LIVE Starmer urges voters to reject ‘snake oil charm of populism’ after King’s Speech – live updates
Sir Keir Starmer warned against the “snake oil charm of populism” as he declared the “era of politics as performance” was over.
The Prime Minister said that “rebuilding” the UK “will not happen overnight” as he urged voters to be patient with the new Labour Government.
Writing in his introduction to the King’s Speech, the Prime Minister said: “The challenges we face require determined, patient work and serious solutions, rather than the temptation of the easy answer.
“The snake oil charm of populism may sound seductive, but it drives us into the dead end of further division and greater disappointment. This King’s Speech sets out a clear destination for our country.”
Labour’s legislative plans, set out by King Charles in his address to both Houses of Parliament this morning, include a radical overhaul of planning rules, resurrecting Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban for young people and a tax raid on private schools.
You can follow the latest updates below and join the conversation in the comments section.
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Protester carried away by police as 10 activists arrested ahead of King’s Speech
A protester was carried away by police as at least 10 activists were arrested in central London ahead of the King’s Speech.
The Metropolitan Police said a number of people had been detained in Westminster on Wednesday on suspicion of causing a nuisance.
The force said another group of about 25 demonstrators had gathered at Victoria Embankment Garden with further arrests being made.
Footage posted on social media shows uniformed police officers carrying an activist away from a large group of pro-Palestine demonstrators. It is not clear if the man was later arrested.
In the clip, the group of protesters are seen carrying flags and heard chanting “free, free, Palestine”.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, a spokesman for the force said: “There’s a significant policing presence in central London ahead of the State Opening of Parliament.
“Last week, Youth Demand said they planned to disrupt the event.
“An hour ago, officers arrested 10 of them in Westminster on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance.
“A further 20 to 25 have now gathered in Victoria Embankment Gardens and further arrests are being made.”
Dozens of police officers are stationed at the scene.
Starmer’s home targeted
Youth Demand, an organisation formed of different pro-Palestinian and environmentalist groups, drew heavy criticism earlier this year after targeting Sir Keir Starmer’s home.
Sir Keir’s wife said she was “effectively forced out of her own home” when pro-Palestine activists launched the protest on April 9, a court heard.
Lady Starmer said she felt “a bit sick” when the three activists – Leonorah Ward, 21, of Leeds, Zosia Lewis, 23, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Daniel Formentin, 24, of Leeds – staged the demonstration.
They were found guilty of public order offences after placing children’s shoes in Sir Keir’s front garden in north London and hung a banner on the hedge. The banner unfurled outside his house that read “Starmer stop the killing”, surrounded by red hand prints.
It had called for members to disrupt the King’s Speech where the monarch will set out the new government’s legislative agenda.
In an email sent earlier this month, Youth Demand, which does not believe the Prime Minister has been strong enough in its criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, boasted that it plans to cause chaos.
It said: “Youth Demand will be disrupting the State Opening of Parliament.
“We disrupt because it is our duty to fight back in every way we non-violently can and because we refuse to despair, but instead are full of hope that another way is possible.”
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Trump shooting: The footage you didn’t see
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Penis filler surgery broke lockdown rules
A Harley Street doctor has been suspended from treating patients for five months after he carried out a £3,500 non-essential penis filler procedure during lockdown.
Dr Mohammed Sefahn Chaudhry, 35, kept his private clinic open using his website and put up £1,000 worth of “Barbie tip rhinoplasty” and “lip filler” treatments as giveaways in a prize draw on social media in 2020.
Dr Chaudhry was reported to the General Medical Council after the patient who underwent the penis filler procedure claimed his genitalia had been left “misshapen” and had developed a “lump”.
The unnamed man, known as Patient A, also alleged Dr Chaudhry had posted “before and after” pictures of his penis on his website without his permission, forged paperwork and raised his voice at him when he complained about the results of the procedure.
At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), Dr Chaudhry, from Coulsdon, south London was found guilty of serious professional misconduct relating to non-essential work during the pandemic and was suspended from medical practice for five months.
