Liverpool crash suspect Paul Doyle holds back tears in court

A former Royal Marine held back tears in court as he was accused of driving into Liverpool football fans at the club’s victory parade on Monday evening.

Paul Doyle, 53, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court charged with seven offences: two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of wounding with intent, two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm and one count of dangerous driving.

Dozens of people queued outside the court beforehand to be present at the magistrates’ court hearing, and police were on duty outside the building.

Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard he was alleged to have “used his vehicle deliberately as a weapon”.

The father of three, from Croxteth in the city, looked emotional when he arrived at court from the cells and looked around at the dozens of reporters packing the courtroom.

He spoke with a croaky voice, and only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

He gave no indication of a plea. The case was referred to Liverpool Crown Court, which is in the same building, and he appeared there soon afterwards.

Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary fixed a provisional trial date of 24 November, saying the case could last three to four weeks.

Before that, a plea hearing is due to be held on 14 August.

According to the dangerous driving charge, Doyle drove a Ford Galaxy Titanium dangerously on roads between his home address in Burghill Road and Water Street.

Philip Astbury, prosecuting, told the court: “This is very much an ongoing investigation. There are many witnesses to be interviewed and a great deal of CCTV to be analysed.”

He said six of the charges reflected the more seriously injured of those struck by the vehicle, and the dangerous driving offence reflected the manner of driving. The charges relate to six victims, including two children aged 11 and 17, the court heard.

The judge imposed reporting restrictions to prevent the victims from being identified publicly.

Doyle, who wore a black suit, white shirt and grey tie, stood with his hands clasped and nodded as he was remanded in custody, before being led out of the dock by security guards.

Seven people out of the 79 injured on Monday remained in hospital on Thursday, police said.

Child killed in Russian strike on Ukraine after Zelensky accuses Putin of sabotaging talks

Britain will attend the next round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, the Donald Trump administration has claimed.

Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, told US outlet ABC News that the national security advisors of the UK, Germany and France would all attend the talks, scheduled to start on 2 June in Istanbul.

Ukraine has not yet confirmed whether it will attend the talks proposed by Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday.

It was unclear who might attend on behalf of the UK. The Independent has contacted the British government for further information.

It comes as the US told a United Nations security council meeting last night that Putin should “take the deal” and agree to a pause in fighting for 30 days.

The 30-day land, air and sea truce was “Russia’s best possible outcome”, said acting deputy US ambassador John Kelley.

He warned that Washington could impose further sanctions on Russia if it is reached, or the US could walk away from mediating the talks.

Debts rise at company of Captain Tom’s daughter and her husband

Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter and son-in-law, disgraced for their misconduct in handling the charitable foundation set up in their father’s name, have seen debts rise at their company.

Hannah Ingram-Moore, 54, and her husband Colin, 68, are owed £59,323 from Maytrix Group Limited in 2024, according to the latest figures in Companies House. It is not known if the money has been paid out.

This has increased from the £30,523 they were due from the management consultancy firm in 2023. The company’s net assets have also now plummeted from £5,385 to -£117,880 in the same period.

Ms Ingram-Moore has been contacted for comment by The Independent.

The family of the renowned pandemic fundraiser, who made international headlines when he raised millions of pounds by walking 100 lengths of his garden in the run-up to his 100th birthday during the first Covid lockdown in 2020, has been embroiled in scandal due to the misuse of the funds via the Captain Tom Foundation. Captain Sir Tom died in February 2021.

A damning report by the charities watchdog concluded there had been repeated instances of misconduct by the veteran’s daughter and her husband.

But separately, a £1.4 million book deal and an £18,000 awards ceremony appearance fee were among the financial benefits Mr and Ms Ingram-Moore enjoyed through their family links to the Captain Tom Foundation.

The Charity Commission found a “repeated pattern of behaviour” which saw the pair make private gains and which the watchdog said will have left the public feeling “misled”.

The couple were found to have used funds to build a pool house, prompting Central Bedfordshire Council to order its demolition. Mr and Ms Ingram-Moore were disqualified in June 2024 from serving as charity trustees for the foundation for ten and eight years respectively, a decision they did not appeal.

