Badenoch more popular than Farage for first time in a year, poll shows
Kemi Badenoch’s approval rating has surpassed Nigel Farage for the first time in over a year after she dramatically sacked Robert Jenrick for planning to defect to Reform UK, according to a new poll.
The Conservative leader kicked her former shadow justice secretary out of her party as she accused him of plotting to leave “in a way designed to be as damaging as possible” to the Tories.
Hours later, he joined Reform, taking a swipe at his former party as he was unveiled by Mr Farage as the latest Tory defector.
But a new More In Common poll, carried out from the day after Mr Jenrick was sacked until Monday, shows half of Britons support Ms Badenoch’s decisive action – with even 45 per cent of Reform voters saying she handled the defection well.
The survey found her net approval rating has risen to -11, the highest since December 2024, just a month after she first became leader.
It has also overtaken Mr Farage, who is on -13, for the first time since the same month.
The public is also three times more likely to say that Mr Jenrick’s sacking reflected well on Ms Badenoch than badly (34 to 11 per cent).
By contrast, just 14 per cent of those questioned say the row reflected well on Mr Jenrick, while 37 per cent say it reflects poorly on him.
Pollsters also identified what they described as the potential ‘cost of defections’. More than half (56 per cent) said Tory politicians were defecting out of self-interest rather than principle, while a staggering seven in ten Conservative voters said they would not vote for their MP if they switched to Reform.
Earlier this month, polling guru Sir John Curtice wrote for the Independent about Ms Badenoch’s improving popularity following her well-regarded party conference speech and her response in the Budget.
“This is a key reason why the average level of support for Reform itself has slipped below the 30 per cent mark, for the first time since the party’s success in gaining control of 20 county councils last May,” he wrote.
However, despite the good news for Ms Badenoch, there was bad news for her party, with Reform UK winning the battle to be seen to represent the ‘Right’ of British politics, on 35 per cent ahead of the Tories on 29 per cent.
Russell Brand in court to face two fresh charges including rape
Russell Brand has appeared in court charged with two further sexual offences, including rape.
The comedian, 50, has already denied two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault in relation to alleged offences between 1999 and 2005, involving four women.
He was further charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault in relation to two more women in December last year.
Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon over the fresh charges, the former Big Brother’s Big Mouth presenter spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.
The star attended via video link from Florida, in the US, where he now lives, wearing a blue denim shirt unbuttoned to his lower chest.
Addressing Mr Brand at the end of the six-minute hearing, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring KC said: “Mr Brand, one of the charges you face is what we call indictable only, which means it can only be tried in the crown court.”
He was bailed to appear at Southwark Crown Court for a plea hearing on 17 February, with the condition that he must notify the police of any change of address.
The two alleged offences took place in London in 2009, according to court documents.
A trial is scheduled to begin at Southwark Crown Court later this year in relation to the five original charges.
Mr Brand, who also has an address in Oxfordshire, is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, and grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet, the court heard in May.
He is also alleged to have grabbed a radio station worker’s face, pushing her against a wall and kissing her before groping her breasts and buttocks.
The actor is also accused of indecently assaulting another woman after grabbing her forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet.
He was charged following an investigation by Channel 4 and The Sunday Times in which several women made allegations against him.
He was married to US pop singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012, but is now married to Laura Gallacher, the sister of presenter Kirsty, and the pair have two children.
David Beckham says ‘let children make mistakes’ after Brooklyn’s bombshell statement
Brooklyn Beckham has launched an astonishing attack on his “controlling” parents claiming they have been trying to ruin his relationship.
The 26-year-old eldest son of David and Victoria addressed their long-standing feud in a six page statement posted to Instagram on Monday night.
Brooklyn announced he has no wish to reconcile with his family and is “standing up” for himself “for the first time” in his life. While David and Victoria are yet to address the statement, the former said that “children make mistakes” in a conversation about the misuse of social media the following morning at World Economic Forum in Davos.
The former photographer wrote: “For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.”
Brooklyn, who married model and heiress Nicola Peltz, 31, in April 2022, claimed that: “My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped.”
He said his mother Victoria had “cancelled making Nicola’s dress” and “hijacked” the first dance at the wedding.
“She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everybody. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life,” he said.
