Lord Anas, who has been Scottish Labour leader since 2021, was among the first to call for Sir Keir Starmer to stand down in February.

Anas Sarwar has stood down as Scottish Labour leader and been made a lord and minister in the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. Lord Anas, who has led the party since 2021, was among the first to call for Sir Keir Starmer to stand down in February.

Downing Street announced 47 new ministerial appointment late on Wednesday night, along with 17 re-appointments. It comes a day after the Record exclusively revealed the Glasgow MSP will take up a job in the new Government with Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

A statement from Lord Anas said: “Throughout my life, I have only ever been motivated by public service. The opportunity to serve our country is all I have ever asked. That’s why this is an opportunity I humbly accept.

“From working as an NHS dentist, through my time as Member of Parliament, Member of the Scottish Parliament and as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, it has been an honour to serve the people of the great City of Glasgow and across Scotland. Looking back over the last five years, I am hugely proud of the work we have done since I became Scottish Labour Leader.

“To all my colleagues in both Parliaments and to all our amazing staff – thank you for everything you have done, and I’m sure will continue to do – for the Labour movement and for Scotland. I look forward to continuing to support you in those efforts, albeit from a different role.

“The Scottish Labour Party has a range of talent among our Members of the Scottish Parliament. The best interests of the individuals, families, and communities we seek to represent is served by having a strong and effective Labour Party. I will work with my successor to deliver that.”

First Minister of Scotland John Swinney hit out at the “hypocrisy” of the expected appointment earlier on Wednesday. Speaking to the Press Association, the First Minister said: “I think what it demonstrates is an appalling level of judgment by Anas Sarwar.

“He said before the (Holyrood) election he had absolutely no interest in going to the House of Lords, he only wanted to be first minister of Scotland. Then, after the election, Anas Sarwar has accepted a place in the House of Lords – a body, by the way, he wants to abolish.

“That is an incredible level of hypocrisy and it just illustrates what I think the Prime Minister is trying to address, which is the fact that politicians say one thing one minute and then do another thing the next minute, when it suits them. That, I thought, was what Andy Burnham was trying to address and to solve.

“But instead, Andy Burnham has exacerbated that sentiment within our society.”

Acting Scottish Labour leader Jackie Baillie MSP said: “I want to thank Anas Sarwar for his leadership and friendship. He led the Scottish Labour Party with integrity and a vision to build a fairer and more equal Scotland.

“These are the same values I am sure he will now champion in government. The Scottish Executive Committee will meet to agree a timetable for the election of the next Leader of the Scottish Labour Party.

“Further details of the Leadership election will be communicated in due course.”

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A man who stabbed his wife to death in their New York City apartment left their infant son alone with her slain body before hanging himself in a nearby park, it has emerged.

Mary Kate Golding, 34, a set designer, was found dead with a knife lodged in her back at her family’s property in Astoria on Tuesday. 

Her husband, Joseph Azzaretto, 33, was found hanging from a tree in Astoria Park around six hours later. 

Azzaretto left the couple’s 11-month-old son Nolan with his wife’s corpse, law enforcement sources told the New York Post. 

The orphaned infant was found by Golding’s friend after Azzaretto allegedly called her to confess to the killing, the insiders said.

A neighbor told the newspaper how the friend was ‘screaming’ after she discovered the body and then ‘took the baby and walked out’ of the basement apartment. Golding’s parents later arrived and took Nolan into their care. 

Police have not formally classified the deaths as a murder-suicide, but investigators believe Azzaretto killed Golding following an argument and then fled the home. Both were reportedly in the film and TV industry, with Golding’s IMDB page revealing that she worked on The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and Goosebumps.

Golding’s death is not the first violent tragedy to plague the family. Azzaretto’s younger brother, Nicholas, shot and killed their father six years ago.

Her husband, Joseph Azzaretto, 33, was found hanging from a tree in Astoria Park around six hours later. Investigators believe he killed his wife following an argument

Police found Golding’s body in her family’s basement apartment in Astoria. Investigators say a knife had been lodged in her back

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Nicholas, then 20, killed 58-year-old Frank Azzaretto in the kitchen of their family home in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, in February 2020 amid a domestic dispute.

