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A “game-changer” pill is to be offered to tens of thousands of smokers in England who are trying to quit.

Varenicline can be more effective than nicotine-replacement gum or patches, and as effective as vapes, in helping people to stop smoking, according to NHS England.

The daily pill is said to reduce cravings and the pleasurable effects of nicotine that keep people addicted.

It also helps with withdrawal symptoms such as irritability or sleeping problems and patients usually take a 12-week course.

It’s estimated it could help more than 85,000 people per year and prevent up to 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the next five years, according to University College London (UCL).

Varenicline will become another option for people using NHS stop smoking services in England.

A branded version of the smoking cessation pill – known as Champix – was previously prescribed, but then withdrawn by Pfizer in 2021 as a precaution after an impurity was discovered.

However, the NHS said a generic version of the drug, from pharmaceutical firm Teva UK, has now been approved as safe by the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA).

It said another pill that works in a similar way, cytisine, is also being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and could be made available in the future.

Supplying varenicline is part of an effort to make more effective treatments available while saving more than £500m for the taxpayer, said NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard.

In a speech later, she will say the pill could be “a game-changer” for smokers. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it would save lives and millions of pounds for the NHS.

“Taken alongside our tobacco and vapes bill, the government and NHS are building a healthy society to help power a healthy economy,” said Mr Streeting.

Read more:
U-turn on proposed ban on smoking in pub gardens
Areas with highest percentage of smokers named and mapped

Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK’s policy chief, said: “It’s great news that the NHS is making varenicline an option for people trying to quit.

“Along with funding for cessation services, making tools like this available will help more people stop smoking.”

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Around six million people – one in eight UK adults – are smokers and there were more than 400,000 hospital admissions in England attributed to smoking in 2022-23, according to the NHS.

Around one in six (16%) of all admissions for respiratory diseases were estimated to be smoking-related, while it also caused 8% of admissions for cancers and 7% for cardiovascular disease.

Each year, the NHS spends around £2.5bn on treating health issues caused by smoking – the leading cause of preventable illness and deaths.

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Child sexual abuse victims ‘denied justice’ after compensation scheme scrapped over cost

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Child sexual abuse victims 'denied justice' after compensation scheme scrapped over cost

Sky News can reveal that the government has rowed back on a national compensation scheme for victims of child sexual abuse, despite it being promised under the previous Conservative administration.

Warning – this story contains references to sexual and physical abuse

A National Redress Scheme was one of 20 key recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), but a Home Office report reveals the government has scrapped it because of the cost.

Marie, who is 71, suffered alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at Greenfield House Convent in St Helens, Merseyside, between 1959 and 1962, and is still fighting for compensation.

Greenfield House Convent, where Marie says she was abused
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Greenfield House Convent, where Marie says she was abused

As soon as she arrived as a six-year-old, Marie says her hair was cut off, her name changed, and she experienced regular beatings from the nuns and students.

She claims a nun instigated the violence, including when Marie was held down so that her legs were “spread-eagled” as she was sexually abused with a coat hanger.

Merseyside Police investigated claims of abuse at the convent, but in 2016, a suspect died before charges could be brought.

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Marie has received an apology from the Catholic body that ran the home; she tried to sue them, but her claim was rejected because it was filed too long after the alleged abuse.

Marie is still fighting for compensation for the abuse she suffered
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Marie, 71, is still fighting for compensation for the abuse she says she suffered as a child

In February, ministers said the law would change for victims of sexual abuse trying to sue institutions for damages, which was a recommendation from the IICSA.

Previously, people had to make a civil claim before they were 21, unless the victim could prove a fair trial could proceed despite the time lapse.

Campaigners argued for the time limit to be removed as, on average, victims wait 26 years to come forward. Changes to the 1980 Limitation Act could lead to more people making claims.

Peter Garsden, President of The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers
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Peter Garsden, President of The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers

Civil cases ‘can take three to five years’

But Peter Garsden, president of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, worries that when it comes to historical abuse where the defendant is dead, institutions will still argue that it is impossible to have a fair trial and will fight to have the case thrown out of court.

Mr Garsden said it takes “between three and five years” for a civil case to get to trial.

He warned that claimants “can end up losing if you go through that process. Whereas the Redress Scheme would be quicker, much more straightforward, and much more likely to give justice to the victims”.

Victim awarded £10 compensation

Jimbo, who was a victim of abuse at St Aidan’s children’s home in Cheshire, took his case to the High Court twice and the Court of Appeal three times, but, after 13 years, all he ended up with was £10 for his bus fare to court.

Despite the Lord Justice of Appeal saying he believed that the abuse had occurred, Jimbo lost his claim because of the time limit for child sexual abuse claims to be made.

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Neither Marie nor Jimbo is likely to benefit from the removal of the time limit for personal injury claims, which is why Mr Garsden is calling on the government to implement a National Redress Scheme for victims of sexual abuse, as recommended by the IICSA.

Hundreds of millions paid to victims

The governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have set up compensation schemes and paid hundreds of millions of pounds to victims.

In 2023, the then Conservative government said a similar scheme would be organised for England and Wales.

But the Home Office admitted in its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse: Progress Update that it “is not currently taking forward any further steps on the IICSA proposal for a separate, national financial redress scheme for all survivors of child sexual abuse”.

“In the current fiscal environment, this recommendation is very difficult to take forward,” it added.

For victims, the scheme was the last chance of compensation for a lifetime blighted by abuse.

“The money is about justice and about all the other people who have had to suffer this abuse,” Marie said.

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Five men arrested in connection with suspected terrorist plot

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Five men arrested in connection with suspected terrorist plot

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of the preparation of a terrorist act, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Counter-terror officers arrested the five men, four of whom are Iranian nationals, on Saturday, with all currently in police custody.

The Met said the arrests related to a “suspected plot to target a specific premises”.

In an update shortly after midnight, the force said: “Officers have been in contact with the affected site to make them aware and provide relevant advice and support, but for operational reasons, we are not able to provide further information at this time.”

It added officers were carrying out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas in connection with the investigation.

It said those detained were:

• A 29-year-old man arrested in the Swindon area
• A 46-year-old man arrested in west London
• A 29-year-old man arrested in the Stockport area
• A 40-year-old man arrested in the Rochdale area
• A man whose age was not confirmed arrested in the Manchester area.

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Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated.

“The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.

“We understand the public may be concerned and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.

“We are working closely with local officers in the areas where we have made arrests today and I’d like to thank police colleagues around the country for their ongoing support.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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Fourteen children arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after industrial fire in Gateshead

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Fourteen children arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after industrial fire in Gateshead

Fourteen children aged between 11 and 14 years old have been arrested after a boy died in a fire at an industrial site.

Northumbria Police said the group – 11 boys and three girls – were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the incident in Gateshead on Friday. They remain in police custody.

Officers were called to reports of a fire near Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area shortly after 8pm.

Emergency services attended, and the fire was extinguished a short time later.

Police then issued an appeal for a missing boy, Layton Carr, who was believed to be in the area at the time of the fire.

In a statement, the force said that “sadly, following searches, a body believed to be that of 14-year-old Layton Carr was located deceased inside the building”.

Layton’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, police added.

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Detective Chief Inspector Louise Jenkins, of Northumbria Police, also said: “This is an extremely tragic incident where a boy has sadly lost his life.”

She added that the force’s “thoughts are with Layton’s family as they begin to attempt to process the loss of their loved one”, and asked that their privacy be respected.

A cordon remains in place at the site of the incident.

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