An Ofgem director has quit over the electricity and gas regulator’s decision to change the way it calculates the energy price cap, which she said will lead to much higher bills.
The regulator confirmed to Sky News that Christine Farnish had stepped down from the board after disagreeing with the rest of its members over how long energy suppliers should have to recoup the current high energy prices.
She wanted suppliers to recoup those prices, which are a condition of the price cap, over 12 months to spread out the cost to customers.
However, the rest of the board, Ofgem said, wanted that to take place over six months as they said that would reduce the “very real risk of suppliers going bust”.
Ms Farnish, who has been a non-executive director since 2016, told The Times she resigned because she did not believe Ofgem had “struck the right balance between the interest of consumers and the interests of suppliers”.
This month, Ofgem announced it was changing the methodology of the cap to enable suppliers to recoup wholesale energy heading costs sooner.
Ms Farnish said she believed the move “would add several hundred pounds to everyone’s bill in order to support a number of suppliers in the coming months”.
Investec analysts estimated the change in method would add more than £400 to the level of the price cap in January – taking it to £4,200 a year compared to £1,971 at present.
Ofgem said: “We are thankful to Christine for her many years of devoted service to Ofgem.
“Due to this unprecedented energy crisis, Ofgem is having to make some incredibly difficult decisions where carefully balanced trade-offs are being weighed up all the time. But we always prioritise consumers’ needs both in the immediate and long term.
“The rest of the board decided a shorter recovery period for energy costs was in the best interest of consumers in the long term by reducing the very real risk of suppliers going bust, which would heap yet more costs onto bills and add unnecessary worry and concern at an already very difficult time.”
Police investigating the killing of 87-year-old Thomas O’Halloran who was stabbed to death have released pictures of a man seen running from the scene armed with a knife.
Detectives have issued images of a man they are keen to identify as a matter of urgency following the killing of Mr O’Halloran, who had been riding a mobility scooter.
“He was seen fleeing the scene armed with a knife,” the Metropolitan Police said.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, who is leading the investigation, said: “He is clearly a dangerous individual and people are advised not to approach him, but to call us immediately on 999 if they know him or have any information regarding his whereabouts.”
Cyclists could face 20mph speed limits and may need number plates, after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps flagged a shake-up in road laws.
Less than a fortnight after vowing to create a “death by dangerous cycling” law that will treat killer cyclists the same as motorists, Mr Shapps said he wanted to stop certain behaviour on the roads.
He told the Daily Mail: “Somewhere where cyclists are actually not breaking the law is when they speed, and that cannot be right, so I absolutely propose extending speed limit restrictions to cyclists.
“Particularly where you’ve got 20mph limits on increasing numbers of roads, cyclists can easily exceed those, so I want to make speed limits apply to cyclists.
“That obviously does then lead you into the question of: ‘Well, how are you going to recognise the cyclist? Do you need registration plates and insurance? And that sort of thing,” he told the paper.
Mr Shapps said he is proposing that there should be a review on how to track cyclists who break the law.
The Highway Code and Road Traffic Act speeding limits only apply to motor vehicles and their drivers. While local authorities can impose speed limits on cyclists, it has been rarely done.
The Department for Transport refused to provide comment to the PA news agency on Mr Shapps’ interview.
Department officials did acknowledge to the Mail the flagged measures would require cyclists to have number plates or other identification markings for enforcement purposes.
Mr Shapps told the Mail that while he doesn’t want to stop people from getting on their bike, we should not “turn a blind eye” to cyclists who break road laws, speed and “bust red lights” and “get away with it”.
It comes after Mr Shapps pledged to create a “death by dangerous cycling” law to “impress on cyclists the real harm they can cause when speed is combined with lack of care”.
The move will close a legal loophole which means that cyclists who kill pedestrians can only be jailed for two years.
Under Mr Shapps’ proposal, the new law would be added to the Transport Bill due to be put before Parliament in the autumn.
Liz Truss has said Nicola Sturgeon should focus on Scotland’s domestic issues rather than “agitating” for a second independence referendum.
The Tory leadership frontrunner told a hustings event in Perth on Tuesday she would “not allow” another vote on independence if she becomes prime minister on 5 September.
Protesters gathered outside the city’s concert hall as they shouted “Tories out” and held banners with “Scottish not British” while pushing through barriers in the tensest hustings yet – and the first and only one in Scotland.
Politics Hub: Truss gets loudest cheer at Perth hustings
Ms Truss and Ms Sturgeon have been exchanging blows since the favourite to succeed Boris Johnson said it was best to “ignore” the Scottish first minister and her persistent calls for another independence referendum.
The SNP leader hit back, saying that in her limited dealings with Ms Truss, the foreign secretary had seemed most interested in asking her how to get into Vogue magazine.
