Tag: News Story

STORY

The Ministry of Justice has said that thirty cases have been broadcast in the first year since filming has been permitted in courts. The first TV broadcast was on 28 July 2022, when the sentencing remarks from the Old Bailey were filmed when capturing the sentencing of Ben Oliver for the manslaughter of his grandfather. Parliament is currently consulting on extending the filming to make the court process more open to the public.

Mike Freer, the Justice Minister, said:

“Today marks one year since this landmark change opened up the Crown Court to television cameras, seeing them broadcast judges’ sentencing remarks for some of the most serious offenders for the first time. It has allowed the public to see justice being done in their courts and to understand the complex decisions judges make, building confidence in the justice system.”

RESOURCES

Ministry of Justice Press Release

STORY

The Government has condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launches on 24 July and said that they are “in breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions”. The action by North Korea involved two missiles being sent into the sea and is thought to be in retaliation for the US military hardware support for South Korea. A spokesperson for the South Korean Government said that the action was a “grave provocation”.

Joe Biden, the President of the United States, said in May 2023 that “over the past seven decades, our alliance has grown stronger and more capable, and the cooperation between our people, our commitment to one another has grown deeper across every aspect of our partnership”, with 27 July 2023 marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement.

RESOURCES

Foreign Office Press Release

STORY

The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Richard Paul Davies, Archdeacon of Surrey, to the Suffragan See of Dorking, in the Diocese of Guildford, in succession to The Right Reverend Dr Jo Bailey Wells, following her resignation.

Davies was educated at the University of Wales, Lampeter and the University of Oxford, and trained for ministry at Ripon College Cuddesdon. He served his title at St Davids Cathedral in Wales and was ordained priest in 1998. In 2001, Davies became a Team Vicar in the Benefice of Dewisland with responsibility for Solva and Brawdy, in the Diocese of St Davids, and in 2006 was appointed as Vicar of Burry Port and Pwll in the same diocese. During these years, he additionally served as Diocesan Director of Ordinands, and an Officiating Chaplain to the Military. In 2012, Davies was appointed as Archdeacon of Bangor and Anglesey in the Diocese of Bangor and in 2017 he took up his current role as the Archdeacon of Surrey in the Diocese of Guildford.

STORY

Alison Rose, the Chief Executive of the Natwest Group, has resigned following the revelation that she had privately told a BBC journalist that the bank account of Nigel Farage had been closed due to a lack of funds rather than for commercial reasons. Nigel Farage reacted to the news by saying “the first rule of banking is you have to respect the privacy of the customer”.

Howard Davies, Chairman of the Natwest Group Board, said in a statement:

“The Board and Alison Rose have agreed, by mutual consent, that she will step down as CEO of the NatWest Group. It is a sad moment. She has dedicated all her working life so far to NatWest and will leave many colleagues who respect and admire her.”

RESOURCES

Alison Rose – 2023 Statement on Standing Down as Natwest Group Chief Executive

STORY:

Charlotte Owen, a former advisor to Boris Johnson, has made history by becoming the youngest appointed member of the House of Lords at the age of 30. Her appointment as Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge was part of Boris Johnson’s outgoing honours list and has been controversial due to her limited work experience. Owen was introduced into the House of Lords yesterday and swore the oath of allegiance to King Charles III.

Sir James Duddridge, who worked in 10 Downing Street during the Johnson period of Government, said that she had been “vital” to the Prime Minister and that the honour was deserved. Other in Downing Street said off the record that she had been a junior figure and that the appointment was something of a surprise.

STORY

Labour’s Keir Mather has won the by-election in the constituency of Selby and Ainsty with a majority of 4,161 over the Conservative Party’s candidate Claire Holmes. The by-election was called following the resignation of the Conservative MP Nigel Adams who had won the constituency with a majority of 20,137 at the 2019 General Election.

RESOURCES

Selby and Ainsty

STORY

Jamie Driscoll, the metro Mayor of the North of Tyne Combined Authority, has announced that he is quitting the Labour Party following his failure to be selected as the party’s candidate for the Mayor of the North East. Driscoll said in a statement:

“People are tired of being controlled by Westminster and Party HQs. They want someone to stand up for them. Let the people decide. £25k by end of August and I’ll stand as North East Mayor”.

He said in his resignation letter that:

“Given you have barred me from running as north-east mayor despite being incumbent mayor, I have no other choice”.

The Labour Party earlier this week selected Kim McGuinness, the current Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, to stand for them in the election. A spokesperson for the Labour Party said in a statement:

“With Keir Starmer as leader, the Labour party is a changed party, relentlessly focused on delivering for working people, and we make no apologies that Labour candidates are held to the highest standard. The Tories have let our region down, and as Labour mayor Kim will be the strong voice the north-east deserves”.

STORY

Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has met with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, at NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. A spokesperson for Rishi Sunak said in a statement:

“The Prime Minister welcomed Türkiye’s support for Sweden’s accession to NATO and commended President Erdoğan for his efforts.

The leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to ensuring the UK-Türkiye relationship reaches its full potential, building on growing trade links and strong defence and security cooperation.

Discussing opportunities to bolster our bilateral cooperation, including in cutting-edge defence technology and in addressing the shared challenge of illegal migration, the Prime Minister set out that dealing with criminal people smuggling gangs is a key priority for him.”

STORY

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s commitment to “stop the boats” is a long-term strategy aimed at addressing the issue of migrant crossings in the English Channel and he said today that the plan is working despite record numbers of migrants using the route. He said that he recognised fulfilling his pledge wouldn’t happen overnight and that despite recent surges in migrant crossings Sunak maintains that the numbers are as expected. To reduce migrant numbers, the Government is implementing various measures, such as finding alternative accommodation to move people out of hotels and returning illegal migrants to countries like Albania. Sunak repeated the importance of bringing forward the toughest laws ever proposed by a government to tackle this issue and said that there was a determination to address the situation saying that his plan was “the right strategy”.

STORY

The Illegal Migration Bill has returned to the House of Commons after undergoing scrutiny in the House of Lords where there was much opposition to the Government’s plans. The bill aims to prevent and deter unlawful migration, particularly through unsafe routes, by requiring the removal of individuals who arrive to what the Government refer to as illegally in the UK to their home country or a safe third country for processing their asylum claim. During the report stage in the House of Lords, several amendments were proposed and voted upon and the Bill returns to the Commons today. One of these amendments reinstated judicial reviews to challenge potentially incorrect age assessments of migrant children, and another clarified the grounds for blocking a child’s removal based on age assessment.

The House of Lords also voted in favour of inserting a new clause into the bill, requiring the Government to outline its plans for safe and lawful entry into the UK. The Government has made a number of concessions to the Migration Bill, limiting the length of detention for unaccompanied children and preventing retrospective removal of individuals who have already entered the UK. These changes were made by the Government to speed up the Bill’s progress through Parliament and the Home Office said that it would address concerns about the exploitation of vulnerable individuals.