Peterborough by-election: The 'mother of all marginals'

Investigating report,Peterborough(wp/bbc):::

Days after they marked their ballots for the European elections, the people of Peterborough will go to the polls again - to choose their MP.

They're facing a by-election, on Thursday, because of the departure of former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya, who was removed by a recall petition after being jailed for lying about a speeding offence.

The voters of Peterborough have a lot of choice: fifteen candidates, some of them from new political parties, are pounding the streets to try to win people over. But what do voters want in their MP - if election apathy doesn't get to them first?

The city of Peterborough is not what you would call a safe seat.

The Renew candidate Peter Ward has described it as "the mother of all marginals"; it was taken from the Conservatives in 2017 by Ms Onasanya on a wafer-thin majority.

There was nothing marginal about the city's support for leaving the EU, however: in the 2016 referendum, on a 72.4% turnout, voters backed Leave by 61% to 39%.Peterborough is one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK, with a population of 197,000 people, and strong transport connections to London and the industrial north.

The city, on the edge of the Fens, has long attracted large numbers of immigrants, attracted by its factories, warehouses and agricultural work.

According to the Centre for Cities, Peterborough has outperformed most of the country for rapid employment growth.

So what are the big issues the people of the city want their new MP to tackle?

'Brexit is all we hear about - voting is pointless'Ann Marie Gutteridge, 39, runs Sweet Memories on Peterborough market.

There have recently been local elections followed by European elections, and she thinks this is putting people off voting.

"There are too many elections, and Brexit is all we hear about," she says.

"Why bother? It's not working. This is a major city and the new MP has to listen to the people, and unless they support their own area, it's not worth it.

"The city centre desperately needs regenerating, trade is next to nothing here, it's all jewellery shops, betting shops or restaurants."

'This is a fast-growing city'"This city really needs more affordable housing," 

says Shazad Mahmood, 39, who runs the Jim Boys ice cream van in the city with his brother.

"Getting people on track before they get off track is important. We're lucky here because there are plenty of jobs and this is a fast-growing city.

"Plus I also don't understand why Peterborough has so much fly-tipping.

"How hard is it to phone the council who'll take it away for you?"

'We have to support each other'"The impact on the environment - not just climate change but animal agriculture and chronic diseases in our schools - is the most important thing now," says market food vendor Angelique Williams, 49.

The former business analyst, who moved to the UK from South Africa in 1996, said she's also worried about the pressure on local businesses to survive with high rents and rates.

But she says Peterborough is full of "little pockets of beauty" - the cathedral and parks, the Art Deco lido, unique buildings and a big artistic community.

"This is a small city with a great international flavour; we have to support each other," she says.

"I want our new MP to be compassionate: a doer - not a taker - someone who will stand up and defend Peterborough."

'I need a guarantee I can work here'Inga Pumpure-Skaba, 33, is the site manager at Gladstone Park community centre. She is a single mum of two and is originally from Latvia.

"I've been here for more than nine years and my children are at primary and secondary schools. There's a wonderful Latvian community - our whole lives are here," she says.

"I want a guarantee from the new MP that I'll still be entitled to work and have access to healthcare and education, whatever happens in the next few months.

"The hardest part is seeing the election leaflets coming through, promising jobs for English people - it's discrimination and that's wrong."

Inga is currently applying to stay through the EU Settlement Scheme, but is finding the process confusing and difficult.

"There is work in Peterborough and good opportunities for jobs - it's one of the city's strengths," she says.

"We want to be here."

'The new MP must mean what they say'Jordan Limond volunteers with a charity that supports more than 70 rough sleepers in the city every day.

"I want our MP to live up their policies - to mean what they say they're going to do locally," he says.

"They have to live here, to understand the heartbeat of the community. To support the NHS, to boost police to tackle anti-social behaviour."

The wealthy businessman who paid just £35.20 in tax

Business reporter(wp/bbc):::

A wealthy businessman who lived a life of luxury paid just £35.20 income tax, a BBC investigation has discovered.

Frank Timis rented a £14,000-a-month penthouse and spent thousands dining in London's finest restaurants.

But his personal tax return for 2017 shows he paid just £35.20 in tax, after claiming that he had hardly any income from his worldwide business empire.

Mr Timis's lawyers say he has fully complied with all of his tax obligations.

Documents leaked to BBC Panorama and Africa Eye also reveal how Mr Timis managed to do this.

They show that in 2017, Mr Timis received payments totalling £670,000 from his offshore trust.

These were mainly payments called distributions, which should have been taxable. But shortly before he submitted his tax return, Mr Timis allegedly asked the trust to turn the distributions into untaxable loans.

A backdated loan agreement was created making the loans look legitimate.

John Christiansen, from the Tax Justice Network, said it looked like Mr Timis was dodging tax: "It all points to this being a manoeuvre to cheat the tax man. And, if that is the case, because it's been done retrospectively, there seems to be prima facie evidence that this is tax fraud and it should be investigated."

Leaked documents

The BBC investigation has also spoken to the man who ran the trust that helped Mr Timis with the apparent tax dodge.

