If you’ve been unfortunate enough to experience a flight delay or cancellation during the Gatwick Airport travel chaos, you could be entitled to compensation.

Here we reveal the circumstances that trigger a cash pay out. 

FLIGHT DELAYS

New data from the Civil Aviation Authority shows one in three trips were delayed by at least 15 minutes last year.

Delayed passengers could be entitled to free meals and compensation of up to £520 – and this section helps you understand how.

ASSISTANCE

Airline passengers delayed by two hours or more could be entitled to assistance such as two free phone calls or emails, free meals and refreshments, free hotel accommodation and hotel transfers, according to Which?, outlining the following:

Short-haul – Passengers flying up to 932 miles (1,500km) with a delay time of at least two hours are entitled to assistance.

Medium-haul – Passengers flying between 932 miles (1,500km) and 2,175 miles (3,500km) with a delay time of at least three hours are entitled to assistance.

Long-haul – Passengers flying more than 2,175 miles (3,500km) with a delay time of at least four hours are entitled to assistance.

Delayed passengers who meet the above criteria can contact their airline or approach staff at the airport for further information.

SEVERE DELAYS

Passengers whose flight has been delayed by more than five hours are ‘entitled to choose between being rerouted on a different flight or getting a refund’, Which? says.

Passengers can also request flight delay compensation, according to the watchdog, ‘if the delay is not due to extraordinary circumstances’. These include bad weather, strikes unrelated to the airline, such as with baggage handlers, acts of terrorism or sabotage, drone disruption and long security queues.

Claims are valid for up to six years after the flight if it flew in or out of the UK, it adds.

COMPENSATION 

Passengers of delayed flights are protected by the Denied Boarding Regulation if their flight departs from the UK or Europe or is operated by a UK or European airline, Which? says.

‘If you’re travelling with a non-EU based airline flying from a non-EU destination, the airline doesn’t have the same duty to look after you,’ it adds.

‘But you can check the airline’s ‘conditions of carriage’ to see what compensation you are entitled to.’

HOW TO CLAIM COMPENSATION

‘If your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late, each affected passenger is entitled to claim flight delay compensation,’ Which? says.

The total value of compensation depends on the length and distance of the delayed flight as well as the reason for the delay, it adds.

Passengers can make a claim under the EU Denied Boarding Regulation if they meet the criteria, listed in a table by Which?, below.

HOW MUCH ARE YOU ENTITLED TO?

Short-haul – Passengers flying up to 932 miles (1,500km) who are delayed for more than three hours are entitled to £220, according to Which?

Medium-haul within the EU – Passengers flying more than 932 miles (1,500km) within the EU who are delayed more than three hours are entitled to £350 compensation, the watchdog says.

Medium-haul outside the EU – Passengers flying between 932 miles (1,500km) and 2,175 miles (3,500km) who are delayed more than three hours are entitled to £350 compensation, Which? explains.

Long-haul – Passengers flying more than 2,175 miles (3,500km) are entitled to £260 in compensation if they are delayed between three and four hours, or £520 if they are delayed longer than this, according to the site.

CONNECTING FLIGHTS

‘Passengers flying with a non-EU airline are entitled to compensation if a flight departing from the UK is delayed by at least three hours at the final destination,’ says Which?

The ‘final destination’ of a connecting flight refers to the last airport listed on the passenger’s ticket, it adds.

OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES

As well as compensation, some passengers are entitled to claim ‘extra out-of-pocket expenses under the Montreal Convention’, Which? says.

Examples are if you miss a night of pre-booked accommodation, miss a concert you have bought tickets to, or a day of car rental you have paid for, it adds.

FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS

COMPENSATION

Passengers travelling with a UK or EU-based airline, or flying from a UK or EU airport, should receive help from the company if their flight is cancelled, Which? says.

‘This is because your flight is protected by the Denied Boarding Regulation,’ it adds.

Depending on the circumstances, passengers could be entitled to ‘a refund or alternative flight, food, phone calls and accommodation, and flight cancellation compensation’, the watchdog further explains.

HOW TO CLAIM COMPENSATION

Which? says passengers can claim compensation for cancelled flights unless it is affected by ‘extraordinary circumstances’, as explained earlier in this article.

But even if extraordinary circumstances apply, you are ‘still entitled to meals, refreshments, accommodation and hotel transfers depending on the length of your flight and delay’, the consumer watchdog adds.

HOW MUCH COMPENSATION ARE YOU ENTITLED TO?

