Accusations of Jersey Airport cover-up after minister reveals bomb threat was missed for six hours
Jersey Airport is being accused of a cover-up after a government minister revealed that staff missed a bomb threat, eventually evacuating the terminal more than seven hours later.
Deputy Ian Gorst confirmed that an email was sent to the airport's customer enquiries inbox at 11:16pm on Tuesday 4 March, but it is only monitored during operational hours - 5:30am to 9pm - so officials discovered the threat the next morning during standard opening checks.
Emergency procedures were then activated and the decision was made to evacuate the entire terminal building following a risk assessment, with the alarm raised at 6:28am on Wednesday 5 March.
The runway was subsequently closed, with all flights suspended and people asked to avoid the area as armed police secured the scene.
After extensive checks, it was deemed to be a hoax and Jersey Airport reopened just after 11am.
At the time, Operations Director Ashley Maggs described it as a "significant security incident" that staff were "taking very seriously".
However, Deputy Jonathan Renouf says: "It's deeply concerning that a bomb threat was actually received the night before and not seen by anybody.
"That seems to be a major security breach and failure, it should be investigated as a matter of extreme urgency.
"What I find particularly worrying is that it has taken so much effort and so long to find out what has gone on. I have been asking questions and the media has been asking questions; the best solution in these circumstances is openness and transparency. Instead, it looks like we've had an attempt to cover it up."
In response, Mr Maggs confirmed the minister's timeline, adding: "We are unable to give any more details of the specifics of this threat due to laws which govern aviation security.
"A multi-agency response was conducted in accordance with emergency response procedures.
"As with any security incident, we cannot comment any further on this matter or actions taken."
ITV News understands that a police investigation into what happened is ongoing.
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The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
Does Zohran Mamdani's New York primary victory offer roadmap for Democrats?
The Friday night before election day, Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist running for mayor of New York City, walked the length of Manhattan, from Inwood Hill Park at its northern tip to the Battery – about 13 miles. Along the way, he was greeted by a stream of New Yorkers enjoying the sticky summer night – men rose from their folding chairs to shake his hand, drivers honked in support and diners leapt up to snap a selfie with the would-be leader of their city. A feelgood video of his trek, produced by Mamdani's campaign, captures the 'only in New York' quality of his ascendance, from little-known assembly member to the all-but-official Democratic nominee for mayor of America's largest city. His stunning political upset, triumphing over the better-financed, establishment-backed former governor, Andrew Cuomo, who conceded the race on Tuesday night with only the first round of votes counted, carries what many Democrats hope is an unmistakable message to their party's old guard: it's time to pass the torch. Mamdani himself said he viewed the election as a referendum on a crumbling status quo. In his election party speech, delivered in the first minutes of Wednesday morning, he vowed 'to govern our city as a model for the Democratic party – a party where we fight for working people with no apology'. With a relentless focus on the cost of living, a relatable online presence and an army of volunteers tens of thousands strong, Mamdani – who would be the first Muslim mayor in the city's history – defied conventional wisdom that said Cuomo – the 67-year-old scion of a prominent New York political family with a massive war chest – was invincible. And he did it in a way that many Democrats from across the ideological spectrum believe might offer a roadmap for winning back the voters they have lost touch with, in the first major primary election since Donald Trump reclaimed the White House. 'The establishment, at this point, is suicidally clinging to a version of power it no longer even has,' said Amit Singh Bagga, a Democratic strategist and former New York City official. 'We have made this choice to not evolve – and if you do not evolve, you will walk your party – and potentially our democracy – up to the brink of extinction.' Early data suggests Mamdani's youth-powered campaign stitched together a new multiracial coalition, activating disengaged voters across the five boroughs, particularly in predominantly Asian and Hispanic districts. He won big in Ridgewood, Queens (where he notched 80% of the vote), and in nearby Bushwick, Brooklyn (79%) – the kinds of gentrifying neighborhoods where his younger fanbase lives. On election night, popular bars projected the results to amped-up patrons as if it were their Super Bowl. (The New York Times called this area 'the Commie Corridor', to the delight of the neighborhood's out-and-proud leftists.) Even residents of the financial district – the symbolic heart of American capitalism – voted for the democratic socialist. Speaking at a thinktank in Washington on Thursday, Democratic senator Elissa Slotkin, a relative moderate who represents battleground state Michigan and is viewed as a rising star in the party, said New Yorkers made two demands crystal clear. 'People, just like in November, are still really focused on costs and the economy and their own kitchen-table math – and they're looking for a new generation of leadership,' she said. Of Mamdani's campaign, Slotkin added: 'We may disagree on some key issues but understanding that people are concerned about their family budget – that is a unifying thing for our coalition.' Yet other corners of the party were raising alarms, warning that Mamdani's populist economic policies and pro-Palestinian views placed him beyond the pale of swing-voter consensus. 