Boy Sought Over University Sex Attacks

Police have said a boy, who could be as young as 12, may be responsible for a string of sex attacks around a university campus.

Two of the assaults happened on the same day, within 15 minutes of each other, and a third happened around two weeks later.

Greater Manchester Police are linking the attacks which have taken place in the last month near The University of Manchester and have released an evofit of the youngster they are looking for.

Police on Saturday said the attacker's young age made the assaults "very worrying" and dismissed the idea that they may have been a prank.

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Larkin said: "While we cannot be precise about the offender's age, we believe from the descriptions given to us by the women he assaulted that he was between 12 and 15-years-old, and it is obviously very unusual and very worrying that someone someone so young is committing such appalling attacks on women.

"What we can be certain about is that the women are traumatised as a result of what happened and are being offered support by specially trained officers.

"Whatever the young boy's motivation, this is not a practical joke or a prank.

"His actions are disturbing and he has caused the three women he assaulted a lot of upset. That is why it is so important we find whomever is responsible.

"We cannot allow these sexual assaults to escalate and we need to find him."

The first two attacks took place within 15 minutes of each other on Saturday September 21.

A 27-year-old was approached from behind and grabbed in Lloyd Street North at 6.15pm before she screamed and the offender ran off.

The next incident followed in Oxford Road, close to the old BBC building, when a 21-year-old woman was approached by a boy who made lewd comments.

She carried on walking on Moss Lane East and was sexually assaulted by her assailant who was described as a young Asian boy aged 12 who wore green jeans and glasses.

The third attack took place at the Manchester Science Park in Lloyd Street North at about 2.15pm on Saturday October 5.

A 32-year-old woman was approached by two young boys and sexually assaulted by one of them described as being Asian, 12 to 13 years old, of slim build, with a small frame who wore baggy trousers and carried a rucksack on his back.

She pushed the boy away but he approached her again and sexually assaulted her for a second time before running off towards Pencroft Way in company with the second child, also described as a young Asian boy.

Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 4223 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Third-Class Trains Plan 'Must Be Stopped'

Rail union bosses and the Labour Party have reacted angrily to a leaked document which says third-class travel may be poised to return.

The return of the three-tier system - last seen on UK railways in 1956 - has been proposed for the East Coast Main Line to London and Aberdeen in a draft prospectus for would-be private bidders interested in taking on the franchise from the Government.

The document gives bidders the option of establishing an "intermediate class between Standard and First", paving the way to three classes of travel on East Coast.

It has led to accusations that the Government is turning the clock back 60 years.

Shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh said: "David Cameron should tackle his Government's cost of living crisis and cap rail fare rises for struggling commuters, instead of obsessing about handing East Coast over to the private sector.

"East Coast is working well and will have returned £800m to the taxpayer by the end of this financial year.

"David Cameron says we're all in this together, but if that's true then why is he going back to the 1950s and reintroducing third class? East Coast passengers deserve better than this.

Mr Crow described the leaked document as 'political dynamite'

"This Government has learned nothing from the West Coast franchising fiasco, which saw over £50m of taxpayers' money wasted in compensation to train companies, through ministers' incompetence."

RMT general secretary Bob Crow described the leaked document as "political dynamite which blows the lid off the lengths to which the Government are prepared to go to bulldoze through re-privatisation".

"The fact that the public option is putting over a billion pounds back into the Treasury, while improving services and delivering more capacity, has been cynically airbrushed out of the final document in a disgraceful piece of political chicanery which must be called in for scrutiny to hold back this full-tilt dash for privatisation," he said.

"If the Government are allowed to get away with this, passengers can expect third-class services, shoddy performance and higher fares while the private companies get a gold-plated, 11-year franchise that will enable them to launder hundreds of millions of pounds into the pockets of their shareholders. It stinks and it must be stopped."

But a Transport Department spokesman accused the RMT of "ill-informed scaremongering".

"By choosing to release inaccurate information, they are misleading the public," he added.

"We have no intention of requiring a 'third class' service, reducing performance levels, or in any way devaluing this vital railway.

"As the independent Brown Review concluded, franchising works for passengers and taxpayers alike."

East Coast has been in the public sector since autumn 2009 but is due to return to private ownership in early 2015.

The union also claims the prospectus redacts sections highlighting the good punctuality and performance of the service under public ownership.

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Oxfordshire: Fire At Immigration Detention Centre

Two men have been taken to hospital after a fire at an immigration detention centre in Oxfordshire, the Home Office says.

The cause of the blaze at the privately-run Campsfield House centre in Kidlington is not yet known.

A Home Office spokesman said around half the detainees were being moved to other centres because of damage to the building.

The spokesman added: "All the detainees have been accounted for and two male detainees are now in hospital.

"The cause of the fire is being investigated by police and the fire service." 

Campsfield can hold over 200 detainees

The blaze started at 9pm on Friday night in one of the three blocks that make up the centre and was brought under control by midnight.

Ten fire engines were sent to put it out.

Campsfield is a long-term centre where male detainees are kept pending the outcome of their immigration case and subsequent removal.

It is run by MITIE and has space for 216 beds.

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Felix Dexter: Real McCoy Star Dies From Cancer

Real McCoy star Felix Dexter has died at the age of 52 following a battle with multiple myeloma - a type of bone marrow cancer.

He came to prominence in the flagship black comedy and was once named Time Out comedian of the year.

Felix Dexter enjoyed a long career in stand-up comedy

He went on to work in BBC comedies The Fast Show, Absolutely Fabulous and most recently Citizen Khan.

Fellow comedians, colleagues and friends paid tribute to him on Twitter - calling him "one of our British kings of comedy".

Comedian David Baddiel wrote: "Felix Dexter? Doesn't seem possible. Very funny, very gentle man: his death is a real loss to comedy."

Comedian Bill Bailey said: "Very said news about my old friend Felix Dexter. A brilliant comedian, a superb comic actor, a lovely man I feel privileged to have known."

Dexter, who was born in St Kitts and moved to the UK when he was seven, studied law before entering the stand-up circuit.

Later he featured in Have I Got News You and Grumpy Old Men, as well as Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge.

As an actor, he had parts in Casualty and the Bill and appeared in the West End alongside Christian Slater.

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Mobo: Music Stars Battle It Out For Awards

Music stars Jessie J, Rudimental and Rita Ora are in the running to win tonight at the 18th anniversary of the Mobo Awards.

The ceremony will feature performances by Naughty Boy, So Solid Crew and Tinie Tempah and will be hosted by BBC 1Xtra's Trevor Nelson and Sarah-Jane Crawford.

Jessie J, Jessie Ware, Laura Mvula and Rita Ora are all up for the Best Female title while Disclosure, Rudimental, Wiley, Wretch 32 and Naughty Boy will battle it out for the Best Male gong.

Jessie J is in the Best Female category

Laura Mvula shares the greatest number of nominations with Wiley and both will come head to head in the Best Album category.

Mvula has also been shortlisted for Best RnB/Soul act and Best Video while Wiley is also in the Best UK Hip Hop/Grime act and Best Song for Reloaded category.

AlunaGeorge will take to the stage with their song Attracting Flies, the track which has landed the electro pop duo on the Mobo short list for Best Video.

Rudimental are up for Best Male

There will also be a "hotly anticipated" performance of the Cloud 9 collaboration between Ms Dynamite and Shy FX which will be accompanied by a sea of carnival dancers, organisers have said.

