THE i PAPER

IMPARTIAL NEWS + INTELLIGENT DEBATE

£1.10

Monday 24 August 2026

No. 4,915

theipaper.com

EXCLUSIVE

The young people likely to get priority cash under welfare reforms

» Youth unemployment tsar Alan Milburn tells The i Paper he wants vulnerable 16- to 24-year-olds to get special job support

P6

MONARCHY

Royal reckoning

Sussexes will now have to deal with the Palace, whether they like it or not

P9

FOOTBALL

Close shave for City - and Liverpool

» Defenders strike late to pip Cherries... and penalty saves Reds

P54-56

EXCLUSIVE

Burnham open to cutting uni fees for EU students as bargaining chip for better Brexit deal

• » PM is prepared to reduce hefty university tuition fees for young Europeans to study in Britain so long as the UK gets substantial concessions on trade in return, The i Paper has learnt
• » Brussels has long demanded lower rates as part of a youth mobility deal for under-30s visas that could also unlock key agreements on food and drink, trade and energy markets
• » UK has so far resisted as universities warn it would blow a hole in their strained finances
• » Burnham and new EU relations minister Hamish Falconer will consider reducing £38,000-a-year fees as part of a grand bargain likely to include exemption from Europe's protectionist policies

P6

WORLD

UK calls Putin's bluff by giving Ukraine more help with missiles

P12

SPORT

England cricketer handcuffed outside nightclub ECB investigates bowler Carse

P5, 48

INSIGHT

The man daring to take on Trump - and showing the world how it's done

P15

SCIENCE - WHY CHILDREN'S EYESIGHT IS GETTING WORSE P24 | MARK GALEOTTI P19 | PUZZLES P27 | TV GUIDE P26

£1.10

Monday 24 August 2026

No. 4,915

theipaper.com

INTERVIEW

Keeley Hazell

'I needed therapy for losing out on Ted Lasso role written for me'

P18

LIFE

My £10,000 custody battle for pet Labrador

P34

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MONDAY

24

AUGUST

Quote of the day

The best way to teach your kids about taxes is by eating 30 per cent of their ice cream BILL MURRAY

Birthdays

Sir Stephen Fry, actor, comedian and writer, 69, Jean-Michel Jarre, composer, 78, Dave Chappelle, comedian, 53, Ava DuVernay, film-maker, 54, Rupert Grint, actor, 38, Paulo Coelho (below), author, 79, Anne Archer, actress, 79

Anniversaries

Thursday 24 August 1944 Free French troops reach Paris as the German occupation begins to collapse. Resistance fighters had risen against the garrison, while General Philippe Leclerc's 2nd Armoured Division sent an advance party into the capital that night. The city was liberated the next day.

index

Crossword	23
TV & Radio	26
Puzzles	27
Culture	38
Money	42
Weather	46

The News Matrix

The day at a glance

Why do others like being in a zoo? See p.5

POLICE

Man going to France arrested over fire

A 14-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman, 48, died and a further eight people were taken to hospital following a house fire in Hounslow, west London, last Wednesday. The man was arrested by Kent Police yesterday while he was travelling to France by train.

UKRAINE

Zelensky: we did not blow up gas pipeline

Ukraine played no role in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany in 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday. "Ukraine has never officially taken part in any operations regarding the blowing up of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline," he told reporters in Kyiv. PAGE12

SCOTLAND

Motorcyclist dies after collision

A motorcyclist has died following a collision with a car on the Isle of Lewis. Police were called to a crash on the A907 Ness to Stornoway road near to New Park, Newmarket, at around 4.40pm on Saturday. A 56-year-old male biker was taken to Western Isles Hospital, where he later died.

DIPLOMACY

NI Secretary makes first visit to Dublin

The Northern Ireland Secretary is to meet the Irish ministers for justice and foreign affairs on his first official visit to Dublin today. Sir Chris Bryant is expected to emphasise the importance of UK-Irish economic ties, discuss joint security concerns and commitments made on Northern Ireland legacy matters.

TELEVISION

Barlow and Manford off on 'epic' journey

The Take That star Gary Barlow and comedian Jason Manford will travel across New Zealand for a new food and travel programme on ITV1. They will star in Gary Barlow's Food and Wine Tour: New Zealand as they undertake an "epic adventure", sampling food and wine and meeting local producers.

WEATHER

Two dead as cyclone hits Baltic countries

Two people died and around 500,000 people were left without electricity across Latvia and Lithuania after a powerful cyclone, bringing rain and strong winds, hit the region over the weekend. "This seems to be the most severe storm in Latvia since 2005," the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre said.

EMPLOYMENT

Bus drivers to strike over working in heat

Bus drivers are to press ahead with a series of strikes after rejecting attempts to resolve a dispute over working in hot weather.

Around 1,500 members of Unite working in north London and Essex will walk out for four days tomorrow, followed by more strikes in the coming weeks.

The union said its members, employed by Arriva North London, voted against an offer to resolve the row, adding it did not go far enough.

Unite'S general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: "London bus drivers do a vital job, but are putting themselves at risk due to these appalling conditions."

The List

Top drains on students' cash

Many teenagers may be looking forward to starting university in the autumn, but some are unprepared for the true cost of student life, with 66 per cent running out of money. According to research from Santander UK, most students (80 per cent) admit to turning to their parents for financial support before their next student loan instalment arrives, with others skipping meals (19 per cent). The top costs include:

• 1 Freshers' Week events (32%)
• 2 Homeware and household essentials (30%)
• 3 Food delivery charges (28%)
• 3 Society joining fees (28%)
• 3 Local taxis and transport (28%)
• 6 Eating out (23%)
• 6 Course materials (23%)
• 8 Gym memberships (21%)
• 8 Laundry costs (21%)
• 10 Travelling home (17%)

INDONESIA

72 people arrested for starting wildfires

Indonesian police arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the recent forest and peatland fires as huge blazes in central and western parts of the country triggered a harmful cloud known as a choking haze. Indonesia has been battling fires driven by a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia.

SCIENCE

3D patch offers hope for skin cancer care

A dissolvable 3D-printed patch has been developed by researchers with the aim of improving treatment for localised skin cancer. It was devised at Queen's University Belfast.

The small patch contains tiny microneedles that can pass through the outer layer of the skin without drawing blood.

The microneedles can deliver two anti-cancer drugs, curcumin and 5-fluorouracil.

They could help reduce the need for repeated topical treatments, or more invasive procedures.

The research was carried out by a PhD student Rutuja N Meshram and Professor Dimitrios A Lamprou.

CULTURE

Artworks missing from Parliament

Works of art including of Benjamin Disraeli and the leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade, are among those missing from the Houses of Parliament.

A portrait photograph of Queen Victoria's favourite prime minister is one of dozens of artworks which House of Commons authorities are looking for, along with a 19th-century engraving print of William Wilberforce.

They are on a list of more than 65 artworks that have been misplaced since the start of 2024, which has been released after a Freedom of Information request by the Press Association.

Newspapers support recycling. The recycling paper content of UK newspapers in 2024 was 22.2%.

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NEWS 2-33

OPINION 18-22

TV 26-31

LIFE 34-37

CULTURE 38-41

HONEY 42-46

SPORT 47-50

MONDAY 24 AUGUST 2026

3

performing at Swanage beach in Dorset this weekend, and – having puppeteered nearly 150 shows since the May half-term break – said the entertainment was staging a minor comeback.

"Punch and Judy does seem to be having a revival at the seaside," Burnes said.

Punch – oh no you won't!...

In 2026, researchers urged an update that removed Punch hitting Judy – although some accused it of being a "woke makeover".

But Burnes, one of the last three regular performers, said: "Most performers don't hit Judy any more

and it's been that way for many years. I changed my performance to reflect that as well, bringing Punch and Judy to a more modern era."

Along history.

Burnes said Punch and Judy had been part of British life for 364 years.

"Punch and Judy at its best is fantastic entertainment," he said.

"With the cost of living rising, £2 each for 20 minutes of live entertainment is unmatched."

Anesia Aslam

FILM

New 'Wicker' release set for festival debut

The sons of The Wicker Man director Robin Hardy have found a script to make the 1973 cult classic part of a trilogy. Hardy made a second film, The Wicker Tree, in 2011 and he died in 2016 aged 86. His sons, Justin and Dominic, have now released Wrath of the Gods, which will be shown at this weekend's FrightFest in London.

AUCTION

Du Pré's personal items go up for sale

The British cellist Jacqueline du Pré's belongings could fetch tens of thousands of pounds at auction next month. A collection going under the hammer in Wiltshire includes photos, letters, art, school reports and a teddy bear. The Oxford-born musician died in 1987 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

PEOPLE

Atack marries in 'perfect' ceremony

The actress and comedian Emily Atack has announced she has married Alistair Garner in an "absolutely perfect" ceremony. The Rivals star, 36, had son Barney James Garner with her scientist partner in June 2024. Ahead of her wedding, Atack revealed children would not be invited to the day.

UNITED STATES

'Artemis II' crew awarded top medal

The crew of the historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission have earned the US's top space medal. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are set to receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honour on Friday, the US space agency Nasa said.

Letter from the Whitehall Correspondent

Will Hazell

c@thepaper.com

Better EU deal will come at a cost

When Andy Burnham arrived in to Downing Street, Government policy in all sorts of areas was thrown into the air as the state waited to find out what the new Prime Minister thought about it

Relations with Europe was a conspicuous example, with an EU-UK summit planned for 22 July put on ice until the autumn.

Sure, Burnham blew a little cool on the EU when he was running for election in Leave-voting Makerfield, vowing not to "re-run" the tortured arguments of the Brexit years.

But at heart he is pro-European and instinctively shares Sir Keir Starmer's ambition to strengthen links with Brussels.

Still, it was not clear how he would take forward the negotiations begun by Starmer on formally resetting relations.

As we report today (page 6), Burnham is open to cutting university fees for EU students if the UK can get concessions on trade in return.

The EU has made no secret of cheaper tuition fees being one of its key objectives from the talks.

Burnham and his new EU relations minister, Hamish Falconer, will hope that granting Brussels the prize will unlock UK goals such as increased access to the single market.

However, there is a reason the Government has resisted a fee discount. For years, the higher fees paid by foreign students have been used to cross-subsidise teaching British students.

There are about 60,000 in the UK. Cutting their fees now would deprive British universities of a significant slice of income.

As Burnham has discovered with the prison system, when you are Prime Minister, trade-offs are never far away.

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NEWS

TRANSPORT

Full train service to resume after power cut

By Clara Margotin

CrossCountry has said it will run a "full service" today after a power cut resulted in major cancellations across its network yesterday.

A power cut in Birmingham, which started on Saturday, affected the company's control centre, resulting in many of the systems used to manage the railway being

unavailable, the operator said. "Almost all" services were cancelled yesterday – including on popular routes linking Glasgow to Edinburgh, Manchester to Birmingham, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Newcastle to Edinburgh.

A near-normal service operated between Peterborough, Cambridge and Stansted Airport "due to the impact of planned engineering work", the company said.

A CrossCountry spokesperson said last night: "Planning is underway to support a full train service on Monday and we are working closely with partners as recovery efforts continue.

"We would like to thank our customers for their patience."

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander had said before services resumed she was "concerned" about the power issue.

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Flowers left near the scene on the A66 following the fatal crash involving a police car and a Volkswagen Passat on Saturday RICHARD MCCARTHYER

POLICE

'He was our hero': family tributes to crash officers

By Pol Allingham and Clara Margotin

The families of two police officers have paid tribute after they were killed when a car driving the wrong way crashed into their vehicle.

PC Tom Clough, 38, died alongside PC Matthew Blades, 37, when a Volkswagen Passat, that had been pursued by police, hit the marked armed response vehicle on the A66 dual carriageway in Teesside early on Saturday.

Five males aged between 17 and 23 who were travelling in the Volkswagen were also killed.

PC Clough's family said in a statement issued by Cleveland Police: "He was our hero with a fantastic sense of humour. Jumped into action whenever needed, and willing to help anyone for any reason.

"Proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place. Always on public duty throughout his short life."

PC Blades' wife said: "No words will ever feel like the right words to honour our Matt – my beloved husband, best friend and the most devoted father to our two young boys.

"He gave his life in the line of duty, protecting and serving others with courage, dedication and selflessness."

Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak were also pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which said yesterday that PC Blades and PC Clough were not involved in the original pursuit, but had been called to the area to assist with the search for the Passat.

PC Tom Clough (left) and PC Matthew Blades, died when their marked armed response vehicle was hit by a Volkswagen Passat driving in the wrong direction on the A66

The Passat crashed into PC Blades and PC Clough's vehicle around 10 seconds after the pursuit ceased.

IOPC director of engagement Derrick Campbell paid his respects: "We recognise the devastating impact the incident has had on those in the force, and the wider policing community, and offer our condolences."

A fundraiser for the officers' families had raised nearly £16,000 out of its £20,000 target by yesterday.

PC Hartlepool described PC Blades as a "much-loved member of our football family". The club said: "As coach of our U-10 Reds, a team that was made even more special by having his eldest son playing alongside the boys, Matty was so much more than a coach.

"He was a role model, a mentor, a friend... He was able to share his love of football with his son while inspiring... every child on the team."

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NEWS 5-33

OPINION 10-22

TV 25-31

LIFE 18-37

CULTURE 38-41

MOVIES 42-46

SPORT 47-50

AIRBORNE 24 AUGUST 2026

5

SPORT

Carse in handcuffs after ‘nightclub incident’

By David Charlesworth

Brydon Carse was handcuffed by police in Derby on Saturday as he became the latest England cricketer to be involved in a late-night incident.

A brief video on social media showed the fast bowler being apprehended by several police officers outside a nightclub as he celebrated Durham’s County Championship win over Derbyshire.

However, it has been reported that Carse, who was included in England’s squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Lord’s starting

on Thursday, was not arrested and released without charge.

“We are aware of an incident that is reported to have taken place in Derby on Saturday night, and are currently investigating,” a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board said.

“We will provide a further update when possible.”

Carse (inset) was England’s leading wicket-taker during a derisory Ashes tour but he was unselected for last week’s three-day win over Pakistan at Headingley and released to play for Durham at Derby.

It is unknown what sparked Carse to be detained by four police officers, although the video on social media shows him speaking to his Durham and England teammate Matthew Potts.

Durham have refused to comment on the incident, citing the ECB investigation, while Derbyshire Police have been approached for comment.

In the past 12 months, several England cricketers have made headlines, starting with Harry Brook being punched by a bouncer

outside a Wellington club, hours before a one-day international in New Zealand last November.

A mid-series break during the Ashes at a beach resort the following month was widely criticised amid reports it represented a glorified “stug do”, with video of Ben Duckett looking worse for wear.

A midnight curfew was subsequently put in place then breached by Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson following England’s

win over New Zealand at Lord’s in June. The pair were stood down for the next Test at the Kia Oval before returning for the decider at Trent Bridge.

Stokes ended his international career at the end of the series, prompting the ECB to reinstall Joe Root, who swiftly abolished the curfew.

Root told Sky Sports earlier this month: “I don’t think they work. If you want guys to take responsibility on the field they’ve got to be able to feel they can be grown adults off it.”

Sport, page 48

NATURE

Look the otter way! Animals love having visitors in zoo

By Stephen Beech

Otters “thrive” on being watched by zoo visitors, research has suggested.

While conservationists may worry that crowds could stress the carnivores, the study indicated that happy human onlookers may help the mammals to flourish.

Researchers examined six Asian small-clawed otters at Adelaide Zoo in Australia over a six-month period to better understand how zoo visitors and staff influence the animals’ behaviour and vocalizations.

They observed the otters over 146 one-hour sessions, recording their activity, whether they made any sounds – including squeals, chirps, screams and barks – and whether visitors or zoo staff were nearby, compared with visitors alone.

The Adelaide University research team said their findings, published in the Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, challenge assumptions that humans automatically have a negative impact on zoo animals.

Co-lead author Paige Klingner said: “Our study found no evidence that visitors were associated with stress-related behaviours.

“Instead, we found the otters were generally more active and more vis-

Asian small-clawed otters were found to be more likely to make noises when people were around (sure)

ible when people were present. That raises the possibility that visitors may actually have a positive or enriching effect on their welfare.”

While the otters were slightly more likely to make noises when

people were around, the study did not identify the specific types of calls made.

The study’s senior author Dr Eduardo Fernandes says the findings add to growing evidence that inter-

interactions between zoo animals and visitors are more complex than previously believed.

He said: “People often assume visitors are stressful for zoo animals, but that isn’t necessarily the case.”

NATURE

Charity gets £760,000 water vole funding

By Aneela Aslam

A Nottinghamshire-based charity has secured more than £700,000 in Government funding as it aims to revive the local water vole population.

The Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust hopes to use the £760,000 for its initiatives, which include bringing back the local water vole population and preparing for the return of beavers to the county.

The funding comes from the Government’s Wild Again: Restoring England’s Wildlife initiative.

A spokesperson for the trust said that recovering voles and preparing for wild beavers would help the overall ecosystem of the county, with animals and plants relying on healthy wetlands and river systems.

Over the past 15 years the water vole population has decreased by 90 per cent due to a rise in non-native mink species, according to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

The charity will use part of the funding to “eradicate” the non-native mink in Nottinghamshire, which the trust said had threatened the vole populations.

The charity hopes to eradicate the mink by March 2029.

Janice Bradley, director of recovery at the trust, said: “It’s a shame, as they’re lovely animals, but they’re not supposed to be here.”

NATURE

Rarest breeding bird rears chicks

By Emily Beamont

The UK’s rarest breeding bird has nested at a secret location for the second year running – and has successfully reared six chicks, conservationists have said.

Last year a pair of Montagu’s harriers nested in the same secret spot on farmland in England, raising four chicks in the first successful breeding for the bird of prey since 2019.

This year the male – who was ringed as a chick in a protected nest

The species was placed on the red list of birds most at risk in 2021

in Wiltshire in 2016 and is known as “AU” – managed to breed with two new females with two nests a short distance apart.

He successfully helped rear and feed three chicks in each nest, the RSPB said.

Mark Thomas, Montagu’s harrier species lead at the RSPB, said: “AU is truly awesome. He is single-handedly propping up this species in the UK with his amazing display flights in May being rewarded by attracting two new breeding females, seemingly out of thin air.”

Montagu’s harriers winter in Africa and return to Europe to nest.

PEOPLE

Seagull impressionist defends muse

By Aneela Aslam

A seagull impersonator has said the animal gets “bad press” and that she thinks they sound “fantastic”.

Trish Clemit, from Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, was crowned winner of the 2026 Seagull Festival Championships in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, after travelling more than 200 miles to perform.

Clemit first discovered

her hidden talent at Butlins aged eight.

“All my life I’ve been waiting for a competition and then I found out about this one through a friend. I thought, ‘Right, I’m going down all the way from Hebden,’” Clemit said.

It was held at Weston Museum and included seagull-themed Morris dancing and games.

“I know they have problems but I’ve got an affinity with them,” Clemit said of the birds.

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6

NEWS

COVER STORY

University fees for EU students could be cut in Brexit trade deal

Exclusive

By Arj Singh, Caroline Wheeler, Kitty Donaldson

Andy Burnham is open to cutting university fees for EU students if the UK gets substantial concessions on trade in return, The i Paper has learnt.

Brussels has long demanded that the UK agree to lower tuition fees for EU students as part of a youth mobility deal for under-30s visas that would also unlock key agreements on food and drink trade and energy markets.

But the UK has so far resisted this as universities warn it would blow a hole in their already cash-strapped budgets as it would mean EU students paying home fees – £9,790 in the next academic year – rather than much higher international fees of up to £38,000.

However, the Prime Minister and his new EU relations minister Hamish Falconer are open to cutting tuition fees for European students – but only as part of a grand bargain that would involve the UK getting significantly improved trading terms with the bloc.

London has previously floated the idea that the UK could be included in a bespoke single market for goods with the EU but this was rejected by Brussels.

So the concessions being sought by Burnham are likely to include a carve-out for the UK from protectionist EU “Made in Europe” policies that threaten British industries and more single market access in different areas to those being negotiated.

Falconer has not yet worked out exactly where the balance will lie and is developing his strategy for the

Andy Burnham could strike a youth mobility deal with the EU to unlock closer co-operation with Brussels

negotiations and trade-offs ahead of an expected UK-EU summit around October or November.

Some EU countries such as Germany are understood to believe that Made in Europe policies must include British companies to ensure the health of the continent’s economy.

However, other nations, believed to include France, are more protectionist and believe the UK should be cut out and not be granted special deals in the wake of Brexit.

Burnham and Falconer’s approach to the talks is in line with Sir Keir Starmer and his for-

The approach may disappoint Europhiles who had been hoping the Prime Minister would rip up Labour’s red lines that keep the UK out of the EU single market, customs union and free movement area.

mer Brexit reset minister Nick Thomas-Symonds’s approach.

Thomas-Symonds alluded to what the UK wants in return for conceding on university fees in a 23 June speech on the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote.

He said the UK is “slap bang in the middle of the tariff and protectionist crossfire” between major trading blocs and insisted the EU is our “biggest trading partner with whom our supply chains are intrinsically linked”, calling to “protect our continent’s economy”.

The Labour MP Andrew Lewin, who chairs the cross-party UK Trade and Business Commission, urged Burnham to strike a youth mobility deal with the EU to unlock closer co-operation with Brussels.

He said: “No 10 has said they will run towards problems neglected for too long. With the UK-EU relationship, they can run towards an opportunity.

“I hope the Prime Minister makes it a priority to finalise a UK-EU youth mobility deal, so we can make good on the promise of allowing 18- to 30-year-olds to travel freely across the European Union.

“The Treasury will recognise that a youth mobility scheme will be a pro-growth measure and with overall migration sharply down, there is no reason at all for the Home Office to object.

“While many of us in the PLP (parliamentary Labour Party) would like to see UK-EU ties strengthened much further, getting this deal over the line this year would be a very good first step.”

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “We are building an ambitious, close relationship with the EU that will strengthen our economy.”

WELFARE

Most vulnerable young may get priority job help

Exclusive

By Vicky Spratt

HOUSING & SOCIETY CORRESPONDENT

Tens of thousands of vulnerable young people could get “priority access” to cash payments and training as part of “employment support” to help them into work, under recommendations being drafted by the Government’s youth unemployment tsar.

Alan Milburn is due to give his final recommendations on how to help young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) this autumn.

The cash support being considered for the most vulnerable 16- to 24-year-old Neets could either come in the form of a taxpayer-funded benefit, grant or subsidy.

Care leavers, young carers, teenage parents and young people leaving custody are considered the most

The Neet rate rises to this level when young people turn 18, compared with 4 per cent before

The proportion of care leavers in work by the age of 27, compared with 57 per cent of their peers

vulnerable, and Milburn is considering ensuring they get priority help.

Milburn said he is particularly concerned about these groups as they are “most at risk” of falling off a “cliff edge” and into unemployment when they turn 18, when they lose the specialist support that was available to them as children.

“Turning 18 should be a moment

Red lines Burnham may face party pressure

Andy Burnham faces the prospect of coming under pressure over Brexit at his first Labour Party conference as leader in September.

A motion is being circulated among Labour’s grassroots, which could make it on to the conference floor.

It calls on the Prime Minister to “rip up the red lines on Europe” and align more closely with the EU to remove trade barriers and support national security.

For jobs, for public services and for our national defence, the change this country needs is impossible if we stay trapped in the failed Brexit deal negotiated by the last government,” the motion says.

“The time has come for a radical shift in Labour’s approach to negotiating a new deal with the European Union. Refusing to join a customs union, the single market

or renegotiate freedom of movement leaves the UK dangerously unable to secure our national security or economic interests. It’s time to rip up the red lines.”

Before the 2024 election, Labour’s manifesto pledged that the party would not return

Britain into the EU, the single market, the customs union or allow freedom of movement between the UK and the EU. However, the manifesto also pledged to “reset” the UK’s relationship with the EU and reduce barriers to trade.

UNIVERSITIES

EU students down 60% in Scotland

By Katrine Bussey

Brexit has “hammered” Scotland’s universities, the SNP has claimed, as figures showed a fall of more than 60 per cent in the number of EU students.

There were 20,895 students from the EU enrolled in Scottish universities in 2019-20, according to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

But with the UK having left the trading bloc, that total had fallen to 8,140 by 2024-25.

SNP MSP Alyn Smith said: “Scotland was dragged out of Europe against our will, but we are left facing the disastrous consequences.”

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NEWSP 2-33

OPINION 18-22

TV 28-31

LIFE 35-37

CULTURE 38-41

MOVIES 42-46

SPORT 47-50

MIRRORAT 24 AUGUST 2026

7

when a young person gets more independence and more opportunity,” he said. “For too many, it is the moment when the support around them disappears overnight.”

“For those groups this birthday is a cliff edge and not a springboard into adulthood,” he said.

The day a young person turns 18, their support disappears: child and adolescent mental health services, children’s social care, school support and transport concessions all end.

Meanwhile, adult services do not automatically kick in to catch them.

“We should not accept a system that is prepared to invest heavily in a young person when they are 17, then leave them to navigate adulthood alone at 18,” Milburn said.

“Education ends. Welfare support changes. Health services change. That is the cliff edge,” he said.

Under Milburn’s recommendations, the most vulnerable Neets could also be assigned “a trusted adult” who would serve as a dedicated adviser offering continued guidance navigating complex adult support systems.

Employers Cash incentive could be offered

If Alan Milburn does recommend a cash element to employment support for vulnerable young people, and it is accepted, the Government would need to work out how to deliver it. It could work like the Youth Jobs Grant, which gives employers cash upfront when they hire a young person who has been unemployed for six months or more. Or it could be a subsidy.

The cash could take the form of a benefit, paid directly to an eligible young person identified by the state as in need. This is how the Education

Maintenance Allowance introduced by New Labour in 1999, operated.

Milburn (inset) has made clear his view that the cessation of specialist support for young adults with complex needs or vulnerabilities was compounding inequality. “Care leavers, young carers and teenage parents face greater risks,” he said. “These are not young people who need less help because they have turned 18. So we need to look at whether we need to do something different for those young people most at risk.”

According to the Department for Work and Pensions, there are approximately 81,770 children in England’s care system.

Milburn’s interim report found that the Neet rate nearly trebles – from around 4 per cent to 13 per cent – when young people turn 18.

He has cited the fact that support services “fragment”, and there is no institution responsible for making sure a young person stays on track, as a reason for this.

For care leavers, this “cliff edge” is steeper still, according to Milburn’s research: Neet rates rise from 22 per cent at 17 to 31 per cent at 18 for this group. Just 22 per cent of care leavers are in work by the age of 27, compared with 57 per cent of their peers.

Milburn has found that the way that support for vulnerable young people abruptly ends is part of the reason for high Neet rates in certain places.

This includes Blackpool, where the number of care leavers is high and the Neet rate, of 7.6 per cent, is nearly double the national average of 3.4 per cent.

A Government spokesperson said: “We are already taking action through our £2.5bn investment in youth employment support.”

The spokesperson added that “further reform will follow the conclusion of his review”.

ANALYSIS

Iceland could provide a lesson for the UK on rejoining the EU

The North Atlantic island is voting on membership. By Leo Cendrowicz

Britain may have left the European Union, but elsewhere in the North Atlantic, another fiercely independent island is contemplating the journey in the opposite direction.

On Saturday, Icelanders will vote on whether to restart negotiations to join the EU – more than a decade after their last attempt foundered. It is not yet a referendum on membership: if negotiations produce a deal, Icelanders would vote again on whether to accept it. A recent survey puts support for talks at 53 per cent.

The exercise could be instructive for Britain. Iceland is showing how a country that once decided it could manage outside the EU can reconsider as circumstances change – and, crucially, how it can do so without immediately confronting voters with the binary question of membership.

“The union that the UK left doesn’t exist any more,” says Mika Aaltola, a Finnish MEP from the centre-right European People’s Party and vice-chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly.

Aaltola points to the transformation wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump’s trouncing of the international order and threats against allies, as well as growing concerns about the Arctic. Security and defence, once peripheral to the EU project, have become

Security and defence, once peripheral to the EU project, have become increasingly central

Voting will take place in Reykjavik and across Iceland on Saturday

increasingly central. For Iceland, the change is particularly stark. A Nato founding member but with no standing army, it sits strategically between Europe, Greenland and North America. Trump’s threats against Greenland have unsettled Icelanders, while Russian ships have been operating around the island and its infrastructure.

Iceland already has an unusually close relationship with the EU. It is part of the EU’s single market and adopts much EU legislation. That makes accession considerably easier. The EU enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, has suggested negotiations could take just one or two years.

Brussels is also signalling flexibility over the obstacle that killed Iceland’s previous bid: fishing. That could involve a carve-out.

None of this means Britain could simply follow Iceland’s route. Rejoining remains politically remote. But Iceland illustrates two potentially important lessons.

The first is timing. Iceland applied for membership in 2009, from negotiations in 2013 and then withdrew its application. Now a radically different geopolitical environment has reopened a question that appeared settled. The government had promised a referendum by 2027 but accelerated it after Trump’s tariffs and threats against Greenland.

Likewise, Britain’s relationship with Europe need not be considered permanently fixed by the fraught politics of 2016. A security crisis, economic shock or further retreat by Washington from Europe could create a similar political window.

The second lesson is process. Icelanders are simply being asked whether their government should discover what terms are available. Only then would they decide whether those are good enough.

Aaltola believes Europe may increasingly move towards more flexible forms of integration, combining economic freedoms with areas such as military mobility and defence-industrial co-operation.

For Britain, such sequencing could eventually offer a way through the political paralysis surrounding Brexit – perhaps initially around the single market, security and defence rather than full membership.

Iceland may vote No at the weekend. But its referendum shows European relationships are not frozen in time.

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NEWS

POLITICS

Mayors to get powers to approve big projects

By Helen Corbett

Andy Burnham is set to give mayors new powers to take control of local planning decisions and green-light large-scale developments in proposals to be unveiled this week.

Under the move mayors would be allowed to “call in” the decisions and direct councils to take them forward or refuse them.

They will also be able to grant upfront permission so developers can start building without having to apply.

This will apply to developments of more than 150 homes, commercial spaces of more than 15,000 sq metres or any building 30 metres or taller – which is roughly 10 storeys.

Ten of the 14 devolved mayors

have backed the move. It will bring them into line with the Mayor of London, Lord Sadiq Khan, who was given the powers earlier this year.

This was billed as an emergency measure aimed at unblocking dozens of stalled sites to get thousands more affordable homes built in the capital.

The Government is just over a quarter of the way to its target to build 1.5 million homes in England by 2029.

Burnham told The Sunday Times that he understood the argument that devolving powers to mayors to push through such projects could disempower councillors, MPs and constituents.

He said: “Sometimes... challenge does need to be made to local

Mayors will be able to grant permission to developers directly

1.5m

The number of homes the Government is aiming to build in England by 2029

decision-making, and actually it cuts both ways.

“It’s not all about Nimbyism. Sometimes it’s the other way round.

“It’s a local authority putting forward something that’s unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community... so it’s a two-way street.”

The decisions must be in line with planning rules, local plans set out for areas and the national policy.

And ministers will retain a back-stop 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.

They will also be able to charge a levy on development to fund major infrastructure.

The Liberal Democrats said the

powers were a “direct attack” that would silence residents.

Gideon Amos, the party’s housing and planning spokesperson, said: “Taking powers away from communities and local councillors is taking powers away from local people.

“Labour’s chaotic patchwork approach to devolution will simply not work to solve the housing crisis.

“Instead of silencing residents and handing 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.”

Burnham himself promised to fight green belt housing plans near Winstanley Hall during the Makerfield by-election campaign in June.

LABOUR

Crisis in Neets ‘brought on by the decision to raise employer NI rate’

By Connie Dimsdale

POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Rachel Reeves’s decision to increase national insurance contributions (NICs) for employers “disincentivised” businesses from hiring young people, a Labour mayor has said.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, suggested that the former chancellor’s policy under Sir Keir Starmer’s government may have contributed to the crisis in “Neets” – young people not in employment, education or training.

In an interview with The i Paper, Parker said the decision to raise the employer national insurance rate from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent was a “disincentive to employers” to hire young people – at a time more than a million are now out of work.

New Labour-era former minister Alan Milburn, who has been carrying out an independent review of youth unemployment, said a “whole system failure” across welfare, education and health has left young people permanently “detached” from the world of work.

His final report is due this autumn, in which he is expected to propose

overhauling the system to get young people into work and drive down the benefits bill.

It comes as The i Paper revealed that seven of the top 10 constituencies with young people claiming unemployment benefits are in the West Midlands.

The Birmingham suburb of Erdington has the highest rate, with 16.2 per cent of young people claiming unemployment benefits – three times as high as the national average, at 5.7 per cent.

Parker said the Department for Work and Pensions was “failing” young people, with job centres providing inadequate support and smaller businesses unable to take on young trainees and apprentices.

Criticising his own Government’s policy to increase employer NICs, he said: “It might be difficult for the new Prime Minister to turn that on its head, given where we are fiscally, but I do think at a time when we need to get more young people into work... that did act as a disincentive in some parts of this region.

“I know it’s tougher for smaller businesses, but there is also a need for businesses to take on and support the training of young people. We’ve all got responsibility for the next generation.”

The Mayor said a young person’s first job in retail or hospitality is the “most important one”, but challenges facing those sectors, including the NIC rise, have made it “more difficult for young people to get into those sectors”.

A Government spokesperson said: “The smallest businesses are protected from NI changes by an increase in the employment allowance from $5,000 to $10,500, and we continue to ensure generous relief for hiring young people as well as apprentices.”

Tiger trekker earns his stripes

Paul Goldstein carries a 9ft, 13kg tiger through central London at the weekend as part of his 1,000-mile trek from Holyhead to Land’s End. The Wimbledon-based wildlife

photographer has already walked more than 550 miles for the endangered Bengal tiger and raised £29,000 for Explorers Against Extinction. JULES OLDRON’S DAVIS

BUSINESS

Treasury set to review rates for pubs and hotels

By Helen Corbett

The Treasury has enlisted an expert to review how business rates are calculated for pubs and hotels and make recommendations for reform of the system.

Jerry Schurder, former business rates policy lead at advisory Newmark UK, will lead the independent review into valuations and report back to the Treasury by the end of March 2027.

The Government is also launching a call for evidence from landlords, brewers, hoteliers and business owners.

It comes after a 20 per cent cut to business rates bills was announced to ease cost pressures on pubs, social clubs and live music venues from April next year.

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, said: “Pubs and hotels are vital for communities.

“Last month we announced tax cuts for pubs to give them the breathing room they need. We’re going further with a rethink of valuations so we can build a fairer system.”

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “Pubs have paid disproportionately higher business rates, so this review is sorely needed and hugely welcome.”

IMMIGRATION

Ignore MPs, ex-minister advises Mahmood

By Will Hazell

WHITEHALL CORRESPONDENT

Shabana Mahmood should ignore Labour backbenchers’ views on illegal immigration and “press ahead” with policies to make it harder for migrants to permanently settle in the UK, a former Labour home

secretary has said. Alan Johnson said the Home Secretary would “always get a kickback” from Labour MPs on efforts to clamp down on illegal migration, but “the more she listens to her backbenchers, the worse it’ll be”.

