Chelsea are just getting started with their spending spree. After making Morgan Rogers the most expensive British player in football history with a record-breaking £117m transfer, they are targeting Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and have been handed a major boost despite seeing an opening bid rejected. Leaving Stamford Bridge, though, is Alejandro Garnacho with a loan switch to Aston Villa all agreed.

Andy Burnham today announced a ‘pause’ on Labour’s prison early release scheme amid an outrage at PC Andrew Harper’s killers being freed from jail.

The Prime Minister said he and his new Justice Secretary Alex Norris would conduct an ‘urgent review’ of the policy ahead of its planned start in September.

The move threatens to plunge the prisons system into fresh chaos, with Mr Burnham insisting no prisoners will be released under the scheme until the review is complete.

It will leave officials scrambling to work out prison release plans for thousands of criminals who are due to become eligible for early release after serving as little as a third of their sentence.

The PM indicated the scheme could yet face a major overhaul by Mr Norris, with Mr Burnham saying he would ‘not hesitate’ to make changes.

‘Keeping the public safe will always be my top priority,’ he said in a statement. ‘I am working closely with the new Justice Secretary and have instructed my team to put a pause on the changes that were due to start in September.

‘No prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public. Where changes are needed, we will not hesitate to make them.’

Mr Burnham had previously promised to ‘look at’ the scheme as he addressed anger at the possible early release of two of PC Harper’s killers.

PC Harper was 28 when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019 

Under the new Sentencing Act, set to come into force in September, some 6,000 criminals are due to be released under the early prison release scheme.

The Government has so far failed to rule out whether killers, rapists and paedophiles will be exempt from the scheme.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers – who were each handed 13 years in custody for manslaughter after a trial into PC Harper’s death at the Old Bailey in 2020 – might be eligible to be released early.

Lissie Harper, the widow of PC Harper, said it was ‘deplorable’ that Cole and Bowers might be released from prison halfway through their sentences. 

PC Harper was 28 when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019.

He died after getting caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and dragged down a country road as three teenage suspects fled the scene of the burglary.

Cole and Bowers, who were passengers in the car, were both 17 years old at the time. The driver of the vehicle which caused PC Harper’s death, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence, and will not be eligible for the early release scheme.

Mrs Harper on Wednesday piled pressure on Mr Burnham to rethink the policy as she said it is ‘deplorable’ that two of her late husband’s killers are being considered for early release. 

Mrs Harper, who was married for just 28 days before PC Harper’s death, said that politicians are ‘making decisions from behind a desk that will have real and lasting consequences’ for the families of victims. 

Debbie Adlam, the mother of PC Harper, said it feels like an ‘insult’ that two of her son’s killers may be eligible for early release from prison.

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed Jessie Cole, left, and Albert Bowers might be eligible to be released from prison half-way through their sentences

PC Harper and Lissie Harper were married just four weeks before the Thames Valley Police officer was killed in 2019 

Mr Burnham was this week forced to rebuke his Cabinet ministers for joking about Labour letting prisoners out.

The PM branded it ‘unacceptable’ for Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to quip about Mr Norris wanting to ‘let them all out’.

It came after Mr Streeting said he was ‘sorry for any offence inadvertently caused’ for his remarks to Mr Norris.

Ms Mahmood also said there was ‘no ill intent’ about the ‘ribbing’ of the Justice Secretary, which was caught on camera in a ‘hot mic’ moment.

In the overheard comments, Mr Streeting suggested to Ms Mahmood that Mr Norris was ‘the enemy now’ and ‘wants to let them all out’, with the Home Secretary seen laughing at Mr Streeting’s remarks.

PC Harper responded to the quad bike call just hours after he had been due to clock off and begin his honeymoon with wife Lissie.

After her husband’s death, she campaigned for legal changes to see harsher sentences for the manslaughter of emergency workers on duty.

Harper’s Law was among the new measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act.

The move extends mandatory life sentences to anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker on duty including police, prison officers, firefighters and paramedics.

It is not retrospective, meaning PC Harper’s killers cannot have their sentences extended.

Malaysia could return to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time since 2017 as the sport eyes up contingency plans for the second half of the 2026 season.

After races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled in April due to the conflict in the Middle East, F1 is keen to add to its current 22-race calendar and was hopeful of racing in Bahrain in October, in between already scheduled races in Azerbaijan (26 September) and Singapore (11 October).

