Passengers who saw their flights cancelled or delayed after a technical issue wreaked havoc at Britain’s airports are ‘unlikely’ to be untitled to compensation, the British Civil Aviation Authority warned. 

More than 300,000 holidaymakers were said to have been affected yesterday after an issue with the National Air Traffic Services’ ‘flight processing system’ saw scores of flights disrupted.  

The issue sent the country’s major airports – including Heathrow, Gatwick and Birmingham – into turmoil as passengers were left stranded in terminals and on runways. 

British Airways alone revealed it was forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights in a decision which affected ‘tens of thousands of customers’.

But passengers have now been warned that it is unlikely they will be awarded compensation for disruption caused by the technical failure due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’ under passenger rights rules. 

The British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said this evening: ‘Although passengers should be looked after by airlines, they are unlikely to be entitled to compensation for delays or cancellations that were directly caused by the incident.’

The CAA confirmed that it has launched an investigation to understand what exactly caused the fault after NATS chief Martin Rolfe admitted last night that the service did ‘not yet have an idea’. 

Mr Rolfe faced calls to resign from a host of airlines following the ordeal and met with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander this morning. 

Alexander made clear she did not believe the shambles was ‘unavoidable’, though Mr Rolfe will not be ousted immediately while he retains the confidence of Downing Street. 

He was, however, branded an ‘overpaid failure’ yesterday after a similar issue caused chaos at British airports only last year.

Effectively pleading for his survival in a broadcast interview this morning, Mr Rolfe confirmed that a cyber attack was not responsible for the carnage. 

He promised there would be a ‘very, very thorough investigation’ into the issue – but also argued that such incidents were ‘inevitable’.

Tens of thousands of passengers were caught up in the travel mayhem after a system issue hit NATS, which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports.

Some unfortunate travellers were trying to get some sleep at Heathrow this morning 

Advertisement

NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe has promised a ‘very, very thorough and full investigation’

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander ordered NATS chief Martin Rolfe to report back in detail on the ‘completely unacceptable’ situation at a meeting this morning

Cancelled flights are listed on a check-in display board at Heathrow Terminal Three yesterday

Chaos continued today with more cancellations and delays as airlines deal with the knock-on impacts at hubs including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted.

Aviation analytics company Cirium said as of 3pm, more than 300 flights had been cancelled or not taken off today, with more than 2,000 affected over the past two days.

British Airways said the fault had forced it to cancel almost 550 of its flights, which had impacted more than 85,000 passengers.

The airline said it was ‘incredibly sorry’ to its customers and that the issue had been ‘entirely out of our control’.

Mr Rolfe told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We will be doing a very, very thorough and full investigation. We have at this point ruled out cyber, we don’t believe it was a cyber attack.

‘My focus and that of the team has been on both getting our system operating back up normally, which it is now, but there’s obviously a huge tail to the disruption and we’ll be working on that through the course of today.

‘And then our attention will turn to exactly what’s happened in this particular incident. What I will say is I don’t believe we’ve ever seen an incident happen more than once, so this will be something different that we’ve never seen in 50 years of operation.’

Mr Rolfe also apologised for the disruption, adding: ‘Inevitably, things do go wrong in complex systems. We never want them to. We always hope they won’t, but we absolutely plan for them to and make sure we handle them properly.

‘I would say the UK has one of the best reputations in the world for its air traffic control service, both from a safety perspective and from a resilience perspective.

‘NATS was actually a partial privatisation 25 years ago, and since that point, it’s had access to funding. We’ve invested way more than a billion in technology over that time, our service has consistently improved. Our safety is consistently improved from a very good base.

‘But all of those things don’t detract from the fact that when these things happen, it is disappointing and upsetting, for which I apologise.’

Discussing the response to yesterday’s incident, Mr Rolfe said: ‘We had everybody on site, everybody was in the right place. We had all the engineers in place. We had our various partners from software industries and so on all on hand.

‘So this was resolved as quickly as it could be, but within the limits of making sure that it all stayed safe.’

