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Former footballer Jermaine Jenas says he is “not happy” with his sacking from the BBC over claims of inappropriate behaviour.

The broadcaster earlier confirmed Jenas is “no longer part” of The One Show’s “presenting line-up”.

The news of Jenas’s sacking broke as he started presenting a three-hour drive-time programme on talkSPORT radio with fellow former footballer Jermaine Pennant.

Jenas, 41, has also been dropped from his punditry and presenting duties on the BBC’s flagship football highlights programme Match Of The Day, as well as Match Of The Day 2 and Radio 5 Live.

Sky Bet Championship 2013/14, AFC Bournemouth v QPR, Dean Court (Bournemouth, GB) - 05 Apr 2014
Jermaine Jenas of QPR
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Jermaine Jenas playing for QPR in 2014. Pic: Rex Features

BBC News reported his contract was terminated earlier this week due to alleged issues relating to workplace behaviour.

It also reported the termination followed allegations involving digital communications, such as texts, which were raised with the corporation a few weeks ago.

Speaking to a talkSPORT reporter on Thursday evening, Jenas said: “I can’t really talk about it. As you can probably see, I’m not happy about it. But currently as it stands I’m going to have to let the lawyers deal with it.

“There’s two sides… that’s all I can say now.”

He added: “I’m not happy about this situation. I’m going to be speaking to my lawyers about it, is all I can say right now.”

Jenas said he couldn’t talk about the subjects of most questions asked by the radio station but agreed with the interviewer when the latter said: “I can see you’re fuming.”

The former footballer also declined to say whether he has begun legal proceedings.

TNT Sports presenter Jermaine Jenas ahead of the Premier League match at the Gtech Community Stadium, London. Picture date: Saturday February 17, 2024.
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Jenas presenting for TNT Sports in February. Pic: PA

In an email to employees, seen by Sky News, the BBC said: “I wanted to let you know that Jermaine Jenas is no longer working for the BBC.”

A spokesperson for talkSPORT said the station was “made aware of a breaking news story involving Jermaine Jenas as he went on air for a one-off presenting slot on talkSPORT Drive”.

A statement added: “We made a decision – with Jermaine – that he should continue to present the show.

“Given the array of serious allegations being reported as the story continues to evolve, it’s for Jermaine as a private individual to address them in the way he chooses.

“There are no plans for Jermaine to broadcast as a presenter on talkSPORT in the immediate future.”

Jenas last presented The One Show in mid-July, and last appeared on Match Of The Day in May.

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Jenas, who earned between £190,000 and £194,999 at the BBC for his work on the FA Cup, Match Of The Day and the World Cup in 2022/23, also works for TNT Sports.

His salary for presenting The One Show has not been made public as the show is made by BBC Studios, the BBC’s commercial production company.

Jenas made his footballing debut aged 17 for Nottingham Forest and went on to play for Newcastle United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers during his career.

Jenas also made 21 appearances for England, scoring one goal.

Jermaine Jenas playing for Newcastle United in 2002. Pic: PA
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Jermaine Jenas playing for Newcastle United in 2002. Pic: PA

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The midfielder moved into punditry and presenting on the BBC and BT Sport after retiring from professional football in 2016.

The father-of-four joined The One Show in 2020 as a stand-in co-host following the departure of Matt Baker, and he was made a permanent fixture the following year.

His agency MC Saatchi also said it no longer represents him following the news of his sacking.

TNT Sports said it would not comment on Jenas’s employment with the BBC but it is understood that he is not scheduled to appear on the platform’s channels for a number of weeks.

Jenas was a co-commentator on the Ipswich v Liverpool match on TNT last Saturday as the Premier League returned.

It is believed that TNT Sports was unaware of the status of Jenas’s employment with the BBC.

talkSPORT did not immediately respond to Sky’s request for comment.

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Queen Camilla withdraws from engagements after becoming unwell with chest infection

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Queen Camilla withdraws from engagements after becoming unwell with chest infection

The Queen is unwell with a chest infection and has withdrawn from her engagements this week, Buckingham Palace has announced.

A palace spokesperson said Camilla’s doctors “have advised a short period of rest” and added that “with great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week”.

They added the Queen “very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal”.

“She apologises to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result,” they said.

It is understood the Queen is currently resting at home and is under doctor’s supervision.

Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, has stepped in on Camilla’s behalf to attend the annual opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.

The Queen has also withdrawn from a Buckingham Palace reception for Olympic and Paralympic athletes hosted by the King on the same evening.

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Camilla recently returned from an overseas tour of Australia and Samoa. No further details regarding her illness or treatment have been released.

