Labour frontbenchers who defied Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit bill will not be sacked

Pic:MPs wait to hear the result read out
Political reporter(wp/es):

Labour frontbenchers who defied Jeremy Corbyn over the Brexit bill will not be sacked. 

MPs from the Labour leader’s Shadow Cabinet who defied the three-line whip will instead receive a written warning.

The move emerged after the party’s chief whip Nick Brown met with Mr Corbyn to discuss how to handle disciplinary action after more than 50 MPs ignored the leader's orders and voted against triggering Article 50.

Labour sources said that given the "extraordinary circumstances" of the referendum aftermath rebels will receive a written warning, and will be expected not to defy a three-line whip again.

Sources said that Mr Corbyn believes it will "not be viable" for someone to remain in the Shadow Cabinet if they ignore a three-line whip again.

Mr Corbyn is clear that this is the "final warning" to Brexit rebels on the issue, the source said.

The House voted in favour of the bill by 494 to 122 - a majority of 372 – on Wednesday night.

The key vote caused more problems for Labour than the Prime Minister as Mr Corbyn faced another revolt in his own ranks.

In a renewed wave of defiance against Mr Corbyn 52 Labour MPs voted against the bill at final reading, five more than voted against it as second reading last week.

Senior frontbencher Clive Lewis sensationally resigned as shadow business secretary ahead of the vote as he said he could not back the Article 50 bill.

A total of 11 Labour junior shadow ministers and three whips, who are meant to enforce party discipline, voted against triggering Article 50.

The frontbenchers were Rosena Allin-Khan, Kevin Brennan, Lyn Brown, Ruth Cadbury, Rupa Huq, Chi Onwurah, Stephen Pound, Andy Slaughter, Catherine West, Alan Whitehead and Daniel Zeichner.

The whips were Thangam Debbonaire, Vicky Foxcroft and Jeff Smith.

Sadiq Khan urged to back national memorial to HIV victims in London

Pic:Ash Kotak with Caroline PIdgeon from the Lib Dems and the Greens' Sian Berry 
Staff reporter(wp/es):

Sadiq Khan is being urged to back a national memorial in London for people have died from HIV and Aids.

The memorial, which got cross-party backing from the London Assembly this week, would pay tribute to the men, women and children who passed away in the UK and abroad.

Campaigners are now urging the mayor and government ministers to back and fund the project.

Ash Kotak started campaigning after his partner died from the disease in 1995. In the decades since, he said close friends and family members had also become victims of the epidemic.  

Alongside the campaign group Gay Men Fighting Aids, Mr Kotak set up a petition which has been signed by more than 3,300 supporters.

He told the Standard: “Today, whilst much stigma remains, memories fade and mental health issues continue with some living with HIV.

“A fitting immovable memorial stamps a solid mark commemorating a tumultuous time in British, London and World History. London is an international city.”

Major cities around the world including New York, Paris, Hong Kong and Amsterdam already have a memorial but campaigners are angry that London doesn’t.

Supporter Sian Berry, who presented the petition to the London Assembly, said: “London was at the heart of this country’s Aids epidemic which affected so many people, their loved ones and their friends.

“It’s also where some of the most pioneering treatment and prevention methods are being carried out today.”

She added: “A dedicated memorial would pay to the people we lost, as well as recognising those living with HIV now.”

A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: “Thousands of Londoners from different communities have been affected by HIV and Aids.

“In his manifesto, the mayor promised to renew his focus on the prevention of and screenings for HIV.”

They added: “The mayor believes it is important to commemorate and recognise causes fought for by Londoners of all walks of life.”

In 2015, it was estimated 101,200 people were living with HIV in the UK. Of these, 46 per cent accessed care in London.

50,000 people sign petition urging Theresa May to keep taking lone child refugees

Pic:Lord Dubs arrives at 10 Downing Street with the petition
Staff reporter(wp/es):

A petition signed by 50,000 people calling for Theresa May to continue taking lone child refugees has been handed in to Number 10.

