Cllr Jack Symon, who represents Wheatlands ward in Redcar for the Tories, said he had paid a membership fee to join the “movement”.

The party was launched last month by Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe, a former chairman of Southampton FC, and is understood to be in the process of being ratified by the Electoral Commission.

Cllr Symon said that because of this he could only sit as an independent for the moment on the council, although he expected this would change in a matter of weeks.

The 24-year-old, who is an estate agent and was elected in 2023, claimed the reaction had been “quite positive” with residents who he had spoken to having been supportive of the move.

Cllr Symon said he had received some messages from Mr Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP, who had a well-publicised falling out with Reform UK before leaving Nigel Farage’s party.

Asked why he did not join Reform UK – as many Conservatives have done – he said he “did not think they had what it takes to be unpopular”.

He said: “There is a bit of a daytime TV vibe to them, they are not quite serious enough and seem very showbiz.

“Restore policy is member-led and they are very clear there will be ups and down.

“It’s very much a team effort.

“With Reform it is very personality-driven, very sort of glitz and glamour.”

Cllr Symon said he was unsure at the moment whether he would seek re-election in planned local elections in 2027, “but if he was it would be with Restore Britain”.

He said: “There is lots to think about, I have a young family, and it’s whether I have the time commitments.”

In an open letter explaining events he said he resigned the Conservative whip after “careful thought and reflection”, but bore no ill will towards the party, members or fellow councillors.

He wrote: “I have reflected deeply on the future of our country and the kind of leadership and politics required to restore confidence, opportunity and national pride.

“I have come to believe that Restore Britain represents the clearest and most determined vision for a truly national restoration, rooted in sovereignty, fairness, accountability and support for our people.”

Cllr Symon said “many decent, hardworking people across our communities feel increasingly unheard” and, regardless of political label, he would continue to work tirelessly on local issues.

Conservative group leader, Councillor Carolyn Curr said: “We thank Jack for what he has done with us and wish him well.”

Ian Huntley has died in hospital after he was attacked in prison on Thursday, February 26. The Soham Killer was attacked by an inmate with a metal bar in the workshop of HMP Frankland.

It was reported that Huntley’s life-support machine was switched off last night (Friday, March 7) after the 52-year-old suffered severe brain trauma during the attack. The former school caretaker was given a life sentence, which recommended he serve at least 40 years in prison for the murder of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman on August 4 2002.

It is believed Anthony Russell, 43, had allegedly shouted “I’ve done it, I’ve done it” after Huntley was attacked. Russell is currently serving a whole-life sentence after murdering Julie Williams, 58, her son David Williams, 32, and pregnant 31-year-old Nicole McGregor. Russell had also raped Ms McGregor.

Durham Constabulary has not named the suspect but has confirmed that a man in his mid-40s had been detained after the attack. An investigation is currently ongoing and a file is being prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration for charges.

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: “A man who was attacked at HMP Frankland in Durham last week has died in hospital this morning.

“Ian Huntley, 52, was taken to hospital with serious injuries following an incident in the workshop on the morning of Thursday, February 26. A police investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing. A file is being prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration for charges.”

Derry’s own SOAK will return to where it all began

An exciting new chapter for music in Derry will unfold this Easter with the launch of All Kinds of Everything, a brand-new festival which will celebrate the best new and essential music across all genres emerging locally, nationally and internationally.

From April 2nd – 5th, events including concerts, film screenings, studio collaborations and discussions will take place at venues across Derry city centre including The Guildhall, The Nerve Centre, The Playhouse, Sandinos, The Guildhall Taphouse and Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin.

All Kinds of Everything aims to build a new platform for music and culture in the city following the long-running success of Celtronic, and to bring fresh energy to Derry’s nightlife.

Among the artists confirmed for the 2026 programme includes Belfast DJ, composer and producer David Holmes, Welsh electronic artist Kelly Lee Owens, Belfast trio CHALK, internationally respected selector Gerd Janson, and Derry’s own SOAK, alongside a wide range of established and emerging artists from Ireland and beyond.

Among the artists confirmed is David Holmes, the Belfast DJ, producer and film composer whose career spans club culture, cinema and television.

With five solo albums and more than 30 film and television scores to his name, Holmes has worked with artists including Noel Gallagher, Primal Scream and Manic Street Preachers, while his screen work includes Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven trilogy and dramas such as The Fall and Kin.

Spearheaded by Ross Cullen and Benedict Goddard, CHALK have seen a rapid rise in recent years.

