In a statement issued on X, Sir Keir Starmer said it was the right time to “hand the baton over to a successor”.

He said: “Over the summer, I have had time to reflect and consider my future. I have decided that now is the right time to step down as MP for Holborn and St Pancras and hand the baton over to a successor.

“It’s been an honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country since taking over from the great Frank Dobson 11 years ago. But it is now time to step aside and focus on other issues: international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast changing world. I will also continue working with others as I have done over many decades to tackle violence against women and girls.

“As I do that, I will always remain immensely proud to have represented the place Vic, the kids and I call home.

“I look back with pride on what my constituency team and I have delivered in Holborn and St Pancras since 2015 and I thank all those who I was privileged to work with on so many issues of local concern: affordable housing projects, delivering first class education and tackling youth violence through our Camden Youth Safety Taskforce.

“I want to thank my CLP team who have always stood firmly by me, and given me the support I needed as I stood for leader of the Labour Party and then as I took my party from political, moral and financial ruin to an historic landslide election win in 2024 and two years as prime minister when we stabilised the economy, rebuilt our public services, invested record amounts in our defence and security, began lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and transformed Britain’s reputation with international partners.

“I want to thank my constituency staff who, throughout all those 11 years, have worked tirelessly on casework and helped me do my utmost to serve the people of Holborn and St Pancras. I could not have done this job without them.

“There will now be a process to appoint my successor ahead of a by-election. Whoever is lucky enough to become the Labour candidate here will have my full support and backing and I will continue to give my full support to the Prime Minister and this Labour government.

“Keir Starmer.”

A fraudster who pretended to be from Royal Mail in a sophisticated mobile phone scam has been jailed in one of the first cases of its kind.

Mohammed Faiyaz Iqbal, 43, bombarded nearby phone users with messages claiming to be from several companies.

He aimed to trick recipients into providing payment and personal details, with his victims believing they were communicating with legitimate organisations.

A typical message read: ‘Sorry we missed you as no one was home to sign your parcel.’

It then told recipients to ‘rearrange a redelivery to your home address please visit’ the fraudulent website, and said payment may be required.

Iqbal used a so-called ‘SMS blaster’ – specialist technology used to bypass phone networks’ anti-spam protections and send out texts en masse without obtaining the victims’ numbers.

It meant Iqbal was able to target potentially hundreds of people, in close proximity, simultaneously.

He was stopped when detectives searched his van at the Trafford Centre in Manchester after becoming suspicious of the large number of fraudulent text messages being sent from the area on May 24 2024.

Officers searching his van at the Trafford Centre in Manchester found the technology hidden within wooden panels

KIt meant Iqbal, 43, was able to send hundreds of messages to nearby mobile phones by using the technology, circumventing mobile phone masts which may have stopped the scam in its tracks

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One of the text messages Iqbal spammed mobile phones with

Iqbal used sophisticated technology to bombard mobile phones with messages which he used to scam people

He was jailed for three years and eight months after admitting one count of fraud by false representation, one count of possession of articles for use in fraud, one count of acquiring and possessing criminal property, one count of possession of false identity documents, and one count of unauthorised use of wireless telegraphy apparatus.

City of London Police, who were involved in the investigation, said this was the first known case of discovering an SMS blaster in the UK as part of a criminal investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Little, from the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit, said: ‘This case demonstrates the evolving nature of fraud and the lengths offenders will go to in order to target victims at scale.

‘The seizure of this equipment is a significant step in disrupting emerging threats that seek to bypass established telecommunications safeguards.

‘We will continue to work closely with partners across banking and telecommunications to identify, pursue and bring to justice those responsible for committing fraud.’

Iqbal, of Preston in Lancashire, was sitting in his van at the Trafford Centre when he was stopped by police.

A search uncovered multiple mobile phones in the front of the vehicle.

In the rear of the van, officers located an SMS blaster system concealed within purpose-built wooden compartments.

The equipment included power sources, Wi-Fi components and aerials installed into the roof of the vehicle, City of London Police said.

