Despite the SNP having lost the four election campaigns fought while Mr Swinney has been leader – for Westminster in 2001, Holyrood in 2003, the European Parliament in 2004 and the 2024 general election – the First Minister stressed that “obviously I want to go into this election with the objective of winning it”, adding that his party is “in a very strong position to do so”.

Statutory sick pay and parental rules changes are now in place

More than a million workers will get access to statutory sick pay for the first time thanks to new employment rights. New rules on sick pay and parental leave come into force today (April 6).

The TUC said 1.2 million workers – mostly low-paid women – are set to get access to statutory sick pay for the first time. While 8.4 million people will benefit from sick pay paid from the first day of illness.

Previously, workers who earned below a threshold of £125 a week were not eligible for statutory sick pay. The TUC said that before today’s changes, workers had been left with no choice but to go into work when they were ill.

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Tens of thousands of workers will also get access to day one paternity leave under measures in the Employment Rights Act. It means that as well as stronger sick pay, fathers and partners will now have a day-one right to paternity leave – and all parents will gain the day-one right to unpaid parental leave.

The TUC said this first tranche of rights being delivered through the act represented a “landmark day” for workers. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Day-one rights mean exactly that: rights that are there for you from the moment you start a job, and from the moment you get sick.

“Whether you’re a low-paid employee who’s been forced to work while unwell, or a new parent who wants to be there for their family, these changes are for you. We’re delivering the most significant upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “After years of campaigning from unions and workers, the first individual rights from the Employment Rights Act are coming into force – and they will change lives up and down the country. Sick pay for all, paid from day one of illness is a huge step forward.

“For too long, low-paid workers – especially women – have missed out on any form of sick pay. Even those who were eligible for statutory sick pay had to wait four days before they could claim it.

“That left many with no choice but to go into work when ill – risking spreading and prolonging their illness. That’s why today’s changes are much needed.”

Abby Jitendra, principal policy adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “Good jobs give us security and stability. The new rights introduced today extend the security many of us in good jobs enjoy to millions of low-paid workers.

“Workers will no longer pay a penalty for being on a low income and falling sick, with sick pay for all workers from day one. New dads will also have a right to time off to look after their partner and bond with their newborn from their first day at work.

“The changes in the Employment Rights Act bring more workers closer to jobs that they can be proud of, where they truly get out what they put in.”

Petra Wilton, the Chartered Management Institute’s policy director, said: “Managers are not being given the tools they need to fully understand how the rules of the workplace are changing, some of them quite dramatically. This creates a real risk for both employers and employees and could lead to preventable workplace tensions.”

When last seen she was wearing light and dark blue bottoms, a black puffer coat and light coloured trainers

Police in the Newry area are currently searching for a 17-year-old who has been reported as missing.

Officers say Layla Rose Smith has not been seen since 15.30 on Saturday, April 4 2026. When last seen she was wearing light and dark blue bottoms, a black puffer coat and light coloured trainers.

Layla is approximately 5 foot 4 in height with brown shoulder length hair.

Issuing the missing person appeal on Sunday, a PSNI spokesperson said: “If anyone knows where Layla currently is or has any information to pass onto ourselves please contact us on 101 quoting the police reference CC1660 of 4/4/26.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

We are back after Saturday’s goalfest in the FA Cup quarter-finals and this afternoon West Ham take on Leeds United at the London Stadium. It is a draw which raises the question of whether both teams can put their Premier League predicament aside in the hope of a Wembley trip for their fans.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side come into the match having drawn six of their last eight games in 90 minutes across all competitions. Despite this new-found consistency, a lacklustre performance in their last outing against Aston Villa cost them crucial ground in the relegation battle, with Nottingham Forest moving three points clear with their win at Spurs. At home, West Ham have not lost a game at in the last three months.

Posing as a tricky side to defeat in front of their home crowd, they strive to keep this cup run alive and reach their first FA Cup semi-final since they finished runners-up in 2006. Twenty years on, this competition has been something to savour for the London side this year, despite relegation hanging over them.

