Carol Kirkwood leaving BBC after more than 25 years

Carol Kirkwood, best known for presenting BBC Breakfast’s weather coverage, is leaving the BBC after more than 25 years.

Kirkwood, 63, said she has “loved every minute” of her time with the corporation, and said her decision to leave wasn’t “an easy” one to make.

She made the announcement during Tuesday’s (27 January) episode of BBC Breakfast and became emotional as she explained her decision to presenters Jon Kay and Sally Nugent.

“It’s really hard for me to say this because I love my job, I love all of you guys, my weather colleagues, all of the viewers,” she said. “But I don’t want to be coming in on a zimmer frame going, ‘I can’t reach the Northern Isles anymore.’”

In a statement, she added: “It feels like the right moment to step away. I’ll carry with me the most wonderful memories.”

“My job is something I’ve never taken for granted and I’ve loved every minute,” Kirkwood continued. “From early starts and all manner of forecasts, I’ve shared it with incredible colleagues at BBC Breakfast, BBC Weather and programmes across the BBC. I’d like to thank them for their support and friendship which has meant the world.

“To those watching and listening at home – thank you for all the kindness you have shown me over the years, being part of your mornings has been a joy.”

Kirkwood will leave the BBC in April.

BBC Breakfast presenter Nugent shared a tribute to her colleague on Instagram, writing: “We have laughed (a lot) through life’s dramas, sunny holidays and broken TV graphics. And now she’s off for adventures with her gorgeous husband Steve and to write more of her brilliant books.”

“I will miss her in the mornings,” she continued. “But I cannot wait for Carol’s next chapter.”

Fans have shared their sadness at Kirkwood’s exit in the comments on BBC Breakfast’s Instagram page, with one writing: “Really felt for you as you fought back tears! You will be missed.”

“Couldn’t be more delighted for you Carol, but honestly I’m devastated at this news!” said another. “You are such a part of our mornings and they just won’t be the same without you! Saying that I wish you nothing but the absolute best for your long and happy retirement.”

Kirkwood joined the BBC Weather Centre in April 1998 and began broadcasting on the BBC News channel, before making regular appearances on BBC One. She has been BBC Breakfast’s main weather presenter since 2010.

Kirkwood has often presented bulletins from events such as Wimbledon and the Chelsea Flower Show, and reported for The One Show. In 2015, Kirkwood took part in Strictly Come Dancing and reached week eight of the competition with her professional partner Pasha Kovalev.

Jonathan Munro, the interim CEO of BBC News, said: “From major national moments to the everyday forecasts that are such an important part of our audiences’ lives, she has set the gold standard for our accurate, valued journalism – always delivered with an appropriately sunny outlook.

“She will be greatly missed by teams across the BBC. We wish her all the best for the future.”

Germany preparing for Putin to attack Nato in two years, says army chief

Germany is preparing for Russia to attack Nato within the next two to three years, according to one of the country’s top military officials.

Lieutenant General Gerald Funke, head of the German armed forces support command, told The Times that he is preparing German troops for a full-scale war of aggression by Russia and has rallied thousands of troops to prepare for the worst-case scenario that could take place within the next 24 to 36 months.

European countries across the continent have been ramping up military preparations after a series of political and economic uncertainties over recent years, with several experts warning that the UK and other countries in Europe could be woefully unprepared.

“What worries me … at the moment is the hybrid side, the covert side: sabotage, sleeper cells, some kind of targeted attacks,” said Funke. “I can’t rule out the use of long-range missiles. But I think the hybrid threat is very high.”

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said that the US-led peace talks were ongoing, adding that the aim should be to get to a peace deal or a long-term ceasefire.

Labour councillors made ‘vile’ and ‘racist’ remarks in WhatsApp chat

Labour councillors made “vile” and “racist” remarks in a WhatsApp group chat that led to the sacking of the Labour minister who prompted the Gorton and Denton by-election, a damning report has found.

The fallout from the comments made in a group called ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ last February saw Andrew Gwynne suspended from the Labour Party, after it emerged he wrote that he hoped a 72-year-old female constituent “croaks” before the next general election, after she dared to ask about her bins.

Now, an independent report for Tameside Council by investigator Linda Comstive has concluded that six councillors in the WhatsApp group had shown “complete disregard” for standards in public life, including one judged to have made “several remarks that a reasonable person would find racist”.

