Latest news with #SirStephenTimms
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Al-Qaeda-radicalised student who stabbed MP allowed to go free
A student who tried to murder an MP after being radicalised by an al-Qaeda cleric can be released from prison. Roshonara Choudhry, then 21, was jailed for life for a minimum of 15 years for stabbing Sir Stephen Timms twice in the stomach in May 2010, and for two offences of possessing an offensive weapon. The attack on the now social security minister is thought to be the first al-Qaeda inspired attempt to assassinate a politician on British soil. The former King's College London student attacked Sir Stephen, the MP for East Ham, as he held a constituency surgery at the Beckton Globe community centre in east London, smiling and pretending she was going to shake hands with him before stabbing him. After she was arrested, she told detectives the stabbing was 'punishment' and 'to get revenge for the people of Iraq'. But after a Parole Board hearing on May 20 this year, a panel decided she could be freed from jail. A decision summary said: 'After considering the circumstances of her offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing and in the dossier, the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.' The document said that at the time of the attempted murder, Choudhry, now 36, had risk factors of problems with family relationships, development of extreme beliefs about the world and willingness to use violence to address perceived injustices. But she had engaged in programmes in prison to understand how her extreme beliefs developed and her conduct in prison was described as 'exemplary'. The summary added: 'Ms Choudhry was assessed as having shown a very high level of insight and understanding of herself. 'She had consistently shown over many years that she no longer held the same beliefs, that she was able to manage her emotional wellbeing effectively and she would no longer be likely to be influenced by other people with strong negative views, having developed the ability to critically evaluate information and to seek help from professionals if she needs it.' The document said the panel did not receive a victim impact statement, or representations from the justice secretary. It was recommended that Choudhry be released on licence under conditions such as living at a designated address, with a specific curfew and subject to an exclusion zone to avoid contact with Sir Stephen. A Parole Board spokesman said: 'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. 'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.'
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Minister confirms free school meal fund rise in Chatham visit
A minister has said offering free school meals to a greater number of pupils and increasing funding is a "breakthrough" for reducing child households must earn less than £7,400 a year to qualify for free school meals, but soon all children whose parents claim Universal Credit will be at the Victory Academy in Chatham, Kent, the minister for social security, Sir Stephen Timms, said the government was also increasing funding for each meal to £2.61 from September Labour has faced scrutiny over its plans to tackle child poverty, with calls for it to scrap the two-child benefit scrap. The government said half a million more children will have access to free school meals thanks to removing the eligibility criteria, which the Prime Minister said would "help families who need it most".Sir Stephen said: "For those children who can [now] be sure they're going to get a good, nutritious school lunch every day, it's a great boost for them, it'll help them to concentrate and do well at school."When asked if £2.61 was enough money per meal, he added: "There's some very nutritious meals that can be provided for that amount. The schools do a fantastic job, I'm very impressed."He added that he "probably couldn't" feed himself for £2.61, but "for lunch, I probably could". Will the cap be scrapped? Polly Billington, MP for Thanet, said she was pleased that "more than 6,000 children" in her constituency would benefit from the Secretary Bridget Phillipson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was her "moral mission" to make sure fewer children grew up in the kind of poverty she experienced."We know if children are arriving at school ready to learn that makes a massive difference to their outcomes", she said."If you're hungry, it's really hard to concentrate."But the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank said that while the rule change would cut child poverty to a degree and would be cheaper than making free school meals universal, "other measures, such as lifting the two-child limit, would have a lower cost for each child lifted out of poverty".Labour is yet to decide whether to scrap the two-child benefit about the cap, Sir Stephen said: "We will have to wait for the child poverty task force to produce its strategy later on this year to see what extra levers they need to pull to help more children out of poverty."
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Labour MPs signal rebellion over benefits cuts
Labour MPs signal rebellion over welfare cuts Just now Share Save Joshua Nevett Political reporter Share Save EPA A number of Labour MPs have said they will vote against the government's proposed cuts to disability benefits. Nine Labour MPs voiced concern over the government's plans to make it harder for people with less severe conditions to claim disability payments during a debate on Wednesday. Calls to rethink the benefits cuts, as well as other policies, have been growing after Labour lost 187 council seats during the local election last week. Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms told the MPs the goal of the reforms was to make sure the welfare system was "financially sustainable in the long term". In March, the government announced a major welfare shake-up aimed at saving money and supporting people who can work to find jobs. Ministers said changes to a key disability benefit called personal independence payment (Pip) and universal credit (UC) would save around £5bn a year by the end of 2030 and get more people into work. Overall, the government spends £65bn a year on health and disability-related benefits. Before the government announced the Pip and UC changes, this was projected to increase to £100bn by 2029. The government estimated that 3.2 million families could be worse off as a result of the reforms, while 3.8 million families will be better off by 2030. The government is expected to pass a new law to make the welfare changes, giving MPs a chance to vote on the plans. Backbench discontent
