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As Kate smiles through royal crisis, how two rival courts are already taking shape

Team Sussex v Team Wales

SEE PAGES 8-9

CHILDREN ARE 'NOT SAFE' ON THE INTERNET

Stark warning as head of 'Britain's FBI' tells Mail there are now up to 900 reports of child abuse online EVERY day

EXCLUSIVE

By Rebecca Camber Crime and Security Editor

IT IS 'not safe' for children to go online, the head of the National Crime Agency has warned.

Graeme Biggar issued a stark message to parents amid rocketing reports of child abuse on social media and gaming platforms.

The head of Britain's FBI has spoken out as terrifying figures reveal up to 900 cases of suspected child sexual exploitation are flagged every day.

In a damning indictment, Mr Biggar said the country had 'already failed two generations of teenagers', adding 'enough is enough'.

His investigators are receiving an average of 400 reports a day regarding the abuse of British children – a fourfold increase in just seven years. While

Turn to Page 4

War veteran: PC Tom Clough, 38

OUR HEROES

Families pay tribute to officers killed in A66 smash

SEE PAGE 5

Football coach: PC Matt Blades, 37

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Page 2

Daily Mail, Monday, August 24, 2026

Weather

Go to: dailymail.co.uk/weather for UK and world's day forecast

Summary: Mild, sunny

UK TODAY: The morning begins mild and sunny with increasing warmth. By midday, clouds gather, leading to mostly cloudy skies. The evening remains mild with persistent cloud cover and moderate breezes. Max 24c.

Today's weather

	9am	12noon	3pm	6pm	9pm
London	17c	22c	22c	23c	18c
Plymouth	18c	21c	22c	23c	18c
Cardiff	17c	20c	23c	23c	20c
B'ham	18c	20c	22c	23c	18c
M'chester	16c	20c	21c	20c	17c
Newcastle	14c	18c	19c	17c	14c
Glasgow	13c	19c	20c	20c	17c
Aberdeen	15c	17c	18c	16c	14c
Belfast	14c	18c	20c	19c	15c

5 day forecast

	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
London	25c	27c	25c	22c	24c
Plymouth	23c	22c	22c	22c	21c
Cardiff	24c	25c	23c	22c	21c
B'ham	24c	24c	23c	21c	21c
M'chester	23c	23c	22c	20c	19c
Newcastle	18c	20c	20c	20c	20c
Glasgow	20c	21c	21c	18c	17c
Aberdeen	17c	19c	18c	18c	18c
Belfast	19c	20c	20c	18c	17c

Europe forecast

	Daily	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	1
Amsterdam	Oct 22	22	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22
Brussels	Jan 25	25	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25
Hong Kong	Jan 25	25	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25
Newcastle	May 18	18	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18
Glasgow	Nov 25	25	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25

Around the world yesterday

	weather	£	£	weather	£	£	weather	£	£
Algiers	Fair	32.50		Florence	Sunny	31.00		New Delhi	Sunny	27.38
Amsterdam	Cloudy	19.00		Geneva	Sunny	22.75		New York	Cloudy	23.73
Alberta	Sunny	34.50		Gibraltar	Sunny	25.17		Wice	Sunny	24.82
Auckland	Showers	17.50		Germany	Sunny	22.75		Oslo	Sunny	19.66
Antwerp	Sunny	44.10		Holland	Driving	15.00		Palma	Sunny	23.38
Barcelona	Sunny	29.84		Hong Kong	Fair	31.00		Paris	Sunny	22.72
Basra	Sunny	47.50		Brentford	Fair	22.75		Perth	Sunny	20.68
Beijing	Thunder	32.50		Istanbul	Sunny	26.75		Prague	Fair	18.64
Beirut	Sunny	30.00		Jersey	Sunny	22.75		Rhodes	Sunny	19.08
Belfast	Cloudy	18.64		Geneva	Sunny	25.00		Riga	Thunder	16.38
Belgrade	Fair	20.50		Leichstrasse	Sunny	27.50		Rome	Sunny	22.00
Berlin	Showers	17.50		Dublin	Thunder	21.75		Singapore	Sunny	22.90
Brentford	Sunny	32.50		London	Fair	22.75		Shenzhen	Showers	21.70
Bridgway	Sunny	22.75		Los Angeles	Fair	27.50		Shinagawa	Sunny	23.73
Brussels	Fair	18.64		Lionel	Sunny	30.00		Sydney	Fair	20.68
Buckland	Sunny	30.00		Madrid	Fair	29.64		Saigon	Sunny	25.17
Bodega	Sunny	25.17		Melbourne	Sunny	29.00		Toronto	Sunny	22.90
Cairo	Sunny	32.50		Malaya	Sunny	34.00		Toronto	Sunny	24.82
Cape Town	Sunny	30.00		Melbourne City	Thunder	22.75		Toronto	Cloudy	24.78
Casablanca	Sunny	26.75		Makati	Sunny	34.00		Toronto	Sunny	27.90
Copenhagen	Fair	17.50		Milan	Sunny	27.50		Manchester	Fair	21.70
Corby	Sunny	34.50		Montreal	Sunny	29.77		Moscow	Sunny	24.82
Dobel	Fair	18.64		Moscow	Sunny	19.00		Vienna	Fair	24.73
Dobles	Fair	17.50		Montreal	Thunder	31.00		Warsaw	Cloudy	18.64
Edinburgh	Sunny	29.84		Montreal	Cloudy	23.73		Washington	Sunny	16.38
Faro	Fair	24.75		Nairobi	Cloudy	23.73

Moon and Sun M$^{2}$/km: min 4.4/km, max 1.8/km Sun class London: 6.00km, min 3.0/km Manchester class 6.00km, min 3.0/km WGN 7000, London Bridge: 11.54km Liverpool: 9.9/km

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Kemi: I want a Tory victory not a monstrous coalition with Reform

KEMI Badenoch has described the prospect of a coalition government with Reform UK as 'monstrous'.

The Tory leader said electors who left her party for Nigel Parage's are 'some of the most dishonest people' she has met. She insisted she would rather go back to the country and have another election if there was a hung Parliament at the next general election than form a coalition with Reform.

Speaking at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, she said: 'Reform has people who left the Conservative Party, some of the most dishonest people I have ever met in my entire life.' Defectors to

Daily Mail Reporter

Reform include Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman and Danny Kruger.

She also warned 'the country is going to be in a pretty bad place' if the Conservative fail to form the next government – but insisted that she wanted to 'win on my own terms'.

Asked by host Iain Dale if not working with Reform could mean a possible Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition, Mrs Badenoch said: 'If we get a hung Parliament and people see that the parties can't form a government, you have another election.'

She insisted: 'What I want is a Con-

conservative government, not a monstrous Reform/Conservative hybrid.'

Hitting out at Reform's leader, Mrs Badenoch said: 'Nigel Parage dictates what he wants depending on what he had for breakfast that day. They are all over the place, they announce one policy, they forget it the next day.'

'How do I work with people like that when I am making carefully curated plans and taking a systems-based approach? How do you work with a man who has fallen out with every single person he has ever had to work with in every single party that he has started?'

'I have to win on my own terms.' Robert Hardman – Page 17

100,000 North Sea oil and gas jobs set to disappear by 2050

EXCLUSIVE

By Claire Ellicott Whitehall Editor

MORE than 100,000 jobs are set to vanish in the North Sea oil and gas sector over the next 25 years, according to Labour's own figures.

The loss will represent a fall of 80 per cent between 2024 – when the party won the election – and 2050.

Labour said in its manifesto it would ban new oil and gas licences and has continued with a windfall tax on the sector.

Freedom of Information requests made to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) showed that in 2024 there were 136,675 North Sea oil jobs, including direct and indirect.

By this year, it had fallen to 115,720. And by 2050 just 23,584 jobs will remain – a loss of 113,001, or 82.7 per cent.

The department's analysis suggests that every direct job in the industry provides a further 4.4 jobs in the supply chain across the country.

As early as 2030 a total of

Untapped: The Jackdaw gas field is set to be approved

54,268 jobs are predicted to have been lost, and by 2035 more than half the workforce will have lost their jobs with 77,783 posts gone.

It comes after reports that Andy Burnham is considering spending billions on new infrastructure to help the UK import foreign gas.

Ministers are said to be looking to acquire a ship to transport liquefied gas or a stockpile of natural gas to ensure supplies. But the

approach raises questions about why the Prime Minister has not yet made a decision over the UK's own oil and gas fields.

Ministers are expected to decide by next month whether two fields in Scotland – Rosebank and Jackdaw – can be drilled.

Rosebank is the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea and lies some 80 miles north-west of Shetland, while Jackdaw is about

150 miles east of Aberdeen. Reports suggest Mr Burnham will approve the Jackdaw site but not Rosebank.

Mr Burnham has previously said: 'We won't be able to stop using oil and gas for some time, that's just a fact.'

The question is whether we can accelerate use of it so that we pay for the transition, and one thing helps the other... whether that extraction can be the bridge to the clean energy future we need, and bring it forward.

But he faces opposition from his backbenchers who want him to pursue Net Zero goals, but also from those in Scotland who want to save the oil and gas industry.

Developers say approving the sites could support more than 3,500 jobs and generate more than 2,000,000.

The Conservatives, who uncovered the figures on job losses, have vowed to start drilling and overturn Labour's Net Zero agenda.

Claire Coutinho, the party's energy spokesman, said last night: 'It is complete economic insanity to shut down our own oil and gas industry when we'll need both for decades to come.'

'All we will be doing is importing more of what we need with higher emissions, and as we can see tens of thousands of livelihoods will be lost in the process.'

A DESNZ spokesman said: 'We are clear that oil and gas will continue to play an important role in our energy system for decades to come while we transition to clean power.'

Clarifications & corrections

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■ To report an inaccuracy, please email corrections@dailymail.co.uk.

To make a formal complaint go to www.dailymail.com/readereditor. You can also write to Readers' Editor, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 0HY or contact IPSO directly at ipso.co.uk

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Page 3

Shearing Haaland...

Viking football star swaps long locks for buzzcut

Kick-off: Ready for the crop

Game on: Time to be brave

Scissor kick: Half-way hair

Inspect a Norse: Fans watched clip of Haaland's makeover. Above: Shocked girlfriend Isabel

Saga: Still too long, Erling?

Thor blimey! The final result

Icon: His Viking look in World Cup

By Codie Bullen Senior Showbusiness Reporter

WITH his flowing blond locks, Erling Haaland always looked as if he'd be just as happy invading Northumberland in a Viking longship as playing football.

But no more, for the Manchester City striker has celebrated the start of the Premier League season with a buzzcut.

The 26-year-old Norwegian stunned his 15-6 million followers on X yesterday by posting a video of a stylist taking clippers to one of the most famous looks in sport – just in time for his club's match against Bournemouth.

The footage shows him sitting at home with his long hair draped over his shoulders. He then cov-

'Hand of God' ball nets £2.5m

THE football Diego Maradona palmed for his infamous Hand of God goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold for almost £2.5million.

The match referee Ali Bin Nasser took the Adidas Azteca ball immediately after Argentina's 2-1 victory and kept it in a cupboard at his home in Tunisia for decades.

A private collector has now paid

Daily Mail Reporter

£2,444,835 for the ball at an auction in Dallas. Mr Bin Nasser has said that his view of Maradona using his hand to score the goal, pictured, was obstructed.

The Argentinian player's second goal in the match is regarded by many as the best in World Cup history.

ers the camera with his hand – and moves it away to reveal his striking new style.

He captioned it, 'New season, new trim,' and later shared a series of photographs with the words: 'Short hair don't care.' His

girlfriend, Isabel Johansen, was clearly stunned to see the result.

Failing to hide her shock, she blurted out: 'Oh my God, I think I want to cry. I will wake up in the morning, like, 'Who's that?''

Haaland then showed off his

new appearance to his mates, FaceTiming Oasis star Noel Gallagher, footballers Jack Grealish and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, former Man City manager Pep Guardiola and his father.

'No way,' said Guardiola. 'You

are lucky you have hair!' Haaland's distinctive look was popular with fans on the terraces and on social media.

Former Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne revealed in 2023 that his children had become copycats, adding: 'Erling is a superstar. All three children have long hair.'

Haaland was even told by former Barcelona and Inter Milan star Ibrahimovic, who also has long hair, to keep his locks.

Last month, Haaland said: 'Zlatan – you know what he told me? Never cut your hair because the strength is in the hair.'

However, any fears fans might have had that yesterday's match against Bournemouth could have gone a bit Samson and Delilah thanks to their star player's new do were quashed when Manchester City won 2-1.

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Page 4

Gaffe: David Lammy

'Calamity Lammy' strikes again! He gave PM number of fake Trump aide

DAVID Lammy gave the Prime Minister the phone number of a fraudster pretending to be Donald Trump's chief of staff, it has emerged.

Andy Burnham was duped by an individual who posed as top White House aide Susie Wiles. The incident, which raised major security concerns, was the work

By Xantha Leatham

of a Russian cyber warfare unit called Centre 16, The Mail on Sunday reported yesterday.

"Now, it has emerged that former deputy PM Mr Lammy - nicknamed 'Calamity Lammy' after a series of gaffes - gave the number to Mr Burnham, believing it to be

genuine. 'David Lammy thought he was currying favour with the new PM by getting them the phone number of one of the most powerful people in Washington,' a source told the Sun on Sunday. 'It is a serious embarrassment.'

Mr Lammy was sacked from the Cabinet when Mr Burnham became Prime Minister.

20m drivers to hit road on busiest ever bank holiday

DRIVERS are being warned to expect 'Frantic Friday' and the busiest bank holiday weekend on UK roads ever recorded by the RAC.

The motoring organisation said some 20million leisure car journeys will be made between Friday and Monday, the highest number since it started analysing drivers' summer bank holiday travel plans in 2013.

It predicts 4.1million getaways on Friday, followed by 3.8million on Saturday, 3.1million on Sunday and 3.4million on Monday.

A further 5.5million journeys will be spread across the four-day period, with many motorists unsure which day they will hit

'Set off before 10am if you can'

the road. But the RAC survey of nearly 3,000 drivers shows 13 per cent have scrapped bank holiday plans because of higher pump prices caused by the war in Iran. Filling a 55-litre family car with petrol costs about £89, compared with £74 a year ago.

The RAC's Harriet Hernando advised: 'Think about setting off before 10am if you can. Also, people should be prepared, in case they get caught in a traffic jam, by carrying plenty of water.'

Network Rail is doing less engineering work than usual for a bank holiday weekend, but the East Coast main line will be closed between London King's Cross and Peterborough on Sunday for digital signalling work.

Railway chaos after power cut

A MAJOR train operator cancelled almost all of its services yesterday after a power cut.

CrossCountry, ranked Britain's worst rail operator, said 'services across almost all routes' had been withdrawn.

The power cut shut down the operator's main control centre in Birmingham, with services between Manchester and Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Newcastle and York, and Bristol and Cardiff all halted.

One route ran a 'near normal' service between Peterborough and Stansted. CrossCountry said it will run a 'full service' today.

'As a society, we need to be horrified by this'

Continued from Page One

the majority of threats come from adults, some of the pictures and videos will be posted by fellow teenagers who the victims may consider their friends.

As millions of parents are considering whether to buy their children smartphones ahead of the school year starting next month, the crime agency boss said he wanted to send a message to families.

Mr Biggar said: 'We would prefer children to be able to participate online safely and reap the benefits it provides. At the moment, they cannot. The online environment in its current form is not safe for children.'

'Enough is enough. We have already failed two generations of teenagers by abandoning them to the dangers of social media without any form of safety net. The longer we wait, the slower we go, the more children we fail.'

The reports include instances of child pornography and predators enticing children to carry out sexual acts or sending them obscene material. Other material flagged includes suspected sexual molestation and child sexual trafficking.

The breakdown of suspected abuse includes around 75 child abuse images on Instagram and 100 on Snapchat daily.

There has also been a surge in child abuse material on computer game platforms, popular with children. The NCA receives around 25 child abuse reports a day from Roblox, an online platform where users can play games and create their own games but also has chat features.

Discord, an instant messaging platform designed for gaming, reports around 50 suspicious incidents a day. In addition, Google and X are each reporting an average of 25 images posted a

Speaking out: Graeme Biggar, the head of Britain's FBI

day where a British child may have been harmed.

Mr Biggar has released the alarming breakdown of child abuse reports for the first time because he believes it should represent a turning point.

Investigators are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of reports, with the figure rocketing to 900 a

'Enough is enough'

day on some occasions. In comparison, there were an average of 840 reports a week in 2022.

The true scale of abuse is likely to be even higher as these incidents are only those detected by the tech companies themselves.

On some social media platforms which have implemented end-to-end encryption, tech giants have 'blinded' themselves to the

scale of the problem as they can no longer view users' messages, Mr Biggar said. He believes that Facebook is putting lives in danger after its decision to encrypt messages led to a 50 per cent drop in child sexual abuse being reported on its platform.

He added: 'We assess there are between 710,000 and 840,000 adults in the UK who pose some degree of sexual risk to children.'

'Last year we received 92,000 reports of potential child abuse activity online from tech companies - a fourfold increase in the last seven years.'

'And it continues to grow. Last month we received over 12,000. That is over 400 a day. Every day.'

'And the referrals we are receiving are not only increasing in number but also in severity; they involve younger and younger children, and we are increasingly seeing children offending as well as being victims. These are big

numbers, but behind each one is an individual child, for whom this abuse can be life changing.'

Social media firms report abuse detected on their systems to a global crime reporting system based in the US, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, which passes on information about British victims to the NCA. After analysing the intelligence, the NCA identifies high-risk and urgent cases, aiming to get the information to local police within a day. Last year the NCA and police arrested 1,000 offenders and safeguarded 1,200 children each month.

Mr Biggar's warning comes as Meta faces a landmark US trial brought by 29 states alleging that Facebook and Instagram were designed to be addictive to children and that the company collected minors' data unlawfully.

The NCA director-general told the Daily Mail: 'We need to call out the scale of the problem here.'

'We need to be collectively horrified by it and we need as a society to address it. We will absolutely do our part in law enforcement, but we have to raise the alarm on the scale of this happening.'

A Meta spokesman said: 'In 2020, we removed over 36million pieces of child sexual exploitation content from Facebook and Instagram, over 94 per cent of which we found proactively before it was reported to us.'

Discord said: 'Our safety systems combine advanced technology and human-led investigations, alongside user reports to help identify accounts or spaces engaged in harmful activity.'

Comment - Page 16

Ministers met Big Tech 200 times in two years

LABOUR was accused of being too close to Big Tech last night as it emerged ministers had more than 200 meetings with Silicon Valley firms in less than two years.

Officials logged one meeting almost every two working days on average with just five companies - Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft.

This was double the number of meetings of the full Cabinet, which usually convenes just once a week while Parliament is sitting.

In total, there were 202 meetings with the five Big Tech companies or firms owned by them between July 2024, when Labour won the last election, and March this year.

The official who racked up the most was Peter Kyle, who had 40 meetings involving the

EXCLUSIVE

By David Churchill

Silicon Valley giants - mostly between July 2024 and 2025 - in his then-capacity as technology and business secretary.

According to official logs, among the gatherings he attended was a 'Q&A fireside chat to discuss the importance of diversity in tech landscape' hosted by Google, and a 'visit to Apple's HQ and showcase [of] their technology'.

The meetings took place under former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who held an 'informal engagement at No.10 prior to the International Investment Summit' for Big Tech bosses.

While several of the meetings were listed as

talks about investing in Britain, critics said the sheer number suggested ministers were going out of their way to copy up to Big Tech at the expense of smaller UK businesses.

They also pointed out that UK firms often struggle to catch the ear of ministers to the same extent and raised fresh concerns that they were pushing Big Tech's agenda.

Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, set up by the father of teenager Molly, who took her own life after being bombarded by suicide content online, said: 'Keir Starmer operated an open-door policy for Big Tech firms but slammed the door shut for civil society groups and online safety campaigners.'

A Government spokesman said: 'Engaging with tech companies is part and parcel of our work delivering growth in every postcode.'

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Page 5

Dead: Makai Saddington, Cole Worthy, Theo Rae, Jacob Matusiak and Michael Cahill were in a car on the wrong side of the road before the head-on crash

Tributes to a PC 'loved beyond words' and hero ex-soldier who was 'always on public duty'

By Richard Marsden, Kevin Donald and Aidan Radnedge

THE families of two policemen killed by 'joyriders' have paid tribute to their 'superheroes'.

PC Matt Blades, 37, and colleague PC Tom Clough, 38, died in a horrific crash with a Volkswagen Passat being driven the wrong way down the A66 in Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday. Five people in the other car were also killed.

Last night, relatives of both officers shared heartbreaking messages about the 'devoted' husbands and fathers.

Sarah, the wife of PC Blades, described him as 'my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys'. She added: 'He was an adored son and brother, a perfect son-in-law, and the most fun uncle. He was loved beyond words by all his family and friends, and his loss has left a space that can never be filled.'

While he gave his life in the line of duty, she said his 'greatest legacy will always be the love he gave to his family.'

She added: 'The pain of losing him is beyond words, and our lives will never be the

'The pain of losing him is beyond words'

same. Neither will the love he gave us ever fade... Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever our superhero. Our Matt and Dad.'

PC Clough is understood to have been a soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming a police officer with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, British Transport Police and later Cleveland Police.

His family said: 'He was our hero with a fantastic of humour, jumped into action whenever needed, and was willing to help anyone for any reason.'

They added that he 'proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place' and was 'always on public duty throughout his short life'. 'We as a family and Tom's partner would like to express our sincere gratitude for the overwhelming support and condolences from friends, colleagues and the wider community.'

Friends of the former soldier described him as a 'genuine, caring, decent man'.

PC Blades, a father of two, was a football coach who had been looking forward to coaching young players, including one of his sons, Seaton Carew Football Club, which he had recently joined as an Under-7s coach, said

Course and dedication: Tom Clough, left, and Matt Blades were killed by 'joyriders'

his loss was 'heartbreaking', while Hartlepool PC has lost 'a much-loved member' of its family.

Those travelling in the Volkswagen were yesterday named as Michael Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Worthy, 17, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18. Both officers and the five men in the Passat, which was believed to be using cloned plates, were declared dead at the scene. Officers in another police vehicle

had earlier been pursuing the 'joyriders' for seven minutes before aborting the chase when the VW turned on to the A66, the force revealed yesterday.

Just ten seconds later, the Passat crashed into the police car, which had not been involved in the pursuit.

PC Blades and PC Clough were driving through the area only by chance - and were on the correct side of the dual carriageway.

Last night, it emerged that Saddington had posted a string of TikTok videos appearing to show him taking part in high-speed police chases.

In one clip, filmed in May by a passenger and set to rap music, the 18-year-old is seen in an Audi being driven at speed through a housing estate with a police car's blue lights flashing in pursuit.

The videos reflect a trend of young men filming themselves

being pursued by police and posting the clips on social media in pursuit of views and likes.

Saturday's crash came just days after five teenagers died in a head-on collision on a motorway in Ireland. The masked youngsters were in a stolen BMW travelling the wrong way down the M9 in County Kildare.

Saddington, of no fixed address, was recently charged with assaulting a Sergeant Rooker of Cleveland Police and causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to a PC Chowdhury.

Saddington made his first appearance before the bench at Teesside magistrates on July 17 and the matter was adjourned.

It is understood he and his companions had close links to the travelling community.

Yesterday, police officers laid floral tributes to their colleagues at the scene cordon, removing their hats and bowing their heads.

A Go Fund Me appeal launched

'He was willing to help anyone'

by Cleveland Police Federation yesterday received over £100,000 of donations within hours.

The federation said: 'PC Matt Blades and PC Tom Clough were both dedicated and committed police officers who left their families and went to work to serve their community and protect the public. They paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.'

'They did not return home to their families. They leave behind heartbroken loved ones who will struggle to come to terms with the loss of their loved one.'

'Any funds raised will be split equally between their two families to be used as they so wish.'

Investigations into the tragedy continue by Cleveland Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct, due to the earlier brief pursuit.

A series of online tributes were left to the young men who died in the crash, two of whom are being 'remembered' with balloon releases and one with fireworks.

Comment - Page 16

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Page 6

vi

PM gives mayors power to block council decisions

By James Tapsfield

MAYORS are to get the power to overrule councils and give major housing developments the green light – or block them.

Under Andy Burnham's plans for greater devolution, mayors will be able to 'call in' decisions made by local authorities – and even give upfront planning permission so developers do not have to apply for it.

Labour is not expected to meet its manifesto pledge to build 1.5million homes in England over

'A direct attack on communities'

five years, and critics fear objections by residents to new developments will be ignored.

The proposals will initially apply to developments of more than 150 homes, commercial spaces of more than 15,000 square metres or any building of at least 30 metres, which is roughly ten storeys.

Ten of the country's 14 devolved mayors have backed the move.

Face in the crowd: The PM watches Everton on Saturday with ex-footballer Peter Reid

London mayor Sadiq Khan was given the powers this year in an 'emergency measure' designed to unblock dozens of stalled projects and get thousands more affordable homes built.

Mr Burnham acknowledged in an interview with The Sunday Times that the change removed power from councillors, MPs and local people.

But he said: 'Sometimes... challenge does need to be made to local decision-making, and

actually it cuts both ways. It's not all about nimbysm.

'Sometimes it's the other way round – a local authority putting forward something that's unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community. So it's a two-way street.'

Mayoral decisions must be in line with planning rules, local plans set out for areas and the national policy. Ministers will retain a backstop power to intervene. Mayors will also get

more of a say on how national housing funding from Homes England will be spent in their areas, and they will be able to charge a levy on development to fund major infrastructure.

A consultation on the proposals is due to be unveiled soon.

The Lib Dems said the move would silence residents.

Gideon Amos, the party's housing and planning spokesman, said: 'Taking powers away from communities and local council-

lors is taking powers away from local people. This plan is a direct attack on communities across the country.

'Labour's chaotic patchwork approach to devolution will simply not solve the housing crisis.'

'Instead of silencing residents and handling mayors a blank cheque, the Government should be empowering local councils with the resources to deliver genuinely affordable homes alongside the infrastructure to support them.'

COMMENTARY By Geoffrey Lean

SINCE Andy Burnham walked into No10, he has made much of his determination to devolve power to the regions. Indeed, he has called his plan to transfer a raft of decision-making powers away from Westminster and Whitehall the 'biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen'.

But yesterday's revelation that he plans to give regional mayors the ability to over-rule councils and force through planning approval for housing estates and tower blocks is not an extension of local democracy but the exact opposite.

The victims of this shameless power grab will, of course, be the residents of our villages, towns and cities who will have no power to object effectively to sprawling housing estates and the sort of ugly edifices the King once described as 'monstrous carbuncles' being built in their neighbourhoods.

This initiative contradicts the PM's pledge to 'bring power home' and is just the latest step in the authoritarian and mendacious planning campaign Labour has been waging since winning the general election just over two years ago.

Under the new proposals, mayors will be able to direct local authorities to approve developments of more than 150 homes, commercial spaces above 15,000 square metres, and any building of about ten storeys or more.

And they will also be empowered to give their own upfront permissions for schemes so that developers will not even need to apply to councils for the right to start building. Since ten of the 14 metro

This may look like local democracy in action – but it's the exact opposite

mayors are Labour they may well be used to rubber-stamp central government policy. And if they should fail to toe the line, ministers will retain the power to impose their own decisions anyway.

The scheme will add another layer of bureaucracy to the planning process at a time when the country is already very short of planning officers, and may well do little to achieve the Government's arbitrary target of building 1.5million new homes within five years.

London mayor Sadiq Khan already has similar powers, but instead of rising the rate of housebuilding in the capital has been falling.

And Mr Burnham's latest proposal is only the latest in a string of anti-democratic interventions.

Just last week the Government directed councils to give a default 'yes' to housing near railway stations, even in the Green

Belt, as part of its unparalleled assault on supposedly protected countryside.

Nearly nine out of ten Britons oppose building in the Green Belt – the cherished, health-giving 'countryside next door' for 30million people – so the 2024 Labour manifesto said it would be 'committed to preserving' it and pledged not to change its purpose and general extent.

It did propose developing odd bits of 'lower-quality' protected land, dubbed 'grey belt', but ministers consistently indicated that the land concerned would consist of eyesores such as old car parks and disused petrol stations.

That, as we now know, was more barefaced deceit.

In practice, vast areas of pristine, hitherto protected land are being classified as 'grey belt' an area bigger than the whole of Surrey is authoritatively expected to be opened to development. The truth is

that just about every developer who wants to build on the Green Belt is claiming that its site should become 'grey belt' – and the Government usually agrees. Mainly as a result, the size of the area being developed around London more than doubled last year.

Scandalously, such devastation is entirely unnecessary, even to meet the Government's target.

Housebuilders are already sitting on land with planning permission for 1.4million homes. As an unpublished government report admitted in 2024, nearly half the dwellings given permission over the previous decade had never been built.

And the tendency of successive governments to over-promise and under-deliver when it comes to housebuilding shows no sign of changing.

As the housing minister Matthew Pennycook said the other day, the five-year target is 'really stretching'. After more than two years, the Government is only a quarter of the way there.

This, however, is not for lack of dictatorial moves by this Labour administration. Sir Keir Starmer vowed to 'knock down those standing in the way' of his plans.

And ministers are amending the requirement for Sports England to be consulted on planning applications after it managed to block 90 per cent of almost 400 plans to build on playing fields, and they restricted the public's right to take decisions to a judicial review.

Meanwhile, they have instructed the Environment Agency to wave plans through while they slash protection for wildlife, nature and the landscape from development.

Labour is vulnerable. Its MPs now represent more than half of the constituencies containing Green Belt land and their voters are getting angry.

Mr Burnham may end up reaping a whirlwind.

Reform: We'll put British workers at top of the list for social housing

REFORM UK has vowed to put British-born workers at the front of the queue for council housing if it gets into power.

Nigel Farage's party said it would give priority to employed British nationals, working married couples under 25 with children and military veterans.

Reform has already said it would evict foreign-born nationals from social housing to free up around 540,000 homes, while it says of the 1.3 million on waiting lists, 15 per cent are foreign-born.

The party's deputy leader Richard Tice

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v

Page 7

RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL PRINCE

Smiles from Kate after 'Balmoral summit'

Stylish: The Queen wears green in car with Charles

Tradition: William drives Kate, Charlotte and George to church near the Balmoral estate yesterday

FOR a family 'blindsided' by Prince Harry's bombshell news last week, the Prince and Princess of Wales looked cheery and relaxed on the way to church yesterday.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte were visible in the back seat of the car as William drove to the small Crathie Kirk near Balmoral and Kate gave a warm smile.

The King and an elegant Queen Camilla were also in attendance after a royal 'summit' at the Scottish retreat. Other members of the family

By Aidan Radnedge

at the service in the Highlands were Princess Anne, her husband Sir Timothy Laurence and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward.

William and Kate have not reacted publicly to the news of Harry and Meghan's imminent return to the UK after six years in America.

It has been reported the Royal Family were planning a meeting to discuss the Sussexes, although officials have stressed the gathering was in keeping with a long-standing annual tradition

of extended family members staying at the castle during the summer. Charles arrived on Tuesday.

Prince William and Kate are there with George, 13, Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight. Zara and Mike Tindall were spotted, along with Peter Phillips and his new wife Harriet.

A source close to the Sussexes revealed last week that Harry and Meghan's children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, have been enrolled at British schools for this September.

It is thought they will live at a non-royal residence outside London.

By Andrew Levy

THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be allowed limited, temporary security as their relocation to the UK takes shape, former home secretary David Blunkett said last night.

He said it could be upgraded or downgraded over time depending on the perceived level of threat.

Such a 'middle-ground' arrangement would involve one or two protection officers travelling with Harry and were 'perfectly reasonable' to offer on a temporary basis.

His comments came as the row over whether taxpayers should fund the couple's security arrangements - which could cost £5million a year - deepened last night.

Labour's Dame Emily Thornberry said Harry, 41, Meghan, 45, and their children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, 'deserved to be safe', while a Labour peer said they should pay for it themselves.

There was further confusion after a source close to the couple said their move to the UK could last for as little as six months.

A review is already thought to have been concluded by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which oversees security arrangements for key VIPs in Britain, with Prince Harry reportedly 'privately pleading' with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for the result.

Lord Blunkett told The Times: 'There are three areas of security... the fully blown, blacked-out back-up car with two or three close protection - one in the passenger car and the others in the back-up - on a 24-hour basis. There's then the mid-

Blunkett says Sussexes should get a 'limited' level of royal security

die ground... where you have one or two officers who travel with the principal, as they call it. The third is they get a driver with security training.

'The middle of that is a perfectly reasonable thing to offer for the time being, and then it could be reassessed in a couple of years.'

Dame Emily, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said:

'I would want to be reassured that his family are going to be safe. They deserve to be secure.

'He is the son of the King, he has made a big contribution to our country through public service - that puts him and his family at risk.' Fellow

Labour MP Mike Tapp, a former Home Office minister, said a 'clear-eyed assessment of the threat' was needed for decisions about security.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'He's the son of the sovereign and that means he has a very high public profile, more than most politicians who get security.'

But Labour peer Lord Foulkes, a minister under Tony Blair, said the Sussexes' security was a 'private matter and they should deal with it personally'. He added: 'They are wealthy people and I wouldn't have thought it is something that the taxpayer should be expected to pay for.'

Other non-working royals, such as Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie do not receive police protection.

Andy Burnham has said the couple's security was a 'private matter'.

A Home Office spokesman said last night that it did not discuss private security arrangements.

Going home: Harry at a US military cemetery last week

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Page 8

RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL PRINCE

Team Sussex

The arrival of Harry & Meghan will see royals,

THAS been six years since the Sussexes swapped Frogmore Cottage in Windsor for a self-imposed exile in Montecito.

In that time, Prince Harry has inevitably grown apart from his old Etonian chums and one-time Army Air Corps comrades.

But the prodigal son and his actress wife soon replaced them with a dazzling array of stateside celebrities including billionaire filmmaker Tyler Perry, dashing polo star Nacho Figueras and, of course, the celebrated TV presenter Oprah Winfrey. But which friends and supporters have the couple retained on this side of the pond?

In a bid to reassemble Team Sussex, it seems likely that they will first gravitate towards Harry's old friend Arthur Landon. Landon, 45, a former child actor, was once described as the wealthiest young man in Britain with a fortune of £200million. He is the son of a brigadier in the British Army – who went on to make a small fortune as the right-hand man of the ruler of oil-rich Oman – and an Austro-Hungarian princess.

Landon Jr's upbringing on the £30million Faccombe estate on the Hampshire-Berkshire border was anything but conventional. His father, who died in 2007 at the age of 64, is said to have travelled everywhere in two Range Rovers with blacked out windows escorted by motorcycle outriders and kept a private jet at the nearby Farnborough airport.

Though Landon went to the Catholic boarding school Ampleforth rather than Eton, he and Harry have known each other since they were schoolboys as their families moved in the same circles. And it was Landon who laid on a stag-do for Harry at the Jack Russell Inn, a pub on the Faccombe estate.

He is perfectly positioned to provide Harry and Meghan with the opportunity to soft launch their return to English high society by inviting them to the annual 'village fete' he hosts at Faccombe.

THE party, slated for August 31, is always a glitzy affair, attracting the likes of filmmaker Guy Ritchie – the man who was last week reported to have offered Meghan a route back into acting by casting her in his Netflix action comedy series The Gentlemen – and another of Harry's old friends singer James Blunt.

Indeed, Landon was one of the producers of James Blunt: One Brit Wonder, a 2023 documentary about the singer who made his name with You're Beautiful.

The Sussexes have stayed with Blunt at his Ibiza villa in recent years and no doubt will want to stay close to the hugely popular artist as they seek to rehabilitate their public image.

Another friend with a large estate who might provide the Sussexes with a country bothhole is the hereditary landowner Nicholas Johnston, who owns the 4,000-acre Great Tew Estate in the Cotswolds. There the Old Etonian Johnston,

Support James Blunt and aunt Lady Sarah McCorquodale.

Lloyd Friends have bye, a mine Landon, cousin Eugenie and Jack.

Family tier Diana's sister Lady Jane Fellowes.

Time: the Old Etonian Nicholas Johnston

by Fred Kelly

54, hosts the annual Cornbury Festival, nicknamed 'Poshtock' for its popularity among the 'Chipping Norton set', including former prime minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha. Then there is Mark 'Marko' Dyer, a former Welsh Guards Officer and equerry to the then Prince Charles, who became a 'second father' to the Royal Princes upon their mother's death.

After leaving the royal household, Dyer sold the chain of pubs he created with a business partner in 2017 and went on to acquire the Brook House pub and restaurant in Fulham, south-west London, and is believed to live in the area, too.

He is conveniently married to an American, Amanda, who has already extended an olive branch to Meghan, assuring her that the British quirks and customs she so notoriously loathes – including the practice of splitting up couples at dinner parties so they are forced to

speak to people other than their partner – can be overcome.

Then there are the friends whom the couple made godparents to their children and who will surely be welcoming the Sussexes back into the British fold.

They include Archie's godfather, the former Army officer Charlie van Straubenzee, and Harry's former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke (now Pettifer). Archie's godmother Tiggy lives in the Brecon Beacons with a fly-fishing fanatic of a husband who may just convince Harry to pick up a rod once again after Meghan allegedly put a stop to some of his country pursuits over animal cruelty concerns.

Then there are family connections. It is safe to assume that the couple won't be popping to William and Kate's for supper, or having tea with Uncle Andrew at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate. But Princess Eugenie and her

husband Jack remain close to the Sussexes, and the two couples have both bought holiday homes at the exclusive Costa Terra Golf and Ocean Club in Melides, south of Lisbon, in Portugal. Known as the 'European Hamptons', after the stretch of 'old money' seaside villages on Long Island, properties in this 722-acre community cost well into seven figures.

Harry also remains close to his maternal aunts, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale. Despite expressing reservations over Meghan, they came round once they got married and have supported the couple ever since.

BUT not everyone is back on speakers and we should spare a thought for the people who will not be on the Sussexes' Christmas card list later this year.

British financier Ben Goldsmith is an old friend of Harry's, while his sister Jemima was a close ally of Diana's. However, last year

Goldsmith took to social media to announce: 'Tragic, but true – Prince Harry's behaviour is unforgivable'. This was a reference to Harry's tirade against his family in a BBC interview after losing a legal battle over his demand for police protection in the UK.

Tom 'Skippy' Inskip was the man behind Harry's raucous Las Vegas trip in 2012 and the fellow Old Etonian is known to bring out Harry's boyish sense of humour. But they clashed after Tom's wife Lara fell out with Meghan over a petty squabble.

The final nail in the coffin came when Tom was not invited to Harry's wedding reception. He was furious to find that the likes of George Clooney got an invitation, even though – as the actor later admitted – he did not know the couple personally.

Perhaps the saddest truth of all is that many of Prince Harry's childhood friends are also close to Prince William and, with the brothers' feud still very much alive, many may conclude that it's in their best interests to side with the Heir rather than the Spare.

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Page 9

Team Wales

celebrities and aristos divide into rival courts

AN INVITATION to dinner at the Prince and Princess of Wales' Georgian mansion, Forest Lodge, in the grounds of Windsor Great Park, is a sure sign that the recipient is a highly valued member of William and Kate's inner circle.

But those in the know will tell you that it's a seat in the directors' box at Aston Villa to join William watching his favourite football team that shows you're a true friend of the heir to the throne.

No one is spotted with him at Villa Park more often than Thomas van Straubenzee, widely considered the Prince's 'best friend' and a godfather to Princess Charlotte.

The two men, who met at their Berkshire prep school, Ludgrove, even travel together to European away games - jaunts the Prince values as a way of letting off steam.

While Prince Harry was officially best man at William's wedding, he admitted in his bestselling memoir, Spare, that Thomas van Straubenzee was the 'real best man'. Despite the

Highly valued members of an inner circle

ongoing feud between William and his younger brother, it was Thomas that Harry jetted off to LA with in 2016, only to end up at a party at the home of Friends star Courtney Cox taking magic mushrooms. The two men remain in contact.

Van Straubenzee, who can trace his family history back to a 17th century Prussian brewer, is head of Knight Frank's Global Private Office, which advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals on their property portfolios. It would be no surprise if it emerged that Harry had sought his counsel ahead of his return to the UK.

Indeed, it is perhaps a sign of the trust in which he is held by William that Thomas is one of the few remaining bridges between the warring Royal brothers.

Another of William's closest friends is the Old Etonian James Meade, whose father Richard was a triple Olympic gold-medal equestrian rumoured to have once been very close indeed to Princess Anne.

James - who is also a godfather of Princess Charlotte - supported William and Kate's relationship from its early days, even consoling Catherine when she and William split up briefly in the spring of 2007.

In recent years, James's wife, Lady Laura - the daughter of the Earl of Romney - has formed a close bond with Catherine and was named godmother to the Royal couple's youngest son, Louis.

The Meades live near the Waleses' summer retreat, Anner

Cheerleaders: Laura Meade, the Duke of Westminster and the Beckhams

Camp Wales: Tennis ace Roger Federer and Kate's best friend Emilia Jardine-Paterson

Hall in Norfolk, and are members of the so-called 'Turnip Toffs', a group of green-fingered landed gentry in the east of England that also includes Kate's great friend and tennis partner Sophie Snuggs, godmother to Princess Charlotte.

Perhaps Kate's closest friend, however, is Emilia Jardine-Paterson. The girls met, aged 13, at Marlborough College and Emilia was named godmother to Prince George as well as being trusted with fabric choices for Anner Hall, a singular honour in royal circles.

Of course, no assessment of Team Wales is complete without the inclusion of the wider Middleton family who have been staunch supporters of Kate and William since their 2011 wedding.

Kate's mother Carole is known for taking on baby-sitting duties while the Royal couple get some well-deserved time to themselves.

And then there's the man who knows how to bring out William's more raucous side better than anyone else, nightclub impresario Guy Pelly. It was he who organised William's stag-do in 2011 and lives up to his nickname the 'court jester'.

He was, nevertheless, considered sufficiently trustworthy to be named a godfather to Prince Louis.

Every royal court needs allies, as well as friends. And the Waleses have forged relationships with some of the most powerful people in the land. One key confidant is Nicholas Coleridge, the former glossy magazine publisher who was appointed Provost of Eton College

The Middleton family provide staunch support

in 2024, where Prince George will begin his studies in September.

Coleridge is also patron of the King's Trust, courtesy of a connection to the Royal Family that dates back to his friendship with William's mother, Diana.

In his autobiography, The Glossy Years, Nicholas recalled

lunching with Diana, who was upset after topless pictures of her were published in a newspaper.

She even revealed that William had called her from Eton to say he'd been teased by schoolmates who considered her breasts 'too small'. Coleridge turned 'red as a guardsman's tunic' before offering the immortal response: 'Seem perfect to me.'

