The Guardian - 04.11.2026 — 2026-11-05

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Wednesday

4 November 2026

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PM to reveal EU youth visa pact and trade deals worth billions

Kiran Stacey

Lisa O'Carroll

Andy Burnham is set to announce billions of pounds of trade deals with the EU, covering everything from youth visas to pet passports, under his vision of a much closer relationship with the bloc.

With the prime minister scheduled to meet his European counterparts in

Brussels on 20 November, officials have all but agreed three deals that would allow farmers to sell freely to the continent and travellers to take their animals abroad more easily.

Parts of the agreement will not be put in place until 2028, but those close to the talks insist they will not be derailed by separate disagreements on European industrial policy or British university tuition fees.

Elements of the deal - which involves the UK paying the EU for access to its emissions trading scheme - will face criticism from those who argue Britain is signing up to the same rules it was seeking to avoid when it left the bloc two years ago.

However, Burnham said yesterday that the agreement would boost the UK economy by £17bn - a 0.4% rise - while his advisers believe it will strengthen his attempts to forge much closer ties with the bloc, and even potentially rejoin it. The prime minister told the Economist yesterday: "A deal could add up to 0.4% to GDP. Now that is a number that you cannot ignore."

Separately he told ITV he thought the mood had changed on Brexit, speaking as he prepares to set out what he believes are the long-term options for Britain's relationship with the EU. "I think public opinion has changed nationally," he said. "But I want to be really clear on this issue. I will not run ahead of public opinion. The public need to be the boss when it comes to whatever happens with Brexit.”

Burnham will meet Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and António Costa, the president of the European Council, in Brussels this month, when the three leaders are expected to announce three trade deals.

Trump faces

reckoning

as US heads

to the polls

David Smith

Austin, Texas

Donald Trump faces an electoral reckoning after millions of Americans voted yesterday in midterm polls for members of Congress that could shift the balance of power in Washington and define the final two years of his divisive presidency.

▲ A mural yesterday near the University of Texas campus in Austin urges people to register and vote

Based on consistently favourable opinion polls, Democrats were optimistic about regaining control of the House of Representatives and potentially also the Senate, although the party had suffered enough anguish during the Trump era to remain wary.

"Now, we don't want to count our chickens before they hatch," said Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the Senate. "So I characterise our mood as nauseously optimistic."

The elections were widely seen as a referendum on Trump's second term, with voters concerned about the cost of living, rising fuel prices and an unpopular war with

'Well-known' man fails in his bid for injunction against Guardian and ITN

Michael Savage

Media editor

A “well-known individual” has failed in his attempt to stop two media organisations from publishing allegations of inappropriate sexual activities towards young women, the high court has ruled.

The legal team for the anonymous individual, known in court only as PPT, had claimed he was “highly likely” to attempt suicide if the Guardian and ITN published the allegations, which he denies.

PPT's legal team said he had attempted to kill himself twice since being contacted about the allegations in May. On the second occasion he absconded from a secure hospital to do so, they said.

Mr Justice Nicklin, the judge in the case, concluded he was satisfied that a decision to permit publication of the claims, the anticipation of publication, and publication itself “would each materially increase the claimant’s risk of suicide”.

“That increase would be very substantial,” he said.

However, he found that it was for the state's health services to protect PPT from harm in the form of mental health treatment, rather than the court's responsibility to protect him by stopping the allegations from being published.

The claimant was seeking to block publication of the allegations by citing article 2 of the European convention on human rights (ECHR), which relates to the right to life, article 3, relating to “inhuman or degrading treatment”, and article 8, which protects the right to respect for private and family life.

Nicklin's ruling states: “The court has not assumed responsibility for the claimant’s psychiatric treatment or safety in the relevant sense. In the present case, the state has assumed responsibility for the claimant’s immediate safety through the psychiatric hospital and mental health services. The claimant is detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

"The hospital exercises direct control over his care, observation, treatment, access to means of self-harm, leave and eventual discharge. It has assumed responsibility for the very risk with which article 2 is concerned.

"The evidence establishes that the hospital can provide significant protection. Inpatient treatment cannot eliminate the risk, but it materially reduces the likelihood of suicide."

Nicklin said he had to balance the claimant's rights with the media outlets' right of freedom of expression.

The claimant had also made a claim under article 8 of the ECHR about the impact his death, serious self-harm or a prolonged psychiatric admission would have upon his relationship with his son.

Nicklin said the claim had “very substantial weight”, but had to be balanced against the rights of the media companies to publish.

He said that an injunction “would constitute an exceptionally serious interference” with the rights of the media outlets.

“It would prohibit the defendants from publishing the results of their investigations into allegations of serious wrongdoing by a prominent individual,” he found. “It would also prevent the sources whose accounts form part of those investigations from communicating their experiences to the public.”

The anonymity of the claimant remains in place because the judge granted him permission to appeal against the ruling.

Nicklin's ruling stated that the Guardian and ITN allege the claimant used his power and status as a well-known public figure to "establish contact with young women, who were also considerably younger than him, and engage, and/or seek to engage in inappropriate sexual activity". They claim the alleged incidents took place over several years and that some of them, if proved, could amount to criminal offences.

The judge emphasised that the current case did not examine whether the allegations against the claimant were true, but only whether the court should prevent the media outlets from publishing them.

He said the proposed journalism “did not lose its public interest value” merely because the allegations were disputed.

Nicklin also pointed to the implications of granting an injunction based on the risk of suicide. “The principle contended for would apply whenever the court was satisfied that otherwise lawful publication would create a sufficiently grave risk of suicide or psychiatric harm and that restraint was the most effective means of preventing the trigger,” he found.

"The evidence does not identify a point at which publication would become safe merely through the passage of time. The relief sought would therefore be of uncertain and potentially indefinite duration."

Nicklin rejected a proposal for the injunction to remain in place with a reassessment of the claimant's condition after 18 months.

"The evidence does not ... provide a clinical basis for selecting that or any other period for reassessment, or for concluding that treatment would by then have reduced the publication-related risk sufficiently," he found.

Flights from UK to Europe hit by 'hoax' bomb threats

← Continued from page 1

activity despite the unusual number of reported threats in one day.

Warsaw Modlin airport was briefly closed after a diverted plane landed there, with Polish officials confirming they had received bomb threats involving two flights to the capital.

