A diplomat who stood in for Lord Peter Mandelson in Washington after he was sacked has abruptly stepped down.

James Roscoe, 49, replaced Mandelson for several months after the latter was removed from his post over links with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Staff at the British embassy in the US capital were reportedly told of the decision but were not offered any explanation for Mr Roscoe’s sudden departure.

Stopping short of offering a reason for the change, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘James Roscoe has left his post.’

Employees are expected to find out the reason Mr Roscoe has left later today.

It is understood Mr Roscoe is now facing questions over a leak of classified information relating to the Iran war, though it has not been suggested that this is the reason for his departure.

Foreign Office sources have confirmed a number of senior embassy officials are being probed over the breach, The Times reported.

According to the outlet, the breach is said to involve verbatim comments about the conflict made by UK cabinet ministers.

Mr Roscoe was a key diplomat and played a crucial role both in Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK last September and King Charles’ more recent state visit to the US.

It had been suggested he could take the top role of ambassador after stepping in for Mandelson, but the position was ultimately offered to Sir Christian Turner.

During his time in Washington, he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the embassy, and his departure is said to have proven shocking to staff members.

Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US in September of last year after the true extent of his reportedly close friendship with Epstein was revealed in files released by the US Department of Justice.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has come under fire for appointing Mandelson in the first place.

Apologising to Epstein’s victims, Starmer said he was ‘sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies’ and maintained that he had been unaware of Mandelson’s close ties with the late disgraced financier.

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Legendary comedian Dawn French on the heartbreaking real life story behind her new book, swooning over Brad Pitt – and why she’d never do Strictly Come Dancing

Throwing shapes at a Vicar of Dibley wrap party nearly saw Dawn French busting more than just moves. Chuckling at the memory, she says: “We were allowed to choose some music. I chose Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie. It came on and I started ‘over’ dancing. We were a little bit drunk and I actually displaced my hip. So the fact is Shakira, ‘hips do lie, b***h!’”

Dawn’s ‘over’ dancing may partly account for her vociferous reluctance to go on Strictly. She says: “I love dancing but I have got a wobbly knee. I don’t like all the palaver of Strictly. I don’t want to have sex with all the boys. I don’t want to lose my marriage! Also, I don’t want to stand in front of Craig Revel Horwood. I don’t want to wear the sequinned costumes or be shot out of a cannon because I am the funny one. The sequins freak me out.”

READ MORE: Loose Women’s Andrea McLean was ‘shamed’ for third marriage but says ‘this one’s going to stick’

She is peaking to promote her new novel Enough, about Etta – a 68-year-old woman, like Dawn, who is considering end of life choices. Etta, a seemingly healthy mother and grandmother, gathers her family for a weekend, only to reveal the shocking news that she’d decided this will be her last day alive.

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Dawn says: “The challenge I have set myself is to talk about big, scary stuff, but infuse it with some kind of hope. I have tried for a life affirming book about end of life. I am 68 but I am not at the end of my life. I just think at this age you start to think about stuff that is going to come. It is important to write about things that you fear. It has been ‘enough’ for Etta. She has had all the great moments in her life and she feels that is sufficient.”

A content trigger warning appears at the beginning of the novel alongside a link to The Samaritans. Dawn, whose dad took his own life when she was 19, says: “Part of this book is about control and Etta is someone who has had a lot of control in her life. Because she has made the decision, she is certain. I did not get upset writing the book – but I was when doing the audio book. Then you are reading the whole thing all the way through. I did not know what the ending of the book would be. I climbed into the character to see who could persuade me what to do. This was my fifth novel and I have never started a novel without thinking how it will end.”

She continues: “Etta is certainly not me, but she is my age and that is a little bit because I am lazy. When you write a character who is your age you don’t have to do any research about music, as you knew what was in the hit parade.”

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Dawn, who says the book is about control and love rather than assisted dying, reflects on her father’s suicide, adding: “My dad is in this book without a doubt but he is not directly in it.” And she has no intention of giving up on life. She says: “I lost my mum at 77 and I watched my mates fall off the perch in their 70s. But I would like to still be going at 170.”

