Trump and Starmer finally sign trade deal – then drop it

Sir Keir Starmer landed an important diplomatic victory when Donald Trump finally confirmed the implementation of the UK-US trade deal.

After “shaking hands” on the deal in a virtual meeting broadcast to the world last month, there had been concerns that Sir Keir still had not got the deal with the US in place.

Mr Trump confirmed the deal was “done” at a brief press conference outdoors at the G7 summit in Canada after the two met. The deal will now be in place by the end of the month and will mean zero tariffs on aerospace.

However, the aim of getting zero tariffs on steel from the UK is “still a work in progress”.

Asked if the UK could be hit by future tariffs, the president said: “The UK is very well protected. You know why? Because I like them. The prime minister has done a really good job. He has done what other people have been talking about for six years and he has done it.”

He joked that Starmer was “slightly more liberal than I” but again confirmed their warm regard for each other.

The president actually dropped the document when he tried to display it to the press, but the prime minister swiftly picked up the papers.

But the lack of a deal had been particularly problematic for British steel with Trump imposing 50 per cent tariffs on the rest of the world, but gave the UK a reprieve, keeping its rate at 25 per cent until at least 9 July.

Under the broad terms of last month’s agreement, the US is set to implement quotas that will effectively eliminate the tariff on British steel and reduce the tariff on UK vehicles to 10 per cent.

In a moment of theatre at the summit, the president emerged with the prime minister, giving a message of relief for thousands whose jobs were reliant on the UK-US trade deal being done.

He said: “We signed it, and it’s done.”

Mr Trump appeared to mistakenly say he had signed a “trade agreement with the European Union” as he stood alongside the British prime minister.

He added: “It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.”

Sir Keir replied: “Donald, thank you very much. This now implements on car tariffs and aerospace. A really important agreement. And so this is a very good day for both of our countries, a real sign of strength.”

Once implemented, the deal will reduce those tariffs to 10 per cent or possibly remove them altogether. Car exporters such as Jaguar Land Rover hit with 25 per cent tariffs on vehicles exported to the US market will now see them reduced to 10 per cent.

After a number of weeks of worrying delay, President Trump was finally ready to sign the proclamation that puts the deal into action.

Last month, Mr Trump described it as “a big and beautiful deal”, and Sir Keir has been boasting about the UK being the first to get a post-tariffs deal with the president.

The issue of global free trade and tariffs is also due to be discussed formally at the G7 on Tuesday in a full session, with President Trump expected to oppose the other six members as well as Ursula von der Leyen from the EU.

Mr Trump is also expected to oppose his G7 colleagues in debates on Russia and the Middle East.

On the flight over to the summit in Canada, Sir Keir had raised hopes that he could get the deal finalised.

He said: “We’ve shaken on the deal and we’re at the implementing stage now, which doesn’t actually require another shake of the hand, although I am sure there will be many shakes of the hand. I mean, we have reached the agreement and are now implementing it and that is going on.”

Asked if it was “job done”, he added: “Well, we are at the final stages. We had to do various things, they had to do various things, but I am very confident we’re implementing it.”

The UK government will now present a written statement in parliament to put the deal into force.

The agreement leaves the UK as the only country to have finalised a trade deal to deal with the “liberation day” tariffs imposed by Mr Trump, totalling at least 10 per cent around the world.

Family in Israel face 3,700-mile journey to get home to UK

A British family stranded in Israel due to the intensifying conflict with Iran say they face an arduous, expensive and potentially dangerous journey back home if the UK government continues to fail to act.

Barrister Lisa Baker, 51, is stuck with her 15-year-old daughter, Bella, and 78-year-old mother Phyllis Phillips in the northern coastal city of Haifa after their flight home on Sunday was cancelled.

The Israeli government closed its airspace until 23 June after the escalation in the conflict with Iran, which has seen both countries launch deadly air attacks against each other.

On Monday morning, three people in Haifa were among eight killed by Iranian ballistic missiles in a dawn attack.

The UK has no plans to evacuate Britons stranded in Israel, but support has been stepped up in Jordan and Egypt for people who make their way overland.