When her fundraising father Captain Sir Tom hit the headlines for his pandemic efforts, his daughter Ms Ingram-Moore was never far from the spotlight.

But before that, she was “one of Britain’s leading businesswomen”, according to her official website.

Alongside her chartered accountant husband, Ms Ingram-Moore co-founded Maytrix. Both are also co-directors of the private limited company Club Nook.

Ms Ingram-Moore accompanied her father to the regal surrounds of Windsor Castle in the summer of 2020 to see him knighted, and took a seat in the Royal Box at Wimbledon months after he died in 2021, where she stood to applause and cheers.

But just three years later, she and her husband had been banned by the Charity Commission from being charity trustees.

Ms Ingram-Moore said the commission’s inquiry was a “harrowing and debilitating ordeal” which had left the family feeling suspended in “constant fear and mental anguish”.

On her website, Ms Ingram-Moore described how she feels a “weight of responsibility for doing the right thing, for not letting people down and responding to the love and compassion that has come our way”.

Beever-Jones takes chance to lead England’s next generation

After all the talk this week of who’s not going to the Euros, England made sure they moved the conversation onto those who will be travelling to Switzerland this summer.

Aggie Beever-Jones produced a performance, and scored a hat-trick against Portugal on her first Wembley start, that meant the excitement around the Chelsea forward will go up to another level ahead of Euro 2025. The Women’s PFA Young Player of the Year seized her opportunity, with the type of display that comes from the sheer hunger of wanting to really make your case for going to a major tournament. It’s what Sarina Wiegman wanted to see.

Beever-Jones followed the instructions. “As cliche as it sounds, Sarina said, ‘It’s a new kit, new England today. Go out there and put a graft in’,” Beever-Jones revealed. “I think her words were ‘destroy them’.” This was a reborn England, putting the noise of the past week behind them in style. “I told them we have a job to do,” Wiegman said. “It helps when you have energy and fun.” Beever-Jones played with that spirit. She left nothing to chance and was not the only one.

This was perhaps not what Mary Earps had in mind when the retiring England goalkeeper spoke of wanting to step aside to “give the younger generation an opportunity to thrive”. But Beever-Jones visibly grew in confidence with a Wembley goal tucked under her belt from the third minute, making curved runs behind the defence and demanding the ball with the sharpness of her movement. Behind her Jess Park brought nimble touches and the intelligence to turn; Grace Clinton strode around midfield as if she owned it.

Beever-Jones is 21, Clinton is 22 and Park is 23. They will all be going to their first major tournament when Sarina Wiegman names her squad next week and they will all have important roles to play. Hannah Hampton, at 24, had already become England’s No 1 before Earps’s shock retirement this week. Wiegman is often criticised for the changes she doesn’t make to her team, but over the past six months she has helped to bring through the talent that was knocking on the door. They now feel at home.

It helps, of course, when there is the experience there as well. Lauren Hemp made her first England appearance of the year after recovering from a knee injury and brought the dynamism and bursts from the left wing that only she can. Lucy Bronze marauded down the right, coming off after an hour with a poacher’s finish and a wonderful assist. Keira Walsh comes to life when there is energy and movement in front of her and was faultless in midfield. Leah Williamson, standing a foot taller after leading Arsenal to Champions League glory, marshalled the back-line and sprayed some excellent passes.

We knew all this already, but there was a freshness and energy about England. Wiegman punched the air and laughed as the goals flew in during the first half. How the Lionesses manager needed a night like this, too, after the grilling she has been under in recent days. But with England’s opening game of the Euros against France just over a month away, those selection headaches have never looked tougher. On a different night, England could have lined up with Alessia Russo up front, with Lauren James and Chloe Kelly either side. If James is fit, Wiegman is going to be able to take six elite forward options to Switzerland.

Portugal, it should be said, were atrocious. In February, they managed to frustrate England to a 1-1 draw in the Algarve. Back then, they looked to be an organised team then with a few touches of attacking talent. But in April they conceded seven and four in heavy defeats to Spain and at Wembley plunged to rock bottom under Francisco Neto.

But England were rampant and ruthless. With Russo nursing a calf injury, Beever-Jones took the No 9 shirt and made a compelling case for keeping it. She is a very different forward to Russo, lacking the all-round game and physicality that Russo possesses that can bring others into play, but with a sharpness and belief in front of goal that makes her such an interesting option.

