Smoke seen for miles as firefighters tackle flames in Rainham scrapyard and Canary Wharf

Pic:Smoking can be seen billowing in to the sky at two locations in the capital 
Staff reporter(wp/es):

Thick black plumes of smoke could be seen for miles across the capital as two fires raged at a scrapyard in east London and in Canary Wharf.

Firefighters continue to tackle the first blaze that was caused by more than twelve vehicles catching light in a car storage yard in Rainham.

And other crews remain at the scene of a second fire in the Canary Wharf area. The fires broke out within an hour of each other.

Plumes of smoke could be seen from as far as central London, as workers took to social media to post pictures of both scenes on Monday afternoon.

Six fire engines and 30 firefighters were called to the flames in Rainham just before just before 1.30pm, after crews were called to reports of cars alight in Ferry Lane.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: "Six lorries, six cars and one 40 foot fork lift truck is alight.

"The Brigade was called at 1.21pm. Fire crews from Wennington and surrounding fire stations are at the scene. 

The cause of the fires are not yet known.

After the second blaze broke out in Canary Wharf, social media users posted dramatic images as smoke billows into the air.

Witnesses said the area, a building site in Preston's Road, is being evacuated while firefighters battle the flames.

The brigade said crews were at the scene, which is 10 miles away from the scrapyard fire, by about 2pm.

Ex-Archbishop Lord Carey resigns after child abuse review

Pic:Lord Carey has apologised to the victims of Peter Ball/getty images
Staff reporter(wp):

The former Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned from his last formal role in the church after a review into historical child sex abuse.

Lord Carey was criticised in an independent review of the church's handling of abuse carried out by Bishop Peter Ball, 85, who was jailed in 2015.

Dame Moira Gibb's review revealed he had failed to pass information on Ball to the police back in 1992.

Justin Welby, current Archbishop of Canterbury, asked for his resignation.

Lord Carey had been given a role as an honorary assistant bishop in the diocese of Oxford, a position given to many retired bishops.

Accepted criticisms'

Ball, former bishop of Lewes and Gloucester, was jailed for two years and eight months in October 2015, after admitting sex offences against 18 teenagers and young men between the 1970s and 1990s.

The Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft, said: "I have met with Lord Carey following the Archbishop's letter to him.

"In light of Dame Moira Gibb's review into the Peter Ball case, Lord Carey has resigned from his role as honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Oxford.

"Lord Carey has accepted the criticisms made of him in the Gibb review and has apologised to the victims of Peter Ball."

Dame Moira Gibb's review revealed Lord Carey received various letters from families and individuals following the arrest and cautioning of Ball in 1992 for gross indecency, but failed to pass six of them to the police.

He also chose not to put Ball on the Church of England's "Lambeth List", which names clergymen about whom questions of suitability for ministry have been raised.

Ball was released from jail in February after serving 16 months.

'Focus on survivors'

Dame Moira, a former senior social worker, said there was a failure of the Church to respond appropriately to misconduct over a period of many years.

Rt Rev Steven Croft added: "Along with many others, I have been deeply distressed to read Dame Moira Gibb's report with its narrative of the abuse perpetrated by Peter Ball which remained hidden for so long.

"I hope that the focus of attention will continue to be on the survivors of abuse and offering to them the care and support they need.

"As the Diocese of Oxford we are committed to improving continually the quality of safeguarding and care."

He said the diocese would learn lessons from the review and put its "recommendations into practice"

PCs injured in London protest Edir Frederico Da Costa death

Pic:Edir Frederico Da Costa died on 21 June
Staff reporter(wp):

Six police officers have been injured and four people were arrested in a protest over the death of a young father following a traffic stop.

Bricks were thrown and fires were lit outside Stratford bus station and Forest Gate police station in London.

Protesters allege Edir Frederico Da Costa, 25, was "brutally beaten" by Met Police officers earlier this month.

The police watchdog is investigating the treatment of Mr Da Costa, who died six days after he was stopped.

Campaigners claimed his neck was broken and he had suffered head and other injuries after being stopped by Met officers in a car containing three people.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said a preliminary post-mortem examination, carried out on Thursday, indicated he did not have a broken neck or other spinal injuries and that he did not have bleeding to the brain.

"Rigorous investigations" into the cause of his death were continuing, it said.

The police watchdog said it was releasing the information because it was concerned about the "rapid spread of false and potentially inflammatory information".

Earlier on Sunday evening, Borough Commander Supt Ian Larnder stood in the middle of a group of protesters trying to answer their questions and calm tensions.

One protester rode his motorbike up to the police line and revved his engine in front of officers.

Another motorcyclist turned his bike towards the officers and span his wheels so that smoke blew towards them.

Firefighters, protected by police, put out a fire which had been started in a bin in Richmond Road. Bins were also set alight near a McDonald's in Romford Road.

Bricks were ripped from a wall and thrown at police. Six police officers were injured, with four taken to hospital. A police sergeant had facial injuries while a police constable suffered head injuries.