Ms Baker and her family are staying in a hotel with access to a safe room where they seek shelter when sirens warn of a possible air attack. But they are keen to return to the UK.

For updates on the Iran-Israel conflict – visit our blog here

Yet despite registering their situation with the Foreign Office, as requested by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, they say they have had little help in finding a safe passage home.

The latest government advice for British nationals is that three international land border crossings to Jordan and one to Egypt are open “but could close without notice”.

As a result, Ms Baker told The Independent that she was exploring a number of routes to get home, many involving two or three flights.

One route is to travel by land for more than three hours to Amman in Jordan, and then catch a flight to London Stansted, with layovers in Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, and Istanbul in Turkey.

That journey is more than 3,700 miles, well over the 2,185-mile distance from Haifa to London.

There are routes with fewer stops, but group ticket costs rise up to £6,000, Ms Baker said, while journeys include overnight layovers in airports such as Beirut in Lebanon.

Ms Baker said: “The nearest airport is Amman in Jordan, but there are no direct flights, instead there are flights back to UK with one, two or three stops, and costing up to £6,000 for us all.

“Then every time we go into a flight, it disappears, presumably because of the demand.

“The journeys also include border crossings that the Foreign Office says could close without notice, and there is the risk flights could stop at an airport we are heading to.

“The UK government needs to act to get British citizens home in safe way. Telling us to use border crossing to a country where there is no guarantee of a safe passage back can mean there is a risk of potential danger.”

Ms Baker questioned why the UK government could not replicate Israel’s action to fly nationals back home, despite the airspace closure.

Poland has also announced an evacuation of around 200 of its citizens in a bus convoy to Jordan, while the Czech Republic and Slovakian governments have organised repatriation flights from the region.

Ms Baker said the Foreign Office should consider putting on a boat service for British nationals in Haifa to reach Cyprus, where direct flights home are available from Larnaca.

“That is a safe passage as it is a country that is safe, and is a route that is not putting us as risk from being in other countries that could be potentially dangerous to be in right now,” she said.

“It is calm here, we are not in bomb shelters, we are in safe rooms,” she added. “It is scary, but it is organised here, with an alert system followed by sirens. There have been attacks in Haifa, we know that, and damage to buildings where people are in safe rooms. There has sadly been a loss of life.

“We want to get home.”

While Bella is missing her GCSE mock exams at her school in Leeds, Ms Baker said she was having to reassign her barrister workload while away.

On Monday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy assured British nationals in Israel that their welfare was the government’s “first priority”. As well as sending a team to Egypt to assist nationals, he said border crossing were being posted on the Foreign Office website.

“British nationals in the region should closely monitor our travel advice for further updates.” he told the Commons.

Why it’s never been more important to decriminalise abortion

When I scrambled out of my bathroom on all fours after an abortion in January 2022, I was paralysed by the pain.

Fast forward to five months later and again I found myself frozen with pain in the same flat in south London. However, this time round the anguish wasn’t physical; instead, it was provoked by news the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v Wade – the landmark decision that legalised abortion nationwide in the US in 1973 – and millions of women had lost their legal right to have a pregnancy terminated. Life has changed immeasurably in America since this seismic decision.

Yet the shift has invariably had an impact across the pond, too; with anti-abortion ideologues growing further emboldened and better funded here in Britain. That’s why it’s never been more important to decriminalise abortion – now.

And now, Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi has tabled amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill which would seek to decriminalise pregnancy terminations without “changing anything about provision of abortion care”. It comes after the UK’s largest abortion services estimated that police have investigated at least 100 women for having an abortion in the last five years.

Amendment NC1, which would mean women in England and Wales would no longer be prosecuted for ending their own pregnancy, has been backed by 177 cross-party MPs, as well as 50 leading medical bodies, women’s rights groups and healthcare providers, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Medical Association. MPs will be voting on it today.

These calls are by no means new. Rather, abortion providers, charities, medical bodies, activists and MPs have spent years calling for abortion law to be disentangled from criminal law and overseen in the same way that other medical practices are. But their demands have often fallen on deaf ears for a whole range of reasons.

One is the fact that many Britons are oblivious that abortion care remains firmly ensconced in criminal law.

