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Rishi Sunak has said no further action will be taken against minister Mark Spencer after a probe could not establish whether he told a female Tory MP she had been sacked because of her Muslim faith.

However, an investigation by the prime minister’s ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, identified some “shortcomings” in Mr Spencer’s behaviour towards Ms Ghani.

Ms Ghani said in response to the report that there was “no criticism or doubt expressed regarding my version of events”.

“Others will have to explain the report noting the ‘omissions’, ‘shortcomings’, ‘incomplete information’, ‘inaccurate briefings’ and claims ‘implied without evidence’ in their actions and story,” she said.

Sir Laurie had been investigating claims made by Tory MP Nusrat Ghani that she was sacked as a government minister after her “Muslimness was raised as an issue”.

Ms Ghani, who lost her position in the February 2020 reshuffle, claimed last January that she had been told by a whip, whom she did not identify, that her “Muslim woman minister status was making colleagues feel uncomfortable”.

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She also said there were concerns she “wasn’t loyal” to the party because she did not do “enough” to defend it against allegations of Islamophobia.

In the immediate aftermath of Ms Ghani’s comments, Mark Spencer, the former chief whip who is now an environment minister, identified himself as the the whip in question but denied her claims.

He described her allegations as “completely false”, adding: “I consider them to be defamatory. I have never used those words attributed to me.”

‘Some shortcomings’

In his investigation into the alleged Islamophobia, Sir Laurie said it was not possible to determine what the then chief whip said to Ms Ghani in two 2020 meetings.

As chief whip Mr Spencer was responsible for enforcing discipline among MPs.

However, Sir Laurie identified “some shortcomings” in how Mr Spencer responded to Ms Ghani’s concerns including that he failed to invite a witness to one of the meetings on 4 March 2020.

He also criticised Mr Spencer for providing Boris Johnson, the then prime minister who vowed to look into Ms Ghani’s claims, with “incomplete” information by failing to mention the meeting on 4 March had taken place – something Mr Spencer has since admitted was an “oversight”.

Sir Laurie said that despite this, he had found “no evidence to suggest that negative comments about Ms Ghani’s faith were either made or had any resonance in the actual discussions that took place in the lead up to and during the government reshuffle in February 2020”.

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Rishi Sunak has said no further action will be taken against Mark Spencer after an investigation cleared him of breaching the rules over the sacking of Nusrat Ghani.

However, he added that it was “not possible to conclude absolutely that such comments were not made” – but again reiterated that had found “no evidence of comments of the nature described by Ms Ghani being attributed in her case”.

“I do not believe, when considered with the inconclusive evidence from the first two parts of this investigation, that the shortcomings identified in Mr Spencer’s response to Ms Ghani’s concerns amount to a clear failure to meet the standards set out in the Ministerial Code.

“However, there are procedural and pastoral lessons to be drawn from this investigation which should be considered by those engaged in handling ministerial appointments and dismissals in future.

“It is important that all those involved are sensitive to the impact of what they say, consider carefully the content of their messaging, including the manner in which it is delivered, and respond promptly and sympathetically to queries or concerns.”

‘Not acceptable in any way’

Ms Ghani said in a statement: “We all serve at the prime minister’s choosing and there is no shame in a political career ending. But to be told your faith and identity is the reason for it cannot be acceptable in any way.

“The impact of being told this was devastating and my motivation in pursuing the complaint was to ensure it wasn’t buried, but that it ended with me so that no other colleague would have to endure anything similar.

“I would like to thank the prime minister and Sir Laurie for publishing the report after three years.

Read more:
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‘PM wrote to me that he could not get involved’: Nusrat Ghani urged Boris Johnson to investigate

“As I said last year, my party is better and bigger than this whole sorry episode which has only been bearable due to the support of so many Conservative colleagues.”

Mr Sunak also thanked Sir Laurie for the report but added: “In the absence of clear evidence, it would not be right to take further action.

“I have spoken to both ministers and encouraged them to heed your advice to pull together in the finest tradition of public service.”

Sir Laurie’s investigation puts an end to months of delays after Ms Ghani initially made her claims in January last year.

The delays were caused partly by the resignation of Sir Laurie’s predecessor, Lord Christopher Geidt, in June 2022 over issues relating to partygate.

Mr Johnson was then without an ethics adviser for a number of months until Mr Sunak became prime minister.

Mr Sunak appointed Sir Laurie in December after coming under criticism for delays to the process, and he took over the investigation in February.

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Pope Francis’s final moments reveal how quickly he deteriorated before death

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Pope Francis's final moments reveal how quickly he deteriorated before death

Pope Francis died little more than half an hour after being taken ill, Vatican sources have told Sky News.

Pope Francis woke at 6am on Monday, and was fine for at least an hour, sources said, as they revealed details of the pontiff’s final moments.

Around 7am, the Vatican’s medical unit received an emergency call from his Casa Santa Marta apartment.

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Where will Pope Francis be buried?

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An urgent transfer to the Gemelli hospital, where he was treated for pneumonia earlier this year, was among the options considered.

A request for an urgent escort from the Vatican was received by Rome police after 7am, sources there said, but, given how quickly his condition worsened, it was cancelled by Vatican officials before 7.35am.

Francis died at the age of 88, a day after making his final public appearance at St Peter’s Square, where he greeted crowds on Easter Sunday, one of the most important days of the Christian calendar.

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First images of pope’s casket

The Vatican said he died from a stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure.

He is currently lying in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household.

Francis will be laid to rest Saturday, the Vatican announced on Tuesday, after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects.

The funeral will take place outside, in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica, and will start with a procession led by a priest carrying a cross, followed by the coffin and ordained clergy.

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‘Many were in tears, I was in tears’

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, will lead the service. Nine days of mourning begin afterwards.

Unlike his predecessors, Francis will be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major), as per his final burial wishes, announced on Monday.

The basilica is dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, and is where Francis traditionally went to pray before and after foreign trips.

He will be the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century.

In another change from tradition, he will be buried in a simple wooden casket, forgoing the centuries-old practice of burying the late pope in three interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead, and oak.

Prince William will attend the funeral on behalf of King Charles, Kensington Palace has said.

Cardinals will gather in a conclave to choose his successor afterwards.

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Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American pontiff, had suffered from a chronic lung disease and had part of a lung removed as a young man.

Health issues plagued him throughout his later life, and he was admitted to Gemelli hospital in Rome on 14 February for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He stayed at the hospital for 38 days before being released.

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Kristi Noem: Top Trump official’s handbag – containing $3,000 in cash and security pass – stolen in burger restaurant

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Kristi Noem: Top Trump official's handbag - containing ,000 in cash and security pass - stolen in burger restaurant

A bag belonging to the US Homeland Security Secretary was stolen on Sunday night – containing thousands of dollars in cash and an ID card that gives access to secure agency buildings.

Kristi Noem was eating at a Washington DC burger restaurant with family when a man in a face covering sat near her table and stole her purse, according to two people familiar with the theft.

Officials confirmed the theft to Sky News’ US partner NBC News on Monday.

The cabinet secretary was carrying $3,000 (£2,243) in cash because “her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren”, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NBC.

“She was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities and Easter gifts.”

US Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem visited CECOT in March. Pic: Reuters
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The purse contained her ID card. Reuters file pic

Just before 8pm, a man wearing an N-95 mask walked into the restaurant and up a few stairs to where Ms Noem was eating dinner.

He sat near her table and moved his chair close to hers before sliding her purse toward him with his foot, according to surveillance footage viewed by law enforcement, the sources said.

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Within minutes, the man had Ms Noem’s purse under his jacket and walked out of the restaurant.

At least two on-duty members of the US Secret Service were in the restaurant – between Ms Noem and the front doors – according to a source who witnessed the meal.

They said the restaurant wasn’t very busy at the time.

The purse also contained credit cards, blank cheques, her passport, driver’s licence and a set of keys.

It’s unclear whether Ms Noem was specifically targeted – and investigators are looking into whether the man knew who the purse belonged to.

When asked about the incident, Ms Noem said: “I don’t think I can comment on it yet. It’s not resolved yet.”

She said the Secret Service was aware but said she hadn’t spoken to agency personnel about what happened.

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Ms Noem is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump’s policies of deporting undocumented immigrants and fortifying the US-Mexico border to slow illegal migration.

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Starmer and Zelenskyy discuss ending Russia’s ‘brutal war’ – as Putin says says he is open to bilateral talks on longer ceasefire

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Starmer and Zelenskyy discuss ending Russia's 'brutal war' - as Putin says says he is open to bilateral talks on longer ceasefire

Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about ending Russia’s “brutal war” on Ukraine in their latest phone call on Easter Monday, as Vladimir Putin said he was open to bilateral talks.

The prime minister and Ukrainian president spoke on Monday afternoon, when Sir Keir “reiterated his iron-clad support for Ukraine“.

A Downing Street spokesperson added that the prime minister “said that the UK supports Ukraine’s calls for Russia to commit to a full ceasefire and that now is the time for Putin to show he is serious about ending his brutal war”.

“They discussed the latest developments on the Coalition of the Willing, and looked forward to further progress towards a just and lasting peace,” the spokesperson added.

Mr Zelenskyy later said on social media that he had a “good and detailed conversation” with the prime minister, and added Ukrainian officials will be in London for talks on ending the war with Russia on Wednesday.

“We are ready to move forward as constructively as possible, just as we have done before, to achieve an unconditional ceasefire, followed by the establishment of a real and lasting peace,” he added.

The Ukrainian president added that the 30-hour Easter truce, which both Kyiv and Moscow accuse the other of violating, showed that Russia “are prolonging the war”.

It comes as Mr Putin proposed bilateral talks with Ukraine on a longer ceasefire, which would mark the first time Russia held such talks since a failed peace deal soon after the invasion in 2022.

Speaking to a state TV reporter, the Russian president said: “We always have a positive attitude towards a truce, which is why we came up with such an initiative (the Easter truce), especially since we are talking about the bright Easter days.”

When asked about Mr Zelenskyy’s calls to extend the 30-hour ceasefire into a 30-day pause on civilian targets, he added: “This is all a subject for careful study, perhaps even bilaterally. We do not rule this out.”

The Ukrainian president said on Sunday evening that the Russian army had “violated Putin’s ceasefire more than 2,000 times” during the day, and accused Russia of “failing” to “uphold its own promise of a ceasefire”.

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From Saturday: Why Putin offered an Easter truce?

It also comes after Donald Trump has said he hopes Russia and Ukraine “will make a deal this week,” after he and his secretary of state Marco Rubio warned that the US will walk away from efforts to broker a peace deal unless there are clear signs of progress soon.

The US president said on his Truth Social platform that both countries would “start to do big business” with the US after ending the war.

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Last month, Ukraine accepted Mr Trump’s proposal for a 30-day truce, but Mr Putin refused to back a full 30-day ceasefire, saying crucial issues of verification had not been sorted out.

He then said he would agree not to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. However, both sides have accused each other of breaking the moratorium on attacks on energy targets and at sea.

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