New legislation is set to be introduced in England with a NI mum calling for the same to be put in place here

A Belfast mum has described the lengths that she has to go to in order to protect her four-year-old son who has a range of life-threatening allergies.

New legislation is set to be introduced later this year in England that will provide greater protections for children who suffer from allergies that will include; schools being required to have dedicated allergy policies , staff training, access to emergency adrenaline auto-injectors and individual care plans for children.

This followed campaigning by the Benedict Blythe Foundation and its founder Helen Blythe who lost her five-year-old son following an allergic reaction in school. Following the introduction of Benedict’s Law in England, she is now working to see further protections put in place in Northern Ireland.

Stephanie Kerr , whose son Caolán has life-threatening allergies to peanut, milk, egg, wheat, cumin, oat, strawberries, passionfruit and penicillin, is supporting the campaign for increased protections in NI and has described what life is like taking care of her four year old son.

She said: “Managing Caolán’s allergies requires constant vigilance from everyone who cares for him. Because he has so many allergies, it is not possible to remove every risk from his environment.

“Cross-contamination is one of our biggest concerns. At home, we use separate utensils, cooking equipment and food preparation areas, as well as designated fridge shelves and cupboards. He also needs close supervision at mealtimes to make sure he does not accidentally eat food that is unsafe for him.

“Ordinary childhood activities require intense planning and risk assessment. Something as simple as eating in a restaurant, travelling or going to a birthday party has to be carefully managed. In school, the risks can come from unexpected places, from milk cartons being used in art projects to food being handed out as a reward.

“Caolán needs his snacks prepared separately for example, he requires his own toaster to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. We have also needed to be vigilant and confirm that all staff in his current nursery setting have undertaken the appropriate training to recognise the symptoms of an allergic reaction, including anaphylaxis.

“Prevention is always the goal, but if an emergency happens, Caolán needs immediate action from the adults around him. In that moment, a quick response can be the difference between life and death.”

Stephanie said she was surprised to discover that certain protections she assumed would be in place to help her son did not exist in Northern Ireland.

She said: “Thankfully, Caolán has only needed his epi-pen once. He ate a piece of cereal that was within reach at daycare and suffered a delayed reaction. We were incredibly fortunate to already be at Accident and Emergency Department when adrenaline had to be administered. It was the worst day of our lives.

“Since then, we have done everything we can to work with teachers, staff and anyone responsible for his care to reduce risk and identify situations that could trigger another life-threatening reaction.

“After being given forms for signature by Caolán’s nursery that outlined they were not required to administer medication but did agree with me that a designated member of staff would – I looked at the Education Authority’s guidance on food allergies and medication more closely.

“What I found was deeply upsetting. While some settings do have trained staff, the current guidance does not place an overarching legal duty on school staff to administer medication, and staff cannot be directed to do so under Supporting Pupils with Medication Needs.

“As a mother, I find it heartbreaking that there is still no clear, enforceable guarantee that a trained adult will always be available to give life-saving medication without delay. Prior to Caolán starting his educational journey I had wrongly assumed that these protections for children would have already been in place and that policies would be designed with the safety and wellbeing of students at its heart.

“The work of the Benedict Blythe Foundation has given families like ours real hope. In England, Benedict’s Law is set to bring in protections from September 2026, including dedicated allergy policies in schools, staff training, access to emergency adrenaline auto-injectors and individual care plans for children with allergies. Children like Caolán deserve those same protections here.”

Helen Blythe from the Benedict Blythe Foundatio said she is engaging with politicians in Northern Ireland in order to try and help bring about change that will help ensure vulnerable children with allergies are protected.

She said: “No family should send their child to school wondering whether they will be safe in an allergy emergency. Benedict’s Law is now moving forward in England, yet many children in Northern Ireland still do not have the same basic protections.

Politicians here have been engaging positively, but children cannot wait indefinitely while reviews continue. Every school should have clear allergy policies, trained staff, and emergency medication available now.”

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Scams and doorstep crime can have a devastating impact, particularly on vulnerable members of our communities.

