The Home Office has vowed to introduce new “capped safe and legal” routes for refugees to come to the UK from later this year.

The department said it would allow organisations like universities, community groups and businesses to sponsor refugees who applied to come to the UK, a model based on Canada’s asylum system.

Alongside the new route, the government said it would press ahead with changes to how human rights and modern slavery laws are applied to asylum applications to root out what it described as “vexatious” claims.

In response, the Conservatives said no extra people should be let into the country until illegal immigration was stopped.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the new system would protect “genuine refugees” while “closing loopholes that have been too often abused”.

“Britain has always offered sanctuary to those  fleeing war and persecution,” she said.

“But this system only survives if the public trusts that it is fair,  controlled, and not open to abuse.”

Mahmood is attempting to shore up support for her immigration bill before Andy Burnham’s expected rise to prime minister. It is set to be put before the Commons next week and its more hardline elements could be opposed by some Labour MPs.

Earlier this year, she took inspiration from Denmark with an asylum system shake-up giving only temporary protection to refugees and doubling the time migrants must wait to gain permanent residency.

The reforms have angered some in Labour who feel there should be more safe and legal routes to the UK to help prevent small boat crossings.

The latest measures, announced on Friday night, draw on Canada’s community sponsorship scheme, which has successfully resettled almost 400,000 refugees since being introduced in 1979.

In Canada, 70% of sponsored refugees find work within a year – 30% higher than those resettled through government schemes, according to the Home Office.

The UK already has a relatively small number of refugees who are sponsored in communities under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), but the Home Office said the “vast majority” were supported by local councils.

The government has been under pressure to reduce the number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels at the taxpayers’ expense, while illegal small boat arrivals have also undermined public confidence in the asylum system.

Anglian Water say their customers are already “some of the UK’s most water efficient”

The company responsible for supplying water across the East of England has announced it has no intention of introducing a region-wide hosepipe ban.

Anglian Water said that, despite the UK experiencing the warmest June temperatures on record, it does believe an outright ban is needed.

Ian Rule, Director of Water Services for Anglian Water said: “We have no plans to introduce a hosepipe ban this year. But during this current heatwave, we’re having to produce more water than ever before to keep everyone on supply, so we’d urge customers to avoid using hosepipes and use less water wherever they can.”

Anglian Water provides vital services to nearly seven million people across the Eastern region. With temperatures reaching the high 30s this week, data showed that customers’ demand for water was much higher than usual.

As a result, the company put a record 1,600 million litres of water into supply on Wednesday, June 24. This addition is a third higher than its typical distribution of 1,200 million litres a day – an increase roughly equivalent to supplying an extra county the size of Lincolnshire.

The director urged people to be mindful of how best to go about using water during hot weather spells to ensure it is utilised economically and efficiently: “Anywhere you can cut back – for instance, by reusing water from paddling pools to water your garden, taking shorter showers or putting off non-essential tasks like washing the car – will make a significant difference over the coming days.”

Along with ditching hosepipes, reusing paddling pool water, and holding off on washing the car, Anglian Water have outlined a number of other ways people can help to conserve water:

• Love your brown lawn: Lawns are tougher than most people think and can easily survive a few days of sunshine. If it desperately needs a drink, make sure to reuse rain or bathwater rather than wasting drinking water;
• Make domestic water work twice as hard: If rinsing food for dinner or a BBQ, don’t let it drain away. Instead collect it in a bowl or jug and use it to feed indoor or garden plants;
• Turn the tap off while brushing teeth: This will save more than two full buckets of water a day;
• Cut showers to just five minutes: this could help the entire Eastern region save over 100 million litres of water every single day – that’s like leaving a tap running for 30 years;
• Run one full load of washing instead of two half loads: This will save 10 litres of water;
• Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl of fresh water: A running tap uses 15 litres every minute.

Mr Rule said: “Our customers are already some of the UK’s most water efficient. We’d like to thank them for their continued support as we respond to this record-breaking hot weather.”

Thomas Skinner has shared the first photos of his fourth child with wife Sinéad Chambers after welcoming the newborn this weekend.

