CASTEISM

Four of Britain's richest family given prison sentences in Switzerland for exploiting servants


Tuesday 10 September 2024 at 6:18pm

The family lived in a lakeside villa in Geneva.Credit: Pixabay

Four members of Britain's richest family have been handed prison sentences in Switzerland for exploiting servants working in their luxury villa.

Prakash Hinduja and his wife, Kamal, were sentenced to four and a half years each, while their son, Ajay, and his wife, Namrata, both received sentences of four years in prison.

The prison sentences have been postponed subject to an appeal lodged by the family's lawyers as allowed under Swiss law.

They banned the workers, mostly illiterate and from India, from leaving the villa and forced them to work excruciatingly long days, sometimes up to 18 hours.

The court found the four guilty of exploiting the workers, paying them wages less than a tenth of the income for domestic work in Switzerland.

The Hindujas were not found guilty of charges of trafficking, on the grounds the staff in part understood what they were getting into.

The family topped this year's Sunday Times Rich List of the United Kingdom's wealthiest people, with a net worth of around £37.2 billion.

Lawyers of the accused, Nicolas Jeandin, left, and Robert Assael, right, leave the court house after a break in the reading of the verdict.Credit: AP

They did not attend court, but a fifth defendant - the family's business manager Najib Ziazi - was present, and received an 18-month suspended sentence.

Employees slept in the basement of the villa, in the Cologny neighbourhood of Geneva, and said Kamal Hinduja instilled a "climate of fear".

They also had their passports seized and were paid with rupees into banks back home that they could not access.

The Hindujas moved to Switzerland in the late 1980s. Prakash Hinduja was convicted on less serious but similar charges in 2007.

Along with three of of his brothers, Prakash Hinduja is a leader of an industrial conglomerate in sectors including information technology, media, power, real estate and healthcare.

Swiss authorities have seized diamonds, rubies, a platinum necklace and other assets from the family, as they could be used to pay for legal fees and possible penalties.

While announcing they intended to appeal, the family's lawyers a statement denying all the allegations outlined in the case.

Stating they were 'appalled' by the court's decision, the Hinduja family’s legal counsel said in a statement: “Our clients the Hinduja family have been acquitted of all human trafficking charges.

"The family denies all other charges against them."As the family are appealing the case, the previous Judgment is not final or binding and the higher court will rehear the case in its entirety.Under the Swiss Code of Criminal Procedure, the presumption of innocence applies until a final judgment by the highest adjudicating authority, which has not yet taken place."Contrary to some media reports, no members of the family are imprisoned as a result of the verdict. The complainants in this case have withdrawn their civil complaints against the family.“The family has full faith in the judicial process and remains confident that the truth will prevail.”

Charles Australia trip to be met by UK protesters



The UK's anti-monarchy campaign Republic will be in Australia to greet Charles and Camilla on their visit next month.

Republic's CEO, Graham Smith, will be in Australia to organise protests in Sydney and Canberra, to coincide with Charles's visit. The group has members and supporters across Australia.

Speaking today, Graham Smith said:

"The message is simple, Charles does not speak for us, he does not represent us, he should go home."

"To Australians and the foreign press, I would say this: do not believe for a moment the British people are a nation of royalists. Most people either don't care much for the royals or they oppose them."

"I won't be there to campaign for an Australian republic, that's for our friends and allies in the Australian Republic Movement to do. Republic's message is about Charles and his role in the UK."

"Republic is growing, we have the resources and the reach to follow Charles, William and other royals where ever they might go. Our message is simple: it's time to abolish the monarchy, it's time to change the country for good."

"Republic will be in Sydney and Canberra, protesting with our yellow banners and large flags, and we welcome Australians, Brits and anyone who has Charles as their head of state to join us."

THE LORDS ARE A FEUDAL LEGACY  ABOLISH THEM

Bishops in the Lords are a ‘feudal legacy’, says ex-BBC boss demanding reform

Lord Birt branded the automatic right for 26 Anglican bishops to sit on the red benches an ‘indefensible undemocratic anomaly’.


Bishops in the House of Lords (PA credit)

Abbie Llewelyn

Anglican bishops sitting in the Lords are a “feudal legacy” that should be ousted along with hereditary peers, a former director-general of the BBC has said.