Short-haul – Passengers travelling less than 932 miles (1,500km) whose new flight takes off more than one hour before their original flight and arrives less than two hours after it are entitled to £110 in compensation, according to Which?.

If the passengers’ flight arrives more than two hours after the original flight, they are entitled to £220 in compensation, it adds.

Medium-haul – Passengers travelling 932 miles (1,500km) to 2,175 miles (3,500km) whose new flight departs more than one hour before their original flight and arrives less than three hours after it are entitled to £175 in compensation, Which? says.

If the passengers’ flight arrives more than three hours after their original flight, they are entitled to £350 in compensation, it adds.

Long-haul – Passengers travelling more than 2,175 miles (3,500km) whose new flight departs more than one hour before their original flight and arrives less than four hours after it are entitled to £260 in compensation, Which? says.

If the passengers’ flight arrives more than four hours after their original flight, they are entitled to £520 in compensation, it adds.

The figures above are for flights cancelled less than seven days before departure. 

CONNECTING FLIGHTS

‘If a connecting flight during your journey is affected by a delay and you departed from the UK or an EU country, you can still claim compensation,’ Which? says.

‘For example, if you were flying from Manchester to Sydney, connecting in Singapore, but your Singapore to Sydney flight was delayed, you’d still be entitled.’

HOW TO APPEAL A DECISION

Unresolved complaints about an airline can be escalated to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme and a list of approved providers are listed on the Civil Aviation Authority website, Which? says.

Airline passengers can also gain extra peace of mind at the airport by taking out travel insurance, says Quotezone.

CEO Greg Wilson said: ‘Depending on the type of policy, some travel insurance providers will offer cover for a delayed flight of over 24 hours, or if an alternative travel option hasn’t been offered.

‘Insurance policies for missed or delayed flight departure will pay for costs incurred from delayed flights or if travellers miss the trips because of a situation out of their control – such as getting into a serious accident and being taken to hospital.’

He adds: ‘In the case of an airline going bust before passengers are able to get home, taking out the right travel insurance before jetting off will help give travellers protection.’

Travellers flying out of Stansted and Gatwick today are facing a day of travel chaos due to a lack of staff in air traffic control which caused dozens of flights to be delayed, cancelled and diverted and passengers to bed down in the airport for the night. 

In Stansted, passengers have complained of enormous queues to get through security and passport control with some claiming that the process took almost two hours to complete. 

The airport has not yet confirmed the reason for the queues with some passengers claiming they had been told it was due to a ‘computer backup’ and ‘problems at Gatwick.’

Air traffic control restrictions had been put in place last night following a short notice staff absence that impacted the London airport’s air traffic control team, the National Air Traffic Services (Nats) claimed last night. 

This meant dozens of arrivals and departures were affected, with passengers being advised to contact their airline prior to travelling. 

It’s not much better news for travellers this morning with the airport already experiencing several technical issues resulting in dozens of flights being delayed.   

Holidaymakers claim that they had minimal information from airlines during the evening and night and were left to fend for themselves in the empty terminals after hotels were booked up. 

Speaking to ITV, passenger Caroline Monks criticised the airport for the way the situation had been handled.

‘Our whole holiday could be cancelled’, she said, ‘we’d be losing our whole holiday if we can’t get another flight.’ 

Debbie Barrett agreed adding it was ‘disgusting’ the way passengers had been treated. 

Sarah Burnham said: ‘We couldn’t find anywhere to sleep so we decided just to stay here.’ 

The air traffic control situation not only meant that some flights couldn’t take off from Gatwick but that many couldn’t land. 

This meant that tired travelers set to touch down at the airport where diverted to sites across the country with one fight being diverted to Brussels whilst over the English Channel. 

Sally Richards was on the diverted flight and said: ‘Just as we were crossing the Channel we were told they had received a message saying Gatwick was closed and they had no idea why. 

‘We’ve got back to Britain and it feels like Britain is simply not working.’ 

traveller complained on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Gatwick has travellers ‘standing outside in the cold for the last hour waiting on a coach for a Ryanair flight in Stansted’.

Another complained of long queues at the Border Force checkpoint in the south terminal. 

One passenger even claimed that a flight had been diverted to Bournemouth airport, which is more than 100 miles away from Gatwick. 

‘We apologise very sincerely to people who have been inconvenienced [as a result of unavoidable diversions,’ a Nats spokesperson said in a statement.