However, given the recent escalation in the region after the ending of the US-Iran ceasefire, F1 bosses are seeking alternatives and the Sepang International Circuit, just outside Kuala Lumpur, is one option.

Malaysia withdrew from the sport in 2017 when they couldn’t match the host fees required, yet the racetrack is still used regularly for other series such as MotoGP.

In this instance, its proximity to Singapore means a Europe-Asia triple-header, over the last weekend in September and the first two weekends in October, is feasible.

Talks are ongoing, though a decision will need to be made in the next week, say The Times, for any calendar alteration to be planned logistically.

Turkey’s Istanbul Park, which returns to the sport in 2027, is another potential option.

Another potential scheduling issue ahead for F1, who are keeping an eye on developments in the region nervously given their season is scheduled to end with Qatar (29 November) and Abu Dhabi (6 December), would be to race in Portugal after the third-last race in Las Vegas (21 November).

The Algarve International Circuit is scheduled to return to the calendar next year on a two-year deal, having last hosted a race in the Covid-impacted 2021 season. Other European circuits have also offered to help out if needed, though colder temperatures towards the end of the season could work against them.

However, F1 executives will leave the end-of-season quandary as late as possible, given the huge hosting fees at play for staging the last two races of the season. Abu Dhabi, in particular, pays an estimated £31.5m ($42m) to host the final race of the season every year.

F1 will also race in its first new location in three years in September, when a street circuit in Madrid hosts the new-look Spanish Grand Prix. The sport races in Hungary, the final round before the summer break, this weekend.

A ten-year lease will be offered to farm buildings and fields which used to house an animal attraction the country park.

Councillors have welcomed plans to return part of the Beecraigs Country Park to farmland.

A ten-year lease will be offered to farm buildings and fields which used to house an animal attraction the country park.

The council hopes to attract a tenant new to farming and is working with an organisation which promotes this. The plan is described as a “ significant opportunity” in a business where it is difficult to get started.

Councillor Pauline Orr said: “I welcome the paper and the proposals for lease as an income generator for West Lothian Council.”

The farm is 159 acres of grazing and a steading of five sheds; it was previously the Animal Attraction centre at Beecraigs, near Linlithgow, housing rare breeds including Red Deer, Highland and Belted Galloway cattle and rare breed sheep. That closed in 2023.

Councillor Orr had expressed reservations about the plan given previous difficulties the council had faced in marketing Beecraigs as a Christmas event venue.

However after the meeting she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she had been reassured.

Councillor Orr said: “I expressed concerns that for “new” farmers the farm in question was large and I asked what assurances could be given to ensure that a 10 year lease was in fact manageable.

“Farming is not an easy business to be in or enter into as it involves significant challenges and though it can be rewarding and fulfilling you need a deep understanding of agricultural practices.

“ It is physically demanding as well as administratively tough and the financial risk of farming can be daunting when taking into account unpredictable weather, equipment and maintenance costs which are often under estimated.

“I was advised that there was an appropriate officer involved who had a farming background himself.

“ I also recognised the value in adding to the existing agricultural land in the county whether that be to grow crops or raise livestock and I looked forward to future development updates.”

A report to the Council’s Executive said: “it is proposed that the property be offered for lease on the basis of a medium term (10-year) Modern Limited Duration Tenancy (MLDT).

“This type of lease provides flexibility for both the landlord and the tenant to achieve their respective objectives in the management of the subjects of let.”

Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) is a multi-organisational national working group which was established in 2016 with the main objective of creating opportunities for new entrants to come into farming.

The report by Jack Orr the Group Property Surveyor, said: “Opportunities are few and far between due to the lack of land reaching the market for this purpose, the nature of agricultural tenure in Scotland and the inability of new entrants to compete with established farming businesses when bidding for new opportunities.”

“It is clear that the subjects of let at Beecraigs would provide a very significant opportunity for a new entrant into farming, or for someone who has already started out in a small way and wishes to expand to a larger enterprise.”

FONE has both private and public sector members and is supported by the Scottish Government.

The report added: “The FONE group is fully supportive of the property being used in this way.”

It concluded: “The land and buildings used in connection with the previous Animal Attraction at Beecraigs Country Park provide a rare opportunity for the council to manage part of its landholding in a pro-active way, whilst allowing a potential new entrant into farming and retaining flexibility for this asset.”

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The first UK region has officially declared a drought amid record dry conditions, intense heatwaves, wildfires and dwindling rivers.

Drought has been declared in North Wales and the Upper Severn, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said.

NRW, the Welsh Government’s environmental agency, said the decision to trigger drought status follows continued hot, dry weather over recent weeks.

July is on course to become the driest on record for Wales for almost 190 years without significant rainfall in the next week.

Much of England is experiencing prolonged dry weather, receiving just 3 per cent of its average July rainfall.

This has led to hosepipe bans affecting 23 million customers, with warnings restrictions could remain all summer.

Wildfires have also broken out across England, while Scotland battled a major blaze in the Cairngorms, and the Republic of Ireland imposed a nationwide hosepipe ban.

These severe conditions follow last year’s drought summer, underscoring the UK’s growing susceptibility to extreme weather.

Experts attribute this trend to human-caused climate change, primarily driven by fossil fuel combustion.

What areas are affected?

In Wales, exceptionally dry conditions have led to drying riverbeds, mounting concern from farmers about grazing and water availability, and significantly increased the risk of wildfires – with North Wales in particular experiencing a number of major blazes in recent weeks.

The areas affected by the drought status declaration include North Gwynedd, Ynys Mon, South Gwynedd, Dee (Wales), Clwyd, and Upper Severn.

North Wales and the Upper Severn has received less than 2% of the expected rainfall for the month so far, with river flows across large parts of the region exceptionally low, and some locations recording or approaching record lows.

In many areas of North Wales, there has been no significant rainfall since July 6, NRW said.

Monitoring by the agency also shows groundwater levels continue to fall and river temperatures have been high.

All remaining catchments across south-west Wales have also moved from “normal” to “prolonged dry weather” status, following the same change in status last week for south-east Wales.

As a result, all of Wales is now either in drought or prolonged dry weather status.

NRW said it declared drought when a combination of indicators show a significant shortage of rainfall and water availability, affecting rivers, groundwater, agriculture, natural systems and land management.

While water companies report that reservoir levels remain healthy overall, NRW is urging people use water wisely.

Rhian Thomas, sustainable water and nature manager at NRW, said: “The prolonged period of hot, dry weather we have experienced this summer is now having serious impacts on the environment across parts of Wales.

“We have seen rivers fall to exceptionally low levels, groundwater continuing to decline, and increasing reports of environmental impacts affecting wildlife, fisheries, farming and sensitive habitats.

“The recent wildfires across North Wales and South East Wales are one of the clearest and most visible signs of how dry our landscapes have become.

“Our teams continue to work closely with fire and rescue services, local partners and land managers to respond to these incidents and reduce risks where possible.”

She said: “While drought status does not automatically mean water shortages for customers, it does reflect the growing pressure being placed on our environment.

“We are asking everyone to play their part by using water wisely and helping to protect Wales’ natural resources during this exceptionally dry period.”

Yellow health alerts declared

As warm weather continues, yellow heat health alerts – warning of minor impacts for health and social care services – have been issued in England for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, and London running from 9am on Friday to 9am on Sunday.

The Met Office said temperatures would be more towards average for the time of the year, in the low to mid 20Cs, although into next week Tuesday could be warmer.

While the south is expected to remain dry, there is some rain in the forecast and parts of northern Scotland could see 10-15mm (0.4-0.6 inches) of rain over a few hours on Saturday, while 30mm (1.2 inches) could fall in parts of west Scotland.

But just 3-4mm (0.1 inches) is expected further south on Saturday and Sunday, with Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon warning: “Although some areas will have more than they have seen in a while, it’s not the heavy rain that some areas may be after in terms of topping up water supplies.”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The police shooting death of a man who injured an officer with a knife while resisting arrest has roiled the city of Madison, Wisconsin, with Gov. Tony Evers calling for “transparency and accountability” in any investigation and community members gathering Thursday at a growing memorial for the man.

Protesters marched Wednesday after the shooting and held a candlelight vigil for the man who died. Some even stayed at the growing memorial of candles, flowers and signs overnight, like Ben Weger.

“I don’t plan to leave anytime soon because it’s important to hold this space,” said Weger, pastor of Stoughton United Methodist Church about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away.

Sabrina Thompsen, of Madison, was crying at the memorial site. “It’s really unbearable,” she said. “You can’t describe it.”

Evers posted online saying, “We will continue to keep the loved ones and family of the individual who was killed in our hearts and prayers.”

“His life mattered,” the governor said.

