Pollard said: “This Labour government is now rebuilding our military, including through increasing the size of our strategic reserves and giving them more opportunities to work with their regular counterparts.”

The Conservatives said their pledge would be to recruit approximately 18,000 new reservists to bring the total to 50,000.

The trained and untrained strength of the Army, RAF and maritime reserves was more than 32,000 on 1 January 2026, according to government statistics, external.

The Tories also want to ensure more reservists complete their minimum training days, which typically number 19 or 27 days.

A reservist who meets their minimum training commitment and also passes their military training tests currently receives a tax-free bonus payment on top of their pay.

The annual tax-free bounty was paid to 46% of reservists in 2024/25, according to the government, external.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour was “dithering”, highlighting John Healey’s decision to quit as defence secretary due to concerns that funding for the defence investment plan fell “well short” of what is needed to keep the country safe.

Badenoch said: “To fund our defence, Britain has to cut its welfare bill. That is why the Conservatives will restore the two-child benefit cap and use the money saved on defence.

“We will give our reservists a tax cut, backing our military to keep our country safe and ensuring we can boost our reserve forces to 50,000.”

Cartlidge said the UK’s Nato allies are boosting their reserves to “stand up to the more dangerous world we all face”.

He said: “Britain must do the same, but whilst other countries have used conscription, we remain committed to a professional, volunteer armed forces – and that means we need to make reserve service financially worthwhile.”

The Conservatives said implementing their policy would cost around £44m in the first year and this would increase across the five-year parliament.

Once the number of reservists reaches 50,000, the policy would cost an estimated £152m per year.

The largest cost would be associated with paying more reservists and the current ones serving on more days, with the tax-free incentive costing around £20m per year, according to the party.

Last year’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) outlined a shift towards “warfighting readiness” to deter threats and pledged billions in extra spending for extra ammunition, next-generation fast jets, drones, and new attack submarines.

It also anticipated it will “become necessary” to increase the UK’s active reserve forces by “at least 20% when funding allows, most likely in the 2030s”.

The SDR added defence “must make much better use of the resources available”, including improving recruitment and retention, and welcomed some of the work being undertaken by the Ministry of Defence.

Shaun Malone, known for reacting to TV programmes and films on the popular Channel 4 show, shared a snap of his head with staples in it, telling fans he was in hospital after surgery.

Sharing the photo of the aftermath, he said being in hospital during a heatwave was “terrible” and shared that he planned to be going home today (June 26).

“Heatwave Is a terrible time to be stuck in hospital until Friday, brain surgery is deffo not the highlight of my year”, the caption read, according to The Sun.

Malone appears on the TV show with other members of the Malone family – his mum Julie and dad Tom, plus their dogs.

Despite the heatwave not being ideal for Shaun, he has been keeping up with the World Cup in his hospital ward.

Fans share well-wishes for Gogglebox star Shaun Malone after brain surgery

On Reddit, one Gogglebox fan shared Shaun’s news, and it was followed up with well-wishes from those who watch the programme.

One person said: “Here’s to a speedy recovery Shaun Malone👍🏽”.

Another commented: “I think I remember mum and dad talking about brain operations as a kid?

“What a horrible cloud over them all.

“They seem so lovely. I hope he’s better soon.”

This person shared: “Speedy recovery Shaun”.

Another fan said: “Get well soon, Shaun!”

Was Shaun Malone unwell as a child?

Shaun Malone suffered brain damage and was told he “had a less than 10% chance of living” after being diagnosed with sinusitis in 2010, The Sun reports.

When appearing on the Coaching From The Sofa podcast, he talked about his health.

Shaun explained: “In 2010, I got sinusitis and, in some way, the infection found its way back to my brain.

“My brain started swelling and my skull started crushing it, so my mum took me to A&E saying, ‘look he’s poorly!’ and they said it was sinusitis.

“And then I collapsed one day at home and I ended up going into a coma and they said to my mum and dad that I had a less than 10% chance of living.

“I was in a coma for a few weeks – and they said to my mum and dad, ‘Shaun’s got brain damage, we don’t know what the brain damage is or how it’ll affect him or if it’s going to be really bad’.

“And when I woke up my brain damage affected me in some ways, like my memory but mostly the way it affected me was with my left side.

“I essentially had a stroke, I couldn’t move my left arm, my left leg, even the left side of my face.”

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He spent six months in hospital following the ordeal, and his progress appeared on ITV’s Children’s Hospital.

After the six-hour surgery, which removed a piece of bone from his skull due to the swelling, he needed to learn how to walk again.

Back in 2010, when he fell ill, he was playing in the West End, starring as Billy Elliot’s best friend Michael.

