Westminster might not know what’s hit it when Luke Charters addresses his peers during a debate on regional accents on Wednesday.

The Labour MP for York Outer has taken to social media to issue a rallying cry to locals to send him their best Yorkshire phrases ahead of the debate so he is armed with a crowd-sourced glossary of the county’s finest words rather than the usual policy papers.

The Westminster Hall debate is on Regional accents and social mobility, and will be led by Jo Platt, MP for Leigh and Atherton who says her accent is as much a part of her identity as her values or politics.

York MP Luke Charters asks locals for Yorkshire words – Jo Platt MP is leading the debate on Wednesday on regional accents. (Image: Submitted)

Taking to Facebook, Mr Charters wrote: “I reckon Yorkshire has some of the best words and phrases going. So, what’s your favourite Yorkshire word or saying? Whether it’s “nowt”, “summat”, “ginnel”, “mardy”, “tha knows” or something a bit more obscure, stick it in the comments.

“I’m hoping to sneak as many as I can into my speech, so let’s show Parliament how Yorkshire really talks!”

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Within hours of his post, replies flooded in, including a mix of classics and possibly some lesser-known gems, from “Having a fuddle”, and ‘fettling’ to “nowt” and “summat”, “ginnel”, “mardy” and “tha knows”.

If Mr Charters follows through on his promise to include as many as possible, MPs could soon find themselves navigating a sentence that sounds more like a chat in a York pub than a Commons debate.

To help him out, we’re asking Press readers to give him their own favourite York and/or Yorkshire words and phrases – simply add them in the comments below (with an explanation if they’re particularly obscure!).

For York and Yorkshire folk, it’s more than just a bit of fun – it’s a chance to put regional identity front and centre, and remind Westminster that accents aren’t something to be smoothed out, but celebrated.

Whether Mr Charters manages to slip in a handful of phrases or delivers a full-blown Yorkshire-infused speech remains to be seen. One thing’s certain: if he pulls it off, Hansard could make for a particularly entertaining read.

A former Huntington School student, Mr Charters lives in his constituency with his wife and two children, and was elected in 2024, having first contested the seat in 2017.

David Beckham has insisted wife Victoria was ‘celebrating inside’ after a clip of her muted reaction to England’s nail-biting World Cup quarter-final clash went viral. The ex-Three Lions captain and his children Romeo, 23, Cruz, 21, and Harper, 15, all went wild when Jude Bellingham fired home the equaliser against Norway.

But a photo of the moment showed unmoved Victoria, 52, still seated, expression-free with her chin resting on her hand. Fans turned it into an instant meme which swept round the world.

Stand-up comedian Jenny Johnson wrote online: “There’s nothing like cheering your heart out for England from home, then they cut to Victoria and we see that classic Posh Spice smile! It’s so infectious!’

“I used to think I got animated while watching sports, but Victoria blows my enthusiasm out of the water!

“Each time I see her I shout, ‘SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!!!!’ because her energy is electric!!!”

David, 51, fired back a string of crying laughing emojis. He wrote: “She was celebrating inside I promise her reactions were slightly slower than mine.”

Victoria did warm up to the energy inside Miami Stadium and was later seen getting into the spirit by clapping along as England won the match 2-1 after extra-time to set up tomorrow’s (wed) semi-final against Argentina.

The former Spice Girl has admitted she was not fan of football when she met David at a Manchester United match in 1997. Ever the doting wife, she ensured she attended every game she could but confessed she did not enjoy the sport because she did not feel ‘wanted’ when she was pitchside.

But she claims she had recently had a change of heart since David hung up his boots and set up his own club Inter Miami in the US. She told the Financial Times: “I never enjoyed watching football. I never felt necessarily wanted. I’m not saying this as in, poor me, but it was never the fun that it is now. Now, when we’re in Miami, I feel wanted. I’m friends with the families of the players.”

After England’s victory over Norway shared images in her socials including some of her hugging David. She wrote: “Special moment tonight in Miami with my family and for our country xxxx.”

