The intergalactic space warrior and leader of the Recyclons has contested more elections than most people have had bin lid breakfasts. He took time out from conquering galactic empires to speak to Beth Abbit about his intentions in Makerfield.

If you lose in Makerfield, what will you blame it on? “The voters probably,” says Count Binface, in strident mood.

With only a few days to go before Makerfield residents go to the polls, the intergalactic space warrior is ramping up his campaign to become the next Member of Parliament for Makerfield. And he has just released his secret weapon – a cover version of Cher’s Walking In Memphis.

His ‘party political broadcast’ replaces the name of the Tennessee city with that of the Greater Manchester constituency.

“So how about voting for Binface?” he croons in a tone that I suspect may have been improved with autotune.

“I’m standing for the people of Makerfield. Voting for Binface. I’ll treat you to a babby’s yed on me,” as the old song goes.

Though both Labour’s Andy Burnham and Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon claim this byelection is a ‘two-horse race’, the Count isn’t so sure. After all, he gained 24,260 votes during the 2024 London mayoral election – 3,741 more votes than the Britain First candidate Nick Scanlon.

But for some reason, the Count hasn’t even been mentioned in the polling on Makerfield. It doesn’t seem to worry him. He hopes to pick up “at least five” votes on Thursday.

“That’s the plan,” he says, optimistically. “I believe no candidate in British political history has ever scored zero.”

When we speak on a rainy afternoon, the Count is not in Makerfield. He is rather coy about his exact location, but assures me he is on Planet Earth.

As it turns out, he is only available to speak using the power of video technology while he walks through a wooded area with his ‘binling’. Sadly for all involved, his face is hidden from view during our interview.

But the publicity images and his broadcasts show him to be a rather regal character, dressed at all times in black and silver armour, a magnificent cape and a bin-based helmet.

So what can this very busy intergalactic warrior and leader of the Recyclons offer the people of Makerfield? And what does he say to those who claim he is just using the byelection as a stepping stone in his career before heading off to conquer other Galactic empires?

“How dare you?!” he asks. “I am an intergalactic space warrior.

“And I have been to the Greater Manchester area and the Makerfield constituency at least once. So I believe I know everything I need to in order to put it on the interstellar map.”

What does he think of the so called ‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham? And can he beat him?

“My job is not to unseat him,” he says. “He would get to remain Mayor of Greater Manchester if he loses. He’s trying to do a runner from us, isn’t he.”

He adds: “Andy Burnham is a cheeky man.”

If Mr Burnham does win the byelection, it would of course leave an opening for the role of mayor. Is that a job Count Binface would like to take on?

“Do you know nothing of my work?,” he asks, accusingly. “I have run in Parliamentary and mayoral elections in London and across the country.” I have my answer it seems.

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For a man with a bin for head, Count Binface seems to have a striking amount of local knowledge. He mentions the roadworks in Ashton town centre, ‘The Tom and Jerry’ and Wigan Warriors.

It’s almost as though he has thoroughly researched a few talking points in advance of our conversation.

His election slogan is ‘Makerfield Great Again’ and I ask what this means, perhaps naively assuming that it’s a play on Donald Trump’s famous slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’. The Count very gently and kindly gives me an explanation.

“‘Makerfield’ – that’s a place. ‘Great’, that means something that’s very good and ‘Again’, that means it will happen once more.”

With that cleared up, we move on to policy. In his Makerfield Manifesto the Count promises to bring back Ceefax for the entire Greater Manchester area, regenerate the £6.6m Ashton regeneration scheme and rename HS2 as ‘FFS1’.

On Ceefax he already claims some credit. “I have succeeded to some extent because I went to the BBC and they agreed at Christmas to let me bring back Ceefax. Granted it was on the radio, but it’s a start,” he says.

The Count has also promised to cut taxes and raise everyone else’s. I ask how this might affect the bond markets.

“I would suggest to the bond markets that they might like to ease how they react,” he says. “And who are these Bonds anyway? Is it James Bond? Nigel Bond? Samantha Bond?”

