Hospitals Told To End 'Unfair' Parking Charges

Hospitals have been told to give free or cheap parking to the relatives of chronically ill patients.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said new guidelines for English hospitals have been created in order to end the stress of "unfair" charges.

Patients with disabilities, those who have frequent appointments and members of staff working shifts will also benefit from the changes, Mr Hunt said.

The guidelines state hospital trusts should waive fines when an overstay is beyond the control of the driver, for instance if treatment takes longer than planned.

Jeremy Hunt has come under pressure from Tory backbenchers on the issue

Mr Hunt last month admitted he was concerned about parking fees being charged at some hospitals after being pressed by backbenchers to end "rip-off" costs.

The guidance sets out for the first time that hospital trusts are responsible for the actions of any private firms they use to run parking facilities.

It also calls on hospitals to look at introducing pay on exit systems so those visiting only pay for the time they have used.

Mr Hunt said: "Patients and families shouldn't have to deal with the added stress of unfair parking charges.

"These clear ground rules set out our expectations, and will help the public hold the NHS to account for unfair charges or practices."

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'Asbos For Extremists' To Tackle UK Jihadists

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Home Secretary Theresa May is planning to bring in new laws to tackle the threat of British jihadists - including "anti-social behaviour orders" for extremists.

Mrs May will announce a three-point plan to counter British Muslim extremists, warning that the security threat to the UK will continue for decades.

The measures would target the activities of radical preachers, such as Anjem Choudary, whose extreme rhetoric currently does not constitute a crime.

Full details are yet to emerge, but the new power will be designed to restrict extremists' behaviour and language.

As with an Asbo, it could result in a criminal conviction carrying a jail term if breached.

Radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary

Mrs May has unveiled her crackdown in an article in the Daily Telegraph.

She discloses that she will make it illegal to join extremist groups that preach violent views, but are not directly involved in terrorism.

Currently, the threshold for banning membership of organisations, such as the Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, requires the Home Secretary to prove that the group is directly involved in terrorist acts.

The new power could target Islamist political organisations and other Muslim groups that tacitly support extremism.

In addition, state-funded organisations such as councils and schools will be given a new legal obligation to combat extremists.

Theresa May's warning echoes recent comments from David Cameron

Mrs May uses the Telegraph article to echo a warning about extremism made by the Prime Minister in a newspaper report last weekend.

The Home Secretary writes: "We are in the middle of a generational struggle against a deadly extremist ideology.

"We will be engaged in this struggle for many years, probably decades. We must give ourselves all the legal powers we need to prevail.

"I am looking again at the case for new banning orders for extremist groups that fall short of the legal threshold for terrorist proscription, as well as for new civil powers to target extremists who seek to radicalise others."

The measures proposed by Mrs May are similar to recommendations for legislation made by the Government's Extremism Task Force last December.

Those recommendations were surprisingly omitted from the Queen's Speech this year.

But there is no suggestion yet that the Home Secretary plans to introduce emergency legislation when MPs return to the Commons on September 1.

David Cameron said during his brief return to Downing Street from his holiday after the murder of journalist James Foley that there would be "no knee-jerk reaction".

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Failing Doctors Could Be Forced To Say Sorry

Doctors could be forced to say sorry to patients or their relatives if they have been found to have made a mistake.

The proposed move is part the General Medical Council (GMC) consultation which will help "improve patient protection and public confidence in doctors".

Whether or not they have apologised may also be taken into account when a fitness to practice panel is deciding on what sanctions the medic faces, the document said.

And those who fail to blow the whistle on a failing colleague could face stricter sanctions under the plans.

"In the vast majority of cases one-off clinical errors do not merit any action by the GMC," said GMC chief executive Niall Dickson.

"But if we are to maintain that trust, in the small number of serious cases where doctors fail to listen to concerns and take action sooner to protect patients, they should be held to account for their actions.

"We want patients, doctors and other professionals to give us their views - this consultation is a chance to make sure the action we take is fair to doctors while never losing our focus on protecting the public."

The consultation was launched today and will close on November 14.

Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, honorary treasurer of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "Patient safety is always of paramount importance and GPs work really hard to ensure that all patients receive the best possible care.

