A furious clergyman is calling in police after a war memorial at one of Britain’s most historic churches has been targeted by vandals ‘on a daily basis’. 

Father Marcus Walker told how wreaths laid on Remembrance Sunday have been damaged after being repeatedly removed from a wall and hurled to the ground at St Bartholomew the Great near Smithfield Market in the city of London. 

Father Walker said he has arrived at the mediaeval church every morning for the past fortnight to find the five wreaths removed from hooks and scattered around the floor.

It is thought the attacker pounces in the dead of night after climbing over metal railings outside the memorial at the church which celebrated its 900th anniversary this year.

The church is the oldest in the capital surviving both the Great Fire of London and the blitz and featured in the hit movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. 

Father Marcus Walker claims a war memorial at one of Britain’s most historic churches has been targeted by vandals

Father Walker said he has arrived at the mediaeval church every morning for the past fortnight to find the five wreaths removed from hooks

Father Walker said he hopes police will be able to examine CCTV footage from nearby premises in a bid to stop the daily acts of vandalism. 

Father Walker told MailOnline: ”Every day you come in and they are all chucked on the ground. It’s very frustrating.

‘My feeling is that it is somebody who is hostile to the armed forces.

‘You’ve got to be pretty angry to want to take your anger out on the war dead.’

The clergyman spoke out after posting a picture of the latest attack on X, formerly Twitter.

The image showed the wreaths piled up on the ground beneath names of the fallen and an epitaph dedicated to the memory of ‘all the gallant men and women who fell in the Great War for the freedom of the world’.

He wrote in a caption: ‘Every single day somebody is pulling down the wreaths on the war memorial. This is getting exhausting.’

Father Walker has been rector at the church for six years and told how the attacks are the first of their kind.

He said: ‘We are going to contact the police. It’s either that or we are going to have to pull out the wreaths if it keeps going on and you don’t want to do that.

‘The wreaths were all laid on Remembrance Sunday. There are six of them, five of which hang on hooks on the wall which I put up in 2019.

‘We start at 10.55am outside the memorial then go into the church for a full service. There’s a little act of remembrance.

‘Normally the wreaths stay out the whole year without any trouble.

‘There has never been any concern then one day a couple of weeks ago I came in and found they were all chucked on the ground.

 ‘It was the same thing the next day then the next day and it has happened every day for the last few weeks.

Father Walker insisted he would not let the incident spoil the celebrations of the church which was founded in 1123 by a courtier of King Henry I

‘We don’t know what time they do it. We know it happens after we go home. We tend to close up at 5pm.

‘I normally notice when I come in in the morning around 9.30am but on Sunday it happened in the middle of the day between my going for lunch and coming back from lunch for the carol service.

‘It’s possible it is somebody who is mentally ill who needs help rather than punishment but it is possible it is somebody who is hostile to the country.

‘My guess is it’s somebody who walks past here every day and is annoyed to see a symbol they don’t like.

‘The church has cameras inside but there is nothing outside. There’s not an enormous amount you can do but I was wondering whether to set up our own little camera.

‘We are hoping to get hold of CCTV and will have to go through the police.’

Father Walker insisted he would not let the incident spoil the celebrations of the church which was founded in 1123 by a courtier of King Henry I alongside the next door St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

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Hong Kong authorities are strangling funding channels for activists overseas, including in Australia, as China’s crackdown on the former liberal enclave targets small donations and independent media outlets.

Four people were arrested last week for donating between $1900 and $22,000 to activists Ted Hui and Nathan Law. Hui is now based in Australia and remains on the run from Hong Kong police for contempt of court and for urging Hongkongers to cast blank votes in rigged local elections.

Ted Hui has settled his family in Adelaide after fleeing Hong Kong.Credit: Eamon Gallagher

Hong Kong police said in a statement the four arrested, aged between 29 and 68, “were suspected of providing pecuniary assistance via [an] online crowdfunding platform to two wanted persons, who have engaged in secessionist activities and absconded overseas”.

“The fear is spreading everywhere,” said Hui. “It’s a move to spread the white terror continuously and to warn people they shouldn’t be donating money to people like me.”

The arrests occurred on the same day that Hong Kong placed a $HK1 million ($191,314) bounty on five pro-democracy activists living in exile, including YouTube hosts Johnny Fok and Tony Choi, as well as pro-democracy activists Simon Cheng, Hui Wing-ting and Joey Siu.

A joint statement from 80 Hong Kong civil society and human rights organisations on Wednesday said it was the latest escalation in transnational repression against Hongkongers, “many of whom have faced attacks and harassment from the Chinese Communist Party and its agents, across various jurisdictions”.

Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate Simon Cheng [left] with fellow activist Sunny Chou. Credit: Sunny Chou

Within days, the charges have had a chilling effect on fundraising for independent media outlets associated with the pro-democracy movement including the Hong Kong Law and Policy blog.

The blog, which covers national security trials, life inside Hong Kong prisons and the pro-democracy movement, has been blocked by authorities in Hong Kong, leaving local readers fearing they may be targeted as they race to cancel their subscriptions.

“If you are in HK and need to cancel for safety reasons but can’t, please message/email me and I’ll do it for you,” author Samuel Bickett posted on X.

