Josh Hokit made the controversial statement after winning his bout at the UFC Freedom 250 event hosted by US President Donald Trump on the White House South Lawn
A UFC fighter seized the microphone following his bout to brazenly declare ‘Michelle Obama is a man’.
Hokit had faced fellow heavyweight Derrick Lewis at the event, before sitting down for a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
Rounding off the interview, he declared: “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”
Advertisement
Footage circulating online captured mixed reactions from the crowd, with some seen laughing while others appeared visibly taken aback by the remarks.
Rogan chose not to respond to the comments, simply announcing: “Ladies and gentlemen, Josh Hokit.”
Hokit also made his way over to Trump, draping a chain around the president’s neck.
Advertisement
Earlier in the evening, Brazilian fighter Mauricio Ruffy delivered a stunning knockout before pulling off a surprise wedding proposal.
Following his defeat of Michael Chandler, Ruffy dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, Nadine.
She responded with a thumbs up.
Meanwhile, US Park Police said in a statement that UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland’s presence at the Ellipse drew enough attention from attendees that it resulted in disorder.
Advertisement
He wasn’t cited or arrested, they said. Instead, he was taken to his hotel and told not to come back to the venue.
Earlier in the day, Strickland was escorted barefoot out of the White House Ellipse area, where thousands of ticketed fans congregated to watch the fights.
Boxing legend Tyson Fury made a surprise appearance at the event, joining Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and a host of MAGA royalty.
Advertisement
Fury made his entrance after the second fight of the night, walking out to the Kings of Leon hit ‘Sex on Fire’ in a matching blazer and pants with his ‘Gypsy King’ logo printed in gold across the design.
The most eye-catching piece of his attire was his cap which featured a particularly bold message of support for the President. “Donald Trump for Prime Minister,” it ready alongside an embroidered British flag. The slogan was a nod to Trump’s signature red “Make America Great Again” caps.
Few and far between are the movie franchises that make it to their fifth instalment, and, let’s call a spade a spade, by the time most series limp their way to pentalogy status, we’re more often than not in cash-grab territory than we are at a creative peak.
Given the somewhat lukewarm response to 2019’s fourth Toy Story film – at least, that is, compared to the original trilogy – you’d be forgiven for thinking that the newest instalment might follow this trend.
We’re happy to report, then, that Toy Story 5 is not just a return to form for the beloved animated series, but for Pixar in general, after a hit-and-miss run for the once-untouchable studio.
Fast-forwarding a few years on from where things were left in Toy Story 4, the newest movie reintroduces us to Bonnie, now eight-and-a-half, whose world still revolves around her toy companions, led by new sheriff Jessie (since Woody parted ways with his pals at the end of the last movie).
Advertisement
We quickly discover that, outside of her world of play, Bonnie is having trouble making friends in the real world. Jessie thinks she’s come up with a solution – but, unfortunately, so do Bonnie’s parents, who think the best way for her to connect might be online and gift her with her first electronic tablet, Lilypad.
An electronic tablet called Lilypad creates a whole world of problems for our heroes in Toy Story 5
As has already been well-established, this forms the basis of the film’s main plot, as the regular toys struggle to adjust to a world where the allure of technology is making them increasingly obsolete in children’s eyes.
Toy Story 5 has a lot to say about the invasion of tech in young people’s lives over the last decade, both for better and for worse, and it makes its points without judgement or condescension. A lot of ground is covered in a short space of time, most notably the very real dangers of tech that parents should be aware of (including cyberbullying, isolation and the general zombie-fied state that our oh-so-alluring devices can leave us in).
It’s a world that we’re all – whether you’re an adult, child or, indeed, toy – struggling to keep up with, and this is conveyed brilliantly across the film. But even outside of these themes, Toy Story 5 also touches effectively on the difficulties so many of us feel when trying to make connections, and the unique joy that comes with finally achieving it.
Advertisement
Part of what makes the film such a success is that it feels like a case of the Toy Story universe being used to tell a story, rather a plot being clumsily shoe-horned into existing IP to make a quick buck. Toy Story 5 certainly justifies its own existence, and has a unique – unusually contemporary, for a Disney film – point of view.
Bonnie has difficulty making friends outside of the online world
Toy Story’s enduring popularity has long been attributed to in its cross-generational appeal – particularly with its most recent instalments – with many viewers who were Andy’s age when the first film hit cinemas now taking their own children to see the action unfold on the big screen.
