WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is expected to try quickly passing a measure Thursday that would fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, though it’s unclear how soon the House will follow to largely end the longest partial government shutdown in history.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced a plan Wednesday to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security as part of a two-step process. The agreement puts the leaders on the same page for ending the impasse after they pursued separate plans that resulted in Congress leaving Washington last week without a fix.

Johnson and Thune announced a return to the bipartisan Senate plan worked out with Democrats that funds most of the department, with the exception of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol. Republicans would then try later to fund those agencies on their own through party-line spending legislation that could take months to finish.

Neither outcome is guaranteed, and the strategy could potentially still face opposition from the GOP’s own ranks even though President Donald Trump has given his support.

“We appreciate and share the President’s determination to once and for all bring an end to the Democrat DHS shutdown,” said Johnson, R-La., and Thune, R-S.D.

House Republicans refused to go along with the Senate plan last week excluding ICE and Border Patrol, instead changing the bill to fund all of DHS for 60 days.

The DHS shutdown reached its 47th day on Wednesday. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, “Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction.”

The two top Republicans hope to win over skeptical GOP colleagues, but the most conservative lawmakers are likely to seek full funding for all of Trump’s immigration and deportation operations.

“Let’s make this simple: caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., posted on X. “If that’s the vote, I’m a NO.”

The Senate meets for an early pro-forma session Thursday. Those generally last just a few minutes as the vast majority of senators are not present. Senators could take up the measure they passed just last week through a unanimous consent request, allowing it to pass if no senator objects. The Senate’s action would then send the bill back to the House, which is also holding a pro-forma session later in the morning.

Meanwhile, the narrow budget package that Trump wants prepared for later this year is expected to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the remainder of Trump’s term, as a way to try to ensure those agencies are no longer at risk from Democrats objecting to the president’s immigration enforcement agenda. Trump said he wants that legislation on his desk by June 1.

“We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won’t be able to stop us,” Trump said.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries released a statement after Johnson and Thune sent out their announcement, saying, “It’s time to pay TSA agents, end the airport chaos and fully fund every part of the Department of Homeland Security that does not relate to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine.”

The vast majority of Homeland Security workers continue to report to work during the shutdown, but many thousands have been going without pay. That led to more Transportation Security Administration agents calling out from work, causing frustrating security lines at some of the nation’s biggest airports. Those bottlenecks appeared to be clearing this week as agents began receiving backpay, per an executive order from Trump.

___

Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world

Here are your rugby morning headlines for Thursday, April 2.

Star speaks out over Scotland v France controversy

Ben White has broken his silence on the flashpoint involving Antoine Dupont during Scotland’s dramatic Six Nations win over France, insisting he has “a lot of respect” for the French superstar.

The Scotland scrum-half found himself at the centre of controversy during the thrilling 50-40 victory at Murrayfield, where tensions boiled over between the two No 9s.

The key moment came after Kyle Steyn intercepted a Dupont pass and raced in for his second try of the afternoon. White, who had helped force the error with his pressure, appeared to celebrate directly in front of the France captain, prompting an angry reaction from Dupont.

The Toulouse star later refused to shake White’s hand at full-time and admitted afterwards he had “never had that kind of mindset on the field”.

Now White has addressed the incident for the first time, suggesting the moment was simply a product of emotion and adrenaline.

“It’s just that you want to win and you’re passionate about representing your country. There’s adrenaline. That’s all,” he said.

“I have no problem with Antoine Dupont. I have a lot of respect for him.

“He’s an incredible player, and if you want to stay in the game against him, you have to be at your best. It’s as simple as that.”

White, who plays his club rugby for Toulon, has previously spoken glowingly about Dupont and the pair are now set for another showdown in the Top 14 when Toulon host Toulouse in Marseille on May 9.

Given the bad blood that briefly surfaced in Edinburgh, that reunion will now carry even more intrigue.

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Wales star makes decision on future

Wales hooker Brodie Coghlan has committed his future to Dragons RFC after signing a new contract to remain at Rodney Parade.

The 25-year-old, who made his international debut against New Zealand last autumn, has agreed fresh terms with his home region after a breakthrough campaign for both club and country.

