Singer James Blunt has promised to legally change his name to the most popular suggestion from the public – but there’s a catch.
The 50-year-old musician vowed that if the re-release of his debut album Back to Bedlam hits number one in the charts, he will change his name by deep poll.
In a video message posted on X, Blunt said the album – which features hits like You’re Beautiful, Goodbye My Lover and High – is being re-released on 11 October to mark its 20th anniversary.
“I’ll let the people decide,” Blunt is heard saying in the short video. He adds: “But if it doesn’t go to number one, I’m not changing my name.”
Writing alongside the video message, the singer used the hashtag #jameswho and asked fans to comment their name suggestions below the post, with the most-liked becoming the winner.
And fans did not disappoint. Within hours of being posted on Wednesday, it racked up over 800,000 views and more than 2,000 comments.
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The most-liked suggestion at the time of writing was Blunty McBluntface – the exact name the singer said he did not want during an interview on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X on 30 September.
Other popular suggestions included Blames Junt, James Corden (after the presenter and Gavin & Stacey star) and Nick Pope (after the Newcastle United and England footballer).
Back to Bedlam became one of the best-selling albums of the 2000s in the UK and is 17th on the list of the best-selling in UK chart history, according to the Official Charts website. His single You’re Beautiful reached number one in both the UK and US.
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Blunt went on to release a further seven albums. The latest was Who We Used To Be, in 2023.
As part of the anniversary album, the singer is embarking on a tour across the UK and Europe, playing London’s The O2 Arena on 16 February next year, as well as dates in Belfast, Dublin, Leeds, Glasgow and Manchester.
A minister has said pubs are “a great part of British life” as he ruled out changes to their opening hours.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden vowed to table an emergency resolution at his party’s conference to halt any alleged change to venue licensing times “if that’s on the agenda”.
It comes after a report in The Telegraph that public health and prevention minister Andrew Gwynne suggested “tightening up on some of the hours of operation”.
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The Department of Health and Social Care said it was “categorically untrue” to suggest it was considering changes to licensing policy.
“We’ve got a day left of the conference and if that’s on the agenda, I’m going to table an emergency resolution myself in order to make sure it doesn’t happen,” Mr McFadden told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“I think we’ve been clear about that overnight, the pub’s a great part of the British tradition and we’ve got no plans to change the opening hours in that way.”
He later told LBC: “I don’t think there’s any plan to shut the pubs early. The pub is a great part of British life.
“I don’t have a drink during conference,” he added, “but that is partly so I can look forward to having a nice one when the conference is over, and I hope the pub will be open when I go in”.
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PM’s speech ‘start of a new chapter’
Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Mr Gwynne is reported to have said there “are discussions that we have got to have – even if it’s just about tightening up on some of the hours of operation, particularly where there are concerns that people are drinking too much”.
But a spokesman for his department said: “It is categorically untrue that the government is considering changing alcohol licensing hours.”
Emma McClarkin, the British Beer and Pub Association chief executive, welcomed Mr McFadden’s denial of the reports.
She said: “It is a huge relief that the idea of restricting pub hours has been quashed, as it suggested a fundamental misunderstanding about how people drink.
“As the chancellor said, this budget will be about economic growth, so it’s important to avoid baffling proposals that would not only ineffectively tackle an issue, but diminish the economy and put jobs at risk.”
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She added: “The great British pub is at the heart of communities up and down the country who put their faith in Labour for the first time in a generation.
“We urge the party not to turn its back on them now they are in government and to honour those promises for the future survival of this vital industry.”
Ms McClarkin had previously criticised a plan to ban smoking in pub gardens, which she said could have “a devastating impact on pubs who are already struggling with soaring energy prices and the cost of doing business”.
The government has pledged to improve disability access on the railways after Paralympic great, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, was forced to “crawl off” a train at London’s King’s Cross station.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy blamed the previous Conservative government and told Sky News: “This is going to change.”
Speaking at the Paris Paralympics, where Great Britain reached a half-century of medals on Monday, Ms Nandy said the legacy of the team’s success “won’t just be measured in medals, it will be measured in the opportunities”.
Image: Members of ParalympicsGB at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Pic: PA
The experience of 11-time Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni while on her journey to Paris underscored the investment needed beyond sport to improve the lives of those with disabilities.
The Welsh wheelchair racer used a series of social media posts to reveal there was no passenger assistance to greet her as the LNER train from Leeds got into London.