Ms Alexander told MPs this afternoon that she did not believe the air traffic control problems that have caused chaos for passengers were ‘unavoidable’.

She said in the Commons: ‘A four-hour air traffic outage yesterday left hundreds of thousands of passengers facing cancellations, diversions and delays. I would like to apologise wholeheartedly to passengers for this disruption.

‘We often take for granted the way in which our aviation system just works, but yesterday that was not the case. Safety must remain air traffic controllers’ overriding priority and this morning I have spoken to NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe, who informed me this outage was due to a technical issue at their Swanwick site.

‘So, while my understanding from NATS is that we can rule out a cyber attack on this occasion, I do not believe this issue was unavoidable.

‘We also spoke this morning about how NATS responded to resolve and minimise the disruption as quickly as possible, and I am grateful to the airports and airlines who responded straight away.

‘But I am clear that passengers should not have to face this disruption. I have therefore asked the CAA to conduct an independent review to establish cause and ensure that our air traffic control systems can get passengers to where they need to be and this … review will report to me within six months.’

The managing director of Wizz Air UK, Yvonne Moynihan, said it should be a case of ‘three strikes and you’re out’.

‘I’m very surprised at that and it would seem like an easy pass for him after a number of own goals,’ she told Times Radio. 

‘There have been three distinct and three separate incidents over three summers, particularly in August, September time, which is very busy period for airlines. 

‘So the question is not whether failures can happen. The question is whether enough has been done since the previous incidents to prevent another nationwide disruption. 

‘We’ve used the phrase three strikes and you’re out. It seems from the airlines’ and the industry’s point of view that three failures is unacceptable and passengers and airlines want to understand why would there be confidence in a public system that continues to fail.’ 

Ryanair chief operating officer Neal McMahon said Mr Rolfe should go.

‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome,’ he told Times Radio. 

‘We had the same flight planning processing issue in 2023… yet here we are less than three years later…’

He added: ‘We understand the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, is going to meet with Martin Rolfe today, and we think she should ask him to resign.’ 

Mr McMahon said the airlines had invested ‘hugely in resilience’, in contrast to NATS.

The problem is that they have a crap system and they don’t invest in it,’ he said.

‘And instead of investing in the system, they pay big bonuses to management and they pay huge dividends to the shareholders.’

Earlier, Mr Rolfe said that he ‘always accept(s) full responsibility’ when asked if he was considering his position after the incident.

Mr Rolfe is set for a showdown with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander amid calls for his resignation

Advertisement

Passengers wait at Heathrow Airport yesterday amid major disruption due to the NATS issue

He told Sky News: ‘I am the CEO of a piece of critical infrastructure, so it is my job to take responsibility for that.

‘What I absolutely take responsibility for is keeping people safe and delivering the best service we possibly can on a day like today.

‘You will understand my focus is entirely about how we actually resolve this issue, get things back to normal, help our airlines, our airport customers and the travelling public.’

This morning, Heathrow advised travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

‘Following yesterday’s NATS technical issue, flights are operating today, but some disruption may continue as airlines reposition aircraft and crew,’ it said in a statement on social media.

‘Please check your flight status with your airline before travelling to the airport and only travel if your flight is confirmed to be operating.

‘We apologise to those affected and have extra colleagues across our terminals to support passengers while we work with NATS and airline partners to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.’

Gatwick also said flights had resumed but disruption was likely to continue.

Its statement said: ‘We still anticipate that it will take time for our operations to fully return to normal. Passengers should continue to check with their airlines for more information regarding their flights.’

Luton Airport confirmed early this morning that the airport was ‘open and operational’, but said: ‘Some flights may still be subject to disruption and passengers are advised to check their flight status directly before travelling to the airport.’

Travel journalist Simon Calder said the knock-on effects today were ‘going to be horrible’.

He told Sky News: ‘There are going to be dozens of cancellations in the morning of flights coming into Heathrow because, basically, the flights didn’t go out tonight.’