‘Every mother’s worst nightmare’
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham’s scathing comments about his family have constituted what The Independent’s Victoria Richards called “every mother’s worst nightmare.”
“There is, truly, nothing worse than being branded an ‘embarrassing’ or (in Brooklyn’s words) ‘inappropriate’ mother. Nothing,” Richards wrote.
The Beckham family feud is every mother’s worst nightmare
In the Brooklyn Beckham family feud, there’s only one thing people want to see
After Brooklyn Beckham released his bombshell six-page tell-all, The Independent’s Ellie Muir gets to the heart of what people really want to see amid the feud: footage of Victoria Beckham’s “inappropriate” dance at her son’s wedding.
Read more here:
In the Brooklyn Beckham family feud, there’s only one thing people want to see
Cruz Beckham posts on Instagram
Brooklyn Beckham’s brother Cruz has yet to comment on his family’s ongoing feud.
However, the 20-year-old singer posted an Instagram Story that appeared to show him in a recording studio.
‘The View’ co-hosts weigh in on ‘devastating’ feud
The co-hosts of The View have shared their responses to Brooklyn Beckham’s statement about his family during Tuesday’s episode of the ABC talk show.
“I’m so devastated for this family,” Sunny Hostin said. “I think anyone who has a tight-knit family would be devastated over this. They’re trashing each other in the press. If this happened in my family I’d be really disappointed. I think it’s sad.”
Sara Haines added, “This might be the only way [Brooklyn] gets to have a voice in this situation.”
The co-hosts agreed they were confident that the family will work it out, despite Beckham insisting that he did not want to reconcile with his parents.
About Nicola Peltz’s wedding dress
Nicola Peltz wore a custom Valentino dress during her 2022 wedding ceremony to Brooklyn Beckham.
Brooklyn said in his bombshell statement that his mother, Victoria Beckham, had “cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress.”
However, Peltz’s stylist told British Vogue in the days after the wedding that the Valentino dress had been in the works for a year.
“It was the ultimate couture experience,” stylist Leslie Fremar said about creating Peltz’s dress. She said there were two trips to Valentino’s Rome headquarters, as well as fittings in the U.S. to finalize the gown.
Six months after the wedding, Peltz told Variety that she was “going to and really wanted to” wear a dress by Victoria, but realized that it would not be possible for the studio to do it.
“She didn’t say you can’t wear it; I didn’t say I didn’t want to wear it,” she told the outlet at the time.
Vow renewal was to ‘create new memories of our wedding day’
Just three years after Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz were married, the couple renewed their wedding vows in a Florida ceremony,
No member of the Beckham family was in attendance at the ceremony, which had a guestlist of less than 20 people after their 500-person wedding.
“We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment,” Brooklyn wrote in his Instagram post Monday.
Wedding guest speaks out about Victoria Beckham’s ‘inappropriate’ dance’
A wedding guest has confirmed Brooklyn Beckham’s claims that his mother “danced very inappropriately on me” during his 2022 wedding to Nicola Peltz.
Stavros Agapiou, a guest at the lavish ceremony in Palm Beach, said that he witnessed Victoria’s dancing.
“I was there and she did, he’s telling the truth,” Agapiou wrote in an Instagram comment that has since been deleted.
Agapiou was at the wedding with his partner, British DJ Fat Tony. After he deleted his comment, Agapiou instead posted, “Good on him for finally speaking out!”
Video resurfaces of Victoria Beckham dancing with Nicola Peltz
As the feud between Brooklyn Beckham and his parents heats up even more, footage has resurfaced of Nicola Peltz dancing with her mother-in-law.
Victoria Beckham shared the video of her dancing with Peltz on the beach to celebrate the actor’s birthday in 2024, nearly two years after Brooklyn and Peltz’s wedding.
“The best dance partner and loving daughter in law,” Victoria wrote in the post at the time.
David Beckham’s former assistant reacts to feud
Rebecca Loos, David Beckham’s former assistant who famously claimed that she had an affair with the former athlete, has weighed in on the drama.
The former model replied to a comment on her Instagram post about Brooklyn’s bombshell statement, “So happy he is standing up for himself and speaking publicly finally!!!!”
Loos added that she has sympathized with Nicola Peltz, “knowing too well what [the family] can be like!”