Kanya King, Mobo Awards founder and CEO, said: "We're thrilled at this year's diverse line-up and the additional two, exciting and unique performances.

"Mobo is all about diversity and this is the perfect mix of long-standing and new UK talent paving the way forward for UK music."

The event takes place in Scotland's newest and largest indoor entertainment venue The Hydro.

This is the third time the Mobo Awards have taken place in Glasgow and the first time at the £125m venue, which opened with a series of Rod Stewart gigs less than a month ago.

The arena has a capacity of 13,000 and will welcome around 140 events a year including sports fixtures during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

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Family 'Disgusted' By Dog Death Sentence

The family of a 14-year-old girl savaged to death by four dogs have said they are "disgusted" after the owner walked free from court with a suspended sentence.

Beverley Concannon admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the four dogs, which killed Jade Lomas-Anderson in March.

The teenager died after she was attacked by two bull mastiffs and two Staffordshire bull terriers in Wigan, Greater Manchester.

The dogs turned on her while she was visiting the 45-year-old's daughter, and armed police were later forced to kill the animals.

Jade suffered "horrific" injuries "from head to toe" and a policeman told Wigan Magistrates' Court he found the dogs covered in blood.

Concannon hid from reporters as she left the court in Wigan

The judge said Concannon, who is on benefits, had subjected the animals to "prolonged neglect" and that she should have been aware of the dogs' aggressive behaviour.

The court heard that the distressed animals were cooped up together in the house and had become "hyper aggressive".

One of the dogs, an American bull mastiff described as "stir crazy", was kept in a cage not big enough for it to raise its head or turn around properly.

Neighbours said they had complained to the council about the way the dogs were kept, as well as their barking, but Concannon was allowed to keep the animals.

Hundreds of lanterns were released at Jade's school after she died

Speaking outside court, Jade's stepfather Michael told reporters that the family had been let down.

He said: "I'm devastated and disgusted in the justice system.

"Today was just about dangerous dogs. I think she should be held responsible for Jade.

"We have got a life sentence. It has absolutely ripped us apart."

Two of the dogs were Staffordshire bull terriers (file picture)

District Judge Mark Hadfield said Concannon's 16-week sentence could be suspended for one year because she had pleaded guilty, had no previous convictions, was the sole carer of her daughter and had expressed remorse for the attack.

She was also disqualified from owning and keeping dogs indefinitely.

The Crown Prosecution Service had said there was not enough evidence to bring a charge of manslaughter.

It also said it could not bring charges under the Dangerous Dogs Act because the dogs were not banned breeds and were not out of control in a public place.

Jade's family want the Government to tighten dangerous dogs laws.

The Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Bill is currently being examined by Parliament.

It aims to remove the immunity from prosecution of dog owners whose animal attacks someone on private property, such as inside their home.

The plans, for England and Wales, are designed to protect people who visit houses as part of their job, such as postmen, utility workers and healthcare employees.

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Lottery Ticket: 'Desperate' Hunt For £10m Winner

The hunt is on to find a £10m Lotto jackpot winner who still has not claimed their prize.

The National Lottery said they were "desperate" to find the mystery ticket-holder who bought their ticket in Bradford for the draw on Saturday, October 5.

The winning Lotto numbers were 5, 15, 17, 19, 20, 47 and the bonus ball was 38 but the clock is ticking as the winner has until April 3 next year to make their claim and join the multi-millionaires club.

"We're urging everyone who may have bought a ticket in this area to check in the pockets of clothing, in wallets, bags and down the back of the sofa - someone out there could literally be sitting on a fortune," a spokesman said.

"We have the champagne on ice and our fingers crossed that the lucky winner comes forward to claim their win."

The price of a single ticket is now £2

A key reminder for anyone who thinks they may have scooped the jackpot is that the winning ticket was bought for the draw which marked the launch of new Lotto game.

It saw a single ticket-holder scoop the guaranteed £10m jackpot and 1,000 players won £20,000 each in the new raffle.

The National Lottery has launched an appeal in Bradford with a giant advertising van displaying the information and travelling around the area.

If no-one comes forward with the winning ticket before the April deadline or has submitted a written claim stating their ticket has been stolen, lost or destroyed, then the prize money along with all the interest it has earned will go to The National Lottery Good Causes.

At least £30bn has been raised through lottery tickets sales since The National Lottery launched in November 1994.

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SouthYorkshire: Toddler Dies After House Fire

A toddler has died following a house fire in South Yorkshire, police have said.

A neighbour alerted the emergency services to the blaze in Don Street, Conisbrough, near Doncaster.

Two fire crews were on the scene within five minutes, and used breathing apparatus and thermal imaging cameras to search the property.

The two-year-old girl was rescued from a bedroom window by firefighters but died later in hospital.

Shocked neighbour Zoe Backhouse

Police say no-one else was injured in the blaze, which broke out shortly before 8pm on Thursday.

The cause of the fire continues to be investigated, although it appears to have started in bedding in the first-floor bedroom where the girl was found.

Steve Green of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was too soon to rule out suspicious circumstances, and also revealed that no smoke alarms appeared to have been fitted in the property.

He also confirmed the police and local authority are investigating who was in the house when the fire started.

Mr Green said: "When the crews arrived there was just the one person in the house, which was the child on the first-floor."

Since first light specialist police and fire investigation teams have been working inside the terraced house, which is on a quiet residential street. Inside the open upstairs windows, fire damage can be seen.

Although the girl has not been named officially, flowers left at the scene were addressed to Libby. One note read: "Love you Libby", while another said: "Sleep tight Libby. Goodnight. God bless."

The upper floor of the house

Neighbour Zoe Backhouse, whose daughter is the same age as the youngster and went to the same nursery, told Sky News: "It's awful to think the family has lost such a little angel.

"They really are a nice family. It's heart-breaking."

Sky's North of England Correspondent Becky Johnson also spoke to another neighbour who witnessed what happened.

Johnson said: "She was in floods of tears. She said it was just a dreadful scene.

"She saw the little girl, who neighbours have told me is called Libby, being brought from the house.

"She said that there was a young teenager, who she understood to be the babysitter, running up and down the street calling out for help.

"She said that when Libby was taken to hospital in the ambulance, it was some 20 minutes later that her mum turned up having been told what happened, and of course was distraught."

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Energy Bills: No10 In 'Wear A Jumper' Row

Downing Street has been forced to backtrack after suggesting people struggling to pay their heating bills should put on a jumper.

Officials had to issue a clarification after initially saying wrapping up warm to avoid paying more was something people could "consider".

Labour, which has accused the Government of failing to act to address soaring energy prices, leapt on the comment as proof the Tories are "out of touch".

Leader Ed Miliband declared: "Their crime policy used to be 'hug a hoodie'. Now their energy policy appears to be 'wear a hoodie'."

The comment also quickly gained traction on social networking site Twitter, with various comical suggestions under the tag #cameronsheatingtips doing the rounds.

One user wrote: "Have your maid stitch a fine coat of swan feathers after your manservant plucks a swan for Sunday brunch."

Another advised: "Simply add a large measure of Courvoisier VSOP to your Vanilla Latte."

Ed Miliband was quick to leap on the Downing Street comment

The row will have been exactly what Downing Street was seeking to avoid when it was quizzed about the Prime Minister's views on energy price hikes.

It came after Energy Secretary Ed Davey said on Thursday night that he wears jumpers at home to keep his bills down.

