Tate loses comeback fight as pressure grows on PM to extradite him

Keir Starmer is facing pressure to bring influencer Andrew Tate back to the UK to face rape charges.

Tate, a 39-year-old self-described misogynist, returned to the spotlight when he lost his comeback fight against American reality TV star Chase DeMoor in Dubai on Saturday.

He emerged from the boxing ring bruised after losing to DeMoor in the sixth round.

Tate and his brother Tristan are facing a series of 21 charges in the UK, including rape, assault, human trafficking, and controlling prostitution.

Bedfordshire Police has obtained a European arrest warrant for the men, but agreed to let separate court proceedings in Romania for rape and human trafficking be completed first.

Tate is also facing civil action in Britain from four women who have accused him of assault and rape.

The Tate brothers had been under house arrest in Romania until February, and they have travelled overseas – including to the USA – since the ban was lifted.

The prime minister is now being urged to use Tate’s journey to Dubai as the impetus to extradite him to the UK.

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “The Tate brothers face extremely serious charges and it is long since time they were brought to face justice in the UK.

“The Prime Minister must call on the Dubai authorities to arrest them when they visit and extradite them so they the proper judicial process can take place.”

Emily Darlington, a Labour MP who has been campaigning on behalf of the alleged victims of Tate, said: “It is an affront to justice that the Tate brothers are allowed to roam the world freely, while their alleged victims can’t even go on social media for fear of being harassed and having their locations exposed.

“Too often, we see in our society that it is the victims and survivors whose lives are limited while abusers evade justice.

Matt Jury, of McCue Jury and Partners, which is representing the four women who have brought the civil case against Tate, also urged Sir Keir to take action.

He said: “The UK government has a golden opportunity this weekend to have Andrew Tate apprehended in Dubai and finally brought to face trial in the UK, but we have seen time and again that Labour ministers, for all their tough talk on tackling sexual violence against women, are reluctant to do what is necessary to possibly secure justice for the women who allege they were raped and assaulted by Tate.”

He added: “If you want to teach boys about the dangers of misogyny, start by showing them that there are consequences”.

BBC facing calls to axe David Walliams show from Christmas lineup

The BBC is under pressure to remove its forthcoming Would I Lie to You? Christmas special from the schedules, following allegations of inappropriate behaviour against guest panellist David Walliams.

Comedian and children’s author Walliams, 54, was dropped by publisher HarperCollins this week, after he was accused of behaving inappropriately towards young women. A junior colleague is said to have complained about his conduct, leading to other staff members being interviewed.

Former employees alleged to The Telegraph that they were advised to work in pairs when meeting with him and not to visit his home.

Walliams’s spokesperson said he “strongly denies” any claims and was not informed about or party to an investigation by HarperCollins.

Walliams is set to appear in Would I Lie to You? At Christmas, airing on BBC One on Boxing Day, alongside team captains David Mitchell and Lee Mack and fellow panellists Jools Holland, Swarzy Shire and Helen George.

The Telegraph has reported that one unnamed MP questioned the wisdom of airing a programme featuring Walliams, saying: “Innocent until proven guilty. But with the BBC’s record for getting it wrong, it probably would be better being safe than sorry.”

A BBC spokesperson told The Independent: “While we’re not making any changes to the festive schedules, we have no future projects directly involving David Walliams.”

Walliams’s appearance on the special episode made headlines earlier this year, after it emerged that he had given two Nazi salutes during the recording.

The former Little Britain star was said to have shocked host Rob Brydon and fellow celebrity panellists as well as audience members with the gesture.

At the time, the BBC apologised over the incident and the scene was deleted from the episode.

This evening (21 December), CBBC will air an adaptation of Walliams’s children’s book The Boy in the Dress.

Another of Walliams’s children’s books, Fing, is currently being adapted for the big screen in a production co-funded by Sky, with Walliams serving as an executive producer on the movie.

The Independent has contacted Sky for comment on the future of the project.

Walliams rose to fame more than 20 years ago through the comedy series Little Britain, alongside Matt Lucas. The show was hugely popular at the time but has come under fire in recent years over use of blackface in the series and claims it was sexist, classist and homophobic.

Following his TV career, Walliams has become one of the UK’s most established and successful award-winning children’s authors, selling an estimated 60 million copies worldwide. His books are widely used in schools.