The Hongkongers were arrested on December 13 after donating to Hui and Law’s Patreon, a Silicon Valley fundraising giant that has become a key revenue source for activists overseas. The pair use the donations to employ researchers and for advocacy work, including lobbying for foreign visa schemes for Hongkongers wanting to leave the former British colony.

Hui said he was concerned the details of some subscribers were visible to other members unless they opted out.

“If you are a subscriber yourself, you can see other subscribers’ information,” he said. “I suspect police have subscribed to my Patreon and looked for their information there.”

Patreon, which has more than 3 million monthly active subscribers, was contacted for comment.

International pressure has been growing in response to the arrests and the ongoing prosecution of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who went on trial this week on charges of sedition and breaches of national security laws imposed by Beijing in response to anti-government protests that rocked the city in 2019.

Jimmy Lai being led away in handcuffs in 2020. Credit: AP

The Hong Kong court will decide on Friday whether colonial-era charges over 161 allegedly seditious claims made by the newspaper will be allowed to stand after his defence counsel argued the charges had been laid more than six months after their publication.

Lai, who founded the Apple Daily newspaper, is also accused of inciting public hatred through his newspaper’s coverage and colluding with foreign forces after he allegedly called for sanctions to be imposed on the Chinese and Hong Kong governments in response to the crackdown between 2020 and 2021.

In Washington, a bipartisan congressional committee on China on Tuesday called for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to sanction officials involved in the prosecution of activists, some of whom are now based in the United States.

“The egregious attempt to intimidate and silence US nationals engaged in peaceful political activism in the United States is outrageous and cannot be met with inaction,” the committee said.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said international interference with the court process could pervert the course of justice.

“I think Hong Kong has a long tradition of the rule of law, and Hong Kong courts always adjudicate cases fairly and impartially,” he said.

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• London City Airport is only one to have ‘Next Generation Security Checkpoints’
• Heathrow Airport unable to confirm whether it’ll be able to meet June deadline 

Ministers have been accused of failing holidaymakers this Christmas after it emerged none of Britain’s ten busiest airports have fully installed new fast-track security scanners.

Aviation Minister Anthony Browne disclosed that the ‘Next Generation Security Checkpoints’ – intended to slash waiting times by allowing passengers to leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on baggage – are only in place at one UK airport.

This is believed to be London City Airport, the country’s 15th busiest – but there are doubts as to whether the country’s largest transport hubs can complete the work by next year’s June deadline.

Last night Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, could not confirm whether they would be able to meet the deadline.

Aviation Minister Anthony Browne disclosed that the ‘Next Generation Security Checkpoints’ – intended to slash waiting times by allowing passengers to leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on baggage – are only in place at one UK airport 

Both Manchester, the third busiest, and Stansted, the fourth, said the full installation will only be complete by 2025.

READ MORE: Cutting-edge technology scans bags from EVERY angle – eliminating the need to remove electronics or liquids

The slow progress leaves passengers facing endless queues at security during the busy festive period and beyond.

Earlier this month Mr Browne admitted to MPs that the deadline had been ‘delayed several times’ and said he was urgently meeting industry figures to discuss the installation of the scanners.

Labour’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said: ‘For families heading overseas this Christmas, it will be hugely frustrating that we have reached another holiday with no progress, and that they still have to put up with the same old restrictions and hassle when going through security.

‘Before the summer holidays, I asked ministers what they were doing to speed up the transition to the new controls, and here I am before the Christmas holidays, having to ask exactly the same thing.

‘This sums up the entire problem with this government. Even when there is a positive change that we all want to see put in place, it still takes until the last possible minute for anything to get done, if it ever gets done at all.

Travel expert Nicky Kelvin tested out London City Airport’s ‘fancy’ new scanners in May

‘There is no sense of urgency, no sense of grip, no sense of a government that is actually bothered about governing.

‘The sooner we get rid of them the better, and I don’t just mean the restrictions on liquids, I mean this entire wet weekend of a government as well.’

How do the scanners work? 

The technology is based computed tomography (CT) — an imaging procedure already used by hospitals to see inside bodies. 

At security, hand luggage goes along a conveyor belt and passes through advanced machines that are fitted with CT scanners to look inside the bags.

The scanners produce clear 3D images on-screen that can be rotated 360-degrees and zoomed in on by airport staff.

Algorithms call attention to any dubious items that may warrant further inspection.  

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: ‘UK airports need to step up a gear to install the newest equipment more quickly.

‘They are some distance behind many overseas airports which have more seamless scanning equipment, meaning that passengers don’t have to empty their hand luggage of washbags or laptops.

‘Security lanes are faster overseas than many UK airports, and this Christmas will see UK departing passengers queuing for longer than they have to due to the fact the latest equipment has not yet been installed.

‘This has to be a priority for our airports – only London City Airport has moved at pace to improve the security experience.’

Last night Conservative MPs also raised concerns about summer holidays potentially being ruined if the technology is not phased in next June.

Iain Stewart, chairman of the Transport Select Committee, said: ‘Most airports are in the process and are on schedule – but our concern is with the passenger scanners.

‘They will work once up and running, but as it’s a new system, we do have a worry that we will see a build-up of queues until everyone gets used to them.

‘We need a more phased introduction so people can get familiar with how they work.

‘June is the start of the busy summer period – I would like to see airports have some discretion over the first few months to phase them in.’

