People flying from Britain to countries such as Spain and France are being told to be aware of the new Entry/Exit System (EES).

The automated border check is for all non-EU nationals and comes into full force on Monday, September 7.

What is the Entry/Exit System and what does it mean for the UK?

The system means anyone from third-party countries such as the UK will have to register their fingerprints and have their photograph taken before entering certain countries.

The countries this applies to are the Schengen Area, which consists of 29 European countries.

The EES was first launched back in April and caused incredibly long queues for many travellers.

A few countries have been able to pause these checks in “exceptional circumstances” such as when queues are getting too long.

However, from September 7, they will no longer be able to do this.

Places such as Greece, France, and Spain have all temporarily paused the EES during some of the countries’ busiest periods like the summer holidays.

People travelling have been told to leave extra time when getting through the border and they should expect queues.

The government has released some advice and information about the new system.

The government website says: “On your first visit to the Schengen area, you may be asked to create a digital record at the port or airport on arrival.

“You may be asked to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken at dedicated booths.

“You don’t need to provide any information before travelling to a Schengen area country.

“The checks may take slightly longer than previously, so be prepared to wait during busy times.

“If you enter the Schengen area through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel Le Shuttle at Folkestone or Eurostar, St Pancras International, any EES checks will be completed at the border, before you leave the UK.

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“You may also be asked to provide either your fingerprint or photo when you exit the Schengen area.”

Your digital EES record will remain valid for three years.

Will you be leaving some extra time before your flight to the EU because of the new system? Let us know in the comments.

Zheng Qinwen described her US Open third-round comeback win over Madison Keys as a “very dramatic match” – but that is somewhat of an understatement.

The Olympic champion, who had to come through qualifying to reach the main draw, found herself 5-0 and match point down in the third set against Keys.

But Zheng held firm and reeled off seven games in a row to secure a remarkable 1-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 victory over the 22nd seed and crowd favourite.

Keys, who won the 2025 Australian Open, appeared to be cruising towards a commanding victory after wrapping up the opening set in just 23 minutes.

But Zheng, who is rebuilding her career after undergoing elbow surgery last year, rallied, clinching it on a tie-break before snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against the American.

Zheng threw herself to the floor in relief and reflected afterwards on a difficult 12 months in which she has questioned if she will rediscover her form.

“Finally, a bit of luck is on my side,” the 23-year-old said.

“I am just telling myself ever give up. Somehow, little by little, it’s just happened.

“Tennis sometimes feels like rollercoaster. You see many times people have a match point, but at the end we made a comeback.”

The Chinese star is the first qualifier to reach the women’s fourth round at the US Open since Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who went on to win the 2021 title.

Swansea City played out a goalless draw with Welsh rivals Wrexham at the Swansea.com Stadium.

The result leaves Swansea top of the league, but there was perhaps some frustration after the Swans dominated possession.

Here’s how the players rated on the night.

Lawrence Vigouroux 7

Alert to deny Moore late on with a really good save.

Josh Key 7

Made some really good runs early on after being clattered by Ryan Longman early on. Heavily involved going forward for much of evening.

Filip Lissah 6

Nothing to really take too much issue with, but wasn’t quite as eye-catching as previous outings. Subbed.

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Stephen Welsh 7

Really good in the air. Made some good interceptions and several important clearances. Composed in possession too.

Josh Tymon 7 – STAR MAN

Creative outlet for most of the night. Put a few decent balls into he box. Made some good runs and mopped up the second balls really well.

Jay Fulton 6

Mopped up well at the base of midfield, but ran out of steam a little in the second half. Subbed.

Moussa Yeo 6

Decision-making let him down on occasion, but got himself into good positions. Nearly teed up Vipotnik for a late winner.

Melker Widell 6

Snapped around the defence really well, especially on the second balls. Had an early shot blocked. Final ball let him down, however. Subbed.

Stephen Eustaquio 6

As with many others. Final ball was too often lacking after some promising build-up. The notable exception being his pass for Yeo that should have led to a goal.

