Greater Manchester Police have issued a lengthy statement addressing the ‘uncertainty and worry’ felt by many following scenes of unrest at the weekend, with rumours swirling of more disorder today.
GMP has stressed that ‘there is no place for hate in Greater Manchester’.
Police across the UK are monitoring intelligence to respond to any incidents swiftly and effectively.
The force also said that ‘those involved in this disgraceful behaviour’ will be ‘dealt with robustly’.
As for what residents and communities should do this evening, GMP said: “Our advice to communities is to remain calm and to try to go about your every-day life,” adding that the police service is ‘heavily resourced’.
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The statement also urged people to ‘remain vigilant’ and to report anything that doesn’t seem right to police.
Greater Manchester Police’s statement says: “We understand the uncertainty and worry that people are feeling about current tension, much of which is being fuelled by the widespread sharing of misinformation online which is sometimes being created with the purpose of creating fear and inciting intolerable hate.
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“Our advice to communities is to remain calm and to try to go about your every-day life. GMP continues to monitor the intelligence to ensure we can respond effectively to any incidents of disorder. And, if we believe there needs to be specific information about anything emerging we will tell people and offer advice.
“We are heavily resourced, and we have specialist officers and staff who are working around the clock to tackle these issues and ensure our communities are supported. We are speaking to community leaders and elected representatives regularly to make sure they are appraised of all planned protests known to GMP. People living safely and peacefully, do not deserve to be frightened: we are here to protect you, and we will use all resources and capabilities to do so.
“Our message is clear: there is no place for hate in Greater Manchester. If you come here to willingly participate in disorder and crime, we will be at your door, ensuring you answer for your crimes. We will police without fear or favour and use all resources and powers available to ensure those involved in this disgraceful behaviour are dealt with robustly.
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“This has been demonstrated with our relentless pursuit of offenders, many of whom have been arrested not only in Greater Manchester, but with the support of police colleagues across the UK and we have made crucial arrests in West Yorkshire and Lancashire.
“To date, we have made 26 arrests for a variety of offences including assault, violent disorder, possession of weapons, and 20 have been charged. There is work to be done, and we will not relent until we have systematically located and dealt with all those responsible.
“We ask that you remain vigilant. If you see something, or hear something, that does not feel right, report it to us so we can act.
“All information and reports will be handled with the utmost severity and sensitivity. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, information can be shared anonymously with the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111. We don’t need to know who you are; we just need your information and concerns.
“These are challenging times, but we are immensely proud to see the majority of our residents standing together and condemning this unacceptable disorder. Your unwavering support has not gone unnoticed.”
The hearing over Manchester City’s 115 FFP charges will officially start next week
Danny Jones
After more than a year of speculation as to when proceedings will finally start, it has been confirmed that the hearing regarding Manchester City and their 115 FFP charges is set to begin next week.
Man City were first slapped with the laundry list of alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) and failure to comply with Premier League rules on profit and sustainability (PSR) back in February 2023, but little movement on the case has been reported since then.
In that time, they also won the coveted Treble and their record-breaking fourth league title in a row; meanwhile, the club have continued to deny all claims of rule-breaking.
However, it has now been revealed that City‘s hearing will now kick off on Monday, 16 September.
BREAKING: The hearing over Manchester City's 115 charges will start on Monday 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9ujOCryVMF
As explained in various reports, given the extended nature of the claims made against the Manchester side, it is estimated that the case could run on for up to two months if not longer.
Furthermore, it is thought a decision isn’t expected to arrive until spring 2025 – again, this is simply due to the number of charges brought up over the best part of a decade.
In case you need a refresher, the allegations levelled at Man City date back to 2009 and concern a supposed nine years of financial irregularities, as well as subverting UEFA FFP rules.
Some of the accusations made against them also include failing to cooperate with the European football body and the Premier League, as well as offering ‘secret contracts’ so as to pay one particular manager a larger sum than what they recorded in their financial statements.
The final verdict, whenever it is reached, will be handed down by an independent commission and City will still be able to make an official appeal.
It goes without saying that were they to be found guilty, it would be the biggest financial scandal in English football history and could be seismic for the future of money in the sport and regulations surrounding ownership, which have already grown tighter following the charges being issued.
And in case you needed a more detailed refresher on what exactly they are being tried for and what the possibilities are regarding punishment if found guilty, here’s a quick rundown:
Featured Images — Arne Müseler (via Wikimedia Commons)
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The NHS found to be in a ‘critical condition’ following an independent investigation
Emily Sergeant
A landmark independent investigation has found the NHS to be in a ‘critical condition’, it has been revealed.
Lord Ara Darzi – who is an independent peer and practising surgeon, with 30 years’ experience in the NHS – was commissioned to write a report that will inform the Government’s 10-year plan to reform the nation’s health service.
He examined more than 600 pieces of analysis from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England, and external organisations during his investigation.
70 organisations were brought together in an ‘Expert Reference Group’ during the investigation, while Lord Darzi also sought input from NHS staff and patients through a number of focus groups and frontline visits.
Overall, his probe concluded that the service is in a “critical condition”.
NEW: @ImperialNHS Professor Lord Darzi has published his independent investigation into the state of the NHS.
This report will inform the government’s 10-year plan to fix our broken NHS.
The report particularly highlighted surging waiting lists, and a deterioration in the nation’s underlying health, as well as identifying “serious and widespread problems” for people accessing its services.
“Although I have worked in the NHS for more than 30 years, I have been shocked by what I have found during this investigation,” Lord Darzi admitted.
“My colleagues in the NHS are working harder than ever, but our productivity has fallen.
“We get caught up frantically trying to find beds that have been axed, or using IT that is outdated, or trying to work out how to get things done because operational processes are overwhelmed.
“It sucks the joy from our work – we became clinicians to help patients get better, not to go into battle with a broken system. We need to rebalance the system towards care in the community, rather than adding more and more staff to hospitals.”
Lord Darzi declared that the NHS is now “an open book”, and added that the Government needs to have a “more honest conversation” about performance.
"I've worked in the NHS for more than 30 years, but I've been shocked by what I've found during this investigation."
Despite the damning analysis, Lord Darzi did insist that the NHS’s vital signs “remain strong” and he praised staff for their “shared passion and determination to make the NHS better for our patients”.
In response to Lord Darzi’s investigation and the publishing of the report, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the scale of the damage done to the NHS revealed by the report is “unforgivable” and that “major surgery” is needed to reform the service “not sticking plaster solutions”.
“People have every right to be angry,” the Prime Minister said.
“It’s not just because the NHS is so personal to all of us, it’s because some of these failings are life and death. Take the waiting times in A&E. That’s not just a source of fear and anxiet, it’s leading to avoidable deaths.
Daisy Jackson -
7th August 2024 
