Connect with us

Published

on

Rishi Sunak travelled to Southampton using a taxpayer-funded helicopter, Downing Street has admitted, despite the journey taking just over an hour on the train.

The prime minister was visiting the city to attend a GP surgery and pharmacy to promote the government’s latest intervention to reduce the strain on GP practices.

According to rail schedules, the journey from London Waterloo station to Southampton Central station takes one hour and 14 minutes, meaning that had the prime minister caught the 8.35am train, he would have arrived in Southampton at 9.50am.

According to the Mirror, a helicopter left RAF Northolt at around 8.53am this morning, before landing at Wellington Barracks in Westminster where it picked up Mr Sunak. He landed at Southampton Airport at around 9.47am.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has his blood pressure checked by pharmacist Peter Baillie during a visit to a GP surgery and pharmacy in Weston, Southampton, Hampshire. Picture date: Tuesday May 9, 2023. PA Photo. Patients will be able to obtain prescription medicines and oral contraception directly from pharmacies under a blueprint to ease the pressure on GPs' appointments. Treatments for seven common conditions including earache, sore throat and urinary tract infections will be available without seeing a doctor under plans announced by Rishi Sunak. See PA story HEALTH Pharmacies. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Image:
Rishi Sunak has his blood pressure checked during a visit to a pharmacy in Southampton

The prime minister’s official spokesperson defended the use of the helicopter on the grounds that it helped to “make the best use of his time”.

Challenged on the fact that it would have taken only around 90 minutes to travel from Westminster to Southampton by train this morning, the spokesperson said: “The way he gets to different events will vary as there’s lots of pressure on his time.”

Claims Boris Johnson had ‘showdown’ with King ‘inaccurate’ – politics latest

The spokesman added that there was “always a balance between the interests of the taxpayer and the best use of his time”.

The revelation follows a bruising set of local election results for Mr Sunak, in which the Conservative Party lost control of 49 councils and lost more than 1,000 seats.

Mr Sunak has announced a raft of primary care reforms in a bid to regain ground after the elections, which saw Labour and the Lib Dems make hefty gains, including in some of the Tories’ southern heartlands.

Under the plans, patients will be able to receive prescription medicines and oral contraception without seeing a GP in a move the government hopes will free up 15 million slots at doctors’ surgeries over the next two years.

Read more:
Downing Street defends Sunak flying 36 minutes to Leeds from London on RAF jet
Sunak defends new powers for police after coronation protest backlash

Under the proposals, pharmacists will be able to write prescriptions for common conditions including earache, sore throat and urinary tract infections without needing the approval of a GP.

The measures – which are part of what ministers are calling an “overhaul of primary care” – are backed by £645m of spending over two years and come alongside efforts to end the 8am “rush” for appointments.

However, Mr Sunak declined to say whether the government would stick to its manifesto pledge of hiring 6,000 more GPs by 204.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Is Rishi Sunak going to hit his manifesto target of 6000 GP’s by 2024?

This is not the first time No 10 has defended Mr Sunak for his transportation choices.

The prime minister faced criticism in January for flying to Leeds from London on an RAF jet because it was the “most effective use of his time”.

At the time, Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said families “will be rightly angered by this show of extravagance by Rishi Sunak”.

She added: “Patients and staff are crying out for action from this government in the midst of a crisis in our NHS while the prime minister jets from London to Leeds for a photo op.”

Continue Reading

World

‘Better late than never’: Palestinian minister says UK recognition of state would be ‘courageous step’

Published

on

By

'Better late than never': Palestinian minister says UK recognition of state would be 'courageous step'

Britain will be taking “a courageous step at a very difficult time” by officially recognising a Palestinian state, according to the authority’s foreign minister, who told Sky News she believes the announcement – expected in the coming days – will inspire more nations to follow suit.

The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister, Varsen Aghabekian, told me Britain’s move was “better late than never”, and said “Britain, with its weight, can influence other countries to come forward and recognise, because that is the right thing to do”.

But she also said she is “very angry” with the White House over its “unwavering support” for Israel, and said that Israel’s refusal to pass on tax revenue was pushing Palestinian civil society to the brink of “collapse”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Could recognition of Palestine change the West Bank?

Aghabekian was speaking as Britain, along with France, Canada and Australia, prepares to recognise the State of Palestine officially at the United Nations.

She told me: “Britain has been supporting the existence and the flourishing of Israel for some time, but I think today Britain is looking at the matter objectively, in terms of the right of people, in terms of complying with international law, and in terms of the future of this area for both the Israelis and Palestinians.”

More on Israel

She rejected the idea that recognising Palestine was a reward for Hamas terrorism, saying that “non-recognition” would also be a “reward to the extremists” and said that “if we wait until Israel decides it wants to go into negotiations with the Palestinians, then it won’t happen”.

Aghabekian told me she expected Gaza to be returned to the Palestinians, but I put it to her that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was being empowered by the diplomatic support he receives from America, and in particular, US President Donald Trump.

So is she angry with the White House? “Very angry, because I expect the White House and the United States of America to align with international law, with human rights, with having no double standards.

“This unwavering support for Israel, this blind support, is not only harming the Palestinians but also Israeli society.”

Read more:
What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?
Gaza could be ‘real estate bonanza’, Israeli minister says

Varsen Aghabekian speaks to Sky's Adam Parsons
Image:
Varsen Aghabekian speaks to Sky’s Adam Parsons

The state of Palestine is already recognised by three-quarters of the United Nations’ members. It comprises two separate territories – the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Together, they are officially known as the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The West Bank has been subject to Israeli military occupation since 1967, while Gaza has been attacked by Israel since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, when nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 250 people were taken hostage.

Since then, more than 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza as Israel has sought to destroy Hamas and recover its hostages. There are 48 hostages still in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.

She confirmed to me that Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, “has given guarantees in letters to various leaders around the globe that said Hamas will not be part of the governance of the Gaza Strip” and insisted there was “probably a worldwide consensus” on the topic.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

How has UK responded to Israel-Gaza conflict?

But she also insisted it was “not reasonable” to talk of completely erasing Hamas: “Hamas is an ideology, not a building that you bring down. Hamas is in people’s minds; in their heads.

“Those who support Hamas need to see a future, need to see something that is moving on the political level, need to see that there might be a state in which their children and their grandchildren might prosper.

“What people see today, whether they are Hamas supporters or not, they see darkness and they see destruction all over. They see violation of rights. They are helpless and hopeless. People need to see things are moving forward, and once that happens, there will be a shift in the mood, and they will look for a better future.”

But just as the Palestinians prepare to welcome recognition, Aghabekian said the West Bank was facing financial collapse as Israel continues to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue that, under a 30-year-old agreement, it collects on the Palestinian Authority’s behalf.

Israel has retained a proportion of the money since the start of the war in Gaza, but, encouraged by finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, it has recently withheld a much higher amount.

“People have not been paid, civil servants are only receiving small parts of their salaries. We can’t buy medical supplies, equipment, you name it,” said Aghabekian.

“How can a government run a country under such conditions? So yes, we are very worried.”

Continue Reading

World

Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as ‘safety precaution’

Published

on

By

Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as 'safety precaution'

Passengers have been evacuated from Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 as a “precautionary measure”. 

Flights could be “temporarily impacted”, the airport said in a statement.

It did not give any details about the reason for the evacuation but said “the safety and security of our passengers and staff is our absolute priority”.

At this stage there is no suggestion the evacuation is linked to the cyber attack that has caused disruption at several European airports.

“We advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest updates,” the airport added, saying further information would be provided as soon as it is available.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

World

At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

Published

on

By

At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

At least 70 people have been killed after a paramilitary drone attack on a mosque in Sudan.

The Sudanese army and aid workers said the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the attack during Friday prayers in the North Darfur region.

The attack took place in the besieged city of Al Fasher and was said to have completely destroyed the mosque.

With bodies still buried under the rubble, the number of deaths is likely to rise, a worker with the local aid group Emergency Response Rooms said.

The worker spoke anonymously, fearing retaliation from the RSF.

Further details of the attack were difficult to ascertain because it took place in an area where many international and charitable organisations have already pulled out because of the violence.

In a statement, Sudan’s army said it was mourning the victims of the attack.

It said: “Targeting civilians unjustly is the motto of this rebel militia, and it continues to do so in full view of the entire world.”

Sky News Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir reported earlier this month on the situation in North Darfur, where people are facing torture, rape and forced starvation.

The Sudan war started in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the RSF broke out in Khartoum.

The US special envoy to Sudan estimates that 150,000 people have been killed, but the exact figure is unknown. Close to 12 million people have been displaced.

Several mediation attempts have failed to secure a humanitarian access mechanism or any lulls in fighting.

Read more from Sky News:
Cyber attack disrupts European airports
More than 1,000 migrants arrive in small boats in one day

The Resistance Committees in El Fasher, a group of local activists who track abuses, posted a video on Friday claiming to show parts of the mosque reduced to rubble with several scattered bodies.

The Darfur Victims Support Organisation, which monitors abuses against civilians, said the attack happened at a mosque on the Daraga al Oula street at around 5am local time, citing witnesses.

The attack is the latest in a series of heavy clashes in the past week of between the two sides in Al Fasher.

Continue Reading

Trending