‘We are working closely with Gatwick Airport Ltd to build resilience in the airport’s control tower to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.’

Nats has been recruiting new air traffic controllers since last summer and has increased its presence by 17 per cent, the agency claimed.

Other workers are due to start after completing their training, in line with the agreed plan when the agency took over the contract last October.

‘London Gatwick’s senior management understands that we are working hard to keep the operation moving,’ the spokesperson added. 

‘Airlines operating at London Gatwick were aware of the situation when Nats was appointed but that does not dilute the apology we offer sincerely to them and their passengers who have been inconvenienced by recent disruption.’

Gatwick has apologised for the situation, adding in a statement: ‘Nats are a world-class provider of air traffic services and London Gatwick’s senior management recognises how hard the airport’s air traffic controllers are working to keep the operation moving.

‘We are working closely with Nats to build resilience in the airport’s control tower to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.’

Travellers faced widespread disruption last month after the air traffic control system was hit by a technical glitch on August 28. More than a quarter of flights to and from UK airports were cancelled that day, affecting around 250,000 people.

Cancellations continued for two more days as planes and crews were out of position.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary told the BBC: ‘It is unacceptable that more flights and hundreds of passengers are suffering delays to/from Gatwick Airport due to Nats CEO Martin Rolfe’s blatant failure to adequately staff UK ATC.

‘Airlines are paying millions of pounds to Nats each and every year and should not have to see their passengers suffer avoidable delays due to UK ATC staff shortages.’

Rory Boland, of consumer group Which?, said: ‘It is unacceptable that some Gatwick passengers have been hit by further air traffic control problems so soon after the chaos a few weeks ago.

‘This is not an issue caused by airlines, but they must meet their legal obligations to look after passengers and provide them with support during delays and help with refunds and rerouting – including with other carriers if necessary.

‘To help end this cycle of miserable passenger experiences, the Prime Minister must play his part and prioritise legislation to give the CAA stronger enforcement powers in the King’s Speech later this year.’

Gillian Keegan sparked a fury from schools over the concrete crisis today as she blamed them for failing to ‘get off their backsides’.

The Education Secretary dramatically escalated the tit-for-tat with teachers as she vented frustration at delays in getting information about Raac in buildings.

After delivering an extraordinary foul-mouthed rant yesterday about not getting credit for doing a ‘f***ing good job’ responding to the chaos, Ms Keegan complained that 5 per cent of schools had still not responded to a questionnaire sent out by her department in March 2022.

She told Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2: ‘Now hopefully all this publicity will make them get off their backsides. But what I would like them to do is to respond because I want to be the Secretary of State that knows exactly in every school where there is Raac and takes action.’

Ms Keegan added: ‘We’ve written to them quite a few times and we’ve also set up a call centre to phone them up to ask them to do it and they still haven’t. So we have written to them yesterday and given them until the end of the week.’

Unions condemned the remarks as ‘outrageous’ and ‘petulant’, pointing out that schools did not usually have specialist staff who could identify Raac.

The minister has been scrambling to shore up her position after more than a hundred schools in England were told they could not fully open because of safety fears.

The backlash gathered pace yesterday after Ms Keegan was caught on camera griping about how the government was getting no credit for doing a ‘f***ing good job’ while everyone else ‘sat on their a***’.

She was subsequently sent out by No10 to issue a grovelling apology, saying she had been ‘frustrated’ by a line of questioning.

In an interview with Sky News‘ Politics Hub last night, Ms Keegan gave an embarrassed laugh as she was played the footage. Asked if she thought she was doing an ‘f***ing good job’ she replied: ‘I wasn’t talking about me actually, I was talking about the department.’  

Ms Keegan was also pressed by presenter Sophy Ridge over going on holiday to Spain last week as the crisis over Raac – a lightweight type of concrete widely used between the 1950s and 1990s – was about to erupt.

She said she had spent the ‘whole of the summer’ dealing with industrial action by teachers, A-level and GCSE results so the last week of August was her first opportunity to go away with family. 

‘I worked remotely on holiday as well,’ she said. ‘I chaired the Gold Team from there every day, made the decision, and I said if it looks like we are going to make a decision… then I will just come back, and I came back straight away.’

Ms Keegan said her return was delayed by a day due to the air traffic control system meltdown, but she was in the UK on Thursday to make the announcement that emergency mitigation measures were needed in over 100 schools.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: ‘This is the Education Secretary’s second display of petulance in consecutive days – albeit on this occasion without the swear words attached – and isn’t very helpful.

