NEW YORK (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic an ultimatum this week: Open its artificial intelligence technology for unrestricted military use by Friday, or risk losing its government contract.

Defense officials in the Trump administration also warned they could designate Anthropic, which makes the AI chatbot Claude, as a supply chain risk — or invoke a Cold War-era law called the Defense Production Act to give the military more sweeping authority to use its products, even if the company doesn’t approve.

Some experts say that using the law this way would be unprecedented, and could bring future legal challenges. The government’s efforts to essentially force Anthropic’s hand also underscore a wider, contentious debate over AI’s role in national security.

Here’s what we know.

What is the Defense Production Act?

The Defense Production Act gives the federal government broad authority to direct private companies to meet the needs of national defense.

The act was signed by President Harry S. Truman in 1950 amid supply concerns during the Korean War. But over its now decades-long history, the law’s powers have been invoked not only in times of war but also for domestic emergency preparedness, as well as recovery from terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

One of the act’s provisions allows the president to require companies to prioritize government contracts and orders deemed necessary for national defense, with the goal of ensuring the private sector is producing enough goods needed during war or other emergencies. Other provisions give the president the ability to use loans and additional incentives to increase production of critical goods, and authorize the government to establish voluntary agreements with private industry.

The DPA is “one of the government’s most powerful and adaptable industrial policy tools,” said Joel Dodge, an attorney and the director of industrial policy and economic security at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator.

Anthropic is the last of its AI peers to not supply its technology to a new U.S. military internal network. CEO Dario Amodei repeatedly has made clear his ethical concerns about unchecked government use of AI, including the dangers of fully autonomous armed drones and of AI-assisted mass surveillance that could track dissent.

The Pentagon has maintained that it has no interest in using AI for mass surveillance or to develop autonomous weapons to operate without human involvement.

If the Defense Department does invoke the DPA to give the military more authority to use Anthropic’s products without its approval, that could mean forcing the company to adapt its model to the Pentagon’s needs without built-in safety limits, or remove certain ethical restrictions from the company’s contract language.

Experts like Dodge say both would be “without precedent under the history of the DPA.”

“It’s a powerful law,” he said. ”(But) it has never been used to compel a company to produce a product that it’s deemed unsafe, or to dictate its terms of service.”

How has this law been used in the past?

Trump in his first term and former President Joe Biden invoked the DPA to boost supplies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. And during 2022’s nationwide baby formula shortage, Biden used the law to speed production of formula and authorize flights to import supply from overseas.

Biden also invoked the DPA in a 2023 executive order on AI, notably in efforts to require that companies share safety test results and other information with the government. Trump repealed the order at the start of his second term.

Decades ago, the administrations of both President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush used the DPA to ensure that electricity and natural gas shippers continued supplying California utilities amid an energy crisis. And the law was used after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017 to prioritize contracts for food, bottled water, manufactured housing units and the restoration of electrical systems.

The DPA requires periodic reauthorization to remain in effect, which can expand or refine the scope of the law. According to congressional documents, its next expiration date is slated for Sept. 30 of this year. Depending on how the Defense Department’s reported demands unfold, Anthropic could be at the top of lawmakers’ minds.

Possible next steps for Anthropic

If the Defense Department uses the DPA provision aimed at prioritizing government contracts and ordering production of certain goods — which the Anthropic case suggests it would — a company can push back if the requested product isn’t something it already produces, Dodge and others say, or if it deems the terms to be unreasonable. But the government may try and overrule that, notes Charlie Bullock, senior research fellow at the Institute for Law & AI.

“If neither side backs down, it seems realistic that there would be litigation between Anthropic and the government,” Bullock said.

Some have also noted tension between the Pentagon’s warning that it could designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk while also indicating its products are so important to national defense that it needs to invoke the DPA — two assertions that seem at odds with each other.

Defense officials appeared to be backing away from the DPA option on Thursday, when Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on social media that if Anthropic didn’t agree to cooperate by 5:01 p.m. ET on Friday, “we will terminate our partnership with Anthropic and deem them a supply chain risk.”

