Andy Burnham has warned protesters not to exploit the Manchester Airport row for “political purposes”.

The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester made the comments after a police officer was filmed apparently stamping on a man’s head at the airport on Wednesday.

After the clip was widely shared online, hundreds of protesters gathered outside a Rochdale police station on Wednesday night and chanted “Allahu Akbar”,  meaning “God is the greatest”.

Labour MPs have also called the incident “truly shocking and disturbing” and raised their concerns with senior officers in Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

However, speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Mr Burnham cautioned people with a political agenda against exploiting the situation for personal gain.

He said he had seen the full footage leading up to an incident where a police officer appeared to kick a man as he lays on the floor and that it was “not a clear-cut situation”.

He said: “People do use situations like this for political purposes. I would ask them not to do it.

“There is understandable feeling and anger in the communities when people see the incident, of course, I guess everyone understands that and there’s a reaction but when people seek to exploit that then I don’t think that is at all in the public interest, it’s not right.”

He added: “I guarantee everybody across Greater Manchester today who has deep concerns about this that this will be done properly, in the right way, independently. It will be looked at and we’ll come to a right and fair conclusion.

“We have to balance the range of things, don’t we? There is a difficult job that our front-line professionals do, but at the same time they have to always uphold the highest standards and that is what I’m here to do, to hold Greater Manchester Police to account on behalf of the public and that is the process that will now take place.”

Mr Burnham said the investigation must now be allowed to proceed in a “measured way” to be fair to “everyone in the situation”. The mayor said he would work with the Independent Office for Police Conduct to ensure a high level of neutrality in its investigation which will have input from “community stakeholders”.

He said: “It doesn’t detract from what I said at the start – these are disturbing images, they are, and the right steps have been taken here by Greater Manchester Police – but we’ve all got to recognise that there is a process now that needs to be followed.

“I don’t think it’s right for people to say it’s all one thing, it’s all another thing, because, from what I’ve seen, it isn’t that, it’s more complicated than that.”

His comments came as Akhmed Yakoob, a lawyer who ran as an independent at the election on a pro-Gaza ticket, released a video of himself with two of the men arrested at Manchester Airport.

He said he had helped them make a formal complaint of assault and wounding against the police and accompanied the video with the caption “Justice will be served”.

Mr Yakoob was endorsed by George Galloway ahead of the election and also ran to be mayor of the West Midlands. He has previously praised Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed “misogynist” influencer.

On Thursday, the independent MP Adnan Hussain said reports of a police officer kicking a man at Manchester Airport showed a “complete abuse of power”.

The MP for Blackburn, who once said at a Gaza rally “let’s make Israel burn”, told the Commons: “I’ve been inundated with messages of concern and upset from my constituents following the horrific images that have come from Manchester Airport.

“I, myself, I’m deeply concerned with what can only be described as a complete abuse of power.

“Again, will the [Leader of the House Lucy Powell] join me in assuring the general public that we should never have to witness such scenes of violence in a country like ours, where no authority is above the law? And that all necessary measures must be taken to investigate how and why such an incident arose and for the general public to be reassured?”

Ms Powell replied: “As a Manchester MP, myself, I was absolutely disturbed by that footage as well, and understandably it’s caused a lot of public concern and it was truly shocking to see. Other colleagues have raised that here on the floor of the House this morning.”

She added: “Let’s hope we don’t see scenes like that again.”

Paul Waugh, Labour and Co-Operative MP for Rochdale, had earlier branded the clip “truly shocking and disturbing”.

In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Waugh said: “The video footage of a Greater Manchester police officer kicking and stamping on a man in Manchester Airport is truly shocking and disturbing.

“Like many who have seen this clip, I am extremely concerned. It’s right that the police officer concerned has been removed from duties and that this incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. I expect a thorough and swift investigation.”

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, was said to be meeting with Mr Burnham on Thursday to discuss the footage.

Sir Keir Starmer said he was aware of the incident and understands the “concern” surrounding the event.

The Prime Minister said: “I’ve seen it myself. I understand that concern. There has now been the suspension of one police officer this morning and the Home Secretary is meeting the mayor [of Greater Manchester] to discuss this as we speak now.”

In the footage, people can be heard shouting in the background as an officer appears to kick the man’s head and bring his foot down on it.