'What can work in Brooklyn is not the path for the battlegrounds,' said Kate deGruyter, communications director at the centrist Democratic thinktank Third Way. 'And I think we need to be really clear about that.' Whether the Democratic establishment ultimately decides to embrace Mamdani before the November general election may provide a clue as to its future. Polls and focus groups make clear that voters view Democrats as elitist and out of touch. In 2024, voters said Kamala Harris came across as overly scripted in her presidential campaign, especially compared with Trump's free-wheeling approach. 'You've got to let the candidate be themselves,' said Debbie Saslaw, co-founder of Melted Solids, the Brooklyn-based production studio that crafted some of Mamdani's most viral videos. Saslow and co-founder Anthony Dimieri said their work looked to amplify Mamdani's authenticity. He spoke about 'halal-inflation' in front of food trucks and cut campaign videos in English and Spanish. In others, he explained the city's ranked-choice voting system in Hindi and Urdu – and likened Cuomo to a 'Bollywood villain'. '[Mamdani] spoke the language of all New Yorkers, because people don't want to be pandered to,' she said. 'A meme only speaks to people who are extremely online. Our priority was going all around New York City and speaking to hundreds of people about the issues.' In 2024, the Harris campaign raised an eye-watering billion dollars, but many Democrats now believe a too-cautious media strategy cost her dearly. Mamdani – who once tried to launch a rap career under the name Mr Cardamom – had no hestitation talking to everyone. He appeared on just about any media platform that would have him – from popular TikTok shows like Subway Takes, where host Kareem Rahma discusses current events while riding the train, and Gaydar, where a comedian named Anania cheekily tries to guess if someone is 'gay, straight or a homophobe' while quizzing them on queer history. He spoke to more mainstream and moderate audiences on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Bulwark, a never-Trump conservative news website. 'Mamdani clearly understands the value of our platform,' said Amelia Montooth, a 28-year-old New Yorker and CEO of Mutuals Media, who produces Gaydar. 'I was in awe of the fact that they said yes to appearing on the show right away, and they didn't try to change anything about the show or edit us.' Mamdani's flood-the-zone, 'go everywhere' approach proved popular, especially when he was asked, and sometimes cornered, in debates and discussions about his views on Israel, a topic long viewed as crucial for electability in New York. Both Cuomo and conservatives continued to try to paint Mamdani's rhetoric, including an explanation of the controversial phrase 'globalize the intifada', as antisemitic. But in a sign that times may have changed, Mamdani's pro-Palestinian views did not prevent his decisive victory – nor were they central to his campaign. Instead, he kept a laser-focus on affordability – with policy goals that included a rent freeze, free buses and universal childcare. Groups like Hot Girls for Zohran staged canvassing parties, lookalike contests, and DJ nights at queer clubs in Brooklyn. The duo behind Hot Girls for Zohran – Cait and Kaif, two gen-Z New Yorkers who keep their last names private for security reasons – said they ran the group as if it were a 'marketing' campaign. 'We wanted it to be very accessible to people who normally aren't politically active,' Cait said. 'We brought them in with fun events, and then we got them to go canvas. We made it a cultural thing: you go with your friends to volunteer, and then you go party.' Yet Mamdani's victory has rattled the Democratic establishment, triggering a wave of panic that his politics will further alienate the voters they need to win back power in 2026 and 2028. As the ranked-choice tabulations continue, business leaders and some major Democratic donors are debating whether to coalesce around an independent bid by Cuomo or to rally behind the city's deeply unpopular incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent. Lis Smith, a veteran Democratic strategist who previously worked for Cuomo but is now a critic, said many of the leading Democrats 'freaking out' over Mamdani's win had only themselves to blame. 'They looked around a city of more than 8 million people and said: 'You know what, let's nominate the guy who was run out of office 4 years ago,'' she observed on X in reference to Cuomo, who resigned as governor over multiple sexual assault allegations. Mamdani has quickly pivoted to the general election, seeking to build moment from his powerful showing in the Democratic primary. But his path to City Hall – in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans six to one – could be unusually competitive. Centrist Democrats could rally around Cuomo or Adams, who until recently was beset by corruption charges that were dropped by the Trump administration. The same goes for billionaires such as Bill Ackman, who promised to 'take care of the fundraising' for a strong centrist challenger. He also risks damage from a rightwing campaign that has already kicked into gear. Republicans gleefully seized on Mamdani's success, seeking to make him the new face of the Democratic party, with some criticism veering into outright Islamophobia and bigotry. Trump assailed Mamdani as a '100% Communist Lunatic' who looks 'terrible', has a 'grating voice' and is 'not very smart'. The establishment has certainly felt the jolt of Mamdani's political earthquake, as it did in 2018, when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez toppled one of the highest-ranking House Democrats. Ocasio-Cortez, also of Queens, was one of Mamdani's most prominent progressive supporters along with Senator Bernie Sanders. So far, Mamdani has received a mixed reception from Democrats in New York and nationally. While progressives are elated, many centrist Democrats are alarmed by the ascension of a democratic socialist who previously called for defunding the police and is vocally pro-Palestine. New York congressman Jerry Nadler, one of the city's most prominent Jewish leaders, endorsed Mamdani after previously supporting one of his opponents. But Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries – both New Yorkers who lead the Senate and House Democrats – congratulated him without extending an endorsement. Others distanced themselves entirely. Representative Laura Gillen, a first-term Democrat who flipped a Long Island House district last year, called Mamdani 'the absolute wrong choice for New York'. Representative Tom Suozzi, another Long Island Democrat in a competitive district, said he had 'serious concerns' about Mamdani before the election and 'those concerns remain'. The response has infuriated progressives. 