Senior Tory calls for Baroness Mone to resign over PPE scandal

A senior Conservative shadow minister has called for Baroness Michelle Mone to resign from the House of Lords after a company linked to the peer was ordered to repay almost £122 million to the government for breaching a contract to supply surgical gowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said her behaviour was “disgraceful”, saying the “honourable thing to do” would be to resign.

It came as immigration minister Mike Tapp called for Ms Mone to “consider her position”. But he suggested the government would not take steps to remove her.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) sued PPE Medpro at the High Court, claiming the company had breached the deal because the 25 million gowns it provided were “faulty” by not being sterile.

The company, a consortium led by Lady Mone’s husband, businessman Doug Barrowman, was awarded government contracts by the former Conservative administration to supply PPE during the pandemic, after she recommended it to ministers.

She then acted as the firm’s “big gun” in talks with officials to help get the contract over the line, High Court judge Mrs Justice Cockerill said on Wednesday.

In her 87-page ruling, Mrs Justice Cockerill said the gowns “were not, contractually speaking, sterile, or properly validated as being sterile” which meant they could not be used in the NHS.

Baroness Mone has previously accused the government of pursuing a “vendetta” against her, comments which chancellor Rachel Reeves agreed with, telling the Labour Party conference in Liverpool: “Too right we are”.

But in a letter to the prime minister, seen by Sky News, Ms Mone said: “The chancellor’s deliberate use of the term ‘vendetta’, a word connoting vengeance, feud and blood feud, is incendiary and has directly increased the risks to my personal safety…. My family and I now live with a heightened and genuine fear of appearing in public.”

She also accused Ms Reeves and health secretary Wes Streeting of “falsehoods” in demanding that she hand back £122m, saying she was never a director of PPE Medpro and “never received a penny from it personally”.

Asked if Baroness Mone would step down from the Lords, a spokesman told Sky News: “Those calling for Baroness Mone’s resignation from the House of Lords would be well advised to read the open letter sent this morning to the prime minister, which sets out how this has now become a personal attack and vendetta, politically motivated with loss of all balance and objectivity.”

Ms Coutinho said: “I think it was disgraceful what she’s done. It was also a Conservative government who started the lawsuit. The lawsuit, which means that she’s had to repay this money, started in, I think it was 2022, when Rishi Sunak was prime minister…

“We’ve taken away the Conservative whip, she’s no longer a Conservative peer, and I think the honourable thing to do, particularly in light of this, would be to resign.”

Baroness Mone is currently on a leave of absence from the Lords.

Mr Tapp added: “What we’ve seen with this PPE scandal is the current government made a commitment to getting back that money. We’ve already had two 80 million. This is a further 120, 2 million. That’s really important to the British people who are scammed here.

“When it comes to the Baroness, it’s up to her to consider her position there.”

Asked whether the government would seek to remove Baroness Mone, he said: “Well, it would take an Act of Parliament to do that, and my advice to Baroness Mone is to consider that position.”

He added: “If I was Michelle with that sort of scandal, I’d be considering my position.”

The ruling was celebrated by ministers, including health secretary Wes Streeting, who said the government was “coming after every penny owed to our NHS” as part of a plan to claw back money lost during the pandemic.

Families bereaved in the pandemic also welcomed the judgement and called for Baroness Mone to be stripped of her peerage.

But Baroness Mone said the ruling was a win for the “establishment”, while Mr Barrowman said it was a “travesty of justice”.

Both denied wrongdoing and neither gave evidence at the trial in June, while lawyers for the DHSC said they were “not concerned with any profits made by anybody” and that the case was “simply about compliance”.

The government is now recovering the cost of the £121m contract, as well as the costs of transporting and storing the items, which amount to an additional £8.6m.

Only Fools and Horses star Patrick Murray dies, aged 68

Only Fools and Horses actor Patrick Murray has died, aged 68.

Murray starred in the BBC sitcom as Mickey Pearce, the wheeler-dealer friend of Del Boy and Rodney Trotter.

News of Murray’s death was shared on an Only Fools fan site, with a statement reading: “It is with heartfelt sadness that we report the death of our friend Patrick Murray – Mickey Pearce to so many.

“He was a regular attendee of our conventions, and we will miss his humour and the joy he brought to many.”

The actor underwent surgery and chemotherapy to remove a cancerous lung tumour in 2021. Subsequent scans found another tumour in his liver that was unconnected to his lung cancer and also treatable.

In 2023, the actor revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer for a second time, telling his fans he had surgery to remove the tumour and half his liver.