“We will not let ANY company dictate the terms regarding how we make operational decisions,” Parnell added.

Dodge thinks the administration is counting on “a lot of forces” as it aims to get Anthropic to bend on Friday.

If Anthropic agrees to new terms in the face of such threats, that could open up “a Pandora’s box of what the government could do to assert power and control over private companies,” Dodge said.

___

Associated Press Writers Matt O’Brien in Providence, Rhode Island and Konstantin Toropin and David Klepper in Washington contributed to this report.

Donna Whitfield, who works at Bells Fish and Chips in Durham, took home the national title during the 38th annual awards ceremony, organised by the National Federation of Fish Friers.

The event, which celebrates excellence across the UK’s fish and chip industry, saw Ms Whitfield recognised for her outstanding contribution.

She said: “This recognition means so much, not just to me, but to the incredible team I work alongside every day.

“Without their support, belief and dedication, this would not have been possible. To be judged by fellow operators who truly understand the challenges of this industry makes this even more special.

“I see this award as recognition for everyone working hard in fish and chips. It is a privilege to be part of a family-run business that sits at the heart of its community.”

Judging involves a rigorous process of interviews, skills tests, live tasks, and anonymous taste testing.

Bells Fish & Chips, Durham. (Image: TOM BANKS)

Shortlisted contenders must show extensive product knowledge, sustainable business practices, employer integrity, first-rate customer service and above all be masters of cooking irresistible fish and chips.

Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, said: “We don’t make it easy to progress through the assessments as benchmarks are always set extremely high.

“This ensures shortlisted businesses and individuals truly know about serving superb quality meals for customers and they are contributing to the growth of sector by innovating where possible, investing in their operations and people, and being exceptional advocates for the trade.

“It’s been clear from the start that those competing came with serious agendas to elevate industry best practice like never before and we are so proud to say these are the winners.

“Fish and chip businesses are the backbone of the takeaway space; the heritage is like no other and our winners represent tradition and the future to the highest degree.”

The awards are widely regarded as the most comprehensive of their kind, open to more than 10,500 takeaways across the UK and even including categories for overseas entrants.

This article was first published in The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email. Sign up to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox.

It would be wrong to say Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, four years ago this week, came out of the blue. For months there had been worrying reports of a huge build-up of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border. Through the winter of 2021/22, Moscow scoffed at suggestions it was planning to invade its neighbour as “alarmist”. But at the same time the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was making aggressive noises, issuing demands for Nato to pull its troops back from its eastern front and calling for a ban on Ukraine’s accession to the western alliance.

And on February 21, he made a speech in which he called Ukraine “an inalienable part of our own history, culture and spiritual space” which had been taken over by a neo-Nazi “puppet regime” that should be removed.

Still, it was a shock to wake in the early hours of Thursday February 22 to learn that Putin had launched what he called a “special military operation … to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years”. Images began to emerge of tanks and armoured vehicles with the now-familiar “Z” (a Russian victory symbol) streaming across the borders from Russia and Belarus, the latter the shortest route to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Four years and about 1.8 million casualties later, Russia has gained about 75,000sq km of territory, about 12% of Ukraine to add to the 7% it had occupied since it annexed Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014. The war has developed into a “meat-grinder” – Russia’s advances have been glacially slow and very costly, an estimated 78 casualties per square kilometre in 2025.

But if, as many insist, the war on the battlefield itself has slowed into something resembling a stalemate, the geopolitical shifts that have accompanied the conflict have been considerable – particularly since Donald Trump was elected for a second term as US president, promising to end the conflict, “in a single day”. Of course, like many of his campaign promises this has proved to be pie in the sky, but the US president’s cordial relations with Putin, his decision to curtail US financial aid to Kyiv and his apparent support for many of the Russian president’s war aims have come as an unpleasant surprise for Ukraine and its allies.

