Sex Change Teacher Lucy Meadows Found Dead

A male primary school teacher who began a new term as a woman has been found dead.

Pupils at St Mary Magdalen's C of E Primary School in Accrington, Lancashire, were told in December that Nathan Upton should be addressed as Miss Meadows after the Christmas break.

This week they were informed that their teacher, Lucy Meadows, had died. The 32-year-old was found at a house in Accrington on Tuesday.

The teacher had thanked school governors and staff for their support when he announced his plans to return dressed as a woman in January.

A letter to parents read: "Mr Upton has recently made a significant change in his life and will be transitioning to live as a woman.

"After the Christmas break, she will return to work as Miss Meadows."

Concerns from some parents were reported in the media with one father saying that his three sons at the school were "too young to be dealing with that".

A spokeswoman for Lancashire Police said: "At 4.45pm on Tuesday, police were called by the ambulance service to a report of a sudden death at an address on Ramsbottom Street in Accrington.

"On arrival they found the body of a 32-year-old woman. There are no suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared and passed to the coroner."

In a statement on the school website, head teacher Karen Hardman said: "It is with great sadness that I have to inform you of the death of Miss Lucy Meadows.

"Our staff will be working closely with bereavement teams and are here to offer the children and yourselves any support in any way we can."

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Immigration: Lib Dems Call For Security Bonds

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is to call for a bail-like system of security bonds to tackle visa abuse.

The bonds would be paid as a cash guarantee from visa applicants coming from high-risk countries and would be repaid once the visitor leaves Britain.

In his first speech on immigration as deputy prime minister, Mr Clegg will unveil the radical proposal at the liberal think-tank, the Centre Forum.

He will pledge to "lay the foundations for an immigration system that embodies this nation's instincts and its values" as he attacks the previous Labour government for "grossly" mismanaging the issue.

Earlier this month, Labour leader Ed Miliband  admitted his party failed on immigration.

Mr Miliband again said his party was wrong to relax controls - a move that allowed hundreds of thousands of foreigners to move to the UK.

Mr Clegg will say: "We are grappling with the difficult challenges in our immigration system.

"Brick by brick, we are rebuilding it. Day by day we are making sure, quite simply, that it works.

Mr Miliband said Labour failed on immigration

"All the British people ask is for a system they can have confidence in. We hear that, and we are delivering it.

"I'm determined we lay the foundations for an immigration system that embodies this nation's instincts and its values - our openness and tolerance on one hand, our sense of fair play, on the other."

The Deputy Prime Minister will say that visa "overstayers" are one of the biggest challenges faced by the immigration system and the UK Border Agency (UKBA).

"The challenge isn't just stopping people coming into Britain illegally, it's about dealing with individuals who come over legitimately, but then become illegal once they're already here," he will say.

To tackle this issue, Mr Clegg has asked the Home Office to run a pilot of so-called security bonds, which echoes an Australian system applied to family visas.

It is understood the cost of the bonds would vary but are likely to be in the region of four figures.

Mr Clegg will be seeking views on the proposal, including from the Home Affairs Select Committee.

"The bonds would need to be well targeted - so that they don't unfairly discriminate against particular groups," he says.

"The amounts would need to be proportionate - we mustn't penalise legitimate visa applicants who will struggle to get hold of the money."

But UKIP, which came second to the Lib Dems in the recent Eastleigh by-election after focusing its campaign on tightening immigration controls, ridiculed Mr Clegg's plans.

Party leader Nigel Farage said: "Nick Clegg now joins the cavalcade of party politicians who have suddenly noticed a simple fact, that they are not trusted with our country's borders.

Mr Clegg says Labour left the immigration system in "disarray"

"Since the Eastleigh by-election they have thrown initiative after initiative at the headlines, but to no serious effect. The bottom line is, there is nothing that he, or they, can do about mass migration into this country while our borders are controlled by the European Union."

Mr Clegg will also reveal plans to increase cash penalties for "unscrupulous" employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants because they are cheaper.

