North Yorkshire Police has released a CCTV image of a woman they believe could be a key witness in a sexual assault investigation in York earlier this year.

It happened late on Sunday May 31 and into the early hours of Monday, June 1 in Popworld.

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A spokesperson for the force said: “The victim, a woman aged in her 20s, reported being sexually assaulted by a man. A further incident then occurred inside the female toilets at the Popworld nightclub on George Hudson Street.”

A 28-year-old man was arrested in connection with the investigation, but was released on conditional bail while police enquiries continue.

The police added that the woman in the CCTV image is believed to have supported the victim inside the toilets and said that if this is you or you know where we can find her, please get in touch as soon as possible.

If you can help, email Peter.Maw@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 and ask for Peter Maw.

Please quote reference 12260102187 when providing information

Prince Harry is said to be in talks to make a documentary about his late mother, Princess Diana, to mark the 30th anniversary of her death next year

Prince Harry is said to be in talks to create a documentary centred on his late mum, Princess Diana.

The Duke of Sussex is believed to be eager to commemorate the 30th anniversary of her passing next year by celebrating her legacy “in the most meaningful way”, The Telegraph reports. It’s understood that Harry has already reached out to pals and family members of his mother, including Earl Spencer, inviting them to take part in the documentary.

Yet, Diana’s brother revealed in his new memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, that he chose to write a book instead of becoming a “talking head” in one of the upcoming documentaries about his sister. He expressed concerns they would pursue a “flawed” agenda.

The book makes several claims, among them that King Charles remarked “we’ll forget her soon enough” after Diana’s death, the Daily Star reports.

A source close to the Duke informed The Telegraph: “The Duke has discussed a number of possible projects to mark the 30th anniversary of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales’s passing. Nothing has been finalised or confirmed, and he is still considering the most meaningful way to honour her legacy during this important anniversary year.”

The publication suggests that any such venture would be created by the Sussexes’ production company, Archewell Productions, and would most probably be picked up by Netflix, which maintains a “first look” agreement with the firm. The 62 year old Earl informed The Telegraph that Diana’s narrative warranted being presented “honestly, however uncomfortable for others”.

He remarked: “I was an eyewitness to history, and where the truth is difficult, I haven’t shied away from it.

“I did not consult any members of my family about the content of the book, as I did not want to implicate them in my authorial decisions, or to be constrained by them. I hope readers will see the book for what it is: an honest account.”

This development emerges as the Duke of Sussex became visibly emotional this evening at the WellChild awards. Harry was moved to tears while publicly recognising their contributions during an address at the conclusion of the ceremony, which celebrated youngsters thriving despite challenging medical conditions.

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The occasion represents one of the standout moments in the duke’s annual public engagements, and he relished meeting award recipients prior to the presentation, autographing a Funko Pop Prince Harry figurine and receiving numerous presents, including housewarming tokens commemorating his homecoming to Britain.

During his address to recipients, their relatives and several WellChild nurses, Harry grew tearful after stating: “To all the mums and dads – most of us will never truly know the emotional ups and downs of your day.”

He became emotional during his 2019 WellChild address when presenter Gaby Roslin stepped in to comfort him, and six years on she once again supported the duke after he remarked “It’s happening again”, then quipped as she grasped his arm “that doesn’t help, that makes it worse”. The duke concluded his message to parents: “But I sincerely hope that you take strength from nights like this.

“And while we may not know the detail of your day, in this room and beyond, we recognise the commitment of your care and all that comes with it.”

Harry has served as patron of WellChild – the national charity for seriously ill children and their families – since 2007 and is a regular attendee at the awards ceremony.

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In case you missed it, Rachel Cusk’s new novel Life of M has been the centre of heated online debate. Dubbed a “biogossip” (biography based on gossip) allegedly inspired by the actress Natalie Portman, the novel investigates fame, power and truth with a particular emphasis on storytelling.

Much of the discussion of the book revolves around the similarities between Portman’s real life rather than how Cusk explores her chosen themes. In a recent article for The Guardian, journalist Elle Hunt provides a handy list of must-know information for those wishing to read the novel but may be unsure of all the details. The biogossip argument is certainly plausible. For instance, references to Léon: The Professional (1994) and Black Swan (2010) are easy enough to pick up if you are aware of Portman’s filmography. At the conclusion, Hunt asks whether more gossip in literature could solve the crisis of people reading less than ever.

