Tories Back Miller Despite Resignation Calls

The Conservative Party chairman has told Sky News that Culture Secretary Maria Miller should be "allowed to get on with her job", despite calls for her to resign.

A new poll suggests most voters think she should be sacked over the way she dealt with an investigation into her expenses.

But asked if she had his 100% support, Grant Shapps told the Murnaghan show: "Yes, she does. Maria Miller is a very, very hard-working minister.

Mrs Miller making her apology in Parliament on Thursday

"She has accepted fully the recommendations of the committee without reservation, and she should be able to get on with her job, and the Prime Minister has said that's what he wants her to do."

Pressed on whether she had his personal support, Mr Shapps replied: "Well, listen, I don't put her in the post ... She is somebody who, let's face it, has worked on a lot of tricky sensitive issues ... Leveson being one of them. So she has a portfolio which has happened to have been particularly complicated.

The messages on the Department's Twitter feed

"Yes, she has gone through a complete process. She has done exactly what the committee asked her to do... And the Prime Minister has been clear that he is then satisfied with that and so, of course, I am satisfied with it as well."

Prime Minister David Cameron has been criticised for standing by Mrs Miller and is under pressure from Labour to show leadership.

But the Survation poll for the Mail on Sunday found 75% of the public think Mr Cameron was wrong to support her, compared with 14% who backed his decision to stand by her.

Some 78% of those surveyed said Mrs Miller should forfeit her Cabinet post as Culture Secretary.

Mrs Miller's second home in London for which she wrongly claimed for

And 66% said she should lose powers over press regulation while 68% said she should be "sacked" as an MP - something which is not currently possible, as the Government is yet to introduce the power of recall promised in the 2010 Coalition Agreement.

The Culture Secretary has paid back £5,800 of expenses she had wrongly claimed for a second home and made the brief apology in Parliament for her "unhelpful" attitude towards the investigation.

But she remains under pressure after it emerged the 10-member standards committee overruled the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards' findings that she should return £45,000.

David Mellor, who resigned from John Major's Cabinet amid a scandal in 1992, told the Murnaghan show: "I don't think it matters whether she resigns or not.

"She won't be missed if she goes and she won't be noticed if she stays.

Mr Cameron has been criticised over his handling of the affair

"What this is all about is first of all the judgement of David Cameron, and secondly the integrity of the British Parliament."

Meanwhile, there was further embarrassment for Mrs Miller when a string of mocking messages was sent out on the Twitter feed of her own Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Saturday evening.

The first bogus tweet from the @DCMS account said: "Seriously though guys which one of us hasn't embezzled and cheated the taxpayer?? #FreeMariaMiller"

The next one, posted a minute later, said: "@Maria--MillerMP is like a modern day Robin Hood, she robs the poor to help the rich".

And the third tweet said: "Is Maria @Maria--MillerMP guilty? We will let the public decide".

A spokeswoman from the DCMS said the department had "absolutely no idea" who was responsible.

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Queen To Host Martin McGuinness In Windsor

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, is to attend a state banquet to be hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle.

Sinn Fein confirmed that Mr McGuinness will attend the banquet alongside a number of other events organised by the monarch during an official visit to the UK by the Irish President Michael D Higgins.

In a statement Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said the move reflects major progress in Anglo-Irish relations. 

He said: "While Martin McGuinness' involvement in President Higgins' state visit may not be welcome by opponents of change, it is yet another example of Sinn Fein's commitment to an inclusive future based on tolerance and equality.

"This decision may cause difficulty for some Irish republicans in light of ongoing difficulties in the north (of Ireland) but I would appeal to them to view this positively in the context of republican and democratic objectives and the interests of unity and peace on this island".

Mr McGuinness and the Queen shook hands for the first time in 2012

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "There is a long-standing practice of not commenting on individual invitations. That said, Her Majesty is greatly looking forward to this historic state visit and welcoming all guests to Windsor Castle."

