Six men have had their sentences increased following an intervention by the then Solicitor General. Usman Karolia, 20, Raja Nawaz, 19, Ahmed Karolia, 24, Nabeel Nasser, 19, Nikash Hussain, 17, and Irfan Hussain, 18, violently attacked three men on 21 June 2020.

They murdered Bradley Gledhill, who was stabbed to death and then punched, kicked and stamped upon as he lay dying on the ground. His two companions were also stabbed repeatedly.

All six men were convicted of Bradley’s murder. Four were convicted of the attempted murder of his friend, Joel Ramsden (Karolia, Karolia, Nazir and Irfan Hussain). Usman Karolia was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Kasey Hall at Leeds Crown Court. On 30 July 2021 they were each sentenced to:

• Usman Karolia – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years
• Ahmed Karolia – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years
• Raja Nawaz – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years
• Nabeel Nazeer – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 11 years
• Irfan Hussain – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 11 years
• Nikash Hussain – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years

Following the sentencing, the then Solicitor General referred their sentences to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

On 6 December 2021, following a joint hearing, the Court of Appeal increased the following sentences:

• Usman Karolia – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years
• Ahmed Karolia – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years
• Raja Nawaz – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years
• Nabeel Nazeer – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years
• Irfan Hussain – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years
• Nikash Hussain – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 years

After the joint hearing at the Court of Appeal, the Solicitor General, Alex Chalk QC MP, said:

These men brutally and senselessly attacked their victims, taking the life of Bradley Gledhill. Knife crime is a scourge which causes untold human misery, and I am glad that the Court of Appeal saw fit to increase their sentences today.

Unprecedented in speed, accuracy, performance and target acquisition, Sky Sabre will be able to hit a tennis ball-sized object travelling at the speed of sound.

16 Regiment Royal Artillery is now accepting into service the first tranche of Sky Sabre and further procurements will be configured to operate in all parts of the globe.

Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin said:

“Sky Sabre’s spearheading technology has significantly upgraded the protection of our forces from threats from the air. This cutting-edge of defence system is a clear demonstration of our warfighting capabilities to those who wish to do us harm.”

Sky Sabre has three key components expected to operate up to 15km apart in the battlespace:

• A Giraffe Agile Multi Beam 3D medium-range surveillance radar that rotates 360 degrees on an extending mast and can scan out to 120km for threats.

• A pioneering computer system linking up the radar and missiles sending them to their targets. It also provides ‘Link 16’, a tactical datalink allowing Sky Sabre to share its information with Royal Navy vessels, Royal Air Force systems and our allies providing full integration across UK Armed Forces and joint NATO operations.

• At 99kg each, the Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles (CAMM) are double the weight of Rapier and have three times the range. They can reach speeds of 2,300mph eliminating fighter aircraft, drones and even laser-guided smart bombs. Eight missiles are mounted on the launcher, which fire in a unique multi-directional manner that significantly reduces its signature making it less of a target for adversaries. The launcher also re-arms in less than half the time of Rapier.

Commanding Officer of 16 Regiment Royal Artillery, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Lane, said:

“We will be able to compete with our peers and take on some of the toughest adversaries. It gives us a capability we have not had before; this new missile system with its new launcher and world-class radar will absolutely put us at the forefront of ground-based air defence.”

Operational since 1970s, Rapier has seen service in Kuwait, the South Atlantic, and most visibly when it deployed to numerous London parks to combat any security threats during the 2012 Olympics.

Senior Training Officer, Major Tim Oakes said:

“Sky Sabre is so accurate and agile that it is capable of hitting a tennis ball sized object travelling at the speed of sound. In fact, it can control the flight of 24 missiles simultaneously whilst in flight, guiding them to intercept 24 separate targets. It is an amazing capability.”

Building on our ambitions outlined in the Defence Command Paper, Future Soldier and bolstered by an additional £24 billion over the next four years, we are ensuring our Armed Forces are equipped with world-leading resources.

Passengers could one day fly to the other side of the world with zero carbon emissions and just one refuelling stop, thanks to government-funded technology being unveiled today.

The concept aircraft was today (6 December 2021) unveiled by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) ahead of the fourth meeting of the Jet Zero Council, which is chaired by the Transport Secretary.

The FlyZero project, led by the ATI and funded by the government, has developed a concept for a midsize aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen. It is capable of flying 279 passengers halfway around the world without a stop or anywhere in the world with just one stop to refuel.

This means that a zero carbon, non-stop flight could be operated between London and San Francisco, or that passengers could fly around the world from London to Auckland, New Zealand with just one stop, at the same speed and comfort as today’s aircraft.

The project showcases the huge potential of liquid hydrogen powered aircraft as the UK drives for a cleaner and greener air travel future and builds on progress already achieved by the Jet Zero Council, a partnership between industry and government with the aim of delivering zero emission transatlantic flight within a generation.

The council will today meet for the fourth time, ahead of International Civil Aviation Day on 7 December.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

As we build back greener, it’s crucial that we place sustainability at the heart of the aviation industry’s recovery from COVID-19.

This pioneering design for a liquid hydrogen powered aircraft, led by a British organisation, brings us one step closer to a future where people can continue to travel and connect but without the carbon footprint.

