thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Storm Ciara Is Wreaking Havoc Right Across The UK

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Storm Ciara has battered the UK as widespread flooding and winds of more than 90 miles per hour has caused major disruption and even buildings to collapse into a river.
The hammering gale-force winds and heavy rain has disrupted flights, trains and ferries, with drivers facing treacherous conditions on the roads.
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Some towns and villagers were left counting the cost of flood damage as the Met Office warned flying debris could lead to injuries or endanger lives.
Gusts of 93 miles per hour were recorded in Aberdaron, a village at the tip of the Llyn Peninsula, in north Wales, while Cumbria saw almost six inches of rain in 24 hours.
In Scotland, part of a cafe and guest house collapsed into River Teviot as footage posted on social media showed a wall of the building crumbling.
Devastated to see floods hit my home town of Hawick in the Scottish Borders once again. This video shows part of the back wall of a bistro and guest house washed away. Thankfully the building was evacuated beforehand. Video by George Braden #StormCiara pic.twitter.com/ytiW3XM1LX — Mark White (@skymarkwhite) February 9, 2020
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Police were called to Bridge House Guest House and Sonia’s Bistro in Hawick in the Borders at around 9.30am on Sunday to reports of structural damage.
Emergency services said the building had been evacuated and there were no reports of any injuries.
Elsewhere, three people were injured after part of a pub roof collapsed in Perth on Saturday evening and Bedfordshire police said emergency services were called to Flitwick on Sunday after a tree fell onto a car.
Dozens of domestic and international flights have been cancelled, while rail companies in England, Scotland and Wales have urged passengers not to travel and say they will operate reduced timetables and speed restrictions on Sunday.
Drivers were warned they face treacherous conditions with reports of fallen trees and other debris blocking roads, while firefighters in Blackpool had to rescue a motorist whose car got stuck in deep floodwater.
The Queen did not attended church in Sandringham due to high winds in the area.
Storm Ciara also disrupted Sunday’s sporting programme, as horse racing, rugby union, rugby league and football fixtures, including the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham in Manchester, were all postponed.
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The town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in the county was hit by severe flooding as the River Eden burst its banks, with residents battling to protect their homes.
Men try to control the flow of flood water, outside a property, in Appleby-in-Westmorland, in Cumbria. ASSOCIATED PRESS
A view of a flooded street, in Appleby-in-Westmorland, as Storm Ciara hits the UK, in Cumbria, England, Sunday Feb. 9, 2020. Trains, flights and ferries have been cancelled and weather warnings issued across the United Kingdom as a storm with hurricane-force winds up to 80 mph (129 kph) batters the region. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Flooded streets in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, as Storm Ciara hits the UK. PA
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service urged people not to drive through floodwater after they rescued a number of motorists, while police forces across the country advised people to stay off the roads.
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More than 200 flood warnings have been issued, including one rated severe at Pateley Bridge, in North Yorkshire, meaning there is a danger to life.
A trampoline blown onto train tracks in Chelsfield, south London, disrupted rail services from the south east into the capital.
A surfer was rescued from rough seas after losing his board following a search by rescue teams from HM Coastguard and the RNLI off the coast of Hastings, East Sussex.
The Queen did not attend church in Sandringham due to high winds in the area.
A North Wales Twitter user shared footage of rough seas flooding roads and bringing water to his front door on Tremadoc Bay in Criccieth, Gwynedd.
“This is quite an exceptional storm and I haven’t seen wind this strong for quite a few years,” 58-year-old company director Gethin Jones told the PA news agency.
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Exceptional weather in north Wales today due to #StormCaira Please don’t travel anywhere unless absolutely essential. Let’s stay safe out there! 👍 #criccieth #northwales 💨🌊 pic.twitter.com/RWkvoTcgci — Gethin Jones (@GethinJones123) February 9, 2020
Flights to and from major UK airports were cancelled and disrupted, including Qantas flight QF10, which returned to Heathrow after experiencing a suspected tailstrike during takeoff.
Engineers found no damage to the fuselage of the Boeing 747, but the flight to Perth was cancelled because of limits on the crews flying time, the airline said.
A passenger on a flight from Florida said the plane’s landing at Gatwick Airport on Sunday morning was aborted three times before finally landing on its fourth attempt.
But strong tailwinds as Storm Ciara blew in saw British Airways break the record for the fastest flight by a conventional airliner from New York to London.
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The BA112 flight, which took off from John F Kennedy airport, was scheduled to land at Heathrow at 6.25am on Sunday but arrived 102 minutes early at 4.43am.
Train firms including Caledonian Sleeper, Gatwick Express, Grand Central, Great Northern, Hull Trains, LNER, Northern, Southeastern, Southern, Thameslink and TransPennine Express, issued “do not travel” warnings.
And there was widespread disruption across the network as rail companies in England, Scotland and Wales operated with reduced timetables and speed restrictions in place throughout Sunday.
A trampoline blown onto train tracks in Chelsfield, south London, disrupted rail services from the South East into the capital.
Ferries have also been disrupted, as P&O said all services at the Port of Dover were suspended due to strong winds and Mersey Ferries cancelled all services until further notice.
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The Humber Bridge was closed entirely for only the second time in its history, according to its website.
Workmen clear up after tree fell on a speed camera in Tilehurst, England. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Waves crash over the harbour and a lighthouse in Newhaven on the south coast of England. ASSOCIATED PRESS
A fallen tree in the Longlevens area of Gloucester. PA
Damage to one of the stands at Wisbech Town Football Club in Cambridgeshire. Joe Giddens - PA Images via Getty Images
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In the seaside town of Worthing, West Sussex, high winds were causing a huge crane to spin around.
A yellow crane at a building site was seen rotating freely in the wind as 41mph gusts battered the south coast.
Normally a solid presence high above a 141-home development on the seafront, Sunday’s storm has turned the crane into a spinning top.
Sussex Police said they had received several reports about the whirling crane but confirmed there is no cause for concern as it is designed to move with the wind.
Huge crane folded in half by the wind in Stanmore #StormCíara pic.twitter.com/dak58ltx3Z — Lindsey Wells (@Linziwells) February 9, 2020
Amid gales in Stanmore, London, a crane was folded over on itself “like it’s made of spaghetti”.
Lindsey Wells took a picture of the crane by Stanmore Tube station at just after 11am and said two fire engines were in attendance.
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The 36-year-old local resident said: “(It) looks like it’s made of spaghetti. It’s lucky it wasn’t during the week, as it’s a very busy, big development.”
London’s eight Royal Parks, which include Hyde Park and Regent’s Park, were all closed on Sunday.
The London Winter Run 10k event, due to be attended by 25,000 runners, was cancelled after organisers said they were “not able to guarantee the safety of our runners, crew and volunteers”.
The Met Office has an amber warning for wind in place for much of England and Wales from 8am until 9pm, while an amber warning for rain applies to parts of Scotland.
Yellow weather warnings cover the whole UK with the heaviest rain expected over high ground.
Met Office meteorologist Helen Roberts said the gusts of between 60 and 70mph inland are “quite exceptional”, with the worst of the weather likely to hit before 6pm.
“As well as the strength of the wind there is the rain to come today,” she said.
“So far, we have seen some impact from the rain, which has been heavy and persistent across Northern Ireland and northern England in the last 24 hours.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Keir Starmer Campaign Denies It 'Hacked' Into Labour Membership Database

