A man has been charged with assaulting the former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith in Manchester last year.
Elliot Bovill, 31, appeared in Manchester Magistrates’ Court, where he was accused of common assault against the senior Tory MP in the city centre on 4 October 2021, although it was confirmed that no further details of the offence were read out during the hearing, and Mr Bovill did not enter a plea.
The incident occurred while the Conservative Party Conference was happening in Manchester city centre, and was said to have happened while Sir Iain was walking to a fringe event with his wife, Betsy.
Sir Iain was due to take part in a talk with then-Brexit minister, Lord David Frost, at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel.
At the time of the incident, the former Tory party leader told The Spectator that he had been struck on the back of the head “with a traffic cone”, and he also told the BBC that protestors shouted “Tory scum” at him while he made his way to the fringe event – but he managed to escape from the situation without any serious injury.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith served as the Leader of the Conservative Party from 2001 – 2003 / Credit: Sky News / Parliament TV
He told The Spectator: “For half a second I was about to go up and punch them, I went forward and they all backed off – I nearly knocked them out, lost my rag”.
Sir Iain also told the BBC at the time: “They then decided to follow me and started shouting abuse, such as ‘Tory scum’ and any other reason they could think of. I carried on walking and when I was getting close to the place [where I had a meeting], someone came up with one of those rather heavy traffic cones and tried to smack me with it in the back of the head.”
Greater Manchester Police arrested five people following the incident.
During the hearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court, Mr Bovill was told that the case was being moved to Westminster Magistrates’ Court, and was granted unconditional bail to appear again on 16 May.
Two other people have also been charged in connection with the incident.
Radical Haslam, 28, of New Wakefield Street, Manchester, and Ruth Wood, 50, of Oak Tree Avenue, Cambridge, are accused of using threatening, abusive words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence.
Mr Haslam did not attend court, but Ms Wood appeared by video link and was also bailed until 16 May.
Bob Vylan dropped from Manchester music festival following Glastonbury controversy
Danny Jones
English punk rap duo Bob Vylan have been dropped from an upcoming music festival in Manchester following the recent controversy surrounding their set at Glastonbury 2025.
The media storm surrounding their much-talked-about and heavily televised Glasto appearance has seen them reportedly dropped by their agency and their US Visas cancelled, along with multiple concerts – one of those being right here in Greater Manchester.
Bob Vylan were scheduled to play RADAR Fest at Victoria Warehouse in Stretford this weekend, but now the organisers have informed gig-goers that the artists will not be performing in their planned slot on Saturday.
The alternative music event did provide any additional details, posting nothing but this image:
For anyone unaware, Vylan were heavily criticised for the pro-Palestine chants, which Glastonbury itself has deemed as having “crossed a line”, labelling the chants against the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as antisemitic.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also commented on the situation.
In addition to RADAR, Vylan were also due to appear at Kave Fest in France the following Sunday, 6 July, but the music event has also decided not to host them.
The BBC also opted not to broadcast Northern Irish band Kneecap as part of their coverage this year, as the Belfast rap trio have also been outspoken on the issue, among many other musicians of late.
Responding to the decision on social media not long after the news broke, the act simply shared the post on their Instagram story along with the caption: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.”
Trafford Centre launches school uniform drive to help disadvantaged Manchester families
Emily Sergeant
A school uniform drive has been launched at the Trafford Centre to support local families ahead of the new school year.
With schools across Greater Manchester soon set to be out for the summer holidays, many parents, guardians, and carers in the region may be looking ahead to the new school year in September, concerned about how they may be able to provide their children with the necessary uniform items needed.
According to a 2020 survey by The Children’s Society, 23% of parents reported that the cost of school uniforms led to their children wearing ‘ill-fitting, unclean, or incorrect’ items.
It’s these statistic that highlight the ongoing pressure faced by families.
This is why the Trafford Centre has partnered with both Manchester South Central Foodbank and local charity, Bridging the Gap, to launch a school uniform donation drive aimed at supporting more than 700 children across Manchester this summer.
The Trafford Centre launches a school uniform drive to help disadvantaged Manchester families / Credit: Trafford Centre
From now up until the 15 August, anyone heading to the region’s largest shopping centre is encouraged to donate new or pre-loved school uniforms.
“The cost of living crisis has deeply impacted our community, with more and more families unable to afford the essentials,” commented Emily Jeremy, who is the Assistant Project Manager at Manchester South Central Foodbank.
“As an anti-poverty charity, we recognised the need for school uniform support years ago. Though costs vary between schools, a full set of branded secondary school uniform can total around £150, which is a significant burden for many households.”
All items can be donated at the shopping centre’s Guest Services point / Credit: Darren Robinson Photography | Trafford Centre (Supplied)
Simon Layton, Centre Director at the Trafford Centre, added: “We’re proud to be working alongside Bridging the Gap and Manchester South Central Foodbank to support local families during these challenging times.
“School uniforms shouldn’t be a barrier to education, and we hope this initiative will ease some of the pressure many parents face as the new school year approaches.”
The school uniform donation drive is running up until 15 August.
All items can be taken to the Trafford Centre’s Guest Services Lounge, which is located on Lower Regent Crescent next to M&S, and they must be clean and free from stains or damage.
Emily Sergeant -
28th April 2022 