Italian fighter jets escorted a Ryanair plane into Rome after a suspected threat on a flight from Dublin. The flight landed safely and nothing suspect was found onboard.

There was no obvious pattern, with affected flights taking off from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Portugal and Italy and landing in Poland, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria. Four of the flights were operated by Ryanair, the others by Wizz Air, LOT and SAS.

Investigators said there was no immediate evidence of a hostile state being behind the threats, though they were to monitor developments while inquiries continued.

Fears over aviation security have been reignited after the recent Fly-Dubai incident in which a co-pilot attempted to crash a Tel Aviv-bound passenger aircraft.

Russia has also been accused of being behind firebomb threats that have targeted cargo planes over the past two years.

The threats followed an incident on Monday when a flight from the UK to Bulgaria was diverted, apparently without substance.

Experts said threats occurred on a daily basis. Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University, said: "Most are from individuals who think it is funny or want to delay a flight for some reason. If the industry was to respond to every unsubstantiated threat, flights would grind to a halt."

He added: “The reality is that terrorist organisations who might like to smuggle a bomb on to a flight don’t tell people, they claim responsibility after the attacks.”

However, he said the fact that some aircraft had been diverted would “imply that the threats are credible and specific in nature, and therefore one has to respond accordingly”.

Yesterday's series of incidents started with a flight from Heathrow operated by the Polish carrier LOT, which was scheduled to arrive at Warsaw Chopin airport but was diverted to Warsaw Modlin, north of the Polish capital. Authorities closed that airport after the alert and the Boeing 737 Max landed without incident.

"The passengers were evacuated and the plane underwent security checks. Nothing was found," an airport spokesperson told Agence France-Presse. "The airport has been reopened and is operating normally."

An SAS flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw was also the subject of a threat but landed at Chopin, where a security inspection did not turn up any explosive devices.

A Ryanair flight from Manchester was met by emergency vehicles on landing at Murcia in southern Spain after another threat. Spanish authorities confirmed on social media that

A sniffer dog checks a Ryanair flight from Manchester for explosives after it landed in Murcia, Spain

PHOTOGRAPH: FORTA/REUTERS

no explosives had been found on the aircraft.

A government spokesperson said of the threats to the two UK departures: “The UK has one of the most robust aviation security systems in the world, with well-tested processes for dealing with any potential threats, as well as malicious hoax threats like those we’ve seen today.

"Our world-leading police and intelligence agencies work closely every day to keep us safe, using the tools they have to assess and respond to potential threats."

In Italy, two Ryanair flights were searched at Rome's Fiumicino airport after bomb threats, according to the airport operator. The first was a flight from Lisbon, while a second from Dublin was escorted in by Italian air force fighter jets until landing.

Bulgaria's transport ministry said in a statement to Reuters that threats were made against a Wizz Air flight from Bergamo in Italy and a Ryanair flight from Dublin to the capital, Sofia. Both aircraft were carrying about 180 passengers and landed safely, with no devices found on inspection.

The incidents came a day after a Wizz Air flight from London Luton made an emergency landing in Budapest, escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet. The plane, which bound for Sofia, was diverted after a bomb threat was received “during the flight”, a Wizz Air spokesperson said.

Ryanair did not respond to requests for comment.

News

Hoffman said Anne Bancroft, who played Mrs Robinson, fainted on a hot day and had to be resuscitated

PHOTOGRAPH: LAWRENCE TURMAN/EMBASSY

Hoffman: making The Graduate movie was a terrible experience

Emma Joyce

Almost 60 years after The Graduate was released, Dustin Hoffman has revealed that making the 1967 film that launched his movie career was “a terrible experience”, and he felt “immediately uncomfortable” and “unworthy” as a Jewish actor playing “the ultimate Wasp” Benjamin Braddock.

In an essay for the New Yorker, drawn from his memoir Look at Me, which was co-written with the journalist Ariel Levy, the actor, 89, wrote: "The Graduate exacerbated all my insecurities from the start. Here I was, playing a starring role in a movie by Mike Nichols, who was the director of the moment, but I felt like I had no right to be there. I didn't even want to try out for the part."

Mike Nichols (far left) directing Hoffman, who played 'the ultimate Wasp' Benjamin Braddock. The actor said: 'The whole time, I felt Mike was angry with me'

PHOTOGRAPH: MPTVIMAGES.COM/HBO

Hoffman was a successful theatre actor when Nichols expressed an interest in him. The director had spent two years casting the lead roles, seeing actors such as Robert Redford before hiring Hoffman as Ben and Katharine Ross as Elaine Robinson.

Hoffman recalls sitting in hair and makeup for hours with Nichols giving instructions to the makeup artists to change his appearance, including removing his monobrow and commenting on the shape of his nose.

"I remember thinking: ‘They’re trying to take the Jew off my face, and it ain’t going to happen.’ All I wanted to do was go home, to ethnic New York, where I belonged. I knew I was no leading man. I knew my place," he wrote.

Hoffman said Nichols was “an entirely different person” when shooting the film after weeks of rehearsals. He was difficult to read and “frequently sour”.

“Mike was irritable with everyone, but with me a certain sadism seemed to creep in,” Hoffman wrote, revealing he was slapped 27 times by Ross for a scene that didn’t make the cut.

"He made us do 27 takes," Hoffman wrote. "The scene has Benjamin run into Elaine's room, soaking wet from the rain, to tell her that he's had an affair with an older woman; within seconds, Elaine realises the woman is her mother. Mike just kept telling Katharine to hit me, to hit me harder.

“Katharine worried she would hurt me, and I told her: ‘I’m OK. Just don’t hit my ear.’ Unfortunately, she missed a few times. I was dizzy by the end of that day, and Mike didn’t even use the slap in the film.”

The next day, Hoffman punctured an eardrum while filming an underwater scene in which he wore a scuba suit in a swimming pool.

"When I came up for air after a few takes, there was blood trickling out of my ear. Between all the slapping during the previous day and all the water pressure at the bottom of the pool, I'd punctured an eardrum," he wrote.

Hoffman said his co-star Anne Bancroft, who played his older lover, Mrs Robinson, fainted during a scene on a hot day and “she had to be resuscitated with oxygen”. Hoffman was made to repeat a scene in which he ran from his car to the church to declare his love for Elaine until he thought he might pass out.

