独家报道 发自雅典的 Vivek Chaudhary 和 Andy Jehring
一名乘小船抵达希腊的阿富汗拳击手因涉嫌谋杀一名英国传教士而被逮捕。 26 岁的夏里夫·艾哈迈德扎伊被怀疑杀害了 38 岁的伊丽莎白-简·罗斯，随后将其尸体放入一个行李箱中，并将其丢弃在一栋废弃建筑内。 闭路电视监控录像据称显示，他带着那个箱子离开了罗斯女士居住的公寓，并将其丢在发现遗骸的地方。
宗教：夏里夫·艾哈迈德扎伊和阿拉娜·霍尔在雅典经营一个传教机构
嫌疑人及其美国妻子
提前释放 儿童色情者和杀手
作者：杰森·格罗夫斯 (Jason Groves) 政治编辑
安迪·伯纳姆昨晚批准数千名杀手、暴徒和恋童癖者提前出狱。上个月，在公众对两名杀害安德鲁·哈珀警官的凶手拟议获释表示强烈抗议后，首相暂停了这一极具争议的计划。经过紧急审查，强奸犯和最严重的性犯罪者现在将被排除在提前释放计划之外。但唐宁街 (英国首相府) 昨晚确认，包括杀手和家暴者在内的数千名其他严重罪犯的提前释放将于今年秋季进行。该计划将包括释放三名杀害哈珀警官的青少年凶手中的两人；哈珀警官在 2019 被拖在车后行驶了一英多米。他的遗孀利西 (Lissie) 上个月表示，他们获释的前景“让我感到恶心”。伯纳姆先生承认提前释放计划给受害者带来了“愤怒、焦虑和痛苦”。他表示，将强奸犯和最严重的恋童癖者排除在外是“重大改变”，但同时也承认“人们对于其他罪犯刑期缩短仍会有顾虑”。首相表示他“希望能采取更进一步的措施”，但补充道：“如果不这么做，监狱系统将达到饱和并崩溃，这将使公共安全面临更大的风险。”
保守党领导人凯米·巴德诺克表示：“安迪·伯纳姆因为同意不释放强奸犯和儿童性犯罪者而想要赢得掌声。但他得不到。”这意味着数千名严重罪犯在被考虑释放前通常需要服刑三分之二的刑期，而现在在仅服刑一半后就将被释放。“这仅仅是部分让步。得益于工党的提前释放计划，杀手、暴力罪犯、恐吓伴侣的男性以及更多此类人员仍将在 10 月走出监狱。较轻的罪犯通常需要服刑一半，现在仅在服刑三分之一后就将被释放。受害者再次通过新闻稿得知自己的命运。这些恐怖罪行的受害者经历了数周的不确定和恐惧。他们理应得到更好的对待。”
尽管实施计划已推迟到 10 月，但该系统的变更旨在成为永久性的。家庭暴力事务专员尼古尔·雅各布斯女爵表示：“决定不将家暴施害者排除在这一计划之外是错误的，且会让受害者的生命陷入危险。”司法大臣亚历克斯·诺里斯表示，提前获释人员在出狱后将面临“更严厉的监督”，包括佩戴电子脚镣、设置禁区和随机药物检测。
提前释放计划
[图注] 窃笑：阿尔伯特·鲍尔斯 (Albert Bowers，左) 和杰西·科尔 (Jessie Cole)
涵盖了过失杀人、家庭暴力、儿童色情、贩毒和故意伤害等定罪人员。伯纳姆先生坚称，保障公共安全是他的“首要任务”。但他表示，监狱危机使得提前释放不可避免。诺里斯先生已被要求“加速”监狱建设规划，但昨晚并未详细说明这在实践中意味着什么。首相承诺将“交付自维多利亚时代以来最快速的监狱建设规划，并采取必要措施解决监狱危机”。但未能阻止杀害哈珀警官的凶手提前获释，可能会让人质疑他的判断力。这名 28 岁的警官在 2019 年 8 月响应伯克希尔郡关于一辆被盗四轮摩托车的报告后被杀害。“这令人厌恶。”在被卷入一辆逃逸车上的绑带后，他遭受了极其严重的伤害。
由被判处 16 年监禁的亨利·隆格（Henry Long）所为。隆格的同伙杰西·科尔（Jessie Cole）和阿尔伯特·鲍尔斯（Albert Bowers）均在 2020 年因过失杀人被判处 13 年监禁。但这对在审判期间被拍到在大笑的人，现在将在接下来的几个月内获释。昨晚，利西·哈珀（Lissie Harper）表示：“这太令人厌恶了。部长们怎么敢说一名警官被杀还不算作足以 deserving 最严厉惩罚的‘令人作呕的罪行’。” 使用化学阉割来“帮助管理性犯罪驱动因素”的地区数量将增加一倍。缓刑监督员还将获得权力，禁止某些罪犯开车、出入酒吧和参加足球赛。“政府对安德鲁·哈珀警官及其他受害者及其亲人所表现出的不尊重程度，简直令人不齿。” 安迪·伯纳姆先生宣布的这些变化预计将使被列入提前释放名单的严重罪犯人数减少约 1,000 到 5,000 人。影子司法大臣尼克·蒂莫西（Nick Timothy）对禁止强奸犯参加该计划的决定表示欢迎，但称政府的让步“还远远不够”。强奸犯以及被判定犯有最严重儿童性犯罪和诱骗团伙罪的人员现在将被排除在提前释放条款之外。然而，数以千计的其他严重罪犯仍可期待提前获得自由。这些人包括
[图注] 愤怒：利西·哈珀与已故丈夫安德鲁在一起，她对提前释放的决定表示强烈谴责
他补充道：“安迪·伯纳姆担任首相后的首批行动之一，就是让数以千计的罪犯——包括杀手和儿童色情狂——提前出狱。”
Daily Mail, Tuesday, August 4, 2026
作者：Olivia Kemp 演艺圈记者
他们两人距离彼此度假的去处可能只有五分钟的步行路程。 但看来戴维和维多利亚·贝克汉姆与他们关系疏远的儿子布鲁克林之间仍隔着巨大的鸿沟。 这位 51 岁的前英格兰队队长和 52 岁的前辣妹团成员在不知情的情况下，追随了布鲁克林及其妻子尼古拉·佩尔茨的足迹——两对夫妇在各自的假期中访问了法国里维埃拉的同一个角落。
27 岁的布鲁克林和 31 岁的尼古拉周四被拍到与埃尔顿·约翰爵士的丈夫大卫·弗尼什在圣特罗佩漫步，随后他们在冰淇淋店 Barbarac 购买了甜点，并在奢侈时尚品牌 Jacquemus 店内浏览衣架。
两天后，戴维爵士和贝克汉姆夫人手牵手被拍到，地点距离此处仅五分钟步行路程。他们经过甜品店 The Pirate’s Candies，随后前往附近受欢迎的 Cherry 餐厅。 维多利亚穿着一件丝绸材质的酒红色吊带裙，搭配一只装饰有羽毛的爱马仕 Kelly 鸵鸟皮手拿包、露趾细高跟鞋和超大号护目镜太阳镜；而戴维则选择了白色 T 恤、米色裤子和白色运动鞋。
两次访问相隔 48 小时，从而避免了在长期存在的家庭裂痕中可能出现的尴尬相遇。
在与父母及兄弟姐妹断绝关系后，布鲁克林已连续第二年缺席贝克汉姆一家乘坐价值 £16 百万英镑游艇的年度夏季度假。
相反，他加入了教父 79 岁的埃尔顿爵士在法国海岸外的游艇之行。周六，他与尼古拉被拍到在甲板上与这位巨星以及 63 岁的弗尼什先生聊天。
冷落：布鲁克林和他的妻子加入了教父埃尔顿·约翰爵士的游艇之旅
与此同时，贝克汉姆夫妇正与小儿子罗密欧（23 岁）和克鲁兹（21 岁）、女儿哈珀（15 岁）以及罗密欧的女友金·特恩布尔（25 岁）一起享受他们在地中海的假期。
家庭不和的最新篇章出现在布鲁克林的一则 DoorDash 广告中，该广告在今年夏季的 FIFA 世界杯期间播出，他在其中似乎含蓄地提及了这次裂痕。 他直视镜头说道：“你们可能在好奇我为什么在家里观看 2026 年 FIFA 世界杯……这是一个很长的故事。”
Page 3
作者：政治记者 萨姆·梅里曼 (Sam Merriman)
唐宁街 (英国首相府) 昨晚确认，安迪·伯纳姆将在就任首相仅两周后，于本周前往海外度假。伯纳姆先生将暂时离开日常职务，进行一次计划已久的家庭海外度假，预计不会公开露面。唐宁街坚称，他届时仍将处理公务，并准备在需要时返回英国。
在伯纳姆先生身处海外期间，他的事实代理人、国务第一秘书兼兰开斯特公爵领地大臣路易丝·海格将成为威斯敏斯特的最高级别部长。据悉，曾被定罪为诈骗者的海格女士本周将正常工作，但 No 10 坚称，在伯纳姆先生不在期间，她将不会做出日常决策。
“才两周他就受够了”
直到最近，伯纳姆先生的亲密朋友和工作人员还声称，他已经取消了与家人共同度假的任何计划，唐宁街在 July 25 告诉《邮报》，他在就任首相后不会前往度假。但 No 10 随后确认，他将前往海外与家人汇合。英国改革党昨晚批评伯纳姆先生度假时间太早。主席李·安德森 (Lee Anderson) 表示：“工作才两周，安迪·伯纳姆就已经受够了。在抛弃了一系列没有资金支持的承诺，并监督超过 2,000 名非法移民涌入我国之后，他就翘班出国逍遥了。”
此前据称，在执政前两周开出了一系列可能耗资高达 960 亿英镑 billion 的支出承诺后，他将在 8 月底进行一次英国巡访以接触选民。“这不是一个认真对待领导职责的首相。”一名工党人士指出，前首相基尔·斯塔默爵士 (Sir Keir Starmer) “几乎不度假”，并补充说，即便度假时，“他也只是坐在那里，喝着一瓶桃红葡萄酒，通过电话讨论工作。这令人鼓舞”。
由于 Southport 袭击事件（三名年轻女孩被杀）后爆发的骚乱，基尔爵士取消了 2024 年 8 月计划的假期——当时他进入 No 10 大约六周。他在 2024 年 12 月底前往马德拉群岛进行了家庭度假。该工党人士说：“简直是开启了简单模式。休假一周？就因为 [伯纳姆先生] 度过了一个困难的夏天？因为他不得不参加一场补选？”伯纳姆先生的发言人表示：“政府继续正常运作，首相与官员保持联系，举行会议并接收定期更新。”唐宁街未确认他的度假目的地。
休息中：首相与妻子 玛丽-弗朗斯·凡·希尔 (Marie-France van Heel)；二把手：路易丝·海格
作者：大卫·丘吉尔
约翰·希利昨日面临日益增加的呼吁，要求如果工党在解决生活成本问题上态度认真，就应放弃计划中的燃油税增加方案。在一封给财政大臣的私人信函中，行业主管警告称，随着伊朗战争的拖延，加油站价格再次上涨，且可能在数月内保持高位。昨日，加油站价格达到了该冲突开始以来的最高纪录，汽油每升 160.85p，柴油每升 180.34p。RAC的一项研究发现，自 7月 17日 夏季假期开始以来，与战前价格相比，驾驶者在加油站额外支付了 £500million。
但尽管如此，目前每升 53p 的燃油税预计将在元旦上涨 3p 每升，并在 3月 1日 进一步上涨 2p，这将为财政部带来数十亿英镑的额外收入。《邮报》看到的这封给希利先生的信中，汽油零售商协会负责人戈登·鲍尔默敦促财政大臣采取进一步行动，利用今年秋季的首份预算案将燃油税冻结到一月以后，以帮助驾驶者维持生计。信中指出：“一月和二月正是家庭预算通常最紧张的时候。我们欢迎您致力于让生活变得更实惠。这就是为什么我今天请求您放弃在 2027 年初结束燃油税削减的计划。”
自 2月 28日 冲突开始以来，驾驶者在加油站额外支付了 £5.5billion，财政部因此在增值税方面额外收入近 £1billion。现在加满一箱油比冲突开始时贵 15 英镑。希利先生和首相安迪·伯纳姆削减了家庭能源账单的增值税。但批评者指出，这平均每周仅为家庭节省了 86p。保守党在 2022 年引入的每升 5p 的税收削减计划将于 1月 1日 到期。该计划的引入意味着燃油税在 15 年内没有上涨。财政部消息人士称，在 10月 28日 希利先生的预算案出台之前，将不会做出决定。
Calum Muirhead
上月英国制造业的增长有所放缓，分析人士警告称，税收上涨、繁琐的行政手续以及全球波动正降低该行业的信心。这一数据来自经济学家密切关注的最新 S&P Global 英国制造业采购经理人指数 (PMI) 调查。乐观情绪的匮乏被归咎于对全球经济的担忧，以及在安迪·伯纳姆就任首相后，对英国税收和监管前景的担忧。
S&P 还指出，英国工厂的招聘速度已减缓至“近乎停滞”。预测机构 Item Club 的首席经济顾问 Matt Swannell 警告称：“尽管生产和订单有所回升，但动力依然缺失。调查报告称，全球贸易紧张局势、税收上涨和监管变化是拖累企业信心的因素之一。”他补充道，上月美国与伊朗在中东地区爆发的冲突也对商业信心造成了拖累。
报告显示，7 月的读数为 51.9，低于 6 月记录的 52.5。任何高于 50 的读数均表明制造业在增长，但分析师透露，上月扩张速度受到企业信心“低迷”的制约。调查中较低的乐观程度与作者所称的行业内更积极的迹象相抵消。调查指出，在北美、欧盟、中国大陆、印度和韩国出口需求增强的推动下，制造业已连续第八个月增长。
S&P Global Market Intelligence 总监 Rob Dobson 表示，积压工作的增加表明，如果企业乐观情绪能从目前的低迷水平中恢复，就业情况“可能会在未来几个月有所回升”。
Haigh 女士在基尔·斯塔默爵士任内辞去了交通大臣一职，此前披露她在 2014 年误导警方，虚报工作电话在一次抢劫中被盗。她承认犯有虚假陈述欺诈罪。