Another big feature of this war, the biggest armed conflict in Europe since 1945, has been the huge technological changes we’ve seen employed on the battlefield. Stefan Wolff and Tetyana Malyarenko call it the “drone war”, as both sides have become heavily reliant on unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs) for both combat and reconnaisance. Wolff – an expert in international security at the University of Birmingham – and Malyarenko – of the National University Odesa Law Academy – have been regular contributors to our coverage of the conflict since February 2022.

This week they are part of a panel of experts analysing the four years of conflict, alongside Wolff’s colleague Mark Webber as well as Scott Lucas of University College Dublin, both also regular contributors. They have looked into the key issues raised by the four years of conflict, including the way the war has been prosecuted, the involvement of the US president and the potential for China and/or Europe to break the stalement: Beijing potentially abandoning its support for Moscow or Europe vastly increasing its support for Ukraine in an attempt to tip the balance in Kyiv’s favour.

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It’s hard to imagine any reasons to be cheerful about the conflict. But optimists may take heart at the prospect of trilateral talks in March between Ukraine, Russia and the US. Realistically the prospect of the talks achieving anything significant seem pretty bleak at present. Russia continues to take Ukrainian territory and even if these are snail’s pace advances, Putin will consider that they add leverage to Russia’s negotiating position. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, will consider that the cost of this slow pace of advance, both in terms of casualties and the damage the war is now certainly doing to Russia’s economy, are good reasons to keep going. Surveys suggest he is supported in this by the majority of Ukrainians.

In the end it will probably be sheer exhaustion that forces and end to the conflict, writes Alex Titov of Queen’s University Belfast. Without the wholehearted support of the US president, Ukraine cannot defeat Russia on the battlefield. And, despite the massive advantage in manpower, Russia is really beginning to feel the
effects of this war of attrition – both on the health of its economy and its ability to attract enough new recruits to replace the casualties who are being either killed or wounded faster than they can be replaced. For this reason alone, Titov sees chinks of light in what is a very dark time.

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Ukraine: after four years of war, exhaustion on both sides is the main hope for peace

Let’s share Titov’s cautious optimism for the present. Say a peace deal is struck sometime soon, Ukraine is faced with a massive task of rebuilding. The most recent World Bank estimate is that this will take more than a decade and cost around US$588 billion (£435 billion). The biggest and most immediate question facing Kyiv and its allies, writes Olena Borodyna, a senior geopolitical risks advisor at ODI Global is how this can be funded.

The consensus is that Ukraine will need to find ways to incentivise private-sector investment in reconstruction, something for which Borodyna sees varying amounts of enthusiasm for from Ukraine’s partners and friends. Part of the problem is the volatile security situation, which represents a considerable risk moving forward. Add to that the corruption which has dogged Ukraine since well before the invasion and the incentive to invest looks very shaky indeed.

Another big problem, she writes, is that so many Ukrainians left the country since February 2022, which has caused acute labour shortages. The challenge of persuading people to return will be paramount and here again, the lack of security will work against Ukraine.

There is also the strong possibility that political developments in Europe could affect the level of support for Kyiv, with elections in countries such as France, Italy and Denmark. There are already several EU members which are pretty openly hostile to the notion of supporting Ukraine, including Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary – the latter is already trying to obstruct a vital €90 billion (£78 billion) to help cover Ukraine’s needs for 2026 and 2027.

Peace deal or not, it’s a long and hard road ahead for Ukraine.

À lire aussi :
The three big challenges facing Ukraine when the war ends

But adversity can often be inspiring. Hugh Roberts, an expert in language and culture at the University of Exeter, has been charting the upsurge in Ukrainian poetry since the invasion. He has unearthed two poets who have come to represent this cultural renaissance: Yaryna Chornohuz and Artur Dron’.

Both have served in Ukraine’s armed forces. Chornohuz is still a drone operator of the Ukrainian Marine Corps in the frontline city of Kherson. Dron’ signed up in February 2022, four years before he reached the age of conscription. He’s now a veteran following serious injury. The words of both are available in English and both have been recognised with major literary awards in their home country.

