Rachel Reeves has warned that failing to pay public sector workers highly enough will trigger more strikes, as she indicated a willingness to sign off above-inflation wage rises.

The Chancellor said there was a “cost” to not reaching pay agreements with nurses, doctors and teachers which included “further industrial action”.

Her comments increase the expectation that the new Labour government will go further than the Tories had planned to when it comes to pay for public sector workers.

The independent pay review bodies representing 514,000 teachers and 1.36 million NHS workers have both recommended pay rises of around 5.5 per cent.

Inflation is currently 2 per cent. Extra spending will have to be found if the recommendations are agreed, which could mean tax rises, spending savings elsewhere or more borrowing to cover the cost. 

Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative shadow chancellor, warned that Labour was exaggerating the state of economic difficulties left by the Tories to create political space for tax rises this autumn. 

Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Reeves said she would reveal her decisions on public sector pay recommendations later this month.

Ms Reeves added: “There is a cost to not settling, a cost of further industrial action, and a cost in terms of the challenge that we face in recruiting and retaining doctors and nurses and teachers as well. But we will do it in a proper way and make sure that the sums add up.”

By citing concerns about triggering more strikes or problems recruiting workers, Ms Reeves indicated she is open to signing off above-inflation pay rises.

Total cost £8bn?

The Sunday Times reported that Treasury modelling inherited by Labour suggested £8 billion would need to be found to cover the expected pay increases.

It creates additional spending demands on Labour’s first Budget this autumn. Compensation payments for the infected blood scandal and Horizon IT scandal have already added to the pressure.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, suggested the pay rises could cost an extra £3 billion for schools and the NHS alone.

He told the BBC: “In terms of the cost, there isn’t a specific number that is budgeted for schools. It’s probably 1 or 2 per cent, it’s certainly nothing like 5.5 per cent, so we’d certainly be looking at at least an additional £1 billion on schools’ costs relative to what they’re currently expecting.

“And a number at least double that across the NHS if the proposals for the NHS are similar, which it appears that they might be.”

‘Absolute nonsense’

Mr Hunt told Kuenssberg Labour’s claim to have been left one of the worst economic inheritances of modern times was “absolute nonsense” and designed to lay the groundwork for tax rises.

Mr Hunt said: “I was looking until a couple of weeks ago at the same numbers that Rachel Reeves is now looking at. 

“It’s very clear that if you are prepared to show restraint on public sector pay, as we did last year, if you’re prepared to be ambitious on public sector productivity, as I was in the budget, and you’re prepared to do welfare reform, which was glaringly absent from the King’s Speech – if you do those three things it’s perfectly possible to balance the books in a way that means taxes don’t have to rise.

“Now I think it’s very clear from what we’ve seen in the first two weeks of this Labour Government that they’re not prepared to take those difficult decisions.”

Mr Hunt also denied having “run away” from making decisions on public sector pay, saying: “You can criticise me for many things, but not taking tough and difficult decisions is one thing I don’t think people would level at me.”

Two-child benefit cap

Ms Reeves also defended the Government’s position not to promise to lift the two-child benefit cap despite a growing rebellion from Labour back-benchers.

She said it would cost £3 billion and insisted she would not make “unfunded commitments”, arguing doing so could crash the economy and cost families by pushing up interest rates.

But Zarah Sultana, the left-wing Labour MP, argued it was in the party’s “DNA” to tackle child poverty and floated the possibility of increasing capital gains tax to pay for ending the cap.

Part of Saidakrami Rajabalizoda’s ear appeared to have been cut off and shoved in his mouth.

The gory scene was filmed by his captors, likely Russian security services, the day after the deadliest terrorist attack in Russia in decades.

Still bleeding through a white bandage wrapped around his head, Mr Rajabalizoda was soon trotted out in a Moscow court as one of the alleged perpetrators.

The 30-year-old migrant worker was 2,000 miles from his home in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan, where he had left his pregnant wife a few months before.

She gave birth and he has never met his child, relatives in his village told The Telegraph on a recent trip there.

Mr Rajabalizoda is one of four men – all Tajiks – that Russia charged within two days of a shooting spree in late March that killed 137 people at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall.

Clothing they were wearing during their capture appeared to place them at the crime scene.

As their cases roll through the Russian courts, the Kremlin insists that these four men are the hardened terrorists that led an attack in the name of IS-K, a group linked to Islamic State, which is responsible for a growing number of attacks around the globe.