Posting a family selfie from Sinéad’s hospital room, The Apprentice star, 35, wrote: ‘Today at 5:51pm, our little bundle of joy arrived weighing a healthy 7lb 13oz, and honestly, we couldn’t feel more blessed.’

Describing his wife, 34, as ‘incredible’ and ‘amazing’ he added: ‘I am so proud of you. Watching you bring our baby into the world was the most beautiful thing, and I love you more than words can ever say.’

The former Strictly star went on to thank ‘fantastic’ midwives Jo and Sarah, before remarking that Sinéad is ‘doing brilliantly, baby is doing well, and my heart is fuller than ever before.

‘Henry, Roma and Darla can’t wait to meet you, little one. You’ve already got the best big brother and sisters waiting for you. Our family is complete. Four beautiful children, one very proud dad, and a whole lot of love.’

He finished: ‘Welcome to the world, little one. We love you endlessly.’

The Skinners’ baby news comes less than a year after he became the first celebrity to be eliminated from Strictly 2025.

It marked an ignominious end to his brief run on the BBC competition – soon after he sparked headlines by acting out at a press conference, grabbing a journalist’s phone.

At the same time, he’d also faced backlash for recent comments in which he’d admitted to cheating on his wife… weeks after their 2022 wedding.

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He continued to kick up a fuss even after leaving the competition, claiming that the results of the first public vote had been a ‘fix,’ unfairly eliminating him from the show.

However, a subsequent poll revealed that he’d been the least popular contestant on that year’s show, in spite of his claims.

MORE: Another Strictly star confirms EastEnders role after La Voix announcement

MORE: Strictly star announces split from childhood sweetheart after marrying at 18

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MORE: Who’s in the cast of Strictly 2026? Every confirmed and rumoured star so far

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We’ll never know if people turned a blind eye to the warning signs of Murrell’s fraud, writes Record View.

The continual refusal by John Swinney and the SNP to agree to an independent inquiry into the Peter Murrell scandal shows the party has learned nothing.

Without such a probe we will never know the extent to which people stood by or turned a blind eye to the warning signs of Murrell’s fraud on their watch.

In recent days, former SNP members have shared their experiences after trying to raise concerns over the party’s finances in 2020 and 2021.

These were ordinary activists, not paid politicians, who gave their time freely and campaigned for a cause they believed in. They were motivated by genuine concern for the party.

They all worked to contest internal elections for office bearer roles which, they thought, would allow them access to the books.

These were people with professional backgrounds, who – if they had been allowed to – could have spotted some of the alarming discrepancies later identified by police.

Instead, their efforts at achieving transparency were delayed or denied.

At least one former member alleges they were bullied by followers of Nicola Sturgeon for daring to speak out.

We’ll never know if these activists could have stopped Murrell sooner.

But an independent inquiry could at least ask those involved in the party hierarchy why warning signs were repeatedly missed. As the judge at Murrell’s hearing said, his crimes were not particularly sophisticated.

An inquiry could, at least, ask why he got away with it for so long.

Values live on

There are few places in Scotland where more emotive life-or-death battles could have played out than Yorkhill kids’ hospital.

We all love our kids. And anyone who’s had to venture through the doors of the famous Glasgow institution will know the nerve-shredding tension that comes with such visits.

Most family stories would have had a happy ending, yet some would have resulted in the most unimaginable tragedy and loss.

The poignancy of the final closure of the hospital on Friday, 112 years after it opened, will be felt by many Scots.

We hear many horror stories from hospitals, particularly the new supersized versions. But there’s no doubt Yorkhill was held in the affections of many.

A common sentiment that echoed in the pages of the Record over the years was the dedicated care given by its staff.

The culture nurtured there was one of respect and dedication, which helped many in their time of greatest adversity.

As the bulldozers for the site approach, we should acknowledge how important these values remain.

Get Daily Record Premium for just £1 per month in exclusive offer to celebrate the world cup. Click HERE.

ON the northern fringes of the North York Moors lie two distinctive features. One is man-made (the 60ft monument to Captain Cook who worked in nearby Staithes) and one is more natural (Roseberry Topping).

