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.

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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.