Brooklyn says wife Nicola doesn’t control him
“The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards,” Brooklyn Beckham said in his bombshell statement, defending Nicola Peltz.
“I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose and have found peace and relief.”
Zelensky says US can do more to stop Putin as he cancels Davos meetings
Volodymyr Zelensky will reportedly not go to Davos following a large-scale strike on Kyiv, as he insists the US can do more to stop Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian president has prioritised staying in the capital over the World Economic Forum, saying that he will now only go to Davos if a bilateral meeting with US president Donald Trump is scheduled, according to Axios.
Zelensky told reporters “everything can change at any moment” as the priority remains “to end this war”.
He said Ukraine and the US were “almost finished” preparations for prosperity package but there was room for Trump to do more in making Putin stop the war. He added that Ukraine, as well as Russia, had been invited to join Trump’s “board of peace”, but felt it was hard to imagine how Kyiv and Moscow could be on the same board.
It comes as more than 335,000 residents in Kyiv were left without electricity after Russian airstrikes overnight. Ukraine’s air force reported that Moscow launched 339 drones and 33 missiles, targeting the capital.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha called the “Putin’s barbaric strike” a “wake up call to world leaders gathering in Davos.”
Zelensky pays tribute to defenders of Donetsk Airport
Zelensky has issued a tribute to the defenders of Donetsk Airport.
He said: “Every year on this day, January 20, we remember the defenders of Donetsk Airport. People who held their position for 242 days, never surrendered, and endured encirclement and constant attacks.
“They were called Cyborgs, yet they were simply showing the very best of the Ukrainian character, the Ukrainian heart, and the Ukrainian spirit – not to give up, to fight the occupier, and to astonish the world with what Ukraine is capable of.
“These are exactly the people we must support. We are grateful to everyone standing with Ukraine. We thank everyone who is helping us.”
Pictured: Putin attends a meeting with the Head of the Republic of Adygea, Murat Kumpilov, at the Kremlin
Chernobyl connected to country’s power grid after Russia’s latest strike
Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been connected to the country’s power grid following an overnight Russian air attack on Ukrainian energy facilities, and radiation levels are normal, Kyiv’s energy ministry said on Monday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency had earlier said the facility, the site of the world’s worst civil nuclear catastrophe, lost all off-site power after the attack.
Moscow court throws out prosecutors’ bid to seize US fund’s assets
A Moscow court dismissed on Tuesday a motion by prosecutors to seize the assets of US private equity fund NCH Capital in Russia, the Interfax news agency said, as Russian and US representatives were due to sit down for talks in the Swiss resort of Davos.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the Russian authorities have confiscated or placed under state management assets worth some $50 billion belonging to foreign and Russian owners, with courts generally backing the state’s claims.
Prosecutors filed a lawsuit against NCH Capital and its founders, George Rohr, a US citizen, and Moris Tabacinic, an Austrian citizen, seeking to ban NCH’s activities in Russia on the grounds that the founders funded Ukraine’s military forces.
Watch: Russia reeling from ‘snow apocalypse’ as record snowfall buries towns
Lavrov says Britain should no longer be called ‘great’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Britain should no longer be called Great Britain as it was the only country in the world to officially name itself “Great”.
“I think that Britain should be called simply Britain because ‘Great Britain’ is the only example of a country which calls itself ‘Great’,” Lavrov told reporters as he spoke about colonialism following comments on Greenland. His spokeswoman then gave Ivor Bennett, a correspondent from Britain’s Sky News, a question.
“No offence,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov said another example of a country which called itself “great” was the “Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya” led by Muammar Gaddafi.
“But it no longer exists.”
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is usually called “Velikobritaniya”, or Great Britain, in Russian.
Strikes on energy infrastructure creates ‘brutal conditions inside Ukraine’ warns international law foundation
Wayne Jordash KC, president of Global Rights Compliance, has warned of Russia’s calculated weaponisation of infrastructure during the Ukraine’s harshest winter since the start of the full-scale invasion.
He said: “Russia’s widespread and systematic strikes on Ukrainian civilian energy infrastructure are creating brutal conditions inside Ukraine during the freezing winter, with temperatures more severe than usual.
“These callous attacks bear the clear hallmarks of inhumane acts constituting crimes against humanity, and they are certainly war crimes, intentionally condemning many of Ukraine’s civilian population to cold, dark conditions for most of the day and night.