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Labour has been plunged into a bitter row over the security of its membership details after Keir Starmer’s leadership campaign was reported to the UK’s data watchdog for alleged hacking.
The allegations, described as “utter nonsense” by the Starmer campaign, were made by party officials against two of his staff in a formal submission to the Information Commissioner’s Office last week.
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Allies of the Labour leadership frontrunner believe the claims are part of an attempt to distract from revelations last week that the party itself had failed to safeguard access to its 500,000-plus members in the contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn.
HuffPost UK had revealed that Labour’s ‘Dialogue’ online phone-banking system, which gives any member the ability to ring any fellow party member across the country, was still up and running despite strict rules on access to membership lists during the leadership contest.
Full lists of party members are only meant to be accessible to each leadership campaign from February 14, once candidates have met required nomination thresholds from local parties and affiliates.
Starmer, Long-Bailey, Lisa Nandy and Emily Thornberry are all vying to replace Corbyn with the winner due to be announced on April 4, and the ability to mobilise and lobby individual members is seen as crucial to the election’s outcome.
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Starmer team members are accused of “data-scraping”, effectively ‘hacking’ information from a membership database to target their efforts to drum up support.
But Starmer wrote to the party on Saturday night to flatly deny any wrongdoing by his team members. It is suggested that staff were instead trying to highlight weaknesses in the party’s security of access to the membership.
Jenny Chapman, the ex-Labour MP who is chairing Sir Keir’s campaign, said no-one on the team had the “capacity” to hack into any of the party’s databases and “they wouldn’t do it anyway”.
“It’s a very serious accusation and that is why I am here to defend it,” she told BBC Radio 5live’s Pienaar’s Politics. “This isn’t even a situation where you say ‘some over-enthusiastic young volunteers may have done it’. It didn’t happen.”
A spokesperson for Keir Starmer’s campaign added: “We categorically reject these nonsensical allegations and are incredibly disappointed that they have been leaked to the media.
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“We are still awaiting the party’s formal response to the serious concerns we and others had about access to Labour Party membership data.”
The Dialogue phonebank tool, which is designed to allow activists to canvass the public and to mobilise fellow party members during general and local election campaigns, was suspended last week.
The move came after HuffPost revealed that that both Momentum and the Rebecca Long-Bailey campaign had last weekend shared links and spreadsheets giving access to parts of the Dialogue database for marginal constituencies.
The Long-Bailey campaign insisted it had “no plans” to use Dialogue and that the anomaly had arisen because old WhatsApp and Facebook groups used during the last election had been included in a reworked version of a Momentum-backed campaign tool.
The ‘Rebecca for Leader’ campaign has since unpublished the Whatsapp groups.
Both the Starmer and Long-Bailey campaigns insist it is the responsibility of Labour HQ to restrict any access to its membership lists in line with rules for the leadership race agreed by the ruling National Executive Committee (NEC).
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Following the revelations, Chapman told BBC Radio 5 Live that the Starmer campaign wrote to demand answers on the Dialogue access.
“And we thought that was the end of it as far as we were concerned. And the next thing you know, a couple of people on our campaign get letters saying ‘actually we think you have done something wrong’.
“Labour members want a fair contest. Whoever decided to send these threatening letters to people on the Starmer campaign and then leak it to the BBC are not really doing the Labour Party or their preferred candidate any favours.”
Labour said it had written to Sir Keir and his three leadership rivals to “remind them of their obligations under the law and to seek assurances that membership data will not be misused”.
“The Labour Party takes its legal responsibilities for data protection - and the security and integrity of its data and systems - extremely seriously.”
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It is understood that party general secretary Jennie Formby wrote to all candidates following HuffPost’s report and the party is still conducting a thorough investigation.
A source said that during the investigation, “separate matters” came to the party’s attention and as a result and it decided it had a statutory obligation to report it to the Information Commissioner.
In a new and controversial move, candidates also have to pay a £5,000 ‘administration’ fee for access to the lists of party members and trade union and other affiliates.
In theory, all eligible campaigns will from next Friday be entitled to receive lists of members and supporters (affiliated and registered) containing names, telephone numbers and postal addresses.
However, all candidates will now have to provide the party’s HQ with specific information about the technical and organisational measures they have in place to ensure that membership data will be stored and processed lawfully and securely.
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One party source told HuffPost that when Dialogue was originally devised in 2017, it was intended to make the party more compliant with data protection rules by allowing activists the ability to ring up voters without knowing their individual phone numbers.
But just weeks before the 2019 election, the party decided to add a new ‘functionality’ to include access to not just individual voters but individual Labour party members too. The aim was to improve the ability to mobilise activists in key seats for the election campaign.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Where Are They Now? We Caught Up With MPs Who Left Westminster Behind Last Year

MPs including Chris Leslie, Ann Coffey, Luciana Berger and Chuka Umunna speak to media as they arrive at One Great George Street in London for The Independent Group's first meeting John Stillwell - PA Images via Getty Images
December’s snap election concluded a pretty turbulent year in UK politics.
Brexit wranglings continued as the public’s patience wore thin, 11 MPs abandoned their own parties to form a new, short-lived political grouping, and the scale of abuse directed at elected representatives reached ever more worrying levels.
A bruising result for pretty much everyone but Boris Johnson’s Conservative win saw every single defector from the two main parties lose their seat, as well as scores of sitting Labour MPs, while the PM’s decision to call a winter election was seized on by others as an opportunity to break out of Westminster for good.
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HuffPost UK caught up with a few of those who exited the Commons – voluntarily or otherwise – to find out what they’ve been doing in the nearly two months since, as well as their plans for the future.
Tom Brake
A longstanding member of the Lib Dems, Tom Brake lost his Carshalton and Wallington seat after 22 years.
The 57-year-old said he found himself having to hurriedly spruce up his CV and hopes to forge a new career in either transport and sustainability or offering advice on Brexit.
“I’m not in a position to retire, despite what a lot of people may think,” he told HuffPost UK.
“I’ve had a few people assume I must have built up a nice little nest egg while being in parliament, but that’s just not the case.
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“My CV is now fully polished and I’m hoping to hear about some interesting opportunities soon, and hopefully my skills and experience will hold value for prospective employers.”
While he had hoped to be re-elected, Brake admits it was “something of a relief” not to have to spend a parliamentary term facing a Boris Johnson government.
“Obviously I wanted to be part of the fight the Lib Dems will be leading and I deeply regret not being there,” he added.
Tom Brake launches the Lib Dems' final campaign poster ahead of polling day in Westminster on December 10, 2019 TOLGA AKMEN via Getty Images
“But it has been something of a luxury for me in the last few weeks to be able to sit down and find time to read one of the many books that have been piling up on my bedside table over the years.
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“Being in parliament is a 24/7 vocation and it leaves very little time to concentrate on anything else. My wife came into the living room a few days ago to find me lying on the sofa, reading a book and she said it was the first time she’d seen that happen in 22 years.”
The former Treasury Lord Commissioner has also been using his unexpected downtime to brush up on his culinary skills, cooking for his two children, aged 22 and 19.
“I made dinner and we all sat and ate together for five nights in a row, which was unheard of previously,” he said.
“By the fifth night, I think the kids agreed the prospect of me cooking was OK, and they didn’t refuse to repeat the experience, which is good.”
Brake, who spent his most recent years in parliament fighting to stop Brexit, was sipping champagne as the UK left the EU on Friday night.
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“There’s an old Winston Churchill quote about champagne,” he said. ”‘In success you deserve it and in defeat, you need it.’”
Chuka Umunna
Chuka Umunna’s turbulent political journey came to an end when he failed, as a Lib Dem, to win the Cities of London and Westminster seat from the Tories, having quit Labour to form The Independent Group before leaving that, too.
The ex-Labour shadow business secretary is returning to his pre-politics life as a City lawyer, HuffPost UK understands, taking on corporate advisory work.
He kept his hand in the business during his time in Westminster, giving speeches at the Confederation of British Industry and focusing his anti-Brexit efforts on the potential impact on industry.
The former Streatham MP is expected to make an official announcement on his next moves “in due course”.
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Chuka Umunna is said to be returning to the City to work. Ollie Millington via Getty Images
Ann Coffey
Ann Coffey chose not to stand for re-election in Stockport in 2019, after 27 years as an MP. She was one of the seven MPs who left Labour in February 2019 to form The Independent Group – ultimately Change UK.
Coffey, who was spending the day looking after her three-year-old granddaughter when HuffPost UK caught up with her, said she had no regrets about leaving Labour and that she is no longer a member of any political party.
“I’ve certainly stepped back from frontline politics,” she added.
“I could not have continued to stand as a Labour MP, because I did not support the party leader and his policies. It’s difficult to make an impact as a single MP, so I wanted my leaving the party to mean something.
“I’m still in touch with my Independent Group colleagues, as well as ex-Labour colleagues. After spending so long forging close relationships with people, you don’t just walk away from that.”
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Britain's Labour Party MP Ann Coffey makes an announcement she is leaving the party, in London, Britain, February 18, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson Simon Dawson / Reuters
She’s now dedicating her time to the cause she was most passionate about during her time in parliament – protecting children from exploitation, particularly those who are missing or in care.
“I’m continuing some of that work and I’m looking at the best way I can make a valuable contribution in that area,” she told HuffPost UK.
“I think when you’ve spent so long in a high-pressured, all-consuming job – and obviously there are plenty of jobs like that, not just being an MP – it’s difficult afterwards to work out how you’ll balance your time. It’s a big transition.”
Luciana Berger
Wavertree’s Luciana Berger left behind both Labour and Liverpool to contest Finchley and Golders Green for the Lib Dems, via becoming a founding member of the ill-fated Independent Group.
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HuffPost UK understands she has spent her time since leaving parliament giving talks on combating anti-Semitism in politics, having suffered repeated anti-Semitic abuse herself, and exploring her future options.
An ardent campaigner for better mental health services, it’s possible Berger will consider building a future career in the field.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Harry Dunn's Mother Respond To Claims That Anne Sacoolas Is A CIA Spy

