Second refuge built through Independent campaign ready for family
The campaign, launched in partnership with Refuge, surpassed its fundraising goal, collecting over £585,000 from readers.
Built by Persimmon Homes, the identical properties are in secret locations and feature enhanced security.
The initiative addresses the nationwide shortage of refuge spaces for women and children escaping domestic violence.
The campaign garnered significant support from royalty, politicians including the prime minister, and celebrities.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
Earl Spencer's estranged wife and new girlfriend's High Court row over privacy 'will cost more than £2MILLION'
The girlfriend of Princess Diana 's brother Earl Spencer is set to embark on a £2million legal battle over privacy with his estranged wife. Dr Cat Jarman, 43, who has been dating the Earl for almost a year, issued a claim in the High Court against his third wife, Countess Karen Spencer, in October. The Norwegian archaeologist is accusing her of sharing private medical information, forcing her to reveal her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in an interview. She previously claimed she had 'worked very hard indeed' to keep her condition a secret, including from Charles Spencer, 61, when they first started their relationship. When Ms Jarman initially brought legal action against Countess Spencer, details of her MS were still under wraps. But an interview with MailOnline last year saw her tell the world of a diagnosis which had left her 'utterly devastated'. On Monday, Master Mark Gidden heard that both parties in the dispute had agreed future estimated legal costs of more than £2m, The Telegraph reports. These amounted to £1,217,880 for the claimant, as confirmed by her barrister Kirsten Sjovoll. Meanwhile, the defendant's legal costs were £1,000,087 although the court did not hear how much Ms Jarman is suing the Earl's ex-wife for. Ms Sjovoll said the Countess's costs were 'excessively high' but Master Giddon disagreed, adding: 'To my mind, they are costs falling within a range that is to be expected.' Clara Hamer, representing Countess Spencer, said: 'Just on the big picture point ... when you're dealing with a case of this magnitude and the issues involved, that's not such a great gulf.' Ms Jarman's barrister suggested the defendant's costs were already more than half a million pounds and her opposite number admitted her client's tally stood at £511,404, while Jarman's were £329,365. But Ms Hamer added: 'The court is not a slave to comparison. Similar work in the hands of different legal teams may result in different costs.' In December, Ms Jarman told MailOnline: 'I'd worked very hard at making sure it stayed a secret. For six years, I had gone to great lengths to keep it hidden. None of my TV colleagues knew. Even Charles did not know. 'When you have a new partner, you have to gauge when and how to tell them something this huge, and I hadn't yet done so.' She added: 'I have Multiple Sclerosis. I was diagnosed eight years ago, when I was in the final stages of doing my PhD. 'I woke one morning with crippling pins and needles, shooting pains in my spine, as if I was being Tasered. I completely lost the power of my right hand – I couldn't even hold a pen. My body simply stopped working. 'It took nine months to be able to use my hand again. I'm now on strong medication, and everything is kept at bay, but the problem with MS is that you live not knowing if you are going to have a relapse. 'My body could just stop working again tomorrow. It could be my eyesight, or my legs, or anything, or I could be fine for the rest of my life. There is no way of knowing.' Earl Spencer originally confirmed his relationship to Good Morning Britain two months earlier. He said: 'Cat Jarman, who is my partner now actually, she's a brilliant archaeologist. 'She is Nordic Person of the Year 2024 which is usually handed out to someone like Sven-Goran Eriksson or a composer or something. You have to be respected throughout all Scandinavian and Nordic countries.' Ms Jarman, who is separated from her husband, has been helping the Earl unearth a Roman villa in Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire. Since 2023, the pair have co-hosted The Rabbit Hole Detective, which is a historical podcast, alongside Reverend Richard Coles. The Countess has accused the Earl and Ms Jarman of trying to 'garner publicity for their relationship' using the press. She added that the MailOnline interview had been 'hopelessly inconsistent' with her claim. The defence reads: 'Deliberately disclosing the fact that she has MS to the world in a manner calculated to give it maximum publicity is not only entirely inconsistent with any claim to privacy, but it also nullifies the ostensible purpose of these proceedings.' The Countess has defended herself against Ms Jarman's accusations throughout. In June, the Earl revealed the 'immensely sad' news that he and his third wife Karen Gordon, 52, a Canadian philanthropist, were divorcing. The pair married in 2011 and Karen gave birth to his seventh child, Lady Charlotte, the following year. They married within the grounds of Althorp, where the Earl's older sister Princess Diana is buried. The couple had met the previous year on a blind date at a restaurant in Los Angeles. But their relationship is understood to have broken down amid the strain of him writing his harrowing memoir, A Very Private School, which details the abuse he suffered at boarding school.
Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
Experts issue urgent warning to Amazon shoppers over Airbnb gift card scam
Cyber security experts have issued a warning to Amazon users about a rising scam involving Airbnb gift cards, expected to increase over the summer. Criminals are impersonating friends and family using email 'spoofing' techniques to trick victims into buying gift cards on Amazon and sending them to scammers. Victims believe they're helping a loved one, only to later discover that the request was fake. Louise Hogood recently lost £350 in the scam after receiving what appeared to be an email from her elderly uncle. She said: 'I received an email which appeared to be from my elderly uncle, and it was his correct email address, so I didn't question whether it was him or not.' 'In the email, he asked for help with buying an Airbnb gift voucher on Amazon for his friend's daughter's birthday - which was that day - but he couldn't speak over the phone as he had laryngitis. He is so thoughtful, so it seemed like a legitimate email.' Louise didn't notice that during the back-and-forth, the scammer had changed the reply email address, and though it still contained her uncle's name, the domain was different. After sending the gift card, Louise received another message asking for a second round of funds, claiming the first wasn't enough for the accommodation her uncle's friend had decided on. To reassure her, the scammer sent a fake screenshot of a Lloyds Bank transfer that was supposed to show her uncle sending the money back to her. Louise said: 'That's when I knew it was a scam, it was a really bad Photoshop job with different fonts on it and weird colours.' Despite acting quickly and contacting Amazon, Airbnb and her bank, Louise was told there was nothing they could do. Amazon said the gift card had already been redeemed, and Airbnb said they had no record of the email it was sent to. She said: 'Amazon told me they couldn't do anything about it because the gift card had been sent to the receiver, and that I had to speak to Airbnb with it being a third-party supplier. 'When I phoned Airbnb, they looked for the user under the email address the gift card had been sent to. But as they couldn't find anyone on the platform, they said they couldn't do anything more. 'They did say if I could get a PIN number for the gift card, they could try and cancel it. So, I requested this from Amazon and spoke to Airbnb again.' When Louise tried again with more information, including the card's PIN, she was told Airbnb could not track it, as their gift cards are managed by a third party. She said: 'They told me that regardless of the PIN number, ID or any other information I provided, they couldn't do anything because their gift cards are handled by another company and therefore, they had no way of tracking it. 'As a final port of call I phoned Amazon again. They tried to resend a gift card to my email address, as it would then cancel the original one, but the scammer had already redeemed it.' Louise added: 'I couldn't believe that two of the biggest tech companies in the world, couldn't trace a gift card that had been acquired under a scam.' Cyber expert Sarah Knowles from Shift Key Cyber said scammers are getting more advanced, using AI to mimic writing styles, making it harder to spot fake messages. She said: 'Fraudsters are now taking advantage of the website's third-party suppliers and targeting their customers too. 'In this instance, a scammer is likely to have used an AI programme to replicate how Louise's elderly uncle tends to write his emails, so it sounds even more convincing.' 'It is not a coincidence that there is no way to track the Airbnb gift cards through Amazon or Airbnb, that is one of the main reasons for the scammers to carry out the attack. With summer holidays approaching, she advised Amazon shoppers and account holders on similar platforms to be extra cautious. Experts urge people never to buy gift cards based on email or text requests without confirming directly with the person. Suspected scams should be reported to your bank and Action Fraud immediately. It comes as tourists have been urged to be on their guard for a scam that preys on users – and could see them lose thousands. With the school holidays just around the corner, many Brits will have booked a summer getaway. But experts have warned that scammers using the platform are targeting holidaymakers by sending false messages and emails from hotel accounts.
