really knows how to restore justice and guarantees exactly the kind of pressure that is needed – pressure on the aggressor”.
Vladimir Putin is yet to make an official statement on the situation.