Farage says he doesn’t believe “significant numbers” of migrants will fly to Rwanda in 10-12 weeks
Nigel Farage said that it would be unlikely that any migrants would be sent to Rwanda in 10-12 weeks, despite Sunak's announcement this morning.
The honorary leader of Reform UK said: "Just over two years ago, of course, we had the speech at Lydd Airport down in Kent, telling us about the Rwanda plan. We’re two years on, we’ve spent at least £160m pounds so far and not sent a single human being.
"Do I believe that in 10 to 12 weeks’ time, there’ll be planes taking off with significant numbers of migrants on board? No, I don’t."
Government documents seen by the Express suggest that asylum-seekers could be deported on commercial airlines, before the 10-12 week timescale.
This comes after Rishi Sunak announced that the first flights to Rwanda would leave in 10-12 weeks.
Heartbroken mum whose child’s grave was robbed of Cinderella Carriage “can’t take it anymore”
A mother who found her child’s grave robbed of its ornaments in Barnsley Cemetery urged changes to security after the “soul-destroying” discovery.
The grave of Stacey Louise Ogley who died in 1993 was ransacked including a Cinderella Carriage which was a family Christmas present from her brother Stephen Ogley as well as a bench dedicated to Stacey which was smashed.
The ornaments were last seen by Stacey’s mother Wendy Ogley the day before on 12 April while mowing the cemetery lawn.
Wendy Ogley, who is a carer for the elderly, said: “There’s nothing else to say other than it’s completely soul destroying.
“No parent should ever have to lose a child but these things happen. But to steal from a child’s grave it’s heart breaking- I don’t understand what goes through people’s minds, they must have no conscience.”
The £100 stone Cinderella Carriage was specially made by a man in Chesterfield but Mrs Ogley explained that it is not the money, it's the principle.
She said: “It’s a family grave, me and her dad will be going in there eventually. All I ask is for people to leave the stuff alone.
“My daughter was eight years old when she passed, and going to her grave is the only place of comfort I get.”
Mrs Ogley has tended the grave in Carlton Cemetery for over thirty years to feel close to her daughter and explained that it is not the first time possessions had been vandalised.
Two years ago, several photos of her daughter were smashed costing over £250 to replace.
The mother who lives in Barnsley explained that the theft could only have been achieved with a vehicle as the ornaments were too heavy to lift.
Mrs Ogley added that attempts were made to prevent robberies at the cemetery including locking the gate for vehicles past 10pm which was revoked after people wanting to visit their loved ones after dark complained.
She said: “The council put up a sign that says no cars in the cemetery but no-one adheres to it.
“People can’t always keep blaming the kids. It’s not the kids, it’s people who have had a browse of the cemetery and thought I’ll have that.”
Mrs Ogley explained that although it is a pity that CCTV is required, having some surveillance would put people’s minds at rest.
She said: “Something needs to change because I can’t take it anymore.
“It’s heart-breaking, it shouldn’t happen to anyone’s grave, never mind a child’s.”
Paul Castle, Service Director, Environment and Transport, said: “Unfortunately, there is a very small number of people that show little respect to our borough’s cemeteries. It is sad and quite unfortunate that anyone has to deal with theft from a grave.
"We are aware of parking issues and there are several signs advising on this. Parents have been asked not to use the cemetery as a school pick-up and drop-off point, and we'd like to remind them to respect this request. We will ask our enforcement team to carry out patrols."
To report any further incidents call the Bereavement Services Team on (01226) 206053.
Town Hall Rich List 2024: Number of Sheffield Council employees earning over £100k almost doubles
The number of Sheffield City Council employees earning over £100,000 has nearly doubled in 2022-23, with one employee receiving a £53,000 pay rise, despite bringing in the maximum council tax increase.
The number of employees earning over £100,000 changed from seven to 13 between 2021-22 and 2022-23, with four members of staff now receiving over £150,000.
Eugene Walker, Executive Director of Resources, saw his salary increase from £158,000 to £211,000, meaning that he earned more than the Prime Minister's own salary entitlement for the same year.
Elliot Keck, Head of Campaigns at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "I'd have real questions as to whether or not the performance of that individual really justified a pay increase of about £53,000.
"One of the questions that residents will be asking is whether or not they're using the additional money they are receiving from increases in council tax and government grants to prioritise their own pay rather than local services.
