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The Independent
20 minutes ago
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Farage pledges to send Ian Huntley to El Salvador as part of Reform plans to tackle ‘lawless' Britain
Nigel Farage revealed Reform UK 's plan to send British criminals to some of the world's toughest prisons during a speech on Monday (21 July). The Reform UK leader unveiled plans that would seemingly mimic measures implemented by Donald Trump in America. The plans are part of the party's zero-tolerance approach to crime. Addressing media in London, Mr Farage said: 'If it means Ian Huntley has to go to El Salvador, so be it.' 'Reform will be the toughest party on law and order and on crime that this country has ever seen.' Huntley is currently serving a life sentence after he was found guilty of murdering school girls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells in Soham in 2002.
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Traditional public service media should be more discoverable on YouTube
Traditional public service media is under threat and needs to be more discoverable on popular video sharing platforms like YouTube, regulatory body Ofcom has said. Its report, Transmission Critical: The Future of Public Service Media, says the Government should bring forward legislation to help 'ensure that PSM content is prominent and easy to find on the platforms, and on fair commercial terms.' The regulator and competition authority has made a number of recommendations in its action plan that is seeking 'urgent clarity from the Government on how TV will be distributed to reach audiences in the future.' Group director for broadcasting and media at Ofcom, Cristina Nicolotti Squires, told the PA news agency: 'We've called it (the report) Transmission Critical because we think that public service media is under real threat. 'Broadcasters are experiencing quite tough financial challenges. The business model changes with audiences fracturing everywhere.' According to research from Barb, which is responsible for calculating UK TV official viewing figures, viewing on linear channels has fallen significantly in recent years and this decline is expected to continue. The report says that public service broadcasters (PSBs) will have to work 'much harder to create content that audiences want to watch' on platforms like YouTube as 'they are competing with every other content creator in the world.' Ms Nicolotti Squires said: 'We're not saying they have to go on YouTube, but we're just saying that public service broadcasters have got to make great content where audiences are, and audiences are increasingly going onto YouTube. 'They all have different deals with YouTube in terms of commercial returns, and that's down to them. But I just think it's important that the programmes that they're making, public service programmes, are available where people are. 'So just delivering on the linear channels, obviously, we're seeing that viewing has fallen significantly in those areas. So it's a question of, as I said, pretty much putting these great programmes where people are watching them.' A key objective of the Media Act, passed in 2024, was to make it easier to find content from PSBs like the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 on smart TVs. Ms Nicolotti Squires said Ofcom is now calling for 'a logical next step on video sharing platforms'. She added: 'It might require some further legislative changes to regulation. We're starting the conversation rather than finalising it all.' The report says that stable and adequate funding is needed from the Government and emphasises that discoverability on online platforms is particularly important for news and children's content. It also recommends that online platforms invest in media literacy skills while forging ambitious strategic partnerships that can compete with global streaming platforms. On top of this, Ofcom is launching a review of its regulation of broadcast TV and radio that will seek input from stakeholders about the priority areas for reforming regulation. Sarah Rose, president of Channel 5, said: 'We are pleased that Ofcom's review highlighted the challenges producing specialist children's content and called for commercially viable funding models among its recommendations. 'Channel 5's Milkshake! continues to navigate those challenges to remain the only public service broadcaster offering a daily programming block which targets preschoolers with original content rooted in the UK's Early Years Foundation framework.' A spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said: 'We welcome Ofcom's Public Service Media Review and we will now consider its recommendations.'
