Fast-track grooming gang inquiry, Lancashire councillor says
The full national inquiry into grooming gangs should be fast-tracked, a councillor has said.Sir Keir Starmer has announced there would be a full, national statutory inquiry after earlier facing criticism for not being willing to set one up.Councillor Azhar Ali, the Independent opposition leader at Lancashire County Council, said "it should have happened years ago"."It's really important that other perpetrators are brought through the justice system rapidly and the National Crime Agency is given all the tools and resources to deal with it," he said.
'Put victims first'
"There have been other inquiries in the past, but this is really important now that the government seizes this opportunity with both hands," he said, "not for the government's sake, but for the victims and survivors.""We know very well that child abuse is perpetrated by people of all races and inflicted on all races and religions. "We also know that some child abuse starts in the family or close family friends."Now is the time to put the victims first."He said the investigation "must deal with the institutional failings from statutory agencies including the police and local government"."The victims and survivors must be at the heart of any inquiry.," he added.
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The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Middle East tensions keep FTSE 100 on back foot
London's FTSE 100 closed lower on Tuesday, giving back Monday's gains, as hopes for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran faded. ' Middle East tensions are showing no signs of easing back, putting investors on high alert,' commented Russ Mould at AJ Bell. The FTSE 100 index closed down 41.19 points, 0.5%, at 8,834.03. The FTSE 250 ended 46.97 points lower, 0.2%, at 21,237.05, and the AIM All-Share fell 3.49 points, 0.5%, at 760.65. In European equities on Tuesday, the CAC 40 in Paris closed down 0.8%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt gave up 1.1%. Stocks in New York were lower at the time of the London close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.2%, the S&P 500 index was 0.4% lower, as was the Nasdaq Composite. Donald Trump called for a 'complete give-up' by Iran and denied pursuing a ceasefire in the war between the Islamic republic and Israel. In comments after leaving the G7 summit early to focus on the conflict, the US president called for a 'real end' to the war rather than a temporary truce and predicted a further intensification of Israeli strikes. Mr Trump said on Air Force One that a satisfactory end to the war could consist of Iran 'giving up entirely' and added in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that he had 'not reached out to Iran for 'Peace Talks' in any way, shape, or form'. Vice President JD Vance said that Mr Trump may decide that 'further action' is needed to stop Iran's nuclear programme, responding to speculation that the US could intervene in the conflict. Mr Vance said in a post on X: 'The president has shown remarkable restraint in keeping our military's focus on protecting our troops and protecting our citizens. He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment.' Ipek Ozkardeskaya at Swissquote Bank said 'this is not a classic de-escalation story'. 'While Iran appears to be signalling restraint, former President Donald Trump urged the evacuation of Tehran, and Israel has vowed to continue its strikes. This makes it a one-sided de-escalation at best, and keeps risks across energy markets and haven assets tilted to the upside. If Iran fails to find room to manoeuvre diplomatically, it could easily make a U-turn.' Brent oil traded higher at 75.45 US dollars a barrel late on Tuesday from 72.79 dollars on Monday. The price rise boosted BP and Shell on London's FTSE 100 by 1.8% and 1.5% respectively. Elsewhere, US retail sales fell more than anticipated in May, data published by the US Census Bureau showed. The country's advance estimates of retail and food services sales edged down 0.9% monthly in May to 715.4 billion dollars from 722.0 billion dollars in April, when sales had declined by 0.1%. April's figure was downwardly revised from growth of 0.1%. May's contraction was sharper than a decline of 0.7% that had been pencilled in by the FXStreet-cited consensus. The headline sales were dragged lower by a drop in motor vehicle and parts sales, noted economists at TD Economics. 'A flurry of activity in anticipation of tariffs boosted consumer spending earlier this year, but that momentum is now looking to have run its course,' the broker added. The figures come ahead of Wednesday's interest rate decision by the Federal Reserve. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, it is near-certain that the Fed will maintain rates at the 4.25%-4.50% range this week. The Fed held in each of the first three meetings this year. Its last cut was in December, a 25 basis points trim to the federal funds rate range. 'We expect a unanimous decision to leave rates unchanged and look for only cosmetic changes to the post-meeting statement,' JPMorgan analysts said ahead of Wednesday's decision. JPMorgan expects the Fed's projections this week 'will likely push the growth and inflation outlooks in a stagflationary direction', showing weaker growth and hotter inflation. 'We expect the median estimate of GDP growth this year will be marked down from 1.7% to 1.4%, while the core PCE inflation forecast will be revised up from 2.8% to 3.2%. We expect more modest changes in the out years,' JPMorgan added. As for when the next change in the policy rate goes, JPMorgan expects the median dot-plot of policymaker projections to show only one cut in 2025. 'For the out years, we project two cuts per year, which would put the '27 year-end rate near neutral,' JPMorgan added. The pound was quoted down at 1.3502 dollars at the time of the London equities close on Tuesday, compared to 1.3594 dollars on Monday. The euro stood lower at 1.1522 dollars against 1.1591 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at 145.07 yen, up compared to 144.09 yen. The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was quoted at 4.42%, narrowed from 4.43%. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was quoted at 4.93%, stretching from 4.92%. On the FTSE 100, Ashtead rose 3.7% despite soft guidance accompanying 'solid' fourth-quarter and full-year results. Pretax profit fell 6.0% to 392 million dollars in the three months to April 30 from 417 million dollars a year prior. Adjusted pretax profit fell 3.6% to 430 million dollars in the quarter from 446 million dollars a year ago, beating the consensus of 409 million dollars. Revenue declined by 3.8% to 2.53 billion dollars in the quarter from 2.63 billion dollars a year before, although rental revenue rose 0.9% to 2.33 billion dollars from 2.31 billion dollars. Jefferies said the results were 'solid enough'. But guidance for between flat rental revenue and growth of 4% for the current financial year was softer-than-expected. Peel Hunt suggested 2026 earnings forecasts could be lowered by 5%. 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The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Ashtead Group, up 162p at 4,544p; BT, up 3.2p at 188.2p; BP, up 6.4p at 389.1p; Shell, up 38.5p at 2,664p; and Unite Group, up 10.5p at 844.5p. The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were IAG, down 14.7p at 312.6p; Entain, down 31p at 835p; Bunzl, down 74p at 2,228p; WPP, down 15p at 531.2p; and easyJet, down 14.4p at 536.4p. Wednesday's global economic calendar has UK inflation figures and interest rate decisions in Sweden and the US. The domestic corporate calendar on Wednesday sees full-year results from electronics retailer AO World and tools and equipment hire company Speedy Hire.
South Wales Guardian
23 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
PM denies coalition of the willing is dead as UK pushes for lower Russian oil cap
The Prime Minister said he 'strongly' believes that restrictions on the price of Russian crude oil should be strengthened to deplete the revenues Vladimir Putin uses to fund his war machine. The UK announced sanctions on 30 fresh targets linked to the Kremlin on Tuesday in a bid to ramp up pressure on Moscow as it continues resist calls for an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. A wider package of measures which Sir Keir suggested would be forthcoming from allies gathered at the G7 summit in Canada is yet to materialise after splits opened up in the approach to Russia on Monday. Downing Street said Britain also plans to 'move with partners to tighten the oil price cap' after the group of the world's wealthiest countries agreed in 2022 to restrict the price Russian crude oil to 60 dollars a barrel. Speaking to reporters with him in Kananaskis, Sir Keir was asked whether such a move would be possible without the backing of the US, which has indicated its reluctance to impose further sanctions on Moscow. 'Obviously today we're going to focus on Ukraine,' Sir Keir said. 'We've got President (Volodymyr) Zelensky coming in. We're putting in extra sanctions today, including sanctions on the shadow fleet. 'Others will be doing, similar actions in coming days. And so that does ramp up the pressure. 'On the oil price, obviously, we're still looking at how we're going to make that work. But I strongly believe that we have to put those sanctions in place. We're having those discussions with President Zelensky today.' Before abruptly leaving the summit on Monday, US President Donald Trump suggested he wanted to wait to 'see whether or not a deal is done' with Ukraine before targeting the Kremlin with further action. His remarks are awkward for Sir Keir, with whom he appeared to announce the completion of the US-UK deal, after the Prime Minister said G7 allies would seek to target Russian energy revenues. Talks to broker a possible peace in Ukraine have stalled as Moscow continues to pound the country with missile and drone attacks and holds out on US-backed proposals for an unconditional truce. Meanwhile, the UK and France have been leading efforts to assemble a so-called 'coalition of the willing' made up of nations prepared to send peacekeeping troops to Kyiv to enforce a potential truce. Asked whether those plans were dead in the water, Sir Keir told reporters: 'On the coalition of the willing, no, not at all. That is obviously intended to answer the question, how do you ensure that if a deal is reached, a deal is kept so it's a lasting deal? 'Because the concern, has always been, that there have been deals, if you like, before, Putin has then subsequently breached them. 'So how do you stop that happening again? And the military planning is still going on, as you would expect, so that, when the time comes, we're ready to act.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending the G7 conference in Kananaskis, along with leaders from Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain. The Russian invasion will be at the top of the agenda on Tuesday. Earlier, the UK announced sanctions targeting 20 oil tankers in Russia's shadow fleet, as well as measures to tighten the net around companies managing the vessels, Orion Star Group LLC and Valegro LLC-FZ. Britain also targeted two UK residents – Vladimir Pristoupa and Olech Tkacz – who the Government said had operated 'a shadowy network of shell companies' aiding Moscow. The branch of the Russian defence ministry leading the country's underwater intelligence gathering operations, known as Gugi, has also been sanctioned. Sir Keir said: 'These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin's war machine, choking off his ability to continue his barbaric war in Ukraine. 'We know that our sanctions are hitting hard, so while Putin shows total disregard for peace, we will not hesitate to keep tightening the screws. 'The threat posed by Russia cannot be underestimated, so I'm determined to take every step necessary to protect our national security and keep our country safe and secure.'
