Co-Pilot 'Hid Sick Note On Day Of Alps Crash'

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 Maret 2015 | 10.04

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Prosecutors investigating the Germanwings plane crash have said there were indications the co-pilot hid an existing illness from his employers.

Andreas Lubitz is accused of deliberately flying the aircraft into a mountainside shortly after preventing the captain from re-entering the cockpit.

Lubitz had a sick note for the day the Airbus A320 came down in the French Alps during a flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf but never told the airline, prosecutors said.

The doctor's note, which would have prevented him from flying, was among several found torn-up during a search of his flat in Dusseldorf and it comes amid reports he was suffering from depression.

There have also been searches at the home he shared with his parents in the town of Montabaur and an unnamed person in a hood was escorted from the property by police.

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Gallery: The Victims Of The Germanwings Crash

American Emily Selke, a recent graduate, was on the plane with her mother Yvonne. Raymond Selke has described his wife and daughter as 'amazing people'. Pic: Facebook

Iranian sports journalist Hussein Javadi was on his way to Austria to cover a football match. A friend said he was 'a kind, loving, caring man'. Pic: Maysam Bizær/Hossein Javadi

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Argentinian Sebastian Greco was on board with his girlfriend. Pic: Facebook

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Argentinian Gabriela Maumus, 28, was the daughter of a firefighter. Pic: Facebook

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Spanish victim Carles Milla Masanas, 37. The businessman was on his way to a food industry fayre. Pic: Facebook

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All 150 people on board the aircraft died in Tuesday's crash. Police said 400-600 pieces of human remains have been retrieved from the site but no bodies were intact.

The prosecutors added that documents showed the 27-year-old had an "existing illness" and was receiving medical treatment, but that no suicide note or claim of responsibility for the crash was found.

Dusseldorf University clinic said he went to the facility in February and March, most recently on March 10, for diagnosis but denied he was treated there for depression.

Prosecutors said: "Documents with medical contents were confiscated that point towards an existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors.

"The fact there are sick notes saying he was unable to work, among other things, that were found torn up, which were recent and even from the day of the crime, support the assumption based on the preliminary examination that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and his professional colleagues."

No evidence of a political or religious motivation behind the tragedy was found and Germanwings said no sick note was received from Lubitz for the day of the crash.

German media has reported he received treatment for a "serious depressive episode" six years ago during his training to become a pilot.

Lufthansa, parent company of Germanwings, said it was aware he had broken off his training in 2009, but said there was nothing in his background to suggest he was a risk.

The company, which also owns Austrian Airlines and Swiss Air, announced it was introducing new cockpit manning levels. It said: "Under the new procedure, two authorised persons must be present in the cockpit at all times during a flight."

This came as the European Aviation Safety Agency recommended all airlines make sure two crew, including at least one pilot, were always on the flight deck.

Germanwings said it was setting up a family assistance centre in Marseille for relatives of those killed in the crash.

Some 75 German people were on board the aircraft. At least 50 Spanish citizens were also on the flight, along with three Britons.

A memorial service was held in Dusseldorf for the German victims of the crash and hundreds of other mourners attended a mass in Barcelona for three generations of one family who died.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa has offered to pay up to 50,000 euros (£33,000) in immediate financial assistance per passenger.

Police and rescue workers are still hunting for the aircraft's second black box on the fourth day of recovery operations at the scene of the crash.

The second black box contains technical flight data.

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Written By Unknown on Jumat, 27 Maret 2015 | 10.03

David Cameron and Ed Miliband have attempted to convince voters they have what it takes to lead the country into 2020 in the first major showdown of the election campaign.

In 90 minutes of the Sky News Channel 4 Battle for Number 10 programme the two men faced tough questioning from the arch inquisitor Jeremy Paxman and members of the studio audience, hosted by Kay Burley.

Mr Miliband attempted to burnish new hardman credentials by telling Paxman "hell yes I'm tough enough" to run the country and said he had stood up to the "leader of the free world" Barack Obama over military action in Syria.

And he said he didn't care if people just thought he was a "north London geek".

In a candid exchange with the studio audience Mr Miliband admitted he had been "bruised" by the leadership battle with his brother, David, in 2010 and it had left the relationship strained but it was healing.

