Latest news with #PatrickHurley
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Channel 4 sparks fury after using Southport killer's mugshot in 'sick' advert as viewers beg 'please stop this!'
Channel 4 has sparked fury after using the Southport killer's mugshot in a controversial advert. Recently, an ad on Facebook for the broadcaster's new shows featured a photograph of Axel Rudakubana and said: 'More of the shows you love, more of the shows you will love. Stream now on Channel 4.' The killer was convicted for the murders of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancome, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport in July 2024, as well as the attempted murder of 10 others. He was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in January. The advert contained a link to a news special about the case, titled Southport Killer Sentenced, according to The Sun. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Recently, an ad on Facebook for the broadcaster's new shows featured a photograph of Axel Rudakubana (pictured) and said: 'More of the shows you love ❤, more of the shows you will love. Stream now on Channel 4.' Patrick Hurley, who is a Labour MP for Southport, took to social media to express his outrage and posted on X: 'I'm really disappointed to see @Channel4 actively promote this image to Southport residents on Facebook, by buying ads targeting them. 'Please stop this, @Channel 4. 'And as for the text in the post - 'More of the shows you love, more of the shows you will love. Stream now on Channel 4' - is this some sort of sick joke?' The broadcaster has since apologised and removed the photograph from the advert. A Channel 4 spokesperson told The Sun: 'We apologise for any offence or upset this has caused.' Ofcom also confirmed to the publication that Mr Hurley had filed a complaint about the advert. The watchdog commented: 'Decisions on how news is covered, including the choice of images, is an editorial matter for broadcasters.' It comes after it was revealed Rudakubana is allegedly allowed to buy treats in prison such as Maltesers and crisps despite throwing scorching water over a prison guard last month. It is also claimed that he is allowed to call his family, have religious visits and receive money from relatives while in the south east London prison. Patrick Hurley, who is an MP for Southport, took to social media to express his outrage and posted on X A source told The Sun that Rudakubana has been 'spending £5.50 a week' since he attacked the guard and is allowed to buy 'anything he likes as long as it's not dangerous'. They added: 'He's still allowed to buy things like Maltesers and Pringles crisps if he fancies them.' Since Rudakubana attacked the guard he has been on a 'basic' level of treatment behind bars meaning he no longer has access to a TV and that his time out of his cell has been restricted. He is also said to be no longer permitted to purchase butter or baby oil which could be heated for an attack.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Channel 4 sparks fury after using evil Southport killer's mugshot to plug new shows that ‘you will love' in ad
The ad was pushed to Facebook users AD FURY Channel 4 sparks fury after using evil Southport killer's mugshot to plug new shows that 'you will love' in ad Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CHANNEL 4 has been slammed after using the mugshot of Southport monster Axel Rudakubana to plug its shows. A Facebook ad featuring the triple killer's haunting face was captioned: "More of the shows you love, more of the shows you will love. Stream now on Channel 4." Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Patrick Hurley MP shared a scratched out version of the ad Credit: Channel 4 Last week blundering telly bosses were forced to apologise over the gaffe after sparking fury from the town's MP. Labour backbencher Patrick Hurley raged: "Is this some sort of joke?" He added: "I'm really disappointed to see Channel 4 actively promote this image to Southport residents on Facebook, by buying ads targeting them. "Please stop this." Rudakubana, who killed three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the town last July, had his custody photo splashed in a promo for the broadcaster's on-demand service. It meant the harrowing snap was pushed into Facebook users' feeds without warning. Grieving families scrolling Facebook could have been hit with the killer's image completely out of the blue - despite not following Channel 4. The show linked to the ad was a 20-minute news special named 'Southport Killer Sentenced', broadcast after the killer was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court. Bosses admitted the snap was used by mistake and had been removed. A spokesperson said: "We apologise for any offence or upset this has caused." Telly watchdog Ofcom confirmed it had received a complaint from Mr Hurley. But a spokesperson said: "Decisions on how news is covered, including the choice of images, is an editorial matter for broadcasters." Rudakubana is serving 52 years for murdering Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine. The Sun this month revealed the fiend hurled scalding water over a prison officer while caged at max-security HMP Belmarsh. 4 Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, one of the three children killed in the 'ferocious' knife attack Credit: PA 4 Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, tragically died at the hands of Rudakubana Credit: PA
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Channel 4 sparks fury after using evil Southport killer's mugshot to plug new shows that ‘you will love' in ad
