Letters Of Comfort: 8 Things You Need To Know

Who are the "on the runs"?

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement (1998), people convicted of paramilitary offences were released early from prison. The scheme did not apply to those who had not been charged or who had been convicted but escaped. Given that they could not return to the UK, they became known as "on the runs".

What are "letters of comfort"?

Sinn Fein thought fugitives should be allowed to return without fear of arrest but the British government's attempt to devise a formal scheme was opposed by Unionists and, ironically, by Sinn Fein because the arrangement would have included British soldiers. The solution was a letter informing "on the runs" they were no longer wanted.

How did the letters come about?

In 2000, Tony Blair asked Gerry Adams to provide names to be considered by the attorney general, police and director of public prosecution. In 2002, the attorney general warned the scheme could not become an amnesty. In 2006, Mr Blair wrote secretly to Mr Adams, outlining mechanisms to resolve the issue, "expediting the existing administrative procedures".

How did the scheme work?

In 2007, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) began reviewing the cases of those wanted in connection with terrorist offences to establish if there were grounds for arrest. Peter Hain MP, then Northern Ireland secretary, wanted the scheme kept secret but the PSNI prepared a media statement for use in the event of it leaking.

How did it become public?

In February 2014, John Downey went on trial, charged with killing four soldiers in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing. When he produced a letter, stating that he was not wanted by the PSNI or any other police force, the judge ruled that the Donegal man could not be prosecuted. It had been issued in error.

How many letters were issued?

Of the 288 names submitted for consideration, 156 people received a "letter of comfort" and 31 were informed in some other way that they were not wanted for questioning. Drew Harris, now Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI, told the Northern Ireland Select Committee that 100 of the recipients are suspects in 300 murder cases.

What did the first inquiry find?

When Northern Ireland's First Minister, Peter Robinson, threatened to resign over the issue, David Cameron announced an inquiry. Lady Justice Hallet concluded that the letters were not an amnesty and the scheme had been lawful. But she found "significant systemic failures" in how it operated and branded Mr Downey's letter a "catastrophic mistake" by the PSNI.

What is the Northern Ireland Select Committee considering?

What is the background to, and origins of, the scheme, and what was its purpose and intended effect? Who constitutes an "on the run", and what are the legal implications of the scheme? What are the political implications of the scheme and were errors made?  What impact has it had on victims and relatives?

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sellafield Clean-Up Contract To Be Torn Up

A consortium is to be stripped of its contract to clean up western Europe's largest nuclear waste site at Sellafield following criticism of its performance.

Nuclear Management Partners (NMP), made up of US engineering group URS, British firm AMEC and French energy firm AREVA, was awarded an extension to its deal in 2013 despite accusations of delays and cost over-runs.

But the Government confirmed NMP, which employs 10,000 workers, will have its contract terminated.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) will instead assume responsibility for the work to allow a "simplifying" of its relationship with the Sellafield project.

The cost of making the site, on the Cumbrian coast, safe has been put at almost £80bn over 120 years.

Sellafield was used in the 1950s to make plutonium for nuclear weapons before the country's first nuclear power station was built there.

NMP was handed a 17-year contract worth £9bn in 2008.

Energy secretary Ed Davey said: "Sellafield is the biggest and most complex nuclear site in Europe, so it's right that we keep the way it's being managed under constant review.

"We have seen great examples of how this approach can work with Crossrail and the Olympics - and I'm confident we'll see
similar results at Sellafield."

Amec said the NMP contract would be terminated at the end of 2016, adding that the NDA had confirmed it was not performance-related.

Its statement said: "It is vital that the lessons learned and the progress made since NMP were awarded the contract in 2008 should not be wasted.

"NMP has to date generated £650m of efficiency savings and met 96% of its targets last year while Sellafield's safety performance is now the best ever."

Gary Smith, national officer of the GMB, questioned the Government's role in the contract process.

He said: "We believe NDA wanted to terminate the contract in 2013 following a report it commissioned, but was overruled by ministers.

"Over £2bn has been spent with NMP since they extended the contract.

"Who is going to be held to account for extending the contract? GMB members, the community and taxpayers need to know."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Inflation At Joint Lowest Level On Record

The annual rate of inflation has hit a 15-year low as oil costs continue to fall and supermarkets engage in a price war.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) measured consumer price inflation (CPI) at 0.5% in December - its joint lowest level on record - slowing from a rate of 1% in the previous month.

The figure represents a further easing in the cost of living as wage growth is boosting consumer spending power and easily outpacing rises in costs.