Mahmood is trying to push through measures aimed at tightening up the

immigration system, including making most immigrants wait at least 10, rather than five, years for indefinite leave to remain and making refugee status temporary.

Asked his advice for Mahmood, Johnson said: “Don’t listen too much to your Labour colleagues – press ahead.”

Richard Parker blamed Rachel Reeves for ‘disincentivising’ businesses

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MONARCHY

Marching on:

royal service at Balmoral

By Nick Forbes

Days after news broke of the Duke of Sussex's imminent return to the UK, the Royal Family attended a Sunday service at a church near the Balmoral estate.

The King and Queen went to the service with the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children. It was the first time they have been seen together since Harry's plans to return to Britain were first reported.

Troops from Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, provided a guard of honour as the family arrived at the tiny granite Crathie Kirk in Aberdeenshire.

The soldiers lined up on both sides of the leafy driveway leading up to the church, and the fleet of cars passed between them as they took their royal occupants up to the door.

Charles and Camilla travelled in the first car, while William drove the second car – which also carried Kate and the couple's three children.

The Princess Royal and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence were in another of the cars and the Duke of

The Balaklava company march ahead of the service at Crathie Kirk, attended by the Waleses and the King and Queen JEFF HUTCHELVGETTY

Edinburgh and his daughter Lady Louise were in another vehicle, with a crowd of onlookers outside.

The Royal Family arrived for their traditional summer holiday at Balmoral earlier this week. The Church of Scotland parish kirk is their place of worship when they are there.

ROYAL FAMILY

The Sussexes now have to work with the Palace – whether they like it or not

Their media attention will risk distracting from royal duties. By Richard Palmer

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will need to work with – and possibly defer to – the Palace when they move back to the UK later this month after years of frosty relations, royal insiders have said.

Although the couple will remain private individuals undertaking commercial and charity activities, the media attention they attract will risk distracting from Royal Family duties.

While visiting a charity in Los Angeles may go largely unnoticed, there will be far more media attention when they carry out visits in the UK, especially if one of the working Royal Family is doing something similar and possibly trying to communicate a different message, sources said.

Harry and Meghan's explosive homecoming will add a new complexity to the official work of the monarchy and the Prince and Princess of Wales – whose rift with the Sussexes has not healed – are also likely to have to co-ordinate with the couple despite the potential antipathy.

Those close to William and Kate have so far suggested that they

will simply carry on as normal and ignore the distraction. But, after previous disruptions to their agenda caused by diary clashes with Harry and Meghan, they may need to think again.

Six years after walking away from the Royal Family, Harry and Meghan may also have to think more about the effect on the monarchy of what they say or do if they want to repair relations with the King and other family members.

One of the Sussexes' frustrations before they quit official duties in March 2020 was that – despite being the Royal Family's newest stars – they were fourth in the pecking order behind Queen Elizabeth II, Charles and Camilla, and William and Kate and had to give them priority when arranging engagements and key speeches.

They are unlikely to want to return to that system fully but The i Paper understands that they intend to continue with an agreement to co-ordinate with the Royal Household as a matter of courtesy, so that both sides can try to deconflict as much as possible.

That arrangement was set up in July last year as Harry began a

The Sussexes will want to repair relations with the King

process of trying to build bridges with his father.

Those communications have broken down occasionally, such as when Harry announced a trip to Canada five minutes after William arrived in Rio de Janeiro on an official visit for his Earthshot Award last November for a week of engagements that clashed with Harry's.

The goalposts have moved across the world. It would make sense to co-ordinate where possible.

However, it is understood that, in general, the agreement is working well, with the tempo and nature of their engagements largely compatible.

The Sussexes and the Royal Family will play it by ear for now, it is understood.

But some courtiers recognise that the potential for diary clashes will intensify when Harry and Meghan are carrying out engagements in the same time zone. "They'll have to deal with that," one royal source said.

The long-time royal watcher Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, agreed. "I think the pecking order will no longer apply to them," he said, but suggested that behind-the-scenes co-ordination would have to step up when the Sussexes are in Britain.

"The goalposts have moved across the world," he said. "It would make sense to co-ordinate wherever possible."

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

And it remains unclear how long Harry and Meghan will be based in the UK. A source close to the couple said they decided to make the move for a variety of reasons: They have cited Harry missing Britain, wanting to raise and educate his children here and he closer to some of his key charities, while ruling out

claims that it was anything to do with their tax affairs or his US visa.

There have also been reports – which the Sussexes' office has declined to discuss – that Meghan, who made her name in the TV legal drama Saitz, was in talks over a role in Guy Ritchie's Netflix crime comedy series The Gentlemen, which is filming in the UK.

Tina Brown, a former editor of Tudor and Vanity Fair, said she was told the deal was off but this too remains unclear. The Sussexes and their aides maintained their refusal to discuss it this weekend.

Another source also played down a report claiming the Sussexes might only stay in the UK for six months before moving on to another country, such as Canada.

The source said they expected to stay for "an extended period" but it is thought likely that they will, at the very least, want to be living in Britain when Harry's Invictus Games for wounded, injured and ill troops and military veterans comes to Birmingham in July next year.

Harry is keen for the King to attend the games and an invitation is expected to be issued to the monarch, not from him personally but from the Invictus Games Foundation, the insider said.

Richard Palmer has covered the Royal Family for more than 20 years

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NEWS

IMMIGRATION

Police mount national operation to prevent asylum housing riots

Forces are using intelligence to try to anticipate disorder of the kind whipped up by far-right activists. By Lizzie Dearden

Police have mounted a national operation to "get ahead" of potential violence targeting asylum accommodation following a series of riots and attacks, The i Paper can reveal.

Under Operation Ordo, the Home Office notifies police chiefs of areas where hotels, large sites or houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) are being set up, so local forces can prepare their strategies.

It is part of wider efforts to anticipate and prevent disorder, including enhanced social media monitoring, amid continued efforts by far-right activists to incite protests and draw up databases of asylum accommodation locations.

Chief Constable Mark Hobrough, chair of the National Operations Co-ordination Committee, said that under Operation Ordo the Home Office notifies the responsible police lead "about the intentions on large builds or utilising certain areas", and that the police "go back to the Home Office with policing consequences that can be expected".

He added: "Last year was a very significant year for an uplift in that type of protest and public disorder [targeting asylum accommodation] and that, according to our figures, hasn't let up.

"The community tensions group and the hate crime portfolio leads have been reporting escalating matters in both areas."

Most riots have been linked to "trigger incidents", Hobrough said, such as the Southport attack or crimes – or rumoured crimes – committed by asylum seekers.

But he said that unrest was becoming "increasingly difficult" to predict because some disorder, such as the attacks on asylum HMOs in Thetford earlier this month, as it was not preceded by trigger incidents and arose instead

from a "growing narrative" that all asylum seekers are a threat.

In April 2024, a neo-Nazi terror attack took place at a recently emptied asylum hotel near Worcester, where an Eritrean man who had returned to collect a bicycle was stabbed but survived.

Asylum seekers have been the target of several other terror attacks and foiled plots, including the firebombing of a small boat reception centre in Dover in 2022 and the attempted beheading of an Iranian man in Bristol last August.

Protests targeting asylum hotels began in 2020, when their use increased during the pandemic, and riots have broken out in locations across the UK over the past three years. Asylum accommodation has been vandalised and set on fire in some cases.

The trend has been driving up demand on the police by increasing the overall number of protests each year and causing a rocketing number of "mutual aid mobilisations" where riot officers

An anti-asylum seeker riot in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in 2024

are sent from one part of the country to the other and cannot perform their normal duties.

"We've tried to heighten the ability to monitor national intelligence, get better investigations with 'triple I' capability [internet, intelligence, investigation] and also improve our co-ordination capability," Hobrough (imrt) said.

"We've invested in individuals who've got bespoke roles in dealing with intel and data."

The monitoring covers a wide range of activity, including the attempted compilation and sharing of asylum accommodation address lists using AI.

"It is challenging because you can have places where [disorder] can grow pretty quickly off an innocuous comment or an event or an incident, especially when details get misconstrued or repeated in an inaccurate way."

The police chief added that forces were also trying to "negotiate with certain groups", but said: "We still stand by that great British principle of allowing peaceful protest and freedom of expression wherever we can.

"But when things look like they are escalating out of hand, we are improving in the way that we're able to get ahead of the curve."

The Home Office said it was working to house asylum seekers fairly across the country and reduce the overall number of people requiring government-funded accommodation.

A spokesperson said: "Any threats of violence or intimidation directed at individuals, or their homes, are unacceptable.

"We are working closely with the police to provide appropriate security advice to our providers."

HOUSING

Reform 'to prioritise Britons aged under 35'

By Helen Corbett

Reform UK is pledging to prioritise British-born workers under 35 when allocating social housing.

Nigel Farage's party said it would also give precedence to veterans and married couples with children.

The party said it would evict foreign nationals from social housing.

The housing charity Shelter hit out at the move, saying the solution

to the social housing crisis is building more homes rather than "changing the order of the queue".

The Reform UK MP Richard Tice said: "In terms of the social houses we have, less than half of households are in work and over half a million social homes are currently occupied by foreign nationals.

"Meanwhile, young British men and women, who are working hard, can't afford to move out of their fam-

ily home... It is time for us to prioritise young British workers, and that is what our policy is about."

Sarah Elliott, Shelter's chief executive, said: "Reform's plans to change how social housing is allocated are a blatant distraction from the real cause of the housing emergency, which is decades of political failure to build enough genuinely affordable social homes – not because any one group has had an unfair advantage."

POLITICS

The medieval market town next on Farage's hit list

Badenoch's Saffron Walden will take convincing, writes Flora Symington

As he geared up for his by-election win in Claxton, Reform UK's leader, Nigel Farage, made it abundantly clear that he had his sights set on the rest of Essex – including the seat of the Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch.

But despite his threat, the residents of Saffron Walden, a medieval market town of 19,000 in the heart of Badenoch's "true blue" North West Essex constituency, are not so sure he can win them over – with constituents saying that they are not convinced Farage and his party are the answer to their problems.

Farage told The Daily Telegraph: "We are going to pump big

resources into Essex because we see it as very winnable. That's half the Shadow Cabinet who will lose their seats, including Kemi."

"He's an idiot," said a new arrival to the town Harry Smith, 86. He moved here six weeks ago to be near his son and grandchildren, and has always voted Conservative.

Jenny Gibson, 77, who has lived in the town for over four decades, is critical of the lack of infrastructure, but thinks there's no chance of Reform gaining a foothold.

"People here would vote Conservative if it was a sock on a stick, that's why Kemi was parachuted in here," she said.

A Labour voter herself, Gibson would vote Conservative to keep Reform out.

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Labour came second in Saffron Walden in the 2024 general election, and Electoral Calculus gives Reform just a 22 per cent chance of winning Badenoch's seat with the Conservatives comfortably ahead on 64 per cent.

Tom and Jennifer Cronin, 36, moved from London to a village a few miles outside Saffron Walden two years ago and said they think it's "incredibly unlikely" Reform would get in. Like Gibson, they would switch from Labour to Tory to keep Reform out.

Stella Sims, 90, who has lived in Saffron Walden since the early 1980s, has seen the town transformed in the intervening decades. She used to work at an independent china shop on the high street which now lies vacant.

"It used to be a very true blue area. Now it's become more mixed because of the change of population – overspill from London, a bit of immigration. It's still got a strong right-wing establishment," she said.

She thinks Reform could have a good chance of winning if they go for local issues. A long-time Conservative voter, she gave up voting a few years ago, after briefly toying with voting Reform.

"There's no basic infrastructure here in town – we need doctors, schools, roads. It's bedlam with

the traffic and the council is doing very little," she said. "It's a shame because Nigel Farage might have the right ideas, but I can't see him as a world statesman."

Meg Hartland, 22, grew up in the area and said she would be "pretty upset" to see Reform win the seat as it's a "centrist" area.

"During the flag wars we had a few on roundabouts but not in the town centre," said Meg, a Labour voter. "Some boys did some graffiti

It used to be a very true blue area. Now it's become more mixed because of the change of population

Meg Hartland says she would be 'pretty upset' if Reform won the seat

that wasn't nice and it was taken down straight away."

While some in the area may be against Reform, the party has made gains in the East of England taking the councils of Thurrock, Suffolk, Essex, and Havering in London.

"We do seem to feel like the last hustlens of defence," said Richard Freeman, a former Liberal Democrat and leader of the council for the local Residents for Uttlesford party.

"Some people call us the North West Essex Highlands."

He described residents, who booted out the Conservatives in favour of his group in 2015, as "independent with a small i" and "self-thinking". A half an hour's walk south east of the town centre, a new housing development is being built to accompany several that are already occupied.

Two young men outside the café, who wanted to remain anonymous, support Reform and think they could win in the area.

"The country needs a big drastic change, it's going downhill big time. It's not Britain any more, with all the migrants coming over," the elder, at 22, of the two said.

"Reform could stop that, if they come in and put their foot down.

"It could definitely go Reform round here."

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Boozy meetings at the heart of a Reform council meltdown

Exclusive

By Steve Robson

NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT

A Reform UK council has descended into chaos with accusations of police investigations, wine-drinking and vaping during meetings and an "epic screw-up", The i Paper can reveal.

Nigel Farage's party took control of Durham council in last May's elections winning 65 of 98 seats.

The Reform group has been beset with infighting and misbehaviour from the outset – with 13 councillor resignations in the past 15 months.

Now Kenny Hope, an independent councillor who was formerly Reform's chief whip, intends to call a vote of no confidence in Andrew Husband, the leader of the council.

A leaked email chain shows tensions have been growing over recent months following a series of accusations over the handling of a standards investigation into the councillor Paul Sexton.

A committee of councillors was asked to look into complaints Sexton bullied and harassed staff when he was an independent in 2021.

He joined Reform after the May 2025 elections.

Sexton was cleared on all complaints but the committee wanted to take the matter further because they felt that in fact the wrongdoing was in reverse.

Hope said that Husband and his leadership team have not been taking complaints seriously, claiming that some members "cracked open a bottle of wine and one was vaping" during a meeting about the matter.

Husband said he does not recall any wine being drunk during meetings, but added: "People can drink what they want on a Teams call between Reform members."

Husband is also accused of dismissing concerns about the effect

on those involved by saying "mental health is woke".

Hope wrote that he has taken his complaints to Reform UK's headquarters but has had no response.

He added: "We have other issues that are extremely sensitive, including live police investigations involving Reform members.

"I will not provide information beyond that because it would be inappropriate to do so."

Husband (below) made clear he believes the issue has now been dealt with and is encouraging other party members to move on.

"I won't be wasting any more time on the matter, Reform won't be either. It is an epic screw-up," he wrote.

A Reform UK Durham spokesman said: "It is no surprise that an independent councillor who is clearly still aggrieved at his suspension from Reform UK is making these wild allegations."

A spokesperson for Durham County Council said: "The meeting of the standards committee was held in private, and its decision was not made public. It would, therefore, not be appropriate for us to comment."

"It's terrible, it's shambolic," said Nick Brown, a councillor who also left Reform to become an independent this year.

"I don't expect Husband to last out the year [as leader]."

Amanda Hopgood, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader, said: "There's too much time being focused on internal fighting. My concern is that there's still a council to run and services to deliver."

Responding to The i Paper, the council leader did not dispute the timeline of events and said that the 13 councillors that have quit Reform do "not understand public sector governance"

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NEWS

DIPLOMACY

Burnham visits Ukraine as military aid offer increased

By Will Hazell

Andy Burnham has shrugged off Vladimir Putin's threats against Britain by offering Ukraine more military help and choosing the war-torn country for his first foreign visit as Prime Minister.

Burnham is in Kyiv this morning to mark Ukrainian independence day. The Prime Minister has promised Volodymyr Zelensky classified information to help build long-range missiles in Ukraine.

It comes amid a drumbeat of threats from Russia over the continued support Britain is giving Ukraine to fight back against Putin's invasion.

The Prime Minister reiterated that Britain's support for Ukraine "will not waver" and that the Kremlin should be "in no doubt of our resolve" about that.

Burnham welcomed Zelensky to the UK last month as his first international guest as Prime Minister.

He arrives in Kyiv today to take part in events marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

The Prime Minister is expected to meet Zelensky and will also chair his first meeting of the coalition of the willing, the British and French-led multinational alliance brokered by Sir Keir Starmer which has pledged to deploy troops to Ukraine to help bolster its security if a peace is agreed with Russia.

To underline Britain's commitment to Ukraine, Burnham will also announce on the visit that the Government has agreed the defence firm MBDA can release classified

information on UK components for the British-French Scalp long-range missile, also known as Storm Shadow.

The missile has already been supplied to Ukrainian forces but releasing the secret technical information to Kyiv will allow Ukraine, with French support, to establish local assembly lines.

Burnham said: "On Ukraine's 35th anniversary of independence, the Ukrainian people should be in no doubt: the UK is behind you today and for as long as it takes.

"I am proud of the contribution our country has made to Ukraine and I want the Ukrainian people to hear it directly from me that our support will not waver. After all, Ukraine's security is our security.

"The friendship between our two countries will long outlast Russia's illegal war. In both the fight and in the rebuilding to come, we will stand with Ukraine and deliver opportunities for people across both our countries.

"Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace."

During the trip, the Prime Minister is expected to be presented by Ukraine with an award in recognition of the UK's support since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.

His visit is designed to send a message to Putin after a series of Russian threats.

Earlier this month, the Russian embassy in the UK warned of "consequences" following confirmation that British-made drones were used in Ukrainian strikes on Russia.

The embassy said that the "deeper [the UK's] involvement in the conflict... the higher price it will pay".

Putin has also threatened Britain and the other Nato countries which have seized "shadow fleet" oil tankers which Russia uses to fund its war effort.

In June, Royal Marine Commandos boarded a shadow fleet vessel in the English Channel; the Smyrtos, for allegedly breaching sanctions on the supply of illicit Russian oil.

Putin this month said the seizures were "nothing other than piracy and banditry".

He warned that if further interceptions took place "we will have to respond in kind", adding: "And not necessarily in the waters where raids on our ships and vessels are planned, but wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate, anywhere."

RUSSIA

Putin 'retaliates' against UK by withdrawing ambassador

By Jonathan Singh and Will Hazell

Vladimir Putin is escalating intimidation tactics against Britain in the diplomatic sphere as his war in Ukraine enters a deadly new phase.

The Russian ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin, who had been the representative in London since 2019, was withdrawn from his post last month. Moscow has submitted no candidates to replace him.

It is only the latest development in a relationship between London and Moscow that has already sunk close to rock-bottom.

The new reports follow threats last week from Putin's government of "consequences" in retaliation for Britain supplying drones to Ukraine that have been used to hit targets deep inside Russian territory.

After news of the British drones emerged, the Russian embassy posted a statement from Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, warning: "We have the right to regard the announced involvement of British forces in strikes against Russia as participation in the war, with all the consequences that entails."

Andrey Kelin had been in post since 2019 and is not due to be replaced

A spokesman for the Russian embassy said Kelin had made "considerable efforts to preserve contacts and channels of communication" and accused the British Government of choosing a "path of confrontation" with Moscow.

He said the Kremlin had not yet put forward a replacement candidate and the embassy would be headed by the chargé d'affaires in the meantime.

Two current ambassadors from Western allies in London, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the

Russian withdrawal was aimed at putting pressure on the UK to scale back support for Ukraine.

One ambassador told The 1 Paper the move was a "demonstrative step with an aim of getting some in the UK to say that we are worried about losing some channels and we should scale back our support to Ukraine".

Another ambassador said: "It's a commonly accepted diplomatic practice [and a] strong gesture to make the host country understand that they are very unhappy with government policy towards them.

"This always means a deteriorating relationship. In Russia's case, this might be pure optics since the relations level is anyway at the lowest point. It also could be just a temporary gap until the new one is appointed and sent over here."

"I think the Russians are trying to spook us," Russia expert Edward Lucas said.

"We should see these threats as first and foremost a sort of psychological operation or mind game.

"They're trying to say, 'Don't poke the bear, oh my goodness, the bear's angry; better not poke [it] again.''

Defence Secretary John Healey with a Storm Shadow, which Ukraine uses

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NEWS 5-33

OPINION 18-22

TV 29-31

LIFE 35-37

CHOURNEY 38-41

MONKEY 42-44

SPORT 47-50

MIRRORAT 24 AUGUST 2026

13

CRIME

British power facility was hit by hackers

By Helen Corbett

A cyber attack shut down a small power facility in the UK last month, following warnings about a pattern of disruptive activity by state and non-state actors.

Hackers affiliated to the Iranian regime were behind the blackout, which lasted four days, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The newspaper said the incident coincided with a series of attacks on US water infrastructure in July.

The Government said a “small-scale energy generator” was affected and that the wider energy system had not been put at risk, but did not disclose which site was affected.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero briefed energy bosses and wrote to companies with advice in response to the attack.

A Government spokesperson said: “The UK has a resilient energy system. We work with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and ensure the highest security standards.”

UKRAINE

Elections would ‘destroy’ country, says Zelensky

By Max Hunder and Dan Poleschuk IN KYC

Holding a wartime election would “destroy” Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Zelensky’s ousted defence minister, called for elections last week.

Fedorov’s surprise dismissal sparked widespread protests.

He was the architect of Ukraine’s successful drone strategy before clashing with the Soviet-trained army leadership.

“I believe that if we want to destroy the country, then we can move towards elections during this kind of war,” Zelensky said yesterday.

Elections in wartime are prohibited by law. Millions of people are fighting or living under Russian occupation or as refugees abroad.

While Zelensky’s approval has slumped in recent months, pollsters say few Ukrainians want a vote now.

My View, page 19

DEFENCE

Salisbury fears it could feel Russian wrath again as drone facility planned

In a picturesque cathedral city in Wiltshire, local residents are concerned they could end up on the Kremlin’s radar – again. Eight years after a local woman lost her life as a result of a nerve agent attack by Russian intelligence agents in Salisbury, a new drone manufacturer supplying the Ukrainian military is seeking to build its headquarters on the outskirts of the city.

Plans for a 6,968 sq m headquarters for Callen-Lenz, a company which specialises in drone development, incorporating “offices, research and development and warehousing”, which would employ up to 500 staff, are under consideration by Wiltshire Council.

Wiltshire is already the drone manufacturing capital of Britain, home to several manufacturers based in Swindon, around 30 miles north of Salisbury (inset).

The county is also home to Porton Down, the UK’s science and defence technology hub.

Callen-Lenz manufactures the Nyan drone, which its website describes as offering “deep strike penetration and target effect within a highly contested environment”.

The Nyan has been used by Ukraine for its attacks on Russian oil refineries, logistics centres and retail warehouses.

Callen-Lenz has not commented on reports that the Nyan is among the British-made drones used for Ukrainian attacks deep-inside Russian territory, but the Russian embassy in London accused the UK of “deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis”.

“London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer,” a statement added. “The deeper its involvement in the

The people of Salisbury know first hand that Russian intentions of revenge are very real

Factory would make weapons vital for Ukrainian military reports

Lizzie Dearden

conflict and the greater its support for Kyiv’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay.”

Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, said Russia had long accused the UK of extensive support for Ukraine and sought to wreak revenge on Kyiv’s allies.

But he said the consequence of British drone use “could be that the Russians look upon any such production facilities as targets for sabotage, and the supply chains for disruption”.

Savill added: “The [drone companies] should be ensuring they have decent security and protection against physical or cyber interference, and think about threats to their personnel and transportation.”

After the planning application for the new Callen-Lenz facility was lodged in March, local residents responding to a public consultation primarily raised concerns about the impact on traffic, light pollution, and the loss of agricultural land and protected bird habitats.

But following Russia’s latest threats, local parish councils have lodged new objections, including their security concerns.

“It should surely be a national and local concern that weapons manufacturers [that can be] clearly identified by a hostile nation are located within secure locations, not in our peaceful, open countryside,” says a document written on

behalf of several parish councils representing the residents of the villages and hamlets in the area.

Peter Curtis, a member of the Joint Parish Councils, said locals keenly remember the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal in the 2018 Salisbury Novichok attack.

While Skripal and his daughter survived the attack, it later caused the death of local mother Dawn Sturgess.

“The people of Salisbury know firsthand that Russian intentions of revenge are very real,” Curtis said. “Putin acts very much in this way – in the sort of muftoso sending of messages.”

The plans for Callen-Lenz’s new facility say that security is “vitally important” and that access would be restricted with a dedicated “security pavilion”.

But Curtis said local worries were heightened by the fact it would sit next to a pre-existing factory that makes explosive “countermeasures” for defence against missile attacks.

On its website, Chemring says it plays a “vital role... in Nato’s defence industrial base” and has also been awarded contracts for the British Armed Forces.

“If Callen-Lenz becomes a Russian target then it brings into question the wisdom of it being located next to the Chemring site,” the Joint Parish Councils planning consultation response said.

“The Government might wish to locate defence establishments within existing secure sites.”

A spokesperson for BAE Systems, which owns Callen-Lenz, would not comment on the Nyan’s reported use against Russia, but said that the company “delivers a range of capabilities into the UK Ministry of Defence as part of the UK’s support to the defence of Ukraine”.

“Callen-Lenz has a long-established presence in the region, providing high-quality jobs,” a statement added.

Business has been booming for the industry following Russia’s invasion of 2022, with drone warfare becoming a key feature of the war.

Dr Marina Miron, a drone warfare expert at the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London, said the number of drones required by Ukraine was rising because of changing tactics.

“If we look at the amount of drones used in one strike – two years ago we would be talking about maybe 20 drones, 50 drones,” she said. “Now we’re talking about 600 drones in one strike.”

The Nyan drone offers ‘deep strike’ capability and has been used by Kyiv MoD

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14

NEWS

POLITICS

The former pop star advising the Prime Minister on economics

Neil Amin-Smith has gone from winning a Grammy to a job at No 10. By James Ball

Before he became Andy Burnham's senior economic adviser, Neil Amin-Smith had a genuinely successful show business career as the violinist and pianist of the Grammy Award-winning band Clean Bandit – best known for their No 1 single "Rather Be".

Often referred to as both the "poshest" and the "cleverest" band in Britain – three of its original members met while students at Cambridge and Amin-Smith was privately educated at Westminster School – Clean Bandit became known for blending electronic and classical music.

This made Amin-Smith, 36, a fixture of the celebrity circuit, especially during his year-long relationship with Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander.

But even at the peak of Clean Bandit's fame, there were hints that Amin-Smith may have had another string to his bow. In a 2014 Guardian interview, one of his bandmates noted that "Neil took a master's in economics and got the highest mark in his year", prompting the interviewer to ask: "Why is he messing around in a pop band? Shouldn't he be running the IMF or something?"

Two years later, Amin-Smith

appeared to ask himself the same question and decided to quit the world of music. Instead, he went on to become, presumably, the only person in British history to leave a chart-topping band to join the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), the respected economic policy think-tank.

As a research economist at the IFS, Amin-Smith spent three years working on projects relating to tax devolution and local government finance – topics conveniently close to the heart of the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham.

He then joined the Treasury as a Civil Service policy adviser, before joining Rachel Reeves's team as a Labour adviser in 2022 – securing a role as one of her special advisers after Labour's election victory in 2024. Being posh, privately educated and handsome might open some doors. But in politics it can just as easily raise people's hackles instead – especially given Amin-Smith's penchant for wearing open-collar shirts accented with hipster earrings.

But, by general accounts, he seems to have avoided that trap, with former colleagues suggesting he is a nice person to work with and knows his stuff. "He's better qualified for the role than a lot of

Amin-Smith largely left show business in 2016, but rejoined Clean Bandit last year to play on a single; left, with Rachel Reeves SHRIANE FORREST/WIREIMAGE

spads are," one former Labour Treasury adviser said, using a common Westminster shorthand for special adviser. "It looks like he's done the work.

"He went back to uni to qualify as an economist and cut his teeth at the IFS, who I think we can agree is probably the leading think-tank in the UK on economics... he has a solid CV and is more than qualified for the role."

By convention, political advisers do not talk to the media on the record and are discouraged from giving any public commentary on politics. As a result, few people have much of a sense of Amin-Smith's

personal political views and where he sits within the broad church of the Labour Party.

The limited number of public pronouncements from his social media accounts – which generally predate his time in politics – included encouraging people in Ireland to vote "yes" in the country's referendum on same-sex marriage and a statement in support of trans rights. He also, several years ago, went briefly viral after calling out misogyny among gay men.

People who had worked or had meetings with Amin-Smith suggested he gave little away

Few have much sense of his personal political views and where he sits within the broad church of Labour

about his personal political views – instead working to represent the positions of his boss.

This combination of being generally well-regarded and not having his own political views too squarely on the record might have worked in Amin-Smith's favour, following Keir Starmer's decision to stand down as prime minister and Andy Burnham's decision to replace Reeves as chancellor with John Healey.

Typically, when a cabinet minister leaves a department, their special advisers leave with them but Amin-Smith was kept on, first as an adviser to Healey and then, according to The Times, into a new role inside No 10 itself.

This might herald some trouble for Amin-Smith and Burnham alike, one former Labour adviser said. They added that Starmer and Reeves were the two least popular politicians in government and that its economic policy was not regarded as a triumph. A Labour adviser told me that promoting one of Reeves's closest advisers to No 10 might signal that Burnham does not intend to change that strategy much – which they thought to be a mistake.

"I guess the question for Amin-Smith, given that he was a Reeves adviser, is how much culpability is there on him for had policy decision-making," he asked, "and how much of his advice for Burnham will he the status quo?"

Amin-Smith has largely left the music world behind, but has not abandoned it entirely. Last year, he returned to Clean Bandit to play violin on the single "Tell Me Where U Go".

Despite bringing a little glitz into the political world, when it comes to fame versus politics, Amin-Smith's No 10 role is deadly serious – and he has very clearly decided exactly where he'd rather be.

James Ball is political editor at The New World

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LIFE 34-37

CULTURE 38-41

MOVIES 42-46

SPORT 47-56

MERRANT 24 AUGUST 2026

15

OPINION

Carney has called Trump's trade bluff - and is showing the world how it's done

Simon Marks

Donald Trump and the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, have never been expected to open a mutual admiration society.

But over the weekend, their relationship descended to new, uncharted depths of mutual loathing.

The collapse of trade talks between the two North American powers was projected by both governments as a disaster of each other's making.

Trump has far more to lose politically over the short term than Carney. Vast punitive tariffs on American trade with Canada could cause fresh US economic dislocation and inflation just 70-odd days before November's midterm elections.

Shortly after Iam yesterday, Trump famed that "Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!"

On Truth Social, he insisted that successive Canadian governments "have charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!!"

But Carney gave as good as he got. In stark contrast to most other world leaders who continue trying to find ways to appease the authoritarian in the White House, Carney has treated Trump as a naked emperor leading a government of total amateurs.

UNITED STATES

Evacuation as wildfire spreads

By Harry Goodwin

Thousands of people have fled a fast-growing wildfire in the US state of Nevada.

The 10,500-acre fire spread from the Sierra foothills toward the city of Reno yesterday morning. Nearly 14,000 homes have been ordered to evacuate.

Strong winds, low humidity and dry vegetation are fuelling the fire, officials said.

The fire was so small on Saturday morning that one local, Tyler Duvall, went camping. By the next day, his house was in the evacuation zone and he could not get back.

"The wind really blew it up," Mr Duvall said.

"They asked too much and offered too little", he said on Saturday, adding: "We cannot accept what they've offered and will not give what they demand."

Describing the Canadian negotiating team as "unified, everyone in the loop, everyone knows what our objectives are", Carney said: "You cannot say that about the US administration."

Effectively confirming widespread reports that Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative, and the Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were at loggerheads over key aspects of the negotiations, Carney chose to walk away.

Doug Ford, Ontario's premier and leader of the centre-right Progressive Conservative Party, was even less diplomatic.

"President Trump is the type of person that would steal your lunch money the first day. He is not to be trusted whatsoever," he said as he urged the country to unite around Carney.

Lutnick is being pointed to as the main source of the talks' demise. In April, with his trademark cocksure garrulousness, he mocked Carney publicly during an appearance at a Washington conference, accusing the Canadian government of deploying "the worst strategy I've ever heard... They suck."

Later, a US Department of Commerce spokesperson claimed Lutnick was referring to "how Canada sucks off of our $80trn (£22trn) economy", a claim that suggests the White House views trade with Canada as being similar to negotiating with leeches.

An open hacker of Trump's claims that Canada must become America's 61st state, Lutnick took umbrage over exceptions that had already been discussed regarding metals tariffs.

He also reportedly pulled the rug from beneath a preliminary agreement that was negotiated by Greer's team, claiming it had been "sprung" on him.

The Americans accuse Ottawa of engaging in a series of last-minute demands ("a cornucopia of caprice", said one lawyer close to the administration), with Canada claiming that Washington sought to control its ability to strike trade deals with other countries.

Amid deep recriminations,

He has treated Trump as a naked emperor leading a government of total amateurs

50%

The level of US tariffs to be applied to 8-25th of Canadian goods including dairy, cement and wine

President Donald Trump, flanked by his son Donald Trump Jnr and First Lady Melania Trump, waves the green flag to start the IndyCar Series Freedom 250 Grand Prix on the streets of Washington DC yesterday. DOUG MILLS/AP

Tale of the tape Battle of the North American heavyweights

DONALD TRUMP

Age 80

Nation's GDP $32.38trn (1st in world)

Education Graduated with a bachelor's in economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1968

CV New York real-estate tycoon and the host and star of The Apprentice Other tariff wars China, Brazil, the EU and a host of worldwide levies

Approval rating 33 per cent (Reuters/ipsos)

MARK CARNEY

Age 61

Nation's GDP US$2.53trn (11th)

Education Bachelors in Economics from Harvard in 1987. Master's and PhD in Economics from the University of Oxford in 1995

CV Was the eighth governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and first non-British governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020

Other tariff wars None

Approval rating 60 per cent (Liaison)

the trade war between the two countries is now suddenly intensifying, with 50 per cent American tariffs being applied to 8-20th of Canadian imports, which include dairy, cement, wine and even hockey equipment. Separate tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminium, lumber and cars will remain in place.

Carney, in turn, plans to reveal details of his countermeasures within the next few days, after Greer told Fox News that the US had no plans to resume talks.

For Trump, the impasse comes

with significant political risk. Despite his denials, US tariffs are passed on to American consumers in the form of higher prices. Very few importers or manufacturers agree to absorb the costs.

Research by the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis identifies a clear correlation between tariffs and inflation, arguing that Trump's trade duties have become "an important driver of the persistent rise in consumer prices".

With most American voters telling pollsters they are worse off than they were before Trump

returned to power, the state of the economy is expected to be a huge driver of turnout in November's midterms.

Democrats have established a clear lead over Trump with regard to the economy, and now the imposition of fresh tariffs on the country's northern neighbour can only put fresh pricing pressure on consumers.

Trump's ire with Carney may fuel the defeat of his fellow Republicans at the polls in November. If so, the Canadians will be having the last laugh.