"All GP practices have a system to review instances where things could have gone better and GPs are required to reflect on 'significant events' during their annual appraisal and through the revalidation process.

"Anything that further improves the care that we deliver to our patients - and the trust that they have in us should be welcomed.

"But it is essential that any action resulting from these proposals is taken in the best interests of patient safety and care and not used as an excuse to criticise doctors who are doing a very difficult job in increasingly difficult circumstances."

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First-Time Buyers 'Getting A Shot At Long Last'

By Poppy Trowbridge, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

The number of first-time buyer sales has hit a seven-year high, according to new figures from LSL Property Services.

There were 30,000 first-time buyer sales in July, up by 25% on a year before and the highest number of monthly first-time buyers since August 2007.

At the same time, the data reveal average first-time buyer deposits are 10% lower than this time last year.

Down payments averaged £26,642 in June, a decrease from £29,609 12 months ago.

David Newnes, from LSL Property Services, said: "A whole generation of young buyers were trapped on the sidelines of the property market as the economy recovered from the recession, struggling to save for a deposit whilst inflation remained stubbornly high, savings rates were stuck at a historic low, and real wages fell.

"But the recent increase in high LTV (loan to value) lending options - enabled by Help to Buy - has allowed them a shot at getting on the ladder at long last."

Yet purchase prices are on the rise, and mortgage rates are climbing, meaning buyers could still struggle with debt and repayments.

First-time buyers paid 8% more over the last year, with the average price paid for a new home now £155,844, according to LSL Property Services.

Simultaneously, average mortgage rates climbed for the fourth consecutive month in July to 4.19%.

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Gove Effect 'To Hit Schools' GCSE Results'

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs and Education Editor

Early reports have suggested a dramatic decline in some schools' GCSE results, as a raft of measures designed to toughen up the qualification take effect.

Changes to the compulsory English language exam and a move away from modular assessments - placing more pressure on end of summer exams - are among the measures believed to have affected some pupils.

The changes come amid a growing emphasis on outcomes at GCSE level, with changes further down the education system at A-level causing universities to rely more heavily on Year 11 results.

"There is so much pressure on all the exams being all at once that it feels like it is so important," said Will, 16, a pupil at King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmonds.

"If we don't do well this year because of the Gove effect, and then next year ... we are at such a disadvantage compared to the year above us and the year below because their results are going to be so much better than ours", said Siobhan, 16, also a pupil at King Edward VI.

Teachers say they are concerned that the drop in performance by schools, even if caused by systemic change, could lead to heads being forced out of their jobs.

"I think the pressure on head teachers because of results and then because of Ofsted is quite extraordinary," said Geoff Barton, head teacher at King Edward VI.

Michael Gove made a number of reforms during his time as education chief

"I think we will look back and think it's a national scandal that every year some head teachers simply disappear either because they've been quietly sacked or because they've been publicly sacked because of one year's results.

"And I think that would be a disgrace if that were to happen this year when we know about the turbulence in the system."

There are also reports that schools are resorting to increasingly desperate measures to protect their league table rankings in the face of a drop in results.

Experts are predicting a rise in the number of appeals against individual grades and say there has been a significant increase in the number of pupils requesting assistance.

Sky News has learned of concern that some schools pressured pupils to drop a subject shortly before their exams, to avoid poor grades affecting the school's academic record.

One official, who did not want to be named, said there was also concern that schools were wrongly entering their pupils as external candidates, removing their performance from the schools' rolls.

But others said the changes would make it harder for schools to cheat the system.

"(Schools) are held to account through their pupils' exam results. and so they tended to find every way that's open to them to actually push up their students results," said Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research.

"Those methods of accountability have changed this year ... the Government has been trying to make exams sounder and also make the accountability system smarter, so that exams work to the best advantage of pupils, universities and employers."

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Sexual Crimes On Britain's Trains Increase

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Correspondent

The number of sexual crimes committed on trains in England, Wales and Scotland has gone up in the past year.

The latest figures released by British Transport Police (BTP) show a 20% increase, with 1,117 sexual offences in 2013/14 compared to 925 in 2012/13.

