Latest news with #PoliticsHub
Metro
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Kay Burley's Sky News replacement finally revealed
Kay Burley's Sky News replacements have been announced after she left the breakfast show in February. The British broadcaster, 64, sent shockwaves through the nation when she announced her retirement from the channel after 36 years. Speculation has been rife following her exit, and it has now been confirmed that Sophy Ridge and Wilfred Frost have been appointed as the new Sky News breakfast presenters. They will join the show later this Autumn, with an exact date to be announced, as well as a new show name and studio. Ridge, 40, is best known for hosting Politics Hub for the last two years as well as Sophy Ridge on Sunday. During the last UK election, she was the lead presenter during Sky's coverage and was named RTS Presenter of the Year at the RTS Television Journalism Awards earlier this year. Frost, 40, the son of broadcaster Sir David Frost, has filled in for Burley since her departure in February. He has worked for the likes of CNBC and NBC, and earlier this year, he helmed the critically acclaimed documentary series David Frost Vs. Taking to X to share the news, Frost said he was 'insanely pumped' to be stepping in to present the breakfast show. 'I'm insanely pumped about the all-new breakfast show coming soon. Loads of exciting aspects – but top of the list is partnering with Sophy Ridge. 'I know we'll bring the best out of each other and together bring you the very best of Sky News in a fresh, warm and inviting way.' Ridge added: ''Soooo I'm about to find out how many coffees one woman can consume before 7am. Me & Wilfred Frost will be shaking up Sky's breakfast show from later this year, and I can't wait to work together. 'Presenting Breakfast is a massive honour for me and a real pinch yourself moment [heart emoji].' Burley was part of the team that launched Sky News in 1989 under the direction of Rupert Murdoch, and she went on to win the channel a Bafta for her coverage of 9/11. On her final day, she shared some fond memories from her career as well as one particularly 'awkward' moment on air. 'Hard to say farewell, not goodbye, to some fabulous colleagues – and then there was the awkward moment with the cake…' Kay said, referencing the moment she cut into a cake decorated with a picture of the original Sky News team in the accompanying footage. Slicing into the rectangular cake, Kay realised that she was about to 'cut Rupert's head off,' as she and her colleagues collapsed into laughter, and Kay made a detour with the knife. Bowing out of her final ever Sky News Breakfast programme, she said: 'From a standing start to one of the most recognised and valued brands in global news, it's been an honour and privilege to work with some of the best and hardest working teams in the business. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'News by its very nature is often devastating, and together we've covered so many life-changing events – from the tragic death of Diana, the shocking terror attack of 9/11; the Asian Tsunami; the Concorde air disaster. 'But we've also enjoyed some wonderful high notes too, haven't we – the thrill of London winning the chance to host the 2012 Olympics; a plethora of royal weddings; jubilees and who can forget days and days and DAYS waiting for royal babies to arrive at the Lindo Wing. More Trending 'But after over a million minutes of live TV news – more than anyone else in the world – it's time for me to indulge in some of my other passions – including my love for travel. 'So, after covering 12 separate general elections – including Sir Keir Starmer's victory last year – I am retiring from Sky News – let politicians of every party just rejoice at that news! 'Thank you for waking up and tuning in every morning. I can't tell you how much I have appreciated your support over the last three and a half decades: You're awesome.' View More » Metro has reached out to representatives for Kay Burley for comment Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Murder framed as suicide: How a killer's lies were exposed MORE: Sky's Dermot Murnaghan 'mistakenly thought he was being tested for prostate cancer' before stage 4 diagnosis
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Work and pensions secretary tells MPs controversial disability benefit reforms will go ahead next year
The government has told MPs it will not back down from its controversial reforms to disability benefits, which are set to be introduced to parliament later this month. More than 100 Labour MPs are thought to have concerns about the plans to cut nearly £5bn from the welfare bill by restricting personal independence payments (PIP) and the health top-up to Universal Credit. Charities say the changes will have a "catastrophic" effect on vulnerable people. Politics Hub: The chair of the Commons' Work and Pensions Committee wrote to the secretary of state, Liz Kendall, last month, calling on the government to delay the changes until a full assessment is carried out of the impact on employment, poverty and health. Labour MP Debbie Abrahams wrote that while there was a case for reform to disability benefits, "the evidence indicated [these changes] might not improve outcomes for most claimants, but instead push many into poverty and further away from the labour market". But Ms Kendall has written back, in a letter made public on Wednesday, to reject the idea because the bill needs final approval from parliament in November in order for the changes to take effect in 2026. She wrote: "We need urgent action to help people who can work, into work. With one in eight young people now not in education, employment or training and nearly 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness, and spending on health and disability benefits set to rise by an additional £18bn, we must change course. "We have consistently been clear that we are not consulting on every proposal. "Instead, parliament will have the opportunity to fully debate, propose amendments to, and vote on areas where we have announced urgent reforms that are not subject to consultation. "With PIP caseload and costs forecast to continue rising, reforms are needed now to make the system sustainable, while supporting those people with the greatest needs." The government says the PIP caseload has more than doubled from 15,000 new claims per month in 2019 to 34,000. PIP is a benefit to help disabled people with the increased costs