It is interesting to consider whether easy-to-spot references to public figures are the key to drawing new readers in. However, asking for more gossip may be addressing the symptoms rather than the cause and ignores the fact that gossip has always existed in literature, and to a far greater extent than you might think.

Since the birth of the modern novel, scandalous discourse has permeated stories in complex and exciting ways. The genre of the biogossip has existed since the 1600s, with French writer Madeleine de Scudéry credited with writing the first roman à clef (French for “novel with a key”). Stories within this genre satirise current affairs, placing real figures behind thinly veiled character disguises.

These books were a way of discussing controversial topics and sharing insider knowledge while avoiding charges of libel. Take de Scudéry’s novel Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus (co-written with her brother Georges) discusses major figures associated with The Fronde (1648 to 1653), a series of uprisings against the regency government of Queen Anne of Austria and her chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin. Using ancient Persia as a veil for 17th-century French court dynamics, de Scudéry contributed her tuppence-worth via the ten volume novel.

But liking gossip and being a good gossiper goes much further when it comes to reading.

Consider the last time you had a really good gossip session with a close friend, going over an incident in excruciating detail. It feels like a simple thing to engage with when, in reality, complex social processes are occurring simultaneously.

Gossip relies on individuals holding knowledge about a social network, and the quality of the conversation is dependent on the extent to which participants engage with the information being evaluated. It is expected that you offer an opinion, which not only contributes to the communal knowledge pot but is also a demonstration of a your morals, perceptions and assumptions. We are not always conscious of this happening, but we usually walk away from a conversation with a better understanding of other people and ourselves – how we react to certain behaviours, actions and motivations.

The same process can be applied to literature. Regardless of genre or era, novels naturally rely on characters interacting with their fictional contexts, including social networks. The intimacies and power dynamics navigated through a novel can be decoded by using the same skills we exercise when we gossip.

Every conversation a reader is privy to in a novel is essential to the practice, as it is the author providing breadcrumbs that lead to deeper character insights. Their reactions and responses inform our understanding of what the novel is trying to do. By engaging with the text in the same way we gossip, it unlocks a channel through which classics and other supposedly inaccessible texts can be understood.

Take, for example, the first page of Pride and Prejudice. Austen deploys gossip to illustrate the Bennett parents’ attitude to marriage: Mrs Bennett has heard from Mrs Long that Netherfield is to be occupied by a young eligble man, which only excites the local mothers. Mr Bennett remains unmoved, he’s even disparaging of the prospect of one of his girls marrying the handsome, single, rich landowner. Mrs Bennett’s desperation to get her girls married versus her husband’s lax attitude hints at the forthcoming conflicts of the novel. Eagle-eyed readers can notice this and unlock how Austen is satirising marriage culture from the opening lines.

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Jane Austen’s world ran on gossip – and she revelled in it

The same can be applied to Shakespeare plays. Much Ado About Nothing is in essence a series of carefully constructed gossip that relies on the subject of conversation to be within earshot and so generating the plot and moments of character development.

The play’s subplot involves Don Pedro, Ursula and Hero playing matchmakers for Benedick and Beatrice. Don Pedro’s gang carefully arrange a conversation in which Benedick overhears them gossiping about Beatrice’s unrelenting affection for him. Likewise, Ursula and Hero ensure Beatrice is present for their gossip about Benedick’s affections for her. The result? They confess their love for each other and the subplot is resolved – all thanks to the power of gossip.

So, what does that mean for readers? It is generally understood that fictional stories are excellent ways to wrestle with what it means to be human and all the messy parts that go with it. By reading as a gossip, we specifically practice the identification of behavioural signs and patterns and can apply the knowledge to future scenarios, both fictional and non-fictional.

In the process of gossip, we become better at reading social situations because we have an insight into the potential subtexts of any given conversation. It also makes reading more enjoyable and helps illuminate the similarities between someone from the 18th century and us in the present. It unveils the persistence of humanity’s problems, from awkward interactions to first loves, and helps us realise that we are not alone in our experiences.