Frank was fighting with his wife, Patricia, over a phone bill when he became violent, the Pocono Record reported at the time.

He threw plants and pictures, and started pushing Patricia around, she testified.

Nicholas, who heard the fight from the basement bedroom, came upstairs and found Frank being physical with his mother, the court heard. 

Frank ordered Nicholas to go to the basement and closed the door on him. Nicholas then came back upstairs with a 12-gauge shotgun and shot Frank in the shoulder.

Pellets entered Frank’s chest and he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. 

The defense, during the court proceedings, said that there was a history of abuse in the Azzaretto family, with Frank having an ‘apparent abuse streak in his personality.’ 

Nicholas, now 26, later pled guilty to third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter, according to public records.

Nicholas Azzaretto, 26, after his arrest for the murder of his father in 2020

Frank Azzaretto, 58, was shot dead in his Monroe County, Pennsylvania, home in February 2020 amid a domestic dispute with his wife. His son Nicholas pleaded guilty to his killing

He appears to have been released from jail, as he is no longer listed as an inmate with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

A Facebook account believed to belong to Nicholas was also updated with a photo of him cuddling a dog in October 2024.  

Golding and Azzaretto moved to New York from Pennsylvania just two months ago, according to their neighbors.

Neighbors claimed Azzaretto had become known for losing his temper and arguing over parking spaces. 

‘He was an angry person,’ one local told the Post. ‘I decided to avoid him. I didn’t even look at his text messages.’

Others branded him as ‘crazy’ and said he was ‘mentally disturbed.’

The NYPD told the Daily Mail that officers responding to a 12.24am report of an assault found Golding with a stab wound to her back. 

Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Golding and her husband moved to New York from Pennsylvania just two months ago

Footage obtained by the New York Daily News allegedly showed Azzaretto outside the building speaking on his cellphone before getting into a car and driving away.

He was reportedly identified as a person of interest before his body was discovered at around 6am.

Azzaretto was found near Astoria Park South and Shore Boulevard, about two miles from the family’s home.

The new Prime Minister is also expected to meet John Swinney and use his engagement in Scotland to talk about the cost of living crisis and devolution.

Andy Burnham will visit Scotland today for the first time since he became Prime Minister. The new PM will attend the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

He will also hold talks with First Minister John Swinney during the trip. Burnham is expected to use his engagement in Scotland to talk about the cost of living crisis and devolution.

He will also set out how he intends to work with the SNP Government. Burnham said: “When I say we need good growth in every postcode, I mean every postcode across the whole of the UK.

“Every place and every person matters. I’m not focused on point scoring or discussing constitutional changes like referendums, I want practical measures to help people live well and bring back hope.

“That’s why I’m giving families more breathing space with help on the cost of living, which I have started this week by taking VAT off electricity bills, saving money for millions of households.”

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Maura Higgins looked nothing short of sensational as she modelled sexy lingerie for her latest sizzling Victoria’s Secret photoshoot in Paris. 

The Love Island star, 35, set pulses racing in a glittering pink bra and matching thong as she posed up a storm in her lavish hotel room.

Maura showed off her amazing figure in the two-piece as she draped the brands iconic pink striped satin robe off her shoulders.

Styling her brunette bobbed tresses in voluminous curls, the Irish model elevated her frame in a pair of black stilettos.

The reality star later slipped into a daring leopard print bra and coordinated black lace underwear as she posed with the picturesque backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. 

Maura flaunted her toned abs in the two-piece as she opened her long black robe to sit in the large hotel window overlooking the historic landmark. 

The Love Island star, 35, set pulses racing in a glittering pink bra and matching thong as she posed up a storm in her lavish hotel room

She wasn’t afraid of being spotted in her lingerie in the French capital as she posed for photos on her balcony.  

For her final look, the TV personality relaxed on her bed in a cheeky black lingerie set with her brunette locks in curlers. 

She wrote: ‘The very sexy push up bra is made to be seen @victoriassecret #vspartner’

It comes after Maura made sure she made a name for herself at Paris Fashion Week as she fashioned another eye-catching look earlier this month. 

