Sarah Pochin has been caught in a humiliating slip-up after accidentally promoting Reform UK’s right-wing rivals.

The Runcorn and Helsby MP was discussing the Makerfield by-election which is set to be a two-horse race between Reform UK and Labour.

It’s a seismic contest as Labour candidate, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, intends to topple Keir Starmer as prime minister if he wins the seat.

One early poll from Survation for the Sunday Times found Burnham is on track to win with 43% of the vote, while Reform candidate Robert Kenyon will win 40%.

A further 7% of the vote looks like it will go towards Restore Britain, a splinter right-wing group led by ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe.

That has sparked speculation that the right-wing vote will be split when the Makerfield electorate head to the ballot box.

So it was unfortunate that Pochin had a bit of Freudian slip when she told TALK: “There’s so much going on with this by-election, it’s probably the most important by-election in British history almost, that we’re part of.

“And yes, it is a two-horse race between Restore – I’m sorry! Oh god!

“Between Reform and, oh god,” she laughed. “I’ll be sacked for saying that! Reform and Labour, that’s of no doubt.”

Reform UK declined to comment when approached on the rise of Restore.

Pochin’s comments come during a troublesome time for Reform UK.

Party leader Nigel Farage is currently facing scrutiny for failing to declare a £5 million donation from a crypto billionaire shortly before running for parliament.

He has denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, the party’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf started a row with Reform’s Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick on X over their deportation policies.

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Russell Crowe has hit back at the suggestion he was “not having it” when greeted by autograph seekers outside of a hotel he was staying at in Paris.

On Monday evening, the gossip outlet TMZ posted footage recorded of the Oscar winner leaving a hotel, where autograph-hunters were waiting for him outside.

In the clip, he was seen calmly telling the crowd: “Stay where you are. Don’t fucking push in on me. I’ll come to you.

“Give everybody space, and as soon as somebody’s a dick, I’m going. Clear?”

He then proceeded to sign autographs for those outside his hotel, but drew the line at signing one as “Maximus”, his character from the hit film Gladiator.

In a post about the incident on X, TMZ claimed: “If you needed a reminder that fans are not always priority number one – turn to Russell Crowe – cause the guy was absolutely not having it outside of his Paris hotel.”

The Australian actor responded on Tuesday morning, branding the post “clickbait”.

“Everybody got their autograph and selfie, the passage to the hotel was kept free for guests, and I still got to the airport on time,” he insisted.

“One man, no security. Handled. What’s your problem?”

Over the years, Russell has been involved in several prolific spats and altercations that have contributed to his reputation for having a temper.

Perhaps most notably, in 2005, the Les Misérables actor was charged with and pleaded guilty to second-degree assault after an incident at a hotel in New York, in which he threw a phone at a concierge.

After reaching a settlement with the concierge in question, he described the incident as “possibly the most shameful situation that I’ve ever gotten myself in”, noting: “And I’ve done some pretty dumb things in my life.”

Russell currently has three films scheduled for release in 2026, with two more in post-production.

I have not forgotten the classic “slice of ham, pickled beetroot, coleslaw, and inexplicable spring onion” sunny day salads of my childhood, but I have forgiven them.

Sure, they seemed a bit chaotic at the time. But now I’m a full-grown adult in a blistering heatwave, cooking is the last thing on my mind, and I’ve been slapping together “girl dinner” concoctions of my own.

Nonetheless, I’m getting bored with endless butterhead lettuce and variously processed eggs. With the hot weather expected to last until at least the end of the working week, I preused Reddit’s r/EatCheapAndHealthy and r/Cooking fora to find the no-cook meals site users make on repeat:

“Fill with shrimp, julienned vegetables, herbs, chicken… so many possibilities,” u/114631 wrote.

This rice paper recipe takes minutes and is delicious with a peanut dipping sauce.

“Some brands of rice noodles just need to be soaked in hot water or microwaved for two to three minutes,” u/whatdoidonow37 wrote. “I top the noodles with whatever I have in my fridge ― frozen spinach or corn, shredded rotisserie chicken, cucumbers, julienned carrots, tomatoes, etc.”

