Officials have suggested airlines have just weeks of fuel left (Picture: Getty Images)
As airlines grapple with an ongoing jet fuel crisis, passengers are being hit from both sides: more cancelled flights and higher travel costs.
Carriers around the world are cutting routes and introducing extra charges in an effort to manage soaring fuel prices driven by ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been blocked by Iran since February, carries up to 75% of plane fuel exports from the Gulf to Europe.
However, with this route disrupted and supplies running low, costs have skyrocketed from around $85 to $90 (£63 to £67) to as much as $200 (£148) per barrel over the past few weeks.
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What is the Strait of Hormuz?
The Strait of Hormuz is 60-mile-wide section of waterway that connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea, making it one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. With Iran to the north and Oman to the south, during peace time, around 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through it.
The UN allows countries to exercise control of their territorial seas up to 13.8 miles from their coastlines, and since some portions of the Strait lie entirely in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters, they are allowed to ‘defend’ their countries if needed.
Along with the geography allowing Iran to exert control on the waterway, at its narrowest point, the Strait is just 24 miles across, making it easy for Iran to target vessels passing by.
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Last week, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, said Europe has ‘maybe six weeks or so [of] jet fuel left,’ warning passengers to expect cancellations into the summer months.
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Some airlines have already reduced schedules due to the shortage, while others are increasing fares or hiking baggage fees.
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How major airlines operating in the UK have responded
Aegean Airlines
The Greek airline said this week it would raise ticket prices as a result of the spike, although hikes would be limited to around 7% to 8%.
The change will impact new bookings, but the 3.6 million passengers already scheduled to fly over the coming months, and those who hold an Aegean Pass and have bought early-bird packages, will be unaffected.
Like many other carriers, the company has also suspended flights to affected regions until the end of April, including Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Aer Lingus
Over 500 flights have been dropped from Aer Lingus’s schedule, although it claims this is due to ‘mandatory maintenance’ on aircraft rather than the fuel crisis.
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Air France-KLM
The airline group said it has made ‘price adjustments’ to long-haul ticket prices to address surging costs, with return fares rising by €50 euros (£44) per round trip, while short and medium-haul round trips in economy increasing by €10 (£9).
Last week, the group’s Dutch arm KLM also said it would cancel 160 flights in Europe over the coming month as a result of the fuel shortages.
Customers may face disruption (Picture: Getty Images)
Air India
In March, the Indian carrier began a phased expansion of a fuel surcharge on its domestic and international routes ‘necessitated by the steep rise in jet fuel prices arising from the geopolitical situation in the Gulf.’
All new bookings for flights to and from Europe now incur a $125 (£92) fee, up from $100 (£74) before the conflict began. However, the company noted it will be reviewing surcharges periodically, and may ‘make appropriate adjustments’ as required.
Alaska Airlines
The US airline, which is due to launch its first UK service between Heathrow and Seattle in May, increased checked bag fees for most customers earlier this month.
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As of April 11, charges went up by $5 (£3.70) for the first bag and by $10 (£7.40) for the second, while a third piece of luggage will now cost $200 (£148), up from the previous $50 (£37).
American Airlines
Although checked baggage fees have been hiked up to $150 (£111) per bag — meaning the first costs $50 (£37), the second $60 (£44), and the third $200 (£148) — these increased charges only apply to domestic and short-haul international flights, so won’t impact travellers to or from the UK.
British Airways
British Airways owner IAG said in March it did not plan to increase ticket prices in the short to medium-term, as it was well hedged for upcoming shortages, but warned it was still ‘not immune’ to the fuel crisis.
British Airways specifically, however, has made changes to its schedule due to the ‘continuing uncertainty’, and is ‘directly in touch with affected customers to offer them a range of options’.
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BA has made changes to its schedule (Picture: Getty Images)
Cathay Pacific
The Hong Kong airline plans to cut about 2% of its scheduled passenger flights from mid-May to late June, while its budget subsidiary HK Express is dropping around 6% of flights.
However, more flights were actually added to London, Paris, and Zurich in March, as airspace closures led to an ‘upsurge’ in demand as passengers ‘prioritised alternative routings’.
In terms of pricing, the carrier said it would hike fuel surcharge by 34% across routes from April 1 and review them every two weeks.
