Head of Reform council’s cost-cutting programme resigns after suggesting authority has made ‘no cuts’

The head of Reform UK’s ‘flagship’ council’s cost-cutting programme has resigned after suggesting the authority had “not made any cuts”.

Matthew Fraser Moat has stood down from Kent County Council’s (KCC) cabinet after an interview with the Financial Times in which he and another cabinet minister appeared to suggest the authority had not saved money.

The Reform UK councillor had been the head of the council’s Department of Local Government Efficiency (Dolge), which was inspired by Elon Musk’s cost-cutting Doge in the US.

According to the newspaper article, Mr Moat said he was proud the council “had not actually made any cuts”, adding “we haven’t cut frontline services other than what the Conservatives had already planned to do”.

His colleague, deputy cabinet minister Paul Chamberlain, also told the Financial Times that they had not found the vast amount of waste they had expected to when they came into power last year.

“We made some assumptions that we would come in here and find some of the craziness that [Elon Musk’s cost-cutting vehicle] Doge found in America . . . and that was wrong, we didn’t find any of that,” he said.

Mr Chamberlain added that members in the former Conservative council “weren’t crazy, they were business people”.

Mr Moat stepped down from his role on Tuesday, but claimed the pressures of his role at County Hall and running the family business had led to “a lapse of judgement” which meant his words had been “twisted” by the Financial Times to “fit into an anti-KCC narrative”.

Kent County Council said the article “does not accurately reflect the position” at the authority and that it “presents a selective account of the council’s work on efficiency and value for money”.

Reform UK took control of KCC after the local elections in May where it overturned a 30-year Tory majority, winning 57 out of 81 seats.

During the election campaign, and when they came to power, Reform promised to “reduce waste” which manifested as the Musk-style Department of Local Government Efficiency.

Questions have been raised about what progress the department has made, after the local authority raised council tax by almost 4 per cent despite pledges to cut taxes before last year’s local elections.

“It was a great honour to be asked to serve as a Cabinet Member and since then I have tried to balance my Council responsibilities with the responsibilities of my family business,” Mr Moat said.

“The pressure of giving my best to both roles led to a lapse of judgement in a recent conversation with a journalist in which I was very disappointed to see my words twisted to fit what I believe to be an anti-KCC narrative by the newspaper in question.

“It has become clear to me that continuing as Head of Dolge is not sustainable, and now that KCC has delivered a balanced budget and stabilised the council’s finances, I have decided to step down from my role as a cabinet member.”

A Reform UK spokesman said the “unfair and selective reporting from the Financial Times does not accurately represent the position at Kent County Council”.

“In just eight months, the Reform UK administration have found £100 million of efficiencies through their Dolge efforts, finding £14 million of savings just to ensure that council tax increases for residents are kept to a minimum,” they added.

“These efforts continue, with hundreds of millions of pounds of future savings already identified. Across the country, Reform councillors continue to prove their commitment to keeping taxes low and delivering value for money in every decision they make.”

Melinda Gates: Epstein files bring back ‘very painful’ memories of marriage

Melinda French Gates has spoken out about being mentioned in the latest batch of Epstein files and addressed claims about her ex-husband, Bill Gates.

The 61-year-old, who shares three children with the billionaire, appeared on NPR’s Wild Card podcast this week and was quizzed by host Rachel Martin about the Jeffrey Epstein case after she was mentioned in documents released Friday by the Department of Justice.

Melinda Gates said society was “having a reckoning” and that it “brings back memories of some very, very painful times” in her marriage to the Microsoft founder.

“But I have moved on from that. I purposely pushed it away and I moved on,” she said. “I’m in a really unexpected, beautiful place in my life, so whatever questions remain there of what… I can’t even begin to know all of it. Those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband,” she continued. “They need to answer to those things, not me.”

The couple announced their divorce in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage.

Martin asked the philanthropist specifically about the contents of one draft email Epstein allegedly wrote on July 18 2013, regarding her ex-husband in which she is mentioned by name.

“The emails in the files suggest that Bill Gates had additional affairs, and that he tried to get medication to treat a sexually transmitted infection, and that he was going to give you the medicine without you knowing,” Martin summarized, and asked what “dominant emotion” Melinda Gates felt after reading news articles about the email.

“Just unbelievable sadness,” Melinda Gates responded. “I’m able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, ‘My God, how did they… How did that happen to those girls, right?”

“At least for me, I’ve been able to move on in life, and I hope there’s some justice for those now women,” she added.

A spokesperson for Bill Gates vehemently denied the allegations made in the note.

“These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false,” the spokesperson previously told The Independent. “The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.”

The same year as the couple announced their divorce, Gates told PBS News that he had dinners with Epstein in the hopes of raising funds for global health. He described the meetings as “a mistake.”

