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Sir Keir Starmer has praised the King for doing a “fantastic job” after he was heckled by a senator in the Australian parliament.

The prime minister said the King was an “incredible ambassador” for the UK and the 56 independent countries that make up the Commonwealth.

He was speaking after the monarch was heckled by Australian senator Lidia Thorpe during his address to the Australian parliament on Monday.

Ms Thorpe accused the King of “genocide” against her nation’s indigenous people at a welcome event in Canberra, shouting: “This is not your land. You are not my King.”

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Asked what he thought about politicians “heckling the King” on Monday, Sir Keir said: “Look, I think the King is doing a fantastic job, an incredible ambassador, not just for our country, but across the Commonwealth.

“I think he’s doing a fantastic job, and we should remember in the context of health, that he is out there doing his public service notwithstanding the health challenges he himself has had – so I think he’s doing a great job.”

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King heckled by aboriginal senator

Ms Thorpe is the first Aboriginal woman from the state of Victoria to become a senator. When she was sworn in she refused to take an oath of allegiance to the late Queen.

After the King addressed guests at Parliament House, Ms Thorpe, who wore a possum skin coat and carried a traditional message stick, shouted: “Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us… Our babies, our people. You destroyed our land”.

Ms Thorpe was then ushered from the building’s hall and shouted: “Give us a treaty – we want a treaty with this country… this is not your land, this is not your land, you are not my King, you are not our King”.

She said she was prevented from handing the King a “notice of complicity in Aboriginal genocide” according to the Statute of the International Criminal Court 1998.

The Australian senator has since defended her actions, telling Sky News’ Kay Burley “he can’t be our King”.

“We are the real sovereigns in this country,” she said. “The King lives in your country, he’s from your country.”

She added: “We have our bones and our skulls still in his family’s possession. We want that back. We want our land back.

“And we want your King to take some leadership and sit at the table and discuss a treaty with us.”

Pressed on her use of the word “genocidal”, Ms Thorpe claimed that “there are thousands of massacre sites in this country from invasion and someone needs to answer for that. He is the successor, then he needs to answer”.

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‘He can’t be our King’

The King, who revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, has paused his treatment while he embarks on his first tour to Australia as the country’s monarch.

Later this week he will head to Samoa for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), where he will be accompanied by Sir Keir.

There has been mounting pressure from leaders of Caribbean nations to pay reparations for the impact of the transatlantic slave trade.

Last year a United Nations judge claimed the UK owes about £18tn in reparations for its involvement in slavery in 14 countries.

Downing Street has said Sir Keir remains opposed to apologising for the UK’s historical role in slavery and that the issue of reparations is “not on the agenda” at the summit despite calls from some of his own MPs.

Read more:
What is the Commonwealth?

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said today: “Reparations are not on the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of government meeting.

“The government’s position on this has not changed, we do not pay reparations.

“The prime minister’s attending this week’s summit to discuss shared challenges and opportunities faced by the Commonwealth including driving growth across our economies.”

Asked again about an apology, the spokesman added: “The position on apology remains the same, we won’t be offering an apology at Chogm, but we will continue to engage with partners on the issues as we work with them to tackle the pressing challenges of today and indeed for the future generations.”

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Police search for missing sisters last seen three days ago near Aberdeen river

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Police search for missing sisters last seen three days ago near Aberdeen river

Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.

Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.

The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.

Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Image:
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland

Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Image:
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland

Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.

Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”

Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.

The Huszti sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
Image:
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland

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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.

Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.

The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.

Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.

CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”

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Britain’s gas storage levels ‘concerningly low’ after cold snap, says owner of British Gas

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Britain's gas storage levels 'concerningly low' after cold snap, says owner of British Gas

Britain’s gas storage levels are “concerningly low” with less than a week of demand in store, the operator of the country’s largest gas storage site said on Friday.

Plunging temperatures and high demand for gas-fired power stations are the main factors behind the low levels, Centrica said.

The UK is heavily reliant on gas for its home heating and also uses a significant amount for electricity generation.

As of the 9th of January 2025, UK storage sites are 26% lower than last year’s inventory at the same time, leaving them around half full,” Centrica said.

“This means the UK has less than a week of gas demand in store.”

The firm’s Rough gas storage site, a depleted field off England’s east coast, makes up around half of the country’s gas storage capacity.

Gas storage was already lower than usual heading into December as a result of the early onset of winter.

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Combined with stubbornly high gas prices, this has meant it has been more difficult to top up storage over Christmas.

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UK’s first taxpayer-funded injection room to open in radical move to tackle drugs epidemic

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UK's first taxpayer-funded injection room to open in radical move to tackle drugs epidemic

Glasgow has been a city crying out for solutions to a devastating drugs epidemic that is ravaging people hooked on deadly narcotics. 

We have spent time with vulnerable addicts in recent months and witnessed first-hand the dirty, dangerous street corners and back alleys where they would inject their £10 heroin hit, not knowing – or, in many cases, not caring – whether that would be the moment they die.

“Dying would be better than this life,” one man told me.

It was a grim insight into the daily reality of life in the capital of Europe’s drug death crisis.

Scotland has a stubborn addiction to substances spanning generations. Politicians of all persuasions have failed to properly get a grip of the emergency.

But there is a new concept in town.

From Monday, a taxpayer-funded unit is allowing addicts to bring their own heroin and cocaine and inject it while NHS medical teams supervise.

A dirty needle thrown less than 100 metres from the new injection centre
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A dirty needle thrown less than 100 metres from the new injection centre

It may be a UK-first but it is a regular feature in some other major European cities that have claimed high success rates in saving lives.

Glasgow has looked on with envy at these other models.

One supermarket car park less than a hundred metres from this new facility is a perfect illustration of the problem. An area littered with dirty needles and paraphernalia. A minefield where one wrong step risks contracting a nasty disease.

Drugs paraphernalia in a supermarket car park in Glasgow, near the new facility
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Drugs paraphernalia in a supermarket car park in Glasgow, near the new facility

It is estimated hundreds of users inject heroin in public places in Glasgow every week. HIV has been rife.

The new building, which will be open from 9am until 9pm 365 days a year, includes bays where clean needles are provided as part of a persuasive tactic to lure addicts indoors in a controlled environment.

There is a welcome area where people will check in before being invited into one of eight bays. The room is clinical, covered in mirrors, with a row of small medical bins.

Clean needles are provided to lure addicts to inject in a controlled environment
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Clean needles are provided to lure addicts to inject in a controlled environment

One of the eight bays users can inject in
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There are eight bays users can inject in

We were shown the aftercare area where users will relax after their hit in the company of housing and social workers.

The idea is controversial and not cheap – £2.3m has been ring-fenced every year.

The aftercare area
Image:
The aftercare area

Read more: ‘Dying would be better than my £1,000 a month heroin addiction’

Authorities in the city first floated a ‘safer drug consumption room’ in 2016. It failed to get off the ground as the UK Home Office under the Conservatives said they would not allow people to break the law to feed habits.

The usual wrangle between Edinburgh and London continued for years with Downing Street suggesting Scotland could, if it wanted, use its discretion to allow these injecting rooms to go ahead.

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The stalemate ended when Scotland’s most senior prosecutor issued a landmark decision that it would not be in the public interest to arrest those using such a facility.

One expert has told me this new concept is unlikely to lead to an overall reduction in deaths across Scotland. Another described it as an expensive vanity project. Supporters clearly disagree.

The question is what does success look like?

The big test will be if there is a spike in crime around the building and how it will work alongside law enforcement given drug dealers know exactly where to find their clients now.

It is not disputed this is a radical approach – and other cities across Britain will be watching closely.

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