I invite you to pick up a book and keep an eye out for any gossip – you might just find out something new.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

Townsend, who won 13 caps for England, said that he did think it was strange to see two rollers either side of the pitch during the warm-up.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’ve never seen that before in my career, what are they doing?’ But we got called to warm-up. Didn’t think anything of it,” he said.

“The next I saw him was when I was literally underneath him and thankfully no serious damage. A couple of bumps and bruises but managed to walk away unscathed, luckily.”

Townsend, who has had numerous setbacks with injuries during his career, said the roller incident was “definitley not going to stop me from continuing”.

“They (his team-mates) were very surprised that I continued the warm-up. They were telling me to go to the doctor,” he said.

“It was quite heavy, but I was able to kind of lift [it], force it off me. So when it was completely on me, I was getting crushed a little bit.

“I was able to get my left arm up and relieve some of the pressure, and then I was able to get my team-mates around me who were able to lift it, and I was able to squeeze out but at that moment where it was crushing my left leg, it was quite terrifying, I must say.”

Townsend was concerned his ankle and left knee, which have both been operated on, would be damaged in the incident.

He said: “I thought, either my left ankle was going to snap or my left knee is going to snap. I thought I was done. I was very fortunate that I was able to hobble away and recover within a few minutes.”

The midfielder made light of the incident on Instagram, referencing one of his recent posts in which he compared a sun-drenched Thai away trip with previous visits to Stoke’s Bet365 Stadium.

He wrote: “It turns out Stoke away wasn’t so bad after all.”

Scarborough Spa, for decades the scene of upheavals during political and union conferences, will host the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) annual conference this autumn.

Almost four decades ago, the SDP’s conference at the Spa was interrupted by a bomb scare, forcing attendees outside and then leader Dr David Owen to deliver his speech on a makeshift loudspeaker on the steps of the venue.

This year, the party’s conference will be held at Scarborough Spa on Halloween, Saturday, October 31.

8 March, 1989. Police activity centred on the Spa conference hall at Scarborough, the venue for a Conservative conference. Newsquest. (Image: Newsquest)

The SDP is at a “critical point in its history”, according to an official involved in organising the conference because the party’s previous leader recently stepped down and the conference will include a candidate hustings.

Scarborough has a rich history of hosting major British political party conferences at the Spa.

In 1989, police suspected that the IRA was planning to assassinate the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, at a Conservative Party Central Council meeting in Scarborough.

17 March, 1989. On the roof of the Spa building, police checked for explosives in the wake of the discovery of an IRA hit-list against prominent Conservative Party officials. Newsquest. (Image: Newsquest.)

Just days before Mrs Thatcher was due to deliver a major speech at the historic venue, a cache of weapons, ammunition, and Semtex explosives was discovered in a nearby forest outside the resort.

These “may have been for use in an attack on a Conservative Party conference which begins on March 17”, The Press in York reported at the time.

“A Brighton-bomb style attack on St Patrick’s Day would have been sweet revenge for the IRA after recent humiliations,” the newspaper said.

8 March, 1989. Tight security on the approach to The Spa at Scarborough, as this policeman carries out a check on a district council vehicle. Newsquest. (Image: Newsquest.)

Photographs from the event show a heavy police presence centred on the Spa conference hall, including roadblocks and police on the roof of the building checking for explosives “in the wake of the discovery of an IRA hit list against prominent party officials”.

Other notable party political conferences held at the Spa include Labour’s conferences in 1954, 1960, 1963, 1967, and Conservative Party conferences in 1952 and a Young Conservative conference in 1987.

The SDP was founded in 1981, and in 1988 most members of the SDP acceded to a merger with the Liberal Party to form what is now called the Liberal Democratic Party. The current Social Democratic Party was founded in 1990.

Prince Harry is considering making a documentary about his mother Diana to mark the 30th anniversary of her death next year.

The Duke of Sussex has reportedly approached a number of his late mother’s friends and relatives about taking part in a potential film, including her brother Earl Spencer.

But the project is yet to be confirmed, with Harry understood to be weighing up different ways of commemorating Diana and her legacy ahead of the anniversary in August 2027.