Eom Jisung 6

Got into some good positions and put some decent balls in at times. But was unable to really open up the Wrexham defence. Subbed.

Adam Idah 6

Some really good touches when dropping deep. Ran his socks off all night, but didn’t really see much of a sight at goal. Subbed.

Subs

Ben Cabango (on for Lissah 53) – Left Wrexham furious with a clattering challenge on O’Hare, but did okay on his return overall – 6

Joseph Opoku (on for Eom 53) – Got into some decent areas, but didn’t quite have the final ball needed – 6

Zan Vipotnik (on for Idah 63) – Denied late on after sliding in to meet Yeo’s cross – 6

Marko Stamenic (on for Fulton 75) – Steadied the ship a little when he came on – 6

Elijah Just (on for Widell 75) – A lively cameo, but another who didn’t quite find the final ball needed – 6

*Follow all of our social channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Swans news. Sign up to our daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here. Our Swansea City correspondent Tom Coleman is also on social media. He can be found on his X account here, on Instagram, on TikTok and on Facebook.

Taylor has been unequivocal that Croke Park would be the end and she walks away having beaten every opponent she faced as a professional.

Her only defeat came against Chantelle Cameron in Dublin in 2023. Six months later, Taylor returned to the 3Arena and avenged it to become undisputed champion in a second weight division.

After the final bell, she paid tribute to her family and somehow held the tears back as she spoke to the crowd.

“There’s nothing like an Irish mammy,” she said, smiling as she thanked those closest to her.

For a fighter who has never hidden her dislike of media interviews, there was something striking about the confidence with which she walked around the ring, microphone in hand, soaking up the final moments.

“We did it. We brought boxing back to Croke Park. You were with me in London 2012, you were with me with the heartbreak of Rio. You stayed with me when I turned pro,” Taylor said.

“I don’t know any other country that would sell 80,000 tickets. Ireland is the only country. “

Taylor will forever be defined by her trilogy wins against Amanda Serrano and leaves with a staggering list of accolades, but her true impact cannot be measured in statistics alone.

That legacy belongs to the young girl who once pretended to be a boy just to box when girls were not allowed.

She fought tirelessly to get the sport sanctioned in Ireland and included in the Olympics, before going on to conquer both the amateur and professional codes.

The belts will eventually gather dust, but the trail Taylor blazed across the sport will never fade.

The Dragons boss was convinced Swansea should have been reduced to 10 men

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson insists Ben Cabango should have been sent off for a ‘leg-breaking challenge’ during his side’s goalless draw with Swansea City on Saturday night.

Both Welsh rivals played out a tense goalless draw at the Swansea.com Stadium, in a game that contained precious little in terms of talking points.

But one flashpoint arrived midway through the second half, with Cabango booked for a robust tackle on Wrexham’s Callum O’Hare.

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Wrexham’s bench were furious, and Parkinson was convinced the Wales international should have been given his marching orders.

“When we review the game they should have been down to 10 men,” Parkinson said.

“First of all, Ben Cabango grabbed Kieffer around the neck on the halfway line before that. A yellow card and then the tackle. The same referee has sent Callum Doyle off against Oxford for a tackle, which maybe he was slightly out of control.

“But I’m very interested to ask the referee when he compares both those incidents. How he differentiates between the two, because every year, managers have to sit and listen to the referees about what they deem to be red cards, and when you’re out of control, like Ben Cabango was and endangering a player. That is a straight red card.

“However, he should have had a yellow before that.

“I thought the referee handled the atmosphere well, but the big decision he didn’t make the right call.

“I know we want to protect our players but, when someone flies in at that speed, that could have been a leg-breaking challenge. Callum’s got an ice pack on his leg and hopefully he’s OK.”

Cabango was shown a yellow card, and Swans boss Vitor Matos batted away the suggestions of his opposite number.

“I never comment on refereeing decisions. In one way or the other.

“If he says that, good for him.”