Mr Walker was briefly promoted to Acting chief executive after Kate Josephs, the current CEO, spent time on leave whilst being investigated for the Partygate scandal. He has since been appointed in an interim role at Woking Borough Council.
It was announced by the City Council last month that council tax will rise by 4.99% for the next financial year, the maximum amount permitted without a referendum.
Mr Keck continued: "Given they have just brought in the maximum council tax increase that they were allowed to levy, while at the same time they have almost doubled the number of people receiving over £100,000... would lead me to suspect that they are focusing a bit too much on their own pay rather than the budgets of households in the area."
The council tax increase would cost those living in Band A properties, which make up 60% of all houses in the city, a further £1.17 a week.
Band A properties are those that had a value of up to and including £40,000 in April 1991, and these homeowners will now have to pay a total council tax of £1,512.43 a year.
Sheffield residents took to social media to express their frustration with the increased salaries and council tax.
One Facebook user, Khurram Shahzad, said: "Nice! Every year we get a letter telling us to pay the maximum council tax because it's struggling whilst the staff enjoy their hefty salaries putting pressure on already struggling families. How can they justify these salaries?"
Another, Chris James, asked: "Are they worth it? Looking round parts of Sheffield, I'd suggest not."
Across the country, rising inflation rates and increased government grants have led to increased salaries for council employees over the last two years.
The Rich List is a dataset of every single council official in the United Kingdom who received over £100,000 in a single financial year in remuneration, which includes salary, bonuses, expenses, pensions and loss of office payments.
Mr Keck added: "It's a transparency exercise. Some people think that going after councils is going after the little guy, but we very much reject that.
"Whether its the state of the roads, the local library, bin collections, education - these are all under the control of the local authorities.
"How they're run, who runs them and how much these people are paid is of critical importance to local taxpayers."
Sheffield City Council were contacted but failed to provide a reply in time.
Doncaster woman organises summer netball tournament to fundraise for Sheffield cancer charity
A summer fundraiser has been set up by a South Yorkshire woman with a love of netball that aims to give back to the hospital treating her for cancer.
Louise Holland had a malignant melanoma removed from her abdomen last year, after it was identified as cancerous in November 2022. However, it was discovered the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, which required chemotherapy to treat.
She underwent treatment at Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield, and all donations from the netball tournament she will host in June will be donated to Weston Park Cancer Charity.
“When you’re first diagnosed, you feel shocked, devastated and wonder how long you have left to live,” said Miss Holland, 39.
“But then I had this bright idea that I’d run a netball tournament to thank Weston Park for helping me and my loved ones through this traumatic time.”
Photo credit: Louise Holland
Miss Holland has always loved netball, having played regularly at school. She joined her first adult team in 2017 after moving to the village of Auckley, to meet new people in her community.
Now, she plays on Mondays and Wednesdays and spoke of the amazing support her “netball family” have given her through the difficult time.
According to Cancer Research UK, nearly 17,000 new cases of melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed each year, but it has an 87% survival rate.
“With the netball community, we’re a family. We support each other and we’ve got each other’s backs,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for better friends. Not just in my teams, but the wider netball community.”
Miss Holland said there were few signs of her cancer before she was diagnosed, and she encouraged people to regularly check their skin, use high-factor sun cream and be wary of using sunbeds too often.
Her netball tournament is taking place on 22 June at New College Doncaster, near Auckley. It is being hosted by the Doncaster and District Netball League, and there is still time to register to play.
You can email doncasteranddistrictnetball@gmail.com and costs £100 per team. Alternatively, you can donate to Miss Holland’s JustGiving page to help her reach her £1,000 target.
Information on the symptoms of cancer is available at the Cancer Research UK website.
Disruption due to train strikes during the Bank Holiday weekend.
16 train companies have announced they will be on strike between May 6 and May 11.
This is following a poor communication between ASLEF and the train companies since the beginning of strikes in July 2022.
Customers are advised to check the conditions of travelling online before leaving since cancellations and delays can occur.
- Tuesday 7 May: c2c, Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, South Western Railway main line and Island Line
- Wednesday 8 May: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway and West Midlands Trains
- Thursday 9 May: LNER, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express
The last pay deal has been rejected already a year ago in April 2023.
Huw Edwards resigns from BBC
The BBC have announced that Huw Edwards has resigned from the BBC "on medical grounds", in a statement given today.
