By SOPHIE CHURCH – POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 22:04 BST, 10 September 2026 | Updated: 02:17 BST, 11 September 2026

China could bring Britain to a ‘standstill’ by switching off access to our power grid, a former MI6 chief has warned.

In an ominous address, Sir Richard Dearlove claimed on Wednesday that Beijing could hold the UK to ‘ransom’ by growing our dependency on Chinese steel and tech – then cutting our supplies when it chooses.

Speaking to MPs and peers in Parliament, the former chief spy said: ‘Peacetime dependencies give China strategic leverage, and in a crisis it gives them weapons of mass disruption which could literally bring this country to a complete standstill.’

He added: ‘Britain and its allies do retain the capacity to design and assemble the apparatus on which the grid depends.

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‘But the material without which none of this can be built is now concentrated in the hands of the very country which the director general of MI5 has identified as the most serious threat to Britain’s national security.’

This comes as Andy Burnham on Tuesday spoke to President Xi for the first time since becoming Prime Minister.

Sir Richard Dearlove claimed on Wednesday that Beijing could hold the UK to ‘ransom’ by growing our dependency on Chinese steel and tech – then cutting our supplies when it chooses

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Sir Richard warned that President Xi is fulfilling his dream of global domination by 2049 ‘under our very noses’

Andy Burnham on Tuesday spoke to President Xi for the first time since becoming Prime Minister

A Downing Street statement said the leaders committed to ‘a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership between the UK and China’.

But Sir Richard warned that President Xi is fulfilling his dream of global domination by 2049 ‘under our very noses’.

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And he said that Britain ‘complacently deindustrialising’ had become a ‘chronic danger’ as China exerts control over critical minerals markets.

‘In ceasing to manufacture it has exported its exposure to the energy systems of its suppliers, some of whom are strategic adversaries.

‘Our foreign policy is therefore fettered and could even be held to ransom.’

China has been steadily increasing its global steel exports as Britain and other countries in Europe have seen their industrial bases decline.

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And Britain last year raced to save British steel after its Chinese owners Jingye sought to close the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe.

Shadow home office minister Alicia Kearns blasted Labour last night for ‘making our country less resilient and less safe’ by relying on China for essential materials.

She said: ‘Ministers should be taking measures to protect the grid and the British people’s access to energy.

‘Instead, they are insisting on overground electricity, making it much easier for foreign powers and terrorists to take down the grid.

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‘This demonstrates their denial about the scale of the threat.’

This comes as Labour was branded the ‘Welfare Party’ after Mr Burnham on Wednesday said that national security ‘cannot come at the expense of social security’.

Ms Kearns added that Labour’s ‘failure to fund defence leaves us exposed, and their obsession with net zero leaves us reliant on other countries’.

Labour MP Graeme Downie, who chairs campaign group the Coalition on Secure Technology, told the Mail: ‘The government needs to show it is aware of this threat and is defending against it, and through that, they need to better inform the public about what they should do to prepare for the possibility of power interruptions should they occur.’

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And North Durham Labour MP Luke Akehurst said: ‘We need to take Sir Richard’s warning about dependency on China for key products and technologies extremely seriously.’

Japan has protested a new world map adopted by the UN after it showed the disputed Kuril Islands as part of Russia.

Japan’s government demanded a correction to the map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection.

The UN General Assembly voted on Friday to adopt a new map of the world, passed with the support of 164 nations, including France and the UK, while the US voted against it.

The new map fixed the discrepancy with the Mercator map, which was created in 1569 and showed the African continent as being of similar size to Greenland – even though it is in reality about 14 times larger.

However, Japan is among several countries that have disputed the new map because it shows the Kurils, known in Japan as the Northern Territories, in the same colour as Russia.

Japanese government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, said the new map “contained a depiction contradicting the Japanese government’s position”.

“We lodged a protest with the map site’s operator through our diplomatic channel to demand the correction of this depiction,” Mr Kihara told reporters.

He said Japan “needs to prevent misconceptions of our territories and geographical names from spreading”.

The island has remained a bone of contention between Russia and Japan after a chain of islands was seized by the former Soviet Union in 1945, which then expelled the Japanese population.

Last month, Japan protested after Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the disputed Kuril Island in August. It marked his first visit to the island, sparking condemnation from prime minister Sanae Takaichi, who said the Russian president’s visit “offends the sentiments of the Japanese people”, and that it was “absolutely unacceptable”.

She insisted the islands were “an inherent part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law”.