Perched on the banks of the River Leven, Great Ayton lies just north of the North York Moors National Park with some excellent walks from the town. There are plenty of parking places to the east of the village, take the road from the post office marked to the station.

At the station cross the lines and almost immediately take the lane to your right. After 200 metres turn left on a path until it soon meets another lane over a stile. Turn right and follow the path uphill, until it arrives at Ayton Bank Woods.

After entering via a gate follow the wall to your right till it meets a forest track, turn left and follow this all the way to Captain Cook’s Monument. You can’t miss it.

Roseberry Topping Trig point. Images: Jonathan Smith

Erected in 1827, the monument stands an impressive 60 ft high and is built as a memorial to the great explorer and navigator Captain Cook. Born nearby, he was educated in Great Ayton before going on to work in Staithes on the coast where he learnt his seafaring skills. The monument stands on the clearing of Easby Moor, with some views available above the top of the forest.

From the monument head for the forest track to the north and follow this for half a mile gradually downhill to a road and parking area. You are now on the Cleveland Way and being a National Trail is well signposted.

Continue over the road and follow the Cleveland Way across the moor, still heading north. After three quarters of a mile meet a stone wall, pass through and carry on west and downhill with the distinctive shape of Roseberry Topping ahead. After a meeting of paths start the climb up Roseberry Topping, heading west up one of many good paths. The climb is popular and many of the paths are paved for erosion protection, not something the young Captain Cook would have bothered about when he explored these slopes.

The view from the summit is extensive and varied; from the North Sea to the housing estates of Teesside and from the nearby forestry to the vast sprawling moors further afield. It is a good summit, protected from the erosion nearby by a hard sandstone cover.

Captain Cook’s Monument

From the summit a path drops steeply down the slopes, initially south west and then south as it meets Newton Wood. Follow the path in the woods, bearing right so you continue downhill and turning in a westerly direction after a few hundred metres.

Emerge from the woods. cross the railway line, turn immediately left and follow a faint path that leads in to the northern outskirts of Great Ayton.

More walks:

Fact Box

Captain Cook’s Monument

Distance: Roughly 6.5 miles

Height to Climb: 350m (1,150 feet)

Start: NZ 563108. There is plenty of parking near the centre of Great Ayton and the Royal Oak.

Difficulty: Medium. The paths and lanes are very good but there is some short but steep climbs during the walk.

Refreshments: The Royal Oak in Ayton is good.

Be Prepared: The route description and sketch map only provide a guide to the walk. You must take out and be able to read a map (O/S Explorer OL26) and in cloudy/misty conditions a compass. You must also wear the correct clothing and footwear for the outdoors. Whilst every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers head out at their own risk.

* Jonathan runs Where2walk, a walking company based in the Yorkshire Dales:

He has written four books on walking in the Dales; ‘The Yorkshire 3 Peaks’, ‘Walks without Stiles, ‘The Dales 30’ mountains and the long distance path ‘The Bracken Way. Buy them direct from Where2walk

Jonathan runs Navigation Training Courses from Long Preston and Reeth. Check for dates.

You can buy Dales 30 Guide Book, T-shirts and branded caps from the new Dales 30 website. Start the challenge today.

Where2walk.co.uk features hundreds of walks with descriptions across Yorkshire and beyond, from easy strolls to harder climbs. Visit the website for details of all these walks and guiding days.

Hot, dry and windy conditions are fueling a fast-moving wildfire in Utah, forcing the governor to declare an emergency and restrict fireworks as critical weather across the West gives way to mounting concerns that anything could cause a spark.

Firefighters are facing more challenges on the ground from what fire managers and experts call unprecedented conditions.

Air tankers and helicopters were grounded Friday as winds picked up on the Cottonwood Fire, the largest blaze currently burning in the U.S. Gusts were clocked at 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) and humidity levels were in the single digits, leaving crews with few options for slowing the flames, especially as they raced through the treetops.

“We are not expecting the weather to be kind to us for the next couple of days,” said Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the fire. “We are seeing extreme fire behavior out there with some crown runs and definitely some spotting.”