"We did it over and over and over again, until I was absolutely trashed from exhaustion and dehydration. I remember lying down in the grass in front of the church because I thought I was going to lose consciousness," he wrote.

Making The Graduate, which was nominated for seven Oscars and won best director, was “a terrible experience” for a film that “changed my life”, he said. “The whole time, I felt Mike was angry at me, either because I was doing something wrong or because he had realised what everybody else already knew, that he had miscast the lead in his film.”

Hoffman said the film was something of “a self-portrait” for Nichols, who came to the US from Germany in 1939 as a young Jewish boy.

"He was looking for an alter ego - that's why Benjamin had taken years to cast, and maybe that's why he was so hard on me. I was a stand-in, there to absorb Mike's own self-loathing."

Look at Me is published on Tuesday

Snap, crackle and shock? Kellogg's removes rice from Rice Krispies

Rachel Hall

They will snap and crackle but may no longer pop; Kellogg's has removed rice from its Rice Krispies and Coco Pops cereals due to “changing weather conditions”.

Rice Krispies have been reformulated to use rice flour instead of rice, while Coco Pops now contain a blend of rice flour and corn flour instead of rice in order, the manufacturer said, to maintain consistent quality.

Kellogg's said the shift reflected how the climate crisis had affected the quality and availability of some rice and grains that are used in its most popular cereals.

A spokeswoman for Kellogg's said: "We have updated the Rice Krispies and Coco Pops recipes, which are now made using corn flour and rice flour. We appreciate that even small changes to a much-loved product can feel noticeable and that's why we have approached this with a lot of care and consideration.

"The updated recipes have been carefully assessed for taste, appearance and texture, and we are continuing to listen closely to consumer feedback."

Kellogg's said both cereals remained “non-HFSS” - not high in fat, salt or sugar - contained no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners and maintained the same levels of fibre, vitamin D and iron.

▲ Grain drain: cereal production is being affected by the climate crisis

The new recipes also contain wheat gluten, meaning they are no longer suitable for shoppers with a wheat allergy or coeliac disease.

Previously, Rice Krispies and Coco Pops were labelled “may contain gluten” because they were made in a factory where other cereals containing gluten were also handled.

As wheat gluten is now an ingredient, wheat will be declared as an allergen on packaging and highlighted in bold in the ingredients list. Both cereals now carry prominent labelling on their packs alerting consumers to the change.

Sales of Rice Krispies are in decline, with both value and volume down, according to the Grocer's top products survey 2026, out next month.

News

Reform leader on Hampshire county council charged with 12 counts of rape

Peter Walker

Reform UK's leader on Hampshire county council has been charged with 12 counts of rape and one of distributing indecent images of a child.

George Madgwick, 37, who is a councillor in Portsmouth and leads the Reform group on the council, was a prominent voice linked to recent protests in the town connected to the arrival of asylum seekers on small boats.

A Crown Prosecution Service statement said the charges followed a police investigation into allegations connected to four complainants, aged 16 and 17 at the time, and were alleged to have taken place in Portsmouth and Wales between 2008 and 2021. On 6 January, officers arrested a man at an address in Wandsworth, south London.

The charges comprise 12 allegations of rape; eight of actual bodily harm; two of assault by penetration; two of sexual assault; two of controlling and coercive behaviour; two of making an indecent image of a child; one of distribution of an indecent image of a child; one of stalking; one of making threats to kill; one of false imprisonment; one of criminal damage; one of theft; and one of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child.

Madgwick is scheduled to appear at Portsmouth magistrates court on 25 November. A CPS spokesperson said: "The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute George Madgwick for serious sexual offences, including multiple counts of rape. He has also been charged with making a threat to kill, false imprisonment and stalking.

▲ George Madgwick was suspended from Reform, the party announced

"Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence and that it is in the public interest to bring the case to court.

"We remind all concerned that proceedings against the defendant are now active and that he has the right to a fair trial. There should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings."

A Reform spokesperson said: “Cllr Madgwick has been suspended from Reform UK with immediate effect.”

Bridget Phillipson, the Labour party chair, said: “These charges are truly shocking. Nigel Farage must urgently tell the public whether he was aware of Councillor Madgwick’s arrest, or of any of the appalling allegations he is accused of.

"If he was, the Reform leader must explain why he thought it was appropriate for Madgwick to stand for his party, hold a local leadership role, and to work as a Reform member of staff."

Madgwick began his political career as an independent on Portsmouth city council, winning his seat in 2021. In 2025, he joined Reform UK, and a year later he became a Hampshire councillor, representing the North East Havant area.

He was one of 20 Reform councillors to be elected, placing them third behind the Conservatives, who run the authority, and the Liberal Democrats. Madgwick became leader of the Reform group, and chair of the council's corporate services and resources select committee.

In September, when masked protesters connected to the far-right activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, blocked roads in Portsmouth over the arrival of asylum seekers on small boats, Madgwick was at the scene and spoke to the media.

While saying it was important any protests were peaceful, Madgwick said local people were “not happy, and rightly so” about the arrival of asylum seekers. He was involved recently in an incident in which protesters gathered outside a Portsmouth hotel after mistaking Pakistan’s under-19s cricket team for asylum seekers, liaising with hotel staff and persuading protesters to leave.

Madgwick called the hotel to mediate between staff and the crowd, and said at the time that it was a “massively unfortunate incident”. He added, however, that he believed the incident was understandable given recent coverage of asylum seekers arriving in the city via small boats.

◀ Players surround the fallen Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel after the collision in Monday's match against Andorra in Spain's second division. Above left, Tenerife fans lay flowers at the club's stadium yesterday. De Miguel, above, died in hospital at 8am yesterday

PHOTOGRAPHS: RAMON DE LA ROCHA/ EPA; SEGUNDA DIVISION

Spanish footballer dies after colliding with goalkeeper

Sid Lowe

Spanish football was in shock last night after the Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel died after a collision with the Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during a match in the second division.

Tenerife announced that De Miguel, 30, had died at 8am yesterday after he had been taken into intensive care on Monday afternoon. He did not regain consciousness after a cardiorespiratory arrest.

The homicide division of the national police opened judicial proceedings into a possible involuntary manslaughter, a routine procedure after any death not by natural causes.