In 2022, Walliams faced criticism after he was caught making obscene comments about contestants on Britain’s Got Talent.

A leaked transcript revealed that he called one auditioning contestant a “c***” and said of another: “She thinks you want to f*** her, but you don’t.”

Walliams subsequently left his role on the show, and apologised for the “disrespectful comments”, saying they were part of a private conversation that was “never intended to be shared”.

He sued FremantleMedia, the production company that makes BGT, for the leaking of his private remarks. The matter was settled in November 2023.

Nine killed in mass shooting in South Africa

At least nine people have been killed and 10 injured in a shooting in the Bekkersdal township west of Johannesburg in South Africa.

Armed men in two vehicles opened fire at a tavern in the early hours of the morning and continued shooting as they fled the scene, authorities said.

Witnesses described at least nine suspects with pistols and one with an AK-47-style assault rifle, police said.

Police have launched a manhunt for some 12 suspects believed to have been involved in the attack.

Among those killed was a driver working for a ride-hailing service, police said.

Some victims were randomly shot in the street outside the KwaNoxolo Tavern, said police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe.

The motive for the shooting remains unclear, and authorities are still working to identify the victims.

Police cited reports that ‘about 12’ unknown suspects arrived in a white kombi [van] and a silver sedan and opened fire at patrons.

They “continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene”, they said.

The incident occurred “just before 1:00am local time” (11:00 pm GMT), in the Tambo municipality, authorities said.

Police are now collecting witness statements to help in their investigation.

“We are still busy obtaining statements. Our national crime and management team has arrived,” Fred Kekana, acting commissioner of the Gauteng province, where the crime occurred, said.

He said police had found a “challenging and unfortunate situation”.

“When people were running out of the tavern, they were shot,” he said.

“People were also shot on the streets. While the cars [of the assailants] were leaving, they shot another driver.”

At least 10 people were taken to hospital with injuries.

South Africa’s public broadcaster, SABC, initially reported that 10 people had been killed but later revised the death toll.

The Independent has reached out to the South African Police Service for comment.

On 6 December, gunmen killed 12 people, including a three-year-old, at a Pretoria hostel reportedly selling alcohol illegally.

Ukraine peace talks constructive, Russia claims after Kyiv hits ship

Peace talks between Russia and the USin Miami were “proceeding constructively” and set to continue on Sunday, Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said, concluding Saturday’s talks.

US negotiators met with Russian officials in Florida for the latest talks aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, as the Trump administration tries to coax an agreement out of both sides to end the conflict.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile called for broader consultations with Kyiv’s European partners on Sunday, following talks between US and Ukrainian teams in Florida last week.

France said it was weighing how to move forward in restarting dialogue with Putin, after president Emmanuel Macron suggested that Europe would have to step up if US-led talks fail to yield a robust and lasting peace.

There was no indication of a lull in the conflict as Zelensky shared Ukraine’s assessment that Russia had launched some 2,500 strikes against Ukraine in the last week alone.

Ukraine also claimed to have struck a Russian warship and drilling facilities in the Caspian Sea during Kyiv’s latest maritime blitz against Putin’s ailing war machine.

Title-chasing Aston Villa face Man Utd in major Premier League test

Aston Villa host Manchester United in a major test for Unai Emery’s title-chasing side ahead of Christmas.

Villa have won six top-flight games in a row and now sit third in the Premier League table, six points off league leaders Arsenal and four off second-placed Manchester City.

While Villa gather momentum, United have been left ruing dropped points, drawing 4-4 in an entertaining clash with Bournemouth last time out having led three times.

Ruben Amorim has also hit the headlines again for criticising a sense of “entitlement” at the club, but United have the chance to bounce back against a side they have not lost to away from home in 26 games.

Follow all the action with our live blog below:

It’s about experience: Further Education teachers share what it takes

In the modern world, many of us are working longer than ever. Research based on ONS Labour Market data found that there are almost one million more workers aged 65 and above since the millennium and the state pension is set to rise to 67 by 2028 and 68 by the late 2030s. Subsequently, having multiple careers is becoming increasingly popular. And after decades working in a specific industry, sharing the work-based knowledge you have gained via teaching in further education is one of the most rewarding career shifts you can make.

Further Education teaching (defined as any education for people aged 16 and over who aren’t studying for a degree) allows you to switch up your working days and harness the skills and experience you have developed, all while helping shape the next generation of workers in your field.