China Eastern Airlines
While the Chinese airline, which offers multiple daily flights between London and Shanghai, has raised fuel surcharges, these currently only apply for domestic trips.
Passengers travelling within China currently face a 60 yuan fee (£6.50) for journeys under 800km, or 120 yuan (£13) for those over 800km.
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Delta Air Lines
Delta said at the start of April it would cut capacity by around 3.5% from its original plan, although this would be targeted on red-eye and mid-week flights to ‘reduce unprofitable flying’.
Fees for checked luggage also increased by $10 (£7.40) for first and second bags and a $50 (£37) for the third, with bosses reported to be looking at increasing airfares in the months ahead.
EasyJet
In a recent statement, EasyJet boss Kenton Jarvis said the airline had ‘no concerns’, as it has ‘visibility to the middle of May’ in terms of fuel supply.
But with £25 million in extra fuel costs in March, the CEO added that European consumers should expect higher ticket prices around summer, when existing fuel hedges come to an end.
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EasyJet’s fuel costs were up £25 million for March (Picture: Getty Images)
Emirates
Capacity was slashed by Emirates in late February, following widespread regional airspace restrictions impacting its Dubai hub.
The world’s largest long-haul airline and the largest in the Middle East, normally operates more than 3,600 flights per week, but is currently operating to ‘more than 100 destinations’ on a skeleton timetable — roughly 70% of its normal capacity.
Bosses have said it will only ramp up operations when over-flight corridors over Iraq and Iran are reliably reopened, and will ‘develop [its] operational schedule accordingly’.
Fare prices have reportedly gone up too, with a $226 (£167) economy class surcharge added to European trips from April 1, and $623 (£461)for premium cabins
IndiGo
India’s biggest airline — which flies from London and Manchester to destinations across India — introduced new fuel charges on domestic and international flights from March 14.
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These fees initially ranged from 425 rupees (£3.35) for domestic flights to 2,300 rupees (£18) for flights to Europe, but have since been pushed up to as much as 10,000 rupees (£79).
IndiGo bosses claimed these surcharges would be monitored and adjusted where necessary, but it aimed to limit the impact on passengers where possible.
Jet2
Following the IEA announcement about impending fuel shortage disruption, a number of Jet2 passengers reached out to the airline for clarity ahead of their bookings.
In response, representatives confirmed ‘all flights are planned to go ahead as normal’, and customers would be contacted directly should this change. To be on the safe side, passengers are advised to check their flight status via the Jet2 website at least 12 hours before departure for the latest updates.
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What aspect of the jet fuel crisis affecting airlines concerns you the most?
Increased ticket prices
Flight cancellations
Added fees for baggage and services
Environmental impact of fuel shortages
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JetBlue Airways
Citing ‘rising operating costs’, the US-based carrier recently hiked baggage prices by between $4 (£3) and $59 (£44) depending on the type of flight and number of checked items.
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While JetBlue hasn’t made a statement regarding fare increases, analysis by Deutsche Bank revealed its ticket prices jumped 16% in one week at the start of the month, potentially due to ‘panic buying’ for summer ahead of a predicted surge.
Lufthansa
Earlier this week, Lufthansa released a statement saying 20,000 short-haul flights were being cut from its schedule this summer, blaming the move on the jet fuel crisis and ongoing labour disputes.
The majority of this would be from the airline group’s loss-making short-haul CityLine subsidiary fleet, which was already due to be grounded later in the year.
Lufthansa will also withdraw four older Airbus A340-600 long-haul aircraft at the end of the summer, and reduce short and medium-haul offerings by five aircraft this coming winter, with the cuts representing 1% of the German carrier’s ‘available seat kilometres’ yet saving 40,000 tonnes of fuel between now and October.
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Norse Atlantic UK
Low-cost Norwegian airline Norse Atlantic axes its flight route between London Gatwick and Los Angeles this week, citing the ‘global fuel crisis’.
‘We are truly sorry for the inconvenience, and apologise to passengers who have [had] their travel plans changed,’ a spokesperson commented. ‘We will assist disrupted passengers as best we can.’
Qantas
Despite cutting domestic flights, strong interest in Europe-bound travel led the Australian airline to redeploy capacity to hotspots like Paris and Rome.
