St Kevin’s Primary parent council organised the gathering, with activities including sports, live performances, stalls, food, face painting and bouncy castles.

Hundreds of excited locals gathered at St Kevin’s Community Hub in Bargeddie for a community event bringing together families, local organisations, businesses and performers.

St Kevin’s Primary parent council organised the Community Fun Day at the new school and community hub, with activities including sports, live performances, stalls, food, face painting and bouncy castles.

The event was organised by a small team of parent council volunteers and attracted a turnout which surprised even some of those who had expected the day to be busy.

The original idea for the Fun Day came from parent council member Rachael Kennedy, who proposed holding an event which could bring families together while making use of the new community facilities.

“I don’t think any of us realised just how much the idea would grow,” she said.

The scale of the response was praised by Coatbridge MSP Fulton MacGregor, who said he had been taken aback by just how many people attended.

Mr MacGregor added: “The parent council – all you guys – have done absolutely brilliantly.

“I’m astounded by how busy it is. I did think it would be busy because I know you’ve got a very good reputation and Bargeddie is a close-knit community, but I think just how busy it has been has really caught everybody by surprise.

“I can’t remember a community event recently that has been as busy as this.”

Coatbridge West councillor Gary Robinson said: “Look at the amount of people who have come together here today.

“There are hundreds and hundreds of people seeing what this community hub has got to offer, and it’s just a fantastic day.

“If you look at the range of activities that are available for families, the amount of stalls that are here and the number of organisations represented, it’s absolutely fantastic.”

Councillor Michael McBride, convener of the education, children and families committee, also highlighted the importance of community-led events in bringing residents together and opening local facilities to a wider audience.

He added that parent councils also had an important role within schools and needed support to help them develop activities and opportunities for families.

The Fun Day was made possible with support from a number of businesses, with nearby Viridor providing the largest contribution.

Other sponsors included Money & Me Solicitors, Kane Building & Landscape, Archiplan Glasgow, ATG Plumbing & Heating, The Princess Bar in Riddrie and AM Fagan Estate Agents.

Suzanne McLean, community benefits officer at Viridor, said the company wanted to support the new school and continue building its relationship with the surrounding community.

“We really value the community,” she added.

“We are right in the heart of it, and we want to be good neighbours and look after the community.

“You can see all the kids with their faces painted and big smiles on their faces.

“They all look like they’re having an absolute ball at all the different stalls and on the bouncy castles as well.”

Facepainting proved particularly popular, with unicorns the most requested design.

Julieanne from Doodlebug Facepainting described the Fun Day as a “brilliantly well-run event” with “wonderful feedback” from families.

Entertainment formed a major part of the Fun Day, with young dancers getting the opportunity to perform in front of families from across the local community.

Lisa Boyle, owner and instructor at ExtravaDance Academy, said: “The dancers were made to feel so welcome and the support from the audience was excellent.

“Most of our dancers are from the Bargeddie community so this was a fantastic opportunity for them to showcase their talents.

“It was also a lovely way for the local community to see what the dance school is truly about; making our young people confident, happy and healthy.

“The Fun Day brought lots of new interest in the dance school and we’re so excited to welcome along the new faces who have signed up to join our classes.”

Families were entertained throughout the day by Robert’s Magical Entertainments and the parent council also thanked Aurelia, Allegria and Isabella, students of Ruthven Music, who provided live musical entertainment, adding to the atmosphere across the event, and all of the volunteers who helped to make the whole day run “so smoothly”.

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She received critical acclaim for her role as Juliette Barnes in Nashville, earning nominations at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and People’s Choice Awards among others. 

Yet it’s hardly surprising that Hayden Panettiere was lauded for her role as the troubled country singer, given she felt she was ‘acting out her own life’. 

Hayden was tragically found dead on Sunday at the age of 36 after going into cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose.  

It was a tragic end to her life mere weeks after she claimed ‘I have a lot more life to live,’ having ‘shaken off the darkness and negativity’ of her well-documented past. 

While Hayden delved into her traumatic past with the release of her memoir this year, fans will be familiar with her troubles, given many of them played out on screen in Nashville.  

The ABC series charted Juliette’s (Hayden’s) bid to nab the Queen of Country title from rival Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton), with the star suffering from addiction, mental health woes and exploitation in her transition from child star to mature artist. 

Yet as the show went on in its six season and six year run, Hayden began to notice how much her real life paralleled her character’s. 

She told Messenger in 2024: ‘Filming Nashville was very traumatizing because I felt like I was acting out my own life. Straight from the beginning, it was like, I’m dating a football player, [and then] Juliette dates a football player. 

‘And then they turned her into an alcoholic. Then they turned to her leaving her daughter and going to this crazy [place] in Europe, and it was very obvious…

‘They weren’t doing their homework. They weren’t creating new storylines. They were just looking at my life and going, “Oh, let’s just take what she’s going through and put our little spin on it.” And then, ta-da! It’s done and done.’ 