For those who need a refresher on how abortion law works here: pregnancy terminations can be legally carried out within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy in England, Scotland and Wales – but only if the abortion is approved by two doctors, with the health professionals agreeing that continuing with the pregnancy would be riskier for the physical or mental health of the woman than having an abortion.

If a medical professional delivers an abortion outside of the terms of the 1967 act, they are at risk of being prosecuted.

Legislation passed in 1861 means any woman who ends a pregnancy without getting legal permission from two doctors can technically face up to life imprisonment – fortunately, this does not currently happen in reality. Abortions after the 24-week mark can only be legally performed in very restricted situations, such as if the mother’s life is in danger, or the child will have a severe disability.

So, why are so many people so keen to reform abortion law? Well, for starters, it is hardly surprising there is enthusiasm to change legislation which dates back to a time when young boys risked their lives as chimney sweeps – and public executions were legal.

Additionally, the desire for reform arises from the recognition that those who access abortions outside regulated provision or past the cut-off point are (for the most part) highly vulnerable. As such, they need support and care, not the psychological pressure and impending doom of a police investigation hanging over them; or worse still, being locked up in a prison system riddled with human rights abuses.

“Our lawmakers have a choice to make,” Sarah Salkeld, deputy medical director at leading abortion provider, MSI Reproductive Choices, tells The Independent.

“Do they want to be part of the ‘green wave’, moving gender equality forward? Or do they want to see prosecutions of vulnerable women on their watch? At a time when reproductive rights are facing rollbacks in many countries, and with the anti-rights movement feeling emboldened by the reversal of Roe v Wade in the United States, it could not be more important that here in the UK, elected lawmakers stand up for women and support everyone to get the medical care they need safely, confidentially and free from the threat of invasive investigation and prosecution.”

She points out that women who have illegal abortions sometimes have significant mental health problems, or may be domestic abuse victims, or teenagers whose parents are opposed to abortions. “I don’t see how it would be in anyone’s interest to prosecute somebody who has gone to such desperate measures,” Ms Salkeld says. “It just doesn’t feel right and it doesn’t support someone who is clearly in a very difficult position and we are talking very small numbers of people here who would potentially be in that position.”

For this reason and more, it is high time we decriminalise abortion. With the far right growing around the world and its war on reproductive rights ramping up, reform feels especially urgent. MPs were set to debate similar amendments around this time last year but ongoing campaigning efforts were abruptly cut short when a snap election was called and parliament was dissolved to make way for this.

When I think back to my own nightmare experience of having an abortion – something I wrote about in a first-person story for The Independent – I am reminded of the fear I felt contending with overwhelmed abortion providers. In the end, overstretched services meant I was left near the 10-week cut-off point for a medical abortion, which involves taking pills.

If I had gone past this deadline, I would have been forced to have a surgical abortion. While all abortions are safe, surgical ones are riskier and more of an ordeal as they involve going to hospital for a procedure.

For some, an abortion will be the most traumatic experience of their lives. For others, it is not. But the important thing to bear in mind is the fact your experience of a termination is not just dictated by your personal feelings or physical health.

On the contrary, external factors can transform a straightforward procedure you quickly recover from into a living nightmare that needlessly drags on and on. Sadly, it is the latter that women so often encounter when they are pulled into the criminal justice system after having an abortion.

We finally have the chance to change that – and improve women’s lives.

Three of The Beatles’ sons team up to release new song

The sons of Beatles icons John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have teamed up to collaborate on a new track as a part of the supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos.

Sean Ono Lennon and James McCartney have joined forces with Starr’s son Zak Starkey, formerly of The Who, to record the song “Rip-Off”.

Starkey, 59, shared a lengthy sample of the new song on his Instagram account on Monday (16 June), simply writing in the caption: “Vocals – Shaun Ryder, James McCartney, Sean Lennon.”

The video for the song features images of Lennon, McCartney and Mantra of the Cosmos, as well as The Beatles in their heyday.

Starkey formed the band in 2023. The project also features the talents of Happy Mondays‘ Shaun Ryder and Mark “Bez” Berry, as well as former Oasis and Beady Eye bassist Andy Bell.

