Apology over inside-out windows on tower blocks
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Apology over inside-out windows on tower blocks Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo Residents of two tower blocks in north London have described their shock after discovering replacement window panes had been installed inside out. People living on the Chalcots Estate in Swiss Cottage have endured years of building work to remove dangerous cladding the same as that used on Grenfell Tower. Maryan Nur, 33, told the BBC: “Imagine waiting for all of these years and you think finally you’ll come back to your room, your building, your flat and it’s inside out. It’s terrible, I can’t even imagine it.” Camden Council apologised, adding: “This is not a safety concern but will affect the reduction of overheating in the summer so we will be putting this right straight away.” Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 A council spokesperson added: “This corrective work does not extend the overall programme as it can be done simultaneously to the remaining work which needs to be done and will be of no extra cost to the council or the taxpayer.” The external cladding was removed from five tower blocks following fire safety inspections in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017. Tests had shown that the cladding used was identical to that at Grenfell. The local authority has since spent millions of pounds to rectify the cladding. The issue with the windows was first reported by the Ham & High newspaper, external. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s Another resident, Alketa Aykac, told the BBC: “It’s unbelievable. Where is the quality control before handing over the flats? “It gives me anxiety now due to thinking ‘will it happen again to my flat, will it get noticed?’ How many things have gone unnoticed? “It is quite worrying.” Kumari, who lives in one of the blocks affected, said: “Obviously I was shocked. “I’m not happy about it. When it’s windy, we can hear the howling. It’s not nice, especially at night when you’re trying to sleep.” A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We are contacting the residents who this issue affects to arrange for our contractors to install the glazing correctly. “Each reinstallation takes about 40 minutes and this will not be noisy work. “All works on the windows will be checked independently once completed. “We apologise to the affected residents for this additional work.” Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Lower Thames Crossing approved by government
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel The largest road tunnel in the UK will be built after a £9bn plan was approved by the government. The Lower Thames Crossing would link Tilbury, Essex, and Gravesend in Kent by two tunnels running underneath the River Thames. National Highways hoped the road would reduce traffic at the Dartford Crossing by 20% and open by 2032. Jim Dickson, the Labour MP for Dartford, said the decision would “finally deliver a solution to the traffic chaos” faced by motorists. The 14.5-mile (23km) road would link the A2 and M2 in Kent with the A13 and M25 in Thurrock. About 2.6 miles (4.2km) of the route would be underground, with a northbound and a southbound tunnel running next to each other beneath the Thames. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo Tuesday’s announcement was 16 years in the making, with the project first mooted in 2009 and more than £1.2bn in taxpayers’ money spent on planning since. The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by National Highways on 31 October 2022. It was approved by Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander on 20 March. National Highways has planned to begin construction in 2026. Dickson said: “For far too long governments have dodged making a decision on the Lower Thames Crossing, leaving Dartford residents to endure endless gridlock. “This decision will unlock economic growth across the country and finally deliver a solution to the traffic chaos faced by my constituents on a daily basis.” Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 The BBC understands the decision on the funding model has not been made yet, but the tunnel itself and the utility works would be publicly funded, alongside significant private sector finance. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in January that the private sector could help “to deliver the infrastructure that our country desperately needs”. ‘Quicker, safer and more reliable’ Reacting to the announcement on X, external, James McMurdock, the South Basildon and East Thurrock MP, said congestion in Kent would remain “unresolved” despite the project. The Reform UK MP feared miles of countryside would be “covered with tarmac” adding: “Where has our pride and ambition gone?” Campaigners have also raised concerns about ancient woodland being impacted by the works. Chris Todd, the director of Transport Action Network, said the decision was “absolute madness”. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s He added: “The only way that the government can afford this white elephant would be to take money from all the other nations and regions in the UK. “Rather than boosting growth, this will clog up roads in the south east and slow the economy down even more.” However, National Highways described it as “the most significant road project in a generation”. Executive director Matt Palmer added: “It will unlock growth with quicker, safer, and more reliable journeys. “Our plans have been shaped by the local community and refined by robust and rigorous examination from independent experts.” Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
