Scotch Corner Designer Village delays leave nearby residents frustrated
He said: "There has to be an upgrade to Scotch Corner roundabout before the development can work."The roundabout doesn't cope with the volume of traffic at busy times now and it's going to be a 30% or 40% increase in traffic."Resident Neale Brewster, who lives in Richmond, said he drove past the site every day and had not seen any work taking place for more than 18 months."The development started prior to Covid and over the last couple of years they have not done a lot," he said."Nobody has been anywhere near the site, it's just been one person on site most days."Everything seems to have ground to a halt."Mr Brewster said he had worked in the construction industry for 35 years and would be amazed if the development was completed by March 2026."It's an eyesore. It's frustrating because it could be a good source of local jobs," he added.
Marketing director of the development Patrick Hanson-Lowe said they had filled 72% of leases and were keen to "bring premium retailers" to the site."We have the groundwork done to ground level and above ground it is about half built. But we have paused to focus on retail," he added."The internal walls on a development like this are moveable, and a retailer may come in and ask for it be different, so we have to be careful we don't overly build it."Thompson said he believed a decision on the National Highways A66 dual carriageway upgrade would dictate progress.A spokesperson for Scotch Corner Designer Village said it would have "absolutely no impact whatsoever" and the company had begun the lease process, and applied for planning permissions "long before the A66 upgrade project began".North Yorkshire Council was contacted for comment.
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Sky News
39 minutes ago
- Sky News
Prince Andrew has no public future - and lack of royal status 'annoys him', author claims
The author of a new book about Prince Andrew has called for "more accountability from the Royal Family and more transparency" after encountering what he claims was considerable secrecy while researching his book. Andrew Lownie has spent four years working on Entitled: The Rise And Fall Of The House Of York - a book unauthorised by Prince Andrew - and submitted hundreds of Freedom of Information requests to government departments. However, he has revealed to Sky News that all of his applications for information about Prince Andrew and his official work were knocked back. The royal household and the royal archive are already exempt from FOI requests. Image: Andrew Lownie Speaking ahead of the book's publication, which has already attracted considerable attention because of more lurid claims about the duke, Mr Lownie told Sky News: "Clearly there are details that people have picked up on and run with. And you know, that's inevitable in these sort of books." But he added: "If they're to earn our trust and support, they have to show that they are not hiding things - that they are behaving well." Mr Lownie said he was given a catalogue of reasons by the likes of the Foreign Office and the Department for Business and Trade as to why they couldn't help with information about Prince Andrew's public work as a trade envoy in the 2000s. Sky News was shown a selection of those response letters. "They blame everything from security reasons, to cost and man hours, to data protection, to my questions being too broad," the author said. But Mr Lownie believes it's in the interest of the Windsors to be more open if they want to guarantee long-term backing from the public, and he hopes his book may trigger more calls for greater transparency. Read more UK news: Met Police make 'most arrests in a decade' at protest Major incident as crews battle wildfire near Bournemouth Image: All of his applications for information were knocked back It comes as a new YouGov report found that Prince Andrew remains the most unpopular royal in the country, with 87% of people having a negative view of him. According to the survey, just 5% of people have a favourable view of the Duke of York. The poll also found the royals are less popular with a younger audience. Only 36% of 18 to 24-years-olds believe the monarchy is good for the country, compared with about 60% of Britons overall. The generational difference is underlined given 81% of over-65s think Britain should continue to have a monarchy, but this falls with each age group to just 41% of 18 to 24s. Stories about Prince Andrew continue to attract a huge amount of attention and regularly still make him a difficult distraction for the Royal Family. Mr Lownie says he got no sense of any appetite to reintroduce him into public life while doing his research. "I don't think he has any public future. I would say his private future is pretty limited too. I mean, he lives in Royal Lodge [on the Windsor Estate], he plays golf, watches TV, and presumably sees his grandchildren ... he's living the life of a retired man." Image: Lownie speaking to Sky's Rhiannon Mills But according to one member of staff, the removal of his royal and military titles has stung more than Prince Andrew has publicly shown. "What most annoys him is his lack of a royal status," Mr Lownie added. "That's what really sort of gave him his whole sense of identity. And that's, you know, it's not being able to put on his uniforms and strut around and being self-important." Buckingham Palace has not made any comments on the book as the Duke of York is no longer a working royal. Sky News approached the Duke of York's office but received no response.