Another ally - who also happens to be a godfather to Prince George - is one of Britain's richest men, Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster. Hugh ascended to the Dukedom aged 25 and took control of the family's £9billion London property empire. In 2024, he married Olivia Henson who, like Kate, studied at Marlborough College and was a contemporary of Princess Eugenie's.

The fact that Hugh has been spotted at Villa Park with William would suggest he is a member of the inner sanctum.

Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, 66, is another godfather to Prince George and a long-time confidant of the House of Windsor, having served as a private secretary to

both Princes from 2005 to 2013. The Old Etonian and former SAS officer, who was an equerry to the Queen Mother in the 1980s and later served in the Gulf War, has since planted his flag firmly in the Waleses camp, once declaring of Prince William: 'I've got huge faith in him and his wife. He is clear-sighted; his moral compass is rusted due north'.

Of course, no contemporary Royal court is complete without its celebrity roster which - in the case of William and Kate - includes football royalty Sir David Beckham.

Beckham and William worked together on the bid to host the London 2012 Olympic Games but have since become friends.

The Waleses also count eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer as a family friend.

The tennis legend's four children enjoyed a playdate at Kensington Palace, though it's unclear whether they've been to Anner Hall, where the Waleses have installed a £60,000 astroturf tennis court. Of one thing we can be certain, Harry and Meghan will not be invited over for mixed doubles any time soon.

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Page 10

11

By Gabriel Millard-Clothier Political Reporter

TENS of thousands of migrants have used a post-Brexit visa scheme to settle here – despite it closing five years ago.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was last night urged to shut the route for good over fears it is 'riddled with abuse'.

The EU Settlement Scheme was set up to offer EU citizens the chance to live here after Britain left the EU in December 2020. It was officially closed on June 30, 2021. But the Home Office accepts 'late applications' and since that date 160,000 have won settled status here, with 54,000 family members joining them, bringing the total to 214,000. In the past 12 months, 66,000 new applicants gained residency in Britain through the scheme, five years after deadline. Suc-

214,000 migrants let into UK under scheme that shut five years ago

cessful applicants got access to benefits, the ability to bring over family members and free use of the NHS.

They can also get student loans on the same terms as those born in Britain. Last year, £4billion in loans went to foreign nationals. Tory MP Neil O'Brien said: 'The system is riddled with abuse. Clearly the Home Office is asleep at the wheel and

this is costing the taxpayer billions.' The number of applications is rising and non-EU citizens are applying as 'partners' of settled EU nationals. More than 50,000 visas have gone to Indians.

Critics have questioned how those who have been separated for at least five years can qualify as valid partners. Migrants discuss ways to game the

scheme on online forums from Bangladesh and Pakistan this paper has seen.

In multiple posts from this month on immigrationboards.com, migrants discuss rights for divorcees and how to use their marriages to get in. The Tories say it strongly suggests abuse of the scheme through 'sham marriages'.

Mr O'Brien said: 'It is indefensible that new grants to the scheme are rising. Ministers must answer urgent questions about why new claims are still being accepted, and close this loophole.'

He challenged Ms Mahmood on the nationality of applicants and why partner visas are accepted five years on. He added: 'It's not on for the Government to refuse to answer these questions.'

A Home Office spokesman said: 'EUSS applications overall are lower than they were this time last year.'

Mahmood is told to ignore party gripes over border crackdown

By Claire Ellicott Whitehall Editor

SHABANA Mahmood should ignore Labour backbenchers and press ahead with immigration reforms, former home secretary Alan Johnson has said.

The Labour grandee said there would always be 'kickback' – particularly over illegal immigration – but argued it was a 'very big issue for the public'.

His advice to the Home Secretary is from a series of interviews with 14 of those who have held the post in the past three decades.

The interviews, by the Policy Exchange think-tank, draws lessons from those who have held one of the great offices of state and their relationships with the police. Among the candid reflections are those from Mr Johnson, who held

'A very big issue for the public'

the post in 2009 under then-prime minister Gordon Brown.

In advice for Ms Mahmood, he said: 'Don't listen too much to your Labour colleagues – press ahead. When you're doing something that really needs to be done, particularly on illegal immigration, you always get a kickback, and she's got to carry on. The more she listens to her backbenchers, the worse it'll be, because it's a very big issue for the public.'

Ms Mahmood's attempts at reform have gone down badly with her party, but Andy Burnham chose to reappoint her to the role when he became Prime Minister.

Mr Johnson added: 'We need to have the right policies to address it [illegal immigration], or someone

Party grandee: Alan Johnson

else will. This is Shabana's main argument, 'If we don't do it there's a very, very different approach from a very different party and they'll end up in government'.

The Home Secretary has proposed reforms to the immigration system to make it less attractive to claim asylum in the UK and easier to remove failed asylum seekers.

Among the measures are proposals to double the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to ten years.

More than 100 Labour MPs privately wrote to her expressing strong concerns over the moves.

In another interview, Theresa May highlighted the controversy over Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans being banned from a match.

The decision caused outrage and claims police were caving in to anti-Semitism, and Ms Mahmood ordered an investigation.

Mrs May said: 'It's right that the police engage with particular communities, but they mustn't engage with particular communities to the exclusion of everybody else. And that's where there will be issues.'

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Page 11

Hairdresser, 42, with suspected endometriosis was found to have ruptured tumour that required NINE organs be removed in the...

'Mother of all surgeries'

Daily Mail Reporter

A WOMAN'S suspected endometriosis turned out to be a cancer so rare it required nine of her organs to be removed during 'the mother of all surgeries'.

Claire Gerring, 42, was referred to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with the suspected condition, where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere, after an ultrasound in November 2022 and was put on the waitlist in May 2023 for an investigative laparoscopy.

But after intense pain on her right side, a positive faecal immunochemical test – which looks for traces of blood in your stool – led to a colonoscopy.

Doctors discovered her appendix was inverted and a CT scan revealed she had malignant tissue on the organ and needed investigative surgery.

A biopsy in May 2025 confirmed she had stage four Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP) – a rare

'It's quite scary, but I'm lucky'

cancer that typically originates from a tumour in the appendix.

She was referred to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, one of only two hospitals that specialise in PMP.

The cancer in her appendix had ruptured, meaning there were other nodules in the rest of her body. In July 2025, Claire – mum to sons Oscar, 15, and Spencer, 14 – had a ten-hour operation to remove nine organs: her appendix, gallbladder, spleen, uterus, cervix and both ovaries and fallopian tubes.

She also had removed her greater omentum (a double layer of fatty tissue covering the lower abdominal area), belly button, peritoneum lining and part of her bowel. Her liver was also partially cut away, her diaphragm scraped and her bladder stripped.

After four and a half weeks in hospital, she was discharged and has been left with bowel problems, but now has no evidence of disease. She will be monitored for the next 20 years.

Claire, a hairdresser, from Wantage, Oxfordshire, says: 'I felt

Slow process: Claire Gerring is adjusting to life after the surgery, which left a large scar, above

really quite scared and quite alone after my diagnosis.

'When you've got a rare cancer and it's not something you've heard of before, there's not a lot of people to talk to about it.

'I was told by surgeons before my operation what they will remove. It's a lot to process. It's quite scary, but I'm lucky I had

professionals who knew what they were doing. It's called the mother of all surgeries because of the severity of it.'

She added: 'Recovery is a slow process... if you have your appendix out the recovery time is six to eight weeks. I'm still grateful, it's a small price to pay. Basically what they say is you're never

Rare condition: Claire after her life-changing ten-hour operation

back to your old self, you just get used to the new you.'

Now a year into her recovery, Claire's focus has turned to fund-raising for charity Pseudomyxoma Survivor, throwing a masked ball last month.

On the night, she said: 'I just feel my main purpose for doing this is raising awareness about

the rare cancer and Pseudomyxoma Survivor. I feel so passionate about giving back to this charity who stepped in and helped me at the point in life when it felt uncertain and alone.'

'They also support research and have recently given £100,000 towards a research project called 'The Beacon Project'. They are creating a blood test to detect the cancer and recurrence way before CTs can even pick it up.'

She has raised £16,002 through Just Giving and other events.

Maddy Lomas, trustee at Pseudomyxoma Survivor, says: 'We are incredibly touched by the effort and generosity behind this fund-raising event. What makes it even more special is that it has been organised by someone who knows first-hand what it means to face a diagnosis of PMP.'

'Having received support from Pseudomyxoma Survivor during her own journey, Claire has now turned that experience into an opportunity to give back and support others who are walking a similar path.'

'For a small charity, the £16,002 raised is incredibly significant and will have a lasting impact.'

'For a rare disease like PMP, every person who learns about the condition helps to increase understanding and could make a life-changing difference by helping someone recognise the signs, seek support, or feel less alone following their own diagnosis.'

£600,000 bill for heating homes of HMRC staff who WFH

GOVERNMENT employees have received more than £600,000 from the taxpayer to help cover utility bills while working from home, figures show.

Data released under the Freedom of Information Act shows that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) spending on the subsidy rose from £95,000 in 2022 to £211,000 in 2026, with more than £610,000 spent over the four financial years to

Daily Mail Reporter

April 2026. The payments are available only to contractual home workers.

HMRC said 5,259 employees, around 7 per cent of its 75,898-strong workforce, are designated as home workers.

As HMRC is only the third-largest government department, the total cost across Whitehall is likely to be much

higher: Mike Wood, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: 'It is astonishing that contractors working from home are having their heating bills covered by hard-pressed taxpayers.'

Danny Kruger, head of Reform UK's 'preparing for government' unit, described the scheme as a 'grotesque waste of taxpayer money'. While William Yarwood, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Contractors

already enjoy generous pay, pensions and flexible working, so subsidising their utilities adds insult to injury.'

A HMRC spokesman said: 'These payments only apply to about 7 per cent of our workforce who are contractual homeworkers whose designated workplace is their home. They are not available to staff working under HMRC's hybrid working arrangements.'

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Page 12

By Mark Nicol Diplomacy Editor

AN Iranian-led cyber attack that shut down a UK power plant for four days has been described as 'a new era of total warfare'.

The mysterious strike on the electricity facility demonstrated how Britain's enemies are able to sabotage this country's infrastructure, seemingly at will.

The attack is understood to have been the first time foreign hackers have successfully shut down such a site in the UK.

Last night Conservative MP Sir Iain Duman Smith said the Government was 'shockingly

'Cyber attackers backed by Tehran' shut down British power plant for four days

complacent' about the threat posed by states allied with China. He told the Daily Mail how Beijing provides the dual-use technology to Iran to sabotage

electricity and water supplies in Western countries. The UK facility - which has not been named for security reasons - was targeted last month as

part of a worldwide attack by 'Axis of Evil' states.

At the same time, multiple US energy infrastructure and water production sites were also targeted by hackers.

Sir Iain said: 'This incident is an indictment of the UK's cyber defences and of UK government policy. China is directing Iran's hand here, selecting targets and providing the means. Otherwise these attacks would be beyond Tehran's capability.'

'The UK Government's failure is to realise that, to the Chinese, they are at war with us, total war. That's why they're attacking our infrastructure.'

'But Britain won't call out China, and I very much doubt Prime

'Failure of epic proportions'

Minister Andy Burnham will in the aftermath of this incident, because we are convinced that our trade relationship with Beijing will generate economic growth.

'Instead, the Chinese are slowly taking us over, through technology, through its Axis of Evil alliance with states such as Iran and Russia. Disabling a UK power plant for four days represents a major step-up in intent and capability, it is a new age of warfare for which we are seemingly ill-prepared.'

The incident was reported to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Former military intelligence officer Philip Ingram warned that it had 'massive implications' for UK security.

He told the Daily Mail: 'This is a security failure of epic proportions.'

The more it is played down, the more serious it is likely to have been. Our power networks are connected and for any node to be successfully attacked and shut down is hugely significant for the rest of our critical national infrastructure.

The NCSC, a public-facing branch of the GCHQ spy agency, is responsible for advising UK industry about how to protect that infrastructure.

This incident, possibly the most potent to date, comes after foreign cyber attacks have brought down NHS systems, schools and commercial manufacturing facilities, including production lines at Jaguar Land Rover.

While attacks on the UK's energy infrastructure are commonplace, this is thought to have been the most successful.

It is understood the affected plant was relatively small and the outage had no impact on the UK's wider energy supply.

Dozens of small-scale power plants are connected to the UK grid. Some provide back-up when other supplies are compromised.

Last month numerous waste water treatment plants in the US were targeted in a suspected Iranian cyber attack, causing flooding and a loss of water pressure. Customers were warned to boil their water to prevent sickness.

A recent risk assessment conducted by the Cabinet Office put the chance of an Iranian or other foreign cyber attack being successful at up to 25 per cent.

Last night the Government said: 'The UK has a highly resilient energy system. We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and to ensure the highest security standards.'

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Burnham's in Kyiv as Russians rage at UK drone raids

ANDY Burnham will today visit Kyiv to show support for Ukraine after Russia threatened Britain following raids using UK drones.

The Prime Minister will take part in independence day celebrations and accept an award recognising the UK's support.

It follows the Kremlin warning of 'consequences' over UK drones being used by Ukraine to strike far into Russia. Moscow said the deeper Britain became involved, 'the higher price it will pay'.

Mr Burnham said: 'On Ukraine's 35th anniversary of independence, its people should be in no doubt: The UK is behind you.

'In the fight and the rebuilding to come, we stand with Ukraine. Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back

down till there is a lasting peace.' But Russia said relations with Britain are at 'an unprecedentedly low level' as it ordered its ambassador Andrey Kelin back to Moscow after seven years in post.

The use of British drones crossed a diplomatic red line for the Kremlin and Russian interests in the UK will be the responsibility of its charge d'affaires, Vasily Tsiganov. Russia maintains an embassy in London's Notting Hill.

Mr Kelin has accused the UK of choosing 'a path of confrontation' with Russia. The Kremlin added Britain seeks to escalate the crisis 'while hypocritically professing a desire for peace'.

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Page 13

What will they say in Rutshire? Rivals star Emily webs her beau

By Dominique Hines

HER on-screen relationship in Rivals might have been complicated. But Emily Atack finally had her real-life happy ending on Saturday as she wed her long-time partner.

The actress and Dr Alistair Garner, a scientist, married in a small ceremony in front of their family and friends.

The couple will have a second celebration in Spain in two weeks.

Ms Atack, who plays Sarah Stratton in the hit show based on Jilly Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles, looked stunning in a £2,325 Avenue by Josephine Scott dress, with statement sleeves and keyhole back. She also wore a

'It was absolutely perfect'

floor-length lace veil and bespoke Charlotte Mills shoes.

Dr Garner wore a dark suit with light brown shoes.

Posting several snaps, including one of the newlyweds raising a glass in front of a classic car, the actress, 36, wrote on Instagram: 'It was absolutely perfect. I can't believe we get to do all that again in a few weeks time. Christ, we have run don't we.'

The celebrations continued at their countryside home where a McDonald's van served McFlarries. In June Ms Atack, who also played Charlotte in The Inbe-

Statement dress: The actress

tweeners, joked she'd had 'enough rose to last a lifetime' during her hen weekend in Cannes. Her mother, comedian and former Eurovision singer Kate Robbins, let slip that they would tie the knot this year.

Dr Garner proposed in July 2025 in the Pyrenees, three years after they began dating in 2022. They have a two-year-old son, Barney.

A real kick: Emily Atack and Alistair Garner

'MANSION tax police' will be sent to homes to decide whether they should pay more under Labour plans.

Ministers have admitted that valuation agents will be able to carry out 'internal inspections' of homes to check if they are worth more than £2million.

Anyone who refuses a visit from the HMRC inspectors would be committing a criminal offence, punishable by a fine of up to £200.

The Tories described the move as a 'sinister assault on civil liberties' after uncovering the plan, which will hit London and the South-East hardest.

At last year's Budget, then chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a 'mansion tax' on homes worth more than £2million. Under the plans, owners of high-value properties would be subject to an extra levy of between £2,500 and £7,500 a year.

HMRC agents will use third-party data and publicly available

Now 'mansion tax police' are allowed to snoop in homes

information to value properties but will also be able to carry out 'internal inspections'.

Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride said: 'We may have changed prime minister, but it's the same old story with Labour – how can we raise taxes to pay for more benefits? Now they have chosen a sinister assault on civil liberties as their latest method.

'Andy Burnham and (Housing

Secretary) Angela Rayner are sending their council tax police to people's homes so they can drag them into paying their new family homes tax. This is a tax on aspiration, on working hard and investing well, and Labour will stop at nothing to make as many people as possible liable for it.'

Dan Tomlinson, a junior Treasury minister, confirmed that homeowners faced the prospect

of the Valuation Office, which is part of HMRC, contacting them to 'arrange a visit' to their home.

Earlier this year, Jonathan Russell, chief executive of the Valuation Office, told MPs that houses previously valued at more than £1.5million would be reassessed to determine whether they now exceeded the £2million threshold.

Internal investigations would check on the size and architec-

tural style of a house as well as the number of floors, rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms, according to reports.

Ministers are said to have been advised that 'regular' inspections would be required to ensure valuation data is up to date. A Government spokesman said visits would take place by prior agreement with the property owner.

Comment – Page 16

Picture: GEORGE GOTTLIEB/BAKER/EDWARDSAT

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Page 14

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Page 15

Wounded: Baby Josephine's head injuries from fox and, circled, animal captured on garden CCTV

Mother's horror as she wakes to find fox had just sneaked in and bitten her baby

A HORRIFIED mother has told of the moment she woke with a start to find a fox sniffing her face and blood all around her baby.

Carly Clarkson had dozed off while feeding three-month-old Josephine when the animal sneaked into the house and hit the little girl's head.

Mother-of-two Mrs Clarkson, 37, screamed as she noticed four puncture wounds on Josephine's skull. She grabbed her and chased the fox away, before darting to her one-year-old daughter's room to check on her.

Mrs Clarkson, who had left their back door open in Watford, said: 'Imagine waking up and your child's blood is next to you. It was absolutely horrifying.'

She said her girl's head 'looked

Daily Mail Reporter

like a dog had bitten a football'. She rushed to Watford General Hospital at around 9:45pm last Thursday where it was confirmed there were no fractures or concerns around the baby's brain.

Mrs Clarkson says it may have been due to the position they fell asleep in that the wounds were not to the face or an artery in the leg. Now she is scared to use her garden or leave doors open with her daughters around.

She added: 'I feel absolutely violated, I don't feel safe in my home with two young children. Clearly there is an issue of either the same fox or multiple foxes being fed or just becoming comfortable with people.'

Even as they left to take their

daughter to hospital, Mrs Clarkson and her husband saw a fox – which may have been the same animal – going right up to them at the front door and trying to get in.

CCTV from the garden shows the animal wandering around before entering the house.

They reported the incident to

'Brazen animals out of control'

Watford Borough Council but say all that was offered were £300 pellets to deter foxes.

Mrs Clarkson claims brazen foxes are 'out of control', and has been in touch with rescue charity The Fox Project.

She said: 'I was very lucky that we came away just needing some

Fears: Carly Clarkson holds Josephine after terrifying incident

tetanus shots and antibiotics. I would hate to find out that someone else isn't so lucky.'

Trevor Williams, founder of The Fox Project, said incidents like this are extremely rare.

He said: 'It's pretty clear to me that this involves a young cub.'

'Experienced adult foxes would never behave in this way and will always avoid putting themselves in such a vulnerable position.

'We're at the point of the year when annual dispersal is taking place and this year's fox families are breaking up – cubs being around four-and-a-half months.

'For most, their natural instincts kick in and they will avoid immediate human proximity. But a few

find themselves wandering through open doors as they investigate unfamiliar territory.

'If undisturbed, as this cub appears to have been, their natural curiosity will oblige them to check out everything at leisure and, in this case, it looks as if it's tested out its sharp young canines on the tender skin of a baby.

'As alarming as this must have been and, thankfully, resulting in only superficial injury, incidents involving foxes are so rare that the last time we heard of anything similar was around 2010 / 2012.'

He advised keeping doors closed and using 'non-toxic mammal repellents from garden centres and hardware stores'.

Lugging that heavy watering can is a real pain in the... back

WHETHER a hardened gardener or a homeowner trying to stop the flowers from wilting, hosepipe bans are a pain in the neck.

And for many, in the back, too. Osteopaths are reporting a huge increase in strains and other injuries as a result of hefting around heavy watering cans.

The elderly are particularly at risk but even young, fit people are getting caught out. Clare Marriott, an osteopath at Twy-

By Andrew Levy

ford Chiropractic Clinic in Berkshire, said: 'I have had a huge increase in patients coming in saying they have back, neck, shoulder and elbow pain that they attribute to watering cans.'

Katy Stone, who works at Stowmarket Osteopaths in Suffolk, said: 'We have treated a disproportionate number of patients, with musculoskeletal problems.'

Second weight-loss tablet going on sale from today

A SECOND weight-loss pill is available in Britain from today.

Pharmacies can now begin dispensing orforglipron, sold as Poundayo, following on from the launch of a Wegovy pill last month.

Britain is the first European nation to approve its use, but it is not yet available on the NHS.

In trials, patients have lost up to two stone in around 16 months.

Pharmacies at Boots, Tesco and Morrisons are all understood to be stocking the pill, which is

By Ciaran Foreman Health Reporter

taken once daily with no restrictions on food or water intake.

Many online pharmacies will also prescribe the drug, with Second Nature set to charge just £54 at the lowest dose for the first month of a 12-month plan, rising to £154 for the highest dose.

Side effects of the drug, made by US firm Eli Lilly, include nausea, constipation and diarrhoea.

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Page 16

Save our children from tech threat, PM

NO ONE could fail to be shocked by the National Crime Agency (NCA) statistics about child abuse on social media.

With a four-fold increase in reports involving British children over the past seven years, the figure now stands at around 400 cases per day – although the real total is likely to be much higher. The sickening range of offences includes pornography, sex trafficking and predators enticing minors to carry out explicit acts.

The threat, of course, does not end there. Only last week, the family of 13-year-old Blake Gallier – a Kent schoolgirl who did not appear to have mental health problems – told how she took her own life after being fed a stream of 'disturbing' videos about suicide.

Bosses at TikTok have agreed a $400million (£293million) settlement with the US Department of Justice over a privacy case about collecting data from users under the age of 13. For its part, Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram – is being sued by 29 US states for allegedly targeting young people with deliberately addictive product features.

Yet as NCA chief Graeme Biggar warns that Facebook encryption protocols are putting young British lives in danger, Labour's apparent drive to cosy up to Big Tech firms is causing concern. Analysis shows that ministers had more than 200 meetings with Silicon Valley giants, including Meta, in less than two years.

Little wonder that the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation – named after a 14-year-old who died by suicide after being bombarded with harmful content online – says Andy Burnham must now show he has 'a credible plan for children's online safety'.

It goes without saying that the Government has a duty to maintain relationships that may prove beneficial to Britain's business interests. But it has a far greater responsibility to protect our young people from sinister elements of the online world.

Left's warped values

EVEN by the Left's standards, introducing a so-called 'mansion tax' was a spiteful act of class warfare.

Yet, adding insult to injury, it now emerges that HMRC valuers will have the power to carry out door-to-door inspections before deciding whether to levy thousands of pounds in extra charges on homeowners.

No one in authority appears to have thought through obvious pitfalls such as disputed valuations and legal challenges. Nor does there seem to have been much reflection in the first place on the potential impact of the tax on the property market.

No doubt, those considerations were of minimal importance in No10 when measured against Labour's ravenous appetite for money to fund the bloated benefits bill.

That the tax involves punishing people for having the cheek to live in a nice house – almost certainly the result of aspiration and hard graft – is presumably an added bonus.

The brave blue line

THE tragic deaths of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough illustrate the reality of life on the thin blue line in bleak terms.

For all the criticisms levelled at Britain's police forces, no one should underestimate the debt of gratitude owed to the brave men and women who keep society safe.

It is a grim coincidence that this latest carnage comes during the controversy over proposed early release for the killers of PC Andrew Harper. And it should serve as a reminder that every time a police officer pulls on a uniform, there is no guarantee they'll be going home at the end of their shift.

Most of us are fed up to the back teeth with Harry and Meghan. Why should we have to fork out for their protection?

OVER several years Prince Harry has repeatedly said that he and his family would not return to this country without the assurance of police protection.

Since the Government, backed by the courts, has steadfastly refused to provide such protection – the cost of which is put at up to £5million a year – it seemed we wouldn't be seeing Harry, Meghan and their two children on British soil for the foreseeable future.

Yet, lo and behold, they are about to arrive on our shores, and are rumoured to be looking for a suitably grand house somewhere in the Cotswolds. Somehow the thorny issue of the Sussexese security appears to have gone away.

Is it conceivable that Harry and Meghan have privately been told by the authorities that they will be looked after by the police? Or are they simply confident that this matter is going to be dealt with to their satisfaction?

Outcry

My suspicions have been raised by at least three developments. Andy Burnham said last week that the couple's security arrangements were 'a private matter', but he didn't rule out the possibility of them receiving taxpayer funding on their return. The door is clearly still open.

Then, over the weekend, a gaggle of Labour MPs dominated by the redoubtable Dame Emily Thornberry suggested that the Duke and Duchess should be given police protection paid for by you and me.

Meanwhile, it has just emerged that a new risk assessment of the Sussexese security was completed on the orders of the Royal and VIP Executive Committee only a month ago.

Do I smell a rat? Is it possible that we are about to learn that the long-withheld police protection will be granted after all, and it was with this expectation that

by Stephen Glover

Harry and Meghan decided to come back?

If this is the case, there would be a justifiable outcry. I believe that the monarchy would be damaged by such a development – and Harry and Meghan would become even more unpopular than they already are.

A poll in yesterday's Mail on Sunday found that 68 per cent of respondents believe the Sussexese should pay for their own security. This confirms what we already knew. Most of us are fed up to the back teeth with the couple, and don't see why we should have to fork out for their protection.

We don't like the way they cut and run, having turned their backs on their royal duties. We don't appreciate the sour manner in which they spoke about our country, and the monarchists among us can't forget their frequent barbs against the Royal Family.

In recent days, comparisons have been made between Harry and the Prodigal Son of the New Testament, who returns to the embrace of his father having behaved in a thoroughly odious and irresponsible way.

But many of those who gaily invoke this parable miss the point. The Prodigal Son is deeply contrite for all his sins, whereas Harry has so far not uttered a word of regret, and plainly sees no need to do so. By contrast, the King is as forgiving as the father in the parable.

Some of us may need to be reminded just how hurtful Harry has been. In an interview with the Telegraph in January 2023, the errant prince demanded that the Royal Family apologise to Meghan.

In the tones of a schoolmaster dressing down an unruly pupil, he said: 'Because you know what you did, and I now know why you did it. And you've been caught out, so just come clean and we could then all move on.' He continued:

'That's the saddest part about it – it was all so avoidable. But they just couldn't help themselves.'

It seems incredible that someone who spoke in such terms less than four years ago should swam back to this country without a word of apology, at least so far, while seemingly expecting ordinary people to pay for his and his family's protection.

I don't doubt that, as a member of the Royal Family who once fulfilled his official duties, he might be at risk from some lunatic. As an ex-soldier, who bravely served in Afghanistan, and unwisely wrote in his autobiography that he had killed 25 Taliban fighters, he could conceivably be a target.

Indeed, as long ago as 2014 convicted criminal Ashraf Islam was jailed for three years after admitting that he had plotted to kill Prince Harry.

And in 2019 teenagers Oskar Dunn-Kozorowski and Michal Szewczuk were both jailed. They had shared violent far-Right posts, including swastikas, while Szewczuk created an image of the Duke of Sussex with a pistol to his head against a blood-spattered background.

Afford

So Harry and Meghan would be wise to take precautions, as they have done in the United States, paying a reported £2million a year for private protection. America, it should be noted, is a far more dangerous country than Britain with a much higher incidence of gun ownership.

If private security was thought adequate for the Sussexese across the pond (President Trump refused to provide official protection), why wouldn't it be considered viable here?

It is true that, unlike in the United States, private bodyguards in this country aren't allowed to carry firearms, and so probably

offer a lesser degree of protection. On the other hand, it is what Nigel Farage, almost certainly more at risk than Harry or Meghan, has had to put up with.

Such security doesn't come cheap – which, by the way, is why Farage's acceptance of a £5million gift, supposedly for his own private protection, doesn't seem out of line.

The Sussexese may not be as rich as they were, and Harry faces potentially large liabilities as a result of losing his case against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, but they were able to afford the costs of private security in the United States.

If they can't now do so here, the King could step in, supporting Harry and Meghan out of his large private fortune. That would be an act of great generosity in view of the many brickbats the Sussexese have sent flying in his direction.

Discord

My fear, though, is that the decision has already been taken in principle by the Government for the taxpayer to stump up. If I am right, there is bound to be a good deal of public outrage.

Many people will recoil at the prospect of this opportunistic couple, having tired of life in America, getting their security paid for by the public purse while still devoting to undertake royal duties.

The sight of them feathering their nest in whichever English county they come to rest – making money wherever they can while benefiting from Government support – would undermine the already slightly shaky popularity of the monarchy.

As for the Sussexese, their acceptance of publicly funded security without any willingness to serve the public, combined with their inability to show any awareness of the damage they have caused, would only lead to further discord.

In fact, a row over taxpayer-funded police protection would confirm our worst fears that the second act of the Harry and Meghan show has arrived, and is likely to prove just as unedifying as the first.

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Page 17

HOW I SEE IT

by Robert Hardman

TRUE, it is not quite up there with the recent high-profile by-elections in Clacton (Farage v Binface) or Gorton (Greens v Reform), let alone Andy Burnham's victory-cum-coronation in Makerfield.

But the 2026 by-election season is far from over. This Thursday, as we enter the doldrums of the bank holiday weekend, a little-noticed poll in a corner of South London may end up reverberating not just across the capital but across Britain.

For just a few thousand voters in the Trinity ward of the London Borough of Wandsworth not only have it in their grasp to restore Tory control over what was once known as 'Margaret Thatcher's favourite council', they could also shape the country's direction of travel as our political parties enter a possibly seismic round of annual party conferences.

Amid renewed speculation that Andy Burnham may be preparing for a snap election, a Tory win would show that Kemi Badenoch is continuing to make inroads into an overwhelmingly Left-leaning capital.

Back in May's local elections, when all eyes were on the national Reform surge which spooked Labour into unseating Sir Keir Starmer as PM, few people paid much attention to modest gains made by the Tories.

One was the recapture of the City of Westminster, a once-mighty Tory citadel which had gone over to Labour in 2022. Another erstwhile Tory stronghold which had also fallen into Labour hands in 2022 was Wandsworth, once famous for the lowest council tax in Britain, making it the apple of Mrs Thatcher's eye.

In this year's elections, it was nearly - but not quite - a Tory gain when the Conservatives won 29 seats to Labour's 28. The Tories still managed to take charge but only thanks to the casting vote of the borough's solitary independent councillor.

The recent resignation of a Labour councillor in Wandsworth's Trinity ward has left a gap which will be filled in Thursday's by-election. If Shirin Georgiani can hold the seat for Labour, then nothing changes and the Tories continue to run the borough as a minority administration. If they win, however, they will have overall control. It will be a sign that the Opposition's 'Badenoch bounce' is continuing after a summer of tumultuous change in Downing Street.

LITTLE wonder that both the main parties are working hard to woo just 8,000 voters within half a square mile of reasonably affluent residential streets. What makes it more interesting is that Wandsworth sits right next to the London Borough of Lambeth.

The two councils also straddle the substantial residential area of Clapham, often on either side of the same road. Yet while Wandsworth increasingly leans to the Right, Lambeth is now one of the most Left-wing councils in the country, thanks to the Green administration which took charge in May. No wonder Clapham is feeling a tad schizophrenic.

Since going Green, Lambeth Council has thus far made two headline-grabbing decisions.

First, it announced its refusal to co-operate with Home Office crackdowns on illegal immigration in Lambeth, preferring to link up with other Green councils to create a 'corridor of sanctuary' for migrants. Second, it has said it will ignore the Supreme Court's

WENDERSHOT BEFORE!

This obscure South London by-election could supercharge the Tory revival and signal a reshaping of British politics

ruling on sex and allow biological men identifying as women to continue using female-only spaces.

The council's selective regard for legality is reflected in a growing sense of lawlessness across the area. In July, a 22-year-old man was stabbed to death on Clapham High Street. Two months earlier, a 17-year-old was stabbed at a teenage 'meet-up' on Clapham Common organised via TikTok.

Most alarming of all, just days ago, was the murder of 25-year-old bus driver, Auguste-Marie Bileaka Amoa. He was shot dead on

Willington Road, while another man received a gunshot wound. Police investigations continue.

The shootings occurred just yards from The Landor, a gastropop popular with the young professional crowd who have pushed the price of a one-bedroom flat in the area to £500,000. However, once-fashionable, happy-go-lucky Clapham no longer feels very happy - or lucky.

Next door in Wandsworth, the council is moving in the opposite direction. The new Tory-led administration has pledged to hire 24

extra police officers with its neighbourhood levy on developers.

The Tory candidate in the upcoming council by-election is Otto Jacobsson, 34, a Swedish-born head of a digital communications firm. He says he only got involved in local politics to improve the basics, pointing to a simple issue last winter when a defective light meant women were afraid to walk down an alley from the Tube and had to make a seven-minute detour. 'We kept complaining about one light but it took the Labour council weeks to fix it.'

Campaign: Kemi Badenoch with Tory candidate Otto Jacobsson, centre, in Wandsworth last week

he says, 'I think across London there's a sense that people are fed up with the level of crime generally. We just want to make people feel safer and keep council tax down.'

Keeping the tax down will soon be much harder thanks to the Labour Government's 'Fairer Funding Review'. This has ruled that six councils with low council tax rates (mainly richer, more efficient ones) will have their funding from central government slashed in order to divert more funds to poorer, less efficient authorities.

Wandsworth is facing a loss of £84 million from its budget, making a massive spike in its council tax bills inevitable.

Clearly, it is a disincentive to running an efficient council, but the challenge for the Tories will be making residents understand that sudden council tax increases are down to Andy Burnham's ministers and not the town hall.

That's why senior Tories, including Kemi Badenoch, have been out in Wandsworth, putting an emphasis on law and order, in contrast to crime in neighbouring Lambeth. They point to a video of Lambeth's new head of 'Safer, Thriving Neighbourhoods', Green councillor Jonathan Bartley, proudly pointing to street graffiti saying, 'All Migrants Welcome'. 'I've launched a review of all council services to make sure we are not co-operating with immigration enforcement,' he says.

ANDREW Gilligan, former mayoral adviser to Boris Johnson and Senior Fellow at the think-tank Policy Exchange, points out, 'Here you have a leading member of a council admiring illegal graffiti and celebrating illegal migration by refusing to work with the authorities. That sends out a pretty strong message that you regard law-breaking as a form of social justice.'

A spokesman for Lambeth Council defends its refusal to assist crackdowns on illegal migration, saying, 'It was police bodies who concluded that immigration information sharing causes significant harm, damages confidence and creates barriers to accessing public services, including the reporting of crime. Lambeth Council is following their lead.'

Over at Wandsworth town hall, Tory cabinet member Matt Corner rolls his eyes. He points to photos of brazen illegal street trading just over the Wandsworth/Lambeth border in the Nine Elms area. 'You have illegal street trading run by organised crime gangs in broad daylight. We keep asking Lambeth to do something but it has a council that's not interested in co-operating with the police.'

A Lambeth spokesman insists the council has been asking for more officers, adding: 'We strongly support on-the-ground community policing which is built on relationships, community confidence and local knowledge.'

This tiny area of London represents a fascinating faultline in current British politics. All of which explains why so much depends on a handful of residents in Trinity ward on Thursday.

More than a century after the phrase was first used as a synonym for public opinion, the 'Man [or Woman] on the Clapham Omnibus' is about to speak again.

---

Page 18

By Laura Fox

WHEN preparing for a quiz, it's a good idea to absorb yourself in the subject matter.

But one Mastermind contestant took this to a new level when she wore a knitted top depicting her specialist subject.

Earning praise from fans for having one of the most 'niche' topics in the BBC quiz show's history, policy researcher Emily Medhurst answered questions on upholstery patterns used by Transport for London (TfL).

Sporting a top with TfL's over-ground pattern, she rattled through two minutes of questions on the carpet-like fabrics

Mastermind contestant who WORE her specialist subject - cushion covers on the Tube!

• known as moquette - used on London's transport systems.

Questions on Friday's episode included 'Which design, depicting landmarks such as the dome of St Paul's and the London Eye, is named after the publicity manager who com-

missioned moquettes for London Transport in the 1930s?', the answer being 'Barman'.

Ms Medhurst earned eight points and fans praised her topic choice as one of the most specific the show has ever had. Posting comments under a clip

of the episode on TikTok, one person wrote: 'There's niche subjects and then there's that. Nice touch that she even had a jumper to match the topic.'

Another said: 'This is so British it's unbelievable.' And TfL commented: 'Most iconic specialist subject ever.'

Ms Medhurst finished third after scoring eight more points in the general knowledge round. Moquette, from a French word for carpet, is chosen for its durability, while the patterns help hide dirt.

Tube top: Emily Medhurst

morrisons.com Majority of stores. Online series. Excludes Morrisons Daily. British Quarter Pounders 4 pack, 45kg, $4.50, £9.95/kg. British Beef Burgers 6 pack, 68kg, £5, £7.34/kg. Serving suggestions.

Cyclists kill or severely injure a record 234 pedestrians

RECKLESS cyclists killed or injured a record number of pedestrians last year.

Two people died straightaway and a further 232 were left seriously hurt in accidents involving bicycles.

This marks an increase of 72 per cent since 2016 when police recorded 136 similar casualties.

Department for Transport statistics show 70 pedestrians were struck at zebra crossings, pelican crossings or traffic lights last year.

There were 61 people aged over 65 who were seriously injured in 2025, double the number of elderly people hurt in 2021.

The increase in crashes has put

'Dramatic increase'

pressure on the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to prioritise the safety of pedestrians.

Vincent Stops, a former policeman who is now a road safety campaigner, called for more action by the Government.

He added: 'This data shows a dramatic year-on-year increase, but it also looks like a trend.

'There really needs to be more thorough data-led analysis of road safety by the Government, and a much less ideological and campaign-led approach.'

One concern is the introduction of 'floating bus stops' - where a cycle lane running between the pavement and the bus stop - in cities. Cyclists are supposed to stop at zebra crossings running across the cycle lanes to let pedes-

By Cameron Charters

trians pass but often do not, the research has shown.

The figures also show that 61 pedestrians were injured 'on a footway or verge', pointing to cyclists riding on pavements.

Silent e-bikes are also a big factor in rise in cycle-related accidents, according to some experts including Donna Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight.

Ms Jones has called for a crackdown on the sale of e-bikes to children online where there are no safety checks.

Food delivery drivers have also been criticised by campaigners such as Tony Campbell from the Motorcycle Industry Association, who raised the issue of sales of illegal e-bikes.

He said that many delivery drivers use bikes that can go faster than the speed limit and their employers 'turn a blind eye' to it.

The law stipulates that the battery power of an e-bike must be no greater than 250 watts, which limits the speed of the vehicle to no more than 15.5mph.

However, police regularly seize bikes that can go far faster. Officers stopped one in York capable of accelerating past 100mph.

A Government spokesman said last night: 'Dangerous cycling puts both other cyclists and pedestrians at risk, which is why we have updated century-old legislation to introduce new offences and stricter penalties.

'Those who recklessly disregard others will face the full force of the law.'

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Page 19

Daily Mail Reporter

VICTIMS of impersonation scams lost £3,516 on average in the past year – a 10 per cent increase on a year earlier, according to the latest data.

Some scams can be much more costly, with one 85-year-old woman losing £188,000 to a police impersonation racket, Lloyds bank said.

She was persuaded to make eight purchases of gold across a five-month period. The gold was then collected by someone she believed to be an undercover police officer involved in an investigation.

The volume of impersonation scam cases reported to Lloyds fell by 3 per cent over the past year compared with a year earlier, when victims lost an average of £3,200.

However, Lloyds said some types of fraud reported to it have increased, including scammers pretending to be banks, police,

Fraudsters now stealing an average £3,500 with impersonation scams

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), and broadband and mobile providers.

The crimes often start with a phone call, text, email or social media message.

In police and bank scams, victims may be told their money is at risk and asked to move it to a 'safe account'.

Criminals may tell victims their own bank is involved in fraud, then coach them to lie if a genuine member of bank staff asks why they are moving money.

HMRC scams can involve messages about tax refunds to persuade people to click on a link and enter financial details,

with victims of these scams losing £2,288 on average over the past year.

Broadband and mobile provider scams involve claims of issues with a bill, contract or internet connection, before asking for personal details or payment. The average amount lost to these scams was £1,169.

Liz Ziegler, a fraud prevention director at Lloyds, said: 'Summer can be an expensive time of year, with many people focused on managing their finances around holidays, family days out and other seasonal costs.'

'Fraudsters know money is often at the top of people's minds and use convincing

stories about account issues, refunds or urgent payments to pressure people.'

She added: 'A scam message is designed to rush you. It will make you feel you need to act straight away or keep things secret.'

She said anyone who is unsure about a call claiming to be from a bank, the police or other organisation should end the call and contact the organisation directly.

The figures were based on analysis of scams reported by Lloyds Banking Group customers between July 1, 2025, and June 30 this year, compared with July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.

If walls could talk... just where have Parliament's missing artworks gone?

Daily Mail Reporter

ARTWORKS including portraits of Benjamin Disraeli and the leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade are missing from the Houses of Parliament, it can be revealed.

The photograph of Queen Victoria's favourite prime minister is one of more than 65 works which House of Commons authorities are looking for, along with a 19th century print of William Wilberforce.

A photograph of Britain's first female foreign secretary, Labour's Margaret Beckett, is also on the list, as is a satirical cartoon depicting Harold Wilson's effective deputy, Barbara Castle, as Florence Nightingale.

Parliament indicated the pieces, missing since 2024, may have been lost while being moved

'None have been written off'

around during works on the estate and none of the items listed have been 'written off'. Another five have been 'found' since the start of this year.

Among those missing by living creators is a cartoon by satirist Martin Rowson during the 1995 Tory leadership election, showing John Major trying to lance the 'boil' of the leadership contest as his deputy Michael Heseltine and challenger-apparent Michael Portillo look on.

Mr Rowson said the issue of cartoons going missing was not uncommon, adding that a Times cartoon of the Foreign Office Christmas party in 2004, sent to then-junior minister Denis MacShane at his department 'never got beyond reception'.

He added: 'It's a shame but it's hardly the crown jewels – and the point about cartoon originals is that they've been published already. The artefact is probably the impression in the newspaper,

Royal favourite: Victorian prime minister Benjamin Disraeli

as that's its ticket to posterity. The original is the modern equivalent to one of Hogarth or Gillray's copper plates used to create the – reproduced – satirical print'

The photograph of Disraeli was by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, who also photographed Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Charles Dickens and Karl Marx.