Hayden added that she also struggled with the intense storylines being filmed during 12-to-20 hour days.

‘I didn’t have time to take care of myself [and] to think about and go through the pain I was experiencing physically [and] emotionally,’ she said. 

‘I just wanted to drum it out and watch mindless television and great shows. Anything to keep my mind off of that because I knew that next day I was going to be back at it again. I was like, tear central. 

‘I don’t even think on a soap opera that I cried as much [as I did] on Nashville.’

She added on Jay Shetty’s podcast last year: ‘I didn’t know where Juliette began and Hayden ended. 

‘I didn’t even realize I was becoming her constantly, and I wasn’t able to take care of myself.’

Her role as Juliette also wasn’t what she had signed up to be, with Hayden believing she was meant to be a supporting character to co-star Connie.  

‘Unfortunately, after the pilot, it was clear that my billing had gone way up,’ she wrote in her memoir this year, adding: I went from maybe number five in terms of importance to nipping at Connie´s heels.I was deeply uncomfortable with this development.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Lionsgate for comment.  

Even in series one there were parallels, with her character being set up with a football player. At the time, Hayden was dating NFL star Scotty McKnight (pictured in 2012) 

The inaugural season also saw Juliette attempting to navigate her toxic relationship with mother Jolene, played by Sylvia Jefferies, right 

Hayden was open about her own struggles with her mother, Lesley. It’s believed the pair were still estranged at the time of her death  (pictured in 2007) 

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Indeed, it seems Hayden’s life served as a template for her character’s arc. 

Even in series one there were parallels, with her character being set up with a football player. At the time, Hayden was dating NFL star Scotty McKnight. 

The inaugural season also saw Juliette’s toxic relationship with mother Jolene (Sylvia Jefferies). Hayden was open about her own struggles with her mother, Lesley. It’s believed the pair were still estranged at the time of her death. 

In 2014, Hayden announced she was expecting daughter, Kaya, with Wladimir Klitschko, with her pregnancy written into the show. 

Yet in another case of life imitating art, it was written into the script that Juliette suffered from postnatal depression just like Hayden – who later checked into rehab for treatment with the condition.

Both Hayden and her character also abused alcohol during their postnatal depression battle. 

In another parallel, Hayden and Juliette were temporarily separated from their daughter amid their addiction battles. 

On the show Juliette’s daughter Cadence was taken away by her father Avery (Jonathan Jackson) while she battled her addictions. 

While in real life, Hayden gave up custody of her daughter to her ex-fiancé Wladimir when she was aged three.

As Hayden suffered with her mental health, the actress agreed to allow Kaya to relocate to Ukraine with her father. 

She recalled in her memoir: ‘I remember every second of that day. Every f***ing second. No mother could forget a single thing about the day she signed her child away.’

Hayden then decided not to celebrate the series finale of Nashville, explaining: ‘I couldn’t pretend that this chapter of my life was something to memorialise.’ 

In 2014, Hayden announced she was expecting daughter, Kaya, with Wladimir Klitschko, with her pregnancy written into the show

On the show Juliette’s daughter Cadence was taken away by her father Avery (Jonathan Jackson) before slowly reintroducing the pair to one another

She also penned: ‘Not being under the same roof with her [Kaya] every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion – including sadness, resentment, and anger – I’ve felt because of it.

‘I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be and definitely not the mother I want to be (trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime), and although I miss Kaya so much my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom.

‘She is the greatest gift of my life, with all the best parts of her father and me, and, today, I believe I have the opportunity to be a different kind of parent than most.’

While Hayden had since reconnected with Kaya, she vowed not to speak too much about their arrangement, explaining: ‘She didn’t ask to be born into the limelight or my chaos, and she didn’t get to choose her parents. I want her to have every choice that I didn’t, including the ability to live a private life.

‘So out of respect for her right to normalcy, my stories of motherhood will be through my eyes only, and I’ll keep personal details of her life to a minimum.

‘I also want to make clear that I don’t blame Wlad for any of my wrongs; I take full responsibility for my part in our relationship and my shortcomings as a mom. Wlad is one of the most courageous people I’ve ever met and a true hero in so many ways.’

Hayden and Wladimir met at a book launch in 2009. After two years of dating, they split up in 2011, before rekindling their relationship two years later.

On Tuesday, he broke his silence about her death, sharing a picture of the pair with Kaya and penning: ‘Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief…

‘The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya…

‘She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives…

‘To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was…

‘I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today. Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon…

‘I ask everyone to please respect our family’s feelings and privacy during this incredibly difficult time. For now, this is all I wish to say…

‘Thank you to everyone who is supporting my family and expressing their sincere condolences… Rest easy, Hayden. May you find eternal peace.’