Some experts – and, understandably, family members – have doubts.

The Telegraph travelled through villages and mountains of Tajikistan to track down relatives, friends and neighbours of all four of the accused.

Whether they are jihadists or fall guys, their lives tell a story about those drawn to Russia from Central Asia, state paranoia and also the methods and tactics of one of the world’s most feared terror groups.

The mother of Fariduni Shamsiddin, 25, lives in a modest one-storey house, reinforced with mud and grass, in the village of Hisor, about 20 miles west of Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe.

Muyassar Zargarova, 52, says she spoke to her son, who worked in a flooring factory in Russia, a few hours before the attacks about the simple dinner he was preparing that night.

She is convinced of her son’s innocence and insists he would not hurt a fly, despite spending two years in a Tajik prison.

“If I were to ask my son to kill one of the chickens in our yard, he would refuse to do it,” she said. “He would say. ‘I’m sorry, I can’t’.”

None of the accused knew each other in Tajikistan, a small autocratic country on the old Silk Road wedged between China and Afghanistan.

Dalerjon Mirzoev, 32, grew up in the dusty village of Galahona, dotted with a handful of homes with metal doors and stone walls, flanked by mountains in the distance.

Shomuhammed Nasrulloev, 64, a neighbour who watched him grow up, said he had “a very simple house and young children”.

Mr Mirzoev is a slim, reserved father of four who drove a taxi in Tajikistan.

“These days, we’re thinking more about how to support his family through this,” Mr Nasrulloev said.

Relatives of Mr Mirzoev, who did not want to speak on record over fears of reprisals from the Tajik government, say that he was not living in Moscow at the time of the attacks.

Instead, he was living in Novosibirsk, more than 2,000 miles east of the Russian capital.

Muhammadsobir Faizov, 19, was also living outside of Moscow, hours away in the city of Ivanovo, say those who knew him.

He worked as a hairdresser and no matter the occasion, he was always dressed immaculately, they said.

All four of them had complications with their status in Russia – migrants are required to register with the authorities in a cumbersome process – and most had been planning to return to Tajikistan within days of the attack as a result.

With the exception of Mr Mirzoev, all had arrived in Russia only a few months prior in search of better-paying work.

None were particularly religious and, in some cases, had to be encouraged by family to pray regularly.

Families say that they have had little to no official contact with Tajikstan and Russian law enforcement. 

They say they have not been shown any evidence relating to the case and spend their days searching online and checking out the news for updates.

“They are accused of being terrorists,” said one relative. “Nobody will help us.”

“I don’t speak Russian. I can’t hire a lawyer – we don’t have the money,” said another. “What can we do? I know he is innocent.”
—

Relatives believe that these four men are collateral damage as Russia seeks swift justice to restore shaken public confidence, as Kremlin resources remain directed toward its war on Ukraine.

None of the accused appeared to show pride in their alleged actions in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, which raised questions with counter-extremism experts.

Rustam Azizi, who has interviewed many terrorists for his research, says jihadists are often keen to take credit for what they have done.

His view is shared by many expert observers watching the case closely.

He believes the four may have been set up to take the fall or create a distraction for Russian authorities, or perhaps were accessories to the crime, such as acting as getaway drivers for the main combatants.

This runs counter to some visual evidence, like the emblems on their clothing, linking them to the masked gunmen filmed at the crime scene.

But Mr Azizi says his theory falls in line with what is know about IS-K’s tactics and recruitment strategy – leveraging migrant communities to form small sleeper cells in different countries and bringing in technical expertise to support operations, such as chemists and doctors.

“To go somewhere with your own terrorists is risky, but if you find some locals, it’s not costly as they are already existing there…you just have to find a way to arm them,” he said.

But “you have to use them as soon as possible, because it’s risky to keep them for a long period of time”, said Mr Azizi, the research director of Tahlil, a Dushanbe-based NGO. 

“Police can capture them and some might even try to escape the radical group.”

In footage from the attack and images leaked or released by Russia, one of the suspects was pictured after being arrested in a brown T-shirt and trousers with a Boss label, details that appeared to match the clothing worn by a gunman in footage of the attack released by IS-K.

Another suspect wore a grey shirt during his interrogation – clothing that matched that of another assailant seen in the attack video.

A white Renault sedan was photographed in Bryansk, a five-hour drive from Moscow, feet away from where Russian 

authorities said one of the suspects was arrested. 