The collision occurred in added time at the end of Andorra's visit to Tenerife, a game put back 24 hours because of the risk of torrential rain. With the score 2-2, in the 96th minute, a long ball was played away from the Tenerife area and up the pitch. De Miguel chased it into space and Owono came a long way out of his goal, jumping forward, with his right knee up, and crashed into the striker inside the centre circle.

Owono was sent off, walking straight to the touchline. De Miguel was left unconscious, with players from both sides appealing for medical assistance. The match was abandoned by the referee, Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández, having run into the 108th minute.

Medics restored De Miguel's pulse in the ambulance and transferred him to the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Santa Cruz. Tenerife said he was able to breathe unassisted and was stable but that he remained unconscious and in a critical condition. At 5am the club announced De Miguel's condition had worsened neurologically.

“CD Tenerife announce the tragic passing of Jesús de Miguel Alameda on Tuesday 3 November 2026 at 8am,” said a statement released at 9.31am. The statement described the club as “broken by pain, with a lump in the throat and unable to believe that this is true”, and accompanying the forward’s “devastated family, loved ones and everyone associated with Tenerife who mourns this cruel end”.

'This has had a huge emotional impact on our players, coaching staff and everyone at FC Andorra'

Ferran Vilaseca

President, FC Andorra

The former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, who is Andorra's majority shareholder and attended the game, wrote on social media: "I am so deeply sorry, to my soul. Rest in peace, Jesús." The club's president, Ferran Vilaseca, told reporters: "This has had a huge emotional impact on our players, coaching staff and everyone at FC Andorra."

The chief public prosecutor in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui, told the news agency EFE it was “very difficult” for a legal case to be taken up given that the impact happened in the course of the game. A formal legal complaint could still be brought. There is no precedent for a footballer facing legal proceedings as a result of a challenge during a game.

According to federation protocols Owono could face a 12-game ban, with the disciplinary committee due to decide.

The report from the referee said: "In minute 90+6, player no 25 Ferrer Owono, Jesus Lazaro, was sent off for the following reason: for impacting sharply upon an opponent with his leg high and excessive force in dispute of the ball. The player was treated on the field of play, which he then abandoned on a stretcher. At the close of this report, no medical certificate had been presented."

De Miguel had played most of his career in Spain's third tier, at Leganés B, Inter de Madrid, Fuenlabrada, Navalcarnero, Unionistas de Salamanca and Castellón. He was Castellón's top scorer when they were promoted to the second division in 2024 and joined Tenerife in 2025.

Wednesday 4 November 2026 The Guardian

A new leaf

Gardeners' web tool to tackle climate crisis

Page 9

Visa rules

Backpackers urged to

work in rural Australia

Page 15

National

UK food suppliers' freezers heat up after cyber-attack

Dan Milmo

Robert Booth

Food suppliers in the UK have been hit by cyber-attacks after hackers raised the temperatures of supermarket freezers across Europe.

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it was working with the affected companies but that the national impact was minimal.

Speaking at the launch of the NCSC annual review yesterday, the centre's director of operations, Paul Chichester, said: “We’re aware of those incidents in the UK, and obviously we’re working with the affected organisations. We’ll keep monitoring that. At the moment, the impact is minimal.”

Cybersecurity experts meanwhile reported that attacks on “dummy” fridge controls - deliberately placed online to lure would-be hackers - displayed characteristics similar to previous malicious operations linked to Russia.

Retailers in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden reported problems with their refrigeration systems on Monday - with some rising as high as 50C - and several companies confirmed they had been hacked.

This followed similar incidents in France last month. It has emerged that the cyber-attack on French supermarket fridges involved legacy technology connected to the internet with default passwords.

No UK grocery chain has been directly affected so far.

Chichester said the NCSC, part of the GCHQ spy agency, was working with organisations to identify similar flaws in their technology before hackers exploit them.

He said the NCSC was not able to comment on who might have carried out the attacks, but that they were not AI-enabled and had used vulnerabilities that had been “out there for a long period of time”.

The NCSC's chief executive, Richard Horne, said the fridge attacks represented the “foothills” of an enlarged cyberthreat that companies and the public face as AI systems highlight flaws in IT networks that owners were not aware of or neglected to patch.

“There are so many vulnerabilities out there that ... you could say are waiting to be exploited,” he said.

The agency's chief technology officer, Ollie Whitehouse, said everyday domestic devices connected to the internet would be susceptible to hackers in certain situations. He said manufacturers needed to be encouraged to make their technology safer, and consumers needed to accept paying more for safer equipment.

The British Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (Aims) told the BBC some of its more than 300 members had been affected, with one company's cold units heating up to 100C and another two reporting their units had started to defrost. Aims said the affected units were empty at the time and no produce was lost.

Cybersecurity researchers said attacks on dummy Danfoss fridge controls - which were targeted by the hackers in mainland Europe - were similar to recent operations linked to Russia.

Xavier Bellekens, the chief executive of the cyberdefence firm Lupovis, said it had recorded 256 attempted attacks from 91 different sources between 20 October and 30 October after setting up online “honeypots” that are indistinguishable to attackers from real Danfoss fridge controllers.

The attackers attempting to gain control of the dummy controls remained anonymous, but most of the authentication attempts used the manufacturer's publicly documented factory-default username and password credentials.

They also used what Bellekens called “bulletproof” hosting, which means using internet service providers that are tolerant of malicious activity. “What caught our attention was the overlap between infrastructure involved in the recent probing activity and infrastructure we have previously associated with Russian-linked malicious operations,” he said.

PHOTOGRAPH: LEE THOMAS

Swanning about A bevy of mute swans gathers at a feeding spot on the River Severn in the heart of Worcester. This stretch of the river has been a swan sanctuary since the early 1980s, when it was created by the local council and Worcester Cathedral to protect the birds from poisoning caused by ingesting lead weights used by local fishers.

Private sector workers to be guaranteed life pensions

Hilary Osborne

Millions of private sector workers will be offered a guaranteed pension income for life under new rules designed to help them get the most out of their retirement savings.

Over the past 30 years, the majority of final salary pension schemes offering a set payout for life have closed. Workers have instead saved into a scheme and arrived at retirement with a pot of money they have to decide what to do with.

George Osborne scrapped the obligation to buy an annuity in 2014 - a product offering an income for life - leaving many savers wondering how to manage their money.