Toy Story 5 makes walking this famously difficult line look effortless. The animation, always one of Pixar’s strongest suits, is captivating regardless of how old you are, as is its multi-layered humour. The combination of silly moments and visual gags will keep little ones laughing throughout, while relatable gags about everything from Zoom meetings and wedding-related stress to the perils of ageing are guaranteed to raise a smirk from adults in the audience, too.
Even new character Smarty Pants, a talking potty-training device voiced by Conan O’Brien, could be grating, juvenile and offputting in the wrong hands, but somehow ends up swerving all of those pitfalls to become one of the film’s more charming additions, despite his obvious penchant for toilet humour at every available opportunity.
Conan O’Brien as Smarty Pants was a risky addition that definitely pays off
In fact, the voice work is great across the board, with no audible indication that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have been playing these same characters for more than 30 years. The MVPs of the piece, though, are undoubtedly Toy Story newcomer Greta Lee (who voices Lilypad) and franchise regular Joan Cusack (who plays Jessie), taking the lead for the first time.
Jessie has always been a more multi-layered character than many of her Toy Story peers, but this new story allows her voice actor to show even more personality than ever before.
Advertisement
And yes, this being a Toy Story film, you can expect to shed plenty of tears, too, although that probably goes without saying at this stage of the game.
If we’re being picky, we could say that Toy Story 5 does rush a little towards showing the positive sides of Lilypad – and, therefore, tech in general – so her inevitable inclusion into the main gang by the end of the film does feel a little unearned (though it will undoubtedly come as a comfort to any millennial parents grappling with their own kids’ screentime).
Joan Cusack and Greta Lee are the scene-stealers of Toy Story 5 as Jessie and Lilypad
Part five also has the toy characters interfering and meddling with their human kids’ lives more than ever before, with real-world consequences in their lives, which we could imagine some Toy Story purists taking issue with at a time in cinema when “lore” and a franchise’s in-universe “rules” and “logic” mean more than ever.
However, these are tiny, negligible quibbles in a movie that was otherwise a complete joy to watch. For the avoidance of doubt, Toy Story 4 was far from a disaster, but this follow-up is much more up to the gold standard Pixar set for its flagship franchise with the original trilogy.
See you in a few years for Part Six: Revenge Of Lilypad.
Andy Burnham will not take a job in Keir Starmer’s government if he wins the Makerfield by-election, a senior source has told the Manchester Evening News.
The Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier today said he wants Andy Burnham to “play a big part” in the Labour Government in what appeared to be a signal he could invite him to join his Cabinet.
The Greater Manchester Mayor hopes to win in the Makerfield by-election on Thursday and secure a return to Westminster as an MP, and has made no secret of his Labour leadership ambitions. Sir Keir repeated on Wednesday that he would not walk away from his post and intended to fight any challenge.
The Prime Minister is also facing a looming threat from his former health secretary Wes Streeting, who has indicated he is prepared to trigger a Labour leadership contest as early as next week. Sir Keir appeared to suggest he could bring Mr Burnham into his Government in comments to Sky News. “Andy is a great asset. And, yes, I want him to have a big role in the government.”
But a senior source who spoke to the M.E.N. ruled out Mr Burnham taking a job in Starmer’s government telling us ‘the benefit Andy has is the wind of change for not having been associated with the Government’s failings’.
The source also told us that the discussion of the Greater Manchester mayoral elections was an attempt to put ‘further challenges up’ and that if Keir Starmer stays it will give people ‘an excuse to vote against Labour’ in that election. If Mr Burnham wins the Greater Manchester Mayoral election is expected to take place at the end of July.
Mr Burnham is widely expected to win the Makerfield by-election, although insiders remain nervous and say it could be ‘too close to call’.
Advertisement
Recent polling in the by-election shows a very close contest between Labour and Reform UK. Labour is usually ahead on about 43 to 46 percent, with Reform close behind on roughly 40 to 41 percent. The gap between them is small enough that the race is effectively competitive and within typical polling uncertainty.
Smaller parties are well behind the two frontrunners. Restore Britain tends to poll around 7 percent, while the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens are all in low single digits. The Conservative vote in particular has fallen sharply compared with previous elections, with evidence that it has shifted towards Reform or become more fragmented.
Advertisement
The seat is essentially a two-way contest between Labour and Reform, with Labour holding a narrow lead. Reform is close enough to be in genuine contention, while smaller parties are unlikely to win but could still influence the result by affecting how the vote splits.