A source told The Telegraph: ‘The Duke has discussed a number of possible projects to mark the 30th anniversary of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales‘s passing.

‘Nothing has been finalised or confirmed, and he is still considering the most meaningful way to honour her legacy during this important anniversary year.’

The documentary would potentially be made through Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions, which has a multi-year first-look agreement with Netflix covering its film and television projects.

The prospect of Harry producing his own film about Diana comes at a particularly sensitive time for the Royal Family, with his uncle’s new memoir about the Princess also dominating headlines.

The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a welcome ceremony in Toronto at the beginning of their Canadian tour in October 1991

The Duke of Sussex has reportedly approached a number of his late mother’s friends and relatives about taking part in a potential film, including her brother Earl Spencer 

Earl Spencer’s Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is being published this week and contains a series of deeply personal recollections about his sister and her life within the Royal Family.

The Earl, 62, has said he wanted to tell his own account rather than simply appear as an interviewee in another production about Diana.

He claimed a furious Prince Charles told him days after Princess Diana’s death, ‘rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough’.

The Palace then issued an extraordinary statement that said: ‘While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.’

The argument followed the decision, opposed by Diana’s brother the Earl, that Prince William and Prince Harry, then aged 15 and 12, would walk in their mother’s funeral procession.

The Earl says he insisted to the then Prince of Wales that Diana would not have wanted her young sons to endure such a public ordeal.

The timing means Harry’s proposed project could put him at the centre of a new wave of documentaries and books about Diana as the anniversary approaches.

The Palace has been approached for comment.  

The Duke and his brother Prince William previously joined forces to remember their mother in the 2017 BBC documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, produced to mark the 20th anniversary of her death.

That collaboration now appears unlikely to be repeated, following the brothers’ well-documented estrangement.

A source recently told the Mail: ‘William is back at the point where if you mention Prince Harry in his presence he would throw you out of the room. He’s doubling down.’ 

From left, the Earl, Prince William, Prince Harry and Charles at Diana’s funeral on September 6, 1997

Charles Spencer, the ninth Earl Spencer, delivers his famously defiant eulogy at his sister’s funeral

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Princess Diana and Prince Harry in Hyde Park for an event

Harry’s potential involvement in a new Diana documentary was reported as he made his third public appearance since returning to Britain, attending the WellChild Awards in central London on Monday evening.

The Duke was met by a barrage of questions about his family as he arrived at the Royal Lancaster Hotel but did not respond.

His appearance came just days after excerpts from Earl Spencer’s memoir began making headlines, including claims about King Charles’s reaction following Diana’s death. 

Spencer has defended his account, telling the BBC that he was ‘telling the truth’ and insisting that the words he attributes to the then Prince of Wales were exactly what he heard.

Harry’s own appearance at WellChild was focused on the children and families being honoured at the annual awards.

The Duke said there was ‘not a dry eye in the house’ at the ceremony, which celebrates children living with complex medical needs and those who care for them.

‘To all the mums and dads – most of us will never truly know the emotional ups and downs of your day,’ he added. 

‘But I sincerely hope that you take strength from nights like this. And while we may not know the detail of your day, in this room and beyond, we recognise the commitment of your care and all that comes with it.’

Regardless of any ‘hurt feelings shared between Harry and William, the brothers are said to have made a lifelong pledge – to honour their late mother, Princess Diana, together

The Earl, Diana and Charles at the Earl’s 21st birthday party in 1985 at the Mirabelle restaurant in London

Harry’s return to the UK is said to have prompted speculation that they may, at some stage, reunite

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WellChild has been one of Harry’s long-standing charitable commitments, with the Duke remaining patron of the charity after stepping back as a working royal. 

The organisation confirmed ahead of the event that he would attend its 2026 awards in London.

The potential Diana documentary would come almost three decades after the Princess was killed in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, aged 36.

Harry was just 12 years old when his mother died, while William was 15.

Ke Huy Quan has opened up about working on the Indiana Jones set with Harrison Ford when he was just 12 years old – and his eye-popping first residuals check, in his new memoir.

The 55-year-old actor detailed playing the role of Short Round in Steven Spielberg‘s 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in his book Never Say Die, published September 15.

He revealed the director used to use him to cheer up Ford, now 84, during long shoot days.

‘I found out that whenever [Ford] was in a bad mood, Steven would tell someone, “Send Ke over.” I had no idea any of that was happening. I just knew that whenever I walked up, Harrison softened a little or said, “Hey, kid,” in that warm way he had,’ he penned, per People.

Quan said that while filming, he didn’t consider how the long days affected Ford.

Elsewhere in his book, the Oscar-winning star recalled receiving his first residuals check in the amount of nearly $100,000 when he was a teenager. 

The actor detailed playing the role of Short Round in Steven Spielberg’s 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in his book Never Say Die; pictured with co-star Kate Capshaw

‘One afternoon, I walked into the kitchen and found my parents standing together at the table,’ Quan wrote. ‘Mom was holding an envelope with my name printed across it. Dad had the papers that had been inside.’

He went on, ‘They were both smiling, the kind of smile that comes from surprise and disbelief mixed together. They handed everything to me. It was a check from Lucasfilm. It was for almost $100,000, an amount that didn’t make any sense to me.’ 

Unfamiliar with the concept of residual payments, he added that he ‘didn’t understand how more money could suddenly appear’ after he was already compensated.

He described the residuals clause in his contract as ‘a quiet gesture’ from Spielberg and producer/co-writer George Lucas.

While filming the adventure/action movie, Harrison appeared ‘unshakable’ to Quan, he explained.

In retrospect, he said he realized ‘those long days could wear [Ford] down too.’

‘I didn’t think of it as cheering him up,’ he reflected. ‘I just liked being near him, and he made me feel like he liked having me around too.’

The author said his bond with Ford, then 40, was akin to ‘tagging along with an older brother.’

‘[Ford] made all of it look simple, like being Indiana Jones wasn’t something he had to act. It was just who he was,’ Quan wrote in his memoir about the actor’s professionalism.

Beyond their work days, the younger star said Ford was equally personable off camera, teaching him to swim in their hotel pool.

Quan’s memoir was published on September 15

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The former co-stars pictured in June 2023

‘Harrison didn’t push or hurry me. He just kept talking me through it, letting me try a little more each time,’ he shared with readers.

‘I focused on his voice, on the way he didn’t seem worried at all. If he wasn’t scared, maybe I didn’t have to be either.’

In August, Ford made a surprise virtual appearance at the D23 convention in Anaheim, California.

He revealed that he is closely involved in a new Indiana Jones ride headed to Tropical Americas land at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.

‘I’m pleased to share that for the first time ever, I’m the actual model of the Indiana Jones animatronic,’ he announced in a video that was also shared on Instagram. ‘I’m excited to see his next adventure, and I’m coming to Walt Disney World soon.’

Ford has starred in multiple Disney-owned movie franchises, but has previously never been seen in a Disney attraction.

The attraction, called Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, is situated inside a Mayan temple, where park goers will experience the immersive underworld.

Verrills Fish Shop on Hartlepool High Street is closed after a fire broke out on Wednesday, September 16.

Cleveland Fire Brigade sent four fire engines after smoke was reported coming from the building at 10am.

Verrills’ owners thanked the community and confirmed that nobody was seriously injured.

The Facebook post read: “We would just like to start by saying a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send us kind messages and check in following the fire at the fish shop.

“Thankfully, everyone is safe and, most importantly, no one has been seriously hurt.

“We are incredibly grateful for that.

“The fire was absolutely nobody’s fault, and we are now working around the clock to get everything sorted and hopefully reopen as soon as we possibly can.

“Unfortunately, a lot of this is out of our hands at the moment, but we are doing everything we can.”

The owners hope to reopen soon and will keep customers updated.

The owners also praised the emergency crews who attended.

The owners said: “We also want to say a massive thank you to Cleveland Fire Brigade for attending, helping us through such a frightening situation and making sure the property was safe and that the fire was completely out.

“We truly appreciate everything you did.”

Crews from Hartlepool, Billingham and Stockton stayed at the scene for just over an hour.

