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Jan 5 2025

Heavy snow weather warnings cover much of UK as Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds airports forced to close runways | UK News

Heavy snow warnings remain in place in parts of England and all of Wales – with the weather forcing Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds’ airports to close their runways.

There is an amber Met Office warning in place for snow and ice, with the risk of freezing rain covering much of Wales and the Midlands as far north as Manchester until midday.

There is an additional snow warning across northern England until midnight.

Manchester Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport closed their runways for several hours due to snow this morning, urging passengers to check with their airlines for the latest flight information while their teams work to clear the snow.

Leeds Bradford Airport’s runway is still closed as its teams work to clear snow and minimise the impact on flight schedules.

It comes after Birmingham Airport suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons” but said it was on schedule for “business as usual” to start the morning.

Bristol Airport reopened at about 11pm on Saturday after an earlier closure but warned of delays this morning due to aircraft being out of position.

Follow UK weather updates live

One passenger who arrived at Bristol Airport at 2am from Grand Canaria told Sky News that she was among passengers from at least four easyJet flights that had been waiting for their baggage for hours.

“It’s shocking, there’s not a single bag here,” Emma told Sky News.

“They’re waiting for the morning shift to start [for baggage handlers].

“We’ve not been given a biscuit or bottle of water. There’s a vending machine but that was emptied out hours ago,” she said.

“I’m laughing but I feel like crying.”

EasyJet said: “We made arrangements for passengers on diverted flights to continue by road, where possible, and will reimburse those needing to make their own arrangements,” EasyJet said.

“Any customers whose flights have been cancelled have been notified and provided with the option to transfer to an alternative flight free of charge, or receive a refund and we provided hotel accommodation and meals where it was available.

“Although the airport has now reopened customers due to fly to and from Bristol today are advised to check the status of their flights via our Flight Tracker for the latest information.

“While this is outside our control, we are sorry to customers for the inconvenience caused as a result of the weather.”

There has been growing concern over whether this afternoon’s derby Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield will go ahead.

Following a safety meeting this morning, officials said the match will go ahead pending a further inspection ahead of kick-off at 4.30pm.

Where are the weather warnings – and how much snow could we see?

One amber warning for snow, ice and freezing rain covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West England, Yorkshire and Humber and Wales until 12pm.

About 3cm to 7cm of snowfall is predicted for much of the affected area, mixing with rain at times in lower-lying areas.

Higher ground in Wales and the southern Pennines could see 15cm to 30cm of snow, the forecaster said, with milder air leading to a rapid thaw in the south of the warning area through Sunday.

Another amber snow warning in place until midnight covers the East Midlands, North East England, North West England, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber.

Amber warnings are put in place where there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, which could potentially disrupt plans, the Met Office says.

This means there is the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property, it adds.

Read more on Sky News:
What is freezing rain and what makes it so dangerous?
Tips for keeping warm – from people in some of the coldest towns on Earth

Less severe yellow warnings for snow, ice or rain are in place throughout the majority of the UK today.

The Met says it is safest not to drive in areas with amber warnings in place, and says to consider alternative forms of transport if journeys are essential.

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Dec 7 2024

Storm Darragh brought gusts of close to 100mph, but the future threat may lie elsewhere | Science, Climate & Tech News

Storm Darragh is the first storm since last January’s Isha to earn a red “threat to life” warning from the Met Office.

And it has lived up to that dubious honour.

The highest recorded windspeed was 93mph (150kph) in Capel Curig in Wales and at least one person is thought to have died as a result of the storm.

Get the five-day forecast where you are

While Darragh wasn’t the most intense storm in recent years, it was a monster. The extra-tropical cyclone (to give it it’s proper title) measured 1,000km (621 miles) across as it passed right over the UK.

Revolving anti-clockwise, as such storms do, it encircled our coasts with winds from the north and east with the most powerful barrelling in from the southwest.

It’s just over two weeks since Storm Bert brought widespread flooding and high winds to Wales and southern England with four named storms now in the last three months.

So, it’s not unreasonable to ask: Is the UK getting stormier?

The 2023/24 storm season was certainly a bad one with 12 named storms. The Met Office got so far down the alphabet the season ended with Lilian’s yellow warnings for rain and wind in August.