Has this relentless cup form reignited West Ham’s optimism and given the squad new belief heading into their final eight games of the season? With a two-week gap following the international break, there’s been plenty of time to park the relegation doubts and focus on today. Nuno has always excelled in the FA Cup reaching the semi-finals twice before with both Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers. You would expect him to utilise this experience in today’s fixture in hopes of continuing West Ham’s unlikely run through the competition.

Meanwhile, Leeds find themselves in a similar sticky situation. Despite having only lost twice in their last nine games, they still face a daunting run with the relegation zone just over their shoulder, four points clear of the drop. Leeds have drawn a blank in their last two games, but they will have 9,000 fans in the away end in east London.

In the Premier League against West Ham, Leeds proved to be the dominant side, victorious in their last encounter. A deeper FA Cup run would do wonders for their campaign and hopefully ease the ever mounting pressure in the league. History looms over them having lost their last three FA Cup quarter-finals, it will demand a mammoth effort to reach their first semi-final in the competition since 1986-87.

Kick-off is at 4.30pm, with line-ups on the way shortly.

The AA says up to one in five badges may be used by someone other than the holder

A record surge in Blue Badge ownership has sparked urgent calls from motoring experts for a nationwide crackdown on parking permit fraud.

New analysis of Department for Transport data reveals that one in 20 people in England now hold a permit, marking an all-time high of 3.07 million users. While these badges provide a vital lifeline for people with disabilities, the AA warns that as many as one in five permits may be used illegally by people who are not the authorised holders.

The sharp 8% increase in badge holders over the last year is largely driven by a 2019 policy change that expanded eligibility to include non-visible conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s, and epilepsy.

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Consequently, more than two-fifths of badges issued in the most recent cycle were granted without a formal medical assessment.

Usage varies significantly across the country, with the North East recording the highest proportion of holders at 6.1%, while London maintains the lowest at 3.5%.

Permit holders enjoy significant benefits, including the ability to park for up to three hours on yellow lines and exemptions from the capital’s £18 daily congestion charge.

However, AA President Edmund King expressed deep concern over the rising levels of abuse, citing instances of counterfeit badges, the use of permits belonging to deceased relatives, and the resale of stolen badges.

He said: “The blue badge scheme is a mobility lifeline for millions of legitimate users and their families. Our concern is not the absolute number of badges issued but the estimates that up to one in five badges may be used by someone other than the holder or authorised user.”

Mr King added: “Fraud is an issue which can include family misuse, use after death, counterfeit badges and theft and resale of badges. We would welcome a crackdown on illegitimate use of badges to safeguard the deserving users.”

Local authorities have already begun escalating their enforcement efforts to combat these crimes.

Recent prosecutions in Croydon resulted in offenders paying nearly £6,000 in fines and costs, while councils in Oxfordshire and Gateshead have successfully convicted drivers for using permits belonging to others.

The Local Government Association has urged the public to report suspected misuse, noting that even though some disabilities are not immediately visible, the act of “lazy” or “fraudulent” parking is a criminal offense that deprives those with genuine needs of essential access.

Large plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing from a unit at the height of the fire on the estate in the Tyne Dock area of South Tyneside.

It is understood that the fire broke out at about 4.15pm today.

The fire on Mitre Place, South Shields. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Two engines were seen battling the fire on Mitre Place, South Shields.

In a post on X, the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service advised residents to keep windows and doors locked and urged people to avoid the area, if possible, while they tackled the fire.

It is understood the fire is being brought under control, but fire personnel are expected to be at the scene for some time.

Trump’s comments over the weekend stand in contrast to several he made last week, including a televised address on 1 April, in which he suggested that the US had already created the conditions necessary for other countries to engage in the Strait. “Take it, protect it, use it for yourselves,” he told allies.

Taylor Little became so badly addicted to her smartphone that she felt she had lost many of her teenage years. “I was literally trapped by addiction at age 12 and lost my teenage years because of it,” she said. Her addiction was to social media, which led to suicide attempts and prolonged depression.

Molly Russell, at just 14, took her own life. Her parents blame the apps on her phone for exposing her to graphic and disturbing content that took control of her mindset.

