Rishi Sunak has been pictured on his summer holiday as his family enjoy a “really special” trip to California.
The prime minister, his wife Akshata Murty, and two young daughters Krishna and Anoushka beamed while on the busy Santa Monica Pier where they played funfair games.
The family will also head to Disneyland during their first “proper” family summer holiday in a few years, according to Mr Sunak.
Image: Pic: AP
He said his daughters were “very excited” about going to the theme park before joking they fear they will spend too much time at the Star Wars experience because he is a fan.
Image: Pic: AP
Wearing casual clothing, Mr Sunak said California is a meaningful place for the family as it is where he met his wife, and where he spent time whilst studying at Stanford University.
Image: Pic: AP
In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is taking over responsibilities, with Mr Sunak receiving daily updates from his private office.
Image: Pic: AP
Prime ministerial holiday photo shoots are a long tradition, with recent examples including David Cameron being pictured at a Portuguese fish market, and Theresa May hiking in Switzerland.
It comes after five Greenpeace activists were arrested after climbing onto the roof of the Sunak family manor house in North Yorkshire with a sign that read “no new oil”.
The climate activist group were protesting the prime minister’s “backing for a major expansion of North Sea oil and gas drilling” –where it will grant 100 new licences off the coast of Scotland.
The Metropolitan Police have agreed a settlement with the family of Daniel Morgan – the investigator killed with an axe in a pub car park in 1987 – and apologised over its botched investigation.
The settlement includes an admission of liability over officers’ response to the murder.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised “unequivocally and unreservedly” for failing to bring the killers to justice and said the family had been “repeatedly and inexcusably let down”.
Mr Morgan was a partner in Southern Investigations and it was rumoured he was about to expose corruption at Scotland Yard when he was found with an axe in his head.
His family have endured four failed murder investigations, several smaller queries and two failed prosecutions.
Sir Mark said: “This case has been marred by a cycle of corruption, professional incompetence, and defensiveness that has repeated itself over and over again.
“Daniel Morgan’s family were given empty promises and false hope as successive investigations failed and the Metropolitan Police prioritised its reputation at the expense of transparency and effectiveness.”
His statement said “no words can do justice” to the family’s suffering and their campaigning had shown “multiple and systemic failings” in the Met.
Ambulance bosses have apologised after staff were accused of covering up errors when patients died – but grieving families say this is “too little, too late”.
A review into allegations of failures at North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) found problems with how the trust responded to incidents, and highlighted “significant culture and behavioural issues”.
One of the cases highlighted concerned Quinn Evie Milburn-Beadle, a 17-year-old who was found hanging not far from her home in County Durham in 2018.
Image: Quinn Evie Milburn-Beadle
A NEAS paramedic declared her dead rather than trying to perform CPR. They have since been struck off, and the review found they had ignored national and local guidelines by not attempting advanced life support techniques.
“However small the probability of recovery was, [she] deserved that chance and so did her family,” the review led by retired hospital boss Dame Marianne Griffiths said.
It also noted that the trusts “coronial processes were not followed” as vital evidence for the coroner was withheld by NEAS.
Speaking to Sky News, Quinn’s parents David and Tracey Beadle described the report as a “whitewash” and “disappointing” – and called for a public inquiry.
Ms Beadle said: “It’s too little, too late. They’ve never apologised face to face to us, if they had held their hands up and admitted their failure and lying sooner then maybe I could accept the apology, but it’s gone too far for us now.
“We know there was a very very small chance that Quinn could have been saved that night, but to know not everything was done to help her, it keeps you awake at night.
“If that paramedic had kept her alive long enough to get her to hospital we could have all held her hand and said goodbye.
“I had to tell my son his little sister died on the phone, it was horrific. All of that could have been changed if he’d just done what he should have done.”
Image: David and Tracey Beadle
Another case involved the death of a 62-year-old man who urgently needed oxygen, with one crew hampered by a power cut that locked the gates at the ambulance station, and another unable initially to find his key safe to get into his home.
The chief executive of North East Ambulance Service, Helen Ray, told Sky News: “As a service, we let those families down at a point in time that they needed us and I’m deeply sorry for the distress that has caused them.
“An apology isn’t enough but this is an organisation that accepts that they’ve done something wrong, they’ve learned from it and they’re doing their very best to make sure that cannot reoccur.”