秋季起，燃料税将在 1 月之后继续冻结，以帮助车主维持生计。
于 7 月 18. 被发现。Ahmadzai 在 2016 年抵达希腊莱斯沃斯岛，随后皈依基督教，并于 2023. 与美国出生的 Alaina Hall 结婚。这对夫妇在雅典建立了一个帮助难民的传教机构，据信他们是通过工作认识了同样身为基督教志愿者的 Ross 女士。警方消息人士告诉《每日邮报》，由于 Ross 女士居住的公寓由他们的组织“Love Every Nation Athens”所有，他们拥有该公寓的钥匙。
据了解，Ahmadzai 告诉警方，他在浴室里发现了已经死亡的 Ross 女士。据称，他承认使用她的银行卡提取现金，并使用她的手机给受害者的亲友发送信息，假装成她本人。
据称，在 Hall 女士报告其丈夫行为可疑后，警员于上周四开始调查 Ahmadzai。据报道，她表示醒来后发现丈夫失踪，在检查其手机定位后发现他身在 Ross 女士位于雅典 Rethymnou 街的公寓里。
Ahmadzai 将于明日在雅典的一家法院出庭。他是一名超轻量级职业拳击手，曾在雅典参加过两场比赛。
他出生在阿富汗，父亲是一名军事指挥官，在 Ahmadzai 三岁时被伏击杀死前，曾幸存于塔利班的六次暗杀企图。当他九岁时，他的哥哥 Samuel 被塔利班绑架后再未返回。六年之后，他的母亲、姐姐和弟弟在一场自杀式汽车炸弹袭击中丧生。
在向警方举报丈夫后，Hall 女士带着孩子离开了家。Ahmadzai 曾给她 2,550 欧元 (£2,185) 和一部新款苹果 iPhone，但她将这些东西交给了侦查员，因为她认为这些是用 Ross 女士的钱购买的。
一名警方消息人士透露：“该女子告诉我们，她的丈夫向她倾诉过，他对比一名英国女性感到愤怒。那名女性试图在宗教上影响他，这让他无法忍受。”
据消息人士称，希腊警方周六搜查了艾哈迈德扎伊的住所，并发现了一把仿真手枪和一把军用风格的刀具。
罗斯女士来自爱丁堡，在过去七年里经常访问希腊，作为一名传教士在非政府组织中担任志愿者，帮助难民、无家可归者和其他弱势群体。她此前曾在希腊的“一颗心”（One Heart）组织中担任志愿者，该组织专门为难民（特别是来自阿富汗或伊朗的难民）提供医疗支持。
她于6月26日抵达雅典，起初住在朋友家。警方确认，她于7月2日搬到雷西姆努大街（Rethymnou Street），并在一家以基督教为基础、致力于服务难民及其他弱势群体的非政府组织中担任志愿者。
艾哈迈德扎伊的人生经历被记录在一段动画视频和一本即将出版的名为《从地狱到家：失去、流亡与希望如何塑造了现在的我》（From Hell To Home: How Loss, Exile And Hope Built The Man I Became）的书籍中。他在书中写道：“无论你的故事多么黑暗，隧道尽头总有光亮。”
警方收集的闭路电视（CCTV）画面据称显示，艾哈迈德扎伊于7月16日晚上乘车抵达罗斯女士的住所。晚上10点左右，镜头拍到该男子在路边推着一个行李箱，而该路段正是存放罗斯女士遗体被遗弃的旧停车场所在地。13分钟后，人们看到他离开了那个废弃场所，且没有带走行李箱。
[图注] 废弃地：发现罗斯女士遗体的旧停车场
[图注] 令人不寒而栗：闭路电视显示一名男子推着行李箱在街道上行走
[图注] 拳击手：艾哈迈德扎伊声称自己是“国家冠军”
在家人去世后，艾哈迈德扎伊利用家人的钱离开阿富汗，在寒冷的环境中徒步走过了巴基斯坦、伊朗和土耳其，历时 45 天。他曾多次被逮捕，伊朗警方曾一次向一群移民开火，造成 26 人死亡。他从土耳其出发，三次尝试通过海路抵达希腊。在前两次航行中他的船只都沉没了，直到最后才成功。
他在 2016 年 16 岁时抵达莱斯沃斯，进入一家难民营，在那里他自学英语并开始为一家人道主义组织担任翻译。那一年，他遇到了在中心做志愿者的妻子；他在 2017 年改信基督教，并于 2019. 搬到雅典。他先是在公园里开始练习拳击，随后帮助培训难民男孩。他在 2022, 向霍尔女士求婚，后者表示：“我看到了他的成长以及他对主的虔诚，这对我非常有吸引力。”
他们在 2023. 结婚前共同创立了“爱每一个国家——雅典”（Love Every Nation Athens）。艾哈迈德扎伊每周五晚为无人陪伴的青少年男孩提供免费拳击课程，这对夫妇每周向难民家庭分发食物。他们还在雅典各地为年轻人组织社区活动和体育课程。
艾哈迈德扎伊在记录其拳击实力的社交媒体页面上，将自己描述为“希腊国家冠军”。一名在雅典的职业拳击同行告诉《泰晤士报》：“我们都感到非常困惑，因为他是个好人，非常虔诚，经常引用圣经。他是个不错的拳击手，但还没好到能以此维持生计，他还有很多其他工作来支撑生活。”
作者：Christian Calgie 高级政治特派记者
英国改革党（Reform UK）与竞争对手“恢复英国”（Restore Britain）之间达成政治协议的努力在昨晚演变成了闹剧。
两家右翼政党进行谈判的前景在周日上午被触发，此前“恢复英国”的鲁珀特·洛在社交媒体上发布了一段 12 分钟的视频，概述了他要求奈杰尔·法拉奇在达成协议时必须满足的条件。
法拉奇无法克制地对洛先生发起攻击——他在 2025 年 3 月将洛先生从英国改革党开除，指控其欺凌员工和党内官员，但洛先生对此予以否认。
这些要求包括：要求英国改革党支持对非法和合法移民进行大规模驱逐；就死刑举行全民公投；禁止穿着波卡（burka）；以及将苏埃拉·布雷弗曼和罗伯特·詹里克等前保守党部长排除在未来的任何政府职位之外。
法拉奇先生表示：“如果你想与某人达成政治交易，你会私下联系他们，而不是拍一段 12 分钟的视频。在我看来，他做这个姿态更多是为了向外界表示：‘看，我是好人，奈杰尔是坏人’。”
虽然法拉奇先生承认自己曾联系过洛先生，这最初引发了人们对达成协议的希望，但当“恢复英国”指责法拉奇先生撒谎时，这些希望几乎瞬间破灭。
法拉奇先生昨日透露，他已经与洛先生取得了联系，并提出了探索性会谈的邀请。在 X 平台上，洛先生发布了一张据称由法拉奇先生发送的消息截图，内容为“稍后致电”，并表示并没有收到任何电话。
在威斯敏斯特举行的新闻发布会上，这位改革党领导人说道：“我昨天确实联系了他。我说，‘听着，我们要不通个电话？’我还没收到回复，所以我不知道这事儿的诚意如何。”
这位格雷特雅茅斯（Great Yarmouth）的国会议员补充道：“请相信我，昨天的提议并非我渴望提出的。我并不特别享受尝试与那些试图用虚假指控将我送入监狱的人合作。如果你回顾我过去几年的政治经历，如果我认为这样做符合国家利益，我准备好采取行动并做出牺牲。”
“因为他们，我的房子被武装警察搜查过。为了合作挽救我们共同热爱的国家，我愿意，而且现在依然愿意将那些事搁置一边。我在 2019 年就这么做了 [当时同意为鲍里斯·约翰逊撤回候选人]。只要能建立一个理性的中右翼联盟，在下次大选中击败工党，我愿意尽一切努力。”
“这就是为什么我昨天那样做。这份提议对奈杰尔和改革党依然有效。尽管对我们私下对话公然撒谎并无帮助。”
一名英国改革党的发言人随后表示，洛先生的说法和截图“不值得”回应。
但法拉奇先生拒绝了放弃那些投奔改革党的保守党叛离者的要求，他表示：“我不会抛弃我的朋友。我不会抛弃我的盟友，无论是苏埃拉·布雷弗曼还是‘时髦的乔治’ [科特雷尔]，你们知道我不会因为别人想让我这么做就抛弃他人。”
一名“恢复英国”的消息人士称，洛先生被法拉奇先生的行为搞得“非常恼火”，并补充道：“我认为他 [法拉奇] 在试图误导人们，让他们认为鲁珀特才是拖后腿的人，但事实并非如此。”
在去年被开出改革党后，洛先生于 3 月成立了“恢复英国”党。该党在梅克菲尔德（Makerfield）补选期间让法拉奇先生颇为头疼，吸引了大量媒体关注，但最终仅获得 7% 的选票，不足以弥合其与安迪·伯纳姆之间的差距。
昨天，一名“恢复英国”的消息人士暗示，洛先生现在已接受该党无法成为改革党的有力竞争对手，而必须改变策略，重点影响改革党在下次选举中的政策。他们告诉《每日邮报》，洛先生“明白这是尝试实现我们政策方案的最佳方式”。
他们补充说，该党强硬派成员对周日的谈判方案表示“压倒性支持”。
英国改革党副党魁理查德·泰斯（Richard Tice）已被议会标准机构地调查。标准专员未详细说明具体原因，但确认此项调查与涉嫌未能在其利益登记册中进行标注有关。泰斯先生表示，此次调查与有关捐款的更广泛问题无关，而是由一个“反以色列游说团体”的投诉引发的。他在网上发布道：“与媒体上的垃圾报道相反：我因为反对反犹主义而受到调查。简直难以想象。”
昨晚，一名英国改革党高级消息人士承认，洛（Lowe）先生的许多要求将深受法拉格先生核心选民的欢迎。但他们补充道：“对他们来说，最好的办法是将此事移至线下，避开公众视野，喝杯啤酒，思考最佳的前进方向，并在考虑自身政党之前将国家利益放在首位。”
保守党表示，这两个人之间的公开争吵“揭露了英国改革党实际上是多么不严肃”。More In Common 的民调专家卢克·特里尔（Luke Tryl）表示：“从选举角度来看，英国改革党应专注于争取犹豫不决的选民，而不是转向‘恢复’（Restore）的政治路线，否则可能会让该党再次被污名化。”
作者：克里斯蒂安·卡尔吉 (Christian Calgie)
其中还包括李·安德森 (Lee Anderson) ——
由资深政治特派记者报道
英国改革党提议动用皇家海军来结束移民乘船入境，该提议被法国政府指责为非法。在党魁奈杰尔·法拉格与内政部发言人齐亚·尤素夫昨日在新闻发布会上揭晓“堡垒行动”数小时后，这场外交争端随即爆发。
根据该政策，法拉格先生将指示海军在英吉利海峡发起自第二次世界大战以来规模最大的军事行动，拦截所有移民船只并将其遣返回法国。尤素夫先生表示，无论法国是否支持，该政策都将推行，但他承认，该党“更希望”看到总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙不要阻碍他们的计划。
他表示：“我们更希望将人们在港口卸载，引导他们走下跳板并移交给法国当局。这更加体面，也是我们将要谈判的内容。但如果爱丽舍宫拒绝，请不要搞错：陛下的皇家海军陆战队将在他们当天早晨离开的那个海滩上，安全地将他们卸载下来。只有这两个选项。不存在第三个选项，即在英国改革党领导下的英国政府只是耸耸肩，然后将他们带回多佛。”
然而，数小时后，法国内政部表示该提议在多项理由上均不合法。一名发言人表示：“这将是对法国主权的侵犯，同时也是对海洋法和国际法的违反。另外，作为与英国共同实施的措施以及在地方层面部署的安排的一部分，内政部声明，2026 年的过境人数有所下降。”
英国改革党的政策文件认为，该计划是合法的，因为包括《欧洲人权公约》和联合国《海洋法公约》在内的多项条约都要求采取一切努力保护海上生命。文件中补充道：“这些将是合法的拦截行为，且能充分保护并维护海上生命。事实上，确保我们的边境将大大减少英吉利海峡过境期间的死亡人数。”
前海军指挥官汤姆·夏普告诉第四电台，该提议并非资源的最优利用方式。他说：“一艘配置为防空战或反潜战的十亿英镑战舰——这两者都是对英国的威胁——并不适合用于接送人员。你最好使用真正的轮渡。”
“改革党承诺停止小船入境并增加降雨量”
保守党称英国改革党的想法是“噱头”。影子内政大臣克里斯·菲尔普表示：“他们无法解释将如何为军队提供适当资金，也无法解释在没有法国配合的情况下，他们将如何把非法移民在法国卸载。”
一名保守党议员本·奥比斯-杰克蒂声称，英国改革党“堡垒行动”文件封面上的图像显示的是“海洋号” (HMS Ocean) —— 该舰在 2018 年已出售给巴西。他在社交媒体上写道：“改革党在国防事务的细节上总是出错，他们使用了一张 2012 年的‘海洋号’照片。目前还不清楚巴西海军将如何参与其中。”
周日披露的消息显示，法拉格先生在2024年大选前数月就就回归担任英国改革党领导人之事进行了探索性谈话，这引发了人们对其在当年早些时候收到一名亿万富翁捐赠者提供的£5million“礼金”的质疑。他坚持认为这是一份个人礼物，在当选后无需向议会申报，但该党前副党魁本·哈比布表示，披露2024年3月和4月的谈话内容“影响了我在关于英国民主和以色列影响力辩论开始时的利益登记。同一个反以色列团体未能通知专员，议员阿尤布·汗没有申报他从一个支持巴勒斯坦的团体那里收到的巨额捐款。真是巧合……”
