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PM urged to overhaul flood defence funding or risk ‘catastrophe’ Regional leaders call on Boris Johnson to act as Kent and East Sussex are hit by floodingBoris Johnson must overhaul the system for deciding where flood-defence funding is spent and launch an emergency response unit to prevent a repeat of the “catastrophic” damage caused by the November floods, leading politicians have said.Nearly 100 flood warnings were in place across much of England on Sunday, hampering the Christmas getaway, with towns and villages deluged in Kent and East Sussex. Continue reading... Go to Source

Man arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two women in Crawley Police were called to property in Crawley Down where they also found a man seriously injuredA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of two women outside a property in West Sussex.Police said they were called to an address in Crawley Down shortly before 10.20am on Sunday morning, where they also found a seriously injured man inside. Continue reading... Go to Source

Johnson visit to Lebedev party after victory odd move for 'people's PM' PM mingled with Russian elite amid claims of Moscow interference in UK politicsIt was the equivalent of a V-sign cheerfully flashed at his critics. The day after his landslide election victory, Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds dropped into a caviar-fuelled Christmas party in London hosted by former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny.During the campaign Johnson had stubbornly refused to publish the Russia report, written by the last parliament’s intelligence and security committee. Continue reading... Go to Source

First woman to beat a man at PDC world darts overwhelmed by response Billie Jean King leads wave of tributes to Fallon Sherrock after ‘gamechanging’ victoriesFallon Sherrock has said she is overwhelmed by the “incredible” response to her historic victories at the PDC World Darts Championship, as Billie Jean King led a wave of congratulations from across the globe.Sherrock became the first woman to defeat a male darts player in the sport’s best-known competition last week and repeated the feat by beating one of the world’s top-ranked players on Saturday. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ukraine aid blocked soon after Trump’s phone call with Zelenskiy, emails show Trump acted about 90 minutes after the ‘do us a favor’ phone call behind the scenes to freeze aid from the PentagonIt took only about 90 minutes after Donald Trump’s infamous July telephone call to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy for White House officials to order the Pentagon to freeze military funding for Ukraine, according to newly-released government emails. Related: Republican rush to defend Trump reveals a party in thrall to its leader Continue reading... Go to Source

Tesco withdraws Christmas cards from sale after forced labour claims Supermarket halts production in China after six-year-old girl finds plea for help inside cardTesco says it has suspended production at a factory in China alleged to have forced foreign prisoners to help make charity Christmas cards and also withdrawn them from sale. The allegations came to light after the Sunday Times reported that Florence Widdicombe, aged six, from Tooting, south London, opened a box of charity Christmas cards from the supermarket and discovered a plea for help inside one of them. Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson told to 'stop campaigning and start governing' Ken Clarke criticises PM for having no detailed plans for Brexit or social careKen Clarke has warned Boris Johnson he must “stop campaigning and get on with governing”, condemning the prime minister for seemingly having no detailed plans for a final Brexit deal, or for other vital issues such as social care.The veteran former Conservative MP, who stepped down from parliament at the election having been stripped of the Tory whip shortly beforehand, said Johnson should replace advisers such as Dominic Cummings with people who were able to govern. Continue reading... Go to Source

Woman dies in coach crash in south-west London Twenty-six-year-old car passenger killed in collision in Queenstown Road, BatterseaA 26-year-old woman has died after a collision between a National Express coach and a car in south-west London.The incident took place on Queenstown Road, in Battersea, at about 4.30am on Sunday. A rear-seat passenger of the car was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 5am. The female driver of the vehicle was taken to a south London hospital where police said she remained in a critical condition. Continue reading... Go to Source

Young Labour members point to shift away from Corbynism Many under-30s are keen to see a change in direction after four defeats in a rowAs Labour heads into another leadership contest, it will be the votes of the party’s 550,000 members that will matter most in the end. They will have the final say after a 12-week contest that will start next month.Since 2015, the membership has been strongly supportive of Jeremy Corbyn, and he won thumping majorities in 2015 and 2016 thanks largely to them. But after the recent catastrophic election defeat, Labour’s fourth in a row, are some losing patience? Do they want more Corbynism, or is the brand now tainted by failure? Continue reading... Go to Source

Australia fires: NSW devastation laid bare as 72 homes destroyed in SA bushfires Australian PM Scott Morrison says government won’t change its climate change policy as New South Wales premier says ‘not much left’ of town of Balmoral The devastation from Australia’s bushfire crisis became clearer on Sunday, as the South Australian premier said 72 homes had been destroyed and his New South Wales counterpart revealed there was “not much left” of the town of Balmoral, south-west of Sydney.It is feared the figures for homes lost may get much worse as authorities continue to assess the damage from Saturday, and with dozens of fires still active. Continue reading... Go to Source

Home Office ‘ignoring offers to give homes to child refugees’ Lord Dubs calls response ‘miserable’ amid claims 1,400 offers from councils spurnedThe Home Office has been accused of ignoring more than 1,400 offers from local councils to house child refugees, prompting criticism that Boris Johnson’s government is defying its obligations to offer sanctuary to vulnerable minors. Councils across the UK have volunteered to take hundreds of unaccompanied children from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. However, numbers of arrivals are said to be “pitifully low to nonexistent”.Wiltshire, Leicestershire, Brighton and Hove, along with the London boroughs of Islington, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Lewisham have each pledged to take at least 100 children, acco...

Lammy hints at bid to be Labour’s first BAME leader Tottenham MP says party should counter ‘populist, ethnic nationalism’ with a new ‘civic nationalism’David Lammy today sets out plans to foster a new “civic nationalism” based not on skin colour, religion or ethnicity but on shared values as he lays the ground for a possible pitch at the Labour leadership. Related: Labour: After the debacle, what comes next? Continue reading... Go to Source