Lanarkshire Preventions Officers and colleagues from Trading Standards, have teamed up with the local banks across Lanarkshire as part of the “Shut Out Scammers” campaign.

Scams and doorstep crime can have a devastating impact, particularly on vulnerable members of our communities.

Through partnership working, officers and partners are raising awareness around fraud, scams and doorstep crime while highlighting the support available to help keep people safe.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We would also like to thank the local banks and staff across Lanarkshire for their continued support and the fantastic work they already carry out daily to protect customers from fraud and scams.

“By working together for the greater good, we can help better safeguard and protect our communities.

“Thank you to our partners from Trading Standards and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland for their support throughout the campaign and for helping provide advice and reassurance to members of the public.

READ MORE: Lanarkshire locals urged to improve health as part of National Walking Month

“We appreciate the support from everyone involved and hope the advice and information shared helps people feel more confident in recognising and reporting scams.

“Look out for family, friends and neighbours and help us spread awareness. Together, we can help “Shut out Scammers” across Lanarkshire.”

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READ MORE: Lanarkshire man viewed child abuse images ‘out of curiosity’

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV made a historic apology on Monday for the Holy See’s role in legitimizing slavery and for having failed to condemn it for centuries, calling the Vatican’s record a “wound in Christian memory.”

Past popes have apologized for Christians’ involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But no pope had ever publicly acknowledged, much less apologized for, the role that past popes played in giving European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave “infidels.”

History’s first U.S.-born pope, whose family history includes both enslaved people and slave owners, delivered the apology in his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” (Magnificent Humanity), which was released Monday.

The sweeping manifesto is about safeguarding humanity in an era of increasing reliance on artificial intelligence. Leo raised the slave trade in relation to what he called the new forms of slavery and colonialism that the digital revolution is fueling.

Black American Catholics, activists and scholars have long called for the Holy See to atone for its role in the colonial-era trade in human beings, beyond generic apologies for the involvement of individual Christians.

“It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord,” Leo wrote. “For this, in the name of the church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”

Shannen Dee Williams, historian at the University of Dayton and author of the 2022 history of American Black Catholic nuns, “Subversive Habits,” welcomed the apology as a “monumental step toward the kind of essential truth-telling and reparation that many Catholics have prayed and worked to witness.”

“The Catholic Church has never been an innocent bystander in the history of white supremacy,” said Williams. “Black Catholics have waited a long time to hear the Vatican speak honestly about the church’s leading roles in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and chattel slavery–and thus by extension the enduring systems of anti-Black racism in the world today.”

Centuries of legitimizing slavery for European colonizers

The Vatican has insisted that it always upheld the dignity of all human beings as children of God. But a series of 15th-century directives from the Vatican authorized Portuguese sovereigns to conquer Africa and the Americas and enslave non-Christians.

In 1452, for example, Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas, which gave the Portuguese king and his successors the right “to invade, conquer, fight and subjugate” and take all possessions — including land — of “Saracens, and pagans, and other infidels, and enemies of the name of Christ” anywhere.

The bull also gave the Portuguese permission “to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.”

That bull and another issued three years later, Romanus Pontifex, formed the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, the theory that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of land in Africa and the Americas.

Nicholas V’s permissions to the Portuguese were confirmed or renewed by Pope Callixtus III in 1456, Pope Sixtus IV in 1481 and Pope Leo X in 1514, according to the Rev. Christopher J. Kellerman, a Jesuit priest and author of “All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church.”

Spanish kings received the rights for the Americas.

In 2023, the Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, but it never formally rescinded, abrogated or rejected the bulls themselves. The Vatican insists that a later bull, Sublimis Deus in 1537, reaffirmed that Indigenous peoples shouldn’t be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, and weren’t to be enslaved.

During a visit to Angola last month, Leo prayed at a Catholic shrine at the site of an important hub of the African slave trade during Portugal’s colonial rule. While at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, Leo recalled the “sorrow and great suffering” Angolans endured for centuries, but he didn’t refer specifically to slavery.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

This is the fifth time that similar proposals have been submitted for the former school

A Grade II listed Victorian school in a Cambridgeshire village could be converted into a home under new plans. Under proposals submitted this month, extensions would be added to the Grade II listed Old Day School in High street in Bluntisham.

