Queen to attend Remembrance Sunday service – as charity stresses importance of day being inclusive
The Queen will be attending the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in central London, leading the nation in commemorating those who lost their lives in conflicts.
It will be her Majesty’s first public outing after being advised to rest by doctors for almost a month, following medical checks in hospital.
The remembrance service will look very different to last year, when the event was forced to be scaled back due to the pandemic.
Nearly 10,000 veterans will participate in today’s service alongside hundreds of servicemen and women, with onlookers also present.
Nearly 10,000 veterans will participate in the service
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be among other senior politicians and members of the Royal Family laying a wreath at the Cenotaph.
As has become custom in recent years, Prince Charles will be laying a wreath on behalf of the Queen.
A national two-minute silence will take place at 11am.
Mr Johnson said it’s a moment to “come together to remember those who sacrificed everything in service of our country”.
He added: “It’s a sacred ceremony that has endured for more than a century because we know the unpayable debt we owe those brave servicemen and women.
“We know that for our tomorrow they gave their today.
“And we know that here at home and around the world, thousands of men and women in uniform still stand ready to defend our unity and our way of life, our values, and at a cost few among us would be willing to pay.”
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Millions of people across the UK have stopped to remember those who have died in conflict
Buckingham Palace previously said it was the Queen’s “firm intention” to attend the annual service in Whitehall after she missed several other events, including the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday.
The Royal British Legion, the UK’s largest charity supporting those serving in the armed forces, also celebrates its centenary this year – it said this year’s march will include hundreds of young people from the cadets, guides and scouts.
British Future told Sky News about the importance of making remembrance inclusive for everybody.
The charity launched the Remember Together project, helping students investigate the untold stories of Black and Asian soldiers.
Students from a school in east London have spent the last few months looking into contributions made by those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Wafa Afzali and Saeeda Amidu
Wafa Afzali told Sky News: “It’s really important for us to know about all the people who fought in World War Two, not just the white soldiers, the Black and Asian soldiers they also made a lot of sacrifices, for them to go unnoticed just doesn’t seem right.”
Saeeda Amidu said: “Remembrance should unite us all because many soldiers from all different ethnicities, religions, race, they all contributed to what Britain is now.”
Henry Braimah was a colonel stationed in Burma during World War One
As a result of the project, Saeeda discovered her own great-grandfather, Henry Braimah, was a colonel stationed in Burma during the Great War – a piece of family history that had never been discussed before.
Steve Ballinger, head of communications at British Future, said: “Commemorating our history can be difficult and divisive in Britain, but actually it can also bring people together.
‘Commemorating our history can be difficult’
“It is a difficult and complicated history but we need to engage with it because our history explains why Britain looks like it does today.”
Mr Ballinger added: “The armies that fought for Britain 75 years ago actually looked a lot like Britain does today in terms of its diversity.
“More than 2.5 million soldiers from India, Africa and the Caribbean served side by side in world war two, so they should all be commemorated equally today.”
An MP has lost the Conservative Party whip while newspaper claims about alleged misuse of campaign funds are investigated.
Mark Menzies, the MP for Fylde, disputes the allegations reported by The Times but the Conservative Party is looking into the claims.
A spokesperson for Chief Whip Simon Hart said: “Following a call with the Chief Whip, Mark Menzies has agreed to relinquish the Conservative whip, pending the outcome of an investigation.”
Losing the whip means Mr Menzies is no longer a member of the Conservative parliamentary party and will sit as an independent MP, rather than a Tory MP, in the House of Commons chamber.
In a statement to The Times, Mr Menzies said: “I strongly dispute the allegations put to me. I have fully complied with all the rules for declarations. As there is an investigation ongoing I will not be commenting further.”
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The Conservative Party is investigating allegations made regarding a Member of Parliament. This process is rightfully confidential.
“The party takes all allegations seriously and will always investigate any matters put to them.”
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said earlier on Wednesday that it was “frankly appalling” that the Conservative Party had allegedly been aware of the allegations for more than three months.
“Rishi Sunak must suspend the whip for Mark Menzies immediately, while all the relevant authorities investigate the matter,” she said.
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Mr Menzies has served as the MP for Fylde in Lancashire since May 2010.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Last week William Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester, also gave up the whip after he admitted to The Times that he had given his colleagues’ phone numbers to someone he met on a dating app.