“I kept this under my hat that they’d discovered another primary cancer last year,” he said, praising the medics at King’s College Hospital.

He received transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation (Tace), a minimally invasive procedure performed in interventional radiology to restrict a tumour’s blood supply.

Murray made his Only Fools and Horses debut in 1983, starring in 20 episodes until 2003.

In tribute to the actor, an X (Twitter) account for an Only Fools podcast wrote: “This never gets easier … rest in peace, Patrick Murray.

They remembered Murray as “a very talented and clever actor with impeccable timing”, stating: “He really brought ‘Mickey Pearce’ to life with a mischievous charm.”

Away from Only Fools, Murray starred in films Scum, Quadrophenia (both 1979), and The Firm (1989), but after the sitcom came to an end, he retired from acting and instead became a taxi driver.

He returned to acting in 2015 and 2019 after scoring roles in TV shows in Endeavour and Conditions, respectively.

Murray had been married to his wife, Anong, whom he met while living in Thailand for a decade, since 2016. They had one daughter named Josie. He returned to the UK by himself to try and get a visa for his family, having had their application rejected by the Home Office – and spent a year having to Skype his daughter.

He described the situation as “heartbreaking” in a 2018 interview on Loose Women.

Other Only Fools stars who have died in recent years include John Challis and Roger Lloyd-Pack, who played Boycie and Trigger, respectively.

Taylor Swift to release 12th album The Life of a Showgirl

Taylor Swift fans around the world will soon get to hear the pop star’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift, 35, is preparing to release her latest record – which was produced with previous collaborators Max Martin and Shellback – on Friday 3 October at midnight ET (5am in the UK).

The Life of a Showgirl is certain to top international charts upon its release. Swift’s last record, 2024’s Grammy-nominated The Tortured Poets Department, shattered a number of industry records within hours of its release.

This new record comes after Swift announced her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and after she bought back the rights to master recordings of her first six albums.

Swift is also making a number of rare TV and radio appearances to promote the record, including The Graham Norton Show on the BBC on Friday night, and on Capital and Heart’s breakfast radio shows earlier that same day.

Friday evening will also mark the launch of The Official Release Party of a Showgirl in cinemas, which will feature the world premiere of the music video for single “The Fate of Ophelia”, along with behind-the-scenes footage and lyric videos.

Follow live updates below:

Trump ready to cut thousands of government jobs in ‘Democrat agencies’

President Donald Trump has threatened to cut Democrats’ “favorite projects” amid impending mass layoffs as the government shutdown continues.

“We could cut projects that they wanted, favorite projects, and then they’d be permanently cut,” Trump said of Democrats in an interview that aired on One America News Network Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, the White House said “thousands” of jobs from “Democrat agencies” would be cut as the government shutdown stretches on.

The president said he was meeting with Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to “determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later added that “thousands” of people will likely be laid off.

It’s now day two of the government shutdown, and there’s still no sign of a deal that could end it. The shutdown began Wednesday at midnight after a Republican spending bill failed 55 to 45 in the Senate, five shy of the 60 votes needed.

The Senate is not in session on Thursday, in observance of Yom Kippur. The next vote is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Prince William: ‘Change is on my agenda – change for good’

The Prince of Wales has said “change is on my agenda – change for good” in his most personal and wide-ranging interview about his future role as king.

William set out his approach to the monarchy, saying “I want to question things more”, but central to his world was Kate and their three children, “the most important thing in my life is family”.

The heir to the throne candidly described how his wife’s cancer battle left him overwhelmed, revealed his children do not have mobile phones, and said he aims to create a “world in which my son is proud of what we do”.

He referred to being Prince of Wales and king as a “job” and said he takes his “roles” and “responsibilities” seriously but it was important “you don’t feel they own you – you have to own them”.

His comments are his most detailed reflections on being heir to the throne to date, and he chose to air his views to comic actor Eugene Levy during an episode of the celebrity’s Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveler.

“I think it’s safe to say that change is on my agenda – change for good,” he told Levy as they discussed his future role as king and how his son Prince George will one day succeed him.

William added: “And I embrace that and I enjoy that change – I don’t fear it.

“That’s the bit that excites me, is the idea of being able to bring some change.

“Not overly radical change, but changes that I think that need to happen.”

The prince invited Levy to Windsor Castle and, after arriving on an electric scooter, William confessed he was a fan of the American Pie sex comedy movies that made the actor a global star.

William told the celebrity soon after meeting: “I think it’s very important that tradition stays, and tradition has a huge part in all of this but there’s also points where you look at tradition and go ‘is that still fit for purpose today? Is that still the right thing to do? Are we still doing and having the most impact we could be having?’