But a disciplinary panel cleared him over allegations he failed to give proper treatment to Patient A and also rejected claims Dr Chaudhry posted the “before and after pictures” online after comparing the images in question to another picture of the man’s penis which he sent to an expert witness in the case as evidence.
The panel also ruled “the clinical notes and consent form completed on 4 May 2020 were more likely than not to have been signed by Patient A”.
The doctor ran two cosmetic clinics, Dermis Clinic Ltd and MC Medical Aesthetics Limited.
The investigation began in October 2020 after Patient A complained about his penis filler procedure which was carried out after he was contacted over WhatsApp the previous April in a “marketing call” by one of Dr Chaudhry’s work colleagues.
The Manchester hearing was told Patient A had wanted “increased penis girth’’ as his partner was “not satisfied’’.
He said in a statement: “The call was purely logistical e.g., when they could see me, how I could get there (given this was during the Covid pandemic), whether Dr Chaudhry had a London clinic etc.
“I confirmed that I was circumcised and asked whether my skin would adapt to the filler, and I was advised that it would.’’
Patient A underwent the procedure on May 4 with Dr Chaudhry and in June attended a second consultation in which he said the filler had not hardened and his penis started to look “misshapen”.
He said there was a lump and the filler remained soft and claimed Dr Chaudhry suggested further filler should be injected for free.
On July 18, Patient A attended Dr Chaudhry’s clinic for a third consultation and procedure and it was agreed that the enzyme Hylase be injected into his penis to dissolve the lump.
But in his statement, Patient A alleged: “Dr Chaudhry raised his voice, implying that he was out of pocket as he had provided some of the filler for free and that it was my fault the filler hadn’t hardened. I didn’t think this was very called for.”
‘Before and after’ images
He subsequently claimed he saw “before and after” images of his penis on the PenisFill website insisting he recognised it in the “before” pictures due to the positioning of the lump and claimed the “after” picture was of his penis immediately after the initial procedure.
Dr Chaudhry denied wrongdoing, claiming the picture was of another patient’s penis, and insisted: “I deny raising my voice at any time during my appointment with Patient A. He seems to be seeking ways to get a refund.”
He added: “During the Covid pandemic my understanding and belief was that the treatments I offer are medical. Therefore I never viewed them as non-essential.
“Every client that came to us during the pandemic, who was seeking treatments for purely cosmetic reasons, were not seen and advised to come after restrictions had been lifted.
“Our clinic was not open as normal and has strict Covid policies and protocols. I would also like to state, that the area that I work in was an extremely grey area during the pandemic.
“My colleague doctors, working on the same street, were performing hundreds of cosmetic-only procedures. I was not intently or purposefully breaching Covid legislation.
“Again I am very sorry if this has put the public confidence in doctors at risk and jeopardising the profession’s reputation. I have learnt many valuable lessons from this process.’’
He also said the clinics no longer offered treatments as prize giveaways.
In suspending Dr Chaudhry, Ms Amarjit Sagar, the MPTS chairman, said: “The tribunal did not accept that Dr Chaudhry could have possibly thought that he was permitted to remain open during the period of the pandemic.
“There was wide press coverage and daily broadcast updates about the risks of the spread of Covid-19 yet despite this, Dr Chaudhry chose to continue to work and remain open.
“Patient A had not been in pain with his penis and there was nothing to suggest he required urgent medical attention. The tribunal was therefore satisfied that treating Patient A by injecting him with penis filler was non-essential treatment.
“It determined that in continuing to work, Dr Chaudhry ignored the constraints imposed on the general public and acted as if these did not apply to him.
“During this period, family members could not attend the funerals of their loved ones and major surgeries needed to be postponed. Dr Chaudhry would have been aware of the seriousness of the situation.
‘Obliged to keep patients safe’
“Fellow practitioners were under pressure working during Covid-19 conditions to keep the public safe, and Dr Chaudhry was also obliged to keep patients safe, in this case by closing his clinic.