Cellphone video of the confrontation, where three gunshots could be heard, circulated on social media.

Madison Police Chief John Patterson stressed at a news conference that the online footage was just one perspective of what happened.

“I want to take a moment to honestly and sincerely offer my heartfelt sympathies to his family for this loss,” Patterson said. The man killed was in his 30s, Patterson said, but police did not release his name.

Patterson said police were responding to calls that someone was attempting to enter parked vehicles in the neighborhood. The suspect fled on a bike in an attempt to get away before officers contacted him in the street.

The suspect either fell off his bike or was taken off his bike by officers, Patterson said. During the struggle, the suspect pulled out a knife and injured an officer. An officer deployed a taser but it was unsuccessful. The same officer who was injured by the knife fired his weapon and the man who was shot died later at the hospital. The chief described the officer who fired his weapon as a veteran officer, but did not reveal any other details.

Another officer was injured, but it is not clear how, Patterson said. Two other officers who were involved were uninjured.

The Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation will investigate the shooting, and the four officers will be placed on administrative leave.

A white police officer shot and killed Tony Robinson, who was biracial, on the same street in 2015; a shooting that spurred large protests. The district attorney did not file charges against police in that case, determining the officer was justified.

The race of the officer who fired his gun on Wednesday and that of the man killed were not released by police.

But Black advocacy groups in Madison quickly spoke out against the crime and said they believed the man was Black.

“Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name,” said Brandi Grayson, the head of the Madison-based Black community advocacy group Urban Triage. “That is the cruelty of state violence.”

The shooting quickly infused itself into the Democratic race for governor, with one candidate addressing mourners at the site of the vigil Wednesday night and others calling for swift investigations.

“I am horrified and devastated,” posted Francesca Hong, who showed up at the scene just a few blocks from her campaign office.

Another candidate, County Executive David Crowley, said while details of what happened are still needed, “these reports are painfully reminiscent of the tragedies we have witnessed in Kenosha, Minneapolis, and far too many communities across our country.”

A crowd had formed near where the shooting occurred on Wednesday with people chanting, “Arrest the cops!” They placed flowers and candles where the man was shot.

Protesters also marched to the state Capitol and took the stage at a summer concert series, demanding the name of the officer and that he be held accountable. The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra announced on social media the show was canceled.

Nicholas Lynch, 26, paid the price when he was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Airdrie Sheriff Court this week.

A drug dealer didn’t learn his lesson as he walked free from court only to be caught again days later.

Nicholas Lynch, 26, paid the price when he was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Airdrie Sheriff Court this week.

He admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis at his home in Kennedy Drive, Airdrie, on October 24, 2023, while on bail for other matters.

Lynch further admitted failing to attend court for the case on August 27, 2024.

He also accepted that he had breached community payback and restriction of liberty orders imposed by the same sheriff three years ago.

In October 2023 Lynch was placed under social work supervision for two years and ordered to attend addiction services.

He was also given a six-month electronic tagging order.

On that occasion he admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis at his then home in School Street, Chapelhall, and having cannabis resin with intent to supply others.

At that time defence solicitor Paul Belardo said Lynch had been a cannabis user before “dabbling” in cocaine.

His life “spiralled out of control” after he broke his leg, lost his job as a landscaper and suffered a family bereavement.

Mr Belardo told the court: “He was supplying pals with cannabis to help him fund his cocaine habit.”

On that occasion Sheriff Paul Haran said he was willing to impose an alternative to prison because of Lynch’s youth and lack of previous convictions.

But this week the sheriff was told that Lynch became involved in drug supply again days after the 2023 hearing.

Sheriff Haran said, given the further offending and breaches of court orders, a prison sentence was inevitable.

The 30-month stretch was backdated to June 10 as Lynch has been in custody since his arrest last month.

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At the height of the heatwave sweeping Britain last month, 250 delegates gathered in the Throne Room at St James’s Palace for a reception on climate change.

The historic London building does not have air conditioning and the guests struggled to cope with the soaring temperatures, even though the curtains had been drawn in an attempt to keep out the heat and large fans were dotted around.

There was, however, one man who refused to give in to the heat: King Charles. Immaculately dressed as always, the top button of his shirt remained fastened and there was no question of him removing the jacket of his grey Anderson & Sheppard suit.

His only concession to the stifling atmosphere was to mop his brow discreetly from time to time using the lilac silk handkerchief that matched the colour of his Turnbull & Asser tie.