Ticket prices have also increased in recent weeks, and it warned it may need to take ‘further action’ as the situation unfolds.
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Ryanair
At the start of April, a spokesperson for the budget carrier told Metro it could ‘guarantee supply to mid-end May’, although if the conflict continues beyond this date, disruption due to fuel shortages couldn’t be ruled out.
This bolsters previous claims from Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, who stated the company would likely be forced to cancel between 5% to 10% of its scheduled flights through May, June, and July.
With the airline operateing over 3,600 flights per day, this means approximately 360 daily trips could be impacted if the fuel crisis doesn’t resolve itself.
Ryanair expects fuel supplies to last until mid-May (Picture: Getty Images)
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
At least 1,000 flights are expected to have been cancelled by SAS in April, up from a ‘few hundred’ in March.
The majority of journeys affected are domestic routes within Norway however, with CEO Anko van der Werff highlighting that given the airline runs over 800 flights per day, cuts are limited in scale.
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SAS, which had already increased flight prices, said that even if it tried to absorb the rising fuel costs, the surge was still ‘a shock that directly hits the airline industry’.
TAP Portugal
Last week, the CEO of the Portuguese Airlines Association (RENA), António Moura Portugal, said the country’s flag carrier, TAP, may ‘need to reduce operations and, eventually, raise prices’.
While analysis claims TAP only has 40% fuel coverage for 2026 (compared to between 62% and 84% for other major airlines) Portugal stressed that it was continuing to monitor the conflict, and is yet to make any ‘definitive statements’.
TUI
TUI Airways — the world’s largest charter airline, flies to over 100 destinations from 17 bases across the UK and Ireland — said it is ‘monitoring’ jet fuel shortages, but is ‘not anticipating any immediate disruption to flight schedules or holiday programmes’ at present.
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Turkish Airlines-SunExpress
SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, is set to impose a temporary fuel surcharge of €10 (£8.69) per passenger.
This will apply to booking for flights between Turkey and Europe, made on or after April 1. for departures on or after May 1
United Airlines
In March, United Airlines’ CEO Scott Kirby said the firm would begin ‘tactically pruning flying that’s temporarily unprofitable in the face of high oil prices’.
The 5% capacity reduction will be focused on less-popular timings like overnight, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and is expected to extend through at least the second and third quarters of 2026.
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United also increased first and second checked bag fees by $10 (£7.40) for customers travelling in the US, Mexico and Canada and Latin America, but international flights are believed to be unaffected.
Virgin Atlantic
The airline is adding fuel surcharges to fares but will still struggle to return to profitability this year, its CEO Corneel Koster told the Financial Times.
Sir Richard Branson’s airline added a fuel surcharge of £50 to economy class tickets, with premium economy increasing by £180 and business class by £360.
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‘If the fuel price goes much higher, I think the surcharges may go higher,’ commented CEO Corneel Koster. ‘If they go up in a week and you book in two weeks’ time, you’ll be paying higher.’
The company also recently scrapped flights from London to Riyadh, just a year after the route was launched, citing ‘the latest intelligence, regulatory guidance, demand and operating costs’.
Fuel shortages have led to surcharges for Virgin Atlantic passengers (Picture: Getty Images)
WestJet
In a series of ‘near-team measures’, the Canadian airline this week added a C$60 ($32.50) fuel surcharge to some bookings, and will be consolidating flights on lower-demand routes as well as ‘adjusting the travel period for seasonal offerings’.
A statement on Westjet’s website said capacity was expected to reduce by 1% April, 3% in May and 5.5%t in June, and impacted customers would be provided with reaccommodation options, most within the same day as their original departure.
Wizz Air
Hungarian carrier Wizz Air reported issues due to shortages in three airports in Italy last week, but chief Jozsef Varadi claimed these were ‘all resolved within a day and in some cases within hours.’
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A spokesperson for the company, the third-largest European budget airline (after Ryanair and easyJet), stated it was ‘actively monitoring fuel supply,’ and ‘will work with its suppliers to secure the jet fuel available in line with its needs’, keeping customers informed and providing updates as needed.
