RAF chief to be named as new head of Armed Forces
Sir Richard Knighton will be announced as the next Chief of the Defence Staff, The Telegraph understands.
The current Chief of the Air Staff was interviewed alongside General Sir Roly Walker, the head of the Army, to become the new professional head of the British military.
The Telegraph understands that the Prime Minister has selected Sir Richard to become the new Chief of the Defence Staff when Admiral Sir Tony Radakin stands down in the autumn.
It is understood that Sir Roly, who has only been Chief of the General Staff for a year, 'interviewed well' but was not considered to have served in the role long enough to be promoted to the top chief position.
Sir Richard, who as a non-pilot made history as the first engineer to hold the top job within the RAF, will take over as Chief of the Defence Staff later in the year.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: 'This is speculation. The appointment process is ongoing and any announcement will be made in the usual way.'
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Times
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From the archive: Bargemen sail into history
From The Times: June 30, 2025 The Thames bargeman, butt of wits and inspiration of old song-writers, is going out with the tide. Sails are being superseded by motors, and slow craft by more speedy. The change was inevitable, but when the old-fashioned barge has disappeared, the river will have lost some of its pretty variety. The barge's beauty has beckoned to many of our marine artists, who have depicted them in ballast, or so heavily laden that their decks are almost awash, or towering high with hay. Nowadays, indeed, a barge with bulky cargo is easier found in a picture than on the river. Bigger vessels bear off the bigger loads, and there is always the railway and motor lorry to offer quicker transport. Yet, with a fair wind and a heavy freight, there is no cheerier being than the Thames bargee, though he will not stand nonsense from those who are independent of the wind. A question of the 'rule of the road' has caused many a heated argument between bargeman and 'brass bound' skipper, perched high on the bridge of a passing tramp-steamers. And seldom has the bargee been scant of words or lost the palm for thrustful repartee. Whenever the time comes for the river to be bereft of sailing-barges, none will be more thankful than masters of tramp-steamers and others of their kind. These dignitaries are apt to forget that the type which mans the barges helped to make London the chief city of the Empire long before steam was thought of. While yet we have the barge with us, it might be well to revive the races between Gravesend and the Nore. Until about 14 years ago they were an annual feature. It was the day of the year when the barges looked their best, with hulls showing a lavish use of tar, blacklead, and paint, and sails testifying to abundant treatment with red ochre. All the waterside workers and their wives and families were there; and of musical instruments as many as could be carried. With a fair wind there was always the chance of excitement. Great was the applause when a favourite by clever tactics managed to 'blanket' a rival. The race called for expert seamanship and quick decision, barges when light being rather difficult to handle; a moment's hesitation in a turn of the helm or in easing halliards might have serious consequences. Explore 200 years of history as it appeared in the pages of The Times, from 1785 to 1985:
The Guardian
2 hours ago
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Streeting condemns anti-IDF chants at Glastonbury but says ‘Israel should get its own house in order'
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Streeting said what people should be talking about in the context of Israel and Gaza is the humanitarian catastrophe in the territory and the fact that Israeli settlers attacked a Christian village in the West Bank this week. 'All life is sacred. And I find it pretty revolting we've got to a state in this conflict where you're supposed to sort of cheer on one side or the other like it's a football team,' he said. Asked about the Israel embassy's response to the chants at Glastonbury, he said: 'Well, I'd say sort of two things in response to those words from the Israeli embassy. Firstly, I do think that if I take the equivalent of the war in Ukraine, I'm unequivocal about which side of that war I'm on. I want Ukraine to win. Would I be celebrating or chanting for the death of Russian soldiers? No, I want to see an end to the war, and I want to see an end to the conflict. 'I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank. So, you know, I think there's a serious point there by the Israeli embassy I take seriously. I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously.' Police are examining videos of comments made by the acts Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury as the festival enters its third day. On Saturday the rapper Bobby Vylan, of the rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds at the festival's West Holts stage in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]'. Describing himself as a 'violent punk', he said: 'Sometimes we have to get our message across with violence because that's the only language some people speak, unfortunately.' Glastonbury organisers said on Sunday that the act had crossed a line. 