Roberts gives us some of their most moving lines.

À lire aussi :
Lines from the frontline: the poet soldiers defending Ukraine

Death in Mexico

Also this week, we heard of the death of Mexican drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, in what was reportedly a massive military operation involving what appears to have been hundreds of troops and the killing of 74 people, including 25 national guard officers.

Repercussions will continue for some time, writes Raul Zepeda Gil, an expert in crime and conflict at King’s College London. The apprehension or killing of a cartel boss often causes a spike in violence as other criminal groups try to cut in on the cartel’s operations. There also likely to be a bitter and violent power struggle within El Menche’s organisation, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

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Mexico may pay a steep price for the killing of Jalisco cartel leader El Mencho

There has already bee speculation that Oseguera may be succeeded by his wife, Rosalinda González Valencia. Otherwise known as “La Jefa” (the boss), she is alleged to control the cartel’s finances, although apart from a five-year jail spell for money laundering, there has reportedly never been enough evidence of the wrongdoing of which she is suspected to charge her with anything else.

Adriana Marin, who specialises in terrorism, organised crime, and transnational threats in Latin America, examines the prominent role some women have played in organised crime gangs.

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La Jefa: the wife of slain drug kingpin El Mencho and the women at the heart of the cartels

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Officers remain at the scene this evening

Police have confirmed that they are in attendance at an incident in Co Down.

In a brief statement has been issued a PSNI spokesperson on Thursday evening, February 26, they said they remained at the scene on the Ballybunden Road area of Killinchy.

In an updated statement at around 7:30pm, a spokesperson said: “Police attended the report of a sudden death in the Lisbarnet Road area of Lisbane this afternoon, Thursday 26th February. There are no further details.”

Photos from the scene show a number of PSNI vehicles, and officers. A cordon also remains in place in the area.

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Buckley was joined on the red carpet by an impressive roster of co-stars including Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Jake Gyllenhaal and Penelope Cruz. Bale, who takes on the role of Frankenstein’s Monster, drew cheers from assembled fans, while Cruz added a touch of old-Hollywood glamour to the evening’s proceedings.

For anyone terrified of needles, we have some good news for you – we’re one step closer to a one-size-fits-all vaccine for cold, flu and Covid.

US health experts say a simple nasal spray could help boost people’s immunity to respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergy triggers.

While the study, published in the journal Science, was carried out on mice, researchers say it shows promising results for humans.

On top of the coronavirus, the jab Stanford Medicine experts developed is also effective against the skin infection, staph.

The drug-resistant bacteria behind the infection, staphylococcus, causes a pus-filled blister that can become serious if it enters the bloodstream.

The jab also protected the mice from Acinetobacter baumannii, another bacterium that can easily outfox drugs, which causes lung infections.

Finally, people allergic to house dust mites will be relieved to know that the vaccine could one day offer them protection.

What excites experts is that not only could the vaccine replace the October rush for flu and Covid jabs, but it could work against new pandemic bugs.

Dr Bali Pulendran, director of the Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection at Stanford Medicine and lead author, said: ‘I think what we have is a universal vaccine against diverse respiratory threats…

‘Imagine getting a nasal spray in the fall months that protects you from all respiratory viruses including Covid-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and the common cold, as well as bacterial pneumonia and early spring allergens.

‘That would transform medical practice.’

Health officials are always keeping an eye out for so-called ‘disease X’, a hypothetical disease that they fear could cause the next pandemic.

It’s a disease that governments are unprepared for, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Most vaccines grant immunity for a brief window, typically about a year, which is why booster shots are important.

How does the vaccine work?

Vaccines work by injecting a weakened version of a virus or shredded parts of it that can’t infect you to train your body how to respond.

But this new one, with the catchy name GLA-3M-052-LS+OVA, works a little differently.

The spray was first dropped into the noses of mice.

It then energised the animals’ T cells, which can raise the alarm and help marshal other immune cells to fight an infection in the lungs.