The devices were turned on and actively being used in conjunction with applications on mobile phones.

The equipment acted as a rogue mobile antenna, bypassing telecommunications network security and broadcasting SMS messages directly to nearby devices.

Examination of Iqbal’s mobile phones revealed 7,859 compromised payment card details, detectives said.

Further searches at his home address uncovered additional compromised banking material and three counterfeit UK driving licences, which were being used to set up impersonation bank accounts to launder criminal proceeds.

The conviction was achieved thanks to the police working with mobile network operators, the National Cyber Security Centre and Ofcom.

A Sudanese migrant has died after trying to jump onto the roof of a moving Britain-bound lorry from the top of a Calais road toll booth.

The 22-year-old was on top of the structure at the Setques toll plaza in Pas-de-Calais when he attempted to leap onto the vehicle at around 2.40am on Sunday.

But he failed to reach the vehicle and plunged onto the road behind it, according to the Saint-Omer prosecutor’s office. 

The young man was seriously injured and rushed to the University Hospital of Lille in a critical condition, but died on Sunday afternoon. 

CCTV footage reviewed by authorities reportedly showed the migrant attempting to reach the roof of the moving truck before falling onto the road.

Another person at the scene had successfully managed to get onto the same vehicle moments earlier.

An investigation into the cause of the 22-year-old’s death was opened following the incident.

Prosecutors said the CCTV evidence suggested an accident was the most likely cause and the case was subsequently closed without further action.

The victim’s body was returned to his family.

Migrants leave after attempting to climb into the back of lorries bound for Britain while traffic is stopped upon waiting to board shuttles at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel site on November 19, 2020, in Calais, northern France

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Migrants continue to attempt to reach Britain by hiding in lorries despite security measures around the port of Calais and the Channel Tunnel.

In recent years, many have instead attempted the perilous journey across the Channel in small boats.

Since the beginning of January, at least 16 people have died at sea off the French coast and three others have died on land while attempting to reach the UK.

But Channel crossings over the summer have fallen to their lowest level since 2020, with 6,949 migrants making the journey between June and August. 

The number of boats arriving in Britain also fell to its lowest level since 2019.

While critics have put the decrease down to bad weather, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood attributed the drop to increased international co-operation blocking people smugglers’ supply chain for boats, lifebelts and outboard motors.

She also credited a £662million deal with France to place more officers on beaches and take on new interception tactics.

A total of 16,391 migrants have crossed from France to the UK so far this year, down 43 per cent on the same time last year, and an 18 per cent decrease on the same period in 2024.

Ms Mahmood said: ‘This Government is committed to restoring order at our border. This work is beginning to bear fruit, with June, July and August recording the lowest number of small-boat crossings in seven years. But we know there is more to do.

‘We will be relentless in targeting the criminal gangs behind these crossings, and we will continue to remove the incentives that draw people here on unsafe and illegal routes.’

Small-boat crossings will be one of the main issues discussed when Andy Burnham hosts French President Emmanuel Macron in No 10 for the first time, according to officials.

The Prime Minister will be eager to continue the one-in, one-out scheme with France, designed to act as a deterrent to crossings.

August crossings – up to August 30 – were down 46 per cent on last year, falling to their lowest level since records began in 2018.

July saw the fewest number of crossings since 2019, down 64 per cent on 2025.

And June recorded its lowest level of crossings since 2019, down 50 per cent on last year.

However, Labour’s attempts to tackle the Channel crisis were still branded a ‘complete laughing stock’ earlier this month after a record 230 migrants arrived on one dinghy.

The huge number – more than the capacity of a Boeing 737 jet – crossed from France on August 10, prompting the Conservatives to taunt Ms Mahmood for ‘presiding over a complete and utter farce’.

Measuring 49ft from bow to stern, it was 7ft larger than vessels which set previous records in July, and more than 10ft longer than a standard double-decker bus.

Higher-intensity exercise may help you get more “bang for your buck.”