A similar car was also seen in footage from outside the concert hall where the attack occurred.

Concrete evidence may never emerge into the public domain given the opacity of and corruption in Russian courts. 

The Kremlin itself blamed Ukraine for the attack, further muddying the official narrative in the aftermath of the shooting.

All four of the accused appeared to have been tortured by Russian authorities, as shown in disturbing videos that circulated on social media.

When the suspects appeared in court, they were battered and bruised – Mr Rachabalizoda with his bloodied ear; Mr Mirzoev looking weak and exhausted; Mr Shamsiddin with a swollen face likely from beatings.

Mr Faizov was so indisposed that he was rolled into the courtroom on an orange wheelchair and with a catheter.

Sirojiddin Muhriddin, the Tajik foreign minister, commented in a sign of irritation at the country’s powerful neighbour.

“The use of torture in the form of bodily mutilation is unacceptable,” he said in April during an official visit to Belarus. 

“The price of confessions extracted in this way is well-known to everyone.”

The Moscow attack focused global attention on the prominence of Tajik nationals involved with IS-K, which appears to be growing in scope.

This year alone, Tajiks have been linked to bombings and shootings that the terror group claimed responsibility for in Iran, Turkey and Russia. 

Tajiks, among other Central Asian nationals, have also been arrested in Europe and the US over the last year for suspected ties to the group.

Central Asia – a region next to IS-K’s home base in Afghanistan with similar culture and customs – is an obvious breeding ground.

The group has issued slick propaganda in local languages, including launching online a Tajik version of its magazine, Voice of Khorasan, a week after the Moscow shooting.

“They are turning Central Asia into a hub for propaganda of radical jihadist ideas,” said Parviz Mollojonov, a political scientist and acting country director for International Alert, a UK-based NGO that promotes peace.

“For IS-K, Central Asia is just one step toward forming a Muslim ‘caliphate’.”

With a January bombing in Iran that killed 95 people and wounded dozens, Tajiks were an asset as they could blend in easily given a shared Persian heritage and language. 

Tajik and Farsi are essentially the same spoken language, though the former is written with Cyrillic – a holdover from when Tajikistan was part of the former Soviet Union.

Migrants from Tajikistan, like the initial four arrested, are a particularly vulnerable group. 

At home, many face economic difficulties and restrictions on religious freedom, and choose to seek their fortunes abroad, with Russia a top destination.

But working odd jobs in Russia is tough, as Tajiks face discrimination, making them susceptible to being radicalised – for instance, via radical imams in mosques, where many gather in search of community and support abroad.

Recruiting by IS-K is happening offline elsewhere, too, including in prisons as some militants are instructed to land themselves behind bars with the express purpose to gain new members – similar to how criminal gangs might operate.

Some recruits have a criminal, police or military background, such as the late Gulmurod Khalimov, a former Tajik military officer, who was a chief recruiter for IS and later promoted to “minister of war”.

University graduates and young professionals in Tajikistan have also been pulled into militant groups when seeking alternative avenues of information and ways of thinking outside of the official authoritarian government propaganda at home.

The majority, though, are likely to be those who come from a more marginalised part of society – such as the migrants that go abroad – who are used as foot soldiers.

However, IS-K doesn’t have an open-door policy, noted Mr Azizi. Instead, potential new militants have to be introduced into the group and vouched for by current militants.

Experts worry that the group is just getting started. 

Recent propaganda has specifically threatened countries including China and global sporting events this summer, including the Paris Olympics.

In June, a prison breakout attempt in Russia was allegedly linked to IS-K, as well as multiple mass shootings on the same day at churches and a synagogue.

Window of opportunity for terrorist groups

The Soufan Center, a DC-based non-profit research group, has highlighted that the US and its allies face a similar challenge. 

With attention diverted to China, Ukraine and other pressing global concerns, terrorist groups have had a window of opportunity to rebuild.

Different parts of the US government, including the FBI and the department of homeland security, have over the last year warned of the increasing risk of a terrorist attack by IS-K.

The group is also gaining in prominence by tapping into pre-existing terrorist networks in Afghanistan, emerging despite the fall of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in 2019.

‘We don’t know the truth’

Across Tajikistan, there is widespread doubt about the direct involvement of the four initial suspects. 

Most of the people The Telegraph spoke to were concerned that Russia was using the arrests to bully the country.