Who is your favourite Gogglebox star? Tell us in the comments below.

Say it how it is written and you would say New-sham, which seems perfectly reasonable.

But Northumberland does not work like that, and this suburb of Blyth has been tripping people up for long enough that Northern Trains was forced to formally teach its conductors the correct pronunciation before making station announcements.

The correct pronunciation is New-sum.

The SH in the middle of the word does not behave as a SH. It softens to a simple S, and the final syllable compresses so that the -ham becomes -um.

Say it quickly and it almost rhymes with “blossom”.

Conductors were told the right way to pronounce the name of the station. (Image: Northern Trains)

Why Northumberland place names are so different

Northumberland was settled, invaded and resettled by so many different peoples over so many centuries that its place names are a layered archaeological record of everyone who ever lived here.

Vikings left their mark in endings like -by and -thorpe.

Anglo-Saxons gave us -ham and -ton and -wick. The Celts were here before both of them, and the Normans arrived afterwards and wrote the names down in ways that had nothing to do with how the locals said them.

The result is a county where the written name and the spoken name are frequently strangers to each other, and where the ability to pronounce a place correctly is still, quietly, a marker of belonging.

The places that catch everyone out

Newsham is in good company, the same story plays out at dozens of places across Northumberland every day.

Alnwick is pronounced AN-ick. Both the L and the W are silent. Alnmouth, just down the coast, follows different rules entirely: the L is voiced, giving you ALN-muth. Visitors who have just mastered Alnwick and applied the same logic to Alnmouth immediately get it wrong.

Ulgham, a village six miles north of Morpeth, is UFF-am. The LGH combination makes an FF sound, which nobody who has not been told would ever guess. Locals reportedly enjoy watching the moment visitors attempt it for the first time.

Cambois, a coastal village near Blyth and therefore practically a neighbour of Newsham, is pronounced CAM-iss. The BOI disappears. Its name derives from the Gaelic word for bay, and it has been confounding people since the Normans wrote it down.

Bellingham, the market town in the North Tyne valley, is BELLIN-jum, not BELL-ing-ham as every newcomer says. The same soft G rule applies to Whittingham, which is WHITTIN-jum.

Ponteland, the commuter village west of Newcastle, is Pont-EEL-nd, with the stress firmly on the middle syllable. It stands on the River Pont, and the -land ending is compressed almost to a single sound. People who say PONTY-land, rhyming it with Pontefract, will be gently corrected.

Why it matters for visitors

Getting a Northumberland place name right is not just about avoiding embarrassment, though that is a reasonable motivation.

It is about communication. Ask for directions to New-sham in Blyth and you may get a blank look.

Say ‘Newsum’ and someone will point you the right way.

For anyone planning a visit and wanting to arrive sounding like they belong, the rule of thumb is this: whatever you think a Northumberland place name sounds like, try saying it slightly differently.

You will probably be closer to right.

Mitford is a settlement that was once a market town of greater importance than Morpeth itself, as the old folk rhyme records: “Mitforde was Mitforde when Morpeth was none, and Mitforde shall be Mitforde when Morpeth is gone.”

Morpeth won in the end, but Mitford kept the castle, the Norman church, and the river.

The castle

Mitford Castle stands on a small promontory above the River Wansbeck and has been ruinous for more than 700 years.

Roger Bertram, lord of the castle in 1215, was one of the barons who forced King John to sign Magna Carta, and John took his revenge the following year, besieging and sacking both the castle and the church, burning the village and reportedly locking Roger Bertram in one of his own towers.

The Scots finished what John started, attacking in 1318 and leaving the castle “ruinous and wholly burnt.”

It was never properly rebuilt.

The ruins are a Scheduled Ancient Monument and currently on the Buildings at Risk Register; the best view is from the road in front of the church directly opposite.

The church

St Mary Magdalene Church was built in 1135 and its history is as violent as the castle’s.

When King John sacked the village in 1216 he burned the church with many villagers still inside.

Hanging just inside the door is a bell cast no later than 1150, making it one of the oldest bells in England and almost certainly the oldest in the Diocese of Newcastle.

The church also has a leper squint, a small window built into the outside wall so that lepers could watch services without entering the building.

Very few churches in England still have one.

Walking

The riverside walk from Morpeth to Mitford along the Wansbeck passes through ancient woodland, wildflower meadows and riverside fisheries before arriving at the castle and church.

The route is around four kilometres each way and navigable in wellies after rain. Longer circular routes cross both rivers and return through farmland above the valley.

Where to eat and drink

The Plough Inn, Mitford The village pub is a dog-friendly, real-ale country pub serving Mexican-inspired home-cooked food Thursday to Saturday, with a traditional Sunday lunch.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, food from Thursday evening, booking recommended.