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NEWS

NEW! 5:33

OPINION 18:22

TV 25:31

LIFE 35:37

CHILDREN 18:41

MONKEY 43:46

SPORT 67:56

SUNDAY 24 AUGUST 2026

17

MUSIC

Not even maybe? Oasis rule out Glastonbury

By Pierra Willis

Liam Gallagher has ruled out a return by Oasis to the Glastonbury Festival.

Following the Manchester band's reunion last year, there has been speculation that their next big gig could be at Worthy Farm next year.

However, after an Oasis fan account suggested there was a high likelihood of this happening, Gallagher hit back with an expletive-filled response.

The original post read: "According to The Scotsman, Oasis are among the favourites to headline Glastonbury 2027, with odds of 4/1. Could we see them return to the Pyramid Stage?"

Gallagher replied: "It's not HAPPENING so all you Croc-wearing flag waving shit c*s can calm the fk down."

Liam Gallagher (left) with his brother Noel last year: the frontman sent a characteristically obscene message to all 'Croc-wearing' flag-wavers SAMMY KOGANJAP

ENVIRONMENT

Plug-in solar panels available from Thursday

By Adam Forrest

Plug-in solar panel kits are set to go on sale in the UK on Thursday, just in time for Britons to catch the end of the sunny weather.

British company UKSOL has become the first to meet regulatory compliance for the devices - selling its one-panel solar kit for £699.

It will be on sale for delivery through Argos and other suppliers.

But other plug-in solar products are not expected to be widely available to buy inside supermarkets or other high-street stores before the end of the summer.

There had been expectations that the plug-in kits would be available for around £400, but experts said the cost of some products may be higher than expected - explaining that prices will vary depending on the size and level of power different kits will be able to generate.

There are still hopes that prices will come down in future, if the self-install panels become as popular as they are in Germany and other parts of Europe.

UK households will be permitted to use compliant devices from Thursday after Labour ministers pushed through legal changes last month.

UKSOL was the first to get its plug-in solar kits approved as compliant by the Energy Networks Association.

Two of its kits - designed for mounting in the garden, rather than on balconies - will be on sale.

Retailers such as Lidl, Asda, B&Q, Currys, Screwfix and Wickes have all expressed interest in solar kits, but major outlets are still working out the logistics of stocking large products, so it could take several weeks before any are available in those stores.

UKSOL boss Andrew Moore with his company's plug-in panels - the first to be granted approval in the UK

The cost of a one-panel solar kit being sold by the British firm. The more powerful system costs £999

UKSOL's 460W single-panel system - which comes with a 800W microinverter that enables the panel to start generating power - will sell for around £699.

It also has a mounting kit and an app to monitor its performance.

The more powerful 890W system will sell for £999. This two-panel system helps to generate more power when sunshine is low in autumn and winter - even though the microinverter will cap the level of electricity at a maximum of 800W.

The prices include VAT but do not include home delivery, which may cost more.

The company's chief executive, Andrew Moore, said: "It's going to give people a feel-good factor because they're going to generate some of their own power in an eco-friendly way. It's going to reduce their energy bills."

The amount of power users

can generate has been limited to 800W per electricity circuit by the Government.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) estimated that plug-in solar users will reduce energy bills by £70 to £110 a year.

"We think that with the bigger kit, if you can generate something close to 800W, the saving could be more than that," Moore said.

"But how much is difficult to say. It depends on where they are placed, if they're away from shading, how much sun there is."

The firm hopes that more outlets will start selling the devices soon.

Moore said retailers are "very keen", but added: "The availability may be limited at first."

A DESNZ spokesperson said the "transformative" technology "can save people hundreds of pounds on their bills".

News in brief

SCIENCE

More greenery may mean better sleep

Sleep patterns can be affected by the layout of the street where people live, according to a study.

Researchers found that residents of areas with lots of greenery get more sleep and are less likely to suffer from insomnia.

But people living on roads with lots of footpaths and traffic signs tended to sleep less because they do not feel as safe, the findings in Building and Environment showed.

TRAVEL

Bank holiday to drive 'frantic Friday' traffic

Drivers are being told to expect a "frantic Friday" as the summer bank holiday getaway is expected to be the busiest on the roads in more than a decade.

The RAC estimated 20 million leisure trips will be made by car between Friday and Monday. That is the highest figure since 2015.

ANIMALS

Dog missing on Helvellyn rescued

A dog has been found alive by a mountain rescue team after going missing on Helvellyn. The pet (inset), called Teddy, disappeared on 2 August during a walk on the mountain in the Lake District with its owner, triggering a search by Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Teddy was found stuck on Dry Gill on Friday.

The Five-Clue Cryptic Crossword No 4915

Solution, page 47

Across

• 3 US vice-president includes the French to create a bond (7)
• 5/6 Old actress displaying a rare heroism somehow (5,7)

Down

• 1 Fighting legend not unknown for cordiality (6)
• 2 Richards perhaps in genuine new production (7)
• 4 Tea allowed in holiday accommodation (6)

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18

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The Opinion Matrix

COMMENT FROM HOME AND ABROAD

EORTHE

SUSSEXES' RETURN

Questions loom over the decision

The Sunday Times

Consider, for a moment, the immense sacrifices the couple have made. The abandoning of the jam empire to come back to a country they hate. The tearing up of everything yet again, including, naturally, their principles. (Comilla Long)

Guardian.com

Some feel that Meghan being willing to step so much as a toe on to our toxic shores can only be a way of telegraphing the unfortunate suggestion that the King's days are numbered. Or maybe Harry just wants to spend more time with his £9.5m legal bill. (Marina Hyde)

VOTING SYSTEM

Do changes need to be made?

The Independent

Andy Burnham supports proportional representation (PR) and his position is that it doesn't need a referendum. He wants to put the promise of PR in Labour's next manifesto and then implement it if he is re-elected. (John Rentoul)

The Mail on Sunday

It is no longer plausible to deny that we have a serious problem with British democracy being hijacked by sectarianism with voters in some areas of the country putting their allegiance to a particular religion, tribe or clan, ahead of their loyalty to this country. (Matt Goodwin)

FUTURE OF ENERGY

We have to be realistic about needs

The Observer

The licensing of the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea to secure extra domestic supply won't change the UK's overall climate strategy, but it will be a boost to the economy, the Treasury and the UK's energy needs over the next decade or two. The Government should go ahead. (Editorial)

Sunday Mail

With Government ownership, we can build the new green industrial revolution, shape it in a way that provides lower bills, energy self-sufficiency and national security with us no longer being at the mercy of corporations. (Brian Leishman)

BRITISH ECONOMY

Prosperity means tough decisions

Sunday Express

Prosperity will return if Labour stops hurting entrepreneurs and employers, and ceases draining away Britons' disposable income. Rather than creating new tiers of bureaucracy to meddle in the economy, Mr Burnham should repair the damage of the Starmer and Reeves era and get out of the way. (Editorial)

The Sun on Sunday

After it was revealed we spend £1bn a day on welfare, Burnham must find ways of bringing this obscene splurge under control. Any other path would lead to the economics of the madhouse. (Editorial)

WAR IN UKRAINE

Capabilities of women shine through

Sunday Telegraph

Ukraine, still a macho society, is nonetheless becoming the most extraordinary example of women bucking stereotypes. Of around 75,000 women who serve in the Ukrainian armed forces, more than 55,000 are active servicewomen, a figure that has more than doubled since 2022. (Zoe Strimpel)

Kyiv Independent

Ukraine has brought the war to Russia, with its drones decimating oil and gas facilities. A Russian friend characterised Putin's plight as Zugzwang, a chess term for when a player's only options will leave him in a worse position. (Anders Aklund)

USAIN BOLT, FOOTBALLER

Olympian signs up for veteran team

Olympics.com

Will eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt face up his football boots once more? Speculation swirled after the 40-year-old Jamaican superstar was shown as registered to play for Wythenshawe Vets FC – an over-351 team based in Manchester. (Matt Nelsen)

Daily Star Sunday

Veteran football is tough for any bloke, especially after a night of beers and a kebab. But you have to feel for any fat lads lining up against Wythenshawe as Usain Bolt joins a team that also contains Papiss Cissé and Émile Heskey. I'd just have a lie-in. (John Ward)

Life In Brief

ZHU RONGJI FORMER CHINESE PREMIER

The former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji was an impatient, sharp-tongued reformer who helped ignite China's economic boom by forcing wrenching change on state industry in the 1990s and leading the country into the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Zhu pushed through a dizzying array of changes as premier China's top economic post, from 1998 to 2003 under former president Jiang Zemin.

He clashed with Communist Party conservatives and state industry bosses as he pushed state-owned companies to become efficient and profitable. That cost millions of lay-offs – leaving him unpopular with some to this day – but helped propel China to overtake Japan as the second-largest economy behind the US, in 2010.

Building on former leader Deng Xiaoping's 1979 reforms, Zhu is credited with supplying the

resourcefulness and tenacity to push through changes such as China's WTO membership, which helped to transform the country into the world's biggest exporter.

Named premier aged 69, Zhu became popular by criticising official bungling and graft and accepting blame when the government fell short. His demanding style earned him the nicknames 'Boss' and 'Zhu Fengzi', or 'Madman Zhu'.

'I have prepared 100 coffins here – 99 for corrupt officials and one for myself', Zhu said in 1998, according to the party newspaper People's Daily.

Zhu triggered China's home ownership boom that year with an initiative to sell apartments owned by state companies. Families rushed to buy and within a decade the majority of urban housing was privately owned.

Still, Zhu was less an advocate of free enterprise than a skilled bureaucrat

who carried out party orders to whip state industry into shape.

He showed no interest in privatising the economy but played a key role in drafting plans in the 90s to turn banks, airlines, oil companies and other enterprises into profit-orientated corporations under government ownership.

Born on 23 October 1928, in Mao Zedong's home province of Hunan, Zhu paid an early price for his willingness to take risks and speak out.

After a start as an economic planner, he was labelled a 'rightist' in 1957 for praising reforms in Hungary and Yugoslavia. Zhu was banished to the countryside during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution to do manual labour.

His rehabilitation and subsequent rise – including as Shanghai mayor, before becoming Jiang's deputy in

1991 – began in 1979. Zhu enlivened the party's bland image by cracking jokes in public, sometimes at his own expense. Laughter erupted at a 1999 news conference when he said a recent photo 'made me look like a dead man'.

Zhu was married to Lao An. Their son, Yunlai, is a former chief of China International Capital Corp, a state-owned investment bank. Their daughter, Yanlai, led a charity for school pupils. The three survive him. AP

Born 23 October 1928 Died 12 August 2026

Quote of the day

I'm not looking for that. I'm partnered out

Chaka Khan The twice-married, twice-divorced singer on marriage

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MIRRORAT 24 AUGUST 2026

19

My View

Mark Galeotti

We're turning a blind eye to a dirty war

Ukraine and the West must stay on right side of morality

The Russia-Ukrainian war is getting nastier as both sides face growing challenges. That is perhaps depressingly inevitable, not least given Russia's brutal tactics. Yet as news breaks of a since-cancelled plan to disrupt Russian civilian air traffic, Kyiv needs to maintain the clarity of its position, and its European backers need to be careful they don't get sucked into a spiral of escalation, or even encourage it.

The plan, "Operation M&Ms", was a pet project of former Ukrainian defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. It entailed swarms of AI-guided drones disrupting Moscow's airports, in the hope that this would exasperate Russia's elite into pressuring Putin to end the war.

Although there has been no official denial, a staff member in the presidential administration rejected the story.

However, the journalist who reported it, Simon Shuster, is extremely well connected in Kyiv, and a British Ministry of Defence source, asked whether the operation was real, uncomfortably admitted that "it doesn't sound unlike some discussions which were held earlier this year".

It seems unlikely Russia's cowed elite would risk arousing Putin's anger because of this inconvenience (there are, after all, other airports a limo's ride from the capital), let alone that he would change plans because a collection of fatcats were whining that it was harder for them to fly to Dubai.

A key problem is that the operation would have given the final say in targeting to AI. There is a serious risk that, even with the most detailed programming, the drones could end up killing civilians. There are those who argue that this would be a war crime.

Volodymyr Zelensky deserves due credit for, after allowing the planning to go ahead despite his reservations, letting the plan stall after Fedorov's dismissal last month (his spokesperson has declined to comment). However, it does illustrate the dangers as the war drags on.

This is ugly war, notably on the Russian side. Setting aside the imperial illegality of the invasion in the first place, it has seen the

Protestors in Kyiv call for the reinstatement of the former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov (inset) SERHIV OKUNEV

massacres at Bucha, "drone safaris" where civilians are deliberately terrorised and killed, and deliberate attempts to crash the energy grid during winter.

Increasingly, they seem not just willing to see innocent casualties in their strikes, but actively seek them in the name of terror.

In Friday's "double tap" on a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, a second strike was calculated to catch emergency workers who had arrived on the scene after the first. This cannot be written off as accidental.

Ukraine has largely tried to stay within lines of legality and wartime morality. There have been killings of prisoners and shelling of civilian settlements, but these appear to have been local abuses rather than policy.

Even so, desperation breeds breaches. It seems increasingly clear that Ukrainians were behind the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which German

prosecutors are characterising as a war crime.

Since then, they have carried out sabotage and assassination operations inside Russia. Unwitting dupes have died, such as the man who had no idea he was driving a truck bomb onto the Crimea Bridge in 2022, or the courier hired to deliver explosives to a general's birthday party earlier this month.

When a security guard asked to see inside the parcel, it was detonated remotely.

Now, as Kyiv steps up its attacks on targets such as oil refineries

Facing another winter bombing campaign it is not surprising they are willing to skirt legal limits

and the warehouses of online marketplaces, the toll of civilian casualties is rising, even if still dwarfed by the Ukrainians'. There are growing questions about the legal justification of these attacks.

As private disillusion with both Zelensky's government and the continued cost of supporting Ukraine grows in the West, its moral authority remains one of its great advantages.

A British MP who is an outspoken supporter of Kyiv's told The i Paper that he is worried that "it becomes that much harder to draw a clear, bright line behind the Ukrainian and Russian tactics".

Nonetheless, facing another winter bombing campaign, it is hardly surprising they are willing to take risks and skirt the limits of the legal and acceptable.

Less defensible is the way its supporters in the West seem happy to turn a blind eye and even bankroll such operations.

The CIA was aware of the Nord Stream plot in advance, belatedly counselled Kyiv against it, but stonewalling the German

investigation. The warehouse strikes appear to rely on Western targeting data, while Operation M&Ms was reportedly to be financed by European allies.

There is a practical as well as moral hazard here.

Practical, in that such operations are not only making the Russians even more brutal in their assault on Ukrainian civilians, but this may further push Putin to escalate "hybrid war" operations in Europe as they seem to vindicate his claims that Kyiv is no more than the West's proxy warrior.

We also need to avoid dangerous precedents. Moscow explicitly invoked Nato's 1999 intervention into Kosovo in its 2008 invasion of Georgia and the annexation of Crimea in 2014, while the US use of drones for targeted killings in its "Global War on Terror" has weakened the taboo on cross-border state assassinations.

Moral, in that we are meant to be defending the rules-based order. Outsourcing rule-breaking to Kyiv makes it no better.

It is not just crucial to maintain our consensus on supporting Ukraine. Russian sanctions busting often depends on active support in the Global South. We often fail to appreciate just how many there resent our policy over Ukraine.

It is not just that sanctions regimes seek to dictate their trade choices, they note the difference between our response to this compared with other wars.

More civilians have died in the running conflict in Sudan, for example, but where is a comparable effort to end the dying?

Amnesty International described the response as "woefully inadequate", while UN health chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus bluntly suggested that the issue was the race of those at risk.

The belief that we are sanctimonious hypocrites may be unfair, or a caricature, but it is a sentiment Russia - and China, and Iran, and others - gladly amplify and exploit.

It's a difficult balance, and Kyiv's anger and desperation are understandable, but it is in our and Ukraine's interests not to let the apparent immediate needs of war outweigh everything else.

Mark Galeotti is a historian and lecturer specialising in Russian crime and security affairs

lgitheipaper.com

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20

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Your View

Tweets, emails and letters to The Editor, The i Paper, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY

We are a secular country now

Isabel Hardman's piece (The i Paper, 21 August) on the New Humanist discussion between Andrew Copson and Rowan Williams was superb. I would take issue only with her claim that: "We are not a secular country, we are a Christian country." Christianity is no longer a viable, mainstream religion in the UK due to a rapid, intergenerational collapse in affiliation and practice.

The 2021 Census confirmed that less than half the population (u62 per cent) identifies as Christian, while the "no religion" category has surged to over 37.2 per cent. This shift is driven by the rise of a secular, scientific world-view, making traditional dogma appear outdated to a post-Christian culture.

Church attendance has plummeted, with only about 5 per cent of the population regularly attending services, leading to thousands of church closures. Furthermore, Christianity has failed to transmit to younger generations.

As the UK becomes increasingly multicultural, the "sacred canopy" of a unified Christian identity has vanished, relegating the religion to an increasingly marginal, largely symbolic, role.

DOUG CLARK EDINBURGH

A warning over eternal life

With reference to the article concerning billionaires seeking to outsmart death (The i Paper, 21 August) may I suggest they read Natalie Babbitt's book Tuck Everlasting, which beautifully explores the grave downsides of living for ever.

It was written for children, so it should suit.

RICHARD BATES NANCEGOLLAN, CORNWALL

Teacher's tip to combat critics

In response to guest columnist Andy Parsons' advice on winding up teachers (iweekend, 22-23 August) may I offer this advice which I was given when on my probationary year in teaching.

If someone starts to wind you up about the school holidays, don't become irate and try to justify them, simply nonchalantly say: "You are absolutely correct, and only six more weeks to the next half-term."

It always worked like a charm for me. TONY SCULLY NORTH YORKSHIRE

PIP needs to be looked at

Well said Julie Burchill (I deserve every penny of my PIP – most people don't, 21 August)

I very much agree that everyone can do something to contribute to society! the world. Whether it be litter picking, or weed clearance.

Claimants shouldn't have a better standard of living than people who've spent a lifetime working.

D BRUCE WIVENHOE, ESSEX

I am in total agreement with Julie Burchill. I have recently been awarded PIP after a long appeal. I am very disabled after an accident in 1979.

I also think that the mental health aspect should be dropped and replaced with a separate diagnosis which is more stringent and funded separately.

PIP should be for people with severe physical disabilities.

PETER HARRESCHOURG

A reader wants more 'Ann Droid' – without Meghan, Duchess of Sussex LARY MOYES

What's that you're saying?

While we are on the subject of mispronouncing commonly heard words (Your View, 22-23 August), whenever radio and TV news report from the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, I prepare to see the. Is it so hard to pronounce Davos correctly – not DA-voss, but Da-VOS, as the Swiss and Germans do? Lead the way. BBC MARJORIE HARRIS LONDON

Hoorah – or hooray, etc – for the pronouncing classes. What a revelation that 'genealogist' is wrongly pronounced by some of us. I'm 84, and I've never used it. As has 99.9999 per cent of the country. JONATHAN KAY CAMBRIDGE

The word that makes me cringe is 'innovative', which most people pronounce 'innovative'. Why, when they'll say

'innovate' not 'innovate'? ROD NOVIS ST. LEONARDS-ON-SEA, EAST SUSSEX

Round here, where every other shop is a café, the word most mispronounced is 'latte'. It's Italian. One A, two Ts. So the a is short. La-tay not laa-tay. RICHARD SKIPP BRISTOL

Long grass is a fire hazard

Now that we have time to review the recent fire damage caused by drought, can local councils think again about the lazy/crazy idea of leaving patches of uncut grass, often very close to houses and other premises? These areas become tinder dry, just

waiting to be set ablaze. We are told that these areas are left to protect the environment.

However if they are set alight, either accidentally or deliberately, little protection would be afforded to nearby properties. RON BOYCE CARDIFF

Russians may dispute Putin

Isabella Bengoechea's article 'Putin cannot blame everything on the 'Black August curse' (22-23 August), which mentions those pliant Russians willing to accept anything Putin says, reminds me of Animal Farm by George Orwell. If there is one animal to feel sorry for it is Boxer, the super-

strong cart-horse who accepts all instructions issued by Napoleon, the head pig, simply because he is told this is right.

I hope the population living under Putin have a more considered approach. CRISPIN DENNY COLYTON, DEVON

Farage can afford to donate

Now that Nigel Farage is a salary-earning MP again, perhaps like Andy Burnham with his prime ministerial salary, he too can give 15 per cent of his £5m gift to help get the homeless off our streets?

STAN JONAS HAILSHAM, EAST SUSSEX

More 'Ann Droid', please

I agree with Nick Duerden that the BBC's Ann Droid is the comedy of the year (The i Paper, 21 August). I have not seen the frustrations of ageing so well portrayed since I enjoyed One Foot in the Grove many years ago.

Unlike Mr Duerden, though, I have an open mind to any possible new series, provided of course that it does not include Meghan Markle.

IAN DONALDSON NEWTOWNABBEY, CO ANTRIM

My weeds are looking healthy

I don't know about the grass growing back any time soon, but the weeds on my lawn are making a great comeback.

MARGARET NICOLLS SEAFOOD, EAST SUSSEX

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One-minute Wijuko

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A mother who received a grant in the 90s examines student finance

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MENSUAL 24 AUGUST 2026

21

Return of 'Playboy' is not sexy – it's deeply depressing

SOCIETY

Lucy Mangan

Playboy has relaunched. Apparently it did so last month, but I didn't know about it until a few days ago when I saw a copy on a male friend's coffee table.

I greeted this news with a mixture of weary resignation and utter halflement. We live in a world – and I'm back to weary resignation at this point – in which any possible taste in matters of the flesh is catered for. There is nothing men cannot find out there. No desire, however mild or sickening, is going unmet in 2026, I assure you.

It's into this world that the new team, headed by Anna Wintour's former protégé Phillip Picardi, has resurrected Playboy. Now,

obviously – they say – it won't be like the old Playboy. This iteration is, according to the accompanying publicity, "respectful", "modern", "artistic", "sensual" and a whole lot of other words designed to obscure the fact that women's naked bodies are on display for the purpose of separating men from their money – and giving them more material over which to expel bodily fluids.

The publicity also often mentions that Picardi is gay, as if to reassure people that the point really is Art and not lucratively eating the appetites of heterosexual males.

We live in a world in which, for example, Harry Potter star Jessie Cave has made more money in a year from her OnlyFans account than she did from acting. In which she uses her very long hair to appeal to fetishists, though she has had a book job she describes as "a business decision" and says that, although she doesn't want to go naked, "I don't know how long I can last if I don't start giving more".

We live in a world in which an industry, as recently investigated and reported by the BBC, has grown up around "agents" coercing women into producing content on OnlyFans and viciously threatening

Cara Delevingne on the cover of the relaunched 'Playboy' magazine

them if they resist or try to stop. (An OnlyFans spokesperson said: "OnlyFans' relationship is with our creators and fans and we are not connected with, and do not endorse, any third parties including management agencies.")

We live in a world where many people will call me a prude and a killjoy for thinking like this or for pointing these things out.

But I like to keep things simple. Women's rights are being eroded. We are increasingly being treated as second-class citizens because we exist in this increasingly, and apparently unstoppably, pornified climate. And vice versa.

Women are bodies, not people. They are servants of desire, not autonomous beings. And so porn becomes easier than ever

Women's rights are being eroded. We're like second-class citizens

to justify, ever more lucrative for the people who join in. And so the dehumanising cycle continues.

Those who are able to break it, the people in power, are usually men and don't have the collective will. And those who have the will – usually women, who are usually not in positions of enough power – are not able.

I took that Playboy magazine and told my friend to keep it out of my and others' sight. Keep it private. I don't doubt that he reads the articles as well. That's really, really not the point.

His bewilderment told its own story and I was too overwhelmed to put my thoughts into words at the time.

I'll send this column to him in the hope that at least one individual will understand.

You didn't hear him whining, now he's devastated, probably.

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Migrant plans sound fair – but will arouse ‘nimby’ fears

POLITICS

Anne

McElvoy

Sooner or later, the heady days of the early Andy Burnham bounce and summer of “money off now” remedies on bus fares, pub business tax caps and some energy bill VAT relief will give way to more trying questions.

A refreshed Government, which has run so far on upbeat, can-do “vibes”, must tackle a thorny subject where the political dopamine

rewards are scanty and the risks of failure and backlash high – how to settle asylum seekers to ensure, as the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, puts it, that “no one type of community is bearing the brunt”.

This is code for anger the Government aims to address about the housing of asylum seekers in poorer areas – including Mahmood’s own Birmingham Ladywood. The

proposal is to disperse incomers in “mixed mode” accommodation – Whitehall-speak for a hodge-podge of old student apartments, multiple-occupancy homes and former army facilities – and move away from the reliance on cheap hotels.

Burnham and Mahmood want to reframe arguments about asylum as being about fairness. Many Labour MPs in poorer areas have been pressing ministers to address dissatisfaction in poorer communities which take the lion’s share of asylum applicants – fertile ground for the kind of aggressive outbursts seen in August in Thetford, Norfolk.

But middle-class dissatisfaction can also make its voice heard, and protests in the tiny village of Piddington came over plans to house 1,000 asylum seekers at a disused Ministry of Defence base.

While the protest may be politer than setting fire to wheelie bins, there is still jeopardy for Labour as it faces the creep of Reform UK from hardscrabble parts of the country into more well-heeled areas.

Mahmood acknowledged this when she said that, regardless of the nature of a community, the arrival of a significant number of asylum seekers did have impacts which could disquiet people – and especially so when linked to the question of illegal arrival routes, which make it harder for the authorities to tell local people much about who their new neighbours are.

That is easily turned into panic-driving messages from Reform UK and further-right voices about “largely male, undocumented” incomers and the implication that they represent a risk.

Migration is one of the biggest drivers of Labour losing traction rightwards. The worst habit of progressives dealing with anxieties about small-boat arrivals and asylum settlement in general has been to preach rather than listen.

This seems like a hard habit to break. A Unison trade union organiser, Karen Morrison, declared of recent protests in Falkirk that demonstrators “are angry at the wrong people. Asylum seekers are not to blame for the ills of our society... We need to go back into communities to help people understand that.”

That presumption that people don’t know what they want to express, and the idea that “helping

people understand” what you want them to think while ignoring what they are loudly saying, is a neat encapsulation of why so many working-class voters have turned their backs on Labour.

Burnham has long argued that the existing dispersal system disproportionately places asylum seekers in areas with cheap housing – as mayor of Greater Manchester, he highlighted that the North West had a disproportionately large share of asylum seekers. Yet this will not make a “fairness first” policy easy to enact.

For a start, it relies on the conviction that people may be more willing to accept asylum accommodation if they believe the system is more equitable. How to judge that is, however, harder than it might seem when put to the test in specific circumstances.

One is that the present distribution, lopsided as it is, reflects the availability of cheap housing stock. And the Piddington example –

Shabana Mahmood says ‘no one type of community is bearing the brunt’

a military base in a network of sleepy villages – means that some areas of the country can suddenly find themselves hosting a large number of incomers.

Expect, too, an argument about cost. If housing people in a more distributed way ends up costing more per person than the old system because property prices are higher, Middle England’s taxpayers will have questions.

As Mahmood surely knows, distribution changes alone will not restore public confidence in the asylum system.

So a conversation with middle-class voters about asylum will rightly engage some sympathies and have us ask what greater fairness should look like. The answers might not be entirely what the Government wants to hear.

Anne McElvoy is executive editor at ‘Politico’ and co-host of the Politics at Sam and Anne’s podcast

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There were protests in Piddington over plans to use an old military base SWNS

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NEW! 5-31

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TV 25-31

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MONDAY 42-46

SPORT 47-50

SUNDAY 24 AUGUST 2026

23

EDUCATION

'AI does the maths for me': students rely on chatbots to make the grade

Use of technology could leave graduates unready for work. By Matthew Bailey

The university experience has profoundly changed since the proliferation of AI. Students use it to answer exam questions, do coursework and write dissertations. Detection programs are struggling to catch up.

A 2026 survey by the Higher Education Policy Institute, interviewing 1,100 students, found that 95 per cent used an AI tool in their university studies.

Now, as youth unemployment reaches its highest level since 2013, academics and recent graduates worry that students' AI use leaves them ill-equipped to find and keep a job.

A student, who asked not to be named, described how ingrained AI use had become at their university, and how they feared that their reliance on it would affect their job opportunities.

"It's annoying to admit, but AI has affected my knowledge of my degree, especially the maths part," said the student, who is preparing

to start a master's degree in aerospace engineering this autumn. They are on course to obtain a 1:1 in their bachelor's degree in the same subject, with the final results coming at the end of the master's.

"Maths was a very important part of my degree and that standard, because of AI, has dropped incredibly, including for myself. I wouldn't feel confident going back to a lot of A-level and even GCSE principles now because AI could just do it for me.

"When it comes to applying for jobs, if there are any induction tests, I am worried that I won't be able to pass them because of that reliance on AI."

This concern appears to be increasingly widespread. A 2025 survey conducted by Ase, an educational charity, found that students worried AI was reducing their ability to think critically, develop ideas and communicate in professional settings.

Teachers are also increasingly using AI, said David Andersen, an

Students who rely on AI may find their critical thinking weakens GETTY

associate professor in US politics at Durham University.

Some of his colleagues "are using AI in the classroom and are telling their students to have a debate with AI where it counteracts all their arguments", he said. "It is becoming an extension of the teacher and a tool for the students."

The student told The i Paper they tried to use AI in a "responsible" way, defining it as using it for research, checking answers and fleshing out their own ideas.

However, they said that because so many other students were using

AI "irresponsibly" – including answering questions or coursework – there is "a level where not using it irresponsibly is just setting you back because there's no way to regulate it".

"I don't want to go through my degree not having put any effort into it, but if I don't cheat, I'm going to be behind a lot of other people who rely on AI," they added.

They also admitted using it in exams.

"I use it particularly with time-limited exams. If I'm behind on a few questions, my choice is either

I want to put the effort in, but if I don't cheat, I'm going to be behind a lot of other people who rely on AI

don't put anything in those boxes, or use AI and get an instant answer that will at least pick me up a couple of marks.

"With my dissertation, I wrote it myself, but then I got AI to write its own dissertation to check it against mine and see if I had missed anything out.

"It would have been easy to just use what AI wrote – it took half an hour."

Oligual's chief regulator recently told The i Paper that it was getting harder to detect AI use in A-level exams, and that subjects with the most written coursework were the most vulnerable to cheating.

With AI, many test questions can now be answered with a simple prompt. The student said that exams have not been adapted to counter this.

"You've still got the same recycled mock papers and the majority of people I know with the use of AI are answering 70, 80, 90 per cent of those papers incredibly easily," they said.

A Policy Exchange report last week found that universities have not adapted their assessment methods sufficiently to combat students using AI. It found that 78 per cent of UK universities use online, remote exams – of which 70 per cent plan to carry on with this method – and only 10 per cent use online invigilation.

"AI has made most of our assessments irrelevant," said Andersen. "When Covid hit, we closed our exams halls... and threw everything online.

"We need to innovate and change in a system that has resisted rapid change for a millennia. We are not moving fast enough and, honestly, I struggle to envision how we can."

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

No 4851 BY VERNON

ACROSS

8 A German mug? Definitely not! (8) 9 During fellow Republic caught (6) 10 Land with recurrent wet season (6) 11 Prosperous container business (4-2-2) 12 Starts to have an interest researching old musical (4) 13 Minor celebrity in Gulf, very hot (10) 15 Use announced for trees (4) 17 Cut back document for orals? (5) 19 As of blundering clumsy people (4) 21 Extravagantly praising man, lacking a motive (10) 24 The side needs changing in a month – this group decides (4) 25 After university paid, inside I felt strangely happy (8)

27 A group of spies hide a camera at first in a shrub (6) 28 Prospects of play? (6) 29 Spooner's sensible boring task for tool (8)

DOWN

1 Salt I whisked with ice to make compound (8) 2 Love goddess in Scottish tartan (6) 3 Largely wet and fertile, suitable for sporting? (8) 4 Bring up obsessive to understand (4) 5 Talk about the French ski lodge? (6) 6 Singer or instrumentalist initially loves getting to grips with this music (8) 7 North Dakota's right about tree (6) 14 Part of Antrim, a rich source of ceramic (5)

16 Feeling excited – new couple moving in (8) 18 Surrender the right to indicate short method (4,4) 20 Silly fellow officer commanding sea crossing (8) 22 Facial expression as muscle tightens to begin with (6) 23 In spring, laid up fertiliser (6) 24 Two girls sharing an instrument (6) 26 No this is ineffective, cut into small pieces (4)

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24

NEWS

HEALTH

Nature may hold cure for children's poor eyesight

Distance vision is declining at an alarming rate.

Clare Wilson assesses the causes and cures

When I was at school in the 1970s and 80s, it was unusual for children to need glasses - and wearing them gave you the aura of being a swot.

Today, it is more common, and the rise is projected to continue, with about four in 10 British children needing glasses for short-sightedness by 2050. In some East Asian countries, rates are astonishingly high - more than eight in 10 children wear glasses in Singapore, for instance.

The degree of children's short-sightedness is also getting worse, the consequences for which are much more than just the inconvenience of wearing glasses: severe short-sightedness also makes people more prone to eye diseases in later life, including retinal detachment and macular degeneration.

But there are several ways the trend could be halted, with support from two recent studies - but most people aren't aware of them.

As a primer, short-sightedness means things that are close-up are clear, but those far away are blurry. Long-sightedness means the opposite, when distant things are in focus, but near things are blurry. (I remember this with the phrase: "You say what you see".)

Both conditions are caused by the eyeball being the wrong shape. With perfect eyesight, images are focused on the retina, at the back of the eye.

In short-sightedness, the distance between the front of the eye and the

It is more and more common for younger children to develop short-sightedness, as time outdoors decreases GETTY

retina is too great - the eyeball is too long. This means the focusing is correct when it comes to light rays from near sources, but rays from distant sources are focused at a point slightly in front of the retina, and hence are blurry. In long-sightedness it's the opposite.

In the UK, short-sightedness is rising at a rate of 0.7 per cent per year, which leads to the prediction of a rate of 40 per cent by 2050.

Babies are usually born slightly long-sighted, and as they grow and develop over their first year, their eyeballs usually grow into the "right" size to achieve good vision over all distances.

But in some children there is overcorrection and the eyeball ends

up becoming too long, and hence short-sighted.

Scientists have a good idea why that happens. Contrary to old myth, it is not (exactly) spending too much time reading, nor its modern-day equivalent, looking at screens. It is a lack of time spent outside.

Large studies that have tracked how children spend their day point to lack of time outside being the key thing that correlates with short-sightedness.

There are two competing theories as to why. One is that the child is simply not using their

distance vision enough. "Our needs are more geared towards close sight," said Manoj Parulekar, an ophthalmologist at Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospitals.

"When you put a child outdoors, they are no longer focusing on close-up objects. Their eyes are relaxing, and that drive is reduced." The other idea is that our eyes need the brighter light. Even on the cloudiest days, sunlight is much brighter than indoor light. Animal research suggests that outdoor light encourages the

release of signalling molecules by the retina that help the eyeball to grow to the correct size.

This suggests we can slow the trend by encouraging children to spend more time outdoors.

