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    Sainsbury’s to ban unhealthy snacks for staff amid government obesity crackdown

    Sainsbury’s is set to remove free crisps and biscuits from its staff rooms in a bid to support the government’s campaign against obesity in the UK.Staff members will, instead, be offered items from a list of approved “light meal” options, including soups, porridge and bread.These options are intended to replace the “largely unhealthy snacks” that colleagues had complained about, and which, some staff claimed, were vanishing before the end of their shifts.Sainsbury’s has hailed its highest market share for nearly a decade as sales were given a boost by warm weather and a temporary boost from the cyber attack disruption at Marks & Spencer (Alamy/PA) More

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    Voices: ‘We failed those who protected us’: Independent readers react to UK’s ‘shameful’ MoD data breach

    A catastrophic Ministry of Defence data breach that exposed the details of thousands of Afghans seeking refuge in the UK was kept secret for nearly two years under an unprecedented superinjunction, The Independent has revealed.The leak, which occurred in February 2022, compromised sensitive information about applicants to the MoD’s Arap resettlement scheme – a programme for Afghans who had supported British forces and now feared Taliban reprisals. Officials launched a top-secret response, codenamed Operation Rubific, resulting in the covert evacuation of more than 16,000 people to the UK. The government was prepared to relocate up to 42,000 in total at a projected cost of £7bn.The extraordinary cover-up meant MPs, the public and even many within Whitehall were kept in the dark. A court battle led by The Independent and other media finally overturned the superinjunction this week, raising serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the treatment of those who risked their lives for Britain.Reactions from readers have been swift and damning, touching on moral responsibility, government secrecy, institutional incompetence, and the human cost of this breach. Many drew parallels with past scandals, while others demanded consequences and urgent reform.Here’s what you had to say:Britain has a moral responsibilityIt is an expensive programme, that is true, but the problem is a very big one. The whole thing was bungled from the start – remember Dominic Raab staying on his holiday in Crete while Kabul was being evacuated? And the nature of the leak is just incredible.The billions this costs, spread out over several years, are desperately needed elsewhere, but as with the Gurkhas, Britain has a moral responsibility.RegCostelloThis story has shocked many – what’s your reaction? Add your voice in the comments.(i) ‘Prioritisation of Ukrainian nationals’ and (ii) ‘drastically increased work-from-home arrangements for civil servants’ were the main reasons given for the months-long consular waits for visas and passport processing in 2022 and 2023. I wonder whether this massive evacuation from Afghanistan contributed to that strain, or whether it was all managed by a separate–and–covert department. Either way, covert or not, every resource has its limit, doesn’t it?Ever more freely and transparently may truths emerge!IndySpannerPhonesMany are still in dangerHopefully the Labour government will quickly step up the process of getting all to safety. It’s been over a year, but many are still in danger.The government needs to ensure that 10 per cent of evacuees do not end up homeless, as they suggested could be the case in October 2024.PropagandaoftheDeedA national shameThe way we treated these people who helped us at great risk is a national shame.Albert GinwallahCorruption or shambles?Hmmm… so Britain’s security is more at risk from the government and MoD! Well, I for one am not surprised at all. And that goes for the cover-up and lies from successive governments! Look at the Post Office and Horizon, the blood contamination saga. Is it corruption or a shambles?Red DragonHas the person been sacked?My first question is: has the person who sent the email been sacked and prosecuted for breaching confidentiality as well as costing the country some £400m?If not, why not?TomHawkSpare a thought for Afghan womenThis was a chaotic Tory mess-up, as is traditional. Against the scale of the issue, this ethical UK response is tiny. Spare a thought for the 450k Afghan refugee women forcibly repatriated from Iran and Pakistan since Jan 2025, who are instantly criminalised for travelling alone back to a medieval regime where women and girls have a value less than livestock.HerbaciousScandal after scandalIs there anything the UK government can run?Scandal after scandal after scandal. Billions upon billions p***** up the wall. A little bridge in a London park, £36 million?ChicheeLet’s have an expensive public inquiryWow – a government cover-up. That’s a surprise. Let’s have an expensive public inquiry at the cost to us taxpayers that will last the next five years, with the familiar outcome stating lessons will be learnt…Once that’s out of the way, we can then promote the ‘guilty’ individuals to the House of Lords.theSpycatcherA get-out clauseA “superinjunction” is basically the get-out clause for despotic governments (or in the case of Britain, the rancid ruling class).stoniaKeeping the public in the darkHow ironic that the British establishment invests huge efforts in keeping the public in the dark about so many things of public interest – and yet is incapable of protecting sensitive data when lives actually depend on it.DanilovData like this should never leave a secure government server. What on earth is it doing being emailed to random people and posted on Facebook? And how do you “inadvertently share” a file?sj99Incompetence should have consequencesIncompetence on such a massive scale should have consequences; otherwise, it sends the wrong message. It says: don’t worry about being diligent, do what you like, it doesn’t matter.Sean As if the data breach itself wasn’t appalling enough, the fact that this individual is still employed in another department at the MoD is absolutely shameful.Cyclone8Only in the UK public sector…Where else but the UK public sector can someone do something that puts people’s lives at risk and costs £400m to sort out, yet keep your job and your pension?If there is any better illustration of how we are let down by our public sector, I can’t think of it.These days, our public sector is the refuge of those who should not be let loose with a broom, let alone handle sensitive matters.TomHawkWe are failing to protect those we put at riskBloody shambles. We should have offered sanctuary to those who were at risk just because of who their former employer was – the MoD. While the news and politics are all about ‘illegal immigrants, ’ we are failing to protect those we put at risk. Shameful.SnaughterSome of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