“The tribunal considered this behaviour to be deplorable and as the public endured the restrictions imposed by Government guidance he continued providing non-essential treatment for financial gain.
“The tribunal considered that Dr Chaudhry was prompting customers to break Covid-19 guidelines by incentivising them with aesthetic procedures worth £1000.
Ms Sagar added: “Dr Chaudhry should have acted promptly to ensure patient safety and as director should have closed the clinics and cancelled any patients that were booked in.
“Failing to do so posed a risk to patients who were travelling, possibly on public transport, to see him, as well as mixing with any staff members at the clinic. He has shown no remorse.”
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Former SNP equalities officer who wanted ‘to beat up terfs’ jailed for sexual assaults
A former SNP equalities officer who told how he wanted to “beat the f—” out of gender critical feminists is a “dangerous” predator, prosecutors have said after he was jailed for a series of sexual assaults.
Cameron Downing, who was an official in the SNP’s London branch, was sentenced to six years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting six young adults and physically assaulting two women.
The 24-year-old targeted his victims at addresses in the Edinburgh, Glasgow and Falkirk areas between Hogmanay in 2016 and April 2021.
Downing was also found guilty of domestic abuse, which involved conduct spanning several months, where he threatened to falsely accuse a former partner of raping him.
He said he would tell the man’s friends, family and employers before blackmailing the victim to be in a sexual relationship with him.
Online conduct criticised by JK Rowling
Downing, who identifies as non-binary, has been pictured at an SNP conference with Nicola Sturgeon, the former Scottish first minister, and took part in a Pride march alongside Karen Adam, the SNP MSP and convenor of Holyrood’s equalities committee. There is no suggestion they were aware of his wrongdoing.
His conduct online has been criticised by JK Rowling, after he wrote on Twitter that he wanted to “beat the f— out of some terfs and transphobes”. He also tweeted “I f—— hate terfs and transphobes with such a passion.”
“Terf” is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist, a slur for women such as Rowling who do not believe that men who claim to identify as women are literally female, and who want to protect single-sex spaces.
Police Scotland launched an investigation into his conduct, which started when he was 16. He denied any wrongdoing during his trial, saying he had been battling “complex” health problems at the time of the abuse.
However, Downing, of Willowbrae, Edinburgh, was convicted last month and returned to the dock on Tuesday for sentencing.
‘No compassion’
Judge Alison Stirling referred to an interview he gave to a court-appointed social worker in which he continued to protest his innocence.
She said: “You have shown no compassion or insight into how your behaviour has affected the wellbeing of your victims.
“Your risk cannot be managed in the community and custody is the only appropriate disposal with regard to the seriousness of your offending in this case.
“I am going to impose a sentence in two parts. The first part will be a custodial term of six years and the second part will be supervision.”
She also ordered Downing to be supervised by the authorities for three years following his release from custody.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and was made the subject of an indefinite non-harassment order in respect of one of the complainers.
Downing blew kisses to family members sitting in the public benches as security guards took him away from the court.
Speaking after his appearance, Katrina Parkes, Scotland’s procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offending, said: “Cameron Downing is a dangerous individual whose predatory and manipulative behaviour has inflicted unimaginable trauma.
“It is thanks to the bravery and courage of his victims that this prosecution has been possible.”
‘Downing victim of homophobia’
Michael Meehan KC, defending, told the court that sentencing guidelines for young people applied to Downing’s case.
Judges have to take into account research that people aged under 24 do not have fully formed brains and have a greater chance of rehabilitation than older people.
Mr Meehan also told the court of how his client had suffered adverse childhood experiences, adding: “He was the victim of homophobic and derogatory remarks whilst at school.”
Downing is a former drama student who has acted in Edinburgh Fringe productions. He also worked as an NHS contact tracer during the pandemic.
In response to his tweets about “terfs”, Harry Potter author Rowling tweeted in October 2022: “Nicola Sturgeon’s Scotland: A place where an equalities officer feels free to declare in public how much he wants to beat up non-compliant women.”