South Wales Argus
23 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Starmer signals visa crackdown to tackle ‘deteriorating' English Channel crisis
The Prime Minister signalled that countries which did not do enough to tackle the irregular migration crisis, for example by taking back failed asylum seekers, could face repercussions in the numbers of visas issued to their citizens. Sir Keir's message came as French police employed more robust tactics on the beaches but stood by and watched once migrants had entered the water to board a dinghy in the hope of crossing the English Channel. Some 16,545 people have crossed in small boats so far in 2025 according to Home Office figures, a 45% increase on the same period in 2024 and higher than at the same point in 2022, the overall record year for crossings. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signalled a tougher line on visas while at the G7 summit in Canada (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Speaking to reporters at the G7 summit in Canada, the Prime Minister said: 'It's a serious challenge that requires serious responses to it.' He added that he was looking at a 'smarter use of our visas' and 'whether we should tie our visas to the work that the countries we're dealing with are doing on preventative measures and on return agreements'. No 10 signalled it was part of a 'more hard-edged approach to diplomacy and migration'. People thought to be migrants emerge from bushes on a beach in Gravelines, France, after French authorities had fired tear gas (Gareth Fuller/PA) A spokesman said: 'This is at an early stage, but the principle is clear: if a country won't co-operate on returns or prevention, they shouldn't expect visa privileges to carry on as normal. 'No one has a right to a UK visa, and this Government is making sure the rules are enforced.' On Tuesday morning, hundreds of people gathered on the dunes before making dashes towards the English Channel at Gravelines beach near Calais, all intent on boarding a single dinghy. The French authorities stood by and watched as those not deterred by tear gas waded into the water to risk the Channel crossing. The French authorities on a beach in Gravelines as they prepare to fire tear gas (Gareth Fuller/PA) The scenes at Gravelines unfolded just hours after a meeting between Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron at the G7 in Canada to address a situation No 10 acknowledged was 'deteriorating'. Officers were trudging the sands at Gravelines before the sun had risen, armed with riot shields and batons. A thick blanket of tear gas fired by the French Police Nationale was not enough to deter all the migrants gathered at the beach. Those who made it to the water bunched into three groups and waited for the dinghy to collect them, watched by the French police from the shoreline. While they waited, an Afghani migrant who wished to remain anonymous told the PA news agency that he was seeking a better life in the UK. 'Just I want to go for a good life, I have a situation bad in my country,' he said. Well over 50 migrants made it aboard the small black dinghy before it finally set off into the Channel. The dinghy, which had originally come to shore around 7am local time (6am BST), headed out to sea at 9.30am. The boat appeared to be overloaded and witnesses saw it was eventually brought back to shore at around 11am local time. People thought to be migrants wade through the sea to board a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel (Gareth Fuller/PA) The police would not confirm whether the use of tear gas had now become common practice during these clashes. The UK and France will hold a summit in July focused on tackling the migration problem, No 10 said after a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president on the margins of the G7 in Canada. 'Migration should be a key focus given the deteriorating situation in the Channel, they confirmed – adding that they should continue to work closely with other partners to find innovative ways to drive forward progress,' an official readout of the meeting said. Downing Street acknowledged there were 'no quick fixes', but insisted action was already being taken and 'the days of Britain being a soft touch for these gangs are over'. That includes measures aimed at getting the French authorities to intervene even if migrants are already in the sea. Asked if the Government approved of the use of tear gas, the spokesman said: 'Our work with the French has never been closer. 'We are the first government to have secured agreement from the French to review their laws so their border enforcement teams can intervene in shallow waters.' Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Starmer is right, under his watch the Channel crisis is spiralling out of control.' Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron discussed the situation at the Channel in a meeting at the G7 summit in Canada (Suzanne Plunkett/PA) He said 2025 was the worst year on record but Labour's answer was 'to ask the British taxpayer to foot the bill for their accommodation or to pay half a billion pounds for the French to wave the boats off and do next to nothing to prevent Channel crossings'. He added: 'The gangs are laughing, the boats keep coming, and Labour's response is to form another taskforce and hold a summit. It's weak and it's embarrassing.'
