At a time when Labour is polling at 19 per cent, he won 55 per cent of the vote. He beat all the combined forces of the right – Reform, Restore and the Conservatives – although he did so by stealing Reform’s slogan: a vote for me is a vote to get rid of Starmer.

So while this must be seen as a big personal vote for the mayor of Manchester, it must also be seen as a big personal vote against the Prime Minister? For all his achievements in and out of politics, Sir Keir Starmer comes across as mild-mannered, a bit bland and quite ineffectual. On the foreign stage, he has done pretty well – probably the only party leader who would not have gone to war with Donald Trump.

Yet in some quarters, he is absolutely hated, as our letters page shows on an almost daily basis. The vote in Makerfield also shows that.

So to prevent the infighting that bedevilled the Tories, Mr Starmer’s last act as PM is to find a dignified way to hand power to Mr Burnham.

But before he does that, Mr Burnham has to show he has an agenda to change Britain. Just fluttering his lavish eyebrows will not make the problems Mr Starmer faces go away. Debt, defence spending, cost of living, social care, immigration – what are his answers to any of them?

It is said that one of his closest allies is Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, yet in Aberdeen South, where the Tories made their first by-election gain in Scotland since 1967, his energy policy was massively repudiated. So will Mr Burnham stick with it, or will he change it?

At the moment, the Burnham bubble looks large and attractive, but bubbles without anything in them have a habit of going pop – and then where will that leave Labour and the country?

Sharon Michael was around 30 when the decision crystallised in her mind, quietly. There was no dramatic moment, no single life event that changed everything. Instead, it emerged through years of work, reflection and a growing sense that motherhood was not a future she wanted.

For generations, having children in India was less a choice than an expected chapter of adult life. Marriage was followed by parenthood, often with little discussion of alternatives. Today, that certainty is fading among married couples and single professionals alike; conversations around children are becoming more deliberate, more cautious and, in some cases, more sceptical.

“Having kids was never a priority,” says Michael, 36. “I have PCOD and I didn’t want to go through the whole process because of how much effort it takes and all of that,” she says, referring to polycystic ovarian disease, a hormonal condition that affects how the ovaries work and can cause irregular periods.

Michael, who works in the corporate sector, says parenthood would require sacrifices she is unwilling to make. “I do not see that lifestyle fitting in with a child specifically,” she says. “I would not be doing justice to either.” After taking a career break to pursue an MBA, she says she remains uncertain about stepping away from work again. “I still don’t feel ready myself to take up responsibility of that scale.”

She is an example of a highly-educated woman weighing up the balance of her options, rather than following what for previous generations was an assumed path through life. Such personal choices are now reflected in national statistics.

India’s total fertility rate – the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime – has for the first time fallen to 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1 required to maintain a stable population, according to the latest Sample Registration System report.

The shift marks a remarkable demographic transformation for a country that spent decades worrying about rapid population growth. In the early 1990s, when women had an average of 3.4 children, family planning campaigns became part of public life and, at times, took controversial forms, including the forced sterilisation programme during the Emergency in 1970s.

Later campaigns encouraged couples to have no more than two children, and were popularised through slogans such as “Hum do, humare do”, loosely translating from Hindi as “We two, ours two”.

For decades, Indian governments worried about overpopulation.

Economists say that India should avoid viewing fertility decline as a crisis. Alicia García-Herrero, the chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, explains the decline should not be viewed as a demographic failure.

“India’s fertility decline is not a failure – it’s a sign of progress,” she tells The Independent. “As women gain education, economic options and decision-making power, they are choosing smaller families.”

“The immediate impact is still positive,” says Garcia-Herrero. “India continues to benefit from a large working-age population.”

Behind the statistics lie millions of unique and intimate stories, a generation rethinking what family, success and fulfilment should look like.

The forces reshaping Indian families, she says, are the same ones that transformed societies across Europe and East Asia: rising female education, urbanisation, changing aspirations and the growing cost of raising children.

Sociological patterns visible across India’s geography support that argument. New Delhi records one of the country’s lowest fertility rates at 1.2 births per woman, while Kerala and Tamil Nadu stand at 1.3. Bihar, among India’s poorest states, records the highest rate at 2.9. In other words, birth rates closely mirror differences in education, healthcare, infant mortality and women’s economic participation.

