Police drop rape case against ex-MP Crispin Blunt
Mr Blunt said at the time of his arrest he would "co-operate fully" with the investigation and was "confident" he would not be charged.He was first elected to parliament in 1997 as a Conservative. He had the Tory whip withdrawn following the arrest and stood as an independent MP.He did not contest the 2024 general election.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Reading anti-social behaviour clampdown consultation opens
A consultation on plans to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in a town, including aggressive begging and street drinking, has been Borough Council wants to introduce a public spaces protection order (PSPO), which it said would make it easier to stop nuisance behaviour and is supported by Rowland, chair of the council's community safety partnership, said the order would give police officers the power to halt behaviour "that causes residents undue anxiety, nuisance or distress" and urged people to share their consultation is open for responses until 7 September. PSPOs give police and local authorities powers to address anti-social behaviour in public the plans, Thames Valley Police officers would be able to ask people drinking and causing nuisance or disorder to stop and hand over any containers believed to contain would also give the force more powers to stop e-bike and e-scooter riders purposely causing distress or nuisance, the council would make begging subject to enforcement and it would make it an offence to not pick up after your dog. or hold your dog on a lead if ordered to."Street drinking and begging, dog fouling and proper dog control, along with the aggravated misuse of mechanically propelled micro-mobility vehicles such as e-bikes and e-scooters are all issues that are increasingly upsetting residents," said Ms said while a PSPO was not a "panacea to cure all those ills" it was "another very useful tool to allow officers the powers they need to halt the worst of anti-social misbehaviour that causes residents undue anxiety, nuisance or distress". You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
GB News overtakes BBC for first time to become Britain's most watched TV news channel
GB News has overtaken the BBC for the first time to become Britain's number one TV news channel. New figures show that GB News beat both the Beeb and Sky News in terms of viewing figures during key slots in July. It marks the first time BBC News has been overtaken by GB News for an entire month and comes just after the start-up broadcaster celebrated its fourth birthday. The figures have come from the television industry's BARB ratings, which track total share and average views. They show that GB News pulled in an average audience of 80,600 across each day in July. This compares to BBC News which had 78,700 viewers in the same month and Sky News with 67,000. GB News also came out on top during the breakfast show and primetime weekday evenings from 6pm to 11pm, as well as during the Sunday morning political slot. The Camilla Tominey Show, which runs from 9.30am to 11am on Sundays, secured an average of 123,900 views. This was 21 per cent higher than the equivalent programme on the BCC which had an average of 102,780 viewers. Ben Briscoe, GB News' Head of Programming, commented: 'This is a seismic moment, not just for us, but for British broadcasting. 'We are ending the dominance of the BBC News Channel and Sky News. 'And there's more to come. Starting in September, GB News will expand its programming with the launch of a brand new show from Washington DC, taking our coverage to an even wider audience.' GB News was launched in 2021 and has rapidly grown into a major player in the UK media landscape. It was the first new entrant into the UK's media sector in more than three decades, and has also expanded to become a national radio network. The TV channel's success also comes as increasing numbers of Brits switch from watching live TV to streaming. Figures released by the watchdog Ofcom this week revealed that people are spending four per cent less time watching broadcast TV in 2024 than in 2023. However, GB News's surging viewing figures come amid a series of disputes the channel is locked in with Ofcom. Last year, GB News was handed a £100,000 fine for breaching impartiality rules in a programme featuring Rishi Sunak. It followed an appearance by Mr Sunak on a February 12 broadcast called People's Forum: The Prime Minister, where he was asked questions by a studio audience. An earlier investigation by Ofcom found that 'an appropriately wide range of significant viewpoints was not presented and given due weight'. Meanwhile in February, GB News won a High Court battle against Ofcom after it ruled the channel had breached impartiality rules in a programme presented by Jacob Rees-Mogg. The judge ruled that the initial decisions which were made in May and June 2023 were unlawful. Furthermore in 2023, GB News received 7,300 complaints and launched an internal investigation after former host Laurence Fox made a series of remarks about a female journalist. The actor-turned-activist apologised for a 'demeaning' sexist rant about political correspondent Ms Evans, which included him asking 'who would want to sh*g that?. Fox said he was angry with Ms Evans over comments she made on a BBC debate around male suicide and alleged she had a 'dislike of men in general', but apologised for 'demeaning her'. Addressing the situation in a video posted to X, he said: 'If I was going to be sensible and I could replay it, I would say: 'Any self-respecting man in 2023 would probably be well advised to avoid a woman who possessed that worldview because she would probably cause him nothing but harm'. 'But what I did say was, you know, 'I wouldn't shag that', and all that sort of stuff, which is not right. It's demeaning to her, to Ava, so I'm sorry for demeaning you in that way. 'However angry I am with you still for doing that, and it demeans me because it's not representative of who I am.'
The Guardian
21 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Protesters oppose one another at London hotel housing asylum seekers
Anti-racism demonstrators have turned out in large numbers outside a London hotel where asylum seekers are being housed to counter-protest against those opposed to it being used as Home Office accommodation. Both groups of protesters gathered near the Thistle City Barbican hotel in Islington, north London. The Metropolitan police said the anti-hotel protest was organised by a number of people under the banner 'Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no', but it has since been endorsed by groups from outside the area. Online groups that have voiced support for the protest include Patriots of Britain and Together for the Children. One speaker at the anti-hotel protest, which had a turnout of about 100 people, claimed counter-protesters had been paid by 'the Labour government and the trade unions' to attend. Some of those who gathered across the road from the hotel wore Mega (Make England great again) hats and one man was heard chanting 'Get these scum off our streets' towards the hotel. Directly outside the hotel, hundreds of people attended a counter-protest organised by Stand Up to Racism and supported by the former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is the MP for Islington North, located on the other side of the borough. They far outnumbered the anti-hotel protesters. Some people in the hotel could be seen watching the demonstration from their windows. Sarah Bailey, 63, who is retired, held a sign that said: 'To everyone in the hotel, you are valued, wanted [and] welcome. 'I know somebody that has connections with this hotel. I thought it was so important, because I realised they would be looking out of the windows, that we send a positive sign saying you are all these three things. 'I think it's so important to show people that have come here seeking safety and protection that they are welcome and to stand up to those who scare and bully them,' she said. Pat Prendergast, 21, said: 'I want people to feel safe. I think the [anti-hotel protesters] over there are making people feel unsafe. I want to stand up in solidarity and say that, you know, we want people here.' A separate group of masked protesters, dressed in black and chanting 'we are anti-fascist', appeared from a sidestreet and marched towards the anti-hotel demonstration. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The Met said plans were in place to 'respond to any protest activity in the vicinity of other hotels in London being used to accommodate asylum seekers'. A protest and counter-protest was also due in Newcastle outside the New Bridge hotel on Saturday. There were also posts online advertising a 'For our children, for our future' protest in Newcastle on Saturday outside the hotel. A 'stop the far right and fascists in Newcastle' counter-protest has been organised by Stand Up to Racism at the nearby Laing art gallery. On Friday evening, about 100 people attended a protest outside the Stanwell hotel in Spelthorne. Surrey police said a packet of lit firelighters was thrown at officers at the demonstration. The force added that a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted arson and inquiries were continuing to trace another suspect.
