News 05/09/25

David Lammy has been appointed deputy prime minister and justice secretary, while Shabana Mahmood takes over as home secretary, in a reshuffle triggered by Angela Rayner’s resignation.

Rayner stepped down from her roles as deputy prime minister, Labour deputy leader and housing secretary after the prime minister’s ethics adviser ruled she had breached the ministerial code by underpaying stamp duty on a property in Hove. In her resignation letter, she admitted she should have sought tax advice and said the pressure on her family had become unbearable. The departure is a major setback for Sir Keir Starmer, who had only just reorganised his Downing Street team.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected Western proposals for a so-called reassurance force in Ukraine once a ceasefire is in place.

The plan, discussed at a Paris summit, would see twenty-six of Kyiv’s allies deploy troops by land, sea or air to provide immediate security guarantees. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the commitment but gave no details of which nations would take part. Putin has warned any such force would be treated as a legitimate target, particularly if troops appeared before a ceasefire was agreed.

A misconduct hearing will be held later this month for former Thames Valley Police special constable Andrew Hatchett, who has been convicted of a dishonesty offence.

Hatchett fraudulently claimed more than twenty-one thousand pounds while serving in Berkshire. The hearing, led by Chief Constable Jason Hogg, will also examine allegations that Hatchett breached policy on handling pepper spray.

Actor John Alford has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two teenage girls.

The former London’s Burning star denied sexual activity with a fourteen-year-old girl and sexually assaulting a fifteen-year-old girl at a friend’s house in Hertfordshire in April 2022. The fifty-three-year-old, real name John Shannon, shouted “wrong, I didn’t do this” from the dock as the verdict was delivered at St Albans Crown Court. He will be sentenced in December and was told to expect a jail term.

Satellite images show dozens of buildings in Gaza City destroyed by Israeli strikes and demolitions.

The Israel Defense Forces say their offensive has now established control over forty per cent of the city. The images reveal neighbourhoods flattened in the past four weeks, while tented shelters for displaced Palestinians have also disappeared. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to seize the entire Gaza Strip, following the collapse of indirect ceasefire and hostage talks with Hamas in July.

Angela Rayner will leave the government after admitting she underpaid tax on the purchase of a new home.

It’s understood she will also resign as deputy leader of the Labour Party. Sir Keir Starmer had previously offered her his full support, saying he was proud to work alongside her, but she has now stood down.

Three British nationals are among sixteen people killed after the Gloria funicular in Lisbon derailed and crashed.

The accident happened at around six o’clock on Wednesday evening, leaving twenty-two others injured. Authorities have confirmed the victims include five Portuguese, three from Britain, two from Korea and one Swiss national. Footage from the scene showed one of the carriages almost completely destroyed as rescuers worked to pull people from the wreckage.

The Duchess of Kent has died at the age of ninety-two, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Katharine, married to the Duke of Kent and first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth the Second, was the oldest member of the Royal Family. She became a familiar figure at Wimbledon, presenting trophies and famously comforting Jana Novotna in 1993. Away from royal duties, she was a passionate supporter of music charities and even taught in a Hull primary school, where she was simply known as “Mrs Kent.”

Victims in Northern Ireland are demanding tougher sentencing for violence against women after a series of killings described as an “epidemic”.

Since 2020, twenty-eight women and a girl have been violently killed, the worst rate in the UK and Ireland. The latest case saw 45-year-old Vanessa Whyte and her teenage children shot dead in Maguiresbridge in July. Her husband, Ian Rutledge, was named as the sole suspect before taking his own life.

Donald Trump is to rebrand the US Department of Defense as the “Department of War”.

The White House says the president will sign an executive order today allowing the title to be used alongside the current name of the US government’s largest organisation. It also means defence secretary Pete Hegseth will be able to call himself “secretary of war” in official ceremonies and communications. On Thursday night, Hegseth posted the words “DEPARTMENT OF WAR” on X.

At least 55,000 people in England will need repeat blood tests after errors were discovered in machines used to diagnose diabetes.

NHS England says some patients have been wrongly told they have type 2 diabetes and in some cases prescribed unnecessary medication. The devices, made by Trinity Biotech, are used in 16 hospital trusts and have produced inaccurate results. The company says it is working with UK regulators and has contacted all hospitals affected.

The head teacher of a Slough primary school is to stand trial accused of sexually assaulting a man.

Forty-eight-year-old Maninder Jalaf, of Meadfield Road, Slough, appeared before East Berkshire Magistrates’ Court on August 19, charged with two counts of sexual assault on a male. He pleaded not guilty to both charges. Slough Borough Council has confirmed he has not been in school since January.