The visit will come two years after the Queen met and shook hands with Mr McGuinness in Belfast during her visit to Northern Ireland. 

The symbolic gesture was considered a major landmark in the peace process.

President Higgins' four-day state visit will begin on Tuesday.

It is the first time an Irish head of state has been formally invited to the UK by a British monarch.

He is expected to address both Houses of Parliament - another first for an Irish head of state.

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Buckingham Palace: 'Gun Drama' At Gates

A Queen's Guard stopped a man who tried to force his way into Buckingham Palace on Friday evening, say reports.

The ceremonial soldier ran 50 yards and pointed his bayonet-fixed rifle at the "ranting" suspect, the Sun On Sunday said.

The Sun on Sunday's coverage of drama

The man had screamed at police for five minutes and walked towards the gates as the "gun drama" took place, it is claimed.

An unnamed tourist quoted by the newspaper said: "He was trying to get closer or inside."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed a disturbance took place at the Palace's North Centre Gate at around 5.50pm.

He said: "Officers from Royalty Protection spoke to a male and he was given words of advice. There were no arrests."

An Army spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident outside Buckingham Palace on Friday and while no one came to any harm and there were no arrests, we are very clear that the Metropolitan Police lead on Royal Security arrangements including outside the Palace itself."

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the incident.

In October last year, David Belmar, 44, staged a stunt in which he jumped a vehicle barrier at the same Buckingham Palace entrance armed with a knife.

He was rugby tackled to the ground by armed police officers.

Belmar, who said the incident was part of a protest against his Incapacity Benefit being stopped, was jailed for 16 months.

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Food Waste 'Is Morally Repugnant', Say Lords

The scale of food waste, which sees 15 million tonnes of food dumped each year in the UK and at least 90 million tonnes across the EU, has been branded "morally repugnant" by a House of Lords committee.

The Lords EU Committee said supermarkets should abolish "buy one get one free" offers and not cancel orders of food from farmers after the produce has been grown, a practice which leads to edible food being ploughed back into the fields. 

They also suggested that more unused food sold by retailers should be donated to food banks, rather than sent for composting or landfill as is often the case at present.

In a report, the committee said EU efforts to reduce food waste were "fragmented and untargeted" and called for the new European Commission to publish a five-year strategy within six months of taking office later this year.

Committee chairwoman Baroness Scott said: "Food waste in the EU and the UK is clearly a huge issue. Not only is it morally repugnant, but it has serious economic and environmental implications.

The committee says taking action against food waste cannot be delayed

"The fact that 90 million tonnes of food is wasted across the EU each year shows the extent of the problem and explains why we are calling for urgent action.

"Globally, consumers in industrialised nations waste up to 222 million tons of food a year, which is equivalent to nearly the entire level of net food production of Sub-Saharan Africa.

"We cannot allow the complexity of the issues around defining and monitoring food waste to delay action any further.

"We are calling on the new European Commission, which will be appointed in November this year, to publish a five-year strategy for reducing food waste across the EU, and to do so within six months of taking office."

The report found that the carbon footprint of worldwide food waste is equivalent to twice the global greenhouse gas emissions of all road transportation in the US.

Lady Scott added: "We were shocked at the extent of food waste in the EU. Especially given the current economic challenges the EU faces, it is an absolutely shocking waste of resources.

"Some efforts are already being made, which is very positive, but much more can be done, and so we are calling on the EU, the Government, businesses and consumers to make sure it is."

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Women May Get Right To Fight On Front Line

The British Army is "seriously considering" lifting its ban on women serving in combat roles in line with other countries such as the US, the Chief of the General Staff has said.

General Sir Peter Wall told The Sunday Times he wanted to show women that the army was "open to" women and an equal opportunities employer.

The Ministry of Defence, which under European Law must review the policy every eight years, said there would another review "before 2018".

The last statutory review in 2010 raised concerns that putting women and men together in small units for months at a time could undermine "team cohesion", but said women would be able to meet physical and psychological demands.

