In the autumn of 2007, Gordon Brown was on the precipice of calling a snap general election.

Campaign material had been printed. Some 100 slots had been booked at Battersea’s heliport to dispatch senior ministers to far-flung marginal constituencies.

Hundreds of activists were told to be ready to take up their posts within Labour’s dedicated ‘election hub’ on 24 hours’ notice.

But the call to arms never came. Aware of Brown’s plan – one that would see them consigned to inevitable defeat – George Osborne and David Cameron launched a desperate, final, holding action. In his conference speech, Osborne declared that on becoming Chancellor he would raise the Inheritance Tax threshold to £1million. ‘Only millionaires will pay inheritance tax’, he proudly proclaimed.

The policy immediately resonated. A poll conducted in the days after the announcement saw a significant bounce in the Tories’ ratings in marginal constituencies. And a few days later, Brown sheepishly ordered the election plan shelved. The indecision saw his personal poll rating enter a tailspin from which he never recovered.

As a new Tory party conference approaches, Kemi Badenoch has the opportunity to make a similarly historic, and potentially game-changing, political announcement.

At the weekend my colleague Gabriel Millard-Clothier exclusively revealed in The Mail on Sunday that the Tory leader was contemplating scrapping Inheritance Tax entirely.

Officially, Badenoch would only confirm: ‘I’ve asked my team to explore fiscally responsible ways to address this burden.’ But, off the record, her aides made clear it is something she is seriously contemplating. ‘When she announced the abolition of stamp duty in last year’s speech, it was the moment her personal approval rating began to turn,’ an ally told me. ‘We think a big policy announcement like this could potentially have the same impact for the party as a whole. It’s a way of communicating, “OK, the traditional, solid, tax-cutting Tory party really is back”.’

Which is why Kemi Badenoch should tell her team to finish their exploration, get back to base camp and have a finalised policy ready in time for her conference speech next month.

There is currently a policy vacuum sitting at the heart of British politics. Andy Burnham began his premiership by stating that we would have to wait until ‘later this year’ to hear his ten-year plan for the nation.

And, like the Chief in the Asterix comics who fears the sky may fall on his head tomorrow but reassures himself with the fact that tomorrow never actually comes, ‘later this year’ is proving to be an elastic deadline.

Badenoch has a golden opportunity to fill that Burnham-shaped void with a stance that is bold, radical and populist. She also has an opportunity to put some distance between herself and a Prime Minister who seems increasingly intent on leaning heavily on his party’s socialist traditions.

Perhaps even more crucially, she has an opportunity to define herself against the political threat to her Right.

This week has been dominated by the row over Reform’s acceptance of a combined £72million donation from two British crypto billionaires recently based abroad. But what was even more significant was Reform’s bone-headed reaction to Badenoch’s Inheritance Tax proposal.

One would expect a party that aspired to replace the Conservatives as the main opposition to an old-school, tax-and-spend Labour government would have recognised and embraced a policy that sought to reduce the tax burden on hard-working families. Instead, the party’s treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick made the incomprehensible statement that he believed the plan was ‘morally wrong’. It was, he said, ‘a tax cut predominantly for the well-off’.

Had Jenrick simply dismissed the proposal as something that did not align with Reform’s current fiscal priorities, that would have been one thing. But to claim there is something inherently immoral in people simply aspiring to pass on more of their wealth to their children was a staggering assertion. And one that is likely to cost him and his party dear.

Whether a policy pledge by Badenoch along these lines will have the same transformative effect on Tory fortunes as George Osborne’s momentous announcement almost two decades ago, is open to question. But now is not the time for timidity.

Because despite the denials, the plan taking shape inside Downing Street is clear. Burnham is preparing to call a snap election in the spring of next year. And, based on the current trajectory of the polls, he will almost certainly win it.

Reform’s collapse in support is accelerating. This time last year the party stood at 31 per cent in the polls, 11 points ahead of Labour and 14 points ahead of the Tories. Now they are two points behind Labour, a slender 4 points ahead of the Conservatives, and trending downwards. In just over a year, they have lost a third of their support, all at a time when Keir Starmer’s premiership was imploding.

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage’s personal approval ratings have become radioactive. According to the most recent poll, 24 per cent of people have a favourable opinion of Reform’s leader, while a staggering 69 per cent view him unfavourably. This represents the worst level of antipathy towards Farage since records began.