As the interview progresses, I try to get to the heart of the man behind the mask. Aside from politics, what are his hobbies and interests?

“I’m glad you asked,” he says, explaining that he has plenty of time for fun when he’s not conquering galactic empires and leading the Recyclons.

“I do enjoy watching the Lovejoy boxset from end to beginning – and that’s important,” he says. He names Tinker as his favourite character and admits a fondness for his signature beret.

It is, he says, an accessory he greatly admires. He is rather put out when I ask if it would fit on his head. Or indeed if he even has a head.

“I do have a head, yes. Your world and mine have all manner of epoxies, I’m sure I could make it work,” he says, defensively.

When asked about his favourite Greater Manchester band, he names the Happy Mondays. But one of the most illuminating parts of the interview comes when I ask what his perfect day out would look like.

“I would get a kinky afro,” he says. “Then visit Ashton in Makerfield and Galloways Bakery for a full monty bin lid breakfast.

“I would take full advantage of the two and a half hours free parking at the Gerard Centre and have a quick pint at The Sir Thomas Gerard – or ‘The Tom and Jerry’ as us locals call it.

“Then I would pay homage to rugby league. It’s my perfect day.”

Kaiser Ali directed the Kes Bluey line using an illicit mobile phone to give orders to his lieutenants on the outside. The Nawaz brothers Umar and Usman operated from a base in Bolton supplying cocaine to drug users in and around Burnley.

Mohammed Masood acted as the gang’s banker, paying the street dealers and taking payment for drugs.

The gang were jailed following an investigation by Lancashire Police.

Kaiser Ali, 28, of HMP Altcourse was jailed for nine years four months.

Umar Nawaz, 27, of Chorley Old Road, Bolton was jailed for six years two months.

Usman Nawaz, 25, of Chorley Old Road, Bolton was jailed for four years six months.

Mohammed Abdullah, 20 of Church Road, Bolton, was jailed for three years.

All pleaded to conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Mohammed Masood, 20, of Chorley Old Road, Bolton was given a 12-month suspended sentence for money laundering.

Sgt Stu Peall said: ““We will not rest in our efforts to tackle those who bring misery to our communities by dealing in illegal drugs. We will dismantle these gangs and put those involved before the courts.”

The road is closed between Glossop and Ladybower Reservoir until Friday 3 July, with the closure coming into place today to enable the work to take place.

This will involve two drilling rigs being used to identify the scope and causes of ground movement at the site, to help identify a potential repair solution.

The drilling rigs used will completely block the road.

Snake Pass is one of the county’s most challenging roads, with around 30,000 vehicles using the route between Manchester and Sheffield each week.

Featuring steep gradients, sharp bends and difficult geology, it has experienced significant landslips in recent years.

Initial ground surveys have already been undertaken at the three other remaining landslip sites on Snake Pass: Alport, Gillot Hey and Wood Cottage.

These areas require further investigations to devise a long-term fix.

Funded by £7.6 million from the Government’s Safer Roads Fund, the work includes the installation of new safety barriers designed to better protect motorcyclists and road marking upgrades.

Other routine maintenance works will also be carried out during the closure, as part of our new fence-to-fence approach to road closures.

To keep disruption to a minimum, other works will also take place, including: pothole and patching repairs, drainage work to clear blocked gullies and drainage channels, litter picking, sign cleaning, and vegetation cutting to improve visibility.

The maintenance works form part of our wider £70 million capital programme to improve and protect the county’s roads.

Cabinet Member for Highways, Cllr Charlotte Hill said: “This work is an important step forward in securing the long-term future of Snake Pass.

“We know how vital this route is for residents, businesses and visitors, and we are committed to finding a solution to the landslip issues that have affected it for several years.

“Unfortunately, there is no simple solution.

“By carrying out these detailed investigations now, we are building the evidence needed to develop a permanent, long-term plan for fixing the road once and for all alongside our partners in the East Midlands Combined County Authority and the government.

“We apologise for any inconvenience, but doing this work now will hopefully reduce future disruption and create a far more resilient route in the years ahead.”

