John-Paul Kesseler was targeted on Holloway Circus in the early hours of Sunday, October 10 as he returned to a hotel with a close friend after a night out.

He was smashed across the head with a bottle and whacked with an iron bar.

His attacker fled, leaving the injured 38-year-old bleeding on the roadside. The victim and this friend were then subjected to homophobic taunts from passers-by who said: “We don’t agree with that LGBTQ stuff’.

Mr Kesseler, a student from Moseley, shared images of his wounds on his Twitter account, sparking an outpouring of support. It was the latest in a number of city centre homophobic attacks, which have prompted the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, Simon Foster, to declare the hate crime problem a “top priority”.

He told BirminghamLive: “We had all been to the Gay Village and were walking towards Holloway Circus.

“I was going to a hotel with a close friend and we were holding hands, walking towards the Pagoda.

“Outside the 24 hours shop, there was a bloke standing outside his car and he noticed us.

“He said we shouldn’t be holding hands and I said: ‘W hat’s the problem ?’

“He started getting aggressive and reached into his car for an empty wine bottle.

Statistics from the last 24-hour reporting period bring the country’s death toll to 137,763. The government’s figures come following the weekend, when there is usually a lag in recording deaths.
However, separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there have been 161,000 deaths registered in the UK where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate.
The UK has also recorded another 40,224 Covid cases. The infection total since the start of the pandemic is now 8,154,306.

England

15 of the 28 Covid-related deaths in the UK were recorded in England. The nation has a coronavirus death toll of 120,405.

Meanwhile, 32,349 more positive tests brought the total since the start of the pandemic to 6,967,915.
Wales

Eight deaths were reported in Wales, which takes the overall number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 5,973.

Meanwhile, cases in the nation increased by 4,669 to 382,203.

Scotland

Scotland’s death toll remains at 8,792 as there were no further Covid deaths.

2,297 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total since the start of the outbreak to 592,721.
Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, 28 more coronavirus deaths were reported. The nation has a death toll of 137,763.

1,109 more infections recorded, bringing the total number of positive tests to 250,930.

The Prime Minister has jetted off to the Costa del Sol to stay in a “luxury” complex near Marbella.

His official spokesperson refused to be drawn on reports that the Tory leader was staying at the villa of Environment Minister Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, or to say whether he had paid for the holiday himself.

“Any declarations that need to be made will be made in the normal way, but I don’t have anything to add to that,” they commented.

“I wouldn’t get into anything on location for security reasons.”

Downing Street insisted that Johnson is continuing to work on Government business while on holiday following the Conservative Party conference last week.

His spokesperson said that he had taken a call from Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and was being updated on the work to address supply chain problems.

“The Prime Minister continues to be in charge as is always the case. The Prime Minister has taken calls with leaders already and there will be others to follow,” the spokesperson told reporters.

“The Prime Minister has been kept regularly updated on the ongoing work to address the current issues around fuel and supply chains.

“He is in regular contact with ministers and No 10. He is also continuing to take calls particularly in the run-up to COP26.”

Johnson was only recently cleared of breaking the MPs’ code of conduct over a trip in early 2019 to the Caribbean island of Mustique.

He faced an investigation into whether he adequately registered £15,000 worth of accommodation paid for by a Tory donor.

Earlier, Home Office minister Damian Hinds defended the Prime Minister’s decision to go on holiday, his second in three months.

Asked if now was the right time for a break, he told Sky News: “When is the right time? I think it is important that people do have an opportunity to be with their families to have some relaxing, unwinding.

There’s an ongoing fuel shortage, caused mostly by a serious shortage of HGV drivers, and everywhere from warehouses to factories, buses to pubs, pharmacies to schools have been battered by a shortage of workers.

It doesn’t bode well for Christmas, with Ruth Gregory, a consultant at Capital Economics, telling the Mirror: “Clouds are darkening.”

At the end of last month, the managing director of Iceland supermarket warned that CO2 shortages could become a problem in the run-up to Christmas, with some food stock running low. Richard Walker told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “At the moment we are fully stocked and our suppliers are OK, but we do need this sorted as quickly as possible.”

Here’s a roundup of the current state of play in some of the key parts of the UK economy, and it doesn’t make for happy reading.

HGV drivers

In a bid to get more lorries on the road, the UK Government has sent letters to almost anyone with a HGV licence to entice them back to work. But their plan backfired somewhat when ambulance paramedics and even firefighters received a letter offering “fantastic opportunities”, “attractive pay rates” and “flexible hours” if they swapped, the Mirror reported.