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The mansions that could hit the market in Britain's billionaire exodus: From lavish country estates to luxury London townhouses, the UK properties owned by the super-rich as they flee Labour's tax raids
From a sprawling Georgian manor house with 220 acres of land to a £60million 'palace' dubbed ' London 's Taj Mahal' - these are some of the mansions owned by Britain's 'fleeing' billionaires. Several of the UK's richest residents have already left or announced plans to leave in the wake of Labour's tax raids, including the axing of the non-dom regime. Norwegian shipping magnate John Fredriksen recently put his £250million, 300-year-old Chelsea pile on sale after declaring that 'Britain has gone to hell'. But he is far from the only tycoon to be packing their bags, with research by New World Wealth suggesting the UK has lost 18 dollar billionaires over the last two years - more than any other country in the world. Brothers Ian and Richard Livingstone, who oversee a £9billion property empire in the UK and abroad, an online casino and plush Monte Carlo hotel, have quit Britain for Monaco. They are also the owners of Dropmore House, a grade I-listed manor in Buckinghamshire that was built in the 1790s for Lord William Grenville, who as Prime Minister pushed through the abolition of slavery. The stately pile, which was considered uninhabitable before a massive restoration in 2006-2008, includes 220 acres of beautiful grounds. The Livingstone brothers bought the house and the land in 2012, but there is no sign they are selling despite moving their tax residency. Another jewel in the crown of their £5.4million property portfolio is nearby Cliveden, the country house turned luxury hotel made famous by the 1960s Profumo scandal. Mr Mittal owns a superyacht called the Alaiya. It is more than 100 metres long Labour donor Laskhmi Mittal, who's been reported as telling friends that he would 'probably' leave the UK, owns a vast property portfolio that includes a Kensington mansion dubbed 'London's Taj Mahal'. Overlooking Kensington Palace, 8-19 Kensington Palace Gardens features 12 bedrooms and a swimming pool, and was considered the world's most expensive home shortly before Mr Mittal bought it for £60million in 2008. Featuring marble from the same quarry as that used for the Taj Mahal, the house used to be owned by the Rothschilds and F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, who reportedly sold up because his ex wife, Slavica, decided she didn't like it. But Mr Mittal clearly did, with the Indian-born billionaire going on to buy two more houses on the street, including number 9A for £117 and a second for £70million. He gave these to his son and daughter respectively. If he ever did ever sell up, it would be one of the biggest property deals seen in London. Another billionaire developer, Malawi-born Asif Aziz - owner of the former London Trocadero on Piccadilly Circus - moved his tax residency to Abu Dhabi at the end of last year. His vast property empire spans much of London's West End and includes Haymarket House in Soho and the Criterion Building, which houses the Criterion Theatre. Rachel Reeves ' October budget has been blamed for driving the exodus by abolishing the non-dom tax regime and imposing inheritance tax on the worldwide assets of foreigners who have lived in Britain for more than 10 years. And one leading tax advisor has warned that the flood of billionaires out of Britain could increase even further if Labour decides to impose a wealth tax - a move Sir Keir Starmer has notably refused to rule out. David Lesperance, the founder of tax and immigration advisory Lesperance and Partners, said 50 per cent of his 'ultra-high net worth' clients had already departed the UK since Labour came to power and predicted half that number again would flee the imposition of a wealth tax. 'A large group moved because of the inheritance tax changes, but some decided they would be able to mitigate the hit because they were young, could get insurance to cover it, or could take advantage of some of the tax solutions available,' he told MailOnline. 'But if you bring in a wealth tax, that mitigation is neutralised, so it's another force that will drive those who haven't already left to leave. 'The general public might not mind the idea of wealthy people leaving, but the reality is that in a progressive tax system you are extremely dependent on a tiny number of taxpayers, so if they leave it will have a huge impact on tax revenue. 'And at the same time these golden geese feel they're being driven out of the UK, other countries are promising to offer them a better tax deal. 