Founded in the late 1960s, the show has become a fixture in the dog-showing calendar, attracting competitors across a wide range of pedigree breeds.

Competitors can also win Challenge Certificates, or CCs, which could help a dog in becoming a Kennel Club champion.

The Darlington Dog Show also features stakes classes and Young Kennel Club qualifying competitions for exhibitors hoping to secure places at Crufts dog show.

This weekend (September 18 to September 20), Ripon Racecourse welcomed dogs of all shapes and sizes – ranging from toy breeds and terriers to gundogs, working dogs and utility breeds.

For many owners, stepping into the ring follows months or even years of preparation, grooming and training.

While competition in the ring can be fierce, the show is just as much about bringing together dog lovers from across the UK and beyond, with exhibitors, owners and visitors united by a shared passion for dogs.

Away from the judging, visitors browsed trade stands, met breeders and owners, and saw dozens of breeds gathered in one place.

For families and casual dog lovers, the show offers a rare chance to see unusual breeds and talented dogs up close.

Our gallery captures some of the best moments from this year’s event, showcasing the dogs, handlers and memorable scenes that made the 2026 Darlington Championship Dog Show another highlight of the canine calendar.

See if you can spot any familiar faces in the pictures – four-legged or otherwise:

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Dogs and handlers compete at the Darlington Championship Dog Show at Ripon Racecourse. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Earl Spencer has hinted that his nephews, Prince William and Harry, already knew his shocking revelations about King Charles.

He claimed that days after Diana’s 1997 death, the then Prince Charles had gone ‘ballistic’ in a phone call and told him: ‘Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough’.

It was thought that William and Harry had not been aware about the explosive contents of Earl Spencer’s forthcoming memoir to his sister.

But in an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, he said: ‘I don’t like to talk about what I’ve been speaking about to William and Harry, but this will not be a surprise to them.’

He clarified: ‘I will tell you that these words will not be a surprise to them.’

Earl Spencer said that then Prince Charles went ‘ballistic’ after he told him that Diana wouldn’t want her young sons making the public walk behind her coffin.

He told Laura Kuenssberg: [Prince Charles] said, “I gather you don’t think William and Harry should walk behind Diana’s coffin.

‘And I said, “Of course not, sir. She wouldn’t want it. And then he said, “Well, I walked behind Lord Mountbatten’s coffin, and I said, “Yes, but you were 30, and he wasn’t your mother.”

‘And then to me, he went ballistic would be the right term, and started really going for my family as a whole about their sense of duty not being adequate enough, and ranted for a while.

‘I have no idea how long, but it was a significant period, and I just listened. And then he stopped, and I thought, oh, now, now he’s going to pull himself together and say something more appropriate, and then he said, “We’ll forget her soon enough.”

He added Charles even allegedly sounded ‘giddy’ on the phone with him.

‘I’d had a lot of calls that day from people who cared, who were stunned… and I just felt there was a lightness in his tone about Diana’s death that really jarred with me.’

Earl Spencer has given his rebuttal to Buckingham Palace’s blistering statement that ‘the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory’ insisting ‘I’m telling the truth’.

Kuenssberg asked him: ‘So the king is giving an impression to the country that’s not true, misleading people, even lying?’

Spencer replied: ‘All I can tell you is what was said and what I heard and what shocked me. What else would have made me hang up on the king that day, it was something as outrageous as that slur against Diana.’

In the emotional interview, Earl Spencer spoke about growing up with Diana and insisted that he would never pick sides between Prince William and his brother Harry.

‘I’m on my deceased sister’s sons’ side, both of them. And if either of them wanted anything then I’d be equally there for them,’ he said.

‘And I never get involved in one camp or the other, except as a benign figure I hope.’

He hinted at a ‘lot of reasons on both sides’ why the rift between the siblings had ‘got to this stage’.

‘I hope one day it’s resolved, but I don’t know all – I certainly don’t know what’s been done in the finer detail and so I would feel intrusive if I got more involved than to say of course a mother would want her two sons to be happy together and love each other’.