Tory MP Greg Smith, who also sits on the committee, added: ‘It’s a total nightmare – all airports seem to be going for the absolute deadline, which is going to create chaos as all passengers have to get to a new system on day one. There needs to be phasing.’

Last week Mr Browne told MPs: ‘This new technology will bring huge benefits for passengers, as the chair of the select committee said, and I think we will all be delighted to see the end of those little plastic bags with the little bottles in, and it will improve safety.

‘The answer to his question is that the screening of passengers by the security scanners is already being phased in.

‘Government has long been clear with airports about the requirements for the next generation of security checkpoints.

‘The deadline for implementation has already been delayed several times, partly because of Covid, and other factors.

‘Airports were consulted on the June 2024 deadline and many airports have successfully trialled it, they are already phasing it in, and June 2024 is the end deadline.

‘So my message to airports is to start implementing it now, don’t wait for the deadline, but I am meeting the Airport Operators Association immediately after these questions and will discuss it with them.’

A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘The UK has some of the most robust aviation security measures in the world and this cutting-edge technology will enhance security and boost the passenger experience.

‘We are in regular contact with airports as they move towards June 2024 deadline for upgrading their screening equipment and processes. For security reasons we do not provide further detail around aviation security measures.’

A spokesman for the Airport Operators Association said: ‘Airports are in the midst of major investment to deliver next-generation airport security, which will make use of cutting-edge screening equipment and processes.

‘These projects, once implemented, will deliver significant benefits, from better security and detection capabilities to a more convenient passenger experience.

‘Clearly, these are significant projects with complex delivery programmes, requiring major construction and renovation work. Airports are making every effort to ensure the passenger experience remains positive while this work is undertaken and are working hard to meet the government’s timeline.’

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Ministers came under fire today for promoting a £235million scheme to fix roads in London by using money stripped from a cancelled rail link in the North of England. 

The Department for Transport sparked uproar this morning when it hailed the new spending in the capital as being made possible by using ‘rerouted HS2 funding’.

It also said that the London work was part of the Network North project, despite being in the South East. The project is spending £8.3billion across the Uk on road repairs.

The Prime Minister used his Tory conference speech in October to announce he was junking the northern leg of the rail line between Birmingham and Manchester.

He pledged to use the billions saved to fund other transport schemes in the North and Midlands that would miss out due to the axe falling.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper, said: ‘This funding is part of a long-term, 11-year plan to ensure road users across London have smoother, faster and safer journeys by using redirected HS2 funding to make the right long-term decisions for a brighter future.’

But Labour Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: ”’Network North” seems to include everywhere – except the North.’

The Department for Transport sparked uproar this morning when it hailed the new spending in the capital as being made possible by using ‘rerouted HS2 funding’.

Labour Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: ”’Network North” seems to include everywhere – except the North.’

Transport Secretary Mark Harper, said: ‘This funding is part of a long-term, 11-year plan to ensure road users across London have smoother, faster and safer journeys by using redirected HS2 funding to make the right long-term decisions for a brighter future.’

Bury South Labour MP Christian Wakeford added: ‘Cancelling the Northern leg of HS2 to pump money into roads in London epitomises this tone deaf, pointless government riddled with meaningless platitudes rather than real ideas. The sooner we get rid of these bunch of shysters the better.’

The Prime Minister used his conference speech to announce he would divert the £36 billion saved into hundreds of transport projects across the Midlands and the North.

He said HS2 was the product of a failed ‘old consensus’, insisting that ‘levelling up’ the Midlands and the North will be delivered more quickly and effectively without it.

But it sparked a backlash among HS2 supporters after business leaders and several senior Tories lined up before the announcement to urge the PM not to scrap the Birmingham to Manchester leg.

Writing in the Mail, Boris Johnson spoke of his ‘suppressed fury’ at his successor’s decision to ditch HS2’s northern spur. He said terminating the line at Birmingham would be a ‘betrayal of the North’.

Some £7.5million will be made available to London boroughs between now and March, with £7.5 million in 2024/2025. The remainder will be poured in between then and 2034. 

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A triple killer has been given a whole-life order for murdering his elderly neighbour after being wrongly housed next to her while on licence.

Lawrence Bierton will spend the rest of his life in prison after bludgeoning 73-year-old Pauline Quinn to death with her coffee table at her home in Rayton Spur, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, on November 9 2021.

Bierton, 63, had been given accommodation in Rayton Spur while on licence from a life sentence for murdering two elderly sisters in 1995, a decision described by the Probation Service representative as ‘incorrect’ and labelled a ‘significant mistake’ by the judge, Mr Justice Pepperall.

Ruthless Bierton was found guilty of Ms Quinn’s murder after a two-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court, with the judge describing his third killing as ‘senseless as it was brutal’.

Handing Bierton a whole-life order on Wednesday, the first to be issued at the court since 2005, Mr Justice Pepperall said: ‘You have been found guilty of the senseless and brutal murder of three elderly and disabled women in their own homes… You showed each of the victims no mercy.

Lawrence Bierton murdered his neighbour, Pauline Quinn, 73 (pictured) in November 2021

Bierton, 63, was on licence at the time of the offence having been released from a life sentence for the murders of two elderly sisters in the 1990s

‘[These were] sustained attacks in which you used extraordinary levels of violence.

‘I am left in no doubt whatsoever that you must never again be given the opportunity to walk the streets.

‘The only just sentence in this case is that you should remain in prison for the rest of your life.’