These stories are not unique. Data from thousands of people shows that social media increases loneliness, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Last week, a jury in California found that Meta and YouTube were liable for causing a teenager’s addiction to social media. The idea that social media causes harm is no longer in dispute.

The proposed response – in Australia, now proposed in the UK and elsewhere – is to ban social media for under-16s. It is an understandable impulse. But there are good reasons to think it won’t work – despite politicians claiming a successful start to the ban.

Teenagers have always found ways around rules. Getting an older sibling to buy alcohol is a time-honoured tradition. When it comes to social media, teenagers are more tech-savvy than the adults trying to restrict them, and evidence is emerging that many are working around the age verification systems put in place to enforce bans, such as by using VPNs (virtual private networks).

Rules will exist, but compliance will be patchy and hard to enforce. Those most determined to access social media may also be the most resourceful in getting around restrictions. This means that the teenagers most at risk may also be the least affected by a ban. Evidence from other areas shows that when certain activities are driven underground, they often become more harmful.

Not neutral tools

Even if the bans worked perfectly, they would address only part of the problem. It is difficult to disentangle the harms of social media from the devices that deliver it.

Smartphones are not neutral tools: they are engineered to hold attention through constant notifications, “frictionless” access to content, and rewards for regular interactions. Research links smartphone use – not just social media – to disrupted sleep, impaired attention and cognition, mental health problems, physical ailments such as chronic back pain and addiction.

Social media is one component of a broader “smartphone ecosystem”, and targeting one app while leaving the ecosystem intact is unlikely to solve much.

If social media is blocked, teenagers are not going to put their phones down. They will migrate to mobile games, group chats and endless web browsing – activities that rely on the same design features driving their social media use: notifications, streaks (features that track consecutive days of use and reward consistency), infinite scroll. The problem is not any single app but a pattern of behaviour that will find new outlets.

Nor is this only a problem for teenagers. Adults struggle with excessive smartphone use too. Heavy use is associated with poorer sleep, reduced attention and higher stress – and in some respects the adult consequences are more severe. Distracted driving, often fuelled by phone use, kills thousands of people every year.

This matters for teenagers because behaviour is learned by watching others. Children who see parents, teachers and other adults checking their phones absorb that as the norm. A policy that targets only young people does nothing to change the culture they are growing up inside.

And opting out is becoming harder for everyone. Primary school children are expected to use smartphones for homework – on apps that share more than a passing resemblance to addictive games. Online banking has become more difficult without one. Workplaces assume employees are reachable via multiple WhatsApp groups at all hours.

When opting out means opting out of modern life, restricting access to one category of app starts to look less like a solution and more like a gesture.

If the goal is to reduce harm, the focus needs to widen. The deeper issue is the central role smartphones now play in everyday life – for all of us, not just teenagers. That points towards different kinds of intervention: delaying smartphone adoption among younger children, encouraging simpler devices, redesigning compulsive features across all apps, and ensuring that essential services such as banking, education and travel stop assuming everyone is glued to a screen.

Banning social media for teenagers may feel like decisive action. But until the broader dependency is addressed, it will not deliver the change its advocates are hoping for.

A man took on the grand but derelict Craig y Don mansion which had been left to decay for years

A huge and historic mansion by the sea stood empty, unloved and alone for many years, shrouded by trees and unruly foliage, hidden from view; alone, silent and slowly beginning to fall into dereliction.

Sadly there are many houses across Wales that replicate this scenario, some remain hidden and hoping for rescue, some are found and illegally entered by trespasses and end up on social media, but very few actually find a historic house hero who will take on such a substantial project to save it, revive it and secure its future for generations to come.

Craig y Don, a striking white-washed mansion sitting high above the Menai Strait within acres of private land, is one of the lucky ones because Mark Ellis found it, fell in love with it, and has spent years and too much budget to even say out loud, renovating and transforming it. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here.