The maximum fine is £10,000 per illegal worker - Mr Clegg will call for the penalty to "double" and has asked the Home Secretary to "look into the right amount".

But the deputy prime minister will also seek to reassure British businesses that the Coalition continues to prioritise "growth and building a stronger economy" with immigration a "key part of that".

He says: "The majority of people who come here work hard and make a contribution. Many have served - and still serve - in our armed forces.

"And if every member of an immigrant community suddenly downed tools, countless businesses and services would suffer.

"The NHS would fall over."

And Mr Clegg will hit out at the Labour party for leaving the immigration system in "disarray".

"The problem is that the system has not been well managed. It has been grossly mismanaged. I cannot stress enough just how chaotic it was."

The speech comes as the Government toughens its stance on immigration with a range of new measures aimed at bringing down net migration to the tens of thousands.

UKBA officials will conduct interviews with more than 100,000 student visa applicants from "high-risk" countries outside the EU to crack down on bogus students.

And a "genuine entrepreneur" test has been introduced to tackle the rising number of foreign nationals attempting to enter Britain by fudging their bank accounts.

But in the wake of criticism from politicians and the higher education sector, some immigration rules were recently loosened in a bid to give additional flexibility to businesses and allow top international students to pursue careers in Britain.

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Child Smokers: Thousands More Take Up Habit

The number of children who have taken up smoking has risen by 50,000 in just one year - the equivalent of 567 a day.

About 207,000 children aged 11 to 15 started to smoke in 2011, a sharp rise from 157,000 in 2010, Cancer Research UK said.

Almost one in three (27%) of under-16s have tried smoking at least once, a study by the charity found.

It urged the Government to commit to having all cigarettes put in plain standardised packs.

Sarah Woolnough, executive director of policy and information at Cancer Research UK, said: "With such a large number of youngsters starting to smoke every year, urgent action is needed to tackle the devastation caused by tobacco.

"Replacing slick, brightly-coloured packs that appeal to children with standard packs displaying prominent health warnings is a vital part of efforts to protect health.

"Reducing the appeal of cigarettes with plain, standardised packs will give millions of children one less reason to start smoking."

Last April, the Government launched a consultation on plans to introduce mandatory standardised packaging for tobacco products.

Health campaigners have welcomed the proposal, although opponents claim it would lead to increased smuggling and job losses.

Information generated by the consultation, which closed in August, is still being analysed by health officials.

In December, Australia became the first country in the world to put all tobacco products in standardised packs.

Cigarette packets and other products are all sold in a standardised colour, with only the brand name and graphic warnings visible.

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Archbishop Of Canterbury Due To Be Enthroned

The new Archbishop of Canterbury has revealed he is looking forward to meeting and working with Pope Francis as both religious leaders start their high-profile roles.

Speaking ahead of his inauguration at Canterbury Cathedral, The Most Rev Justin Welby told Sky News presenter Eamonn Holmes on Sunrise: "The papacy is a completely different thing to an Archbishop of Canterbury.

"I am one of almost 100 English bishops with a particular role, whereas he is the head of the Roman Catholic Church globally.

"I am greatly looking forward to meeting him. His story - his life story - is extraordinary. He is a great intellectual, but also an incredibly pastoral and simple, down-to-earth character.

"I am absolutely sure that we will be able to work together on a vast number of issues."

The Archbishop chose to visit West Sussex on Tuesday as part of a pilgrimage of his own around five English cities this month, instead of the Vatican for Pope Francis' inauguration.

He will lead 80 million Christians - in comparison to the Pope, who is leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

The Most Rev Justin Welby with his wife Caroline

However, they do have one thing in common. Like the newly-installed Pope, the Archbishop also likes to travel on the bus.

"I don't know what he will do, but I find it the easiest way of getting around," he said.

In the process of moving into Lambeth Palace, he conceded: "It is a very different life, it'll take a while to settle. We have a very close family. They tease relentlessly and keep my feet very firmly on the ground."