Most were against women but men were also victims.

BTP said the increase was slightly higher than that experienced by police forces nationally, but believed it was partly down to people being more willing to report incidents in the wake of high-profile prosecutions of celebrities for historical sexual offences.

Overall, for the 10th year in a row, there has been a drop in the number of the most serious crimes committed on Britain's railways, falling from 53,885 to 50,840 in 2012/13 - more than 3,000 fewer offences.

It includes a reduction of 18% in recorded robberies, a 17% drop in theft of passenger property and a 37% fall in theft of cable from the railway.

Speaking about the rise in sexual offences, BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther said the force's Project Guardian had had a significant impact.

He said the scheme "focuses on increasing awareness and confidence among the public to report unwanted sexual behaviour to the police or members of staff".

"We are particularly interested in those offences which are often unreported, such as sexual assault, exposure, outraging public decency, lewd comments and harassment," he said.

"For the coming months and years we will have one simple goal - to make sure everyone who travels or works on the railway can get home every day, safe, secure and on time."

Figures show that 15% of women who have used the underground or trains in London have experienced unwanted sexual behaviour on the network, but 90% did not report it because they did not think it was serious enough.

Jodie Mcleay told Sky News that she did not tell police what happened to her on a train at midday from the capital to Luton.

She said: "It was a reasonably packed train and I heard a man behind me and realised he was acting quite inappropriately for that time of day.

"I think I was shocked more than anything, a bit disgusted and then didn't know how to react, whether to make a scene."

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Bullying Partners Could Face Five Years In Jail

People in a relationship who consistently emotionally and psychologically bully their partner could face jail under Government plans.

The legislation is aimed at protecting victims whose partners threaten them with violence, cut them off from friends or rufuse them access to money.

Home Secretary Theresa May is looking at creating a new offence which would give emotional abuse the same status under law as physical abuse.

Currently non-violent coercive and controlling behaviour is covered by legislation that concentrates on stalking and harassment. This does not explicitly apply to intimate relationships.

Polly Neate, Women's Aid chief executive, said: "This is a vital step forward for victims of domestic violence.

"Two women a week are killed by domestic violence, and in our experience of working with survivors, coercive controlling behaviour is at the heart of the most dangerous abuse."

The Home Secretary said: "The Government is clear that abuse is not just physical. Victims who are subjected to a living hell by their partners must have the confidence to come forward.

"Meanwhile, I want perpetrators to be in no doubt that their cruel and controlling behaviour is criminal."

The Government has also introduced the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, known as Clare's Law after 36-year-old Clare Wood who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009, which enables the police to disclose information about previous violent offending by a partner.

And the introduction earlier this year of Domestic Violence Protection Orders means perpetrators of domestic abuse can be prevented from returning to the home for up to 28 days.

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Internet Porn 'Too Easy For Teens To Access'

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

Eight out of 10 18-year-olds think it is too easy for young people to see pornography online, according to a new survey.

Viewing pornography becomes "typical" as early as 13, according to the research carried out by Opinium on behalf of the Institute for Public Policy Research.

The think tank says 46% of those surveyed said "sending sexual or naked photos or videos is part of everyday life for teenagers nowadays".

And 77% of young women say "pornography has led to pressure on girls or young women to look a certain way".

A total of 75% agree "pornography has led to pressure on girls and young women to act a certain way".

Esme Ossrich, 15, told Sky News: "People are having sex from a younger age because they've watched porn, and they think they're ready to do it.

"They should get rid of it. People should have to have IDs. Being able to access it from when you're 11 years old is just sick."

Beata Kuczynska, also 15, told Sky News: "I know people who are underage who have had sex because they've been influenced by pornography.

"They should make it a lot harder to access."

Dalia Ben-Galim, IPPR associate director, said: "This new polling data shows that pornographic images are pervasive in teenagers' lives and that young women in particular are acutely conscious of how damaging they can be.

"It paints a worrying picture about the way online pornography is shaping the attitudes and behaviour of young people.

"The images and the type of pornography that young people can access quite readily is much more explicit and more violent than young people have been able to access in the past."