Noel Gallagher previously collaborated with Mantra of the Cosmos on their last single “Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous)”. The Oasis legend described the song to The Times as being: “Dylan, Dali, Ginsberg and a bit of cosmic jibber-jabber. Add in Bez, who dances on the tunes like Zak plays the drums and Andy Bell plays all things stringed, and you have it”.

This isn’t the first time the offspring of Lennon and McCartney have collaborated. In April 2024 the pair released the song “Primrose Hill”, an ode to one of London’s most panoramic beauty spots in Regent’s Park.

James, the son of Sir Paul and his first wife, the late Linda McCartney, announced the release with his “good friend” Sean and hinted that it was the first of many collaborations to come.

“With the release of this song it feels like we’re really getting the ball rolling,” he wrote on Instagram.

Starkey has recently been in the news after he was unceremoniously fired by The Who, following complaints by frontman Roger Daltrey about the drummer’s performance during a gig at the Royal Albert Hall in March.

The news was made public first by guitarist Pete Townshend, who shared the announcement with his followers on social media.

Townshend had announced, in text written over a photo: “After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best.”

He also revealed that Starkey would be replaced by Scott Devours, who has worked with frontman Roger Daltrey’s solo band.

“Please welcome him,” Townshend wrote.

In response, Starkey wrote text over Townshend’s image, remarking that quitting The Who “would [have] let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) through the weeks of mayhem” as he was first fired from the band then reinstated.

“To clarify ‘other projects’… yes I do have other projects and always have,” he continued, referencing his work with artists including Johnny Marr and The Lightning Seeds.

“None of this has ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them,” he concluded. “The lie is or would have been that I quit The Who – I didn’t. I love The Who and everyone in it.”

Kim Woodburn dies aged 83 after ‘short illness’

Kim Woodburn, the star of How Clean Is Your House who made headlines after her fiery Celebrity Big Brother appearance, has died at the age of 83.

A statement announcing the TV personality’s death read: “It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved Kim Woodburn passed away yesterday following a short illness.

“Kim was an incredibly kind, caring, charismatic and strong person.”

Woodburn’s representatives said that her husband of 46 years, Peter, is “heartbroken at the loss of his soulmate”.

“We are so proud of the amazing things Kim achieved in her life and career. We kindly ask that Kim’s husband and close friends are given the time and privacy they need to grieve,” they continued.

Woodburn, who always wore her hair in a signature tight-braided bun, shot to fame after a cleaning company recommended her for a lifestyle show titled How Clean Is Your House in 2002. The channel had posted a listing for “a really good cleaner with quite a funny temperament”.

She secured a presenting slot after a successful screen test with co-host Aggie MacKenzie, and went on to front the show alongside her from 2003 to 2009.

MacKenzie claimed she fell out with Woodburn that same year while performing panto in Brighton together, and in 2003, she reflected on her professional relationship with her former co-star.

“I think we’re chalk and cheese,” she told GB News. “Because of the friction there was between us, it created this energy and so we knew how to be in front of the camera.

“I think for her [Kim] it’s kind of normal to have conflict and I think that if things are calm and easy, I think she found that quite difficult. That’s not me, I like it easy peasy.” However, MacKenzie added that there were “lots of highs”.

Nicknamed the “Queen of Clean”, Woodburn generated a cult following thanks to her scathing remarks and, after leaving the show, she became notorious for her unpredictable, often hilarious, showdowns on a string of reality shows.

Despite a rocky journey on the 2009 series of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Woodburn finished in second place behind Gino D’Acampo.

Her other reality show stints included Celebrity Come Dine with Me, Let’s Dance for Comic Relief and A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun, on which she appeared alongside her husband.

But perhaps most memorable was her time on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017, which was mired in controversy due to her many clashes with housemates including Jamie O’Hara, Nicola McLean and Coleen Nolan.

The following year, she went on daytime series Loose Women “to make amends” with Nolan, but ended up walking off following another row.

The show’s panellists were accused of “bullying” Woodburn and the interview prompted 8,000 complaints to broadcasting regulator Ofcom.