This is the fifth time that similar proposals have been submitted to Huntingdonshire District Council. The previous applications were either withdrawn or refused. The plans had been refused previously due to concerns that the scale, mass, design and material finish would result in “a high level of less than substantial harm to this Grade II listed building”.

The current plans for the former school building, which was also used for parish meetings, plays and concerts, would convert it into a two-storey, three-bedroom house. The proposal involves modest extensions and alterations.

The design and access statement for the current plans, written on behalf of applicant Simon Claridge, says: “The proposed development has been carefully conceived to secure the long-term preservation and viable reuse of the former school building through its sensitive conversion to a single residential dwelling.

“The design approach has sought to balance the functional requirements of a modern home with the need to preserve the special architectural and historic interest of the listed building and its contribution to the wider character of the conservation area.”

The school was built in 1842, with a toilet block added in 1930 and a kitchen added in 1944. The applicant proposes knocking down the toilet block and modern rear extensions to provide “an opportunity to enhance the setting of the listed building and better reveal its original form and proportions”.

In place of the existing additions, a new rear extension is proposed. The design statement adds: “The extension has been designed as a clearly subordinate and contemporary intervention, ensuring that the historic building remains the dominant element of the site.”

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Emmerdale stars Charlotte Bellamy and Rosie Bentham have told The Mirror there’s some big scenes ahead for their characters Laurel and Gabby Thomas after a twist on the ITV soap

Emmerdale is lining up a huge and worrying new storyline for Gabby Thomas it seems.

After recent hints in spoilers about a clean living plot for the character, actress Rosie Bentham has now told The Mirror it will send her character down an “obsessive” path. As Gabby is rejected by Ross Barton who is instead enjoying a fling with Gabby’s stepmother Laurel Thomas, it leads to a “big storyline’ for Gabby,

Charlotte Bellamy, who plays Laurel, said it will all leave her character feeling guilty due to where the plot is heading. As Charlotte talked of the “much bigger story” on the way, Rosie explained: “I feel like this is a little bit deeper for Gabby actually. It kind of makes her go, yes, we’ve been here before, but men are just not something that’s going well for Gabby at the minute.

“And it’s just the ultimate rejection really. Gabby and Vinny ended that relationship quite a while ago now and she’s seen him move on, he’s obviously happy with Lewis. She’s kind of in a little bit of limbo right now.

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“She’s obviously focused on work and everything like that but is still craving that male validation, but also kind of wants to take control of her life and be that young businesswoman, and be successful and all of that. I think she sees Ross as a little bit of fun. I don’t think she wants a fully-committed relationship, but she’s also just very easily led by attractive young men.

“He kind of says, ‘there’s obviously been a miscommunication here,’ and she’s like, you’ve literally been flirting with me non-stop, what it feels like to her for however long.

“It’s disappointing, and she is obviously completely humiliated, but that propels her into wanting to take control, forget men, and she wants to be the best version of herself.

“She starts trying to eat clean, and body image starts becoming really important to her. I think obviously with that rejection, and seeing Vinny all over the village absolutely fine makes her be like, let’s take control of our lives, we don’t need anybody else, and unfortunately that does become a bit obsessive, but I’m not quite sure where that’s going to go yet.”

Rosie went on: “It’s prevalent. I’m really, really excited to see what is gonna happen in the next year. It’s gonna be really good. This is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s where it all starts.

“I feel like she’s always had that want to prove herself. She’s a 24-year-old girl and so social media and everything is so, especially, you’ve got to shrink yourself to feel validated and feel part of society and find your place.

“Getting rejected on top of that, it spirals and I think she’s looking for something else to put a focus on and what can be seen as quite a healthy thing, investing in your health and everything, at what point does that become an obsession and unhealthy? So it’s where that’s going to go which I actually don’t know yet, but it will be exciting to see.”