This has support from several sources. In Taiwan, schools introduced a policy of being outside for at least two hours a day in 2010 to tackle short-sightedness. And it worked. Rates fell from 50 per cent to 46 per cent.

Randomised trials also support outdoor time as a way of reducing new development of short-sightedness - although not as a way of reversing it.

For children who have already become short-sighted, optometrists are increasingly suggesting other treatments, said Parulekar.

One strategy is the use of eyedrops every night until the age of about 16, containing a medicine called atropine. A trial from June showed that over two years, this reduced the eventual degree of short-sightedness by 0.33 dioptres (D, the unit used in typical prescriptions measuring curvature of the lens required to fix eyesight). The treatment is being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for NHS use.

A different approach is wearing special glasses that both correct the vision defect and help slow worsening of the short-sightedness. A trial of the glasses produced fairly modest results, but they could still be worthwhile.

"[Short-sighted children] have a quite high risk of having serious complications later in life," said Augusto Azuara-Blanco, an ophthalmologist at Queen's University Belfast, who carried out the trial of eye drops.

He said that the stretching of the eyeball to greater proportions makes the retina less strong - so correcting the size of the retina not only helps vision, it may have a protective effect.

40% The proportion of British children expected to need glasses for short-sightedness by 2050.

IT'S OK. WHEN YOU'RE OUT FOR THE DAY

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NEAR 5:33

OPINION 10:22

TV 09:31

LIFE 35:37

GALLAHER 38:41

MONDAY 43:46

SEPT 47:56

MANDAT 24 AUGUST 2026

25

Protesters called for education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign over an exams scandal – and he was unable to resist the pressure RAFIQ MAQBOOLIAP

INDIA

Movement is changing a nation with memes and mass marches

Cockroach Janta Party has achieved dramatic success – and it is not done. By Gaurav Kumar

Devendra Nath Mahto had not eaten for 16 days. The 33-year-old student leader from the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand was on hunger strike over alleged rigged government job exams, calling for an independent inquiry.

By 10 August, his fast had left him so weak that he was taken to hospital in the state capital, Ranchi. But he remained defiant. “I would rather die than step back,” he told reporters. On Tuesday, he won. The government agreed to cancel the exams, and Mahto broke his fast.

It was the latest victory in a wave of youth revolts sweeping Asia, movements that have toppled governments from Bangladesh to Nepal. India’s moment came this summer when the Cockroach Janta Party – its name a defiant answer to a judge’s reported jibe that jobless graduates bred like the insects – grew from an online joke into a national campaign.

On 20 July, its supporters marched on parliament in Delhi, where police met them with baton charges and tear gas.

They demanded the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan (inset), one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s most senior figures. Five days later, he stepped down.

Victory brought a reckoning. Within days, the government detained hundreds of students in the poor northern state of Bihar alone, some charged with attempted murder, and the movement’s account was blocked on X on national-security grounds.

But the same anger surfaced in deprived states like Jharkhand, where thousands of students and job-seekers marched on the state assembly over alleged cheating and leaked papers in exams run by two state bodies that recruit for coveted government posts. They encountered tear gas, water cannon and hatons, with police saying some had broken through the barricades. The clashes injured officers and protesters alike, and a police case named hundreds of unnamed people.

India has the world’s largest youth population, and millions compete for a shrinking pool of

They are online and hard to head off: arrest one organiser and 10 more are trending by morning

secure state jobs, because private work is largely informal and insecure. A government post means a guaranteed wage, a pension and a step up the social ladder that money alone cannot buy. For many young people from poor or lower-income families in Jharkhand, a government job is not simply another career option; it is seen as one of the few stable and secure ways to lift an entire family out of financial hardship.

Ajay Kumar, 28, said he had spent five years studying in Ranchi, with his father sending him the equivalent of £75 a month. He said he was protesting because the state government “recruit only their people”, claiming people were paying tens of thousands of pounds to secure jobs.

Another demonstrator, Prakash Kumar, said he wanted to find out: “Who is responsible for ruining our lives?”

Manoj Yadav, 45, added: “The system is corrupt... It has gone on for 20 years. I went to jail fighting for justice.”

So why has this generation proved so hard to stop? Its movements are leaderless, online and hard to head off: arrest one organiser and 10 more are trending by morning. They have turned concerns about job exams in one state into a universal argument about fairness, pulling

in the anxious middle class. They move faster than any ministry can. And they now have a record of winning, and each victory embodies the next.

It fits into a broader pattern across the Global South. In Bangladesh in 2024, protests over government-job quotas forced prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in power for 15 years, to flee. In Nepal in 2025, a youth revolt against corruption and a social-media ban toppled the government in days. In Kenya, Gen Z protesters forced President William Ruto to drop a finance bill in 2024. Similar movements shook governments in Indonesia, Madagascar and Peru across 2025.

Back in Ranchi, three hunger strikers, including Mahto, ended their fasts this week when Jharkhand’s chief minister, Hemant Soren, said the government had decided to cancel a flagship exam and recruitment tests run by a private contractor “one of the major demands of the protesting students”.

The students called off a mass march on Soren’s home planned for Thursday. But Soren refused their other key demand, a national inquiry run by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and insisted the state’s investigation would continue. The organisers say their protest is paused, not over.

Gaurav Kumar is a journalist and researcher based in New Delhi

News in brief

MIDDLE EAST

Boy, 4, killed in air strike on Gaza Strip

Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip have killed at least two people, including a four-year-old boy.

One of the strikes hit a building in Zawayda in the middle of the enclave yesterday.

It followed a warning by the Israeli army for the owners of the property to leave the area.

Flying debris and shrapnel wounded at least six people, including the four-year-old, Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha. He was pronounced dead at hospital.

The second air strike hit the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp.

“There is no ceasefire,” said Abu Ahmed, a displaced Palestinian.

CHINA

‘Window’ slams shut for lunar launch

China has abruptly postponed its planned Chang’e-7 lunar mission.

The spacecraft was set to search for water ice on the Moon’s south pole.

It was originally expected to lift off in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on China’s southern Hainan island, but yesterday, the China Manned Space Agency said that the craft did not meet launch conditions and the launch “cannot take place during the planned window this year”.

The Chang’e-6 probe returned to Earth in 2024 with rock and soil samples from the far side of the Moon in a world first.

INDIA

Search goes on for survivors of wreck

India’s navy is searching for survivors after a container ship sank in the Bay of Bengal.

The Panama-flagged Oona Winner started listing on Friday before sinking in just eight minutes.

Two Chinese seamen have been rescued, but the rest of the 24-strong crew was missing at sea last night.

The chances of finding survivors generally fall sharply after the first 12 hours, the Indian official Shyam Jagannathan said.

India’s coastguard said the missing crew members include 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi.

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Television Monday 24 August

CRITIC'S CHOICE

BEN WALSH

PICK OF THE DAY

John Betjeman Night From 10pm, BBC Four

BBC Four's night devoted to the former poet Laureate (left) begins with archive footage and interviews with those who knew him best. Relatives and friends help build an intimate picture of one of England's finest 20th-century poets. It's followed by Beside The Seaside Bird's Eye View in which the poet tells the story of the English seaside in an aerial tour. Next, there's Metroland, a documentary from 1973, in which Betjeman takes a look at the branch lines of the London Underground's Metropolitan Line. Finally, there's 1974, A Passion For Churches where Betjeman visits various churches in the Diocese of Norwich, including Sandringham church on the Queen's private estate.

2000

Archaeology: A Secret History 8pm, BBC Four

Fascinating documentary series in which Richard Miles charts the history of archaeological breakthroughs in a mission to understand the ancient past. In the first programme, he explores how the profession began by trying to prove a biblical truth.

2000

Martin & Roman's Irish Road Trip 8pm, Channel 4

In the last of the series, the cheerful father and son Martin and Roman Kemp head to snowy Northern Ireland, diving into Sickle myths and a vampire legend that might have inspired Irish writer Bram Stoker to create the Gothic horror novel.

Droula. They learn how the cherished sport of hurting has an origin story rooted in myth and spend a night at what's reputed to be Northern Ireland's most haunted hotel, before exploring the Irish origins of Halloween and experiencing the Derry Halloween Festival.

2000

Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law 9pm, 5

'Ugly scenes in Nottingham' as revenue protection agents take on rampaging 'youths': Nottingham Express Transit revenue protection agents Ray, Red, Ged and Michael work undercover on a plain clothes operation on the city's trams. It's part of 'Operation Safene', aimed at cracking down on antisocial

behaviour on the network. In North London, the chase is on for Transport for London investigators Joey and Ella as they prepare to try to track down a potential serial fare evader suspected of using a blocked card to risk up more than £2,000 in unpaid fares on the Elizabeth line in just a month. If you think your job is hard, try being a revenue protection agent.

2000

Buried With Michael Sheen 9pm, BBC Two

Actor Michael Sheen channels the investigative energy of the late Australian journalist John Pilger and continues to dig into claims of chemical contamination across his homeland of Wales. Sheen met Douglas Gowan 10 years ago and the late farming consultant

	ONE	TWO	iv1	4	5	FOUR	6	iv2
Daytime	6.00 Breakfast (S) 9.30 Morning Live Top Tips And Best Bits (S) 10.30 Garden Rescue (R) (S) 11.15 Roman Under The Hammer (R) (S) 12.10 Bargain Hunt (S) 1.00 BBC News At One; Weather (S) 1.35 BBC Regional News; Weather (S) 1.45 BBC News At One; Weather (R) 2.00 Money For Nothing (R) 2.42 Escape To The Country (S) 3.30 The Repair Shop (R) (S) 4.30 The Answer Run (R) (S) 5.15 Pointless (R) (S)	6.15 The Answer Run (R) (S) 7.00 Sign Zone: The Repair Shop (R) (S) 8.00 Match Of The Day (R) (S) 9.00 BBC News (S) 1.00 Richard Osman's House Of Games (R) (S) 1.30 The Edge (R) (S) 2.15 Do You Know Your Place? (R) (S) 2.45 Animal Park Summer (R) (S) 3.30 Serengeti (R) (S) 4.30 Vintage Antiques Roadshow (R) (S) 5.15 Plug It! (R) (S)	6.00 Good Morning Britain (S) 10.00 This Morning (S) 1.30 ITV News; Weather (S) 1.55 ITV Regional News; Weather (S) 2.00 Dickinson's Real Deal (R) (S) 3.00 Deal Or No Deal (S) 3.55 ITV Regional Weather (S) 4.00 Tipping Point (R) (S) 5.00 The Chase (R) (S)	6.30 The King Of Queens (R) (S) 6.55 The King Of Queens (R) (S) 7.00 The King Of Queens (R) (S) 7.45 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S) 8.10 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S) 8.60 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S) 9.10 Frazier (R) (S) 9.40 Frazier (R) (S) 10.10 Frazier (R) (S) 11.10 Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares USA (R) (S) 12.05 Channel 4 News Summary (S) 12.10 Find It, Fix It, Plug It (R) (S) 1.10 The Great House Giveaway (R) (S) 2.10 Countdown (S) 3.00 A Place In The Sun (R) (S) 4.00 The Great B&B Challenge (R) (S) 5.00 Chelsea-DIY (R) (S)	6.00 Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Voss (S) 11.30 Storm & Alaska (S) 12.45 5 News At Lunchtime (S) 12.50 Matt Allwright (S) 2.20 FILM: A View To Kill For (Birthday Underwood 2023 Thriller: starring Tiffany Montgomery (S) 4.00 Castle (R) (S) 4.55 Love Nature (R) (S) 5.00 5 News With Dan Walker (S)			6.00 Backyard Builds (S) 6.30 Dress To Impress (S) 7.30 The Real Housewives Of Potomac (S) 8.20 The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills (S) 9.15 The Only Way Is Essex (S) 10.10 Showers Creek (S) 11.10 Clarinet (S) 12.10 Deal Or No Deal (S) 1.10 Celebrity Supermarket Sweep (S) 2.10 The Floor (S) 3.10 The Only Way Is Essex (S) 4.10 The Real Housewives Of Potomac (S) 5.00 The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills (S)
6pm	6.00 BBC News At Six; Weather (S) 6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S)	6.00 Richard Osman's House Of Games (R) (S) 6.30 Great Continental Railway Journeys (R) (S)	6.00 ITV Regional News; Weather (S) 6.30 ITV News; Weather (S)	6.00 American Pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz unleash a sleek 17 Jaguar (R) (S)	6.00 Motorhoming With Merton & Webster (R) (S) 6.55 5 News Update (S)	Passion Free and the Powerful Money from the Battle of Martin & Roman, from the 1st to 2nd, Christmas	Michigan's search leads around Wales, John BBC Two	6.00 Celebrity Catchphrase Brian Conkey Sue Perkins and Colin Salman take part (S)
7pm	7.00 The One Show (S) 7.30 EastEnders Priya and Jean join forces in a bid to uncover the truth (S)	7.00 Global Eye Mastermind Specialist subjects include the Tour de France (S)	7.30 Fletchers' Family Farm: The family carry out a sheep-worming treatment (R) (S)	7.00 Channel 4 News (S)	7.00 Cycling: Vuelta A España 2026 Action from stage three (S) 7.55 5 News Update (S)	7.00 The Architecture The Railways Built (S) 7.45 The Flying Gardener (S)	6.15 American Gangster Special 6.25 FILM: Moonfall (Roland Emmerich 2022) Sci-Fi thriller (S)	7.00 The Floor The nine remaining contestants battle it out in the final (S)
8pm	8.00 Sort Your Life Out With Stacey Solomon (R) (S)	8.00 Only Connect The Six Sevens take on Meat and Two Veg (S) 8.30 University Challenge (S)	8.00 Emmerdale (S) 8.30 Coronation Street Tim makes a confession to Lucy (S)	8.00 Martin & Roman's Irish Road Trip - List in the series (S)	8.00 Street Cops: Catching The Yobs (S)	8.00 Archaeology: A Secret History (S)		8.00 The 1% Club Rollover The first of five special editions of the quiz hosted by Lee Macs (S)
9pm	9.00 Death In Paradise A prestigious chess match ends in murder (R) (S)	9.00 Buried With Michael Sheen Michael's search leads him to Ruabon in north Wales (S)	9.00 Long Last Family: Born Without Trace - What Happened Next (S)	9.00 Celebrity Hunted Two runners make a high-risk appearance at Bristol Pride (S)	9.00 Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law (S)	9.00 Mastermind The third heat of the 1977 series of the quiz (S) 9.30 Call My Bluff (S)	9.00 FILM: Public Enemies (Michael Mann 2009) Fact-based crime drama, starring Johnny Depp (S)	9.00 The Only Way Is Essex (S)
10pm	10.00 BBC News At Ten (S) 10.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S) 10.40 Have I Got News For You (R) (S)	10.00 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (R) (S) 10.30 Newsnight (S)	10.00 ITV News At Ten (S) 10.30 ITV Regional News (S) 10.45 FILM: Rush Road (R) (S) 10.45 Rather 1998 (S)	10.00 Secret Lives Of Gypsy Wives Trevilly's sister Pandy tries on wedding dresser. Last in the series (S)	10.00 Police Interceptors: Taking Down The Shoplifting Gangs (R) (S)	10.00 John Betjeman: The Last Laugh - Reputations A 2005 profile of the former Poet Laureate (S)		10.00 Family Guy Peter befriends Bill Clinton (S) 10.35 Family Guy Lord and Peter buy a restaurant (S)
11pm	11.10 FILM: Emily (Frances O'Connor 2022) Drama starring Emma Mackey (S)	11.05 FILM: Jaws 2 (Jeannie Stewart 1978) Thriller sequel, starring Myr Scheider (S)		11.05 Celebrity Goggles & rolling cast of famous faces appraise the week's television (R) (S)	11.05 Traffic Cops Officers are out in fierce protecting Derry drivers and their cargoes (R) (S)	11.05 Beside The Seaside Bird's Eye View (S) 11.55 Metroland (S)	11.45 FILM: Heat (Michael Mann 1995) Thriller, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino (S)	11.05 Family Guy Peter is arrested and charged with a hate crime (S) 11.35 American Dad! (S)
Late	1.15 BBC News (S)	12.55 Sign Zone: Councillor (R) (S) 1.50 Sign Zone: Airgous (R) (S) 2.45 This Is BBC Two (S)	12.25 Shop On TV 3.00 The Staircase (R) (S) 4.00 Unwind With ITV (S) 5.10 Dickinson's Real Deal (R) (S)	12.05 Emergency Helicopter Mades (R) (S) 1.00 Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares USA (R) (S) 1.55 FILM: Birt Music (Gregor Jordan 2019) Drama (S) 3.40 Find It, Fix It, Plug It (R) (S)	12.05 Police Interceptors (R) (S) 1.00 Cruise TV With LovellBoads (S) (S) 2.00 GPs: Detroit Closed Doors (R) (S) 3.50 Castle (R) (S) 3.35 Friends (R) (S) 4.05 Friends (R) (S) 4.35 The Highland Vet (R) (S)	12.45 A Passion For Churches (S) 1.25 The Flying Gardener (S) 1.50 John Betjeman: The Last Laugh - Reputations (S) 3.00 Archaeology: A Secret History (S) 3.55 Close	3.10 Close	12.05 American Dad! (S) 12.35 Bob's Burgers (S) 1.45 Bob's Burgers (S) 4.30 Fella (S) 2.40 Shop Fata Neighbour Wars (S) 2.25 Unwind With ITV (S) 3.00 Teleskepping

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Games&Puzzles

Dominoes

How to play All of the 28 domino pieces from 0-0 through to 6-6 have been placed once into the grid. Can you work out where each of them is placed?

2	6	5	0	4	6	0	0
1	3	0	3	6	6	5	1
5	1	4	4	2	0	5	6
3	4	4	4	1	2	5	5
2	1	1	3	2	6	0	1
2	3	0	4	3	4	0	6
5	2	3	2	3	5	1	6

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Journey Finder

How to play Move between the numbers in order 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4 and so on, starting with the grey 1 and ending with the grey 4. On each step you may move one square in any direction (including diagonally). You must form a continuous path that visits every square exactly once.

1	4	1	2	3	4
3	2	3	1	4	1
2	3	4	2	3	2
1	2	4	1	3	1
1	4	2	2	4	2
4	3	3	1	4	3

Making Tracks

How to play

Numbers around the outside indicate how many squares in each row and column the track passes through between A and B. The track either passes straight through a square or turns at right angles in it.

Binary

How to play Complete the grid so that each row and column contains five 0s and five 1s. The same number cannot appear in more than two consecutive squares in any row or column. In the finished puzzle, each row must have a different sequence of 0s and 1s to any other row, and likewise for each column.

						0
	0	0					1		1
1								0
	0			0		1			0
1		1	1					1
					1
		1							1
1		1		0		0	1
1						0	1

Number Hexagon

How to play Each hexagon is divided into six triangles. The sum of these six triangles is always 25. Place a number from 1-9 in each empty triangle to complete the puzzle: you cannot repeat a number within a hexagon.

Pathfinder

How to play Moving from letter to adjacent letter, can you create a continuous path that visits every square once and spells out all the words listed to the right of the grid? Start on the shaded square.

L	E	N	E	C	O	D	L	O	G	Condemn
T	Y	D	A	N	M	S	I	M	I	Devoted
E	R	M	I	D	A	M	I	P	R	Dimension
T	R	A	N	E	N	O	T	L	A	Dinner
C	D	E	N	N	R	I	I	Y	M	Enraged
H	Y	V	E	D	A	S	F	P	A	Hiker
E	T	O	R	E	G	N	O	R	R	Imam
D	R	K	D	I	M	E	T	H	O	Kumquat
H	E	U	U	A	O	N	E	L	P	Lend
I	K	M	Q	T	C	D	E	M	N	Marigold
										Marry
										Ocean
										Plethora
										Profit
										Simply
										Tetchy

Battleships

How to play Locate the position of each of the ships listed below in the grid. Numbers around the edge tell you the number of ship segments in each row and column of the puzzle. Ships are surrounded on all sides by water, including diagonally.

Chain Link

How to play Place the numbers 1-6 in each row, column and along each series of squares linked by the chain.

Daily Quiz

1. Which tiny, nutrient-dense black or white seeds from the plant Salvia hispanica have been hailed as a new 'superfood'?
2. Grimpen Mire is the fictional treacherous bog in which Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle?
3. According to YouGov, what is by far the most common way adults in the UK stay active?
4. The colours at the end of the visible spectrum are violet at the short-length end and what at the long-wavelength end?

Answers, page 47

Jigsawdoku ● Zygolex ● Codeword ● Sudoku ● idoku ● Knight's Tour ● Word Wheel »

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Asian green bean, chilli and walnut stir fry

SERVES 4

• 250g sushi rice
• 200g pack trimmed fine green beans
• 100g frozen edamame beans
• 1tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 150g shiitake mushrooms, torn
• ¼ Savoy cabbage, shredded (150g)
• 100g walnuts
• 1-1½tbsp chilli & garlic sauce (25-35g)
• 1tbsp rice vinegar
• ½tbsp reduced salt light soy sauce

Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear, then transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with 400ml water and a pinch of salt.

Bring to the boil, cover and gently cook for 12 to 15 minutes on a low heat until tender.

Meanwhile, blanch the green beans and edamame beans by plunging in boiling water for two to three minutes, then drain and rinse under cold, running water.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the blanched beans, mushrooms, cabbage and walnuts for three to four minutes.

Mix together the chilli & garlic sauce, rice vinegar and soy. Add to the pan and cook for a further minute. Serve with the rice.

Recipe from California Walnuts

Games & Puzzles

Kakuro

How to play Fill the white squares so that the total in each across or down run of cells matches the total at the start of that run. You must use the numbers from 1-9 only and cannot repeat a number in a run.

	1	2	27				1	22	7
	7				4	11	6
	10			15	6
		10				4	6	10
		6	4	7		3
	5			10	9				3
	15
	7

Jigsawdoku

How to play Place the numbers 1-9 once in each row, column and bold-lined jigsaw region.

9		3			1
				4				1
	8		5			9
	3							2
						3
	1							6
	7		2			8
				9				4
7		2			5

Killer Sudoku

How to play Each row, column and 3 by 3 box must contain each number (1 to 9) only once. The sum of all numbers contained within grey lines must match the number printed in its top-left corner. No number can appear more than once in an area formed by grey lines.

12		4	11		10	11		5
7	13		16	13		17
					12	8	9
12		9		16				11
7	15					12
	15		7		16		10
10				12	13		8	17
13	9		13			9
	7			8			9

Zygolex® In The i Paper every day

Find the missing words by following the RHYME, LETTERS and MEANING links – eg, a word that rhymes with 'cheek', has one letter different from 'pear' and has the same meaning as mountain, would be 'peak'. Full rules at zygolex.com Solution, page 47

Futoshiki

How to play Place the numbers from 1-5 exactly once in each row and column. The greater than and less than signs ('x' and 'c') indicate where one cell is greater/less than the adjacent cell indicated.

Minesweeper

How to play Find all the mines in the grid. Numbers in certain squares indicate how many mines there are in the neighbouring squares, including diagonally touching squares. Mines cannot be placed in squares with numbers.

					0		1	1
1	1		3		1	2		2			2		2
3	2								0			4
	4	4	5	4		4			0				3
	3				5	6		4		1	1	2
5		4
3							2	3				0
1				4		0					4
	0			2	1								2
3					0		0	2		3		4
	4		4								4	3
2				2		1		3			3

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NEW 5-33

OPINION 18-22

TV 25-31

LIFE 35-37

CULTURE 38-41

MOVIES 42-46

SPORT 47-50

■ ANNUAL ■ 24 AUGUST 2026

29

Number Square

How to play Fill the empty squares with numbers that will make the across and down calculations produce the results shown in the grey squares. Each numeral from 1 to 9 must only appear once. The calculations should be performed from left to right and top to bottom, rather than in strict mathematical order.

Easier

	+		-	5	8
-		-		×
	-	3	×		21
×		+		-
	÷		×		16
-4		7		27

Harder

	-		-		-11
-		×		×
	+		×		88
-		-		×
	+	1	+		9
-10		19		144

Codeword No 4593

How to play The numbers in the grid correspond to the letters of the alphabet. Solve the puzzle and fill in the letters in the key as you discover them. Three letters are provided to give you a start. The solution will be printed in tomorrow's paper, the solution to Saturday's codeword is on page 47.

		9	26	14	9	18	14	26	18	21
10		26		10		1		18		10		2
21	24	18	15	4		14	15	22	26	9	9	10
20		6		15		25		20		21		7
14	25	20	25	10	14	21	25		16	18	7	7
10				9		9		17		17
17	10	14	14	26	13		5	10	22	10	1	9
		15		14		11		22				20
23	15	21	21		4	15	21	10	19	19	26	13
25		15		16		21		14		18		10
14	25	11	15	14	9	20		26	22	22	18	14
11		19		25		26		1		23		9
		25	3	25	17	12	19	15	16	8
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11 B	12 P	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23 K	24	25	26

A C D E F G H I J K L M N O Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Need a little help getting started? Then call for up to four extra clue letters on 0901 293 5206. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company's network access charge (if you are having trouble with the phone service, call the helpline: 0333 202 3390). Or text THE! CLUE to $9500 to receive your clues. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge (if you are having trouble with the text service, call the helpline: 0333 335 3351). Clues change each day at midnight.

Word Ladder

How to play

Convert the word at the top of the ladder into the word at the bottom of it, using only the five rungs in between. On each rung, you must put a valid four-letter word that is identical to the word above it, apart from a one-letter change. There may be more than one way of achieving this.

BUSH
CURT

WAVE
NOOK

idoku Exclusive to i

How to play Each numeral from 1 to 9 must appear (once only) in the squares forming the red letter i.

						8
1				8		6
7	9	8			1
	6	4		2	7
			4	1		3	2
		3				2	7
	7		6				3
	8

Sudoku Easier

2	1			4		3		5
			3		9			2
8		3		7			1
			2	8		6	7
3		8			7			1
	7		9	3	5		4
	8	6				5	3	7
			6
1		2		9			6	4

Tomorrow: Harder

ABC Logic

How to play Place the letters A, B and C only once in each row and column. Each row and column has two blank cells. The letters at the edge of a row/column indicate which of the letters is the first/last to appear in that row/column.

Word Wheel

How to play How many words can you find using the letters in the wheel? Each must use the centre letter and at least three others. Letters may be used only once. You may not use foreign words, proper nouns or plurals though you may use verb forms ending in 's'. There is at least one nine-letter word to be found. How you rate 14 good, 21 very good, 27 excellent, 32 genius

Terms &

Conditions

By using The i Paper's text services, you are agreeing to receive occasional SMS messages from DMG Media. You will not be charged for receiving these messages and may opt out at any time by texting STOP to the originating number. SMS services on this page are provided by BBA Digital Ltd, KT18 5AD, helpline: 0333 335 3351. Phone services on this page are provided by Spoke AL10 9NA, helpline: 0333 202 3390, and by Advanced Telecom Services, EC1M 4BH. Helpline: 0330 333 6946.

Concise Crossword No 4915

ACROSS

• 1 Purchase (3)
• 3 Unadorned (5)
• 8 Small bouquet (7)
• 9 Intimidate (5)
• 10 Retinue (5)
• 11 Hunting dog (7)
• 12 Fish-eating bird (7,4)
• 16 Long-necked animal (7)
• 18 Mollusc (5)
• 20 Traffic light colour (5)
• 21 French white wine (7)
• 22 Church tax (5)
• 23 Dram (3)

DOWN

• 1 Bombardment (7)
• 2 Long (5)
• 3 Dessert (7)
• 4 Grown-up (5)
• 5 Character (6)
• 6 Rabbit's tail (4)
• 7 Dejectedness (11)
• 13 Sports official (7)
• 14 Brochure (7)
• 15 Filled with horror (6)
• 17 Automaton (5)
• 18 Slope (5)
• 19 Final (4)

Stuck on the concise crossword?

For today's solutions, call 0902 789 3590

Calls cost 80p per minute plus your network access charge. If you are having trouble accessing this number, please call our helpdesk on 0333 202 3390.

PUZZLE BOOKS

Our range of puzzle books includes crosswords, codewords, jigsawdokus, children's games, sudokus and more. Available on Amazon for £799 each

See the full range at minURL.co.uk/books

Solution to Saturday's Concise Crossword

ACROSS 1: Nov. 3 Make (Holm oak) 7 Crudités, 8 Rend. 9 New Orleans, 11 Outbid. 13 Turban, 14 Flycatcher, 17 Fist, 18 Yeomanry, 19 Mead, 20 Dip DOWN 1 Harangue, 2 Endow, 3 Mariner, 4 Kink, 5 Pherodactyl, 6 Odentation, 10 Hairgrip, 12 Belated, 15 Hoard, 16 Fire.

Today's other puzzles Cryptic Crossword, page 23

Five-Clue Cryptic, page 17. One Minute Wipuko, page 20

Puzzle solutions See page 47

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30

GAMES & PUZZLES

Children's Corner Number Pyramid

How to play The value of each square in the number pyramid is the sum of the two squares directly under it.

Knight's Tour

How to play A chess knight visits each square of the grid exactly once, starting at 1 and ending at 100 (these squares are shaded). Deduce the whole path of the knight – some of which is already given – and thus complete the grid. The knight moves either two squares horizontally followed by one square vertically, or two squares vertically followed by one square horizontally.

68		100					17		13
	80				78	59			18
66					71		73		57
	62		86		98	77			54
94			97						11
		41		89	52		50	33
	93	84	1
3
38	27	44			7		23	48
43	4	37	26			35		31	22

Cells

How to play Divide the grid into square or rectangular blocks, each containing one digit only. Every block must contain the number of cells indicated by the digit inside it.

		8		2		2
				2		4
	4	2	4
	4			3
2	6			6

Word Fit

How to play Can you fit all the words into the grid to complete the puzzle? Some words may initially fit in more than one place, but there is only one way to fit all the words together to complete the grid.

4 Letters Coda Faze Hand

5 Letters Adorn Apace Close Deuce

6 Letters Alkali Craggy Genius Homage Poodle

7 Letters Nostril Prudent Refresh Scholar Vertigo

8 Letters Champion Endanger Physical

Word Square

How to play Simply answer the clues alongside the grid, writing the answers in the respective rows. The solution must read the same horizontally in each row as it does vertically in each column.

Outer layer

Notion

Close

Challenge

Bridges

How to play Connect every island (represented by circles) into a single interconnected group. To do this draw bridges between islands. The number in each circle states how many bridges must be connected to that island. Bridges cannot cross each other, can only be drawn horizontally or vertically, and there can be a maximum of two bridges between any pair of islands.

Word Search

How to play The classic word-search puzzle, find all the words in the grid. Words may be hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and in either a forwards or backwards direction.

W	G	M	U	W	I	M	T	N	W	V	E	N	U	X
I	A	U	Q	R	L	T	O	P	A	Y	O	Z	T	F
Y	T	L	P	P	U	N	B	C	D	C	I	L	K	C
A	N	L	O	R	R	G	B	B	A	A	A	F	N	L
L	S	A	N	T	E	R	A	E	H	M	O	D	I	N
A	H	H	T	K	Y	L	D	C	A	I	L	S	A	N
W	M	X	I	R	Q	E	A	C	Y	D	K	G	H	H
O	S	L	F	M	Y	N	A	T	S	P	N	K	Z	I
D	I	P	E	N	T	Z	X	H	E	U	X	S	H	J
E	A	A	X	O	Q	E	P	P	O	V	V	Z	D	U
R	L	S	R	U	Z	O	L	H	T	S	I	X	Y	D
V	X	T	I	G	T	M	F	X	W	W	C	I	O	O
I	P	O	E	H	S	S	T	G	I	A	A	N	K	E
S	U	R	I	Z	E	Q	X	A	A	M	R	I	L	A
H	K	W	H	E	C	N	N	L	B	I	M	W	A	F

ABBOT

BHIKKHU

CANTOR

DAOSHI

DEACON

DERVISH

GURU

HOUNGAN

IYALAWO

MIKO

MULLAH

PASTOR

PONTIFEX

PRELATE

SANTERA

SWAMI

TLAMACAZQUI

VICAR

Solutions page #7

Calcudoku

How to play Place the numbers 1-6 once in each row and column, obeying sums in bold-lined regions. The number in each region indicates the total for the region, and the symbol shows which type of operation should be applied to the numbers' addition, subtraction, division or multiplication. Numbers may repeat within bold-lined regions. With subtraction always take the lower numbers away from the highest number in a region, and with division divide the highest number by the lower numbers.

5×	15+				6×
	40×	9+	3+			72×
12×		15×			8×
	1-		5-		5×
9+					1-

Hexalex

How to play Place each of the letters below once into the empty hexagons, crossing them off as you do so. Enter the letters in such a way that it is possible to find all the words listed alongside the grid by moving from hexagon to adjacent hexagon to spell out each word.

A.B.C.E.F.G.I.K.L.N.O.P.S.T.U.Y

BYTE

COW

DUG

FALTER

HOW

JET

MAD

NET

SKIP

VET

WOK ZIP

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NEW 5-22

OPINION 18-22

TV 23-31

LIFE 18-37

GROWING 38-47

MOVING 48-54

LIVE 2-48

SPORT 47-54

LARGEST 24 AUGUST

2025

31

and whistle-blower claimed the people of Wales had been poisoned, not by a single criminal act, but by decades of exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment. Disagits believed that thousands of tonnes of toxic industrial chemicals known as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) had been dumped at sites across Wales and north-west England. PCBs do not degrade. It's a silent killer! In the second part of this shocking exposé Sheen asks, "Why did a global chemical giant like Monsanto choose Wales in the first place?" and meets local Katie who says, "We seem to get a lot of diagnosis of cancer here." Another local adds, "It's hard to believe that any responsible company would send waste to be disposed on farmland." Quite.

FILM CHOICE

LAURENCE PHELAN

FILM OF THE DAY

Moonfall

6.25pm, Film4

(Related Emersonch, 2022)

Disaster-cinema specialist Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) presents his daftest extravaganza of destruction yet a film in which the Moon falls out of its orbit, causing havoc with the tides, because it turns out to have been made by aliens all along. It falls upon Nasa honcho Halle Berry (left), astronaut burnout Patrick Wilson and science dweeb John Bradley (Game Of Thrones) to save the day. It may not be on quite the scale as some of the director's earlier epics but it is reportedly one of the most expensive independent films ever made. It is derivative, and dumber than moon rock - but it is far from unenjoyable.

Howards End

1.15pm, Film4

(James Ivory, 1952)

Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Redgrave star as the variously repressed characters in Merchant-Ivory's excellent adaptation of the E. M. Forster novel.

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Detroit

1.55pm, Sky Cinema Thriller

(Kathryn Bigelow, 2017)

This tense film restsays the Algiers Motel incident: an ugly episode during the 1967 race riot in Detroit that began when police raided the motel room of soul group the Dramatics after a show, and ended with three people dead.

ON DEMAND

DTF St Louis

Now

Jason Bateman, Linda

Carbellini and David

Harbour are the damaged

trio in this unsettling drama.

The Cage

BBC iPlayer

Michael Socha excels in

Tony Schumacher's grubby,

tense crime drama.

