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Concerns over children being smacked and hit triple in a year, says NSPCC as campaigners call for a total ban in England | UK News

Concerns about children being physically punished have more than tripled in a year, according to the NSPCC.

The charity said its helpline had heard about children being slapped, hit and shaken as punishment.

It’s urging the new government to close the legal defence of “reasonable chastisement” in England.

It said contacts where physical punishment was mentioned had increased from 447 in the 12 months to March 2023 to 1,451 in the year to March 2024.

Wales banned any kind of physical punishment, including smacking, in 2022 and Scotland introduced a similar law two years before.

A UK-wide ban on smacking should be brought in due to current “grey” areas in the law, according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

More than half of the NSPCC’s contacts about physical punishment were from members of the public concerned about a parent’s behaviour. Only one in 10 were from a child.

Some 45% of the 1,451 contacts were serious enough to refer to social services or the police, the charity added.

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In 2022, Sir Keir Starmer also called for other UK nations to follow Wales’s lead.

“What it (the ban) does is give children the protection that adults already have, and that is the right thing,” he said at the time.

Studies have linked physical punishment to depression and anxiety and it’s also been known to increase aggression and antisocial behaviour, said the NSPCC.

The charity cited several potential reasons for the increase in contacts.

These include renewed campaigning to ban smacking, more helpline capacity, and a lack of understanding from the public about what’s deemed acceptable when punishing a child.

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Sir Peter Wanless, the NSPCC’s chief executive, said the rise in people contacting them about the issue was “hugely concerning”.

“Mounting evidence shows that physically disciplining children can be damaging and counterproductive,” he said.

“A long overdue change in the law to prevent physical punishment of children must be delivered by our political leaders.

Sir Peter said the new government must act to “end the use of physical punishment across the UK once and for all”.

People opposed to a law change have said previously the status quo still prohibits violence against children while also protecting parents from prosecution for “innocent and harmless parenting decisions”.

Woman killed in Manchester triple stabbing named as Alberta Obinim | UK News

A woman who died following a stabbing in Manchester has been named as 43-year-old Alberta Obinim.

A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the incident, which happened at around 11.20pm on Sunday in Barnard Road, Gorton, Greater Manchester Police said.

Two other people, a 17-year-old girl and a 64-year-old man, also sustained life-threatening injuries after suffering “serious stab wounds” at a property on the road, according to the force.

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Early indications suggest Ms Obinim and the two other victims were known to the suspect, police have said

Police are speaking to witnesses to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

However, according to the force, early indications suggest the suspect was known to the victims, and it is being treated as an isolated incident.

A crime scene is still in place on Barnard Road while police continue to investigate.

Greater Manchester police officers near a property in Barnard Road in Gorton.
Pic: PA
Image:
Police officers near a property in Barnard Road in Gorton. Pic: PA

Greater Manchester police officers near a property in Barnard Road in Gorton.
Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Detective Superintendent Toby Facey said: “We understand that the local community and further afield across Greater Manchester will be rightly shocked and concerned after waking up and hearing this tragic news this morning.

“Our thoughts remain with those affected and their loved ones at this difficult time. We are doing all we can to support them.”

A map showing Barnard Road in the Gorton area - where the stabbing incident happened
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A map showing Barnard Road in the Gorton area – where the stabbing happened

DS Facey said within minutes of a call being made, officers were at the scene, and that an arrest had been made.

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“An investigation has been launched and we are in the very early stages of our enquiries. We have had detectives on the ground who have been working throughout the night trying to get to the bottom of what has happened and why,” he added.

“Local officers will remain in the area making inquiries, as well as an increased number of highly visible patrols.”

He encouraged the public to speak to officers in the area if they have any concerns.

What we know about Kyle Clifford – the suspect wanted by police over Bushey triple murder | UK News

A manhunt is under way after three women were found dead in a house in Hertfordshire.

Detectives are “actively seeking” 26-year-old Kyle Clifford, believed to be a former security guard, after the victims were discovered by police and paramedics in Bushey on Tuesday night.

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Here is everything we know about Clifford and the incident so far.

Women ‘believed to be related’

Police were called to a detached house in Ashlyn Close, in northern Bushey, near Watford, just before 7pm on Tuesday.

When they arrived alongside ambulance staff they found three women with “serious injuries”.

According to Hertfordshire Constabulary: “Sadly, despite their best efforts, the women, who are believed to be related, died a short time later at the scene.”