Burnham is preparing to call a snap election in the spring of next year. And, based on the current trajectory of the polls, he will almost certainly win it, writes Dan Hodges

On these numbers, the idea of Reform securing a majority at the next election is for the birds. And that’s before you factor in the impact of tactical voting, the likely further erosion of support to Rupert Lowe’s insurgent hard-Right Restore party and the plethora of ongoing investigations into Reform’s increasingly murky finances.

The stark political reality is this: There is only one thing that will stop Burnham from calling a snap election and securing a five-year term in No 10. And that is a recovery for the Tory party along the lines we saw in 2007.

That would not require them to leapfrog Labour immediately.

Even after Osborne’s dramatic announcement, Brown still led in the polls for a time. But the shift in support in battleground seats that the policy precipitated was enough to make him think again.

That’s what the Tories need now. Not a miraculous resurgence. But a policy statement that will capture the attention and imagination of the British people. And that will demonstrate there is a party of the Right that provides them with a genuine and serious alternative to the Burnham government, not just an opportunity to register a protest.

Because Burnham remembers well the moment Brown hesitated – and lost. A member of that administration, he was subsequently asked what he thought about that decision. ‘Momentum is a curious thing in politics,’ he reflected. ‘Thousands of us who’ve worked around these jobs could sit in a room and try to work out how to get momentum and how not to lose momentum, but the truth is it hinges on the most unexpected little moments in politics.’

It will take something significant to force Andy Burnham to abandon his own plan for a snap election. Kemi Badenoch is the only person who could still do it. But she will have to be swift, and she will have to be bold.

Sir Alec Shelbrooke has raised concerns about Bridge House, on Oxmoor Lane, Biggin, near Selby, where a long-running planning dispute has resulted in enforcement action and several appeals.

In an update due to be presented to the Selby and Ainsty Area Committee next week, the MP for Wetherby and Easingwold, said enforcement action had given the site owner until August 11 to remove additional caravans and return the land to its approved use.

READ MORE: York council draws up new plans for Traveller pitches

However, he said: “No attempt to adhere to this notice has been forthcoming.”

The MP said he understood North Yorkshire Council had scheduled a series of site visits with a view to formally enforcing the notice now the deadline had passed.

He added that residents were frustrated that people who breached planning controls could seemingly delay further action by simply failing to comply with a formal notice.

The issue is also due to be discussed at a meeting of Biggin Parish Council next week.

The dispute dates back several years.

Planning permission granted in 2020 allowed Bridge House to operate as a holiday touring caravan site with up to 16 touring caravans and four grass tent pitches, together with tracks, sewage treatment facilities and an amenity building.

However, concerns emerged during 2024 that development and residential use had gone beyond the permission granted.

North Yorkshire Council issued a temporary stop notice in November 2024 preventing further caravans being brought onto the land and additional engineering and hardstanding works.

An application was also submitted for a mixed-use transit traveller site and tourism operation, with proposals publicised by the parish council including 48 pitches and two static caravans.

The council refused permission and issued an enforcement notice in December 2024 over what it said was an unauthorised change of use and associated development.

Following a hearing, planning inspector R Merrett dismissed the planning appeal in August 2025. Appeals against the enforcement notice were also dismissed, although the notice was corrected and varied before being upheld.

A separate enforcement appeal concerning commercial and workshop activities was determined in March this year, when another notice was varied and upheld.

Sir Alec also expressed concern about recent government announcements which he said appeared to weaken previous rules allowing councils to tackle illegal traveller encampments.

He said he understood why residents who “play by the rules and do the right thing” were frustrated when others appeared able to “play the system”.

By BARONESS CASEY

Published: 01:21 BST, 17 September 2026 | Updated: 03:41 BST, 17 September 2026

Many will remember when cancer was widely seen as a death sentence and little treatment could be offered beyond making people as comfortable as possible in their final days.

Since the 1970s, we have largely transformed that story through decades of research, earlier diagnosis, public awareness, clinical trials and better treatments.

This tremendous progress did not come from one miracle cure or the actions of one government. It came because the country decided cancer mattered and deserved our effort. And we kept up the fight year after year.

It is time we afforded that same seriousness and ambition to treating dementia.

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September is World Alzheimer’s Month. It should be a moment of national resolve: a commitment to make dementia Britain’s next great national mission, just as cancer was for previous generations.