On Friday morning, Mr Cameron's official spokesman was duly asked whether people should "wrap up warm" and wear jumpers in the same way.

He said: "That's not a question that I have asked him. Clearly, he is not going to prescribe necessarily the actions individuals should take about that but if people are giving that advice, that is something that people may wish to consider."

The spokesman added: "His advice to people is to shop around for fuel prices."

Mr Miliband moved to capitalise on what was interpreted as a gaffe, even though No10 had tried to make clear Mr Cameron would not tell people what to wear.

He wrote on the Labour website: "These responses to the energy price rises show how little Mr Cameron and his Government stand up for the interests of hard-working people.

"He has no grip on the cost of living crisis and he seems to think the solution to this crisis is nothing to do with him.

"Energy bills are already up by an average £300 since he took office. The price hikes we are seeing point to a market that isn't working for consumers. Yet his solution to this market failure was to tell people to shop around and dress warmly.

"Of course people will rightly seek the best deal they can find but that will not fix a broken market, and will not bring the kind of relief that consumers and businesses need."

He added: "Never let the Government tell you that there's nothing they can do, or that it's your responsibility to sort out the problems in our energy market. They could act - they just choose not to."

Downing Street later had to issue a clarification, as insiders admitted the spokesman had used "loose language".

It said: "To be clear, it is entirely false to suggest the Prime Minister would advise people they should wear jumpers to stay warm.

"Any suggestion to the contrary is mischief-making. The Prime Minister would point people to a range of things being done to help people with their fuel bills, such as legislating to put everyone on the best tariff for them.

"He believes Labour's "price freeze" policy is a con - and certainly would not advise people on what they should wear."

Energy policy has been thrust to the heart of the political cost of living row after companies started announcing major hikes in prices ahead of the winter.

On Thursday, British Gas became the second of the "Big Six" to announce price increases after SSE led the charge with an 8.2% rise earlier this month.

Mr Cameron described the hike as "disappointing" and he and Mr Davey encouraged customers to switch to a cheaper deal with another firm.

Labour has said it will impose a 20-month freeze on prices if it wins power in 2015 but this has been dismissed by critics, including the Tories, as unworkable.

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Royal Mail Shares Hit 500p A Week After Sale

The value of Royal Mail has soared by 50% a week after the Government sold shares in the company.

Shares hit 500p on Friday, valuing the company at £5bn - up £1.7bn from the initial price offered last week.

The new high was reached as Business Secretary Vince Cable said bankers at Goldman Sachs, UBS and Lazards who were handling the sale persuaded ministers not to increase the offer price above 330p.

An initial price range of 260p to 330p was set, with the lower end factoring in possible industrial relations problems that might push it down.

Mr Cable had dismissed the flotation fever, which saw the value of the company immediately soar by £1bn when trading began last Friday, as "froth".

But shares climbed as high as 501.1p in Friday's trading. The initial offer price of the company's shares had calculated it at £1.7bn less.

Full trading in the shares, when members of the public who had bought them directly from the Government were able to cash in profits on the rise for the first time, began on Tuesday.

More follows...

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Energy Bills: British Gas Ups Prices By 9.2%

British Gas has become the second major supplier of household energy to announce a rise in its prices - by an average 9.2%.

The company said its electricity and gas prices will rise by 10.4% and 8.4% respectively from November 23 - affecting 7.8 million households.

Regional variations mean some Scottish customers will see prices rise on average by as much as 11.2% while those in London will suffer a 10.6% increase and households in Yorkshire will have a 10.5% lift.

The move comes despite a pledge by British Gas earlier this year to use an annual earnings windfall from the cold weather last winter to keep a lid on tariffs.

Angry customers took to Twitter to complain ahead of an already planned Q&A session with customer services director Bert Pijls.

Twitter users flocked to complain ahead of a British Gas Q&A session

One user asked: "Hey @BritishGas how many vulnerable people do you think you will push into fuel poverty whilst continuing to make billions in profit?"

The average increase is higher in percentage terms than that confirmed by rival SSE last week which is raising its bills by 8.2% from November 15, although research from price comparison website uSwitch suggested it brought their average dual fuel tariffs together in terms of cost.

The Prime Minister David Cameron described the latest increase as "disappointing" and urged households to try to save money by switching suppliers.

E.ON, Scottish Power, EDF Energy and npower are the other so-called 'big six' providers yet to make announcements on their winter pricing.

Electricity prices are rising faster than those for gas

British Gas said it was a hard decision for the company, which is owned by Centrica.

Its statement said: "We recognise that energy bills are a real worry for hard-pressed households, particularly at a time when the cost of living is rising faster than incomes.

"Today's announcement, which will add about £2 a week to the average dual fuel bill, reflects the increasing cost of: buying energy in global markets, delivering gas and electricity to the home, and the Government's social and environmental programmes, which are paid for through customers' bills."

It pledged that more than 500,000 of its elderly and most in-need customers would be protected by an automatic discount to offset the price increase throughout the winter - worth £60 per dual fuel household.

This was, British Gas said, in addition to the £135 that will be paid to many of these customers who qualify for the Government's Warm Home Discount scheme.

Ed Miliband used Labour's conference to announce his 'bill freeze' plan

Ian Peters, managing director of British Gas Residential Energy, added: "I know these are difficult times for many customers and totally understand the frustration that so many household costs keep on rising when incomes aren't keeping pace.

"We haven't taken this decision lightly, but what's pushing up energy prices at the moment are costs that are not all directly under our control, such as the global price of energy, charges that we have to pay for using the national grid that delivers energy to the home, and the cost of the Government's social and environmental programmes.

"Energy efficiency is the best way to keep bills down, and I encourage anyone who has not benefitted from them to go online and check if they are eligible."

The cost of energy bills sparked a political frenzy last month when the Labour leader Ed Miliband pledged to freeze prices for 20 months if his party won power at the 2015 general election.

Shares in both SSE and British Gas-owner Centrica fell sharply in the wake of the announcement, wiping a combined £2.7bn off the value of the firms.

Caroline Flint, Labour's Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said: "These latest price rises show clearer than ever why Labour's price freeze is needed.

"People are sick and tired of being left out of pocket because of David Cameron's failure to stand up to the energy companies.

"Britain's energy market isn't working for ordinary families and businesses. Labour's energy freeze will save money for 27 million households and 2.4 million businesses and our plans to reset the market will deliver fairer prices in the future."

In an interview with Sky News, Energy Secretary Ed Davey said: "I think British Gas is going to lose a lot of customers over this.

"British Gas in their press release is trying to blame the Government for social and environmental costs but we've looked at their figures and it looks like they're being very inefficient in managing these Government programmes."

Ministers have been encouraging households to switch suppliers as the best way of keeping their bills as low as possible.

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Milburn: Cut Pensioner Benefits To Help Poor

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

Wealthy pensioners should have their benefits slashed to help push up living standards for struggling workers, according to a Government-commissioned report.

Social mobility tsar and former Labour Minister Alan Milburn called for older people to bear more of the burden of austerity.

His first annual report for the coalition warned the coalition's target to end child poverty by 2020 was likely to be missed, possibly by as many as two million.

Mr Milburn, who also called for an increase in the minimum wage, said the low paid were the "forgotten people of Britain".

Two in three children in poverty are in families where an adult works and parents simply did not earn enough, the adviser said.

The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission also warned social mobility in the UK is flatlining as the poor bear the brunt of coalition cuts.