Ryanair said more than 65,000 of its passengers had been disrupted and it had cancelled more than 50 scheduled flights.

British Airways (BA) said it was forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights on Tuesday which had affected ‘tens of thousands of customers’.

Mr Rolfe has been under fire from Wizz Air and Ryanair after the latest issue which saw some passengers trapped on planes on runways for hours.

Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operating officer, called on Mr Rolfe to resign, saying: ‘How many more failures do passengers have to suffer before overpaid failure NATS CEO Martin Rolfe accepts responsibility for his repeated mismanagement and resigns?

‘Over three years after NATS’ catastrophic 2023 system meltdown, it’s clear that nothing has changed, with UK passengers once again suffering avoidable ATC (air traffic control) delays of up to eight hours today due a critical NATS ATC system failing’.

Last night, NATS said on X: ‘Work is continuing to assist airlines and airports recover from today’s disruption.

‘This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network, from which it will take time to recover.

‘We apologise again for the disruption caused. Passengers should check with their airline on the status of their flight tonight or tomorrow.’

Ms Alexander is set to speak with Mr Rolfe today before she addresses MPs in the Commons for the second reading of the Civil Aviation Bill.

Among the thousands facing disruption yesterday was Josie Donoghue, who had to get off her flight to Ireland after spending three hours on the runway at Gatwick.

Ms Donoghue said: ‘Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz. We were trapped in there. We were told we couldn’t get out until the flights were cancelled, and then eventually they allowed us to get out.

‘It’s just an absolute nightmare down there, it’s the only word I can use to describe it.’

Have you been affected? Email lettice.bromovsky@dailymail.co.uk 

Ciaran Meenagh endured a difficult first year with Derry with their last-gasp loss to Monaghan exemplifying another frustrating campaign for the Oak Leaf men

To understand where Derry find themselves in the current hierarchy of Gaelic football, it is worth reviewing the madness of the last few seasons.

They’ve had four managers in the last four seasons.

They won back-to-back Ulster titles in 2022 and 2023 and a Division One title in 2024.

They were incredibly unlucky to lose to Kerry in the 2023 All-Ireland SFC semi-final in Croke Park, losing by two points.

That’s as close as Derry have been to an All-Ireland SFC final in recent times, but Glen won the All-Ireland club title in 2024.

There was a sense the club success of the Maghera club coupled with a host of All-Ireland Minor winning teams would supplement the undoubted quality that was already in Derry.

For whatever reason, it just hasn’t happened for Derry.

Ciaran Meenagh, who took over in 2023 following the departure of Rory Gallagher, ended up in Conor Laverty’s backroom back with Down as they won the Tailteann Cup in 2024.

Derry opted to install Mickey Harte and Gavin Devlin for the 2024 season. They left after one year.

Paddy Tally, who has since coached Mayo to their first All-Ireland title in 75 years, left after one year in 2025.

Meenagh has just completed his first year and, mercifully, there doesn’t appear to be any desire to oust the Loughmacrory native.

Derry need stability on the sideline before they can have it on the pitch.

Meenagh’s time with Damien McErlain and then Gallagher means he doesn’t have to fight for the trust or the respect of the Derry players and they did at least make some progress in 2026 after failing to win a single game in 2025.

That opening win arrived against Meenagh’s native Tyrone in the League and Derry turned in some impressive showings earlier in the campaign, including a thumping 20-point victory over Cork in Celtic Park.

A round six loss to Louth ultimately cost them their chance of promotion, but Derry still had reason to be optimistic heading into the Championship.

They were strongly fancied to progress to another Ulster final after being pitted against Antrim at home in the first round and avoiding the tougher side of the provincial draw.

Although they accounted for the Saffrons in Celtic Park, disaster unfolded in the Ulster SFC semi-final on a night that defined their season.

Leading by 10 points in a wet and miserable evening at the Box-It Athletic Grounds, the unseasonable weather soon became a metaphor for Derry’s Championship season as they were gradually reeled in by a resurgent Monaghan.