Video grab taken from ITV News of Anne Sacoolas at the wheel of her car reversing out of a driveway before pulling away. ITV News
The family of Harry Dunn have called for a full public inquiry into the death of their son after it was alleged the woman responsible is a CIA spy.
Charlotte Charles told the PA news agency she and the rest of Dunn’s family were “full of anger” after hearing of Anne Sacoolas’s alleged past and asked of the British government, “how could they do this to us?”
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Charles said the fresh reports in a British newspaper took her back to the early days following her son’s death when she claims the government “were trying to kick this all under the carpet”.
The Dunn family spokesman, Radd Seiger, has called for a public inquiry into the matter, saying foreign secretary Dominic Raab did not mention the suspect’s reported past as a CIA officer herself.
PA understands the family have since written to the Foreign Office asking for an explanation as to what they knew about Sacoolas’s history with the CIA.
When asked by HuffPost UK, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Anne Sacoolas was notified to us as a spouse with no official role.”
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Harry Dunn and his mother. PA
Radd Seiger, adviser and spokesperson for the family of Harry Dunn said in a statement published on Sunday afternoon: “The revelation by the MoS yesterday that Anne Sacoolas is a spy of course changes nothing in respect of the fact that she needs to come back to face justice. Everyone knows that.
“However, the fact that the revelation came from the MoS as opposed to the Government, raises serious issues not only for the family but for the whole nation. I was flabbergasted when the MoS called me to tell me.”
Sacoolas was charged with causing Dunn’s death by dangerous driving in December but US secretary of state Mike Pompeo rejected an extradition request for the 42-year-old last month.
The 19-year-old was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car outside US military base RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year.
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Sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity following the crash and was able to return to her home country, sparking an international controversy.
The family of Harry Dunn and alleged victims of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have joined forces to put pressure on Anne Sacoolas and the Duke of York to “co-operate with law enforcement”.
Radd Seiger, spokesman for Dunn’s family, reached out to Lisa Bloom,the lawyer representing six of Epstein’s alleged victims, saying there was a “common thread” in both cases.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Bloom said the “parallels between the two cases are eerie” and involved “everyday teenagers” who were “victimised”.
Seiger said it was “terrible advice” for Sacoolas and the duke if they are being advised “it’s all going to go away” and they should just “wait it out”.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Labour Leadership Contender Keir Starmer's Mother-In-Law Dies After Accident

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Labour leadership contender Keir Starmer’s mother-in-law has died following an accident.
The shadow Brexit secretary’s was due to take part in hustings with other candidates in the battle to succeed Jeremy Corbyn on Saturday and Sunday.
A hustings event in Nottingham went ahead on Saturday with a representative standing in for Starmer.
My thoughts and prayers are with Keir Starmer and his family. Keir’s mother-in-law died yesterday following an accident two weeks ago. Thank you to everyone for being so kind and supportive and for respecting his family’s privacy at this difficult time. — Jenny Chapman (@JennyChapman) February 9, 2020
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His campaign manager Jenny Chapman said: “My thoughts and prayers are with Keir Starmer and his family.
“Keir’s mother-in-law died yesterday following an accident two weeks ago.
“Thank you to everyone for being so kind and supportive and for respecting his family’s privacy at this difficult time.”
Starmer pulled out of campaign events for a number of days in January after his mother-in-law was admitted to hospital following an accident.
At the time the shadow cabinet member thanked people for their “support and kindness” in what he said had been - and would continue to be - “a very difficult time”.
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Polls have regularly been suggesting that Starmer is likely to come out on top in the leadership ballot in which he is pitted against Rebecca Long-Bailey, Emily Thornberry and Lisa Nandy.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Phillip Schofield's Wife Steph Breaks Silence After He Comes Out As Gay

The TV host has been married to Steph, who he met while working on Children’s BBC, for nearly 27 years.
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After Phillip announced he was gay in an emotional Instagram statement on Friday, Steph has now addressed the matter to The Sun.
She simply said: “We’ve had to face the most emotionally painful time in our 27 years of marriage.”
Phillip Schofield and wife Stephanie SIPA USA/PA Images
Steph’s statement came as Phillip admitted he suspected he was gay when they married in 1993, but suppressed his sexuality.
“I am not saying I didn’t know,” he told the paper. “Whatever was ‘there’ I thought, ‘OK, whatever this is, you stay back because I am happy’.
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“I admit I was perhaps a bit naïve. But when we got married it was a joyous time and it wasn’t a consideration in my head.”
The couple have two grown-up daughters, Molly, 26, and Ruby, 23.
Phillip and Steph with daughters Molly (left) and Ruby John Phillips via Getty Images
In an interview with best friend Holly Willoughby on This Morning on Friday, Phillip paid tribute to his wife and children, saying their support had been “astonishing”.
“We’ve been honest and open,” he told Holly. “Steph, I can’t write in any statement what I feel about that woman. She’s amazing, she’s incredible.
“There is no one in my life who would have supported me the way… as a wife, as the way she’s supported me. She’s astonishing, literally astonishing.”
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He added in his Instagram statement: “My girls have been astonishing in their love, hugs and encouraging words of comfort.
“Both mine and Steph’s entire families have stunned me with their love, instant acceptance and support. Of course they are worried about Steph, but I know they will scoop us both up.”
Phillip says his family have been a massive support Ian West - PA Images via Getty Images
Speaking to The Sun, Phillip also revealed his wife and children had brought him out of some “very dark” places as he came to terms with his sexuality.
He said: “There is no doubt living with this kind of secret can take people to the darkest of places. And there is no question for me it got very dark, because it felt hopeless. There is no question, in those moments, when I couldn’t see a way forward, it was Steph and my girls - through their strength - who hauled me back.
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“But I understand completely why so many men and women in this country get to the point of suicide. I had Steph and I had my girls and I don’t think I could have left them like that. But if I hadn’t have had their support, then who knows?”
Phillip’s eldest daughter, Molly, has publicly showed her support for her father on Instagram, posting a picture of the family on her Story, along with the caption: “Love you always, so proud of you.”
The TV host’s mother, Pat Schofield, has also voiced her pride after she watched her son come out on national daytime TV.
She said that Phillip – who had travelled down to Cornwall to tell her he is gay prior to his announcement – was “brave” and “inspiring”.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Tories' Refusal To Give John Bercow A Peerage 'A Form Of Bullying', Senior Labour MP Says

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The Tories’ refusal to nominate scandal-hit former Commons Speaker John Bercow for a peerage “could be a form of bullying”, a senior Labour MP has said.
Shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler said the Bercow should be given “due process” and suggested Boris Johnson’s party only declined to nominate him for a peerage because of his stance on Brexit.
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Bercow has himself been accused by three senior ex-Commons staff of bullying during his time as Speaker.
In an attempt to uphold the convention of former Speakers getting seats in the Lords, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has nominated Bercow for a peerage.
But the decision is mired in controversy, with the Sunday Times reporting that his former private secretary Angus Sinclair has now joined former Commons clerk Lord Lisvane and Lieutenant-General David Leakey, previously Black Rod, in raising bullying complaints.
Tory cabinet minister Robert Jenrick insisted on Sunday that “parliament is a better place without John Bercow in it”.
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Butler sought to defend Bercow, telling Ridge on Sunday on Sky News: “It is the norm that the Speaker of the House is always given a peerage so I think the first question for me is why hasn’t he been given a peerage from the Conservatives?”
"I think that's a form of bullying too."
Labour MP @DawnButlerBrent claims the fact that controversial former Commons Speaker, John Bercow has yet to receive a peerage 'is also a form of bullying'.#Ridge
Follow live: https://t.co/BE3hGR36Ua pic.twitter.com/tEjdcWFgCs — Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 9, 2020
She added: “I would like to know the reason why he wasn’t given a peerage. I suspect it’s actually do to with Brexit rather than anything else.
“The other thing is due process has to happen so if you accuse somebody of bullying there has to be due process.”
She went added: “We really do need to ask the Conservatives why is it that you haven’t like everybody else ensured that the Speaker of the House is given a peerage? Otherwise I think that is a form of bullying too.”
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Jenrick said he did not agree with Butler and that there was “no obligation” on Boris Johnson to make Bercow a peer.
"Parliament is a better place without John Bercow".
Housing Secretary @RobertJenrick responds to comments by @DawnButlerBrent on the former Speaker of the House of Commons. He adds he wouldn't offer Mr Bercow a peerage.
Follow live: https://t.co/BE3hGR36Ua#Ridge pic.twitter.com/mccfUKDBi6 — Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 9, 2020
“Personally I wouldn’t offer John Bercow a peerage,” he the Communities Secretary said.
“I think you have seen some very serious allegations of bullying and harassment from senior credible people including a Lt Gen who worked with him.
“These are important things that need to be investigated before any decision like that is taken.
“And in my own experience parliament is a better place without John Bercow in it, long may that continue.”
He added: “John Bercow never believed in convention himself when he was Speaker, he explicitly said that he didn’t think the conventions needed to be abided by.
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“He said if you do that nothing ever changes.”
Leakey said this week it would be a “scandal” if Bercow was given a peerage.
The former Black Rod, who in charge of the day to day running of the House of Lords, told the BBC that there were times Bercow “would fly into a rage” and “the red mist would descend”.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott sparked fierce criticism earlier this week when she dismissed the idea that Leakey, a former soldier, could be bullied.
The House of Commons meanwhile said it was “unacceptable” for Bercow to publicly name parliamentary staff in his autobiography, which was released this week, without their permission.
Bercow has also been accused of bullying by Lord Lisvane, who was clerk of the House.
The former Speaker told Sky News earlier this week that the allegations against him were “total and utter rubbish – from start to finish”.
In a separate statement, Bercow said the allegations against him came at a “curious” time as he seeks to become a peer.
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He also attacked the government for not elevating him to the Lords after his retirement as Speaker.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Coronavirus: Fourth Person Tests Positive In England