Nolan, who had won their series of Celebrity Big Brother, said afterwards: “We have got members of our team with Kim backstage. We didn’t intend for it to actually end like that, we were hoping – actually, genuinely hoping – for some kind of reconciliation, but that wasn’t going to happen.”

ITV said: “We invited Kim on the show to reconcile with Coleen and put their differences behind them. But it didn’t go to plan. After 18 months, we were hoping the two women would let bygones be bygones. But it wasn’t to be.”

Woodburn is survived by her husband, Peter.

What’s the secret to a truly stress-free holiday?

High-end cruising has entered a new era. Today’s luxury travellers aren’t looking for big flashy experiences. They want slow-paced, intimate travel and authentic cultural immersion. More than anything else, they’re looking for ease: that feeling of being genuinely cared for, safe in the knowledge that they’re experiencing the best of the best.

That means excellent quality food and drink, of course – it’s got to be restaurant standard and cater to all tastes – but also onboard enrichment experiences of the highest calibre. The great beauty of cruising has always been that not a second is wasted. Savvy travellers get to explore a rich and rewarding variety of exotic, off-the-beaten track locations, but instead of spending half their holiday stuck in motorway traffic, they’re honing their swing in the golf net, or sipping on a cocktail on the upper deck as they travel from destination to destination.

When they’re onshore they want genuinely immersive experiences that get them under the hood of a destination: think cellar tours of local vineyards or speedboat cruises to hidden beaches. Done right, a high-end all-inclusive cruise is the ideal form of slow travel, offering a perfect balance of adventure and indulgence, proper pampering and a thrilling sense of discovery.

The world’s most luxurious fleet

First among equals when it comes to the new era of luxury cruising is Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which offers more than 170 different itineraries visiting over 550 ports of call worldwide. Each of the six ships in their fleet is opulently appointed with beautifully designed communal areas and a huge array of amenities, but none of them has a capacity of more than 746 guests, ensuring space and freedom for all aboard.

The all-suite accommodation means that the private spaces are similarly roomy, each having a private balcony and marble bathroom. And service is always impeccable with a crew-to-guest ratio that’s nearly one-to-one, meaning that the team can always go that mile extra for all travellers.

Across the ships, the food is uniformly excellent. As well as Regent’s signature Compass Rose restaurant, with its daily changing menu of bistro classics like lobster bisque and New Zealand lamb chops, the different ships also feature a range of speciality dining venues. These include Prime 7, a New York-style steakhouse, Pacific Rim with its pan-Asian menu (be sure to try the miso black cod), and fine-dining destination, Chartreuse, where the chefs turn out sophisticated plates of upscale French cooking like Beef Tenderloin Rossini and Seared Foie Gras.

With a number of long cruises on their roster, Regent has made sure that each of its ships is akin to an ultra-luxury, boutique floating hotel with an incredible variety of things to do during the day and top-level entertainment at night. There are courts for paddle tennis and bocce, and the onboard spa offers a range of exclusive bespoke treatments. The ships host talks by experts in their field and cooking lessons are also available on some of the ships at the culinary arts kitchens where visiting chefs guide guests in how to make wow-factor dishes that relate to the ports of call. In the evening, the Constellation Theatre hosts lavishly staged productions from a team of Broadway choreographers and artists.

Destinations that match the onboard luxury

Of course, none of this onboard luxury would mean much if the destinations weren’t up to scratch, but Regent’s superbly curated itineraries are up there with the very best. Its week-long trips include culture-packed European tours like Glories of Iberia which sails from Barcelona to Lisbon, and thrilling frontier explorations such as the Great Alaskan Adventure from Whittier to Vancouver.

Longer trips include four-week Legendary Journeys from Athens to Montreal, and fully immersive explorations of the Arctic. Long or short, these itineraries are all underpinned by a commitment to taking guests right to the heart of a destination with the kind of bespoke onshore activities and expert-led insights that mean on a Regent Seven Seas Cruises voyage, adventure is guaranteed.

Visit Regent Seven Seas Cruises now to uncover the true meaning of luxury and start booking your ultimate stress-free getaway

Heat health alert for most of England as temperatures to soar to 32C

Heat health alerts have been issued for large parts of England later this week as temperatures are set to soar as high as 32C.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued seven yellow heat health alerts which come into force at 12:00pm on Wednesday and last until 6pm on Sunday.

