Wet and windy weather is expected to batter most of the country this Easter bank holiday weekend, with conditions forecast to become increasingly unsettled from Friday and remain bleak for the long weekend.

Heavy bands of rain will move southward from Friday morning and persist throughout the weekend, with temperatures are expected to drop to 1C in Scotland on Saturday morning. Warmer weather is due to follow next week, with highs of 15C forecast for much of the country.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates said: “As we head into Good Friday and Easter Saturday, the weather is expected to turn more unsettled with spells of rain at times, some of which could be heavy. This will be followed by sunny spells and showers, with the driest conditions likely towards the southeast of the UK.

“It is also likely to become windy at times across all areas, particularly in exposed northwestern locations. While there remains some uncertainty in the detail at this point in time, there is a strong signal for wet and windy conditions to continue into the Easter weekend.”

Scotland and Northern Ireland will experience temperatures ranging from 1C to 9C throughout Friday and Saturday. Wintry conditions will continue on Easter Sunday, but will improve slightly on Monday in some areas. Wales and England will enjoy slightly warmer weather over the weekend, with highs of 14C forecast for parts of the south and southeast of England on Saturday.

By Tuesday, temperatures across the country are expected to climb, with 13C to 15C forecast for much of Wales and England, and a high of 16C expected in London.

“As April begins, the balance tips slightly towards drier conditions, and with the clocks going forward and days lengthening, there will be more opportunity to enjoy any sunshine that does develop,” the Met Office said. “However, any sustained warmth looks less certain, and changeable conditions remain a key feature of the outlook.”

Met Office five-day weather forecast

Today

Blustery showers in the north will continue this morning, with snow over the hills at first, but these will gradually ease through the day. Largely dry in the south with sunny spells, although a few showers possible. Winds easing.

Tonight

Clear spells in the east at first with a frost developing. Skies clouding over elsewhere with outbreaks of rain and drizzle.

Tuesday

Cloudy at first with outbreaks of rain and drizzle. Turning drier for many in the afternoon with some warm bright or sunny spells. Windy in the north with coastal gales.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday

Changeable over the next few days with largely cloudy skies. Spells of rain are likely at times with strong winds, and it will gradually turn colder towards the weekend.

Sacheera Acharige, from Perth, admitted biting his wife, Dinesha Kankanamge, on her face to injury on May 4, 2024.

A husband paid hundreds of pounds for his wife to have cosmetic procedures to hide his teeth marks after he bit her on the face. Dinesha Kankanamge still had clearly visible injuries to her cheek several weeks after being attacked by Sacheera Acharige in their home.

Acharige, 36, took his wife to an aesthetics clinic and paid a total of £400 for work to make the injury he caused less obvious. The jewellery maker had sentence deferred for reports after he admitted carrying out two attacks on his wife in little over a fortnight.

Fiscal depute Jill Drummond told Perth Sheriff Court: “They have been married since 2019. She described it as mostly good, but negatively affected by his abuse of alcohol.

“On 4 May they were in bed. He was under the influence and wanted to leave to continue drinking. She requested him to stay and he became very angry.

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“He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her towards him. He bit into her left cheek which resulted in marking to the cheek. She shouted for help to her cousin who was in the living room.

“The next day the cousin saw the bite mark. They appraised the accused of the circumstances, to which he became upset as he did not realise he had done it.

“He stated he would pay for the treatment. She went to the aesthetics clinic and got an injection to reduce the visibility. She attended again three weeks later for further treatment. Overall he paid £400 to cover both treatments.”

Two weeks later, Acharige attacked his wife again when she tried to get him up for work when he slept in after a late night binge drinking session. He demanded a cup of tea, told his wife ‘not to disrespect’ him, and hurled abuse at her as she tried to get their child ready for nursery.

She was slapped and then knocked to the ground during a struggle, before Acharige dragged her by the hair to the bathroom where he leathered her with a shoe. The fiscal depute said the victim called counselling services on her lunch break at work and then contacted the police to report her husband later the same day.

Acharige, from Perth, admitted biting his wife’s face to her injury on May 4, 2024, and injuring her again on May 20, 2024, by slapping and dragging her by the hair as well as hitting her with a leather shoe. The court was told that the complainer did not want a non-harassment order to be imposed as she wanted to continue the marriage and have Acharige home as soon as possible.

