Tom Tugendhat: I’m ready to leave the ECHR
Tom Tugendhat has said he is willing to leave the European Convention on Human Rights in his pitch for the Tory leadership.
In an article for The Telegraph, the former security minister said that if institutions made it harder for Britain to control its borders, the UK would have to “exempt ourselves from them” or “leave their jurisdiction”.
Announcing his bid to lead the party, he said this was a “common-sense Conservative position” to take.
Mr Tugendhat, seen as a moderate in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak, said the Tories lost the election because they had lost the “trust” of the British people after failing to meet promises to lower taxes and immigration.
His position on the ECHR will be seen as an attempt to challenge Kemi Badenoch, one of the frontrunners in the race. The shadow housing secretary has in the past said the option of leaving the convention should be kept open, and it is likely to be a centrepiece of her campaign.
In his article, Mr Tugendhat, a former security minister, said he did not believe the leadership election would be divisive because there was broad agreement on many issues.
He said: “Some people think the Conservative leadership election will be divisive, splitting the party. That’s wrong because actually, there’s a long list of things this election isn’t about: the ECHR. Gender. Tax rates. Defence spending. Net zero.
“These are things that aren’t up for debate in this leadership election. Why not? Because politics is about principles and all Conservatives are guided by our basic principles here.
“We know that if institutions do not serve the British people and make it harder to control our own borders, then we will have to exempt ourselves from them, or leave their jurisdiction.”
“We know what a woman is. We all want lower taxes. We all know national security must come before Treasury spreadsheets. We all know that energy security and household bills come first.
“These are common-sense Conservative positions. They are non-negotiable for me and, I would hope, for anyone else who puts themselves forward.”
He has also pledged to increase defence spending to 3 per cent of national income, and said that household bills must be kept down amid moves to meet net zero targets. He called for planning rules to be revised so cities could build upwards rather than outwards.
Mr Tugendhat’s position on the ECHR has changed since 2022, when he dismissed calls to leave.
However, in 2015 he said the ECHR must no longer apply to Britain’s Armed Forces in wartime. He is understood to have long supported opting out of certain parts of the convention, and is concerned that the European Court of Human Rights has overreached in recent years, such as when it told Switzerland its people’s human rights were under threat by its failure to tackle carbon emissions.
He objects to the convention being used to block things over which it has no jurisdiction. He wants to see reform of the ECHR and withdrawing from certain aspects where it is necessary to remove illegal migrants.
His position goes further than Mr Sunak, who said before the election that he would consider leaving the European Court of Human Rights if necessary to boost Britain’s security.
The Tory manifesto said: “If we are forced to choose between our security and the jurisdiction of a foreign court, including the European Court of Human Rights, we will always choose our security.”
In his article, Mr Tugendhat said: “I want to be completely open about what I’m doing. I am not just running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party. I am running to be the next Conservative prime minister.
“That is what this leadership election is all about: winning. We can’t serve the British people if we don’t win the next general election. We can win it. We must win it. I can lead the party to that victory.”
He added: “Clever people have already written a million complicated words about why we lost that election, but I can do it in one: trust. We lost the trust of the British people, because we didn’t do what we said we would.
“The second part of that sentence is very important. It contains an important truth for Conservatives. The public wanted the things we promised: lower taxes, lower immigration, more control over their everyday lives. Those are conservative ideas. We just didn’t deliver.
“That’s not a story of Left or Right. It’s not a story of factions or families. It’s a simple truth. The British people wanted control – over their lives, streets, borders, trade and much more – and instead we lost it. We couldn’t deliver because we were too focused on fighting each other, not on delivering for the people of this country, the families who rely on us to see our promises through.”
He accused Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party of “squabbling” and “taking every opportunity to make the state bigger”.
“One Parliament of this will be dreadful, and we owe the British people an apology for letting them down,” he said. “Two terms would be a national disaster, which is why we must listen, change, and stop them winning the next election.
“The key to victory is that simple word: trust. We must win back the trust of the British people by putting our trust in them.
“Politics, like life, comes down to one simple rule: keep your promises. When the Conservative Party does that, it wins. And the Conservative Party can win the next election. Trust me. I will make it happen.”
On Wednesday night, another potential rival of Mr Tugendhat, Victoria Atkins, announced she would not be standing in the Tory leadership race.
Writing for The Telegraph, she warned the Conservatives against a lurch either to the Left or the Right, saying the party could only get back to power by appealing to the young and rebuilding its reputation for pragmatism and competence, she said.
