Families of workers who died from silicosis by inhaling dust after cutting kitchen worktop stone are to receive higher compensation payouts, as ministers praised The i Paper‘s Killer Kitchens campaign for driving reform.
Bereaved families of workers who died from asbestos and other workplace dust-related diseases, including silicosis, before compensation had been paid had received less money than the worker would have been entitled to – an injustice families have long campaigned against.
Now the Government has said legislation will be laid on Tuesday to ensure they receive the same compensation as sufferers themselves, ending the discrepancy that has seen dependants paid on average £7,000 less than the workers affected.
Nepal flash flood: Hundreds feared trapped in tunnels
As the death toll from last week’s flash flood in the Himalayas rises above 900, rescuers are trying to reach over 600 workers thought to be trapped in tunnels and underground areas at hydropower projects in the region.
Tunnel rescue operations
Urgent operations are underway to reach the hundreds of workers believed to be trapped in tunnels across six hydropower projects. Many are thought to be inside the Upper Trishuli 1, Trishuli 3A, and Trishuli 3B sites.
Rescuers intensified their efforts on Monday, using controlled blasts to create holes in the hillsides and gain access to tunnels at the major electricity sites. Some survivors had previously been rescued from tunnels on Friday and Saturday, officials said.
Thousands still missing
- Six days later, at least 939 people have died, say authorities in Nepal.
- Some 11,379 people have been rescued, meanwhile.
- An estimated 3,925 others remained missing on Monday.
- That includes 33 Britons and some 639 hydropower workers.
3 min read
Wall of mud triggers catastrophe
Last Wednesday morning, a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border triggered a wall of water, mud and other debris, which caused “catastrophic impacts downstream”.
6 min read
90,000 affected
- The Red Cross has estimated that over 90,000 people are likely to have been affected by the disaster.
- Officials in Nepal have said many bodies recovered so far were “in a state of decomposition and are no longer identifiable”.
- In Tibet, the official death toll is 16 with 546 others reported missing, per Chinese state media.
Watch more from The i Paper
The UK is providing £5m to help Nepal with response efforts, and a rapid response team consisting of specially trained crisis response staff arrived on Saturday to help support British nationals.
However, people waiting for news on missing loved ones say they are “losing faith”.
3 min read
4 min read
Watch more from The i Paper
Cyprus ferry capsize: at least eight dead and 18 missing
At least eight people have died and 18 others remain missing after a passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized and sank off the coast of Northern Cyprus on Sunday.
The ship’s captain and crew are among several individuals who have been arrested.
What happened?
The privately owned ferry, , had been scheduled to travel from the popular holiday resort of Kyrenia in Northern Cyprus to the town of Tasucu in Turkey on Saturday, but poor weather conditions delayed its journey.
- The vessel left Kyrenia around 12.30pm local time (10.30am BST) on Sunday.
- Two waves hit the boat before it capsized, local officials told the media.
- The boat began taking on water as the captain struggled to recover.
- Some passengers wearing life jackets climbed atop the boat’s upturned hull.
- Rescue operations began involving coastguard boats and helicopters.
- The ferry has since completely sunk, reportedly to a depth of 514m (1,686ft).
Survivors’ recall sinking
“The vessel had been moving very badly. It was constantly lifting out of the water and slamming back down. It was shaking violently.”
Efe Multici, a survivor of the incident, told : “Three or four minutes later, the ferry leapt high into the air, then came crashing down. The front left side burst open and water started pouring in.”
Hunt for black box
Authorities are trying to recover the black box recorder from the vessel, which sank about four miles from shore, to establish what happened. Filo Denizcilik, the company which operates , said it is “deeply saddened by the tragic accident”.
Local officials said the ship’s captain, seven crew members, and another man were arrested on Monday, while warrants have been issued for an additional seven people as an investigation continues.
A ‘great disaster’
Every aspect of this incident will be investigated. Even the slightest negligence will be revealed. Whoever is responsible, whether they are guilty or not, will not be spared. It is the responsibility of our state to fully illuminate all aspects of this great disaster, as well as to our people and families who have lost and their families.
Ünal Üstel, prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Eight dead, more missing
- Eight people were confirmed to have died as of Monday afternoon.
- Meanwhile, 19 people were being treated at hospitals.
- Rescuers are still searching for 18 others, including young children.
- A three-day period of national mourning has been announced.
2 min read
Parents of ill children need paid leave, commissioner says
Parents with seriously ill or disabled children should be entitled to paid leave, the children’s commissioner has said.
Dame Rachel de Souza said parents should not have to choose between “holding down a job and being by their child’s bedside”.
The commissoiner said parents have told her of the “impossible choices” they made “splitting time between caring for their seriously ill and disabled children and trying to hold down a job”.
3 min read
4 min read
What changes are being demanded?
The commissioner called for
12 weeks
of paid leave for parents of children with disabilities or serious mental or physical health conditions.
90 %
This paid leave should be at 90 per cent of normal pay to ease the pressure from lost earnings, she added.
Other reforms proposed
- De Souza said unpaid carer’s leave should be extended from five to 10 days a year.