A firefighter told the Mirror: “I was quite shocked that they sent them out to everyone who’s got a licence to be honest and not checking the profession they’re in.”

The Department for Transport said: “The letter was automatically sent to almost one million people with HGV driving licences, and it was impossible to narrow the copy-list by profession.”

But life on the road isn’t quite all it’s cracked up to be, with one lorry driver revealing the shocking conditions behind the driver shortage, including details of having to poo in carrier bags.

Rod McKenzie, head of the Road Haulage Association, said: “The driver shortage is simply not going away. We need… urgent action.”

Petrol

Drivers could see at least another week of fuel shortages, with the military due to start delivering fuel across the country from Monday.

Almost 200 military tanker personnel, 100 of which are drivers, will be deployed to provide temporary support as supply issues continue.

People have faced rising prices and long queues at forecourts for days now and petrol shortages are expected to carry on for another week warned Policing Minister Kit Malthouse. He told the BBC: “We are still seeing strong demand in parts of the country around fuel, albeit that there is no problem of supply into the country.

“The distribution mechanism is trying to respond to this unprecedented demand.

“My latest briefing is that the situation is stabilising, we are seeing more forecourts with a greater supply of fuel. Hopefully, as demand and supply come better into balance over the next few days – week or so – we will see a return to normality.”

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “Across the weekend over 200 military personnel will have been mobilised as part of Operation Escalin.

“While the situation is stabilising, our Armed Forces are there to fill in any critical vacancies and help keep the country on the move by supporting the industry to deliver fuel to forecourts.”

Union Usdaw has also said three-quarters of staff in filling stations have been abused in the crisis. General secretary Paddy Lillis said: “This is a crisis that was made in Downing Street but has impacted motorists and petrol station staff. Our members are telling us that the vast majority of customers have been great, but a significant minority take out their frustrations on staff.”

Warehouses

Warehouses are already short of 10,000 workers, and that’s before a surge in demand for Christmas.

Retailers and operators need an army of temporary staff, with online giant Amazon alone kicking off a bid to hire an extra 20,000 for its UK depots. Earlier this autumn, Amazon offered new warehouse workers £1,000 starting bonuses alongside flexible hours and pay of up to £11.10-an-hour for daytime shifts, doubling to £22.20-an-hour for overtime.

Sainsbury’s is earmarking 3,000 more online delivery drivers, as well as 4,500 in warehouses and logistics. However, firms face a battle given many temp roles were filled by EU nationals.

Clare Bottle, chief executive of the UK Warehousing Association, warned: “The problem is big.”

She said one solution is to raise pay rates: “Several members have, overnight, increased pay by 20%, and some by 30%, and many operate on slim margins.

“If the cost of the labour goes up, they have to pass it on to customers.”

Pubs and restaurants

Failure to recruit enough hospitality staff over the coming months could prove fatal for firms, an industry body has warned.

UKHospitality said the sector is already 10% short of workers – with just over 200,000 vacancies – forcing venues to close or restrict opening hours during the summer. Restaurants in the Welsh seaside resort, Tenby, were forced to shut at peak season because of staff shortages and its a problem that persists heading towards Christmas.

Boris Johnson has said the Government is ready to take “big, bold decisions” to rebuild the country after the ravages of Covid.

As Conservatives gathered in Manchester for the start of the party’s annual conference, the Prime Minister promised “decisive action” on jobs, crime and health and social care.

“We didn’t go through Covid to go back to how things were before – to the status quo ante. Build back better means we want things to change and improve as we recover,” he said in a statement.

“That means taking the big, bold decisions on the priorities people care about – like on social care, on supporting jobs, on climate change, tackling crime and levelling up.

“This Conservative Government has a track record of delivering on the people’s priorities: we got Brexit done and secured a deal with the EU – keeping our election promise.

“On Covid, we rolled out unprecedented levels of economic support, protecting livelihoods and keeping businesses afloat.

“And thanks to our NHS, scientists and so many others, our successful vaccine rollout has saved thousands of lives, prevented countless hospitalisations and has allowed the economy and society to begin returning to normality.

“All of this shows we are delivering – and now it is time to go further – not only to recover, but to build back better – with decisive action on more jobs, more police and supporting health and social care.”

It also marks Labour’s shift to focus on improving the prospects of the 40 per cent of young people who leave compulsory education without essential qualifications.

Under Labour’s ‘National Excellence Programme,’ the next Labour government will boost the number of outstanding schools in all areas of the country; drive up standards; and enable every child to achieve their full potential.