The findings will be a blow for Labour and come less than four weeks before the Gorton and Denton by-election expected on 26 February, to replace Mr Gwynne, who stepped down last week.

The contest has torn Labour apart after Sir Keir Starmer blocked Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing as a candidate, prompting claims of a “stitch-up” to prevent the prime minister from facing a leadership challenge if his rival were to return to Westminster.

The investigation into the WhatsApps came after a formal complaint about Mr Gwynne and other Labour figures making “disgusting, racist, sexist, homophobic and vile comments”.

In total, 11 Labour councillors were suspended by the party over the revelations in February last year, but the investigation looked into six of them – Mr Gwynne’s wife, councillor Alison Gwynne, along with councillors Brenda Warrington, George Newton, Claire Reid, Jack Naylor and George Jones.

Among the report’s findings was that Mr Naylor made an antisemitic joke by changing the lyrics of an Elton John song to “And I guess that’s why she hates all the Jews” in one set of exchanges about an unnamed person.

In a statement, Mr Naylor offered a full apology, writing: “There is no justification for my involvement, irrespective of any inexperience – I take full responsibility for my actions; and for any offence caused, regardless of my intent, I am truly sorry.”

Meanwhile, Mr Newton was found to have “persistently abused and denigrated” individuals by using remarks that “a reasonable person would find racist”.

While Mr Newton said he regretted his “childish” language, he told the investigation that the remarks were meant as “private jokes on a private messaging platform”.

The WhatsApp chat also saw Mr Gwynne refer to someone as “too Jewish” while there were derogatory remarks about former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and former Labour MP Dianne Abbott.

A charity worker told Ms Comstive that one elderly Labour supporter, who is neurodivergent, was left “distraught” over being called a “terrible name” in the WhatsApp group. It was claimed that teenagers had since hounded him in the street with the insult.

They said: “People in the community feel that there is no one they can turn to, as there is no local Labour councillor representing them and no Labour MP; they are too scared of having their coffee morning resources taken away or bins not emptied. They have been told if you do not vote for us (ie Labour), you will be dead.”

Ms Gwynne and Ms Reid, who has since stepped down as a councillor, were suspended by the party for six months.

Mr Gwynne apologised for the content of the group chat when he stepped down as an MP this week.

The Labour Party has declined to comment.

Trump officially pulls US out of landmark Paris climate deal again

The US has officially withdrawn from the landmark Paris climate agreement for the second time – reinforcing Donald Trump‘s push to keep America out of the fight against the climate crisis.

The US stands as the only country ever to have withdrawn from the pact; it is alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries not party to the agreement. Announced when Mr Trump re-entered the White House last year, the move is one of the linchpins of Trump’s ‘America First’ policy that seeks to remove Washington from international treaties and organisations he sees as of no benefit to the country.

The Paris agreement is at the heart of the international commitment to tackle rising global temperatures. It commits nations to “pursue efforts” to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C, and to keep them “well below” 2C above those recorded in pre-industrial times, in order to try and curb some of the harsher impacts of warming that will affect millions of people around the globe.

Given that the US is one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases, the move to withdraw from the Paris agreement has drawn sharp criticism from climate groups, human rights advocates and Trump critics.

“The US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement sets a disturbing precedent that seeks to instigate a race to the bottom, and, along with its withdrawal from other major global climate pacts, aims to dismantle the global system of cooperation on climate action,” said Marta Schaaf, Amnesty International’s Programme Director for Climate.

“The US is one of several powerful anti-climate actors, but as an influential superpower, this decision, along with acts of coercion and bullying of other countries and powerful actors to double down on fossil fuels, causes particular harm and threatens to reverse more than a decade of global climate progress under the agreement.”

“US-based climate advocates and activists now find themselves on the frontlines of a fight with implications for current and future generations everywhere… Ceding ground now risks losing it for years. Neither the planet nor the people living on the frontlines of proliferating unnatural disasters have that much time,” she added.

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California – and one of Trump’s fiercest critics – said: “As climate disasters cost Americans trillions, Trump’s answer is to wave the white flag. California won’t retreat. We’ll keep working with our partners around the world to cut pollution, create jobs, and lead the clean energy economy that the Trump administration is too weak to fight for.”