‘Schools have been expected to identify Raac even though this is a specialist field and are unlikely to have staff who are experts in this area.

‘They have received minimal help from the Department for Education which will have known which schools have not returned surveys for several months and which has had ample time to reach out to them. The Education Secretary would do better to provide support, rather than blame.’

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: ‘Any attempt to start shifting the blame onto individual schools will be seen by parents and public for what it is: a desperate attempt by Government to deflect from its own significant failings.

‘The facts are clear: the current crumbling school estate is the direct result of ministerial decisions to slash capital budgets. Furthermore, the Government has known about the risks associated with Raac for many years but has only recently sent out these surveys to responsible bodies.’

He added: ‘The fact that we now have classroom ceilings held up by metal poles and classrooms put out of use completely is a reflection of the neglect and cuts we have been warning about for years.

‘The responsibility for this situation sits squarely on the Government’s shoulders and no amount of deflection and distraction will change that.’

MPs are becoming increasingly angry at the handling of the concrete issue. 

One Tory MP told the Telegraph: ‘The way she’s conducted herself – in particular in that ITV interview – shows she is selfish and shameless and not fit to stay in office. 

‘It’s a damning indictment of Rishi Sunak and the people he has appointed to his Cabinet.’

Another added that they believed Ms Keegan had been ‘over-promoted’. A senior backbencher told MailOnline that the minister seemed to be in a ‘lot of trouble’ and it ‘could be her last chance’. ‘Although some people will say that she has been honest and is a breath of fresh air,’ they added.  

The concrete crisis has meant scores of pupils began the school year by learning online in an echo of the huge disruption caused by the pandemic.

Teachers spent the weekend scrambling to erect tented classrooms and acquiring festival-style toilets in a bid to keep classrooms open. The closures left parents racing to find emergency childcare as they juggled remote learning with full-time work.

However, it has come to light that initial concerns were raised early last month, weeks before the last-minute panic before schools returned.  

Ms Keegan came under fire for failing to appear on the airwaves over the weekend to address the issue, and instead released a bizarre video with a dance music soundtrack. 

After his boss’s epic round of interviews yesterday, schools minister Nick Gibb was sent out to bat for the government on TV this morning.

He said he did not ‘accept’ the accusation that ministers have taken a sticking plaster approach to essential maintenance by the head of the Whitehall spending watchdog.

He told Sky News on Tuesday: ‘We’re spending £1.8billion a year … and we are taking more proactive action on that than any other government in the world.

‘We are the government that put out the warning notice in 2018. We’re the government that sent questionnaires to every responsible body, asking them to tell us about Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in their schools. And we are the government that proactively sought evidence about Raac and took a decision last week that even non-critical Raac now we need to take children out of those schools.’

Explaining school closures, Mr Gibb said: ‘Every school that has a problem with Raac, we are sending in a caseworker to work with the school. In some schools it will just be one room, a cupboard. In other schools it will be a sports hall indeed or it might be pervasive throughout the school.

‘So it will depend on the level of Raac in the school. What we are clear about is that no child, no member of staff will be in a room that has Raac.’

Question Time chaos as dozens of pharmacists dressed in white storm out of Parliament and heckle the government as ‘liars’

By Brittany Chain, Political Correspondent For Daily Mail Australia

Updated: 03:22 EDT, 4 September 2023

Russia in flight chaos as Ukrainian drone attack forces ALL Moscow airports to close – with Putin’s top propagandist’s home close to one strike

• The suspected Ukrainian attack forces Moscow’s airports to temporarily close
• Kyiv does not typically comment on attacks that have occurred inside Russia

By Will Stewart and Christian Oliver

Published: 04:39 EDT, 21 August 2023 | Updated: 13:09 EDT, 21 August 2023

Holidaymakers hoping for a seamless journey through the Port of Dover today have faced huge queues with ferry bosses warning the port is ‘extremely busy’ with ‘bottlenecks’ of traffic. 

This morning, the processing time at the border was as high as 90 minutes, which is the time expected for peak travel days. 

On Thursday afternoon, port bosses said the processing time at border control is 20 minutes and that 14,898 people had set sail from the port so far on July 27.

All the positions for French border officials, Police Aux Frontieres, are open, it is understood.

On Thursday morning, a Port of Dover spokesperson said: ‘The port is extremely busy due to high volumes of passengers arriving too early for their sailing, causing bottlenecks.