On Tuesday, Wladimir Klitschko broke his silence about her death, sharing a picture of the pair with Kaya and penning: ‘Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief…’ 

While a cause of death is yet to be announced, it was revealed on Monday that Narcan was found in the apartment where Hayden died.

The nasal spray, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was found on a mattress in a loft apartment where she was staying.

It is still unclear if that Narcan had been used to try and revive Hayden, although 911 audio obtained earlier on Monday revealed that the actress had gone into cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose.

Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said that her post-mortem examination had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star’s body.

Further investigations will now take place to establish her cause of death, with chief deputy coroner Shelton England telling the Daily Mail that it was too early to discuss the drug overdose theory.

Earlier, a representative for Hayden confirmed her death, saying her family would remember her as an ‘incredible light’ who brought ‘immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her’.

A statement from her father, Skip, read: ‘It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.

‘She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.’

Her father also asked that her family be given privacy as they ‘take time to process this unimaginable loss’.

For help and support with substance abuse and addiction issues in the UK, visit Change Grow Live on https://www.changegrowlive.org/

In the US, call Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on 1-800-662-4357

Earl Spencer has written a sensational memoir about his sister Princess Diana and the tumultuous aftermath of her tragic death, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Set to be published next month, ‘Swan Song: Diana, My Sister’ is a deeply personal account of his relationship with his sibling, which he has never told before.

The book, described as ‘historic’ and ‘extraordinarily moving’, is expected to cover Diana’s childhood, her deeply unhappy 15-year marriage to the then-Prince of Wales, and the febrile days following her shocking death in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.

Announcing the news today, Earl Spencer, 62, said: ‘With the 30th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death on the skyline, I’ve been inundated yet again with requests for interviews about my sister.

‘This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths that have become accepted over time.’

Swan Song, which will be published around the world and translated into 12 languages, is expected to provide an unprecedented inside account of a seismic week during which the House of Windsor was rocked by a global wave of public grief and anger.

Earl Spencer famously delivered a raw and defiant eulogy during Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, which was broadcast to an astonishing worldwide audience of 2.5billion.

During the powerful oration, he highlighted how his sister ‘needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic’.

Earl Spencer with his father Viscount (‘Johnnie’) Spencer and sister Princess Diana in 1989 

Diana with Charles Spencer in their early years. They called each other ‘Carlos’ and ‘Duch’

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He also pledged that Diana’s ‘blood family’ would protect Princes William and Harry ‘so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition, but can sing openly as you planned’.

His words so moved the huge crowds gathered outside that their spontaneous applause was eventually followed by clapping from the congregation inside the Abbey.

Earl Spencer today added: ‘The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective, just as I attempted to do when speaking at her funeral.

‘As with my eulogy, I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an openly positive way.

‘I hope this book will be of interest to the many who still cherish the memory of Diana when she was alive, and I would be delighted if those too young to remember her in her heyday feel – after reading this – that they “get” who she really was: a one-off, dynamic character, full of love, charisma and self-doubt, who gave life a hell of a go, and left the world a far better place, despite exiting the stage while still so young.’

In the days leading up to the funeral, a heated row broke out behind the scenes over the decision for William and Harry to walk in Diana’s funeral procession.

Writing in his controversial 2023 memoir Spare, Harry disclosed that his uncle objected vocally at the time, describing as a ‘barbarity’ the idea of having the boys, then aged 15 and 12, following the funeral cortege.

He also revealed that when an alternative plan was suggested of having William walk alone behind the coffin, Harry objected, saying he did not want his brother to undergo the ordeal on his own.

Earlier this year, Earl Spencer described how ‘fundamentally unhappy’ he becomes every year on the anniversary of his sister’s death and how he finds it hard when strangers tell him where they were when she died.

Prince Philip, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles follow behind Princess Diana’s coffin during the funeral procession to Westminster Abbey in September 1997

Earl Spencer addresses the congregation at Diana’s funeral in Westminster Abbey in 1997

Reflecting on Diana’s ‘extraordinary’ legacy, he added: ‘It’s different things to different people, particularly to women of a similar age. They really invested their lives in hers.

‘Maybe they had an unhappy marriage, maybe they battled an eating disorder. There’s plenty of Diana to look into and take your bit out of – almost like a horoscope, you can make it make sense for you.’

Swan Song is due to be published in the UK by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House, on September 22.

The book’s striking cover features an elegant black-and-white photograph of Diana.

Publisher Daniel Bunyard today said: ‘This is a book of historic importance, telling as it does the story of one of the 20th century’s most iconic and culturally significant figures, but it is also utterly unique in being written by Earl Spencer, from a vantage point of such intimacy.

‘Charles Spencer is both a loving brother and an acclaimed memoirist as well as a celebrated historian, and all these facets are brought together in Swan Song.

‘It is extraordinarily moving, beautifully written and remarkably candid, in no small part due to Charles’s rare ability to access great emotional depth without sentimentality, honest observation without rancour, and warmth without gloss.

