ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, England (AP) — About 75,000 voters in a pocket of northwest England are about to make a momentous decision. They will cast ballots in a contest that may well pick the U.K.’s next prime minister, or plunge Britain’s febrile politics into even more turmoil. Possibly both.

Some of them aren’t too enthusiastic.

“I think they’re all a waste of time,” said Shirley Prior on the choice of candidates in Makerfield, where a special election on June 18 has drawn interest from journalists around the world. That level of attention is all-but unheard of for a midterm by-election to fill one of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.

If Andy Burnham from the center-left Labour Party wins, there’s a strong chance he will replace embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer as leader of both party and country. He’s up against Reform UK, a hard-right party hoping to prove that this longtime Labour stronghold is fertile ground for its anti-immigration message, with potentially seismic consequences for British democracy.

This district has elected Labour lawmakers for 120 years, but Burnham is not a shoo-in. Reform, led by the veteran anti-immigration politician Nigel Farage, won 24 of the 25 council seats up for grabs in local elections in this area last month.

“I always voted Labour because my dad, my grandad, everybody voted Labour then,” Prior said. “I’ve never done that for a lot, a lot of years.”

Immigration is a top issue

The election is taking place amid heightened tensions over immigration. A stabbing in Belfast this week, for which a Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder, triggered violent protests in Northern Ireland in which cars and houses torched.

In the constituency’s main town of Ashton-in-Makerfield, 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of London, some voters echo Reform claims that recent arrivals are straining housing and public services.

“Immigration’s too high, all the services are being put under pressure and Labour just keep inviting more and more people into the country and it’s the taxpayer who has to pay for them,” said retiree Phil Arrowsmith.

Annual net migration to the U.K. reached more than 900,000 in 2023, under the previous Conservative government, before falling to 171,000 last year.

That decline has done little to boost a Labour government that has floundered since winning election in July 2024.

Starmer has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

A dismal performance in local elections last month sparked a clamor from Labour lawmakers for Starmer’s resignation. He has refused, but Cabinet minister Wes Streeting quit so he can run in a leadership contest that could come soon.

Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, also harbors leadership ambitions, but needs a seat in Parliament if he wants to challenge Starmer. An opening emerged when Josh Simons, the Labour lawmaker for Makerfield, stepped down to trigger a special election.

Burnham said he understands that voters are “fed up” and calls the large Reform UK vote “a cry for real change” that Labour must heed.

The ‘King of the North’ eyes power in London

The Makerfield constituency is a capsule of British history, a collection of former coal-mining communities turned commuter suburbs. The slag heaps and slum housing in the area described by George Orwell in his 1937 book “The Road to Wigan Pier” have been replaced by suburbs of tidy modern houses amid Victorian workers’ cottages, interspersed with farmers’ fields.

Though far from the city center, it is part of Greater Manchester, and Burnham gets honks and thumbs’ ups from passing drivers as he walks down the street in his smart-casual uniform of dark jeans with a navy blue shirt and jacket.

The 56-year-old has been mayor of the region of 3 million people since 2017, a period that has seen central Manchester boom, with skyscrapers blooming on postindustrial sites. Many residents praise him for championing the city, and for taking a piecemeal public transport system under municipal control as the Bee Network.

For a decade and a half before that he was a lawmaker in Parliament, and a minister in Labour governments. He doesn’t emphasize that part of his CV, preferring the outsider status that has seen him nicknamed the King of the North.

“What we’ve built in Greater Manchester needs to go national,” Burnham told reporters during a campaign event this week. “I know what it is to turn places around.”

Many predict a close contest

The campaign is an odd mix of the local and the international. Some voters cite immigration as a top concern. Others mention struggling main street shops, potholes and petty crime.

Burnham’s main rival is Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon, a 41-year-old plumber and local councilor who came second to Labour here in the 2024 national election. He says he’s an unpolished regular bloke, though opponents have criticized him over crude, sexist and anti-vaccine comments on social media.

Reform voters are also being targeted by Restore, an even more hardline anti-immigration party.

Michael Poultney, a retired teacher and Labour supporter, thinks the unpopularity of Starmer’s government means Burnham faces a stiff challenge.

“Without his personal vote, I think we would struggle,” he said. “Keir Starmer has done reasonably well on the international stage, but the government are yet to be in control of the economy.”