The survey also found 72% of 18-year-olds said "pornography leads to unrealistic attitudes to sex".

And 66% of young women and 49% of young men agreed that "it would be easier growing up if pornography was less easy to access for young people".

Matthewos Alem, 17, told Sky News: "It changes young people's minds and their perception on women, how they see them."

But experts warned that the problem should not be blamed just on the internet.

Clinical psychologist Dr Lucy Maddox said: "It's not the only medium where issues of sexual identity and relationships are coming up.

"It's more about the way we talk about these issues in general as a socaiety and in our families, rather than something just to do with technology."

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Government 'Bailed Out' Over School Dinners

Cash-strapped schools and councils are having to "bail out the Government because of its own incompetence", the shadow education secretary has claimed.

A survey by the Local Government Association (LGA) found many authorities do not have enough cash to provide Nick Clegg's pledge to give free school meals to all infants.

Government funding worth £150m was handed to councils as part of the scheme announced by the Deputy Prime Minister - this was to cover improvements to kitchens and dining facilities.

But the LGA survey of 75 councils found nearly half (47%) said they had not received enough cash to cover the full cost of the work.

Tristram Hunt said: "Nick Clegg announced the policy without doing the maths first. It's more evidence that voters cannot trust a word the Liberal Democrats say."

Of those that said they did not have enough money, 49% said the council would make up the difference, with 37% saying some of the cash would come from school coffers.

The LGA found that money earmarked for school maintenance and repairs could also be used to make up the difference.

The total shortfall in funding has been estimated at £25.9m.

Councillor David Simmonds, chairman of the LGA's children and young people board, said: "There's no doubt that dishing up a nutritious lunch for every young pupil will improve the experience of school and help them concentrate in lessons.

"Councils and schools have been working really hard to make this happen within this ambitious timescale.

"But it cannot be right that for some councils, money set aside for maintenance has instead had to be spent plugging the shortfall in money which government should have provided for meals."

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Hundreds Of Police Breach Rules On Social Media

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Reporter

Hundreds of police employees have been investigated for breaching social media guidelines at forces across England and Wales.

The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, show a total of 828 cases were reported to police, ranging from social media gaffes to sackable offences involving harassment, and posts of a sexual, racist or homophobic nature.

A total of 14% of the investigations resulted in no further action being taken or the individual having no case to answer, but 9% ended in a resignation, dismissal or retirement.

The police regularly use Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and other social media platforms to connect with the public and to help with crime prevention and detection.

Greater Manchester Police recently posted the 7,000th image on its Flickr account.

Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guidelines state officers and police staff should avoid using the internet while off-duty or after having drunk alcohol, due to the potential for their judgement to be impaired.

They also warn of the propensity for criminals to trawl the internet and identify personal information about police employees "with a view to embarrassing, discrediting, harassing, corrupting or blackmailing them or their families for their own benefit".

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, of Greater Manchester Police, is the ACPO lead on social media.

A total of 548 of those investigated were police officers

"Social media is a key tool for us in having conversations with communities, using it not only to pass information but to receive information about crime and incidents, help people make informed choices," he said.

"All police employees are covered by the code of ethics that was introduced earlier this year.

"So staff must act with integrity, with fairness, with honesty, openness, and regardless of whether they are tweeting as John Smith or Joanna Smith, if they are recognisable as a PC or a member of police staff, then they have to be taking into account the code of ethics."

According to the Press Association, who submitted the FOI request, the investigations included:

:: A PCSO with Devon and Cornwall Police who received a final written warning for posting photos on Facebook of themselves with weapons.

:: A civilian member of police staff who posted a comment on Facebook regarding the actions of Muslims in central London failing to observe a two-minute silence. It was alleged the language used "could be regarded as offensive/inappropriate or likely to cause offence to other persons", police said.

:: A Gwent PC who acted inappropriately while attending a member of the public's home address and asked her to become a friend on Facebook, later sending a message through the site. They received a written warning.

:: Two special constables in Northampton who resigned after they were pictured on Facebook in a "compromising position".

:: A civilian with South Yorkshire Police who was accused of harassing an ex-partner via Facebook. They resigned prior to misconduct proceedings.