Labour insiders have expressed concerns about hidden Reform voters who may just turn out on the day.
Asked earlier about what preparations the Prime Minister was making for a potential Labour leadership contest, he told reporters: “First and foremost, I want Andy Burnham to win, and that’s why I’ve encouraged activists and members to go up there during the course of the campaign, and they’ll be up there tomorrow helping to get the vote out.
Advertisement
Join our new Makerfield by-election WhatsApp community by clicking this link for the latest news. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can
“Then what happens is we’re immediately tipped into a Manchester mayoral contest by-election, one of the biggest by-elections that we’ve ever fought, because of the scale of it. And it’s really important to my mind that the whole of the Labour Party and Labour movement focuses on that, which is the next most immediate task.
“I don’t think there should be a challenge. I think history, particularly the last government, shows that that isn’t a successful way for a government to behave. But if there is a challenge, then I intend to fight. I’m not going to walk away from that, and I’ve been clear and consistent about that.”
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran will immediately take steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once a tentative deal with the U.S. to end the war is signed and will be allowed to sell its oil without restrictions, according to leaked copies of an interim agreement that officials say broadly matches the document.
The accord, due to be formally signed in a ceremony in Switzerland on Friday, lays out that the U.S. would secure at least $300 billion to rebuild Iran after the war and work to end all American and United Nations sanctions imposed on Tehran if a final agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program is reached.
The U.S. agreement to immediately allow Iran to sell its oil freely and the offer to eventually lift all sanctions represent major concessions that outstrip the terms of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from in his first term, declaring it the “worst deal ever.” This new accord likely will draw intense criticism in Washington — and appears to be a major setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war with Trump on Feb. 28.
The deal calls for an immediate end to all fighting in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah. That is one of the most delicate parts of the agreement because Israel has maintained it will continue to defend itself and to occupy vast swaths of Lebanon. Iran has said it must withdraw under the deal, although the leaked versions make no mention of withdrawal.
Advertisement
The two sides are to start 60 days of negotiations over a final deal that the Trump administration insists will prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon. The U.S. offers appear aimed at enticing Iran to strike an agreement.
But in the meantime, Iran appears to be getting benefits up front while making few concessions. Much of the agreement would restore the status quo before the war, including ending hostilities and reopening the strait, which is a crucial passage for the world’s oil and natural gas and whose closure created a historic energy crisis.
Other concessions to Iran — some of which are extraordinary, including the money for rebuilding, the full lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets — appear dependent on the progress of further negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
Advertisement
Sign up for Morning Wire:
Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day.
Advertisement
A person who was briefed on the memorandum of understanding after it was signed and another who viewed a copy beforehand said it largely matched the text of what was published by the Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya, which reported details of the deal Tuesday. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
Another two officials in the Mideast, who spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason, also said the versions published by Al Arabiya and Bloomberg broadly matched the final agreement.
The White House and other American officials have not published the terms and did not immediately respond to questions. Iran also has not published an official version of the deal. Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, claimed Wednesday that Bloomberg’s version had missing portions, without offering a full accounting.
Advertisement
The deal would provide relief to the global economy
The deal provides a major win for the global economy — the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded once passed before the war began. Since then, Iranian attacks on shipping and the threat to vessels effectively shut the strait.
The strait’s closure drove up energy prices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive. Iran let out some vessels that paid tolls, something never done before in the strait, which sits in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman and long has been considered an international waterway. The U.S. later provided military support to get other tankers out, but traffic through the strait was nowhere near levels before the war.
The deal calls for the U.S. to lift a blockade imposed on Iranian ports and for the strait to return to its prewar traffic levels in 30 days, while acknowledging Iranian mines may still be in its waters that need to be destroyed.
The deal provides major concessions to Iran
While the deal says that the eventual lifting of sanctions on Iran will depend on future negotiations, the U.S. will immediately issue waivers on Iranian oil sales.
Advertisement
Granting oil waivers directly at the start of the 60-day talks strips the U.S. of a major point of leverage over Iran. In the years before the 2015 nuclear deal, Iranian oil faced international sanctions limiting their sales. Only at the conclusion of the overall deal in 2015 were those sanctions lifted.
The interim deal also opens the door to ending all sanctions Iran faces from the U.S. and at the U.N. — though it says the schedule for that will be worked out later. Still, that is far beyond the 2015 deal, which only lifted some sanctions in exchange for Iran drastically reducing its enrichment and stockpile of uranium.