Last summer reports emerged that Edwards had paid a young person for explicit images, and he has been off air since last July.
He was lead presenter at the News at Ten and led the BBC's coverage of the Queen's death.
Rwanda bill debate in Commons to start at 4.15
The House of Lords' Amendment to the Rwanda bill will be debated at 4.15 in the House of Commons today.
An urgent question on the Sudan will take place at 3.30pm, pushing back the debate on the Rwanda bill.
In the press conference at 10:30 today, Sunak blamed Labour for holding up the progress of the bill.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "The Tories are the largest party in both Houses of Parliament and they could have scheduled the final stages of the bill a month ago but they voluntarily delayed it because they always want someone else to blame."
More updates to follow.
Car accident tragedy avoided in Liverpool
This morning around eight, a female driver and her passenger crashed into one of the walls of Beacon Primary School in Everton, Liverpool.
Luckily no pupil was present.
The driver and passenger have been admitted in the hospital with minor injuries.
The school will remain closed for the day and roads around as well.
Charged for spying for China
Metropolitan Police has bailed two men for spying under the Official Secrets Act.
They are meant to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday 26 April.
Qualified as an "extremely complex" investigation, Christopher Berry, 32, of Witney in Oxfordshire and Christopher Cash, 29, of Whitechapel, London, are accused of providing prejudicial information to a foreign state.
Sheffield market supporting independent businesses returns in 2024
Local residents in Sheffield returned to the streets for the triannual market held on Sharrow Vale Road on Sunday 21 April.
The not-for-profit event ran from 12-4 pm, with stalls selling local food, jewellery, artwork and vintage clothing, accompanied by live music and more.
The Sharrow Vale market began in 2009 with only a select few sellers. Now they accommodate around 100 stalls with tens of thousands of visitors and are held three times a year with the nearby shops and cafes also remaining open on market days.
For Natalia, a student in Sheffield, it was their first market. She said: “It was so diverse which was lovely to see. We went to get some jerk chicken, it was a lengthy line but so worth it! We’ll definitely come again, we live right around the corner so it’s just on our doorstep."
Victoria owns the Yorkshire Blankets (YB) company and ran a successful stall on the day. YB is a family-founded and run business. They have sold their eco-friendly, Yorkshire-made goods at various markets around the area but Victoria explained that as soon as the opportunity came up to to work at Sharrow Vale, it was a natural progression.
She said: “We love the vibe. I want to live here honestly it’s just amazing. We get lots of repeat customers and I like the fact there are lots of independents and lots of lovely eateries and everyone is super nice.”
Other stalls such as the Studio Budgie Galore used the opportunity to sell their handmade goods and promote their metalwork workshops taught at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet on Abbeydale Road.
Melissa, who was sharing the stall that day said: “We teach the people of Sheffield how to make jewellery using metal, acrylic, and various other materials. Everyone should come!”
James Stocks, an MA student from the University of Sheffield said: “It was the third time I’ve been to the Sharrow Vale Market, I always try and make an appearance because it’s such a brilliant way for people to support independent businesses and see what other options there are around Sheffield, for food and clothes.
"This time I found a stall selling organic cotton dungarees, so had to grab a pair. But always make it my mission to get some food as well, as some of the stalls are incredible”.
Megan who ran the market stall representing Good Good Vintage, said: “It’s great to showcase your goods and it’s always good to get our name out.”
Although the store members were not working at the stall on the day, Megan said they are very excited about their new Good Good Vintage store opening near Cambridge Street.
The next market will return on Sunday 21 July 2024.
Sheffield Theatres to sell iconic outfits to raise money for costume department
Calling all costume and theatre enthusiasts!
The Crucible theatre are holding a clothing sale on Saturday 18 May, where they will sell costumes from iconic shows to raise money for wardrobe store house, and to create better costumes for future shows.
The event is not ticketed, and will be open to the public via the Crucible theatre doors.
Read more about this story here.
Prime Minister calls on police chief to rebuild trust among Jewish community
By PA Reporters
Britain’s biggest police force needs to rebuild the trust of the Jewish community after an antisemitism campaigner was threatened with arrest at a pro-Palestine demonstration, the Prime Minister has said.
Rishi Sunak told journalists that he shared public shock and anger over exchanges between Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), and officers policing the protest in central London on April 13.
But he said he has confidence in the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, if the commissioner works to rebuild the confidence and trust of the Jewish community and the wider public.