News 27/10/25

David Lammy has confirmed an independent investigation into the accidental release of a migrant jailed for sexual offences, blaming “human error” for the incident.

The deputy prime minister and justice secretary told MPs he was “livid” on behalf of Hadush Kebatu’s victims and said the man would be deported to Ethiopia “as quickly as possible”. Kebatu, convicted in September of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday rather than being handed over to immigration officials.

His release sparked a nationwide manhunt, ending with his arrest by the Metropolitan Police in Finsbury Park, London, around 8.30am on Sunday.

Brendan Rodgers has resigned as Celtic manager, the Scottish Premiership club announced.

The champions had made a disappointing start to their campaign, trailing leaders Hearts by eight points after nine games. A club statement confirmed Rodgers had stepped down on Monday evening. Former manager Marin O’Neill and ex-Hoops star Shaun Maloney will take interim charge.

An inquiry into the Southport killings has revealed a care plan for Axel Rudakubana, describing him as “cold and calculating” and “angry” when things went wrong, was watered down.

References to his “perceived sense of injustice” were removed after discussions with his parents. Rudakubana, 17 at the time, killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last July. He was sentenced in January to a minimum of 52 years.

Prince Andrew hosted Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein at Royal Lodge during daughter Beatrice’s masked 18th birthday in 2006, two months after a US arrest warrant had been issued for Epstein.

Previously reported visits were said to have taken place at Windsor Castle, but records now show the trio were hosted at Andrew’s private, publicly-owned home. The Duke has not commented on the revelations.

Regional airline Eastern Airways has suspended all operations, cancelling every flight.

The Civil Aviation Authority has advised passengers not to travel to airports. Eastern, which flew from six UK locations, has not confirmed when services will resume, and the CAA says guidance is being issued to affected travellers.

The King has been heckled over Prince Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein during a visit to a cathedral on Monday.

He was shouted out by someone in the crowd outside Lichfield Cathedral, who asked: “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?” The protester also said: “Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew? Should MPs be allowed to debate the royals in the House of Commons?”

The King did not respond to the comments.

Airline Eastern Airways has suspended operations, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The regional airline, which operated scheduled flights from six UK airports, has cancelled all its flights. And passengers who had booked with Eastern have been told not to travel to airports.

A CAA statement read: “Eastern Airways, which operated regional services from airports across the United Kingdom, has suspended operations.

A woman on trial accused of stalking Madeleine McCann’s parents told a court she is still questioning her identity after claiming to be the missing girl.

Julia Wandelt, 24, who a jury heard has repeatedly claimed she is the missing child, is charged with stalking Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February this year. Taking to the stand at Leicester Crown Court on Monday, she said she had limited memories of her childhood and “could only remember abuse” after experiences with her step-grandfather.

Miss Wandelt, of Jana Kochanowskiego in Lubin, Poland, denies stalking Mr and Mrs McCann, causing serious alarm and distress.

UK health officials are encouraging gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men to make sure they are vaccinated against mpox, as a strain called ‘clade Ib’ shows early signs of local spread in some European countries.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it is aware of small numbers of cases of this strain of mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – in Spain, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands, as well as the US. Mpox is usually a mild infection but it can be severe and getting vaccinated is the best protection, the UKHSA says.

Charities also urged vaccination before travelling to Winter Pride events in Europe this autumn.

Just Stop Oil activists who hoped to deface Taylor Swift’s private jet but ended up spraying two other planes have been spared jail.

Jennifer Kowalski, 29, from Dumbarton, and Cole Macdonald, 23, from Brighton, cut through the fence at Stansted Airport with an angle grinder on 20 June 2024. They took turns spraying two planes with paint and filming. Both denied criminal damage but were found guilty after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

The court heard they tried to target Swift’s jet but the two planes they sprayed belonged to an insurance firm and an investment group.

Julia Wandelt — the Polish woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann — has appeared in court accused of stalking the McCann family.

The 24-year-old denies the charges and is alleged to have pretended to be the missing toddler. She’s previously been questioned by police and has now taken the witness stand as the case continues in Poland.

Nigel Farage says he’s launching what he calls a “better, quicker, and more open” approach to addressing the grooming gangs scandal.

The Reform UK leader claims the government’s current inquiry is “dead in the water,” arguing that five months on, “nothing has happened.”
Farage says Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is wrong to suggest that a judge can’t lead the investigation, citing the Baroness Casey report as evidence.

He also accused ministers of deliberately widening the scope of the inquiry, diverting focus away from victims of Pakistani grooming gangs.

Five members of a Romanian grooming gang have been jailed for raping and sexually exploiting ten vulnerable women in Dundee.

Four men and a woman were convicted in January after a major investigation into human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and drug supply in Tayside. The court heard the gang lured their victims with drugs, including crack cocaine, between June 2021 and September 2022.

Many became addicted and were coerced into sex through threats and blackmail.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested after a woman was raped in Walsall in what police are treating as a racially aggravated attack.

West Midlands Police say the man was detained early on Monday morning in the Perry Barr area following an urgent weekend appeal. The incident happened on Saturday night in the Park Hall area, where officers were called just after seven fifteen after reports of a woman in distress.

The victim, who is in her twenties, was taken to hospital and is being supported by specially trained officers as investigations continue.

More than two thousand jobs in Scotland are at risk after oil and energy services company Petrofac applied for administration.

The group says its operations will continue trading, while it explores options for restructuring and a possible merger or sale with its main creditors.

Sources close to the company say they are hopeful a buyer can be found quickly for its North Sea operations, possibly within days.

The Home Office has been accused of wasting billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on asylum accommodation.

A new report by the Home Affairs Committee says flawed contracts and poor management have left the department struggling to cope with rising demand, forcing it to rely on hotels as a long-term solution. MPs say the cost of the system has tripled to more than fifteen billion pounds, with little effort made to recover excess profits.

A Home Office spokesperson said ministers were “furious” about the number of illegal migrants housed in hotels and remain committed to ending their use by 2029.

Health leaders say NHS services and jobs in England could face cuts unless the government finds up to three billion pounds in extra funding.

The NHS Confederation and NHS Providers say the current budget doesn’t cover the cost of redundancies, strike payouts, or rising medicine prices. Talks between the Department of Health and the Treasury are continuing, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting has confirmed discussions are ongoing.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health says the government remains committed to properly funding the NHS.

The government is under pressure to explain why tens of millions of pounds remain unpaid to suppliers who worked on upgrades to three prisons in England.

Around 40 companies are believed to be owed money for work at Birmingham, Liverpool and Dorset prisons after main contractor ISG went into administration last month. Smaller firms say they should have been protected by ring-fenced Project Bank Accounts, which the Ministry of Justice had promised to use.

Some of the suppliers now face bankruptcy, while others are threatening legal action. The Ministry of Justice has declined to comment.