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Angela Rayner says she would “like to see” Diane Abbott back in the parliamentary Labour Party following the row over comments a Tory donor allegedly made about her.

Labour’s deputy leader said she shared the “frustration” at how long the party’s processes could take but they must be followed when complaints are lodged against an individual.

Ms Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, currently sits in the Commons as an independent after she had the whip withdrawn following remarks she made in the Observer last year.

In the article, she claimed Jewish, Irish and Traveller people do not experience racism in the same way as black people.

She remains suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party but calls for her to have the whip reinstated have grown since the race row erupted this week.

Frank Hester, a donor to the Tory party, allegedly said Ms Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and “should be shot”.

Reinstating the whip would allow Ms Abbott to sit as a Labour MP.

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Speaking to reporters at a lunch in parliament, Ms Rayner said: “Personally, I would like to see Diane back but the Labour Party has to follow its procedures.

“And for me, that is the most important thing, that we have made sure our party is fit to govern by making sure we have got complaint procedures that are robust and people can have confidence in.

Politics latest: Calls for Abbott to have Labour suspension lifted

“So it doesn’t matter what I think because I don’t make that decision because it is done through a panel, it has gone through experts, and I’m not involved in that process.”

Ms Rayner also highlighted the “awful” abuse Ms Abbott has received throughout her career and that she hoped she contests the next general election.

“The abuse I get is nothing, it’s a fraction of what Diane Abbott got at that time,” she said.

“There’s been a focus on this for the last two days now. I hope things do change, so that Diane… if she does stand at the next election – which I hope she does – but if she doesn’t, I hope her legacy is that nobody has to go through what Diane has had to go through.”

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Watch as Diane Abbott stands 46 times

Ms Abbott criticised the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, on Wednesday for failing to invite her to speak in a debate during Prime Minister’s Questions that was dominated by Mr Hester’s alleged remarks and concerns for her safety.

Shortly after PMQs had ended, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was seen speaking to Ms Abbott. She later retweeted a claim that in the conversation she had asked for the whip to be restored.

Labour MP Jess Phillips joined Ms Rayner in calling for the whip to be restored to Ms Abbott.

She told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast: “You would want to see the first black woman elected to parliament, whether you like her politics or not, you would want to see it be celebrated in the same way the Harriet Harman is going to get as she steps down. These women are trailblazers.

“And for it to end in this sort of sticky horror where everybody’s fighting just seems a real shame. So I would much prefer to see Diane Abbott have the whip restored.”

Meanwhile, in light of the row involving Mr Hester, Ms Rayner also said major Labour donor Dale Vince should “reflect” on his “appalling” comments about Hamas.

Last year Mr Vince said in an interview with Times Radio that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” when asked about the Palestinian militant group that carried out the October 7 attacks in Israel.

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Mr Vince has since said during the same interview he agreed with Labour’s position that Hamas are a terror group and that Israel had the right to defend itself.

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Davina McCall says she has short-term memory problems after brain tumour surgery

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Davina McCall says she has short-term memory problems after brain tumour surgery

Davina McCall has said her short-term memory is “a bit remiss” as she recovers from brain tumour surgery.

Speaking from her bed, the visibly emotional TV presenter posted a short video updating her Instagram followers on her condition, saying it had been a “mad” time.

She expressed an “enormous heartfelt thank you” to people who had messaged her after she revealed this month she had a benign brain tumour, a colloid cyst, which she described as “very rare”.

Looking bright, but with a visibly bruised left eye, McCall said: “My short-term memory is a bit remiss.

“But that is something I can work on, so I’m really happy about that. I’m writing everything down, to keep myself feeling safe.”

She added: “It’s been mad, and it’s just really nice to be back home, I’m on the other side.”

In a message posted with the video, she reiterated her thanks for all the support she has received, adding: “Had a great night’s sleep in my own bed. Have a couple of sleeps during the day which keeps my brain clear… Slowly, slowly…”

When she first shared her diagnosis, she said chances of having it were “three in a million” and that she had discovered it several months previously after a company offered her a health scan in return for giving a menopause talk.

The 57-year-old star said support from her fans had “meant the world”.

She said she was being “brilliantly looked after” by her partner, hairdresser Michael Douglas, and her stepmother, Gabby, who she calls mum.

Becoming tearful, the presenter said: “I’d quickly like to say big up the stepmums. I don’t really say thank you to Gabby enough. She’s been an amazing rock my whole life.”

McCall was estranged from her birth mother, Florence McCall, who died in 2008.

Kate coming out of the Big Brother house in 2002
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McCall with 2002 Big Brother winner Kate Lawler. Pic: Rex Features

With a catch in her voice, McCall went on: “I’ve got a massive dose of vitamin G – I’m just really grateful. I’ve always been really lucky in my life, but I feel unbelievably grateful right now. So, thanks for everything, all of you.

“I’m on the mend, I’m resting and sleeping loads and I feel really good. I’m just very lucky.”

Stars including presenter Alison Hammond, singer Craig David and radio host Zoe Ball quickly shared their delight at the positive update.

McCall rose to fame presenting on MTV in the mid-1990s, and later on Channel 4’s Streetmate, before becoming a household name as the host of Big Brother from 2000 to 2010.

Davina McCall  with her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Pic: PA
Image:
McCall with her MBE, alongside her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson. Pic: PA

She’s gone on to present programmes across the networks, the most recent being ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad.

Last year, McCall was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.

Married twice, McCall has three children, two daughters and a son, with her second husband, presenter Matthew Robertson.

She has lived with Douglas since 2022, and they present a weekly lifestyle podcast together, Making The Cut.

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UK weather: How long will rainy and windy conditions last – and is another storm already on the way?

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UK weather: How long will rainy and windy conditions last - and is another storm already on the way?

Storm Bert continues to cause chaos in the UK, but just how long is heavy rain and wind expected to batter the country?

The Met Office says Storm Bert will start to “slowly pull away” from the UK on Monday, meaning an unsettled start to the day.

A yellow weather warning remains in place for northern parts of Scotland.

It warns of heavy downpours, especially over higher ground, where accumulations of 50-70mm are expected. The warning is in place until midnight.

Storm Bert latest: Follow live updates

In central Scotland, wind speeds of 50-60mph are likely, and gusts up to 70mph could be felt near the coast and on exposed bridges.

Met Office chief meteorologist Andy Page said that while the risk of snowfall had now diminished, rainfall would “affect much of the UK”.

Frequent showers are expected in Northern Ireland, northern England, Wales and the West Country, with the heaviest expected in southwestern parts of England and South Wales.

Mr Page said weather warnings “could still be amended” and possibly at short notice, and urged people to “keep up to date with the very latest forecast”.

Sky News meteorologist Christopher England warns there could be a risk of hail and thunder in northern Scotland, at the start of the week.

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Storm Bert causes flooding in Wales

As of Monday morning, there were hundreds of flood warnings and alerts in place. Three of those – two in Wales and one in England – were “severe warnings”.

A further 160 flood warnings and more than 200 flood alerts were issued by the Environment Agency in England, and eight flood warnings and 23 flood alerts in place in Wales at the time of writing.

Bert to clear UK by Tuesday

By Tuesday, Storm Bert will finally clear the UK, the Met Office said, bringing with it “quieter weather for many”.

However, parts of the country may not be without rain or wind for long, as the forecaster says strong gusts and rainfall could start again on Tuesday night and into Wednesday.

Check the forecast in your area

“How long the more settled conditions last is uncertain, with rain probably returning to westernmost areas at least by the end of the week,” the Met Office website says.

Chris England adds: “Wednesday will bring strong winds and a spell of heavy rain across the south, while the north looks mostly fine after a frosty and foggy start in places.

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Woman loses umbrella to Storm Bert

“Thursday looks cool again, but mostly fine. Friday will be milder, with outbreaks of rain likely over Ireland, Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland.”

He says going into the weekend, Saturday “looks cloudy and breezy in the north and west, with a little rain possible at times”.

When could the next named storm be?

Storm Bert was the second named storm of the season after Storm Ashley brought similar wet and windy conditions towards the end of October.

Although it cannot be known for sure when the next storm will be, the Met Office already knows it will be referred to as Storm Conall. The forecaster names storms in alphabetical order.

It says it only names a storm when it has the “potential to cause disruption or damage which could result in an amber or red warning” and according to its long range forecast, this could be as soon as next month.

It says that between 9 and 23 December, “there are signs” there will be wetter and windier interludes with a risk of snow, adding: “These conditions look more likely to dominate towards the middle of December.”

Whether this will be strong enough for a storm to be named remains unknown.

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Microsoft ‘investigating issue’ after users report problems with Outlook and Teams

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Microsoft 'investigating issue' after users report problems with Outlook and Teams

Microsoft has said it is “investigating an issue” after users reported problems with Outlook and Teams.

In a post on X, Microsoft 365 Status said: “We’re investigating an issue impacting users attempting to access Exchange Online or functionality within Microsoft Teams calendar.”

Microsoft Exchange Online is a platform for business communication that has a mail server and cloud apps for email, contacts, and calendars.

Down Detector, a website that tracks outages, said problems started at approximately 8am on Monday morning.

It said 87% of reported problems involved Outlook, when the email application is accessed through the web.

Microsoft error message
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Microsoft error message appearing on Outlook

Other reported problems, according to Down Detector, included connection to the server and logging in.

Users from the UK and around, Europe took to social media to report they were having problems accessing the platform.

One user wrote: “When you need to check an important mail, but #outlook decides to not work…”

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While another added: “Here in Belgium mainly issues with tracking of e-mail in Dynamics 365. Inbound and outbound in Outlook still work.”

Microsoft directed affected users to its admin centre, a page that is intended for those who have access to business networks and other professionals who manage IT networks. The page requires a login.

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