Referee Noel Mooney took a bit of convincing to allow Jack McCarron’s sideline that forced extra-time with Rory Beggan converting a two-point free with the final kick of extra-time to break Derry’s hearts.

Meenagh’s men would return to Armagh City to face the Orchard in Round One.

They gave a good account of themselves, but their race was run when Beggan kicked that winner in the Ulster SFC semi-final.

The second round draw pitted them against Meath in a win-or-bust game.

Derry again played well.

However, they again found themselves on the losing side. It is an issue that predates Meenagh’s tenure.

But the cold facts remain that, in two Championship campaigns, Derry’s sole victory was against Antrim in Celtic Park in April.

Retirements

Derry ought to fare reasonably well in this front with a relatively youthful squad. Of their elder players, Brendan Rogers is 32 and playing both codes for Slaughtneil might soon take its toll, but he was also one of Derry’s best players this term.

Gareth McKinless is the same age and returned to the heart of the Derry defence after a year out with a cruciate injury. It would be a shock if either man stepped away.

Star man

Derry have been crying out for a scoring forward to ease the burden from the talismanic Shane McGuigan for a number of seasons now.

Lachlan Murray really stepped up to the plate in 2026, outscoring the Slaughtneil ace from play in several outings.

His pace is a real asset to Derry while Paul Cassidy and the aforementioned Rogers deserve honourable mentions.

Manager status

Ciaran Meenagh endured a difficult first year with Derry. They did manage to get a couple of wins under their belt in the League.

However, their form dropped alarmingly in the Championship.

Meenagh also remains involved with his club Loughmacrory and they have to navigate a first round replay against Dungannon on Thursday night. Derry could do with unearthing a few more players from the club scene in the coming weeks and months.

Prospects for 2027

Derry looked to be All-Ireland contenders in the spring of 2024. By the spring of 2026, they looked like Championship also-rans.

There’s no shame in losing to Monaghan, Armagh and Meath. It is the manner of those defeats that hurt.

Derry should have had the game wrapped up against the Farney. They should have been closer to Armagh and they had chances against Meath as well.

The same old failings are coming back. Maybe it is scar tissue from the turbulence of recent seasons.

Promotion from Division Two is attainable for Derry next season, albeit it looks tougher than this year when they fell short.

On their day, they are a match for any team in Ulster. From one to 15, they can match Armagh, Donegal, Tyrone or Monaghan.

Yet, Derry still lack depth despite a strong club scene. The return to fitness of Odhran Lynch would help their cause.

The emergence of Ruairi Forbes and Eoin McEvoy alongside Murray has been a real plus, although McEvoy’s best position could be centre back.

James Sargent is another who has a bright future ahead of him.

Derry have also suffered more than most Ulster counties in recent seasons with Glen going to the All-Ireland club final twice in successive years while the Slaughtneil hurlers are often still playing long into the winter months.

Derry certainly have the talent. Whether or not Meenagh can mould them into a team capable of contending for the Sam Maguire remains to be seen. That window might have passed this generation of Derry players by.

Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here.

Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the latest sports news, headlines and top stories

The new Telegraph Fantasy Football season is finally here. The experts at Fantasy Football Hub will continue to bring you the very best in fantasy football knowledge, tips and tools to help you rise up the ranks and win your mini-leagues.

To join the Hub and get access to all their great resources and expert tips you can take advantage of its 50% pre-season discount here.

Telegraph Fantasy Football Tips: The Expert’s XI

The Telegraph Fantasy Football player list has been analysed ahead of GW1 and the season ahead and this is the best XI:

1. GK James Trafford (£3.0m)
   
   Highlighted in the Budget Gem picks, the new Elland Road shot-stopper should prove excellent value between the sticks.
2. DEF Gabriel Magalhães (£4.9m)
   
   The safest route into the champions’ backline, the Brazilian ought to guarantee defensive and attacking returns.
3. DEF Nico O’Reilly (£4.2m)
   
   The reclassification from midfielder to defender opens up more routes to points for the roaming left-back.
4. DEF Marco Palestra (£2.7m)
   
   A standout from the new additions to the league article, the summer acquisition offers a budget route into the Chelsea defence.
5. MID Antoine Semenyo (£4.9m)
   
   At under £5m, last season’s second-top scorer should be the first name in TFF managers’ XIs.
6. MID Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m)
   
   The Manchester United captain comes at a premium, but offers one of the most consistent streams of points in the game.
   