Mr Trump’s decision does not change the fact that renewable energy sources accounted for more than 90 per cent of new power generation capacity in 2025, but it is China that is leading the way. The US withdrawal will certainly complicate the push to keep global temperature rises within 1.5C, or even 2C.

Earlier this month, the US also announced it will leave the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), under which the Paris agreement was established. Together, the moves take the US out of the key bodies for battling the climate crisis, as well as helping some of the countries most at risk from changes in temperature and the increasing rate of extreme weather. Recently, the US also left the UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO), a decision the global body said would make “both the United States and the world less safe”.

This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project

Burnham denies claims he was told in advance about by-election block

Andy Burnham has once again put himself on a collision course with Downing Street after stating that a No 10 briefing suggesting he had been told he would be rejected before applying to be the Labour candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election was “untrue”.

Sources close to Sir Keir Starmer had told ITV that Mr Burnham was “informed in no uncertain terms that he would be repulsed if he requested permission of the NEC committee to put his name forward for the by-election. He chose to do so, they say, knowing the outcome in advance.”

But responding publicly to the claim, Mr Burnham said: “This is simply untrue.”

And a source close to the Manchester mayor later told ITV: “Andy Burnham is seeking an urgent call with No 10 about the briefing which he says is untrue and breaks a commitment given to him by the PM.”

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer battles a growing rebellion over the decision to block the Manchester mayor from standing in a by-election in the city, with around 50 Labour MPs having signed a letter objecting to it.

They are understood to have written to the prime minister and the chair of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) to warn that the decision is a “real gift” to Reform UK, as polling suggests Mr Burnham may be Labour’s “very best chance at winning” the vacant Gorton and Denton seat.

With tensions mounting internally in Labour, the signatories of the letter said there was “no legitimate reason” to block Mr Burnham, demanding Labour’s NEC “re-evaluate” the decision.

It came after a 10-strong group from the ruling body, including Sir Keir, voted to deny Mr Burnham permission to run in the Greater Manchester by-election at a meeting on Sunday.

Critics have accused Sir Keir and his allies of preventing Mr Burnham’s candidacy for factional reasons, fearing a leadership challenge from the mayor as both Labour’s poll ratings and his personal approval ratings flounder.

But the prime minister has insisted that an extra election for the mayor of Manchester would “divert our resources” away from the local elections, which are already expected to be extremely bruising for Labour.

In the face of growing demands to reconsider, housing secretary Steve Reed on Tuesday said the decision is “done and it’s dusted” and the party will “fight to win” the by-election.

Speaking to Times Radio, he also insisted the decision to block Mr Burnham had “absolutely nothing to do” with avoiding a leadership bid against Sir Keir.

“It’s got absolutely nothing to do with that at all”, he said. “Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee took a decision overwhelmingly… that Andy should stay as mayor of Manchester because he was elected only two years ago to serve a four-year term.”

However, the fallout does not seem to have harmed Labour’s position in the polls with a new YouGov suggesting the party may be closing the gap on Reform, with support increasing two points to 21 per cent, while Nigel Farage’s party are on 25 per cent (up one).

It came after Reform leader, Mr Farage, said he thinks the Manchester mayor not standing in the by-election has boosted his party’s chances of winning the seat, admitting it “would have been very difficult for us to beat him”.

The Gorton and Denton by-election is expected to take place on February 26, after former MP Andrew Gwynne stood down for health reasons.

GB News presenter and former university academic Matt Goodwin was named as Reform UK’s candidate in the race, while Labour’s political rival from the left, the Green Party, is also eyeing up its chances.

Jostling over the Gorton and Denton by-election comes as Sir Keir is set to begin a trip to China, removing him from the domestic political arena for several days.

On Monday, the prime minister was among the senior Labour figures trying to focus the minds of his MPs on the by-election, after he faced criticism for blocking Mr Burnham’s application to stand in the race.

Former cabinet minister and backbencher Louise Haigh said over the weekend that Labour’s ruling body should reverse its decision “otherwise I think we’ll all come to regret this”, while Simon Opher MP called the decision an “own goal” for Sir Keir’s advisers.

Meanwhile, left-wing backbencher Kim Johnson said the prime minister “needs to consider his own position” after the decision to block Mr Burnham from standing, claiming it shows Sir Keir is not putting the country before the party.