“如果你在进入一个岗位之前不去了解潜在的责任是什么，那你就像个傻瓜，不是吗……对我来说，了解这些很有用。但这并不是一项交易，也不是一项协议，而是取决于我是否回归。如果你需要对此进行澄清，这件事发生在收到礼金一段时间之后，这或许才是关键点。”
这位波士顿和斯凯格内斯选区的议员没有指名该游说团体。关于英国改革党在标准和捐赠方面的透明度问题，在昨天的移民新闻发布会上继续困扰着尼格尔·法拉格。
一名工党发言人指出，泰斯先生和法拉格先生现在都“面临着标准调查”，并补充道：“随着警察的调查，尼格尔·法拉格秘密收受的£5million礼金，以及关于资金来自一名被定罪诈骗者的报告，很明显英国改革党认为规则不适用于他们。”
[图注] 眨眼：昨天的理查德·泰斯
影响了我在关于英国民主和以色列影响力辩论开始时的利益登记。同一个反以色列团体未能通知专员，议员阿尤布·汗没有申报他从一个支持巴勒斯坦的团体那里收到的巨额捐款。真是巧合……”
部长因声称保守党学校改革导致一百万人被抛弃而遭到抨击
作者：杰森·格罗夫斯 (Jason Groves) 政治编辑
教育大臣露西·鲍威尔 (Lucy Powell) 在昨日被指责为“幻想”，此前她声称，学校对学术标准的关注导致一百万名年轻人失业。
在一次不同寻常的干预中，鲍威尔女士表示，不从事教育、就业或培训 (Neets) 的青年人数增加，是保守党改革的直接“后果”，而这些改革曾推动英国学校在国际排行榜上名次上升。
戈夫 (Gove) 对学术严谨性的关注被认为推动了教室里的革命。
但保守党高层和教育专家驳斥了这一说法。保守党前台成员尼尔·奥布赖恩 (Neil O’Brien) 表示，鲍威尔女士是在“幻想”，并强调相关数据表明，最近青年失业率的激增是在工党赢得大选之后发生的。
来自经济合作与发展组织 (OECD) 的数据显示，在 2024, 年 7 月工党执政时，英国的青年失业率为 13.8 百分比，而欧盟的平均水平为 15 百分比。自那时起，英国的失业率已跳升至 16.4 百分比，而欧盟的失业率则轻微下降至 14.9 百分比。
她将 Neets 人数目前突破一百万这一事实归咎于前保守党教育大臣迈克尔·戈夫 (Michael Gove)，并补充道：“这不是巧合——这是后果。这是他的遗产。”
奥布赖恩先生表示：“工党接手时的青年失业率低于欧元区平均水平。但他们通过大幅增税和增加监管，将其推高了。”
推卸责任：露西·鲍威尔
奥布赖恩先生表示，青年失业率上升的主要原因并非课堂上发生的事情，而是工党上台后提高税收，增加了雇佣年轻人的成本，且与此同时未能改革福利制度。
影子教育大臣劳拉·特罗特 (Laura Trott) 指责鲍威尔女士在进行“教育破坏”。
特罗特女士承认技术教育的重要性，但表示在数学、英语和科学等关键学术科目上降低标准是没有理由的。
“那些最令人钦佩的职业教育欧洲国家并没有放弃学术方面，”她说。“这是伪装成进步改革的教育破坏，工党需要开始出示证据。”
鲍威尔女士在《泰晤士报》的文章中承认，在过去的 30 年里，教育取得了“巨大进步”，并补充道：“标准有所提高，读写和计算能力得到了极大改善，绝大多数公立学校都达到了良好或优秀水平”。
但她同时也声称，学校体系已变成一件“束缚之衣，导致太多人被贴上失败者的标签”。
备受赞誉的米凯拉社区学校 (Michaela Community School) 校长凯瑟琳·比尔巴尔辛格 (Katharine Birbalsingh) 指责部长们降低了期望，并表示：“我们在教育领域说的最大的谎言就是‘学术气息太浓’”。
作者：马丁·罗宾逊 (Martin Robinson) 和 罗里·廷格尔 (Rory Tingle)
Livesey 因 Panorama 指控而离职
托尼·利夫西 (TONY Livesey) 已在 BBC Radio 5 Live 辞职。此前，一名艳模在一次调查中点名提及他，该名模特声称她为了获得工作被强迫与前报业老板戴维·萨利文 (David Sullivan) 进行性行为。
BBC 5 Live 控制官海蒂·道森 (Heidi Dawson) 昨天告诉员工，这位谈话节目主持人——曾任萨利文旗下《每日体育报》 (Daily Sport) 和《周日体育报》 (Sunday Sport) 的总编辑——在工作 16 年后已“决定离开”，并赞扬了他在 5 Live 的工作表现。
深夜节目：托尼·利夫西
现年 62, 岁的利夫西先生一直缺席其深夜时段的节目。此前，一名化名为佛罗伦萨 (Florence) 的女性在《全景》(Panorama) 节目中表示，亿万富翁萨利文在 1999 年涉嫌向她施压要求与其同睡时，“夺走了她的纯真”。
佛罗伦萨声称，这次会面原本被她认为是一次专业的选角和工作面试，是在她于《每日体育报》新闻编辑室遇见利夫西先生，由利夫西向萨利文打电话安排后促成的。
利夫西先生表示对此“没有记忆”，并否认任何关于他在“该情境中发挥了任何作用”的暗示。他表示，他在 6 月 8 日播出的指控中感到“厌恶”。
她告诉 BBC，当时她 20 岁，而这位西汉姆联队的共同所有者 50, 岁，他强迫她在其豪宅中与其发生性关系，据称是以提供工作作为回报。
“妄想”
作者：Rory Tingle
一名将死去的母亲在卧式冷冻柜中存放近三年的儿子，会握着她的手，并与她聊天，谈论他在电视上看到了什么。
克里斯托弗·菲利普斯（Christopher Phillips）将 89 岁的老妇西尔维亚·菲利普斯（Silvia Phillips）的尸体藏在他们共同居住的房屋客厅里，他会像“往常一样”地与她讨论诸如《加冕街》（Coronation Street）之类的节目。这名 60 岁的男子现已被判处两年多监禁，此前他承认妨碍合法且得体的葬礼，并在其母亲于 2023. 年 3 月去世后，领取了 £78,000 的福利金。她的尸体被一块装饰着黄色和粉色玫瑰的豹纹毯子覆盖，旁边还有一张生日卡片，上面写着：“给妈妈，来自克里斯托弗和蒂娜”——蒂娜是指家里的狗。
菲利普斯是南威尔士波思考尔（Porthcawl）的一名公司董事，他表示在母亲去世后，他“不想让她离开”，并且“想和她多花时间在一起”。辩护律师鲁斯·史密斯（Ruth Smith）声称，她的当事人正承受着“极度的悲伤”，将母亲的尸体放在客厅里是为了“能靠近她”。他承认了两项欺诈罪名，原因是未能通知工作与养老金部（Department for Work and Pensions）及布里根德郡自治市议会（Bridgend County Borough Council）其母亲已经去世。
菲利普斯领取了总计 £78,190.92 的国家养老金、养老金信用额、护理津贴、冬季燃料补贴、生活成本补贴和住房补贴，如果菲利普斯女士的死讯被上报，所有这些款项都会停止发放。在判处菲利普斯两年四个月监禁时，法官特蕾西·劳埃德-克拉克（Tracey Lloyd-Clarke）告诉他：“你继续领取她的处方药，并在医疗专业人员询问她的下落时误导他们，在有人询问你母亲的情况时撒谎，反复告诉医护人员她不想参加预约或接受检查。”
法官说：“虽然你的母亲遭受了被储存在卧式冷冻柜三年之久这种不体面的待遇，但她在去世后没有遭受其他不体面的对待。”劳埃德-克拉克法官补充说，他的“犯罪行为因隐瞒母亲死讯的时间之长，以及通过继续领取其养老金和福利金而获得经济利益而加重”。
辩护律师史密斯女士表示，菲利普斯在两岁时被菲利普斯女士收养，与她“关系异常亲密”。他们在菲利普斯的生命中共同生活了 50 年，且自 2008. 年起，菲利普斯一直是她的主要护理人员。史密斯女士补充道：“他描述地与她交谈，就像她还活着一样……坐在她身边，跟她聊电视节目、《加冕街》、赛马，就像他们一直以来做的那样。”
“菲利普斯先生在母亲去世时是一个心理健康状况脆弱的脆弱个体。”法院被告知，在母亲去世后的第二天，菲利普斯将她抱在怀里，告诉她他会“照顾她”。两天后，他从 AO.com 购买了一个卧式冷冻柜，将其放在客厅里，并将母亲的尸体放入其中。梅瑟蒂德菲尔（Merthyr Tydfil）刑事法院获悉，在母亲去世前的几个月里，菲利普斯辞掉了工作，成为一名全职护理员。
在进一步追问下，菲利普斯无法提供亲属的详细信息或他们的居住地。随后在警方的审讯中，他对所有问题均回答“无可奉告”。今年早些时候，在一名全科医生对其福祉表示担忧后，警察最终发现了菲利普斯女士的尸体。警员发现菲利普斯女士的尸体已完全冻结，在能够进行尸检之前经过了一段时间。南威尔士警方于 2 月 17 日下午 7 点前进入该安静死胡同的一栋房屋。他们面对菲利普斯时，他声称其母亲住在伦敦的表亲家。
病理学家无法确定死因，但认为不存在任何可疑情况。关于她死亡的死因研讯将在适当时举行。
[图注] 阴森的发现：在全科医生提出担忧后，警方在此房屋内发现了这位 89 岁老人的尸体
[图注] 悲痛：克里斯托弗·菲利普斯声称他只是“想要更多时间”陪伴他的母亲
作者：Shivali Best
看来在热浪中，我们并不是唯一面临晒伤风险的群体——农民们正给他们的苹果涂上“防晒霜”。在肯特郡拥有 200 英亩果树的克莱夫·巴克斯特表示，布兰利苹果“非常容易被晒伤”，因此他用粘土制成的保护涂层对其进行喷雾处理。上个月，他在梅德斯通的农场温度达到了 33 摄氏度（91 华氏度）。他告诉 BBC，像布兰利和考克斯这样的英国苹果“无法承受高温”。一旦温度达到 30 摄氏度且没有风，“果汁就会开始沸腾并煮熟果实”，从而毁掉作物。
英格兰和威尔士经历了有记录以来最干燥的 7 月。英格兰的降雨量仅为 6.5 毫米——仅为平均水平的 10 百分之几，且不到 1911 年创下的 13.4 毫米之前的最低记录的一半。此外，这是英格兰第二热的 7 月，平均温度为 17.4 摄氏度。威尔士则经历了与其 1983 年和 2006 年持平的最高温 7 月，温度为 17.8 摄氏度。英格兰和威尔士的一半地区已宣布进入干旱状态，气象局警告称，东南部将继续维持干燥天气。伦敦、东南部、英格兰东部和东中部的琥珀色高温健康警报将持续到明天早上。
‘跟她聊聊《加冕街》’
作者：杰克·哈迪 (Jack Hardy)
一名剑桥大学学院的院长似乎已悄悄地将她的名字从一份支持涉剽窃丑闻教授的信函中撤回。
伊杰奥玛·乌切格布女爵 (Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu) 的名字已从一份支持正面临指责的杰森·阿尔戴 (Jason Arday) 教授的公开信中消失。该信函指责“右翼报纸”试图用“虚假的剽窃指控”来“抹黑”他。
作为剑桥大学沃尔夫森学院 (Wolfson College) 的院长，她曾是这封由左翼活动团体“良好法律项目”(Good Law Project) 发起信函的第二位签署人。信件开头写道：“我们，下方签名者，对针对杰森·阿尔戴教授学术诚信的持续且恶意的攻击感到震惊。”
签署人：伊杰奥玛女爵与筹集数百万慈善资金。昨晚，水援助组织 (WaterAid) 同样对阿尔戴教授声称在南美洲和西非“安装供水点”的说法表示怀疑，因为该慈善机构表示从未向海外派遣志愿者。据报道，在其演讲经纪公司 Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau 的官网简介中，关于水援助组织的提及已被删除。
这位教育社会学教授被指控在博士论文中大量抄袭另一名学生的研究成果，目前他已承认其作品中存在多处错误。
作为剑桥大学有史以来最年轻的黑人教授，他曾被视为多样性的代表人物，但现在他对自己过去的一系列说法也面临质疑——其中包括在六天内跑了 600 英里。
否认：杰森·阿尔戴教授称自己不是“骗子和幻想家”
阿尔戴教授坚称自己不是“骗子和幻想家”。
伊杰奥玛女爵是信函中出现名字的三位剑桥学院院长之一。另一位是伍利勋爵 (Lord Woolley)，他将自己的职位列为霍默顿学院 (Homerton College) 院长。尽管他的名字仍留在信中，但其头衔已被删除。
《邮报》昨日披露，该学者似乎声称自己参加了电视系列节目《Seven Up》（该节目自 1964 年起跟踪记录同一组人群），但在被告知该节目在他出生前数年就已播出后，他撤回了说法。一段 2022 年的演讲片段显示，该教授在向巴斯大学种族平等工作组表示：“我参加了一个现在已经不存在的节目，叫作《Seven Up》……他们在你的一生中跟踪你，所以他们会在你 7 岁、14 岁、21 岁时跟踪你。我在 14 岁时被移出了该项目。”
