Emergency services were called but it was only later the body of a man aged in his 90s was discovered in the wreckage

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An investigation has been launched following the death of a man after an explosion and fire tore through a property on Saturday evening (May 9).

Emergency services rushed to Church Lane in Selston at 7.18pm, where the body of a man in his 90s was later recovered from the wreckage. Sadly, despite the best efforts of emergency crews, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Firefighters from across Nottinghamshire, including Ashfield, attended the incident, and nearby residents were urged to keep their doors and windows shut. Road closures were put in place at the junction of Church Lane and Station Road, and Church Lane and Stoney Lane, but have since been lifted, reports Nottinghamshire Live.

Residents in the surrounding area were evacuated while emergency services worked at the scene. A joint police and fire investigation remains ongoing to determine the cause of the blast.

Detective Sergeant Millie Gillett, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a tragic incident, and our thoughts remain with the man’s family at this difficult time. They continue to be supported by our officers.

“There is no indication at this stage of any wider threat to the public, and it’s being treated as an isolated incident. I would also like to acknowledge the cooperation of local residents and thank them for their patience.”

Group Manager Jonathan Holford, of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, stated: “On behalf of everyone at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS), we would like to express our sincere condolences to the man’s family, friends and all those affected by this tragic incident.

“Our crews worked alongside partner agencies throughout the incident, and we would also like to thank local residents for their patience and cooperation while emergency services carried out their work.”

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Angela Rayner has issued a dramatic ultimatum to Sir Keir Starmer that his government takes a hard turn to the left ahead of the embattled prime minister giving a speech to save his political career on Monday morning.

With speculation mounting that she is ready to launch a leadership challenge, the former deputy prime minister, who still has to resolve issues over unpaid tax, has warned Sir Keir: “What we are doing isn’t working, and it needs to change. This may be our last chance.”

It comes as Labour MPs believe that former minister Catherine West is closing in on the number of parliamentarians she would need to launch a stalking horse leadership challenge.

While Ms West has not formally asked for nominations yet and made it clear she will wait to hear the prime minister’s make or break speech, it is understood that already around 70 of her colleagues are willing to back her to ensure there is a contest.

Ms West would need the support of 80 MPs to formally launch a leadership bid but could trigger the process simply by contacting the party’s National Executive Committee.

It comes as the prime minister was warned that he will need to “give the speech of his life” if he is to hope to remain in office with the number of Labour MPs publicly calling for him to quit increasing by the hour.

Former home secretary Lord David Blunkett told Times Radio: “I think either Keir pulls out the stops and there’s a massive transformation in how we relate to the public. Or he and [his wife] Victoria will have to talk about the best way of doing it in a seemly fashion and someone else will take over. The jury’s well and truly out.”

MPs have reacted with outrage over Sir Keir giving an interview over the weekend suggesting that he wants to be prime minister for a decade.

Meanwhile, Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite the union, warned: “The Labour Party is in danger of going extinct.”

But along with Ms Rayner, health secretary Wes Streeting, energy secretary Ed Miliband and defence minister Al Carns, a former Royal Marines commanders, are all thought to be preparing bids.

Looking at the results of last week’s local elections Ms Rayner noted: “We are in danger of becoming a party of the well-off, not working people.”

And in a barbed attack on Sir Keir’s time as prime minister she said: “The Peter Mandelson scandal showed a toxic culture of cronyism. Decisions like cutting winter fuel allowance just weren’t what people expected from a Labour government.”

But laying out a left wing agenda, she insisted: “We have the chance to fix this.”

She called for more interventions in cutting household bills, increased planning reforms, more community ownership and taking private companies into public ownership.

She criticised Sir Keir for blocking Andy Burnham from returning to parliament claiming: “We can only prove we mean it by putting the common interest ahead of factionalism.”

And with an implied threat to the leadership she added: “The prime minister must now meet the moment and set out the change our country needs.

“Change our economic agenda to prioritise making people better off, change how we run our party so that all voices are listened to, and change how we do politics.

“Labour exists to make working people better off. That is not happening fast enough, and it needs to change — now.”

The fallout from last week’s catastrophic results for Labour has fuelled fears on the left of the party that health secretary Wes Streeting is planning a coronation to replace Sir Keir.

A source close to Mr Streeting denied he had told Sir Keir he is ready to be prime minister but confirmed that having failed to endorse the prime minister on Friday, the health secretary is not planning on any further interventions until Thursday when new NHS data is set to be published.