Burnham insists he is running for the people of Makerfield, not his own ambition, and is not taking victory for granted.

“I am making no assumptions beyond the 18th of June,” Burnham said.

But he stressed that “this is a change byelection.”

“I will take the fight for the changes I want to see in politics as far as I can take it,” he said.

“If we share the data we have on the phone stolen, with the data they have on things like reactivations and future uses of phones, we can get a global picture of phones being stolen, are they being reactivated, are they being broken down for parts, where they’re being exported to in the world,” he said.

A homemade tzatziki sauce is perfect for a summer barbecue or picnic, but it can often turn out watery if you do not do a simple two minute task before making it.

June marks the official start of summer in the UK, and as we enjoy abundant sunshine, nobody fancies spending hours confined indoors preparing dinner. Greek food is ideal for this season as it’s light, flavoursome and typically remarkably swift to whip up, with tzatziki being among the easiest recipes to create.

Tzatziki is a creamy garlic dip frequently served alongside grilled meats at a barbecue or tucked into wraps for a picnic, though it’s equally moreish on its own with warm bread or crisps. It often delivers better results when homemade, as it requires just a few minutes to prepare and calls for basic ingredients that most people already have in their cupboards.

However, Jeanine Donofrio, a cook and founder of Love and Lemons, has revealed that while tzatziki is straightforward to make, it’s crucial to use a tea towel if you want it to be as creamy and thick as possible.

Jeanine explained: “Squeeze the water out of the grated cucumber. This step is essential for making a creamy tzatziki – if you skip it, the water from the cucumber will cause your sauce to separate. Squeeze the cucumber directly over the sink, or press it lightly between kitchen or paper towels.”

Cucumber is vital in tzatziki because it provides the dip with its fresh flavour, but it holds a considerable amount of water and adding it directly to the bowl can leave the mixture saturated with excess moisture.

This can dilute the tzatziki sauce and render it watery, which means it won’t stick properly to bread, crisps, vegetables or meat.

Failing to get rid of this excess moisture will also cause the dip to carry an overpowering cucumber flavour rather than a satisfying garlicky kick, meaning it simply won’t be as tasty as it ought to be.

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Many people just chuck all the ingredients into a bowl, but if you’re after a tzatziki that tastes creamier, richer and more authentic, it’s well worth spending two minutes preparing the cucumber properly.

How to make proper tzatziki sauce.

You will need:

• 240g of Greek yoghurt
• Half a cucumber (around 75g)
• One tablespoon of lemon juice
• One garlic clove (grated)
• One tablespoon of chopped dill
• One tablespoon of mint (optional)
• Half a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• A pinch of sea salt

Method:

Start by grating the cucumber and garlic. Next, place the cucumber in a clean tea towel and gently squeeze out as much excess water as possible.

Then, in a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, garlic, yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, dill and mint (if using). Stir everything together until you achieve a smooth, consistent sauce.

You can serve it straight away if you’re in a hurry, but for a superior flavour, cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

This allows all the ingredients to meld together, resulting in a much brighter and more garlicky taste, as the sauce tends to develop a better texture once properly chilled.

Tzatziki works brilliantly on its own as a dip alongside crisps, crackers or chopped vegetables. It also pairs wonderfully with Mediterranean salads, sandwiches and even draped over grilled meat for anyone firing up the barbecue this summer.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have run out of time to get business done before the World Cup begins this evening, though they are all working hard behind the scenes with the summer transfer window fast approaching. The Premier League champions, Arsenal, hold an interest in Morgan Rogers, Eli Junior Kroupi and Sandro Tonali, are in talks for wonderkid Jeremy Monga and have been linked with a stunning swoop for Vinicius Junior as well as Nico Williams.

Although critics have praised the performances in Savage House, the film itself has received a frosty reception.

Tim Robey in the Telegraph described its “putrid stylings” as making it “impossible to enjoy”, dismissing it as a “rancid” and “rotten” period drama. Yet this allegedly “lowbrow” film captures the spirit of 18th-century culture more effectively than many glossy period dramas. Savage House seems outrageous because we have forgotten how outrageous the 18th century could be.

Set during the Jacobite Rising of 1715 and a smallpox outbreak, the film follows Sir Chauncey Savage (Richard E. Grant), a former highwayman whose gambling addiction and taste for luxury have left his Yorkshire estate on the brink of ruin. When the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire announce a visit, the Savages see one final chance to restore their social standing.