‘While these pages contain many revelations that will draw considerable attention, readers will find, for the first time, but also for all time, a fitting tribute to the beloved woman who was Princess Diana.’

Charles Spencer and Diana grew up at the idyllic Park House on Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, until the family moved to Althorp in 1975 when Charles was 12.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles at Munich Opera House in November 1987

Diana affectionately called her younger brother ‘Carlos’, while he would call her ‘Duch’ – short for duchess.

Their father, Viscount (‘Johnnie’) Spencer, had been equerry to both Queen Elizabeth and her father, George VI, while Diana’s mother, Frances, was the younger daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy.

Diana was the Spencers’ third daughter and not the longed-for son who would secure continuance of the title. When Charles was born three years after Diana, a fireworks display was held in celebration.

Frances left Johnnie, later the 8th Earl Spencer, for the wallpaper heir Peter Shand Kydd in 1967. In an acrimonious custody battle the following year, Frances was dubbed ‘a bolter’ and lost the care of Diana, Charles and their older sisters Jane and Sarah.

From the age of eight, Charles was sent to Maidwell Hall boarding school in Northamptonshire, where he suffered appalling physical and sexual abuse.

In an extract from his poignant 2024 memoir A Very Private School, serialised exclusively in The Mail on Sunday, he described how a predatory assistant matron – whom he called a ‘voracious paedophile’ – preyed on him and other boys, grooming and then abusing them in their dormitory beds.

Earl Spencer had a ringside seat during his sister’s marriage to the future King, their eventual bitter separation and, in 1996, their divorce.

In 2020 he revealed how rogue BBC reporter Martin Bashir spun a shocking web of deceit to obtain his 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, during which the princess famously declared ‘there are three of us in this marriage’ – referring to Camilla Parker Bowles.

Bashir showed the Earl forged bank statements to gain access to Diana and then tricked her by peddling a string of lies, including that Prince William’s watch had been bugged to record her conversations.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children Archie and Lilibet reportedly visited the Althorp estate last month, where they are thought to have laid flowers on Diana’s grave.

The princess’s final resting place is on a tree-covered island in the middle of an ornamental lake called the Oval Lake.

Swan Song by Charles Spencer (Penguin Michael Joseph, £28). To order a copy for £23.80 go to www.mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25. Promotional price valid until 30/09/2026. 

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Japanese ambassador to protest Tokyo’s condemnation of President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Kuril Islands, the Moscow-controlled Pacific archipelago that is claimed by both countries.

Last week, Putin visited Iturup, one of the four southernmost islands of the chain, which Japan calls the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union took them from Japan in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Putin’s visit, his first to the islands, was “incompatible with the Japanese position on the Northern Territories” and is “absolutely unacceptable.” She said the visit was a further blow to already-strained ties between the two countries over Ukraine, and that Moscow should understand the consequences.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tokyo “strongly protests” Putin’s visit to Iturup, which Japan calls Etorofu, noting that “the Northern Territories, including Etorofu Island, are Japan’s inherent territory both historically and from the perspective of international law.”

On Tuesday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin met with the Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto to lodge a formal protest over the “anti-Russia” statements by Takaichi and Motegi.

“Russia’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over the southern Kuril Islands are absolutely unshakable,” Galuzin told Muto, according to the Foreign Ministry.

“These territories passed to our country as a result of World War II that was enshrined in the relevant agreements of the Allied Powers and the U.N. Charter,” the ministry said. “Any attempts by the Japanese side to directly or indirectly call this obvious reality into question are absolutely unacceptable and unlawful.”

Galuzin told the ambassador that in view of Tokyo’s adherence to Western sanctions against Russia and its support for Ukraine, “Moscow reserves the right to take appropriate countermeasures.”

Decades of diplomatic efforts to negotiate a settlement haven’t produced any visible results. Moscow over the years has also bolstered its military presence on the Kurils in moves that appeared to underscore its firm stance in the dispute.

Speaking last week aboard a Russian warship taking part in the drills in the Pacific, Putin said Moscow previously “had developed constructive relations with a number of Japanese leaders, including the tragically deceased former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who did much to bring Japan and Russia closer together, to align our positions.”

With parts of the country coming to resemble the 1930s Oklahoma dustbowl and others the set of the 1961 disaster movie The Day The Earth Caught Fire, there is one oasis where householders are spared restrictions on water usage.

Millions of residents supplied by Severn Trent water are not subject to the otherwise widespread hosepipe bans imposed on much of drought-stricken Britain.

From Lincolnshire in the east to Gloucester in the south and Welshpool in the west, 4.6 million householders are free to carry on as normal, watering their gardens and washing their cars and windows.

Severn Trent is trusting its customers to preserve water voluntarily and sensibly without introducing punitive measures. In other parts of Britain, breaching a hosepipe ban can result in fines of up to £1,000.