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
JD Vance visits posh Cotswolds farm shop Daylesford Organic as his huge security convoy annoys locals after sending countryside into lockdown
Have YOU seen JD Vance in the Cotswolds? JD Vance has been spotted visiting a farm shop dubbed one of the poshest in the UK after he arrived in the Cotswolds for a family holiday. Locals have been left disgruntled after the US Vice President's massive motorcade, made up of 18 vehicles, sent the countryside into lockdown today. Residents have been faced with road closures and security checkpoints manned by police with sniffer dogs - as Vance heads to a country manor in the hamlet of Dean. Photos shared on social media now show his security convoy making a stop at the Daylesford Organic farm shop, near Chipping Norton. Several large black SUVs carrying people believed to be Secret Service agents were seen parked on the driveway. Other photos show Vance inside the shop as he was shown around by Tory 'super-donor' and billionaire digger boss Lord Antony Bamford. Lord Bamford's wife, Lady Carole, set up Daylesford Organic in 2002, with the shop previously hitting the headlines for charging £950 for a wicker-style blanket basket. JD Vance is believed to have stayed in the shop for around three hours and to have taken particular interest in the bread counter, where he was seen trying samples. JD Vance has been spotted visiting a farm shop dubbed one of the poshest in the UK after he arrived in the Cotswolds for a family holiday JD Vance's vehicles were spotted outside Daylesford Organic in the Cotswolds Vance was shown around by Tory 'super-donor' and billionaire digger boss Lord Antony Bamford One person posted on social media: 'Stopped off at a farm did JD Vance. Security everywhere.' Another added: 'JD Vance decided to go to Daylesford Farm [at] the same time as us.' Daylesford Organic, which is situated on 3,500 acres of farmland, is known for its upmarket goods. Items on sale when the Daily Mail visited in October last year included Swedish side tables priced at £3,500 each and a £6,950 burnt cedar wood 'kindled' bowl. Meanwhile, an influencer was also left baffled in March when she paid an eye-watering £37 for just four grocery items. Vance's visit to Daylesford Organic comes after his motorcade was seen passing through Chipping Norton this afternoon. All entrances to the hamlet of Dean - two roads and three public footpaths - were subsequently blocked off. Only residents of the hamlet were allowed in and out, dog walkers were diverted, and those entering the area were subject to searches. Today, one local councillor labelled the heavy security presence 'intimidating' and compared the sight of guards in suits and sunglasses patrolling quiet lanes to scenes from Men In Black. Vance was said to have shown particular interest in the bread counter where he tried samples The outside of the farm shop which is considered one of the poshest in the UK due to its high prices Vance's visit to Daylesford Organic comes after his motorcade was seen passing through Chipping Norton this afternoon Daylesford Organic, which is situated on 3,500 acres of farmland, is known for its upmarket goods 'We understand that people do need security but I think they haven't been discreet about it,' said councillor Andy Graham. 'I think that tends to generate more concern than is necessary. Roads have been closed up.' Mr Vance arrived in the Cotswolds today with his wife, Usha, and children - Ewan, eight, Vivek, five, and Mirabel, three - after the family drove up from London following a private tour of Hampton Court yesterday. Mr Vance rocked up at Henry VIII's former residence for a morning tour - forcing the site to delay its public opening to 12pm. He now appears to have finished his official business after making a brief trip on Friday to Chevening House, the official residence of British foreign secretary David Lammy. Mr Lammy, 53, and Mr Vance, 41, are understood to have forged an unlikely friendship and spent time with each other's families, alongside engaging in a short, bilateral meeting. The massive security operation surrounding Dean Manor has prompted its owner to apologise to neighbours for the disruption. Pippa Hornby, who bought the 18th-century Cotswolds home with her husband Johnny in 2017, told villagers that she was 'so sorry for the circus' set to take place across the coming days, The Telegraph reported. The manor house was built in 1702 for the MP Thomas Rowney and is close to Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat farm. Set across six acres of land, the sprawling property is home to two cellars, a tennis court, rose garden, basement gym and Georgian orangery. There has been intense activity around the manor house for days. JD Vance's 18-vehicle motorcade passing through Chipping Norton this afternoon Police have closed off all roads and footpaths into the hamlet of Dean, where the US Vice President is staying with his family at Dean Manor, an 18th-century country house The vice presidential convoy making its way through Chipping Norton Officers are now checking the identity of residents trying to pass through the security cordon, watched on by dozens of Secret Service agents The motorcade is accompanied by motorcycle outriders to clear traffic On the main gateway of the property, leading to a sweeping 'in and out' driveway, two suited security guards have been checking the security clearance of those coming and going in a stream of blacked out cars and Mercedes limousine vans. Councillor Andy Graham, who has lived in the area for 11 years, questioned the use of police resources. 