“She’s a goalscorer,” Wiegman said. “She scores goals very easy, such quick feet, tight on the ball. She played relaxed.” Beever-Jones is not on England’s plane to Switzerland just yet, of course, but Wiegman’s grin all but confirmed it. “She did really well today,” Wiegman smiled.

The finish for her first Wembley goal was not clean but the instinct was. After Park regained possession on the edge of the Portugal box, Beever-Jones slipped as she struck the ball and it took a deflection on the way through. But the effect it had on Beever-Jones was extraordinary; arrowing down the channels and directing others as if she was an established international. Her second was a towering header from Bronze’s cross, crashing in off the bar. The hat-trick goal was another thunderous finish, struck low and inside Ines Pereira’s near post after Williamson’s pass forwards from defence.

Portugal, by then, were in disarray. Bronze scored England’s second from the goalmouth when Beth Mead was denied at close range. The Portugal defence then vanished as Mead pulled off a clever nutmeg and finished low into the corner. Pereira called a huddle inside the Portugal half after conceding the fourth, but there was little resistance throughout and virtually nothing for Hampton to do, barring a header from Andreia Norton that caught the outside of the post.

England were five goals up by the break but the second half brought further positives. Alex Greenwood and Georgia Stanway also made their returns, with Greenwood playing a stunning, raking pass out wide in the move that led to Kelly’s back-post header and England’s sixth. They will go to Spain on Tuesday needed a victory to beat the world champions to top spot in their Nations League group, but at Wembley the Lionesses ensured they have already taken a step forward.

Stockpiling disposable vapes creates major fire risk, Britons warned

Councils have urged vapers to think twice before hoarding disposable vapes, warning that stockpiling them could pose life-threatening risks.

Disposable vapes will be banned from the shelves of all shops from Sunday in a bid to cut their use among young people – as well as the “avalanche” of litter they create.

The crackdown on the devices, also known as single-use vapes, makes it illegal for any retailer – ranging from corner shops to supermarkets – to sell them.

However, there are concerns some people are stocking up on single-use vapes, with research by online nicotine retailer Haypp finding 82 per cent of disposable vape users are planning to stockpile.

The Local Government Authority (LGA), which represents councils and fire and rescue authorities, has warned that the lithium batteries contained inside disposable vapes could cause fires and pose a risk to life if not stored correctly.

Lithium batteries present a serious risk of fire, as there is the potential for it to enter into thermal runaway.

Thermal runaway occurs when a battery reaches up to 600C, releasing toxic gases and creating a fire, according to charity Electrical Safety First.

Disposable vapes are non-refillable, unable to be recharged, and are typically thrown away with general waste in black bins or littered rather than recycled.

The vapes are extremely hazardous during the waste disposal process and can cause fires in bin lorries.

The vapes are designed as one unit so batteries cannot be separated from the plastic. Even when they are recycled, they need to be taken apart by hand, while their batteries are a fire risk to recycling facilities and can leak harmful chemicals into the environment.

Council taxpayers often bear the costs of the fire damage to equipment and the specialist treatment needed to deal with hazardous waste, the LGA said.

Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “With 8.2 million vapes now thrown away, or recycled incorrectly, every week, single use vapes blight our streets as litter, are a hazard in our bin lorries, and are expensive and difficult to deal with in our recycling centres.

“We would also urge caution to anyone stockpiling disposable vapes. Failing to store disposable vapes correctly could cost lives, given the significant fire risk they pose.”

The ban applies to both online and in-store sales across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and all disposable vapes whether or not they contain nicotine.

Retailers are still allowed to sell reusable vapes.

Rogue traders who continue to sell them risk a fine of £200 in the first instance, followed by an unlimited fine or jail time for repeat offending.

The department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) said usage among young vapers remained too high, and the ban would “put an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation’s streets”.

The separate Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently working its way through Parliament, also includes powers to potentially restrict the packaging, marketing and flavours of e-cigarettes.

Win a luxury ticket package for two to this year’s Wilderness Festival

Music fans can win a luxury package for two to this year’s Wilderness Festival, all courtesy of Audi.

