Ex-Labour minister quits as MP with Andy Burnham tipped to stand in by-election

A former Labour minister who had the whip removed over offensive WhatsApp messages has stood down as an MP, clearing the way for Sir Keir Starmer’s potential leadership rival Andy Burnham.

Andrew Gwynne, the MP for Gorton and Denton, had previously denied that he was intending to vacate the seat, saying in September that the “route to No 10” was not going to be through his seat. But Mr Gwynne, who has been away from Parliament on sick leave, announced his resignation on Thursday afternoon.

His departure creates a route for Mr Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, to make a Commons comeback that would allow him to challenge Sir Keir Starmer’s position, following speculation that he could stand in the upcoming by-election.

If successful, he could return to parliament just as the prime minister reaches his lowest ebb, with Scottish and Welsh elections and English council elections in May expected to be disastrous for Labour.

Just hours after the by-election was confirmed, Sir Keir warned his MPs to stop talking about potential leadership challenges, saying in an interview with Channel 4 News that “every minute we waste talking about anything other than the cost of living and stability in Europe and across the globe is a wasted minute.”

Mr Gwynne was sacked as health minister and suspended from the Labour Party in February last year over comments made in a WhatsApp group. He reportedly posted sexist comments about Angela Rayner, racist remarks about the Labour MP Diane Abbott and joked in a closed group chat with Labour figures based around Manchester about an elderly woman dying.

At the time, he publicly apologised and said he regretted the “badly misjudged” remarks.

Mr Gwynne confirmed he would stand down from his Gorton and Denton constituency, citing health reasons, after reports suggested he was prepared to do so.

In a post on Facebook, the MP wrote: “It has been the honour of my life to have been an elected representative for almost exactly three decades, representing my home community firstly as a Denton West Councillor on Tameside Council and then in the House of Commons as MP for Denton and Reddish and more recently for Gorton and Denton.

“Over those years I haven’t got everything right and I’ve certainly made mistakes, but I’ve always tried my very best and I have helped tens of thousands of constituents with their issues along the way. Indeed it’s been helping people that’s given me the greatest pleasure in these jobs.”

Mr Gwynne said he had “suffered significant ill-health over most of the 21 years I’ve served as an MP”, which had been “greatly exacerbated by the impact of last year’s events regarding leaked text messages”.

He shared a message from his GP about his ongoing health problems, which read: “I do not think that he will be able to safely return to work as an MP.”

Mr Gwynne added: “I have therefore applied to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to seek the office of Crown Steward of the Manor of Northstead, an archaic procedure to be able to vacate my seat as an MP. There will be a by-election soon and I wish my successor, whoever it is, all the very best in representing what I consider to be the best constituency in the UK.”

Before the by-election was confirmed, Sir Keir would not say whether he supported the idea of Mr Burnham standing as an MP if a vacancy were to arise, but added that Mr Burnham was “doing an excellent job” as mayor.

Meanwhile, there has been widespread speculation over Mr Burnham’s leadership ambitions, with the mayor regularly tipped as the leading candidate to take over should Sir Keir’s position as prime minister become untenable.

Mr Burnham was the focus of such rumours at the Labour Party conference in September, when he revealed that MPs were privately urging him to challenge Sir Keir.

But he later criticised reports of a leadership bid, and wrote on X in December: “Quite a lot of rubbish in the papers today. Reminds me why I left Westminster in the first place!”

On Thursday afternoon, he said he was “in the dark” over a potential by-election. He said: “It’s not been confirmed to me. I’ve had no contact on this issue with Andrew or anyone close to him. I know him of old, of course, but I’m as in the dark about this as anyone.”

He added: “People shouldn’t rush to conclusions.”

Health secretary Wes Streeting responded to the latest reports on Thursday, telling BBC radio that the Greater Manchester mayor was someone he is “proud to work with”.

“If indeed there is going to be a by-election, we need to make sure we’ve got a strong candidate, that we fight really hard to win that by-election, and we need our best candidates to come forward,” Mr Streeting said. “As to who that is, whether or not Andy will throw his hat into the ring, is for Andy to consider, and ultimately for party members to decide. But we need strong candidates.

“I’ll just say about Andy, having just seen him just earlier this week, whether it’s in government nationally, or whether it’s leading the city and the region locally, he makes a massive impact and makes a really big difference. He’s someone I’m proud to work with.”