Sheriff Paul Brown deferred sentence for reports and said he would consider the issue of a non-harassment order at that stage.

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The event was organised by Moja CEO Sophie Milliken who said: “There is no shortage of talent in our region, and  no shortage of ambition. But put the right people in the room together and everything accelerates.

“A few people messaged me when the invites went out asking if it was real. Which says a lot, because opportunities like this aren’t the norm for founders in our region. Not because the businesses aren’t good enough, but because access doesn’t always flow this far north.

“And that’s the bit we don’t talk about enough.”

Kim McGuinness said: “Businesses led by women are often stronger, but sadly simply don’t often attract the level of investment of those led by men.

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“In the North East we are determined to change that, so we met Rachel Reeves and a load of investors and connectors and we plan to bring that money North so these incredible women can use it to grow.”

Sara Davies said the event was ‘a moment of recognition’

She said: “Building a business in the North East of England as a 21-year-old woman 20 years ago was not easy.

“There was talent everywhere — ambition, ideas, work ethic — but what we didn’t always have was access. Access to the same opportunities, networks and recognition that seemed far more readily available elsewhere in the country.

“That’s why being invited to 11 Downing Street this week meant so much more than just stepping inside an iconic building.

“To stand alongside so many brilliant women from across Teesside and the wider North East, all building, leading and growing incredible businesses, was genuinely inspiring. These are women who are driving real impact in our region, creating jobs, innovating, and proving every single day what’s possible.

“And finally, it felt like that was being seen. I left feeling hopeful that this is just the beginning of even greater recognition for our region.”

 Sophie Milliken added: “This isn’t a room most North East founders get access to, but we had 50 female founders from across the North East at 11 Downing Street. From Northumberland down to Tees Valley. Different sectors, different stages, different ambitions, but all building something.

“Through City Ladies Networking, we’ve always focused on bringing the right people into the room. Not for the sake of it, but to create conversations that actually lead somewhere. So it was a privilege for Natalie Turner and I to be able to support such an important event – a reminder of what’s possible when you remove a few of the usual barriers.”

Sky Sports has a position of dominance, with four of the five available TV packages.

It can combine its packs and make the system work as it sees fit.

Selections can be made in one package, but the time and day swapped with another.

This is how it can work.

Every team should be picked at least once. Arsenal and Tottenham are the only clubs who have not played on a Friday or Monday.

However, it does not necessarily mean Sky has not picked them in the slot.

Likewise, Everton have seven Friday or Monday games but two of those might be allocated to a different package.

When asked, Sky Sports and the Premier League would not discuss the breakdown of selections on a week-to-week basis.

But, as an illustration, BBC Sport can suggest how it could work from one weekend in January.

Let’s say Sky Sports picked Everton v Leeds as Saturday 17:30, and Bournemouth v Liverpool as Monday 20:00.

Liverpool could not play on the Monday because of the Champions League, so Sky Sports could swap the games.

Everton‘s game is on a Monday, but it was not picked for a Monday. So it may not count as part of the Monday allocation.

Sky Sports says the process involves so many bodies, including clubs and the police, that much of the decision-making is taken out of its hands.

The order of first, second and third-choice picks between Sky and TNT Sports can also have an influence.

It is clear that the five-appearance maximum is a just loose limit.

Supporters will simply see their club has been picked six, seven or eight times.

Manchester United will almost certainly be in Europe next season, so will join the band of clubs largely shielded from the Friday-Monday package.

But with at least eight Premier League clubs set to be in Europe, the issue is not going to go away.

If Tottenham stay in the Premier League they will go to the top of the list for Friday and Monday selection, given they have a large fan base and are viewed as a glamourous club.

Everton fans say the scenario is “damaging supporter accessibility, matchday experience, and long-term engagement”.

It seems unlikely to change next season.

The UK has recently seen a resurgence of meningococcal B (MenB) disease, with a cluster of cases in Kent described as “unprecedented” by the health secretary, Wes Streeting. As attention turns from the current MenB outbreak to how to prevent future outbreaks, another challenge is also growing: gonorrhoea is becoming harder to treat as antibiotic resistance rises. These two challenges might seem unrelated, but they are now linked by a single vaccine.