“Electricity, heating, and water are essential, not only for household tasks such as cooking, washing, and keeping households warm, but to ensure the safety of children, the elderly and the handicapped at home and in healthcare who are particularly at risk from the cold and the deprivation.
“Russia’s continued weaponisation of infrastructure is part of a calculated plan to fracture communities, paralyse Ukraine’s economy, and push the population to the brink. As anybody who knows Ukrainians, it will not work. But Ukraine’s European allies must ramp up their support with urgent energy aid packages to enable the country to weather these cruel attacks and avoid a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.”
Ukraine captures Russian soldier who ‘executed nine Ukrainian POWs’
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has captured a Russian soldier accused of allegedly shooting and killing nine Ukrainian prisoners of war in Kursk oblast in October 2024, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky shared the report after his briefing with SBU’s first deputy chief Oleksandr Poklad yesterday.
“The Russian serviceman responsible for the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war in October of last year in the Kursk region has been taken captive,” Zelensky said. “Every Russian murderer must be held accountable for their actions. And so it will be. We are also countering Russian sabotage in the rear,” he said.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office started investigation into reports of Russian soldiers killing Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered as prisoners, in violation of Geneva Convention on war crimes.
Watch: Trump says Putin invited to ‘Board of Peace’, threatens 200% tariffs on French wine over Macron stance
In pictures: Ukrainian servicemen shoot down a Russian missile during a strike
Musk asks if he should buy Ryanair after demanding CEO is fired
Elon Musk has suggested he could buy budget airline Ryanair after demanding CEO Michael O’Leary be fired in his latest online war of words.
The world’s richest man claimed the Ryanair boss “needs to be fired” in a series of posts on X replying to an official airline post.
Musk asked the airline, “How much would it cost to buy you?” as he relayed his fantasy about putting someone called Ryan in charge of Ryanair.
“It is your destiny”, he insisted in a post on Monday.
The Tesla boss later drew up a poll where he asked his 232.5 million followers whether he should “Buy Ryan Air and restore Ryan as their rightful ruler”. So far the poll has received almost 800,00 responses, 76.8 per cent responding that he should.
Fellow tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, best known for co-founding Reddit and marrying tennis champion Serena Williams, chimed in on the battle of the CEOs to admit “this timeline does get really entertaining at times”.
The spat between Musk and O’Leary escalated on Friday when the latter said in an interview that he would pay no attention to what the Tesla CEO had to say about installing WiFi into the planes of his budget airline.
“I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk,” he said on Newstalk, an Irish radio station. “He’s an idiot. Very wealthy, but he’s still an idiot.”
Questions were raised about the possibility of installing SpaceX’s Starlink internet across the budget airline’s fleet, which O’Leary quickly rejected.
“What Elon Musk knows about flights and drag would be zero,” he said. “We have to put an aerial antenna on top of the aircraft. It would cost us about $200-250 million dollars a year, in other words an extra dollar for every passenger we fly.
“And the reality for us is we can’t afford those costs, passengers won’t pay for internet usage. If it’s free, they’ll use it, but they won’t pay €1 each to use the internet. So we’re not putting it on board.”
He then called X a “cesspit”.
Musk responded to the video clip to say: “Ryanair CEO is an utter idiot. Fire him.”
The budget airline, known for its tongue-in-cheek social media presence, has shared a number of posts on X appearing to goad Musk over the WiFi issue.
The official account replied to one post, asking “what is a propaganda you’re not falling for?” with “Wi-Fi on planes” which led Musk to call O’Leary a “r*****ed t**t who needs to be fired”.
Ryanair Holdings PLC is currently worth $35.07 billion on NASDAQ.
The Independent has contacted both X and Ryanair for comment.
Pick your paradise: uncover nature, wellness and luxury in the idyllic Maldives
When it comes to bucket-list destinations, look no further than the Maldives for a truly unforgettable trip. It’s an extraordinary place, scattered across hundreds of coral islands in the Indian Ocean, and feels almost unreal when you first arrive. Life moves more slowly here, shaped by the sea, with days spent swimming, snorkelling and taking in the idyllic views. It’s also home to some of the world’s most polished island resorts, making it easy to slink into the laid-back rhythm of island life.