His trial heard how Downing threatened his former partner that he would tell his friends, family and employer that he was a rapist.
A message shown to the jury said Downing wanted his victim to continue having sex with him. It read: “You should want that with all of your f—— being because the alternative is losing me from your life and most likely facing a court case for raping me.”
He also repeatedly sent the victim threatening messages, demanded he provide his social media passwords and made threats to kill himself.
Downing subjected the man to repeated sexual activity without his consent over the course of several months.
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Teenage girl dies of suspected drugs overdose at music festival
A 17-year-old girl who died after attending a music festival in Kent was among 22 people taken to hospital suffering from suspected drug overdoses at the event.
Police declared a major incident over the Worried About Henry drum and bass gig at the Dreamland amusement park on June 29 after at least a dozen people under 18 were taken to hospital, with the youngest being aged 15.
The details of what happened have been revealed after the park, in the seaside town of Margate, was subjected to a review of its licence by Thanet District Council.
One person remains in hospital in a medically-induced coma, Kent Police said.
Emily Stokes has been named in media reports as the teenager who died.
In an online crowdfunding appeal, her sister Megan Stokes said: “To have her taken away so suddenly at just only 17 years old, it has completely broke me.”
She added: “The events on June 29 2024 are tragic and I wish for them never to be repeated. The venue and strategic partners are all really well engaged in ensuring that all efforts are made to minimise this risk in the future.
“I am of the opinion that this and other events have breached the licensing objectives in a number of forms and therefore it is right and proper that a review is completed of the venue’s licence in order to achieve the above and ensure public confidence in all agencies moving forward.
“At this stage, we are not seeking a full revocation of the licence as Kent Police are confident in working with Dreamland prior to any review hearing.”
Suspected dealer arrested
An application by Kent Police for a review of Dreamland’s licence said the over-16s all-day festival began at 1pm and 6,300 tickets were sold in advance, with a further 700 available on the door.
In the early afternoon officers became aware of three people being taken to hospital from the venue believed to be suffering from possible drug overdoses.
At 5pm a man was found with suspected illegal drugs and arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply, and then at 6pm an ambulance was called for a 17-year-old boy who was suffering from the side effects of drugs.
A call shortly after confirmed one of the casualties taken to hospital earlier in the day had been declared dead following a suspected MDMA overdose, according to Kent Police’s application.
The force said it declared a major incident at 7pm, adding: “At this time Kent Police were aware of 11 persons hospitalised due to drug use and potential overdoses”.
Venue ‘well run’
Officers decided not to shut down the festival as this “would likely have caused a large-scale public order incident and … allowing the event to continue would assist in the identification/support of any further casualties who could be treated accordingly.”
The force added: “This was a challenging decision but allowed mitigating factors to be implemented to minimise the risk towards already vulnerable children at the event.”
Dreamland has since cancelled a similar event scheduled for July 27.
Kent Police said in its application that the park “has been well run” and was “well suited to what we would deem to be lower-risk events”.
‘Deeply saddened’
The force listed several interim measures it said should be put in place, which the council’s licensing sub-committee agreed to at a meeting on July 9.
The recommended steps included the formal cancellation of all similar events and those deemed to be of a “higher risk association with class A and B drug use by those under 18”.
Police also requested more security staff at the venue, zero-tolerance signage and for under-18s to be accompanied by someone aged over 25.
Following the teenager’s death, a Dreamland spokesman said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of a 17-year-old woman in hospital on Saturday June 29.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the young woman’s family and friends and we will continue to work closely with Kent Police where relevant as they investigate this tragedy further.
“The police investigation is still ongoing, and we will therefore not be making any further comment.”
The amusement park has been contacted for further comment following the licensing meeting.
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Jay Slater died after falling onto rocks
Jay Slater’s death was caused by trauma injuries consistent with falling in a rocky area, officials said as they formally identified his remains.
On Tuesday, teams were seen still searching the area where the 19-year-old was found as locals claimed it was “hard to understand how he got there”.
