Littlewoods jobs woe
ONLINE retailer Shop Direct is closing three of its sites in Greater Manchester, impacting close to 2,000 jobs.
The firm, which owns Very.co.uk and Littlewoods. com, will close its sites in Shaw, Little Hulton and Raven from mid-2020 onwards as part of plans to move operations to a new automated warehouse in the East Midlands.
The move has put the jobs of 1,177 Shop Direct employees and 815 agency workers in doubt. YULIA SKRIPAL has told British authorities she does not wish to speak to Russian officials as she continues to recover from a nerve agent attack.
A diplomatic battle has been raging between the two nations over whether the Russian embassy should be allowed access to the 33-year-old daughter of ex-spy Sergei Skripal.
Ms Skripal, found critically ill alongside her 66-year-old father on a bench last month, was discharged from a hospital in Salisbury, Wiltshire, this week. It is believed British authorities immediately spirited her away to a secure location.
The embassy reacted angrily to the news, suggesting in a series of tweets that the Russian national had been taken against her will. However, it is understood that the offer of consular support from Russia was presented to Ms Skripal – and rejected.
She is believed to have expressed no interest in talking to consular officials.
Russia remains the prime suspect for carrying out the attack on Mr Skripal and his daughter.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We have previously Yulia Skripal passed on the Russian embassy’s offer of consular support to Yulia.
“She is free to decide on whether she wishes to pursue that. To date, we understand she has not done so.”
The embassy remains perturbed by a refusal from UK authorities to grant Ms Skripal’s cousin, Viktoria, a visa to visit her family.
It escalated the war of words on Tuesday, saying in a series of statements posted on social media: “Secret resettlement of Mr and Ms Skripal, barred from any contact with their family will be seen as an abduction or at least as their forced isolation.”
Ms Skripal’s release from hospital was met with a similar broadside from the embassy, which has repeatedly criticised the handling of the investigation into the attack.
In a statement, a spokesman said: “We congratulate Yulia on her recovery.
“Yet we need urgent proof that what is being done to her is done on her own free will.”
Continuing the onslaught of scepticism yesterday morning, it suggested reports Ms Skripal had turned down consular assistance actually revealed she is being “held hostage by the same people who destroy evidence and fail to come up with a single official account of the crime”.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov previously said it was “outrageous” that Britain had failed to provide consular access to Ms Skripal as news of her improving condition was announced earlier this month.
Her release from Salisbury District Hospital was announced on Tuesday.
Britain has said that Russian state involvement is the only plausible explanation for the attack and has led a worldwide reaction involving the expulsion of more than 100 diplomats.