He said: "It was a difficult contest between me and David. It was a bruising contest. Why did I stand? I thought someone needed to lead the Labour Party who could move us on from New Labour.

"Because I thought that was a time that was necessary for the country, and necessary for our party.

"And I had strong views about how we needed to change the country. I think this country's too unequal and we've got to change. I think New Labour was too relaxed about inequality."

Under questioning from Paxman Mr Cameron was forced to admit that he could not live on a zero-hours contract, like 700,000 ordinary people.

He was accused of protecting his rich friends, like Lord Green, the Tory peer and former HSBC chairman, and Jeremy Clarkson, but not helping the poor.

An early ICM/Guardian poll gave victory to Mr Cameron with 54% of the 2,000 people asking saying he had performed best, but it was close and 46% gave the win to Mr Miliband.

Sky News Political Editor Faisal Islam said that the "hard Ed" persona was "something we had not seen before".

He said: "[Ed Miliband] surprised us the most.

"We saw a kind of hard Ed Miliband that you would not recognise from [coverage in] the papers."

"In Paxman's interview with the Prime Minister he did look rather rattled," Islam added.

"The PM didn't make any gaffes but it wasn't comfortable viewing ... When he came out for the Q&A it was very smooth, the Prime Minister that we know – involving anecdotes about his family, sounding very ordinary and normal - it was his comfort zone."

Sky News Business Editor Ian King said Mr Miliband had diagnosed problems with the economy without offering convincing solutions - but also criticised his Tory opponent.

"I was surprised actually how poor the Prime Minister was on the economy," King said.

"That is undoubtedly his strongest hand, and I think he could have laid on with a trowel the crisis that this country faced when the coalition came to power - but he didn't do that."

Both men struggled with questions over immigration, Mr Cameron admitting he had failed to hit his own target on driving down net migration and Mr Miliband refusing to put a figure on the number foreigners coming to the UK.

Mr Miliband told Paxman he was "not going to get into a bargaining game with Alex Salmond" ahead of the election and was not planning on an SNP deal to get into power.

But when Paxman suggested he would bargain with Mr Salmond if it meant it would win the keys to Number 10, Mr Miliband drew laughter from the audience by saying: "Don't be so presumptuous. You're important Jeremy but not that important."

Mr Cameron faced repeated criticism over the friends he made, Paxman saying: "What do you have in common with all these rich people?"

But he responded: "The aspersion you are trying to cast is completely ridiculous."

He was accused of failing on his 2010 election pledge to "fix broken Britain" and conceded the job of turning around the economy was not yet finished and there was more work to be done.

He said: "What I have done for the last five years is lead a Government that has got the economy growing, has got people back to work, has cut the taxes of the poorest people in our country.

"I am not saying we have achieved everything we set out to do, but the country is immeasurably stronger."

Mr Cameron had refused to debate Mr Miliband head-to-head but agreed to a 90-minute session which was split into 18-minute interviews for each man with Paxman and an 18-minute questions session with a studio audience.

The men remained at odds over the European Union with Mr Cameron attempting to stave off the UKIP threat by telling voters the Conservatives were the only party which would offer a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

Mr Miliband said it was extremely unlikely there would be an in-out referendum if there was a Labour government.

The two men tossed a coin to decide who should go first and the Labour leader won and chose to go second, giving him the final word.

There are a further three televised events in the 40 days remaining to the election – Mr Cameron will only take part in two of those, Mr Miliband all three.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Poll: Cameron Wins Leaders' TV Clash

The Prime Minister had the edge on Ed Miliband in the leaders' showdown, according to the first opinion poll results.

An ICM opinion poll for The Guardian newspaper found that 54% of those questioned thought David Cameron won the Sky News / Channel 4 Battle for Number 10.

But the opposition leader was not far behind, with 46% those asked thinking he came out on top.

Both leaders faced questions from the audience in the live programme, moderated by Sky's Kay Burley.

And they were also grilled by Jeremy Paxman in separate 18-minute interviews.

The showdown marked the first major TV clash of the General Election campaign.

The ICM poll asked a sample of over 1,100 viewers to put aside their party preferences and focus only on what was said in the programme.