《Seven Up》在阿尔戴教授出生前 20 年就开始播出，参与者出生于 1956 或 1957. 年。在回应《邮报》的询问时，阿尔戴教授表示，当他谈到“Seven Up”时，指的不是那个电视系列节目，而是指“一个由当地社区和家长主导的倡议”。
在听证会后，这位父亲说道：“提到‘Seven Up’是以非正式方式作为概念的简短说明。并非意在进行字面上的对比。”一名 BBC 发言人确认，阿尔戴教授与“我们的电影没有任何关系”。
《卫报》也对他声称在一次种族主义恐吓活动中收到一个猪头的说法表示怀疑。阿尔戴教授称警方已对此进行调查，但伦敦大都会警察局对此予以否认。
在其 2015 年博士论文被指剽窃后，授予其博士学位的利物浦约翰摩尔大学 (Liverpool John Moores University) 判定他不存在学术不端行为。
伊杰奥玛女爵已被联系请求评论。
作者：Cameron Charters
由于风电场中数百个电表出现故障，英国人每年可能面临高达 £100million 的额外能源账单。超过 800 个电表（大约一半在陆地，一半在海上）被装反了，导致错误报告为正在消耗能源而非产生能源。这意味着运营商无法准确得知电网使用了多少能源。
在电网运行中，需要大量储备以应对任何意外的下降或峰值。国家能源系统运营商 (Neso) 的文件指出，由于电表装反，导致出现了 10 吉瓦 (10billion 瓦) 的误差，这使得该公司认为每年需要额外增加约 200 小时的储备。
Neso 的一名发言人表示，£100million 这个数字“不应被呈现为实际的消费者成本”，并补充说故障电表不涉及安全问题，能源系统运行“安全且可靠”。按每兆瓦时（1million 瓦连续使用一小时）平均价格 £50 计算，重复的年度成本将达到 £100million。
据《泰晤士报》首次报道，修复海上和陆地站点的费用估计高达 £44.1million。他表示：“Neso 已实施临时措施以尽量减少影响，并正通过既定的代码流程与行业合作寻求持久的解决方案。”
监管 Neso 的 Ofgem 发言人表示，鉴于能源系统的变化，该机构对电表问题的管理“需要改进”。他补充道：“消费者理所当然地希望能源系统能高效运行并降低成本。”
作者：首席驻外记者 Andrew Jehring
一名因两岁儿子在塞浦路斯一家酒店死亡而被起诉的英国父亲已被允许回国参加男孩的葬礼。这名 37 岁的城市银行家表示，在帕福斯附近的 King Evelthon 酒店等待电梯时，他将幼儿放在了四楼的窗台上，当时他认为窗户是关着的。
但窗户其实一直敞开着，男孩于 7 月 12 日从 33 英尺高处坠落到下方的阳台上。法院此前命令该父亲留在岛上。昨天，在他额外缴纳 10,000 欧元 (£8,500) 保证金（此前已支付 20,000 欧元）后，法官基于人道主义理由取消了为期一个月的限制令，该男子在法庭上强忍泪水。这意味着他可以与妻子以及幸存的五岁女儿团聚，后者已于周三带着男孩的遗体返回英国。
“他强忍泪水”
该男子身穿蓝白条纹衬衫、黑色长裤和乐福鞋，在两人一起离开法庭时，他拥抱了失声痛哭的母亲。在检察官 Chryso Perganti 对他请求回国的申请不提出异议后，他也走上前对她说了一句“谢谢”。
在听证会后，这位父亲表示：“我非常感谢法官和当局让我能回家与妻子和女儿团聚。这现在是我唯一想做的事。”
该男子预计将于明天返回英国，但必须在 9 月 14 日返回塞浦路斯。他定于 9 月 17 日出庭进行抗辩。
一名波兰耐力游泳运动员在仅用 56 小时多就完成了 100 英里的旅程后，成为了首个在瑞典和波兰之间横渡波罗的海的人。30 岁的 Bartlomiej Kubkowski 在经历了四次失败的尝试后，于周日实现了这一壮举。他从瑞典的 Kaseberga 出发，两天多后抵达波兰的 Dziwnow，期间没有睡觉，也没有接触为他提供食物和饮品的支援船。
视频显示，为慈善事业筹集了超过 £157,000 的 Kubkowski 先生在支持者的欢呼声中走出大海，随后瘫倒在沙滩上。去年，他在距离海岸仅七英里处被从水中拉出。而在 2021, 2022 和 2023 年的尝试则因疲劳和恶劣条件而提前终止。
“对他正直品质的攻击”
EXCLUSIVE From Vivek Chaudhary in Athens and Andy Jehring
AN AFGHAN boxer who arrived in Greece on a small boat has been arrested over the murder of a British missionary. Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, is suspected of killing Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, before putting her body in a suitcase and dumping it in a derelict building. CCTV footage allegedly shows him leaving the apartment where Ms Ross was staying with the case and dropping it where her remains were found.
[图注] Religion: Sharif Ahmadzai and Alaina Hall ran a ministry in Athens
[图注] SUSPECT AND U.S. WIFE
free paedophiles and killers early
By Jason Groves Political Editor
ANDY Burnham last night gave the green light for thousands of killers, thugs and paedophiles to get out of jail early. The Prime Minister paused the controversial plans last month after a public outcry over the proposed release of two of the killers of PC Andrew Harper. Following an urgent review, rapists and the most serious sex offenders will now be excluded from early release. But Downing Street last night confirmed the early release of thousands of other serious crimials, including killers and wife-beaters, will go ahead this autumn. The programme will include the release of two of the three teenage killers of PC Harper, who was dragged behind a car for more than a mile in 2019. His widow Lissie last month said the prospect of their release ‘makes me feel sick’. Mr Burnham acknowledged the ‘anger, anxiety and distress’ caused to victims by the earlyrelease plans. He said the exclusion of rapists and the worst paedophiles were ‘significant changes’ but acknowledged ‘there will still be concerns about other offenders having their sentences shortened’. The Prime Minister said he had ‘wanted to go further’ but added: ‘It’s not possible without the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing, which would put public safety at much greater risk.’ Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘Andy Burnham wants a round of applause for agreeing not to release rapists and child sex offenders. He’s not getting one. mean that thousands of serious offenders who would normally have served two thirds of their sentence before being considered for release, will now be let out after only half of their term. ‘This is only a partial climbdown. Killers, violent offenders, men who have terrorised their partners and more will all still walk out of prison in October thanks to Labour’s early release scheme. Less serious offenders, who would normally have served half of their sentence, will be released after only a third of their jail time. ‘Yet again victims are learning their fate from press releases. The victims of these horrific crimes have suffered weeks of uncertainty and fear. They deserve so much better.’ The changes to the system are designed to be permaent, although plans to implement them have been delayed until October. Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said: ‘The decision to not exclude domestic abuse perpetrators from this scheme is wrong and puts victims lives at risk.’ Justice secretary Alex Norris said those released early would face ‘tougher supervision’ on release, including tagging, exclusion zones and random drug tests. The early-release plans
[图注] Smirking: Albert Bowers, left, and Jessie Cole