Burning in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah, the Cottonwood Fire ballooned Friday to more than 112 square miles (290 square kilometers). One of several large wildfires burning in Utah, it severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County and forced evacuations. In the community of Marysvale, the smoke blocked out the sun Friday as ash rained down.

“We’re looking at a full 48 hours of critical weather that we have not seen in Utah in the last five years,” meteorologist Jason Straub told a community meeting in Beaver County Friday evening.

A cold front on Sunday will bring winds that could push the fire in new directions before the weather starts stabilizing next week, he said.

The smoke pushed mostly east, meaning air quality at popular vacation spots like Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — located far south of the flames — hasn’t been significantly affected beyond some haze in the Bryce area.

Still, the plume was visible from miles away, even as far as Colorado.

It’s like nothing seen in recent memory, Utah state forester Jamie Barnes said earlier this week. She acknowledged that fires are spreading farther and faster “under conditions that defy historical expectations.”

Nationally, nearly 3 million acres have burned since the start of the year, pushing the U.S. ahead of the 10-year average. The National Interagency Fire Center said firefighters are making progress on containing fires from Alaska to Florida.

Tim Brown, a research professor and director of the Western Regional Climate Center, said the potential for extreme fire behavior will remain as long as it’s hot, dry and windy. He pointed to parts of the West that have been mired by persistent drought, including Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

“I would not be surprised to see a lot of restrictions come out as we get closer to the July Fourth weekend,” he said. “People really need to be aware of their surroundings if they’re going to be out in the forested campground areas and grassland areas.”

Gov. Spencer Cox set the temporary fireworks restrictions through July 5 as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, saying “this year is different.”

While the Cottonwood Fire’s cause was unknown, the governor’s order noted that humans have been the cause of most fires in the state so far this year.

Even in Florida, where there have been multiple brush fires, authorities are urging people to skip the personal fireworks and instead leave the pyrotechnics to professionals putting on carefully planned shows.

Back fire camp, Mason talked about Utah’s snowpack and steam flows peaking early in March, resulting in what she called extreme dryness. Then came the wind storms like never seen before, she said.

“If anything happens out there, any kind of spark hits fuels,” she said, “it is more than likely going to start a fire and more than likely going get pretty big pretty quick.”

Under starter’s orders: Becky Hill, Summer Music Saturday, York Racecourse, today, first race at 1.20pm

BECKY Hill, two-time BRIT Award winner for Best Dance Act, opens the summer of post-racing concerts at York Racecourse, promising a high-energy performance on the “Glastonbury-style stage” after tomorrow’s seven-race card. For her set list, she can pick from such hits as Gecko; Back & Forth; Wish You Well; Lose Control; Better Off Without You; Heaven On My Mind; Remember; My Heart Goes; Run; Crazy What Love Can Do; History and Disconnect. For race-day tickets, go to: yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Flower power of the week: Summer at York Castle Museum, in bloom until September 6, open Mondays, 11am to 5pm; Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm

YORK Castle Museum is capturing the essence of ‘grand days out’ and celebrating iconic summers across two contrasting centuries this summer season. Drawing on the breadth of the museum’s social history collection, Victorian York Galas and the Swinging ’60s are the programme’s key focus with games, crafts and seasonal decorations providing nostalgia and summer fun for visitors.

Further highlights include Last Stop Before Kirkgate, Novo Theatre’s immersive experience replicating a 19th century coaching inn and arrival into York, and Yorkshire artist Pippa Dyrlaga’s paper-cut hot air balloons, telling the story of balloon rides during the galas. Tickets: yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk.

Coastal gigs of the week: TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Richard Ashcroft, today; Billy Ocean and Marti Pellow, tomorrow, gates open at 6pm

Richard Ashcroft: Headlining at Scarborough Open Air Theatre tonight. Picture: Dean Chalkney

THE Verve frontman, songwriter and producer Richard Ashcroft, two-time Ivor Novello and triple BRIT Award winner, headlines today’s Scarborough bill, joined by DJ Wayne, original Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan and Yorkshire indie rockers Apollo Junction.