What to do if your flights are cancelled or disrupted
Chris Harrington, managing director of travel firm hoppa, says the first port of call if your flight is cancelled is to contact the airline.
‘If you are already at the airport, head for the airline’s customer service desk to speak to a member of staff,’ he tells Metro.
‘Acting quickly is essential, as available seats on alternative flights may be limited and only available for a short time. However, other people will be in the same position as you, so if you’re met with long queues, try using the airline’s app or ring the customer service team to find out next steps.’
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In most cases, the airline will have to make an alternative plan for you, so ask them to rebook you on a later flight, and let them know if there’s an alternative route (or flight using another airline) that works.
Chris also highlights the importance of buying travel insurance as soon as you book, to ‘protect yourself from circumstances such as cancelled flights’.
Some policies will cover the cost of hotels, airport transfers, alternative flights, and food, which is essential since cancellations due to external factors, such as fuel shortages, are typically classed as ‘extraordinary circumstances’, meaning airlines don’t necessarily have to reimburse directly.
‘If the flight cancellation is due to the actions of the airline, then it’s likely you’ll be entitled to compensation as per ABTA guidelines,’ Chris continues, noting that this amounts to £220 for journeys of 1,500;m or less, and up to £520 for anything over this distance.
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‘However, in this case, because the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances outside of the airline’s control, compensation is unlikely to apply.’
Emergency services were called to the A-road through Hemlington Row at 11.15am this morning (Wednesday, April 22), where the man was briefly trapped.
The 56-year-old is understood to have been loading a cabin onto the rear of a van at around when he briefly became pinned between them and suffered chest injuries.
The air ambulance was seen landing nearby and police closed the road around the roadworks.
The road was closed after incident for around three hours. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
A Durham Police spokesperson said: “The man has suffered chest injuries and was taken to hospital by ambulance. He is said to be in a stable condition.”
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The road was closed after incident for around three hours. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Police have now passed the incident to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for investigation.
The road was closed after incident for around three hours. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
The road was closed after incident for around three hours. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
A spokesperson from the North East Ambulance said: “We were called to an incident on the A690, Hemlington Row in Crook shortly before 11.15am on 22 April.
“We dispatched a double-crewed ambulance, a clinical team leader and were supported by Great North Air Ambulance Service.
“One patient was taken by road to University Hospital of North Durham.”
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The road was closed for around three hours while the emergency services attended but it has now reopened.
The Northern Echo has contacted the HSE for comment.
World Snooker Championship betting offers, free bets and best betting sites
The World Snooker Championship is underway at the Crucible, with the world’s best players descending on Sheffield for one of the most-watched and most-wagered-on sporting events of spring.
Names including Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump will be contesting the tournament, with significant betting interest generated too, from outrights wagers through to in-play frame betting.
UK bookmakers also run dedicated promotions around the event, with betting offers and betting specials. Here’s our guide to some of the best offers from six key bookies:
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Luke Baker22 April 2026 14:21
Another seed makes it through
An update from this morning’s session at the Crucible where yet another seed advanced. That’s now 12 matches completed and 12 seeds going through…
Could we have a first-ever clean sweep of all 16 seeds making it through the first round?
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The latest was 13th seed Chris Wakelin who looked to be in a battle with talented 20-year-old debutant Liam Pullen when the youngster pulled the match back to 5-5 but Wakelin went through the gears from there and eventually emerged a 10-6 winner.
The reigning Scottish Open champion will now face Neil Robertson or Pang Junxu in the last 16.
(PA)
Luke Baker22 April 2026 14:10
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WATCH: The Rocket pulls out a thunderbolt
Ronnie O’Sullivan was on fire yesterday afternoon and this shot was symptomatic of his form.
If The Rocket is knocking in the long balls, then the rest of the field must beware…
Luke Baker22 April 2026 13:59
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Who is Wu Yize? China’s ‘new superstar’ tipped by Ronnie O’Sullivan to win the World Snooker Championship
Wu Yize hails from Lanzhou in the northwest of China, a city famous for its beef noodles. It is a clear beef broth with radish slices, chilli oil and herbs, and aside from his family, it is the thing he misses most: there are plenty of Chinese restaurants in Sheffield, but they don’t do it like home.