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    Nearly 1.7m children hit by two-child benefit cap as Labour urged to scrap ‘brutal’ policy

    New figures have revealed that more than 1.66 million children are living in households affected by the two-child benefit cap as campaigners ramp up calls for the controversial measure to be scrapped.The new data brings the total number of children affected by the cap since Labour came into power a year ago to 300,000.There are nearly 470,000 households facing benefit reductions due to the policy, the latest official figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show, housing nearly 1.7 million children.The government has faced intense pressure from campaigners, charities and opposition parties over the measure, which experts say is a chief driver of child poverty in the UK.Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has resisted calls to drop the cap More

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    Angela Rayner to ban businesses from using NDAs to cover up harassment and discrimination

    UK businesses will be barred from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of harassment and discrimination as a part of the government’s bid to boost workers’ rights.Angela Rayner has proposed an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill which would void and prohibit such agreements against employees in such situations to prevent people from having to “suffer in silence”.The deputy prime minister said the government had “heard the calls from victims of harassment and discrimination”, as she announced the move following repeated calls from campaigners and Labour politicians.Zelda Perkins, Weinstein’s former assistant and founder of the campaign group Can’t Buy My Silence UK, said the move was “a huge milestone”.Angela Rayner has proposed an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill which would void and prohibit such agreements against employees in such situations to prevent people from having to “suffer in silence”. More

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    ‘Without support, my son would not be here’: Mother’s plea over feared cuts to SEND

    Cuts to special educational needs support could be “devastating” for families, a mother has warned, saying her son’s education, mental health and life, were saved by specialist help.Renata Watts, 49, from Hertfordshire, had two children on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). She said the support plan turned around the life of her eldest son, Elliot, after he was left mentally unwell, isolated and unable to attend school due to a lack of tailored support.EHCPs were introduced in 2014 to replace “statements” of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It brings together education, health and social care in one legally binding plan for young people under the age of 25, outlining the extra help they will be given to achieve their potential.However, the government is reportedly considering an overhaul of the system, arguing too many children are being excluded from mainstream education.“Without that EHCP, I’m not sure he’d still be here today,” Ms Watts, a foster carer and co-director of the disability advocacy group Special Needs Jungle, told The Independent. “His mental health dipped so badly I didn’t know what would happen.”Elliot, who has autism and ADHD, started secondary school full of enthusiasm. But within months, his anxiety spiralled as specialist support was withdrawn despite clear evidence of his needs.EHCPs were introduced in 2014 to replace ‘statements’ of special educational needs More

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    Trans charity demands investigation into EHRC following Supreme Court ruling on gender

    A leading trans campaign group has requested an investigation into the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), claiming its conduct in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on gender has been unlawful, The Independent can reveal.It comes after the Supreme Court ruled that trans women are not legally women under the Equality Act. TransLucent said they have submitted a formal complaint to the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) – the worldwide membership-based network of national human rights institutions (NHRIs)– claiming that the UK’s equalities watchdog is failing to adhere to the Paris Principles. The Paris Principles set out the minimum standards that NHRIs must meet in order to be considered credible and to operate effectively. The key pillars of the Paris Principles are pluralism, independence and effectiveness.The Supreme Court judgment has proven controversial More

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    Labour should introduce minister for porn, Conservative peer says

    Labour should appoint a minister for porn to tackle the wave of “violent, abusive and misogynistic” images, a Conservative peer has said. Baroness Gabby Bertin, who leads the Independent Pornography Review Taskforce, said that MPs shy away from tackling abuse in the porn industry out of embarrassment. “We’re really British about it so we don’t want to have a graphic conversation about sex and porn. But you’ve got to shout about it as loudly as possible. The reason why we’ve got into this mess is because nobody has really wanted to talk about it,” she told The Guardian. She is pushing for the government to appoint a ministry for porn to make sure the issue gets addressed. “You can’t leave the pitch on this stuff just because you’re worried about being accused of being too strait-laced,” she added. A review, commissioned by Rishi Sunak’s government and led by Baroness Gabby, proposed banning degrading, violent and misogynistic pornography. Eight percent of children aged eight to 14 have accessed online porn sites, according to Ofcom research More

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    Blow for Starmer as five EU countries oppose ‘one in, one out’ migrant deal with France

    Five EU countries have criticised a proposed “one in, one out” migration deal between France and Britain, saying it could see asylum seekers returned to their shores instead. Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron are working on an agreement that would reportedly see Britain return small boat migrants to France in exchange for asylum seekers with families ties in the UK. The precise terms of the deal are still being worked out but Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus have already sounded the alarm on the proposed plans. The Financial Times reported that the five nations have sent a letter to the European Commission objecting to the “one in one out” policy. French President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hands with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer More