Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has spoken out about the Tory donor racism row, describing the media's "relentless focus" on the controversy as "trivial." Frank Hester, one of the Conservative Party's top donors, allegedly said left-wing MP Diane Abbott "should be shot" at a private meeting in 2019.
"I think this belief that we should not be able to move on and accept when someone has made an apology for historical comments and treat them as if they are contemporary is a problem," she added.
Report by Kennedyl.
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Labour Chair Anneliese Dodds has defended the decision to welcome Natalie Elphicke to the party while Diane Abbott remains suspended.
However, she refused to comment on why the complaint process against Ms Abbott had taken more than a year. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth urges Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to "grow a backbone" and pay back the £10 million donated by Frank Hester after the businessman reportedly made racist comments about black MP Diane Abbott. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Transport Secretary Mark Harper declines to say whether Frank Hester has donated an extra five million pounds to the Conservative Party, refusing to comment on "hypothetical" questions. Mr Hester allegedly said in 2019 that Diane Abbott, Britain's longest-serving black MP, made him "want to hate all black women" and that she "should be shot". Reports emerged this week that Mr Hester may have offered £5 million more, which has not yet been published by the Electoral Commission. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Labour's Catherine McKinnell said Tory MP Natalie Elphicke's defection to Labour "sends a signal that the country is crying out for change." Ms Elphicke became the second Conservative to defect to Labour in two weeks, saying Rishi Sunak's "Conservatives have become a byword for incompetence and division". Report by Kennedyl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Labour's Jonathan Ashworth says Natalie Elphicke's defection to his party shows how tens of thousands of other Conservatives are doing the same, as they are fed up of 14 years of failed government. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Nick Thomas-Symonds welcomes Natalie Elphicke to the Labour Party and says her and other recent Conservative Party defections show the government is "frankly disintegrating". Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
The Labour Party is in shock over the leadership's decision to welcome the defection of the right-wing former Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke. Sky News
The Labour leader has said Natalie Elphicke has made clear the Conservative Party are "out of road" and "incompetent", following her defection to Labour. Sir Keir Starmer added, "I don't think she's alone", and believes there are "many Conservative supporters and voters" who feel Labour is the "only party that can take our country forward". Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Jabs designed to combat obesity might lower the likelihood of heart attacks, strokes, or heart failure among obese individuals, irrespective of the extent of weight loss experienced during the medication regimen. This indicates the potential for the treatment to yield benefits beyond mere reduction of excess body fat. Professor John Deanfield, who led the study, said the findings “have important clinical implications”. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
The Court of Appeal has refused to change the sentence of Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in Nottingham last summer. Dr Sanjoy Kumar and Dr Sinead O’Malley, the parents of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, attended the hearing. Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice following the decision, Dr Kumar said: "The Attorney General’s case has not been successful. This is disappointing, but not unexpected." Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
The Court of Appeal has refused to change the sentence of Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in Nottingham last summer. Giving their judgment, the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said: “There was no error in the approach adopted by the judge. “The sentences imposed were not arguably unduly lenient.” She concluded: “It is impossible to read of the circumstances of this offending without the greatest possible sympathy for the victims of these terrible attacks, and their family and friends." Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill has apologised for the hurt that was caused by her attendance at the funeral of republican Bobby Storey during the Covid-19 pandemic. "I know that my actions also angered the families and for that I'm truly sorry,” she told the Covid-19 Inquiry. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak began commemorations of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, as he handed a torch to a 99-year-old veteran of the landings. The torch will now travel to capital cities and key cemetery and memorial sites around the UK before crossing the channel with veterans for official commemorations in June. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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