A signed diversion route will be in place via the A6013, A6187, B6049, A623, A6, A6015, A624 and A57.

Once the initial investigation and safety improvement work is complete, the road will reopen with temporary traffic lights in place while further safety barrier improvements are carried out during the summer.

Peter Murrell bought gifts for years on the significant date as calls for an inquiry grow.

Crooked Peter Murrell treated himself to more than £300 of household goods on his birthday with stolen SNP money. The conman was also accused of using nicked cash for a Kindle on his big day but the allegation was struck off by prosecutors.

Part of his plea deal also involved dropping claims he bought a shower head on the day of his dad’s funeral.

Murrell is facing a jail term next week after he pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 of SNP funds over a 12-year period as party chief executive.

The estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon admitted stealing the cash to pay for two cars and a motorhome, as well as a host of luxury and everyday items for his own personal gain.

A copy of the indictment reveals the fraudster swindling his own party on his December 8 birthday. On that date in 2015 – around a year after his wife became First Minister – the birthday boy purchased £255 of TreeWool bath sheets.

In 2021, he welcomed his birthday by shelling out £45.45 on a metal basket rolling cart. He also raided £112,050 from an SNP bank account on the day before his birthday in 2020 to help pay for the motorhome.

A plea deal agreed between the Crown Office and Murrell’s legal team resulted in £58,735 of low-value goods getting axed from the case.

These included a £169 Kindle, wooden hangers worth £16.99 and tealight holders worth £211.60, which were bought on his birthdays in 2012, 2016 and 2018.

The original indictment accused Murrell of spending £37.20 on a Mira shower head on November 18, 2019. This was the same day as his late father Henry’s funeral at the crematorium in Dunfermline.

An obituary referred to him as a “devoted” father to “Peter” and a “much loved father-in-law to Nicola”. The term of the plea deal revealed the shower head purchase was dropped by the prosecution.

Last night, political opponents claimed Murrell’s birthday spending spree showed the need for a full inquiry into the SNP finance scandal.

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Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said: “Peter Murrell’s birthday spending sprees raise yet more questions about how his theft went undetected for so long.

“If John Swinney and the SNP have nothing to hide, they should have nothing to fear from a Parliamentary inquiry – but last week they voted to block one and stop Scots getting the answers they deserve.”

Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said: “Peter Murrell didn’t only lavish Nicola Sturgeon with gifts and trinkets bought with stolen SNP cash – he also liked to treat himself.

“These revelations appear to be further evidence he was allowed to remove embarrassing purchases from his charge sheet as part of the secretive plea deal process.”

It is understood Murrell may offer to pay back the stolen money, which he swindled from SNP charge cards and their principal bank account, when he returns to court for sentencing next week.

Court documents say most of the SNP cash was donations, membership fees and legacies. Murrell falsified accounting records and created fake invoices to cover up his wrongdoing.

One of the vehicles he bought was a Volkswagen Golf car, which was later sold and the proceeds used towards buying a Jaguar I-Pace worth more than £81,000.

Court papers show a lengthy list of items he bought with the embezzled money, including a space telescope, DVDs, a home library ladder worth more than £900 and a coffee machine worth nearly £3232.

The court was also told about a robotic lawnmower purchased by Murrell for £3070. This was misdescribed as “legal fees” in the SNP’s accounting software.

A silver wine coaster worth £3500 was described as “leadership expenses”.

He also used SNP funds to buy almost £2000 on video gaming items over a 10-year period, beginning with a £247 purchase of a Sony PlayStation 3 console.

Sturgeon has claimed she knew nothing of Murrell’s activities during their marriage and when she was SNP leader.

At a Borders Book Festival event in Melrose, she was asked if she had ever noticed Murrell suffering from a “compulsive, impulsive personality disorder”.

She replied: “No, I didn’t.”

The disgraced former CEO is also under fire after successfully applying for legal aid despite earning a near six-figure salary.

The SNP are also in talks with HMRC about whether they claimed back tax on Murrell’s criminal purchases.

