Katie Hopkins sparks backlash after branding payday lending 'a good business model'

LOUDMOUTH Katie Hopkins has provoked a Twitter row after she defended payday lending companies, saying they were “a good business model.”

The controversial star took part in a heated TV debate about debt last night in which she also criticised teenage mothers and slammed people for spending too much money on Christmas. 

Hundreds of people took to Twitter to condemn her views but today she remained defiant in the face of mounting anger. 

Ms Hopkins made her comments on Channel Five’s The Big 'Can't Pay' Debt Debate: Live, which was hosted by Nick Ferarri. 

She was was joined by panelists Jim Davidson who was declared bankrupt, former premier league footballer Lee Hendrie whose problems with debt drove him to attempt suicide, and Olympic legend Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards who has also struggled with debt.

When the issue of payday loans with high interest rates was raised Ms Hopkins said : "I think it's a decent business model."

She slamed another woman, who had struggled with debt after spending £1,600 on Christmas presents, saying: "You have to save for Christmas.” She later questioned how anyone can spend that kind of figure on children’s gifts.  

The 39-year-old’s appearance on the show sparked a fierce reaction on Twitter.

TV psychologist Jo Hemmings wrote: “Is @KTHopkins obligatory in every TV debate? If they can only find one gobby mare like her, it's hardly representative.”

‏Another, @MetalOllie, added: “Why do we need to hear from that vacuous, hate filled bag of spew. Katie Hopkins voice is of NO value to ANY serious debate

While ‏@JoeyRymell  posted: “@KTHopkins we don't hate you because you're famous, you're famous because we hate you.

But Hopkins too took to the social media site to hit back at those criticising her.

She wrote: “I don't worry about debt because I don't buy things I can't afford. We save for the future, insure against illness & tell kids 'no'. Simple”

She also tweeted: “The only thing people in debt have in common other than bad money management, is an ability to blame anyone but themselves. #debtdebate”

The debate was held after research by Channel 5 discovered British families owe a record £1.4trillion, the equivalent of £54,000 for every home.

Nine million people are said to be struggling to pay their debts. Millions of Britons would have to borrow money to pay their bills within a month of losing their job. 

Forty per cent would need a loan within three months, while one in 10 is so close to the financial abyss that they live week-to-week and would have to go cap in hand to friends or family to make ends meet.

Even when mortgages are taken out of the calculations, the average family still owes more than £8,000, according to the survey.

Christian Guy, director of the Centre for Social Justice, said: “Years of increased borrowing, rising living costs and struggling to save have forced many families into a debt trap that is very difficult to escape.

“Problem debt can have a corrosive impact on people and families. It can wreak havoc on mental health, relationships and wellbeing.

“People are awake until the early hours worrying about their finances and bills, while some of the poorest are cut off from mainstream banking and have no choice but to turn to loan sharks and high-cost lenders.” 

The study also revealed a worrying lack of financial knowledge, with one in six borrowers having no idea what interest rates they are paying.

 

Our TV shows are far too white, says Lenny Henry: Comedian attacks hit shows including Broadchurch and Miranda

Comedian and actor Lenny Henry launched a scathing attack on British TV hits including Broadchurch, Miranda and Midsomer Murders last night for being too white.

The 55-year-old criticised the shows for having fewer black actors than similar programmes in America, saying they were not representative of modern Britain.
Giving the annual Bafta Television Lecture, Henry said: ‘What is going on? This is 2014.
‘The evolution of black and ethnic minority involvement in British drama seems to lurch one step forward and two steps back, a bit like John Sergeant in Strictly Come Dancing. Except he had a job at the end.’
Mr Henry highlighted ITV crime drama Broadchurch, BBC sitcom Miranda and Northern Irish hit Mrs Brown’s Boys as examples of shows with majority white casts.

In an ironic aside, he said: ‘In Broadchurch, at least the boyfriend of the deceased is mixed race, so there’s someone in there.
‘Mrs Brown’s Boys. The Irish. An ethnic minority transvestite. I guess that counts.’
Quoting from a letter written by a 19th century black actor describing the troubles of finding work, he added: ‘Imagine if he’d had to cope with whoever casts Midsomer Murders. He would have topped himself.’
Mr Henry also warned Britain’s top stars are leaving the UK for America, where he said hit shows such as Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire all employ more black actors.
He said: ‘Since 2008 I’ve noticed a worrying trend. Our most talented black and minority ethnic actors are increasingly frustrated and they have to go to America to succeed.
‘You know who I’m talking about, David Oyelowo in The Butler, Idris Elba in Long Walk to Freedom, Prometheus and The Wire, Thandie Newton in Crash and Mission Impossible, Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave, David Harewood in Homeland.’

The comedian, who has recently embarked on a career as a stage actor and director after a career in stand up, called for the BBC to create ring fenced budgets for black dramas.
It could only be spent on productions where two out of three criteria are met: that at least half of the production staff or half of the on-screen talent are black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background, or where black people control at least 30 per cent of the production company.
He said imposing a more draconian quota system that would oblige the BBC to cast more black actors would ‘leave us open to possible legal challenges’.