Onlookers are told to “move back” before a female officer appears to draw her taser and aim it at other people. The male officer then walks over to another man sitting on a bench and points his taser at him, telling him to “get down”.

As the man begins to move to the ground with his arms in the air, the officer then appears to kick him.

The force said officers were called to an “altercation” between members of the public and were subjected to a “violent assault” while responding to the incident.

GMP said a police officer had since been removed from operational duties and the force had referred itself to the police watchdog who have said they will investigate.

Four men were arrested at the scene on suspicion of affray and assault on emergency workers.

In a statement, the GMP Federation, which represents front-line officers, said: “GMP Federation notes the decision of the force to suspend an officer involved in an incident at Manchester Airport this week.

“The matter is now under investigation – everyone has the right to a fair hearing where all sides of the story are told and context is provided.

“As their staff association, we are supporting the officer concerned, and all of our colleagues who were involved in this incident, including those who were injured.

“We would also like to thank the many members of the public who have contacted us offering support for our hard-working colleagues doing a difficult and dangerous job. It is appreciated.”

Greater Manchester Police was contacted for comment.

The lieutenant colonel who was stabbed outside an Army barracks is a long-standing member of the Armed Forces and a father of two, the Telegraph can reveal.

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton was airlifted to hospital after being stabbed around 12 times while in his uniform just before 6pm on Tuesday, by a man wearing a ski mask and allegedly armed with two 10-inch knives.

His wife Eileen screamed at the attacker to leave her husband alone and then tried to pull him away in an intervention that may have saved his life.

The attack took place in daylight and just yards from Brompton Barracks, home of the 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, in Kent.

It is here where Lt Col Teeton had been a course manager for almost six years after joining the Army 23 years ago.

Before this, an online CV reveals that he held several engineering-related roles within the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence.

He also ran 44 miles across Normandy and its beaches, finishing at the historic Pegasus Bridge on the 80th anniversary of D-Day last month, raising almost £3,000 for charity.

A 24-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder.

More follows. 

Social media users have poked fun at a Tom Tugendhat leadership campaign slogan after it accidentally spelt out “TURD”.

The former security minister announced on Wednesday evening that he would be throwing his hat into the ring to succeed Rishi Sunak as Tory leader.

At the same time, his campaign website also went live and featured the slogan: “Together we can, Unite the party. Rebuild trust. Defeat Labour” beneath a Union flag.

However, visitors to his website quickly spotted that the first letter of each line inadvertently spelt out the acronym “TURD”.

The slogan had been changed by Thursday morning so that it said: “Together we can, Unite the party. Rebuild Trust. Win back the country.”

Sources close to Mr Tugendhat’s leadership team insisted that online graphics were regularly changed as imagery and messaging were perfected during the early stages of a campaign.

They said it had nothing to do with the inadvertent acrostic that has since gone viral online.

The MP for Tonbridge, who is seen as a moderate in the race to succeed Mr Sunak, said his party had lost the trust of the British people as he launched his leadership bid.

Mr Tugendhat also suggested he would be prepared to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. He said the UK would have to quit or “exempt ourselves” from institutions that made it harder for the country to control its borders.

James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary, and Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister, have also announced that they will stand for the leadership.

Others understood to be considering running include former home secretaries Suella Braverman and Dame Priti Patel.

Four Russian and Chinese bombers have been intercepted operating together for the first time by American and Canadian fighters near Alaska.

North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) said it had “detected, tracked and intercepted” two Russian TU-95 and two PRC H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska air defence identification zone (Adiz) on Wednesday.

The aircraft did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace and the activity “is not seen as a threat”, the joint US-Canadian aerospace command said.

The agency said it will “continue to monitor” competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence”. It added that it “remains ready to employ a number of response options in defence of North America”.

China and Russia confirmed on Thursday that they had conducted a joint air patrol over the Bering Sea, which divides Russia and Alaska.

A defence official told Air & Space Forces Magazine it was the first time H-6 bombers had entered the Alaska Adiz.

They said the intercept was carried out by US F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, Canadian CF-18 fighter jets, and support aircraft.

While Russia’s military has long been active in the north Pacific, China has emerged as a new actor in recent years as it expands its navy and air force.