*Follow all of our social channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Swans news. Sign up to our daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here. Our Swansea City correspondent Tom Coleman is also on social media. He can be found on his X account here, on Instagram, on TikTok and on Facebook.

NEW YORK (AP) — “AIR FORCE VETERAN. SMALL BUSINESSMAN. TRUMP CONSERVATIVE.”

The all-caps headline on Texas Republican congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz’s website used to align him with President Donald Trump. Not anymore.

“NATIVE TEXAN. AIR FORCE VETERAN. SMALL BUSINESSMAN. PROVEN CONSERVATIVE,” it reads now.

De La Cruz’s campaign rejected any suggestion he was backing away from the president, whose knack for mobilizing his loyalists remains critical for Republicans in this fall’s midterm elections. The overwhelming majority of Republicans on the ballot this fall are embracing Trump despite his dismal approval ratings, an unpopular war with Iran and lingering inflation.

However, as the two-month sprint to Election Day begins, a small collection of Republican candidates have quietly begun to distance themselves in subtle ways from Trump now that they’ve won contested primaries in which his endorsement was often the most coveted prize. The shift is easy to miss, often only a few words or new pictures. And Republicans insist there is no shift at all.

Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, called it a “manufactured storyline.”

“President Trump and House Republicans have delivered historic results for the American people, and our candidates are eager to take that record directly to voters alongside the President on the campaign trail,” he said.

But from California to Texas and Kentucky to Alaska, candidates in recent weeks have tweaked their campaign messaging to downplay their connection to Trump. A handful of others have highlighted their opposition to his policies.

It’s an extremely delicate balance for vulnerable Republican candidates, who must expand their appeal beyond Trump’s MAGA base to win in the general election this fall, but are also afraid to trigger a backlash from Trump or his hard core supporters if they create too much distance.

Trump’s unpopularity could weigh down his party

Most candidates are still wrapping their arms around Trump.

Republican allies of the president argue there is little upside for candidates to turn away from Trump, despite his weak polling numbers. Democrats will try to cast every Republican running as a Trump acolyte, regardless of their actual stances, they said, and midterm successes typically depend on turning out base voters. Trump remains the Republican Party’s best motivator.

“The whole Republican brand is that we’re aligned with Trump so you gain nothing from it,” said Jason Roe, a Republican who advises Rep. Tom Barrett, who is fighting for reelection in a competitive mid-Michigan district race.

Still, the slight shift among at least a half-dozen Republican congressional candidates could signal the beginning of a more significant move within the party as the weight of Trump’s unpopularity with the general public comes into view at a critical moment. Just 33% of adults approve of Trump’s job performance, according to Associated Press-NORC polling from July. And Trump gets relatively poor ratings on his handling of the economy, immigration and foreign policy.

Meanwhile, Trump will not make it easy for vulnerable Republicans to avoid him. As voters typically begin paying much closer attention to politics after Labor Day, the president will headline a two-day Republican convention in Dallas as he urges voters to act as if he were on the ballot.

“The problem that we have is they say that Trump does great when he’s on the ballot, but when he’s not on the ballot, his people don’t come,” Trump said as he recently stumped in South Carolina.

“So what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot,” he went on. “Just say that I’m on the ballot one more time.”

Shifting emphasis moving into the general election

A number of Republicans have removed or downplayed references to Trump from their websites after winning their primaries.

Eric Flores, a former assistant U.S. Attorney and Texas Army National Guard infantry captain running against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. in South Texas, once featured “SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S AGENDA” as No. 2 in his list of priorities on his campaign homepage.

That item has now been replaced with “ LOWER THE COST OF LIVING,” a top issue for voters. Trump does not appear anywhere else on the website, aside from a list of endorsements that previously appeared on the homepage but has been moved to a separate page.

Flores’ campaign declined to comment.

In Kentucky, Ralph Alvarado, running to represent the overwhelmingly Republican 6th Congressional District, removed all references to Trump from his campaign homepage, as well as a photo of the two of them together after winning his primary in May. He now promises to offer “INDEPENDENT LEADERSHIP” after previously running as an “AMERICA FIRST FIGHTER.”

