By GLEN OWEN

Published: 23:17 BST, 12 September 2026 | Updated: 23:47 BST, 12 September 2026

While the Prime Minister attempts to split his time between London and Manchester, he is neglecting the Chequers country estate so beloved by his predecessors.

On Saturday night, the Tories said that under the terms of the statute that grants prime ministers the use of the grace-and-favour home in Buckinghamshire, Andy Burnham risked losing his access to the 16th-century mansion if he effectively mothballed it.

This was denied by No 10, which said Mr Burnham had made use of the property on occasion. A Government source said: ‘He is barely ever there, because he likes to spend weekends at home in Manchester.

‘But he is thinking of holding a New Year’s Eve party there.’

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The 1,000-acre estate has been in public hands since 1917, when its then owners donated it to the British government.

It has been the official country residence of the Prime Minister since 1921, when David Lloyd George moved in.

The Chequers Estate Act says that ‘if any Prime Minister shall decline to avail himself of the rights hereby conferred upon him’ then the house passes instead to the Chancellor, the Foreign Secretary or even the US Ambassador. 

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The Tories have said Andy Burnham risks losing his access to Chequers under the terms of the statute that grants prime ministers the use of the mansion

A Government source said the Prime Minister is ‘barely’ at Chequers as he likes to spend weekends in Manchester

According to the Act ‘the inducement to spend two days a week in the high and pure air of the Chiltern hills and woods will, it is hoped, benefit the nation as well as its chosen leaders… The main features of this scheme are therefore designed not merely to make Chequers available as the official country residence of the Prime Minister of the day, but to tempt him to visit it regularly.’

Mike Wood MP, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, said: ‘It seems our city-obsessed Prime Minister is determined to snub our nation’s counties.

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‘For the city-bred man especially, contact with rural life was intended to restore a sense of proportion between town and country.’

Arsenal star Bruno Guimaraes says teammate David Raya is ‘definitely’ the best goalkeeper in the world after his stunning performance in the win over Sunderland.

The Gunners left the Stadium of Light with a hard-fought 2-0 victory that extends their 100 per cent start to the new Premier League season having won four games from four.

That record looked to be in doubt when Sunderland were awarded a penalty early in the second half with Ezri Konsa hauling down Daniel Ballard.

Enzo Le Fee stepped up and struck low and hard for the corner of the net but Raya sprung across his line magnificently to push his effort onto the post and out.

Two minutes after Raya’s heroics, Guimaraes curled home a wonderful strike from range to put the visitors in front.

Raya made more brave saves as Sunderland pushed for an equaliser before Bukayo Saka wrapped up the victory with a second in injury time from the penalty spot.

Guimaraes and Raya spoke to TNT Sports after the game with the former asked if his teammate is the best goalkeeper in the world.

The former Newcastle United captain replied promptly: Yes, definitely.

‘He made some very good saves that kept us in the game. Unbelievable moment to save that penalty and I think after that we had confidence to play forward and we scored a goal. But yeah, everything because of this guy he is unbelievable.’

Raya has kept clean sheets in four of Arsenal’s five matches this season – five including the Community Shield victory over Manchester City in August.

His heroics tonight sparked Arsenal into life just as Sunderland were clicking into gear.

‘It’s a big moment, especially away from home,’ Raya said.

‘For the players and the team to have that faith and keep going and win the game, two minutes after we score.

‘Even if we conceded a goal, we had the faith to get back in the game. It’s important to keep the clean sheet because it helps us win games.’

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As the leader of Reform UK, I am delighted and humbled by the extraordinary £36 million donation Christopher Harborne has made to our party. He joins Ben Delo, who has also donated £36 million, in making the largest financial contribution ever seen in British politics. Yet this remarkable, not to say extremely generous, donation is only part of a much bigger story.

Since Reform UK was established in 2021, Conservative and Labour have between them been able to raise considerably more money than we have. They have also received millions of so-called Short Money – public funds given to aid opposition parties in Parliament.

