
Lucy Letby is a ‘convenient SCAPEGOAT' who must have retrial – her conviction could easily be blown apart, says Farage
'I HAVE DOUBTS' Lucy Letby is a 'convenient SCAPEGOAT' who must have retrial – her conviction could easily be blown apart, says Farage
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
NIGEL Farage has a 'horrible feeling' that killer nurse Lucy Letby might have been a 'very convenient scapegoat' and should be retried.
The Reform leader said there were 'serious questions' about the case which have left him with increasing doubts over her conviction in recent months.
6
Nigel Farage admits he has a 'horrible feeling' that Lucy Letby is a 'scapegoat' and should be retried
Credit: Simon Jones
6
Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders in jail for the murder of seven babies over a year-long reign of terror
Credit: PA
6
The killer nurse has twice failed to appeal her convictions
Credit: coch.nhs
Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders in jail for the murder of seven babies over a year-long reign of terror between 2015 and 2016.
She was also found guilty of trying to kill seven others during her time at the Countess of Chester hospital.
Letby, 35, has always maintained her innocence and her conviction in 2023 has since been scrutinised by some medical experts.
It includes a panel of doctors led by Dr Shoo Lee who says the prosecution misinterpreted his evidence on how air embolisms could lead to discolouration of a baby's skin.
Several politicians have since expressed scepticism over the initial verdict, including Reform leader Mr Farage.
Revealing why he waded into the debate, he told The Sun: 'I think, as a political thought leader, it is quite right to ask questions.
'And I haven't come out unequivocally on this, but I increasingly think that the argument for a retrial is very strong.'
'The argument that it should be looked at again is very strong. If you look at what's happened with the neonatal units, not just in Chester, but we could look at East Kent, we could look at two or three others, where the rates of baby death have been too high.
'I just have this horrible feeling that she might have been a very convenient scapegoat.'
Mr Farage highlighted that since 1970 there have been 500 miscarriages of justice in Britain and he 'fears this could be another one.'
Lucy Letby cops arrest 3 senior members of leadership team at hospital where killer nurse murdered 7 babies
He added: 'I'm not saying Lucy Letby is innocent, I'm not saying it's all made up.
'I've just increasingly over the months had doubts.
'And I think having confidence in our judicial system has been a fundamental point of what has made this country great.
'We, since Magna Carta all those years ago, have had more faith in our judicial system than any other European country. Maybe even overall any other country in the world. And I think the Letby case raises serious questions.'
The Letby case hit the headlines again this week as three former senior staff at the Countess of Chester hospital were arrested for gross negligence and manslaughter.
6
I'm not saying Lucy Letby is innocent - I've just said increasingly over the months had doubts, says Farage
Credit: Simon Jones
6
A grab from footage of the serial baby killer's arrest
Credit: PA
6
The Letby case hit the headlines again this week as three former senior staff at the Countess of Chester hospital were arrested
Credit: PA
Cheshire Police said the arrests 'did not impact on the convictions of Lucy Letby for multiple offences of murder and attempted murder".