Philip Caldwell is named as chairman at the meeting in Switzerland that agreed to backdate the suspicious loans.

His signature is on the minutes, but he says the meeting never happened and that the minutes of the meeting are fake: "It has my signature on it but what I can say is that no such meeting ever took place. I wasn't there. I wasn't in Switzerland at the time."

The leaked documents also suggest that Mr Timis didn't pay a single penny in UK income tax in 2016.

Mr Timis's lawyers say the allegations are denied in the strongest possible terms: "Mr Timis has fully complied with all of his tax obligations and at all stages has taken professional advice to ensure that he has done so."

The Romanian businessman is no stranger to controversy. He has two convictions for supplying heroin in the 1990s and has been involved in a series of failed mining ventures in Africa.

Frank Timis has floated two mining companies on the junior stock exchange in London.

One of them - Regal Petroleum - was hit with the exchange's biggest ever fine in 2009 after misleading investors about an oil discovery.

Regal Petroleum told investors it expected to find oil in Greece, even though it knew the well in question was dry.

Mr Timis's lawyers said he only held a minority stake in Regal and was not on the board at the time the company received the fine.

They said: "Mr Timis was personally investigated and cleared by the FCA in relation to his role in Regal Petroleum."

Deal or no deal, we leave EU on October 31 - PM candidate Johnson

Political reporter(wp/reuters):::
Boris Johnson, frontrunner to be Britain’s next prime minister, promised on Monday to lead the country out of the European Union on Oct. 31 with or without an exit deal, launching his leadership bid in a campaign video.

Prime Minister Theresa May is due to resign on Friday having failed to deliver Brexit on schedule. She leaves behind her a divided nation and parliament with no consensus on the way ahead for the world’s fifth largest economy.

Johnson, a former foreign minister who resigned in protest at May’s handling of Brexit, is the bookmakers’ favourite to win a crowded contest and take over the running of the country at its most important strategic juncture in decades.

“If I get in we’ll come out, deal or no deal, on October the 31st,” he was seen telling a member of the public in a campaign video released on Twitter.

The launch coincided with the arrival in Britain of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has thrown his weight behind Johnson by saying he would do a “very good job” as British leader.

The race to replace May has so far focussed on candidates’ approach to a no-deal exit from the EU - with a clear dividing line between those who would countenance leaving the bloc without a formal transition agreement, and those who say it would be too economically dangerous.

Leadership rival Jeremy Hunt, one of the staunchest opponents of no deal, told the BBC that it should only be used “in extremis” but that he believed he could negotiate a better deal before Oct. 31 - the country’s current exit date.

CUT TAXES, GET MORE MONEY

Johnson is himself a divisive figure.

Having led the 2016 campaign to leave the EU he is feted by those who see him as a colourful straight-talker, prepared to speak truth to a political establishment that has betrayed swathes of the electorate.

But critics say the former Mayor of London, educated at the exclusive Eton College and Oxford University, is an opportunist member of the political elite seeking to get the top job at any cost. He is due to appear in court over claims he lied during the Brexit referendum campaign - something his lawyers have dismissed as a political stunt.

Monday’s video, featuring clips of Johnson talking to voters and a monologue delivered straight to camera, is his first real salvo in the leadership battle which so far has 13 contenders and could take two months to determine the winner.

In it, he is seen touching on issues known to be important to the 160,000 or so Conservative members who will have the final vote on Britain’s next leader, once the candidate list has been whittled down by Conservative lawmakers.

“Cut some taxes and you get more money in,” he tells another member of the public, while also arguing for more investment in education, infrastructure and healthcare.“Now is the time to unite our society, and unite our country. To build the infrastructure, to invest in education, to improve our environment, and to support our fantastic NHS (National Health Service),” he said.

“To lift everyone in our country, and of course, also to make sure that we support our wealth creators and the businesses that make that investment possible.”

London's Gatwick Airportsays working normally after an incident

Staff reporter,London(wp/reuters):::

A luggage reclaim zone at London’s Gatwick Airport was temporarily evacuated overnight after an incident but was now working normally, a spokesman for the airport said on Monday.

Website Airlive reported that a man, believed to be carrying two knives, was arrested at around 2 a.m. local (0100 GMT) at the airport.

Britain's Got Talent: 8.2 million watch Colin Thackery win BGT

Pic-The 89-year-old will donate some of his £250,000 to the Royal Hospital Chelsea/wp

Entertainment reporter(wp/bbc):::

Chelsea Pensioner Colin Thackery has become the oldest winner of Britain's Got Talent.

As well as winning a slot performing in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance, he will also bank a cheque for £250,000.

The 89-year-old singer said he would make a donation to the south London retirement and nursing home for former members of the British Army.

He admitted he had taken part in the programme "for a dare".

"One of the guys, as I was coming off the stage in our club dared me having sung after the curry lunch," explained Thackery, who is from Thorpe St Andrew in Norwich, on Britain's Got More Talent.