One person was arrested on suspicion of disorder offences, while three other people were held on suspicion of arson and criminal damage.

Family campaigners said the violence was not coming from them, and insisted it had been set up as a peaceful march.

The force said the number of protesters started to dwindle just before 23:00 BST on Sunday.

Mr Da Costa, known by friends as Edson, died on 21 June, six days after being stopped in a car in Woodcocks, Beckton, in Newham, east London.

In a statement posted on an online GoFundMe page, his family said: "This is a call for justice, not just for Edson but for all young men that are forgotten and unprotected in this reckless system."

They have called for any witnesses to come forward to the IPCC, in particular anyone with video footage.

Nearly £5,000 has been raised on the fundraising site.

Grime musician Stormzy tweeted #justiceforEdson last Friday.

Last week, Mr Larnder said in a statement: "All police officers are fully aware that they will be asked to account for their actions - officers are not exempt from the law and we would not wish to be.

"I know that Edir's family, friends and the wider community want answers, but it is important that the (IPCC) investigation is allowed to take place to establish the full facts of what happened before any conclusions are made."

John McDonnell: Grenfell victims 'murdered by political decisions'

Political reporter(wp):

Labour's John McDonnell has claimed victims of the Grenfell Tower fire were "murdered" by "political decisions".

Speaking at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, the shadow chancellor blamed the decision to "view housing as only for financial speculation".

At least 79 people are feared to have died in the fire in west London, which began in the early hours of 14 June.

Housing minister Alok Sharma said it was "disappointing" that people wanted to make it "a party political issue".

It is thought the building's recently-installed cladding may have helped the fire to spread.

The type of insulation material used on the tower is also being investigated, along with suggestions that the way the insulation and cladding was installed could have created a chimney effect.

Cladding from as many as 600 tower blocks across England is now being tested for safety.

So far, cladding on 60 high-rise buildings in 25 areas has failed, and none has passed.

One of the blocks which failed was Elizabeth House in Wembley - to the "surprise" of the building's management company.

Noel Brosnan, a company director at Octavia Housing, said: "This building was constructed in 2013 and at that time we got the assurances that it met and complied with building regulations and it has been signed off by the local authority.

"So of course we were quite surprised and dismayed to hear that this building did not meet building regulations."

• More high-rises fail fire safety tests
• Where have cladding fire tests failed?
• Holyrood to review tower block safety
• Visual guide to the Grenfell Tower fire

The prime minister ordered a public inquiry on 15 June and is due to chair a meeting of the Grenfell Tower Recovery Taskforce on Monday.

Insulation and cladding taken from Grenfell Tower failed preliminary safety testslast week.

Mr McDonnell, the MP for Hayes and Harlington, was speaking in a panel debate at Glastonbury's Left Field event, chaired by Guardian journalist John Harris.

He said: "Is democracy working? It didn't work if you were a family living on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower.

"Those families, those individuals - 79 so far and there will be more - were murdered by political decisions that were taken over recent decades.

"The decision not to build homes and to view housing as only for financial speculation rather than for meeting a basic human need made by politicians over decades murdered those families.

"The decision to close fire stations and to cut 10,000 fire fighters and then to freeze their pay for over a decade contributed to those deaths inevitably, and they were political decisions."

A source close to Mr McDonnell confirmed the quotes were accurate.

Jim Fitzpatrick, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on fire safety, said his Labour colleague's comments were inappropriate.

"Jumping to conclusions and pointing a finger of blame at this point, I think, is somewhat premature," he added.

Mr Sharma, who replaced Gavin Barwell as the housing minister following the general election, said the cladding in question had been installed over a wide time period and under councils controlled by different political parties.

Pressed on a timescale to complete the testing, he said the government was working "round the clock" to get the work done.

There is the capacity carry out 100 tests a day, he said, but samples need to be sent in as quickly as possible.

He said: "Some councils are acting very quickly and we want all of them to be acting urgently on this."

Mr Sharma also said the government would "offer support" to councils, although he wouldn't put an exact figure on financial aid.

Over the weekend, Camden Council evacuated 650 people from four tower blocks in Swiss Cottage area, after London Fire Brigade raised concerns about cladding, gas pipe insulation, and fire doors.

The four blocks were renovated by Rydon between 2006 and 2009 - the same company which oversaw the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower from 2015 to 2016.

Five high-rise buildings in Sunderland had cladding removed as a precautionary measure to "reassure residents".

Buildings have been also declared unsafe in Doncaster, Norwich, Stockton-on-Tees, Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

In Scotland, Holyrood is going to hold its own investigation into the safety of tower blocks, expanding an ongoing inquiry into housing and building regulations.

The Scottish Government has already said that no council or housing association high-rise block has cladding of the type believed to have been used in Grenfell Tower.

Boy, 16, in court over rape of girl, 8, in Manchester park

Crime reporter(wp):

A 16-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the rape of an eight-year-old girl in a park.