Moscow responded by “categorically” rejecting the statement, “which we consider politically inappropriate, insulting and, of course, legally unfounded”.

Relations have deteriorated sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, after which Japan joined its Group of Seven partners in imposing sanctions on Moscow.

Ukraine last week abstained on the map in the UN vote after it showed annexed Crimea in a different colour to the rest of the country. Ukraine said it opens a “Pandora’s Box” violating the UN Charter and international law.

While India voted in favour of the map the foreign ministry said “an inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable” after the new map showed India’s border with Pakistan, the Line of Control, as a separate dotted line.

The map carried a disclaimer that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not been agreed upon by India and Pakistan, even as India depicts Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh within its boundaries.

Plans to join a row of three shops in Church Lane, off Spurriergate, together to form a single unit have been approved by City of York Council.

An application from Bench Mark Designs stated the works would see detritus including wall lights, artwork and graffiti-style rendering removed and the buildings’ crumbling façades rebuilt.

Council planning officers stated the changes would help preserve and enhance the features of the buildings and the wider area.

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Plans approved by the council would see access to the upper floors of the buildings created from Church Lane.

Dividing walls on the ground floor would be removed, with the application stating that a larger space would be more attractive to potential tenants.

Toilets and kitchen facilities would also be provided.

Shop fronts would be altered including by creating a new shared entrance, removing the current graffiti-style paintwork and repainting the render.

Plans stated the shop fronts were currently a mixed bag of styles.

The application stated: “At present the shops are in a very poor condition, various tenants have embellished them.

“The intension is to remove all the detritus.”

Council planning officers stated the latest plans were an improvement on ones for the works which had previously been refused.

Officers stated: “The revised design would be in keeping with the character of the building and the surrounding conservation area.

“The works would support the reuse of the commercial unit and enable a complaint access to the upper floors.

“The reoccupation of the vacant ground floor units would contribute positively to the appearance of the streetscene.”

There are also concerns the doctors are already under pressure and schools are ‘oversubscribed’

Plans for just six new homes near a hospital have been slammed by neighbours over traffic fears. Residents living near Doddington Hospital have raised concerns that more traffic will make walking “more dangerous because of the lack of passing areas”.

Mr Cutteridge is seeking permission in principal from Fenland District Council to build the homes on land south west of The Stables in Hospital Road. Doddington Hospital is located about five-minutes away from the site location by walking or a short drive away.

According to a planning document, the site is not within a flood zone, conservation area or within ground of a listed building. The application said the development would deliver more “executive type properties”, meaning ones that are intended to provide its occupants with higher-than-average levels of comfort, quality and convenience.

All properties would feature a third garden area, the applicants propose. The planning documents state there is a “significant planning history” along Hospital Road under Fenland’s current Local Plan with a number of these properties having been built out.

Since its submission in July, the plans have seen local backlash and several formal objections have been lodged with the council. One person said that over recent years, applications have been accepted for “at least 12 properties plus the expansion of the garden centre” along the single track road. They said the council appears to “totally disregard when it comes to upkeep”.

The objector said the single track road should be upgraded before “any expansion that will encourage more traffic”. The resident explained that Hospital Road is also part of the village’s circular footpath and “increased traffic is making walking along Hospital Road more dangerous because of the lack of passing areas”.

Similarly, another resident lodged concerns about increased traffic. They said that the area is “well-known by many in the village and surrounding areas as a lovely place to walk your dogs, take horses out hacking, or to exercise safely while enjoying the scenery”.

They noted that there are reportedly currently no footways in the area and claimed that they have been “forced to significantly reduce using the areas” for exercise. They fear increased traffic flow will result in “someone being struck”.

They also raised concerns that other properties on the rural lane have been separately approved or proposed adding, “surely it must be accepted that this offers itself more as an estate than a small extension to what was a lovely small village”.

Another local lodged an objection regarding concerns that new properties would “destroy” wildlife’s homes as well as the surrounding countryside. Additionally, they said that “doctors are already under immense pressure and are over subscribed” and the local school reportedly “struggles to accommodate those already within the catchment meaning people are having to travel out of area”.

Alternatively, some people have expressed their support towards the plans. One person said it is a “lovely location for new homes”, adding that “they will be an asset to the village”.

Another person said it would be a “gentle expansion of the village” meanwhile someone else said it would “provide several benefits to the village”.

By JAMES COHEN, SPORTS REPORTER

Published: 01:45 BST, 11 September 2026 | Updated: 02:33 BST, 11 September 2026

Furious NFL fans have ripped into the ‘worst rendition ever’ of the Star-Spangled Banner prior to the 49ers-Rams clash in Australia on Thursday. 