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Nicola Sturgeon is ‘an attention seeker’
Inside the hall, Ms Truss called herself a “child of the union” as she lived in Paisley as a young girl – and said the Scottish government should improve its record rather than seeking another vote.
The Scottish government is pushing for the decision on whether a referendum can take place to be taken away from Westminster, with the Supreme Court set to rule on the legality of them holding an advisory vote next year.
Ms Truss said: “If I am elected as prime minister, I will not allow another independence referendum.
“At the time of the 2014 referendum, it was agreed by the SNP that it was a once-in-a-generation referendum.
“I believe in politicians keeping their promises, and Nicola Sturgeon should keep her promise.
“What she should do, rather than agitating for another referendum, is deal with the very real issues in Scotland.”
She added that the Scottish government should be dealing with its NHS backlog instead.
Ms Truss’ comments were somewhat overshadowed by questions about a leaked recording in which she said British workers needed “more graft” and lacked the “skill and application” of foreign rivals.
The clip, obtained by The Guardian, was recorded five years ago but emerged ahead of the hustings.
Read more from Sky News’ politics team: ‘No sign’ of 40 new hospitals promised by Tories at last election Starmer says his ‘radical’ energy plan is answer to cost of living crisis
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Sunak on tax plans and Sturgeon
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak was less emphatic in his rejection of another independence referendum.
The former chancellor said he accepted the union was “by consent” and he did not think “now or any time in the near future” was the time to consider another vote.
“We live in a union which is, of course, there by consent and by democracy and I accept that, but I just don’t think that anybody thinks that now or any time in the near future is remotely the time to focus on this,” he said.
SNP deputy Westminster leader Kirsten Oswald said the event had been “depressing watching” for people in Scotland and said the candidates were trying to “out-Thatcher one another”.
“The pair repeatedly attempted to tell us tonight what Scotland wants,” she added.
“Scotland has made it clear what it does and doesn’t want by repeatedly rejecting the Tories at the polls and repeatedly voting for independence supporting parties.”
Former Pop Idol contestant and theatre star Darius Campbell Danesh has died at the age of 41, his family has announced.
The singer was found dead in his US apartment in Rochester, Minnesota, on 11 August – but his cause of death is not yet known.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Darius Campbell Danesh,” a statement issued by his family read.
Image: The singer pictured on Popstars. Image: ITV/Shutterstock
“Darius was found unresponsive in bed in his apartment room.
“The local police department have confirmed that there were no signs of intent or suspicious circumstances. The cause of his sudden death is unknown at this stage, while medical examinations continue.
“We ask that you kindly respect our wishes for privacy at this time whilst we come to terms with the tragic loss of our son and brother.”
Image: Darius Campbell Danesh on Pop Idol in 2002. Pic: Fremantle Media/Shutterstock
Born in Glasgow to a Scottish mother and Iranian father, Campbell Danesh was the eldest of three boys and went to Bearsden Primary School before studying English literature and philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.
He first rose to prominence on the ITV show Popstars in 2001, where he became known for his audition performance of Britney’s Baby One More Time.
He later came third on the first series of Pop Idol, which was won by Will Young, with some of his memorable performances including renditions of Tom Jones’s hit It’s Not Unusual and Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again.
His debut single, Colourblind, was released in July 2002 and went straight to number one.
The Scottish singer-songwriter later had a successful theatre career, appearing in the West End shows such as Chicago, in which he played Billy Flynn, Guys And Dolls, Gone With The Wind and Funny Girl.
Campbell Danesh starred opposite Ugly Betty star America Ferrera in the musical set in prohibition-era Chicago.
Speaking about his role as Flynn, the actor had previously said he based his portrayal of the character on his old mentor and Pop Idol judge, Simon Cowell.
Image: Darius Campbell Danesh and Sheridan Smith in the musical Funny Girl in 2015. Pic: Dan Wooller/Shutterstock
“He’s the consummate businessman and a wonderful guy and there’s a lot of Simon Cowell in Billy Flynn in terms of the way he approaches things and I recognise that in terms of the character,” he said.
He credited Mr Cowell with persuading him to take on the role in the first place, saying he was “incredibly grateful” for his the opportunities he had been given and “to be able to call Simon Cowell a friend”.
After Pop Idol, he won the first series of ITV’s Popstar To Operastar contest in 2010, beating Bernie Nolan of the Nolan Sisters in a close final.
A few months after his win, which featured Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins and Mexican-born tenor Rolando Villazon as judges, he landed his first major opera role in the production of Carmen at London’s O2 Arena, playing the principal role of toreador Escamillo.
Image: Pic: James Gourley/Shutterstock
Read more: Coronation Street star and comedian Duggie Brown dies aged 82
In the same year, Campbell Danesh spoke to Hello! magazine about a car crash in which he broke his neck.
