Sky News picked up two gongs at the Press Gazette’s Future of Media Awards, for the Money blog and the podcast series, Patient 11.
Money was recognised in the live journalism category at the Press Gazette’s Future of Media Awards, beating competition from the Financial Times, the Telegraph, Bloomberg and the Athletic among others.
“This is a great idea for the audience. Responds to readers’ questions by delivering the content they ask for, as well as real-time reporting. It is what interactive journalism should do,” the judges said.
Launched in January, the live blog covers personal finance and consumer news, the markets, interest rates, inflation and anything else that matters to the money in your pocket, offering tips and advice on making your money go further.
Highlights of the year include:
Patient 11, won in the national podcast category, after being shortlisted alongside entries from the Financial Times, Politico, The Times and The Sunday Times and Tortoise Media among others.
The four-part podcast series from Sky News and The Independent, tells the story of Alexis Quinn, whose escape from psychiatric care led to a landmark national investigation that has revealed tens of thousands of unreported allegations of sexual assault and rape in NHS mental health inpatient units across England.
More from UK
The judges said: “Production of this podcast was excellent with lots of texture, nice sound design and interviews all contributing to an intriguing story which draws the listener in.
“It also appeared to have a real-world impact on government thinking.”
Advertisement
Narrated by Nicholas Pinnock (Top Boy, Django, For Life), Patient 11 recounts the dramatic story of Quinn, a young mother and former GB swimmer with undiagnosed autism, and how her three-day admission in a secure mental health hospital turned into a three-year ordeal of isolation, forced restraint and sexual assault, before a daring plot to break free.
Sparked by Alexis’ testimony in Patient 11, Sky News and The Independent worked together for nearly 18 months investigating sexual abuse allegations in NHS England mental health trusts.
The findings of this work have been described as a ‘national scandal’ by former Victim’s Commissioner Dame Vera Baird. The investigation has prompted calls for a major inquiry by Charlie Brooker, one of the authors of the 2019 gold standard government-backed sexual safeguarding protections, The Sexual Safety Collaborative.
The suspended surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge has been named as paediatric consultant Kuldeep Stohr.
Eight hundred patients operated on by Ms Stohr are having their cases urgently re-examined, after an external review found nine children whose care fell below expected standards.
The initial review was ordered after concerns were raised by her colleagues.
Sky News has seen a copy of the interim report which details several issues relating to complex hip surgeries performed by the surgeon.
One of the parents whose child was identified in the review showed us a recent letter from the hospital which reported“problems with both judgement and technique” in her child’s surgery.
Ms Stohr, who has been suspended since the end of January, said in a statement: “I always strive to provide the highest standards of care to all my patients.
“I am co-operating fully with the trust investigation and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Image: Tammy Harrison: ‘It was hell’
Left in agonising pain
Tammy Harrison, 12, has cerebral palsy and had surgeries carried out by Ms Stohr. Her operations didn’t work, leaving her in agonising pain.
She said: “My first one was just like trauma. I couldn’t get out of bed for eight weeks. I was either stuck in bed or stuck on the sofa. It was hell.”
Her mum, Lynn, told Sky News: “There is nothing that can put Tammy back to where she was now and that’s the sad thing.
“If I could just click my fingers and have the child back that I had I would do it with a blink of an eye.”
Image: Ms Stohr operated on Lynn Harrison’s daughter
So far, there’s been no confirmation of any wrongdoing in Tammy’s care.
But her family have a meeting at the hospital this week to find out more.
The trust has asked a panel of specialist clinicians to review all the planned operations carried out by Ms Stohr at Addenbrooke’s. One hundred emergency trauma cases will also be looked at.
Addenbrooke’s is a major regional trauma centre and treats serious emergency patients from all over the region.
One clinician at the hospital told Sky News that the review of so many patients was “creating a lot of extra work”, which was “slowing things down” for other patients awaiting treatment.
Image: Addenbrooke’s Hospital. File pic: PA
At least one extra locum consultant has been helping the team, as they work through the caseload.
Trust apologises
Sky News has been told Cambridge University Hospitals Trust had wanted to identify Ms Stohr before but had been threatened with a legal injunction.
The trust has apologised unreservedly to families and patients. But what’s troubling many is the fact concerns were raised about Ms Stohr a decade ago.
Chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, Roland Sinker, has set up another review to examine whether opportunities were missed, and action could have been taken sooner.
The Department of Health described the ongoing situation as “incredibly concerning.”
Sir Keir Starmer promised “bold changes” as he announced he will relax rules around electric vehicles after carmakers were hit by Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Labour made a manifesto pledge to restore a 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars after it had been rolled back to 2035 by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government.
Image: Starmer promises to ‘back British business’. Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir will officially confirm the ban in an announcement on Monday but regulations around manufacturing targets on electric cars and vans will be altered, to help firms in the transition.
Luxury supercar firms such as Aston Martin and McLaren will still be allowed to keep producing petrol cars beyond the 2030 date, because they only manufacture a small number of vehicles per year.
More on Tariffs
Related Topics:
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
2:53
‘Nothing off the table’ over tariffs
Petrol and diesel vans will also be allowed to be sold until 2035, along with hybrids and plug-in hybrid cars.
The government is also going to make it easier for manufacturers who do not comply with the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which sets sales targets, to avoid fines, and the levies will be reduced.
Sir Keir said: “I am determined to back British brilliance.
“Now more than ever UK businesses and working people need a government that steps up, not stands aside.
“That means action, not words.”
Officials have said support for the car industry will continue to be kept under review as the full impact of the tariffs announced last week becomes clear.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the industry deserves “clarity” in the economic context.
She said: “Our ambitious package of strengthening reforms will protect and create jobs, making the UK a global automotive leader in the switch to EVs, all the while meeting our core manifesto commitment to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.”
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the government had “recognised the intense pressure manufacturers are under”, while Colin Walker, a transport analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said the ZEV mandate is a “global success story” in driving a surge in sales of electric vehicles.
Tariff impact on UK businesses revealed
Some 62% of UK firms with trade exposure to the US are being negatively impacted by Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to the British Chambers of Commerce.
Its survey of more than 600 businesses also found 32% of firms with trade exposure to the US said they will increase prices in response.
The survey also found 41% of firms with no exposure to the USA said they would be negatively impacted by the tariffs.
Some 44% of firms with exposure to the US said the UK should seek to negotiate a closer trade relationship with the US, while 43% said they wanted closer trade with other markets.
Just under a quarter (21%) said they thought the UK should impose retaliatory tariffs.
The survey also found that 40% of firms considered the 10% tariffs to be better than they had expected.
It comes as KPMG warned US tariffs on UK exports could see GDP growth fall to 0.8% in 2025 and 2026.
The accountancy firm said higher tariffs on specific categories, such as cars, aluminium and steel, would more than offset the exemption on pharmaceutical exports, leaving the effective tariffs imposed on UK exports at around 12%.
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: “Given the economic impact that tariffs would cause, there is a strong incentive to seek a negotiated settlement that diminishes the need for tariffs. The UK automotive manufacturing sector is particularly exposed given the complex supply chains of some producers.”
Two people who died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness have been named by police.
Lincolnshire Police said 48-year-old Lee Baker and his 10-year-old daughter Esme Baker, both from the Nottingham area, were killed in the blaze.
However, formal identification is still yet to take place and “could take some time”, the force said.
Emergency services were alerted to a fire at Golden Beach Holiday Park, in the village of Ingoldmells, at 3.53am on Saturday.
In a statement issued through police, a member of the Baker family said: “Lee and Esme were excited to be spending the first weekend of the holidays together.
“We are all utterly devastated at what’s happened.
“This loss is incomprehensible at the moment, and we ask for people to give us space to process this utterly heartbreaking loss.”
A GoFundMe page set up for the victims’ family described the father and daughter as “two peas in a pod” who were “both happy-go-lucky people who loved life”. It has so far raised more than £3,000.
The police force, together with Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, are continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Detective Inspector Lee Nixon said: “We believe we might be close to arriving at a working hypothesis.
“We are working hard to validate the facts available to us to be able to provide answers for the family and loved ones of those who were very tragically taken by this fire.
“Yet the evident intensity of the fire has made this task incredibly challenging.”
Dan Moss, from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family at this time.
“Our Fire Investigation Team is working with colleagues from Lincolnshire Police, and a full investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
“Once investigations are complete, local fire crews and our community fire safety team will be on hand to talk to people in the area and address any fire safety concerns they may have, at what will be an upsetting time.”