Trinidadian-British soul singer Billy Ocean (real name Leslie Sebastian Charles, by the way) takes top spot tomorrow, airing such hits as Red Light Spells Danger, Love Really Hurts Without You, Caribbean Queen and When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going. His very special guest is former Wet Wet Wet singer and musicals star Marti Pellow; Katie Owen supports too. Box office: scarbroughopenairtheatre.com.

Make a date with: Calendar Girls The Musical, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, today until July 25

Christina Meehan, left, Karen Holmes and Pippa Duffy in rehearsal for Calendar Girls The Musical at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

AS director Paul Robinson reveals: “Our new in-the-round staging of Tim Firth and Gary Barlow’s Calendar Girls brings the audience into the heart of the Rylstone Women’s Institute, making this true story of friendship and determination feel more personal and immediate.

“This intimate production will create a unique, shared experience, reminiscent of gathering around a community hall or a close friend’s living room, allowing for a deeper connection to the characters and creating a collective, communal atmosphere that fully immerses everyone in the moving story of these ‘ordinary women’ doing something quite extraordinary.” Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

2026 York Mystery Plays Fringe play of the week: Riding Lights Theatre Company in Mistero Buffo, Friargate Theatre, York, today, tomorrow, then July 1 to 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm matinees on July 3 & 4

TWO wild strangers roll into York for the 2026 York Mystery Plays Fringe to tell tales destined to turn the city upside down. Combining ferocious wit and fearless physical storytelling, Paul Birch’s two-hander production for York’s Riding Lights Theatre Company tears into faith, power, profit and hypocrisy by turning ancient Bible stories into urgent, humorous modern theatre with a clear spiritual heart.

Written by Nobel prize-winning Italian playwright Dario Fo, translated by Ed Emery and performed by Yorkshire actors Thomas Frere and Cathy Sara, this 1969 take on the Mystery Plays will appeal to Fringe theatregoers with a taste for subversive and unapologetic comedy with bite. Box office:www.ridinglights.org.

Theatrical event of the week: 2026 York Mystery Plays, streets of York, tomorrow and July 5, 10.30am to 4.50pm; Sunset in the Shambles Market, June 30 and July 1, 7.45pm

THE four-yearly staging on the York Mystery Plays on pageant waggons (CORRECT) takes place at four locations across the city: free viewing at the Minster Refectory Gardens, Deansgate, (from 10.30am) King’s Square (from 11.10am), St Sampson’s Square (from 11.50am) and ticketed seats at Dean’s Park (from 12.30pm). Ten core plays will be complemented by further extracts to tell the story from The War In Heaven to Doomsday. For full details, go to: yorkmysteryplays.co.uk.

Thom Fenney’s Jesus of Nazareth in rehearsal for York Settlement Community Players’ performance of The Crucifixion in the 2026 York Mystery Plays. Picture: John Saunders

Special midsummer performances of five plays will be held in Shambles Market on June 30 and July 1, introduced by the York Waits musicians before Pageant Master Dr Alan Heaven guides the audience through each play, from the Creation sequence to the End of Days in the interactive show Doomsday. These shows begin at 7.45pm and end as the dusk is deepening before 10pm. Tickets: ticketsource.com/york-festival-trust.

Foot-stomping musical celebration of the week: The Choir Of Man, Grand Opera House, York, June 30 to July 2, 7.30pm; July 3, 4pm and 8pm; July 4, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

SET in the The Jungle pub on stage, The Choir Of Man is billed as “the best trip to your local you’ll ever have” as a cast of nine (extra)ordinary guys combine beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping singalongs with tap dance and soulful storytelling in an uplifting celebration of community and friendship.

The debut UK & Ireland tour cast features Gustav Melbardis as Maestro; Oluwalonimi (Nimi) Owoyemi as Poet; Levi Tyrell Johnson as Hard Man; Ben Mabberley as Joker; Rob Godfrey as Beast; Jack Skelton as Handyman; Joshua Lloyd as Barman; Sam Walter as Romantic and Aaron Pottenger as Bore performing Queen,Luther Vandross,Sia,Paul Simon,Adele,Guns N’ Roses, Avicii and Katy Perry hits. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

50th anniversary event of the summer: 2026 York Early Music Festival, Beyond Borders, July 3 to 11

THE premier British early music festival marks its 50th anniversary with a celebration of “just how far early music has travelled – beyond the borders of the myriad historic venues of our city to a worldwide audience,” says director Delma Tomlin.