“So, I like to question things is what I’m really getting at.”

The prince’s views are likely to be seen by commentators as a statement of intent following a period of upheaval for the royal family.

Since 2021 the monarchy has seen the death of the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex move to the US after stepping down as working royals and the cancer diagnosis of the King, and the Princess of Wales who is now in remission.

Charles’ reign has been viewed as an evolution not revolution following the late Queen’s 70 years as head of state, a role she saw as service to the nation, but it appears William will bring a different approach to being king and with it the change he thinks necessary.

Asked by Levy, star of the hit series Schitt’s Creek, if he thought about being King, William replied: “It’s not something I wake up in the morning and think about, because to me, being authentic and being myself, and being genuine is what drives me.

“And then you can attach whatever labels and kind of roles that come on top of that, but if I’m not true to myself, and I’m not true to what I stand for and believe in – then it doesn’t really matter who you are, it gets lost.

“I take my roles and my responsibilities seriously but, it’s important, like I said to you earlier you don’t feel they own you – you have to own them.”

The future king was filmed in early February chatting with Levy in Windsor Castle as he played tour guide for his guest, when they walked William’s black cocker spaniel Orla through the grounds and they spoke over a pint in The Two Brewers, a local pub.

William was asked if he was “overwhelmed” by the castle’s history, where his forebears have lived for centuries, and replied he was not, warning “history can be a real weight and anchor round you” and it was “important to live for the here and now”.

But the recent health crisis experienced by Kate and their family as a whole did have an effect: “When it’s to do with family and things like that, then that’s where I start getting a bit overwhelmed – as I think most people would, because it’s more personal, it’s more about feeling, it’s more about upsetting the rhythm, if you like.”

George, who celebrated his 12 birthday in July, will follow his grandfather Charles and father William to be king and the prince said about the young royal: “…I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people’s lives for the better.”

He appeared to suggest he wanted to ensure his son did not face a repeat of “practices” from the past he and brother the Duke of Sussex had faced when younger, a possible reference to intrusive press scrutiny that also plagued their mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

William said about the “insatiable” media he experienced growing up: “They wanted every bit of detail they could absorb, and they were in everything, literally everywhere. They would know things, they’d be everywhere.

“And if you let that creep in, the damage it can do to your family life is something that I vowed would never happen to my family.”

Eats, Beats and Storied Streets: A journey through Louisiana

Few places in America are as spellbinding as Louisiana. Streets are alive with music, every table groans with food that tells a story, and every river bend reveals landscapes as mysterious as they are beautiful. Whether you’re dancing to zydeco in Lafayette, devouring beignets in the French Quarter, or gliding through the Atchafalaya swamps in search of alligators, this is a destination which offers travellers an unforgettable blend of rhythm, flavour and culture.

Music that Moves You

A seemingly never-ending party, a stroll through the bouncing streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter is one of America’s most thrilling sensory experiences. Guitars crunch, symbols crash and horns howl on every street corner, from Bourbon Street to Frenchmen Street. This Cajun corner of the US has a deep heritage too, and the Preservation Hall – dating back to 1961 – is an essential stop. With its intimate time-worn walls and wooden chairs facing the small stage, it’s a shrine to New Orleans jazz and every note should be savoured.

But Louisiana’s music tradition goes far beyond the Big Easy. Beginning in 1981, the Baton Rouge Blues Festival is one of the country’s oldest blues festivals and the state capital is a haven of Cajun music. It’s also the home of the swamp blues, so to hear the best of these laid-back rhythms, spend a foot-tapping night at Phil Brady’s Bar & Grill or Henry Turner Jr’s Listening Room. And for a little backyard boogie from local Louisiana musicians, try and hit the wonderfully chilled out Bee Nice Concert Series.

One of the more niche regional sounds is zydeco, and these infectious beats driven by accordions and washboards are perfect for dancing the night away. Over in Lafayette, the lush outdoor Hideaway on Lee and the charming Blue Moon Saloon host high-energy zydeco and Cajun jams. For a deeper dive into this unique music of the swamp, drop by the Festivals Acadiens et Créoles for three glorious days of Cajun, Creole, and zydeco sounds.

Flavours to Savour

Louisiana has one of America’s most distinct food cultures, with Creole dishes like gumbo and jambalaya not found anywhere else. Needless to say, the fiery flavours found in these creations are sublime and it’s no surprise that 2025 is Louisiana’s Year of Food.