with convictions for manslaughter, domestic abuse, child pornography, drug dealing and wounding with intent. Mr Burnham insisted keeping the public safe is his ‘top priority’. But he said the prisons crisis made early release inevitable. Mr Norris has been ordered to ‘accelerate’ the prison b u i l d i n g p r o g r a m m e , although there were no details last night of what this means in practice. The Prime Minister pledged to ‘deliver the fastest prison building programme since the Victorian era and do what’s necessary to fix the prison crisis’. But the failure to halt the early release of PC Harper’s killers is likely to raise questions about his judgment. The 28-year-old officer was killed in August 2019 after responding to reports of a stolen quad bike in Berkshire. ‘This is disgusting’ He suffered horrific injuries after getting caught in a strap attached to a getaway car driven by Henry Long, who was jailed for 16 years. Long’s accomplices Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were both sentenced in 2020 to 13 years for manslaughter. But the pair, who were pictured laughing during the trial, will now be released in the coming months. Last night Lissie Harper said: ‘This is disgusting. How dare ministers say the killing of a police officer is not enough of a ‘sickening crime’ that deserves the stiffest of punishments. The number of areas using chemical castration to ‘help manage the drivers of sexual offending’ will be doubled. Probation officers will also be given the power to ban some offenders from driving, pubs and football matches. ‘The level of disrespect the Government are showing to Andrew and other victims – and to their loved ones – is beyond contempt.’ The changes announced by Mr Burnham are expected to cut the number of serious offenders earmarked for early release by around 1,000 to 5,000. Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy welcomed the decision to bar rapists from the scheme but said the Government’s climbdown ‘doesn’t go far enough’. Rapists and those convicted of the most serious child sex and grooming gang offences will now be excluded from the early-release provision. However, thousands of other serious criminals can still look forward to early freedom. These include those
[图注] Anger: Lissie Harper, seen with late husband Andrew, has hit out at the early release decision
He added: ‘One of Andy Burnham’s first acts as prime minister will be to let thousands of criminals – including killers and paedophiles – out early.’ Daily Mail, Tuesday, August 4, 2026
By Olivia Kemp Showbusiness Reporter
THEY may have come within a five-minute walk of each other’s holiday haunts. But it seems David and Victoria Beckham and their estranged son Brooklyn are still worlds apart. The former England captain, 51, and ex-Spice Girl, 52, unknowingly retraced the footsteps of Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz after both couples visited the same corner of the French Riviera during separate holidays.
Brooklyn, 27, and Nicola, 31, were spotted strolling through St Tropez with Sir Elton John’s husband David Furnish on Thursday, before stopping for treats from ice cream shop Barbarac and then browsing the rails inside luxury fashion house Jacquemus.
Two days later, Sir David and Lady Beckham were photographed hand in hand just a five-minute walk away as they passed sweet shop The Pirate’s Candies before heading to the popular restaurant Cherry nearby. Victoria wore a silky burgundy slip dress, which she paired with a Hermes Kelly ostrich-leather clutch adorned with feathers, peep-toe stiletto heels and oversized shield sunglasses, while David chose a white T-shirt, beige trousers and white trainers.
The visits came 48 hours apart, avoiding what would have been a potentially awkward encounter amid the long-running family rift.
Brooklyn has skipped the Beckhams’ annual summer getaway aboard the family’s £16million yacht for the second consecutive year after severing ties with his parents and siblings.
Instead, he joined godfather Sir Elton, 79, aboard the singer’s yacht off the French coast, where on Saturday he and Nicola were seen chatting on deck with the star and Mr Furnish, 63.
Snub: Brooklyn and his wife joined godfather Sir Elton John on his yacht
Meanwhile, the Beckhams have been enjoying their own Mediterranean break with younger sons Romeo, 23, and Cruz, 21, daughter Harper, 15, and Romeo’s girlfriend Kim Turnbull, 25.
The latest chapter in the family fallout comes after Brooklyn appeared to make a thinly veiled reference to the rift in a DoorDash advertisement broadcast during this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Looking directly into the camera, he said: ‘You’re probably wondering why I’m watching the FIFA World Cup 2026 from home... It’s a long story.’
Page 3
By Sam Merriman Political Correspondent
ANDY Burnham will this week go on a foreign holiday just two weeks after becoming Prime Minister, Downing Street confirmed last night. Mr Burnham is taking a break from his day-to-day duties for a long-planned family break abroad and is not expected to appear in public. Downing Street have insisted he will still be working and is prepared to travel back to the UK if required.