The train arrived at King’s Cross just after 10pm, and after waiting for about 16 minutes, Baroness Tanni said she “decided to crawl off”.
Ms Nandy said: “Transport accessibility is something that’s always been incredibly important to me and is very, very important to our new government.
“We’ve campaigned for a long time to try to make sure that transport networks are far more accessible to people, and you’ll know that the experience of Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson recently is not unfamiliar to many people across the country.
“We’re absolutely determined that this is going to change. It’s something that our new transport secretary is determined to grip among many other things on her desk that were left as a legacy from the last government.”
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‘I had to crawl off the train’
Labour promised to renationalise nearly all passenger railways within its first term.
In Paris, most stations on the Metro are still not fully accessible to people in wheelchairs, although buses and trams now are as part of the Paralympics investment.
Ms Nandy said: “There’s always more that we can and should be doing. And it’s something that as a government, we’re determined to achieve in the UK as well.”
Read more: All you need to know about the Paralympics Opening ceremony in pictures Record-breaking gold medal haul for ParalympicsGB
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Paris 2024 Paralympics begins
ParalympicsGB is second in the medal table five days into Paris 2024 with Stephen McGuire’s gold in the men’s boccia BC4 – allowing the team to hit the 50-medal mark on Monday.
It coincided with ParalympicsGB calling on the government to guarantee equal access to PE and school sports, saying only 25% of disabled children take part in sport at school compared to 41% of non-disabled children.
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Ms Nandy said: “We’re really determined that the legacy of this Paralympics won’t just be measured in medals, it will be measured in the opportunities available to young people, regardless of whether they have a disability, regardless of their background or their circumstances in every part of the country.
“And that’s why I’m up here learning about the Equal Play campaign… to make sure that we open up those opportunities to a whole generation of young people.”
Wednesday will be the first time in 14 years that Labour has set the agenda for government.
So, for Sir Keir Starmer’s new administration, this moment is rich in symbolism and in substance.
It is the chance for his government to exercise its power and show momentum.
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The King’s Speech will be the “foundation stone” for Sir Keir’s much-repeated mission to “rebuild Britain”. Number 10 will lay down over 35 bills to that end, with economic growth at the forefront of the programme for government.
Armed with a 170-seat majority and in the honeymoon period with the public, the new prime minister’s approval ratings have ticked up eight points since the election, according to YouGov, and he is now on the cusp of having a positive net favourability.
Watch coverage of the King’s Speech live on Sky News on Wednesday
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This period of time is perhaps as good as it’s going to get for Sir Keir. He is at the apex of his power and this King’s Speech will be closely watched as the blueprint for the scale of his ambition in the opening phases of premiership for a leader who says he wants to carry out a “decade of renewal”.
And his team are buoyed. Appearing at a Labour Together event on Monday evening, Chancellor Rachel Reeves spoke of how “one day in government” is already better than 14 years in opposition because it means her party can finally get things done.
One senior figure said Sir Keir and his team intended to run an “insurgent” administration, in which it has to prove to the public that the government can do a little bit more for them, to fix things, and then look to the future about what it might do next, rather than expect support on its record.
To that end, his team stresses that the meat of the agenda will be around delivering growth, as well it might given that the new Labour government is relying on that, rather than additional tax rises, to better fund creaking public services.
One government figure told me: “It’s going to feel really big, by any comparison to any incoming government. We’ve had a week to knock it about, but we’ve been working on it for a lot longer, and you wouldn’t be able to compare to another new government, it’s that meaty.
“It’s going to be a real moment in terms of focus and setting out the missions and delivery. There will be unfinished business in there and a sense of a government of service.”
The raft of bills will include bedding in fiscal rules and empowering the Office for Budget Responsibility to independently publish forecasts of big fiscal events.
Image: Prime Minister Keir Starmer with Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Pick: Number 10 Flickr
In her first speech as chancellor, Ms Reeves articulated the political story the government will seek to make over the next five years: “To fix the foundations of our economy so we can rebuild Britain and make every part of our country better off.”
There will be a series of “growth” focused bills – be it around housebuilding, devolution, improving transport and increasing jobs.
They also will push ahead with GB Energy, a new state-owned energy investor that will take stakes in renewables and nuclear projects as part of Labour’s promise to deliver all electricity from renewable sources by the end of the decade.