The donations of Mr Harborne and Mr Delo help to level a playing field that has always been tilted against any genuine challenge to the two-party duopoly.

Many voters will ask why their money arrived in one tranche rather than in stages. The answer to that question is simple and, frankly, alarming. The fact is that both men were deeply fearful that this Labour government would do whatever it could to subvert the democratic process.

We have already endured the government’s attempted cancellation of elections in May this year that would have deprived five million people of the chance to vote. It was only Reform UK’s legal action that prevented this outrage from coming to pass.

We are also witnessing the extension of the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds via legislative measures currently making their way through Parliament. This cynical moving of the goalposts plays directly to Labour’s advantage.

On top of that, it was seriously suggested until recently by this Labour government that donations from private individuals to political parties would be capped – although trade unions would be able to carry on bankrolling the Labour Party with impunity. This is the sort of law people would expect to find in a dictatorship.

It was with these concerns in mind that Christopher Harborne, Ben Delo and I concluded the process which they would follow. Both had been prepared to give Reform UK £1 million a month until August 2029, the latest date that the next general election must be held. In the end, they decided that they trusted us sufficiently to hand over the entire sum at once.

The money will be used for one purpose only: to make certain we are ready to form a government at the next election. With that in mind, I and my shadow cabinet will shortly embark on a countrywide tour to listen to the concerns of the public and find out what they believe is required to fix Broken Britain. I carried out a similar exercise this spring ahead of the local elections, which Reform UK won.

In accepting these funds, it is essential to emphasise the fundamental difference between the party that I lead and the administrations of Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham – and, for that matter, the Conservative governments that came before them.

Their entire purpose appears to have been the acquisition and retention of power for its own sake. I am only interested in turning around this country’s fortunes for the public good.

I have said repeatedly that I have no interest in rank, title or position. I only returned to front-line politics two years ago as I believed it was still possible to effect change. And change is what this country desperately needs.

Britain is in a state of economic and social decline. In almost every respect we are sinking beneath the waves. It’s sad to say, but the world looks at us with a mixture of incredulity and pity.

The country is going bankrupt, not just financially but in a deeper sense. It is more than apparent that this great nation has lost its confidence, its cohesion and its sense of purpose.

Look at the evidence. Illegal migration continues unchecked while families struggle to get a GP appointment. Energy prices remain cripplingly high as Net Zero dogma is forced on voters by people who never have to choose between heating and eating. Knife crime stalks our towns and cities, yet the response from the political class is more lectures about ‘root causes’, not proper policing and deterrence. Our armed forces have been hollowed out to the point where we can barely field a proper fighting force. And our farmers are treated as the enemy by a government that claims to care about food security.

This is not accidental mismanagement. It is the direct result of years of elite indifference to the concerns of the British people.

The donations received by Reform UK will fund the best research department British politics has ever seen. They will ensure our policies are properly costed and workable. And they will allow us to hire the best minds in every area in which expertise is required.

Professional organisers will be put into our target seats so that the impressive advances that have already been made can be converted into a working majority at the next general election.

Reform UK has grown to become the largest party in Britain, with more than 270,000 members who have done exceptional work to make us a presence in UK politics. Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo can be regarded as the cavalry who have come to join in the fight and help inject a sense of balance as we take on the Conservatives and Labour.

British politics deserves something fresh – a party with a real sense of mission. That is what Reform UK intends to provide. At our conference in Birmingham this month, I set out my plan for a Reform UK government. Ministers will be given 100 days to prove their worth. Each will make a specific pledge. If they fail to implement it, they will have to resign. No ifs, no buts.

I made this commitment because I knew that if I didn’t, voters would lose faith in politics and politicians forever. The Tories had 14 years to improve the country. They made it worse. Andy Burnham has asked the electorate to give him ten years to make his mark. This is as preposterous as it is insulting. Time is one luxury we cannot afford.