It is a small cost for being one of the best young snooker players in the world. Wu moved his life to Yorkshire three years ago to be part of the growing stable of Chinese players in the city, and he could be the next superstar from the group.
The 22-year-old reached finals at the English Open and Scottish Open last season, and comes into the World Snooker Championship as the 10th seed and among the contenders for the title.
Read Lawrence Ostlere’s full profile of Wu:
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Luke Baker22 April 2026 13:45
Why Zhao Xintong is the man to finally break the ‘Crucible Curse’
The “Crucible Curse” is snooker’s most famous hex. Twenty men who have won their first World Snooker Championship title at the iconic Crucible Theatre since the tournament moved there in 1977 have tried to defend it the next year. All 20 have failed.
Everyone, from surprise, one-off champions to the greatest of all time who would go on to dominate their era have fallen short the year after their first world crown.
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But Zhao Xintong might just be different…
Luke Baker22 April 2026 13:30
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs He Guoqiang first session in pictures
Things could hardly have gone better for Ronnie O’Sullivan in the first session yesterday
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(PA)
(PA)
(Getty)
(Getty)
Luke Baker22 April 2026 13:17
First round results
Well over half the first-round matches have now been completed at the Crucible and we’ve got a unique situation brewing. So far, every single seeded player has won their match – normally he first round is an absolute bloodbath for the higher-ranked players.
Never in the history of the World Championship has there been a clean sweep of all 16 seeds reaching the second round. Will we see it this year? Surely not…
Zhao Xintong (1) 10-7 Liam Highfield
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Mark Allen (14) 10-6 Zhang Anda
Barry Hawkins (11) 10-4 Matthew Stevens
Xiao Guodong (9) 10-6 Zhou Yuelong
Mark Williams (6) 10-4 Antoni Kowalski
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Ding Junhui (16) 10-5 David Gilbert
John Higgins(5) 10-7 Ali Carter
Kyren Wilson (3) 10-7 Stan Moody
Wu Yize (10) 10-2 Lei Peifan
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Judd Trump (2) 10-5 Gary Wilson
Shaun Murphy (8) 10-9 Fan Zhengyi
Luke Baker22 April 2026 13:05
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Shaun Murphy criticises Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump’s conduct before World Snooker Championship
Shaun Murphy has criticised fellow former world champions Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump for missing the launch of the 2026 World Championship in Sheffield.
This year’s players gathered in Tudor Square outside the Crucible Theatre on Friday for a green-carpet ceremony celebrating the relationship between snooker and Sheffield, before media commitments with press and broadcasters inside the venue.
But O’Sullivan and Trump did not appear and unless they can provide a valid reason for their absence, such as a medical issue, they face a sanction from the World Snooker Tour.
Luke Baker22 April 2026 12:53
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Ronnie O’Sullivan is 50 and still a genius – but can he conquer snooker’s new Chinese dynasty to win historic eighth crown?
Even by Ronnie O’Sullivan’s absurd standards, this has been an astonishing season, achieving unfathomable feats including one break which left casual observers wondering how it is possible to score 153, six more than the “maximum” 147.
Even at the age of 50, O’Sullivan is still redefining what is possible on a twelve-by-six table.
O’Sullivan was winning major titles before the current world champion, Zhao Xintong, was born, yet he is still producing moments of unfettered genius.
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He arrives at the Crucible chasing a historic eighth world title, which would stand him alone in rarified air, one clear of Stephen Hendry. Significantly, despite his long love-hate relationship with snooker, O’Sullivan has shown he is still motivated to break new ground.
Read Lawrence Ostlere’s full analysis of ‘The Rocket’s’ latest pursuit of history:
Luke Baker22 April 2026 12:41
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When does Ronnie O’Sullivan play and how to watch?
Ronnie O’Sullivan concludes his best-of-19, first-round encounter against Chinese debutant He Guoqiang this afternoon.
The second session, which begins with O’Sullivan leading 7-2, starts at 2.30pm.
If O’Sullivan gets through, then his second-round contest will be the best of 25 frames, across three sessions against John Higgins. The first session is on Saturday 25 April at 7pm, the second session is on Sunday 26 April at 7pm and the final, concluding session will be the following afternoon – Monday 27 April at 1pm.
