Every police officer in the UK should be re-vetted following the sentencing of Wayne Couzens, a former senior Metropolitan Police chief superintendent has said.
Parm Sandhu told Sky News she had “real concerns” more people “with questionable backgrounds” had been missed under current vetting procedures.
The 48-year-old serving Met officer abducted Ms Everard under the guise of an arrest as she walked home from a friend’s house in south London on 3 March.
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Sarah Everard murder: How it happened
The police watchdog is investigating five officers over claims they traded misogynistic, racist, and homophobic material with Couzens over WhatsApp months before he killed Ms Everard, according to a report in The Times.
Ms Sandhu told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday that Couzens was a “monster in uniform”, but added: “Unfortunately there is a culture where he was allowed to flourish.
“And the WhatsApp group that he was a part of, and other people are, is just one sign of that.”
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“Everybody who works in policing now should be re-vetted. Those people who got through the vetting procedure 20 years ago, 30 years ago, all of them,” she said.
“Every single person needs to be reviewed and if anything comes up in their past – it doesn’t have to be a conviction, it just needs to come to notice, because this man did come to notice.
“It needs to be done now as an urgent measure to reassure the public and rebuild the trust and confidence that policing has lost, but it needs to be done on a regular basis so that we don’t have anybody that even comes close to the actions of Wayne Couzens.”
She continued: “This man not only got through the vetting after indecency offences in 2015, in 2018 he was taken into the Met – he was then given a gun to carry on the streets of London, so that was another form of vetting.”
Image: Wayne Couzens was given a whole life order for the murder of Ms Everard
Ms Everard’s case has led to calls for Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to step down in light of the erosion of trust in the force.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative party leader told Sky News it is time for a “new broom” in the Metropolitan Police and said there were “issues here about leadership and focus”.
He added: “The idea that a man can flash as a police officer … and people think it’s funny. I think that’s the thing that’s really failed. Why in hell’s name wasn’t he [Wayne Couzens] immediately reported, suspended at least pending full investigation, or sacked.”
The Commons Speaker is seeking urgent talks with Commissioner Dick following the revelation.
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Watch Met Police commissioner’s apology
Ms Sandhu said the only way to rebuild public trust would be if everyone working in policing was re-vetted, and also called for an independent inquiry.
“I believe there are other individuals who have got questionable backgrounds who should be being looked at, not just in the Met but right up and down the country, and I think we have missed that,” she said.
“Instead of looking backwards, we should be looking forward and making sure those individuals are being targeted now.”
This process should be repeated on a “regular basis”, she added.
It comes as Police Scotland introduced a “simple” verification check for lone officers, to provide reassurance to the public they are genuine.
Image: Are women safe on our streets?
Are women safe on our streets?
The murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer has triggered an outpouring of concern over women’s safety in the UK.
We want you to share your experiences, and your questions for our panel of experts. We’d also love to hear your solutions.
The families of the British couple killed in the Lisbon funicular crash have said they are “heartbroken” as they paid tribute to them.
Kayleigh Smith, 36, and William Nelson, 44, died alongside 14 others in Wednesday’s incident, including another British victim who has not yet been named.
Ms Smith graduated from the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester, where Mr Nelson ran the master’s degree in directing.
In a statement shared by Cheshire Police, Ms Smith’s family said: “Kayleigh was loved by family and friends for her wit and humour, her kind and caring nature came to the fore in her work as a funeral operative.
“She was also a talented theatre director and had just completed a Master’s Degree. They both leave family and friends heartbroken.”
Mr Nelson’s younger brother, who was not named in the statement, added: “Words cannot begin to describe how our family and friends are feeling right now but here is the best attempt. This week, due to a tragic accident in Lisbon, Portugal, we lost Will Nelson, who was not just my big brother but everyone’s.
“He was always kind, selfless, and protective, and the world does not feel right or normal without him. He was and has always been my hero, and we will miss you always. Love you, rest in peace you legend.”
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2:50
‘We felt no brakes anymore’
MADS theatre in Macclesfield, Cheshire, said Ms Smith was a “valued member of our society” who will be “greatly missed”.
It said she was an award-winning director and actress, who had also done multiple crew and front-of-house roles.
