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Derek McInnes has finally broken his silence on his exit from Hearts after being appointed as the new Rangers boss

Newly appointed Rangers manager Derek McInnes has conceded that “frustration is justifiable” amongst Hearts supporters, as he finally spoke out about the gut-wrenching title collapse.

The Jambos were tantalisingly close to clinching the Scottish Premiership title on the final day of the campaign, only for two late strikes to hand Martin O’Neill’s side the trophy at Celtic Park.

In the aftermath, Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh and chief executive Jim Gillespie wasted no time in luring McInnes away from Tynecastle, having previously allowed Danny Rohl to depart for RB Salzburg.

The development leaves Hearts in search of a new manager following a turbulent month that has seen the Edinburgh club relinquish their Premiership title challenge, while also losing skipper Lawrence Shankland and now McInnes himself to the Ibrox outfit.

McInnes acknowledged he was “angry and devastated” after Celtic crushed their historic title aspirations, and had kept quiet while “trying to process” the painful blow, reports the Daily Record.

In an open letter to supporters, published via the Hearts Standard, he wrote: “To all connected with Heart of Midlothian. It was an incredible privilege to manage the football club for the last 12 months.”

He continued: “When I was appointed, there was great delight and personal pride in being in such a position, a position that had appealed to me for a long time. It’s such a special football club and we had such a brilliant season together.

“I’m well aware I haven’t spoken since the last game of the season. I totally understand the frustration from fans around the lack of communication, both from myself and the club, considering the manner in which the season ended. The frustration is justifiable.

“I was so angry and devastated at how it all played out for us after putting so much effort in. The decisions that had a huge impact on the outcome were hard to take. Trying to process it all was part of my thinking as to why I didn’t speak.”

McInnes maintains he delivered on several of his objectives during his time as Hearts manager as he offered an emotional goodbye to the club – pointing to the side’s best-ever points haul and securing qualification for the Champions League.

He said: “When I arrived, I said I wanted to make Hearts something. A team that resonated with the supporters and a team that fans were excited to watch on a Saturday, no matter where and when. I believe we achieved that.

“I also wanted to make Tynecastle Park a place fans wanted to come to and a place opposition teams didn’t. I felt Tynecastle was even more special than it normally is and I had that feeling every time I walked out the tunnel and into the home dugout. An unbeaten home record was a brilliant achievement.

“Hearts came so close to completing one of the greatest seasons in the club’s history. Despite how the season ended, it was still hugely successful and memorable. A record points total, Champions League qualification, three derby wins and so many more highs and memories along the way.

“Unfortunately, the team didn’t get what they deserved in the end.

“I want to thank the players and staff. I’ve spoken to every single one of them over the last few days and wish them only well.

“A big thanks to the support I received from the board, particularly Calum Paterson, and also Graeme Jones for a brilliant, strong working relationship.

“I’d also like to thank Clare Cowan for her huge support of me, Alan Archibald, Paul Sheerin and all the players throughout the season. She is as good a member of staff as I’ve ever worked with.

“And, finally, the Heart of Midlothian support. I felt like one of you. The backing you gave me and the team was incredible and helped create something so special. I can’t speak highly enough about the Hearts fans. Thank you.

“I wish I’d got to Hearts sooner and that my time at the club was more than 12 months. It was only a short time, but it was a brilliant time. I wish Hearts only good things going forward.”

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Ministers are calling for urgent meetings with Sir Keir Starmer to urge him to quit to make way for Andy Burnham after his stunning victory at the Makerfield by-election.

Labour MPs are clamouring for a “coronation” for the former Greater Manchester mayor as prime minister to prevent a drawn-out leadership battle that could crush the party’s general election hopes.

Ministers have told The Independent they plan to tell tell Sir Keir he must set out a timetable to leave No 10, with cabinet members, including Yvette Cooper, Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood preparing to repeat their earlier demands that he do so, in the wake of Mr Burnham’s victory.

But a defiant Keir Starmer has refused to step down and made it clear he will fight any leadership contest, calling on the party “to pull together” and “avoid plunging the country into chaos”.

After beating Nigel Farage’s Reform with almost 55 per cent of the vote, Mr Burnham pledged to “lay out a new path for Britain”, prioritising the economy, reindustrialisation and education, at a victory rally where he was buoyed by a cheering crowd of supporters.

He said his landslide victory was “the last chance to save Labour” after the party had slid to record low polling results following its victory in the 2024 general election under Sir Keir’s leadership.