The company is proud of its record in maintaining continuity of supply while encouraging alternative conservation measures such as collecting rainwater in butts. It claims to be fixing leaks at record levels. Consequently, it hasn’t had to impose a hosepipe ban for three decades. The last one was in 1995.

You might have thought that this was a cause for celebration. You’d be wrong.

The Environment Agency, which regulates the water industry, criticised Severn Trent for sending out the ‘wrong message’.

Wrong message?

Surely Severn Trent should be congratulated for avoiding a ban as a result of responsible management of supplies – unlike most of the other water companies in Britain who have banned domestic hosepipes while failing to stop leaks from the mains flooding streets and wasting millions upon millions of gallons.

Admittedly, those unfortunate folk who lost their homes to fire in Stourbridge, which falls within Severn Trent, have no reason to celebrate. But their terrible ordeal was reportedly caused by human stupidity – sparks from a disposable barbecue – not by any shortage of water to tackle the flames.

So why on earth is the Environment Agency chiding Severn Trent for not imposing a ban?

Simple. That’s the way the bureaucratic mindset always works. It demands conformity, even when there’s no justification. We saw this in extremis during the blanket Covid lockdowns, which were rigorously enforced unnecessarily. Hefty fines for sunbathers and dog walkers, for instance.

The thinking goes: if there are no restrictions in Severn Trent, then how long before residents in other areas start to think they can defy the hosepipe bans with impunity? All must suffer equally.

The real scandal here is that householders right across Britain are being punished for the failure of politicians and privatised utility companies to do their job properly. Britain is an island with plentiful annual rainfall and is surrounded by water. Yet under successive governments, there hasn’t been a new reservoir built since 1992, despite the population explosion caused by mass immigration. There’s only one desalination plant – in Beckton, east London – and by all accounts that’s hopelessly inadequate.

Water shortages aren’t caused by ‘climate change’ or semi-detached suburban Mr James washing his new Chinese-built EV. It’s down to a hopeless lack of forward planning by ministers and civil servants and greedy water company directors paying themselves and shareholders billions in bonuses and dividends, which should have been invested in reservoirs, distribution pipelines and plugging leaks.

So the paying public must suffer, through water rationing and ever-higher bills. The latest scam is a plan to levy Uber-style ‘surge pricing’ that would allow the water companies to charge more during droughts. It’s seen cynically as a way of forcing people to use less water or face much bigger bills.

Householders right across Britain are being punished for the failure of politicians and privatised utility companies to do their job properly, writes Richard Littlejohn

Governments of all stripes have neglected spending on essential infrastructure projects while feeding the welfare monster to buy bigger televisions for layabouts and free cars for chancers allegedly suffering from ‘anxiety’.

Time and again, we are made to pay for their incompetence, mistakes or pursuit of policies which have no popular support.

Take mass immigration. No one has ever voted for that, yet the population continues to rise inexorably, putting extreme strain on public services.

The politicians have failed miserably to stop the boats or ‘smash the gangs’. As a result, tens of thousands of illegal migrants arrive here every year in ever-larger cross-Channel boats. Yet rather than turn them back, our Border Force ‘rescues’ them and brings them ashore, where they are fed and watered and given free sim cards for their mobile phones.

Our new, mandate-free PM declares that we must all share the burden of accommodating military-age, single young men from alien cultures in settled communities, such as the village of Piddington in Oxfordshire. He insists middle-class areas must take in more.

Why? His first duty is to British citizens, not undocumented economic migrants who have no right to be here.

Yet again, though, we are expected to live with the consequences of the problems which the politicians themselves have created, often deliberately and with utter contempt for the people they were elected to serve.

Same goes for the privatised, snouts-in-the-trough utilities, such as the water companies whose directors put filling their boots ahead of ensuring continuity of supply and now expect us to pay for their greed and neglect through rationing and sky-high ‘surge’ prices.

Yet the only criticism of any of these monopoly companies the Environment Agency can muster is to attack Severn Trent for continuing to serve its customers and not imposing a hosepipe ban.

You couldn’t make it up.

Richard Littlejohn with an Arabic translation of Mein Kampf during a documentary

A bookshop in London’s Arab quarter, on the Edgware Road, has withdrawn from open sale copies of Hitler’s Mein Kampf, in which the Fuhrer sets out his vile anti-Semitic manifesto, after protests from a nearby synagogue.

Apparently, though, it’s still available in reference libraries and online.

This story intrigued me because almost 20 years ago, when I was filming my TV documentary The War On Britain’s Jews, I bought a copy of an Arabic translation of Mein Kampf and held it up on camera.

The bookshop which sold it to me was on the Edgware Road, probably the same one. Given the frightening explosion of far-Left/Islamist anti-Semitism in London since October 7, I shouldn’t be surprised to find that in another 20 years Mein Kampf is on every state school GCSE syllabus.