Travelbag takes the hassle out of planning a Maldives holiday, with a carefully chosen mix of resorts to suit different types of trips. Whether you’re looking for something romantic, low-key, or family-friendly, their Travel Specialists can help shape the details. There’s also a ‘Sale On, Switch Off’ offer running from now to the end of February, with up to 50 per cent off selected hotel stays and added discounts across selected resorts and added extras, for a luxury stay that works for your budget.
Here are six incredible resorts to inspire you to finally book that dream trip to the Maldives…
Niva Kurumba Maldives
Only a 10-minute speedboat ride from Malé, on the first private island resort in the North Malé Atoll, Niva Kurumba Maldives is one of the easiest resorts to get to, but still serves that dreamy castaway feeling. As the country’s first private island resort, it leans into its history, offering thoughtfully curated excursions such as snorkelling trips, a dolphin-exploration cruise, and guided visits to Malé.
There’s plenty to fill your days on the island, from snorkelling around the house reef to watersports and relaxing classes like yoga or cocktail making. You’ll also be spoiled for cutting edge cuisine here, with several restaurants to choose from, including Hamakaze, an overwater teppanyaki spot for sushi and sashimi, and Athiri, a barefoot beach bar that’s ideal for long evenings.
Niva Velassaru Maldives
If true escape is the goal, Niva Velassaru Maldives offers a refined island retreat designed for effortless relaxation. From the moment guests arrive, a sense of calm sets in, with the resort’s spa thoughtfully positioned at the heart of the island, nestled beneath swaying palms and featuring overwater treatment rooms, couples’ pavilions, steam rooms, and shaded daybeds for moments of rest between treatments.
The surrounding lagoon invites discovery, with guided snorkeling along the house reef, daily dive excursions led by a PADI-certified team, and the presence of an on-site marine biologist. Additional experiences include dolphin cruises and glass-bottom boat tours, offering a closer look at the island’s marine life.
Accommodation ranges from villas set amidst lush greenery to elegant overwater retreats, each offering privacy, comfort, and uninterrupted views – ideal for complete relaxation. For guests seeking more active pursuits, the resort provides access to water sports equipment, a fully equipped gym, a tennis court, a Pilates studio and an infinity pool overlooking the beach. Wellness and movement are seamlessly woven into the guest experience, with complimentary morning cruises and sunset yoga sessions available for those wishing to begin or end the day with intention.
Niva Dhigali Maldives
Set in the western Raa Atoll, Niva Dhigali Maldives sits among greenery and white sand, with the landscape itself very much part of the experience. Villas are spread across the island and out over the water, offering gorgeous garden or sea views. The overwater villas are the most open, with wide views of the Indian Ocean and direct access to the water.
Days tend to unfold slowly here, with snorkelling and diving on nearby reefs, dolphin cruises, time on the beach and spa sessions beneath the palms all shaping the pace of your stay. You’re spoilt for choice in terms of dining, with several restaurants and bars across the island, including Haali Bar at the quieter west end, which is a favourite for cocktails as the sun drops into the ocean.
Huvafen Fushi Maldives
Huvafen Fushi is a small island resort in the North Malé Atoll, around 30 minutes from Malé by speedboat, and it’s ideal for couples seeking utter serenity. With just 46 beach and overwater bungalows and pavilions, this is the perfect setting for a complete escape. The main talking point is the underwater spa, where treatments take place eight metres below the surface, with coral reef views, alongside a handful of overwater treatment rooms and saltwater flotation pools.
Wine is a serious focus too, and oenophiles will be in their element at Vinum, the first underground wine cellar in the Maldives, which hosts tastings and intimate gourmet dinners beneath the island. It’s a place made for honeymoons, special occasions and switching off completely.
Milaidhoo Maldives
Milaidhoo Maldives sits in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, an area known for some of the country’s most diverse marine life. The nearby reefs are colourful and teeming with life, and during the right season, trips to Hanifaru Bay give guests the chance to swim with manta rays and whale sharks. Villas are spacious and built around outdoor living, with plenty of natural light, a private pool and a sundeck with lagoon or sea views – perfect for laidback days enjoying the wonderful peacefulness of this idyllic island.
Dining is a major draw, particularly at Ba’theli, the world’s only Maldivian fine-dining restaurant set on a traditional boat, where local dishes are inspired by the ancient Spice Route.