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Mark Harris, chief executive at mortgage broker SPF Private Clients, said: “On the ground, some lenders have been easing mortgage rates in recent days and weeks but swap rates, which underpin the pricing of mortgages, remain extremely volatile in response to tensions in the Middle East.”

Hipswell and Colburn councillor Kevin Foster said he was disappointed that the authority had declined to change the priority status of Gough Road and part of Plumer Road.

Senior councillors have agreed with highways officers that the roads should remain at their existing priority two status.

Cllr Foster highlighted Gough Road’s importance as an access route to several large retail outlets and the local leisure centre.

He also raised concerns about the incline close to its junction with the A6136, which he said becomes hazardous during icy weather.

The councillor pointed out that Gough Road and Plumer Road were used by service buses operating every 30 minutes in each direction during working hours.

He argued it was therefore important for the roads to be kept safe during cold weather.

But highways officers recommended against upgrading the route, saying its existing treatment was in line with council policy and consistent with arrangements elsewhere in North Yorkshire.

Reacting to the decision, Cllr Foster said: “I’m very disappointed in this decision.

“This is another issue when councillors are asking for improvements and it’s been decided by officers without debate.

“I made the request as it’s a major bus route going past Tesco, which is an important place for people to get to in bad weather.”

The recommendation was among a series of decisions on changes requested to the council’s winter gritting network ahead of the 2026/27 season.

All the recommendations put forward by officers were agreed.

Only one of the requests considered resulted in an upgrade.

North Cowton Parish Council successfully asked for the route into the village from the B1263 to receive more regular treatment.

Officers agreed that the road and the route around the village green should be upgraded from Priority 3 to Priority 2 because of the size of the village and frequency of buses, including school services. The change will add about one kilometre to an existing gritting route.

Elsewhere in the Richmondshire area, a resident’s request to upgrade the road through Whitaside, near Low Row, was rejected despite concerns about black ice, compacted snow and difficulties getting children to their school bus.

The council said priority three remained appropriate, although it will check the provision and spacing of grit heaps and bins on routes considered in the review before winter.

The authority has an £8.59m winter service budget, with the North Cowton change expected to cost less than £5 for each gritting run.

The film saw Parton nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars

A ‘masterpiece’ Dolly Parton comedy has been added to Netflix just days after the iconic singer’s devastating death.

The Jolene singer passed away on Tuesday, August 25, after what her representatives described as a ‘brief battle’ with cancer. She was surrounded by family and friends at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville.

Parton, who was 80, had spoken candidly in recent months about a number of health issues that had forced her to cancel and postpone public engagements, including a planned Las Vegas residency. Just days before her passing, she disclosed that certain health concerns had gone unattended while she was devoted to looking after her husband.

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She lost her husband Carl Thomas Dean in March 2025 following an unspecified illness. The couple had been married for nearly 60 years.

Speaking after being compelled to withdraw from an appearance at Dollywood, Parton said: “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl. It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health. But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago.”

Parton is to be laid to rest alongside her beloved husband. A small group of the singer’s family members congregated at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville over the weekend.

Prior to her passing, Parton had decided against a huge public send off, instead opting for an intimate goodbye attended solely by those nearest and dearest to her. “At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family,” her family said.

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It has yet to be confirmed whether Friday’s (August 29) gathering was the funeral itself. But Page Six reports that relatives arrived bearing flowers while police and security personnel were stationed around the cemetery.

With fans around the world listening to her music as a coping mechanism, many are beginning to take a look at her filmography. On top of her music achievements, Parton was nominated for two Academy Awards.

Nominated for Best Original Song in 2005 for ‘Travelin’ Thru’ from Transamerica, the film which landed Parton her first Oscar nomination has just been added to Netflix. Also the name of one of her best songs, it’s an essential watch for any Parton fan.

Released in 1980, 9 to 5 is directed by Colin Higgins, who would go on to work with Parton again on The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Higgins, who died of AIDS-related illness in 1988, at the age of 47, is also known for writing Harold and Maude.