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Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Ó hAnnaidh told the crowd on Saturday: 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man!' He added: 'If anybody falls down, you've got to pick them up. We've got to keep each other safe.' He thanked the Eavis family, the festival's organisers, for 'holding strong' and allowing their performance to go ahead. Avon and Somerset police said: 'We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury festival this afternoon. Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.' The Israeli embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury festival'. A statement on X said: 'Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out – especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms. 'Chants such as 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the state of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination. When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence. 'We call on Glastonbury festival organisers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred.' Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative party leader, called the scenes 'grotesque', and said: 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The west is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked.' 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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Albanian burglar with almost 50 convictions wins the right to stay in the UK as 'his crimes weren't extreme enough to "revolt" the public'
An Albanian burglar with nearly 50 convictions has won the right to stay in the UK as 'his crimes were not extreme enough to "revolt" the public'. Zenel Beshi has been dubbed a 'genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat' to the UK by the Home Office, which said he should be deported. But upper immigration tribunal judge Leonie Hirst found his crimes were not of the 'very extreme' type that would cause 'deep public revulsion' - and let him stay. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the ruling was 'out of touch' as Beshi is 'clearly a danger to the British public', The Telegraph reports. 'It's time these judges started to prioritise protecting law-abiding British citizens instead of foreign criminals', he said. Mr Philp added foreign criminals, no matter where their crime was committed, should all be sent back to their country of origin, 'no ifs, no buts'. It comes as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper proposes to change the law to make it harder to allow foreign citizens to stay in the UK on a human rights claim. Her suggested scheme would oblige judges to consider public safety more in such decisions. Beshi came to the UK in August 2020 - three years after he received a six-year prison sentence in Turin, Italy. As well as robbery and false imprisonment, he had been jailed for 44 counts of burglary and theft. But he failed to disclose his previous convictions upon his arrival in Britain. The Albanian applied for a European Economic Area (EEA) residence card, on the grounds he was a spouse of an EEA national. He was granted this, after his application was initially refused and he appealed. While he waited to hear back on this appeal, he applied for leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme. The Home Office, though, decided to deport him as a threat to the British public. Beshi appealed, which was upheld by a first tier tribunal, after a psychologist said he did not in fact constitute a 'serious threat' to society. They also said he posed a 'low risk' of reoffending. Ms Cooper appealed this decision - but an upper tribunal has now found Beshi not disclosing his previous convictions is of 'little relevance'. Judge Hirst said the deportation threshold and notions of rehabilitation had been applied correctly. She also lauded the legal arguments behind the decision to allow Beshi to stay as 'detailed, clear and well-structured'. The judge found there was no legal mistake to require overturning the decision - and allowed the criminal to remain. Almost half of Brits have no confidence that the police will show up if their home was burgled, a poll revealed earlier this year. Some 46 per cent of adults said they did not believe a home burglary would be properly investigated, with 49 per cent saying the same for car thefts. When looking at pensioners, with 54 per cent of those aged 65 or older expressing a lack of confidence in officers attending their property. And fears are not unjustified, as police failed to solve 94 per cent of burglary cases in 2023/24, according to Home Office figures. Just 16,912 (six per cent) of 266,215 recorded burglaries resulted in a charge. In nearly three-quarters of cases police officers were unable to even identify a suspect, and a further 15 per cent ran into evidential difficulties after a suspect was identified. Reported burglaries have fallen in the past decade, from around 444,000 in 2013/14 to the more than 266,000 in 2023/24. Meanwhile, 13 per cent of people move house because they cannot bear to stay in their home after it has been burgled. A similar proportion have said they are unable to stand being home alone after their house has been invaded. A Home Office spokesperson has previously said: 'We do not agree with this judgment and are considering options for appeal. 'Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that we will do everything to make sure they are not free on Britain's streets, including removal from the UK at the earliest opportunity.'