Coghlan brought up his 50th Dragons appearance in last weekend’s clash with the Lions, the same opposition he faced when making his debut back in the 2022-23 season, and has now chosen to continue his journey in Newport.

“This club means everything to me,” said the two-cap Wales international.

“I grew up in Newport as a fan of the Dragons and dreamt of playing for them one day. To continue to make my childhood dream come true and play for my home club is very special to me.

“This year has been an incredibly proud one. I was given the opportunity to represent my country and in the same season I got my 50th cap for the club.

“I’m now looking forward to the next step in my career, pushing myself to keep getting better.”

A former back-rower who switched to hooker as a teenager, Coghlan has developed into one of the region’s key front-row options and has scored four tries this season, including in the European win over Newcastle Red Bulls.

Dragons forwards coach Sam Hobbs said the region were delighted to retain a player who has emerged through their own pathway.

“Having come through our academy, he has really pushed on and developed in the last few seasons,” Hobbs said.

“He’s established himself as a senior hooker and after a taste of international rugby in the autumn we know how motivated he is to gain further success.”

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Wales great eyes Ronan O’Gara upset

Stephen Jones is hoping to roll back the years and repeat one of the most memorable European wins of his playing career when Newcastle Red Bulls host Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle this weekend.

The former Wales fly-half will come up against his old British & Irish Lions team-mate in Saturday night’s Challenge Cup last-16 clash at Kingston Park, with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.

Jones and O’Gara shared Lions tours in New Zealand in 2005 and South Africa in 2009, but friendship will be put to one side as the pair go head-to-head in the dugout.

For Jones, the meeting also brings back memories of a famous night in west Wales. He was part of the Scarlets side that stunned O’Gara’s Munster 24-15 at Stradey Park in 2007, ending the Irish province’s reign as Heineken Cup champions.

Now he is aiming to script another upset against a decorated French side.

Jones spoke kindly of O’Gara before the tie, praising both his achievements as a player and the success he has built as a coach with the Crusaders and La Rochelle.

But he also made clear Newcastle are embracing the challenge after an impressive European campaign so far, which has included wins over the Lions, Perpignan and Lyon.

“Obviously, respect him (O’Gara) for what he achieved as a player. We had quite a few games against each other for Munster and Ireland, and obviously teammates on the Lions,” Jones said.

“He’s gone on and had a very good coaching career, with the Crusaders and now with La Rochelle. Hence why he’s got trophies in the cabinet, and he’s built a good group there.

“I know there’s a bit of talk (O’Gara’s future) at the moment, but ultimately, he’s a quality coach and built up a very good group there. They’re very physical, very direct, and give the ball a bit more width, trying to stress us in the wide channels.

“This is a wonderful game for the club. We’re playing a really good side. It’s going to be a nice challenge for our defence. We need to be able to connect in the middle of the park and then make sure we work as a defensive line across the pitch.

“From our perspective, it’s a huge game for us, and it is a priority for us. We respect the competition. The group’s done well in Europe, and the boys should take confidence from that.”

Shanklin delivers Dragons verdict

Tom Shanklin says he has been impressed by the Dragons’ recent progress but admits their Challenge Cup trip to Stade Français looks the toughest task facing any Welsh side this weekend.

The Men of Gwent head to Paris for their EPCR Challenge Cup last-16 clash against a Stade side in ominous scoring form, having racked up 110 points across their two wins in March, including a 64-20 demolition of Clermont last weekend.

Former Wales centre Shanklin believes the scale of the challenge is huge, but says there is still plenty for the Rodney Parade side to gain even if they fall short.

“I’ve been impressed by them,” the Premier Sports pundit told the South Wales Argus.

“They’ve had decent games in the last two weeks. To go to the Stormers and Lions and be competitive all the way through is a promising sign.

“Stade Français will be tough and I can’t see them winning, but I hope they’re competitive and keep their momentum going until the end of the season.”

Shanklin stressed the financial gulf between the two clubs means expectations should be realistic, suggesting a spirited display and a couple of tries in Paris would still represent a positive outcome.

He also believes there are clear signs of growth in the Dragons’ URC campaign despite the mixed results.

“There’s been a lot of improvement,” he added.

“Maybe results haven’t shown that but you’ve certainly seen it in performances. They are far more competitive.