of day-to-day living. It is proposed that claimants will need to achieve four points out of eight in their assessment to qualify for the benefit, and the government says some 370,000 existing claimants will lose out when reassessed. Ms Kendall says the growth in claims means the PIP caseload will still increase by the end of the parliament. The government will also tackle what Ms Kendall called the "perverse incentive" to claim the health top-up for Universal Credit by freezing it at £97 a week for existing claimants, and slashing the rate to £50 a week for new claimants. The average loss of benefits will be £1,700 a year for some three million people. Claimants with the most serious conditions, who have been assessed as never able to work, will not be subject to reassessment, ministers say, allowing them to have peace of mind. The government will provide £1bn for targeted support schemes to help disabled people into work. But it's estimated these will help only some 70,000 people find employment. Ms Kendall said a minister in her department is engaging with disabled people and organisations about the PIP assessment process, but said: "The PIP assessment review will rightly take time and require extensive engagement, and we cannot wait for its conclusion to make the urgently needed changes to the PIP eligibility criteria." The first minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, who is gearing up for elections next year, told Sky News she had spoken to Ms Kendall about her concerns last week. She said: "This is going to be really challenging for a lot of people in Wales. We know more people in Wales will be affected by PIP than in any other part of the country. "We do think there needs to be reform of welfare because we believe people can work should work, but in Wales we have examples of where we hold people's hands, stand by them, we help them into work, and we think that's more of a productive approach." Read more:Are tax rises inevitable after the spending review? Labour MP Richard Burgon, who has vowed to vote against the reforms, said: "This will be deeply disappointing news for all the MPs who've been urging the government to delay this decision. Instead of allowing time for proper scrutiny and meaningful dialogue with disabled people, the government has brushed aside MPs' genuine concerns. "These planned disability cuts should be scrapped - not rushed through without proper scrutiny."
Daily Mirror
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
UK cities '90 minutes from being destroyed by missiles' warns former Army chief
The Ministry of Defence has been urged to adopt cutting-edge technology such as AI, robots, and lasers in order to stay ahead and avoid suffering the fate of Ukraine's towns and cities Cruise missiles could obliterate a British city in just 90 minutes, the author of the Strategic Defence Review has warned. Former British Army chief General Sir Richard Barrons said in a stark warning that UK towns and cities could suffer devastation on the scale of Ukraine 's war-ravaged urban centres in the event of full-scale conflict. Speaking on Sky News's Politics Hub, he said: "Right now, we should be very concerned about countries like Russia and how they might try and effect our daily national life. You look at the damage done to places like Kyiv, by missiles and air attack. Those are the same missiles and bombs that could do the same damage to London, Birmingham, Liverpool or Newcastle if we don't take steps to deter that." "We should absolutely be prepared to exist in a world where things like precision missiles can range the UK and do great harm," he added. "That's not to say it's about to happen or imminent, but in terms of the capability, a cruise missile is only 90 minutes away from the UK." Russia is "an immediate and pressing threat", with the invasion of Ukraine making it "unequivocally clear its willingness to use force to achieve its goals", the Strategic Review concluded. China is eanwhile a "sophisticated and persistent challenge [...] "likely to continue seeking advantage through espionage and cyber attacks" - and have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. Iran and North Korea are also flagged as regional disruptors. The Defence Review urges the Ministry of Defence to adopt cutting-edge technology - AI, robots, and lasers - to stay ahead. In a Commons statement, Defence Secretary John Healey said: "The threats we face are now more serious and less predictable than at any time since the end of the Cold War. We face war in Europe, growing Russian aggression, new nuclear risks, and daily cyber-attacks at home. Our adversaries are working more in alliance with one another, while technology is changing the way war is fought. We are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for UK defence." Lord Dannatt, another former Army chief, likened the UK's slow military build-up to "asking Adolf Hitler not to attack until 1946." His damning comparison came as the Prime Minister launched a campaign to make Britain "war-ready"- but refused to commit to raising defence spending to 3% of GDP. "I am not, as the Prime Minister of a Labour government, going to make a commitment as to the precise date until I can be sure precisely where the money is coming from," he said. He warned the UK must ramp up spending amid the mounting threat from Russia and allies, includin gIran and North Korea. During his speech Sir Keir said: "First, we are moving to war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces. "When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready, and frankly, to show them that we're ready to deliver peace through strength." Asked if he was committed to spending the necessary money to deliver everything in the review, he said: "We are committed to spending what we need to deliver this. That is the basis on which the terms of reference were set and that is the terms on which the review was published. Everything that can be done will be done within the spending envelope that we have." The PM vowed to build "world leading drone capabilities" and invest £15 billion in the UK's nuclear warhead programme, pledging the UK's armed forces will be ten times stronger by 2035. Lord Dannatt told Times Radio: "This rather vague commitment to move to 3% [of GDP on defence] by the end of the next parliament, 2034, it just doesn't stack up. "It's a little bit like saying in 1938 to Adolf Hitler 'please don't attack us until 1946 because we are not going to be ready'."