But the season before saw just two named storms. You have to go back to 2015/16, when there were 11 named storms.

The picture is messier before that date as the naming convention began in 2015, making comparisons before then impossible.

However, meteorologists believe the 2013/14 storm season was the most severe in at least two decades.

At least 12 named storms brought major coastal flooding and the inundation of the Somerset levels with water for weeks on end.

No clear trends

In fact, a recent review of storm records, going back over four decades, has revealed there’s no clear trend between our rapidly warming planet and the frequency of North Atlantic storms.

The jet stream – the high-altitude atmospheric current that tends to steer weather systems towards us over the North Atlantic – has a complicated and so far indecipherable relationship with climate change.

The current best guess is that storms may get more frequent and more windy when, on current trends, the world is around two degrees warmer a few decades from now. But as things currently stand that’s an uncertain prediction.

What is clearer, is the relationship between warming and how much rain storms bring.

Average winter rainfall has been increasing across Northern Europe and simple physics help explain that.

More rainfall likely as the climate warms

With every degree increase in temperature, the atmosphere can hold 7% more water vapour – water that eventually falls as rain.

And the warmer the oceans are, the more readily they give up their moisture and the more energy – in the form of heat – they can transfer to storms.

The trend in ocean temperatures – particularly in the North Atlantic over which most of our storms develop – has been stark in recent years.

Surface temperatures there in 2023/24 have tracked up to a degree or more above average in records going back to the 1980s.

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As Storm Darragh moves on, we’ll get a flavour of what our wetter future feels like.

The system is dumping rain across most of the UK, even areas that were thankfully spared the worst of its lethal winds.

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Jul 22 2024

Minister does not rule out some universities may close over funding crisis | Politics News

The higher education minister has not ruled out that some universities may be forced to close over the funding crisis facing the sector.

Former home secretary Baroness Jacqui Smith, who Sir Keir Starmer appointed as minister for higher education in his cabinet, told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge that universities should be “looking at how they can run efficiently as possible”.

Universities are currently facing a funding crisis due to a drop in student applications and restrictions that prevent international students, who pay higher fees, from bringing their partners and children with them.

Politics latest: Tories ‘planned to spend £10bn on Rwanda scheme’

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said universities should seek to manage their own budgets before hoping for a bailout from the taxpayer.

Asked whether that could mean some universities are threatened with closure, Baroness Smith replied: “I don’t want that to happen. And I’m concerned that students are still able to get those opportunities.”

Pressed again on whether some higher institutions could close their doors, the minister said again: “I hope it doesn’t happen.

“And, you know, that’s what we need to work to try to avoid.”

She said it was “in the hands of universities to take the action necessary in order to be as efficient as possible”.

“I want to work alongside them in order to make sure that our higher education sector, which is internationally recognised, it’s one of the key enablers in this country for individuals and for the economy,” she added.

“I want that to work successfully, and I’m willing to work in partnership to ensure that that happens.”

Last year, the Home Office announced that international students who come to the UK will no longer be able to bring family with them except under specific circumstances.

The curbs have been in force since January and mean overseas students are no longer able to bring dependants with them unless they are on postgraduate courses that are designated as research programmes.

Conservative ministers, who were looking to lower migration numbers to the UK, said at the time that the restrictions would see 140,000 fewer people come to the UK each year.

Earlier, Ms Phillipson said a “sharper focus” was needed on regulating the higher education sector to ensure that universities were “on a firm footing” financially.

She said universities were “autonomous” and there were “expectations around how they manage their budgets, and I would expect them to do that without seeking any calls on the taxpayer”.

But the University and College Union (UCU) has called on the government to take action to help universities across the country who were struggling with their finances.

In a letter sent to Labour on Friday, Jo Grady, general secretary of the UCU, warned: “Anything short of an emergency rescue package for the sector will be insufficient to stave off catastrophe.”

Read more from Sky News:
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Scrapped Rwanda scheme ‘has already cost £700m’

Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the Office for Students, the higher education watchdog, said a recent analysis it had conducted showed “increasing financial risks” facing the sector.