Meanwhile, one member of the 2024 intake of Labour MPs confirmed that a leadership team is being put together for Mr Carns.

They said: “Why are we turning once again to the same familiar faces to solve problems they were involved in creating? If we want to demonstrate genuine change to the public, we need a fresh face leading that change. Members of the 2024 intake are still hopeful of persuading Al Carns to stand should there be a contest, and support for that view appears to be growing.”

Ms West’s move over the weekend has forced the different rivals to Sir Keir’s crown to reset their plans but supporters of Ms Rayner have privately claimed that Mr Streeting will get some of his backers to nominate her to launch a contest which he could then enter himself without taking the blame for starting it.

Nervousness in Downing Street over another crisis week for the prime minister ahead of the King’s speech on Wednesday was underlined by a delay in a trail for the keynote speech aimed at resetting his government.

It is understood that Sir Keir wants to discuss reversing key parts of Brexit as he tries to regain the initiative after his party was almost wiped out in Wales, suffered its worst ever result in Scotland and lost around 1,500 council seats in England.

Almost 40 Labour MPs have come out publicly to call for him to go or set a timetable for his departure with many more agreeing privately.

Earlier, education secretary Bridget Phillipson issued a defence of Sir Keir.

She told Sky News: “I’ve knocked on doors right across the country and in my own community, as colleagues will have done too and as party members will have done as well.

“And what I heard was not a desire for a leadership contest, for the Labour party to spend more time talking amongst ourselves.

“What I heard loud and clear from voters was their deep sense of frustration that they’d voted for change in 2024, they were hopeful that that change would be delivered and they don’t feel that we as a party or we as a Labour government have delivered what they wanted.”

But among a number of MPs to come out demanding Sir Keir departs, Jarrow and Gateshead East MP Kate Osborne wrote for The Independent: “The direction Keir has taken the Labour Party has not only seen us lose councils and councillors who are delivering for the local people but it is also destroying the Labour party.”

Others urged the party to resist a coup and take time to choose a new leader.

Leeds East MP Richard Burgon, who chairs the Socialist Campaign Group and wants Mr Burnham to return and take the leadership, said: “What we need instead is for Keir to set a date for his departure, followed by a full and proper democratic contest that can look at what went wrong and how we change course to win back trust and support, with a broad range of candidates and viewpoints represented.

“And that process has to involve all MPs, not just the Cabinet, as well as trade unions and party members, all of whom must have a democratic voice in choosing Labour’s future direction.”

A local New Jersey band has gone viral after its post seeking replacement group members, having been forced to drop two for ‘unforeseen and disgusting reasons’, was served up on millions of users’ feeds.

Reign were communicating with their loyal fanbase of a couple of thousand followers on Instagram this past week, only to see the post unexpectedly reach over two million accounts, all around the world, on the platform.

And the band’s messy drama fascinated many who were unintentionally reading about the fallout, with several comparing it to Fleetwood Mac’s legendary spats and tangled love lives once further details were revealed.

‘Due to unforeseen and disgusting reasons, Ryan and Aubrey are no longer in Reign. Their actions in zero way are a reflection of the morals of the band and everyone who is involved with the band,’ the original post began, written on behalf of remaining members, guitarists CJ and Aiden, and drummer Cork.

‘The things going on behind the scenes that were brought to the light was simply unacceptable and THAT is the honest and genuine truth. Now that we look to the future we are looking for a new vocalist and bassist because this is 100% not the end of this band and we plan to move the same way as before,’ the statement continued, promising further details in a future post.

However, the details that Reign ended up sharing first were about Ryan and Aubrey’s transgressions – and the updates had people locked in.

A further comment from the band, adding ‘context for those who ask/assume the wrong stuff’ then explained: ‘Aubrey cheated on our drummer (Cork) with Ryan months ago and kept the relationship a secret for months.

‘As soon as we found out we decided it was best to kick out both members because at the time (Tuesday) they were still together and were persistent on being a thing. We kicked them because these are supposed to be people that we can trust and the fact they did that to our drummer was enough for us to do what we did (that’s not the only reason).’

The comment then touched on darker territory, alluding to ‘other horrific things that Ryan has done to other women’ coming to light, meaning that the band want ‘absolutely nothing to do with him whatsoever’.

In another comment after questions clearly sprang up in the wake of the last one, Reign’s account added: ‘We feel the need to make it clear. The reason Aubrey is not in the band is because of how the relationship with her and Cork (our drummer) ended (which we didn’t know how until Tuesday).’