The Canary Islands High Court of Justice said it had identified the teenager’s body with the use of fingerprint technology after the remains were discovered near the village of Masca in Tenerife on Monday.
Debbie Duncan, Mr Slater’s mother, said in a statement: “I just can’t believe it – we’re here with the embassy staff waiting for an update and now it’s come – the worst news.”
The 55-year-old added: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.”
LBT Global, a charity which provides crisis support for British families overseas, previously said the remains were found with the young man’s clothes and possessions near his last known location.
The Spanish Civil Guard said Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where his body was discovered.
Following a preliminary post-mortem examination, a Canary Islands High Court of Justice spokesman said: “We have positively identified [Jay Slater].
“We can confirm from fingerprints that the body is that of Jay Slater and the death was due to polytrauma compatible with a fall in a rocky zone.”
Polytrauma is a medical term which describes multiple fractures and injuries to body organs.
Mountain rescue workers, volunteers, drones, dogs and helicopters spent weeks hunting for the teenager, who had been visiting Tenerife with friends to attend the NRG music festival.
Video footage released by Spanish police showed people clambering across near-vertical rocky mountainsides covered in thick vegetation while looking for Mr Slater.
He left the festival sometime between 3am and 6am on Sunday June 16 in the car of two other British men he had met earlier that evening, and stayed at an Airbnb property they had rented on the island’s west side near Masca.
Ofelia Medina Hernandez, the owner of the cottage, saw him outside just before 8am the following morning.
After she told him the next bus to his resort in Los Cristianos, in the south of the island, would not come for two hours, Mr Slater decided to start walking. She drove past the teenager around 10 minutes later, and said he was walking “quite fast”.
Twenty minutes later, Mr Slater phoned his friend Lucy Mae Law, who had been with him at the music festival, saying he was lost, thirsty, had one per cent charge left on his phone’s battery and had cut his leg on a cactus.
She called the police, and the apprentice bricklayer’s phone was last recorded at a point north of the cottage he had stayed at.
Search efforts continued
After 12 days of searching, the Guardia Civil said its hunt for the teenager had “ended” but the case remained open, promising that “any new clues will be investigated”.
Mr Slater’s family, who flew to Tenerife, continued their search for him after police said official efforts were ceasing
Yet the Guardia Civil later said it had continued efforts to locate him.
A family source told The Sun that Mr Slater’s mother was “completely devastated”.
They added: “It’s the news they’ve all been dreading. She has a lot of questions which she hopes will be answered in the coming days.
“It hasn’t completely sunk in yet. The hardest thing for her is to hear he was found so close to the original search site. It’s hard to take.
“It means it’s entirely possible they have walked past his body whilst searching for him.
“It seems incredible so many people walked that area and yet he was so close. As we have seen with mountainous terrain and ravines, it does happen no matter how hard that is to believe.”
Funeral arrangements
Matthew Searle, from LBT Global, said the charity was working with the family to organise the return of Mr Slater’s remains to the UK.
He said: “The announcement does seem to confirm that Jay died of injuries consistent with an accidental fall from a considerable height. There will of course be many more hurdles for the family to face in the coming days and we will work with them to make this horrific time as easy as possible.
“We are working with the family now to sort out the next steps of taking Jay home, recovery of his belongings and laying him to rest back. We will not be releasing details of travel timings or funeral arrangements at this time and ask again for privacy for the family.
“I ask now that this is the end of all the hurtful comments on social media and elsewhere.”
Meanwhile, the remote valley where Jay was found was searched again by rescue teams on Tuesday, Sky News reported.
One local told the broadcaster that it was “exceptionally difficult” to safely navigate down the valley on foot.
Another resident said: “It is sad – the spot where they found him shows he had gone a long way into the ravine.
“It is hard to understand how he got there.”
More than half a million people joined a Facebook group where bizarre theories about Mr Slater’s disappearance were posted. Ms Duncan described them as “awful comments” that were “very distressing” for the family to read.
Some media commentators suggested the police had pretended to shut down the initial search in the hope that amateur detectives would pack up and go home.
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