Prior to the action getting underway at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, New York-based ‘soft rock’ band Infinity Song took to the stage to perform the national anthem.

However, their performance fell flat among viewers watching back on US soil – with hundreds of them swiftly rushing to social media to offer their criticisms.

‘Is this the worst version of the US national anthem ever??,’ one fan wrote on X.  

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Another disgruntled viewer wrote: ‘This might be the worst performance of a National Anthem ever holy s***.’

‘These people sound terrible singing the national anthem!’, another said online.

Furious NFL fans have ripped into Infinity Song’s rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner 

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They took to the stage prior to the 49ers-Rams clash at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Immediately after Infinity Song took the stage, fellow singer Cody Simpson performed the Australian national anthem – leading to high praise from those same online fans. 

‘Dude who sang the Australian national anthem smoked the boots off the American national anthem rendition,’ one fan said. 

Another wrote: ‘Based on National Anthem performances, its 1-0 Australia. Come on NFL you could have represented the U.S. better than that!’ 

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Infinity Song is an American ‘soft rock’ band based in New York City composed of siblings Abraham, Angel, Israel and Momo Boyd. 

The group has released three albums under record label Roc Nation. 

Their performance came just one day after fans were left baffled by a wordless performance of the Star-Spangled Banner prior to the NFL’s season opener.

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready performed the unique version of the anthem before the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 13-10 in a Super Bowl rematch at Lumen Field.

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The American anthem was performed after Washington native, The Mwango Sisters had delivered a stirring rendition of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’, better known as the ‘Black National Anthem’ before the game and received a mixed reception online.

But McCready was widely slammed for his guitar anthem, with viewers online even going as far as to call the performance a ‘disrespectful’ way to start the new season.

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Fans were quick to rush to social media and voice their frustrations with the anthem rendition

It came just one day after a wordless performance of the Star-Spangled Banner on Wednesday 

One disgruntled fan wrote: ‘As someone who has played guitar my whole life and loves the instrument… An electric guitar should never be used to play the national anthem in this way. This is a disgrace. 

‘There are many ways to express the anthem uniquely, but also respectfully. Chris Stapleton did that phenomenally well – expressing his own unique angle on the anthem while still articulating it with the dignity and reverence it deserves. 

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‘But this is simply a self-indulgent disgrace. There is no thought behind this. He doesn’t even have the decency to stay in the key as he vandalizes the melody – going to stupid out-of-key canned pentatonic riffs for no reason. 

‘I would be insulted if I bought tickets to see this as a musical performance, let alone listening to this as a rendition of our national anthem. Just terrible.’

Donald Trump rounded out the final night of his two-day Republican midterm convention in Dallas by leading his audience in a mock version of the Pledge of Allegiance in which he made his followers promise to vote for his allies in the upcoming elections.

The president urged his followers to raise their right hand, as if they were swearing an oath of public service, before directing them to repeat: “I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States that loves us so much he can’t even breathe, that I will go out with my family, my friends. I’ll do it anyway– I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try and cheat like hell, like they do.”

The bizarre pledge continued a moment later, after Trump acknowledged some of his fans in the front row.

“So we swear that on November 3rd we are going to go out and vote. And you know what? If you want, you can vote Democrat, but I don’t think there’s one person in this room that’s going to vote [for them],” Trump continued.

He finished with a threat: “You know what happens if you don’t vote? You go to hell, you know that? Okay? You go to hell, and I don’t want that to happen to you.”

The spectacle concluded a meandering address that was comparatively shorter than the marathon speech Trump gave to end night one of the two-day gathering in Dallas, but still managed to be long enough to cast a shadow on the address given moments earlier by JD Vance, his vice president, who’d earlier given an impassioned memorial to conservative activist Charlie Kirk and urged Republican voters who were wavering from the president’s side to keep the faith.

Trump’s address was less focused and was typical of his second-term addresses to the media and his supporters. Unable to stay on any one topic, the president often follows a pattern in his public remarks that hits every issue in the headlines, and some that aren’t — which he semi-jokingly calls “the Weave”.

As his remarks finished on Thursday, opera music blared in the Dallas convention hall while balloons dropped from the ceiling and the president’s supporters clapped and waved. An announcer urged attendees to get home safely.

The end of the convention in Dallas marks the beginning of the end for the 2026 campaign season. With primaries out of the way and just two months left until the midterm elections, the president’s approval rating is registering in the mid to low thirties as Republican candidates struggle in key races around the country and battlegrounds in red-purple states like Texas become more favorable ground by the day for their Democratic opponents.