The ONS said falling petrol prices and lower gas and electricity bills compared with a year earlier were the biggest factors pushing inflation down last month.

The cost of Brent crude is currently at six-year lows - trading on Tuesday at $45-per-barrel.

Video: Sub-£1 Petrol Boss Denies Gimmick

It represents a fall of more than half since last summer on a supply glut and fears for world economic health.

Flat household gas and electricity tariffs over the month - compared to a period last year when they were raised sharply - also made a major contribution to the drop in CPI.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages were 1.7% cheaper in December than the same month a year ago - driven by the intense price war between the major supermarkets under pressure from discounters Aldi and Lidl.

Core vegetable costs were over 7% lower.

Motor fuels fell 10.5% year on year with the price of a litre of petrol tumbling 13.6p between December 2013 and last month, with diesel 15p lower.

The plunge in CPI to below 1% triggers a letter of explanation from Bank of England governor Mark Carney to George Osborne because it is more than 1% off the Bank's 2% inflation target.

Video: Chancellor Welcomes Inflation Drop

But the Chancellor is unlikely to be worried that, ahead of May's election, prices are falling following a tough six years for voters in the wake of the financial crisis.

Price growth could ease further this month as energy firms begin to cut standard tariffs - with no sign of a rebound in oil and gas costs.

The Bank had previously said it expected CPI to fall below 1% and remain there for months to come.

But the sharpness of the decline brings the UK uncomfortably close to the scenario in the eurozone, where there are fears of a damaging deflationary spiral after inflation fell to -0.2%.

Deflation, which dogged Japan for more than 25 years, is seen as dangerous economically because consumers and businesses hold off on purchases on hopes goods and services will be cheaper in future.

Mr Osborne said: "Inflation is at its lowest level in modern times.

Video: Will Inflation Drop Help Consumers?

"We have family budgets going further and the economic recovery starting to be widely felt.

"We will always remain vigilant that we have lower inflation for the right reasons and today is yet further proof our long term plan is working."

Shadow Treasury minister Shabana Mahmood said: "Plummeting global oil prices are the reason why the rate of inflation is falling here in Britain.

"But wages continue to be sluggish and the squeeze on living standards since 2010 means working people are £1,600 a year worse off under this government."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snow And Gales Threaten Chaos Across UK

The next 48 hours could see treacherous driving conditions for most of the UK and Ireland with the risk of ice and snow and then severe gales.

Through Tuesday night and into Wednesday, it'll be cold with showers falling as hail, sleet and snow quite widely, settling across the hills and mountains of the north, but also accumulating at lower levels here.

So by Wednesday morning, untreated roads of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic, northern England and the north of Wales could see ice and snow, which could cause disruption to travel.

Around four inches (10cm) or more is likely to accumulate on the highest ground.

Further south, the snow is likely to be mostly over the high ground, but a slight covering is possible at lower levels, especially across the moors of south-west England close to the Bristol Channel and through the Thames Valley area.

Icy stretches will also be a widespread problem.

The wintry showers will tend to ease through Wednesday morning, leaving most places dry and sunny for a while, before it turns increasingly wet and very windy from the west.

A deepening area of low pressure will spread heavy rain eastwards across most parts through the day, with snow across Scotland.

The rain will clear through quite quickly, but the main concern will be the strengthening winds.

During the second half of Wednesday and overnight into Thursday, gusts in excess of 70mph are likely in the north, especially across Northern Ireland and Scotland.

To the south of the system, gales or severe gales are expected, with gusts quite widely up to 65mph.

The strong and gusty winds are likely to cause disruption to travel on Thursday morning, with potential damage to power lines and structural damage.

Very large waves could also cause dangerous conditions around coastal areas.

But this low pressure system looks likely to clear eventually to the North East through Thursday night - which should bring a welcome easing of the high winds.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Blair: Sorry Over IRA Fugitive Letter Blunder

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Tony Blair has said the Northern Ireland peace process would have collapsed if he had not agreed to send "letters of comfort" to IRA terror suspects.

The former prime minister has told the Northern Ireland Select Committee the controversial distribution of the letters to so-called "on the runs", stating they were no longer wanted for past crimes, were not an "amnesty" and were "not secret".

He "defended completely" agreeing to the controversial letters and said an agreement on how to treat those wanted for terrorist crimes during the troubles "was critical to the peace process" and "became fundamental".

The case against John Downey collapsed

Mr Blair told MPs that had he not agreed to send the letters then Sinn Fein would have walked away from the Good Friday Agreement.

He said: "Without having done that we would not have a Northern Ireland peace process."

