Human Remains Found In Mansfield Garden

Police have found the remains of two people in a garden near Mansfield.

The discovery was made by officers in the back garden of a property in Blenheim Close, Forest Town, on Thursday, according to Nottinghamshire Police.

A spokesman said it is believed the remains had been there for some time.

Police were led to the address after information came to light about an "incident" alleged to have taken place in the late 1990s.

The remains have yet to be formally identified, and according to police it could take weeks or even months for this to be completed.

Forensics teams could be seen entering the garden, and the scene has been cordoned off while examinations were carried out.

A white police tent and a digger, along with piles of soil, were also visible, and two officers were stood outside the property.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she knew of an elderly couple who used to live at the house in the 1990s.

Police officers on guard outside of the property in Mansfield

The 51-year-old said: "I only saw the man a few times. I never saw the lady or any family.

"I never saw anyone coming or going. My friend and I always used to say 'I wonder what happened to that couple'.

"They just disappeared. We thought they had emigrated."

She said she believed the house then stood empty until the present occupiers moved in around seven years ago.

Post-mortem examinations to establish the cause of death are due to take place today.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Mark Webster, said the two bodies had been removed from the address.

He said: "As a result of information we received in force last week we commenced a search at premises on Blenheim Close in the Forest Town area of Mansfield and yesterday we uncovered the bodies of two people.

"Forensic tests are taking place at this moment to identify who they are formally."

The current residents of the house are not being investigated by police

The officer said the current tenant and the owner of the property had been "extremely helpful" and did not feature in their investigation at this time.

Insp Webster refused to comment any further on the information they had received last week.

Asked whether they had made any arrests, the officer answered: "No, we haven't at the moment."

Appealing for anyone with information to come forward, Mr Webster said: "If anyone in the Mansfield or surrounding areas knows anything that could help the police we'd be very grateful for anything that anyone can give to us.

"It's a historical inquiry because of the length of time the people have been there."

Reassuring the local community, the officer added: "We don't believe that there is any risk of any harm coming to the community.

"People are clearly going to be concerned when an incident of this nature happens and we would like to reassure them and we'd like to thank people particularly the local neighbours on Blenheim Close they've been really helpful to us."

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brain Implant 'Could Stop Parkinson's Growth'

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Correspondent

A hi-tech brain implant could transform the lives of people living with Parkinson's disease.

Scientists in Bristol have developed a system of tubes and catheters that allows them to pump protein therapy deep into patients' brains.

It is hoped the technique will encourage cells damaged by the disease to grow again.

The protein, known as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), is injected once a month through a port just behind the ear and pushed through the tubes and catheters by an external pump.

Doctors at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, have trialled the system on six patients and are now looking for another 36 to continue the research.

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and innovation at Parkinson's UK, said: "For years, the potential of GDNF as a treatment for Parkinson's has remained one of the great unanswered research questions.

Protein passed through the implant could encourage the regrowth of cells

"This new study will take us one step closer to finally answering this question once and for all.

"We believe GDNF could have the potential to unlock a new approach for treating Parkinson's that may be able to slow down and ultimately stop the progression of the condition all together.

"Currently there are very few treatments available for people with Parkinson's and none capable of stopping the condition from advancing."

Parkinson's, which affects more than 127,000 people in the UK, develops when a lack of a chemical called dopamine causes nerve cells within the brain to die.

This in turn causes symptoms such as stiffness, slowness of movement and tremors.

Previous research studies have suggested GDNF has the potential to encourage these cells to grow again - in effect stopping the progression of Parkinson's.

Scientists hope the technique will encourage cells regrowth

Tom Phipps, from Bristol, who was diagnosed with the condition eight years ago at the age of 50, was the first patient in the world to be fitted with the port system.

"I have a hope it will make a difference, if not by halting the progress of my condition then at least (allowing me to) lead a much more active life for a little bit longer," he said.

"If it doesn't affect me, it may affect, and positively affect, someone else at a later stage."

Professor Steven Gill, from Frenchay Hospital, told Sky News the equipment could be used to treat a variety of conditions.

"If this technology proves to be safe and reliable ... it has huge applications across neurological diseases, not only for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's but also brain tumours and other conditions," he said.

The £2m project is funded by Parkinson's UK with support from The Cure Parkinson's Trust.

A foundation set up by actor Michael J Fox, who has the condition, also made a large donation.

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Driving Test Age Could Rise To 18

Young drivers could have to wait until they are 18 before they are allowed to take their driving test under proposals being considered by the Government.

The move is aimed at cutting the number of people killed and injured in accidents on Britain's roads.

Figures show more than one fifth of deaths in 2011 involved drivers aged 17 to 24, and around 10% of novice drivers are caught committing an offence within their probationary period.

The Government-commissioned report by the Transport Research Laboratory suggests learner drivers will still be granted provisional licences at the age of 17 but will have to complete a 12 month "learner stage" that would require drivers to clock up at least 100 hours of daytime and 20 hours of night-time supervised practice.

For the first year, newly qualified drivers would be hit by a curfew running between 10pm and 5am unless they were carrying a passenger aged over 30, as well as a ban on carrying anyone younger than that age if they were under it themselves.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Young drivers drive around 5% of all the miles driven in Britain, but are involved in about 20% of the crashes where someone is killed or seriously injured.

"We are committed to improving safety for young drivers and reducing their insurance costs - that is why we are publishing a Green Paper later in the year setting out our proposals. This will include a discussion about how people learn to drive."

One of the proposals would see the driving age raised from 17 to 18

Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "Our own research shows that putting certain restrictions on young drivers allows them to rapidly build up live-saving experience in the safest possible way. Putting a firm number on casualty reduction is hard because of the pick and mix approach to graduate licensing. But the evidence suggests that a full package of measures could reduce fatalities by anything up to 60%.

"We should all have an interest in preserving young drivers' lives rather than exposing them to undue risk at the stage of their driving careers where they are most vulnerable. This is about ensuring their long term safety and mobility. Not curtailing it."

AA President Edmund King said although many of the proposals in the report had "merit", he questioned some of the recommendations.

"Road safety on the national curriculum is something we have long campaigned for and I am pleased to see it being recommended here," he said.

"However, at the extreme end this report could be seen as just recommending taking novice drivers off the road by regulation and restriction rather than helping them develop the right attitudes and skills to provide them with the mobility they need.

"Rather than compensating the proposed significant new restrictions through earlier access to the roads under supervision the authors propose delaying and extending the driving development process to the point where even some 30-year-olds will be restricted in whom they can carry as passengers.

"This academic report has raised a number of options for debate and careful consideration. The question is how many of its recommendations will be acceptable to the government and public at large."

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White Widow's Links To Kenyan Mall Attack Group

Sky News has obtained a report by Kenyan intelligence officers which places the British wife of a London 7/7 bomber at the centre of a terror cell operating from Mombasa.

The document suggests 29-year-old Samantha Lewthwaite, also known as the "white widow", is involved with plotting attacks on UN facilities, the Kenyan parliament and other high profile institutions for al Shaabab.

The organisation claimed responsibility for last month's attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, which killed at least 67 people.

Sky News has also obtained handwritten pages from Ms Lewthwaite's journal.

:: Watch Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford's video report on the world's most wanted woman above.

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Potholes: 'One Every Mile' On Britain's Roads

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

There is a pothole for every mile of road in Britain, according to new research.

Official council data obtained under a Freedom of Information request show a 79% increase in compensation claims in the past financial year from motorists as a result of pothole damage.

Breakdown service Britannia Rescue also says the figures show that potholes measure 295 square miles (764 square km) in Britain - more than twice the size of the Isle of Wight.

It describes the situation as a "pothole epidemic" and claims that road maintenance in the UK is severely underfunded.

It says almost one in 10 people have suffered car damage as a result of poor road surfaces in the past 12 months.

Among the other statistics relating to potholes revealed by the research are:

:: Local authorities have paid out £2.5m in compensation to motorists in the past financial year.

:: UK councils have received 32,600 compensation claims over the same period - a 79 % increase over the previous year.

:: The most common problems are tyre damage (43%), damaged suspension (34%) and damaged wheel rims (26%).

According to the findings King Lane in Leeds, the B6273 (South Moor Road/Moor Lane) in Barnsley and Holly Lane in Banstead are some of the worst roads for potholes in the UK.

Researchers blame the combination of a harsh winter followed by a dry summer for exacerbating the problem but they argue there is not enough funding for road maintenance.

Potholes measure 295 square miles collectively in the UK, the data found

Britannia Rescue said: "Short-term fixes are often chosen over longer term solutions, with close to a quarter (23%) of councils admitting they usually temporarily fix potholes rather than resurface the area.

"The average cost of repairing a pothole is around £50, meaning the amount paid out by councils in compensation could have been used to repair more than 50,000 potholes."

The company's managing director, Peter Horton, said: "Britain's pothole epidemic has resulted from years of underinvestment ... we now have around 200,000 potholes on UK roads.

"Motorists should protect themselves and their vehicles by reducing their speed on potholed roads, and also reporting damaged roads to their local council."

Cyclist Chris Peck has welcomed the call for better investment in road maintenance. 

He broke his nose and a tooth and had to have eight stitches in his face after being thrown from his bike while riding in Westminster.

He said: "Some passers-by peeled me off the road and waited while an ambulance was called - even though it was only around 250m to hospital. 

"At the time I had no idea what had happened. It was only going back later that day that I realised I had hit a pothole."

He received compensation of £4,600 from London for Transport.

But Mr Peck said: "Compensation doesn't really cover me for the year or so of reduced cycling due to neck pain, nor the permanent scarring."

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Alzheimer's: Pill Hope After Study Breakthrough

Scientists are hailing a landmark British study which has paved the way for a pill that can cure brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's by stopping the death of neurons.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) team focused on the root cause of many degenerative brain diseases - abnormally shaped proteins that stick together in clumps and fibres.

When enough misshapen protein builds up in the brain it can trigger a reaction that results in the death of nerve cells.

Other approaches have sought to stop or limit the accumulation of the abnormal protein, whose structure is folded the wrong way.

But this research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, targeted the harmful way brain cells react to misfolded proteins.

Using a drug injected into the stomachs of mice through a mouth tube, they flipped a cellular switch from "off" to "on" to prevent neurons dying.

Five weeks after treatment one group of mice remained free of symptoms such as memory loss, impaired reflexes and limb dragging.

They also lived longer than untreated animals with the same brain disease.

During the study, a neurodegenerative disease caused by abnormal prion proteins was induced in the mice.

Prion diseases, which include Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), are rare in humans but share the same underlying cause - misfolded proteins - as more common conditions such as Alzeimer's.

Lead scientist Professor Giovanna Mallucci, from the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester, said: "We were extremely excited when we saw the treatment stop the disease in its tracks and protect brain cells, restoring some normal behaviours and preventing memory loss in the mice."

The scientists stress human trials are a long way off and point out that the mice suffered serious side effects, including significant weight loss and raised blood sugar.

But they also believe the research demonstrates in principle the possibility of developing an oral treatment - a pill or swallowed liquid - that can protect the brain from neurodegenerative disease.

The research is at a very early stage and it could be a decade or more before the medicine is actually developed.

But experts said the findings were highly significant.

Professor Roger Morris, from King's College London, said: "This is the first convincing report that a small drug, of the type most conveniently turned into medicines, stops the progressive death of neurons in the brain as found, for instance, in Alzheimer's disease," he said.

"True, this study has been done in mice, not man; and it is prion disease, not Alzheimer's, that has been cured. However, there is considerable evidence that the way neurons die in both diseases is similar; and lessons learned in mice from prion disease have proved accurate guides to attenuate the progress of Alzheimer's disease in patients."

He added: "This finding, I suspect, will be judged by history as a turning point in the search for medicines to control and prevent Alzheimer's disease."

Professor David Allsop, from the University of Lancaster, said: "Inhibiting this pathway has produced some very dramatic and highly encouraging results in mice infected with prion disease.

"The main caveats of the research, however, are that prion disease is very rare in humans, and it is not yet clear if the same approach will be viable for much more common neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

"More research is needed to determine if this approach is valid for any condition other than prion disease, and also to find ways of getting around these problematic side-effects."

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Passenger Lands Plane After Pilot Falls Ill

A passenger has made an emergency landing at Humberside Airport after the plane's pilot became ill.

During the flight, the pilot made a distress call when he became so sick he was unable to continuing flying the light aircraft.

Two flight instructors were called in to talk to the passenger from the ground while he took control of the plane, an airport spokesperson said.

The man had very limited flying experience and had never landed an aircraft before.

Despite this, he managed to successfully land at the North Lincolnshire airport just after 7.30pm.

Details of the pilot's condition are not known at this stage, police said. 

The light aircraft took off from Sandtoft Airfield, near Doncaster, for training with one passenger.

The man and pilot were the only two people on board the aircraft.

Police and the fire brigade were on the scene shoftly after the plane landed on the runway, an airport spokesperson said.

The plane took off from Sandtoft Airfield

Humberside Airport praised their response in a tweet.

"We are pleased to say that the incident that started a few hours ago has been successfully dealt with.Great response from emergency svs!" the airport said.

Flights coming into the airport were delayed while the plane was moved from the runway.

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E-Border Review: Thousands Of Alerts Deleted

More than 649,000 alerts relating to potential drug and tobacco smuggling into the UK were deleted without being read, an inspection into border controls has found.

The Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, John Vine, discovered the alerts were erased from a government system when he was examining the multimillion-pound e-Borders programme.

The border check system was set up by the Home Office 10 years ago to collect Advanced Passenger Information (API), which is then checked against terror and criminal watch lists.

The e-Borders programme is viewed by the Government as the front line in the battle to stop criminals and terrorists from entering or leaving the UK.

But Mr Vine found that records relating to drug and tobacco smuggling were deleted over a 10-month period due to "poor data quality and the prioritisation of immigration over customs work".

He said: "These deletions had a significant impact on the ability of staff at the border to seize prohibited and restricted goods and deal with those responsible."

The deletions amounted to three quarters of all the customs work completed at National Border Targeting Centre (NBTC), the hi-tech hub where watch list checks on passengers entering and leaving Britain are carried out, his report said.

The inspector also found the e-Borders programme had not delivered planned increases in passenger data collection, with only 65% of all passenger movements into and out of the UK covered, due to complications surrounding European law.

Mr Vine said: "Despite being in development for over a decade, and costing over half a billion pounds, the e-Borders programme has yet to deliver many of the anticipated benefits originally set out in 2007.

"I was surprised that the use of e-Borders information to 'export the border' by preventing the arrival of a passenger because they had either been deported or excluded from the UK previously, was not happening.

Drug smuggling alerts were deleted from the system, it was found

"The Home Office should now define clearly what the aims of the e-Borders programme are ahead of the new procurement exercise, and be transparent about what e-borders will deliver and by when."

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said Mr Vine's findings would be taken into account, but he said improvements had been made.

"Border Force - which the Government split from the UK Border Agency in 2011 - is making significant improvements in its performance," Mr Harper said.

"The 2011 Vine Report revealed that border security checks had been waived without ministerial authorisation consistently since 2007.

"Today, there is a clear operating mandate and all checks are carried out.

"A year ago, the Border Force had trouble with excessive queues at airports. Today, 99% of travellers are cleared within the service standards we've agreed.

"The security of the border is now at the heart of everything Border Force does.

"We have the best coverage of any country in Europe but we are working to improve our coverage further."

But Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said border control is in "chaos".

"The Home Secretary must urgently explain why hundreds of thousands of possible drug-smuggling records were deleted in 2012 without having ever been read," Ms Cooper said.

"She needs to stop drug-smuggling information being deleted and get the proper border controls in place, rather than relying on divisive gimmicks like ad vans instead.

"It is an outrage that drug smugglers have been able to get away with it because basic information was never acted on."

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Help To Buy Deal Could Secure 180,000 Loans

Banks are expecting a flood of interest as the latest phase of the Government's Help to Buy scheme is launched.

The move will help homebuyers obtain mortgages worth up to 95% of property values.

And in the latest phase of the controversial scheme 15% of a property's value will be guaranteed by taxpayers, in return for a fee from the lender.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "Help to Buy is going to make the dream of home ownership a reality for many who would otherwise have been shut out."

Chancellor George Osborne said: "Too many people are still being denied the dream of owning their own home, which is why we have brought forward the launch of this scheme, so as of today borrowers can start applying for a mortgage with a 5% deposit."

Taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland and its subsidiary NatWest immediately set out mortgage deals under the scheme and announced that 740 of its branches would extend opening hours for two weeks to cope with expected demand.

Halifax and Bank of Scotland, owned by the state-backed Lloyds Banking Group, will start offering loans under the scheme on Friday but the Lloyds brand itself is not taking part.

The Treasury also announced that Virgin Money had signed up while the start-up Aldermore Bank has also said it will join.

Both will take part from January and Aldermore is exploring whether the date can be brought forward.

A Treasury spokesman said the lenders involved so far represented more than 30% of the mortgage market and that more lenders were expected to indicate participation in the coming months.

The scheme had initially not been expected to start until the new year but has been brought forward by three months.

It will offer £12bn in mortgage guarantees over three years and some estimates suggest 180,000 loans could be taken out under the initiative.

An earlier phase of the scheme, offering 20% loans on new-build properties, has already helped more than 15,000 people buy a new home since it was launched six months ago.

Help to Buy is controversial because critics fear it could fuel further rise in a housing market where prices are already rising.

But the Treasury said that while house price inflation stands at 3.3%, it is only 0.8% when the property hotspots of London and the South East are removed.

The new scheme means homebuyers will only have to find as little as 5% on homes worth up to £600,000. Depending on the size of the deposit, the Government will then guarantee up to 15% of the property value in return for a fee from the lender.

Lenders can start offering the mortgages from today, and they will be guaranteed by the Government from January 2014.

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Scottish Independence: Defence Jobs Warning

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Thousands of jobs will could be lost in the defence industry if Scotland votes for independence, the Defence Secretary will warn.

Philip Hammond will set out the commercial benefit of the Union as he speaks at an Edinburgh defence technology firm. 

"The Scottish people deserve to know what the impact of independence would be on the jobs and livelihoods of the many thousands of people in Scotland that are employed in the UK Armed Forces or in the defence industry that equips and supports them," he will say.

"Less than a year before the Scottish people go to the ballot box to take one of the most important decisions in the history of Scotland, the SNP's plans remain insultingly vague - a two-page wish list that is neither costed nor credible."

Mr Hammond's speech coincides with the publication of an 86-page consultation paper.

Mr Hammond says thousands of defence industry job would be lost

It concludes that the UK investment and legal exemptions which protect jobs in the defence sector cannot and would not transfer to an independent Scotland.

Companies with a base in Scotland would be exempted from contracts deemed sensitive by the Westminster Government.

It is probable that BAE Systems would close its two Scottish shipyards in the event of independence.

The UK has not commissioned a naval ship to be made outside of UK sovereign territory since World War II for national security reasons and so BAE would likely seek to protect its primary source of work.

More than 12,600 people are employed by the defence industry in Scotland.

The SNP has made it clear that it would not allow the UK nuclear deterrent to remain in Scotland.

However Nato has insisted that Scotland would have to earn its place in the alliance and any Scottish attempts to remove Trident would be viewed in a dim light.

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Royal Mail: Labour Call To 'Pull Plug' On Sale

The Government should "pull the plug" on the privatisation of Royal Mail before the company's shares are sold in two days' time, Labour has said.

Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said scrapping the move would prevent a "massive bonanza" for City speculators.

He said to proceed with the sell-off would not only have "huge consequences for consumers and businesses" - but the taxpayer would also be left "short-changed".

The Government plans to sell between 40.1% and 52.2% of the firm, giving the company a value of £2.6bn-£3.3bn.

It believes privatisation will give Royal Mail access to private capital needed to modernise its business.

Speaking on Sky's Murnaghan programme, Mr Umunna pointed to a report this week by Stockbroker Panmure Gordon which said Royal Mail had been undervalued by more than £1bn.

In addition, its property assets have been priced at £787m. Mr Umunna said some people believed that Royal Mail's Mount Pleasant sorting office in Clerkenwell, London, alone could bring in £1bn after privatisation.

"If you look at the property assets and then you look at the value, this does not add up," he said.

"What I am saying to the Government today - it is not too late to pull the plug on this privatisation. Pull the plug on it.

"Tuesday is the deadline by which people can submit applications to get shares, so until you've dished out the shares, until you have allocated them, it is free for the Government to say, 'actually, we've taken a step back, we've decided that we have priced this wrongly, and we've decided not to go ahead with it'.

Royal Mail shares are due to go on sale on Tuesday

"Now I am saying, don't go ahead with it in principle, but at least if they are going to proceed ensure you get good value for the taxpayer.

"Increasingly we are seeing more and more information coming out which would suggest that the taxpayer is being short-changed"

Mr Umunna argued the Government was pressing ahead with the privatisation despite grave concerns amongst its own backbenchers.

He said 70% of the public were also against the move, including the Federation of Sub-Postmasters.

"Increasingly what this is looking like is a massive bonanza for City speculators and a huge short-changing of the taxpayer at the same time," he said.

He said the previous Labour government's plans included maintaining a majority stake in public ownership.

"That is very important," he said. "The Royal Mail has a very important relationship with the Post Office under which the Post Office provides Royal Mail Services. That is due to expire in 2022 and there is no guarantee that it will be continued with a privatised Royal Mail.

"Now if you have a public stake, you've got some say in that, and in what happens in the future, but being privatised, you don't."

He added: "I don't think they should be selling it at all."

Mr Umunna refused to support or condemn potential industrial action by postal workers linked to the controversial sale of the business.

Asked if it was right for postal workers to take industrial action over the sale and other issues, Mr Umunna said: "I have always said I think striking should be a very last resort and should be avoided at all costs.

"But I am not going to condemn our posties either ... These people are not seeking to demonstrate lightly. This is not something people want to do. So I am certainly not going to condemn them but you're not going to get me supporting huge disruption of services which my constituents and many others around the country get."

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Tories John Randall And Chloe Smith Quit Govt

Deputy Chief Whip John Randall and Cabinet Office Minister Chloe Smith have resigned from the Government, Number 10 has confirmed.

The pair quit ahead of a ministerial reshuffle by Prime Minister David Cameron which is expected today.

The departures increase the scope for Mr Cameron to bring in new faces to his top team - which is tipped to feature more female faces.

Mr Randall, the 58-year-old Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, said he had indicated at the end of last year he wished to step aside.

He had found himself at the centre of the "Plebgate" row last year, threatening to resign if Andrew Mitchell refused to quit over the affair.

In his resignation letter to the PM, he said it had been "a great privilege and honour" to serve for 13 years in the Whips' Office in opposition and Government.

"I have nothing but the deepest admiration for you as a person, leader and Prime Minister. I will never forget the kind note that you wrote to me when my mother died last year," he said.

"You can be assured that I will do whatever I can for you personally as well as for the party, the Government and of course the country."

The Prime Minister said he "could not have wished for a more loyal, discreet, patient, trustworthy and committed colleague" and that he "had rather hoped this day would never come".

Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to make changes to his top team

"You have been a rock, not just in the Whips Office since 2000 where you have served with great distinction as Assistant and then Deputy Chief Whip, but for the whole Parliamentary Party," he added.

"Your wit and humour are well known across the Party, but so too is your compassion; your dedication to the Party and to Parliament; and your steadfast reliability in good times and bad."

In her letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Smith said: "I have been privileged to serve my country and my party under your leadership.

"However, for the remainder of the Parliament I want to be able to spend more time serving my constituents.

The Norwich North MP infamously endured a toe-curling interview with Jeremy Paxman on BBC Newsnight last year, in which she struggled to explain aspects of the Government's decision to defer a fuel duty rise.

She added: "My constituents have always come first for me, and they know the high standards and hard work that I ask of myself as the Member of Parliament for Norwich North.

"As you know, I was only 27 when I was lucky enough to be elected as an MP, and of my four years in Parliament so far, I have spent three as a minister.

"I would welcome the opportunity to develop other ways of giving public service, both inside and outside Parliament, while continuing to work hard for my constituents."

Last Friday, Simon Burns quit as Transport Minister to launch a bid to be a Commons Deputy Speaker.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband are also expeced to reshuffle their respective ministerial teams today.

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Hospital Worker Released Over Patient's Death

A hospital staff member has been released on bail having been arrested on suspicion of murder after a patient died from a suspected drug overdose in Norfolk.

James May, 76, from Great Yarmouth, died at the James Paget Hospital, in Gorleston, on September 20.

An allegation of medical malpractice in connection with his death was reported to police 10 days later.

Officers arrested a member of the hospital's medical staff, a middle-aged man, on suspicion of murder on Saturday morning. He was released later in the day and told to attend a police station at a later date. 

Mr May died from heart failure according to a post-mortem examination carried out at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on Wednesday.

Police are waiting for the results of further toxicology tests, which they say will help their murder investigation.