‘Please keep to main routes (A2/A20) and do not arrive more than three hours before your sailing.’

The Kent port has been preparing for summer holiday getaway traffic, with measures put in place to minimise queues.

Bosses are urging car passengers embarking on summer getaways to arrive up to but not more than three hours before their booked sailing.

This is up from two hours last year, while before the end of the Brexit transition period the port gave no advice for when people should turn up.

Port bosses said anyone who misses their sailing will be put on the next available trip.

Expected car arrivals were expected to peak at more than 2,000 on Thursday morning and nearly 3,000 on Saturday.

As of 9.25am, 1,836 cars had sailed from the port.

Bob McKay, 36, from Faversham, Kent, said he was ‘frustrated’ after spending several hours queuing at the Port of Dover to board a ferry.

Mr McKay is travelling as part of the Kent-based Caritas Chamber Choir, a musical group which specialises in acapella music and early choral pieces, to perform at the Cathedrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille in the city of Lille on Saturday.

Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: ‘We drove down to Dover and arrived about 100 minutes before our sailing time… and we spent most of that time queuing through border control.

‘Once we got through, we drove around to the actual ferry check-in and that was about a half-an-hour queue. You expect there to be queues when it’s a busy time of year and during the holidays, that makes perfect sense.

‘But we felt a little bit frustrated given we booked a 10am ferry and now we’re having to wait for a 12pm one, so it’s quite a long time in the car.

‘We were in the car by 7.15 this morning; so it’s just a very long day.’

Despite the long queues, Mr McKay added: ‘It’s fine, we’re all in good spirits and having a nice weekend away.

‘I think the frustration has been that there’s very little communication about the amount of time queues are taking and the reasons for the delays.

‘Then the response from the DFDS (ferry company) on Twitter was a bit lacking, I think.

‘I know that they haven’t necessarily got all of the live information but I think when your real experiences are being challenged… that can be frustrating.’

The Dem who cried wolf! Rep. Adam Schiff’s latest apocalyptic warning predicts ‘chaos’ in GOP-led house: Was previously condemned for hyping discredited Steele dossier and leading Trump impeachments

• Democrat Adam Schiff said on Sunday that he thinks a Republican House majority will lead to ‘chaos’
• In an interview he agreed with an ABC News host that he could face removal from the House Intelligence Committee, which he currently chairs
• Schiff was a major proponent of the now discredited  Steele dossier that made allegations of collusion between Trump and the Russian government

By Neirin Gray Desai For Dailymail.Com

Published: 21:16 EDT, 20 November 2022 | Updated: 02:24 EDT, 21 November 2022

Just Stop Oil protesters ‘are hatching plot to cause chaos at Wimbledon’, with group planning to ‘glue themselves to Centre Court’ during match

• A new report suggests Just Stop Oil protestors could target Wimbledon
• The group have already made a stand at other sporting events across the UK 
• One protestor suggested the imagery could top that from The Crucible 

By Samuel Draper For Mailonline

Published: 20:01 EDT, 18 June 2023 | Updated: 03:17 EDT, 19 June 2023

Furious adult film stars have walked out of the European Sex Championships, declaring the event ‘chaos’ that has ‘turned into a horror film’.

The inaugural tournament was set to begin on June 8, with a reported 20 representatives from a dozen or so nations descending on an undisclosed location in Gothenburg, Sweden to take part in the seedy tournament.

However, according to a report, the six-week event to determine the continent’s most elite sex performers was plagued with issues from the start.

‘The situation has gotten out of control. It’s chaos. More than that: it’s turned into a horror film,’ said Selva Lapiedra, Spain‘s representative, according to Marca.com.

Despite initial reports that Scandinavian authorities had recognised the event as an official sport, they have since clarified this isn’t the case and that an application by the event’s organiser to do so was rejected. 

But that did not deter Dragan Bratic who owns a number of strip clubs in the Jönköping area of Sweden, and who is understood to have set up the event to be live streamed over the internet to paying viewers.

However, it was reported last week that Britain’s representative — OnlyFans model Barbie Sins — has pulled out of the event citing ‘health complications’. 

The remaining 19 competitors hail from across the continent, including Spain, Italy, France, Ukraine, Russia, Finland, Croatia.

Participants in the championship were going to be assessed across 16 categories in ’bouts’ to be held over six weeks.

These included their skills in seduction and massage, their proficiency in sex acts, the appearance of their sexual organs, how many times they can orgasm, and their ‘artistry’ and ‘creativity’ in creating a seductive pose.