On the planning side, Labour will legislate so that public bodies can use compulsory purchase order powers to acquire land without the need for individual approvals by a secretary of state.
A new “take back control” bill will set a presumption towards devolution with new powers for mayors over transport, skills, energy and planning, which Labour says will help rejuvenate high streets and generate growth right across the country.
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Sky questions chancellor on growth
On housing, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s ban on no-fault evictions will also be tabled in a push to reform the private rented sector in England.
Ms Reeves has already announced plans to restore mandatory local housing targets in order to get more housebuilding, and Ms Rayner will begin the formal process of consulting on the National Planning Policy Framework before the end of July – with a view to start implementing the plans as early as autumn as Labour looks to get moving.
The government will also include plans to implement worker protection reforms, including a crackdown on zero-hours contracts and “fire and rehire” practices, and an AI bill, which will seem to enhance the legal safeguards around the most cutting-edge technologies.
There will also be a new law to put the water industry in “special measures”, which would see executives face bonus restrictions and potential criminal sanctions if they fail to clean up Britain’s rivers and beaches.
Image: Angela Rayner now leads on the government’s housing policy. Pic: Reuters
Much of the King Speech will reflect Sir Keir’s “first steps” for government he campaigned on during the general election.
But his message of change is also qualified with a plea for patience from a new Labour government, which is using its early weeks in office to talk up the state of the inheritance – as George Osborne did in 2010 – in order to buy time.
You only have to look at what Ms Reeves has said on the state of the public finances, caused in large part by the pandemic and energy price shock, or what the prime minister has said on the state of some public services, with prisons in a “shocking” and “far worse” state than he had anticipated, to see the pitch-rolling that improvements are going to take time – perhaps the full five years of the first term.
But with a big majority and a party hungry for change, there are already hints of some of the pressures to come for this infant government.
The SNP has announced plans to table an amendment in the King’s Speech calling on the government to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Kim Johnson of Labour is also tabling an amendment which former shadow chancellor John McDonnell will support.
A rebellion on this is building, with many in the party agreeing with former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and Scotland’s Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who have publicly called on Sir Keir to scrap it.
The prime minister has refused to do so, saying this is a “difficult” decision driven by tight public finances.
Mr McDonnell has said he will look to amend the budget later this year if it doesn’t include steps to scrap the cap.
There is also internal disquiet in the party that the Labour Together and Labour First groupings are messaging the new 2024 MPs with a slate to take control of the parliamentary Labour Party and National Executive Committee positions.
One backbench source tells me that this “fixing” is adding to resentment amongst a group in the party after the government dropped 31 shadow ministers, while one figure tells me that MPs with large Sikh communities are beginning to bring up the problem of both Skikh shadow ministers being dropped.
A government source downplayed the tensions, pointing out that “groupings that are seen as more pro or sceptical of the leadership running in internal elections is as old as the hills”, and said the party leadership was not organising such slates.
But with a majority of 172, Sir Keir will not be too worried about internal soundings. His most pressing task is to show the public that his government really does mean change – and the King’s Speech will be the biggest symbol of that yet.
Dangerous cycling that causes death could land people up to 14 years in prison after the House of Commons backed a proposed change to the law.
On Wednesday night, MPs voted in favour of an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that would create three new offences: causing death by dangerous cycling; causing serious injury by dangerous cycling and causing death by careless or inconsiderate cycling.
The amendment, put forward by former minister and Tory party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, was supported by the government and will now form part of the bill.
Speaking in the Commons, Sir Ian described the new law as “urgent” and added: “This is not, as is often accused by people who say anything about it, anti-cycling.
“Quite the opposite, it’s about making sure this takes place in a safe and reasonable manner.”
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During his speech, Sir Ian made reference to Matthew Briggs, whose wife Kim died aged 44 after a cyclist collided with her in Old Street, east London.
The bicycle did not have a front brake and the 44-year-old suffered “catastrophic” head injuries – dying in hospital a week after the crash in February 2016.
The cyclist, Charlie Alliston, was jailed for 18 months after he was found guilty at the Old Bailey of “wanton or furious driving”, but was cleared of manslaughter.
Sir Iain said: “(Mr Briggs’) attempt to get a cyclist prosecuted after his wife was killed in central London in 2016 involved a legal process that was so convoluted and difficult even the presiding judge has said afterwards, since she’s retired, that this made a mockery and therefore it needed to be addressed – that the laws do not cover what happened to his wife and is happening to lots of other people.”