Independent crossbench peer Lord Birt branded the automatic right for 26 Lords Spiritual to sit on the red benches an “indefensible undemocratic anomaly”.

He urged the Government to consider addressing this as it works to reform the upper chamber, expressing “disappointment” at the lack of a “comprehensive, holistic and long-overdue approach” to modernising the Lords.

Independent crossbench peer Lord Birt (House of Commons/PA)
PA Archive

Lord Birt said: “I support the plan to end the birth right of hereditary peers to sit in this House – it is a feudal anachronism…

“The guaranteed representation of the Church of England in this House is a second feudal legacy, embedded centuries before the notion of democracy gathered pace.”

He argued that there are “very fundamental reasons why embedding representatives of a single church in this house is no longer appropriate”.

Lord Birt cited the 2021 census, in which less than half the population identified as Christian, and of those who identify as Christian, only 21% said that they are Anglican.

The former BBC boss said: “The reality is that we are now an incredibly diverse society, a society comprised of people embracing many faiths and none.

“And we should not embark on a long overdue radical reform of this House without recognising that fact and without recognising that embedding the Church of England in our legislature is an indefensible undemocratic anomaly…

Building regulations still need 'more teeth' post Grenfell, London fire chief warns

The blaze in Dagenham proved that regulations still need strengthening, London fire commissioner Andy Roe says


London Fire Brigade Fire Commissioner Andy Roe, at the scene in Dagenham last month
Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Noah Vickers

Regulations to improve fire safety in high-rise buildings since the Grenfell Tower tragedy are still “not good enough”, the capital’s fire chief has warned.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) commissioner Andy Roe told a City Hall meeting on Tuesday that while “very important” changes have been made, there is still need for more “teeth” for authorities enforcing the rules, and greater “alignment” between authorities.

Speaking at a meeting of the London Assembly’s fire committee, the commissioner pointed to the recent fire in Dagenham as proof that regulations still need strengthening.

“It’s not good enough yet,” said Mr Roe, pointing out that the building in Dagenham is only seven floors high, with the fire service aware of who the managing agent and building owner are. The building’s cladding was also in the process of being removed ahead of the fire.

With all those factors considered, the commissioner said the fact that a fire “as catastrophic as that” still occurred, showed that high-rise building regulations are still not working as they should be.

The committee’s discussion came a week after the Grenfell Inquiry published its Phase Two report into the 2017 fire, which claimed 72 lives.

Since the publication of the earlier Phase One report in 2019, Mr Roe said there had been “some very important changes, some very important principles and bodies set up”.

He added: “But they still don’t have enough teeth, from my point of view, and they need better alignment, because we have powers, the building safety regulator has powers, the local authority has powers, the Secretary of State themself has powers - [but] we all need to be working together in one system.”

The commissioner also admitted that the LFB could still face a situation where it struggles to handle the volume of calls it receives during a major incident, as happened on the night of the Grenfell fire.

“There is not a control room in the country that would, on its own, be able to hold that volume of calls, as currently structured,” he said.

He added however that LFB control staff had performed well during recent major incidents, such as the July 2022 wildfires, which saw the brigade face its busiest day since the Second World War.

“[There were] thousands of calls, in a very compressed period… so we’ve demonstrated that we can do it,” he said, while cautioning that the organisation is “never relaxed”.

Scottish government faces defeat in free school meals vote

The government previously pledged to expand the provision of free school meals

The Scottish government is expected to be defeated in a vote to expand free school meals to all primary school pupils.

First Minister John Swinney has said he would not be able to fulfil the pledge for a "universal" rollout of the benefit, and instead would expand it only to P6 and 7 pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment.

The position will be challenged in a debate led by the Scottish Conservatives on Wednesday, though the government is not obliged to take action on the results.

The Scottish government said it remained "resolutely committed" to the universal expansion of free school meals in primary schools but the funding was not available due to significant financial pressures.

Free school meals are provided for all pupils in P1 to P5, but former First Minister Humza Yousaf said he wanted every primary pupil to receive the benefit last year.

The Scottish government said it would not be able to keep this commitment in its latest programme for government due to "prolonged Westminster austerity and record high inflation".