“They look more confident, they’re playing better rugby, but it shows you how tough the league is for them at the moment.”

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Towards the back of the Laithwaite Community Stadium’s tin-roofed Directors’ Stand sits a long-disused telephone block terminal, once required to connect the football ground to the outside world. It is a relic almost as old as the stand itself, which has changed little in more than a century.

During a playing career primarily spent in the Premier League, trips to such non-league curiosities as Woking’s home ground were a rarity for Jermain Defoe; the type of banana-skin venue a world away from the glamour of football’s top flight.

While Defoe name-checked Wayne Rooney, Harry Redknapp, Gareth Southgate and Sam Allardyce during his unveiling as the Surrey team’s unlikely new manager, a smattering of volunteers who often form the core of fifth-tier clubs busied themselves around the ground, forking the pitch and tidying the terraces following a disappointing 1-1 National League draw at home to fellow mid-table outfit Altrincham the previous evening.

Defoe had watched from the stands as his new side toiled against their nine-man opposition, before he formally takes the reins for the visit of relegation-threatened Eastleigh on Good Friday in what will be the first match of his solo managerial career. It is an improbable turn of events for a figure who made 496 Premier League appearances and scored 20 international goals, but will now concern himself with the lower reaches of the English football pyramid usually only of interest to those in the immediate locality.

It has, suggested Defoe, “always been the plan”, with the former West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland striker explaining how “towards the back end of my career I knew I wanted to go into coaching”.

He fulfilled a player-coach role during his final season at Rangers – where he also formed part of an interim coaching unit that took charge for a brief period in 2021 – and then returned to Spurs as an academy coach upon his playing retirement in 2022. Nonetheless, turning up at a club beneath the English Football League was a move few had anticipated.

“My mum has always said to me in life you’ve got to be grateful for every opportunity you get,” said Defoe, who explained that he was smartly dressed in a buttoned-up white shirt and slick grey suit because his mum would be watching.

“It’s no different to when you’re a player. When I was a 16-year-old in the West Ham youth team, you had to earn your stripes and do your apprenticeship. Just because I’ve had a good career, I can’t just expect to get that big job.”

In the absence of personal experience, he has sought out the advice of others who have ploughed the non-league furrow to find out what it entails. More illustrious names he has also confided in include Allardyce, Redknapp and Robbie Keane. Ultimately, he insisted, playing in front of an average Laithwaite Community Stadium attendance of little over 2,500 should be no different to the Old Firm or north London derbies.

“At the end of the day, it’s a pitch with two goals, 11 v 11, and you have to win,” he said. “There can’t be any excuses. You prepare to win and it’s as simple as that.”

Following Liam Rosenior’s appointment at Chelsea earlier this year, he now adds his name to a woefully under-represented cohort of Black managers in the top five tiers of English football.

“It’s something that has been spoken about for many years,” he said, when asked about the paucity of Black coaches. “I remember, as a player, all the campaigns, and speaking to the likes of Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Andy Cole, that sort of generation before me who did their coaching badges and had a lack of opportunity.

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity. I would like to think, going forward, other Black managers will get opportunities, and players still playing will get the opportunities in the future.”

The remainder of the season gives him something of a free hit. Woking sacked his predecessor Neal Ardley at the start of March after a poor run had all but extinguished promotion hopes. A first step up to the Football League in the club’s 139-year history remains the target by which Defoe will be judged, although he declined to divulge what his managerial playing style will be to achieve such a goal.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” said Defoe, who laughed off previous links with the Tottenham managerial job and offered his support to Roberto De Zerbi. “I’d want to be hard to play against first. I know it sounds boring, but you need to be hard to play against. I want a team that is exciting, creating a lot of chances and scoring goals. You have to give these fans something to cheer about when they come to the stadium.”

It may yet be the start of something big for Defoe as a manager; conversely, it could be a blunder destined for pub quiz obscurity.

“It’s always going to be a gamble,” he said. “It’s part and parcel. You can’t think like that. You have to be positive, back yourself and believe you are good enough.”

The president and his advisers have offered shifting explanations and ​timelines for the ⁠conflict, as well as what they will require from Iran for ‌it to end. While portraying Iran as militarily neutered, Trump also said on Wednesday night the US would hit the nation hard for another two or three weeks.

