The Preston model is not likely to unravel just yet | Letters

“Were Reform to capture the council … the Preston model might quickly unravel,” writes Andy Beckett (The UK’s radical ‘Preston model’ faces an uncertain future with local elections looming, 20 April). He is worrying unnecessarily. Reform UK at present has just one seat on Preston city council. Councillors are elected by thirds, meaning 16 of the 48 seats – including the one held by Reform – are up for grabs in May. So in theory Reform could win 16 seats, which would hardly constitute capturing the council

Doing a Mandelson when you’re caught short | Letter

Let me reassure Melanie Jones (Letters, 21 April) that my sympathy for Peter Mandelson’s plight, when he was caught short late one evening, would extend to women in the same circumstance. If you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. The serious side to this is that there are people who rarely venture from home owing to bladder problems. So, instead of criticising or sniggering, perhaps we should demand that basic toilet facilities are provided on more of our streets. And we should avoid having a fit of the vapours if, on rare occasions, we see someone (of any gender or age) going to the edge of the pavement and “doing a Mandelson” into a drain

Three men guilty of repeatedly raping woman on Brighton beach in ‘predatory, callous’ attack

Three men have been found guilty of repeatedly raping a woman on Brighton beach in a “cynical, predatory and callous” attack after she became separated from her friends on a night out.The woman was targeted by the men as she was incapacitated in the early hours of 4 October last year, the trial at Hove crown court was told.Two of the men took her behind a beach hut where they raped her and the other went to the location moments later and filmed it.On Thursday, Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, an Egyptian national, and Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, an Iranian national, were found guilty of two counts of rape.Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, an Egyptian national, was also found guilty of all four counts of rape as a secondary party by encouraging and filming the ordeal

‘On his own terms’: James Valentine chose assisted dying but barriers remain for Australians wanting to access it

When the beloved broadcaster and saxophonist James Valentine died this week it was on his terms – he was at home, surrounded by his family, after making the choice to use voluntary assisted dying (VAD).“Throughout his illness, James did it his way, which lasted all the way until the end,” his wife, Joanne, and two children, Ruby and Roy, said in a statement.“Both he and his family are grateful he was given the option to go out on his own terms.”As tributes flow for Valentine, advocates for VAD hope his loss will encourage the federal government to address structural barriers to accessing the end-of-life care that are preventing some Australians from doing the same.Every Australian jurisdiction excluding the Northern Territory has legalised VAD, which represents about 2% of all deaths, or 5% of cancer deaths

Nine in 10 UK voters across parties support right to abortion, poll finds

New polling has found that whatever their party political leanings, an overwhelming majority of people support the right to access an abortion – although young people, in particular, fear reproductive rights may be reduced.The YouGov polling, commissioned by MSI Reproductive Choices to mark its 50th anniversary, found nine in 10 people support the right to access an abortion.This was the case with 94% of Labour voters, 91% of Conservative voters, 95% of Green voters and 86% of Reform voters, pointing to one of the clearest indicators of cross-party political consensus in the UK.The survey also found almost one in five people think abortion access could be reduced, rising to more than a quarter of 18- to 25-year-olds. Respondents cited developments in the US and the rise of the far right as factors

Police and ombudsman investigate death of boy, 16, at young offender institution

Police and the prisons ombudsman are investigating the death of a 16-year-old boy who was being held at a young offender institution in south-west London.The boy was found unresponsive at Feltham YOI on Monday night. He was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital but died shortly before midnight.Deaths of children in YOIs are rare: the most recent one in England or Wales before this week was in June 2019. A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “At this stage, the death is being treated as unexpected