Getting there

Mitford is two miles west of Morpeth off the A197, in the Wansbeck valley.

The postcode for the church and castle is NE61 3PY. Roadside parking is available near the church on the lane through the village.

Mitford is also reachable on foot from Morpeth along a four-kilometre riverside path following the north bank of the Wansbeck, one of the finest short walks in Northumberland.

Sharing a statement on social media, the council wrote: “Due to an incident near Rawtenstall Market, the market has been closed while emergency services respond.

“Lancashire Police are dealing with the incident and we kindly ask people to avoid the area until further notice.

“The market should reopen tomorrow at the usual time. Thank you for understanding.”

Photos from the sombre scene show flowers laid by the level crossing in Station Road, Hoghton.

The rail line is now back open, with trains seen passing through the level crossing.

The incident occurred shortly before 9am on June 25.

A car was hit by a train, and one person was pronounced dead at the scene, and a child was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

The child remains in critical but stable condition.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

North West Ambulance Service confirmed multiple teams attended the scene, including two air ambulances and their hazardous area response team.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service also sent four fire engines and specialist appliances.

No injuries were reported among passengers on the train.

The investigation remains ongoing, and police are appealing for witnesses.

BTP has asked anyone who witnessed the incident and has not yet spoken to police to text 61016, quoting reference 152 of June 25.

PROMS celebrations are taking place across York and North Yorkshire as teenagers celebrate the end of exams and the school year.

Readers have been sending us photos of local pupils dressed in their finest for their big night out.

Leigh Daniells sent us photos of her son Riley Walker who went to his prom on his KTM 125 bike.

Riley, 16, is a pupil at Thirsk High School.

His prom took place at The Angel Inn, Topcliffe.

Riley Walker, left, went to his prom at The Angel Inn Topcliffe on two whees. He is a pupil at Thirsk High School.

Sheridan O’Neil shared photos of her daughter Alivia Dalton, 16, from York High.

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Alivia’s prom took place on June 18 at the Mercure York Fairfield Manor Hotel, Skelton. Sheridan said Alivia’s dress was from Trilly’s Bridesmaids and Beyond in Selby.

Alivia Dalton from York High School in her prom dress

As the proms season continues, there is still time to send us photos.

We’d love to share this special occasion with everyone – free of charge.

Please send them – along with your prom story – by email to maxine.gordon@thepress.co.uk

You can also send your photos and all the information for the story straight to our newsdesk via an easy-to-use online form – just hit the ‘send now’ button below…

The Our Yorkshire Farm star shared a parenting admission after marking her youngest daughter’s milestone.

Amanda Owen has made a ‘scary’ admission as the family marked a milestone.

The farmer, who rose to fame as The Yorkshire Shepherdess, starred on Our Yorkshire Farm with her husband Clive and their children from 2018.

They then featured on Channel 4 series Our Farm Next Door, after announcing their marriage separation, while they continued to co-parent and work on farming and property projects.

In a repeat episode airing Friday, June 26, the family, including Reuben Owen and his girlfriend Jess who star in their own Channel 5 series, Life in the Dales, gathered to celebrate the youngest child, Nancy’s, birthday.

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Marking the special occasion, Clive and Amanda’s eldest daughter, Raven, commented: “It is nice to have everyone gathered together, otherwise sometimes it feels like it’s only Christmas that you see everybody in the same room.

“And it’s nice to see her just so excited about her birthday. I miss her when I don’t see her all the time, I miss all of them, it’s just nice to make a bit of a fuss.”

As Nancy blew out the candles on her cake, Reuben quipped he thought she was four or five years old.

Amanda then turned to them all and said: “Can you imagine, she’s actually the little one.”

Raven replied: “In one year from now, mum’s going to have no one under single digits children-wise.”

“That’s a bit of a scary thought,” Amanda said.

She later added to the camera: “The children are growing up, and I suppose, as they’re growing up, they’re more independent, and more outgoing, for sure.”

Nancy also sweetly shared: “You want to stay with your family forever but you want to turn more independent.”

She added: “It’s nice being one step older.”

Nancy continued: “When you’re older you can remember that day when everyone was here, no one was busy, they made time to be there for you.

“I think I forgot to tell people my birthday is tomorrow, not today! Early gifts, early cake, at least that’s good!”

Amanda has previously spoken about raising her children on the farm, and their unique education.

Last summer, she received from fans after writing on Instagram with pictures of her daughters on the farm, feeding chickens, riding horses, and taking a dip in a river: “There’s schooling and there’s schooling.