Melinda Gates stepped down from the Gates Foundation in May 2024.

The newly released email was one of more than three million documents released Friday to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law in November.

Among the newly released files are thousands of emails, court documents and photos, many of which reference high-profile individuals, such as President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Elon Musk. Being named in the files does not, in and of itself, constitute evidence of wrongdoing.

Brendan Rascius contributed to this report

Musk calls Spanish PM ‘fascist’ as X hits out over French office raid

Elon Musk has slammed Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez as a “true fascist totalitarian” after he proposed a ban on social media use by teenagers, as Europe toughens its stance against tech giants.

In a furious response on his social media site X, the tech billionaire described the Spanish prime minister – who had earlier promised to protect children from the “digital Wild West” – as a “tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain”.

Sanchez had described social media on Tuesday as a “failed state where laws are ignored and crimes are tolerated”, challenging Mr Musk for using X to “amplify disinformation” regarding the decision by Madrid to regularise 500,000 undocumented immigrants.

Mr Musk’s tirade came just hours after authorities raided X’s Paris headquarters, prompting the company to hit back at French prosecutors for what it called an “abusive and illegitimate” move.

The Paris Public Prosecutor’s office carried out the raid as part of a cyber crime investigation into alleged manipulation of algorithms, fraudulent data extraction, and the use of the site’s AI chatbot, Grok, to produce child abuse images and sexually explicit deepfakes.

Mr Musk and the former CEO of X Corp, Linda Yaccarino, have also been summoned to a “voluntary” hearing on 20 April.

In a statement to The Independent, X accused French authorities of an “abusive act of law enforcement theatre designed to achieve illegitimate political objectives”. The company did not specify the nature of the political objectives.

The raid marks the first time the tech billionaire has been summoned by prosecutors over the use of Grok, after thousands of sexually explicit images were created of real women without their consent using the AI tool. In mid-January, the company finally implemented “technological measures” to prevent the practice.

Several investigations have since been opened into Grok’s parent company, xAI. The latest such investigation was announced by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after the raid by French police.

Previous investigations had been opened by the European Commission and by the UK’s media and communications regulator, Ofcom.

The full statement, posted from X’s Global Government Affairs team account, read: “French judicial authorities raided X’s Paris office today in connection with a politicized criminal investigation into alleged manipulation of algorithms and purported fraudulent data extraction. We are disappointed by this development, but we are not surprised.

“The Paris Public Prosecutor’s office widely publicized the raid—making clear that today’s action was an abusive act of law enforcement theater designed to achieve illegitimate political objectives rather than advance legitimate law enforcement goals rooted in the fair and impartial administration of justice.”

It continued: “The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office is plainly attempting to exert pressure on X’s senior management in the United States by targeting our French entity and employees, who are not the focus of this investigation.

“The Prosecutor’s Office has ignored the established procedural mechanisms to obtain evidence in compliance with international treaties and X’s rights to defend itself. These procedural mechanisms are well known and used on a daily basis by judicial authorities around the world.

“The allegations underlying today’s raid are baseless and X categorically denies any wrongdoing. Today’s staged raid reinforces our conviction that this investigation distorts French law, circumvents due process, and endangers free speech. X is committed to defending its fundamental rights and the rights of its users. We will not be intimidated by the actions of French judicial authorities today.”

The BBC has axed its most life-affirming show when we need it more than ever

The BBC has sadly confirmed there are no plans for a fourth season of Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams, one of the best, most uplifting documentary series to hit our screens in recent years. In an age where reality commissioning either leans towards perma-tanned castmates having rows fuelled by producers, or PR-managed, glossy docuseries (David and Victoria Beckham, I’m looking at you), Field of Dreams was a shining light.

Its premise was simple: former all-rounder Flintoff – one of the few England cricketers to reach household name status – would return to his home city of Preston, and inspire teenagers in the former mill town to give the notoriously posh sport a go. But, as the Ashes winner soon found out, convincing a lively crew of working-class kids to don their cricket whites would not be easy.

The first season, which arrived like a breath of fresh air in 2022, began with Flintoff organising tryouts in his home city, where the poverty rate is above the national average and more than 21 per cent of children are in low-income families. While the ex-England player was too modest to say it on camera, he had clearly quietly – and understandably – assumed his celebrity status would result in a decent turnout. He was left dismayed then, when his desperate appeals resulted in just a handful of nonchalant teenagers turning up at trials.

Nevertheless, with the help of his former Lancashire teammate Kyle Hogg, Flintoff scraped (and I mean scraped) a team together. Hope thankfully arrived midway through series one in the form of Adnan, a softly spoken Afghan refugee with dreams of playing professionally (he has since made his debut for Lancashire’s second team).