Meanwhile, the missing print of Wilberforce, who died days after

the abolition of slavery across the British empire, is by William Holl. The number of artworks, released after a Freedom of Information request, is vastly down on the 220 reported missing in 2018 – including portraits of William Pitt the Younger, and an oil painting by William John MacLeod of the scene after Parliament was bombed in 1941. A parliamentary spokesman

Wartime work: MacLeod's painting

Lost print: William Wilberforce said: 'As a working collection, artworks are frequently moved between their recorded locations and are often subsequently found, meaning none of the items currently recorded as missing have been written off or are considered a financial loss.'

'Parliament continues to reduce the number of artworks recorded as missing through ongoing audits.'

How Gen Z prefer their red wine sweetened

By Xantha Leatham Executive Science Editor

IT'S news to horrify wine buffs – bottles of red could be sweetened to appeal to Gen Z.

Red wine is proving less of a hit with younger drinkers, who struggle with its dry, bitter taste. But now scientists have come up with a controversial solution – making it sweeter.

Researchers gave 119 young adults, with an average age of 22, red wine which contained different amounts of the sweetener xylitol, and an unaltered version.

The wine was a 2024 vintage made from Fer Servadou, a red grape variety native to southwest France that typically produces dry, rustic wines. The samples containing higher doses of xylitol were significantly more popular.

The team, from the University of Toulouse, wrote in the Journal of Sensory Studies: 'The wine industry is facing a global crisis with a significant decline in wine consumption.

'This decline is particularly marked for red wine.'

They suggest that young adults with limited wine experience may prefer sweeter, fruitier flavours. The results should encourage industry research and development units to test sugar substitutes for improving market access of dry red wines,' they added.

---

Page 20

VI

AFTER being cleared of two thirds of the allegations against him by his former dance partner, Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington, after a BBC investigation, Giovanni Pernice still found himself being hounded by her in the media. But here, in the final extract from his unputdownable memoir, he reveals that a move to his native Italy turned his life around completely...

IBECAME captivated by dancing at the age of seven. I still remember watching the Italian version of Come Dancing on TV at our family home in Palermo, Sicily.

Seeing the couples twirl around, I wanted to be on the floor with them. 'I could do that,' I said to Mamma, who agreed to take me to a local class.

I had always been a naughty boy at school, more into football and mocking around than studying, but dancing would instil in me a sort of discipline.

The pivotal moment came, aged nine, when I entered my first competition. My parents bought me proper, shiny, black dancing shoes with Cuban heels.

Putting them on for the first time felt a bit weird. I called them 'grandmother shoes' because they looked like something I'd seen on older women I knew.

In 2000, I competed in the Catania Open with my cousin Serena as partner – and we won. Suddenly I was in love with the addictive feeling of winning.

Our life in Palermo was simple. My dad was a traffic cop and my mum was a typical Italian mamma, keeping house and raising me and my sister.

As ordinary as my upbringing was, Palermo in 1990 (when I was born) was a dangerous place, in the grip of a Mafia war. With my dad being a policeman, there was always the fear of him not coming home from work.

Sicilian culture in the 1990s was very old-fashioned and being a dancer wasn't easy because you were immediately labelled 'gay'. There was still a tradition of a man being a man and a woman being a woman. So I was constantly taunted – name-calling and so on.

Being in close proximity to girls as a dancer inevitably led to thoughts of romance as I got older, but as a child I was incredibly shy. My mamma always teases me about how, whenever I was with a girl, I used to flush bright red and found it hard to speak.

BUT dance gives you the confidence you need to get closer to women and I think that gave me the push I needed as a shy young boy.

As soon as I started to win competitions, I began to feel that Sicily was holding me back. It's an island and I felt it was too small for me to succeed big. At the age of 14, I agreed with my parents that I should leave home to make it work. I duly left the following year to live on my own, and to dance and study in Catania on Sicily's east coast.

Not being attached to one particular studio meant that no one was really steering my career. At 18, after finding myself without a dance partner, I joined up with Erika Attisano, already a big name in the dance world, who I had met on Facebook.

I moved to Bologna on the mainland to be with her, and our connection was fantastic. We had a nice brother/sister relationship and she was super-talented. Together, we joined the city's prestigious Team Diablo dance school.

It was a punishing schedule. Wake at 6am for running routines,

Lockdown love: Maura Higgins

MAURA ignored me for a year before we dated

Attraction: Giovanni with Ashley Roberts

ASHLEY We fancied each other from the minute we met

Challenge: TV host Laura Whitmore

LAURA We didn't like each other from day one

Confessions of Strictly's

ITALIAN

He was hired to set female hearts racing. And in the final extract from his tango-hot memoir, GIOVANNI PERNICE reveals the flings and the feuds — and how he finally found a fairytale love

lift weights, cardio training and intense exercise for two and a half hours. Then lessons all afternoon and evening until bed at 10pm. Each lesson was designed to help us become somebody in the world.

The regime was tough and the teachers could be harsh, so we were frequently shouted at. There were times we wanted to kill our teachers, but to me it was never bullying – just what you need to succeed.

My goal wasn't to be number one in the world but to be somebody memorable so when people heard the name Pernice, they would

know who I was. Italy is full of dancers. Every three metres there is a studio; in every fourth flat, someone who lives there is dancing. But my thinking was that if we have spent all this money to send me to the best dance school in Italy – and it was a lot of money – I have got to succeed.

There were a lot of tears, but I call them tears of determination.

FROM 18 to 23, I experienced none of the usual rites of passage that young men experience,

which I slightly regret. Though I wasn't totally inexperienced: I was about 15 when I lost my virginity to a girl at school.

Neither of us was madly in love but she said, 'I haven't done it. Shall we try together?' We felt as if it was the right time to experiment and so we did.

We made love a couple of times after that but then we went our separate ways. Since then, I have had a lot of girlfriends.

At times, I've been labelled a 'player', but I see myself as someone who's simply dated openly at different points in my life. Given

the nature of my work as a pro on Strictly Come Dancing, sometimes 'flings' have been short-lived.

None of that mattered back when I was training with Erika. In dancing, as in love, there is often one true partner who clicks perfectly with you and this was one of those partnerships that you find just once in a lifetime.

I felt instinctively that she was 'The One'. She was a great dancer but more than that, we both worked extremely hard and shared the same dreams.

We had fallouts, as every dance

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Page 21

GEORGIA

We started as friends, then the relationship became very intense

New love: Italian TV star Bianca Guaccero

BIANCA I won her

heart — and now she has my back

Romance: Actress Georgia May Foote and Giovanni met during his first season on Strictly

Picture: RAY BURMSTON/ JOY BROOKS/BEL/PB; COBRA TEAM/BACKEND; GETTY IMAGES

join the show. But my dance mentor Gabriele, who at the time was the boyfriend of UK Strictly pro dancer Joanne Clifton, was furious as he wanted me to stay as a competition dancer.

As all my options whirled round in my head, Joanne asked if I would like to join a show the BBC was putting on in Liverpool with the Strictly pro dancers. The £1,400 fee for a one-off appearance sealed the deal for me.

During the show, a Strictly producer told Joanne: 'I really like this guy, Giovanni. Does he speak English?'

Of course, I didn't speak any English, but they found me very

scripts such as 'My name is Giovanni Pernice. I'm from Italy. My superpower is my eye, and my celebrity partner will be in a trance. I promise you. My weakness? The ladies!'

Vomit! In my defence, I had no idea what I was saying back then or how cheesy it sounded.

The language barrier proved a big problem with Georgia May Foote (the Coronation Street actress), my first dance partner on Strictly. She is from Manchester so had a completely different accent from the little I remembered from school.

Georgia really wanted to prove herself and was happy to train for eight to ten hours a day. At the time, Georgia was in a toxic relationship, with actor Sean Ward, so I think the rehearsal studio was a safe place.

THROUGHOUT the series, rumours of a romance between me and Georgia kept surfacing, but the truth is there was nothing going on. The night of the final was marred for Georgia, sadly, because her boyfriend flew into a jealous rage in her hotel room, and, according to the newspapers, smashed a wine bottle on his head. Staff had to step in to help her and they split after that. I think Strictly gave Georgia back the confidence she needed. Also, she turned to me for support so, when we started the post-series tour, we realised we had feelings for each other. That's when we got together for the first time.

People often talk about the 'Strictly Curse' and say it's inevitable that dancing so close together, often in steamy numbers, can lead to affairs but I don't think so. Maybe it's because I'm a dancer, but if you have a connection with anybody, especially a colleague, that could happen anywhere.

What started out as a mutually supportive friendship ended up becoming a lot more, But Georgia and I rushed into things too quickly and the relationship became very intense. In due course, we realised it wasn't working and it felt right to break up.

AFTER a great result in my debut year — Georgia and I were runners-up — my second season on Strictly was more of a challenge. I was paired with the Irish model and TV presenter Laura Whitmore and we didn't like each other from the start.

On the first day of rehearsals, she said: 'Just so you know, I didn't want to dance with you.'

Some weeks she only wanted to practise for three hours a day because she had other commitments. Even so, she still wanted to look great on the dance floor, which didn't really work and we got eliminated in Week Seven.

My experience with Debbie McGee (the widow of magician Paul Daniels) could not have been more different from Laura Whitmore. It was beautiful from the beginning. Every day in training was magical.

The next year, I was partnered with Steps singer Paye Tozer but there was stiff competition from Pussycat Dolls star Ashley

TURN TO NEXT PAGE

STADIUM

partnership does. A small disagreement about a step or sequence can cause a spat, but we always made up quickly. We picked up a cabinet-worth of trophies, then entered the Italian Open in 2012... and won. I have a permanent reminder of the day with a tattoo on my wrist with the date 1.06.2012.

Knowing that I would next be representing my country, in the World Cup and European Cup, felt incredible. Then, in a split second, my future was pulled from underneath me.

Erika suddenly told me: 'I don't want to do this any more.' She'd had a lucrative offer to tour with a dance company and it was her chance to make real money.

I was 23 and thought, I'm

screwed. All those years, all the sacrifices were for nothing.

IN due course, I paired up with Alexandra Koldan, known as Sasha. She came from a very rich Russian family. When I first met her, I was confronted by this gorgeous brunette, dripping in luxury. She looked more like a supermodel than a dancer.

Some competitions went well but our results generally weren't good enough.

To complicate matters, Sasha and I also became romantically involved. This was my first serious relationship.

Having a relationship with your dance partner is common, which is why so many married or involved couples have ended up as Strictly pro dancers.

I am not sure I was in love, but I would definitely call it infatuation. I was 24 and had the love of a gorgeous Russian girl so I was

thinking, I'm going to marry her. Plus, she was incredibly rich, so I'd be all right for the rest of my life.

However, after a few months, I realised I wasn't happy with how our dance partnership was progressing and wanted to look at other opportunities, such as television.

I reached out to the head judge on the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing and was invited to

funny and offered me an audition to join the series.

Asked my USP, I said: 'I'm Italian. I'm a good-looking man, I can dance and I love to win,' — showing my 'Nato per vincere' ('Born to win') tattoo.

Clearly, they wanted a flirty Italian stallion on the show — and I was offered the job.

I was in a big dilemma. I had been offered places on both the British and Italian series of Strictly Come Dancing, and my mentor was against both.

The only reason I said yes to British Strictly was because it paid most. I've always been honest that this was why I decided to leave everything behind — my family, my mentor, my girlfriend Sasha and my competitive career. I needed to pay back my parents for their years of financial support.

HAVING been announced as a Strictly new recruit in May 2015, I began to fit into London life.

I felt very welcomed by the British people, but I hated English food with all my heart. I never understood the excitement of a roast dinner, or fish and chips. As for pineapple on pizza, I believed that just shouldn't be legal!

Speaking hardly a word of English, the Strictly team gave me

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Page 22

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Roberts, who was dancing with Pasha Kovalev, Ashley and I fancied each other from the minute we met and soon started to date.

There was a nine-year age gap which, to me, at 27, felt a lot but at the start that was irrelevant. Ashley is probably the first person where I truly felt this can be more than a short fling. Eventually, however, we broke up. Looking back, I think I pushed her aside a little as I concentrated on my career.

Strictly 2019 saw me paired with Michelle Visage, the star of RuPaul's Drag Race, a true force of nature who became a shoulder to cry on.

After breaking up with Ashley, and being single, when Covid lockdown rules allowed, I was out to have a good time. I was young and free so I wanted to make the most of that, like any man my age would.

After I saw the Irish reality TV star Maura Higgins on ITV2's reality series Love Island, I messaged her on Instagram. For a year, she

ignored me but then got in touch and I asked her on a date, joking. 'Or do I have to wait another year?'

We dated during Covid lockdown but as restrictions lifted and I went on tour, it became tough on our relationship. I realised we were quite different in terms of lifestyle and priorities, so we went our separate ways.

DANCING with the actress Rose Ayling-Ellis on Strictly opened up a new perspective on life. I felt so lucky to be paired with her and we had a brother/sister relationship.

Being deaf, she doesn't hear music but she picks up the beat and feels the vibrations, and she was willing to put her heart and soul into learning the dances.

After we were announced as winners, I choked back tears, telling her: 'You are a dream.' In tears herself, she said: 'You are amazing. You pushed me to believe in myself more than I believe in myself, you are an

incredible teacher and a wonderful friend.' More importantly, the show had given Rose the chance to champion issues that affect the deaf community and gave a huge boost to the call for British Sign Language to be recognised and taught more widely.

Whereas dancing with Rose was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life, my subsequent partnership with Amanda Abbington was the worst. Thankfully, by the time I got the BBC's full report into our disastrous time together, I had started a new chapter of my life - in Rome with the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing.

But I had a stamp on my skin: I was the bad guy - the guy 'fired' from a show in a different country. So, this lifeline was the chance to show that the things that had been said about me were bulls**4.

To help, I asked to be paired with a good celebrity partner. That's when Bianca Guacero came into my life. My research told me she was a super-talented TV star, she could dance and she was beautiful. Jackpot!

Week after week, we were setting the dance floor alight. Winning the trophy was a massive moment for me. What was going through my head was, I wonder what the people at the BBC are thinking right now?

It was a huge two fingers up to everybody who didn't believe in what I was doing. I proved that my methodology of teaching wasn't that bad. So maybe the problem wasn't me.

And not only did I win the trophy, I won the heart of Bianca. Also, she helped me, by believing in me and trusting me, having my back after a year of hell. Our love now is like a fairy tale - and Italians love a happy ending!

■ ADAPTED from Gio: Taking The Lead by Giovanni Pernice (Headline £22), to be published August 27. © Giovanni Pernice 2026. To order a copy for £19.80 (offer valid until September 5, 2026, UK P6P free on orders over £25), go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.

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KUROSU

Today's difficulty rating ★★☆

EVERY day in the Mall you can play Kurosu, the most addictive brainteaser since Sudoku. There are two rules:

1: Fill in each space with either a nought or a cross so there are no more than two consecutive noughts or crosses in any row or column. Important note: diagonals don't count.

2: Each row and column must contain three noughts and three crosses.

Solution on Mail Puzzles back page

PLAY Kurosu and 47 puzzles like them every day on your tablet or smartphone with the Mail Digital Edition, your Mail newspaper on your screen. Get a trial offer at mailpuzzles.co.uk

■ Daily Mail Kurosu Volume 1 is £8.99 at mailshop.co.uk; $for20 or call 020 3176 2937. Buy 3 or more Daily Mail puzzle books and save 20 per cent. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.

August 24, 2026

ON THIS DAY

FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE

AUGUST 24, 1944

AT THE end of this month, corset manufacturers can use the strongest utility cloths in corsets of all sizes and in some additional types, the Board of Trade stated last night. At present these cloths may be used only for garments of size 28in upwards, but this restriction will now end.

AUGUST 24, 2001 RUNAWAY Bride star Julia Roberts has run away with a married man, according to a US magazine, Cameraman Danny Moder, a 'Brad Pitt lookalike', is said to have left his wife to be with the actress following her break-up with actor Benjamin Bratt.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNE ARCHER, 79. Even after the US actress won an Oscar nomination for her role as the betrayed wife in Fatal Attraction, she said there were few parts for women of all ages: 'When Meryl Streep complains that she can't get certain kinds of roles, you can imagine what it's like for the rest of us.'

RONEE BLAKLEY, 81. The US actress and singer starred in A Nightmare On Elm Street and was Oscar-nominated for Nashville. It was her first leading role and she composed her own songs for the movie. She toured with Bob Dylan and played 'Mrs Dylan' in his film Renaldo And Clara.

BORN ON THIS DAY KEN HENSLEY (1945-2020). The London-born singer, keyboardist and guitarist found fame with heavy metal band Uriah Heep, writing many of their hits, including Easy Livin. The group took its name from the 'umblest' character in Charles Dickens' David Copperfield.

CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR (1932-2017). The Reading-born priest became the first Archbishop of Westminster - the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales - to retire from the role rather than die in office. Two of his brothers also went into the priesthood, while another played rugby for Ireland.

ON AUGUST 24... IN 1967, penguins from Chessington Zoo were taken to a local ice rink to survive a heatwave.

IN 1995, Microsoft launched the Windows 95 operating system.

WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION Cenatory (coined 1646)

A) Relating to dinner or supper. B) Gift given to a guest. C) A kitchen.

Answer below

PHRASE EXPLAINED Swanning around: meaning wandering aimlessly or idly, being irresponsible or carefree; said often with an air of disapproval or envy, the phrase alludes to swans who glide through water without any apparent effort.

QUOTE FOR TODAY The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably greater to write with.

Marty Feldman, English comedian (1934-1982)

JOKE OF THE DAY WHAT do you call a Spanish man who has lost his vehicle? Carlos. Guess The Definition answer: A.

Compiled by ETAN SMALLMAN and ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD

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Page 23

The bridge of sighs

Nine months of roadworks split village in two and leave locals with 8-mile detour to get to the shops

By Andy Dolan and Martin Fricker

IT might be a frequent prize winner in contests to find the best kept village in the county.

But residents in Brewood say they have been left in a sorry state – by a nine-month bridge closure which has split the community in two.

Families endure an eight-mile detour to reach schools, shops, pubs and a GP surgery just 300 yards from their homes.

All because a bridge over a canal bisecting the Staffordshire village was shut when a sinkhole opened on it – and an alleged row over who is to blame means no one can say when it might reopen.

'If we were in China, it would have been fixed within a week.'

'If this was China, it would be fixed'

said local engineer Phil Shepherd, 65. The listed bridge, built by Thomas Telford in the 1830s, spans the Shropshire Union canal and was shut after the 13ft by 6ft hole appeared, apparently caused by a leaking water pipe. Bridge walls were also damaged.

The 100 families to the west of the village – which frequently wins the council's 'best kept' award – face a 20-minute drive to the shops. Those on the more populated east side face a similar drive to get to the doctor's.

Philip Kavanagh, 67, landlord of the Bridge Inn, said patients park there to get to the GP's. 'It's sad seeing people in their 80s hobbling on the bridge,' he added.

Dil Griffiths, 74, waiting for his wife to walk across the bridge

Deadlock: Brewood canal bridge. Right, Phil Shepherd

from the surgery, said: 'It's been a nightmare for us.' The Canal and River Trust (CRT), which owns the bridge and is responsible for repairs, was due to begin work in the spring. But so far only water company Severn Trent has done repairs to water and waste pipes. Locals claim a dispute between

Staffordshire County Council and the CRT is behind the delays. Mr Shepherd said: 'Apparently there is a dispute over who is to blame. Did the bridge movement break the water pipe, or

did the leaking pipe cause the road to collapse?

Former teacher Chris Bish, 76, said the sinkhole opened up three days after many more drivers crossed the bridge in a detour after the nearby M54 closed.

The CRT said: 'It has taken time to... investigate what happened and agree the best way to repair it.' It said repair plans were now with the council for approval. The county council said it was 'working with the CRT as a formal consultee and wants to see the road opened again as soon as possible'.

A Severn Trent spokesman said initial repairs were completed on a burst water pipe. 'Repairs to a separate waste pipe were completed in March but a further bridge movement caused a secondary burst in July which we hope to fix in the next two weeks,' he added.

Cancer victim Lucy: We need more niceness in the world

By Rebecca Lawrence

LUCY Davis thanked fans for their support and called for 'more niceness in the world' as she made her first public appearance since revealing she has incurable cancer.

The Office star, 53, has been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and 'doesn't know how long she has left'.

Ms Davis attended the For The Love Of Fantasy And Sci-Fi convention in London at the weekend, where she reunited with Shaun Of The Dead co-star Simon Pegg. During her appearance, she called her fans

Hopeful: Lucy Davis

her 'second family' and told the crowd: 'Everyone is like a community – friendly [and] supportive of not only us but you guys and each other.

'So I'm quite hopeful about that, to be honest. We need a bit more niceness in the world, and we get it here. So I'm grateful for you guys.'

Her appearance came 11 days after she announced her incurable cancer diagnosis on Instagram, where she wrote it was 'too late' for her to have chemotherapy. Ms Davis wrote that she is 'at peace with whatever comes next'.

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Page 25

INSPIRE

I think that the most important thing a woman can have – next to talent, of course – is her hairdresser

JOAN CRAWFORD

I feel rejected. Some people think Stephanie must be having an affair

All my friends are envious when they hear we sleep separately...

Rooms for improvement: Nick and Stephanie have been separate sleepers for ten months to overcome his snoring and her menopause symptoms

The truth about our

SLEEP DIVORCE

THE alarm sounded just before six. Groggily, I reached over to the space next to me in the double bed. I knew it was empty; it was a reflex move, like an amputee scratching a missing limb.

I was two weeks into a sleep divorce and I was struggling.

This was supposed to be a trial separation, but it was becoming permanent, and despite the discussions and the

by Nick Harding

agreement (begrudgingly from my perspective), I couldn't shake the feeling that I had failed and been rejected.

When I opened the guest bedroom door, the cat trotted in to greet me.

"Traitor," I hissed, knowing that he'd spent the night with my wife in the marital bedroom. There was no point going

upstairs for my 'visiting rights' because my wife, who wakes at 5am, would either be on the road already for work, at the gym or doing yoga in the garden.

I felt left behind.

The 'trial' persisted and, ten months later, Stephanie and I remain separate sleepers. While I still can't say it is a

situation I want to be in, I understand it's for the benefit of our marriage and it is better than what came before. Especially for Stephanie, who has struggled with unhealthy sleep patterns for several years.

It is also a subject which elicits strong views and a voyeuristic curiosity – as we discovered when posting about it on social media.

Reactions split clearly along gender lines. The majority of women think it is a

TURN TO NEXT PAGE

Picture: RKI SCHROOK/INE TELEGRAPH

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Page 26

INSPIRE

1st post-jab rules keeping me slim this summer...

That even helped me lose MORE weight!

PICNICS, barbecues and holiday hotel buffets - summer can be a truly tempting time for those trying to stay slim.

Before I lost just under 4st on Mounjaro I was always guaranteed to end the summer a good half a stone heavier than I started it.

I've been off the jabs for over a year and have since lost an extra 16lb - half a stone of that since January, meaning I've now shed over a third of my body weight.

Consequently I've enjoyed my first ever 'Hot (old) Girl Summer' as a shaky size 8.1 even returned home from my summer holiday a pound lighter.

Here are ten tips that helped me stay trim.

CHUB RUB REMINISCING

WHENEVER I'm tempted to face plant into a tub of ice cream, I remind myself of the summer of '24 and how miserable I was. I was 13 and a half stone, a size 18 and hot days were hideous. Upper thigh chub rub meant I couldn't wear dresses unless I also wore anti-chafing shorts. I wore long sleeves to hide bingo wings and felt too self-conscious to ever don a swimming costume. Why would I ever return to that?

AWESOME OURA

THEY'RE not cheap but I've fallen in love with my Oura smart ring, which tracks everything from my sorep quality to step count and body temperature and tells me exactly how many calories (based on my weight) that I'm burning in a day. As long as I don't consume more than I'm burning, I know I won't gain weight.

A recent active day where I clocked up 15,000 steps saw me burn 2,100 calories - meaning I enjoyed a guilt-free margherita pizza (720 calories) and chocolate brownie (320 calories) that evening.

EASY ALFRESCO

EATING

WTFB so many sunny days, eating outside has been a big deal this summer.

I've learnt to eat way more protein since jabbing (to pre-

Keeping trim:

Claudia Connell

Picture: L-H. Hair and make-up: BETHANY RICH

by Claudia Connell

serve muscle mass and keep me feeling fuller) and barbecues are a protein paradise - chicken, steak, sausages. I forego the bread and buns and stick with salads. Protein is very hard to overeat. In the past I could easily eat several lunks of French bread in one go but I've never yet managed to polish off more than one steak in one sitting.

NEVER SIZE UP

I'M convinced that always sizing down (not up) when I was between a size 10 and 8 helped me shift a few more pounds. A size 10 would have been 'roomy', making it far too easy to have extra portions or over eat. I don't want to be uncomfortable in my clothes but - for me - room to manoeuvre is a bad move.

My once-tight size 8s are now a perfect fit and I've even bought a couple of size 6s from more generous labels like Me+Em.

SUPERSIZED SIPPY CUP

All Oura Diap hasn't been my only investment. I splashed out £40 on a trendy Stanley Cup (Amazon sells dupes for as little as £12). Mine holds just under two litres of water and I carry it around with me like a geriatric influencer - not to look cool but to make sure I drink a lot. Being hydrated has helped me keep hunger at bay and eat less at mealtimes.

WATERED DOWN WINE

I LOVE a chilled glass of rose on a summer's evening. Previously I could polish off a bottle over two nights - today one lasts me all week. Wine snobs will be appalled but adding crushed ice and a little soda is a great trick to water down the calories (around 80), making one glass go a long way. My previous

summer tipple of choice was a pina colada at around 500 calories - the equivalent to a Big Mac.

HOLIDAY OVERHAUL

WHEN I was overweight a typical day on a summer break would start with me filling my face at the hotel buffet (being sure to snuffin a few pastries in my bag for later). There would be ice creams and churros between meals and a big, heavy dinner late at night.

This year I did things differently. On a break in Poland with a friend I started each day with a made-to-order omelette loaded with vegetables. Without fail it filled me up until early evening. Instead of eating late, I had my dinner around 6pm and stuck to two courses - usually a starter and main.

Each day I walked an average of 16,000 steps and limited myself to one walking around treat per day - an ice cream, pancake or savoury dumplings. Astonishingly, despite drinking wine every night, I returned home a pound lighter.

I BOUGHT BEACHWEAR

PRIOR to this summer I hadn't been in a bikini or swimming costume for about six years. Last month, I bought a gorgeous £70 purple cozzle from Boden (my bikini days really are behind me).

To date I've only worn it in my back garden but it feels good to wear something I'd shunned for so long. I've taken selfies and keep them on my phone to remind myself what I'll be giving up if I ever regain.

MOVEABLE MEALS

GOING down to two meals a day has been a game changer for me and I've stuck to it all summer (even on holiday) On days where I'm working from home and not out in the evening I have a midday late breakfast and a 5pm early supper.

Lots of my friends have turned 60 this year, so if I'm going 'out out' and want to indulge, I get by on a couple of protein shakes until the evening.

A starter, main course, birthday cake and champagne is perfectly doable when you haven't had a morning fry-up and BLT at lunchtime.

TASTY TREATS

PICKY this are everywhere this summer with most supermarkets offering deals such as three-for-two.

I've lost count of how many tubs of marinated anchovies, chargelled peppers and garlic stuffed olives I've munched my way through. Delicious and non-fattening.

Protein grapes are a big favourite and as satisfying as a bag of boiled sweets.

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

splendid idea while men take uninvited offence on my behalf.

A few idiots from the misogynistic end of the spectrum seem genuinely angry, as if our arrangement somehow exemplifies what they perceive as a creeping emasculation of men. Some suggest that perhaps Stephanie is having an affair.

Unlike many real divorces, which often arrive suddenly after the discovery of a betrayal, sleep divorces usually creep up after months or years of increasingly fraught nights.

They can be difficult to negotiate, with the added bonus that one partner is generally living in a fog of exhaustion while the other feels fresh as a daisy.

Stephanie and I met in 2011, when I was 42 and divorced with two children, and she was 32. We moved in together in 2013, bought our house in Surrey a year later and married in 2016. If you'd told me on my wedding day that less than ten years later, we'd be in separate bedrooms I would have seen the arrangement as a form of failure.

Stephanie, however, doesn't see it as so much of a problem. She says: 'I've always been a light

sleeper, and I've never been good at co-sleeping. If I'm honest, I wouldn't have seen us not sleeping together all the time, but I don't think there is any shame in it.'

The signs were there even before we married. It began with the occasional nudge, and a whisper: 'You're snoring.'

I'd roll over and we'd both go back to sleep. In classic denial, I'd make excuses. 'I'm just breathing enthusiastically.'

But a quick review of my Amazon history reveals how the problem escalated. I ordered a chin strap, nasal dilators, mouth tape, snore spray, a watch with a sound monitor that applied a small electric shock when it registered a noise above a certain decibel. I bought the book Stop Snoring The Easy Way by Dr Mike Dilkes.

I tried them all, separately and in combination. The book helped but I didn't keep up with the daily mouth and throat workouts it prescribed. As for the gadgets, the only one that worked was a mandibular advancement device - an uncomfortable mouthpiece that pushes the jaw forward to open the airways. It reduced the volume but did not stop the problem altogether.

An app I used recorded a pattern of snoring which started with a slow low rumble and built to a crescendo of snorts, which stopped abruptly as I rolled over or was jabbed by Stephanie.

I never reached the giddy heights of the 'extreme' category, according to volume, but on a recent safari (during which we shared a bed for 12 nights), Stephanie mistook hippos groaning outside the lodge for my snoring.

Meanwhile, Stephanie tried every make and model of earplugs on the market. I realise this sounds like victim blaming, but it didn't help that she found plugs uncomfortable to wear.

Eventually I gave in and called the medics. First, my GP around

two years ago after an exhausted Stephanie had warned me that I was snoozing in the last-chance saloon. I was referred to an NHS ENT consultant who put a camera up my nose and said there was nothing he could do. 'All men snore,' he shrugged. 'Get used to it.'

Stephanie wasn't letting me off the hook that easily, but the NHS is not a marriage guidance service. So I booked to see a private consultant instead, who put a camera down my throat.

I was under the impression by then that I was a 'soft palate' snorer. That means the structures at the back of the mouth relax at night and obstruct the airways, causing the snoring.

For such situations, laser surgery can be an option. But the private chap declared that my airways were healthy and open. 'There's no reason you should be snoring,' he said. 'I was fit, healthy and not fat. Surgery wouldn't help.

So why did I snore? There was seemingly no explanation apart from age. Twice as many men snore as women and by the age of 60, 60 per cent of men do it. Weakened throat muscles, a loss of

'There was seemingly no explanation for my snoring'

tissue elasticity, changes in muscle tone caused by more frequent waking at night - it doesn't matter how fit you are generally, these are age-related changes you can do little about.

The banishments began gradually, often after I'd had a few drinks.

Exhausted and annoyed, Stephanie would order me from the room. I'm a back sleeper and to begin with when nudged I'd roll over onto my side, but once asleep would always roll back over, like a Weeble.

On one memorable occasion on holiday in Croatia in 2022, after being nudged awake several times, I harumphed out of the hotel bedroom and tried to sleep on the concrete balcony because there was nowhere else to go.

Even half asleep I could feel the tension in the room. I lay in the dark for hours, hoping that Stephanie would take pity and invite me back in. She didn't. I pulled for most of the next day, unable to comprehend how a bit of snoring could provoke such a callous reaction.

Stephanie recalls how she felt. 'I couldn't get back to sleep, and I didn't feel pity or guilt. I felt angry in the moment at being woken up several times and then being fully awake.'

After that we changed our holiday preferences and now try to book suites or apartments with spare bedrooms, so I have somewhere to retreat to when given my marching orders. And I try to drink less when I know we'll be sharing a bed.

At home, we persisted in the same bed - for a while. I was usually given three or four chances and always left reluctantly. Luckily we had extra bedrooms for me to choose from.

In hindsight we gave it a good shot, but what did for us eventually was the menopause. Stephanie's temperature spikes, anxiety attacks and racing mind, coupled with my snoring and fidgeting, made us simply incompatible.

Even without me in the bed, she

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Page 27

Night managers: Nick and Stephanie have agreed on rules to make sure they have a good night's sleep several times a week

So is it a sign of failure in a marriage? Some experts say a good night's sleep and less resentment leads to more sex

suffered significantly disrupted sleep and learned that the only way to control the symptoms was to have a strict early night pre-bed protocol involving a cool environment, stillness, silence, and low light.

There was very little room in this for another person, particularly one who sometimes watched TV in bed or scrolled on his phone. We became sleep divorcees.

'I don't think men can imagine what it's like being menopausal,' says Stephanie. 'It changes your sleeping pattern completely, and mine was poor before. It reached the point where I wasn't thinking properly. I was sometimes awake all night and then had to drive the next morning struggling to keep awake. It was dangerous.'

'My job's taxing. I run my own business, employ 20 people and work all over the world. I have to think very clearly when I'm with clients and that was affected.'

'Sleep exhaustion is not healthy, and it upsets everything else. You start eating badly, feeling rubbish and making bad decisions.'

'The agreement to sleep

separately was for health reasons and for our relationship, because we were both getting frustrated and annoyed and it couldn't be left to fester.'

'There's always been a lot of love in our marriage so it didn't feel like an insurmountable prob-

'On holiday, I once slept outside on a concrete balcony'

lem, but there were days when I was exhausted because of Nick's fidgeting and snoring, and I was frustrated with him.'

One or two days a week became every weekday. We agreed on rules to ensure our physical relationship survived. I would sleep in the guest room (I refused

to call it 'my room') during the week and we'd sleep together at the weekend.

We still stick to that rule largely. And even if I do get sent away at the weekend, I'll always go upstairs in the morning for a cuddle and lie-in.

There's a further element to our sleep incompatibility that also, I suspect, splits down gender lines. Nowadays Stephanie likes to be in bed by 8.30pm to read, and even on weekends by 9.30pm. When she says that would drive me up the wall, she is right.

Still, neither of us has explicitly voiced the permanence of our sleep divorce. So is it a sign of failure in a marriage?

Dr Neil Stanley, one of Britain's leading sleep scientists and co-author of A Sleep Divorce: How To Sleep Apart, Not Fall Apart, says emphatically not.

'We've been brainwashed into believing that sleeping separately is bad for relationships,' he says. 'People think if you don't sleep together, you don't love each other any more, or you're not having sex.' But those are entirely

separate issues, he argues. 'Sleep and intimacy are two different things.'

Indeed, Dr Stanley believes the greatest irony is that couples often damage their relationship in the name of protecting it.

'If you have a good night's sleep, you're more empathetic, you're less likely to argue and you're less likely to fight,' he says. Less resentment often means more sex, not less.

'If you don't have to suffer, why should you? Isn't it better to sleep separately than wake up every morning wanting to smother your partner with the pillow? How can that be romantic?'

He adds: 'We discuss pretty much every other aspect of our relationship, but we never discuss sleep.'

But we should be talking about it – asking basic questions such as whether we prefer the window open or closed, what time we'd ideally go to bed, how warm we like the room or even which side of the bed we want.

Instead, he argues, couples silently compromise night after

Picture: IN SCHRON/ THE TELEGRAPH

night, often without ever admitting they're unhappy.

Listening to him, I began to wonder whether I'd been mourning the wrong thing. I had confused the loss of a symbol of intimacy (sharing a bed) with the loss of intimacy itself, when in reality sleeping separately had probably protected it.

A Global Sleep Survey of 2,000 UK adults carried out this year by the medical gadget website ResMed suggests that sleeping separately is far from unusual. More than a third (36 per cent) of people living with a partner sleep separately from them at least one night a week and one in seven (14 per cent) sleep separately every night, amounting to a full-time sleep divorce.

More than 40 per cent, meanwhile, have their sleep disrupted at least once a week by a partner, including around a third (34 per cent) who experience it several times a week. Snoring or loud breathing is the leading cause.

In the UK, insurer Direct Line estimates that around 2.5 million couples now regularly sleep

'After ten years, he knows me better than anyone else'

in separate bedrooms, with almost half saying it has improved their relationship and more than a quarter believing it saved it altogether.

For Stephanie, there is a distinction between rejecting me as a sleep partner and rejecting me as a person.

'I was rejecting him while he was snoring and I wasn't worried that he'd be upset because he knows I love him,' she says.

'We've been married for ten years. He knows me better than anybody else. I'd say it was a compliment because I feel very secure in our relationship that we can have a sleep divorce and still be a loving couple.'

Like Dr Stanley, she believes too much emotional stock is placed in the act of co-sleeping.

'I still find Nick attractive. He still finds me attractive. And any woman that you speak to will say that intimacy is not about the act itself. It's everything else that goes around it.'

'Most women will say they can't have sex without the emotional side; feeling safe, secure, having a laugh with someone. For me, that's more important than sleeping in the same bed.'

'My friends are envious. When I tell them about our arrangement, they say, 'how did you wing that one?''

For me, I still miss waking up beside my wife every morning, and I probably always will. But I don't miss the resentment, the midnight kicks in the ribs and the detrimental effect I was having on Stephanie's health.

And sometimes it's a blessing. During the summer heatwaves, having our own separate beds in which to spread out has been a lifesaver.

It's true, and I won't be swayed by the online sneerers: sometimes the best thing you can do for your marriage is say goodnight and then walk away.

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Page 28

v1

11 essential buys to de-frump

THIS summer will go down as the longest and hottest in memory and for that reason (enough already) – and because we always get to this point in the year and find ourselves itching for a sighting of the new season's clothes – now is a good time to start thinking about autumn.

I'm not suggesting big investments. I'm not even suggesting getting our heads around exactly what we need heading into winter. It's early days.

But it's also a golden opportunity to pick up a few pieces that will ease us into the new season,

by Shane Watson

move our wardrobes on, and, without spending much, make us feel ready.

Here are 11 items you might want to consider. You can wear most now, and then, come September, weigh up the options safe in the knowledge that you have the basics covered.

Waisted double-breasted blazer

IT IS early days to be thinking about autumn tailoring but the slightly waisted, double-breasted blazer, as at Dior, is making a comeback – and a versatile slate grey one works in all types of weather (£39, marksand spencer.com).

Blazer, £129, johnlewis.com

Scarf, £85, meandem.com

A silk square

GET a scarf ... and tie it to your bag strap. 'In your dreams!' I hear you say. Au contraire, while this does feel self-consciously style-y at first, it's no more silly than wearing your hair tied back, and highly effective at dressing up while ageing down your old wardrobe.

So, yes, tie a silk-print scarf (something simple and geometric not floral) around the handle of your bag. Tie the same scarf around the waist of a jumpsuit (one corner smoothed over your hip) or a pair of fitted trousers worn with a tonal top. Loop it inside the collar of an extra undone shirt.

John Lewis does a stripe silk square in white and black (£49, johnlewis.com), M&S does a monochrome scarf (£13, marksandspencer.com) and Me+Em has several geometric print silk squares in the sale from £34 (meandem.com). The scarf-tied bag is this autumn's instant chic hack.

Heritage knit

Cardigan, £139, boden.com

THE news from the catwalks is Fair Isle knits are back in a big way. But for many of us, Fair Isle (much as we love it) is just too royal babies at Balmoral.

The grown-up, chic alternative is an Argyle knit. There are plenty in the shops and M&S has an excellent £28 season-straddling one – slim fit, crew neck and elbow-length sleeved – in navy and grey mix. You won't regret going early and, come the autumn, slipping yours under a tailored jacket.

Fun faux fur jacket

AGAIN, you're probably shouting: 'You cannot be serious! It's way too soon to be thinking about fur.' But is it? I give you Exhibit A, Sienna Miller during the height of a June heatwave, wearing a fur-trimmed silk coat by Conner Ives over a slip dress.

We're aware that practicalities are not foremost in the minds of gorgeous celebrities but, note, it was the thick, furry trim that made the outfit exotic, luxurious

and, above all, new looking. For autumn it's out with Nineties minimalism, in with rich textures, a whiff of decadence and fun.

Bring out your faux fur chubby and sling it over the shoulders of a sleeveless top or invest in a furry bomber jacket (Cos has a good dark brown one, £169, cos.com) or a fur-collared blazer – there are plenty on sale already.

Note: The thicker and more substantial the fur the better.

Jacket, £90, topshop.com

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Page 29

your new season wardrobe

Sweater, £125, thewhitecompany.com

A stand-up neck cashmere sweater

IT'S not cheap - head to John Lewis for great value quality cashmere (from £49, johnlewis.com) - but the structured high-neck cashmere sweater continues to be the single best value-for-wear item in your wardrobe. Wear it with a pencil skirt, wear it with tailored trousers, wear it neck-robed (the new shoulder-robed!) with a sleeveless dress. It's an instant smartener for jeans and a softener for tailoring.

A glossy leather tote

THIS is an excellent and practical way to add luxury and sophistication to your look. We're moving beyond stealth wealth, but there's still a flavour of it in the mix and this is where to get it. Arket's bag is a cracker that's sold out but due to be restocked soon (£155, arket.com), while & Other Stories' tote is back by popular demand (£109, stories.com).

Crew neck cardigan

AS IN a structured buttoned-up cardigan that works like a softly tailored jacket. In due course, you may want a boucle jacket - and later on you'll be getting the skirt to match - but this is your entry level item that works in warm weather too (£84, jigsaw.com).

A belt

Belt, £16, marksandspencer.com

YES, that simple. If you haven't got one already you're missing out on a chance to smarten up your jeans and give new polish to old trousers. Black leather or faux leather and gold hardware is still the gold standard, and M&S does one for £16.

Slingbacks, £74.99, hm.com

A kitten heel

LET'S start with a shoe that has just the right attitude for now and autumn. It's a no-frills classic kitten heel - easy to wear and elegant. It could be leopard print (the exotic detail you want to be wearing with everything) and it might be ponyskin (tick for texture and specialness). It doesn't have to be a slingback, but that's got extra sex appeal and fashion points. H&M's slingbacks (£74.99, 2.hm.com) look most appealing.

Fringing and feathers

MOST of us will balk at wearing feathers (think of the cleaning) but fringing is far less intimidating. We're talking about everything from a midi skirt with a longish fringed hem, to a tweedy jacket with rough frayed trims, to a fringe embellished handbag. A feather detail, a furry collar, a fringe trim on a jacket edge, these are the details that make clothes look new and the opposite of dowdy for the season ahead.

Me+Em has a good fringe-trimmed brown boxy tweed jacket (£175, meandem.com).

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Page 30

INSPIRE

by Dr Beth Mosley

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND MUM TO THREE TEENAGERS

WHEN they're not complaining or bickering they're spending all your money or sleeping all day: Holidaying with teens is not for the faint-hearted.

So if you're squeezing in a last minute trip before school starts, here's how to tackle the top teen holiday problems so it feels like a real break – and doesn't leave you broken.

GIVE SIBLINGS SOME SPACE!

HOLIDAYS are a perfect storm for teen spats. At home, they have school, friends, bedrooms and separate routines.