Never mind flying ants and mosquitoes, the hot weather is driving rats indoors in search of food. Apparently, Roland doesn’t like the heat any more than we do.

There have been casualties, too. But what would you do if you stumbled across an injured or ailing rat? Plan A would surely be to smash it over the head with a spade and dump it in the recycling bin under a stack of newspapers.

Not according to the RSPCA. Mail reader Malcolm Swift has drawn my attention to the animal charity’s website, which advises you to pick it up using thick gloves, wrap it in a towel, tuck it up in a secure container and contact a vet or ‘wildlife rehabilitator’. Who in their right mind wants to rehabilitate a rat? Then again there’s apparently no limit to sentimental stupidity when it comes to what most of us would consider vermin, such as foxes, and pests, such as wasps.

Yes, wasps.

A woman called Eilish Rothney, who works for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, discovered a wasps’ nest in her office. Instead of sending for an exterminator, she decided to foster them. ‘The poor things are starving,’ she said and thought they should be provided with sugar.

(I think we’ve already found a clear winner of this year’s Here We Go Looby Loo awards.)

‘I’ll be sad when they leave. I do feel motherly towards them.’

She could always adopt a rat.

Reform UK has suspended prominent supporter Tim Montgomerie as a party member after he labelled Zia Yusuf a ‘child’.

Sources confirmed the action was taken against the political commentator prior to the publication of a podcast episode.

Mr Montgomerie, 56, used his appearance on The Spectator’s Coffee House Shots to continue his recent criticism of Mr Yusuf, saying that he ‘cannot behave like a child in politics’.

He revealed that Mr Yusuf, who is Reform’s home affair spokesman, did not talk to him for three months when he discovered he was involved in former Tory minister Robert Jenrick‘s defection to Reform.

Mr Montgomerie also agreed with recent claims that Reform leader Nigel Farage has ‘fallen out of love’ with Mr Yusuf.

It comes after Mr Montgomerie last week rebuked Mr Yusuf over his ‘intermperate’ use of social media.

He also criticised Mr Farage for skipping the formal declaration of the Clacton by-election result, which saw him re-elected to the Essex constituency.

Mr Montgomerie agreed with recent claims that Reform leader Nigel Farage has ‘fallen out of love’ with Mr Yusuf

Mr Montgomerie last week criticised Mr Farage for skipping the formal declaration of the Clacton by-election result, which saw him re-elected to the Essex constituency 

It is said that Mr Montgomerie was suspended after the podcast was recorded but before it was published online. 

Mr Montgomerie is the founder and former editor of the ConservativeHome website who briefly served as an adviser to Boris Johnson when he was prime minister.

He quit the Tories in December 2024 and joined Reform.

Mr Montgomerie told the podcast of Mr Yusuf: ‘There are a lot of people are on not-speaking terms with Zia and it’s nearly always Zia who initiates it.

‘It needs to end. You cannot behave like a child in politics. You cannot have litmus tests, so many litmus tests where you stop talking to people.’

He also praised to Mr Yusuf’s behind-the-scenes work in Reform, following his 11-month spell as party chairman between 2024 and 2025.

‘I genuinely pay tribute to Zia… he made the party organisation work,’ he added. ‘He has so many qualities, but he has to be a team player.’

Mr Yusuf was caught up in a furious row last week when he branded Ben Wallace, the former Tory defence secretary and an ex-soldier, as a ‘traitor to Britain’.

The social media remarks prompted a slap down of Mr Yusuf by Mr Farage, who said he would ‘give him a ticking off’.

Reflecting on the incident, Mr Montgomerie said: ‘It was unprecedented for Farage to criticise him [Mr Yusuf] last week, but did he take down the tweet that Nigel criticised? No. He wouldn’t.

‘He’s loyal to Nigel as he has to be if he wants to succeed him, but in terms of being able to really play as a team player…

‘He has consistently freelanced on Twitter, on for example, accepting Conservative candidates, like Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, even though he knew they were being wooed. But it was his way of trying to undermine that policy.’

Mr Montgomerie also noted a report by the Mail on Sunday that allies are urging Mr Farage to ‘reboot’ Reform by dismissing Mr Yusuf.

A source told the newspaper: ‘Nigel has fallen out of love with Zia, who is out of control. I think his days are numbered.’

Mr Montgomerie said: ‘There were reports at the weekend… that talked about Nigel falling out of love with Zia. I think that’s true.

‘I think Nigel will definitely want to keep him in the camp but I think he needs him to basically be a team player and be loyal to what Nigel wants.’

Mr Montgomerie recently criticised Mr Farage’s ‘puzzling’ decision not to attend the declaration of the Clacton by-election result.

Mr Farage took the unprecedented step of skipping the formal result declaration in the early hours of Friday, with Reform claiming police had advised him to stay away due to a ‘credible threat’.