Parton, in her film debut, stars alongside Hollywood legends Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the film that many households stick on during the Christmas period. Also starring in 9 to 5 is You’ve Got Mail’s Dabney Coleman, The Addams Family’s Elizabeth Wilson and Dr. Strangelove’s Sterling Hayden.

It tells the story of three working women who live out their fantasies of getting even with and overthrowing their company’s autocratic vice president, who is played by Coleman. In order to do this they decide to kidnap him and run his business on their own.

Costing just £10 million to make, 9 to 5 was a massive hit for 20th Century Fox, grossing over $103.3 million. On top of this, the success to the title track launched Parton into mainstream pop culture.

Despite critics at the time only giving it a score of 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, 9 to 5’s legacy has been colossal. A TV show based on the film ran for five seasons in the 1980s, and a musical stage adaptation with new songs written by Parton opened on Broadway in 2009.

As fans and musicians from all around the world continue to mourn Parton’s loss, now is the perfect time to discover or revisit why Parton could have become one of the film industry’s greats if she didn’t have a music career to go back to.

The advice also warns against cutting grass when the ground is very soft, wet or frozen

Households across the UK are being urged to stop mowing their lawns when temperatures drop to a specific level.

As we enter September, people will be trying to catch the last glimpses of warm weather before the seasons change, which means keeping their garden intact.

But gardeners are being urged to check the temperature outdoors before reaching for the mower. According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), you should stop cutting your grass when temperatures drop to 7C, although frost and the condition of the ground matters just as much as the reading.

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The RHS says grass ‘continues to grow in temperatures above 7C,’ making 7C a practical threshold for deciding when to stop regular mowing when temperatures consistently fall below this level. But it also warns against mowing when ground is very soft, wet or frozen.

If a mild spell of warm weather keeps the grass growing, the RHS says winter mowing can still be done occasionally on a high cut setting.

Six checks to make before the final cut

1. Use 7°C as a weather marker. Look at the forecast and the grass itself, then stop routine cuts once the temperature is no longer supporting visible growth.

2. Wait for a dry, defrosted lawn. A cold or saturated surface is more easily damaged and can be compacted by the mower.

3. Leave the mower higher for the final cut. The RHS gives up to 40mm as a general spring and autumn height for ordinary domestic lawns.

4. Never remove more than one-third of the blade at once. If the grass is long, make a lighter pass instead of trying to reach the final height in one go.

5. Change the direction of travel. Alternating the cut helps prevent ruts forming in lawns that are mown repeatedly along the same lines.

6. Clean the machine before storage and test its safety controls. The RHS specifically advises checking the dead man’s handle, while electric mower users should fit an RCD.

The advice also says that the last cut should not be a race to make the lawn as short as possible. Using a higher autumn setting leaves more leaf area, and waiting for dry conditions reduces the risk of tearing turf or pressing down wet soil.

Daniel Weston, Founder at SEO Backlinks, said: “Treat 7°C as a guide, not a promise. Check the forecast and the condition of the grass before the final cut, and leave the mower in the shed when the ground is wet or frozen.”

That means a lawn can still need attention after the thermometer dips, but not necessarily another full cut. If it is still growing in mild weather, make a light pass on a high setting. If the ground is wet or frozen, leave the mower in the shed.

The U.S. Postal Service is poised to launch a hastily built, error-riddled computer system that could jeopardize the process of mail voting relied upon by one-third of all voters, according to a whistleblower statement released Tuesday by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

The effort is part of the implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting and has been temporarily halted by a federal judge. The ruling is being appealed by the administration and the directive may ultimately end up back before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The disclosure from the unidentified whistleblower contends that the Postal Service has been scrambling to try to build a complex system that would normally take a year or more in only three months, sometimes in defiance of the judge’s orders halting work. The goal is to have it ready for use in the midterm elections.

The disclosure contends that, due to the new procedures, a single scanning error in a batch of tens of thousands of ballot envelopes could prevent any from reaching voters. It details a system that election officials have already warned could not be implemented before the first mail ballots begin going out Friday in North Carolina.

