The former PSNI officer also said he “completely” rejected allegations in the letter that an “insidious campaign of rumour and gossip” had been directed at Mr Beattie.

Advertisement

The UUP leader has said he is “deeply disappointed” by comments made by Doug Beattie, who resigned from the party on Sunday.

The Upper Bann MLA, who once led the UUP, cited a “toxic atmosphere” under its current leadership as the reason for his departure.

In a scathing resignation letter directed at party leader Jon Burrows, the ex-Army captain said: “Your leadership style became dismissive and overly centralised, empowering individuals to actively undermine elected representatives.

“In the absence of any coherent policy direction from the leadership, a toxic atmosphere has been allowed to flourish within the party.”

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra on Tuesday, Mr Burrows said he had “a lot of respect” for Mr Beattie, “both as a gallant soldier and also as a long-standing member and politician in this party”.

However, referring to the resignation letter he said: “I’m deeply disappointed by the comments Doug made, I regret that he made them, and I don’t recognise his characterisation of me whatsoever.”

Asked about disciplinary proceedings which Mr Beattie described as “vindictive and a deliberate attempt to drive” him from the party, Mr Burrows said: “I deal with what is in front of me, and I have high standards, A leader sets high standards in terms of integrity.

“It is my responsibility to set high ethical standards,” he added.

The former PSNI officer also said he “completely” rejected allegations in the letter that an “insidious campaign of rumour and gossip” had been directed at Mr Beattie.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

NEW YORK (AP) — And now, Take Two: The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has been rescheduled — with President Donald Trump apparently in attendance.

The dinner, cut short in April by a gunman who prosecutors say was trying to assassinate Trump, will now take place on July 24. It will be a more intimate gathering with “significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures,” said Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association.

Jiang did not say where the dinner would be held. But Trump, on his Truth Social platform, revealed it would be at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue — former site of the Trump International Hotel.

The president said he’d been invited to return and speak, and had accepted the invitation. He called the rescheduling “a sign of Strength and Fortitude.”

“This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling,” Trump wrote.

He added he hadn’t decided on whether to give his originally intended speech, in which he was widely expected to attack the press. “I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out,” he wrote. “In any event, it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket!”

Rescheduling decision took time

Jiang, in her announcement, noted that “rescheduling was not automatic,” and had involved much consideration and input from board members.

She emphasized the dinner’s stated purpose: “a celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy for over a century.”

“We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for,” Jiang said.

It was not clear how large the rescheduled dinner would be, or whether it would be a full-scale dinner at all. Jiang made reference to a “more intimate gathering” than the original event, attended by close to 3,000 people at the Washington Hilton, but did not give details, saying they’d be shared directly with attendees.

Her remarks were in line with recent speculation that a rescheduled event would have to be pared down, a nod to financial as well as security concerns.

Concern expressed for wounded officer

Jiang also made note of the Secret Service officer who was shot in April and has been recovering. “Our thoughts remain with the officer who was injured and with everyone who experienced that evening,” she said. “We are indebted to the US Secret Service, law enforcement and the hotel staff whose swift response protected our guests and our staff.”

Though Jiang always insisted the dinner should be rescheduled, not everyone felt the same way.

Some critics said they felt it would be a good idea to scuttle the whole event permanently — not only for security reasons, but for what they saw as an unseemly enterprise of journalists hobnobbing in formal wear with the subjects of their reporting.

“It undermines the public faith in how the press does its work, and it makes it look like we are pals with the people we cover,” Kelly McBride, an ethics expert at the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank, said in May.

Opposition leaders said they ‘were not going to hold the city council ransom’

Labour’s Katie Thornburrow has been elected as leader of Cambridge City Council after last month’s meeting ended in deadlock. The first meeting of the full council since the local elections had to be adjourned after opposition parties voted against her appointment twice despite hours of deliberation.

The meeting was adjourned until June 1 but this time Cllr Thornburrow was successfully voted leader. The Green Party put forward Cllr Sefira Davison, deputy leader of the group, as leader, but she was defeated by 16 votes to 12 – with 12 more councillors abstaining.

Cllr Thornburrow thanked everyone who took part in negotiations and welcomed all the newly elected council members.

She said: “Not only have you lowered the average age of councillors in the chamber but you’ve brought a range of experience, insight and expertise, and you deserve thanks for stepping forward for election. I know putting myself forward was a hard decision but it’s one I’ve never regretted.”

Cllr Thornburrow said they would be introducing regular meetings between the leaders of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green groups and starting a cross-party finance working group “that will make budget-setting more collaborative and open”.

She said the “new ways of working” reflect how she personally wants to lead and have also come from the “constructive, extensive conversations” had with opposition leaders.

Cllr Davison congratulated her and said it would be “great comfort for residents” that there would be not just “scrutiny from all sides – but hopefully that scrutiny will be in a collaborative framework for the good of the city.”

Cllr Tim Bick, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said that a “three-party administration” was their priority but this had “failed because Labour didn’t support it”.

He said: “Our interpretation of the election result was a clear desire for change and we didn’t feel Labour carrying on as before was appropriate.”

Cllr Bick said that other options including a coalition between the Greens and Liberal Democrats were also considered, but said they felt there was “uncertainty” surrounding the Greens “collective views on the major issues affecting our city”.

He said they didn’t want a Labour administration but without a “credible alternative”, there was “sadly no other show in town” and they “were not going to hold the city council ransom”.

In return for the Liberal Democrat group abstaining from the vote, Labour agreed to support a number of their proposals. These include measures to control the spread of HMOs, reopen public toilets and improve street cleaning and public realm enforcement.

They will also bring forward a report on a potential citywide Public Spaces Protection Order to enhance police powers in relation to anti-social driving. Labour have also agreed to prepare a report responding to Equalities Act guidance surrounding public toilet access to protect the rights of the trans community. The rights of both opposition parties will also be extended with guaranteed speaking rights at cabinet.

In a press release issued by the Greens following the meeting, Cllr Davison said: “We heard from the Lib Dems today that Labour being in power wasn’t what they wanted, but it’s what they chose.

“We’ve spent weeks offering fair, reasonable compromises, including a proportionate split of cabinet posts and balanced leadership arrangements, and they told us they wouldn’t accept any offer that didn’t give them immediate leadership of the council.”

She said they would look forward to holding the administration to account and making sure they deliver “the best results for the city”.

The body of Conor Kinlan was recovered from a Cambridgeshire river in January

Police have released a CCTV image of a witness they would like to speak to in connection with the death of a man who entered a Cambridgeshire river in January. Conor Kinlan was found in the River Nene in Peterborough on January 24 of this year.

Conor’s death is being treated as a murder and three men, who have been charged with murder, are due to stand trial next month. Police would now like to speak to a man captured on CCTV in connection with Conor’s death.

In the CCTV image, the man is seen wearing blue-green trousers, a black jacket, a red and white cap and riding a light green mountain bike. Detective Chief Inspector Richard Stott, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “We’d like to speak to this man who we believe can help our enquiries.

“We recognise the images aren’t of the best quality but hope the man himself may see this and come forward, or someone might recognise the distinctive clothing.” Anyone with information should call police on 101 or online and quote Operation Adeo.

Do you want more of the latest Cambridgeshire news as it comes in from across the county? Sign up to our dedicated newsletter to make sure you never miss a big story from Cambridge or anywhere else in the county. You can also sign up to our dedicated Traffic and Crime newsletters for the latest updates on the topics you are most interested in .