Latest news with #PaulSmith
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Two held on suspicion of murder after death of dad-of-five
Two men have bee held as part of a murder investigation into the death of a father-of-five. The body of Paul Smith, 40, who was also known as Smigger, was found at a property on Thirlmere Road in Everton, Liverpool, on was described by his family as an "amazing father" with a "huge heart". Two men from Liverpool, one 43 and one 60, are in custody for questioning. A post mortem examination is to be carried out to establish the cause of Mr Smith's death, Merseyside Police said. 'Contagious smile' In a tribute, Mr Smith's family said his children "adored him", adding he was "a loving, supportive partner and a devoted son, always striving to provide for his family". They added: "Paul had a huge heart. He was the life and soul of the party, charming and warm to everyone he met."He will be mourned and missed by many, friends and family alike." 'Full of love' His family also described him as a "loving brother" adding he devoted his time and love to supporting his elder and younger siblings. "He was the glue that bonded his siblings together with his contagious smile and crazy personality. "He will be greatly missed and forever remembered for being the outgoing loving sibling and son he was."Det Ch Insp Steve Ball said: "We are determined to find out exactly what happened, and I would urge anyone with information to come forward at the earliest opportunity so prompt action can be taken."If you live locally and saw or heard anything suspicious, or have since heard talk of what happened, speak to us."He added: "What seems like a trivial detail could be absolutely vital." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Tony and Cherie Blair given nearly £50k discount on designer clothes
Sir Tony and Cherie Blair were given nearly £50,000 in discounts on designer clothes during his second term in office, newly-released official files have revealed. Cabinet Office papers from the National Archives show that Sir Tony had to pay thousands of pounds to cover the discount or risk breaking ministerial rules after receiving cut-price Paul Smith and Nicole Farhi garments. Officials feared the discounts could open 'a real can of worms' and Sir Tony was eventually advised to pay the difference of £7,000 in savings he had benefited from. Civil servants advised it was not necessary for Lady Blair, a top barrister, to pay the remaining savings they had identified because she received no preferential treatment. The huge discounts of up to 60 per cent off were negotiated by Carole Caplin, Lady Blair's controversial friend and style adviser, who bought clothes for her at wholesale prices from seven designers. The garments Sir Tony received discounts on are thought to include a striped blue jumper he was mocked for during the 2002 Commonwealth Summit in Coolum, Australia, as well as a Paul Smith suit he wore during the trip. According to the previously confidential papers released on Tuesday, between July 2001 and December 2002, Sir Tony received a 60 per cent discount from Nicole Farhi and a 25 per cent discount from Paul Smith. The files say that the couple bought clothes from Nicole Farhi at £8,021.50, less than half the retail price of £20,855. In a letter to the former prime minister in February 2003, Clare Sumner, a No 10 official, noted that the discount of £12,834, was so large it was 'more than the total amount you actually spent'. 'In terms of public perception the amounts involved are quite large,' she said before detailing discounts given to Sir Tony's wife. After Labour came to power, there were several media reports which quoted friends saying Lady Blair felt she had to spend a fortune on outfits for official engagements and believed the press would criticise her for looking frumpy. The records show that between July 2001 and November 2002, Lady Blair spent thousands on a range of clothes from six top designers. Ms Sumner said she had been through credit card statements and identified she had bought £21,746.50 of clothes from James Lakeland, Paul Smith, Paddy Campbell, Tanner Krolle, Janet Thurston and Barbara Bui. Lady Blair received a range of clothes for less than half the retail price of £55,149.23 and Ms Sumner noted that the £33,402 difference was 'not available to most members of the public' which was the test in the MPs' code. Ms Sumner said that critics could argue that 'this is available to you in part because you are the Prime Minister and this then plays into the spirit of the Ministerial code.' She noted that Ms Caplin was paid a salary to secure deals and this should be taken into account while it could be argued that other people with a public profile could buy clothes with similar arrangements. 'We are not arguing that anything has been done wrong, indeed nothing has been,' she said. 'The issue is one of public perception and what is available generally. No one could argue that these discounts influence policy thinking but people could argue that you get discounts as you are the Prime Minister. They could argue you promote designers' clothes. And that Cherie is benefiting from her role as PM's spouse.' Sir Tony was given four options ranging from 'do nothing' and having 'no defence' for failing to register the benefit to paying everything back. He was advised to take the option where he paid back his discounts in full so there would be 'nothing to declare' or publish the gifts. Lady Blair was advised to divide her purchases 50/50 as she was 'part spouse of the PM, part career woman' and pay the public half. 'The amount payable would be just over £28k (around £10k for you and just over £18k for Cherie),' it was suggested. 'Opening a can of worms' Sir Tony was urged to take the first option despite the 'downside' of the amount of money to pay back, which officials noted they 'would need to take care that this did not generate a story in itself'. The then prime minister was warned that pursuing another option 'opens a real can of worms' and if there was a complaint the 'damage here would be to you as the MP, and PM'. 'Worse case scenario is you may have to give evidence to the committee on clothes – unlikely but still possible,' she added. In April 2003, Ms Sumner suggested the best way forward was for Sir Tony to issue cheques of £1,166 to Paul Smith and £6,532 to Nicole Farhi, which he agreed to pay. Senior civil servants later said they were satisfied that Lady Blair received 'no preferential or beneficial treatment in her role as prime minister's wife' and did not need to pay the discounts back. It was agreed, however, that the suppliers would in future have to sign confidentiality agreements to ensure there was no incentive for them to provide goods cheaply in order to exploit the fact they the prime minister's wife wore their clothes. Ms Sumner wrote: 'For you, we still think the simplest thing is to pay for your clothes in full and that Carole should be made aware of this for the future.' Sir Tony was advised if asked by the press to say that clothes shopping was a 'personal matter' and neither had received 'preferential treatment' from designers. The Blairs' fashion sense has been subject of much discussion over the years with Alastair Campbell, Sir Tony's former adviser, once describing the former prime minister as 'looking like a prat' in a Nicole Farhi suit. Mr Campbell has also previously told how Sir Tony brought a Paul Smith coat to a visit to Putin's dacha in 2002 but chose not to wear it after being advised it would be all the media would talk about. By accepting the civil servants' advice and paying back the discounts for the clothes, Sir Tony managed to avoid a row similar to the questions Sir Keir Starmer faced in 2024 over donations of clothes from Lord Waheed Alli. Sir Keir was given clothes worth £32,000 from the Labour peer while Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, accepted thousands of pounds worth of free clothing. Both Sir Tony and Lady Blair said they had nothing to add and advice was sought and followed at the time.
Fashion Network
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Paul Smith introduces Art of Travel for summer campaign
has launched a summer campaign entitled 'Art of Travel', with British actor Daniel Ings signed to 'bring the campaign to life'. A friend of the fashion house and its signature founder, Ings' 'humorous nature and witty demeanour are the traits that align with the British design house and bring the campaign to life in quintessentially British way'. He takes the viewer on an emotional journey as he embarks on the relatable travel rituals. Taking cues from an off-screen voice, 'he comically expresses this range of emotions in each of our three scenarios' - packing at home, on the way to the airport [Heathrow Terminal 5], and eventually making it to the departures. Alongside Ings, the campaign features a range of Paul Smith hero pieces – British Tailoring such as our checked work-wear jacket, A Suit to Travel In and pieces from our Made in England knitwear collection mixed with the well known Signature Stripe offer. The brand noted that 'travel remains a key message for Paul Smith… Ever since launching the Suit to Travel In, it has remained a priority to continuously develop and perfect the offering'. That means it's now available in a range of colours and styles. The campaign was shot by Jonathan Daniel Pryce, video by Andy Donohoe & Thomas Wootton, stylist was Ben Schofield with grooming – by Nick Barford. Meanwhile, July also marks the launch of the first Paul Smith luggage collection. Created in collaboration with South-Korean company RawRow, their signature aluminium trunks have been given a Paul Smith twist.
Fashion Network
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Paul Smith introduces Art of Travel for summer campaign
has launched a summer campaign entitled 'Art of Travel', with British actor Daniel Ings signed to 'bring the campaign to life'. A friend of the fashion house and its signature founder, Ings' 'humorous nature and witty demeanour are the traits that align with the British design house and bring the campaign to life in quintessentially British way'. He takes the viewer on an emotional journey as he embarks on the relatable travel rituals. Taking cues from an off-screen voice, 'he comically expresses this range of emotions in each of our three scenarios' - packing at home, on the way to the airport [Heathrow Terminal 5], and eventually making it to the departures. Alongside Ings, the campaign features a range of Paul Smith hero pieces – British Tailoring such as our checked work-wear jacket, A Suit to Travel In and pieces from our Made in England knitwear collection mixed with the well known Signature Stripe offer. The brand noted that 'travel remains a key message for Paul Smith… Ever since launching the Suit to Travel In, it has remained a priority to continuously develop and perfect the offering'. That means it's now available in a range of colours and styles. The campaign was shot by Jonathan Daniel Pryce, video by Andy Donohoe & Thomas Wootton, stylist was Ben Schofield with grooming – by Nick Barford. Meanwhile, July also marks the launch of the first Paul Smith luggage collection. Created in collaboration with South-Korean company RawRow, their signature aluminium trunks have been given a Paul Smith twist.
Fashion Network
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Paul Smith introduces Art of Travel for summer campaign
has launched a summer campaign entitled 'Art of Travel', with British actor Daniel Ings signed to 'bring the campaign to life'. A friend of the fashion house and its signature founder, Ings' 'humorous nature and witty demeanour are the traits that align with the British design house and bring the campaign to life in quintessentially British way'. He takes the viewer on an emotional journey as he embarks on the relatable travel rituals. Taking cues from an off-screen voice, 'he comically expresses this range of emotions in each of our three scenarios' - packing at home, on the way to the airport [Heathrow Terminal 5], and eventually making it to the departures. Alongside Ings, the campaign features a range of Paul Smith hero pieces – British Tailoring such as our checked work-wear jacket, A Suit to Travel In and pieces from our Made in England knitwear collection mixed with the well known Signature Stripe offer. The brand noted that 'travel remains a key message for Paul Smith… Ever since launching the Suit to Travel In, it has remained a priority to continuously develop and perfect the offering'. That means it's now available in a range of colours and styles. The campaign was shot by Jonathan Daniel Pryce, video by Andy Donohoe & Thomas Wootton, stylist was Ben Schofield with grooming – by Nick Barford. Meanwhile, July also marks the launch of the first Paul Smith luggage collection. Created in collaboration with South-Korean company RawRow, their signature aluminium trunks have been given a Paul Smith twist.