READ MORE: Rooms just keep on coming in this property packed with period features

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Couple spent over £2m and 10 years transforming dream home

It was 2021 and Mark, who comes from the area and visits the Isle of Anglesey frequently, says: “I saw this place come up and knew of it, but I thought it looked pretty amazing. Actually I remember going down and climbing over the gate and having a look and initially, just thinking ‘Oh gosh, it looks like a really big project’- I was a bit scared by the size of it.

“But I sort of reflected on it and, foolishly, an idea started to form. I was thinking ‘this is a pretty good spot and they don’t make land like this anymore’. I ended up looking around it and yeah, fell in love with it, and just couldn’t stop imagining what it might be like.”

The idea that started to gain momentum came from Mark’s challenging experience of trying to find somewhere amazing as a place to rent and stay for a large family celebration.

Mark says: “I think there were 16 of us and I was struggling to find somewhere that was lovely, that was five-star luxury where the whole family could sit around the same fireplace or at the same dining room table. I thought ‘if I’m struggling to find somewhere then surely other people are too’.”

He found there was a ‘surprising lack’ of top-end family places to rent in stunning locations, and that is where Craig y Don started to weave its way into Mark’s future.

After building up a solicitor business and then selling it in his fifties, Mark was not ready to retire just yet and having already done a restoration on a house in Chester, he had been bitten by the renovation bug – all good news for Craig y Don, maybe a bright and lasting future was on the horizon?

But this renovation project was going to be epic. Mark remembers: “It was in a very poor state. It hadn’t been lived on for nearly 20 years but at least the roof was solid. However, there was a lot of damp, black mould, peeling paper, and there was plaster that was starting to fall off.

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“And there was no kitchen, just a tiny space with an Aga, but nothing else, not even kitchen units. There was no running water and wires hanging everywhere. Then there were seagulls that had fallen through chimneys and ash that had fallen onto the floors.”

But nothing that Mark saw that day, and on subsequent visits, dampened his enthusiasm, even the ambience of sadness that wafted through the rooms did not persuade him to change his mind and his ambition.

He says: “It felt cold. It felt unloved. It felt damp. But, and this sounds a bit deep, it had a good spirit. It felt like the energy was positive, it just needed some love. And it felt like it had once been a happy place, although it certainly wasn’t now.”

Being from the area and loving the island Mark was keen to use local trades people on the project where possible and now that the renovation is finished he has teamed up with companies in the area to promote local outdoor activities, pubs and restaurants, and places for guests to visit – he is keen that the local economy and employment opportunities benefit from the house being alive again after 20 years of emptiness.

His company Daisy Joy also annually supports three local charities in their endeavours, as Mark is keen to support the community as much as possible. He says: “It comes from a love of Wales and a love of the island.”

But the core driver that ploughed through all the challenges Craig y Don threw at Mark was saving the house so it would survive forever and making it a place to create lifelong memories.

Mark says: “It’s a forever investment. This is not a business for me. I mean, if it was a business, I would be out of business because I’ve done it from the heart and spent more than it’s now worth, but I’ve done it to keep it alive forever.

“I think that if we can be successful and fill it with family gatherings, you know, people celebrating important birthdays and celebrations, fill the house with laughter and happiness again, then I hope that’s a good thing.

“We’re not doing commercial events, we’re not doing weddings, this is about family and friends spending time together and making sure that the grandparents will have as much fun as the grandkids and vice versa. This is a family home, where we want to have family gatherings.”

Craig y Don had been empty for 20 years and on the market many times; no-one was interested, and at some points Mark wished he hadn’t been interested either.

He says: “There have been many nights when I have lain awake and thought, ‘what have I done, I must be bonkers’, and then when I started putting the work out to tender, the quotes were coming back so high because I knew I wanted this to be done well.”

Enter the next house saving hero – a team called Birch Stays who came up with an interesting proposition that benefitted all parties and the house.

The company specialise in offering property owners a complete package to create and run high-end holiday homes from the renovation stage right through to booking and marketing, maintenance and guest services.

Mike Walsh, one of the directors at Birch Stays, says: “We’d been steadily building a reputation for transforming character properties into standout holiday homes, and this was an opportunity to take on something truly special and so we agreed to renovate Craig y Don after just a single tour of the home.