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
'Supermax' US-style prisons could be built in UK amid violence against staff
EXCLUSIVE: James Timpson acknowledged the severity of the crisis gripping UK jails, with recent incidents involving inmates raising concerns about safety and security Britain could see the introduction of US-style "supermax" prisons as a response to a wave of violent episodes among inmates, the prisons minister has announced. Minister James Timpson declared "we shouldn't rule anything out" when exploring the possibility of constructing high-security facilities akin to those in the US for incarcerating the most perilous criminals. According to Sky, this intervention follows on the heels of a harrowing episode at HMP Belmarsh recently, where triple child murderer Axel Rudakubana is accused of dousing a prison officer with boiling water from a kettle – an incident now being probed by the police. In another alarming event, Hashem Abedi – sibling of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi – is said to have assaulted three officers with hot cooking oil and "improvised knives", thought to be made from a baking tray. Chatting on Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge directly from HMP Preston, Mr Timpson conceded that British prisons are in crisis and demanded immediate, strong action, reports the Express. "We inherited a complete mess in the prison system. Violence is up, assaults on staff is up. But for me, we shouldn't rule anything out." Timpson, who took over as prisons minister last year following his tenure as CEO of the Timpson Group, underscored the importance of engaging with prison workers. "What we need to do is to speak to our staff. They're the experts at dealing with these offenders day in, day out." Mr Timpson has acknowledged that violence in prisons is rampant, linking it primarily to overcrowding and a lack of purposeful activity. "The number of people when you have prisons are so full, and the people in there are not going to education or into purposeful activity... you get more violence and that is totally unacceptable," he commented. "Our staff turn up to work to help turn people. They want to turn people's lives around. They didn't turn up to work to get assaulted. It's totally unacceptable." Amid plans for an extensive review of sentencing rules, Mr Timpson called attention to persistent challenges like drug dependency, homelessness, and mental health crises among those released from prisoners. He pointed out: "80% of offending is reoffending. People are leaving places like HMP Preston addicted to drugs, nowhere to live, mental health problems – and that's why they keep coming back." Confronted with questions about the prevalence of drug problems across all UK jails, the minister was adamant: "100%." He concluded: "If we want to keep the public safe, we need to do a lot more of the work in here and in the community. But also we need to build more prisons."
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minister does not rule out 'supermax' jails for most dangerous offenders following alleged Rudakubana attack on prison officer
"Supermax" jails could be built to house the most dangerous offenders following a spate of alleged attacks on staff, the prisons minister has said. James Timpson told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge that "we shouldn't rule anything out" when asked if the most dangerous criminals should be placed in top security prisons. It comes after Southport triple killer Axel Rudakubana allegedly at an officer at HMP Belmarsh on Thursday. Police are now that, three prison officers were also allegedly attacked by 28-year-old Hashem Abedi - the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi - with hot cooking oil and "improvised knives", potentially made from a baking tray. Speaking from HMP Preston for a special programme of the Politics Hub, Mr Timpson told Sophy Ridge: "We inherited a complete mess in the prison system. "Violence is up, assaults on staff is up. But for me, we shouldn't rule anything out." He added: "What we need to do is to speak to our staff. They're the experts at dealing with these offenders day in, day out. " Mr Timpson - who was the chief executive of Timpson Group before he was appointed prisons minister last year - said the violence in prisons was "too high". He continued: "The number of people when you have prisons are so full, and the people in there are not going to education or into purposeful activity. "You get more violence and that is totally unacceptable. Our staff turn up to work to help turn people. "They want to turn people's lives around. They didn't turn up to work to get assaulted. It's totally unacceptable." Read more: Reflecting on the crisis facing the UK prison system ahead of the Mr Timpson said a major problem was the high rate of reoffending, saying "80% of offending is reoffending". He said people were leaving places like HMP Preston "addicted to drugs, nowhere to live, mental health problems - and that's why they keep coming back". Asked whether every prison had a drugs issue, he replied: "100%." "If we want to keep the public safe, we need to do a lot more of the work in here and in the community. But also we need to build more prisons." Put to him that making more use of community sentences - thought to be one of the recommendations in the government's sentencing review - might be considered a "cushy option" compared to a custodial sentence, Mr Timpson said: "There are some people in this prison tonight who would prefer to be in prison than do a community sentence - but that's not everybody. "Community sentences need to be tough punishments outside of prison, not just to help them address their offending behaviour, but also the victims need to see punishments being done too and for me, technology has a big part to play in the future."
