Profound social change that is now likely to become law

24 minutes ago Share Save Chris Mason • @ChrisMasonBBC Political editor Share Save

Reuters

Take a step back, and it has been quite a few days. This has been a week at Westminster that has seen two decisions that point to a profound, socially liberal shift. Just a few days ago, MPs voted to change abortion legislation to stop women in England and Wales being prosecuted for ending their pregnancy. And now, the Commons has backed a change in the law in England and Wales to allow assisted dying, or, as some opponents call it, assisted suicide. This vote doesn't guarantee this will happen - it will head next to the House of Lords - but it is now likely, even highly likely. It is a colossal social change, compared by many to the Abortion Act of 1967, the abolition of capital punishment, the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the introduction of gay marriage.

MPs had a free vote in both of this week's votes. But it is also true that the change in the composition of the Commons at the general election - and, in particular, the arrival of hundreds of new Labour MPs - has created the climate and the mood in parliament that has allowed both these votes to pass. Opinion polls have consistently pointed to significant public support for a change in the law. A YouGov poll earlier this week suggested over seven in ten Britons supported these assisted dying proposals. But MPs today were conscious of stepping beyond a discussion of the principles of this idea to scrutiny of the practicalities of this particular bill. Plenty of opponents told the Commons they believed in a change in the law in principle, but were opposed to this particular bill. And yet, in the end, MPs have said yes to this change in the law - and so this is a hugely significant, unprecedented moment. In 2015, the Commons rejected changing the law. It did so in 1997 too. Not this time. The arguments were no less passionate. Even the terminology is fought over. While plenty use the shorthand of "assisted dying," for some opponents this is a misnomer. It should, instead, they argue, be called "assisted suicide" or "assisted killing". Those arguments will continue, but what will now happen is this bill will head to the House of Lords. Having been endorsed by the Commons, proponents believe that while peers will scrutinise and likely amend this bill, they are confident it will now become law, in time.

Security review launched after activists break into RAF base

28 minutes ago Share Save Ruth Comerford BBC News Jonathan Beale Defence correspondent Share Save

BBC

A security review has been launched across UK military bases after pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and sprayed two military planes with red paint. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the action as "disgraceful", saying it was an "act of vandalism". Footage posted online by Palestine Action on Friday showed two people inside the Oxfordshire airbase in darkness, with one riding on a scooter up to an Airbus Voyager and spraying paint into its jet engine. Downing Street said the incident had not blocked any planned aircraft movements or stopped any operations. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it is working with Thames Valley Police, which is leading the investigation.

Defence Secretary John Healey said he was "really disturbed" by the incident and had ordered an investigation and the wider security review. Palestine Action said the activists evaded security and claimed they had put the air-to-air refuelling tankers "out of service". However, RAF engineers are assessing the damage and a defence source told the BBC they did not expect the incident to affect operations. In a statement, a Palestine Action spokesperson said: "Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets." Thames Valley Police confirmed it had received a report about people gaining access to the base and causing criminal damage. "Inquiries are ongoing to locate and arrest those responsible," the force said. RAF Brize Norton serves as the hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The air force has conducted reconnaissance flights over Gaza out of the Cyprus base. The base is encircled by a large perimeter fence, with security camera and sensors in the area in addition to manned security checkpoints. Patrols around the base are also carried out from time to time. But a defence source said these measures would not have been able to provide complete cover around the large airbase. Palestine Action has engaged in similar activity since the start of the current war in Gaza, predominantly targeting arms companies. In May, it claimed responsibility for the daubing of a US military plane in Ireland. The group said the activists who entered RAF Brize Norton used repurposed fire extinguishers to spray red paint into the planes' engines.

Palestine Action Footage posted by Palestine Action activists riding on scooters inside the Oxfordshire airbase

BBC shelves Gaza doc over impartiality concerns

11 minutes ago Share Save Steven McIntosh BBC News Share Save

EPA

The BBC says it has decided not to broadcast a documentary about doctors working in Gaza, due to impartiality concerns it has surrounding the production. Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was commissioned by the BBC but produced by an independent production company. It was originally scheduled for broadcast in February, but has not yet aired on any BBC outlet. In a statement, the BBC said it was "determined to report all aspects of the conflict in the Middle East impartially and fairly". BBC News has contacted production company Basement Films for comment. Its founder Ben de Pear said earlier this week the BBC had "utterly failed" and that journalists were "being stymied and silenced".