The National Excellence Programme will include:

Recruiting thousands of new teachers to address vacancies and skills gaps across the profession;
Reforming Ofsted to focus on supporting struggling schools;
Providing teachers and headteachers with continuing professional development and leadership skills training.
Even before the pandemic, 200,000 primary age children in England were growing up in areas with not a single primary school rated good or outstanding.

Starmer’s speech will set out the short-term failures of the Conservative government and emphasise that the problems that are worsening because of their long-term neglect. He will warn that Britain risks being left behind if it does not open up opportunities for young people in every part of the country.

On Labour’s vision for education, Starmer will say:

“I want every parent in the country to be able to send their child to a great state school.”

“On top of that, 40 per cent of young people leave compulsory education without essential qualifications. What does that say about their future? We will not put up with that.

“That is why Labour will launch the most ambitious school improvement plan ever.”

It would be funded by ending tax exemptions for private schools, first announced by Labour on Sunday, when Starmer set out plans to ensure that every child leaves school ready for work and ready for life.

There are hundreds of thousands of pupils in schools graded at requiring improvement or inadequate. Additionally, there are 210,000 pupils in ‘stuck’ schools which have received ratings of inadequate or requires improvement for 13 years or more.

There are also significant geographic inequalities, research suggests over 200,000 primary age children live in local areas where there are no good or outstanding schools and 11 out of 12 local authorities in the North East have a higher than average share of pupils attending an underperforming school. A secondary school pupil living in the North of England is around five times as likely to attend an underperforming school than one of their peers living in London.

On Sunday Labour announced it would make sure every child leaves school job-ready and life-ready with its ‘fit for the future’ curriculum.

In 2019/20 39.8% of 19-year-olds did not have level 3 attainment (2 or more A-Levels, BTEC, T-Level or equivalent apprenticeship).

Fewer 16-18 year olds stay in education than in many other countries: 71% of 17 year olds are in education in England compared to 89% in Estonia, 93% in Sweden and 88% in the Netherlands.

Scotland’s covid vaccination certificate scheme is set to commence this week, starting on Friday at 5am.

Speaking at her covid update today, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed: “The certification scheme will apply – as previously indicated – to late night venues open after midnight with alcohol, music and dancing; to live indoor unseated events of more than 500 people; to live outdoor unseated events of more than 4,000 people; and to any event of more than 10,000 people.

“This means that once the scheme starts, anyone over the age of 18, who wants to go to a large event – or to a late night venue – will be required to provide evidence that they are fully vaccinated, or evidence that they are exempt.”

The First Minister also advised the NHS Covid Status App will go live on Thursday, providing a digital record of a user’s vaccination status, including a QR code for each vaccination a person has received.

Significantly, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the Scottish Government is set to allow a grace period of slightly more than two weeks – until 18 October – before businesses could potentially face enforcement action for non-compliance.

Last week she noted that Wales has started a covid vaccination scheme similar to Scotland’s.

Who will be required to use the scheme?

Everyone under 18 will be exempt from the requirement to provide proof of vaccination.

So will those taking part in vaccine trials; the small number of individuals who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons; and those who work at, or perform in, a venue subject to certification.

What do I need to use my vaccination certificate for?

You’ll need to use your vaccination certificate to get into to nightclubs and similar venues; to live indoor unseated events of more than 500 people; to live outdoor unseated events of more than 4,000 people; and to any event of more than 10,000 people.

Certification will be required for any venue that meets all of the following conditions:

it is open between midnight and 5am;
It serves alcohol after midnight;
It provides live or recorded music for dancing; and
It has a designated space – which is actually in use – where dancing is permitted.

Will I need my vaccine to get lunch in a pub?

The First Minister stressed that certification will be required only if all four of those factors apply.

Detailed draft guidance is due to published shortly setting out clearly what each sector needs to do, however last weekend the First Minister said venues will be required to “use common sense”.

Then, she said: “A pragmatic and sensible approach will be taken to each piece of guidance. In legal terms, venues will be required to take “all reasonable measures” to implement the scheme – in plain terms, that boils down to using common sense.

“So, for example, a venue that has a dancefloor operating after midnight – and meets the other criteria – will have to operate the certification scheme.

“They won’t need to check people coming in for a pub lunch twelve hours earlier – that wouldn’t be reasonable.

“But by the evening, it would be reasonable to check customers as they arrive. That’s what we mean by common sense. A pragmatic approach will be encouraged, so that businesses can make sensible judgements.”