London’s Air Ambulance demand at ‘highest ever’
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel London’s Air Ambulance demand at ‘highest ever’ Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo The demand for London’s Air Ambulance is at its “highest ever level”, according to the charity. The service said it helped 2,058 patients in 2024 – breaking its own records. The “sobering” figures highlight the “ongoing, urgent need for advanced pre-hospital care in the capital”, the charity said. It has launched a new 15-year plan which outlines how ongoing funding “remains critical”. London’s Air Ambulance’s advanced trauma care team said it was seeing an average of six patients a day, one more than the previous five-a-day average. In terms of treatment, the team said it was now performing open chest surgery on average once a week. It is also needed to give blood transfusions once every 36 hours, and pain relief via intubation on average once each day. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 New figures show that assaults, road-traffic collisions, and falls from height remain the leading causes of critical injuries in London. The charity said last year it received the most calls from Tower Hamlets, Westminster, Lambeth, and Southwark. ‘Forefront of saving lives’ Following a successful two-year fundraising campaign, with a £15m target, the service was able to buy two new helicopters which came into service last autumn. Jonathan Jenkins, the chief executive of London’s Air Ambulance Charity, said: “The people of this city came together to secure the future of our helicopter fleet—now, we ask for their continued support to ensure we remain at the forefront of saving lives and shaping global clinical practice.” He said it was “sobering” to see how many people needed the service in the capital last year, and that once again, the numbers had risen from the previous year. Mr Jenkins said 2,058 patients was “not just a statistic”. “Behind this figure are people like us, with networks of friends, families and loved ones who will all have been affected,” he said. “We know that trauma never stops. But neither do we.” Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s London’s Air Ambulance said a new 15-year plan outlined how ongoing funding remained “critical to maintaining the cutting-edge skills, technology, and resources that enable the team to deliver pioneering trauma care”. The charity said the new strategy focussed on using its medics’ expert skills to “deliver the best possible outcomes for patients and their families”. It said this could mean “saving a life, protecting an injured brain, or providing the opportunity for loved ones to say goodbye”. Dr Tom Hurst, the charity’s medical director, said: “Every patient we treat is facing one of the worst moments of their life. “Our new vision places hope at the centre of our work – hope that our intervention will give each patient the best possible chance of survival and recovery.” He added that the latest figures “reaffirm the need” for the service. What does London’s Air Ambulance do? Attends to London’s most critically injured patients, using helicopters and rapid response cars Advanced trauma teams perform life-saving procedures usually found in the emergency department, on-scene The registered charity relies on donations and requires £17m a year to operate Medical staff are provided by the NHS, but the helicopters and support staff are paid for through donations. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
How an iPad dug up from the Thames solved museum thieves’ murder plot
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel How an iPad dug up from the Thames solved museum thieves’ murder plot Banzai Japan Music Video A Ming vase stolen from a Swiss museum. A shooting at a comedian’s house in Woodford, east London. The robbery of a luxury apartment in Sevenoaks, Kent. These seemingly unconnected events were all part of a web of international organised crime that police untangled after a six-year-long investigation. A key piece of evidence – an iPad, found under an inch of sand on the foreshore of the River Thames just downstream from the O2 Arena. Book Novotel Hotel Its discovery was pivotal to the investigation that has led to three people being found guilty at the Old Bailey of the near-assassination of one of Britain’s most notorious armed robbers. When found by a police officer with a metal detector on a cold November morning last year, the iPad was found caked in mud having been underwater for more than five years. Forensics were able to clean it and open the Sim tray – which still contained a pink Vodafone Sim card. Call data that was subsequently