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Santa Claus is coming to town – well, some of them are.

Because this year Santa could found in the job centre rather than a grotto, with 15% fewer jobs for the guy in red being advertised.

And in further bad news, Santa’s salary is also rising less than average, according to job website Indeed.com. So while the average wage has gone up 7%, the most famous inhabitant of the North Pole has seen his rise by just 4%.

And he is not alone in feeling the squeeze – it doesn’t matter whether you are on the naughty or nice list – this year is costing more for everyone.

Sky News investigates the state of the great British Christmas as the cost of living crisis hits harder than ever.

Rob and Donna
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Santa Rob and Donna have set up a grotto at their animal park

A stand-in Santa

Competition is fierce for Santa roles, says Jack Kennedy – a senior economist at Indeed.com, with searches for this festive work reaching a six-year high.

“Lots of candidates are chasing fewer seasonal jobs this year,” he adds, attributing it to “cost of living pressures and caution among retail employers”.

Santa Rob – who for the rest of the year runs an animal rescue centre as Robert Baxter alongside his partner Donna Rose – found himself forced to don the big red coat and beard after he was unable to afford to pay a performer for his grotto.

“It’s my genuine calling in life,” he jokes. They have tried to keep costs low to enable lower-income families to visit.

Donna and Rob
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Donna and Rob

Their business, Get To Know Animals, in Epping, houses 400 animals, many of which are exotic and require multiple heat lamps and specialist food. “The energy costs are absolutely extortionate,” says Donna.

“We struggled to get through the day and then we had the additional cost of building the grotto, but it just means so much to us that people who can’t afford it could come and meet Santa as well.”

Donna grows teary as she talks about the future of the company, which has suffered from a drop in donations and a decline in footfall: “We are not sure if we are going to make the new year.”

Donna and Goose the skunk
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Donna with Goose the skunk

Turkeys are growing – and so is the cost

For Jonathan Smith, Christmas preparations start in the summer.

The second-generation farmer welcomes the 4,000-strong flock of day-old chicks to Great Garnett’s farm in Essex at the beginning of June and starts fattening them up for Christmas.

Five years ago, they would have produced around 8,000 turkeys in December, but a decline in foreign labour due to Brexit and the expensive costs of visas has forced the farm to dramatically reduce numbers.

Jonathan is chair of the National Farmers’ Union’s turkey group and says fattening them up is a lengthy process, fraught with the worry of a bird-flu outbreak at any moment – and the cost of living crisis has increased tensions.

Jonathan Smith, of Great Garnetts farm
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Jonathan Smith, of Great Garnett’s farm

Because the cost of producing a 5.5kg (21lb) turkey (which is the weight they sell the most of and would feed about eight to ten people) has gone up by 21% in the last year.

Jonathan’s food bill, across the farm, used to average between £12,000 and 15,000 a month. It now stands at £30,000 due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine disrupting grain supplies around Europe.

Read more: How much more expensive is Christmas since inflation surged?

His energy contract, which six years ago was £3,000, in December 2022 reached £20,000 – something he expects to see again this year. And even though these higher prices may be being passed on to shoppers it isn’t dampening their demand for the festive bird.

“Turkeys are just a lot more expensive than they were,” he says. “But we aren’t seeing that reflected in sales – people just accept it and want it for their Christmas lunch.

“They want a special turkey and a special turkey is what we produce.”

Great Garnetts farm
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But the farm has struggled with the rising cost of living

The cost of Christmas

However, the resilience of the turkey trade is not reflected elsewhere. Brits are predicted to buy fewer and cheaper Christmas presents this year.

One forecast by World Remit, the international money transfer firm, suggests that Brits will spend 10% less on Christmas this year. But even with everyone cutting back, WorldRemit says it is expected to cost 23% of the average monthly income.

It is particularly bad for households with children, with one in three struggling to afford a family festive celebration, according to debt charity StepChange.

Dad-of-nine Derrick, 34, says he has delayed paying some bills in a bid to make a magical Christmas for his family, and he and his wife have stopped heating their four-bedroom flat.

DadsHouse
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The DadsHouse team

“I know it’ll be a problem in January, but I am trying not to think about it,” the stay-at-home dad says. With children ranging from 18 to one still unborn, providing for them is no small task.

“Things have always been tight, but it’s definitely getting worse.”

Derrick is supported by DadsHouse, a charity that supports dads in London – although it was founded to help single dads, they welcome anyone in.