When asked about rebuilding trust with the people of the North East, Ms Ray said she’s confident the service is moving in the right direction.
“I understand the public will have concerns when they read this report, but we have learned from these situations from the four families and we have taken action. There may have been issues where people did not follow our systems and processes, when those are brought to our attention we act on those appropriately.”
Image: Helen Ray
The review, which was commissioned by then health secretary Sajid Javid in 2022, also looked into how the ambulance service dealt with whistleblowing following staff members raising concerns about practice within the trust.
Paul Calvert, one of the NEAS whistleblowers, says this report isn’t the full truth – and he alleges there are “dozens and dozens” more cases that are being covered up.
He told Sky News: “It doesn’t explain why information was held from the coroner in these four cases, because fundamentally it’s about dishonesty and the families deserve the truth. That’s what a proper judicial led public inquiry will give and deliver. This report delivers nothing but regurgitation of the facts that were already known.”
He added: “The trust has been a huge failure. It was obvious it was a failure when I joined in 2018. It’s a dysfunctional entity with extremely poor governance with a toxic bullying culture that fosters cover ups.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
The long-awaited COVID inquiry will hold its first public hearings today with an opening statement from chair Baroness Hallett and a film of testimonies from bereaved families that’s been described as “difficult to watch”.
Baroness Hallett, a retired judge, has promised to put the 226,000 victims of the pandemic at the heart of the investigation into the government’s response.
However, she has been criticised by some families for not giving more time to hear their stories – with a demonstration planned outside the London hearing.
Only one bereaved family member is due to give evidence during the opening module examining the country’s resilience and preparedness.
Baroness Hallett has said that more bereaved families will be heard during later modules.
Leshie Chandrapala believes her father, Ranjith Chandrapala, would still be alive if he had been better protected as a key worker during the height of the pandemic.
Mr Chandrapala, a bus driver from northwest London, died in May 2020.
“It is a monumental day for us and we have been fighting for it ever since the pandemic started,” she said.
“We wanted to learn lessons very early on but the government were reluctant.
Image: Mr Chandrapala was one of 27 London bus drivers to die in the first three months of the pandemic
“We want to learn the lessons so that in future pandemics we’re not going to have a death toll near as much as a quarter of a million people.”
She added: “My dad was a key worker and I need to know what measures were in place and how the Department for Transport, TFL, the bus operators, were working together to keep those bus drivers safe.
“We know that bus driver deaths were very high, disproportionate numbers of transport workers died during the pandemic. And why is that? Was there a lack of preparedness?”
Image: Leshie wants to know what thought went into protecting key workers like her dad
Read more: COVID inquiry: Everything you need to know Baroness Hallett: Who is the chair of the inquiry? Bereaved families call for greater transparency
The inquiry has published a list of witnesses who are due to give evidence this week.
It includes Sir Michael Marmot, the author of a report into key worker deaths that found London bus drivers aged 20 to 65 were 3.5 times more likely to die from COVID between March and May 2020 than men in other occupations across England and Wales.
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COVID inquiry: Everything you need to know
Tuesday’s session will hear from Professor Jimmy Whitworth, an infectious diseases expert from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Dr Charlotte Hammer, an epidemiologist from Cambridge University.
The first module will run for six weeks, until 20 July.
An interim report will be published shortly afterwards, ending fears of a lengthy delay in publishing evidence gathered by the inquiry.
British men being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been in contact with their relatives, a family spokesman has said.
Charity medic Kevin Cornwell, 53, and an unnamed UK national who manages a hotel in Kabul are believed to have been detained by secret police since January.
A third Briton – so-called “danger tourist” Miles Routledge, 23 – is also being held in Taliban custody after he returned to the country this year.
Scott Richards from the Presidium Network non-profit organisation, which is assisting Mr Cornwell and the unnamed Briton, told Sky News: “We’re very pleased to announce that there has been contact between families and the detainees.
“They were able to spend about 10 minutes this morning in an unscripted conversation, which is very important. This is a landmark move and for any negotiation with the Taliban, because we haven’t seen any of this privilege before.
“They’ve certainly taking this as a goodwill gesture and an incredibly important step.”
Mr Cornwell was arrested at his hotel by officers from the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence on 11 January.
He is accused of having an illegal firearm in the safe in his room, but his family say he had been granted a licence for the firearm.
