NewsBeat
Belarusian opposition denounces Lukashenko and Sunday’s election
BBC Eastern Europe correspondent
European Pressphoto AgencySvetlana Tikhanovskaya refuses to call what’s happening this weekend in Belarus an election.
“It’s a sham,” the exiled opposition leader says. “This is a military-style operation; a performance staged by the regime to hold on to power.”
For three decades, the country has been led by an increasingly authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko, now firmly backed by Vladimir Putin who makes use of his neighbour in his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This Sunday, Belarusians will see Lukashenko’s name on the ballot paper once again, with four other names chosen carefully to be no challenge.
No independent observers are allowed.
The tight controls have bene put in place because last time Belarusians voted for a president, the country was swept by giant protests.
In 2020, Alexander Lukashenko allowed Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to run against him, thinking that a political novice – and a woman – would make no impact.
It was a massive miscalculation.
Tikhanovskaya, who decided to stand in place of her husband after Lukashenko put him in jail, claimed victory.
When Lukashenko was awarded 80% of the vote, crowds took to the streets in the biggest ever threat to Lukashenko’s rule. The protests were ultimately crushed by riot police with mass arrests and brute force.
The European Union then refused to recognise Lukashenko’s legitimacy as president.
Today, all the key opposition figures from the period are in prison or have fled abroad, like Tikhanovskaya. Former protesters still in Belarus have been scared into silence.
So the opposition leader is not urging them to take to the streets again on Sunday.
“We call on Belarusians to reject this sham and on the international community to reject the result,” she tells the BBC. “But I say to Belarusians, you have to keep safe until the real moment of possibility.
“Because people live in constant fear, and the regime is now intensifying the repression.”
HandoutYou feel that fear straight away when you speak to Belarusians.
Many don’t want to talk publicly about politics at all. Others ask you to change their names, then choose their words carefully.
Some still inside Belarus chat only via encrypted messages which they delete immediately.
All say open political activism in the country has been extinguished.
Bysol, a non-profit organisation which helps evacuate those in danger, reports a surge in applications to around 30 or 40 requests a month.
Since 2020, the group has evacuated more than 1,500 people.
It also supports former political prisoners trying to rebuild life in exile after their release.
For Yana Zhuravleva, a vet, that’s been tough.
Prior to 2020 she was devoted to her work and not particularly politically active. But that summer she joined the giant crowds, hopeful of change.
She was later sentenced to three years for a “gross violation of public order”.
“We would get punished for everything,” she recalls of her time in prison.
She calculates that about 1 in 10 of the women were there because of the protests. Like them, Yana was added to the register of those “inclined to extremism and destructive activity”.
“You can’t go to the sports hall, your only letters are from relatives and you get fewer visiting rights. If you complain you always hear the same response: remember what you’re here for,” she tells me from Poland, where she moved after her recent release.
Yana admits it took “titanic” strength not to slide into deep depression.
“In prison, I barely cried. But when I was out, I suddenly wanted to sob all the time, and didn’t know why.”
European Photopress AgencySeveral people I contacted have mentioned seeking psychological help, after being interrogated, threatened or imprisoned.
They describe a security service that hunts down anyone with the loosest link to the opposition, then demands names from all those it detains.
The pressure has never let up.
One woman inside Belarus, who used to monitor human rights, tells me she’s had to stop attending court hearings because the authorities spotted her.
If they could prove any link to the banned human rights organisation Viasna, she could be charged as an “extremist”.
“I can do some specific acts of support, but I have to be careful,” she told me anonymously.
“You have a very strong sense of helplessness when you see all this injustice.”
Viasna currently lists 1,256 political prisoners in Belarus. Dozens were given amnesties recently, but they were soon replaced.
For those who do escape the pressure-cooker of Belarus, there is the added struggle of knowing they may not return for a long time.
That’s why Natalia, not her real name, decided to stay in Belarus even after she was detained twice for participating in the protests.
“You’re very vulnerable once you’re on the list of the ‘repressed’,” she explains.
“You can’t get work because you are on the police data base and the authorities always have an eye on you…”
For Natalia that meant being arrested again, initially for walking her dog without a lead.
“They claimed I’d been aggressive and cursed loudly and waved my arms,” she remembers, of her detention in 2023. She was held for ten days with up to 14 people in a cell for two, a light on constantly.
For over a week, she slept on the wooden floor.
“It really shook my sense of security, I became much more anxious,” Natalia confides.
She’s abroad for now and plans to return soon, to her cats. But her neighbours say a police officer just visited her house, checking up on all potential protesters ahead of Sunday’s vote.
ReutersSvetlana Tikhanovskaya believes the ongoing repression shows that Lukashenko and his allies are afraid.
“The trauma of 2020 is still alive and he has to eliminate any possibility of uprising,” the opposition leader argues.
“He knows the Belarusians didn’t accept or forgive him, and they still want change.”
But she admits there’s little sign of that in the short-term.
For a time after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Belarusians hoped their neighbours might succeed in defeating Putin with Western help, and that Lukashenko would follow him.
Some headed for the front line themselves, choosing force after their peaceful protests had failed.
But Ukraine’s military is now struggling to hold ground and President Donald Trump is pushing for peace talks.
“The democratic world can’t make concessions to Putin,” Tikhanovskaya argues, describing Lukashenko as equally dangerous to the world.
He let Russia launch missiles at Ukraine from Belarus and send its tanks through his territory.
He’s also allowed the free flow of migrants to the Polish border and into the EU.
“He allows Putin to deploy nuclear weapons and his army in Belarus, and it’s a very short path to Poland and Lithuania,” Tikhanovskaya points out.
“He and Putin are a pair, and they support other dictators. He’s part of this chain of evil.”
There is little doubt that Sunday’s reinstatement of Alexander Lukashenko will go according to his plan.
“Those people are very capable,” explains Yana, the former political prisoner.
“They really did crush the potential for protest.”
She’s now trying to return to her profession as a vet, but in Poland, and to recover from three tough years behind bars.
Those I spoke to now see Lukashenko retiring, or eventually dying, as their greatest hope of seeing democracy.
In the meantime, many are switching focus: there’s been a surge of interest in reviving the Belarusian culture and language, an opposition cause. It’s the most many dare do in such circumstances.
“No-one says it openly, but we feel like there are no prospects. There’s depression,” Natalia admits.
But there are no obvious regrets, even so.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s own life has changed dramatically since she was thrust into politics.
Cut-off from her country, her husband is also a political prisoner – kept in total isolation for almost two years.
The opposition leader insists she still “truly believes” in change.
“2020 was a huge shift in mentality in Belarus. I don’t know how long it will take, but that shift will not disappear.”
The government has hinted it is open to joining a tariff-free trading scheme as part of its plan to “reset” its relationship with Europe.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds suggested that joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM) could be acceptable as it “is not a customs union”.
Politics latest: Minister ‘hopes’ Southport killer dies in prison
The cabinet minister was speaking to the BBC following a meeting on Thursday with Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s trade commissioner responsible for post-Brexit negotiations.
Mr Sefcovic had earlier told the broadcaster the EU would consider the UK joining the PEM, which allows for tariff-free trade of goods across Europe as well as some North African and Levantine nations.
Mr Reynolds described his comments as “incredibly positive” and “helpful”.
He added: “We can improve the terms of trade with the EU in a way which doesn’t revisit customs unions or single markets or the arguments of Brexit, and we can do that whilst pursuing closer trade links around the world.”
Mr Reynolds also declined to rule out a deal on food and farm products that would involve mirroring EU rules, known as “dynamic alignment”, saying this too didn’t cross any of the government’s “red lines”.
Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out a return to the customs union or single market as part of his ambition for closer ties with Europe following the fractious post-Brexit years.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds says joining the PEM could be acceptable
Labour’s 2024 manifesto instead pledged to “negotiate a veterinary agreement to prevent unnecessary border checks and help tackle the cost of food”. However, details of this have remained vague.
Mr Reynolds’ comments go further than Downing Street yesterday, when a spokesperson said the government did not “currently” have plans to join the PEM and would not “provide a running commentary”.
The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) told Sky News they would support the move, saying their research “indicates it would have majority support among UK businesses who trade in the European region”.
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Head of trade policy, William Bain, said: “Joining would reduce paperwork and costs for many UK firms as it would align rules and regulations on both sides in relation to the sourcing or components and raw materials used in exports.
“This would cover a wide range of markets for our exporters and give greater flexibility across supply and sourcing chains. “
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He added that new PEM rules are due to apply in 2026, which could make the transition easier, and recommended a cost-benefit analysis of the deal beforehand “as the advantages will vary by sector”.
The Lib Dems have also been pushing for closer ties with Europe, amid looming concerns over potential Trump tariffs.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey, who ultimately wants a return to the customs union, said ruling out the PEM proposal would be an “act of economic negligence”.
But on the other end of the political spectrum, the Conservatives accused Labour of “bending the knee” to the bloc.
Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “These latest reports that the government might shackle us to the European Union are deeply concerning, and once again make clear that Keir Starmer and his chums are all too happy to put their ideology ahead of our national interest, no matter the cost.”
Politics
Keir Starmer urged to ‘declare national emergency’ on illegal migration after shock London figures: ‘Deport, deport, deport!’
Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has called for a “national emergency” to be declared over illegal migration, suggesting authorities should “round people up and deport” those in the country unlawfully.
Speaking on GB News, Lowe urged for a hardline approach similar to measures being taken in the United States.
“We have to declare a national emergency, rather like Trump’s doing, and we have to then be actually prepared to take hard decisions and deport, deport, deport,” he said.
The Reform UK politician criticised the current Labour Government’s handling of immigration, claiming the Prime Minister is “up to his neck in this”.
Rupert Lowe demanded that the Prime Minister declare a ‘national emergency’ on illegal migration
GB News / PA
“If it means we have to round people up and deport, and that’s what we have to do,” Lowe stated.
A confidential report commissioned by Thames Water has revealed that as many as one in 12 Londoners may be living in the capital illegally.
The study, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, suggests up to 585,000 illegal migrants are currently residing in London.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called the reported figures “deeply alarming”.
The Home Office, responding to The Telegraph’s findings, hailed how it had ‘removed 16,400 illegal migrants in just six months’PA
Lowe outlined proposals for dealing with illegal migrants, suggesting they should be housed in “tented camps” on a UK island.
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“Put them on a West Coast island with a limited, uncomfortable tented camp and minimal food, and encourage them then to go back to where they came from and apply to come back legally,” he said.
The Reform UK MP claimed most arrivals are economic migrants rather than asylum seekers.
He criticised the current immigration system as “weak,” suggesting much of the process relies on applicants’ own statements.
Lowe expressed concern about voting rights, stating: “What worries me is, after six years if we’re not very careful, these people have full voting rights.”
Lowe told GB News that migrants could be housed on a ‘UK island’
GB News
He pointed to Australia’s approach as a model to follow. “The Australians have shown us what to do. You only have to look. They stop the boats coming, and then people realise it’s a waste of time, spending whatever it is 500 euros to get here,” he said.
Lowe called for Britain to exit various international treaties beyond the ECHR to “take back control of our own borders.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “This Government is strengthening global partnerships and rooting out the criminal gangs who profit from small boat crossings which threaten lives.
“We have also removed 16,400 illegal migrants in just six months, the highest figure in half a decade, making it clear that those who arrive illegally will be returned.”
NewsBeat
Hugh Grant backs Prince Harry’s call for fresh police investigation into Rupert Murdoch’s media empire
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Hugh Grant has backed Prince Harry’s call for a fresh police investigation into Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
The actor called on Keir Starmer to show ‘leadership’ and stop ‘criminal abuse by big corporations’ after the Prince won a multi-million pound settlement this week over phone hacking claims against The Sun newspaper.
Mr Grant accepted a large settlement from Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) last year after dropping his own claim of being illegally targeted by The Sun.
Prince Harry’s settlement came after NGN admitted for the first time that The Sun had been involved in illegal intrusion.
In the past it had said it was restricted to the News of the World which closed in 2011 as a result of the phone hacking scandal.
Mr Grant said he and Prince Harry were determined to ‘get at the real truth’ but had been prevented from doing so because NGN had ‘gamed the system’ by paying more than £1 billion in settlements to hacking victims to avoid court proceedings.
Mr Grant told the BBC that in the light of Prince Harry’s settlement ‘the CPS and police should launch a new criminal investigation into this.
“That was the aim of the Prince Harry case as I understand it and it was certainly my original aim,” he said. “We need leadership from the Prime Minister. If a government is there for anything, particularly a Labour government, it is to protect the public from the abuses of criminality by big corporations.”
Mr Grant criticised Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of NGN, who is a former editor of The Sun.
“The people who were giving the orders are still there in positions of great power – in fact the CEO of NGN was editor of The Sun at the time when, as they have now admitted, it was indulging in criminality.”
Mr Grant said that he and other members of the ‘Hacked Off’ group who have campaigned for tougher curbs on press abuses did not think sufficient action had been taken to stop it happening again or to hold those responsible to account.
”We do not think it is job done by any means,” he said.
NGN has denied the allegations but issued an apology to Harry as the settlement was announced on Wednesday.
The statement said: “NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun.
“NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World.
“NGN further apologises to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years.
“We acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the Duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages.”
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A leading pollster has warned that if Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Tories were to form a pact they would be “unassailable” at the next election based on current surveys.
Techne UK’s chief executive Michela Morizzo made her comment as the company’s latest weekly tracker poll for The Independent had close to a three-way split at the top with Labour on 25 per cent (down 1), just one point ahead of the Tories (down 1) and Reform UK (up 1) both on 24 per cent.
It meant that the combined centre right vote in the UK is 48 per cent, which if brought together would reset British politics.
Meanwhile, the Lib Dems were also up one to 13 per cent while the Greens remained level on 7 per cent.
Ms Morizzo’s observations came less than 24 hours after Reform UK’s former deputy leader Ben Habib became the first senior figure associated with the party to reveal that Mr Farage’s plan has always been to force a merger or pact with the Tories.
He told a podcast with economist Mark Littlewood for Popular Conservatism (Popcon), that Mr Farage’s strategy was to have “a strong negotiating hand” by 2028.
He said: “Nigel’s aim is to set up the best possible negotiating position he can between now and 2028 for the Conservative Party. Take as many Conservative MPs, grassroots, members, candidates, councillors, whatever. Weaken the tory party as much as he possibly can, get to 2028 and then he will try and do a deal. If he succeeds and gets very strong he will do that deal from a position of strength.”
Privately allies of Mr Farage have also told The Independent he wants to “engineer a reverse takeover” of the Tories with Reform UK.
The latest Techne findings have revealed that Reform UK is picking up a lot of support from other parties. This includes more than one in four (26 per cent) Tory voters from the 2024 election, and one in seven (14 per cent) of Lib Dem voters from the election.
Ms Morizzo described the collapse in Labour’s support just seven months after being elected as almost unprecedented.
She said: “The Labour Party decline continues this week with Sir Keir Starmer’s party losing another point in national vote share dropping down to just 25 per cent. This in itself is an almost unheard of low polling share for a governing party, particularly as it has only held power for just seven months.
“Once again this highlights that Kemi Badenoch is still struggling to give her party a strong and well defined vision. Further to this it is once again Reform UK who are growing in national vote share to 24 per cent. This is now truly a three-way split for these three parties.”
However, she added: “Finally one must also note that the centre right of the Conservatives and Reform UK if placed together hold an unassailable 48 per cent. What will this scenario lead to? Only time will tell.”
BBC News, East Midlands
BAEA £9bn deal for nuclear submarine reactors has been agreed between the Ministry of Defence and Rolls-Royce – the biggest ever between the two.
Defence Secretary John Healey will announce the agreement on Friday during a visit to the firm’s nuclear reactor production facility in Derby.
The eight-year contract, called Unity, is designed to make the design, manufacture and support services for reactors more efficient and environmentally friendly.
It is hoped it will create more than 1,000 UK jobs and safeguard 4,000 other roles.
Marketing DerbyThe government said the agreement would streamline previous contracts and incentives, and provide more efficient delivery, leading to savings of £400m.
As well as providing support to the current UK Royal Navy submarine fleet, Unity includes the build and commission of new Dreadnought Class submarines and the beginning of contracts for the new Aukus defence alliance.
In March 2023, it was announced Rolls-Royce would provide the reactors for the new fleet of nuclear submarines in a defence agreement between the UK, US and Australia.
The submarines will be built in Britain and Australia but use technology from all three countries.
The company opened a new Nuclear Skills Academy in Derby in 2022, designed to provide 200 apprenticeships each year for at least a decade.
‘Engine for growth’
Mr Healey will use the visit to highlight the government’s “triple-lock” on the nuclear deterrent, which includes building four new nuclear submarines in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, maintaining the UK’s continuous at sea nuclear deterrent and delivering all future upgrades needed.
He said: “This investment in Britain’s defence will deliver a long-term boost to British business, jobs and national security.
“In line with our Plan for Change, this deal with Rolls-Royce, a historic British success story, will support high-skilled UK jobs, who equip the thousands of submariners that keep us all safe.
“We are showing defence can be an engine for growth, while also driving better value for taxpayer money.”
Steve Carlier, president of Rolls-Royce Submarines, said: “We’re delighted to announce the Unity contract, which confirms our commitment to the Royal Navy and the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.
“This long-term contract enables us to invest in the right skills, equipment and facilities to play our part in protecting UK interests at home and overseas.”
Rolls-Royce Submarines is already doubling the size of its Raynesway site and has recently started moving into specially built warehouses in Pride Park.
Almost 20,000 people have visited Sydney’s Botanic Gardens to catch a whiff of an endangered plant known as the “corpse flower” as it bloomed.
Dubbed Putricia, the titan arum plant emits a putrid smell likened to “something rotting” or “hot garbage” for 24 hours after blooming.
The smell is the result of a chemical production that happens in the plant to attract pollinators.
The endangered flower – native to Sumatra, Indonesia – only blooms every 7-10 years in the wild. There are thought to be fewer than 1,000 plants globally, including those in cultivation.
A record wind speed of 114mph has been recorded in Ireland as Storm Eowyn causes widespread disruption on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Red warnings for wind cover the entirety of Ireland and parts of Scotland as the storm brings staggering winds that pose a danger to life.
Trains and flights across the UK face cancellation or disruption on Friday, while schools in Northern Ireland and central and southern Scotland have been urged to shut.
Follow the latest updates on Storm Eowyn
An “unprecedented” number of homes in Ireland have already lost power, with electricity provider ESB Networks telling Sky News the storm had affected 560,000 homes, farms and businesses by 6am – a huge number so early on in this weather event.
In Northern Ireland, more than 93,000 homes and businesses are currently without power, NIE Networks has said, as the storm was causing “widespread damage” to the electricity network.
A statement said: “We anticipate we will begin assessing the damage to the network after 2pm once the red weather warning has been lifted.”
In Scotland, Tesco has announced the closure of its stores in the red danger to life zone covering millions of people across Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Besides the red wind warnings, yellow ones are in place for the whole of the UK, while for northern England and northwest Wales an amber warning for wind from 6am until 9pm is in place.
A yellow rain warning is in place for the coasts in the south of England and Wales till 9am.
A series of weather warnings are in place for Friday. Pic: Met Office
A string of public authorities have issued statements warning the public to travel only if absolutely necessary.
Around 4.5 million people in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland were sent an emergency alert on their mobile phones on Thursday evening.
Multiple flights at airports in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and Dublin were cancelled.
National Rail has said a “do not travel message has been issued from multiple train operators” as it advised passengers to check for travel advice before travelling.
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Emergency phone alerts for Storm Eowyn
Some health services have also been suspended, with NHS Lothian cancelling all routine, non-urgent planned procedures on Friday and postponing the majority of hospital outpatient appointments to protect patients and staff.
NHS Lanarkshire has also postponed all non-urgent appointments in hospital and community settings.
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Kim Leadbeater, the sister of murdered MP Jo Cox, has said MPs now face more severe abuse than when her sister was killed.
Cox was murdered in her constituency of Batley and Spen by a terrorist in the run-up to the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Despite calls for change following the murder, Leadbeater said there had been an erosion in people’s ability to “disagree well”.
Speaking to Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast, she argued “the level of abuse and nastiness” in political debate was “worse than ever”.
Leadbeater, now Labour MP for her late sister’s constituency, said proposing her bill to legalise assisted dying had exposed her to a level of abuse she had never endured before.
“I think we can have a civilised, respectful politics, and we can still disagree well and robustly and have proper passionate debate,” Leadbeater said.
“But I just think sometimes we have lost that balance of disagreeing well and having that debate.”
“Then it descends into personal insults, threats, abuse, intimidation – and that’s when I worry.”
Talking about sending supportive messages to her sister in the days before her death, Leadbeater said: “There was a level of abuse and there was a level of nastiness in politics at that time – nowhere near like it is now.
“I remember Jo saying to me ‘I need to get a thicker skin’.
“And I pushed back and said ‘No you don’t. You need to be you because that makes you the brilliant individual that you are, and it makes you the brilliant MP that you are.’
“And do you know what’s really sad, Nick? I actually have that conversation with colleagues now on a daily basis.
“Generally female colleagues, but colleagues across the political spectrum, because the level of abuse and nastiness now is, I would say, worse than ever.”
MPs are currently examining Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would grant people in certain circumstances the right to seek help to end their own life.
Asked by Nick Robinson if proposing the bill had exposed her to a level of abuse she had never previously lived through, Leadbeater said: “Yeah, absolutely.
“I kind of knew it would because I know what a serious issue it is, and I know how strongly people feel about it.
“There are people on the extremes of the debate, people who do not want to see any version of a change in the law, and there are people on the other extreme of the debate who would want a much broader law.
“Sadly, that has led to more abuse than I’ve probably had on anything.
“The abuse is one thing, but it’s when people say things that are not true that I really struggle with.
“The misinformation and the disinformation aspect of it – and the fact that a lot of that takes place on social media where there’s no room for a nuanced debate.”
But Leadbeater said she understood the “passion” around the debate and vowed to “continue to work as hard as I can to make sure that the genuine concerns that are there are considered” as the bill went through Parliament.
Getty ImagesIn November, MPs backed Leadbeater’s bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales by 330 to 275 in a free vote – meaning MPs were allowed to vote with their conscience, rather than following party orders.
It was the first Commons vote on the issue in nearly a decade and paved the way to a monumental shift in the law.
Leadbeater said she was “under no illusion how big a deal this is”.
“We will take oral evidence from over 50 witnesses, which is highly, highly unusual for a private members bill,” she said.
This week, the first stages of line-by-line scrutiny of the bill sparked heated debate, with accusations of bias towards pro-assisted dying voices.
But Leadbeater argued she had taken “a really open approach” to the bill, welcoming amendments.
“It is upsetting and disappointing sometimes to people who are suggesting otherwise – because we’ve got to get this right,” she said.
“It is not just about passing the law, it’s about passing good law that achieves what we are trying to achieve but does not create other problems and takes into account everybody’s views.”
The bill’s committee will begin its first oral evidence session on 28 January.
There are still many months of parliamentary activity ahead, and the bill must pass votes in both the Commons and Lords before the proposed changes can become law.
Politics
Reform UK MPs Lee Anderson and Richard Tice demand death penalty debate after Axel Rudakubana handed ‘unduly lenient’ 52-year sentence
Reform UK MPs have ramped up calls for a debate around the death penalty after Southport’s remorseless killer Axel Rudakubana was handed an “unduly lenient” 52-year-sentence.
Ashfield MP Lee Anderson, Boston & Skegness MP Richard Tice and Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe all demanded a conversation about the reintroduction of capital punishment.
Sharing an image of a hangman’s noose, Anderson said: “This is what is required.”
Tice added: “I don’t think we should be afraid of having a national debate on important big issues like this. I think that many people in the country would like at least a debate.”
Lowe also claimed that it was now “time for a national debate” on the use of capital punishment “in exceptional circumstances”.
The death penalty was only officially abolished in Britain in 1998.
However, Peter Anthony and Gwynne Owen Evans were the last people executed in the UK back in 1964.
Following Rudakubana’s sentencing yesterday, a petition was launched on the Houses of Parliament website demanding the abolition of whole life orders and reintroduction of the death penalty.
Judge Mr Justice Goose was unable to hand Rudakubana a whole life order because he was just nine days away from turning 18 at the time of the horrific attack last July.
Southport’s Labour MP Patrick Hurley said the 52-year sentence was “not severe enough” and asked Attorney General to review the sentence as “unduly lenient”.
Attorney General Lord Hermer and Solicitor General Lucy Rigby have 28 days to decide whether to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal.
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‘Shut up!’ Badenoch instructs ‘unhelpful’ ex-PM Truss to keep quiet
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has instructed her former Cabinet colleague Liz Truss to keep quiet during a meeting last week.
Speaking to her Shadow Cabinet, the Leader of the Opposition suggested the former Prime Minister should “shut up for a while” and “stop making unhelpful interventions”.