On what the future looks like for Laurel and Gabby once the truth comes out, Charlotte told us: “We haven’t actually filmed that. We haven’t read it yet, but yeah, there will be that kind of like, oh god.

“The morale dilemma. I do decide that it’s just for fun. Which I guess, down the line, I’ll feel terribly guilty for, obviously, with where it’s going.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus’ exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Kyiv on Monday as the Ukrainian capital cleaned up after Russia’s biggest missile attack of the year, and world leaders kept a close eye on how much support the Belarusian government is ready to provide for Moscow’s all-out invasion.

Russia and ally Belarus held joint nuclear drills last week, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned in recent days that Belarus could provide a launchpad for Russia to open a new front in northern Ukraine. Some Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarusian territory in Moscow’s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

In a further sign of concern, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday about the war in Ukraine, their first call since the invasion began.

Russia warns of more ‘systemic strikes’

Further “systemic strikes” on Kyiv are in store, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday. It urged foreign citizens, including members of diplomatic missions, to leave the city as quickly as possible and told residents to stay away from military and government facilities.

The ministry said Friday’s deadly Ukrainian drone strike on a college dormitory in Starobilsk was “the final straw.” Ukraine said it hit only targets supporting Russia’s invasion.

The Russian army is locked in a hard and costly slog on the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line that mostly snakes through eastern and southern Ukraine.

“Russia hit a dead-end on the battlefield, so it terrorizes Ukraine with deliberate strikes on city centers,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said on X, after the weekend barrage that killed two people and damaged buildings across the Ukrainian capital.

With U.S.-made air defense missiles in short supply because of the Iran war, Russian missiles are harder for Ukraine to stop. Meanwhile, U.S. efforts to stop the fighting have stalled.

Countries keep a wary eye on Belarus

In his call with Lukashenko, Macron “underscored the risks for Belarus of allowing itself to be dragged into Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” according to a presidential aide in the French leader’s office who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with the presidential palace’s practices. Macron also spoke Sunday with Zelenskyy.

A terse readout released by the Belarusian presidential press service said the call with Macron took place “on the French side’s initiative” and the leaders discussed “regional issues” and Belarusian relations with the EU and France.

Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya on her first visit to Kyiv, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “Lukashenko’s regime knows well what needs to be done to improve ties with the European Union, but it isn’t happening. Instead, hybrid attacks, nuclear blackmail and threats to the entire region.

Speaking after meeting with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, Tsikhanouskaya said that “Ukraine is defending not only its independence but also the right of our peoples to live without imperial dictatorship, without violence and fear.”

“I am convinced that Ukraine’s victory will open the way to Belarus’s freedom,” she told a news conference.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who appeared alongside Tsikhanouskaya, emphasized that “Ukraine consistently differentiates between the regime that has dragged Belarus into Russian aggression and the Belarusian people,” adding that “we appreciate the contribution of Belarusian volunteers, journalists, human rights advocates and activists who are fighting for freedom, both ours and yours.”

Lukashenko, who has governed his country of some 9.5 million people with an iron fist for more than three decades, relies on the Kremlin for cheap energy, loans and other support. Western countries have repeatedly slapped sanctions on Belarus, including for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory to invade Ukraine.

More recently, Lukashenko has been trying to improve ties with the West. Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Lukashenko has released hundreds of political prisoners as part of deals that lifted some U.S. sanctions.

Russia fires hypersonic missile at Ukraine

Sunday’s bombardment included Russia’s powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile, which can carry multiple warheads. Russian President Vladimir Putin has boasted it can travel up to 10 times the speed of sound and evade air defense systems.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence services had received tipoffs from the United States and European countries that Russia was preparing to launch an Oreshnik.

In addition to the two deaths, at least 91 people were wounded in Sunday’s barrage, according to Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Administration.

Shattered glass littered sidewalks on Monday after Ukrainian authorities said the assault damaged buildings across the city, including near government offices, residential buildings, schools and a market.

Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, led ambassadors from more than 70 countries on a visit to the sites of the strikes. He urged the international community to step up pressure on Moscow and ensure Ukraine gets more air defense assets.

In other developments:

Russia’s Federal Security Service said divers found magnetic mines attached to the hull of a liquefied petroleum gas tanker in the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga. The tanker Arrhenius was bound for Samsun, Turkey, it said, adding that the limpet mines were made in a NATO member country. Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.

Meanwhile, a Russian missile hit a business in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Derhachi, killing two people and wounding 19 others Monday, Kharkiv regional administration head Oleh Syniehubov said. Seventeen people were hospitalized.

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Associated Press writer John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Rome was not built in a day, but as Brighton inflicted back-to-back defeats on Manchester City at the start of the 2025/26 season, it felt like Pep Guardiola was fiddling while his empire burnt. The manager had no answers to young upstart Fabian Hurzeler and looked spent with his team a faded force and a mess with just one day of the summer transfer window to go.

To say the Club World Cup had felt like a rebirth for City after a season to forget, with players and manager finding their smile again as they lapped up beach days in Florida, by the time they landed in Sicily for their only pre-season friendly Guardiola’s warmth had boiled over. With just a week to go until the season started, as he sweated away in a beautiful villa that was seriously lacking air-con, the manager made clear to the reporters in the room that some serious fires needed to be put out with all three of his options in defensive midfield unavailable.

The whole season has arguably been defined by this battle, with a number of players burning bright and then fizzling out. Nico Gonzalez has started more consecutive games (15) than any other teammate in this campaign, yet found himself left out of the squad entirely in the final weeks; Mateo Kovacic did not start a league game until May after complications with his Achilles injury, while Rodri took over from Gonzalez in January with 11 consecutive starts after wondering if he would ever make it back to his best in a fitful start to his campaign, but his absence in the final weeks proved costly.

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A club that prides itself on not being overly reliant on any one player has found replacing their Ballon d’Or winner arguably more challenging this year. City have signed four midfield players aimed to ease the burden on Rodri since 2022 at a cost of nearly £175m and it does not reflect well on the recruitment team that none of them were consistently trusted or able to help with that responsibility this season; no wonder talks over a summer move for Elliot Anderson have been underway for so long.

And yet, the empire has still managed to strike back. Guardiola bows out at the top of his game, the squad is looking a lot more positive for sporting director Hugo Viana, and two more trophies have been added to a glittering collection as the painful goodbyes that have taken place over the last two days in Manchester have not dampened the optimism for a bright blue future.

The bedrock of the midfield has been Bernardo Silva, rejuvenated by the captaincy and a desire to prove that last season was not evidence of him no longer being good enough. He leaves this summer as a club legend and goes out on a high knowing he earned his place as the fourth most-used player this year.

As much as the problem with the Rodri role has followed City from Sicily to Selhurst Park, Silva has been a big factor in the team overcoming that issue so consistently. As Guardiola sweated back in August, horribly over-dressed for a Palermo villa lacking air-conditioning, the man who had been made captain was pouring oil on the bonfire of last season.

The Portugal international made clear the biggest priority was not winning but effort and respect, putting the standards back into the squad that he felt had unacceptably vanished after a fourth consecutive title. A man who Vincent Kompany had said was ’50 per cent leader, 50 per cent clown’ when he was at City made clear that joking around was only allowed while standards on the training pitch were being maintained.

He has surprised players with how hands-on he has been, a pitbull when there is football to be played but otherwise warm and personal, making everyone feel welcome in the squad. Even academy players who were around for last season noticed a stark improvement in both mood and standards this year as Silva’s two-pronged approach worked a treat.

Morale in the squad has been kept tight all year, with injured players asked to remain in and around the training ground in order not only to feel part of it for themselves but also to help the group. Those who haven’t been able to play have had it made clear to them that they are still expected to play a role as they work their way back.

Silva has also helped to reconnect with the fans after that fell apart last year. Some gestures, such as refunding tickets in January after the Bodo/Glimt defeat, were unnecessary yet that only proved how genuine the efforts have been to show supporters that they care. The fans have once again been treated to some fantastic away days, and recognising them on their travels has been a small but meaningful step.