Some 46% of viewers felt Mr Cameron had the best arguments, while 48% considered him the more convincing of the two.

That compared to 44% and 43% for Mr Miliband respectively.

The PM also won in the personality category, with 46% judging him to have the more appealing personality and 42% choosing Mr Miliband.

But it was not all bad news for the opposition leader.

Sky News' Political Editor Faisal Islam said Mr Miliband may have surprised some people with a different approach to the showdown, in some instances taking on the notoriously tough interviewer Jeremy Paxman.

He said the poll's finding that 56% of people said they would consider changing their minds and plumping for Labour was proof the opposition leader will not be disappointed.

Just 30% said the same of the Conservatives.

Furthermore, the head of Political and Social Research at YouGov, Joe Twyman, speaking from the Sky News studio, said that in terms of social media reaction, Mr Miliband has got the "greatest benefit".

"He was the underdog, he was the one who exceeded expectations.

"So if you look at it in terms of costs and benefits... I think Ed Miliband will be the one who goes home happiest tonight," he said.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Producer's Death Threats From Top Gear Trolls

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 Maret 2015 | 10.03

The BBC producer assaulted by Jeremy Clarkson has received death threats on Twitter.

Oisin Tymon got a massive amount of abuse from Top Gear fans who blame him for his sacking.

He had his lip split in a 30-second assault by Clarkson, and drove himself to A&E after the incident on 4 March.

In his report, BBC Director General Tony Hall said "no blame" was attached to Mr Tymon, who "behaved with huge integrity throughout" - while he said Clarkson had crossed a line.

His views are not shared by trolls who launched a torrent of abuse at the 28-year-old, who does not have a Twitter account.

Darren Laws (@01lawsda) tweeted: "May you have a very slow and painful death Oisin Tymon."

Gonzalo Robles (@grobles17) wrote: "Clarkson should have killed you Oisin Tymon, filthy b******."

Paul Richer (@PaulmRicher) said: "Oisin Tymon had to go to A&E !!! let's hope he visits the morgue VERY soon , a***wipe !!!" and "Tony Hall BBC director , I wonder if Oisin's and your head can stop a bullet !!! just wondering."

Pasan Weerasinghe (@PortelloFanatic) added: "To meet Oisin Tymon in person and feed him the very food he denied Clarkson. Then, beat him to a pulp with a rolling pin. LifeGoals."

The vitriol shocked Twitter users such as Ollie Connors (@olliexcore) who wrote: "I wonder how the people out for Oisin Tymon's blood would feel if their boss punched them for no good reason?"

Louisa Booth (@louisabooth) tweeted: "Man assaults another man and victim receives abuse because people can't watch a TV show about cars. Bravo society. Bravo OisinTymon".

Jason Manford, the comedian, wrote: "It's surprising how sensitive fans of someone so controversial can be. Clarkson."

After Lord Hall's remarks, Mr Tymon released a statement saying: "I respect Lord Hall's detailed findings and I am grateful to the BBC for their thorough and swift investigation into this very regrettable incident, against a background of intense media interest and speculation.

"I've worked on Top Gear for almost a decade, a programme I love. Over that time Jeremy and I had a positive and successful working relationship, making some landmark projects together.

"He is a unique talent and I am well aware that many will be sorry his involvement in the show should end in this way."

Paul Daniels, from Slater and Gordon, the law firm representing Mr Tymon, told the Daily Mirror: "This last month has been a nightmare for Oisin, his friends and his family.

"Through absolutely no fault of his own he found himself at the centre of a massive news story, but despite that he has conducted himself with dignity, restraint and balance."

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sacked Clarkson Could Face Police Action

Jeremy Clarkson faces possible police action for an "unprovoked physical and verbal attack" that left a Top Gear producer with swelling and a split lip.

Clarkson, 54, assaulted Oisin Tymon for around 30 seconds, while shouting "derogatory and abusive language" so loudly it could be heard in a hotel bedroom, a BBC report has found.

The attack at the Simonstone Hall Hotel, in North Yorkshire, was only stopped when a witness intervened, BBC Director General Tony Hall said.

Now North Yorkshire Police has asked the BBC for its report and said action will be taken "where necessary".