Baros Maldives
Baros has been welcoming guests for over five decades, and is a true local icon, offering guests the feel of authentic Maldives. It sits in the North Malé Atoll and is best known for its house reef, which you can snorkel straight from the shore. There are also resident marine biologists on site, working on conservation projects and running trips out to nearby dive sites, of which there are more than 40 in the area.
Villas are either tucked into the leafy surroundings or set out over the lagoon, each boasting its own private sun deck and a host available when needed. Sustainability runs through everything they do, including reef-protection work and all the biodegradable products used across the island.
To plan your own Maldives escape, explore exclusive offers and speak to a Travel Specialist, head to travelbag.co.uk
Harry and ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy’s sleeping arrangements ‘obtained unlawfully by Daily Mail publisher’
Intimate details about Prince Harry’s relationship with his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy, including their “sleeping arrangements”, were obtained “unlawfully” by the Mail on Sunday, the High Court has heard.
An article published in January 2010 contained “granular detail” about their plans as a couple, and even Harry’s “preferences as to where he likes to spend the night”, the duke’s barrister David Sherborne said on Tuesday.
Other details published in the newspaper included how the Duke of Sussex had given his then on-and-off partner a “set of keys” while they navigated their long-distance relationship.
But Harry’s evidence is “absolutely firm”, and he insisted that only a close friend of his or Ms Davy’s would have known the private information and “would not possibly have betrayed their confidence”, Mr Sherborne added.
Harry, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes, and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley are taking legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over alleged unlawful information gathering.
ANL “vehemently” denies the “preposterous allegations”.
The article by Mail on Sunday journalist Katie Nicholl detailed “intimate and specific details” about Harry’s private life, Mr Sherborne said.
The story described how Ms Davy’s friends had said Harry was a regular fixture at her Belgravia home before she left the UK for Christmas.
The court heard that Ms Nicholl’s evidence was that her notebooks indicated she obtained the “minute details” from a man named Garth Gibbs.
Mr Sherborne said that South African-born Mr Gibbs, who died a year after the article was published, was not “a member of the royal family” nor “some young aristocratic socialite”. Instead, he was living alone in semi-retirement on the Isle of Wight, with his cat, called Lord Kismul of Barra, aka Kizzy, as his sole companion.
The barrister added that it was “utterly implausible that this person would have supplied that level of information about the Duke of Sussex and Ms Chelsy Davy”.
He suggested Ms Nicholl was applying her “familiar unlawful information gathering” techniques.
Summarising part of the duke’s written evidence, Mr Sherborne said that Harry had detailed the “distress” and “paranoia” he had been caused.
He continued: “But given what we’ve seen, is it any wonder that he feels that way, or as he explains, that he feels he has endured a sustained campaign of attacks against him for having had the temerity to stand up to Associated in the way that he has so publicly done?”
ANL said disclosures to the press about Harry’s private life were “a not uncommon occurrence”.
The publisher’s lawyer, Antony White KC, told the court in written submissions: “The reality is that the social circles of the celebrity claimants, ie all the claimants bar Baroness (Doreen) Lawrence and Sir Simon Hughes, were ‘leaky’ and their friends, and friends of friends, or associates, did regularly provide information to the press about the claimants’ private lives, for obvious reasons on a confidential basis.”
ANL’s written submission claims that Ms Nicholl was passed the information from Mr Gibbs from a source in South Africa who was “good friends” with Ms Davy, as well as being one of her Facebook friends.
“She would also likely have run the story past some of her other confidential sources on the Duke of Sussex and Ms Davy to confirm whether it was true and to pick up any other details,” Mr White said.
On Tuesday, Mr White told the court that journalists at the organisation provide a “compelling account of a pattern of legitimate sourcing of articles”.
At the start of his opening submissions, he said: “Associated, the defendant, defends these claims on two main grounds: firstly, on the merits and secondly on limitation grounds.
“Associated has provided an explanation through a long series of witnesses of the sourcing by its journalists of the 50-plus articles alleged by the claimants to be the product of unlawful information gathering.
“We don’t pretend that that account is perfect and covers every detail, and not every journalist can remember every article, but we do say that overall, it provides a compelling account of a pattern of legitimate sourcing of articles.”
