He pushed the victim to the floor before biting her and kicking her in the stomach

A man attacked his former partner and continually breached a restraining order. James Upton was handed the restraining order in March 2024, which meant he was not allowed to contact his former partner or visit her home in St Neots for five years.

However, the 26-year-old breached the order by making several attempts to contact the victim. He also turned up at her house on different occasions.

During one of those visits, in February 2024, an argument broke out between the pair which quickly became physical. Upton pushed the victim to the floor, bit her, and kick her in the stomach. Upton also damaged the victim’s iPhone, smashing the screen.

He was arrested and charged with ABH and four counts of harassment – breach of restraining order, which he admitted.

At Peterborough Crown Court on Friday (August 28), Upton, of Coventry Road, Bedford, was jailed for one year and five months after the activation of the previous suspended sentence.

DC Madie Mayers-Brandrith, who investigated, said: “Upton is a very dangerous individual, who shows no regard for the law and the restrictions imposed on him by the courts. To attack his former partner in her own home when the pair’s young son was present is despicable so I am pleased Upton will now serve time behind bars for his actions.”

Terrance Howarth, of Westwood Close, Farnworth, appeared before magistrates charged with obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty on Wednesday (September 2).

The alleged incident happened on Thursday, April 23, on Plodder Lane.

Howarth appeared before Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court wearing a black hoodie with green pants, and denied the charge.

Prosecuting was Jane Deakin, and defending was Peter Cunliffe, appearing before the chair of magistrates, Yvonne Rooney.

Ms Rooney was on the bench with Carl Navarro and Karon John.

Howarth was released on unconditional bail and the case was adjourned ahead of a trial at the same court on Tuesday, December 7, 2027.

Ms Rooney explained the date is due to backlogs within the court.

If Kansas megachurch pastor and Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton manages to pull off an upset victory in his race for a U.S. Senate seat, he’d join a very small group. In the past 100 years, only incumbent Raphael Warnock of Georgia has accomplished what Hamilton aspires to do: serve in the Senate while continuing to lead his congregation.

Warnock has continued to preach regularly as senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since his election as Georgia’s first Black senator in 2021.

Hamilton has made clear that if he wins, he would like to continue as senior pastor — preaching 12 to 18 times a year — at the Church of the Resurrection. With roughly 25,000 members in the Kansas City area, it’s the nation’s largest United Methodist church.

Warnock, in a video on U.S. Senate Democrats’ Facebook page, discusses how he melds his political and pastoral careers.

“They are both about working for people even as you walk alongside them,” he said. “I have always been engaged in a kind of ministry that takes you far beyond the sanctuary to the streets, far beyond preaching to the public square.”

Only a few other ordained clergy have served in the Senate

Aside from Warnock, only a few other ordained ministers have been in the Senate in recent decades, but none who strived to simultaneously lead a church of their own.

John Danforth, who served from 1976 to 1995 as a Republican senator from Missouri, is an Episcopal priest who also worked as an attorney and diplomat. In 2004, he presided over Ronald Reagan’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

Hamilton said in an interview that Danforth has been an inspiration and mentor for him.

“I talked to Jack before I got into this. I actually phoned him up and just said, ‘Hey, help me understand, how does this fit together?’” Hamilton said. “He and I share a lot about trying to bring people together, as opposed to dividing people, trying to lead from the center.”

Tim Hutchinson, an Arkansas Republican, was a Baptist pastor before entering politics in 1985. After serving in the state legislature and the U.S. House, he served one term in the Senate from 1997 to 2003.

Still serving in the Senate is James Lankford, an ordained Southern Baptist minister who has represented Oklahoma in the chamber since 2015. Before entering politics, he was president of a Baptist-run conference center and youth camp.

Many more clergy have served in the House

Throughout U.S. history, it’s been far more common to have still-active pastors serving in the House. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., for example, served 13 terms representing the New York City neighborhood of Harlem while he was pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church.

Other Black civil rights leaders who combined pastoring with congressional careers included Walter E. Fauntroy, who was Washington, D.C.’s delegate to the House, and William Gray, a pastor in Philadelphia before serving in the House from 1979 to 1991.

Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, who has represented Kansas City, Missouri, in the House since 2005, was pastor of St. James United Methodist Church from 1972 to 2009. His district, just across the Kansas-Missouri state line from Hamilton’s home base, has been reconfigured by GOP state legislators to jeopardize his chances of reelection.

On the Republican side of the U.S. House, conservative white Baptist pastors who have served in recent decades include Mark Harris of North Carolina, Jody Hice of Georgia and Ron Lewis of Kentucky.

One of the most prominent clerics in Congress was a Catholic — Jesuit priest Robert Drinan. A Massachusetts Democrat, he served in the House from 1971 to 1981 before stepping down. He dropped his reelection bid in 1980 after Pope John Paul II said Catholic priests would no longer be allowed to hold political office.

Drinan was elected on a platform opposing the Vietnam War, and had moderate views on abortion and birth control that differed from official Catholic teaching. He was the first member of Congress to call for Richard Nixon’s impeachment — not due to the Watergate scandal, but rather what Drinan viewed as the administration’s undeclared war against Cambodia.

There is no official count of all the clergy who ever served in Congress, but overwhelmingly they have been Protestants. Drinan is one of only two Catholic priests elected to Congress; no rabbi or imam has served there.

The first speaker of the House, Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania, was a Lutheran minister. He served in Congress from 1789-1797.

The first African American to serve in Congress, the Rev. Hiram Rhodes Revels, was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was elected in 1870 by the Mississippi Legislature to fill a vacant Senate seat as a Republican.

Other pastors are running for Congress this year

This year, several members of the clergy from each major party have been nominated to run for the U.S. House. The Democrats include the Rev. Frederick Haynes III, a prominent Baptist pastor in Dallas, and two women currently serving in Iowa’s legislature — the Revs. Lindsay James, a Presbyterian chaplain, and Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor.

On the Republican side, at least three current or former pastors – all evangelicals – have been nominated: pastors John Elleson, running in a Democratic stronghold in Illinois; Mark Harris, seeking reelection in North Carolina; and former pastor Tim Walberg, seeking reelection in Michigan.

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AP reporter John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

CAIRO (AP) — At least 22 people, including Egyptians and Jordanians, were killed Wednesday in a passenger bus crash in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, authorities in both countries said. Twenty-eight others were injured.

The accident happened on a road linking the tourist resorts of Dahab and Nuweiba in South Sinai province, the Egyptian Health Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said it deployed 20 ambulances to the scene to transport the dead and wounded to nearby hospitals. It didn’t elaborate on the victims’ nationalities.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said there were Jordanians among the casualties, without providing a toll.

The Amman-based al-Mamlaka public broadcaster reported that 10 Jordanians were killed in the crash. It said the bus was bound for Amman from Cairo when it overturned on a road between Dahab and Nuweiba.

The Egyptian health ministry didn’t elaborate on the causes, but local media reported that the bus overturned after one of its tires blew out.

Deadly traffic accidents claim thousands of lives every year in Egypt, which has a poor transportation safety record. Speeding, bad roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws are the main reasons behind most of the crashes.

In January, 21 people were killed and 16 injured in a massive multicar pileup on a road near the southern province of Beni Suef.

Mr O’Keefe said he would furnish the court with a number of updated medical reports on the defendant ahead of the plea hearing

A Belfast businessman today pleaded guilty to charges arising from a loyalist bomb hoax targeting Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.

Darren James Service, 45, of Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, appeared in the dock of Belfast Crown Court for his case which had been listed for mention.

His non-jury Diplock-style trial before a judge sitting without a jury was due to start next Monday, September 7.

Senior defence counsel Joseph O’Keefe KC told Judge Gordon Kerr KC that he had an application for gym owner Service to be re-arraigned on two of the three charges he faced which he had previously denied.

Service entered guilty pleas to hijacking a Vauxhall Vivaro van and placing an article causing a bomb hoax at the Houben Centre, Holy Cross Church on the Crumlin Road on March 25, 2022.

A senior Crown prosecutor told the court: “Those pleas are acceptable to the prosecution.”

He added that he had an application to leave the first count of preparation of acts of terrorism on the books of the court “and not to be proceeded with without the leave of this court or the Court of Appeal”.