salvaged provided damning evidence on three men – Louis Ahearne, Stewart Ahearne and Daniel Kelly – who were all also involved in a heist at a museum in Switzerland a month earlier. “I’ve questioned this a lot,” Det Supt Matthew Webb ponders. “Is it calamitous blunders tripping them up or was it just they were so blasé they wouldn’t get caught?” Banzai Japan Music Video A ‘meticulously planned’ assassination plot The Ahearne brothers and Kelly first caught the attention of police after gunshots pierced the silence of a late summer evening in an affluent Woodford area on 11 July 2019. Six bullets tore through a glass conservatory at a luxury property owned by comedian Russell Kane that had been rented out to Paul Allen. One severed one of Allen’s fingers, the other went through his throat and became lodged in his spinal cord, leaving him struggling to breathe and bleeding profusely. “He’s been shot, he’s been shot!” Allen’s partner, Jade Bovington, screamed. As she frantically called an ambulance, neighbours and a private security guard heard the cries and rushed to render first aid. One eyewitness described seeing an unidentified man vault a low wall, run between some bushes and get straight into a waiting vehicle which immediately sped off. To this day, Allen relies on a wheelchair, paralysed below his upper chest. Allen gained notoriety as one of the ringleaders of what remains Britain’s biggest ever armed robbery. In 2006, Allen was part of a balaclava-wearing gang toting guns including an AK-47 assault rifle who threatened to kill staff at the Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent. They stole £53m in Bank of England cash notes – leaving behind £154m which would not fit into their lorry. Allen fled to Morocco four days later, but was arrested in Rabat alongside friend and fellow robber Lee Murray, who remains in jail in nearby Tiflet. In January 2008, Allen was extradited to the UK and subsequently sentenced to 18 years in prison. Allen was released in 2016 and moved back to his roots in south-east London. But he relocated to Woodford with his partner and two younger children after a gunman opened fire at him and his pregnant daughter in the doorway of their Woolwich home in September 2018. Ten months later, Allen almost died after those two bullets hit him as he stood in the kitchen of his Woodford haven. Prosecutors argued the Ahearnes and Kelly were equally culpable in the plot to murder Allen – which involved a hired car, surveillance and unregistered pay-as-you-go phones. “This was a meticulously researched and planned assassination attempt by a team of men well versed in the level of criminality to pull it off,” prosecutor Michael Shaw KC said. In discovering how the three knew where to find Allen, police would uncover their criminality stretched into mainland Europe. The Geneva job and the Mayfair hotel sting Just one month before the shooting, the Ahearne brothers and Kelly stood outside the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva equipped with a sledgehammer, angle grinders and crowbars. Within seconds of forcing their way through the front door, they shattered glass casings housing 14th Century Chinese Ming Dynasty antiques. Three items were seized – a rare pomegranate vase; a doucai-style wine cup and a porcelain bowl – and had a combined insured value of £2.8m. In their hurry to flee, Stewart scraped his stomach against the sides of the hole the gang had made in the front wooden door – leaving traces of his DNA. He also hired the getaway car, a Renault Koleos from Avis at Geneva Airport. Louis was caught on CCTV filming the inside and outside of the museum the day before the raid. Within days of returning to south-east London with the stolen goods, the trio set about attempting to dispose of the items they had pinched. The brothers flew to Hong Kong with Kelly as they tried to sell one of the stolen items at an auction house. The auction house tipped off police in London, who were able to send undercover officers posing as art dealers to catch some other gang members in a sting operation as two of them tried to sell another plundered item which had been concealed in a JD Sports bag. During a seven-week trial at the Old Bailey, prosecutors argued that international burglary proved the Ahearnes and Kelly were “at the top end” of criminality. But little did police know while pursuing the stolen antiquities, the three would leave behind near-enough similar clues to give away their presence in the Woodford shooting. The hire car and the Oasis purchase In the hours after the shooting, the crime scene in Woodford was forensically examined. Six bullet casings fired from a Glock self-loading handgun were found, as were scuff marks on the
Rogue landlord ‘motivated by greed’ jailed