Michael Stone, who was convicted of killing them, is currently serving three life sentences. He has always protested his innocence

A DNA sample will be taken from serial killer Levi Bellfield after he claimed to be responsible for the murder of a mum and her daughter three decades ago.

The 58-year-old, who is serving life imprisonment, reportedly admitted the murders of Lin Russell, 45, and her daughter Megan, six. They were found dead in Kent on July 9, 1996, months after they had moved to the area from Wales.

Michael Stone, who was convicted of killing them, is currently serving three life sentences. He has always protested his innocence. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission is now re-examining evidence following Bellfield’s confession, with a sample to be taken from him.

We previously reported how a fresh DNA sample was due to be taken from Stone.

A CCRC spokesperson said: “We intend to obtain a sample from Mr Bellfield. No date has been set for this.”

The murders took place on July 9, 1996, after six-year-old Megan and her sister Josie, nine, had attended a swimming gala.

Their mother Lin, 45, and the family’s white terrier Lucy picked them up from their school in the Kent village of Goodnestone. They had recently moved to the area from Gwynedd.

They took a shortcut through cornfields and a small wood towards Nonington where they lived in a cottage with the girls’ father Shaun.

At about 4.25pm a man passed them in a car, got out, and approached carrying a hammer.

He forced them into a small clearing, tied them up, and subjected them to a “sustained, severe, repeated and vicious assault”. Lucy, the terrier, was also beaten to death.

Lin and Megan were left lying on their backs a few feet apart. Josie had been blindfolded and tied to a tree. No money or belongings were stolen. Nor did forensic experts find any evidence of a sexual motive.

Father Shaun raised the alarm when he got home from work and found the house empty before police officers found the shocking scene later that night.

At first they thought Josie was dead too but an hour later she was seen to move and was rushed to hospital. Miraculously she survived nine hours after the attack took place.

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While the cause of death has yet to be established and post-mortem examinations are to take place, police have said that they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the deaths.

The PSNI have launched a murder investigation after three bodies were discovered at a property in Ballymena this morning, 13th July.

Officers were called to the scene on the Old Cullybackey Road in the town at around 9am after the bodies of two females and a male were found.

While the cause of death has yet to be established and post-mortem examinations are to take place, police have said that they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the deaths.

Mid and East Antrim District Commander, Superintendent William Calderwood, said: “The bodies of a male and two females were discovered at a home on the Old Cullybackey Road at around 9 am this morning, Monday 13th July. “The cause of death has not yet been formally established, and post-mortem examinations will take place in due course. As such, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time, and I would ask that the public avoid speculation. “However, I want to reassure the public that we do not believe that there is any ongoing risk, and at this stage we are not seeking anyone else in relation to the deaths. “Our thoughts this evening are very much with the family and friends of those who have died.”

Speaking to Belfast Live at the scene, North Antrim MP Jim Allister said that the tragedy occurred in a “very settled part of Ballymena.”

“Families have lived here for years, so the sense of shock that such a thing would happen here is palpable.

“For the day that’s in it, a lot of people are away coming back to discover what has happened, and it truly is very upsetting and very shocking, and our thoughts and prayers are with the relatives and friends of those who are now bereaved.”

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It will be only a little consolation to the families that their men died in the course of a truly heroic action, trying to save the lives of others. We salute their courage.

We can see the selfless nature of their act in the story of Davey Short who survived the rescue attempt. He bravely pulled out one of the young lads. We salute him and all the others involved.

Stories of death in cold water follow immediately a heatwave is declared. As details of the Seaton Carew tragedy emerged, the family of eight-year-old Jordan Moon told how he had been hit by a freak 8ft wave in August 2003 on that beach and not survived.

On a 30-degree day beneath a beautiful blue sky, you can see the cool attraction of open water, be it a river or the sea.

But we must speak to our young people – our children, our grandchildren – about the very real dangers, of the shock of the cold water on superheated bodies, or, in the case of rivers, of unseen obstacles lurking below that trap feet and pull you down.