Bouts were reportedly set to last between 45 minutes to an hour for each category.

According to The Daily Star, female entrants were set to earn themselves £690 for each day they stayed in the venue, while men would earn £345-a-day.

The publication say the winner was promised £860,000.

However, it emerged this week that the contestants left the house over claims that Bratic had failed to pay them so far for their participation.

Lara Lee was another Brit who the Star said was set to fly out to Sweden on Monday, possibly as a replacement for Barbie Sins – but she pulled out at the last minute.

‘I learnt that people had been leaving over claims they weren’t getting paid so I decided to swerve it,’ she told the newspaper.

‘It’s sad because it was a great idea but it sounds like it’s been so badly organised and has ended up a bit of a shambles.’

Ukraine’s entrant Talia Mint posted a video from the house before she left, saying that she and the other performers had been excited to be part of the ‘project’.

However, the 24-year-old uploaded a video to her social media which appeared to show Bratic trying to grab her phone as she left the house.

She claimed in the clip that one competitor had been allowed to enter the competition without being tested for HIV.

‘He refuses to pay me for my time and my work and now you have all the information about this project, I want to get compensation,’ she said. 

She later said in a video that the police were called, but could not enter the property as they did not have a warrant. Now, Mint claims she is taking legal action against Bratic and the The Swedish Sex Federation.

It is believed that the organiser’s financial issues came about because not enough people were paying to watch the live-streams of the event. 

Other performers have also confirmed they have left the event, with the official representative group for sex workers from the Balkan region announcing the decision on Twitter on Friday, citing ‘insurmountable issues’.

‘The cameras were non-operational during the first two days of the competition, which hindered the proper execution and documentation of the event,’ Dobra Druzba (Good Friendship) said in a thread on Twitter.

‘We were constantly faced with overloading issues, making it challenging for us to perform effectively. The absence of representatives from the Swedish Sex Federation at the event greatly disappointed us. Also, there was no security personnel present, responsible for ensuring our safety and health.’

The group said there was no running hot water which ‘impeded basic hygiene,’ and that the sleeping quarters were ‘unsuitable as they did not allow for rest due to the early dawn in Sweden and the lack of blinds or roller shutters.’

The group also hit back at claims from the organisers that the contestants acted unprofessionally, accusing them of drinking. 

‘Alcohol was provided by the Swedish Sex Federation and we have written correspondence confirming that there was a so-called ‘party night’ included in the competition program,’ they said.

In a statement published by The Daily Star, the Swedish Sex Federation admitted that the situation was ‘not good’ and hit out at the contestants.

‘They all enjoyed all those popularity and took advantage of our organisation to promote themselves and now they ask for something that is not possible to fulfil.

‘We are really devastated with the current situation and we do not have any idea how this will end,’ the statement sad.

Organiser Bratic told the publication that the performers were not invited as porn actors, but as ‘contestants in the First European Sex Championship’ and accused them of not acting like professional athletes.

‘They ignored the rules of the competition and the Swedish Sex Federation and behaved unprofessionally and to the detriment of the federation,’ he said.

‘They even brought alcohol to the house and they did not act like sportsmen at all. All contestants are therefore disqualified from the competition.’

He bemoaned to The Star that none brought flags of their countries (except for Croatia), and that his organisation had to purchase them.

MailOnline has reached out to the Swedish Sex Federation for comment, but is yet to receive a response as of 3pm, June 16.

The House of Representatives has moved to adjourn on Wednesday night, with Republicans still divided over who the new Speaker will be.

New and old members have yet to be sworn in for a second day in a row in a situation that is unprecedented in modern US political history. 

The chamber floor devolved into chaos soon after members returned from a brief break, as Democrats and Republicans attempted to out-scream each other during a voice vote on whether to call it a night. 

Embattled House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters earlier in the evening that he wanted to end today’s session to allow for more negotiations after 20 members of his caucus derailed his bid for the gavel.

But Democrats appeared ready to stay on the floor and drag McCarthy’s potential political demise out in public. 

House Democrats’ new No. 3 Rep. Pete Aguilar called for individual votes to be cast after the voice vote proved inconclusive, and it came down to the wire.

All eyes were on the Republican McCarthy critics to see if they would join Democrats in dragging out the night. 

At one point, DailyMail.com observed progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in an intense conversation with conservatives like Matt Gaetz and Paul Gosar.

But in the end, she was one of the Democrats hollering for the House clerk to allow more time for their members to race onto the floor and cast their votes. 