Mr Hall said the Top Gear presenter's contract will not be renewed and the decision was taken with "great regret".

He said he had spoken to both men and was publishing the findings of the BBC's internal investigation, though he added that he took "no pleasure" in doing so.

The investigation heard Mr Tymon drove himself to A&E after he was attacked by Clarkson on 4 March.

In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said it "is liaising with the BBC regarding the alleged incident in North Yorkshire involving Jeremy Clarkson".

"We have asked the BBC for the report which details the findings of their internal investigation into the matter.

"The information will be assessed appropriately and action will be taken by North Yorkshire Police where necessary."

Clarkson refused to comment as he left his West London home on a bicycle on Wednesday night.

"I'm off out, sorry," he told reporters.

Speaking after the decision was announced, Mr Tymon said: "I've worked on Top Gear for almost a decade, a programme I love. Over that time Jeremy and I had a positive and successful working relationship, making some landmark projects together.

"He is a unique talent and I am well aware that many will be sorry his involvement in the show should end in this way."

In his statement, Mr Hall said: "I cannot condone what has happened on this occasion.

"A member of staff - who is a completely innocent party - took himself to Accident and Emergency after a physical altercation accompanied by sustained and prolonged verbal abuse of an extreme nature.

"For me a line has been crossed. There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations."

:: Read the full statement here

The report said "verbal abuse was directed at Oisin Tymon on more than one occasion - both during the attack and subsequently inside the hotel - and contained the strongest expletives and threats to sack him.

"The abuse was at such volume as to be heard in the dining room, and the shouting was audible in a hotel bedroom."

Mr Hall said "no blame" was attached to Mr Tymon, who, he said, "behaved with huge integrity throughout".

Despite this, Mr Tymon has received death threats from Twitter-users who blame him for Clarkson's departure.

Top Gear co-presenter James May told Sky News that Clarkson's sacking was a "tragedy".

"What ought to have been a small incident, sorted out easily, turned into something big," he said.

He said he was sure Top Gear would "continue in some way" but could not say if he would stay because he, Clarkson and Richard Hammond "come as a package".

Later, May said his future at Top Gear "requires much thought, deliberation and conversation" before he makes a decision.

Hammond tweeted: "Gutted at such a sad end to an era. We're all three of us idiots in our different ways but it's been an incredible ride together."

The trio's Top Gear contracts run out at the end of the month, although Mr Hall said the BBC wanted to "renew" the show for next year.

Clarkson has not commented publicly, but has changed his Twitter profile to: "I used to be a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show, Top Gear".

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Gallery: Who Could Replace Jeremy Clarkson?

Model and TV presenter Jodie Kidd is a well-known car expert and amateur racing driver. She currently presents The Classic Car Show on Channel 5

Actor and comedian Stephen Fry famously drives a black cab around London and would be a popular choice for many

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10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

France Crash: 16 Victims From One School

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Maret 2015 | 10.03

France Crash: 16 Victims From One School

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Sixteen children from the same school in Germany were on board the passenger plane that crashed in France carrying 150 people.

The children were returning to Dusseldorf after a week-long exchange trip with a school near to Barcelona.

This afternoon the mayor of the German town Haltern Am See, where the children were students, said the news was "the worst that anyone could imagine."

Bodo Klimpel added: "This is the bleakest day in the school's history."

:: Live updates on the crash

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Gallery: School Head Weeps After 16 Students Die

Mourners gathered outside Joseph-Koenig in the German town of Haltern after news 16 children and two teachers from the school died in the French Alps plane crash.

School Principal Ulrich Wessel grieves with students in front of the secondary school.

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The children were returning to Dusseldorf after a week-long exchange trip with a school near to Barcelona.

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Pupils paid their respects to friends lost in the tragedy. Click through for more pictures.

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The mayor said some parents of the victims rushed to the Joseph-Koenig school after hearing news of the crash, while others drove to Dusseldorf.

Classes were cancelled as soon as details of the tragedy emerged, Mr Klimpel said.

"The town is deeply affected and saddened - it's in a state of shock that is palpable everywhere. It's the worst anyone could imagine," he said.

The school's headteacher Ulrich Wesse was photographed in tears outside the school along with pupils, as candles were lit in memory of the dead.

