Armed Robber On The Run Is 'Threat To Public'

Police have warned the public to stay away from a convict who is the latest to go on the run from an open prison.

Officers said that David Blood, who is serving a life sentence for robbery, may pose "a threat to the public".

The 48-year-old absconded from Ford Prison in West Sussex, some time between 8.30am and 1pm on Thursday.

It is thought to be the second time he has escaped from an open prison. It is understood he went missing from HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire in April 2012.

On that occasion, he was not found until almost three months later.

Blood was jailed for life at Stafford Crown Court in 2003 after he was convicted of robbing a post office in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands with a number of other men in December 2000.

PC Stephen Reed said: "Because of Blood's record, we have to consider that he could pose a threat to the public.

"I would urge anyone that sees him to contact us on 999 rather than approaching him."

Police have described Blood as 6ft 1in tall (1.85m), of small build with brown eyes and cropped black hair. He is known to have links in Staffordshire and Warwickshire.

Blood's escape is the latest in a spate of inmates absconding from open prisons.

The most high-profile offender to go missing was the violent armed robber Michael Wheatley- known as Skullcracker.

Wheatly carried out a raid on a building society while on the run after being let out of the Standford Hill prison in Kent last month.

He was later jailed for life.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The Justice Secretary has been clear that keeping the public safe is our priority and has already ordered major changes to tighten up temporary release processes and open prison eligibility.

"Absconds have reached record lows under this Government - down 80% over the last 10 years - but each and every incident is taken seriously, with the police contacted as a matter of urgency.

"Open prisons and temporary licence are an important tool in rehabilitating long term offenders but not at the expense of public safety."

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Interest Rates May Rise 'Sooner Than Expected'

George Osborne Acts To Curb Housing Bubble

Updated: 1:25am UK, Friday 13 June 2014

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Barely a few minutes into his Mansion House speech, George Osborne said: "So while I know this is my fifth speech to you as Chancellor, I hope it is not my last."

I'll bet he does!

But whether he's back this time next year addressing the bankers and City money men and women, or listening to Ed Balls make it, could depend on the success or not of the measures he announced in this year's speech.

He wouldn't admit it. But the Chancellor now appears to accept that the threat of a "housing bubble" in London and some other parts of the country is a potential problem.

He doesn't want interest rates to rise before next year's general election to curb house price inflation. We know that from no lesser source than Her Majesty the Queen last week.

"To strengthen the economy and provide stability and security, my ministers will continue to reduce the country's deficit, helping to ensure that mortgage and interest rates remain low," she said right at the outset of her speech at the State Opening of Parliament.

So instead, the Chancellor plans to give the Bank of England powers to curb big mortgages being offered to people who can't afford the repayments.

Excuse me, though. Aren't many of the big lenders doing that already? Some lenders are limiting loans to four times salary and scrapping loans of more than £500,000. There has been a clampdown on interest-only mortgages too.

But the price of an average house rose by £223 a day last month and by 16% over the past year. It's not as if Mr Osborne hasn't been warned.

For months, the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable has been warning about a "housing bubble". But until now he has been slapped down by the Tory Chancellor.

Not any more. Mr Osborne told his City audience: "If London prices were to continue growing at these rates that would be too fast for comfort."

In other words, the Chancellor now recognises what critics of his Help to Buy scheme have been telling him: there is a problem in the capital, particularly, and elsewhere.

It doesn't take a genius to work out why: demand massively outstrips supply. So Mr Osborne is proposing to relax planning laws on so-called "brownfield sites", while protecting the green belt in those Tory constituencies in the shires.

Relaxing planning laws? How many times have we heard that before from senior Conservative politicians? The "Nimbys" in the leafier parts of Britain have other ideas.

To tackle the supply and demand problem in the capital, the Chancellor is promising "new housing zones across London backed by new infrastructure". Thousands of new homes for London families is the promise. We've heard a lot about that before, too.

No wonder Ed Balls MP, Labour's Shadow Chancellor, said: "George Osborne is still failing to tackle the root cause of the housing crisis which is that we are not building enough homes to match rising demand.

"And the danger of the Chancellor's failure to act on housing supply is that we see a premature rise in interest rates to rein in the housing market which ends up hitting millions of families and businesses."