Party leader John Swinney said: “The issues in relation to the implications of Peter Murrell’s admission of guilt about the embezzlement of Scottish National Party funds does have potential implications in relation to the payment of taxation.

“It has been important that we have proactively raised these issues with HMRC in the light of what we now know about the criminal conviction.”

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A car has left the M62 after a crash this morning.

The major motorway is closed between J8 Burtonwood and J7 Rainhill following the single vehicle collision.

The carriageway has been closed to allow emergency services to response to the incident safely.

National Highways warn that delays are building and there is congestion on the approach.

This is a live news story, follow below for further updates.

Weeks after winning a historic Premier League title, Arsenal are refreshening their ranks after agreeing to let no fewer than 10 players leave as the transfer window gets underway

Arsenal are not resting on their laurels in the hunt for further success following this season’s Premier League title. In fact, the newly crowned kings of England have already agreed to 10 player departures this summer.

The summer transfer window is barely 24 hours old after opening on Monday and the Gunners are not wasting their time. No fewer than eight players had already agreed to leave the Emirates once their contracts expired at the end of this month.

However, Mikel Arteta‘s side have also agreed two more significant sales that could bring in more than £20million. And it’s possible two more deals could follow in the very near future that also add to Arsenal’s coffers as business gets underway.

Jakub Kiwior has agreed to join Porto on permanent terms after spending this season on loan in Portugal. After helping the Dragons lift the Primeira Liga title, they’ve decided to bring him in on a four-year deal for £14.7m (plus £4.3m in bonuses).

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That move could end up just about covering the £20m Arsenal invested to sign the Pole from Spezia in January 2023. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Karl Hein has agreed a £2.6m move to Werder Bremen having also spent this term on loan with the club.

Those are the only two summer moves already agreed that will generate any money for the club thus far. However, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson could also add to the bank balance depending on how the coming weeks shake out.

Vieira impressed on loan at Hamburg this term, while Nelson spent the campaign on loan at Brentford. Winger Nelson has already returned to the Emirates after the Bees opted not to pay his reported £15m permanent fee, though another move could follow.

It’s reported Hamburg have also allowed the £19m permanent clause in Vieira’s deal to expire following his loan. However, that doesn’t mean the deal is dead in the water amid speculation they’re trying to negotiate for a much small figure.

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As for free departures, Arsenal have said farewell to former club prospects Josh Nichols, Sam Chapman, Will Lannin-Sweet, Samuel Onyekachukwu, Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko, Harrison Dudziak, Seb Ferdinand and Cam’ron Ismail.

The likes of Ismail, Lannin-Sweet and Dudziak each spent time on loan away from north London this term before leaving on permanent terms. Ferdinand, 20, was among those to train with the first-team squad this season but will seek opportunities elsewhere instead.

Arsenal confirmed summer departures

Jakub Kiwior (Porto) – £14.7m (plus £4.3m in potential add-ons)

Karl Hein (Werder Bremen) – £2.6m

Josh Nichols – End of contract

Sam Chapman – End of contract

Will Lannin-Sweet – End of contract

Samuel Onyekachukwu – End of contract

Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko – End of contract

Harrison Dudziak – End of contract

Seb Ferdinand – End of contract

Cam’ron Ismail – End of contract

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A British expat who moved to Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada, shared her monthly living costs in a viral TikTok

Relocating overseas is no small task, bringing with it unexpected financial challenges. However, one British woman living abroad has disclosed a particular expense that left her reeling after her move to Canada.

Louise Ware-Armstrong, a lifestyle and travel content creator who swapped the UK for Niagara Falls in Ontario, recently posted a TikTok video detailing her monthly outgoings. While rent, bills and domestic costs were roughly what she’d anticipated, one vital service proved substantially pricier than in Britain.

“One of the most expensive bills in Canada is your phone plan,” she revealed in the video, which has garnered over 11,000 likes. “You cannot find a cheap phone plan anywhere.”

Louise revealed that her combined monthly spend on mobile, broadband and television services totals approximately 400 Canadian dollars (£215). She explained: “For my phone and my internet in my house and my TV package, so for all three of them comes to around $400 a month, which is literally crazy.