Mr Klimpel said that the school would be open as usual on Wednesday, where an assembly would be held to talk about the tragedy.

"There will not be normal classes - there will be an opportunity for children to talk about and process these terrible events.

"For our teachers this will also be a terribly difficult day - they lost two of their colleagues."

The Germanwings plane, which was travelling from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, crashed in the French Alps between Barcelonnette and Digne with 144 passengers and six crew on board.

The aircraft started descending one minute after reaching its cruising height and continued losing altitude for eight minutes.

There are not thought to be any survivors.

The school the children had visited was about 45 minutes from Barcelona, in the village of Llinars de Valles.

The village's mayor said: "There were 16 children and two teachers who had spent a week here, poor things.

"The children were aged about 15."

Meanwhile, at another news conference, Germanwings said there were two babies on the flight.

Sobbing and grieving families at both Barcelona and Dusseldorf airports were led away by airport workers and crisis counsellors.

A total of 67 Germans are believed to have been on board, as well as 45 Spaniards.

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Written By Unknown on Selasa, 24 Maret 2015 | 10.03

David Cameron has been accused of arrogance and "taking the British public for granted" after ruling out seeking a third term as Prime Minister if he is returned to power in May.

The criticism came after the PM said he was standing for election to serve for a full second term but would quit after that.

He also named three of his senior colleagues - Home Secretary Theresa May, Chancellor George Osborne and London mayor Boris Johnson - as potential successors as Conservative leader when he steps down.

Following Mr Cameron's comments, Downing Street moved quickly to insist the PM was focused on the need to win the election on 7 May.

Mr Cameron said he was standing for election to serve for a full second term, but added: "Terms are like shredded wheat: two are wonderful but three might just be too many."

Asked in an interview with BBC News if he would go for a third term if he remained PM after the election, Mr Cameron said: "No, I think I'm standing for a full second term."

He added: "I'm not saying all prime ministers necessarily definitely go mad, or even go mad at the same rate, but I feel I've got more to bring to this job, the job is half done, the economy's turned round, the deficit is half down and I want to finish the job.

"I didn't just come to do this to, you know, deal with the debts and the mess, I want to go on with the education reforms and the welfare reforms.

"There definitely comes a time where a fresh pair of eyes and fresh leadership would be good, and the Conservative Party has got some great people coming up: the Theresa Mays, and the George Osbornes, and the Boris Johnsons.

"You know, there's plenty of talent there. I'm surrounded by very good people. The third term is not something I'm contemplating."

Political leaders should never think they are "indispensable", he said.

But Labour campaign strategy chairman Douglas Alexander said: "The Tories are taking the British public for granted.

"It is typically arrogant of David Cameron to presume a third Tory term in 2020 before the British public have been given the chance to have their say in this election.

"In the UK it is for the British people and not the Prime Minister to decide who stays in power."

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Gallery: Tory Leadership: Runners And Riders

According to Sky Bet, Boris Johnson has odds of 9/4 to be the next Conservative leader. Continue through the gallery for the other leadership contenders and their odds

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10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

NHS Paid Â£3,200 For One Doctor's A&E Shift

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

A NHS hospital paid more than £3,200 for a locum doctor to cover a single 24 hour A&E shift over the Christmas and New Year crisis, a Sky News investigation has found.

So short staffed were some trusts between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day that more than half the shifts in their emergency departments were worked by locum medics, often at huge expense.

Figures obtained by Sky News show that four hospitals paid more than £2,000 for A&E consultants to work a shift, with the highest bill being the £3,258 paid by United Lincolnshire NHS Trust for a doctor to work for 24 hours.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust paid the equivalent of more than £230 an hour for one doctor.

Three hospitals paid more than £1,700 for nurses on single shifts, the highest at Royal Berkshire where one agency was paid £1,875 for a nurse to work 12 hours on New Year's Day, the equivalent of £156.25 an hour.

Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust paid £156 an hour for a nurse and North Bristol NHS Trust paid £144.

At Airedale NHS Foundation Trust almost three quarters - 71% - of the shifts over that period were covered by a locum doctor.