Mr Richards said this was down to a “misunderstanding” and the licence may have become separated from the firearm during the search.
Mr Routledge, 23, has gained fame – and attracted controversy – by travelling to dangerous countries and posting about it online.
In August 2021, he was on a “holiday” in Afghanistan when he was caught up in the chaos in the capital as the Taliban took control of the country.
He chose the war-torn country having looked up a list of the most dangerous places to visit in the world, despite the Taliban taking control of more and more of the country at the time.
Mr Routledge thanked the British Army after he was among those to leave during the Kabul airlift.
He appears to have returned to the country since then.
Rishi Sunak’s family have been “reminded of the rules” by police after their dog was filmed without a lead on in London’s Hyde Park.
A video shared on social media appeared to show the prime minister’s labrador retriever roaming freely near a lake in the park.
The clip showed a notice board which said: “Dogs must be kept on leads”, before showing Mr Sunak and what appeared to be his wife putting the pet, named Nova, on a leash.
It was shared by a TikTok user who wrote: “Lol, as if Rishi Sunak put his dog on the lead when he saw me filming the sign saying dogs must be on a lead.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We are aware of a video showing a dog being walked off the lead in Hyde Park.
“An officer, who was present at the time, spoke to a woman and reminded her of the rules. The dog was put back on the lead.”
Image: Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata pictured with their dog in Downing Street. File pic
The Royal Parks website says dogs are welcome in all its parks “although there are some places where they are not allowed or must be kept on a lead”.
It says: “These are clearly indicated within each park and are usually ecologically sensitive sites, deer parks, children’s play areas, restaurants, cafes and some sports areas.”
Downing Street said it would not be commenting on the footage.
A spokesman for the prime minister told reporters: “I’m not going to be commenting on the filming of the prime minister’s family and private individuals.
“You can see the video, it speaks for itself.”
Pressed on whether Mr Sunak would be apologising for breaching the park’s rules, the spokesman replied: “As I say, I’m not going to comment on the video which you’ve seen.”
Image: Pic: HM Treasury/Flickr
The Met said it would have no further involvement in the matter.
It is not the first time Mr Sunak has been contacted by police.
Earlier this year, the prime minister was fined for not wearing a seatbelt while filming a clip on Instagram to promote his levelling-up funding.
Downing Street apologised at the time, saying he “fully accepts this was a mistake”.
Mr Sunak has also been fined by the Met Police for breaking lockdown rules.
He and Mr Johnson were handed fixed penalty notices over a birthday held in Downing Street for the former prime minister when curbs were in place in June 2020.
Six months since Chris Kaba’s death, his parents Prosper and Helen are still not able to mourn their loss.
They sat down with me ahead of a community event commemorating their son’s death in Streatham Hill, south London.
We’re sitting on white chairs in front of a blue balloon arch that frames a mounted picture of their son with the words “Justice for Chris Kaba” printed on it.
There’s a table underneath which also has three photographs of the 24-year-old, including one of him as a baby.
Chris was a dad-to-be but he never got to meet his baby daughter, who was born after his death, just days before his funeral.
Raising their granddaughter while mourning their son has been heartbreaking, his parents tell me.
“It’s really difficult,” Helen says.
Prosper, who has just returned from Congo, where extended family are also mourning Chris’s passing, adds: “What will I tell my granddaughter one day when she asks me: ‘Where’s my dad? What happened to my dad?’
“What can I say?”
Read more: Stormzy joins protesters demanding justice for Chris Kaba No gun found on man shot dead by police in London – as family call for murder investigation Mourners gather for funeral of unarmed man shot by police
Questions plague the family’s minds.
Prosper and Helen are clutching each other’s hands tightly. They are united in grief that is palpable – they’ve been through an extraordinary amount together over the past six months.
They learned of their son’s death by phone call, watching bodycam footage of the incident, and have been told to wait for answers which may be delivered by the police watchdog.
‘We want the truth’
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been investigating Chris’s death and is expected to deliver its report within the next three months.
But the family’s patience is wearing thin.
Helen tells us: “We want the truth.
“We want to know what happened and why and how.
“I need the answer.
“I’ve been waiting for six months, I can’t wait for another six months.
“Enough is enough, I need an answer.
“I need to grieve for my son.
“Enough is enough, enough is enough.
“We can’t wait any longer, we need answers.
“We need a verdict, we need to grieve for Chris.”
