I first heard about Harriet Taylor Mill when reading about her much more famous collaborator and future husband, the British philosopher and politician John Stuart Mill.

Appropriately for someone who remains in the margins of history despite her enormous contribution – including to her husband’s status – Taylor Mill was deeply angered by injustice. Throughout her life, she railed against the way society made it impossible for women to freely develop their individuality, arguing this was important for everybody – not just men.

In Enfranchisement of Women (1851), Taylor Mill’s only solo-authored essay published during her lifetime, she asked why women were still regarded as “mere appendages” to men without interests of their own. Her answer was characteristically blunt: “The only reason which can be given is that men like it.”

More than 20 years before her husband’s best-known work, On Liberty (1859) was published without any credit for her contribution, she had outlined what would become famous in that book as the “harm principle”: “Every human being has the right to all personal freedom which does not interfere with the happiness of some other.”

Her arguments were always on the side of independence, her sympathies with the powerless and oppressed. She astutely diagnosed the key political and economic question posed by the industrial revolution as being whether “the lot of the poor should be regulated for them, or by them”.

Taylor Mill was also a ferocious defender of “the pleasure of self-dependence” and the right to free speech. Her views were summarised in a programme of reform she outlined in the late 1840s that would be radical if instituted today, never mind two centuries ago.

She called for the establishment of secular educational schools and universities, complete freedom of speech, all occupations to be equally open to men and women, radical limits to the amount people could inherit – and for marriage “to be like any other partnership: dissoluble at pleasure”.

With words that were often witty and pithy, Taylor Mill cut to the heart of issues in political thought such as patriarchy, socio-economic justice and freedom. In my view, she is long overdue a more significant place in the canon of western social philosophy.

Vulnerable to abuse and exploitation

In the 1830s, while tending to three young children from her first marriage, Taylor Mill wrote for the Westminster Review on a variety of political and philosophical subjects, from colonialism in Australia to Plato via political biographies. Her critiques were always pro-democratic and anti-aristocratic.

She also wrote many unpublished articles on the social, political and economic structures which rendered women vulnerable to abuse and exploitation by their spouses – and on the ethics of love, marriage and divorce. Her invocation of the principle that “the higher the kind of enjoyment, the greater the degree” foreshadowed Mill’s distinction between higher and lower pleasures in his book Utilitarianism, three decades later.

In the 1840s and ’50s, the Mills co-authored a series of excoriating newspaper articles on violence, especially domestic abuse. They railed at the unwillingness of the judicial system and police to tackle this issue, and the power inequalities which rendered people – especially women and those in subordinate positions – so vulnerable to brutality. Many of these arguments still resonate today.

Perfect equality was Taylor Mill’s ideal – in politics, the workplace and the home. But by this she did not mean equality of outcome. In their writings, the Mills endorsed a merit-based system of reward based on people’s efforts and talents, rather than what they had inherited.

They called for a “higher standard of justice” which would enable everyone to “work according to their capacity, and receive according to their wants”.

Ignored and even denied

Despite her lifelong commitment to fighting injustice and inequality, Taylor Mill’s immense contribution to her own husband’s work has largely been ignored – and even denied.

To be fair, Mill often sought to give authorial credit where it was due. But his earliest attempts were stymied by Harriet’s first husband, who felt it would draw too much attention to the Mills’ unconventional relationship.

When they eventually married in 1851, Mill tried to divest himself of the “power and control” over his wife which their marriage would legally grant him. He wrote: “I put on record a formal protest against the existing law of marriage … [and] repudiate all pretension to have acquired any rights whatever by virtue of [it].”

Later, Mill carefully catalogued in his autobiography how many of the works published as “his” were, in fact, his efforts as “a mediator” between Taylor Mill and the public. He highlighted his “interpretations” of her ideas – often combined with inputs from the many fields in which he was a scholar.

Mill also re-published the celebrated essay Enfranchisement of Women, which had originally been published anonymously, under Taylor Mill’s name – and set correspondents straight about its authorship when they wrote to congratulate him, thinking it was his work.