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A fourth person has tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, the chief medical officer has announced.
Professor Chris Whitty said the patient is “a known contact” of a previously confirmed UK case and the virus was passed on in France, PA Media reports.
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The latest development comes as the death toll in China reached 811, surpassing the number killed in the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003.
Professor Whitty said: “Experts at Public Health England continue to work hard tracing patient contacts from the UK cases. They successfully identified this individual and ensured the appropriate support was provided.
“The patient has been transferred to a specialist NHS centre at The Royal Free Hospital, and we are now using robust infection control measures to prevent any possible further spread of the virus.”
Update on #coronavirus:
A further patient in England has tested positive for coronavirus bringing the total number of cases in the UK to four. The individual acquired the virus in France.
Full statement from Professor Chris Whitty, @CMO_England:
▶ https://t.co/mzuctI3Dst pic.twitter.com/kxXsBiP3UH — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) February 9, 2020
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The last plane carrying British citizens evacuated from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan landed in Oxfordshire on Sunday.
The passengers will now be taken to the Kents Hill Park hotel and conference centre in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, where they will be quarantined for 14 days. The ambulance service said the presence of the group in Milton Keynes would not present a risk to local people.
The arrival of the plane in England comes as a British man in Majorca tested positive for coronavirus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--The Oscars Is Our Annual Reminder That Black Creatives Aren't Recognised Like White People

The Oscars still aren't recognising Black creatives like they should be, Trevor Dion Nicholas writes. Reuters
We are dancing through another awards season in which the landscape of films being held up for applause is discouragingly lacking in colour variance. It’s our annual reminder that melanin on screen doesn’t receive the same acknowledgement as films starring – and crafted by – primarily white creative teams. Most disheartening is that the entertainment industry has been experiencing a continued boom from telling stories about and by people of colour. Yet, there are again massive omissions when it comes to diverse film celebration in the main stream.
Cynthia Erivo was granted a deserved nomination for her work in Harriet, but remains the only Black person in all of the acting categories, with Antonio Banderas joining her to make up two minorities in a list of twenty.
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Queen and Slim, which displayed Lena Waithe’s expanding craft as a writer, told a deeply compelling and award worthy story was ignored by the Oscars. There was also word from director Melina Matsouka that Golden Globe voters refused to even screen the film for contention.
Just Mercy, containing phenomenal performances by Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan (which also represented a big step as a producing venture for the latter), was ignored by the Oscars.
Even Eddie Murphy’s brash, yet relatable, depiction in Dolemite Is My Name was some of the finest work in a year of fantastic cinema – yet still misses Oscar recognition. Murphy may be the least surprised by this phenomenon; back in 1988 while presenting the 60th Academy Awards, he proclaimed his apprehension in appearing, stating: “I will give this award, but Black people will not ride the caboose of society and we will not bring up the rear anymore. I want you to recognize us.” That recognition remains a struggle now over 30 years later. The stories we tell and the art we create all paint a picture of a planet full of different types of people. Yet, the movies that are gilded continue to be unbalanced on the scales of equal representation.
As a Black actor, I have pushed my way into – and through – a business that has a tendency to limit the reach of its Black performers. Whilst we’ve made strides since the days of Blacks on screen being fetishised as criminals or purveyors of violence, there still appears to be a limited number of slots available for us to succeed on a large scale.
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Even Robert Downey Jr. recently stated that his portrayal of Kirk Lazarus in the 2008 film Tropic Thunder could likely not happen today. This was a satirical depiction of a white actor performing in Blackface to gain further notoriety and award contention – a comedic look at the toxic Hollywood mindset, that ironically gained Downey Jr. his second Academy Award nomination.
So where is the path for change? Joaquin Phoenix made a strong statement when receiving his BAFTA award, saying: “It is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it.” For people of colour it can be difficult to accept this type of public allyship, especially when it runs the risk of being performative or a possible flex of Joaquin’s “wokeness”. At the same time it can be challenging for potential white allies to concede their own privilege – not as an admission of guilt, but as a step in building empathy and trust. For me, this is where the start of the the solution sits. It is not about guilt – it is about acknowledgement of bias and the recognition of a long history wherein brown faces have been seen as lesser value to the art we create. Identify the behaviour and change the conduct.
I cannot stress enough the importance of seeing people who look like you on screen, not only in real life – it is the keystone of progress. I would not have even fathomed building a career in the entertainment industry without witnessing the examples of non-white faces that came before me. Merely allowing us to play every once in a while is no longer adequate; seeing people of colour recognised for our hard, remarkable work is how we can adjust an already skewed perspective of our place in the world. So much of our sense of self is built from the media we intake – who we see and how we see them. It’s impossible to showcase a look at the real world if we continue presenting with the color turned off.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--The Masked Singer's Fox Reveals Why One Aspect Of The Show Was So Difficult Following Their Unmaskin

The Masked Singer's Fox Reveals Why One Aspect Of The Show Was So Difficult Following Their Unmasking

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After weeks of guessing, The Masked Singer’s Fox has been unmasked as Denise Van Outen – just as many viewers had suspected.
Following her identity being revealed, the TV personality has admitted there wasn’t a single person she told about doing the show, but found one aspect of the show particularly difficult.
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Fox on The Masked Singer ITV
Denise said: “I never told a soul I was doing the show. My family, Eddie and Betsy, had no idea. It was fun keeping it to myself.
“The hardest part for me was not speaking. I knew half the TV crew from previous jobs!”
Sharing some behind-the-scenes pictures from the show in her Instagram, Denise also told fans: “At last, I can finally tell the truth. My mask has slipped.
Denise Van Outen was revealed to be Fox John Phillips via Getty Images
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“After many weeks sneaking around being an undercover singing fox, dealing with endless questions from friends and family, telling constant lies and tales (bushy ones!), I started to dislike the fox I had become.
“But once you’re out, you’re ‘out out’ - no going back in the Den! This is where the fun begins.”
Saturday night’s episode also saw Monster unmasked as US singer CeeLo Green, after panellist Rita Ora correctly guessed his identity.
INCREDIBLE unmasked performance from MONSTER 💙🎶✨ Watch it back here 👉 https://t.co/LcBRqufkgp #MaskedSinger pic.twitter.com/F6IHfayuS2 — The Masked Singer UK (@MaskedSingerUK) February 8, 2020
CeeLo said that appearing on the mysterious singing show had been a “really cool and invigorating experience”.
He added: “Well y’know, for obvious reasons weird and wacky is right down my alley so on any given occasion I’ve worn probably things crazier than that or just as crazy so, I don’t think so.”
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Octopus, Hedgehog and Queen Bee remain in the competition and are through to the final, where all three contestants will have their identities revealed.
Previous stars to be unmasked on the show include Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters, Skunk Anansie’s Skin, singer Kelis, ex-footballer Teddy Sheringham, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, former home secretary Alan Johnson and EastEnders star Patsy Palmer.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Phillip Schofield Admits He Suspected He Was Gay When He Married Wife Steph

Phillip Schofield has admitted he suspected he was gay when he married wife Steph nearly 27 years ago.
The This Morning presenter also revealed he has been taken to some “very dark” places as he struggled to come to terms with his sexuality.
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Speaking to The Sun on Sunday moments after coming off set, Phillip opened up about how he had suppressed his sexuality when he married Steph in 1993, admitting he had been “naive”.
Phillip Schofield and wife Steph PA
“I am not saying I didn’t know,” the 57-year-old said. “Whatever was ‘there’ I thought, ‘OK, whatever this is, you stay back because I am happy’.
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“I admit I was perhaps a bit naïve. But when we got married it was a joyous time and it wasn’t a consideration in my head.”
Phillip – who has two grown-up daughters, Molly and Ruby, with Steph – added: “I was so, so happy when we had the girls, and then bringing them up.”
Phillip and Steph with children Ruby (right) and Molly Andy Butterton - PA Images via Getty Images
The presenter said he thought he might have been bisexual, but eventually realised he had to start coming to terms with the fact he is gay.
His said his turmoil left him feeling “hopeless” as he revealed a “dark” battle with his mental health that was “starting to damage him” and was “hurting him a lot”.
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He said: “There is no doubt living with this kind of secret can take people to the darkest of places. And there is no question for me it got very dark, because it felt hopeless. There is no question, in those moments, when I couldn’t see a way forward, it was Steph and my girls - through their strength - who hauled me back.
“But I understand completely why so many men and women in this country get to the point of suicide. I had Steph and I had my girls and I don’t think I could have left them like that. But if I hadn’t have had their support, then who knows?”
Phillip also told of how his depression and stress had caused his weight to plummet, revealing he is skinnier now than when he played the title role in a musical production of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat nearly 30 years ago.
Phillip played the lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1991 PA Archive/PA Images
In his This Morning interview on Friday, Phillip paid tribute to his wife and children, saying their support had been “astonishing”.
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“We’ve been honest and open,” he told Holly Willoughby. “Steph, I can’t write in any statement what I feel about that woman. She’s amazing, she’s incredible.
“There is no one in my life who would have supported me the way… as a wife, as the way she’s supported me. She’s astonishing, literally astonishing.”
Phillip was interviewed by This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby about his sexuality S Meddle/ITV/Shutterstock
He added in his Instagram statement: “My girls have been astonishing in their love, hugs and encouraging words of comfort.
“Both mine and Steph’s entire families have stunned me with their love, instant acceptance and support. Of course they are worried about Steph, but I know they will scoop us both up.”
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Phillip said his wife and daughters Molly (left) and Ruby had been "astonishing" Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
Phillip’s eldest daughter, Molly, 26, has publicly showed her support for her father on Instagram, posting a picture of the family on her Story, along with the caption: “Love you always, so proud of you.”
The TV host’s mother, Pat Schofield, has also voiced her pride after she watched her son come out on national daytime TV.
She said that Phillip – who had travelled down to Cornwall to tell her he is gay prior to his announcement – was “brave” and “inspiring”.
“The first thing I said was I don’t care,” she told The Mirror.
“Yes it was a shock, but nothing as a family that we can’t support and applaud.”
Useful websites and helplines:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--How To Watch The Oscars 2020 Live On UK TV And Online