He added: “The amendment, I believe, will achieve equal accountability, just as drivers are held accountable for dangerous driving that results in death, cyclists I think should face similar consequences for reckless behaviour that leads to fatalities.”
Transport Secretary Mark Harper, responding to the approval of the amendment, said in a statement: “Most cyclists, like most drivers, are responsible and considerate. But it’s only right that the tiny minority who recklessly disregard others face the full weight of the law for doing so.”
Dangerous cycling is already laid out in the Road Traffic Act, which includes riding in a way which “falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful cyclist” and which “would be obvious to a competent and careful cyclist that riding in that way would be dangerous”.
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The proposed law would require cyclists to make sure their vehicle “is equipped and maintained” in a legal way, including by keeping brakes in working order.
It would apply to incidents involving pedal cycles, e-bikes, e-scooters and e-unicycles.
Current laws state that causing death or serious injury by dangerous, careless or inconsiderate driving are already offences, but the vehicle involved must be “mechanically propelled”.
Teachers in English schools will not be allowed to teach children that they can change their gender identity, according to reports.
Age limits are also set to be imposed for the first time on when children can be taught sex education.
The Times reports that education ministers will warn schools in England today that gender identity is “highly contested” and that teaching the issue could have “damaging implications”.
If asked, school staff should teach the “biological facts” about sex, the government will say, The Times adds.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has become concerned gender identity is becoming “embedded” in schools as an uncontested fact, the newspaper says.
Under other proposals, schools will be told not to teach children any form of sex education until year 5, when pupils are aged nine.
The plans will also rule out any explicit conversations about sex until the age of 13, The Times report also says.
Thirteen would also be the age threshold for pupils to be taught about contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and abortion.
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The new guidance is reportedly part of the government’s response to concerns children are receiving age-inappropriate relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).
Schools will reportedly be required to provide parents with samples of the material their children will be taught.
RSHE became compulsory in all English schools in September 2020.
The existing guidance outlines broad lesson modules, stating primary school children should be taught about alternative types of families and healthy relationships.
Secondary-school-aged children are taught more complex topics, including puberty, sexual relationships, consent, unsafe relationships, and online harms.
The Department for Education said it could not confirm the newspaper reports, and that it would not speculate on leaks.
When Michelle’s ex-partner broke her hand – she knew enough was enough.
A line had been crossed. The abuse was emotional, coercive, and now physical. Her, and their child’s safety, was now compromised.
Fearful, Michelle – not her real name – decided that any father-child contact should be supervised.
Image: Sky News correspondent Sabah Choudhry speaks to “Michelle”
Michelle’s ex-partner, however, wanted unsupervised contact with their child. He pushed back – and what followed was four years of court proceedings.
Michelle, and other campaigners like her, are calling on the government to end the presumption of contact between parents and their children.
On Monday, they will present a report to the government with recommendations to change the law.
Their main demand? To make parental contact earned – and not simply handed to abusers.
Currently, under British law, there is no blanket ban on an abusive adult having contact with their children.
According to the Children Act of 1989, there is a presumption of contact between parent and child when adults separate – to benefit the child.
However, according to Michelle, this isn’t always the case.
“The court system,” she told Sky News, “was as abusive as my ex-partner. It had an agenda to promote unsupervised contact at any cost, despite my medical and police evidence [of harm].”
“It felt to me, I was living in Victorian times, that my child belonged to my partner, and that I had to do what he wanted.
“It’s a very misogynistic system… that it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are – children will always have contact with their fathers.
“But it shouldn’t be at any cost…”
‘No parent is better than an abusive parent’
Dr Charlotte Proudman is leading the campaign.
Image: Dr Charlotte Proudman, the barrister and founder of Right to Equality, is leading the campaign
The barrister and founder of the non-profit organisation Right to Equality told Sky News: “In my view, no parent is better than an abusive parent.
“Even if a parent is a rapist, a child sex offender, has been abusive, there is a presumption that they should have regular contact with their child, which can mean, in some instances, that a child is having unsafe contact with a dangerous parent.
“To argue against that can cost huge amounts of money and take a significant amount of time, even years.”
‘I shouldn’t be the exception… this should be standard’
This is something Conservative MP Kate Kniveton knows too well.