But curiously, Mill’s desire to sing her praises for her work was used as an excuse to ignore her. According to one 1874 essay, published shortly after Mill’s death: “Men have been blinded by affection and bewitched by womankind … [but] John Stuart Mill out-Herods them all.”

In the view of this and many other critics, Mill’s love for his friend and eventual wife completely clouded his judgment of her intellectual capacities, about which he had been entirely deceived – or, at the very least, been “myopic”.

A hundred years after this “Harriet Taylor Mill myth” emerged, it was given a Freudian twist. Mill was said to have chosen her as a partner because she had the same first name as his mother, but the personality of his father.

This view was echoed as recently as 2022 when a biography argued that Mill – brought up in a “totalitarian micro-state” by his father – needed someone else from whom to take “orders” after his death. Other academics such as Jo Ellen Jacobs have refuted such perspectives as misogynistic.

Taylor Mill may well have expected such shoddy treatment in the years after her death in Avignon, France in 1858. But in the 21st century, it is high time she were recognised as an incisive, influential thinker in her own right.

Three men in their 20s are now in police custody, following an altercation with left several people injured

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Three men have been arrested following reports a number of people were stabbed at a hotel in Essex, police have said.

Emergency services were called to a venue in North Stifford shortly before midnight on Saturday, September 5, “to reports a number of people had received stab wounds”.

The force believe an event was taking place at a hotel on Stifford Clays Road. Attending the scene, officers identified four people with injuries. Two men from Hackney, aged 24 and 25, have been arrested on suspicion of GBH with intent. A 21-year-old man from Enfield has been arrested on suspicion of GBH without intent.

All three are currently in custody, the force added, reports the Express.

In a statement, Essex Police said to believe there were around 100 people at the hotel at the time of the incident.

Appealing for information, the force added: “We need anyone with information about what happened to get in touch.

“If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us.

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“Please quote the crime reference number 42/142250/26. You can let us know by submitting a report on our website or by using our online Live Chat service which is available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.

“Visit our website to find out more about our online reporting services. If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.”

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Emergency services including the Air Ambulance attended the scene

One man has been taken to hospital after a crash in Co Antrim this morning.

Police received a report of a one-vehicle collision in the Calhame Road area of Ballyclare at around 11.50am today, Sunday, September 6.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, Northern Ireland Air Ambulance, and Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service also attended the scene.

One man was taken onward to hospital for treatment not believed to be serious at this time, police have confirmed. The road was closed earlier today but has since reopened.

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

Rehearsals for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing have been thrown into chaos with two professional dancers both reportedly suffering injuries.

Katya Jones and ex-husband Neil were injured in what is being described as a ‘crisis’ on set.

Both dancers joined the BBC competition in 2016, as a married couple. The pair split in 2019, but remain an active part of the series.

Their recent injuries meant that neither Neil, 44, nor Katya, 37, were able to attend several pre-recorded group dances ahead of the new series launching on September 19th.

Which, in turn, may mean that they risk not being paired with one of the new celebrities when the series returns.

With five new professional dancers having joined the show, there is increased competition among the cast to score a celebrity partner.

A source told The Sun: ‘The pro dancers are under the cosh for filming the group dances, which are played throughout the series, and have a hectic schedule.

‘There was a real crisis on set when both Neil and Katya were injured at the same time and there were concerns they wouldn’t be able to recover in time for the series start in two weeks.’

Both Neil and Katya were back on the dance floor by Friday, but by then, the damage had already been done.

‘They were gutted to miss out on the group dances as it guarantees them screen time if they don’t get a partner, which Neil often doesn’t,’ the tabloid’s source continued.

Neil’s last celebrity partner on the show was in 2024, when he was paired with singer Toyah Wilcox.

As for Katya, she danced with Emmerdale star Lewis Cope last year, until his quarter-final exit in 11.

Neil and Katya are among the survivors of this year’s so-called ‘Strictly bloodbath’ which saw five professionals leave the show.

Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Karen Hauer would be leaving the Strictly after a record-breaking 14-years its longest-serving female professional.

Leaving after ten years was Gorka Márquez and Luba Mushtuk, with Nadiya Bychkova not far behind after nine years.

Michelle Tsiakkas has also left, after four years.

Five new professionals were subsequently announced by the BBC – Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita.

Sarah James, Executive Producer, BBC Studios said: ‘Aleksandra, Cristian, Lethabo, Maddie and Mark are all outstanding world class dancers and we can’t wait to see them shine under the Strictly glitterball this September.’

This comes amid a massive overhaul in which three new presenters have been brought in to replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.

Josh Widdicombe and Emma Willis will host the show every Saturday, along with former professional Johannes Radebe.

Together they’ll usher in a new era of Strictly – hopefully far away from the controversies of last year’s competition.

And what of the celebrities? As ever, fifteen famous faces will take to the dancefloor, including soap stars Lacey Turner and Lawrence Robb.

They’ll join the likes of Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Jaime Winstone and Shaun Wright-Phillips in vying for the elusive Glitterball Trophy in 2026.

Strictly returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday, September 19, 2026.

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Many of the students staying there were thought to be in their rooms at the time of the collapse as there were no lessons on Sunday.

A legislative assembly member said at the scene that some of the trapped students had been making calls from under the rubble.

Eyewitnesses told local media that another building beside the hostel had also collapsed.

Chief Minister of Delhi Rekha Gupta said an adjacent building had been evacuated “as a precautionary measure”.

“Every possible effort is being made to safely rescue those trapped,” she added.

Delhi Police said the building had only been 40 or 50 years old.

The owner of a nearby shop told news agency ANI that it was under a 100-year lease and that the leaseholder had undertaken excavation work in the basement to increase their income.

“They strengthened the upper building, but the pillars below were weak,” he said, noting that the construction workers had also been buried.

The National Students’ Union of India called on the government to investigate the cause of the collapse and hold anyone found responsible to account.

“Negligence with the safety of students and common people will not be tolerated at any cost,” it said.

Police are searching for the owner of the building, Times of India reports.

As students prepare for the new academic year, experts warn that overlooking basic laptop security could leave young people vulnerable to cyber threats.

Nick Bunce, a technology expert at AO.com, said: “In the rush of getting ready for school, it’s easy to forget about reviewing how secure our laptops actually are.

“But with laptops often holding much more than school work, like emails, personal details and photos, the risks of not getting security sorted are high.

“Spotting these now and taking action can protect your work and personal data.”

He warned against using the same password across multiple accounts, noting that if one account is compromised, others could easily be accessed.

Mr Bunce said: “Before the new school year starts, it’s worth checking that important accounts such as email, cloud storage and online learning platforms all have unique passwords.

“A password manager can help keep track of them; just make sure this is password protected as well.

(Image: (AO World/PA)

“To add an extra layer of security, it’s also worth enabling multi-factor authentication wherever it’s available.”

He also urged students not to ignore software updates, saying these often contain critical security improvements.

Mr Bunce said: “Making sure your laptop is fully up to date before term starts can help improve security and ensure everything is running smoothly when you need it most.”

While modern laptops have built-in protection, Mr Bunce suggested enabling extra features like fingerprint login, facial recognition, device encryption and security alerts for added peace of mind.

He said: “For additional reassurance, installing antivirus software adds another layer of protection, but the most important step is making sure the security features already available on their laptop are being used.

“Taking a few minutes to review passwords and install updates and back up important work can help protect both personal information and coursework throughout the year.”

The advice comes amid wider concerns about digital safety for children, including the risks of sharing images online.

Recent warnings have highlighted how photos posted on social media can be misused by criminals using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse material.

Parents are being encouraged to think carefully about what they share online and to talk with children about privacy and consent.

The Internet Watch Foundation and National Crime Agency have launched a campaign offering guidance on protecting children’s images from being exploited.

You have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than winning the lottery – and Thomas Fahmy knows this all too well.