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Rogue landlord ‘motivated by greed’ jailed Banzai Japan Music Video A landlord who was among a group of property agents who defrauded and misled flat-hunters on an “unprecedented” scale has been jailed for three years and five months. Mohammed Haque, along with three others, was convicted in October of eight counts of fraudulent trading. A fifth defendant was found guilty of two lesser offences. A trading standards investigation found they posted about 18,000 misleading adverts for rooms in east London, hooking in victims who were pressured into paying deposits to move into “horrible” properties. Some ended up trapped in them while others were evicted without notice. Many victims said their experiences had had a severe financial and psychological impact. Book Novotel Hotel Haque, 47, set up various companies operating across Tower Hamlets, including Citiside Properties Ltd and Flintons, based at the same address in Mile End, and had links with several other firms, trading standards found. Haque, his former wife Fatima Begum, 42, Gonzalo Egea, 43, and Razaur Oli, 51, were convicted at Southwark Crown Court of fraudulent trading, while Haque, Nozir Ahmed, 56, and the two companies Barrons London Ltd and Roomshare Ltd were found guilty of the less serious charge of engaging in unfair commercial practice. Ahmed and Roomshare were also convicted of engaging in aggressive commercial practice. Banzai Japan Music Video ‘Tip of the iceberg’ One man told Southwark Crown Court his life was made “hell” by Flintons and he was left feeling suicidal by the firm, while another tenant said he was treated like a “stray dog”. One victim said she was forced to live in a flat ridden with mice; others said they felt “violated” and were left penniless. Tower Hamlets trading standards investigation team leader Sean Rovai said the case was “virtually unprecedented in its size and complexity”, with more than 200 known victims between 2017 and 2021. However, he said that number was likely to be the “tip of the iceberg”. The defendants appeared to target those unfamiliar with the London rental market, such as foreign workers and students, using popular sites such SpareRoom to post misleading pictures of rooms that were not in fact available, the investigation found. Prospective tenants were tricked into parting with large deposits, pressured into taking out tenancies without being able to view properties first, and many became “stuck” in low-quality accommodation that bore no resemblance to adverts. Some were threatened when they tried to move out while others found themselves trapped, without anywhere else to go, investigators found. When tenants chose to leave at the at the end of their contracts, their deposits were not returned to them. “Almost every area of malpractice in this industry that we see was encapsulated in this one case,” Mr Rovai said. “It was all motivated by greed and profit. And there was very little sympathy for any of these victims.” In some cases, the firms evicted tenants with no notice by removing all their possessions and changing the locks while they were out. Tenants were treated “terribly”, Mr Rovai said. ‘I had nowhere to go’ Fashion worker Julius Agyei, who rented a room from Flintons, said he was “devastated” by what happened to him after he moved to London from Manchester. Arriving home to Mile End from a day out at Winter Wonderland in December 2018, he found his key did not work. “Everything was locked,” he said. When a housemate let him in, Julius found all his possessions had been removed from his room. “It was empty, there was literally nothing; I was devastated. All my clothes, shoes, my passport, lots of meaningful items… I never got them back.” Julius spent the night on the street before seeking help at a homeless hostel the following day. “I had nowhere to go… I had nothing so I literally had to start from scratch… it took me a while, it was very challenging.” Julius said in the years that followed, he suffered panic attacks, a breakdown and flashbacks. “I was traumatised by it… it wasn’t just shoes and clothes, it was deeper than that.” Usually, landlords must obtain a court order to evict tenants. But these companies tricked people into signing what are known as licence-to-occupy agreements – usually used for holiday accommodation – which effectively enabled them to throw people out on the street. The firms were “not averse” to getting rid of those who complained, Mr Rovai said. “There was always a queue of people desperate for housing so they can afford to kick them out.” Many victims took out tenancies after being lured in with “bait-and-switch” advertising. The firms used photos of high-quality accommodation that was not actually available, in order to generate interest. Yan Liu was hooked in by one such advert on SpareRoom for a room in a property near the Bow Road in Mile End, when she was studying medicine nearby. “It was pristine and £600 per month.” She went to the Citiside Properties office an hour later but was told the room was no longer available. “I was about to leave but they insisted to show me other properties.” She was then pressured into paying £300 just to view an alternative room. However, the firm did not show her the room and refused to refund her money. She was told the only way to get her money back was to redeem it indirectly by taking out a tenancy agreement. “£300 is is not a small amount of money,” Yan said. “I felt that because I paid that deposit with them, I didn’t have any other choice: if I want to get the money back, I have to rent with them.” The room Yan eventually moved into was more expensive and “much crappier” than the one she saw advertised, she said. It had no heating and a faulty electricity supply, meaning she could not cook. ‘Humiliated and embarrassed’ Israel Kujore went