He faces many divisive issues within the Church, including women bishops, gay clergy and relations with the Catholic Church.

"I think reconciliation is about learning to be very different ... and continue to love and care for each other as we should within the Church, and within society to be able to hold very different views without being destructive," he said.

"One of the greatest challenges of my job is following Rowan Williams because he was such an extraordinary, exceptional, wonderful man, and such a wonderful Archbishop."

When he is not working, he likes to spend time with his family, reading and running. Asked what he likes to watch on TV, he confessed he has not owned one for the last two years.

"I love The West Wing. If I want to kick back I watch something like The West Wing - and I must start watching the new series of The Newsroom.

"We do now have a TV and I do watch a bit. The great thing I love about the telly is I like happy endings, simple stories and things that don't make me think too much. Though I do watch some more serious stuff, but not too much, because life is pretty serious on the whole and telly is great entertainment."

The Most Rev Welby was named as Dr Rowan Williams' successor in November and is due to be enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury in a service at Canterbury Cathedral later.

The father-of-five resigned as an oil executive in 1987 after 11 years in the industry to train for the Anglican priesthood.

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Truro: Woman Dies After Car Rolls Into River

An elderly woman has drowned after the car she was in slid into a river from a ferry slipway.

The vehicle plunged into the River Fal while waiting to board the King Harry Ferry near Truro, Cornwall, at around 4pm on Wednesday.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the male driver was not in the vehicle at the time of the car entering the water and escaped unharmed.

The body of the woman was recovered by emergency services two hours later. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police and divers were involved in the search and rescue, alongside fire crews, the Falmouth and Portscatho Coastguard, all-weather RNLI lifeboats and the Royal Navy search and rescue helicopter from Culdrose.

In a statement, the operators of the King Harry Ferry said the car went into the water when the ferry was at the Feock side of the river.

"Our heartfelt thoughts go out to the friends and family of everyone involved in this tragedy," the statement said.

Police are appealing for witnesses with any information to call them on 101 quoting log number 456 20/03/13.

The King Harry Ferry connects St Mawes and the Roseland Peninsula with Feock, Truro and Falmouth and is an alternative route to a 27-mile journey through Truro and Tresillian. It has been operating since 1888.

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One Dead After Train Hits Car On Crossing

One person has died after a train hit a car on a level crossing, British Transport Police have confirmed.

The incident happened on the crossing near Athelney in Somerset, which is on the line between Taunton and Castle Cary.

British Transport Police said there were no reports of any passengers on the train being injured in the crash.

Rail operator First Great Western was using a limited bus replacement service between Taunton and Westbury.

At around 8am the company tweeted: Due to this disruption customers travelling between London Paddington and Exerter are advised to travel via Bristol Temple Meads."

A spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP) said: "Shortly before 6.30am this morning BTP was called to reports of a car having been struck by a train at Athelney automatic half barrier level crossing.

"The train involved is the 0546 Exeter to London Paddington service.

"The train has not been derailed and there are no reports of any injuries to anyone on board.

"The car is trapped under the front of the train and services are currently stopped in the area."

A BTP spokesman added later: "There was one person in the car who has been pronounced dead at the scene.

"An investigation is under way to establish the full circumstances leading up to the incident."

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New Missing Children Policy Is Sex Abuse Risk

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

A children's charity has accused police chiefs of putting vulnerable children at risk of sex abuse with a new definition of "missing persons".

Chief Constables say a new two-tier definition will give better protection to children and vulnerable adults.

Full investigations will still be launched into "missing" cases, but specialist officers will only record and monitor those who regularly go "absent" and explore the reasons why.

From next month the new approach will be applied by all police forces to the 327,000 people reported missing each year, two-thirds of whom are children.

But David Tucker, of the NSPCC, said: "We are very concerned that the new definition of 'missing persons' will put vulnerable children at risk of being groomed and sexually exploited. The length of time a child goes missing is irrelevant because they can fall into the clutches of abusers very quickly.