Slowly but surely, the pieces have slotted into place for Guardiola. He hasn’t been able to rely on too many players for the whole season – Gonzalez and Phil Foden were hot and cold, Gianluigi Donnarumma has been up and down and even Erling Haaland lost his form over winter – and too many of his squad have been unable to contribute as they were expected to.

Guardiola and his successor have Viana to thank for securing Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo in the January transfer window. City were really struggling after injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, so to be able to bring in two fresh faces to a flagging squad really made an immediate impact.

That helped City to bring in another two trophies and so nearly brought three as Guardiola rose to a new challenge. Nico O’Reilly, Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov and Jeremy Doku have all come on immensely this year and enough parts of the puzzle came together for the manager to be feeling confident in February that City could even dethrone Arsenal in the Premier League.

Guardiola said last week that he left because he does not think he would have the energy to go again next year but those who saw him at the training ground all year remarked on how much passion there was. Standards were driven up again, with one academy player feeling it when they were unceremoniously booted out of training for not showing enough of the right attitude; when that happens, as it has on occasion, Guardiola does not tend to give a second chance.

He also doesn’t expect second chances, which is why March was so crushing for the manager. Having entered the month feeling like City were ready to topple Arsenal, draws with Nottingham Forest and West Ham hit the coach hard – especially because at that point he was finalising plans to leave the club.

They would get it back in their hands, as well as two cups, after a pulsating 2-1 win over the Gunners in April that is up there among the best at the Etihad during his tenure. It ultimately wouldn’t be enough for the league as City weren’t consistent enough, as many had expected, but Guardiola still enjoyed a glorious farewell in front of his own fans on an emotional final day at the Etihad.

And as scary as the future looks without the best manager in the world, Guardiola has set out his reasons for believing that there is nothing to be worried about with Enzo Maresca at the helm.

“When the club tells me which one it is, of course I will call him. I will tell him the same like I said on Friday: be yourself. The club will support you unconditionally and that is the biggest compliment and the biggest luck that all manager here have Txiki, now Hugo and Ferran and especially the work of Khaldoon. Be yourself. You will be protected in the bad moments more than any other club. Be free with your ideas, work a lot and everything will be fine. Fans don’t forget winning the Trebles and cups are the exception. When you win two titles in a season and the other one you are there in almost the last corner, take value in that. It’s so difficult. And they value that [being there].

“This business is so complicated. When you do something and you win one game here in the Etihad, celebrate it and enjoy it. Go to the pubs of Manchester and take a good beer. Celebrate it. After that, demand the players run and fight and defend this club. The rest, every single step give credit. If you come here thinking with what we have done now we have to win 27 Premier Leagues in a row it will be a big mistake.

“When we arrived here, we built. My message was always win that game. League One or Carabao Cup, win the game, and we will see what happens. That is the best way to move on and I’m pretty sure knowing the people here that it is going to happen.

“They are stubborn, they know exactly what they want to do and they know perfectly that the opponents are so tough here and in Europe. We don’t take trophies for granted, we won finals against Arsenal and Chelsea – I wouldn’t say they are not good teams.

“We fought against a team like Aston Villa, who won the Europa League. Top teams. I would only like to say to the fans that every single step, don’t wait to win the Premier League or Champions League to be happy. Enjoy the process. I know all the players here will do it.”

City have lost their emperor and their general, but there has been enough this season to believe there won’t be any sackings anytime soon.

Tottenham say “football success had not been driving our decisions” as non-executive chairman Peter Charrington admitted failings and vowed to rebuild in an open letter to the club’s supporters.

Spurs narrowly avoided relegation with a 1-0 win against Everton on the final day of the Premier League season, finishing 17th for the second season in a row after a difficult campaign that Charrington said fell “well short” of expectations.

“Last September, we recognised that something seismic had to change at Spurs,” wrote Charrington, who was appointed to the Spurs board in March 2025.

“The Lewis family stepped in and authorised a full reset. That decision was not taken lightly, and it came later than it should have.”