“You couldn’t find a phone plan when I first moved here for less than $60 a month without the phone.”

Her comments ignited discussion amongst followers, with many acknowledging this represents a substantial cost-of-living concern in Canada.

Data from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) shows mobile tariffs have decreased recently, though global studies consistently place Canada amongst the costlier nations for telecommunications provision.

According to price comparison site WhistleOut, the typical Canadian mobile phone bill sits at approximately CA$64 (£34) each month – considerably steeper than UK rates, where regulator Ofcom has previously indicated average monthly mobile expenditure ranges between £15 and £20 based on contract type.

Multiple industry analyses have consistently positioned Canada amongst the pricier nations for mobile phone provision, primarily attributed to reduced market competition and elevated infrastructure expenses.

The vlogger was detailing her complete monthly expenditure following her relocation from Britain to Niagara Falls. She disclosed paying 1,650 Canadian dollars in rent for a two-bedroom property, with additional separate charges for electricity, gas and water utilities.

Nevertheless, the expense of her phone and internet provision proved most striking, with Louise characterising the bill as amongst the most significant financial surprises encountered since moving overseas.

Struggling to fall asleep? Reporter Fiona shares her experience with cognitive shuffling

It’s a feeling countless Brits are familiar with – lying awake in bed, shattered but unable to drop off, frantically trying to force yourself to sleep. You check your mobile, which displays “3am” – merely four hours until the alarm sounds for work.

You might be completely knackered and have stuck to all the expert recommendations – avoiding screens and caffeine before bed, yet somehow, sleep remains elusive. That was my situation last week, over four nights in a row where I would finally drift off at roughly 6am, not long before I need to wake up.

The reason was quite obvious – the second my head touched the pillow, my thoughts would start racing out of control. However, having wrestled with periods of insomnia throughout my life, those entirely unexplained sleepless nights are nothing unusual for me.

Thankfully, during the fifth night, I remembered some advice from Doctor Amir Khan. In a clip shared recently on his Instagram page, Dr Amir revealed a technique known as cognitive shuffling.

This is an approach that indicates to your brain that it’s “safe to sleep”. He proposed that this could work as an effective “alternative” to counting sheep, proving especially helpful when your mind is “too active” to let you sleep.

Having tried numerous sleep methods over the years, cognitive shuffling is undoubtedly one of the most simple I’ve come across – one where I can remember each stage without requiring to check it again.

Essentially, the steps are:

• Think of a word, ideally one containing a diverse mix of letters
• For each letter in that word, you need to think of another word beginning with that letter and picture it clearly in your head
• Keep going until you’ve run out of words starting with that letter before progressing to the next
• If you’re still awake once you’ve finished the word, simply choose another one

In the clip, Dr Amir selected the word “bed” as his example. For whatever reason, the first word that sprang to my mind that night was “basketball”.

I was surprised by the sheer number of words beginning with “B” I was able to find. “Bed” appeared first, undoubtedly influenced by Dr Amir’s suggestion, then “ball”, but then “bologna” and “bolognese”, followed by “bad”.

I continued with “B” for much longer – refusing to give up. Finally, I progressed to “A”, where I considered “ants”, “Australia”, “angry”, and “acne”. But at some point along the way, I did fall asleep.

I’ve got no recollection of considering the letter “S”, which suggests to me I must have nodded off after just two letters. It almost seems absurd – to have lost so many nights of sleep only for this to prove the answer.

Where did it originate?

Cognitive shuffling was brought into the mainstream by Canada-based researcher Luc P. Beaudoin more than a decade ago, after he published his paper examining how what he called “serial diverse imagining” could help with sleep.

The method seeks to replicate the thought patterns of those who sleep well by mimicking the dream-like and scattered thinking they typically experience before nodding off.

According to The Conversation, Beaudoin’s research differentiates between two categories of sleep-related thinking: insomnolent (or sleep-preventing) and pro-somnolent (sleep-encouraging) thoughts. Insomnolent thinking encompasses activities like worrying, planning, rehearsing, and dwelling on perceived problems or shortcomings.