In May, Norad said it was tracking four Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Adiz. It said at the time that Russian activity in the area “occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat”.

The Chinese military aircraft intercepted this week are the first detected in the area.

The Russian defence ministry said the joint patrol also flew over the Chukchi Sea, which is on the north side of the Bering Strait.

Russian fighter jets and strategic bombers were joined by Chinese strategic bombers in the exercises, which lasted more than five hours, the ministry said.

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for China’s defence ministry, said it was the eighth joint strategic air patrol since 2019 to test and improve coordination between the two air forces.

“This action is not aimed at third parties, it is in line with relevant international laws and international practices and has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation,” Mr Zhang said.

He declined to comment when asked if it was the first such patrol over the Bering Sea.

In recent years, China has helped Russia revive its military by providing essential tools and components to produce weapons for the war in Ukraine.

In 2023, 90 per cent of Russia’s microelectronics imports, crucial for the production of missiles, tanks and aircraft, came from China, The Wall Street Journal reported.

China supplied Russia with more than 70 per cent of its nearly $900million machine-tool imports in the last quarter of 2023. Beijing sent nitrocellulose, a compound used to make ammunition and rockets, to Russia, as well as satellite imagery.

A photo released by the Russian defence ministry showed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet escorting a Chinese bomber. Another photo posted online by the military channel of China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed Russian and Chinese long-winged bombers flying in parallel formation.

In March, Gen Gregory Guillot, the head of US Northern Command, called for a stronger military “presence” on Alaska’s coast to push back against Russian and Chinese military activity in the area.

He said China was conducting maritime activities “under the cloud of  technical or scientific research, but we think it’s certainly multi-mission to include military operations”.

He added: “I expect to see air activity in the Alaska part of the Arctic as soon as this year potentially. It’s a very big concern of mine.”

The NHS shingles vaccine delays the onset of dementia by up to nine months, research by Oxford University suggests.

The Shingrix jab is currently offered to everyone aged 70 to 79 as well as those with a weakened immune system, and is being gradually rolled out to the over-65s.

As well as fighting shingles, a study has now shown that it also seems to delay a dementia diagnosis by an average of five to nine months, which could have a major impact on rates of the disease in Britain.

Oxford University is not sure what is driving the effect, but says it is possible that the herpes zoster virus that causes shingles may also trigger dementia.

John Todd, professor of precision medicine at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine, said: “By inhibiting the virus, the vaccine could reduce this risk.

“Alternatively, the vaccine also contains chemicals, which might have separate beneficial effects on brain health.”

Shingles is caused by a reactivation of the chickenpox (herpes zoster) virus, which lies dormant after an infection and causes weeks of painful blisters, headaches, fever and, in severe cases, death.

It is particularly dangerous for the elderly, which is why they are offered a vaccine by the NHS each year.

Researchers were able to conduct a natural experiment into the unexpected benefits of the GSK Shingrix vaccine after the US switched from using Merck’s shingles jab Zostavax, in 2017.

Several small studies had already suggested that Zostavax might reduce the risk of dementia so researchers seized the opportunity to find out what would happen once the jab was altered.

The team followed 200,000 people aged 65 and over for six years, and discovered that Shingrix was even more effective at staving off dementia than the previous vaccine.

Although the number of people eventually diagnosed with dementia remained the same, they had enjoyed an extra 164 dementia-free days on average – equating to 17 per cent more time without the condition compared with people on Zostavax.

When compared with people taking other jabs, such as the flu or tetanus vaccine, the effect was even greater, with 27 per cent more time spent without dementia – equating to around nine months.

The current uptake of the Shingrix vaccine is around 60 per cent, and Oxford researchers said it was high enough that a fall in dementia rates in Britain may start to be noticeable in the coming years, linked to the roll-out.

‘This will be a good test’

Dr Maxime Taquet, National Institutes of Health Research clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford, said: “The mean age was just over 70 in both groups and so I think if the expectation is that if this is a causal effect, then we would see a reduction in dementia in the UK once people started taking up the shingles vaccines for the team. This will be a good test of this hypothesis.”

There are estimated to be 944,000 people with dementia in Britain, with the majority suffering from Alzheimer’s.