Tucked inside the spray is a powerless version of an antigen, which are molecules that sparks the immune system into action.

So, rather than injecting an empty husk of a pathogen for a body to stave off, the vaccine replicates the signals immune cells communicate with.

The next step for Dr Pulendran is to test the nasal spray on people next by exposing them to infections, first with a small group, then a larger one.

Brendan Wren, professor of microbial pathogenesis at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Metro that you might not be popping into your local Boots for this nasal spray anytime soon.

‘At least a decade, it is at a preliminary stage and there would need to be enormous evaluation to ensure that there are not any unintended consequences of such a vaccine,’ he said.

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

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Ibrahima Konate is in the final months of his deal at Liverpool but the club are keen to offer him fresh terms

Arne Slot has hinted that Ibrahima Konate is close to signing a new Liverpool contract if his past comments about Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are anything to go by. The defender only has months left on his deal, but his exit is far from a formality yet.

Liverpool are eager to tie the Frenchman down have confirmed that discussions are in progress. In his press conference last week, Slot disclosed: “We are in talks with him so that tells you what we want. It’s clear we would like him to stay but negotiations are ongoing so let’s see where that ends. We wouldn’t be in negotiations if we didn’t want him to stay.”

Real Madrid have been linked with a potential free transfer for the 26-year-old at the season’s conclusion, although reports late last year indicated the La Liga titans had contacted Liverpool directly to clarify they wouldn’t be pursuing another high-profile Anfield acquisition following their interest in Trent Alexander-Arnold.

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp left the door open to sensational Liverpool return amid Red Bull quit rumoursREAD MORE: Liverpool sent Real Madrid transfer instruction to secure Alexis Mac Allister perfect partner

Liverpool found themselves in a comparable predicament last year when both Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk’s contracts were due to expire at the season’s end; however, Slot frequently declined to provide ongoing updates on the pair’s negotiations until the deals were close.

So, Slot openly discussing the club’s desire to keep Konate may be telling. The Frenchman has experienced a mixed season but has shown promise in recent fixtures, including in the 4-1 victory against Newcastle United late last month.

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Reds captain Virgil van Dijk, who will be 35 by time next season rolls around, has acknowledged he’s eager for his defensive colleague to stay at the club beyond the season’s conclusion.

“We are friends, we speak about everything,” he said. “It’s a process and let’s see what comes out of it. It’s never that easy.

“We saw with my situation last year so it’s never that easy that we can just say: ‘Let’s get it done.’ It’s a process and let’s see what comes out of it.

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“Obviously I want him to stay. He’s an important figure on the pitch. That’s what everyone sees but off the pitch as well, he’s one of the leaders. He’s outstanding and in my eyes, a world-class centre back.”

Given van Dijk’s age, Liverpool will no doubt be keen to keep hold of Konate. The Reds have, however, taken early measures to build a defence for the future, having spent big money on centre-backs Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet in recent windows.

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Ellie Sullivan is reeling after being diagnosed with a suspected rare condition

A gym fanatic was horrified to learn working out could kill her- as a rare allergy to exercise sees her swell up. Ellie Sullivan has been diagnosed with suspected exercise-induced urticaria (EIU)- a condition few people know anything about.

It means just a few minutes of high intensity activity can hospitalise her with an itchy rash and ballooned lips. The beauty salon owner’s symptoms first started the previous day after a 100-metre run with her personal trainer left her with a ‘bright red rash’ covering her face, neck, ears, back and chest.

The 35 year old spoke to her GP the next day on January 25 and was stunned to be told she might have EIU, a rare condition that causes hives, itching and flushing during or after physical activity. After spending just five minutes on the cross trainer and doing her usual strength exercises on Sunday, the fitness enthusiast was ‘terrified’ when she started experiencing tingling sensations and her lips doubled in size.

She rushed to hospital where doctors confirmed her rare allergy but are unsure what has triggered it. On social media, Ellie shared footage of her flare-up to running captioned ‘when you are literally allergic to exercise’. In the clip you can see the mum of four running with her personal trainer before showing her swollen lips during her flare-up.