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Wimbledon expansion set to proceed after campaign group loses legal challenge
Plans to almost triple the size of the Wimbledon site are set to proceed after a campaign group's legal challenge against the decision to approve the proposals was dismissed by a High Court judge. Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) took legal action against the Greater London Authority's (GLA) decision to grant planning permission last year. The proposals, submitted by the All England Club, would see the construction of 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on the grounds of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club, allowing it to host Wimbledon qualifiers on-site. Barristers for SWP told the High Court earlier this month that the decision to approve the plans was 'irrational' and should be quashed, as Wimbledon Park – a Grade II*-listed heritage site partly designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown – was covered by restrictions on how it could be used. The GLA and the All England Club defended the challenge, with the court told that the decision was a 'planning judgment properly exercised' and that the restrictions were not 'material'. In a ruling on Monday, Mr Justice Saini dismissed the challenge. He said: 'In short, the defendant's decision on the relevance of deliverability, applying to both the statutory trust and the restrictive covenants, was a planning judgment rationally exercised and having regard to appropriate and relevant factors.' Following the ruling, SWP said it has been 'advised that it should' seek to challenge the decision, and that it believed the GLA 'did make a significant legal error in the way it dealt with the special legal status of the park'. The proposals would see seven maintenance buildings, access points, and an area of parkland with permissive public access constructed, in addition to the courts and associated infrastructure. They would also include work on Wimbledon Lake. After Merton Council approved the plans, but Wandsworth Council rejected them, the Mayor of London's office took charge of the application but Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan recused himself from the process after previously expressing public support for the development. Planning permission for the scheme was granted by Jules Pipe, London's deputy mayor for planning, who said that the proposals 'would facilitate very significant benefits' which 'clearly outweigh the harm'. Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said at the time that the proposals would deliver 27 acres of 'newly accessible parkland for the community'. In written submissions, Sasha White KC said that the All England Club acquired the freehold for the golf course in 1993 and the leasehold in 2021. The barrister told the two-day hearing in London that the land was subject to a 'statutory trust requiring it to be kept available for public recreation use' and that when the freehold was acquired, the club entered into 'restrictive covenants' governing its use. He said this meant any plans could not 'restrict its use so as not to impair the appreciation of the general public of the extent or openness of the golf course land'. He continued that separate High Court proceedings were ongoing over whether a statutory trust existed, and that if it does, the All England Club has 'accepted' that this is 'incompatible with the development of the proposal'. A hearing in that case is due to take place in January 2026. In court, he said: 'You could not have a more protected piece of land within the planning system, frankly.' Mark Westmoreland Smith KC, for the GLA, said in written submissions that Mr Pipe received 'detailed advice' over the 'relevance' of the 'alleged' trust and covenants, and made his decision on the assumption that they existed. The barrister said that the decision was a 'planning judgment properly exercised and having regard to the appropriate and relevant factors'. He said that planning officers 'advised that the alleged obstacle' that the restrictions would present 'was not itself a material consideration'. In his written arguments, Russell Harris KC, for the All England Club, said that planning officers 'acknowledged and had regard to' the trust and covenants. In his 31-page ruling, Mr Justice Saini said that the authority 'properly considered the implications of the development on public open space'. Christopher Coombe, director of SWP, said following the judgment: 'This judgment would, if it stands, set a worrying precedent for the unwanted development of protected green belt and public open spaces around London and across the country. 'The (All England Club) will surely have noted the considerable public outrage about this development, most recently expressed outside the law courts, and we continue to hope that they could be persuaded to engage constructively with us, with a view to achieving a resolution of this four-year-old dispute.' Sir Sadiq said: 'This is welcome news that will cement Wimbledon's reputation as the greatest tennis competition in the world and London as the sporting capital of the world. 'This scheme will bring a significant range of economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits to the local area, the wider capital and the UK economy, creating new jobs and green spaces.' Ms Jevans said in a statement that the All England Club was 'delighted' with the ruling. She said: 'It is clear that we have a robust planning permission that enables us to create a permanent home for the Wimbledon qualifying competition as well as delivering 27 acres of beautiful new parkland for local people, providing public access to land that has been a private golf course for over 100 years. 'We have spoken to more than 10,000 people who have taken the time to come in person and understand our plans in detail. 'The vast majority of people just want us to get on and deliver the many benefits on offer as soon as possible.'