Zimbabwean-born Ms Davy dated Prince Harry for about seven years, with their relationship continuing while he was training in the Army and overseas, and while she was at university in South Africa.
They split in early 2009 but, after both reportedly had other flings, they rekindled their relationship, and in May 2010, Ms Davy made a rare public appearance to watch him receive his wings after completing his Army Air Corps helicopter pilot course.
They broke up again in about 2011 but remained friends and she attended his wedding to the Duchess of Sussex in 2018.
I’m a White House reporter. Here’s the side of the Trump admin you don’t see on TV
When Donald Trump took the oath of office one year ago, I was watching on a laptop screen in the White House briefing room while bracing myself from the absurdly cold air that flooded the small space every time someone opened the door.
As he delivered not one but two separate stemwinding addresses in the Capitol — first the traditional post-inaugural speech in the Capitol rotunda, then a second, far more partisan and unscripted rant to supporters who’d been seated in an overflow area — I looked up to see a colleague from another news outlet who, like me, had been on the White House beat since the start of Trump’s tumultuous first term nearly a decade earlier.
As the president rambled on about the various grievances and slights he’d been made to endure since losing the 2020 election and decamping to Florida for what became just a brief exile from power under the Biden administration, she rolled her eyes and turned to me with a knowing smile.
“Here we go again,” she said.
Those of us who covered Trump’s first administration thought we knew what to expect. Boy, were we wrong.
His first four years in power were often a non-stop barrage of news that left journalists exhausted but well-fed on copious amounts of leaked information from various camps within the West Wing looking to knife one another, plus less useful — and often far less truthful — information delivered by a rotating cast of press secretaries and spokespersons.
Sean Spicer’s now-infamous 2017 debut in the briefing room, during which he castigated the press for reporting on the far smaller crowd that attended Trump’s first inaugural compared with either of Barack Obama’s swearings-in, set the tone that more or less characterized the next four years. Things got weirder from there, with his appearances in the briefing room becoming so bizarre — remember “Holocaust centers?” — that he was infamously parodied by Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live.
Press briefings got fewer and farther between as Trump moved on from the oft-combative Spicer to the more affable but equally unhelpful Sarah Huckabee Sanders (who is now living her best life as governor of Arkansas) to Stephanie Grisham, who did not hold a single press briefing for her entire tenure.
And even though Trump’s official schedule didn’t kick off until mid-morning then, reporters such as myself got in the habit of arriving at the White House as early at 7am because administration officials, most often Kellyanne Conway, would engage in pugilistic back-and-forths with us after appearing on Fox News.
The president himself discovered the briefing room during the Covid-19 pandemic, often spending as many as 90 minutes a day there as he took questions from a pared-down press corps while Americans sheltered at home.
And while Trump often liked to attack or belittle specific reporters or outlets, his administration more or less let us do our jobs.
We expected more of the same when Trump was sworn in for a second time, and as I and other colleagues greeted the incoming Trump II press staff — some of whom we’d gotten to know during his previous term — on inauguration day, one person remarked to me that the atmosphere had a “first day of school” vibe that portended a smoother ride than last time around.
Well, guess again.
To be sure, there are positive differences between Trump I and Trump II from the perspective of a beat reporter. Whereas the Trump I press staff was more likely to scream at you than answer a question if you walked into their office, their counterparts in his second administration are often so cheerful and friendly that it’s more than a bit disconcerting.
Unlike the heady days when Spicer, Sanders and Grisham ran an amateurish and uncommunicative press shop, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Communications Director Steven Cheung are generally professional behind the scenes and their subordinates actually respond to queries on a regular basis.
But on the whole, this administration has not been much like the last.
Unlike the leaky ship that was Trump I, Trump’s White House this time around is far more disciplined. From a reporter’s perspective, that’s not exactly a good thing.
But the real difference is how Trump’s new-look team has put his combative attitude towards the free and independent press into action.
In February, Leavitt’s office announced it would take control of the “pool” rotation under which a group of outlets — including The Independent — cover Trump as he holds court in the Oval Office and while he travels around the country aboard Air Force One.