Judge Kerr ordered a MARA (Multi-Agency Review Arrangements) report to be prepared on Service by the Department of Justice and set the plea and sentence hearing for November 4, 2026.

Mr O’Keefe said he would furnish the court with a number of updated medical reports on the defendant ahead of the plea hearing.

Service was released on continuing bail ahead of sentencing.

No details were given in court on Wednesday about the circumstances surrounding the charges.

But during a successful bail application at Belfast Crown Court almost three years ago, a judge was told that on March 25, 2022, a workman was threatened and forced to transport a device placed in the back of his vehicle by two masked men to a peace-building event on the Crumlin Road in north Belfast.

The then Tanaiste Simon Coveney was attending the event at the Houben Centre in the Holy Cross Church.

After the van driver alerted police regarding the device in his van, the Centre was evacuated in what was later described as a hoax bomb alert.

It was the Crown case that the two masked men who hijacked the Vauxhall Vivaro van were driven to the scene by Service.

A prosecutor described the March 2022 incident as terrorist offences “carried out by the UVF.”

The prosecutor said that when Service’s home was searched in the aftermath of the incident, officers seized £100,000 located in a safe as well as balaclavas, a replica firearm, UVF pins and luxury watches.

The court heard that a mobile phone belonging to the defendant, who at the time of the bail hearing had been on remand for 19 months, has never been found.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The myth that when women live together their menstrual cycles become synchronised has long persisted – despite research showing there’s no evidence that this so-called McClintock effect exists. Any overlap that does happen is probably just down to chance.

However, just because this isn’t true doesn’t mean our bodies don’t sync with those around us in other ways. In fact, more and more scientific evidence of this happening is being discovered.

There are two key ways our bodies can “sync up” with people we’re close to. The first is synchronisation, where physiological or behavioural processes show coordinated patterns. The second is co-regulation, where the emotional or physiological state of one person influences another.

The heart

Our hearts have a remarkable ability to synchronise when we do things together.

For instance, a small study of 27 couples showed co-regulation of both heart rate and heart rate variability – a metric that represents the time between heartbeats. These metrics have also been shown to be synchronised when couples sleep in the same bed.

But it isn’t just couples this happens to. Research has found that choral singers also exhibit synchronised fluctuations in their heart rate when they sing together. Their heart rate increases and decreases at the same time as they breath in and out. This is caused by their breathing becoming synchronised – a phenomenon called respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

The eyes

Another interesting area of overlap involves our eyes.

Research has shown that when two people are involved in the same task or stimulus (such as watching a video interview), their pupils can spontaneously synchronise – becoming wider or narrower at similar points in time.

This is particularly interesting because pupil diameter is largely regulated automatically by the autonomic nervous system, in response to emotions, arousal and light conditions.

Although this synchrony could partly arise because the same stimulus produces similar responses in both people, a 2026 study investigated whether this phenomenon happens even when two people aren’t receiving the same stimulus.

One participant listened to emotionally evocative sounds (the study didn’t specify exactly what that entailed) while the other did not. Both could see only the other person’s eyes.

Even though only one heard the auditory stimuli, their eye behaviour still showed coordination. Both participants blinked in sync, regardless of how their attention changed during the interaction.

This suggests that some forms of synchrony cannot be explained solely by both people responding independently to the same external stimulus. Instead, different aspects of our behaviour and physiology can become coupled through the dynamics of social interaction.

Brain activity

People’s brains can show similarity in the electrical activity patterns they produce when imitating each other.

One study demonstrated that while one person spoke and another listened, both exhibited synchronisation in various different brain waves. This synchronisation didn’t just occur in brain waves important for processing speech – it also occurred in those relating to focus and even daydreaming.

Researchers have also found that as two people interact, their patterns of neural activity gradually become more closely aligned. This phenomenon is known as interpersonal neural synchrony.

Pain tolerance

Our experiences of pain can also be influenced by social synchrony.

For instance, one study found that rowers who trained together had a higher pain threshold than when they trained on their own. Similar results have been observed for people who sing together.

It isn’t clear what the exact reason for this is, but it could be that the camaraderie of the shared experience affects the body’s endorphins (our natural painkillers) – either by increasing their levels, or amplifying their effects.

Stress levels

Not all examples of synchrony are good, however. Even our stress levels can sync up with those we’re close to.