The old parties have had their chance. They have squandered it. Now the British people have a genuine alternative: a properly funded, professionally organised and determined party that will put this country’s interests first once more.

We will not be distracted by the usual howls of outrage from the Establishment. They always cry foul when their comfortable duopoly is threatened.

It must also be said that neither Christopher Harborne, nor Ben Delo, nor any other donor to Reform UK will receive a knighthood or a peerage in return for their donations. The cash-for-peerages scandals that have disgraced successive governments must be consigned to the dustbin of history. This money is an investment in democratic renewal, pure and simple.

The next election represents the last chance to save Britain. Vote Reform UK to get your country back.

By SIR JOHN CURTICE

Published: 22:30 BST, 12 September 2026 | Updated: 23:29 BST, 12 September 2026

Arteta: Unbelievable. Again. He’s a player that decides football matches when we need. Big credit to Sunderland as well, the way they play, the way they are coached. What they do because they are a really good time. I don’t want to take any credit out of them because they really deserve a lot of credit for how hard they make it for you. Not only that, in periods they play, have courage, and have a great understanding of what they have to do throughout the game. It’s been extremely tough, really happy that we’ve done it.

She is already known as the crane driver’s daughter who became Queen Elizabeth’s confidante and dresser. Now Angela Kelly’s remarkable rise to power seems set for a global audience.

The Mail on Sunday understands Ms Kelly, 68, has agreed to cooperate with a film about her life story which saw her wield almost unparalleled influence in the Royal Household.

Known as ‘gatekeeper’ to the late Queen, what the feisty Liverpudlian chooses to reveal on camera could prove a matter of serious concern to the King and senior courtiers.

The ‘scripted documentary’ will, it is believed, combine interviews, archive footage and potentially some dramatic reconstruction. Producers are said to be working with Bafta-winning screenwriter Jeremy Brock MBE, who wrote Mrs Brown, the Queen Victoria film starring Judi Dench and Billy Connolly.

‘The royals will be worried, and they are right to be worried,’ said an insider.

From her views on Brexit to King Charles himself, the late Queen’s private thoughts remain a matter of keen speculation.

So close were the two women – the Queen said they could have been ‘sisters’ – Ms Kelly was trusted to ‘wear in’ her employer’s new shoes, arrange her hair and even massage her feet. She was among a select group at Balmoral when the monarch died four years ago.

Ms Kelly has signed a confidentiality agreement which makes it hard to cash in on her three decades with the Royal Household; it is even said to include a ban on using the words ‘King’ and ‘Palace’ for commercial purposes.

But in telling her story, Ms Kelly might be protected by a letter from one of the Queen’s private secretaries granting express permission to publish three books, only two of which have so far appeared.

‘She knows everything you ever wanted to know, including the Queen’s real views on Meghan,’ said a royal observer. ‘I don’t think the Palace has a leg to stand on if she wants to tell her story. If Harry and Meghan can break all the rules, why can’t she?

Ms Kelly (far right) is pictured at London Fashion Week in 2018 with the late Queen Elizabeth II and Anna Wintour

‘Angela has often spoken about wanting to spend time in the US, and she could do just that. There’s nothing they could do to her there.’

Ms Kelly, who has acquired an agent, would be in high demand on the American chatshow circuit.

But Ms Kelly was not admired by all her fellow courtiers. Willing to ruffle feathers and possessed of a fearsome temper, some Palace staff nicknamed her AK47, a play on her initials and the Soviet-era assault rifle. 

She is known to feel bruised by the speed at which she was asked to leave the Household and vacate her cottage on the Windsor estate, although friends insist she does not blame the senior royals.

The locks to the Queen’s private apartments at Windsor were changed within days of her death and Ms Kelly’s Palace-issue mobile phone was cut off.

In one Instagram post, Ms Kelly wrote: ‘I am too old to worry about who likes me and who dislikes me! …. If you love me – I love you! If you hate me – I don’t care!’