In a bid to scare the young into staying clear, previous generations invented hideous ogres, like Peg Powler who lived on the Tees, who lured children into their deaths. Perhaps our children are too sophisticated to believe in monsters, but we must get these messages across.

And if it is not for their own safety, it is for the safety of the rescuers, be they members of the emergency services or passers-by, who bravely but tragically get drawn in and leave families mourning heroes.

Since his grooming scandal came to light, disgraced BBC newsreader Huw Edwards has cowered away from the glare of the public eye.

But I can reveal that despite the black cloud that hangs over his name, the broadcaster, convicted of making indecent images of children, is still receiving work offers.

Indeed, he has been invited back to the screen in a forthcoming film about the fall of a fictional leading broadcaster, to play himself.

Producers of The Janitor – a tale centring around Edwards’s implosion – reportedly asked the convicted sex offender to play a cameo role.

But the 64-year-old, who has recently launched a Substack column offering analysis on current affairs and mental health in an apparent bid for public redemption, rejected the approach from Big Bear Little Bear Productions, who are now looking for an actor to play him instead.

I’m told that the company discussed paying Edwards a fee, which would have been finalised had he accepted the offer, on the condition that the money would have been donated to charity.

According to sources close to the former presenter, he is still looking to tell his version of the events surrounding his downfall.

One source told the Daily Mail: ‘Huw could change his mind, but as it stands, he doesn’t feel this film role is the right way to come back into the spotlight. He wants to tell his side of the story on his terms.’

Filming has begun in Birmingham without the former broadcaster, and the film stars the Peaky Blinders actor, Harry Kirton, who will play The Janitor – a man who cleans up the messes of the powerful.

The storyline draws on the Edwards scandal, that saw one of the BBC’s highest-paid newsreaders – on a salary of £520,000 a year – slapped with a six-month suspended sentence after he was convicted of making indecent images of children.

The disgraced newsreader leaving Westminster Magistrates’ Court in 2024

Jamie Ball, the head of media at Core Productions, who are helping on the project, said: ‘This is a carefully dark, thought-out script, delivered by a stellar cast.

‘We are working with sensitivity, but we are also holding a mirror to the reality of the industry.

‘As in the cases of Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards, these stories are still unfolding in the media, and we felt it was time to show the true cost of silence.’

Making his directorial debut is Kaine Zajaz, a British actor who has previously worked alongside Tom Holland and Michelle Keegan. 

Edwards’s former publicist, Barry Tomes, is in talks to be an executive producer on the film.

Tomes, who has decades of experience in the industry representing the likes of The Beach Boys, stood by Edwards and helped him to navigate the publicity around the case.

But in recent weeks the Daily Mail revealed a feud brewing between the pair, which was sparked by Edwards’s bizarre decision to begin posting his musings on the online blogging platform Substack.

‘Huw told me he didn’t want to go back to TV,’ Tomes said. ‘He said that part of his life was categorically over. But I just think he now wants the limelight again. I think he misses that. It must be a craving for him.’

On whether he would be the one to help him make a return to public life, the celeb PR said: ‘I wouldn’t work with Huw again, absolutely not. I wouldn’t work with him for £100,000 a year because he’s getting it all wrong.

‘I don’t think Substack is the platform for someone like Huw Edwards. He has to accept that nobody cares about his opinion on the new Prime Minister or the economy. Nobody cares. When you commit that type of crime, nobody cares about you any more.’

The new film comes after a Channel 5 show in March starring Martin Clunes dramatised Edwards’s crimes.

It prompted Edwards, who was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years, to announce that he was planning his own documentary or podcast series to tell his ‘side of the story’.

In a statement issued to the Daily Mail at the time, Edwards said: ‘Much has been written and reported in the past week following Channel 5’s one-sided account.