DadsHouse

In their West London centre, six days before Christmas, a small team of dedicated volunteers are gathered together cooking lunch. Turkey is served alongside lentil soup and salad, while one young boy is given a plate of pasta. Tinsel and fairy lights adorn the ceiling and racks are filled with cans of soup – a foodbank for those who need it.

Billy McGranaghan founded the charity after raising his son alone but the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn has seen demand soar. What started as a way to help dads bond has expanded into a vibrant community hub, with a foodbank, home-cooked meals, homework clubs and guitar lessons.

DadsHouse also runs a Family Law Clinic, and Ceri Parker-Carruthers, the lawyer who manages it, says they are seeing increased family breakdowns inflicted by the economic crisis.

Billy receives up to 20 phone calls a day from people reaching out for help from him and his small team of dedicated volunteers.

DadsHouse

Yet, despite the growing desperation of those around him, anyone who walks through their door is greeted with a cheery shout of ‘hello’ from the 60-year-old Scotsman. He is warm and friendly, remembering everyone’s names as he moves around the room, offering them coffee, tea, more turkey, more gravy, a hamper to take home.

Billy grows emotional as he talks about those the charity has helped this year.

“The increase we have seen is unbelievable,” he says. “But when they are here, we want to give them a chance to forget about the outside world for a bit.”

Billy McGranaghan and Patsy
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Billy McGranaghan and Patsy

Patsy, 68, doesn’t fit the label of ‘single dad’, but she is welcomed to the Christmas meal and sent away with a hamper of goods, the same as anyone else.

And like everyone else, she’s feeling the squeeze this year. “I’ve had to ask my family to chip in for Christmas dinner, it’s too expensive now,” she says.

Sky News data team analysis

Inflation fell to another two-year low of 3.9% in November, but that hasn’t halted historic price rises, including on many Christmas favourites.

Our Christmas list costs £7.50 more than this time last year – a rise of almost 5%, which is faster than the overall level of inflation in the same timeframe (3.9%).

Securing pigs in blankets for your festive feast will come at a higher price this year, with sausages and bacon both up 14%.

While the shopping basket data from the ONS doesn’t have a whole turkey, the centerpiece of many Christmas dinners, it does have prices for pre-cooked turkey slices.

A 100-180g pack increased by just 5p (2%), from £2.26 to £2.31.

What about the trimmings? A kilo of potatoes is 7% more expensive than they were in November 2022. Carrots are 15% more expensive and cauliflower is 4% more.

As for a Christmas tipple, a bottle of cream liqueur is 5% more expensive and a bottle of champagne is up 6%.

Gift buying is also pricier. When you’re stumped about what to buy, socks make for a reliable gift choice but a pair of men’s has increased by 5%, and a lady’s scarf, also great for keeping warm, is now 8% more expensive.

For families with young children, the price of a sit-and-ride toy for under-5s has increased by just 2%, and if you want to combine some festive joy with some Christmas holiday learning, an electronic educational toy has increased by 1%.

A Christmas lifeline – or a road to more debt?

The continued popularity of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) schemes risks tipping millions of people into debt this Christmas. More than a quarter of Brits will use them to help with Christmas shopping. In some instances, it is almost as common as going into an overdraft – according to Citizen’s Advice.

The charity, who surveyed 2,132 people, has said it is braced to provide debt support in the new year, with some 28% of consumers (equivalent to 15.1 million people) planning to use the unregulated form of credit this December. This rises to 56% of parents with primary-school-aged children.

Citizens Advice, MoneySavingExpert and Which? recently teamed up to urge the Government to protect BNPL users after its commitment to regulating the industry in 2021 appeared to have stalled.

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said many users do not realise they are taking on debt.

This is because BNPL lending does not require any affordability checks, unlike other credit options.

The charity found 21% of BNPL users have missed or made a late BNPL payment in the last 12 months, with one in 10 of this group visited by an enforcement agent or bailiff as a result.

‘There will be fewer presents – but more love’

Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelters is in its 15th year of providing winter shelter and food for those who are homeless in Waltham Forest and has seen the number of people seeking its help soaring in the last year.

Jessica* spent much of her 20s without a home but, after reaching “breaking point”, found herself at the shelter and is now a volunteer.

“I never could have known that in a year, my life would have done a complete 180,” she says. “I have gone from living somewhere to becoming homeless, to now being part of a community where I can give back.”