Some 58% of shifts were filled by locums at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and 52% at Royal Bolton Hospital.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust had to find agency nurses for 43% of shifts, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust used them for 32% of shifts and Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust for 25%.

The figures were obtained by a Freedom of Information request.

Some 75 out of the 140 trusts replied to questions about how their emergency departments were staffed between 24 December 2014 and 1 January.

In February this year MPs on the Public Accounts Committee claimed senior A&E doctors were profiting from staff shortages by working for locum agencies.

Experts said that competition between hospitals to fill shifts during what was the busiest Christmas period on record meant that the prices being charged by locum agencies soared.

Dr Clifford Mann, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: "Market forces really are quite extreme currently, with the lack of permanent people to employ.

"It means hospitals are desperate to try to find people to fill these slots and are having to pay super premium rates for that to happen.

"It can be very demoralising to be working alongside somebody with much less experience, much more junior, who is earning a multiple income compared to you in terms of the pounds paid per hour."

Mick Corti, of the London Procurement Partnership which negotiates on behalf of the capital's hospitals to drive costs down, said that agencies were sometimes collecting fees of up to £100 an hour before paying the doctors and nurses themselves.

"There is almost competition on what you are able to pay and by paying more you think you can increase the supply of the agency nurse or doctor, but you are not - you are pinching that nurse or doctor from wherever else they might have worked and then they have a problem.

"You get an inflationary spiral where one trust is competing against another, and that is what the NHS needs to move away from and try to hold firm. Pay appropriate rates and stick to it."

:: Top Five Doctor Payments:

United Lincolnshire NHS Trust -- £3,257

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust -- £2,142

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust -- £2,099

Croydon Health Services -- £2,000

University Hospital South Manchester -- £1,625

:: Top Five Nurse Payments:

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust -- £1,875

Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust -- £1,798

North Bristol NHS Trust -- £1,728

West Middlesex University Hospital -- £1,462

University Hospitals of Leicester -- £1,416

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Afzal Amin: Patriotic Tory's Humble Beginnings

Written By Unknown on Senin, 23 Maret 2015 | 10.03

Until he was suspended Afzal Amin was to become the Conservative Party's first new ethnic minority candidate to fight in the May General Election.

His rise within the party belies the fact he left school with few qualifications.

After being brought up and schooled in the Black Country town of Smethwick in Staffordshire, he attended Sandwell College before working as a waiter and finance clerk.

He spent 11 years in the military and rose to the rank of captain in the Army's education service, where he taught Princes Harry and William in Windsor, according to Mr Amin's website.

He claims to have been selected to attend Sandhurst's Royal Military Academy in 2001, and has seen operational service in Iraq and three times in Afghanistan.

"There is no greater expression of service to one's country and compatriots than being willing to lay down one's own life to protect and defend others," he wrote in November last year.

He is a former chairman of the Armed Forces Muslim Association and has given lectures to foreign government officials on how to combat homegrown radicalisation.

When Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered in May 2013, Mr Amin said he believed members of the British military from all racial backgrounds would unite to condemn the "horrific and brutal" attack.

Mr Amin was hoping to win the Dudley North constituency seat on 7 May which is currently held by Ian Austin, who has a Labour majority of 649.

He has been married to wife Michelle for 20 years and the couple have two teenage children.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tory Candidate Hits Back Over 'EDL Plot' Claim

A suspended Tory election candidate has hit back at claims he allegedly plotted to win votes by taking credit for stopping an English Defence League (EDL) protest.

In a statement on his website, Afzal Amin said the claims, published in The Mail On Sunday, "grossly misrepresented" the truth and presented "an inaccurate picture of what was happening".

The would-be candidate for Dudley North is accused of collaborating with the EDL to announce a protest march against the building of a "mega-mosque".

The plan was for the protest to be scrapped with Mr Amin taking credit for defusing the situation, the newspaper reports.

In secretly-filmed footage, obtained by the newspaper, Mr Amin promised former EDL leader Tommy Robinson and current EDL chairman Steve Eddowes he would subsequently be an "unshakeable ally" in parliament.

"This is my fantasy," he says in the footage, reportedly filmed by Mr Robinson at an Indian restaurant in Birmingham on Monday.