Wilderness returns this year to the picturesque nature reserve at Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, and will be headlined by rock band Supergrass, Nineties rave duo Orbital, and Brit Award-winning, Grammy-nominated indie-rock duo Wet Leg.

Completing the headliner lineup are Basement Jaxx, who are making their return to live shows for the first time in over a decade, as they celebrate the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking album, Remedy.

The winner will receive a pair of complimentary festival tickets and boutique accommodation in a luxury cabin for two. They will also be treated to an Audi Kitchen experience and, for the ultimate luxury, your own private chauffeur to take you and your guest to the festival and return journey.

Enter the prize draw here.

Wilderness Festival is known for its eclectic music lineup, which this year includes performances from pop singer Lapsley, singer-songwriter Bess Atwell, Scottish musician Jacob Alon and DJ Craig Charles.

At The Sanctuary and Spa, guests will discover an oasis of calm, whether that means taking part in disco yoga or a workshop to explore your sensuality. Highlights include boating, massage treatments, sauna rituals, hot tubs, a wild sauna, Wim Hof method ice baths and wild swimming.

Gourmet food offerings can be found at Ben Quinn’s long table banquet in the woods, a once-in-a-lifetime experience set in the woods and lit by chandeliers. There, Quinn and his team will serve up a feast of flavour cooked right in front of you five courses of carefully curated, responsibly sourced, local and seasonal ingredients.

Elsewhere, attendees can join a number of talks, comedy sets and conversations, from Food Stories with Jay Rayner to a live recording of Jamie Laing’s podcast, Great Company.

Comedian, writer and NHS doctor Matthew Hutchinson will share a sharp and moving look at life on the frontline of British healthcare, while cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith will uncover a bold and fascinating alternative history of female friendship.

The prize draw will open for entries at 3pm (BST) on 7 May 2025 and close at 3pm BST on 17 June 2025. Only one entry per person is permitted for the Prize Draw. Terms and conditions apply.

New Banksy location revealed following speculation

Banksy’s latest piece of artwork has been unveiled – and internet sleuths were quick to establish its location.

The black and white stencil graffiti depicts a lighthouse with light beaming from its tower, with the caption: “I want to be what you saw in me.”

The lighthouse rises from the shadow of a bollard which it stands next to.

Banksy posted the artwork on his Instagram on Thursday with two photos, one showing just the artwork and another with two people walking their dogs.

Many online were quick to identify the location of the artwork as Marseille, the southern French city which is renowned for its street art.

The mural is situated on Rue Félix Freiger, a road near the coast and the town’s city centre.

The quote on the wall may have been inspired by a song by Tennessee-based country band Lonestar, called “Softly”, which features the lyric: “I want to be what you see in me. I want to love you the way that you love me.”

London-based art dealer MyArtBroker wrote on its website: “The location of the mural is unlikely to be incidental. Marseille – France’s oldest port and among its most multicultural cities – has long been a point of arrival and transition.

“Its neighbourhoods, from Le Panier to Belle de Mai, are marked by layers of street art and histories shaped by working-class resilience and immigrant communities. The city’s social fabric resonates with Banksy’s ongoing interest in marginalised voices and overlooked narratives.”

The Bristol graffiti artist has seen his works fetch millions at auction, and led to speculation over his identity.

Last year, a variety of animal-themed Banksy works, including a rhino seemingly mounting a silver Nissan Micra, two elephant silhouettes with their trunks stretched out towards each other, and three monkeys that looked as though they were swinging on a bridge, were found dotted across London.

Since putting one up of a gorilla lifting the shutter at London Zoo, Banksy has also posted another image, of a Madonna with baby Jesus and what looks like a bullet hole. The lighthouse is his latest image.

Can Reeves calm Labour’s troubled waters with her spending review?

The term “fiscal event” hardly does justice to the significance of the government’s comprehensive spending review, due to be published on Wednesday 11 June by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves. It’s been in preparation more or less since Labour took office last July.

It matters at least as much as any Budget because it sets out broad public spending plans for each area of government. These cover planned investment and current spending in areas such as wages, but exclude cyclical items such as unemployment benefits. So they are a strong statement of the Labour government’s priorities.

