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The former deputy chief whip at the centre of the controversy that led to Boris Johnson’s downfall is under investigation by a parliamentary watchdog.

Chris Pincher is being investigated for “actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House as a whole, or of its members generally”, according to the parliament website.

Mr Pincher quit his government role in June after being accused of assaulting two fellow guests at the exclusive Carlton Club in London the evening before.

Rishi Sunak to be next PM – latest updates

It sparked a row that ultimately led to Mr Johnson’s fall from office, as it emerged Mr Pincher had been investigated for his conduct three years ago and Mr Johnson had been told about the investigation prior to appointing him as deputy chief whip.

Downing Street initially said Mr Johnson was unaware of specific allegations against the disgraced MP, but Lord McDonald, former permanent secretary in the Foreign Office, went public to say the prime minister was briefed “in person” about a 2019 complaint against Mr Pincher in the Foreign Office.

Mr Johnson later acknowledged he had been informed of inappropriate behaviour dating back three years but suggested he forgot.

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Although he apologised, the former prime minister’s handling of the scandal unleashed a wave of pent-up frustration with his leadership, already damaged by lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street and by-election defeats.

That came on top of his attempts to change the rules to prevent the suspension of then-Conservative MP Owen Paterson after he broke lobbying rules.

Moments after Mr Johnson apologised for appointing Mr Pincher, Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resigned from their cabinet positions as chancellor and health secretary.

It sparked a wave of resignations that led to the collapse of Mr Johnson’s government.

Mr Pincher was the Tory MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire but now sits as an independent in the Commons.

He is under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

Kathryn Stone opened the probe on 20 October.

Last month, it was reported that Mr Pincher would not be investigated by another of parliament’s watchdogs.

The Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) reportedly dropped the complaint because the alleged incident had happened outside of the parliamentary estate.

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Just 36 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, Palestinian officials claim – short of 600 needed

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Just 36 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, Palestinian officials claim - short of 600 needed

Just 36 aid trucks entered Gaza on Saturday – despite the humanitarian situation in the enclave worsening, Palestinian officials have warned.

According to the Gazan government’s media office, most of the humanitarian supplies were looted and stolen – “as a result of the state of security chaos that the Israeli occupation systematically and deliberately perpetuates”.

Officials say at least 600 truckloads of aid are required on a daily basis, adding: “The needs of the population are worsening.”

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Gaza nurse: ‘We’re rationing care’

A statement released late last night called for “the immediate opening of crossings, and the entry of aid and infant formula in sufficient quantities” – and “condemned in the strongest terms the continuation of the crime of starvation”.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, refuted this – and accused Hamas of “stirring up a slanderous propaganda campaign against Israel”.

He said: “The cruelty of Hamas has no boundaries. While the State of Israel is allowing the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, the terrorists of Hamas are deliberately starving our hostages and document them in a cynical and evil manner.

“The terrorists of Hamas are deliberately starving the residents of the Strip as well, preventing them from receiving the aid.”

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Aid drops continue over Gaza

It comes as the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza said its headquarters in Khan Younis were hit by an Israeli strike, killing one staff member and injuring three others.

Footage posted on social media shows a fire broke out in the building.

Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel for a 60-day ceasefire, and a deal for the release of half the hostages still held in Gaza, ended in deadlock last week.

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy told the families of the hostages yesterday that he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would end the war.

Steve Witkoff, front centre, arrives to meet families of hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel. Pic: AP/Ariel Schalit
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Steve Witkoff arrives to meet families of hostages in Tel Aviv. Pic: AP

Steve Witkoff claimed that Hamas was willing to disarm to stop the conflict, despite the group’s repeated statements that it would not do so.

In response, Hamas said it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital.

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After Mr Witkoff’s meeting with the families of the hostages, Hamas released two videos of an emaciated Israeli hostage, Evyatar David, who was abducted from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023 and has been held in captivity in Gaza since.

The 24-year-old looked skeletal, with his shoulder blades protruding from his back. He was heard saying that he had not eaten for three days. The distressing videos show him digging his own grave, he said in the footage.

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Videos of emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David released by Hamas

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Videos of emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David released by Hamas

Two videos of an emaciated Israeli hostage, Evyatar David, have been released by Hamas, after US special envoy Steve Witkoff this week met with the families of the hostages.