But, Essex Police later denied that it had told any of the 34 candidates that they should not attend Clacton Leisure Centre, insisting security at the venue was ‘robust’.

Last month, Mr Montgomerie said Mr Farage ‘cannot hide away’ from questions about his £5million donation from a Thailand-based crypto-billionaire.

Mr Farage resigned as an MP to trigger last week’s Clacton by-election, which he cast as a ‘people versus the Establishment’ contest amid growing scrutiny over the gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne.

Taylor Swift debuted a new haircut and flashed her huge engagement ring as she attended her friends’ Oli Jacobs and Laura Sisk’s wedding in Gloucestershire on Saturday. 

The songstress, 36, sported a side-swept fringe as she joined a host of A-list stars, with the guestlist boasting Sabrina Carpenter, 27, Phoebe Bridgers, 32, and Jack Antonoff, 42. 

Taylor, who married Travis Kelce in Madison Square Garden, New York, last month, exuded elegance in a navy blue Costarellos gown which was embroidered with gold leaves and flowers. 

She accessorised with a pearl necklace and bracelet but her huge diamond engagement ring, estimated to be ten carats, and valued at approximately $1million, stole the show as it sat next to her new gold wedding band. 

Oli and Laura’s nuptials were held at Peter Gabriel’s legendary Real World Studios outside Bath and the songstress was seen chatting away to the bride after the ceremony. 

The pair have had a longstanding friendship as audio engineer Laura is one of Taylor’s longest-standing studio collaborators. 

The songstress, 36, joined a host of A-list stars, with the guestlist boasting Sabrina Carpenter, 27, Phoebe Bridgers, 32, and Jack Antonoff, 42

Taylor, who married Travis Kelce in Madison Square Gardens, New York, last month exuded elegance in a navy blue Costarellos gown which was embroidered with gold leaves and flowers

Taylor huge diamond engagement ring stole the show

She has worked with Taylor and Jack since the 1989 era and helped engineer recordings across albums including Reputation, Folklore and Grammy-winning Midnights. 

More recently, both Laura and Oli, who is a mixing engineer, worked on Taylor’s album The Tortured Poets Department.

Laura looked stunning in a satin strapless dress and tied her hair back in a ponytail with a bow.  

The wedding venue has strong ties to her husband Oli, who began his career at Real World Studios and worked as an engineer there before becoming a regular collaborator for some of the biggest names in pop music. 

Taylor is no doubt still recovering from her 1,000-guest mega-wedding to NFL’s Travis on July 3. 

The ceremony itself was officiated by comedian Adam Sandler, with the afterparty featuring musical performances from Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks and the bride.

Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper, Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham, Hugh Grant, Steven Spielberg, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Tom Brady, Jessica Chastain, Ed Sheeran, Chris Rock, Jessica Alba and Gracie Abrams were just some of the big names who attended, joining several of Kelce’s Chiefs teammates, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

The couple are yet to share photos from the star-studded celebrations. 

Taylor’s usual blunt cut fringe was swept over to the side and her hair was shorter 

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Sabrina cut a glamorous figure in a pale yellow dress which was adorned with flowers  

The singer added a boost to her frame with matching heels 

Jack and Sabrina have forged a major creative partnership, collaborating onPlease Please Please and tracks on her acclaimed album Short n’ Sweet

Phoebe chatted away to Sabrina and Jack as they enjoyed a drink in the gardens 

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Sabrina appeared in high spirits as she chatted away 

The nuptials were held at Peter Gabriel’s legendary Real World Studios outside Bath and the songstress was seen chatting away to the bride after the ceremony

Taylor flew solo for the wedding as her husband Travis Kelce in training with Kansas City Chiefs 

Laura looked stunning in a satin strapless dress and tied her hair back in a ponytail with a bow

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Taylor put on some sunglasses as she took her seat for the ceremony 

Taylor hugged Danielle Noguera. She has built a reputation in Hollywood for dental transformations

Audio engineer Laura has worked with Taylor and Jack since the 1989 era and helped engineer recordings across albums including Reputation, Folklore and Grammy-winning Midnights

Taylor married Travis last month. The ceremony itself was officiated by comedian Adam Sandler and featured a star-studded guestlist (pictured together in 2024) 

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And an insider has shared a ‘major clue’ about what could really be going on.

‘A big hint that Taylor is going to release her very own project about the wedding is that she has yet to share one single image from the night,’ the source said. You can read the full story here. 

Travis did not attend Oli and Laura’s wedding after he headed to Kansas City Chiefs training on July 29, ahead of the new NFL season. 

Taylor was seen enjoying a girls’ night out in London last week. 

For that celebration, the singer wore a long pink gown with shimmering floral embroidery as she emerged from Annabel’s, the private members’ club in London’s Mayfair beloved by A-listers, aristocrats and British royals. 

