Jack Cornwell, 21, will leave Durham Cathedral with his sister and three friends tomorrow at 9.30am, with the aim to be in Darlington town centre between 6pm and 6.30pm.

The 21-year-old is raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support and is walking in memory of his nan, Valerie Bland.

Valerie sadly died two years ago from cancer.

Jack’s nan, Valerie Bland (Image: JACK CORNWELL)

Jack explained why he is doing the walk.

“In the later stages of my life, my nan was supported by nurses from Macmillan,” he said.

“But they were also really supportive to us. They were fantastic and support as many people as they can throughout the country.

“I think the work they do is amazing.”

Jack on a previous fundraising event (Image: JACK CORNWELL)

Jack lived with his nan since the age of four and said she always helped him with whatever he needed.

He added: “Some people these days may not be that close with their nan, but I was incredibly close to her.”

This is the fourth fundraising event Jack has done in memory of his nan and to raise funds for Macmillan.

Jack as a child with his nan, Valerie (Image: JACK CORNWELL)

He said: “I did a walk from Middlesbrough to Darlington, raising just short of £1,000. Then I did an event where I had my head in a hole and people threw wet sponges at me, which was horrible.

“And I did two cake sales as well. The events were really positive and raised more than £2,000 for a great charity.”

So far, Jack has raised £1,250 for charity ahead of his walk tomorrow, which he is really looking forward to.

He said: “We are stopping in Ferryhill and Newton Aycliffe on the way. The walk is 20 miles; it’s not a short walk.

“We have t-shirts ready for tomorrow; it’s going to be amazing.”

You can donate to Jack’s fundraiser by visiting: https://www.gofundme.com/f/macmillan-walk-saturday-9th-may-durham-to-darlington

One person in EastEnders that surely does not take rejection well is the unsettlingly unhinged Bea Pollard (Ronni Ancona)… as Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) is about to learn.

The bizarre bunny-boiler has developed an unhealthy fixation on Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton), worming her way into her and her husband  Billy’s (Perry Fenwick) home and manipulating them so she can stay under their roof. Worse still, she’s been funding her time on the Square by using a fraudulent credit card in Honey’s name.

During her time in Walford, Bea has also sparked up an unexpected romance with Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), getting in the way of his spiky will-they won’t-they relationship with frenemy Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe).

She’s usethe money she defrauded from Honey to buy Ian drinks and charm him with dates, and has even helped him in his campaign battle against Harriet in the local council elections. 

Unfortunately, Bea doesn’t play nice.

The deranged newcomer hatched an underhanded plan to launch a smear campaign video about Elaine to bolster Ian’s chances. 

Although reluctantly allowing Bea to the post the video online, apparently there are some things even Ian Beale finds morally reprehensible and as soon as Elaine wished him luck, he suddenly had a change of heart.

Despite Ian’s best attempts to to delete that video, Elaine soon learns of the video’s existence from Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins). 

Cue a confrontation between a raging Elaine and a guilt-ridden Ian, who tried to reverse his smear campaign. 

After Bea’s dirty tactics damaged his reputation, upcoming scenes of Eastenders will see Ian decide to call time on his relationship with his girlfriend… with explosive consequences.

Bea fusses around Ian , he’s Ian distracted to pay attention.

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Later, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) lectures Ian for his underhanded actions as he tries to smooth things over with Elaine.

Meanwhile, Honey continues to worry that her identity has been stolen and later, after encouragement from Billy, asks Bea to confirm when she’s moving out. Bea reassures Honey she’s hoping to move in with Ian,

However, her plans are scuppered when Cindy shows Ian Bea’s article in the gazette… which names them as husband and wife. Spooked by his beau’s intensity, Ian decides to call time on their relationship.

When he tries to let Bea down gently, it goes even worse than any EastEnders viewer migh exepect and Ian is left well and truly shaken by Bea’s reaction.

But that’s just the tip of the crazy iceberg. When Bea gets home, Billy’s furious to learn about her latest antics and kicks her out on the spot…

… which leads a vengeful Bea to tamper with his ladder.

Don’t mess with Bea. You’ll get stunng.

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Tess Daly and Vernon Kay have shared that they are parting ways after more than two decades of marriage.

On Friday evening, the former Strictly Come Dancing host and Radio 2 broadcaster announced the split in a joint statement shared on their respective Instagram pages.

“After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably,” they said in their post.

“This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a place of mutual understanding and a shared desire for what is best for both of us. We remain great friends and most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.”