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The jewel in the awards season crown is finally here, as the last 12 months’ biggest Hollywood stars eagerly wait to find out if they’ve come out on top at the Oscars.
Truthfully, the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and Baftas have had near-identical winners, so it’s pretty much a given who the Academy will honour, but as the Oscars is such a big night – and how many iconic moments the awards show has spawned over the years – it’s worth a watch all the same.
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As well as the usual awards being handed out, viewers this year can look forward to live performances from Cynthia Erivo, Idina Menzel (whose appearance in 2014 was preceded by one of the most infamous Academy Awards moments ever) and Billie Eilish, who it’s heavily rumoured will be debuting her new Bond theme at the ceremony.
Intrigued? Well, here’s how you can keep up to speed with all of the Oscars action on the night here in the UK…
First of all, there’s the red carpet
Michael Buckner/Variety/Shutterstock
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This will kick off at 10pm and last for around three hours.
Alternatively, if E!’s not your thing, then the Academy will have their own red carpet streaming live on their Twitter page, in case the more official coverage is more up your street.
And then, of course, comes the main event of the Academy Awards
Andrew H Walker/Shutterstock
Unlike most other major international awards shows, UK viewers actually have the opportunity to watch the Oscars live as they happen, thanks to the Sky Cinema Oscars channel.
Those who don’t already have Sky can buy a Sky Cinema pass from Now TV, which will allow you to watch the ceremony – just make sure you’ve booked Tuesday off work to recover, as the action doesn’t start until around 1am, with the ceremony expected to last around three hours. Click here to get your hands on a free trial.
And if you don’t fancy staying up all night, HuffPost UK will be covering the event as it happens, ready for you to catch up as soon as you wake up on Monday. You can also find us tweeting @HuffPostUKEnt.
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In the meantime, check out the full list of this year’s Oscar nominees here.
HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Prices and availability subject to change.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Storm Ciara Helps BA Flight Make Fastest Ever Subsonic Atlantic Crossing

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While Storm Ciara is causing misery for the majority of air passengers this weekend, the high winds that are battering the UK have actually helped one plane set a new record.
According to plane-tracking site FlightRadar24, BA flight 112 took just four hours and 56 minutes to travel from New York to London late on Saturday evening, reaching ground speeds of over 800mph.
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It is a new subsonic record, bested only by the now-defunct Concorde.
BA told HuffPost UK in a statement: “We always prioritise safety over speed records, but our highly trained pilots made the most of the conditions to get customers back to London well ahead of time.”
The average flight time for the route is six hours and 13 minutes and the previous record was five hours and 13 minutes.
Fastest across the Atlantic tonight from New York to London so far is #BA112 at 4hr56m. #VS4 in 4:57, and #VS46 in 4:59. https://t.co/gfYoHGV3Y6https://t.co/kMhjCqdEtt
If we're not mistaken, BA now retakes the fastest subsonic NY-London crossing from Norwegian. pic.twitter.com/Sr1GPeAjuh — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 9, 2020
The incredible speeds are due to the weather system which has spawned Storm Ciara, a “bomb cyclone” over the North Atlantic.
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This has created wind speeds of over 250mph in the jet stream, a narrow band of westerly air currents that planes ride for a boost in speed.
Despite travelling at a faster groundspeed than Mach 1 (767mph), the flight is still considered subsonic as the aircraft’s airspeed is relative to how fast the air around it is moving.
So a plane travelling at a groundspeed of 800mph in a jet stream of 250mph would have an airspeed of 550mph.
Elsewhere the weather news is less positive – weather warnings have been issued across the country for Sunday amid forecasts of very strong gusts and the risk of flooding.
There’s no escaping #StormCiara as #Blackpool is hit with strong winds and heavy rain🌧
It’s been a busy night responding to flooding incidents along with a flood rescue this morning. Thankfully, our flood rescue hero’s Richard and Katherine were happy to get wet...#NotJustFires pic.twitter.com/gepgBtydWU — South Shore Fire Stn (@Sth_Shore_Fire) February 9, 2020
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Heathrow Airport said it had agreed with its airline partners to “consolidate” Sunday’s flight schedule in a bid to minimise the number of cancelled flights.
British Airways said in a statement: “Like all airlines operating into and out of the UK tomorrow, we are expecting to be impacted by the adverse weather conditions across parts of the UK on Sunday.”
This is quite exceptional weather. If you don’t have to travel, stay at home. #StormCiaًra pic.twitter.com/tXiVs9Y9O2 — Gethin Jones (@GethinJones123) February 9, 2020
The airline said it was offering rebooking options for customers on domestic and European flights flying to and from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City on Sunday.
Virgin Atlantic has posted a list of cancelled flights on its website. It said it was “contacting affected customers and rearranging their travel arrangements”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Donald Trump Got Absolutely Roasted On Saturday Night Live

Saturday Day Night Live’s spoof news show Weekend Update often mocks President Donald Trump, but this week’s episode could have marked a record number of especially hard-hitting takedowns.
Hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che slammed Trump for mocking religion at the National Prayer Breakfast, for the president’s weird apparent make-up line in a photograph, and for calling out California for making the entire state a “stanktuary’ (which Jost pronounced as “skantuary”), apparently meaning to say a “sanctuary state.”
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As for the orangish line around Trump’s face in a photo, Jost said that it was “like the day at the nursing home when they let the residents put their own make-up on.”
Che talked purple hearts. He noted that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman has one for being wounded in combat. Vindman was fired from his position on the National Security Council and escorted from the White House Friday in apparent retaliation for testifying in the House impeachment investigation. Trump, too, has a purple heart — “because his blood type is hamburger grease,” Che added.
Jost complained about Trump’s attack in his State of the Union address on “failing government” schools. “Okay, but you went to private school, and you don’t even know where Kansas City is,” said Jost, referring to Trump’s flubbed twitter congratulations after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Trump Has Shared The Unflattering Photo Of His Two-Toned Face

President Donald Trump retweeted an unflattering photo of himself on Saturday, complaining that the post was intended to “demean” him — but insisted his “hair looks good.”
He shared a black and white version of an image which was trending on Twitter under the hashtag “Orange Face.” The original colour photo appears to show a bright orange makeup or tan or spray-tan line around Trump’s face as the wind blows his hair back upon his return to the White House from North Carolina on Friday.
@realDonaldTrump returns to the White House from Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by William Moon at the South Lawn of the White House on February 7, 2020 pic.twitter.com/n1a1Z93LrJ — White House Photos (@photowhitehouse) February 7, 2020
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Trump insisted the image had been “photoshopped, obviously” to demean him, and called it “more fake news.” But, he wrote, “the hair” looked good.
More Fake News. This was photoshopped, obviously, but the wind was strong and the hair looks good? Anything to demean! https://t.co/t8ptYMCYHf — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2020
The image was originally posted by William Moon on the unverified Twitter account “White House Photos.” Moon is an apparent Trump fan based on his social media presence, and he describes himself as a White House correspondent, though it’s not clear where he publishes. He is not associated with the White House nor with the White House News Photographers Association, but does post photos from open press events, according to Vox.
According to an accompanying tweet, Moon noted that the image was “never photoshopped,” but that the colour was adjusted using Apple smartphone’s photo app. Moon later told BuzzFeed that the “sunset was reflected on the president’s face and hair.” The black and white version that Trump posted does appear to have been altered to further emphasise the contrasting tones on Trump’s face.
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Moon’s original photo, however, is similar to photos taken by both Associated Press (below) and Getty Images, that also clearly show a line around the president’s face. But the colour in those photos is more subdued, and Trump’s hair appears whiter.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Another post from Moon also isn’t quite so orange.
@realDonaldTrump returns to the White House from Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by William Moon at the South Lawn of the White House on February 7, 2020 pic.twitter.com/5671bdB1Yv — White House Photos (@photowhitehouse) February 7, 2020
Trump has faced scrutiny for “the hair” in the past, especially in the wind, like here when he mounted the steps of Air Force One for a trip in 2017. The criticism seems to have struck a nerve, leading him to focus on his windswept hair in Moon’s photo.
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Unsurprisingly, Moon’s tweet launched a flood of memes and comments.
Trump has always had trouble with foundations. #OrangeFace https://t.co/PW8ficHmJ7 — Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) February 8, 2020
I almost never mock someone’s looks, even if I think they’re a horrible human being, but I will say this: if you have the most powerful job in the world and virtually unlimited resources but can’t take five seconds to google how to use a beauty blender, you deserve the mockery. https://t.co/fUTVJO8QPW — Charlotte Clymer🏳🌈 (@cmclymer) February 8, 2020
People are saying the whole #OrangeFace thing is immature and petty, but there's more to it.
This image is indicative of a person who doesn't have his mental faculties all squared up.
He's obsessed with his public image yet he manages to look like the next Joker. pic.twitter.com/QmOIyTHDUW — Devin Duke (@sirDukeDevin) February 8, 2020
Trouble at the border pic.twitter.com/APt43god8c — Conan O’Bryan Yang (@bryanyang) February 8, 2020
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Coronavirus Latest: Final Evacuation Flight Lands In UK As Death Toll Surpasses SARS Outbreak