   
   
   
7. MID Enzo Le Fée (£3.3m)
   
   A great double header to open the season, the Black Cats midfielder combines tackle bonus potential with good attacking numbers.
8. MID Mamadou Sangare (£3.1m)
   
   The Brentford midfielder is expected to rack up the tackle bonuses this season.
9. FWD Erling Haaland (£8.3m)
   
   The biggest hitter of all, the Norwegian goal machine is worth the expensive price tag.
10. FWD Joao Pedro (£5.1m)
    
    The 24-year-old had a decent summer break and looks rejuvenated in pre-season.
11. FWD Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£3.9m)
    
    The forward looks to be over his injury woes and offers a consistent threat in the opposition box.
    
     

Pick your team for the 2026/27 season >

You can follow the latest Telegraph Fantasy Football news and discussions throughout the year on Facebook, Twitter and Fantasy Football Content Hub.

A Toyota came off the A692 in Dipton close to Pontop High Stables around 2pm damaging a lamppost and bringing down the cables.

The female driver was uninjured.

Almost 400 homes in the area were left without power, according to Northern Powergrid.

The road was closed while engineers assessed the situation. It has since reopened and power has been restored.

A spokesperson for Durham Police said: “At approximately 2pm, police were alerted to an incident at Dipton in which a car left the carriageway close to Pontop High Stables and collided with a wall.

“The female driver of the Toyota was uninjured, however the collision also damaged a lamppost, which brought down power cables into the carriageway.

“The road has been closed to traffic while engineers assess the situation.”

The Northern Echo has contacted Northern Powergrid for comment.

Los Angeles four-piece untitled have a bad name but everything else about them is amazing. They’re all 18 or 19, but look about 13 (at least to middle aged rock critic eyes), complete with bumfluff ‘taches and a puppydog bounciness. But they sound ferocious: hardcore filtered through the quiet-loud dynamics of grunge, which basically means they have good songs underneath the racket. Choruses, that kind of thing.

Napoli, meanwhile, have now suffered back-to-back losses in Serie A after starting the season with a win over Genoa and will be without talisman Scott McTominay after he underwent minor heart surgery. Kevin De Bruyne, though, is available for selection as he aims to haunt the Gunners once again. Follow Napoli vs Arsenal LIVE below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, with expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri.

Exclusive – Paul Smith’s new memoir contains business advice and some incredible adventures he has had on his way to becoming Britain’s top menswear designer

He is a man who has earned his stripes in fashion, and then used them to his advantage. But British designer Sir Paul Smith can still be found on the shop floor most Saturdays in London, as he remains someone who loves chatting with his customers. And in his new memoir, the 80-year-old talks readers through some of the more famous people to wear his clothes.

But his first A-list friend was someone he didn’t dress, as he ended up befriending George Best in the early Seventies, whilst working for the company Lindcroft that was involved with a clothing range the footballer put his name to. Paul also helped to sort out stock in some shops Best owned which were piled high with clothes.

“I got to know George and sometimes he would stay with me,” he writes, explaining that the two-bedroom flat the company rented for him became a hiding place for Best away from the media.

On at least one occasion when Best was supposed to be playing for Manchester United, he was in Paul’s spare bedroom.

“I knew nothing about football. I talked to him about things nobody else talked to him about. They were mostly simple subjects, although I do remember having a conversation with him about astrology. I got on so well with him because there were no strings attached.”