On Saturday former refugee and Labour peer Lord Dubs arrived at Downing Street with the petition urging against the closure of a scheme to bring unaccompanied minors into the UK.

The Government has come under increasing pressure over its decision to scrap the programme, which was expected to facilitate some 3,000 vulnerable youngsters.

Lord Dubs originally strong-armed the commitment from Whitehall by adding an amendment to the Immigration Act in 2016, known as the Dubs amendment.

But ministers have provoked fury by pumping brakes on the scheme after 150 children joined the 200 who have already arrived on British soil.

The move follows a stinging intervention from the Archbishop of Canterbury, who warned that halting the initiative would see more children being trafficked, exploited and killed.

The Most Rev Justin Welby added his voice to the heated political row by saying he was "saddened and shocked" at the move.

He said it would be "deeply unjust" to leave the burden of caring for such children on Italy and Greece, where thousands of refugees and migrants arrive from the conflict-ridden Middle East and north Africa.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said British and French authorities were concerned the scheme was acting as a "pull factor" for children to be drawn to the UK and that it provided opportunities for people-traffickers.

More than 900 unaccompanied children were transferred to the UK from Europe last year.

A Home Office spokesman said the Government was "clear that behind these numbers are children" but that it needed to strike a balance between accepting minors and making sure local councils can support them.

He said: "We are not giving up on vulnerable children who are fleeing conflict and danger.

"Thanks to the goodwill of the British public and local authorities in the last year alone, we have provided refuge or other forms of leave to more than 8,000 children.

"Our commitment to resettle 350 unaccompanied children from Europe is just one way we are helping.

"We have a proud history of offering protection to those who need it and children will continue to arrive in the UK from around the world through our other resettlement schemes and asylum system."

Suspect rams into police car in Clapham during broad daylight police chase

Crime reporter(wp/es):

Roads in south London have been taped off after police chased a suspect through south London on Thursday afternoon.

A wanted suspect who was driving a stolen vehicle rammed into a police car before making off through the streets of Clapham.

Police have cordoned off Elms Crescent and Hambalt Road, near to Abbeville Road and Clapham Common station, while they hunt for the stolen car.

The driver fled the scene in the car and is still at large.

Officers were in Park Hill in Clapham at just after 3.20pm when they spotted a vehicle which had been reported stolen in a burglary.

Police gave chase through Elms Crescent when the driver of the stolen car reversed and crashed into the police car.

The stolen vehicle was last seen in Atkins Way, the Met told the Standard.

Passers-by shared photos taken from the busy Abbeville Road, showing a police cordon next to the Co-op at the corner of Hambalt Road.

A spokeswoman added: “Police have closed Hambalt Road and Elms Crescent while they carry out enquiries.

“The vehicle remains outstanding."

London nurse who killed patient by giving him wrong blood type is spared jail

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A nurse who killed a patient by giving him the wrong blood type has been spared jail.

Lea Ledesma made a series of mistakes which led to the death of Ali Huseyin, 76, at London Heart Hospital on May 7, 2014.

The grandfather was recovering from a successful heart bypass when she gave him type AB blood instead of group O. He died the same day.

Ledesma, 49, tried to pin her fatal mistake on a colleague in the intensive care unit.

There were jubilant scenes from the former nurse and her supporters at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday as she was spared jail.

The public gallery was packed with dozens of her family, friends and former hospital colleagues, many of whom had written letters of support for her.

Ledesma, of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, wept and hugged relatives after being given an 18-month suspended sentence and a community work order.

They formed a prayer circle in the courtroom and could be heard praising God and thanking Jesus.

The court usher eventually asked them to leave after they continued chanting and celebrating for several minutes.

The group then posed for pictures inside the building before being stopped by court staff.

Ledesma denied unlawful manslaughter by gross negligence but was convicted by a jury after a trial last year.

Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith said Mr Huseyin was a "much-loved husband, father and grandfather - a kind, considerate family man whose death has devastated his family, particularly his wife, who feels so alone without him after all these years".