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A plane carrying British citizens evacuated from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan has landed in Oxfordshire, as the death toll in China from the virus rose to 811.
The flight, with more than 200 people on board, including some foreign nationals, arrived at RAF Brize Norton shortly before 7.30am on Sunday.
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The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was the second and final flight to be chartered by the Government and had British Government staff and military medics on board.
The passengers will now be taken to the Kents Hill Park hotel and conference centre in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, where they will be quarantined for 14 days.
The ambulance service said the presence of the group in Milton Keynes would not present a risk to local people.
Passengers disembarking an aircraft repatriating British and other nationalities to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. PA
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The death toll in China from the coronavirus has risen to 811, surpassing SARS fatalities in the 2002-2003 outbreak.
The number of new cases announced on Sunday, however, had decreased from the day before, raising hopes the spread of the disease was being restricted.
China’s National Health Commission said total cases in the country from the virus had increased by 2,656 in the 24 hours to Sunday morning to reach 37,198, down from the 3,399 new cases announced a day earlier.
Passengers on the plane from Wuhan will be assessed and will continue to be monitored.
Anyone displaying symptoms would not have been permitted to board the plane.
Officials said any passengers developing symptoms on the flight were to be taken to a separate cabin on the plane. Anyone displaying symptoms on landing would be transferred to an NHS hospital.
The first group of Britons who returned on a flight last month are continuing their quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital, Merseyside.
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Outside China there are 288 cases in 24 countries, with one death, according to the World Health Organisation.
Meanwhile, five Britons have tested positive for coronavirus in France.
The four adults and a nine-year-old child were diagnosed after they came into contact with a British national who had recently returned from Singapore, the French health ministry said.
The five British nationals, who are not in a serious condition, were staying in the Alpine resort area of Contamines-Montjoie near Mont Blanc.
French officials said the British national who was in Singapore returned on January 24 and stayed for four days in the area in eastern France, before returning to England on January 28.
The five Britons whose diagnosis was confirmed, as well as six compatriots with whom they had close contact, were taken to hospitals on Friday night in Lyon, Saint-Etienne and Grenoble.
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The chalet where they were staying housed a British family that lives in Contamines and another British family who were on holidays.
The ill child lives in Contamines and attends a local school, and took French classes at another local school, regional officials told a news conference on Saturday.
Both schools will be closed, and the pupils will be monitored for signs of the virus.
Elsewhere, British honeymooner Alan Steele, who was transferred from the cruise liner Diamond Princess to hospital in Japan with coronavirus was said to be feeling well and in good spirits.
Mr Steele, from Wolverhampton, was moved to hospital on Friday while his wife Wendy remained on board the ship.
The liner had been isolated in the port of Yokohama before going back out to sea, with 61 people taken to hospital after testing positive for the virus.
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In Majorca, a British family of four was being tested after coming into contact with a coronavirus sufferer in France, the government in the Balearic Islands said.
A student at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy in Brighton is self-isolating for 14 days following advice from Public Health England.
The Department of Health and Social Care said 620 people in the UK had been tested for coronavirus as of 2pm on Friday, with three cases confirmed.
It is understood the third caught the illness in Singapore. He is reported to be a middle-aged British man and is understood to be the first UK national to contract the disease.
He is thought to have been diagnosed in Brighton and was transferred to St Thomas’ Hospital in London, where there is an infectious diseases unit, on Thursday afternoon.
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Two other patients who had recently travelled from China are being treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary infectious diseases centre in Newcastle.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Storm Ciara: It's So Windy Outside Parks Are Closing In Case People Are Hit By Falling Trees

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Storm Ciara has hit with such ferocity that people across the British Isles are being advised to avoid woodland areas and parks in London have been closed until further notice.
Dozens of domestic and international flights have been cancelled in the UK and Ireland as heavy rain and winds of more than 80 miles per hour cause havoc and weather warnings have been issued.
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Rail companies in England, Scotland and Wales have urged passengers not to travel and say they will operate reduced timetables and speed restrictions on Sunday.
The firms which have issued “do not travel” warnings are Gatwick Express, Grand Central, Great Northern, Hull Trains, LNER, Northern, Southeastern, Southern, Thameslink and TransPennine Express.
The other affected lines are: Avanti West Coast, c2c, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, Island Line, London Northwestern Railway, London Overground, Merseyrail, Northern, ScotRail, South Western Railway, Stansted Express, TfL Rail, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway.
Strong winds have the potential to damage overhead electrical wires and tracks due to debris or falling trees, PA Media reports.
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In London, all major parks including Hyde Park, Richmond Park, Kensington Gardens and Green Park, will be closed due to “a significant population of ancient and veteran trees that are vulnerable to high winds”.
⚠ All Royal Parks will be closed on Sunday 9th February due to #StormCiara Please check our website for further details: https://t.co/NZGRthwsgS — The Royal Parks (@theroyalparks) February 7, 2020
Disruption on the rail network could continue into Monday morning as repair work may be hampered by the conditions.
Heathrow Airport said it had agreed with its airline partners to “consolidate” Sunday’s flight schedule in a bid to minimise the number of cancelled flights.
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British Airways said in a statement: “Like all airlines operating into and out of the UK tomorrow, we are expecting to be impacted by the adverse weather conditions across parts of the UK on Sunday.”
The airline said it was offering rebooking options for customers on domestic and European flights flying to and from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City on Sunday.
Virgin Atlantic has posted a list of cancelled flights on its website. It said it was “contacting affected customers and rearranging their travel arrangements”.
Forecasters have warned flying debris could lead to injuries or endanger lives.
Officials also warned of possible damage to buildings and the chance of power cuts.
The Met Office has an amber warning for wind in place for much of England and Wales from 8am until 9pm, while an amber warning for rain applies to parts of Scotland.
Yellow weather warnings cover the whole UK with the heaviest rain expected over high ground, where 50-70mm is expected widely with as much as 100mm in a few locations.
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People walking their dog on Salthill promenade in Co. Galway as Ireland and the UK brace for Storm Ciara. PA
Storm Ciara was named by the Met Office on Wednesday and is moving eastwards across the UK and Ireland.
Alex Burkill, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the wet and windy weather is “the prelude, if you will, to what is Storm Ciara”.
He said the most pressing of the Met Office warnings is the amber wind warning.
“That’s where we’re likely to see significant impacts from the wind. We’re taking some damage to property, flying debris, and that could bring the risk of injury to people, as well as just the usual things such as power outages and disruption to travel,” he said.
“It is worth bearing in mind that the strong winds on Sunday are going to be very widespread so it’s across the whole of the UK where we’re going to see very strong winds, so the impact will be widespread.”
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Burkill said gusts of 70-80mph were expected, “and it could be a little bit stronger than that in some exposed spots”.
The Environment Agency has issued 22 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action is required, and 149 alerts, indicating flooding is possible.
Humberside Police said the Humber Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles.
The opening ceremony of Galway’s year as European Capital of Culture, due to take place on Saturday evening, was cancelled due to bad weather buffeting Ireland’s west coast.
High winds were already causing travel disruption in Scotland, with several bridges closed to high-sided vehicles and ferry passengers facing disruption.
The London Winter Run 10k event – due to be attended by 25,000 runners – was cancelled after organisers said they were “not able to guarantee the safety of our runners, crew and volunteers”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Wolf Who Traveled Thousands Of Miles In Search For Mate Or New Pack Found Dead

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A female gray wolf famous for her long-ranging solo journey around Oregon and Northern California was found dead on Wednesday in California’s Shasta County.
OR-54, as she was known to scientists and in the media, was 3-4 years old and wore a radio tracking collar that biologists had given her in 2017. The designation referred to her being the 54th gray wolf collared in Oregon.
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OR-54 when she was 1 1/2 years old, in a photo from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. USFWS via Center for Biological Diversity
Her cause of death was unclear, but the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced it was “investigating the circumstances.” In December 2018, a male gray wolf in northeastern California was found shot to death. Gray wolves are endangered under both federal and California state law, and the department noted that killing one is a “potential crime” that’s “subject to serious penalties.”
In January 2018, she left her pack in Oregon, known as the Rogue Pack. Experts believed she was “dispersing,” a wolf behavior meaning that the animal is “exploring new ground in search of a mate or another pack,” California DFW wrote at the time.
Her wanderings took her throughout northeastern California, with time spent in nine of the state’s counties, and back over the border to Oregon twice. Wildlife officials noted in late 2019 that she had covered at least 8,712 miles since leaving her former pack, though in their statement on her death, adjusted that estimate to 7,646 miles. The exact number of miles she had covered by her death is unknown, since her radio collar stopped working in December 2019.
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OR-54’s extensive travels made her particularly interesting to conservationists and the general public. However, as The Sacramento Bee notes, she was also an object of tension with California ranchers, and was suspected to have been involved in at least five different attacks on livestock.
Ranchers and farmers eradicated wolves in California in the 1920s due to the threat they presented to livestock. The wild animals have been making an incremental recovery in the state since 2011, when an Oregon wolf known as OR-7 ― also believed to be OR-54’s father ― first crossed into the state. The only know current wild wolf pack in California, the Lassen Pack, is believed to have descended from OR-7. He ultimately returned to Oregon and formed the Rogue Pack, into which OR-54 was born.
The Center for Biological Diversity called OR-54’s death a blow to California’s gray wolf comeback.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--Can Marriage Ruin A Perfectly Good Relationship? Therapists Weigh In

