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The Duchess of York and the Dubai royal family offered to help ministers secure PPE in the early months of the COVID-19 crisis, the inquiry into the pandemic has heard.

Sarah Ferguson, who was formerly married to Prince Andrew, made her offer of assistance as officials tried to get hold of personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons in spring 2020.

An email from April of that year – the month after the first UK lockdown was announced – was presented on Thursday during the evidence of Dawn Matthias, who joined the PPE procurement team at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic .

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‘I have scarring on my lungs’

The message, which was sent among her colleagues, said: “The Duchess of York has been in contact with [government PPE adviser] Lord Deighton to try and help source PPE.

“She has some contacts who have access to PPE in China and wants to be able to get these through the system.”

A separate email that had been sent by Ms Matthias at the start of April said that “we received an offer of help from the Royal Family in Dubai”.

Ms Matthias said the offer had come to officials via former minister Michael Gove and Conservative peer Lord Agnew.

More on Covid Inquiry

Shown the email relating to the duchess, she was asked by Jamie Shara, counsel to the inquiry, if there was “any training or guidance about dealing with people who were senior or high up or connected for example to the royal family?”

“Not specifically, no,” she replied.

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Post-COVID anxiety causing ‘mental health crisis’

Asked whether a team member was tasked with handling referrals specifically from high-profile people, Ms Matthias said: “From memory and from my understanding, royalty was sensitively handled by very senior people.”

She added: “I don’t recall it ever being an issue and don’t recall it ever being widely discussed or ever receiving any direction that if I for example was directly approached by the Duchess of York for example I was forbidden to deal with that or not.”

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‘We got funeral guidance wrong’

Details of the unexpected offers came as the inquiry continued to hear evidence in its fifth module, relating to procurement.

Read more:
Five years since pandemic began
COVID scars remain in Valleys
Inquiry ‘will tackle misinformation’

Thursday’s evidence looked at the so-called high-priority lane which was used to try to secure contracts quickly.

The inquiry was established to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to learn lessons for the future.

The first part of the day’s evidence was heard in a private session to avoid prejudicing an ongoing investigation into PPE Medpro, a firm linked to Baroness Michelle Mone and her partner Doug Barrowman.

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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