Fahmy was returning to his car following a dental appointment when he was hit by the phenomenon in New York’s Staten Island on August 27.

Home doorbell camera footage shows Fahmy suddenly collapsing on the pavement in Castleton Corners as several loud bangs are heard.

The Congress caseworker told the US outlet CBS News that he felt ‘numbness, tingling and pain’ in both of his feet when he was struck.

‘I was beginning to scream, “Help, help, help,” because of just, I was so confused and I was so much in pain,’ he said.

‘I was very scared that I would be struck by lightning again… Just a harrowing, crazy, miraculous, every type of feeling emotion you could feel.’

Homeowner Stefanie Homan heard Fahmy’s pleas and came to the door, with the video showing her letting him inside.

However, emergency operators told her there wasn’t much she could do to help him, warning her that Fahmy must not touch water or eat food.

Fahmy added to WABC that he never fell unconscious and spent 12 hours in the hospital, having a series of blood tests before being discharged.

Doctors told him he suffered no injuries or burns and only had to drink some liquids when he got home.

Before heading home, though, Fahmy tried his luck on something with similarly low odds – the Mega Millions lottery – but didn’t win.

‘I won a second opportunity at life, that’s it,’ he said to CBS News.

According to the National Weather Service, the odds of being struck by lightning in any given year are less than one in a million.

Winning the Mega Millions jackpot, meanwhile, is one in 290,000,000.

Fahmy returned to work within a week of the incident.

Homan was honoured with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition by Representative Nicole Malliotakis, for whom Fahmy does casework.

The Republican politician said it was a local instinct to ‘run to help people’.

She said: ‘Always help someone in need and just spread the kindness of that.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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By MATT STRUDWICK, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Published: 15:00 BST, 6 September 2026 | Updated: 15:49 BST, 6 September 2026

Migrants today scrambled on board a dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel to Britain, just days after Andy Burnham and Emmanuel Macron vowed to tackle the small boat crisis. 

Pictures show men, women and children wearing orange lifejackets wading through the water in northern France before climbing onto an inflatable rubber boat. 

Some of the migrants had children sitting on their shoulders as they walked into the sea from the beach in Petit-Fort-Philippe, Gravelines. It is not clear whether the vessel was intercepted and turned back.

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister and his French counterpart announced plans for a new ‘surge team’ to tackle migrant boats. 

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It comes hours after a balaclava-clad mob – linked to the hard-Right faction Patriot Platform – was condemned by politicians for blockading the Port of Dover in a ‘small boat’ protest yesterday. 

Hundreds of protesters – dressed in black and wearing balaclavas – descended on Dover in Kent, bringing the port to a standstill after catching police off guard.

Migrants today scrambled on board a dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel to Britain

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Pictures show men, women, and children wearing orange lifejackets wading through the water in northern France before climbing onto an inflatable rubber boat

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Roads in the town were gridlocked for hours in the morning, with four-mile tailbacks forming. Hundreds of holidaymakers missed their ferry crossings.

Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds were among the politicians to condemn the ‘intimidating’ group. 

Dover District Council leader Kevin Mills criticised police for their slow response to the ‘exceptionally well organised’ protesters. 

Mr Burnham said this week that ‘headway’ was being made on cutting both the number of people making the perilous journey and the number of overall crossings as he met the president on Thursday in No10.

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While the combined total number of crossings over the summer months has dropped to its lowest since 2019, smugglers appear to have started loading more people on to fewer, larger vessels.

The two leaders announced plans for a new ‘surge team’ of French police, funded by Britain, to tackle the growing use of ‘mega-dinghies’, carrying up to 230 migrants.

But government sources have admitted that it will involve just 45 extra officers and the Conservatives branded the plans a ‘joke’, arguing that rough weather was the main reason for the reduction.

Mr Burnham also used the meeting to press Labour’s case for a Brexit ‘reset’ that would draw the UK closer to EU rules and regulations than at any time since it left the bloc.

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During Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham reiterated that Britain’s decade of low growth ‘has been partly a result of Brexit’.