Illustration: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost; Photos: Getty Therapists say their single clients often share their apprehensions about marriage.
Millennials, on the whole, are a little marriage phobic. (And since millennials are on the cusp of surpassing Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living adult generation, that’s a whole lot of wary people.)
Statistically, those in their 20s and 30s are putting off marriage and having children later in life. According to census data, the average age for a first marriage is 27 for women and 29 for men.
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Some aren’t getting married at all. The divorce rate is going down, partially because millennials are waiting to partner up ― or not partnering up at all.
Of course, the apprehension could be tied to financial constraints. Stress over outstanding student debt, for instance, has a way of interfering with plans to marry or start a family. And many stave off marriage to get a foothold on their career.
But there’s also a pervading belief that there’s little benefit to obtaining a marriage certificate. Is there something about marriage ― going to the trouble of getting the government involved ― that puts undue pressure on an otherwise solid relationship, as some writers have suggested?
“I do see couples who were ‘solid’ at the beginning of their relationship and then get married but end up struggling and feeling that marriage ruined their relationship or that they are with the wrong person just a few years in,” said Liz Higgins, a therapist and the founder of Millennial Life Counselling in Dallas.
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“In my clinical experience, the seven-year itch has begun to look more like the three-year one,” she said.
Why is that?
“I think our generation has taken on this idea somehow that if there is conflict or if you don’t feel happy in the relationship, you’re with the wrong person,” she said. “Divorce, though still expensive and loaded in many aspects, is a common path to take.”
When you see others ― your peers, maybe your parents earlier on ― take a glib approach to something so serious, it’s easy to become cynical. For others, what scares them off is the feelings of finality and permanence that marriage can evoke, said Kelifern Pomeranz, a psychologist in the Bay Area.
“And those feelings come with additional complexities such as combining your finances and navigating relationships with in-laws,” she said.
Prior to marriage, Pomeranz said, we often have “a sense of autonomy as we make life decisions to achieve our personal goals. Marriage shifts the focus from what is best for ‘me’ to what is best for ‘us,’ which may mean compromising on our personal preferences.”
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Karl Tapales via Getty Images Marriage shifts your priorities from "me" to "us," which feels like a compromise to some, Pomeranz said.
Ryan Howes, a psychologist in Pasadena, California, has also heard this sentiment expressed in therapy sessions with singles.
“For those who see the vows and commitment as restrictive, marriage is the end to their freedom and the beginning of a life of unmet desires and diminished options,” he said. “They may have liked viewing their relationship as a choice they freely chose each day, and when the commitment comes they’re very aware of the barriers and conflicts of the institution.”
Feeling stifled can indeed undo a marriage if a couple stops viewing the relationship as something that’s still growing and evolving after the legal documents are signed. But what’s equally damaging is the tendency to grow too comfortable in a marriage, Higgins said.
“I think that’s because from a psychological and systemic perspective, making the commitment of marriage actually places your relationship on a different level of security,” she said. “That’s when we can take it for granted. When a couple stops intentionally working on their relationship, paired with the natural trials, changes, and growth in their lives, this is where the insecurities can begin to brew.”
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That’s a problem that any long-term couple faces, not just couples who marry.
“Just talking about those topics in an honest and frank manner will help couples see what they expect individually and why. This puts you far beyond many couples entering marriage.” - Ryan Howes, a psychologist in Pasadena, California
And then there’s the fear that marriage might change your partner. That, say, they operated on one level while you were dating (encouraging you to go out with your friends on the weekend, for instance) and a wholly different level after marriage (encouraging you to stay home and put in more couple time).
Howes said he hears complaints along these lines, usually after a client has separated from their spouse.
“People will describe it as a form of bait-and-switch: their partner was on good behaviour to lure them down the aisle and once the papers are signed their true colours come out,” Howes said.
Changes like this do happen, Howes said, but it’s usually not fuelled by any sort of maliciousness.
“Usually, the marriage has given the person the security to let their guard down and relax into the relationship, which may look like they’re not trying hard, are being selfish, or are taking their partner for granted,” Howes said.
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How to handle your apprehensions if you do decide you want to get married
In spite of all these hangups ― and witnessing other couples fall prey to any number of the marital issues above ― even the most marriage-averse can have a change of heart with the right person.
How do you quiet your fears about marriage in those cases? Once you’re sure your partner is the one and that the timing is right, it helps to ask yourself how much of your apprehension is tied to the models of marriage you might have seen growing up: Did your parents divorce? Did they stay married but fight like cats and dogs throughout your childhood? That’s a major reason many singles say they’re apprehensive about marriage, all our therapists said.
It’s a valid concern, but remind yourself that your parents’ imprint doesn’t have to stick. Your relationship with your partner can be entirely different.
Cavan Images via Getty Images If you put in work in a marriage, "you reap the benefit of having a partnership that is deeper and more fulfilling than any other connection in your life," Pomeranz said.
If you don’t like the marriage template your parents passed down, change it.
Discuss these concerns with your partner, then put some thought into what kind of marriage the two of you want to have, Howes said. Premarital (or even pre-engagement) counselling is helpful in this regard, but conversations between just you and your partner are worth having, too.
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“Just talking about those topics in an honest and frank manner will help couples see what they expect individually and why,” he said. “This puts you far beyond many couples entering marriage.”
It also helps to recognise that a relationship is fluid and ever-changing, not a snapshot that freezes you in time, Pomeranz said. Recognising that will help you safeguard your bond.
“You’ll both continue to individually grow and change after you get married and therefore need to be curious, open, and honest as you work to cultivate common interests and help each other to feel safe and valued,” she said.
The payout for that kind of diligence is huge.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--The Key To Finding Out If You're Compatible As Parents

Malte Mueller via Getty Images
You’re happy, in love and thinking about the future – but how do you know if you and your partner are compatible as parents?
It’s hard when you’re dealing with a situation you’ve never been in before, but there are ways of making a fairly accurate guess. And one of the secrets, according to experts, is asking your partner about their childhood.
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Dee Holmes, senior counsellor at Relate, says a good childhood might mean your partner wants to copy what their own parents did, whereas unhappy memories could lead to a desire to do things completely differently.
“You’d hope that if you’re getting to the stage of having children, you’ll have some idea as to how the person relates to children,” says Holmes.
“One important way to tell is by asking that person about their childhood and what they’ve taken from that – what do they want to be the same? What do they wish their parents had done differently?”
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This discussion should be part of a wider conversation about what you envisage parenthood will be like – and the type of parent you want to be. Some questions can be hypothetical, such as, ‘How would you handle a situation where our child doesn’t want to do their homework?’.
“It’s surprising how few people have that conversation, even when they’re having a child,” Holmes says. “Sometimes people assume they don’t need to have it – they assume they’ll be on the same page and in agreement, or they assume it’ll be fine. Communication about all sorts of things is important.”
Holmes says before people have children, they’re often full of ideas about how they’d raise them – but reality can be very different. “Often, people look at children and say, I wouldn’t let my child do that,” she says. “But when they have a child, everything changes.”
Being on the same page about how you would deal with certain aspects of parenthood is positive, but differences can be beneficial, too. If one parent concentrates on academic success but it isn’t as important to the other – it might make the child more rounded, for example. “It’s how the couple handles those differences [that’s important],” says Holmes.
But, she warns, you mustn’t ignore red flags. If you’re having a discussion with your partner and there’s something you don’t like the sound of, don’t ignore it or think it’s something you’ll be able to change. Speak about it.
So how do you have the conversation? Holmes suggests covering these four questions.
1. What are your views on discipline?
“Your partner’s views on how to discipline a child is important,” she says. “Do they believe in rewarding, positive reinforcement and leading by example? Or does your partner think punishment is better? If so, and you disagree, then you need to look at that and talk about it.” And there are ways to do that.
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2. How much time will you spend with our child?
What is your partner’s view on how much time they’re going to spend with the child? Who will go back to work – and how often? Holmes says you need to discuss how much they envisage working and whether they expect you to have a nanny or another form of childcare. “If you expect to be a stay-at-home parent, and your partner expects you to go back to work full-time, you need to talk about it in advance,” she says.
3. How do you imagine life changing?
“We all have a fantasy that we’ll tuck the baby under our arm and carry on as we always have been, but at a certain age they need routine and stability,” she says. “You need to make sure you discuss how life might change, and how you’ll deal with those changes.”
4. How will you support me?
A lot of parenting is down to how well you can support each other. “You’re going to experience stresses – such as sleep deprivation – but communication around it is what’s most important,” says Holmes.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-09--The Wuhan I Know And Love Is Much More Than What You See Online