Pro-somnolent thoughts, on the other hand, involve thinking that can assist you in falling asleep, such as dream-like images or keeping a peaceful, relaxed mental state. Cognitive shuffling functions to distract from or interrupt insomnolent thinking. It provides a calm, neutral route for your busy mind, and can lessen the anxiety linked to sleeplessness.

Cognitive shuffling also signals to your brain that you are prepared for sleep. The act of “shuffling” between various thoughts mirrors the way your brain naturally moves into sleep. Throughout this transition towards sleep, brain activity decreases.

Your brain begins to produce unconnected images and brief scenes, called hypnagogic hallucinations, without any deliberate attempt to interpret them. By replicating these fragmented, disjointed and random thought patterns, cognitive shuffling might help facilitate your transition from being awake to falling asleep.

When to consult a GP

The NHS advises that the typical adult requires between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. On average, children require nine to 13 hours, while toddlers and babies need 12 to 17 hours.

The health body recommends you should consult a GP if:

• Altering your sleeping habits hasn’t improved your insomnia
• You’ve experienced difficulty sleeping for months
• Your insomnia is impacting your daily life in a manner that makes it difficult for you to manage

An outline planning application has been submitted with North Yorkshire Council for the development on land off Whitby Road, Pickering, by Keyland Developments Ltd.

Planning chiefs at North Yorkshire Council will recommend that the application is approved when the Thirsk and Malton area planning committee meets on Thursday next week.

The recommendation comes despite officers acknowledging that the site lies beyond the town’s defined development limits.

A report prepared ahead of next week’s meeting states that in “normal circumstances, the principle of development would not be supported” due to

conflict with local plan policy.

However, officers note that the authority is unable to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing land, as now required by the government.

Where that target cannot be met, the balance tips in favour of planning applications for housing being approved.

The report adds: “The proposal would generate localised economic benefits, including job creation during the construction period, albeit this would be temporary.

“Social benefits include increased housing supply, including policy-compliant levels of affordable housing which are given significant weight. There are further social, health and well-being benefits arising from the provision of public open space with play facilities and environmental enhancement in the form of biodiversity net gain.

“With the ‘tilted’ balance applied, it adds further weight to the position that permission should be granted.”

The scheme would provide a mix of housing, including 35 per cent affordable homes, alongside areas of public open space, landscaping and biodiversity improvements.

A series of planning conditions are also proposed covering matters including drainage, noise mitigation, landscaping, ecology and biodiversity enhancements.

The council has received 15 objections from local residents, with one respondent supporting the scheme.

Objectors raised concerns about highway safety and increased traffic congestion, arguing that access to the site is inadequate.

They also questioned whether local services and infrastructure could cope with the additional homes, citing concerns over drainage capacity, environmental impacts and effects on local ecology.

The facility would be open seven days a week

Plans have been submitted to expand a walking facility for “sensitive dogs” on part of an agricultural farm in Wittering. The proposal would see part of a field at Grange Farm, near to RAF Wittering, converted into a fenced dog-walking paddock, along with a parking area for up to 10 cars.

The applicant, Grange Farm, said the additional paddock would enable the facilities to be rotated, helping to prevent disease.

A planning statement says: “The rise is secure dog-walking facilities, where dogs are able to run without the restriction of a lead, has greatly enhanced the exercise options for such dogs and has brought about a significant improvement in quality of life for both the dogs and their keepers.”

It stated the site would operate on a booking system, with sessions available in 30-minute or one hour slots. Each booking would allow for up to 10 dogs per session.

The walking area will be fenced with a six-feet tall wooden post and livestock netting fence where dogs can run free off the lead. The plans said the enclosure was important for dogs that are unable to be walked safely in public spaces.

The facility would be open seven days a week during daylight hours, as no lighting would be installed. The anticipated hours would be between 6.30am and 9pm at the height of the summer, with reduced hours as daylight hours shorten. The shortest winter opening times are expected to be between 8am to 4pm.

Peterborough City Council will now decide on the planning application.