Proposals outlined by the government today will bring in a default option for retirees, designed to ensure that the money they have saved provides them with an income for life.

Under the guided retirement regime, people will still be able to withdraw their money or invest it elsewhere, but they will also be offered a simple option, with payments often linked to inflation.

The government said the changes would affect 17 million workers who were currently investing in a pension.

Savings have been boosted by an auto-enrolment system - introduced in October 2012 - that means employers have to put every worker aged 22 and over into a pension scheme and make a company contribution.

Workers can opt out, but nine in 10 eligible private sector workers are now making contributions into a retirement fund, up from four in 10 in 2012.

However, some retirees have struggled to know what to do with their money. The government says nearly half the pension pots accessed for the first time in 2025/26 were emptied out. This has left people at risk of outliving their savings and reliant on their state pension.

The pensions minister, Torsten Bell, said: “Private sector workers deserve a much better deal when it comes to pensions.

“They are doing the right thing and saving for retirement, but when they get there too many are left without a genuine pension.

“We are resurrecting proper pensions for private sector workers, guaranteeing them the option of an income that lasts throughout retirement and in many cases protection against the rising cost of living - things public sector workers take for granted.”

News

US midterms

Americans expected to punish Trump in poll seen as confidence vote on him

← Continued from page 1

Iran. The president's approval rating has slumped to record lows, saddling Republicans with an unenviable task as they defended narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress.

Trump has held 30 campaign rallies over the past month. The 80-year-old's speeches have been strewn with lies, prejudice, repetitions and ruminations on men's physiques including the "ass" of the Ohio senator Jon Husted. His closing address at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday focused mainly on algae, granite, re-caulking and grass.

In remarks apparently aimed at swaying largely Democratic-leaning voters unhappy with US support for Israel, Trump said the US would stop \$4bn in annual funding to Israel after the end of this year. The president also said he would be watching the results come in last night at the White House, where he was due to host a viewing reception.

Trump's campaign message has increasingly appeared at odds with voters' priorities. He sought to cast Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist. "The Democrat party has nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history," the president said on Monday.

But polls suggested voters cared more about their economic situation, and the affordability message that swept Trump to power in 2024 could now come back to bite him.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 48% of voters considered the cost of living their most important issue in deciding how to vote, compared with 26% who cited democratic norms and 13% immigration. Nearly half of Americans said their household finances had deteriorated since Trump returned to office in 2025.

More than 57m Americans had already cast ballots by Monday, exceeding the early voting total recorded in 2022. Democrats, who deployed the former president Barack Obama on the campaign trail, were hoping greater enthusiasm among their supporters, combined with dissatisfaction over the economy and the war with Iran, would translate into higher turnout.

All 435 seats in the House were being contested, alongside 35 of the Senate's 100 seats. Democrats needed a net gain of three seats in the House and four in the Senate to take control of both chambers. The party out of power traditionally makes gains in midterm elections, with the president's party having lost ground in the House in all but two such contests since the second world war.

▲ A woman inside a polling station in Guttenberg, New Jersey, yesterday

The fight for the Senate was concentrated in about a dozen competitive races, many in states that Trump carried comfortably in 2024. Democrats were seeking victories in traditionally Republican territory including Texas, Kansas, Iowa and Alaska, while also defending vulnerable seats.

In Texas, the Democrat James Talarico was seeking to end his party's three-decade drought in statewide elections against the Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton. The race attracted national attention and huge financial backing, including more than \$150m in Republican support from Elon Musk.

Paxton, who has faced a series of scandals, attacked Talarico on cultural issues, while the Democrat - who combines proud religious faith with economic populism - focused on the economic consequences of Trump's tariffs and the war in Iran.

At a packed rally in Austin on Mon-

day night, Talarico said Musk and

other big money groups were des-

perately trying to stop him: “They

are scared. They are terrified. They

see what we see: that we are about

to win this election tomorrow night.”

In Kansas, the Democrat Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, was narrowly ahead of the Republican senator Roger Marshall in opinion polls. The state voted for Trump by more than 16 percentage points in

'The system is run amok' Millions across the divide have their say

In the battleground state of Maine, Todd Cox, 63, has supported the state's incumbent Republican senator Susan Collins not once but twice in previous elections. Not this time.

Yesterday Cox, a technology professional, cast his vote for Collins's Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson - driven not by pressing local issues, but broader concern “for the direction the country is going in”, he said.

"We definitely haven't become kinder and gentler under this administration," Cox said. "There's a lot of bullying that goes on. It goes back to affordability. It's the war in Iran - that shouldn't be happening. It's the disregard for the rule of law. It just seems like they're thumbing their nose at it."

As millions lined up to cast their votes nationwide, the question looming over yesterday's US midterm elections - with control of the US Congress and checks and balances on Donald Trump at stake - was just how many Americans felt the same way.

There were signs of high turnout, with 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of 100 seats in the Senate, 39 governorships and

Reporting team

Robert Tait

Portland, Maine

Joseph Gedeon

Dearborn,

Michigan

Ed Pilkington

Anchorage,

Alaska

George Chidi

Atlanta, Georgia

thousands of state legislative seats up for grabs, as well as many local contests and ballot measures on issues including taxes, abortion rights and voting rules.

aggressive crackdown on immigration as among the issues that had informed how they cast their votes. Lines formed outside polling stations in key states including Texas and Maine.

In interviews with the Guardian across the country, voters cited affordability concerns, Trump's war on Iran and his administration's

To win control of the US Senate in Washington, Democrats must flip four Republican-held seats and retain all of those they already hold. They meanwhile need a net gain of just three seats to get a majority in the House.

In Maine, a steady stream of voters entered the Merrill auditorium polling station in Portland's busy downtown district in mid-morning, leading to queues of up to half an hour to cast a ballot, according to organisers.

"I'm concerned about ICE raids that have been happening here in Portland," said Maple Razsa,

▶ Voters line up to cast their ballots in Columbus, Ohio. Above left, inside a polling station in Manhattan, New York City. Left, a man dressed as an eagle encourages people to vote in Portland, Maine

PHOTOGRAPHS: MEGAN JELINGER/REUTERS; OLGA FEDOROVA/EPA; ROBERT F BUKATY/AP

55, a global studies professor at Colby College in Waterville. “The political system is just run amok at this point.”