Paul added to the BBC this week: “He famously used to get quite stressed out because he was the first superstar footballer and there was a lot of so-called friends that weren’t really friends. He said to me, ‘Nobody’s ever talked to me like this’. We used to have fish and chips.”

In his book Paul goes on to say he feels George was “exploited” by others “in the end it became a cautionary tale.”

Many years later he worked with another Manchester United legend in Sir Alex Ferguson, dressing his United squad and even wiping tomato soup of Fergie’s nose when they bonded over lunch.

But he got on less well with Glenn Hoddle when he was England manager. After kitting England out for the European Championships in 1996 in suits and describing Paul Gascoigne as “hilarious” and “really very funny” messing about in a photoshoot with a daffodil down his sock, Paul was asked back to design the suit for the 1998 World Cup.

Describing Hoddle and his background as a player, singer, then manager and born-again christian who believes in reincarnation, Paul writes: “So he was a man of many parts. What I hadn’t expected was that he also saw himself as a fashion designer.

“I wanted to put the players in navy blue suits and white shirts, something very smart and not flashy. But Glenn had a very clear view what he wanted, involving pale creamy beige, a cashmere blazer and shoes I didn’t particularly care for. He was asking for us to dress the team, but really he wanted to design the look himself.

“He was a nice enough man, and I was proud to have been given the job again, so we did what he wanted. Personally I thought the clothes didn’t look good at all.”

Aside from when dressing England’s footballers, Paul is someone who has always prides himself on all his outfits and products looking great. He turned to fashion after becoming interested in it alongside music and art after a bicycle crash aged 17 ruled out his dreams of becoming a professional cyclist.

After sourcing clothes and helping design a boutique called The Birdcage for friend Janet Campbell in the Sixties, he then launched his own tiny shop tucked behind a dark, damp corridor in his home town of Nottingham, opening just two days a week in 1970. In the beginning at the Birdcage, he would silkscreen his own T-shirts, make ties with offcuts of material on his mum’s sewing machine and handmade cufflinks.

But he turned 21 and met Pauline Denyer and his life changed forever. His life partner, she was teaching at Nottingham Art College and had previously worked as a pattern-room assistant so could help make clothes for him and also offer endless inspiration and encouragement. Whilst working to help finance his part time shop, Paul also took classes in tailoring and worked as a buyer for other stores, which helped build his contacts.

Soon the shop needed to be open for more hours and expanded. As the business grew he even threw small Menswear shows in Paris from 1976 in a friend’s apartment to help expand his name. And by 1979 he opened his first London store in Covent Garden. It was still seen as a dodgy area, and it was sadly broken into on the first night. But the one thing they couldn’t take away from him was the incredible raw concrete look of the shop, which was a one-off in Britain at the time.

And better luck was to come when architects like Norman Foster and Richard who loved its minimalist design helped spread the word about the shop. After Ringo Starr and George Harrison came to buy things, Paul McCartney was soon on the phone wanting to see some of the clothes too.

Too busy in a soundcheck to come to shop, Paul raced down to Hammersmith Odeon with 10 outfits he thought might work. He said ‘they’re great. Do you want a cheese sandwich?’. It was like £5000-worth which to me the was an absolutely amazing order. He didn’t try anything on. He just bought the lot.”

David Bowie began by buying suits and then when he moved to New York would be known to go into the store there and buy every shirt in his size. Paul designed a T-shirt for his final album and describes him as “a curious man” who was always very inquisitive.

One of Paul’s biggest successes was the ‘multistripe’ he first designed in 1992 for a shirt fabric. Meant as a one-off, Harrods called up and wanted it again as it sold so well and it then spiralled into a hugely popular design on many other items. Paul says it became a “bit of a burden” to him at one stage and so he stopped using it but it “cost me £5 million in lost revenue” so he reinvented it by changing the colours and scale of the stripes so it feels like it is not always the same.

Thanks to things like those stripes and his suits, Paul could have sold the business for many millions and it would have expanded into a global empire, but his name would still be on the door and the products which is one of the things which puts him off and why he continues to own the majority of the firm.

