Latest hearing in Duke of Sussex legal claim against Mail publisher due to begin
Harry and several other high-profile individuals, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, and politician Sir Simon Hughes, are bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
They have accused the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, 'blagging' private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations.
ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, previously describing the claims as 'lurid' and 'simply preposterous'.
The two-day hearing before Mr Justice Nicklin is expected to begin on Tuesday, and comes just days after Harry lost a Court of Appeal battle over his security arrangements while in the UK.
It is expected to deal with several preliminary issues in the claims, with no findings yet made in respect of the allegations.
In November 2023, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed ANL's bid for a ruling in its favour before a trial, after the publisher's lawyers argued the claims were brought 'far too late'.
Then, in March last year, Government ministers ruled that confidential documents from the Leveson Inquiry relating to Daily Mail records of payments to private investigators could be disclosed in the duke's claim, after changing restrictions on the documents put in place during the inquiry.
Then-culture secretary Lucy Frazer and then-home secretary James Cleverly said in a joint statement that they had altered the restrictions 'for the purposes of the legal proceedings' as the 'public interest in promoting the just, speedy and economic resolution of the proceedings outweighs the countervailing public interests'.
At a hearing in November last year, the court heard from ANL's lawyers that Baroness Lawrence was 'alerted' to a potential legal claim by a text from the Duke of Sussex in January 2022, and met lawyers Harry had been working with a few days later.
The trial of the claims could be held in 2026 and last up to nine weeks, with Mr Justice Nicklin and Judge David Cook stating in a ruling in January that the two sides' proposed budgets – totalling more than £38.8 million – were 'manifestly excessive and therefore disproportionate'.
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The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Press shift: how the right-wing media are pivoting to Reform
As the 2015 election hove into view, one of Nigel Farage's team was frustrated. Ukip, the party Farage then led, had only recently caused what was widely regarded as a political earthquake by winning the European parliament elections. The Daily Mail seemed to agree with everything Farage was saying, most notably his condemnation of the number of Romanians and Bulgarians coming to Britain. Why then, Farage's adviser asked a senior Daily Mail journalist, would the paper not endorse Ukip? With a nod to the paper's seemingly unshakeable bond to the Conservative arty, the journalist replied: 'Orders, dear boy, orders.' A decade on, Farage is once again leading in the polls, this time as head of Reform UK. There is no such frustration within his team, however. Recent media coverage has them believing those old bonds tying the traditionally Conservative-supporting press to the Tories are weakening. In the past week, the Mail published a striking front page: 'Britain is facing societal collapse, warns Farage.' It was accompanied by a leading article generally supportive of a speech he had made on crime. The previous day, the paper had run an article by Farage arguing that Britain 'needs Reform'. Meanwhile, a beaming Farage could be spotted on social media holding up a double-page spread from the Sun on Sunday. It showed another of his articles with the headline: 'Lawless Britain'. On Monday, the Telegraph's front page led with the Reform leader's promise to build more prisons. In both Reform and Conservative circles such coverage is being watched closely. All believe it is being driven by Reform's now consistent poll lead. 'Things are progressing quite nicely,' said a senior Reform source. Another said: 'We have demonstrated to editors that we aren't going away.' While this week marked a spate of glowing Reform coverage, a party insider said more important breakthroughs came in the spring. In April, the Sun ran the front page headline 'Britain is broken', Reform's local election slogan. 'That made Westminster sit up and take notice,' the Reform staffer said. In May, Farage's team were delighted when the Mail published his essay setting out the agenda for a future Reform government. The critical moments may have come even earlier, however. Farage's team are said to have held a series of meetings with senior figures from centre-right papers at the turn of the year. The talks were designed as a post-election reset. The Mail titles had backed the Tories and suspicion of them within Reform was significant. 'We've broken bread since then, of course, and things have got a lot better,' said one Reform figure. More recently, Farage attended a summer party held by News UK, owner of the Times, Sunday Times and the Sun. Tim Shipman, the former chief political commentator for the Sunday Times, disclosed this week that Farage had dined with Victoria Newton, the Sun's editor. Others believe that the positive coverage is simply part of a wider radicalisation on the British right, towards harder lines on immigration, culture and crime once seen as well beyond the mainstream. 'What we used to call the Tory press is not the Tory press any more,' said David Yelland, former editor of the Sun. 