Between sold-out UK and European headline tours and support slots with the likes of IDLES and Fontaines D.C., they have built a devoted following through intense live performances with their debut album Crystalpunk due to be released this month.

Also joining the line-up is Gerd Janson, one of electronic music’s most respected DJs and producers.

A familiar name to Derry audiences, Janson has spent decades playing clubs and festivals across the world, known for sets that move between house, techno, disco and rare grooves.

A resident at Frankfurt’s Robert Johnson and Berlin’s Panorama Bar, he previously featured on Celtronic line-ups that helped define the festival’s reputation for adventurous dance music.

SOAK will return to perform in the city where they first began writing and performing.

One of Derry’s most celebrated musical exports, SOAK’s deeply personal songwriting and atmospheric sound have earned international recognition, including a Mercury Prize nomination, as well as winning the Choice Music Prize and NI Music Prize.

The wider line-up reflects the festival’s broad musical outlook, bringing together artists working across folk, hip-hop, rock, indie and experimental music.

Further Irish artists on the bill include singer-songwriters Sorcha Richardson and Niamh Regan. Derry trio PORTS will perform material from their recent album The Eyes of the Moon, while local band The Marra – praised by Noel Gallagher and championed by Paul Weller – continue to build a reputation as one of the most promising young acts to emerge from the city.

Also confirmed are Derry duo Tessio, experimental post-punk artist Autumns, and Americana-folk group DUG, whose debut album Have At It! was released last year on Claddagh Records.

The festival will also welcome acclaimed author Irvine Welsh for a special appearance as part of the programme of conversations and screenings.

Welsh, whose debut novel Trainspotting became one of the defining books of the 1990s and later an iconic film adaptation by Danny Boyle, is the author of fourteen novels and remains one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British and Irish literature.

Tickets are now on sale for the events, including an all-access festival pass which grants entry to every event across the four-day programme. Tickets available at www.allkindsfest.com or via Eventbrite.

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

Former Manchester United star Juan Mata scored a stunning free-kick for Melbourne Victory in their 2-2 draw with Sydney FC in the A-League

Juan Mata has urged his ex-Manchester United colleague Bruno Fernandes to emulate his spectacular free-kick from his recent A-League match.

Mata contributed to Melbourne Victory securing a draw in a 2-2 stalemate with Sydney FC on Saturday in Australia, scoring with a free-kick in the 34th minute.

Charles Nduka also found the back of the net for Victory, providing the visitors with a 2-0 advantage in Sydney.

The hosts responded with goals from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Ahmet Arslan, resulting in the points being shared at the Allianz Stadium.

Mata opened the scoring with an exquisite free-kick, and it appears some former United teammates were observing the ex-Reds star’s performance in Australia.

READ MORE: Noussair Mazraoui reveals true impact of Michael Carrick’s appointment at Man UtdREAD MORE: Bruno Fernandes saw Benjamin Sesko turnaround coming before Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd sacking

Fernandes shared a video on his Instagram story of himself watching Mata score for Victory, joined by United teammate Harry Maguire, who participated in the celebrations.

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The caption on Fernandes’ video read: “We just knew it that from right there he doesn’t miss right [Harry Maguire]?”

Post-match, Mata was quizzed about Fernandes’ post following the final whistle in Victory’s draw with Sydney, and the former United star went on to issue a challenge to his old teammate.

“Yeah, well, I love them and I’m happy they follow the A-League, they follow our games,” Mata told the A-League official account. “And I hope that in the next game Bruno can score a similar goal.”

Fernandes and Mata were colleagues at United before the Spanish player departed Old Trafford in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer, subsequently signing with Galatasaray.

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Following a stint in Japan with Vissel Kobe, Mata moved to Australia to join Western Sydney Wanderers in 2024 and then transferred to Melbourne last year.

The draw leaves Victory sitting fifth in the A-League standings, trailing third-placed Sydney FC by four points, whilst Newcastle Jets currently top the table, 11 points clear of Melbourne.

“When you are winning 2-0 away at Sydney FC, you feel that you are very close to winning a very important game,” Mata said.

“Unfortunately, we had five or 10 minutes of madness where they scored two and probably were on top and could have scored one or two more goals.

“But at least we took a point, but it’s bittersweet because when you’re winning 2-0 and not so long to go, you feel that you are close to winning.”

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A ministry spokesperson said: “We have been bolstering our UK military presence in the Middle East since January, and we have already deployed capabilities to protect British people and our allies in the region, including Typhoons, F-35 jets, air defence systems and an extra 400 personnel into Cyprus.

Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden has made no secret of her feelings towards Phillip Schofield in recent years, following a reported fallout

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Amanda Holden humorously hit back at a Heart Radio listener this week after he mentioned Phillip Schofield. As part of the show’s celebrity name game, two players compete to name as many stars as possible, using a given pair of letters as the prompt.

During the game, a player named Ollie left Amanda squirming over his mention of her former co-star Phillip, from the letters P and S. After immediately hearing his name, the 55-year-old replied, laughing: “Oh, Ollie my favourite. Of all the names you could’ve come up with, Patrick Swayze, Ollie, at least!”.

Amanda’s reaction comes just days after Phillip was mentioned live on-air again by her co-host Jamie Theakston. Ahead of The Brit Awards last weekend, the Britain’s Got Talent judge and Jamie were joined by host Jack Whitehall.

During their chat, she asked him whether he’d be sporting a “snappy pair of socks” like his father, to which he joked: “I’m not going to go too jazzy with the socks, you never want to be upstaged by a sock.”

Following his answer, she remarked: “Well, Jamie, I rest my case.” Confused by her statement, her fellow presenter replied: “What are you talking about? Children’s television? That wasn’t me, that was Phillip Schofield.”

In response, she chuckled: “Oh god, please, let’s not mention that name on air, it’s a family show!”.

Amanda and Phillip’s apparent feud dates back to 2018 – four years after they presented This Morning together. When the opportunity arose to fill in for Holly Willoughby again, reports claimed he “actively campaigned” for Rochelle Humes to fill in for his co-star, instead of Amanda.

However, an ITV spokesperson subsequently refuted the reports, confirming that presenter decisions rest solely with producers. Phillip also tackled the rumours on social media, describing them as “hurtful and wildly untrue”.

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While the Heart Radio host didn’t address the reports directly at the time, she has been open about her feelings towards him over the years. During a light-hearted game on Heart Radio in 2019 about three unwanted items in her home, she joked: “Spiders, flies and Phillip Schofield.”

Subsequently, she claimed that she’d attempted to arrange a face-to-face meeting with him over coffee but said he failed to respond. When questioned about her former colleague on the show, Amanda admitted: “I did offer to meet him for a coffee months ago, he didn’t reply to my text. What can I say?”.

Jamie remarked: “The olive branch had been extended,” to which she confirmed: “Oh, yes.”

While a reunion with Phillip isn’t expected anytime soon, Amanda has returned to screens alongside her Britain’s Got Talent co-stars Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and KSI for a new series.

Britain’s Got Talent continues tonight at 7pm on ITV and ITVX.

‘It’s Hand, Foot and Mouth disease,’ said a hospital doctor, confidently.

‘That’s what you thought last time, but you were wrong,’ I insisted.

It was December 2025 and I’d brought my five-year-old son, Mylo, to hospital after discovering blisters around and inside his mouth.

I was terrified; I knew it was serious.

But despite me sharing my fears that Mylo was seriously ill, the doctors wouldn’t believe me.

I broke down in tears of frustration. I knew my son, and I knew there was something very wrong.

But they sent us home.

It started in November 2024 when Mylo woke up with blisters on his hands and mouth. The doctor thought it looked like Hand, Foot and Mouth disease – a common childhood illness – and advised paracetamol, Ibuprofen, and fluids.

The following day, though, Mylo’s eyes were swollen and the blisters in his mouth were so sore he wouldn’t drink, so I took him to hospital.

Mylo was admitted for three nights (they thought it was Hand, Foot and Mouth with a ‘super infection’ known as Gingivostomatitis), and given IV fluids and antiviral medication.

He seemed to improve; but as soon as we got home, his lips and eyes swelled back up, so he was re-admitted.

This time, one doctor told me she thought he had Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.

‘Do not Google it,’ she said, emphatically.

Of course, I went straight online – and gasped.

It’s a serious skin disorder; and that one cause for children can be cold- or flu-like infections.

Doctors said the best they could do was make Mylo comfortable and let the condition run its course. 

He was seen by the eye doctors every day because, they said, the severe inflammation could lead to scarring, corneal damage, inward-turning eyelashes – and, at worst, even blindness.

It didn’t bear thinking about.

It was horrific. I was so scared but tried to keep upbeat when I was with Mylo and only broke down in tears when I left the room. I didn’t want to show him how worried I was.

After five days, the swelling went down and we could take him home.

Fast forward 13 months – and in December 2025, Mylo was off school with a cough and cold.