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“I know that they’ll go into class with a faint whiff of horse and scurf on their socks but they’ll also have big smiles and a story to tell.”

One fan wrote: “Your kids are having a wonderful childhood.”

Another added: “What they learn from the farm far surpasses anything learnt from a classroom, Fantastic family you have.”

Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids is available to watch on Channel 4.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the U.S. Friday to announce a framework agreement that was described as a first step toward peace following months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The officials did not share details on the agreement, which does not include Hezbollah and prompted one of the group’s officials in Lebanon to warn of civil war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said that the framework would allow Lebanese forces to eventually take control of territory from Israel’s military.

The agreement was signed in front of Rubio in Washington by Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, and Nada Hamadeh, the Lebanese ambassador to the United States.

Hamadeh said the framework “is a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to go back to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security and prosperity.”

Leiter said the final destination of the framework is peace between the two countries.

“Real peace, where both countries will live in security, where Israel’s and Lebanon’s sovereignty will be respected, honored and protected,” Leiter said. “In this performance-based trilateral framework agreement, Iran is out. Hezbollah is out. And the road to peace between Israel and Lebanon is in.”

The latest conflict began when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the U.S. launched their war on Iran on Feb. 28. Israel invaded Lebanon and has expanded its control.

The talks between Israel and Lebanon were separate from the interim deal that was signed last week by the leaders of the U.S. and Iran to end the fighting in the Islamic Republic. That agreement set a 60-day period for negotiations on key issues, including the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that Iran wants to use it for military purposes, a claim the country denies.

The Lebanese government had been wary of having Iran negotiate on its behalf, and Lebanon launched its own direct negotiations with Israel after the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. Hezbollah was not part of the talks, which resulted in several ceasefire agreements that were never implemented on the ground. Iran, meanwhile, insisted that its own agreement with the U.S. explicitly include a ceasefire in Lebanon. The first halt in fighting in Lebanon since March coincided with the beginning of U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland.

Hassan Fadlallah, a member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, reiterated the group’s stance on Beirut-based pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV that it rejects Lebanon’s direct negotiations with Israel and that it will not give up its weapons.

Fadlallah said Lebanese authorities “will not be able to enforce the agreement signed in Washington unless they go, with American support, to civil war.” He also called the agreement in Washington “an attempt to derail the Islamabad process,” referring to the U.S.-Iran negotiations.

In a statement, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun thanked the Trump administration and the Lebanese negotiating team and said Friday’s agreement will be a “first step” toward allowing the Lebanese displaced by the war “to return to their fully liberated land and to their homes” and to live “with their heads held high, under the sovereignty of a Lebanese state that has no partner in its sovereignty over its land and people.”

He did not share details of the pact.

More than 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes since March. At least 37 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon or northern Israel during the fighting.

A lull earlier this week in fire between Israeli and Hezbollah forces began to show cracks after Israel said it targeted Hezbollah militants in several strikes across southern Lebanon.

Lebanese officials have said that securing a withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon is a top priority for them in the negotiations, while Israeli officials have prioritized the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Aoun had told a visiting British parliamentary delegation on Wednesday that a proposal for “pilot zones” where the Lebanese army is supposed to take exclusive control of the territory as Israeli troops will withdraw was “under discussion pending approval from the Israeli side.” He reiterated that the Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Washington are separate from what emerged from from the Iran-U.S. talks in Switzerland.

An Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media said Israel’s direct negotiations with Lebanon include discussions about the redeployment of Israeli forces after southern Lebanon is cleared of Hezbollah infrastructure and Hezbollah has disarmed.

Hezbollah is unlikely to agree to any plan that would include its disarmament throughout the country. The group has maintained that it is only required by previous agreements and U.N. resolutions to disarm in the area south of the Litani River, near Lebanon’s border with Israel.

Netanyahu, the Israeli leader, said in a video on Friday that the framework is a “great achievement” for Israel.

“The most important thing, first and foremost, is that Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon,” he said. “This is a major achievement, and we will maintain it as long as Hezbollah has not been disarmed and as long as it continues to pose a threat to the State of Israel.”

Netanyahu also said that Israel is allowing the Lebanese army to begin preparing to take control of territory.

“We are establishing two pilot zones, both based on the recommendation of the IDF,” he said. “The first is entirely outside the security zone and south of the Litani River. The second is north of the Litani.”

On Wednesday, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun told a visiting British parliamentary delegation that a proposal for “pilot zones” where the Lebanese army is supposed to take exclusive control of the territory as Israeli troops will withdraw was “under discussion pending approval from the Israeli side.”

___

Sewell reported from Beirut. Lidman reported from Tel Aviv. Associated Press writers Koral Saeed in Herzliya, Israel, and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.