The now 24-year-old looks skeletal, with his shoulder blades protruding from his back, and says he has not eaten for three days.

The distressing videos show him apparently digging his own grave.

He worked in a restaurant, according to a video posted by Labour Friends of Israel, before he was abducted from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023.

Since then, he has been held in captivity in Gaza, and the videos suggest he is being kept in dark tunnels and surviving on scarce portions of lentils and beans.

Gaza itself is suffering “man-made mass starvation” because of Israel’s blockade on aid to the enclave, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has previously said.

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Evyatar David before he was captured by Hamas. Pic: Hostages and Missing Families Forum
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Evyatar David before he was captured by Hamas. Pic: Hostages and Missing Families Forum

In the video, Evyatar David writes on a hand-made calendar on the wall of a tunnel
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In the video, Evyatar David writes on a hand-made calendar on the wall of a tunnel

In the second video, released on Saturday, Mr David – according to the English subtitles – says: “I haven’t eaten for three days.”

The captions continue as he speaks while in an underground tunnel: “There’s no [sic] enough food. I barely get drinking water.”

The video shows him talking through what he ate in July, which has been recorded on a handmade calendar hung up on the side of an underground Gaza tunnel.

Speaking while under captivity and under duress, he adds: “They give me what they can get.”

At the end of the video, he is digging a hole. The subtitle reads: “This is the grave where I think I’m going to be buried in. Time is running out.”

He then appears to break down, crouching on the floor and leaning his head on his arm while still clinging to the shovel.

A poster released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum with photos of Evyatar David released in 2023, February this year and July
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A poster released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum with photos of Evyatar David released in 2023, February this year and July

In a statement, his family said: “We are forced to witness our beloved son and brother, Evyatar David, deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza – a living skeleton, buried alive.

“Our son has only a few days left to live in his current condition.”

They added: “Israel and the international community must oppose Hamas’s cruelty and ensure that our Evyatar immediately receives proper nutrition.

“The intentional starvation, torture, and abuse of Evyatar for propaganda purposes violate even the lowest standards of humanitarian law and basic human decency.”

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Gaza nurse: ‘We’re rationing care’

‘Famine’ looms in Gaza

On Friday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff visited a site where the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been distributing food in Gaza.

Read more: ‘Little confidence’ US Gaza delegation would see full picture

The controversial GHF scheme has been widely condemned, including by the UK government, after fatal shootings ever since it was set up earlier this year.

According to the United Nations’ human rights office, at least 859 people have been killed “in the vicinity” of GHF aid sites since late May.

The Israel Defence Forces has repeatedly said it “categorically rejects the claims of intentional harm to civilians” and has blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering civilians.

Meanwhile, the UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IFSPC) this week said a “worst-case scenario of famine” was sinking in across the besieged enclave.

It has also said more than 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition since April.

Families of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are concerned they are also starving, and blame Hamas.

On Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry said a further seven Palestinians had died of malnutrition-related causes in the past 24 hours, including a child.

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Search for five trapped Chilean miners suffers setback

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Search for five trapped Chilean miners suffers setback

Rescue crews searching for five trapped Chilean miners have discovered a body.

A section of the copper mine had collapsed on Thursday following a strong, 4.2-magnitude tremor.

The remaining four miners are still missing – and rescuers are vowing to continue their search with “strength and hope”.

A man reacts during a vigil at an entrance to El Teniente mine complex. Pic: Reuters/Pablo Sanhueza
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A man reacts during a vigil at an entrance to El Teniente mine complex. Pic: Reuters/Pablo Sanhueza

Andres Music, general manager of El Teniente mine, said: “This discovery fills us with sadness, but it also tells us that we are in the right place, that the strategy we followed led us to them.”

Crews are trying to drill through 90m (295ft) of rock to reach the trapped miners, but Mr Music said they had not yet made contact with the workers.

Just over a fifth of the blocked underground tunnels have been cleared, with teams hoping to get through about 15m to 20m (49ft to 66ft) every 24 hours using heavy machinery.

He said rescue efforts would continue with increased caution, which could slow progress.

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Two people are now known to have died as a result of the collapse.

Another miner, Paulo Marin Tapia, was found dead on Thursday shortly after the incident.

Codelco, which owns the mine, said the identity of the second man is yet to be confirmed.

Nine other miners were injured.

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