‘More clowns than Billy Smart’s circus’: Reform mocked as Kent council holds first meeting since video leak

Reform UK’s flagship council has been mocked as having “more clowns than Billy Smart’s circus” as councillors met for the first time since footage of a chaotic online meeting emerged.

Several members of the party in Kent were suspended after footage of the meeting was leaked last month, in which council leader Linden Kemkaran could be seen berating backbench councillors when they questioned her.

The administration was confronted by opposition leaders during a chaotic meeting at Kent County Council (KCC) on Thursday, where they were branded a “laughing stock”.

Harry Rayner, the council’s Conservative leader, said the council had “more clowns on display since I saw Billy Smart’s last circus”.

He was joined by the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Kent, Antony Hook, who said the council is in “political crisis” and that he had heard of “bets being made” about whether the administration would last until Christmas.

He urged councillors to “not act in a way that becomes a punchline on Have I Got News for You”.

The council’s Green Party leader, Mark Hood, compared the group to another TV show – The Traitors – and said members were waiting to see who else might be deemed as such.

Responding to the statements from opposition leaders, Ms Kemkaran said: “Every time I’m in this chamber it becomes like a group therapy session – that was more of a cry for help from the opposition.”

She added their contributions had gone “from Halloween to panto season in the blink of an eye”.

Ms Kemkaran drew on her son’s experience of military training, comparing the dropout rate from his fellow recruits to those within her party.

“Along the way, some had quit because they couldn’t hack it. Others had been thrown out for bad behaviour or were simply unwilling to accept discipline,” she said, adding: “Sitting here now six months on, we too may be slightly leaner in number, but we are much stronger, and we are totally battle-fit.”

The council chair, Richard Palmer, had to remind councillors several times of the Nolan principles in the meeting, which saw laughter and interruptions erupt in the chamber.

When asked at one point whether she believes her actions in the last council meeting and since adhered to the Nolan principles, Ms Kemkaran simply replied: “Yes.”

Kent’s deputy leader, Reform councillor Brian Collins, had to speak over laughter in the chamber as he failed to say whether or not the council would be raising council tax.

When asked how much less residents could expect to be paying next year, Mr Collins said “no decision had been made” on the matter.

In response to laughter coming from other councillors, Mr Collins said they “may laugh” and “smirk” but insisted that it is Reform’s “intention to one day be able to lower council tax”.

The party had taken control of KCC in May, winning 57 of 81 seats – but ongoing suspensions and removals mean fewer than 48 Reform councillors remain at the authority.

Most recently, councillor Isabella Kemp, who represents Sheppey on KCC, was suspended from the party ahead of the council meeting on Thursday.

Just last week, Bill Barrett, Oliver Bradshaw and Paul Thomas, along with another councillor, Brian Black, were kicked out of Reform UK following investigations.

In the full council meeting on Thursday, one of the suspended councillors, Mr Thomas, challenged members of his former party on ongoing road closures.

He accused the council of “kicking the can down the road”, as he said residents were “suffering” and going without bus services for up to six weeks.

Cabinet member for highways and transport, Peter Osborne, said their powers do not extend to preventing such emergency works from taking place.

A former Reform councillor has also announced he is considering legal action against the party for defamation of his character following his removal.

Councillor Robert Ford was removed from Reform UK last month following unofficial complaints from female members of staff.

On Thursday, he said: “I’m currently taking legal advice regarding the defamation of my character by Reform UK at KCC that occurred on October 13 and I intend in the coming months to pursue this with vigour.”

Mr Ford claims the complaints relate to an “erotic novel” he had published, which he had mentioned to people at KCC.

11 arrests after pro-Palestine protest outside Villa-Maccabi match

At least 11 people were arrested as a series of verbal clashes broke out during a pro-Palestine protest outside Aston Villa’s controversial Europa League match against Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Villa Park ahead of Thursday night’s tie, which took place without visiting fans after Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group raised public safety concerns.

The demonstrators, including members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, gathered outside the stadium’s Trinity Road Stand, with a stage set up for speakers to lead chants against the IDF and in support of Palestinians.

They demanded Israel’s domestic football teams be excluded from UEFA competitions.

But despite calls for a peaceful protest, just before the game started at 8pm there were several verbal clashes between people outside the stadium and those taking part in the demonstration.

With more than 700 officers on duty as part of the major operation, West Midlands Police quickly intervened in each face-off, moving groups of people along and pushing the protesters away from stadium entrances.