If you want something even cooler, this 20-minute cold noodle salad recipe is crunchy, low-lift bliss.

“Take chickpeas, black beans, or lentils… toss them with fresh lemon juice, lots of olive oil, some finely chopped garlic, and whatever fresh herbs you can find. Salt and pepper. This mix keeps in the fridge for approximately five days,” c-soup wrote.

I swear by my “never-soggy” pomegranate, feta, chickpea, and cucumber combo in climes like these. It lasts me a work week, provided I remove the slimy middle bit of the cucumbers (a trick Gordon Ramsay swears by, too).

Multiple Redditors, including u/Esausta, swear by the American meal.

This salsa-adjacent mixture of corn, black beans, avocado, tomato, and red onion is best enjoyed with tortilla chips, all agree.

BBC Good Food adds that it’s not so much a strict recipe as it is a philosophy: whatever you can bring yourself to throw together in this heat will be fine, provided you get the starchy-fruity-crisp combo in there.

Last night, I had a crisp sandwich and hummus (don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it) for dinner. And it seems I’m not the only one who reaches for bread in times of heat-induced fatigue.

“Look into Vietnamese Banh Mi, the cold cut version. All you need to do is assemble the ingredients,” u/UltraZulwarn wrote (this recipe takes minutes).

Others recommended simpler tuna or tomato sandwiches.

It’d be inhumane to ask you to fire up your oven in the current 30-plus-degree weather.

But Redditor after Redditor swears by pre-cooked rotisserie chickens when it’s hot out. Strip them, “roughly chop [the meat], and make yourself chicken salads and BBQ sandwiches,” u/Cultjake wrote.

Other site users recommended burrito bowls and wraps.

Everyone from u/Inevitable-Spite937 to u/Dngnb8 and u/mythisme said cereal is their go-to heatwave staple.

And u/mythisme added that they mix “two to three types of cereals and granola for varying crunch” and whacks some fruit and seeds on top for a “hearty meal”.

“All summer, I eat… Szechuan smacked cucumbers, which are super refreshing,” u/ttrockwood wrote.

“I use peeled regular cucumbers and just scoop out the seeds. Then I add in lots of edamame.”

And Sad-Database3677 said they “Use a mandoline or dice [cucumbers], add a little soy sauce, a little fish sauce, a few shakes of sesame seeds, maybe a little black vinegar, and a few spoonfuls of… crunchy garlic… Sometimes I’ll eat it with cold soft tofu”.

“Gazpacho and ajo blanco are great, even better made and let sit a few hours in the fridge,” u/ttrockwood said.

Reviewers love this simple cold soup recipe, which derives a lot of its fresh and cooling flavour from juicy tomatoes and crisp cucumbers. As the Redditor said, it tastes better with added time in the fridge.

u/Quarantined_foodie recommended the classic cold fish dish, which only has two steps on BBC Good Food’s recipe.

Fill these with mashed chickpeas, u/BigSerene wrote, or do as u/SassafrasTeaTime does and eat them with the aforementioned rotisserie chicken.

Others, like u/autonomouswriter, suggested dipping them into hummus.

I know you know. You know I know you know. But it bears repeating anyway: phwoar, it’s hot at the minute, isn’t it?

Parts of the UK have just seen their hottest May day on record, with parts of London seeing highs of 34.8°C during the bank holiday weekend.

That, gardeners know, can wreak havoc on a previously flourishing backyard. Some plants, like hydrangeas, fuchsias, and even roses, can be especially susceptible to the glaring heat.

But expert after expert has warned not to water one of the most ubiquitous plants, even after they’ve turned brown: grass.

It can be very worrying to see patches of your carefully-grown back garden turn brown and wilt in the heat. But luckily, the Royal Horticultural Society said, the plant is hardier than you might imagine.

During hot, dry weather, “lawns can turn brown and stop growing. Although this looks serious, the grass will green up once rain returns,” they explained.