There was still robust support for Trump's party, however. “I voted straight Republican,” said a 63-year-man in Maine, who declined to give his name. “I don’t know much about the issues, but I’m not ready to throw away Israel yet. I don’t really see the war in Iran as a real war. What have we lost? Dozens. We lose hundreds and thousands in these wars and if they have a nuclear bomb, we're going to have a nuclear war anyway."

In Georgia, where there are heated races for senate and governor, David Boy, an attorney from Johns Creek, voted for Republicans despite his staunch antipathy to the president. “I don’t like Trump. I’ve never voted for him,” he said. “I want to go to my deathbed saying I never did.”

But these are midterm elections - not presidential - and he looked beyond his view of the current occupant of the White House in an attempt to elect candidates he

'The system is run amok' Millions across the divide have their say

In the battleground state of Maine, Todd Cox, 63, has supported the state's incumbent Republican senator Susan Collins not once but twice in previous elections. Not this time.

Yesterday Cox, a technology professional, cast his vote for Collins's Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson - driven not by pressing local issues, but broader concern “for the direction the country is going in”, he said.

"We definitely haven't become kinder and gentler under this administration," Cox said. "There's a lot of bullying that goes on. It goes back to affordability. It's the war in Iran - that shouldn't be happening. It's the disregard for the rule of law. It just seems like they're thumbing their nose at it."

As millions lined up to cast their votes nationwide, the question looming over yesterday's US midterm elections - with control of the US Congress and checks and balances on Donald Trump at stake - was just how many Americans felt the same way.

There were signs of high turnout, with 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of 100 seats in the Senate, 39 governorships and

Reporting team

Robert Tait

Portland, Maine

Joseph Gedeon

Dearborn,

Michigan

Ed Pilkington

Anchorage,

Alaska

George Chidi

Atlanta, Georgia

thousands of state legislative seats up for grabs, as well as many local contests and ballot measures on issues including taxes, abortion rights and voting rules.

aggressive crackdown on immigration as among the issues that had informed how they cast their votes. Lines formed outside polling stations in key states including Texas and Maine.

In interviews with the Guardian across the country, voters cited affordability concerns, Trump's war on Iran and his administration's

To win control of the US Senate in Washington, Democrats must flip four Republican-held seats and retain all of those they already hold. They meanwhile need a net gain of just three seats to get a majority in the House.

In Maine, a steady stream of voters entered the Merrill auditorium polling station in Portland's busy downtown district in mid-morning, leading to queues of up to half an hour to cast a ballot, according to organisers.

"I'm concerned about ICE raids that have been happening here in Portland," said Maple Razsa,

▶ Voters line up to cast their ballots in Columbus, Ohio. Above left, inside a polling station in Manhattan, New York City. Left, a man dressed as an eagle encourages people to vote in Portland, Maine

PHOTOGRAPHS: MEGAN JELINGER/REUTERS; OLGA FEDOROVA/EPA; ROBERT F BUKATY/AP

55, a global studies professor at Colby College in Waterville. “The political system is just run amok at this point.”

There was still robust support for Trump's party, however. “I voted straight Republican,” said a 63-year-man in Maine, who declined to give his name. “I don’t know much about the issues, but I’m not ready to throw away Israel yet. I don’t really see the war in Iran as a real war. What have we lost? Dozens. We lose hundreds and thousands in these wars and if they have a nuclear bomb, we're going to have a nuclear war anyway."

In Georgia, where there are heated races for senate and governor, David Boy, an attorney from Johns Creek, voted for Republicans despite his staunch antipathy to the president. “I don’t like Trump. I’ve never voted for him,” he said. “I want to go to my deathbed saying I never did.”

But these are midterm elections - not presidential - and he looked beyond his view of the current occupant of the White House in an attempt to elect candidates he

'They don't need it' US will cut \$4bn in aid to Israel, Trump says

Donald Trump said that the US will end military aid to Israel at the end of this year in a surprise election day announcement that appeared to be targeted at voters sceptical of US support for Israel and the war in Gaza.

In a phone interview with Fox News as voting began, Trump said the US would cut nearly \$4bn (£3bn) in military aid to Israel because “they don’t need it”. “We were giving them \$4bn ... But it gets cut off at the end of the year,” he said.

Trump also indicated that he had decided to end the aid - which he claimed would be replaced by arms sales to Israel instead - because it had become a popular criticism of US foreign policy led by outspoken candidates including the Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

"Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like El-Sayed

“I’ve got school-age kids, so making sure the schools are good for them,” said Boy. “Taxes. I’m in the prime earning years right now, so paying taxes … and then also for me, personally, my faith and integrity and moral issues. And then, I want things to be run well. Honestly, I want our government to be run efficiently and effectively.”

when they don't need it?" Trump said. "It's a bad talking point."

believed would act on the issues he cared about.

Jason Griffin, an engineer from Johns Creek, Georgia, said he was motivated to vote for Democrats specifically because of Trump.

During the interview, Trump claimed that the abrupt ending of aid was proposed by Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We give them \$4bn of things and money, and they don't need it," he said. "And I was approached by Bibi Netanyahu, and we've been talking about it for a couple of years because it's a lot of money."

Netanyahu had previously suggested tapering off US military aid to Israel over the next decade, but Trump's announcement yesterday would significantly shorten that timeline.

Israel received most of the approximately \$3.8bn in 2025 as Foreign Military Financing grants that allow the country to buy US military hardware including F-35 fighter jets. Another \$500m was given for joint missile defence programmes.

Andrew Roth

“I used to like the policies of most of the Republicans,” he said.

Others were motivated by local concerns. “Michigan is in a dumpster fire,” Sona, a Dearborn resident in her 60s who declined to give her last name, said of another important swing state that both parties have targeted on the path to controlling the Senate. She voted Republican.

Sona described herself as a lifelong conservative who opposes abortion and is concerned about “transgenderism”, specifically transgender athletes in women’s

2024 and had not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century.

Michigan emerged as another critical battleground. The Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was facing the former Republican congressman Mike Rogers in a contest complicated by an extraordinary intervention from Haley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the Democratic primary before endorsing Rogers.

The dispute exposed divisions within the Democratic party over Israel. El-Sayed, who could become the country's first Muslim senator, has been subjected to attacks questioning his loyalty and patriotism.

Beyond Congress, voters were choosing governors in 36 states, alongside thousands of state legislative seats and ballot measures covering issues including abortion rights and taxes.