Dutton Ranch

Paramounts

A stirring spin-off with Kelly

Reilly and Cole Hauser

i.v.3

6.00 George And Mildred (1) 6.35 George And Mildred (1) 7.95 Classic Emmerdale (1) 7.35 Classic Emmerdale (1) 8.05 Classic Coronation Street (1) 8.40 Classic Coronation Street (1) 9.10 Agatha Christie's Forest (1) 10.25 Agatha Christie's Forest (1) 11.30 Heartbeat (1) 12.35 Heartbeat (1) 1.35 Midowner Murders (1) 2.35 Classic Emmerdale (1) 4.95 Classic Emmerdale (1) 5.40 Classic Coronation Street (1) 5.15 Classic Coronation Street (1) 5.50 Heartbeat (1)

6.55 Heartbeat Steve lands himself in danger (S)

11.50 Trial & Retribution A girl falls to her death from a Fems wheel (S) 1.45 George And Mildred (1) 2.35 Greatest With ITV (1) 2.20 Fidehopping

6.00 Hollyoaks (1) 6.30 Hollyoaks (1) 6.55 Rudolish Tula Storm (1) 7.00 Couples Come Dine With Me (1) 8.00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (1) 9.00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (1) 10.00 America's Funniest Home Videos (1) 11.00 Below Deck Mediterranean (1) 12.00 The Simpsons (1) 12.20 The Simpsons (1) 1.00 The Simpsons (1) 1.30 The Simpsons (1) 2.00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (1) 2.30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (1) 3.00 Modern Family (1) 3.30 Modern Family (1) 4.00 Modern Family (1) 4.30 Modern Family (1) 5.00 The Simpsons (1) 5.20 The Simpsons (1)

6.00 The Simpsons (S) 6.30 The Simpsons Patti moves in with Homer and Marge (S)

7.00 Hollyoaks Tricky's family try to support her (S) 7.30 The Simpsons (S)

8.00 Midowner Murders The very leader of an international cycling competition is murdered (S)

9.00 Below Deck Down Under A new romance blossoms on a crew night out (S)

8.55 Final It, Fix It, Flag It (1) 10.00 Four In A Bed (1) 10.35 Four In A Bed (1) 11.05 Four In A Bed (1) 11.35 Four In A Bed (1) 12.10 Four In A Bed (1) 12.40 Come Dine With Me (1) 1.10 Come Dine With Me (1) 1.40 Come Dine With Me (1) 1.55 Come Dine With Me (1) 2.50 Come Dine With Me (1) 2.50 Four In A Bed (1) 3.00 Four In A Bed (1) 4.00 Four In A Bed (1) 5.00 Four In A Bed (1) 5.20 Four In A Bed (1) 5.50 Car & B S (1)

6.50 Car S.O.S Fuzz Townshend and Tim Shaw To up a World Rally-winning car (S)

7.55 Grand Designs A couple building a home that looks like a work of art in south Devon (S)

8.00 Ladies Of London: The New Ragin Now series (S)

9.00 PopMaster TV Ken Bruce hosts the second host of the music quiz (S)

6.00 Marmings (R) 6.30 Marmings (R) 7.00 Marmings With Ridge And Frost (R) 7.20 Marmings With Ridge And Frost (R) 8.00 Stargate SG-6 (R) (S) 9.00 Stargate SG-6 (R) (S) 10.00 La Brea (R) (S) 11.00 The Simpsons (R) (S) 11.20 The Simpsons (R) (S) 12.00 Africa's Humble (R) (S) 1.00 Hawaii Five-6 (R) (S) 2.00 Hawaii Five-6 (R) (S) 2.00 S.W.A.T. (R) (S) 4.00 S.W.A.T. (R) (S) 5.00 The Simpsons (R) (S) 5.20 The Simpsons (R) (S)

6.00 Rob & Rumsash vs Country Music The comedians meet Shaina Twain (R) (S)

7.00 The Simpsons Lisa takes out a restraining order against Bart (R) (S) 7.30 The Simpsons (R) (S)

8.00 Shark: British Isles Special With Steve Backshall (R) (S)

6.00 The Guest Wing (R) (S) 7.00 The Guest Wing (R) (S) 8.00 Billions (R) (S) 9.05 Billions (R) (S) 10.15 House Of The Dragon (R) (S) 11.20 House Of The Dragon (R) (S) 12.40 Homicide: Life On The Street (R) (S) 1.35 Homicide: Life On The Street (R) (S) 2.30 Billions (R) (S) 3.35 Billions (R) (S) 4.40 Stange (R) (S) 5.40 Stange (R) (S)

6.35 House Of The Dragon Pilgrim's positions herald to take Kings Landing (R) (S)

7.45 House Of The Dragon Alciant risks everything to fulfill her end of the bargain (R) (S)

9.00 FILM: Nightcrawler Glen Grimby 2021 Crime drama, starring Jake Gyllenhaal (R) (S)

10.00 Lewis A professor is found dead after her dating video is leaked onto a website (S)

11.50 Trial & Retribution A girl falls to her death from a Fems wheel (S)

1.45 George And Mildred (1) 2.35 Greatest With ITV (1) 2.20 Fidehopping

10.00 Gegglebox The armchair critics watch Starstruck Challenge Annaka and The Piano (S)

11.00 First Dates Like maker Poora is paired with recruitment consultant Rakim (S)

12.05 Naked Attraction (1) 1.10 Below Deck Down Under (1) 2.10 Ladies Of London: The New Ragin (1) 3.00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (1) 3.55 The Goldbergs (1) 4.45 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (S)

10.00 24 Hours In A&E All Bzyster-old cyclist is brought into A&E after being hit by a car (S)

11.05 24 Hours In A&E A triple driver is rushed in with firsthand ankles after falling from a tree (S)

12.10 9:30 On The Front Line (1) 2.15 24 Hours In A&E (1) 2.15 24 Hours In A&E (1) 3.20 The Perfect Pitch (1) 3.50 Close

12.00 Grimm (R) (S) 1.00 Eell (R) (S) 2.00 Best Medicine (1) 3.00 Hawaii Five-6 (R) (S) 4.00 S.W.A.T. (R) (S) 5.00 S.W.A.T. (R) (S)

10.00 Last Week Tonight With John Oliver 10.45 Rob Beckett: Wallop A stand-up show by the comedian (R) (S)

11.05 Possession Last in series (R) (S)

Radio

BBC Radio 1

6.5am Newsbeat 7.00 Radio 1 Breakfast With Greg James 11.00 Robin, Mason And Charlie 12.45pm Newsbeat 1.00 Wyin And Rosie 3.30 Newsbeat 3.35 Going Home With Vick, Katja And Jamie On Radio 15.45 Newsbeat 6.00 Radio 11 New Music Show With Jack Saunders 8.00 Radio 15 Future Artists With Sam Chen 16.00 Radio 15 Power Down Playlist With Sam Eyer 18.00 Rock Show With Daniel P. Carter 1am BBC Introducing Rock On Radio 1 With Jordan Blyth 2.00 Radio 1 At Reading And Leeds Festival 3.00 Radio 1 At Reading And Leeds Festival 4.00 Radio 1 For Anthony 5.00 Radio 1 Early Breakfast With Dean McCallough

BBC Radio 1Xtra

6.30am 1Xtra Playlist 7.00 1Xtra Breakfast With Nadia Joe 10.00 DJ Day Day 14.45pm Newsbeat 1.00 Playlist Golding 4.00 From Bangs 5.45 Newsbeat 6.00 From Bangs 7.00 DJ Targie 9.00 Mange Saint Hilary 11.00 Sneedles Shy 1am 1Xtra's R&B Show With Chuckie 2.30 1Xtra's R&B Show Jams Mix With Chuckie 3.00 1Xtra Salutes 4.00 1Xtra's Race Show With Jammals Anamah 4.30 Throwback Thursday 5.30 1Xtra's Throwback Party

BBC Radio 2

6.30am The Radio 2 Breakfast Show 9.30 Mark Goodier 12noon Tina Bahany 2.00 DJ Spoony 4.00 Jason Macford 7.00 DJ Whitey's Shiny Happy Playlist 7.30 Jo Whitey 8.00 The Blues Show With The Black Keys 10.00 The Good Groove With Melvin Dillcom 12night DJ Borg 2.30 Direct Windows With DJ Borg 3.00 Dance Sounds Of The Jon With Vomen Kay 4.00 Ocean Wyin Evans

BBC Radio 3

6.30am Breakfast 9.30 Essential Classics 1pm Classical Live 4.00 Composer Of The Week, Sally Beamish 5.00 In Taste, Music, arts news and guests 7.00 BBC Promo 2021 10.00 Night Trailer 11.30 Round Midnight 12.30am Through The Night

BBC Radio 4

6am Today 9.00 The Great Crime Mystery 9.30 How Did We Get Here, No World Order 10.00 Winners Hour 12.00 G2 Kindle Of World 14.45 World The Week, Kit The Beauty in The World 12noon News 12.16 You And Yours 12.37 Weather 1.00 The World At One 1.42 Human Intelligence 2.00 G2 Archery 2.15 Rags, Mags And Bags 3.45 Opening Lines 3.90 Great Lives 3.30 You're Dead To Hit 4.00 The WhatsApp Underground 4.30 Good Music 5.00 TV 5.37 Weather 6.00 Six O'Clock News 6.30 Just A

Minute, With Paul Morton, Rachel Parris, Ezzie Brambeth and Lucy Porter. Last in the series 7.00 The Archery, Alice Sacks and/or interruption 7.15 Point Now How illustration is adapting to a changing world 8.00 The Reading Room, David Aammonich discusses a story in the news 8.30 BBC Inside Science: The latest scientific research 9.00 The Great Crime Mystery, Public perceptions of the crime city 9.30 How Did We Get Here, No World Order, Topics in Jack Bueck (Dumck Nobel) peace prize acceptance speech 10.00 The World Tonight, With James, Commissioner 10.45 Book, At Godtime, Mr Sidney, Prof Office, By Anman Bror 11.00 Thanks Something! Need To Tell You, By John Scott, Dryden and Michaelanand 11.30 Everything Is Fake And Nobody Cares, James Bartlett, App who podcast culture 12night News And Weather 12.30 Book Of The Week, Kit The Beauty In The World 12.45 Shopping Forecast 1.00 An BBC World Service 2.00 News Summary 5.04 The WhatsApp Underground 5.35 Weather 5.36 Shopping Forecast 5.43 Prayer For The Day 5.45 Farming Today

BBC Radio 4 Extra

6am Five Red Herrings 6.30 Kit The Playlist 7.00 The Adventure Of John And Tony 7.30 Daily Army 8.00 G1 And Over 8.30 Underland 8.45 Breathing Underwater 9.00 Just A Minute 9.30 Human Hosts 9.45 Daily Service 10.00 Sounds Natural 10.30 Children Of The Enemy 11.00 Five Red Herrings 11.30 Kit The Playlist 12noon The Adventure Of John And Tony 12.30 Daily Army 1.00 G1 And Over 1.30 Underland 1.45 Breathing Underwater 2.00 Wonderful cs 2.30 A Whole Mother Story 3.00 The July Great 3.45 River Coloured Tversail 4.00 Sounds Natural 4.30 Children Of The Enemy 5.00 Five Red Herrings 5.30

Jo Whiley

7pm, BBC Radio 2

Another Jams packed two hours with host Jo Whiley (abov) She kicks things off with her Shiny Happy Playlist, playing her favourite album tracks and musical gems, before more music and chat.

Kit The Playlist 6.00 The Adventure Of John And Tony 6.30 Daily Army 7.00 G1 And Over 7.30 Underland 7.45 Breathing Underwater 8.00 Wonderful cs 8.30 A Whole Mother Story 9.00 The July Great 9.45 River Coloured Tversail 10.00 Comedy Club Just A Minute 10.30 Comedy Club: The People Have Spoken 11.30 Comedy Club: The In Crowd 12.00 Sounds Natural 12.30 Children Of The Enemy 1.00 Five Red Herrings 1.30 Kit The Playlist 2.00 The Adventures Of John And Tony 2.30 Daily Army 2.00 G1 And Over 2.30 Underland 2.45 Breathing Underwater 4.00 Wonderful cs 4.30 A Whole Mother Story 5.00 The July Great 5.45 River Coloured Tversail

BBC 2 Live

6am 5 Live Breakfast 9.00 Rock Ahead 11.00 Emma Vanly 2pm Nick Watt 4.00 G1 Live Over 5.00 Live Sport The Monday Night Club 9.00 G1 Live Sport: 5 Live G1 Main 10.00 June McGillie Bears Dillon Adebay 5.00 Wake Up To Money

BBC 6 Music

7am Nick Grimshaw 10.00 Lauren Laurens 1pm Craig Charles 1.00 Steve Lamarick Teatrine Season 7.00 New Music The Daily 9.00 Ricky & Cara 11.00 D'Audio Artist in Residence: Louie Carver 12night Boards Boys At The BBC 1.00 Boards Boys Live 2.00 Boards Boys On 6 Music 4.00 The Boards Boys Playlist 5.00 Chris Hawkes

Classic FM

6.30am Classic FM Breakfast With Dan Walker 9.00 The Classic FM Hall Of Fame Hour With Dan Walker 10.00 Alad Jones 1pm Anne-Marie Mitchell 4.00 Resigments Taylor 7.00 Relaxing Evening With Zab Source 10.00 Calm Classics 1am Bill Overton 4.00 Early Breakfast

Absolute Radio

6am Dave Berry 10.00 Carric Sturgess 1pm Ben Burnett 4.00 Homeless With Budd & Risha 7.00 Blandite Perry 10.00 Jay Lawrence 1am Dan Noble

Heart

6.30am Heart Breakfast With Martin Anderson And Amanda Holden 10.00 Pandora Christie 1pm Matt Wilkinson 1.00 G1 And Kelly Brook 7.00 Heart's Fast Good Network With Dry Griffin 10.00 Ben Alderson 1am Guy Howard 4.00 Early Breakfast With Lindsey Russell

TalksPORT

6am ALIOTOP! Showtime With Jeff Stolling 10.00 Jim White And Simon Jordan 1pm Hawkdoe And Jacobs 4.00 TALKPORT Drive 7.00 Rick Hill 10.00 The Sports Bar 1am Extra Time With Paul Rose 5.00 Early Sports Breakfast

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32

NEWS

Panorama

Around the world in 10 stories

MIDDLE EAST

Iran writes off US sanctions threat as 'desperate'

By Elweily Elwelly and Menna Alaa El Din IN DUBAI

Iran's foreign minister has dismissed America's "desperate" threat to impose new sanctions.

Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, is expected to unveil what he has called "the toughest sanctions in history" against Iran today.

The Iranian economy has already been crippled by years of sanctions, a US naval blockade and American and Israeli air strikes on its infrastructure.

But Iran remains defiant after nearly six months of war.

It has brought shipping to a virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, refusing to allow oil tankers to pass through the vital waterway.

The Iranian blockade of the strait has driven up global oil prices, with America blockading Iran's oil ports in retaliation.

Washington has now turned to threats of sanctions after months of strikes failed to break Iran's grip on the strait.

But Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghebi (snort), yesterday said: "The fact that they have moved on

from military operations to bring up the same old plans shows that they are desperate."

Washington must speak to Iran respectfully to find "a solution based on justice and honour," Araghebi said.

"We have never been afraid. All of their actions – whether blockades or other military moves they have made – have failed, and this new issue of theirs will fail as well," he said.

US officials have tried to pressure China to stop buying Iranian oil. Four-fifths of oil shipped from Iran last year went to China, analytics firm Kpler said.

Donald Trump has warned of economic consequences against any country that provides "any type of lifeline to Iran".

Bessent has urged China to co-operate with the US to end the impasse in the Middle East.

Pakistan's army chief and de facto ruler, Asim Munir, will visit Tehran today for talks. Munir has been an important mediator between Washington and Iran.

But some Iranian officials are suspicious of Pakistan's new security pact with regional heavyweight Turkey and Iran's long-time rival Saudi Arabia. REUTERS

KAZAKHSTAN

Elections set to strengthen President

By Felix Light and Mariya Gordeyeva IN ALBANY

Kazakhstan's President is expected to tighten his grip on power after parliamentary elections started yesterday.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 73, became President in 2019 as the chosen successor of the dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev.

He turned on Nazarbayev in 2022 after clashes he blamed on his predecessor's allies.

Tokayev has merged Kazakhstan's two chambers

of parliament into one, triggering elections.

The new constitution also allows Tokayev to run for a fresh seven-year term.

Opinion polls for the parliamentary elections predicted a large majority for Adilet, Tokayev's new party.

Tokayev has tried to strike a delicate balance between Russia and the West.

At home, he has jailed journalists and raised taxes.

Opposition parties are also standing, although most are loyal to Tokayev. REUTERS/AP

Sport that really pulls you in...

Germany's annual finger-pulling championships took place in Vilgertshofen, Upper Bavaria, yesterday. 'Fingerhakein' is said to

have originated as a way to settle disputes in the 15th century. It is now a sport, with standardised measurements for everything from

CHINA

Comedian investigated for altering revolution song

By Fu Ting

One of China's best-known comedians is being investigated for changing the lyrics of a revolutionary song.

Guo Degang is China's leading performer of traditional xiangsheng, a form of comic musical dialogue.

He now faces an official investigation in the city of Wuhan after performing "Playing My Beloved Pipa", a popular song from Rashouy Guerrilla, a well-known 1950s film about Communist guerrillas fighting Japanese forces during the Second World War.

Guo allegedly changed a lyric from "it is quiet along Weishan Lake" to "it is quiet in the Forbidden City" without asking for officials' permission.

Several of Guo's shows have been cancelled, including two last week in the central city of Xi'an.

Chinese state media said he had violated regulations governing com-

mercial performances. Guo is widely credited with bringing xiangsheng closer to younger generations through Deyunshe theatres (snort).

"Playing My Beloved Pipa" was selected in 2019 as one of 100 songs to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

A pipa is a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, similar to a lute.

It is not the first time that Chinese performers have faced consequences over their work on stage.

In 2023, the comedian Li Haoshi, known by his stage name House, sparked controversy after using a military slogan to describe describing dogs chasing squirrels.

Xiaoguo Culture Media, the company he worked for, was later fined 14.7 million yuan (£1.6m), and Li has not performed in mainland China since. AP

AUSTRALIA

Fears grow for wildlife as bird flu spreads

By Sam McKeith IN SYDNEY

There are fears for wildlife and livestock in Australia after officials confirmed the first case of H5N1 bird flu in a mammal.

Australia has been working to contain the highly-infectious bird flu after it landed in the country in June.

Migratory seabirds are thought to have brought the virus, leading to mass deaths.

The virus has now been found in a long-nosed fur seal in South Australia state.

Investigators found the dead seal near the coastal town of Beachport, about 310km (190 miles) south of Adelaide.

"Once the H5 bird flu is spreading in the natural environment it is not possible to avoid significant losses," Australia's agriculture minister, Julie Collins, said yesterday.

H5N1 has not yet shown up in Australia's poultry or livestock. REUTERS

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LIFE 16-37

GATHRIE 18-31

MONDAY 42-48

SPORT 47-50

AUGUST 24 AUGUST 2026

33

the strap that binds the fingers, to competitors' stools. Victory comes by pulling an opponent over a line. ANGELIKA WARMUTH/REUTERS

CAR

Gold mine shut down after fatal collapse

By Jean Fernand Koena IN RANDS

A gold mine where more than 100 workers were killed last week has been shut down in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The collapse of the Zamboye site in the CAR's west is the latest in a series of mining disasters to hit the mineral-rich nation.

Much of the CAR's population depends on dangerous "artisanal" mining, often working without protection or training.

Corrupt officials often turn a blind eye to illegal or unsafe mining. The search for survivors at Zamboye was hindered by a lack of kit and expertise.

The site had already been officially closed before the collapse, but was still full of illegal miners. AP

Postcard From...

Los Angeles

Between morning feedings, the gibbons begin to sing - loudly.

Ranging from high screeches to low grunts and hoots, their calls reverberate across the hot, dry hills of the sparsely populated Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles.

Over the past 50 years, the once-tiny Gibbon Conservation Centre has become the world's leading institution dedicated to the gangly apes. Gibbons are among the rarest and most endangered primates on Earth.

The centre today cares for 40 gibbons across five species. Their singing can sometimes be heard a mile away.

Alan Mootnick, a self-taught primatologist, founded the

Gabi Skollar is director of the Gibbon Conservation Centre

centre while working as a decorator. He went on to publish papers in scientific journals and hosted researchers from around the world.

"Sometimes scientists would just send him a picture of a rescued gibbon asking what species, or they would play him a vocalisation," the centre's director Gabi Skollar said.

Skollar moved from Hungary to the US in 2005 to learn from

Mootnick. She has carried on his mission since his sudden death from heart surgery complications in 2011.

The gibbons' cacophony wakes Skollar at sunrise every day. They are full of personality and individual quirks, and Skollar knows them well after decades at the centre.

A young, northern white-cheeked gibbon named Pepper always leads the group in beginning their singing, and a pileated gibbon named Violet finishes the chorus with her partner Truman.

Pierre, a rescued gibbon, does not like men.

On a recent morning, on-site caretaker Jodi Kleier handed a young gibbon, Rocky, a piece of chopped banana as he reached out through the fence.

Rocky was hand-reared by Kleier after being abandoned by his mother. She has a tattoo of Rocky on her thigh. AP

Jaimie Ding

NIGERIA

Muslim worshippers abducted

By Hamza Ibrahim and Ahmed Kingimi IN LAGGE

Dozens of worshippers have been abducted from a mosque in northern Nigeria, according to eyewitnesses.

Armed men stormed Kpenya Mosque in the northern Niger state during Friday prayers last week.

Mass kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria's poor and

violent north, with schools often targeted.

No one is thought to have been killed in the raid.

Police did not say how many people had been abducted, but local residents said more than 60 worshippers had been kidnapped.

Zahairu Umar Talba, a youth leader, said his father, 85, was taken. "Nobody can tell you the exact number abducted because many have fled." REUTERS/AP

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EUROPE

Climate change exposes buried wartime bombs

By Sam McNeil IN ELSENBORN

Europe's summer wildfires have uncovered dozens of buried bombs and mines from the two world wars.

Blasts have been reported in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

A massive forest fire near Bordeaux last month uncovered an ammunition cache which may have belonged to the French Resistance.

Bombs, mines and booby traps are littered throughout the High Fens, a Belgian peat-bog forest recently scorched by wildfires.

The regional governor Hervé Jamar said there had been "a few sporadic detonations".

The Battle of the Bulge was fought in and around the High Fens in the winter of 1944-45.

Wildfires have also swept Elsenborn ridge and the Hurtgen forest, where about 60,000 German and US troops were killed.

In the Netherlands, a bomb-

Historian Bernard Collard with a defused shell in Elsenborn, Belgium

disposal team has combed a forest in Limburg province, where US troops crossed into the country.

In Slovakia, the drought-hit Danube has exposed two naval mines from the Second World War. Budapest's Margaret bridge was closed after a bomb emerged at its base.

A Second World War bomb was also found in the Rhine in Germany.

"The legacy of war keeps creeping up" because of climate change, researcher Christina Greene said. AP

SAN MARINO

Pope criticises legalisation of abortion

By Giada Zampano and Niccolò Lupone IN SAN MARINO

The Pope has criticised San Marino's legalisation of abortion during a visit to the tiny country.

San Marino, a nation of about 35,000 people completely surrounded by Italy, traces its origins to the fourth century, when Christians took refuge from Roman persecution on its mountainous slopes.

It is the world's oldest surviving republic.

During a visit to the landlocked statelet on Saturday, Leo XIV called it a "laboratory of good politics".

But he called on governments to uphold the dignity of every human person "from conception to natural death" - a tacit rebuke to San Marino's legalisation of abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in 2021, after a referendum. AP

Operated by Leo Xavi Karagul, Los Angeles, 2022. AP/2 - 10/8/25, a company wholly independent of Associated Newspapers Ltd and a Travel Offers. Price based less sharing, single supplement may apply. *From a network of pickup plants in England & Wales. Price correct at the time of print.

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Travel

Switzerland at a snip

The famously expensive country can get cheaper - if you are brave.

►► Page 37

Culture

Keeley Hazell

The former Page 3 girl on how she became an actress and comedian

►► Page 38

Divorce, once rare and stigmatised, has become mainstream - 42 per cent of marriages now end this way, meaning nearly half of us who get married can expect to experience it.

Just as every marriage is different, so is every divorce. In this column, divorcees reflect on their life-changing experience. Helped by the benefit of hindsight, they share advice and reflections.

Sophie, 46, spent 20 years married to her husband Rob. But problems arose when they struggled with fertility.

I fell in love with Pumpkin, my golden Labrador, the moment I met him. He was an eight-week-old bundle of joy. I will never forget how happy I was when Rob - my then-husband - and I drove to the breeder and brought him home.

We had a little crate for him, and a bed with lots of toys. The first night he was at home, he was crying non stop. I remember sitting with him in the kitchen. I couldn't help but take him out of his crate and cuddle him. He looked at me with his beautiful, brown chocolate eyes. I knew then that I loved him.

Pumpkin became my fur baby. He was everything I wanted and everything I needed.

Rob and I had spent so long trying to have children. It had been gruelling and depressing. But as I held little Pumpkin on my lap and cuddled him and smelled his beautiful puppy breath, I just fell in love. If you had told me back then that this little puppy would end up as the subject of a painful custody battle, I wouldn't have believed you.

I was married to Rob for just under 20 years. We met when we were 22 at a work party. Both of us were working for a legal firm. We clicked immediately. We both had a very similar sense of humour, and he really made me laugh.

We got married, and everyone was delighted. I would say we had a very happy marriage.

We had a wonderful first 10 years. We bought a house in London and everything was great. Rob was building his career and I was supporting him. I was also working but not as hard as him. I was having a lovely time doing up the house, cooking and buying beautiful food. I thought we were blessed.

But then we started trying for a baby. I had been on the contraceptive pill but I came off and I assumed I'd get pregnant quickly.

However, I didn't. For the first year, it wasn't really a concern. I was 35 years old at this point. It hadn't occurred to me that my eggs might have been deteriorating but after a few years of trying, we went to have all the tests, and it turned out I had very few eggs left.

It was a devastating blow. The doctor told us my chance of pregnancy was very low.

I think we were both in shock. We had assumed that we would have at least two children. I was full of sadness and regret and guilt and shame. I believed it was my fault. It was my eggs that were stopping us from having a baby.

It was such a difficult time. We did lots of talking but I think the schism in our marriage started

Dog fight: how a canine custody battle ended up costing £10,000

A couple could not have children so diverted their love to a Labrador - before things fell apart. By Lucy Cavendish

then. I retreated into myself. I found it very hard talk to him. Rob started working harder and longer hours.

We then spent the next few years looking at adopting, fostering, all the options. We went through two rounds of IVF, which was very expensive and also absolutely gruelling. By this time, I was over 40 years old and I knew it just wasn't going to happen. I

got very depressed. I just couldn't get away from the feeling that I was a failure.

Rob and I did talk but we were definitely drifting apart. I know he tried his best to find ways to help me but we just couldn't connect. Then, one day, Rob suggested that maybe we should think about getting a dog, and I immediately felt my mood lift.

We did a tremendous amount

of research and we ended up deciding we wanted to get a golden Labrador. We found responsible breeders and then one day we met tiny little Pumpkin.

I knew immediately he was the puppy for us. He was so calm, even when he was little. He very quickly became completely central to our lives. Everything we did revolved around Pumpkin. We took him on holiday. He slept on our bed. I

---

Pumpkin became central to our lives. Everything revolved around him

walked him every day. He really became the focus of my life. I loved the way that he loved me unconditionally. I love the way he smelled.

I researched what he should eat. I gave him lots of food supplements. He was having a brilliant life. It wasn't that I got to replace my longing for a baby with this dog; it also gave me a social life. I started meeting other people with dogs. I joined a dog-walking group. My life took off.

Meanwhile, Rob and I grew more and more estranged. No one had an affair; we just grew apart. One day we sat down and had a long talk. We agreed that we no longer had anything very much in common and that we wanted to let each other go so that we could explore different options in our lives.

It was very sad. But it was also honest and kind. Back then, whatever I felt about Rob, I always thought he was a good person.

We were friends. Over the period of the next year we started the gradual process of uncoupling. It wasn't very complicated. Rob was very fair. Despite the fact that he'd earned all the money, he said he was happy to split the house 50:50 and to give me a settlement.

At the time, I honestly thought we were having the best break-up ever. But then the issue of who was going to have Pumpkin arose. I had just assumed that Pumpkin would stay with me. After all, I had looked after him. But then one day Rob casually asked how we were going to split looking after Pumpkin.

I was so shocked. It felt as if the rug was pulled out from under my feet. All I could think was I was losing the most important "person" in my life. I couldn't bear the idea of not being with Pumpkin full-time. Our amicable arrangement broke down very soon after that.

Rob moved out. He then hired a lawyer and the next thing I knew I had a letter from the solicitor demanding 50:50 custody of Pumpkin. Apparently, this lawyer specialised in "pet custody" which I didn't even know was a thing at the time.

I then got myself my own lawyer who specialised in pet custody. Letters went back and forth, arguments were made; thousands of pounds were spent. It cost around £30,000 between us in the end. All of our focus and possibly all of our years of pain about not having a baby got placed on to Pumpkin.

In the end, we went to court. The lawyers made their arguments and it concluded with the judge ruling that we had to share Pumpkin. That was a year ago. I now spend half my week with Pumpkin. For the other half, I drive this fully grown dog to the car park of a McDonald's to hand over this animal that I love more than life itself to the person who is now my ex-husband.

It is unbelievably painful. I miss Pumpkin so much. But I often ask myself what I have learnt from this? When I see couples that get a pet together, I want to say to them: talk about what might happen if you split up. I often wonder if we'd had that conversation if we could have been a little bit kinder to each other.

*Names have been changed

NEW! 5:33

OPINION 10:32 TO 39:31

LIFE 38:37

CULTURE 38:31

MOUND 42:46

SPORT 47:20

A NATIONAL 24 AUGUST 2020

35

HEALTH

At 42, I caught a cold and forgot 20 years of my life

What seemed to just be a runny nose turned out to be serious inflammation of the brain, writes Claire Muffett-Reece

It began in 2021 when I caught a common cold. There were the usual symptoms: coughing, a runny nose and generally feeling unwell. I took myself off to bed and, for the next day and a half, refused to get up, sleeping pretty much all day and night. I couldn't even wake to eat. My anxious husband Scott brought me a bowl of soup. I started to cry. "I'm so tired," I told him, then went back to sleep.

The next morning, my life changed for ever. Scott couldn't wake me, so I was rushed to the hospital near our home in Essex, where I began having seizures and was put on a ventilator when they wouldn't stop. At first, doctors believed it could be a brain haemorrhage, but tests ruled that out, and after a week of investigations, they couldn't diagnose me.

I was transferred to the neurological ward of a larger hospital where further tests revealed encephalitis, an often fatal inflammation of the brain. The neurologists said there were many possible causes, such as a reaction to a vaccination, but it was most likely due to my cold and my immune system attacking my brain by mistake.

Even though I was still on a ventilator, the seizing continued, so my family and two boys, then aged 11 and nine, were told to prepare for the worst. But amazingly, after 10 nights on life support and five weeks in hospital, I was discharged, with MRIs showing only the front section of my brain had been damaged.

A recovery plan was meant to take place but didn't. The hospital had accidentally missed me off home assistance to help me walk, talk, feed and dress myself. Scott had to take compassionate leave

from his job to effectively become my stay-at-home nurse.

The burden on him was huge. He had to get up in the middle of the night when I needed to use the loo, as I couldn't bear my own body weight. He had to watch our savings shrink as mortgage payments went out and my income from my freelance editor job stopped dead.

Scott adapted our shower with a seat and helped me wash. Inside I used a walking frame; outside, a wheelchair. I hated both: I'd always been a keen runner.

Five years later, I'm now 47, and my life is back to normal. Except that it isn't.

I have no real independence – encephalitis means I'm now epileptic – so I can no longer drive.

Encephalitis has damaged a part of my brain that stores my memo-

I don't remember my wedding day, the days my children were born, nor our family holidays

ries. I don't remember my wedding day, the days my children were born, nor our family holidays.

While devastating – I have been told that if my memories haven't come back by now, then they're gone for good.

Every day, I wake up to my morning text from Scott saying: "Tablets!" I take my antiseizure meds before Scott messages again. "Please only order Lamotrigine, we have plenty of Levofiractam." I open the NHS app and order both, already forgetting what he said.

I go downstairs to find notes littering the kitchen. "We had risotto last night," says one of my handwrit-

ten scrawls, stuck to the fridge door. I open the freezer and pull out some bolognese, then check to see if we have spaghetti. There are three unopened packets, along with a note stuck to the inside of the cupboard that says: "We don't need any more pasta!" I'll still forget and buy more.

I head upstairs to work from my home office and pass photos of friends I've known for years, two of whom I never see any more.

On my 47th birthday last September, I had a quiet meal with Scott and our two boys.

Before I went to bed, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw one of my former best friends had shared a photo of the whole group, without me in it, with the caption: "Besties forever." That hurt.

My 16-year-old son, Jack, snaps me out of my reverie. "Where's my Xbox controller?" he demands. I confiscated it last night when he refused to turn it off and I've forgotten where I've hidden it. Maybe I wrote a note on my phone... which I can't find anywhere.

I ring Scott's work from my other son's phone and ask him to call my mobile. "I've told you, you can ping it from your watch," Scott says. I can't remember how. "I showed you yesterday," he sighs. I can hear his frustration and I'm instantly furious. One major side effect of encephalitis is a very short temper. I slam down the phone, not before shouting: "I'm not doing this on purpose!"

I'm lucky that I can still do my job – and do it well – thanks to all of the notes I make, which surround me as I sit at my desk. My colleagues are aware of my medical history, and they understand why I email to ask about something they told me over the phone earlier on.

The publisher regularly reassures me I am just as capable as I was before my memory loss and I take great comfort in this.

After work, we finish our spaghetti bolognese leftovers for dinner, my son finds the Xbox controller hidden in our pan cupboard, and I leave myself a note on the fridge door saying: "We had spag hol last night."

I open Netflix and click on The Wolf of Wall Street. "Again! We watched that last week!" sighs Scott, but I can't remember watching it at all. But before my short temper kicks in again, our phone alarms go off.

"Tablets!" says Scott, grabbing them for me. We watch my choice of film because, Scott understands, people with encephalitis crave familiarity – and I've seen this one enough times that I can actually remember the storyline.

Then, we're off to bed, before I wake up the next morning to his medication reminder. It's a bit like Groundhog Day, except that unlike Bill Murray's Phil Connors, I feel I've lost the plot.

Claire with her husband, Scott: doctors say that if certain memories have not already returned, they probably never will. CLAIRE MUFFETT-REECE

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Travel

NEWSP 5-33

OPINION 18-22

TV 26-31

LIFE 34-37

CULTURE 38-41

MONDAY 43-46

SPORT 47-50

7 NATIONAL 24 AUGUST 2020

37

Try Switzerland on a budget

Riding old cable cars and sleeping close to goats is not for everyone – but it can make for great value, discovers Summer Rylander

“Cable car” seemed like a generous term for the contraption that was suspended before me. A blue metal box with space for four (at a squeeze), dangled inside an open-front wooden garage from which a pulley system trailed down the hillside. I had pressed the button to alert the Tüngi family at the bottom that my small hiking group was en route and held my breath as the thing shifted forward.