For Akshita Gupta, a 35-year-old Mumbai resident and mother of a 21-month-old son and now pregnant with their second child, becoming a parent was always something she imagined for herself. “I’ve always felt maternal,” she says. “I have always felt I wanted a child.”

But before she and her husband started a family, they spent years discussing not just whether to have children, but how they would raise them. Financial security mattered alongside emotional stability and familial support.

“I feel our base was secure financially, emotionally,” she says. “And we both had our families. So I feel one is of course the inherent desire, but I also feel the fact that, you know, we had the support system.”

Even then, timing weighed heavily on her mind. Having watched friends undergo IVF treatment, Gupta was determined to try to conceive naturally. After consulting her gynaecologist, she set herself a goal of having children before the age of 35. “I wanted to have both my children before 35,” she says. “I had a few friends who were going through IVF and I saw their struggles.”

Demographers describe India’s falling fertility rate as part of a broader demographic transition seen across much of the world. As child mortality falls, healthcare improves, women gain greater access to education and people marry later, family sizes typically shrink.

Government data suggests several long-term changes have converged at once. Infant mortality has fallen sharply, dropping from 30 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019 to 24 in 2024. At the same time, women are marrying later than previous generations. Nationally, 73.5 per cent of women now marry after the age of 21, while the figure rises to 82.2 per cent in urban India. In 2018, 64.5 per cent of women married in their 20s across the country.

“Higher levels of education, particularly among women, have played a key role, along with urbanisation, later marriages and delayed childbirth,” says development economist Dipa Sinha. “Improved access to health care and a sharp fall in infant mortality have also contributed.”

“More recently, you also see that the opportunity cost of having children is high.”

García-Herrero agrees that education sits at the centre of the transformation.

“The biggest drivers are female education and economic pressures,” she says. “Educated women marry later, use contraception more effectively and prioritise investing in fewer children.”

She argues that the decline reflects a broader expansion of female agency rather than a rejection of family life.

“This is the same story seen across developed and rapidly developing societies,” she says. “Female education is one of the strongest forces lowering fertility because it changes aspirations and gives women real choices.”

For some, the choice is about autonomy. Abhimanyu Sinha says he has never wanted children.

“That was a fairly unpopular opinion when I first used to say this when I was like 16-17,” he says. “I’ve noticed it’s sort of becoming essentially the norm now among people I speak to.”

The 28-year-old dismisses affordability as the primary explanation. “I think a lot of people hide behind claims like affordability, the rising cost of private school or housing,” he says. “In my social position, those aren’t as much of a concern. I just don’t want to tie myself down to that kind of thing.”

Looking ahead, he expects a longer and healthier life than previous generations experienced. “I don’t think that I wanna spend like… 70-80 years focused on one or two relationships, of children.”

His view reflects a broader cultural shift that researchers are observing globally. Parenthood is increasingly being weighed against other aspirations including travel, education, careers, relationships and personal freedom rather than treated as an inevitable destination.

García-Herrero says cultural changes are reinforcing the demographic transition. “This is not just economics,” she says. “It reflects women gaining agency and societies becoming more modern.”

The contrast with previous generations is striking. “When I think of myself having a kid,” Michael says, “I want that kid to have the best life possible.”

Her parents saw children as part of a social script, she says. “Their idea was that, OK, this is a rite of passage.” Today’s prospective parents often approach the decision differently. They want more involvement, more emotional awareness and more resources dedicated to each child.

Gupta sees that change in her own parenting. “Parents now are a lot more conscious,” she says. “About parenting styles, about what they are talking in front of their kids, what they’re exposing their children to.”

The result is that many families are choosing quality over quantity.

“Children have become more expensive,” says Sinha, the economist. Not only because costs have risen, she argues, but because parents increasingly want to invest more heavily in each child’s wellbeing and future.

India entered its demographic-dividend phase in 2005, when the share of working-age adults exceeded the combined number of children and elderly people. According to UN estimates, that demographic window is expected to last until around 2055.

The country’s median age remains just 29.8 years, younger than the global average of 31 and far below countries such as Britain, where the median age is more than 40. Economists argue that this gives India a rare opportunity to generate growth, create jobs and increase productivity before ageing becomes a more serious challenge.

“The real challenge will come in 15 to 20 years with a shrinking workforce and rising elderly dependency,” García-Herrero says.

“If there are fewer children born, then in about 30 to 40 years, India will have more older people who cannot participate in the labour force as much,” Sinha adds.

