Latest from Western Telegraph
Western Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
No 10 says work on repealing Legacy Act ‘in lockstep' but minister may quit
Sir Keir Starmer's Government plans to repeal and replace the Legacy Act, brought in by the Conservatives in 2023 to halt investigations into all but the most serious allegations involving Troubles-related cases. Human rights groups criticised the act for providing immunity to British soldiers. But opponents to scrapping it fear that the changes will open up a 'two-tier' system in which IRA members are given immunity but British troops are open to prosecution. Veterans minister Al Carns is expected to quit over plans to repeal the law, The Times reported. A No 10 spokesman said the Government was 'working in lockstep' when asked if Mr Carns agreed with Sir Keir's approach, a No 10 spokesman said. 'The Government is always working in lockstep to deal with issues such as this, and we're working in lockstep to fix this issue and the mess that we were left.' 'And as I say, we will set out a process that gives veterans and their families confidence and sets out a process that's proportionate, that's not malicious, that has safeguards in place, and fixes the mess that we were left with. He said the Government was setting out a course that is 'lawful with fairness at its heart' and that 'we will always protect our veterans'.
Western Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Joey Barton to pay more than £200,000 of Jeremy Vine legal costs in libel battle
Vine sued Barton for libel and harassment over several online posts, including one in which he falsely called the BBC Radio 2 presenter a 'big bike nonce' and a 'pedo defender' on X, formerly Twitter. The pair settled the claim last year after Barton posted two apologies on the same social media platform and paid a total of £110,000 in damages to Vine, as well as his legal costs. Former footballer Joey Barton (Lucy North/PA) In an agreed statement read out at the High Court in October last year, barrister Gervase de Wilde, for Vine, said that the broadcaster 'was deeply alarmed, distressed and upset' by Barton's actions, which included a 'persistent and highly damaging campaign of defamation, harassment and misuse of private information'. On Tuesday, a specialist costs court heard that Barton had agreed to pay £160,000 of Vine's costs from the main legal action. Costs Judge Colum Leonard also ordered Barton to pay a further £43,172.30 arising from the negotiation of the £160,000 figure, meaning he will pay a total of £203,172.30 of Vine's costs following the legal action. Lawyers for Vine told the High Court in May last year that Barton's posts amounted to a 'calculated and sustained attack'. Barton – who played for teams including Manchester City, Newcastle United, Rangers, and French side Marseille during his career – also began using '#bikenonce' on X, which led to it trending on the platform. After Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that some of the posts could defame Vine, Barton apologised to the journalist in June last year, stating that the allegations he made were 'untrue'. He said that he would pay Vine £75,000 in damages, but solicitors for Vine later said Barton would pay a further £35,000 as part of a 'separate settlement' for claims published after legal action began. Mr De Wilde told the October hearing that Barton made four undertakings as part of the settlement, including not to harass Vine or encourage others to do so. Vine said following that hearing that Barton 'needs to find himself a different hobby'. The hearing on Tuesday was told that Barton agreed to pay £160,000 of Vine's legal costs earlier this month, and that Vine was claiming around £60,000 in costs for negotiating that figure. Suzanne Holmes, for Barton, said this was 'excessive' and 'disproportionate', and should be reduced. Kevin Latham, representing Vine, said Barton had 'repeatedly failed to engage in proper negotiation' throughout proceedings and 'has to bear the consequences of that approach'. Neither Barton nor Vine attended the hearing in London.