“These risks include the decline in the real-terms value of tuition fees, an over-reliance by some institutions on international students, and misplaced and unrealistic optimism about student recruitment,” she said.

“We are not expecting an increase in the number of institutions exiting the market in the short-term.

“But all universities should carefully consider the sector-wide risks, and ensure they are taking steps to secure their long-term futures.”

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Jun 4 2024

General election 2024: Starmer to promise to ‘close the door’ on Putin – as Sunak prepares to put forward plan to cut immigration | Politics News

Sir Keir Starmer will promise to “close the door” on Vladimir Putin with his homegrown energy plan – while Rishi Sunak will propose an annual visa cap to try to reduce immigration as election campaigning continues today.

The prime minister will look to win over voters after what was perhaps his toughest day of the campaign so far on Monday – with some Conservatives fearing Nigel Farage’s decision to lead the Reform party could split the Tory vote.

Mr Farage is also standing to be an MP in Clacton and will launch his campaign in the Essex constituency today.

A difficult day was made worse for Mr Sunak when a YouGov poll suggested Labour could be on course to win a historic landslide – with the party projected to win a 194-seat majority.

General election latest: Follow live updates

On day 14 of the campaign, Labour leader Sir Keir will claim his party’s plan to set up a publicly owned clean energy company, GB Energy, will help to protect the UK from spikes in the price of fuel like those that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He will say: “With Great British Energy, my changed Labour Party will close the door on Putin.

“Energy policy is now a matter of national security. It is a key component of our country’s resilience and capacity to weather future shocks.

“We simply cannot afford to remain as vulnerable to price spikes as we have been in the past.

“Keeping the lights on and heating our homes should not mean leaving our front door open to Russia.”

Labour has said GB Energy will be headquartered in Scotland and funded through a windfall tax on big oil and gas firms, with an initial £8.3bn capitalisation over the course of a parliament.

Read more about the general election:
Analysis: Panic will spread through Tory ranks after poll
Who will win the election? Check our poll tracker
Labour has launched its GB Energy policy – do we need it?
What could possibly go wrong? A history of TV debates

Meanwhile, the Conservatives will propose an annual cap on worker and family visas in their efforts to ensure immigration figures fall year on year if they are still in government after the election.

More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel and immigration has become a key campaign battleground.

The proposed plan would give parliament a direct role in setting levels of migration, with MPs having a vote on the number.

Mr Sunak will say: “We have taken bold action to cut the number of people coming to this country. The plan is working but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further.

“Labour’s migrant amnesty will make the UK a global magnet for illegal immigrants and they have no plan to reduce net migration, while we have a clear plan to stop the boats and put a legal cap on numbers.

“The Conservatives are the only party that is willing take the bold action needed to cut immigration figures.”

The annual cap would be imposed on the number of visas that can be granted to those coming to the UK on work or family routes.

Temporary work routes, such as seasonal agricultural workers, would not fall within the cap.

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Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are promising action on an issue described as “deeply personal” for party leader Sir Ed Davey, as they say day-to-day care for adults in need, including the elderly and disabled, would be free.

Provision of care should be based on need rather than ability to pay, the party said, as it promised what it described as free personal care for people either at home or in care homes.

This would cover nursing care, help with mobility, hygiene and medication, it said, adding that people in residential care would still have to contribute towards their accommodation.

Sir Ed said: “As a carer for my disabled son, and after caring for my ill mother when I was young, care is deeply personal for me.

“That is why I am putting fixing the care crisis at the heart of the Liberal Democrat offer to the country at this election.”

The party said its plan for England – based on the model introduced by the Lib Dems in government in Scotland in 2002 – would cost £2.7bn a year by 2028-29 and would be “fully funded” by reversing tax cuts for the big banks since 2016.

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May 10 2024

Section of M25 to close again tonight – as drivers warned not to get complacent | UK News

A seven-mile stretch of the M25 is set to shut in both directions from tonight for the second of five planned weekend closures.

Motorists have been advised to avoid the area of the closure – between junctions 9 and 10 in Surrey – from 9pm on Friday to 6am on Monday morning.

Drivers have also been urged to stick to the planned 19-mile diversion route, which will send vehicles through parts of Surrey and Greater London.