CHANNEL 4 has been slammed after using the mugshot of Southport monster Axel Rudakubana to plug its shows. A Facebook ad featuring the triple killer's haunting face was captioned: "More of the shows you love, more of the shows you will love. Stream now on Channel 4." Last week blundering telly bosses were forced to apologise over the gaffe after sparking fury from the town's MP. Labour backbencher Patrick Hurley raged: "Is this some sort of joke?" He added: "I'm really disappointed to see Channel 4 actively promote this image to Southport residents on Facebook, by buying ads targeting them. "Please stop this." Rudakubana, who killed three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the town last July, had his custody photo splashed in a promo for the broadcaster's on-demand service. It meant the harrowing snap was pushed into Facebook users' feeds without warning. Grieving families scrolling Facebook could have been hit with the killer's image completely out of the blue - despite not following Channel 4. The show linked to the ad was a 20-minute news special named ' Southport Killer Sentenced ', broadcast after the killer was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court. Bosses admitted the snap was used by mistake and had been removed. A spokesperson said: "We apologise for any offence or upset this has caused." Telly watchdog Ofcom confirmed it had received a complaint from Mr Hurley. editorial matter for broadcasters." Rudakubana is serving 52 years for murdering Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine. The Sun this month revealed the fiend hurled scalding water over a prison officer while caged at max-security HMP Belmarsh. 4 4
BBC News
20-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Southport MP calls for national organisation to save UK's piers
An MP has called for a new national organisation to preserve the UK's piers, which have become "dilapidated" and risk becoming Labour MP Patrick Hurley wants the government to set up a National Pier Service as the Merseyside town faces its third summer without its pier being open to the public. The structure, built in 1860, closed in December 2022 for health and safety reasons and its owner Sefton Council has estimated the cost of fixing it to be £ authority said it could not afford the repairs but it would continue to seek funding after an initial expression of interest to the National Lottery Heritage fund was not progressed. Hurley said his call for a National Pier Service was part of a wider demand for more support for the country's coastal communities, including a dedicated Minister for Coastal towns. The BBC has asked the department for communities and local government for a said seaside towns had specific challenges based around their seasonal economies, adding: "Bed and breakfasts, 2p slot machines, fun fairs and theme parks - all of the things that we go to the seaside for are all struggling across the country." He said towns needed a "specific policy response" to support them and the government needed a coastal communities is working with other MPs representing coastal towns, and said that Southport was not alone in being unable to maintain or repair its famous pier. Many of the attractions which made seaside towns "exotic" in the past now risked becoming relics of a bygone age if action was not taken, he added."So many piers are dilapidated," he said. "They've been stood in the sea for well over a century, and the salt water takes its toll."Andrew Brown who runs the Stand Up for Southport website said he was confident the funding would be found for the town's pier. "There is such a determination in this town", he said."This is a national landmark. We've got everything in place; we've got planning permission, we've got a plan, we just need the funding." Hurley has approached the National Trust to propose working together to maintain and run some piers. The heritage charity said it was in communication with the said he would also seek to explore if a new organisation, a "National Piers Trust" could be said he was talking to councils and organisations which maintain the UKs remaining piers, of which there are about 60, to see what he could learn from UK's leading charity for piers, the National Piers Society, which was founded in 1979 by the poet Sir John Betjeman, has campaigned to save several piers that would otherwise have vanished. It advises heritage bodies, local authorities, pier owners and the government on pier-related matters, but does not operate or run piers itself. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Telegraph
10-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
How Starmer's embrace of the OBR is destroying Labour unity
It was just a few months ago that Sir Keir Starmer criticised the Conservatives for trying to undermine the OBR. Following a row with Jeremy Hunt, the former chancellor, over the autumn Budget and the role of the spending watchdog, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'The answer is not to blame the referee', as they insisted that Labour will 'back the independent OBR, not trash it'. The comments signalled Sir Keir's staunch support for the organisation, having previously lauded its work in holding the previous Tory government to account and vowed to strengthen its powers to avoid another Liz Truss-style market meltdown. However, the Prime Minister's enthusiasm appeared shaken this week when he attacked the OBR over its assessment of his welfare reforms, claiming it had failed to price in the effects of Labour's back-to-work measures. While subtle in language, Sir Keir's criticism signalled growing discontent with the OBR among the Labour ranks, putting an end to the party's united front on economic policy. Appearing before the Commons liaison committee, the Prime Minister said: 'On the impact assessments, it is significant to my mind that the ability of any policy or legislation to change any behaviour at all is not priced in, in other words, the OBR has scored nothing against any change here. 'The assumption is that not a single person changes their behaviour. I personally struggle with that way of looking at it because I do think that these measures will make a material difference and they need to make a material difference.' As well as calling out the OBR in public, it is understood that the Prime Minister has also privately expressed annoyance that the Government is beholden to the watchdog's forecasts twice a year, despite there only being one Budget. However, sources suggest that the appetite for stripping the body of some of its powers is limited. 