‘We have been talking to her (and she fully understands why she’s not in the band) because of course we still care about her and want the best for her,’ the group promised, before clarifying that Aubrey was ‘no longer associated with Ryan after seeing all of the awful things about him that have come to the light’.

‘This is a wild first post to see from a band I’ve never heard of,’ observed Alex Mulder in a comment that attracted over 37,000 likes.

This Morning’s Alison Hammond was jokingly accused of causing ‘trouble’ during her visit to the Netflix Bridgerton set, with Luke Thompson playfully exposing her cheeky antics on the backlot

TV presenter Alison Hammond was left gobsmacked after being accused of stirring up “trouble” on the set of a hit Netflix series.

The This Morning favourite, 51, has remained one of Britain’s most beloved television personalities since her Big Brother debut in 2002. Beyond This Morning, she fronts the Great British Bake Off and has featured on Strictly Come Dancing, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and Loose Women.

However, it was while visiting the period drama Bridgerton’s set where Alison apparently landed herself in “trouble”.

The Birmingham native is a devoted super fan of the Netflix sensation, and received an invitation to Shepperton Studios in Surrey, the production’s main filming location.

She assumed interviewing responsibilities for YouTube channel Still Watching Netflix, speaking with the show’s fourth series leads Luke Thompson, who portrays Benedict Bridgerton, and Yerin Ha, who portrays Sophie Baek, reports Birmingham Live.

During their discussion about Alison’s set visit, Luke seized the moment for some cheeky teasing.

Alison remarked: “You know I’ve been to the set,” to which the actor replied: “I do know you’ve been to the set. I think you got in trouble.”

The presenter appeared shocked by the claim, laughing: “Did I get in trouble? What did I get in trouble for? I don’t remember that Luke. Moving on. Let’s get into Bridgerton. Don’t know what he’s talking about.”

Luke responded: “It was lovely. You were wearing one of Golda’s (Bridgerton actress Golda Rosheuvel) wigs, I believe. And you looked, I think the happiest I’ve seen anyone, ever. You were just crossing the backlot.”

Filming for Bridgerton’s fourth season has now wrapped, with the hit period drama already commissioned for a fifth series.

Meanwhile, Alison Hammond has revealed why she declined Strictly Come Dancing – while also claiming to have turned down Celebrity Traitors.

The presenter competed in the 2014 series of Strictly, placing 10th alongside professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec.

She has been heavily rumoured to take over following last year’s surprise departure of veteran hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

Alison says she was approached about the position but couldn’t commit due to her hectic diary. She also confirmed she won’t feature in the upcoming series of Celebrity Traitors owing to scheduling conflicts.

She told The Radio Times: “I’m so busy, that I’m not sure it [Strictly Come Dancing] is going to happen. It’s unrealistic. I’m so happy they considered me but, like Traitors, I can’t do it because everything clashes

“I would have loved to have done it, anybody that gets it, they’re going to land the perfect job. But I’m so happy with everything I’ve got. What would I drop, to do Strictly?”

Alison can be seen on For The Love of Dogs on ITVX.

Aimee-Ffion Edwards, who was born in Newport, has had some major roles before ITV drama Believe Me

Aimee-Ffion Edwards is poised to captivate audiences in Believe Me.

The four-part drama on ITV tells the story of convicted criminal John Worboys, who became known as the ‘black cab rapist’ following his attacks on women under the cover of being a legitimate taxi driver. In 2009, he was convicted of offences including sexual assault and drugging with intent against 12 women.

The series centres on the experiences of Sarah, who is played by Aimee-Ffion, and Laila, who is played by Aasiya Shah. The story tells how Sarah and Laila – both pseudonyms – reported sexual assaults by Worboys, and how their complaints were not thoroughly investigated, reports the Mirror.

As audiences watch the distressing drama unfold, they might be curious about where they’ve previously encountered Welsh star Aimee-Ffion.

What has Believe Me actress Aimee-Ffion Edwards been in?

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The Newport-born actress launched her television career almost two decades ago and has featured in numerous popular programmes, including Skins, Luther and Casualty prior to Believe Me. She also appeared in Being Human, and has had parts in Wolf Hall and the beloved crime drama Death in Paradise.

Nevertheless, audiences will most likely remember her from two of her most prominent television successes – Peaky Blinders and Slow Horses.

Aimee-Ffion featured in multiple episodes of period crime drama Peaky Blinders, portraying Esme Shelby between 2013 and 2017 before reprising the character in 2022.