Chief Constable Alex Marshall, chief executive of the College of Policing, said: "People working in policing must always be mindful of the high standards that the public expect from us.

"Our code of ethics, which was launched last month, sets out the standards which everyone in the service should strive to uphold whether at work or away from work, online or offline."

Additional details provided by most forces under FOI laws showed 548 of those investigated were police officers, compared with 175 civilian staff and 31 PCSOs.

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Footage Of Stowaways Freed From Ship Container

Belgian police have said they are almost certain they have CCTV images of the lorry and driver that dropped a container carrying 35 immigrants at a UK-bound ferry.

Crews discovered the group of Afghan Sikhs - thought to be victims of human trafficking - when "banging and screaming" was heard at Tilbury Docks in Essex.

The moment the terrified immigrants were released was filmed by a witness on his mobile phone.

Women can be heard crying and screaming while young children look frightened and confused.

Police at Tilbury Docks after the discovery of the container

One man, believed to be in his 40s, was found dead and others were taken to hospital suffering from severe dehydration and hypothermia.

Thirty of them have been discharged and the other four will remain in Southend Hospital overnight.

Of the 30, there are nine men and eight women aged between 18 and 72, and 13 children aged between one and 12.

Interpol and other international forces are helping Essex Police trace the lorry's route across Europe and find the suspected traffickers.

Peter De Waele, a spokesman for Belgium's federal police, told Sky News that detectives were checking "every image" of CCTV from Zeebrugge port.

"We have a lot of cameras and we are very hopeful for having information about identification of the driver.

"When you know that in this area there are a lot of cameras, you know also that we have plenty of information about the truck and the driver, and the firm who put the container in Zeebrugge."

Mr De Waele said the container was only at the busy port for about an hour and police believe the victims were probably already inside when it arrived.

Basildon Hospital says 18 of the group can be discharged. Pic: File

Essex Police have launched a "homicide" investigation after the death of the male immigrant and detectives said charges could include murder or manslaughter.

They will speak to the survivors over the coming days.

Superintendent Trevor Roe, of Essex Police, said: "The welfare and health of the people is our priority at this stage.

The container was loaded onto a ship in Zeebrugge

"Now they are well enough, our officers and colleagues from the Border Force will be speaking to them via interpreters so we can piece together what happened and how they came to be in the container.

"We have had a good deal of help from partners within the local Sikh community in the Tilbury area to ensure that these poor people, who would have been through a horrific ordeal, are supported in terms of their religious and clothing needs."

Information on the ages of the immigrants or the relationship between them has not yet been released.

The group were found at 7.35am on Saturday when the Norsteam, a commercial ship run by P&O Ferries, was being unloaded in Tilbury.

Natalie Hardy, a company spokeswoman, said the ship had travelled overnight from Belgium and was carrying 64 containers, 72 trailers and five lorries and drivers.

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Julian Assange 'Could Be Planning To Surrender'

Julian Assange could be considering leaving the Ecuadorian embassy and handing himself in to police, Sky News understands.

After spending two years holed up inside the central London building, the Australian is holding a news conference this morning - when he is expected to spell out his next move.

Widespread reports suggest the WikiLeaks website founder needs hospital treatment for heart and lungs problems.

But, under continuing surveillance since he requested political asylum from Ecuador in June 2012 and with police stationed outside the embassy around the clock, he will be arrested if he leaves.

Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "Mr Assange gave a newspaper interview yesterday in which he sounded very dispirited.

"A lot of the fighting spirit seems to have gone out of him. It's also been made clear from those around him that he's quite ill.

"He's said to have a heart condition, a chronic lung complaint, bad eyesight, high blood-pressure, all as a result of ... two years in the Ecuadorian embassy."

The 43-year-old has been investigated by US authorities since WikiLeaks published leaked military and diplomatic documents in 2010.

He was granted asylum in 2012 and is facing extradition to Sweden over alleged sexual offences, which he denies.

More follows...