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NBC News first reported the changes to Alvarado’s website. Campaign manager Andy Westberry noted Trump’s photo still appears elsewhere in a media gallery. “The socialists are going to have to do a lot better than this nonsense to win this district,” he said in a statement.

Some changes do not mean Trump has been erased.

While De La Cruz no longer touts himself as a “TRUMP CONSERVATIVE” at the top of his homepage, a video that is embedded lower down features the Air Force veteran speaking at a Trump rally.

He still calls himself a “TEXAS TRUMP CONSERVATIVE” on his bio page and lists “Supporting President Trump’s America First Agenda” as among his priorities on a “Mission” page.

But the bio section has also been tweaked. It once described him as “ready to be President Trump’s wingman in Congress.” That section now says he is running because he “believes America needs more servant leaders and fewer corrupt politicians” and “because he’s not finished serving the country he loves.”

De La Cruz campaign manager Jordan Pawlicki said in a statement that, during the primary, several candidates were claiming the president’s endorsement, so the campaign “put it front and center.”

“Carlos is honored to have President Trump’s support, which is why the President is featured prominently across our website,” Pawlicki said.

Republicans downplay any changes to their messaging

In Nevada, Republican congressional candidate Marty O’Donnell’s website featured Trump prominently in June. The very first thing visitors saw was a pop-up with a large picture of Trump and a smiling O’Donnell standing side by side. The words “President Trump endorsed Marty O’Donnell” were written beneath the image.

Two months later, the photo does not appear on the website. O’Donnell’s campaign said the photo was not intentionally removed; the change was simply the standard rotation of the “splash page.”

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On Thursday, Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor in Wisconsin who is closely aligned with Trump, publicly criticized the president’s decision to sign an order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” as part of his trade war with Canada.

“I believe the Great Lakes are the Great Lakes and should stay Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario,” he said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Earlier this week, he came out against Trump’s plan to import cheaper ground beef in an effort to reduce prices.

Others want distance from Trump’s unpopular war with Iran.

In Michigan, Rep. Barrett, who flipped a Lansing-area district two years ago, has been highlighting his vote against Trump’s war in Iran on the campaign trail as he competes against William Lawrence, a self-described democratic socialist.

Barrett this year has repeatedly broken ranks with Republicans to join Democrats in voting for the War Powers Resolution to rein in Trump’s military campaign in Iran. And he has been promoting those votes, promoting a recent town hall with constituents, by saying he would “be having a discussion about the War Powers Act and my efforts to place congressional limits on the war in Iran.”

Roe, the Republican who advises Barrett, said the vote was not about some major break from Trump but a difference over a policy-specific issue. Barrett served in the U.S. Army for over two decades.

“He’s willing to be at odds with the White House on this issue,” Roe said. “It’s important to him.”

___ Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti reported from St. Joseph, Michigan.

By LYDIA VELJANOVSKI

Published: 22:05 BST, 5 September 2026 | Updated: 23:37 BST, 5 September 2026

Katie Taylor will fight for the final time on Saturday night in a bid to become an undisputed world champion for a third time

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Katie Taylor competes for the final time on Saturday night in what promises to be a landmark moment for boxing, Irish sport and the nation. The Bray fighter takes on French opponent Flora Pili with the chance to claim undisputed world champion status for a third occasion.

The contest will mark the conclusion of Taylor’s remarkable career before a crowd exceeding 80,000 spectators. Despite her enormous popularity, the 40 year old keeps a low profile outside the ring.

She wed American real estate broker Sean McCavanagh last year. Taylor publicly acknowledged their relationship in September 2025 during a visit to a rehabilitation centre in her home county of Wicklow, reports the Irish Mirror.

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Speaking about married life with Taylor, McCavanagh told the Sunday World: “It’s the best ever, she’s the best!”. On his trip to Ireland, he commented: “How could you not? I loved my time in Ireland.”

Taylor has taken on a stepmother role to five children, with her husband being father to two boys and three girls. Sean’s previous wife, Alicia – who was mother to his five children – passed away in October 2023 at only 43.

The Bray legend attended the same church as Sean, Alicia and their youngsters, and previously joined the family on a Boston trip years ago, where they attended a baseball game. Sean and Alicia were also in attendance at Taylor’s fights in 2017, along with other relatives.

Taylor relocated to Vernon, Connecticut, in September 2016, a modest town approximately 150km from Boston. It is likely that she first came to know estate agent Sean, Alicia and their family through her local Pentecostal Church.

The church’s website states that it “began as a small Bible Study in Rockville, CT in 1985 after the Lord called Pastor Ramond ‘Flick’ Grezel and his wife Susan to ministry here.

“With much prayer and going door to door, the community quickly responded to Flick’s teaching in God’s word and many people were saved. Today the Church continues to focus on reaching people in the community who are outside the typical church circles.”

Alongside her Connecticut family, Taylor has also rebuilt her relationship with her father Pete in recent years. Pete had stood by his daughter throughout her amateur career, guiding her to Olympic gold at London 2012.

However, Katie removed her father from her coaching team ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics following a family falling-out. Pete disclosed on James English’s podcast ‘Anything Goes’: “I split with Katie’s ma two years, maybe a year after the Olympics.

“Katie’s really into her faith as well and I just remember Katie coming down to the boxing club and she says, ‘I just don’t want you in the corner, you and ma are not together’.

“I’m married now to Karen, and Karen’s the same age as Katie and everybody was saying Pete’s turned around for Katie’s best friend, but they didn’t even know each other.

“In social media and in the papers it was, ‘Katie Taylor’s best friend’. For me it’s an insult, it sounds like ‘Katie’s been best friends with this girl since her childhood, you’ve bleedin’ groomed her’. But she didn’t know her, but that grows legs then. Just rumours and rumours and rumours.

“She has such morals, she has such faith and thinks that when you’re married you should be together for life. It killed me now, but I had to respect it because she did a documentary after and said, ‘when I went training it was like I was fighting with only one hand because my da wasn’t there’. She knew what the consequences would be, she lost in the Olympics in 2016 in Rio.”

Pete disclosed it was a challenging time and implied the Irish press had portrayed him negatively.

“We weren’t really speaking,” he remembered about his relationship with Katie during the Rio Games. “It was tough for both of us but that’s life.

“Because we were always together it was a big thing in the newspapers, you’d think I was the only person who ever split up a marriage and when Katie got beaten I was painted as the villain. It made me a pure villain in Ireland but that’s life, they used to make up stories about me on a bad news day. It was tough at the time.”

He also reflected on the immense pressure experienced in the lead-up to and during the competitions at the London 2012 Olympics. “She’s not lost in 17 major competitions or something, and if we silver medal it would have been a disappointment for everybody in Ireland, and Ireland was going through a bad time,” he recalled.

“There was the financial crash in Ireland and everybody was depressed and I felt the hopes of Ireland were on the shoulders of the two of us. And there’s banners all over Dublin saying Katie Taylor, gold medal London, she’ll win a gold medal. Jesus, some pressure it was.

“It was not enjoyable. The Olympics was not one bit enjoyable – it was just pressure. You know, even after Katie won the goal, for me, it was just relief.”

Nevertheless, Katie and her father have since reconciled their relationship, with Pete supporting his daughter’s training camp ahead of numerous recent major contests.

In an Instagram post, Pete wrote: “Training hard for Croke Park… and it’s bringing me right back to the road to the Olympic Games.

“Same early mornings. Same obsession with getting better. Same belief that one moment can change everything. Funny how life comes full circle.”

The boxer maintains a close relationship with her mother Bridget and siblings – brothers Pete and Lee, along with sister Sarah. Bridget became Ireland’s first female boxing judge and has attended each of her daughter’s professional fights.