The atmosphere calmed after the game started, but at half-time, with Villa fans coming out into the concourse, some confronted the protesters through a metal fence.

Police again quickly moved the groups apart, before later ensuring supporters and remaining demonstrators, who decided to stay on after the protest was called to an end at 8.30pm, were kept separated at the end of the match.

The force said a 21-year-old man was arrested for failing to comply with an order to remove a face mask, while another 21-year-old was arrested after trying to throw fireworks into the ground. A 17-year-old boy was arrested for failing to comply with a dispersal order and a man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs.

Five men were arrested for racially aggravated public order offences, one for breach of the peace. A 17-year-old boy was arrested after being issued with a dispersal order but refusing to leave the area.

Protest steward Naveed Sadiq said: “It’s unfortunate there were some skirmishes, but when you have a protest of this size, and so many people attending the game, I’m afraid you get the minority and these things happen.

“Overall, I’m pleased with how the protest has gone. I feel like we got our show of support for Palestine across tonight, while pushing our point that Maccabi Tel Aviv should not be in this competition, given what’s happened in Gaza.”

Ali Abbas, of the West Midlands Palestine Solidarity group, said: “The game should have been cancelled to begin with, and then there would not have been this situation. You have seen here the strength of feeling against it here locally tonight.”

Many people attending the protest waved Palestine flags and brandished placards, some saying “stop arming Israel” and “stop starving Gaza”.

Among those speaking was Perry Barr independent MP Ayoub Khan, who claimed Israeli teams should face a similar ban in European competitions to the one handed down by Uefa to Russian clubs following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

“When you see the images of children being massacred, when you understand that more than 800 athletes have been killed in Gaza… then you will understand the moral argument,” he told protesters.

Five flatbed vehicles were driven past the ground prior to kick-off, carrying electronic billboards showing messages opposing antisemitism.

One of the messages, beside a Star of David, read “Ban hatred not fans”, while another carried a quote from Thierry Henry saying football is not about goals but about bringing people together.

Around 40 protesters, one carrying an Israeli flag, and others carrying posters saying “Keep antisemitism out of football”, gathered on a basketball court on Witton Lane, close to the Doug Ellis Stand, to hear various speakers oppose the ban on Maccabi fans.

One Villa supporter, Adam Selway, said while he was not making any political statement, he felt sympathy with fans unable to attend and simply wanted to watch a football match.

“It’s not about politics, it’s about football,” he said. “It’s not the Villa fans that don’t want anyone here – the Villa fans want the away fans here.”

Maccabi announced it would decline any away tickets for the match after the government said it was “working around the clock” to ensure fans from both sides could attend.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer had called for the ban on away fans to be overturned, saying it was “the wrong decision”.

Police struggling to cope as Prevent referrals soar to record high

Police are struggling to cope with a surge in potentially violent teenagers being referred to Britain’s counterterrorism programme Prevent as cases reach a record high in the wake of the Southport attack.

A total of 8,778 individuals were flagged to the government’s anti-extremism scheme in the year to March 2025, Home Office figures show. This is up 27 per cent on the previous year and is the highest number since the current data series began in April 2015.

In the more than half of the cases – a total of 4,917 referrals – the individual was found to subscribe to no specific ideology or belief system. Only 7 per cent of these cases were deemed suitable for further intervention by Prevent’s anti-radicalisation programmes.

The figures come as Britain’s most senior counterterrorism officer called this week for an increase in the capacity of mental health services to help manage the rising number of referrals involving individuals with no clear ideology.

He said there had been a significant increase in referrals since the brutal murders at a children’s dance class in Southport in July 2024.

The attacker in that incident, Axel Rudakubana, was referred to Prevent three times amid fears over his fixation with violence, but his case was closed due to a lack of distinct ideology. A review later found there was sufficient information to refer him to a panel for further assessment.

Before Southport, referrals were expected to hit similar numbers as previous years, but cases started to rise around the time of Rudakubana’s trial in January.

The 3,287 referrals in the following three months is the highest number in a single quarter since data began and is thought to be linked to increased vigilance following the shocking case.

Assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor warned police are grappling with a “very significant increase in the volume of people either with mixed ideologies, no clear ideology, or very complex [problems]”.

He called for strengthened capacity and mental health support, warning: “Counterterrorism policing cannot take on everything.”

He added: “I don’t believe we have the capacity in the system to deal with the complexities that people are displaying that are coming into our purview, so through Prevent or other means.