In Texas, Ken Paxton was a guest for the second night of the convention after delivering his address to the crowd Wednesday evening. Trump’s abbreviated address closing out the ceremonies still managed to hit Paxton for his appearance, as the president had done to greater lengths the night before in a sign that the president recognized the jab’s potential to get laughs from his audience.

Paxton sat next to Michael Whatley during the proceedings Thursday evening. Whatley, the GOP nominee for Senate in North Carolina, was trailing his Democratic opponent by double digits in an Elon University/YouGov poll released Thursday that signals an easy Senate seat pickup opportunity for Democrats this fall.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton forced a smile as President Donald Trump mocked him mercilessly for a second night in a row at a Republican convention meant to boost his and other GOP candidates’ chances in November’s midterm elections.

Trump, who endorsed Paxton, has not been impressed by the way the Republican dresses, and he let everyone know during the two-day convention in Dallas.

“And I said something yesterday, and I don’t know if he’ll ever talk to me again. Perhaps he will. But I said it. My people said, ‘Please don’t say that.’ So I won’t say it, but I’ll tell you what I was thinking about saying,” Trump said during a closing address Thursday night.

The camera then pointed to Paxton, who looked like he was bracing himself for what the president would say next.

“I said, ‘I don’t like the way Ken dresses,” Trump said, which prompted Paxton to give off a big smile. “Although I also said he looked really sharp in that suit yesterday. I thought it was spiffy.”

Paxton has brushed off Trump’s insults about his fashion sense before, telling Fox News last week, “I’ve got this sports jacket on. I love it. And we’re gonna just keep going.

“Texas is a relatively casual place in the summer, and it’s hot. We adjust. We wear cowboy boots, and we wear a blazer, and we’re all good.”

The attorney general, who is in a competitive race for U.S. Senate in Texas against Democrat James Talarico, wore a navy suit and red tie during a speech at the convention Wednesday, where he asked supporters for their prayers and votes.

Despite Trump approving of Paxton’s outfit, he still insulted his fashion sense during his keynote address Wednesday.

“He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen, but you know what he is? He’s the greatest Attorney General in America, and he deserves to be your next senator,” the president said.

Paxton and Talarico are neck and neck in the polls, with the Democrat leading by just three percentage points in a recent survey.

A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll released on August 24 found Talarico with 42 percent of Texas voter support compared to Paxton’s 39 percent.

After his jab about Paxton’s style, Trump reiterated that the Republican deserves to be elected to the Senate.

“So I don’t know if he’s going to ever speak to me again, but I don’t care as long as he wins,” the president said Thursday.

Erika Kirk shared a heartbreaking tribute to her husband Charlie as she marked the one-year anniversary of his death.

The Turning Point USA founder, 31, was fatally shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.

On Thursday, one year later, Erika shared a black-and-white photo from their wedding, showing her holding Charlie’s hands with the simple message ‘…until Heaven.’

The poignant tribute came amid reports Erika, 37, planned to mark the somber anniversary in private.

‘Erika will mark the anniversary of Charlie’s death privately with her and Charlie’s two young children, their family and close friends,’ a family spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

‘She is so grateful for the continued outpouring of prayers, love and support as she and her family remember and honor Charlie as the beloved husband and father he was.’

The statement suggests Erika will not attend a planned vigil at Utah Valley University on Thursday night.

She had previously attended President Donald Trump’s speech at the Republican convention in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, where the commander-in-chief spoke about Charlie’s legacy. 

Erika planned to mark the anniversary of his death with family and friends

He described the shock ‘millions of Americans’ felt upon learning of Charlie’s death and bemoaned that some ‘sick people’ celebrated it.

‘I just want to say, we love you Charlie,’ Trump said, calling the shooting ‘just terrible.’

But when sculptor Sergio Furnari unveiled a life-sized statue commemorating Charlie Kirk in Times Square on Thursday, crowds flew into a frenzy as footage showed men draped in American flags arguing with protesters.

The footage showed several people pushing and shoving each other to the ground, yelling ‘F*** you’ and throwing objects across the area, despite police officers standing nearby.

Protesters against the statue were also seen yelling ‘rest in p***’ at the Kirk statue and putting their middle fingers up at Furnari as he unveiled the sculpture.  

A group of young men were seen standing in front of the statue with their hands raised to the air as the event became aggressive, as another man in an American flag vest ordered others to ‘calm down.’

One man was seen holding a large USA flag and yelling about ‘Islamists’, while other protesters squared off against him.

Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025

Furnari told Fox News that he began work on the Kirk sculpture soon after the conservative activist’s assassination because he was ‘saddened’ by the responses some had to the tragedy.

‘I [saw] how Erika got treated, including the parents of Charlie, and that’s what I think became my catalyzer,’ he said.

‘If you’re a parent, no matter if you were Democrat or Republican, you should have a little bit of empathy.’ 

Furnari added that he was not even an especially big fan of Kirk’s when he was alive, but he wanted to ‘stand together’ with people grieving the murder.

‘It’s not like I agree with him. There’s a lot of stuff I didn’t agree with,’ Furnari said.

‘But still, freedom of expression and, in my case, freedom of creation — there are no boundaries, no borders. That’s where we kind of stand together.’ 

The statue, standing at 6-foot-5 and costing $100,000, was built by sculptor Sergio Furnari (left)

 Furnari said he began work on the Kirk sculpture soon after the conservative activist’s assassination, because he was ‘saddened’ by the responses some had to the tragedy

Furnari said the sculpture cost him ‘probably more than $100,000’ when added to the hours he spent making it, and he launched an online fundraiser to recoup the cost of the project. 

He vowed that anyone who donates to his fundraiser will have their name engraved on the statue’s platform. 

Furnari said after he funded the sculpture with his own savings, he became more determined to unveil it to the public due to the discourse surrounding Kirk’s death.

‘I became more passionate about it — just because of the way everybody was making fun of him,’ he said.

‘I feel like they killed him once, and they kill him each time, over and over again.’ 

Man Utd beat Sabah 4-0 in the Champions League, and the manner of the win allowed Michael Carrick to use all five substitutes with time to spare.

Michael Carrick said he was “delighted” to be able to hand out Champions League debuts to two Manchester United academy graduates during their 4-0 win against Sabah at Old Trafford.

United raced into a 3-0 lead in the first half in their first Champions League game since December 2023 and that allowed Carrick to ring the changes ahead of Sunday’s first Manchester derby of the season.

Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko scored in the first half and after Lisandro Martinez added a fourth, Carrick turned to Harry Amass and Shea Lacey, bringing on both 19-year-olds for their first appearances at this level.

It was another show of faith in the academy from Carrick and capped off a good day for the club, with the Under-19s beating Sabah 5-0 in the UEFA Youth League at Leigh Sports Village earlier in the afternoon.

“I was delighted with being able to get Harry on the pitch, and Shay,” said Carrick. “I think it’s important. It’s something that we were really kind of focused on as the game developed, really, was trying to get the younger boys on the pitch because I think it’s important for this football club to do that. Pleased with both of them.”

Amass came on for Patrick Dorgu, who had a couple of shaky moments defensively on his first start at left-back for the club but provided the assist for the opening goal and got forward well.

“I thought Pat played ever so well,” added Carrick. “He’s a big threat down that side of the pitch for us tonight, the way we played, and creating the first goal and being really dangerous. I was really pleased with Pat as well.”

A petition launched on the Government’s website is calling for the age-related personal allowance to be restored, with a proposed threshold set at 110% of the full annual new State Pension.

It also wants the allowance to rise automatically each year in line with the State Pension Triple Lock.

The petition was created by Stewart Wilks and is open for signatures until February 19, 2027.

He says: “Pensioners are more likely to spend additional income in their locally. That spending supports high streets, small businesses and jobs and generating additional VAT and other tax revenues.”

Under the Government’s petition rules, it needs to reach 10,000 signatures before ministers are required to respond.

If it reaches 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

The petition calls for the Government to:

• Restore the age-related personal allowance for everyone of State Pension age.
• Set it at 110% of the full annual new State Pension.
• Increase the allowance automatically each year in line with the State Pension Triple Lock.
• Retain the Triple Lock for the State Pension.

The campaign comes amid continued debate over the UK’s frozen personal tax allowance.

The standard Personal Allowance is currently £12,570, meaning most people can receive up to that amount of taxable income each year before paying Income Tax.

The petition argues that pensioners should have a higher allowance linked directly to the value of the State Pension, rather than relying on the existing standard threshold.

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The campaign is currently a long way from the 10,000-signature mark, but it has until February next year to gather support.

It was formally published on August 19, 2026, meaning the petition is still in its early stages.

Anyone wanting the Government to consider the proposal can sign the petition online before it closes on February 19, 2027.