Every session of every match at the 2026 World Snooker Championship will be live on the BBC, with BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, the BBC red button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website all utilised for coverage across the 17 days.
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The tournament is also broadcast on TNT Sports in the UK, with every session shown across their channels and subscribers can also use streaming service HBO Max to watch TNT Sports.
He placed his hands around the victim’s neck, causing her to stop breathing for about 15 seconds
A man strangled his wife until she stopped breathing at her home in Cambridgeshire. Luke Davey, 35, attacked the victim at her home in Doddington, near March, in the early hours of November 16 last year.
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According to Cambridgeshire Police, the couple were in the process of splitting up and an argument had broken out. The victim began recording the argument with her mobile phone and Davey grabbed it before placing his hands around her neck, causing her to stop breathing for about 15 seconds.
Davey of Marshall’s Road, Raunds, near Wellingborough, also dragged her out of her daughter’s bedroom as she tried to call police from another phone. He was jailed for a year on April 21 at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court, having previosuly pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation. He was also handed a five-year restraining order against the victim.
DC Chris Herring, who investigated, said: “This was a despicable attack which could have had fatal consequences. I would like to thank the victim for reporting the assault and supporting us with a prosecution. Domestic abuse is a force priority, and we will do all we can to put the perpetrators before the courts.”
The sitcom, set in an all‑inclusive resort in Spain, follows a group of mainly British holidaymakers who return to the same complex year after year.
In the original script, Noreen was supposed to be killed off in her first episode, but the chemistry between Kelly and Vegas proved so strong that the character was kept on as key member.
Benidorm creator Derren Litten honoured Kelly’s legacy, describing her as a “comedic genius”.
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“So sad to pass on the news of the passing of Elsie Kelly aka Noreen in Benidorm,” he wrote. “One of the best-loved characters in the show and certainly one of the most beloved cast members. Elsie’s acting abilities and comic genius were so natural they were almost taken for granted.
“Thanks for your talent but most of all your friendship Elsie. I am very sad today but also happy to think of such a wonderful life well lived.”
Kelly’s fellow Benidorm star Crissy Rock joined in the tributes, saying that she was “so sad” to hear of the actor’s death.
“We shared so many wonderful memories filming Benidorm, moments I’ll always treasure. She was an absolute joy to work with and brought so much warmth and laughter wherever she went,” Rock wrote.
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She appeared on nine of the show’s 10 seasons between 2006 and 2018, and in the show’s final season, also played Noreen’s twin sister Doreen.
The series, set in a Spanish resort, first aired in 2007 and ran for ten series with 74 episodes before ITV bosses cancelled the show.
Benidorm was a big hit for ITV, gaining more than eight million viewers and a big fan base, even inspiring many to visit the Spanish region for their own holiday.
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Creator of the show, Derren Litten, has previously taken to X, formerly Twitter, to share that he has more stories he would love to explore.
During its time on ITV, Benidorm became a hit, earning numerous National Television Awards and TV Choice Awards, and it was BAFTA-nominated.
Did you enjoy Benidorm? Let us know in the comments
Tottenham are looking to appoint a lead psychologist for their men’s first team after boss Roberto de Zerbi said they need to “change the mentality”.
Spurs have slipped into the Premier League’s bottom three, having gone 15 league games without a win.
De Zerbi was appointed as Tottenham‘s third head coach of the season at the end of March but has picked up just one point from two games.
The Italian said his job is to give the players the “right mentality” and it appears the club is taking steps to help him achieve that goal.
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In an advert posted by Spurs on social media platform LinkedIn, external, the club said they are seeking an “outstanding performance psychologist” to deliver “evidence-based psychological support to elite players”.
“The role encompasses individual player support, systemic work across the coaching and performance staff, and the ongoing development of a psychologically informed performance culture throughout the team,” the advert added.
“This role demands a practitioner who is credible, discreet, and highly effective in a Premier League environment, capable of building trust with players and coaches while operating with the professional rigor expected at the highest level of the game.”
I VOTED Labour in the last election. After the disgraceful behaviour of the last Government, I honestly thought that Keir Starmer would, at the very least, bring truth, transparency and honesty.