To find out more about the role, from what it takes to the best parts of the job, we spoke to Further Education teachers who have switched from doing their day job to teaching it…

John Ryan, 51, from Weston Super Mare, worked for more than a decade on site in the construction industry, mainly in bricklaying and supervising roles, before an opportunity to become a Further Education assessor changed his path in his thirties. Travelling nationally to assess the work of new bricklayers in order to sign off their NVQs (National Vocational Qualification), the college John was associated with then started offering him some teaching work.

With no prior teaching qualifications, John completed these alongside his assessing and teaching roles with the fees picked up by the teaching college. “I liked the idea of passing on my knowledge and giving young people the skills and confidence to progress in a trade,” he says. “Teaching in Further Education felt like a natural next step because it would allow me to combine my practical background with coaching and mentoring.” There were practical draws too. “On site in the construction industry you are self-employed so you do not get holidays or sick pay. The stability of income and regular paid holidays was a big draw of Further Education teaching,” he adds.

Since his first assessing role 18 years ago, John has worked between assessing, teaching and jobs back on the construction site and now, he currently teaches bricklaying and groundwork full-time at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.

John’s extensive site and supervisory experience has proved to be hugely valuable when it comes to teaching his students there. “I can explain not just the ‘how’ but also the ‘why’ behind industry standards,” he explains. “Learners often respond well to hearing about real jobs, site challenges, and the professional behaviours that employers expect. It makes the lessons more relatable and credible,” he shares.

“For example, I can share stories of accidents when teaching site safety, or explain how a mistake of a few millimetres on a construction site can cost you time to rectify, which in turn will cost you money,” he says. “These hands-on, real world experiences make the theory relatable and show learners the real value of getting it right.”

Coral Aspinall, 52, who became a full-time Further Education teacher 12 years ago, agrees. “My experience allows me to put my teaching into context,” she says. Coral started out her engineering career at 16 as an apprentice in a local engineering company. Following a BSc in Engineering and Business Management, she worked for many years in the engineering industry before enrolling on a part-time PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education) course for teaching. She’s now the Engineering Programme Leader at the Stockport campus of the Trafford and Stockport College Group. Here, they offer qualifications such as Level 2 Performing Engineering Operations as well as engineering-focused Level 3 T Levels and Level 3 Btec Awards. They also offer Level 3 apprenticeships across engineering including Technical Support, Engineering Fitter and Maintenance Management.

“Because I’ve been an engineering apprentice myself, I understand what the student needs to be successful in terms of skills, knowledge and behaviour,” she explains. “I also have contacts in the wider engineering community and understand what an employer is looking for in an apprentice, and can also share insights in terms of how the sector is shifting and evolving to help support their progress.”

Working for an extensive period of time in a field before passing on that knowledge gives teachers maturity and empathy which can be hugely helpful for students, especially those facing complex life situations.

Beyond the practical techniques, a big part of John’s role is helping learners build confidence, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills that employers look for. “Many of my learners have different challenges, so they value teachers who are approachable, who believe in them, and who prepare them for real opportunities in work or further study,” he says. For John, his previous work experience has allowed him to do this. “On site, I worked with people facing all sorts of pressures, from work to life issues, which taught me to be patient and supportive,” he explains.

Coral has had a similar experience. “I see my role as more than imparting knowledge; it is about preparing the young person for the next stage of their journey. The students trust me to have their best interests at heart; they come to me for advice on their next steps and how they can achieve their aspirations, and I’ll support them with both practical advice and words of encouragement.”

For Coral, teaching later in life allows her to draw from a mature perspective, and teach her students positive workplace behaviours alongside skills and knowledge. “Students thrive when they have clear unambiguous boundaries, so I’m firm around expectations in terms of timekeeping, attendance and attitude. This is particularly important to succeeding in the workplace as employers value these behaviours as much as, or even more than having specific expertise or know-how (which can generally be developed).”

If you’re looking for a fresh career option, and keen to share your skills with the next generation, Further Education teaching could be a really enriching new phase. Further Education covers a huge range of career 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 a diverse mix of people 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 mean you have to stop working in your chosen field. Further education offers hybrid opportunities – so you could teach part time alongside your other commitments. This means you could have the best of both worlds, where you are still working in your chosen industry and teaching alongside it at a time that suits your schedule. Find out if it’s the right move for you here.