'They're embarrassed by the Conservative party. The agreed consensus of the Tory press has shifted right.' Some Conservatives fear their party has been complicit in improving Farage's standing with some papers, alleging a lack of activity by the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch. One former Conservative staffer blamed her for putting the party into 'cold storage' after the election, cutting off a brief poll rise it enjoyed last autumn. 'Fundamentally, [media outlets on the right] obviously are going to be anti-Labour,' they said. 'There's so little coming out of the Tories that they just don't really have that much of a choice but to go with Reform stuff. It comes down to effort. They really want it.' Other Conservative critics blame Badenoch's poor relationship with reporters and editors. Some said she has been known to bypass newsrooms altogether and complain to media company executives when she disliked a story. These criticisms are strongly rejected by Badenoch's team, who say the party consistently secures front pages with its media strategy. Yet when it comes to the crunch, could any major newspaper groups back Reform at the next election? Such decisions are taken late in the day by editors and owners, but Conservatives that fear much damage could be done by then. As a member of Rishi Sunak's team pointed out to Telegraph journalists after it endorsed him before last year's election: 'You've been kicking the shit out of us and giving these guys oxygen for the past 18 months. This is all a little bit late in the day.' Yelland warned that papers risk 'boxing themselves in' by fanning Reform's flames now. 'Editors will have to back Farage or be forced to pull off 'a Washington Post' and endorse nobody at all,' he said. One senior Conservative HQ source said a closer look at some of Farage's policies, such as nationalising some of the water industry, should raise obvious questions for the Telegraph and Mail. 'His policies are not conservative,' they said. 'That's tricky for them.' Ultimately, several Reform and Conservative figures said it would come down to whether Reform's poll lead endures. 'I really cannot see anything changing,' said Gawain Towler, Reform's former head of press. 'If that's the case, everybody wants to back a winner. The Tories are not a winner.' For now, senior figures inside the Mail and Telegraph do not believe that the odd glowing front page will translate into election support for Reform. However, Yelland warned that election endorsements were beside the point. 'It's the day-to-day coverage that matters,' he said. 'And there's no doubt that despite the fall in circulation, the Mail in particular influences broadcast media in this country immensely.'
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Son of British mum on death row in India says 'I want to watch her hanged'
Ramandeep Kaur Mann faces the death penalty in India for murdering her husband Sukhjit Singh while he slept. The son of a British mum facing the death penalty in India has said he wants to watch her hanged. Ramandeep Kaur Mann was convicted after trial of killing husband Sukhjit Singh, with the help of her secret lover Gurpreet Singh while on a family trip to India in 2017. Ramandeep laced her husband's biryani with sedatives before smothering him with a pillow as he slept. Gurpreet then bashed childhood friend Sukhjit over the head with a hammer, with Ramandeep finally slitting his throat, reports the the Birmingham Mail. The brutal murder in Banda, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, was said to be over Sukhjit's £2 million life insurance policy. Ramandeep's eldest son Arjun, who was nine at the time, helped secure his mother's conviction. He woke up and witnessed the horrific killing. He even gave evidence against his mum in court, Daily Mail reports. Ramandeep's legal team has since claimed Arjun was was 'tutored' to provide false and that relatives fabricated the case against her. They are now appealing her conviction. But Arjun - whose family is from from Littleover, Derby - has said that he does not regret giving evidence in court and wants to watch his mum being hanged. He said: "There are not many children who watch their mother kill their father and then give evidence about it. "How do you try and get on with your life after something like this? "I've had to be very brave and I'm proud of what I've done because I've got justice for my father. "My brother and me don't think of this woman as my mother anymore, she's evil. "We want nothing to do with her. As far as I'm concerned, she stopped being a mother to us the moment she murdered our father." Commenting on her death sentence, he said: "I would like to be there when it happens. "It doesn't fill me with fear, in fact, it would give me a lot of satisfaction and relief and I look forward to that day. "I would like all my family to be there with me. I would like to see with my own eyes that justice for my father has been served. "She deserves to hang because she did such an evil thing she did." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. We're also on Facebook - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Daily Record, Sunday Mail and Record Online
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Anti-Trump protesters set to march in Scotland over US President's five-day visit to open golf course and talk trade deals with Keir Starmer