It is the second of five planned closures of the motorway, and comes after a section between junctions 10 and 11 was shut in March.

On that occasion, fears diversion routes would become overwhelmed proved unfounded, as traffic levels were more than two-thirds lower than normal after a widespread awareness campaign.

However, National Highways senior project manager Jonathan Wade says there is a “very real” risk that the lack of disruption in March means some motorists will not heed warnings to replan journeys this weekend.

“We’ve upped the amount of correspondence that we’ve been sending out to try and counter that, but it remains an issue,” he says.

Those set to be those travelling to, from and between the UK’s two busiest airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, are expected to be affected as National Highways has warned it expects long delays.

Other stretches of the M25 will also be disrupted this weekend due to ongoing work to retrofit additional emergency stopping areas on smart motorway sections.

What are the diversion routes?

Diversion route clockwise for all but over-height vehicles:
Leave M25 at junction 8, A217 (Reigate). Follow the A217 London, Sutton, (A240) Kingston. After 3½ miles turn left onto the A240 Epsom, Kingston. After 3 miles at the Esso roundabout, turn right onto the A24 (A240) Kingston. Continue for 3 miles and turn left onto the A3 Portsmouth, Guildford. Continue for 9½ miles to the M25 and re-join the motorway at junction 10.

Diversion route anticlockwise for all but over-height vehicles:
Leave M25 at junction 10 to join the A3 towards London. After 9½ miles at the Hook interchange leave the A3 turning right onto the A240 Epsom, Reigate. Continue for 3 miles to the Esso roundabout and turn left onto the A240 Reigate. Continue for 3 miles then turn right onto the A217 Reigate, M25. After 3½ miles turn left to re-join the M25 motorway at junction 8.

Meanwhile, Mr Wade warned drivers will be subjected to London’s ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) rules if they move off official diversion routes during this weekend’s M25 closure.

National Highways said anyone ignoring diversion signs in an attempt to find shorter alternative routes will be liable for the £12.50 daily Ulez fee if their vehicle does not meet minimum emissions standards.

Failure to pay the charge when required can result in a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

Diversion routes will take cars on a 19-mile journey on A roads, crossing from Surrey into London’s ULEZ area.

National Highways senior project manager Jonathan Wade told the PA news agency: “Although the (ULEZ) cameras will be active, no enforcement action will be taken.

“However, if you ignore the diversion signs and do your own thing, then if your vehicle’s not compliant you do run the risk of getting caught.

“You’ll be perfectly safe as long as you follow the diversion routes.”

Read more from Sky News:
Everything you need to know ahead of the M25 closing
Aerial pictures show calm amid M25 gridlock fears

RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson also warned drivers not to rely on their sat navs during the closure.

“Planning ahead is absolutely vital,” she said.

“Rather than relying on a sat nav, check the planned diversion routes ahead of time and be prepared for long delays.

“It’s also a really good idea to check your vehicle’s oil and coolant levels, tyre pressure and tread depth all before setting off to reduce the chances of a very unwelcome breakdown.”

National Highways say this weekend’s closure is to allow for the installation of a new bridge between junction 9 and junction 10.

The previous closure was to allow for the demolition of Clearmount bridleway bridge between junction 10 and junction 11 and the installation of a large gantry.

Three more weekend closures of the M25 are set to take place between August and the end of the year.

The project, due to be completed in summer 2025, will increase the number of lanes and make it easier to enter and exit the M25 at Junction 10, which is one of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions.

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Apr 10 2024

Home Office accused of ‘celebrating failure’ as it vows to close 150 asylum hotels by May | Politics News

The Home Office has promised to close 150 migrant hotels by May after figures showed aid spending on asylum seekers in the UK rose to £4.3bn in 2023.

The department said the number of people staying in taxpayer-funded accommodation had dropped from 56,000 in September to fewer than 20,000 people currently as part of a drive to end the “damaging” practice.

Approximately £8m a day was spent housing thousands of asylum seekers in hotels last year, prompting the government to seek out alternative accommodation sites, including the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, and disused military bases at Scampton in Lincolnshire and Wethersfield in Essex.

Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who resigned over Rishi Sunak’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, announced last October that the government would be “exiting” 50 hotels by the end of January, with more to follow.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said the process would continue “until the last hotel is closed”.

“We promised to end the use of asylum hotels and house asylum seekers at more appropriate, cheaper accommodation; we are doing that at a rapid pace,” he said.

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“These closures deliver on the government’s plan to cut the use of hotels in the asylum system and we will keep going until the last hotel is closed.”

But Labour’s shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said the announcement amounted to the Conservatives “celebrating failure”.

“So-called ‘asylum hotels’ didn’t exist before the Tories lost control of the asylum backlog, and Rishi Sunak promised to end them by the end of 2023,” he said. “Yet here we are with around 250 still in use come mid-April.”

The Home Office announcement followed findings from the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) which said the amount of aid spent on hosting refugees and asylum seekers in the UK soared last year to £4.3 billion.

The ICAI said the figure was driven up by the Home Office paying out £2.5bn on hotel accommodation for the year, saying it had “continuing value for money concerns” over the department’s spending.

“Far from reducing as the costs of schemes for Ukrainian and Afghan refugees fell, the amount of aid spent within the UK was driven up further by the Home Office’s spending on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers,” the watchdog said.

Last month, a report by spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) found that the government’s alternative plans for housing asylum seekers will actually cost the taxpayer £46m more than the hotels they seek to replace.

Read more:
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The Home Office is expected to have spent at least £230m developing four major projects at the end of March – the Bibby Stockholm barge, the former RAF bases and ex-student accommodation in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

But the NAO found that only two of the sites have opened so far – the Bibby Stockholm and the Wethersfield site – and they were only housing around 900 people by the end of January.

Both have suffered a number of setbacks, including an outbreak of Legionella on the barge in the days after it took its first asylum seekers, while, according to the NAO, the set-up costs for Wethersfield have risen from £5m to £49m.

Next week, MPs are expected to vote on amendments to the Safety Of Rwanda Bill, which aims to declare Rwanda a safe country to deport asylum seekers to. It effectively aims to circumvent the Supreme Court’s ruling last year that the policy of sending people who had arrived in the UK illegally to the African country is unlawful.

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Nov 29 2023

Spain ‘very close’ to post-Brexit Gibraltar deal after Cameron meeting | World News

Spain says it’s “very close” to agreeing a deal on the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar.

The country’s foreign minister made the statement after meeting Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron in Brussels at a NATO meeting.

“Today we have made progress, because David Cameron has shown a willingness to reach an agreement,” Jose Manuel Albares told reporters.

“We are very, very close,” he added, in comments broadcast by Spain’s TVE.

Mr Albares said the pair were discussing details such as how both sides would use the island’s airport.

In a call with Mr Albares on Monday, Lord Cameron reiterated Britain’s commitment to conclude a deal on Gibraltar “as soon as possible”, said a Foreign Office spokesperson.

The question of how to police Gibraltar’s border with Spain long term has been undecided since Brexit.

A last-minute deal on 31 December 2020 meant Gibraltar stayed part of EU agreements, such as the Schengen Area, and left Spain to police the port and airport until another solution could be worked out.

Read more from Sky News:
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Spain’s foreign minister said he hoped an agreement could be signed as early as Wednesday after his country recently tabled “a balanced and generous agreement”.

In late 2022, the European Commission and Spain proposed keeping Gibraltar’s land border to Spain open and ensuring the free flow of people.

The narrow peninsula – known colloquially as ‘The Rock’ – has been a British territory since 1713, but Spain has long called for it to be handed back.

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Oct 27 2023

‘Number of serious failings’ in decision to close Nigel Farage’s Coutts account, review finds | Business News

The independent review into the closure of Nigel Farage’s Coutts account and the discussion of his banking with a journalist by the head of the bank has found “a number of shortcomings” in the closure process.

But law firm Travers Smith, who were commissioned by the board of NatWest to conduct the review, said the closure of Mr Farage‘s account, “was predominantly a commercial decision”.

“Coutts considered its relationship with Mr Farage to be commercially unviable because it was significantly loss-making.”