But defending the decision, Sir Keir insisted the “battle of our times” was between Labour and Reform UK.

And at a gathering of Labour’s backbench MPs on Monday night, which saw many ask questions about the impact of the decision to block Mr Burnham, attorney general Lord Hermer – a close ally of the PM – urged MPs not to focus on the party’s internal politics.

Leading polling expert, Lord Robert Hayward, who is also a Conservative peer, has warned Labour is making the same mistakes as the Tories did at the end of their government in focussing on trying to change leader.

He said: “What will happen is that Labour MPs will start to say ‘we need to try something different’ and get themselves into that mentality.

“It is just like the Conservatives after Boris Johnson. Of course it is all predicated on Keir Starmer’s poor personal ratings and those of his party under his leadership.

“Logic actually tells you that it won’t make any difference at all and it didn’t for the Conservatives. But things get so bad that the ‘we need to try something different’ mentality takes hold. Labour are repeating the same mistakes.”

What the future of travel looks like in 2026

Are we done with viral hotspots? According to travel comparison site KAYAK’s WTF (that’s What The Future, by the way) 2026 trends report, the era of copy-paste travel may finally be winding down. Not because people are travelling less – quite the opposite – but because they’re travelling differently.

Drawing on billions of user searches, an independent survey from more than 14,000 Gen Z and Millennial travellers – including over 2,000 next-gen UK travellers – and exclusive TikTok community insights, KAYAK’s report shows a shift away from headline destinations and performative travel. In their place? Shorter breaks, quieter cities, better value and experiences that feel personal rather than pre-approved.

Here’s what that looks like in practice, and where those trends could take you.

The next “it” destination, it turns out, is the one you haven’t already seen 50 times on your phone. According to KAYAK, 71 per cent of Gen Z and 75 per cent of Millennials actively want to visit places they’ve never been before, while TikTok posts tagged #hiddengems are up more than 50 per cent. Saturation is the new turn-off.

Cork fits that brief neatly. Long treated as a stopping point on the way to somewhere else, Ireland’s second city still flies under the algorithmic radar. Yet it rewards curiosity in small, satisfying ways: a walkable centre, a burgeoning food scene and easy access to coastline and countryside without the fanfare.

Base yourself near Shandon rather than around the busier quays, and start the day with a stroll along the River Lee before the city fully wakes up. For dinner, follow locals to the English Market at lunchtime, then head out to Ballycotton or Garretstown the next morning.

Travellers aren’t cancelling trips in 2026, they’re financing them more creatively. Nearly 30 per cent of Gen Z and Millennial travellers say installment plans will determine how many trips they take, while KAYAK data shows international fares from the UK sitting almost exactly where they were last year. Add a 52 per cent rise in the use of flight price alerts and the picture becomes clear: deal-hunting has gone mainstream.

This shift favours cities that deliver substance without sticker shock. Bilbao still fits the bill, but it’s the city’s everyday pleasures that offer the real value. Skip the Guggenheim café and eat at Gure Toki or Sorginzulo for pintxos done properly. Better still, cross the river into Deusto at lunchtime, where menus del día feel resolutely local and prices soften noticeably. Savvy travellers are stretching budgets without sacrificing experience, and places like Bilbao are making it easy for them.

Forget souvenirs. In 2026, it’s goosebumps people are packing for. More than half of travellers say natural wonders will shape their plans, and 34 per cent list awe-inspiring experiences as a top priority. That’s driving renewed interest in northern landscapes, but not always the obvious ones.

While Tromsø continues to top bucket lists, travellers looking for something fresher are turning towards Christchurch, New Zealand as a gateway rather than a destination in itself. From here, the night skies of the Canterbury plains offer serious dark-sky credentials without the premium price tags of more famous stargazing spots. Pair it with a drive to Lake Tekapo or a night at Mt John Observatory, and prepare to be amazed as the universe puts on one of its more impressive galactic light shows.

AI has officially replaced your mate who “went once and loved it”. Nearly six in 10 travellers say they’d change destination if AI suggested somewhere better, and half would do so for a better deal. Notably, 44 per cent of AI prompts are now about value, not inspiration.