Bierton was jailed for life at Sheffield Crown Court in 1996 for the killings of Aileen Dudill, 79, and Elsie Gregory, 73, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, the previous year.

The pair were bludgeoned and suffocated by Bierton and a co-defendant before their bodies were set on fire.

He was released on life licence in December 2017 but recalled to prison in July 2018 due to what prosecutor John Cammegh KC told jurors in the 2023 trial were ‘repeated failures to address his behaviour’.

He was released a second time in May 2020, moving to Rayton Spur six months later.

A so-called ‘alcohol tag’ to monitor Bierton was removed eight months before Ms Quinn’s death after he complained of swelling in his legs.

On the day of the killing, the court heard how Bierton bludgeoned his pensioner Ms Quinn, to death with her coffee table at her home.

After beating the pensioner repeatedly with the table he returned to the property to break it up so he could take it away in a plastic bag before fleeing in Ms Quinn’s Renault Clio.

Nottingham Crown Court heard audio of the brutal attack was recorded after Ms Quinn managed to pull an emergency cord in her bungalow but her body was not found until several hours later.

She suffered 29 separate injuries, including 12 on her head and several on her left arm and hand which prosecutors said were consistent with efforts to defend herself. 

A spokesperson for Ms Quinn’s family said: ‘This was an awful crime and our thoughts remain with the family of Pauline Quinn.

‘We have conducted a review into this case and it would be inappropriate to comment further while proceedings are ongoing.’

Jurors in Bierton’s trial were told that he was jailed for life in 1996 for murdering two women the year before, with prosecutors telling them that their killings were ‘strikingly similar’ to Ms Quinn’s murder. 

The Probation Service has said a serious case review into Bierton’s case has been completed with findings to be shared with Ms Quinn’s family, but that these would not be shared publicly.

In court, the judge said it was a ‘significant mistake’ for Bierton to be allowed to stay at Rayton Spur, a complex for elderly and vulnerable people.

Mrs Quinn was found dead in her bungalow in Rayton Spur, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, on November 9 2021

Saika Jabeen, head of the Nottinghamshire county probation delivery unit, told the judge that Bierton’s behaviour on his second release ‘appeared markedly improved’, but said there were also unsubstantiated links to ‘Mamba (a synthetic cannabinoid) use and possible benefit fraud’.

She said that ‘it was not appropriate for him (Bierton) to have been approved housing’ in the complex, adding that the decision was ‘incorrect’ and that a second, serious further offence review was also ongoing.

She also said there was now ‘greater scrutiny’ of accommodation decisions to ensure that decisions were ‘defensible’.

She added senior managers would apologise to the family on behalf of the Probation Service for the ‘serious oversights’ in the case.

In his sentencing remarks, the judge said: ‘That decision (to house Bierton at Rayton Spur) was flawed and you should not have been housed among elderly and vulnerable residents.

‘Ms Quinn was entitled to expect better, and the system plainly failed her.’

Bierton admitted his third killing but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. However, he was convicted of murder last week. 

During the trial, prosecutors said the violent manner of Ms Quinn’s death had left ‘no room for doubt that he intended to kill her’.

Opening the case against him, prosecutor John Cammegh KC told jurors the case was complex and the details will ‘inevitably stir your emotion’.

‘We say this was a sustained attack that must have involved several blows,’ he said.

The court heard Mrs Quinn, a mother of three, had lived alone with her dog Charlie in the one-bedroom bungalow in Rayton Spur, which largely catered for elderly people, with properties fitted with alarm buttons linked to a home security monitoring service.

Mr Cammegh said that while she was friendly towards her close neighbours, she was by nature a private person, and very particular as to who she would allow into her home. She suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had injured her back around four months before she was killed.

She was last seen on CCTV footage just before 1pm on November 9, 2021, walking back to her home with her dog using a walking stick after visiting the shops, having left her car parked outside her property.

‘This was what we call last proof of life, this is the last time we see Pauline Quinn alive,’ Mr Cammegh said.

‘She opens the front door and steps inside in the safety of her own home.’

Shortly after 4pm, Mrs Quinn pulled the emergency cord in her living room which connects to Tunstall Alarms.

Bierton will be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court next Wednesday (file photo)

Jurors were played a recording of the call in which the operator can be heard trying to get a response from Mrs Quinn but all that can be heard was several loud thuds above the sound of the television.

Mr Cammegh said: ‘This, we say, is when Lawrence Bierton murdered Pauline Quinn in her sitting room by striking her repeatedly on her head and face with a wooden coffee table.’

He said Bierton had let himself into Mrs Quinn’s back garden, gaining entry to her house through her back door.

After killing Mrs Quinn, Bierton is caught on CCTV several times, including taking a trip to his daughter’s house nearby in Mrs Quinn’s car after stealing her keys.

He also returns to the property to smash up the coffee table – the sound of which was also recorded by the alarm system – before taking away the broken pieces in a carrier bag.

‘We say the defendant was demolishing the murder weapon, the coffee table,’ Mr Cammegh said.

He invited jurors to ‘look at his gait’ and his ‘purposeful strides’ on the CCTV footage.

‘You will see how steady and purposeful he appears on his feet,’ he said.

Emergency services were finally called to the property just after 10pm and found Mrs Quinn’s body covered in blood. 