School meals per child can cost families £400 a year.

On Monday, Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr submitted a motion for debate, calling on the government to give free school meals to all primary pupils this parliamentary session "as promised".

Opposition parties are expected to echo this, meaning a likely defeat for the government.

PA Media
John Swinney confirmed his programme for government last week

The Scottish Conservatives have also put forward a motion to vote on the government's decision to end a scheme that scrapped peak-time rail fares.

The pilot, which saw ticket prices subsidised by the Scottish government and standardised across the day, ended in September following "limited success".

Last month Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said there had been an increase in passenger levels of about 6.8% during the pilot but it would need to be 10% in order for the policy to be self-financing.

PA Media
Holyrood will also face a vote on the peak rail fares pilot scheme

Children’s Commissioner Nicola Killean said the rollback on universal free school meals was a "broken promise to children" and warned that the move would only exacerbate stigma and shame around them.

Ms Killean said that going to school hungry could "severely impact development in childhood and into adulthood".

She said: "Providing access to universal school meals is vital: it helps reduce stigma and reinforces the understanding of food as a human right.

"We know that children who experience food insecurity are more likely to experience poor health, obesity and malnutrition, as well as other challenges to their physical and mental development.

“One of the greatest barriers to the take up of school meals are feelings of shame and stigma, and only providing meals to Primary 6 and 7 in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment just exacerbates that stigma."


Ms Killean went on to say she had heard stories of some children buying extra food to share with their poorer classmates, while teachers were also stepping in to help those who could not eat.

Scottish Greens education spokesman Ross Greer called the government's decision on the policy a "shameful U-turn".

He said: "The Scottish Greens fought hard to secure expansion of universal free school meals because we know how important they are for tackling child poverty and inequality.

"We were proud to secure the inclusion of all Primary 4 and 5 pupils and the commitment to include Primary 6 and 7, so we are deeply disappointed to see the SNP drop that commitment at the first opportunity."


Financial challenges


Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesman Willie Rennie said ministers should not make promises they cannot keep on efforts to improve child poverty.

He added: “Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf and John Swinney all committed to universal free school meals for primary pupils, but they have all failed to deliver."

A Scottish government spokesman said it had warned of financial challenges due to "prolonged Westminster austerity, the cost of living crisis and record high inflation".

He added: “That means that, whilst we remain resolutely committed to the universal expansion of free school meals in primary schools, the funding is not available for this to be completed by 2026.

“We continue to provide free school meals for nearly 278,000 pupils in primaries 1 to 5, special schools and to those eligible to S6 saving families around £400 per child per year.

"Our immediate focus is now to expand provision further to those in Primary 6 and 7 in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, which we will deliver in this parliamentary term."

UK primary class sizes among biggest in industrialised world, report finds

Sally Weale Education correspondent
Tue 10 September 2024 

The Guardian

The OECD average primary school class size is 21, while in Luxembourg and Croatia it is just 15.Photograph: Joel Goodman/The Guardian

UK primary class sizes are among the biggest in the industrialised world, larger than Mexico, Turkey and Colombia, according to an international report.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study, which compares the state of education in about 50 countries, found primary school teachers in the UK face bumper classes of 27 children.

Only classes in Chile are bigger with 28 pupils, while in Japan classes at primary level are also 27-strong. Luxembourg and Croatia by comparison have just 15 children a class, while the OECD average is 21.

The report also shows the UK’s ratio of pupils to teachers is the fifth highest behind only India, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said of the findings: “This is consequential to every child.

“Packed classes mean less contact time with individual pupils and directly makes it harder to support each student.”

The OECD study also found the UK is lagging behind comparable nations on investment in early-years education, with spending on the youngest children “well below” average.

The annual report, which focused this year on issues of equity, also found regional disparities in educational attainment were bigger in the UK than many other OECD countries. While 71% of 25- to 64-year-olds in London have a degree-level qualification, in north-east England it is 42%, it said.

It found teachers in the UK are younger, and therefore less experienced, than their counterparts in most other countries. It also highlighted teacher retention problems in England, with 9% of teachers quitting the profession in 2022-23, which is at the top end of the scale when compared with other countries featured in the report.