Nominations for the Conservative leadership contest close on Monday, and there will then be a series of votes by MPs before the final four are chosen for at the party conference.
The parliamentary party will select the final two candidates, who will then be subject to a vote by Conservative Party members. The winner will be announced on Nov 2.
On Tuesday, James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary, announced in The Telegraph that he would run to be leader, as he said the party must ditch “self-indulgent infighting”.
Other Tories understood to be considering running for the leadership include Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister, and former home secretaries Dame Priti Patel and Suella Braverman.
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Counter-terror police helping investigation into stabbing of lieutenant colonel
The victim of a stabbing outside an Army barracks is a lieutenant colonel, it has emerged, as counter-terror police were confirmed to be supporting the investigation…
Biden: I deserved a second term
Joe Biden said his achievements “merited” a second term in office as he addressed the nation for the first time since stepping back from the presidential race.
The US president, 81, suggested his “leadership in the world” and “vision for America’s future” had given Americans reason to elect him again, but said he would “pass the torch” to a new generation to keep his party united.
In a 10-minute address from the Oval Office, Mr Biden cited Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as he sought to cement his legacy after almost four years in office.
He stepped down on Sunday from his home in Delaware, where he was self-isolating with coronavirus. He has endorsed Kamala Harris, his vice-president, for the Democratic nomination ahead of this year’s presidential election.
Mr Biden said: “I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all merited a second term.
“But nothing, nothing, can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition.
“So I decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation as the best way to unite our nation.”
Mr Biden had faced weeks of criticism from senior members of his own party, who argued his age and health would prevent him from beating Donald Trump for a second time in November.
He was resistant to calls from some of his closest allies, including Nancy Pelosi, for him to step down, before he posted a letter on X, formerly Twitter, announcing he was suspending his campaign. He then endorsed Ms Harris to replace him.
“The defence of democracy is more important than any title. I draw strength, and find joy, in working for the American people,” he said on Wednesday night.
“But this sacred task of perfecting our Union is not about me. It’s about you. Your families. Your futures. It’s about ‘We the People.’”
Surrounded by his family in the Oval Office, Mr Biden quoted both the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence during his short address. He did not take any questions.
He also laid out a series of his achievements in office, including his flagship “Bidenomics” policies, crime reduction and his appointment of the first Black woman as a justice of the Supreme Court.
Mr Biden did not refer specifically to Trump, who eroded his lead in swing states before his decision to stand down, but stressed that he had decided to quit the race because of threats to American democracy. He has previously referred to Trump as a “dictator”.
“We’re all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness,” he said.
“We’ve never fully lived up to it, to this sacred idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either.
“And I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now. In just a few months, the American people choose the course of America’s future.”
Mr Biden ended his remarks by thanking the public for giving “a kid with a stutter” the opportunity to serve as president.
He said: “Here I am. That’s what’s so special about America. We’re a nation of promise and possibilities of dreamers and doers, of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things.”
Following his address, his family members shed tears as Mr Biden embraced them.
Mr Biden’s address came after Ms Harris’s second speech since she became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party earlier on Wednesday.
She has received the support of enough delegates to the Democratic National Convention to be awarded the nomination. The vast majority of delegates were previously allocated to Mr Biden after the party’s primary race earlier this year.
Mr Biden promised to continue his work as president until January, when he will be replaced by the winner of this year’s election. Some Republicans have called for him to stand down immediately.
“Over the next six months, I’ll be focused on doing my job as president,” he said. “That means I’ll continue to lower costs for hardworking families, [to] grow our economy.
“I’ll keep defending our personal freedoms in our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose.
“I’ll keep calling out hate and extremism, [and] make it clear there is no place in America for political violence, or any violence, ever.”
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Having fat arms ‘heightens risk of Alzheimer’s by nearly one fifth’
Having fat arms increases the risk of developing brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease by nearly one fifth, scientists have discovered.
A large study, which looked at the medical records of more than 400,000 Britons, found those with disproportionately high levels of fat stored in the arms were more likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchers believe too much fat in one place may infiltrate and “poison” the muscles, leading to immune problems and inflammation that could trigger disease.
Chinese experts said the placement of body fat was more important than overall weight and too much focus on weight loss may be harming attempts to improve health.
Dr Shishi Xu, of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Sichuan University and first author of the study, said: “In recent years, due to the widespread use and even abuse of weight-loss drugs (such as semaglutide), people have become overly concerned with overall weight and often overlook the key role of different body components.