The victims were aged 25, 28, and 61, Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson said during a news conference at 12.30pm on Wednesday, but their exact relationship has still not been revealed.

Chief Supt Simpson said police believe it was a “targeted incident”.

Policing commentator Graham Wettone says this means it is very likely the victims and suspect were well known to each other.

Manhunt after three women killed in Bushey
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Aerial view of Ashyln Close, Bushey


Derek Turner, a resident of the same street, said the arrival of around 10 police cars and ambulance crews was “like an explosion in the street”.

He told Sky News officers were dressed in “black uniforms with sort of semi-automatic guns walking around”, causing him to mistake the callout for a terrorist incident.

The road is currently cordoned off, with a blue tent erected outside the front door of the property.

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Neighbours react to manhunt news

Suspect ‘may have crossbow’

Just after 8.30am on Wednesday, police published Kyle Clifford’s name, age, and photograph.

He is 26, from Enfield, north London. Detectives believe he could still be in either Hertfordshire or north London.

Sky News understands he used to work as a security guard.

Police have appealed for the public’s help to find him, warning: “Given the serious nature of the incident, I would ask anyone who knows where he is to contact police immediately.

“If you believe you see him, please do not approach him and dial 999 straight away. He may still be in possession of a weapon.”

Police at the scene in Ashlyn Close, Bushey.
Pic: PA
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Police at the scene in Ashlyn Close, Bushey. Pic: PA

At the news conference in Hatfield on Wednesday lunchtime, Chief Supt Simpson confirmed police believe a crossbow was used in the attack, but “other weapons may also have been used”.

The Crossbow Act 1987 allows anyone over the age of 18 to buy one – with the only major restriction being they cannot be used on animals.

Earlier this year, the Home Office launched a call for evidence to see if further legislation is needed after their use in several murders in the UK.

A woman who grew up with Clifford in Enfield said he “always seemed pretty normal” and a “nice guy”.

“We would always be at the same parties together and hanging around in Enfield. He never seemed odd or aggressive,” she said.

Residents of the area told Sky correspondent Ashna Hurynag that he is popular with local families and retirees.

Police at the scene in Ashlyn Close, Bushey.
Pic:PA
Image:
Pic: PA

School pupils kept inside

During the news conference in Hatfield, Chief Supt Simpson said “extensive police resources” have been deployed in both Hertfordshire and north London.

They include armed officers and specialist search teams, he added.

Pupils at St Michael’s Primary School in Enfield are also being kept inside as a precaution.

St Michael's Primary School in Enfield
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St Michael’s Primary School in Enfield

The school’s headteacher told Sky News the police have conducted a reassurance visit and told them to “continue as normal as possible”.

Detectives are appealing for anyone to come forward who was in or around Ashlyn Close between midday and 7pm on Tuesday.

Chief Supt Simpson acknowledged the public’s concern and said additional officers will be on patrol to answer any questions.

Conservatives promise tax cut for pensioners with ‘triple lock plus’ | Politics News

The Conservatives have promised to cut taxes for pensioners by creating a new “age-related” tax-free allowance – dubbed “triple lock plus”.

Currently, people can receive £12,570 a year of their pensions before they start paying income tax on them – the same figure as the personal allowance for those who work.

But if the party wins the next election, a pensioner’s allowance would rise in line with either average earnings, inflation or by 2.5% – whichever is higher – from next April, echoing the rules on annual state pension increases.

Rishi Sunak said the move “demonstrates we are on the side of pensioners”, and would bring people “peace of mind and security in retirement”.

But Labour’s shadow paymaster general, Jonathan Ashworth, called it “another desperate move from a chaotic Tory party torching any remaining facade of its claims to economic credibility”.

He added: “Why would anyone believe the Tories and Rishi Sunak on tax after they left the country with the highest tax burden in 70 years?”

The Liberal Democrats said the Conservatives had “hammered pensioners with years of unfair tax hikes”, adding: “People won’t be fooled by yet another empty promise from Rishi Sunak after this record of failure.”

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The Conservatives first brought in the triple lock when they were in a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats in 2010 to tackle pensioner poverty, saying the annual rise would protect retirees from hikes in living costs, and both Labour and the Lib Dems have promised to keep it in place.

However, while the state pension has continued to rise, the threshold for when both pensioners and those of working age pay income tax has remained frozen since April 2021 when Boris Johnson was in power, meaning some of those on lower incomes have been brought into paying tax.