The BBC said it was "transferring ownership of the film material to Basement Films". BBC News understands the decision to shelve the documentary was taken on Thursday, following public comments by De Pear at the Sheffield Documentary Festival, and another of the film's directors, journalist Ramita Navai, who appeared on Radio 4's Today programme discussing the war in Gaza. A different documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, was pulled from iPlayer earlier this year after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack - also known as Gaza: Medics Under Fire - is said to examine the experiences of Palestinian medics working during the war in Gaza. The film is directed by Karim Shah, Navai and De Pear, a former editor of Channel 4 News.

In a statement on Friday, the BBC said it had commissioned the documentary over a year ago, but paused the film in April, "having made a decision that we could not broadcast the film while a review into a separate Gaza documentary was ongoing". "With both films coming from independent production companies, and both about Gaza, it was right to wait for any relevant findings – and put them into action – before broadcasting the film. "However, we wanted the doctors' voices to be heard. Our aim was to find a way to air some of the material in our news programmes, in line with our impartiality standards, before the review was published. "For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms. "Yesterday [Thursday], it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions. We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC." The corporation added that, contrary to some reports, the documentary had "not undergone the BBC's final pre-broadcast sign-off processes", adding: "Any film broadcast will not be a BBC film." It continued: "We want to thank the doctors and contributors and we are sorry we could not tell their stories. The BBC will continue to cover events in Gaza impartially."

Speaking at the Sheffield Documentary Festival on Thursday, before the decision was announced, De Pear specifically blamed director general Tim Davie for refusing to air the film. "All the decisions about our film were not taken by journalists, they were taken by Tim Davie," he claimed while taking part in a panel, as reported by Broadcast. "He is just a PR person. Tim Davie is taking editorial decisions which, frankly, he is not capable of making." He added: "The BBC's primary purpose is TV news and current affairs, and if it's failing on that it doesn't matter what drama it makes or sports it covers. It is failing as an institution. And if it's failing on that then it needs new management. "Something needs to happen because they are making decisions from a PR defensive point of view rather than a journalistic one. If you make a decision on a journalistic basis you can defend it, but if you make it on a PR basis, you can't." In relation to the war, De Pear claimed staff at the BBC "are being forced to use language they don't recognise, they are not describing something as it clearly is [for fear of impartiality] and it's tragic". Responding to De Pear's comments, a BBC spokesperson said the BBC "totally reject[s] this characterisation of our coverage". "The BBC has continually produced powerful journalism about this conflict. Alongside breaking news and ongoing analysis, we have produced original investigations such as those into allegations of abuse of Palestinian prisoners and Israel's use of bunker buster bombs and in-depth documentaries including the award-winning Life and Death in Gaza, and Gaza 101."

Sister charged with murder in missing Rolex case

Jennifer Abbott was found at her home in Camden a week ago

A woman has appeared in court charged with murdering her 69-year-old sister who was discovered stabbed inside her north London home.

In a short hearing at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court, Nancy Pexton, also 69, spoke only to confirm her name and date of birth.

Jennifer Abbott, also known as Sarah Steinberg, was found dead at her flat in Camden last Friday. She was discovered by her niece and neighbours, who broke her door down after her family had not heard from her for several days.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as sharp force trauma.

Yellow storm warning issued as UK heatwave intensifies

17 minutes ago Share Save Ruth Comerford & Alex Boyd BBC News Sarah Keith-Lucas & Darren Bett Lead Weather Presenters Share Save

PA

A heatwave across the UK is to intensify on Saturday, bringing temperatures of up to 34C and a yellow warning for thunderstorms. The Met Office has issued the storm warning for parts of northern England, the Midlands and Wales from Saturday afternoon into Sunday, as the heat and humidity is expected to fuel torrential downpours. Ahead of the storms, some parts of the UK will see temperatures soar as high as 32C on Friday. An amber heat-health alert in England issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will remain in force until Monday.