Police were called to Nuthurst Park in Moston, Manchester, just before 18:55 BST on Saturday.

Greater Manchester Police said officers responded to reports of a girl being raped. A boy was arrested in a nearby shop.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded to appear at Manchester Crown Court on 10 July.

Conservatives agree pact with DUP to support May government

Pic:The two sides met in the Cabinet room

Political reporter(wp):

An agreement has been reached which will see the Democratic Unionist Party back Theresa May's minority government.

The deal, which comes two weeks after the election resulted in a hung Parliament, will see the 10 DUP MPs back the Tories in key Commons votes.

There will be £1bn extra for Northern Ireland over the next two years.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said the "wide-ranging" pact was "good for Northern Ireland and the UK" but one critic said it was a "straight bung".

The agreement has prompted calls for matching public investment in Wales and Scotland.

A three page document outlining the terms of the agreement has been published in full. The DUP said it would apply for the lifetime of the Parliament, scheduled to last five years, but would also be reviewed at the end of the current session in two years time.

There will be £1.5bn in funding - consisting of £1bn of new money and £500m of previously announced funds - to be spent over the next two years on infrastructure, health and education in Northern Ireland, money Mrs Foster said was needed to address the challenges from Northern Ireland's "unique history".

As part of the deal, the military covenant will be implemented in full in Northern Ireland, meaning more focus on the treatment of military veterans, while the triple lock guarantee of at least a 2.5% rise in the state pension each year, and winter fuel payments, will be maintained throughout the UK.

Other key points of the agreement include:

• The DUP will support the Tories on all Brexit and security legislation
• The UK's 2% Nato defence spending target will continue to be met
• Cash support for farmers will remain at current levels until the next election
• Both parties to adhere to commitments in Good Friday Agreement
• No Irish border poll without "consent of the people"

Mrs May shook hands with DUP leader Arlene Foster as she and other senior party figures arrived at Downing Street on Monday to finalise the pact. The two leaders then watched as Conservative chief whip Gavin Williamson and his DUP counterpart Jeffrey Donaldson signed the documents in No 10.

Speaking outside Downing Street, Mrs Foster said the agreement would bring stability to the UK government as it embarked on the Brexit process,

"This agreement will operate to deliver a stable government in the United Kingdom's national interest at this vital time," she said.

Welcoming the additional funding for Northern Ireland, she said it would benefit all communities. "Following our discussions the Conservative Party has recognised the case for higher funding in Northern Ireland, given our unique history and indeed circumstances over recent decades."

The UK prime minister said the pact was a "very good one" for the UK as a whole.

"We share many values in terms of wanting to see prosperity across the UK, the value of the union, the important bond between the different parts of the UK," Mrs May said. "We very much want to see that protected and enhanced

First Secretary of State Damian Green, a close ally of Mrs May's, said he hoped the extra money would help reviving devolved government in Northern Ireland.

"The money that is attached to this agreement is actually less than the money attached to the original Stormont agreement in 2014," he told the BBC. "We know Northern Ireland has particular needs, because of its history and difficulties.

"There are parts of the Northern Ireland infrastructure that needs particular help and that has been recognised on a continuing basis."

The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said most of the money being allocated to Northern Ireland would go to specific projects rather than general spending, meaning it would not necessarily impact on the Barnett formula which determines overall expenditure across the nations of the UK.

She said DUP sources pointed to the creation of a "coordination committee", suggesting this would give them a direct line in to government discussions and that this may prove particularly influential over the Brexit negotiations.

'Confidence and supply'

Under the so-called "confidence and supply" arrangement, the DUP will line up behind the government in key votes, such as on the Queen's Speech and Budgets, which would threaten the government's survival if they were lost.

They will also back Theresa May on Brexit and security matters, which are likely to dominate most of the current Parliament.

On other legislation, the DUP's support is not necessarily guaranteed - although the Northern Ireland party is expected to back the majority of the government's programme for the next two years after many of its more controversial policies were dropped.

Theresa May fell nine seats short of an overall majority after the snap election, meaning she is reliant on other parties to pass legislation, including relating to the terms of the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

The support of the DUP will give her an effective working majority of 13, given that Sinn Fein do not take up their seven seats and Speaker John Bercow and his three deputies - two of whom are Labour MPs - do not take part in votes.

Several senior Tories had advised her to govern without any formal agreement with the DUP, arguing the unionist party would not be prepared to bring Mrs May down and run the risk of triggering a fresh election given their longstanding hostility to Jeremy Corbyn and other senior Labour figures.

Former PM Sir John Major warned that a formal association with the DUP could undermine attempts to restore power-sharing government in Northern Ireland while some MPs said the DUP's socially conservative stance on issues such as gay marriage and abortion could damage the party in the longer term.

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones suggested Mrs May was "throwing money at Northern Ireland while ignoring the rest of the UK".

"Today's deal represents a straight bung to keep a weak prime minister and a faltering government in office," the Labour politician said.