Any by-election looks likely to be called to coincide with May’s elections. That would give Labour a greater chance of keeping the seat, and potentially the Greater Manchester mayoralty, against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, currently riding high in nationwide opinion polls.

Mr Farage’s outfit, which does not have the infrastructure of larger parties, is already expected to be spread thin fighting for votes in Scotland, Wales and across English councils on 7 May.

But the timing raises the prospect that Mr Burnham could become an MP, a prerequisite for getting the top job, just as Sir Keir suffers his most significant blow in office.

There are fears Labour could face a wipeout in some areas at the upcoming local elections, in what could be a key moment in Sir Keir’s time as prime minister.

The most recent YouGov MRP, which was carried out in September 2025, projected a Labour hold in the constituency with Labour on 30 per cent and Reform UK on 24.

Earlier this month, the leading pollster Professor Sir John Curtice said Mr Burnham represented Labour’s best hope of keeping Nigel Farage out of No 10.

Sir John told The Independent he believed only Mr Burnham had the support within the Labour Party, and appeal to the wider electorate, to be an effective replacement for Sir Keir, who he said “doesn’t have the skill set for Downing Street”.

A YouGov poll last month also showed Mr Burnham was the clear frontrunner among the candidates tipped to succeed Sir Keir, ahead of former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Mr Streeting. But there was a backlash among some Labour MPs against the idea of Mr Burnham standing. One Labour MP told The Independent that it would be “nothing more than a distraction that can roll on for months that we frankly don’t f***ing need”.

The Independent has contacted both Mr Gwynne and Mr Burnham for comment.

Prickly, bristly and sulky – will the real Prince Harry please stand up?

Courtroom artists’ portraits are rarely what you’d call “flattering”. When it’s a regular Joe Bloggs entering the witness box, there’s no real frame of reference for the casual viewer. When it’s an already-familiar face, however, it becomes far more obvious that the hastily rendered representation has about as much in common with the actual person as a cut-price caricature done by a down-on-his-luck street artist. One who, presumably, gets off on ritually humiliating his subjects.

It’s probably quite a knock for the old self-esteem – so pity Prince Harry, whose latest pastel-sketched profile after his appearance in the High Court is unlikely to make it onto his wife’s painfully overcurated Insta grid anytime soon.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a few choice ones might include “haggard” (the eyes weighed down with not just bags but veritable suitcases); “angry” (the forehead etched with deep frown lines); “unkempt” (the hair, both facial and head).

But perhaps most damning of all is the impossible-to-ignore suggestion of a balding patch on top – a few cannily placed daubs of flesh colour beneath wiry strokes of auburn conveying the dreaded “thinning out” that relentlessly pursues men of a certain age with all the tenacity of the Nazgul hunting the one ring across Middle-earth. Alas, the one-time poster boy for the follicularly challenged is finally going the way of his elder brother; one can only outrun genetics for so long.

It all feels a bit Samson and Delilah-coded, tbh. Which doesn’t bode well for Harry’s current battle against the Daily Mail publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), his third legal claim against a newspaper group to date. Is Meghan the Delilah in this scenario? Is the Duke’s power waning in tandem with his hairline? Only time will tell, as he wraps up giving evidence as one of seven high-profile claimants accusing ANL of “grave breaches of privacy” over 20 years.

Harry has described this latest court case as, simply, a “horrible experience”. But a rogue artist’s impression isn’t the only image problem the beleaguered royal is currently contending with. Here are a few more choice words, these ones flung out by court reporters rather than captured by an unsympathetic sketch: “terse”, “tense”, and “more defensive than the defence”.

He “prickled” and “bristled” and “sulked” on the stand; he described the idea that he shouldn’t be entitled to a private life as “disgusting” and railed against the idea that the private lives of himself and those close to him should, in fact, be “commercialised”.

I can sympathise. After all, nobody should have their private life monetised by the media, should they? Nobody should, say, have the ins and outs of their deeply personal family drama and dating and relationship history constantly written about and televised for all to see?

Like in 2019, when ITV followed the Sussexes’ every move as they toured around Africa at the request of… oh yes, the Sussexes. Fair play – amid a swirling mass of lies and negative stories in the press, Harry and Meghan wanted to set the record straight, once and for all.

Well, twice and for all: in 2021 came a high-profile interview with Oprah Winfrey, swiftly followed by Harry and Meghan, a six-part Netflix documentary series as part of the Sussexes’ multi-year deal with the streaming platform (rumoured to be worth around $100m).

OK, OK, thrice and for all, m’lud. Lest we forget Spare, Harry’s scorching, no-holds-barred autobiography, which finally – finally! – allowed him to speak his unfiltered truth (and incidentally make a reported £16m).

At long last, the Sussexes’ side of the story had been laid bare from every conceivable angle and put to rest! That record was well and truly set straight – they’d practically used a spirit level – and the Duke could stop talking about his hallowed and sacred private life for, oh, at least five minutes… Once he’d squeezed in a few teeny-tiny deeply personal interviews with ITV, CBS and ABC (demonstrating a level of oversharing normally reserved for a night out with the girls after a bottle of sauv blanc and ill-advised 3am tequila shots).

No point in “breaking your silence” if you’re not going to do it multiple times a year across numerous media platforms, after all.

But spare a thought for the real victim in all of this: Meghan. Harry broke down in tears at the end of his testimony in the witness box on Wednesday as he recounted his wife’s abject suffering and the “misery” she has had to endure. Yes, she may put a brave face on things as she posts glossy, artfully framed snaps on social media of her perfect slice of Californian family life, or presents episodes of wonderfully beige lifestyle magazine show With Love, Meghan from her idyllic Montecito home*.

(*not her actual home.)

But we all know that the curse of “Instagram versus reality” can hit even the most A-list of A-listers – just as the curse of male pattern baldness can. No matter the verdict, that’s one image problem that can’t be overturned.

Who has made it to The Traitors final?

‘A stranger stopped and asked me for my number. Then I found out he was secretly filming me’

Seconds after Isobel Thomason turned down a stranger on the street asking for her number, he approached her again with an unabashed confession: “I’m actually a content creator – and I’ve been filming this.”

At the same time he pointed to his glasses – frames that 22-year-old Ms Thomason said looked normal to her, but he then explained, were actually smart glasses made by social media giant Meta.

The glasses allow the wearer to film, navigate, and even translate text using their lenses, but experts say they are increasingly being used to film women without their consent, putting them at risk of a slew of online and real-world harms.

Meta said it is aware and “concerned” about a small number of people who “misuse” their products despite measures it said it has put in place to prevent covert recording, but that such issues are not unique to smart glasses.

However, victims told The Independent they believe predators are using the covert nature of the glasses to violate women’s privacy.

“In that moment, I literally felt my heart drop,” the 22-year-old said of the moment the man told her he was filming.

“I just thought, ‘Oh my God, this is so dystopian, so bizarre.’”

She said the man approached her in Manchester’s trendy Northern Quarter when she was alone, and asked for her number. When she turned him down, she says he walked away before getting her attention a second time.

Ms Thomason said the man then told her he regularly posts clips of himself approaching women on social media to “boost men’s confidence”.

Unlike other women who have reported similar incidents, Ms Thomason was asked whether she gave permission for him to post her video online – something she says she did not grant.

But she said she was left feeling “violated” and “scared” by the fact he now had a video of her that she has no control over.

“I had no idea I was being filmed until he told me,” she said. “He could do anything with that video. Even if it is just for personal use, that’s such a concerning thing to think about.

“I was so angry because he framed it in this way of doing something good, but I don’t want to be part of boosting men’s confidence for the sake of secretly being filmed.”

After the incident, she looked up the man on TikTok and found dozens of videos of a similar nature in a trend that is appearing across social media.

The videos are often met with misogynistic comments ridiculing the women’s appearance and attitudes – all of which the creator is able to monetise.

She told The Independent she believes smart glasses should have a more distinctive appearance to stop them being used in these scenarios.

“Do they really need to look like normal glasses with a tiny little camera on the front?” she asked. “It doesn’t make sense. It feels dark.

“If I could look up and recognise them straight away and understand I was being recorded, it would probably make things feel a bit better.”

Incidents of women being filmed without their consent are on the rise, Dr Olga Jurasz, director of the Centre for Protecting Women Online, told The Independent.

She explained that instances like the one Ms Thomason experienced are “alarming” but “sadly not unexpected” for experts in women’s safety.

“I think we generally, over the past 10 years, have seen not only a rise but commonality of these behaviours,” she told The Independent. “Not only are they on the rise, but they are also becoming much more common and sadly more normalised.”

She added that women experience “multifold” harms from this behaviour, including the risk of being victims of deepfakes, having to “guard” their privacy in public spaces, and becoming subject to discussions in comment spaces with a “global” reach.

“The fact that he asked for consent after it happened is pretty much irrelevant,” Dr Jurasz said.

“She had an opportunity to say no, but she does not know whether that recording has been permanently deleted.

“This kind of behaviour completely puts in the spotlight the fact that women do not consent to this.”

Dr Jurasz added that the “discreet” nature of the glasses made them even more “worrying”.

Speaking about the recent controversy over Elon Musk’s Grok AI tool that generated “undressed” images of women, she said men are largely being allowed to “get away” with online behaviour that harms women.

At the moment, recording someone in the way Ms Thomason was filmed is not illegal, as she was in a public space.

“We are well overdue action tackling such behaviours, and that includes legislatively,” she said.

“I think we need to look at how we regulate and how we have laws that are really fit for purpose. Women’s safety is not optional.”

A Meta spokesperson said devices have an LED light that activates whenever content is captured and “tamper detection technology” to stop people covering the light. They added that their terms of service “clearly state” that users should comply with the law and shouldn’t tamper with the product.

“As with any recording device, including phones, people should use smart glasses in a safe, respectful manner, which includes not engaging in harmful activities like harassment, infringing privacy rights, or capturing sensitive information,” they said.

“We are aware and concerned that there are small numbers of users who choose to misuse our products, despite the measures we have put in place. We are dedicated to delivering valuable, safe, and innovative products for people and continually review opportunities to enhance our AI glasses, informed by customer feedback and ongoing research.”

TikTok said it had taken enforcement action against the account after it was contacted by The Independent.

Minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls Jess Phillips said: “Covert filming of women and girls is vile, and we will not let anyone profit from it.

“We’re investing in proper police training on non-contact sexual offences and backing Project Vigilant – a smart, proactive approach already stopping predators before they strike, day or night.

“This government will introduce new laws making it a criminal offence to take intimate images or install equipment to capture them without consent. Nobody’s privacy and safety should ever be up for grabs.”

Man accused of rape ‘upset’ by woman texting Barron Trump, court told

A Russian man accused of rape has denied “being controlling” but told jurors he was upset by the woman’s sending messages to Donald Trump’s youngest son.

Matvei Rumiantsev, 22, is on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London, accused of assault and two counts of rape, among other charges, against the alleged victim, who jurors have heard is friends with Barron Trump.

The defendant said he later regretted his behaviour but denies all six charges.

Giving evidence on Thursday, Mr Rumiantsev said he became aware of the woman’s friendship with Mr Trump, 19, while on a holiday in October 2024.

The Russian citizen, who lives in London, told the court: “She [the alleged victim] came up to me in the hotel room and she asked me to take a picture of her phone on which there was a chat with Barron Trump.

“The kind of chat they had didn’t allow her to take a screenshot so she came up to me and asked me to take a photograph with the phone.”

Jurors heard that on 3 November 2024, Mr Rumiantsev and the alleged victim had an argument at her flat, and Mr Rumiantsev left the apartment after damaging her air fryer and dropping her kettle.

He said that after he left, he received phone calls and text messages from the alleged victim, which made him concerned for her welfare, so he called the police.

Jurors have heard that after police arrived, in body-worn footage the woman can be heard apparently telling officers: “It was like jealousy, controlling of like who I can be friends with.”

Asked by his barrister, Sasha Wass KC, whether this was about the US president’s son, the defendant said that it was.

Mr Rumiantsev, who wore a blue suit and white shirt in the witness box, told jurors that earlier that evening, the alleged victim had brought Mr Trump up and started showing him her messages with the 19-year-old.

“I started to explain that I felt upset as well about her talking to Barron Trump,” he said.

“I was in no way controlling but I was trying to make her know that if she feels unwell seeing messages I had with girls 10 years ago, she could maybe understand how I felt when she was sat there this moment texting someone else.”

The court heard that later that day, Mr Rumiantsev sent the alleged victim a text in Russian, translated into English, which said: “I honestly cannot believe what a f*** up I caused.

“This is just f***ing nuts.

“I behaved like an arsehole. I’m very ashamed that I grabbed your phone, you started calling him sweetheart. I felt so unwell.”

Asked who “him” was, Mr Rumiantsev said “Barron Trump”.

Jurors heard Mr Rumiantsev and the woman had been drinking together on the evening of 17 January 2025 and into the early hours of the next day.

Mr Rumiantsev said they had consensual sex twice during that time.