"He said, 'When are going to do it?' I said, 'What?' and he said 'Go on Britain's Got Talent'. I said ''Don't be silly'."After performing Love Changes Everything for the finale on Sunday night, Thackeray said he would "die happy" if he had the chance to sing for the Queen.

"I served my Queen for 25 years and to think I could sing for her would be the end," he told hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.

According to overnight figures, an average 8.2 million people tuned in live to Sunday night's final, a 40% share of the audience.

That figure rises to 8.5 million when those watching on ITV+1 are included.

In 2018, an average of 8.7 million viewers tuned in live to watch Lost Voice Guy win the competition, the highest figures since 2015 when dancing dog act Jules O'Dwyer & Matisse were crowned.

When the show launched in 2007, more than 11 million watched opera singer Paul Potts crowned its first winner while an audience of 16.4 million saw Diversity dance their way to success in 2009, with 18.29 million tuning in for results show.

Masked Magician X was the runner-up and shocked the judges and audience by revealing he was actually former contestant Marc Spelmann, who appeared in the 2018 series but failed to make it to the final.

Spellman's big reveal was preceded by a video montage of his previous performances during which Ant is seen saying: "Imagine at the end he takes it off and it's someone we know?"

Close to tears, he told the audience: "It was always about hope. I'm never giving up. It's been an honour sharing X with you. I'm X," he said.Viewing figures peaked at over 10 million when the magician unmasked himself.

The final also included performances from former contestants, dance troupe Diversity and Susan Boyle - who sang a duet with Michael Ball.

"It feels very surreal, she said.Boyle also confirmed she is set to take part in a new special Britain's Got Talent: The Champions later in the year.

UK manufacturing sags as Brexit stockpile frenzy evaporates - PMI

Business reporter(wp/reuters):::
The Brexit stockpiling boom of early 2019 gave way in May to the steepest downturn in British manufacturing in almost three years as new orders dried up, boding poorly for economic growth in the second quarter, a survey showed on Monday.

The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 49.4 from 53.1 in April, its lowest level since July 2016 and worse than all forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists that had pointed to a fall to 52.0.

Export orders dropped at the fastest pace since October 2014, the survey showed, reflecting global trade tensions and European businesses diverting supply chains away from Britain because of Brexit uncertainty, the PMI showed.

A separate survey from the ‘Make UK’ manufacturing organisation published on earlier Monday also suggested EU customers are turning their backs on Britain.

Britain’s economy picked up in early 2019, helped by the biggest rise in factory output in 20 years as companies raced to stockpile goods to avoid disruption to supply chains in the run-up to the original March 29 Brexit deadline.

But with Britain’s departure from the European Union postponed until Oct. 31, the boost from stockpiling has evaporated — putting manufacturing on course for a renewed downturn, data company IHS Markit said.

“New order inflows declined from both domestic and overseas markets, as already high stock levels at manufacturers and their clients led to difficulties in sustaining output levels and getting agreement on new contracts,” IHS Markit economist Rob Dobson said.

British factories cut jobs for a second month running in May and ran down backlogs of work at the fastest rate in six years, a poor omen for manufacturing output, the survey showed.

“The current manufacturing downturn may have further to run and will have negative ramifications for growth in the broader economy in the months ahead,” Dobson said.

Still, manufacturers struck a more optimistic tone for the longer term as expectations for future output struck an eight-month high, based on hope that worries around Brexit and global trade will eventually subside.

London Bridge terror attack: Services to mark two-year anniversary

Pic-Clockwise from top left: Chrissy Archibald, Sebastien Belanger, Kirsty Boden, Ignacio Echeverria, Sara Zelenak, Xavier Thomas, Alexandre Pigeard, James McMullan/wp/bbc


Special report(wp/bbc):::

Memorial services will be held at Southwark Cathedral to mark the second anniversary of the London Bridge terror attack.

Eight people were killed and 48 seriously injured after three men drove into pedestrians then stabbed people in Borough Market on 3 June 2017.

A memorial evensong will begin at 17:30 BST while a special prayer service will finish at the time the attack ended.

An inquest into the eight deaths has been adjourned until Tuesday.

Xavier Thomas, 45, Christine Archibald, 30, Sara Zelenak, 21, Sebastien Belanger, 36, James McMullan, 32, Kirsty Boden, 28, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39, were all killed in the attack.

Candles will be lit for those who died during evensong and the service will culminate with a procession to a newly planted "tree of healing".

The tree has been planted in the churchyard using compost created from floral tributes laid on London Bridge in the aftermath of the attack.

The later prayer service will begin at 21:58, the time attack the began, and will conclude with a moment of silence at 22:16.

Borough Market is open as usual but the market trustees said traders would be "quietly marking the second anniversary" with flags flying at half-mast.

The mayor of London said the anniversary would be "no less difficult" for those affected.

"Our thoughts are with the victims' families and all those who were injured," Sadiq Khan said.

Emergency services including the Met Police have also paid tribute to those who died, as well as recalling "the bravery of the officers and the public who confronted danger".