Watching Olly Robbins today, and the way he presented himself and the evidence he gave, it’s blown apart the explanations given by the PM. The PM has mislead the us all. I feel so sorry for Olly Robbins who didn’t deserve to be sacked.
Starmer tried to bully Mandelson into the US Ambassador’s role despite his relationship with Epstein and business links to China and Russia as well as his obsession with the rich and powerful.
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The defence of “no one told me” is insulting.
Starmer had the opportunity to tell the truth, take responsibility and he didn’t take it. We need a leader, not someone who sacrifices all those around him.
John Jones,
Russet House,
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Birch Close
York
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The influencer, who has more than one million followers on TikTok and Instagram, was seen walking through streets in the city centre on Wednesday afternoon (April 22).
Speaking in Clifford Street, Gymskin told The Press he was filming live content on the streaming platform Kick but declined to speak further as we was going for lunch.
More than 1,800 viewers were tuned into the live broadcast on Kick at 1.45pm, in which Gymskin could be seen posing for photographs with fans.
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Gymskin was joined by a camera operator and another man as the group walked around York city centre.
The video, which also featured clips in Leeds city centre, said the influencer was taking part in a UK tour.
“I’m so gassed, this is mint,” Gymskin said in the video after arriving in York.
I’m standing in a deconsecrated church in Lambeth, London, now home to the Garden Museum. It has a warm and pleasant atmosphere, undeniably a church, yet far removed from its original purpose. On this quiet Friday morning, I met with Emma House, the lead curator of the exhibition Seeds of Exchange. We wandered around the exhibit, which is deceptively small for the scale of its story, crossing continents, cultures, languages and time.
Seeds of Exchange: Canton and London in the 1700s tells a story that is both local and global. It centres on a short-lived but remarkable collaboration between an English botanist and his Chinese counterparts. Together, they documented the plant life of Canton (modern-day Guangzhou) at a time when global trade, science and empires were becoming deeply entangled.
As a botanist I love plants – but this story is not only about them. It is about how knowledge moves, and who gets to shape it.
A meeting point of worlds
The late 18th century was a period of carefully controlled contact between China and Europe. Trade with the outside world in China was tightly regulated through licensed Chinese merchant guilds. Foreign traders could only operate during part of the year.
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Into this system stepped John Bradby Blake, an employee of the British East India Company in the early 18th century.
A Florist by John Dadley (18th century). Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Like many of his contemporaries, he was not simply a passive participant in imperial trade. The East India Company allowed its agents a degree of personal enterprise, and Blake – having suffered substantial financial losses in tea speculation – turned to botany as both scientific pursuit and potential commercial opportunity.
His project was ambitious: to catalogue Chinese plants in what he envisioned as a Compleat Chinensis (Complete Chinese). Between 1766 and his death in 1773, he commissioned over 150 botanical paintings, documenting many now familiar plant species, ranging from citrus fruits and camellias to turmeric and jackfruit.
Momordica charantia by Mauk-Sow-U (1771). Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, VA
What makes this project particularly striking is that it was not a solitary European endeavour. Blake relied heavily on local expertise, as he did not know the flora and did not speak Mandarin.
Mak Sau, a Chinese artist about whom we know very little, produced detailed botanical paintings that form the heart of this exhibition. These works are scientific documents, capturing colour and structure with fantastic precision. But they are also superb works of art and form a historically important collection of early botanically accurate watercolour paintings in China.
Local knowledge also helped identify species that Blake himself struggled to classify. Whang At Tong, Blake’s Chinese counterpart, was a merchant operating within the Canton system. He facilitated the exchange of materials, knowledge and, eventually, the transport of Blake’s collection back to Britain. The endeavour was, in many ways, a shared intellectual enterprise. Yet it unfolded within an unequal system shaped by imperial trade and economic ambition.
Plants, profit and empire
Many of the plants depicted in Seeds of Exchange hint at the economic motivations behind Blake’s work. Tea, citrus species, indigo and medicinal plants all had clear commercial value. Others carried horticultural interest that would later shape European gardens.
Citrus maxima by Mauk-Sow-U (1771). Oak Spring Garden Foundation Upperville VA
Blake cultivated plants in his own Canton garden, experimenting with germination and growth and sending seeds back to Britain. These botanical exchanges contributed, in small but significant ways, to breaking China’s monopoly on certain crops – particularly tea.