In the end, the move to adjourn narrowly won out – to the tune of claps from the GOP side. 

Just five Republicans voted with the Democrats to keep the night going: Reps. Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz and Bob Good.

It came after six rounds of voting – three on Tuesday and three on Wednesday – where the GOP failed to coalesce around a new leader. It’s setting their new House majority off to a rocky start. 

The chamber briefly adjourned earlier on Wednesday afternoon until later the same evening, with McCarthy holding a crisis meeting in incoming Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office in between.

Many of McCarthy’s detractors who emerged from the meeting were hesitant to give details about it, with GOP Rep. Ralph Norman only telling reporters they ‘listened’ to the flailing GOP Leader’s pitch.

Conservative Rep. Scott Perry, another McCarthy critic, called the meeting ‘productive’ but said there was still ‘a lot to be done.’

But Gaetz and Boebert had not been moved. Gaetz emerged from the meeting telling reporters McCarthy was dealing ‘in bad faith’ and both said they remained firm ‘no’ votes.

McCarthy told reporters when he emerged that he did not believe further votes on Wednesday night were ‘productive.’

‘I don’t think a vote tonight does any difference but I think a vote in the future will,’ he said, adding that he felt no ill will toward his detractors. 

It has been almost 48 hours since Kevin McCarthy was first nominated by his party, yet  the rebels in his party branded the ‘Taliban 20′ have ensured that the Speaker chair is still empty in farcical scenes that President Joe Biden has said are an ’embarrassment’ on the world stage. 

McCarthy has so far failed to secure the 218 votes needed to officially take the gavel from Nancy Pelosi in each of the six rounds that have been dominated by infighting and disarray.

When nominating Florida Rep. Byron Donalds as an alternative to McCarthy, Boebert urged Donald Trump to call the Leader and tell him to withdraw.

The ex-president reaffirmed his endorsement for McCarthy earlier the same morning. 

Florida GOP Rep. Kat Cammack said it was clear Democrats were relishing in Republican division by the ‘popcorn, blankets and alcohol’ they were bringing to votes as she made her pitch for McCarthy’s sixth Speaker bid. 

Cammack acknowledged the ‘Groundhog Day’ feeling on the House floor as she nominated McCarthy for Speaker for the sixth ballot. 

‘They want us to fight each other — that much has been made clear by the popcorn, and blankets, and alcohol that is coming over there,’ Cammack said. 

Democrats erupted over the remark, shouting at the House Clerk to strike it from the record. ‘Take down her words!’ some shouted, as others demanded an apology. 

‘If only! If Dems took a shot every time McCarthy lost a Republican, we’d all be unconscious by now,’ Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter. 

Democrats posted photos on Twitter of tins of popcorn they were bringing to the cloakroom as they watched chaos unfold among their colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Over the course of six ballots, McCarthy has gone from losing 19 to losing 21 Republican votes. He can only lose four to win the speaker’s bid.  

The chamber became rowdier as votes dragged on. Later in Cammack’s address she asked her colleagues, ‘Are we the party of Reagan?’ Democrats shouted back in unison ‘NO!’ 

Later, Perry took to the microphone to nominate Donalds for Speaker a third time. ‘This is not about personalities!’ he insisted to Democratic guffaws. 

He went into a lengthy diatribe on how the first black U.S. lawmakers were Republicans and the GOP was the party of Lincoln as a Democrat shouted, ‘Who are you nominating!’  

Boebert said her ‘favorite president’ Donald Trump should call GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and tell him ‘it’s time to withdraw’ after the House failed to make the California Republican its Speaker despite five rounds of voting. 

The Colorado Republican noted that Trump had been calling McCarthy’s opposition and telling them to change their vote. 

‘I think it actually needs to be reversed. The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, sir, you do not have the votes and it’s time to withdraw,’ she said at the start of the fifth vote. 

On the fourth ballot McCarthy lost yet another vote, with 20 Republicans voting against him and one voting present. On the fifth ballot there was no movement, with the exact same vote count as the fourth.  

While McCarthy needs a majority of the House votes to become Speaker – he doesn’t yet even have a plurality – Jeffries got 212 votes on the fourth and fifth rounds, McCarthy received 201. 

Twenty Republicans voted for Donalds, including the Florida Republican himself.

One Republican, Rep. Victoria Spartz, switched her vote from McCarthy to ‘present’ on the second and third rounds Wednesday.