Mr Burnham promised an end to “trickle-down” economics and an “unfair” immigration system and vowed to push for the reindustrialisation of Britain’s cities, use public procurement to boost British businesses and bring in work placements for all 16 to18-year-olds.

He said that people “did not give me a blank cheque”, adding: “We need an economy that works for everybody, not a few for people in far flung places. It is about time we backed British business and industry.”

But Sir Keir was clear that he is going nowhere without having his hand forced and still plans to fight a leadership election.

He said: “Let’s pull together as a party and a movement. The one thing we’ve got to avoid doing is plunging our party and our country into chaos by turning on each other and tearing apart our party and our movement. That has never worked. That’s what the last government did. We need to learn that lesson.”

Even though internal Labour polling in Makerfield suggested that the prospect of Mr Burnham replacing Sir Keir was the top reason people were voting for him, Sir Keir tried to take credit for Reform being “on the run”.

Meanwhile, ministers have confirmed they will tell Sir Keir that he needs to quit, while previous loyalists are also said to be considering interventions. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander had a conversation with Sir Keir on Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, deputy leader Lucy Powell and culture secretary Lisa Nandy are already seen as part of “team Burnham”.

Former cabinet minister Louise Haigh, a key lieutenant for Mr Burnham, has also called for him to go. “People in Makerfield have shown that they don’t want Reform they want a changed Labour, they want hope and optimism,” she added.

There are also expected to be representations made to former health secretary Wes Streeting to cut a deal with Mr Burnham, instead of pushing his own planned leadership bid.

The size of Mr Burnham’s victory margin, by 10,000 votes in Makerfield, has put to bed talk of the need for a Labour leadership contest in the minds of many Labour MPs and figures who are now calling for a “coronation” of the so-called “King of the North”.

Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said: “There definitely needs to be a coronation now. But more important is that we consider Labour Party democracy and reestablishing broad church in the party and ending factionalism.”

Karl Turner, who has been suspended from Labour for opposing plans to scrap the right to a jury trial but is expected to be brought back by Mr Burnham, said: “Keir Starmer just isn’t up to it. There needs to be a coronation.”

Labour MP Alex Sobel said: “Andy Burnham has proven his credentials in putting forward a Labour vision voters can rally around, the prime minister must think about what is best for the country and that is now clearly for an orderly transition of power to allow Labour members to elect a new leader.”

A Labour MP on the right of the party who had planned to be part of a different candidate’s leadership team, conceded: “I think a coronation is looking very likely now but I am not sure what it will look like.”

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell was in tears on LBC listening to Mr Burnham’s victory speech. He said: “Keir [Starmer] has to recognise that it is time to move on. Let’s plan it properly, let’s not divide the party, let’s try and do it with a bit of dignity and what we describe in the party as comradeship.”

Another MP told The Independent: “It has been over for Keir for some time now we need to make a change with a minimum of fuss. Andy’s win and the margin makes it inevitable that he becomes leader now.”

Another said: “Wes [Streeting] should just cut a deal with Burnham so we don’t have to have a long drawn out contest and get on with governing.”

Tony Blair’s former director of communication Alastair Campbell added: “These are not normal times and this was not a normal by-election. Pressure on Keir Starmer grows because MPs see in Burnham the possibility of stopping Reform and reversing sense of pessimism. A 23 per cent swing since May locals, and the biggest by-election turnout differential since 1958! Not to be sniffed at. Boldness has been rewarded.”

Meanwhile, trade union leaders, some of Labour biggest backers, have also pushed for a speedy change. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The win for Andy Burnham in Makerfield is a glimmer of hope but it must not be taken as a business as usual mandate.

“It is clear that there now needs to be an orderly timetable for a leadership election and Keir Starmer must do the right thing and step down.”

FBU general secretary Steve Wright added: “Andy now has a mandate to take on Farage and break with austerity by embracing policies to tax the super rich to properly fund public services and pay workers.”

Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.   

UFC’s fight card at the White House delivered a record-breaking viewership to Paramount+, according to the streaming platform, with 17 million viewers tuning in. However, this was 117m short of Dana White’s prediction of “Super Bowl-type numbers”.

On Sunday, an unprecedented event took place on the South Lawn, as seven UFC fights played out to celebrate 250 years of the United States, as well as the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump.

Trump sat cageside with UFC chief White, a good friend of his, as the night ended with Justin Gaethje securing an upset stoppage win over Ilia Topuria to become lightweight champion. In the co-main event, Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira to win the interim heavyweight title, although the finish was controversial due to Gane’s allegedly illegal strikes.

In fact, all seven bouts ended with stoppages, as American star Sean O’Malley joined compatriots Josh Hokit and Bo Nickal in picking up victories – although Hokit and Nickal’s wins came at the expense of other US fighters.

Regardless, the event was a success for Paramount+, which was the exclusive broadcaster of the fights in the US and Latin America. While the platform is yet to announce its viewership figures for other territories, 17m viewers watched in the US and Latin America, making it Paramount+’s most-watched exclusive live event ever. The number does not include any delayed viewership, or any viewership where more than one person watched on an account.

However, White had bullishly predicted Super Bowl-level viewing figures. And with this goal in mind, the White House fights drastically underperformed, coming in with 117m viewers less than the 124.9m US average for February’s Super Bowl LX, which aired on NBC.

In January, Paramount+ took over as the UFC’s main broadcast partner, as the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion moved from a pay-per-view model to a subscriber-based one.

“Since the beginning of the year, 16m subscriber households have watched more than 180m hours of UFC programming on Paramount+,” read a press release on Thursday, “delivering viewership more than 20x the average pay-per-view event over the past two years.

“The inaugural numbered event, UFC 324 on 24 January, broke the record at the time for the largest exclusive live event on Paramount+ with 5m average viewers and 7m households in the US and Latin America, according to Adobe Analytics.” Nielsen was also used to verify figures.

“UFC Freedom 250 [at the White House] was the 6th marquee event in a seven-year deal between UFC and Paramount+ that includes 13 Numbered Events and 30 Fight Nights in the US and Latin America for 2026, with select offerings in Australia. UFC and Paramount+ also recently announced the expansion of UFC Numbered Event Main Card rights to Canada beginning in 2027.”

Craig Fox, 43, Daniel Whitcombe, 38, and Kieran Watson, 23, were all involved in a brawl outside a pub in Chester city centre on Saturday May 9.

All three were sent back across the Pennines to their homes with court bills totalling hundreds of pounds each.

all pleaded guilty to using threatening or abusive bheaviour with intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence.

Fox of Marlborough Drive in Tadcaster, Whitcombe, of Pottery Lane, York and Watson, of St Stephens Square, Acomb, all pleaded guilty to using threatening or abusive behaviour with intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence..

Prosecutor Craig Welsby told the court CCTV footage showed Fox throwing punches at a member of the public before eventually grappling him to the ground.

There, Mr Welsby said, he landed more punches on the unknown victim’s head before they were able to stand and walk away.

Both Watson and Whitcombe threw one punch each to the face of the victim but with little impact.

The incident took place outside the Old Queens Head pub in Watergate Street.

Mr Welsby said their actions were aggravated because it was group activity.

Chris Hunt, defending all three men, said that neither he nor his clients had seen the CCTV footage because ‘Cheshire Police haven’t bothered to interview them’.

He said: “They’re from the York area who are builders and came to the city for a stag night.

“It appears that Watson, who was the youngest in the group, was attacked by the member of the public and Mr Fox jumped in to help.

“With no disrespect to Mr Fox, the victim got up without issue so he couldn’t have hurt him too much.

“They were fighting on the street and as they are aware, growing up in a Roman town where tourists are welcomed, it is frowned upon.”

When it was raised that one punch incidents are dangerous, Mr Hunt added they were lucky it was not more serious.

However, Mr Welsby told the court he felt Mr Hunt ‘had introduced new facts that could lead to a Newton hearing where the CCTV could be played’.

But Mr Hunt rebuffed this to state it was mitigation and the magistrates were also not convinced that it made ‘any material difference’.

After a small period of adjournment to consider their options, magistrates return to fine each defendant in turn.

Fox, as the lead offender, was fined £769 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £308 while Watson was fined Watson £350 with a surcharge of £140.

Whitcombe was fined £400 with a £160 surcharge and all three men will pay £85 in prosecution costs.  

The man, who was in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene

A man has died after a motorbike left a Cambridge road. Emergency services were called to a crash along the A603 Barton Road in Cambridge just before 8.30am on Thursday (June 18).

The crash involved one vehicle, a red Triumph motorbike, which left the road at around 8.25am. The rider of the bike, a man in his 30s from Papworth Everard, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cambridgeshire Police is appealing for information into the crash. Anyone with information should call police on 101 or contact them online and quote Operation Lawford.

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