Many low and middle-income children face being worse off than their parents because of falling earnings and rising prices, it claimed.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg both say pensioners should not be targeted

Mr Milburn said: "Poverty touches almost half of Britain's citizens at some point over a nine-year period and one third over four years.

"Today child poverty is overwhelmingly a problem facing working families, not the workless or the work-shy.

"Two-thirds of Britain's poor children are now in families where an adult works. In three-quarters of those households someone already works full-time.

"The principal problem seems to be that those working parents simply do not earn enough to escape poverty ... A job remains the best safeguard against being poor. But it is not a cure for poverty."

He recommends that some benefits currently enjoyed by pensioners - including free bus passes and winter fuel allowances - should be means-tested.

"The question we have got to ask is 'is it right that at a time when we have got such high levels of youth unemployment, when working families are seeing their wages stagnating and their public services being cut, wealthy pensioners have their benefits protected and in some cases enhanced'," he said.

"I think there is a strong case for looking again at the winter fuel allowance and free TV licences, particularly for better-off pensioners."

But Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg wrote in the Daily Telegraph that "punishing pensioners isn't going to help a single child achieve more in life".

David Cameron's official spokesman also made clear he did not agree that pensioners should shoulder a larger share of austerity measures.

"The key to tackling poverty and raising people's incomes is of course through work and through a welfare system that ensures that work always pays," he said

Paul Green, director of communications for Saga, added; "Alan Milburn appears to be a bit bonkers and is barking up the wrong tree. 

"Playing the politics of envy is not way to create a cohesive society. Young people are not poorer because their parents have worked hard and are richer. 

"Pensioners may have paid off their mortgages, but they have fewer opportunities to earn more and change their financial circumstances than others in society."

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Savile 'Caught With Young Girl In Rolls' Appeal

A man who claimed he caught Jimmy Savile parked in a lay-by with a young girl has been urged to contact police.

Paul Leonard, 68, told reporters he was working for Leeds City Police in the 1960s when he spotted the shamed DJ's Rolls-Royce in a secluded spot near Roundhay Golf Club in Leeds.

He claimed Savile warned him: "I'm waiting for midnight when she turns 16... so p**s off if you want to keep your job."

In the interview with the Daily Mirror, Mr Leonard, whose name was changed at his request, said: "There wasn't a copper in Leeds who didn't know Savile was a pervert."

West Yorkshire Police are appealing for the man, who also spoke on BBC Radio 2, to get in touch.

A spokesman said: "During West Yorkshire Police's recent Operation Newgreen investigation into Savile, the force repeatedly appealed for anyone with information to contact us.

Part of a transcript of a police interview with Jimmy Savile

"We made extensive appeals both within the organisation and publicly through the media for anyone with information, including serving and former officers, to contact us.

"To our knowledge, Mr Leonard was not one of those who made contact.

"Given that (he) used a pseudonym, a false name, in his media interviews, his identity or the content of what he says is very difficult to verify.

"We are however keen to speak to Mr Leonard in order that this can be investigated thoroughly."

Mr Leonard claimed it was common knowledge among Leeds City Police, which later became West Yorkshire Police, that Savile "liked them young", but said his influence meant officers were too scared to confront him.

He said the girl in the car was "definitely young", adding: "She looked around 15, and dressed herself like the model Twiggy."

"I looked over to her and asked her if she was OK, and she just smiled at me but didn't say anything," he said.

The former DJ is thought to have sexually assaulted up to 450 people

"Looking back I feel bad about it but he had so much influence. I would definitely have lost my job."

Later, at the end of his shift, he recounted the incident to his sergeant who told him: "Shut up, son, he's got friends in high places. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave it there."

On Wednesday, it emerged the police watchdog is investigating claims a former inspector acted on behalf of Savile before he was interviewed by officers over alleged sex crimes.

It came a day after transcripts of a 40-minute interview detailing Savile's suspected sexual abuse were made public for the first time.

Savile is suspected to have raped 34 women and girls and sexually assaulted up to 450 people, including some as young as eight, according to an official report.

He died in 2011, aged 84.

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Gloria De Piero: Stop Topless Photo Hunt

A senior Labour politician has asked that the search for topless pictures of her as a teenager be called off so that she can get on with her job.

Gloria de Piero, who was promoted to the shadow cabinet in last week's reshuffle, admits posing for the photoshoot when she was just 15 or 16 to raise money to buy clothes.

The MP, who used to be a TV correspondent with GMTV and is now Labour's women's spokesman, has spoken openly about the photos in the past.

Their existence emerged when she was fighting for a Commons seat in Ashfield in 2010 but she was told not to worry about it by then women and equalities minister Harriet Harman.

Now she has issued a plea to the media to "call off the hunt" for the photos amid claims an agency acting for a national newspaper had offered "several thousand pounds" for them.

"The offer was made to the owner of a building in Bradford. I understand that he was offered money for access to the building and a further payment if the pictures were found," the MP said.

"I have talked about why I posed for these pictures in interviews before. I thought at the time it was a way of improving my circumstances.

"This is part of my story and part of who I am. I can't change it now but this happened over 20 years ago.

"It is now time to call off the hunt for these pictures and let me get on with the job I was elected to do, representing the people of Ashfield and serving in the shadow cabinet."

Gloria de Piero (left) last week with Tristram Hunt and Emma Reynolds

Writing on her blog, she added: "I don't think anyone wants politics to be open only to those people who were planning their political careers in their teens.

"I would like to see a politics that represents our country, including many more women from all walks of life, and that is something I am passionately committed to help bring about.

"No one should have to worry that something they did when they were young might prevent them from serving their community or getting involved in politics at a local or national level."

Miss de Piero, now 40, said this week that the memory of her own experience helped motivate her to campaign against sexism.

"I can understand why a girl might feel she has no option but to do something like that," the politician said.

She described Page 3 girls as "totally out of date" but added that she understood how "they might think it would be a way out".

Miss de Piero was one of the three female former breakfast presenters promoted in the reshuffles by the main parties last week.

Fellow former GMTV star Esther McVey was named work and pensions minister and Anna Soubry, who was once on This Morning, became defence minister.

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Prince William Hosts First Royal Investiture

Tennis star Andy Murray has been honoured at Buckingham Palace as the Duke of Cambridge hosted his first investiture ceremony.

The Wimbledon champion was among those who attended the ceremony, receiving an OBE as his parents Willie and Judy Murray and girlfriend Kim Sears watched on.

Vicar of Dibley producer Jon Plowman also received an OBE, while presenter Aled Jones was awarded an MBE.

Prince William recently gave up operational duties with the RAF after serving three years as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in north Wales.

He is now in a "transitional" year and is considering options for his public service.

However, with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh advancing in years, there is speculation William may take on extra responsibilities.

Around 25 investitures are held each year, with most staged in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace.

The Duke is thought to have been practising for the event, during which the presiding person must "dub" new knights with a sword, pin awards on recipients and know something about each person being honoured.

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Royal Mail Staff To Strike In November

Union bosses have confirmed the first national postal strike in almost four years will be held on November 4.

A 24-hour stoppage is being planned by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) amid a bitter row with Royal Mail over pay and pensions which threatens to disrupt the busy Christmas delivery season if left unresolved.

The union ballot of around 115,000 of its members at Royal Mail and Parcelforce returned a 4-1 decision on a 63% turnout in favour of industrial action - linked to the recently completed privatisation of the service.

The vote was returned despite a windfall under the flotation that left full-time staff who took up free share options sitting on paper earnings worth £3,545 by close of trading on Tuesday.

Those shares cannot be sold for three years under the terms of the sale.

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: "Postal workers have spoken very clearly that they care about their jobs, terms and conditions far more than they care about shares.

"The stakes have become much higher for postal workers since privatisation making this ballot more important than ever. Postal workers will not be the people who pay for the profits of private operators and faceless shareholders.

"The question now is whether this privatised Royal Mail still wants an agreement. We have offered the company a two week period to reach an agreement and having already had many hours of negotiation, this is achievable if there is a will.

"What we want is a groundbreaking, long term, legally binding agreement that not only protects postal workers' job security, pay and pensions - but will also determine the strategy, principles and values of how the Royal Mail Group will operate as a private entity.

"This means there will be no further breakup of the company, no franchising of individual offices or delivery rounds, no introduction of a cheaper workforce on two-tier terms and conditions and no part time industry.

"It will mean - regardless of who owns Royal Mail - this company will not be able to enter the race to the bottom and replicate the employment practices and service standards of their competitors," he concluded.

The union also announced a new ballot of its members at Royal Mail that would potentially enable postal workers to boycott competitors' mail, to supplement the strike action.

More follows...

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Rotherham 'Machete' Murder Victim Named

By Gerard Tubb, North Of England Correspondent

A butcher stabbed to death in the Eastwood area of Rotherham has been named as father-of-three Parvaiz Iqbal.

Emergency services were called to his Grosvenor Road shop at around 2pm as 999 calls were made to report a man brandishing a machete on streets between Eastwood and Rotherham town centre.

Mr Iqbal is understood to have died from stab wounds. A shop worker was also stabbed and seriously injured but was able to raise the alarm. He is said to be stable in hospital.

A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody after being detained in a nearby supermarket car park.

Forensic officers work outside Mr Iqbal's shop

Relatives of the dead man, who was in his forties, say he had taken on an extra worker the previous day to help with orders for the Muslim Eid-al-Adha festival, the shop's busiest time.

It is thought the man, a butcher, had been previously employed by Mr Iqbal but had been laid off some months ago after injuring himself at work.

Grosvenor Road, a quiet residential street, was cordoned off for several hours, with scenes of crime officers gathering evidence inside the shop and from damaged cars in the area.

Witnesses said a man had smashed car windows as he ran up the road and turned towards Rotherham town centre.

Butcher Parvaiz Iqbal was described as "courteous and kind"

Writing on Twitter, Richard Cattley said: "A man has just ran past me in Rotherham town centre wielding a machete covered in blood shouting move!! Police everywhere!

"All I saw him run past me with knife in hand shouting move adjacent to where the buildings are being knocked down opp market."

Local councillor Mahroof Hussain, whose wife was Mr Iqbal's cousin, told Sky News no one knew why he had been attacked.

"Eid should be a happy day, but now it will always be remembered for this," he said.

The alleyway beside Mr Iqbal's shop was cordoned off by police

Speaking after morning prayers at the nearby Abu Bakar mosque, he said Mr Iqbal's family were distraught.

Omar Mehban, a family friend said: "This is such a shock and I feel really deeply for his family.

"He was such a wonderful person, always courteous and kind. All the times I went in his shop, I can never recall him not smiling.

"It's absolutely devastating."

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'Plebgate' Row: Cameron Blasts Police Conduct

MP Andrew Mitchell is owed an apology over the conduct of three police officers accused of lying about a meeting with him, the Prime Minister has claimed.

In a deepening row over the long-running 'plebgate' saga, senior police had hit back after Home Secretary Theresa May gave her support to an Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The report questioned the "honesty and integrity" of Inspector Ken MacKaill, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and Sergeant Chris Jones, and said the trio should have faced misconduct hearings for their actions.

And speaking at Prime Minister's questions, David Cameron said Mr Mitchell was "owed an apology, the conduct of these officers was not acceptable" and "these things should be properly investigated".

The Home Affairs Select Committee's chairman Keith Vaz raised the row with Mr Cameron in the Commons, saying the IPCC report was "damning".

The PM said: "I agree 100% with what the Home Secretary said yesterday and I think we should be clear about what we are discussing here.

"The whole case about what happened outside 10 Downing Street, that's with the CPS and we have to leave that on one side until they make their decision.

"What's being discussed here is the fact that ... the former chief whip had a meeting with Police Federation officers in his committee where he gave a full account of what had happened, they left that meeting and claimed he had given them no account at all.

"Fortunately this meeting was recorded so he has been able to prove that what he said was true and what the police officers said was untrue."

Theresa May said the IPCC statement made "troubling reading"

"He is owed an apology, the conduct of these officers was not acceptable, these things should be properly investigated, as the Home Secretary has said."

Mrs May had previously backed the IPCC report that said West Mercia Police had been "quite wrong" not to take disciplinary action against the three men.

They are accused of lying about what chief whip Andrew Mitchell said in a private meeting about the so-called 'plebgate' affair last year.

Chief Constable David Shaw, of West Mercia Police, has been summoned to give evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on the issue.

However, in a joint statement with police in Warwickshire and the West Midlands, the force defended its handling of the case.

"Andrew Mitchell MP has never made a complaint to police," it said.

"West Mercia, with the support of West Midlands and Warwickshire Police, recognising the public interest in this case, independently decided to investigate this incident and made a referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

"We asked for the matter to be independently investigated by the IPCC because we recognise the significant public interest in the matter, however this was declined.

"The IPCC have supervised this investigation throughout and have been invited to reconsider their position on more than one occasion.

"The decisions following this investigation were carefully considered, with the support of appropriate legal advice.

"Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands Police have separately considered the findings of the investigation and all three forces agree on the outcome."

West Midlands Police Commissioner Bob Jones told Sky News said he had not seen conclusive evidence that the officers had lied.

"My job is to ensure there is a proper investigation," he said.

"There's been a very thorough investigation supervised by the IPCC."

West Mercia police commissioner Bill Longmore expressed surprise about comments by IPCC deputy chairwoman Deborah Glass and said he was seeking an urgent meeting with Mrs May.

"Given the critical statement which the IPCC deputy chair has made in the last few hours, I am frankly surprised the IPCC did not resume conduct of the investigation," he said.

"They certainly had the power to do so."

The chairman of the Police Federation, Steven Williams, also questioned the intervention by Ms Glass.

"My concern is that by releasing her personal view that she disagrees with the findings of the West Mercia investigation, she displays a lack of independence," he wrote in a letter to Mrs May.

Mr Mitchell met Mr MacKaill, Mr Hinton and Mr Jones, federation representatives of West Mercia, Warwickshire and the West Midlands respectively, on October 12 to "clear the air".

A transcript shows Mr Mitchell apologised for swearing at the police officers but denied using the word "plebs".

In comments made after the meeting, Mr MacKaill claimed the former Tory chief whip would not provide an account of the incident.

Giving evidence to MPs, Mrs May said: "The IPCC statement makes troubling reading.

"If it is indeed the case that warranted police officers behaved in the way Deborah Glass has described, that's not acceptable at all."

Asked if the chief constable of West Mercia Police should apologise to Mr Mitchell, Mrs May said: "I think that would be appropriate."

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British Soldier Killed In Afghanistan Named

The family of a British soldier shot dead on patrol in Afghanistan has said Lance Corporal James Brynin of the Intelligence Corps had the "heart of a lion".

The 22-year-old, who was attached to 14 Signal Regiment, was shot when his patrol came under enemy fire in Kakaran, north of Lashkar Gah, Helmand, on Tuesday.

Although he received immediate medical attention he died from his injuries at the scene.

"Heart of a lion, we will always stand strong for you. We will never forget. Rest in peace – dad, Efrem; mum, Sharon; sister, Yasmin; and girlfriend, Olivia," the family statement said.

L Cpl Brynin's death takes to 445 the number of UK service members who have lost their lives since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001.

His is the first British death in the country since Corporal William Savage, Fusilier Samuel Flint and Private Robert Hetherington died when their Mastiff armoured vehicle hit an improvised explosive device on April 30.

Known as Jay, L Cpl Brynin joined the army in February 2011.

The Ministry of Defence said he had excelled in the army, had already been selected for promotion to the rank of corporal and had "grand ambitions".

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Purves, commanding officer of the 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare), said: "Bright and engaging, L Cpl Brynin was immensely popular and an outstanding soldier in every respect.

"Having already completed one tour to Afghanistan, his appointment to support the Brigade Reconnaissance Force was indicative of his talent and leadership qualities.

"His selection for promotion to full corporal earlier this year highlighted his flair for his chosen profession."

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Slack MBE, commanding officer of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers, the Brigade Reconnaissance Regiment, said L Cpl Brynin "was a star, burning bright and rising fast".

"From the moment he joined the Brigade Reconnaissance Force it was clear that we were blessed with a truly special individual," he said.

"His loss is one of the real tragedies of this military campaign."

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Madeleine McCann: 150 Calls After Dutch Appeal

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 9:48am UK, Monday 14 October 2013

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: Feb 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: Feb 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: Feb 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

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Hard Work And Ambition Pay Off For Immigrant

Labour 'Was Wrong' On Immigration

Updated: 5:59am UK, Tuesday 15 October 2013

By Jeff Randall, Sky News Business Presenter

Since Ed Miliband became leader, the Labour Party has tried to reformulate its stance on immigration.

The new approach contains an admission that the last government "got it wrong", largely because it did not listen to the people's concerns, in particular those of Labour supporters such as Gillian Duffy, who was dismissed by Gordon Brown as a "bigoted woman" simply for airing her anxieties.

That ghastly moment grabbed the headlines, but the flaw in the Blair-Brown immigration policy was far more fundamental than the casual traducing of a Rochdale voter who dared to challenge an angst-ridden Prime Minister.

From 2002 to 2010, Labour opened the United Kingdom's doors to more than 500,000 legal incomers a year.

At the same time, it launched a propaganda offensive to persuade us that immigration on this scale would not only make us all better off, because it expanded national output by £6bn a year, but also help solve our long-term pensions crisis, because diligent newcomers would pay into the nation's retirement pot, which an ageing indigenous population was rapidly exhausting.

These were fallacies masquerading as serious politics. Neither element was true, as a House of Lords report, The Economic Impact of Immigration, made clear in 2008. Its conclusion was, in effect, the British public had been sold a false prospectus.

Yes, mass immigration increases GDP, but not GDP per head, because the expanded cake has to be shared amongst many more people.

As for pensions, the arrival of half a million overseas workers a year merely delays the day of reckoning, because they too will grow old and need retirement care. Expecting ever greater numbers of immigrants to keep the system in credit is to have faith in a Ponzi scheme.

That's not to say immigration changes nothing. For the employer class, it provides a ready supply of child-minders, cleaners and plumbers who are grateful for a job and prepared to work for the minimum wage. Life for the rich improves.

But, as Cambridge University economist Professor Robert Rowthorn points out: "It does not benefit indigenous, unskilled Britons who have to compete with immigrants willing to work hard for very low wages in unpleasant conditions."

What's more, British companies have little incentive to train domestic workers if they able to import foreign staff with higher skills and a stronger work ethic.

Then there is Britain's chronic housing shortage. This is not the fault of immigrants, but it's disingenuous to pretend that 176,000 net arrivals (the figure for 2012) do not make an acute problem even worse. They do, after all, have to live somewhere.

Some arrive with enough wealth to buy homes in desirable neighbourhoods. But the vast majority end up competing for space on the lower rungs of the property ladder, where working-class Britons are already struggling to make ends meet.

It was, says Professor Rowthorn, bizarre that Labour, ostensibly the party of the poor and vulnerable, endorsed a policy which created, as Marx put it, a "reserve army of labour", whose presence ensures that bottom-end pay rates are suppressed.

Ed Miliband, it seems, now recognises his predecessors' blunder.

:: Immigration UK: A week of special coverage on Sky from October 14 to 18 - watch on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad.

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Armed Raiders Push Father-Of-Two Under Lorry

A father-of-two was killed after being pushed under a moving lorry as he defended his shop and wife from a gang of 10 armed raiders.

Shammi Atwal confronted the gang, who were armed with metal bars and a sledgehammer, as they attempted to rob his cash and carry .

Scene of the incident in east London

Scotland Yard said up to 10 men entered the Glen & Co Cash and Carry in Barking, Essex, on Monday morning but Mr Atwal fought them off.

As he chased them from the premises, he was pushed in front of a lorry.

Mr Atwal, who was in his 40s, and his wife, who are co-owners of the business, tried to stop them, causing the gang to flee.

Police Officers prepare to search through drain waste

Detective Chief Inspector Neale Baldock, who is leading the Metropolitan Police murder probe, said: "This was a man trying to stop thieves robbing his business.

"He acted bravely in defence of his wife and managed to chase the robbers from his premises only for him to be pushed in front of a moving lorry.

"People in the community know who committed this appalling and cowardly crime and I would urge them to contact my officers."

A two man forensic team search inside the Glen Cash & Carry warehouse

His 37-year-old widow, who police have not identified, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

The driver stopped at the scene in River Road and was not arrested.

The suspects are described as white men. It is not known how they got away.

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Immigration: Brit Workers 'Against The World'

By Ed Conway, Economics Editor

Immigration is changing Britain. This is not merely a theory - it's statistical fact. Back in 2004, less than a decade ago, one in 11 of those living in Britain were born abroad. Today the proportion is one in eight - 12.4%.

And, just as is the case for economic growth and productivity, the immigration picture varies throughout the country. Some 42% of London's population was born outside the UK, compared to just 5% in the North of England.

Though more attention tends to be focused on the flows of immigration - in other words people entering and leaving the country, the gradually-changing make-up of the UK population represents a significant shift - both in social and economic terms.

On the one hand, there's the question of how much immigrants cost Britain's welfare state. A quarter of new-born babies in Britain last year had non-UK-born mothers - the highest proportion since records began in 1969.

But you can only really get a clear sense of the absolute impact by taking a step back and comparing the cost of immigration with the related income - the taxes these new members of the population pay.

Research from the OECD shows that immigrants actually bring in over £7bn more than they cost. That's the equivalent of a penny off the basic rate of income tax.

There are other economic arguments in favour: Free movement of labour is usually good news for businesses, since it allows them to attract workers from all over the world, not merely locals.

But there are clearly challenges as well. Immigration increases GDP (though not necessarily GDP per capita), but it also increases the demand for housing - a real problem in a country facing a chronic shortage of property. And more potential workers means more competition for British employees.

In pure statistical terms, immigrants work harder than their UK counterparts. Some 71% of foreign nationals are economically active, compared with 67% of UK nationals. They are better-qualified: 38% of non UK-born people in Britain have degrees, compared with 30% of UK nationals.