Women currently are allowed to serve on the frontline with the artillery and as medics, engineers, intelligence officers and fighters pilots but not in close combat roles.

UK Army women are currently not allowed to serve in close combat roles

Last year, the US lifted its own ban on women fighting on the frontline, joining other countries including Germany, Canada, France and Israel.

Sir Peter told the newspaper: "We've got to take a view on that fairly soon.

"We're in a minority of armies now in that respect. It's definitely something that we need to be considering seriously but we need to go about this with great care, especially with all the other changes going on."

He said: "We have always said that we will look at the evidence and base our decision on what impact it will have on operational capability.

"This isn't just about getting more females into the 30% of roles that are combat trades but getting more of them into the Army per se.

"Women need to see they have equal opportunities right throughout the organisation.

"Allowing them to be combat troops would make us look more normal to society but there will always be people who say the close battle is no place for female soldiers."

Women could soon be fighting alongside men

In 2011, the Government announced that women would be allowed to go to sea with their male counterparts on the Royal Navy's Submarine Service for the first time in its 110-year history.

An MoD spokesman said: "The vast majority of roles in the Armed Forces are open to women and hundreds are currently serving their country with distinction in Afghanistan.

"They are fundamental to the operational effectiveness of the UK's Armed Forces, bringing talent and skills across the board.

"A 2010 review into women serving in combat roles concluded there should be no change to the existing policy and another review will take place before 2018."

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Kate To Fulfil Ambition On Tour Down Under

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

The Duchess of Cambridge will realise a lifelong ambition when she arrives in New Zealand on Monday.

According to the New Zealand High Commissioner to London, Sir Lockwood Smith, right at the top of Kate's 'bucket list' is a visit to the Southern Hemisphere realm.

"I met the Duchess of Cambridge at a garden party at Buckingham Palace when she was pregnant with Prince George," he said.

"I said to her that I'd love her to come to New Zealand and she said: 'Well, there's a little matter I have to deal with first of course but I have to say coming to New Zealand is top of my bucket list.' And now she's finally making the trip."

Not only has Kate never visited New Zealand and Australia but it will be a first for son Prince George, who will likely one day be King of the two nations.

The tour will largely mirror that of the Prince and Princess of Wales' visit Down Under in 1983, when a nine-month-old Prince William conducted his first public crawl about.

Prince George, who is now eight months old, will arrive in Wellington, New Zealand after travelling long-haul for more that 24 hours.

To minimise the disruption to their son, William and Kate have decided to operate a hub tour in both countries, allowing them to return most evenings to be with George in Wellington and Sydney.

Kate and William travel to New Zealand and Australia with Prince George

Excitement surrounding the royal party's arrival in Wellington for the start of the three-week tour is muted at best, although one local told Sky News: "We don't like to shout about it, and although the flags aren't out, we are quietly excited."

Two women who found it hard to conceal their excitement, however, are the owners of Wellington jewellery business Tory & Ko, who have been commissioned to design three pairs of earrings and one necklace for Kate for her stay in New Zealand.

"It's a complete honour and we are really blown away," Kirstin O'Brien told Sky News.

"She is the most perfect person to wear our jewellery because she is beautiful, sophisticated and she has that lovely accessibility about her," 

The Cambridge family will first visit the North Island, before heading to the South Island where they will spend a night away from Prince George.

All three, accompanied by their entourage including Prince George's newly appointed nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, will later travel to Sydney, Australia, for the second leg of their three week tour.

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Peru Drugs Mule May Be Returning To UK

Drug mule Melissa Reid may be sent back to Scotland to serve her sentence for trying to smuggle £1.5m of cocaine out of Peru.

She and Michaella McCollum Connolly were sentenced to six years and eight months in jail in December after being arrested at Lima's airport carrying 11kg (24lb) of cocaine hidden in food packets in their luggage.

The Peruvian government has written to the Scottish authorities seeking clearance to let the 20-year-old from Glasgow complete her jail term in her home country.

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) confirmed to Sky News they have received a "repatriation application" from Peru.

Reid and McCollum Connolly in court

It is understood that most prisoner transfer applications are accepted.

Her father Billy Reid, 54, has also met with Scotland's justice secretary Kenny MacAskill. He told the Mail on Sunday Mr MacAskill had reassured him Scotland "has no issue" with accepting Melissa to serve her sentence back home. 

He said: "We understand the Scottish Government can't promise to magic her back home and they won't pull any strings, but it was very comforting to hear that they are not against any move."

Reid, who has no previous convictions, would be regarded as a low-risk prisoner - meaning she could qualify for home leave or even be released wearing an electronic tag, according to reports.

She and McCollum Connolly - who became known as the Peru Two - are sharing a cell at Virgen de Fatima prison, a jail notorious for overcrowding and disease.

Reid's father talks to the media in December

Reid has written to her parents Billy and Debbie, saying she hopes to be back on "home turf" before her 21st birthday in August, according to the Scottish Mail on Sunday.

She reportedly wrote: "Although I won't exactly be going right home and will be going to a prison, at least I will get to speak my own language 24/7 and be around people similar to me.

"I am so surprised that my request is being dealt with so quickly and urgently and although I know it has not yet been accepted, I feel confident about the process now after having some news so quickly.

"Who knows, I could be out of this place before my 21st birthday and that would really be a dream."

Reid is likely to be housed at HMP Cornton Vale near Stirling, some 25 miles from her parents in Lenzie, Dunbartonshire, the paper said.

It is understood McCollum Connolly, also 20, has not yet started the transfer process.

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Pensioner Dies After Being Attacked At Home

A 70-year-old woman has died two days after she was attacked in her home, police have said.

Sandra Boakes was in a critical condition after being taken to hospital on Thursday.

Police were called to her house in Sompting, near Worthing, West Sussex, at 6.45pm after receiving an emergency call.

She died on Saturday night at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

A port-mortem examination will be carried out in the next few days.

Detective Inspector Gordon Denslow said: "Sadly, Mrs Boakes succumbed to her injuries early on Saturday evening and passed away at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

"Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this dreadfully tragic time."

A 79-year-old man, Dudley Boakes, was charged before her death with her attempted murder. He is believed to be her husband.

He was remanded in custody at Brighton Magistrates' Court on Saturday morning to appear at Lewes Crown Court on April 25.

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Spanish Police Hunt Ex-Lover After Brit Killed

Police are hunting for a woman suspected of shooting dead a British businessman at his home on Spain's Costa del Sol.

The wealthy jeweller, named locally as Andrew Bush, was found lying in a pool of blood with two gunshot wounds to his head at around 3am on Saturday morning.

Firefighters and police discovered the businessman's body after forcing their way into the beachside villa where he lived.

The businessman's girlfriend alerted police with an emergency call after the attack, which happened in a village between the resorts of Estepona and Marbella.

The pair are said to have been ambushed by a woman, who police suspect may be the man's ex-girlfriend.

She is thought to have been lying in wait for them inside the five-bedroom house.

Mr Bush, originally from Bristol, and his current girlfriend were returning to their home from a trip abroad together at the time.

The house is a village between the resorts of Estepona and Marbella

The unnamed girlfriend, who is said to be British, told investigators she saw the attacker flee and then called the emergency services after becoming locked out.

Early on Sunday, the killer was still on the run after escaping from the scene in her alleged victim's Hummer car.

Police are yet to officially name the victim, but he was identified locally as 48-year-old company director Mr Bush.

An Audi car believed to have been used by the attacker was taken away, along with a Porsche and Ferrari thought to be owned by the victim.

A gun found nearby was also taken away.

It has emerged Mr Bush's killer may have been inside the house for several days after letting herself into the villa with a set of keys she had kept.