Edwards with his one-time publicist Barry Tomes, is in talks to be an executive producer on The Janitor

Martin Clunes as Edwards in the Channel 5 show dramatising his crimes

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Edwards separated from his wife of 30 years and moved back to Wales to live an isolated existence with his elderly mother

‘Other opportunities will arise later this year for me to state my case, and to challenge the misleading or fabricated claims made in recent coverage.

‘A number of serious questions still remain to be answered, and not just by me.

‘It will now take some time for me to produce my own account, and until then, I do not intend to comment any further.’

Edwards was given his six-month suspended jail sentence following a year of headlines, which began when he was named as the presenter at the heart of a scandal over payments to a young person for sexually explicit images.

His downfall was swift, and cemented in July 2024, when he appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine, from paedophile Alex Williams.

These included both still and moving images, and were made up of seven of the most serious classification, Category A, 12 of Category B and 22 Category C.

Edwards has refused to hand back £200,000 in salary he was paid by the BBC between his arrest in November 2023 and his resignation in April 2024.

He separated from his TV-producer wife of 30 years, Vicky Flind, and he moved back to Wales to live an isolated existence with his elderly mother.

In recent weeks, Edwards launched his Substack in the first public move he has made since he was taken off-air three years ago.

Titled ‘Croeso. Fáilte. Bienvenue. Welcome’ (The same word in Welsh, Irish, French and English) and with the subheading ‘A first step…’ the first post sees the disgraced journalist promising the world a ‘Relaunch’.

Edwards, in his own words, plans to ‘offer thoughts on matters of national and local interest’ as someone with ‘four decades years [sic] in broadcast journalism’.

‘In light of my recent experiences,’ the convicted paedophile continued, ‘I would also like to talk about the criminal justice system: the courts, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Probation Service. I am also ready to be unflinchingly honest about the reality of long-term mental illness, and the continued failure to recognise its devastating effects on affected individuals, their families, and friends. If my posts help others facing similar challenges, so much the better.’

He continued: ‘There will be those who do not wish to read my work, and I respect that choice. But for those who might be interested, I would like to start tentatively by offering some commentary and analysis based on my long experience.’

Accompanied by a black-and-white picture of himself looking considerably older than his age, he rounded off the essay with the promise: ‘I will try to post once a week. There are no plans for paid subscriptions. Thank you for even considering reading my work.’

While Edwards is yet to go public with his version of events, the disgraced BBC newsreader’s suspended prison sentence is over in two months and those around him say it could be sooner rather than later.

The former Love Island star said the woman’s ‘selfish actions’ had ‘ruined the morale’ of their show

Amber Davies asked for a “selfish” audience member to be kicked out over her actions during a performance of Legally Blonde the Musical. The Welsh TV personality and musical theatre star, who stars as Elle Woods in the stage show, posted a video speaking about a woman “distracting” the cast as she filmed the show from the front row.

The ex-Love Islander vented her frustration during the interval of Saturday night’s show at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin, reminding theatregoers not to record at the theatre.

Video, flash photography, and audio is prohibited during performances over copyright issues as well as being a distraction for the cast on stage. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter

The Strictly star said: “This is your daily reminder not to film at the theatre.” She said they had a “beautiful audience” but said a woman in the front row had filmed “the entirety of act one” which she said left the cast distracted.

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“It’s ruined the morale of our wonderful eighth show on a Saturday night from selfish actions,” she added.

Amber told her followers that she had asked for the woman to be kicked out for the second act and will often ask for audience members to be removed if she sees them filming.

She continued: “Hopefully she’s not back for act two. I’ve asked, can she go so we can just enjoy ourselves. But there has been a couple of people filming in Ireland this week and I’m the type of person, I will count how many seats away you are from what door and you will be told and asked to leave.

“So yeah guys, don’t film. Let’s just enjoy the two and a half hours together, we don’t need to film everything. Okay, right I’m gonna go and do act two.”

Sixty years ago, the United States and the Soviet Union were embroiled in a race to the Moon, which the USA won. The 21st-century lunar contest, with China stepping in for the Soviet Union, has many similarities, but key differences.