Vernon and Tess then added: “There are no other parties involved in this decision. We kindly ask for privacy during this time as we navigate this transition together.

“We will not be making any further public comments.”

A short video circulating online captures something about Andy Burnham’s political appeal in Greater Manchester. In it he is confronted by a member of the public as he walks through Manchester city centre.

“Hey Andy, how come you never stuck up for the victims of Pakistani rape gangs?”, the guy behind the camera asks. As Burnham’s staff attempt to remove the man asking questions the mayor begins to engage with him.

“I didn’t know that Andy”, the interviewer responds to Burnham’s explanation. As the video ends, the man with the camera says: “I appreciate that, man”, and they part with a fist bump.

It is the kind of interaction that you rarely see in national politics and it’s quite hard to imagine any other current Labour politician who would have handled it as well.

Andy Burnham’s name carries a particular kind of affection in Greater Manchester. It is an attachment that often feels more personal than political. Many voters don’t talk about him in the abstract language usually reserved for national figures. They talk about him as someone they see, recognise, and compare against the absence of that same familiarity in Westminster politics.

The King of the North, the ongoing commentary on his eyelashes. The videos of him playing guitar or skateboarding or talking about music feel unguarded and honest – if at times a bit dad-dancing-cringe.

Taken together, it adds up to something unusual in modern Labour politics, warmth. In light of the disastrous local election results last night, warmth towards the Labour party is evidently in short supply.

Keir Starmer came into office on a wave of expectation after years of Conservative chaos, with a level of goodwill not seen since 1997. Much of that has faded. The memory of what a transformative Labour government can feel like still lingers, and that makes the current sense of drift more acute. Labour were keen to manage expectations ahead of the last general election. They somehow underpromised and then went on to under-deliver anyway.

As Labour’s national government struggles to define itself, Greater Manchester continues to offer something more concrete – a sense of direction, and a political identity people can actually describe.

In Greater Manchester voters are clear about the problem. Labour isn’t listening.

That frustration came through repeatedly during our many pre-election vox pops. People feel poorer. Services feel worse. Things feel stuck. Politicians are all liars, they don’t listen and things are ‘generally sh*t’. There is extraordinary hostility towards Keir Starmer from all sections of the electorate.

Meanwhile, Andy Burnham’s name was mentioned a surprising amount. Often as a point of comparison and always unprompted. A Labour politician who appears to offer something the national party currently does not – visibility, confidence and a sense of direction.

Paradoxically, his authority may have been strengthened by being blocked from returning to Westminster. The decision reinforced his position as a figure rooted in place rather than ambition alone. Burnham being blocked also cast him as an outsider. Fundamentally, it didn’t play well with voters who saw it as an affront to the British sense of fairness.

As a result his reputation is now stronger than that of any national Labour figure, including the ailing Prime Minister.

This is partly about personality, but not only that. He comes across as someone who believes what he is saying, who is willing to argue for it and who is comfortable doing so in public.

Politics still depends on whether people feel they can trust you enough to listen. Burnham has built that trust through visibility and accessibility, but also by delivering things people can point to.

What gives this comparison its force is not simply personality, but what it reveals about Labour as a governing project.

Labour in Westminster is struggling to articulate a sense of change that voters can feel in their daily lives, particularly on the economy, immigration and the NHS. The language of stability and competence has not been matched by a convincing account of improvement, and that gap is widening in public perception.

That is why the tone of the vox pops matter. Repeated references to hopelessness, to not being listened to, to things feeling harder than they should be, and to politics feeling remote all point in the same direction. Labour is no longer benefiting from the residual emotional authority it once had. The memory of 1997 still lingers in the background of British politics, but it now functions more as contrast than comfort.

In that context, Greater Manchester begins to look like something more interesting than a political anecdote. “Manchesterism” is not a fully formed ideology, but it does represent a governing instinct that is becoming clearer. It’s investment-led growth, visible delivery, and devolved authority anchored in place not party.

It rests on a simple, but politically significant proposition, that people are more likely to trust institutions they can see working in their own lives. Transport systems that function, housing that is delivered, skills training that connects to jobs. Burnham understands that no amount of slick media or disciplined messaging can alter the fact of people’s lived experiences.

Westminster operates through managed messaging, caution and reactive positioning. Greater Manchester is focused on long-term planning and pragmatic cooperation. There’s a sense that Burnham will work with anyone who wants to do the best for Greater Manchester. Ideological purity doesn’t matter – outcomes do.