He even recounted the night he got the call from his sister Lady Jane Fellowes, who said Princess Diana had been in a crash but ‘it’s not too serious’.

But as he looked for updates he got more distressing news from his sister.

‘And then my sister Jane said, “I’m afraid she’s died.” It started… as a little prang, and then it became a broken leg, perhaps a head injury, and then death.’

He explained Diana rang up her brother to tell him the reason she was getting divorced, telling him: ‘My husband is in love with his valet’.

‘I told her, “I do worry that the public will really be, in a way, angry with you for killing the fairy tale that they’ve all subscribed to”, and those are the words she said to me.’

Spencer even hinted there could be more Royal family secrets which have been ‘left unsaid.’

BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg asked him: ‘Maybe some family secrets are better left unsaid.’

He replied: ‘They certainly are, and they have been left unsaid.’

But will it be Earl Spencer who will spill the beans? He claims: ‘Nope, that’s it.

‘That’s me done.’

MORE: Royal Family LIVE: Diana claimed she was getting divorced because Charles ‘was in love with his valet’

MORE: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor living ‘in exile’ awaiting police investigation outcome

MORE: Diana still ‘deeply resented’ in Buckingham Palace, says David Dimbleby

Labour promised in its 2024 manifesto to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

“For too long, victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by our justice system,” Burnham said.

“Prosecution rates for rape remain shamefully low, with many victims waiting years for justice. This is not good enough.”

The changes were “long overdue” and would make a “significant difference” but focusing on prosecution alone would not be enough, he added.

“So as well as ensuring victims get justice, we will step up action to prevent these horrific crimes from happening in the first place,” the prime minister said.

Nichols spoke publicly for the first time about being raped when she accused the then Justice Secretary, David Lammy, of using crime victims as a “cudgel” to push through his reforms of the legal system.

She was criticising the Courts and Tribunals Bill’s plans to limit jury trials to cases with a likely prison sentence of three years or more.

She said she had waited 1,088 days to go to court, with every day being “agony” and the “trauma” made worse by her role in public life.

Her attacker, she said, was acquitted at crown court but subsequently ordered to pay compensation after she won a civil case against him.

“It is because I have been raped that I am as passionate as I am about what it means for a justice system to be truly victim-focused,” she said.

“It is because I have endured every indignity that our broken criminal justice system could mete out that I care what kind of reform will actually deliver justice for survivors and victims of crime more widely.”

Responding to news of the specialist courts being rolled out, the Conservatives said tackling delays to criminal rape trials was “long overdue” and they pushed Labour to commit to scrapping plans to restrict jury trials.

“The fact that victims have been withdrawing their cases because they have taken too long has been a disgrace,” said shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy.

“Labour need to get courts sitting throughout the year, end the delays and clear the backlog – not undermine our right to a trial by jury.”

Last year another charity, the Salford Survivor Project, said victims of rape and sexual assault were being “failed by the system” as court backlogs reached a record high.

The long delays for cases to go to trial were having a serious impact on victims’ mental health, it said.

Also last year, a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver on her 21st birthday told BBC News she had dropped the case because of court delays.

She reported the alleged incident in early 2022 and gave evidence in court in December 2023 but the case was adjourned until September 2024 when the judge fell ill.

“I made the decision, even though I hate the statement, to drop the case,” she said. “I couldn’t let this hurt me further.”

The Crown Prosecution Service said that, without her testimony, the case had been dropped because of insufficient evidence.

By WILL HALLOWELL, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 18:29 BST, 20 September 2026 | Updated: 23:00 BST, 20 September 2026

Dozens have been affected by the loss of power, although for some it has now returned.

Other properties may not have it restored until 2am.

It is due to an incident on the high voltage cable that provides electricity to your home or business

Electricity North West sent text alerts to affected customers shortly after 8pm, warning of a “potential loss of power” and acknowledging it was not the first outage to affect the area.