This new measure would change that for pensioners, with a “guarantee in legislation that the pensioners’ personal allowance will always be higher than the level of the new state pension”.

The Tories said eight million people would save around £100 next year and gain further savings each year as the tax-free allowance grew, with the £2.4bn a year policy paid for through “clamping down” on tax avoidance and evasion.

Boris Johnson, left, and Rishi Sunak. Pic: AP
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Boris Johnson froze the thresholds for paying income tax in April 2021, but Rishi Sunak is planning to change that for pensioners. Pic: AP

Making the announcement, Mr Sunak said: “I passionately believe that those who have worked hard all their lives should have peace of mind and security in retirement.

“Thanks to the Conservatives’ triple lock, pensions have risen by £900 this year and now we will cut their taxes by around £100 next year.

“This bold action demonstrates we are on the side of pensioners. The alternative is Labour dragging everyone in receipt of the full state pension into income tax for the first time in history.”

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But Labour’s Mr Ashworth hit back, saying: “Not only have they promised to spend tens of billions of pounds since this campaign began, they also have a completely unfunded £46bn policy to scrap national insurance that threatens the very basis of the state pension.

“Labour will protect the triple lock. But Rishi Sunak is planning to reward Britain’s pensioners for their loyalty by stabbing them in the back, just like he did to Boris Johnson and just like he has done to his own MPs.”

Sunak turns gaze to older voters – and leaves questions for Labour

Rob Powell Political reporter

Rob Powell

Political correspondent

@robpowellnews

This is another bold and very political announcement by the Conservatives.

It was only months ago that there had been discussion in Whitehall of whether the triple lock had a future at all, given its extortionate cost.

Now the Tories have gone in the opposite direction, dressing up an income tax cut for pensioners as a beefing up of the expensive ratchet measure.

It will likely prompt questions of generational fairness, given that tax thresholds for those of working age are still due to stay frozen until 2028, while at the same time the triple lock has seen the state pension rise by 8.5% this year and 10.1% in 2023.

Tory sources pointed out that workers had already had a big national insurance cut. And while they said there were currently no plans to unfreeze allowances more broadly, they did re-emphasise an ambition to keep cutting taxes in other areas if feasible.

This move is political because it will inevitably lead to questions about whether Labour will follow suit and mirror this promise.

If they do not, expect accusations of a Labour tax rise for pensioners.

What’s more, with the state pension expected to rise above the current allowance level in a few years, the Tories are also suggesting that a Labour government would drag everyone who claims the state pension into paying income tax for the first time.

The hobbling irony there, of course, is the main reason that would happen is the tax allowance freezes that the Tories brought in.

Coming off the back of the national service policy blitz, this is clearly another attempt to reach out to the Tory base of older voters.

Combine that with Rishi Sunak’s recent visits to traditional Conservative heartland seats and it’s hard not to conclude that this is a campaign currently in a defensive mode.

What’s maybe more interesting though is that, as yet, neither Labour nor the Liberal Democrats have criticised the substance of the policy change directly, no doubt aware of the political risks of being seen to line up against tax cuts for pensioners.

While the Conservatives will focus on pensioners, Labour will use Tuesday to appeal to businesses as shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves makes her first major speech of the general election campaign.

She will promise to run “the most pro-growth Treasury in our country’s history” if her party takes power on 4 July, and promises to be both “pro-worker and pro-business, in the knowledge that each depends upon the success of the other”.

It comes after more than 120 business leaders, including chef Tom Kerridge and Wikileaks founder Jimmy Wales, signed an open letter giving their backing to Labour to “achieve the UK’s full economic potential”.

The Liberal Democrats will turn their attention to crime on the campaign trail, pledging to introduce “burglary response guarantee” so all domestic burglaries are “attended by the police and properly investigated”.

Rishi Sunak suggests more tax cuts are on the way – but refuses to commit to triple lock manifesto pledge | Politics News

Rishi Sunak has suggested more tax cuts are on the way because the economy has “turned a corner”.

The prime minister told reporters that while he would not comment on specifics, trimming taxes was “the direction of travel from this government”.

But it came as he refused to say if the pensions triple lock would be in the next Conservative Party manifesto – despite Downing Street insisting in September that it was “committed” to the policy.