1/12

1. Gallery: Hyde Park Bombing: July 1982

   A police forensic officer examines the remains of the IRA car which contained the Hyde Park bomb

Images of dead horses and wrecked cars added to the shock for people reeling from the human cost of the atrocity

]]>

Wrecked cars are removed from the scene

]]>

The flag-draped coffin carrying Lt Anthony Daly, the Blues and Royals officer killed in the bombing along with three other soldiers

]]>

A memorial stone marks the location of the 1982 bombing

]]>

The letters from the Police Service of Northern Ireland sparked uproar last year when it resulted in the collapse of the Hyde Park bomb trial at the Old Bailey.

John Downey, who denied murdering four soldiers in the 1982 bombing, had received a letter in error informing him he was no longer being pursued in Northern Ireland or elsewhere.

During his trial, it emerged that 187 people had received similar assurances - the majority of them republicans who had never been charged or who had been convicted but then escaped.

Mr Blair said the Downey letter had been a mistake and should not have been sent "if the scheme had been properly applied".

He accepted responsibility for not putting in place a proper procedure, which led to some fugitives being sent letters in error, and apologised to the people who had been affected.

However, he said he would not apologise for the letters sent to those wanted terrorist suspects who it was concluded by the authorities at the time should have received them.

1/9

1. Gallery: IRA Suspect Amnesties: Key Players

   Following the Good Friday Agreement and the release of 400 loyalist and republican paramilitary prisoners, the question about what to do with on-the-run IRA suspects, wanted for crimes before April 10, 1998, continued to needle the Tony Blair Government

In 2006, Mr Blair wrote to Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams telling him the Government was working on a solution for dealing with the suspects in question

]]>

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, those convicted of terrorist offences were released from prison early but those who had gone "on the run" were not considered eligible.

In 2006, after an attempt to establish a formal scheme for "on the runs" failed, Mr Blair wrote to Gerry Adams outlining plans to resolve the issue, "expediting the existing administrative procedures".

The scheme had been reported publicly but victims' families said they felt "devastatingly let down" by the collapse of the Downey case - and Northern Ireland's First Minister threatened to resign.

MPs questioned Mr Blair's claim that had he not made the agreement "over on the runs" the peace process would have collapsed saying that Lord Mandelson, a former Northern Ireland Secretary, had told the committee the Good Friday Agreement was not at stake.

Mr Blair said that he agreed with the inquiry carried out by Lady Justice Hallet, which concluded that the letters were not an amnesty and that the scheme was lawful but called Mr Downey's letter a "catastrophic mistake".

He urged: "I am saying to the people in Government now: 'You have inherited a peace process that worked so be careful with it because it's fragile still.'"

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

Top Stories

1. Breaking News: Charlie Hebdo Journalists On 'Survivor' Issue
2. Breaking News: Mother's Grief As Nations Mourn Attack Victims
3. Paris Siege Survivor's Dramatic TV Interview
4. Man With 'Links To Paris Gunman' Arrested
5. Snow And Gales Threaten Chaos Across UK

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Tony Blair has said the Northern Ireland peace process would have collapsed if he had not agreed to send "letters of comfort" to IRA terror suspects.

The former prime minister has told the Northern Ireland Select Committee the controversial distribution of the letters to so-called "on the runs", stating they were no longer wanted for past crimes, were not an "amnesty" and were "not secret".

He "defended completely" agreeing to the controversial letters and said an agreement on how to treat those wanted for terrorist crimes during the troubles "was critical to the peace process" and "became fundamental".

The case against John Downey collapsed

Mr Blair told MPs that had he not agreed to send the letters then Sinn Fein would have walked away from the Good Friday Agreement.

He said: "Without having done that we would not have a Northern Ireland peace process."

1/12

1. Gallery: Hyde Park Bombing: July 1982

   A police forensic officer examines the remains of the IRA car which contained the Hyde Park bomb

Images of dead horses and wrecked cars added to the shock for people reeling from the human cost of the atrocity

]]>

Wrecked cars are removed from the scene

]]>

The flag-draped coffin carrying Lt Anthony Daly, the Blues and Royals officer killed in the bombing along with three other soldiers

]]>

A memorial stone marks the location of the 1982 bombing

]]>

The letters from the Police Service of Northern Ireland sparked uproar last year when it resulted in the collapse of the Hyde Park bomb trial at the Old Bailey.

John Downey, who denied murdering four soldiers in the 1982 bombing, had received a letter in error informing him he was no longer being pursued in Northern Ireland or elsewhere.