The OECD highlighted a sharp difference in spending choices between the UK and other countries, claiming spending on a full-time student in tertiary education in the UK is “almost twice” the OECD average, while in early years it is “well below the OECD average and is among the lowest of all OECD countries for which data [is] available”. Some experts attending the launch of the report on Tuesday challenged the figures for higher-education spending.

On early-years spending, the OECD research was conducted before the government’s expansion of funded childcare for working parents began to be rolled out in England in April this year.

The report highlighted a 27 percentage point difference in participation between children from families in the top and bottom thirds in the UK, while the OECD average is 19 percentage points

Speaking at the launch of the report, the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “We need to get early education and childcare right so that all children get the very best start in life and all parents get the power to pursue their careers. But as your report shows, the gap in enrolment in childcare between rich families and poor families in the UK is one of the biggest in the OECD.

“All of early-years education is vital for our mission, not just childcare. Those first steps into education are so important for a child’s life chances and the sad truth is that a significant part of the attainment gap is already baked in by the age of five.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “The fact that the UK is among the lowest of all OECD countries when it comes to per-pupil expenditure in early childhood education should be a source of deep concern.”

“High-quality early education remains one of the closest things we have to a silver bullet when it comes to addressing the attainment gap and should be a high national priority.”

Kebede said: “Fourteen years of Conservative cuts to real-terms education budgets are coming home to roost. The OECD’s authoritative annual report can leave the world in no doubt that UK policymakers have been damaging our international standing.”

UK

Dozens of MPs refuse to back plans to cut winter fuel payments

 

10 Sep 2024

Gary GibbonPolitical Editor

Sir Keir Starmer has survived his second Commons rebellion in weeks. With his massive majority it was a comfortable win and only one Labour MP voted against the leadership – but there were more than fifty abstentions.

We don’t yet know how many of them were deliberate rebellions and how many were allowed to stay away for work or private reasons. Ministers accused the Conservatives of faking outrage at the cut.

 

Only one Labour MP votes against cutting winter fuel payment for pensioners as more than 50 absentees revealed

10 September 2024, 20:18

Only one Labour MP voted against cutting the winter fuel payment for all but the country's poorest pensioners. Picture: Alamy

By Will Conroy

Only one Labour MP voted against cutting the winter fuel payment for all but the country's poorest pensioners

Jon Trickett, the MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, said he voted against Sir Keir Starmer’s government over concerns about more pensioners falling into poverty.

Despite a further 52 Labour MPs not recording a vote, the Conservative motion to block the measure was defeated by 348 to 288 votes - a majority of 120.

Labour had previously said they would not hold a vote on the decision but u-turned after facing a backlash over the move that will see 10 million people stripped of their fuel allowance this winter.

Jon Trickett, the MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, said he voted against Sir Keir Starmer’s government. Picture: Alamy

The number of recipients is expected to reduce from 11.4 million to 1.5 million, saving the exchequer around £1.4bn this year.

Shouts of "shame" could be heard in the House of Commons chamber as the result of the vote was announced.

It is unclear how many Labour MPs actively abstained as not voting does not automatically equate to an abstention given they may have received permission to miss it for reasons, such as travel, medical appointments, or official meetings.

But among the 52 Labour MPs to note vote were Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty, Defence minister Maria Eagle and Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson.

But among the 52 Labour MPs to note vote were Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn. Picture: Alamy

A Labour source is claiming that only a dozen of the MPs who did not vote were “not authorised”.

Labour suggest the numbers not present in the vote are typical and say the average number of Labour MPs absent is 51.

Five of the seven Labour MPs suspended from the Parliamentary party for voting against the government over the two-child benefit cap also backed the Tory motion, as did former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other members of his independent alliance.

Read more: Winter fuel payment axe to go ahead after more than 50 Labour MPs fail to back Starmer’s plan

Read more: Keir Starmer defends scrapping winter fuel payments - as he warns autumn Budget will be 'painful'

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was among those to vote against the measure. Picture: Alamy

Mr Trickett's rebellion means he could also be suspended from Labour given the vote was subject to a three-line whip, which means MPs should vote according to their party's position.

In a statement on social media, he said: "This winter will be extremely difficult for my constituents of all ages. After years of obscene profiteering by energy companies, they are hiking bills once again."