'I just worry about the number of police cars because at the end of the day they should be doing other things in the Thames Valley area,' he said. 'I'm disappointed that the authorities didn't keep me in the loop. I was aware of the holiday but I wasn't told how long it was going to be. 'I don't need the details because they can't do that but giving us a bit more of a steer so that I could reassure my constituents a bit more would have been good. I'm just a bit miffed about it I suppose. 'I know there are some planned protests tomorrow from the locals. They have strong feelings. They are not happy. There is clearly concern over it. It's the talking point of the community. In the nearby village of Chadlington, one woman called the high security a 'waste of resources'. 'To be honest it's the cost of it, the cost of the police, it's obviously impacting Thames Valley and therefore everyone,' she said. 'We get permanent disruption from Diddly Squat Farm. It's a real impact. I have one friend who had to go to Dean and she said the security was madness. 'Hopefully it will blow over because she was feeding someone's cats, and you have to have your cars searched to go in. 'She just turned around, she said 'you know what I'm have to make other arrangements'.' Mr Vance has made his presence felt with a massive security cohort Pippa Hornby, who bought the 18th-century Cotswolds home (pictured) with her husband Johnny in 2017, has told villagers that she was 'so sorry for the circus' set to take place The manor house was built in 1702 for Thomas Rowney, an Oxford MP Another couple, US citizens living in the UK, attempted to visit the town of Dean because of JD Vance but were turned away. 'I heard about the visit and just typed into ChatGPT 'Where is JD Vance staying' and it gave me the name. So we said let's just do a drive by, so we came here because we were curious about the area he was staying in.' 'We were being nosey. But the security wouldn't let us past the blockade. We sort of looked and said can we drive down there and they said well you can if you are going to visit or somebody, because they have a lots of people. 'I said no actually we just wanted to go to one of the Cafes there and they said well no we can't let you through.' She added: 'I'm saddened in a way that the Cotswolds will be on the radar of Americans and particularly MAGA type Americans. A long-term Chadlington resident said the area had become 'pretentious' and 'chock-a-block' with outsiders. 'I have been here for 30 years, it's yet another come to the Cotswolds, it's all become a bit chock a block really,' she said. 'We are just all a bit fed up with it all. 'It's all become very pretentious. There's so much money around. It used to be a really nice working village. 'For local people it's a pain in the a***. Because people think it is somewhere to play and they go off and forget that it's actually a working village. 'The traffic is unbelievable. The road block is bad, just this morning coming down, my road the traffic was ridiculous. I was trying to reverse out and it was all blocked up. And it's so narrow here.' Mr Lammy, 53, and Mr Vance, 41, are understood to have forged an unlikely friendship and spent time with each other's families, alongside engaging in a short, bilateral meeting. Pictured: Mr Vance and Mr Lammy in Rome in May this year On the main gateway of the property, leading to a sweeping 'in and out' driveway, two suited security guards were checking the security clearance of those coming and going in a stream of blacked out cars and Mercedes limousine vans There has been intense activity around the manor house for days Another local said a large antennae placed behind the house, perhaps a telecoms tower, is 'humming constantly'. But one man seemed almost entirely unaware of the upcoming visit. When asked about Mr Vance, he remarked: 'Who? I'm unsure who that is.' As the Daily Mail reported last month, the tiny village of Charlbury - which is near Dean - is home to The Bull, named Britain's best pub in the National Pub of the Year at the National Pub and Bar Awards. Earlier this year, Charlbury was named as one of the best places to live in Oxfordshire, alongside the towns of Henley and Burford. Meanwhile, the wider Cotswolds have become the latest hot ticket with Americans seeking what they see as a traditional cosy English escape. Ellen DeGeneres, the US talk show host, is reportedly deliberately fleeing her home in the area ahead of Vance's arrival after leaving the US following Trump's election. Fashion journalist Plum Sykes told BBC Radio 4 last month of the cosy English haven: 'It's just so hot and so trendy and so fashionable. 