While I and my colleagues from reputable and legitimate news outlets still take our turns and dutifully file pool reports that are used by the rest of the press corps to write the “first draft of history,” we’ve been joined by more and more people chosen by the White House while some outlets (such as the AP) have been banned for dubious reasons that are currently being evaluated by the courts, such as refusing to acknowledge Trump’s proclamation that the Gulf of Mexico should now be referred to as the Gulf of America.
Some of the newcomers are from conservative-leaning outlets who approach their jobs in a responsible, reputable manner. But others, to be frank, are sycophants and clowns who do little to help inform the American people.
Leavitt has often given pride of place to these people by letting them ask the first question at White House briefings (traditionally the role of the AP) in a “new media” seat located in a section of the briefing room usually reserved for White House staff.
In one instance, she hosted notorious plagiarist turned MAGA troll Benny Johnson there and let him kick off a briefing with a fabricated tale of how he and his family had fled Washington after their “house was set ablaze in an arson” (according to the DC Fire Department, it was his neighbor’s house that was set on fire).
Another Leavitt guest, beanie-wearing podcaster Tim Pool, used his time there to complain about how legitimate news outlets had characterized him and other “new media” seat occupants and asked Leavitt to join him in disparaging the mainstream press. Leavitt diplomatically replied that the administration “welcomes diverse viewpoints.“
More recently, I (and others) have been placed on White House-authored lists attacking us as biased in retaliation for reporting accurately on the president’s own words and actions.
My counterparts in the Pentagon press corps and elsewhere in Washington have had it worse.
Last year, they surrendered their press credentials en masse after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded that they all sign documents pledging not to ask anyone in the federal government or elsewhere for information about anything while only publishing pre-approved information — the definition of propaganda.
They were replaced in the halls of the Pentagon by a coterie of sycophants and influencers aligned with Hegseth and his vision for his department.
One attempt at a briefing for the “new Pentagon press corps” saw seats in the Pentagon briefing room taken by self-described “proud Islamophobe” Laura Loomer and Matt Gaetz, the disgraced ex-Florida congressman who was briefly Trump’s pick for Attorney General before resigning from the House in a fruitless attempt to avoid release of a damning ethics committee report that allegedly found substantial evidence he had sex with a 17-year-old girl and allegedly also was found in possession of illegal drugs. Gaetz has denied both allegations and a Justice Department probe into Gaetz’s alleged actions with the girl produced no charges.
And just this past week, FBI agents searched the home of a Washington Post reporter who the government alleged to be communicating with a suspected leaker — even though it’s not illegal for a journalist to receive leaked documents, even classified ones.
Agents seized her phones and laptops, ostensibly as part of a probe into a Defense Department employee who’d mishandled classified information, but perhaps as a warning to others who might dare correspond with journalists from inside the government.
And while the president has largely avoided the briefing room during his first year back, he has dispatched Vice President JD Vance there on more than one occasion, most recently last week when he appeared there to berate me and my White House press corps colleagues about coverage of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Good.
One would think the Vice President of the United States has better things to do than scream at a bunch of journalists because he doesn’t like the headlines on a story, but here we are.
And Leavitt hasn’t been shy about unleashing over-the-top rebukes when cornered with legitimate questions she’d not answer. Days ago, she laid into one of my colleagues from The Hill — an affable gentleman who originally hails from Northern Ireland — for having the temerity to offer an opinion contrary to hers after she’d asked him to tell her what he thought of last week’s shooting.
She reacted to his honest answer by angrily raising her voice and smearing him as “a biased reporter with a left-wing opinion” and “a left-wing hack” who was “pretending like you’re a journalist.”
It’s a tactic Trump himself has used on numerous occasions — often with female or non-white journalists — when hit with tough questions on subjects he’d prefer to avoid.
Still, the dirty little secret about Trump — then and now — is that he actually likes reporters. One of the things he missed most about the presidency wasn’t the plane or the other similar perquisites of the world’s most powerful job, it was having a “pool” of reporters he could summon any time he wanted to talk about anything at all.
For all his talk about “fake news,” he’s spent years calling journalists and still takes calls from them on his mobile phone (and if you’re reading this, Mr. President, you can always ask Karoline for my number).
What’s different — and chilling — this time around is that Trump has now surrounded himself with people who actually believe the anti-press talk he has spent years spouting in public while remaining friendly in private.
Trump may occasionally call me and my colleagues “the enemy of the people,” but people like Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and others actually believe it.