She was pronounced dead at the scene. Jurors were shown a model skull of the injuries which Mr Cammegh said was a ‘visceral demonstration of what this man did to Mrs Quinn’.

He said ‘reassuringly perhaps she would have been rendered unconscious almost immediately’.

Mr Cammegh said the motive for murder was money. He said Mrs Quinn had told neighbour Susan Heggarty about an occasion when Bierton had appeared at her door asking for money. 

He said both women were aware of his past and it was generally known that he had been in prison for serious violence and ‘both ladies were understandably wary of him’.

‘Pauline had politely refused [to give him money] but had been left feeling somewhat intimidated,’ he said.

‘Both ladies were suspicious about the man’s lifestyle. Pauline was irritated by his failure to clear away rubbish properly from outside his property.’

Bierton was arrested 30 miles away in Sheffield the following day after offering to drive his nephew to work in the stolen car.

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• The French Parliament passed the bill tightening immigration rules on Tuesday

France’s Marine Le Pen is celebrating an ‘ideological victory’ after President Emmanuel Macron fought division in his party to pass a tough immigration bill.

The French Parliament passed the bill tightening immigration rules on Tuesday, despite a rebellion in the governing party after the bill was backed by the far right.

Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate who leads the RN’s lawmakers in parliament and is widely expected to stand again for president in 2027, endorsed the new-look bill.

But key left-leaning members of Macron’s Renaissance Party and allied factions indicated they could no longer support it, with several ministers reportedly threatening to resign.

Le Pen said the bill was a victory even for her National Rally. She announced she would back the bill after the President agreed to provide benefits to migrants after five years of residency. Legal migrants currently receive state benefits after six months.

Various amendments have seen the immigration measures further tightened from when the bill was originally submitted, with the left accusing the government of caving in to pressure from the far right.

Marine Le Pen is a three-time presidential candidate who leads the RN’s lawmakers in parliament and is widely expected to stand again for president in 2027

Le Pen listens to a debate on the new immigration bill at the National Assembly on Tuesday

Emmanuel Macron fought division in his party to pass the tough immigration bill

 The lower house voted in favour of the legislation by a wide majority, with the ruling party in the end not needing the support of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) to push the bill through.

‘We can rejoice in ideological progress, an ideological victory even for the National Rally (RN), since this is now enshrined into law as a national priority,’ Le Pen said. 

The RN had previously said it would vote against the bill or abstain. French media dubbed her surprise move a ‘kiss of death’ for Macron’s party.

READ MORE – Jean-Marie Le Pen, 94, suffers a ‘mild heart attack’: Founder of French far-right National Front party is taken to hospital where he remains conscious in latest health scare

The bill had been voted down without even being debated in the National Assembly last week, in a major blow to Macron.

The upper-house Senate had earlier also passed the legislation, which then went through the lower house with 349 in favour and 186 against.

Prominent left-leaning Renaissance MP Sacha Houlie had said he would vote against the legislation and called on others to follow, with some sources saying that around 30 pro-Macron MPs would do so.

In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, Macron called a meeting of his ruling party at the Elysee palace ahead of the vote, party sources said.

According to a participant at the meeting, Macron said he would submit the bill to a new reading rather than promulgate it if it were passed only with the help of the votes from Le Pen’s RN.

Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau, Higher Education Minister Sylvie Retailleau and Housing Minister Patrice Vergriete met Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and warned they could resign, sources said.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, an ambitious 41-year-old who has spearheaded the legislation, had warned Sunday that Le Pen risked winning the 2027 presidential election if the bill were not passed.

Le Pen speaks during a session of questions to the government in Paris on December 5

Le Pen shakes hands with President Emmanuel Macron after talks at the presidential Elysee Palace, in Paris, on June 21, 2022, two days after France’s legislative elections

It was not immediately clear if the ministers still would resign following the adoption of the legislation. Macron was expected to give a television interview on Wednesday.

The left and hard-left had reacted with horror to the prospect of the legislation being passed, with the head of Socialist lawmakers in the National Assembly, Boris Vallaud, calling it a ‘great moment of dishonour for the government’.

READ MORE –  Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte look the picture of love during holiday in France as the president shows off his physique and enjoys some snorkelling and jet-ski riding

Passing the legislation was critical for Macron, who cannot stand again in 2027 after two consecutive terms and risks being seen as a lame duck with more than three years left of his term.

The government does not have a majority in parliament since the legislative elections that followed his re-election in 2022.

‘The political crisis around the immigration bill is a moment of truth where all the fragilities of Emmanuel Macron’s mandate are coming together,’ the Le Monde daily said in an editorial.

Dozens of NGOs slammed what they described as potentially the ‘most regressive’ immigration law in decades.

It is ‘the most regressive bill of the past 40 years for the rights and living conditions of foreigners, including those who have long been in France,’ around 50 groups including the French Human Rights League said in a joint statement.

‘With this text directly inspired by RN pamphlets against immigration, we are facing a shift in the history of the republic and its fundamental values,’ French Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said.

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•  The explosion in Conakry on Monday killed 18 people and injured 212 others

The main oil depot in Guinea has exploded, leaving 18 dead and hundreds injured – with a fireball from the blast damaging buildings almost a mile away.

Foreign rescue and aid workers, along with the UN and volunteers, worked tirelessly to help victims of the explosion at the state oil company’s main depot in the Kaloum district of the capital, Conakry, near the port.