Scotland Yard said it is investigating reports of the so-called “honeytrap” scam after it was suggested at least 12 men in political circles received unsolicited messages, raising security concerns.
Mr Wragg also resigned as vice-chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers and stepped down from his role heading the Commons’ public administration and constitutional affairs committee.
A man who was jailed for his involvement in the abduction of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews has died.
Michael Donovan became notorious in 2008 after the schoolgirl was found alive in his flat in Batley Carr, West Yorkshire, 24 days after she was reported missing from her home in nearby Dewsbury.
The 54-year-old died on Tuesday after collapsing at The Three Valleys Hospital, a mental health unit in Keighley, West Yorkshire, according to The Sun.
The paper reported that Donovan, who was released from prison in 2012, had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
He was jailed in early 2009 alongside Shannon’s mother, Karen Matthews, after the pair had planned the disappearance in an attempt to claim a £50,000 cash reward offered at the time by a national newspaper.
Donovan was the uncle of Shannon’s stepfather, Craig Meehan.
Shannon, who is now 25, was found in Donovan’s flat in Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, in the base of a divan bed.
A base of a bed shown as evidence by the prosecution in the trial. Pic: PA
She had been drugged and forced to adhere to a strict list of rules while being held captive.
Leeds Crown Court was told at the time that the ordeal had left Shannon “disturbed and traumatised” and suffering nightmares.
The search for the schoolgirl cost West Yorkshire Police an estimated £3.2m and was the largest inquiry in the force’s history since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.
Residents of Dewsbury celebrated after Shannon was found alive. Pic: PA
Donovan and Matthews were jailed for eight years in January 2009 after being found guilty of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.
During sentencing, Mr Justice McCombe suggested other people may have been involved in the plot.
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However, police said the case was closed and there was no evidence to bring any more charges.
West Yorkshire Police said on Wednesday: “Police were contacted on Tuesday 16 April and made aware of the death of a man in hospital in the Steeton area.
“The death is not being treated as suspicious and inquiries will be conducted on behalf of the coroner.”
The group which runs The Three Valleys Hospital declined to comment.
UK
Children playing at Salford nature reserve where body part was later found may have crucial information, police say
Detectives investigating human remains found wrapped in plastic at a Salford nature reserve believe children who were playing in the area days before the discovery could have crucial information.
The crime scene in Kersal Dale Wetlands has been lifted after a 12-day search involving more than 100 officers, an underwater search team and dogs.
Warning: This story contains details readers may find distressing
Police and forensic officers at Kersal Dale. Pic: PA
The “significant body part” found wrapped in clear plastic on Thursday 4 April was today confirmed by Greater Manchester Police to consist of the bottom part of the deceased’s back, buttocks and thigh.
Detectives are working to identify the victim, who they say was a man likely over the age of 40. It appears he was white, with no distinguishable marks on his body such as scars or tattoos, police added.
Officers think he had only been dead for a few days.
Police have launched a murder investigation and are appealing for witnesses, including dog walkers, who were in the area between 6am and 6pm on the day a passer-by made the grim discovery.
A trawl of footage from nearby CCTV cameras found children were playing in the area in the days leading up to the body part being found and officers believe they “could hold crucial information without even realising it”.
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Detective Chief Inspector Andy Naismith said: “Our focus from day one has remained on the victim’s family. They will be suffering the loss of a loved one, and we need to be able to give them answers so they can come to terms with their loss. Our work is far from over, this is just the beginning of a long and complex investigation.”
He added: “Although we haven’t found any more human remains in the area from our searches, we continue to work with an open mind whilst our murder investigation continues.”
The investigation cannot confirm the deceased’s nationality at this stage, the detective added.
He said: “My team have checked the victim’s DNA against the UK police database and although this does not bring up a match, there is extensive work ongoing, including trawls of various other databases, missing person records and medical records; it’s a big piece of work which will take time.”
Police and forensic officers at Kersal Dale, near Salford. Pic: PA
The police also want to hear from members of the public who may have a missing family member, DCI Naismith said.
He added: “Right now, as well as wanting to speak to those who may have been in the area where the body part was found, we are also appealing to anyone who has a dad, brother, or son who they have not seen in over 12 days to come forward and speak to us.
“Our victim could be a family member, friend, co-worker or acquaintance and someone somewhere will have an idea of what has happened to him.”
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A noticeboard at the entrance to the nature reserve. Pic: PA
Earlier in the investigation a 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and later released on bail pending further enquiries.
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