Giving evidence on Thursday, the defendant told jurors that before he answered a call from the US president’s son on the alleged victim’s phone, the woman had been “in a stage of complete breakdown”, partly because she had been drinking.

“She was just completely hysterical crying, screaming, shouting at me,” said Mr Rumiantsev, who wore a blue suit and white shirt in the dock.

“I noticed her phone next to me on the sofa and it was ringing with a Barron Trump face call,” the defendant told the court.

“I don’t know what went through my head but I answered yes.

“At that point I was standing up, I stepped away from her maybe for a couple metres … I answered the call and I immediately put the camera towards her. I don’t know why I did that.

“Maybe I thought she would realise that her behaviour was unreasonable, that she wouldn’t behave like this in front of someone else.”

Mr Rumiantsev denies assault, actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, perverting the course of justice and two counts of rape, in charges dating between 1 November 2024 and 23 January 2025.

The trial continues.

The Australia less travelled: fresh ways to explore New South Wales

Sydney might be famous for its iconic Sydney Opera House and century-old Sydney Harbour Bridge, but the best way to really get under the skin of this multifaceted city, and the diverse state it’s situated in, is to wander beyond Circular Quay and explore the lesser-known spots, beyond the breathtaking skyscrapers and the buzzy CBD. From leafy neighbourhoods where locals sip natty wines at cosy bars to overlooked coastal suburbs where swims turn into sunset beers – this is Sydney and New South Wales when you slow down and look beyond the surface.

Explore like a local

Start in inner-city Sydney and make your way to Surry Hills, where Victorian terraces line leafy streets and the vibe feels more quaint and chic than barefoot Aussie beach life. Natural wine bars sit next to vintage shops, and art galleries are sandwiched between terraced houses. Breakfast and brunch here are a ritual, with cafes spilling onto pavements and neighbourhood restaurants serving seasonal Australian menus.

Just a short stroll away, Chippendale has racked up awards as one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world. It’s chock-full of independent galleries, cool concept stores, hidden courtyards, and even has its own Asian food alley, an open-air hawker-style food market tucked away behind a row of old terrace houses, lit by the glow of lanterns.

If you’re someone who prefers to spend their time by the water, Manly should be on your radar. This northern-beaches suburb is just a short ferry ride from the city centre and swaps the CBD’s skyscraper-dotted skyline for laid-back surf culture. Sunrise swims, cold beers and permanently sandy feet are just part of life here. Plus, the view of the city in the distance is worth getting your camera out for.

Enjoy fresh foodventures

Most travellers head to the Hunter Valley for wine (and fair enough), but Orange is the coolest wine region on the block. This cool-climate region sits high up in the Central Tablelands, turning out chardonnay, pinot noir, and sauvignon blanc, thanks to its fertile volcanic soils and cooler evenings. The cellar doors here feel more intimate and practically made for languorous lunches, complete with beautiful bucolic scenery, not to mention the food scene that pays homage to the very best local produce.

In the Tweed region, you’ll find the Husk Farm Distillery, a family-run, paddock-to-bottle distillery set among cane fields just north of Byron Bay. This pastoral paradise is home to Australia’s first agricultural rum distillery and the maker of the now-famous colour-changing Ink Gin. The surrounding fields and rolling farmland mean tastings come with epic views, especially if you book one of their picnic experiences, where you can watch cattle quietly graze in the distance while sipping on seasonal drinks. Nearby, you can try your hand at mud crabbing with Indigenous guides or slurp freshly shucked oysters straight from the estuary.

Further down on the Central Coast, and only one hour’s drive from Sydney, the Broken Bay Pearl Farm, New South Wales’ only pearl farm, runs ‘Shellar Door’ tours, where you can snack on the freshest oysters and learn about pearl cultivation while gliding across mirror-flat waterways surrounded by gorgeous green hills.

Reset in nature

Go off grid and get some serious R&R in the Blue Mountains, where blankets of eucalyptus forests spill down into sandstone valleys. The panoramic views from every angle make you feel small, and days are best spent holing up at a luxurious hotel where you can switch off your phone for a few days.

Spicers Sangoma Retreat, situated amidst the untouched beauty of Bowen Mountain, is just one of the many options to rest your head. Awarded two Michelin Keys it’s known for its secluded suites, infinity pool with treetop views, and a focus on immersion rather than excess. Wake early to views of mist-covered cliffs and Angophora gums in every direction, then treat yourself to a spa treatment or settle in for a wine-and-watercolour class.