If, like John and Coral, you see the appeal in sharing the knowledge and skills you’ve developed with the next generation, exploring the option of becoming a Further Education teacher can be a great next step. As John shares, the reward is always worth it: “It never gets old passing on my knowledge to people starting on their journey, knowing I have made a difference and getting a smile and thanks in return!”

Looking for a new role that’s rewarding, flexible and draws on your current career? Why not consider sharing your experience where it matters most – helping inspire the next generation of workers in the field you love? Visit Further Education to find out more

Trail hunting to be banned under new animal welfare push

The government has announced a ban on trail-hunting to prevent the activity being used as a cover for foxhunting.

Any ban will raise questions over the future of the approximately 170 hunt packs in England and Wales, which will face a dilemma over whether to continue in a different form or whether to fold.

Hunt opponents – who insist the ban on foxhunting is routinely flouted – celebrated the announcement, which brings to a head years of furious clashes over whether genuine trail-hunting takes place.

The proposal, a Labour election manifesto pledge, forms a key part of the government’s long-awaited animal-welfare strategy, being unveiled on Monday

A public consultation on banning trail-hunting is already planned for early next year but a spokesman for governing body the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) told The Independent: “Hunts will continue to follow whatever the law requires of them.”

Some hunts have already approached clean-boot hunting groups, such as drag hunts, which do not chase foxes, with a view to joining them, The Independent has been told.

The Hunting Act 2004 made hunting wild mammals illegal, and hunts say they stay within the law by following a scent trail instead of animals. But video evidence since has repeatedly shown some hunts still catch and kill foxes.

In a webinar of hunt masters in 2020, leading hunting figures discussed how to create “a smokescreen” around their activities and how to avoid prosecution. In its new strategy, the government acknowledges widespread concern that trail-hunting is a smokescreen.

Hunters chased or killed nearly 600 wild animals in the 2023-24 winter season, according to a report by anti-hunt organisation Protect the Wild.

This week drone footage from Northants Hunt Saboteurs is claimed to show a huntsman bundling something into a black sack and carefully handing it over to another rider. Hunt saboteurs who shot the footage allege he was putting the a fox killed by hounds in the sack.

A BHSA spokesman, when shown the footage, said it was too unclear to identify the individual, the object or the context. “It would be inappropriate to comment on material filmed covertly and presented without verification. As far as we are aware, the Cottesmore have complied with the law and our regulations,” he said.

Earlier this week, the BHSA ordered that in future terrier men, who block up earth holes to prevent foxes escaping a chase, must not attend “trail hunting” days – in a move interpreted by some as a last-ditch effort to clean up the image of hunting.

The Hunt Saboteurs Association is worried that even if some hunts join forces with drag-hunting groups, it would be difficult to retrain hounds to stop picking up foxes’ scents.

And a spokeswoman said they feared that some unregistered, mostly farmer-led hunts, will “go underground” and continue to hunt in defiance of the ban.

She said: “We are hopeful for a proper ban on trail-hunting, which closes the loopholes in the law and blows away the hunting smokescreen.

“This season has already seen wildlife chased and killed under the guise of ‘trail hunting’. A ban is long overdue to end the savage cruelty caused by hunting with hounds. We will wait to see the outcome of the consultation, but it is clear that far stronger measures are urgently needed to protect wildlife.”

A spokesperson for the Countryside Alliance said of plans to ban trail-hunting : “The last Labour government said hunts should follow an artificial scent when it spent several hundred hours banning traditional hunting. It would be perverse if they were now to ban that.”

They did not reply when asked whether hunts would obey or flout a ban on trail-hunting.

A BHSA spokesman said until there is a clear proposal, it would be premature to speculate on what hunts may do or how a ban might be interpreted.

“Trail hunting remains lawful, and we do not accept the premise that it should be banned. It supports livelihoods, keeps small rural businesses going and holds communities together, with well over ten thousand hounds and many thousands of horses kept specifically for this lawful purpose.

“This is more than a pastime — it is part of the economic and social lifeblood of the countryside, something that will be visible again when Boxing Day meets draw large crowds.”

All the concerning themes in David Walliams’s children’s books

David Walliams’s children’s books are being looked at with renewed scrutiny after he was dropped by his publisher HarperCollins, following allegations of inappropriate behaviour being made against the author.