The incident on Monday morning at the Guinean Petroleum Company depot killed 18 people, injured 212 others and prompted concerns about fuel supplies.

The explosion, whose cause is still unknown, wreaked damage to buildings over a radius of more than one kilometre (0.6 miles).

Windows were shattered in several buildings in the port area, including a modern district which is home to banks and insurance companies.

The fire was brought under control later that afternoon but smoke was still rising from the site the next day and soldiers were preventing traffic from entering.

A legal investigation has been opened to establish the cause and responsibilities of the incident.

Fire burns after a blast at an oil terminal in Conakry, Guinea, on December 18

Firemen work to extinguish the flames after a blast at Guinea’s main oil terminal

Flames were seen rising from Conarky’s main fuel depot on Monday after the explosion

Firemen remained to monitor the fire after emergency services extinguished the flames

People look at the explosion site from behind the safety barrier on Tuesday

The government said in a statement: ‘Despite the efforts by medical teams, we lament four new deaths today, bringing the total to 18.’

‘Of the 212 people treated by health workers, 127 have returned to their homes and 85 people are still hospitalised, including four in intensive care.’

The government warned locals to brace for power cuts in the aftermath.

It added that 13 fuel storage tanks were out of service while five tanks were unaffected.

Dozens of people came forward to help in whatever way they could.

Accountant and business manager Mariame Diallo said she was going around shops collecting donations and taking them to a drop-off point at a mosque.

‘We are in the process of collecting everything that goodwill brings us,’ said Abdouramane Sylla, another volunteer.

‘We have a vehicle loaned by the city hall to transport this material.’

International help was also on hand. A 24-member team of Senegalese rescuers, including 15 military doctors and eight firefighting specialists, arrived late Monday, Senegal’s defence ministry said, adding that further teams would follow.

France’s foreign ministry said on social media that a French assistance and support team is on ground in the country.

And the United Nations said in a statement it was providing tents, water tanks, mobile toilets, medicines and other essential supplies.

Those near the fuel depot shared images and videos of the bright flames

The fire was brought under control later that afternoon but smoke was still rising from the site the next day and soldiers were preventing traffic from entering

Residents of Conakry watch the smoke from the fire rise from the sidelines

Scared residents watched as the sky was lit up orange after the explosion

Dozens of people came forward to help in whatever way they could. Kaloum’s residents collect debris fallen from buildings on Tuesday, the day after the explosion occured

After authorities urged people to stay home Monday, some workers headed out on Tuesday, but others feared another explosion.

‘I’m waiting to see how the day is going to go before going over there, because my office is a few minutes from the port and from the fuel depot centre,’ Lamine Diallo said.

In central Conakry, offices, banks and insurance offices remained closed, and the district around the port is deserted after residents fled.

Service stations are temporarily closed across the country over concerns of fuel shortages, and many people avoided taking their cars, though the government said Tuesday that fuel supplies had resumed across the nation.

‘The government ‘wants us to believe that there will not be a fuel shortage, which I doubt,’ lorry driver Souleymane Traore said.

The government said it was carrying out an assessment of fuel needs and supplies.

Guinea has been ruled since September 2021 when a junta led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya overthrew civilian president Alpha Conde.

Doumbouya has promised to hold elections and restore civilian rule by January 2026.

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Colin Armstrong, 78, is understood to have been snatched in the early hours of Saturday from his estate by gangsters disguised as police.

His son Nick Armstrong has flown out to help track down his father who has not been seen or heard from since his kidnapping in Baba, Ecuador.

Colin’s daughter Diana Armstrong-Bruns said: "This is a critical time.

"We’ve been told not to say anything to anyone.

"We just want my father back."

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When asked about her brother's dash to Ecuador, the California-based estate agent told the Mail: "I really can’t say anything else.

"We’ve been told not to speak to anyone."

Police are investigating the disappearance of Armstrong – the UK's Honorary Consul in second largest city Guayaqui, which is plagued by spiralling gang violence.

Armstrong's glam younger lover Katherine Paola Santos is reportedly being quizzed by cops after being released by the kidnappers.

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The pair were allegedly snatched from Rancho Rodeo Grande by 15 armed gangsters disguised by police and whisked off in a black BMW, which was later found abandoned by the roadside.

Do YOU know what happened? Contact us at: [email protected] or [email protected]

Colin's son, Nick, is believed to have an extensive network of contacts inside Ecuador and will try and use them to locate and secure the release of his ageing father.

Kidnapping for ransom has become increasingly common in Ecuador amid rising crime largely attributed to drug trafficking gangs.

A video said to be circulating on social media shows the aftermath of the raid with signs of a forced entry, along with traces of blood and ransacked rooms.

A woman filming inside takes close-up shots of broken plates on the floor and a man who appeared to be holding a bandage to his head.

She then walks into one of the bedrooms where blood covers the bed before saying: “This is where they hit him. My God what is this.”

The Foreign Office said they were in contact with authorities in the South American nation following the disappearance of a British man.

They did not confirm his identity or the location of the potential crime.

Armstrong is the founder of a large firm in Ecuador called Agripac that produces, distributes and sells agricultural and industrial supplies.

He is also the owner of Tupgill Park Estate in North Yorkshire, which has been in the family for 45 years.