As is often the case with the best shows inspired by sport, Field of Dreams wasn’t really about what was happening on the pitch. Instead, it was a tale of fighting against the odds, and the power of friendship and camaraderie, with more than a few hilarious one-liners, courtesy of the rambunctious teenage players.

The second series took a turn nobody saw coming. Early episodes saw Flintoff and Hogg lay out their ambitious plan to take the team on a life-changing trip to India. But it was Flintoff’s life that was suddenly altered immeasurably when a horrific accident while filming Top Gear left the presenter with severe injuries and in need of extensive facial surgery.

Assistant coach Hogg broke the news to the boys, and filming was put on pause. While enduring a recovery that involved multiple operations, and led to bouts of severe anxiety and flashbacks, Flintoff essentially went into hiding and later admitted he didn’t leave the house for eight months.

After an extended break, the show went on. Cameras were rolling as Flintoff, visibly changed and still shaken, reunited with the team. With their once seemingly fearless leader on the ropes, the teenagers stepped up. Field of Dreams morphed into something new and even more special, as the boys – with pot noodles and Pringles in their suitcases – supported Flintoff through his nervous return to the spotlight. Standout moments saw Flintoff and several of the teens join Adnan in fasting during Ramadan, before youngster Ben, who was homeless and unemployed, began considering a career in education after a visit to a Kolkata orphanage.

The ever-ambitious Flintoff took things up a notch in the third series and started three more teams, two for boys in Bootle and Manchester, and his first girls’ side in Blackpool. To put it bluntly, the Bootle lads made the Preston OGs look positively angelic. The embattled Kyle Hogg bore the brunt of their behaviour, along with a new recruit, ex-England bowler Kate Cross, who surely had no idea what she was getting herself into.

The star of the show this time around was Presley, a Manchester newbie with a heart of gold, who had suffered at the hands of bullies and struggled to make friends at school. He finally seemed to find his place in the world thanks to the ragtag team, which left his mum in floods of relieved, happy tears.

Why then, has the BBC called time on one of its most heartwarming offerings? With the news agenda dominated by ICE raids, the Epstein files and Iran-US tensions, we’re more in need than ever of a reminder that people can be kind. The season three finale delivered a fairytale ending of sorts, as Flintoff’s four teams faced each other in a tournament. Whether each side would survive beyond filming still felt uncertain, which surely left plenty of room for a fourth outing.

Perhaps Flintoff himself is behind the decision, or maybe execs at the BBC thought the story had run its course. Whatever happened behind the scenes, hopefully Field of Dreams gives commissioners food for thought. Leave over-produced efforts and fame-hungry casts behind; life-affirming shows like this are what we’re crying out for. And more Presleys. TV could definitely do with those, especially in these troubling times.

Newcastle seek to overturn Man City’s two-goal deficit and reach Carabao Cup Wembley final

Manchester City face Newcastle United in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals tonight, with Pep Guardiola’s side already halfway to the final as they welcome the Magpies.

City’s deserved 2-0 win over Newcastle three weeks ago means that they have one foot in the final as Eddie Howe’s men travel to the Etihad, with the Magpies having plenty to do if they want to keep up their defence of the League Cup.

The hosts have struggled to string together a run of solid performances since the first leg though, with the loss to Man Utd and recent draw to Tottenham showing that they can be vulnerable against the better sides.

However, Newcastle have been struggling even more since last month, with the Magpies losing to Villa and Liverpool recently, and they’ll have to produce a superb performance if they want to make it to Wembley for the second year running.

Follow all the latest team news and updates from the Etihad below:

The smart moment to get ahead of your business budget

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Son of Norway’s crown princess in tears at rape trial and denies videos show assault

The son of Norway’s crown princess broke down on Wednesday as he denied that videos on his phone showed acts of rape, during the first day of his testimony in his trial for rape and domestic violence.

In a case that has shaken the embattled Norwegian royal family, Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, who joined when his mother Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, said his upbringing in the public eye since he was a toddler had led him to crave alcohol and sex.

He could face years in prison if found guilty of the most serious of the 38 charges against him.

On Tuesday, the first day of his trial, he pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges of rape and domestic violence but acknowledged partial guilt – a plea allowed under Norwegian law – for aggravated assault and reckless behaviour. He also admitted to lesser charges, including driving too fast.

The trial has transfixed Norway at a time when his mother, the crown princess, also faces fresh scrutiny over revelations about her ties to the deceased US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Breaking down in tears, Hoiby said it was hard to testify in a courtroom packed with reporters.

“I have been surrounded by the press since I was three. I have been harassed ever since,” he said. He said he had received “heavy medication” and would try to do his best in court.

“I am known as the son of Mummy,” he said, referring to Mette-Marit. “Which means I have an extreme need for affirmation,” he said. “A lot of sex, a lot of alcohol.”