Five days later, I noticed a blister on his lip. ‘I don’t like the look of that,’ I said to my partner, Chris, who reminded me that the doctors had suggested a recurrence was very unlikely. But within an hour, I noticed another blister inside Mylo’s mouth.

That was it. A horrible sense of déjà vu hit me.

We took Mylo to hospital; and that’s when I broke down in tears of frustration when the doctors insisted we go home.

‘This just isn’t right,’ I thought, desperately, as we drove away. Sure enough, Mylo’s temperature spiked that night; so, yet again, back to the hospital we went.

This time, I wasn’t taking no for an answer.

Luckily, doctors finally saw how unwell Mylo was and he was admitted.

This time was much worse than the last. It was all utterly terrifying and my head was spinning.

Mylo tested positive for chickenpox, which doctors thought might have triggered the recurrence. His lips swelled and blistered so much that he couldn’t even drink water through a straw.

He couldn’t speak because of the blisters in his mouth, so our interactions were limited to nods or thumbs-up

The swelling and blisters covered his eyes and genitals.

Chris and I stayed with him, as he was on morphine and with a nasal NG tube, which went through his nose and into his stomach to give him liquid food, and I held a bowl under his mouth to catch the drool that was pouring out. He couldn’t speak because of the blisters in his mouth, so our interactions were limited to nods or thumbs-up.

This time he was diagnosed with RIME, Reactive Infectious Mucocutaneous Eruption, which closely mimics Stevens-Johnson syndrome and is usually triggered by an infection. These doctors couldn’t be sure, but they suspected Mylo had probably had RIME the year before, too.

Doctors were talking about putting him to sleep and cutting away the dead skin tissue because he had so much of it in his mouth and he didn’t seem to be improving. I was terrified.

They didn’t need to do this in the end, though, because after six days, we started to notice a small improvement at last. Mylo started drinking liquids through a straw.

A few days later, Mylo came home.

He was still covered in lesions and we had to use a little sponge to clean the debris from his lips, as well as give him steroids for his eyes until January; and we’ve had to go back to the hospital for monitoring every week.

We’re due to see a Paediatric Consultant in April for genetic testing, which could show if Mylo carries certain genes potentially making him more susceptible to this condition.

Russian athletes competing in the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games under their own flag for the first time since 2014 have won their country’s first medals.

The image of Russian athletes sharing podiums with their fellow Paralympians marks a significant milestone in bringing the country back from sporting exile.

Russia was twice banned from the Games, first in 2016 over a state-sponsored doping scheme, and then in 2022 due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The illegal invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s subsequent actions led to the country being prevented from competing in a host of sports arenas.

Russian national teams and clubs were suspended from all competitions by FIFA and UEFA in February 2022.

Russian athletes back on the podium

On Saturday, Russia managed to win two bronze medals.

Para alpine skiers Varvara Voronchikhina and Aleksei Bugaev claimed the medals in the women’s and men’s downhill standing competition.

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Sky News explored in November whether Russia is being ‘brought in from the cold’ in sport

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Badenoch claims RAF jets are ‘just hanging around’
Soham murderer Ian Huntley dies after prison attack

Russia have six athletes at the Games.

Russian athletes were given wildcard entries by the International Paralympic Committee, a decision that upset Ukraine and other nations that boycotted the opening ceremony on Friday.

Double child killer Ian Huntley has died after a gruesome prison attack left him brain damaged. His mother couldn’t even recognise her son when she secretly visited him on his deathbed.

Ian Huntley’s funeral plan has been revealed from his dead body mystery to his lonely “disposal”. He died today, just over a week after a savage prison attack left him blind and ‘unrecognisable’.

The Soham murderer was rushed to hospital last Thursday after a fellow inmate allegedly bludgeoned his head with a metal pole. Huntley was initially assumed dead when prison officers found him lying on the ground in a pool of blood at HMP Frankland, otherwise known as ‘Monster Mansion’.

The child killer sustained severe injuries – including skull fractures, brain damage and a broken jaw. His grim final days were spent in a medically induced coma, with a ventilator to help him breathe. His mother Lynda Richards, who snuck in to visit her dying son, apparently couldn’t recognise Huntley after the attack, reports the Mirror.

On Friday night, medics reportedly withdrew the ventilator that was keeping him alive, following consultations with his mother. Sources told The Sun that the decision was taken at around lunchtime after brain tests showed he was in a vegetative state.

They also claimed his mum was by his bedside. Today, the Ministry of Justice confirmed the killer’s death, aged 52.