Western Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Health
- Western Telegraph
No extra money to cover resident doctor strikes, NHS trust leaders warn
It comes amid 'worrying demands' for 'excessive rates' to provide cover for striking medics, NHS Providers said. The British Medical Association (BMA) announced resident doctors in England would walk out for five days from 7am on July 25 amid a row over pay. A survey of trust leaders carried out by NHS Providers received 88 responses from 70 NHS trusts in England. Almost nine in 10 (89%) said strikes will have a negative impact on their trust's ability to deliver their financial plan for the year. The same proportion warned that walkouts will have a negative impact on waiting lists, while 83% said strikes will impact the delivery of patient care. Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: 'Trust leaders respect the right to strike and want to work with BMA colleagues to minimise the harm to patients. 'That means ensuring adequate cover, which is very expensive, as we know from previous strikes. 'Providers are telling us loud and clear there is no extra money to cover this, and the unexpected cost is bound to impact on the services they can provide. Patients will suffer. 'It is especially worrying to see demands for excessive rates to provide this cover.' According to NHS Providers, some NHS regions have set rates for medics doing additional work to be paid during strikes. However, it warned the BMA's rate card – a document that outlines minimum hourly rates for doctors working extra or locum shifts should be paid – shows much higher hourly payments. 'These rates are simply unaffordable and would mean cuts to services,' Mr Elkeles said. 'The withdrawal of labour by one staff group should not be seen as a financial opportunity for another. 'That would be outrageous in a situation where there can be no winners.' The survey results come ahead of crunch talks between the BMA and the Government this week. On Monday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting told MPs that the union is telling members not to inform trusts or their employers if they are striking, which Mr Streeting described as 'unconscionable'. He also told the Health and Social Care Committee that he 'cannot fathom' how 'any doctor in good conscience would make it harder for managers to make sure we have safe staffing levels'. The BMA has said that resident doctors need a pay uplift of 29.2% to reverse 'pay erosion' since 2008/09. It comes after its members voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years last September. The 2025/26 pay deal saw resident doctors given a 4% uplift plus £750 'on a consolidated basis' – working out as an average pay rise of 5.4%.
Western Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Web searches on fatal blows and freezers made before suitcase murders, jury told
Yostin Andres Mosquera, 35, is on trial for the murders of Albert Alfonso, 62, and Paul Longworth, 71, on July 8 2024 in the flat the two shared in Scotts Road, Shepherd's Bush, west London. Mosquera is alleged to have repeatedly stabbed Mr Alfonso, who suffered injuries to his torso, face and neck, while Mr Longworth was attacked with a hammer to the back of his head and his 'skull shattered', prosecutor Deanna Heer KC has previously told jurors at Woolwich Crown Court. On Tuesday, it was suggested that Mosquera, a Colombian national who does not speak English, made repeated computer searches to find a freezer in the build-up to the killings. Paul Longworth and Albert Alfonso (Metropolitan Police/PA) Many of the searches were in Spanish, some used Google translate and were also made while Mosquera was the only person in the house, the jury heard. He asked questions about delivery options and several searches were looking for a deep freezer, a chest freezer, a large indoor and outdoor freezer for sale. In the days before the killings the phrase 'hammer killer' was tapped into the computer. Giving evidence through a translator, Mosquera, who blames Mr Alfonso for Mr Longworth's death, said he must have carried out that search. The prosecution alleges that Mosquera, who took part in filmed sex sessions with Mr Alfonso 'decapitated and dismembered' two men and left their heads in a freezer before travelling to the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol with other parts of their bodies. CCTV images in which Mr Longworth appears in a window show that he was still alive at the time those searches about potentially fatal blows to the head were made on July 8, the jury heard. Ms Heer asked Mosquera: 'Can you think of any reason why you would look for a search about 'where on the head is a knock fatal?' while Mr Longworth is still alive?' He replied 'no reason'. Ms Heer later said: 'I suggest that you did that in the morning and why you were searching for 'where on the head is a knock fatal?' is because you were planning to kill Mr Longworth.' Mosquera replied: 'No'. Ms Heer suggested the killing 'probably' happened around the time the curtains were seen closing at 12.30pm. Forensic officers at an address in Shepherd's Bush, west London, after human remains were found in suitcases near the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol (Jonathan Brady/PA) She told Mosquera: 'You closed the curtains at 12.30pm and open them at 1pm. 'I suggest that this is the time you took a hammer and hit Paul Longworth. 'You approached him from behind and you hit him on the head with the hammer. You did so repeatedly.' Mosquera flatly denied the allegation and said: 'No'. A white plastic bag which had flaky and dried blood in it was found to contain Mr Longworth's DNA. Ms Heer asked Mosquera: 'Did you put that bag over Mr Longworth's head before you hit him with the hammer?' Mosquera replied: 'No.' Mosquera admits killing Mr Alfonso but claims it was manslaughter by reason of loss of control. He denies murdering either man and insists Mr Alfonso killed Mr Longworth. Mosquera had first come to the UK from Colombia in June 2024 on the promise of English lessons and financial support from Mr Alfonso, whom he had met years earlier through webcam sex websites.