“I come from a long line of strong women,” Katie has said. “My mother is a powerhouse. She is a true Proverbs 31 kind of woman and the most amazing example for me. She’s the greatest.”

By JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 22:00 BST, 5 September 2026 | Updated: 22:43 BST, 5 September 2026

Millions of dog owners believe their pooches have super powers that can detect danger and know when something is awry.

And with around 15million domestic dogs in the UK, that is an impressive amount of gifted furry friends.

A staggering 80 per cent of owners said their dog sensed when something was wrong and the same amount trusted their beloved pooches to protect them, according to research by Burns Pet Nutrition.

More than a third of owners said their dog has alerted them to wellbeing issues unbeknownst to them, while 22 per cent said they were woken up in an emergency.

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Meanwhile, 52 per cent of people believe their dog knows when they are sad and 44 per cent said their dogs understand when they are feeling stressed and unwell.

The research was released by the dog food brand as it launched The Burns Bravery Awards alongside former Strictly Come Dancing star Karen Hauer.

Ms Hauer will host the awards in London this November which will celebrate the nation’s most heroic hounds.

She said: ‘I remember one day when I felt completely overwhelmed and just wanted to shut the world out.

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A cute brown-haired Dachshund puppy, most commonly known as a sausage dog, poses for a picture

Former Strictly Come Dancing star, Karen Hauer, pictured, is set to host The Burns Bravery Awards this November

‘One of my dogs came and sat beside me, rested their head against me and just stayed there. They didn’t know what was wrong but somehow they knew I needed them.

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‘These dogs have been through things no dog should ever have to. Some have lost limbs, lived on the streets or been kicked and hurt by people. 

The professional dancer and TV star added that despite the hardship many dogs have endured, ‘they don’t hold a grudge. They still choose to trust… to show compassion and to love.’

‘That’s their superpower,’ she said. ‘Despite everything they’ve been through, they keep loving.’

The research also found 75 per cent of owners turn to their dog rather than their own family after a tough day at work.

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A further 56 per cent of furry friend owners regularly talk to the dogs about their problems and 76 per cent even share secrets with them that would otherwise go untold. 

While dog owners who took part in the research might not have agreed on all of the potential super powers, a resounding 98 per cent said their pooches have improved their mental wellbeing.

A Burns Pet Nutrition spokesperson said: ‘This research shows just how deeply people value the instincts, support and protection their dogs provide.

‘The Burns Bravery Awards is our way of recognising those extraordinary dogs while shining a spotlight on the incredible work of Britain’s Mountain Search & Rescue dogs, who we’ve proudly fuelled for many years.

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‘We hope the campaign inspires people across the UK to celebrate the dogs that make a difference in their own lives.’

Nominations for The Burns Bravery Awards are open and after public voting, the winners will be announced at the awards night in November. 

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Do YOU have a story? Email joshua.haining@dailymail.co.uk 

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Picture a cosy Danish living room. Candles flicker, soft music plays and friends and family gather around a table laden with pastries – flaky, buttery and gloriously calorific. This is hygge in action, and it seems almost tailor made to give any health conscious Briton a mild panic attack.

While Britons have spent decades being told that sugar and fat are dietary villains, the Danes appear to be cheerfully ignoring the memo and somehow remaining one of the slimmest nations in Europe, even though they consume 57kg of sugar annually per capita compared to the UK’s 44kg. We could call it “the pastry paradox”.

The very pastry that bears their name – the Danish – is a staple of British bakeries, airport lounges and sad desk breakfasts the nation over. And yet Danes are much less likely to be obese, with one in five having a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30, when one in three of their British counterparts are obese.

So what is going on? Let’s take a deeper look into trends in Britain, where obesity has steadily risen from around 15% in 1993, to around 29% in England, 32% in Scotland, and 26% in Wales in recent estimates.

Health Gap / Sundhedskløften is a collaborative series from The Conversation UK and Denmark’s Videnskab.dk exploring what the two countries can learn from each other when it comes to health and wellbeing.