Dementia is not a normal part of ageing, but a collection of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s. Yet, too often, it is treated as part of a person’s inevitable decline or a social care problem rather than a series of major health conditions that can be diagnosed, researched and treated.

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It’s people with dementia, and their families and loved ones, who feel the consequences.

I have met far too many people who receive a diagnosis… and then are left alone to cope.

Alzheimer’s Society is right to call for those with dementia to receive a diagnosis, care plan and access to treatment within 18 weeks of GP referral. This standard, or better, is already in place for other major health

conditions. Dementia should be no different.

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But this is just the beginning. The lesson from cancer is that our efforts work best as part of a wider mission: investment in research, expanded trials, better treatments, support for people after diagnosis and a workforce ready to deliver those new treatments.

That is why we must make this country a great place to conduct dementia trials.

I implore the NHS to get ready to deliver the next generation of breakthrough treatments. Healthier lifestyles, earlier diagnoses and better treatments across the board mean we’re living for longer – and with that brings a new challenge. As more of us live into our 80s and 90s, it is not enough to simply add years to life – we need to ensure that our twilight years are as healthy as possible.

Baroness Casey says she implores the NHS to get ready to deliver the next generation of breakthrough treatments

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Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.

By 2040, there will be 1.4million living with dementia. We cannot stick our heads in the sand.

Delivering this national mission also requires someone with the authority to drive it. That is why I called for the appointment of a dementia tsar to lead the charge.

Responsibility is currently scattered: when responsibility belongs to everyone, accountability too often belongs to no one. We need someone to own the problem and drive the kind of action needed to solve it.

Britain has repeatedly shown that it can achieve extraordinary things. We rebuilt the country after the war, we developed vaccines at record speed during the pandemic and have transformed cancer survival since the 1970s. The lesson is that progress follows when we act together.

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Dementia can be that next national mission. But lasting change cannot be designed by politicians and experts alone. We need the public to help decide what dementia sufferers and their families should expect and what system we are prepared to build together.

That is why we are asking people across the country to take part in the Big Conversation On Care. There will be many opportunities to get involved but, as a first step, I’m asking you to vote on the proposals the public have been putting forward before September 23.

Together, we can turn national resolve into action. If we can improve diagnosis, treatment and care for people facing dementia today, there will be greater hope for all of us tomorrow.

Baroness Casey chairs the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care

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The town’s three colourful elephant statues are being returned to their original home on Newport Street after packing their trunks in 2015.

Construction work is taking place with the elephants appearing at the top of Newport Street and Great Moor Street.

The trio, Ellie, Elmer and Mister Jackbow, have been fully restored and repainted ahead of their return.

They were previously moved to an area near the Octagon car park, close to the play area, where they remained while work was carried out.

Their return means they will once again stand close to Bolton Interchange, where they are expected to be among the first sights seen by people arriving in the town centre.

(Image: NQ)

The elephants were named by local children following a public competition and have become a familiar part of Bolton’s identity.

Their return was announced by Bolton Council in May as part of wider plans to make the town centre more welcoming.

The restoration is being funded through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, alongside other planned improvements across the town centre.

These include a double-sided LED screen outside Bolton Interchange, new wayfinding, murals celebrating local history, upgraded outdoor power units and new seating.

The council has also outlined improvements to lighting and CCTV, while defibrillators have already been installed.

The Bolton elephants (Image: Bolton Council)

Bolton has a long association with the elephant emblem, with theories linking it to historic trade with India and the use of the Elephant and Castle as a symbol of strength and dignity.

The installation is part of plans to ‘create a vibrant and welcoming town centre that celebrates its heritage and unique identity’.

Prosecutors in the UK have lodged a formal request for the extradition of brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate from the US to face charges of rape and sex trafficking.

The US State Department, which received the requests last week, will review the extradition applications to make sure they comply with the existing agreement between the US and UK.

But the lawyer for the brothers, who are dual US-UK citizens, accused British authorities of failing to provide the necessary supporting documents in the request.

The brothers are facing a total of 59 charges in the UK, including rape and counts relating to sex trafficking and indecent images of a child. Both men deny any wrongdoing.

The Crown Prosecution Service originally brought 21 charges, but added 38 more in July for alleged actions spanning between 2010 and 2017.

US authorities took the men into custody in July after the UK announced the new charges. The brothers lost a bid to be released from a Florida jail on bail last week.