One of the keys ways that stress impacts the body is that it causes cortisol levels to rise. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands which helps boost blood sugar so the brain and muscles can react quicker.

But over time, if cortisol levels remain too high, this is linked to weight gain, poor sleep and high blood pressure.

Studies have shown that couples often display synchronised cortisol patterns. Although the cortisol concentrations in the blood aren’t identical, couples often show similar day-to-day patterns of cortisol rise and decline. As a result, when one partner has higher-than-usual cortisol levels, the other partner is also more likely to show elevated cortisol levels.

This synchrony may be due to external factors that impact one partner directly causing a change in the other member of the couple. Or, it may be due to partners experiencing a shared source of stress.

Siblings also show linked stress profiles when going through a shared stressful experience. One study of 66 pairs of siblings demonstrated that during stressful shared experiences (in this case, caring for a parent), siblings may become biologically connected, with the fluctuations in their stress hormones becoming synchronised.

Humans appear to be biologically connected in ways we rarely appreciate. In an increasingly digital world that may be making us more disconnected from each other, there are many reminders that human connection is not only psychological but physiological too.

By CHARLOTTE DEAN, ASSOCIATE SHOWBIZ EDITOR

Published: 11:22 BST, 2 September 2026 | Updated: 12:35 BST, 2 September 2026

Peter Llewellyn-Jones, the British Sign Language interpreter and academic who became a familiar face to a generation of children as Mr Montgomery Lancelot Grimley in The Riddlers, has died aged 76.

For many viewers, Peter will be remembered as the slightly eccentric Mr Grimley, who is the neighbour of central character Marjorie in the long-running children’s show.

But acting was only one part of an unusually varied career which was closely tied with British Sign Language and the Deaf community.

The British Deaf Association have paid tribute to the author today, as a spokesperson said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the passing of Peter Llewellyn-Jones.

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‘A respected BSL advocate, interpreter, educator and ally, Peter devoted more than 50 years to supporting Deaf people and championing BSL.

‘His legacy will never be forgotten. Rest in peace.’ It has not been announced what Peter’s cause of death was as yet.

Peter Llewellyn-Jones, the British Sign Language interpreter and academic who became a familiar face to a generation of children as Mr Montgomery Lancelot Grimley in The Riddlers, has died aged 76 (pictured on The Riddlers)

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Peter qualified as an interpreter in 1972, at a time when professional interpreting for Deaf people was still developing as a recognised field.

His career subsequently encompassed social work, television, theatre, interpreter training and academic research.

One of his earliest television roles was as Supersign in Insight, the Yorkshire Television series made for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

The programme combined education and entertainment, and Peter’s signing made him a distinctive presence on screen.

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He later became known to a much wider audience through The Riddlers, appearing as Mr Grimley in dozens of episodes between 1989 and 1998.

His television work extended beyond children’s programmes. 

Peter appeared in programmes concerned with sign language and interpreting and was also involved in interpreting for the performing arts, including theatre and opera.

Alongside this practical work, he became an important figure in the development of interpreter education in Britain. 

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For many viewers, Peter will be remembered as the slightly eccentric Mr Grimley, who is the neighbour of central character Marjorie in the long-running children’s show

He taught at a number of universities and was instrumental in the development of higher-education courses for BSL-English interpreters.

At the University of Leeds, where he was Senior Teaching Fellow and Programme Director of the MA in Interpreting: BSL-English, he helped train a new generation of interpreters. He subsequently became a Visiting Research Fellow.

The actor later worked with the University of Central Lancashire.

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Fans and pupils of Peter took to social media to pay tribute following the announcement of his passing.

One wrote: ‘Lovely man and I had be pleasure of being taught by him. I always left his class feeling good about yourself.

‘Nice memories and he defiantly left his stamp on the world.’

Another added: ‘The most enthralling teacher I have had, funny and insightful! Sad news and he will be missed in all circles.

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‘I feel so privileged to have known PLJ. Such a wonderful man! Rip in peace.’

Others remember his role on 90s show: ‘He was brilliant. I loved The Riddlers.’

A second commented: ‘Sad to hear that Peter Llewellyn Jones has passed away, I love The Riddlers and I remember buying it on video, when i was a kid.’