Keen to retain her wicked sense of humour – and find plenty of time for kissing, she reminisces about her legendary Comic Relief kiss with Hugh Grant in 1995, which raised £1 million. She says: “We were going to kiss over a break and the break ended up being the news. We had to kiss until the show came back and we were snogging for half an hour.”

Another memorable embrace was with Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt, during a night out in London with Jennifer Saunders. She recalls: “I was in The Ivy with Jennifer. In comes Terry Gilliam. He said he was meeting an actor as he was working on this movie 12 Monkeys and suddenly Brad Pitt walked in. He is beautiful. He sat next to Terry.

“I went off to the loo and took a pad from a waiter and wrote a note to Terry saying ‘make Brad kiss me or I will kill your children’. Suddenly I just heard ‘hey hi’. And there was Brad and he kissed me on the cheek. He said ‘hey, looking good. Call me?’ And walked off. Jennifer’s mouth dropped. Obviously I was pregnant as soon as he kissed me.”

But she turned down Eamonn Holmes, after telling the story on This Morning. She says: “Eamonn turned to me and said ‘you’re are a bit of a one aren’t you?’” Refusing him a repeat performance, she adds: “I went ‘dream on.’”

Dawn, who has allowed her black bob to turn its natural grey since Covid – but uses Olaplex shampoo, which can cost up to £90 a bottle – says unlike Etta, she has plenty to look forward to. Married for 13 years to charity executive Mark Bignell, who she began dating in 2011, she lives with him in a five bedroom Victorian villa near the Devon-Cornwall border. They recently sold their £6.6m waterfront mansion in Fowey.

She continues to record podcasts with Jennifer Saunders, do stand up tours and write novels. She says: “I held a lot of hair brushes pretending to be a pop star when I was younger and I prepared my Oscar speeches when I was a teenager. So I have come to this part of my life now where I am really prepared. I am ready for any success that anyone wants to bestow on me.

“I am very fortunate. I can go on tour and bring out the dressing up box. But the writing part is where my heart is happiest. I know now I am a functioning introvert. I can be an extrovert. I can be Dawn French if I have to be and I find pleasure in that. But my real pleasure is being alone in my writing.”

She has thought about the end of her life – but not in quite the same way as Etta. She laughs: “What do I want people to say about me at my funeral? That I am very good in bed. I am very good in bed actually, I am an excellent sleeper. Or they can say I was a t**t. I would own and live it if someone said I was a proper t**t. I love the idea of owning that!”

*Dawn French’s new novel Enough is released on Thursday

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Helen Dickinson, the chief executive of the BRC, the leading trade association for retailers, said: “Rather than introduce 1970s-style price controls and trying to force retailers to sell goods at a loss, the Government must focus on how it will reduce the public policy costs which are pushing up food prices in the first place.”

Adriano d’Orso, 16, said “dad, help me” before he died after eating ice cream in Casoria, Naples but the tragic teenager was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services

A teenage lad pleaded with his father to “help” him moments before his death after consuming ice cream. Adriano d’Orso spoke his heartbreaking final words following a visit to his go-to ice cream shop in Casoria, Naples, Italy.

The 16 year old, who suffered from a milk protein allergy, had gone to his regular ice cream parlour close to home. He always made certain to choose varieties free from the sugar naturally found in milk.

After finishing a cone, the youngster became ill and passed away shortly thereafter. Mates brought him back to his father’s residence, where he is reported to have said to his dad Mauro through the intercom: “Dad, help me, I’m not feeling well, I’m fainting.”

His father attempted to rescue his son by giving him cortisone, an injection that can ease allergic reactions, but tragically it was too late.

Staff at the ice cream establishment were allegedly all aware of his milk protein allergy, while the Carabinieri (the Italian national police) have collected samples of the ice cream varieties the boy had consumed for testing. They are examining the incident under the supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office of Naples North, reports the Irish Mirror.

By the time he reached his father’s home, his state was already dire and paramedics could only confirm his death at the location. A post-mortem examination will establish the cause of death.

Lawyer Francesco Petruzzi, representing Adriano’s mother throughout the investigation, stated: “These tests and the autopsy will be crucial to understanding what happened and determining any liability.