UK authorities had until Wednesday 16 September to submit a full extradition request.

Joe McBride, the brothers’ lawyer, said he would be challenging the requests, arguing they were not backed up by the information needed under the extradition agreement.

In a statement to the BBC, McBride said the brothers had also not received the extradition requests themselves, nor documents such as “a warrant, a charging document, and information that provides a reasonable basis to believe my clients committed these offences”.

“This cloak-and-dagger act speaks to the deception behind these accusations and to their weakness,” he added.

Once the State Department completes it review, there are still several legal steps before extradition can be permitted. Applications must go through the US Justice Department which will in turn forward it to the court, where the final decision on their extradition will be made.

During this legal process, the Tate brothers will remain in jail in the US.

An official letter from the State Department details that Andrew Tate, 39, is “wanted to stand trial in the United Kingdom” on a series of charges, including 10 counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He is also accused of making and distributing indecent images of a child and possessing extreme pornography.

Charges levelled against Tristan Tate, 38, include five counts of rape, six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, three counts of sex trafficking and a sexual assault.

Both men deny any wrongdoing.

In response to the formal request for extradition from the US, a Home Office spokesperson said: “As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, we do not routinely comment on individual cases.”

The former professional kickboxers turned divisive social media influencers hold dual US and British citizenship, and had primarily been living in Romania since 2017.

They have been accused of promoting misogyny and toxic masculinity online, which has attracted a large following, particularly from young men.

Andrew Tate, who is a self-proclaimed “misogynist”, first rose to fame after a 2016 appearance on the British version of reality TV show Big Brother.

The brothers also faced sex-trafficking charges in Romania in 2022, and were under a travel ban until they were allowed to come to the US in 2025.

Both brothers have denied all charges and allegations.

It comes after the authority warned it faces an £83.7 million funding gap and may need four years of near-maximum council tax rises, job losses and wider use of artificial intelligence to balance the books.

Cabinet members were told on Wednesday (September 16) that the council faces mounting financial pressures over the next four years, driven by rising demand for services including social care, school transport and waste collection.

Officers have identified £21.5m of savings through a transformation programme that includes digitising services, cutting office costs and making greater use of technology and AI.

Around 18 jobs could also be lost under the proposals.

Council forecasts show a funding shortfall of £83.7m by 2030 before savings and council tax increases are taken into account, including a £23.3m gap next year.

Reform’s deputy leader and finance chief Darren Grimes told councillors that the authority would maintain a “laser-like focus” on stripping out waste and avoidable costs, while leader Andrew Husband insisted Durham remained in a stronger financial position than many councils across the country.

(Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

However, Labour MP Luke Akehurst said Reform should accept responsibility for some of the challenge now facing County Hall.

The North Durham MP said: “As a local MP I will always put the case to Ministers for more funding for Durham County Council, so that all the costs of delivering public services in an area that has both deprivation and rurality to tackle are properly reflected in the funding formula.

“However, Reform ought to acknowledge that Durham received a very generous funding settlement last year – a real terms increase of 6.7 per cent.

“They made a political choice to use some of this to keep down the annual increase in Council Tax, rather than invest it in services, and their own choice to do this has widened the funding gap they now face.”

(Image: CHRIS BOOTH)

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on Durham County Council, said many of the transformation plans now being promoted by Reform had already been under development before the party took control of the authority.

She said: “The transformation strategy had already been discussed before Reform was elected.

“We fully support the transformation plan for local government but Reform talk a lot about virtue signalling and their obsession with trying to deliver zero council tax rises – we are seeing the consequences of now.

“They set a budget this year knowing that they were creating a future black hole.

“They pleaded for more money from the government, now they’ve got it and they squandered it.”

Durham County Council opposition leader Amanda Hopgood said Reform ‘squandered’ government money. (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)

The budget debate comes at a difficult political moment for Reform’s administration.

Three councillors, Lyndsey Fox, Nicole Brown and Paul Sexton, resigned from the party this week and now sit as independents, reducing Reform’s majority on the 98-seat council to just three.

The departures are the latest in a series of resignations, suspensions and defections since Reform swept to power in the 2025 local elections, winning 65 seats and taking control of the authority for the first time.

Cabinet members are expected to begin consulting residents on the council’s financial plans later this month, with final budget decisions due to be taken in February.