That reset coincided with Daniel Levy stepping down after nearly 25 years as executive chairman, with sources indicating the decision was taken to improve sporting performance.

“As part of that process, we discovered some uncomfortable truths,” Charrington added.

“The qualities that make Spurs distinct, our football, our ambition, the connection between the team and its supporters, had been allowed to fade. Football success had not been driving our decisions.

“We did not have the right expertise in key roles. We did not build squads good enough to compete in the most demanding league in the world.”

Charrington was in attendance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Sunday’s season finale along with Vivienne Lewis, representing the family who own Spurs, her son-in-law Nick Beucher and the club’s finance officer Matthew Collecott.

Now under manager Roberto de Zerbi, Spurs needed a point on the final day to avoid their first relegation from the top flight since 1977 – and only a third home league win of the season ensured they sent West Ham down instead.

Charrington added that Spurs have since restructured their football operations, with refreshed executive and football teams, and further appointments expected in the coming weeks.

The chairman also backed De Zerbi, who signed a five-year contract when joining in March, “to build back to where we need to be”, saying the Italian “represents the kind of football and ambition that Tottenham should stand for.”

It comes after Spurs midfielders James Maddison and Conor Gallagher credited De Zerbi, who became the club’s third manager this season after Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, with saving the club from relegation.

“Without that appointment, disaster could have maybe struck, but it didn’t and he takes a lot of credit for that because of the work he’s done behind the scenes and on the training pitch,” Maddison said.

Gallagher added: “From the first day or two he had everyone under his wing. Everyone trusted him instantly and everything he was doing – it was like ‘thank God he’s come in’ straight away.”

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes firmly defended his character and achievements as he accused Roy Keane of telling a “lie” about his pursuit of the Premier League assists record.

Fernandes said Keane had put untrue “words in my mouth” on a recent podcast appearance and he hopes to contact the United legend to set him straight.

Keane described Fernandes as being at the centre of a “circus act” following United’s 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on the penultimate weekend of the season.

He suggested the Portugal international was prioritising individual assists glory over the team’s interests in his eagerness to set the single-season record.

Speaking on podcast The Overlap, Keane had said: “After the [Forest] game he got interviewed and he said, the captain of Manchester United said: ‘A few times, I probably should have shot but I made them passes.’ Wow. How can your mindset of a footballer be going into a match to be about an individual record? He won’t be winning trophies, not with that mindset of the team.”

Fernandes’ actual post-match comments were: “There were probably moments today when I should have passed instead of shot. I’m very happy for the assist, but more than that, I’m happy for the win and to finish the season on a high.”

Former Republic of Ireland and United captain Keane appeared to have misinterpreted Fernandes’ comments rather than sought to distort the truth.

Keane posted a drawing of a braying donkey on Instagram on Monday evening, following Fernandes’ response, with the caption “Too much attention makes a donkey think he’s a lion”. It sparked speculation the comment was retaliation aimed at Fernandes, but Keane did not specify that.

Fernandes registered a record-equalling 20th assist of the season in United’s win against Forest, and then took the record outright on the final day in the victory at Brighton. It moved him past the mark set by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne.

His anger over Keane’s comments was clear as he told podcast The Diary of a CEO: “Like I’ve always said, I don’t mind criticism. I’ve always taken criticism from everyone and anyone and I never reply to anything or whatsoever.

“People have an opinion; they think it’s good, bad, whatever. What I don’t like is when people lie about things and [in] this case that you said about Roy Keane basically what he said is a lie because… either he saw some other interview or he can’t say that I said one thing that I’ve just not said and luckily for me is everything on record.

“I accept his criticism, I accept that he might like me as a player or not, like me as a person or not. But what I don’t like is that he puts words in my mouth that have not been said. That’s the only thing I don’t like.”

Fernandes is not the first player in the current squad to have voiced disapproval towards a United great.

Earlier this season, Lisandro Martinez was involved in a spat with Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt after they made comments about his height and ability to compete with Erling Haaland in the Manchester derby.