"Children go missing for a variety of reasons; they may be bullied, abused or are generally unhappy. But whatever the reason, this problem must be taken seriously.

"We expect all professionals including the police to invest the right amount of time and take the necessary action to protect all children as soon as they go missing."

Until now all missing person calls were treated the same, with response officers called out to investigate until the person was located.

Police call handlers will now put calls into one of two categories: missing or absent.

The new definition of "missing" will be: "Not at the place they are expected to be, but the circumstances are out of character or the context suggests they may be subject of a crime or at risk of harm to themselves or others."

The definition of "absent" will be: "Not at a place where they are expected or required to be."

The Association of Chief Police Officers hopes the new policy will cut bureaucracy and stop officers from being seen as 'taxi drivers' sent to collect runaway children who regularly abscond.

Chief Constable Pat Geenty said: "The police are often the first agency to take a missing person report and our aim is to ensure we get the best possible response to those most at risk of harm.

"This means identifying these cases early so that policing resources go where they are most needed. We need to move beyond a one-size-fits-all response".

The new policy will be introduced nationally in April after being piloted in three police forces as part of the joint Home Office and ACPO Reducing Bureaucracy programme.

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Winchester Prison: Inspectors Slam Conditions

Two severely disabled prisoners were locked up in a cell for nearly 24 hours a day and had not showered for months, an inspection has found.

The pair were jailed in the cell at HMP Winchester - designed for just one person - and relied on other prisoners to take them their meals, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found.

Staff were unaware that the two older and disabled prisoners could not use the shower on their landing as it was not adapted accordingly.

The men had a small window in their cell that was painted over so they had to choose between keeping out the cold or shutting out the light, the report added.

Elsewhere, one third of the 680 prisoners told inspectors illegal drugs were "easily available", while one in 10 developed a drug habit within the jail walls.

The category B prison, partly built in the 19th century, has deteriorated sharply and is now of serious concern, Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said.

"Until shortly before the inspection, HMP Winchester was neglected and drifting," Mr Hardwick said.

"There had been pockets of good practice and, although many staff did their best, their efforts were often haphazard, inconsistent and badly coordinated."

In a damning report, the inspectorate said that more than half of prisoners had felt unsafe at some time, while there was insufficient action to tackle violence.

Mr Hardwick said a new governor was appointed shortly before the inspection.

He said: "The new leadership was aware of many of the problems and we saw early signs of a determined effort to tackle them.

"But the prison is just at the start of the process of putting things right again, and it will be a long, hard task to do so."

National Offender Management Service chief executive Michael Spurr said: "As the chief inspector acknowledges, the new governor has begun to tackle the deficiencies and I am confident that these will be properly addressed and rectified."

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Budget: Osborne Vows To Help People 'Get On'

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

George Osborne has vowed to help people "work hard and get on" as he prepares to deliver the most important Budget of his career.

The Chancellor joined Twitter hours before the financial statement, which comes as he is under intense pressure over the lack of growth.

A Twitpic shows George Osborne at work

Posting a picture of himself at work with his red box, he wrote: "Today I'll present a Budget that tackles the economy's problems head on helping those who want to work hard & get on."

Mr Osborne will this lunchtime unveil a Budget that has the twin aims of trying to rescue the British economy and the political fortunes of the Conservative Party.

He will announce a raft of measures he hopes will not only kick-start economic growth but also reverse a Tory slump that began with his Budget a year ago.

Many Tories blame 2012's "omnishambles" statement containing a series of blunders that required embarrassing U-turns for the collapse in the party's support.

Further questions have been raised about the Chancellor since Britain lost its AAA credit rating and slipped into a double dip recession, with the risk of a triple drip still alive.

Labour leader Ed Miliband warned on Wednesday that Britain did not want "more of the same". "What we don't need is him saying I'm going to stick to my failed plan," he said.