"If I could demonstrate to the people in Dudley that I can be a positive voice for community cohesion... then that would help me a lot in the forthcoming election."

In a recorded phone call with Mr Robinson, Mr Amin also says he needs two "white" canvassers to help his campaign for election.

"I need two white, working class lads to go round those areas to say to people, 'You support the Army, if you support the troops then vote for this guy'. That's what I need," he said.

When Mr Robinson raises the question of payment Mr Amin makes it clear it is illegal to pay people to canvass during elections.

But when it is suggested the men can be paid indirectly through Mr Robinson, Mr Amin replies: "Yes of course, of course".

The allegations have prompted his suspension from the Conservative Party, which released a statement saying it views the allegations "as a matter of extremely serious concern".

Mr Robinson, who blew the whistle on the alleged plot, told Sky News Mr Amin's offer was an example of "corruption in politics" and "dishonesty".

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "Here was a man sitting before me who was telling me he was going to be the future prime minister of our country, offering bribes and money.

"This is not a one off scenario. This is going on across the country in every political party."

The Muslim candidate had been selected to stand in the contested Dudley North constituency, which has a Labour majority of 649.

As a Muslim army officer who served for over a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Amin was considered a star Tory candidate.

He hoped to overturn the Labour majority in the General Election in May.

Just four days ago, he tweeted: "This General Election could be one of the most important of our lifetime. Now is not the time to lose faith in politics."

In the statement on his website, Mr Amin said he had been in constant communication with the police over his meetings with members of the EDL.

"During a time of heated tensions between various communities in our country, it's vital that we tackle these problems and take difficult, sometimes uncomfortable, steps.

"The potential for inter communal violence has become a real threat to the destabilisation of our country and we must prevent this at all costs.

"It's in this context that, for the past year, I was conducting discussion with Tommy Robinson."

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tory Candidate Suspended Over EDL 'Plot'

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 22 Maret 2015 | 10.03

A Tory election candidate has been suspended after allegedly plotting to win votes by taking credit for stopping an EDL protest.

Afzal Amin is accused by the Mail on Sunday of collaborating with the English Defence League (EDL) to announce a protest march against the building of a "mega-mosque".

The plan was for the protest to be scrapped with Mr Amin taking credit for defusing the situation, the newspaper reports.

The candidate is said to have outlined his plan to former EDL leader Tommy Robinson and current EDL chairman Steve Eddowes at an Indian restaurant in Birmingham on Monday, weeks after a real EDL demonstration in Dudley which led to 30 arrests.

"This is my fantasy," he says in secretly recorded footage. "If I could demonstrate to the people in Dudley that I can be a positive voice for community cohesion... then that would help me a lot in the forthcoming election."

The Muslim candidate, who had been selected to stand in the Dudley North constituency which has a Labour majority of 649, was also recorded promising he would subsequently be an "unshakeable ally" for the EDL in parliament.

In a recorded phone call with Mr Robinson, Mr Amin also says he needs two "white" canvassers to help his campaign for election.

"I need two white, working class lads to go round those areas to say to people, 'You support the Army, if you support the troops then vote for this guy'. That's what I need," he said.

When Mr Robinson raises the question of payment Mr Amin makes it clear it is illegal to pay people to canvass during elections.

But when it is suggested the men can be paid indirectly through Mr Robinson, Mr Amin replies: "Yes of course, of course".

Sky's political correspondent Anushka Asthana said: "He was filmed doing something extraordinary; trying to persuade the EDL to say they are going to hold a rally against a mega-mosque in Dudley then getting them to call it off so he can take the credit for it.

"He suggested paying EDL members to help get him support in the area and the party have suspended him after an emergency meeting of the committee that deals with selections for candidates.

"He will have a chance to make his case on Tuesday but, as I understand it, the Prime Minister will support whatever decision it comes to. They are taking it seriously and this is clearly bad news for them."

A Conservative Party spokesman confirmed Mr Amin had been suspended as a candidate following an emergency meeting, adding the party viewed the matter as "extremely serious".

Mr Amin had been due to take on sitting Labour MP Ian Austin in the election on 7 May.

Four days ago Mr Amin tweeted: "This General Election could be one of the most important of our lifetime. Now is not the time to lose faith in politics."

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