The Labour Party on Sunday (1) called on home secretary Priti Patel to address Parliament on the allegations of bullying against her following the resignation of one of her top civil servants.
Sir Philip Rutnam resigned from the important post of Permanent Secretary in the Home Office on Saturday blaming the 47-year-old minister for failing to engage with him or address his concerns around her conduct with officials in the department.
"The home secretary has a duty to come to Parliament on Monday to explain the allegations made about her own conduct,” said Sir Kier Starmer, the frontrunner in the ongoing Labour Party leadership contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn.
Patel also faces the prospect of an inquiry following Rutnam's decision to sue the government over his alleged forced exit and Starmer called for the head of the UK civil service, cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill, to start "an immediate investigation" into the circumstances surrounding his departure.
"There are now urgent questions that must be answered and steps that need to be taken," he said.
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, described the situation as "unprecedented", which put a question mark over Patel's longevity in the Home Office as minister.
Labour's Yvette Cooper, the chair of the home affairs select committee which holds the Home Office to account, said the row reflected “extremely badly on the government".
She said: "To end up with one of the most senior public servants in the country taking court action against one of the great offices of state shows a shocking level of breakdown in the normal functioning of government.
"For the home secretary and prime minister to have allowed things to reach this point is appalling, especially at a time when the Home Office faces crucial challenges with rising violent crime, forthcoming counter-terror legislation, new immigration laws, and sensitive negotiations on post-Brexit security cooperation."
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA - the trade union for senior civil servants in the UK, which will back Rutnam’s legal case – said it is expected that Rutnam will demand a public hearing at which he can outline his case against Patel.
"The Home Office now needs to find new leadership at a time when it needs stability. Those who engage in anonymous briefings need to bear the responsibility for this destructive behaviour," he said, in reference to some unattributed media reports over the past month around clashes between the minister and her top civil servant.
On Saturday, Rutnam announced his resignation in an emotional television statement as he claimed a “vicious and orchestrated campaign” against him and pointed the finger of blame at Patel.
“The home secretary [Patel] categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office. I regret I do not believe her,” said Rutnam.
“Even despite this campaign, I was willing to effect a reconciliation with the home secretary, as requested by the cabinet secretary on behalf of the prime minister. But despite my efforts to engage with her, Priti Patel has made no effort to engage with me to discuss this,” he said, adding that he had very strong grounds to claim constructive, unfair dismissal, and I will be pursuing that claim in the courts.
Rutnam also referred to the tensions with Patel when he encouraged her to change her behaviour.
"I have received allegations that her conduct has included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands, behaviour that created fear and needed some bravery to call out,” he claimed.
The UK Home Office or Patel herself are yet to officially comment on the resignation.
Patel, who joined the Boris Johnson-led Cabinet in July 2019, has previously been forced to resign as secretary of state for International Development by former prime minister Theresa May in 2017 over a controversy surrounding some unofficial meetings with Israeli ministers and business executives during a visit to Israel.
Leena Nair, the India-born CEO of Chanel, was honoured with a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Prince William at a ceremony held at Windsor Castle. The recognition, part of the 2025 King’s New Year Honours list, acknowledges her outstanding work in the global retail and consumer industry, particularly her strong leadership in steering one of the world’s most iconic fashion houses into a new era.
Nair’s rise to the top has been anything but conventional. When she was appointed as Chanel’s global CEO in 2022, she became the first non-white person to lead the 112-year-old French luxury brand. What made her journey even more unusual was her background, not in fashion, but in human resources. Before joining Chanel, she spent nearly 30 years at Unilever, eventually becoming its youngest-ever and first female Chief Human Resources Officer.
Chanel CEO Leena Nair smiles after receiving the prestigious UK honourGetty Images
Driving growth and redefining Chanel’s future
Under her leadership, Chanel has posted impressive growth despite wider industry challenges. In 2023, the brand reported a 16% rise in revenue and nearly 11% increase in operating profit, expanding its footprint and hiring more than 36,000 people worldwide. She has also brought in new creative leadership, appointing designer Matthieu Blazy to shape Chanel’s next chapter.
Nair’s focus hasn’t just been on sales. She has championed sustainability through the company’s Mission 1.5° climate goals and increased the Fondation Chanel’s annual philanthropic budget to £80 million (₹8.5 billion).
British Asian trailblazer Leena Nair recognised for global leadershipGetty Images
From Kolhapur to Chanel: a story of grit and vision
Born in the small town of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, Nair was raised in a middle-class Indian household. She studied engineering before discovering her passion for human resources at XLRI Jamshedpur. At Unilever, she broke multiple barriers and led major inclusion efforts before taking the leap into fashion.
Leena Nair’s CBE adds to her growing influence in global luxury fashionGetty Images
Receiving the CBE places her alongside prominent British Asians like London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was also recognised recently. As Chanel prepares to move into its new London headquarters in 2026, Nair’s leadership is already being seen as a model for the next generation, proof that it’s possible to honour tradition while building a more inclusive future.