With its rich broth, often featuring a roux base and embellished by juicy shrimp and thick sausage, gumbo is arguably the quintessential Creole dish. If you’re in New Orleans, look no further than no–frills downtown spots like Coop’s Place or head out to neighbourhood joints like the upscale Gabrielle Restaurant who serve a smoky take on Cajun-style gumbo or the dense dishes plated up at Liuzza’s by the Track. And if you’re so enraptured by this unique stew, then learn how to make it at home at the New Orleans School of Cooking.

A Cajun rice dish that originated in southern Louisiana in the 18th Century, Jambalaya is also iconic down here and can include meats, vegetables, seafood and spices in its mouthwatering mix. The Jambalaya Shoppe is dotted all around southern Louisiana and is a good place to start, though make time to visit Gonzales – the ‘Jambalaya Capital of the World. It even has its own Jambalaya Festival every spring.

Remember to make time for sweet treats though, as Louisiana’s beignets are something special. Warm, deep-fried pastries dusted with powdered sugar, these gentle delights are the perfect cafe snack. Open since 1862, the Cafe du Monde is an iconic French Quarter spot to watch the world go by with a beignet and café au lait.

And if you’re here for Mardi Gras, make sure to sample the sweet colourful King Cake as the jaunty floats pass by.

Culture and the Great Outdoors

Louisiana’s diverse cultural heritage is as unique as its landscape. French, Spanish, African, Caribbean and native influences all converge into Cajun and Creole identities and that’s most famously reflected in the state’s sublime cuisine. But don’t miss the great outdoors, as Louisiana’s biodiversity is enchanting too.

Acadiana’s humid moss-cloaked swamps and bayous are one of America’s last wildernesses, and boat tours of these serene and ethereal landscapes are unforgettable, especially if you spot wildlife like American Alligators, beavers, herons, eagles and white tail deer. The Atchafalaya Basin, just east of Lafayette, is a particular haven and several airboat tours depart from here, including McGee’s Swamp Tours and Last Wilderness Swamp Tours.

Road trails through these bayous can be just as inspiring, and the Bayou Teche National Byway tells stories. Running for 183 miles from Arnaudville down to Morgan City, this serpentine route passes by ornate antebellum homes like Shadows-on-the-Teche, tranquil fields of sugar cane, breezy swamps and historic towns packed with friendly cafes, zydeco dancehalls and local museums.

Look out for the region’s lively 400+ festivals too, which often celebrate Louisiana’s local culture. The Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette celebrates the links between Acadiana and the Francophone world, through music, art and food, while the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival in Opelousas aims to preserve Louisiana’s most gleeful music genre. And there’s no better way of learning about the state’s people and heritage than at the various tours, concerts, talks and cultural events held in Vermillionville in Lafayette.

‘My anti-vax mother never told me my sister had died of cancer’

The last time Gabriel Shemirani spoke to his mother was on the day he discovered his sister Paloma had died.

“I found out through lawyers that my sister had died, so I phoned to ask whether it was true,” he told The Independent. “She taunted me as if to say ‘you’re crazy, who told you that’.

“By that point, my sister had been dead for a week.”

His father, Dr Faramarz Shemirani, who is “sympathetic” to his ex-wife’s views, would later block his number.

Outside Kent and Medway Coroners’ Court, Gabriel is angry. After a legal battle and a lengthy inquest, he had hoped his mother would face the consequences of her actions, but a coroner has now ruled that his sister Paloma was not unlawfully killed at the hands of their Kate ‘Kay’ Shemirani.

A “bright, intelligent” University of Cambridge graduate, Paloma had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2023, after attending hospital with pains in her chest.

The 23-year-old was advised by doctors at Maidstone Hospital to begin urgent chemotherapy, but her mother, a prominent anti-vaxx conspiracy theorist, would “adversely influence” her daughter to reject her treatment.

Despite her brother Gabriel attempting to persuade her otherwise, Paloma chose to follow her mother’s “alternative treatment” plan, which included daily coffee enemas and green juices.

Paloma collapsed on 19 July last year and was taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital where she died five days later, with Coroner Catherine Wood concluding that their influence on her “more than minimally” contributed to her death.

Prior to her diagnosis, Paloma was working and living in a flat with a housemate after graduating from Cambridge, and was “estranged” from her mother.

The inquest heard that her parents had split in 2014, with Gabriel alleging that he and his siblings “felt unsafe” around their mother and that she had been “emotionally distant” and physically abusive to them as children.

