A top morning news anchor in the UK was promptly pulled from the air on Thursday after police uncovered an alleged plot to kidnap and murder the star reporter.
Holly Willoughby, 42, was shocked and distraught when Metropolitan police told her of 36-year-old Gavin Plumbs plot just moments before she was set to go on air on “This Morning” Thursday, according to The Sun.
She remained off the air on Friday and was placed under police protection outside the London home she shares with her husband and three children.
A motive for the alleged kidnapping and murder plot is unclear, as authorities say Willoughby did not personally know Plumb who is set to appear in court on Friday on charges of soliciting to murder and kidnap.
He was arrested at his home, where police allegedly found sinister messages threatening to kidnap and seriously harm the presenter.
It is believed the police have now seized the suspects phone and other devices, as a police vehicle remains outside his apartment.
This was an extremely fast-paced investigation, with many of our officers and national partners working overnight to secure these charges, Det. Supt. Rob Kirby said in a statement to the Telegraph. 3 Holly Willoughby, 42, was said to be “shocked and distraught” when she learned of the alleged plot to kidnap and murder her.SplashNews.com
The safeguarding of any victims is paramount and we will continue to prioritize this work with the Metropolitan Police Service as the investigation proceeds, he added.
A spokesperson for ITV also told the Guardian: This news has come as a huge shock to everyone at This Morning and ITV.
We are providing all the support we can to Holly and her family at this incredibly distressing time. 3 Willougby is now under police protection at the London home she shares with her husband and three children.
Speaking about the incident on air Friday, Lorraine Kelly, Willoughbys colleague, said it was very, very upsetting.
Of course, we are sending Holly all of our love and best wishes that is a terrible thing to be having to go through for her and her family.
Even UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who appeared on the morning show Friday, offered his support to the news anchor. 3 Willoughby was promptly removed from the ITV studio Thursday morning, just moments before she was set to appear on air.Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Before we get going, I was going to say Im so sorry to hear about everything that is going on with Holly, he said.
I wanted to send my best to her and her family, and to all of you.
The anchors who took over for Willoughby responded that they appreciate his message of support.
The matchup between the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers and the Penn State Nittany Lions turned wild in the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers held a 20-10 lead before Nicholas Singleton and the Penn State offense got moving. Then IU QB, and Heisman candidate, Fernando Mendoza threw and interception that set up an incredible finish.
Despite decades of market dominance, it seems like the days of loud, finicky gas-powered lawnmowers may finally be behind us — and I say that because five of the highest-rated mowers on Amazon won’t burn a drop of gas.
Consumer site SlashGear recently compared the average star ratings of a number of lawn mowers on Amazon, focusing on products that had at least 2,000 reviews and a four-star average or higher, and found that battery-electric units from EGO, Greenworks, and Worx were among the top-rated mowers, regardless of fuel type:
The products on this list have the highest ratings for lawn mowers on Amazon. Not only do they have high ratings, but they also have an extensive number of reviews from customers. There are lawn mowers not included on this list with higher customer ratings, but they don’t have the same quantity of reviews.
There’s one manual push mower (sometimes called a reel mower) on that top five list, but virtually no mention of the fact that there are precisely zero gas-powered mowers on the list – despite there being more than 600 pages of results when I searched “gas mower” earlier today. And it’s that fact that seems like the Real News™ item here, not the affiliate links.
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So, in that spirit, here’s a brief rundown of each of the top-performing mower brands that’s both free of ad links and in alphabetical order. Enjoy!
EGO
Power+ 56V 21″ electric mower; by EGO.
Over the past few years, the EGO brand has staked a claim to being the gold standard for cordless lawn equipment with its high-voltage 56V battery platform and premium build quality, and the brand’s self-propelled mowers regularly top customer satisfaction charts (they show 4.6-star average rating with more than 2,600 reviews).
That’s no surprise, as the EGO mowers offer superior durability, long runtimes, quick charging, and enough torque to rival (if not outperform) comparable gas models.
Greenworks
24V 13″ electric lawnmower; via Greenworks.
Another electric lawn care standard-bearer, Greenworks has been covered a number of times in these pages for everything from a powerful 60V cordless chainsaw to an electric minibike. Today, though, we’re focusing specifically on the brand’s 24V 13″ brushless electric mower – a product with a 4.3-star rating after more than 21,000 Amazon reviews. (!)
Fans of the Greenworks lawnmowers often cite their low weight, durability, ease of use, and for a small suburban yard (let’s call it a 1/4-1/2 acres, on the high side) the 13″ version shown, above, should be more than up to the task.
WORX
40V 17″ cordless lawn mower; by WORX.
Full disclaimer: I have a few WORX-branded toys in my garage, partly because of the brand’s smart, compact, and consumer-friendly approach to product design and partly because the brand’s excellent Power Share platform let users swap batteries between tools before some of the other brands figured out that was a huge selling point, giving WORX a significant head start in the logistical simplicity and convenience departments.
The results speak, meanwhile, for themselves. The brand enjoys high customer ratings for its 40V 17″ mower (above, which fits neatly between the other two options), and a growing base of users who’ve discovered that going electric doesn’t have to mean going expensive.
If you’re looking to get yourself some electric lawn equipment, keep an eye out for Electrek’s “Green Deals” posts which frequently feature big discounts. And check with your state or regional clean air regulator to see if any rebates are available – here’s California’s page, and here’s Colorado’s, but there are constantly shifting incentives available elsewhere too, so even if you’ve looked into those before: look again.
Source links throughout; featured image by EGO.
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The Home Office is looking at what Denmark is doing to cut illegal migration, Sky News understands.
Last month, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood dispatched officials to the Nordic nation to study its border control and asylum policies, which are considered some of the toughest in Europe.
In particular, officials are understood to be looking at Denmark’s tighter rules on family reunion and restricting most refugees to a temporary stay in the country.
Ms Mahmood will announce a major shake-up of the UK’s immigration system later this month, PA is reporting.
Labour MPs are said to be split on the move.
Some, in so-called Red Wall seats which are seen as vulnerable to challenge from Reform UK, want ministers to go further in the direction Denmark has taken.
But others believe the policies will estrange progressive voters and push the Labour Party too far to the right.
What are Denmark’s migration rules?
Denmark has adopted increasingly restrictive rules in order to deal with migration over the last few years.
In Denmark, most asylum or refugee statuses are temporary. Residency can be revoked once a country is deemed safe.
In order to achieve settlement, asylum seekers are required to be in full-time employment, and the length of time it takes to acquire those rights has been extended.
Denmark also has tougher rules on family reunification – both the sponsor and their partner are required to be at least 24 years old, which the Danish government says is designed to prevent forced marriages.
The sponsor must also not have claimed welfare for three years and must provide a financial guarantee for their partner. Both must also pass a Danish language test.
In 2018, Denmark introduced what it called a ghetto package, a controversial plan to radically alter some residential areas, including by demolishing social housing. Areas with over 1,000 residents were defined as ghettos if more than 50% were “immigrants and their descendants from non-Western countries”.
In 2021, the left of centre government passed a law that allowed refugees arriving on Danish soil to be moved to asylum centres in a partner country – and subsequently agreed with Rwanda to explore setting up a program, although that has been put on hold.
It comes as the government continues to struggle to get immigration under control, with rising numbers of small boat crossings in the Channel over the last few months and a migrant, deported under the UK’s returns deal with France, re-entering the country.
Some 648 people crossed the Channel to Britain in nine boats on Friday, according to Home Office figures, bringing the total for the year to 38,223.
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Have billions been ‘wasted’ on asylum hotels?
Ms Mahmood wants deterrents in place to stop migrants seeking to enter the country via unauthorised routes.
She also wants to make it easier to remove those who are found to have no right to stay in the UK.
Sources told the PA news agency she was eager to meet her Danish counterpart, Rasmus Stoklund, the country’s immigration minister, at the earliest possible convenience.
Image: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. Pic: PA
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Mr Stoklund likened Danish society to “the hobbits in The Lord Of The Rings” and said people coming to the country who do not contribute positively would not be welcome.
Mr Stoklund said: “We are a small country. We live peacefully and quietly with each other. I guess you could compare us to the hobbits in The Lord Of The Rings.”
“We expect people who come here to participate and contribute positively, and if they don’t they aren’t welcome.”
The split in Labour was apparent from public comments by MPs today.
Stoke-on-Trent Central Labour MP Gareth Snell told Radio 4’s Today programme that any change bringing “fairness” to an asylum system that his constituents “don’t trust” was “worth exploring”.
But Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome, who is a member of the party’s Socialist Campaign Group caucus, said: “I think these are policies of the far right. I don’t think anyone wants to see a Labour government flirting with them.”