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The Home Office ‘effectively ignored’ equality laws when it drew up controversial ‘hostile environment’ policies to crack down on illegal migrants, a report says. Civil rights watchdog the Equality and Human Rights Commission found the failures to observe existing policy contributed to the Windrush scandal. The Coalition government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy was brought in by then home secretary Theresa May in 2012. It was intended to stop illegal migrants settling in the UK. But it ended up causing profound problems for entirely legal migrants from the Windrush generation, who arrived in Britain from the Caribbean between the late 1940s and the 1970s.  Civil rights watchdog the Equality and Human Rights Commission found the failures to observe existing policy contributed to the Windrush scandal (file image) The EHRC’s report, published today, concluded the Home Office did not comply with a legal duty to consider the impact its policies would have on black and ethnic minority peo

Jack de Belin's lawyer is set to continue his submissions as to why a jury should acquit the NRL and NSW State of Origin star of sexual assault charges. The St George Illawarra forward, 29, and his friend, Callan Sinclair, 23, have pleaded not guilty to five counts of aggravated sexual assault, saying the early-morning encounter in a North Wollongong unit in December 2018 was consensual. While prosecutor David Scully described the woman's evidence as 'compelling', Sinclair's barrister Craig Smith SC contended the jury would not be satisfied of either its accuracy or its reliability. Pictured: Jack de Belin arrives at Wollongong District Court, south of Sydney, on Tuesday De Belin , 29, and his friend, Callan Sinclair , 23, have pleaded not guilty to five counts of aggravated sexual assault 'You could easily conclude that they didn't treat the complainant as attentively as they should have,' Mr Smith told the Wollongong District Court jury on Tuesday. 

Ministers squandered £10 billion on PPE because inadequate stockpiling forced them to pay over the odds, a damning report has found. The Government’s spending watchdog found that as global prices surged, the NHS had to pay up to 1,300 per cent extra for Covid safety kit. It meant that between February and July, the ministers spent £12.5 billion on masks, gowns and other equipment which would have cost just £2.5 billion had it been bought before the pandemic. The National Audit Office report criticised pandemic planning. Ministers squandered £10 billion on PPE because inadequate stockpiling forced them to pay over the odds, a damning report has found. Pictured: Boris Johnson holds a virtual press conference on November 23 to reveal Christmas coronavirus plans It found that at the start of the outbreak, the NHS had just 400 million items of PPE in its stockpile, when it ended up needing 32 billion. There was a particular shortage of gloves and aprons. The report said the Government’s sc

Only two flights took off from Gatwick Airport yesterday, underlining the devastating impact of the pandemic on Britain's travel industry. A Ryanair flight to Dublin and an Air Baltic flight to Tallinn, Estonia, were the only services that departed the West Sussex airport, which normally handles 800 flights a day. A third – an Air Arabia flight to Marrakech – was cancelled, while only three planes touched down all day. Only two flights took off from Gatwick Airport yesterday, underlining the devastating impact of the pandemic on Britain's travel industry. The terminal was so quiet that even a robin managed to sneak in Airport insiders said yesterday's flight total was 'exceptionally low' and could be an all-time daily low for Britain's second biggest airport – barring major events such as the 2018 Christmas drone sightings and the eruption of the Icelandic volcano in 2010. Gatwick was, until March 2017, the world's busiest single runway airport, serving 47mi

Australian athletes could be forced to leave the 2021 Tokyo Olympics early and others may miss the opening ceremony due to strict Covid-19 restrictions. A new proposal for the Tokyo Olympic Games would only allow competitors to enter the athletes village five days before their events start. This means swimmers, rowers and track and field athletes will likely not be allowed to attend the opening ceremony. International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates said additional measures are also being implemented, such as cleaning high-touch surfaces Australian athletes are being forced to leave the 2021 Tokyo Olympics early and many will miss the opening ceremony due to strict Covid-19 restrictions. Pictured: The Australian 2020 Olympic Games artistic swimming team Tokyo's Olympic Village has the capacity for 16,500 people including athletes and support staff, but social distancing measures mean only 7,000 will be allowed inside at any one time. International Olympic Committee vi

Former AFL star Dale 'Daisy' Thomas has hit back at online trolls attacking him for putting on weight. The 33-year-old midfielder retired from the game and the Carlton club last year - and like many during the tumultuous coronavirus period - put on a few extra kilograms. The footballer turned media personality took to Twitter on Tuesday night to acknowledge the 'barbs' he had been dealt, with a classy message for those looking to tease their friends about weight gain. 'Thanks to everyone who has been kind enough to realise I've put on a few kilograms,' Thomas posted. Dale 'Daisy' Thomas (pictured with his partner Natasha) took to social media after copping 'barbs' for gaining weight The former AFL star had a classy message for those looking to troll their mates about putting on weight 'Although I'm happy to laugh it off and understand eating was my way of dealing with COVID, before you throw a barb to a mate or a family member, maybe