'Tell them what they love to tell us: vote blue no matter who,' declared David Hogg, the Florida activist who recently stepped down as a national party official after clashing with the leadership at the Democratic National Committee over his decision to support primary challenges against long-serving Democratic incumbents. Bagga, the former city official, urged Democratic leaders to engage young political talent such as Mamdani – candidates who are resonating with the young and working-class voters that abandoned the party last year. 'We have to be able to not eat ourselves for lunch,' he said, 'because the more we continue to do that, the Maga authoritarian right will eat us all for dinner'. A wave of young Democrats running for office are taking hope from Mamdani's campaign – validation that campaigns built on TikTok, door-knocking and a focus on bread-and-butter economic issues can shake even the most entrenched political machines. In southern Arizona, 25-year-old Deja Foxx is running in a special election for a solidly blue seat held for most of her life by the congressman Raúl Grijalva, until he died in office in March. A reproductive rights activist and digital strategist, Foxx is hoping to channel the same desire for generational change that powered Mamdani's political upset in New York. Facing a competitive field that includes Grijalva's daughter, Foxx is making the case that her youth and lived experiences – the daughter of a single mom who struggled with addiction, a 'free lunch kid' who relied on Medicaid and public housing and an organizer for reproductive rights before she was old enough to vote – make her a credible voice for the working-class people of the district. In an interview as she drove across the border-spanning district on her 'Crashout or Congress' tour, Foxx called on the party's leaders to show more 'courage' and support young candidates. 'We need to be really clear-eyed, even in these blue seats, about who we're sending into these positions of power,' she said. 'It's not enough to just check the boxes. We need real champions.'
ITV News
17 hours ago
- ITV News
British Rowing defends safeguarding policy after Leander rower suspended
British Rowing has defended its safeguarding policies in the wake of severe criticism from multiple Leander Club rowers. The athletes were reacting to the suspension of a male athlete, who has been banned from rowing at the club or entering its premises, following new allegations. The same athlete was accused of sexually assaulting a female squad member in 2022, revealed in an investigation by ITV News. But it's understood British Rowing's decision to temporarily suspend him is not related to his conduct at Leander Club. One Leander rower told ITV News the allegations were ''alarming.'' ''The national governing body [British Rowing] and Leander continue to be slow to act and have outdated, inadequate safeguarding policies. Would this have happened if the stories hadn't hit national headlines?'' she said. ''The athletes want the sport to be safe and it's about time the appropriate measures are taken and procedures put in place,'' she added. In a statement given to ITV News, British Rowing said: 'We act on facts, not headlines. Our safeguarding processes rely on people coming forward directly so that concerns can be properly assessed and addressed. ''Media coverage doesn't determine our decisions, and suggesting otherwise misrepresents how safeguarding works.' The rower described British Rowing's statement as 'inflammatory.' Another said: 'No one is saying British Rowing is to blame for the allegations, that lies only with the perpetrators, but people are asking, what are they doing to make rowing a safe sport for everyone? I don't think it's too much to ask.' The governing body told ITV News it was also ''reassessing how we investigated the information we received at the time'', about the serious sexual assault at Leander Club. The news of the rower's suspension was first reported by The Telegraph. Leander Club is Britain's most prestigious rowing club, with 21 medal rowers bringing home medals from the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris. Earlier this month, ITV News revealed Leander Club had carried out two investigations into its male athletes. One was accused of the serious sexual assault in 2022; the other was investigated for harassment last year. The alleged victims were female rowers at Leander. Both men deny the allegations. The fall-out at Leander Club, which takes on 20 to 30 new athletes every year as members and boasts a host of Olympic champions as alumni, became so toxic that last season female rowers staged a walkout. The club's female rowers wore white ribbons on their kit to protest abuse and violence against women in the sport, and to signal their unhappiness with the club's handling of both investigations. "We didn't want to represent the same club as people who've been accused of things like that'', one rower told ITV News. ''We wanted to say, 'we're not okay with it, we stand together as a squad'... and will not stay silent.'' In a statement given to ITV News at the time, Leander Club said: 'We have strict procedures in place to carefully examine any formal complaints and regularly review our club disciplinary processes to ensure they are fit for purpose, treating our athletes fairly and with respect.''