The following article contains spoilers from the episode of Emmerdale dated April 2. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX and YouTube.

Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) is enjoying every single second of his revenge plan against Kim Tate (Claire King) in Emmerdale as right now, she has no idea what he’s up to.

Earlier this week, Kim was sent to hospital with suspected mushroom poisoning. Doctor Todd (Caroline Harker), Jacob Gallagher’s (Joe-Warren Plant) boss, then confirmed to her that she had painkillers in her system, meaning she had actually collapsed as a result of overdosing.

Away from the shock that Jacob had misdiagnosed her, Kim couldn’t believe she had made a mistake with her medication, which she takes due to still suffering leg pain after falling off her horse at Christmas.

As no one else is around when she takes her pills, Kim was hit with the realisation that she had given herself an overdose. Surprised by her mistake, she remained unaware that someone had snuck into her bathroom and tampered with her meds.

Graham was confirmed to be the culprit, and shared with someone on the phone that he had swapped Kim’s normal tablets for a double dose. He also said that he’d try a different approach in his revenge next, believing he’d find another way to get rid of his ‘pain in the neck’.

Kim returned to Home Farm in today’s episode, and happily followed orders to rest and recover. While she laid on the sofa reading a magazine, Graham approached young Clemmie, who was busy with a school project.

She explained to Graham that she was building a Roman fort and needed to write about a General, but with her brother Lucas writing about Julius Caesar, Clemmie wasn’t sure who to focus on.

Graham sat opposite her and told Clemmie to write about a man called Quintus Fabius Maximus (no, I didn’t think I’d be given you a History lesson in this either), who proved everyone wrong and became one of the most successful Generals in Rome.

As Graham spoke about how Quintus was incredibly clever, and focused on cutting the food supply of his enemies over fighting big battles, it became more and more apparent this was an elaborate way for him to talk about what he’d like to do to Kim, without directly confirming it.

‘Sometimes, it pays to play the long game’, Graham said as he sipped his tea.

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While this was going on, an oblivious Kim enjoyed her magazine, believing Graham was having an innocent conversation with Clemmie about her homework.

Playing the long game and keeping his enemy close is working – but how long for?

‘Graham is clearly still incredibly angry that Kim tried to kill him six years ago. This resulted in him faking his own death to escape the hit she put out on him’, star Andrew Scarborough said.

‘He lost Rhona in this process, so he still hasn’t forgiven Kim for that. She took six years of his life away. That is why he just tried to kill her – for revenge. I am not convinced his whole heart was in it because their relationship is complicated. I think if his whole heart were in it, he would have actually made it happen.’

MORE: All Emmerdale spoilers for next week as legend left for dead

MORE: Emmerdale’s Graham stabbed in violent showdown and another shock follows

MORE: Emmerdale ‘confirms’ who tries to kill Kim in early ITVX release

Alistair Brownlee was the first athlete ever to defend the Olympic triathlete title.

Over an 18-year career, he claimed gold at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games, as well as 22 World Series events, two World Championships, a Commonwealth title and four European Championships, to name only a few.

Two years into retirement, Brownlee shows little sign of slowing down. When he’s not working with his brother Jonny on the Brownlee Foundation – their charity encouraging young people into sport – he’s focused on his own business, Truefuels, which sells energy gels and electrolytes.

It’s hard to reconcile all this with the unassuming man who strolls into our office alone on a Thursday in March. It’s not the first time the point has been made. In 2021, he told The Telegraph that he was once told that he’s “an inspiration because he looks so normal it makes everyone think that if he can do it, they could too”.

I caught up with him for our Readers Ask series, where industry specialists answer questions from our Telegraph Recommended Reader Panel.

How old were you when you started to compete professionally? Mary-Grace, East of England

I did my first triathlon when I was eight, but didn’t compete professionally until I was 18.

I won the World Junior Championships, and I did some serious races the year after I was 19. I went to the Beijing Olympics as a 20-year-old the year after.

What advice do you wish you would have received when you considered a career in sports? Ekaterina, London

My parents, my dad in particular, recommended that I studied alongside sport when I was young.

I also had some brilliant advice from my coach Malcolm, who told me to believe that I could win the Olympic games – but only by one stride, which was a great way of saying have faith but not too much, and train really hard.