By KATHERINE LAWTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Published: 12:25 BST, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 13:02 BST, 18 August 2026

A search has been launched for a young soldier who disappeared after a bar fight that led to two people being seriously injured when struck by a vehicle. 

Liam Potts, 22, a soldier with the Coldstream Guards who had a ceremonial role in the Queen’s funeral in 2022, vanished at around 12.20am on Saturday morning following a series of incidents in the village of Wylam, Northumberland.

Locals said a disturbance broke out in a pub close to the River Tyne, minutes before two people were struck by a vehicle on Wylam Bridge.  

Liam was not one of those struck by the car, nor was he in the vehicle, but he was seen walking away in the aftermath of the collision. 

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Police said they are working on the understanding that he entered the water, but it remains unknown whether he managed to make it out again. 

Northumbria Police received a report later on Saturday afternoon concerning the welfare of Liam. He was last spotted heading towards the centre of Wylam village from Wylam Bridge.

A man and woman – each aged in their 20s – both sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries when struck by the vehicle. 

Two men, aged 22 and 23, were arrested in connection to the crash and have since been bailed.

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Liam Potts, 22, was last seen heading towards Wylam from Wylam Bridge in Northumberland shortly after midnight last Saturday

Police and mountain rescue teams continue to search for Liam after his disappearance 

Liam’s family are becoming increasingly concerned for his welfare 

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A police spokesman said: ‘Whilst enquiries are at an early stage, we can confirm Liam was on the bridge at the time of the collision.However, he was not an occupant of the vehicle and there are no reports suggesting that he was injured in the collision.

‘He subsequently left the scene and enquiries are ongoing to locate him. Liam’s next of kin have been made aware and are being supported by officers.’

A large number of police and mountain rescue teams have been in the village of Wylam, with several vehicles including a Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team ambulance at the scene.

Liam was last seen wearing black joggers, Nike trainers and a black T-shirt with large text and a diamond logo on the back. He was also wearing a gold chain.

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Northumbria Police said extensive enquiries are ongoing to find him, while officers and his family are becoming increasingly concerned for his welfare. 

Liam was stationed at Wellington Barracks with the Coldstream Guards at the age of 18 and was one of just 20 soldiers who attended the proclamation of King Charles lll.

Liam was last seen wearing black joggers, Nike trainers and a black T-shirt with large text and a diamond logo on the back

Emergency services gather as they search for the missing 22-year-old 

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He and his comrades led the traditional ‘hip hooray’ cheer to welcome the new monarch.

He was also chosen to be one of the Coldstream Guards – the British army’s oldest serving regiment – to line The Mall as the Queen’s funeral procession passed by.

At the time his proud mother said: ‘They gave her the send off she deserved.’

Following his ceremonial duties he left with his regiment for jungle training in Kenya. 

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Anyone with information has been asked to quote reference NP-20260815-0424. 

The BBC has contacted the UK Foreign Office, the Greek authorities and the aviation company for comment.

Asset management firm Blackstone, where Cromie worked, said in a statement: “We are shocked by the tragic passing of three people including our colleague Alex Cromie and his wife Marie Ebert, who were celebrating their honeymoon.

“Alex was beloved by everyone who knew and worked with him at Blackstone, and our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.”

A senior police official told the Times that the crash came just before the helicopter’s scheduled landing time of 18:15 local time (16:15 GMT).

Sifnos’ Deputy Mayor, Manolis Foundoulakis, arrived at the scene shortly after the incident and told local news site Newsit there was almost “nothing left” of the aircraft.

He said locals saw the helicopter crash within metres of their homes and had described a “bizarre engine noise coming from the aircraft” as it was about to land.

He said two of the victims were found in the wreckage, while the third was a short distance away.

Firefighters worked to tackle a blaze which broke out after the crash, and the flames had been extinguished by Monday evening.

The officers were rushed to hospital after a van was allegedly ‘deliberately driven at them.

A woman has appeared in court after two cops were injured in an alleged hit and run in Larkhall.

The incident took place on Glen Avenue the South Lanarkshire town around 2pm on Saturday, July 25. Emergency crews rushed to the scene after police received a report of two of their uniformed officers having been knocked down.

The force confirmed that the pair had been carrying out enquiries at a property in the area before a white Renault Traffic was “deliberately driven at them”. Both male officers, aged 41 and 43, were blue-lighted to hospital.

They suffered serious injuries. Both have since been discharged, although they will remain unfit for duty for a prolonged period. Detectives investigating the attempted murder arrested a woman on Friday, August 14.

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Jemma McQuade appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Monday, August 17. The 34-year-old from Larkhall was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

She made no plea and was committed for further examination. Ms McQuade has been granted bail and it is still to be confirmed when she is due to appear at court again.

A man is still being hunted in connection with the incident, and extensive enquiries are ongoing to track him down. More than 80 properties have been searched throughout Lanarkshire and the Scottish Borders.