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Labour confirms U-turn on proposed ban on smoking and vaping in pub gardens

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Labour confirms U-turn on proposed ban on smoking and vaping in pub gardens

A proposed ban on vaping and smoking in pub gardens will not go ahead, the health secretary has confirmed.

Wes Streeting said the Labour government would not press ahead with the idea after it was floated over the summer and caused an outcry within the hospitality industry.

Back in August, Sir Keir Starmer said his government was considering a ban on outdoor smoking in a bid to bring down the 80,000 preventable deaths caused by smoking in the UK each year.

The ban would have covered smoking in outdoor restaurants and outside sports venues, hospitals, nightclubs, and in some small parks.

But speaking to Sky News this morning, Mr Streeting confirmed the U-turn and said: “We’re not going ahead or not proposing to go ahead with a [smoking] ban on outdoor hospitality.”

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He said the policy idea was a “leak of government discussion” over the summer and promoted a “really good debate about whether or not it would be proportionate” when taking into account the public health benefits, but also the potential downsides.

“I think people know the UK hospitality sector has taken a battering in recent years,” he added.

“And we don’t want to add to their pressure – so we’re not proposing to go ahead with an outdoor hospitality ban at this time.”

However, Mr Streeting did say that the smoking ban would be extended to some outdoor spaces, including schools, hospitals and children’s playgrounds.

It comes as the government today introduces a “groundbreaking” bill that aims to create the “first-ever smoke-free generation”.

The Tobacco and Vapes bill, which was first introduced by Rishi Sunak but was dropped due to the general election, will prevent anyone who was born on or after 1 January 2009 from buying tobacco.

The ban will effectively raise the legal age for buying cigarettes in England by one year every year, until it applies to the whole population.

The policy to create a “smoke-free generation” was seen as a defining one of Mr Sunak‘s premiership and caused controversy within Tory ranks, particularly the more libertarian wing of the party.

The bill will also create limits on the sale and marketing of vapes to children, while separate environmental legislation will be introduced to ban the sale and supply of single-use vapes by next summer.

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The health secretary said “clamping down on the scourge of youth vaping” with licensing, tougher enforcement and a ban on the marketing of vapes to children and young people was “happily, an area of broad cross-party consensus”.

“I first proposed the generational ban for children, when I was the shadow health secretary,” he said.

“To my delight and surprise, Rishi Sunak took it up as prime minister and Conservative leader.

“I hope that cross-party support will sustain a new leader of the Conservative Party, but we’ll find out in the coming weeks.”

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Powys crash: Safety system ‘blocked’ before fatal train collision

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Powys crash: Safety system 'blocked' before fatal train collision

A safety system was “blocked” during a fatal train crash in Powys, an initial investigation has found.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has published its initial findings into last month’s collision, in which one person died.

David Tudor Evans, 66, was described as a “lovely guy, full of life and enjoyment”.

A further 15 people were taken to hospital for treatment after the crash near Talerddig, police said.

The collision – at around 7.26pm on 21 October – involved the 6.31pm Transport for Wales service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and the 7.09pm Transport for Wales service from Machynlleth to Shrewsbury.

The RAIB said the units were fitted with wheel slide protection systems – described as being similar to anti-lock braking systems in cars – and an automatic sanding system.

Sand is discharged automatically via hoses when a wheel slide is detected during braking – creating more friction at the wheel-rail interface.

Powys train crash
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A map showing the location of the crash near Llanbrynmair and Talerddig in Powys

The on-train data recorder shows the wheel slide started during braking and was also present after the driver made an emergency brake demand.

An inspection of the sanding system fitted to Aberystwyth-bound train 1J25 showed the leading vehicle’s sanding hoses were blocked.

The RAIB says they were apparently unable to discharge sand.

The ongoing investigation is also looking at the speed at which the trains were travelling when they collided.

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Initial enquiries suggest the westbound train was travelling at a speed of between 15mph and 24mph, while the eastbound train was travelling at a speed of 6mph.

The RAIB says its investigation will look at the sequence of events which led to the crash.

As part of the probe, the agency will look at factors including the actions of those involved, the level of wheel-rail adhesion, and the behaviour of both trains during and after the crash.

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In a joint statement, Transport for Wales and Network Rail said they have “fully cooperated” with the British Transport Police, the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.

“As investigations are currently still ongoing, we’ll continue to work together with investigators to understand what happened and await the full conclusion and recommendations of the investigation,” a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said safety was the “main priority” for both companies and they had “carried out enhanced checks to the trains and the railway line”.

“At this early stage of the investigation, it’s fundamental that we await the findings of the full report and show sensitivity towards our customers, colleagues, the local community and the families of those affected by the incident,” they added.

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