AI can also steer travellers toward lesser-visited cities that prioritise authentic, local experiences over familiar tourist circuits. Fukuoka, in particular, remains one of the country’s most liveable and engaging destinations, offering a compelling blend of modern convenience and rich cultural heritage. Base yourself near Hakata Station for better-value hotels, then eat like a local at the yatai food stalls along the Naka River. It’s informal, affordable and far more revealing than a booked-out tasting menu. Leveraging AI-led planning tools helps today’s savvy travellers to unlock the city’s true potential, moving beyond generic guidebook recommendations.

Luxury, redefined, looks suspiciously like a good night’s sleep. KAYAK’s report shows 69 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials travel primarily for mental reset, while wellness-led luxury continues to rise. The emphasis has shifted from showing off to switching off.

The Greek island of Zakynthos excels here, particularly inland. Head to villages such as Kiliomenos, where evenings are cooler and dinner at family-run tavernas like Latas stretches lazily into the night. No playlists, no dress code, just plates refilled without fuss. For one in five travellers, it’s the small comforts that matter most: a quiet morning, decent coffee, and nowhere you’re expected to be. Wellness travel isn’t about spa breaks and luxury escapes anymore; it’s about coming back better than you left.

The big-city rush is out. In 2026, 84 per cent of younger travellers say they’d rather visit a smaller city or rural area than a major hub. Lower prices help, but the real appeal is authenticity that doesn’t need explaining.

Bastia, in northern Corsica, perfectly exemplifies the trend. Mornings on the old port unfold naturally with fishermen unloading and café chairs scraping into place. Walk up to the Citadelle before the heat builds, then lunch at U San Ghjuvà for unfussy Corsican cooking. These are places where life hasn’t been edited for visitors. Yes, social media still nudges people towards them, but only once they’re already halfway there.

In 2026, the destination is wherever the action is. An overwhelming 95 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials plan to travel for a major event, whether that’s a concert, a sporting tournament or a once-in-a-lifetime performance.

Cities that flex around calendars are winning. In Canada, Toronto works as a terrific base. But those thinking ahead are looking beyond the obvious to places like Halifax, where festivals, touring acts and sporting events are easier to access and far less inflated by demand. Stay near the waterfront, eat at The Bicycle Thief, and let the event anchor the trip rather than dominate it.

Over half of travellers say slower travel helps clear their head, and #slowtravel content has surged by almost 330 per cent on TikTok. But the aim isn’t inactivity, more a break from decision-making.

The Azores remain a benchmark, but similar benefits can be found in places like Praia in Cape Verde. The rhythm is gentle, the beaches walkable, and long lunches at Quintal da Música turn into evenings almost by accident. Headspace holidays aren’t about ticking boxes, they’re about removing friction and the demand for constant optimisation.

Adventure hasn’t disappeared, it’s simply grown up. Nearly one in four travellers now combine light outdoor activity with proper rest, while searches for amenities like terraces, hot tubs and gyms continue to rise. The Great Outdoors is now more likely to be paired with a Quite Decent bottle of wine.

Hilo, on Hawaii’s Big Island, captures that softer approach to adventure perfectly. Base yourself here and mornings might mean walking the edge of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park or taking an easy hike through the stunning scenery of Akaka Falls rainforest. Afternoons are for slowing down: soaking in naturally warmed ocean pools, lingering over poke bowls or fresh fish, and letting yourself reset.

Who says holidays have to be long? Nearly two-thirds of travellers plan to take several shorter trips in 2026, with searches for one-to-four-day breaks continuing to rise. The appeal is immediacy: quick resets, minimal planning and maximum reward.

Milan makes for an excellent Nanocation. Trains run on time, neighbourhoods are compact, and finding good food rarely requires much research. Rather than chasing the Duomo and moving on, spend a night in areas like Isola or Porta Venezia, where the city feels lived-in rather than visited. Grab a seat for aperitivo along the Navigli as the working day winds down, eat late without ceremony, and walk everywhere. Milan rewards restraint; do it right, and even 24 hours can feel like a proper break.

With billions of user searches across its platforms, KAYAK helps travellers find their perfect flight, stay, rental car or holiday package. Download the app here and start exploring.

Why Starmer’s China trip has come at the worst possible time

When Keir Starmer jets off to Beijing today, he will be the first prime minister to visit China in eight years.