On holiday you're all together for more time than usual – with heat, tiredness and less privacy adding fuel to the tinderbox. No wonder a row over a 'stolen' favourite T-shirt can trigger an explosion.

But don't referee every argument. Aim to bring the temperature down by calmly separating them – one goes to the beach, the other stays by the pool – and then, if you have to, discuss it later.

Lower the expectation that they must enjoy each other's company and things may get easier. Allow solo time during the day before everyone meets for dinner.

Giving them time apart often makes them more willing to spend it together afterwards.

TAKE PITY ON

LOVE'S YOUNG DREAM

OH the misery of hanging out with a lovelorn teen who's constantly mooning over their phone because the object of their desire is at home.

A teen romance that looks relatively new to us can feel hugely important to them. As teenagers grow, attachment increasingly extends beyond the family, so missing a boyfriend or girlfriend can genuinely affect their mood.

You may want to say, 'You'll probably have broken up by Christmas anyway', but that won't help. Instead, try: 'You really miss him. I can see that. But you're here with us this week, so let's work out when you can speak to him without spending the whole holiday on Face-Time.' They get some romantic

They sulk, they squabble and they're always on their phones. But here's how to...

Picture: SHUTTERSTOCK (POSSIBLE BY MORRIS)

sleep – teens need that delicious experience of waking up and discovering there is nowhere they have to be – but also agree there are other days when family plans mean they need to be up.

And if you're leaving at 10am, for goodness' sake tell them the night before rather than opening the bedroom door at 9.55am and beginning World War Three.

SET RULES AROUND

TIKTOK VIDEOS

FEW things wreck a peaceful poolside afternoon more than hearing the same TikTok reel 23 times in a row. It's bad enough when it's someone on the train, let alone your own family providing a tinny soundtrack to every meal, car journey and sunset.

Headphones are one of civilisation's great inventions, so insist they are used. But be realistic about screentime.

Set rules before you go that phones should be away for meals and other family activities. Teenagers' social worlds genuinely exist partly online, so a phone-free holiday is unrealistic. But consideration for everyone else matters, too. 'You are allowed to enjoy TikTok; the rest of us don't have to enjoy it with you,' is a perfectly reasonable family boundary.

DON'T SWEAT WARDROBE CHOICES

CLOTTIES are one of the ways teenagers experiment with identity, belonging and autonomy. If every outfit

becomes a battle about their body, they will feel shamed. So don't say: 'You're not going out like that.' Instead, talk about context. What might be appropriate on a beach may not be appropriate in a restaurant. Ask them questions: 'Where are we going? What will we be doing? Do you think that works for the place?'

You may still need to step in at times, but the aim is for them to learn to make thoughtful decisions rather than complying because an adult has policed them.

■ Dr Beth Mosley MBE is author of Happy Families: How To Protect And Support Your Child's Mental Health (Bluebird/Pan Macmillan, 2023).

As told to JADE BEER

Stop your teens

ruining a holiday

connection without the rest of the family feeling the holiday has been hijacked by the relationship.

PUT EVERYONE'S BODY

HANG-UPS TO BED

YOU thought letting your daughter invite a friend on holiday would keep her happy. Then you find you're spending hours listening to her fret about who looks better in a bikini.

It's exhausting for you but the beach can be a brutal environment for self-conscious teenagers. If your daughter says her friend looks 'better', don't counter: 'Don't be ridiculous, you're much prettier.' It reinforces the idea that one girl has to 'win'.

Instead, acknowledge what's driving it: 'It sounds as though

being next to her is making you feel self-conscious.' Then move away from comparison and emphasise what's really important here: Their friendship and having fun together.

And watch your own body hang-ups. If you spend the holiday criticising your stomach, refusing photographs and announcing you shouldn't have eaten pudding, your daughter absorbs that.

LET THEM EAT STEAK,

BUT NOT LOBSTER

AH, the joy of a family meal in a restaurant. Nobody's argued, but you're racking up the cost of your hollow-legged teen's expensive tastes – steak, three sides, two mocktails and pudding.

Set expectations before you sit

down rather than seethe as they order lobster. Try: 'We're happy to take everyone out. You can have a main and a drink. If you want extras, check with us first.'

If older teens have their own money, give them a choice: You will pay a set amount towards their meal and anything beyond that is on them. Treating someone doesn't have to mean giving unlimited access to your wallet.

DON'T LET A LIE-IN LEAD TO WORLD WAR THREE

YOU'VE scrimped and saved to take the family somewhere beautiful, only your teen prefers to enjoy it from underneath a duvet until lunchtime. But don't wage war on every lie-in. Agree some lazy mornings when they can

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Page 31

My secret solution to a flagging libido?

YOUNGER MEN!

by Sasha Fieldstone

OVER and over, women are told their libido takes a nosedive when they hit the menopause. It's inevitable, a fact of biology, say doctors, who dish out hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or even testosterone to combat our waning desire.

But I have another, better solution – one that makes me wonder whether menopause is really to blame. For at the age of 54, I've discovered my own means of sexual rejuvenation: Sleeping with younger men.

Does that sound wrong? In some ways yes. After all, we shake our heads at playboy men in their 50s who hang out with gorgeous young women in their 20s.

And yet, I've found plenty of younger men who not only want to have sex with me, but want to have sex solely with women my age.

When my partner of 12 years told me he was leaving me three years ago, I was secretly relieved. We'd stopped being lovers and become merely friends, our lives – and especially his – consumed by careers we'd spent 30 years building.

The split was easy: I have one daughter from a previous relationship who's now 26 – not much younger than some of the men I've been seeing – but no other kids.

In bed, I'd been bored for a long time, and so had my ex.

Dipping into the dating apps after he moved out, I was amazed to be contacted by men in their 20s and 30s – and even more astonished at how comfortable I felt with them.

My mindset began to change and my libido to revive. Did I even want another long-term relationship? I didn't know, but I did want to keep feeling the extraordinary new sense of desire I felt when I was with a younger lover.

Younger men tend to be more open-minded about sex, having learnt about it from pornography.

I know. This is not necessarily a positive. But in my experience they are also endlessly willing to learn.

I once had to tell a man in his late-20s that 'breath play', involving the continual clamping of his mouth on to mine, was not sexy and felt horrid. I went further, telling him most women wouldn't like it, and he looked quite crestfallen. But he was also keen to find out what we do like.

Perhaps young women find it harder to stand up for themselves, but I'm now at the stage of

...though I daren't tell my daughter that my lovers are nearly her age

career ladder, whereas I'm looking forward to cutting back my hours and moving out of London. And though I take a professional interest in social media, outside of work I have zero interest in it. Often they'll chat about a YouTuber they like or a new online trend and I'll be completely lost.

The other weird thing is that 1990s fashion is back in and often my date will be wearing a bomber jacket very like the kind of thing I wore 30 years ago!

Will I ever settle down with a younger man? I admire artist and director Sam Taylor-Johnson, whose relationship with actor husband Aaron, 23 years her junior, seems so happy and successful. But I don't know any marriages with that gap personally.

I'm guessing most men want children, and that's not happening with me clearly. Besides, it's fine when the men are in their 20s and I'm in my 50s, but do they really want a partner who's 70 when they're 40? I doubt it.

My daughter doesn't know about my young lover thing. We'd both

I don't need HRT or red ginseng, but a fun companion

be embarrassed, which I realise says something about the social acceptability of what I'm up to.

The important thing to remember is that I'm not a cougar, I'm not 'on the prowl'. That's a sexist term, but I also reject it personally because the younger men I date have all contacted me via the apps. They've chosen me, and I'm very happy to be chosen.

A few friends know, but I haven't shared it with all my girlfriends because some of those I thought were open-minded have been judgmental. To be honest, I think it's sour grapes – most of them are unhappy in their marriages and are jealous of the great sex I'm having.

Perhaps, too, they're not brave enough to acknowledge the secret I've discovered. I don't need HRT or saffron or red ginseng or any of the other aphrodisiacs usually suggested to midlife women with a flagging libido. I just need a fun companion.

■SASHA Fieldstone is a pseudonym. All names and identifying details have been changed

As told to ANNIKI SOMMERVILLE

life where I don't want to engage in anything that isn't fun for me. I've had enough of mediocre sex.

After six months on the apps, I realised something profound: I was happier than I'd ever been. I reset my age criterion from 25 to 50, but rarely bothered with the older men.

There are pros and cons to this sexual adventure. Logistics can be a problem. I refuse to go back

They are more open-minded about sex and willing to learn

after a date to a shared house – that would make me feel very old – and I don't like to bring them home because it feels too personal. So I mainly have sex in hotel rooms, which brings with it issues around money.

I'd feel uncomfortable with the dynamic of paying for it all myself, although my job as a lawyer means I could afford to. So we split the bill, as I do at restaurants and bars too. London life is

expensive and most of them earn less than me, but generally they seem happy to go 50/50. There is, of course, no reason at all that they should ever pay for me.

I'm always open about the fact that I'm not looking for anything serious, but I also have a rule that I only date one man at a time or it gets confusing.

I think young men like the fact I'm so straightforward and uncomplicated. They know I'm not seeing them as a future husband or the father to my kids so the pressure's off.

These are not one-night stands, by the way, or not all of them.

I dated one man for months – a lovely chap in his early 30s who was very sweet and giving in bed. It felt liberating being with him; to finally be able to focus on myself and not have to go through the motions with someone who's not bothered whether you're enjoying it or not. Frankly it's shone a light on to all the bad sex I've had in the past.

Some dates are harder work than others and many don't get my cultural references. Why should they? I mentioned to one guy that I loved Blur but he hadn't heard of Damon Albarn. He kept saying things like: 'Oh, my mum loves that', which was incredibly off-putting. That didn't go any-

where – I have to have some sort of mental connection, too.

Physically, on the other hand, there's rarely a problem, though I don't always feel great about my body.

Personally, I think women's falling libido in midlife is really the result of a lack of body confidence combined with a lack of novelty. I've certainly got the latter sorted, but know I need to work on the former. Flattering underwear helps, as do the men themselves, who never seem to mind a bit of tummy or the odd wobble.

It's not a complete panacea for low midlife self-confidence, however. I'm paranoid – rightly, I think – that some of them don't want to be seen in public with me. A couple of dates have chosen a table hidden in a corner of the restaurant. Or we'll be having a drink in East London when they live in South London because, I suspect, they don't want to bump into anyone they know.

I understand: The age gap might work for us, but it's still unusual this way round.

We might have a lot in common in terms of what we're looking for – a new experience, fun, and zero commitment (with a person in their 50s anyway) – but we're obviously mismatched in terms of life-stages. They're climbing the

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Page 32

INSPIRE

IF YOU'VE struggled and grumbled through this summer's heatwaves, I promise you - it could be far worse.

In a few short months, the relentless glare of the sun and risk of burning will be a hazy memory for most. But, for me, the battle to protect myself against UV never ends - not even in winter.

I'm 46 and suffer from a rare, life-changing skin condition that, strange as it sounds, makes me allergic to sunlight.

This summer, I haven't left the house unless I've absolutely had to. When I'm out, I'll wear a Panama hat, sunglasses, a silk scarf and lashings of sunscreen - and still feel ungodly fear. I'm simply not used to this level of intense sunshine and I can't take the risk of burning.

When it's hot, I worry about sweating off

by Sonal Keay

the suncream - for me that would be a painful and punishing disaster.

It hasn't always been this way, though I've always struggled with ill health. As a child, I had such bad asthma and eczema that I was hospitalised two or three times a year. I'd be given heavy steroids and wrapped up in bandages impregnated with coal tar to reduce the itching and inflammation.

When I was nine, I spent Christmas in hospital and will never forget waking up on December 25 surrounded not by family but by nurses and beeping machines. I felt scared and desolate. It was hard not to cry. Then in 1997, when I was 17, I developed a strange and painful new condition. My skin

would become red raw, swollen, and blistered, seemingly for no reason at all. It was a complete mystery to doctors and it didn't respond to treatment.

In fact, it took a full year before I was diagnosed by a specialist dermatologist, who revealed I'd become allergic to all daylight, both UVA and UVB rays from the sun. For the next year, I was in a state of shock - it's hard to grasp even now.

The medical name for this is chronic actinic dermatitis, and it's a severe overreaction of the skin's immune system to sunlight and ultraviolet light. It's also very rare - when I was diagnosed, only six other people in the UK had it.

Even after diagnosis some people thought it was a load of nonsense. Although my parents were always fully supportive, some family members didn't believe us, and some doctors didn't think someone with

Indian heritage could have a sensitivity to light in this way.

Pre-diagnosis, within minutes of going outside, I developed hives wherever my skin was exposed to sunlight. If I went out in the heatwave we've just had, I'd last 30 to 60 seconds. In winter, up to five minutes.

My severe allergic reaction looked like a horrendous burn - my face would swell and I'd feel so much pain and itchiness, I'd want to claw it off. When it peeled, scratching felt like intense relief. I felt existentially depressed and profoundly despairing. I also felt angry - why me?

Post-diagnosis, I developed an absolute terror of going outside. In fact I feared all light, even lamp light. Even on an overcast day my skin would have the same horrific reaction, just more slowly. And if I 'burned', I'd have to spend days recovering in darkness.

I'd lock myself in my room, not wanting even a chink of light to enter it, not even daring to walk past a window. I hid myself away from the world.

Most sufferers never leave the house, the specialist dermatologist told me: they're so beset by depression they don't even try to live a normal life. I understand why - this condition is psychological torture. But I

just couldn't face a future of self-imprisonment.

I carried on going to school - but was so paranoid about getting burned I'd apply sunscreen every half hour. That led to some bullying because, in those days, you could only buy white sun cream. With my brown skin, I ended up looking purple.

I didn't socialise much, but it did solidify the friendships I had - I really valued those who stuck by me.

It took me several years to adjust, mentally and physically. There was no counselling available, but the dermatologist warned my parents I was at increased risk of suicide.

When first diagnosed I was offered Azathioprine, a drug that dampens the immune system. But I'd have had to take it long-term and it can increase the risk of certain cancers, so I refused.

I realised then: 'Either I won't have a life or I need to find a way to live with this.' I had to overcome my fear and push myself.

It took a few years of trial and error, but I learned to manage my condition. I did well in my A-levels and went to King's College London to study German literature.

Before the start of my second year, I went to Venice with a close friend from university. It was September - I'd never go away at the height of summer - and my first trip in a long time but in Venice I learned, very painfully, that light-coloured paving,

Drive: Sonal became a barrister

and water, reflects and therefore doubles the dose of UV.

My normal precautions didn't adequately protect me and the day before my friend and I were supposed to fly home, I got an allergic reaction.

I told my friend to go and extended my booking for three days. I couldn't leave the hotel room. My skin was red raw and I knew exposing it to more damage would be catastrophic.

When I eventually caught a flight home, I stayed covered up and sat well away from the window. (Nowadays I always book a window seat so I can pull the blind down myself rather than sit next to someone who won't when I ask.)

Despite such setbacks, I was determined my medical condition wouldn't stop me flourishing.

After university, I did a law conversion course and, aged 25, became a

criminal barrister. I practised full-time for 15 years.

Courts are darkened, wood-panelled rooms, usually with few or no windows - quite suitable for someone like me to work in!

Even though I had to be vigilant travelling to and from work, I was able to

safeguard my skin.

Today, I've learned to manage my sunlight allergy with strict sun avoidance and big slicks of La Roche-Posay Anthelios Factor 50, even in winter. I wear a hat and, at home, we have anti-UV film on the windows - I can burn through glass. I live a normal-ish life.

It did affect my love life, though. I was so afraid of someone accidentally wiping off a patch of sunscreen when they touched me. I shied away from any spontaneous shows of affection.

When we were first dating, I had to tell my husband we couldn't just kiss or hug whenever we wanted.

Our wedding in 2013 was all indoors and I was grateful the church was so dark though, naturally, I did have to spend a few minutes outside to get there. I wore a lot of sunscreen and didn't get burned. It was a wonderful day - nothing could spoil it for me.

Our daughters were born in 2014 and 2017. When I was pregnant the first time, the sunscreen stopped working. No one knows why, but my dermatologist advised that my increased hypersensitivity was probably hormonal. It sent me into a frenzy of despair.

What if my condition got worse? I could develop an allergy to all light - even artificial light. Other people have. Thankfully though, after I gave birth, it resolved immediately and it didn't happen again. When

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After 60 seconds outside, my face would blister and burn

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vi

Page 37

If you hated the heatwave, imagine what hell this summer's been for me

I'M ALLERGIC TO THE SUN

Innovative: Sonal has a skincare line

the children were young, my condition could make things difficult. If we were out, it was hard for me to comfort them – little ones need cheek-to-cheek contact when they're upset. I still get quite emotional when I see other parents soothing small children this way.

My children know not to touch me when we're out, but I make up for it when we're at home.

When we go on family holidays to Spain or France, I make sure the windows wherever we're staying are covered at all times. I usually take blackout blinds and bring hair clips so I can fasten the curtains fully and ensure no light gets in.

In an emergency I'll buy aluminium foil or use a newspaper to plaster over the windows.

I cover up my skin as much as I can, stay indoors every day between 11am to 3pm, and spend every other day indoors the whole day.

Even if I've protected it, after time outside, my skin feels inflamed – tight, taut, uncomfortable and tingly and I know I need to remove myself to a darkened room. My family is used to me saying 'I need to rest my skin.'

I was terrified that my children would inherit this, and I still do worry – but they're now 12 and nine, and so far there's no evidence of it.

I've never reached out to other people with my allergy – I don't think there is a sizeable enough

pool. There's no research being done on this condition to my knowledge. Because it's so rare, I imagine it would be hard to get funding.

However, the scare during my first pregnancy drove me to investigate if there was anything further I could do.

Over the years I'd realised that a silk scarf against my skin when it was inflamed made it feel better. I'd lay it across my pillow and sleep on it.

I wanted to understand why, so I holed up at the British Library

When I was diagnosed only six other people in the UK had it

and dug into the scientific literature. There I discovered the amazing qualities of silk.

Used since Ancient Greek times as a wound-healing agent, silk applied to the skin not only makes it heal faster, but the scar knits together more neatly.

Silk is also a barrier and a protein, like our skin. Structurally and chemically it's very similar, and our body recognises it.

My research prompted me to change career and to create my

multi-award winning skincare brand, This Is Silk. It was a nerve-racking move because starting any business is a risk – and I'd loved being a barrister and was good at it.

It was a change in identity as well. My previous job was high stakes because I was responsible for people's liberty. Now I was in the beauty industry, which appeared to be mainly about looks.

But I focused on the health of our skin and discovered people with so-called 'normal' skin aren't always served well by beauty. My skin condition might be rare, but many people can't tolerate retinoids or acids, for example, which can cause irritation and increase sun sensitivity.

The only skincare product I used before was Eve Lom cleanser to take off my sun-cream at the end of the day. I didn't want or need to use any skincare until I hit my mid to late-30s. I never liked it or trusted it and my sun cream served as moisturiser. It wasn't until I started seeing the signs of ageing – fine lines, drier skin – that I started to look at it.

I wanted an alternative to the anti-ageing skincare ingredients that would damage my skin, but I wasn't interested in fancy marketing.

I'm busy, with high standards, so developing my skincare range – a face oil, cream cleanser, a concentrate (to boost your

existing regime) and a rich cream – was a long, painstaking process. I worked with leading cosmetic and pharmaceutical scientists, and SF-VII®, our proprietary silk peptide ingredient was developed by Matteo Santin, Professor of Cellular Regeneration, who specialises in cell tissue repair and wound healing at the University of Brighton.

No, it isn't chopped up fabric in there! It's a protein, engineered to deliver proven benefits for skin, including promoting synthesis of collagen, the protein that makes skin bouncy.

Each product underwent rigorous trials at an independent laboratory. I wanted testers to have, ahem, no skin in the game. Ninety seven per cent reported smoother skin, and reduction of fine lines, but my favourite result was that 84 per cent experienced greater skin density – which basically means that the silk is laying down new skin cells. Skin is measurably plumper and firmer.

I've been told it's very likely I'll have my allergy for life. But my products help maintain the health of my skin – and I truly believe they can do the same for anyone.

I'm happy that my customers are happy, but it's also brought great joy to my life. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for silk.

■ thisissilk.com

As told to ANNA MAXTED

TRIED AND TESTED BARE MAKE-UP

Katherine Spenley

HEAVY make-up is for the low light of winter evenings. This long hot summer, I've learned the art of the bare-faced no-make-up make-up look, perfect for a youthful glow without the fall.

First things first, SPF. I don't go anywhere now without my usual Beauty Pie Feather-light Primer (£29, beautypie.com) plus my beloved Naked Sundays Cabana Glow (£26.60, nakedsundays.com), both of which handily contain SPF.

If things get a little too glowy, I've got my Neal's Yard Tea Tree (talc-free) Body Powder (£15, nealsyardremedies.com) somewhere in the bottom of my bag.

After my base, I add a couple of dabs of the brilliant Cala Wake Me Up cream (£25, caiacosmetics.co.uk) under my eyes to dampen dark circles, and then on to the next step.

Laura Geller's range was designed for women over 40 by a woman over 40. I really like her Smoky Amethyst Kajal liner (£22, laurageller.com), applied at the lash line and smudged out to give definition without heaviness. It goes on easily and blends with no drag.

Then, a quick slick of Sweed's satin kohl in Bright (£20, spacenic.com) on the lower waterline – founder Gabriella Eilio explained to me once that people often think a white pencil opens up the eyes, but this soft pink colour is far more natural. I agree.

Even as the heat subsides and the rain returns, I want to keep the sunny spirit alive, so I'm avoiding dark and heavy colours. I've been skipping my usual black mascara and instead gone for Urban Decay's Auburn Red (£25, sephora.co.uk). The reddish-brown tones bring out the green in my hazel eyes.

A bit of BBB brow gel (£25, bbb-landon.com) brushed upward, and a slick of Vieve's brilliant Up Dew in Rosa (£18.70, vivevebeauty.com) completes the look.

Perfect for an afternoon spent sipping elderflower sodas in the last of the summer sunshine.

■ KATHERINE Spenley, Editor of Inspire Magazine, can be followed on Instagram @Katherine_Spenley

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Page 38

INSPIRE

DR MAX THE MIND DOCTOR

Let NHS psychiatrist Max Pemberton transform your life

If Harry wants to be forgiven, he MUST say sorry

THE news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are moving back to Britain with Archie and Lilibet made me think of the examples that I have witnessed in clinics over the years, during my time as a psychiatrist.

Because I have seen what happens when estranged families end up living near one another again, and it rarely ends in the reconciliation that some members dream of. In fact, the estrangement just becomes harder to ignore.

Distance allows a rift to set in. When there are many miles between feuding families, it's easy not to speak. Both sides are free to tell themselves a convenient story about who was at fault.

When they are nearby, this changes quite dramatically.

I have had patients who kept a brother or a sister at arm's length for decades, and who were astonished at how quickly they had to address the rift when one of them moved back to the same town.

Once there are birthdays and Christmases in the same country, once there are cousins who want to see one another, remaining estranged becomes rather more complicated.

It is uncomfortable for everyone involved, but – handled right – it is also, in my experience, the thing most likely to shift a longstanding falling-out.

Therapy and letters help, but nothing brings matters to a head like having to be in the same room now and then. It either gets worse or it heals, but rarely does it stay the same.

Hearing of the prodigal Prince's return also put me – and many others, I don't doubt – in mind of the parable of the prodigal son, one of those Bible stories that most of us know. It's about a boy who takes his inheritance early, squanders it in a faraway country, ends up improv-

erished and returns home. The father who sees him coming up the road runs out to meet him with a robe and the fatted calf.

Whatever you believe, or don't believe, it is a moving, edifying account of a father's love for his son. And although it was told as a metaphor for God's love

for humanity, it works just as well as a model of what unconditional love looks like.

The King, we are told, was informed on the Sunday, three days before the rest of us.

Nothing has changed with the Megxit deal made in 2020, there is no half in and half out, and the couple remain private individuals. Yet the response from the Palace was that the King welcomes the chance to see more of his son and his grandchildren.

Despite everything, he is being given a warm welcome by his father. I'm sure Charles has made mistakes as a father, as every parent has, but in keeping the door open to a son who has said a great deal about him in public, he has shown himself to be a good one.

However, there is one character in the story of the prodigal son that gets easily overloaded: the elder brother. He is out working

PHOTO: STEPHINE REDMAN/GETTY IMAGES BY NETFLIX

Prodigal son: But will Harry and Meghan show contrition?

in the field when he hears the music, and when he learns what it is for, he is furious and will not go in and join the celebrations.

His complaint is, to my mind, perfectly justified: years of service, never once disobedient, and never so much as a young goat to celebrate with his friends. Then the younger son waltzes back in and is received with open arms.

What I find moving is that the father leaves the welcome home party and goes out to plead with him, telling him that he has always been there and that everything the father has is his.

The parallel with the Prince and Princess of Wales is hard to avoid. Harry has caused great hurt and some of this was at a time when Catherine was seriously ill and the King himself was having treatment for cancer.

They kept a dignified silence, but the pain it caused must have been tremendous.

Whatever welcome Harry receives from his brother will have to be earned and that means accepting the hurt and upset he has caused.

Simply turning up on these shores again, suitcase in hand, doesn't mean things go back to how they were.

The situations that I have witnessed have made me realise

that there always needs to be a mea culpa, some humility and acknowledgment of what has been done.

And so I find that I am prepared to give the Sussexes a chance. Time will tell whether Harry sees his mistakes.

The key part of the parable is that the son apologises before the calf is killed. He does not arrive expecting a party, he comes home having worked out what he did wrong and admits it. Everything that follows is because of his contrition.

If Harry is going to be welcomed back, he must realise he has caused a lot of people upset and make amends for this. Then we might be more inclined to celebrate his return.

Agonising legacy of cancer

MOST people have never heard of lymphoedema – a chronic swelling of the limbs, usually the arm or the leg, caused by damage to the lymphatic system. In this country it is often a consequence of successful cancer treatment, when surgery to remove lymph nodes leaves the lymph fluid nowhere to drain.

About one in five people who have breast cancer treatment involving the lymph nodes will go on to develop it in the arm, and about 450,000 people in the UK are living with it. A swollen arm is not insignificant. A good friend of mine was devastated by it. It was painful, minimised her movement and she felt it was so unsightly, she stopped leaving the house. Sleeves do not fit, and neither do rings or watches. It can be managed with specialist physiotherapy and early referral, but we need to stop treating it as a minor cosmetic afterthought.

■ A LARGE new study of people aged 45-93 shows something both perplexing and intriguing. Those doing most physical activity in their leisure time had a 24 per cent lower risk of dementia, but those doing the most physical activity at work had a 20 per cent higher risk. This is known as the physical activity paradox, and the researchers say it's not to do with movement. Manual work often comes with other factors that affect health: noise, air pollution, insecure hours, extreme exhaustion and little control over your own day. This last particularly interests me. I hear it all the time from patients who feel burned out: it's not the demands of a job that grind them down, it's having no control over how those demands are met.

DR MAX PRESCRIBES... MEN'S SHEDS

THERE are now about 900 Men's Sheds across the UK, community workshops where men, mostly older and often recently retired or widowed, turn up to mend furniture, build things for local schools and drink a great deal of tea. I have lost count of the men who have told me they could

never sit in a room and talk about their feelings. Yet almost all of them will talk quite happily while doing something else, side by side at a bench, with no eye contact required. It is one of the most effective antidotes to loneliness in men. Find your nearest at: mensheds.org.uk

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Page 39

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40

TELEVISION

GHOST HUNT

Martin & Roman's Irish Road Trip, 0pm, Ch4

THE boys are in search of the 'selkie' in tonight's final episode, a mythical shapeshifter that lives as a seal in the sea and takes human form on land. It's a bit chilly in the north east and

father and son are not thrilled at the prospect of searching for the selkie in the freezing ocean. As they prepare to take the plunge, the big question in whether Martin will take his hat off! They're indoors for the next stop, at a pub (pictured) where they learn of a local legend that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula.

SURVEILLANCE OPERATION

Celebrity Hunted, 9pm, Ch4

STRICTLY Come Dancing's Amy and Carlos are proving a crack team – but will stopping by at Bristol Pride be their undoing? Find out who succeeds in staying at large for the full 14 days in tomorrow's finale.

PICK OF TODAY'S TV

BURIED WITH MICHAEL SHEEN, 9PM, BBC2

IN the concluding episode, Michael (pictured) investigates whether whistleblower Douglas Gowan's fears are coming true and

generations could be suffering chronic illnesses as a result of living near toxic dump sites. Michael meets local people who believe that the high incidence of rare cancers in their communities is a result of living near sites, but Michael needs hard evidence, and joins 11 other Welsh men and women to have their blood tested for the presence of toxic Polychlorinated Biphenyls. While the results are worrying, the cost of cleaning up runs into the millions and, given that the US company responsible

is no longer operating, no one else is in a rush to foot the bill. And even if the dump sites are cleaned up, there's a reason why these chemicals are called forever chemicals. The cold, hard truth is that PCBs and others are already in the food chain. Like the banks that were too big to fail, or the Post Office scandal cover-up, or the water companies being run into the ground, this feels like a problem that the ordinary people it primarily affects are powerless to do anything about. Both episodes are available on BBC iPlayer while you can search BBC Sounds to listen to the podcast Buried: The Last Witness, which also explores the issues.

	BBC1		BBC2		ITV1		CHANNEL 4
	6.00 Breakfast9.30 Morning Live: Top Tips and Best Bills Highlights from series eight.10.30 Garden Rescue (R)11.15 Homes Under the Hammer (AD,R)12.15 Bargain Hunt Charlie Ross has two cheeky challenges for the teams at Ardingly antiques fair.1.00 BBC News at One; Weather1.35 BBC Regional News; Weather1.45 BBC News at One; Weather2.00 Money for Nothing Jacqui Joseph is at Altrincham recycling centre in Greater Manchester, where she tries to get a dated rocking chair back in full swing.2.45 Escape to the Country Nicki Chapman helps Jules and Sharlean swap suburban life for rural Cheshire and fresh countryside walks, before the mystery house springs a cross-border surprise.3.30 The Repair Shop (AD,R)4.30 The Answer Run (R) Quiz show, hosted by Jason Manford.5.15 Pointless (R) Quiz show.6.00 BBC News at Six; Weather6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather	6.15 The Answer Run (R)7.00 The Repair Shop (AD,BSL,R)8.00 Match of the Day (R)9.00 BBC News1.00 Richard Osman's House of Games (R) Jessie Cave, Ayesha Hazarika, Simon Hickson and AJ Pritchard test their general knowledge skills.1.30 The Edge (R) Game show.2.15 Do You Know Your Place? (R)2.45 Animal Park Summer (AD,R)3.30 Serengeti II (AD,R) Everyone faces a final reckoning as the great river crossing begins.4.30 Vintage Antiques Roadshow (R)5.15 Flog III (R) Revisiting historic venues from the series.6.00 Richard Osman's House of Games (R) Previous winners Jimi Famurewa, Harriet Kemsley, Colin Murray and Sara Pascoe take part.6.30 Great Continental Railway Journeys (R) Michael Portillo travels across north-west France, beginning in the former shipyards of Nantes and a port in Lorient from where the Nazis directed the Battle of the Atlantic.	6.00 Good Morning Britain10.00 This Morning An entertaining mix of celebrity chat, lifestyle features, advice and competitions. Including Local Weather.1.30 News; Weather1.55 Regional News2.00 Dickinson's Real Deal (AD,R) David Dickinson and the team are in Oldham to hunt for items to put up for auction, with Alison Chapman coming across a ring that brings back family memories.3.00 Deal or No Deal (AD,R) Stephen Mulhern hosts as contestant Alicia tries to open the 22 red boxes in the right order, taking on the infamous Banker for the chance to win a cash prize; Regional Weather4.00 Tipping Point (R) Quiz show.5.00 The Chase (R) Bradley Walsh hosts as Jack, Laura, Alex and Tony come together in the hope they can take on one of the country's finest quiz brains as a team and win thousands of pounds.6.00 Regional News6.30 News; Weather	6.30 The King of Queens (AD,R)7.45 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD,R) Three episodes.9.10 Frasier (AD,R) Four episodes.11.10 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (R) Gordon Ramsay advises the owners of an Indian restaurant in Long Island, New York.12.05 Channel 4 News Summary12.10 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (AD,R)1.10 The Great House Giveaway (R)2.10 Countdown With Richie Anderson in Dictionary Corner.3.00 A Place in the Sun (R)4.00 The Great B&B Challenge (R) The second best week begins, and three new couples take the keys.5.00 Chateau DIY (AD,R) Julia may have bitten off more than she can chew in putting on a Mad Hatter's tea party in her grounds, and restoring the power to a fire-damaged chateau proves a challenge.6.00 American Pickers (R) Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz unleash a sleek '67 Jaguar in a New Jersey garage and later pick a general store with a Presidential past.
7PM	7.00 The One Show Hosted by Roman Kemp and Lauren Laverne.7.30 EastEnders (AD) Priya and Jean join forces in a bid to uncover the truth. Amy overhears a development in the case.	7.00 Global Eye Investigations from BBC correspondents all over the world, revealing secrets, rooting out injustice and exposing crime, corruption and abuse.7.30 Mastermind Specialist subjects include the Tour de France.	7.30 Fletchers' Family Farm (AD,R) The family carry out a sheep-worming treatment.	7.00 Channel 4 News
8PM	8.00 Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon (AD,R) The Apolyerad family enlist the help of Stacey and her team in declustering their home and letting go of half of their belongings.	8.00 Only Connect The Six Sevens take on Meat and Two Veg.8.30 University Challenge Pembroke College, Cambridge takes on St Andrews.	8.00 Emmerdale (AD) It is Joe and Dano's wedding day.8.30 Coronation Street (AD) Tim makes a confession to Lucy.	8.00 Martin & Roman's Irish Road Trip (AD) Martin and Roman Kemp head to snowy Northern Ireland, diving into Selkie myths, vampire legends, hurling, haunted hotels and Derry's Halloween festival. Last in series.
9PM	9.00 Death in Paradise (R) A prestigious chess match ends in murder, while the Commissioner is confronted with his past by the very last person he was expecting to see.	9.00 Buried with Michael Sheen (AD) Michael's search leads him to Ruabon in north Wales, where many locals have voiced concerns about what they believe is a high incidence of cancer in the community.	9.00 Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace - What Happened Next (AD) Sisters who were both abandoned as babies.	9.00 Celebrity Hunted (AD) Two runners make a high-risk appearance at Bristol Pride and an audacious prank in a Milton Keynes pub threatens to backfire badly.
10PM	10.00 BBC News at Ten10.30 BBC Regional News (Followed by Weather)10.40 Have I Got News for You (R) Stephen Mangan hosts, with Andy Hamilton and Chloe Petts.	10.00 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (AD,R) Paul and Bob head to a lake deep in the Surrey Hills.10.30 Newsnight Presented by Adam Fleming. (Followed by Weather)	10.00 News (Followed by Weather)10.30 Regional News10.45 Rush Hour (9:98) (12) (AD) An overly zealous Hong Kong detective investigating a kidnapping in Los Angeles is teamed with a loud-mouthed local cop. Comedy adventure, starring Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker and Tom Wilkinson.	10.00 Secret Lives of Gypsy Wives (AD) Trewley's sister Pearly tries on wedding dresses. Trewley rebels against traditional roles by going on a date, and faces a moral dilemma over a six-figure deal. Last in series.
11PM	11.10 Emily (2022) (15) A story of the imagined life of Emily Bronte and her relationship with a parish curate. Drama, starring Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Alexandra Dowling.	11.05 Jaws 2 (1978) (PG) (AD) A man-eating shark menaces teenagers adrift off a seaside resort, while the police chief tries to alert the community. Thriller sequel, starring Roy Scheider and Lorraine Gary.	12.25 Shop on TV 3.00 The Staircase (AD,BSL,R) 4.00 Unwind with ITV5.10 Dickinson's Real Deal (AD,BSL,R)	11.05 Celebrity Gogglebox (AD,R) A rolling cast of famous faces - including Rylan, Jennifer Saunders, Danny Dyer, Joe Ball, Clare Balding and Jane McDonald - critique the week's biggest television shows.
12MNT	1.10 Weather for the Week Ahead1.15 BBC News	12.55 Countryfile (BSL,R) 1.50 Bergerac (AD,BSL,R) 2.45 This is BBC2	12.25 Shop on TV 3.00 The Staircase (AD,BSL,R) 4.00 Unwind with ITV5.10 Dickinson's Real Deal (AD,BSL,R)	12.05 Emergency Helicopter Medics (AD,R) 1.00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (BSL,R) 1.55 FILM: Dirt Music (2019) (15) (Drama, starring Kelly Macdonald, 3.40 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (R) 3.45 Couples Come Dine with Me (BSL,R) 4.40 Hollyoaks Omnibus (AD,BSL,R) 5.50 Countdown (R)

(R) Repeat. (HD) High Definition. (AD) Audio Description. (b/w) Not in colour. (BSL) British Sign Language.

Family viewing

Generally suitable for all

Caution recommended

---

TELEVISION 41

FAMILIES REUNITED

Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace — What Happened Next, 9pm, ITV1

ANOTHER catch-up with foundlings featured in earlier series, tonight Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell have news on Natasha and her sister Lee-Ann who were both left in the tables of two different London hospitals in the 1980s and were reunited on the show in 2022. We also find out how Liz Deutsch is doing, after making family connections on the show in 2024

FILM CHOICE

Emily, 11.10pm, BBC1

A LOOSE biopic of Wuthering Heights author Emily Bronte, this atmospheric drama takes its cue from the elemental passions and Gofus; atmosphere of her famous and only novel, exploring the events that inspired her to write it. Sex Educations Emma Mackey is brilliant as Emily, supported by Fiona Whitehead as her wayward brother, Branwell.

CHANNEL 5

6.00 Milkshake! Peppa Pig (AD,R) 6.10 Tweedy & Fluff (R) 6.15 Odo (R) 6.20 Thomas & Friends (R) 6.35 Fireman Sam (R) 6.45 Peppa Pig (AD,R) 6.50 Pip and Pony (R) 7.00 Paw Patrol (R) 7.10 Move It Allkshaker!! (R) 7.20 Rubble & Crew (R) 7.35 Peppa Pig (AD,R) 7.45 Tim Rex in Space (AD,R) 8.00 Stan & Gran (R) 8.15 Paw Patrol (R) 8.40 The Adventures of Paddington (R) 8.50 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom (R) 9.00 Peppa Pig (AD,R) 9.05 The Real Pup Squad (R)

9.15 Jeremy Vine

11.30 Storm & Alexis

12.45 5 News at Lunchtime

12.50 Matt Alwright

2.20 A View to Kill For (2023) (PG) Molly's family relocate when she inherits her estranged father's mansion, but a stranger breaks in and leaves a warning. Thriller, starring Tiffany Montgomery.

4.00 Castle (R)

4.55 Love Nature (R)

5.00 5 News with Dan Walker

6.00 Motorhoming with Merton

& Webster (R) Paul Merton and

Suki Webster head to Cornwall.

6.55 5 News Update

7.00 Cycling: Vuelta a Espana 2026

Rebecca Charlton presents

action from stage three

of the Grand Tour race, a

f4km mountain route from

Grubman to Font-Romeu.

7.55 5 News Update

8.00 Street Cops: Catching the Yobs

P.C. Payel and Nytalia attend a drunk man causing traffic chaos in Northampton, despite persistent warnings to stay away from the road.

9.00 Fare Dodgers: At War with

the Law in north London, 7ft. investigators prepare to track down a suspected serial fare evader accused of using a blocked card to rack up more than £2,000 in unpaid fares.

10.00 Police Interceptors: Taking

Down the Shoplifting Gangs (R) Officers question two people suspected of being tied to UK-wide shop thefts.

11.05 Traffic Cops (R) In North

Yorkshire, officers are out in force protecting lorry drivers and their cargoes as organised gangs target goods and trucks travelling through the county.

12.05 Police Interceptors (R) 1.00

Cruise TV with LoveltBookit (R) 2.00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors (R) 2.50 Castle (R) 3.35 Friends (AD,R) 4.05 Friends (AD,R) 4.35 The Highland Vet (BSL,R) 5.25 Entertainment News on 5.5.35 Paw Patrol (BSL,R) 5.45 The Adventures of Paddington (BSL,R)

▲ Particularly liable to offend

Is this dull, tasteless nonsense what Dan Stevens left Downton Abbey for?

SOME things are beyond forgiveness, and ruining Christmas is one of them. Fans of Downton Abbey will not have forgotten how Dan Stevens spoiled their festive viewing back in 2012.

There we were, millions of us, sipping our Baileys and wondering whether we had room for that last mince pie, when Dan's heartthrob character, Cousin Matthew, lost control at the wheel and was flung sprawling across the road to expire in a puddle of cranberry sauce.

Actors aren't usually to blame for rotten storylines, but Downton's creator Julian Fellowes was left with little choice after Dan decided to quit the series and seek fame in America.

How well that worked out can be gauged by his latest role, as Pepper, a New York refuse collector with a short fuse who ends up imprisoned in an old-fashioned mental asylum, in The Terror: Devil In Silver.

This six-part horror serial is part of what Americans pretentiously call an 'anthology'. That means it bears the same title as

NINETIES FLAVOUR OF THE

WEEKEND: The theme for a dinner, on Inside The Four Seasons: Park Lane (C5), was Britpop. Menus were printed on a CD. Doesn't sound appetising — on the A-side, just Coffee And TV by Blur. On the B-side, the Oasis option: Cigarettes And Alcohol.

a previous, highly successful show, despite having nothing in common: different cast, different setting, different era.

The first series of The Terror was based on a true story: the doomed attempt by Sir John Franklin in the 1840s to find a 'North-west Passage' through the Arctic ice.

This one began as a novel by its screenwriter, Victor LaValle. It's set in the present day, with flashbacks to the grim post-war era when mental illness was treated by crude brain surgery called lobotomy.

The Jack Nicholson movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is an obvious inspiration, in particular for a scene where the patients are compelled to attend a group therapy session.

They sit in a semi-circle, truculent and bored, while a blandly sadistic doctor reads passages from Moby Dick and discourses at length on their allegorical meaning. It's so dull that I was quite glad when a corpse fell

N. IRELAND TV VARIATIONS

BBC1 10.10pm Get Flight. 11.10 News Got News for You. 11.40 Vt Air Drive (2022) (R). Storms. On King's Windshades. 1.45am BBC News. BBC2 10.10pm Air on Skidels.

WELSH TV VARIATIONS

BBC1 9.50pm Buried with Michael Sheen.

BBC2 9.10pm Death in Paradise.