“Few can relate to the life I have led. A lot of parties, alcohol, some drugs,” he said.

Wearing jeans and a dark blue jumper over a beige shirt, Hoiby, who spoke with his arms crossed over his chest, and sometimes consulted handwritten notes in a notebook.

Among the charges against Hoiby are one count of rape with sexual intercourse and three counts of rape without intercourse, some of which he filmed on his telephone, the prosecution has said.

He said he had never shared the videos and denied they depicted sex without consent.

“If I had thought I had material that showed an assault, I would never have kept that material,” he said.

Wednesday’s testimony focused on an after-party in the basement of the Crown Prince’s family residence on the outskirts of Oslo in 2018, where the prosecution says Hoiby filmed himself performing a sex act on a woman who was unconscious. Police showed the video to the court behind closed doors on Tuesday.

Hoiby said he had sex with the woman but did not perform a second sex act with her while she was unconscious, or film it.

“We had completely normal sex, as far as I can remember,” said Hoiby. “Afterwards, I told her to go. So I called her a taxi.”

“I don’t have sex with people who are not awake.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the alleged victim, who cannot be identified to protect her privacy, testified she learnt about the alleged rape when police contacted her about the video, and she had not consented to the sexual act that was filmed. The prosecution said the woman was not in a position to consent.

Hoiby’s trial is scheduled to run until 19 March.

Norway’s royal family faces multiple challenges in addition to the trial and ongoing scrutiny of Mette-Marit’s ties to Epstein.

The royal palace told Reuters on Wednesday that Mette-Marit had postponed until further notice a planned private trip abroad, without providing further details. That news was first reported by daily Aftenposten.

An opinion poll conducted on Monday for daily newspaper Verdens Gang showed a fall in the number of Norwegians in favour of keeping the monarchy – to 61 per cent from 72 per cent last year – and a 10-percentage-point rise to 27 per cent in those who want a republic.

King Harald, 88, Europe’s oldest living monarch, cut back activity in 2024 after being hospitalised to treat an infection and later receiving a pacemaker.

Mette-Marit herself is in need of a lung transplant after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs.

King Harald’s daughter, Martha Louise, stepped down from official royal duties in 2022 to pursue her own business ventures, and said she and her husband, an American self-styled shaman, would refrain from using her title as princess in a commercial setting.

They both received criticism last year for starring in a Netflix documentary chronicling their daily lives, including their wedding, and for being critical of the king and queen.

Locals react to Andrew’s Sandringham move: ‘They’re dumping their royal rubbish on us’

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s relocation from his Windsor mansion to the King’s Sandringham Estate has been met with a frosty reception from some local residents.

Press photographers and television crews converged on Wednesday near the entrance to Wood Farm Cottage, where he is reportedly staying temporarily.

The usually tranquil lane in Wolferton, by St Peter church, was filled with parked cars, while a helicopter hovered overhead.

It is understood that Marsh Farm, the former duke’s intended new home nearby, is not yet fully prepared, with his permanent move anticipated by the beginning of April.

A woman who answered the door at a house in Wolferton, speaking anonymously, said she felt it was the wrong location for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to move to and that he should be somewhere more “secluded”.

“I think if he has to come and live here it should be somewhere that’s quite secluded,” she said.

“There are houses that belong to the King that he could go to that wouldn’t cause anybody any bother.

“The press are all down there. The villagers don’t like that.

“It’s a quiet village.”

She suggested a house that was “out in the woods that’s surrounded by trees and no other houses… would have been better”, adding that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s new property in Wolferton was “too close to the road” and “you’re always going to have reporters”.

“If he needs to come, he needs to come, but I think there’s better places he could have actually gone,” she said.

Many in the village were reluctant to speak at all, with some saying they could not comment as they worked for the royal estate.

Around two miles away at Sandringham Visitor Centre, members of the public did not speak positively of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s move.

Abraham Bruin, 83, of West Walton, who used to work in plant nurseries, was visiting the Sandringham Estate on Wednesday.

He said: “I’m a little bit flabbergasted myself.

“If he’s an outcast and living on the estate, he’s not an outcast is he.”

A woman, speaking anonymously, said: “Really he’s going back to luxury, isn’t he?

“He’s being waited on hand and foot.”

Another woman who was visiting the estate, who also declined to be named, said: “I’m not particularly keen on him.

“I’m not happy he’s this way.

“As long as we don’t see him. He will be hid away somewhere.

“He will have all the things he needs.

“He’s still living in a certain amount of luxury.”

A third woman, who also did not give her name, said she was “not enamoured” that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had moved to the area.

“They’re dumping their royal rubbish on us,” she said.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor still has the lease for his Windsor property until October but it is understood he has made the substantive part of his move to his new home.

However, it may take some weeks to complete and the former prince is likely to be seen at Royal Lodge on occasion.