Donald Trump will land in Scotland later today as he begins a five-day private trip to the country with mass protests expected around his golf courses and major cities. The US President is due to arrive on Air Force One at Glasgow Prestwick Airport this evening before heading over to his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. He is expected to spend time at the course over the weekend, meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney, open a new 18-hole golf course at his Menie estate in Aberdeenshire on Tuesday and then fly home. A huge security operation involving officers from across the UK is well underway - with protests planned in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and at the two courses. A 10ft-high metal barrier has been installed at Turnberry to help protect the President. Mr Trump's family have spoken of their pride and excitement over his visit - with Eric Trump, the executive vice-president of his father's Trump Organization, saying the President had waited 'years' to come back to the country of his late mother's birth. Eric Trump told the Scottish Daily Mail: 'We have just completed the greatest course on Earth and waited years for this day to come. I've never been more proud to have my father arrive in Scotland to see his original dream come to fruition. We can't wait!' The President will be welcomed at Prestwick later by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, with the minister pledging to give the American leader a 'warm welcome'. But Mr Trump's presence has resulted in a significant operation from Police Scotland and thousands of officers, who are expected to deal with mass protests. The Stop Trump Coalition is planning demonstrations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh tomorrow and there is a major police operation in place amid concerns it will seriously stretch resources. Kirsty Haigh, from the Scotland Against Trump group, told Sky News: 'He should not be welcomed by us, by our leaders. We want to see a Scotland that is very different than [the] America that's being created.' How Donald Trump's mother Mary was a daughter of Scotland Mary Anne MacLeod Donald Trump's trip to Scotland this week will be a homecoming of sorts, but he's likely to get a mixed reception. The President has had a long and at times rocky relationship with the country where his mother grew up in a humble house on a windswept isle. Mr Trump's mother was born Mary Anne MacLeod in 1912 near the town of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, one of the Outer Hebrides off Scotland's northwest coast. 'My mother was born in Scotland - Stornoway, which is serious Scotland,' the President said in 2017. She was raised in a large Scots Gaelic-speaking family and left for New York in 1930, one of thousands of people from the islands to emigrate in the years after the First World War. Ms MacLeod married the President's father, Fred C Trump, the son of German immigrants, in New York in 1936. She died in August 2000 at the age of 88. Mr Trump still has relatives on Lewis, and visited in 2008, spending a few minutes in the plain grey house where his mother grew up. Mr Trump's last visit as a serving President in July 2018 saw thousands of people protest in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The trip cost Police Scotland more than £3million and required mutual aid as officers were sent in from other UK forces. The latest visit is expected to require a security operation as big as the arrangements for the late Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022 - involving up to 6,000 officers - with taxpayers again facing a bill of more than £3million for policing his stay. Around 5,000 Police Scotland officers will be needed for the 'large-scale, complex' Operation Roll 2 – the codename for policing the visit - with a further 1,000 drafted in from the rest of the UK. A 'ring of steel' has been established at Turnberry, with 10ft perimeter fencing erected as security measures are ramped up by officers with road closures in place. Chinook helicopters were at Prestwick Airport earlier this week, while US military planes and helicopters gathered on Monday. A convoy of vehicles and staff were being flown in to keep him safe during his visit. Ordinarily his bullet-proof motorcade could include up to 50 vehicles, some carrying anti-aircraft guns and hi-tech radio equipment, while others are designated for family, close aides and members of the Press. Several black SUVs were unloaded from two US Air Force C-17 cargo planes at Prestwick on Wednesday, with another three of the aircraft arriving in the afternoon. The helicopters that operate as Marine One when the President is on board cost between $16,700 and nearly $20,000 per hour to operate, according to Pentagon data for fiscal year 2022. The modified Boeing 747s that serve as the iconic Air Force One cost about $200,000 per hour to fly. Military cargo aircraft also fly ahead of the President with his armoured limousines and other official vehicles. Stephanie Campbell and Leanne Maxwell, who live in Turnberry and used to work at Mr Trump's resort, said the first lesson staff there are given is how to respond to a bomb threat. Ms Campbell told Sky News: 'I had no issues working for him, he is a really decent boss. The last time he came there was an element of excitement, I think this time there comes with an added element of concern. 