The hospital called police after investigating Mr May's death

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Durham, leading the inquiry, said: "We are investigating an allegation that a drugs overdose was administered to a patient, leading to his death.

"We understand that this news may generate concern and it's important for us to underline that our investigation, which is still at an early stage, is based on a single report of an isolated incident and that the hospital trust is co-operating fully with the investigation."

Mr May's family have been informed and are being supported by Police Family Liaison Officers. It is understood he was admitted to hospital the day before he died.

In a written tribute to local newspaper The Eastern Daily Press, friends of Mr May wrote: "You were one in a million and will be sadly missed. Sleep peacefully."

Mr May died at the hospital in Great Yarmouth two weeks ago

Christine Allen, chief executive of James Paget University Hospitals trust, said doctors called in police after an internal investigation into Mr May's death.

"Our thoughts are with the family of this patient at what is a very difficult time," she said. "Our priority is patient safety and we understand that this news will cause concern.

"At this time, we believe it is an isolated incident and relates to the alleged action of a single member of staff.

"The member of staff against whom the allegation has been made is absent from the Trust and will not return until the investigation is completed.

"Throughout this difficult period, the James Paget University Hospital will continue to provide the best possible care to our patients and we are fully co-operating with the police."

:: Police said anyone with concerns can contact Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team on 01953 424533 or 424528.

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Key Morecambe Bay Witness Reveals New Life

By Jason Farrell, Sky Correspondent

A key witness in the 2004 Morecambe Bay tragedy has told Sky News about how he has rebuilt his life on the witness protection programme.

It comes as police launch a new national protection scheme, the UK Protected Persons Service, for people who are in danger from criminals.

Li Hua had to change his identity after giving evidence against his gangmaster boss who was accused of manslaughter over the drowning of 21 Chinese cockle pickers in the rising tides of Morecambe Bay.

In a secret location, Li Hua told Sky News: "I was very nervous and very frightened about giving evidence, but I thought about how the police rescued us. Then I thought that in the background the police had been reassuring us, they had been protecting us all this time."

Li Hua also wanted justice for the men who lives had been callously wasted by his boss Lin Liang Ren.

"I thought, someone is leading us to pick cockles, that someone should let us know more about the tide times. Obviously he didn't. He's so irresponsible. He couldn't care less even about people of his own nationality. I totally detest him."  

Li Hua says it was sheer luck that he managed to swim to a sandbank and was rescued by helicopter.

Li Hua said it was sheer luck that he managed to swim to a sandbank

"I was frightened to death. All I thought was about my family in China and I had spent so much money to get here, what would happen now?

"I was desperate, and feeling hopeless. I thought that's it, I'm going to die tonight ... Then I saw the light from the helicopter."

Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was convicted of 21 counts of manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice.

Having paid a Snakehead gang the equivalent of £14,000 to come to England, Li Hua feared repercussions and was put on the witness protection programme with his wife and children.

Nine years after the tragedy he now has a new life and runs his own business.

He said: "Life is a bit complicated because since we were under the protection we settled down. There were certain things we could say to friends and some things we just don't speak of. It became automatic.

Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was convicted of manslaughter and other charges

"But most of the time what occupied my mind was to go on living, because the British government and the police give us this life. So, I think I was more concentrating on work hard, pay tax, make safe and don't make trouble."

The police are launching the UK Protected Persons Service next week which will be run by a national team of specialists, as opposed to local forces.

Police say lessons have been learned from the murder of Joan and John Stirland in August 2004, which was in retaliation for a shooting by Mrs Stirland's son.

The couple were not put on the protection scheme and information wasn't properly shared between forces when they moved home.

Detective Chief Constable Andy Cooke, heading up the new national-coordinated programme, told Sky News: "This is the first time this is going to be done through one approach. Previously, unfortunately, there's been a bit of a postcode lottery as to how you were treated and the training of those people looking after you.

"In some parts of the country there was a highly specialised approach to protecting witnesses and in other parts it wasn't so great. This gives us the ability and manpower to provide the protection to people who need it at the most difficult time of their lives."

Witness protection is a tough life and some refuse to do it.

It is estimated a quarter of prosecutions collapse due to reluctant witnesses, but for Li Hua, who thought he would die in the waters of Morecambe Bay, the family he thought of in that moment is now with him in his new life.

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