‘I do want a closer relationship – I will build on the work of my predecessor,’ he told MPs, ahead of a UK-EU summit later in the year.

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage this week pledged to stop the boats and cut the cost of living in the first 100 days of a Reform government.

Migrants carry children on their shoulders as they attempt to board a dinghy in northern France

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Some of the migrants had children sitting on their shoulders as they walked into the sea from the beach in Petit-Fort-Philippe, Gravelines

 A migrant carries a child wearing a lifejacket on his shoulders as he wades through the water to board an inflatable dinghy from the beach in Petit-Fort-Philippe

The Reform UK leader will warn Parliament it could be forced to sit seven days a week to push through a blizzard of legislation designed to deal with the ‘national emergency’ facing Britain. 

The agenda for Reform’s first 100 days will include halting small boat crossings and scrapping green levies on energy bills to save the average household £250.

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The party’s Treasury spokesman Mr Jenrick vowed to use an emergency Budget to cut £80billion from public spending, half of it from the bloated welfare bill.

Mr Jenrick said the move would cut Britain’s debt interest payments by £28billion a year and free up cash for tax cuts to ease the cost of living and kickstart economic growth.

Some 15,897 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, down 43 per cent on the same time last year, and an 18 per cent drop from the same point in 2024.

This is despite a record 230 people making the journey from France to England in a single boat last month.

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Arsenal face Chelsea in Saturday’s Premier League blockbuster at the Emirates Stadium as both teams look to protect their perfect starts to the season

Gary Neville and Ian Wright got into a disagreement about the quality of the forward lines in the Arsenal and Chelsea squads. The sides go head-to-head in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, where both the Gunners and the Blues have a 100 percent record on the line.

Arsenal defeated Coventry City and Aston Villa in their first two Premier League matches of the season, while Chelsea earned wins over Fulham and Brighton.

Wright and Neville were part of Sky Sports’ punditry team for their coverage of Arsenal vs Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, and the duo got into a debate about the forward options available to Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta.

Neville suggested that he believes Arteta would prefer Chelsea’s attacking resources over the players currently at his disposal at Arsenal.

“If you say to Mikel Arteta: ‘Would you swap your forward line for Chelsea’s?’ He would swap,” Neville said.

“He’d put [Morgan] Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro up there in front of [Bukayo] Saka, [Kai] Havertz and [Ebere] Eze, he would. So it’s not the strongest part of Arsenal’s team, but what he’s done in defence and in midfield has become that good.

“If you don’t concede goals, you’ve got a great chance of winning nearly every single match. If you’re conceding goals, you’re going to lose more points.”

Wright, however, took exception to Neville’s view, with the Arsenal icon responding: “I’m not having that over Saka, Havertz and Eze. I’m not having that.”

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Neville then responded by saying: “You don’t think he’d [Arteta] pick Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro over those three [Havertz, Saka and Eze], Ian?”

Wright replied: “Not for me, no.” Neville then concluded the debate by saying: “Oh dear.”

Arsenal strengthened their attacking options this summer by bringing in Christos Tzolis, though they sanctioned the exits of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have also strengthened their forward line considerably, with Rogers being joined by Geovany Quenda, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha and Dastan Satpaev in making the move to Stamford Bridge before week’s deadline.

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A Frenchwoman has described how migrants have made her terrified to stay in her home on the front line of the small-boat crisis, as she released CCTV of crowds swarming past in life jackets to catch dinghies bound for Britain.

Mother-of-two Héloïse Longuet, 44, said her 19th-century family farmhouse on the English Channel coast near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, was now surrounded by young men living in illegal squats.

All have been drawn to the once quiet corner of northern France by criminals charging them around £1,000 a head for a place on an overcrowded inflatable heading for England.

Ms Longuet told the Daily Mail: ‘The house is a holiday home which we were renovating, but it became surrounded by men trying to get to the beach.

‘They congregate outside checking their phones for coordinates supplied by the smugglers, and then they try to get to the beach.

‘In fact, there is no direct access to the beach across my land, but that did not stop at least three incursions.’