It is not the first time Mr Henry has spoken out on the issue of under-representation of ethnic minority talent.
Last year he said it was a ‘disgrace’ there were not more black actors up for gongs at the annual Bafta TV awards.

Passenger takes picture of Delta Airlines jet losing wing part mid-flight

It’s the last thing you would want to see when you look out a plane window in mid-flight.

Passenger Trevor Sinclair took this picture after a wing panel fell off a Delta Airlines Orlando-to-Atlanta flight on Sunday.
After feeling the Boeing 757 rock from side to side, the crew made a safe emergency landing at its planned destination.
None of the 169 people on board was hurt.
Delta said it was investigating but insisted the lost wing panel did not affect the plane’s ‘ability to fly or land’.

Immigrant child rapist sues UK for breach of his 'human rights' - A SUDANESE rapist who preyed on girls as young as 13 is suing Justice Secretary Chris Grayling

A SUDANESE rapist who preyed on girls as young as 13 is suing Justice Secretary Chris Grayling over “frus­tration and anxiety” caused by a delay to his parole hearing.

Adil Aboulkadir, 38, was jailed for a minimum of four years for his part in the abuse of three vulnerable girls.

He was said to have led a gang of five Darfur refugees who groomed victims aged 14 and 13 in Dartford, Kent.

Aboulkadir had already launched a series of taxpayer-funded ­legal actions which could cost Britain more than £250,000 and block moves to deport him for years.

Now he wants damages, saying his human rights were violated because he had to wait seven months for a court date to argue for his freedom.

Taxpayers paid £125,000 for a legally-aided lawyer and ­interpreter during the gang’s trial at Maidstone Crown Court in 2008. Aboulkadir was convicted of rape and sexual ­activity with a child. But he convinced the High Court that his rights were “arguably” violated by a failure to consider release immediately his minimum jail term ended.

He was freed 16 months ­after the four-year tariff expired. Since 2013 he has been in an immigration centre, fighting a bid to deport him.

He has been granted a judicial review hearing over the delay and the case could end up in the European Court of Human Rights.

Former minister and Daily Express columnist Ann Widdecombe said: “What about the frustration and anxiety of his victims?” Ukip Euro MP Gerard Batten said: “End his frustration – put him on the plane to Sudan.

“He’s laughing in our faces. We must free ourselves from the idiocy of the Convention on Human Rights. ”

Jonathan Isaby, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s an insult that taxpayers foot the bill for this vile individual.”

Julian Blake, for Mr Grayling, said Aboulkadir’s challenge was “academic” as he was cleared for release last September.

A date will be set for a full High Court hearing.

Aboulkadir is also seeking to challenge his convictions.

Another of the gang, Jumaa Kater Saleh, 25, has won compensation for being held too long during a bid to deport him. He spent two years at an immigration centre after two in jail. He will not be deported – on human rights grounds.

VIDEO: Trombone player SNEEZES right into his instrument during church concert

SNEEZING is virtually impossible to stop, as this poor trombonist found out to his embarrassment.
Scroll down for video..........

The Enfield Citadel Band had travelled to Tiptree in Essex to play for residents at a local church.
All was going well and sounding glorious, right up until the trombone player failed to stifle a sneeze – straight into his instrument.
The crowd didn't seem to batter an eyelid at the noise of the sneeze, which sounded like an elephant.

And the band themselves didn't stop for a second, carrying on playing as if nothing had happened.
The hilarious clip has been viewed nearly half a MILLION times.
Bet he's glad it was only one sneeze – not even the most polite audience member could ignore the sound of a herd of elephants in the room!

Boeing 777 hijackers plunged to 5,000ft and used low altitude 'terrain masking' manoeuvre practised by fighter jets to avoid radar detection

Claims today that the missing Malaysian Airlines jet dropped to an altitude of 5,000ft to avoid radar lends credibility to reports by villagers that they saw bright lights and loud noises at about the time the aircraft is thought to have made a 'U-turn'.
Investigators told a Malaysian newspaper that the Boeing 777 had dropped to a lower altitude to avoid ground radar, using the surrounding terrain as a sonar barrier.
This type of flying is considered to be dangerous and risky, because it places tremendous pressure on the frame of the aircraft - and flying low at night without radar assistance could lead to the plane crashing into trees or mountains.

Investigators told the New Straits Times that they were now convinced the aircraft flow low over Kelantan, which is in the north east - exactly the same area where the villagers and fishermen who saw bright lights in the sky on the night the jet vanished are living.
At least nine people - fishermen, farmers and villagers - have made reports to police about seeing lights in the sky and some said they heard the loud noise of an engine.

These accounts appear to match the conclusions of investigators who say the jet flew low after making a sharp turn and heading west from its course over the South China Sea.