All the signs are that it’s been a difficult process, and the leaks and the spinning have already begun.

Trying to balance the books (in reality borrowing huge but manageable sums) is the answer to that. In an environment of great global uncertainty, alongside sluggish UK growth thanks to Brexit, and in a country with an ageing population, Reeves’s task is an unenviable one. In addition, she will have to balance the pressing political demands of colleagues with her determination to stick to her “fiscal rules”.

At the moment, backbenchers in the red wall seats in the North and the Midlands that Labour regained from the Tories at the general election are pressuring the Treasury to pour billions into much-needed investment in infrastructure, to make the most of the industrial potential of these neglected areas. This would also, of course, have a helpful electoral benefit for those MPs who are facing a challenge from Reform UK.

Reeves has hinted that she could adjust her rules on investment spending to facilitate tens of billions to be devoted to levelling up the regions.

Yes, indeed. Although Labour chooses not to use the loaded slogan “levelling up” about “left behind” communities, it is very much what Boris Johnson promised in 2019 and, for good and bad reasons, wasn’t delivered as expected in the last parliament.

Before that, George Osborne, Tory chancellor from 2010 to 2016, talked ambitiously about devolution, the “Northern Powerhouse”, and the “Midlands Engine”. There was even a red wall caucus of Tory MPs, named the Northern Research Group (NRG), who lobbied hard for successive Tory administrations to live up to their promises (most of the NRG members have since lost their seats).

The ultimate symbol of Tory failure was the cancellation of the HS2 rail project, launched with so much hope by David Cameron but miserably dismembered by Rishi Sunak at the 2023 Conservative Party conference. In Manchester. In a former railway station. Now, exactly the same dynamic is operating within the Starmer administration.

Yes: Angela Rayner, deputy leader and deputy prime minister, for one. Powerful as her office makes her, she also has an excellent case for expanding the “affordable homes fund”, because of the importance Labour placed on the housing crisis and its target of 1.5 million new homes to be built during its first parliament. This was always a tough one – so much so that it’s been reported that Rayner threatened to quit in exasperation and Tony Blair had to persuade her out of it (a story she denies).

She is also surely right to get some adequate funding into local authorities before many more fall into chaotic bankruptcy, which would look like carelessness if not incompetence on the part of Rayner. Other ministers putting up a fight are Yvette Cooper at the Home Office, Ed Miliband (Energy), and Steve Reed (Environment).

Liz Kendall (Work and Pensions) and Reeves will also need to persuade their backbench colleagues to back whatever welfare reforms they eventually settle on – ideally, restoring the pensioners’ winter fuel payment, lifting the two-child cap on child benefit, and ameliorating planned cuts to disability benefits. Defence and Health are the only areas likely to escape demands for “efficiency savings”.

The spending review is an odd beast, because unlike, say, a finance bill, it’s not legislation and doesn’t necessarily have to be voted on; and for that matter, a government doesn’t have to stick to it (even if it wants to). It’s just a “plan”, a statement of intent, and a series of signals about priorities. But some sort of backbench rebellion seems inevitable, even among the usually loyal 2024 intake, even if only by proxy.

At a minimum, they will certainly expect some signs of the imminent restoration of the pensioners’ winter fuel payment – the cutting of which was hated by the voters and would have saved little money – and on progress to end child poverty.

There’s talk of Rayner being pushed to the limits of her patience, again, and her resignation would be cataclysmic. However, in most cases of a politician wrestling with their conscience, their conscience usually loses.

Rayner would not be thanked for abandoning the administration less than a year into its life. Even worse, as the party is already suffering in the polls, she would thereby be hastening the onset of the ultimate catastrophe – a Farage-led government. She would attract at least as much scorn and blame for that as she would gain respect for standing up for working people, or whatever.

She might, as others have in the past, improve her chances of winning the leadership in due course by making a tactical move to the back benches now, but she’s said she’s not interested in the top job, and her treachery would probably cost her dear in any case. Having come this far, she’ll most likely stick with it.

Others, maybe some more junior ministers with an eye on the long game, might decide to leave office “on principle”. But this would not affect the outcome of the spending review, which is ultimately going to be more cuts.