Yet the paintings also reveal a more complex botanical landscape. Some species, such as chilli peppers and watermelon, were themselves recent arrivals to China (from South America and Africa respectively).
Even in the 18th century, plant distributions were already shaped by centuries of movement across continents. Today, the movement of plants across the world is on a monumental scale, driven by crops and horticulture. The exhibition quietly reminds us that “native” and “foreign” are often more fluid categories than we assume.
Blake’s death in 1773 brought the project to an abrupt halt. He never completed his Compleat Chinensis, and his work might easily have faded into obscurity. Instead, Whang At Tong transported the collection to London, where it entered elite scientific circles. He is one of the earliest recorded Chinese people to have come to the UK. He met figures such as Joseph Banks, a central figure in British botany, and even sat for a portrait by Joshua Reynolds – a rare moment of cultural visibility for a Chinese visitor in 18th-century Britain. The Reynolds painting is in the exhibit, and exquisitely done.
Painting of a river boat carrying brightly coloured plant pots with flowers and foliage (1880s). Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Despite this, the botanical paintings themselves were never fully integrated into British science. Seeds were sent to Kew, but the visual and documentary archive remained largely unused. Over time, the collection became physically divided. One portion, consisting of manuscripts and herbals (historical books describing the properties of plants), ended up, remarkably, in Canterbury Cathedral. Another, including many of the paintings, passed through the art market before being acquired by the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Virginia in the 20th century.
Reuniting the past
Seeds of Exchange marks the first time these materials have been brought back together in over two centuries. Seen together, the paintings, herbals, notebooks and maps reveal a network of knowledge production that was collaborative, cross-cultural and contingent. Recent research indicates that Blake mainly used texts by European authors for identification, however the exhibition shows Chinese floras which were used in the work, highlighting the depth of local contribution.
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The paintings and documents on display at the Garden Museum. BJ Deakin Photography
The exhibition also sits within a broader historical context. The Garden Museum itself stands on land once associated with early botanical collectors such as the Tradescant family, whose 17th-century “cabinet of curiosities” helped lay the foundations of modern museums. From these early collections to Blake’s Canton project, the gathering and classification of plants has long been tied to exploration, trade and power.
What, then, does this exhibition tell us today? At one level, it is a fascinating story of early globalisation. But it also prompts deeper questions about authorship and recognition. Projects like Blake’s were often framed as European achievements, even when they depended heavily on local knowledge and labour.
Seeds of Exchange highlights that scientific knowledge has almost always been co-produced, even if the historical record has not always acknowledged this. In an era when museums and collections are increasingly reexamining their collections and histories, this matters.
Like the plants it documents, the knowledge this exhibition represents has travelled, adapted and taken root in new contexts – and we are still tracing its origins more than two centuries on.
Michelin star chef Tommy Banks will be making a special appearance on stage at York Theatre Royal for one night only on Friday, July 17.
In his show, Tommy Banks Spinning Plates: LIVE!, the award-winning chef and TV star chef will be sharing his story – one of a lifetime of ambition, vulnerability, risk and pressure revealing the highs and lows of a life in hospitality.
Tommy Banks, who owns Roots in York, opens up on pressures at York Theatre (Image: Newsquest)
It will be told across three intersecting timelines – the last 25 years, the defining 12 months, and the one day of opening night for his latest pub – with each moment teetering on a knife-edge.
Tommy will expose the harsh reality of operating in a turbulent industry where soaring business rates and crushing VAT force three pubs to close every week.
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Tommy will also be talking about the incredible community of talent he has built in the once-sleepy village of Oldstead that is rooted in camaraderie, resilience, and true Yorkshire grit.
The show will use live storytelling and immersive cinema as the chef lifts the lid on hospitality service at its most intense, revealing the pressures of leadership and what it really takes to pursue excellence.
The 37-year-old who grew up in Oldstead owns Michelin-starred The Black Swan at Oldstead, Roots in Marygate, York, and The Abbey Inn at Byland as well as The General Tarleton at Ferrensby in a joint venture called Jeopardy Hospitality (JH), with business partner Matthew Lockwood, brother James Banks and businessman, Neil Armstrong.
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