The number is expected to increase to more than one million by 2030, with one in three people born in the UK this year expected to develop dementia in their lifetime.

The condition costs the country £34.7 billion annually and is now the leading cause of death, but current drugs can only help symptoms, not put the brakes on progression.

Researchers at Oxford believe that the vaccine may work even better if given earlier and say data should be available within the next few years to find the “sweet spot” for delivery.

Paul Harrison, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, said: “Dementia is a major and increasing problem, and it’s perhaps the disease people fear most in old age, but the reality is we still can’t do very much to prevent the inexorable progression or even delay its onset.

“It will be interesting to see if when people hear of these findings, whether the public choose to increase the uptake of the shingles vaccine when they’re offered by the NHS

“There should be enough people within not too long that we’ll be able to get a handle on whether any beneficial effect is indeed age-related. And in which case, is there a sweet spot or when the vaccine might have its greatest benefits against dementia risk.”

The findings were welcomed by experts from other universities and charities, who called for further studies to validate the research.

Andrew Doig, professor of biochemistry at the University of Manchester, said: “A link between infection with the herpes zoster virus and the onset of dementia has been suspected for some time.

“Now, we need to run a clinical trial of the recombinant vaccine, comparing patients who receive the vaccine with those who get a placebo. We also need to see how many years the effect might last and whether we should vaccinate people at a younger age.

“We know that the path to Alzheimer’s disease can start decades before any symptoms are apparent, so the vaccine might be even more effective if given to people in their 40s or 50s.”

Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Dementia isn’t an inevitable part of ageing; it’s caused by diseases like Alzheimer’s. So finding new ways to reduce people’s risk of developing these diseases is vital.

“It isn’t clear how the vaccine might be reducing risk, nor whether the vaccine causes a reduction in dementia risk directly, or whether there’s another factor at play. So it will be critical to study this apparent effect further.”

The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

A former STV and BBC presenter has been jailed for more than two years after her sister discovered she had embezzled more than £120,000 from her dementia-stricken mother.

Hayley Matthews, who was also known for fronting an SNP national conference, abused her position of trust to “brazenly fund an extravagant lifestyle”, prosecutors have said.

Suspicions were raised when, following the death of Ms Matthews’s mother, Janice, in September 2021, she told other family members her estate was worth only £36,000.

Danielle Thomson, Ms Matthews’s sister, obtained copies of financial statements from her mother’s bank and found that thousands had been withdrawn while she was in hospital.

She called the police, and detectives discovered 371 PayPal transactions totalling £46,763, ATM withdrawals amounting to £38,000, and Amazon purchases worth £13,650.

Ms Matthews also bought a Mulberry handbag costing £1,371 with her mother’s money, while items purchased from the White Company, an upmarket clothing and homeware store, had a value of £5,545.

Ms Matthews, who had power of attorney over her mother’s financial affairs, was jailed for two years and three months at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

‘Thefts funded extravagant lifestyle’

Lynne Barrie, the procurator fiscal for Lothian and Borders, said: “Hayley Matthews was placed in a position of family trust to oversee her mother’s financial affairs. But she abused that responsibility by stealing thousands of pounds and used that money to brazenly fund an extravagant lifestyle.

“This case demonstrates that those who seek to exploit vulnerable victims for their own personal gain will be held to account for their crimes.”

The court heard that Ms Matthews’s father, Alistair, had confronted her in January 2022 about the spending.

During text exchanges, Ms Matthews wrote: “You’re right, I’ve been shocking at handling mum’s money and paperwork.

“I’ve spent what I shouldn’t and used money I shouldn’t. I wasn’t in a very good place when looking after her, but I tried my best.”

Bank statements showed she had also spent her mother’s cash at Harvey Nichols, Kurt Geiger, Molton Brown and Marks & Spencer.

Matthews has also previously worked for BBC Radio Scotland and was a newspaper columnist for the Edinburgh Evening News.

She previously worked alongside Lorraine Kelly and interviewed celebrities such as Amy Winehouse and Jason Donovan.

Last month, she pleaded guilty to embezzlement, between September 2019 and November 2022. She returned to the dock on Thursday for sentencing.

Sheriff Alison Stirling told Ms Matthews she had been in “a position of trust” and said her behaviour has had “a serious impact” on her family.