'It brings a lot higher threats and security and it's much more difficult for everybody in the area.' Ms Maxwell added: 'Security is obviously being bumped up. It's quite worrying. He's quite a man, ain't he?' The President will meet with Sir Keir during his stay when the pair will discuss the UK-US trade deal, and will also meet with First Minister John Swinney 'at some point'. The SNP leader previously said he would have the opportunity to raise various issues with Mr Trump, including tariffs, Gaza and Ukraine. Trump's ongoing Scots golf course battles Mr Trump's ties and troubles in Scotland are intertwined with golf, after he first proposed building a course on a stretch of the North Sea coast north of Aberdeen in 2006. The Trump International Scotland development was backed by the Scottish government, but it was fiercely opposed by some local residents and conservationists. They claimed the stretch of coastal sand dunes was home to some of the country's rarest wildlife, including skylarks, kittiwakes, badgers and otters. Local fisherman Michael Forbes hit the headlines after he refused the Trump Organization's offer of £350,000 to sell his family's rundown farm in the centre of the estate. Mr Forbes still lives on his property, which Mr Trump once called 'a slum and a pigsty.' 'If it weren't for my mother, would I have walked away from this site? I think probably I would have, yes,' Mr Trump said in 2008 amid the planning battle over the course. 'Possibly, had my mother not been born in Scotland, I probably wouldn't have started it.' The golf course was eventually approved and opened in 2012. Some of the grander aspects of the planned development, including 500 houses and a 450-room hotel, have not been realised, and the course has never made a profit. A second 18-hole course at the resort is scheduled to open this summer. It's named the MacLeod Course in honour of the President's mother. There has been less controversy about Mr Trump's other Scottish golf site, the long-established Turnberry resort, which he bought in 2014. He has pushed for the British Open to be held at the course for the first time since 2009. Turnberry is one of ten courses on the rotation to host the Open, but organisers say there are logistical issues about 'road, rail and accommodation infrastructure' that must be resolved before it can return. Speaking ahead of his arrival, Mr Swinney said the global attention the visit will receive provides Scotland with an opportunity to respectfully demonstrate the principles of freedom and justice for all, while also promoting Scotland's tourism sector and economic investment potential. He said: 'Scotland shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries. That partnership remains steadfast through economic, cultural and ancestral links - including of course, with the President himself. 'As we welcome the President of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy. 'It also includes the millions of Americans - many of them potential future tourists or investors in Scotland - who will watch their elected President as he visits our country. 'As First Minister it is my responsibility to advance our interests, raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland's voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world. 'That is exactly what I will do when I meet with President Trump during his time in Scotland.' Mr Swinney said Scotland is a 'proud democratic nation' that 'stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world'. Ahead of the expected protests, he said people had a right to 'peaceful demonstration', adding that 'everyone has the democratic right to protect and express their views in a peaceful, and democratic manner'. 'That is right and proper,' he added. 'I am confident the vast majority of people protesting will do Scotland proud and demonstrate as they should - peacefully and lawfully. 'I am also confident that Scotland's police service can handle the challenge of keeping all our communities safe and, as they must, in maintaining the appropriate security any US President requires. 'This weekend is a landmark moment in our relationship with the United States, and I am certain it will be remembered for Scotland showing the world the very best of itself.' Former prime minister Liz Truss was spotted at Turnberry yesterday, but it is not known whether she will meet the President. Although Mr Trump is in the UK on a private visit, he will face calls from both sides of the border to cut his punishing tariffs on whisky and other exports. Whisky chiefs are desperate for the President to reduce or scrap the 10 per cent duty imposed on exports of malts and blends to the US. The Prime Minister is also expected to raise the issue during planned talks on Monday. Mark Kent, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, said: 'The President's visit to Scotland is a timely opportunity to highlight the enduringly positive relationship that has lasted between Scotland and the United States for centuries. 