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Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has attacked critics of Liz Truss’ honours list, calling them “po-faced puritans”.

The former prime minister was allowed to submit her so-called “resignation honours” after leaving office last year – a convention given to all departing leaders – and the final 11 names were announced on Friday.

But the decision has been heavily criticised due to the circumstances around Ms Truss’ exit, whose disastrous mini-budget saw her ousted from Number 10 after just 49 days.

Read more: What 2024 could have in store for UK politics

Labour called it “a slap in the face to working people who are paying the price of the Tories crashing the economy”, while the Liberal Democrats said it was “a shameless move to reward Liz Truss’s car crash cronies… matched only by [Rishi] Sunak’s weakness in failing to block it”.

The Electoral Reform Society’s Dr Jess Garland also told Sky News it was a “convention that has really got out of control” with more unelected politicians in parliament now than elected ones, and appealed to whoever was next in government to “grab this by the horns” and change the system.

But Sir Jacob, who served as Ms Truss’ business secretary during her short tenure and was knighted in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours, said it was “the right” of a former prime minister to make the nominations, and it was “a reasonable way to allow her to thank those who have helped her to serve in the highest elected office in the land”.

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Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg after being made a Knight Commander of the British Empire at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Picture date: Wednesday September 27, 2023.
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Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg was made a knight as part of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list

He told Sky News: “Prime ministers, of all parties, need support that goes well beyond a 9 to 5 job and those who support them are trying their best to fulfil the democratic mandate held by all PMs.

“Honours have long oiled our political system and cost nothing so it is hard to see what the harm is except it upsets the po-faced puritans.”

The now backbench Tory MP also had specific criticism for the Institute for Government, whose director, Hannah White, yesterday told the BBC resignation honours brought the wider honours system into disrepute and should be scrapped.

Ms White took particular issue with the handing out of peerages – of which Ms Truss has bestowed three – saying it was wrong for a person to be given a job to legislate for life “on the say so of a single individual”.

But Sir Jacob said: “I note the Institute for Government, the Blob incarnate, never criticises honours for its civil service friends.”

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Truss resignation honours revealed

The three people awarded peerages by Ms Truss were Matthew Elliot, the political strategist and former chief executive of Vote Leave, former Vote Leave chair Jon Moynihan, and former deputy chief of staff in Number 10 Ruth Porter.

Mr Moynihan is a long-standing donor to the Tories and, since 2019, has donated £53,000 to Ms Truss alone.

A further eight honours were granted, including a damehood for Tory MP Jackie Doyle-Price and a knighthood for fellow Conservative Alec Shelbrooke.

Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, who was made a dame for her services to parliament and politics in this year’s New Year Honours list, told Sky News it was “perplexing… that somebody who is prime minister for such a short period should have such a list”.

And she criticised that fact a number of the beneficiaries were people who had “funded and helped her campaign” to lead the Conservatives.

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IT issue affects flights at Edinburgh Airport

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IT issue affects flights at Edinburgh Airport

All flights were halted at Edinburgh Airport this morning due to an IT issue affecting its air traffic control provider.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the airport later announced service had resumed.

Its post read: “Flights have now resumed following the IT issue with our air traffic provider.

“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”

But passengers continue to feel the effects.

A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Edinburgh was diverted to Dublin after going into a holding pattern over the Scottish capital.

And a live arrivals board on the airport’s website showed multiple flights diverted, delayed and cancelled.

Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport
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Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport

Morven McCall and Cody Stevenson, both 19, were due to fly easyJet from Edinburgh to Amsterdam on their first trip away together.

Morven told Sky News: “We literally just got into the airport and as soon as we walked through the door there was an announcement that it had been cancelled.

“I was ill over the summer and had to cancel two holidays already, this was our first time going away together. We are just gutted and stressed.”

Follow live: Latest updates as flights halted

Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA
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Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA

One passenger was on a plane when they found out.

They said: “We boarded our flight and pushed back on time for an 8.45 (am) departure, then sat for a while before the pilot told us what was happening.

“He updated us a couple of times, cabin crew are brilliant at handing out water etc, and I’m surprised that everyone appears to be upbeat. But then you do wonder how long for, just been told we’re hoping to be in the air in 20 minutes.”

Another passenger told us: “The first news was from the airport announcement as we were halfway through boarding, saying the airfield was closed due to air traffic control down.

“No one knew what was going on. We’d already been delayed a bit before boarding, with no reason. I suspect problems started about 9am.”

It comes after an earlier announcement that all flights had been halted.

“No flights are currently operating from Edinburgh Airport,” the previous statement said.

“Teams are working on the issue and will resolve as soon as possible.”

There was no timeframe for recovery initially, Sky News learned.

It’s understood by PA that the issue was not linked to today’s Cloudflare outage.

Edinburgh Trams also posted on X, writing: “If you’re travelling with us to @EDI_Airport this morning, please be aware that flights are not currently operating.”

The airport urged passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on flights.

An average of 43,000 passengers per day use the airport, which is served by 37 airlines flying to 155 destinations.

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Teenager fatally hit by car on motorway had been tasered by police, watchdog says

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Teenager fatally hit by car on motorway had been tasered by police, watchdog says

The police watchdog says it is investigating after a teenager who was tasered by an officer on a motorway was fatally hit by a car.

Logan Smith, 18, was being taken to hospital in an ambulance at about 11pm on Sunday when the vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder of the M5 in Somerset.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the vehicle stopped on the northbound carriageway “due to the concerns of ambulance staff”.

Mr Smith got out of the ambulance near the junction for Weston-super-Mare and “entered the live lanes of the motorway”, the watchdog added.

Police were called and an officer arrived at the scene, with bodycam footage showing the officer discharging their Taser, causing the teenager to fall to the ground.

“Soon afterwards” Mr Smith was struck by a car travelling on the southbound carriageway, the IOPC said.

The watchdog said it was investigating the “actions and decisions taken by Avon and Somerset Police prior to the death of a teenager”.

IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “My thoughts and sympathies are with Logan’s family and friends and everyone affected by this shocking and tragic incident. 

“We want to reassure everyone that we will independently investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the use of a Taser.

“After being notified by the force, we sent our investigators to the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.

“We have taken initial accounts from the officer and ambulance staff involved.

“We met with Logan’s family on Tuesday, to give our condolences, explain our role and to provide some further detail about our investigation, including a Taser being discharged during the incident.

“We will continue to keep them updated and they request that their privacy be respected at such a difficult time.”

The coroner has been informed and formal identification and a post-mortem have taken place.

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Former doctor charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients

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Former doctor charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients

A former doctor has been charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients in his care.

Nathaniel Spencer, 38, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration.

It follows a police investigation into alleged sexual offences between 2017 and 2021.

Staffordshire Police said in a statement the charges come after a complex investigation by the Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre
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North Staffordshire Justice Centre

Ben Samples, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit and Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit, said: “We have decided to prosecute Nathaniel Spencer for a number of serious sexual offences allegedly carried out against patients while he was working as a doctor – including assault by penetration and sexual assault against a child.

“Our prosecutors have worked at length to support a detailed and complex investigation by Staffordshire Police, carefully reviewing the available evidence to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”

Spencer, from Birmingham, will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.

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