I had spent that morning hiking from the small town of Engelberg up to the cable car station in Eggendüssli, 4,632ft above sea level. The route up had been a sensory delight of tinkling cowbells, lush meadows peppered with wildflowers, lungfuls of fresh mountain air and the vertiginous peaks of the Uri Alps all around.

More than once I’d had to remind myself to keep my eyes on the trail, lest I roll an ankle gawping at the scenery. That’s Switzerland, though. You can stand in the midst of its landscapes and still be convinced it’s fake.

Roughly 15 minutes and two cable cars later, our group had descended to 1,981ft and trundled safely into the valley station of Mettlen. I took the edge off my adrenaline spike with a half-squashed protein bar I fished out of my bag – my anxiety came more from a fear of unexpected drops than from exposure to heights – and geared up for round two of my Buirâbâhnli Safari.

Engelberg-Titlis Tourism has created a variety of themed hikes and this one – the farmers’ cable car safari – links the region’s scenic trails by way of small cable wagons that were historically used to transport goods to and from farms. While they are still useful for this purpose, today the

cable cars function largely as a cultural touchstone and an additional income for the farmers who keep them operational for hikers.

A Buirâbâhnli pass costs CHF47 (£43) covering single journeys on eight different cars, but one must be careful not to lose it because the paper tickets must be handed directly to the farmers.

Up next was the Spishahn, where I tried (and mostly failed) to parlay my grasp of High German into comprehension of Swiss German, but was nevertheless charmed by Josef Durrer. At a 3,507ft elevation, Spis is the alpine farm where Durrer grew up and his love for the two cable cars he operates – one from Fell to Spis, the other from Spis to Sinagiu – was evident.

You can stand in Switzerland’s landscapes and be convinced it’s fake

“Come,” he said with a grin, waving me into his control room and proudly pointing at a small screen where I watched a red cable car glide into port, depositing the first three of our small group at the top of the hill.

All too soon it was my turn, and once I was back on solid ground I waved an enthusiastic thanks at the camera I knew Durrer was watching from below.

We set off on foot towards Chritzbüttle Bannalp, where we took a break for a fridge-cold beer (CHF8) and the company of curious freerange chickens.

Another hour’s push spent overlooking Bannalp Lake and crossing a lingering snowfield took us to our idyllic accommodation at Alp Oberfeld.

Situated in a meadow at a 6,102ft elevation, flanked by the Nidwalden mountains, this working farm was an alpine dream. It’s operated by the Kâslin fam-

ily, who spend May to October, weather permitting, tending to their 100 goats.

Trudi Kâslin showed us to our newly renovated dormitory room, where a bed cost CHF65

(£60), with breakfast, and comfortably slept six. It was so fresh, in fact, that were it not for the steady shuffle of hooves and bells below I would have had no idea we were sleeping above the goats.

While no shower facilities were available, the flushing toilet was a welcome upgrade from the fragrant, basement-dwelling compost toilets I faced on a previous Swiss hiking excursion in Saas-Fee. Sleep came easily that night, lulled as I was by the goats and my 30,314 step count.

The next morning’s descent via the 6.8-mile Walenpfad trail was an absolute pleasure. Renowned for its beauty (as if the rest of the region is ugly), the Walenpfad was one big panoramic view after another, along a just-right trail that never seemed too steep nor too flat.

Though we had rarely encountered other humans during our Buirâbâhnli Safari, the early portion of the route was shared with countless goats, one of which took such a liking to me I could scarcely rip myself away from her sweet nuzzles to continue in the opposite direction.

My final day in Engelberg called for one more hike, though this one involved no dramatic elevation changes nor hair-raising cable car transfers.

The “Little Patagonia” route

was a gentle half-day outing from Engelberg’s Förenalp station, with a collection of peaks resembling Chilean Patagonia’s Torres del Paine. Adding to the romance of the day was our picnic lunch from Restaurant Förenalp: a backpack loaded with white wine, iced tea, local cheese and sausage, fresh bread, roasted nuts, pickles and homemade almond croissants (CHF77 for two).

The evening finished with beers (from CHF6) and quesadillas with Sbrinz cheese and jalapeño (CHF8) at Ski Lodge’s Brasserie Konrad, proving once again that Switzerland doesn’t have to be a budget buster. For those willing to ride the old rails and sleep among the goats, it’s a real bargain.

Travel essentials

How to get there

Swiss flies from the UK to Zurich. A Swiss Travel Pass (from CHF253 for three days) offers unlimited use of the rail, bus and boat network. Engelberg to Zurich is around two hours by train.

Staying there

Hotel Bellevue-Terminus has doubles with breakfast from CHF 210.

Alp Oberfeld has dorm beds with breakfast, from CHF65.

More information

The writer was a guest of Switzerland Tourism (myswitzerland.com/en-gb) Engelberg-Titlis Tourism (engelberg.chien and Travel Switzerland (swisstravelpass.com)).

There are eight farmers’ cable cars on the Buirâbâhnli ticket; right, Summer on a hike RAINER EDER

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Culture

Quote of the day

Every time, you are vulnerable. I never want to repeat myself and all my films have been on the money

Ridley Scott

The film-maker on the 'randomness' of his output

'I didn't feel empowered being in 'Zoo' – I felt ashamed,' says Keeley Hazell GUY LOWNDES

'I find telling my story quite powerful'

Keeley Hazell was a Page 3 model before turning her hand to acting and comedy. She talks to Sarfraz Manzoor about her life – and 'Ted Lasso'

There was a time around the mid-2000s when Keeley Hazell was a regular on tabloid newspapers' now-extinct Page 3 carousel of topless women. She was even voted the second sexiest woman in the world by FHM magazine. Now, nearly two decades on, she's a comedian, actress and writer who has appeared in Ted Lasso (though not in the part she wanted - more on that later), has written for the series, and has a new Edinburgh Fringe show, Everyone's Seen My Tits, based on her memoir of the same name.

'The nerdy theatre kid in me is just very, very happy,' she tells me. 'There's something about telling my story to an audience that I really find quite powerful.'

It is a heck of a story. Hazell grew up in Grove Park in south-east London where, she writes, 'people sold drugs, got into fights, drank themselves silly and went to jail'.

Her father was a window fitter and her mother worked as a dinner lady. It was a childhood scarred by domestic abuse - her dad would hit her with a wooden metre stick, the metal part of the vacuum cleaner or a belt. If her mum didn't have dinner ready, her dad would grab her by the neck and choke her.

'The violence was absolutely horrific,' Hazell says, 'but also incredibly normalised at the time.' Hazell's parents split up when she was 13, which was when she first had therapy. 'I've been in therapy for most of my life,' she says, and speaking to her, that is pretty evident: she comes across as someone who has spent many hours professionally revisiting her past.

Hazell spent her teenage years skipping school, stealing from shops, getting drunk and setting fire to things. 'I liked watching things burn,' she explains. 'There's something just really joyful about destruction - and also the look of the flames was enchanting.'

When she was 13, Hazell and her friends robbed a pervert taxi driver by stealing his wallet while he masturbated in front of them. 'It was the first penis I had seen,' she says. 'It was quite sad because it really felt like all men wanted was sex, and it was really devastating to have that message confirmed in that way.'

The childhood that Hazell describes is one where the most girls like her could dream of was a job at JD Sports - but that was more due to class than ability. 'I was incredibly nerdy and really loved learning,' Hazell says. 'If I'd had teachers who were able to understand me, and if there had been more stability and less violence at home, that could have been incredibly transformative. I was really curious and opinionated and ambitious - so maybe I could have gone to Oxford.'

Instead, she left school at 16 and started working at a hair salon, where she earned minimum wage shampooing. This was where a customer suggested she enter the Daily Star's 'beach babe' competition, and another friend suggested she enter The Sun's search for a new Page 3 model.

I ask her how it felt to pose topless for the first time. 'It was like a wave of numbness, embarrassment and shame,' she recalls. 'It was not something I wanted to do, but the alternative was to work in a hair salon and never leave this area.'

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NEW 5-33

OPINION 18-22

TV 26-31

LIFE 34-37

CULTURE 38-41

MONKY 43-46

SPORT 47-56

FEBRUARY 24 AUGUST 2020

39

A DETAIL FROM MORNING LIGHT IN POLRUAH BY JENNY AITKEN

Hazell lost out to Juno Temple for the role of former glamour model Keeley in 'Ted Lasso'; inset, Hazell at the première of the show APPLE TV+, AFP

I was curious and opinionated and ambitious – I could have gone to Oxford

Hazell ended up winning The Sun's competition, and that changed her life for ever. "You couldn't open a men's magazine or The Sun newspaper without seeing me semi-naked," she writes in her memoir. "My boobs had gone national."

Her 2007 calendar sold 30,000 copies in its few first days, she was on the cover of FHM, Loaded and Maxim magazines all within the same 12 months, and she was repeatedly voted one of the sexiest women in the world.

The success left Hazell, who was barely in her early twenties, feeling disorientated. "There was a disconnect between the image and who I was," she says. "Zoo and Nuts magazines felt like trash magazines, so I didn't feel empowered by being in them – I felt ashamed."

Still, the money was good. Hazell started buying property and investing in the stock market. "I was thinking about the long game," she says, "so as soon as I started making money, I started to think, 'How can I make my money make money?'"

Hazell was not the only one in her world trying to find ways to make money from her success. An ex-boyfriend, whom she calls Theo in her book, sold a sex tape to The Sport newspaper.

Hazell's boyfriends do not come out well in her memoir. She describes them as violent and jealous and often involved in drug dealing.

"For pretty much everybody that's in the book, I gave them an opportunity to read it," she says, "but with the two ex-boyfriends, I'm not in contact with either of them. With Theo, I would have hoped he could read it and maybe see things now as an adult and understand how his actions caused trauma – but I don't think that's happened, sadly."

Hazell describes the effect of the sex tape as "wiping the chessboard away" – all her plans for how she imagined her career progressing ruined. She fled to Los Angeles and enrolled in acting classes in the hope of establishing an acting career. She secured a few minor roles in Like Crazy and Horrible Bosses, and had a film script optioned, but

despite spending 10 years in LA, failed to get any breakout roles.

Given that she was barely working, how did she afford to live in LA for 10 years? "I had property and investments," she explains, "plus I made a lot of money as a commercial actress – I'd be in an Emirates commercial for two minutes and make 70 grand from it."

One evening, Hazell was lying on her bed doomscrolling on social media and feeling like she had screwed up her life, when a message popped up from the actor and writer Jason Sudeikis – with whom she had worked on Horrible Bosses – asking to meet.

They had dinner and Sudeikis told her he had written a part for her in a new TV show about a football team. The show was called Ted Lasso, and her character was a former glamour model who becomes a sharp, ambitious marketing executive – a character drawn directly from her own life, right down to sharing her name.

Hazell understandably believed that Keeley was a role she was born to play, and that winning the role would go on to change her life. In the end, it went to Juno Temple. Hazell was offered the smaller role of Bex instead. Ted Lasso would go on to become a huge critical and commercial success, and Temple has been nominated for three Emmys.

It must be unimaginably galling to see someone else be praised playing a character that is not only based on you but even has your name.

"It's a complete mind-f**k," she says, "especially as the show rendered immense amounts of success for the actress that plays Keeley – it changed her life. It needs a lot of therapy and I've had a lot for it."

Still, Hazell acts in Ted Lasso and is also a staff writer on the series. She would also ideally like her own television show.

She's not yet sure if Everyone's Seen My Tits will have a life after Edinburgh – "It depends on how well it goes and how I feel at the end of the run" – but she is proud that the show finally allows her to reclaim her story and her name.

"This is the version of me that I'm choosing to put forward, and not somebody else's idea of me" she says. "I'm finally playing myself."

Keeley Hazell's 'Everyone's Seen My Tits' is at Pleasance Courtyard in Edinburgh, ending Saturday

The Culture Matrix

The arts at a glance

culture.matrix@theipaper.com

Visual art

Marine artists embark on annual show

The Royal Society of Marine Artists' annual exhibition, held at London's Mall Galleries, is a major showcase for maritime art – a genre of special significance to an island nation whose frontiers lie where the sea begins.

Marine art covers a diverse range of subjects, so the society's members

always present a wide variety of work. Their common ground is the sea: whatever is on and beneath it.

This year's event runs from 16 to 26 September, from 10am to 5pm daily. Admission is £7, or free for under-25s, and no booking is required. shorturl.at/6PUrQ

On stage

August: Osage County Noël Coward Theatre, London, 18 January to 10 April 2027 Tracy Letts's award-winning play – a darkly funny family drama set in Oklahoma – is to be revived with Lesley Manville (below left) as the fearsome, pill-addicted matriarch Violet Weston and Anna Maxwell Martin as her eldest daughter noelcowardtheatre.co.uk

Book now

The Big London Tattoo Show Excel London, 4 to 6 September The UK's largest tattoo convention returns for a fifth year: bringing together 500 artists from around the world, each with their own mini studio. Techniques range from traditional Japanese tebon and Filipino bobs to modern styles such as blackout and chrome tattoos. biglondontattooshow.com

Coming soon

The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival Colne, Lancashire, 28 to 30 August Now in its 35th year, this event will host 50 artists playing R&B, roots, Americana and soul. Headliners include US icon Walter Trout (below), who will also lead a tribute to the late British bluesman John Mayall. bluefestival.co.uk

Albums of the week... Dance

Sunshine Jungle

2000 The trio of J Lloyd, Tom McFarland and Lydia Kitts follow the success of Volcano, which brought them a Brit award and the hit 'Back On 3s,' with an album that continues to refine their joyful blend of soul, funk and modern pop. Balancing tight songwriting with their signature rhythmic flow, and led by the single 'Carry On', the album expands on the confident, widescreen sound that has propelled them on to the global stage. Caiola

What Are The Odds Jorja Smith

The Walsall-born singer-songwriter's dancefloor-friendly third LP blends UK garage, grime, two-step, funky house, soulful house and Afro house, with a fast-moving set of tracks to make you move (they rarely drop below 140 beats per minute). Featuring production from P2J and collaborations with Afrobeat star Vitzkid and grime icon Devlin, Smith captures the energy of clubs, summer drives and late-night journeys. FAMM

Channel hopping

Conan O'Brien Must Go HBO Max, streaming now The US chat show host returns with a third series of his award-winning travelogue, meeting fans in person after previously featuring them via video calls in his podcast series. The four new episodes take him to India (left) the Netherlands, Morocco and the Philippines.

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Culture

NEW! 3:33

OPINION 18:22

TV 25:31

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CULTURE 38:41

MONET 43:46

SPORT 47:56

TEMPORARY 24 AUGUST 2020

41

After 50 years, The Cure's power has not faded

REVIEW

Joe Goggins

Robert Smith pauses only once. The Cure's two-hour-plus set is laden with hits, but it's after "Just Like Heaven" that he chooses to have a rare word with the crowd. "I like hearing people sing the words back. Makes me think I could get away with stopping, if I wanted."

But there's no suggestion that he might follow through on that in front of 30,000 people in suburban south Manchester – his band's biggest-ever show in the city by a distance. This is only The Cure's fourth UK gig since they released Songs of a Lost World in 2024 – their first new album in 16 years, and one of their best, if the raft of five-star reviews are anything to go by. On stage is where the band

really come to life, though, playing sets like Friday night's: epic affairs that please everybody, finding room for everything from the obscure ("Secrets", the heartbreaking 90s deep cut "Treasure") to indie classics ("Friday I'm in Love", "The Lovecats").

This has been their modus operandi for years, but only recently has it made them consumer champions, with Smith railing against Ticketmaster on their last US tour and succeeding in stripping away dynamic pricing, banning marked-up resales and ensuring that the cheapest tickets were available at an inflation-busting rate of $20.

Similar measures were in place tonight: tickets sold at more than face value were cancelled, the most expensive T-shirt at the merch stand cost £25.

The £77.50 price of admission earned you not only two hours of The Cure, but also an opening hour of Slowdive, the once-forgotten Reading shoegazers who remain on the upward curve of one of the great indie rock comeback stories.

Similarly, The Cure themselves are more peak-of-their-powers than part of the furniture. A typically lengthy set provides a

Robert Smith leads an epic set of classics and experiments: CARDE HALL

platform for experimentation: in amongst more pointed hits like "Fascination Street", which still swirls with portent, and the ever-atmospheric "A Forest", there's room for the forgotten likes of "alt.end", a nimble, hook-driven slice of pop-rock, and the breezy uptempo "Mint Car", which somehow didn't become one of the band's staple classics on release in 1996.

That track forms part of an encore that would be worth the

price of admission on its own, a 45-minute salvo of indie disco classics like "Lullaby", "Close to Me", and to close, the evergreen "Boys Don't Cry".

The Cure are a long way removed from Oasis and yet there is something they have in common with them: you can't not notice how genuinely multi-generational the crowd is. It stretches from an old guard who probably caught the group playing across town at the Apollo

The encore is worth the price of admission on its own

in the 80s to a sizeable new cohort of teenagers who might have found their way to the group through any number of routes, whether it be the goth-pop revival that Phoebe Bridgers is spearheading or the fact that the band are such an indelible influence on Gen Z's biggest star.

They speak to emotional tumult and agonised introspection as well as any hand ever has, and Smith remains the perfect icon for it. They bookend the main set with the opening and closing tracks from Songs from a Lost World, "Alone" and "Endsong", tracks on which the 67-year-old Smith poignantly reckons with his advancing years.

It's that kind of relatability that confirms The Cure as the people's band every bit as much as how accessible they make themselves, fighting for fair pricing where so many of the peers look the other way. Few bands feel this vital.

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Motives & Business

Quote of the day

At a critical time for the UK projects can be built quickly, strengthening our energy security and reducing our exposure to volatile global gas prices

Tara Singh Renewable UK's chief executive on a 10-year high for onshore wind farm applications in England

@theipaper business@theipaper.com

ENERGY

Households 'will need more help with bills', MPs warned

By Henry Baker-Clark

The Government is being urged to provide more support for households most in need this winter, with energy bills set to hit a three-year high.

A further 4 per cent energy price cap rise is expected to be confirmed by the regulator Olgem on Wednesday, covering the three months from October to December.

Industry body Energy UK said that some households would need "emergency support" over and above the existing £150 warm home discount.

With bills having remained stubbornly high over the past few years, the latest price cap rise would mean 33 million households in England, Scotland and Wales would now be paying the most for their annual gas and electricity since July 2023 – an average of £1,941, up from £1,862.

Despite the figure being £45 less on average than what it would have been after the Government proposed the removal of VAT from electricity bills, Energy UK said a "better targeted" support scheme is needed.

It said that the recent spike in global wholesale energy prices due to the continued conflict in the Middle East had more than offset the downward effect of the VAT policy. This had been exacerbated by soaring air conditioning and cooling demand amid the recent heatwaves, it added.

With suppliers having a range of support measures for customers, including debt write-off and hardship schemes, as well as enhanced funding to charity partners, Energy UK has proposed that these be combined with Government information

Complaints taken on by the Energy Ombudsman surged by 16 per cent to 46,532 in the first half of this year, up from 40,068 in the same period in 2025. It was the first half-year rise in complaints since 2023. Billing made up 58 per cent of disputes – 15 per cent higher year-on-year at 27,006 – while smart meter complaints were up 6 per cent at 4,817.

on customers' income, health and energy consumption.

It claims this would enable a new scheme to be created that could target adjustable support and respond to changing needs and price levels.

The cost would be £1.9bn – nearly double that of the existing scheme – but could offer £450 in support to some households, it claimed.

A Government spokesman said: "Tackling the cost of living remains a key priority for us – we know families will be worried by the prospect of higher energy bills this winter.

"Aside from the VAT cut on bills, we have ensured that around six million households will get the £150 warm home discount this winter. We are working to support rapid de-escalation in the Middle East and are continuing to do everything we can to shield consumers from global energy shocks and bring down bills for good."

But Energy UK's chief executive, Dhara Vyas, said: "Too many households continue to feel the strain of high energy bills. Instead of relying on stop-gap, ad hoc or emergency

Dhara Vyas says a new £1.9bn scheme could save up to £450 on energy bills

measures, we need a better, targeted and more permanent way to give people confidence that they'll get help when they most need it."

Olgem reported at the end of last winter that customers who had fallen behind on their energy bills owed suppliers a record £4.7bn.

Vyas added: "Suppliers continue to do all they can... but record levels of debt show how the system is failing to provide the right support."

The energy price cap fixes the maximum amount customers on standard variable tariffs can be charged for each unit of gas and electricity used, but actual bills depend on the amount of energy used and how it is paid for.

Sales are up but battery health is 'probably the single biggest unanswered question for used EV buyers' GETTY

AUTOMOTIVE

Call to bring in used EV car battery certificates

By Neil Lancefield

Ministers are being urged to force used car dealers to provide independent battery health assessments when selling EVs.

Three leading EV bodies issued the plea, stating the £30 certificates, which could be incorporated into the MOT process, would provide a major confidence boost for car buyers.

They described anxiety over battery condition as one of the biggest remaining barriers to mainstream EV adoption – despite each being sold with an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty.

Electrifying.com, New AutoMotive and BatteryIQ argue

that modern EV batteries last far longer than many consumers believe, adding: "The real problem is not battery health itself, but the lack of clear, independent information available when a vehicle is sold."

Electrifying.com founder Ginny Buckley said: "Consumers are being asked to make one of the biggest purchases of their lives without one of the most important pieces of information.

"It's not enough to dismiss the concerns about battery life – we need to address them."

New AutoMotive chief executive Ben Nelmes added: "The Government has done a good job creating a strong supply of

second-hand EVs, but the challenge now is to stimulate demand. This would be a practical, proportionate reform that would strengthen consumer confidence without requiring expensive subsidy schemes."

And BatteryIQ founder Nick Bailey said battery health was "probably the single biggest unanswered question for used EV buyers, yet one of the easiest things to measure accurately".

Four out of five car sales in the UK involve used vehicles. The latest used EV quarterly sales in the UK soared by 67 per cent year on year to 110,761 units, driven by fuel price increases caused by the Middle East conflict.

ECONOMY

Productivity 'rising across UK' despite official figures

By Alan Jones

Productivity has been improving in recent years despite official figures showing it that is has fallen, the Resolution Foundation has claimed.

Its report said output per hour had risen by 1.1 per cent on average over the past two years, despite official statistics recording a 0.2 per cent fall.

The think-task said it had produced an alternative measure of productivity, using payroll data and tax returns from self-employment, with the outcome showing a "very different" picture across Britain.

Simon Pittaway, principal economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: "Britain's dismal productivity record since the global financial crisis explains a lot of its economic stagnation and weak living standards growth.

"But while official figures suggest that the output of workers has worsened further in the mid-2020s, our more accurate productivity measure suggests that it has been improving in recent years.

"Some have suggested that recent productivity gains have been driven by an early AI boom, with workers having left low-productivity sectors such as retail and hospitality.

"But nether explanation is borne out by the data. Instead, the UK's productivity recovery has been achieved by the same workers, doing the same jobs, working in the same sectors."

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NEW! 5-33

OPINION 10-22

TV 25-31

LIFE 34-37

CULTURE 38-41

MOVIES 42-46

SPORT 67-70

IMAGINALLY 24 AUGUST 2026

43

PERSONAL FINANCE

I'm already investing for my son, but government plans worry me

Cutting the annual tax-free amount for cash ISAs may put off some people from saving, says Ruth Davidson

I've never considered that buying stocks and shares is equatable to swinging through the wall of a fine art auction. Lastly, a giant bell, but that's what one of the UK's largest investment platforms is trying to promote.

AJ Bell's current advertising campaign is all over television, radio and streaming services, to the point I've found myself silly humming its soundtrack – Anita Ward's 1979 disco anthem 'Ring My Bell'.

It shows a collection of cartoonish rich snobs, engaging in activities such as clay pigeon shooting. Fabergé eggs off a luxury yacht, telling the audience that investing is only for people like them.

'Ordinary' men and women then crash the scenes on bells representing the democratisation of share ownership, while the tagline 'investing is for everyone' is reassuringly inclusive.

While this particular advert is the one lodged in my brain, in the last month I have also noticed Hargreaves Lansdown's glossy TV offering, promoting its easy-to-use phone app alongside others from Flagstone, e-Toro and digital investment platform, Bitpanda.

It seems odd – given purchasing power in the UK has stagnated at 2006 levels and the Prime Minister is on a listening tour to hear how difficult it is to make ends meet – that we see wall-to-wall promotion of investing which still feels like a luxury for those with 'spare' cash.

But my bet is there's still a lot more to come.

Changes the Government is introducing are explicitly designed to penalise cash savings and push an estimated 10 million savers towards the stock market instead.

The advertising giant, M&C Saatchi, is running the Treasury's £10m 'Invest for the Future' campaign – including the creation of a cute, non-threatening mascot called Savvy the Squares.

After a soft launch in the spring, including digital adverts and branded taxis, an expansion of broader-based TV ads is slated to run from autumn through to the implementation of the changes in April.

Now, I should probably declare an interest here. I opened a Junior ISA when my son was born and a small direct debit goes in every month and is invested directly into a fund with a focus on UK companies.

In order not to put all my son's

eggs in one basket, any top-up money I deposit is shared between three other emerging markets: funds run by three different investment firms.

My own savings are also in an ISA which automatically collects a small weekly amount along with a larger 'payday boost' on the first of every calendar month. It has a 'round-up' feature linked to a bank account, depositing the pennies that would take you up to the next pound.

At the time of writing, I have 17 different lines of investments – seven in managed funds, six in individual companies' stock, two different flavours of government bonds and one line following the spot price of physical gold.

If any of this makes me sound like Scrooge McDuck diving into mountains of coins of an evening, nothing could be further from the truth. I save a tiny fraction of my tax-free allowance of £9,000 per year in the Junior ISA or £20,000

Lord help politicians if after directing people to invest there is.. adjustment that hits their pot

per year in my own. But as long as I am saving something, it all adds up.

I have no problem with investing instead of keeping cash, indeed that is my own preferred choice of security. However, I am uneasy with the planned government changes.

Not everyone has the risk appetite to invest. Many savers like the reliability of cash. So slashing the tax-free amount that can be saved each year in a cash ISA from £20,000 to £12,000 seems to discourage the sort of virtuous behaviour governments have previously encouraged.

Meanwhile, the plan to tax any cash held in a stocks and shares ISA at 32 per cent seems mean-spirited and a bit of a cash-grab.

Lord help the politicians if, after directing people from saving to investing, there is any type of market adjustment that hits their pot. While plenty of ISA providers will be flooding the airways to grab their share of switchers, even they seem sceptical of the changes.

Michael Summersgill, AJ Bell's

chief executive, wrote to former chancellor Rachel Reeves in January to say the changes would have 'wide-ranging consequences' and 'are doomed to fail in their aim of encouraging more people to invest for the long term'.

He added that they 'represent a significant backward step for a product whose success has been largely down to its relative simplicity'.

And I guess that's the issue – the idea behind ISAs was to get people to save more and better support themselves. But the idea behind the changes is to get people to invest more, to better support the Government.

In a country where financial literacy falls way below that of the US or Australia, most Brits have cottoned on to the fact ISAs are a good place to put your savings.

The Government may regret trying to over-engineer consumer choice. With or without a squirrel mascot telling you what to do.

Ruth Davidson is a former leader of the Scottish Conservative Party

EMPLOYMENT

Young people on lookout for 'AI-proof' jobs

By Anna Wise

Young people are increasingly showing interest in 'AI-proof' trade jobs while employers are placing more weight on interpersonal skills, bosses have said.

Jambu Palaniappan, chief executive of Checkatrade, said tradespeople were typically older, with a large proportion over the age of 50, while there have been fewer younger people entering the industry.

'That's changing now, where people are really interested in an AI-proof job, and I think the trades industry will really benefit from that,' Palaniappan said.

'There is clearly more openness to pursuing skills-based and vocational training and apprenticeships to support those careers. It's not just about 'university or nothing'.

'We see a lot of ambition among young people in terms of entering the industry, but I think what's missing a little bit is connecting the dots with the actual opportunities.'

Checkatrade's recent survey found that 48 per cent of young people, aged between 16 and 25, were considering a trade career, but only 12 per cent of trade businesses took on an apprentice last year.

It comes as the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, recently unveiled plans for new technical education routes for 14-year-olds in an effort to tackle youth unemployment.

EMPLOYMENT

Vacancies fall for first time in four months

By Alan Jones

Vacancies for jobs in travel, teaching, construction and manufacturing have increased in recent weeks, but sectors including healthcare, nursing, hospitality and logistics are posting fewer vacancies, research has shown.

Adzuna said the total number of job vacancies across the UK had fallen last month for the first time in four months in a sign that the recovery that had started in the spring had now gone into reverse.

Andrew Hunter of Adzuna said: 'July's numbers are a step backwards, not a blip. The annual vacancy decline is now worse for the first time since January, and (the number of) jobseekers per vacancy is higher than a year ago.

'The graduate job market also keeps setting new lows, which tells us that employers still haven't found a reason to open up hiring at that level.

'It isn't all bad news. Teaching, travel and trade and construction are still adding roles, and manufacturing is now doing the same too.

'But that's a short list, and everyone outside of these sectors is having a harder time than they were three months ago.'

---

44

BUSINESS

FTSE 100 up 0.62% at 10,816.56

• last week's changes

Company	Price	Wk +/- %	Yield	P/E
31 Group	2691.0	-1.81%	2.9	5.4
Alberdeen Group	242.0	-1.06%	6.0	11.2
AB Foods	2061.0	+0.44%	3.1	14.6
Admiral	1076.0	+1.12%	3.6	16.5
Avril/Allrose	327.2	-0.81%	1.6	24.0
Alliance Writon	1370.0	-1.23%	2.1	74.1
Anglo Amer	4387.0	+5.64%	0.7	16.8
Amiraquaria	3925.0	+9.93%	1.5	25.5
AviraZeneca	12240.0	+0.81%	2.0	25.3
Autotrader Group	549.8	-1.33%	2.1	10.0
Aviva	717.2	-1.29%	5.6	26.7
Balconik Intl	1156.5	-7.40%	0.7	26.2
B&E Systems	2128.0	-5.85%	1.8	30.9
Barclays	452.6	-5.36%	2.3	11.2
Barnett Bedrose	312.4	-4.36%	0.5	23.0
Beasley	1286.0	+0.27%	1.9	11.4
BP	1451.5	+0.04%	0.5
British Tobacco	4131.0	-1.97%	5.9	11.8
British Land	428.8	-2.01%	5.4	9.4
BT	203.8	-1.80%	4.1	10.5
Butel	2754.0	-0.14%	2.7	19.5
Burberry	1069.5	-0.93%
Castrine	153.9	-1.31%	2.7	102.6
Coca-Cola/Europea	7910.0	-0.32%	2.2
Coca-Cola/Mkt	4544.0	-1.35%	2.3	20.5
Compass	1270.2	-4.06%	2.2	28.1
Comps/Carrot	5085.0	+1.50%	1.5	34.7
Convolus	228.0	-1.57%	2.5	35.8
Croda Intl	3433.0	-5.57%	3.2	77.3
DCC Energy	6370.0	+0.16%	3.4
Diapex	1715.0	-2.55%	2.1	30.0
Diploma	7030.0	-2.31%	0.9	52.2
Embarrinal Mining	4985.0	+13.84%	2.8	22.8
Entain	537.6	-3.52%	3.7	5.2
Experian	2949.0	+2.04%	1.8	24.4
F&C Inv Trust	341.0	-0.99%	1.2	75.9
Freonlife	3219.0	+11.77%	3.5	23.4

Company	Price	Wk +/- %	Yield	P/E
Games Marine	18660.0	-2.35%	3.1	29.9
Glencore	596.8	+6.73%	2.1
GSK	1910.0	+5.06%	3.6	13.6
Hebron	363.1	+2.11%	2.0	19.5
Halma	3510.0	-4.77%	0.7	35.6
Hiscoe	1795.0	-5	2.2	13.5
Houston Jockey	798.0	-3.51%	2.8	26.2
H&W/Philip	1518.4	-3.62%	3.6	17.1
IAG	422.9	-4.64%	1.6	8.9
ICE	2016.0	-2.14%	4.3	12.1
IC Group	1334.0	-2.13%	3.2	9.2
IBM	3054.0	-0.70%	1.2	24.6
Imperial Brands	2501.0	-4.08%	0.7	33.0
Informa	900.8	-2.70%	2.5
JetLand Mkt	11703.2	-0.14%	1.2	12.5
Intertek	5845.0	+0.04%	2.8	26.8
Jamaica	637.0	-0.56%	6.0	8.3
JD Sports Fashion	64.5	-8.53%	1.4	8.8
Kingfisher	321.3	-5.71%	3.9	22.9
Land Serv	6873.0	-2.58%	6.0	14.9
Logist & Gen	384.0	-6.89%	7.7	26.4
Lion Finance	13090.0	-3.51%	2.4	9.2
Lloyds Bn Sp	111.2	-3.43%	3.6	10.9
Landmarkets Prop	1161.0	-0.52%	6.0	14.8
Lon Stock Ex	3662.0	-0.77%	1.8	36.1
M&G	348.5	-2.64%	5.9	27.5
M&S	382.5	-0.16%	1.1	30.1
Matinee Intl	470.3	-4.88%	1.6	10.2
Molten Energy	4151.8	-1.50%	2.1	12.0
National Grid	1171.0	-1.89%	4.1	17.9
NatWest Group	683.8	-3.39%	5.1	12.8
Nest	15285.0	+0.20%	1.8	20.1
Pearson	1195.5	-0.13%	2.1	23.5
Pershing Square	3533.0	-0.56%	1.4	3.8
Performance	1151.5	-2.99%	5.2	12.9
Polar CapTech	6265.5	-5.26%		361.3
Prudential	1028.0	+0.29%	1.9	9.1

Company	Price	Wk +/- %	Yield	P/E
Beckitt Bros	5142.0	+0.55%	4.2	11.0
BELK	2612.0	+3.40%	2.6	23.2
Beckitt/Initial	344.2	-1.97%	2.7	25.2
Bio Tests	7648.0	+8.34%	4.5	17.0
Balti-Royce	1502.2	-2.92%	0.7	21.6
Balmberyl/LB	333.5	-2.97%	4.1	15.3
Schroders	584.0	+0.17%	3.6	17.1
Scot Mart Inv-Tot	1464.0	+1.90%	0.3
Sigim	957.4	0.35%	3.5	23.5
Severe Trust	3114.0	+0.78%	4.0	25.2
Shell	3404.0	+2.70%	4.4	15.3
Smith&Hugh	1085.5	-2.42%	2.7	20.2
Smiths Sp	2600.0	0.50%	1.8	30.3
Spirax Group	7580.0	+0.57%	2.4	31.8
SSS	2188.0	-1.81%	2.9	32.6
Stan Chart	2361.0	-2.57%	2.4	15.1
Standard Life	920.5	0.70%	6.0	159.4
SI James's Place	1188.0	+0.68%	1.5	11.9
Trevo	437.2	0.70%	3.2	16.8
The Cape City	1058.0	+3.54%	2.0	29.1
Trina Big Bee	358.4	-1.81%	5.2	11.0
Unilever	4681.0	+1.90%	3.5	12.6
United Utilities	1424.0	+0.85%	3.8	16.5
Waldone	117.2	-3.62%	3.4	60.9
Walt	2416.0	+1.70%	1.5	29.4
Whitbread	2424.0	-2.26%	4.0	15.7

Data provided by ICE www.ice.com/cisk

ICE Data Services, Level 1, 2-4, Bancroft, Rose Street, Intersender Square, London, EC4M 7QQ

Markets

FTSE 100	10816.6	+0.62%
FTSE 250	24718.8	-0.60%
FTSE All Share	5832.6	+0.47%
FTSE Eurofirst300	2614.7	-0.52%
Dow Jones *	53191.0	-1.01%
S&P 500 *	7682.7	-1.32%
Nasdaq *	26236.51	-1.32%
DAX	26136.6	-1.15%
CAC 40	8484.4	-1.76%
Hang Seng	26009.5	+3.55%
Nikkei	66016.4	-3.93%

ENVIRONMENT

Biodegradable balloon created

The first fully biodegradable party balloon - "Bioloon" - has been co-developed at Imperial College in London by student Juliana Cumming (left). Blending natural latex with a biodegradable polymer, she avoided toxic additives to ensure that it would break down safely into biomass within nine months in soil or water.