How do I get my covid vaccination certificate?

The NHS Covid Status App will be available for downloading from this Thursday, September 30.

The app will provide a digital record of a user’s vaccination status – including a QR code for each vaccination a person has received.

You can also request a paper copy of your vaccination record, with specific features to prevent it from being forged. That paper copy also provides a QR code. So anybody who does not want to use the app will be able to obtain and use a paper copy.

How does the scheme work?

Once the scheme is launched, anyone going to a venue or event which requires certification will be required, if asked, to show their vaccine record.

Venue staff will either scan or visually check your QR code. The NHS Scotland Covid Check app that venues can use is already available for download.

At a venue such as a nightclub, or at a relatively small event, the Government expect that it will be possible to check vaccine certificates for everyone in attendance.

However at larger events, organisers will be expected to carry out a reasonable number of checks.

The First Minister today said: “We have continued to engage with businesses as we have developed the detail of the certification scheme. I understand that many businesses have concerns about certification – however, I am grateful to all those that have nevertheless engaged in these discussions so constructively.

“The Government remains of the view that a targeted certification scheme does have a part to play in driving vaccination rates up as high as possible, and providing an additional layer of protection over the winter months as we seek to achieve the potentially difficult task of keeping Covid under control while keeping our economy fully open.”

A 77-year-old was left badly injured after raiders broke into his house and beat him, demanding he hand over his car keys.

The man was asleep at home when masked attackers broke in, beating him until his brain started to bleed.

The attack happened in Birmingham in the middle of the night on Thursday, say West Midlands Police.

Burglars raided the man’s house before waking him, dragging him from bed and punching and kicking him multiple times.

They left empty handed.

The man suffered serious injuries including a cut lip, broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. He remains in hospital in a serious condition after suffering a bleed on the brain, which medical professionals believe could be as a result of the assault, reports BirminghamLive.

The attempted robbery happened between 1.20am and 1.45am on Moor Green Lane, Birmingham.

Police are asking people to check their CCTV to see if there is anything that might help with the investigation.

Chaos struck the M25 for a sixth time after Insulate Britain blocked traffic again, with police dragging protestors off the motorway.

Campaigners from the climate change group sat in front of traffic on Junction 14 of the London ring road by Heathrow Airport.

Police confirmed one lane of traffic was reopened and that arrests had been made.

The Metropolitan Police tweeted at 8.45am: “We’re attending a protest at Junction 14 of the #M25 near Heathrow Airport where activists are blocking traffic on a slip road.

“We are on scene and have opened one lane of the carriageway. Arrests are being made – we will share updates shortly.”

Insulate Britain spokesperson Liam Norton said earlier: “You can throw as many injunctions at us as you like, raid our savings and confiscate our property, but we are going nowhere.

“This country is going to hell unless you take emergency action to stop putting carbon into the air.”

Officers swarmed to the scene to rid the road of the sit-in protestors just after 7am, footage shared by TalkRADIO showed.

It caused pileups on the UK’s busiest motorway, with all but one lane of the slip road blocked for an extended period after the sit-in protest began.

Insulate Britain was slapped with a court injunction last week after repeatedly blocking the M25 last week.

The High Court decision means protestors could face jail if they continue to disrupt the public highway.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said of the sit-ins: “It barely goes without saying, it’s irresponsible, dangerous and completely counterproductive,”

The siblings – Tyler Jackman, aged 11, Zeah Jackman, aged seven, Marley Jackman, aged six and two-year-old Zinayah Jackman – were last seen on Thursday, September 16.

They were spotted leaving an address in Islington and officers believe they are with their father Zion Jackman and their grandmother Una Nolan.

The family have strong links to Essex and the West Midlands.

Detective Inspector Paul Ridley, from the North Area Public Protection Unit, who is leading the investigation, is now appealing for assistance from the public to help locate them.

Det Insp Ridley said: “It is absolutely crucial that we ensure the welfare of these young children. If you have seen them since their disappearance or know of their current whereabouts it is imperative that you come forward and tell my investigation team.

“My key priority is guaranteeing the safety of the children. Robust action will be taken if we become aware of any person intentionally assisting or facilitating their continued disappearance.

“I would encourage any person who wishes to come forward anonymously to do so. I can assure you that all information provided will be immediately followed up.”

Anyone who sees the children should call 999.

Anyone with other information on their whereabouts should call police on 101, or the Missing People charity on 116000, giving the reference number 21MIS027940.

Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at the Crimestoppers website.