Ms Longuet said she has had to put up CCTV video cameras with warning signs, but makeshift camps have started to appear in the woods around the house.

Now the migrants make her fearful about staying in the area, especially as she has two young daughters, and protection from local police is minimal.

The problems have been likened to those experienced in Britain in areas where mainly male asylum seekers are housed.

‘It is very frightening,’ she said. ‘We see them in the forest, living in very unsanitary conditions. They leave all their rubbish behind.’

Ms Longuet often walked her dog, Maurice, on Hardelot beach, but was dismayed to see it increasingly being used by the smugglers.

They switched their departure points from Calais and Dunkirk to a more isolated area which is harder to patrol.

Its wide shoreline allows them to board men, women and children on to dinghies, with the migrants hiding in sand dunes beforehand.

Last month a man in his 30s died after a small boat capsized off the beach in a catastrophe which also saw six others, including a toddler, severely injured.

And in May two women died from cardiac arrest after being suffocated on a boat carrying upwards of 80 people that had set off from Hardelot beach.

Fights regularly break out between migrants and gendarmes and riot police, who use tear gas to try to restore order.

Tensions reached boiling point during the summer heatwaves when a series of fires broke out around Hardelot.

‘The situation is appalling, and the dangers are immense, but very little is done about it,’ said Ms Longuet.

‘I do not have Right-wing views, I just want to see the situation improved for everybody, including local residents.’

Ms Longuet met a number of migrants while working as an estate agent, and had an enormous amount of sympathy for them – but not the smugglers who were exploiting them.

She said: ‘Some Afghans were looking for a home after settling in France, and they told me that there had been up to a dozen of them when they set off from their home country.

‘By the time they got to France, only two or three were left, with the others dying on the road. This shows how perilous the situation is.

Ms Longuet released CCTV of hordes of migrants wearing life jackets rushing past her property near Neufchâtel-Hardelot to catch small boats bound for Britain

‘As a mother, I wouldn’t like to imagine the horrors they go through. I pity them.

‘The problem is bigger than domestic politics – it is a global problem which starts in the country which the migrants set off from.

‘In France, the biggest problem is the people smugglers – to them it is a business, and all they are interested in is the money.’

Ms Longuet, who now works in public relations, is permanently based in another part of northern France with her family, and visits to Hardelot beach are becoming a lot less frequent.

Paulette Juilien-Peuvion, mayor of Neufchâtel-Hardelot, said there could be as many as 600 migrants congregating in the town at any one time.

Many residents were complaining about being scared to go out at night, especially in wooded areas.

Ms Juilien-Peuvion said: ‘Some say that, ultimately, these people left everything behind for an adventure – it’s a tragedy. And others say, “We feel unsafe”.’

Hardelot beach is on a stretch of coastline that includes Le Touquet, where French president Emmanuel Macron himself owns a holiday home.

He bought it in the past two years with his wife, Brigitte Macron, after she sold another property in the seaside town that had been in her family for generations.

Gangs of migrants from all over the world are often seen congregating by railway stations, in commercial centres, and in open countryside.

In turn, French law and order authorities insist that the migrant situation in the area is improving thanks to more robust policing.

Officers have prevented ‘185 small boat crossings’ in the four months since a new Anglo-French agreement was signed in April, pledging some £660million of UK taxpayers’ money to the French, according to an Interior Ministry source in Paris.

Police say they have arrested an increased number of smugglers, and confiscated boats, engines and lifejackets, while deploying a dedicated 50-member riot squad.

Some 15,897 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, down 43 per cent on the same time last year, and an 18 per cent drop from the same point in 2024.

This is despite a record 230 people making the journey from France to England in a single boat last month.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: ‘Our new UK-France deal is already having a real impact, stopping crossings before they happen and disrupting the criminal gangs behind them.

‘People smugglers should be in no doubt, we’re taking down their operations, seizing their equipment and breaking their business model for good.

‘Through our joint work with France, we have stopped over 47,000 small boat crossing attempts since the election and we will not let up.’