“It had incredible bones, an amazing history dating back centuries and a Grade II listing, but it needed a huge amount of work. Like many heritage properties, it had seen years of piecemeal changes that didn’t really do it justice.”

Mark adds: “I said ‘I’ll pay you a fixed fee for project managing and then I’ll use local trades and pay them directly’ and this was a way I tried to find a more cost-effective way of doing it with them.”

Once the project work was agreed, Mike and business partner Jonathon Leyland and the team at Birch Stays were keen to get started, and emotions were high.

Mike says: “We felt equal parts excitement and respect, to be honest. Projects like this don’t come along often, and you feel a real responsibility to get it right. It’s not just about creating something beautiful, it’s about honouring the history while making it relevant for modern guests. We knew it would be a challenge, but that’s exactly what makes it worthwhile.”

The house was given a Grade II listing by Cadw in 1988 for being ‘a mainly early 19th century small country house with good later interiors and group value with the coach house, the boathouse and the lodge’. The earliest recorded occupant was Colonel Thomas Peers Williams MP in 1845, grandson of Thomas Williams Commander of the Anglesey Light Infantry.

The listing goes on to state that in the mid 19th century Mrs Peer Williams supported ‘a private charity school at the house, founded in 1845, for 12 girl scholars, none of whom had to pay fees’.

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The core of the house is said to date back to 1540 but according to the listing the earliest surviving evidence of a previous abode is an 18th century red brick chimney stack visible in the attic.

Since then the property had early to mid 19th century rebuilding, remodelling and extensions with subsequent modern alterations, and Mike says these added to the drama as well as the need to respect and work within the Grade II listed status.

There were many challenges, from peeling back all the work done to the house over the decades, structural issues, and drainage that needed an extensive amount of groundwork.

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Inside, the original features have been preserved and restored and the interior design has been spearheaded in a partnership between Mark and company Horton & Co who work extensively on Anglesey and across the area to create an absolutely stunning house.

Mark says: “We had a vast space that was completely empty. It didn’t have any furniture, any wallpaper, anything at all, so we started from scratch. We didn’t want to go out and buy new furniture, obviously we bought lovely new luxury beds and mattresses and it’s been completely redecorated, but we’ve sourced antiques and artwork. And I think the interior design is something worth celebrating in itself.”

The house provided some of the interior inspiration with the Prince Edward bedroom suite and the Lillie Langtry suite, both located in the tower, were created as a recognition of the rumour that Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) and the Victorian socialite and actress Langtry stayed at the house during their affair.

The Prince Edward suite has been designed with a masculine energy, including time spent finding a fabulous four-poster bed of the right age, while the Lillie room is more delicate and feminine and the views from both are outstanding.

A new glass extension has been added at one side of the house to create a social kitchen diner hub with more exceptional views to enjoy and it’s this contrast between old and new that excites Mark the most regarding the home’s new interior.

He says: “We’ve got modern wood and contemporary as well as antiques and old, I think we have achieved that lovely mix of contemporary with tradition.

“Standing in the new kitchen dining space, you feel like you’re on top of the Menai Strait and the water’s below, you can see for miles including all the activity on the water looking over towards the mountains; it is wonderful.”

Another interior space that Mark finds himself drawn to and that guests, now that the house is open for bookings, are enjoying is the visually breathtaking lounge bar found in the former ballroom that Mark describes as ‘extravagant and opulent’.

There is so much to explore at the house even before stepping inside, including acres of private land that includes a boat house and steps down to the water, two hot tubs, and a sun-drenched terrace outside. Climb the distinctive tower to the roof deck at the top and the views are truly panoramic and immersive.

Inside the nine gorgeous bedrooms can sleep up to 20 people in total and each has been lavished with their own unique interior design, and six have their own ensuite.

Time is easily spent and enjoyed in the cinema room, the tranquil drawing room, the library and, of course, the lounge bar in the ballroom. Maybe the games room is the standout play space, offering table tennis, air hockey, and table football plus a space also suited for yoga and pilates.