The first report of a 'bright light descending at high speed' came from Alif Fathi Abdul Hadi, 29, who said he saw the light heading towards the South China Sea at 1.45am on the night the aircraft disappeared.
The businessman lives in Kampung Kadok, in the far north west of the Malaysian mainland, close to the southern border of Thailand - and the light he witnessed would have been several miles to the north of the flight path the jet was on before it vanished.
Lending credibility to the account by Mr Alif is the claim by fisherman Azid Ibrahim, 55, who saw a bright light streaking overhead at 1.30am on Saturday, about 100 miles south of where Mr Alif had seen the light.

Mr Alif told the New Straits Times that the bright light was the type that aircraft use when taking off and landing at night - like a car uses its headlights.
'I was walking towards the rear of my house when I saw the light, and wondered where it was heading to,' he said. 'The airspace here is like a highway for aircraft and they usually travel in routine patterns.
'However, the light I saw was moving towards a completely different direction. It was going towards the sea, near Bachok (which lies to the south of Mr Alif's home).'
His description tends to indicate that if the light he saw was on the doomed aircraft, it had turned north instead of continuing on its regular north-easterly flight path.

Mr Alif said the aircraft he usually sees fly across the sky for as far as his eyes could see but the light he saw in the early hours of Saturday vanished from view behind a line of coconut trees.

While he thought nothing of it at the time, when he learned about the missing aircraft MH370 the following day he lodged a report with police.
Mr Alif's account tended to coincide with that of fisherman Mr Azid who told the New Straits Times: 'Usually, lights from an airplane look like distant stars at night but the one that I saw was big, as the aircraft was flying below the clouds.
'I followed the light for about five minutes before it disappeared.'
Meanwhile, researchers from Slade.com have pinpointed 634 runways where the place could have landed in the vast area now being searched.

Flight MH 370: Was missing Malaysia Airlines jet flown to Taliban base in Afghanistan?

THE missing Malaysia Airlines flight could have been deliberately flown to a Taliban base on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, sources have claimed.

The theory comes after it was revealed the final “all right, good night” message from the plane’s cockpit came 14 minutes after the flight’s ACARS reporting system was disabled. 

Now Malaysian Authorities are seeking diplomatic permission to investigate the theory that the Boeing 777 and its 239 passengers have been flown to a Taliban controlled area of northwestern Pakistan and Afghanistan, The Independent reported. 

It is thought the plane may have dropped to an altitude of less than 5,000 ft to evade being detected by radar as it flew over other countries.

An official confirmed the plane had flown at a low lever over Kelentan, Malaysia.

Speaking to the New Strait Times he said: "The person who had control over the aircraft has a solid knowledge of avionics and navigation, and left a clean track. It passed low over Kelantan, that was true.

"It's possible that the aircraft had hugged the terrain in some areas, that are mountainous to avoid radar detection".

It is also thought that the final message from the plane, "all right, good night", may have been made by the co-pilot rather than the pilot.

Experts have said only a trained person would have the skills necessary to turn of the plane’s tracking system. 

Following the developments, the backgrounds of the pilots are being investigated, as a search of one of their homes revealed a sophisticated flight simulator.

The news comes after police searched the home of pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and his number two, Fariq Abdul Hamid.

It is understood that laptops from Captain Zaharie’s home are being studied, including a flight simulator programme.

He was said to be a “fanatical” supporter of the country’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and had attended the trial where the politician was jailed for homosexuality just hours before the flight.

Zaharie’s wife and three children had moved out of the family home in Kuala Lumpur the day before the plane went ­missing.

The search for the missing jet now involves 26 countries with experts examining 657 sites where the Boeing 777 could have landed. 

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Malaysia's transport minister said two iranian passengers traveling on the flight with stolen passports were being re-investigated, while security on Malaysian flights has been stepped up.

Investigators also raised the possibility that the last satellite “ping” from the aircraft may have come when it was on the ground if it had enough electrical power in reserve.

Initially discounted, the hijacking theory now tops the list of possible explanations for flight MH370’s disappearance.

Experts said deliberately shutting down the plane’s transponder, which signals its position to satellites, suggested the crew did this voluntarily or were forced to do so by someone else.

Major General Affendi Buang, of the Malaysian Air Force, said: “This will tell you something because this is something not normal that the pilot would do.”

It has been suggested that at least three different pieces of signalling equipment were ­dis­abled.

One of them was located outside the cockpit, implying at least two people collaborated in the hijack. Aviation expert James Hall said hijackers could have taken advantage of sloppy air defence in the region, adding: “They could have been looking for the weakest link and found it in Malaysia. They may have been trying to hijack the plane for financial reasons or something similar to 9/11.”

Crash expert George Bibel said: “The plane changed course – that screams some kind of evil activity.”

Yesterday the FBI broke its silence on the mystery saying the disappearance could be an act of piracy, adding the possibility that passengers and crew are being held for ransom could not be ruled out.

Only four weeks ago, an Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot hijacked his own plane to seek political asylum in Switzerland.