And contrary to popular opinion, they are not just plumbers. The biggest proportion of immigrants actually work in finance, followed by health, then retail, then manufacturing.

According to the OECD half of all immigrants hired in Britain are high-skilled - and the proportion is increasing.

This has had an undeniable impact on Britons' job prospects. Since the start of the crisis in 2008, seven British workers have lost their jobs for every one non-British worker to have lost theirs.

Some are likely to see this as an argument against immigration. However, the economic message is just as significant. Britons need to work harder if they want to compete. That's the inevitable consequence when you're competing against a whole world's worth of workers, rather than just one country.

:: Immigration UK: A week of special coverage on Sky from October 14 to 18 - watch on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad

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Murder Hunt After Bodies Found In Garden

By David Crabtree, Midlands Correspondent

Police have launched a murder inquiry after the skeletal remains of a "reclusive" couple were unearthed in the garden of a Nottinghamshire house.

Officers believe the victims are William Wycherley and his wife Patricia, who "vanished without trace" from their home in a quiet Mansfield cul-de-sac in the late 1990s.

They were discovered by officers who were led to the semi-detached house last week after a tip-off.

Post-mortems have been carried out on the remains but have so far proved inconclusive.

Mr Wycherley, who would now be 100, and his wife, who would be 79, moved into the house in 1987, but disappeared some time after 1998.

At a media briefing, Detective Inspector Rob Griffin said: "Whilst it is difficult to ascertain cause of death given the passage of time, the circumstances in which the skeletal remains have been found  is suspicious and we have now launched a murder inquiry.

"Insofar as suspects are concerned, we are entirely open-minded, but it is far too early in the investigation to be talking about suspects at this stage.

"The focus of the investigation is on the Wycherleys themselves and the goings-on at number 2 Blenheim Close back in the 1990s."

He said the couple had been reclusive and that police desperately needed people to come forward with information.

It has been reported locally that a family member had been receiving Christmas cards signed 'Bill and Pat' until four years ago.

One neighbour is quoted as saying he thought they had emigrated. 

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Pensioner Sea Fall Inquest: Narrative Verdict

A narrative verdict has been recorded at the inquest of a woman who died after falling from a stretcher into the North Sea.

Janet Richardson, from Penrith, Cumbria, was travelling with her husband George on the cruise ship Ocean Countess off the coast of Norway when she fell ill.

The 72-year-old plunged into the sea while being transferred to a lifeboat, which "accelerated" her death, the inquest heard.

More follows...

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Serial Manchester Rapist Jailed For Life

By Mike McCarthy, Manchester Crown Court

A "sadistic" serial rapist who targeted lone women while cruising Manchester's streets in his works van has been jailed for life.

Adam Downworth subjected his five victims to brutal sexual assaults, with one woman needing reconstructive surgery to her face and another strangled until she was unconscious.

The 32-year-old randomly selected lone females while driving around Stockport and Gorton at night, before stalking them on foot.

Police in the area became so fearful of further attacks during the office cleaner's 10-month reign of terror that they began offering women lifts home in patrol cars.

In sentencing Downworth, the judge at Manchester Crown Court said: "The vicious physical attacks were accompanied by verbal assaults calculated to terrify and humiliate."

He was told he would serve a minimum of 15 years in prison.

Some of the books found by police at Downworth's home

There were cheers and applause from the public gallery as the sentence was delivered, with one woman shouting: "I hope he dies a slow death."

The court previously heard Downworth took a "sadistic pleasure" in the attacks.

He evaded detection by wearing surgical gloves during his first four rapes, but was spotted fleeing after his fifth assault - which lasted around 40 minutes.

Officers found him and his van nearby, before using CCTV of his van, petrol receipts and mobile phone records to link him to the other attacks.

Searches of his home later revealed martial arts manuals and books on choking and strangling, forensic science and the psychological profiling of criminals.

The court heard he told one victim: "I'll have to kill you now", after attacking her - but that she had managed to escape bloodstained and covered in dirt.

Victims suffered serious and lasting psychological harm and people in the pubic gallery in court wept while hearing the women's accounts of how their lives had changed.

One described attempting suicide, while another said she had had difficulty in speaking and chewing as a result of injuries sustained during her beating.

"My life has changed so much since the attack," one woman told the court.

"The smallest noise scares me. I have flashbacks of the night it happened. I find it hard to chew because my jaw was broken in so many places.

"If I walk anywhere on my own I am always looking over my shoulder. I am scared of my own shadow. I am not the same person and never will be.

"What saved my life was my daughters. I was thinking this could be one if them. I used every last little bit of my strength. I thought I was going to die.

"I just went numb after all the kicks in the face. My face is in constant pain. It is like I am dreaming. I look in the mirror and I don't look or feel like the same person."

Another victim said: "Every time I look in the mirror it brings it all back. I have tried to hide the scars in my face with make-up but it doesn't work. The attack has made my face look rough. I will never feel truly safe again."

One woman told the court:  "I was a happy person. I always used to see the best in people. Now I only see the worst. I put up barriers. I am cynical about all men now. Adam Downworth made me feel worthless. But I will move on. I will try to find happiness."

He used a mobile phone stolen off one victim to send crude, threatening and sexual text messages to strangers found on Facebook.

In one he said: "You are a proper slag from what I hear.  Dya really fink really ur so atraktive, ha."

He was found guilty after a three-month trial of 13 charges including rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration and assault occasioning grious bodily harm.

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M1 Cyclist Escorted To Safety By Police

A cyclist has been branded a "dummy" for trying to ride his pushbike on the M1 alongside cars travelling at up to 70mph.

Police were called by concerned drivers who saw the man riding along the hard shoulder in heavy rain and strong winds.

The culprit was spotted riding south towards London near junction 9 at Redbourn, Hertfordshire, at around noon on Sunday.

When officers caught up with the man, they took a picture before escorting him to safety and offering some "words of advice".

Police later tweeted a picture of the cyclist on the motorway

After learning that his planned 30-mile journey to the capital was against the law, the man is understood to have told officers he would take the train instead.

Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit later posted the picture to an official Twitter account as a warning to other road users with the hashtag #dontbeadummy.

A Hertfordshire Police spokesman said: "Police were called following reports of a man cycling on the M1 shortly before 12 noon.

"Police escorted the man off the motorway to safety at Junction 9 and offered words of advice to the cyclist."

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Immigration: Britons Want 'Drastic Action'

By Joey Jones, Deputy Political Editor

The Home Secretary has insisted the Government is tackling immigration after a Sky News poll revealed a demand for "drastic action".

Theresa May told Sky News steps were already being taken to tighten rules on migrants' access to benefits as she noted the findings of the survey.

It found more than two thirds of the British public believe the UK population is too large and want the Government to go further. 

Some 67% of people questioned said the coalition's attempt to reduce net migration to 100,000 a year was not sufficient and that more should be done.

The poll of 1,508 adults was conducted for Sky News by Survation

More than a quarter of those polled (27%) believe the wave of immigration Britain has experienced in the last decade has brought no positive benefit to the nation.

And more than half (52%) say they will be more likely to vote for a party that promises to "significantly" reduce the level of migration.

The poll, conducted by Sky News as part of a week-long examination of the issue of immigration, found the people most concerned about the impact of immigration are the ones least likely to have been exposed to migrants.

For example, 71% of people who live in the countryside think drastic action is needed, compared with 53% in urban areas.