“So, I do think the capacity needs increasing. I do think the system needs strengthening, and it takes that whole approach, so that we can stop people being drawn into terrorism in the first instance. And that is really important when it comes to mental health; that requires some very specialist skills.”

Responding to the figures, David Anderson, a crossbench peer who served as the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation from 2011 to 2017, said: “Prevent is the canary in the coalmine. These figures show that established ideologies are being joined by crude but potentially deadly belief systems, such as a nihilistic fascination with extreme violence.

“They also point to the capacity of terrorist movements to exploit mental ill health and neurodiversity in the young.”

Prevent is the government’s anti-extremism scheme and is designed to divert people from becoming involved in terrorism.

The data, published on Thursday, also showed that almost four in 10 referrals involved 11- to 15-year-olds, who made up the largest proportion with 3,192 cases, followed by 16- to 17-year-olds, who accounted for 1,178 cases. A total of 345 children referred were aged 10 and under.

Just over a third of people flagged to the programme had at least one mental health or neurodiversity condition, the figures show.

Only 17 per cent of cases referred to Prevent last year were adopted by the scheme for further intervention. Following initial screening and assessment, cases deemed at risk of radicalisation may be passed to a multi-agency “Channel panel”. Chaired by local authorities, these panels determine the extent of a person’s susceptibility to radicalisation, and whether a tailored package of support is necessary to address that risk.

Of the 8,778 referrals made to Prevent in the year to March, 1,727 individuals were discussed by a Channel panel and 1,472 were adopted as Channel cases for further support.

Alex Carlile, also a crossbench peer who served as the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation between 2001 and 2011, said the figures are “unsurprising”, adding that it is crucial that Channel panel assessments follow a consistent methodology to avoid “unnecessary” Prevent involvement, particularly in respect of children.

He told The Independent: “They [the figures] reflect increased concern about potentially violent political extremism, which inevitably results in more referrals.”

Security minister Dan Jarvis said: “We must direct people away from the dangerous path of radicalisation – whether it be Islamist ideology, Extreme Right-Wing or those seeking mass violence.

“Prevent has diverted 6,000 people away from violent ideologies, stopping terrorists, keeping our streets and country safe.”

Labour’s new deputy leader warns Reeves not to break manifesto pledge

Labour’s new deputy leader Lucy Powell has warned Rachel Reeves not to break her manifesto pledges and raise taxes, saying voters have to be able to “trust” the government.

After both the chancellor and the prime minister refused to repeat the promise not to hike income tax, national insurance or VAT, Ms Powell said there was “no question” the party should keep its pledges.

She also said it was urgent the government lift the two child benefit cap in full in this month’s Budget.

The warning comes after Ms Reeves put the country on notice that manifesto-busting sweeping tax rises are coming later this month, saying during an unprecedented pre-Budget speech on Tuesday that “we will all have to contribute”.

Economists have repeatedly warned Ms Reeves that a combination of higher borrowing , sluggish economic growth and Labour U-turns mean she must raise taxes or tear up her flagship borrowing rules in the Budget.

Ms Powell told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We should be following through on our manifesto, of course. There’s no question about that.”

When it came to manifesto promises, she said that “trust in politics is a key part of that because if we’re to take the country with us then they’ve got to trust us and that’s really important too.”

She also called for the two child benefit cap to be abolished with “urgency”.

“I think what we’ve all been talking about recently is the urgency of that now,” she said, “because every year that passes with this policy in place, another 40,000 children are pushed into deep levels of poverty as a result of it – and that’s why it is urgent that we do lift it and we lift it in full.”

Tony Blair’s think tank has warned Ms Reeves that she must slash taxes again before the next election if she breaks her key manifesto pledge and hikes them in the Budget.

The group also said that any tax hikes such as raising VAT or income tax must be done in tandem with pro-business policies to break Britain’s “tax-and-spend doom loop”.

One arrested after boy injured in Reading college assault

One person has been arrested after a boy was injured in an assault at a college in Reading.

Armed police officers stormed Reading College on Kings Road in Berkshire on Thursday afternoon following the incident. Thames Valley Police said one person has been arrested after a boy sustained injuries, which they described as “non life-threatening”.

The force added searches are “ongoing” with armed officers present on the scene, and advised members of the public to avoid the area. A police helicopter is circling the area as searches continue, according to local media reports.

An automated message on Reading College’s phone line said the student is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition. The message said: “We are currently dealing with an incident at Reading College where one student has sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

“Their family have been informed. The police have been notified and are present.

“Please be reassured that all actions have been taken to ensure students’ safety.”