Estepona is on the Costa del Sol

Detectives sealed off the villa, owned by a Spanish couple, on Saturday ahead of its examination by police forensic experts on Monday.

A source close to the investigation said: "It is being treated as murder and police are hunting the dead man's ex on suspicion of committing this crime.

"They are probing the possibility she may have let herself into the property while the occupant was away and waited for several days for him to return."

The businessman's body has been taken to Malaga for a post-mortem examination.

A family relative is believed to be en route to southern Spain.

The victim's terracotta-coloured villa lies in a quiet residential street in an area called Cancelada, between San Pedro and Estepona.

A National Police spokesman confirmed an investigation was underway but said he was not authorised to give out any more information.

A spokesman for the local emergency services said: "We received a call at 2.10am on Saturday morning from the partner of the dead man because she could not gain access to the property.

"Firefighters managed to get in and found the man lying dead inside with a gunshot wound to his head. Police are now investigating."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Estepona, Malaga, on 5 April.

"We are in touch with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family."

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Sheffield Half Marathon Axe Sparks Chaos

A popular half marathon descended into chaos when it was cancelled just moments before it was due to start - only for runners to set off anyway.

Competitors were lining up to begin Sheffield's annual 13-mile race when organisers announced it could not go ahead because there was not enough drinking water for those taking part.

But many of the runners ignored the cancellation and set off anyway, with reports of members of the public buying water to hand out instead.

Water is handed out to participants along the route

Organisers wrote on the official Sheffield Half Marathon's official Twitter page: "It is with huge disappointment & regret that we have been forced to cancel this year's race due to a problem with the delivery of water.

"We would like to express our sincerest apologies to everyone involved in the race who will be affected. We will update you future plans asap."

Deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg said: "Everyone involved deserves a full explanation of how this farcical situation was allowed to happen.

"Sheffield is an outstanding city of sport. The extraordinary scenes today shouldn't tarnish that reputation.

"The fact that runners who had carried on regardless were still well supplied with water thanks to spectators, tells you everything you need to know about Sheffield people."

Sheffield resident Sachin Salvi, who pictured some of the runners taking part, said he was glad they had pressed on despite organisers' decision.

An section of the race along the city's Cemetery Road. Pic: @drsachinsalvi

"Determined runners and volunteers doing the Sheffield half marathon inspite of the cancellation! Great effort!," he wrote on his Twitter page.

"Shows the Sheffield spirit! If not would have been such bad publicity for Sheffield with the Tour de France coming!

"A stall was run with water from the local superstores. But there were lots of people handing out water they had bought themselves."

South Yorkshire Police said a large number of participants had still chosen to run the race and that officers were already present on parts of the route to assist with the road closures to motorists.

"Working with the organisers, officers attempted to speak to participants who had chosen to run and divert them on to a shorter route to the finish line," the force said in a statement.

"However, officers have kept their positions and stance with the initial road closures to motorists to protect all the runners and ensure their safety is maintained."

A number of angry messages were left on the Sheffield Half Marathon official Facebook page.

Mel Broadhurst wrote: "Absolutely disgusting!!! My friends and I have trained for months some raised a lot of money for charity.

Police maintained a presence on the route. Pic: @drsachinsalvi

"Terrible lack of communication, won't be doing the Sheffield half again!!!! And I will get my money back!!!!!"

Adam Broadhead wrote: "That is absolutely shocking organisation. You guys have embarrassed the city."

Adam Stern said: "So disappointing for the runners but I also have to say hats off to the Sheffield communities for their efforts in supplying water unofficially to the runners!

"Proud to be from Sheffield for that, just a shame the organisation and communication of the race was so shambolic!!"

Organiser Margaret Lilley said the company due to supply water for runners on the route did not arrive.

She said organisers had attempted to buy water from local supermarkets, but that medical-and-safety officers refused to give the go-ahead.

"Runners had waited half an hour or more to start," she said.

"When we made the announcement the runners decided that they wanted to race anyway, and all 5,000 of them set off."

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