Solicitor Marcus Johnstone says paedophiles are escaping justice
Zak Garner-Purkis Chief Reporter
22:58, 12 Apr 2026Updated 22:58, 12 Apr 2026
Britain’s criminal justice system is “largely broken” and serious offences are not being properly punished, a top solicitor has warned. Marcus Johnstone, a defence lawyer who has represented grooming gang members, that the public would be shocked by the lack of consistency in the courts.
“We actually had a case that came to us a while back where asked to advise a family who wanted to appeal their son’s rape conviction,” the managing director at PCD Solicitors said. “He received a two-year prison sentence and they felt it was too harsh. Most people will be staggered that someone can commit the most serious sexual offence and receive a two-year prison sentence [while you] can get two and a half years for writing a naughty tweet.”
“[But] those problems [are] endemic in the system. I think a lot of the institutions in Britain are broken. It’s sad to say, but I think that the criminal justice system is largely broken. The police force, prison, probation, Social services, child services, schools, it’s all largely broken.
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“And it’s very difficult to figure out how you solve these problems when all of them are connected together. Kids are growing up through a broken system, and come out broken. Then we want to punish them when they do something wrong. People need to be punished if they’ve done something wrong, but if you don’t fix the broken system it’s going to carry on forever.”
The sex crimes specialist told the Daily Express that he was concerned that one of the consequences of the broken system had been a skyrocketing caseload of people committing vile acts against the most vulnerable.
“What I’m seeing is month on month an ever-increasing number of predominantly men, committing and wanting to commit crimes against children. Why is that? I don’t know. Has that always been there? Possibly. But before the internet, they didn’t have access [to children]. The [technology] now is making it easier and easier, it’s facilitating the crime.”
The solicitor conceded there was no simple answer for the police to tackle the tidal wave of offenders operating across national borders.
“You could couble the size of [the police units dealing with this but] they would simply catch double the number of criminals. And then what do you do with them? Well, we haven’t got prison places. [A big problem is that] we don’t send them to prison anyway. [Another idea is to] try to work out some system where you infiltrate the system.
“[But again] I know cases of people who have been buying and selling the most severe child abuse material for 20 years, and yet it’s taken 20 years for them to get caught. And you know what happens? That person gets prosecuted and probably won’t go to prison.”
In a post on Sunday, Trump wrote: ‘Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible on foreign policy’.
He added: ‘I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
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Donald Trump took aim at Pope Leo XIV by saying he was ‘weak on crime’ (Picture: AP/Getty)
‘I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers into our country.’
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He also praised Leo’s brother Louis, adding: ‘I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!’
Pope Leo XIV addressed St Peter’s Square on Sunday before Trump’s latest social media post (Picture: Getty)
Trump later told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, where he landed with Air Force One: ‘I don’t think he’s doing a very good job.
‘I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.’
Over the weekend, Pope Leo said a ‘delusion of omnipotence’ was fuelling the US-Iran war, and demanded political leaders to stop and negotiate peace.
Louis Prevost is the elder brother of the Pope and told ABC in October 2024 that he was a supporter of the MAGA movement.
In an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored, Prevost said he was viewed as ‘the black sheep of the family’, adding he toned down his tweets and Facebook posts because they always ‘end up on the news’.
In the same chat, he revealed he speaks to Leo ‘maybe once a week’.
Forum Theatre Billingham will stage Sleeping Beauty from December 2, 2026, to January 3, 2027, featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Michael Marouli and Britain’s Got Talent 2025 Golden Buzzer winner Max Fox.
Michael Marouli will take on the role of Carabosse in what promises to be a lively and glamorous festive production.
Michael Marouli (Image: Supplied)
Mr Marouli said: “I am beyond excited to be performing in the North East and bringing some Drag Race glamour to Billingham.
“Panto is all about larger than life characters, fabulous costumes and having fun with the audience and this role lets me do all of that and more.”
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Max Fox (Image: Supplied)
Max Fox will star as Prince Max of Middlesbrough, bringing what the theatre team describes as “charm, energy, and show-stopping vocals” to the pantomime stage.
Mr Fox said: “I’m delighted to be performing this Christmas in Billingham as Prince Max.
“It is such a fun role, and I can’t wait to bring the vocals and energy.
“I loved performing in Billingham recently on a touring show, the audience were fantastic, so I’m thrilled to be returning.”
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The cast also includes several familiar faces.
Warren Donnelly (Image: Supplied)
Warren Donnelly, known for roles in Shameless and Coronation Street and award-winning for his performance in Beauty and the Beast in 2022, will return as The King.
Jessie Williams, who previously played Angela Darling and is known for The Dumping Ground and The Return of Tracey Beaker, returns as Fairy Sparkle.
Charlotte Flower (Image: Supplied)
Charlotte Flower, last year’s Tiger Lily, will play Princess Aurora, and Lewis Pallett moves from the ensemble to play Wormtail.
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Audience favourites will also return.
Liam Mellor will return as Chester the Jester, and resident dame Robert Squire will reprise his role as Queen Betty of Billingham.
Lewis Pallett (Image: Supplied)
The production promises something for everyone.
Organisers have revealed that this year’s pantomime will include a 3D scene, colourful comedy, musical numbers, and a cast full of personality.
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Theatre bosses say demand is already high.
Jessie Williams (Image: Supplied)
Tickets are selling quickly, with Forum Theatre describing it as “the pantomime of your dreams.”
Details on booking
Tickets can be booked at the theatre’s box office or online at the Billingham Forum’s website.
They know that if they beat Arsenal at home they will have definitively swung the title race, and that a win over Burnley can put them back on top. Mikel Arteta’s side are equally aware that even a draw still keeps the trophy in their hands.
You could say it’s the best possible setting, except this is not a meeting of two challengers both going in on their best form. It’s only one.
While Arsenal endure a long week of the soul at the worst possible time, City are coming together in a confidently exuberant manner. You could feel it among the fans, one of them captured drinking from an Arsenal bottle. You could feel it all around the stadium, amidst the anger of Chelsea fans, and – eventually – the many empty seats.
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Manchester City cut the gap to six points on leaders Arsenal after beating Chelsea (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)
City supporters were singing like they were champions in waiting, for the first time in some time, and it was entirely justified.
They even made up some of the goal difference, winning 3-0. Arsenal can lament that Bournemouth were a much sterner challenge than Chelsea at this stage of the season, but that’s their own problem.
City meanwhile just added to Liam Rosenior’s problems, too.
Having initially come up with quite an effective gameplan, the young Chelsea coach had no response to Pep Guardiola’s half-time adjustments. It is yet another big game that the Catalan has swung through his own tactical insight, and an admittedly burgeoning squad.
They don’t really look “in transition” now.
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Guardiola, for his part, pointedly said “it is the mindset, not the tactics”.
Nico O’Reilly has quickly matured into one of the best performing players in the league, and one of the most decisive.
His goals against Arsenal ensured he has already secured one trophy for City, and the crucial opener here – another towering header – may well have sent them on the way to the most important they can yet win.
It also caps a spell that is comprehensively impressive in another way.
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Nico O’Reilly (left) broke the deadlock for Man City (AFP via Getty Images)
While Arsenal have struggled against Southampton and Bournemouth, having looking so tepid in that Carabao Cup final, City have in the same sequence beaten: the current league leaders; the reigning English champions and the reigning world champions.
All of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have been dispatched in three different competitions with a record of nine goals scored and none conceded, to put Guardiola’s team in the best possible mindset for next Sunday and maybe the most important win of all.
Within that, though, there might also be a genuine football lesson.
Wider debates can be made about the advantages that come with the nature of the City project, and there will of course be references to the ongoing Premier League case – the club insist on their innocence. Taking the current situation as it is with Arsenal still six points clear after a game more played, though, only one side looks to actually be looking to maximise what they can do.
City are pushing out the margins of their play, expressing themselves, while Arteta’s team are playing within the margins, constraining themselves.
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Man City are pushing out the margins of their play while Arsenal look to be constraining themselves (Action Images via Reuters)
That may well be crucial, especially if this does come down to goal difference, as is highly possible.
Just look at the contrast from the closing stages of both of this weekend’s key title games.
Outside a frustrated and harried Eberechi Eze, Arsenal couldn’t really get on the ball. They couldn’t even sustain a wave of pressure, their attackers so frustrated, while the whole team struggled to just… play.
Against that, Rayan Cherki was in full flow. He was again loving it, just using another pitch as a canvas.
Rayan Cherki was exceptional again for City (REUTERS)
There was the artful ball to O’Reilly for the opener and then the incisive run and through ball to set up Marc Guehi.
It is remarkable to think that this was actually City’s first league win since 28 February, even if it is just two games.
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That is how much has transformed over the recent cup interlude.
Jeremy Doku finally thundered in the third to just reflect a team playing without any doubt or hesitation.
They’d hit three in 17 minutes. It barely mattered that Erling Haaland again didn’t score.
Erling Haaland didn’t score again but it barely mattered for City (REUTERS)
The difference with Arsenal on Saturday couldn’t be more apparent, as the City fans asked whether they were watching over in north London.
“You have to play to win,” Guardiola said, while making a pointed comment about how going out of the Champions League has actually helped keep his side fresh.
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Arsenal have now seen City ramp up in April a lot. When asked about a near-perfect record in this month during his time at the club, Guardiola laughed “it’s the sun”.
He was so relaxed afterwards he was imparting life lessons about “doing your best”.
Pep Guardiola celebrates with his players at full-time (Action Images via Reuters)
By City’s third goal, a lot of Chelsea fans weren’t watching. Stamford Bridge had started to empty long before the end.
A malaise has engulfed the place. By that point, Enzo Fernandez’s punishment barely seemed relevant. Rosenior said the midfielder is now “in the clear” and he’s now “looking forward” to having him back. Are Chelsea’s fans really looking forward to anything, though?
The only teams they have beaten since 4 March are Wrexham and Port Vale.
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Some allowances can be made for Rosenior in a situation that was complicated even before he came in – and he here pointed to Marc Cucurella’s disallowed goal – but was he ever ready for this?
Liam Rosenior has entered dire straits as Chelsea boss (AFP via Getty Images)
It was abject. Even his substitutions seemed too late.
City are meanwhile coming to form at exactly the right time.
Far from a first Arsenal title since 2004, this is currently looking like it’s set up for a repeat of 2023.
I AM not surprised that Councillor Ravilious has an almost impossible problem to solve with a deficit of over £100m in the road repairs budget.
I held the same position until the Conservatives were ejected in 2019 but the roads were in a much better state then and the subsequent LibDem/Green administration did little to keep up with maintenance.
However, the deterioration in the roads has been dramatic since then; I doubt if anyone took account of the fact that the new electric buses are much heavier that the diesels they replaced and this hasn’t helped.
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Our house now shakes when a bus passes over (or into) the potholes; I made a report seven weeks ago and some patching was done but the other holes have continued to grow.
Quite simply, many roads require complete resurfacing, not patching but that £100m has to come from somewhere.
Peter Dew,
Rivelin Way,
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York
—
Counting every pound
Just choked with laughter on my cornflakes. I have just read the list of proposed carriageway (road?) repairs where every one is detailed to the nearest £.
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Do they include provision for every KitKat to be consumed?
Surely to the nearest £1,000 should be good enough unless the figures quoted are fixed prices.
R Shenton,
Connaught Way,
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York
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Get shops to reopen
THANKS to Trump’s actions, the price of fuel is skyrocketing.
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Maybe now is the time to curb online shopping and keep delivery vans off the road for a bit.
Maybe even get a few shops to re open?
Joanne Ellis,
Charlton Street,
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York
—
What are today’s health hazards?
RE: the article about how after many years off ill health brought on by the addiction to heavy smoking, Gillian Cunningham had successfully quit.
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Growing up in the 1950s you were surrounded by smokers, most of the men having done their war service had returned home with the smoking habit.
Unfortunately most children/ young adults thought it the thing to do to appear more mature than their actual age.
I quickly realised that my father’s shortness of breath was down to his smoking habits and shied away from cigs.
Lots of people now of my age suffer after years of puffing away from (COPD ), emphysema and chronic shortness of breath .
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I wonder in 50 years’ time and looking back what people will think of the hallucinogenic drugs and the social implications of the internet and mobile phone use?
People have become more singular and many lack face to face communication skills.
I wonder what the future will make of the gigantic mistakes we are presently now making – only time will tell the harm and damage we are inflicting on our bodies.
D M Deamer,
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Penleys Grove Street,
Monkgate,
York
What do you think?
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Why not sack him?
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IS Starmer, like Miliband, an eco maniac?
If not, why does he not dismiss his colleague from government? This refusal should suggest he is either weak or incompetent and totally agrees that we should all be paying higher bills when cheaper supplies are on tap.
CAIRO (AP) — The U.S. military announced it will begin a blockade of all Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, tempering President Donald Trump ‘s earlier vow to entirely block the strategic Strait of Hormuz as early reports indicated that ships had stopped crossing the waterway.
The move came after marathon U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement, and it set the stage for a showdown. Iranian leaders vowed to counter the blockade.
U.S. Central Command announced the blockade would begin on Monday at 10 a.m. EDT, or 5:30 p.m. in Iran, and would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.” CENTCOM said it would still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the strait, a step down from the president’s earlier threat to blockade the entire strait.
Trump later confirmed the timing in a post on his Truth Social website.
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The announcement of the blockade halted the limited ship traffic that resumed in the strait since the ceasefire, said an early report from Lloyd’s List intelligence. Marine trackers say over 40 commercial ships have crossed since the start of the ceasefire, down from roughly 100 to 135 vessel passages per day before the war.
Later Sunday, Trump extended his feud over the war with Pope Leo XIV, lashing out in a Truth Social post that called the Catholic leader “terrible on foreign policy.” The extraordinary broadside came after Leo denounced the war and demanded that political leaders stop and negotiate peace.
The blockade could have far-reaching effects
The blockage is likely intended to add pressure on Iran, which has exported millions of barrels of oil since the war began, much of it likely carried by so-called “dark” transits that evade Western government sanctions and oversight.
Trump also hopes to undercut Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz after demanding that it reopen the waterway where 20% of global oil transited before fighting began. A U.S. blockade could further rattle global energy markets.
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Oil prices rose in early market trading after the blockade announcement. The price of U.S. crude rose 8% to $104.24 a barrel, and Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 7% to $102.29. Brent crude cost roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February.
Iran says ‘if you fight, we will fight’
A chorus of top-ranking Iranian officials threatened retaliation. Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser and a former Revolutionary Guard Commander, wrote on X that the country’s armed forces had “major untouched levers” to counter a Hormuz blockade. He said Iran would not be coerced by “tweets and imaginary plans.”
Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who led Iran’s side in the talks, addressed Trump in a statement on his return to Iran: “If you fight, we will fight.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard later said the strait remained under Iran’s “full control” and was open for non-military vessels, but military ones would get a “forceful response,” two semi-official Iranian news agencies reported.
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During the 21-hour talks this weekend in Pakistan, the U.S. military said two destroyers had transited the strait ahead of mine-clearing work, a first since the war began. Iran denied it.
No word on what happens after ceasefire expires
The face-to-face talks that ended early Sunday were the highest-level negotiations between the longtime rivals since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Trump said Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were the core reason for the talks’ failure. In comments to Fox News, he again threatened to strike civilian infrastructure if it didn’t give up its nuclear program.
“In one half of a day they wouldn’t have one bridge standing, they wouldn’t have one electric generating plant standing, and they’re back in the stone ages,” Trump said.
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Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. side in the talks, said Washington would need “an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon.”
Iranian negotiators could not agree to all U.S. “red lines,” said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to describe positions on the record. Those red lines included Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon, ending uranium enrichment, dismantling major enrichment facilities and allowing retrieval of its highly enriched uranium, along with opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending funding for Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi rebels.
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Iranian officials said talks fell apart over two or three key issues, blaming what they called U.S. overreach. Qalibaf, who noted progress in negotiations, said it was time for the United States “to decide whether it can gain our trust or not.”
Iran’s foreign minister claimed that the U.S. tanked the negotiations when they were within “inches” of an agreement, but did not provide evidence.
“We encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade,” wrote Abbas Araghchi on X.
Neither Iran nor the U.S. indicated what will happen after the ceasefire expires on April 22.
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Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country will try to facilitate a new dialogue in the coming days. Iran said it was open to continuing dialogue, state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Iran’s nuclear program is a key sticking point
Iran’s nuclear program was at the center of tensions long before the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28. The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 2,055 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states, and damaged infrastructure in half a dozen countries.
Tehran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons but insists on its right to a civilian nuclear program. The landmark 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump later pulled the U.S. out of, took well over a year of negotiations. Experts say Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, though not weapons-grade, is only a short technical step away.
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Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank, Boak from Miami and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing; Collin Binkley and Ben Finley in Washington; Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut; Brian Melley in London; Ghaya Ben MBarek in Tunis; Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Julia Frankel and Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.
The fault has temporarily taken Platform 1 out of use, limiting operational capacity and causing knock-on delays across several routes. Services running to and from Charing Cross, including those to Hayes (Kent), Dartford, Gravesend, Orpington, Sevenoaks, Strood, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone East, Hastings, Ore, Ashford International, Ramsgate and Dover Priory, may be revised or delayed by up to 10 minutes.
“Every child deserves to have delicious, nutritious food at school that gives them the energy to concentrate, learn and thrive – meals that children will actually recognise and enjoy, backed by robust compliance so that good standards on paper become good food on the plate,” she said.
Producer Eliza Lumley acknowledged Bond’s daughter Karen Jankel in her speech, saying: “Karen, your father wrote a character who not only reminds us to be kind, but also reminds us to have empathy for stories that are other than our own – which, after all, is the superpower of theatre itself.”
Voters will once again vote in local elections when the polls open on Thursday, May 7. Several Cambridgeshire councils have now announced lists of candidates standing in the May 2026 elections.
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This year, elections are taking place in Huntingdonshire, South Cambridgeshire, Cambridge City, and Peterborough. However, they will not be taking place in East Cambridgeshire and Fenland, as these will take place in 2027.
This year’s elections will take place on Thursday, May 7. People have until midnight on Monday, April 20, to register to vote. For postal vote, the deadline is by 5pm on April 21. The deadline for a proxy vote is by 5pm on April 28.
Here is all you need to know about this year’s elections and who is elected in different wards.
South Cambridgeshire District Council
Elections will be held for all seats across South Cambridgeshire, including the district council, as well as town and parish councils. For the district council, the following candidates are nominated:
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Balsham
John Richard Biggs – Conservative
David Burrell – Reform UK
Bob Ensch – Green
Geoff Harvey – Liberal Democrats
Martin Parker Dixon – Labour
Bar Hill
Graeme Hodgson – Labour
Paul Pallan – Reform UK
William George Scantlebury – Liberal Democrats
Rebecca Seabrook-Tedd – Green
Bunty Elizabeth Waters – Conservative
Barrington
Colin Graham French – Conservative
Jim Huntington – Reform UK
Clare Rogers – Green
Clare Sinclair – Labour
Aidan Thomas Van De Weyer – Liberal Democrats
Bassingbourn
Adam Bostanci – Liberal Democrats
Karen Fiona Livingstone – Labour
Christopher Rolf Meakin – Conservative
Joseph Price – Green
Stephanie Wright – Reform UK
Caldecote
Terence John Cross – Reform UK
John Robert Jefferies – Liberal Democrats
Guy Lachlan – Independent
Tom Postlethwaite – Green
Chiranjeevi Sandi – Conservative
Judith Louise Tustian – Labour
Cambourne
Donavan Michael Bangs – Reform UK
Shrobona Bhattacharya – Conservative
Michael Allan Booth – Liberal Democrats
Gavin Clayton – Green
Rob Denison – Green
Timothy Frances Lagé Hayes – Labour
Dalia Heggo – Independent
Trevor Jarman – Reform UK
Paul Alexander Jobling – Reform UK
Helene Elizabeth Leeming – Liberal Democrats
Nick Rana-Beadle – Conservative
Amber Thomas – Liberal Democrats
Daniel John White – Conservative
David Allan Williams – Labour
Caxton and Papworth
Charles Barclay – Reform UK
Leslie Charles Edwards – Conservative
Andy Perkins – Labour
James Earl Pickford – Reform UK
Chris Poulton – Liberal Democrats
Peter David Sandford – Liberal Democrats
Mandy Smith – Conservative
Tagl – Green
Jane Turner – Green
Cottenham
Nigel Charles Francis Bolitho – Conservative
Laura Cain – Green
James Ronald Cochrane – Reform UK
Colin Coe – Green
Yasmin Dexter – Liberal Democrats
Frederick Thomas Hargreaves – Reform UK
Thomas Mark Hingston – Labour
Linda Mary Morris – Conservative
Gethin James Sanger – Labour
Eileen Wilson – Liberal Democrats
Duxford
Samuel Alexander Betz – Conservative
David Horace Dobson – Labour
Peter John McDonald – Liberal Democrats
Tim Pavelin – Green
Peter Young – Reform UK
Fen Ditton and Fulbourn
Tim Andrews – Labour
Chris Bailey – Labour
Colin Barker – Reform UK
Steve Bradshaw – Green
Ian Paul Crowson – Conservative
Vince Farrar – Liberal Democrats
Karen Elizabeth French – Conservative
Jacob Gray – Green
Carla Hofman – Liberal Democrats
Lukaz Lakomy – Reform UK
Lee Andrew Martin – Conservative
Angela Belinda Platt – Labour
Ciprian Sandu – Reform UK
Elisabeth Whitbread – Green
Chloe Wills-Eve – Liberal Democrats
Foxton
Donald Fisher Douglas – Conservative
Luca Raffaello Ercole – Green
James Hobro – Liberal Democrats
Liz Miller – Reform UK
Lavinia Anne Marie Pugh – Labour
Gamlingay
Derek Graham Hill – Reform UK
Rosanna Mahmood Bishop – Green
Diane Audrey Myers – Conservative
Giordy Salvi – Labour
Dorrington Bridget Zoe Smith – Liberal Democrats
Girton
Paula Brown – Reform UK
Corinne Garvie – Liberal Democrats
Stephen William George – Conservative
Matthew Henden Gilbey – Green
Clare Rachel Gray – Green
Sarah Antonia Johnson – Labour
Timothy Scott – Reform UK
Richard Keith Stobart – Liberal Democrats
Jennifer Margaret Stuart – Conservative
Hardwick
Joe Beastall – Labour
Hugh Clough – Green
Catherine Stella Ffolliot Hubbard – Liberal Democrats
Helen Manson – Reform UK
Lina Maria Nieto – Conservative
Harston and Comberton
Duncan Bullivant – Reform UK
Henry Bullivant – Reform UK
Ariel Martin Cahn – Liberal Democrats
Laurence Peter Damary-Homan – Liberal Democrats
Helen Haugh – Labour
Aled Wynne Jones – Green
Pauline Barbara Joslin – Conservative
Lorraine Wendy Mooney – Conservative
Emily Morris-Lower – Reform UK
Lisa Sarah Redrup – Liberal Democrats
Joseph Shortmoor – Labour
Peter Andrew Slavny – Labour
Michelle Taylor – Green
Joshua Charles Vanneck – Conservative
Lucy Young – Green
Histon and Impington
John Brian Abbott – Reform UK
Jayasimha Reddy Berumgudem – Conservative
Chris Boulton – Reform UK
Martin Gabriel Chahn – Liberal Democrats
Mandy Kawalko – Reform UK
Adam Morgan – Green
Simon Charles Patenall – Labour
Isaac Harry Rawlings – Labour
James Rixton – Liberal Democrats
Geo Sebastian – Liberal Democrats
Edd Stonham – Green
Mark Spencer Stuart – Conservative
Paul Tarita – Green
Joshua Michael Willis – Conservative
Linton
Nathan Banks – Green
Henry Batchelor – Liberal Democrats
John Batchelor – Liberal Democrats
Katy Ensch – Green
Sarah Jane Hucum – Reform UK
Merrie Mannassi – Reform UK
Mike Murray – Labour
Yorsh Naidoo – Conservative
Ernie Turkington – Labour
Sean Williams – Conservative
Longstanton
Dominic George Brigstocke – Labour
Tom Bygott – Conservative
Alison Paula Elcox – Reform UK
Sunita Hansraj – Liberal Democrats
Lucy Ann Mance – Green
Tristan Luke Pithers – Conservative
Silke Scott-Mance – Green
Liam Donovan Varnam – Reform UK
Natalie Warren-Green – Liberal Democrats
Clare Rosemary Wilson – Labour
Melbourn
Mark Edward Arnold – Conservative
Lee John Bovington – Reform UK
James Phillip Bull – Labour
Simon James Copley – Green
Bobby Ford – Labour
Jose Hales – Liberal Democrats
Sally Ann Hart – Liberal Democrats
Thomas Julian Charles Leigh – Conservative
Max Henry Schwiening – Green
Phyllis Smith – Reform UK
Milton and Waterbeach
Gail Denise Arnold – Conservative
Paul Joseph Bearpark – Liberal Democrats
Anna Elizabeth Bradnam – Liberal Democrats
Ellie Crane – Green
Oli Fisher – Green
Natania Goldrich – Reform UK
Ann Hodson – Reform UK
Ge Huang – Conservative
Laura Macleod – Liberal Democrats
Elizabeth Anne McWilliams – Labour
Frank Morris – Conservative
Mary Judith Perkins – Labour
Ron Sharp – Reform UK
Joe Welford – Green
Gareth Mark Wright – Labour
Over and Willingham
Jason Denison – Green
Robert Fairbrother – Reform UK
Ian Hunter – Labour
James Hutchcraft – Liberal Democrats
Mark Macdonald – Conservative
Aisha Rashid – Liberal Democrats
Colin Reynolds – Green
Michael Paul Smith – Reform UK
Graham William Waters – Conservative
Sawston
Chloe Balhatchet – Green
Mark Chater – Reform UK
Daniel Clark – Green
Gifford Frances Pamela Douglas – Conservative
Graham Harrison – Reform UK
Brian Milnes – Liberal Democrats
Anand Pillai – Labour
Ed Sanders – Liberal Democrats
Ben Shelton – Conservative
Shelford
Lee Denison – Green
Miranda Fyfe – Green
Nick Gay – Labour
Farhan Hussain – Liberal Democrats
John William Lamble – Reform UK
Mark Andrew Lunn – Liberal Democrats
Brigitta Naunton – Reform UK
Angela Dorothy Niblett – Conservative
Yvonne Nobis – Labour
Rebecca Louis Shiret – Conservative
Swavesey
Vivien Caroline Biggs – Liberal Democrats
Phil Cohen – Green
Sue Mary Ellington – Conservative
Karl Lattion – Reform UK
Barbara Joanna Mills – Labour
The Mordens
Frankie Brook – Green
Daniel James Greef – Labour
Josh Johnson – Reform UK
James Leopold Stuart – Liberal Democrats
Heather Rose Williams – Conservative
Whittlesford
Sophi Berridge – Green
Clare Elizabeth Downie – Labour
Claire Hill – Reform UK
Sarah Louise Vowler – Liberal Democrats
Richard Lynn Williams – Conservative
Cambridge City Council
In Cambridge, there will be one councillor elected to 13 wards. There will then be two councillors elected in Trumpington following the resignation of Nadya Lokhmotova.
Abbey
Anne Roe Rosemary Ansell – Liberal Democrats
Tommy Brace – ReforM UK
Simon Brignell – Communist Party of Britain
Margaret Maria Cleminson – Green
Ruaidhri O’Donnell – Labour
David Philip Smith – Conservative
Arbury
Robert Boorman – Conservative
Will Burrows – Reform UK
Carmen Sefira Davison – Green
Jocelynne Scutt – Labour and Co-operative Party
Fionna Tod – Liberal Democrats
Castle
Khalid Abu-Tayyem – Independent
Carol Bedson – Reform UK
Luke Patterson – Liberal Democrats
Dace Ruklisa – Conservative
Alex Sage – Green
Simon Smith – Labour
Cherry Hinton
Eric William Barrett-Payton – Conservative
Anusha Iyer – Green
Russ McPherson – Labour
Mike Nicolson – Reform UK
Ahmad Rushdhi – Liberal Democrats
Coleridge
Tim Brunton – Liberal Democrats
Steve Burdett – Reform UK
Louise Sarah Nicmanis – Green
Anna Smith – Labour and Co-operative Party
Mitchell Sam Worthington – Conservative
East Chesterton
Jean-Ann Bartlett – Conservative
Ania Bobrowska – Liberal Democrats
William James Dry – Communist Party of Britain
Isaac Groves – Green
Sarah Haithcock – Labour
Godfrey Orr – Reform UK
Mark Wells – Reform UK
King’s Hedges
Mahfuj Ahmed – Conservative
Zarina Anwar – Independent
Eleanor Cooke – Independent
David Michael Creek – Liberal Democrats
John McKay – Reform UK
Daniel Quinn – Green
Martin Andrew Smart – Labour
Market
Edwin Kwaku Addo – Labour
Katie Porrer – Liberal Democrats
Alex Sefton-Tromans – Green
Mark Wells – Reform UK
Panda Xiong – Conservative
Newnham
Katie Barron – Liberal Democrats
David Carmona – Independent
Sabina Harris-Hercules – Labour
Lui Murton – Reform UK
Poppy Simister-Thomas – Conservative
Frances Eleanor Toye Scott – Green
Petersfield
Luke Burrows – Reform UK
Kathryn Fisher – Green
Myfyr Cameron Holloway – Labour
Sam Oliver – Liberal Democrats
Paul Roper – Conservative
Queen Edith’s
Maruf Ahmed – Labour
Colin Bedson – Reform UK
Alexander Magnus Burt – Conservative
Mary Shayne Mitchell – Green
Amanda Joan Taylor – Liberal Democrats
Romsey
Rosy Greenless – Labour
Rob Nelson – Conservative
Charles John Walmsley – Liberal Democrats
Andrew Watson – Reform UK
Jacqui Whitmore – Green
Trumpington
Michael Steven George – Conservative
Edward Ekin Gokmen – Green
Guy Greenway – Reform UK
William John Grimwood – Liberal Democrats
Olaf Hauk – Liberal Democrats
John Michael Ionides – Conservative
Samuel Lloyd – Reform UK
Chloe Eva Mosonyi – Green
Henry Shailer – Labour
Carlos Toranzos – Labour and Co-operative Party
West Chesterton
Charlotte Hannah Copley – Green
Mike Harford – Conservative
Geoff Leach – Reform UK
Guy Mills – Liberal Democrats
Nick Picton – Independent
Richard Swift – Labour
Huntingdonshire District Council
Elections will take place in all wards across Huntingdonshire.
Alconbury
Sarah Caine – Liberal Democrats
Chip Colquhoun – Green
Ian Derek Gardener – Conservative
Joy Isaacs – Labour
Roger Lane – Reform UK
Brampton
Damilola Ademiniyi – Labour
Hannah Charlotte Copley – Green
Liam Paul Dewey-Beckett – Liberal Democrats
Philip Makwana – Conservative
Leslie Alex John Parren – Reform UK
Malcolm Philip Ryman – Reform UK
Fardous Siddique – Labour
Bill Sinclair – Conservative
Warren Smith – Liberal Democrats
Buckden
Christopher John Bulow – Green
Sean Calvin – Liberal Democrats
Catherine Frances Grigg – Conservative
Martin Andrew Hassall – Independent
James McGregor Kerr – Labour
Ian Richard Simmonds – Reform UK
Fenstanton
Martin Paul Hewitt – Conservative
Hayley Elizabeth Howatt – Reform UK
Nick Sarkies – Liberal Democrats
Danny Raymond Scott – Green
Godmanchester and Hemingford Abbots
Rosemary Ann Armstrong – Conservative
Kevin Anthony Barr – Conservative
Sarah Joanne Conboy – Liberal Democrats
Kieron Marriner – Reform UK
Daniel Mayhew – Labour
Brett Alistair Mickelburgh – Liberal Democrats
Debbie Mickelburgh – Liberal Democrats
Ambrose Ntuk – Labour
Francis William Reid – Green
Paula Jane Sparling – Conservative
Stephen Ronald Spencer – Reform UK
Mark Joseph Turley – Reform UK
Great Paxton
Stephen Claffey – Liberal Democrats
Malcolm John Gaylor – Reform UK
Amanda Laurene Lower – Conservative
Hollie-Ann Topliffe – Green
Great Staughton
Stephen Cawley – Conservative
Ann Christine Fryer – Reform UK
Tony Hulme – Liberal Democrats
Yavin Michael Owens – Labour
Paul James Westerman – Green
Hemingford Grey and Houghton
Kevin Ronald Bryant – Labour
Graham Paul Bundy – Reform UK
Jacqui Cook – Animal Welfare Party – People, Animals, Environment
Adrian Hyde – Reform UK
David Norman Keane – Conservative
Anne Mary Meredith – Liberal Democrats
Tamara Jasmine Page – green
David John Priestman – Liberal Democrats
Raymond Paul Andrew Simpson – Conservative
Holywell-cum-Needingworth
John Colin Bleazard – Reform UK
Laura Blows – Liberal Democrats
Robin Carter – Liberal Democrats
Paul James Hodgson-Jones – Conservative
Bob Marsh – Reform UK
Jon Neish – Conservative
Phoebe Elizabeth Watts – Green
Matthew Wetherfield – Labour
Huntingdon east
Sergiu Ardelean – Reform UK
Zara Louise Bobby Dolan-Ansary – Labour
Tomin Geo – Conservative
Seona Gunn-Kelly – Green
Jo Harvey – Liberal Democrats
David George Howard – Reform UK
Nathan Hunt – Liberal Democrats
George Frederick Michael Joyce – Conservative
Rashid Mahmood – Labour
Huntingdon north
Sophie Rose Feary – Conservative
Leedo George – Conservative
Ryan Grange – Green
Michael Stuart Grice – Liberal Democrats
David Henly – Reform UK
Mike Humphrey – Liberal Democrats
Georgie Hunt – Green
Phillip Jones – Liberal Democrats
Marion Kadewere – Labour and Co-operative Party
Patrick Kadewere – Labour and Co-operative Party
Steven Lancaster – Reform UK
Keith Ivan Prentice – Conservative
Lianne SImpson – Independent
Mike Simpson – Reform UK
Sam Wakeford – Labour
Kimbolton
David Jonathan Blake – Reform UK
James Roger Catmur – Liberal Democrats
Jonathan Alexander Gray – Conservative
Kelly Sophia Ramsbottom – Labour
Julie Stark – Green
Ramsey
Ash Austin – Independent
Janet Boston – Labour
Jeff Clarke – Conservative
Ryan Coogan – Reform UK
Steve Corney – Independent
Adela Eva Costello – Conservative
Gerard Augustin Crean – Liberal Democrats
Clare Delderfield – Liberal Democrats
Val Fendley – Independent
Karan Maheshwari – Reform UK
Zak Alex Martin – Conservative
Anna Lisa Clenachan Pritchard – Green
Howard Julian Tobias – Reform UK
Graham Martin Wilson – Liberal Democrats
Sawtry
Simon Bywater – Conservative
Ross Ben Martin – Conservative
Rick Rambridge – Reform UK
Ian David Scales – Green
Robin Neil Simpson – Labour
Haydn Stevens – Reform UK
Sarah Rose Wilson – Liberal Democrats
Kerry York – Liberal Democrats
Somersham
Edwards Charles Binns – Reform UK
Keith James Brown – Liberal Democrats
Kevin Hawkins – Labour
Sarah Louise Hodgson-Jones – Conservative
Jamie Troup – Green
St Neots east
Lara Charlene Davenport-Ray – Green
Stephen William Ferguson – Green
Sally Patricia Guinee – Liberal Democrats
Keith Harrison – Liberal Democrats
Alan Ronald Hilton – Reform UK
Gary Hyams – Conservative
Rob Moores – Reform UK
Angela Joyce Robertson – Conservative
St Neots Eatons
Barry Sidney Banks – Independent
Val Dajchin – Green
Nigel Philip Eaton – Conservative
Michael Peter Gilks – Labour
Alan James Hunt – Liberal Democrats
Jacquieline Priscilla Hunt – Liberal Democrats
Andrew Rayner Jennings – Conservative
Colin John Maslen – Reform UK
Geoff Seeff – Liberal Democrats
Nicholas Sharp – Green
David John Smith – Reform UK
Stewart Thornton – Reform UK
Harry Phillip Vallance – Conservative
Ellisa Westerman – Green
Bev White – Party of Women
St Neots Priory park and Little Paxton
Robert Edward Bralee – Green
Barry Stephen Chapman – Independent
Harriet Dolby – Conservative
Pascal Christopher Darren Ferguson – Green
John Keith Holmes – Green
Carole Ann Innes – Liberal Democrats
Randall Neil McDonald – Reform UK
Steve O’Hara – Reform UK
Tony Osborne – Reform UK
Ganesh Sittampalam – Liberal Democrats
Richard Lewis Tomlonson – Conservative
Alfie Yorke – Conservative
Mark David Young – Liberal Democrats
St Ives east
Paul Bullen – Conservative
Michael John Burke – Liberal Democrats
Martin James Gill – Conservative
Mandy Harrington – Reform UK
Simon John Jordan – Liberal Democrats
Shariqa Mokbul – Independent
Louise Maria Newberry – Green
Noah Sanderson – Reform UK
Luke Viner – Labour and Co-operative Party
St Ives south
Peter Andrew Brasher – Green
Alex Bulat – Labour and Co-operative Party
William Deacon – Labour and Co-operative Party
Paul Kenneth Dickinson – Reform UK
Natasha Fatio – Reform UK
Cath Gleadow – Liberal Democrats
Andrew William Riddell – Conservative
Craig Thomas Smith – Conservative
Nic Wells – Liberal Democrats
St Ives west
Cheryl May Cannon – Conservative
Patricia Ann Jordan – Liberal Democrats
Julie Elizabeth Kerr – Independent
Max Mulcrone – Reform UK
Rose Sarah Williams – Green
St Neots Eynesbury
Kenneth Billington – Conservative
Camille Violet Etchart – Liberal Democrats
Catherine James Goodman – Green
Ricky James Ioannides – Reform UK
Pavlos Kasdovasilis – Reform UK
Julie Martin – Conservative
Antonie McGowan – Liberal Democrats
Tony Nelson – Reform UK
Alexander Pushkarev – Conservative
Deanna Seeff – Liberal Democrats
Sam Smith – Independent
Been Streeter-Strong – Independent
Ian Pele Taylor – Independent
Doug Terry – Independent
Stilton, Folksworth and Washingley
Tim Alban – Conservative
Marge Beuttell – Conservative
Robert Bowden – Labour
Sharon Elizabeth Brennan – Reform UK
Eric Mark Darling – Reform UK
Padrica Valerie Kennington – Liberal Democrats
Amanda Charmaine Norton – Liberal Democrats
Stasi Revel – Green
The Stukeleys
Louise Ascroft – Liberal Democrats
Ann Blackwell – Liberal Democrats
Alan John Brugnoli – Conservative
Val Cody – Reform UK
Freya Cushman – Labour
Judy Samantha Moore – Green
Sikho Ndebele – Labour
Phil Pearce – Conservative
Tom Sanderson – Liberal Democrats
Many Simmonds – Reform UK
Sally Smith – Conservative
Suzanna Williams – Reform UK
Warboys
Anthony Thomas Bailly – Green
Sharon Anne Docherty – Liberal Democrats
Alan Garford – Reform UK
Helen Mary Victoria Kewley – Liberal Democrats
Charlotte Ann Lowe – Conservative
Douglas Haig McIlwain – Conservative
Iain Ramsbottom – Labour
Sarah Smith – Reform UK
John Nigel Wills – Green
Yaxley
Justin Andrews – Conservative
Michelle Britton – Labour
Eric Richard Butler – Conservative
Kieran James Edwards – Liberal Democrats
James Thomas Francis – Reform UK
Peter John Gammons – Reform UK
Kev Gulson – Conservative
Sally Howell – Liberal Democrats
Max Jephtha – Green
Christopher George Reeve – Reform UK
Andrew Wood – Liberal Democrats
Peterborough City Council
Elections will take place for 18 wards in the Peterborough area. Here are the candidates running in each ward:
Bretton
John Robert Bolton – Reform UK
Susan Jane Glasgow – Labour
David Kerry Narrainen – Green
Scott Warren – Conservative
Rohan Wilson – Liberal Democrats
Central
Steve Cawley – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Shaz Choudhary – Green
Khurram Iqbal – Labour
Jason Kerridge – Liberal Democrats
Shahzadi Khan – Conservative
Jeff Pitt – Reform UK
Dogsthorpe
Pip Gardner – Green
Mohammad Haseeb – Labour
Ishfaq Hussain – Conservative
Sandra Ringler – Liberal Democrats
Petr Torak – Independent
Bryan Andrew Tyler – Reform UK
East
Ian Hardman – Liberal Democrats
Sam Hemraj – Labour and Co-operative Party
Aleem Miran – Conservative
Nassim Rhaiem – Green
Dave West – Reform UK
Eye, Thorney and Newborough
Anthony Church – Liberal Democrats
Sue Farr – Labour and Co-operative Party
Layton Mark Mills – Reform UK
John Peach – Conservative
Adam Warr – Green
Fletton and Stanground
Christian Hogg – Liberal Democrats
Andrew Johnson – Labour
Jon Lloyd – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Maria Pinotes – Reform UK
Neil Seekings – Conservative
Fletton and Woodston
Andy Coles – Conservative
Steve Harknett – Independent
Ed Murphy – Green
Yvonne Claire Scarrott – Reform UK
Harvey Woodhouse – Labour
Gunthorpe
Muhammad Ahmed – Labour
Andrew Bond – Liberal Democrats
Andrew Macfarlaine – Conservative
Tom Rogers – Reform UK
Hampton Vale
Marco Cereste – Conservative
Steve Newson – Reform UK
Toqeer Ahmed Sethi – Green
Simon Turp – Labour
Paul Wiggin – Liberal Democrats
Hargate and Hempsted
Hamza Jarral – Labour
Simon Christopher Jones – Reform UK
Katherine Sharp – Green
Vishal Vichare – Conservative
Neil Walton – Liberal Democrats
North
Javed Akhtar – Conservative
Noreen Bi – Labour and Co-operative Party
Mohammed Munir – Green
Keith Sharp – Reform UK
Orton Longueville
Olu Akinyele – Labour
Ruwan Madugalla – Conservative
Jonathan Orchard – Green
Nick Penniall – Independent
Philip Anthony Whitworth – Reform UK
Orton Waterville
Stephen James Arnott – Reform UK
Steve Bailey – Labour
Alex Bowerbanks – Green
Sanjaya Dodamgoda – Conservative
Ray Knight – Independent
Park
Murtaza Ahmed-Munir – Conservative
Reza Behravan – Reform UK
Tassadaq Hussain – Green
Fiona Radic – Independent
Beki Sellick – Liberal Democrats
Saif Ali Yasin – Labour
Paston and Walton
Iva Banyalieva – Conservative
Ryan Gallagher – Reform UK
Rob Fetch – Your Party
Adif Shaheed – Liberal Democrats
Mohammed Yasin – Labour
Ravensthorpe
Shokat Ali – Green
Matthew Clements – Labour
Gul Nawaz – Conservative
Ashli Philip – Reform UK
Nick Sandford – Liberal Democrats
Stanground South
Julian Bray – Independent
Janet Elizabeth Brown – Conservative
June Mary Bull – Peterborough First Independent
Charles Rhys Coster – Green
Andrew Deacon – Labour
Peter David Reeve – Reform UK
Miriam Sellick – Liberal Democrats
Werrington
Ruta Dalton – Conservative
Bradley Dilloway – Labour
Sarah Areatha – Peterborough First Werrington Independent
Conor Chaplin exclusively speaks to The News over the challenges he’s faced this season, after arriving from Ipswich Town. In an emotional insight, the big Fratton favourite discusses his internal conflict, growing through adversity and the impact of his young family in giving him strength.
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