During his trial, it emerged that 187 people had received similar assurances - the majority of them republicans who had never been charged or who had been convicted but then escaped.

Mr Blair said the Downey letter had been a mistake and should not have been sent "if the scheme had been properly applied".

He accepted responsibility for not putting in place a proper procedure, which led to some fugitives being sent letters in error, and apologised to the people who had been affected.

However, he said he would not apologise for the letters sent to those wanted terrorist suspects who it was concluded by the authorities at the time should have received them.

1/9

1. Gallery: IRA Suspect Amnesties: Key Players

   Following the Good Friday Agreement and the release of 400 loyalist and republican paramilitary prisoners, the question about what to do with on-the-run IRA suspects, wanted for crimes before April 10, 1998, continued to needle the Tony Blair Government

In 2006, Mr Blair wrote to Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams telling him the Government was working on a solution for dealing with the suspects in question

]]>

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, those convicted of terrorist offences were released from prison early but those who had gone "on the run" were not considered eligible.

In 2006, after an attempt to establish a formal scheme for "on the runs" failed, Mr Blair wrote to Gerry Adams outlining plans to resolve the issue, "expediting the existing administrative procedures".

The scheme had been reported publicly but victims' families said they felt "devastatingly let down" by the collapse of the Downey case - and Northern Ireland's First Minister threatened to resign.

MPs questioned Mr Blair's claim that had he not made the agreement "over on the runs" the peace process would have collapsed saying that Lord Mandelson, a former Northern Ireland Secretary, had told the committee the Good Friday Agreement was not at stake.

Mr Blair said that he agreed with the inquiry carried out by Lady Justice Hallet, which concluded that the letters were not an amnesty and that the scheme was lawful but called Mr Downey's letter a "catastrophic mistake".

He urged: "I am saying to the people in Government now: 'You have inherited a peace process that worked so be careful with it because it's fragile still.'"

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

Top Stories

1. Breaking News: Charlie Hebdo Journalists On 'Survivor' Issue
2. Breaking News: Mother's Grief As Nations Mourn Attack Victims
3. Paris Siege Survivor's Dramatic TV Interview
4. Man With 'Links To Paris Gunman' Arrested
5. Snow And Gales Threaten Chaos Across UK

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK Terror Exercises Will Include Paris Scenarios

Scenarios similar to the deadly terror attacks in Paris will be included in future counter-terrorism exercises by the police and security services, Downing Street has said.

David Cameron has met intelligence and security chiefs to discuss whether further measures are needed to deal with the threat of terror attacks in Britain after 17 people were killed in the French capital.

Following the talks, a Number 10 spokesman said it had been agreed that future exercises, which take place on a regular basis, should seek to learn from events in France.

Mr Cameron, who joined French President Francois Hollande and world leaders for a rally in Paris to remember the victims, stressed the need for the police to be able to call on military help if there is a major emergency.

The PM also emphasised the importance of international co-operation to stop the cross-border smuggling of firearms and other weapons.

Video: Armed UK Police Officers: The Facts

Mr Cameron later vowed to legislate to deny terrorists a "safe space" in which to communicate.

Speaking at an event in Nottingham, he said: "The next government will have to legislate again in 2016.

"If I am prime minister, I will make sure that it is a comprehensive piece of legislation that makes sure we do not allow terrorists safe space to communicate with each other.

"That is the key principle: do we allow safe spaces for them to talk to each other? I say no, we don't, and we should legislate accordingly."

1/28

1. Gallery: France Attacks: Marches Worldwide

   London's Tower Bridge is illuminated by the red, white and blue of the French Tricolore in solidarity with the people of France

People in many countries around the world took part in demonstrations of unity with the French people after the attacks in Paris. A large number of people gathered in Madrid

]]>

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Extra Jewish London Patrols After Paris Attacks

A Jewish neighbourhood watch group has stepped up its patrols in London in the wake of terrorist attacks in France.

Four hostages and Amedy Coulibaly were killed after he sparked a siege at a kosher supermarket in Paris.

And Jewish neighbourhood watch group Shomrim, which has a total of around 80 volunteers, called for increased vigilance following the attacks.

The organisation's Twitter account said: "Following events in #Paris we will have on extra patrols throughout NW London over Shabbos. We ask the community to remain calm & vigilant.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jewish community in #Paris, the victims and families of victims in today's attacks."

Shomrim London covers areas of the capital with large Jewish populations, including Golders Green, Hendon and Barnet.

Hackney Metropolitan Police's Twitter account, @MPSHackney, was asked why Shomrim was allowed to use cars with markings so similar to police cars.

