News 01/10/25

Britain’s most senior police officer has vowed to drive racist, sexist and violent officers out of the Metropolitan Police.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley condemned the behaviour exposed in an undercover documentary as “reprehensible and completely unacceptable.” Nine officers from Britain’s busiest station are under investigation and could face dismissal. Allegations include racism, misogyny, excessive force on prisoners and inappropriate behaviour. One constable is also being investigated for potentially perverting the course of justice, which could lead to criminal charges.

The government is planning significant changes to the UK asylum system, meaning refugees will wait longer than the current five years before being able to settle permanently.

Ministers have also confirmed that the route allowing refugees to automatically bring close relatives to Britain will be permanently scrapped, after being suspended in September. The new settlement conditions will be outlined later this autumn. The announcement comes as Sir Keir Starmer attends the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen, where tackling illegal migration is high on the agenda.

In Afghanistan, celebrations broke out as internet and telecoms were partially restored following a two-day blackout ordered by the Taliban.

The shutdown drew widespread international condemnation and disrupted flights, businesses and access to emergency services. Netblocks, which monitors connectivity, confirmed data showed services were resuming. A government source told BBC Afghan the order to restore the internet came from the Taliban’s prime minister. The blackout had deepened fears of further isolation for women and girls, already stripped of rights since the group’s return to power in 2021.

Jane Goodall, the pioneering primatologist and conservationist, has died at the age of 91.

Her institute confirmed she passed away from natural causes while on a speaking tour in California. Goodall’s studies of chimpanzees in Tanzania transformed understanding of animal behaviour, revealing their use of tools and complex social lives.

She went on to become a leading global advocate for conservation and environmental protection, regarded as the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees.

Reform UK has accused Sir Keir Starmer of inciting violence against Nigel Farage during his Labour conference speech.

The party’s policy chief said the prime minister would be “responsible” if anything were to happen to Mr Farage, accusing him of demonising a political rival he “cannot beat at the ballot box.” Sir Keir rejected the claims, insisting his comments about a “fight for the soul of our country” reflected the political contest with Reform UK.

 

The ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang has been sentenced for a series of sexual offences against two teenage girls, who were treated as “sex slaves.”

The court heard gang members demanded sex in filthy flats, cars, warehouses and even on rancid mattresses. Mohammed Zahid, 65, known locally as “Boss Man,” ran a lingerie stall at a market where the victims first met him. He supplied them with underwear, alcohol, food and money in return for sex with him and his friends. Judges were told Zahid believed he was “untouchable.”

Scientists have warned that two species of disease-carrying mosquitoes have been found in the UK and are spreading due to climate change.

Aedes aegypti, known as the Egyptian mosquito, and Aedes albopictus, also called the tiger mosquito, can transmit illnesses including dengue, Zika and yellow fever. The UK Health Security Agency confirmed eggs from the Egyptian mosquito were detected at a Heathrow freight site in 2023, while tiger mosquitoes were spotted at a Kent service station in August last year – the first time since 2019.

A convicted rapist who faked his own death to escape justice has been jailed for eight years.

Fifty-seven-year-old James Clacher fled the UK and was tracked down to Spain after a tip-off was passed to Sky News. He was extradited and last month found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow of raping two women. On Wednesday, he was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh, ending a long search for justice.

The UK is bracing for the first named storm of autumn.

Storm Amy is forecast to bring winds of up to 70 miles per hour and heavy rain from Friday into Saturday. The Met Office has issued warnings for northern Britain from Friday evening through to the weekend, with gusts expected to top 80 miles per hour in coastal and upland areas. Forecasters warn of likely disruption to travel, power cuts and potential flooding.

A company linked to Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone has been found to have breached a government contract worth nearly £122 million to supply surgical gowns during the pandemic.

The High Court ruled that PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Lady Mone’s husband Doug Barrowman, delivered 25 million gowns that were non-sterile and therefore unusable. The firm was awarded the contract after Lady Mone recommended it to ministers. Both she and Mr Barrowman denied wrongdoing and chose not to give evidence during the trial in June.

Sir Keir Starmer says international law must be updated to stop failed asylum seekers blocking deportation on the grounds of poor prisons or healthcare abroad.

The prime minister insisted he does not want to tear down human rights protections, but is prepared to review article three of the European Convention on Human Rights, which covers torture and degrading treatment. He argued that mass migration in recent years requires reform, while stressing that those genuinely fleeing persecution will still be offered asylum. His comments follow new plans from the home secretary to tighten rules for migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain.

The US government has shut down for the first time in nearly seven years after late-night Senate votes on funding failed to reach agreement.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees deemed non-essential face furlough or lay-offs, while critical services such as social security payments and the postal service will continue but could be disrupted by staff shortages. National parks and museums may close entirely.

The shutdown follows a bitter stand-off between Democrats and Republicans over healthcare spending.

The senior police officer leading the UK’s response to violence against women and girls says she is concerned political debate around asylum seekers is distracting from the real threat to women’s safety.

Helen Millichap, deputy assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, said that danger comes from a multitude of sources, and urged focus to remain on women’s safety as a priority. Her remarks follow a summer of demonstrations outside migrant hotels and the case of an Ethiopian asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Essex.

From today, all GP surgeries in England must offer online appointment bookings as standard.

Practices are required to keep websites and app services open from 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, for non-urgent appointments, medication requests and administrative queries. While many surgeries already use online systems, ministers say provision has been inconsistent, with some practices switching off digital services during busy times. The Department of Health insists the new rules will ensure fairer access for patients.

Half of UK adults are now regularly paying by tapping their phone, according to new data from UK Finance.

Mobile payments through Apple Pay and Google Pay have surged across age groups, with 50 percent of adults using the method at least once a month last year, up sharply from 34 percent the year before. Adrian Buckle, the trade body’s head of research, said the figures show a permanent shift in consumer behaviour, with many now leaving the house carrying only their phone.

Campaigners in Slough hoping to turn Wexham Court Parish Hall into a Hindu temple have been told they cannot be granted preferential treatment to buy the building.

The council-owned site is leased to the parish council but was placed on a list of assets that could be sold earlier this year. Almost 4,000 people signed a petition urging councillors to sell directly to Jeeyar Educational Trust UK, which wants to turn it into a Hindu community hub, but the council says it must go through a competitive bidding process.