“Our findings highlight that targeted interventions to modulate body composition may be more effective for neurodegeneration protection than general weight control.”
Nine-year follow-up study
At the beginning of the research, measurements were taken for body composition, such as waist and hip measurements, grip strength, bone density and fat and lean mass.
During the nine-year follow-up study, 8,224 people developed conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
After adjusting for factors that could affect the rate, such as high blood pressure, smoking and drinking, researchers found that people with “arm dominant fat distribution” were 18 per cent more likely to develop brain diseases compared to those with low levels of arm fat.
Those with high levels of belly fat were also 13 per cent more likely to develop these diseases than people with low levels of belly fat.
However, people with high muscle strength seemed to be protected from the brain diseases, with a 26 per cent reduced chance of being diagnosed during the nine-year follow-up.
Dr Huan Song, one of the authors, of Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, said: “This study highlights the potential to lessen people’s risk of developing these diseases by improving their body composition.
“Targeted interventions to reduce trunk and arm fat while promoting healthy muscle development may be more effective for protection against these diseases than general weight control.
“These neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s affect over 60 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to grow as the population ages, so it’s crucial that we identify ways to modify risk factors to develop some preventive tools.”
Link to heart health
The researchers believe that the link between body fat and neurodegenerative disease can be partly explained by cardiovascular disease.
Overweight and obese people are more likely to suffer from heart disease and stroke, which also raises the chance of diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s.
A healthy heart is crucial for supplying brain cells with energy and oxygen and excess weight can lead to fatty material building up in the blood vessels.
Dr Song added: “This underscores the importance of managing these cardiovascular diseases right away to help prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or other degenerative diseases.”
Rather than using body mass index for the study, the researchers looked at the ratio of fat distribution across the body, which they say is more important than focussing simply on weight.
People were considered as having “fat arms” if the proportion of arm fat mass was higher relative to the general whole-body mass fat.
The team believe that the higher risk may be caused by fat infiltrating muscles leading to dysfunction of tissues, impairing insulin signalling and damaging the immune system.
This infiltration can lead to the dysfunction of adipose and muscle tissues, impair insulin signalling, and release pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Dr Xu added: “A key point we want to share is that the quality or distribution of your muscle and fat, rather than the absolute weight, may be more important for your health.
“These findings underscore that the risk of neurodegenerative diseases is significantly influenced by the distribution and quality of body fat and muscle.
“Fat accumulation in the abdomen and arms appears to have a poisonous and inflammatory effect on other organs, including the cardiovascular system and neuro health, leading to a higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases.”
The research was published in the journal Neurology.
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There will be no new coins this year for the first time
The Treasury has ordered no new coins to be minted this year for the first time amid a decline in the use of cash.
Officials have concluded that there are enough coins in circulation for the country’s needs and no orders have have been sent by the Treasury to the Royal Mint.
They also believe that no new 1p or 2p coins will be needed for the next few years.
Amid concerns that cash is being phased out, the Treasury insisted that this did not mean that copper coinage could be scrapped.
A spokesman said: “We are not scrapping 1p or 2p coins. We are confident there are enough coins in the system without the need to order more this year.
“The Royal Mint produces coins according to expected demand, existing buffer stocks, and orders placed by industry.
“We are confident there are enough coins in the system, with estimates of approximately 27 billion in circulation in the UK. The Treasury has no current plans to change the mix of coins.”
More people using cash
The number of cash payments made in the UK fell to 6.4 billion in 2023, down 7 per cent on 2022, and a fall of more than two-thirds compared with a decade ago, according to UK Finance
However, the share of the population mainly using cash rose slightly from 1.7 per cent to 2.6 per cent during the year.
No coin has been scrapped since 1984 when the halfpenny was taken out of circulation.
Some say the penny should follow suit because its value is now less than a halfpenny was when it was scrapped.
In 2016 Mark Carney, the former Bank of England governor, suggested scrapping the penny because its value was so small that “at some point it does make sense to get rid of it”.
Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand have all taken steps to get rid of their smallest coins.
The penny dates back to the 8th century and King Offa, who is known for building a dyke between England and Wales.
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Watch: Amanda Abbington says her children were target of death threats after Strictly allegations
Amanda Abbington says her children were targeted with rape and death threats after her allegations about Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice.
The actress said fans of Pernice told her on social media that they hoped she would die of cancer, as well as making cruel taunts about her children.
She dropped out of last year’s competition and went on to claim that Pernice had been “abusive, cruel and mean” towards her in the training room. The Sicilian professional dancer denies the claims and is said to be confident that a BBC review will clear his name.