Couples are the target market for the cabins, but one of the cabins will be able to accommodate a small family

Proposals to build three self-catered glamping cabins have been approved despite “significant environmental concerns”. Applicants Mr and Mrs Mike & Kate Milne, sought permission to provide “luxury” accommodation on land with grazing deer in Great Gransden.

The development site is on land west of Little Gransden Lane in Great Gransden. A planning statement reads: “The fully self-catered spaces will appeal to guests who enjoy accommodation in the outdoors with the intended audience looking for a back to nature experience.

“The target market will be couples with the ability to accommodate small families in one of the units. The accommodation will have the ability to cater to visitors year-round taking advantage of the full 12-month opportunity.”

This is an expansion of an existing rural business which aims to make a “positive contribution to the sustainability” of the business, planning documents said. The operating business called Red Kite Rural Ltd, which was founded in 2012, is a rural enterprise specialising in forestry, estate and deer management.

The applicants added: “The accommodation will provide an authentic luxury experience to guests wanting to explore the outdoors from a unique perspective set on the land with grazing deer in the foreground.”

They said the site’s close proximity to Cambridge will be a “significant draw for guests”. On site, built-in features such as outdoor bathing and cooking facilities will be provided alongside a communal sauna and car parking.

However, some people lodged formal complaints about the development. One local said the application should have been refused beacuse it “raises significant environmental concerns, and would harm local amenity”.

The neighbour wrote: “The proposal conflicts with the Great Gransden Neighbourhood Plan (Policies G1, G3, G4, G9), as it is located outside the built-up area boundary and represents unsupported greenfield development. The site is unsuitable, being too close to residential areas and valued tranquil spaces such as Gransden Woods.

“The development would introduce noise, light pollution, and increased traffic along a narrow, heavily used public footpath, creating safety risks and disturbance. No adequate mitigation is provided.”

Overall, the objector said the proposal had failed to demonstrate that its “benefits outweigh the clear harm to the environment, local residents, and the character of the area”.

Another objector claimed it is “not appropriate to insert a glamping site into a relatively small agricultural field in the middle of a group of residential properties”. They said that their concerns are in “no way outweighed by the alleged benefits”.

They said that the “small number of properties and the absence of street lighting at this extreme edge of the village mean it is not only very quiet but also totally dark at night”.

Another local, who lives adjacent to the site, said they believe the proposals will “negatively impact our peaceful enjoyment of our property particularly in view of the increased noise disturbance caused by outdoor socialising” as a result of the amenities being installed.

The lodged objection added: “This is also likely to result in late night (as well as daytime) noise disturbance in what is an extremely tranquil location. The very close proximity of the proposed car park to our property and garden will also cause increased noise disturbance.”

On the other hand, others were in support of the development. One person said that the introduction of a small amount of tourism could “help support local amenities, such as the village pub and shop”, adding that the proposal seems to be “relatively low-impact use of the land”.

The proposals, which were submitted in March, have since been approved by Huntingdonshire District Council.

Argentina’s president has issued a fresh warning to the UK over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, saying his country would defend its interests “with tooth and nail, no matter who it bothers”.

Javier Milei said he was preparing to make what he billed as a national announcement on Thursday night, saying the islands were “sacred” to his people and claimed his country’s national sovereignty had been “violated”.

On Tuesday, Downing Street said Britain’s commitment to the Falkland Islands was “unwavering” after Donald Trump suggested the US could review its position on the archipelago.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Argentina’s president wrote: “We announce a national broadcast for Thursday at 9:00 PM on a SACRED topic for Argentinians… a historic claim of the Argentine people that to this day continues to see its national sovereignty violated.”

He added: “What more important and strategic cause for the vital interests of the nation could there be more important than the Malvinas cause?… We will continue defending the interests of the Argentine nation with tooth and nail, no matter who it bothers. LONG LIVE FREEDOM, DAMMIT…!!!”

James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, hit back at President Milei, saying the Falklands “are British and they will remain British”.

“British soldiers fought and died to defend our sovereignty and the freedom of the Falkland Islanders. That sacrifice will never be forgotten, and we will always stand by the people of the Falklands and their overwhelming desire to remain British,” he said.