A rise in interest rates before the election? No chance, Mr Balls.

But despite Mr Osborne's attempts to cool the housing market to avoid a rate rise before voters go to the polls in May 2015, I predict the so-called "housing bubble" will lead to interest rates going up after the election.

Whoever it is delivering the Mansion House speech this time next year.

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Passport Backlog: Staff 'Told To Relax Checks'

Passport Service Cuts Hit Expat Applications

Updated: 12:14pm UK, Wednesday 11 June 2014

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

The backlog and workload problems at the passport office are causing frustration and anger - not just for people based in the UK, but for Britons living all around the world.

Until a few years ago, British citizens living abroad could simply wander down to their embassy and apply for a passport. It would be issued within a day or two. Job done.

The system was then changed largely because passports had become more sophisticated - with biometric technology for security. Embassies didn't have the equipment to produce the new biometric passports.

So, regional offices were set up within certain embassies around the world. For those of us living here in Beijing, Hong Kong became the regional hub.

We could apply via the British Embassy in Beijing, the application would be sent to Hong Kong and the new passport would be issued there. A little more bureaucratic but still entirely workable.

But in December, "cost saving" measures were made to the application system. All regional offices were shut and Britons globally were told they must apply for their replacement passports in the UK.

They now have two options. Either they can travel to the UK and then apply for the "one-day" service. That could cost a huge amount in air fares.

The alternative is to send their application form, together with their old passport, to the UK Passport office in Liverpool - a process that the Passport Office says will take "at least six weeks".

That means that for at least six weeks the applicant is unable to leave wherever it is they live. For many, that's entirely impractical. For some, it will impact on their business.

With a bit of research and a half-hour long distance phone call to the passport office, I have discovered that it is possible to send a copy of your old passport rather than the original, but only in "exceptional circumstances" determined on a "case-by-case basis".

However, this leads to its own problems - the moment the new passport is issued (back in the UK) the old one (still in the hands of the applicant) is cancelled.

So in the time it takes to send the new one to the applicant overseas - several weeks - they are unable to travel because the passport they hold will be flagged as 'cancelled' at immigration.

Confusing? Frustrating? Certainly.

The stories we're hearing are mounting up - a British bride-to-be, living in Hong Kong, has been waiting for her replacement passport for eight weeks. She still doesn't have it. Her wedding, in Bali, is in two weeks.

A Briton living in South Africa who's taking a group of South African children to the World Cup, had been waiting 15 weeks.

A British businessman living in Hong Kong told us he'd waited 10 weeks. His new passport has just arrived but the passport office forgot to send back his old one which contained his visas. He is therefore still unable to travel.

The bottom line is this - not all that long ago, Britons living abroad could get a replacement passport in a day or two.

Now they are being grounded for "at least six weeks" and in many cases, far longer.

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Rik Mayall: Post-Mortem To Take Place

Rik Mayall's Memorable Lines

Updated: 5:50pm UK, Monday 09 June 2014

Rik Mayall, who has died aged 56, starred in a host of comedy productions. Here are some of his most memorable lines and scenes:

:: As Lord Flashheart in Blackadder II:

(To Baldrick [Sir Tony Robinson], dressed in drag as a bridesmaid): "Thanks bridesmaid, like the beard. Gives me something to hang on to!"

:: As hero pilot Squadron Leader Lord Flashheart in Blackadder Goes Forth (1989)

Flashheart: All right men, let's do-oo-oo it! The first thing to remember is: always treat your kite [taps chalkboard picture of a biplane] like you treat your woman [whips the air with his cane]

Lieutenant George (Hugh Laurie) : How, how do you mean, Sir? Do you mean, do you mean take her home at weekends to meet your mother?

Lord Flashheart: No, I mean get inside her five times a day and take her to heaven and back.

Captain Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson): I'm beginning to see why the suffragette movement want the vote.

Lord Flashheart: Hey! Any girl who wants to chain herself to my railings and suffer a jet movement gets my vote!

"Captain Darling? Last person I called darling was pregnant 20 seconds later."

:: As Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman (1987 - 1992)

"Why should we, the country that produced Shakespeare, Christopher Wren, and those are just the people on our banknotes for Christ's sake, cower down to the countries that produced Hitler, Napoleon, the Mafia, and the the the, the the the, the the the Smurfs! Remember my friends, God is dead. Marx is also dead. But the market lives.The market must become your new God."