There will be some who fear a settling of scores. She is said to have crossed swords with both Camilla – when she was Duchess of Cornwall – and, famously, Prince Harry.

In his memoir Spare, Harry accused the dresser of obstructing Meghan’s attempts to practise wearing her tiara with a hairdresser before their 2018 wedding. The Mail on Sunday has been told the new film is controlled by 53 Degrees Global, a major London production company, in collaboration with Walt Disney.

It is believed the ‘scripted documentary’ will combine interviews, archive footage and potentially some dramatic reconstruction. (Pictured: Ms Kelly leaves a Christmas lunch hosted by the late Queen in 2018) 

The company promotes itself as ‘trusted by royalty’ and makes documentaries under the True Royalty Originals brand. It is closely associated with the True Royalty TV streaming service, described as Netflix for royal fans.

It is a particular sign of the late Queen’s warm regard for Ms Kelly that she was given unprecedented ‘permission and blessing’ to publish two books while still a member of the Royal Household: Dressing The Queen: The Jubilee Wardrobe in 2012 and The Other Side of The Coin – The Queen, The Dresser and The Wardrobe in 2019.

Although packed with colourful vignettes – including an episode in which the Queen and Ms Kelly went star-gazing – the books remained comparatively discreet. Although King Charles was said to dismayed by a photo in the second book which showed his mother, shoeless, her feet up on a divan.

Ms Kelly, who lives near Sheffield in a home bought for her by the King, certainly has a remarkable story to tell. Born to a dockyard crane operator, she worked as a lorry driver for the Women’s Royal Army Corps before landing a post as housekeeper to Sir Christopher Mallaby, British ambassador to Germany.

When the Queen and Prince Philip came to stay during an official visit to Berlin in 1992 they met Ms Kelly, and soon afterwards she was offered a job as a dresser at the Palace. She eventually became personal assistant, adviser and curator to Her Majesty, and in 2023 was created a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

During the monarch’s last months, she moved into a room on the same floor of the Queen’s private apartments in Windsor Castle – later telling friends she was effectively the Queen’s carer – and was one of only a handful of people in an adjoining chamber to the bedroom where she died at Balmoral.

A source at Disney last night said the Angela Kelly project would be lapped up by a US audience.

‘The market is flooded with royal stories but this one is unique,’ he said. ‘This is a person with access to the Queen, a woman who never voiced her opinions publicly.’

Buckingham Palace, Ms Kelly and 53 Degrees Global were all approached for comment.

Your round-up of the key cases heard before Northern Irish courts during the week of September 7-11.

Cases before the courts in Northern Ireland this week included the trial of a Co Down farmer accused of causing unnecessary suffering and neglect to animals on his farm.

Another case saw a three-and-a-half year sentence imposed on a man who injured an off-duty policeman during an episode of cocaine-induced psychosis.

Meanwhile a warehouse operator who stabbed a man on the dancefloor of a Belfast nightclub in a revenge attack was jailed for 27 months.

Here is your round-up of the key cases heard before Northern Ireland courts during the week of September 7-11.

Belfast dad ‘walloped’ man with chair outside Wetherspoon’s

A Belfast man who hit another man with a metal chair in a street fight outside a bar in Carrickfergus was handed a suspended sentence on Monday.

Following his arrest, William McCullough told police “I picked it up and walloped him.” The 35-year old from Hopewell Crescent had a 16-month sentence imposed which was suspended for two years by Judge Gordon Kerr KC.

Belfast Crown Court heard that on Sunday February 18, 2024 police were called to a fight outside Wetherspoon’s on Carrick’s High Street.

The fight had been instigated by a woman who pushed another female and when CCTV was viewed, McCullough was captured defending himself against others.

READ MORE HERE

Man sawed his way into neighbour’s flat before setting it on fire

A man told police he had sawn his way into his neighbour’s flat and set fire to it “in retaliation for a complaint of harassment,” a court has heard.