The US’s stance is formally neutral, although Washington provided support for Britain’s campaign to retake the islands after the Argentinian invasion in 1982.

However, reports at the weekend suggested the US could revise its position if the UK government does not increase defence spending.

Asked about the reports on Monday, Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “I always review every position. That’s just one of many.”

The next day the PM’s official spokesperson said the UK’s position on the Falklands was “long-standing and unwavering”.

“Sovereignty rests with the UK, and the islanders’ right to self-determination is paramount,” he said. “The UK’s position is clear. The islanders have repeatedly expressed their wish to remain a British overseas territory.”

Falkland Islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory in a 2013 referendum, with 99.8 per cent voting in favour – and just three votes against.

But the issue hit the headlines this summer when Argentina’s football team controversially waved a banner in support of their country’s claim to the islands while celebrating their World Cup win against England.

Players held a banner after the semi-final match that read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates as “The Falklands are Argentine”.

A powerful US Senator and top Trump ally has warned Andy Burnham not to implement sanctions against Israel.

Senator Rick Scott told the Prime Minister he needs to be a ‘Churchill, not another Chamberlain’ as expectations grow that the UK will punish goods, services and senior figures linked to planned illegal Israeli settlements.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband pledged yesterday to ‘reset’ Britain’s policy on Israel and called new Israeli expansion efforts ‘the crossing of a red line’.

However, officials will fear that Senator Scott’s public opposition to British sanctions reflects what the Trump administration thinks behind closed doors.

The US State Department has already warned they are ‘tracking [the plans] closely’, with Downing Street reportedly prepared for pushback from Washington.

Senator Scott, chairman of the Senate Republican Steering Committee, told Metro: ‘The U.K. needs a Churchill, not another Chamberlain. Prime Minister Burnham has a chance to either stand with the United States and Israel – or repeat history’s mistakes by appeasing evil regimes and actors.’

The row exploded last month when Israel issued tenders for the construction of some 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area.

The plans have drawn widespread international condemnation because it would in effect divide the West Bank in two and isolate East Jerusalem.

Andy Burnham said yesterday the E1 extension ‘could imperil, if not end, the two-state solution’.

Miliband also told Parliament he would introduce a ‘comprehensive reset’ of policy on Israel ‘in the coming weeks’ and punish British companies involved in the settlements.

The government is reportedly also preparing to announce sanctions against goods and services involving West Bank settlements and target more senior Israeli figures.

A minister also confirmed yesterday they are ‘looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements’.

‘Israel will act against Britain’

The mooted sanctions have sparked outrage from the Israeli government, who has threatened to retailiate.

The country’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told news website Ynet: ‘If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain.’

However concern is also growing that President Trump, a strong supporter of Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu, will be angered by any sanctions.

Senator Scott, described as Trump’s ‘fixer’ in the Senate, has fired the first warning shot over the UK’s plans.

Asked about his reaction to the possible sanctions, Scott told Metro: ”Burnham should do everything he can to strengthen Britain’s historic alliances with America and Israel and reject the disgusting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic radicalization growing across the UK.’

He added: ‘Israel is doing what it must to oppose terror and defend itself, and President Trump is working with them to bring peace to the Middle East through strength.

‘Burnham should do everything he can to strengthen Britain’s historic alliances with America and Israel and reject the disgusting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic radicalization growing across the UK.’

Scott’s intervention is significant because he is seen as closely tied to The White House.

Trump’s officials have reportedly described him as ‘our man in the Senate’ and have brokered meetings between officials and powerful Republicans.

Two of Britain’s largest Jewish organisations, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, have also urged Burnham not to go ahead with the sanctions.

Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi, told Miliband on Friday that many British Jews would view the proposed measures with ‘deep dismay’.

However a group of former British diplomats said in May that the Israeli settlements were ‘designed to divide the West Bank in two and destroy Palestine’s viability’.

They warned that E1 was part of Israel’s ‘systemic West Bank annexation’.

All settlements are illegal under international law and Israel had previously held off for decades on plans to build in the area due to international pressure.

The UK has already joined a group of 20 other countries, including France, Germany and Italy, as well as the European Union, to issue a joint statement calling E1 ‘unacceptable’.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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