Labour Party makes last-ditch plea to PM Theresa May to approve peers' Brexit bill changes

Political reporter(wp/es):

Labour has made a last-ditch direct appeal to Prime Minister Theresa May to allow two major changes to the Government’s Brexit bill.  

In a letter addressed to the PM, the Labour party called on the PM to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in Britain and also give Parliament a vote on the final exit deal.

The two changes were approved as amendments by the House of Lords, which has spent the past weeks reviewing the bill.

Peers defeated the Government on both issues but MPs are expected to overturn the votes when the Brexit Bill returns to the House of Commons next week. 

The letter, sent by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and Baroness Smith, shadow leader of the Lords, said the changes would not damage the PM's plans to trigger Article 50 by the end of the month.

It said: "Labour supported both these amendments in the House of Commons. Labour peers both led and helped pass them in the House of Lords, and Labour will continue to fully support these amendments on Monday.

"You will understand, however, our concerns that Government minister (including David Davis in the House of Commons yesterday during the Exiting the EU oral questions) have indicated they will simply ignore these amendments and seek to delete them from the Bill, before any debate or consideration in the House of Commons on the substantive issues raised in the Lords debates .

"Surely the issues raised in the Lords and such large majorities from across the House are worthy of greater consideration?

"We are making this direct appeal to you and hope that you will give it your urgent personal attention."

It comes as the Standard revealed Theresa May could trigger Article 50, setting the wheels of Brexit in motion, on Tuesday.

Private maths tutor who encouraged young boys to engage in sexual activity at his Wembley home

Pic:Nicholas Fay admitted four counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
Crime reporter(wp/es):

A private maths tutor has been jailed after admitting a string of sexual offences against young boys he was teaching at his north London home.

Nicholas Fay, 72, was sentenced to two years at Harrow Crown Court after pleading guilty to four counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The court heard how he persuaded four boys – aged nine to ten – to engage in sexual activity with him and each other at his Wembley home in July 2015.

One of the boys admitted what had happened to his parents and Fay was arrested a day later.

Upon sentencing, Judge Greenwood said: "What you did was serious. You were a maths tutor and were entrusted by the children and their parents - you abused their trust.

“You incited them to take part in activity with each other. You told them not to tell their parents, but fortunately they did."

Four other boys made similar accusations against Fay dating back to 1999 and 2006 which were referenced by the Judge as bad character evidence.

As well as the jail term, Fay was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and handed a Sexual harm Prevention Order preventing him from unsupervised contact with people under 16.

Police fear that there may be more victims of Fay – who taught privately for 18 years – and have urged any to come forward.

Detective Constable Janine Stevenson of the Sexual Offences Exploitation and Child Abuse Command said: "The victims' parents put their trust in Fay to teach their children whilst they were under his supervision - he breached that trust in the most abhorrent way. 

"I would like to thank all of the families involved in this investigation - without their assistance the outcome would not have been possible.

"Fay initially refused to accept the charges which meant that the children were faced with the fear of having to attend court to give evidence. Thankfully, he eventually changed his plea on the first day of trial, avoiding them additional distress.

"Fay has caused immense distress and trauma for the victims and their families and I hope his sentence will go towards providing some closure for them.

"Fay has been teaching children privately for at least 18 years and we fear there may be more victims. 

“I would urge any other potential victims to come forward and contact me as soon as possible."

Man fighting for life in hospital after 'road rage fight' in south London

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A man is fighting for his life in hospital after being attacked in what witnesses described as a “road rage” argument in south London.

The man, who is thought to be in his late 40s, was assaulted on Stanthorpe Road bridge near to Streatham station on Friday evening.

South Londoners who witnessed the incident said a man got punched after a "right-of-way dispute" and saw someone running away from the scene.

Shafaq Hassan, a speech and language therapist who lives nearby, said: “We heard people outside our house and went to investigate. 

“Passersby and neighbours had stopped. There was a man sitting on the road surrounded by a few people. I asked what had happened and was told he had been punched.

“As I'm an SLT I automatically sat down next to him to try and comfort him. He looked in shock and disorientated. 

“He had a head injury on back of his head as apparently he hit the pavement and possibly passed out for few minutes."

She added: "I stayed with him as police and medics came. They asked questions to check if he remembered date and year. Eventually they put him on a stretcher and took into the ambulance.

“Other neighbours reported seeing him have a dispute with the other driver about who should give way at the junction."

The road, at the junction with Gleneldon Road was blocked off for several hours while police investigated.

At 10.30pm – more than five hours after the assault – the road was still cordoned off.

A spokesman for the Met Police told the WP they were called by the ambulance service at 5.18pm on Friday to reports of a man who had been assaulted.

They found a man, in his late 40s to early 50s, who had been injured.

He was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

No one has yet been arrested, police said.