“We have no hypotheses until we receive answers from the investigations ordered by the judiciary. Then, we will act accordingly.”

Casoria, situated within the broader Naples metropolitan region, is home to 73,000 residents.

The town’s Mayor, Raffaele Bene, remarked: “There is news a community never wants to hear, especially when it concerns a young man. Adriano’s sudden death leaves an enormous pain that pervades the entire city and deeply affects each of us.

“My personal embrace and that of all Casoria go to his family, his friends, his classmates, and all those who loved him.

“No words can truly ease such great suffering, but it is the duty of a community, to gather together with respect, silence and humanity around those who are experiencing such a tragic moment. Casoria mourns its son today, and it does so with a heart full of sadness.”

Adriano frequented the establishment regularly. The post-mortem examination seeks to establish whether he succumbed to a fatal allergic response or if another factor was responsible.

There are growing concerns about dangerous parking in residential streets during York City FC and York Knights games at the LNER Community Stadium, Liberal Democrat ward councillors said.

Huntington and New Earswick’s Liberal Democrat Cllr Keith Orrell said concerns included parked cars blocking emergency services vehicles and called on York Council to begin consulting residents on possible solutions.

Council Labour transport spokesperson Cllr Kate Ravilious said they and the stadium’s management team were mulling introducing residential parking (ResPark) permits amid growing pressure following the teams’ successes.

It comes after the Minstermen secured their re-entry into the national football league in April.

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The promotion is expected to increase matchday attendance at the 8,500-capacity LNER Community Stadium, with Labour York Outer MP Luke Charters saying it is too small for the team’s ambitions.

It also follows York Knights’ promotion to the rugby league Super League this year.

Pictures from Liberal Democrat ward councillors showed several cars parked in Ferguson Way, Huntington and other streets.

They said they had since begun surveying residents about parking issues to gather views about potential solutions including matchday-only restrictions and improved public transport links.

They added shuttle bus services were discussed before the stadium opened but the fall in public transport use during the coronavirus pandemic meant passenger numbers did not get high enough.

Cars parked on a street in Huntington, York, on a matchday at the LNER Community Stadium (Image: York Liberal Democrats)

Cllr Orrell said it was great that the teams had achieved promotion but it was time to consult residents with differing views street-by-street before the start of the football season.

The ward councillor said: “I’ve walked around on match days and seen that most supporters park responsibly but I’ve been concerned that emergency vehicles would have great difficulty on some streets, this has been reported to the council and North Yorkshire Police.”

Liberal Democrat Cllr Carol Runciman said the situation had changed completely since the stadium opened in 2021 with thousands more fans attending games.

Cllr Runciman said: “The original intention was for dedicated bus services from across the city so supporters would not need to drive, the council and stadium operators must now revisit those plans urgently.”

Cllr Chris Cullwick, a Liberal Democrat who also represents the ward, said future measures should reflect the wishes of individual streets.

The ward councillor said: “Residents deserve to feel safe and listened to in their own streets.

“The council must now stop delaying and start a proper consultation process before next season begins.”

Labour Transport Executive Member Cllr Ravilious said residents in the area had been consulted on a ResPark scheme in 2022 but rejected it.

She added individual streets opting in and out of permits costing £115-a-year for the first car at standard rates was not a solution and they needed to be implemented neighbourhood-wide.

Cllr Ravilious said: “We understand and sympathise with the frustration of local residents experiencing parking issues on their streets.

“A ResPark scheme is the best tool for addressing parking problems and providing residents with appropriate parking protections.

“Since 2022, the council has responded to ward councillors’ and residents’ emails about parking issues in the area to explain the available options.

“Many communities across York suffer similar parking pressures and have requested ResPark schemes and have a long waiting list which we are working through as fast as possible.

“We recognise that the success of both York City FC and York Knights has added to parking pressures in the area and we’re now working with the stadium management team to revisit a ResPark scheme for the area.”

A married police officer has been sacked after he groped a female colleague’s bottom at a work Christmas party.

Pc Kevin Beedel, who claimed he was “just being friendly”, repeatedly touched her despite being warned to stop, a misconduct hearing was told.

