RAF Croughton's 'golf ball' structure to be dismantled
Anne Sacoolas was given a suspended sentence in 2022 after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving.The base is currently a United States Air Force communications station and headquarters of the 422d Air Base Group.In the letter, Abigail Jeffs from the base said residents of villages in the area "may notice some increased noise levels and a slight rise in traffic".It said the base would do its best to minimise any disruption.It added the majority of the contractors would use the main entrance on the B4031 but some large vehicles, such as cranes, would use the emergency exit on the A43.
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The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Thursday briefing: How the far right is being allowed to shape the immigration debate in the UK
Good morning. Just how many migrants in the UK are undocumented? Tabloid headlines can make it seem like the number is huge, so perhaps a new YouGov poll suggesting a significant gap between public perception and reality should be no surprise. Nearly half of Britons (47%) believe there are more undocumented migrants living in the UK than those here legally. Meanwhile, 45% of respondents said they support stopping all immigration and carrying out deportations of people who have arrived in recent years. Tensions are playing out on the streets, with protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers attracting national attention, including in Epping, Essex, where hundreds of people gathered over several weekends after the arrest of a resident on suspicion of sexual assault. More protests are expected over the next few days. Adding to the pressure, police are also preparing for possible protests in support of Palestine Action over the weekend, despite the group's recent proscription as a terrorist organisation. Officers have warned that anyone carrying placards or banners expressing support could face arrest and incarceration in our already overcrowded prisons. So who is behind the anti-immigration protests, and what's driving them? And could this weekend become a flashpoint? To explore this further, I spoke to the Guardian's senior reporter Ben Quinn, who has spent years reporting on the far right. US immigration | A new report found hundreds of credible reported cases of human rights abuses in US immigration detention centres. The alleged abuses uncovered include physical and sexual abuse of detainees. Protest | Naomi Klein and Angela Davis are among dozens of international scholars and writers who have signed a letter to the Guardian calling on the UK government to reverse the ban on Palestine Action. Russia | Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff have held talks in Moscow, two days before a Friday deadline the US president set for Russia to reach a peace deal in the Ukraine war. Spain | A local authority in south-east Spain has banned Muslims from using public facilities such as civic centres and gyms to celebrate the religious festivals Eid. The ban in Jumilla, in Murcia, is a first in Spain. UK news | The Bank of England is poised to cut interest rates on Thursday despite a growing divide between its policymakers over the dangers to the economy from high inflation and rising unemployment. Estimates of the population of undocumented migrants living in the UK range from 120,000 to 1.3 million, with Reform UK's Zia Yusuf recently putting the figure at 1.2 million. Regardless, that number doesn't come close to those living in the UK legally: the 2021-22 census (pdf) put the entire foreign-born population of the UK at 10.7 million. But lies travel fast on social media – especially if they chime with existing worries or prejudice. The news last year that three girls attending a dance class in Southport were stabbed to death sent out shockwaves. As the local community gathered to mourn, a piece of disinformation – that the attacker had come to the UK on a small boat – quickly spread on social media. That sparked protests, which were very quickly exploited by far-right activists. The protests exploded, with anti-migrant rioters attacking mosques, setting fire to asylum hotels, and assaulting black and minority ethnic people. It's been a year since, but the anger has not dissipated. Instead, it is slowly hardening into a movement. Anti-immigration protests have taken place across the country and while most have remained peaceful, some have not. The BBC reported that 15 people across the country have been arrested in recent days while protesting outside hotels used to house asylum seekers. 'We're in what Joe Mulhall of Hope Not Hate calls the 'post-organisational era' of the far right,' says Ben. 'It's not about formal parties and memberships. It's about individuals loosely linked via social media, people who might never meet in person but have significant influence, especially on platforms like X. That all feeds into gatherings and protests, which then spill over into violence, as we saw after Southport.' He added that protests outside asylum hotels have always happened. The Bell Hotel in Epping, which has seen recent large scale protests, has actually been targeted since 2021. But these protests, once considered fringe events, are becoming a fixture. 'If you place Reform UK as a hard-right populist party, the groups we're seeing at the protest sit further to the right,' Ben told me. 'For a while, Patriotic Alternative was the main far-right group, but it's in decline now, as a result of infighting. A newer group, Homeland Party, was set up by former far-right members and has drawn people away from Patriotic Alternative.' But he warned that we have to be careful when discussing who is involved. 'They are clearly organised far-right activists who are attempting to exploit local grievances and are using misinformation to whip up feelings, but in some cases, such as Epping, the protests have included local people who are unaffiliated with organised far-right groups. There is a grey area which is difficult to determine in some cases.' He added that the big shadow over all of this is Tommy Robinson. 