“We don’t know the truth,” said Rafshan, 45, an onion and potato vendor at the main bazaar in Hisor, where one of the suspects is from. “Tajiks aren’t violent like this, and I don’t believe what they showed us.”

Many are sceptical, because two of four people initially named as alleged suspects – all of whom were Tajik and whose names were released by Russian authorities – were not even in the country; instead, they were at home in Tajikistan, as Tajik authorities confirmed.

Experts say that IS-K’s attacks and recruitment efforts abroad, even if thwarted by the authorities, are helping the group to build an international profile.

The Taliban is also using the growth of IS-K to frame itself as an important partner for global security.

The Taliban can then persuade other governments by saying, “‘You see, now the Taliban has become a factor for your own security, and you have to communicate with us somehow’”, said Mr Azizi.

“So you have to choose between the bad, dealing with the Taliban; or the worse – the Islamic State,” he said.

For Ms Zargarova, it is an agonising time, not knowing the fate or health of her son, Mr Shamsiddin.

“Whenever I’m baking, I always cry, because Fariduni loved this kind of freshly-baked bread,” she said, crying, in her sun-dappled yard.

“Even if they threaten to kill me, I’m not convinced these four are guilty.”

Additional reporting by Anahita Saymidinova

An NHS hospital told a nurse who wanted to support Lucy Letby she should not give evidence in her case, it has been claimed.

A nurse who trained with Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital told The Telegraph that she was asked to be a character witness by the defence but her NHS trust advised her against getting involved.

A second nurse, and a registrar who still work for the hospital, also said they had been instructed by NHS bosses not to talk about the case, despite previously voicing their support for Letby.

Last year, Letby, 34, was convicted of the murders of seven newborns and the attempted murders of six at the hospital between 2015 and 2016. Earlier this month she was also convicted of the attempted murder of another baby girl.

But recently many scientific and medical experts have come forward to challenge the evidence that was presented to the jury.

The nurse who trained with Letby said she believed she was innocent, and had been made a scapegoat for bad practice on the neonatal ward, which she witnessed first hand.

Speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, she said: “I never felt comfortable working on the ward, there was always an attitude of if you were a bit ballsy and happy to mock other people you fitted in very well and if you were a bit quieter and wanted to get on and do your job and keep your head down you would become a victim.”

She added: “Lucy was always very quiet with people she didn’t know but she adored looking after those babies and building that relationship.

“She got on really well with families and children and she used to get a lot of thank-you cards from the families.

“She was always very good at building rapport and looking after babies was her passion, you could tell as soon as she walked on the ward she loved it.

“I was approached by her lawyers to ask if I would be a character witness. I talked to my trust about it and I was advised it would be better not to, as it could hurt my career.”

The nurse said she had not realised how dysfunctional the Countess of Chester neonatal ward was until she moved to a different hospital.

She described how during night shifts, nurses on the ward would “pull a name out of a hat” and whoever got picked would be able to leave early, despite still being in charge of a baby.

Instead of carrying out a correct handover, they would leave a written note by the infant, leaving the baby without oversight for hours at a time.

“One thing that really struck me as odd, was on night shift, if it was quiet, they would pick a name out of a hat and that nurse would go home early,” she said.

“And it wasn’t like ‘you go home I’ll take your patient’ it was ‘write the handover on an A4 bit of paper, stick it next to the baby’. I look back and think, what an absolute idiot I was to go along with it and think that was normal.

“It wasn’t until I left and went somewhere else I realised this wouldn’t be allowed anywhere else. The ward definitely had its own little special practices.”

She also described practical jokes played on the nurses by senior staff who would use a voice changing device to phone the nurses station pretending to be patients. On one occasion after being tricked she found staff “having a right old giggle” at her expense.

According to the nurse, on one occasion Letby was also left humiliated after being called and asked to find a patient named “Micky Button”. After a fruitless half-hour search, Letby discovered it was the nickname for a piece of medical equipment.

“They thought it was really very funny that they had been able to trick Lucy when obviously it wasn’t and it was unprofessional,” she added.

“That would never happen in the hospital I am in now, so there was definitely a culture of this being fun to mock and attempt to humiliate people.”

Speaking about her thoughts when Letby was arrested she added: “My first thought was it’s not true. I thought they’ve got this massive spike in death rates and they found a scapegoat.

“I think there are some things that Lucy has done such as taking handover sheets home which isn’t normal and isn’t right, but that’s not evidence of anything more.