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PM Warns Of Terror State On Europe's Doorstep

'Poisonous Extremism' Warning

Updated: 10:57pm UK, Saturday 16 August 2014

By David Cameron, Letter In The Sunday Telegraph

Stability. Security. The peace of mind that comes from being able to get a decent job and provide for your family, in a country that you feel has a good future ahead of it and that treats people fairly.

In a nutshell, that is what people in Britain want - and what the Government I lead is dedicated to building.

Britain - our economy, our security, our future - must come first.

After a deep and damaging recession, and our involvement in long and difficult conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is hardly surprising that so many people say to me when seeing the tragedies unfolding on their television screens: "Yes, let's help with aid, but let's not get any more involved."

I agree that we should avoid sending armies to fight or occupy.

But we need to recognise that the brighter future we long for requires a long-term plan for our security as well as for our economy.

True security will only be achieved if we use all our resources - aid, diplomacy, our military prowess - to help bring about a more stable world.

Today, when every nation is so immediately interconnected, we cannot turn a blind eye and assume that there will not be a cost for us if we do.

The creation of an extremist caliphate in the heart of Iraq and extending into Syria is not a problem miles away from home.

Nor is it a problem that should be defined by a war 10 years ago. It is our concern here and now.

Because if we do not act to stem the onslaught of this exceptionally dangerous terrorist movement, it will only grow stronger until it can target us on the streets of Britain.

We already know that it has the murderous intent. Indeed, the first Isis-inspired terrorist acts on the continent of Europe have already taken place.

Our first priority has of course been to deal with the acute humanitarian crisis in Iraq.

We should be proud of the role that our brave armed services and aid workers have played in the international effort.

British citizens have risked their lives to get 80 tons of vital supplies to the Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar.

It is right that we use our aid programme to respond rapidly to a situation like this: Britain has given £13 million to support the aid effort.

We also helped to plan a detailed international rescue operation and we remain ready and flexible to respond to the ongoing challenges in or around Dahuk, where more than 450,000 people have increased the population by 50 per cent.

But a humanitarian response alone is not enough. We also need a broader political, diplomatic and security response.

For that, we must understand the true nature of the threat we face.

We should be clear: this is not the "War on Terror", nor is it a war of religions. It is a struggle for decency, tolerance and moderation in our modern world.

It is a battle against a poisonous ideology that is condemned by all faiths and by all faith leaders, whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim.

Of course there is conflict between Shias and Sunnis, but that is the wrong way to see what is really happening.

What we are witnessing is actually a battle between Islam on the one hand and extremists who want to abuse Islam on the other.

These extremists, often funded by fanatics living far away from the battlefields, pervert the Islamic faith as a way of justifying their warped and barbaric ideology - and they do so not just in Iraq and Syria but right across the world, from Boko Haram and al-Shabaab to the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

So this threat cannot simply be removed by airstrikes alone. We need a tough, intelligent and patient long-term approach that can defeat the terrorist threat at source.

First, we need a firm security response, whether that is military action to go after the terrorists, international co-operation on intelligence and counter-terrorism or uncompromising action against terrorists at home.

On Friday we agreed with our European partners that we will provide equipment directly to the Kurdish forces; we are now identifying what we might supply, from body armour to specialist counter-explosive equipment.

We have also secured a United Nations Security Council resolution to disrupt the flows of finance to Isis, sanction those who are seeking to recruit for it and encourage countries to do all they can to prevent foreign fighters joining the extremist cause.

Here in Britain we have recently introduced stronger powers through our Immigration Act to deprive naturalised Britons of their citizenship if they are suspected of being involved in terrorist activities.

We have taken down 28,000 pieces of terrorist-related material from the web, including 46 Isis-related videos.

And I have also discussed the police response to this growing threat of extremism with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe.

The position is clear. If people are walking around with Isis flags or trying to recruit people to their terrorist cause, they will be arrested and their materials will be seized.

We are a tolerant people, but no tolerance should allow the room for this sort of poisonous extremism in our country.

Alongside a tough security response, there must also be an intelligent political response. We know that terrorist organisations thrive where there is political instability and weak or dysfunctional political institutions.

So we must support the building blocks of democracy - the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, the rights of minorities, free media and association and a proper place in society for the army.