But despite lower growth forecasts and a rise in borrowing set to be confirmed in the statement, Mr Osborne is expected to insist there can be no shift from austerity.

He has already promised help for pensioners, working couples and homebuyers but will also need to tackle fuel duty and encourage businesses to invest to avoid another onslaught from critics.

On tax, the Chancellor is tipped to help the low paid by accelerating raising the income tax threshold to £10,000, a move championed by the Tories' Lib Dem Coalition partners.

And after the furore in the Conservative Party over gay marriage, the Chancellor may boost the married couples' allowance to cheer up disgruntled Tory backbenchers.

A cut in corporation tax from 21p to 20p would also delight business leaders.

Mr Osborne is also expected to agree to unlock £4.8bn in child trust funds and allow parents to transfer their investments into more generous Junior ISAs. This move could leave some children up to £34,000 richer.

And he will announce that thousands of elderly people who lost up to half of their life savings when Equitable Life came close to collapse a decade ago will receive compensation.

But in a bleak message to MPs and voters on the state of the economy, there will be no U-turn on spending cuts or unfunded tax cuts and some grim economic forecasts.

Mr Osborne has defied calls from Lib Dem Cabinet colleague Vince Cable and former Tory defence secretary Liam Fox to change course and abandon his so-called "Plan A".

Warning that economic recovery would be a slow process, he said: "There is no easy answer to Britain's problems. There is no miracle cure, because of course if there was a miracle cure it would have been deployed."

Most government departments have in fact been ordered to cut another 2% from their budgets over the next two years so that the money can be spent on capital projects.

Health, schools, overseas aid and HM Revenue and Customs will be shielded from the latest round of savings, which will give a £2.5bn capital boost.

The Budget comes as a new poll confirmed Mr Osborne's unpopularity.

The survey suggested that more than four out of 10 voters (44%) think he should be sacked as Chancellor.

Fewer than one in five (18%) of those questioned said Mr Osborne should keep his job, while 38% did not know.

Favourite to replace him is Mr Cable, favoured by 12%, followed by Foreign Secretary William Hague (5%) and Home Secretary Theresa May (3%).

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Nuisance Phone Calls: Which? Demands Action

Campaigners have demanded "tougher regulation" to clamp down on companies who plague people with unwanted phone calls and nuisance text messages.

Consumer group Which? found seven out of 10 consumers had been cold-called in the last three months, while two-fifths had received unsolicited texts.

The majority of calls and messages came from claims management companies (CMCs) offering to take up payment protection insurance (PPI) and personal injury cases.

Which? urged regulators including Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to set up a joint taskforce to pull the plug on "intrusive and distressing" calls and texts.

It said offenders should receive fines and be put out of business.

"Unwanted calls or texts are not just a nuisance, they can be intrusive and distressing," executive director Richard Lloyd said.

"Many of us have been bombarded with spurious claims of PPI or injury compensation. People are telling us they are totally fed up with this nuisance and want to see action.

"Our research once again shows the behaviour of unscrupulous claims management companies must be tackled to stop them exploiting consumers who could claim compensation for free themselves.

"We want to see tougher regulation from the Government to clean up the CMC industry."

Which? said that a quarter of its members who made a claim on their car insurance were contacted by a CMC within three months.

Many of them were then bombarded by repeated messages. More than a fifth said they were sent at least 10 texts and one in eight received 10 or more phone calls.

The Transport Committee is currently investigating the extent to which bogus and exaggerated whiplash claims push up the cost of car insurance. False claims are estimated to add around £90 to the cost of every premium.

From next month, insurers will be banned from receiving money in exchange for the details of customers who make personal injury claims.

However, Which? said the rules will not cover non-injury claims such as car repairs.

It urged people to register their details with the Telephone Preference Service and to avoid opting into third party marketing when taking out an insurance policy.

It also said consumers should not respond to spam texts, even to text "stop", as this alerts the sender to the phone number being active and in use.

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