'Changing anything to do with the OBR will be difficult,' says a government source. They added that any move to curtail the OBR would evoke memories of Truss at a time when markets are incredibly volatile. None the less, the Prime Minister's first attack on the OBR reveals simmering frustrations that are shared by a growing number within his party. Labour MPs are increasingly unhappy with deference to the watchdog's forecasts, particularly as the Government seeks to balance the books with cuts to welfare benefits. Patrick Hurley, MP for Southport, followed Sir Keir's comments with a demand that the OBR change its methods or face closure. 'If the OBR won't change its approach so that it supports state-led growth, the Government should abolish it,' he said on social media. If the OBR won't change its approach so that it supports state-led growth, the government should abolish it. — Patrick Hurley (@patrick_hurley) April 8, 2025 Jon Trickett, MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, also argued that the forecaster has entirely the wrong priorities. 'The record of the Bank of England, OBR and Treasury is abysmal,' he said. 'They serve the City of London's interests, which hold our economy back.' Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, weighed into the debate by claiming that the world is too uncertain to place so much focus on two snapshots of the economy each year. 'While an independent economic assessment provides important analysis, this last week of economic shocks demonstrates why its reports cannot be depended on and why political economic management is necessitated,' she says. Anneliese Dodds, who briefly served as Sir Keir's international development secretary before quitting over aid cuts, raised the topic in her resignation letter. 'Undoubtedly, the postwar global order has come crashing down. I believe that we must increase spending on defence as a result; and know that there are no easy paths to doing so,' she wrote, acknowledging that the aid budget would be up for discussion. 'I also expected we would collectively discuss our fiscal rules and approach to taxation, as other nations are doing.' However, despite mounting calls for change, the Chancellor has insisted that the fiscal rules are not up for discussion. Ms Reeves maintains, loudly and often, that they are 'iron-clad'. Other critics argue that the problem lies with the Government, not the watchdog. 'It has always been clear that with £9.9bn of headroom there was going to come more pressure on the fiscal rules. And there is no point in blaming the OBR for that,' says Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent West. One of the key risks in messing around with the fiscal rules or the OBR risks disturbing already choppy financial markets. The Government's borrowing costs are already rising, with yields on 10-year and 30-year bonds up steeply amid the chaos of Donald Trump's trade war, eroding much of the Chancellor's headroom yet again. Andrew Goodwin, at Oxford Economics, says 'it is certainly not a good time to do it right now'. 'If they were to change the remit, it would require some very careful messaging, and they would need to do it in a way that is very clear they are not watering down the OBR's role,' he says. Paul Johnson, at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, says it makes little sense to complain given that the OBR has been unusually upbeat in its recent assessments of the economy. 'This Government has been unbelievably lucky in the OBR's forecasts,' he says. 'If the Treasury had published forecasts the same as the OBR, there would have been a lot of seriously raised eyebrows, because these forecasts are much more optimistic than the Bank of England's, they are right at the top end.' If the OBR were abolished, such projections from the Treasury 'would be seen as less credible and bond markets would be more worried,' Johnson adds. When it comes to Sir Keir's grumbles, the OBR itself said it received the details of welfare reforms too late in the day to fully analyse the economic implications. There are also fears that past efforts to save money on welfare have not been as successful as hoped, so the watchdog does not want to overestimate the benefit to the public purse. Andy King, a former official at the watchdog, says: 'The OBR has been burnt by previous welfare reforms that were expected to make material savings but didn't – not least the introduction of PIP, where savings fell spectacularly short of the initial plans.' Back in 2019, the OBR laid out in fine detail how it was wrong-footed when blindly adopting the government's 'aspirations' of cutting welfare into their forecasts. George Osborne's decision in 2013 to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people of working age with PIP was mainly a cost-saving exercise that the then-chancellor hoped would cut claims and spending by 20pc. But instead of a 600,000 fall in the working age caseload claiming PIP, the opposite occurred. The OBR projections turned out to be wildly optimistic, as the policy change led to more people being able to claim more money, adding up to £2bn more each year to the welfare bill. And lockdown added to the burden. The watchdog vowed never to factor any welfare reforms into their forecasts again unless there was a 'clear and credible plan for implementation; mere aspirations are not enough'. By reigniting pressure on the OBR, Labour is hopeful that it will change the way it scores Government policy to allow for more spending in future. However, the opposite will happen if OBR officials crack down on the Government's most optimistic assessments. Whatever happens, there is no doubt that the love-in between Labour and the OBR is over, dismantling the Government's united economic front in the process.