He said that pensioner poverty "can be a matter of life and death" and he has worked "behind the scenes to try and change the government's position, but to no avail".

"I could not in good conscience vote to make my constituents poorer," he added.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the squeeze in July. Picture: Alamy

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the measure in July as part of a series of measures to fill a “£22bn black hole” in the public finances.

However, some MPs from Labour's side, as well as charities and opposition MPs, have been calling for a U-turn, saying the policy will leave less well-off pensioners with "a heart-breaking choice between heating and eating this winter".

Among the Labour MPs who spoke out against the cut ultimately abstained from the vote was Rachel Maskell, who said pensioners will be "frightened" to turn on the lights in case they cannot pay their bills.

Two others, Imran Hussain and Rebecca Long-Bailey, abstained.

Mine water could heat thousands of Welsh homes

BBC
Mine water at the former Six Bells colliery in Abertillery is pumped 40m [131ft] to the surface where it is cleaned and treated

Energy bills could be cut by low carbon heat schemes which use water from abandoned Welsh coal mines.

One in five properties in Wales lies above an area which has the potential for a mine water heat scheme, the Coal Authority said.

The temperature of accessible mine water ranges between 10 and 20C depending on the depth.

Work is under way to look at developing mine water heat projects in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Caerphilly and north east Wales.

The Welsh government said it was investing in different types of low carbon heat projects to meet the energy demand of the future.

Wales' only thermal spring could help heat school

Most homes will need heat pumps, Welsh government says


The Coal Authority estimates about two trillion litres of warm water occupy old mine shafts across the UK.

As a result, it considers mine water to be one of the best options to help with the decarbonisation of heating.

Natural gas remains the primary source for heating but the Welsh government has committed itself to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.

Research has been carried by the Coal Authority on old mine workings across 11 local authority areas to asses the potential for mine water heat projects.

Coal Authority
The Coal Authority has identified communities in the south Wales coalfield where mine water heat networks are most viable


Gareth Farr, who leads the Coal Authority's mine water heat project in Wales, said they hope to replicate the success of the UK's first large scale mine water heat scheme in Gateshead.

"Since the closure of a lot of the collieries, they've filled up with water so these schemes operate by us drilling bore holes down to intercept that water," he said.

"It's then brought to the surface and heat exchangers recover heat from the water which is returned safely below ground. The heat we recover is distributed through heat networks to homes, offices or industrial units.

"From mine water heat in the north east of England, it has shown to be delivering heat at 5% below the gas heat price to customers, so that is really important especially during a cost of living crisis."


Water from the natural thermal spring in Taff's Well, Rondda Cynon Taf, is used to heat a local primary school and a park's pavilion


Ffynnon Taf primary school in Taff's Well, Rhondda Cynon Taf, is an example of a small-scale local heat scheme where the village's natural thermal spring is used to heat the school's building and a pavilion in the park.

But other community based heat schemes in Wales have not had the same success to date.

A feasibility study for a project in Caerau, Bridgend, was carried out a few years ago in the hope it would benefit homes and a school, but the local authority scrapped the project due to cost. It said it would look at alternative options in the future.

The Coal Authority said it was important to learn from national projects which have succeeded.

Tyneside Photographic
Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead has benefited from the town's mine water heat scheme since 2023


Scott Morrison, from the Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead, said it has saved tens of thousands of pounds since it joined the town's mine water heat scheme in spring 2023.

Five kilometres of pipes supplies homes, businesses and public buildings with heat throughout the year.

"Because we're a large building, our energy bills are one of our biggest annual costs.

"The other benefit is we're also aiming to be net zero by 2030 so we're trying to make a serious response to the climate crisis and this really helps us reach that target," Mr Morrison said.

Coal Authority
An energy centre boosts the temperature of mine water before it is pumped to heat properties within the network


In a statement Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Transport and North Wales, said: "With heating accounting for 50% of energy use in the Wales, mine water heat could improve the sustainability of the places where we live and work.

"Mine water heat could also play a part in our necessary efforts to tackle climate change and support decarbonisation.

"By looking at projects such as mine water heating, as well continuing to make strides in the delivery of a swathe of other renewable energy schemes, there is every reason to be optimistic about our future as global leaders both in the adoption and creation of cleaner energy and the technology that facilitates it.”

