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    Norman Tebbit death: Prominent minister in Thatcher government and champion of Brexit dies aged 94

    Norman Tebbit, the eurosceptic, anti-immigration former cabinet minister known as one of Margaret Thatcher’s most loyal supporters, has died aged 94.The Conservative grandee, who served as employment secretary and Conservative Party chairman in the 1980s, played a key role in Tory politics for a generation and would remain one of the biggest influences on the rightwing until his late years. As employment secretary he took on the trade unions and told Britain’s 3 million unemployed to “get on your bike” to find a job. As chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1987 he helped Mrs Thatcher secure her third general election victory.Tributes poured in following the news of Lord Tebbit’s death More

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    The Post Office scandal in numbers: Inquiry report reveals devastating impact

    The Post Office Horizon scandal saw approximately 1,000 subpostmasters wrongfully prosecuted in what has been dubbed as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history.On Tuesday, the scale of the human impact of the scandal was revealed as the first volume of the public inquiry’s final report was published.Chairman Sir Wyn Williams concluded that a “number of senior” people at the organisation were aware that the system, known as Legacy Horizon, was capable of error up until it was changed in 2010. Some employees were also aware that the updated system, Horizon Online, also had bugs and defects.Sir Wyn Williams More

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    Watch live: Macron’s state visit to UK begins with royal welcome

    Watch live as Emmanuel Macron begins a state visit to the UK on Tuesday, 8 July, with the French president set to meet Sir Keir Starmer and King Charles III as part of his three-day trip.Mr Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales upon arriving at RAF Northolt.During the first state visit by a French president since 2008, Mr Macron will be hosted by the King and is expected to address parliament as his predecessor-but-one, Nicolas Sarkozy, did during his trip.Top of the agenda for Mr Macron and Sir Keir is likely to be discussions on small boat crossings as the British PM presses for more help in stopping them from travelling across the Channel.The total number of people crossing the Channel in small boats this year has passed 20,000, with the total now standing at 21,117 according to PA news agency analysis of Home Office figures.Ministers have been urging France to amend its rules to allow police to intervene when boats are in shallow water, rather than requiring them to still be on land.Later on Tuesday, Mr Macron and his wife will be welcomed by the King and Queen in Windsor town centre and take a carriage procession with the royals to Windsor Castle.There will then be a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle and an inspection of the Guard of Honour, followed by lunch with members of the royal family.Mr Macron will later visit Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior before giving an address in the Royal Gallery at the Palace of Westminster. He will later receive Kemi Badenoch and Sir Ed Davey at Lancaster House, before a state banquet at Windsor Castle with speeches from both the King and Mr Macron. More

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    UK conservative politician Norman Tebbit, an icon of the Thatcher era, dies at 94

    Conservative politician Norman Tebbit, a key ally of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in her free-market transformation of Britain, has died at the age of 94, his family said Tuesday.Tebbit’s son William said he died peacefully at home late Monday. No cause was given.Tebbit was known for his role tackling the power of Britain’s trade unions during the 1980s, and for his socially conservative and free-market views.He was famed for suggesting the unemployed should get on their bikes to look for work, and for what became known as Tebbit’s “cricket test” – his 1990 assertion that immigrants could not truly be British until they cheered for England at cricket, rather than India, Pakistan or the West Indies.Current Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Tebbit was “an icon in British politics.”“He was one of the leading exponents of the philosophy we now know as Thatcherism and his unstinting service in the pursuit of improving our country should be held up as an inspiration to all Conservatives,” she said. “He never buckled under pressure and he never compromised.”A political bruiser known for no-holds-barred attacks on the opposition, Tebbit was nicknamed the “Chingford skinhead” by opponents. Michael Foot, who led the Labour Party in the 1980s, called him a “semi-house-trained polecat.”However, even Tebbit’s critics praised his stoic response to the Irish Republican Army bombing of Brighton’s Grand Hotel during the Conservative Party conference in 1984. Five people were killed in the bombing, an attempt to kill Thatcher. Tebbit was seriously wounded and his wife Margaret was paralyzed from the neck down.Elected to the House of Commons in 1970, Tebbit served as employment secretary and trade secretary under Thatcher. In 1985 he was appointed chairman of the Conservative Party, helping Thatcher win a third straight election victory in 1987.The same year, he stepped down from the government so he could spend more time with his wife. In 1992 he was appointed to the House of Lords, Parliament’s unelected upper chamber.He continued to speak out, especially on Britain’s increasingly close relationship with Europe, about which he was skeptical. He was a prominent advocate of Britain’s departure from the European Union, an issue that divided his party and the country.After a 1998 peace accord ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, many former militants entered politics, But Tebbit did not forgive. When the former IRA commander Martin McGuinness — who had become deputy first minister of Northern Ireland — died in 2017, Tebbit expressed hope he was “parked in a particularly hot and unpleasant corner of hell for the rest of eternity.”Margaret Tebbit died in 2020. Tebbit is survived by two sons and a daughter. More