In another clip, you can hear Ellie breathlessly saying ‘it’s so weird’ as she shows off the red rash on her neck and chest. Now Ellie is ‘living in fear’ that her allergy could turn anaphylactic, which could be fatal.

Having ‘fallen in love’ with the gym a year ago, she says it would ‘break her heart’ if she has to give it up and fears that even walking might one day trigger a reaction. Now, Ellie is urging others to get checked if they start experiencing allergy-like symptoms and ‘take it seriously’.

Ellie, who lives in Honeybourne, Worcestershire, said: “I’m living on the edge because I just don’t know what’s going to happen. The problem is they don’t know if it’s going to turn into anaphylaxis. It would absolutely break my heart [if I couldn’t go to the gym].

“I joined my local gym last year and started a transformation programme and absolutely fell in love with it. My PT said ‘we’re all going to do a mud run in July, do you want to join? Let’s go outside and see where you are with your running’. We did less than 100 metres and I was fine at the time. It was probably under three minutes that I ran for.

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“I got home and I did think to myself ‘I feel a bit hot’ but it wasn’t until I got upstairs and looked in the mirror that I was covered in this bright red rash from my bra upwards.

“It was super itchy but it wasn’t a typical hive rash. It was a completely flat rash but just all over my face, neck, ears, back, chest. I thought ‘it’s a bit weird, don’t know what that is’ and then my lips started to swell. It wiped me out.”

After rushing to hospital after experiencing another flare-up on Sunday, doctors diagnosed her with an exercise allergy and have referred her to a specialist. Now she must carry an antihistamine with her at all times and go to hospital during any flare-up.

Ellie said: “While I was standing in Greggs my ears started tingling first and then all this tingling started all over my face. Within seconds my lips just swelled up, I was terrified.

“When I went [into hospital] I was seen so quickly. By this point it had stopped increasing and started to go down. They could see the obvious lip swelling, my lips were double the size. The doctors had to research it while I was there because it’s so rare. Every time I have a reaction it’s getting worse.

“The problem is they don’t know if it’s going to turn into anaphylaxis. If your tongue starts to swell, that is a really life-threatening situation.”

Now Ellie’s been forced to completely cut out cardio and add more resting time into her strength workouts to avoid spiking her heart rate. Ellie said: “It’s bizarre and I’m wondering what on earth has triggered it. It’s gutting [not to be able to do cardio].

“This could end up affecting everyday life because it seems to be when my heart rate increases that my body is having a complete histamine melt down. I’m terrified it could one day develop to weights as well. We’ve had to adjust everything and I’m having to have extra time during sets to make sure my heart isn’t spiking.

“It’s trial and error seeing what I can and can’t do. It’s simple things like if I run up the stairs is it going to trigger it off? Even if I was walking it could potentially affect it.

“I’m living in fear of these flare-ups and not knowing if they’re going to turn because the doctors don’t know. I would be absolutely gutted [if I couldn’t go to the gym] and I’m really hoping it doesn’t end up like that. I’ve just got to be so careful.”

Anxiously waiting to see if her symptoms worse, Ellie hopes to spread awareness about her rare allergy.

Ellie said: “I don’t know anyone else with it. It’s one of those things I’ll say to people ‘no seriously I actually have an allergy to exercise, it’s not even an excuse’. I think it’s taking it seriously because at first I didn’t take it seriously. It’s not something you’d connect it to.

“You wouldn’t connect exercise and an allergy together, it’s just getting it checked. I really didn’t think it was going to be potentially as serious as it could be to the point it was life-threatening.”

​The MPs for Scarborough and Whitby and Thirsk and Malton, as well as councillors, have reacted to the findings of investigators that the blaze, which burned for more than 40 days, was likely started by someone using a campfire or gas burner.

​At its height, the fire covered 10 sq miles (26 sq km) of moorland, reaching close to RAF Fylingdales in the North York Moors National Park, and was declared a major incident.