Esme, who came from the Lee gypsy family, made her debut in the opening season of the historical drama. She married John Shelby (Joe Cole), the brother of Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy). The union was designed to forge peace between the Shelby and Lee clans, though the couple subsequently developed a strong bond.

The actress previously told Cosmopolitan of the role: “I feel like I got to do some really good stuff, and the storylines were really strong, and I could make the best of Esme.”

In Gary Oldman’s thriller Slow Horses, which follows a dysfunctional group of MI5 operatives, the actress portrays Shirley Dander.

Shirley made her debut in the second series of the Apple TV+ success, appearing as one of the intelligence officers based at Slough House.

She finds herself allocated to Jackson Lamb’s (Oldman) unit following an assault on a superior and battles with substance abuse problems.

“There’s so much stuff that I really enjoy,” she told Flickering Myth about the series. “I really love the scenes with lots of the slow horses and Slough House. I just think they’re so brilliantly written and the dynamics between all the characters, they’re just so important.”

If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Victim Support for free, confidential advice on 08 08 16 89 111 or visit their website, http://www.victimsupport.org.uk.

Believe Me starts at 9pm on ITV on Sunday May 10.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his job after devastating local election results for his Labour Party spurred dozens of lawmakers to call for his resignation.

Starmer plans to use a speech on Monday to argue that he can change tack and revive his government’s fortunes. But his position is fragile as rivals weigh their options. One lawmaker, Catherine West, said she will try to trigger a leadership contest if she doesn’t like what she hears in the speech.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, often seen as a potential challenger, said the party “needs to change,” though she did not explicitly call for Starmer to go.

She said “the prime minister must now meet the moment and set out the change our country needs.”

Starmer is trying to regain momentum after heavy losses for his center-left party in local elections across England and legislative votes in Scotland and Wales. Last week’s elections were widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he swept to power in a landslide less than two years ago.

His government has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps and policy U-turns on issues including welfare reform. He has been further hurt by his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

Last week’s elections saw Labour squeezed from both right and left, losing votes to both the anti-immigration Reform UK and the “eco-populist” Green Party. It reflects the increasing fragmentation of British politics, long dominated by Labour and the Conservatives.

Still, Starmer told The Observer newspaper on Sunday that he wants to remain in office for a decade. He’s pinning his hopes on Monday’s speech and an ambitious set of legislative plans to be set out in a speech Wednesday by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.

A key policy is closer ties with the European Union, which the United Kingdom left in 2020, four years after the “leave” side narrowly won a membership referendum. Starmer’s government has already moved to ease some of the trade restrictions that have burdened British businesses since Brexit, and he says he will secure a youth mobility deal so young people can spend a few years working across the continent.

“Brexit has held back our young people,” Starmer told The Observer, adding that “we have to be closer to Europe.”

Labour campaigned to stay in the EU during the 2016 referendum campaign, but has been reluctant to reopen a debate that bitterly divided the country. Starmer has ruled out seeking to reenter the EU, or to rejoin the EU’s customs union or single market, two things that would make a big difference to U.K. businesses.

Starmer’s future hangs in the balance

None of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers to Starmer — including Rayner, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham — has called for him to resign.

But a growing number of Labour lawmakers urged the prime minister to set a timetable for his departure. British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.

Josh Simons, a formerly loyal Labour lawmaker, wrote in the Times of London that Starmer “has lost the country” and “should take control of the situation by overseeing an orderly transition to a new prime minister.”

West, a former junior minister, is trying to hurry the process along, vowing to try to trigger a leadership contest unless Starmer delivers a barnstorming speech on Monday. West acknowledged she does not have the support of 81 colleagues, needed to force a contest, and her move appeared to be an attempt to force more high-profile contenders to make a move.

“Working people sent us a message,” West said. “We have to listen to that, and we have to change and we have to do it quickly.”

Daizen Maeda scored a double, including a stunning overhead kick, as Celtic came from behind to defeat Rangers in the Old Firm derby

Martin O’Neill reckons Daizen Maeda’s stunning Old Firm heroics were right up there with Henrik Larsson’s iconic derby chip.

The Celtic legend crushed Rangers’ title ambitions – and propelled his side to within just ONE point of league leaders Hearts heading into the final week of a thrilling campaign.

Maeda netted twice – with his second an outrageous bicycle kick. The striker spearheaded the fightback as the Hoops recovered from going behind, and the Premiership trophy is now firmly within their grasp following Hearts’ draw at Fir Park on Saturday evening.