'It's an incredibly beautiful area because it's being protected, almost like a national park that you can live in. 'Americans cannot get over the charm but since Covid it's been refashioned with all the pleasures of London, Paris and New York. Despite their differences in political opinions, Mr Lammy previously declared that he considers Mr Vance to be a 'friend' and someone who 'completely relates' to him. The pair are said to have bonded over their common backgrounds - both being raised without their fathers - and their religion: Mr Lammy is an Anglican; Mr Vance a baptised Catholic since 2019. Chevening (pictured), a 400-year-old Grade I listed mansion, has been the de-facto summer residence of the Foreign Secretary for decades, after being gifted to the UK in 1959 Mr Lammy previously declared that he considers Mr Vance to be a 'friend' and someone who 'completely relates' to him. The pair are said to have bonded over their common backgrounds - both being raised without their fathers - and their religion Ahead of Mr Vance's visit, which a source claimed would include a 'short bilateral meeting', the Foreign Office said ministerial engagements would be announced in 'the usual way'. In March, the Foreign Secretary and his wife Nicola Green visited the vice-president's official residence in Washington, the Naval Observatory, for a private meeting without officials. The Foreign Secretary told The Guardian earlier this month he and Mr Vance spent a 'wonderful hour and a half' together over drinks at the US Embassy in Italy during the inauguration of the new Pope, Leo XIV. It comes shortly after President Trump visited Scotland, spending time teeing off at his Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire in between holding diplomatic talks with the Prime Minister. Announcing plans for a protest, the Stop Trump Coalition alliance said: 'We are meeting Trump with protests in Aberdeen and Edinburgh this month, and then in London and Windsor in September. 'JD Vance is every bit as unwelcome in the UK as Donald Trump. We remember how Vance cut short his ski trip in Vermont because he was so enraged by the sight of a few protesters. 'We are sure that, even in the Cotswolds, he will find the resistance waiting.' Mr Vance has continued commenting on politics during his time in the UK, and said yesterday that the US was working to 'schedule' a meeting between Mr Trump and his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts. European leaders are frustrated at the decision to exclude President Zelensky from the upcoming US-Russia summit and fear it could lead to an agreement that is harmful to Ukrainian interests. 'One of the most important logjams is that Vladimir Putin said that he would never sit down with (Volodymyr) Zelensky, the head of Ukraine, and the president has now got that to change,' Vance said during an interview on Fox News program 'Sunday Morning Futures.' 'We're at a point now where we're trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling and things like that around when these three leaders could sit down and discuss an end to this conflict,' Vance said when asked about his expectations for the Alaska summit on August 15. In the USA, the Cotswolds has been dubbed 'the Hamptons of the UK' due to its popularity with the celebrity set Pictured: A small protest in Chevening ahead of Mr Vance's visit The vice president, in an interview conducted ahead of last week's announcement that the US and Russian presidents would meet this Friday, said the US was going to 'try to find some negotiated settlement that the Ukrainians and Russians can live with.' Vance added: 'It's not going to make anybody super happy, both the Russians and the Ukrainians probably at the end of the day are going to be unhappy with it.' US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker suggested on CNN that Zelensky could attend the summit. He was asked whether Zelensky might join Trump and Putin on Friday. 'Yes, I certainly think it's possible,' he said. 'Certainly, there can't be a deal that everybody that's involved in it doesn't agree to. And, I mean, obviously, it's a high priority to get this war to end.' In a flurry of diplomacy, Zelensky held calls with 13 counterparts over three days including Kyiv's main backers Germany, Britain and France. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he hoped and assumed that Zelensky would attend the summit. Whitaker said the decision would ultimately be Trump's to make. 'If he thinks that that is the best scenario to invite Zelensky, then he will do that,' he said, adding that 'no decision has been made to this point.'