What makes the Westminster comparison politically uncomfortable for Labour is that it exposes uncertainty about what kind of governing party it now is. Is dissatisfaction driven by managerial failure, or by something more fundamental about the party’s current ideological direction?

Manchesterism, if it can be called that, sits uneasily in that space. It is not an ideological break with Labour tradition so much as a return to a more explicitly place-based model of governance. It assumes that growth is built through sustained investment, that transport, housing and skills should be treated as one system, and that legitimacy comes from delivery rather than smart messaging.

That approach prioritises coalition building across business, unions and local government, and accepts that progress is slow, cumulative and visible rather than rhetorical. It is not a politics of slogans, but of infrastructure – of bricks, mortar and delivery.

Critics are right to point out that what works in Greater Manchester does not automatically scale to national government. The UK is more complex, more centralised, and more uneven in capacity. But that does not resolve the underlying political question.

There is also a credibility gap that Burnham will need to address if he doesn’t want to spook the markets. He’s still considered to be on the left of the political spectrum, regardless of his well-documented economic pragmatism.

It’s also fair to say that he doesn’t always get everything right. His equivocation on the Clean Air Zone is a case in point, and he didn’t always have a tight enough grip on the previous regime at Greater Manchester Police.

Any depiction of our region as some sort of utopia would also ignore the very real challenges that people in Greater Manchester still face. These are not the sunlit uplands of a glorious future, but at least there seems to be a plan to get there.

So, why does a regional authority with limited fiscal power appear more coherent than a national government with a large majority?

Burnham’s significance, then, is not simply personal or factional. It lies in what he represents: a strand of Labour thinking that is more comfortable with intervention, more willing to prioritise place and more focused on visible outcomes than strategic positioning.

Under his leadership, Greater Manchester has become associated with efforts to integrate transport systems, expand housing delivery and develop a more coordinated regional growth strategy. Whether or not these initiatives are uniformly successful, they have created a clearer sense of intent than is often visible at national level.

That is why Burnham is frequently invoked in discussions about Labour’s future direction.

There is a route back to Westminster for Andy Burnham. He has the offer of a seat outside of Manchester, though still in the North West, but it is understood his preference would be for a seat in Greater Manchester.

Meanwhile, concerns about who would take over as mayor are largely assuaged. It is generally believed that Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig, who is respected for her commitment to delivery, is likely to be a frontrunner.

Salford mayor Paul Dennett, was also widely expected to be interested in the role, but may have been damaged by a series of scandals at Salford council.

That woolly concept Manchesterism, if it is to mean anything at all, is therefore less a brand than a proposition: that politics should be judged by what people can see changing around them. It is a politics rooted in place, focused on investment and defined by outcomes rather than rhetoric or ideology.

Of course, it might not work. The constraints are real, and the systems are different. But the lesson Manchester offers is becoming harder and harder to ignore in the light of Labour’s catastrophic polling and the local election results.

People do not experience politics through speeches or strategy documents. They experience it through whether things feel like they are getting better or not. That is where the gap now lies between Westminster and Greater Manchester. It is not a new idea. It is what Labour once believed it was for.

This Labour government now needs to look for new energy, new ideas and a popular leader. There is no doubt the country and the party need it. Otherwise it risks irrelevance or worse.

Increasingly, the answer points not just to Manchester as a model, but to Andy Burnham as its political expression. The answer to Labour’s problems is not around the cabinet table. It is not in Westminster waiting to be found. It is already in Manchester. It is Andy Burnham.

A night of drama, total coverage.

Tears for some, joy for others. Momentous results, political drama and a huge shift in Greater Manchester local politics. The Manchester Evening News has covered all the results, bringing you them first, along with insight, analysis and on the ground reporting.

Only your MEN can do this sort of reporting in our region.

If you appreciate what we’re doing you may want to support trusted local journalism by trying out our new Premium offering. You can subscribe here for the price of a coffee per month for exclusive content, and an ad-lite experience tailored for people who really want the inside track on what’s happening in our great city region.

Drivers will need to travel around a Cambridge roundabout anti-clockwise during the works

“Essential” sewer works along a busy Cambridge street are set to start tomorrow (May 9) to repair a damaged sewer. Anglian Water has confirmed the “essential” overnight works on Milton Road will be in place from Saturday, May 9 until Wednesday, May 13.

The work will be carried out between 7.30pm and 5am to repair a damaged sewer. A series of specialist CCTV investigations have been carried out by Anglian Water to assess the work needed to fix the pipe.