O’Neill has witnessed plenty of derby triumphs and countless unforgettable occasions – including Larsson’s exquisite lob in the 6-2 thrashing back in 2000.

And O’Neill said: “Was it up there? Yeah, it is very much so. Henrik will disagree of course, but it was great goal. He was super today. Honestly. Which goal was better? I’m going to take him out tonight.”, reports the Daily Record.

“He was terrific, really terrific. I don’t know where he gets the energy from. Sensational, really sensational. His second goal was out of this world. Big his whole performance… he starts off with his closing down and the negative part of the game. It galvanises the side because he’s so good about it. Then his own performance, with the ball and scoring the goals, was magnificent.”

O’Neill relished the strike – but even more so the crucial victory that has thrust Celtic right into contention for Five-in-a-Row. He said: “Yeah. It was obviously really important to win the game. It was a great fightback from the players and lovely to win. We played some great stuff, strange enough, so did Rangers. The first half was really hectic. It was one of those, you have it, no you have it. Coming from behind was great for us.”

Celtic are set to travel to Fir Park on Wednesday evening to take on Motherwell, while Hearts welcome Falkirk ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash between the two sides in Glasgow.

O’Neill is aware that back-to-back wins would guarantee success, stating: “If we win the matches it’s true, it’s in our own hands. If you look at the result on Saturday night, it’s what you would have wanted. I said before, even if Hearts had won it was very much in their hands as the goal difference would be too great. But at least, yeah, it’s in our hands.

“We have to try and do something about it. If Hearts had won, it’s a long way back for you. And it might have been, particularly having conceded the goal. But it gives a bit of a boost as well too. So, ready to go. We have to win. We have no grounds for dropping points. We can’t afford to do it. I expect Hearts to win their game and we have a really difficult match at Motherwell. I can’t even think about the following match until it’s played.”

O’Neill was delighted to secure victory over Rangers during a dramatic afternoon in Glasgow’s East End. Mikey Moore opened the scoring, but Yang Hyun-jun equalised before half-time, and Maeda proved decisive with two goals in a frantic four-minute spell during the second half.

O’Neill said: “The players are delighted with their own performance and the comeback. They could have wilted but they didn’t do that. But in the dressing room there are only thoughts about Wednesday.

“I’ve never been confident, never! People talk to me about momentum, but it can shift quickly. We’re doing fine in the game and it’s about finding a way to win. Its obviously special against Rangers. But in the scheme of things it’s just three points and we can look no further than Wednesday.”

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Eurovision fans are more worried than ever about how the UK will fare at this year’s contest after a clip of the artist’s performance was released.

Look Mum No Computer – real name Sam Battle – is this year’s representative for the UK and is in Vienna, ready to take to the stage to battle (pun not intended) for the top spot against the other nations with the song, Eins, Zwei, Drei.

With the Grand Final taking place in a week, the general public has been provided with a first glimpse of what the live version of the techno-pop song will look like.

And the 37-year-old music artist is fully leaning into the electronic aesthetic with a set design of wirey-button machine and a group of dancers with furry computers for heads, with the ‘experimental’ singer executing a mad scientist look as he pulls various fake levers.

Of course, aside from a rare exception in 2022 when UK entrant Sam Ryder landed second place with Space Man, it has been decades since our little island has done well in the final rankings.

The UK is all too used to being at the bottom of the lot. In 2025, girl group Remember Monday finished in 19th place out of 26 with 88 points from the professional jury and a brutal zero points from the public vote.

However, after seeing Look Mum No Computer’s offerings, viewers are worried this could be the worst year yet.

‘So the zero points streak continues…’ X user ka_morian0121 shared.

‘Great Britain receives NIL POINTS,’ M predicted.

‘Safe to say, were not winning it this year,’ Joe shared.

‘This is a complete mess. Nil pwahhhhh,’ J declared.

‘Let’s get ready for last place again!’ S lamented. ‘Another year at the bottom of the leaderboard,’ Lily W echoed.

‘A serious contender… for the last place,’ Crashgrana brutally declared.

Some have come to Look Mum No Computer’s defence, attempting to give it the benefit of the doubt.

‘I love the song. Was not keen on it [at] first but now I love it,’ StuartIbertson added.

‘Shame the “machines” look pretty fake and I did expect more from the UK. Still a unique and catchy song though, but I think it’s bottom five again for us,’ DougnutDoney wrote.