Macclesfield MP Tim Roca paid tribute to Ms Smith, saying she was a “hugely talented theatre director” who “poured her creativity, energy and kindness into every production”.
Mr Nelson was “equally dedicated to nurturing creativity and inspiring the next generation” and “his loss will be felt deeply by colleagues and students alike”, the MP added.
Hours before the crash, Ms Smith posted pictures on Instagram of their first day in Lisbon with the caption: “Churches and castles, tiles and trams.”
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3:53
Lisbon crash: What happened?
Five Portuguese citizens died when the packed carriage plummeted out of control – four of them workers at a charity on the hill – but most victims were foreigners.
Police said the other fatalities were two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French citizen, one Swiss and one Ukrainian.
All but one were declared dead at the scene – and 21 others in the packed carriage were injured.
The yellow carriages of the Gloria funicular are a big draw for tourists, as well as a proud symbol of the Portuguese capital.
The journey is just 265m (870ft) up a steep hill and takes three minutes, with two carriages travelling in opposite directions on a linked cable.
Witnesses reported seeing one of the carriages hurtle down the hill before derailing and crashing 30m from the bottom.
The aftermath shows it crumpled and twisted against the side of a building.
People who were in the bottom carriage said they were a few metres into the climb when it started going backwards.
When they saw the other car speeding towards them, many jumped through the windows to escape.
Image: The crash happened around 6pm on Wednesday. Pic: Reuters
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro called the crash “one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past” and authorities are under intense pressure to quickly identifying the cause.
Nigel Farage has confirmed he wants to deport women asylum seekers back to the Taliban in Afghanistan if he becomes prime minister.
The Reform UK leader’s position on the topic has not been clear, with him previously saying he wouldn’t send women back to the fundamentalist regime that took over after western militaries withdrew, before now saying he would.
Mr Farage was speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby at the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham.
When asked if he would “detain” women and children and “send them back”, the Clacton MP said “yes”.
Challenged on when he said in August that he was not “discussing” women and children, Mr Farage claimed this was a reference to his desire to see men detained on arrival in the UK.
At the time, he said he was “very, very clear” on the “deportation of illegal immigrants”, adding: “We are not even discussing women and children at this stage – there are so many illegal males in Britain, and the news reports that said that after my conference yesterday were wrong”.
Speaking today, Mr Farage claimed that the UK has a “duty of care” to a child if, for example, a four-year-old arrives in a dinghy – but not to women and men.
“For clarity, those that cross the English Channel will be detained and deported, men and women,” Mr Farage went on.
Image: Nigel Farage speaks to Beth Rigby at Reform’s 2025 conference
‘No one’ can prevent small boats crossing the Channel
The Reform leader also rowed back on his pledge to stop all boats within two weeks if he is elected prime minister.
Speaking to the conference yesterday, Mr Farage said: “You cannot come here illegally and stay – we will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government.”
But speaking to Beth Rigby today, he changed tack – saying “the passing of legislation” would be required.
He said only then would the boats be stopped within two weeks, or sooner In the interview with Rigby, Mr Farage tried to claim he did not say he would end the boats within two weeks of “winning government”.
But the video of his speech, as well as the transcript released by Reform UK, clearly show him saying: “We will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government.”
When asked why he wouldn’t be able to follow through with his initial claim, Mr Farage said it was impossible and that “no one” can prevent them crossing the Channel.
The Reform UK leader said the law he wants to introduce will be called the Illegal Migration Act once it is passed by parliament.
He confirmed his agenda includes leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, shutting down asylum hotels and housing people at RAF bases instead, as well as deporting Channel migrants.
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Mr Farage also claimed that deportation flights would also begin within two weeks of the law changing, and this combination of factors would stop people from wanting to travel from France.
Reform doesn’t seem bothered about detail amongst their fireworks
Nigel Farage insists his policy on mass deportations is clear when it comes to women and girls.
But I’ve watched every Reform speech since they unveiled their flagship policy – and I was there in the room to ask him when he announced what he will do with women and children who come here via small boats if he was in power – and I still can’t work it out.
That’s because he’s said three different things since, including in an interview today.
Originally he said everyone would be detained: “Yes, women and children, everybody on arrival will be detained. And I’ve accepted already that how we deal with children is a much more complicated and difficult issue.”