The accord would also provide Iran with at least $300 billion to rebuild after an intense U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign — an extraordinary figure and another major benefit for Iran. U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said Gulf Arab nations would provide that amount as investments in Iran.
The deal leaves much more to be resolved in future negotiations
The interim deal sets a 60-day window, which can be extended, to negotiate over limiting Iran’s nuclear program, which has been discussed at multiple rounds of talks during Trump’s second administration without success. Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, though it has enough highly enriched uranium to build multiple atomic bombs, should it choose to do so, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Advertisement
In the interim deal, Iran reiterates that it will never produce nuclear weapons — a promise that it also made in the 2015 nuclear accord. Iranian diplomats have long pointed to statements from the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Iran wouldn’t build an atomic bomb. It remains unclear whether Khamenei’s son, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will follow that or not.
Trump has cited shifting goals for the war, including at times vowing it would end Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and its support for Hezbollah and other proxy groups in the region. He also suggested it could lead to toppling the Iranian government.
The interim deal falls short of all of these goals. The negotiations also exposed a rift between Netanyahu and Trump, the Israeli leader’s closest and most important ally, just as Netanyahu is seeking reelection. Netanyahu has come under heavy domestic criticism over the emerging deal but will be hard pressed to go against Trump, given Israel’s heavy reliance on the U.S. for diplomatic and military support.
___
Advertisement
Miller and Price reported from Washington, and Magdy from Cairo.
Tommy shared new photos of himself and Molly-Mae after welcoming their second child earlier this month
Fans were quick to spot Molly-Mae Hague’s latest decision when it comes to her relationship with Tommy Fury, as he melted fans’ hearts with a new family update.
Advertisement
The couple welcomed their second child into the world earlier this month, three years after the arrival of their first child, daughter Bambi. They confirmed the safe arrival of their new bundle of joy in a joint Instagram post on June 3.
They shared a black and white snap in which the new mum could still be seen in her hospital gown as she sat in her hospital bed. She and Tommy, who was standing by her side, could be seen looking down at their new arrival with smiles as Bambi sat opposite her mum and sweetly tended to her new sibling.
Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter
While they didn’t reveal the gender or name of their new addition at the time, Molly-Mae captioned the sweet post: “….and then there were 4,” alongside a white love heart emoji. It was days later that the pair confirmed they are now proud parents to a son, sharing the news alongside a sweet video of Bambi meeting her baby brother for the first time.
Advertisement
The name reveal, however, came last weekend, as the former Love Island stars used Tommy’s return to the boxing ring to reveal their newborn son’s name, Midas, which was spelt out on the back of the boxer’s shirt and boxing shorts, during his fight against the former world’s strongest man, Eddie Hall.
Alongside pictures from his triumphant return to the ring, where he was cheered on by his partner just days after the birth of their second baby, Tommy wrote on Instagram on Sunday (June 14) evening: “Still undefeated. Huge respect to Eddie. You surprised me, pushed me and gave me a challenge. Thank you for accepting the fight and sharing the ring with me, it was a pleasure.
“This one is for my newborn son Midas [heart emoji]. And thank you to Molly for holding down the fort with our two beautiful children whilst I was preparing.” He added: “Thank you everyone who turned out last night, events like this wouldn’t be possible without you all. Now it’s time for some much-needed family time.”
Advertisement
The boxer, 27, has now returned to social media with a glimpse at how things have been looking since the arrival of his son. Tommy took to Instagram with more snaps of himself and Molly-Mae, also 27, enjoying their newborn bubble as they settle into life as parents-of-two.
“Lucky man doesn’t come close. Some of the best weeks of my life,” he captioned the post. But it was the picture of Tommy and Molly-Mae sharing a smooch following his victory over Hall at Manchester’s AO Arena on Saturday (June 13) that appeared to catch his followers’ attention.
@jodiemcenteer said: “Molly has the ring back on. So happy for the 4 of you.” @layla_caddy echoed: “Molly wearing her ring.” @iam_staceybee noted: “Molly is wearing her ring again.” @jeniece83 added: “I peep her ring back on!!”
Advertisement
It was only in April that Molly-Mae revealed why she was not wearing her engagement ring as she was quizzed by fans if Tommy was going to propose again, with their split coming just over a year after Tommy popped the question in a stunning Ibiza proposal.
Speaking in her YouTube vlog at the time, Molly-Mae said: “No, we’re not doing another proposal… I’m not wearing my ring and I don’t really wear my ring. Do you know what? I actually don’t plan to wear my ring either guys. But I also do still consider myself engaged and a fiancée even though saying that does give me the ick a little bit.
“No I don’t wear my ring and it’s not for the reason of me not feeling like I’m engaged or not a fiancée. I just actually don’t want to wear it because it’s almost too special. My ring is not even with me, it’s somewhere far away, locked away and very very safe.
Høiby, 29, was four when his mother married Crown Prince Haakon and is not himself a royal figure. Ahead of the verdict on Monday, his legal team repeatedly and unsuccessfully sought his release from prison so he could spend time with his mother because of her declining health.
The incident happened on Dockside Road on Tuesday (June 16) when the lorry collided with a pedal cyclist around 11.15am.
The cyclist, a 72-year-old man, suffered a broken hip and was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
Cleveland Police has now launched an investigation, appealing for any witnesses to come forward.
Advertisement
A spokesperson said: “Police are appealing for witnesses after a man suffered a broken hip following a collision in Middlesbrough.
“The incident happened on Dockside Road around 11.15am on Tuesday, June 16, involving a tipper lorry and a pedal cyclist.
“The cyclist, a 72-year-old man, suffered a broken hip and was taken to James Cook University Hospital following the collision.
“Any witnesses or anyone who may have dash cam footage of the collision, is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101, quoting reference number 115980.”
Danny Rohl has left Rangers after just eight months in charge to become Red Bull Salzburg’s head coach – with the club saying news of his replacement “will follow in due course”.
Hearts head coach Derek McInnes is widely expected to be the German’s successor as Rangers ready themselves to appoint a third boss in 12 months.
Rohl, 37, replaced Russell Martin in October and steered Rangers into a three-way title fight, but a post-split collapse yielded a third-place finish behind Celtic and Hearts as the Ibrox club ended the campaign without silverware.
Chairman Andrew Cavenagh publicly backed Rohl at the end of the season, but the German now returns to the Red Bull stable, having begun his coaching career at Leipzig under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Advertisement
“I’d like to thank Danny for his service and commitment to Rangers,” Cavenagh said.
“He and his staff put in a significant amount of hard work during his time in charge, which we are greatly appreciative of.
“We wish them the best of luck moving forward.”
Rohl, who had two years left on his deal, departs to take over a Salzburg side that came third in Austria last season – the club’s lowest finish in two decades – and will enter the Europa League at the third qualifying round, the same stage as Rangers.
Advertisement
Daniel Beichler was sacked as Salzburg boss last month after just 14 games.
Rohl joined Hasenhuttl at Southampton in 2018, then moved to Bayern Munich as assistant to Hansi Flick and helped the club win the Bundesliga. He was then appointed Sheffield Wednesday manager in 2023.
“I’ve played with Derek, I’ve played against him, I’ve managed against him and know all about his make up, his strengths – and that’s why this appointment is the one that has excited me most at Ibrox since Steven Gerrard.”
Andy Newport and Andy Newport
11:29, 17 Jun 2026Updated 11:33, 17 Jun 2026
Derek McInnes knows exactly what it means to pull on the blue jersey. A lifelong Rangers supporter, he fulfilled every boyhood dream when he rose through the ranks to represent the club he adored.
Yet as far as his former team-mate Stuart McCall is concerned, it’s not his credentials as a Rangers man that make him the ideal candidate to step into the Ibrox dugout as Danny Rohl’s successor.
Advertisement
It’s the departing Hearts manager’s qualities as a leader of men that makes him precisely what is required in Govan.
McCall has shared a dressing room with his fellow nine-in-a-row hero and gone head-to-head with McInnes on Premiership touchlines, reports the Daily Record.
And it’s that first-hand knowledge which has persuaded the former Motherwell boss that his old friend is the most thrilling managerial appointment at Ibrox since Steven Gerrard arrived in Glasgow.
McCall told Record Sport: “I’m not saying he’s a Rangers man, so he’s the right choice.
Advertisement
“I’m saying this because I know how Derek will be.
“He knows the Premiership, he knows the mentality needed, the characteristics you want in a player. Yeah it helps he played for the club and has experienced the pressures that come with that.
“He’ll have gone through tough times at Ibrox himself trying to get past Gazza and myself to get a game! Wink, wink! Only kidding!”.
“But that Rangers link isn’t what makes him the right man. It’s the man he is himself that makes him the right choice.
Advertisement
“Right now, Rangers are a club and a team that need someone to galvanise them, to lead them through the tough moments. That’s where they’ve failed in recent seasons.
“I’ve played with Derek, I’ve played against him, I’ve managed against him and know all about his make up, his strengths – and that’s why this appointment is the one that has excited me most at Ibrox since Steven Gerrard.
“The fact is you can be the best training ground coach in the world but if you can’t communicate with your players and have the ability to relate to them and have them relate to you, then it won’t matter.
Advertisement
“I’ve seen loads of coaches down in England who have loads of great ideas on the game. But if you don’t know how to get the best out of the players on an individual basis those ideas will fall apart.
“So what makes me more comfortable with Derek than any other boss since Gerrard is that I know we’ve got a manager going in with a wealth of experience, knowledge of the club and the league and someone with a proven track record getting the best out of the players at his disposal.
“I remember having some right ding-dongs against Del when he was Aberdeen boss and I was at Motherwell. You always knew his team would be up for the fight, they’d go to the last whistle, they’d never chuck the towel in.
“Yeah, there might be the odd poor performance – but they were never weak.”
Advertisement
McInnes now inherits a side so fragile they squandered their opportunity to clinch last season’s title, losing four of their final five matches under Rohl.
The German was brought in to sort out the chaos left in Russell Martin’s wake and, while he managed to drag the Light Blues back into title contention, they swiftly fell away once the pressure mounted in the closing stages of the campaign.
However, McCall is backing his long-time friend to succeed where the German came unstuck – drawing on invaluable wisdom passed down from his mentors Sir Alex Ferguson and the late Walter Smith.
“If it does go ahead and he becomes the new Rangers manager I’ll be delighted with that,” said the Preston assistant boss.
Advertisement
“You know, over the last couple of years working down here with Sheffield United and Preston, I’ve come up against Russell Martin and Danny Rohl.
“They were both good coaches but I just don’t think it’s a necessity right now for Rangers to be looking for a good ‘coach’.
“I’m not saying Derek isn’t that. He’s a more than capable coach.
Advertisement
“What Rangers need is someone who can motivate people.
“I go back to what Sir Alex Ferguson told me. He said management is about being a good communicator, man manager, getting your recruitment right is massive. Throw in a little bit of luck and that is the four things you need to be successful.
“If I look back to Sir Walter, that was just as true for him. Obviously he and Archie knew the game inside out but I wouldn’t say they were outstanding coaches, if you know what I mean.
“But they were outstanding leaders, man-managers.
Advertisement
“Now I don’t necessarily think you need to know a club to be successful there but one thing Derek does have is a knowledge of the league and what is needed to win up there.
“Sir Walter knew how to get the very best out of the players he had and I think Derek is cut from the same cloth.”
When McCall assessed Rangers’ performance last season, he identified a squad lacking that crucial winning mentality.
He said: “All last season when people were getting excited about Rangers, I couldn’t see them winning that league in a month of Sundays because of the mentality at the club.
Advertisement
“When you sign players for a club like that, ability takes a back seat to mentality for me.
“And for me, that’s not going on social media to spout off because you’ve had one good game. Mentality is doing it week in, week out for a full season.
“For me, that’s why I’m so excited about Derek. It’s easiest thing in the world to play for Rangers when things are going well, but it’s one of the hardest places to play when it’s not.
“That’s when you need your big characters to stand up and that starts with the management.”
Ireland’s basic income for artists has been made permanent after research showed that it boosted the economy. Other nations have similar schemes. With more homegrown artists now coming from privileged backgrounds and AI disrupting the creative industries, should the UK follow suit?
On the first weekend of July last year, Britain’s flatlining economy got a boost from two unlikely sources: heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath and Britpop heroes Oasis. Who said rock ’n’ roll was dead?
Leaving aside for a moment the cultural significance of these iconic bands reuniting, there was an impact that could be measured in cold, hard economics.
Advertisement
Estimates suggest that Sabbath’s farewell gig in Birmingham – a city that has cut its arts budget to zero – injected £20m into the local economy. Meanwhile, the UK leg of Oasis’ tour, which kicked off in Cardiff the same weekend, provided a £1bn shot in the arm to the nation’s economy. Not bad for two bands whose members were on the dole before achieving rock star status.
Advertisement
For working-class creatives, music has long been an escape from hard lives. Less so these days. The record industry that propelled the likes of Sabbath and Oasis to fame is unrecognisable today. The collapse in physical record sales in the free-for-all streaming age has gutted the sector, leaving musicians struggling to make a living.
The loss of grassroots music venues – a third have closed in the UK over the last 20 years – has compounded the issue. Cuts to arts budgets have been similarly devastating, while the rise of generative AI poses further headaches for creatives of all stripes, not just musicians – and all that amid a cost of living crisis.
According to the charity Arts Emergency, such headwinds are having a disproportionate effect on working-class, disabled and minority ethnic artists, who have long been underrepresented in UK culture.
“It’s a time of great precarity for the cultural sector and society in general,” says Neil Griffiths, CEO of Arts Emergency. “Imagination and creation are products of time and space, but there isn’t the time and space anymore. Society is unequal, while culture is undervalued and underfunded.”
Advertisement
As a result, often only the privileged have time to create. “Just one in 10 people who work in culture in the UK are from a working-class background,” says Griffiths.
Artist Tobias Prytz, who creates large-scale installations using timber, is a beneficiary of Norway’s model for supporting artists, receiving around 330,000 NOK (£25,600) per year
Advertisement
For a country that glorifies Winston Churchill, the UK appears to have missed his memo on culture: “The arts are essential to any complete national life,” he said in a 1953 speech. “The nation owes it to itself to sustain and encourage them.”
Other nations recognise as much. In 2022, the Irish government trialled a first-of-its-kind basic income for artists to kickstart culture as the country emerged from the pandemic.
Offering participants a weekly stipend of €325 (£283), the €25m (£21m) pilot helped more than 2,000 artists. According to a study published last year, the scheme generated €100m (£87m) in “social and economic benefits” to Ireland’s economy, meaning it more than paid for itself.
Buoyed by the data, the Irish government made the scheme permanent in February. In the long history of basic income trials, it’s the first to become permanent.
Advertisement
Multimedia artist Elinor O’Donovan, from Cork, is among the 2,000 creatives to have benefitted from the scheme (though at the time of going to press she was unsure whether she would re-qualify).
Imagination and creation are products of time and space but there isn’t the time and space anymore
“I don’t want to sell this idea that artists are special creatures, or whatever, but to be able to do creative work, you need time and space to think, and often that kind of creative thinking is quite difficult,” says O’Donovan.
“Before I got [the income], I worked part-time as a receptionist just to be able to afford to pay my rent. Now I work full-time as an artist. The basic income has given me the flexibility that being an artist requires.”
The income, says O’Donovan, enabled her to experiment.
Advertisement
“It’s allowed me to take risks that I wouldn’t have taken otherwise. My work is better and more ambitious. I made a film for the first time and now filmmaking is a big part of what I do. Having the extra income meant that I was able to pay other people to work with me on my film.
The Irish scheme is not without critics. Some question whether the government should be funding artists at a time when other groups are slipping through the cracks. Homelessness in Ireland is currently at a record high. The scheme is also narrow in scope; while 2,000 artists benefitted, many more applied. Universal it is not.
‘With all the shitty things that are happening in the world, to bring people together through culture has never been more important’ says artist Tobias Prytz
Advertisement
But, in an era when artwork is being used to train generative AI without their creators receiving any remuneration, Ireland’s scheme places a value on art and the people who produce it. “It’s so validating,” says O’Donovan.
While artists in the UK can apply for grants to help support their work, state funding for the arts has dried up in recent years. According to official data, local government funding for culture in England fell by 48% between 2009 and 2023. Similar declines were reported in Wales (40%) and Scotland (29%). This despite the arts sector contributing an estimated £10.6bn to the UK economy each year.
Like Ireland, Norway has pioneered its own model for supporting artists. A reboot of the traditional grant-funding concept, the statens kunstnerstipend programme offers a monthly salary to creatives for up to five years.
Advertisement
“It’s awarded to the practitioner rather than tied to a predefined project, and may be freely used for livelihood, exploration and production,” explains Trude Gomnæs Ugelstad, head of the committee for the scheme. “This design recognises that artistic development, like other research, depends on open-ended inquiry, long-time horizons and freedom to pursue directions whose outcomes cannot be fully specified in advance.
The scheme means that I don’t have to worry about money so I have more time to write my play
Artist Tobias Prytz, who creates large-scale installations using timber, is one beneficiary. He receives around 330,000 NOK (£25,600) per year, which is roughly half Norway’s average salary.
“At first I thought ‘who am I to get this money?’,” he says. “But it has given me space to develop as an artist without having to hustle between jobs. I don’t have to compromise my art.
“With all the shitty things that are happening in the world, to bring people together through culture has never been more important,” he says.
Advertisement
With research showing that engaging with culture improves health outcomes, governments have a motive beyond hard economics to support creatives. And while not every basement band will go on to be the next big thing, grassroots artists don’t need to sell out stadiums to enrich the cultural fabric of a nation.
Esther Hammecker’s play was made possible in part by France’s income support scheme for artists
Advertisement
Parisian playwright Esther Hammecker is a case in point. In March, she put on her debut show in La Villette, Paris’s new cultural quarter where the city’s abattoirs used to be located. Her play– Scandaleuse, The Story of Cabaret – explores the lesser-told history of French cabaret, and was made possible in part by France’s income support scheme for artists.
“The idea that many people have of cabaret is influenced by the American vision of it, which is extremely extravagant,” she says. “But traditional French cabaret is basically just someone singing in a bistro while people have their meal. It’s more laid back, which is sort of what we’re going to do.”
Hammecker, who works part-time as an actor in a local theatre, La Scène Parisienne, is enrolled on France’s intermittents du spectacle scheme. The programme is an unemployment insurance scheme that allows performing artists and people in the entertainment industry to receive benefits during quieter periods. To qualify, participants must rack up 507 hours working in the cultural sector over a year.
“I only work at the theatre in the evenings and at weekends, so I have whole days to work on my projects,” she says. “[The scheme] means that I don’t have to worry about money or working other jobs, so I have more time to do my play.”
Advertisement
‘I only work at the theatre in the evenings and at weekends, so I have whole days to work on my projects’ says Parisian playwright Esther Hammecker
The scheme is still “stressful”, she admits. “You need to constantly find a new contract to meet your minimum hours. But it’s a blessing. I’m grateful.”
Advertisement
Given the parlous state of grassroots culture in the UK, and the myriad barriers faced by marginalised artists, there are calls to introduce a similar scheme to Ireland’s over here.
“There are risks,” admits Griffiths. “Will it capture people who are already privileged enough to be artists? Will it just be a Band-Aid when we need real structural change? And why just artists? We all need a safety net.”
“But,” he adds, “I think a basic income for artists is a pure necessity if we’re going to have anything like a thriving culture in this country. It’s vital that artists have the security and safety they need to be artists.”
Photography by Denis Vahey, Robbie Lee and Arne Terje Sæther
Advertisement
Be part of the solution
At Positive News, we’re not chasing clicks or profits for media moguls – we’re here to serve you and have a positive social impact. We can’t do this unless enough people like you choose to support our journalism.
Give once from just £1, or join 1,800+ others who contribute an average of £3 or more per month. Together, we can build a healthier form of media – one that focuses on solutions, progress and possibilities, and empowers people to create positive change.
Princess Kate is widely reported to be a big fan of this type of exercise
It is no secret that the Princess of Wales has a deep passion for sport, and she rarely misses an opportunity to throw herself into a sporting challenge during royal engagements. This is especially true when it involves going up against her equally competitive husband, Prince William.
Advertisement
The couple have even instilled their love of sport in their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, with Kate revealing during a visit to mark Rugby Inclusivity Day that Charlotte has inherited her competitive streak as well.
There is one notably demanding exercise that Kate is reportedly fond of, and given its high-intensity nature, it is likely at least partly responsible for her enviably lean physique. It has been widely reported that Kate is a big fan of CrossFit, a high-intensity interval training programme that combines strength work and conditioning.
Typically, it incorporates a variety of demanding bodyweight exercises alongside strength training using free weights, such as barbells or kettlebells. A session generally begins with the coach outlining all the exercises the class will undertake that day, followed by a warm-up and a skills practice, during which participants are taught the correct techniques required for that day’s training.
This is then followed by the workout itself and a cool-down period – according to CrossFit’s official website, and as reported by the Mirror.
Advertisement
Sport is clearly a significant part of Kate’s lifestyle, with yoga, cycling, daily running and trampolining with her children all reportedly featuring in her regular routine. During her time studying at the University of St Andrews, she also participated in both the hockey and tennis societies.
Her dedication to sport has been equally evident in the patronages she has taken on since becoming a senior royal. In early 2022, Kate assumed the role of patron of both the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Football League – positions previously held by Prince Harry before he stepped away from his duties as a working royal in 2020.
Kate also serves as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, a role she inherited from the late Queen Elizabeth in 2016, which sees her as a familiar presence in the royal box at the annual Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login