Appearing in the dock of Newtownards Magistrates Court on Monday, 27-year-old Jack McClure was charged with six offences alleged to have been committed on Sunday September 6.

McClure, with an address at Balloo Walk in Bangor, was charged with arson with intent to endanger life, burglary with intent to steal as well as four drug offences, including possessing magic mushrooms, herbal cannabis, pregabalin and diazepam.

READ MORE HERE

Vet had to euthanise starving calf separated from its mother on farm

A Government vet told a jury how she humanely euthanised a starving calf that had been separated from its mother on a Co Down farm.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) vet was called to give evidence during the the trial being held at Belfast Crown Court.

Samuel Ernest Cooper, 71, of Derryleckagh Row in Newry, has been charged with a total of 17 charges spanning a five-month period.

The farmer has been charged with, and denies, ten counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals, four of failing to hold a carcass, two counts of failing to have bovine animals tested and one of failing to keep a record of medicines.

The offences are alleged to have been committed on cows and sheep on dates between December 1, 2022 and May 19, 2023.

READ MORE HERE

Man who assaulted nursing staff while inpatient at Belfast hospital sentenced

A 28-month sentence was imposed upon a man who assaulted nursing staff whilst an inpatient in Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital.

Gerard Kane was told he will serve half the term in prison followed by a 14-month period on licence when he is released from custody.

With an address as HMP Maghaberry, the 62-year old was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday for a total of six offences.

The court heard that on October 3 last year, police were called to the RVH by nursing staff due to the behaviour of Kane, who was an inpatient on a ward.

A member of staff reported that Kane has picked up a bin and tried to throw it at her. She said Kane then walked towards her with intent and she believed he was going to assault her.

After she moved out of his way and began walking to the nurse’s station, Kane followed her and made sexual gestures at her whilst glaring at her.

READ MORE HERE

‘An abuse of trust’: Care worker stole £30,000 from house-bound man

A care worker who stole more than £30,000 from a vulnerable, house-bound man over a five-year period was jailed on Friday for the “nasty” offence.

Nicola Beattie will spend a year in custody followed by a year on supervised licence for a charge of fraud by false representation.

As she jailed the 47-year old from Gilpin Park in Craigavon, Judge Natalie Pinkerton told Beattie her offence involved “gas-lighting” and manipulation.

Belfast Crown Court heard that in August 2016 Beattie, who worked as a carer for Homecare, was assigned as the keyworker for the vulnerable man.

He depended on Beattie to purchase his food and clothing as well as paying his household bills and expenses.

As he was an alcoholic, he had an alcohol management plan and Beattie also purchased alcohol for him in accordance with the plan.

When the lockdown restrictions ended at the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the victim raised concerns with his daughter regarding his finances and said Beattie would not give him access to his bank statements.

He said that when he confronted Beattie, she took his bank statements – and when he told her he was going to report his concerns to Beattie’s manager, she took the contact card with the manager’s number on it and asked if he had any evidence.

READ MORE HERE

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Man stabbed on dancefloor of Belfast nightclub in revenge attack

A warehouse operator who stabbed a man on the dancefloor of a Belfast nightclub in a revenge attack has been jailed for 27 months.

Judge Natalie Pinkerton told Mohamed Abdul Hakeem that he would spend an identical period on supervised licence on his release from custody.

The 20-year-old, of Airfield Heights in West Belfast, had previously pleaded guilty to a single charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Belfast Crown Court heard on Friday that on the evening of Sunday, August 31, 2024, the victim was out for the evening with some friends at Ollies nightclub in Waring Street.

It was the prosecution case that at around 2.20am the following morning the defendant approached his victim from behind and appeared to punch him in the back, before striking him a further three times to the lower back and legs.

A prosecution lawyer told the court that the incident was caught on CCTV cameras in the nightclub. The victim had sustained three stab wounds: One to his back, and two to his lower left leg.

READ MORE HERE

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Man who injured off-duty policeman during cocaine-induced psychosis sentenced

A three-and-a-half year sentence has been imposed upon a man who injured an off-duty policeman during a episode of cocaine-induced psychosis.

Kyle Knell was handed the sentence at Belfast Crown Court on Friday by Judge Philip Gilpin who divided the term equally between prison and licence.

From Tynan Drive in Newtownabbey, the 30-year old father of three was told his actions caused “significant harm to others.”

On January 6, 2025 Knell went to a hotel with friends where he consumed a large amount of alcohol and cocaine. His behaviour was erratic and he was captured on CCTV running through the reception area with no shirt on.

After leaving the hotel at around 8.45pm, he flagged down a motorist and got dropped off in a residential street in Co Antrim.

A female who recognised Knell was sitting in a parked car outside her parent’s home talking her to police officer partner on the phone when Knell approached the vehicle.

He started banging on her car door shouting “They’re trying to kill me … help me.”

The woman told her partner what was happening and he told her to hang up and get her father. Knell then approached the parents’ front door and pushed his way in shouting “Help me, they’re going to shoot me for ten grand.”

READ MORE HERE

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“In a lot of these countries, the average life expectancy of dogs is very low, and so the turnover of the dog population is quick,” Prof Lankester explained.

“So, if you vaccinate in year one and you hit your targets, but then you don’t vaccinate so much in year two and year three, very quickly you’ll lose herd immunity because unvaccinated puppies will be born and vaccinated dogs will die,” he said.

“You can go from 70 per cent coverage to below 40 per cent coverage within a year and a half, and once it’s below 40 per cent then rabies transmission can be sustained, and it will come back.”

As a case in point, rabies has re-emerged as a serious public health concern in Ukraine in recent years as a result of disruption to vaccination programmes and a surge in displaced and abandoned pets.

The number of people bitten by rabid animals with rabies increased from 780 in 2021 to 2,507 in 2024, according to data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health.

What about culling? Are we neglecting an important tool that has helped bring rabies under control out of concern for animal rights?

It’s now quite hard to imagine the hero of a book written today coldly putting down a rabid dog, and you do not need to look far for evidence of how unpopular the idea of culling dogs, or even taking steps to remove them from cities, is.

Mass protests erupted in India last year after the country’s top court, acting on its own authority against what it called the public health “menace” of rabies, ordered the authorities to begin rounding up the city’s population of stray dogs and putting them into shelters.

Yet the order was welcomed by the family of Chhavi Sharma, a six-year-old girl who died from a rabies infection after being bitten by a stray dog in the Indian capital.

“I hope there are no more Chhavis, who are hurt elsewhere. Nobody should go through the cruel fate we underwent,” her aunt told local television.

Shane Lowry is in a commanding position at the top of the Irish Open leaderboard

Shane Lowry is eager to deliver a memorable performance for the Doonbeg spectators as he enters the final round with a commanding four-stroke advantage at the Irish Open, following a determined third-round 65.

The County Offaly golfer had to dig deep for his five-under-par score, producing a remarkable sequence of nine consecutive putts to maintain his cushion over the pursuing field as he chases his first individual victory in four years.

The 2019 Champion Golfer has rediscovered his finest form this week, striding confidently across the dunes while others have struggled in the challenging, blustery conditions.

“Fun,” is how Lowry has described his experience on the course this week, though he acknowledges he’ll be experiencing vastly different emotions on Sunday if he fails to secure a home triumph for the passionate supporters.

“I obviously want to try and enjoy it as much as I can, but there’s only one way in which I’m going to enjoy this tomorrow and we all know what that is. We’ll see how that goes,” he said.

“It’s been an amazing week so far, Ireland has done great again with another amazing golf tournament, and I’m happy to be on the top of the leaderboard, and I’m so excited to go out tomorrow and hopefully give myself a chance to win.”