“The Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans,” Blumenthal told reporters in advance of releasing the whistleblower information. “This administration seems hell-bent on changing the framework on casting ballots in this country clearly for political reasons.”

Executive order is subject to furious court action with midterms nearing

Trump’s executive order, signed in March, directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration to develop state citizenship lists and then required the Postal Service to send mail ballots only to voters who are on such a list. Ballot envelopes would have to comply with new Postal Service rules and include bar codes.

The online portal that is the subject of the whistleblower complaint is intended for states to deliver their lists of verified voters to the Postal Service.

The Postal Service did not comment on Monday night. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The White House has called the mail voting provisions “commonsense measures” necessary to combat fraud.

Trump has long opposed voting by mail, even though he has repeatedly used the method to cast his own ballot. He falsely blamed mail voting for his 2020 election loss and has spent years spreading conspiracy theories about it. A report by the Brookings Institution published in 2025 found that mail voting fraud occurred in only about four cases out of every 10 million mail ballots cast.

Since returning to office, Trump has said Republicans should be “taking over” vote counting in Democratic areas and launched a sweeping attempt to reinvestigate the 2020 election, despite a mountain of evidence that he lost fairly to Democrat Joe Biden.

Until Trump came out against mail voting in 2020, the system was used equally by both parties. Since then, it has become more common among Democratic voters. More than 29% of all voters in 2024 cast their ballots through the mail.

After Trump issued his executive order, Democrats and civil rights groups sued and eventually won a ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani in Boston barring implementation of the system before the November midterms. But without ruling on the legality of Trump’s order, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority last week found that was premature and overruled Talwani, momentarily clearing the way for its implementation.

On the night of Aug. 21, the Postal Service released a final rule outlining how it would implement the order.

It said it would only send mail ballots for states that got approval for the design of their envelopes and submitted a list of voters receiving them through the still-not-active online portal. That rule gave plaintiffs a chance to sue again, and Talwani on Thursday night issued a 14-day restraining order against implementation of the measure.

Whistleblower complaint says portal development is rushed and sloppy

The letter from Blumenthal and an accompanying summary of the whistleblower’s statements says the Postal Service began work on the portal on June 15 and stopped on June 25 after Talwani’s initial order. Then on July 29, the Postal Service restarted the work. That was when the administration appealed the judge’s order to the Supreme Court. The high court did not strike Talwani’s injunction down until Aug. 24.

Talwani last week found the Postal Service violated her order by continuing to work on the final rule, but she imposed no sanctions on the government. On Monday, she issued a ruling refusing to lift the restraining order that also said the Postal Service could continue work on its portal, as long as it wasn’t forcing states to use it.

In its summary of the whistleblower’s statement, the group Whistleblower Aid says the hurried construction of the portal, with a goal of being active on Tuesday, meant it did not undergo full testing.

“The apparently sloppy and rushed manner in which the Federal Ballot Mail Portal and supporting IT systems are being built poses significant risk,” the group wrote. “Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all.”

The statement also says the Postal Service is implementing a “zero percent” rule in which any errors in any mail ballots sent out by an election office could lead to all of them being discarded — even if it’s simply one problem amid tens of thousands of legitimate ballots.

The rule requires ballots to be handled in a physical post office by an election official. Those will then be scanned to ensure they match the voter database. During three layers of checks, a single apparent error could cause the whole batch to be rejected, the statement says.

Blumenthal said he has “a very strong hope and some faith that our system of justice will strike down this unconstitutional and unconscionable rule.” But, he added, if it somehow goes into effect for the midterms, he would not advise voting by mail.

___

Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this story.

Norway’s Queen Mette-Marit missed her husband’s swearing-in ceremony today as she suffered ‘complications’ from her lung transplant.

The new King Haakon VIII, who became king when his father King Harald V died on Friday morning aged 89, swore an oath of allegiance to the country’s constitution on Tuesday.

However, his wife, who is under scrutiny for her ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, missed the historic day as she is under medical observation due to the ‘complications’ from her surgery in June.