While Mr Burnham is overseas, his de-facto deputy Louise Haigh, the First Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will be the most senior minister in Westminster. It is understood that convicted fraudster Ms Haigh will be working this week as normal, but No 10 insisted she will not be taking day-to-day decisions in Mr Burnham’s absence.
‘Two weeks in and he’s had enough’
Until recently, close friends and staff of Mr Burnham claimed he had cancelled any plans to join his family on holiday, and Downing Street told the Mail on July 25 that he would not be heading off for a break after becoming Prime Minister. But No 10 later confirmed he would join his family abroad. Reform UK last night criticised Mr Burnham for going on holiday so soon. Chairman Lee Anderson said: ‘Two weeks into the job and Andy Burnham has already had enough. After dropping a number of unfunded commitments and overseeing more than 2,000 illegal migrants breaking into our country he’s bunked off for a jolly abroad.'
He was instead said to be going on a tour of Britain to meet voters at the end of August after making a blizzard of spending pledges that could cost up to £96 billion during his first two weeks in charge. ‘This isn’t a Prime Minister that’s serious about leading.’ And one Labour source noted that former PM Sir Keir Starmer ‘barely went on holiday’, adding that when he did ‘he would just sit there with a bottle of rosé and talk through work over the phone. It was inspiring’.
Sir Keir cancelled a planned holiday in August 2024 – about six weeks after entering No10 – due to riots that erupted after the Southport attacks, where three young girls were murdered. He went on a family holiday in Madeira at the end of December 2024. ‘Talk about easy mode,’ the Labour source said. ‘A week’s holiday? Because [Mr Burnham’s] had a difficult summer? Because he had to fight a by-election?’ Mr Burnham’s spokesman said: ‘The Government continues to operate as normal with [the] PM remaining in contact with officials, holding meetings and receiving regular updates.’ His holiday destination was not confirmed by Downing Street.
[图注] Break: The PM and wife Marie-France van Heel Second-in-command: Louise Haigh
By David Churchill
JOHN Healey was yesterday facing growing calls to abandon a planned fuel duty raid if Labour were to be seen as serious about tackling the cost of living. In a private letter to the Chancellor, industry chiefs warned that pump prices were on the rise again and could remain high for months as the Iran war drags on. Yesterday pump prices hit a record high since the start of that conflict, with petrol 160.85p a litre and diesel at 180.34p. A study by the RAC found motorists had paid an extra £500million at the pumps since the summer getaway started on July 17, compared with prices before the war.
But despite this, fuel duty, currently 53p a litre is set to be raised by 3p a litre on New Year’s Day and a further 2p on March 1, netting billions more for the Treasury. In the letter to Mr Healey, seen by the Mail, boss of the Petrol Retailers Association Gordon Balmer urged the Chancellor to go further by using his first Budget this autumn to freeze fuel duty beyond January to help motorists make ends meet. ‘January and February are precisely when household budgets are typically at their most strained,’ the letter states. ‘We welcome your focus on making life more affordable. That is why I am today asking you to abandon your plans to end the fuel duty cut at the start of 2027.’
Since the conflict began on February 28, drivers have paid an extra £5.5billion at the pumps, with the Treasury raking in nearly £1billion more in VAT as result. A full tank is £15 more expensive than when the conflict started. Mr Healey and Prime Minister Andy Burnham have slashed VAT on household energy bills. But critics point out this has only saved families on average 86p a week. A 5p-a-litre cut in the levy introduced by the Tories in 2022 is set to expire on January 1. Its introduction meant fuel duty has not risen in 15 years. Treasury sources said a decision would not be made until Mr Healey’s Budget, on October 28.
Calum Muirhead
GROWTH in British manufacturing slowed last month as analysts warned tax rises, red tape and global volatility were lowering confidence in the sector. The figures came in the latest S&P Global UK manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index survey, which is closely watched by economists. The lack optimism has been blamed on concerns about the global economy and the outlook for tax as well as regulation in the UK following the arrival of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister.
S&P also noted that hiring in British factories had slowed to ‘near-stagnation’. Matt Swannell, chief economic adviser to forecaster the Item Club, warned: ‘The loss in momentum came despite upturns in production and orders, with the survey reporting that global trade tensions, tax rises and regulatory changes were some of the factors dragging down business sentiment.’ He added that the flare-up in attacks between the US and Iran in the Middle East last month would have been a drag on business confidence.
The report showed a reading of 51.9 in July, down from the 52.5 figure recorded in June. Any reading above 50 indicates manufacturing is growing, but analysts revealed the rate of expansion was held back last month by ‘subdued’ confidence among businesses. The low levels of optimism in the survey were balanced by what the authors called more positive signs for the industry. The survey noted that manufacturing had grown for the eighth month in a row, boosted by stronger export demand from North America, the EU, mainland China, India and South Korea.
Rob Dobson, director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said a rise in backlogs of work suggested employment ‘could pick up in the coming months if business optimism recovers from its current subdued level.’
Ms Haigh resigned as transport secretary under Sir Keir Starmer after it was revealed she had misled police in 2014 when she falsely claimed her work phone had been stolen in a mugging. She pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.
Autumn to freeze fuel duty beyond January to help motorists make ends meet.
found on July 18. Ahmadzai reached the Greek island of Lesvos in 2016 before converting to Christianity and marrying US-born Alaina Hall in 2023. The couple set up a ministry helping refugees in Athens and are believed to have known Ms Ross, who was also a Christian volunteer, through their work. They had a key to the flat she was staying in as it was owned by their organisation, Love Every Nation Athens, police sources told the Daily Mail.
Ahmadzai is understood to have told police he found Ms Ross already dead in her bathroom. He allegedly admitted using her bank cards to withdraw cash and sending messages to the victim’s relatives and friends from her phone, pretending to be her.
Officers are said to have begun investigating Ahmadzai last Thursday after Ms Hall reported her husband had been behaving suspiciously. She reportedly said she woke to find him missing and checked the location of his phone, which showed he was at Ms Ross’s apartment on Rethymnou Street in Athens.
Ahmadzai is due to appear in a court in Athens tomorrow. He is a super lightweight professional boxer who has had two fights in Athens.
He was born in Afghanistan to a military commander father who survived six Taliban assassination attempts before being killed in an ambush when Ahmadzai was three. When he was nine, his older brother Samuel was kidnapped by the Taliban and never returned. His mother, sister and younger brother were killed in a suicide car bomb six years later.
After reporting her husband to the police, Ms Hall left the family home with their baby. Ahmadzai had given her 2,550 euros (£2,185) and a new Apple iPhone but she handed them to detectives, believing they were bought with Ms Ross’s money.
A police source revealed: ‘The woman told us that her husband had confided in her that he was angry with the British woman. She was trying to influence him religiously and it became too much for him.’
Greek police raided Ahmadzai’s home on Saturday and found a replica pistol and a military-style knife, sources say.
Ms Ross, who was from Edinburgh, had been a regular visitor to Greece over the past seven years volunteering as a missionary with NGOs helping refugees, homeless people and other vulnerable groups. She had previously volunteered with the One Heart organisation in Greece, which specialises in providing medical support to refugees, particularly those from Afghanistan or Iran.
She arrived in Athens on June 26 and had initially been staying with friends. Police confirmed that she moved to Rethymnou Street on July 2 and was volunteering with a Christian-based NGO working with refugees and other vulnerable groups.
Ahmadzai’s life has been documented in a cartoon video and a forthcoming book titled From Hell To Home: How Loss, Exile And Hope Built The Man I Became. He writes in the book: ‘No matter how dark your story is, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.’
CCTV footage gathered by police allegedly shows Ahmadzai arriving by car at Ms Ross’s property on the evening of July 16. At around 10pm, cameras capture the man wheeling a suitcase along the road on which the abandoned car park where Ms Ross’s body was dumped is located. Thirteen minutes later he is seen walking away from the derelict site without the case.
[图注] Derelict: The old car park where Ms Ross’ body was found
[图注] Chilling: CCTV shows man with case being wheeled through streets
[图注] Boxer: Ahmadzai claims to be a ‘national champion’
After his family died, Ahmadzai used his family’s money to leave Afghanistan and spent 45 days walking through Pakistan, Iran and Turkey in freezing conditions. He was arrested multiple times, with police in Iran once opening fire on a group of migrants, killing 26. From Turkey he made three attempts to get to Greece by sea. His boats sank on the first two journeys before he was finally successful.
He arrived in Lesvos aged 16 in 2016 and entered a refugee camp where he taught himself English and began translating for a humanitarian organisation. He met his wife, who was volunteering at the centre, that year, converted to Christianity in 2017 and moved to Athens in 2019. He began boxing in a park before helping to train refugee boys. He proposed to Ms Hall in 2022, who has said: ‘I had seen his growth and his heart for the Lord, and it was so attractive to me.’
They founded Love Every Nation Athens before marrying in 2023. Ahmadzai was running free boxing sessions five nights a week for unaccompanied teenage boys and the couple were distributing food weekly to refugee families. They also organised community events and sports sessions for young people across Athens.
Ahmadzai describes himself as a ‘Greek national champion’ on a social media page documenting his boxing prowess. A fellow professional boxer in Athens told The Times: ‘We are all very confused because he is a good man, very religious and always quoting from the Bible. He is a decent boxer but not good enough to make a living, he had lots of other jobs to support him too.’
By Christian Calgie Senior Political Correspondent-at-Large
EFFORTS to secure a political pact between Reform UK and rivals Restore Britain descended into farce last night.
The prospect of negotiations between the two Right-wing parties was sparked on Sunday morning after Restore’s Rupert Lowe posted a 12-minute video on social media outlining his requests of Nigel Farage in return for a deal.
And he could not resist taking swipes at Mr Lowe – who he expelled from Reform UK in March 2025 amid accusations of bullying staff and party officials, something Mr Lowe denies.
These included demands for Reform to sign up to mass deportations of both illegal and legal migrants, holding a referendum on the death penalty, banning the burka and excluding ex-Tory ministers such as Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick from any future government positions.
Mr Farage said: ‘If you wanted to do a political deal with somebody, you would contact them privately and not do a 12-minute video. It seemed to me that he was more than anything putting out this gesture, saying, “Look, I’m the good guy, Nigel’s the bad guy”.’
While Mr Farage’s admission that he had contacted Mr Lowe initially raised hopes of a deal, they were dashed almost instantly when Restore Britain accused Mr Farage of lying.
Mr Farage yesterday revealed that he had made contact with Mr Lowe, offering exploratory talks. On X, Mr Lowe posted a screenshot of the message supposedly sent by Mr Farage which read ‘Will call later’, and said no call had been forthcoming.
Speaking at a press conference in Westminster, the Reform leader said: ‘I did actually reach out yesterday to him. I said, “Look, shall we have a call?” I haven’t heard back yet, so I don’t know what the sincerity of this is.’