Some sexual health services are using a vaccine originally designed to prevent MenB disease as part of efforts to reduce gonorrhoea. At first glance, that might sound surprising. But the bacteria that cause meningitis and gonorrhoea are closely related, meaning a vaccine targeting one may offer some protection against the other.

This kind of scientific overlap is drawing increasing attention. Developing brand new vaccines from scratch takes years – sometimes decades – and is costly. Repurposing existing ones could offer a faster, more practical route.

The MenB vaccine itself already has a strong public profile in the UK. Campaigns calling for wider access became one of the most signed petitions in UK history. It has helped bring attention to meningococcal disease and shaping public expectations around vaccine availability.

Recommendations about how vaccines are used in the UK are made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which operates within a government-defined framework. Their advice takes into account the burden of disease, vaccine safety and effectiveness, as well as the cost-effectiveness of different immunisation strategies.

Repurposing vaccines

The evidence is still evolving when it comes to gonorrhoea. While earlier studies suggested the MenB vaccine might offer some “cross-protection”, a more recent randomised control trial – the gold standard in medical research – indicates that protection may be lower in people who have previously had gonorrhoea.

This raises important questions about who might benefit the most. If protection is stronger, or longer lasting, in people who have never had the infection, vaccination strategies may need to focus on these groups instead.

Our recent research suggests that people are open to this kind of complexity. In a survey of sexual health service users in the UK, more than 98% supported the introduction of a gonorrhoea vaccine. Many were willing to accept that the vaccine might not be perfect, as long as its benefits were explained clearly and transparently.

That willingness matters. Repurposed vaccines are unlikely to offer complete protection, especially in the early stages. But even partial protection could reduce cases and ease pressure on healthcare systems, particularly for infections like gonorrhoea, where treatment options are narrowing.

At the same time, the context in which this vaccine is being used is changing. The UK is seeing renewed concern about MenB disease, including clusters of cases that have spread quickly. This places the MenB vaccine in an unusual position: it is being deployed simultaneously against a rare but severe infection and a common, increasingly drug-resistant one.

These overlapping pressures may shift how we think about its value. Traditionally, decisions about a national MenB programme have been based on the burden of meningococcal disease alone. But if the same vaccine can also contribute – even partially – to controlling gonorrhoea, the calculation becomes more complex.

In that light, the question is no longer just whether the MenB vaccine is cost-effective for one disease, but whether its combined impact across multiple infections changes the equation altogether.

There are also practical considerations. Vaccine supply, delivery capacity and prioritisation all come into play when a single product is expected to address more than one public health challenge. Expanding its use would require careful planning to avoid displacing more effective or cost-effective interventions.

Not just single-purpose tools

At the same time, this approach highlights a broader shift in biomedical thinking. Vaccines are increasingly being understood not just as single-purpose tools, but as tools that may have wider effects than originally anticipated. As our understanding of pathogens and immune responses deepens, opportunities to reuse or adapt existing drugs and vaccines are likely to grow.

With rising levels of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea alongside renewed concern about MenB, and strong public support for vaccination, the case for wider use of this vaccine may look different to before.

Whether that ultimately leads to routine immunisation will depend on the evolving evidence. But this moment may mark the beginning of a broader shift in how we evaluate vaccines, not just in terms of single diseases, but in terms of their potential to address multiple threats at once.

Scissor Sisters will be performing at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Saturday (August 8).

The multi award-winning stars will be joined by musician, DJ, activist and drag performer Bimini, who will feature as a special guest.  

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A runner-up in RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2021, Bimini now DJs sets featuring house, electro, breaks, drum’n’bass and leftfield club sounds.

Bimini burst onto the music scene after reaching international fame through RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (Image: Frank Fieber)

The artist is currently adding the finishing touches to their debut album, months after opening for Lady Gaga at London’s O2 Arena and Pride.

Headliners the Scissor Sisters burst onto the music scene in 2004.

With their chart-topping, self-titled debut album, they were the first act ever to sweep all three international categories at the BRIT Awards.

They reached international acclaim with the likes of Take Your Mama, Comfortably Numb and Laura – establishing themselves as one of the most influential pop acts of the era.

The band and Bimini will also be joined by second special guest, The Hidden Camera, following the release of their meta dance-pop album BRONTO.

Scissor Sisters have partnered with PLUS1 – a registered non-profit in the US – to support Not A Phase, a charity championing trans and gender-diverse adult in the UK.

For every ticket sold, £1.60 (minus applicable taxes) will go to PLUS1 in support of Not A Phase.

More information can be found here, along with ticket details.

Playfully mocking colleague Vernon Kay in the BBC Radio 2 studio, Jeremy held up a photo of Vernon sporting a slicked-back hairstyle, remarking: “Here he is.”

The camera then pans to Vernon with a more tousled bedhead look, prompting Jeremy to dryly say: “Oh.”

Vernon laughed off the comparison, replying: “What do you mean ‘oh’?

“It’s Monday morning. It’s bedhead.”

The video was captioned: “Publicity photo vs Monday morning reality.”

Vernon, 51, first found fame after being spotted by a modelling agency at the BBC Clothes Show Live in Birmingham in 1996.

He went on to win Model of the Week on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast, launching a successful television career.

Vernon now hosts the mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2, a role he began in May 2023.

Known for his trademark thick hair, he recently surprised fans by switching to a shorter style and embracing his natural grey tones.

The former socialist leader has been followed by TV cameras for almost a year for a BBC-comissioned show about his controversial career as a left wing politician.

Tommy Sheridan has revealed that a new BBC documentary on his life is being filmed as he tries to return to Holyrood.

The former socialist leader has been followed by TV cameras for almost a year for a BBC-comissioned show about his controversial career as a left wing politician.

And just days after Sheridan announced he was standing for a new pro-indy alliance, he believes the film crew could be there to capture his return to Holyrood.

The 62-year-old – who was jailed for perjury in 2010 after claims he attended swinging parties – said: “The production company approached me in August last year and have been filming since then.

“I’m 62 and they’re going through my whole life, so it’s taking a while.

“They suggested two one-hour documentaries, which looks at the social political history of Scotland through my eyes.

“I was involved in the miners’ strike and the poll tax. I was elected a councillor from prison in 1992 after being jailed for for defying a court order banning me from a warrant sale.

“They’re looking at all the things I’ve been involved in and what it says about Scotland’s political history.”

Tommy is standing in the Glasgow regional list as number one candidate for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland, which formed in February.

His wife Gail also a candidate on the party’s Glasgow list.

The move came after it was announced the late Alex Salmond’s pro-indy Alba Party is to wind up and deregister after being left financially unviable amid a police probe into alleged financial “irregularities”

.

Sheridan had been part of a group bidding to take over leadership and save Alba.

But he says his future is now firmly with Alliance.

A poll conducted by Find Out Now, a member of the British Polling Council, has predicted eight per cent of voters being ‘definitely’ or ‘very likely’ to consider voting for the party.

List MSPs have been elected in the past on six per cent support in Glasgow, but usually at least seven per cent is required.

People who voted SNP at the last Holyrood election were the most likely to say they’d consider backing the Alliance. In the national poll, 1 in 7 (14%) said they’d be ‘definitely’ or ‘very likely’ to consider it.

Sheridan said: “This opinion poll shows clearly we can win enough support to be elected and the people of Glasgow know I can do the job. I proved that during the eight years I represented the city and championed the abolition of warrant sales and the introduction of free and healthy school meals.

“I’m more equipped now than ever to lead the charge for Scotland’s independence from the parasitical chains of the corrupt Westminster Parliament which robs Scotland blind and then accuses us of being incapable of standing on our own two feet.

“The days of Westminster misrule are numbered. I am determined to wage war on poverty, low pay and the chronic underfunding of our NHS and local council services. The only way to do that is with the economic powers of an independent nation.

“People are realising the voting system has to be understood and giving the SNP a list vote in Glasgow is simply giving a vote to the right wing. It’s giving it to Reform and to the Tories.

“What that poll shows is that my victory will be a defeat for the Tories.

“Unionists aren’t going to vote for me. I know that. But in terms of the vast number of SNP and independence supporters, they are willing to use their vote if they think it’s going to be effective.”

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