Tankers will be positioned on the roundabout between Milton Road and Elizabeth Way. There will be temporary traffic lights placed on the roundabout during the overnight works.

Due to this, traffic from Elizabeth Way will need to travel around the roundabout anti-clockwise during the overnight working hours. The traffic lights will be removed during the day so they’re less disruptive for local residents and traffic.

Anglian Water will be using high-powered jetting machines to clean the existing sewer network and keep sewers flowing. A constant closure on part of the bus lane on Milton Road will also be put in place temporarily.

Teams for Anglian Water will be on site to guide vehicles and to keep things moving. A spokesperson for Anglian Water said: “We know this kind of work can be disruptive for the local community, so we’d like to thank residents around Milton Road for their patience while we carry out this essential repair work to keep their sewers flowing.”

The Green Party took six seats from Labour on Cambridge City Council celebrating nationwide gains

The Greens are celebrating after gaining their largest ever share of seats on Cambridge City Council in the local elections. It marks the first time in over a decade that the Labour Party has lost control – though they remain the largest party.

Leader Cameron Holloway was one of six councillors who lost their seats to the Greens as Labour suffered defeats nationwide. The Greens now have 12 councillors in Cambridge, leapfrogging the Liberal Democrats to become the second largest party, behind Labour’s 17 seats.

Cllr Naomi Bennett, leader of the Green group on Cambridge City Council, praised voters, campaigners and “extremely positive campaigns”. She said they are “very proud” that residents “came out and voted for hope not hate in overwhelming numbers on Thursday”.

She said: “Cambridge residents voted for change and we will deliver. Our new councillors will work hard with our existing Green councillors to protect and improve local services and make sure they work efficiently for residents in Cambridge.”

The party added that they came in an “extremely close second” in Shelford, missing out on a seat on South Cambridgeshire District Council by just nine votes.

In Histon and Impington they also came second with the Liberal Democrats just under 200 votes ahead. Miranda Fyfe, the party’s candidate, said the result showed there was “no risk of Reform gaining seats” if voters chose the Greens instead.

She said: “We have been saying for months that it would be between Lib Dems and Greens in these wards, with no risk of Reform gaining seats in Shelford or Histon and we were correct!

“South Cambridgeshire Greens will continue to campaign for real hope and real change here, holding the Lib Dems to account to deliver for people and planet, not profit and greed.”

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was ‘shaken’ by an encounter with a man wearing a balaclava near the Sandringham estate.

The former Duke of York is said to be now demanding taxpayer-funded security following the incident on Wednesday evening near his new Norfolk home.

The masked man allegedly had a crowbar in his vehicle when he approached Andrew while the former prince was out walking his dog.

Alex Jenkinson, 39, from Suffolk, was arrested by officers at 7.30pm on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and of a public order offence.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via video link today and pleaded not guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to harass someone or cause alarm or distress.

Jenkinson was released on conditional bail and is now banned from entering the county of Norfolk, being in the vicinity of any royally owned property in the UK and from contacting Andrew.

However the former prince is thought to be increasingly concerned about his personal safety following the incident near to Marsh Farm.

A source told the Telegraph that the former Duke of York was more at risk following media coverage of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and his excesses during his time as UK trade envoy.

The source added that, despite being stripped of his titles, Andrew’s high profile meant his security arrangements should be reviewed.

They said: ‘There should be a review, which gives proper consideration to Andrew in the light of what has happened.’

Questions over Andrew’s security have been raised since he moved out of the Royal Lodge in Windsor earlier this year.

The Sandringham estate is routinely open to the public, and the former duke no longer enjoys the royal protections afforded to him in Windsor.

To help mitigate risks, CCTV cameras and a 6ft fence have been installed at Marsh Farm and the property has been added to the no-fly area over Sandringham in a bid to bolster the former prince’s safety.

Meanwhile, the Home Office is reviewing security arrangements for Prince Harry, despite the state-side royal’s legal defeat on his rights to automatic public-funded protection.

The Duke of Sussex has argued his risks have stepped up since he moved across the pond and has refused to bring his family to the UK without guaranteed police protection.

The review’s findings will be submitted to the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC).

Metro has approached Andrew’s representatives for a comment.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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He says he plans to ‘reach out to others’ to form a government, and he will put his name forward as First Minister

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has told supporters his party will “take the necessary steps to form the next Government of Wales”. He says he plans to “reach out to others” who support his plans, and confirmed he will put his name forward to be nominated as the next First Minister.