The Great Yarmouth MP added: ‘Yesterday’s offer was not one I wanted to make, trust me. I don’t particularly enjoy trying to work with people who attempted to put me in prison on false allegations. If you look at my history in politics over the past few years, I am prepared to do things and make sacrifices if I believe it’s in the national interest.’
‘My house was raided by armed police because of them. I was willing, and still am, to put that aside to co-operate in order to save the country we all love. I certainly did that in 2019 [when agreeing to stand down candidates for Boris Johnson]. I would do whatever I could for us to have a sane centre-Right alliance that beat Labour at the next general election.’
‘That’s why I did what I did yesterday. The offer remains open to Nigel and Reform. Although outright lying about our private conversations does not help that.’
A Reform UK spokesman later said that Mr Lowe’s claim and screenshot were ‘not worth’ responding to.
But Mr Farage refused calls to ditch Tory defectors to Reform – saying: ‘I don’t ditch my friends. I don’t ditch my allies, whether that’s Suella Braverman or Posh George [Cottrell], you know I do not ditch people because somebody else wants me to.’
A Restore source said Mr Lowe had been left ‘very irritated’ by Mr Farage, adding: ‘I think he [Farage] was trying to mislead people into thinking Rupert was the one who held things up, which wasn’t the case.’
Restore Britain was launched as a party by Mr Lowe in March, following his expulsion from Reform the previous year. The party proved a headache for Mr Farage in the Makerfield by-election, receiving much media attention, but ended up winning just 7 per cent of the vote, not enough to close the gap between Reform and Andy Burnham.
Yesterday a Restore source suggested Mr Lowe has now accepted the party is not a viable rival to Reform, and must instead change tactics to focus on influencing Reform’s policy at the next election. They told the Daily Mail that Mr Lowe ‘understands this is the best way of trying to get our policy programme implemented’.
They added that the party’s hardline membership had been ‘overwhelmingly supportive’ of the Sunday negotiations offer.
RICHARD TICE, the deputy leader of Reform, has been placed under investigation by Parliament’s standards body. The standards commissioner did not detail the exact reason why, but he confirmed it relates to an alleged failure to make a reference to his register of interests. Mr Tice said that the investigation does not relate to wider questions about donations, but was sparked by a complaint from an ‘anti-Israel lobbying group’. He posted online: ‘Contrary to garbage in media: I am being investigated for standing against anti-Semitism. You could not make it up.’
Last night a senior Reform source acknowledged that many of Mr Lowe’s demands would play well with Mr Farage’s core vote. But they added: ‘The best thing for them to do would be to take this offline, out of the public eye, have a beer, and think about the best way forward and put the country first before their own parties.’
The Conservatives said the public spat between the two men ‘lays bare just how unserious Reform really are’. Pollster Luke Tryl of More In Common said: ‘From an electoral point of view, Reform should focus on winning over waverers rather than pivoting to Restore’s politics, which could retoxify the party.’
By Christian Calgie
who also include Lee Anderson –
By Senior Political Correspondnt-at-Large
REFORM’S proposal to use the Royal Navy to end migrant boat crossings has been branded illegal by the French government. The diplomatic row was sparked hours after party leader Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf, its home affairs spokesman, unveiled ‘Operation Fortress’ at a press conference yesterday.
The policy would see Mr Farage instruct the Navy to launch the largest military operation in the English Channel since the Second World War, with all migrant boats intercepted and returned to France. Mr Yusuf said the policy would be pushed through with or without French support, but admitted the party ‘would far rather’ see president Emmanuel Macron not stand in their way.
He said: ‘We would far rather disembark people in port, walk people down a gangway and hand them to the French authorities. That is what is more dignified, and it is what we will negotiate. ‘But if the Elysee Palace refuses, make no mistake: His Majesty’s Royal Marines will disembark them safely on the very shore they left that morning. ‘Those are the only two options. There is no third option where a British government under Reform just shrugs its shoulders and brings them back to Dover.’
Hours later, however, the French interior ministry said the proposal was unlawful on several grounds. A spokesman said: ‘This would be a violation of French sovereignty, as well as a violation of the law of the sea and international law. Separately, as part of the measures put in place with the UK and the arrangements deployed at the local level, the interior ministry states that the number of crossings is down in 2026.’
Reform’s policy document argues that the plan would be legal because multiple treaties, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, require all efforts be taken to protect life at sea. It added: ‘These would be lawful interdictions and fully protect and preserve life at sea. Indeed, securing our borders would dramatically reduce deaths during Channel crossings.’
Former Navy commander Tom Sharpe told Radio 4 the proposal would not be a good use of resources. ‘A billion-pound warship that’s configured for anti-air warfare or anti-submarine warfare, which are both threats to the UK, is not best used ferrying people around,’ he said. ‘You’re better off using an actual ferry.’
‘Reform are promising to stop small boats and increase rainfall’
The Conservatives called Reform’s idea a ‘gimmick’. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘They can’t explain how they will properly fund the military and they can’t explain how they would disembark illegal immigrants in France without French co-operation.’
A n d T o r y M P B e n Obese-Jecty claimed the image on the cover of Reform’s Operation Fortress document showed HMS Ocean – which was sold to Brazil in 2018. He wrote on social media: ‘Reform, always across the detail on defence matters, have used a 2012 picture of HMS Ocean. It remains unclear as to how the Brazilian Navy will be involved.’
On Sunday it was revealed Mr Farage held exploratory talks about returning as Reform UK leader months before the 2024 General Election, raising questions about his receipt of a £5million ‘gift’ from a billionaire donor earlier that year. He insists it was a personal gift that did not need declaring to Parliament following his election, but the party’s ex-deputy leader Ben Habib said the revelation of talks in March and April 2024 enced my register of interests at start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence. The same anti-Israel group failed to notify Commissioner that Ayoub Khan MP did not declare his substantial donation received from a pro-Palestine group. Funny that...’
‘You’d be a bit of a mug, wouldn’t you, to walk into a job and not find out what the potential liabilities were... that was useful for me to know. But it wasn’t a deal, it wasn’t an agreement, it was subject to if I came back. If you want clarification on this, that came some time after the gift, which is perhaps the important point.’
The Boston and Skegness MP did not name the lobbying group. Questions about Reform’s transparency over standards and donations continued to dog Nigel Farage at the party’s immigration press conference yesterday.
A Labour Party spokesman pointed out that Mr Tice and Mr Farage now both ‘have standards investigations hanging over them’, adding: ‘With police probes, Nigel Farage’s secret £5million gift and reports of funding from a convicted fraudster, it’s clear Reform think the rules just don’t apply to them.’
[图注] Wink: Richard Tice yesterday
enced my register of interests at start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence. The same anti-Israel group failed to notify Commissioner that Ayoub Khan MP did not declare his substantial donation received from a pro-Palestine group. Funny that...’
Minister blasted over claim Tory school reforms left one million on scrapheap
By Jason Groves Political Editor
EDUCATION Secretary Lucy Powell was branded ‘delusional’ yesterday after she claimed a focus on academic standards in schools had left one million youngsters out of work.
In an extraordinary intervention, Ms Powell said the rising number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neets) was a direct ‘consequence’ of Tory reforms which have pushed English schools up the international league tables.
Gove, whose focus on academic rigour is credited with driving a revolution in the classroom.
But senior Tories and education experts rubbished the claim. Tory frontbencher Neil O’Brien said Ms Powell was ‘delusional’ and highlighted figures suggesting the latest surge in youth unemployment followed Labour’s election win.
The figures, from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, show that the UK had a youth unemployment rate of 13.8 per cent when Labour came to office in July 2024, compared with an EU average of 15 per cent. Since then, the UK’s rate has jumped to 16.4 per cent, while the EU’s has dropped slightly to 14.9.
She blamed former Tory education secretary Michael Gove for the fact that the number of Neets has now topped one million, adding: ‘That’s not a coincidence – it’s a consequence. It’s his legacy.’
Mr O’Brien said: ‘Labour inherited youth unemployment below the eurozone average. But they blasted it up with massive tax rises and more regulation.’
Laying blame: Lucy Powell
Mr O’Brien said the main cause of rising youth unemployment isn’t what happens in the classroom, it is Labour coming in and hiking taxes, making it more expensive to employ young people and, at the same time, failing to reform the benefits system.
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott accused Ms Powell of ‘educational vandalism’.
Ms Trott acknowledged the importance of technical education but said there was no excuse for dumbing down key academic subjects such as maths, English and science.
‘The European countries most admired for vocational education do not give up on the academic side,’ she said. ‘This is education vandalism dressed up as progressive reform and Labour needs to start pointing to evidence.’
Writing in The Times, Ms Powell admitted there had been ‘huge strides in education’ in the past 30 years, adding: ‘Standards have risen, literacy and numeracy are hugely improved and a large majority of state schools are good and outstanding’.
But she also claimed the school system had become a ‘straitjacket that has left too many being branded a failure’.
Katharine Birbalsingh, headmistress at acclaimed Michaela Community School, accused ministers of lowering expectations, saying: ‘The biggest lie we tell in education is that things are too academic’.
By Martin Robinson and Rory Tingle
Livesey steps down over Panorama claims
TONY Livesey has quit BBC Radio 5 Live after he was named in an investigation by a glamour model who claims she was forced to have sex with former newspaper boss David Sullivan to get work.
BBC 5 Live controller Heidi Dawson told staff yesterday the talk-show host – previously editor-in-chief of Sullivan’s Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers – had ‘decided to leave’ after 16 years and praised his work at 5 Live.
Late-night show: Tony Livesey
Mr Livesey, 62, has been absent from his late-night slot since a woman, known as Florence, said on Panorama that billionaire Sullivan ‘took away her innocence’ when he allegedly pressured her into sleeping with him in 1999.
Florence claimed the meeting, which she thought would be a professional casting and job interview, came about after she met Mr Livesey in the Daily Sport newsroom and he phoned Sullivan to arrange it.
Mr Livesey said he had ‘no recollection’ of this, rejecting any suggestion he had played ‘any role whatsoever in that scenario’. He said he found the allegation, aired on June 8, ‘abhorrent’.
She told the BBC the West Ham co-owner forced her to have sex with him at his mansion when she was 20 and he was 50, allegedly promising her work in return.
‘delusional’
By Rory Tingle
A SON who kept his dead mother in a chest freezer for nearly three years would hold her hand and chat to her about what he was watching on television.