And 71% of people who don't know any immigrants well support drastic action, compared with 58% who say they know immigrants well.

Mrs May insisted: "The Government understands the concerns that people have about immigration and concerns that over the years perhaps people feel politicians haven't addressed this in the way that they should.

Two thirds of the rising population is likely to come from immigration

"Immigration overall has been good for the country. What is a problem is when immigration is not controlled when we see it putting pressure on jobs, wages and public services.

"Some people have raised concerns about people getting access to benefits. We are tightening up the rules on people claiming benefits and a number of other areas as well."

She denied Government "scaremongering" was to blame for the finding that those with the strongest feelings about migrants lived in areas the least affected.

David Cameron's spokesman agreed the issue was a "real priority" for people and said the Government was taking "very real and important measures in this area".

Chancellor George Osborne, speaking from Beijing, also stressed the determination to cut immigration and pointed out it had already fallen by a third since 2010.

He told Sky News: "We inherited a situation from the Labour government where they had signed away all these treaties which allowed these new countries to join the European Union to come to Britain.

"There were no controls on the borders. We have got a grip on that situation. David Cameron, Theresa May and the whole government have imposed limits on immigration."

Championing foreign investment, he added: "One of the things Britain has to do is not rely on immigration for its economic success. We need to go and make our own way in the world."

Boris Johnson, also in Beijing, told Sky's Mark Stone that "in an ideal world" Mr Cameron would make control over access from EU countries part of his renegotiation with Brussels.

He called for longer periods before people coming to Britain could claim UK benefits, but admitted the way forward was now "very, very hard".

"You have got to crack down on illegal immigrants and stop them coming with a much tougher border regime. But at the same time you don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater," he said.

"We have had something like a 60% reduction in immigration from New Zealand and I'm not sure that is entirely what we wanted to achieve."

The UK population is set to rise from 62 million in 2010 to 73 million by 2035.

Approximately two thirds of the increased population is likely to come from increased immigration.

Between 2001 and 2011 the population of England and Wales grew by 3.7 million - the biggest increase in 200 years - with 2.1 million immigrants accounting for the majority of the increase.

The poll of 1,508 adults - conducted for Sky News by Survation - found widespread concern among the public about the impact immigration has had on public services.

The majority of those questioned believe the NHS, education system, and housing and welfare systems have been negatively affected by immigration.

And almost three quarters (74%) are concerned about the prospect of Romanians and Bulgarians being allowed free entry to Britain later this year.

Almost two thirds of those who took part in the poll (64%) believe employers should be given tax breaks for employing young, unemployed Britons.

And over half (52%) say companies should be forced to offer jobs to UK-born workers first.

Some 42% of those questioned believe the current debate about immigration in the UK is being unfairly shut down by accusations of racism.

A similar number, 40%, feel they will be labelled a bigot if they raise the issue in public.

In some good news for the coalition, almost two thirds of people (63%) support a new rule for British people to have a minimum income of £18,600 if they want to bring a non-EU spouse into the country.

A similar number, 65%, agree with a Home Office proposal that travellers from certain countries judged to be "high-risk" should pay a £1,000 bond to be allowed to visit Britain.

:: Immigration UK: A week of special coverage on Sky from October 14 to 18 - watch on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad

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Madeleine McCann Suspect Seen Carrying Child

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 9:48am UK, Monday 14 October 2013

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: Feb 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: Feb 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: Feb 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

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Buckingham Palace: Man With Knife Arrested

A 44-year-old man has been arrested after trying to enter Buckingham Palace while in possession of a knife, police confirm.

Scotland Yard said the man was held just before noon as he tried to enter through the palace's north centre gate.

Police said they found a knife when they searched the man and arrested him on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon.

The force said the man is currently in custody at a London police station.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen was not in the building at the time of the incident.

In September, police arrested two men over a suspected break-in at Buckingham Palace in what was considered a rare breach of royal security.

One suspected burglar was found on September 2 in a room that had been open to the public during the day.

The second man was arrested outside the palace on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary.

Less than 48 hours later, amid heightened security, two police officers confronted the Duke of York in the palace gardens demanding to know who he was.

Scotland Yard later issued a public apology to the royal after the blunder was made public.

In response Prince Andrew issued a statement to say protection officers have "a difficult job" and he was grateful that the force had apologised.

More follows...

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Baby Kidney Donor Is Britain's Youngest

A five-week-old baby is a lifesaver after becoming Britain's youngest ever organ donor.

The infant's tiny kidneys were donated to 22-year-old Samira Kauser and transplanted during a seven-hour operation at St James's University Hospital in Leeds.

The organs were just 4cm long but will grow to up to three-quarters the size of a normal adult's.

Together with the liver, heart and lungs, a baby's kidneys are fully functioning after 37 weeks in the womb.

Ms Kauser, from Halifax, who was spending nine hours a night on dialysis after a genetic condition caused her kidneys to fail, told The Sunday Times she plans to get married next year.

"When I found out (the donor) was a child who had died, I felt so sad," she said.

"I thought about the parents and how much they wanted to donate and I knew I had to have the operation, even though I was scared."

The operation took place at Leeds' St James's University Hospital

She added: "Words cannot express the gratitude I feel to the parents of this baby.

"They have lost so much - much more than I can ever comprehend.

"Their only solace is that someone else has been able to carry on with their life. It's a massive gift."

The Sunday Times said the transplant had reignited the debate about whether organs from so-called "beating heart" babies, who are being kept alive on ventilators but are certified as brain dead, should be made available to patients on the donor waiting list.

It said a decision on the issue is expected within the next six months.

Transplant surgeon Niaz Ahmad, who led the team that carried out the transplant, told the newspaper: "There is such an acute shortage of organs that we're now prepared to do this.

"This case, I hope, shows that it can work."

Around 19.7 million people are on the NHS organ donor register.

More than 7,200 people are waiting for a transplant - 6,000 of whom need a new kidney.

Some 2,820 kidney transplants were carried out last year.

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Unemployed Migrants: '600,000 Living In UK'

More than 600,000 unemployed migrants from across the European Union are living in the UK, according to a survey seen by the Sunday Telegraph.

The 291-page report - commissioned by the Brussels commissioner for employment and social inclusion, Laszlo Andor - found there were 611,779 "non-active" EU migrants in the UK last year compared with 431,687 in 2006 - a 42% increase.

The total number of jobless migrants is greater than the population of Glasgow.

While between 2005 and 2006 the growth of non-active EU migrants in the UK stagnated, since 2006 it has been steadily rising, the report said.

The newspaper said that the number of people arriving without employment had increased by 73% in the three years to 2011.

It reported that the figures meant the annual cost to the National Health Service amounted to £1.5bn.

The details emerged as a poll indicated there was strong public support for an early referendum on withdrawing from the European Union.

The opinion poll for the Mail on Sunday found more than half of voters want a referendum on the UK's membership before the next election.

While nearly two-thirds support a vote in the Commons on the issue as early as next month, almost half said they would vote to quit the EU if a poll went ahead in 2014.

Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to hold a referendum by 2017, but has dismissed the idea of holding it before the next general Election in 2015.

Boris Johnson has said he would like to see a longer waiting time between migrants arriving in the UK and being able to claim benefits.

Speaking to Sky's Dermot Murnaghan London's Mayor said: "We're aware of the issues that will arise on January 1, 2014 but the UK is still a country and a society that over a long period has benefited from talented people come to work here."

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