A Cleveland Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Cleveland Fire Brigade was called on Wednesday, September 16, at 10am to an incident at Verrills Fish Shop.

“Four fire appliances attended from Hartlepool, Billingham and Stockton.

“The stop call was received at 11.05am.

“20% fire damage to whole building. 60% smoke damage.

“The cause is believed to be accidental.”

The owners also hit back at negative online comments.

The owners said: “Finally, we would just like to address the negative and inappropriate comments that have been made.

“Behind this business are real people, a family and a home.

“This is our livelihood and something we have worked incredibly hard for, and having something like this happen is devastating enough without having hurtful comments made about it.”

The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.

Verrills previously reopened after fire and smoke damage on April 24, 2023, following a two-week closure.

Andy Burnham’s call for a codified UK constitution has revived debate about how the UK is governed. It would be a huge departure for the UK, and a major undertaking. But beyond its historic significance, there is another question: how do you make sure the population understands what the constitution does and who it’s for?

A constitution sets out the rules for how a country is governed; who holds political power, what limits that power and the relationship between parliament, government and the courts. Countries such as the US and Germany have a single constitutional document.

But in the UK, the rules and principles have developed over centuries. These include parliamentary sovereignty, rule of law, judicial independence and devolution, which determine who holds power and how it is controlled. These rules are not in one document but come from different sources over the years, including acts of parliament, court decisions and constitutional practices. This is why those in favour of changing this often call for a “written” constitution – though it’s more accurate to say that it is “uncodified”. However, putting such complex principles into a single document would not in itself make them easier to understand.

Supporters of a codified constitution argue that it could make the rules clearer and strengthen accountability. For the prime minister, it could also provide an opportunity to clarify where power lies as more of it is devolved across the UK, setting out more clearly the powers held by central government and those exercised by devolved governments and local authorities. Critics point to the flexibility of the current system, which allows the UK constitution to change over time without amending a single document.

Public understanding matters. People cannot take part in meaningful debate about constitutional reform if they do not understand the complex ideas they are being asked to consider.

The challenge of a written constitution

My ongoing research examines what happens when constitutional ideas move from specialist legal settings into public debate. Brexit is a clear example of this.

Constitutional ideas do not move unchanged from legal doctrine into everyday political discussion. They must be explained in ways that make sense outside courts, universities and parliament. The language used shapes how those ideas are understood.

For example, back in the late 19th century, a book on the UK constitution set out what became the traditional principle that parliament has the authority to make or unmake any law, and that this authority cannot be challenged in court. This was the principle of parliamentary sovereignty. Before the 2016 EU referendum (more commonly known as Brexit), it was a concept only really discussed by constitutional lawyers, academics, judges and politicians.

But with the referendum debate came the phrase “take back control”. It showed how language can shape the meaning of a constitutional idea in public debate. These three easily repeatable words helped to communicate a complicated set of constitutional relationships. Sovereignty became part of a simpler story: control had been lost and could be taken back.

Making complex constitutional ideas easier to understand does not mean getting them wrong. Few people can be expected to study centuries of constitutional law before taking part in something like the EU referendum. But the words used to explain those ideas matter: they can shape public understanding and democratic engagement.

Explaining these ideas means making choices. Some issues will receive more attention than others. For example, questions about where political power should lie may be emphasised over questions about how that power should be controlled. Abstract ideas such as parliamentary sovereignty need examples. Complex relationships between institutions, such as parliament and the courts, also need to be explained in language that makes sense outside legal and political circles.

Different political voices present the choices differently. Burnham links a written constitution to devolution and where power lies, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey proposes it to protect fundamental rights.

This is why communication matters. Public debate does more than pass legal knowledge from experts to the wider population. The way constitutional principles are explained can affect what those principles come to mean in public debate.

None of this is an argument for or against the UK having a written constitution. But there is a question over whether an uncodified constitution necessarily provides fewer protections than a codified one. In my published work, co-authored with constitutional law expert John McGarry, we found that an uncodified constitution can still provide important protections for constitutional rights and values.

The choice is not simply between constitutional protection and no protection. The UK system already provides some protections associated with a written constitution, while also allowing the constitution to change over time.

Burnham’s proposal brings us back to the question at the heart of this debate. Before asking the public whether the UK needs a written constitution, we may first need to get better at explaining the constitution that we already have.

Macauley Thomas, 28, attacked his prgenant former partner in a terrifying incident at her home

A man strangled his pregnant former girlfriend in front of her children, a court has heard. Jealous Macauley Thomas entered his pregnant ex-partner’s home and asked her young son: “Where the f*** is you mother? I’ll f****** kill her.”

Thomas, 28, separated from the victim after six weeks as a result of his jealousy and paranoia that she had been unfaithful to him, which caused arguments where defendant would scream and shout at her, reports WalesOnline.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Wednesday heard the victim, who was pregnant, was at her home in Caerphilly borough with her five children when she received a text from Thomas, who said: “I’ll come and batter you now, watch.”

The victim heard the defendant enter her kitchen before he shouted at her son: “Where the f*** is your mother? I’ll f****** kill her”.

He ran upstairs to her bedroom and demanded to see the victim’s phone but she refused. Thomas then straddled the victim on the bed and gripped her throat with both of his hands until she couldn’t breathe.

Prosecutor Elin Morgan said the victim’s children were crying and her son threatened to call the police, which led to Thomas stopping his attack.

The victim grabbed her children and went to a neighbour’s home for refuge and the defendant ran away.

As a result of the assault the victim suffered bruising and red marks to her neck.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by Ms Morgan the victim said: “I was in a relationship with Thomas for a month at the end of 2025. Everything seemed like it was going well initially but cracks started to show. I ended the relationship as I know how toxic people can get when they don’t get what they want, and to safeguard myself and my children.

“He’s done nothing but make my life hell. When I found out he was remanded I did not realise how much of a relief I felt and I slept all night as I felt safe for the first time and not on guard. I still didn’t sleep as well and was constantly trying to process what happened to me in a short period of time.

“I was so stressed during the investigation and my blood pressure has gone through the roof. When I go out, even to the shops, I am constantly on edge and take my friend everywhere with me as a bit of security…

“That day will never leave my mind, hearing my children crying and hearing their voices as they bravely called for help. It was something they should never have had to witness.

“Thomas does not care about the consequences of his actions and will do what he likes. As long as he’s happy he will not care about the pain and fear he puts other people through.”

Ms Morgan said Thomas was also to be dealt with for a series of driving and drug offences.

On September 4, 2025, police stopped a BMW in Newport at 2.50am, which was driven by the defendant. Officers described an “overpowering” smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle and the driver appeared to be under the influence.

Thomas tested positive for cannabis and gave a sample of blood which contained 5.6 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of blood with the legal limit being two micrograms. He was also found to be driving while uninsured.

On October 6, 2025, the defendant was found asleep at the wheel of a Ford Focus by police following reports the vehicle had collided with a barrier. He appeared unsteady on his feet with slurred speech but he refused to provide a sample of blood to be tested.

How to access free domestic and sexual abuse helplines in Wales

On December 18, 2025, Thomas was driving at speed through Bargoed when he was pulled over by police and found to be driving while disqualified. He was also found in possession of four pots of green matter which was discovered to be 12g of cannabis as well as £500 in counterfeit £20 notes.

On January 21 this year the defendant was a passenger in a Vauxhall Astra which was stopped by police on the eastbound carriageway of the A465. He identified himself as “James Wilkins” but facial recognition software identified him as Macauley Thomas, who was the subject of a warrant.

The defendant attempted to throw an item back into the car, which was found to be 1.2g of cannabis.

Thomas, of Lewis Crescent, Gilfach, Caerphilly, later pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, drug-driving, possession of cannabis, possession of counterfeit money, driving while disqualified, driving while uninsured, and failing to provide a specimen.

The court heard he has eight previous convictions.

In mitigation Charles Archer said his client had been going through a period of difficulty in his life due to substance misuse, mental health issues, and homelessness, having spent a period living in his car.

The barrister said the defendant had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to a background of trauma.

Recorder Simon Stephenson sentenced Thomas to a total of 34 months imprisonment.

The defendant was also made subject to a restraining order for five years and disqualified from driving for four years and five months.