“Greed seems to be the point of the whole world at the moment,” he says. “Without me controlling Paul Smith in terms of aesthetic and size, it could be a billion dollar company.

“But Pauline and I would probably have split up and I’d be a bit of a prat and have a fat belly. Luckily because of a sense of discipline and standards she created, it is what it is. Greed had nothing to do with it.”

The company hit tough times in the covid lockdown which coincided with their fiftieth anniversary. It meant they made a loss in their anniversary year, and they had to make staff redundant and change the business style, but things have improved thanks to increased online sales and a divergence in the clothes collections as in lockdown and afterwards people wore less suits.

He was made a ‘Sir’ at a ceremony in November 2000 and married Pauline on the same day, having lived together since 1967.

Going back to his beloved cycling for a final business analogy, Paul concludes: “Running a company like mine is a bit like riding the Tour De France. You’ve got bits where you’re freewheeling quite happily, you’ve got rest days, the uneventful flat stages and the sudden sprints, and then you’ve got an enormous quantity of mountain stages. You’ve got exhilaration and pain.

“And through cycling, I learnt lessons about two things I can use in my business: teamwork and pacing.”

He says his wife – perhaps only half jokingly – tells him words to the effect of not to retire anytime soon as “I know you’ll end up dying on me”.

And it is this passion and drive that she sees in him, which explains why if you go into the flagship Paul Smith store in London, you may still buy your clothes from the man himself.

* Threads: My Life In Style by Paul Smith is out on September 10 published by Macmillan.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Jennifer Jones, 69, is on a layover at Heathrow from Phoenix, Arizona, and said: “(We) had to wait on the plane for the bus to come get us because everybody was trying to get on the buses, so we finally got on the bus and got inside, and it was chaos because everybody’s flights were cancelled, and by the time we figured out ‘well, I’m going to have to stay the night’, the hotels were all booked.”

The 28-year-old was identified as one of the main instigators ‘throwing rocks and metal poles’

A man from Co Antrim has been sentenced after “throwing rocks and metal poles” at police during disorder last summer.

Bradley Douglas from Ballymena appeared at Antrim Crown Court today, Wednesday, September 9, in connection with disorder in the town in June 2025.

The 28-year-old was sentenced to five years, with 30 months to be spent in custody, and 30 months on licence, after he was convicted of riot and burglary with intent to cause unlawful damage.

On June 10, 2025, at around 8.20pm, police systems captured footage of Douglas “throwing rocks and metal poles” at police in the Clonavon Terrace area. He was identified as one of the main instigators of this riot, police said.

Commenting, Detective Chief Inspector Michael O’Loan said: “On Monday, 9th June 2025 large scale disorder broke out on the streets of Ballymena involving a large crowd of rioters. Further violence then followed across other areas in Northern Ireland.

“Damage was caused to roads, homes, cars and local business premises with people left fearing for their lives. Our officers also came under attack and many left injured after petrol bombs, heavy masonry and fireworks were thrown at them.

“On 10th June 2025 at approximately 8.20pm police systems captured footage of a male, later identified as Douglas, throwing rocks and metal poles at police in the Clonavon Terrace area.

“He was identified as one of the main instigators of this riot – and was the first individual to attack police using masonry, metal poles and bottles. Other individuals joined in and began to act in a similar manner.

“Douglas also entered a property in the same area that had already sustained damage – throwing items from the home at officers.

“He was located by police on 22nd June and arrested for the offences of riot and burglary and subsequently charged.

“Our dedicated investigation team has worked tirelessly to ensure that those involved are prosecuted – today’s sentencing is one of many over this disorder – with a substantial sentence handed down in court.

“We would reiterate our appeal to anyone who has been the victim of, or has any information on, any crime to contact police on 101, or 999 in an emergency. We can assure you that we will always act on concerns and information we receive.”

Alternatively, a report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals

Should you wish to make a report anonymously, you can do so by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

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

Yesterday, the Israeli government’s decided to ban me – and 11 other British MPs – from entering their country. This offers a tiny glimpse into the kind of authoritarianism that Palestinians are subject to every single day. 