The Apollo astronauts planted the stars and stripes in lunar soil, bounced – and drove – around, set up experiments and collected scientifically valuable rock samples. Ultimately, however, there was no real plan to stay.

The new Moon race is different: space agencies are targeting the south pole of the Moon due to its deposits of water ice. This water can be used for life support on a lunar base. It can also be turned into rocket fuel, splitting it into the hydrogen and oxygen used by space vehicles, making it a valuable resource.

But ice deposits are not evenly distributed and suitable spots for establishing human outposts are finite. This could spark competition to bag the best spots. So will the US-China lunar contest turn into a land grab?

For anyone growing up in the 1980s and 90s, human space travel almost seemed to become “routine”, but that era was still mainly the domain of the US and the Soviet Union (and then Russia). While the European Space Agency was growing, it focused largely on robotic scientific mission and commercial launches. Now, 30 years later, the sector has grown massively, and space is no longer the sole domain of a few superpowers.

Around 20 nations are able to carry out space launches, mainly to send satellites into orbit. But there have also been privately funded robotic missions to the Moon – albeit with significant support from government agencies.

Despite this globalisation of space, only three countries are currently able to send humans into space using their own rockets: the US, Russia and China. This is largely a reflection of the fact that spaceflight gets much harder when people are involved, because they need continuous supplies of food, water, heat and air.

Space is an unforgiving environment, so there is absolutely no margin for error. There’s limited scope for backup or rescue, and so everything needs to be tested and tested again.

That’s part of the reason China is on track to catch up with the US and Russia in terms of achievements in space, despite starting decades later. As of 2021 they operate a modular, permanently crewed space station called Tiangong. While not as large as the International Space Station, there is plenty of scope for expansion.

The very successful Chang’e lunar programme has returned samples from the Moon’s far side, deployed relay satellites to provide more reliable communications, and explored the lunar terrain with rovers. It’s due to these successes that China, partnering with Russia, is the main competition for the United States in Moon race 2.0.

So how should we expect this lunar contest to unfold? The US-led effort has a medium-term goal of establishing a permanent human base at the south pole. These lunar outposts would probably operate in a similar way to the International Space Station, and the research bases in the Antarctic, staffed by rotating crews.

Nasa is using the Orion spacecraft to carry astronauts from Earth to our closest celestial neighbour. But they will need a separate vehicle to land. These landers do not yet exist in final form. Two companies, Blue Origin and SpaceX, are competing to develop separate landing craft. An important test will take place next year: for Nasa’s Artemis III mission, an Orion capsule will attempt to dock with one or both landers in low Earth orbit.

Over the next few years a fleet of robotic craft will also send experiments, deliver cargo and use drones and rovers to scout landing sites and locations for lunar outposts. Like the lunar lander, many of these missions will be led by private industry.

But the lunar south pole is a challenging place for astronauts to operate. The ice deposits are at the bottom of craters that never see sunlight, where temperatures are more than 200 degrees below zero. There are mountaintops near the pole that are almost always visible from Earth, but relay satellites in lunar orbit are needed to help with communications when they do drop over the horizon.

The Sun also rises to just a few degrees above the horizon, and is sometimes below it for days at a time – plunging some locations into darkness. The low temperatures require heating units for humans and equipment alike. But, with inconsistent sunlight to generate solar power, other energy sources, such as nuclear fission, will be needed to keep the batteries charged.

The next phase of lunar exploration, pencilled in for 2029-2032, should see the laying down of key infrastructure, such as power supplies and communications systems.

Drilling and digging will prepare the ground for an eventual base, which could be partly underground to protect against radiation and impacts by tiny space rocks. Nasa will also send a more sophisticated Japanese-built rover to the surface with a pressurised interior. This will allow astronauts to live and work in a mobile lab without bulky space suits

The plans for the final phase, from 2032 onwards, involves people living for long periods on the Moon, building up a modular base and taking advantage of the Moon’s resources to produce water, oxygen and even building materials.