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The UK government has appointed Blaise Metreweli as the first-ever woman to head its MI6 spy service as the country faces "threats on an unprecedented scale", Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday.
The MI6 Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) achieved global fame through Ian Fleming's fictional agent James Bond.
Metreweli will be the 18th head of the service, Starmer's Downing Street office said in a statement.
"The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital," Starmer said.
"The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale -- be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services," he added.
The MI6 chief is the only publicly named member of the organisation and reports directly to the foreign minister.
The person in the post is referred to as "C" -- not "M" as in the James Bond franchise, which already had a woman, played by Judi Dench, in the role.
Metreweli will take over from outgoing MI6 head Richard Moore in the autumn.
Currently, she is MI6's director general -- known as "Q" -- with responsiblity for technology and innovation at the service, the statement said.
She is described as a career intelligence officer who joined the service in 1999 having studied anthropology at Cambridge University.
Metreweli held senior roles at both MI6 and the MI5 domestic intelligence service and spent most of her career in "operational roles in the Middle East and Europe", the statement added, without giving further biographical details.
The appointment comes over three decades after MI5 appointed its first female chief.
Stella Rimington held the position from 1992-1996, followed by Eliza Manningham-Buller from 2002-2007.
The UK intelligence and security organisation GCHQ appointed its first woman chief, Anne Keast-Butler, in 2023.
Soldiers carry the coffin of Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of India's Gujarat, who was killed in the Air India flight 171 crash, during his funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 16, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIAN health officials have begun returning bodies to families after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed 270 people, but most relatives were still waiting for confirmation through DNA testing as of Monday.
Of the 279 total deaths, including casualties on the ground, 87 DNA samples have been matched and 47 bodies handed over, according to officials. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 242 people on board when it crashed on June 12 shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad for London, killing 241 of them. Another 29 people died on the ground, including five medical students.
“They said it would take 48 hours. But it's been four days and we haven't received any response,” Rinal Christian, 23, whose elder brother was a passenger on the jetliner, told AFP. “My brother was the sole breadwinner of the family. So what happens next?”
Authorities said victims were from different districts of Gujarat including Bharuch, Anand, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Arvalli and Ahmedabad.
Several families have begun holding funerals. In Anand district, crowds gathered for the procession of 24-year-old passenger Kinal Mistry. Her father Suresh Mistry said she had delayed her travel, adding, “She would have been alive” if she had taken her original flight.
In Ahmedabad, the funeral of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was held with full state honours. His body was identified through DNA testing, and a day of state mourning was declared in Gujarat on Monday. His remains were taken to his hometown Rajkot, where chief minister Bhupendra Patel met the family.
“The DNA sample of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani matched at 11.10 am,” said India's minister of state for home Harsh Sanghvi.
Among the British nationals, 42-year-old Elcina Alpesh Makwana became the first to be identified and her remains returned. Her funeral was held in Vadodara. Her husband and two children, aged seven and 11, attended a Roman Catholic service.
Air India said the passengers included 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. There were 12 crew members on board.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash. The aircraft went down shortly after takeoff, crashing into a medical college complex and bursting into flames. At least 38 people were killed on the ground.
Witnesses reported seeing badly burnt bodies and scattered remains. An AFP photographer saw dozens of workers in yellow hard hats clearing debris from the site.
“This is a meticulous and slow process, so it has to be done meticulously only,” said Dr Rajnish Patel of Ahmedabad’s civil hospital.
One survivor, British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was pulled from the wreckage. His brother was also on the flight.
Another person, Bhoomi Chauhan, said she survived after missing the flight. “The airline staff had already closed the check-in,” she told PTI. “If only we had left a little earlier, we wouldn’t have missed our flight.”
Black box recovery and aircraft inspections
Authorities announced on Sunday that the cockpit voice recorder — the second black box — had been recovered, offering potential insight into the crash. India's aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said Saturday that decoding the flight data recorder should “give an in-depth insight” into the circumstances.
Indian authorities have not yet identified the cause and have ordered inspections of other Dreamliner aircraft in Air India's fleet.
One of Air India’s Dreamliners returned to Hong Kong airport on Monday after the crew “requested local standby” shortly after takeoff, the Airport Authority Hong Kong told AFP.
Imtiyaz Ali, who is still waiting for a DNA match for his brother, said the airline had not acted quickly enough.
“I’m disappointed in them. It is their duty,” he said. “Next step is to find out the reason for this accident. We need to know.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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The mayor of Harrow Anjana Patel lits a candle during a vigil at the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre in memory of those who have lost their lives in the Air India crash, in London, Britain, June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
DOZENS of members from Britain’s Indian community gathered at a Hindu temple in London on Saturday (14) to mourn the victims of last week’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Many of those attending the vigil at the Siddhashram Hindu temple in Harrow had personal connections to the victims.
Leaders from different faiths — including Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Muslim, Parsi, and Zoroastrian communities — joined hands in prayer, as chants filled the temple hall. A representative of King Charles also attended, reading a message from the monarch and offering Christian prayers for the victims and their families.