Image: Chris Kaba pictured as a boy
‘All of it has been hurting hard’
When I ask them about not being able to mourn his loss yet, they both shake their heads vigorously.
Prosper explains: “How are we meant to grieve without any justice?
“We want answers for our questions: our boy was killed – why?
“It’s been hard, very hard.
“All of it has been hurting hard.
“My family is devastated, my life is devastated. There is no more life.”
They both emphasise their need for answers.
“Why should it take six months?” Prosper says.
Image: Chris Kaba’s funeral was in November
Some 60 people gathered at the New Park Road Baptist Church on Saturday night to show their solidarity with the family.
A video compilation of images and videos of Chris play on repeat via a projector as one by one, Chris’ cousin, Jefferson, and then his mother, and then father addressed the group.
The church is just a four-minute walk from where Chris was shot.
After sharing experiences, the group decide to retrace Chris’s route on the night of the 5 September 2022 to Kirkstall Gardens.
They sang, chanted and held a minute’s silence in his memory – all holding candles.
Some cried and others stood in silence on the quiet residential road just before 10pm, around the time of the shooting six months ago.
They may face a long legal road ahead but their yearning for answers deepens and their voices are loud.
IOPC ‘awaiting an external report’
On the anniversary of Chris’s death, many are on tenterhooks waiting for the IOPC’s findings.
An IOPC spokesperson told us: “We are confident that our investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba will conclude with the six-to-nine-month timeframe we specified at the outset.
“We are awaiting an external report which we require in order to conclude our investigation, finalise our report and then decide whether or not to refer a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision.
“We continue to provide regular updates to representatives for the Kaba family in line with the IOPC policy.”
Caroline Flack’s family members have received an apology from the Met Police over the force’s failure to keep a record about a decision to charge her with assault rather than giving her a caution.
The former Love Island presenter was facing prosecution for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend when she took her own life in February 2020.
Her mother, Christine Flack, has said she believes her daughter was treated differently by the police because she was famous.
Following the incident involving Flack and her boyfriend Lewis Burton in December 2019, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recommended that the star should receive a caution. However, the Met Police appealed this, and she was instead charged with assault by beating.
At the inquest into her death, a coroner ruled that the 40-year-old star took her own life after learning prosecutors were pressing ahead with the charge.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said the force was ordered to apologise to Flack’s family following a review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which found there was not a “record of rationale” to appeal against the CPS decision.
“We have done so and acknowledged the impact that this has had on them,” the Met spokesperson said. “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Ms Flack’s family for their loss.”
After an initial investigation by the force’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) found there was no misconduct, Flack’s family escalated their concerns to the IOPC – and the Met was ordered to reinvestigate complaints relating to the process involved in appealing against the CPS decision.
This investigation concluded in May 2022, with the DPS finding again that the service provided was acceptable – although the force did identify “some learning around using IT systems to record appeal decisions and the use of decision models for cautions, which are being implemented”.
In June 2022, the IOPC received another application to review the force’s reinvestigation.
Image: Flack presented Love Island but stood down from the role after being charged
An IOPC spokesperson said that following “a thorough assessment of this case” the review had been partially upheld. While it did not identify any misconduct, it concluded that one officer should receive “reflective practice”.
“We determined there were individual and organisational failings by the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service), therefore the service provided did not reach the standard a reasonable person could expect in relation to some aspects of the reinvestigation,” the spokesperson said.
“This is because the officer involved did not record their rationale for appealing the original CPS decision to take no further action and the force, at that time, had no system in place to record rationales in these circumstances.
“We have concluded the officer involved should be subject to the reflective practice review process. We have also asked the MPS to apologise to the complainant in relation to the rationale recording, and the absence of a system to record such rationales.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Family and friends of missing woman Nicola Bulley have claimed there is “no evidence whatsoever” behind a police update suggesting the mother-of-two fell into the river.
Officers believe the 45-year-old “sadly” fell into the River Wyre while she was walking her dog last Friday morning but are continuing the search.
It is understood Ms Bulley went missing in just “a 10-minute window” while she was walking her dog, Willow, close to the River Wyre, after dropping off her daughters – aged six and nine – at school.
Search teams from Lancashire Constabulary are continuing to trawl the waterway near St Michael’s.
Ms Bulley’s friend, Emma White, told Sky News that the “police hypothesis is on limited information”.