Joey Barton guilty of kicking wife in the head
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Joey Barton guilty of kicking wife in the head Banzai Japan Music Video Former footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of assault by beating after pushing his wife to the floor and kicking her in the head. The midfielder, 42, who played for Manchester City and QPR, assaulted Georgia Barton, 38, in June 2021 during a drunken row at their family home in Kew, south-west London. The pair, who had been drinking with two other couples while their children slept upstairs started arguing after Barton threatened to fight his wife’s brother and father, Westminster Magistrates’ Court previously heard. Barton, who was the manager of Bristol Rovers at the time, was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence. Book Novotel Hotel Mrs Barton was left with a lump on her forehead and a bleeding nose, the court previously heard. She had called police immediately after the attack, saying her husband had “just hit” her, but later sent a letter to the prosecution retracting her allegations. Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring rejected Barton’s account of events and described them as “vague” as he convicted him. While he acknowledged Barton had “a record of violence”, the magistrate said: “I am satisfied that it is not necessary to impose an immediate custodial sentence.” Mr Goldspring said a mitigating factor was that the couple remained in a “happy relationship” with a young child, adding: “That is not something I want to interfere with.” Banzai Japan Music Video ‘Clearly no accident’ Speaking outside court after the sentencing, Barton said he was “really disappointed” with the magistrates’ verdict and intended to appeal to decision at the High Court. Prosecution barrister Helena Duong told the court Mrs Barton’s 999 call to police on the night of the assault was “compelling evidence”, as she had described it in “clear terms”. Ms Duong said Mrs Barton’s bloody nose was “an injury that really requires an explanation”, adding: “It was, plainly, something not caused by an accident.” Barton previously told the court he admitted getting into an argument with his wife, but denied that anything “physical” had happened. He was arrested in his bedroom on the night of the incident, where he had been asleep and was still drunk, the trial was told. The former footballer was due to face trial at a magistrates’ court in 2022 but the case was adjourned after Mrs Barton sent a letter retracting her allegations. In the letter, she said her injuries had been caused by accident when a friend moved in to separate the pair. A judge ordered that proceedings be paused over concerns a trial would be unfair to Barton after the prosecution said they did not plan to ask Mrs Barton to give evidence in court. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Stephen Parkinson, appealed against the decision at the High Court in London, with barristers claiming at a hearing that a fair trial could go ahead. In a judgment in June, two senior judges ruled in the DPP’s favour and said Barton should face a trial over the allegations in front of a different judge. Barton was also ordered to pay £2,183 in victim surcharge and prosecution costs within seven days. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Prison officer accused of exposure during massage
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Prison officer accused of exposure during massage Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo A Guernsey prison officer has appeared in court accused of exposing himself to a woman during a massage appointment. Jason Francis Tardif, 53, from St Sampson’s, pleaded not guilty to the charge he intentionally exposed his genitals with the intention another person would see them and cause alarm or distress. On Tuesday, Guernsey’s Magistrate’s Court heard evidence from both sides, including claims Mr Tardif made his victim feel “very uncomfortable”. The case has been adjourned until Wednesday for judgement by Judge Gary Perry. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 ‘Sexual innuendos’ The woman told the court she felt “on high alert” before the massage began last June, after Mr Tardif told her he “wasn’t wearing any boxer shorts”. The court heard he later moved a towel which was between his legs to expose himself. She told the court he also placed his arms behind his head to “watch his thighs being massaged”. He also made “sexual innuendos” she told the court. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s Giving evidence in defence, Mr Tardif described the allegations as “an absolute crock of lies” and said he was “fully sure” the massage therapist did not see his genitals. Defence advocate Alan Merrier told him: “The allegation is that you exposed not just your genitals but your pubic area.” Denying the claims Mr Tardif replied: “The only hair that was exposed was my leg hair.” The case continues. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Tommy Robinson’s ex-wife banned for unaccounted £1m
