The UK, US, and Australia have announced a historic deal to develop new “Aukus” submarines based on a British design to counter the growing threat from China in the Indo-Pacific region. The submarines, expected to be seaworthy from the late 2030s, will replace the UK's current fleet of seven nuclear-powered vessels, potentially doubling its size to 19. The submarines will be manufactured in the UK, with some components built by BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce in Barrow-in-Furness.
Australia will become the seventh country in the world to gain nuclear-powered submarines, with delivery expected in the early 2040s. To prepare for this, British submarines will begin to be rotated to Australia in 2027, while senior Australian officers will start training on US and UK submarine bases this year. The US is also expected to sell Australia three Virginia class submarines and two more if needed. The move has drawn criticism from China, but the three countries have worked closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency to set the highest standards.
The Aukus powers hope the move will contribute to global security and stability and protect freedom, human rights, the rule of law, the independence of sovereign states, and the rules-based international order.
New figures reveal that over a period of six months, more than 1,500 police officers were accused of violent offences against women and girls, with less than 1% being sacked. Between October 2021 and April 2022, 1,483 unique allegations were reported against 1,539 police officers, which equates to 0.7% of the workforce. Of these allegations, 1,177 related to police-perpetrated violence, including sexual harassment and assault. Over half of the cases were raised by colleagues within the force, while 45% were complaints from the public.
Almost two-thirds of the public complaints related to the use of force, 9% concerned harassing behaviour, 6% related to assault, and 5% involved abuse of position for a sexual purpose. For the conduct allegations, 48% related to discreditable conduct outside of working hours, while 19% related to sexual assault, 13% to sexual harassment, and 6% to abuse of position for a sexual purpose.
While nearly half the complaints and almost three-quarters of the conduct cases were still pending when the data was collected, 70% of conduct cases and 91% of complaint cases that were closed were thrown out. Only 13 officers and staff were sacked for misconduct, with nobody fired as a result of public complaints.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council coordinator for violence against women and girls, Maggie Blyth, stated that she wanted to see more officers investigated, disciplined, and sacked for crimes and misconduct against women and girls. The figures prompted the NPCC and College of Policing to publish an annual assessment of police performance to improve responses to violence against women and girls and tackle sexism and misogyny in the force.
The document notes that the figures may be higher in some areas, particularly for allegations of domestic abuse and inappropriate sexual behaviour, due to underreporting and recording issues. The data also revealed that over half a million reported crimes between October 2021 and April 2022 involved violence against women and girls, representing 16% of all recorded crimes, with domestic abuse being the most common form. Across the 40 police forces for which data was available, a suspect was charged in just 6% of the 428,355 cases with a recorded outcome, mainly due to problems with evidence or victims withdrawing from the case.
New statistics reveal the immense scale of violence against women and girls, and Farah Nazeer, the CEO of Women's Aid, has expressed concern over the already low levels of trust that women have in the criminal justice system. She called for the government to increase oversight of the criminal justice response to female survivors of violence and to hold police forces, crime commissioners, probation, and the courts accountable for achieving the necessary transformation.
These efforts are part of a larger initiative to combat misogyny in policing, which has been brought into the spotlight by high-profile cases such as that of David Carrick, a former police officer who was found to be a prolific sex offender, and the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer. Police leaders have requested that the Home Office strengthen current regulations, such as prohibiting those convicted or cautioned for these types of offences from policing and re-vetting anyone accused of such crimes. Chief constables are also encouraged to use accelerated misconduct hearings.
A national assessment of the threat posed by violence against women and girls will be released next month.
During a Sky News leadership debate on Monday evening, two of the candidates vying to become the next leader of the Scottish National Party, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, described author JK Rowling as a "national treasure" despite her criticism of their predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon, on transgender rights. Forbes, who is on maternity leave from her role as finance secretary, said she did not disagree with Rowling on transgender rights when asked about the debate. Humza Yousaf, the Scottish government's health secretary and another candidate for the leadership, praised Rowling's writing but disagreed with her views on transgender rights.
Polling conducted before the debate found that most voters believed Sturgeon would make a better first minister than any of the three candidates. However, 56% of voters said they opposed gender recognition reforms, compared to 26% who supported them. Forbes' stance on gender recognition and other socially conservative issues has raised concerns among the Scottish Greens, with whom the SNP governs in partnership.