Witnesses told local media the college was on “lockdown”. It is believed to have since reopened with multiple police cars and officers still on the scene.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of an assault with injury in Kings Road, Reading.

“A boy has sustained injuries and is receiving medical treatment. Search activity is ongoing, supported by armed officers, and a visible police presence remains. We advise members of the public to avoid the area at this time while officers work swiftly to resolve the situation.

“We will provide an update when we are in a position to do so.”

In a later update, the force said: “We can confirm officers have made an arrest in connection with this incident. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is being treated in hospital.

“Officers are still in the area, so if you’re worried or have any questions, please feel free to speak to them. Contrary to media reports, this incident has not been categorised as a major incident by the force.”

This is a breaking news story, more to follow…

What is tacit knowledge – could your work skills spark a new career?

Whether it’s solving a logistical problem, navigating a tricky client meeting or being able to design, craft or build, we all have certain skills that feel straightforward to us yet can seem out of reach to others. A big part of this is tacit knowledge, the personal ‘know-how’ that individuals possess, built up over time. In a work context, this tacit knowledge can open interesting doors to potential new career paths, in which this real-world experience can be shared with the next generation of workers.

Understanding the concept of tacit knowledge is perhaps easiest when compared to its counterpart: explicit knowledge. “Explicit knowledge is something you can fully articulate linguistically and can be understood without context while tacit knowledge is something that can’t be described in the same way and needs its context to be appreciated,” Dr Neil Gascoigne, Reader in Philosophy at Royal Holloway University of London and co-author of Tacit Knowledge, explains.

Gascoigne gives the example of the famous physics equation of E=mc^2. This formula is considered a piece of explicit knowledge, as words can be used to explain the idea. However, the average person wouldn’t know how to use this formula. This is where tacit knowledge comes in. You would need to have studied physics, put your knowledge into practice and learned first-hand how to use formulas effectively in order to make the most of the explicit knowledge given.

In the workplace, a company handbook might explicitly set out the business’ practice for a certain task. However, you would need some tacit knowledge gained through work experience or time in the company to complete this task most successfully and efficiently.

As tacit knowledge is harder to explain with words, it often has a mysterious quality to it. However, as Gascoigne points out, this is only to the untrained eye. “Tacit knowledge often seems obscure to people unless they possess similar skills themselves. Without them, it doesn’t become apparent what expertise is exactly on display,” he elaborates.

“For instance, say I am watching a Grand Slam tennis match. I know there’s an astonishing kind of athleticism, but if I don’t play tennis or am not a committed tennis fan, I might not be able to tell the difference between a really great shot and a more average shot,” Gascoigne says.

This same idea applies in the workplace. Tacit knowledge is gained through experience and consequently, while we all have tacit knowledge, the areas we have it in differ. What’s more, it can even seem quite mysterious to ourselves. When we have worked in a certain industry for a period of time, we aren’t always aware of the tacit knowledge we have gained. While explicit knowledge relates to aspects of our job that we might have had to sit down and learn, our tacit knowledge is obtained in a practical way over time, by doing tasks again and again and subtly learning and improving as we go along.

After a while, we know exactly how to tackle projects or solve problems, almost without thinking. For instance, in the construction industry, this tacit knowledge would help you judge site safety or develop practical skills like site excavation, land levelling or brick laying. If you work in social care, it is only with time and experience that you can pick up on subtle emotional cues or manage crisis situations effectively. While in engineering, years spent tackling complex technical issues allow you to troubleshoot effectively, and draw on a myriad of possible solutions from projects past.

Whatever sector you work in, the knowledge needed to succeed is always a mixture of explicit and tacit, and the latter – this know-how built from personal experience, intuition, and practice – is incredibly valuable when it comes to judging real-world situations, solving complex problems and having an edge over competitors.

And while by definition, not explicit, that doesn’t mean that tacit knowledge can’t be shared. Indeed with time, attention and training, you can drill down on years-honed skills and information, and share it with others through teaching.

In fact, it is at the core of sharing your craft – and that’s far more than a simple list of instructions. “To learn how to do something, you really need to follow the example of somebody who already knows how to do it,” says Gascoigne. “These people have learnt the rules, internalised them and use tacit knowledge to know when they apply and when they don’t.”

Tacit knowledge is particularly valuable when it comes to Further Education teaching (defined as any education for people aged 16 and over who aren’t studying for a degree). This is because the focus is on preparing students for employment, and teachers need to draw on tacit knowledge to share how things really work in their industry. This ensures that students complete their qualifications not only with theoretical competence but also practical and employable skills.