SAC 8.05am Cyto. 12noon Navigation SAC. 12.05 Richard Hunt. 1st Academy Press. 12.30 News. 1.00 Director from Thurs. 2.00 Navigation SAC. 2.00 Prophesian Dis. 3.00 Navigation SAC air Tyworld. 1.00 Minority to Stewart. 4.00 Aver Have. 5.00 Sheriff. 6.00 Britpop Cyto. Sir Bertho. 6.30 Lovell Morgan. 7.00 CIO. 8.30 Newyddion SAC. 7.00 Home. 8.30 Newyddion SAC air Tyworld. 8.00 Spurn Dan's Liner. 9.00 Filler charts for actor: Leon Williams. 9.25 Corridis a Mess. 9.30 Newyddion SAC air Tyworld. 9.00 John LaRue. 10.00 T. Tewald. 10.25 T. Tewald. With contestants from Ammarind, Shyathan and Maldeyn. 10.25 T. Tells.

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS

WEEKEND TV

The Terror: Devil In Silver (Sky Atlantic) ★★☆☆☆

through the ceiling tiles with its throat ripped open.

Everyone who enters the New Hyde hospital ends up trapped, including the officers who dump Pepper there because they can't be bothered to fill out the paperwork after he assaulted them.

This makes no sense, and neither does the show's pretence that it is exposing the decrepit state of America's psychiatric hospitals. Far from it: The Terror is stirring up our instinctive fear of mental illness and wallowing in it.

Slapstick humour of the grimmest type breaks up the narrative. In a later episode, one medic uses a lobotomy hammer to break up the ice for his whisky on the rocks. Very tasteful.

One of the inmates at the hospital, Loochie, is played by an actor called b. I thought this was a misprint at first but apparently b is the whole and sole name. This must require constant explanations, but probably saves a lot of time on form-filling.

MUSIC2YOU

PROUDLY PRESENTS

ELVIS

LOVE SONGS

CLASSIC LOVE SONGS

INCLUDING LOVE ME TENDER • CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE • RETURN TO SENSES • CAN'T NOT YOU ARE YOU LONESTONE TONIGHT? • IT'S NOW IN RIVER • LOVING YOU • AND MANY MOM

Love Songs brings together 66 of Elvis Presley's most romantic recordings in one beautiful three-CD collection which celebrates The King's unrivalled ability to bring warmth, tenderness and heartfelt emotion to every one of these performances. This superb anthology showcases the many sides of Elvis as an interpreter of timeless love songs and unforgettable ballads.

Featured among these classics including Can't Help Falling In Love, It's Now Or Never, Love Me Tender, Are You Lonesome Tonight?, Surrender, Return To Sender and Don't Be Cruel,

Disc one

1 Can't Help Falling In Love 2 It's Now Or Never 3 She's Not You 4 The Girl Of My Best Friend 5 I'm Coming Home 6 Fever 7 Shoppin' Around 8 That's When Your Heartaches Begin 9 (Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I 10 One Night 11 Don't Ask Me Why 12 I'm Left, You're Right, She's Come 13 Blue Hawaii 14 I Beg Of You 15 A Mess Of Blues 16 Love Me

17 Don't Leave Me Now 18 Don't 19 I Forgot To Remember To Forget 20 How's The World Treating You? 21 Such A Night 22 Are You Lonesome Tonight? ● Disc two 1 How I Told You Lately That I Love You? 2 Good Luck Charm 3 Love Me Tender 4 Wooden Heart 5 True Love 6 Don't Be Cruel 7 There's Always Me 8 Starting Today 9 In Your Arms 10 Loving You

alongside fan favourites such as She's Not You, Stuck On You, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You and A Fool Such As I.

This collection highlights one of the greatest voices in popular music history at his most intimate and expressive.

Love Songs is the perfect collection for devoted Elvis fans and romantics alike, offering an irresistible selection of timeless recordings that continue to captivate audiences around the world more than half a century after they were first released.

11 Treat Me Nice 12 Anyway You Want Me (That's How I Will Be) 13 Stuck On You 14 Playing For Keeps 15 Young Dreams 16 I'm Counting On You 17 Young And Beautiful 18 One-Sided Love Affair 19 (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear 20 (Wear My Ring Around You Here) 21 Your Chestin' Heart 22 I Want You, I Need You, I Love You ● Disc three 1 Surrender 2 Tonight Is So Right For Love 3 A Big Hank O' Love 4 Return To Sender

5 What's She Really Like 6 It's A Sin 7 Gently 8 Pocketful Of Rainbows 9 I Gotta Know 10 Doin' The Best I Can 11 My Wish Came True 12 As Long As I Have You 13 Lover Doll 14 Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello 15 I Was The One 16 I Love You Because 17 I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry 18 Suspicion 19 I Need You So 20 How Do You Think I Feel? 21 Too Much 22 I Need Your Love Tonight

Readers can order a copy of this wonderful 66 track three-CD collection for just £9.99 including play, either for yourself or as a gift for a friend or loved one, by visiting music2you.co.uk/love. To see the full range of our popular CDs, DVDs, audiobooks and books, visit music2you.co.uk

MUSIC2YOU

Buy now at music2you.co.uk/love

---

42 DIGITAL & ON DEMAND

PICK OF DIGITAL & ON DEMAND TV

9/11 REUNITED, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, 9PM

THE horror of the 9/11 attacks cast a long shadow in the world, but the stories of heroism on the day and after have continued to cast light into that dark. This moving documentary feels like it has a mission to perpetuate that light by bringing together the heroes with the recipients of that heroism 25 years after the attacks. Using a mixture of archive footage and new interviews, the series introduces us to them all in turn. One of the most moving accounts comes from Debbie St John, who was struck

by a falling blade from one of the planes. It could have easily hit Stefan Horlacher, a German-born ex-member of the French Foreign Legion who was next to Debbie on the street when she was struck. Horlacher made it his business to protect her from the stampede, the debris from above and from the horrifying injury she had already sustained. Have the tissues handy for the moment they meet again at the end of part one. Catch up with last night's opening two episodes on Disney+ before tonight's concluding part.

PREMIER LEAGUE CHAT

The Rest Is Football, Netflix

NOT every podcast suits the transition from a studio to video, but veteran broadcaster Gary Lineker and his co-hosts Micah Richards and Alan Shearer seem to be making a success out of the lucrative jump to Netflix. After 40 episodes covering the World Cup, they're back with a new run to cover the Premier League.

US DOCUMENTARY

The War Cabinet, 11.10am/ 4.05pm/8.30pm, PBS America

THIS documentary explores the part that advisers of President Donald Trump, such as JD Vance,

Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, have played in managing Middle East conflicts. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Trump's allies, associates and critics, it traces how he assembled a team of loyalists who would support his attempts to project US military power on the world stage.

POETIC EVENING

John Betjeman Night, 10pm, BBC Four

A NIGHT dedicated to Britain's most popular 20th-century poet, who served as Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death in 1974, begins with the Reputations profile John Betjeman. The Last Laugh, a 65-minute documentary that first aired on 29 December 2003. It's directed and written by the acclaimed documentary filmmaker Edward Mirzoeff, who previously collaborated with Betjeman on iconic architectural films like Metro-Land and you can see that 1973 meditation on the residential suburbs near the Metropolitan line at 11.55pm.

TIME	BBC 4	E4	ITV2
	9 (Scot 24)	13	6
7.00pm	The Architecture the Railways Built Tim Dunn explores Metroland	Hollyoaks A resident has an ulterior motive	The Floor Rob Brydon hosts the final as the nine remaining contestants face one last series of high-stakes duels, with two competing for the C$6,000 jackpot
7.30pm	7.45 The Flying Gardener Looking at a couple's extraordinary lawn design	The Simpsons Homer enrols in clown college
8.00pm	Archaeology: A Secret History Richard Miles charts the history of archaeological breakthroughs in a mission to understand the ancient past	Ladies of London: The New Reign New series: Glamorous fresh blood makes an impact on London's elite social scene including American expats and international jetsetters	The 1% Club Rollover The first of the special editions of the quiz, hosted by Lee Mack
8.30pm	Mastermind The third heat of the 1977 series of the quiz	Below Deck Down Under A new romance blossoms on a crew night out – and an old friendship falls apart	The Only Way Is Essex Joe attempts to reunite Lauren and Juvail after his outburst following the engagement
9.00pm	Call My Bluff With Robin Knox Johnston and Pamela Harlech
9.30pm	John Betjeman: The Last Laugh – Reputations A 2001 profile of the former Poet Laureate	Gogglebox In a compilation of the best parts of series 25, the armchair critics watch Starstruck, Married of First Sight Australia, Challenge America, The Piano and Fall	Family Guy Peter befriends Bill Clinton
10.00pm			10.35 Family Guy Lois and Peter Day a restaurant
10.30pm
11.00pm	11.05 Beside the Seaside: Bird's Eye View The story of the English seaside	First Dates Cake-maker and self-confessed 'princes' Fiona meets restrainment consultant Rokim (To 12.05)	11.05 Family Guy Peter is arrested and charged with a hate crime
11.30pm	11.30 Metroland The suburbs along the Metropolitan Line (To 12.45)		11.35 American Dad Roger Joins a police academy (To 12.05)

ENTERTAINMENT & FACTUAL

SECTION

Freetree 33 Sky 150

11.55am FILM Warpath (1951) (U) 1.55pm FILM Fine Card Stud. (1968) (PD) 4.00 Highway Thru Hell. 5.00 Motorway Copa Catching Britain's Speeders 6.00 Police Interceptors 8.00 Motorway Copa Catching Britain's Speeders 9.00 Police Interceptors 10.00 Highway Thru Hell. 11.00 The X-Files

BBC THREE

Freetree 23 Sky 155 Virgin 107

7.00pm The Club Up. 7.05 Deadly 60. 8.00 The Great British Sewing Bee. 9.00 Top Gear. 10.00 Silent Witness. 11.55 FILM. Monkey Man. (2024) (16)

COMEDY CENTRAL

Sky 152 Virgin 133

12noon Sahitya the Teenage Witch. 1.00 Friends. 9.00 Stupid Central. 10.00 Jimmy Carr's Am I the X"Date" 11.00 My Boss.

DISCOVERY

Sky 135 Virgin 177

11.00am Building Off the Grid. 1.00pm Dr Jeff Rocky Mountain Vet. 3.00 How It's Made. 5.00 Alaska Homestead Rescue. 7.00 Wheeler Dealers. 8.00 Art Instead Master Mechanic. 9.00 Maine Cabin Masters. 10.00 Building Off the Grid. 11.00 Expedition X.

E4 (DAYTIME)

Freetree 13 Sky 135 Virgin 106

11.00am Below Deck. Mediterranean. 12noon The Simpsons. 2.00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine. 3.00 Modern Family. 5.00 The Simpsons.

SSTAR (DAYTIME)

Freetree 32 Sky 128 Virgin 136

12noon Traffic Copy. 2.00 Police Interceptors. 5.00 Car Pound Cops. 6.00 Home and Away.

5 SELECT

Freetree 40 Sky 155 Virgin 138

12noon Ben Fogle. New Lives in the Wild. 1.00 Wooler, She Wrote. 3.00 Columbus. 4.30 Around the World by Train with Tony Robinson. 5.00 Summer in the Scilly Isles. 6.00 Abandoned Engineering. 7.00 Ben Fogle. New Lives in the Wild. 9.00 China with Ben Fogle. 10.30

Battlefront. WWII Road to Victory. 11.00 Prisoner. Cell Block H.

5 USA (DAYTIME)

Freetree 21 Sky 145 Virgin 130

12noon Law & Orpo. 6.00 NCIS

FOOD NETWORK UK

Freetree 43 Sky 144 Virgin 168

11.00am The Great British Bake Off. 1.00pm James Martin's Spanish Adventure. 3.00 The Hairy Bikers Go Local. 4.00 James's 5 Ingredient Mediterranean Meals. 5.00 The Pioneer Woman. 6.00 James Martin's Spanish Adventure. 7.00 The Great British Bake Off. 9.00 James Martin's French Adventure. 11.00 Down, Drive a Inn and Dives.

GREAT! TV

Freetree 34 Sky 157 Virgin 170

12noon Little House on the Prairie. 1.00 The Waltons. 4.00 Little House on the Prairie. 6.00 The Irish RM. 7.00 WATS"H.

ITV2 (DAYTIME)

Freetree 4 Sky 118 Virgin 155

10.15am Dawson's Creek. 11.10 Chermed 12.10pm Deal or No Deal. 1.10 Celebrity Supermarket Sweep. 2.10 The Floor. 3.10 The Only Way Is Essex. 4.10 The Real Housewives of Precious. 5.00 The Real Houseworks of Beverly Hills. 6.00 Celebrity Catchphrases.

ITV3 (DAYTIME)

Freetree 10 Sky 119 Virgin 117

11.30am Heartbeat. 1.35pm Midcomer Murdery. 3.35 Classic Emmerdale. 4.40 Classic Circulation Street. 5.50 Heartbeat.

ITV4 (DAYTIME)

Freetree 26 Sky 120 Virgin 118

10.15am The Professionals. 11.25 Robin of Sherwood. 12.25pm Magnum, Ft. 2.35 The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. 3.45 Boon. 4.50 The Professionals. 5.55 Murder.

MORE4 (DAYTIME)

Freetree 16 Sky 126 Virgin 167

12.40pm Come Dine with Me. 3.20 Four in a Bed. 5.50 Car $US.

NAT'L GEOGRAPHIC

Sky 129 Virgin 183

11.00am Car 20.5.12noon Ultimate Airport Dubai. 1.00 Air Crash Investigation. 2.00 Nazi

Megastructures. 4.00 Lost Treasures of Egypt. 5.00 Destruction Decoded. 6.00 Nazi Megastructures Battle Ready. 7.00 Air Crash Investigation. 8.00 9/11 Inside the Pentagon. 9.00 9/11 Reunited. 10.00 Air Crash Investigation.

PBS AMERICA

Freetree 84 Sky 173 Virgin 187

12noon The War Cabinet. 1.00 Weathered Earth's Extremes. 1.35 The World After Stonehenge. 2.50 The Normans. 4.05 The War Cabinet. 6.05 The World After Stonehenge. 7.15 The Normans. 8.30 The War Cabinet. 10.30 Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland.

REALLY

Freetree 44 Sky 142 Virgin 165

12noon Celebrity Yorkshire Auction House. 2.00 The Repair Shop. 3.00 Salvage Hunters. 5.00 Long Lost Family. 6.00 The Repair Shop. 7.00 The Yorkshire Auction House. 8.00 Antiques Road Trip. 9.00 The Repair Shop. 10.00 The Yorkshire Auction House. 11.00 Help! My House Is Haunted.

SKY ARTS

Freetree 36 Sky 133 Virgin 123

12noon The Art of Film with Ian Nathan. 1.00 Tales of the Unexpected. 2.00 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. 3.00 The Nineteas. 4.00 Discovering Gene Wilder. 5.00 Portrait Artist of the Year 2023. 6.00 Tales of the Unexpected. 7.00 Alfred Hitchcock Presents. 8.00 Andre Rieu: The Flying Dutchman. 10.30 HMS: Poudere with ENO.

SKY ATLANTIC

Sky 108 Virgin 118

10.15am House of the Dragon. 12.40pm Remicide: Life on the Street. 2.30 Billions. 4.40 Django. 6.35 House of the Dragon. 9.00 FILM Nightcrawler. (2014) (15) 11.05 Possession.

SKY COMEDY

Sky 121 Virgin 117

11.50am Will & Grace. 12.20pm Upright. 1.40 Avenue 5. 3.00 Will & Grace. 4.00 Two Weeks to Live. 5.00 Community. 6.00 Will & Grace. 7.00 The Office (US). 8.00 Animal Control. 9.00 Real Time

RADIO

RADIO 4

FM: 92.4/94.5/93/22

5.00am News Summary.

5.04 Last Word.

5.32 Weather.

5.34 Shipping Forecast.

5.43 Prayer for the Day.

5.45 Farming Today.

6.00 Today.

9.00 The Great Crime

Mystery.

9.30 How Did We Get

Here: No World

Order.

10.00 Woman's Hour.

11.00 All Kinds of Minds.

New series, Nathan

Filer explores

neurodivergence,

beginning with

the language of

neurodiversity.

11.45 Luv's Book of

the Week: All the

Beauty in the World.

By Patrick Bringley.

12noon News.

12.04 You and Yours.

12.57 Weather.

1.00 The World at One.

with Bill Maher. 10.10 Warren's Vortex. 11.10 The Reluctant Landlord.

SKY DOCUMENTARIES

Sky 116 Virgin 121

12noon On the Line. The Richard Williams Story. 1.45 My Icon: Duke McKenzie. 2.00 Jackie Stewart. 4.00 The Directors. 5.00 Discovering Jeremy Irons. 5.55 Chimp Crazy. 7.00 Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God. 8.00 The Girl Who Caught a Killer. 10.20 I Am Patrick Swayze.

SKY HISTORY

Sky 123 Virgin 131

10.10am Jack & Diverdely. 11.05 Storage Wars. 12noon The UnXplained with William Shatner. 1.00 Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny. 3.00 Dugong for Britain. 6.00 American Pickers. 7.00 Forged in Fire. 8.00 Swamp

PICK OF TODAY'S RADIO

BBC PROMS 2026, 7PM, RADIO 3

AMERICAN conductor Marin Alsop (pictured) takes charge of the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall for a programme celebrating her home country. The evening begins with a tribute to Alsop herself in the shape of a fanfare written for her by Grammy award-winning

composer Joan Tower called Fanfare For The Uncommon Woman That's followed by Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue, music by Leonard Bernstein and the rousing prelude to the 1958 western The Big Country by Jerome Moross.

1.45 Human Intelligence.

2.00 The Archers.

2.15 Fags, Mags and

Bags.

2.45 Opening Lines.

3.00 Great Lives.

3.30 You're Dead to Me.

4.00 The WhatsApp

Underground.

4.30 Soul Music.

5.00 PM, Weather.

6.00 Six O'Clock News.

6.30 Just a Minute.

7.00 The Archers.

Alice faces a rude

interruption.

7.15 Front Row. How

illustration is

adapting to a

changing world.

8.00 The Briefing Room.

Discussing a story

in the news.

8.30 BBC Inside Science.

The latest scientific

research.

Mysteries with Troy Landry. 9.00 Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny. 11.00 UFO POV.

SKY ONE

Sky 106 Virgin 109

12noon Africa Hunters. 1.00 Hawaii Five 0. 3.00 SWAT. 5.00 The Simpsons. 6.00 Bob & Romesh vs Country Music. 7.00 The Simpsons. 8.00 Shark British Isles Special with Steve Backshall. 9.00 Never Mind the Buzzrocks. 10.00 Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. 10.45 Bob Beckett Wallop.

SKY SCI-FI

Sky 145 Virgin 140

11.00am Star Trek Enterprise. 12noon Star Trek Voyager. 1.00 Stargate Atlantic. 2.00 Westhouse 13. 3.00 Primeval. 4.00 Stargate SCI. 5.00 Star Trek Voyager. 6.00 Star Trek Enterprise. 7.00 Stargate Atlantic. 8.00 Stargate

SG1. 9.00 Resident Alien. 10.00

Grimm. 11.00 The Walking Dead.

SKY WITNESS

Sky 107 Virgin 110

12noon FBI. 2.00 The Rookie. 3.00 Law & Order Criminal Intent. 4.00 Nothing to Declare. 6.00 Caught on Dashcom. 9.00 Law & Order. Special Victims Unit. A family discover a young boy is in grave danger. 10.00 Law & Order Criminal Intent. An undertaker is killed. 11.00 The Rookie Detective Lopez puts everything on the line to help Black.

TLC

Freetree 12 Sky 133 Virgin 133 12noon The Big Bang Theory. 2.00 The Middle. 3.30 Young Shields. 5.00 The Big Bang Theory. 9.00 Mock the Week. 10.00 FILM Transformers: Dark of the Moon. (2011) (12)

---

FREEVIEW PRIMETIME PLANNER 43

ITV3	ITV4	MORE4	SKY MIX	QUEST.	U&DAVE	U&DRAMA	SSTAR	5USA
6.55 Heartbeat Steve lands himself in danger. Rural drama, with James Carlton	River Monsters Jeremy Wade tries to track down a deadly fish in southern Africa	6.50 Car S.O.S Fuzz Townshend and Tim Shaw fix up a World Rally-winning car	Star Trek: The Next Generation A search and rescue team discovers a boy in the wreckage of a space vessel	Antiques Road Trip Charles Hanson and James Branton's compete in the challenge and their search for antiques begins in the Highlands	Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing Bob and Paul fish for rudd	7.20 Last of the Summer Wine Wally is called upon to settle an argument between Charles and Foggy – the exact size of Nora Batty's feet	GPx: Behind Closed Doors In Chester doctors treat patients suffering from a wide range of conditions, including a two-year-old suspected of having sleep apnea	NCIS Part one of two. The team reels in the wake of the terrorist attack, but tries to avenge Kate's death by collecting as much information as possible on Ari
Midsomer Murders Breaking the Chain When an international cycling competition comes to Midsomer and the race leader is murdered, DG Barnaby and DS Nelson are drawn into a world of blackmail, bribery and bloodshed	The Motorbike Show Henry Cole joins the Bike for Life ride out	7.55 Grand Designs Kevin McCloud visits a couple building a home that looks like a work of art overlooking a south Devon valley, with large zinc shards jutting out in all directions	Hawaii Five-O Pilot episode of the American crime drama remake, A former Navy Seal is enlisted to lead a branch of the Hawaii State Police	Shed and Buried: Classic Cars Henry Cole and Fuzz Townshend visit High Wycombe, where a Web Chrysler Imperial Crown awaits rescue	7.40 Would I Lie to You? The Unseen Bits Unseen material from the panel show	The Brokenwood Mysteries Alzheimer sufferer Edward Alderston comes under suspicion of involvement when an ex-finance company high-flyer responsible for the loss of many elderly people's life savings in board floating in a swimming pool with a samurai sword in his back	Casualty 24/71 Every Second Counts Hannah takes on her new role of matron	NCIS Part two of two. Gibbs continues to blame himself for Kate's death, and enlists Jerry's help to track down Ari – but they are nearly killed in a shoot-out
Lewis Generation of Vipers: A humiliated professor is found dead after her dating video is leaked onto a website, but Lewis is not convinced she committed suicide and begins searching for a killer	Six Bullets (2012,15) A martial arts fighter enlists the help of an ex-mercenary in rescuing his daughter from a criminal network, Action thriller, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, includes FVI Daily	PopMaster TV Ken Bruce hosts the second host of the music quiz, with more contestants battling it out to see who can top the charts and secure their place on the leaderboard	Evil Kristen, David and Ben Irvestigata a potential demonic possession, Starring Katja Herbers	Ant Anshead: Born Mechanic Ant takes on a three-wheeled BMW Ixella, but there's trouble back at the workshop when the engine catches fire and the brakes fail	Have I Got a Bit More Now: For You! Richard Ayoode hosts an extended episode of the satirical quiz	Anbulance: Code Red Documentary following emergency response teams on their most extreme medical callouts	Wild Cards Max and Elit saddle up for a wild west adventure as they track down the attempted murderer of a ranch family's stud horse and uncover a dark family secret	Wild Cards Max and Elit saddle up for a wild west adventure as they track down the attempted murderer of a ranch family's stud horse and uncover a dark family secret
11.30 Trial & Retribution (To 1.45)	11.20 Benidorm The Garvey's attempt to win a pub quiz	24 Hours In A&E An 81-year-old cyclist is brought to St George's after being hit by a car, while a 79-year-old man is treated after falling over some boxes and landing on his face	Caught on Dashcam Fly-on-the-dashboard documentary showcasing outrageous road disasters, captured in video form by drivers' dashboard cameras	The Repair Shop Jay Blades and the team restore a ceremonial cavalry helmet, a miniature chest full of hidden treasure and a rare Victorian clockwork rabbit	QI XL Host Sand Tokovig is joined by panelists Alan Davies, Gyles Brandwith, Lulu and Emmanuel Jonubir for a Christmas edition of the quiz show	New Tricks The team reopens the case of a murdered palaeontologist after learning he was opposed to his museum's dealings with a fuel company	A&E After Dark A 80-year-old biker is badly injured in a fight impact collision with a car overcame to his spine, neck and legs	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit The team investigates when a member of a feminist group in murdered and her body mutilated
11.30 Trial & Retribution (To 1.45)	11.30 Benidorm Mick falls victim to a con (To 12.20)	11.05 24 Hours In A&E A train driver is rushed in with fractured ankles after falling 12ft from a tree (To 12.10)	Grimm Nick and Hank hunt for a woman who is actually a spider creature that devours the internal space of men to survive, David Giuntoli stars (To 12.00)	How Do They Do It? The maintenance of the Mississippi River's famous paddleboats	Taskmaster Nish Kumar pretends he is Robin Hood and doling Bea Sands on bread, while Mark Wallops feels the wrath of yoghurt (To 12.00)	11.20 Luther Part two of two. Luther is forced to put himself and new colleague Emma into the heart of danger to try and stop the cannibalistic killer. Idris Elba stars (To 12.40)	Skin A&E Dr Emma's patient sticks his neck out, dedybing nurse Donna in the process. Dr Natalie evictus is lipoma from an estate agent (To 12.00)	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit The team investigates when a member of a feminist group in murdered and her body mutilated
				How Do They Do It? The construction of a traditionally tailored tuxedo suit (To 12.00)				Law & Order: Special Victims Unit The team investigates when a member of a feminist group in murdered and her body mutilated
								Law & Order: Special Victims Unit The team investigates when a member of a feminist group in murdered and her body mutilated
								Law & Order: Special Victims Unit The team investigates when a member of a feminist group in murdered and her body mutilated
								Law & Order: Special Victims Unit The team investigates when a member of a feminist group in murdered and her body mutilated
								Law & Order: Special Victims Unit The team investigates when a member of a feminist group in murdered and her body mutilated

WHAT'S going through the minds of security guards who sit in silence for hours on end in art galleries? Patrick Bringley was very cannily gathering material for a book when he was doing just that at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, staring at works such as Duccios Madonna And Child. He shares how the museum works in ALL THE BEAUTY IN THE WORLD (11.45AM, RADIO 4) and how he's learned to look at and appreciate art. Continues daily.

9.00 The Great Crime Mystery. Public perceptions of the crime rate. 9.30 How Did We Get Here: No World Order. Topics include Barack Obama's Nobel peace prize acceptance speech. 10.00 The World Tonight. With James Coomarasamy.

10.45 Book at Bedtime: Mr. Sidhu's Post Office. 11.00 There's Something I Need to Tell You. 11.30 Everything Is Fake and Nobody Cares. 12midnight News and Weather. 12.30 Book of the Week: All the Beauty in the World. 12.48 Shipping Forecast. 1.00 BBC World Service.

UALLIBI Sky 109 Virgin 114 12noon Body of Proof. 1.00 Death in Paradise. 2.00 Murdoch Mysteries. 4.00 The Mortality. 5.00 Hudson & Rex. 6.00 Body of Proof. 7.00 Private Eyes. 8.00 My Life Is Murder. 9.00 Father Brown. 10.00 Death in Paradise. 11.00 Private Eyes.

UBDAVE (DAYTIME) Freeview 19 Sky 111 Virgin 127 11.20am Yukon Gold. 12.20pm Top Gear. 2.20 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. 3.00 Goy's Garage. 4.00 Harry Rikers' Best of British. 5.00 Dox's Sierra India.

U&DRAMA (DAYTIME) Freeview 20 Sky 143 Virgin 150 11.40am The Bill. 12.40pm Classic EastEnders. 2.00 Classic Neighbours. 3.05 Whitstable Pearl.

4.10 Kingdom. 5.15 As Time Goes By. 6.00 Last of the Summer Wine.

U&EDEN Freeview 57 Sky 166 Virgin 176 12noon Train Truckers. 5.00 Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 7.40 Citizen Smith. 8.20 Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 9.00 Citizen Smith. 10.40 Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

U&GOLD Sky 105 Virgin 124 11.50am Ever Decreasing Circles. 12.25pm Only Fools and Horses. 1.00 Keeping Up Appearances. 1.40 Dxdx Army. 2.30 The Green Green Grass. 3.00 Are You Being Served? 3.40 Ever Decreasing Circles. 4.20 Dxdx Army. 5.00 Last of the Summer Wine. 6.20 Keeping Up Appearances. 7.00 Only Fools and Horses. 7.40 Dxdx Army. 8.20

RADIO 2 FM. 88-90.2MNT 6.30am The Radio 2 Breakfast Show. 9.30 Mark Goodier. 12noon Tina Dahley. 2.00pm DJ Spoony. 4.00 Jason Mardard. 7.00 Jo Whiley's Slurry Happy Playlist. 7.30 Jo Whiley. 8.00 The Blues Show with the Black Keys. 10.00 The Good Groove with Mohsin Odom. 12midnight DJ Borg.

RADIO 3 FM. 90-2-92.4MNT 6.30am Breakfast. 9.30 Essential Classics. 1.00pm Classical Live. 4.00 Composer of the Week: Sally Beamish. 5.00 In Tune Music, arts news and guests. 7.00 BBC Proms. 2026. The Philharmonia Orchestra performs a programme of American classics. 10.00 Night Tracks. 11.30 Round Midnight. 12.30am Through the Night.

RADIO 5 LIVE M98 Sky 99MNT 5.00am Wake Up to Money. 6.00 5 Live Breakfast. 9.00 Rima Ahmed. 11.00 Emma Vardy. 2.00pm Nick Watt. 4.00 5 Live Drive. 7.00 5 Live Sport. The Monday Night Club. 9.00 5 Live Sport. 5 Live Cricket. 10.00 TBA. 1.00am Dotun Adebayo.

Are You Being Served? 9.00 Fawlty Towers. 9.40 The Office. 10.30 Not Going Out. 10.55 Mrs Brown's Boys.

U&W Freeview 25 Sky 133 Virgin 125 12noon DIY SOS. The Big Build. 1.00 Tipping Point. 4.00 Property Brothers Forever Homes. 5.00 DIY SOS. The Big Build. 7.00 MasterChef Australia. 8.30 Special Ops. Crime Squad UK. 9.30 One Born Every Minute. 10.30 Inside the Ambulance. 11.00 Lex. Deceit and Betrayal.

U&TESTERDAY Freeview 27 Sky 155 Virgin 139 11.00am The World at War. 12noon Antiques Roadshow. 2.00 Bangers & Cash. 4.00 Secret Note Boxes. 5.00 The World at War. 6.00 Antiques Roadshow. 7.00 The Blue Planet. 8.00 Canal Boat Diaries. 10.00 Bangers & Cash.

SPORT

SKY MAIN EVENT Sky 401 Virgin 501 12noon Transfer Talk. 1.00 Lunchtime Live. 2.00 The EFL Show. 3.00 Sports Desk. 4.00 Live US Open Tennis. Coverage of day one of the qualifying event for the Grand Slam, which takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. New York. 6.30 Live MNF Fulham v Chelsea (Elck-off 8:00pm). Coverage of the Premier League match at Craven Cottage Goals by Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson gave Fulham a 21 win over their London rivals in last season's corresponding factors. Both players left the club on free transfers in the summer, while the Blues have once again been busy in the market, signing the idea of Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Jordan Henderson. The two teams also start the season with new managers at the helm, with the Cottagers led by Alvaro Arbelo and Kats Alonso taking the reins at Chelsea. 11.00 Live U.S. Open Tennis.

MOVIES

FILM4 Freeview 14 Sky 313 Virgin 628 11.00am Charada (PKT) (PG) 1.15pm Howards End (1992) (PG) 4.05 Shenandoah (1965) (PG) 6.15 American Gangster Special. 6.35 Moonfall (2022) (12) 5ch thriller, starring Patrick Wilson and Halle Berry. 9.00 Public Evenson (2009) (15) Fact-based crime drama, with Johnny Deep and Christian Bule. 11.45 Heat (1995) (15)

GREAT ACTION Freeview 42 Sky 318 Virgin 426 1.00pm The Unit. 2.00 Burn Notice. 4.00 Seattle Superdives (2022) (12) 6.00 The Unit. 7.00 Burn Notice. 9.00 Harrouse (2014) (12) Adventure or starring Dwayne Johnson. 11.05 The Avengers.

GREAT MYSTERY Freeview 50 Sky 120 Virgin 628 12noon Underpetable. 1.00 In Plain Sight. 2.00 Castle. 3.00 Diagnosis Murder. 5.00 Murder, She Wrote. 7.00 Castle. 8.00

SKY PREMIER LEAGUE Sky 402 Virgin 502 1.30pm Premier League Highlights. 1.00 SNF. 3.30 Premier League Highlights. 5.00 The Premier League Show. 6.00 Hot Watch. 6.30 Live MNF Fulham v Chelsea (Elck-off 8pm). 11.00 Transfer 360.

SKY CHICKET Sky 405 Virgin 505 12noon Test Cricket. 1.00 International T20 Cricket. 3.30 Nepal Climbing Cricket's Mountain. 4.00 Test Cricket. 9.00 One-Day International Cricket.

SKY MIX Sky 416 Virgin 531 12noon My Icon. Danny Stanford. Event. 12.15 My Icon. Martin Offutt. 12.30 Premier League Starts. 4.00 Live U.S. Open Tennis.

TNT SPORTS 1 Sky 410 Virgin 531 1.30pm Live La Vuelta Men. 5.00 Sign Up – Into Football. 6.00 Live Ultimate Pool. 9.30 UFC The Ultimate Fighter. 10.30 MLB

Highlights. 11.30 Live MLB. Miami Marlins v Boston Red Sox (Start-time 11.40pm).

TNT SPORTS 2 Sky 411 Virgin 523 12.30pm Live: Smoker Wuhan Open. 3.30 CPL Highlights. 4.00 UEFA Champions League – Stories of the Finals. 5.00 Seize A. 7.00 Test Cricket Highlights. 8.00 UCI Mountain Bike World Series Review. 8.30 UEFA Champions League – Stories of the Finals. 8.45 The Gruppens. 9.00 Fishing On the Bank. 10.00 Smoker Wuhan Open.

TNT SPORTS 3 Sky 413 Virgin 523 11.00am Premier League. 12.30pm La Vuelta Men. 1.30 Live La Vuelta Men. Coverage of any time of the Grand Tour race, a D'Ann mountain route from the coastal town of Gnuesau to a formidable summit finish near the Spanish border in Pont-Romeu. 5.00 FEI World Championship. 6.00 WHSL. 10.00 La Vuelta Men. 11.00 UFC.

SKY PREMIERE Sky 301 Virgin 601 10.25am One Nights At Freddy's 2 (2025) (15) 12.15pm Heretic (2024) (15) 2.15 Hamnet (2025) (12) 4.30 Charlie the Wonderdog (2025) (PG) 6.15 Twinless (2025) (15) Dark comedy, starring Dylan O'Brien. 8.00 Normal (2026) (15) Action comedy, starring Bob Odenkirk. 9.40 Five Nights At Freddy's 2 (2025) (15) Horror sequel, starring Josh Hutcherson. 11.30 Hamnet (2025) (12) Parodi drama, starring Paul Mewad and Jessie Buckley.

TALKING PICTURES TV Freeview 62 Sky 124 Virgin 605 11.30am The Dark Light (1951) (PG) 12.50pm Look at Life. 1.00 Richard the Luncheon. 1.30 Hell Driven (1957) (PG) 3.40 Window to the Sky (1967). 4.00 That's My Boy. 4.35 Blanche Fury (1949) (15) 6.35 The History of Shippans in Chichester 1954. 7.00 The Foreign Detectives. 8.00 Maupré. 9.55 Mort D'un Pouru (1977) (12)

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Page 44

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

IT'S surprisingly difficult to watch someone carry out a task differently to the way you would do it. You know exactly how the dishwasher should be loaded, the optimal way around the supermarket and which cupboard things go in. Yet sometimes another person's method works perfectly well. Today, resist the urge to intervene. Conserving your energy matters more right now. Let somebody else's apparent madness reveal its method. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0301*

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

SOME problems grow because we keep trying to solve them. You spot a tiny mark on a wall, then can't ignore it. Soon you're wondering whether the whole room needs redecorating. Today, resist that tendency to turn every flaw into a project. Something in your life can remain imperfect for a while. You don't have to improve everything simply because you've noticed it. There is considerable relief in deciding that good enough really is just that. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0302*

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

PEOPLE respond in different ways to their computer stopping working. Some start clicking everything. Others stare at the screen as though patience alone might repair it. Then there's the person who walks away and comes back ten minutes later to find it has miraculously recovered. Today favours the third approach. Not every problem benefits from more thought. If your mind has been circling the same question, give it something else to do. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0303*

CANCER June 23 - July 23 THERE is a

difference between being available and being permanently on call. Modern life makes the distinction difficult. A message can arrive while you're eating, watching television or trying to fall asleep, and suddenly someone else's urgency has become your responsibility. Today, remember that not every request requires an immediate response. You can care deeply without reacting instantly. Sometimes

JEMIMA CAINER

JCAINER.COM

THERE are some days when the most sensible response to a complicated situation is simply to stop trying to solve it. Collectively, however, we aren't particularly good at this. Most of us are well predicted in the art of overthinking. Give us an awkward conversation and

we'll rehearse it in our heads. Give us a problem with no obvious solution and we'll start making lists. Yet sometimes the most useful way of dealing with a situation is to allow a little time to pass and to trust that the right outcome will soon become clear.

the kindest thing you can do is put the phone down and finish your tea. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0304*

LEO July 24 - Aug 23 WE ALL have

moments when we're sure everyone has noticed our mistake, only to discover that nobody was paying attention. Self-consciousness has a talent for turning a tiny incident into a private headline. Today gives you an opportunity to laugh at yourself and defuse a situation. Something may not have gone exactly according to plan, but it isn't significant. People trust those who can recover from an awkward moment without turning it into a crisis. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0305*

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 IT'S utterly

exhausting trying to prevent every inconvenience. You check the route, check the weather, check the booking three times. Preparation is useful, but certainty is an impossible standard. Today, notice when planning has crossed the line into unnecessary supervision. Leave some room for things to happen differently. You may discover that you're much better at adapting than you give yourself credit for. Not everything needs to be anticipated to be handled well. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0306*

• Calls cost 80p per minute plus your phone company's access charge and will last approximately 4 minutes. Head to jcainer.com and join Jemima's Moon Circle for exclusive extras, videos and live readings and exciting astrology workshops! To report a phone line problem, call 0330 100 0601.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 PEOPLE often say they don't mind where they eat, where they go or what they watch, only to reject every suggestion that follows. Being agreeable can become complicated if we don't reveal our preference. Today offers a reminder that harmony isn't created by erasing yourself from the conversation. Sometimes it's better to say what you want. Then there is something real to negotiate. You don't have to be endlessly flexible to keep other people happy. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0307*

SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22

SOMETIMES a song becomes irritating simply because you've heard it too many times. It hasn't changed, but repetition has altered your response to it. The same can happen with a problem playing on your mind. Every new thought begins to sound like another version of the last one. Stop analysing. What feels unresolved now may look different after some distance. Recognise when thinking has stopped producing insight. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0308*

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

A CANCELLED plan is an opportunity that Sagittarians seem to spot more easily than others. The relief you feel when a duty is released can tell you something your

enthusiasm failed to say. Pay attention to that feeling today. You may have been treating an obligation as important simply because you had already agreed to it. Yet not every commitment deserves to survive. There is something wonderfully restorative about having nowhere in particular to prove yourself. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0309*

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

MOVING large furniture about requires a strategic assessment that Capricorns like you have a particular knack for. Pushing a sofa harder into the doorway doesn't help. Turning it around does. If determination has stopped producing results, don't assume you need more of it. You may need less. There is strength in recognising when persistence has become stubbornness - and wisdom in letting go. A practical decision allows circumstances to show you another way today. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0310*

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 THERE are

conversations about deep issues that don't change your life, and there are chats about nothing much that somehow restore your faith in humanity. We are so focused on whether something is productive or meaningful that we overlook the simple pleasure of being connected to another person. Loosen the pressure of expectation today. You don't need every interaction to be significant. What is valuable doesn't need to have purpose. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0311*

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

UNCERTAINTY is uncomfortable, but it is where real learning happens. Problems don't always need to be actively solved. Sometimes they just need space to evolve. Some questions become less clear the more urgently we pursue them. Today, notice the difference between reflection and rumination. You can care about something without constantly examining it. Understanding doesn't always arrive because you've worked harder for it. Sometimes it appears when you finally stop demanding an answer. Take control of your destiny with the guidance of the stars. Start your journey - call 0905 789 0312*

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Page 45

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Page 47

LETTERS

Write to: Daily Mail Letters, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY email: letters@dailymail.co.uk

■ Although we cannot respond individually, all correspondence received is read and considered. Thank you for writing.

WK had a national water plan...once

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN (Daily Mail) is absolutely right to criticise water companies for failing to build reservoirs for decades.

Yet in the 1960s and early 1970s, Britain actually had a national water planning body: the Water Resources Board (WRB). It produced detailed proposals for north-south water transfer pipelines, motorway corridor trunk mains and a national water grid designed to protect southern England from shortages.

In 1973, the WRB was abolished and no national replacement was created. Everything was handed to regional water authorities.

That decision killed the only long-term drought-prevention strategy Britain ever had.

JOHN FIELDER, Reading, Berks

Hit and miss

BONNIE TYLER, best known for her 1980s power ballad Total Eclipse Of The Heart, has been laid to rest in Wales.

Too bad she didn't live long enough to record a song about the US President who transferred planes in a mobile food container to avoid possible assassination by Iran. She could have called it Total Dipstick In A Cart.

VIN MORABITO,

Scranton, Pennsylvania

North and South

POOR folk in Wandsworth, eh, currently paying £1,020 in council tax for a Band D property, with a big hike in prospect (Daily Mail).

Here in one of the more deprived towns in the North, we already pay over £1,300 for a Band A terraced house. How the other half live with their London-weighted wages. How do they manage?

JOHN SCHOFIELD,

Blackburn, Lancs

All right for some

AS A low-paid worker bringing up a family, I can't afford luxuries some on welfare seem to get.

My neighbours have a car and

Straight to the POINT

WHY are theory and practice much farther apart in practice than in theory?

BRIAN SUMNER, Louth, Lincs

■ THE answer to drought conditions is to schedule a Test Match.

D. H. TODD, Ripon, N. Yorks

WHY do we need to import eggs at all?

T OLDAKER,

Northlawn, E. Sussex

go on holiday. I work, don't have a car and our last holiday was five years ago.

I dread being sick, as I end up losing money and fall behind on the bills. Today it cost me £340 for a crown at the dentist, which is almost my week's pay.

Yet I watch as houses around here are given to immigrants, who have new furniture delivered and all wear branded sportswear. I presume their bills are covered.

I'm beginning to wonder why the hell I work.

MIKE WRIGHT, Hull

Heinous mistake

ONE word I haven't spotted in discussions on mispronunciation is 'heinous', which I have only once heard said correctly. It is hay-nous, not bee-nous.

CHRIS RODWELL,

Camberley, Surrey

■ THE way things are going, Burnham will be homeless by Christmas.

MIKE AYLWARD,

Bechill-on-Sea, E. Sussex

■ IF I give up my extra 25p a week now that I'm 80, can I have an OBE please?