Despite four sources confirming comments were made about Truss, Badenoch’s spokesman said she did not use the phrase “shut up”.
NewsBeat
Axel Rudakubana: Inside the courtroom where grieving families refused to be overcome by killer’s antics
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Inside Liverpool Crown Court, a tense silence descended as victim’s families gathered in the public gallery, anxiously waiting for Southport killer Axel Rudakubana to enter the dock.
The sentencing hearing, scheduled for 11am, had already started late as police, legal teams, families and journalists had made their way through enhanced security amid heightened tensions over the shocking case.
Every seat was taken, with some choosing to sit in parts of the public gallery with no view of the dock. A piece of frosted glass obscured any chance of catching even a fleeting glimpse of the remorseless killer, described by his own lawyer as having a “total lack of empathy”.
Others, including the grief-stricken parents of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Alexandra and Sergio, had a clear view of the daughter’s murderer.
They watched as Rudakubana, tall and slight, finally entered the glass-screened dock wearing a grey prison-issue tracksuit and a surgical facemask like the one he wore on the day he targeted 26 defenceless girls at a Taylor Swift themed holiday class in Southport last July.
He refused to speak when asked to confirm his identity and sat slumped in the dock with his head bowed accompanied by five dock officers.
The sentencing hearing had come more rapidly than anyone had anticipated. They had all been braced for a harrowing four-week trial which they were spared after the 18-year-old changed his plea without warning on Monday. However, any hope the families had that Rudakubana would accept his punishment with dignity were soon dashed.
Within minutes of prosecutor Deanna Heer KC launching her address, Rudakubana – who had refused to speak entirely at several previous hearings – started to shout over her.
“I need to speak to a paramedic,” he shouted. “I need to speak to paramedic I feel ill.”
Reports published that morning, later contested by police, claimed he had been taken to hospital from prison before the hearing.
Rudakubana’s lawyer Stan Reiz KC revealed prison staff had raised concerns over his wellbeing and his ability “to be in a high-pressure situation”.
“He has not eaten for a number of days and he’s drunk very little over a period of time,” the lawyer said.
However judge Mr Justice Goose said he had been examined by healthcare professionals before the hearing, who determined he was fit to attend, and told him to stay quiet.
“I can’t remain quiet because I am ill judge,” he protested. “I haven’t eaten for ten days and I’m not going to remain quiet.”
Despite attempts to carry on, he continued to shout over Ms Heer and then told his lawyer he was experiencing chest pains.
The judge, determined to continue, warned him “shouting from the dock is not going to make this happen any quicker”, but the killer refused to stop interrupting. He was ordered from the dock.
A family member shouted “coward” as he was led to the cells by dock officers, while others shook their heads in disgust.
The evidence that followed as Ms Heer recounted the horrifying details of the brutal knife attack was harrowing. Families broke down in the public gallery, with many leaving the court before distressing CCTV footage of the screaming girls fleeing in terror from the knifeman was played.
One clip showed Rudakubana grabbing a girl as she tried to escape and pulling her back into the Hart Space. Moments later, the seven-year-old dressed in summer shorts emerged stumbling and disoriented with visible injuries.
She clung to a wall for a few seconds, looking for her route to safety, but collapsed on the floor. Miraculously, she survived her injuries.
After lunch Rudakubana returned to court, having been seen again by healthcare professionals. He had told his lawyer he would be quiet, but within minutes the interruptions resumed.
“Judge, judge I feel really ill,” he continued. “I need to be seen by a paramedic.”
The judge responded: “He has been seen by a paramedic – two teams of paramedics who deem he’s fit”, before he was ordered from the dock for a second time.
His absence meant he was not in court to listen to a string of devastating victim personal statements, some of which were delivered in person.
One brave survivor, aged just 14, who was stabbed in the back and arm delivered her own victim statement via videolink. She demanded “give me a reason for what you did” as she told her attacker: “I hope you spend your whole life knowing that we think you’re a coward.”
Jailing him life with a minimum of 52 years, Mr Justice Goose said it was highly unlikely Rudakubana would ever be released.
Some family members could be heard to take an audible breath as the sentence was announced. Outside court, they held hands and hugged.
Later, police lined the street as Rudakubana’s prison van was set to leave the court. The killer, who will likely serve his sentence in a maximum security jail, will not be eligible to apply for parole until 2077.
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