The elections could have profound consequences for Trump's ability to govern. A Democratic takeover of either chamber would provide a check on the White House, potentially opening the way to congressional investigations, attempts to block presidential nominees and renewed impeachment efforts.

sports - an issue Republicans have sought to hammer in recent months. She also pointed to wages she said were about \$10,000 below those in neighbouring states, and to high electricity bills.

In Alaska, another battleground state, Republican voter John House had a mixed assessment of Trump. "He talks too much, but he's done so much for us," he said. But House, 62, a carpenter living and working in Anchorage, had no time for the Democrats. "You'd be a damn fool to vote Democrat," he declared. "We'll go backwards."

Many voters took a different view. Chaunice Carr, 27, cast her vote for Mary Peltola, the Democratic senate candidate in Alaska - an action she described as “insanely important” to her. “There are a lot of bad things happening in Alaska, in the world. A lot of violence. ICE raids, people being deported in horrid ways. I’m hoping that today we can start to get that violence out of our lives.”

Juanita Cupa, 30, also voted for Peltola. Prices are up, and life is tough. She spends \$120 every two weeks filling up her truck, which she can't do without in Alaska's snowy wilderness. She is so hard up that she has had to move back in with her parents. "I'm living cheque to cheque."

She was no fan of Trump, either. "He is spreading hatred, racism," said Cupa. "His leadership is disgusting - the way he talks about women, and human life."

In recent days there has been a report that Peltola's campaign was behind an effort to recruit another candidate on the ballot called Dan Sullivan, with the same name as her Republican opponent. Peltola has denied any knowledge of such a tactic from her campaign.

“It’s just been a lot of foolishness around this, on both sides,” said Cupa, with a weary shrug. “We’re all ready for it to be over.”

Key races

Seven candidates to watch

Abdul El-Sayed

Democratic

candidate for

US Senate in

Michigan

El-Sayed, a

former public

health official on the left of the Democratic party, beat a moderate member of Congress to win the party's nomination for US Senate in Michigan in a race clouded by tens of millions of dollars in outside spending. He is facing Republican former congressman Mike Rogers in one of the country's most-watched races. Michigan is a swing state: while the Senate seat they are fighting for has been held by a Democrat for 12 years, the state narrowly backed Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. El-Sayed's brand of tough talk and the simplicity of his campaign slogan (money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for All) have made him a progressive star - and a frequent punching bag on the right.

Susan Collins

Republican US

senator from

Maine

Collins isn't

new to the US

Senate. She

has been serving since 1997, and is seeking a sixth term. A moderate Republican, she is a dying breed in the current Maga-tinged Washington during Trump's second presidency. Maine is a battleground state: Kamala Harris won the state by a clear margin over Trump in 2024. Now Collins, 73, is trying to hang on to her seat against Troy Jackson - a former logger who served in the state legislature - in a race that Democrats have targeted as a key to winning back control of the Senate.

Adam Hamilton

Democratic

nominee for

US Senate in

Kansas

Kansans have

not sent a

Democrat to the US Senate since 1932. But Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, won a crowded primary and has made the race one to watch this year. While Kansas typically leans right, voters in the state have shown frustration with Republican senator Roger Marshall over inaccessibility and his alignment with Trump, as they struggle to afford fuel and groceries.

Jon Ossoff

Democratic US

senator from

Georgia

The political

glow-up and

savvy speaking

skills of Ossoff, 39, who is seeking a second term in Georgia, have given rise to near-constant murmurs that he'll run for president in 2028, with regular comparisons to Barack Obama. He has accused his opponent, Mike Collins, a Republican congressman, of being aligned with white supremacists - which Collins has denied.

James Talarico

Democratic

nominee for US

Senate in Texas

Talarico,

a 37-year-

old state

lawmaker, has generated buzz - and raised record-breaking sums - in his run for the US Senate. Having fended off the firebrand Democratic congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary, he now faces the state's beleaguered Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton. The nomination of Paxton - who has faced a host of fraud and misconduct scandals during his time in office - has prompted Republicans to drop tens of millions of dollars to defend a seat they typically win with a clear margin. Talarico, dubbed "Talafreako" by Trump and his allies, has sought to win over independents and Republicans in the red state by appealing to their faith and speaking against corruption in politics.

Mary Peltola

Democratic

nominee for

US Senate in

Alaska

Peltola is one

of the few

prominent Democrats who were deemed to pose a potential threat to the incumbent Republican Dan S Sullivan. She entered the race hoping to capitalise on Alaska's broad anti-Trump feelings. But in the final stretch, she faced allegations of mistreating staff, which her campaign has attempted to downplay. Her campaign also faced accusations of ballot stacking by recruiting another candidate named Dan J Sullivan to run in the state's open primary, thereby drawing votes away from the Republican senator. Peltola has denied recruiting candidates into the race.

Darline

Graham

Republican

US senator in

South Carolina

Graham had

minimal

involvement in politics and had never run for or held public office until this year, when she was appointed to the US Senate seat in South Carolina after the death of her brother, the long-serving senator Lindsey Graham. But voter frustration with political dynasties have also made the race in this typically red state a toss-up. Dr Annie Andrews, a paediatrician, is running against Graham.

Rachel Leingang

Jury in Russell Brand rape trial retires to consider its verdicts

Emine Sinmaz

The jury in Russell Brand's rape and sexual assault trial retired to consider its verdicts yesterday.

Brand, 51, has been described as a ruthless, calculated and manipulative sexual predator during the three-week trial at Southwark crown court. The comedian is accused of seven offences, including rape and sexual assault, against six women in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999. He denies all the charges.

Addressing the jury of eight men and four women, the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, said: "I can only accept a verdict from all 12 of you that is a unanimous verdict."

The judge earlier had begun summing up the evidence in the case by going through each count.

In her closing speech on Friday, the prosecutor, Riel Karmy-Jones KC, said six women who did not know each other had come forward to accuse Brand of a similar pattern of behaviour.

Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, said in his closing speech on Monday that a Dispatches documentary about the comedian's alleged sexual misconduct had “poisoned the wells” of justice against him.

He also said there had been “monstrous delays” in the women in the criminal trial coming forward to police, and he questioned why Brand had been accused of “only three rapes in 10 years” out of all the women he had slept with.