The consultation will include proposals for annual council tax increases of up to 4.99 per cent, which officers say would broadly eliminate the authority’s funding gap over the four-year planning period if combined with the planned savings programme.

President Trump said the war in Iran was nearly over as he threatened to implement new tariffs on the entire continent of Europe should Canada join the EU.

The commander-in-chief spoke to reporters on Wednesday, ahead of a scheduled appearance to support Republicans in the midterm elections.

He was asked about the ongoing military operation in the Middle East, which began at the end of February when US and Israeli forces struck Iran. 

‘Well, hopefully we’re toward the end of the war,’ Trump said. ‘They want to make a deal, and we’ll see how that works out.’

When he was then asked about a proposal for Canada to join the EU as an ‘associate member,’ Trump said he found the idea ‘laughable.’

‘Canada has been a terrible trade partner, and no, I don’t see it,’ he said. 

‘And if they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will bring very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,’ the president then warned. 

‘If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe,’ he continued.

The US president threatened implementing new tariffs should Canada join the European Union. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are pictured together on Wednesday

Trump said he is hopeful that the war in Iran is almost over. A damaged oil tanker is pictured in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday

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The president’s remarks come just one day after the House approved a war powers resolution that would halt the president’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval or to defend the US or one of its allies from an ‘imminent attack.’

The roll call late on Tuesday night, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining all Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict. 

None of the resolutions have made it to the president’s desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.

‘Remember when Donald Trump said that this war would last just a few weeks?’ said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who served as a Marine during the Iraq War and pushed the resolution forward.

Moulton said it’s time for Congress to ‘actually ask tough questions, as the Constitution directs us to do, rather than be subservient to another warmongering administration.’

But Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned which military resources Democrats would want to remove from the region where he said Iran remains a threat.

Mast said Trump is against ‘forever wars, and that is what he is ending’ – the decades of hostilities from Iran.

‘They are a continuous ongoing threat to the United States,’ Mast said. ‘Enough is enough.’ 

Trump has remained publicly committed to the Iran campaign, while War Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing a fresh challenge from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who introduced articles of impeachment accusing him of unlawfully continuing military action 

The House has approved a war powers resolution that would halt the president’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval, except when necessary to defend the United States, an ally or partner from an ‘imminent attack’

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 would give Congress a mechanism to limit the president’s use of military force without congressional authorization. 

The action is likely the last House vote on the Iran war ahead of the midterm elections, where the conflict overseas is playing a substantial role in the political campaigns. 

Before voting even began, Representative Thomas Massie read aloud articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth, putting the secretary’s conduct during the Iran war in the spotlight.

He accused Hegseth of unlawfully continuing US military action against Iran without proper authorization from Congress.

Massie’s move could force House Republicans into an uncomfortable showdown over Hegseth’s conduct, although impeachment itself is far from certain. 

The Kentucky congressman filed the measure as a privileged resolution, meaning the House must take it up within two legislative days, setting the stage for a potentially explosive vote.

It came as a damning report from the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General revealed that the war in Iran has cost the United States at least $33.4 billion as hundreds of destroyed buildings and dozens of aircrafts remain unaccounted for. 

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced she wanted to add Canada as an associate member  

Meanwhile Trump faced a new threat on the international stage on Wednesday, when European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced she wanted to add Canada as an associate member.

During the top Eurocrat’s annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament, she repeatedly love-bombed Canadian premier Mark Carney – who was in the chamber – saying Brussels wanted ‘to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible.’

‘Dear Mark, I said we must urgently reimagine our partnerships. So, I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,’ she said, to the surprise of the EU’s 27 member states.

‘We share one ocean, one set of values, one way of seeing the world. And we will now build our shared future as well – thank you for being here.’

But the attempt to flatter Carney faltered, with diplomats telling the Daily Mail they were never briefed about the proposal and that ‘associate membership’ doesn’t exist.

The EU diplomats accused Brussels of ‘over-reach’, with one going as far as to call the announcement ‘bombastic.’

Carney looked on as von der Leyen heaped praise onto him and his nation

‘There will be a summit at the end of October, so logically they will talk about deepening the relations,’ the diplomat said.

‘But no one has ever seen an associate membership and no idea what it means in practice. Canada is a valuable partner for the EU, one of the few currently in the world where we share the values, so it is nothing against Canada.