The female officer, named only as Pc A, did not report the incident because she thought it would be “brushed under the carpet” and could damage her career.

She described a “laddish culture” in their Metropolitan Police team, with sexual innuendos made about female officers.

A damning 2023 review by Baroness Louise Casey found the force was institutionally misogynistic.

Scotland Yard has vowed to kick wrongdoers out of the force.

Pc A told the misconduct panel that she was standing at a casino table with Pc Beedel during a 2018 team Christmas party at a venue in Hertfordshire, when she “felt a hand on her left bottom cheek”.

She was “shocked” and when she turned, saw he had his hand on her bottom.

She told him: “Don’t do that”, to which Pc Beedel replied: “I’m just being friendly”, the panel heard.

The officer removed his hand several times from her bottom but he kept putting it back there.

She was shocked because Pc Beedel had just married, the panel heard.

She later shuffled around the casino table to try to get away from him.

Pc A described seeing a group of her male colleagues behind her at the bar. One of the group had his phone out and they were laughing.

When she approached them to ask what they were doing, they tried to hide the phone from her, the panel heard.

The officer was “very upset” that her team had not intervened.

“The fact that no one did anything was an added layer of upset and surprise for her,” the panel said.

Pc Beedel denied sexually assaulting Pc A, saying he was “100 per cent sure of this because it is something that he would never do”.

He told the panel he respected her as an officer and had no romantic interest in her, claiming witnesses “may have seen things from the wrong angle and from a distance, especially in a dimly lit and large venue”.

Pc A said she did not report the incident at the time because “there was a laddish culture on the team” and she feared being ostracised.

“Whilst the Metropolitan Police was a large organisation, anything that happened to a police officer followed them around,” the panel heard.

“If she reported it, she felt that it would get brushed under the carpet, and she didn’t want it to affect her career.”

The panel also heard that before the incident, Pc Beedel liked old photos of Pc A on Instagram, including pictures of her in bikinis, which she found “sinister”.

The panel found the allegations proven, and concluded that Pc Beedel harassed and caused distress and embarrassment to Pc A.

The touching “was not horseplay, and was done in pursuit of sexual gratification”, it added.

Pc Beedel’s actions breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour and he was dismissed from the force.

Services could be severely delayed by up to 60 minutes or cancelled

There are currently long delays on trainlines running through Cambridgeshire after a person was struck by a train today (Wednesday, May 20). The incident happened between Hitchin and Welwyn Garden City causing all lines between Peterborough and London to be closed.

Emergency services are currently at the scene. Multiple services are being affected by the incident including Thameslink trains between Cambridge and Brighton and between Peterborough and Horsham.

Great Northern services running from Kings Lynn to London Kings Cross have also been disrupted. Trains may be cancelled, revised or severely delayed by up to 60 minutes.

People travelling in the area are likely to need an alternative route and should leave at least an hour longer to complete their journey. People are being advised to check routes before travelling.

If you already have a ticket for Great Northern or Thameslink services, they can be used at no extra cost on the following services:

• Alternative Thameslink services between all stations
• Alternative Great Northern services between all stations
• CrossCountry services between Cambridge and Peterborough via Ely
• Greater Anglia services between Ely, Cambridge and London
• London Underground between all London terminals

Disruption is expected until 2.30pm.

A spokesperson for National Rail said: “A person has been hit by a train between Hitchin and Welwyn Garden City. Whilst the emergency services carry out their work, all lines between Peterborough / Royston and London are closed.

“Trains between Peterborough / Royston and London may be cancelled, severely delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised. Major disruption is expected until 14:30.”

The Reform UK councillor was found guilty of making a false statement about a Conservative candidate

A councillor has been forced out of the council after being convicted of breaking electoral law, sparking a by-election. Andy Osborn was chairman of the North East Cambridgeshire Reform Party when he made a social media post about a Conservative candidate in April 2025.

He was convicted of making or publishing a false statement under the Representation of the People Act 1983 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in April of this year. The court heard that Osborn wrote on Facebook: “Samantha Hoy worked in the care industry but allegedly was sacked for fraud no wonder Wisbech is in such a state. Reform UK will fix it.”