She added: “Custody is the only appropriate disposal. Your actions were deliberate and  repeated over a period of more than three years.”

Kieran Clegg, defending Ms Matthews, said his client admitted her spending had been “selfish and extravagant” and had offered “very little in the way of explanation”.

The NHS has issued an alert that less than two days’ worth of some types of blood is left following the recent cyber attack.

Donors have been urged to come forward and hospitals have been told to restrict the use of the most common types of blood.

NHS Blood and Transplant said the cyber attack on London hospitals, combined with high numbers of unfilled appointments to give blood had created a “perfect storm” with unprecedented shortages.

Donors of O negative and O positive blood – the most commonly used types – have been asked to urgently give blood, with an “Amber Alert” issued because of the shortages.

Hospitals have been asked to restrict the use of O-type blood to essential cases and to use other types where clinically safe to do so.

O negative and O positive donors have been asked to urgently book and fill appointments at donor centres, with 45,000 slots to fill by September.

National stocks of O negative now stand at just 1.6 days, NHS Blood and Transplant said. Across all blood types, national stocks are 4.3 days.

O negative is the type that can be given to anyone – known as the universal blood type. It is used in emergencies or when a patient’s blood type is unknown.

The amber alert – the second to ever be issued by NHS Blood and Transplant – means hospitals are required to introduce emergency measures to minimise usage of blood.

Staff will be told to vet the use of all O-type blood, with particular efforts to conserve the use of O negative. This type of blood is carried by ambulances, as it can be used when the blood type is not known.

Just 8 per cent of the population have type O negative but it makes up for around 16 per cent of hospital orders.

Hospitals will continue to carry out urgent, emergency or trauma surgery, cancer surgery, transplant surgery and blood transfusions to treat people with long-term conditions.

Health officials said the ongoing cyber incident which has affected London hospitals has impacted O negative stocks.

The attack by Russian hackers has left hospitals unable to match blood types as quickly as normal, meaning they are relying heavily on O-type blood.

While O negative is universal and can be given to anyone, O positive can be given to men and to women past childbearing age.

In the absence of information to match blood types, NHS hospitals in London have been far more reliant on O types as they can be given when the blood type is unknown.

Since the start of the incident in June, hospitals affected by the cyber attack have needed twice as much O negative blood.

More than 8,500 hospital operations and appointments have been cancelled because of the cyber attack, by a Russian group called Qilin, on computer systems run by Synnovis, which provides pathology services to hospitals and GP surgeries in London.

Officials said the blood shortages were compounded by the fact that donations normally drop in the summer over the holiday period.

‘Critical O negative stocks’

Dr Jo Farrar, NHS Blood and Transplant chief executive, said: “We urgently need more O group donors to come forward and help boost stocks to treat patients needing treatment. Last month we saw an incredible response from donors who answered our call and filled up our centres, helping us meet the increased demands for blood throughout June. However, seven weeks on, the need for O negative blood in particular remains critical.”

“We’re making an additional 1,000 appointments per week available, please take a moment to go online and book. If you can’t find an appointment immediately, please book in for the coming days, weeks and months. We will have an ongoing need for donations.”

Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “We’re seeing an increased demand for blood and shortages of stock so it’s important that donors come forward for appointments.”

“With thanks to regular blood donors across the country, hospitals will continue to access stock when necessary and prioritise it for those who need it most.”

He said: “Patients should also continue to come forward for care if they need it – by using 999 in a life-threatening emergency or otherwise using 111 on the NHS App, online or by phone for other health concerns.”

In a letter to all NHS hospitals, he says some operations may be delayed, in order to manage limited stocks of blood and reduce demand for transfusions.

This should only happen for “lower priority elective surgery” which could be deferred, while anaemia is treated, reducing the chance that blood would be needed, the advice states.

The amber alert is the second in the history of NHS Blood and Transplant.

In October 2022 the agency issued an alert blaming staff shortages and “a change in donor behaviour” in the wake of the pandemic which meant donors were less likely to travel to centres.

However, donor numbers have fallen following NHSBT’s decision in 2016 to stop accepting walk-in donations, having said that “modern hospitals use less blood”.

Register today and book an appointment to donate via the GiveBloodNHS app or here.