:: As Richard "Richie" Richard in Bottom (1991 - 1995)

Richie: Some people are short-tempered, aren't they?

Eddie Hitler (Adrian Edmondson): Yeah, well, about four or five thousand of 'em, by the looks of things.

Richie: Yeah. But it's wonderful, though, Eddie. I mean, look. All the local communities are out there, on the streets.

Eddie: Beating the shit out of each other.

Richie: Yeah! Oh, I love carnival time. Oh, look at that policeman over there!

Eddie: Which one?

Richie: The one jumping up and down, waving his arms.

Eddie: The one that's on fire?

Richie: Yeah!

Source: IMDB

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Experts Say Statin Guidance Is 'Deeply Worrying'

How Do Statins Help Prevent Heart Disease?

Updated: 4:16am UK, Wednesday 11 June 2014

Statins are a group of drugs prescribed to help lower the level of "bad" cholesterol in a person's blood.

The official term for "bad" cholesterol is low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that, over time, can lead to a hardening and narrowing of the arteries and heart (cardiovascular) disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death in the UK.

People with CVD mainly suffer from one of four problems: coronary heart disease, when the blood supply to the heart becomes restricted; angina, a sharp chest pain, caused by coronary heart disease; heart attacks, when the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked; or stroke, when the supply of blood to the brain becomes blocked.

Statins are prescribed to lower the production of LDL cholesterol inside the liver and thus lower the risk of CVD.

There are five types of statins available on prescription in the UK - atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), pravastatin (Lipostat), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor).

They come in tablet form and are taken once a day at a regular time.

Doctors usually prescribe statins to patients with a history of CVD or whose personal or family medical history suggest they may develop it within the next 10 years. 

In most cases, people who take statins will need to keep taking them for the rest of their lives to prevent a return to dangerous levels of cholesterol.

For some people, statins may have side effects. These include an upset stomach, a headache or nausea.

Very rarely, according to NHS Choices, there are cases involving more serious side effects such as kidney failure.

Opponents of statins say a person can reduce their cholesterol level naturally through a change in diet and lifestyle.

They advise eating a healthy diet high in fruit and vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids (commonly found in oily fish), as well as losing weight, regular exercise, moderate drinking and giving up smoking.

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Passport Backlog Denied Amid Long Wait Claims

The Passport Office has insisted there is "no backlog" in applications, despite claims that as many as 500,000 people are now waiting for their documents to be sent out.

Some three million passports have already been issued this year, with officials processing an average of 18,000 applications a day over the last two months.

One MP said thousands of families face having their summer holiday plans ruined because documents were not being prepared in "anything like" the normal time.

Paul Pugh, chief executive of the Passport Office, said more than 97% of straightforward applications were being processed within the target turnaround time of three weeks, with 99% processed within a month.

"We've been experiencing exceptional early summer demand for passports, in part due to the improving economy and a rise in holiday bookings," he said.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said the number of people applying for passports between January and now was at a 12-year high.

He said extra staff had been moved from other duties, such as anti-fraud work, to help deal with the problem but insisted that the increase had been identified early enough to tackle the problem.

But Labour's Geoffrey Robinson, the MP for Coventry North West, claimed the Government had "left it so late" to react to what he called a "burgeoning problem" that there was not enough time to deal with it before the start of the summer getaway.

"The nub of the problem lies in the cuts the Government has made," he said.

Photographs taken by a disillusioned worker at Liverpool passport office show files containing tens of thousands of applications yet to be dealt with.

Union bosses say the problem has been caused by job cuts and claimed the Home Office had a "track record" of denying delays.

Families are now being told their applications can be fast-tracked if they pay an extra £55, on top of the £72.50 standard fee - a total of £137.50.

Mark Lazarowicz, the Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, added: "I've had more problems with the Passport Office in the last three weeks than I've had in my previous 13 years as an MP.

"This mess should have been sorted out months ago."

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Extremism Row: Gove Sorry As May Aide Quits

Education Secretary Michael Gove has been forced to apologise, while Theresa May's special adviser has quit in the public feud over the handling of alleged extremism in schools.