On the North Coast of New South Wales, Byron Bay has its own version of laid-back luxury, offering a more barefoot, beachy vibe with stays like Crystalbrook Byron. Here it’s all about seafront restaurants serving just-caught seafood, world-class beach breaks for surfing, and some of the most drop-dead gorgeous national parks in the world.

Alternatively, head South to Jervis Bay which also delivers similar vibes with options like Paperbark Camp, inspired by an African safari. It offers cosy canvas-tent glamping, with a treetop candlelit dining room surrounded by native bushland.

For travel information, inspiration and to start planning your New South Wales holiday visit Travelbag

UK helps French navy intercept Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker in Mediterranean

The French navy has intercepted one of Russia’s sanctioned “shadow fleet” oil tankers in the Mediterranean with help from Britain.

Emmanuel Macron revealed that French forces had boarded a vessel this morning with allied support. The ship was subject to international sanctions and suspected of operating under a false flag, he said.

“We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions,” the French president wrote on social media. “The activities of the ‘shadow fleet’ contribute to financing the war of aggression against Ukraine.”

The Grinch cargo tanker was stopped in the Alboran Sea, east of Gibraltar, with help from the United Kingdom, local authorities said in a statement.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK had provided support tracking the tanker, which was monitored through the Straits of Gibraltar by the patrol vessel HMS Dagger.

Mr Healey said: “Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels – to choke off the funds that fuel (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the seizure and urged sanctions against the wider apparatus of the fleet.

“This is exactly the kind of resolve needed to ensure that Russian oil no longer finances Russia’s war,” he said. “Russian tankers operating near European shores must be stopped.

“Sanctions against the entire infrastructure of the shadow fleet must be tough. Vessels must be apprehended. And wouldn’t it be fair to confiscate and sell the oil carried by these tankers?”

Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of using a so-called “shadow fleet” of ageing vessels to export huge amounts of crude oil despite sanctions.

French authorities said they stopped the Grinch to verify its identity and confirmed their suspicions after reading through documents on board.

The ship was diverted and escorted by the French Navy into an anchorage this afternoon for further investigations.

A report was filed with the public prosecutor in Marseille, who has jurisdiction under the maritime court, the maritime prefecture in Toulon said.

British forces supported a US-led mission to intercept a sanctioned Russian-flagged tanker, the Marinera, earlier this month.

Experts say there could be more than 400 such ships flying under false flags, which Ukraine’s allies are trying to tackle.

British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said earlier this month that the UK was ready to work with European partners to intercept ships, promising more action to “tighten the chokehold” on the fleet.

“We’re going to look at a wide range of ways in which to increase that pressure on the Russian shadow fleet,” she told the BBC, adding: “We’re ready for much stronger enforcement, a much more assertive and robust approach, so that we don’t have that navigation becoming sabotage instead.”

To date, no UK military personnel have boarded any such vessels.

The government has reportedly now found a legal basis to allow British forces to board and detain shadow fleet vessels under the 2018 Sanctions and Money Laundering Act.

It was not immediately clear what role the UK had in intercepting the tanker today. The Independent approached the Ministry of Defence for comment.

Spain sees third rail crash in one week as train hits crane in Cartagena

A commuter train crashed into a construction crane in southeastern Spain on Thursday, in the country’s third rail crash in less than a week.

Several people suffered minor injuries in the crash near the port city of Cartagena in the Murcia region, authorities said.

“The train hasn’t been overturned or derailed,” a spokesperson for Murcia’s emergency services said. The first calls about the crash came in just after noon, they added.

Spanish rail operator Adif said on X that traffic on that line was interrupted due to “the intrusion into the infrastructure gauge by a crane not belonging to the railway operation”, without providing further details.

A later posting said services had resumed on the line.

Spain is still reeling from Sunday’s high-speed train collision in the southern Andalusia region that killed at least 43 people.

Two days later, a commuter train derailed after a containment wall fell on the track due to heavy rain near Barcelona, killing the driver and seriously injuring four passengers.

The main train drivers’ union called a three-day nationwide strike from February 9 to 11 on Wednesday over safety standards.

“The serious accidents in Adamuz and Gelida, both with fatalities, are a turning point in demanding all necessary actions to guarantee the safety of railway operations,” the train operators’ union SEMAF said in a statement.

It added that it would demand criminal liability from “those responsible for ensuring safety in the railway infrastructure”.