Image: Conservative MP Kate Kniveton won a landmark case against her former partner
She told Sky News that she suffered 10 years of abuse from her ex-husband – a former MP.
The family court made findings of rape and sexual abuse, which he denies.
Ms Kniverton won a landmark case against her former partner, which now means he is barred from direct contact with their child.
Therefore, she supports the recommendations to change the law, in order to protect both women and children.
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She said: “The result we got with my child was great… my child is protected.
“But I shouldn’t be the exception…This should be standard in so many cases.
“You hear that contact has been ordered even with the most abuse of power.
“It is so important that the government listen to this and they overturn that presumption to protect children.”
As of Friday, the government announced that paedophile rapists will have their rights to contact their own children automatically removed.
But this current campaign wants an end to the assumption that parents can contact their children even when they are guilty of domestic abuse, sexual abuse or child abuse.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told Sky News: “Children’s safety is absolutely paramount and judges already have extensive powers to block parental involvement where there is a risk to the child.
“We are continuing to review the approach to parental access to make sure all children are kept from harm.”
The widow of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty has been made an MBE, after campaigning for tougher laws in his memory.
Lissie Harper’s husband, Andrew Harper, a Thames Valley Police officer, died after getting caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and being dragged down a winding country road in Berkshire in 2019.
The couple had been married for just four weeks.
Mrs Harper successfully campaigned for Harper’s Law – which introduced mandatory life sentences for anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker while they are on duty.
She began to push for a change in the law when the three teenagers found guilty of her husband’s manslaughter were jailed for a total of 42 years after they were all acquitted of murder.
Henry Long, 19, was sentenced to 16 years and Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, were handed 13 years in custody over PC Harper’s death.
Mrs Harper’s MBE recognises her services to victims of violent crime and their families.
Harper’s Law came into effect last June and applies to police and prison officers, as well as firefighters and paramedics.
Celebrities honoured at same Windsor Castle event
Actress Vicky McClure, best known for playing Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the BBC series Line Of Duty, was also made an MBE for her services to drama and charity at the same Windsor Castle ceremony where Mrs Harper was honoured.
The Bafta-winning actress, 40, has been an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society since 2018 and has raised awareness around the disease through her creation of Our Dementia Choir.
Image: Actress Vicky McClure is made a MBE by the King
Image: Vicky McClure after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Conservative MP Michael Fabricant became a knight after being named on former prime minister Boris Johnson’s resignation honours lists.
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Image: MP Michael Fabricant is knighted
Fallon Sherrock, who became the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Darts Championship in 2019, was also made an MBE.
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Northern Ireland footballer Jonny Evans, former England women’s rugby union captain Sarah Hunter, former England women’s footballer Eni Aluko, and former boxer Johnny Nelson were also awarded MBEs.
Pet owners are gearing up for a stressful time for both themselves and their animals as fireworks season begins.
With Bonfire Night and Diwali in October and November, followed not long afterwards by New Year’s Eve, there is little respite from the bangs and vibrations that can have devastating effects on animals.
Julie Doorne from Firework Campaign UK told Sky News that people suffer as well as pets.
Pet owners will avoid leaving their animals at home alone for months on end, or use up annual leave to take them away.
“People’s lives change” due to fireworks, she said.
The campaign wants an end to private fireworks. Ms Doorne says they’re not trying to cancel Bonfire Night or any other celebrations – but they want displays licenced and kept a certain distance from animals.
Image: Jade, with Liberty and Emma after her fall
‘I will never see her again’
Liberty, an 18-year-old from Winterbourne, recently lost her horse Jade due to fireworks. Jade was Liberty’s therapy horse, who helped her with anxiety, and was a gift from her friend Emma.
“Jade taught me everything. My first canter, my first gallop, she gave me the confidence in everything,” Liberty said.
“She knew when I was upset. If she heard me cry she would stand over me. When I was feeling down she would nudge me. She knew when I was at my lowest.”
In October, Jade got spooked by a firework that was let off near the field she was in.
She ran and hurt her back legs in the process. Despite Liberty trying to get her up, it was clear she wasn’t going to.
“She tried but she didn’t have the strength and in the end, she gave up,” Liberty said.
Jade had to be put to sleep.
“My heart is ripped apart,” Liberty said. “She was my best friend and soulmate.
“I will always remember the lowest of my days when she wouldn’t leave my side… I have no words but heartache and tears.”
“I want the whole world to know that Jadey was my life.”