But instead of a potential history-making journey or even the controversy of his visit, the prime minister may nervously be considering the fate of Margaret Thatcher in 1990, given his current travails with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

Back then, the Iron Lady went to a dinner in the Palace of Versailles to celebrate the end of the Cold War in the midst of a vote on her leadership. After failing to get enough votes to see off Michael Heseltine, she came out of the dinner with her fate sealed and returned home to find she had, in effect, been deposed.

While Starmer has not quite reached the same crisis point in his premiership, it is fair to say that the plotting to remove him is now in full swing – whether it is attempts by Andy Burnham to return to parliament, or the machinations of his health secretary Wes Streeting or former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

So this is maybe not the best time for a five-day trip to Beijing. While he is away, the plotting will only intensify, amid growing anger over the decision to block Burnham from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Meanwhile, the prime minister, who has been touring the tea rooms in recent weeks to calm the nerves of Labour MPs, will not be there to deal with it.

Starmer may have until the local elections in May before facing a reckoning, but a showdown seems to be coming sooner rather than later.

However, there are other issues with this trip to China, which the PM will have to explain more publicly – not least the controversial nature of what some will see as going and bending the knee at the court of President Xi Jinping.

Opponents will relish the opportunity to dust off the “never here Keir” jibe – the suggestion that Starmer is too often overseas – but the prime minister is determined to end what he has dubbed an “ice age” under previous Tory governments, and improve Britain’s ties with China.

The last PM to make the journey was Theresa May, who went on an official visit in 2018, in what was a rare break from the Brexit travails back home that eventually forced her to step down.

But as Starmer flies to Beijing, the world is the most unstable it has been for a generation.

His relationship with Donald Trump appears to have hit its lowest point yet, with the US president openly mocking him about the Chagos Islands deal and threatening tariffs on the UK for supporting Denmark over Greenland.

Worse still has been the insult to British veterans who fought in Afghanistan supporting American troops. And the fact that Starmer has yet to accept the invitation to join Trump’s peace board for Gaza is a sign that things have gone badly awry.

This means the prime minister’s careful positioning of the UK as “the bridge” between the US and Europe is all but dead as a policy.

It is no coincidence that the trip to China comes just days after his government gave permission for a new “super embassy” in central London, despite security warnings from MI5.

There are also awkward questions over whether the deal with Mauritius to hand over the Chagos Islands to them will open the door to China – an issue which is vexing the Trump administration.

There are other issues, too. China’s ongoing persecution of political dissidents in Hong Kong and abandonment of the agreement with the UK when it was handed over to them in 1997. The imprisonment of British citizen Jimmy Lai is an ongoing sore. Not to mention the persecution of the Uyghurs.

Then there are the problems of Chinese operatives acting against dissidents in the UK, China stealing UK copyright material and the dangers of Chinese companies investing in universities and infrastructure.

And, of course, the anger over the abandonment of a trial of two suspected Chinese spies in parliament is still blamed on Starmer and his government by many.

All these issues and more make the prime minister’s visit extremely controversial – to say the least.

The reality is that the prime minister – just as his chancellor Rachel Reeves did last year – needs to go and ask for Chinese investment in the UK.

The economic problems, the lack of growth, the departure of the wealthy, and international turmoil mean that the UK cannot spurn Chinese investment. Starmer, like the leaders of France and Germany, both of whom have visited Beijing in recent months, is in many ways going cap in hand.

However, in a world lacking in stability and with the UK struggling to find its place, Starmer has little choice but to head to China and make his case.

In reality, though, he is simply carrying on the policy of the previous Tory governments of engagement with Beijing while being suspicious of the Chinese Communist Party and protecting against its excesses.

As Starmer flies out to build something for the future of the UK and his own government, he may well be wondering how long he personally has to deliver as prime minister. The flight to China could all too easily become a legacy trip, just as it did for Theresa May’s failing government.

Police made ‘homophobic assumptions in investigation into son’s death’

The Metropolitan Police have been accused of a series of failures and making “homophobic assumptions” during the investigation of a teenager’s death in a London hotel four years ago.

Edward Cornes’ mother still has questions over how he died and has accused police officers of focusing on his sexuality, losing crucial evidence, and failing to interview witnesses in the days after he was discovered dead in a King’s Cross Hotel.