​Whitby MP Alison Hume and Malton’s Kevin Hollinrake called for a rethink of wild camping rules and said that there “should be consequences”.

The leader of North Yorkshire Council has said the authority will continue to support those affected, while a Green Party councillor said efforst should be focused on fighting climate change which was “the real cause of the moor fires”.

​Ms Hume said: “No one should be wild camping in our precious national park.

​“It’s clear the status quo, that discreet wild camping is ok as long as campers ‘leave no trace’, has failed with catastrophic consequences.

​“We were so fortunate that, thanks to the heroic efforts of fire crews and the farmers, no lives were lost.”

​The Labour MP told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I hope Forestry England, the North York Moors Authority and landowners will be putting up dozens of new signs now warning people not to light fires or disposable barbecues.”

​It was only on 23 September that North Yorkshire Fire Service confirmed it was no longer being treated as a major incident.

​Part of the affected area had been used as a tank training ground during World War Two, and there were more than 18 explosions as the fire burned.

​Conservative party chairman and Thirsk and Malton MP Mr Hollinrake said: “The confirmation that this devastating wildfire is believed to have been caused by someone cooking over a naked flame is frankly infuriating.

​“This was entirely avoidable. The fire caused serious environmental damage, put livelihoods at risk and imposed significant economic costs on the local community.

​“That makes it even more angering given the extraordinary efforts of local volunteers, farmers and emergency services who worked around the clock to limit the destruction.”

​Speaking to the LDRS, he said that “where reckless behaviour is suspected, there must be consequences. Rural communities should not be left to pick up the bill for acts of carelessness.”

​He said: “I pay tribute once again to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, alongside the farmers, gamekeepers and residents who stepped forward without hesitation to protect homes, land, and wildlife.

​Commenting on the findings of the “in-depth” 150-hour investigation, chief fire officer Jonathan Dyson said: “The Fylingdales Moor fire was one of the most complex multi-agency incidents the Service has ever attended. I would like to once again thank local communities, farmers, gamekeepers and our colleagues from other fire and rescue services for the vital support they gave us.

“The fact that this fire is believed to have been started by cooking using a naked flame, such as a campfire or gas burner, is a stark reminder of how quickly wildfires can take hold, particularly in hot, dry and windy conditions.”

Responding to the publication of the cause of the worst wildfire in North Yorkshire’s history, North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “The result of the very detailed fire investigation states that the cause of this major incident is believed to be cooking using a naked flame, such as a campfire or gas burner.

“This milestone moment may trigger reflection and memories which may be difficult for the communities and businesses most impacted by what was without doubt a terrifying blaze.”

However,  the Green Party’s Cllr Andy Brown, who represents Aire Valley, said: ”The real cause of the moor fires that inflicted so much damage to local people and the local environment was not some unidentified possible camp fire as the Leader of North Yorkshire Council has stated.

“It was an exceptional period of dry weather leaving moors so tinder dry that the very ground caught fire.

“That was the product of climate change and serious action is going to be needed to rewet more of our uplands if we are going to limit the damage fossil fuel companies and oil states are doing to our community and our landscape.”

​

Earlier today (Thursday), North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service revealed the conclusions of an in-depth fire investigation into the fire on Flyingdales Moor last summer.

Following extensive enquiries, including the taking of witness statements, the review of footage and videos, detailed inspection of the site and analysis of fire patterns, the cause of the fire is believed to be cooking using a naked flame, such as a campfire or gas burner.

The fire was declared a major incident on August 13 due to its proximity to RAF Flyingdales, described as a Critical National Infrastructure. At its peak on 25 August, it covered an area of up to 25km².

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “The findings of the Langdale Moor fire investigation are being thoroughly reviewed by North Yorkshire Police. We will issue an update in due course.

“Our thoughts remain with all those affected by this devastating blaze. We also praise the firefighters, volunteers, and members of the community who worked tirelessly to bring it under control.”