The yellow alert covers the following areas:

The alert is the lowest, behind amber and red, on the UKHSA’s system, but it warned of the possible impacts on health and social services.

The UKHSA’s weather health alert system provides early warning to the health and social care sector when adverse temperatures are likely to impact the health and well-being of the population.

Temperatures are predicted to reach 27C on Tuesday and Wednesday, 29C on Thursday, 30C by Friday, then 32C on Saturday and peak at 33C on Sunday, the Met Office said.

An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.

All of the affected areas excluding Yorkshire and the Humber have been given a risk score of 10 out of 16, meaning “significant impacts are possible” due to high temperatures.

The UKHSA warned high temperatures could cause a rise in deaths, particularly among those over 65 or with health conditions.

Younger age groups may also be affected, it said.

It also warned there will likely be an increase in demand for health services, and indoor environments overheating increasing the risk to vulnerable people.

Yorkshire and the Humber has a score of 7 out of 16, so only minor impacts are likely.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said: “Our findings show that even moderate heat can result in serious health outcomes, especially for older adults, and it is, therefore, important that everyone takes sensible precautions while enjoying the sun.”

Making a direct plea to the public, he added: “If you have friends, family or neighbours who are more vulnerable, it is important to check in on them and ensure they are aware of the forecasts and are following the necessary advice.”

Meanwhile, the London Fire Brigade has issued a warning over wildfires before the prolonged spell of hot weather and following one of the driest springs on record.

Charlie Pugsley, deputy commissioner for operational policy, prevention and protection, said: “Extended periods of hot and dry weather can greatly increase the risk of a grass fire, and particularly when that grass is tinder dry the spread of fire can be rapid. We have seen examples of this in London as well as more recently worldwide, such as in California and South Korea.”

Grooming gangs report author says word ‘Pakistani’ was ‘tippexed out’ of a child’s file

The author of a damning report into grooming gangs has revealed she found the word ‘Pakistani’ “tippexed out” in archive files about child victims.

Louise Casey, whose national audit on grooming gangs was published on Monday, said “do-gooders” had covered up information on race and ethnicity believing that otherwise “all the racists are going to be more racist”.

Speaking to Sky News after the publication of her report, she said: “I was following through on a children’s file in archive and found the word ‘Pakistani’ tippexed out.

“I thought whoever did that inadvertently was giving ammunition to the English Defence League that were every week, in and out, campaigning and doing their stuff in that town.

“I think the problem is that people are worried about being called racist…. if good people don’t grasp difficult things, bad people will, and that’s why we have to do it as a society.”

She said not collecting more data on the ethnicity of grooming gangs does a “disservice” to the British Pakistani community and could leave them at risk, saying it was only helping perpetrators not to bring a fuller picture to light.

Baroness Casey’s highly critical report called for tougher prosecution of men who have sex with under-16s to ensure their charges are never downgraded from rape.

And she said the UK “failed in its duty” to properly understand this kind of group offending as she hit out at an “appalling” lack of data over offenders’ ethnicities.

“If we’d got this right years ago – seeing these girls as children raped rather than ‘wayward teenagers’ or collaborators in their abuse, collecting ethnicity data, and acknowledging as a system that we did not do a good enough job – then I doubt we’d be in this place now,” she wrote.

Yvette Cooper accepted and vowed to immediately act on the 12 recommendations in Baroness Casey’s report, including holding a time-limited national inquiry and mandatory collection of data on the nationality and ethnicity of perpetrators.

The home secretary described Baroness Casey’s findings as “damning”, adding: “She has found continued failure to gather proper robust national data despite concerns being raised going back very many years.

“In the local data that the audit examined from three police forces, they identify clear evidence of overrepresentation among suspects of Asian and Pakistani heritage men, and she refers to examples of organisations avoiding the topic altogether for fear of appearing racist or raising community tensions.”

The national inquiry into grooming gangs will aim to tackle “continued denial, resistance and legal wrangling”, she added.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the probe “must start with known hot spots” such as Bradford and Rochdale as she hit out at the prime minister for “dithering and delay”.