Andoni Iraola has been appointed Liverpool head coach as they brought a swift conclusion to their search for a successor to the sacked Arne Slot.

The 43-year-old Spaniard, who has signed a two-year deal at Anfield, became Liverpool’s first choice after they decided he met their demand for a manager who played a more attacking, high-tempo and aggressive style of play.

Liverpool were attracted by the former Bournemouth manager’s ability to overachieve relative to resources and to improve players, while they were looking for a head coach with a proven track record in the Premier League and a clear footballing identity.

Slot was dismissed on Saturday and Liverpool soon alighted on Iraola as their preferred candidate. They began in-person talks on Tuesday, reaching a verbal agreement later that day. The Basque has only agreed a deal until 2028, but it is in keeping with the contracts he signed at his previous clubs.

“I’m really excited, really excited,” Iraola told Liverpool’s official website. “Because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it’s a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world.

“But feeling inside and understanding a little bit more of this club, I always thought it’s a special club. You don’t need a lot of things to get attracted by Liverpool. Liverpool is Liverpool.

“But obviously the atmosphere, the supporters, the club, the players, the chance for me to coach top-level players, the chance to fight for titles. I think it cannot be more attractive than this. It’s difficult to find it. So, really excited to start.”

Iraola had become one of the most in-demand managers in the summer market and Liverpool saw off interest from AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace, realising when they spoke him that his first and only choice was to go to Anfield.

Liverpool had also considered Sebastian Hoeness of VfB Stuttgart and Pierre Sage of Lens but soon concluded that Iraola was the stand-out candidate. He was the only manager Liverpool interviewed.

Iraola was taken to Bournemouth by Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes in 2023 after three seasons in charge of Rayo Vallecano.

However, Liverpool’s interest in him predated Hughes’ arrival. They had once tried to sign him as a player and had followed his coaching career for more than a decade.

He led Bournemouth to finishes of 12th, ninth and then sixth, earning them a place in Europe for the first time in their history and only finishing one place behind his new club.

Liverpool noted that Iraola’s achievements in Dorset came with one of the smallest budgets in the division and when Bournemouth sold players for around £250m in the last two transfer windows.

Liverpool had struggled for goals this season, scoring 23 fewer than in their title-winning campaign of 2024-25, despite spending heavily on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, and were attracted by Iraola’s record with attacking players, both in terms of helping them get better and to become more potent.

Under Iraola, Antoine Semenyo went on to become one of the leading scorers in the Premier League and to earn a £64m move to Manchester City while young players such as Rayan and Eli Junior Kroupi developed dramatically. While Liverpool have spent heavily, they do not want to rely on expensive recruitment and were attracted by Iraola’s record of improving footballers he inherited.

While Slot’s football came to seem too slow and while Liverpool were outrun in the vast majority of their league games last season, Iraola’s belief in high pressing and energetic football offered similarities with Jurgen Klopp’s approach, meaning the Merseyside club felt he was both a continuity candidate and a coach who will evolve the current side.

Slot was a newcomer to the Premier League who excelled in his debut season but struggled in the second and Liverpool believed that Iraola, with three years in the division already, represented a low-risk choice in that respect. Iraola has never managed a club of Liverpool’s size but they are confident he has the personality and leadership to cope.

They are yet to finalise Iraola’s backroom staff, though he is expected to bring some of his coaching team from Bournemouth.

​“When it comes to transport links for small towns, few can boast the train to Hogsmeade station, where the Hogwarts Express ended its journey north from platform nine and three-quarters,” said Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby.

​However, Lord Voldemort is not to blame for Whitby having “one of the worst” connected rail lines in the country.

​The MP has urged the Government to demonstrate how “Great British Railways can improve transport links to small towns like Whitby, and open up a world of possibilities for its residents” who she said are being failed by an inadequate railway service.

​Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday, June 3, she said: “The villain of the piece is not Lord Voldemort, but Dr Beeching, the minister who cut the Whitby to Scarborough line back in 1965, condemning Whitby to reliance on cars and buses.

​“That Whitby lost its train link to its coastal neighbour is bad enough, but to add insult to injury, the current service that connects Whitby to the nearest big town, Middlesbrough, is one of the worst in the country.

​“That is not the fault of the not-for-profit Esk Valley Railway Development Company, a dedicated community rail partnership that runs the line with passion and flair.”

​The MP highlighted that the service has only six trains a day, with hours-long waits in the mornings and afternoons, which makes it “impossible to plan for a hospital appointment” and forces residents to spend a night in Middlesbrough “because they cannot get to and from the hospital in a day”.

​Ms Hume added that many other constituents, including residents who want to work in Middlesbrough where there are “many more employment opportunities than in Whitby”, were frustrated by the situation.

​She added: “The lack of ambition and investment in this essential transport link for Whitby is laid bare when it is compared with another seaside town, in the south.

​“Newquay in Cornwall is not unlike Whitby in size, and it is also at the end of a branch line. Office of Rail and Road figures show that in 2023-24 the Newquay line carried 146,000 passengers, which was down 2 per cent, while the Whitby line carried 257,000, which was up 6.3 per cent.

​“Until recently, both lines suffered from poor train services, but Newquay now has 15 trains on weekdays, 14 on Saturdays and eight on Sundays, thanks to a £57 million investment.”

Alison Hume Portrait. Hoc

The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle is recruiting across its production, visitor experience and catering teams.

Do you have what it takes to join the team?

Catering assistant

This permanent job, with a salary of £12.71 an hour, is an important part of how visitors experience The Bowes Museum and its historic setting.

The museum is looking for someone to support the delivery of a thoughtful, high quality food and drink offer that provides an exceptional visitor experience.

The closing date for the role is ongoing.

Experiences and learning manager

The permanent job offers a salary of £32,781.81, with applications closing on Friday (June 5).

The role shapes how people experience the museum through ambitious public programming, large-scale events and a distinctive learning offer.

As experiences and learning manager, the successful applicant will lead the development and delivery of a dynamic, year-round programme for general visitors, families, schools and communities.

The role also involves bringing together creative programming, co-production and audience engagement, as well as working closely with colleagues across curatorial, collections, production and marketing to ensure a joined-up and compelling visitor offer.

Production assistant

This part-time role consists of working three days a week and reporting to the production manager.

With a salary of £15,279, the museum is seeking an individual to support the delivery of its dynamic exhibition and display programme.

First performance of The Silver Swan at Bowes Museum for over 3 years (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

The varied role plays a key part in bringing exhibitions, loans, and collection displays to life, combining administration, logistics, and hands-on technical work.

As part of the role, which closes on Friday, June 12, the successful applicant will also play an active role in managing incoming and outgoing loans, including transport, scheduling, and liaison with partners.

The role also involves practical installation and deinstallation work such as art handling, packing, hanging, and basic construction, as well as providing technical support with lighting, AV, and display preparation.

Welcome team supervisor (temporary cover)

This fixed-term six-month contract is open for applications until Friday, June 19, with interviews starting the following week.

The successful applicant will need to be enthusiastic, motivated, able to work on your own initiative and collaborate with others.

You will be comfortable working with others in a customer-facing sales environment, delivering the highest standards of customer service and care.

Some weekend and Bank Holiday working will be required, as well as some evening work for events and exhibition previews.

Chef

The Bowes Museum is looking for a chef to join its team to support its high quality food and drink offer.

Working four days a week alongside the head chef and wider catering team, you will help prepare and deliver a locally sourced menu for the museum café and events.

This permanent role, with a salary of £22,481.44, closes on Friday, June 19 with interviews starting week commencing Monday, June 22.

Four fire trucks attended the scene at The Cube student accommodation on Bradshawgate, with students huddled in groups outside the front and back of the building.

According to residents, fire services attended the scene after reports of a fire in the building’s stairwell, though it is still unknown whether this was a false alarm.

The incident took place at around 9:50pm, at which point all residents were quickly ushered outside.

Onlookers watched on from nearby buildings as the situation developed, as did customers from the Balmoral pub across the road.

(Image: Dan Dougherty)

At around 10:10pm, the building’s internal fire alarm stopped going off, and one of the fire engines left the scene.

Fire crews were still inside the building, however, near the ground floor entrance.

The Cube was the site of a major fire in 2019, which required a crew of 40 fire engines to tackle.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service have been contacted for further comment on the incident.

President Donald Trump is reportedly leaning on prosecutors to bring cases against noncitizens accused of illegally voting, even though such offenses are extremely rare.

A top Justice Department official reportedly said it was “crystal clear” the more than 90 open investigations into such offenses were a top priority for the administration, The New York Times reports.

The push reportedly came from Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh during a May 13 conference call with dozens of prosecutors around the country, according to the paper.

The Independent has contacted the DOJ for comment.

The administration has repeatedly called for a crackdown on voting by noncitizens, which evidence suggests is extremely rare.

A recent federal review of about 49.5 million voter registrations found no evidence of widespread voting fraud by noncitizens and only referred about 10,000 cases to Homeland Security Investigations for further inspection.

Nonetheless, the president and his allies regularly describe noncitizen voting as both widespread and an existential threat to election integrity, often echoing a racist conspiracy theory that Democrats and other elites are intentionally fostering illegal immigration to boost their chances in elections.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, the president accused Democrats without evidence of “stealing the Vote” and urged Republicans to pass the Save America Act, legislation that would impose stringent new proof of citizenship requirements for voters.

The Justice Department has also sued states seeking detailed access to their voting records.

The president has also pushed to largely end mail-in voting altogether, which he often baselessly accuses of being fraudulent, even though he himself votes by mail.

The Republican often links his claims about illegal immigration to his conspiracy theories about voting, and he has refused to rule out having troops or ICE agents stationed outside of polling places this midterm season, framing the move as important for election integrity, though critics say this could lead to intimidation of legal voters.

Beyond the voter ID fight, the administration has pushed its Republican allies to pursue unusual mid-decade redistricting ahead of the midterms in an effort to create more GOP seats.

The campaign has set off a nationwide redistricting war as red and blue states alike seek to rewrite their maps before November.

The conservative majority on the Supreme Court recently gave the Republicans a boost with a decision that gutted what remains of the landmark Voting Rights Act and rejected a Louisiana election map that created a majority-Black voting district likely to go for the Democrats.

John Rentoul, chief political commentator – “The cat’s out the bag … Andy is finally making this about No 10”

However hard the BBC and some of the panellists pretended, it was all about Andy Burnham. Some of it was about Burnham versus Robert Kenyon, the Reform candidate, as they competed to present themselves as Westminster outsiders – “normal people” in Kenyon’s phrase – wanting to go “down to London” to give Makerfield a fair deal.

Even that head-to-head was lop-sided, though, because of what Jake Austin, the Liberal Democratic candidate, said was the reason for the by-election, which is “about electing a prime minister by the back door”. Austin said this was “not the right way to be doing politics”, but what was interesting was that this divided the audience – some of them agreed, but most seemed to be quite happy to have their constituency used as a launch pad for the highest office.

Burnham himself dodged the question twice with his usual formula of wanting to take it to the “highest possible” level – if he is lucky enough to be elected – but then he cracked and said that Wes Streeting seems to have started a leadership contest already and “I would seek to join it”. His supporters in the audience cheered even as he tried to qualify it by saying he would have to persuade MPs to nominate him.

With that cat out of the bag, the two main candidates – the would-be prime minister and the plumber, the true outsider – could get on with discussing the main issue of the day, namely alleged two-tier policing. Kenyon went with public opinion, which thinks that the police are biased in favour of ethnic minorities, while Burnham went for the big tent, praising Michael Winstanley, the Conservative candidate, and Kemi Badenoch, his leader, for “speaking really well” on the subject.

In the end, Burnham came across as a regular guy, admitted he was ambitious and didn’t make any mistakes. That made him the winner.

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Kate Devlin, Whitehall editor – “Both men appeared to be speaking to two different audiences”

The headlines from this encounter will be that Andy Burnham finally confirmed he will challenge Keir Starmer for the keys to No 10. He could hardly deny it, as the people of Makerfield weigh up whether to vote for the man who will potentially be the country’s next prime minister. He managed to walk a difficult line between focusing on local issues and a wider vision for Britain. He also managed to neatly answer some difficult questions.

In the wake of 18-year-old Henry Nowak’s death – the student was ignored by police officers when he told them he had been stabbed, and died while being arrested and handcuffed after his killer, Vickrum Digwa, 23, falsely claimed he had been the victim of a racist attack – he pointed to his relationship with the local police chief, who, he said, wanted to “make sure the police were seen as neutral, serving all communities, and therefore I backed him”. He also said there was a case to “look again” at the carrying of knives for religious reasons.

But he added “it needs a very careful debate”. Reform’s Robert Kenyon looked relaxed in his first outing on the national stage, but faced a difficult time from some members of the audience, including one who told him: “I’d rather have a career politician than a plumber who is a sexist”. While both men are battling for the same votes, in the same seat, they appeared to be speaking to two different audiences. Andy Burnham was the clear winner tonight, but it will count for nothing if he fails to win this by-election.

Sean O’Grady, associate editor – “Andy Burnham was unconvincing on ever level … poor old Makerfield”

For me the “Great Makerfield Debate” was all over when a plainly exasperated woman in the audience declared: “I’d rather have a career politician than a sexist plumber” for her next MP. Me too. And, to avoid the ultimate catastrophe of Reform UK and Nigel Farage regaining lost momentum, I’d vote for Andy Burnham. Reluctantly. He was unconvincing on every level, notably when he said he’d left Westminster in 2017 so he could work for the people as mayor of Greater Manchester. In reality it was because he saw no future for himself under Jeremy Corbyn. He was, is, and always will be a careerist – and should admit it.

As for Kenyon, he did at least disagree with Farage and condemned the violence in Southampton; but he couldn’t escape the wrath of Carol Vorderman. The nice Green candidate, Sarah Wakefield, told him Carol was watching at home and expecting an apology, and Kenyon looked like he’d dropped his best spanner down a U-bend. In the normal democracy we used to be, Micheal Winstanley (Tory) or Jake Austin (Lib Dem), both obviously decent folk, would walk this contest. But they’ll lose their deposits. Poor old Makerfield.

“What I would say is that approach, a more collaborative politics, a more, if you like, long-term approach to solving the country’s problems needs to be taken from here, Greater Manchester, and taken down there, a fundamental change in Westminster to restore the public’s trust.”

Albania is the hipster’s holiday choice this summer. It was only a matter of time before a Trump got in on the act.

Despite hundreds of Albanian protesters being washed away by water cannons, Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka is reportedly going ahead with her plans to transform a Cold War-era military base into a luxury island resort.

In an interview this week Ivanka Trump said she stumbled upon Sazan Island – complete with thousands of sprawling nuclear bunkers -‘ by accident’ on holiday with her husband, Jared Kushner.

‘We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that’s how we found it,’ she said.

‘We swam to the island. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated. And it’s stayed with us ever since. For me, this is, it feels more like a challenge than anything else.’

Where is Sazan Island- now dubbed Trump Island?

Sazan is Albania’s largest island and is a designated military exclusion zone located in a strategically important location between the Strait of Otranto and the mouth of the Bay of Vlorë.

Underneath the beautiful cliff faces and crystal blue waters lie at least 3,600 Soviet-style nuclear bunkers built during the Cold War.

The 1,400 acre Mediterranean island is also home to at least ten miles of underground tunnels stretching back from the Communist era.

Other bomb shelters and buildings designed to store military supplies and ammunition are also arranged around the area.

Experts have even warned about the presence of unexploded mines dotted across the stunning landscape that will need to be cleared -no wonder Trump called it a ‘fixer-upper’.

Undeterred, Ivanka revealed: ‘Over the course of many years, we developed the opportunity to help realise its potential and transform it, but with a lot of restraint and care.’

She hired some of the ‘greatest living architects’ to make designs blend with the already dramatic surroundings as if the buildings almost ‘rise from’ the land.

Albanian Anger

But Ivanka’s venture has drawn opposition from environmental campaigners and critics of long-time Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The couple also hope to carry out a multibillion-dollar project that includes building hotels along the coast of Zvërnec, where wildlife such as flamingos and sea turtles nest.

Since late May, barbed wire has been erected to keep protesters from the excavators and other heavy machinery arriving clear to the land from the pine trees.

Activists have clashed with police at the site, hanging up signs like ‘Albania is not for sale,’ ‘Hands off Albanian soil’ and ‘Sazan is not a private island, it belongs to the Albanian people.’

‘From start to finish there has been a total lack of transparency,’ Aleksandër Trajçe, executive director of the country’s leading conservation group, the Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), told The Guardian.

‘We have seen no public consultation or public documentation regarding permits, and so now what we are saying is, if they remove the bulldozers, remove the fence and restore the habitats to what they were, then we can start talking.’

Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha said that while he supports the renovation projects, he expressed concerns that Rama could have been ‘seeking to buy political influence’ from Trump.

But Rama insists the plans are in tune with Albania’s ambition to become a major global tourism destination.

‘Albania should not be a country that fears an extraordinary project like this one, where exceptional partners have come together to invest €4billion,’ Rama said.

‘There is absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here,’ he said.

But after the backlash, Rama insisted: ‘There is not a project yet.

‘There is no such thing as a Trump family island.

‘There is no such thing as the family of the American president taking over protected areas where flamingos will be killed by them.’

MORE: Trump’s bizarre brag about reflecting pool ‘bigger than Empire State building’

MORE: US denies responsibility for Kuwait airport strike that killed one and injured dozens

MORE: 500 days of Trump — and things look worse than ever for the President

Staff are awaiting news regarding the security of their jobs

Uncertainty as to the future of Brace’s Bakery in Newport has led to fear amongst staff regarding the future of their jobs. The directors of the popular bread company are currently in discussions with a potential buyer after “facing difficult headwinds” financially.

In March this year workers at the Pen-y-Fan bakery were paid a week late after a sale of the site fell through. The 250 employees of Brace’s Bakery were paid late but assured at the time that their jobs were safe.

Now as talks continue between bosses and a potential buyer, staff have shared their anxiety not knowing the security of their jobs. Never miss a Newport story by subscribing to our newsletter here

The family business that was founded in 1902 supplies bread, Welsh cakes, rolls and other artisanal products to thousands of major supermarkets across the UK.

In October 2025 bakery directors wrote to staff that as a result of “increasingly difficult” market conditions the only “viable option” was to close Brace’s manufacturing plant in Newport.

However due to the initial sale of the site not being completed, the expected redundancies of fewer than 20 staff has not occurred yet.

Staff are expected to learn more about their fate of their jobs within 24 hours, according to bosses om Thursday evening.

Jonathan Brace the director of Brace’s Bakery, told WalesOnline: “As you are aware Brace’s have been facing difficult headwinds over the last few months in a challenging market.

“We are in talks with a potential buyer and we expect to be able to update you further within 24hrs. Safeguarding the jobs of our loyal workforce is our primary objective, to ensure our quality range of products remain available for years to come.”

Donald Trump derailed a White House event about “clean coal” to go on a rant about his ongoing beautification efforts in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, marking yet another moment where those efforts have distracted the president from more serious policy discussions.

A Thursday afternoon event billed as an announcement about a new investment in U.S. coal plants began with Trump immediately launching into a spiel for the assembled White House press about his efforts to overhaul the Lincoln Memorial, complete with a video showing water flowing into the newly-repainted Reflection Pool. The president then shifted to his future plans: An idea for a “promenade” to extend down the other side of the building to the Potomac River.

“We’re doing something that just came up, we have a little breaking news here,” Trump teased. “We’re going to be doing that, it’s a promenade. They want to call it the Trump promenade.”

His explanation for the planned renovations followed: “At the Lincoln Memorial, the front was supposed to be the back, and the back was supposed to be the front. [The promenade] never got built, because they built two roadways behind it.”

Describing the new project as adding a “gateway to the water” behind the structure, which borders the Arlington Memorial Bridge and the National Mall, Trump said that it would “take the Lincoln Memorial right down to the Potomac”.

“It’s going to be beautiful,” Trump promised.

His plans actually do find roots in the original intention for the area around the Lincoln Memorial. The National Park Service describes the Watergate Steps area on the Potomac side of the Lincoln Memorial as a planned site where foreign dignitaries would take their first steps into the capital and the National Mall. The location of the Lincoln Memorial was also selected due to the site’s views of the river, though the monument itself faces east, towards downtown Washington D.C. and the National Mall. A bridge on the western side links Lincoln’s memorial with Arlington National Cemetery and the former home of Robert E. Lee, the famed Confederate general, in a deliberate symbolic choice by the planners to show the rebuilt peace healing a divided nation.

But the project, like his effort to add a ballroom to the White House, is likely to face a court battle. The Trump administration has argued that it has the authority to make changes to any buildings or other structures overseen by the Interior Department, though he has faced roadblocks in his battle to rename the Kennedy Center after himself and that question remains undecided.

More to follow…