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Tommy Robinson’s ex-wife banned for unaccounted £1m Banzai Japan Music Video The ex-wife of far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been banned from running a company after failing to file her accounts. The Insolvency Service said Jenna Lennon’s firm Hope & Pride Ltd, which was registered at an address in Luton, had no accounts to explain the £1.1m it had received and paid out. It said: “The liquidator was unable to establish if this money was used for legitimate trading purposes.” Ms Lennon, 39, was the sole director of Hope & Pride when it went into liquidation in September 2023, and has now been disqualified as a company director for seven years. Book Novotel Hotel HM Revenue and Customs estimated the company owed more than £300,000 in unpaid corporation tax. Hope & Pride was incorporated at Companies House in March 2019 and described its business as “other information service activities not elsewhere classified”. At the time, Jenna Lennon was married to Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, but he was not connected to the company. The couple divorced in February 2021, and a month later Yaxley-Lennon declared himself bankrupt. Banzai Japan Music Video ‘Failed in her duties’ The Insolvency Service said it had been unable to “verify the nature” of Hope & Pride’s income and expenditure. A total of £1,178,364 was paid into the company’s account, with £1,133,964 paid out. Additional payments of £151,000, listed on bank accounts as “J Lennon dividends”, were similarly not verified. The company entered liquidation with total liabilities, which Lennon has not disputed, of £327,923. An Insolvency Service spokesperson said: “Directors are legally required to maintain adequate books and records which show and explain their company’s transactions. “This is first and foremost to protect consumers and other businesses who have dealings with the company. “Jenna Lennon failed in her duties as a company director to preserve or maintain adequate accounting records and deliver them to the liquidator. “This has meant the liquidator has been unable to properly investigate the company’s accounts and accurately establish how much was owed to HMRC and other creditors.” Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Lab space plan for Euston Tower approved
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Lab space plan for Euston Tower approved Banzai Japan Music Video Euston Tower will be remade into workspaces that can be used as labs, following approval from a north London council. The 36-storey building will be partially demolished and turned into a 32-storey mixed-use tower by developer British Land. British Land said it was “delighted” after its plans for a “world-class science and technology building” secured planning consent from Camden Council. “Euston Tower will be a blueprint for sustainable development, delivering an all-electric building fit for the future,” the company said. The revamped tower has been vacant for four years according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Camden’s decision comes despite opposition from Climate Emergency Camden (CEC) regarding sustainable building. Book Novotel Hotel An assessment showed the plans did not meet the council’s “aspirational” carbon reduction targets, largely because lab-enabled spaces would use more energy than standard offices. Friends of Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill also objected to the plans, claiming the revamped tower would be “overbearing” and “prominently” visible from the parks. Royal Parks also argued the new skyscraper would harm the views from Kensington Gardens and Primrose Hill. Banzai Japan Music Video Camden Council said the impact was “less than substantial”, and that public benefits from the project would outweigh any harm to the area. The council’s local plan identified the surrounding Euston Area having the potential to see the “most significant growth”. The decision will need final approval from the mayor of London. The 124m (400ft) tower was once the home of Capital Radio in the 1970s and British satellite company Inmarsat. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Grassroots anger tests Farage’s grip on Reform UK
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Grassroots anger tests Farage’s grip on Reform UK Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo Reform UK leader Nigel Farage put on a brave face this week, as he sought to put a blazing row with one of the party’s now suspended MPs behind him. The party is still neck-and-neck with Labour in the polls, and on Monday, it showed off 29 councillors who had recently defected to Reform UK. While Farage acknowledged there had been “a little bit of turbulence”, he stressed the upset was “very much at the edges”. But does the disquiet within the party go deeper than he suggested? Divisions have become more acute in a party that now boasts more than 200,000 members and 400 local branches across the country. Much of the anger is directed at Farage and Reform’s chairman, Zia Yusuf, over their efforts to professionalise the party. The party is being more ruthless in its vetting of candidates. It’s also investigating – and in some cases expelling – members because of their activity on social media. Farage is said to be desperate to avoid another election campaign where he faces constant questioning about the controversial comments of his candidates. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 But as the party gears up for local elections in May, it faces a huge challenge to control unruly elements in its grassroots membership who resent the way they are being treated by the leadership. The BBC has learned at least 12 interim chairs of local Reform UK branches have resigned over the conduct of the party’s leadership in recent months. A Reform UK spokesman said the resignations amounted to 2% of its branch chairs. “Our understanding is that the other parties have much higher churn than that,” the spokesman said. “We are sorry that we have lost 2% of our branch chairs, some of whom failed vetting. But we’re the only major party that does this sort of vetting.” Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s One of the chairs was Maria Bowtell, a councillor on East Riding of Yorkshire Council who gave a speech at Reform UK’s party conference last year. In her resignation letter, she said she felt “abandoned” in her role, described the party’s candidate selection as “chaotic”, and accused the leadership of lacking integrity. Other members have quit on free-speech grounds, including Howard Cox, who stood as a Reform UK candidate in the general election and the London mayoral poll. He said he left the party after he was threatened with expulsion for criticising the treatment of Tommy Robinson, a prominent far-right activist. Cox told the BBC “my inboxes are now flooded with grassroots Reformers who are incredibly upset and feel that their political optimism for our country has been betrayed”. “Over a dozen Reform branches have contacted me, stating that they have been replaced, overridden, and disrespected by Zia Yusuf’s headquarters team,” he added. Other branch chairs resigned over policy differences, particularly the issue of “mass deportations”, which Farage has called a “political impossibility”. Jack Davison, the former chair of the Dover and Deal branch, said in attempting to professionalise, the party was adopting the “very traits of the establishment it sought to challenge”. “This culture of ‘silencing’ was deeply troubling,” he said. Another former branch chair in Newcastle, Dan Astley, said the party had not been “properly democratised”. He said the Reform UK’s constitution, which was adopted last year, allowed the party’s board to have the final say on sacking and appointing a new leader. Rupert Lowe row But for many already disgruntled members, the allegations against Rupert Lowe have infuriated and disillusioned them the most. The MP was been suspended by Reform UK over accusations of bullying in his office, and a police investigation into alleged threats against the party’s chairman, Yusuf. Lowe has denied any wrongdoing and his supporters have rallied around him, accusing the leadership of trying to force him out for daring to challenge Farage. The row came as no surprise to Ben Habib, a former Reform UK deputy leader who quit the party citing “fundamental differences” with Farage. He told the BBC that Farage’s idea of professionalisation “would appear to be the wilful destruction of the grassroots movement”. “The playbook used against Rupert Lowe has been used across the grassroots,” he said. ‘Teething issues’ The BBC put some of these criticisms to the party’s chairman, Yusuf. He said Reform UK under Farage had delivered “the greatest political acceleration in British history”, with “a fraction of the resources of the two old parties”. Yusuf, who was appointed chairman after the general election last year, said the party had vetted thousands of people and “the majority have passed”. But some don’t, he said, adding that “just comes with the territory of being a professional party”. Reform UK’s vetting system, Yusuf said, was “meaningfully more rigorous than anything that the other parties do”. “Of course, anything growing at this scale, there’ll be some teething issues,” he added. The recent ructions do appear to have cut through to the voting public though. One recent survey suggested, external that the party was split with a third of Reform voters believing the party would be faring better under a different leader, but the same amount believing that the party would be doing worse. The survey also suggested that Farage’s net favourability with Reform voters had fallen since the Lowe row. Yet the latest YouGov poll put Reform UK on 23% of the vote, behind Labour on 24% but ahead of the Conservatives on 22%. Gawain Towler still believes in Farage’s leadership, despite being sacked as Reform UK’s head of press last year. Towler said he had been to several branch meetings as a speaker recently and had witnessed very little dissent. He said Reform UK won 4.1 million votes at last year’s general election “with a ramshackle operation and an army of volunteers who worked their socks off for no recompense whatsoever”. “We need to get