Liberty wants to see a ban on setting off fireworks around livestock.
Jade would have “been here today if it wasn’t for the firework,” she said. “I will never see her again.”
Image: Nala gets very distressed around fireworks
‘Driving to the middle of the New Forest for quiet’
Rosemary, from Hampshire, has a 10-year-old horse called Rolo – and Nala, an 11-year-old working cocker spaniel.
To prepare Rolo for the fireworks, Rosemary plans to put boots on him to stop him from kicking himself and keep him in his stable.
This is the first fireworks season she’s experienced with Rolo, so she plans to “take a leap of faith” and hope he copes well.
But Nala gets very distressed.
“She barks to the point that one New Year’s Eve I drove out to the middle of the New Forest to get her as far away from the noise as possible,” Rosemary said.
She added she is forced to change her routine when she knows there may be fireworks.
“I can’t leave her on the weekend of Bonfire Night. I will always be making a decision on, ‘If we go out, can I take her?’ – but we have to endure it when it’s unexpected.”
Image: Nelly the Boston, with her cat sisters Poppy and Pixie
‘We’re worried the stress will shorten her life’
Matt Wilke, 36, from northwest London, has a Boston terrier called Nelly, and two cats, Pixie and Poppy.
All three are rescues from South Africa, and he said the journey to bring them to the UK during the pandemic was nowhere near as stressful as fireworks are for them.
“Pixie becomes incredibly skittish and just about hyperventilates. It is absolutely horrible seeing a cat having what looks like an asthma attack and being very frightened,” he explained.
Poppy does her best to try to hide, which is worrying because “she tries squeezing herself into the smallest of spaces and we’re always so worried she will hurt herself”.
Mike also worries Poppy will “get stuck somewhere or – in a panic to find somewhere – get out and run without any idea of where she’s trying to go”.
Nelly becomes very needy, constantly vigilant and frightened of going outside. Matt said the effects on her can last for days after the fireworks have stopped.
“This undue stress simply isn’t good for her and we’re constantly worried that the stress, especially as she gets older, could shorten her life.”
Pip, an elderly dog with a fragile heart
Jane has an elderly dog called Pip.
Pip “has been petrified of fireworks all his life”, she said.
Jane added: “Every year we spend about two weeks around bonfire night unable to sleep until late as he needs comforting because he gets so worked up and frightened when he hears them going off.
“We are dreading this year as he now has a heart condition which means he collapses if he gets highly stressed or excited.
“So we feel we have no alternative but to drive us all out into the country for a few hours to get away from the relentless sound of bombs going off.
“If we don’t I fear he will have a heart attack.”
Image: Messi was so scared by fireworks he woudn’t go outside
Could Australian-style ban work in the UK?
Dog owner Jane Price recalled stressful bonfire nights with her Cairn terrier Messi.
“He would bark and get very upset,” she said. “He wouldn’t even go outside, he was worried there was going to be another bang.”
Ms Price is originally from Australia, where there’s a ban on members of the public buying fireworks.
There’s merit to that rule, she said.
In the UK, fireworks can be sold between 15 October and 10 November for Bonfire Night and from 26 to 31 December for New Year celebrations.
They can also be sold in the three days leading up to Chinese New Year and Diwali.
But many pet owners would welcome Australian-style restrictions in the UK.
Image: Cody gets very agitated and scared when she hears the loud bangs of fireworks
‘It’s really difficult to calm and console’
Another concerned animal lover, Di, told Sky News her border collie cross, Cody, is “absolutely terrified” of fireworks.
“This appears to be getting worse as she grows older,” she said. “Her reaction to them is to bark continuously, pant and pace and it is really difficult to calm and console her.
“This reaction can continue for a good while after the fireworks have subsided.”
Vet says fireworks ‘totally cruel’ to animals
The run-up to Bonfire Night and New Year’s Eve sees a surge of people seeking sedatives for their pets, a north London vet told Sky News.
“One month before firework night, people are coming in one after the other to get calming remedies for their pets,” she says.
Fireworks displays are “totally cruel” to animals, who have “very sensitive hearing”, she added.
“They’re put under stress and anxiety that can sometimes cause illnesses like alopecia from over-grooming themselves due to stress.”
About 14 million people in the UK attend organised firework displays each year, according to the British Pyrotechnics Association – but that number does not include fireworks set off in private gardens and fields across the country.