That raises questions about pensions, healthcare, elderly care and the future workforce.

It may also reshape politics. Southern states, which already have lower fertility rates and slower population growth, have expressed concerns that future redistribution of parliamentary seats based on population could reduce their political influence relative to faster-growing northern states.

Economists say the priority now should be making the most of India’s demographic dividend while it lasts.

Around the world, governments from South Korea to Singapore and China have spent billions trying to encourage people to have more children through subsidies, cash incentives, housing support and fertility programmes. But the outcomes have been mixed.

“No Asian country has successfully reversed a low fertility rate despite massive spending,” García-Herrero says. “South Korea poured hundreds of billions into incentives with almost no lasting effect.”

The reason, she argues, is that policymakers often misunderstand why people are having fewer children. “These programmes have largely failed because they treated low fertility as a financial problem rather than a structural and cultural one.”

In countries such as Japan and South Korea, marriage remains closely linked to traditional gender roles. Women continue to carry most childcare and domestic responsibilities, even when both partners work.

“Many young women and increasingly men, no longer see marriage as an attractive proposition,” García-Herrero says. “Women often face intense pressure to either give up or severely compromise their careers once they marry and have children.”

Sinha similarly argues that meaningful support requires more than one-off payments. “Free childcare. Free schooling. They have free healthcare,” she says of some European systems. “All these services, I think should anyway be there.”

The challenge, Sinha suggests, is not persuading people to have children through incentives but creating conditions that make parenthood compatible with modern life.

Sinha says, that means affordable childcare, better parental leave, flexible work arrangements and reducing the costs of housing and education.

For Gupta, it means rethinking expectations around work and caregiving. Even in households committed to equal parenting, she says, mothers still shoulder a disproportionate burden. “When you give birth, you are the one who’s basically going through pregnancy,” she says. “You are the one delivering the child. You are the one who has to breastfeed the child.”

After becoming a mother, she stepped away from her family’s business and began considering a new career path. “There’s definitely a sacrifice,” she says.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur battered parts of the southeastern United States with drenching rains and strong wind on Thursday, tearing through buildings, flooding homes and launching water rescues along the Gulf Coast.

Severe weather also pummeled parts of the Midwest, where a separate line of strong storms knocked down structures and left tens of thousands of residents without power.

Arthur was the first tropical storm of the season in the Atlantic basin, and although it quickly downgraded within a day of forming, the lingering system created dangerous conditions in Louisiana and Mississippi. In one rural Louisiana parish, more than 2 feet of rain fell in 48 hours and most of that soaking came Thursday, said Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.

It flooded at least 200 homes in Avoyelles Parish, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of the state capital, Louisiana state Rep. Daryl Deshotel said.

“Even by this region’s standards, that’s catastrophic rain,” Jones said.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a social media post Thursday night that a worker on a county road crew in the southwestern part of the state had been killed while helping with storm cleanup operations. The cause of the death was not disclosed.

Thirty homes below the Anchor Lake dam in southern Mississippi were being evacuated as a precaution due to concerns that rising waters could overwhelm the spillways and compromise the structure, Reeves said. Residents in the area were being encouraged to seek higher ground.

Coni Dubois said several inches of water flooded her home overnight in Houma, southwest of New Orleans, but others in the community had worse damage. She’s lived through many hurricanes and other storms, but never witnessed thunder and lightning like this.

“It was unbelievable, it literally sounded like hell broke open,” Dubois said. “I thought for sure we had a tornado on top of us. The lightning and the thunder was so consistent, the whole house was lit up like daylight for about 20 minutes.”

The National Guard and state wildlife officials were working with rescue crews, officials said.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno posted a video on Facebook describing relatively minor damage and cleanup efforts. Ahead of the storm, police prepared boats and set up barricades in flood-prone areas. They also opened sandbag distribution sites across Louisiana.

Just across the Mississippi River in Avondale, a tornado wrecked four homes, Jefferson Parish spokeswoman Rachel Strassel said. Two people were hospitalized with minor injuries and later released.

The Midwest was also dealing with damage after a strong line of storms.

A tornado was reported Wednesday evening near Effingham, Illinois, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of Springfield. Several people suffered minor injuries, officials said.

Firefighters responded to damaged homes, collapsed structures, car crashes, downed power lines, gas leaks and blocked roads, Effingham Fire Chief Brant Yochum said.