None of these things can be imposed by the West. Every country must make its own way. But we can and must play a valuable role in supporting them to do that.

Isis militants have exploited the absence of a unified and representative government in Baghdad. So we strongly welcome the opportunity of a new start with Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi.

I spoke to him earlier this week and assured him that we will support any attempts to forge a genuinely inclusive government that can unite all Iraqi communities - Sunnis, Shias and Kurds - against the common enemy of Isis, which threatens the way of life of them all.

The international community will rally around this new government. But Iraq's neighbours in the region are equally vital.

So we must work with countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the UAE, Egypt and Turkey against these extremist forces, and perhaps even with Iran, which could choose this moment to engage with the international community against this shared threat.

I want Britain to play a leading role in this diplomatic effort. So we will be appointing a Special Representative to the Kurdistan Regional Government and using the Nato summit in Wales and the United Nations General Assembly in New York to help rally support across the international community.

Finally, while being tough and intelligent, we must also be patient and resolute. We are in the middle of a generational struggle against a poisonous and extremist ideology, which I believe we will be fighting for the rest of my political lifetime.

We face in Isis a new threat that is single-minded, determined and unflinching in pursuit of its objectives.

Already it controls not just thousands of minds, but thousands of square miles of territory, sweeping aside much of the boundary between Iraq and Syria to carve out its so-called caliphate.

It makes no secret of its expansionist aims. Even today it has the ancient city of Aleppo firmly within its sights.

And it boasts of its designs on Jordan and Lebanon, and right up to the Turkish border. If it succeeds, we would be facing a terrorist state on the shores of the Mediterranean and bordering a Nato member.

This is a clear danger to Europe and to our security.

It is a daunting challenge. But it is not an invincible one, as long as we are now ready and able to summon up the political will to defend our own values and way of life with the same determination, courage and tenacity as we have faced danger before in our history.

That is how much is at stake here: we have no choice but to rise to the challenge.

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Police 'Confident' In Hunt For Container Lorry

Belgian police say they are almost certain they have CCTV images of the lorry and driver that dropped a container carrying 35 immigrants at a UK-bound ferry.

Crews discovered the group - thought to be victims of human trafficking - when "banging and screaming" was heard at Tilbury Docks in Essex.

One man was found dead and others were rushed to hospital suffering from severe dehydration and hypothermia.

Interpol and other international forces are now helping Essex Police trace the lorry's route across Europe and find the suspected traffickers.

Peter De Waele, a spokesman for Belgium's federal police, told Sky News that detectives were checking "every image" of CCTV from Zeebrugge port.

"We have a lot of cameras and we are very hopeful for having information about identification of the driver.

Police at Tilbury Docks

"When you know that in this area there are a lot of cameras, you know also that we have plenty of information about the truck and the driver, and the firm who put the container in Zeebrugge."

Mr De Waele said the container was only at the busy port for about an hour and police believe the victims were probably already inside when it arrived.

Essex Police have launched a "homicide" investigation after the death of the male immigrant and detectives said charges could include murder or manslaughter.

Superintendent Trevor Roe said the probe would "span a number of countries".

Seven ambulances rushed the immigrants to three different hospitals when the alarm was raised early on Saturday morning.

Among them, 18 were taken to Basildon Hospital with dehydration and hypothermia, two in a serious but not life-threatening condition.

The hospital has now said the group - which included seven children - are "medically fit enough" to be released.

Basildon Hospital says 18 of the group can be discharged (File Pic)

Information on the ages of the immigrants or the relationship between them has not yet been released.

The group were found at 7.35am on Saturday when the Norsteam, a commercial ship run by P&O Ferries, was being unloaded in Tilbury.

The container was loaded onto a ship in Zeebrugge

Natalie Hardy, a company spokeswoman, said the ship had travelled overnight from Belgium and was carrying 64 containers, 72 trailers and five lorries and drivers.

"When they went to unload containers there was a noise heard, a banging. One unfortunately was dead and others were taken to hospital."

James Brokenshire MP, immigration and security minister, has called the incident a "reminder of the often devastating human consequences of illegal migration" and said gangs are dealing in a "brutal trade in human lives".

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