PROPERTY

Price rises vary in commuter zones

Average house prices in commuter hot spots in more affordable parts of the UK are rising at a faster rate than those in some pricier areas, Rightmove has said. Glasgow (2.9 per cent annual rise to £191,530) and Manchester (1.8 per cent to £261,212) lead the way, with London (3.1 per cent fall to £646,451) trailing the field.

FOOD & DRINK

Domino's to hire 5,000 more staff

Domino's is to recruit 5,000 new workers in the next few months. Jobs "with career progression opportunities" will be created for in-store staff and delivery drivers at the pizza chain's 1,400 UK and Ireland stores before Christmas, the firm said, adding that nine in 10 of its store managers had started out in these positions.

FRAUD

£101m stolen in bank transactions

Report Fraud has recorded 3,657 cases of people being persuaded to pay into the wrong bank account in the past year, costing victims £101m. In one conveyancing case, a subset of this type of scam, a homebuyer transferred the entire £300,000 purchase price to the wrong account. Renting and probate transactions were also targeted.

TECHNOLOGY

AI chip servers increase in price

Nvidia has told customers that prices of servers containing its AI chips are to rise by more than 15 per cent due to soaring costs. The price hikes will go into effect on systems shipped early next year and will impact systems including those with Nvidia's flagship Vera Rubin and Grace Blackwell chips.

TRANSPORT

Community split over heritage line

Plans to reintroduce commuter train services to a rural town using heritage tracks have split a community. The Severn Valley Railway is trialling services on its three-and-a-half mile West Mallinah track from Bewdley to Kidderminster, securing extra revenue for the cash-strapped line. But purists are determined to preserve it as steam travel.

CRIME

Impersonation scams on rise

Impersonation scam victims lost £3,516 on average in the past year, marking a 10 per cent increase compared with a typical loss of £3,200 a year earlier, according to Lloyds Bank. One person lost £188,000 to a police impersonation scam, the bank said. Scams often start with a phone call, text, email or social media message, it added.

FINANCE

Summer's end prompts reviews

More than a quarter (27 per cent) of parents say the back-to-school period after the summer holidays prompts them to review their finances, research from Aviva has found. The most popular triggers to so are receiving a pay rise or bonus (39 per cent), when interest rates change (35 per cent) and the end of the tax year (34 per cent).

RETAIL

Morrisons' prices to match rivals

Morrisons has pledged not to be beaten on price by its five biggest rivals on more than 500 of its everyday products. The group, which runs around 500 supermarkets and 1,700 convenience shops, is behind Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Lidl and Asda in market share. Last week it was revealed Morrisons shed almost 5,000 jobs last year.

EMPLOYMENT

Poor transport links affect jobs

Poor public transport links are affecting the job prospects of people, especially those who rely on buses, a survey of 3,000 people by bus operator Metroline has found. One in 10 said they had turned down or quit a job because it was too hard to get to, rising to 14 per cent for those relying on buses.

---

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46

Weath

Today's Weather

The UK enjoys clear skies and sunshine, with fair weather across most regions. Cloudy spells in south-west England, sunny in Scotland.

Around Britain

City	Temp (per summer)		Rain (mm)	Sun (mm)
Abendson	16	C	0.1	5.0
Abonyarth	17	S	0.0	12.9
Aborsalmyth	17	S	0.0	12.9
Avornons	18	C	0.1	4.2
Belfast	17	C	0.0	6.2
Birmingham	20	S	0.0	9.9
Bearnemouth	20	C	0.0	10.3
Bridlington	19	C	0.0	10.3
Bristol	22	S	0.0	11.6
Cardiff	23	S	0.0	12.2
Cromer	18	S	0.0	10.3
Dunham	18	C	0.0	8.9
Eastbourne	20	C	0.0	9.5
Edinburgh	17	C	0.0	9.7
Eskidgemuir	16	C	0.0	8.4
Glasgow	17	C	0.0	7.2
Holwood	16	C	0.0	10.6
Hoos	19	C	0.0	10.6
Hull	21	C	0.0	8.2
Huntingdon	22	C	0.0	9.8
Ipswich	21	C	0.0	9.0
Isle of Man	16	C	0.1	13.1
Isle of Slight	20	C	0.0	10.2
Kirkishkese	14	C	2.9	7.3
Kirkwall	15	C	1.0	2.9
Leeds	18	C	0.0	9.6
Lerwick	15	C	0.8	2.6
Lewtham	17	C	0.0	5.7
Lincoln	20	S	0.0	8.7
Liverpool	18	C	0.0	10.7
London	23	C	0.0	10.6
Manchester	18	C	0.0	10.0
Margate	19	S	0.1	10.4
Milford House	20	S	0.0	13.5
Monroeville	15	S	0.0	13.5
Newcastle	19	C	0.0	8.6
Norwich	20	C	0.0	8.5
Nottingham	19	S	0.0	8.8
Shelwimpton	20	C	0.0	9.4
Oxford	21	C	0.0	10.1
Plymouth	21	C	0.0	9.0
Portland	19	C	0.0	14.9
Portsmouth	19	C	0.0	14.5
Prestwick	17	C	0.0	8.8
Rhyl	17	C	0.0	10.2
Sheffield	17	S	0.0	9.9
Shrensbury	19	S	0.0	10.2
Shepness	18	S	0.0	8.9
Southend	21	C	0.0	9.3
Stoke	18	S	0.0	10.9
Spartaway	18	C	0.2	2.6
Swansea	20	S	0.0	13.1
Times	16	C	0.0	4.6

Global

City	Temp (in °C)	Cond	City	Temp (in °C)	Cond
Abu Dhabi	44	S	Miami	34	S
Abuja	26	TH	Milan	27	S
Alcanete	10	F	Moscow	19	S
Amsterdam	19	C	Mumbai	34	SH
Athens	24	S	Munich	20	S
Bangkok	30	C	New York	23	C
Barcelona	26	S	Nice	28	S
Beijing	39	TH	Palma	33	S
Berlin	17	SH	Paris	22	S
Brussels	18	F	Prague	18	F
Budapest	25	S	Rockpark	10	SH
Chicago	27	S	Ria	21	F
Delhi	27	S	Rome	32	S
Dubai	44	F	Stockholm	21	SH
Dublin	17	F	Strasbourg	23	F
Frankfurt	19	F	Sydney	20	F
Geneva	22	S	Toronto	27	S
Helsinki	15	DR	Tokyo	30	F
Hong Kong	31	F	Toronto	24	C
Istanbul	26	S	Vancouver	21	F
Johannesburg	25	S	Vienna	24	F
Leiden	21	TH	Vienna	18	S
Los Angeles	27	F	Washington	23	C
Madrid	29	F	Wellington	18	S

Key: C=Cloudy, DR=Dream.

FuFair, FS=Fig, HoNet, MoBot, RuBox, S=Sunny, SH=Shower, SL=Slant, SN=Snow, SS=Sandstorm, TH=Thunderstorm.

Air Pollution

Index

Region	Today	Tomorrow
Highlands	2	2
North East Scotland	2	2
Central Scotland	2	2
Scottish Borders	2	2
Northern Ireland	2	2
North West & Norway	2	2
North East	2	2
Isractions & Humber	3	2
North Wales	2	2
West Midlands	3	2
East Midlands	3	2
South Wales	3	2
South West	3	2
South East	3	2
Eastern	3	2
Greater London	3	2

GENERAL SITUATION Today, high pressure influences the UK bringing predominantly dry and sunny conditions. Scotland, Wales, and central regions will see clear skies and sunshine throughout the day, with light winds from the east. Cloudier conditions will prevail in north-west and north-east Scotland, south-east England, south-west England, and south Wales, remaining dry. The Channel Islands will experience rain and cloudiness.

London, SE Eng, East Anglia, Channel Is: The morning is forecast to begin fair and sunny. Through the afternoon, some cloud will gather, though sunny spells persist

By evening, conditions remain largely settled, with a gentle easterly breeze. In the most western areas, expect more cloud cover and a touch of rain, making it breezier. Max temp 23°C. Tonight, light rain, breezy. Min temp 10°C. Con S England, SW England, Midlands, S Wales, N Wales: The morning starts mostly cloudy with sunny spells, especially in southern parts. In the afternoon, clear skies and sunshine will prevail, notably in central regions. By evening, cloud cover increases in western areas, with temperatures dropping slightly. Gentle easterly winds throughout. Max temp 24°C. Tonight, windy with showers. Min temp 10°C.

SE Scotland, NE Eng, E Eng: The morning is forecast to begin fair and sunny with mild temperatures. As we move into the afternoon, the pleasant weather continues, with a gentle south-easterly breeze. By evening, the skies remain mostly clear, with temperatures staying comfortably warm and no threat of rain or sight. Max temp 24°C. Tonight, clear and chilly. Min temp 10°C. NW Eng, SW Scotland, N/indand, Republic of Ireland, loM: The morning is forecast to begin with clear skies and sunshine across many parts, and these settled conditions will continue throughout the afternoon. In the most northern

parts, temperatures will be quite mild, and as evening approaches, skies remain clear with light easterly winds. Max temp 23°C. Tonight, rain easing, breezy. Min temp 9°C. NW Scotland, NE Scotland, W Isles, N Isles: The morning will begin mostly cloudy with sunny spells. This pattern continues into the afternoon, with fairer and sunny conditions in the western areas. By evening, cloud cover will increase, especially in the east. Winds will be light from the south-east, with mild temperatures throughout the day. Max temp 20°C. Tonight, light rain, breezy. Min temp 10°C.

Key: 1024

Isolons: air pressure

in millibars

4

Warm front

4

Cold front

4

Occluded front

SYNOPTIC PRESSURE A high-pressure system extends across the UK, anchored over the Northern Isles, maintaining settled conditions with widespread sunshine. Meanwhile, a weak low pressure near the Channel Islands brings rain to the area, with associated cloudiness affecting south-east and south-west England and south Wales.

HIGHS AND LOWS

(Saturday, up to 15pm)

Warmest: Rapp-On-Wye,

Horstonshire, 24°C

Coldest: Breamier

Aberdeenshire, 0°C

Wetlast: Thick

Dentighshire, 9.0Gmm

Sunniset: Locombs,

Somerset, 12.4hrs

HOURS OF DARKNESS

Aberdeen	20.28-15.56
Birmingham	20.13-06.06
Bristol	20.14-06.11
Cardiff	20.16-06.13
Glasgow	20.31-06.07
Hull	20.10-05.57
Inverness	20.36-06.01
Liverpool	20.20-06.08
London	20.04-06.02
Manchester	20.17-06.05
Sturmsway	20.47-06.09
Swansea	20.19-06.16
York	20.14-06.00

Five-day outlook

TUESDAY Mostly cloudy with sunny spells across the UK, eastern regions may experience occasional light rain.

WEDNESDAY Cloudy with rain in northern areas, mostly cloudy with sunny spells in southern regions, rain showers in western areas

THURSDAY Rain and thunderstorms across northern and eastern regions, mostly cloudy with sunny spells in the south and west.

FRIDAY Widespread rain across most regions with occasional showers, breezy in the north-west, thunderstorms in the Channel Islands.

SATURDAY Rain and showers across most areas, sunny spells in the Midlands and East Anglia, breezy in the Channel Islands.

---

NEW! 2-33

OPINION 18-22

TV 25-31

LIFE 35-37

CULTURE 38-41

MONKEY 42-44

SPORT 47-56

2 MONDAY 24 AUGUST 2025

47

The Sport Matrix

The day's action at a glance

Charlotte Henrich moved into

third on the British all-time 300m list after finishing in 25.92 seconds at yesterday's Silesia Diamond League meeting. That placed the 15-year-old 0.46sec of Kathy Cook's 42-year-old record, and 0.21sec behind Donna Fraser. Henrich claimed two silvers at the European Championships in Birmingham this month, running in the women's and mixed 4x400m relay teams.

ATHLETICS

Kejelcha back on top after Buenos Aires record time

Yomif Kejelcha reclaimed the half marathon world record by finishing in 56 minutes and 51 seconds at

the Media Maraton Ciudad de Buenos Aires.

The 15 hlopian's time, which is still subject to ratification, was 29 seconds faster than the 57 mins 20secs set by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon in March, also still to be ratified.

Kiplimo had previously clocked 56mins 42secs in Barcelona last year, but it did not count as an official result due to non-compliant race conditions – the lead car was too close to him. In October 2024, Kejelcha set a world record 57mins 30secs in Valencia.

SNOOKER

Top Trump starts Wuhan with whitewash

Judd Trump was one of three whitewash winners on the opening day of the Wuhan Open in China.

The 37-year-old (above) fired three consecutive half-centuries as he overwhelmed Latvia's Florian Nuessle 5-0 to make round three.

Chris Wakelin opened with a century as he beat Northern Ireland's Jordan Brown by the same score, while defending champion Xiao Guodong also failed to drop a frame as he made his way past compatriot Wang Xinbo.

Mark Williams and Kyren Wilson were among those who advanced due to withdrawals, while Ronnie O'Sullivan is set to start his campaign against Ashley Carty later this morning.

GOLF

Jamieson ends 14-year wait with a final round 67

Scott Jamieson earned his second DP World Tour win almost 14 years after his first with a two-shot victory

at the Neso Championship.

The Scot (above) made it back-to-back bone winners at Trump International in Aberdeenshire, following Grant Forrest last year, as a final round 67 put him 11 under to hold off Matthew Jordan.

Four birdies in five holes near the turn took Jamieson to five under and he responded to his only bogey, at 13, with another gain. An up-and-down for par at 17 helped confirm the victory.

"Fourteen years, that's wild," he said. "It's just so tough, so hard to win. I was so patient all day... just can't believe I've won."

Puzzle solutions

Dominoes

Journey Finder

Making Tracks

Number Square

Idoku

Kakuro

Wijuko

Binary

ABCLogic

Zygolox

LEFT TO RIGHT: premises: spud,size; bang; site: thud; mite; bug; thug; mine; goon; dine; gown; pit; noon

Daily Quiz

1. One seeds
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles
3. By walking
4. Red

Word Ladder

Sudoku

Jigsawdoku

Number Hexagon

Saturday's Codeword 4592

Word Wheel

NINE-LETTER WORD PAGEANTRY

OTHER WORDS: sery, anergy, angry, apery, arty, entry, gantry, gayer, gentry, grapy, gray, grey, gyrate, gyre, napery, nary, pantry, party, payer, peaty, pray, prey, pyre, rangy, repay, tangy, teary, tray, trey, type, tyre, yare, yarn, year, yearn.

Killer Sudoku

Minesweeper

Number Pyramid

Calcudoku

Word Square

Knight's Tour

Pathfinder

Chain Link

Futoshiki

Hexalex

Word Fit

Cells

Battleships

Bridges

Word Search

Five-Clue Cryptic Crossword

Across: 3 (10) Va-le-nce, 5/6 Moira Shearer® Down: 1 War-m(y)th, 2 Re-Viv-al, 4 Cha-let

---

48

SPORT

CRICKET

Somerset turn up the heat on leaders Notts with victory

Somerset ramped up the pressure on County Championship Division One leaders Nottinghamshire with an eight-wicket victory over Essex.

The home side required only 19.2 overs on day four to reach their target of 102, with Tom Lammonby finishing 39 not out, as they moved to within two points of the top of the table.

Essex put up resistance in their second innings but Jack Leach took 5 for 91 to finish with nine wickets in the game.

Lammonby (below) and Josh Thomas (31) put on an opening stand of 59, with Simon Harmer's wickets a consolation for Essex.

Leicestershire won for only the second time this season as they beat Glamorgan by 42 runs.

Kiran Carlson looked as though he might haul Glamorgan to victory with a strong 99, but after he fell to Ajax Patel the visiting team's challenge faded.

For Leicestershire, captain Ian Holland took three wickets

on day four, taking him to nine for the match, clinching things when last man Ray Toole's wicket fell.

Hampshire remain bottom after losing by 39 runs to Yorkshire, In Division

Two, Lancashire were beaten by 316 runs by Northamptonshire at Old Trafford, Ricardo Vasconcelos scoring a second-innings century before the hosts were skittled for 129 in 32.2 overs.

Kent kept up the pressure on leaders Durham as they won by 46 runs at Middlesex to move into second place. A fine 144 by Dan Lategan helped Worcestershire to an eight-wicket win at bottom side Gloucestershire, assisted by Jake Libby's unbeaten 107.

ENGLAND

Carse in cuffs is just the kind of image ECB wants to avoid

The last thing the England and Wales Cricket Board needed was video emerging of Brydon Carse being led away

from a Derby pub in handcuffs by police barely 24 hours after a restorative Test victory against Pakistan at Headingley.

Carse was released from England's squad for the match in Leeds to play for Durham in their County Championship fixture at Derbyshire. After the visitors won, they went out celebrating.

But after months of off-field controversy involving England players and alcohol, the ECB must be tearing their hair out at this latest incident. First, there was Harry Brook being punched by a Wellington bouncer the night before an ODI in New Zealand last year.

That was covered up by the ECB until it was leaked to the media at the end of a boozy Ashes tour in which England's players were criticised for an alcohol-fueled mini-break to the Queensland resort of Noona after defeat in the second Test at Brisbane put them 2-0 down in the series. Video emerged too of opener Ben Duckett on that trip seemingly drunk, lost and being ridiculed by England fans.

Then this summer descended into chaos when Test captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were suspended for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval for staying out past the team's midnight curfew at Chelsea's Rex Rooms, following the first Test win at Lord's, with Atkinson being the victim of aggression from Saracens rugby player Totou Auvua.

Stokes quit international cricket

Chris Stocks

CRICKET CORRESPONDING

during the final match of the series at Trent Bridge amidst the fall-out of that incident and the ECB's hardline response to it.

The new era under incoming captain Joe Roel has now been sullied by the continued indiscipline of players - even if Carse was not on England duty at the time.

Roel scrapped the midnight curfew on taking the captaincy, saying on the eve of last week's Headingley Test: "Ultimately, we've got to sell-police. We can't find ourselves in situations like we have done over the last little while. Just be grown-ups about it."

So, what do we know about this latest incident? Here's the latest...

What happened?

Video posted on social media yesterday showed Carse being led away from a venue in Derby, thought to be Molly Malone's Irish pub, by four police officers. Matt Potts, his Durham and England team-mate, is seen trying to talk to police. In another video, Carse is seen with a police officer and Stokes, who is still playing for Durham after retiring from internationals. There is no suggestion Stokes did anything wrong. Carse was detained by police, but he was not arrested.

What are the ECB saying?

A statement from the governing body reads: "We are aware of an

incident which is reported to have taken place in Derby last night, and are currently investigating. We will provide a further update when possible."

The ECB has refused to comment further despite repeated inquiries from The i Paper. This is in stark contrast to the tone they took when releasing information about Stokes and Atkinson's night out in London back in June.

Is Carse still in the squad for Lord's?

Despite stonewalling from the ECB, The i Paper understands Carse remains in the squad for this

week's second Test pending an investigation from the governing body into exactly what happened in Derby. He will join up with England team-mates at Lord's today. Whether or not Carse is pulled from the squad later in the week depends on what the ECB probe finds out.

Doesn't he have previous?

Yes; in May 2024, Carse was banned from cricket for three months for historical breaches of ECB betting rules. He accepted the decision for placing 300 bets on various cricket matches and returned to make his England debut on the winter tour of Pakistan that year.

Sporton TV

Cricket: Sri Lanka v India

TNT Sports 1.5.19pm

Snooker: Wuhan Open

TNT Sports 2.7pm

Cycling: Vuelta a Espana

TNT Sports 1.1.30pm

Football: Bologna v Lazio

Dazn. 5.30pm

Football: Fulham v Chelsea

Sky Sports Premier Lge. 6.30pm

Football: Osasuna v Levante

Premier Sports 1.7pm

Football: Harrow v Fiorentina

Dazn. 7.45pm

Football: Malaga v Depa La Coruna

Premier Sports 1.8.19pm

Tennis: ATP Winston-Salem,

WTA Monterrey

Sky Sports Tennis. 2am

(tomorrow)

Results Service

PREMIER LEAGUE

Brighton 4 Active Vlds (1) 0

Leakfast King: De Capito (4) 0

Henderson 31. 31 Man City (1) 2 AT C Bournemouth (1) 4

Gudra (1) 2 Tavernier (4) 0

Guerra (1) 2 Atchilla (1) 2 Newcastle (1) 2 Liverpool (1) 2

Dungus, Wilton (2) 2 Salter (2) 2

Int'l 5.30 2 Goldstube (2) (pen)

THE SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP

West Brom (1) 3 Burnley (1) 1

Witness (1) 3 Pitman (1) (pen)

Cricket COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP - DIVISION ONE

The first time of the following: 2013.10.1, 2014.10.2, 2015.10.3, 2016.10.4, 2017.10.5, 2018.10.6, 2019.10.7, 2020.10.8, 2021.10.9, 2022.10.10, 2023.10.11, 2024.10.12, 2025.10.13, 2026.10.14, 2027.10.15, 2028.10.16, 2029.10.17, 2030.10.18, 2031.10.19, 2032.10.20, 2033.10.21, 2034.10.22, 2035.10.23, 2036.10.24, 2037.10.25, 2038.10.26, 2039.10.27, 2040.10.28, 2041.10.29, 2042.10.30, 2043.10.31, 2044.10.32, 2045.10.33, 2046.10.34, 2047.10.35, 2048.10.36, 2049.10.37, 2050.10.38, 2051.10.39, 2052.10.40, 2053.10.41, 2054.10.42, 2055.10.43, 2056.10.44, 2057.10.45, 2058.10.46, 2059.10.47, 2060.10.48, 2061.10.49, 2062.10.50, 2063.10.51, 2064.10.52, 2065.10.53, 2066.10.54, 2067.10.55, 2068.10.56, 2069.10.57, 2070.10.58, 2071.10.59, 2072.10.60, 2073.10.61, 2074.10.62, 2075.10.63, 2076.10.64, 2077.10.65, 2078.10.66, 2079.10.67, 2080.10.68, 2081.10.69, 2082.10.70, 2083.10.71, 2084.10.72, 2085.10.73, 2086.10.74, 2087.10.75, 2088.10.76, 2089.10.77, 2090.10.78, 2091.10.79, 2092.10.80, 2093.10.81, 2094.10.82, 2095.10.83, 2096.10.84, 2097.10.85, 2098.10.86, 2099.10.87, 2100.

Leicester Leicestershire 129 0:12, overall: 8, 10:17:24

over: 8, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17:24, 10:17

The last time of the following: 2013.10.1, 2014.10.2, 2015.10.3, 2016.10.4, 2017.10.5, 2018.10.6, 2019.10.7, 2020.10.8, 2021.10.9, 2022.10.10, 2023.10.11, 2024.10.12, 2025.10.13, 2026.10.14, 2027.10.15, 2028.10.16, 2029.10.17, 2030.10.18, 2031.10.19, 2032.10.20, 2033.10.21, 2034.10.22, 2035.10.23, 2036.10.24, 2037.10.25, 2038.10.26, 2039.10.27, 2040.10.28, 2041.10.29, 2042.10.30, 2043.10.31, 2044.10.32, 2045.10.33, 2046.10.34, 2047.10.35, 2048.10.36, 2049.10.37, 2050.10.38, 2051.10.39, 2052.10.40, 2053.10.41, 2054.10.42, 2055.10.43, 2056.10.44, 2057.10.45, 2058.10.46, 2059.10.47, 2060.10.48, 2061.10.49, 2062.10.50, 2063.10.51, 2064.10.52, 2065.10.53, 2066.10.54, 2067.10.55, 2068.10.56, 2069.10.57, 2070.10.58, 2071.10.59, 2072.10.60, 2073.10.61, 2074.10.62, 2075.10.63, 2076.10.64, 2077.10.65, 2078.10.66, 2079.10.67, 2080.10.68, 2081.10.69, 2082.10.70, 2083.10.71, 2084.10.72, 2085.10.73, 2086.10.74, 2087.10.75, 2088.10.76, 2089.10.77, 2090.10.78, 2091.10.79, 2092.10.80, 2093.10.81, 2094.10.82, 2095.10.83, 2096.10.84, 2097.10.85, 2098.10.86, 2099.10.87, 2100.

DIVISION TWO Chelmshire: Gloucestershire 129 0:15, overall: 8

Wilton: 0:12, overall: 8, 10:17:24, overall: 8, 10:17:24, overall: 8, 10:17:24, overall: 8, 10:17:24, overall: 8, 10:17:24, overall: 8, 10:17:24, overall: 8, 10:17:24, overall: 8, 10

Doverport: 0:4, 0:6

History

Is 45, Musselburgh)

Ran out a solid

two-length winner

at Ayr a fortnight ago

in a new voxr if the

headgear continues

to have a galvanising

effect, she looks

capable of going on

another run from a

mark of 54, where

the nine-year-old

can prosper before

calling it a day

MUSSELBURG GOOD TO EAT!

CLELS CELLSRATING VETERAN AWARD FORCES SELLING HANDICAP (CLASS 12) £2,000 added 1m 1d

1 1/2 1/2 VERMAOTHER F. Gassens 8 10 11 J. Dobson 12/3 2 1/2 1/2 REMINSONG FAGIN (BPT) Clevations 1 10 11 J. Hart 12 3 1/2 1/2 THERE PARK 11 Tender 9 10 12 P. McMenon 7 10 4 1/2 1/2 SIMPLE STAR (B) Gary Rutherford 8 9 10 S. Sames C 7 11 5 1/2 1/2 TIGANON 1 10 11 12 G. Drummers 4 6 1/2 1/2 MAYOR OF MAGNERA (B2B) 11 W. Sames 4 12

---

NEW! 5-33

OPINION 18-22

TV 26-31

LIFE 34-37

CHINESE 38-41

MONDAY 42-45

SPORT 47-56

ASSOCIATE 24 AUGUST 2025

49

Carse was also seen during England's tour of Australia dislodging several thousand dollars' worth of notes from his pocket outside a Perth cafe the morning after the two-day defeat by Australia in the first Test.

England were based in the Crown hotel in Perth, which also housed a casino, and many of England's players were seen by travelling supporters drinking late into the night at the venue.

What happens from here?

The ECB investigation will surely result in a swift decision on whether Carse remains in the squad for

Lord's – the second Test starts on Thursday – and will be followed by an investigation by the Cricket Regulator to ascertain whether Carse has actually done anything wrong. It is worth remembering that both Stokes and Atkinson were cleared of any wrongdoing by the regulator following their investigation into the Rex Rooms incident. However, whatever happens, this is still a poor look for an England team that is seemingly unable to shake the spectre of off-field indiscipline, amid accusations the players have fostered an unhealthy drinking culture over a number of years.

CYCLING

Brennan lights up the stage with an uphill sprint

By Martyn Berman

Britain's Matt Brennan sprinted to victory in the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana with overall race favourite Tadej Pogacar holding on to the leader's red jersey.

Riding his first Grand Tour, the 21-year-old Visma-Lease a Bike rider laid down the power on the uphill drag to the finish in Manosque after a 21.6km ride from Monaco and held on comfortably.

Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious) was second with Pogacar third across the line.

Pogacar, who won Saturday's opening time trial by 0.09 seconds from Britain's Ethan Hayter, will take a nine-second lead over Wout van Aert into today's third stage. Hayter was part of a small early breakaway and had looked destined to take the overall lead when he won the final intermediate sprint for six bonus seconds, before slipping back.

"We thought there was a nice opportunity to attack in the final," Brennan, who joined the powerful Dutch Visma-Lease a Bike team's World Tour squad in 2025, said. "I was super happy to finish it off."

Brennan is third in the overall standings, 10 seconds behind Pogacar.

Matt Brennan enjoys the stage two win at Vuelta a Espana

Le Court judges it to perfection to make it third time lucky

By Laura Bowsard IN LEAMINGTON SPA

Kim Le Court rode to redemption at the Tour of Britain Women to become its first African winner – just a year after vowing never to return.

The Mauritian rider crashed out of the 2025 tour but crossed the line in Royal Leamington Spa with the green jersey secured to earn her first-ever UCI Women's World Tour race victory.

Having won stage six at the Tour de France Femmes this month, Le Court continued that form to write a far happier ending to her pursuits on British roads.

"I can finally say that I feel like I have redeemed myself. I came here to finish on a high and that's exactly what I did," said the 30-year-old AG Insurance-Soudal rider.

"I had a bad experience last year and in 2015 I came here and came dead last, so I didn't have a good experience. This was my third try and I said, 'if I do a good tour and finish on a high then I won't come back', but it's just a saying. We never know and we'll see what the new year brings."

Despite numerous World Tour stage victories, including on stage one in 2025 and up the Great Orme's tough ascent on stage three this year, Le Court had previously been unable to prove her pedigree to this degree but used that as motivation.

"It's really special," she added. "People always questioned whether

I was a GC [general classification] rider or not and it's good to know.

"Of course, it's on a smaller scale, but the mental state of it is still high and I'm really happy I could achieve that for myself and the team."

On the final day, a three-strong group of breakaway riders, including Alice Towers of the Great Britain Team, threatened Lorena Wiebes' assault on a fourth stage win as they led for 105 kilometres.

But having caught them with less than 5km to go, the Team SD Worx-Frotime rider prevailed on the sprint into Royal Leamington Spa to take the record for most stage wins for men or women at the Tour of Britain.

Her 11th-ever stage victory at the tour took her clear of Mark Cavendish and proved her status as one of the best sprinters in the women's peloton after taking the opening two at the Tour de France Femmes at the start of the month.

"Winning feels good, so I'm happy to finish this week with four victories. The team worked hard for it; at the end I didn't have many teammates left, but they did everything they could," said the 27-year-old.

Scot Lauren Dickson, of FDJ United-Suez, won the blue Queen of the Mountains jersey after recovering from a crash on stage four, while Belgian Fleur Moors took the Young Rider jersey.

British Cycling is inspiring riders and fans across the country. Visit britishcycling.org.uk

RUGBY LEAGUE

Warrington extend winning streak while Rhinos run rampant

Warrington claimed their fifth consecutive Super League win with a 34-24 victory over Huddersfield at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Huddersfield took the lead when Sam Halsall went over on 13 minutes, but George Flanagan was unable to convert.

Danny Walker replied for the Wire, Leon Hayes adding the extras as the hosts took charge.

In the 27th minute, James Bentley latched onto a quick offload from James Harrison to cross and Sam Powell grounded again two minutes later, with Hayes converting both tries.

Warrington continued to pile on the pressure and George Williams finished off a move down the left flank as they sailed to a 22-4 lead at the break.

After the restart, Halsall scored his second try after holding Adam Clune's kick to cross, with Flanagan converting, but Arron Lindop replied for Warrington and Hayes scored a penalty to extend their advantage further.

Huddersfield continued to apply pressure as Sam Hewitt's try was converted and Connor Wrench then struck after touching down in the corner to close the gap.

Warrington wrapped up victory in the last 10 minutes when Matty Ashton (left) grounded and Hayes converted, but the Giants continued to battle until the end when Jacob Gagai crossed for their fifth try of the afternoon in the final minutes.

Elsewhere, Leeds returned to the top after cruising to a comprehensive 66-16 victory over York at the LSER Community Stadium.

Riley Lumb scored three tries

and Chris Hankinson added two of his own as well as four conversions as the Rhinos responded instantly to Wigan moving above them last Friday night.

Kallum Watkins, Mikolaj Oledzki, Lachie Miller, Matt Lodge, Ryan Hall, Brodie Croft and Ash Handley were Leeds' other try-scorers, while Jake Connor added another quartet of conversions and Miller one in the final minute.

Sam Wood, Jon Bennison – who converted two tries – and David Nofoakuma ensured York would not be shut out.

Lumb (above) had to wait for a review after dotting down in the corner, but his opening try was ultimately confirmed before he acrobatically added a second five minutes later.

Rhinos had taken a 36-0 lead by

half-time thanks to Hankinson's first – teed up by Lumb – three minutes later, before Watkins got in on the action, Oledzki added a close-range try and Miller got on the end of Cameron Smith's excellent pass.

Lodge scored his debut try two minutes after the break before Wood finally put York on the board.

However, Rhinos quickly hit back through Hall, ahead of Lumb completing his hat-trick just before the hour mark. Croft touched down four minutes later as Rhinos kept piling on the points, ensuring further York tries through Bennison and Nofoakuma counted for little. Handley and Hankinson went over in the final two minutes to complete the scoring and confirm a 50-point winning margin for the rampant Rhinos.

---

50

SPORT

RUGBY UNION

Erasmus to lie low after hiding but refuses to give up hope for series

By Mark Gleeson IN JOHANNESBURG

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus said he would lie low, avoid reading newspapers and try and figure a way back for his team in their Test series against New Zealand after getting what he called a "slap across the chops" in Saturday's opening clash.

The All Blacks outscored the Springboks five tries to one for a statement 33-16 win in the first of the four matches in what is being marketed as 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

"We have to find a way to get back, we got a good hiding," Erasmus said. "We'll lay low and not read the papers and work hard. We have no excuses because we could have won. We must keep our mouth closed."

However, he refused to accept that the defeat was a catastrophic setback as New Zealand take part in a first full scale tour of South Africa in 30 years.

Will Jordan went over twice for New Zealand as they opened the series with victory in Johannesburg on Saturday

"We've been in many catastrophic situations before. We lost the first Test against British and Irish Lions," he said of the 2021 series where they come back for a narrow 2-1 win.

"We lost the opening game of the [2019] World Cup to New Zealand, everybody says that was catastrophic." South Africa recovered from that to win the tournament in Japan.

"We've been in a lot of catastrophic situations. Obviously, we're now in a position that if we want to win a series, we have to win three on the trot.

"We have to go to Cape Town and win there, then it's all level. But we still have to win three in a row. So I wouldn't say catastrophic, because there is a way out."