The National Weather Service in Lincoln, Illinois, confirmed two tornadoes, including one Wednesday with maximum winds of 116 mph (186.8 kph) in the Charleston area. The EF2 tornado lifted the roof off a home and flipped a semi-truck, injuring one person.

Marla Washburn and her husband, Todd, hunkered down in their basement as a suspected tornado tore through their neighborhood about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north in Blue Mound. They could hear debris smacking into their house and a school across the street lost its roof, which came crashing onto their home.

“The whole house shook,” Washburn said in a phone interview, adding that the neighborhood looks like Armageddon.

“You don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but we’re OK,” she said. “You look at it and you go, ‘I don’t even know where to start to clean up.’”

Clarke’s masterplan, so to speak, was playing Kieran Tierney ahead of Robertson on the left, two vastly experienced operators to deal with the threat of Hakimi and Brahim Diaz.

A risk, for sure. And so much for the thinking behind it. Just over a minute gone – Diaz assist, Ismael Saibari goal, the nightmare scenario come true.

The traffic cone guys weren’t letting such trifling issues dampen their day.

Everybody else had a haunted look about them, their noise and passion reduced to soft groans, the lusty pride they all displayed with another thumping rendition of Flower of Scotland now replaced with shrieks as Morocco ran amok.

Or threatened to run amok. Seventy seconds it took them to score. For much of the opening half they were like a cultured fighter, boxing the ears off an over-matched rival, bamboozling their punchbag with their movement before what felt like an inevitable knockout.

Scotland were on the ropes, covering up and praying that the punishment would stop. And minute by minute, it did.

Morocco’s intensity was wonderful for half an hour and they could have been two or three ahead by then, but they weren’t. They’re terrific footballers, very easy on the eye, but they’re not ruthless, not killers. Scotland’s resilience kept them in it.

When Morocco’s energy started to dissipate, it became a contest.

Scotland finished the opening half strongly, their confidence rising, those worried stares on the faces of their supporters giving way to blessed hope.

During his athletic peak, he dominated the summer skies like a soaring hawk, gliding effortlessly on air currents—a formidable green and gold predator claiming dominance over the Killarney and Croke Park airspace.

Kieran Donaghy may be approaching his mid-40s, but it appears even the passage of time cannot ground this iconic figure.

The 2006 Footballer of the Year once again takes centre stage as Kerry face Armagh in a monumental clash, set against the stunning backdrop of the Fitzgerald Stadium, with the towering “Black Stacks” and Reeks peaks framing the action.

Dubbed the Donaghy Derby, this decisive encounter between the two most recent All-Ireland champions sees the towering figure with his signature close-cropped haircut continuing to weave remarkable stories into one of the country’s most vibrant sporting sagas.

Kieran McGeeney, Armagh’s battle-hardened manager, recognises the significant threat posed by his 2024 Sam Maguire-winning colleague now wearing Kerry colours, reports the Irish Mirror.

“You can see the influence he’s having on them already. He has a lot of good friends in Armagh and he’s done a lot for us,” McGeeney noted earlier in the campaign.

What followed was a striking comparison, like a diver recounting an encounter with a great white: “I’m married to a Kerry woman, so I know this for an absolute fact – they don’t f**k about! They’re winners through and through.

“I don’t expect any favours [from Donaghy] if that’s what you are asking.”

Star by nickname and by nature, at his brightest in the rarefied air of elite competition, Donaghy’s ties to both of today’s sides run deep.

Two counties that occupy a special place in his affections, the first where he forged a Hall of Fame playing career, the second where he dedicated five years alongside McGeeney, forming relationships that affected him in ways he never anticipated.

Now returned to Kerry as a senior coach working alongside Jack O’Connor, Donaghy stands as one of the most intriguing personalities in Irish sport.

For someone who became the pantomime villain for opposition supporters during his playing days, his likeability is disarming. Reflective and candid, his affable manner cannot mask a fierce competitive drive.

Donaghy’s is a life powered by the jet fuel of ambition and enthusiasm.

O’Connor pursued him for the same reason McGeeney convinced him to undertake the ten-hour round trip between the island’s southern tip and a northern football stronghold.

Perhaps the words of Marc Ó Sé cut to the heart of it.