“Other people that I know that I’ve spoken to were all under the impression that it’s all a massive mistake. But it’s been really hard to find the courage to talk about it.

“I think she is innocent and I think there should be a retrial and I don’t understand why her defence doesn’t seem to have called some of the witnesses that could have helped. I think there has been a miscarriage of justice.”

Asked what could have caused the deaths in the neonatal unit if Letby was not responsible, the nurse said: “It sounds like it was short-staffed and they maybe shouldn’t be looking after babies that were that sick and premature.

“That probably contributed to what happened, but a spike in mortality isn’t necessarily an unusual thing. You do have ups and downs.”

Other staff have also felt unable to come forward to support Letby because they are still working for the NHS.

When The Telegraph approached former colleagues, this paper was largely met by a wall of silence, with doctors and nurses concerned about jeopardising their careers should they question the evidence and the decision reached by the jury.

One doctor who had worked alongside Letby on the Countess of Chester’s paediatric ward said he had been advised not to comment by the NHS hopsital.

Asked at his home in Chester, a 15-minute walk from the hospital, about the possibility that Letby may have been a victim of a miscarriage of justice the 41-year-old said: “Yes I did work with Lucy, but I’m afraid I just can’t say anything.”

The registrar added: “I still work at the hospital and we’ve been asked and advised not to say anything about the case.”

Another nurse who had also worked with Letby, summed up the mood both of doubt about the safety of the convictions and the widespread reluctance to discuss the matter.

“I know there are lots of people who still want answers,” she told The Telegraph.

A spokesman for the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “Due to the ongoing police investigations and the pending public inquiry, it would not be appropriate for the trust to comment further.”

NHS England declined to comment.

Severe autism can be reversed and symptoms reduced to an indistinguishable level, scientists have discovered.

Two non-identical twin girls in the US were found to have a level of autism at 20 months old that required “very substantial support”.

A groundbreaking trial saw their parents and a team of medical experts create a bespoke two-year programme of interventions designed to help the children thrive and flourish as much as possible.

Scientists say the programme was successful, with both girls undergoing “dramatic improvements” in the severity of their symptoms.

The progress of one of the girls, described only as Twin P, was heralded as “a kind of miracle” by one of the paediatricians. Twin P scored a 43 out of 180 on the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist scale in March 2022 and this was reduced to just four by October 2023.

“One of the twins’ symptoms were reversed to the point of being indistinguishable from children who had never had a history of autism symptoms,” Dr Chris D’Adamo, study author from the University of Maryland, told The Telegraph.

“This twin’s functions are comparable to those who never had an autism diagnosis.”

The other girl, known as Twin L, had more severe autism aged 20 months, scoring 76, and this was reduced to 32 a year and a half later.

“[This twin] improved dramatically, but not quite as much,” said Dr D’Adamo.

Improvements unlikely to be undone

The scientists do not use the term “cure”, but believe the improvements are unlikely to be undone over time.

“Because autism is a developmental condition, one can safely say that once they have overcome the developmental aspects of autism and returned to a typical developmental trajectory, they are very unlikely to exhibit the common symptoms of autism again,” said Dr D’Adamo.

“Symptoms that could return might be more along the lines of things like anxiety, gastrointestinal issues, sensory issues, but not necessarily the behavioural aspects of autism.”

The twins underwent behavioural analysis, speech therapy and a strict gluten-free diet and nutrition programme as part of the trial to reduce inflammation.

The diet was casein-free, a protein found in milk; low-sugar; had no artificial colours or dyes; zero ultra-processed foods; primarily organic; and locally sourced.

The girls were also given daily supplements for omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins, vitamin D, carnitine, and others.

‘No singular cure to reverse symptoms’

Writing in the study, published in the MDPI journal Sexes, the anonymous parents said they knew there would not be a “singular cure” to reverse the symptoms and instead the programme focused on alleviating the “total load” on the children.

“Despite sharing similar genes and identical conception, gestation, birth experience, and post-natal factors – as well as benefiting from consistent nurture, home environment and family dynamics – each daughter presented an ASD diagnosis entirely uniquely,” they write.

“Conventional statistics have stacked the odds against the ability to recover a child from an ASD diagnosis.

“Our approach was therefore focused on following a nonconventional, holistic understanding of each daughter’s individual needs, exploring root cause and designing customised support.

“We committed to being highly involved in all the interventions we explored, educating ourselves and advocating for what we felt was best for our children.