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
MoD could face ‘substantial' compensation claims over data breach, lawyer says
Sean Humber, a specialist data breach lawyer at law firm Leigh Day, who acts for Afghan citizens affected by previous data breaches of their personal data by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said the department 'seems institutionally incapable of keeping information secure'. It follows an unprecedented superinjunction being lifted on Tuesday, which had prevented the media from reporting that a dataset containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) was released 'in error' in February 2022 by a defence official. The breach resulted in the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route – in April 2024, which is understood to have cost around £400 million so far and could cost up to £850 million once completed. The Government originally outlined plans to launch a compensation scheme for those affected by the breach, with an estimated cost of between £120 and £350 million, not including administration expenses. Hundreds of data protection legal challenges are also expected, with the court previously told that a Manchester-based law firm already had several hundred prospective clients. Following the superinjunction being lifted, Mr Humber said that those affected could sue the Government over the 'inevitable anxiety, fear and distress' caused by the breach. He said: 'Given the extreme sensitivity of the information and the numbers affected, plus the vulnerability of those affected due to the dangers they already face from the Taliban, this data breach can only be described as catastrophic. 'Those affected are likely to have strong claims for substantial compensation against the Government for failing to keep the information secure and for inevitable anxiety, fear and distress this has then caused. 'Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a long line of data breaches by the MoD of personal data of Afghan citizens who had previously worked with UK armed forces. 'Frankly, the MoD seems institutionally incapable of keeping information secure. 'There is now an urgent need for a thorough and independent review of the MoD's whole data-processing policies and practices in order to try and prevent yet further breaches. Several hearings in relation to the superinjunction were held behind closed doors at the Royal Courts of Justice (Andrew Matthews/PA) 'We have already been approached by Afghan citizens who had applied, with their families, for relocation to the UK under the Arap scheme and who are now extremely concerned to find that their personal information may have been disclosed without their knowledge or consent. 'They are particularly concerned at the risks posed by their personal information now being in the hands of the Taliban, who continue to imprison, torture and kill those suspected of previously assisting international forces, as well as the risks of fraud and identity theft.' The superinjunction prohibited making any reference to the existence of the court proceedings and is thought to have been the longest and widest-ranging of its kind. Mr Justice Chamberlain said in a ruling on Tuesday that he was lifting the order following a review conducted by a retired civil servant for the Ministry of Defence. He said that this review concluded that the Taliban 'likely already possess the key information in the dataset' and that it was 'unlikely that individuals would be targeted simply because of their work for the UK'. He continued that one of the 'many remarkable features' of the case was that there had been no mention of the data breach while the superinjunction was in force, which he said was 'very much to the credit of the media organisations and individual journalists involved'. Defence Secretary John Healey offered a 'sincere apology' for the breach in the Commons on Tuesday, and said that the MoD has 'installed new software to securely share data'. Erin Alcock, a human rights lawyer at law firm Leigh Day, who has previously assisted hundreds of Arap applicants and family members, said that there had been 'rumours circulating of an incident of this kind for some time'. She said: 'The news today is extremely concerning. 'We have been aware of rumours circulating of an incident of this kind for some time and have been concerned about any potential risks posed to our clients, particularly those remaining in Afghanistan. 'Sadly, this incident represents a catastrophic failure by the Government to protect the personal information, and therefore the safety, of what is an extremely vulnerable group of individuals. 'We will be urgently seeking clarification as to which of our many clients may have been affected and confirmation that all necessary precautions have and will be taken to mitigate any risk of harm to them.'