He had been a passenger in a Porsche when it crashed into a wall at 70mph in Spain after skidding on oil.
In 2011 in Santa Barbara, California, he married Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge, known for her role in the sci-fi film Species.
However, the couple were divorced a few years later.
‘A true gent with a kind soul and a mischievous twinkle in his eye’
News of his death prompted tributes from figures in music and television, with fellow pop star Michelle Heaton saying her thoughts were with his family.
The Liberty X member, who also competed on Popstars, tweeted: “So sad… thoughts with Darius family right now, always our Britney.”
English-born actor Matthew Marsden described the news as “truly heartbreaking”.
He added: “I first met Darius when he auditioned for the Big Breakfast weather many years ago. He was a terrific human being. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
TV and radio presenter Nicki Chapman, who starred as a judge on Popstars while Campbell Danesh was a contestant, described him as a true gent with a kind soul and a mischievous twinkle in his eye”.
“There will only ever be one Darius Campbell Danesh,” she added.
“From that eventful first audition on Popstars to him kindly inviting me to see him perform on the West End stage. Thoughts are with his family at this sad time.”
After both of his parents were diagnosed with cancer and recovered, Campbell Danesh became a supporter of several charities, including Cancer Research UK.
Jeremy Paxman is to step down as the host of University Challenge, the BBC has said.
The broadcaster, 72, has presented the programme for the past 28 years. It celebrates its 60th birthday this year and becomes the BBC’s longest-running quiz show.
Paxman will film his final episode in the autumn, with his final series airing between 29 August through to summer 2023.
His resignation comes after he revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in May last year.
Paxman said of his time on the show: “I’ve had a blast hosting this wonderful series for nearly 29 years.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work with an amazing team and to meet some of the swottier brains in the country. It gives me hope for the future.”
His replacement will be announced later this week, the BBC said.
Kate Phillips, the director of the corporation’s unscripted content department, said: “Since the BBC revived University Challenge in 1994 Jeremy has been at the front and centre of the show’s success and is without doubt one of the world’s finest and most formidable quizmasters.
“We are hugely grateful to Jeremy for his dedication to the programme for an incredible 28 years, he will be much missed by us all and the show’s millions of viewers.”
Three Britons have pleaded not guilty to mercenary charges at a Russian-backed separatist court in Ukraine.
John Harding, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy are among a group of five European men on trial in a court administered by Kremlin-backed separatists in the city of Donetsk.
Mr Harding, Vjekoslav Prebeg, who is Croatian, and Mathias Gustafsson, a Swede, who were captured in and around the port city of Mariupol, could face a possible death sentence under the laws of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
Russia leaves thousands of troops ‘stranded’ in tactical withdrawal – live updates
All five men pleaded not guilty to charges of mercenarism and “undergoing training to seize power by force”, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported.
The next court hearing in their case is scheduled for October, the Interfax news agency reported, citing a statement by the separatists’ court.
Mr Healy, 22, who was in Ukraine as an aid worker, was seized at a checkpoint south of the city of Zaporizhzhia in April alongside fellow British national Paul Urey. He died in custody in July after being charged with committing “mercenary activities”. Mr Hill, a military volunteer, was also captured in April by Russian forces.
Mr Harding had been fighting in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region since 2018 before he was captured.
Originally from Sunderland, he appealed for help from Boris Johnson last month after being told he could be handed a death sentence.
Image: John Harding is facing a death sentence if convicted
In June, the Donetsk authorities sentenced to death two Britons, Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, and Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim, accused of being mercenaries.
They were all captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine and all three have appealed against their verdicts.
Read more: Family members of Britons facing death penalty in Donetsk speak of their devastation Steven Seagal visits prison holding Ukrainian detainees days after dozens killed in attack
Ukrainian social media has been speculating that the Kremlin may seek to use the foreign fighters to extract concessions from Ukraine or swap them for Russian prisoners.
Foreign governments have declined to negotiate with the Donetsk People’s Republic, one of two Russian-backed entities that have controlled parts of east Ukraine’s Donbas region since 2014, citing its internationally recognised status as part of Ukraine.
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have both promised to increase scrutiny of the Scottish government if they become the next prime minister – ahead of a visit north of the border.
Ms Truss, who remains the favourite to win the race, said she would get “Scotland’s economy moving” and would give Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) special legal protection, allowing them to be more outspoken as they scrutinise decisions made by the devolved government.
Mr Sunak promised Scottish civil servants would face greater scrutiny from Westminster and UK ministers would be required to be more visible in Scotland.
The pair will face questions from Tory members in Perth on Tuesday following a verbal tussle between Ms Truss and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon over the past week.
Ms Truss called Ms Sturgeon an “attention seeker”, then the Scottish leader claimed the foreign secretary asked her how to get into Vogue before Ms Truss accused all three devolved nations’ leaders of playing “political games” over independence.