These displays are the real problem, according to some pet owners.
Call for organised fireworks events only
Sophie Gannon’s dog Barclay is “petrified by the noise” and “shakes” on hearing fireworks.
“I don’t think they should sell fireworks at all. I think it should just be organised events only,” she said.
The RSPCA receives about 400 calls from concerned pet owners every Bonfire Night, and in 2019 launched its Bang Out Of Order campaign, calling for changes to firework laws.
It wants the sale of fireworks restricted to between 29 October and 5 November and a reduction of the maximum noise level of fireworks from 120 decibels to 90 decibels.
The animal charity has also called for the implementation of firework control zones, prohibiting fireworks near animal habitats, farms and zoos.
The charity’s research shows 73% of adults polled think firework control zones should be introduced and 75% think the firework sale period should be limited.
What are the rules as they stand?
The Animal Welfare Act does not extend to protecting animals from the effects of fireworks.
While it prohibits “any unnecessary suffering to a captive or domestic animal”, if fireworks are let off legally, their use would not be considered unreasonable.
Scotland’s fireworks laws changed in June, giving councils the power to designate Firework Control Zones where it would be illegal to set off fireworks. The impact on animals is one reason why a council could grant a control zone.
In Northern Ireland, anyone who wants to buy, possess, and use fireworks (except indoor fireworks and sparklers) must have a valid fireworks licence.
In 2019, the House of Commons petition committee published a report on fireworks after more than 750,000 people signed a petition demanding a change to the laws.
In response, the government agreed to coordinate a major public awareness campaign, but stopped short of accepting recommendations – including introducing decibel limits and empowering local councils to enforce firework permits.
Another petition calling for tougher regulations gained more than 15,000 signatures in advance of this year’s Bonfire Night.
The government responded by saying it has “no plans to ban the sale of fireworks to the public but continues to monitor the situation”.
A government spokesperson added: “We believe the majority of individuals use fireworks safely and appropriately.
“The government understands that people want to enjoy fireworks. We believe that the legislative framework controlling fireworks strikes the right balance and we have no plans to replace it at this time.”
The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police says laws for tackling extremism may need to be redrawn in light of pro-Palestinian protests around the Israel-Hamas war.
Sir Mark Rowley said it was for politicians to decide on “the line of the law” and for the police to enforce it.
However, he said recent events were “illustrating that maybe some of the lines aren’t quite in the right place”.
Politics live: Sunak to make Middle East statement in Commons
The commissioner’s remarks came just an hour after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said there were no plans to make any legislative changes after the protests in recent weeks.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman met with Sir Mark earlier on Monday to challenge him over the decision not to arrest protestors chanting “jihad” in a video of a Hizb ut-Tahrir protest which surfaced over the weekend.
The force posted on social media that specialist counterterrorism officers had not identified any offences arising from the clip.
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Speaking ahead of the meeting, a source close to Ms Braverman said “there can be no place for incitement to hatred or violence” on UK streets and police should “crackdown on anyone breaking the law”.
But despite criticism from her and other ministers about the lack of arrest, a Downing Street spokesman said he was “unaware” of any plans to toughen up legislation to aid the police in acting.
Speaking after his meeting with the home secretary, Sir Mark defended officers’ actions, saying the force was “absolutely ruthless in tackling anybody who puts their foot over the legal line”.
But he said the police were “accountable for the law – we can’t enforce taste or decency but we can enforce the law”.
The commissioner said the conversation with Ms Braverman had been “really constructive”, but finished around “the line of the law”.
He added: “It is our job to enforce to that line, it is parliament’s job to draw that line, and… maybe events of the moment are illustrating that maybe some of the lines aren’t quite in the right place”.
Sir Mark pointed to recent reports from the Counter Extremism Commission and the Law Commission “talking about how the law needs to change to be stronger in dealing with extremism”, adding: “I know the home secretary and her colleagues are really charged by that and thinking hard about that.”
But pushed further on what changes he wanted to see, the commissioner said: “The law that we have designed around hate crime and terrorism around recent decades hasn’t taken full account of the ability of extremist groups to steer round those laws and propagate some pretty toxic messages through social media, and those lines probably need redrawing.”
He also said there were “lessons to be learnt” from other forces who had “more assertive” frameworks, but he concluded: “That is for politicians and parliament to draw the line. I am focused on… enforcing the letter of the law.”