'Scotch whisky and US whiskey embody that close and abiding relationship... and both have flourished under zero-tariff access to UK and US markets for over thirty years.' He added: 'The visit is a critical moment for the UK Government to re-engage in discussions to remove the tariffs on Scotch whisky in the industry's largest global market.' A history of America's golfers-in-chief Family financial interests aside, Donald Trump isn't the first sitting US president to golf in Scotland. That was Dwight D Eisenhower, who played in Turnberry in 1959. George W. Bush visited the famed course at Gleneagles in 2005 but didn't play. Many historians trace golf back to Scotland in the Middle Ages. Among the earliest known references to game was a Scottish Parliament resolution in 1457 that tried to ban it, along with football, because of fears both were distracting men from practising archery - then considered vital to national defence. The first US president to golf regularly was William Howard Taft, who served from 1909 to 1913 and ignored warnings from his predecessor, Teddy Roosevelt, that playing too much would make it seem like he wasn't working hard enough. Woodrow Wilson played nearly every day but Sundays, and even had the Secret Service paint his golf balls red so he could practice in the snow, according to Mike Trostel, director of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Warren G Harding trained his dog Laddie Boy to fetch golf balls while he practiced. Lyndon B. Johnson's swing was sometimes described as looking like a man trying to kill a rattlesnake. Bill Clinton, who liked to joke that he was the only president whose game improved while in office, restored a putting green on the White House's South Lawn. It was originally installed by Eisenhower, who was such an avid user that he left cleat marks in the wooden floors of the Oval Office by the door leading out to it. Mr Bush stopped golfing after the start of the Iraq war in 2003 because of the optics. Barack Obama had a golf simulator installed in the White House that Mr Trump upgraded during his first term, Mr Trostel said. John F Kennedy largely hid his love of the game as president, but he played on Harvard's golf team and nearly made a hole-in-one at California's renowned Cypress Point Golf Club just before the 1960 Democratic National Convention. 'I'd say, between President Trump and President John F Kennedy, those are two of the most skilled golfers we've had in the White House,' Mr Trostel said. Mr Trostel said Mr Trump has a handicap index - how many strokes above par a golfer is likely to score - of a very strong 2.5. However, he has not posted an official round with the US Golf Association since 2021. That's better than Joe Biden's handicap of 6.7, which also might be outdated, and Mr Obama, who once described his own handicap as an 'honest 13.' The White House described Mr Trump as a championship-level golfer but said he plays with no handicap. Mr Trump is also expected to hold talks with Mr Swinney, who previously called for his official state visit to be cancelled. The First Minister was urged to hold constructive talks and put an end to 'petty posturing' which could threaten jobs and investment. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: 'The success of President Trump's visit to Scotland must not be jeopardised by John Swinney indulging in the SNP's usual petty posturing which we have seen so often.' Mr Swinney previously backed Mr Trump's rival in the Presidential contest, Kamala Harris – and voted in favour of a motion in 2019 calling for the withdrawal of an offer of a state visit to the UK during Mr Trump's first term. But yesterday he said the UK Government has a 'duty' to make sure it is 'welcoming foreign dignitaries to Scotland in the right way, particularly one that is our closest and nearest ally both economically and in defence and security'. He said it was 'in the national interest to work as closely as possible with the United States' and that it was right that he is welcomed when he arrives. Six years ago, Mr Murray backed a motion tabled by Labour's Stephen Doughty in the House of Commons which called on then Prime Minister Theresa May to rescind the offer of an official state visit to Mr Trump. The motion said the House 'deplored' Mr Trump's 'misogynism, racism and xenophobia', among other criticisms of his time in office. Asked what has changed, Mr Murray said: 'What's changed is that it is really important for both countries to work together. Governments have to work together very closely. 'Given the US is our closest ally, given we have just done a trade agreement with them to remove tariffs for the benefit of UK and Scottish businesses, and given global events at the moment, it is really, really important for these historic ties to work together with our closest allies, and that is what we are intending to do. 'The important thing is that what has changed is the basis of us being able to work together with our allies. Being in government gives us the responsibility to do that.' White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers called the Scotland swing a 'working trip'. But she added that Mr Trump 'has built the best and most beautiful world-class golf courses anywhere in the world, which is why they continue to be used for prestigious tournaments and by the most elite players in the sport'. The trip to Scotland puts physical distance between Mr Trump and the latest twists in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy financier accused of sex trafficking who died in prison in 2019 before facing trial. In his heyday, Mr Epstein was friends with Mr Trump and others in the New York jet-set, but the President is now facing backlash from his own MAGA supporters who demand access to the Epstein case files. The Wall Street Journal, which published an article detailing longstanding links between Mr Trump and the sex offender, is being punished by the White House. Its reporting staff plans to travel to Scotland on its own and join the White House press pool. But it has now been denied a seat on Air Force One for the flight back home. Mr Trump is expected to return to the UK in September for a state visit - his second - at the invitation of King Charles III.