The Plaid Cymru leader was elected to represent his party in the Bangor Conwy Mon constituency. He made his speech in Llandudno at 6.30pm on Friday, May 8.

His party took 43 seats, with Reform UK in second with 34 seats. Labour came in third with nine seats, a result that led to First Minister Eluned Morgan resigning as Welsh Labour leader. She retains the title of First Minister until a date is set for a vote to replace her. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

If he tried to find enough votes from other parties to form a formal coalition, the Green Party and Lib Dem members isn’t enough,. so he would need the support of Labour or the Conservatives as well.

Rhun ap Iorwerth’s speech in full

“Wrth i ganlyniadau ddod i law ledled Cymru dros yr oriau dwetha, mi ddaeth yn amlwg pa ddewis sydd wedi cael ei wned gyfer dyfodol ein cenedl.

“Dwi am ddiolch i bawb sydd wedi cymryd rhan yn yr etholiad yma heddiw.

“Ac ar sail y bleidlais honno, mae Plaid Cymru rwan yn barod i fwrw mlaen i ffurfio llywodraeth nesaf Cymru.

“The people of Wales have today decided on the next steps in Wales’s journey.

“I am grateful to everyone that took part in this election, and yes, different voices are represented in that overall result.

“But based on that vote, and a clear outcome, Plaid Cymru now stands ready to take the necessary steps to form the next Government of Wales.

“This is a moment one hundred years in the making.

“A moment in which we hold the promise and ambition of a nation in our hands.

“The promise of fairness, of opportunity, of prosperity – of a nation determined in its ambition and uncompromising in its compassion.

“This victory comes not only because of those campaigners whose hard work and passion propelled us forward in recent weeks and months, but to those who went before us, whose patience and persistence never waned, even when the disappointments hurt.

“But of course we have won not for ourselves as individuals or as a party but for the people of Wales, in order that we can serve the people of Wales. And of course that means ALL of the people, regardless of how they voted in this election.

“We have won because we represent hope over division, credibility over chaos, and progress over stagnation.

“Mae pobl Cymru wedi dewis gobaith.

“Mae nhw wedi dewis hyder.

“Ac mae nhw wedi dewis arweinyddiaeth newydd am y tro cyntaf yn hanes ein democratiaeth ifanc.

“Ond wrth i’r stori newydd yma gael ei sgwennu, nid heddiw sy’n bwysig ond fory, a’r diwrnod ar ol hynny.

“Dechrau nid diwedd y daith ydi hyn.

‘”Daw dydd y bydd mawr y rhai bychain’, meddai Waldo.

“Wel, mi ddaeth y dydd hwnnw – y dydd o blanu hedyn y deffroad cenedlaethol fydd yn blaguro’n Gymru falch, hyderus ac uchelgeisiol.

“Mae Cymru wedi rhoi ei ffydd ynom ni ac rwan mi fyddwn ni’n dangos ein ffydd yng Nghymru – i dyfu’n genedl decach, mwy cyfiawn a mwy llewyrchus a sy’n barod i sefyll i fyny i San Steffan.

“In the build up to this election, and in the result, Wales demanded change.

“We could all sense it. Wales demanded a new beginning and now, a new dawn beckons.

“But we have not yet reached the destination – far from it – we are just setting out on our journey.

“And we set off with new leadership, with new energy and new ideas.

“Free to hope, free to aspire, free to dare to demand what Wales rightly deserves.

“We now need a government which represents the change the people of Wales have voted for, governing with fairness, responsibility, compassion and humility. And with unbounded ambition.

“That is what we will now strive to build and we intend to repay that trust placed in Plaid Cymru as quickly as we can.

“Our missions today are the same as they were last week, last month, last year. Power will not shake our principles, or our pledges.

“Cutting waiting lists and building a sustainable health service.

“Creating jobs.

“Raising standards in our schools.

“Helping families with the cost of living.

“Tackling child poverty.

“And standing up for Wales – always.

“I now intend to reach out to others who can support these missions with the pace and seriousness they demand, and to find common ground where we can, for the common good.

“Plaid Cymru will press ahead with those conversations with urgency and put forward my name to be nominated as the next First Minister.

“Our nation deserves a government that will work with relentless determination to deliver on the things that matter most to you.

“We now focus on that task. And we do this… for Wales.

“Dros Gymru. Diolch yn fawr.”