This small local shelter has 28 active cases, compared to 10 this time last year.

“I think this is potentially one of the worst Christmases we’ve had,” says David Hoskins, the group’s charity director.

“We simply don’t have enough beds for all of those people who are rough sleeping.”

And this is being echoed across the UK, as research from the charity Crisis revealed nearly a quarter of a million households are spending night after night couch surfing or in unsuitable temporary accommodation.

Beth from Newport found herself in a vicious cycle with housing costs after her rent began creeping up.

The single mum of two is studying at university in a bid to create a better life for her children after fleeing an abusive relationship.

“I want to be a good tenant, but being a good mum comes first, and it’s been years since paying the rent in full and on time – without having to think about it – was normal,” she said.

She now lives in fear of her energy being shut off, and it means for her children, aged 12 and 14, there is little chance of expensive gifts under the Christmas tree.

“My children have been understanding and told me they don’t need anything,” she says. “The guilt attached to wanting to and not being able to is the worst feeling of all.”

She said she takes comfort in knowing it’s not just her.

“Of all my Christmases, this is the bleakest so far, but there is comfort in knowing I am not the only one feeling that,” she says.

“I am very blessed to have my children with me on my Christmas morning, being in a house and being able to put the kettle on – that’s a privilege compared to some.

“It’s going to be full of love – less presents, but more love.”

* Names have been changed

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UK will play its ‘full part’ in peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine, says Sir Keir Starmer

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UK will play its 'full part' in peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine, says Sir Keir Starmer

The UK will play its “full part” in peacekeeping in Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The prime minister told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby that the conflict with Russia was not just about “sovereignty in Ukraine” but about the impact it also had on the UK, including the cost of living crisis.

Sir Keir was speaking to Sky News while on a surprise visit to Ukraine on Thursday – his first since his party’s landslide election win six months ago.

The purpose of the trip was to discuss the next steps for Ukraine, with the situation now more uncertain following Donald Trump’s election victory in November.

Politics latest: Tories made mistake by leaving EU without growth plan, admits Badenoch

Mr Trump, whose inauguration takes place on 20 January, has said he wants a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine within 100 days.

But some European leaders fear pushing Kyiv into a deal could lead to Ukraine ceding some of its territory to Vladimir Putin.

More on Ukraine

Sir Keir said he did not want “to get ahead of ourselves” but that the UK would play its “full part” in any peace negotiations – including by deploying British troops for peacekeeping.

Asked if he would be prepared to do that, the prime minister replied: “Well, I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but I do have indicated that we will play our full part – because this isn’t just about sovereignty in Ukraine.

“It’s about what the impact is back in the United Kingdom and our values, our freedom, our democracy. Because if Russia succeeds in this aggression, it will impact all of us for a very, very long time.”

On arriving in Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a Russian drone was shot over the sky over the presidential palace.

Sir Keir said the drone threat was “a reminder of what Ukraine is facing every day” and that the war was brought about by “Russian aggression”.

Elsewhere in the interview, Sir Keir was asked about his views on Ukraine’s longstanding desire to join NATO – something President Putin strongly opposes.

Read more:
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MP Mike Amesbury admits punching man

At a NATO summit in Washington last summer, the alliance’s members announced that Ukraine was on an “irreversible” path to NATO membership.

“We fully support Ukraine’s right to choose its own security arrangements and decide its own future, free from outside interference. Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” the declaration said.

However, Mr Zelenskyy has somewhat tempered his language around NATO membership, telling Sky News in an exclusive interview in November that a ceasefire deal could be struck if Ukrainian territory he controlled falls “under the NATO umbrella” – allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later “in a diplomatic way”.

However, Mr Trump has acknowledged Moscow’s opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, saying: “Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I can understand their feeling about that.”

Watch the full interview with Beth Rigby and Sir Keir Starmer on the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge at 7pm.

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Abusive boyfriend whose partner Kiena Dawes blamed him for her death in suicide note jailed

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Abusive boyfriend whose partner Kiena Dawes blamed him for her death in suicide note jailed

An abusive boyfriend whose girlfriend blamed him for her death in a suicide note – after he subjected her to years of violence – has been jailed for six-and-a-half years for controlling and coercive behaviour and assault.

Ryan Wellings, 30, was found guilty of the offences but was cleared of Kiena Dawes’s manslaughter by a jury at Preston Crown Court on Monday.

He was the first defendant in England to face trial for the unlawful killing of his partner after her suicide following domestic violence.