Endurance sport, although it sounds a bit cliché, is a long game. Don’t rush things, look after your body, focus on the small things: nutrition, sleep, recovery, all of that, and that will pay dividends over a long period of time.

What was it like competing so hard against your brother and could you put the result to one side after the race was over? Caroline, East of England

I didn’t know any different. I’ve competed against my brother since I was really young – six-years-old or probably even younger in the garden at home so it’s very natural to me.

Even at the top level of the sport I think we took it for granted. We would be training side by side at home in Yorkshire one day and competing in the top races in the world the day after.

We basically knew that we were each other’s best training asset and we also knew that we could help each other in racing as well as the training.

We pretty much always put it aside straight after the race, and that was partly about our relationship and partly because we both had that kind of mentality, we were always thinking about the next thing.

Who was your biggest competitor and why? Nicolle, South East

Obviously my brother Jonny was a big competitor throughout the main part of my career.

I also had a very talented, ferocious Spanish competitor called Javier Gómez. I raced him probably 100 times during the same period. He came second at the London Olympics and beat me to the world title quite a few times.

We were very close in physical ability, and well matched in terms of where we were in the race. Quite a few of our races came down to sprint finishes.

Thanks to the fast-acting officers, the man survived and was discharged from hospital a few days later

Three police officers have been praised after their fast actions helped to save the life of a man who had a sudden heart attack in Salford. Response officers, PC Abbie Ellison and PC Sophie North, were flagged down by a member of the public while they were on patrol on February 26.

At around 8.30am, PC Ellison and PC North, who work on Response in the Salford district, were on their usual mobile patrol in the area when they were flagged down by a member of the public who was in distress.

A man riding a mobility scooter appeared to have had a medical episode and collided with a parked vehicle on Hankinson Way, Salford Precinct.

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PC Ellison and PC North immediately stopped their vehicle and rushed to the scene where the man, in his 50s, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest. The officers immediately began conducting CPR on the man and set-up the defibrillator ready to assist with resuscitation.

PC North shouted over the radio to alert other patrols and make North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) aware they were attending a medical emergency.

PC Ellison said: “You go to all different types of jobs being on response, however, this incident was an incident where the treatment we gave could potentially save someone’s life. And thankfully this happened in this circumstance.

“To know this male is still alive and able to continue with his day-to-day life due to the lifesaving support he was given is exactly the reason I became a police officer; to be able to make a difference and help people in critical times.”

A third officer, PC Siergiejew, was responding to an alternate job but stopped at the location to help her two colleagues until paramedics arrived.

PC Siergiejew said: “When I heard my colleagues shout for assistance I could hear from their voice that the incident was serious. I was already attending an alternate immediate response incident; however, I was passing them to go to the job.

“I stopped immediately to help my colleagues. Asking members of the public to stand back to give us some space to give lifesaving first aid. I noticed that the officer conducting CPR had been doing this for some time, so I swapped with her and continued to conduct CPR.

“I felt so much relief when the paramedic advised us that there was a pulse again for this male. Within the four years of being a police officer I have never given CPR to someone that has recovered, and that made me proud of my colleagues and myself.”

The three officers provided lifesaving medical assistance to the man while trying to contain a clear area and get members of the public to stand back. Once the first rapid response vehicle had arrived, they were advised that the patient had regained a pulse, and he was taken to hospital for further treatment.

PC North said: “I have been a response officer for three years, and this incident marked the first time I had ever been flagged down to assist someone requiring CPR. Despite a crowd quickly gathering around PC Ellison and me, we remained entirely focused on delivering life-saving care.

“A few weeks later, the man attended Pendleton Police Station with his carer to collect his mobility scooter. During that visit, he shook my hand and thanked me for saving his life. It was a truly full-circle moment. That sense of gratitude is exactly why I chose to become a police officer – to make a difference and help people in their most critical moments.”

LONDON (AP) — Almost three dozen countries will meet Thursday in an effort to exert diplomatic and political pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been choked off by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the virtual meeting chaired by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper “will assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities.”

Iranian attacks on commercial ships, and the threat of more, have halted nearly all traffic in the waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the rest of the globe’s oceans, shutting a critical path for the world’s flow of oil and sending petroleum prices soaring.