ITV News
18 hours ago
- ITV News
Thousands turn out for 'illegal' Budapest Pride march
Words by Jamie Summers, ITV News Content Editor Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Budapest on Saturday to join the city's Pride event, despite it being outlawed by the Hungarian government. Organisers say it is the largest attendance ever for Budapest Pride, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, as people turned out in defiance of the law to support the country's LGBTQ+ community. Earlier this year, right-wing prime minister Viktor Orbán's government passed a new law which effectively made Pride illegal by limiting citizens' right to assembly. It is the only country in the European Union to have banned Pride events. But the move became a lightning rod for public anger, with thousands of Hungarians taking part in weekly protests in March and April against measures which many saw as an attack on civil liberties. Supporters of Pride said consistently they would press ahead with the event, regardless of its legal status. Right-wing groups planned counter-protests along the march's route. Earlier this month, the Mayor of Budapest gave his approval for the parade to be held in a bid to sidestep the law, but he was subsequently overruled by police. Despite the threat of punishment, the circumstances around the event appeared to drive many to attend. 'It's very difficult to grow up as a gay man in such a conservative country like this, to become aware that you're different than others, and then accept that after all you're not different at all,' said Bálint, a 24-year-old gay man. 'I'm really angry at our government because they are tarnishing the rainbow so much. I came to previous Pride Parades with much less of a knot in my stomach.' But others from beyond the LGBTQ+ also attended in protest at the government's actions. Veronika, who regularly attends Budapest Pride, told ITV News this year's event is especially important. 'I came with the same love as in previous years, but this current government is so much against it. Why can't just everyone be happy?' Under the new law, police can use facial recognition technology to issue fines ranging from around 20 to 500 euros. It is not yet clear whether the threat to issue fines will materialise in the coming weeks - but opposition parties have indicated they will help to pay any fines or challenge them in court. David Bedő, an opposition MP from the centrist Momentum Party, helped to organise the protests in April and encouraged people to turn out on Saturday. 'I know personally a lot of friends, acquaintances who who've never been to Pride before and now they said they're joining,' he told ITV News. 'I think this year's Pride turned into an anti-government demonstration pretty much. In the current situation, the government and the police cannot afford that anything. It's a strong message for the government.' Bedő was banned from the Hungarian parliament for more than two months when the vote to ban Pride passed, after he and other opposition MPs let off smoke bombs in the chamber in protest – but feels the government have overreached. He said: 'My first Pride was back in 2012, more than 13 years ago now. "I was 20 when I first attended pride, I've been attending ever since, but I think this is probably going to be the most important Pride in the history of Hungary, so far at least.' Dozens of politicians from across Europe also attended the parade, including the Mayors or deputy Mayors of Oslo, Barcelona and Amsterdam, while some organisations from the UK also took part. 'What's happening in Hungary is part of a broader, deeply worrying global trend, where LGBTI rights are under attack and Pride marches are increasingly being cancelled, banned, or violently disrupted,' said Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK. 'Hungarians will not be pushed back. We must all continue to fight for a free, equal, and rights respecting Hungary.' The Orbán government has previously been accused of targeting LGBTQ+ people, with bans on same-sex adoption and restrictions on people's ability to change their gender over recent years. ILGA-Europe, an advocacy group which promotes LGBTQ+ rights across the continent, recently awarded Hungary one of the lowest scores in the European Union for its approach, with the ban on Pride singled out as an example of an increasingly authoritarian measure. After 15 years in power, Orbán goes into a general election next spring amid poor polling and a resurgent opposition, indicating he may face an uphill battle to stay in power. The move to ban Pride marches is the latest issue which has invoked stinging criticism from the European Union, but the Hungarian government shows little sign of changing course - Orbán posted on X this week, calling on the EU to 'refrain from interfering in the law enforcement affairs of Member States, where it has no role to play.'