In response to the key findings of the report, NatWest chairman, Sir Howard Davies, said “a number of serious failings” were set out in the treatment of Mr Farage.

Shortcomings were also identified in how NatWest, which owns Coutts, communicated with the former UKIP and Brexit Party leader and how it treated his confidential information, according to the review.

The finance watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said potential “regulatory breaches and a number of areas for improvement” were identified.

These include NatWest’s processes on how it considers potential accounts closures and customers complaints as well as the effectiveness of governance mechanisms.

Former chief executive, Dame Alison Rose, exited the state-backed lender after she admitted making a “serious error of judgment” by speaking to a journalist about Farage’s banking at Coutts.

After the news piece was published Mr Farage released the content of a subject access request, which suggested the move was taken partly because his views did not align with the firm’s “values”.

Key findings by Travers Smith are:
• The decision to close the account was lawful and was made in accordance with bank policies and processes.
• Dame Alison Rose played no part in the decision to close the account.
• Other factors were considered in the decision-making process: Coutts thought there could be reputational harm from Mr Farage holding an account these factors did not drive the decision.
• Mr Farage’s stated beliefs were not a determining factor in closing the account but they did support the decision.
• The way the closure was communicated to Mr Farage was broke the bank’s policies and processes, especially by giving reasons to customers when non-financial crime was committed. No adequate reasons were given.

In response, Mr Farage has said:
• “The report’s authors claim it was “predominantly a commercial decision” to close my accounts but, crucially, they also noted that evidence given to them by witnesses in relation to this episode was not entirely consistent.”
• “Travers Smith has taken a very mealy-mouthed approach to this complex issue. The law firm argues that my political views “not aligning with those of the bank” was not in itself a political decision. This is laughable.”
• “Travers Smith did not find “any evidence” that my “pro-Brexit stance were factors in the exit decision”. The word Brexit appeared no less than 86 times in my subject access request”.
• “The letters that were sent to me confirming the closures of my accounts without explanation were sent on a paper headed template usually reserved for those suspected of fraud”.

Earlier this week the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said there were two privacy breaches involved in Dame Alison’s disclosure to BBC News business editor Simon Jack.

A broader FCA review of banks closing accounts on the basis of customers’ political opinion found no evidence of the practice.

However only closures between July 2022 and June 2023 were considered and more work to verify the data supplied by banks was needed as was examination as to why and when they close accounts due to reputational risk.

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Sep 9 2023

Daniel Khalife: Escaped terror suspect urged to hand himself in by close relative | UK News

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been urged to hand himself in by a close relative.

Speaking to The Times, the unnamed family member described the 21-year-old as a “very, very intelligent, easygoing and kind boy” who had changed in the past year.

As a nationwide manhunt enters its fourth day, the relative told the newspaper: “If I could talk to him, I would tell him to end this and give himself up, even though I understand he is afraid.”

Prisoner manhunt – latest updates

The former soldier escaped from Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday morning in a chef’s uniform – holding on to straps underneath a food lorry to make his getaway.

Yesterday, Scotland Yard revealed there was a confirmed sighting of Khalife about a mile away – shortly after the breakout.

Detectives have been scouring Richmond Park for signs of the fugitive, not far from the Category B prison.

The relative told The Times that Khalife is unlikely to seek help from his family while on the run, adding: “He would never want to cause us any problems. He loves us very much.”

It is assumed that Khalife knows the Richmond area well because he grew up nearby, while his mother and sister are believed to have lived in the vicinity until a few years ago.

£20,000 reward offered

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, has said the confirmed sighting on Wednesday “could be very significant”.

A member of the public had seen Khalife climb out from under the lorry, and walk towards Wandsworth town centre.

Mr Murphy said the force is currently working on “lots of leads” after receiving over 100 calls from the public – and a reward of £20,000 is now being offered for information that leads to his arrest.

While the Met does not believe Khalife poses a threat to the wider public, anyone who sees him is being urged to stay away and call 999 immediately.

The former soldier was awaiting trial after allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK.

He was discharged from the army in May.

Rishi Sunak, who is currently at the G20 summit in India, was asked by reporters about potential “state involvement” in Khalife’s escape – perhaps from Iran.