Telegraph
43 minutes ago
- Telegraph
HMRC uses AI to spy on social media posts
HMRC has admitted for the first time that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to spy on taxpayers' social media posts. The tax authority examines workers' financial records, spending habits and tax returns to look for evidence of cheating – as well as posts on the internet. Social media posts about a large purchase or expensive holiday could trigger a red flag if the user seems to be spending beyond their means. A spokesman insisted the tools were only deployed for social media monitoring in criminal investigations with 'robust safeguards in place'. It is understood this has been the case for a number of years, and that all uses of the controversial technology by the tax office are within the law. However, advances in AI are likely to raise concerns about whether HMRC could in future deploy the technology more widely. Bob Blackman, a senior Conservative MP, said: 'If they suddenly start taking legal action against individuals based on that, it seems draconian and very challenging – to put it mildly. 'You've got to have a check and balance. The risk is that AI gets it wrong and someone is pilloried – it seems a bit strange if they start doing that with AI. Without a human check, you can see there's going to be a problem.' The tools used to examine social media in criminal cases exist alongside Connect, a separate IT system used by HMRC to examine financial data for routine tax investigation. The Connect system was first developed over a decade ago, but is thought to be increasingly important as HMRC tries to save money by relying less on human beings to carry out its investigations. It uses billions of data points – including information to spot signs of tax evasion. Rachel Reeves is hoping to make up £7bn of the £47bn 'tax gap' by identifying those who have not paid enough into the national purse. Improvements to the AI software could hold the key to achieving this, after officials last month unveiled plans envisioning its use in 'everyday' tax processes at HMRC. In a 63-page document, HMRC said its staff will use AI to identify suspected tax evaders and send out 'automated nudges' asking them to pay what they owe. The report suggests use of AI within HMRC will become increasingly widespread, with staff currently using chatbots to summarise calls with customers and perform basic administrative tasks. Risks of 'Horizon Post Office-type scandal' The groundwork for the embrace of AI technology appears to have been laid in May, when Labour changed the department's privacy policy. A statement that appears to have been removed said: 'HMRC's use of AI does not replace human judgement when collecting taxes or determining benefits, and our customer services processes always involve human agents.' It now states: 'Where the use of AI could impact customer outcomes, HMRC makes sure that the results are explainable, there is human involvement [and] we are compliant with our data protection, security, and ethical standards.' Senior MPs raised concerns that troves of personal data could be used to make important tax decisions without human judgement – possibly leading to errors. Sir John Hayes, a former security minister and chairman of the Common Sense Group of Tory MPs, said: 'Where confidential or sensitive material is concerned, people need to be assured that human beings with experience, common sense and judgement are making decisions. 'Automated processes remove human interactions. I would be very concerned that we will end up with a Horizon Post Office-type scandal.' Sir John, who has raised questions in Parliament about the use of AI by the HMRC, added: 'The idea that a machine must always be right is what led to the Post Office scandal. I am a huge AI sceptic.' Tax investigators already using AI Fears were raised that AI has already been handed key decision-making powers over people's tax affairs after a legal battle led to the tax office being ordered last week to reveal its use of the software. It came after tax advisors complained AI was used by HMRC when processing applications for tax reliefs that are available to certain businesses. Tom Elsbury, a tax expert, sent a Freedom of Information request in December 2023 to the tax office after he and colleagues concluded AI was used when assessing applications for tax credits by companies conducting research and development activities. HMRC refused to fulfil the request, and the decision was upheld by the information watchdog, but a First-tier Tribunal ruled on Friday that the Government must reveal whether it used AI by September 18. Ministers have insisted that there is always a human 'in the loop' when AI is used for decision-making in Whitehall, while HMRC stated humans will always have the 'final say' in matters that affect people. A similar project to expand AI uses is also being undertaken by the Department for Work and Pensions. It recently took part in a trial that saw 20,000 civil servants use AI technology for three months to draft documents and summarise meetings. A HMRC insider told The Telegraph that officials had asked a dozen tech companies to come up with ways AI could be used to tackle Britain's £46.8bn unpaid tax bill – which is thought to be mostly hidden in offshore bank accounts. AI 'assistants' Government sources said the main use of AI by the taxman was to create two 'assistants' to help the public fill in their tax returns and compliance officers to read them. The customer-facing tool is designed to warn users if they look likely to be submitting false information, based on patterns the system can spot in other users. If the AI tells a user that their return may be wrong, then it could serve as an official warning by HMRC, and lead to a faster crackdown by the authorities if they are later found to have lied, sources said. Compliance officers working at HMRC have also been given AI assistants that they use to sift through data, which ministers think will make the department faster and more efficient at spotting potential tax evasion. However, one source acknowledged that AI tools can make mistakes, and that the Government's new system could introduce errors. A HMRC spokesman said: 'Use of AI for social media monitoring is restricted to criminal investigations and subject to legal oversight. AI supports our processes but – like all effective use of this new technology – it has robust safeguards in place and does not replace human decision-making. 'Greater use of AI will enable our staff to spend less time on admin and more time helping taxpayers, as well as better target fraud and evasion to bring in more money for public services.'