‘But first and foremost the member states should be the ones to express what kind of relationship the EU wants to have with any third country.’

Another told the Daily Mail von der Leyen ‘kept this bit of associate membership out of the text until the last moment. She also did not mention it up front to EU member states.

‘It seems like she is a bit too far out in floating this. Everyone is positive about Canada, and wants to strengthen the relationship.

‘But there is a lot of uncertainty about what von der Leyen envisages by coining this label.’

Samie Longchambon has revealed she will be a panellist on Loose Women and starred in her first episode today (Wednesday, September 16).

Loose Women has gone through a few major changes this year after two panellists, Denise Welch and Nadia Sawalha, left the show.

Samie Longchambon joins Loose Women

Samie announced the news via Instagram yesterday and said: “I just wanted to let you all know that tomorrow I’m going to be a loose lady, I’m going to be on the panel of Loose Women.

“I’ve never actually been on the panel before, I’ve been a guest but I’ve never actually sat there for the whole show chatting, so I’m really looking forward to it.

“I’m also slightly nervous but they do say do something every day that scares you, so that’s what mine’s going to be tomorrow.

“So if you’re around, it’s half 12 until half one, so grab a brew and join us.”

Samie was joined on the panel by Katie Piper, Christine Lampard, and Katie Piper.

Samie is best known for playing Maria Connor on Coronation Street and has appeared in over 1,900 episodes.

Samie has also starred in several other shows including Heartbeat, Doctors, and The Cops.

What is Loose Women?

Loose Women is a talk show that is broadcast on weekdays during the day.

The show features a panel of four women who talk about aspects of their lives and discuss topical issues from politics and current trending news to entertainment and celebrity gossip.

Loose Women features other guest stars who are interviewed during the show.

Kaye Adams and Nadia Sawalha were the original presenters on the show with a range of other panellists including Coleen Nolan, Jane McDonald, Sally Lindsay and Janet Street-Porter joining the show since it first started.

In recent years, the show has been presented by Kaye Adams, Ruth Langsford, Christine Lampard, and Charlene White.

Some of the current panellists include GK Barry, Olivia Attwood, and Oti Mabuse.

Are you excited to watch Samie Longchambon as a panellist on Loose Women? Let us know in the comments.

The small plane crashed high in the mountains in Switzerland on Tuesday

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Two Britons are among three people confirmed to have lost their lives following a plane crash in the Swiss Alps.

The light aircraft came down high in the mountains near the town of Leukerbad, in the southern canton of Valais, Switzerland, on Tuesday, September 15.

All three passengers aboard the aircraft perished, with police working to identify the victims, though two have been confirmed as British nationals.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has confirmed it is “providing support to the families of two British nationals who died in Switzerland”.

The body added: “Our thoughts remain with the families during this difficult time.”

The Cirrus SR22T aircraft departed from Sion Airport in the Rhône Valley before striking a mountain slope in the Fluhalp area approximately 10 minutes later, for reasons that remain unclear.

The plane had originally flown from Lugano, in the southern Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, before making a stop at Sion.

Local residents swiftly alerted the emergency services after spotting smoke rising from the stricken aircraft shortly after 4pm.

Three helicopters and two rescue specialists were among the team dispatched to the scene.

Swiss federal authorities have launched a formal investigation into the crash, alongside a criminal inquiry by the Office of the Attorney General of the Confederation and the Valais cantonal police.

Images released by local police show the wreckage of the aircraft strewn across the mountainside.

The local force stated: “Shortly after 4pm, for reasons yet to be determined, the aircraft collided with the northern slope of a mountain in the Fluhalp area of Leukerbad. Signs of smoke were subsequently reported in the region.”

Two men dressed in black were seen leaving the scene

A petrol station has been left with a smashed window and damaged shop front following a burglary. Police were called to the BP garage on Station Road in Bluntisham at 5.10am this morning (September 16).

Officers found damage to the front of the shop where a window had been smashed. E-cigarettes, tobacco and alcohol were taken, but the exact amount is unknown. Two men dressed in black were seen on CCTV leaving the scene in a silver Honda Jazz and headed towards Earith.

No arrests have been made but an investigation is ongoing.

A Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson said: “Anyone with information or anyone who has CCTV or dashcam footage which may assist the investigation, is asked to report online www.cambs.police.uk quoting reference 35/71638/26 or call 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.”