P MORRIS, Woking, Surrey

■ SO H&M are moving back here. I bet William's thrilled.

MAY HALL, Sheffield

Waiting game

THE other day we had a partial eclipse and this week another rare sighting: mail being delivered, three weeks' worth in one go, consisting of 30 envelopes (26 of them junk mail).

Might have to wait 50 years for another delivery.

DAVID McCABE,

Milton Keynes, Bucks

Unrest room

THE downside of our many happy camping holidays abroad in the late 1950s were the squat toilets. Eventually we became quite blaze about using them, until the day my mother exited one completely drenched.

Unbeknown to us, the campsite had showers and my mother, thinking it was a toilet, pulled what she thought was the chain,

CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF A LOVED ONE

HAVE you lost a relative or friend in recent months whose life you'd like to celebrate? Our column on Friday's letters page tells the stories of ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives.

Email a 450-word tribute and a favourite photo to: lives@dailymail.co.uk or write to: Extraordinary Lives, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY, including your phone number.

Hooray for loud phone pub ban

HATS off to Sir Tim Martin, founder and chairman of the pub chain JD Wetherspoon, who has banned customers from playing music aloud on their phones and tablets or having conversations on speaker, after complaints from irritated customers.

This has been likened to the policy of the late Humphrey Smith, owner of Samuel Smith's brewery, who enforced a strict 'digital detox' in all his 200 pubs several years ago. Customers were even banned from texting.

I wish public transport would take a similar approach, to make people's journeys more pleasurable. But I'm not holding my breath.

I may be a killjoy but I remember the days when passengers were more

considerate and playing a transistor radio on a bus would earn you a reprimand from the conductor.

RICHARD HEATH,

Dewsbury, W. Yorks

AT LAST a pub chain has decided to tackle antisocial behaviour by barring people from conducting conversations or watching videos with their phones on loudspeaker. Alas, it doesn't seem to have been implemented so far. While I was chilling out with the Daily Mail at our local Wetherspoon's, wondering whether to order food, a customer decided to start viewing videos on full volume. If people are that addicted to their mini screens, they should stay at home.

JAMES ORAM, Blackpool, Lancs

only to be given an unwelcome shower while fully clothed.

Name and address supplied

Kidults rule

WHEN Labour took power two years ago, they told us that 'the grown-ups are back in charge'.

Now it seems more like: 'Look out, the kids have found the matches and your bank cards.'

LESTOR HASLAM,

Woodford Bridge, Essex

REMEMBER the leaders' debate in June 2024, when Rishi Sunak repeatedly said Labour would push up the tax bill of every working household by £2,000?

Well, we're getting there.

M. CLARK, Crewkerne, Somerset

Final straw

WE HAVE a Labour Government, high inflation, high unemployment, low growth, thousands of illegal immigrants and now Harry and Meghan coming back. How much are we supposed to endure?

ROBERT DEWAR,

Bedford, E. Yorks

Disturbing document

I HOPE that 'don't rape' leaflet was issued in 25 languages.

P. POTTER, address supplied

Track safety

BEFORE the advent of the continuous rail to make train travel smoother and avoid the old clickety-clack, the join between each rail and the next allowed for expansion and contraction. Are never rails more prone to buckling in certain conditions?

BOB MACDONALD GRUTE,

Newquay, Cornwall

Not a bot

WE HAVE nothing to fear from AI if a robot can't tell which square has traffic lights.

M. KIMBER, Brighton, E. Sussex

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

John 157

Do we really want the Sussexes back here?

WHO wants the Duke and Duchess of Sussex back in this country? Definitely not the majority of the British public, who will never forgive the distress they caused the late Queen. Nor will the Prince and Princess of Wales and their supporters be welcoming them with open arms.

They alleged racial discrimination by senior royals and said the Duchess was 'not silent but silenced', yet we are all expected to let bygones be bygones while footing the bill for their presumably soon-to-be-reinstated taxpayer-funded 24-hour police protection. Let anyone who has a short memory revisit the Oprah interview, the Netflix documentary series, the

Duke's ghost-written book Spare and Omid Scobie's Finding Freedom.

JILL LOUCH, Uckfield, E. Sussex

HARRY and his wife return to be near his father just as their fame is waning and Harry faces having to pay millions in costs for his misguided pursuit of the Press. So obvious.

RACHEL SIMMS, Kettering, Northants

WILL Meghan set up a stall in Camden Market to sell her overpriced strawberry jam?

T. HALLIDAY, Newtownards, Co Down

SO HAVING run out of juice in the US, the actress and her tame ginger whisper are returning to recharge their deflated ego-balloons with some royal gas.

DAVID TAYLOR, Stourport, Worcs

I DON'T think William, Kate and Camilla will be hanging out the bunting.

Why would Harry and Meghan suddenly want to return to the country where they claimed to be miserable, hounded and unsafe? Aren't we meant to be racist, cold and unwelcoming?

BRENDA SPRAY, Romford, Essex

OF ALL migrants arriving in the UK this month, the least popular will surely be Meghan. Can the Government please arrange for her to be deported immediately to her country of origin?

M. SMITH, Southampton

HOW long will it be before Meghan falls out with the children's new schools, I wonder.

ENID STOKER, Surftleet, Lincs

LETTER OF THE WEEK

WIN our Letter Of The Week Magic Mug, courtesy of Printer Pix. These reveal our Daily Mail Letter Of The Week design when hot. To create personalised photo gifts (see example, below), visit printerpix.co.uk. The Letters Editor will announce the Letter Of The Week each Friday. Write to: Daily Mail, Letters, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email letters@dailymail.co.uk, including your full postal address Printerpix and telephone number.

FOR permission to copy cuttings for internal management and information purposes, please contact the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA), PO Box 101, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1NX. Tel: 0892 525273. e-mail: copy@nla.co.uk

The Mail is published by ANL, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY. Printed by Newprinters Holdings Ltd (Brookbourne); Newprinters Holdings Ltd (Knowsley); Newprinters Holdings Ltd (Eurocentral); KP Services (Jersey); Irish Times (Clywest, Dublin), Ireland; Bermont Impression, Madrid; Tiffriini, SA, Tenerife; Miller Newprint Ltd, Malta; Kronos Corporate Group Ltd, Cyprus; Millero Hellas Publisher Services Ltd, Athens; Atlas Media Communication, Dubai, UAE. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2024 was 37.2%.

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Page 48

QUESTION How many chickens die each day?

MORE than 200 million chickens are killed for meat globally every day (that's about 148,000 per minute), which adds up to approximately 73 billion chickens per year.

In the United Kingdom about 2.7 million chickens are killed daily for meat (more than one billion per year). Apart from religious slaughter such as halal and kosher practices (where birds are killed by a swift, single cut to the throat), the vast majority are either gassed or hung upside down and passed through electrified water (known as an electric bath) to stun them before their throats are cut.

A further 110,000 newly hatched male chicks are killed off each day by the UK egg industry because they cannot lay eggs (40 million annually). In a process known as chick culling, the baby birds are separated by professional chicken seekers into pullets (females) and cockerels (males), with the latter considered unprofitable and quickly killed by argon gas.

The males are not raised for their meat as egg-laying breeds don't

QUESTIONS

Q: When and where did the high five first become used to share congratulations?

Les Allmark, Bolton

Q: Is the town of Broadstairs in Kent named after a set of stairs? If so, which one?

Adeyemi Banjo, London SE15

Q: What is the story of Sergeant Major Hollis, who was awarded the Victoria Cross, and what happened to him after the war?

Peter Lawrence, Taunton

From the farm

to the table

Short-lived: The prospects aren't good for chicks across the world

grow as fast or as large as modern broiler chickens.

Despite the worldwide growth of vegetarianism, more chickens are being killed each year as meat-eaters switch from beef or pork to chicken for economic reasons as well as perceived health concerns.

Roger Burton, Birmingham

QUESTION Why do we call the number two a couple?

THE word 'couple' comes from the Old French cople and, ultimately, the Latin copula, meaning a bond, link or tie. It originally referred to two things joined together or considered as a pair, rather than specifically to a romantic partnership.

By the 13th century, English speakers were using couple to mean 'two of the same kind associated together', and it later became the

standard term for two people united by marriage or affection.

We still talk about, for example 'a couple of days' when we mean two. But it's now sometimes used informally to just mean a small number.

Jane Anderson, Cambridge

QUESTION When were driving tests introduced in the UK?

FURTHER to the earlier answer, driving tests were suspended during the Second World War and drivers were issued provisional licences.

After the war these were converted into full licences so many people never took a driving test at all!

Geoff Pratchelt, Oxfordshire

■ IS THERE a question to which you want to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question here? Write to: Answers To Correspondents, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY, or email answer@diallemail.co.uk. A selection is published, but we cannot enter into individual correspondence.

TODAY'S RECIPE: Green veggie lasagne

Easy slow-cooker dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

200-250g baby spinach

2 garlic cloves

250g mascarpone

100g frozen peas

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

Small handful of basil, plus extra to garnish

100g green pesto

2 x 400g cans of green lentils, drained

9 dried lasagne sheets

250g grated mozzarella

250g feta

Green salad, to serve (optional)

Method

1 Whizz the spinach, garlic, mascarpone, peas, stock cube, basil, pesto, 300ml freshly boiled water and seasoning in a blender until smooth.

2 Scatter a third of the lentils into your slow cooker. Cover with 3 lasagne sheets, breaking them up to fit if needed. Spoon a third of the green sauce over and scatter a third of the mozzarella over, then crumble a third of the feta over. Repeat the layering twice more.

3 Cover and cook on high for 2½-3 hrs, until the pasta is tender. Sprinkle a few extra basil leaves over and serve with a green salad, if you like.

Good Food's Alice Shields

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SOLUTIONS TO SATURDAY'S PUZZLES

SAKURO	SUBOKU										FUTOSHIKI
3	8	9	1	3	7	6	2	9	5	6	1	3	4	2	4	5	3
			2	9	5	8	4	1	7	3	6	4	2	1	3	1	2
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7	2	6	9	7	1	4	5	6	3	2	8	3	5	3	5	4	3
			2	8	6	3	1	2	9	5	7	3	2	1	4	1	2
9	9	9	7	1	8	2	9	3	6	4	5	2	1	4	1	2	1
			5	2	9	1	6	4	8	7	3	2	1	4	1	2	1

ACROSS: 13 Butterhole.

14 Eat into. 15 Packed.

16 Pierce. 17 Drafted.

18 Lotto. 19 Eddy. 20 Rebut.

21 Jumbo. 22 Engine.

23 Strum. 28 Compare.

30 Eclipse. 33 Liquidate

36 Wilted. 38 Elite. 39 Let on.

40 Swings. 42 Weeks.

43 Disobey. 44 Pester.

46 Cite. 49 As is. 51 In Rock.

53 Profess. 55 Mushy

59 Propel. 60 Covet. 61 Inane.

62 Twelve. 63 Debatable.

GIANT CROSSWORD

65 On board. 66 Campari.

70 Gloom. 71 Hatus.

73 Stark. 75 Creak. 80 Twit.

82 Grain. 83 Melodic.

84 Themed. 85 Privet.

86 Abusive. 87 Thoughtful.

DOWN: 1 Futile. 2 Star Jump.

3 Anger. 4 Woodcut

5 Bedauh. 6 Melts. 7 Stodge.

8 Analogy. 9 Contention

10 Spoon. 11 Accepted

12 Mend. 24 Uptight.

25 Grazie. 26 Wicened.

27 Cursory. 29 On ice.

31 Chino. 32 Suik. 34 Perish.

35 Stye. 37 Takes up.

41 Include. 45 Tacked

47 Midead. 48 Try It on.

50 Surreal. 52 Cany

54 Flair. 56 Hover. 57 Stun.

58 Strag. 60 Call It a day.

64 Abortive. 67 Permeate.

68 Stand-up. 69 Tractor.

72 Summit. 74 To date.

76 Avenue. 77 Agate.

78 Flies. 79 Stagy. 81 Wire.

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PUZZLES & Prizes competitions ('promotions') open to UK (excluding Northern Ireland) and Channel Islands residents aged 14 or over, excluding employees of the promoter, and members of their household. By entering the promotion, you agree to these terms (including relevant specific terms). Photocopies and damaged or tampered newspapers will be void. Promoter's decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. No third party entries. Prizes non-transferable. Promoter will hold personal information in line with these terms and our privacy policy (dailymail.com/privacy). Promoter not responsible for technical difficulties, unavailable network connections or postal-related issues that may limit entry and/or claiming of the prize and/or for lost or damaged entry/prize verification evidence. Proof of entry is not proof of receipt by promoter. Promoter reserves the right in its reasonable

discretion to disqualify any entrant whose conduct is contrary to the spirit of the promotion, to declare as void entries resulting from printing, production and/or distribution errors; or to modify, suspend or cancel the promotion if there is fraud or any event beyond the promoter's reasonable control. These terms prevail over any materials published elsewhere. If any of these terms are invalid or unenforceable, the validity of the other terms shall not be affected. If your newspaper does not have a Unique Number, log in to MyMail and use the missing numbers system. These terms are governed by English law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts. Promoter: Associated Newspapers Limited, 9 Derry Street, London W1 5HY. Customer Services Helpline: 01451 222 467. Calls to this line will be charged at local rates - calls from mobiles may cost more.

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Page 49

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Page 50

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Page 51

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Page 52

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Page 53

Just the lift you needed

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Page 54

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Page 55

City & Finance

City Editor: Alex Brummer

www.thaismosoey.co.uk

Business Editor: Hugo Duncan

I warned you about equity sharks...

HATE to say 'I told you so', but five years ago, in summer 2021, I wrote a long piece in this newspaper setting out why it would be a disaster if private equity firm CD&R went ahead with a takeover of supermarket group Morrisons.

Reason number one was that jobs would be at risk. So it has proved.

It emerged a couple of days ago that Morrisons' workforce has shrunk by almost 5,000 in the 12 months to October last year. The grocery chain was loaded with debt at the time of the deal.

Currently, the pile of borrowed money still stands at more than £7.5bn, which – notwithstanding its price pledge to shoppers at the weekend – makes it difficult to invest in keeping checkout bills low at a time when customers are caught in a cost-of-living crisis. Morrisons' most recent losses were £629m.

Rival Aada, owned by the Issa brothers and private equity firm TDR, is also deep

Ruth A Sunderland

in debt and underperforming. A string of deals around the time of the pandemic prompted the Daily Mail to run a campaign to curb predatory private equity. It must be said that not absolutely all private equity ownership is destructive and that there are some genuine success stories.

Much of it, however, was questionable to say the least – including takeovers of strategically important defence companies such as Cobham and Ultra Electronics.

No lessons have been learned. The rampage continues with barely any public discussion.

It is only when football came into the equation, with Gianni Infantino's plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private

equity, that anyone outside the City seemed to take a blind bit of notice. Private equity barons now have their hands on dental and 'vets' surgeries, nurseries and elderly care facilities.

They own companies that perform eye operations for the NHB and run children's homes.

These are areas where most people instinctively feel private equity and its profit-driven mentality has no place, yet its risky and draining business model is deeply imprinted in our national life.

Private equity is having another busy summer.

A MONG the deals are a £5.7bn takeover of budget airline EasyJet by US group Apollo; testing group Intertek is being sold off for £9.4bn to Swedish buyout group EQT; and KKR is buying energy distribution company DCC for £5.8bn.

A company owned by CD&R is snuffling Mite, the outsourcing group, for £3.1bn.

One might imagine the desirability of the UK having its own independent defence

companies would be obvious, considering Donald Trump's attitude towards his European allies in Nato.

Yet aerospace company Gooch & Rousego has agreed a £400m deal with a US private equity house. Fellow defence player Senior is selling itself to two private equity buyers for £1.28bn. Both deals are subject to the National Security and Investment Act, for what that may be worth.

London capital markets are being denuded because companies are undervalued and private equity has spotted the chance to cash in.

There are concerns over the health of the private equity industry itself, including the use of 'continuation funds' which are set up by firms as basically a dumping ground for businesses they can't sell to an outside buyer, along with worries about the closely linked private credit market.

Andy Burnham, if he really wants growth in every postcode, should wake up to the risks of the country being stripped of its business assets by private equity sharks.

I don't want to be writing 'I told you so' again in another five years.

SAVE OUR SALONS BEFORE EXPERT URGES LABOUR

'QUEEN of skincare' Caroline Hirons has urged Andy Burnham to save beauty salons.

Hirons, one of the biggest names in British beauty and owner of the Skin Rocks brand, wants salons to get similar support to the 20pc business rates cut handed to pubs and music venues.

The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology board member said her industry was 'not a frivolous extra', adding: 'Owners cannot keep absorbing rising costs indefinitely. Eventually that means higher prices, fewer opportunities for young people and, in worst cases, businesses closing.'

Hirons (pictured) said: 'The Government talks a great deal about supporting female entrepreneurs.

'Yet when a predominantly female, £28.3bn industry asks to be included in the same conversation as pubs and live music venues, it is still treated like an optional extra.'

National debt 'will hit £4m by 20.33' in borrowing binge

By Hugo Duncan

THE national debt is on course to hit £4trillion early in the next decade as the benefits bill rockets and Labour embarks on a massive borrowing binge.

Official data last week showed government debt is just below £3trillion – a milestone it looks set to hit in the coming months – having been £350bn at the turn of the century.

The figure is then set to hit £3.5trillion in 2030-31, according to forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), meaning it has risen tenfold in 30 years.

Analysis of International Monetary Fund projections by Nomura economist George Buckley suggest it could hit £4trillion as soon as 2033.

The figures underline the challenge facing Chancellor John Healey as he plots his first Budget in October amid turmoil on the bond markets that has sent borrowing costs soaring.

'UK government debt has risen more than most since the financial crisis, so Healey needs to be ultra-cautious and stick to both the letter and spirit of the fiscal rules if he's to keep the financial markets onside,' said Buckley.

UK bond yields are the highest in the G7, meaning it costs Britain

HOW BRITAIN'S DEBT SNOWBALLED

more to borrow than any other major developed nation including the US, France, Germany and Italy.

The yield on ten-year gilts stands above 5pc while the 30-year is close to 28-year highs above 5.8pc.

Thomas Pugh, chief economist at consultant R&M UK, said: 'The cost of borrowing is squarely back in the headlines. Investors are watching every borrowing number for clues about how seriously the new Government takes fiscal discipline.

'Borrowing more is becoming an increasingly expensive way to solve the Government's problems.'

Having taken more than 300 years to hit £1trillion in 2010, the national debt passed £2trillion in 2020 and is set to hit £3trillion this year, which is close to 100pc of national income as measured by gross domestic product (GDP). The binge has been driven

by shocks, such as the financial crisis, the pandemic, the energy crisis after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and lavish government spending.

Benefits are costing the taxpayer £1bn a day, while servicing the national debt is soaring, with taxpayers expected to fork out more than £730bn in interest payments over the next six years – more than is spent on defence.

The OBR has warned that finances are heading towards an 'unsustainable and ever-rising path' that could see the debt climb to 300pc of GDP by 2075-76.

Its forecasts show an ageing population will drive up spending in areas such as health, social care and pensions. Ministers are also under pressure to increase the defence budget, while pressing ahead with expensive Net Zero commitments.

---

56 Daily Mail Sport

RACING

RACING RESULTS

BRIGHTON

2.20 — WRIST ART (Miss Ruby Crinovsky) 6-1 1; Stirdine Sunset 9-2 2; Highland Harvey 3-1F 3. 4 ran. (James Owen) 5; 1% Tofac 5.00: 1.70, 2.20. Ex: 29.50. T1 56.20. CSF: 22.20. 3.50 — SPACE GREAMER (D. Loughnane) 9-1(2m/Fav) 1; Last' Danskron 5-2F 2; Tree Wizard 9-2 3. 6 ran. (Olle Sangster) 2% 21. Tofac 4.00: 1.80, 1.80. Ex: 11.30. T1 33.40. CSF: 40.70.

3.20 — HARRY'S POP (R. Danesini) 2-1(2m/Fav) 1; Crowned 15-8F 2; Dinama Galore 9-4 3. 6 ran. (D. Carnes) 11; no. 1988: 3.00, 1.40, 1.50. Ex: 6.70. T1 11.70. CSF: 5.94.

3.50 — GIANT (H. Davies) 15-2 1; Doomed 2.5m: 17-2 2; County Warhol 16-1 3; Big Time Hawaii 16-1 4. 18 ran. (J. Williams) 16; no. 1988: 1.00, 1.10, 2.60, 2.70, 3.40, 2.60. Ex: 36.40. 1c: 1075.00. T1 2350.00. CSF: 72.44.

4.20 — KENNIFTS GOLD (B. Loughnane) 2-1F 1; Cudum Lady 22-1 2; Dagger Guest 16-1 2. 7 ran. (J. West) 1% Tofac 3.00: 1.80, 4.80. Ex: 41.00. T1 273.80. CSF: 47.08.

4.50 — DANENILL STAR (R. D. Egan) 11-1; Big Old Male 5-2F 2; Wet Chard 16-1 3. 5 ran. (A. Carroll) 5; hd. Tofac 12.00: 2.40, 1.10. Ex: 18.10. T1 37.00. CSF: 17.14. Pleasant £150.40. G'pot £21.00.

WORCESTER

2.08 — AXEL BLEUE (J. Bowen) 5-2F 1; Rax Kassar 7-2(2m/Fav) 2; Twist Of Fawcettn 19-2 3. 8 ran. (M. Bowen) 4nd, 8% Tofac 3.50: 1.50, 1.70, 2.10. Ex: 14.70. T1 50.00. 2.10. 36.00. CSF: 12.40. NR: Arista O'anna

2.38 — LET'S LEGGING (D. Bowen) 15-4(2m/Fav) 1; Pop Telling 7-1 2; Hudson 20-1 3. 10 ran. (D. Murphy) 9/1; 1/8; Tofac 1.70: 1.20, 1.50. 4.00. Ex: 18.90. T1 325.32. T1 143.30. CSF: 25.83.

3.08 — I'VE GOT A FRIEND (J. M. Davies) 16-1 1; Delulu 8-1 2; Spanish Darling 8-1 3. 10 ran. (D. Harman) 4nd, 1% Tofac 1.70: 2.20, 2.20, 2.10. Ex: 92.70. T1 624.30. CSF: 88.20. NR: Cuisena Glance.

3.38 — DOWN TO BUDMUSS (H. Davies) 4-6F 1; Winners Gold 4-1(2m/Fav) 2; Bucks 28-1 3. 11 ran. (D. Sanford) 10; 2% Tofac 1.67: 1.10, 1.40, 5.40. Ex: 3.90. T1 41.30. CSF: 3.76. NR: Happy Chardn.

3.08 — NETWORK RGB (S. Butler) 22-1 1; Zahan 22-1 2; Mojo Ego 9-2(Ca'Fav 3 10 ran. (D. Murphy) 3; 1% Tofac 25.50: 7.90, 7.40, 2.30. Ex: 676.10. T1 2034.67. T1 2500.75. CSF: 425.11. NR: Playful Fire.

3.08 — LET'S FERRY ON LILY (J. Bowen) 9-4F 1; Trouville 11-2; Harman Frencher 5-1 3. 8 ran. (M. Bowen) 1/4; 1/8; Tofac 3.50: 1.50, 2.10, 1.70. Ex: 17.20. T1 58.50. T1 87.50. CSF: 19.79.

5.08 — THE SECRET PEARL (K. Woods) 12-1 1; Kierrda 14-1 2; Forest Spirit 20-1 3. 13 ran. (J. Holmo) 14; 3% Tofac 18.30: 3.50, 4.80. Ex: 6.20. T1 25.00. CSF: 21.20. 1c: 1.20. Ex: 1.20. T1 29.10. 1c: 1.20. Ex: 1.20. T1 65.90. Pleasant £169.90. G'pot £66.90.

HOTSPOTS

WORLD WHEELER

1ST CREAMING

(Windsor, 8.13)

WHEELING CAM

CHAMON ROAD

CHAMON ROAD

CHAMON ROAD

CHAMON ROAD

BURNT FINGERS

HIGHLIGHTS

(Windsor, 5.48)

CAPTAIN HEATH TROO

MOLLY MAC (nap)

(Windsor, 7.18)

CRIMSON ROAD (nb)

(Brighton, 4.00)

BYE

(Brighton, 3.30)

RGB to aunt

in a star on

in a night out

From Back Page

is reported to have taken place in Derby (on Saturday) night, and are currently investigating. We will provide a further update when possible.

No decision has yet been made over whether Carse will be removed from England's 18-man squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Lord's starting on Thursday, while the ECD and the independent Cricket Regulator investigate the incident.

The news comes not long after England's new Test captain, Joe Root, abounded the tease curfew that had been in place since the Ashes defeat in January, insisting his players should be trusted to behave

like 'grown adults'. That followed a string of drink-related incidents over the peak year that have sparked fresh debate about cricket's relationship with alcohol.

In October, white-ball captain Harry Brook was punched by a nightclub bounced on the eve of a one-day international in Wellington. New Zealand — an incident the ECD hushed up until the story broke on the last day of the fifth Test against Australia at Sydney in January.

In the meantime, England's Ashes squad spent four high-profile days between the second and third Tests in the Sunshine Coast resort of Nossa, Opening baseman Ben Durbin'ett was filmed by a member of the public sharing his words during a late-night exchange, while observers

Flashpoint: Carse was out with a group of Durham players including Stokes in a Derby nightclub, celebrating their win over Derbyshire

likened the trip to a 'stag-do'. In June, Stokes and last shorter Gus Atkinson missed the second Test against New Zealand after they broke the team curfew at a west London nightclub celebrating England's first Test win at Lord's. They both claimed they didn't know the curfew still operated after the end of

a home Test, and Stokes retired from international cricket soon after Carse, who has won 14 Test caps, has been in trouble with the authorities before, having been suspended for three months in 2024 for historic betting offences, which involved playing 300 betas on matches between 2017 and 2019.

WINDSOR

5.12 RELIEF WONCE STAKES (4) £18,000 added (15,400) WTR 25/6/25 (T)

1 (3) 5 BENDER 50-10 Hoppes 4-9 1. T. Steygard 2 (4) 5-42 CORDIA 9-5m. (D. Lumsden) 3-9 2. B. Squire 3 (1) 7/2 JUST DEEABING 12 2. J. Hughes 3-3 5. G. Campbell (T) 4 (2) 5 BADER OF WHITE 2m. (Dunn, 3-4) 4. C. Dover 5 (3) 5 BADER OF WHITE 2m. (Dunn, 3-4) 5. D. Dover Probable SP: Evans, Dorsey, Girl, 4. Encore, 5. Just Downing, 6. Cards, 10. Queen Of Hope.

5.42 — RESTRICTED WONCE STAKES (2) (2-1-0) £28,000 added (425,402) 3m 25/6/25 (T)

1 (8) 1 CAMERON 40, 20 (S) 1. Kinnard 9-7. J. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C.

TRACK: FACTS: PRINCIPAL MEETING. Figure of eight courses. GOING: Good to form good in place; re: STALLS. On inside: remainder centre. DRAW ADVANTAGE: Low in spirits.

6.18 — RANDICAP (4) £18,000 added (£5,833) 3m 37/6/25 (T)

1 (4) 1-5, 80-20 A. KIRBY 41 (S) 37. D. Dover 5.101. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A.

6.40 — RANDICAP (4) (2-1-0) £7,200 added (£3,760) 3m 25/6/25 (S)

1 (4) 4-20 ACCUPTIONS 17.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1

Top jockey: Chan Murphy. Top trainer: A. Carroll. Headgear first time: 6.18 Faulin, 6.48 Who Is Alice, 7.18 Angel Summer, Magic Lady Miss: Star Doom, 8.20 1.18 A. Karrar Of Saints. Drop in Class: 5-43 Ecclesfield is down 2 grades on last run (Class 4 to Class 6): 7.18 Star Doomsinon (2): Magic Lady Miss (2). First run since wind surgery: None today.

7.18 — RANDICAP (6) (3-1-0) £7,200 added (£3,760) 97/3/25 (T)

1 (4) 8-1 WILL I MEY EVER (S) 9. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T.

DARTHUM RACING WATCHES

UK/IRISH COMMENTARY AND BULLETS 09016 09 29 39 FOR RACING TYPE CALL 03016 09 53 39

2021-04-28 2021-04-29 2021-04-30 2021-04-31 2021-04-32 2021-04-33 2021-04-34 2021-04-35 2021-04-36 2021-04-37 2021-04-38 2021-04-39 2021-04-40 2021-04-41 2021-04-42 2021-04-43 2021-04-44 2021-04-45 2021-04-46 2021-04-47 2021-04-48 2021-04-49 2021-04-50 2021-04-51 2021-04-52 2021-04-53 2021-04-54 2021-04-55 2021-04-56 2021-04-57 2021-04-58 2021-04-59 2021-04-60 2021-04-61 2021-04-62 2021-04-63 2021-04-64 2021-04-65 2021-04-66 2021-04-67 2021-04-68 2021-04-69 2021-04-70 2021-04-71 2021-04-72 2021-04-73 2021-04-74 2021-04-75 2021-04-76 2021-04-77 2021-04-78 2021-04-79 2021-04-80 2021-04-81 2021-04-82 2021-04-83 2021-04-84 2021-04-85 2021-04-86 2021-04-87 2021-04-88 2021-04-89 2021-04-90 2021-04-91 2021-04-92 2021-04-93 2021-04-94 2021-04-95 2021-04-96 2021-04-97 2021-04-98 2021-04-99 2021-05

MISSEL BURRIN

5.12 — RANDIN STAKES (4) (2-1-0) £11,000 added (£5,833) 3m 37/6/25 (T)

1 (4) 1-5, 80-20 A. KIRBY 41 (S) 37. D. Dover 5.101. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A.

1 (4) 1-5, 80-20 A. KIRBY 41 (S) 37. D. Dover 5.101. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A.

5.12 — RULING RANDICAP (5) £11,000 added (£3,854) 2/25/25 (S)

1 (4) 1-5, 80-20 A. KIRBY 41 (S) 37. D. Dover 5.101. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A.

1 (4) 1-5, 80-20 A. KIRBY 41 (S) 37. D. Dover 5.101. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A.

TRACK: FACTS: L14 course. GOING: Good-good to form in places. STALLS: 55. 61 & 71 series. On inside: 4.18 Faulin, 6.48 Who Is Alice, 7.18 Angel Summer, Magic Lady Miss: Star Doom, 8.20 1.18 A. Karrar Of Saints. Top jockey: Daring, 8.20 1.18 A. Karrar Of Saints, 8.20 1.18 A. Karrar Of Saints, 8.20 1.18 A. Karrar Of Saints, 8.20 1.18 A. Karrar Of Saints, 8.20 1.18 A. Karrar Of Saints, 8.20 1.18 A. Karrar Of Saints, 8.20 1.18 A. Karrar Of Saints, 8.

ROBIN GOODFELLOW GINERACK 5.13 Daring Girl 5.13 Just Dreaming 5.45 Cammella Rd. 5.45 Regulars 6.18 Cape Fear (nb) 6.18 Cape Fear 6.46 Buckland Belle 6.46 Turbados 7.18 Dirty Mac 7.18 Star Obsession 7.58 Darkened Edge 7.58 Dagger God ADDITIONALLY: 7.18 Star Obsession (nb)

7.48 — RANDICAP (6) £7,200 added (£3,768) 3m 37/6/25 (T)

---

FOOTBALL

Daily Mail Sport 57

SPORT IN BRIEF

■ CRICKET

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

(Clay 4 of 4)

DIVISION ONE — The Rose Bowl: Yorkshire 173 (61.2 overs., Abbott 4-07) and 388 (88 overs., Organa 4-08). Hampshire 197 (88 overs., Hill 5-25) and 238 (98.2 overs., Ford 5-40). North (West) beat North (East) by 30 runs.

Leicester Leicestershire 59 (62.5 overs.) and 257 (74.2 overs.), Glamorgan 152 (52 overs., Isles 4-18, Pettett 4-06) and 244 (86 overs.) Holland 5-10. Leicestershire (West) beat Glamorgan 152 (52 overs.).

Southern Somerset 468 (227.5 overs., Thomas 5-10, Nichols 48, J. Blue 74vo., Abell 60, Cook 4-16) and 503 (78.2 overs.), Black 192 (62 overs., Colvin 90-10, Lane 5-4, 77 and 407 (90 overs., Alison 94, Critchley 94, Elgar 94), Leach 5-45). Somerset (2(aot) beat Essex (2(aot) to 9-4) overs.

The East Northamptonshire 104 (88.2 overs., Patterson White 74vo., Leach 5-45) and 308 (98.3 overs., Carrie 95, Storer 4-07, Bravell 4-19), Surrey 402 (88.2 overs., Scott 5-44) and 402 (90 overs., Pope 91, Stone 4-06). Northamptonshire (3(aot) beat Surrey (3(aot) to 9-4) overs.

Edgbaston: Sussex Rd. (47.4 overs., Winners 5-18) and 207 (84.3 overs., Holton 47). Warwickshire 161 (47.3 overs., Mark 4-08) and 296 (92.0 overs., John 92, Winners 58, Hutt 5-42). Warwickshire (3(aot) beat Sussex (3(aot) to 9-4) overs.

	P	W	L	D	BI	Pts
North	1	4	1	4	14	25
Glamorgan	1	4	2	2	18	27
Warwicks	3	1	1	5	15	27
Glamorgan	3	1	3	14	24	30
Sussex	3	4	1	2	19	21
Windslow	3	3	3	12	24	30
Essex	3	4	4	1	12	23
Winnow	3	1	3	5	18	20
Lake	3	2	5	2	19	24
Durham	3	2	5	2	3	24

DIVISION TWO — Cheltenham: Gloucestershire 150 (59.5 overs., Boorman 60, Albion 5-18) and 390 (84, 100 overs., Brown 227, Priva 77, Hammond 57, Swaregow 4-49). Worcestershire 207 (88.2 overs., D'Stowry 83, La Richard 4-19) and 295 (95.1 overs., Lillinger 144, Idle White). Worcestershire (2(aot) beat Gloucestershire (2(aot) to 9-4) overs.

Old Trafford: Northamptonshire 204 (100.2 overs., Balleston 4-10) and 288 (104.2 overs., Macdonald 100). Lancashire 137 (47.4 overs., Sundercliffe 49) and 316 (52.2 overs.). Northamptonshire (2(aot) beat Lancashire (3(aot) to 7-8) runs.

Northamptonshire 200 (91.3 overs., Roland (Lewis 5-71) and 234 (88.4 overs.), Middlesex 249 (55.4 overs., Milnes 5-15, Davis 4-12) and 306 (75.4 overs.). Kent (2(aot) beat Middlesex (3(aot) to 49 runs.

Durham: Sussex 202 (54 overs., Atchison 5-15) and 258 (64.0 overs., McKinney 140), Basingham 134 (55.4 overs., Patty 5-40) and 261 (25.3 overs., Stokes 5-17). Durham (2(aot) beat Basingham (2(aot) to 7-8) runs.

	P	W	L	D	BI	Pts
Durham	3	6	0	3	24	25
Kent	3	6	1	3	17	23
Northamptonshire	3	4	2	2	25	18
Winnow	3	4	3	2	14	25
Adelphane	3	3	4	2	15	25
Durham	3	1	1	1	2	22
Lake	3	2	5	2	0	26
Devon	3	1	0	0	6	21

■ GOLF

NEED CHAMPIONSHIP (Aberdeenshire) West end (58.8, 4.4 overs; Abbott 277 — Aberdeenshire 1-7, 69-6, 2-29) — M. Jordan 72 (8-68 70, 289 — A. Sullivan 71-72 69 100, 282 — A. Yankelman 72 (8-68 70, 291 M. Jordan 72, Cheer 67 70 72 60, S. West (3(a) 71-71 73 67, 280 — A. Valscott 1-7, 72 65, S. Norris (3(a) 72 69 66 76, F. Zanotti (Par) 74 71 69 68.

■ CYCLING

TROPE OF BRITAIN (Royal Leamington Spa, 76.9 miles) — Stage 5: J. Wishes (Red) Team SD. 9304-Protten, 39, 2m, 2b, 2 L. Glimster (Red) GM. Team 3.NM3, 3 L. Conquest (R) CANYON/ISRAEL 4.2 Backstret (GB) CANYON/ISRAEL 5. P. Energy (GB) Team Pictet, Pictet, J. Notton (GB) Team Pictet, Pictet, J. M. at some time. Overall: I. E. Le Court (Mau) 40. Importer-Sunderd Team (70.2m, 61.3, 3 Mishen (Red) Team SD 9304-Protten at Wens, 3 L. (Spent (G) Mishler Team 4(a), 4 L. Anderson (Swe) LA. Akka Jaxca 4(b), 3 F. de Vora (Red) Team Nichee Cunster (GB) 4 (No), 2 Notton (GB) Team Pictet, Pictet, 4(6).

■ RUGBY LEAGUE

BETTERED GATE LEAGUE

(Rider)

LEIGH 42 (R. BRADFORD) ... 10 WIGAN ... 28 WARFIELD ... 12

SAVINGS

CALLAN'S 28 WELL ... 27 Callanam Broughton ... 11 Statista Callanam Broughton ... 12 W. Alipany-Bichat S. Hall — E. King, Martin, 406, Victor, 40, Victor S. 360, E. King, 406, Victor, 40, Victor S. 360,

HILL E. 32 TULLEIGH ... 33 Hull E. 8 — E. Winchester, Gortman, 6; Martin, 2, Toulman — T. Accounne, Trojan, 2, Martin, Uberg, Pritett, 6; Royce, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

STRELENS 38 (GOLDFORD) ... 12 St Helens — E. Helens (Wight, Douglas, Humphreys, Taylor, Caldwell 4), Hunting, S. Taylor, Caldwell — E. Hurling, S. Taylor, A. McReed — E. Hurling, S. Taylor, A. McReed — E. Hurling, S. Taylor, A. McReed — E. Hurling, S. Taylor, A. McReed — E. Hurling, S. Taylor, A. McReed — E. Hurling, S. Taylor, A. McReed — E. Hurling, S. Taylor, A. McReed — E. Hurling, S. Taylor, A. McReed — E. Hurling, S. Taylor, A. McReed

HARRINGTON... 34 WEDNESFIELD... 24 Warrington... 7 Walker, Bentley, Powell, Williams, Lindon, Ashton, 6; Huddersfield — E. Halud, 2, Hewitt, Hirsch, Siegel, 6; Flanagan 2.

YORK... 10 LEEDS... 66 York — T. Wood, Benckton, McKeown, 6; Benckton 1.

Lynch — T. Lynch 3, Hankinson 2, Mankin, Olesdal, Miller, Lodge, Hill, Croft, Handley, 6; Connor 5, Hankinson 3, Miller.

Leeds... 24 10 0 1 850 362 36 Wigan... 24 10 0 1 770 450 36 Warrington... 24 10 0 1 800 422 36 Warrfield... 24 10 0 1 837 446 32 Leigh... 24 10 0 1 859 430 32 Wald 24... 24 10 0 1 765 405 36 D. Wilcox... 24 10 0 1 804 550 26 Calabro 24... 24 10 0 1 815 750 36 Tusland... 24 10 0 1 840 530 26 Caldwell... 24 10 0 1 843 752 36 Bell... 24 10 0 1 850 520 34 Hale... 24 10 0 1 850 520 34 Ruddersfield... 24 10 0 1 850 520 34 Bradford... 24 10 0 1 850 507 32

BETTERED CHAMPIONSHIP — Saturday: Caves 19 (e.g.) 12 Sorrens 28, Newcastle 14, Midlands 14, Portsmouth 28, Westminster 28, Barrow 42, Whitehaven 28, Donsbury 28, Salina 48, Doncaster 24, Dunfield 18, Hunslet 28, Rochdale 18, London Broncos 18, Halifax 12, North West, Canajans 4, Canajans 4(6), Barrow 28, Salina (40,47,24, Midlands 4) Workington 12.

■ RUGBY UNION

INTERNATIONAL

SAVINGS

SOUTH AFRICA... 10 NEW ZEALAND 33 South Africa — E. Edamudson, C. Kuttie, P. Kuttie, L. New Zealand — T. Jordan 2, Hunslet, Hunslet, Jacobson, C. Love 4.

■ TENNIS

AEP & WTA CINCPENNIS OPEN (Ohio) — Men's Tennis Finals: A. Fita (7) 10 New York (12) 8-5 4-4; P. Balbir (10) 10 B. Nakashima (10) 2-0; Womert's Tennis Finals: C. Gault (10) 10 S. Boyle (22) 8-4 6-5; J. Pappala (10) 10 Canadian (Pro) 7-5 4-6 4-4.

Pick single for bouncing Bagués

ISAAC PRICE inspired West Bromwich Albion to a comeback win which leaves promotion favourites. Burnley still searching for their first win of the season.

The Northern Ireland midfielder scored twice in the second half after setting up Harry Whitwell's equaliser to cancel out Callum Player early own goal.

Burnley struggled without star striker Zian Flemming, who has been linked with a move this summer but was out with a 'minor' calf injury according to manager Nicky Hayen.

Albion, meanwhile, continued their 100 per cent start to the season, gaining their third straight win in all competitions.

Boss James Morrison said: 'We were a little bit sloppy at times, but we regrouped and went again. It felt like Burnley couldn't handle our intensity really and I could smell that a half-time.'

Styles put into his own net in the eighth minute from Jacob Bruun Larsen's cross. Albion complained Eranzhal Mejeri foiled Pella from Myhre in the build-up some 70 yards

WEST BROM

BURLEY

By DAVID KENT

away, with several passages of play unfolding before the goal.

Whitwell equalised on 18 minutes when he slotted home low to Max Weiss' left over 12 yards for the his first Albion league goal. Bruun Larsen hit the post as Burnley looked to retake the lead, but the Bagués dominated after the break.

Price put them ahead for the first time in the 44th minute, cutting a shot beyond Weiss, who had strayed five yards off his line, into the far corner. And Price clinched victory from the penalty spot after Bashir Humphreys opened Whitwell.

Hayen said: 'We didn't have the energy, desire and hunger of the home team. We had problems and no solutions. I didn't expect this — it was an eye-opener for everyone, myself included. We have to go back to basics. We played in slow motion.'