What follows is a classic farce, structurally and thematically reminiscent of 18th-century plays like John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera (1728) or Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s School of Scandal (1777). As the visit approaches, disasters accumulate: disease spreads, affairs threaten exposure, Chauncey’s gout worsens, and panic grows over an impending eclipse. Along the way there is madness, mutilation, vomit, chamber pots and an astonishing amount of human excrement.

Far from being anachronistic, much of this owes a great deal to 18th-century literature and art. However, the modern imagination struggles to see this era as impolite, largely because Jane Austen’s literary vision of Georgian Britain (1714 to 1837) has become so dominant.

Austen’s stories depict a culture shaped by manners and social refinement where sex and dirt are practically non-existent (or buried beneath layers of polite language). Such ideas of the period have more recently been cemented by the Regency-era period drama Bridgerton. How could the early 18th century, then, be so different from Austen’s depictions of the later Georgian period? It can’t, is what many of The Savage’s critics have concluded. However, in reality, earlier 18th-century writers often revelled in something much earthier.

In a poem addressed to the Irish writer and essayist Jonathan Swift, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu joked that Swift’s verses would “furnish paper when I shite”. She was responding to Swift’s notorious satire The Lady’s Dressing Room (1732), in which a servant discovers that the seemingly perfect Celia is, in fact, a human being who uses the toilet. Upon glimpsing the contents of her lavatory, the servant emerges running and shouting “Oh! Celia, Celia, Celia shits!”

Scatology, an interest in bodily waste, runs throughout Swift’s writing, including Gulliver’s Travels (1726). When Gulliver finds himself locked up by the miniature citizens of Lilliput, one of his most urgent concerns is how he is going to discharge his body of its “uneasy load”, since he hasn’t had the opportunity for any toilet time since his ship sunk hours earlier.

Much later in the novel, when he encounters the Yahoos, a species of degenerate humans, he is appalled to discover that they throw excrement at one another. For Swift (who is name checked in Savage House as a potential guest for the Devonshire’s visit) such moments served a satirical purpose. They punctured human vanity by reminding readers that, however refined they imagined themselves to be, they remained creatures of flesh, appetite and bodily functions. Everything else was artifice.

That tension between appearance and reality lies at the heart of Savage House. As literary historian Pat Rogers observed, 18th-century Britain was a “freakish age”, one that celebrated refinement while indulging its basest appetites. Small wonder that bathos (the sudden collapse of the elevated into the ridiculous) became one of the period’s favourite satirical techniques.

Savage House’s clearest influence is William Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress (1733 to 1735), a sequence of satirical paintings charting the rise and fall of Thomas Rakewell, a young heir who squanders his fortune on gambling, luxury and vice before ending up in the psychiatric hospital, Bedlam. A “rake” is someone committed to hedonism, whose voracious appetites lead them to live their lives to excess in all matters. Like Rakewell, Chauncey Savage is a classic rake, and the connection becomes explicit in the film’s closing moments, which directly echo Hogarth’s final image.

Unlike Rakewell, however, Chauncey is not born wealthy but cons his way into respectability. In this respect he resembles the ambitious adventurers and social climbers of Henry Fielding’s fiction, especially Tom Jones (1749). Modern readers often forget just how unruly many 18th-century novels were. Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy (1759 to 1767) famously includes a scene in which its hero suffers a catastrophic window-related injury to his genitals, Frances Burney’s Evelina (1778) features a monkey in a suit attacking a man and chewing his ear and Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719) sees a dancing bear get shot point blank in the face.

None of this means that Savage House is a perfect reconstruction of 18th-century Britain. No historical drama is. But it does draw on aspects of 18th-century culture that have become strangely unfamiliar. There is more to the 18th century than elegant ballrooms and carefully managed courtships. It was also an age fascinated by vice, bodily functions, social climbing, scandal and satirical humiliation.

The film’s chamber pots, rotting bodies and collapsing pretensions are more than a “low-brow” attempt to shock modern audiences. They belong to a long literary and artistic tradition stretching from Swift and Fielding to Hogarth and the 18th-century stage. Bridgerton’s world of romance and refinement has historical foundations. But so too does Savage House’s world of filth, farce and excess. The difference is that we have become much more accustomed to seeing one than the other.

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The works, carried out at a semi-detached property on Fern Street in Farnworth, included a hip-to-gable roof extension and a large rear dormer to create additional living space within the roof.

Planning documents revealed the scheme had previously been unable to proceed under permitted development rules because the combined size of the extensions exceeded the volume allowances set out in national planning legislation.

A retrospective application was therefore submitted, allowing council planners to assess the development on its design, scale and impact on the surrounding area.

The council heard that the alterations had created a new bedroom and bathroom in the loft while remaining largely hidden from public view due to the dormer being positioned on the rear roof slope.

Supporting documents argued that the design was in keeping with the character of the property and the wider residential area, where similar extensions and roof alterations are common.

Planners ultimately concluded that the development was acceptable and granted permission, subject to approved plans being followed.

In its decision notice, the council said the proposal complied with planning policy and represented sustainable development.

The approval highlights how homeowners can still secure planning permission for extensions that fall outside permitted development rights, provided councils are satisfied that the design and impact are appropriate for the area.

Dean Berg refused to leave his cell to attend his trial

A man headbutted and throttled his partner before pulling a knife on her in a “sudden explosion of anger”, a court has heard. Dean Berg left his victim with a collapsed and displaced fracture of her shoulder in a brutal attack in her own home.

However, it’s not known exactly how the injuries were caused – the woman lost consciousness during the assault and the defendant refused to attend court to give evidence at his trial.

The 49-year-old appeared at Swansea Crown Court via videolink and without legal representation for his sentencing hearing, and when asked by a judge if there was anything he wanted to say to her the defendant replied with two words – “Not really”.

The court heard that on October 27, 2024, Berg launched a “wholly unprovoked” attack on his partner in her Swansea home, butting her in the face and causing her to lose consciousness and fall the floor. When the woman came around the defendant was on top of her choking her, causing her to pass out again. When she came to for a second time, the defendant was pointing a knife at her.

Hannah George, prosecuting, told the court that the woman suffered a collapsed lung and a displaced fracture to her shoulder in the attack, but that it was not possible to identify the mechanisms by which she suffered the injuries. For the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter

In an impact statement read to the court by the prosecution barrister, the complainant she said was receiving ongoing physiotherapy on her injured shoulder, and said she had been left suffering with nightmares and flashbacks.

She said she was “traumatised” by the parts of the assault he she could not remember, and said when she saw Berg holding a knife over her she thought she was going to die.

The woman also said she no longer feels safe in her own home and no longer trusts her own judgement, and she said she wanted to court to know that the attack changed her life and that “I will never feel safe again”.

Dean Berg, of Buckles Way caravan park, South Ockendon, Essex, had previously been convicted at trial of inflicting grievous bodily harm and strangulation when he appeared in the dock via videolink for sentencing. The trial had been conducted in his absence after the refused to leave his cell to attend court, and he was unrepresented at the sentencing hearing.

The defendant has nine previous convictions for 11 offences including six for matters of violence – assault occasioning actual bodily harm, batteries, and common assaults. One of the convictions relates to assaults on a previous partner.

Judge Catherine Richards told the defendant she had read his pre-sentence report which detailed his background, and she asked him he wanted to say anything about sentencing – Berg replied: “Not really”.

The judge said on the day in question Berg had launched a “wholly unprovoked” assault on his partner in a “sudden explosion of anger”. She said it was clear on the evidence that the defendant was responsible for the injuries suffered by the complainant, whether that was by direct blows to the woman or as a result of her falling to the floor after being butted.

The judge also said that it was also clear from the contents of the report and from those occasions when Berg had attended court that his behaviour was “unpredictable”, and she said the defendant was not motivated to work with probation to address his offending.

Berg was sentenced to 40 months in prison, and must serve half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

Currys Business launched the space at its Durham retail site on June 9, 2026, providing SMEs with face-to-face advice, flexible payment options, and technology solutions designed to support their daily operations.

Christopher Prow, business customer manager at Currys Business Durham, said: “We speak to local businesses every day, and many are trying to balance rising costs with the need to keep investing in the right technology.

“The Hub is about giving County Durham’s business community a local point of contact where they can get practical advice, flexible support and solutions that genuinely work for them.”

The hub will be led by a dedicated business customer manager who will work directly with SMEs to understand their challenges.

Support will include leasing options, 30-day credit, and access to exclusive business pricing across Currys’ technology products.

It aims to help businesses from all sectors, including hospitality, retail, logistics, manufacturing, and public services.

Support will cover point-of-sale systems, laptops, connectivity solutions, and appliances.

Currys said a key goal is to help SMEs operate more efficiently amid rising operational costs and increasingly complex technology needs.

The company also plans to engage with the wider business community in County Durham through networking, partnerships, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Currys Business has supported SMEs and organisations for 30 years, helping them access the right technology with expert advice and competitive pricing.

Through online support and business hubs nationwide, local businesses can get personalised, face-to-face guidance from dedicated business customer managers, helping them plan, invest, and grow with confidence.

County Durham is home to around 14,500 businesses, the majority of which are SMEs and microbusinesses, according to Currys.

The hub aims to be a practical, on-the-ground resource for organisations seeking technology advice, support, and end-to-end services.

Currys said the hub is focused on practical solutions that address the real challenges SMEs face.

This includes helping hospitality firms prepare for peak tourist season, supporting landlords with efficient appliance upgrades, and ensuring growing businesses have the right tools and connectivity to stay competitive.

The hub also provides installation, setup, and responsible recycling services for old tech.

Currys said this is designed to save time and reduce hassle for busy business owners.

To mark the opening, Currys Business is offering new business customers a special introductory discount of 5 percent off all products for a 12-week period from June 9, 2026 to September 1.

The offer is available only to new business customers in the UK.

More information is available at https://business.currys.co.uk/featured/new-hubs-offer/.

Get ready to blast off…

A new immersive experience from an acclaimed science museum is coming to Manchester with the chance to explore the cosmos.

Developed in collaboration with the pioneering Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) research centre, which was founded in 1890, Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience will allow visitors to witness the birth and death of stars, explore distant galaxies, and come face-to-face with a black hole.

Opening in the Northern Quarter on July 9, the free-roam attraction has drawn on decades of astronomical research to translate scientific data into a fully-interactive and walkable universe – all without leaving Earth.

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During the experience, guests will be able to explore some of humanity’s most powerful observatories, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the Chandra X‑ray Observatory, as well as deep into the cosmos.

Along the way, visitors will also encounter extreme exoplanets, witness the life cycle of stars and explore the immense scale of galaxies and black holes as they gain a deeper understanding of humanity’s place in the universe.

The one-hour VR experience, which is suitable for guests aged 10 and above, will also feature a race through the Milky Way and soaring close to the Sun to witness its immense energy. Tickets will be priced from £16 per person.

The attraction first premiered in Washington D.C. and recently made its UK debut at the Science Museum in London, with a landing at Transmission House, on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter, the next stop on its tour.

“Smithsonian Starstruck reflects years of thoughtful collaboration across the Smithsonian,” said Denise Elliott, Acting President of Smithsonian Enterprises. “By working closely with SAO and Fever, we’re extending Smithsonian science and storytelling into an immersive format that reaches new audiences while supporting our mission.”

“This project demonstrates how immersive experiences can make complex scientific ideas more tangible and engaging,” said Randall Smith, Associate Director for Science at the Center for Astrophysics at SAO. “It’s exciting to see astronomical data translated into an experience that encourages curiosity and exploration.”

“We’re proud to have developed this new immersive experience in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO,” Alex Winterbotham, Global Director of Production for VR at Fever, added. “This partnership has enabled us to ensure scientific accuracy down to the smallest detail to make the observatory’s incredible research within reach.”

People can sign up to the waitlist via Fever to be the first to get tickets when they go on sale from 10am on June 16. More details on the website.

A toddler dangled for at least nine minutes from a window ledge before being saved by a bystander.

The girl was spotted by onlookers clinging to a window on a flat above a pawnbroker’s on Ilford High Road, east London, on Tuesday afternoon.

Footage posted on social media showed bystanders screaming, ‘Hurry up,’ as a woman appears from a window below, calling and reaching out to her.

The youngster desperately tries to pull herself up as a police officer on a ledge below appears, looking helplessly at the girl.

A topless man joined the pair to rescue the girl just as her grip began to fail, as a passerby can be seen below carrying a step ladder.

The man and officer position themselves directly below the girl, the instant she falls, gasps ringing from the crowd.