And speaking to the BBC, Heather Taylor, also known as the “plant doctor”, also said we shouldn’t worry about the parched plant.

“If your grass is dry and parched, a bit of rain and it will be the first thing that will bounce back, don’t worry about it, it will be fine,” the expert said.

This isn’t to say yellowed or brown grass isn’t stressed – it is.

But, as Utah State University explained, “blades” of grass (the green part we see above ground) act as sacrificial lambs during tough periods, including drought.

These stop growing and become limp and discoloured in order to protect the “crown” of the plant, which lies just underneath the soil.

This is the node at which soil and root meet and is key to its survival: “As long as the crown remains alive, the grass has the capability to recover once temperature and moisture conditions improve”.

In fact, grass expert Richard Hull wrote for Turfgrass Trends, “The crown
literally is the turfgrass plant, or at least that which makes a turfgrass a perennial plant [a plant that grows back every year]”.

Often, he added, after periods of extreme drought or cold, it’s the only part of the plant that survives.

Unless that crown is damaged, your grass will likely be fine. And amidst increasingly common drought, some bodies like Scottish Water have called for gardeners to put the hosepipe down as water is “wasted” on grass.

Again, “Resist the temptation to water established lawns through the summer months, however brown they get, as the grass will send up new leaves once it rains,” the RHS warned.

New lawns may be the exception – use grey water or rainwater if they’re struggling.

They also advised against mowing your grass too short during hot weather, or doing so too often, because that can make the plant weaker and more susceptible to damage.

Stop mowing entirely if your grass has stopped growing. And if you can, keep your grass relatively long, “which should encourage deeper rooting”.

This article contains major spoilers for the most recent episode of Euphoria.

Euphoria actor Jacob Elordi has shared his take on how things played out in the latest episode of the hit US drama.

The Australian star has played Nate Jacobs in all three seasons of the award-winning series, with his character taking centre stage in the latest instalment in a big way.

We’re heading into serious territory now, so if you’ve not watched the episode yet, don’t say we didn’t warn you, alright?

In Monday’s episode, viewers saw Nate dying in pretty grim circumstances, first being buried alive due to his mounting debts before being stung by a rattlesnake and eventually found by his wife and ex, Cassie and Maddy, played by Sydney Sweeney and Alexa Demie.

While plenty of viewers were disturbed at watching Nate’s final scenes, Jacob himself had a very different response to finding himself “tucked in this box with dust falling on me and a snake coming down the pipe” to shoot the film’s practical effects.

“That’s a cool way to go,” he enthused in a behind-the-scenes video posted after the episode aired.

“Nate is someone who’s made so many mistakes and made so many dark choices, it’s cool to see it all come to what it’s come to.”

He continued: “I had to go into this coffin, my shoulders were touching the sides and I couldn’t move my arms. And then they would drill the lid on, and it would get dark.

“It was really nice, actually, it was quite peaceful in there.”

Creator Sam Levinson then explained that he couldn’t use a real poisonous rattlesnake in the coffin with Jacob, so a boa constrictor was used for the sequence instead.

“The snakes were rattling, which was really alarming when you’re locked in a box,” the Oscar nominee recalled. “They had a boa constrictor that they put a fake rattler on the end of [in the coffin]. And Sam was like, ‘we’re just going to drop the snake on you’.

“[The snake] was super cute. He was, like, real cuddly. He kind of just saddled up next to me, and it was nice. But he was real sleepy – sleepy snake. I had to kind of nudge him to get him to come up [to my face].”

“And that was it,” he added of his character’s fate. “It’s a bittersweet thing. This show is a massive part of not just my career, but my life. It’s been amazing and I’m so proud being a part of this.”

Jacob isn’t the only member of Euphoria’s A-list cast to be put through his paces while shooting season three, though.

Earlier this month, Zendaya opened up about shooting one memorable sequence that meant she had to spend “about three days buried up to her neck on the side of this hill”.

The Euphoria season finale – widely believed to be the last ever episode of the show – will premiere on Sky and Now in the UK on Monday 1 June.