Prison sources claim that Huntley was working in waste management with other lags when he was targeted. The brutal attack allegedly happened in Wing A, an area of HMP Frankland reserved for inmates who are kept separate from the general prison population for their own protection.

For Huntley, who suffered a spate of violent attacks during his 23 years inside, even a maximum security facility wasn’t enough to shield him from a gruesome fate. As the killer bent down to tie some string on a recycling crate, his attacker took his moment, smashing him in the head with a metal pole up to 15 times. He was left in a pool of blood after his head was split open.

Triple killer Anthony Russell, 43, has been widely named as the prime suspect, with reports suggesting he unleashed fury following a row in a workshop. Other lags are said to have cheered as Russell was led away in handcuffs shouting: “I’ve done it, I’ve done it. I’ve killed him, I’ve killed him.”

The killer’s miserable death may bring a slither of peace to the families ripped apart by his heinous crimes. Huntley had been serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4, 2002. Former school caretaker Huntley then dumped their bodies in a ditch.

Nusrit Mehab, a former superintendent with the Metropolitan police and a senior lecturer in criminology and criminal justice, said that the fate of Huntley’s remains all depends on what he declared before his death.

Next of kin mystery

Huntley was largely estranged from his family, but his mother was reportedly by his side on his deathbed. Lynda Richards, 71, reportedly told friends she couldn’t even recognise her son when she first saw him after the attack, because his injuries were so severe.

Meanwhile, the killer’s daughter Samantha Bryan said before his death that “there’s a special place in hell waiting for him”. The 27-year-old beautician only learned she was Huntley’s daughter when she was taking part in a school crime project when she was just 14.

She then came across a pixilated photo of her and her mum Katie in connection with Huntley. Her mum Katie, 45, fled Huntley’s brutality after becoming pregnant at 16. Despite being one of the most reviled murderers in modern Britain history, Mehab says he will still be entitled to a funeral.

Bleak funeral plans

Former superintendent Mehab warns that if his family do decide to hold a funeral, there will likely be serious security concerns given Huntley’s vile crimes. She said: “If his family are next of kin, they can take the body, do a private funeral, a cremation, whichever they want.

“It will be a very high profile death, so there will still likely be security concerns. So they might want a private burial in an undisclosed location, which usually happens, with minimal attendance. They might even just choose a cremation. It will be very low key, from what I can tell.

“If nobody claims the body, then the prison service [and] local authority will arrange it, depending on where he’s from. So that will be a low cost funeral or cremation – on the taxpayer. There’d be no public ceremony and it will likely be a quiet cremation rather than a funeral, in my experience.

“They do a cremation because they don’t want to give him a grave. His ashes would go to the family if they are next of kin. If not, they could be scattered by the local authority. Or – and this has happened before to my knowledge – they just get stored and put down as unclaimed.

“With high risk criminals, they receive anonymous, unpublicised disposals, that’s the term, to avoid public attention. So it will be done very quietly if they do dispose of them.”

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Investigation

The crime expert notes that as the attack reportedly happened in front of other lags while Huntley was working – not at night under the blanket of darkness – it’s likely that there will be CCTV footage to trawl through.

It’s believed life inside HMP Frankland would be back to business as usual, despite the horror attack. Serious assaults inside prison aren’t a rare occurrence, but the suspect would have likely been locked inside a segregation unit after the incident.

It emerged last week that Huntley was so close to death after an inmate battered him that he had to travel by road rather than by air to hospital.

A paramedic and a doctor flew to Durham’s Frankland jail and stabilised him at the scene. They placed him in an induced coma because of the severity of his injuries, allegedly at the hand of a triple killer.

An ambulance took him to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle so medics could continue working on him en route if his condition deteriorated. The air ambulance took off from the prison and landed at the RVI to collect the medics after Huntley reached the hospital following the 30-minute, 19 mile journey.

Armed police formed an escort at the front and back of the vehicle. Two prison guards and an armed police officer were inside the ambulance during the high security operation.

Huntley was convicted in December 2003 following a trial at the Old Bailey. His girlfriend Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant at the girls’ primary school, was also jailed in 2003 after being found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

She was freed from jail and given a new identity in May 2004. After his arrest, it emerged Huntley had been able to work with children despite facing rape and sexual assault complaints.

Huntley was scalded with boiling water at HMP Wakefield in 2005. He was moved to Frankland, where robber Damien Fowkes slashed him in 2010. The neck wound was seven inches (18 cm) long and required 21 stitches. Fowkes asked a prison officer: “Is he dead? I hope so.”

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