The U.S. is not among the countries attending Thursday’s meeting. Trump has said securing the waterway is not America’s job, and told U.S. allies to “go get your own oil.”

No country appears willing to try and open the strait by force while fighting rages and Iran can target vessels with anti-ship missiles, drones, attack craft and mines. But Starmer said Wednesday that military planners from an unspecified number of countries will meet soon to work on how to ensure security for shipping “after the fighting has stopped.”

In the meantime, 35 countries including the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates have signed a statement demanding Iran stop its attempts to block the strait and pledging to “contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” through the waterway.

Thursday’s meeting is considered a first step, to be followed by “working-level meetings” of officials to hammer out details.

Starmer said resuming shipping “will not be easy,” and will require “a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity” alongside partnership with the maritime industry.

The international effort idea has echoes of the international “coalition of the willing” that has been assembled, led by the U.K. and France, to underpin Ukraine’s security after a future ceasefire in that war. The coalition is, in part, an attempt to demonstrate to the Trump administration that Europe is stepping up to do more for its own security.

The urgency of stronger continental defenses has been reinforced by Trump’s renewed suggestion that the U.S. could pull out of NATO.

Gavin Ellis praised the impact of the scheme on Darlington’s Grange Road, which was introduced in 2021 to manage queues, support vulnerable people and help keep town centre customers safe.

But last weekend saw the town’s two marshals serve their final shift after Darlington Borough Council ended the scheme due to reduced demand. 

Yet Mr Ellis fears incidents among passengers and drivers will now rise, and said the marshals proved their worth on their final night.

Taxi driver Gavin Ellis in Darlington market place. (Image: Chris BOOTH)

He said: “Ironically, on their last night, they split at least three potential fights up. 

“I also had a customer who told me he had been a victim of violence on that rank, ending up in A&E because someone decided to headbutt him because he didn’t realise he was standing in the wrong place.

“Last year, one of them actually saved a man’s life, and this is how they’re rewarded.

“I sincerely hope somebody’s son or daughter does not become a victim of this short-sighted decision.

“Those marshals have been a godsend to the taxi trade, helping us with unscrupulous customers, stopping queue jumping and breaking up fights.”

The scheme was originally established in response to a post-Covid shortage of taxis and drivers, and an increase in demand as residents returned to pubs, bars, and restaurants following the easing of restrictions.

This imbalance led to long queues at taxi ranks, increasing the risk of disorder, queue jumping, and some taking the risk of seeking lifts from unlicensed drivers or strangers.

The 65–year-old said he tried to organise a petition to keep the marshals but didn’t receive the required amount of signatures for it to be considered by council leaders. 

Speaking in February ahead of the scheme ending, Councillor Jim Garner, cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “We are grateful for their efforts, but with the change in habits, less demand at taxi ranks, alongside reduced funding, we felt now was the time to bring the initiative to a close.”

Durham Police said it will continue to patrol the town centre to ensure people can return home safely. 

A council spokesperson added: “Darlington continues to be recognised as a safe and welcoming place for a night out and we recently retained the prestigious Purple Flag accreditation. 

“Safety measures remain in place, including qualified door staff, police patrols and the help button  at the junction of Skinnergate and Houndgate, which links to our CCTV control room.

“We urge people to plan ahead of a night out to ensure they can get home safely and there are tips on the Enjoy Darlington website.”

The government’s new social cohesion action plan, Protecting What Matters, is frank about its urgency: “Social cohesion is … not just a good in and of itself. It is also a vital front in the resilience of our national security.”

The 2024 Southport attacks and subsequent disorder, rising religious hate crime, unrest over migration policy and domestic extremism have all forced the issue of community division. Yet the government’s answer, built around integration, interfaith dialogue and civic ceremonies, mistakes the symptom for the disease.

“Cohesion” is vague, unmeasurable and elastic enough to mean whatever the government of the day needs it to mean. People describe the places they love as close-knit and safe, not “cohesive”.

A better framework would be community resilience: the measurable capacity of neighbourhoods to absorb shocks, resist divisive narratives and recover from crises. You cannot integrate people who are isolated, impoverished and without the infrastructure to bring them together. COVID laid bare what the evidence already showed: communities with stronger social infrastructure and higher levels of social capital demonstrated greater resilience to the pandemic’s social and economic shocks.

