Tom Symonds

'People are angry': Behind the wave of asylum hotel protests The BBC visits sites of protests to hear the voices of those opposed to the hotels and others in support of asylum seekers.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Met Police ‘truly sorry’ for distress to Mohamed Al Fayed victims Detectives have written to alleged victims of the late Harrods boss and promised to answer questions about their ongoing investigation.

New: The Metropolitan Police detective who has taken over the Al-Fayed investigation has written to women who've made allegations against the businessman saying she's truly sorry at their distress, caused by the fact he died before facing justice.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Bayesian crew unaware wind speeds of over 73mph could topple yacht, report finds Investigators say 80mph winds

The Mike Lynch superyacht Bayesian had a vulnerability to high wind when its retractable keel was up, finds the Marine Accident Investigation Branch.
An interim report but includes interesting analysis. My sympathies to the bereaved.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Prince Harry loses legal challenge over security he receives when in UK - live updates The Duke of Sussex was no longer given security arrangements provided to senior royals following his move to the US.

Prince Harry has talked exclusively to the BBC after losing the the latest round of his court battle for better police protection. Judges said previous decisions by the authorities were taken correctly.
See his response www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp...
and on the BBC TV and radio Six O'Clock News

Inevitable caveat... this is according to the airport's chief exec, but I haven't seen this contradicted, and clearly the 18 hour shutdown raises questions about LHR's procedural resilience in the event of a power outage.

National Grid chief says Heathrow had ‘enough power’ despite fire shutdown Airlines raise questions about scale of flight disruption after substation blaze

Coverage of the Heathrow shutdown still not quite nailing the point that it wasn't a shortage of power, or lack of backup supply which led to the closure.
The issue was the time it took Heathrow to switch to the backup then 'reboot' and test airport systems.
www.ft.com/content/6707...

Government's cladding plan not ambitious enough, say MPs A committee casts doubt on whether the target of resolving the building safety crisis by 2029 will be met.

Cladding removal plan not ambitious enough, say MPs www.bbc.com/news/article...

Police want power to release more details on some cases to prevent misinformation Police say they want to say more about cases when accusations of a cover-up could result in violence.

In other news, police looking to get a bit more leeway when it comes to what they can say about criminal investigations.
As a reporter, it's interesting to see how much is revealed by police in other countries -- without concern for how it might affect a future trial.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Musician seeks help to recover ancient violin stolen in pub The instrument is worth a six-figure sum but also holds a lot of emotional value.

A musician and his centuries old violin. Stolen in a second from a London pub.
Brilliant violinist David Lopez Ibanez tells me about the nightmare moment he realised it had gone.
Dealers are now looking out for his Lorenzo Carcassi and say the thief won't make a penny.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

At the scene of the now infamous Godstone sinkhole all day.
Still residents looking for accommodation and some frustration with council - but as always it appears to be the communication of the emergency response rather than the response itself that has caused the friction

Knockholt shooting: Suspect rang friend and said 'she's dead' The man thought to have shot Lisa Smith on Valentine's Day is Edvard Smith, the BBC understands.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Yvette Cooper to reject call to widen extremism definition The report was commissioned in the wake of the last summer's riots following the Southport attacks.

The government has rejected internal advice to widen the definition of extremism to include potentially violent environmentalists, the far left, conspiracy theorists and men prejudiced against women.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Police Authorised Policy and Practice (APP) on communications are publicly available here:
www.college.police.uk/app/engageme...

The general principle is that there has to be a "policing purpose" for anything released. So lots of detail about a "wanted" suspect. But otherwise very little.

Southport and information released about it:

I keep reading that 'we were told more about attack X or Y'.

Having covered many, early information generally reported is from NON-police sources gathered by us crime reporters.

Police protocol is to say almost nothing about suspects before charge

Tensions over when to make Southport attack details public Questions continue over why UK authorities did not publish key details about Axel Rudakubana earlier than they did.

What was happening behind the scenes as police and prosecutors discussed what to say about the Southport attacks.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Mohammed Al Fayed claimed 'poor health' when Met police investigated abuse Pelham Spong reported to police in 2017 that Mohammed Al Fayed had assaulted her a decade before but the investigation was shut down.

The latest from our investigation into Mohammed Al Fayed.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

BBC Verify takes a wider look at Elon Musk's false posts on grooming gangs.
x.com/BBCRosAtkins...

The 20 child abuse inquiry recommendations - what has happened so far? A seven-year inquiry into the sexual abuse of children was published in 2022 - what has happened since?

www.bbc.com/news/article...

How Elon Musk seized on baseless memo claim to create wave of misinformation The X owner shared false claims that a Home Office memo urged police not to intervene in child grooming cases.

How Elon Musk seized on baseless memo claim to fuel wave of misinformation

BBC Verify gets to the bottom of the claim the Home Office sent police a circular suggesting children could choose to be groomed.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What is Keir Starmer's record on prosecuting grooming gangs? The prime minister has come under attack from Elon Musk over his record as director of public prosecutions.

BBC Verify assesses the claims Sir Keir Starmer is complicit in failures to deal with grooming gangs

What is Starmer's record on prosecuting grooming gangs? www.bbc.com/news/article...

Nitrous oxide: Laughing gas possession becomes illegal Now a class C drug, possession for recreational use will carry a prison sentence of up to two years.

Post Number One.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-6734...