The Love Islander embraced the pixie cut as she bid goodbye to her long brunette locks for the Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Fashion Week show.

Flashing her toned abs, the reality star wore an open blue and white striped shirt which she left unbuttoned. 

However, it was linked to a bizarre white cape-like collar before Maura also threw on a dark blazer jacket which ran down to the floor. 

She paired the look with matching tailored trousers and pointed white heels. 

Earlier in the day, Maura looked every inch the Disney villain in a dramatic hooded gown with vampy gelled hair and long nail extensions at the Robert Wun Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week show.

She showed off another iconic look as she arrived at the show in a dramatic hooded gown.

Maura showed off her amazing figure in the two-piece as she draped the brands iconic pink striped satin robe off her shoulders

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The reality star slipped into a daring leopard print bra and coordinated black lace underwear

The TV personality relaxed on her bed in a cheeky black lingerie set with her locks in a curler

She wrote: ‘The very sexy push up bra is made to be seen @victoriassecret #vspartner’

Maura wowed in a glittering bra and thong 

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Maura teamed the statement piece with some bizarre accessories, adding a pair of long white pointed earrings and carrying a bouquet of bright white lilies.

She matched her earrings to her long nail extensions whilst the finishing touch was a slicked back hairdo.   

As well as enjoying the couture shows, Maura let her hair down during the luxurious girls’ trip to Paris. 

The television personality used her visit to the city of fashion as an opportunity to add to her ever-expanding Hermes handbag collection.

Maura showed off her £32,000 tan Birkin, which she called her ‘new baby’, as she shared an insight into her holiday on Instagram on Tuesday. 

The fashion chameleon also sported a different hair look with a light brown wig and showed off her cheeky personality as she twerked in the bathroom with her girl pals. 

She joked: ‘Difficult when you’ve got an Ikea flatpack as a backside.’

Maura cut a stylish figure in a black miniskirt and vest top which she teamed with cat-eye sunglasses and a black headband. 

The group had enjoyed dinner at La Girafe where they dined on caviar and oysters. 

She wasn’t afraid of being spotted in her lingerie in the French capital as she posed for photos on her balcony

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Styling her brunette bobbed tresses in voluminous curls, the Irish model elevated her frame in a pair of black stilettos

The reality star flaunted her figure in lingerie

The star showed off her tattoo down the side of her leg 

Maura lay on her hotel floor in the sexy lingerie 

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It comes after Maura made sure she made a name for herself at Paris Fashion Week as she fashioned two eye-catching looks earlier this month 

They had flown by private jet with Maura showing off her designer handbag collection as she took her seat on the plane. 

She flew with her Craie Birkin 25 and a huge black Chanel bag.

The former Love Island star is known for her love of Hermes. She also has the Bordeaux Birkin 30, given to her by her Traitors co-star Rob Rausch after he betrayed her in the final. 

The piece features Togo leather and gold hardware and is estimated to have cost £17,000. 

Maura also acquired a classic black Hermès Kelly 25 in Epsom leather with gold hardware. 

The star has been spending plenty of time in America over the past few months as she furthers her career there, recently revealing she is starring on the upcoming series of Dancing With The Stars.

Maura was an instant hit on the ITV2 dating show thanks to her fiery arguments, hilarious one-liners and no-nonsense attitude towards the men in the villa.

Anas Sarwar has never made a secret of his desire to hold high office.

It’s only a matter of weeks since he offered himself to Scottish voters as a candidate to replace John Swinney as first minister.

That went spectacularly wrong. The SNP held power for a fifth consecutive term and Labour recorded their worst Holyrood result since devolution.

While the performance of the UK government under Sir Keir Starmer gets much of the blame, there is now a live debate in the party about Sarwar’s strategy.

Questions are also being asked of Scottish Labour’s campaign co-directors Jackie Baillie and Douglas Alexander.

Sarwar had said he would stick around as leader to steady the ship, but his swift exit contradicts that position and is a source of controversy for some.

There are those who see it as a reward for failure given the Holyrood defeat, even if Labour was able to beat the SNP in Scotland at the UK general election two years earlier.