- She also backed the introduction of “Hugh’s Law”, which proposes paid leave for parents of seriously or terminally ill children.
- Paid leave must be part of wider NHS and children’s social care reform, the commissioner added.
- The Government is consulting on paid leave for unpaid carers and parents in these circumstances.
We should never force parents to choose between holding down a job and being by their child’s bedside.
De Souza said reform is needed to better support children and families who are “stuck” in hospital due to a lack of support.
A recent report by the commissioner found hundreds of children are in hospital unnecessarily on any given day as they do not have the right support to go home.
Scottish students discover 1,000-year-old Viking church
Students discovered the remains of what is thought to be a medieval Viking church about 1,000 years old during an archaeology field trip to an uninhabited Scottish island.
Where was the medieval site found?
Pupils from Gordonstoun, a private school once attended by the King, made the discovery on a six-day field trip to Swona, a tiny Orkney island about seven miles north of John O’Groats where only feral cattle live.
The medieval building bears similarities to other Viking churches from the 10th and 11th centuries. Its remains, including what is thought to be the foundation of its altar, were found beneath a more recent building.
How was it found?
The Gordonstoun team helped professional archaeologists from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (Orca) to uncover the remains.
Gordonstoun housemaster Dan McLean, who organised the trip, said: “The only real hint about a church being on the island is a map reference to a ruin known locally as the ‘Twinly Kirk.’”
After discovering a step leading to the possible church altar, the group found other clues regarding construction method, layout and orientation.
Another clue was that it was dry stone, and there was no clay bonding or mortar. There are also cairns nearby and a wall that blocks access to a landing point.
dan mclean, gordonstoun housemaster
More conclusions to come?
- Radiocarbon dating of the students’ samples could draw more conclusions about the structure.
- The pupils also explored a probable prehistoric settlement in the centre of the small, privately-owned island.
- Elsewhere, they investigated a circular ditch believed to have been the site of a Viking warning beacon.
3 min read
UK POLITICS
Mayor hopeful Cleverly swipes at Reform on London crime
Sir James Cleverly has said mayoral candidates cannot “credibly” stand for election to run London while “obviously” hating the city, in remarks that will be interpreted as a swipe at Reform UK.
Battle for the capital
The former home secretary, who has announced he’s stepping down as shadow housing secretary to bid for the Conservative nomination for London mayor, made the comments when asked about claims from Reform’s mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, that the capital is unsafe.
2 min read
6 min read
Is London safe?
Cunningham said this week that her children are “petrified” to visit Shepherd’s Bush following a stabbing, and has frequently characterised London as gripped by crime, telling The i Paper last year that there are “no safe parts” in the capital.
Asked directly about her comments, Cleverly told The i Paper: “I’m not here to talk about her. Let her talk about her and let her justify her statements.”
Cleverly on London crime
- Cleverly argued responsibility for crime in London lay with the current mayor, Lord Khan of Tooting.
- He said the capital’s performance on crime was “an outlier” in the UK while he was home secretary.
- Cleverly went on to criticise those who often depict London as afflicted by crime.
2 min read
I don’t think you can credibly be the candidate for mayor of London if you obviously hate the city you’re trying to get elected for. I love London. I’m unapologetic about that.
james cleverly
Reform: Cleverly is ‘out
of touch’
- A Reform UK spokesperson said Cleverly was “out of touch”.
- If “James Cleverly thinks crime is not an issue in London then he’s even more out-of-touch than we originally thought”, they said.
- The spokesperson added: “London needs a mayor that is realistic about the issues the city faces, not one that will turn a blind eye to them.”
2 min read
US and Iran trade strikes in first hostilities for weeks
The United States and Iran have traded strikes for the first time since late July, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Here’s what we know.
Where did the US strike?
US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, with Central Command claiming the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines.
News outlets in Iran reported explosions near Larak island.
Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on his Truth Social platform of the bombing of the Kharg Island oil hub, claiming it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”.
What was Iran’s response?
Later, Iranian state TV showed what it said were ballistic missiles being fired by Iran at US bases in Jordan in response to the American strikes. Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight missiles in the country’s airspace early Monday.
The UAE air force also intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters, the country’s defence ministry said.
US ‘eliminated’ Iran’s threat
- The US disputed Iran’s claim that its strikes were an act of aggression.
- “Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it,” Centcom said.
- This was “to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce” in the Strait of Hormuz, it added.
3 min read
Return to open conflict?
Since last confirming it had struck Iranian targets on 29 July, the US had turned its focus to increasing economic pressure in a bid to end the months-long war.
A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran has targeted US military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the fighting began on 28 February.
4 min read
2 min read
Disability minister Stephen Timms said the compensation change would mean families were “no longer penalised twice, first by their loss, then by an unfair system.”
“Families who have lost a loved one to a disease caused by their work deserve our support, not a system that treats them as an afterthought,” Timms said.
“That’s exactly what’s been happening, and campaigners have been telling us for over a decade that it’s wrong.”
In an article for The i Paper, Timms credited its reporting on silicosis among quartz kitchen worktop workers with sharpening the case for reform.
