Politics — Pete

The Guardian — Politics Aug 17 · 5 min read

More women will die if domestic abusers leave prison early, victim’s parents warn

Parents of Michaela Hall, whose partner killed her after he left prison in 2021, say Probation Service cannot cope with mass release More women will die if ministers include domestic abusers in the early prison release scheme, the parents of a woman murdered by her partner shortly after he was freed have warned. Michaela Hall, a 49-year-old charity worker, was killed in her home in Cornwall, by Lee Kendall in 2021 two weeks after he was released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for assaulting her. Continue reading...

The Guardian — Politics Aug 17 · 5 min read

Nothing less than radical whole-system change is required to fix the NHS's maternity services | Julia Sanders

It’s vital that Yvette Cooper’s taskforce acts on the Amos and Ockenden reports – and puts the needs of women and families at the heart of maternity services It is hard to find the words to describe the agony for those who have experienced preventable baby loss, injury or maternal death. Understandably, families who have been through this have campaigned relentlessly for local and national investigations. Every family deserves to know what caused their loss or trauma, but current and past reviews have failed to deliver on resolution and accountability. The vital debate about how to ensure safe maternity care has intensified since the publication of two reports , led by Valerie Amos and Donna Ockenden, and the appointment of Yvette Cooper as secretary of state for health and social care, offering a golden opportunity for system-wide change. “I want to make it a personal crusade to put the cradle back at the heart of the NHS,” Cooper told the Guardian last week , adding that she was committed to introducing a new national maternity commissioner. Julia Sanders is professor of clinical midwifery at Cardiff University and was an expert adviser to the national maternity and neonatal investigation led by Valerie Amos Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Aug 17 · 3 min read

Public in England and Wales wrongly think most killers are minority ethnic

Research from King’s College London finds that Reform voters’ perceptions were furthest from the truth The public overestimate how many minority ethnic people are killers, as well as how many foreign national offenders there are, a new study has found. The research from King’s College London tested knowledge and perceptions of crime at a time when radical right parties are trying to link offending to ethnicity and nationality to gain votes. Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Aug 17 · 2 min read

Hayden Panettiere, actor in Heroes and Nashville, dies aged 36

Panettiere’s death was announced by her father, who called her ‘an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her’ Hayden Panettiere, the actor known for her roles in television shows such as Heroes and Nashville, has died aged 36. Panettiere’s death was confirmed in a statement from her representative to the Guardian on Sunday night, after it was first reported on US network ABC News . No cause of death was given. Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Aug 17 · 4 min read

Asking prices for newly listed homes in UK’s richest borough fall by £100k in one month

Fierce competition in some areas of London means landlord purchasers are making successful lowball offers The average price of a home coming up for sale in Britain’s richest borough has dropped by almost £100,000 in a month as fierce competition among sellers in many areas prompts some to slash their price expectations, data shows. The property website Rightmove said that for Britain as a whole, average newly listed asking prices for homes had fallen by 2% over the past month, the largest August price drop in eight years. Continue reading...

The Guardian — Politics Aug 17 · 4 min read

Loosening of planning rules in England to allow more new homes near stations

Angela Rayner to launch guidance for ‘default yes’ on developments near transport hubs, including on green belt sites Thousands more homes could be built within 10 minutes of transport hubs, including on green belt sites, under a loosening of planning policy announced by Angela Rayner on Monday. The housing secretary will set out changes to national planning guidance for England that will include an order for councils to have a “default yes” approach to housing developments that are within a reasonable walking distance of well-connected train and tram stations. Stronger support in principle for development, meaning a more explicit presumption in favour of building in sustainable locations. Pubs will get protection from being turned into housing or offices with developers having to prove there is no reasonable prospect of keeping a pub as a going concern, including evidence that it was marketed for sale for at least a year. A requirement for at least 40% of homes to be accessible on bigger developments and stronger protections for community facilities. Stronger support for growth and infrastructure including support for AI growth zones and datacentres. Continue reading...

The Guardian — Politics Aug 17 · 1 min read

Revisited: The Andy Burnham I know – Today in Focus podcast

Today in Focus host and former north of England editor Helen Pidd has watched Andy Burnham’s career for years, and here she talks to his friends, colleagues and mentors to find out more about his rise to power. This episode was originally broadcast on 16 July Continue reading...