A junior colleague is said to have complained about his conduct, leading to other staff members being interviewed.

Former employees alleged to The Telegraph that they were advised to work in pairs when meeting with him and not to visit his home.

A spokesperson for Walliams said he “strongly denies” any claims and was not informed about or party to an investigation by HarperCollins.

Walliams has been faced with much public criticism over the years, including for using blackface in Little Britain, and for making obscene comments about contestants during his time on Britain’s Got Talent.

And despite his literary career being hugely successful – he has brought HarperCollins £100m in sales via dozens of books that have sold more than 60 million copies, and are widely used in schools – Walliams’s books have also repeatedly received negative attention for the stereotypes they reinforce, and have been accused of sexism, classism, fat-shaming and more.

Walliams frequently writes about female characters without clothes on, who find themselves in humiliating circumstances. In his 2013 book Demon Dentist, Winnie, a social worker with “an abundant bum”, gets trapped in a wire fence, which she is pushed through.

In the story, Walliams writes: “It took a few moments for Winnie to realise she was now only in her underwear… standing there in her bra and knickers. The bra was quite the biggest Alfie had ever seen. It looked like it could comfortably hold two footballs, and was bright orange. The knickers, that might have doubled as a child’s play tent, were a shocking shade of pink.”

Female characters throughout Walliams’s books are depicted as useless or absent, as having affairs or abandoning their children.

In Billionaire Boy, from 2010, there is a character called Sapphire Stone, a “Page 3 girl” depicted as a gold-digger.

Walliams writes: “Joe looked at the page. There was a photograph of a woman whose clothes seemed to have fallen off. Her hair was dyed white blonde and she had so much make-up on it was difficult to tell if she was pretty or not. Underneath the image it read, ‘Sapphire, 19, from Bradford. Likes shopping, hates thinking.’”

Repeated reference is made throughout Walliams’s books to how overweight (and therefore, in his stories, grotesque) certain characters are.

Auntie Dhriti, in 2015’s Grandpa’s Great Escape, cannot leave her flat because of her size. “She was always a large lady,” a character says in the story, “but since living above a sweet shop she has ballooned. I would have to hire a crane and knock down a wall if she ever wanted to pop out.”

Meanwhile Sheila, a stepmother character in 2012’s Ratburger, is described thus: “Zoe’s stepmother was quite short, but she made up for it by being as wide as she was tall.”

He adds that she is “so lazy she would order Zoe to pick her nose for her, though of course Zoe always said ‘no’. Sheila could even let out a groan while changing channels with the TV remote.”

In 2021, it was announced that a story containing “harmful stereotypes” about Chinese people would be removed from Walliams’s 2016 book The World’s Worst Children.

Podcaster Georgie Ma had condemned the story, which centres on a studious young Chinese boy named Brian Wong, in an Instagram post that year.

Speaking to The Bookseller, Ma said that the story “normalised jokes on minorities from a young age”, and identified a number of “negative stereotypes” the story perpetuated.

These include the way the character was drawn (”He wears glasses, he looks like a nerd, he’s got small eyes”), jokes about his name, and his stereotyped character traits.

“The overall character plays on the model minority myth where Chinese people are nerdy, swotty and good at maths, we’re not confrontational and we’re high achievers,” said Ma.

In a statement at the time, HarperCollins said: “In consultation with our author and illustrator we can confirm that a new story will be written to replace ‘Brian Wong’ in future editions of The World’s Worst Children.”

In 2020, activist and food writer Jack Monroe branded the comedian’s stories as “sneering classist fatshaming nonsense”.

In a thread on X (then Twitter), which went viral, Monroe quoted several of Walliams’s books, including The World’s Worst Parents, which was published in the summer of 2020.

Monroe accused Walliams of “targeting the working class” and noted how much of his material was recycled from his controversial Little Britain series.

She condemned Walliams for depicting a single mother of two who lives in a tower block as one of the “world’s worst parents” when “all she does is love her kids and make them laugh”.

Monroe added: “I’m aware I probably come across as a joyless harpy, but a white wealthy man using working-class women as punchlines for his tired old jokes and then spoon-feeding them to children is grim.”

The Telegraph noted that this character’s only “crimes appear to be that she wears a ‘very bad, homemade outfit’ and is boring”.