“As awareness grows of occupational diseases such as silicosis, highlighted by campaigns such as The i Paper‘s Killer Kitchens campaign, it is more important than ever that families affected by industrial disease can access fair compensation,” he wrote.
Compensation often much more than average amount
The average payout received by sufferers is £17,700, with bereaved families receiving an average of £10,700, under two government compensation schemes.
The schemes provide lump-sum payments to workers who develop industrial lung diseases through their work, in cases where they cannot claim damages from an employer – often because the firm responsible has since gone out of business.
But the amount of compensation paid varies significantly depending on a claimant’s age and level of disablement, with younger, more severely affected claimants receiving substantially more than the average.
Families of kitchen worktop workers who died from silicosis would likely be entitled to far higher payouts than the £17,700 average, given their younger age.
A worker diagnosed at 43 – the average age of UK cases – would be entitled to between £40,034 and £107,691 depending on their level of disablement.
If approved by Parliament, the changes will come into force on 31 October. The devolved scheme in Northern Ireland is expected to introduce corresponding legislation.
Silicosis workers have faced fight for compensation
Lung diseases covered by the schemes include mesothelioma – a cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos.
It also includes pneumoconiosis, which refers to lung scarring caused by inhaling dust over time, such as coal dust or silica dust.
Silicosis, the disease at the centre of The i Paper’s Killer Kitchens campaign, is a form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhaling respirable crystalline silica – a dust released when engineered stone is cut, ground or polished.
The i Paper has spent more than two years investigating silicosis among stonemasons cutting engineered stone, or quartz, kitchen countertops – reporting shortlisted for a British Journalism Award and Private Eye’s Paul Foot Award.
More than 50 UK cases have been recorded since the paper revealed the first in February 2024, with at least four deaths, including that of Marek Marzec, a father of three from Poland who died in November 2024, seven months after his diagnosis.
Quartz worktops can contain up to 95 per cent silica, far higher than natural stone such as granite or marble.
In December, The i Paper revealed that Marek Marzec, a 48-year-old stonemason, was approved on the day he died for a lump sum under one of the two Government compensation schemes.
While receiving end-of-life care in hospital, the Polish father of two was also warned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that his entitlement to Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) “may be affected” if he did not attend an appointment in person without “good reason”.
Following the report, the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent body advising the DWP on which diseases qualify for industrial disability benefits, recommended that quartz workers with terminal silicosis have the benefit payment fast-tracked as is done with mesothelioma, a proposal the DWP is now considering.
Outright ban on quartz not ruled out
The i Paper’s Killer Kitchens campaign, launched in December 2025, called on the Government to ban the unsafe cutting of kitchen worktop stone in the UK, guarantee workplace health tests and a national database of sickness and deaths, and force the HSE to prosecute bosses in test cases.
Since the campaign launched, the HSE has issued its first regulatory guidance stating that dry cutting of engineered stone without water suppression tools is banned.
It has also launched an inspection campaign of 1,000 businesses in the sector – the regulator’s most significant intervention in the sector to date.
An outright ban on quartz, of the kind introduced in Australia in 2024, has not been ruled out.
Health officials are also weighing a national screening programme for stonemasons, another of the campaign’s central demands.
The i Paper revealed last month that proposals to bring silicosis screening under the UK National Screening Committee’s remit are being submitted ahead of a 30 September deadline.
Families of victims will get the compensation they deserve
By Stephen Timms, minister for Social Security and Disability
Behind every claim made under our asbestos and dust-disease compensation schemes is a family coming to terms with a diagnosis that, in most cases, will take someone from them far too soon.
A disease with no cure, caused by something as innocuous as the air in a factory or a shipyard, decades ago. They didn’t know it then. They know it now.
That’s the reality behind the paperwork and the payment schedules. These schemes were built because people who get sick through no fault of their own, simply by turning up to work, deserve support.
And when someone dies before they can make that claim themselves, the people they leave behind should receive the same support, in full.
For too long, it hasn’t. Where a claim was made by a dependant following the loss of a loved one, the amount payable was generally lower than the award that could have been paid to the person affected by the disease. This is a distinction that has never been easy to justify, and one that campaigners have raised with real conviction over many years.
As awareness grows of occupational diseases such as silicosis, highlighted by campaigns such as The i Paper’s , it is more important than ever that families affected by industrial disease can access fair compensation.
So we’re fixing it. From Tuesday, dependants of people who have died from these diseases will receive the same rate of compensation as sufferers themselves. This isn’t a technical adjustment. It’s a recognition that a family’s loss deserves to be treated with the same seriousness, whoever they are and whenever their loved one died.
We are also modernising the way compensation awards are calculated by removing outdated rules that still refer to medical boards that ceased operating years ago. These complex provisions have created unnecessary confusion and made decisions harder to apply consistently. We are replacing this with one clear and consistent method, so families can better understand what they are entitled to and why.
Nothing we do can lessen what these families have already lost. But we can make sure that, from here on, the support available to them is fair, clear and delivered without unnecessary delay.
That is what these changes achieve, and it is a change that has been a long time coming.