The Spectator

Portrait of the Week – 26 June 2004

A speedy round-up of the week's news

David Westwood, the chief constable of Humberside, was suspended by the Home Secretary David Blunkett after an inquiry by Sir Michael Bichard found ‘fundamental and systematic’ flaws in Humberside Constabulary’s handling of intelligence; the force had deleted details of several accusations of earlier sexual offences by Ian Huntley, who killed the Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union announced a 24-hour strike next week, the first national strike for 10 years. A man called John Swinney resigned, having apparently been leader of the Scottish National Party for several years. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority ordered primary school teachers to write assessments on their pupils which will run to 105,300 words, longer than Paradise Lost, for a class of 30. The Telegraph Group, which includes The Spectator, was bought by Sirs David and Frederick Barclay for £665 million. David Selwood, senior resident judge at Portsmouth crown court, was convicted of downloading pictures of naked boys from the Internet. The Church of England announced that it may reintroduce heresy trials, though it indicated that the sentences issued by them would be confined to unfrocking rather than burning at the stake. Engineers at Lancaster university calculated that modern trains are so heavy that passengers now use up more fossil fuel going by train than by car. A 15-year-old boy who eats virtually nothing but jam sandwiches was examined by doctors and declared to be healthy. The England football team progressed to the knockout stages of Euro 2004 by beating Switzerland and Croatia. One fan was stabbed to death by a thief; several others accused of rioting were deported, one of whom the Home Secretary vowed to ‘nail’ in the courts. Tim Henman made nervous progress at Wimbledon.

EU leaders agreed the 333-page text of the new constitution, which will establish the organisation as a political entity with a common foreign and security policy and will make the European Charter of Fundamental Rights legally binding.

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