She said: “When we are talking about a life we can’t base it on a hypothesis – surely we need this factual evidence.
“That’s what the family and all of us are holding on to – that we are sadly no further on than last Friday.
“We still have no evidence, and that’s why we’re out together in force.
“You don’t base life on a hypothesis.”
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Retracing Nicola Bulley’s journey
Meanwhile, Ms Bulley’s sister Louise Cunningham shared a Facebook post urging people to carry on the search and to “keep an open mind”.
She said: “Off the back of the latest Police media update, please can I add there is no evidence whatsoever that she has gone into the river, it’s just a theory.
“Everyone needs to keep an open mind as not all cctv and leads have been investigated fully, the police confirmed the case is far from over.”
Ms Bulley’s friend Ms White also dismissed the theory that she may have tried to retrieve a tennis ball from the river while playing with her dog Willow.
“Willow loved using a tennis ball very much, but it used to disturb their walk so they haven’t had a tennis ball since last year”.
“There was definitely no ball,” she added.
Image: Police have speculated that Nicola Bulley had an issue with her dog, Willow.
Police have urged the public to look out along the river for the items of clothing that Ms Bulley was last seen wearing.
This includes an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket, a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, tight-fitting black jeans, long green walking socks, ankle-length green Next wellies, a necklace and a pale blue Fitbit.
Image: Specialist search teams from Lancashire Police, beside the bench (top left) where Nicola Bulley’s phone was found
Search teams are also being helped by specialists and divers from HM Coastguard, mountain rescue, and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service – with sniffer dogs, drones, and police helicopters also being used.
Read more: Police vow to bring missing mum home as they urge search teams to scour river bank for clothes Police believe missing dog walker fell into river as investigation focuses on 10-minute window Nicola Bulley’s friends given new hope after ‘influx of calls’ to police
Image: Police officers on the River Wyre, in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, as the search continues
Detectives are also analysing CCTV and dashcam videos, and members of the public with footage which could be useful have been urged to come forward.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Superintendent Sally Riley said there may have been an “issue with the dog that led her to the water’s edge, she puts her phone down to go and deal with the dog momentarily, and Nicola may have fallen in”.
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Supt Sally Riley said officers believe Nicola Bulley fell into the River Wyre
However, Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell, 44, said he would “never lose hope” of finding her.
“We’re never, ever going to lose hope, of course we’re not, but it is as though she has vanished into thin air. It’s just insane,” he said.
The 44-year-old said his “whole focus is my two girls” and that he was “hoping to goodness” that people would come forward with new information.
The family of a mother-of-three who disappeared 10 years ago are offering £10,000 for information regarding what happened to her.
Lisa Pour, who would now be 50, disappeared from the Willesden Green area of northwest London on the afternoon of 16 January 2013.
Last seen by her probation officer, she was said to have appeared well at the time and had never gone missing before.
On the 10th anniversary of her disappearance, Ms Pour’s family are offering the monetary reward for anyone who comes forward with significant information that helps police find out what happened to her.
Ms Pour’s children, Lauren-Holly, 25, and Jack Saffery, 23, said in a joint statement that it would mean the world for them to see their mother again.
“These past 10 years without our mother have really affected our family. She is a light that is missing in our lives and there’s not one day we don’t think about her,” they said.
Image: Lisa Pour’s family
Investigators with Metropolitan Police said that they “cannot rule out” that Ms Pour may have come to some harm, but continue to investigate a “number of possibilities”.
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Ms Pour was 5ft 2ins tall, of slim build with dark hair at the time of her disappearance. She was known to visit the London boroughs of Brent and Camden.
Her daughter described her as a “loving character” but “very quiet and shy”, adding that the family would like peace of mind over what happened to her mother.
Linda Pour, 76, Ms Pour’s mother, is hopeful she will see her daughter again. She said: “I always believe I’ll see her one day, and I’ll put my arms around her and give her a kiss.
“She was the most wonderful loving child.
“I miss her every day.”
Ms Pour was battling drug addiction at the time of her disappearance, according to Detective Chief Inspector Adam Rowland.
He urged anyone, including those who knew Ms Pour close to the time of her disappearance, to contact police if they have any information.
Speaking directly to Ms Pour, DCI Rowland added: “Lisa, if you see this, please get in touch with us or a partner agency so your loving family know you are okay.”