WEEKEND RESULTS AND TABLES

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1 Brighton	1	1	0	0	4	0	4	3
2 Arsenal	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3
3 Brentford	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3
4 Everton	1	1	0	0	2	0	2	2
5 Hull	1	1	0	0	2	0	2	2
6 Ipswich	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	1
7 Man City	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	1
8 Leeds	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	1
9 Liverpool	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1
10 Newcastle	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1
11 Chelsea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12 Fulham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13 Bournemouth	1	0	1	1	2	-1	1	0
14 Sunderland	1	0	1	1	2	-1	1	0
15 Nottin Forest	1	0	1	0	1	0	-1	0
16 Crystal Palace	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0
17 Man Utd	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0
18 Coventry	1	0	1	1	0	3	-3	0
19 Tottenham	1	0	1	1	0	3	-3	0
20 Aston Villa	1	0	0	1	0	4	-4	0

WILLIAM HILL

SCOTTISH PREMERSHIP

BUNDLEFORD	...	10	1	BUNDLE	...	10	2
5, 22				ROYAL 6 (Steam)
	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD
Celtic	...	2	2	4	1	1	3
Dundee	...	2	2	4	1	1	3
St Mirren	...	2	0	0	3	0	3
Meadowwell	...	1	0	2	1	1	4
Hearts	...	2	0	1	3	2	3
St Johnston	...	1	0	4	4	0	3
Albertson	...	1	0	1	2	3	4
Aberdeen	...	1	0	1	2	3	4
Rangers	...	1	0	1	2	3	4
Redden	...	1	0	1	2	3	4
Dundee Old	...	0	1	1	2	4	1
Edmonds	...	0	0	4	4	0	3

WILLIAM HILL SCOTTISH OFSHIP
WEDNESFIELD	...	10	1
LINGSTON	...	12	1
MORON	...	10	1
SHOPFORD	...	10	1
SHOPFORD	...	10	1
SMITH	...	12	1
	P	W	D
South Ivesa	...	2	1
Balb	...	1	1
Parka	...	2	1
Livingston	...	2	0
Apr	...	1	1
Altrath	...	1	1
Newman's	...	0	0
Stamford	...	0	0
Morison	...	0	0
Queen's Park	...	0	0

YESTERDAY

BRIGHTON... (4) 4 ASTON VILLA (0) 0
Emblet (0) 0
St. Clyde (0) 0
MAN CITY... (0) 2 BOURNEMUTH (1) 1
Scottsdale (0) 0
Scottsdale (0) 0
Carlsbad (0) 0
SHORE (0) 2 GARDIN (0) 2
Salem (0) 2
Salem (0) 2
STREME (0) 2
Salem (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2
STONE (0) 2

SATURDAY

BRENTFORD... (2) 3 TOTTENHAM... (0) 0
Leeds (0) 0
Keeside (0) 0
EXETER... (1) 2 CRYSTALP... (0) 0
Densbury (0) 0
Barry (0) 0
HULL... (2) 2 MAN UTD... (0) 0
Hyatt (0) 0
Morris (0) 0
IPSWICH... (1) 2 SUNDERLAND (1) 1
Greenwood (0) 0
Stanton (0) 0
NOTTLA FOR... (0) 0 LEEDS... (0) 1
Stark (0) 0

FRIDAY

ARSENAL... (2) 3 COVENTRY... (0) 0
Howard (0) 0
John (3) (Steam) (4) 0
LEADING SCORER: 1 Hinshelwood (Burgersons) 2
ASSETS: 0 (Carrie) (Man City) 2
TOTAL PASSES: 0 (Dam (Man City) 1
125, 1 Dunk (Brighton) 104,
1, Vicksonic (Brighton) 105.

WILLIAM HILL SCOTTISH OFSHIP
WEDNESFIELD... (0) 1 PARKIN... (1)
LINGSTON... (2) 2 BOURNEMUTH... (0) 0
MORON... (0) 1 ABERDEEN... (1)
SHOPFORD... (0) 0 STEWART... (0) 1
SMITH... (2) 2 HILL... (0) 0
P. M. D. L. A. LD P.
South Ivesa... (2) 1 H. S. 1. 4
Balb... (2) 1 H. S. 1. 4
Parka... (2) 1 H. S. 1. 4
Livingston... (2) 1 H. S. 1. 4
Apr... (2) 1 H. S. 1. 4
Altrath... (2) 1 H. S. 1. 4
Newman's... (2) 0
Stamford... (2) 0
Stamford... (2) 0
Morison... (2) 0
Queen's Park... (2) 0

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

ATCWIN (0)... (0) 1 READING... (0) 1
BRONLEY... (0) 1 CAMBRIDGE (1)... (0) 1
Castlewood (0) 1 Knight (1)... (0) 0
BONCROSS... (0) 1 RANNOUNC... (0) 1
LEICESTER... (0) 1 BOSTON (0)... (0) 2
Burns (2) 2
LEEDS... (0) 2 HURTS (2)... (0) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2
O'NEAL (2) 2

YESTERDAY

WEST BROM... (1) 3 BURNSLEY... (1) 1
Whitewell (0) 0
Royal (0) 0
WILLIAM HILL SCOTTISH OFSHIP
WEST BROM... (0) 1 RANNOUNC... (0) 1
WILLIAM HILL SCOTTISH OFSHIP
WEST BROM... (0) 1 RANNOUNC... (0) 1
WEST BROM... (0) 1 RANNOUNC... (0) 1
WEST BROM... (0) 1 RANNOUNC... (0) 1
WEST BROM... (0) 1 RANNOUNC... (0) 1
WEST BROM... (0) 1 RANNOUNC... (0) 1
WEST BROM... (0) 1 RANNOUNC... (0) 1

SKY BET LEAGUE TWO

ATCWIN (0)... (0) 1 READING... (0) 1
BRONLEY... (0) 1 CAMBRIDGE (1)... (0) 1
Castlewood (0) 1 Knight (1)... (0) 0
BONCROSS... (0) 1 RANNOUNC... (0) 1
LEICESTER... (0) 1 BOSTON (0)... (0) 2
Burns (2) 2
LEEDS... (0) 2 HURTS (2)... (0) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2
North (2) 2

SKY BET LEAGUE TWO

BURNSLEY... (1) 1 NEWPORT... (1) 3
Parnington (0) 0
Chasey (1) 1 Newport (1) 1
Jenkins (0) 1 James (0) 1
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0
Stroud (0) 0

ENTERPRISE NATIONAL LEAGUE

BOSTON (0)... (0) 1 RUTHERMAN... (0) 1
Alton (0)... (0) 1
CARLISLE... (0) 4 HUNTINGTON... (0) 1
Alton (0)... (0) 1
Burton (0)... (0) 1
EASTLEIGH... (0) 3 SCUNNING... (0) 2
Elise (0)... (0) 1
Elise (0)... (0) 1
EASTLEIGH... (0) 3 HUNTINGTON... (0) 1
Garry (0)... (0) 1
Edgerton (0)... (0) 1
Edgerton (0)... (0) 1
ELMORE (0)... (0) 1
ELMORE (0)... (0) 1
ELMORE (0)... (0) 1
ELMORE (0)... (0) 1
ELMORE (0)... (0) 1
ELMORE (0)... (0) 1
ELMORE (0)... (0) 1
ELMORE (0)... (0) 1
ELMORE (0)... (0) 1

TODAY

17 December (6:00-6)

PREMIER LEAGUE: Fulham v Chelsea (3:35)

TOMORROW

COMBINED LEAGUE: FLINT OFF 2ND LBS; Stockton (2:00) (4:00) (1:15-0), 2,500 (10) v Celtic (1:10-0).

CABASO (SP 2ND ROUND: Sorridow v Creuse, Birmingham v Brentford (3:35), Blackburn v Dwell (3:0), Blackburn v Lenoir (3:0), 1,000 (4:00) (1:15-0), Norwich (7:35), Doncaster v Middlesbrough (1:35), Portsmouth 7v v Stremburg (2:00) (4:00) (1:15-0), North Forest v Leeds (3:35), Portsmouth v Coventry (3:00)

Wed v Wolverhampton, Southampton v West Ham, Stowbridge v Reading, Sloth v Hall, Widdell v Lenoir-Central, Welford v Peterborough.

NORTHERN WINSTON GROUP

COMBINED LEAGUE QUALIFYING FLINT OFF ROUND 2ND LBS; Rapid Vienna (2) v Heart (2:15-0).

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58 Daily Mail Sport FORMULA ONE: DUTCH GRAND PRIX

JONATHAN McEVOY at Zandvoort

A HUGE smash for Max Verstappen at 180mph, bits of his car strewn around the Zandvoort track and his left wheel detached on impact with a concrete wall, his race over, a swathe of his countrymen's hopes evaporating in a worrying flash.

The Netherlands hero, the driver the faithful were here to see and support, walked away unscathed after the cars behind might have T-bossed him, but he was both fortunate and typically stoic about his shunt. It was a prang he met with a shrug of the shoulders, Classic Max.

Then, with Verstappen confined to the Red Bull team facilities in the paddock following a cursory visit to the medical centre, Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix to press his distant but increasingly interesting claim to defend his world title successfully.

It was the McLaren man's second successive victory, a sign that momentum may be swinging the British team's way. Mercedes' previous dominance has been tweaked if not extinguished.

McLaren began the year poorly, perhaps a hangover from their crowning glory of last season, when they swept themselves to both titles. But their upgrades over recent weeks have them firing well again.

Norris was on pole here. He lost out to teenager Kimi Antonelli (of Mercedes) at the restart brought about by Verstappen's thunderous first-lap accident but then passed the Italian on the 54th of 72 laps. That was job done for him, building on his win in Budapest three weeks ago, and he is full of vim and vigour.

Antonelli finished second, with George Russell third in the other Silver Arrow, having made a poor getaway from second on the grid. Norris is 83 points off Antonelli at the top of the standings, while Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth, are both sitting 59 points back.

There is a big hill for Norris to climb, but he may yet prove himself to be a better vertical traveller than the jittery front-runner of a year ago.

Norris led the race as the red flag was waved when Verstappen's destroyed car was cleared away, which caused a 30-minute delay to proceedings.

Then to the restart. It was on the inside of the first corner that Antonelli passed Norris. It was a brave and audacious overtake. The rising star, who turns 20 tomorrow, can be proud of that feat even if he finally lost out on the victory. The Italian still extended his lead in the standings, so it was a pretty good day for him in the final accounting.

It was also a morale-boosting weekend for Russell, who won the sprint on Saturday.

For the first time in a while Russell could firmly say that over the weekend, in qualifying, sprint and race, he was pretty much Antonelli's match, fair and square, sometimes more than that, even if the Mercedes

Nightmare: debris flies from Verstappen's car before it is towed away (bottom right) and Norris (inset) claims the champagne SKY SPORTS/GETTY/SHUTTERSTOCK

Lando glides into title picture after Max's lucky escape from 180mph crash

strategy seemed slightly to favour his rival.

The backdrop to this party race is that the faithful trekked here for the last time (the race leaves the calendar as of yesterday) in their orange-shirted enthusiasm on the 'Max Express', as it is called — the 30-minute train ride from Amsterdam Centraal. It sounds like an easy commute, but then there is a hugger-mugger scrum to board and disembark.

When you get to the little resort town of Zandvoort, you are accompanied on your stroll by music pumping out 'Super Max', a techno beat that bangs away until your mind spins.

It is all about Max in Holland,

with even King Willem-Alexander in attendance on the grid in honour of the Netherlands' most-venerated sportsman.

So it was all going well for the faithful — until the end of the first lap, and then bang, as the object of the crowd's adoration was decelerating on the final bend, hitting the wall and ricocheting across the track.

He was fortunate not to be caught up in traffic by those coming around the corner while he was helpless in his then uncontrollable Red Bull.

The home favourite was straight on the radio to reassure his concerned team that he was not badly hurt. 'Ah, yes, s***, I'm

sorry,' he said. Verstappen appeared to have slipped on to the white line on the inside edge of the track, which is banked at 18 degrees, as he ran seventh, where he had started. He made contact with the outside wall.

The four-time world champion's stand-in team-mate Liam Lawson, running behind him, asked: 'Is he OK? That looked f***ing huge.'

Pierre Gasly, of Alpine, narrowly escaped banging into Verstappen more by luck than by changing path on a track dampened by rain that began to fall 45 minutes before the lights went out.

Verstappen said afterwards, in comments that were thoroughly

Dutch in nature: 'It was a decent hit but I've had worse.'

'It was still quite wet in that corner. I could see a bit of a dry line coming and I thought I could accelerate but it accelerated a lot and it caught me out.'

'I hit the wall. It could have been a lot worse because there were a lot of cars behind me but luckily that all went well.'

As for a delighted and confident Norris? 'I know how good a job I'm doing behind the wheel,' the 26-year-old said.

'For once, I will give myself a little bit of credit. I feel I am doing a better job than everyone.'

Fighting talk, Lando. Where will it take him?

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Daily Mail Sport

59

RESULTS: NETHERLANDS 190.50 miles 72 LAPS

1 LANDO NORRIS (GB) McLaren 2hr 4min 44.859sec 2 KIMI ANTONELLI (It) Mercedes +11.536sec

4 L Hamilton (GB) Ferrari +16.755s 5 C Leclerc (Mex) Ferrari +17.256s 6 O Piastri (A) McLaren +32.332s 7 L Lawson (NZ) Red Bull +79.915s 8 N Hulkenberg (D) Audi +1 lap 9 F Alonso (Sp) Aston Martin +1 lap 10 P Gasly (F) Alpine +1 lap 11 Y Tsunoda (Jpn) Racing Bulls +1 lap 12 A Lindblad (GB) Racing Bulls +1 lap 13 G Bortoleto (Br) Audi +1 lap

3 GEORGE RUSSELL (GB) Mercedes +15.906s

14 F Colapinto (Arg) Alpine +2 laps 15 S Perez (Mex) Cadillac +2 laps 16 C Sainz (Sp) Williams +2 laps 17 A Albon (Tha) Williams +6 laps CID NOT FINISH V Bottas (Fin) Cadillac 61 laps E Ocon (F) Haas 52 laps L Stroll (Cur) Aston Martin 45 laps O Bearman (GB) Haas 2 laps M Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 0 laps

DRIVERS' STANDINGS

1 Antonelli 242 6 Verstappen 112 2 Russell 183 7 Piastri 104 3 Hamilton 183 8 Hadjar 68 4 Norris 159 9 Lawson 49 5 Leclerc 155 10 Gasly 44

CONSTRUCTORS' STANDINGS

1 Mercedes 425 6 Alpine 63 2 Ferrari 338 7 Haas 21 3 McLaren 263 8 Audi 16 4 Red Bull 186 9 Williams 11 5 Racing Bulls 66 10 Aston Martin 3

Fastest lap: Charles 11 Cadillac Leclerc on lap 60 - 1min 14.230sec

INSIDE SPORT

BY MIKE KEEGAN

Counter-terror cops object to United's training ground plan

MANCHESTER UNITED could see plans to extend the use of a car park at its training ground thwarted due to concerns over the potential for a terror attack.

United want to extend by three years the life of a temporary facility they brought in for contractors to use during the £50million refurbishment works at the Carrington complex. However, Inside Sport understands that counter terrorism police have evaluated the proposal and 'implored' the club to increase security measures should their plans be approved. United have lodged a planning application with the local council and, as part of the process, Greater Manchester Police are entitled to have their say. Given the 'high profile nature' of the site, they have liaised with colleagues in counter terrorism.

In a strong response to the council, they note the lack of a secure entry and exit point and 'implore the application to provide suitable secure pedestrian access' which would ensure that every visitor will be vetted.

They have warned of the prospect of 'bad actors' entering the site among a group of pedestrians.

The plan has also triggered a strong objection from locals. Action group Friends of Carrington Moss say they are 'particularly disappointed United did not consider it necessary to consult with communities in advance of submission' and claim that granting approval would increase car dependency in the area. The objection, which also brands United 'shameful' adds: 'The applicant repeatedly states throughout its documentation that Manchester United is a world leading football club. It is clearly not world leading in sustainable operations.' They also claim United removed two mature trees and 'totally stripped' away other vegetation. Manchester United were contacted for comment.

IT WOULD appear that saving the planet takes a back seat to saving your skin.

Flight logs seen by Inside Sport show embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino (right) is clocking up the air miles at a staggering rate as he travels the world in a bid to drum up support. On Friday, his jet — provided by FIFA sponsors Qatar Airways — left Doha for Rabat, Morocco, where

Infantino recently summoned officials for crisis talks. It then headed to Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, and the following day flew to Paris. That is around 11,800 miles at a cost likely to run into the hundreds of thousands.

THERE was huge noise this year around Gary Lineker and his The Rest Is Football podcast after it signed a deal with Netflix worth a reported £14million to produce a daily show throughout the World Cup. That deal has been extended for the next two seasons, with a promise of twice-weekly episodes from this month on the Premier League and Champions League. However, the top flight kicked off without a peep. One insider mused: 'It's been noticeable on social media that nobody seems to be questioning where they are or demanding a new episode.'

MUCH has been said and written about changes to Match of the Day under BBC director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski. It has also not gone unnoticed that three of the four new arrivals — Robbie Keane, Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Frank — have either played for or managed Kay-Jelski's beloved Spurs, with some joking that we may be witnessing the boss's 'Tottenhamification' of the show.

DO not expect to see VAR at EFL matches in the near future. Clubs have been asked about bringing the technology in for league games and have overwhelmingly decided to leave it to the play-off finals and Carabao Cup final, with 'significant opposition' lodged. Football Video Support has triggered a similar response, with an 'overwhelming majority' raising concerns over the FIFA-approved system, which allows coaches a number of 'challenges' to request a review.

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60

Daily Mail Sport

FOOTBALL

LIGHTS GO OUT FOR ADMIRABLE NELSON

It's pina coladas all round as Daily Mail Sport's FA Cup baton passes to Witton

IT'S the annual pina colada festival in the Witton area of Cheshire — the song about the drink, which topped the US charts in the late 1970s, was written by someone local to the place and they have spotted the commercial

opportunity — so there are people walking around dressed as pineapples and wearing big yellow glasses on Saturday lunchtime. But life has not exactly been a cocktail party for Nelson FC, an East Lancashire ninth-tier club, just lately.

They breeze through one of the challenges which faces them after arriving to face eighth-tier Witton Albion in the FA Cup preliminary round. Their new yellow away kits for the season haven't arrived and last season's strip, which they are still using, doesn't have a No 18 jersey, needed today because you are allowed seven substitutes in this competition. Someone finds a white marker pen and inks the number on to a plain yellow away shirt. Wearing numbers on your back is mandatory in the tournament.

This is a minor obstacle compared with the floodlight problems which have been testing Nelson minds since we left them celebrating victory in the extra preliminary round at their 'Little Wembley' ground two weeks ago.

That was the first part of our journey to Wembley told in 13 instalments, following a club as far as they go and then picking up with the team who knock them out, all the way to the final. Nelson had signed off on a £30,000 contract, helped by FA grants, to replace the lights, which had started to fail during evening games, only to find that the new ones still didn't work.

The contractors didn't seem to have mentioned that the cables and wiring supplying the lights also needed ripping out, and yet were sending the club legal letters demanding payment, as Nelson's directors sought advice from the FA about the black hole they risked disappearing into.

When we caught up with Nelson at their league away game at Charnock Richard in Lancashire, last Tuesday night, the floodlights were the prime topic of conversation as the players arrived in the car park. There had even been talk of a temporary ground move, which did not exactly delight the North West Counties League. Nelson's proactive club sponsor Monks Contractors had offered to supply temporary structures.

In the end, they just went to work again. Volunteers helped dig two 100-metre trenches to lay the cabling to the new lights and on Wednesday they flicked the switch. 'Let there be light?'

The look on Nelson director Rob Doherty's face as the visiting contingent are welcomed into Witton's snug little boardroom suggests so. 'We only got them working three days ago,' he relates. The FA provided emergency funding.

Both these teams badly want to win this FA Cup game. In his extremely modest office, Witton manager Benny Harrison, whose

FA CUP: PRELIMINARY ROUND

WITTON ALBION

NELSON

IAN HERBERT

at the Badspace Trust Community Stadium

day job is teaching at a special educational school, reflects on the profound effects Marine experienced after playing Tottenham in the third round in 2021.

The windfall helped win them two promotions in three years. But as the teams' executives gather in that boardroom, there is a sense of mutual empathy about the existential threats which can be just around the corner for any non-League club.

'There's what goes on out on the pitch, and the fans and all that lovely stuff,' says Witton director Paul Sanderson when Nelson relate their floodlight troubles. 'Then there's survivability stuff that fans don't know about. Trying to navi-

gate things that can threaten your existence if you're not prepared for anything.'

Nelson were on a precipice before new co-owners Stewart Port and Chris Price arrived three years ago, invested and built up the team of volunteers who are their lifeblood.

But Witton's excellent little club museum, charting a 139-year history and signposted 'probably the best non-League football museum in the world', shows they have also ridden football's rollercoaster.

The museum chronicles the club's journey to the 1992 FA Trophy final at Wembley, where they lost to Colchester. That period, which included a brief stay in the Vauxhall Conference, saw them splashing out on players with the surplus earned from selling their old ground to Sainsbury's and building a new one.

The rewards were painfully

temporary. Witton struggled when the money ran out and the new stadium required major repair work sooner than had been anticipated.

The sun is out, though, and the FA Cup is blowing everyone's troubles away. 'Welcome to the best football competition in the world by a long chalk,' states the stadium announcer. The appropriately named Witton

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11

Daily Mail Sport 61

groundsman James Spruce is reversing his mower out on to the excellent playing surface, his partner Katy Hulse is nursing a pina colada and her friend Barbara Bailey is watching the warm-up.

In the book which our odyssey is inspired by, Journey to Wembley, written by Daily Mail Sport's Brian James with Brian Bould's photography 50 years ago, there is no great sense of preparation by the small teams in the early rounds. But Nelson, with their cones, bibs and huge intensity, show it is a different non-League world now.

'When you make a*** decisions, it goes pear-shaped, so if someone makes a*** decision, back them up and help sort it out,' shouts assistant coach Liam Lishman as he puts the squad through their paces. Thursday's training session focused on not allowing Freddy Garbutt, Witton's towering 22-year-old striker, the chance to control

and shoot. At Charnock Richard, Nelson won 2-0, led by their own dangerous target man Sefton Gonzales, who scored and hurled himself through his trademark somersault. Today, goalkeeper Chris Thompson is back after a bout of sciatica. There is optimism in the air.

Against the backdrop of the chemical plants in salt-mining territory, Nelson soon discover what they are up against in Garbutt and Witton's pace. Nelson wing back Darren Holden, outstanding in the previous round and at Charnock in midweek, is operating in his own ball far more, protecting Nelson territory, yet removing one of the Lancashire team's attacking dimensions.

Jamie Edwards, Nelson's force field, draws a sharp save and Gonzales has just headed a great opportunity into the ground when Garbutt leaps to meet a corner and put his team ahead. He is one of only

two players Witton have signed up to a contract, protecting his match fee if he is injured and protecting the club if someone else tries to sign him, Witton chairman Graham Wood relates back in the boardroom at half-time.

The winners today will collect £1,444 in prize money and that would be precious to Witton, a fan-owned club with 400 shareholders, none of them hugely wealthy, who are currently trying to make a community football facility out of neighbouring land that they have leased from the local chemical firm.

'That will bring us an income to put back into the club,' says Wood, who has helped bring a commercial sponsorship deal with a local homelessness charity.

Nelson dominate a second half in which Holden is pushed forward more, encouraged by his wife Abi, who is live tweeting the match for the club's website with another

volunteer, Amy Holden, and taking photographs for next week's match programme.

In the main stand, 87-year-old superfan Harry Manning's immaculate handwritten notes, which will be converted into a match report for the local Nelson Leader, reflect the growing frustration. The '18' inked on to sub James Hooper's jersey is impressive. But it is raining in Nelson hearts when the whistle blows and they tumble out of the competition.

Manager Arron Ripley stands in the sun-dappled centre circle 10 minutes later and reflects on the way his ambitious side are evolving. 'Last year we'd have kept launching it in a situation like that, but we're looking after the ball,' he says. 'We look like we're enjoying it. We just weren't clinical enough.'

Nelson can return fortified to their league campaign, confident, in so many ways, that the lights will stay on.

Same old, same old at Match of the Day...for now

TV REVIEW

By KIERAN GILL

BEFORE the action, we had that lovely old intro, old clips, old voices, old logos, old Kenneth Wolstenholme telling us from August 1964: 'Welcome to Match of the Day.'

Ah, familiarity. Our old friend. Despite an addiction to trying to fix what is not broken, the BBC begin each and every MOTD by celebrating how long this staple of Saturday nights has been on our screens, since a time when Wolstenholme was being beamed to us in black and white.

There was relief that the Beeb stuck with this theme of familiarity for their first broadcast of the 2026-27 season — but relief accompanied by apprehension over whether the feeling would last. They advertised their new line-up last week, telling us to expect to see Thomas Frank, Toby Alderweireld, Robbie Keane and Ashley Young on our screens, while simultaneously plugging their four new YouTube shows in a bid to tap into the young'uns.

Got to modernise. Got to go after the audience that doesn't think terrestrially. But this particular MOTD was more a case of same old, same old, and not only because it started with that vintage montage and theme tune — if they tried to bin that in favour of some modern track, I'd be tempted to launch a petition of my own. The Beeb did not want to suddenly beam fresh faces into our living rooms. They saved the new blood, and scrutiny, for another time. Instead we saw those we know and trust.

Mark Chapman was in the hot seat. We know Chappers. We like Chappers. He Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan were chosen well as Gary Lineker's successors.

After a week in which we learned there is discontent behind the scenes at MOTD at the direction of travel, Chapman's tongue-in-cheek opener was: 'Happy new season. Match of the Day returns. We're all smiles here. Just look at Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney.'

More familiarity. We like them, too. They add to the broadcast. We could watch the highlights online if we wanted, hours before MOTD. We tune in because it adds analysis in between the action, including the stylish statistical graphics they show, and that is what we want.

When we will next see Shearer in one of these seats, who knows. We are told he has scaled back his contractual commitments, and as well as giving him back his weekends by only doing one show a month, if that, he supposedly has beef with those above him.

In his place, Frank should be a good addition. He has authority. Despite what happened with Tottenham Hotspur, he is a fine, modern, intelligent coach, and impressed during the 2020 World Cup, which the BBC — notoriously — predominantly covered from Salford.

Alderweireld and Keane can expect their takes on former club Spurs to end up being stories in themselves online, especially if those opinions are controversial. Rooney branding United's defending 'schoolboy' on Saturday was popping up on newspapers' websites yesterday. It will be intriguing to see how they all click, and if there is the kind of chemistry that Shearer, Richards and Lineker forged over time. Apparently that concern over camaraderie forms part of the mutiny occurring within MOTD.

Millions still entrust their Saturday nights to the BBC. Myself included, having watched this show since my parents let me stay up late enough to do so. Those of us who love the company of MOTD never want it to go the same way as Football Focus, its sister show which ended in May after 52 years on air.

Changing it too much would be a risk. At least the Beeb saw enough sense to show us what we wanted to see on this occasion as we settled in for Hull's big win on their return to the Premier League and the other highlights thereafter.

On to what next week brings.

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62 Daily Mail Sport PREMIER LEAGUE

Cherki shows Maresca why he must be at heart of City rebuild

JACK GAUGHAN at the Etihad Stadium

MAN CITY Guehi 84 Gvardio 90+1 B'MOUTH Tavernier 26

PART of Manchester City's plan for making this place an all-round entertainment venue is to install a zip line from the South Stand to the new one named after Pep Guardiola.

The general public will be able to fly over the pitch from one end of the Etihad to the other.

Sounds adrenaline-inducing but not quite as thrilling as the footballers balancing on a high wire at the weekends — on this evidence, that is exactly what Enzo Maresca will ask of his players. And there is no harness strapping these guys in.

The Italian's first Premier League game in charge was precarious and exhilarating. City wobbled, threatened to fall but

ultimately stuck to the walk. There was some flourish and panache, too, mostly from their greatest showman Rayan Cherki, who was the engineer of both goals — including a sumptuous pass for Josko Gvardiol's stoppage-time winner.

Word around the team in recent weeks was that the Maresca era is going to be fun. He wants to go about attacking in a slightly different way to what became the norm during the stunning success over the past decade and there were more than a few signs of that against a Bournemouth team showing no ill-effects of the departure of manager Andoni Iraola to Liverpool.

For so long this felt like a false start, with a squad that is raising more questions than answers at the moment and with critics circling on the back of last week's limp 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield.

City feel like an incomplete side. One sign of that was the fact that three players on the bench — Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez and Jack Grealish — have more than a good chance of leaving before the window shuts.

That Marc Guehi started and finished as a sitting midfielder, a role he had only performed twice in his professional career, was another.

Yet had City lost this opener, as

they appeared destined to do following Marcus Tavernier's 26th-minute goal, Guehi would not have been the reason.

His selection in that position was the sort of bold call of which Maresca's predecessor, watching from the hills in Catalonia, would have been proud.

It would have been an easy stick with which to beat the manager had it not ended in late glory, Guehi having equalised via a Cherki corner six minutes from the end.

Guehi — who also missed a sitter from an Elliot Anderson set-piece before the £116million midfielder went off injured — showed deft feet and a good

understanding of what his role required. Even so, his inclusion in that position demonstrated that work is required in the transfer market before the window shuts on September 1.

An £81.4m move for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi was agreed hours before kick-off but City still need one more in the engine room.

Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez is the primary target, although that negotiation will be fraught.

'I always thought Marc

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Daily Mail Sport 63

could be a good midfielder,' Maresca said. 'It's not linked to whether we buy new players or not. You need to visualise it and then the last two days we tried him there in training. In the future when we need it, we now know he's going to be good in there.' Guehl joked that he might be asked to play up front when City face his old club Crystal Palace on Friday night.

Bournemouth's new manager Marco Rose spoke of preying on mistakes in transitions and, having watched the opening weeks of Maresca's reign, what has become clear is the need for physicality in central areas.

Bouaddi offers that and it will be a prerequisite of whichever midfielder follows him into the

club — there will not be enough depth without two new faces.

Conversations will be going on in the Manchester pubs about their right back situation, too. When in midfield, Rico Lewis looked strong and knitted City together from pockets of space. When defending, he let Tavernier go for the goal and almost allowed Justin Kluivert to do exactly the same. Matheus Nunes improved City when he came on.

'I had the feeling that we had the momentum in the second half,' Rose said while ruing passive defending that allowed Guehl a free header six yards out and Cherki to later slip Gvardiol in for the sort of riotous finish witnessed so many times at this ground. 'It's never done here. You know what you get. The quality of the team and this stadium: they know how to finish games.'

To finish it they turned to the finisher. On for 27 minutes, Cherki created more chances than anybody. He apparently wasn't given the nod to start because four others — Erling Haaland (who has shaved off his blond locks, left), Anderson, Guehl and Nico O'Reilly — are all effectively still in pre-season, according to their manager, and so adding a fifth into the mix would negatively tip the scales.

'Rayan is quite a nice and clear boy. If he is not happy he wants to show it,' Maresca beamed. 'If he's next to me and he's not happy, you all realise

because he is doing anything to show that he is not happy.

'His impact was unbelievable and he is that kind of player. What they have to do when they don't start is what Rayan did today.'

The next order of business for Maresca, who does not yet know his best XI, is to make sure Cherki is on the teamsheet. The Frenchman's ingenuity and speed of thought in light spaces are exactly what City require as they adapt to Maresca's high-octane way of breaking teams down.

He called this a work in progress and if they keep finding a way to win matches it will put them in a fine position to motor if things do eventually click. 'It has been a perfect day,' Maresca said. 'It was quite emotional.'

High stakes and high wires, Maresca's City could well meet the entertainment criteria his bosses crave.

MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma 7; Jaxie 5.5 (Hunan 5/1/4m, 7), Khuzanov 6.5, Dlai 5.5, Gvardiol 7; Anderson 7 (Kovacic 6.5, 6.5), Guehl 7.5; Foden 6 (Greatsh 6.5), O'Reilly 6.5 (CHERKI 6.5, 8), Semenyo 8; Haaland 6.5. Scorers: Guehl 8A, Gvardiol 9B-1. Booked: Foden. Manager: Enzo Maresca 6.5. BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1): Petrovic 6.5; Smith 6.5, Hill 7, Silva 6, Truffert 7; Cook 6.5 (Adams 7.5, 8), Scott 7.5; Rayan 7 (Gannon-Dook 8B), Kluivert 7 (Toth 7.5, 8), Tavernier 7.5; Evanshon 6.5 (Jebleton 7.5, 8). Scorer: Tavernier 26. Booked: Silva, Evanshon. Manager: Marco Rose 6.5. Referee: Jarrard Gillett 6. Attendance: 60,645.

This is Fulham! Arbeloa calls for Spartan spirit

FULHAM manager Alvaro Arbeloa will channel his inner Spartan against Chelsea in tonight's West London derby. Arbeloa, who played alongside Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso at both Liverpool and Real Madrid, lives by the motto: 'No retreat, no surrender — that is the Spartan way', inspired by the 2006 film 300.

Before his first game in charge of Fulham, Arbeloa will ask his players to embody the spirit of the ancient Greek warriors, putting aside the club's usually amicable atmosphere.

'I am a Spartan,' said Arbeloa. 'It's not just football, it's life, it's about gratitude — that's the most important thing.'

'It's not about circumstances, it's about your attitude and how you face what happened. That's what I want from my players and my team.'

'It's from the movie. Since I was a kid, I was really competitive and wanted to win every game. 'I have that mindset and feeling that we need to fight and show that winning mentality and character, which is what I want to transmit as a manager. 'We will be very nice, very friendly [off the pitch]. But we will be fighters, fighting every

By BOBBY MANZI

game for 90 minutes, then we will be nice.'

Arbeloa vowed to set his friendship with Alonso aside as the pair take charge of their first Premier League games. They played together for seven years at Real and Liverpool and also won the 2010 World Cup with Spain.

The duo remain close, living close to each other in Cobham and sending their children to the same school, but Arbeloa insisted that gives him greater motivation to win.

'I will do my job and he will do his,' said Arbeloa. 'I want to beat him more than anything and he will feel the same.'

'It will be very strange. I spoke to him a few days ago, but we didn't talk about football. We try to talk every week. Now we will be closer. He's a good friend.'

WATCHING BRIEF...

FULHAM v CHELSEA

Kick-off: 8pm, Craven Cottage. TV: LIVE Sky Sports Main Event. Referee: John Brooks.

BOUADDI SET TO COMPLETE £86m MOVE TO ETIHAD

■ MANCHESTER CITY have agreed to pay Lille £86million for midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Morocco international, 18, was pulled out of their game with Angers yesterday and is due to travel for his medical. City will pay an initial £81.3m, with a further £4.7m in bonuses. Bouaddi has agreed a six-year contract. City are also closing on the £35m signing of Palmeiras winger Allan Elias, 22, after agreeing to sell Savinho to TOTTENHAM, who are also signing City forward Omar Marmoush. NEWCASTLE are talking to City about midfielder Nico Gonzalez and are also keen on Spurs' Archie Gray. City defender Stephen Mfuni, 18, is in talks to join COVENTRY on loan.

■ ARSENAL are in talks with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal over the sale of winger Gabriel Martinelli. The £60m-rated Brazil international rejected a move to Galatasaray, despite Arsenal receiving a £45m bid. Martinelli has 12 months left on his contract. Al Hilal are also pursuing ASTON VILLA striker Ollie Watkins.

■ CARLOS BALBA has passed his MANCHESTER UNITED medical and signed a five-year contract with an option to extend until 2032. United will confirm the £65m-plus deal with Brighton today and are also eyeing Barcelona left back Alejandro Balde.

■ HULL CITY have reverted to Nice's Mohamed-Ali Cho in their pursuit of a winger. The former Everton prospect is joining in a £17m deal after talks for Pablo García from Real Betis stalled. BRIGHTON are in for Yeremay Hernandez, who Hull wanted to sign from Deportivo La Coruna. Hull also want CHELSEA'S Dario Essugo.

■ IPSWICH TOWN have made a third offer for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Exequiel Palacios of around £26m. Valencia are closing on a loan for Ipswich goalkeeper Kayne van Oevelen.

■ BRENTFORD remain keen on WEST HAM left wing back El Hadji Malick Diouf.

■ WREXHAM are exploring moves for MILLWALL forward Femi Azeez. IPSWICH midfielder Anis Mehmeti and Mattie Pollock, of WATFORD.

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64 Daily Mail Sport PREMIER LEAGUE

TOM COLLOMOSSE at the Amex Stadium

BRIGHTON

Lindelöf 8 (og) De Cuyper 18 Hinshelwood 30, 31

ASTON VILLA

FIRST the positive news. The last time Aston Villa were hammered on the opening day of a Premier League campaign, a 5-1 defeat at Newcastle three years ago, they went on to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League.

And that, unfortunately, is as good as it gets. Boss Unai Emery cast doubt on whether striker Ollie Watkins had been willing to play in this game amid interest from Al Hilal.

It is far too early in the season to draw strong conclusions, but between now and the transfer window closing on September 1. Villa must be as impressive off the pitch as they have been on it in nearly four years under Emery.

Because if they cannot improve on the team that started here, Villa can forget about a top-half finish, let alone another trophy or more Champions League football. Summer signing Joao Gomes was sent off and his team were 4-0 down at half-time. Yes, it was that bad.

There is mitigation. UEFA rules seem tailored to favour clubs who can generate huge revenue, while curtailing the ambitions of those — like Villa — who cannot. That is why they have had to sell £250 million of talent this summer.

Yet that excuse can only carry so much weight. Villa have lost key players, but so have Brighton.

Fabian Hurzeler's side have watched Jan Paul van Hecke and Danny Welbeck depart, while James Milner has retired. Carlos Baleba, who did not play here, is set to join Manchester United while Yankuba Minteh was also absent, with the winger chased by Liverpool.

But on the evidence of this fixture, Albion are handling it pretty well. Georginio Rutter looked Champions League-level and Yasin Ayari and Maxim De Cuyper were not far behind. By contrast, the signs looked worrying for Villa.

TETCHY EMERY LOOKS LIKE A MAN ON EDGE

WHEN Johnny Phillips, the Sky Sports reporter, asked Emery about Watkins' absence, the Spaniard looked furious and said nothing for two seconds. He simply stared ahead before saying 'silence'.

We have been here with Emery before. A year ago, with Emi Martinez seeking a move, the Villa boss simply repeated the name of Martinez's deputy 'Marco Bizot' when asked about the Argentine. Back then, Villa lost 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace.

As the sides walked off at half-time here, Emery seemed particularly agitated with the Brighton coaching staff. He looked a man on the edge and at full-time headed straight down the tunnel without approaching

Stroll on the beach: Hinshelwood heads Brighton's third goal as they dismantle Villa SHUTTERSTOCK

Emery seethes

as the caulbare Villa ripped apart

Rutter shines as Brighton make light of their own departures to run riot

Hurzeler to shake hands. Emery (right) is rarely at his best when the transfer window is open. But something has changed in the 11 days since Villa were beaten 2-1 by Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.

Before and after that game, Emery appeared relaxed, happy and even made the odd joke — almost unheard of for this professional, super-serious man.

Villa actually started quite well, but after Ian Maatsen, Pau Torres and Bizot had combined chaotically in the eighth minute to offer De Cuyper a shot, it was one-way traffic.

The shot hit the post but rebounded in off Victor Lindelof. Ten minutes later, De Cuyper tapped in after Villa were carved open down their right. Jack Hinshelwood then scored twice in

a minute, the second after a howler from Gomes.

WHAT ABOUT WATKINS?

THE interest from Al Hilal in Watkins seems to have flicked a switch in Emery. He knew Morgan Rogers, who joined Chelsea for £117m, would leave this summer along with Lucas Digne, now with PSG.

The Youri Tielemans move to Manchester United was a surprise, but Emery has had time to make peace with it. So

too Ezri Konsa's transfer to Arsenal, which had been on the cards. After all, Emery knew Villa had to sell this summer.

Yet with Watkins, it is different. It did not help that Villa's two other forwards. Tammy Abraham and Brian Madjo, were injured. Watkins has not trained this week, though it is believed he is not ill nor injured.

For all they insist a deal is some way off. Villa will sell Watkins if they

Spending rules bite as open window riles Unai

DUE largely to UEFA financial rules, Aston Villa have sold about £250 million worth of talent this summer. Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa have all departed and Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez could follow. All six were key to the Villa team who beat Freiburg 3-0 in May to lift the Europa League. Villa have often struggled when the transfer window is open

and manager Unai Emery said: 'I think the transfer window should always be closed. In the last three years, until the window closes, we have had problems like now. The players have the mentality I want — not complaining, not blaming and trying to be patient, even with results like today. 'We have had this problem every season and we overcame it. But it's hard for us every year.'

Brighton have also lost key men and there are doubts over the futures of the absent Yankuba Minteh and Carlos Baleba. Boss Fabian Hurzeler said: 'We played a mature second half, it's not easy to find a good balance when you're one man up. 'Minteh has an ankle issue and is an important player for us, but we saw we were able to replace him. It's important we don't rely on one player.'

EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL TEAM TORN APART...

(4-2-3-1) MARTINEZ*

KONSA** TORRES

CASH

DIGNE**

LINDELOF TIELEMANS**

McGINN ROGERS** BUENDIA

WATKINS*

KEY: GONG GONE*

can secure a replacement and Al Hilal are reasonably confident of landing their man. Emery likes Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson, and discreet talks have been held, but that deal is complicated.

If two clubs trade players in a period of fewer than 45 days, UEFA regard it as a 'swap'. Rogers signed for Chelsea 41 days before September 1. If UEFA rule it a swap, neither club could put the full profit on their accounts. That would make it more difficult to meet spending rules.

Perhaps the clubs believe they can argue their way through, but it would not be easy. Just like the next few weeks for Villa, then.

LACK OF LEADERSHIP AND POWER

WHEN Gomes was booked early on and committed a couple more foolish fouls, Emery signalled to the Brazilian to calm down. His team-mates should have been doing the same.

Martinez is not everyone's cup of tea, but he undoubtedly would have had a word. So too Konsa, who was vice-captain last season.

Moments before Gomes's wild hack at Rutter, he was punching the turf after giving the ball away for Brighton's fourth goal. He was clearly ticking and perhaps Emery could have hauled him off then. Failing that, it needed an experienced pro like John McGinn, Matty Cash or Lindelof to bring the temperature down.

Gomes was not the only issue. Maatsen is a fine attacking full back, but defensively he can be weak. Brighton spotted this and sent long diagonal balls to Diego Gomez, who won nearly all of them and outjumped Maatsen to set up the third for Hinshelwood.

Without Konsa, there is an alarming lack of pace in central defence and it must be addressed. Rutter made mincemeat of Lindelof and Pau Torres here.

Southampton centre back Taylor Harwood-Bellis is one target. Joel Ordonez, of Club Bruges, another. Will either be good enough to replace Konsa straight away? It seems unlikely.

If possible, former Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka looks a smart free transfer. Either way, these are key times for transfer chief Roberto Olabe.

BRIGHTON (4-2-3-1): Vertbruggen 7; Waeffer 7; Onkanna 7/6, Voskovic 7; Dunk 7; Roscagli 7/5; Gross 7/5, Ayari 7/5 (Castinha 64, 6); Gomes 7/3 (Vietcoupe 80), Hinshelwood 8 (Scorzula) 64, 63, De Cuyper 8.5 (Osman 78); RUTTER 9.