'He's the epitome of that post-organisational far right. He's an influencer and clearly an activist, and he's got a universe of people around him, who in many cases include football hooligans.' Robinson tried to amplify protests in Islington and Canary Wharf, targeting hotels thought to house asylum seekers, Ben explained. There are also other figures forming a constellation of newer far-right influencers who have attached themselves to this. Are all the protesters far-right agitators? While notable far-right figures have been spotted speaking at the protests, Ben has spoken to many who wouldn't align themselves with those groups, but are still frustrated with the country's asylum policies. 'It's really important to not discount the fact that people in these communities have agency of their own to go and protest and they can feel very strongly about things. They have views on the asylum system, they have views on events in the news,' Ben said. 'There is a debate to be had, and many media organisations will be having it, about how these protests should be described. I spoke to a local woman in Essex who said 'we're turning up here because a teenager was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man who was in this hostel. We want to turn up and show we're not happy with this'. Are they far right purely for taking part in that protest? They would say of course not. But should they turn away from a protest when it becomes clear that it is being hijacked by neo-Nazis and far-right groups? Some would say, yes, they should.' Will this weekend be a flashpoint? There is widespread reporting of a 'no asylum day of action' today, but Ben believes it is not clear whether it's a real national action or a meme that has taken on a life of its own. He pointed to an incident last year where someone published a list of immigration advice centres across the country, but the protests didn't materialise. There is some evidence to show that momentum around some of these protests is beginning to slow down. 'It feels like the heat has come out of Epping a little bit. At the last protest, anti-racism activists and trade unionists outnumbered the protest against that hotel. And that was a place far-right activists had very clearly wanted to turn it into pilgrimage every weekend. But now it seems that perhaps the focus has shifted. It might be because lots of local people were turned off by the violence which erupted on the sidelines of those protests. But the problem is, we now have lots of others elsewhere,' Ben said. There is now widespread attention in Nuneaton because of another alleged sexual assault case there, involving a 12-year-old alleged victim. Reform council leader George Finch made comments that may be in contempt of court and have inflamed tensions, Ben said. Protests are planned at the council HQ. Other hotspots include Cannock and Waterlooville, which recently saw a thousand people protesting, he added. 'In places like London and Essex, anti-racist activists can mobilise very quickly in large numbers and also draw some local support and outnumber the far right. But you also have other places where there are large groups of local people who are unattached with the far right, gathering in large numbers and then you have the far right exploiting them.' How has the government responded? There has been a notable difference in the government's response to this year's protests outside asylum hotels. 'After Southport, Keir Starmer called them 'far-right riots'. He hasn't done that this time, even though the far right is heavily involved. Labour seems worried about alienating voters on immigration,' Ben said. He added that many are also critical of Starmer and Yvette Cooper for failing to condemn the racist language heard at some of these protests. And the possibility of further national riots loom. 'There's potential,' said Ben, 'because we're in August. The weather's hot and rain is always one of the things that keeps people off the street. You have misinformation, the far right and others colonising local Facebook groups, with Nigel Farage and Reform amplifying many of the messages from the protests. 'And then you have a stretched police force as well' – stretched not only by anti-migrant protests, but by a wave of demonstrations this weekend, with hundreds expected to defy terrorism legislation to rally in support of Palestine Action. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The two protests will paint a stark picture of modern Britain. On one side, police in soft caps are expected to make mass arrests, mostly of elderly people or students, with little anticipation of violence. On the other, riot vans and officers in full gear will line the streets at anti-migrant demonstrations, prepared for the possibility that unrest could erupt once again. As many as 80,000 people in Hiroshima were killed instantly when the US dropped the first nuclear bomb this week in August 1945. A year later, John Hersey published an astonishingly accomplished and shocking account of life for six survivors in the immediate aftermath. In these dark times, it is vital, devastating reading – as are Justin McCurry's conversations with survivors (above) today. Craille Maguire Gillies, newsletters team This jaw dropping joint investigation by the Guardian's Harry Davies and +972 Magazine's Yuval Abraham reveals how the Israeli military stored a giant trove of Palestinians' phone calls on Microsoft's servers in Europe. Aamna Ian Sample sorts fact from social media fiction to look at whether sunscreen is toxic and how it actually works. Craille Sense and Sensibility returns to UK cinemas three decades after it first premiered. I loved this review by the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw and I will definitely