Calling herself a “child of the Union”, Ms Truss said she will deliver for all of the country and “will never talk down Scotland’s potential”, while saying the nation has been “let down by the SNP”.
She added: “I’ll make sure that my government does everything to ensure elected representatives hold the devolved administration to account for its failure to deliver the quality public services, particularly health and education, that Scottish people deserve.
“As prime minister and minister for the Union, I will deliver on my ambitious plan to capitalise on the opportunity we have to turbocharge the growth and business investment required to get Scotland’s economy moving.”
Ms Truss’ campaign team said she would push for a trade deal with India in which a long-standing 150% tariff on whisky exports would be slashed.
She would also alter the Scotland Act to give parliamentary privilege to MSPs to create more “robust questioning” of ministers and increase the powers of the Scottish Parliament to hold the Scottish government to account.
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Nicola Sturgeon is ‘an attention seeker’
Mr Sunak pledged to make it a requirement for Scotland’s most senior civil servant, the permanent secretary to the Scottish government, to attend Westminster’s Public Affairs and Constitutional Affairs (PACAC) Select Committee every year – just like the UK government’s cabinet secretary.
He also promised to enforce “consistent reporting of public service performance data across the country” so Westminster could hold the Scottish government accountable for essential public service delivery.
The former chancellor said each nation needs to work together “shoulder to shoulder” as he accused the SNP of being able to “obscure its failures by picking and choosing the data it publishes”.
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Sturgeon is ‘always moaning’
Mr Sunak has been trailing behind in the polls of Tory members, who will decide who their new leader – and therefore prime minister – will be on 5 September.
He was handed a further blow on Monday after a third Conservative MP, former Welsh secretary Alun Cairns, switched allegiance from Mr Sunak to Ms Truss, saying he believes she is best placed to save the union and fears the break-up of the UK would be more likely under Mr Sunak.
Heathrow Airport has extended its flight restrictions until the end of October, hitting families’ plans for half-term getaways.
Previously the daily cap on passengers travelling through the airport – set at 100,000 – was due to end on 11 September.
The airport said on Monday that without a cap, it will not be able to safely and reliably handle its flight schedule.
Airline travellers across the UK have faced months of chaos, with disrupted and axed flights, paired with long waits at check-in, security and baggage collection.
The main reason for the problems has been a struggle to recruit new staff.
Heathrow claims that since the limits were introduced in July, there have been fewer last-minute cancellations, more punctual flights and shorter wait times for bags.
But airlines blame the airport – one of the busiest in the world – for failing to prepare for a bounce back in passenger traffic following the pandemic.
Some airlines could see the cap lifted sooner than October, Heathrow said in a statement, if “improved resource levels are evident and the airport continues to see sustained operational improvements”.
But it pointed to the lack of ground handling crews as a key problem in resuming normal services.
Issues with these staff remain “a core constraint on capacity at the airport”.
“Our primary concern is ensuring we give our passengers a reliable service when they travel,” said Heathrow chief commercial officer Ross Baker.
“That’s why we introduced temporary capacity limits in July which have already improved journeys during the summer getaway.”
“We want to remove the cap as soon as possible, but we can only do so when we are confident that everyone operating at the airport has the resources to deliver the service our passengers deserve,” he added.
Last week, Heathrow’s chief executive John Holland-Kaye said that the airport was beginning to recover from the travel chaos of recent months.
Thousands of jobs were lost in the aviation industry during the pandemic, when travel restrictions saw most flights grounded – and now there is a race to recruit new workers to accommodate the resurgence of holidaymakers.
Training those staff up and getting them the necessary security clearance has also been a lengthy process, airport bosses have said.
Heathrow has been among the worst-affected.
In an update on Thursday, Mr Holland-Kaye said: “Passengers are seeing better, more reliable journeys since the introduction of the demand cap.”
Author Nicholas Evans, who wrote The Horse Whisperer, has died following a heart attack at the age of 72, his agents have said.
Born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, his career saw him work in newspapers and television as well as becoming a bestselling author.
His first novel, The Horse Whisperer, published in 1995, has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and been translated into 36 languages.
The story was adapted for the big screen in 1998 by Hollywood star Robert Redford, who starred as the title character, with Scarlett Johansson playing young rider Grace MacLean in her breakout role.
During the 1970s Mr Evans worked as a journalist on the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle upon Tyne before moving into broadcasting media.
He specialised in US politics and foreign affairs and spent time covering the war in Beirut
In September 2008 Mr Evans nearly died after consuming poisonous mushrooms and had to have a kidney transplant, with his daughter donating the life-saving organ.
In a statement, his agents said: “United Agents are very sad to announce the sudden death of the celebrated bestselling author Nicholas Evans who died suddenly on Tuesday this week following a heart attack, aged 72.”