The queen, whose son from a previous relationship was found guilty of rape and domestic abuse earlier this year, was also unable to attend her late father-in-law’s church memorial service over the weekend. 

Images from today’s ceremony showed King Haakon VIII standing without his wife, as their daughter took Mette-Marit’s place. 

The Norwegian Royal Family shared a statement this morning from pulmonologist Dr Are Holm from Norway’s National Hospital confirming the 53-year-old’s absence.

He said: ‘It is not uncommon for complications to occur after a lung transplant. The Queen has had complications on some occasions since the operation, including today. 

‘As a result, the Queen must be observed throughout the day. The Queen will therefore unfortunately not be able to attend the swearing-in ceremony in the Storting today.

‘Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra will accompany His Majesty the King. Queen Sonja and Prince Sverre Magnus will attend the swearing-in from the Storting Hall.’

The 53-year-old was also removed from the event programme available on the Royal House’s website, and the new king will instead be joined by his children Princess Ingrid and Prince Sverre, alongside his mother Queen Sonja.

Norway’s Queen Metter-Marit has suffered ‘complications’ from her lung transport, forcing her to miss her husband’s swearing-in ceremony

King Haakon VIII addressed the Norwegian people for the first time in his new role following the death of his father King Harald V on August 29

In June, Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby (pictured), was convicted on two counts of rape and jailed for four years 

The new queen has suffered for several years from chronic pulmonary fibrosis. Her condition deteriorating significantly over the past six months and she was placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant earlier this summer. 

Doctors said the procedure was a last resort when a patient is believed to have less than two years to live without new lungs. 

After the surgery, the Royal House of Norway confirmed the transplant had been successful and that ‘everything has progressed well so far’. 

In July the future queen suspended her official duties, and Norway’s royal court said ‘there will be a longer period of rehabilitation and training’ during which ‘there will initially be no updates’. 

Haakon confirmed at the time he would cut back his public engagements to spend time with his wife, however this may change now that he is Norway’s new king. 

The 53-year-old is scheduled to swear the oath in the parliament’s main chamber, Storting, today at 1pm (11am GMT), which has been decadently prepped and searched by sniffer dogs for bombs.

The swearing-in comes days after thousands of mourners descended on Oslo to pay their respects to the late king, placing flowers, flags and condolence cards outside the royal Palace.

Harald, who is a cousin of King Charles III, died following a hospital admission in Oslo where he was being treated for haemolytic anaemia, a disorder causing red blood cells to be destroyed at an abnormally fast rate.

Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway Olav Fykse Tveit was pictured laying flowers at the Palace Square, 29 August 2026

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On Saturday evening the new king paid tribute to his late father in his first official speech as monarch, in which he thanked Harald ‘for everything he was and everything he did’.

The late king enjoyed massive support despite the slew of scandals that dogged his family in the final stretch of his 35-year reign.

On Tuesday, a poll published by public broadcaster Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation showed that support for the monarchy has clearly increased following Harald’s death.

Nearly three out of four Norwegians (72 per cent) said they supported the monarchy, a rise of eight points compared with a previous survey in May, according to the poll carried out over the weekend.

The past year has been a turbulent one for the Norwegian royals.

Mette-Marit faced intense scrutiny following the release of the Epstein Files, which revealed she stayed at paedophile Epstein’s Palm Beach residence in 2013 – after he was convicted for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.

The new queen claimed this year she had been misled by Epstein as she sought to contain the fallout. 

Alongside her associations with the paedophile, Mette-Marit’s son Marius Borg Hoiby is currently under house arrest pending his appeal against a four-year sentence for two rape convictions.

In June, an Oslo court found him guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, Nora Haukland, issuing threats and committing traffic offences, although he was acquitted of two other rape charges. 

The 29-year-old had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024. 

Although he does not hold a royal title or carry out official duties, he has long been closely associated with the Norwegian royal family.

On Monday, he was among those who moved the late king’s casket to the chapel of Oslo’s royal palace, and he was also been granted permission to attend Harald’s funeral on September 9.