Popular, bright and widely-liked, Edward had been delighted to discover he had been accepted into the prestigious history course at University College London in the summer of 2021.

When Miriam Blythe and Robert Cornes dropped their son off at his halls on 11 October, all seemed well in the life of their 19-year-old son, who had hopes of potentially becoming a barrister.

Just 48 hours later, Edward was discovered dead in the basement room of the Goodwood Hotel.

A post-mortem examination found large amounts of alcohol, GHB, commonly known as the “date-rape” drug, and crystal meth in his system. Two men in their fifties were arrested on suspicion of murder, before the case was dropped.

The circumstances of Edward’s death remain a mystery with his parents accusing the Met Police of a botched investigation. On 19 October, six days after his death, they claim the force lost the forensic evidence. The also say that the remaining evidence was lost in January of the following year, which included CCTV and crucial evidence such as bed sheets and blood samples.

The family have also accused the force of taking a homophobic approach to the case which allegedly included telling his parents “with man on man sex anything can happen” and repeatedly questioning his drug use.

Edward’s parents were also left appalled when a senior police officer, without warning and with what they described as questionable evidence, told his inquest in October 2025 that Edward was a drug dealer who had regularly met up with older men.

The evidence for this were two text messages sent years previously, in which he said he did not like ‘chemsex drugs’ and had previously done drugs at parties when he was 17 years old, but “felt so bad I gave it up”.

While the coroner ruled that she would not take this into evidence given his family had not been given prior disclosure, the inquest concluded that Edward’s death had been alcohol and drug related, and was not an unlawful killing.

For Ms Blythe, the first indication that something was amiss came on the morning of 13 October, when Edward’s grandmother said she had received a pocket-dial from him at 3.30am in which he sounded “very drunk”.

After failing to get hold of Edward, who always answered his phone, she contacted the university halls for a welfare check. Just an hour later, she received a knock on the door from junior officers who informed her that he had been found dead in a hotel.

At 11pm, they received another phone call from detectives, who informed them that two men had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

It emerged that while paramedics had been called shortly before 11am, rigor mortis had already set in and it is believed he died several hours previously. Both men gave differing accounts as to what happened.

Meanwhile, witness evidence and CCTV, which the police later lost, showed that Edward had been “staggeringly drunk” at the time of meeting the men.

Ms Blythe first began to feel the police weren’t taking the investigation seriously after she informed them of the voicemail her mother had received from Edward during the early hours before his death. She claims that upon suggesting that they retrieve the recording, the two homicide detectives said: “We haven’t got the resources to send a car to Bedfordshire.”

Over the course of the investigation, she and her husband claim they were asked if they knew their son was gay, that he consumed drugs, questioned “why did you send him to King’s Cross” and asked why he had money in his bank account – which had formed part of his inheritance from a recently deceased uncle.

After the murder investigation was dropped, they claim two CID officers told them that “gays always take trays of drugs” and “smuggle boys through fire escapes”.

After complaining to the Met Police, the Professional Standards Unit found that the language used “was not of a homophobic nature but of agreed wording which features within the chemsex training” and found that there was no case to be answered.

In her landmark 2023 report, Baroness Casey found the Met Police to be institutionally homophobic, while an inquest into the four men murdered by serial killer Stephen Port found that police failings had contributed to their deaths.

A serious case review was undertaken in 2023 upon complaints being made by the family, with 27 failings recognised. His parents know little more of its contents, as the force has refused to release the review in full.

“The first two years I barely left the house, I had panic attacks and couldn’t face speaking to people,” Ms Blythe said. “I couldn’t cope with the sympathy. My husband ran a rental business and was basically having a breakdown so we lost the business. I was a university lecturer and no way could I teach people of a similar age to my son.

“In the first two years, I thought I was having a heart attack and got rushed to hospital, it had a huge emotional toll. I was aware of things, but I was staggering around in a state of disbelief.”

Commander Stephen Clayman said: “It’s difficult to hear how the handling of our investigation into Edward’s death has added to the family’s pain.

“The extensive investigation, which was subsequently reviewed, ruled out third-party involvement in Edward’s death and this conclusion was later reinforced at the inquest.

“But we accept that aspects of the way in which the case was handled did not meet the high standards we expect. While this did not affect the outcome of the investigation, we apologise to Edward’s family and friends for any further distress this caused.”