This is why this type of practical learning that further education teachers specialise in can be so valuable. Workshop-style teaching and skills-led mentoring allows for those with experience to share the vital tacit knowledge they have built up over time in real-world scenarios. Meanwhile, those learning from them can see these nuggets of knowledge in action and have a chance to put them in practice as they learn.

If you’re passionate about your industry and interested in sharing your own tacit knowledge,  becoming a Further Education teacher can be a really rewarding and valuable career move. Further Education covers a huge range of industry sectors including construction, law, engineering, digital, hospitality, tourism, beauty and more. This includes BTECs (Business and Technology Education Council qualifications), T Levels, NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications) or City & Guilds Qualifications.

Teaching in a mixture of colleges (often General Further Education Colleges or Sixth Form Colleges) and Adult and Community Learning Centres as well as workplace and apprenticeship settings, Further Education teachers share their years of real world industry  skills with people of all ages and backgrounds from those straight out of school aged sixteen to those making career switches later in life.

You don’t always need an academic degree or prior teaching qualifications to start teaching in Further Education. You can undertake teacher training on the job, often funded by your employer, so you can start earning straight away. Furthermore, it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing option. Further Education offers flexible opportunities – so you could teach part time alongside your other commitments. This means you could have a best of both worlds set-up, where you are still working in your chosen industry and teaching alongside it at a time that suits your schedule.

Whether it’s shifting your career fully or adding teaching into the mix, becoming a Further Education teacher can be a life-changing decision. One that taps into your well of tacit knowledge and creates a sense of fulfillment from helping shape the next generation of workers in your field.

Why not consider sharing your tacit knowledge where it matters most – helping inspire the next generation of workers in the field you love? Visit Further Education to find out more

Lisa Nandy breached code in appointing football watchdog chair

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has admitted to breaching the governance code for public appointments regarding her choice for the new football watchdog’s chairman.

In a letter addressed to Sir Keir Starmer, Ms Nandy apologised for contravening the rules by not disclosing that David Kogan, her appointee, had previously donated to her leadership campaign.

A report by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, investigating Mr Kogan’s selection as chairman of the Independent Football Regulator, concluded that she had “unknowingly” committed this “error”.

The government’s appointment of Labour donor Mr Kogan as chairman of the Independent Football Regulator made three breaches of the Governance Code, the independent Commissioner for Public Appointments ruled.

As well as Ms Nandy’s failure to disclose his donations, a potential conflict of interest was not discussed with Mr Kogan at interview, and his links to the Labour Party were not revealed, Sir William Shawcross said in a report.

Mr Kogan made two donations totalling £2,900 to Ms Nandy in 2020.

Sir William accepted she “unknowingly” breached the code, but said she should have checked whether she had received funds from him when she selected Mr Kogan as the Government’s top candidate given she had been told by then about his “extensive links” to the Labour Party.

Ms Nandy told the Prime Minister: “The commissioner’s conclusions include a finding that I unknowingly breached an aspect of the Governance Code on Public Appointments. I deeply regret this error. I appreciate the perception it could create, but it was not deliberate and I apologise for it.”

She said she welcomed “the clear recognition that I did not know about two donations”, and that as soon as she found out about them, she “chose to declare them and recuse myself” from the appointment process.

“I want to assure you that I took robust steps before the process began to check the Electoral Commission and Parliamentary register for any donations I had received since I became a Member of Parliament in 2010, and made proactive inquiries with former campaign staff. None of these clear steps identified the donations in question.”

In a written response to Ms Nandy’s apology, the Prime Minister said: “I note the commissioner’s findings that the error was unknowing and I accept your assurance there was no intentional or deliberate action on your part to undermine the expectations set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

“I know you to be a person of integrity and on the basis of your letter, it is clear you have acted in good faith.”

He added: “Nonetheless, the process followed was not entirely up to the standard expected and I welcome your department’s willingness to co-operate with the commissioner and the Cabinet Office to learn lessons, and to improve the guidance on handling conflicts of interests.

“I also recognise that the report in no way casts any doubt on the suitability of Mr Kogan for the important role of chair of the Independent Football Regulator.”

It comes a week after the Prime Minister cleared Rachel Reeves over her failure to obtain a rental licence for her south London family home.

It also follows on the heels of several high-profile exits from Government as a result of scandals.

Among these was Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister and housing secretary, who resigned following a row about her tax affairs.