Cllr Hoy works in the care industry and has never been sacked or faced fraud allegations. She told a meeting of Cambridgeshire County Council that speaking as a witness in court was “a daunting experience”.

She said: “I don’t want to pretend that what happened to me was the worst thing in the world because actually people every day go through far worse things than what happened to me. But I also don’t want us to just quietly accept that abuse in public life is okay.”

The county council said that Osborn failed to launch an appeal before the deadline, despite telling them he would on “two separate occasions”. Voters in his former ward of Roman Bank and Peckover will head to the polls to elect a replacement on Thursday, June 25, 2026.

Candidates must hand in their nomination papers to the offices of Fenland District Council at Fenland Hall during normal office hours before 4pm on Friday, May 29.

Applications to register to vote must reach the electoral office by midnight on Tuesday, June 9, and can be made online.

Radio Caroline made a major blunder when it accidentally broadcast the King had died

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A UK radio station has apologised for ‘any distress called’ to its listeners after playing a broadcast declaring King Charles III had died.

Radio Caroline, which operates across the Midlands and South England, made the huge blunder today (Tuesday, May 20), with listeners apparently in shock by the sudden news.

The usual broadcast came to an abrupt end before the hosts announced normal programming had been suspended due to the death of the monarch. The station then played God Save the King, according to a listener.

The broadcast then ceased for around 15 minutes before the station made an on-air apology, reports The Mirror.

The mistake was blamed on a “computer error”, as Station Manager Peter Moore issued a statement of apology, while explaining what caused the incorrect broadcast.

In a statement posted to the radio station’s Facebook page, Moore wrote: “Due to a computer error at our main studio the Death of a Monarch procedure, which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require, was accidentally activated on Tuesday afternoon (19 May), mistakenly announcing that HRH the King had passed away.

“Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology. Caroline has been pleased to broadcast Her Majesty the Queen’s, and now the King’s, Christmas Message and we hope to do so for many years to come. We apologise to HM the King and to our listeners for any distress caused.”

Listeners flocked to the comments of the post to share their relief that the news wasn’t true, while others expressed their sympathy for the radio hosts that announced the false obituary.

One person commented: “On the plus side, at least you know the procedure for this is working and in place!”, while another added: “I bet this made a few people stop in their tracks! It did give me a bit of a shock, but these mistakes can happen and I was glad to find out it wasn’t true.”

King Charles is alive and well, as he and Queen Camilla touched down in Northern Ireland yesterday ahead of a three-day trip. Charles and Camilla had a lively start to his visit after arriving on Tuesday, as they were greeted with music, singing, dancing – and a taoscán of Titanic – in the capital, Belfast.

They joined organisers and performers to mark Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann – the world ’s largest festival of traditional Irish music, song and dance – which is coming to the city this August for the first time.

Charles and Camilla were greeted by more than two hundred performers at Thompson Dock, where the Titanic was last on dry land in 1911 before its fateful maiden voyage. As a drummer played, Charles, 77, couldn’t resist tapping his feet and getting involved, moving rhythmically to the sounds of the musician.

The King was hugged warmly around the waist by Tendai Nyamayaro, 38, originally from Zimbabwe who has been living in Belfast for two and a half years, with the laughing monarch slapping his back and returning the gesture.

Mr Nyamayaro said afterwards: “The King’s got rhythm! He did have some rhythm! What a beautiful thing to have happened. Showing up to celebrate our different cultures here in Belfast. It’s a wonderful place, the people are lovely, so friendly and welcoming. There’s a real energy here. It was so beautiful.”

After, the King and Queen moved to the nearby Titanic Distillers, a distinctive distillery housed within the restored Edwardian pumphouse that once served the adjoining dry dock, famed for holding the RMS Titanic. After meeting distillery staff the couple were taken on a tour of their stunning copper stills before trying their hand at trying two different types of whiskey.

Camilla raised her eyebrows dramatically but taking a sip, she knocked the brew back, rolling her eyes in mock surprise. “Delicious. But quite strong! It’s nice and warming,” she said. “It’s very strong,” she warned her husband, who leaned over to pick up a glass.