Courtesy of the author HuffPost UK
It feels like we’re trapped.
Usually, the Chinese city of Wuhan is vibrant and busy. Fourteen million people live here, but right now, it’s a ghost town. Normally, I’d look out the window and see people exercising downstairs in the park. I don’t see that any more. There are no people walking. There are no cars. It feels dark — like the city is wounded, injured. Most of the people here, I think, feel helpless.
The view out of my parents' apartment in Wuhan. Debbie Lu
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On 23 January, the whole city shut down. There are no buses, no taxis, and no running subways. Paramilitary police wearing masks guard the transportation hubs. The bridges have been blocked off. Highway exits are sealed. All flights are grounded. Ships can’t go anywhere.
I spend all of my days indoors. I exercise on a yoga mat in the morning, work remotely from a laptop, eat meals with my parents, and watch television.
The whole province of Hubei is in quarantine. Nobody can leave Wuhan.
I’ve lived in Toronto for the last six years, but I’ve been in Canada for ten. It’s where I went to school, at Carleton University in Ottawa. It’s where I now work and live as a permanent resident.
I left Toronto on 10 January, planning to meet some clients in Shenzhen for business and to spend Chinese New Year with my family. It’s the only time of year that I get to see them.
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My mother and father during Chinese New Year 2019. Debbie Lu
In past celebrations, all of my relatives — aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews — would travel from different Chinese cities, or from other countries, to my grandparents’ home in Wuhan. We’d go shopping, play cards and board games, watch movies and TV shows. We’d cook dumplings together. It would be warm, loud, and full of laughter. Chinese New Year is very similar to Christmas. Family time is huge. I was really looking forward to it this year, because it’s the first since my grandfather passed away. We were all going to visit his grave together.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I first saw news about a virus when I started planning my trip. Chinese health authorities didn’t even have a name for it yet. I asked my parents about it, and they told me it didn’t seem too serious — plus, it was contained in a small area across the Yangtze River that splits our city, 20 kilometres away from where they live. People don’t usually panic about this stuff.
Wuhan is just like any other modern metropolitan city filled with people, culture and things to do. NurPhoto via Getty Images
20 January was a turning point. I’d been back in Wuhan for just three days when health officials went on air to advise people to wear face masks in public, avoid crowded areas and wash our hands regularly.
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That same day, masks sold out. My relatives cancelled their New Year trips to Wuhan.
The Wuhan I know and love
I was born and raised here. It’s where I took my first steps, learned our language. My parents, who are professors at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, still live here. It’s just like any other metropolitan city. People work, eat, sing karaoke, go to the mall.
The cherry blossoms in my hometown are one of my fondest memories. Debbie Lu
I have so many emotions and memories attached to this place. I remember walking to school. I remember taking the ferry with my friends across the Yangtze, from Wu Chang to Han Kou, where we’d visit all of my favourite bookstores and coffee shops. I remember visiting the East Lake in my childhood, bringing snacks, renting boats, biking along the water’s edge.
Wuhan's East Lake is a popular destination for families. Donat Sorokin via Getty Images
I remember the cherry blossoms that would bloom every spring on the Wuhan University campus. I always think of Wuhan with love.
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In my hometown, people are trying to keep each other positive. Doctors and nurses in hospitals are high-fiving patients to cheer them up. On WeChat, a messenger app used by most Chinese people, we share memes about the quarantine. We joke about taking “vacations” — from the bedroom to the kitchen, since no one is really leaving their homes. The lion dance is traditional around Chinese New Year, but since it’s been hard to celebrate it, someone made a funny video of them doing it themselves in their living room.
Spicy fried food stalls on the street in Wuhan. Zhang Peng via Getty Images
But so many Westerners only know Wuhan in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. They don’t know that we have famous authors and scholars and actors, or great street food, or hot summers. They don’t know that we’re known for our schools. So when people share negative opinions over social media about my home, because of coronavirus, I wish I could show them its better side — the side of Wuhan that I know and love.
Back in Canada ...
The Toronto I’m seeing online isn’t the one I know and love either. I chose Toronto to be my home in Canada because of its multiculturalism and acceptance.
I’ve experienced racism in Toronto, but only rarely — I truly believe the best in people and I always want to give them the benefit of the doubt. But racism does exist. And now, people are using coronavirus as an excuse, as a way to justify them being ignorant and racist.
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Travellers are seen wearing masks at the international arrivals area at Toronto Pearson Airport on Jan. 26, 2020. COLE BURSTON via Getty Images
Meme pages post images arguing Canada should keep Chinese people out of the country. Asian kids are getting bullied at school; others are being barred from attending by districts concerned they could be carrying the virus. People are harassing the owners of a Chinese restaurant in Markham, asking if they serve “bat soup” and leaving negative reviews online. Can you imagine how that feels?
Where are the prayers for Wuhan?
When coronavirus broke out, people around the world were angry and didn’t know who to blame. So they blamed China — all 1.4billion of us. They claimed China needed to “learn its lesson,” that we’re eating exotic animals and that was the reason people were contracting viruses.
A woman wears a protective mask as she walks in the street on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 in Wuhan. Stringer via Getty Images
Recent times have been marked by natural disasters. The fires in Australia, the earthquake in Turkey. The world has responded by sending help and showing unequivocal support. Yet Wuhan doesn’t receive the same compassion. The people dying here are innocent. We deserve the same support as those suffering in natural disasters.
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As of this writing, the coronavirus has killed more than 560 people and infected over 28,000 others in China alone. It has spread to more than 25 countries, where an additional 250 cases have been recorded.
Why are we not worth praying for?
Like many others in Wuhan, I feel anxious to know that things are getting better. I find myself hoping that, if I refresh my social media feeds frequently enough, I’d come across some good news that I could share with my family.
The other day, I read news that Canada sent a plane to evacuate its citizens stuck in the city. I’m happy for those who were rescued, truly. But as a permanent resident in Canada, I’m not among them. I’m still patiently waiting. Whether I leave on a chartered plane or not, at this point, I want to face anything that comes my way with positivity. I just have to stay hopeful.
As told to Connor Garel. This article first appeared on HuffPost Canada Personal
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-08--'Up To 50 MPs Preparing To Quit Labour' If Rebecca Long-Bailey Wins Leadership

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Scores of Labour MPs are preparing to leave the party if Rebecca Long-Bailey wins the race to become leader, HuffPost UK has been told.
It is claimed as many as 50 will not serve under the shadow business secretary and would instead stage a walkout, according to party insiders.
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The split could see some continue as independent MPs but refuse to take the Labour whip while others may quit parliament altogether.
Long-Bailey is often described as the “continuity Corbyn” candidate and has been effectively endorsed by the leader.
Her policy of open MP selections, which would see MPs face a fight to remain the Labour candidate before every election, and rating of Corbyn’s leadership “10 out of 10” despite his handling of the anti-Semitism crisis and the election catastrophe, are said to have hardened the stance of some moderates against her candidacy.
While the bloc has not met formally to discuss a co-ordinated move, HuffPost UK has spoken to numerous sources who say they have an understanding with others.
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One MP said she “would definitely go” and a “conservative estimate” of the number of MPs that would follow was between 30 and 50.
Another MP named a specific figure of 35, and added: “The Labour Party would be sticking two fingers up to the public to stay on the same course as set by Corbynism. MPs won’t go through that again and the public won’t stand for it.”
Labour leadership candidates (L-R) Emily Thornberry, Lisa Nandy, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Keir Starmer at hustings at Cardiff City Hall Matthew Horwood via Getty Images
Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Neil Coyle, who put the number “closer to a dozen”, told HuffPost UK: “Continuity Corbyn is a death knell for Labour.
“Division, factionalism and introspection will continue. Favouritism and bullying will continue. Anti-Semitism will continue. Failure in elections will continue.
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“More MPs and others will leave. The frontbench will continue to fail to reflect members. It’s a recipe for disaster.”
The news follows a turbulent period in the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) during Corbyn’s leadership, where a number of MPs defected to the Lib Dems and to sit as independents.
Others, however, say the mood among MPs is generally good with most optimistic about a new era.
Ilford North MP Wes Streeting said he was sceptical any breakaway would materialise given the failure of the Independent Group, and that MPs saw shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer as the most likely winner not Long-Bailey.
“People should be campaigning to win, not preparing to fail,” he said.
Long-Bailey is battling it out for the top job with Starmer, campaigning Wigan MP Lisa Nandy and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry for the top job.
Starmer is currently the bookies’ favourite, with the backing of large unions such as Unison, a huge chunk of MPs and the highest number of local parties swinging behind his campaign.
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Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey Finnbarr Webster via Getty Images
Lisa Nandy has also built up a bedrock of support by orienting her offer around towns, largely in the north and midlands, which Labour lost at the election.
But with the backing of Momentum and key left-wing trade unions such as Unite and CWU, Long-Bailey is also in a strong position.
It looks highly unlikely that Thornberry will make the final ballot, however, having failed to secure enough backing or enough local parties to make the cut.
A source close to Long-Bailey said the leadership candidate had committed to building an inclusive team.
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They added: “Rebecca has committed to appointing a shadow cabinet that draws on the experience of all parts of the Labour Party, and she is committed to all Labour MPs unifying behind a message that can repay the hard work of party activists and win the next general election.”
The race is decided on a ballot of members by a proportional representation system known as AV (alternative vote), which sees candidates ranked in order of preference.
If one of the five wins more than 50% of first preference votes, they are declared the winner outright. However, if no candidate hits 50%, the candidate with the least support is eliminated and their second preferences are allocated to the remaining contenders. That process is repeated until one candidate reaches that crucial 50% mark.