Rajrajeshwar Guruji, the head of the Siddhashram temple, said the grief was overwhelming for many families who were still in shock. “They’re just waiting and waiting. Now they are not going to come back again,” he said.
Guruji, who comes from Gujarat where the tragedy occurred, explained how the temple had been supporting families in Britain seeking news of their loved ones.
“Some of the members I have spoken to, they don’t have words. They are in shock,” he added.
Britain is home to one of the largest Indian communities outside India, with around 1.69 million people — 3.1 per cent of the population — identifying as Indian. Many families in Britain were directly affected by the disaster.
Harrow mayor Anjana Patel, who lost a relative in the crash, expressed the community’s deep sorrow. “We believe that everyone who is born has to go one day. But I hope nobody goes the way these passengers and medical students have gone,” she said. Patel added that the local council was providing grief counselling to support those struggling to cope.
Among the mourners was Jyotsna Shukla, 66, whose son’s childhood friend was travelling on the ill-fated flight with his wife and three young children. Fighting back tears, she said, “I feel very bad because he was so young.”
The tragedy also claimed the life of Vijay Rupani, a former chief minister of Gujarat, who had previously visited the same London temple.
The Air India flight, bound for London, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday (12). The Boeing 787-8 aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, lost control moments after departure and plunged into the nearby campus of a medical college in the Meghaninagar area.
Women pray in a vigil at the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre in memory of those who have lost their lives in the Air India crash, in London, Britain. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
The plane burst into flames upon impact, killing nearly everyone on board and 29 others on the ground, including five medical students. Only one passenger survived the crash.
Rescue teams have since been working around the clock to identify the victims. On Sunday (15), officials in Ahmedabad said that 31 victims had been identified so far through DNA testing.
Dr Rajnish Patel, additional civil superintendent and professor of surgery at B J Medical College, explained that many bodies were badly burnt, making DNA tests essential to confirm identities.
“Thirty-one DNA samples have matched till now, and 12 bodies have already been handed over to the respective families,” Dr Patel told reporters.
The victims identified so far came from various districts in Gujarat and Rajasthan, including Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Ahmedabad, and Botad.
Authorities have set up 230 teams to coordinate with the victims' families and help with the difficult process of identification and repatriation of remains.
(Agencies)
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Chief adviser to the Government of Bangladesh Professor Muhammed Yunus speaks during an live interview at Chatham House on June 11, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
BANGLADESH's interim leader Muhammad Yunus has drawn criticism from two of his government’s major allies after holding a meeting with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London.
The student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) and Jamaat-e-Islami have both accused Yunus of favouring a particular party, raising concerns over the neutrality of the upcoming elections.
Yunus, who returned to Dhaka on Saturday (14) after a four-day trip to London, met Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and current acting chairman of BNP, during his visit.
Following the meeting, BNP leader Amir Kharsu Mahmud Chowdhury and Yunus' security adviser Khalilur Rahman held a joint press briefing, suggesting that elections might be held in February next year. This sparked immediate reactions from his allies back home.
Both Jamaat and the NCP have strongly criticised the meeting, calling it a clear sign of bias. The BNP remains the main rival of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, which was ousted last year following student-led protests.
In a statement on Saturday, Jamaat called the joint press briefing a "breach of political norms" and accused Yunus of undermining his impartiality. "Through this, he has expressed special affection for a party (BNP), which has undermined his impartiality," the statement said. Jamaat also criticised Yunus for discussing election dates abroad rather than consulting all parties upon his return.
The NCP, which emerged as a political force following the student uprising that toppled Hasina’s government, voiced similar concerns. In its statement, the NCP said: “The people will not accept any election date before the implementation of the proposed July Charter.”
The party argued that the meeting focused mainly on setting an election date rather than addressing the people’s main demands for justice and reforms. “The NCP finds this very disappointing,” it added.
Acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, poses for a portrait in a hotel in south-west London on December 30, 2023. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
Yunus’ interim government has faced pressure from several political parties, including the BNP, to hold elections as soon as possible. Initially, Yunus had announced that elections would be held between December 2024 and June 2025, depending on the progress of reforms and trials of former Awami League leaders. However, under continued pressure, he recently suggested that polls could be held in April 2025.
During the London meeting, BNP leaders pushed for an earlier date, proposing elections before the start of Ramadan in mid-February. Khalilur Rahman, a senior figure in Yunus' government, indicated that this might be possible if significant progress was made on reforms and trials. BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury also expressed hope that a consensus could soon be reached.
Jamaat’s statement further warned that Yunus' actions could raise doubts among the public about the fairness of the upcoming elections. “It is morally inappropriate for Yunus, as head of the interim government, to hold a joint press briefing with a single party,” the party said.
The NCP also stressed that Yunus’ government appeared to be giving priority to one party’s demands, warning that an election without a clear reform roadmap could turn the people’s uprising into a mere power transfer. “We believe that holding the National Assembly elections without implementing the July Charter will suppress the people’s desire for state building,” its statement said.
Yunus, who took charge after Hasina fled to India in August last year, has previously said he does not intend to remain in power long term.