Opening with Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, presented by I Fagiolini, and closing with Solomon’s Knot’s rendition of Bruhns’s St Mark Passion, the festival welcomes The Sixteen, B’Rock Orchestra & Vocal Consort, Imago Mundi, mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston and NCEM Platform Artists Anacronia and Contre le temps, among others. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk/yemf.

More than 120,000 people signed a Parliamentary petition calling for the personal allowance for state pensioners to rise to £25,140, forcing ministers to respond in Westminster Hall.

Campaigners argue that the annual increases to the state pension under the triple lock are being undermined because the HMRC personal allowance has remained frozen, dragging more people into paying income tax despite relying on modest retirement incomes.

Opening the debate, prompted by the petition, Conservative MP John Lamont said increasing numbers of pensioners were being caught by frozen tax thresholds.

He highlighted the case of petitioner Tim Mason, who said he receives a small Royal Mail pension alongside his state pension and believes many retirees are now paying tax on pensions they spent decades saving for.

Lamont told MPs that many pensioners were receiving unexpected tax demands from HMRC as the state pension continues to rise while the personal allowance remains unchanged.

He said: “The triple lock has increased the state pension year on year, while personal tax allowances have remained frozen.”

He added that many pensioners were living on limited incomes and found unexpected tax bills both “distressing and deeply worrying”.

Why the HMRC personal allowance is becoming a bigger issue

The HMRC personal allowance currently stands at £12,570.

Meanwhile, the full new state pension has risen to around £12,547.60 a year, leaving a gap of just over £20 before retirees begin paying income tax if they receive any additional pension income.

That means even relatively small workplace or private pensions can push retirees above the tax-free threshold.

During the debate, Conservative MP Alison Griffiths said many pensioners feel frustrated because they see their pension increase each year only for more of it to be taxed.

She said: “They are asking a simple question: why are more and more pensioners being drawn into paying tax?”

She argued that the issue was not that pensioners had become wealthier, but that frozen tax thresholds meant “the tax system reaches further into people’s incomes each year.”

Calls for an HMRC personal allowance increase

The petition asks ministers to introduce a separate, higher personal allowance for state pensioners.

Supporters argue this would ensure retirees are not paying tax on income that many see as intended to provide a basic standard of living in retirement.

During the debate, Conservative MPs pointed to the party’s previous proposal for a “Triple Lock Plus”, which would have increased the tax-free allowance alongside rises in the state pension.

Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard also criticised the continued freeze in tax thresholds.

He told Parliament: “Raising tax thresholds is the best and fairest way to cut taxes.”

He warned that hundreds of thousands more people have been pulled into paying income tax because thresholds have remained frozen.

Government rejects higher HMRC personal allowance

Pensions Minister Torsten Bell acknowledged the strength of feeling behind the petition but ruled out introducing a higher tax-free allowance for pensioners.

He said no political party was proposing to double the personal allowance because it would cost the Treasury billions of pounds each year.

Bell told MPs: “The reality is that no political party will deliver a doubling of the personal allowance for pensioners.”

Instead, he said the Government’s priorities remained protecting the state pension through the triple lock and reducing NHS waiting lists.

However, he confirmed that ministers still plan to stop pensioners with only small amounts of tax to pay having to deal with HMRC’s simple assessment process from 2027, with legislation expected in the next Finance Bill.

Recommended reading:

Why pensioners are worried

Although the state pension continues to rise each year under the triple lock, frozen tax thresholds mean more retirees are expected to become taxpayers over time.

Many campaigners argue that without an increase in the HMRC personal allowance, future state pension rises will increasingly be offset by income tax, reducing the value of annual increases.

While ministers rejected the petition’s proposal, the Westminster Hall debate demonstrates growing political pressure over whether the HMRC personal allowance should rise as more pensioners begin paying tax on their retirement income.