Christopher Phillips, who hid the body of 89-year-old Silvia Phillips in the living room of the home they had shared, would discuss shows such as Coronation Street ‘just as they always did’. The 60-year-old has now been jailed for more than two years after he admitted preventing a lawful and decent burial, as well as receiving £78,000 of his mother’s benefits since she passed away in March 2023. Her body was covered with a leopard-print throw adorned with yellow and pink roses and a birthday card reading: ‘To Mum, from Christopher and Tina’ – a reference to the family dog.
Phillips, a company director from Porthcawl, South Wales, had said that after his mother’s death he ‘didn’t want to let her go’ and ‘wanted more time with her’. Ruth Smith, defending, claimed that her client was suffering from ‘extreme grief’ and had placed his mother’s body in the living room so ‘he could be near to her’. He pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions and Bridgend County Borough Council that she had died.
Phillips received £78,190.92 in state pension, pensions credit, attendance allowance, winter fuel payments, cost-of-living payments and housing benefit, which would all have ceased had Ms Phillips’ death been reported. Sentencing Phillips to two years and four months in prison, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told him: ‘You continued to collect her prescriptions and misled medical professionals about her whereabouts, lying when enquiries were made about your mother, repeatedly telling medical staff that she did not wish to attend appointments or undergo tests.’
The judge said: ‘Although your mother suffered the indignity of being stored in a chest freezer for three years, there were no other indignities following her death.’ Judge Lloyd-Clarke added that his ‘offending is aggravated by the length of time over which you concealed your mother’s death and because you had the financial advantage of continuing to receive her pension and benefits.’
Ms Smith, defending, said Phillips had been adopted by Ms Phillips at the age of two and was ‘exceptionally close’ to her. They had lived together for 50 years of his life and Phillips had been the primary carer for her since 2008. Ms Smith added: ‘He described talking to her as if she was still alive... sitting next to her, talking to her about TV programmes, Coronation Street, the horse racing, just as they always did.’
‘Mr Phillips was a vulnerable individual with a vulnerable mental health situation at the time of his mother’s death.’ The day after she died, the court was told that Phillips had held her in his arms and told her he would ‘look after her’. Two days later, he bought a chest freezer from AO.com and placed it in his living room with his mother’s body inside. Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Phillips had left work to become a full-time carer for his mother in the months leading up to her death.
When pressed further, Phillips could not provide details of the relatives or where they lived. He later answered ‘no comment’ to all questions in police interviews. Ms Phillips’ body was eventually discovered by police officers earlier this year after her GP raised concerns for her welfare. Officers found Ms Phillips’ body was completely frozen and it was some time before a post-mortem examination could be carried out. South Wales Police attended the house on a quiet cul-de-sac shortly before 7pm on February 17. They confronted Phillips, who claimed his mother was staying with cousins in London.
The pathologist has been unable to ascertain a cause of death, but there were not thought to be any suspicious circumstances. An inquest into her death will be held in due course.
[图注] Grim discovery: House where police found the 89-year-old’s body after GP raised concerns
[图注] Grief: Christopher Phillips claimed he simply ‘wanted more time’ with his mother
By Shivali Best
IT seems we are not the only ones at risk of sunburn in the heatwaves – with farmers putting ‘suncream’ on their apples. Clive Baxter, who farms 200 acres of fruit trees in Kent, said Bramley apples are ‘very susceptible to sunburn’ and he sprays them with a protective coating made of clay. Last month, his farm in Maidstone saw temperatures hit 33C (91F). He told the BBC English apples such as Bramleys and Coxes ‘can’t handle the heat’. Once it hits 30C with no wind, ‘the juice starts to boil and cooks the fruit’, ruining the crop.
England and Wales saw the driest July on record. Only 6.5mm of rain fell in England – just 10 per cent of the average and less than half the previous low of 13.4mm set in 1911. And it was the second hottest July in England with an average temperature of 17.4C. Wales had its joint-warmest July, matching 1983 and 2006 with 17.8C. Drought has been declared in half of England and Wales, and the Met Office warned the dry conditions are set to continue in the South East. Amber heat health alerts are in place until tomorrow morning for London, the South East, the East of England and the East Midlands.
‘Chat to her about Coronation Street’
By Jack Hardy
THE president of a Cambridge college appears to have quietly withdrawn her name from a letter supporting the professor at the heart of a plagiarism scandal.
Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu’s name has disappeared from an open letter backing under-fire Professor Jason Arday, which accused ‘Right-wing newspapers’ of trying to ‘smear’ him with ‘fake accusations of plagiarism’.
The president of Wolfson College, Cambridge, had been the second signatory on the letter, started by Left-wing campaign group Good Law Project. It begins: ‘We, the undersigned, are appalled by the sustained and malicious attacks on the academic integrity of Professor Jason Arday.’
Signatory: Dame Ijeoma and raising millions for charity. Last night, WaterAid also cast doubt on claims Professor Arday had made about ‘installing water points’ in South America and West Africa, after the charity said it had never sent volunteers abroad. The reference to WaterAid, which was written in his biography on the website of his speakers’ agency, the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau, has since been removed, it has been reported.
The professor of sociology of education is accused of copying large chunks of his PhD thesis from another student’s research, and has now admitted to numerous errors in his work.
As Cambridge University’s youngest ever black professor, he was seen as the poster boy for diversity but is now also facing questions about a series of claims about his past – including running 600 miles in six days.
Denials: Professor Jason Arday says he is not a ‘liar and fantasist’
Professor Arday has insisted he is not a ‘liar and fantasist’.
Dame Ijeoma was one of three Cambridge college principals whose name appeared on the letter. Another was Lord Woolley, who had listed his job title as principal of Homerton College. Although his name remains on the letter, his title has been removed.
The Mail yesterday revealed the academic had seemingly claimed he was in TV series Seven Up – which has followed the same group of people since 1964 – then backtracked when told it was broadcast years before he was born. Footage from a 2022 talk shows the professor telling the Bath university’s Race Equality Taskforce: ‘I was part of a programme which doesn’t really exist any more, but was called Seven Up... They follow you over the duration of your life, so they follow you at seven, 14, 21. I was pulled out of the project when I was 14.’
Seven Up was first broadcast two decades before Professor Arday was born, with the participants born in 1956 or 1957. In response to inquiries from the Mail, Professor Arday said that when he talked of ‘Seven Up’, he didn’t mean the TV series but was referring to ‘a local community and parent-led initiative.’
Speaking after the hearing, the father said: ‘The reference to “Seven Up” was used informally as a short-hand illustration of the concept. It was not intended as a literal comparison,’ he said. A BBC spokesman confirmed Professor Arday had ‘nothing to do with our films’.
The Guardian has also cast doubt on a claim he made that a pig’s head was sent to his home in a campaign of racist intimidation. Professor Arday said police had investigated but this was denied by the Metropolitan Police.
After the allegations of plagiarism in his 2015 PhD thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, which awards the PhD, cleared him of academic misconduct.
Dame Ijeoma has been approached for comment.
By Cameron Charters
BRITONS face paying up to £100million more in energy bills every year because of hundreds of faulty meters on wind farms. More than 800 meters, roughly half on land and half offshore, have been fitted backwards, falsely reporting they are consuming energy and not producing it. This means the operator does not accurately know how much energy the power grid is using.
On the grid, large reserves are needed in case of any unexpected drops or spikes. Documents from the National Energy System Operator (Neso) noted a ten-gigawatt (10billion watts) error caused by the backwards meters, which made the company believe it needed extra reserves to last around 200 extra hours per year.
A spokesman for Neso said the £100million figure ‘should not be presented as actual consumer costs’, adding the faulty meters are not a security issue and the energy system is ‘operated safely and securely’. With the average price being £50 per megawatt-hour (1million watts used continuously for an hour), the repeating annual cost would be £100million.
First reported by The Times, the cost of fixing both the offshore and land sites is estimated to be up to £44.1million. ‘Neso has implemented interim measures to minimise the impact and is working with industry through the established code process on an enduring solution,’ he said.
A spokesman for Ofgem, which regulates Neso, said the organisation’s management of meter issues ‘needs to be improved given the changes in the energy system’. He added: ‘Consumers rightly expect the energy system to run efficiently and keep costs down.’
By Andrew Jehring Chief Foreign Correspondent
A BRITISH father charged over the death of his two-year-old son at a hotel in Cyprus has been allowed to return home for the boy’s funeral. The 37-year-old City banker said he placed the toddler on a fourth-storey windowsill while waiting for the lift at the King Evelthon Hotel near Paphos, believing the window was closed.
But it had been left wide open and the boy fell 33ft on to the veranda below on July 12. The father was ordered by a court to remain on the island. Yesterday, he held back tears as a judge lifted the order for one month on humanitarian grounds after he put up an extra 10,000 euros (£8,500) in bail, having already paid out 20,000 euros. It means he can join his wife and surviving daughter, five, who returned to Britain with the boy’s body on Wednesday.
‘He held back the tears’
Dressed in a striped blue and white shirt, black trousers and loafers, the man hugged his mother who burst into tears as they left the court room together. He also walked over to prosecutor Chryso Perganti and whispered ‘thank you’ after she did not raise an objection to his plea to return home.
Speaking after the hearing, the father said: ‘I’m very thankful to the judge and to the authorities for letting me go home to my wife and my daughter. That’s all I want to do now.’
The man is expected to return to the UK tomorrow but must go back to Cyprus on September 14. He is due to appear to enter a plea on September 17.
A POLISH endurance swimmer has become the first person to swim across the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Poland after completing the 100-mile journey in just over 56 hours. Bartlomiej Kubkowski, 30, achieved the feat on Sunday after four failed attempts. He set off from Kaseberga in Sweden and arrived at Dziwnow in Poland more than two days later, without sleeping or touching his support boat, which supplied food and drink.
Footage showed Mr Kubkowski, who raised more than £157,000 for charity, emerging from the sea to cheers from supporters before collapsing on to the sand. Last year he was pulled from the water just seven miles from shore. Attempts in 2021, 2022 and 2023 were cut short by fatigue and harsh conditions.
‘Attacks on his integrity’
Mystery, Ayoub Khan, Baltic Sea, Because Mr Burnham, Ben Habib
Status: ❌ BLOCKING ISSUES FOUND
Daily Mail, Tuesday, August 4, 2026 left in English.Page 3 left in English.billion left as English inside Chinese sentences (e.g., "960 亿英镑 billion").[图注] (Caption labels), which is a delivery defect as per the prompt instructions.| Defect Type | Count | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Hallucinations | Massive (5+ Articles) | 🛑 Critical |
| Wrong Numbers/Roles | Multiple | 🔴 High |
| Omissions | Extensive | 🔴 High |
| Residual English | Multiple | 🟡 Medium |
| Cleanup Labels | Multiple | 🟡 Medium |