During the debate, Forbes and Yousaf traded blows over their appeal to different sectors of the electorate, with Yousaf claiming that Forbes' popularity had "plummeted" among SNP voters since the start of the campaign. Forbes stumbled slightly when asked to apologise to gay married couples, but insisted she did not disapprove of their lifestyle. She also made a controversial statement that a gay man could consent to conversion practices, despite an expert advisory group's finding that such consent is not possible.
When asked about an adult gay man who wanted therapy to change his sexuality during the Sky News leadership debate, Kate Forbes replied, "That's his choice." Humza Yousaf criticized Forbes, saying that her response showed she was not able to give a straightforward answer on progressive issues, and that it would alienate SNP supporters.
He suggested that while Forbes might appeal to conservatives because of her economic vision, she was not able to maintain support from the party's base. Forbes countered by claiming that she was more trusted in every policy area, but Yousaf argued that this was because she had not held a public service delivery role. Sky's polling by YouGov indicated that all three candidates had yet to convince voters, with at least a third of voters unsure about their qualifications as first minister.
Protesters gather in Parliament Square to denounce UK's proposed asylum and migration law as MPs debate in Commons.
On Monday evening, a sizable crowd gathered at Parliament Square, starting near the Winston Churchill statue, to protest against the government's controversial new asylum and migration law. Chanting slogans such as "What do we want? Safe passage. When do we want it? Now" and "Who built the NHS? Migrants built the NHS," the demonstrators held up placards reading "migrants and refugees welcome here: blame austerity, not migrants."
The protest came as MPs debated the measures of the government's illegal migration bill, which would prevent individuals entering the UK on small boats from claiming asylum, and ban them from returning once removed. Asylum seekers currently have the right to remain in the country while their cases are heard.
On Monday night, MPs voted 312 in favour and 250 against the bill, advancing it to its second reading.
Earlier, at the Parliament Square protest, Kolbassia Haoussou MBE, a co-founder of Survivors Speak Out representing torture victims, spoke out against the bill. He stated that the proposed law would not prevent individuals from seeking asylum and that they would instead resort to even more dangerous methods of migration. "When people are fleeing, there’s nothing in this world that can stop them," he added, before urging attendees to contact their MPs, saying "We have people, we have the power."
SNP MP Stephen Flynn condemned the government's rhetoric, stating, "The Tories talk of invasions, of swarms ... They’re lying, it’s as simple as that. They’re trying to beat down on people to who they should be offering a helping hand. Shame on them."
Kay Marsh, a resident of Dover, expressed concern over the bill, calling it a "revenge plan." Meanwhile, Labour MP Nadia Whittome addressed the crowd, calling on Conservative MPs to stop using "dehumanising, denigrating, disgusting rhetoric" when discussing refugees.
People arriving on our shores are not invaders, queue jumpers, criminals, or illegals. They are people like you and me," said an unidentified speaker at the protest.
Denise Tolan, a retired teacher from Wokingham, Berkshire, travelled to the event and condemned the proposed law as "vile, hateful, and divisive." She criticized it for catering to xenophobia, stating that it did not represent the people and was shameful. "I'm lost for words," she added.
Nick, who works for a human rights charity, said: “I’m here to show people that what this government is doing is just disgusting. It’s incredibly upsetting to see how we’re turning as a country. And it’s scary, I’m genuinely scared.
“The government say people are illegal but no people can be illegal. But these proposals go completely against international human rights standards.”
More than 45,500 people crossed the Channel on small boats to the UK in 2022, compared with 28,000 the year before.
Meanwhile, more than 160,000 people in the UK are waiting for decisions on their applications for asylum.
Lancashire police have arrested a 34-year-old man from Kidderminster, who claimed to be a TikTok sleuth, on suspicion of malicious communications offences and perverting the course of justice. The arrest is related to footage of Nicola Bulley’s body being recovered from the River Wyre, which was filmed from inside a police cordon and subsequently posted online. The footage went viral on social media, sparking a public obsession with the mother-of-two’s mysterious disappearance.
Ms Bulley, 45, vanished while walking her spaniel near the River Wyre on Jan 27, and her body was eventually recovered on Feb 19, around a mile downstream from where she was last seen. The intervening weeks saw a toxic spectacle, as the case attracted growing interest from the public, theories about her fate circulated widely on social media, and armchair detectives became fixated on the idea that Ms Bulley had been murdered or abducted. The TikTok user was bailed with conditions after the arrest.
