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‘Brief error of judgment’ captured while PM was recording Instagram video in back of moving car Rishi Sunak has been fined for not wearing a seatbelt in the back of a moving car while on a trip to northern England. The prime minister was recording an Instagram video on Thursday during a visit to three towns to promote the government’s levelling up agenda. The video, which shows Sunak turning in his seat to talk to the camera without a seatbelt on, has now been removed from the social media site. Continue reading… ​‘Brief error of judgment’ captured while PM was…

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Research reveals attitudes that could be contributing to the 1.6% charge rate in rape cases Government-funded researchers have uncovered “striking” evidence that rape myths – such as the belief that a woman’s behaviour plays a part in her rape – are believed by police officers investigating allegations of the crime. A study of specialist rape and sexual offences officers in one large police force gives a rare snapshot into attitudes which researchers warn could be contributing to the 1.6% charge rate in rape cases in England and Wales. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support for rape and sexual abuse…

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Industry body working on new way to reassure customers schemes will protect the environment New standards should bring greater scrutiny of carbon offsets and give buyers confidence their money is helping protect the environment, leading figures in the carbon credits market have insisted, after an investigation by the Guardian revealed widespread problems with offsetting. Annette Nazareth, chair of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market, which sets nonbinding principles to which sellers of carbon credits can sign up said the body was working on new standards that should reassure consumers. Continue reading… ​Industry body working on new way to…

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Unite move means NHS will struggle on 6 February when GMB plans action, but union says escalation prompted by ministers’ wrong claims over patient safety NHS leaders have voiced alarm after a leading health union unveiled plans for 10 more strikes that will severely disrupt ambulance services over the next two months. The Unite union’s move means the NHS will face an even greater struggle to provide normal care on 6 February, when nurses and ambulance personnel in the GMB union are already set to walk out. Continue reading… ​Unite move means NHS will struggle on 6 February when GMB…

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Mark Rowley says he is aware of the ‘need to see reform’ and is ‘determined to win back Londoners’ trust’ The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, has published his plan to improve standards and rebuild trust in the force. Rowley, who took over from Dame Cressida Dick in September last year, said earlier this month that he had been building a “practical plan for turning things around” after a watchdog found that the force’s anti-corruption systems were inadequate and a damning review of disciplinary procedures found officers and staff were getting away with misconduct and breaking the law. Continue…

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Right-leaning Onward claims Keir Starmer’s party needs to appeal more to ‘left authoritarians’ Keir Starmer’s Labour should consider moving to the right on social issues to appeal to floating voters who have a left-leaning stance on economic matters but are more traditional on cultural policies, a thinktank report argues. The study by the right-leaning Onward claims that even a relatively small rightward shift on cultural values could deliver enough additional votes to bring a 1997-style landslide for Labour at the next election, or even more. Continue reading… ​Right-leaning Onward claims Keir Starmer’s party needs to appeal more to ‘left authoritarians’Keir…

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Earlier coroner in South Manchester reached narrative conclusion and friend Joshua Molnar later acquitted of murder The family of a teenager who was stabbed to death have won their fight for a second inquest, after a high court ruling on Friday. Yousef Makki, 17, died after his friend Joshua Molnar, a former public schoolboy who was 17 at the time, stabbed him through the heart with a knife during a row in the affluent area of Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, in March 2019. Continue reading… ​Earlier coroner in South Manchester reached narrative conclusion and friend Joshua Molnar later acquitted of…

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Telecoms engineer sentenced to six and a half years over plans to destroy phone masts A conspiracy theorist who plotted a terror attack on phone, TV and radio masts as part of plan to topple the UK government has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison. Oliver Lewin, 38, was found guilty in December of carrying out reconnaissance of potential targets, buying equipment and tools, digging hideouts and seeking to recruit others between 24 July and 25 August 2021. Continue reading… ​Telecoms engineer sentenced to six and a half years over plans to destroy phone mastsA conspiracy…

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