There are those who see it as a reward for treachery given that Sarwar was the first senior Labour figure to call for Starmer to quit – a move that undermined the then prime minister, to the eventual benefit of Andy Burnham.

As the UK continues to enjoy hot weather, flies are becoming more commonplace in homes and gardens.

Flies will often enter homes and get into people’s bins and deposit eggs there that will turn into hundreds of maggots.

After the eggs are laid, it only takes around eight to 48 hours for the eggs to hatch, which will leave you with an infestation of maggots in your bin.

How to get rid of maggots and stop flies from laying eggs in your bin

Cleaning expert Claire from Sister Pledge Cleans posted a video on Instagram showing people how she keeps flies and maggots away from her bin.

The video’s caption said: “Keep flies away from your food waste bin this summer with a simple hack!

“In Wales, we separate our food waste, and I use a small roadside caddy.

“When it gets hot and we have weekly collections those bins can get stinky!

“When I first showed this tip, it got 4.9 million views and I confused a lot of people in America who thought I was either a giant person or I just had an extremely tiny wheelie bin!

“This hack will work in any bin.”

She goes on to show how all she does is take some table salt and pour a generous amount in the bottom of her bin before putting the bag in.

Table salt can be bought from any supermarket, with Aldi selling it for only 65p, making this a cheap and effective hack to use during the summer.

Responding to a comment, Claire said every time your bin is emptied, you should rinse it out and put in fresh salt.

One commenter said: “Right I’m grabbing all the salt in my kitchen and off I go!

“Thank you for sharing such great life hacks.”

Another comment said it was a “nice idea” with others thanking Claire for sharing the tip.

Why does salt keep flies away from your bin?

When a fly comes into contact with salt, it can cause moisture to be absorbed from their bodies and lead to dehydration.

Dehydration will deplete the fly’s vital fluids, which can cause paralysis and death.

While a small amount of salt can attract insects, using it in a higher concentration will repel them.

This will stop them from getting into your bin to lay their eggs, leaving you with no maggots.

Will you be trying this cheap hack to keep flies away from your bins this summer? Let us know in the comments.

The number of Americans who’ve left the labor force has reached a new high under President Donald Trump — eclipsing spikes tied to the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic, stunning new government figures show.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis tallied 105.8 million people over 16 who were unemployed and not actively seeking work in June, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

That number includes 832,000 who dropped out of the labor force last month, according to the Post, and it came after American businesses created just 57,000 jobs in June, less than half the 115,000 forecast by economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry from The Independent.

Nicholas Eberstadt, an economist at the business-friendly American Enterprise Institute think tank, said the labor-force figures illustrated a “big problem” involving “the flight from work of prime-age men.”

“Very roughly speaking, there are about 7 million of these men who are out of the labor force for the 25-to 54-year-olds,” Eberstadt told the Post.

Eberstadt, the author of 2016’s Men Without Work, described that cohort as “the healthiest, best-educated Americans that have ever lived on the planet.”

And while “what’s been carrying the overall prime-age labor force participation has been the strong involvement of women,” about 3.5 million of them have also left the labor force, he said.

“There’s a growing group of dropout women who are neither working nor looking for work, have no children under the same roof with them and no husband present,” Eberstadt said.

Americans are considered “not in the labor force” if they don’t want a job, haven’t looked for one in more than a year or aren’t available to work if offered a job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

They’re also not counted among the nation’s unemployed workers, who in June totalled 7.1 million.

Both that number and June’s unemployment rate of 4.2 percent have been largely unchanged for the past year, the BLS said.

About half of those who’ve left the labor force are retirees, and another 23.3 percent are receiving long-term benefits for illness, disability or other reasons, the Post said.

About 17 percent are full-time students and about five percent have stopped looking for work.

Ed Miliband is expected to meet with US secretary of state Marco Rubio a day after it emerged that the Trump administration was furious at his appointment as Foreign Secretary by Andy Burnham.

Mr Miliband in the Philippine capital Manila at the same time as Mr Rubio, with both attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers’ summit.

