Latest news with #JonathanHallKC
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Prison officers told to wear body armour in high-security jails after attacks
Prison officers will be told to wear body armour in high-security prisons, the Government has announced, days after a staff member was seriously injured in a stabbing. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said prison officers would be told to wear body armour in settings at the highest categories of prisons in England and Wales, telling MPs it would apply to close supervision centres, separation centres and segregation units. It came as shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick repeated his warning that a prison officer could be killed unless stronger action is taken. The incident at HMP Long Lartin on Saturday was the latest in a series of attacks on prison officers in recent months. The staff member at the prison near Evesham, Worcestershire, had to undergo emergency surgery after being stabbed by an inmate and is now said to be in a stable condition. Meanwhile in May, Southport triple killer Axel Rudakubana was accused of throwing boiling water at a prison officer through a cell door at HMP Belmarsh, causing minor injuries. A month previously, Manchester bomb plotter Hashem Abedi was moved to Belmarsh from HMP Frankland after allegedly throwing boiling cooking oil at three prison officers. Abedi was previously found guilty of attacking a prison officer in 2020. Ms Mahmood asked Jonathan Hall KC to lead an independent review into events at Frankland in County Durham, which will examine whether current protection for prison officers is sufficient. He will also evaluate whether separation centres, which are in place to manage the most dangerous prisoners, are fit for purpose. She told MPs on Tuesday: 'Today, I can announce I will mandate its use in close supervision centres, separation centres and segregation units in the high security estate. 'This is my initial response to the review, but I will set out further action on body armour in due course. 'When Jonathan Hall's independent review into the Frankland attack reports, I will take any further steps necessary to protect our brave staff.' Mr Jenrick told MPs he still fears for prison officers' safety, as he hit out at Rudakubana having access to 'treats' such as Pringles and Maltesers. He said: 'Brave prison officers are under attack if the Government doesn't act now. I'm warning once again that an officer will be killed on the Justice Secretary's watch. After the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana allegedly attacked an officer with boiling water, he is now bingeing on treats like Maltesers and Pringles. 'When will the Justice Secretary strip Rudakubana and monsters like him of these privileges and put them in solitary confinement, and when will she finally have the backs of all our brave prison officers by giving each and every one of them the protection that they need in the form of high-collar, stab-proof vests, not just a privileged view in the most limited circumstances?' Ms Mahmood said: 'Let me just give the shadow minister a much-needed education here because he appears not to know that under the Tory government, violence on staff in our prisons soared and experienced officers left in droves because of it. 'That is inheritance that I have received and that is the mess that this Government is clearing up. He will know I have already acted on suspending the use of self-cook facilities, I've got Jonathan Hall looking into the HMP Frankland attack, I've made the announcement on body armour, and I won't hesitate to take any further action, but unlike him I won't make, and I quote 'headline-grabbing measures', just for the sake of a headline.'
The Herald Scotland
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Thanks, Labour: your EU deal gives us the worst of both worlds
The UK Government estimates that material changes in areas covered, such as fisheries, food and energy, will increase GDP by 0.2 per cent by 2040. Contrasting with this, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that Brexit will reduce the UK's long-term GDP by approximately four per cent compared to remaining in the EU. The deal shows the UK clearly moving towards a relationship with the EU that is the worst of both worlds, formally sovereign, yet locked in ongoing negotiations and deeply enmeshed in EU frameworks across the entire economy. Moreover, these conditions also mean the UK can't strike a trade deal with the US involving food and agriculture unless there is no trans-shipment of goods, or unless the EU signs a trade deal with the US that solves this issue. Trade deals with the likes of India, the US and the EU simply limit the immense economic damage of Brexit to the UK economy, rather than bringing any benefits. Alex Orr, Edinburgh. A threat to our security In a lecture at the Policy Exchange last week Jonathan Hall KC, the UK's independent reviewer of legislation on terrorism and state threats, said: 'If I was a foreign intelligence officer of course I would meddle in separatism, whether Scottish independence or independence of overseas territories or Brexit. I would ensure that the UK hated itself and its history. My intention would be to cause both immediate and long-term damage to the national security of the UK by exploiting the freedom and openness of the UK by providing funds, exploiting social media, and entryism." He also said that other issues useful to a foreign power would be environmentalism, immigration, trans rights, toxic masculinity, racial tension, antisemitism and anger over Gaza. All legitimate concerns, and all potential wedge issues 'to sow discord and hopelessness'. While his speech was on the topic of independence (which many people do suspect of being influenced by foreign powers) one of the other controversial issues he mentioned is environmentalism. Having read Ian Lakin's astounding letter (May 22) on Ed Milliband's ongoing destruction of the UK oil and gas industry could it be that those "foreign powers" have managed to infiltrate the heart of the UK Government? Just asking. Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven. Read more letters Transition is far from just On May 22 the Just Transition Commission published its fourth and final written briefing based upon a 'people-and-place approach'. The previous three papers focused upon Grangemouth, Shetland and Dumfries and Galloway. This fourth paper entitled 'A Just Transition for Aberdeen and the North East' makes for stark reading. Having conducted two days of reviews, interviews and group discussions the Commission concludes: • There is no just transition plan for Aberdeen and the North East, particularly for oil and gas workers. • Deployment of renewables needs to accelerate, and employment therein made more attractive. • Domestic supply chains are key but emaciated. • Retraining and skills are essential. • The Scottish and UK governments need to cooperate and work seamlessly together. • Most key players are in denial and therefore progress is glacial. In essence, if this was a report card it's a D. A solid D. This matters a lot because more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs are risk. And given Scotland's grim deindustrialisation track record it looks like our wheels are thoroughly stuck in the same old tram tracks as coal, steel, shipbuilding, refining. The report inevitably has several pages of recommendations. Regrettably these lack three key things: associated costs, a credible timeframe, any clear accountabilities. Even more curiously the report lacks three other key aspects: the realpolitik of transition if you like: • Any systematic examination of the key players' positions, needs and roles (this includes the institutional hostility between Edinburgh and London). • Any examination of the 'money side': costs, the underpinning economic drivers for the status quo and the desired transition. • Any appraisal of institutional capacity, especially capacity to retrain thousands of workers, build Scottish supply chains, reorientate whole complex systems. So we have deindustrialisation Groundhog Day. This report partly describes what's not working. But it elects to shy away from the 'why?' and has almost nothing to say in practical terms on how to credibly get our wheels out of the tram tracks. I had hoped for better. Aberdeen and the North East (and Scotland more generally) deserve better. There is plenty of expertise around to fill out the huge gaps here. However, I'm not sure there's any Scottish or UK political appetite or capacity to deal with the truth. That wouldn't matter were it not tens of thousands of jobs and a big chunk of our economy hurtling towards the scrap heap. This is negligence at best. Rank cowardice at worst. We can and need to do a great deal better than this. Neil Gilmour, Edinburgh. Frustration over tidal Stewart Lightbody (Letters, May 24) makes valid points about the Winter Fuel Allowance, but the elephant in the room is that we could have electricity coming out of our ears if the tides were harnessed. A 2021 paper to the Royal Society claimed that a Severn Barrage alone could supply 6-7% of UK demand, and slinging road-rail across any dam would be a double bonus. The problem is Big Energy doesn't want that, in the same way that Big Pharma doesn't want health. For example, you can't produce plutonium for weapons from dams, hence the ongoing, horribly expensive nuclear programme. George Morton, Rosyth. Working together for peace I refer to the heading to Murdo Grant's letter published on May 23, 'Support the many decent Israelis' with which sentiment I very much agree. Surely the most effective way of supporting Israelis who are opposing Benjamin Netanyahu's extremist ethno-nationalist government is by providing financial support to those organisations which are driven by Jewish values among which are social justice, promoting peace and preserving life. I suggest that your readers read online an article headed 'A Guide to Organisations Working for Peace and Justice in Palestine-Israel' which lists 'a number of organisations that work inside Palestine, inside Israel, across borders and internationally. These organisations show that people can work together to find a solution to conflict and demonstrate leadership and bravery'. May I take this opportunity to draw your readers' attention to the fact that at last week's General Assembly of the Church of Scotland the Commissioners backed a deliverance criticising the blockade of food and humanitarian aid, the ongoing forcible displacement of Gazans and the continued holding of hostages? The Rev David Cameron, Convener of the Assembly Trustees, said 'the churches of the world cannot remain silent in the face of such appalling inhumanity'. Surely the authentic voice of Christianity. John Milne, Uddingston. • Dr Gerald Edwards (Letters, May 24) asks if the current situation in Gaza isn't "what Hamas wants".' I am not sure whether Dr Edwards is a medical doctor or a PhD but I would be mortified if it is the former because I am not sure how any feeling human being, much less a physician who has taken the Hippocratic Oath, can countenance the tragedy that is the outcome of this "war" with anything other than sheer horror and disgust. Marjorie Thompson, Edinburgh. A precedent for Faslane? In the face of international opposition and the legal claims of displaced islanders, the UK has passed the sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago over to Mauritius while leasing back control of the (American) military base on Diego Garcia ("Starmer signs deal to hand over Chagos Islands after court bid", The Herald, May 23). This will cost the UK £101 million for a century, less than the cost of running an aircraft carrier according to Keir Starmer. An increasingly likely phenomenon is the elevation of Nigel Farage to the office of Prime Minister, probably with the support of the Tory party (though Labour cannot be ruled out). In that event the possibilities of Scotland recovering its sovereignty would be greatly enhanced. What then of the nuclear base on the Clyde? A similar leasing arrangement? I think the many questions over liability, control and sovereignty would probably rule this out. GR Weir, Ochiltree. John Swinney (Image: PA) Have a word, Mr Swinney John Swinney's favourite word appears to be "unacceptable", however the number of times he uses it is also unacceptable. I suggest he invests in a thesaurus and finds some that are equally acceptable, among which might be damnable; unspeakable; deplorable; disgraceful; unsupportable; indefensible and it then would become less intolerable. Isobel Hunter, Lenzie.
Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
New law to proscribe hostile state-linked groups
A new terror-style proscription law will be created to ban foreign government agencies in an attempt to crack down on the activities of hostile countries in Britain Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, told MPs that she was accepting recommendations from a report by Jonathan Hall KC, the independent adviser on terrorism legislation, which said that that Britain's terrorism legislation was ill-equipped to tackle the conduct of state agencies such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and called for a new power to act as an 'equivalent to proscription'. Speaking in the House of Commons, Cooper said she was accepting this recommendation so the government could deal with state bodies such as the IRGC, which has been accused of plotting assassinations and terror attacks around
The National
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
UK anti-terrorism tsar in Scottish independence 'meddling' claim
Jonathan Hall KC, the UK Government's adviser on terrorism law, suggested that ministers may seek to introduce 'anti-subversion' laws to crack down on beliefs that he claimed posed a threat to democracy. In comments released ahead of a speech to the conservative Policy Exchange think tank on Monday evening, Hall argued new laws could be brought in to 'save democracy from itself'. He said: 'If I were a foreign intelligence officer of course I would meddle in separatism, whether Scottish independence or independence of overseas territories or Brexit. (Image: Jeff Moore/PA Wire) 'I would encourage extreme forms of environmentalism, hoping that policies generated would damage my adversaries' economy or at least sow discord or hopelessness.' Hall suggested that hostile foreign states may sponsor Islamist MPs and use social media as a 'delightful playground for wedge issues'. His planned speech, first reported in The Times, will also see him claim that foreign agents could be pushing trans rights on social media and questioned whether the Government may need to adopt 'a Cold War mentality that sniffs out subversion'. READ MORE: Scotland 'absorbed into England' by Acts of Union, says top legal expert Hall was expected to say: 'If I were a foreign intelligence officer, of course I would ensure that the UK hated itself and its history. That the very definition of woman should be put into question, and that masculinity would be presented as toxic. That white people should be ashamed and non-white people aggrieved. I would promote antisemitism within politics. 'My intention would be to cause both immediate and long-term damage to the national security of the UK by exploiting the freedom and openness of the UK by providing funds, exploiting social media, and entryism.' Pro-Russia groups find affinity with 'lone actors' posing as 'protectors of Christian civilisation' who argue that Russia is the 'true defender of crumbling western civilisation', Hall says. He adds that foreign agents may already be using 'sextortion' tactics to obtain kompromat to blackmail people and said that current content moderation policies on social media are 'never going to sufficiently address the unprecedented access that the internet accords to impressionable minds'. He asks whether it may be necessary to 'bring forward a law, in the interests of national security, banning extremism or subversion'. It is not the first time that it's been claimed foreign actors are behind some social media activity in favour of Scottish independence. The UK Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee found in 2020 that there was 'credible open source commentary suggesting that Russia undertook influence campaigns in relation to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014'.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Riots and rumours: Contempt of Court rules need reform
It has long been the case that newspapers and other media outlets cannot discuss the details of a crime once a charge has been laid and before the prosecution has begun. These contempt of court laws are intended to ensure a fair trial. The danger is that a guilty individual will walk free if the case collapses because of prejudicial reporting. But these rules date from a pre-internet era. Now, social media platforms instantly disseminate information, often false. After the Southport murders last summer, rumours that the killer was an asylum-seeker were allowed to spread, though they were not true. The police claimed they could say little and, arguably, fuelled the riots as a result. The Law Commission is now looking at whether new contempt rules are needed to let the police disclose more information about suspects. Forces used to be more forthcoming, until the Leveson inquiry into press reporting put a halt to informal contacts with journalists. Those briefings helped the media frame the context for crimes without jeopardising the prospect of a fair trial. Writing in The Telegraph, Jonathan Hall KC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, has criticised the refusal to reveal details about Axel Rudakubana, the Southport killer, ahead of his trial. It led to 'dangerous fictions' that might have influenced jurors had the murderer not pleaded guilty. Mr Hall further said that the digital age means that the current 1981 Contempt of Court Act needs re-examination. This needs to be done urgently. In addition, he lamented the freezing of contacts between the police and media since Leveson, which has resulted in 'information voids … filled by speculation and mischief'. It is time this relationship was repaired in the public interest. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
