Engineering specialist Rolls-Royce has confirmed the loss of up to 2,500 jobs as it seeks to take a further grip on costs.
The Derby-based firm, best-known for its aircraft engines, revealed its plans hours after Sky News reported that hundreds of UK staff were likely to be affected by the group’s global efficiency drive.
It has cut more than 13,000 roles over the past decade in a bid to bolster profitability.
Chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic, who took over in January, said the latest streamlining plan it was proposing would result in between 2,000-2,500 job losses.
Rolls, which should not be confused with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said it would merge its engineering technology and safety groups.
The plan would also see changes in the company’s procurement and supply chain management to cut costs, while finance, legal and human resources functions would be brought together, the company said.
“We are building a Rolls-Royce that is fit for the future”, Mr Erginbilgic told investors.
“Our business is full of committed, talented people and I believe these changes will enable them to build greater capability in areas that are key to our long-term success.
“This is another step on our multi-year transformation journey to build a high performing, competitive, resilient and growing Rolls-Royce.”
Mr Erginbilgic’s predecessor, Warren East, launched two turnaround plans – one in 2020 aimed at surviving the pandemic, which led to 9,000 job losses and another in 2018 that included 4,600 redundancies.
A 43-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of two children in Stafford.
Police were called to a home on Corporation Street at around 7.30am on Sunday by West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Two children were pronounced dead at the scene, StaffordshirePolice said.
Detective Inspector Kirsty Oldfield said: “We are working hard to understand more about what happened leading up to these two children tragically losing their lives.
“We ask that people do not speculate at this stage as it is distressing for family and friends and could hinder our inquiries.
“We understand that this incident may cause concern in the local community. We don’t believe there is wider threat to the public at this time.”
The 43-year-old woman, who is from the Stafford area, remains in custody.
The force has not confirmed the ages of the two children. Their next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers, police said.
A man has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family.
Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton, south London, was arrested last Monday, but it was only made public on Sunday.
He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody, the Met Police said.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between June and October.
Sir Ed, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton, lives in southwest London with his wife, Emily, their 17-year-old son John, and his younger sister Ellie.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife.
“He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 7 October and was remanded into custody. He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday, 14 October.
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“He was arrested on Monday, 6 October in relation to the offences, which are alleged to have taken place between June and October.”
A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “We cannot provide any details at this time, Ed’s number one priority is the safety of his family.”
Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison.
Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year jail term for multiple sexual offences, including serious crimes against young children and babies at HMP Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.
He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed.
West Yorkshire Police said two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Image: A police van outside Wakefield prison. Pic: YappApp
Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff reported the assault to police.
The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, sources added.
A Prison Service spokesperson said they could not comment while the police investigate.
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Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.
He was sentenced in December 2013to 29 years in prison, with a further six years on licence, after admitting 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child sexual abuse videos, some of which he had made himself.
At the time, police described him as a “committed, organised paedophile”.
Having found fame in Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Watkins was arrested after his Pontypridd home was searched on orders of a drug warrant in September 2012.
A large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized during the search.
When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the singer was told he was being given an extended sentence – and a judge said his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity”.