Shortly after Ms Dawes wrote her note on her phone, in which she described Wellings as a “monster”, the 23-year-old hairdresser left it with a friend before she took her own life on 22 July 2022.

Prosecuting, Paul Greaney KC cited the suicide note at Wellings’s trial. In it, Ms Dawes said he had “killed [her]”.

“He ruined every bit of strength I had left,” the note said. “I had dreams. I had a future at one point. That was taken away from me.”

Ryan Wellings. Pic Lancashire Police
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Ryan Wellings. Pic: Lancashire Police

Wellings denied the allegations against him and told jurors “I’m not a monster”.

While a jury cleared Wellings of Kiena’s manslaughter, Mr Greaney invited the court to sentence the defendant “on the basis that [the offending of which he was convicted] formed the background to and set the scene for her death”.

He said the abuse was “both regular and routine across the relationship”.

On one occasion, the court heard the defendant “held a drill to Kiena’s face, switched the drill on and threatened to drill out her teeth”.

‘Breaks my heart’

In a personal statement read out on her behalf in court, Angela Dawes, Kiena’s mother, said: “It breaks my heart that [Kiena’s] beautiful baby doesn’t have her mummy here because of that monster.”

“I truly hope that no other young lady or child has to go through what he did to my daughter and her baby,” she added.

Kiena Dawes took her own life. Pic: Lancashire Police
Image:
Kiena Dawes took her own life. Pic: Lancashire Police

Kiena’s grandmother, Irene Ball, said she had noticed at times during Kiena’s relationship with Wellings that her smile was “false” but recalled her granddaughter “tried to reassure [her]”.

“It was extremely shocking to see my granddaughter hurt and with injuries to her beautiful face,” she said.

“I told Kiena that he would really badly hurt her one day and I pleaded with her not to go back to him.”

Kynan Dawes, Kiena’s brother, said: “I introduced Kiena to this monster and I will regret that for the rest of my life.”

Mr Dawes said he felt “justice [had] been served” as “the world now knows what a monster he is”.

Addressing those who’d been following Kiena’s case online, he added: “I want people to see that domestic violence is not OK and men should respect their partners.”

He also urged anyone experiencing domestic violence to “go to the police”, adding “if you don’t feel like you can do this, speak to family or friends”.

‘Friendly and kind young woman’

In sentencing, Judge Robert Altham said Ms Dawes was “a popular, vivacious, friendly and kind young woman”.

“She pleaded with you to stop hitting her, but you just carried on. You tried to persuade her that it was her fault for upsetting you,” he added.

Ms Dawes had attempted suicide in the past, before her relationship with Wellings, and lawyers for Wellings told the court her death was because of “multiple factors”.

The judge said the defendant was aware of Ms Dawes’s history of mental health issues, he “called her names connected with her illness” and “repeatedly told her that she may as well kill herself”.

However, he said his sentence was based on the jury’s conclusion that the defendant had “no criminal responsibility” for Kiena’s death.

In mitigation, John Jones KC told the court the relationship between Ms Dawes and Wellings, a landscape gardener from Bispham who had a previous conviction for battering an ex-partner, was “inconsistent” throughout its two-and-a-half years.

“It would be wrong to say that that coercive relationship was in existence throughout,” he said.

The court heard the abuse of Ms Dawes included regular slapping and “ragging” by her hair, and threats to use a drill to take out her teeth and throw acid in her face.

After she became pregnant, Wellings gave her a black eye and began criticising her weight, calling her “fat” while contacting escorts and prostitutes online.

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Police were called more than once, but Wellings threatened Ms Dawes that their daughter would be taken from them if she told them what was happening, so she declined to help prosecute him.

But she did report Wellings following an attack which left her needing hospital treatment and he was arrested.

He broke his bail conditions but was not locked up, leaving Ms Dawes feeling let down by police. Four days later, she killed herself.

Wellings’ sentences, to run consecutively, were for controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship and for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

A further count of assault on the defendant’s former friend Scott Fletcher was also included as part of the sentence, an offence to which he had previously pleaded guilty.

Wellings will serve half of the sentence in prison before he is released on licence.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

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Elianne Andam: Teenager who stabbed 15-year-old to death in Croydon guilty of murder

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Elianne Andam: Teenager who stabbed 15-year-old to death in Croydon guilty of murder

The teenager who stabbed 15-year-old Elianne Andam to death in a row over a teddy bear has been found guilty of murder.