She said in a statement she switched her vote to present because she wanted the conference to step back and deliberate. 

‘We have to deliberate further as a Republican conference until we have enough votes and stop wasting everyone’s time,’ the Indiana Republican said. 

Spartz said she’s ‘still supporting’ McCarthy and refused to answer reporters’ questions on whether she supported a new candidate is needed.  

The stinging loss came after Trump issued a last-minute warning on Truth Social imploring Republicans not to let a ‘great triumph’ turn into an ’embarrassing defeat’ by failing to vote McCarthy Speaker. 

Donalds told reporters  he does not even want to be speaker – he just thinks McCarthy needs to re-evaluate. 

‘Like, actually not, I really never came here to try to be leadership,’ he said. 

Donalds told DailyMail.com he spoke with Trump this morning, but he paid no mind to the former president’s warnings. 

‘The members are going to decide this process. And you know, that’s, that’s no disrespect at all to President Trump. That’s just the reality of the House,’ he. said. 

One the second and third ballot the anti-McCarthy faction had united behind Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who is supportive of McCarthy, but now his name seems to be taken out of the running. On the first ballot, most had voted for Rep. Andy Biggs. 

Ahead of the vote Texas Rep. Chip Roy, a staunch McCarthy defector, was seen huddling with Jordan on the House floor. 

Donalds voted for himself in the race after voting for McCarthy in the first two ballots. On the third ballot of Tuesday he voted for Jordan, saying he realized McCarthy did not have the votes and needed to reevaluate. 

Nineteen Republicans voted against the California Republican in the first two ballots on Tuesday and 20 did so on a third ballot. The House voted to adjourn as it became clear no progress was being made. 

Rep. Mike Gallagher nominated McCarthy with a staunch defense of the Republican leader and a few jokes about needing popcorn to make it through the day’s chaos. ‘Gallagher for Speaker!’ Rep. Matt Gaetz shouted as Gallagher got a standing ovation during his speech.  

Roy received a standing ovation even from Democrats as he nominated Donalds for Speaker, noting it was the first time two black candidates had been nominated for Speaker in history. 

After the vote Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a McCarthy defender, took another shot at the ‘rebel’ faction of her party.  

‘We are on day 2 and the same Never Kevin group is now on their 3rd Speaker candidate. People are truly beginning to realize they have no plan, and they are sick and tired of ‘trust the plan’ that’s a complete secret and never produces results.’ 

As it becomes more clear the impasse is unlikely to break anytime soon, some have suggested McCarthy allies will soon try to negotiate a deal with Democrats. 

Even Rep. Alexandira Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., suggested to MSNBC McCarthy could try to do a deal with Democrats.  

‘If he chooses to approach the Democratic Caucus, then that would be a negotiation, in and of itself, for a potential coalition government. But, again, this is very much an unprecedented time.’ 

AOC also questioned whether a deal could include Democratic committee chairs and reiterated in an Instagram post that McCarthy should open talks across the aisle in order to secure the vote.

‘If this goes on, and on, and on, and the Republican Party has no Speaker nominee, something has got to give,’ she said. 

McCarthy can only afford to lose four Republican votes and become Speaker, if all Democrats vote for Jeffries. But if a number of Democrats switch their vote to ‘present’ he could win with fewer than 218 votes.  

McCarthy-allied Rep. Mike Rogers also suggested the GOP leader may have to do a deal with Democrats if the faction against him does not cave soon. 

‘There’s a whole host of things that would be beneficial to them in the minority, that a lot of us would find more palatable than dealing with a couple of amendments or something like that,’ Rogers said. ‘This very malleable, the universe of things that that are negotiable. And that’s a real Avenue.’ 

He likened the anti-McCarthy GOP faction to ‘terrorists.’  

‘You don’t negotiate with terrorists, whether they’re Islamic terrorists … or these people with, basically political gun. Kevin, you don’t negotiate those kinds of either legislative terrorists who have no problem killing the hostage,’ Rogers said.  

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, seemed less keen on the idea. 

‘I haven’t heard any offers or anything,’ he told DailyMail.com. ‘I just don’t know what they can offer that would be appealing to make Kevin McCarthy the Speaker.’

Rep. Ro Khanna said on Fox News he would consider voting for the ‘right Republican,’ with conditions, involving the debt ceiling and subpoena power.

‘I would consider the right Republican someone I could trust Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Gallagher, who actually spoke eloquently on the floor, David Joyce, but there needs to be two conditions,’ he said.