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    From Sherlock Holmes to Poirot, Bridget Phillipson reveals the books which inspired her to read growing up

    Trying to get to the bottom of the mysteries by some of Britain’s greatest detective fiction writers helped foster Bridget Phillipson’s love for reading, she has revealed.Writing for The Independent, the education secretary told how she could not get enough of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books or the mysteries in Agatha Christie’s Hercules Poirot.It comes as Ms Phillipson announced that next year will be the National Year of Reading in the UK to encourage a love of books among children.The education secretary enjoyed reading Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books as she grew up 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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    Date set for millions of phones across UK to receive emergency alert test

    Millions of phones will receive emergency alerts on 7 September in the second national test of the warning system. Smartphones will vibrate and sound a 10-second siren at 3.00pm on the Sunday in a test of the alert, which is designed to warn of nearby threats such as extreme weather or terror activity. Even phones on silent mode will light up during the alert, while a message will be displayed on the screen showing it is a test. Emergency alert message on a phone More

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    Mobile phone emergency alert system to be tested in early September

    Mobile phones will ring out with an alarm this September as the Government tests its emergency alert system.The emergency alert system will be tested at around 3pm on September 7, in its second ever nationwide drill.The first time the system was tested was in April 2023, but some mobile phone users warned their devices did not sound, with the problem traced to specific networks.The emergency alert is used to warn if there is a danger to life nearby, in instances like extreme weather.During the test, the UK’s approximately 87 million mobile devices will ring out with a high pitched alarm and vibrate for approximately 10 seconds, while a message will appear on the screen making it clear the alert is only a test.The system has already been used in several scenarios – including storms, flooding and in one case when an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered.Ahead of the national test, ministers are spearheading a public awareness campaign to ensure people understand when it is taking place.It will also aim to draw attention of the test to vulnerable groups like those facing domestic abuse, who may have secret mobile phones which they want to remain hidden from their partners.People who find themselves in this situation are being told to consult details about opting out from alerts on gov.uk, the Government website.Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is the Cabinet Office minister who has taken charge of efforts to boost national resilience against crises.Speaking as the Government announced the test is to take place, he said: “Emergency alerts have the potential to save lives, allowing us to share essential information rapidly in emergency situations including extreme storms.“Just like the fire alarm in your house, it’s important we test the system so that we know it will work if we need it.”Some five alerts have been issued since the system was first created.These included when 3.5 million people across Wales and the South West of England received an alert during Storm Darragh in December 2024, which went on to kill two people.Localised flash flooding in Cumbria and Leicestershire, and the discovery of a Second World War bomb in Plymouth in February 2024, also triggered the alert for nearby residents.Tracey Lee, chief executive of Plymouth City Council, said the alert “proved to be an invaluable tool during the Keyham bomb operation”.She added: “This was the first time the system had been used in a real emergency, and it played a vital role in helping us safely evacuate over 10,000 people and coordinate a complex, multi-agency response.”Other countries, including Japan and the USA, also regularly test their emergency alert systems.On Tuesday, Mr McFadden will also unveil a new resilience action plan, which includes advice for how the British public should prepare for emergencies.Ministers will also publish an update on how they are implementing the 2023 Biological Security Strategy, aimed at preparing for future pandemics. More