Connect with us

Published

on

Tens of thousands of nurses have gone on strike across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in their first mass walkout in over a century.

Picket lines were formed at dozens of hospitals, while thousands of NHS appointments and operations have been cancelled, with the health service running a bank holiday-style service in many areas.

‘Tragic day for the NHS’ – nurses’ strike latest

This is the picture from across the UK.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on the picket line outside the Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take industrial action over pay. Picture date: Thursday December 15, 2022.
Image:
Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on the picket line outside Great Ormond Street Hospital in London as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take industrial action over pay. Picture date: Thursday December 15, 2022.
Image:
Great Ormond Street Hospital in London
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on the picket line outside the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take industrial action over pay. Picture date: Thursday December 15, 2022.
Image:
Freeman Hospital in Newcastle
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on the picket line outside Leeds General Infirmary as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take industrial action over pay. Picture date: Thursday December 15, 2022.
Image:
Leeds General Infirmary
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on the picket line outside Belfast City Hospital in Belfast as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take industrial action over pay. Picture date: Thursday December 15, 2022.
Image:
Belfast City Hospital
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on the picket line outside the University Hospital Wales in Cardiff as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take industrial action over pay. Picture date: Thursday December 15, 2022.
Image:
University Hospital Wales in Cardiff

‘It’s with a heavy heart that I am out here today’

Nurses on the picket line at Aintree Hospital in Liverpool spoke to Sky News about why they are striking today.

Matron Rose James has been in the NHS for 38 years. She said now it is “much more difficult for nurses to come into the jobs after they took away the bursary”.

“So trainee nurses have to spend money training and for what? To be paid in some cases less than if you worked in a coffee shop. That’s not right. We need to retain our brilliant nurses.”

Rose James
Image:
Rose James

Research nurse Glyn Fletcher works with stroke patients and has been in the NHS for 35 years. He said: “I love my job. I was actually very upset when I voted for strike action.

“It’s with a heavy heart that I am out here today. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to come to the picket line. But we have to. Nursing is in crisis and pay is a big part of that.

“But we also need the government to recognise that without nurses the NHS simply cannot function.”

Glyn Fletcher
Image:
Glyn Fletcher

‘We are exhausted and deflated’

Deputy ward manager Catherine Hughes-McGreal said she wants the government to “sit up and listen to us”.

“We have insufficient staffing numbers and it’s not sustainable. This all comes down to patient safety. None of us want to be out here but we’ve got no choice.

“Sometimes we’re so overstretched that we are worried that mistakes are going to be made and people are going to die. It’s horrible.”

Deputy Ward Manager Catherine Hughes-McGreal
Image:
Catherine Hughes-McGreal

Nursing associate Alison Kamperis said the government is “trying their best to wreck the NHS”.

“Yes, we want better pay. But it’s not just about pay. It’s about trying to keep our brilliant nurses in this profession. We are exhausted and deflated and it’s about time the government gave us a fair deal.”

Nursing Associate Alison Kamperis
Image:
Alison Kamperis

‘We can’t guarantee the job is as safe as it should be’

Nurse Dave Carr has worked in the NHS for 40 years. Speaking from London, he said: “We cannot deliver guarantee patient safety any more.

“We can’t guarantee the job is as safe as it should be. We need a pay rise not just for money in our pockets, but to retain staff to keep staff, in fact, we need a pay rise to save the NHS.”

Dave Carr
Image:
Dave Carr

Ethna Vaughan said the “whole NHS is under pressure and everyone feels it”.

She added: “The short-sighted attitude of the government and not paying nurses enough means in the long term, it’s difficult to get nurses into the profession and it’s difficult for nurses who want to stay because they can’t afford to.”

Ethna Vaughan, on left.
Image:
Ethna Vaughan, on left.

Continue Reading

UK

Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward – after Andrew misses Congress deadline

Published

on

By

Deadline day for Andrew to respond to Epstein inquiry - but it's hard to imagine why he'd talk

Sir Keir Starmer has urged anyone with information on the Jeffrey Epstein case to come forward after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor missed the deadline to appear in front of US Congress.

US legislators have criticised Andrew for what they describe as “silence” amid their probe into Epstein after he failed to respond to their request for an interview.

When asked about Andrew missing the deadline and whether the former prince should help the case in any way he can, Sir Keir said on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa: “I don’t comment on this particular case.”

He added that “a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it”.

Andrew is not legally obliged to talk to Congress and has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

More on Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters

It comes as Marjorie Taylor Greene, a loyal supporter-turned-critic of US President Donald Trump, said on Friday she is resigning from Congress in January.

Ms Greene’s resignation followed a public falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Epstein, as well as on foreign policy and healthcare.

Members of the House Oversight Committee had requested a “transcribed interview” with Andrew in connection with his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein, the paedophile financier who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Releasing the Epstein files: How we got here

But after saying they had not heard back, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of hiding.

Their statement read: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s silence in the face of the Oversight Democrat’s demand for testimony speaks volumes.

“The documents we’ve reviewed, along with public records and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s testimony, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.

“Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The new Epstein files: The key takeaways

It follows Andrew being stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month.

He had previously agreed to stop using his titles, but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom, ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Ms Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager – an accusation he denies.

Continue Reading

UK

Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

Published

on

By

Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Swindon.

Police said the teenager was detained following an incident in Baydon Close, Moredon, in the Wiltshire town on Friday evening.

Officers responded to reports of disorder inside a house. When they arrived, a woman in her 50s living at the address was found to be not breathing. She was declared dead at the scene.

There were no other reported injuries.

Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence
Image:
Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence

Detective Inspector Darren Ambrose, from Wiltshire Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “This is a serious incident in which a woman has sadly died.

“We have set up a cordon at the address while an investigation is carried out.

“I can confirm that we have arrested a teenage girl in connection with this incident and we are not looking for anyone else.”

Police have asked people not to speculate about the incident online as this could prejudice the case.

A police statement read: “Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we continue carrying out our enquiries into the woman’s death.

“The suspect remains in custody at this time.”

Read more from Sky News:
Energy supplier Ovo to axe hundreds of jobs
Boris Johnson hits out at COVID inquiry report

Police said anyone with concerns should speak with their local neighbourhood policing team, either by emailing or approaching officers in person.

Continue Reading

UK

Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Published

on

By

Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Rail fares are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.

Ministers promised that millions of rail travellers will save hundreds of pounds on regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities.

The fare freeze applies to England and services run by English train operators.

People commuting to work three days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £315 a year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 travelling from Woking to London and £57 from Bradford to Leeds, the government said.

The changes are part of Labour’s plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railways. Other planned changes include tap in-tap out and digital ticketing, as well as investing in superfast Wi-Fi.

The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock
Image:
The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was introducing a freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which “will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.

“We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save money,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.

“Commuters on more expensive routes will save more than £300 per year, meaning they keep more of their hard-earned cash.”

Rail unions and passenger groups welcomed the move, praising how it will make travel more affordable for passengers and promote more sustainable travel alternatives.

Read more:
Christmas travel chaos expected

Dozens injured in passenger train collision

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “More affordable fares will encourage greater use of public transport, supporting jobs, giving a shot in the arm to local economies and helping to improve the environment.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the rail fare freeze “will be a huge relief to working people”.

“This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make that journey they need to take, and to help grow our railway in this country, because the railway is Britain’s green alternative – taking cars and lorries off our congested roads and moving people and goods safely around our country in an environmentally-friendly way,” Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, said.

The Tories welcomed the move but said the government was “late to the platform”.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”

Continue Reading

Trending