Hassan Sentamu, 18, attacked Elianne with a kitchen knife in “white-hot anger at having been disrespected” after she stood up for his ex-girlfriend, the Old Bailey heard.

He had been due to return items including a teddy bear to Elianne’s friend following their break-up but instead came armed, wearing two pairs of gloves and a facemask.

Elianne collapsed outside the Whitgift Centre in central Croydon, south London, after being stabbed four times in what police described as a “frenzied” attack, which was caught on CCTV, on 27 September 2023.

Body worn footage of Hassan Sentamu being arrested following the fatal stabbing of Elianne Andam. Pic: Met Police
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Sentamu was arrested within 90 minutes. Pic: Met Police

Her friend compared Sentamu to a character from the Netflix crime drama Top Boy and said Elianne had her hand out begging him to “stop”.

He threw his gloves and mask in a bin and hid the knife in a garden but was arrested within 90 minutes after police stopped a bus near his home in New Addington.

Sentamu, who was 17 at the time, admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the basis of “loss of control” because he has autism.

There were sobs in the public as he was found guilty by a majority verdict of 10 to two, while he stood propping himself up with both arms in the dock and crying.

He was also found guilty on a charge of having a blade. Sentamu had also denied this charge – claiming he had a lawful reason for carrying it.

Grime artist Stormzy was among thousands of mourners who gathered at a candlelit vigil after Elianne – who went to the private Old Palace of John Whitgift School – was killed, and there is now a memorial to her at the scene.

Stormzy
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Stormzy among mourners. Pic: PA

‘I’ll do it again’

The month after Elianne’s death, Sentamu got into a row with a fellow inmate in youth custody and when he was accused of killing girls, said: “I’ll do it again,” the court heard.

“I’ll do it to your mum,” he said. “Do you want to end up like her, six feet under? I’ll do the same again.”

Sentamu, who came to the UK aged five with his mother and three sisters, had a history of violent and aggressive behaviour, as well as making repeated threats to take his own life.

He was given a police caution after pulling a knife out in class and telling a teacher he wanted to kill himself when he was just 12 years old.

Sentamu was expelled from one school after threatening another child with a knife and in other incidents put girls in headlocks and threatened to stab a student with a pair of scissors.

While in foster care he threatened to harm a cat or chop off its tail, the court heard.

Elianne with her friends. Pic: Met Police/PA
Image:
Elianne with her friends. Pic: Met Police/PA

‘I can’t let this slide’

Weeks before he killed Elianne, who wanted to become a human rights lawyer, Sentamu said: “The real me is evil, dark and miserable” in a message to a friend.

The day before the attack, he had met Elianne and her friend, who had recently split up with him, at the Whitgift Centre, where the girls “teased” him and his ex-girlfriend splashed him with water.

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Attack caught on CCTV

Sentamu, who was studying sports science at Croydon College, later sent what police called a “chilling” message to a friend saying: “I can’t let this slide bro.”

He met Elianne, his ex-girlfriend and another of their friends the following day to swap belongings.

The girl handed him a plastic bag of his clothes, but he did not have her teddy bear as arranged, and Eliane snatched the bag back.

compile of screengrabs from court-released video linked to the trial of Hassan Sentamu accused of fatally stabbing 15-year-old Elianne Andam in Croydon
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Pics: Met Police

Sentamu stabbed Elianne with kitchen knife. Pic: Met Police/PA
Image:
Sentamu stabbed Elianne with a kitchen knife. Pic: Met Police/PA

A Snapchat video shows Elianne smiling and laughing before her expression turned to “abject terror,” jurors were told.

Sentamu pulled the kitchen knife from his trousers and repeatedly stabbed her, plunging the blade 12cm into her neck.

‘He exacted vengeance on a girl running away’

Prosecutor Alex Chalk KC earlier told jurors Sentamu was “angry… having brooded on the insult and he took the knife to the scene to reassert dominance”.

“He exacted vengeance on a young girl clearly running away from him and posing no threat,” he said.

Sentamu, who was diagnosed with autism in 2020, did not give evidence.

His barrister Pavlos Panayi KC said it was not disputed the killing was a “grotesque overreaction” but the “central issue” in the case was Sentamu’s autism history and symptoms.

Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Becky Woodsford said it was a “violent, aggressive and frenzied knife attack on a young girl”.

“Elianne was doing what was right, she was standing up for her friend,” she added.

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