The message said: “We know it’s not the first time and understand this can be very frustrating.”

According to the update, the outage was caused by “suspected damage to the cables”.

The company said it had begun work to restore power remotely and warned residents that their electricity supply could go on and off while engineers attempted to fix the fault.

The latest incident follows a series of recent power cuts affecting Ainsworth and nearby areas, leaving some residents questioning the causes behind the repeated disruptions.

One resident said: “Quite honestly, it’s another day, another power cut.

“ENW said a lot of them are caused by bird strikes, but I’m finding that hard to believe right now.”

In a further update sent to customers, Electricity North West said it had escalated its response to the latest outage.

The company said: “We now have a team on their way to site to assess the damage and understand what repairs are needed.

“We will send you a further text message with more information once this has been looked into.”

The company’s website currently lists an apology to customers and says they hope to have the power back on later this evening.

It says: “We are sorry you are experiencing a power cut.

“We are currently investigating the issue.

“We estimate to have your power restored by 20/09/26, 22.15.”

The fresh outage is likely to add to growing frustration among residents, with many once again left waiting for their electricity supply to be restored.

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 21:41 BST, 20 September 2026 | Updated: 22:59 BST, 20 September 2026

Donald Trump has publicly told supporters to act like he is on the ballot, and claimed that he can be the difference-maker for Republicans in tough midterm contests. 

But the president has reportedly privately signaled to advisers close to him that his own actions during the first two years of his term may have cost his party dearly in the November elections. 

Trump ‘definitely feels like some of his decisions have led to the dynamics where he’s unpopular and things aren’t looking great for the midterms,’ one individual close to Trump admitted to the Washington Post.

Trump’s sobering realization has made him more intent on mitigating Republicans’ expected election losses, according to the Post, citing four people with knowledge of Trump’s recent comments. 

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The president’s fears may be grounded in reality, as new polling from NBC released Sunday showed that over half of Americans, 55 percent, believe that Trump’s policies have hurt the economy.

Per NBC, Trump’s overall approval rating is 41 percent, the lowest of his second term.

Trump has deployed his cash in key midterm states. No Going Back PAC Inc., which is connected to Trump’s MAGA Inc., has reserved more than $68 million for advertising. 

One bright spot for Republicans in NBC’s poll is that Democrats only edge Republicans by five points in the battle for control of Congress, 50 percent to 45 percent, significantly smaller than the 12-point lead they had in the midterm 2018 election cycle.

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President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally last week in Gastonia, North Carolina

Voters cast their ballots inside the Arlington County Courthouse as early voting begins in Virginia ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, in Arlington, Virginia, on September 18, 2026. Early voting for the November 3rd midterm elections got underway Friday in several states, beginning a process that will spread across most of the country in the coming weeks

NBC also noted that ‘Trump himself is a powerful motivating factor,’ as ‘more voters — including nearly half of independents — say they consider their vote a signal of opposition to the president than at any other time in three decades of NBC News polling before midterm elections.’

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Most prognosticators expect Democrats to win back the US House of Representatives, as Republicans are struggling to bolster enthusiasm for congressional candidates and laboring to overcome voters’ concerns about the economy and the war in Iran.

The Senate will be tougher with battleground races in Maine, Ohio, Michigan and Alaska set to determine control of the chamber.

Numbers released this week for statewide races in Alaska and Texas in seats that Republicans currently hold showed the Democratic candidates pacing ahead. 

An AARP poll in the Alaska Senate race released Thursday had Democrat Mary Peltola leading among all likely voters, polling at 46 percent to Republican Senator Dan Sullivan’s 41 percent. 

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In North Carolina, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper is up by a staggering double digit margin over former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.

A Carolina Journal poll released Thursday placed Cooper with a 15 point lead.

North Carolina’s last Democratic US Senator was Kay Hagan, who served from 2009 to 2015. But Cooper served for two terms as governor from 2017 to 2025, lending him strong familiarity in the state.