Ó Sé scaled All-Ireland Everest on the same rope as Gooch, Paul Galvin and Declan O’Sullivan, he had his brothers, Tomás and Darragh as fellow sherpas, yet it is Donaghy he distinguishes from Kerry’s golden era.

“My best team-mate bar none,” Ó Sé says, his words more eloquent and revealing than a thousand highlight reels.

The footballer with the combative edge who so frequently carried an entire county on those broad shoulders. Donaghy is far too focused, too committed for split allegiances to pose any threat, but if there was ever a moment when he might experience even the slightest hint of inner turmoil, today would be it.

Seventy minutes that will leave one of the All-Ireland contenders, one of the two sides that have defined his county football journey, defeated on the championship pitch.

Donaghy claimed four Celtic crosses as Kerry’s unmistakable figurehead, Gooch’s protective presence, a giant amongst men, a green and gold guardian constantly monitoring Colm Cooper’s vicinity for any emerging threats.

Simultaneously intelligent and confrontational, his verbal sparring matches during high summer, whether with Dublin’s Philly McMahon or The Sunday Game’s Joe Brolly, were compelling viewing.

He supported his words with football that combined strength and graceful skill, a genuine 24-carat leader, elevated by pressure, master of the big occasion, at his finest when his side needed him most.

While Donaghy was confrontational, he could also produce moments of exquisite brilliance, an artist who might, like Van Gogh, remove his or – more probably – his rival’s ear. He possessed the edge that distinguishes the elite competitors from the remainder of the pack.

It was precisely those attributes and his tactical understanding that, just as he was adapting to life as a television pundit, led to the career-altering unexpected phone call from McGeeney. What ensued were five of the most fulfilling years of Donaghy’s career, staying with the Fegan family in Tassagh and immersing himself so thoroughly in the local traditions that he became an expert on road bowls, a niche sport that commands fierce loyalty along Armagh’s country lanes.

Donaghy, someone always eager to push his boundaries, views his spell with the Orchard County as a period that delivered significant personal and emotional development.

He departed following Armagh’s stunning quarter-final demolition by Kerry 12 months ago, a result that marked a shift in the All-Ireland landscape.

With this afternoon’s match in mind, Donaghy’s parting remarks from that time bear repeating now.

“It’s hugely emotional [to be ending my time with Armagh]. You build up a bond with any group, but when you’re with a group for five years and see them go through so many tough times, it gets deeper.

“Obviously we had the glorious run last year, that saw them get the medal that they so desperately wanted and probably deserved with the work they put in.

“They’ve been great ambassadors for the county so it is difficult [to move on] when you’ve built that bond and relationship. And the county and the people of the county. It is a home away from home for me.”

A home he will attempt to dismantle this afternoon. There exists a profound psychological link between McGeeney, whose sharp wit and insight lie beneath a fierce and all-consuming drive to win, and Donaghy, a connection that reached deep into the latter’s Kerry roots.

Star is emphatic: “Geezer is one of a kind. His attention to detail, his focus is just solely on Armagh, never on himself.

“How can he get Armagh to be better, that’s what he talks about non-stop. The jersey and the people of the county and what it means. He is completely selfless.

“When he asked me to get involved, I already knew the way he carried himself. He was in the International Rules team with me.

“I knew how honest he was and how straight he was. There was no sugar-coating anything.

“I remember thinking, ‘he’d be brilliant to be around. I’d love to play for him or to work with him. I got so much from working with Armagh.’”.

As they did from him.

While Donaghy spent his summers at Croke Park throughout his playing career, his winters were devoted to the Tralee basketball court, the sport that captured his heart first and foremost.

Like numerous others who harboured basketball aspirations – Liam McHale, Jason Sherlock, Pat O’Shea, Sean Cavanagh, Mike Quirke – Star played a pivotal role in ushering Gaelic football into a fresh tactical era, incorporating screens, three-man-weaves and backdoor manoeuvres.

Now he aims to apply relentless pressure on the side he once steered to glory. Last year’s extraordinary All-Ireland quarter-final saw Kerry demolish Armagh with one of the most commanding third-quarter performances the sport has witnessed, a tempest conjured from nowhere.

In the build-up to that match, Darragh O’Se had penned a newspaper column that read almost like a eulogy for Kingdom football.

“In Kerry, there’s a sense of finality about the place this week. When it comes to football you can’t fool the people down here. you can’t be going around explaining the Meath defeat away because we were down a few bodies.