Erasmus avoided excuses but admitted his side had several chances where they might have made more considered choices.

"In hindsight, there's a lot of opportunities we didn't convert, but there's two or three big moments where we just let the game get away from us, not because we wanted to, but because New Zealand forced those errors onto us by being really intense and sharp," he added.

The victory came at a cost to the All Blacks, who have called up veteran prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi and lock Jamie Hannah South Africa as injury replacements for Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord, who were hurt in Saturday's win.

They face the Johannesburg-based Lions tomorrow and have picked Richie Mo'unga at fly-half and Beauden Barrett at full-back.

"With the naming of this matchday 23, everyone currently in the squad will have played, which is great for creating depth and competition for places in the Test team," coach Dave Rennie said, ahead of the second Test in Cape Town next Saturday.

ATHLETICS

Bolt's 100m world record beaten by a robot in China

A humanoid robot has surpassed Usain Bolt's 100 metre record. The robot was developed by China's Beijing Innovation Centre of Humanoid Robotics and ran 100m in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games, which

features athletics, combat sports, table tennis and football. In the preliminary rounds, one robot fell and caught fire.

The human world record is held by Bolt, who ran the distance in 9.58 seconds in 2009.

FORMULA ONE

I'm doing the best job, says Norris after staying in hunt

By Scott Hunt

Lando Norris said he is doing a better job than every other driver after a fine win at the Dutch Grand Prix - where Max Verstappen walked away from a huge crash at his final home race.

Mercedes quick to quell discord over team orders

By Scott Hunt

Mercedes played down any controversy over team orders as George Russell was asked to make way for title rival Kimi Antonelli during the Dutch Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old Briton reeled in championship leader Kimi Antonelli at Zandvoort to clinch back-to-back wins and further raise hope that he could yet defend his drivers' title.

Norris leaves the Dutch seaside having gone fourth in the standings

Antonelli came second and extended his championship lead to 59 points over Lewis Hamilton and Russell - who won Saturday's sprint race to breathe life into his title hopes.

The Italian was on fresher tyres in the closing stages yesterday, having pitted from second under a virtual safety car [VSC] - with Hamilton - as Russell stayed out behind winner Lando Norris.

but still 83 points behind the Italian - with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton 59 points off the leader.

Mercedes are wary of the looming threat of McLaren's Norris, with Antonelli branding them the new fastest team on the grid and Russell declaring that the papaya outfit are the ones to beat.

"They are not going to say themselves are they? I don't think it's true," Norris retorted. "Mercedes have a better all-round performing car. I also know how good of a job I'm doing behind the wheel.

"For once I will give myself a little bit of credit that I feel I am doing a better job than everyone.

"That can make a difference. We have a car capable of beating them. We didn't win yesterday [sprint race] and we didn't change much but I worked a lot on my driving - I want to believe more than everyone else.

"I make one mistake, we are P4,

As Antonelli closed up to Russell (left), the Mercedes pit wall immediately intervened by asking Russell to invert the cars.

The 28-year-old showed initial objection over the radio but obliged, allowing his title challenger to breeze through which then put him under threat from Hamilton. Russell held firm to claim third and Mercedes put on a united front post-race.

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51

P5. So the fact I am doing a good job is the reason people are saying it."

Norris banished post-sprint race negativity to deliver a commanding drive in the main event. He was jumped off the line by Antonelli following a red flag for Verstappen's crash after the race had begun in damp conditions, but McLaren made the key move by pitting him later than the Italian.

That enabled Norris to attack on fresher rubber and he got the job done, blasting past Antonelli round the outside of turn one on lap 54.

"When the car gives me what I want and I am driving at the level I am now, I can win races," Norris added. "I was able to force him to make mistakes, force them to do something with strategy."

Norris refused to declare himself back in the title hunt but would accept that this win was among the best of his career.

"We've always said when we are on different strategies, we will not fight and will invert. Those have always been our rules," Russell said.

"Rant was ahead before the VSC and tried something different to protect us as a team. Could I have kept him behind? Maybe but equally it could have been P5 as well."

Russell's willingness to move aside will perhaps raise eyebrows. Antonelli was grateful for his willingness to play the team game.

When the car gives me what I want and I am driving at the level I am now, I can win races

"I made it tough for myself but a good race. Probably one of my better wins. We had to fight," he added.

Mercedes executed team orders, asking Russell to allow Antonelli through on fresher tyres as he came home second. Russell then held off Hamilton over the closing laps for third, with Charles Leclerc fourth ahead of Oscar Piastri, ahead of the next race in Italy in a fortnight

The final Dutch Grand Prix before it drops off the race calendar again began in crushing fashion for the packed grandstands, with home favourite Verstappen suffering a crunching high-speed crash at the end of lap one.

The four-time world champion, revered in these parts, appeared to dip a wheel onto the kerb on the inside of the 18-degree banked final bend before sliding across the track and thundering into the barriers.

He swiftly confirmed he was OK, before saying post-race: "It was a decent hit but I've had worse.

"I could see a bit of a dry line coming and I thought I could accelerate up, 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."

Ferrari became engaged in a radio battle with their drivers as Hamilton asked to be let through by Leclerc. The Monegasque was asked to pit but resisted for a lap.

Hamilton moaned on the radio: "Great way of wasting time guys, good job."

He later told television reporters: "We couldn't win this race but to win championships you have to pick up every point and the last few races have been difficult with penalties and stuff and then, today, I lost several seconds behind Charles, which ultimately would have made the difference at the end."

Lando Norris displays the spoils of his victory in Zandvoort yesterday

"I have to thank George because he made my life a bit easier, I still think we could have stayed out until the end," Antonelli said. "It put us a bit at risk. I still think it was a great team execution and P2 was the maximum we could have done."

Team principal Toto Wolff said: "Team orders are always harsh from one drivers' perspective but it is what we discussed. We are not losing time with each other if there are competitors breathing down our neck."

FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Heggebo is no cheat, insists Morrison as Baggies remain perfect

WEST BROMWICH ALBION (Unknown UK Price 4.8 psm 8)

BURNLEY (Turkey 4.8 psm 8)

West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison insisted Anne Heggebo was not a cheat after his side recorded a comeback win against promotion favourites Burnley at The Hawthorns.

Norway striker Heggebo missed the game - the first of a two-match ban - after his retrospective Football Association punishment for "deception of a match official" against Norwich City for his goal off his hand in the opening day win at Carrow Road. Albion have appealed against the ban.

"We were really frustrated and shocked. He was disappointed so we had to back him and we wanted to appeal," said Morrison.

"He was deemed to have cheated the referee, which he didn't. Yes the ball hit his hand, but with the pace of

the cross and the keeper touching it, it's very hard to get out of the way.

"It's [the appeal] a testament to his personality and who he is. We all know he's not that person."

Morrison insisted his Baggies side must "stay humble" as they managed, without Heggebo, to continue their 100 per cent start to the season with a third straight win in all competitions to move second behind leaders Millwall on goal difference.

"It was a top performance. I enjoyed it for the intensity with the lads willing to run for each other," Morrison added. "We did the basics really well - we won tackles, and when we lost the ball, we ran back and when the opportunities were given to us, took advantage. Burnley couldn't handle our intensity, and I could smell that at half-time.

"We enjoy competing against the so-called "bigger" teams and we competed really well today. We don't want to get carried away. We have to keep on the ground, keep working hard and stay humble."

Burnley head coach Nicky Huyen lamented: "We didn't have the en-

energy, desire and hunger of the home team. You have to give credit to West Brom. You can say we played a bad game but they had the structure. It was an eye-opener for everyone."

Striker Zian Flemming missed the game with a calf injury amid speculation of an impending move.

Burnley led in the eighth minute after Callum Styles found his own net from Jacob Bruun Larsen's cross.

But Harry Whitwell equalised and Isaac Price put Albion ahead after the break. Bashir Humphreys then upended Whitwell for a penalty in the 65th minute, Price making no mistake to seal the three points.

Isaac Price celebrates with Jayson Molumby after scoring his second from the spot to confirm the victory

SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP DUNDEE UNITED 0-2 DUNDEE

Pressley keen to savour good times with derby win

By Anthony Brown

Steven Pressley is intent on savouring the feel-good factor developing around Dundee amid their encouraging start to the season.

"The Dark Blues moved joint-top of the fledgling Premiership table after notching their second win in three league games with a 2-0 triumph at Dundee United on Saturday - albeit with the derby being the weekend's only fixture due to other teams' European commitments.

Drey Wright opened the scoring with a fine strike just before the break and Owen Bevan diverted in the second in the 57th minute, leaving the huge Dee support bounding out of Tannadice in jubilant mood.

"I've said this many times throughout my career, I've not enjoyed good times enough," said head coach Pressley. "There's no doubting that momentum is important in football, but also the feel-good factor around your club.

"To win a derby game at this stage of the season is enormous for us. I think as well, when we consider it's been a real transitional period from one team to the other (over the summer).

"We've played Celtic at Celtic Park, a really strong Aberdeen team and then a derby at Tannadice. For us to be sitting with six points is a good return. Not a perfect return, but a good return. But we have to keep going."

United have lost their last three games in all competitions by a com-

bined score of 10-0 and manager Jim Goodwin is mindful of the need to return with a positive result from next Saturday's trip to Kilmarnock, the only side currently below them in the table.

"I don't think the recent results are down to a lack of effort or a lack of commitment from any of the players," the 44-year-old said. "I've got to take responsibility on my shoulders. As the manager, I've signed all of these players, I've brought them in to Dundee United.

"I believe in every single one of them. If you look back on the key

metrics that we analyse games by, you'll see that we've probably had the better of most situations in the last couple of games in particular, but we certainly don't have the results to show for that.

"Law of averages would say if that continues going forward, and we continue to have the better of all those metrics than the opponent, then the results will change with it.

"That's what my message to the players has been after the game.

"We've got a huge game now next week. I know that this game, ultimately, it's all about results. As manager, I know the buck stops with me. Next Saturday is huge. We have to put a stop to this run of defeats and we have to try and make sure we get a win."

Finlay Robertson and Alan Forrest celebrate after Owen Bevan's second-half goal for Dundee confirmed victory against their local rivals on Saturday GETTY

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SPORT

Premier League

BRENTFORD 3-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Spurs have gone all in and they still have nothing to show for it

Meet the new Tottenham Hotspur, same as the old Tottenham Hotspur. Roberto De Zerbi needs a little time to get this right, but hey big spender, the Premier League can be an unforgiving place.

This defeat at Brentford on Saturday evening was a poor imitation of the £300m+ squad that took a stun-gun to the transfer market this summer. They did not have their first choice back line, midfield or front three, but the lack of fight was inexcusable. Spurs looked like they were still milling around on an Oceanian pre-season tour. Is it just possible they 'won' the transfer window because they had the most to do and selling clubs saw them coming a mile off?

Superb Brentford bullied their abject midfield. That matters, because it is in those central channels where De Zerbi- ball will live or die. The centre-backs are supposed to play out to two narrow holding midfielders. All four were a shambles and on this evidence, they could be in for a disastrous wake-up call.

It would be premature to panic, and there were plenty of mitigating factors. Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro were unavailable. Xavi Simons, Dejan Kuhasevski, Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert are long-term absentees; all improve that attack. Mateus Fernandes could

Katherine Lucas

FOOTBALL NEWS EDITOR

be the signing of the summer but for now, that accolade looks more likely to go to Mamadou Sangaré. For the Bees, an extraordinary upgrade on Jordan Henderson who is already attracting N'Golo Kanté comparisons.

It is easy to see why De Zerbi prioritised such a hefty spend on the likes of Sandro Tonali when so much relies on the anchor they lacked at the Gtech. The game was lost when Fernandes, nursing a calf injury, spent the first half on the bench, placing seismic responsibility on Lucas Bergvall. The Swede spent the summer mailing a £40m move to Newcastle United or Nottingham Forest and produced his worst defensive display in a Spurs shirt.

Conor Gallagher's rule was neither here nor there. The midfield three was so utterly lost it was hard to envisage them getting up to speed soon. Brentford overloaded the middle and inevitably worked out De Zerbi's system.

The Italian showed a ruthless streak by hauling off Bergvall and Gallagher for Fernandes and Rodrigo Bentancur at the break. Only then did Spurs begin to enjoy the lion's share of the ball.

Spurs players face an angry away end after Saturday's poor performance GETTY

Bees' energy was too much, says youngest skipper Gray

By Andy Sims

Archie Gray blasted Tottenham Hotspur's dismal opening-day defeat at Brentford as 'not good enough'.

Spurs handed debuts to five players after their expensive summer rebuild but were brought crashing back down to earth after a 3-0 thumping on Saturday evening.

New boys Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and £100m midfielder Sandro Tonali all started, while Mateus Fernandes came on at half-time.

But new-look Spurs showed the same old flaws as goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode sent them packing.

'It's disappointing and I don't really know what to say to be honest,' Gray admitted. 'We just lost too many duels and it was not good enough from us.'

'They're a team that, if you don't fully match their energy, you're going to get punished. There's no hiding away from them, especially away. It's a difficult place to come, but that's not an excuse and it wasn't good enough.'

The centre-backs, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, were too easily dribbled past and Brentford's press ensured they offered few of the ball-playing qualities for which they were signed. First, Brentford's record signing Sangaré waltzed into the box to set up Keane Lewis-Potter, before Bergvall lost it again for the hosts' second.

Antonin Kinsky blundered Mathias Jensen's effort towards Vitaly Janelt, and parried again from Sangaré's shot for Michael Kayode to bundle in Brentford's third after the break. Igor Thiago's missed penalty was the only reprieve. There is already huge scrutiny on Kinsky replacing Guglielmo Vicario as No 1 - not least because there were doubts about him before that ignominious night at Atletico Madrid last March.

There is no suggestion that this is the finished product. Why, for example, was Mikey Moore made to start on the right, missing two one-on-ones? Archie Gray was playing at right-back and named the youngest captain in the club's history - despite being fifth in De Zerbi's leadership pecking order - by virtue of no one else being fit.

There is hope of an immediate salvage operation in attack. Omar Marmoush would be a welcome addition from Manchester City and is likely to replace Richarlison. Savinho, on the other hand, exhibits many of the same limitations as Mathys Tel, who was blocked from running inside to create any tangible end product.

There is no need for hysteria but Tottenham cannot afford to look so eminently beatable and devoid of self-esteem. De Zerbi has to prove that this is not just a reheated, rehashed version of the same haphazard project.

Still, the sense of urgency is not misplaced. Tottenham have gone all in on this project in terms of transfer outlay.

They can describe themselves as half-fit, unready and waiting to hit top gear. Those excuses will only get them so far.

The 20-year-old made history for Tottenham after being named captain at the Gtech Community Stadium, becoming the youngest player to wear the armband for the club in a competitive match.

Aged 20 years and 163 days, Gray broke the record held by record-appearance holder Steve Perryman.

The midfielder - who also played for and coached Brentford - was 20 years and 260 days old when he was first named Spurs skipper in a European tie in September 1972.

'It's not the exact game that you want to be captain,' added Gray. 'But obviously, just thinking about the names that you can mention to be the captains of the football club, it's incredible.'

HULL CITY 2-0 MANCHESTER UNITED

Hull maul timid United - and the myth it is better under Carrick

A thousand hoorays for Hull City, authors of one of the great opening weekend-stories of recent times, destroyers of reputations, joint-leaders of the Premier League on points alone. It is only one match, yet one that Hull will refish even if they depart the promised land, as most expect, at the season's end.

Michael Carrick's face when the goals went in on Saturday were a smouldering mosaic of embarrassment, shock and mortification. Yes, Michael, this is your team, the one you picked, the one you prepared.

The so-called leadership in the pooh seats, CEO Omar Berrada and his director of football Jason Wilcox, squirmed just as uncomfortably as the myth of Manchester United's revival under

Kevin Garside

CHIEF SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Carrick unravelled before them. As well they might, he was their choice as permanent head coach.

While Hull justifiably glory in the euphoria of it all, it is back to crisis management, introspection and questions for Carrick and United. Let's start with this. What happened to Manchester United DNA - you know, that molecular footprint that Carrick was supposed to understand and decipher to rebuild the team?

Whatever DNA means in the football context, there was precious little connection between the team led by Carrick at Hull and the one

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IPSWICH TOWN 2-1 SUNDERLAND

O'Neil delighted with debut show of hard-working Enciso

Gary O'Neil has calmed fears over the fitness of Julio Enciso after he limped off in Ipswich Town's last-gasp victory over Sunderland on Saturday.

The Tractor Boys returned to the Premier League with a hang after substitute Jack Clarke hit a late winner to earn only a second home top-flight win in 24 years.

Clarke replaced Enciso (right), who went off on 71 minutes after a fine display, which included a mazy run to set up Emerson's first-half opener.

"Just cramp, which was good. Well, not good but better than being injured. He'll be back on the grass on Monday," manager O'Neil confirmed.

"He is a top talent and that's why we worked so hard to get him because he is a number 10 that can produce unbelievable quality, but not many 10s in the world are willing to work the way he works.

"I worked with him in Strasbourg on his defensive stuff and he was excellent at stopping Granit Xhaka. Then when he beats two and is in on an open goal, there is no thought of himself - it's 'Emerson is a better option so I will pass'. You won't find many that do all the sides of it like he does.

"There is a lot of work still to do. He is not quite 100 per cent so we'll keep working and getting him up to speed, but you saw the difference he can make."

FULHAM v CHELSEA

Cole Palmer has had a football-free summer for the first time since 2022

Palmer finally fit and raring to go, insists Alonso

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0-1 LEEDS UNITED

Glasner needs 'two more players' after slow start

Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner wants two new signings before the end of the transfer window.

Forest's new era under Glasner got off to a slow start as they lost to Leeds at the City Ground.

Glasner had no new signings in his starting XI and the performance had all the hallmarks of last season's struggles as they failed to put the ball in the back of the new.

The Austrian, who is preparing his side for another clash with Leeds in tomorrow's Carabao Cup clash, said: "I don't expect anyone for the Tuesday game against Leeds.

"But until the end, there's nothing new - there's two more players, two different positions. The club is really working very hard to get these deals done, and that's it."

On his team selection, he said: "For me, it's what I learned about the players during two, three or up to six weeks of pre-season. And then I also got much, much information in the training sessions and in the games.

"Ouzmane Diomande arrived very late, and we had this issue before in that we know he's not in his best physical shape. Murillo also isn't (after recovering from injury) so I didn't want to start both because we can't afford that we might have to sub them due to physical reasons."

Leeds boss Daniel Farke hailed the "aura" of James Trafford as the debutant goalkeeper shone for his new side. He said: "He has this natural aura of confidence and calmness around him, and this is exactly what we wanted."

By Robert O'Connor

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso said Cole Palmer is over the injury problems that wrecked his previous season and is determined to get back to enjoying playing football.

Palmer made only 26 appearances in the Premier League during the last campaign, scoring 10 goals and struggling to reach the levels shown in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge.

He appeared to be suffering from limited mobility at times after coming back into the team from the groin problem that caused him to miss most of the first three months, and his creative contributions were significantly down on previous years.

That led to him being left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the World Cup. As a result, the 24-year-old was able to enjoy a first summer without competitive football since 2022.

"Cole is determined to enjoy his football," said Alonso. "He wants to be fit. He wants to feel healthy. He wants to have a good connection with the players around him.

"I've said that if we have this Cole and we are able to reach him and he feels that flow in the game and that he connects well with the players, I'm sure that his level is top class, world class I would say, and that he will have a great season."

Palmer's injury problems last season began in August when he was withdrawn from the first XI shortly before kick-off in Chelsea's 5-1 win away against West Ham.

He appeared only twice more in the first team in the league until December, and although he missed only two league matches thereafter, he was unable to match the standards set in previous seasons, as a misfiring Chelsea finished 10th.

Before tonight's opening Premier League game against Fulham at Craven Cottage, Alonso was asked whether he believed Palmer's injury troubles were in the past.

"He," he said, "I think that sometimes you need to go through a difficult moment with an injury or whatever to learn from that."

EVERTON 2-0 CRYSTAL PALACE

Dewsbury-Hall: I want to cause more problems, I can be better

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall aims to become the "complete midfielder" as he seeks to continue his improvement at Everton.

His opening goal in the home win over Crystal Palace was pivotal in changing the momentum of the game, with Thierno Barry scoring the important second just after half-time.

Dewsbury-Hall (right) had a decent return in terms of goals (right) and assists (four) in the Premier League last season but he believes there is more to his game he can show.

"A couple of years ago, I probably wasn't getting goals and

assists but was very influential in play and I want to mix that together. When you do that, that's when you become a complete player, a complete midfielder," he

said. "That's what I'm working towards and I know I have the ability to do it. It's hard to explain but I know in my heart I can do more in games, whether that is scoring and assisting, dominating games, doing more off the ball causing problems.

"That's why for me last season is done and this season is a new slate, and it's about being better. I'm happy to get off to a good start and happy the team won the first game. It fills the mood and gets us going."

he served with distinction as a player. We of course understand the concept of history and tradition and can readily conjure an image of the great United teams of the past - the ball moving quickly, wingers dazzling at speed, strikers attacking with menace.

This was the blueprint Ineos pledged to resurrect when Sir Jim Ratcliffe waved his £1.5bn cheque on Christmas Eve three years ago. We are still waiting. The position might not be so perplexing were there something in Carrick's work that allows us to identify just what style of football he is seeking to implement.

United had the majority of the ball at Hull and little of the threat. When they did manage to find space, mainly via Bryan Mbeumo, Hull's new goalkeeper, Greek international Konstantinos Tsolakis, saved routinely.

Of all the "big-six" coaches, Carrick is arguably the one without a philosophy attached. Is there such a thing as Carrick-ball? We know what Mikel Arteta's Arsenal team might look like, one not dissimilar to that of fellow Pep Guardiola disciple Enzo Maresca, at Manchester City.

The Guardiola-like emphasis on detail and emotion is equally prominent in the work of Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur. Andoni Iraola will seek to establish width and pace through the middle as he adapts his counter-attacking style at Liverpool. What Carrick-ball might mean is hard to know.

Hull's ensemble of middling

punts, budget buys and free transfers held out with few alarms. This staple of myriad relegation forecasts, a club that last hosted United in the Premier League when Jose Mourinho had just taken charge, a team dismissed as "gone" by pundit Joe Cole, set fire to preconceptions, not least that United are different under Carrick.

A positive week on the training ground was supposed to recentre the team after the shredding in Poland at the hands of AC Milan the previous weekend, coached by the bloke they sucked halfway through last season. Ruben Amorim cut through the rubric propping up assessments of United's march to third under Carrick to pick them apart.

Hall paid attention - running hard, tackling harder, winning second balls and tearing at the heart of a suspect defence with set-pieces. The first goal came from a corner, the second from a free-kick.

What was supposed to be a gift of a start for United, the springboard to a genuine "we want to win the lot" campaign, turned into the worst result of Carrick's short career as United coach, one that met with the familiar cliches of a coach without answers.

"Disappointed. Frustrating. We can't ignore it. There are things to improve on," Carrick said. "We are aware of what we need to get better at. But it's one game. It doesn't change the direction of the club. We will go away and work hard and come back next week."

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SPORT

Premier League

Jaissle irked at ruling over 'soft' penalty for Liverpool

By Mark Douglas

Matthias Jaissle admitted he would have been fined if he repeated what he told his Newcastle United players about the penalty decision which prevented him from making a winning start at St James' Park.

A frustrated Jaissle branded Stuart Atwell's decision to award Liverpool a stoppage time spot kick for Lewis Hall's challenge on Victor Munoz 'soft' after a pulsating encounter ended in a dramatic 3-2 draw. Dominic Szoboszlai converted the spot kick to prevent Newcastle from making a winning start on the day both sets of fans saluted Kevin Keegan, who passed away earlier this month.

Jaissle said his overriding feeling was 'pride' in his young players but said he couldn't understand the decision. 'I have clear thoughts, for me it is a soft penalty,' he said.

'If you give this as a penalty you need to give a lot in during this match and a lot during the season and I do not know if this is good for football. I don't think Lewis can do anything else, he can't just disappear.'

Jaissle said it was a 'good base to build on' and predicted more arrivals in the transfer window. He also said that he wanted to keep Joe Willock, who scored a second half goal but is the subject of interest from Besiktas in Turkey.

Jaissle said club captain Dan Burn will face 'a few weeks' out after rolling his ankle in training. He was at the game but on crutches.

Andoni Iraola was pleased at his side's refusal to give up. He said: 'It's not the result you wanted before the game, but obviously finishing, scoring in the last minute, it gives you a better taste. I don't think we deserve to lose the game today.'

'I value the effort from the players, they never gave up, and at the end it arrived, and we could recover at least one point.'

Dan Burn faces a few weeks out after rolling his ankle in training

Keegan would have loved it as new-look Magpies impress during raucous draw

NEWCASTLE UNITED Eango 5, Willock 83

LIVERPOOL Gakpo 55, Szoboszlai pen 90

Mark Douglas

WORTHERN FOOTBALL CORRIDOR RESORT AT ST JAMES' PARK

To borrow one of the great man's most famous phrases, Kevin Keegan would have absolutely loved it.

So beautifully immortalized before the game by both sets of fans, this full throttle, red-blooded Premier League thriller felt like the most fitting of tributes to a man hailed as the King on Tyneside.

New-look Newcastle were fantastic but flawed - and ultimately floored by exhaustion and a wily

cameo from Victor Munoz, the man they thought they'd signed this summer. He won the penalty that earned Andoni Iraola's Reds a point but they were unconvincing.

Their travails were summed up by Alexander Isak's return to Tyneside, which was as wretched as the behaviour that earned him his move to Anfield. What on earth has happened to him? The club he left behind has changed beyond recognition and on this showing, there is reason to believe in what Matthias Jaissle is trying to construct despite the late heartbreak.

When the disappointment of Dominic Szoboszlai's late penalty leveller subsides, they will reflect on a mostly positive debut for 'Jaisslehall.'

Jaissle (above) picked three debutants in a bold starting line-up that handed Sean Steur - just 18 - a cen-

tral role in Newcastle's new-look midfield. The contrast with his predecessor, who tended to lean into experience in the big games, was stark.

A fast start felt essential for the raucous home crowd to buy into it and they got it and then some. A Liverpool attack on four minutes was cut out by Amar Dedic, who fed Newcastle's agent of chaos Will Osula. His quick feet took him deep into Liverpool territory and he teed up Anthony Elanga for a wonderful swept finish past Alisson.

On the touchline Jaissle punched the air with two clenched fists as St James' Park erupted. His 'vertical football' gameplan is heavily reliant on Newcastle rediscovering the rapier counter-attack that deserted them last season and it rattled Iraola's Reds. Isak, in particular, was wretched amid the vitriol rained down on him from the stands that

once acclaimed him as a hero. His wretched behaviour a year ago - in many ways the first sign that Newcastle's project was faltering - was never going to be forgiven and there was genuine malice in the jeers that greeted his every touch.

Liverpool's problems felt deeper than just a misfiring record signing, though. They look uncomfortable in their own skin, granted space and time to construct here by a Newcastle team happy to step off them but unable to do much with it.

And for all their possession it was Lewis Miley, the man earmarked early in the summer to step up and replace Sandro Tonali this season, who was the most impressive of those battling it out in an engaging midfield battle. Alongside Steur, Newcastle had energy in abundance in an area supposed to be a problem for them this season.

Momentum switched in a superb contest and Liverpool must have thought they'd snatched it back when Cody Gakpo smashed a brilliant 25-yard drive past Hornicek. On the balance of play, parity was deserved. Faced with adversity last season, Newcastle crumbled. But Jaissle made two changes that recalibrated the contest, bringing Jacob Ramsey and Joe Willock on. The impact was immediate as Winu - so good throughout - embarked on a brilliant run to feed Willock, who drove an effort past Alisson.

The two teams traded blows but Liverpool's saviour was substitute Munoz, who drove at Newcastle's tiring limbs with purpose. He drew a foul from Lewis Hall and the penalty was dispatched with aplomb to draw the curtain on a dramatic day.

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55

Joe Willock celebrates after scoring Newcastle's second goal GETTY

Maresca: Cherki was upset – but his efforts delighted me!

MANCHESTER CITY Guithi 8a, Guardian 9p

BOURNEMOUTH Tacoma 26

By Andy Hampson

AT THE ETIHAD STADIUM

Enzo Maresca admitted Rayan Cherki had not been happy starting on the substitutes bench before coming on to inspire Manchester City's comeback win over Bournemouth.

The Frenchman set up both goals as City produced a late fightback to triumph in their Premier League opener at the Etihad Stadium.

Cherki had been a frustrated on-looker before entering the game after the hour but manager Maresca said he was one of a number of players lacking match fitness.

"The impact was unbelievable – he is that kind of player," Maresca enthused of the 23-year-old. "I like Rayan, but sometimes when you plan a game and already have [picked] four out of 11 players who arrived late [from holidays], if you go with one more maybe the difference is too big.

"If he is not happy he wants to show it and I know that he was not happy, but I had to take a decision."

Cherki set up Marc Guithi's equaliser from a corner and then teed up Josko Gvardio's added-time winner.

Enzo Maresca explains matters to matchwinner Rayan Cherki at full time GETTY

"It is the perfect day," Maresca added. "I was very pleased to see the [pre-match] banner and we gave the fans the joy of three points. It was emotional. The spirit was fantastic. It's a game we deserved to win with the amount of chances we had."

Guithi, who missed an identical chance before his equaliser, was deployed in an unfamiliar midfield role alongside new buy Elliot Anderson.

With City closing in on a deal for Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille and

linked with Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, it was potentially only a short-term option but one Maresca was pleased to explore: "I know Marc from [Crystal] Palace and always thought he could be a good midfielder. It was a good performance. He gives us a solution for the future."

Bournemouth head coach Marco Rose was pleased with his new side's display in his first match in charge.

"I'm a competitor and we came here to win for the first time," he

Manchester City

Bournemouth

Substitutions:

Manchester City Humes (Lovers: 57), Kovacs (Anderson: 63), Cherki O'Reilly (63), Gmaldol (Rutten: 63) Bournemouth Adams (Cook: 79), Toth (Kluivert: 79), Johnson (Kontosian: 79), Garrison-Dusk (Rayan: 80)

Manchester City have agreed a £85.6m deal with Lille for teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. City will pay a guaranteed £81m for the Morocco international, 18, with further potential add-ons.

said. "We did many good things. We have a lot of things to improve but the way the game went was unlucky. We had two situations – one a corner and one attack where we defended too passive, and that's why we lost."

Blistering Brighton leave weakened Villa in a state of disarray

Newcastle United

Liverpool

Substitutions: Newcastle United Ramsey (Owen: 58), Willock (Onda: 16), Barnes (Miley: 16), Murphy (Elango: 16), Scher (Velisa: 19), Liverpool Mac Allister (Slims: 63), Munoz (Ngumaha: 63), Arlew (Jacquet: 16), Koumas (Chevenberch: 16)

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION Lindeloft 4p & De Cuyper 2p Hinshelwood 3h 31

ASTON VILLA

By Edward Elliot

AT THE AMEX STADIUM

Jack Hinshelwood struck twice in two first-half minutes as rampant Brighton & Hove Albion ruthlessly exploited Aston Villa's summer exodus with a thumping victory.

Villa arrived at the Amex Stadium having sold a host of star names since last season's Europa League triumph and without a recognized striker amid transfer speculation surrounding the absent Ollie Watkins.

Victor Lindeloft's calamitous own goal and a close-range finish from Maxim De Cuyper set the Seagulls on course for a resounding opening-day win. Hinshelwood's quickfire double took the game away from Unai Emery's shell-shocked side before midfielder Joao Gomes was sent off on his league debut five minutes shy of half-time to add to Villa's woes.

Travelling fans began the afternoon singing about being champions of Europe but no doubt harbouring major concerns about the strength of their team's starting line-up.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and England forward Watkins were again missing from the matchday squad amid talk they will join Earl Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers through the exit door, with Emiliano Buendia, Ross Barkley and full debutant George Hemmings tasked with leading the line.

The visitors twice threatened through Buendia during a bright start before gifting Albion an eighth-minute opener. Under minimal pressure from Georginio Rutter, Pau Torres played a risky pass into his own area. The ball went straight to Seagulls winger De Cuyper, who turned away from goalkeeper Marco Bizot before seeing his shot strike the right post and rebound into the net off the midriff of Lindeloft.

Villa fell further behind just 10 minutes later. Rutter was released down the left by Lewis Dunk and, after tricking his way beyond Torres, delivered a low cross for De Cuyper to tap home from inside the six-yard

box. Some away supporters could be seen heading for the exits as Villa quickly capitulated.

Hinshelwood headed home his first of the game on the half-hour mark after Diego Gomez nodded De Cuyper's left-wing back across goal.

Villa then suffered the embarrassment of conceding again straight from kick-off. After the ball was worked back from the centre circle, Gomes was dispossessed on the edge of his own 18-yard box by Yasin Ayari, allowing Hinshelwood to emphatically slot into the bottom left corner.

Emery's half-time team talk duly became even more difficult as Brazil international Gomes – a summer arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers – was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for kicking out at Rutter.

Hinshelwood scored two quickfire goals to cement Aston Villa's misery

With Brighton four goals up and Villa a man down, much of the second period was played at a pedestrian pace. Albion almost increased their lead when debutant Costinha rattled the left post from distance before fellow substitute Charalampos Kostoulas was flagged offside after finishing on the rebound.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Aston Villa

Substitutions:

Brighton & Hove Albion Costinha (Ayari: 8a), Kostoulas (Hinshelwood: 8a), Teikoma (Skelter: 18), Osman De Cuyper: 28), Vackoun (Lorenz: 30), Aston Villa Mingo (Torres: 9a), Bogardo (Barkley: 9a), Rugge (Sibadson: 8a), Klyavon (McGinn: 8a), Garnacho (Buendia: 8b)

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24 AUGUST 2026

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Emery furious at

Watkins' no-show

England forward angling for move so misses 4-0 thrashing at Brighton

By Edward Elliot

AT AMEX STADIUM

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery said it was Ollie Watkins' respon- sibility to explain his absence from yesterday's 4-0 thrashing at Bright- on & Hove Albion.

The Europa League holders lined up without a recognised striker at the Amex Stadium amid reports

England international Watkins is pushing for a move to Al Hilal.

Villa have rejected four bids from the Saudi Pro League club and an agreement is not currently close.

"This question is for him. I can't answer. I can answer only with my silence," said Emery. Asked if the 30-year-old refused to play, Emery re- plied: "Call him, call his agent, he can respond. It's not my responsibility."

Without Watkins, Villa were four down inside 31 minutes at Brighton after Victor Lindelof's own goal, a finish from Maxim De Cuyper and Jack Hinshelwood's double.

To add to the visitors' woes, sum- mer arrival Joao Gomes was sent off. Villa have endured an exodus since winning the Europa League in May, with Ezri Konsa, Youri Tiele- mans and Morgan Rogers sold and

Emi Martinez also wanting to leave. "We made mistakes, they scored the goals and in 25 minutes we lost everything. Emotionally as well, we lost," added Emery.

"It's something the last three years – at the beginning until the transfer window finishes – we had problems, like we are having now."

■ Match report, page 55