The yellow weather warning for storms will remain in place from 15:00 BST on Saturday until 04:00 on Sunday, with the potential for localised flash flooding, large hail and lightning. With the amber heat-health alert in place, the UKHSA warns of likely significant pressures across health and social care services. This could include a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions. By Friday afternoon, many regions were expected to meet the criteria for a heatwave - which means a temperature threshold is sustained for three consecutive days - according to the Met Office.

The threshold varies across different regions, from 25C in northern and western parts of the UK to 28C in south-eastern England. A heatwave was declared in London on Friday, where it passed the 28C threshold for three days in a row. On Thursday, Suffolk became the first area in the UK to officially enter a heatwave, after temperatures surpassed 27C for a third consecutive day. The hot weather pushed north on Friday with temperatures close to 30C in Albemarle, Northumberland and Newcastle. It's the hottest weather recorded in these areas since July 2022. Scotland saw its hottest day of the year, with 27.7C recorded at Aviemore in the Highlands. Northern Ireland saw a temperature high of 27.1C in Derrylin, County Fermanagh. For England and Wales, maximum temperatures will range from 28C to 31C.

Humidity is increasing through Friday into Saturday, which makes the heat feel more uncomfortable, particularly at night. On Friday night, the temperatures may fall no lower than 17C or 18C in many parts of the country. Some areas are also at risk of a "tropical night" - where overnight temperatures do not drop below 20C - over the next two days. Minimum temperatures tend to be at the end of the night – not when people are going to bed to try to sleep. At 23:00 on Friday temperatures will still be around 24C for large parts of England and Wales. On Saturday night, as cooler and fresher air pushes in from the west, the highest temperatures overnight will be restricted to eastern England, where again they may fall no lower than 18C. While heatwave conditions are likely to continue, some relief is anticipated on Sunday, when the south and east of England will dip to the high 20s. Elsewhere, cooler air will gradually sweep in from the west. Temperatures will drop further into Monday - but could rise towards the heatwave threshold again in the latter half of next week.

Despite the current heat being record-breaking for 2025, temperatures are still below the June peak of 35.6C in 1976. A developing area of high pressure is helping draw hot weather in from other parts of Western Europe. France and Spain could see temperatures close to 40C over the coming days.

Firefighters have also responded to more than 500 wildfires across England and Wales this year - a 717% surge on the same period in 2024, the National Fire Chiefs Council said. NFCC Chairman Phil Garrigan said the organisation was "deeply concerned about the escalating threat of wildfires this summer", which he warned have "the potential to become more frequent, intense and dangerous". The organisation is urging the public to be careful when lighting barbecues and handling objects, such as glass bottles, that can cause a fire outside. While linking climate change with specific individual extreme weather events can be difficult, scientists say that climate change is generally making heatwaves hotter and longer. The World Weather Attribution group says that the chance of reaching 32C in June has increased by 100 times since the pre-industrial era.

Temperatures are expected to peak on Saturday

The hot weather will also lead to thunderstorms - the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning

Meanwhile, the chance of a three-day June heatwave had increased tenfold due to human-induced climate change, going from a one-in-50-year event to a one-in-five-year event. Ben Clarke, a researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, said that with "every fraction of a degree of warming, the UK will experience hotter, more dangerous heatwaves". He added: "This means more heat deaths, more pressure on the NHS, more transport disruptions, tougher work conditions and poorer air quality." Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA described heat as the "silent killer". "It will impact all of us, even people who consider themselves healthy," he told BBC Breakfast. He advised people to look out for vulnerable individuals on public transport and to keep an eye on elderly people.

Former Ajax winger Quincy Promes has been extradited to the Netherlands, where he will serve a seven-and-a-half year prison sentence for drug trafficking and aggravated assault.

The 33-year-old was arrested in Dubai last week following a request by the Dutch police.

Promes, capped 50 times for the Netherlands, was sentenced to six years in jail in February 2024 for his part in smuggling more than a tonne of cocaine into the Netherlands from Belgium in 2020.

He had previously been sentenced to 18 months in prison for stabbing his cousin in the knee at a family gathering in 2020 but is yet to serve any time in prison for either of the crimes.

A spokesperson for the prosecutors has confirmed that the Dutchman has now returned to the Netherlands.

Promes denies the charges and has filed appeals in both cases.

Yashasvi Jaiswal reaches his half-century off 96 balls to put India on 133-2 on day one of the first Test against England at Headingley.

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