“Call us pessimistic or realistic, but whatever way you wan to look at it, the mood isn’t great.”

Whether the words of the six-time All-Ireland winner, a legendary figure in midfield, played any part in galvanising Kerry into action remains unclear. What cannot be disputed is the magnitude of the turnaround.

Drifting through the summer in a daze, Kerry suddenly awoke and became unstoppable, obliterating Armagh, Tyrone and Donegal consecutively by an aggregate margin of 24 points.

Donaghy’s final outing as an Armagh coach was engulfed by a Kerry onslaught. Today he will be amongst those attempting to conjure a repeat of that green and gold deluge, with Kerry having suffered two chastening encounters against Donegal in recent weeks.

When Kerry made the journey to Armagh for a league fixture in March, the enduring respect for all Star achieved in 2024, and for the manner in which he embedded himself within the Armagh community, was clear in the warmth of the welcome he received from the Athletic Ground hordes.

It struck a chord with Donaghy, though it never came close to undermining his allegiance. A remark he made that evening provided insight into the fierce competitive spirit that courses through him, the warrior mentality that lies at his heart.

“I spent five years travelling down that road. I made a lot of friends. But there wasn’t much chat or banter before hand, because I’m an all in guy and I was behind enemy lines.”

A hunting predator who had swapped his orange colours for green and gold, and who was once more hovering, his sole focus, as it will be in Killarney today, to command the territory.

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Need to know

A fan asked for Martin Lewis thoughts about when to cash in their funds

Need to know: Martin Lewis shares tips on planning for your retirement –

• Martin Lewis has shared some thoughts on retirement planning during his BBC podcast.
• He responded to a 47-year-old listener’s concerns about when to access their investment funds.
• The caller said they were contributing £50 monthly into a stocks and shares ISA through Moneybox. They asked whether he should stop investing at 55 to allow his final contributions time to grow before withdrawing at 60.
• Lewis reminded listeners of his key principle: “My investment rule is if it’s money that you don’t need and you’re putting it away for more than five years, savings is the poor relation to investing, so you should consider investing.”
• The money-saving expert said his five-year rule is because “markets move up and down” and you don’t want to cash in when it’s down
• Lewis advised the investor that his retirement age target of 60 should be viewed as “soft guidance” rather than a rigid deadline. He suggested investors could continue contributing closer to retirement by switching to less adventurous portfolios around age 57 or 58.
• Significant changes to ISA allowances are also taking effect from April 2027, restricting how savers can use their £20,000 annual tax-free limit.

READ THE FULL STORY: Martin Lewis ‘hard rule’ update over retirement planning between ages 55 and 60

Tracey Johnson reportedly rescued a young boy from a crocodile enclosure after an incident which saw a 30-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder

A zoo owner has been hailed a hero on Friday (June 19) after jumping into a crocodile enclosure to save the life of a little boy. Tracey Johnson, 55, dashed into the crocodile pen at Johnsons of Old Hurst near Huntingdon, after being alerted that a boy was in the enclosure by fellow staff members.

Tracey – who owns the zoo with husband Andy Johnson, 56 – was able to retrieve the three year old boy. The incident happened in the zoo’s Tropical House, featuring a crocodile enclosure surrounded by a high walkway, at 1.30pm on Thursday (June 18).

It is thought the youngster suffered a broken pelvis and arm, according to local reports. He is not believed to have been injured by the animals. The boy remains in a ‘stable condition’ at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

A 30-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. It is believed he did not know the boy. Police said on Friday morning that he was not fit to be interviewed and had been released on bail until September 18.

This morning a friend of Mrs Johnson’s, who has kept crocodiles at the zoo, praised her bravery and described her as an “incredibly strong woman”. Chris Newman, 67, director of the National Centre for Reptile Welfare, has spent time inside the enclosure.

He said: “If a child landed next to a crocodile, I absolutely would expect that animal to react and snap. It’s no different from the way a dog would react when it’s startled.

“The crocodiles are incredibly well fed, so I wouldn’t expect them to eat a child, but it would bite a child if it landed on it or by it. That’s where the trouble would come – they have such a powerful bite. Even an investigatory bite would be catastrophic.

“But my suspicion is that the injuries were caused by the child falling 15ft on to concrete and sort of rolled into the water.”