His sons Nick and Leo Morris help to run the sprawling 500-acre family pad that welcomes 150,000 visitors a year.

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It features a famous labyrinth of tunnels, chambers and follies known as Forbidden Corner, which claims to be "the strangest place in the world".

The 78-year-old was awarded an OBE and CMG for services to the Royal Family in 2011.

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The post Colin Armstrong's daughter makes emotional plea for millionaire dad, 78, snatched in Ecuador…as son flies out for hunt | The Sun appeared first on irideat.

The 27-year-old had appeared to be smitten in online snaps with underworld thug Marc Webley. 

But now the Hibs fan has bemoaned being on her own again.

She said online: “There’s nothing worse than being single on a Sunday.”

The hood was previously caged for 11 years after shooting a drugs gang rival in Edinburgh.

We told last month how Jane posted a picture of them hugging in a bar.

The next day, they enjoyed dinner and drinks at the capital’s Urban Bar and Grill in the Village Hotel.

Later, Jane uploaded more images of her embracing the con to a soundtrack of Can You Feel The Love Tonight? — the song recorded by Elton John for the 1994 Disney classic The Lion King.

Jane, who won £1million in 2013, then shared an influencer’s video about not caring what others think.

In 2004, Webley was at the centre of a turf war. It culminated in 2005 with him firing a gun at a rival, hitting him once.

After he was freed from jail, Webley was caged for six months for trying to intimidate a man into handing over £1,000 at a garage.

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Last year, he was cleared of a double murder bid after a witness claimed she could not identify him.

Meanwhile Jane has had a spat with ex Hibees star Jamie Insall, 31, after he branded her a “6/10”.

She called him “an ugly b******” and claimed he used to DM her when his missus was pregnant.

But Insall blasted back: "No one’s saying I wasn’t in them love. I’m saying your pregnant gag is untrue.

"I was probs high when I messaged you come to think of it I must of been."

In 2017 Insall was banned from all sport for two years after failing a drugs test.

It came after he had a positive result for benzoylecgonine, which is a metabolite of cocaine.

In 2019, Jane launched an OnlyFans page and says she has made over £25,000 selling topless snaps.

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The post EuroMillions winner Jane Park splits from gangland gunman as she declares herself 'single' again | The Sun appeared first on irideat.

• READ MORE — EDF chaos leaves customers thousands of pounds out of pocket 

EDF customers in Britain complained today of astonishing overcharging from the energy firm with their bills suddenly skyrocketing by as much as 1,000 per cent.

They are wrongly having their bills hiked to extortionate amounts after apparent ‘system errors’ and are being chased for thousands of pounds they do not owe.

Sir Grayson Perry’s monthly costs soared from £300 to £39,000 before his bank account was emptied, while presenter Jon Sopel’s bill rose from £150 to £19,274.

EDF said ‘unusual’ direct debit changes could occur when incorrect meter readings were recorded but insisted there is no ‘broader issue’ with its system.

Here, MailOnline answers all the key questions which are concerning customers:

What is happening to EDF customers?

Dozens of EDF Energy customers have got in touch with MailOnline in recent days to complain they have been overcharged on their bill – some by extraordinary amounts.

The issue has gained momentum after artist Sir Grayson Perry said his monthly EDF energy bill soared from £300 to £39,000 before his bank account was emptied.

Broadcaster Jon Sopel said he was left ‘choking on his cornflakes’ when his bill rose from £150 to £19,274. Others have told MailOnline that they have suffered sudden rises of more than 1,000 per cent which has left them feeling extremely anxious.

Why are EDF customers being overcharged?

Some customers and industry sources spoken to by MailOnline claim that their overcharging issues were related to a switchover onto a new system called Kraken.

‘I was told my payments were going from £149 to £4,651 per month’

EDF customer Barry Stevens said he suffered a billing issue last year after receiving an email from the company saying his payments were going from £149 to £4,651 per month.

He said: ‘The payment was to be taken from our account within a couple of weeks. It took three days to get in touch with EDF who laughed.

‘They said it was a mistake but did not give any reason or apologise. I said it was not a laughing matter as they would have taken the money if I had not noticed it. She then asked me what I wanted to pay. I told the wife to switch off the Christmas lights!’

The 67-year-old, who is retired, added that the firm had calculated he would use £27,906 over the next six months.

Others have cited issues following the installation of a smart meter, after Government data revealed 2.7million out of 33million devices in Britain are not working properly.

But sources at EDF insisted to MailOnline that there was no problem with the migration to the Kraken platform and there was also no issue with smart meters.

It is also believed that neither Sir Grayson nor Mr Sopel’s bills are on the Kraken platform – and one is a personal account while the other is for a business.

Billing errors are also understood to happen when a number is inputted wrong in recording usage, such as when a reading of ‘1,000.00’ is given instead of ‘100.000’.

An EDF spokeswoman said today: ‘We know problems can sometimes occur for a variety of reasons and we apologise to customers who experience difficulties.’

How do EDF users know they have been overcharged?

One energy industry source told MailOnline that customers will normally not know about any problems until they get a shock when they see their bill.

When a reading error happens – whoever caused it – the user is charged assuming they consumed that extra energy, and assuming they continue to use that energy.

It is therefore very important to check your energy bill each month to establish early on whether you might have been overcharged. 

What should you do if you’ve been overcharged?