“Most importantly, our experience as parents has been the desire to create and maintain a profound and loving bond with each of our daughters – and to remain parents, not practitioners.

“Through this approach, we have witnessed the radical recovery of one daughter – who presents today as a joyful, engaging, spirited, extremely bright four-year-old.

“We remain steadfast in our support for our other daughter whose progress has also consistently amazed us and has reminded us that recovery is possible at each person’s individual pace.”

The case study is published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine.

A couple who embarked on a “green odyssey” across the Atlantic were found dead in a lifeboat after being forced to abandon their wind and solar-powered yacht.

Sarah Packwood, 54, from Warwick, and Brett Clibbery, 70, were reported missing on June 18 after leaving Nova Scotia, Canada, in their 42-ft sailing boat, Theros, a week earlier. They were en route to the Azores.

Their two bodies were finally found on a three-metre liferaft last week, after it washed ashore on Sable Island, 180 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Mystery surrounds how the couple’s planned voyage turned to tragedy, with fears growing that their reliance on sail and an electric engine powered by solar panels, may have left them without back-up when things went wrong.

Before they set sail, Mr Clibbery, a Canadian, said in a video posted on April 12: “We’re doing everything we can to show that you can travel without burning fossil fuels.”

After they departed, Ms Packwood posted a farewell video message: “Captain Brett and First Mate Sarah set sail on the 2nd leg of The Green Odyssey on board Theros – GibSea 42 foot sailboat. Powered by the wind and sun. Heading east to the Azores.”

Ms Packwood, who was a poet, musician and reiki healer as well as being described by friends as an accomplished sailor, added: “It’s probably the biggest adventure of our lives so far.”

Police in Halifax, Nova Scotia, have launched an investigation into the deaths and have yet to rule out accidental collision, power failure, fire or suspicious circumstances.

The couple’s life of adventure began when they met during a chance encounter at a bus stop in London in 2015.

They married on the yacht a year later before holding a Celtic marriage ceremony at Stonehenge known as “handfasting”. They then returned to Canada, where they bought a tract of land on Salt Spring Island, near Vancouver.

Ms Packwood learned to sail at university in England and became a crew member on the Lord Nelson for the Jubilee Sailing Trust on the first leg of the European Tall Ships race.

With Mr Clibberry she went on to sail 5,000 miles along the Pacific Coast of Canada, the USA and South America.

Ms Packwood had previously worked as an aid worker in Africa, South America and South East Asia.

She blogged about their travels and the pair ran a YouTube channel updating friends, family and fans on their plans to turn Theros into a fully-solar powered vessel.

Ms Packwood had previously written during one of their journeys together on Spain’s Camino Frances: “I believe in the mystical and often feel as though guardian angels watch over us.”

Writing on her online blog about one of their voyages she said: “We spent a year aboard Theros on the high seas together, sailing on the first leg of our round-the-world voyage in stages from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia to Dartmouth in Nova Scotia, via Central America, the Panama Canal and crossing the Western Caribbean.”

Their trip in Theros from Halifax in Nova Scotia to the Azores was meant to be the first in the yacht after it had been fully converted to eco-friendly power.

Mr Clibbery, with the assistance of Ms Packwood, converted the Theros to solar power himself by removing the diesel engine.

He fitted the boat with six solar panels powering a lithium battery pack and auxiliary electric engine.

The solar panels were attached to the roof of a steel frame, with side panels made of fibreglass and plexiglass creating a waterproof “hard dodger’” cabin.

In a YouTube film, Mr Clibbery chronicled how he had carried out the conversion, using hand tools and readily available DIY materials.

Some experts said the addition of the solar panels and battery pack will have added weight to the yacht and made it potentially unstable. There were also fears that salt water may have led to the lithium battery pack being corroded and catching fire.

In her last message before the couple set sail on June 11, Ms Packwood wrote on Facebook: “We aim to sail across the ocean, all being well, fair winds and following seas with us!”

At that stage Theros was 10 nautical miles from shore and sailing at five and half knots towards the Azores. In the video Mr Clibbery said they were sailing away from a large tanker that had also left Halifax.

When Theros appeared to lose contact with shore, friends began posting anxious messages on the Facebook page.

Catherine Allison wrote: “The coastguard are on the lookout for Theros. Fingers crossed when they get within 150 miles or so of the Azores they’ll make an AIS [Automatic Identification system] ping and we can all breathe again.”