Chris spoke about owner Tracey Johnson, who reportedly jumped into the enclosure to help rescue the boy. He said: “Knowing Tracey, it comes as no surprise that she acted this way – that’s exactly what she would do.

“She’s a very courageous and brave lady. She’s just a remarkable lady, quite unassuming and very family-oriented.”

Mr Newman said the attraction is a family-run operation involving “a mum and dad, two sons and a daughter-in-law”. He said the enclosure was so secure that a child could only have ended up inside if they had been deliberately thrown.

He said: “You can get a really good view looking down at the crocodiles, but you couldn’t fall or be pushed into it – you would have to be thrown. It’s a large tropical house with a raised walkway which is about 15ft down.

“The crocodiles would be on the ground floor and there’s a walkway all the way around the perimeter, with vertical and horizontal safety barriers.” He also described the venue as “a fantastic zoo” where “public safety is a huge part” of the operation.

He continued: “She’s a lovely lady. She has been incredibly heroic. It’s nothing more than I would expect from her.

“She’s a very strong lady. I know it would have been incredibly difficult. It’s about a fifteen foot drop, so to get in there that quickly and save the child is an incredible act of bravery.

Mr Newman said there had been real danger to the child as crocodiles are ‘reactive creatures’. He added: “If something was thrown into their enclosure and landed close to them, you would expect them to do an exploratory bite.”

This morning a resident close to the zoo said: “Tracey and the other staff were incredibly brave. They all stayed very calm and she went down into the enclosure and was able to rescue the little boy quickly before the crocodiles could harm him.

“Both she and Andy are very experienced and responsible zoo keepers and will both be mortified by what has happened.”

This morning the zoo was set to reopen, but the Tropical House was to remain closed as police continued their investigation into the incident.

Yesterday local councillor Charlotte Lowe visited the scene and said it was ‘really shocking and she could ‘not believe it had happened.

She said: “It is really shocking – I would say it is safe there. It must have been intentional. The crocodiles are normally lounging around.

“This is a popular place with families. My thoughts and prayers go to the little boy and his family.”

A spokesperson for Johnson’s said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today. Out of respect to the family, our Tropical House will remain closed until further notice.

“If you have any questions about the incident, please direct inquiries to Cambridgeshire Police Constabulary. The rest of the site will remain open as normal.”

Antonee Robinson is said to be open to a move to Old Trafford as he remains one of many transfer targets linked with Manchester United

Antonee Robinson has admitted he could leave Fulham if a club matched his asking price. The defender has impressed for the United States at the World Cup, leading to reports linking him with Manchester United.

Michael Carrick is looking to reinforce the left-back position – Robinson’s primary area of cover – with Luke Shaw standing out as the only senior option next season. Tyrell Malacia is departing United as a free agent this summer, while Patrick Dorgu is expected to continue on a more attacking front under the new manager.

Sky Sports News reports that Robinson has emerged as a new target for Carrick alongside Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, who continues to be monitored by the club. The American has previously spoken out on rumours linking him with a move away from Fulham.

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Robinson admitted that while he is content at Craven Cottage, the idea of a transfer is tempting. Speaking to Marca in 2024, the 28-year-old said: “I’m very happy here. The fact that there is interest from other teams is great.

“Obviously, it all comes down to whether someone wants me enough to pay what Fulham would ask. So, if the club sees it as a good idea, I would leave.”

Former Fulham manager Marco Silva was full of praise for the defender during his time in south-west London, highlighting his defensive abilities, which greatly improved the squad. He said: “He never stops going up and down, and, on top of that, in attack, he is decisive.

“He is a great athlete, but I would highlight, above all, the way in which he has been improving in our defensive process. He had to defend many one-on-one situations with Salah and, despite having a yellow card since the 27th minute, he was brave and aggressive, in a good way.”

Robinson has been a reliable performer for Fulham since joining from Wigan Athletic in 2020. The defender has provided four goals and 22 assists in 215 appearances for the Cottagers and has stood out in the Premier League.

While United have other options, including Hall, Robinson is considered the more affordable choice. Reports have suggested that Fulham may accept a fee of around £28million.

The 28-year-old looks to be open to a move, but his current club are in a moment of change, with Silva departing as boss and Alvaro Arbeloa in advanced talks to take over. This could prove to be a wrench in United’s plans, and they would likely have to act fast if Robinson continues to perform at the World Cup.

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