Citizens Advice tells customers to firstly check if their bill is estimated. If it is, you can send a meter reading to your supplier to get an updated, accurate bill instead.

If you have a smart meter and your bills say they are estimated, your smart meter is not sending automatic readings to your supplier – and therefore is not working in ‘smart mode’. This can sometimes happen if you have recently switched supplier.

However, if after getting estimated bills you get a new bill that still seems high, it could be because you have sent in a meter reading for the first time in a while.

Jon Sopel (left) and Sir Grayson Perry (right), who have both been affected

Your supplier might have underestimated your energy usage if you didn’t give them a regular reading – so it is advised that you send one each month to keep it accurate.

It is also worth noting that your unit rate or standing charge may have changed. But if you still think there is something wrong with the bill, complain to your supplier.

Also, if your supplier bills you for energy you used more than 12 months ago, you usually don’t usually have to pay this under so-called ‘back billing’ rules.

How do you know if your bill is for the wrong meter?

If your bill is not an estimate, you should be able to use it to check if you’ve been charged for the wrong meter reading. Citizens Advice says that the supplier could have made a mistake and given you a bill based on someone else’s meter reading.

‘I was told my bill was rising by 1,016% from £122 to £1,362’

NHS doctor Lauren Huzzey’s three-day holiday was ruined by stress when she was told in August her electricity and gas bill was going to shoot up in October by 1,016 per cent from £122 to £1,362.

The single mother to her primary school-aged daughter cancelled her direct debit and said she wouldn’t have been able to pay her rent for her modest two-bedroom mid-terraced home if the money was taken out.

She spent days on long calls trying to speak to someone only for the monthly direct debit to suddenly be reduced to £147.

‘I missed a reading earlier in the year and all of a sudden my bill jumped,’ she told MailOnline.

‘As it turned out, I only owed them £700 in the end. I cannot tell you how incredibly stressful all this was. I sat on long calls, just trying to speak to someone. In the end, I never actually spoke to a human being, they just ‘fixed’ it a few weeks later.

‘I was trying to work out how I would be able to afford it all. I spent days looking at accounts to see how I would afford it, but I couldn’t at all.’

She said it will take her two years to pay back the money she owes but hit out at the energy firm for the ‘disgusting’ way ‘they treat their customers’.

It advises people to look at their most recent bill, find the meter readings on it that your supplier used, then read your meter and compare it to the number on the bill.

If there’s a big difference, it is possible that your supplier might have billed you for someone else’s meter – or you might have given them a false reading.

You should then contact your supplier and give them the new reading, before being sent a new bill based on the new meter reading and checking you have been billed for the right meter.

How do you know if there’s a problem with your meter?

It is also possible that there is a meter fault – despite this being rare – if your bills suddenly go up and you haven’t changed how much gas or electricity you use.

Your energy supplier is responsible for making sure your meter works properly. 

If you tell them, they might first ask you to take daily meter readings over seven days to check your usage.

If this does not prove anything, they will carry out further tests to check whether the meter is faulty. If tests prove it is not faulty, you may have to pay the costs of the test.

Is there a problem with smart meters?

Nearly three million smart meters in Britain are not working properly, figures from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero revealed earlier this month.

A total of 2.7million out of 33million meters are not in smart mode to monitor how much gas and electricity a household is consuming and the cost of it in real time.

Usually these readings are sent automatically to energy suppliers, but if the meter loses connection customers are often forced to rely on estimated bills.

EDF insisted to MailOnline that there is not a broader issue with smart meters, despite some customers seeing dramatic changes to their energy bills.

What has EDF said about the problems?

EDF told MailOnline today that its customer service teams were working ‘extremely hard’ to support the firm’s 3.5million customers, adding that ‘for the overwhelming majority our processes run without issues’.

A spokeswoman added: ‘There are no fundamental problems with how our billing is working for customers who are moving across to our new platform.

‘We know problems can sometimes occur for a variety of reasons and we apologise to customers who experience difficulties.

The logo of Electricite de France SA (EDF) is pictured on the facade of its offices in Paris

‘When this happens, we look to put things right as quickly as possible. There is no broader issue with our systems and our Direct Debit processes continue to work as normal.’

She added that the ‘vast majority of customers’ smart meters are fully functional’, and that EDF takes ‘the successful operation of our smart meters very seriously’.

The spokeswoman said EDF has a ‘number of robust processes to ensure they are operating as expected, unless, of course, a customer has explicitly opted for a non-functional smart meter’.

READ MORE Energy-saving tips to help you cut bills – and the myths that won’t do much

She added: ‘With regards to wider connectivity issues, we continue to work with Data Communications Company who are responsible for ensuring connectivity across the UK.

‘We are in the process of moving our residential and SME customers to a new customer service system, which is already widely used in the UK market and is licensed to support approximately 30million customers worldwide.’

What is the current energy price cap?

The average household energy bill will rise by £94 a year from next month after Ofgem increased its price cap in response to rising wholesale prices.

The regulator said last month that it was raising its price cap from the current £1,834 for a typical dual fuel household to £1,928 from January 1.

Ofgem said this was driven almost entirely by rising costs in the global wholesale energy market due to market instability and global events, particularly the conflict in Ukraine.

Ofgem also unveiled plans last week to lift the energy price cap from April next year in order to help suppliers recover nearly £3billion in debts from customers who cannot pay their bills.

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