be catching it on the big screen. Aamna I enjoyed Jason Okundaye's account of his first trip to the Caribbean, for The Long Wave (sign up here). He gleaned a 'thrilling education in its heritage and history' – and made time for some fun, admitting the Foreday Morning Jam in Bridgetown, Barbados, 'completely unravelled me'. Craille Football | News that the former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, who appeared in a London court on Tuesday charged with rape and sexual assault, is poised to join Villarreal has upset fans, with hundreds signing a petition urging a halt to a deal. Football | Everton have completed the signing of midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea for a fee that could rise to £28m. Cricket | An unnamed former county cricket coach has been suspended from the sport for nine months after admitting charges of sexual misconduct. The independent cricket discipline panel has declined to identify the individual due to a 'serious risk of harm' if his name were made public. The Guardian print edition leads with 'Leading academics call on UK to reverse ban on Palestine Action'. The Times has 'Wealthier areas face big rises in council tax' while the Telegraph says 'Starmer's pledge on tax thrown into chaos' (by the black hole). The Express claims 'Labour's tax war is harming economy', citing poll results. 'I'm a doctor, get me out of here!' – the Metro reports one in five want to emigrate. The i paper runs with 'Labour's minister for homelessness ejects her tenants – and hikes rent'. The Financial Times hauls on an oft-tolled alarm bell: 'Company directors' exodus gathering pace after non-dom tax breaks halted'. The Daily Mail brings us 'HMRC staff hold class on 'guilt of being British'' and adds that 'Kemi' is against it. 'Cosmetic cowboys crackdown' – dodgy surgery will be stamped out after a 'Mirror campaign' says that paper. Has the digital nomad dream turned sour? Alex Holder loves her new life in Lisbon but has become increasingly uneasy that people like her might be damaging the cities they love. A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad Last week, the award-winning environmental journalist Alec Luhn set out on a four-day solo walk in Norway's remote Folgefonna national park, home to one of the world's biggest glaciers. On Monday, Luhn, a seasoned mountain walker, was reported missing after he didn't turn up for his flight home to the UK. A volunteer search and rescue team from the Red Cross, police, dogs and drones searched throughout Monday for Luhn but were hampered by poor weather. The search continued and on Wednesday, Luhn – a Pulitzer Center fellow – was found alive after surviving almost a week with a seriously injured leg. 'I can't remember us finding someone alive after so many days,' said Stig Hope, head of the operations leadership team at Folgefonna and a Red Cross volunteer. Luhn's sister, Drew Gaddis, thanked the many rescuers involved in finding him: 'We can breathe again!' Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
BBC News
12 minutes ago
- BBC News
HGV fire closes two M25 motorway lanes near Basildon
Two lanes of a motorway have been closed following a HGV fire. National Highways said on X, the M25 in Essex had been blocked between junction 29 at Basildon and junction 30 at Dartford at about 02:23 BST on Thursday. It said the fire service was at the scene and two lanes remained closed. Travel monitoring site, Inrix, said there was slow traffic due to recovery work and an earlier lorry fire. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
Plea after 11-year-old injured in Southampton hit-and-run
The family of an 11-year-old boy left "traumatised" after being seriously injured in a hit-and-run collision have called for the driver to come suffered two broken hips when he was struck by a car while on an e-scooter near his home in Thornhill, Southampton, last month. Hampshire Constabulary said the car involved did not remain at the scene and has appealed for witnesses to come parents have also calling for tougher policing of e-scooters - illegal for under-16s to ride - after discovering he had been using one at the time. His mother, Hollie, recalled rushing to the scene after being told Bradley had been hit by a car shortly after 19:00 BST on 30 July."He was on the pavement. He had blood on his face, shaking from the shock," she said."Literally my mind was all over the place - I'm so grateful he's alive".He was taken to hospital with with four fractures on his hips and now has to use a wheelchair and waking he is expected to make a full recovery, Hollie said she felt "sick" knowing the driver drove off leaving Bradley said: "How could someone do that to a child? - leave them - I really can't believe it."He's absolutely traumatised. It's affected our whole family." She admitted Bradley was "having a go" on an e-scooter owned by his cousin when he was are not legally permitted to ride are effectively illegal for over-16s to use on public roads and pavements, with the exception of those in council-run hire said: "I'm going to take full accountability he was on an e-scooter on a road."We don't like e-scooters, we always make sure the kids wear helmets on their bikes - but he's made this one mistake." She said other parents should be aware of the dangers."I just want the police to be mindful and stop these children that are underage [using e-scooters]," she said."It might prevent this from happening again. We want people to be aware - we've leant the hard way."This has got to stop now - its not the first time accidents have happened on e-scooters."In a statement Hampshire Constabulary said: "We were called at 7.21pm on 30 July with reports of a car colliding with a pedestrian on Montague Avenue. "The car involved did not remain at the scene."Enquiries remain ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to report this directly to police." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