From cycling and alcohol to inequality, healthcare and everyday habits, the series looks beyond hospitals and medical treatment to explore how culture, politics and society shape the way people live – and how healthy they are.

The older you are in Britain, the more likely you are to be obese. If you are aged between 55 to 74 you are at the highest risk of obesity. You’re much less likely to be obese if you’re older than 74, which is probably related to the fact that obese people, on average, die earlier. You’re also more likely to be obese if you live in a poor neighbourhood, if you’re disabled, if you’re black British, and the fewer educational qualifications you hold.

Denmark still has health inequalities, but they tend to be smaller than in many other countries. This is largely thanks to strong government policies around prevention, diet and alcohol, as well as a reliable healthcare system that serves people across different income levels and backgrounds.

In truth, there’s no reason why Britain cannot emulate Denmark in this respect. Both are wealthy countries, and both provide their citizens with universal, tax-funded public health coverage. They both share a cold northern European climate, a fishing culture since they’re surrounded by sea, and a similar tradition of simple and hearty cooking with a love for potatoes, bread and porridge, dairy products, fish and pork.

Common ancestors, uncommon diets

The original Angles who settled Britain, and after whom England was named, came from Denmark, only to be invaded by Danish Vikings a couple of centuries later. But that’s where the similarities stop.

While Danes indulge in modern dietary pleasures – like their famous pastries – they also consume many traditional foods that are high in protein and fibre. This helps people feel fuller for longer compared with processed carbs and fats, while also providing essential vitamins and minerals.

Smørrebrød, the traditional open-faced, rye-bread sandwich often topped with fish and vegetables, is a cultural touchstone and Denmark’s daily lunch. Traditionally fermented and baked whole rye bread, often enriched with whole grains and seeds, and freshly sold in neighbourhood bakeries, is the basis of the national dietary strategy and guidelines. Local fruits like berries are regularly consumed. Cabbage, carrots, beets and parsnips are also staples.

The Danish diet gives a special emphasis to seasonality and sustainability, home-cooking and a low amount of highly processed meals. Danes are some of the most eco-conscious people in the world, with low levels of smoking, declining alcohol intake and policies for alcohol reduction, and a high level of participation in sports.

No wonder the Nordic diet and lifestyle is recommended both for its healthy properties, but has also topped the world of high gastronomy, proving that healthy food can also be extremely delicious, creative and even mind blowing.

In contrast, the diet most Britons follow today would be unrecognisable a few decades ago and resembles more what the US has exported to the rest of the world since the emergence of the modern retail system, which fully took over the UK in the 1980s. The US, where nearly one in two people is obese, is the world leader in obesity among major nations.

In Britain, 44% of daily energy comes from ultra-processed foods and drinks, the highest in Europe. This is one of the main drivers for obesity. By comparison, in Denmark the figure is 25%.

Ultra-processed foods and drinks are characterised by high salt and sugar content, unhealthy fats, low fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. They are highly appetising and low in satiety, bad for gut health and they promote inflammation. They are manufactured for easy appeal, high profit, long shelf-life, convenience and minimal preparation.

A typical morning in Copenhagen, where people commute to work and school on their bikes after having their hygge blueberry and yogurt or rye bread and toppings breakfast, looks very different to a morning in a typical UK city where most people drive to work and the fast-food chains are full of kids grabbing something to eat on their way to school.

Smørrebrød, Denmark’s traditional open-faced rye-bread lunch, might be the equivalent of a UK high street meal deal. Dinner in Britain is more likely to be a prepared meal than a home-cooked meal like in Denmark. This is possibly stereotypical, and there are significant variations based on income and lifestyle differences, but it paints a picture of the main differences between Britain and Denmark.

Do Danes indulge in a daily pastry? Possibly. But they do a lot of other things that offset that and keep their obesity levels to a low rate compared to the rest of Europe. Britain, take heed.

This series was commissioned as part of a partnership between Videnskab.dk and The Conversation, where articles are published in English and Danish.