A well-known conspiracy theorist with a large social media following, Ms Shemirani has promoted her anti-medicine, anti abortion, free-speech focused Christian values on her podcast and on stage, and offers advice to others as a “medical” expert.

She was struck off as a nurse in 2021, and a Nursing and Midwifery Council committee found she had spread Covid-19 misinformation that “put the public at a significant risk of harm”.

“People used to write off conspiracy theories as something far-flung, it’s a Louis Theorux documentary. It’s not your neighbour, your brother, your sister,” Gabriel said.

“I think we’re living in a time where there’s a media of fear, it’s all about clicks and engagement. We have a media that drives people towards the extremes, and naturally you get people being vulnerable to these ideas.

“With more and more people coming to believe these conspiracy theories or fall prey to them, it worries me. It’s not a cycle, it’s not the economy doing badly, it’s something that’s getting worse and worse.

“For example, even with Charlie Kirk getting shot, you never used to have been able to see a video of him dying but within five minutes it was all over Twitter. We’re living in this wild west of social media where you can say and do anything on it.”

Throughout the inquest process, both Gabriel and his brother Sebastian have been very vocal in blaming their mother for asserting control over their sister and causing her death.

It was noted in Paloma’s initial hospital admittance in autumn 2023 that she had “recently moved out of her mother’s house due to emotional and physical abuse, including food restrictions” by doctors at Maidstone Hospital.

Texts and voice notes from her parents during her stay at Maidstone Hospital in December 2023 showed them insistently advising her to “discharge herself” after she had received her cancer diagnosis.

Ms Shemirani also sent Paloma’s then boyfriend a voice note telling him to bring her to their family home and saying “she’s really not going to be going in or out of anywhere”, while she looked after her.

A few days later, she informed the hospital that she would not be proceeding with chemotherapy.

Coroner Catherine Wood concluded: “It seems that if Paloma had been supported and encouraged to accept her diagnosis and considered chemotherapy with an open mind she probably would have followed that course.”

After being blocked while trying to persuade Paloma to begin treatment, Gabriel brought a High Court case in April 2024 to assess his sister’s ability to exercise her capacity to make medical decisions.

While Paloma gave a witness statement saying she was making her own choices, she had said in a text that she was being “kept out” of the proceedings, with the coroner expressed “real doubt” that she was the sole author.

Of the impact both legal proceedings and the inquest have had on him, Gabriel said: “It’s aged me a lot, I was 22 when this started.

“I’ve lost friends, I’ve lost girlfriends, I put everything on hold, I put my university on hold, my relationships on hold. She was my sister and I’d have failed her as a brother if I hadn’t have done everything I could to save her when she was alive and get justice for her when she died.”

She collapsed at her home after telling her mother she was struggling to breathe, and died five days later of an “unsurvivable brain injury”.

Reflecting on his sister, Gabriel said: “We were incredibly close. It’s like having another hand, they’re part of your psyche. They’ve always been there. We used to tease each other, we’re incredibly similar, we’re serious and goofy in similar ways, incredibly uncool in similar ways.”

Both he and Sebastian had been hoping for the coroner to rule her death as an act of “unlawful killing”, but have been left disappointed despite Ms Wood recognising there had been a breach in the duty of care.

The coroner also found it “incredible” that Ms Shemirani was claiming her daughter was “well” in July, and that it was “egregious and incomprehensible” that she did not seek further medical advice as Paloma’s condition worsened.

“I know there was a lot of speculation today around how today would turn out and while the general public was hopeful that we would get the justice so deserved for my sister, it pains me to say this was a failure by the state that I was unfortunately expecting,” Gabriel said.

“This isn’t just about my sister, it’s not even about Kay. It’s about your sisters, your mothers, your brothers, your fathers. Today, the state didn’t just care to protect my sister, it doesn’t care to protect yours either.”

White House says president ‘will draw red line’ for Hamas to respond to his peace plan

Donald Trump will draw a ‘red line’ for Hamas to respond to his 20-point peace plan, the White House said on Thursday as the Palestinian group deliberates the U.S. President’s proposal to end the war in Gaza.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. hopes and expects Hamas to approve its plan, but issued a warning should they reject it.

“It’s a red line that the president of the United States is going to have to draw, and I’m confident that he will,” Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News, asked about Hamas potentially walking away from the plan.

Trump gave Hamas three to four days on Tuesday to accept the plan, after receiving backing from Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hamas said it would consider the proposal in “good faith”. Mediators are understood to have made contact with the head of the military wing, who indicated he does not agree to the plan, the BBC reported.

The plan would see Hamas disarm and cede power to a transitional government, as well as an Israeli withdrawal.