Mrs May's aide Fiona Cunningham resigned following the investigation ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron into the dispute between two of his most senior ministers.

And Mr Gove has written to apologise to Charles Farr, the director general of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism, and the Prime Minister "in acknowledgement of his role" in the row, which saw the Education Secretary's camp and Mrs May's side at loggerheads.

Fiona Cunningham has resigned after an investigation into the row

The rift became public after quotes attributed to a Department for Education source in The Times detailed Mr Gove's concerns about the Home Office's approach to tackling extremism.

In response, a letter was released from the Home Secretary to the Education Secretary which questioned his department's handling of the Islamist "Trojan horse" allegations in Birmingham schools, despite warnings dating back to 2010.

A source said: "Why is the DfE wanting to blame other people for information they had in 2010? Lord knows what more they have overlooked on the subject of the protection of kids in state schools? It scares me."

Mr Cameron was said to be "deeply frustrated" at the dispute, particularly the way it broke on the day of the Queen's Speech.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "In relation to unauthorised comments to the media about the Government's approach to tackling extremism and the improper release of correspondence between Ministers, the Prime Minister has received the Cabinet Secretary's review establishing the facts behind these events.

"In acknowledgement of his role, today, the Secretary of State for Education has written separately to Charles Farr and the Prime Minister apologising for the original comments made to the Times newspaper.

"In addition, in relation to further comments to the Times, Fiona Cunningham has today resigned."

Some 21 schools in Birmingham have been the subject of an Ofsted investigation after a letter referred to an alleged plot by hardline Muslims to seize control of governing boards in the city.

Ofsted will publish the findings of its investigation on Monday, with one of the schools expected to be found as "inadequate", with its management strongly criticised by inspectors.

Mr Gove is also to make a statement in the Commons, where he is set to face some uncomfortable questions from Labour which has seized on the spat, and accused the Government of "gross negligence" for failing to tackle the issue of extremism in schools.

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said: "Michael Gove should be apologising to pupils and parents, not David Cameron. He was warned of the problems in Birmingham four years ago.

"Michael Gove can no longer seek to distance himself from the mess that he has created. He must explain in full what he knew about the warnings he was given in 2010."

Ahead of his apology, Mr Gove had earlier denied the row with Mrs May had damaged the Government, or that he was considering his position over his department's handling of the Birmingham allegations.

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Metal Studs Treat The Homeless 'Like Animals'

By Siobhan Robbins, Sky News Reporter

Metal studs installed to stop homeless people from sleeping outside private flats in London have been described as "brutal" by a homelessness charity.

Residents at the block on Southwark Bridge Road said they appeared a few weeks ago after someone had been sleeping rough there.

In reaction, Howard Sinclair, Chief Executive of St Mungo's Broadway, said: "Each year our teams, in Southwark and elsewhere, help thousands of people off the streets.

"Part of their role is to prevent people adopting a street lifestyle which, on occasions, means adapting the physical environment to prevent people sleeping rough in a particular location on a regular basis. These 'studs' appear a rather brutal way of doing just that."

The studs are intended to prevent rough sleepers from using the doorway

Its not clear who ordered them and if they are solely to deter rough sleepers but their installation has sparked an angry reaction.

Emi Takehara lives in the block and told Sky News: "I feel really uncomfortable having these spikes in front of my home. It's like treating these homeless people like animals."

Andrew Horton spotted the studs on his way to work and posted pictures of them online.

It is split opinion on Twitter.

David Wells wrote: "These Anti homeless studs are like the spikes they use to keep pigeons off buildings. The destitute now considered vermin."

The anti-homeless devices appeared outside the flats a few weeks ago

Others, including Gavin Logan defended the installation, tweeting: "There will be a context behind those anti-homeless spikes. Possibly a last resort against someone who was aggressive and refused housing."

Homelessness charities say this is not a one-off, metal studs have been appearing across the country for the last decade as the number of people sleeping rough rises.

The management company has not been available for comment but Councillor Peter John, leader of Southwark Council, issued a statement confirming the council is not responsible.

He added: "The council can look into health and safety or planning concerns that are reported to us.

"With regards to people sleeping rough, the council has a dedicated officer who works closely with organisations like St Mungo's [a homelessness charity], who have a 'no second night out' policy to ensure rough sleepers are found shelter and support."

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