The event marks Mr Miliband’s international stage debut after his appointment by new prime minister Mr Burnham, who assembled his cabinet on Monday.

The White House is said to be “deeply concerned” about Mr Miliband’s appointment as foreign secretary, with a warning that Donald Trump has not forgotten scathing remarks the former Labour leader has made about him in the past.

The former energy secretary has previously clashed with the US president over net zero and his attitudes to democracy and in 2016 he described the president as “a racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper”.

Mr Burnham was cautioned that Mr Miliband has some “serious diplomatic repair to undertake” in the US, after his promotion to the role on Monday sparked anger from the Trump administration.

At the Asean summit, Mr Miliband called for calm in the conflict between Iran and the US, as Mr Trump threatened to “bomb and destroy” bridges and power stations.

He told foreign ministers gathered in the Philippines that the UK would “work intensively with others to seek to de-escalate this conflict”.

But Mr Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform, vowed to retaliate “any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz”.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Miliband told ministers from Asean member states: “I know in particular how much the Iran conflict is affecting Asean partners.

“You are feeling as much as anyone across the world the daily impact on your economies and the living standards of your citizens, as well indeed as the impact on seafarers from many Asean nations.

“We too in the UK, in our own way, are feeling the effects of the conflict on families and businesses in the impacts on the cost of living.”

The Foreign Secretary added London “will work intensively with others to seek to de-escalate this conflict and find a diplomatic way forward”.

Any solution “must include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and upholding the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation”, he said.

Mr Miliband also said he welcomed a memorandum of understanding signed in June between the US and Iran, which included a deal for toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days.

But efforts to honour the deal stalled when Iran targeted tankers in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month.

At the time, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to declare that “the Cease Fire is OVER!”

The US president took to the platform again on Wednesday, when he wrote: “From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran.”

The warning came after the US carried out another wave of strikes on Iran, where air defences opened fire over Tehran.

Iran launched a missile attack on Aqaba, Jordan, and alerts were issued in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Jordan’s military said it intercepted four Iranian missiles over Aqaba, while two others fell in “uninhabited areas”.

Mr Miliband was named Foreign Secretary on Monday, shortly after Andy Burnham entered No 10 for the first time.

The new Prime Minister has already spoken to the American leader, and his spokesman said their call was “extremely warm”.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders discussed Mr Burnham’s “commitment to defence and security”, and the UK’s “commitment to securing the movement of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to support global supply chains and drive down costs for businesses and families across the country”.

After the call, Mr Trump said the Prime Minister “has got a big job ahead of him, but he will be able to do it” and pledged that the US “will be there to help”.

The Republican president had previously described Mr Burnham as “extremely liberal” and “mayor of a town”.

Mr Burnham will continue letting the US use UK bases for defensive strikes against Iran as hostilities between the two sides ramp up again.

Anthony Joshua says he is not ready for the loss of his two close friends and team members to “sink in yet” as he prepares for his first fight since their death.

Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele died when the vehicle they were travelling in, alongside heavyweight boxer Joshua and another passenger, collided with a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos, Nigeria, on 29 December 2026.

Joshua, who sustained minor injuries, is set to return to the ring against heavyweight Kristian Prenga on Saturday for his first contest since knocking out American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul 10 days before the crash.

The 36-year-old told BBC Sport: “It’s tough, every time I think about it, it hurts.

“Even talking about it now… pictures… it hurts but I keep my mind occupied you know.

“If I stop, you let it sink in and I’m not ready for it to sink in yet.”

Ghami was Joshua’s full-time sport and exercise rehabilitation coach and worked with him for more than 10 years.

Hours before the crash, Joshua posted a video on Instagram of him playing table tennis with his long-time friend Ayodele, a personal trainer.

Prenga will be Joshua’s first competitive fight since his knockout loss to IBF world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.

The former world champion admitted to feeling a “little bit nervous” before his return.

“It’s competition at the highest level,” he added.

“I want to perform for my team, I want to make them proud and make myself proud.

“It’s a balance of nerves but I understand what my job is. [I have] a lot of understanding and clarity on what I have to do.”