I will continue to work closely with the Jet Zero Council to support the UK’s world-leading research in this sector, which will create green jobs, help us meet our ambitious net zero targets and lead the global transition to net zero aviation.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

These designs could define the future of aerospace and aviation. By working with industry, we are showing that truly carbon-free flight could be possible with hydrogen a front-runner to replace conventional fossil fuels.

Fuelling planes sustainably will enable the public to travel as we do now, but in a way that doesn’t damage the planet. It will not only help us to end our contribution to climate change, but also represents a huge industrial opportunity for the UK.

Jet Zero Council CEO Emma Gilthorpe said:

The Aerospace Technology Institute’s pioneering research highlights the potential for hydrogen in realising zero-carbon global connectivity.

This ground-breaking green technology looks set to play a critical role in decarbonising flight and through the work of the Jet Zero Council, the UK aviation sector is exploring all avenues to ensure we protect the benefits of flying for future generations while cutting the carbon cost.

FlyZero Project Director Chris Gear said:

At a time of global focus on tackling climate change, our midsize concept sets out a truly revolutionary vision for the future of global air travel keeping families, businesses and nations connected without the carbon footprint.

This new dawn for aviation brings with it real opportunities for the UK aerospace sector to secure market share, highly skilled jobs and inward investment while helping to meet the UK’s commitments to fight climate change.

Another technology with the potential to decarbonise flying is sustainable aviation fuel, a low-carbon fuel made from waste materials.

Earlier this year, the UK government set out its ambition to become a world leader in the production of sustainable aviation fuel, launching the £15 million Green Fuel, Green Skies competition to support the early development of trailblazing UK facilities working to turn everyday waste into jet fuel.

The shortlisted winners, 8 industry-led projects that will receive a share of the £15 million in funding, have now had their final funding agreements confirmed by the Department for Transport.

Today’s announcement comes shortly after the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, which saw ambitious new international pledges to decarbonise transport, including the agreement by 24 countries – representing around half of global aviation emissions – to work together to achieve a new aviation decarbonisation goal.

• Trade Secretary will use first stateside visit to NY and DC to bolster UK-US trade ties across the breadth of our shared interests
• Visit builds on recent successes in lifting US ban on British beef and lamb
• US-owned businesses supported 1.48 million UK jobs in 2019 with 60% outside London and the South East, according to new DIT analysis.

The International Trade Secretary will lay the groundwork for a broad approach to transatlantic trade and investment in her first official visit to New York and Washington DC this week.

From shared strategic priorities on WTO reforms and removing trade barriers such as the recent lamb ban removal, to closer trade ties with individual US states and continued work towards a future free trade agreement, the UK will be looking to take our economic relationship with the US to the next level.

New research published today by the Department for International Trade shows the US has been the UK’s largest single inward investment partner country for the last two decades.

US businesses employed almost 1.5 million people in the UK in 2019, up 74% since 1997. It also shows that 60% of these are jobs now outside of London and the South East, with 179,000 jobs in the North East and North West. Wholesale and retail accounted for 29% of UK employment in US-owned businesses in 2019, followed by 22% in scientific, technical and IT activities.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

“We share a thriving trade partnership with the US, which is driving investment into all corners of the UK helping to level up our economy, and create jobs and prosperity.

“From Teesside to Tulsa, there are huge opportunities to deepen the trading links benefiting communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

“We’ve already made strong progress; from getting British beef and lamb back on US plates, to lowering the cost of Scotch Whisky exports by addressing the long-running Airbus-Boeing issue. Now is the time to hit the ground running and get on with boosting ties with our closest ally.”

Anne-Marie Trevelyan will meet senior investors in New York to promote the UK as the world’s most attractive investment destination and follow up on progress made at the recent Global Investment Summit.

She will then be in DC on Tuesday to meet US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and members of Congress to discuss deepening trade ties, our shared approach to tackling market distorting trade practices and practical solutions to drive WTO reform.

Afterwards, the Trade Secretary will meet US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to discuss how trade and investment can support each country’s levelling up agendas, and push for a resolution to s232 steel and aluminium tariffs to support British industry. She will also attend a Women in Trade Roundtable hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce.

The visit offers an opportunity to build support for state-level cooperation that offer significant opportunity to unlock trade and investment wins for UK and US businesses.

Minister of State for Trade Penny Mordaunt will, this week, kick off a multi-state visit – including California, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Oklahoma – to complement this approach. Minister Mordaunt will meet with governors, local representatives, commissioners and businesses in each state to discuss priority areas for further cooperation, such as services, digital and agriculture.

The UK already benefits from strong ties with US states, and many US states are significant economies in their own right. Together, the economies of the South-Eastern states make the region equivalent to the 8th largest economy in the world, approximately the size of Italy. California’s GDP was over $3tn in 2020, equivalent to the 5th largest economy in the world, and over 126,000 jobs in California are supported by UK companies.

As the two biggest exporters of services in the world, closer ties between the UK and US on a state-by-state level would make it easier for professionals, such as engineers or lawyers, to work across the Atlantic. Going forward, the UK will also seek tailored, MOU-style agreements which will set out areas for future cooperation to deepen our transatlantic trading relationship.