AUSTRALIA

Greens claim Aukus nuclear waste loophole remains despite Albanese government amendments

Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspondent

THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA
Tue 10 September 2024 


Aukus legislation before parliament covers the way Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program will be regulated, with Labor insisting it ensures nuclear waste from US and UK submarines will not be permitted to be dumped in Australia.Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

The Albanese government has bowed to pressure to close an Aukus loophole, insisting newly revealed changes will ensure Australia will not become a dumping ground for nuclear waste from US and UK submarines.

But the Greens argued the government’s latest amendments did not go far enough and it was becoming increasingly clear the Aukus security pact was “sinking”.

The legislation before the Australian parliament covers the way the country’s nuclear-powered submarine program will be regulated. It includes the creation of a new statutory agency, the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator.

The bill – in its original form – talked about “managing, storing or disposing of radioactive waste from an Aukus submarine”, which it defined broadly as Australian, UK or US submarines.

Related: Australia risks being ‘world’s nuclear waste dump’ unless Aukus laws changed, critics say

This prompted concerns from critics the bill could pave the way for Australia to eventually nuclear store waste from other countries, regardless of a political commitment from the incumbent government not to do so.

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In May, a Labor-chaired inquiry called for a legislative safeguard to specifically rule out accepting high-level nuclear waste from the US and the UK.

New amendments circulated by the government on Wednesday include a “prohibition on storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel that is not from an Australian submarine”.

The wording says the regulator “must not issue a licence” for the storage or disposal in Australia “of spent nuclear fuel that is not from an Australian submarine”.

The government is also amending the bill to prevent appearances of conflicts of interest at the new naval nuclear safety regulator.

The legislation will ensure anyone who has worked in the Australian defence force or the Department of Defence in the previous 12 months cannot be appointed to be the director general or deputy of the new regulator.

The defence minister, Richard Marles, said the amendments would “reaffirm the government’s already-established commitment that Australia will not be responsible for the storage or disposal of high-level radioactive waste from the US, UK or other countries”.

He said the government would “continue to build the foundations to safely and securely build, maintain and operate conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines”.

But the Greens defence spokesperson, David Shoebridge, said the amendments were “far from clear”.

“The Albanese Labor government tried to sneak through a loophole that would allow the UK and US to dump their nuclear waste in Australia,” Shoebridge said.

“We called the government out and people around Australia pushed back, now Albanese is quickly putting through a half-measure to shut everyone up.”

Shoebridge said the amendment did not specifically mention “high-level radioactive waste” and it “still allows the US and UK to dump intermediate-level waste, and Australian high-level waste, anywhere in Australia”.

“Everyone can see Aukus is sinking,” he said.

One of the members of a Senate committee that reviewed the draft laws, the independent senator Lidia Thorpe, said in May the legislation “should be setting off alarm bells” because “it could mean that Australia becomes the world’s nuclear waste dump”.

On Wednesday, a government source familiar with the amendments said the new wording was intended to “put the matter beyond doubt”.

“Since announcing the Aukus pathway, the government has stated that Australia will not be responsible for the storage or disposal of spent nuclear fuel from the US, UK or other countries (that is, the part of the submarine that generates high-level radioactive waste),” the source said.

“As responsible nuclear stewards, we will only be responsible for high-level radioactive waste from our own, sovereign nuclear-powered submarines.”

WAIT, WHAT?!

Death of man in hospital oven 'not suspicious'

Matthew Cooper
PA Media

Sam Read/BBC

Police said the patient was found dead inside a catering oven at Kettering General Hospital

A police force has said it is not treating the death of a patient found in a hospital catering oven as suspicious.

The man was found dead at Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire.

Northamptonshire Police said a report was being prepared for a coroner.

The hospital said staff were working with the police.

Northamptonshire Police said it was called to the "sudden death" of the man at the hospital on Friday.

It added in a statement: "We are not treating this death as suspicious and will be preparing a report for the coroner."

Julie Hogg, the chief nurse at the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, said: "We are working with Northamptonshire Police so that they can complete a report for the coroner into the circumstances of this tragic incident."