Princess of Wales ‘excited’ by Early Years report but not returning to work yet
The Princess of Wales is not returning to work yet, but remains fully updated on the Early Years work going on in her absence, it was revealed at the launch of a “landmark” new report.
Keen not to distract from the importance of the findings of the Early Years business taskforce, that was set up by the princess last year, a palace spokesperson confirmed that “it should not be seen or reported on as Her Royal Highness returning to work”.
They added: “You all know that early childhood is a huge priority for the princess and so she has been kept fully updated throughout the development of the taskforce’s work and she has seen the report.”
The report is an example of how the work of her Early Years Foundation has continued despite Kate undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
The princess, who “still needs space to recover”, is said to be “excited” by the findings, which claim the UK could reap £45.5bn in economic benefits if firms prioritise early childhood.
It recommends a range of interventions, from creating a culture inside and outside firms that prioritises childhood to supporting parents with greater resources and flexibility in the workplace.
Among the eight-member taskforce are the chief executives of Ikea, NatWest Group and Deloitte.
Speaking about the report, described as “a major early years rallying call”, Emma Franklin, a director of consulting with Deloitte said: “We’ve established a figure of £45.5bn, which is just immense in terms of value added to the UK economy.
Emma Franklin, a director of consulting with Deloitte
“And that’s three simple things, which is productivity gains of enabling parents who want to work more hours to get back into the workforce and avoiding some of the recruitment retention costs for people who are leaving the workforce, but also in terms of developing some of those really core social and emotional skills in our under fives now that will stand them in such good stead as the future workforce for us in terms of the skills around empathy and resilience and problem-solving.
“I think it’s a really compelling case for change.”
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Sky News visited a baby bank in north London run by Little Village.
Last year they supported 8,500 children, 20% more than the year before, and increasingly working parents are coming in for help.
Thea Jaffe has three children, including eight-month-old Isaac who’ll need to go to nursery when she goes back to work later this year.
Mother of three, Thea Jaffe, is struggling to afford to raise her children
She said: “My rent is £2,000 a month, nursery £3,000. That’s £5,000 right there. I thought I had a good job taking home £2,600 a month after taxes, but apparently it’s not good enough.
“Yeah, it’s really tough. I feel bad about it because I feel like times when I should be enjoying the time with my kids, learning more about who they are, what they care about, what makes them tick. But I’m just preoccupied with like, how are we going to, you know, how am I going to pay our bills?”
Little Village CEO Sophie Livingstone says companies need to step up, and she hopes the influence of the princess will help.
Little Village CEO Sophie Livingstone
“I have no doubt that she will follow through and keep on it with businesses and keep holding their feet to the fire to make a tangible difference,” she said.
“This is just the beginning, in my view. What we need now is to see those commitments coming through, to see that action, because the time is now, the need has never been greater.
“So I’m really grateful to the princess for drawing attention to this. But it’s now time for business to follow through behind her.”
The report has been shared with No.10, the Department of Health and Department for Education, but those involved insist they will not be lobbying government for change, instead showing the societal impact that businesses can help drive.
The only survivor of the Air India plane crash says he thought he was “going to die”.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, managed to walk away from the wreckage. He was “disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body… but he seems to be out of danger”, according to a doctor who examined him.
There had been 242 people on board flight AI171 when it came down. Among the passengers and crew on the Gatwick-bound aircraft were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a doctors’ hostel in a residential area on Thursday, moments after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India.
India plane crash: Follow live updates
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Indian PM meets lone survivor of plane crash
Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, said Mr Ramesh was sat in seat 11A, located next to an emergency exit, and “managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door”.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Ramesh said he “still can’t believe” he survived.
He said he thought he “was also going to die” but he then “opened [his] eyes”.
“I pulled out the belt from under my seat and tried to escape. Then I managed to do it,” he told DD India.
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Moment of fatal plane crash in India
Mr Ramesh said “within the first mile” after take-off “it felt like the plane was stuck” and “like something had happened”.
“Then a light came on, like a green and white light came on inside the plane,” he added.
“The pilot was trying to give it a bit of a push to push it forward, but it was struggling. But it went straight into a building.”
He said the side where he landed was not the hostel side and as soon as the plane door broke, he “could see that it was open for [him] and [he had] a chance to get out”.
He said that his brother, Ajay, was seated in a different row on the plane. “He was travelling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” he told the Hindustan Times.
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What could have caused the India plane crash?
‘Bodies all around me’
Mr Ramesh continued: “It all happened so quickly. When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me.
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
From his hospital bed, Mr Ramesh also met India’s prime minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking in Leicester, Mr Ramesh’s brother Nayan told Sky’s Shamaan Freeman-Powell that their father was on the phone to Mr Ramesh while the plane was still on the runway.
“My dad called him,” the 27-year-old said. “And Vishwash said ‘oh we’re going to take off soon’.”
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Plane crash survivor’s brother speaks to Sky News
Two minutes later, their father received a video call from Mr Ramesh to say the plane had crashed and he had survived.
“He video-called my dad as he crashed and said ‘Oh the plane’s crashed. I don’t know where my brother is. I don’t see any other passengers. I don’t know how I’m alive – how I exited the plane’,” Nayan said.
Air India has confirmed 229 passengers and 12 crew members died, but authorities have not confirmed how many people on the ground were killed or injured.
Read more:
Everything we know about the crash
Plane wreckage rips apart medical hostel
Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa and their four-year-old daughter Sara. Pic: PA
Who were the victims?
Among the British citizens killed in the crash were Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa, and their four-year-old daughter Sara.
Gloucester Muslim Community said in a statement on Facebook that “no words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss”.
Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek. Pic: Instagram
Also on the flight were married couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek from west London, who had posted a video from the airport on their Instagram feed shortly before boarding.
Gatwick Airport said in a statement that a reception centre was being set up where information and support will be provided for relatives of those on board.
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Tata Sons, Air India’s owner, said it would give around £86,000 to the families of each person who died, cover the medical costs of those injured and support the rebuild of the medical hostel.
British nationals who require consular assistance are advised to call 020 7008 5000, while Air India has set up hotlines to provide information on +91 806 2779 200 for foreign nationals or 1800 5691 444 if calling from India.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called for “restraint” and “diplomacy” after Israel launched a barrage of airstrikes on Iran early on Friday.
He called reports of Israel’s so-called Operation Rising Lion “concerning”, but stopped short of condemning it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had targeted the “heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme”, which he feared would eventually be aimed at Israel.
Iran promised “severe punishment” for the attacks, which killed several top commanders and nuclear scientists, and launched 100 drones towards Israel in an initial response.
Follow latest: Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear sites
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Analysis: ‘This is the big one’
In a statement on Friday, Mr Starmer urged “all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently”.
He added: “Escalation serves no one in the region. Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate.
“Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy.”
The UK does not appear to have been warned in advance of Israel’s plan to attack Iran.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, had been due to travel to Washington on Friday to meet his American counterpart.
The trip was cancelled once it became known that Israel had launched its operation.
A Whitehall source said the late cancellation of Mr Lammy’s travel plans indicated the UK had not been alerted in advance to the timing of the attack.
However, the UK had been aware of the increasing likelihood of an Israeli mission to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, given the rhetoric from the Israeli government in recent weeks.
Mr Lammy called it a “dangerous moment” and said “stability in the Middle East is vital for global security”.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, British industry minister Sarah Jones also said the UK had not been involved in the Israeli military operation.
It is understood British warplanes are not currently involved in helping to defend Israel’s skies from any Iranian counterattacks.
This could change as the situation develops.
Additional forces could well be sent to a key Royal Air Force base in Cyprus, where Typhoon jets are stationed.
The deployment of reinforcements to RAF Akrotiri has happened in the past during times of crisis in the Middle East.
The US also said it had not been involved in Israel’s attack on Iran, and warned against any retaliation targeting American interests or personnel.
US President Donald Trump had previously urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iran while Washington negotiates a nuclear deal with the country.
In his first public comment about the attacks, he again urged Iran to reach a deal with Washington on its nuclear programme, warning on his Truth Social platform that Israel’s attacks “will only get worse”.
Without saying whether he was privy to specific Israeli plans, the US president said “there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end”.
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But China, Saudi Arabia and Russia condemned Israel’s strikes, while Japan called the use of military force “deeply regrettable”.
Russia’s foreign ministry called the attack “unprovoked” and “categorically unacceptable” and said it was in breach of the United Nations charter.
Spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry Lin Jian said: “China opposes the violation of Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, opposes the intensification of contradictions, the expansion of conflicts, and the sudden
rise in temperature of the regional situation.”
Takeshi Iwaya, Japan’s foreign minister, said: “Amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, including talks between the United States and Iran, to achieve a peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue, the use of military force is deeply regrettable.”
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