Instead the cops said the arrests related to the decision-making of the senior leadership team in the hospital during the time of the killings.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
29 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Retracing Diogo Jota's tragic journey shows road plagued with hazards from shut lanes to wild deer ready to leap out
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DIOGO Jota's fateful last journey was fraught with hazards which could have contributed to the car smash tragedy - including wild deer on the highway. The Sun retraced the route from the crash scene and found the A-52 highway poorly surfaced and dogged by miles of roadworks leading to the death smash scene. 9 The Scene of the car crash on the A52 highway outside Puebla de Sanabria, Spain, Credit: Darren Fletcher 9 Wreckage of the £210,000 Lamborghini Huracan at the tragic crash site Credit: Getty 9 Liverpool FC star Jota, 28, died alongside his brother André, 25 Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 9 And we encountered two adult deer standing on a side road less than half a mile from the spot where the Liverpool ace's Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames. What we know so far: Jota was driving with his younger brother Andre in a hired £210,000 Lamborghini Huracan supercar from Portugal to the northern Spanish port of Santander. But as soon as he crossed the border, his progress would have been slowed by at least 10 miles of road works. His acid green Lamorghini left the highway a few minutes' drive after the end of a section of roadworks at 12.40pm local time on Thursday (11.40pm on Wednesday in the UK). The speed limit on the section where the car crashed is 120kph - 74.5mph. Spanish Guardia Civil investigators believe a tyre blowout could account for its fatal change of direction. But deer could have also triggered a sudden swerve and are a constant hazard throughout this wild, forested region - as attested by warning signs along the route. Spanish police said they were not actively considering the involvement of wild animals in the smash yesterday, but did not rule out the possibility. 'Heartbroken' Ronaldo leads tributes to Diogo Jota as football mourns Liverpool & Portugal star Other animal hazards reported to have caused accidents in the area have included Iberian wolves roaming the carriageway and flocks of crows. The Sun has also found that the stretch of the A-52 motorway where tragedy struck has generated more than 40 complaints about the poor condition of the road in just one month last year. Potholes were worse on the Sanabria section, near the 65km marker point - the exact spot where the Jota car crashed. A string of complaints to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, responsible for maintaining the road, triggered urgent roadworks. And at least one of the complaints was said to relate to a "damage accident" involving a private vehicle in which a Spanish family was travelling, three miles from the Jota smash. Spanish police were continuing to investigate the cause of the fatal crash last night after taking away the unrecognisable remains of the burned-out sports car. 9 Sun Man Nick Parker at The Scene of the car crash on the A52 highway outside Puebla de Sanabria, Spain Credit: Darren Fletcher 9 Rute Cardoso and Diogo Jota got married on June 22 9 Two hearses from Portugal arrive at the funeral home in the Spanish town of Puebla de Sanabria Credit: AFP 9 Jota pictured with Cristiano Ronaldo while playing for Portugal Credit: Getty It comes as Jota's funerals began today, with close friends and family gathering to mourn the loss of the champion footballer. Jota's grieving wife was consoled by relatives amid emotional scenes at his funeral chapel today. Rute Cardoso - who married the Liverpool ace just 11 days earlier - arrived at Sao Cosme Chapel in his home town of Gondomar near Porto, northern Portugal, early this morning. Local priest Jose Manuel Macedo initially announced the ceremonies would take place at 4pm on Friday before confirming they had been put back to Saturday morning. Father Macedo said a wake would take place at Sao Cosme Chapel before the funeral mass on Saturday morning at the Catholic church next door - the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar. Diogo Jota began his footballing career at a club in Gondomar and is also thought to have met his wife there. In Portugal, wakes are usually held before the funeral service. Crowds began gathering on Thursday night near the chapel - the Capela da Ressurreicao on the outskirts of Porto - and applauded as the brothers coffins arrived at 11.30pm. Tributes have been flooding in since the horrific news, including from Jota's Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and current Reds boss Arne Slot. Ronaldo said on Instagram: "It doesn't make sense. Just now we were together in the selection, you had gotten married now. 9 "To your family, your wife and your children, I send my condolences and wish you all the strength in the world. "I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you." Lionel Messi posted a touching image of Jota making a heart symbol with his hands with the message "QEPD" - short for the Spanish phrase "que en paz descanse" which translates to "may he rest in peace". Liverpool's number nine, Darwin Nunez, shared an image of a beaming Jota coming on as a substitute for the Uruguayan last season. The star striker said he will always remember Jota for his smile. Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has shared his own statement on his "great friend". The German, who signed Jota from Wolves for £45m in 2020, said on social media: "This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose, but I can't see it." He continued: "Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father. "We will miss you so much. All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them." Fellow Liverpool icons such as Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler and David James have all also paid their respects. Carragher posted on Instagram: 'Absolutely devastated by the sad news about Diogo Jota. Thoughts are with his wife Rute and their three kids.' UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer added that Jota's death is "devastating news". He told reporters today: "I'm sure I speak for everyone in saying our first thoughts are going to be with his family and his friends in particular. "But there are millions of Liverpool fans, but also football fans, and non-fans, who will also be shocked by this."

The National
an hour ago
- The National
Reform UK lose two council by-elections in England
At the local elections, Reform had a historic win taking 677 seats across the country, of 1600 that were contested at the vote. It provided a boost to Nigel Farage's party's prospects in the polls. They also polled third in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election weeks later, won by Scottish Labour. But, just a few months later, and the two seats the party were forced to defend due to swift resignations from two councillors, were taken by other parties. READ MORE: LIVE: Palestine Action in court to challenge UK Government's terrorist ban In Durham, the poll was called when Reform's Andrew Kilburn stood down after just nine days. Winning the Benfieldside ward in the May 1 elections, Kilburn resigned after it was discovered he already worked for Durham County Council. Legislation disqualifies council employees from standing as councillors at the same time. On Thursday July 3, LibDem Terry Rooney (below) won the by-election with 824 votes, beating Labour's Kevin Early who returned 800 votes. Reform came third with 747 votes. (Image: JOSHUA NICHOL) "I'm humbled to serve the community where I live and where I grew up,' Rooney said after the result was announced. "This result confirms that it is only the Liberal Democrats who can beat the Reform Party across County Durham, as both the Official Opposition group and the strongest electoral force challenging the Reform Party's broken promises." The by-election is understood to have cost around £22,800. Rooney added: "I have campaigned for the Reform Party's millionaire backers to pay for the £23,000 of council taxpayers' money they have wasted on this by-election due to their own incompetence nominating an ineligible candidate. "They must now listen to the people of Consett and Benfieldside and pay back the council taxes that could have been used on play areas, potholes, or helping disabled children." READ MORE: Labour created the welfare state. Are they now dismantling it? In Nottinghamshire, Reform UK councillor Desmond Clarke quit just days after winning the local elections and helping the party take control of the local authority. Reform won 40 of the 66 seats available on Nottinghamshire County Council in May, and will still maintain control of the authority. And now, the previous Conservative representative for the Newark West division won over Reform with just eight votes. Keith Girling won with 680 votes, while Reform candidate Caroline Hinds came in second place with 672 votes. Labour placed third with 316 ballots. Turnout was 21.99 per cent. Speaking after his win, Girling told the BBC: "It's showing the Conservatives aren't dead. We're alive and kicking and we're going to work hard for our communities.' He added that the circumstances that led to the by-election definitely had 'a bit of an impact'. "We've knocked on a lot of doors and some of those that voted Reform [in May] were very angry at the fact he resigned," Girling added. "It's cost about £25,000 to run this election, from a party that said they're going to save money."


New Statesman
an hour ago
- New Statesman
A year of crisis and political fragmentation
Photo byOne year ago today, people across the UK went to the polls and overwhelmingly voted for change. When the exit poll landed at 10pm it showed Keir Starmer's Labour party on track for a three-figure majority – and right on cue the New Labour anthem 'Things Can Only Get Better' began playing at the New Statesman election night party. The following morning, Keir Starmer stood outside the door of No 10 Downing Street (despite the common misconception, there aren't actually any steps), and promised a new type of politics to 'end the era of noisy performance, tread more lightly on your lives, and unite our country'. Well, here we are. The media is awash today with reflections on how the last year has gone for the Prime Minister. You can read one of them, in which David Edgerton argues that Keir Starmer's government does not represent the true Labour Party, on the New Statesman website today. You can also listen to our special anniversary episode of the New Statesman podcast with Anoosh Chakelian, Tom McTague, Andrew Marr and me, where we try to unpack quite what has happened – and where it could go next. So instead of rehashing all of that, I thought we could zoom out and look at some of the other things the election and subsequent 12 months have taught us. British politics is fracturing in all directions. First-past-the-post and Labour's huge (though not unsurpassable, as we saw with the welfare cuts rebellion) majority masked an electoral landscape that more closely resembles multi-party European politics. The Electoral Reform Society (whose chief executive I interviewed in May) has calculated the parliament we ended up with was the least representative ever in terms of how people actually voted. The 2024 result was the first time four parties had received over 10 per cent of the vote: Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and Reform. In the May local elections, that went up to five with the addition of the Greens. The latest YouGov poll, conducted just ahead of the election anniversary, has both Reform and the combination of the Lib Dems and Greens on 26 per cent each. That's a Brexit-referendum majority opting for someone other than the two main parties. Those two parties, meanwhile, are languishing around the 40 per cent combined mark: Labour on 24 per cent and the Conservatives on 17 per cent. It would take too long to list all the things they've both done to deserve that (please see previous Morning Call emails over the past, say, five years) but the point is they're down together – following an election that gave them the lowest joint vote share in history at 57.4 per cent. That's new: for 50 years the combined Tory and Labour vote would be a number in the high 70s. This seems to have caught both parties off-guard. Last week I chaired an event at the Mile End Institute entitled 'Does the Conservative Party have a future?' (a question to which no one felt too confident about). Politics lecturer Dr Nigel Fletcher, an expert in the history of oppositions, borrowed an analogy from Game of Thrones: a wheel that sees the great families cycle up and down, some rising while others fall. Dragon-wielding Daenerys Targaryen is determined not to stop the wheel, but to break it. This is, Fletcher argued, essentially what Nigel Farage and Reform are trying to do, breaking the cycle whereby the fall of Labour automatically leads to the rise of the Tories, and vice versa. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe The Conservatives' recovery from what they thought was their electoral nadir last July (until it transpired their poll ratings could actually drop further) has, in a strange way, been hampered by a misconception that Labour's sharp fall in popularity would help them by default. It hasn't. All it has done is fuel the narrative that both establishment parties are falling short and thrown Kemi Badenoch's failure to begin repairing her party's fortunes into starker relief. Similarly, many Labour figures assumed one year ago that however difficult the political and economic situation they were inheriting, they could be reassured by the toxicity of their main opponents. Labour could afford to make some early mistakes, because the Tories would be in no position to take advantage of them. What they didn't count on was fringe parties muscling in to suck up disaffected supporters. In a shock move last night, left-wing MP Zarah Sultana, who has had the Labour whip suspended since last July, announced she was quitting Labour and setting up her own party with Jeremy Corbyn to challenge Starmer from the left. Corbyn himself has been suspiciously quiet about Sultana's announcement so far – although he did spend this week hinting about some kind of new movement to bring together left-wing independents. Even before all of that, though, data suggests nearly three times as many 2024 Labour voters are moving to the Lib Dems or the Greens than are eyeing up Reform. But the geographical distribution of the election win (think of the sandcastle analogy) means both left and right defectors pose a serious challenge. They squeeze Starmer in two directions, leaving him trapped. Rishi Sunak would sympathise. What does this mean going into year two of this parliament? In short, things are going to get bumpy. For the first time ever, Nigel Farage is being seriously talked about as a future prime minister (including, in this week's New Statesman magazine, by Andrew Marr). The Greens are holding a leadership over the summer and could select an eco-populist to galvanise the left, or an insurgent Corbyn-led movement could yet emerge. The Lib Dems have set their sights on eating further into what the Tories used to consider their heartlands – if it doesn't get eaten by Reform first. Elections in Scotland and Wales in 2026 look set to become contests of who the electorate hates and fears the least. Wednesday's bond market wobble and subsequent Rachel Reeves love-in means it looks less likely we'll have a new Chancellor than it did last week, but it's pretty inevitable we'll get a new front bench – and quite possibly a new opposition leader too, if the Tories' 'extinction-level territory' polling situation doesn't improve. Who knows, we may even have a serious debate about electoral reform and whether first-past-the-post still works in a landscape like this. In other words, politics isn't going to get quieter. Sorry to disappoint. This piece first appeared in the Morning Call newsletter; receive it every morning by subscribing on Substack here [See also: The bond market has rescued Rachel Reeves from Keir Starmer] Related