Throughout the week, large galleries have tracked Lowry around the West Clare links,reports the Irish Mirror. Supporters remained on the course well past 7:30pm on Saturday evening, peering through the fading light to witness Lowry establish his position at the summit of the leaderboard.

“I look around at the crowd and the support I got. You know, it’s late on a Saturday night. People have kids out there and they have to get home,” he added.

“I’m chuffed that they stayed behind to support me, and hopefully they can come out tomorrow and give me some more support.”

It has been almost exactly four years since Lowry last claimed an individual title. Memorable Ryder Cup performances and a team triumph alongside Rory McIlroy carry their own significance, but securing silverware through individual brilliance brings a different level of satisfaction entirely.

The near misses have been plentiful. Perhaps most painfully at the Cognizant Classic earlier this year, when a commanding three-shot advantage evaporated in devastating fashion down the final stretch.

Lowry has proven himself capable of grinding out significant individual victories previously. He possesses the ability to deliver when it matters most, particularly on Irish links courses, as demonstrated at Baltray and Royal Portrush.

Breaking this prolonged winless streak has become increasingly important, and there could scarcely be a more fitting occasion than Sunday at Doonbeg to finally end the drought.

“I felt great out there, I really felt great out there. I was just staying in, shot by shot and was doing my thing,” he stated.

“It’s obviously going to be a big day for me tomorrow. I’m going out leading my home tournament, and it would mean the world to me to knock this one off.

“I’m gonna put my head down, get back to work whenever my tee time is and give it a run.”

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By CHRIS HASTINGS

Published: 21:17 BST, 12 September 2026 | Updated: 21:19 BST, 12 September 2026

The director of a controversial drama about the British Raj has called for the UK to pay India trillions in compensation for what he calls ‘200 years of enslavement’.

Nikkhil Advani, director of The Revolutionaries, which dramatises the violent exploits of a group of Indian ‘freedom fighters’, said he hoped the series would ‘highlight the atrocities’ inflicted by the British.

Advani admits the abhorrent behaviour of the show’s main character, based on the real-life Colonel Reginald Dyer, was portrayed as worse than it was in order to help whip up sympathy for the payment of reparations to India, which it has been suggested should be up to $56trillion (£41trillion).

The eight-part drama, streaming on Amazon Prime, does not hold back on depictions of cruelty. In the opening scenes, a character looks through a book of sketches depicting acts of brutality, which come alive as animations.

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One page shows a platoon of British soldiers marching through a wasteland of dead bodies, while another shows soldiers bayonetting the bodies of civilians.

The captions read: ‘They established the Empire on Indian corpses… But our soil witnessed everything.’

Director of The Revolutionaries Nikkhil Advani (pictured left) said he hoped the series would ‘highlight the atrocities’ inflicted by the British

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Actor Jason Shah playing Colonel Dyer in the film. The show’s decision to choose Colonel Dyer as a representation of the British Empire is likely to prove particularly controversial

Advani, 55, an award-winning Bollywood director, said: ‘I am an Indian who basically feels that the colonisation of 200 years and enslavement of 200 years was a catastrophic time. 

‘More than 100 years later we are still reeling under the fact we were raped, pillaged and plundered – that $56trillion is owed to us.’

The show’s decision to choose Colonel Dyer as a representation of the British Empire is likely to prove particularly controversial.

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Dyer ordered British troops to open fire on thousands of unarmed civilians at Amritsar in 1919, killing 379 and leading to him being known as the ‘Butcher of Amritsar’.

In the show, he is shown on horseback dragging a prisoner behind him, and firing a cannon with a prisoner strapped to the muzzle.

Advani has admitted it was ‘not a fair depiction’, but insisted he was using Dyer ‘as a representative of the retribution that happened’ during the Indian uprising.

Historian Jeremy Black accused Advani of offering a ‘clearly prejudiced’ history of the Raj.

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He said: ‘In practice, the British Raj relied heavily on Indian cooperation.’