However, after more than a month’s radio silence, their friends’ worst fears were confirmed.

Dozens of well wishers have since posted messages of condolence.

Tim O’Connor, 64, and John Dolman, 63, who were friends with Mr Clibberly and Ms Packwood for years, described them as “like two peas” in a pod.

“They were the kind of couple that you see at a table, and rather than staring at their phones, they always had something to say to each other. They laughed together all the time. They were one of the happiest couples we know,” Mr Dolman said.

The couple said Mr Clibberly’s son, James, was travelling from his home in Ontario to the island where a celebration of their life was being planned.

He posted a tribute saying: ““The past few days have been very hard. My father James Brett Clibbery, and his wife, Sarah Justine Packwood, have regrettably passed away. There is still an investigation, as well as a DNA test to confirm, but with all the news, it is hard to remain hopeful.

“They were amazing people, and there isn’t anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing. Living will not be the same without your wisdom, and your wife was quickly becoming a beacon of knowledge, and kindness. I miss your smiles. I miss your voices. You will be forever missed.”

It remains unclear how the couple got into trouble.

Medical examiners are carrying out a full examination of Ms Packwood and Mr Clibbery’s remains for any signs of injury.

If Theros is eventually recovered she will also be examined to establish whether it was accidentally rammed by a larger vessel or suffered a fire onboard, forcing them to abandon ship.

A veteran Nova Scotia sailor understood to be close to the investigation said, on condition of anonymity: “While they do not have conclusive proof, they suspect the sailboat whose crew washed up dead on Sable Island was struck by a bulk carrier only a few days after departing Halifax.

“The sailboat crew were either unable to avoid collision or they could have been down below with Theros on automatic pilot.”

Hugo Fontaine, Canadian transportation safety board spokesman, said: “At this time, we cannot say with complete certainty that the sailing vessel was struck by a ship, as we are still gathering information regarding the overdue sailing vessel Theros.”

There has also been speculation that a fire may have broken out after on board – a common danger on a boat – forcing them to abandon the vessel.

The couple do not appear to have made mayday calls or fired emergency flares before their boat vanished.

Guillaume Tremblay, public information officer for the Halifax Royal Canadian Mounted Police regional detachment, said that “investigators are looking at all possible avenues”.

Officer Tremblay said the couple may have run into trouble in the treacherous water off the coast of Nova Scotia.

“The Atlantic ocean can be very unfriendly, especially with the current weather and weather cycles that are coming from the south, such as hurricanes, so there’s certainly a lot of impacts and effects on ocean vessels,” he said.

Newly unearthed video shows Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole slapping his celebrity partner’s bottom during training and saying she was “pathetic”.

The edited montage, which was broadcast in 2005 on Strictly’s twin show It Takes Two, shows Cole’s partner Fiona Phillips, the former GMTV presenter, saying he “looked at me like I was something he’d stepped in”.

In a clip from the show introducing the historic training footage, which was light and playful in parts as well as dramatic in others, host Claudia Winkleman said: “The anger emanating from Brendan Cole is quite scary”, prompting a grin from Phillips.

Phillips said in the video: “I don’t think I was prepared for the physical closeness”, before clips of Cole slapping her on the bottom on three separate occasions were played.

In a separate moment, Phillips asked Cole to “stop shouting”, adding: “I just feel ridiculous… I don’t feel like doing it now you’ve said that,” after the professional dancer and veteran of 15 Strictly series called her “pathetic”.

Elsewhere, in a backstage clip from the show, Cole can be seen launching into a profanity-laden tirade at cameramen, saying: “Guys, get the f— out of my face for “f— sake,” before appearing to push a camera away.

Speaking in 2017, Phillips said “Brendan was a real bugger”, and that “he wasn’t very nice. He was really naughty”. She said it was “karma” when his contract was not renewed.

The footage also shows James Jordan, a professional dancer on Strictly from 2006 to 2013, telling his Casualty actress partner, Georgina Bouzova, that he would “kill her” and “drag her across the floor” if she forgot her moves.

In separate footage uncovered by The Times, Jordan can be seen telling a dance partner, “you’re the laziest person I’ve ever met in my life” and kicking a chair into a wall.

Jordan has denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the footage was edited “for the purposes of entertainment”.

He wrote on Instagram: “I just wanted to reassure you that footage was shot and edited together by the BBC team for transmission on It Takes Two 18 years ago in specific ways for the purposes of entertainment.

