The Tory MP who told Marcus Rashford that he should spend less time “playing politics” and stick to his “day job” has been revealed to also have a second job.
You may remember that Natalie Elphicke – Conservative MP for Dover – drew backlash this past summer after Wythenshawe- born Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford sadly missed a penalty in the Euro 2020 final against Italy when she suggested he would have had a better chance of scoring had he not spent a large chunk of the past year campaigning to eradicate child food poverty and taking on the government over free school meals for children from deprived backgrounds.
In a private message to Tory colleagues after England’s loss to Italy on 11 July, Ms Elphicke said: “They lost. Would it be ungenerous to suggest Rashford should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics.”
But now, it’s been revealed that, despite her comments about Rashford’s other interests, Elphicke actually has a second job herself.
Last night I shared the frustration and heartbreak of millions of England fans. The team gave their all. Congratulations and onwards to the World Cup! https://t.co/xKK7RjgOKn
— Natalie Elphicke MP (@NatalieElphicke) July 12, 2021
As the conversation around MPs having other avenues of work continues in the media this week, it’s emerged that Ms Elphicke also spends a significant amount of time focussing on a job away from her parliamentary duties, as the register of MP’s financial interests shows she also works eight hours a week as chair of the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) – an independent watchdog for new-build houses.
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According to the Home Builders Federation, the NHQB is responsible for overseeing the “quality of new build homes”, and seeks to improve customer service in the sector.
Apparently, backbencher Elphicke earns £36,000 on top of her £82,000 MP’s salary for her role on the NHQB board.
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Elphicke began working for the NHQB board last May, and between May and December 2020, spent more than 150 hours working for the watchdog, but has since increased her weekly commitments.
Over the next year, she will work 416 hours for the NHQB alongside her parliamentary duties.
Natalie Ephicke drew backlash after telling Marcus Rashford to stop “playing politics” / Credit: Natalie Elphicke
Speaking to the i – the publication which first exposed Ms Elphicke’s supplementary role – Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Marcus Rashford is the pride of Manchester and he doesn’t need the permission of anyone to do the wonderful work that he does.
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“Boris Johnson needs to decide whether his MPs are MPs representing their constituents or if they are advisers and consultants working for private interests who pay them.
“They can’t be both.
“It’s time for the Prime Minister to come out of hiding [as] his refusal to take action sends a clear message that he is happy with the status quo.”
Ms Elphicke has since apologised for her remark about Rashford, saying she regretted her response to his missed penalty and was sorry “for any suggestion that he is not fully focused on his football”.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons | Twitter (@MarcusRashford)
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
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More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
Emily Sergeant -
12th November 2021 