'If a wealth tax comes in, ultra-high net worth people will say ''London is nice, but not that nice'' and head to all the countries who are actively welcoming them.' Mr Lesperance pointed out that wealth taxes - which are levied on the total value of an individuals' assets - are 'very difficult to administer', with many nations who have brought in the levies subsequently repealing them. Given this, he believes Ms Reeves is more likely to introduce an exit tax - which takes the form of a one-off fee on people moving their tax residency to another country. 'When you have a wealth tax, people will give the lowest figure possible for the value of their assets, and if HMRC wants to challenge it, that will take time and money,' he said. 'I don't see a wealth tax because it won't be good for the goal of maximising revenue. 'I would say it's more likely the Autumn Statement could include an exit tax. But if that happens, advisors will be telling their clients to leave before it comes in.' Several billionaires have been open about their reasons for leaving, with Aston Villa's Egyptian co-owner Nassef Sawiris blaming Labour's inheritance tax clampdown and a 'decade of incompetence' under the Tories. Britain's ninth richest billionaire, John Fredriksen, declared last month that Britain had 'gone to hell' as he explained his reasons for moving his shipping firm from London to the United Arab Emirates. The Norwegian had previously run his private firm, Seatankers Management, from an office in Sloane Square. But he told newspaper E24 that the UK had become a worse place to do business. 'It's starting to remind me more and more of Norway,' he said. 'Britain has gone to hell, like Norway. 'People should get up and work even more, and go to the office instead of having a home office.' Mr Fredriksen, 81, is currently in the process of selling his London home, the Old Rectory in Chelsea, reports The Times. Nestled on Chelsea's oldest street in west London, the property boasts 30,000-square-feet of space, including 10 bedrooms and a ballroom, alongside a two-acre garden. Experts believe that a listing of the prestigious home is unlikely to appear on popular property listing sites but instead will be sold in an 'off-market' private deal delivered by specialist agents. A spokesman for Fredriksen declined to comment on whether the Old Rectory was on sale or claims that domestic staff had already been let go. In May, The Sunday Times Rich List estimated that the UK had 156 billionaires, down from 165 the year before and the largest annual drop since the list began in 1989. Putting an exact figure on the number of billionaires leaving the country is complicated by the difficulty of calculating an individuals' wealth and working out their tax residency if they do not make this information public. It comes as new figures showed the number of non-dom taxpayers in the UK dipped last year prior to the Government clamping down on the tax status, official figures show. There were about 73,700 people claiming non-domiciled tax status in the year ending in April last year, according to estimates from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). This was 400 fewer than the 2022-23 tax year, or a dip of about 0.5 per cent. The number of non-doms, according to self-assessment tax returns, stood 3,900 below that in the tax year ending 2020. It indicates a slowdown in the number of people claiming the tax status following a post-pandemic resurgence. Non-domiciled means UK residents whose permanent home, or their 'domicile' for tax purposes, is outside the UK. The regime meant that so-called non-doms paid tax in the UK only on income generated in the UK - meaning any income earned overseas was exempt from British taxation. However, the Labour Government abolished the non-dom tax status in April following backlash that wealthy residents could enjoy the benefits of living in the UK without paying as much tax. Previous chancellor Jeremy Hunt estimated that scrapping the regime would raise about £2.7billion for the Treasury by 2028-29. HMRC's data published on Thursday showed that some £9billion was raised from non-doms paying income tax, capital gains tax and national insurance last year. This was a £107million increase on the prior year, despite the dip in the number of individuals. Even so, campaigners insist HRMC will suffer in the long-term if some of Britain's biggest taxpayers are driven out. Leslie MacLeod-Miller runs Foreign Investors for Britain (FIFB), a lobby group set up after the July general election. He told MailOnline: 'Wealth is already shifting to countries like Italy, Dubai, and Switzerland. 'The government needs to show bold leadership and implement a bold policy change before Britain's 'golden geese' take their 'golden eggs' abroad to other countries that are actively courting them. 'The Office for Budget Responsibility warned this July that continued reliance on this small population of top taxpayers represents a growing fiscal risk. 'The government needs to act now, talk of a wealth tax will only increase the exodus of this high income – and high investing, employing and growth-creating group. Fiscal sense rather than ideology needs to prevail.'