As messaging wars rage on in key states across the country, ballots are already being cast. Mail-in ballots have already been sent to voters in several states, and in-person early voting started in Virginia on Friday.

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Fox News’ lone liberal host clapped back at President Donald Trump’s frequent criticism of her, asking, “Why is this man not busier?”

The 80-year-old Fox fanatic has often shared his opinions of the network online, especially of its outspoken left-leaning host Jessica Tarlov, who he called “one of the worst ‘personalities’ on television” in April — as well as “a real loser” in July.

Trump has also called Tarlov “one of the Least Attractive and Talented People on all of Television.”

Tarlov, 42, addressed his frequent criticism on the podcast Pod Save America, saying, “Why is this man not busier? There are better things to do.”

“If I had a son I would definitely teach him that when you grow up you should write about how a woman looks on television and sounds, and then call her ‘a big dummy,’” Tarlov retorted.

Tarlov was on the podcast promoting her book, I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends, which hit bookstores on Tuesday. The book, which is a mesh between memoir and advice, details how she handles that type of criticism.

“By the president coming after me and looking at the content of the criticism, I actually got to a place where I genuinely feel like when people pick on you because of style, that you’ve just done really well on substance,” she said.

“That feels good, the inner monologue feels good. It’s still sad and crazy,” she added.

Tarlov, who joined Fox News as a commentator in 2017, is known as the primary liberal voice on the network’s “The Five.” She recently signed a three-year contract with the network — despite Trump’s suggestion that the show would be better off without her.

“I’m trying to show that a Democratic voice like mine can exist there, without an apology,” she told the Los Angeles Times about her Fox position. “And that a person with strong liberal beliefs can bring that same perspective to a host of outlets and places.”

When asked about Trump trying to get her fired, she recently told The Guardian, “I think that [Fox CEO} Suzanne Scott and the entire leadership team know exactly who I am, and that they want me to keep doing what I’m doing.”

She continued: “And if it aggravates him – he would just get annoyed at somebody else, anyone. If he’s in a bad mood, he’s in a bad mood. And I think he understands that as well.”

“I’ve never had a conversation with him, but the idea of posting ‘Dear Fox executives, fire Jessica Tarlov’ or calling into The Five and saying the show would be better without her, I don’t think he thinks that means that I’m going to get fired from my job. … But yes, in general, we don’t respond to it, and there’s no reason to, and honestly it just makes it worse.”

According to National Rail, emergency services were called to an incident close to the tracks, resulting in all lines being blocked through the area.

In an earlier update posted on social media, National Rail said: “The emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway at Moses Gate means all lines are blocked.”

The disruption affected services between Bolton and Salford Crescent, with trains cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.

National Rail has since confirmed that all lines between Bolton and Salford Crescent have now reopened.

However, disruption is expected to continue while services recover.

In a further update, National Rail said: “All lines have now reopened between Bolton and Salford Crescent.”

The rail operator later added: “Disruption is now expected until 21:00.”

Passengers are being advised to check before travelling and allow extra time for their journeys as the timetable returns to normal.

No further details about the nature of the incident have been released and Greater Manchester police have been contacted for details. 

In an updated post on social media just after 21.30, National Rail confirmed that trains can now run as normal between Bolton and Salford Crescent.

Hundreds of dangerous sex offenders are due to be freed from jail under Labour‘s prison reform plans despite a series of U-turns by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

The Conservatives warned that 700 sex criminals will be ‘let loose on the streets’ as Labour abolishes so-called imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences.

It comes after Labour repeatedly flip-flopped over a separate programme to free thousands of criminals from jail early.

After a public outcry Mr Burnham was forced to exclude offenders convicted of rape, serious child sexual and grooming offences, and later expanded exclusions to those convicted of manslaughter and other ‘unlawful killing’ offences.

Earlier this month Justice Secretary Alex Norris outlined separate proposals to release 2,271 inmates still serving the controversial IPP sentences in order to free up space in the overcrowded jails.

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures obtained by Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy show 700 inmates serving IPPs are sex offenders.