In an emotional interview with Channel 4 News, Abbington claimed that her relationship with Pernice quickly became “disastrously unworkable, horribly unworkable”.
‘Nobody has reached out to me’
She said of her experience since making the complaint: “It’s been brutal and relentless and unforgiving.
“The aftermath has been something that I wasn’t expecting. You know, the death threats and the rape threats towards not only myself but my daughter, and the threats of death to my son.”
Abbington also claimed that despite the ongoing investigation into her allegations: “Nobody has reached out to me since Strictly, either to me or through my lawyer.”
Asked by presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy – who also appeared as a contestant in the 2023 series – if the threats were from Strictly fans, she nodded and said: “And Giovanni fans.”
Abbington went on: “I was getting dozens a day on social media, dozens of people saying, ‘Just go and kill yourself’, ‘I hope you die of cancer’, ‘Just kill yourself’, ‘Your kids will be better off with you as a mother’, ‘I hope your daughter gets raped’, ‘I hope your son gets stabbed’, ‘You don’t deserve any good things for what you’ve done’, ‘How could you destroy something like Strictly’, ‘You’re a snowflake, you’re an idiot, you’re stupid’, ‘Poor Giovanni’.
“It was just all the time.”
Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, said on Tuesday that his door was open for contestants to speak about their experiences on the show.
Referring to his offer, Abbington said: “Yeah, OK, I will then. I’ll talk to him. I can tell him what happened in that room.
“I’m not ashamed of what I did in that room because I didn’t do anything wrong in that room. And that courtesy wasn’t extended to me, simple as that.”
‘Toxic and unsafe’
Abbington said there were “pockets” of training when Pernice “was nice and he was positive… then that quickly ended and it became unworkable again, disastrously unworkable, horribly unworkable.
“I did the best I could do, I know I worked as hard as I could, I know that I put in 100 per cent commitment.”
Abbington spoke of a “toxic and unsafe” environment and said: “What I experienced in that room happened, I know it happened because it happened to me.
“And I am not a sensational person, I’m not hysterical, I don’t make things out to be bigger than they are.
“I know what happened to me in that room wasn’t acceptable.”
New safety measures in place
Mr Davie has apologised publicly to anyone whose experience on Strictly “hasn’t been wholly positive” and said that “with the benefit of hindsight we should have done more”.
But he said the corporation takes its duty of care very seriously, adding that “robust” new welfare measures, including chaperones in every rehearsal room, had put the BBC “in a positive place to deliver a very good season this year”.
A BBC spokesman said: “Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further on individuals.
“However, when issues are raised with us we always take them extremely seriously and have appropriate processes in place to manage this. As we have said before, we would urge people not to indulge in speculation.”
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Prison guard who had inmate’s baby is spared jail
A female prison guard who had sex with an armed robber in a storeroom and had his baby has been spared jail.
Rachel Stanton, 31, admitted wilful misconduct in public office by embarking on a relationship with Edwin Poole while he was serving a 10-and-a-half year sentence in HMP Five Wells.
Their affair was uncovered when prison staff found three “intimate” photographs and a “sexually explicit” love letter in the 33-year-old’s cell, Northampton Crown Court was told.
CCTV also showed the pair going into a prison storeroom for an hour of “intimacy”.
Stanton was suspended following the discovery of their relationship in July 2022. Poole was moved to another prison.
The mother-of-five continued to visit him and they went on to have a baby together but have since split up.
Stanton wept in the dock as she was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to take part in 20 days’ rehabilitation activity.
‘Demands a custodial sentence’
Sentencing Stanton, Judge David Herbert KC said: “You should have known better. Your offending is so serious it demands a custodial sentence.
“I have to sentence you for a single offence. In short you had a relationship with a prisoner.”
Judge Herbert gave Stanton credit for her guilty plea, saying he was satisfied the relationship with Poole was “entirely consensual”.
He added: “If you can stay out of trouble you have nothing to fear but it will be hanging over your head – work hard at the order.”
Stanton had been working as a trainee G4S security manager at HMP Five Wells in 2022 when she met Poole.
He was jailed in 2018 for his role in a string of violent robberies at convenience stores across the West Midlands and Staffordshire.
Lee Egan, defending, said Stanton had not abused her position to smuggle in contraband items or allowed herself to be “exploited”.
He said she was an inexperienced officer who had been chosen for a training course that would have seen her in charge of a whole landing of men at the super-prison.
Stanton, of Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, covered her head with a tote bag as she left court with a friend.
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