Lord Mandelson was also sacked as ambassador to Washington after details of his relationship with the dead paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein came to light.

Fears NHS faces a ‘collision’ of huge flu wave and doctor strikes

The NHS faces a “collision” of flu and doctor strikes as it heads into a challenging winter, the head of the service has said.

Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, told leaders at the King’s Fund conference in central London that NHS staff did a “brilliant job” in the summer managing strikes by doctors.

But he suggested that a further five-day strike by resident doctors in England, which begins next Friday, could pose a significant challenge.

Sir Jim said that, after the summer strikes, it was tricky for a few weeks for the NHS to get back on its feet and “that’s the bit I’m worried about with this time – we’ll manage the event well, and then, as we’re getting back on our feet, just because of the collision of events, I think that will probably coincide with bad flu”.

He added: “We all respect the right to strike, but it’s a risk that we could all do without, especially at this point of the year.

“So I really wish we weren’t going to do it.”

Sir Jim said the flu wave could go on a long time, adding: “We will just have to really stay focused on safety in all aspects, and we’re very prepared.

“The service has prepared a lot… to try and mitigate the risks. I’m confident the service will do its best.

“There’s things that you’d rather not have – some of that’s completely unmanageable. Flu is going to be here. We’ll have another Covid round.

“Industrial action is avoidable. We could do with avoiding it.”

Earlier, an expert warned that thousands of people could die from flu this winter after figures suggested the number of flu deaths more than doubled last year.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates show that deaths from flu in England stood at 7,757 last winter, compared with 3,555 the year before.

Child deaths involving flu also increased from 34 to 53.

The UK is braced for a spate of flu deaths this winter, with NHS leaders issuing a “flu jab SOS” urging people to get protected.

It follows the biggest flu season in Australia’s history, which is often seen as an accurate predictor of what the UK can expect.

Sir Jim said earlier there was “no doubt” this winter will be “one of the toughest our staff have ever faced”.

He added: “Since stepping into this role, the thought of a long, drawn-out flu season has kept me awake at night.

“And, unfortunately, it looks like that fear is becoming reality.

“Australia has just endured its worst flu season on record – over 410,000 cases – and all the signs suggest the NHS will face similar challenges in the months ahead.

“From December through to March, our hospitals will be at capacity.”

Dr Suzanna McDonald, national lead for the influenza programme at the UKHSA, said: “Flu has hit early this year and will only spread in the coming weeks.

“Many people often think they have flu when they only have a bad cold.

“If you get flu, it is nasty and for some more vulnerable it can be deadly.

“If you’re eligible it is because you are at greater risk.

“If you’ve not yet had a flu vaccine, don’t regret it later – stay strong and get vaccinated – as soon as possible.”

At St George’s, Epsom and St Helier hospitals, chief nursing officer Elaine Clancy said the NHS trust was preparing for a bad winter.

She said: “Last flu season was particularly nasty and we’re very concerned that this year could be even worse – we’re preparing for a spike of flu on to our wards.

“We see people dying every year from flu and sadly thousands more will likely this year.

“I strongly recommend booking your jab now, as it takes up to 14 days to fully kick in.”

NHS England said it was making 2.4 million vaccination slots available next week, which it said was enough to vaccinate the whole of Greater Manchester or Botswana.Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, said: “With just weeks left to ensure best protection against the worst of the flu season, we are issuing an urgent SOS to the eligible people who have yet to get jabbed this year.

“It is vital that the public use the over 2.4 million available appointments we have running next week to stamp out this early wave of flu cases and help shield themselves ahead of winter, when viruses tend to circulate and the NHS faces increased pressure on its services.

“The vaccine is proven to be safe and help prevent those at risk from getting seriously ill and even hospitalised from flu – so please check your local pharmacy, book an appointment online or by calling 119, or speak to your GP practice today about your winter flu vaccine.”

Flu vaccines are available for everyone aged 65 and over, under-65s in clinical risk groups, pregnant women, care home residents and carers, close contacts of those who are immunosuppressed, frontline social care workers, and health and social care staff as well as children.

Public health minister Ashley Dalton said: “Vaccination is the best form of defence against flu – particularly for the most vulnerable.

“With flu cases already triple what they were this time last year, I urge everyone eligible to take up one of the 2.4 million appointments available next week.”

National Pharmacy Association chief executive Henry Gregg said: “Thousands of pharmacies are offering NHS flu jabs to protect people against illness this winter.

“They are convenient, close to home and highly experienced in offering vaccinations – helping take pressure from GPs and other parts of the health service.”