Of those 379 have never been released and the remaining 321 have been recalled to jail, for breaching parole terms or committing fresh crimes.

A further 791 offenders on IPPs were convicted of ‘violence against the person’, such as GBH or other assaults.

In addition 522 were convicted of robbery, 77 of criminal damage or arson and 65 of possession of weapons.

Mr Timothy said: ‘Labour wants to abolish IPP sentences, but this would mean up to 700 dangerous sex offenders being let loose on the streets.

‘Two in three IPP prisoners are there for violent or sexual crimes, and they have not been released because the Parole Board says it is not safe to do so.

‘Labour must rule out releasing these dangerous sex offenders, and instead focus on building more prisons, expanding capacity, and maximising the space that we have.’

IPPs were introduced by Sir Tony Blair’s government in 2005 and allow offenders to be jailed indefinitely if they are ruled to pose a risk to the public.

They were abolished for new crimes in 2012 but many criminals previously handed the sentence have remained inside because the Parole Board has ruled they are still not safe to be released.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris told MPs earlier this month that he would ‘act on a long-standing injustice’ and abolish all remaining IPP sentences.

‘They were rightly abolished a decade ago, but offenders are still locked up for far longer than envisaged, often for crimes that, if committed today, would see them spend much less time in jail,’ he said.

‘Of those who have never been released, 99 per cent are beyond the tariff imposed by the court, and 80 per cent have served 10 years or more beyond it.

‘The number of IPP offenders has been reducing, but the Prime Minister and I want to go further.

‘We will soon bring forward legislation to end the sentence, once and for all, by the end of this Parliament.’

Mr Norris recognised that ‘some of these offenders have committed serious crimes’, adding: ‘Public safety will always be my top priority, but we must balance that with fairness on sentences.’

He vowed that IPP releases would be ‘safe and sustainable’.

One solution proposed by the Commons’ justice select committee in 2022 is to resentence all offenders on remaining IPP sentences.

But Labour has indicated this would carry an ‘unacceptable risk’ because the criminals would have to be freed without any probation supervision.

An official MoJ report found that 97 prisoners who were freed from IPP sentences between 2014-15 and 2023-24 committed serious further offences including murder, manslaughter, rape and serious sexual assaults.

The separate prison early release scheme was drawn up by now Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood when she was in charge of the MoJ.

Over the summer, new PM Mr Burnham moved to exclude rapists and other serious sex offenders from the programme.

He then had to announce further exclusions after forceful protests by the family of Pc Andrew Harper, after it emerged two of the officer’s killers had been due to benefit from early release.

An MoJ spokesman said: ‘While we must end the unfairness of these sentences for those who have more than served their time, we know some IPP prisoners will still pose a risk to communities.

‘That’s why we will work cross-party and with experts in this field to make sure we get this right.

‘It will take time, and public safety will be at the centre of our approach.’

Britain should ensure aid money is earmarked specifically for overseas food assistance to protect its security interests, the report, which was commissioned by the organisation United Against Hunger and Malnutrition, argues.

The UK’s overseas development budget (ODA) has been drastically reduced in the last six years, falling from 0.7 per cent to 0.3 per cent of GDP.

Defence spending is up but largely earmarked for the military – and is not designed to address the root causes of global instability. 

The drop in aid – which equates to roughly £6.5 billion in real terms – has hit food assistance programmes particularly hard. 

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), the largest provider of food relief globally, received £448 million of British aid money in 2024, a figure cut to £322 million last year. 

The organisation has had to drastically scale down operations, including giving emergency food packages to pregnant women and young children, in places like Somalia, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Haiti. 

“[Britain] needs to protect and prioritise spending on proven nutrition interventions, including supplementary and emergency therapeutic foods such as [….], breastfeeding support and ready-to-use therapeutic food. 

“There isn’t really a choice between spending money and saving money. It’s between spending modestly before a crisis and paying far more for it afterwards,” Prof Gordon said. 

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