For the rival effort to build a lunar base, China is partnering with Russia and collaborating with several other countries. Over the next couple of years, Beijing will test its Mengzhou crew capsule and Lanyue landing vehicle ahead of a first lunar landing around 2030.

Construction of a base, called the International Lunar Research Station, is scheduled to be underway by 2035. The planned location for this base is also the lunar south pole, so there’s a race to pick the best spot.

There’s plenty of science to be done by crews living in these bases, some of it related to understanding the structure and formation of the Moon itself, as well as investigations related to medical and materials research.

Another scientific goal could be to establish radio telescopes on the far side of the Moon, where they would be shielded from the sea of radio communications originating on Earth. This could allow astronomers to detect faint cosmic signals that are otherwise impossible to detect using ground-based instruments.

And the relatively low gravity of the lunar surface could make it easier than Earth for launching missions to other destinations in the solar system. By sending up components and assembling them on the Moon, future missions could use much larger, more capable spacecraft. That’s particularly important if there are people on any of those missions.

There are also economic benefits to having a lunar presence. Private companies will make money by building the landers, rovers and other key technologies. There may also be a market in transporting equipment and experiments to the lunar surface. Making rocket fuel on the Moon would make space exploration cheaper than lugging it from Earth. It could even be used to refuel satellites in Earth orbit.

If humanity can do one thing well, for better or worse, it’s to exploit the natural environment.

The 1979 United Nations Moon Agreement states that no one can claim sovereignty over the Moon, and must use its resources responsibly – which sounds promising. Unfortunately, almost none of the countries involved with Artemis, including the US and UK, have signed it. As scientists, we live in hope that this doesn’t all turn into a big land grab.

He added: “The USA will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT’, but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World.

In her statement to MPs, the home secretary said that Widdecombe’s death raised questions about the security of those in public life, and that police intend to issue guidance to MPs on safety soon.

She added she had recently commissioned the former Lord Chancellor Sir Robert Buckland to review the lessons learned from the murder of MP David Amess in 2021 regarding security for MPs.

Mahmood acknowledged Widdecombe’s death would be a “particular concern” for Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage, and said she has offered him a meeting with the chair of Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) – the public body responsible for managing the security of those in public life.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp described Widdecombe as a public figure who was “always formidable, always charming, always entertaining”, while Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice said she was “a colossus” in public and political life and that whenever she called him, he “always stood up on my toes”.

On Sunday Devon and Cornwall Police had said there was “nothing to suggest” the murder was politically motivated.

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Matt Longman had said officers remained “open-minded” about a potential motive and that there was not thought to be any threat to the wider public.

Devon and Cornwall Police said it believed Widdecombe was attacked on Wednesday at about 12:30 and had since received more than 120 reports of information after making a public appeal.

Over the coming weeks there would remain a “heightened” police presence in the local area, ACC Longman added.

Widdecombe served as the Conservative MP for Maidstone for 23 years, holding ministerial roles in Sir John Major’s government between 1994 and 1997.

Following her departure from the Commons in 2010, Widdecombe appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing that year, and was a runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother eight years later.

She joined the Brexit Party in 2019, where she represented South West England as its MEP from 2019 to 2020.

On Sunday, about 40 mourners gathered in Haytor Vale to pay tribute to Widdecombe, including senior Reform figures.

Tice said he had spoken to Widdecombe last Monday and he “nearly fell over with shock and horror” when he heard of her death.

“We have lost an absolute colossus, a legend in all our lifetime,” he told the crowd.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also paid tribute to Widdecombe last week, describing her death as a “significant loss” as he called on people to “rise above” political differences.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described Widdecombe as a “very fun and feisty woman”, adding her “heart is breaking for [Widdecombe’s] family”.

Farage, who visited Dartmoor to pay his respects to Widdecombe, described her as a “remarkable individual” and “the fiercest defender of free speech”.