The government strategy does contain a chapter on “resilient communities”. However, it frames resilience narrowly, as emergency management of religious and political extremism, rather than as the everyday and routine fabric that makes any form of solidarity possible at all.

The missing piece

There is an extraordinary gap in Protecting What Matters. While there is acknowledgement of the effects of “visible deterioration of public services”, the word “poverty” does not appear once. The plan frames division through religion, identity and Islamophobia, which are outcomes and proxies, not root causes.

A study of over 15,000 residents across 839 English and Welsh neighbourhoods, validated by a 2024 analysis of the Understanding Society dataset, shows that deprivation, not diversity, erodes trust, participation and neighbourliness. Once you control for poverty, diversity is associated with higher volunteering and charitable giving. The crisis of solidarity is a crisis of resources, not cultural difference.

There is an undertone of nostalgia in the government’s plea for communities to “integrate”, a wistfulness for tight-knit mining towns where everyone knew their neighbour. But those communities were built on something material: secure jobs, union membership, working men’s clubs and shared economic fate.

More in Common’s 2025 polling finds that 44% of Britons sometimes feel like strangers in their own country – a figure that could be read as evidence of cultural division. But More in Common’s own analysis shows this alienation is concentrated in economically left-behind areas, not diverse ones. People do not feel like strangers because their neighbours look different. They feel like strangers because the institutions that once made them feel they belonged – clubs, pubs, unions and jobs – have gone.

The argument that more homogenous communities are more cohesive is seductive, but weak. Britain’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods are not its least cohesive – they are, as Manchester researchers found, its healthiest. Mining towns were cohesive despite being male-dominated, often racially exclusive and economically coercive. The lesson is to replicate not their demographics, but the material conditions: jobs, institutions and shared infrastructure that give people a reason to show up.

Work provides far more than income: it furnishes identity, routine and daily social connection. Unemployment is not merely an economic condition; it is an isolating one.

A recent randomised controlled trial by the Department for Work and Pensions found that structured group job-search workshops improved both mental health and employment outcomes among benefit claimants, precisely because they restored the social support, routine and shared purpose that work normally provides. Community resilience cannot be separated from economic development. Departments such as DWP and Jobcentre Plus have a direct stake in the social capital agenda.

Building resilient communities

Research I have conducted at the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) and a recent Joseph Rowntree report show that social infrastructure is key to resilience, but that different communities have different needs.

New housing developments need parks and primary schools from day one: accessible spaces that create early encounters and establish trust between newcomers. Established but deprived communities need to restore what has been stripped away, whether the pub, the library or the community centre. Sports facilities build bridging connections across difference, faith buildings deepen bonds within communities and civic spaces create the linking ties between residents and institutions. The task is to match the infrastructure to the social capital gap, not apply a single template everywhere.

The real test, which my colleagues and I call the “Wet Wednesday Night Test”, is whether your investment in social infrastructure gets 14 people to turn up for football (or cub scouts, or a book group) on a wet Wednesday in February. Nobody comes to “build social capital”. They come because the pitch is free, the lights work and there are hot showers. The pint afterwards does more for integration and social capital than any strategy document ever will.

ICON’s research, drawing on over 100 peer-reviewed studies, shows that social infrastructure generates £3.50 for every £1 invested. Every £10,000 invested prevents an estimated £105,000 in riot damages.

During the 2011 riots, 71% of incidents occurred in areas ranked among the most deprived 10% of England – the same year in which 287 community centres had closed. The government described this as a “social cohesion” problem; it was a social infrastructure problem.

The government’s £5 billion Pride in Place programme makes a start at investing in communities. But more investment is needed to address the challenges in our most deprived neighbourhoods, where people face life expectancy four years below the national average.

A serious approach would use existing schools, job centres and childcare settings as social hubs, and make public transport free for under-18s so that young people can move around their own towns. And, it would tackle the poverty, insecure work and collapse of institutions that once gave people a reason and the means to show up for each other.

Build those foundations and what politicians call “cohesion” will follow. Nobody will use that word to describe what they feel when they step outside of their front door. They will just say it is a good place to live. That is enough.