Over my lifetime, it’s been my privilege to visit Palestine on several different occasions. On these trips, I’ve witnessed what Palestinians endure – endless checkpoints, manned watchtowers, arbitrary arrests, expulsion from, and destruction of, their homes. 

The Israeli occupation dictates who can and cannot move freely, and denies any vestige of autonomy to the Palestinians. 

In Gaza, the Israeli occupation controls most of what goes in and out, most recently in illegal blocking of aid which has resulted in the mass starvation and displacement of Palestinians. 

As more and more people have woken up to what an independent UN commission recognises is a genocide in Gaza, Israel has also denied entry to UN investigators and international journalists – a transparent attempt to stop the world from finding out the full extent of the war crimes it has committed. 

On top of that, there are thousands of Palestinian refugees who are still denied the right to return. 

I do not lose sleep over the Israeli government’s disapproval of me.

However I do object, in the strongest possible terms, to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, UN investigators and journalists. I object to Israel’s routine degradation of Palestinians who are denied their freedom of movement. 

And I object to Israel’s attempt to shield itself from accountability for the crime of apartheid, occupation and genocide.

That is the real scandal. 

Israel’s decision to ban us, it seems, was made in response to the UK government’s welcome decision to impose sanctions on their illegal settlement goods. 

This decision is long overdue – and hysteria from those who oppose it proves just how much impunity Israel has enjoyed so far. International law is clear: Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories is unlawful, as ruled by the ICJ in July 2024, which imposed obligations on the UK not to aid or assist the illegal obligation. 

Ultimately, this decision is a first step toward the government finally fulfilling its legal obligations. These obligations, however, should not be limited to a sanction on goods. 

Any meaningful package of sanctions would recognise how ‘settlement goods’ are subsumed into Israel’s wider economy. That means ending all trade, all military co-operation, and all forms of support that sustain Israel’s unlawful presence as a whole. 

I also re-iterate my demand for this government to recognise genocide in Gaza, end all arms sales – including F-35 components – to Israel, and heed my repeated calls for a public inquiry into British complicity.

What this ban is really about is preventing British MPs from visiting the occupied West Bank or Gaza, and witnessing the site of increasingly horrifying state-backed settler violence, which has grown since October 2023.

Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news

Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.

Advertisement

The Israeli government’s decision tells us all we need to know. 

Israel does not want the world to know what is going on. It tells us that they are willing to use increasingly absurd and desperate measures to keep critics away, as it loses support across the globe. 

Above all, it tells us that we should not give up in our pursuit of truth, accountability and justice.

I have lost count of the number of demonstrations I have been on in solidarity with Palestine. Each time, I go with the memories of the people I have met at the forefront of my mind and I endeavour to quote at least one Palestinian in any speech I give. 

In my mind, it’s important to amplify the lived experiences of those enduring occupation, apartheid and genocide. It is their freedom which is egregiously curtailed – and it is their freedoms that we must defend. 

The Israeli government can ban me, but they can’t ban me from stating that they are committing genocide – and I will never stop campaigning until there is real justice, peace and freedom for the Palestinian people.

In our discussions of Palestine, we always emphasise the horror stories – but in my visits, I have experienced the humanity, the music, the art, the poetry, the joy, and the resilience of the Palestinian people. 

I have no interest in being given a tour of apartheid by the Israeli government. 

I do, however, have an unending determination to campaign for the only path to peace: the end of the occupation. 

It has been many years since I have visited Palestine. 

No matter what Israel does to intimidate us into silence and despair, I have not given up hope that one day, I may return to visit the children I once met – in a free and independent Palestine.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

MORE: ITV’s savage sacking of Sir Tom Jones won’t save The Voice UK

MORE: Israeli ministers want Britain to be sanctioned for ‘occupying’ the Falklands

MORE: Bridget Phillipson: I’m proud to be continuing the legacy of Gloria Steinem – and my mam