The Master of the Household, Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, was so worried about the monarch, who is still being treated for an unspecified form of cancer, that he held an electric fan next to the King’s head in a desperate attempt to cool him down.

It was only the latest example of the King’s determination to maintain standards in a world where such matters are increasingly considered to be of little or no importance.

The trend towards more relaxed dress codes was highlighted this week by our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, a career politician who likes to burnish his ‘man of the people’ credentials by dressing as informally as possible.

While the King trieds valiantly to uphold standards, his younger son Harry seems determined to lower them, writes Richard Eden

Indeed, Burnham’s aides let it be known that he would wear a shirt and tie only when he was at the Houses of Parliament. On other occasions, he would wear casual outfits such as his favourite dark blue T-shirt and jeans.

Burnham donned a suit and tie for his visit to Buckingham Palace on Monday when he met the King and was asked to form a government. He promptly discovered that he would not be known as ‘Andy’ by the palace but the more formal ‘Andrew’.

The Court Circular, the official record of royal engagements undertaken by working members of the Royal Family, reported the next day: ‘His Majesty received in audience the Rt Hon Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration.’

The moniker may have come as a surprise to Burnham, whose Labour campaign posters in the Makerfield by-election had all screamed: ‘Vote Andy’.

But the King is not the only member of the Royal Family who believes in maintaining formal terms of address. His sister, Princess Anne, once had an awkward exchange with the wife of a previous Labour prime minister, Tony Blair, during the couple’s first visit to Balmoral to stay with the late Queen Elizabeth II at her beloved Scottish residence.

Lancashire-born Cherie Blair recalled in her memoirs, Speaking For Myself: ‘At one point in that first year, Princess Anne came over and said something that included “Mrs Blair”. “Oh. Please call me Cherie,” I said. “I’d rather not,” she replied. “It’s not the way I’ve been brought up.”’

Cherie added that her relationship with the princess ‘went rapidly downhill and never recovered’.

While the King tried valiantly to uphold standards, his younger son seems determined to lower them. Prince Harry appeared in a podcast which was so un-regal that it came with a warning on the BBC Sounds website: ‘Contains very strong language, adult humour and some scenes of a sexual nature.’

On the X-rated podcast, Joe Marler Will See You Now, Harry gave his occupation as ‘Prince of England’ before proceeding to use foul language in the discussion with the former England rugby player, which covered subjects such as the grooming of their body hair.

It represented a new low for the duke, who had used his memoir, Spare, to disclose, among other things, how he had lost his virginity in a field behind a pub and used a cream with a scent that reminded him of his late mother Diana to treat frostbite on his penis after an expedition to the North Pole.

This week, I asked a friend of the King about his determination to maintain standards. He told me: ‘His Majesty believes that monarchy needs to be dignified.’

Clearly, that message hasn’t got through to all members of his family…

A Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance has been placed on administrative leave after allegedly leaking information about the vice president to the media, according to a new report.

The agent is believed to have been a source for an MS NOW story this month about agents on Vance’s team being “fed up” with “inappropriate” travel requests, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

As part of the story, MS NOW reported on the vice president’s travel plans, including a planned helicopter trip with his son that was later called off. The Secret Service and the FBI took notice of the story, and were angered at the publication of operational details, one source said.

The agent — who has not been identified — is now subject to an internal agency review while on administrative leave, CNN reported. It’s unclear if they could face legal repercussions.

The Independent has contacted the Secret Service, the White House and MS NOW for comment.

The move comes as the Trump administration has sought to curb leaks to the press and penalize what it considers false reporting or the disclosure of sensitive information.

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice issued subpoenas to journalists at The New York Times after the newspaper reported on security concerns about the president’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One.

In a statement to The Independent at the time, the DOJ said its investigation is aimed not at reporters but at those who leak classified information. A Times spokesperson said the subpoenas “should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects.”

Also in June, Axios reported that White House officials believe someone in the president’s inner circle may have provided New York Times reporters with recordings of secure conversations inside the Situation Room. Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan published a book that month that recounted discussions in the Situation Room.

In May, the Trump administration proposed a government-wide mandate to require all federal workers to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent the dissemination of “confidential government information” to reporters.

Shortly after the war with Iran began in late February, Trump wrote on Truth Social that media outlets publishing false information from Iranian officials should be charged with treason, which is punishable by death.