Mr Sunak’s comments echo similar remarks by his ministers in recent weeks.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also said last month that the economy had “turned a corner” just before he unveiled a cut to National Insurance in the Autumn Statement.

However, four million people could also end up paying higher taxes if their wages rise after the government decided to continue the freeze on tax thresholds.

Reports suggest the Conservatives are considering additional cuts in 2024 as the party tries to woo voters and reduce Labour’s 20-point lead in opinion polls ahead of the next general election, which must take place by January 28 2025.

Cuts to stamp duty and inheritance tax are among the options reportedly being looked at by ministers.

When asked about the two policies, Mr Sunak said: “I would never comment on specific taxes. But what I will just say, though, is we have turned a corner.

“We have got inflation down, as I said we would, we have grown the economy and we are now focused on controlling spending and controlling welfare so we can cut taxes. So when we can do more, we will.”

He added: “We want to grow the economy, we want to reward people’s hard work and aspirations and cut their taxes responsibly. That is the direction of travel from this government.

“If you want controlled public spending, controlled welfare and your taxes cut, then vote Conservative.”

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Mr Sunak was unable to make similar promises about the triple lock, which ensures the state pension must rise every April by whichever is highest out of average earnings, inflation or 2.5%.

The policy has come under fire in recent months by critics who claim it has become too expensive and gives the government less financial “headroom” to deal with economic shocks.

Some senior Tories have called for it to be scrapped and Labour has refused to guarantee the triple lock will remain in place if it wins the next election.

While the government continued with the policy in its recent Autumn Statement, ensuring the state pension will rise by 8.5% in April 2024 to £221.20 a week, Mr Sunak refused to be drawn when asked directly if it would be in the next Tory manifesto.

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Analysis: Autumn Statement 2023

Speaking to journalists as he flew between the UK and Dubai for the COP28 summit, he replied: “[I’m] definitely not going to start writing the manifesto on the plane, as fun as that would be.”

Mr Sunak acknowledged there had been “some scepticism” about if policy was going to form part of the Autumn Statement, but said its inclusion had been “a signal of our commitment to look after our pensioners who have put a lot into our country”.

Pensions triple lock adds £11bn a year to public spending – report | Politics News

The triple lock for state pensions has led to an extra £11bn being spent on the benefit per year, new research has shown.

A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said state financial support to pensioners was greater as a result of the policy, and payments would be 11% lower if it had not been adhered to.

But it said the cost could reach anywhere between an additional £5bn and £45bn a year by 2050 due to the uncertainty created by the terms of the triple lock – making it difficult for the public or government to plan for the future.

The manifesto commitment by the Conservatives means the state pension must rise by either average earnings, inflation or 2.5% every April – with the policy committing to whichever figure is the highest.

It was introduced by the Coalition government in 2010 and was designed to ensure people’s pensions were not impacted by gradual rises in the cost of living over time.

Both the Tories and Labour have said they are committed to keeping the pledge after the next general election.

But critics of the policy say it costs the Treasury a fortune and it is unfair on people of working age who are facing rising prices amid the cost of living crisis.

If the triple lock is kept in place indefinitely, the state pension could potentially be worth between £10,900 to £13,400 per year in today’s terms by 2050, the IFS estimated.

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Tory governments have stood by the triple lock

The triple lock has only been frozen once due to the impact of COVID on wages, which would have led to an 8% hike in state pension payments in April 2022.

However, last April, payments rose by over 10% due to record levels of inflation when the decision was taken the previous autumn.

The IFS said it expected next week’s earnings growth figures to be the metric for the next triple lock pledge, as the most recent figure was 8.2% – higher than both inflation and the 2.5% minimum set by the government.

‘Real risks’ for future if triple lock continues

IFS research economist and one of the authors of the report, Heidi Karjalainen, issued a warning alongside the findings, saying: “The triple lock makes it especially hard to know how much you might receive from a state pension and how much the state pension will cost the state in the future.

“An additional real risk is that retaining the triple lock for too long increases state pension spending so significantly that it leads to insurmountable pressure for a much higher state pension age.

“This would particularly affect people with poorer health who struggle to remain in employment until they reach state pension age.”

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A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said the government remained committed to the triple lock policy.

They added: “As is the usual process, the secretary of state will conduct his statutory annual review of benefits and state pensions in the autumn, using the most recent prices and earnings indices available.”

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

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Lib Dems declare victory

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

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.”

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‘Likely’ all three seats lost

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.