Norevry, Lindelof 8 (og), De Cuyper 18, Hinshelwood 30, 31. Booked: Gross, Ayari. Manager: Fabian Hurzeler 9.

ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Bizot 4; Cash 4, Lindelof 3, Torres 4 (Kénye 75, 6), Maatsen 3.5 (Ruggeri 82); Kamara 5, Gomes 2; McGinn 5 (Mysses 82), Buendia 5; Dambaché 8/5, Hemmings 5; Barkley 4.5 (Rogerski 75, 6).

Booked: Cash, McGinn. Sent off: Gomes. Manager: Unai Emery 4.

Referee: Peter Sankes 6. Attendance: 31,746.

---

Daily Mail Sport 65

TOON ARMY REVEL IN ISAK'S WOEFUL RETURN

CRAIG HOPE at St James' Park

FOUR four-letter words. Love. Hate. King. Isak. Just when we thought the most emotionally charged collective of the afternoon would be the minute's applause for Kevin Keegan, Alexander Isak stepped up to take kick-off.

How foolish of Liverpool. How naive to play so willingly into the hands — and mouths — of their hosts. As if they needed any extra encouragement. They had already hissed their hatred when Isak left the team bus. This time, he could not hide behind his AirPods.

From Keegan to Isak: the Messiah to the Parish, this was a different noise entirely. Hostile does not come close. This was vicious. This was vitriol. The Toon Army had waited a year to take aim at their former striker and, when the moment came, they did not miss. It set the tone.

The home crowd had to wait only four minutes more for Isak's first touch to go wrong. Sixty seconds later and, for Newcastle at least, everything felt so right. Their breakaway goal was the sort that used to involve Isak — fast, direct and ruthless.

How fitting, then, that it was a 50-ride who scored. Anthony Elanga was bought last summer to play with his compatriot, before Isak defected to Merseyside. Unlike Keegan, Isak is not loved by both sets of supporters. In fact, you wonder if Liverpool's are even that keen.

His performance here would have done nothing to endear him to them. It said everything that those in black and white loved it, as Keegan might say.

There were two moments to rival Newcastle's goals for noise, and they both, to little surprise, involved Isak.

First, after a challenge by Lewis Hall to leave the Premier League's most expensive player clutching his ankle, new Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle, standing only yards away, threw his arms in the air. Not in protest at Isak staying down, but in invitation of a little more Geordie scorn for this fallen foe. They duly obliged. Isak did not like it and was quickly on his feet to let the German know. Not that Jaissle cared.

Jaissle, you suspect, will care for little beyond that which affects him and his team. For 95 minutes, he got the better of fellow managerial debutant Andoni Iraola on the pitch and, when it came to animation and aggression, on the touchline too. His cajoling,

Newcastle and Liverpool unite to pay their respects to King Kev

Fitting farewell: tributes were paid to Kevin Keegan at St James' Park yesterday, with a giant 'King Kev' tifo held up in the East Stand, a display of messages left by supporters at the ground set out in the centre-circle before kick-off, and Sir Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush laying a wreath of red flowers outside the stadium.

snarl and disregard for the boundaries of his technical area will quickly win him friends on Tyneside. Mocking their enemy will not hurt, either. That brings us to the second explosion of noise.

At 2-1 in the 69th minute, Isak was presented with his first big chance. It would prove to be his last. Those in the low rows of the Leazes End were ready to bury their heads in their hands — Isak had a clear sight at goal from 14 yards — only to use those same palms as protection as Isak's shot flew into the stand.

As the clock ticked beyond the last of five added minutes, it felt like Isak's

Poor: Isak struggles on his return

SHUTTERSTOCK

miss would be Liverpool's last inglorious act in front of goal.

When they then won a penalty, you wondered if he would take it. You wondered, too, whether his own fans would have wanted him to — the odds on redemption felt longer than those on ridicule.

Dominik Szoboszlai was a wiser choice and, with his goal, the points

were shared. Maybe that is what Keegan would have wanted, albeit without the reminder of a stop-page-time goal from Liverpool.

The sight of him slouched behind the Anfield advertising hoarding in 1996, following Stan Collymore's 92nd-minute winner in the 4-3 classic, will forever capture the ecstasy and agony of Keegan and his great Entertainers side, who were all present here.

Newcastle fared better in terms of result this time, but the hurt was just the same. They deserved to win. They had done what teams are told to avoid and played the occasion. They played it with, at times, beauty, but more so a brutal intensity that suggests they will not be feeling sorry for themselves on the back of a turbulent summer.

The challenge, of course, is to replicate that when the likes of Bournemouth and Hull City come to St James' Park in the coming weeks. There will be no occasion to play then, no former hero to vilify or emotional current to ride. The emphasis will be on breaking

teams down, as opposed to running them over.

Still, Newcastle fans would have left this opener more enthused than Liverpool's. The Reds were unconvincing and Isak was not alone in appearing paralysed by pressure. The man who now wears his No.9, Yoane Wissa, was the game's best player, save for the miss that would have made it 3-1 four minutes from time.

Beforehand, a Keegan quote was unfurled across the Gallowgate End. 'I want people to dream about their football club. They should. We should all be dreamers at heart. Some people are the opposite and say, 'We can't do that'. But when you ask them why they can't give a reason. Well, I say, 'Why not?'

Until the very last kick, at least, this was the dream the Geordies imagined — and the nightmare they had wished upon Isak. Then came the equaliser. Four four-letter words had framed the afternoon. Four goals settled it.

And, for Newcastle, there was one more. Pain.

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66 Daily Mail Sport PREMIER LEAGUE

THEY came in their thousands to greet new dawns at Newcastle and at Liverpool and to pay homage to one of the greatest either club has ever known. The tribute to the late Kevin Keegan before kick-off here at the place they call the Cathedral on the Hill really was quite something.

Keegan, modest as he was, would have appreciated it but not as much as he would have appreciated a football match that ebbed and flowed dramatically and thrillingly and was not decided until almost the very last kick of the afternoon.

Newcastle, now under the guidance of German coach Matthias Jaissle, were as brave and committed as Keegan always liked his teams to be. At 2-1 up with only 30 seconds of added time remaining, they seemed to have this game won.

But Liverpool, as flawed and unpredictable here under Andoni Iraola as they were last season under Arne Slot, were at least determined not to lose. And in the 98th minute, substitute Victor Munoz fell under a clumsy challenge from the otherwise excellent Lewis Hall and Dominik Szoboszlai smashed the resulting penalty high into the top corner with his right foot. It felt like a huge moment in Iraola's early days. Defeat in game one would have weighed heavily. It was, however, the very most his team deserved. On this evidence the problems the Spaniard has inherited from Slot will take a

HOW THEY STAND

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
Brighton	1	1	0	0	4	0	4	3
Arsenal	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3
Brentford	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3
Everton	1	1	0	0	2	0	2	3
Hull	1	1	0	0	2	0	2	3
Ipswich	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3
Man City	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3
Leeds	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	3
Liverpool	1	1	0	0	2	2	0	1
Newcastle	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1
Chelsea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fulham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bournemouth	1	0	0	0	1	2	-1	0
Sunderland	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0
North Forest	1	0	0	0	1	1	-1	0
C Palace	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0
Man Utd	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0
Coventry	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0
Tottenham	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0
Aston Villa	1	0	0	1	0	4	-4	0

while to solve. Centre forward Alexander Isak — booed throughout by Newcastle fans on his return to St James' Park — continues to look drained of any kind of belief or attacking instinct while Liverpool still look horribly vulnerable against a team able to break on them at speed.

Newcastle, meanwhile, will wonder quite how they didn't win. Twice Yoane Wissa failed to convert very good opportunities with his team a goal to the good late in the game.

It is this that will have kept Jaissle awake last night. This really should have been a perfect start for the man chosen to succeed Eddie Howe.

Such has been the upheaval at the club over the summer that of the team that started a thriller lost 3-2 here to Liverpool almost exactly a year ago, only two players — Harvey Barnes and

Anthony Elanga — were in the line-up for this one. There were three summer signings in the side and three on the bench but for long periods it was hard to tell.

The opening goal was utterly exhilarating while also having familiar Liverpool hesitancy written through it. Ryan Gravenberch did well to find space 25 yards from the Newcastle goal but as a shot opened up for him, he for some reason chose to pass square across the top of the penalty area.

As soon as that pass was intercepted, Liverpool were in trouble and when Will Osula released the galloping Elanga to his right, the Swede was able to outpace Milos Kerkez to score low across goalkeeper Alisson.

With only five minutes gone, the post-Howe era on Tyneside was off to a flyer and for the remainder of the opening half Newcastle were good for their lead.

Liverpool enjoyed some territory but it was a frenetic and broken game. When they were asked to defend Iraola's team looked every bit as uncomfortable and uncertain as they did last season.

There were some glimmers of hope for Liverpool. A low Florian Wiltz shot from the left was saved by new Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek but on the whole Liverpool lacked fluency, with the right-sided combination of Jeremie Frimpong and young Rio Ngumaha struggling in particular to settle into an understanding.

Up front Isak was largely anonymous. The Swede smiled when jeered by the home fans during

the warm-up but looked a little cowed once the game started. It was notable that when the penalty arrived, he did not take it.

Early in the second half, Cody Gakpo seemed to have given his team a platform. The Dutch forward's low right-foot shot flew like a bullet into the bottom corner. Briefly Liverpool looked set to take control, camping deep in Newcastle territory.

But another break from the home team did for them far too easily within a couple of minutes.

Newcastle were outnumbered by six bodies to two as Wissa and substitute Joe Willock broke from their own half. But as the Liverpool players left the business of actually tackling anybody to each other, Wissa fed his team-mate and Willock's curling right-foot shot found the net off the foot of Alisson's left-hand post. It was a fabulous finish but another

wretched goal for Liverpool to concede. 'For the second goal we didn't defend properly,' was Iraola's understated take.

Liverpool needed a response but looked done for. Isak scooped a very good chance into the gods and would surely have been taken off had Iraola had any kind of alternative on the bench. Then came those two chances for Wissa, one missed at the near post from a low cross and another placed too close to Alisson.

Those misses did not look to have cost his team by the time the Congo forward was substituted in the 95th minute. But time added for that switch gave Liverpool a chance to launch one final attack and Hall's foul on Munoz was clear.

Liverpool are out of jail for now but Slot was sacked for a reason. Sustained recovery under Iraola could be a while coming.

ISAK'S WELCOME HOME FROM HELL

CRAIG HOPE: PAGE 65

Thriller fit for King kevas rebuilt Toon give cause for hope before late blow

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Daily Mail Sport 67

Emotional day: tributes to Kevin Keegan and Hall is distraught after conceding a penalty GETTY

Penalty was so soft, rages Newcastle boss

NEWCASTLE boss Matthias Jaissle criticised the 'soft' decision to award Liverpool a stoppage-time penalty in their 2-2 draw, claiming that such officiating would lead to 'many penalties in the future'. The Reds rescued a point at the death when substitute Victor Munoz was brought down by Lewis Hall and Dominik Szoboszlai converted. Jaissle said: 'I think you call it here a 'really soft one'. If you give that there will be so many penalties in the future. I'm not a fan of that. I don't know if that is good for football. I disagree,

but more I cannot say.' Newcastle would have been deserved winners on a day of high emotion amid tributes to Kevin Keegan. 'I am a bit disappointed,' said Jaissle. 'But there is also some brightness because the guys were doing an amazing job for over 90 minutes. We are a young squad and they really left their heart on the pitch and this is something we can build on. 'We are proud to see a unit on the pitch. The guys were trying to do it the intense way that we wanted to play. Front-footed, vertical in our approach. This,

after such a short amount of time, I'm really happy. I felt the goosebumps straight away. You get energy from the stands and want to deliver it on the pitch. This synergy will be special.' Former Newcastle striker Alexander Isak endured a difficult afternoon and was booed every time he touched the ball. Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola said: 'I think he expected the atmosphere, so it was not a big surprise for him. He has tried everything. I value that he continued pushing and fighting. It is a good step for Alex.'

CRAIG HOPE

PLAYER RATINGS

By LEWIS STEELE at ST JAMES' PARK

NEWCASTLE (4-2-3-1) TEAM AVERAGE 7.2

LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1) TEAM AVERAGE 5.7

LUKAS HORNICEK 7 New boy started with a fine display which included a couple of strong stops to deny Wirtz and Isak.

AMAR DEDIC 7 The Austrian had a tough afternoon up against Gakpo and Kerkez on the right-hand side, but stood tall.

MALICK THIAW 7 The task was simple -- keep Isak quiet. But the old boy barely had a sniff and all defenders could hold their heads high.

SVEN BOTMAN 7 Made a last-ditch block to deny Munoz late on and, like Thiaw, answered every question thrown his way.

LEWIS HALL 6 Played well until he gave away a stupid spot-kick. Did not need to foul Munoz with what was a game-defining error.

SEAN STEUR 6.5 Only 18, he is another who can be proud of his debut. The home side certainly won the midfield battle.

LEWIS MILEY 7 Fans were right to be worried about their midfield after losing Guimaraes and Tonali, but local lad Miley was excellent.

ANTHONY ELANGA 7.5 Excellent run and finish for the first goal, with lightning quick pace. Still had a lot to do but the shot was composed.

YOANE WISSA 8.5 First year to forget at new club but this was his best game for Newcastle. Operating as a No 10, he was unplayable at times.

HARVEY BARNES 7 Did a lot of dirty work off the ball that may go unnoticed. Asked questions of Frimpong throughout the game.

WILL OSULA 7.5 A stellar assist for the opening goal and accomplished overall. All eyes were on Isak, but Osula was the best No 9 on the pitch.

SUBSTITUTES Ramsey (Steur, 56min) 7.5 Willock (Osula, 56) 7.5 Murphy (Elanga, 76) Bamba (Miley, 76) Schar (Wissa, 90+5)

MATTHIAS JAISSLE 7.5 Got his tactics and substitutions spot on. What a way to start!

REFEREE: STUART ATTWELL 6

ALISSON 7 Positioning for Newcastle's first goal was questionable. Could do little about the second and made some strong saves.

JEREMIE FRIMPONG 5 Offered little going forward and was one of many players bypassed too easily for Willock's goal.

VIRGIL VAN DIJK 5 Slow at times as Liverpool struggled with passes in behind the back line. Well below his brilliant best.

JEREMY JACQUET 6 Crisp passing on debut and made some good tackles, but the experience of Araujo might have been better.

MILOS KERKEZ 6 Outpaced for Newcastle's opener. Was berated by Isak when the Hungarian got a cross terribly wrong.

RYAN GRAVENBERCH 5 Whether by design or not, his forward runs left Liverpool exposed to the counter-attacks that led to Newcastle's goals.

DOMINIC SZOBOSZLAI 7 Thunderous penalty in the last second. Bailed out his teammates, who were poor. Where have we seen that before?

RIO NGUMOHA 6 Ten times better on the left. Played on the right here and was largely ineffective. Club must sign a winger this week.

FLORIAN WIRTZ 4 Came close when Hornicek tipped his shot wide but this was an anonymous display to start a defining season.

CODY GAKPO 7 Stunning strike to equalise. Heavily linked with Spurs, but looked the best of Liverpool's attackers here.

ALEXANDER ISAK 4 Got into some good areas and was let down by poor final balls from team-mates, but a day to forget on his Newcastle return.

SUBSTITUTES Munoz (Ngumoha, 63min) 6 Mac Allister (Wirtz, 63) 6 Araujo (Jacquet, 70) 6 Koumas (Gravenberch, 78)

ANDONI IRAOLA 6 Needs new signings this week if he is to realise his ambitions.

ATTENDANCE: 52,630

---

Keegan remembered with show fit for a king

NEWCASTLE 2 LIVERPOOL 2: PAGES 65-67

EMERY FUMES

Villa smashed then fuming boss hints wantaway Watkins refused to play

TOM COLLOMOSSE

at the Amex Stadium

UNAI EMERY heavily hinted that Ollie Watkins had been reluctant to play for Aston Villa as they were hammered 4-0 by Brighton amid interest in the striker from Al Hilal.

Villa say they have rejected four offers from the Saudi Pro League club for Watkins, the latest of which is thought to be around £34million — a price they will not sell for. The striker was not

included in the squad for Villa's defeat yesterday, even though their only other forwards, Brian Madjo and Tammy Abraham, are injured. As far as Villa are concerned, it is understood Watkins is neither ill nor injured. However, he is not thought to have trained fully last week. The player's representative has been contacted for comment.

Controversy: Watkins was missing for Villa PA

On Watkins, Emery said: 'This question is for him. I can answer only with my silence.'

Asked whether the striker was refusing to play, Emery said: 'I think you can call him, you can call his agent and he can respond.'

Did he feel let down by Watkins, who has improved greatly under Emery? 'He can only explain his answer, I can't. We had two strikers injured and another striker — it's his answer.'

ANALYSIS: PAGE 64

ENGLISH cricket is dealing with yet more

embarrassing headlines after footage emerged of fast bowler Brydon Carse handcuffed by police outside a Derby nightclub late on Saturday.

Carse, who was part of England's squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan

By LAWRENCE BOOTH

Cricket Correspondent

and their leading wicket-taker during the Ashes defeat in Australia, was released without charge, having been out celebrating with Durham team-mates, including Ben Stokes, following their win

over Derbyshire in the county championship. A short video posted on social media showed Carse, 31, surrounded by four policemen outside the club, with fellow Durham stars Stokes and Matthew Potts in the background. One of the policemen is heard to say: 'Just get him

over there.' It is unclear why Carse was placed in handcuffs, and he is understood to have returned to the team hotel soon after. The England and Wales Cricket Board said: 'We are aware of an incident which

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10,500

4 Relating to vision (6) 5 Stink (6) 7 Weatherglass (9) 8 Assessment (9) 12 From memory (2,5) 14 Production (6) 15 Car safety device (6) 17 Cowboy show (5) 20 Employ (3)

SATURDAY'S SOLUTION (NO 10,500) - ACROSS: 1 Mainstream, 6 Spleen, 7 Veins, 9 Viking, 10 Aup, 11 Idea, 14 Self, 15 Gym, 16 Exceed, 17 Route, 18 Events, 20 Thereafter. DOWN: 1 Map, 2 Iberia, 3 Sink in, 4 Ravage, 5 Agitated, 6 Springer, 8 Supplies, 9 Vermouth, 12 Veneer, 13 Eczema, 14 Select, 19 Tor.

SOLUTION TOMORROW

Top total is published by AML, 5 Derby Street, London W6 5HN

Enter this Unique Number to Spin our Golden Wheel and collect PRIZE DRAW TICKETS. If you are in Northern Ireland or your Unique Number is missing, sign into your Daily Mail Rewards account and click on the 'Enter Unique Number' button and then the 'Missing number/hi customer' link and follow the instructions.

Visit MailRewards.co.uk to collect PRIZE DRAW TICKETS

---

MailPuzzles

Page 33

TERMS & CONDITIONS, PAGE 48

SUDOKU

FILL in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the 3x3 squares contains all the digits from 1 to 9. SOLUTIONS TOMORROW

	9				4		2	3
2				3
	5						6
		9				8
1					6			5
		2	9					7
			3	4		7
7	4			2			1
	6	1	7

		1			6		8
6	3
			4	7		9
			2	4
	5		7	1		4
9	8			3		7
1			3
	4	3					5
		5					2

Difficulty rating ★★★★★

Difficulty rating ★★★☆☆

PRIZE SUDOKU

		1		2
				8	9	4
3		2		9		5	6
1	2	7	5
4				6	7		3
6				8
		6		7		8	9
	5					7
					4

WIN £250

REVEAL the three shaded squares for your chance to win £250. HOW TO ENTER: Call 0901 292 5009 and leave today's three-number answer (reading left to right) and your details. Or text SUDOKU to 65700 with your answer and name. Texts and calls cost £1 plus standard network charges. One weekly winner chosen from all correct entries received between 00.01 Monday and 23.59 Friday. Answers change daily at 00.01. UK residents aged 18+, excl NI. See Terms & Conditions.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD

PLAY our accumulator game! Every day this week, solve the crossword to find the letter in the pink circle. On Friday, we'll provide instructions to submit your five-letter word for your chance to win a luxury Cross pen. UK residents aged 18+, excl NI. See Terms & Conditions. Entries cost 50p.

WRITE YOUR LETTERS IN THESE SQUARES

WIN A LUXURY CROSS PEN

all in

ACROSS

5 A stretch or tear of ligaments (6) 7 Describing, for example, a bar or cafe near an artificial swimming area (8) 9 Royal _ golf course in Southport that has hosted the Open II times (8) 10 A group who have something in common (6) 11 Italian tennis player who won the men's singles at Wimbledon in 2026 (6,6) 13 _ Soze, elusive crime lord in the 1995 film The Usual Suspects (6) 15 Describing usually an older person who is surly or easily annoyed (6) 18 A message or alert indicating new social media activity (12) 21 ____ Villa, Mexican revolutionary and political leader born in 1878 (6) 22 Late actor whose films include Jurassic Park and The Piano (3,5) 23 Cosmetic operation known technically as a rhytidectomy (8) 24 People who write computer programs (6)

DOWN

1 Coloured lines on the surface of roads, for example (8) 2 To analyse and consider in detail a problem (6) 3 Describing a mountain with a large crater from which lava might flow (8) 4 _ McGregor, actress and model born in 2001 (6) 6 Apes and lemurs are examples of these mammals (8) 7 A letter or group of letters added to the start of a word to change its meaning (6) 8 To mend by interwoven stitches (4) 12 Albert , con artist in the TV series Hustle, played by Robert Vaughn (8) 14 To add new parts to e.g. a vehicle not originally made (8) 16 Outdated or not fashionable (8) 17 An allowance made to counteract some effect (6) 18 _ Boys, 2025 film based on a novel by Colson Whitehead (6) 19 The Beezer and Sparky were examples of these publications (6) 20 Carvey, U.S. comedian who starred alongside Mike Myers in Wayne's World (4)

WORD WHEEL

YOU have ten minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters in the wheel. Each word must use the hub letter and at least three others,

and letters may be used only once. You can't use plurals, foreign words or proper nouns. Verbs ending in 's' permitted. Clue for today's nine-letter word: Porter to sit again inside the car. RATING: 8 words, average: 12, good: 16, very good: 18 or more, excellent. SOLUTION TOMORROW

Test your general knowledge daily with our quiz in the Morning Mail newsletter. Scan the QR code to sign up now

SOLUTION TOMORROW

NAME GAME

HIDDEN in the grid is the name of a soap star. Answer the questions, then rearrange the letters corresponding to your answers to fill in the name. SOLUTION TOMORROW

BOX 1: Jacqueline Jossa (pictured) separated from which former star of The Only Way Is Essex in March?

Joey Essex (F) Dan Osborne (B) Mario Falcone (L)

BOX 2: Which of these countries has the only non-rectangular national flag in the world?

Monaco (A) Cuba (H) Nepal (R)

BOX 3: Which comedy writer wrote the TV show The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, based on his own novel series?

David Nobbs (E) Johnny Speight (M) Roy Clarke (D)

BOX 4: Which of these bands released the 1999 debut album Showbiz?

Deep Blue Something (G) Arctic Monkeys (W) Muse (P)

BOX 5: Hyperkeratosis is a condition that causes which of the following?

Thickening of the skin (E) Excess body hair (K) Extreme hair loss (S)

BOX 6: Blow The Man Down and Santianna are examples of what type of music? Minstrel songs (O) Tin pan alley (P) Sea shanties (C)

BOX 7: What is the county town of Staffordshire? Burton upon Trent (Y) Stafford (I) Newcastle-under-Lyme (T)

BOX 8: Who is the first and current national chef of Scotland?

Nick Nairn (S) Gary Maclean (N) Tony Singh (U)

Friday's solution: KATE BUSH (3K, 2U, 3T, 4S, 5B, 6E, 7H, 8A)

Picture: PA

MAKING TRACKS

LAY tracks to enable the train to travel from village A to village B. The numbers indicate how many sections of rail go in each row and column. There are only straight rails and curved rails. The track cannot cross itself.

SOLUTION TOMORROW

---

Page 34

MailPuzzles

HONEYCOMB

ALL the solutions read clockwise around their numbers. The solution to clue number 1 starts from the given letter.

1. Forgive
2. Sour
3. Hand tool
4. Suited
5. Tangled
6. Carver
7. Restart
8. Stifle
9. Evades
10. Harm
11. Goose
12. Kayaked

SOLUTION: PULLOUT BACK PAGE

KAKURO

FILL in the blank squares of the grid using only the numbers 1 to 9, without repeating any number in any line of blank squares. The lines must be filled in with numbers which add up to the total in the shaded box at the top or beginning of each line. A number in the bottom half of a shaded box gives a downwards total; in the top half, it's a horizontal total.

SOLUTION TOMORROW

MASTERQUIZ

1. What name was given to the purported ancient human bones presented by Charles Dawson in 1912, exposed as a hoax in 1953?

2. Which 16th-century English composer wrote the 40-part motet Spem in Alium?

3. Twayblades belong to which family of flowers?

MINDBENDER

1. Eliza's bucket is a sixth full, while Henry's is half full. If a third of the contents of Henry's bucket were poured into Eliza's bucket, it would fill Eliza's bucket up completely. If there is a total of 80 pints in the two buckets, how much does Eliza's bucket hold when full?

2. What connects minister, number and time?

KILLER

SUDOKU

FILL in squares in the grid so each row, column and each 3x3 square contains all digits from 1 to 9. Each set of cells joined by dotted lines must add up to the number in the top-left corner. Numbers can't be repeated within each set of cells.

SOLUTION

TOMORROW

NEED A CLUE? Call 0901 293 6238 or text KILLER to 65700 and receive four clues to today's puzzle. Cells and texts cost £1 plus your standard network charges. Today's clues available between 00.01 today and 23.30 only.

4. What is the name of the valley in Wyoming that has hosted an annual international symposium of central bank leaders and economists since 1981?

5. Thristis is the inflammation or irritation of which part of the body?

6. Who became king of France after the July Revolution of 1830 overthrew Charles X?

SOLUTION: PULLOUT BACK PAGE

3. Which cricket term may be IMPURE?

4. Which of these is the odd one out: Jim Clark, Max Chilton, Paul di Resta, Allan McNish?

5. Which three-letter word completes the following longer words: t—nt, v—t, de—r, reg—?

SOLUTION: PULLOUT BACK PAGE

PITCHERWITS™

1a. Inks, inlaid incorrectly for a sari, perhaps? (6,4)

9a. Trial run ETA could be one to follow? (6,5)

1b. Bell going early for a little Bible reading? (5,6)

10a. Sound stridently for blather? Nonsense! (5,5)

1d. Nan's iodine remedy for a Malay dialect (10)

4d. Local transport, thus let out (7)

6d. 'Flat Foot' is all a French composition (6,4)

10d. Snake's just a baby's toy, right? (7)

ACROSS

1 Picture Clue 7 Beard, specially grown for ban (5) 8 Dumb rabbit hidden in the shade (5) 9 Picture Clue 11 Picture Clue 14 Anomalous flaw, in turn, is appalling (5)

15 Beaver sort of involved in space age rescue (5) 16 Picture Clue

DOWN

1 Picture Clue 2 Strange diet of a follower, showing what's owing (5)

PIT your wits against Pitcherwits — the exciting puzzle where some of the answers are in pictures! The solutions to the visual clues fit into the shaded spaces on the grid.

SOLUTION TOMORROW

PITCHERWITS BOOK

TO ORDER Daily Mail Pitcherwits Vol 9 by Professor Rebus for £9.99, go to mailzhop.co.uk/lifor20 or call 020 3176 2937. Buy 3 or more Daily Mail puzzle books and save 20 per cent. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.

3 A fair amount of music (3) 4 Picture Clue 5 Without it, ability is misused by one in North Africa (5) 6 Picture Clue 10 Picture Clue 12 Cheap meat, the result of falling out (5)

13 Rug substituted as sweetener (5) 15 The spirit of a limited shelf life (3)

FRIDAY'S SOLUTION — ACROSS: 1 Hits the roof. 5 Pub. 7 Ban. 8 Yoko Ono. 10 Bosnian. 11 End seat. 14 Pas. 15 Off. 16 Embankments. DOWN: 1 Happy couple. 2 Task. 3 Echo. 4 Final drafts. 6 Bye-byes. 7 Bound to. 9 Oinks. 12 Darn. 13 Exam.

MAILWORD

ACROSS

1 Glen 5 Bend 8 Middle of the month 9 Cub leader 11 Account inspection 12 _Crawford, model 13 Scare 15 Units of length 16 Holes 20 Rodent 21 Flat fish 23 Excessively 24 Alternatively 26 Schedule 28 Separate 30 Irish police force

33 Exposes 34 Birdlike 35 Increases 36 Entreat 37 _Daly, presenter

DOWN

1 Happening during the day 2 Habitual users 3 Vivien _ actress 4 Biblical book 5 _ Kingsley, actor 6 Aged 7 Path 9 Playing card 10 Monarch 11 Burning 14 Russian emperors

17 Dresses 18 Bard 19 Painful afflictions 22 Certainty 25 Sagas 27 Serpent 29 Fleming, 007 creator 30 Chatter 31 Greeting 32 Equipment

SOLUTION

TOMORROW

HIDATO

COMPLETE the grid so that all the numbers, 1 to 42, connect consecutively — horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Hint: you don't have to begin with 1 or 42. Working on the mid-numbers might give you a better start.

SOLUTION

TOMORROW

---

Page 35

KENKEN

EACH row and column should contain 1 to 6 without repeats. Numbers in cages must combine to produce the target number shown at start of that cage using, in any order, the mathematical sign given. Single-box cages can be filled with the number given.

SOLUTION TOMORROW

	H	A	T
V			T
G			E
A			T
	Y	F	T

LAMPOONED

NINE TO FIVE

FIT the scrambled letters of the given word into the grid to form six five-letter words across and down.

SOLUTION TOMORROW

WORLD'S SMALLEST,

HARDEST CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1. A ravine (Ind) (4)
2. Acceptable (inf) (2)
3. Express sympathy (2)
4. Indolent (4)

DOWN

1. Eye makeup (4)
2. Ex-crown colony (abbr) (2)
3. Damp at dawn (4)
4. Phoenix is its capital (abbr) (2)

SOLUTION TOMORROW

1	2		3
4
		5
6

CROSS NUMBER

THERE MAY BE MORE THAN ONE SOLUTION

5				12
		9		30
	3			12
			4	27
21	22	18	20	18

Today's challenge time: 5 mins 37 secs

Your working time: □ mins □ secs

FILL each square with a number, 1 to 9. Horizontal squares add up to totals on right. Vertical squares add up to totals on bottom. Diagonal squares through centre add up to totals in top and bottom right.

SOLUTION TOMORROW

CODEWORD

EACH number in our Codeword grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. Today 20 represents Y, so fill in Y every time the figure 20 appears. You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters should go in the missing squares. SOLUTION TOMORROW

COMPLETE Codeword to reveal the word in the shaded boxes. HOW TO ENTER: Call 0901 293 6232 and leave your answer and your details or text 65700 with the word CODE, your answer and then your name. Texts and calls cost £1 plus standard network charges. One weekly winner chosen from all correct daily entries received between 00.01 Monday and 23.59 Saturday. Answers change daily at 00.01. UK residents aged 18+, excl NI. See Terms & Conditions.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7		3	8	3	9	10
3		2				11		12		7		5
13	5	2	2		14	11	12	15	5	16	3	2
13		12		5		13		5				2
6	17	15	6	18	5	6	19	9	20			21
		5		2		7				22		11
23	5	9	10	6	7		12	20	7	24	15	20
5		5						3		3
18			15	7	3	16	6	25	3	7	10	12
11		5		3		26		12				15
23	5	16	14	18	7		23		25	5		6
6		6		11						6		3
18	6	25	11	19		8	7	11	23	12	6	7

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Secondary's solution

WEEKEND solution

*** Book Fourteen Now Available! ***

Order via www.knightfeatures.com/store or by cheque payable to Knight Features, Unit B207, 89 Bickenstedt Rd, London SW17 9SH. Price £6.95 + £1.95 UK P&P (£8.90) ea.

NEED A CLUE? Text the word CODEWORD to 65700 to receive FOUR clues to today's puzzle or call 0901 293 6200. Texts and calls cost £1 plus your standard network charges. Today's clues available between 00.01 today and 23.30 only.

SCRABBLE

G R A M S

The board on the right shows four rows of letters from a typical Scrabble game. Use each row to form a word of 3-7 letters and write it in the blank squares provided. Then add up the score for each row. Don't forget to use the double and triple word and letter scores — and add a 10-point bonus for every 7-letter word. Blank tiles can be used for any letter but have no score. See tomorrow's paper for the solution. SCRABBLE and SCRABBLE Ties are registered trademarks. All rights in the game are owned in the USA by Healco Inc., in Canada by Healco Canada Inc. and elsewhere by J.W. Spear & Sons Ltd. a subsidiary of Mallet, Inc.

H	S	O	O	V	D	S	Q	S
G	Z	R	N	I	C	K	Y	A
L	Y	Q	X	S	N	L	A	S
E	K	N	P	E	Q	R	E	W
N	M	E	V	G	Q	I	I	K
N	B	E	W	B	Z	A	A	M
P	A	M	F	N	R	T	A	I
W	A	O	E	G	R	S	Y	K
S	H	M	M	P	J	A	Z	J
W	O	Y	V	I	A	L	I	X
K	L	L	U	D	X	A	U	G

WORD SEARCH

THE listed words can all be found in the grid – running forwards, backwards, up, down and diagonally – EXCEPT ONE. For a chance to win, discover which word is missing.

Today's theme: Famous Campbells

ALASTAIR	MENZIES
ALI	NAOMI
GLEN	NEVE
KIM	NICKY
MALCOLM	SOL

HOW TO ENTER: Call 0901 293 6234 and leave your answer and details or text 65700 with the word WORD, your answer and your name. Texts and calls cost £1 plus standard network charges. One winner chosen from all correct daily entries received between 00.01 Monday and 23.59 Friday. Answers change daily at 00.01. UK residents aged 18+, and NI. See Terms & Conditions. SOLUTION TOMORROW

SUDOKUX

PUT the numbers 1-6 once in each row, each column, each diagonal (highlighted to form an X) and each horizontal 3x2 box (ruled). SOLUTION TOMORROW

			6		2
		6
		1
			3		5

QUICK QUIZ

1. If you jailenne some vegetables, what will you have done to them?
2. East Pakistan is a former name of which country?
3. Which veteran Marvel actor will return playing Doctor Doom in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday?
4. From which country does Edam cheese originate?
5. TV presenter Davina McCall was born in which decade?

SOLUTION: PULLOUT BACK PAGE

GOGEN

ALIK BITS BLEND FLEX HARP JACK JOY MISTY QUEST VOWEL WRUNG

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

INSERT letters to form listed words, moving between adjacent cells horizontally, vertically or diagonally in any direction. Insert all remaining letters of the alphabet (except Z) in the grid so all listed words are spelt out.

SOLUTION TOMORROW

---

Page 36

MailPuzzles

BRIDGE MASTERCLASS CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

West

▲AK5

9 0 10 9 5

+876

▲A53

East

▲743

▼A

+AKJ942

▲Q102

PLAYING teams at game all, South opens INT (12-14) and you pass as West. North bids 2▲. Stayman, and your partner enters the auction with 2+, over which South passes. What action do you take?

IT is hard to believe you have such a good hand given all the bidding that is going on, but you must believe that your partner has a fair hand with a good suit to be coming into the auction in this exposed position. The North hand could be very weak with both majors, and North could be hoping to scramble to a better contract. Being vulnerable and playing teams, you don't want to be missing any games, so you should have a go at INT, expecting to be able to use dummy's diamond suit as a source of tricks. This ends the auction.

North leads the #3. How do you plan the play? Partner's hand is far from disappointing, and if you have five diamond tricks you will make your contract, providing you keep an entry to dummy. Since the only entry is in diamonds, you should play safe and duck a diamond now.

The hand continues tomorrow.

No 17,950

FOR your chance to win, solve the crossword to reveal the word reading down the student boxes. HOW TO ENTER: Call 0901 293 6233 and leave today's answer and your details, or 1EVI 65700 with the word CRYPTIC, your answer and your name. Webstable cost (1) plus standard network charges. Or enter by post by sending the completed crossword to Daily Mail Price Crossword 17,950, PO Box 28, Cochranier, Iowa 1012 9CF. Please include your name and address. One weekly winner chosen from all correct daily entries received between 00.31 Monday and 23.59 Friday. Postal entries must be date-stamped no later than the following day to qualify. Calls and texts must be received by 23.59; answers change at 00.01. UK residents aged 18+, excl NI. See Terms & Conditions.

ACROSS

1 Support around interval demanding a lot of effort? (12) 8 Long-standing clubhouse with flex at work in charge (7) 9 Revolutionary miffed about old area of authority (7) 11 Detail many embellished in a lively way (10) 12 Draw right level of pricing, perhaps (4) 14 African country? Hope it is altered by capital from the East (8) 16 Decorative ring in black by corner (8) 17 Slithery creature was protected in part (3) 19 Admit expert point about Conservative (6) 21 Husband before working in grove is loitering nearby? (8) 24 Flower found in Fair Isle (4) 25 Rival firm to permit changes (10) 27 Imposing area around a Spanish city (7) 28 Hug English doctor before event on track (7) 29 Longing for familiar set-up? (12)

DOWN

1 Hotel supporting poet touring island has to improve (7) 2 Worker stopping a couple excitedly getting melon (10) 3 Care a bit about sources of disease (8) 4 Cover in French enclosure (6) 5 Eager chap infused with energy (4) 6 Number making a calculation without a show of approval (7) 7 Note tag in car newly showing information for motorists (6,6) 10 Trade modifying danger for small farm (6,6) 13 Poor start to night with some diner? That's unfortunate (10) 15 Tree in Asia's highlighted (3) 18 Father holding ordinary set of cards in part of a ship (4,4) 20 U.S. city with elegance in the past (7) 22 Strain possibly to include last of many places for future work? (2-5) 23 Language in this way linked to African country (6) 26 Copenhagen resident, say, has stoop in hearing (4)

NEED A CLUE? Text TIP to 65700 to receive FOUR answers to today's crossword, or call 0901 293 6236. Texts and calls cost 12 plus standard network charges. Today's clues available between 00.01 today and 23.30 only.

HEATHER DHONDY

30-SECOND CHALLENGE

START on left with number given and follow instructions as you go across. In 30 seconds, beginners have to complete their own challenge; intermediates have to complete their own challenge and the beginner's advanced players have to complete their own challenge and the intermediate's.

SOLUTION BELOW

www.30secondchallenges.com

YOUR ANSWERS

WORD SEARCH

Missing MILLION

HIDATO

PRIZE SUDOKU

KAKURO

NINE TO FIVE

CROSS NUMBER

MAKING TRACKS

Beginner	80	( \frac{1}{4} )OF IT	-2	÷9	×70	-8	÷11	×9	-3	÷7
Intermediate	53	+64	( \frac{4}{11} )OF IT	×12	( \frac{1}{9} )OF IT	( \frac{5}{8} )OF IT	TIMES ITSELF	75% OF IT	5% OF IT	( \frac{21}{35} )OF IT
Advanced	88	PLUS 25%	LESS 10%	×8	-400	LESS 25%	-30	37 ( \frac{1}{2} )% OF IT	+90	( \frac{4}{7} )OF IT

KENKEN

SUDOKU X

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD No. 17,947

ACROSS: 1 Road-test. 5 Mishap. 9 Foldaway, 10 Aleppo. 12 Late. 13 Light meter. 15 Prefabricated. 19 Visiting Hours. 23 Nail-titting. 25 Mako. 28 Unique. 29 Go native. 30 Lester. 31 Straight. DOWN: 1 Refill. 2 Allot. 3 Tray. 4 Stamina. 6 Islam. 7 Hepatitis. 8 Protrude. 11 Char. 14 Seat. 15 Pesticide. 16 Bug. 17 Club. 18 Eventual. 20 Note. 21 Handout. 22 Cover's. 24 Bruce. 26 Aging. 27 Bala.

MAILWORD

ACROSS: 1 Asia. 5 Sorts. 10 Lens. 11 Frank. 12 Palts. 14 Lanky. 15 Aie. 16 Crib. 18 Car. 19 Eats In. 22 Ann. 23 Hip. 24 Met. 26 Tsetse. 28 Awe. 29 Plea. 30 Gym. 31 Phase. 34 Steele. 36 Hales. 37 Ural. 38 Imams. 39 Byre. DOWN: 1 Alpaca. 2 Sealant. 3 Interns. 4 Ash. 5 Split peas. 6 Arabs. 7 Ran. 8 Ink. 9 Sky. 10 Scentless. 17 Raise. 20 Imagery. 21 New year. 25 Temple. 27 Epsom. 31 Phi. 32 Ham. 33 Ala. 35 Hub.

SOLUTIONS TO TODAY'S PUZZLES

QUICK QUIZ:

1 Sliced them thinly. 2 Bangladesh. 3 Robert Downey Jr. 4 The Netherlands. 5 1960s.

MINDBENDER: 1 30 pints. 2 They may all follow prime. 3 Umpire. 4 Max Chilton; the other Formula I drivers are Scottish. 5 Ale. Talent, valet, dealer, repae.

MASTERQUIZ:

1 Phildoen Man. 2 Thomas Tallis. 3 Brenda. 4 Jackson Hole. 5 The nose. 6 Louis Philippe I.

BONE YOUNG:

1 Pardon. 2 Rancid. 3 Dibber. 4 Recarne. 5 Matted. 6 Etcher. 7 Resume. 8 Muffe. 9 Eludes. 10 Damage. 11 Gander. 12 Canoed.

KUROSU

30-SECOND CHALLENGE: Beginner: 15. Intermediate: 36. Advanced: 58.

SOLUTIONS TO OUTDOOR STRUCTURES

WORD WHEEL: deep, drip, empire, emptied, emptier, bripede, peer, peri, perm, permed, permit, permitted, pert, peter, petit, petite, petted, pettier,

pettier, pied, pier, pitted, primed, pride, pried, prim, prime, primed, ripe, temp, temped, temper, tempt, tempted, temptier, tepid, trip, tripe.

WORLD'S SMALLEST, HARDEST CROSSWORD — ACROSS: 1 Iau. 4 Sire. 5 Easy. 6 Mot. DOWN: 1 Jiao. 2 Erst. 3 Uey. 4 Sem.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD — ACROSS:

6 Shelton. 7 Rivet. 9 Omid. 10 Wonderwall. 11 Trinidad. 13 Dad Iced. 15 Scat. 17 Satay. 18 Dids. 19 Launch. 20 Hairline. 23 All Shook Up. 26 Time. 27 Nunez.

28 Gurward. DOWN: 1 Teddington. 2 Stoved. 3 Axon. 4 Friendly. 5 Avow. 6 Sumer. 8 Telford. 12 Dutch. 14 Diocletian. 16 Chaplin. 17 Schmooze. 21 Impure. 22 Nomad. 24 Sink. 25 Kegs.

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