"We are supportive of work Shomrim do but they don't need us to 'allow' them to mark a car up this way, it's a matter for them," it said.

"Think the word 'Shomrim' in big letters down all sides is fairly unambiguous!"

Asked if other minority groups would be permitted to run their own patrols in similar vehicles, the HackneyMPS account said: "Citizens/communities in London can do whatever they wish as long as within the law - not for police to 'allow' or 'forbid'."

Shomrim refused to comment on the extra patrols, but issued a statement to Sky News saying: "We are not a police force.

"Our unpaid volunteers and unpaid staff are compiled of men and women of the local neighbourhood regardless of their ethnicity or religious affiliation."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teen Killer 'Emailed Murder Pictures To Friend'

A teenager who stabbed to death a 14-year-old boy emailed pictures of the body to an online friend, a court has heard.

Lewis Daynes, 19, communicated with two of Breck Bednar's friends after he killed the boy, claiming he stabbed him during a struggle and he was dead.

Breck was an air cadet with 135 Squadron and a student at St Bede's school

Daynes then sent three images of Breck's body to an online acquaintance before calling emergency services.

Following his arrest, computer engineer Daynes said: "I should have known better than to go for an artery on a friend."

Daynes has pleaded guilty to murdering Breck, who was found with a fatal neck wound at a flat in Grays, Essex, on 17 February 2014. 

He is due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court later today.

Mrs Justice Cox has lifted reporting restrictions which covered five other counts Daynes faced, including four counts of sexual offences relating to another person and one of possessing indecent images. Daynes has denied these offences.

Prosecutor Richard Whitham QC said there was no longer a realistic prospect of a conviction for these counts given the conviction for murder and the charges were dropped.

Family members said Breck, from Caterham, Surrey, had left home after arranging to meet a friend online.

Since his death his mother, Lorin LeFave, has launched the Breck Bednar Memorial Foundation to help raise money and awareness to help protect children.

"I'll never stop missing my Breck," she said.

Breck, who was a student at St Bede's School in Redhill, Surrey, was an air cadet with 135 Squadron and attended St John the Evangelist church in Caterham.

More follows...

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Petrol At £1 A Litre But Not At Supermarkets

The owner of three petrol stations in the West Midlands has cut the price of unleaded petrol below £1 a litre, as supermarkets announce further reductions.

The decision to sell petrol at 99.7p by Harvest Energy garages in Birmingham, Redditch and Walsall sees sub-£1 pump prices in the UK for the first time in more than five years.

Dr Velautham Sarveswaran, who runs the stations, claims he will still make money from the move.

"The supermarkets continue to make a fortune without passing the price cuts to their customers. It is a scandal. They are cheating people," he told MailOnline.

Unleaded petrol costs hit a five-year low last week of 109.8p - with figures provided by Experian Catalist showing that average costs on Sunday had reduced further to 108.9p.

Video: Brent Crude Could Go Below $40

Diesel stood just below 115p a litre.

Analysis showed that with an unleaded price of 99.7p, 57.95p of that figure would go to the Treasury in fuel duty and a further 18.3p would be paid in VAT, with the driver paying just over 20p for the product itself.

Lower petrol prices are a consequence of the plunge in oil costs - with Brent crude losing more than 50% of its value since June last year on a supply glut and fears for the strength of the world economy.

Brent was down at fresh six-year lows of $48.8 a barrel in Monday trading.

Supermarkets confirmed further reductions to their prices - with Tesco taking 2p off their petrol and diesel costs from Monday afternoon.

Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's confirmed similar moves from Tuesday.

For Asda customers, the latest reduction means they will pay no more than 103.7p a litre for petrol, with diesel at 110.7p.

While motoring groups welcomed the Harvest price, the AA said it "appears to be a publicity stunt rather than a reflection of general pump prices."

Its president Edmund King added: "There remains a postcode lottery out there when it comes to fuel prices.

"Drivers in rural areas are still paying much more than the 109p average price ...It will still take some time to get down to an average of £1 per litre."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Live: Teen Sentenced For Internet Murder

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Breck Bednar met his killer while playing video games online

{headline} {source} ]]>

{headline} ]]> Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

1. Breaking News: Video: 'Paris Attacker's Girlfriend In Istanbul'
2. Breaking News: France Terror: Police And Army Deployed
3. Wife Of Charlie Hebdo Gunman Slams Attack
4. Petrol At £1 A Litre But Not At Supermarkets
5. Breaking News: Teen Killer 'Emailed Murder Pictures To Friend'

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More