Gary Rohan's jilted wife has shared another cryptic Instagram post about finding strength through 'difficult days' after the AFL star moved on with a Geelong Cats trainer.  Rohan and wife Amie are understood to have broken up when the 29-year-old star forward joined the AFL's Gold Coast coronavirus hub alongside his teammates in late July.   On Tuesday, Amie commented on her personal struggles in the wake of the break-up by sharing an Instagram post by poet Dhiman about overcoming hurdles and not giving up.  'This year you have learned to trust yourself. You have seen your strength rising through your most difficult days,' the post read.  Gary Rohan and wife Amie are understood to have split in late July. They are pictured together 'You have been hurt and there were days when you were falling apart but you have held onto yourself, you did not give up on your heart.  'And despite all the hurdles on your path, you have managed to come this far.' Amie c

Sunseekers are being asked to donate $1 for every hour they spend at the beach this summer as part of a radical plan to help surf lifesavers. The money from the Adopt an Hour ad campaign will go towards the 180,000 volunteers who will spend 1.4 million hours on patrol this summer. 'We're asking the public to consider donating $1 for every hour… so that when you need them the most, they're there to help,' Surf Life Saving Foundation chief executive John Brennan said.  The bold initiative comes as new safety rules are introduced at some of Sydney's most popular to ensure social distancing measures are followed. Sunseekers are being asked to donate $1 for every hour they spend at the beach this summer as part of a radical plan to help Surf Life Savers (Pictured: Bondi Beach last week) The money from the Adopt an Hour ad campaign will go towards the 180,000 volunteers will spend 1.4 million hours on patrol this summer Randwick Council created the six safety measures for

A security guard at the Peppers Hotel has been identified as South Australia's 'patient zero' which ultimately saw the state plunged into a strict lockdown. Health authorities confirmed on Wednesday the security guard had been the first to contract coronavirus after it was initially believed the outbreak came from an infected cleaner. Premier Steven Marshall said CCTV taken from the Adelaide hotel confirmed that no staff had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said authorities are yet to determine how the virus was transmitted from a returned traveller to a staff member.    A security guard at the Peppers Hotel in Adelaide has been identified as the 'patient zero' in the recent outbreak of coronavirus cases in South Australia The outbreak has been linked to 29 cases in the state's Parafield cluster. 'There was also absolutely no incidents of staff going into the travellers' rooms. And certainly

A young couple claim they are being evicted from their flat on the Queen's Crown Estate for charging their electric car without permission. Christopher Brown, 33, and Daisy Bow Du Toit, 31, have been given just weeks to move out of their 'fairytale' home in Royal Mews, Hampton Court.   The order to vacate their home of five years came after Mr Brown plugged his Volkswagen eGolf into a socket in a communal boiler room when his usual charging point at work was out of action during lockdown. The couple insisted it was a 'time of real need' and they only used the socket to charge the car for emergencies, grocery shopping, and to help find work for Ms Bow Du Toit after she lost her job as a carer.  But despite only running up what they understand to be only a £32 bill, offering to pay a hefty fine, and making a profuse apology, they say the Royal Household want them out of the £1,175-a-month flat by Christmas.  The couple received the eviction letter in October, which di

A fraudster who went viral after complaining about her 'trailer trash' mugshot has been jailed for scamming $60,000 from a bushfire grants scheme. Tiffany-Anne Brislane-Brown, 23, used different bank accounts and phone numbers to swindle the money from New South Wales Services, after claiming she ran a business that had been financially impacted by the bushfires. She had pleaded guilty to six counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception in September. Last week, Brislane-Brown was sentenced to two years and nine months behind bars and was ordered to pay back every dollar she stole, the Daily Telegraph reported. Tiffany-Anne Brislane-Brown, 23, who infamously complained about her 'trailer trash' mugshot has been jailed after scamming $60,000 from a NSW bushfire grant scheme Between May and April she lodged 24 applications through the bushfire COVID-19 $10,000 grant scheme.  The program was designed to help small businesses across the state experiencing

Queensland will open its borders to Victoria and Greater Sydney from 1 December after both recorded 28 days with no mystery cases of Covid-19. Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the rule change on Wednesday morning and urged southerners to book flights and accommodation in the Sunshine State. But she refused to rule out shutting the borders again in the event of any coronavirus outbreaks.  Queensland will open its borders to Victoria and Greater Sydney from 1 December after both recorded 28 days with no mystery cases of Covid-19. Pictured: Annastacia Palaszczuk on Tuesday 'We have to remember it can happen at any time... I can't predict the future,' she told ABC News Breakfast. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was 'thrilled' by the news but urged Premier Palaszczuk not to shut down again. 'I'm thrilled that Queensland is open to the rest of the country. I'm thrilled that they'll soon open to Victoria as well. It's great to see people re-uniti