“Many of the clips were not related to Georgina at all (they are not allowed to do that these days as it misrepresents what actually happened) but were included for the purpose of exaggeration.

“The BBC thought it would be fun to put this VT together in the way they did. You can see Georgina laughing about it in the studio and in the clips… And I have never received any complaints from any of my celebrity dance partners in the eight years I was on the show.”

He said: “Obviously if I had genuinely upset anyone, that footage would never have been allowed to be used in that way by the BBC themselves. The producers loved to paint me as the bad guy and I played along…always a perfectionist …but I would never have deliberately upset anyone and pride myself on good friendships with my celebrity dance partners.

“I strongly suggest that nobody attempts to link this edited BBC VT with the current alleged reports of abusive behaviour taking place behind the scenes by other Strictly professionals.

“There is no comparison to be drawn between those awful allegations and the highly produced and exaggerated VT from the BBC archives that is featuring on social media. To be clear, I deplore bullying or abusiveness in the workplace.”

Cole has been approached for comment.

It comes as the BBC grapples with a crisis over Strictly’s future following a slew of allegations about bullying and even physical violence doled out by the show’s professional dancers.

‘Crossed the line’

Last week, Graziano Di Prima quit the show after a video of him kicking his dance partner television presenter Zara McDermott was shown to BBC bosses.

A spokesman for Di Prima admitted he “crossed the line” in the 2023 incident but has been left in “a very vulnerable state” by the fall-out.

Di Prima’s exit followed that of Giovanni Pernice, who is under investigation by the BBC over his alleged behaviour towards Amanda Abbington, his partner last year. He has branded the claims against him as “false” and vowed to clear his name.

When approached for comment, the BBC directed The Telegraph to a statement from Kate Phillips, BBC’s director of unscripted, which says: “Whilst we know our shows have been positive experiences for the vast majority of those who have taken part, if issues are raised with us, or we’re made aware of inappropriate behaviour, we will always take that seriously and act.

“Concerns that have arisen have been fundamentally related to training and rehearsals.

“The decisive steps we have taken and are announced today, act to further strengthen the welfare and support in place for everyone involved with this production.”

Prince Albert’s memorial is “considered offensive” because it reflects a “Victorian view of the world that differs from mainstream views held today”, custodians say.

The 176ft Albert Memorial opposite the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington Gardens, west London, was built to honour Queen Victoria’s late husband in 1872, when the British Empire stretched across the globe. 

It includes a golden sculpture of the Prince Consort himself, along with four groups of large statues representing the people and animals of four continents.

Asia is depicted as a woman on an elephant, America as a native American, and Africa as a woman riding a camel. The African sculpture also includes a white European woman reading a book to a black African tribesman.

The Royal Parks website now says that the Albert Memorial’s “representation of certain continents draws on racial stereotypes that are now considered offensive”.

It tells how Victorian guidebooks about the memorial “describe how this ‘uncivilised’ man hunches over his bow. This pose was intended to represent him ‘rising up from barbarism’, thanks to his Western teacher. At his feet lie broken chains, which allude to Britain’s role in the abolition of slavery”.

It adds that “descriptions of the states that represent Asia and America also reflect this Victorian view of European supremacy”.

The website states: “Though the Empire has traditionally been celebrated as a symbol of British supremacy, many today consider this view as problematic because colonialism often relied on the oppression and exploitation of people, resources and cultures.”

The Royal Parks said that it added the information about the statue late last year as part of an attempt to “regularly review and update information about our landscape and heritage features, across all our parks to enhance visitor experience”.

It follows a nationwide clamour at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests during the lockdown in 2020 to address public monuments considered by some to be controversial.

Councils across the country created dossiers of monuments linked to slavery and colonialism.

Camden council has created a series of QR codes for statues in its area, which provide information explaining the “unacceptable” views of figures such as Virginia Woolf.

Some statues, like the monument to slave owner Robert Milligan near the Museum of London Docklands, have been removed entirely.

Welsh government guidance also suggested that statues of “old white men” such as the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson could be hidden or destroyed to create the “right historical narrative”.

The Albert Memorial was requested by Queen Victoria following her husband’s death in 1861.

He was a patron of emerging science, and the catalyst of the Great Exhibition of 1851, which showed off the discoveries and technological advances made by Britain in a vast “Crystal Palace” in Hyde Park.