The mini spa includes a sauna, gym and treatment room and Mark’s company Daisy Joy can even arrange staff to visit for treatments and massages.

It’s taken six years and a secret seven-figure sum to get to this point. Mark says: “At times it has been stressful, it’s just been so much more work to do and the job being much bigger than we expected but I’ve had to just hold my nerve. I now feel a great sense of relief and pride, I suppose, of what we’ve done.”

Mark is still clearly in love with Craig y Don, he finds joy in every space and every element of design and now he is hoping that guests feel enchanted too. He says: “Hopefully I can get some good feedback from people staying there and that’ll be the most satisfying time, when somebody writes to me and says, ‘We’ve had such a lovely time. We all loved it’, and I think that’ll be when I think ‘okay, it was worth it’.

“Because in the daylight hours, looking at the beauty of the location, looking across towards the mountains of Eryri and just visualising how it would be when we finished the project kept me going. But then you go to those dark periods in the night and you’re thinking ‘goodness me, I’ve bitten off more than I can chew here!’.

“But I’m a positive person so I’d stop myself and say, ‘no, actually, this is a really lovely spot, it’s great, and I can do this and I mustn’t give up’ because I actually couldn’t give up, that wasn’t an option.

“All of my family and friends thought I was absolutely mad, and I still do too sometimes because it makes absolutely no sense financially. But you know, it is a legacy because it’s definitely not a business, it’s something that my family owns now and into the future, we will never sell it.”

You can book the whole of Craig y Don for a minimum of two nights via Birch Stays here or Daisy Joy Escapes here. For more property, renovation, and interior design stories join our Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group here.

Savannah Guthrie shared an Easter message reflecting on her faith journey as the search continues for her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie.

The Today show co-anchor — who is set to return to NBC’s broadcast on Monday — described how she has felt “moments of deep disappointment with God” in a video message shared by her church Good Shepherd New York.

“We celebrate today the promise of a new life that never ends in death,” Guthrie said in a video published Sunday. “But standing here today, I have to tell you, there are moments in which that promise seems irretrievably far away. When life itself seems far harder than death.”

She described them as moments marked by a “deep disappointment with God, the feeling of utter abandonment,” she continued.

Guthrie said she was taught Jesus had “experienced every single emotion that we humans can feel,” but recently questioned whether he “really ever experienced this particular wound that I feel.”

“This grievous and uniquely cruel injury of not knowing, of uncertainty and confusion and answers withheld. In those darkest moments I have thought bitterly, and perhaps irreverently, that I have stumbled upon a feeling that Jesus did not know,” she said.

Guthrie then explained how she turned to the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

“I remembered three days in the grave. No one talks much about that. We focus mostly on Easter, of course we do. We cut to the happy ending and the joy of Sunday morning. And yes, we do observe the Friday before, the agony of crucifixion, we mourn by candlelight that darkest night,” she said.

“But after Jesus died, after he breathed his last, what did he actually know? On the cross, he cried out, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ That is the anguished cry of someone who does not know the answers,” she added.

Guthrie concluded the message by reflecting on what it means to celebrate Easter.

“Perhaps this is too dark a message to share on Easter morning, but I have long believed that we miss out on fully celebrating resurrection if we do not acknowledge the feelings of loss, pain and, yes, death,” she said. “It is the darkness that makes this morning’s light so magnificent, so blindingly beautiful. It is all the brighter because it is so desperately needed.”

Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home near Tucson, Arizona, on January 31 and was reported missing the next day. Security footage released by police in February shows a masked and armed individual at her front door the morning she vanished.

The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for information that leads to their mother’s recovery.

Guthrie opened up about the search for her mother in an interview with Hoda Kotb last month.

“I don’t know that it’s because she’s my mom and somebody thought, ‘Oh, that lady has money and we can make a quick buck.’ I mean, that would make sense,” she said. “But we don’t know … which is too much to bear, to think that I brought this to her bedside.”

She is expected to return to the Today show on Monday after stepping away in the wake of her mother’s disappearance.