A number of errors led to Ledesma choosing the wrong blood from a vending-style machine, before incorrectly checking it against the computer records.

She initially tried to pass off the error as being a colleague's mistake and only when questioned further did she admit to being distracted and flustered when checking the patient's details.

"It's still a mystery to me as to how and why you came to behave in the way that you did, and you remain certain that the details of the other Mr Hussain were shown on the deceased's monitor and I cannot exclude that as a contributory factor," the judge said.

He continued: "You were committed to that unit, everybody talks about how reliable you were, how committed. You were described as the mother of the unit and always prepared to go the extra mile for your patients."

TfL sets out plans for new Tube route to Lewisham

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Transport for London today set out plans for the extension of the Bakerloo line beyond Elephant and Castle to Lewisham. 

The new route would include four new stations, two on the Old Kent Road and others at Lewisham and at a key interchange at New Cross Gate.

It would dramatically improve transport links into central London from across the historically poorly connected South East of the capital with a Tube departing every two to three minutes. 

However, there remained doubts over how the project would be paid for.

Although it is set out as a capital scheme in the most recent TfL business plan, funding is not yet in place. 

TfL is expected to ask developers along the route to contribute and to lobby Government to keep more of the revenue raised through stamp duty and business rates. 

The consultation, published today, said the new link had the potential to boost growth in south east London, supporting 25,000 new homes and 5,000 jobs.

The proposed extension is one of several new infrastructure projects the capital needs to cope with its growing population, expected to reach over 10 million by 2030. 

It would provide extra capacity on the Tube for 65,000 journeys in the morning and evening peak, with reduced journey times, helping to relieve over-crowding on the trains and buses. 

There would be a knock-on effect on congestion on the roads, with both CO2 emissions and air pollution falling.

The project, which would include building ventilation shafts along the route as well as the four new stations, is backed by local boroughs Southwark and Lewisham, who cite its potential for growth as well as transport connectivity.

TfL has already announced that it wants the project to be completed by 2028/29, two years earlier than planned, the same time as the upgrade of the rest of the Bakerloo line.

The Mayor’s transport body also said it was committed to a second phase of the extension beyond Lewisham. 

The proposed route was chosen over others than went through Peckham and Camberwell because it offered the most regeneration possibilities. 

Sadiq Khan said the extension would bring “substantial” benefits for thousands of Londoners with a new direct route into the heart of the capital.

Snow falls in the capital as cold snap set to continue through weekend

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Snow fell in parts of London on Thursday morning as forecasters warned a recent cold snap is set to continue to the end of the week.

Londoners face more sleet and snow as freezing temperatures and cloudy weather bring chances of “wintry showers”.

From Thursday through to Sunday temperatures are set to stay below 5C in the day and dip as low as minus 1C overnight.

Snow was reported in north and east London first thing on Thursday as the Met warned of more icy conditions - with temperatures 5C below average for this time of year.

And, according to Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst, arctic winds will make the city feel even colder.

Mr Dewhurst said: “There will be a cold north-easterly wind across London making it feel a lot colder.

“It will be cloudy with a chance of sleet and snow and there could be a frost start to Friday as temperatures drop below freezing overnight.”

The weekend is set to see more of the same weather, with the easterly winds from Scandinavia making London feel very cold.

Charity Age UK has warned of the "devastating impact" cold weather can have on the health of the elderly and has urged people to take care of their older neighbours and family members.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: "The cold weather can be really challenging for older people, particularly those who are more vulnerable because of pre-existing health conditions or who are living in housing that is difficult and expensive to heat.

"It can also be an especially lonely time, if older people feel it is too cold to go out and about.

"With the weather set to take a turn for the worse, we are urging people to check our advice to make sure they are doing everything they can to protect themselves against the cold weather.

"We'd also urge people to keep an eye on their older family members, friends or neighbours when the weather is particularly bad.

"Picking up some shopping for them or just popping in to check they're okay and having a friendly chat can be a real help at this time of year."