A day later he said Reform is “not even discussing women and children at this stage” implying women and children would not be deported.
He also said it was “not true” that’s he had committed to sending women and girls back to countries where they can be raped, tortured and killed.
But today at their conference he told Sky News that women who arrive by boat will be deported to Afghanistan “if necessary”.
Considering Reform UK say they are willing to make deals with Afghanistan and Syria, this question is an important one. The UK has not recognised the Taliban as a legitimate government of Afghanistan since the group seized Kabul in 2021 and first established a regime based on an extreme interpretation of Islamic law.
Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice has defended those plans, saying: “Sometimes you do deals with people you may not want to go down the pub with.”
Farage clarified that “children, of course, we’ll have to know that we’re sending them off somewhere sensible”.
He has also previously said asylum seekers were a threat to national security and to British women.
The broader political issue though, is that Reform’s immigration plan was meant to be a detailed and considered policy on an issue they’ve been ahead of other politicians on for years.
So why aren’t they more forthcoming with their answers on what they would do with women and children?
If they had hoped to truly embody their conference slogan of “next steps” to professionalise the party, they need to urgently address this.
But party members here don’t seem to be bothered by this detail amongst the fireworks, the enthusiasm and the energy here.
It turns out that years of banging on about this single issue for decades is Nigel Farage’s greatest strength – and the public are willing to give him the grace to work out the details later down the line.
This strategy all depends on Reform UK winning the next general election – which Labour does not have to call until 2029.
However, the Reform leader says he believes the government will collapse in 2027 due to economic pressure and other factors.
Reform are currently well clear of Labour and the Conservatives in the polling, and are targeting next year’s Welsh, Scottish and English local elections to try and win more power in councils and national assemblies.
Clashes have broken out at a protest for Palestine Action in London as police reveal they have made around 150 arrests.
The Metropolitan Police said officers had been “subjected to an exceptional level of abuse” at the Westminster protest, including “punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown”.
It added some protesters had been both physically and verbally abusive in a “coordinated effort to prevent officers carrying out their duties”, and that a number of the arrests were made for assault.
Officers were seen drawing their batons while demonstrators took action in support of the proscribed terror organisation.
One man was seen with blood streaming down his face behind a barrier after being arrested, while the crowd was heard chanting “shame on you” and “you’re supporting genocide”.
Image: Pic: PA
Image: Pic: PA
Tense scenes on the western side of Parliament Square saw several protesters fall over in a crush while water was thrown at officers.
The Met Police announced the first arrests of the day on X just 12 minutes after the protest’s official start time.
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1:24
Watch moment police carry several protesters away
The protest’s organiser, Defend Our Juries, said it estimated 1,500 had gathered for the rally, where many of them held signs saying: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
In an update early on Saturday evening, the Met said: “Any assaults against officers will not be tolerated and arrests have already been made. We will identify all those responsible and prosecute to the full extent of the law.”
It had warned before the protest that “expressing support for a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act”.
“Where our officers see offences, we will make arrests,” it said.
Image: A protester is carried away by police in Parliament Square. Pic: PA
Image: Pic: PA
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries claimed the rally had been “the picture of peaceful protest” and that the Met Police’s statement about its officers being abused was an “astonishing claim”.
“I’ve been here all day and I haven’t seen any violence or aggression from anyone,” they said. “I’ve only seen aggression and violence from the police.”
Palestine Action has been banned as a terror group since 5 July after MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move proposed by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper, making it illegal to express support for the group.
The ban on the group came shortly after two Voyager aircraft suffered around £7m worth of damage at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June.
More than 530 people were arrested at the last major demonstration against Palestine Action being banned as a terror group. However, the Met Police used “street bail” to avoid having to process them all in custody.
Street bail allows officers to release suspects on bail before they are taken to a police station. The suspect receives a bail notice requiring them to return to a station at a future date instead.
The organisers encouraged protesters not to accept street bail during today’s demonstration, writing in a briefing document before they started: “It will not be practically possible for the police to arrest 1,000 non-compliant people on the same day, and that is the strategic rationale behind non-compliance. It increases pressure on the state.”
In a reference to the advice in the briefing document, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson told Sky News the move would be “misguided”.
It faces a legal challenge in November after the High Court granted a full judicial review to Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori.