The names have been inspired by Greek mythology

This summer has seen the incredible success of Christopher Nolan’s star studded retelling of an epic Greek poem wit The Odyssey. With the movie garnering rave reviews, it might come to you as no surprise that it has left an impact on viewers.

One way this has been exhibited is through baby names. The release of the Odyssey has placed Greek mythology back into focus, inspiring a comeback for timeless names like Penelope, Atlas, Apollo and Athena.

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Recently, new Office for National Statistics (ONS) baby name data analysed by JoJo Maman Bébé has revealed which names inspired by Greek mythology are proving most popular with today’s parents.

Anne Varsanyi, head of buying at JoJo Maman Bébé, said: “Choosing a baby’s name is one of the first opportunities parents have to express something about their family, whether that’s honouring tradition, celebrating heritage or simply choosing a name they love.

“What’s particularly fascinating about this year’s data is seeing how quickly tastes can change. Some names that once filled classrooms have become increasingly rare, while others that were barely heard a generation ago are now among the country’s favourites.”

Top five most popular Greek mythological names for girls

• Penelope – The famously faithful wife of Odysseus
• Athena – Goddess of wisdom, courage, and warfare
• Rhea – Titaness and mother of the original Olympian gods
• Persephone – Queen of the Underworld and goddess of spring growth
• Gaia – Goddess of the Earth

Top five most popular Greek mythological names for boys

• Atlas – The Titan condemned to carry the weight of the heavens
• Ares – The God of war and courage
• Apollo – God of music, light, truth and healing
• Artemis – Traditionally, the Goddess of the hunt
• Perseus – The demigod who defeated Medusa

JoJo Maman Bébé analysed the latest ONS data. Analysis included the most popular names in 2025, names experiencing the largest increases in popularity since 1996, and names experiencing the largest declines in popularity since the same year, reports the Echo.

Data was collected from the ONS Baby Names in England and Wales release, published on July 9, 2026.

Penelope, the heroine at the heart of The Odyssey, already reigns supreme as the number one mythological name, with 1,174 babies born in 2025.

Athena (519 babies) and Atlas (355 babies) have transitioned from ancient legends to modern playground favourites, both proving incredibly popular for parents wanting a name with strength and stature.

While names like Rhea and Ares are on the rise, parents looking for something truly unique might look to Apollo (39 babies) or Perseus (eight babies) for a standout name.

For medieval people, reputation was paramount. To be considered reliable, reputable and respectable was important at all levels of society, from the king to the peasantry.

Being of “ill fame” (bad reputation) had serious consequences, which might include social ostracising, legal impediments and financial hardship. A person’s name mattered and medieval people were more than willing to go to court to protect it.

Based on the legal foundation of the Council of Oxford of 1222, a defamation case could be brought against someone if they publicly and “maliciously impute a crime to any person who is not of ill fame among good and serious men”. Common cases involved accusations of theft, perjury, heresy, adultery or forgery.

Defamation could have financial repercussions and petitioners often reported the damages that the crime was said to have caused. This might involve the loss of goods and trade. It could even involve the claim of a wife whose husband “refused to admit her to his bed as he was accustomed to” because of the slanderous words.

Such monetary losses were largely irrelevant in the church courts, but they featured prominently in manorial or borough courts. In these jurisdictions, defamation was treated akin to trespass and monetary damages were regularly claimed.

Many cases involving women centred on accusations of sexual impropriety or abusive and slanderous language. Some were deliberate attacks upon business ventures, such as that upon Christine Colmere in 1413. Witnesses in the case claimed that people were afraid to drink her beer because she had been accused of having leprosy by her competitors.

Changes to the way defamation cases were handled reveal the broadening of concerns surrounding reputational damage in late medieval England.

Initially, a person needed to have been accused of a crime – and often a specific crime – for a defamation proceeding. A case against a woman in 1417 was dismissed because she was accused of having said to a priest: “I do not know how to piss holy water as you do.” Such words were abusive but not considered defamatory because no crime was alleged.

Yet increasingly by the end of the 15th century, abusive words could themselves result in a defamation suit. Accusations like “false piking knave”, “town bull” and “son of a butcher” begin to appear within court records. The definition of defamation therefore expanded to move beyond false accusations of criminal activity to include all defamatory or malicious words.

Such was the concern over reputational damage that pressure might be applied on those making accusations. In 1440, Richard Blackburn, a monk of Durham cathedral priory, was accused of fornicating with Margaret, widow of Robert Soulby. The accuser, one Robert Whyte, feared the prior intended to excommunicate him because he himself had defamed Richard. Robert thought this absurd because he had offered no words to slander Richard and Margaret, except to say that he had often seen them spending the night in bed together.

The prior offered Robert the opportunity to amend or withdraw his statement. Choosing his words very carefully, Robert decided not to revoke them, instead confirming that he had seen Richard and Margaret many times in bed, alone with each other, lying naked and exerting (“laborantes”) together, as it appeared to him, though he could not possibly say whether Richard knew her carnally or not.

Public restoration of a person’s good name

The seriousness with which people took any attempt to impugn their reputation can be seen in the lengths John Oll, another Durham monk, went to clear his name in 1446. Accused of being of peasant birth by his enemies, Oll gathered the great and the good of the county to attest publicly to his free status. One witness recalled John Oll playing football in his youth, a game reserved for the better free men of the manor.

Receiving a positive verdict in the courts was not enough in itself. The restoration of a person’s good fame needed to be made public. Documents might even be issued to confirm the restoration of a person’s reputation.

This public restoration was especially important for women who were accused of sexual misconduct. The potential for a good future marriage might depend on such outcomes. For example, Margaret was “falsely and wickedly defamed” of falling pregnant with Robert Cresswell in 1450. She received letters from the prior of Durham asserting that she was innocent of the offence, “free and absolved and utterly reputed among her neighbours to be uncorrupted and untainted by a man’s touch”.

Long before society was concerned with the reputations of celebrities and politicians or the relationship between defamation and free speech, rumour and gossip abounded. Medieval people were acutely aware of how others viewed them and went to great lengths to stave off any threats to their good name.

Officers with the Bolton North Neighbourhood Team carried out the raid at the property in Hill Cot Road.

A spokesman for the neighbourhood team said: “Inside the property, officers discovered that it had been converted into a cannabis farm. A total of 113 cannabis plants were seized and have now been destroyed.

“Enquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible.

“If you have any information about crime in your area, you can contact the independent charity, CrimeStoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

The raid is the latest to be carried out across Bolton in the fight across drugs, with a number of cannabis farms found in recent months and years, including in town centre properties.

Earlier this year, the proactive work of Bolton’s Town Centre Neighbourhood Team led to the dismantling of a large-scale cannabis operation and the successful prosecution of two men at Bolton Crown Court.

Both are due to be deported following the completion of their custodial terms.

Officers executed a warrant at an address on Newport Street on 23 December 2025, uncovering a substantial and fully operational cannabis farm.

The premises had been professionally adapted, including the illegal bypass of the electricity supply to power the large-scale grow.

Enquiries by neighbourhood officers, including detailed CCTV work, identified a black van attending the property in the days leading up to the warrant. Two men were captured accessing the secured building.

The party says it would send the Royal Navy into the Channel to intercept all migrant boats and return them to France or Belgium under a plan called ‘Operation Fortress’

Reform UK is proposing to launch “the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two” in a bid to halt small boat crossings from France.

Under a Nigel Farage-led government, the Royal Navy would be deployed into the channel to intercept all migrant vessels and return them to France or Belgium as part of a strategy dubbed “operation fortress”.

The party maintains the plan complies with international law and would both stop small boat arrivals and serve as a humanitarian measure.

Zia Yusuf, the party’s home affairs spokesman, said: “Britain is being invaded. Tory and Labour governments responded with a free ferry service and free hotels.

“Reform UK will respond by launching the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two.

“Nigel Farage will order his Majesty’s Royal Navy to ensure that not a single unauthorised vessel crossing the English Channel makes it to the shores of the United Kingdom.

“Those who attempt it will be intercepted by our Armed Forces and returned to France.”

He claimed the measure would render the border “impenetrable” and that “nobody” would succeed in reaching UK shores by small boat.

The party pointed to events in the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where approximately 60,000 migrants breached the border to enter Spanish territory earlier this week, as evidence of the “urgency” behind Reform’s proposals for the UK.

The majority of migrants in Ceuta had returned to neighbouring Morocco by Sunday. Reform UK has described the central aim of its proposals as humanitarian, claiming it would save lives in the Channel.

According to the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, a total of 162 people lost their lives in the English Channel between 2018 and 2025.

The party is proposing the establishment of a joint military command, drawing on units from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, RAF and British Army, alongside a surveillance operation to monitor incoming vessels.

Armed forces would intercept any unauthorised boats and detain those on board, providing water, food and a medical assessment before returning them under naval escort.

Emergency legislation would be passed “as necessary” to grant the joint command any additional powers required.

Last Wednesday was the busiest single day for small boat crossings in the English Channel so far this year, with 752 migrants reaching the UK.

However, overall arrival figures for 2026 to date have fallen compared with the same period last year.

The provisional total for the year stands at 14,526, which is 43% lower than the figure recorded at this point last year (25,436) and down 14% on the equivalent period in 2024 (16,903).

Coronation Street fans knew that Cassie Plummer’s exit was on the cards. But that won’t make it any harder to watch the gobby Rovers’ regular tear-jerking goodbye, especially since according to actress Claire Sweeney, those tears were real.’

The soap star announced back in January that she was leaving the Street back in January, as she’s been cast as Miss Hannigan in the UK tour of musical Annie.

But it wasn’t until recently that her final denouement really kicked off, thanks to the introduction of the villainous Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield). Ross took advantage of Cassie when she was fifteen and paid her for sex, resulting in the birth of their son Tyrone Dobbs’ (Alan Halsall).

We’ve already seen Ross threaten Cassie’s life to stop her interfering in his relationship with his long-lost son.

This week, Cassie’s mission to oust Ross from her family blew up in her face when she was caught spiking his smoothie to make sure he failed a drug test for his new job. This resulted in her being rejected by Tyrone, not to mention her long-time boyfriend Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) who caught her red-handed with the drugs and breaks up with her.

Despite knowing that she was going to leave, Claire admitted to being taken by surprise when it came to finally departing the Cobbles for good in a recent chat with Metro.

‘Honestly, I was in total denial. I just carried on as if I wasn’t leaving at all because I was having such a wonderful time with the storylines. I was absolutely loving every minute of it. It only really hit me about a week before the end, particularly when I started clearing out my flat in Liverpool and had to pack up my dressing room.’

‘I remember standing there thinking, “I can’t take these things out of my dressing room.” Even now, I still feel a bit in denial. Because I’m still in touch with everyone—chatting to Alan and Simon every few days—it doesn’t feel like I’ve moved on yet. For a while I hadn’t even started rehearsing for Annie, so it feels like I’m still part of the family.’

‘I couldn’t believe the quality of the writing they gave me for the end; it was beautiful. And Ross is played by Ian, who is just a brilliant actor. The scenes we shot were so poignant.’

The story takes a particularly heart-breaking turn when Cassie is forced to say goodye to her beloved grandchildren, Hope Stape (Isabella Flanagan) and Ruby Dobbs (Billie Naylor).

‘There was one specific scene at the end, saying goodbye to Hope and Ruby in the Dobbs house, where I literally sobbed. The tears were completely real. At one point, the director even asked me to hold back a little bit because it looked like I was having a breakdown on camera, but that was just how it felt. It was so genuine that the children started crying during the take, too. It was incredibly emotional.’

However, that’s not even Cassie’s final scene. The last we see of her is after she’s accepted a job as a cleaner on a cruise ship, then Ross arrives and offers her a lift in his car. He speeds off with Cassie in the passenger seat, leaving her end chillingly ambiguous. Claire reflects on Kathy’s fate.

‘She feels she has absolutely no choice. She has been rejected by the love of her life, Steve, and everyone else has turned their backs on her. She feels her life there has been destroyed. The only option left is to take that job on the cruise ship. Whether she actually makes it to that ship or what happens when Ross takes her—that’s the beauty of it. No one knows, and it’s left wonderfully open.’

First joining the show in 2023, Cassie was introduced as the long-lost mother of Tyrone, who struggled with drug addiction for many years, and finally managed to get clean and be the mum he always needed. In that time, we have seen her full character arc and redemption into the no-nonsense switchboard operator of Street Cars that we know and love… and Claire Sweeney has loved every moment of it.

‘It’s been an absolute joy.’ Claire gushes. ‘I’ve been blessed with brilliant, multifaceted storylines from start to finish. I went from being a “baddie” to someone who softened, particularly with Steve, who really brought out her vulnerability and honesty. I loved the comedy, the motherly instincts she developed with Tyrone, and the wonderful, forgiving friendship she had with Ken. Even the comedic elements of living with Tracy (Kate Ford) and Steve—the scripts were just brilliant. I’ve been so lucky.’

Her time on Coronation Street maybe coming to a close, but Claire’s managed to hold on to one keepsake from her days on the Cobbles.

‘I intended to take my battered old trainers, but I actually ended up leaving my dressing room table exactly as it was. I think it was a subconscious thing—I just wasn’t ready to let go. However, I did keep one special thing, the Heart badge with Cassie written on it, I was given during my very first scene with Simon Gregson at the speed dating event in the Rovers. It’s on my fridge now as a little reminder of where it all began.’

MORE: Coronation Street spoiler videos confirm huge exit and shock attack

MORE: Cassie loses everything in Coronation Street as vile Ross’ revenge works

MORE: More scheduling chaos as Coronation Street and Emmerdale to be taken off air again

Zia Yusuf said the party would launch ‘the largest military operation in the English Channel since WW2’

Reform UK would launch a military operation in the England Channel to stop small boats if it were in power, the party has said.

Zia Yusuf, the party’s home affairs spokesman, said that Reform UK wants to launch “the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two” to stop small boat arrivals from France.

A Government led by Nigel Farage would send the Royal Navy into the channel to intercept all migrant boats there and return them to France or Belgium under a plan called “operation fortress”.

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The party says the plan is in line with international law and that it will both halt small boat arrivals and act as a humanitarian response. Labour criticised the “reheated” announcement and said “anger and easy answers won’t bring crossings down”.

Zia Yusuf, the party’s home affairs spokesman, said: “Britain is being invaded. Tory and Labour governments responded with a free ferry service and free hotels. Reform UK will respond by launching the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two.

“Nigel Farage will order his Majesty’s Royal Navy to ensure that not a single unauthorised vessel crossing the English Channel makes it to the shores of the United Kingdom. Those who attempt it will be intercepted by our Armed Forces and returned to France.”

He said the move would make the border “impenetrable” and that “nobody” will be able to make it to UK shores via small boat.

The party said the situation in the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where some 60,000 migrants breached the border to enter Spanish territory earlier this week, shows the “urgency” of Reform’s plan for the UK. Most of the migrants in Ceuta had walked back to neighbouring Morocco by Sunday.

Reform UK described the fundamental objective of its plan as humanitarian and claimed it would save lives in the Channel.

A total of 162 people died in the English Channel between 2018 and 2025, according to the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory.

The party proposes to set up a joint military command with units from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, RAF and British Army as well as a surveillance command to track incoming boats.

The armed forces would intercept any unauthorised boats and detain their occupants, giving them water and food and a medical assessment before returning them under escort on navy vessels. They would pass emergency legislation “as necessary” to give the joint command any further required powers.

Last Wednesday marked the busiest day for small boat crossings across the English Channel so far this year, with 752 migrants arriving in the UK. But the number of overall arrivals for 2026 so far has dropped since last year.

The provisional total for the year so far is 14,526, 43% lower than the number recorded by this time last year (25,436) and down 14% on the same period in 2024 (16,903).

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Reform have reheated an old announcement in their latest desperate bid to distract from their growing sleaze scandals.

“Anger and easy answers won’t bring crossings down. The serious action we’ve taken has started to have a real impact and has led to 46,000 attempted crossings stopped, and 70,000 people with no right to be here removed.

“We know there’s more to do on this complex issue.”

Meanwhile, former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe, who has since started his own Restore party, made an overture to Mr Farage.

He said in a video posted to Twitter that he was willing to put his differences with Mr Farage aside and have their parties work together if Reform UK took on some of Restore’s policies, such as a ban on the burqa and Halal meat and a referendum on the death penalty.

He also said Mr Farage would have to commit to not having any former Conservative ministers, such as Tory defectors Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, in any future Cabinet.

“I truly believe there could be sufficient common ground for our two movements to co-operate collectively (to) destroy the looming left-wing alliance that will finish off what hope remains for this country.

“We have recently shown how effectively co-operation can work locally on the Norfolk County Council, so why not at national level?” Mr Lowe said in a video posted on X.

The Reform UK leader appeared to give a lukewarm response in his own social media post, saying there will “always be a home in Reform UK” for those who reject the two main parties and think the country needs a “fundamentally different direction”.

He said he was building a “broad coalition” but that “only one party truly has the possibility of delivering change”.

The Streets brought their landmark 2004 album A Grand Don’t Come For Free to life at Scarborough Open Air Theatre last night (August 1) as part of a special UK tour performing the record in full for the first time.

Led by frontman Mike Skinner, the group delivered a 90-minute set filled with garage and grime anthems, nostalgic storytelling, and high-energy crowd interaction.

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Fans were treated to hit singles including Dry Your Eyes, Fit But You Know It, and Blinded By The Lights.

The second half of the show featured more fan favourites such as Turn The Page, Who’s Got The Bag, and Never Went To Church.

Performing to fans at the barrier (Image: Provided)

Mike Skinner made his way into the crowd to perform Take Me As I Am from the back of the venue, finishing the night by crowd-surfing back to the stage.

Speaking prior to the tour, Mike Skinner said: “A Grand Don’t Come For Free was a moment in time – for me, and for everyone who grew up with it. I wrote it as a story from beginning to end, even studying screenwriting to shape it and without the faintest idea how people would react.

Fans at the barrier for The Streets (Image: Provided)

“We’ve been looking for something bold to do with the live show, and we landed here: some tracks have never been played live, others haven’t surfaced in years.

“It’s a new challenge to bring the whole journey to life on stage, but I have an incredible band and we always give everything every night. So I’m certain we’ll make finding out what happened to that thousand quid a party every night.”

The Streets at Scarborough Open Air Theatre (Image: Provided)

Special guests included masked UK rapper Casisdead and cult favourite Jimothy Lacoste, who opened the show.

TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre continues on Sunday with headliners Sex Pistols feat’ Frank Carter and special guests The Stranglers and The Undertones.

By DAN HODGES, DAILY MAIL COLUMNIST

Published: 21:16 BST, 2 August 2026 | Updated: 21:32 BST, 2 August 2026

Andy Burnham has finally decided to go where previous Labour leaders have feared to tread. Namely the White Cliffs of Dover, to announce the French farce which has seen the British taxpayer handing £160million to Emmanuel Macron to stop the small boats – only to see them being waved off by Gendarmes from the beaches of Calais with a cheery ‘Bon Voyage’ – will finally end.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister defiantly declared that he would be ‘relentless’ in confronting the Channel crisis. ‘The public don’t like the idea that the border looks like it’s not controlled. We need to bring back that control.’

A senior aide spelt out what that meant in practice: ‘The bottom line is payment by results. If certain tactics aren’t working, the funding stops.’

This bold rhetoric stands in stark contrast to his immediate predecessors. Keir Starmer’s premiership began to properly fall apart after he admitted his infamous statement that Britain was becoming an ‘island of strangers’ was one that had been inserted into a speech by his aides and been delivered without him even bothering to read it. The tough immigration policy it was meant to frame was also quickly disowned.

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Jeremy Corbyn believed robust immigration rules were anathema to his socialist principles. And the closest Ed Miliband got to getting to grips with the issue was to put the word, ‘Controls On Immigration’, on the side of a mug.

So Burnham’s statement yesterday, though typically short on detail, marks a significant departure for his party. His critics will claim – with some justification – he has been forced to speak out by recent events.

Last week, Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp was subjected to a hostile intervention from a French coastguard cutter, which unleashed a few live rounds as part of a ‘training exercise’ as he attempted to highlight a surge in small-boat arrivals.

And the dramatic incursion into the Spanish territory of Ceuta by 60,000 illegal migrants from Morocco highlighted Europe’s widening migration crisis.

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Andy Burnham yesterday during a visit to HM Coastguard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Dover

The Prime Minister defiantly declared that he would be ‘relentless’ in confronting the Channel crisis

But Burnham’s allies insist his intervention is more than just reactive political posturing. ‘During the by-election in Makerfield the issue of small boats came up again and again,’ I’m told. ‘He understands this is a major issue for working people.

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‘And he’s said that in his first few weeks on the job he would be focusing directly on the big problems that have been ducked for too long and finally need to be addressed. Small boats is one of them.’

It also represents an answer to those within his party who have been expressing concerns that his priority will be to drag his party to the Left in order to shut down the threat from Zack Polanski and his insurgent Greens.

Worries that were heightened by the re-admission into his ranks of Left-wing firebrand Diane Abbott, and the appointment of three Left-wing MPs to the junior ministerial ranks of Parliamentary Private Secretary.

As another Burnham supporter joked: ‘How many Labour MPs have gone to Dover to highlight the small-boats issue? Apart from Andy, the only other person to do it is Mike Tapp.’

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Tapp, the former Home Office Minister who recently left government after an unseemly scrap with Shabana Mahmood, is famed for his stridently populist stance on immigration.

What Burnham’s intervention also presages is a shift in focus in international affairs. Keir Starmer prized his cosy relationship with Macron and other European leaders.

Our new Prime Minister has indicated he’s prepared to ruffle some diplomatic feathers if necessary. And that his agenda is going to involve putting domestic priorities ahead of international ones.

There is a long way to go before Andy Burnham can claim to have gripped the small-boats crisis. But his more robust approach represents a welcome start. Vive la difference.

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Andy Burnham has insisted he wants to get a ‘grip’ of the small boats crisis, after more than 2,000 crossed the Channel into Britain during his first fortnight in power.

Mr Burnham travelled to Dover this afternoon for a visit to the country’s top migrant command room, as he championed a surge in border officers.

The new Prime Minister promised to ‘deal with it head on’ as he attempts to regain Labour’s credibility on illegal migration.

Speaking from the coast, Mr Burnham promised: ‘We have to deal with the issue rather than play politics with the issue. Just deal with it head on, grip it, and then make the changes that will bring that reassurance to the public.

‘The public don’t like the idea that the border looks like it’s not controlled.

‘We need to bring back that control, but also we need to offer support for people who genuinely need it.

‘It’s about changing the whole approach, and slowly but surely we are putting in place those building blocks of a very different approach to this issue. It’s working, but there’s more to be done.’

Hitting back, the Tories accused Mr Burnham of being ‘too weak’ to stop the ongoing migrant crossings, and called on him to follow their plan to quit the ECHR.

Visiting the migration nerve centre, Mr Burnham insisted Labour is tackling the crisis despite more than 2,000 migrants crossing the Channel since he became PM two weeks ago

Shabana Mahmood announced she has more than doubled the number of National Crime Agency officers taking on the people smugglers

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Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted: ‘77,000 illegal immigrants have crossed since the election, including over 2,000 since Andy Burnham became prime minister.

‘Labour has not smashed the gangs as they promised over two years ago. I saw for myself just last week hundreds of illegal immigrants departing a French beach while the gendarmes Shabana Mahmood is paying for stood by and did nothing.

‘The Conservative plan is to leave the ECHR so all illegal immigrants can be deported within a week of arrival. If Andy Burnham was serious he would do this – but he’s too weak.’

Mr Burnham’s fresh promise to grip the crisis and restore Britain’s borders came as the Home Office confirmed a surge in border guards.

Shabana Mahmood, who retained the job in Mr Burnham’s reshuffle, said that officers at the National Crime Agency tasked with tackling organised immigration crime have more than doubled since the start of 2025.

They have increased from 376 to ‘almost 800’, and contributed to almost 300 arrests last year as they target the people smuggling gangs.

The department also said NCA officers, working alongside international allies, have seized more than 1,100 small boats and engines before they could be used to transport up to 72,000 migrants across the Channel.

Ms Mahmood, who visited the NCA’s headquarters in Stratford, East London, said: ‘We have more than doubled the number of NCA officers working on immigration crime to tackle the gangs who profit from illegal small boat crossings.

‘We have seized over a thousand boats and engines, arrested thousands of criminals, and stopped tens of thousands of attempted crossings.

‘There is more to be done, but this Government is restoring control at our border.’

2,000 new small boat migrants entered Britain since Mr Burnham entered Downing Street just two weeks ago, including 326 in four dinghies today.

It brings this year’s numbers up to 14,526.

Mr Burnham said he had been in contact with Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez following the scenes of chaos in Ceuta this week, when around 60,000 Moroccans swarmed the Spanish enclave on the north coast of Africa.

The Prime Minister cited Mr Sanchez’s claim that around 98% of the number have already been returned to Morocco, but warned: ‘There’s a broader issue about the Schengen area and our relationship with it.’

Jadon Sancho is a free agent after being released by Manchester United and has been training with 10th-tier club Flixton FC

Non-league team Flixton has been forced to issue a statement about former Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, who has been training at the club’s facilities.

United released Sancho at the end of June following the expiration of his contract at Old Trafford, and he was joined by the likes of Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia in leaving the club as free agents.

Sancho joined United in the summer of 2021 from Borussia Dortmund for around £73million, but went on to score just 12 goals across 83 appearances for the Reds.

Before his departure, Sancho had loan spells with former club Dortmund, as well as Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Without a club, Sancho has been training alone at Flixton FC in Greater Manchester. In a video posted on the tenth-tier club’s social media channels, he spoke highly of their facilities, sparking some light-hearted speculation that he might drop down to non-league football.

“You’ve got a nice layout here,” Sancho said. “It’s my first time around this area, and it’s the first time I’ve seen a nice pitch [in this area] apart from United and City.”

The club, whose assistant manager is Rhodri Giggs – brother of United legend Ryan – have moved to set the record straight. In an official statement, Flixton owner Christopher Garcia said: “Over the past few days, we’ve seen a number of posts and comments circulating regarding Jadon Sancho’s visit to Flixton FC.

“To clarify, Jadon was not on trial with the club and was not involved in any transfer discussions. He simply used our facilities for a private training session to maintain his fitness while preparing for the next chapter of his career.

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“We’re proud that the quality of our pitch and facilities made Flixton a place where a player of his calibre felt comfortable training, and he is welcome to train at Flixton FC whenever he wishes.

“During his visit, Jadon was nothing but professional, humble, and generous with his time. After completing his session, he happily met with young supporters, posed for photos, signed autographs, and left a lasting impression on everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him.

“Jadon is a world-class footballer who has achieved more in the game than most players could ever dream of. He deserves respect for both his accomplishments and the way he conducted himself during his visit, not the unwarranted criticism that has followed.

“We thank Jadon for choosing Flixton FC as a place to train and wish him every success in the next stage of his career, which will undoubtedly be at a level far above where we currently compete. Our doors will always be open to him.”

Sancho has not been linked with many potential new clubs so far, with Qatari outfit Al-Rayyan among the few sides to make an enquiry.

The winger is reportedly open to a move to the Middle East, where the Saudi Pro League remains a possibility, or alternatively remaining in Europe.

Countdown to Kickoff: The Ultimate 26/27 Sky Sports Bundle

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