The prime minister said it would not be appropriate to comment on an “ongoing police investigation”.

Read more:
How Khalife is likely surviving on the run
Was incompetence or collusion to blame?
What life is like at Wandsworth Prison

A ‘clearly pre-planned’ escape

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told LBC that Khalife’s escape “was clearly pre-planned – and it “seems odd” that the terror suspect wasn’t being held in a high-security prison.

Detectives are now examining whether he was assisted by prison guards or other inmates in his bid to escape.

Police have not ruled out the possibility that he may have managed to flee the country.

Mr Murphy had previously described police as a “very resourceful individual”.

Earlier this week, he said: “We have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was a trained soldier.

“So ultimately he has skills perhaps some sections of the public don’t have.”

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Jul 21 2023

By-elections: Rishi Sunak faces triple blow as polls close in three seats – including Boris Johnson’s old constituency | Politics News

Polling stations have closed in by-elections that could deliver a triple blow to Rishi Sunak – with the Liberal Democrats already claiming victory in one seat.

The results from Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London, Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire, and Somerton and Frome in Somerset, are expected in the early hours of Friday morning.

The three seats were left empty by outgoing Conservative MPs – former prime minister Boris Johnson, Nigel Adams, and David Warburton, who has been an independent since last year.

Follow by-election coverage live: Tories expect to lose all three by-elections, Sky News told

According to political editor Beth Rigby, Mr Sunak‘s party are bracing to lose all three constituencies.

Mr Johnson had a majority of 7,210 when Uxbridge and South Ruislip was last contested at the general election in 2019, with Labour coming in second place.

Selby and Ainsty saw Mr Adams elected in the same year with a majority of over 20,000, again with Labour as the runner-up.

And Mr Warburton’s seat of Somerton and Frome saw him get a 19,213 majority in 2019, though it was the Liberal Democrats who came the closest to him.

A Conservative spokesperson said they knew the votes were always going to be “very challenging”, especially “given the circumstances in which they were brought about”.

It is common for sitting governments to perform poorly in by-elections, but it is also common for parties to talk down their chances, so they can frame a positive result as an unexpected success.

The Liberal Democrats claimed victory in Somerton and Frome before midnight – although of third of ballots were still waiting to be counted – overturning a majority of close to 20,000.

Christine Jardine, MP for Edinburgh West, told Sky News: “We’ve won this quite decisively, the Conservative vote is just collapsing, and I think that’s indicative of how people here feel about how the government has let them down over the past five years.”

She added that the Lib Dems are experiencing a “new period of growth” and they have “romped home”.

Did Labour fail to manage expectations in Selby and Ainsty?

Sam Coates

Deputy political editor

@SamCoatesSky

Of the three by-elections, the result in Selby and Ainsty – a Labour vs Conservative contest – is the most interesting.

I’m hearing both sides hope they’ve won it – it’s going to be close.

A Tory loss would mean Labour overturning the biggest ever Tory majority at a by-election – a record last set in 1990 in Mid Staffordshire.

I’m stunned Labour didn’t do better expectation management – they allowed the (Tory) idea to take hold that a win was priced in.

They didn’t push back at this very hard.

Now they’re having to admit they don’t know.

A Labour spokesman said they “don’t know if we’ve made it over the line” in the other two seats – but claimed that “Keir Starmer’s leadership of a changed Labour Party, back in the service of working people, has seen voters put their trust in us”.

While the cost of living was the main factor in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, local factors – specifically the ULEZ expansion – understood to have dampened Labour support in the seat, with party insiders believing the vote could still go either way.

Labour MP Steve Reed told Sky News at the Uxbridge and South Ruislip count that he was “not going to predict” which was the vote would go – and claimed the election was “always going to be close”.

Former Conservative minister Sir Robert Buckland told Sky News he reckoned his party will lose all three votes.

He said: “Being realistic and frank, if, as I expect, we don’t do well tonight we need to reflect on that.

“I think it’s going to be a difficult night for us.”

Ballot boxes began to be opened and votes counted from 10pm.

Results are not expected until the small hours of the morning at the earliest – especially if the results are close.

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Did Labour fail to manage expectations in Selby and Ainsty?