Brand made no comment when he arrived at court yesterday morning accompanied by his wife and members of his entourage.

Brand is accused of three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. An allegation of indecent assault was changed to a charge of attempted indecent assault last week. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial continues.

AI FROM BT BUSINESS

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BEHIND BRILLIANT THINGS

Henry Nowak 'would have hated' riots that followed his murder, family says

Jamie Grierson

Henry Nowak's family said yesterday he "would have hated" the riots that followed his death, as they accused some politicians of playing a "game" with their son's murder.

Nowak, who was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa in December, had been handcuffed by police as he lay dying after his attacker falsely accused him of racial abuse.

The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, subsequently urged the public to respond with “pure cold rage” and demanded an end to what he described as “two-tier policing”.

Protesters - including the leaders of Ukip and Britain First, the Portsmouth branch of the National Rebirth party and others urged to attend on social media - gathered in Southampton in the weeks after Nowak's death.

Speaking in an interview for an ITV Tonight documentary, Dear Henry: Our Fight for Justice, the family said they had “worked hard” to keep politics out of Nowak’s story.

Nowak's mother, Lucy Ross, said she thought some people had tried to use her son's death to advance wider political arguments. “I suppose that’s the game they play, and I can’t do anything about that. But when they think it all links together - no, it doesn’t,” she said.

“Olivia’s lost her brother, and I’ve lost my son. I’m not interested in your political game. I want to know why Henry was on the floor and he got treated the way he did, but that family got treated [in] a different way. What is that?”

Mark Nowak told ITV that his son “was not a divisive person” and the political response to his murder “didn’t sit with Henry’s values or our values”.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed that its inquiry into potential failures in the police response to Nowak's stabbing is expected to end early next year.

A letter sent to the family by the watchdog in April said that after “careful consideration of the available evidence” no officers “would be subject to conduct or criminal investigation”.

It read: “This was because there were no concerns identified in relation to officer actions and decisions that would be so serious as to justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings, should they be proven or admitted.”

The letter added that the decision not to investigate attending officers would be “kept under review throughout the life cycle of the case”.

The IOPC announced in July that two officers were under investigation for potential gross misconduct.

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has also commissioned an independent review of the case, including the IOPC's involvement, led by the former lord chancellor Alex Chalk, to examine whether there were “any missed opportunities to intervene”.

▲ Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed in December PHOTOGRAPH: HAMPSHIRE POLICE/PA

National

Online tool will help gardeners pick best plants for Britain's warming climate

Miatta Mbriwa

As gardeners in the UK are forced to adapt their growing habits to a rapidly changing climate, a coalition of leading British horticultural organisations is developing an online tool that will help users predict which plants will survive in future conditions.

The garden climate assessment tool, developed by the Future National Gardens Group (FNGG), will be a free risk-assessment tool that evaluates how a plant could tolerate the projected climate of a user's chosen location.

Gardeners will be able to feed a list of plants into the tool, which will take into account factors including annual average temperature, natural distribution, winter cold and climate dryness.

The FNGG comprises horticultural, heritage and landscape organisations including the Royal

Horticultural Society (RHS), the National Trust, English Heritage and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

On Monday, professional gardeners were invited to trial and provide feedback on the tool. A timeline for its release is uncertain, but the RHS's director of science, Alistair Griffiths, said the long-term hope was that it would be made accessible to the wider gardening public.

It was created to spur the creation of climate-resilient gardens in the UK and to inform gardeners' decisions about what they plant in the future, aiming to help them anticipate the effects of the climate crisis on their plants rather than reacting to them.

Prof Sam Brockington, a curator at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, said: “In the 20th century, we could pretty much grow the same things with confidence, we could learn from previous generations. But now we’re moving into climate scenarios that we just don’t have the traditions to understand fully.”

Brockington said the tool would identify plants that were struggling, so gardeners would be able to gradually remove them from collections.

The tool was based on Botanic Gardens Conservation International's climate assessment tool, which was launched in Australia in 2022, focusing solely on trees.

80,650 The number of plant types that the horticulturists behind the new tool have logged in the system so far

The UK coalition sought to move the model forward by expanding it to cover plants. There are up to 80,650 plant types and data from 289 UK gardens in the system, with plans for it to be continually updated to help strengthen predictions.

British gardeners are increasingly having to rethink what they plant - drought is still declared in most of England after heatwaves scorched gardens during the summer.

▲ Delphiniums and hydrangeas, top, both need lots of water. Left: gardeners Laura and Joe Carey and,

right, Kim

Shrosbree from

the Epsom

Garden Society

PHOTOGRAPHS:

SCHNUDDEL/GETTY;

KIMIKO ICHIKAWA/

GETTY; BEN LAMBERT

The number of British gardens in the system, which will be regularly updated to strengthen predictions

\$6.34bn drained from crypto wallets in the attack had been frozen or intercepted.

Laura Carey, who co-owns Carey Garden Design Studio with her husband, Joe, said: “One of the big questions for designers at the moment is what trees are going to be able to cope with our changing weather.”

She said the tool's ability to measure how a plant would fare “not just with increased temperatures, but also with the changeability of the weather” could help gardeners make better long-term choices.

Clive Boase, of the charity Climate Change Gardening, said he welcomed the tool at a time when people were “hungry for information on how to help their garden cope with the changing climate”.

He said it could help gardeners in his area in the east of England - the driest region in the UK - become more confident in moving away from classic features of the English garden that required a lot of water, such as verdant lawns and flowers including hydrangeas and delphiniums.

"People are embedded in a sort of cultural aesthetic ... And if you say, to be honest, that's not going to work going forward, then that's a bit of a wrench for them," he said. "They have to be supported in making those changes."

Kim Shrosbree, the secretary of the Epsom Garden Society, said it would be useful to consider how gardeners on chalk and clay were facing opposite growing conditions. "To me, that would be just as important to know as the plants that will be good for the climate proposed in the south of England," she said.

“This should not have happened, and we apologise for the concern, disruption and uncertainty it caused our users, partners and the wider industry,” Binance said in the update.

Binance hackers used bogus job interviews to gain access

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, said that the FBI's allegations proved Washington remained hostile towards Pyongyang, according to North Korea's state news agency, KCNA.

Dan Milmo

Global technology editor

The hackers behind the \$6.3bn (£4.7bn) Binance heist used bogus job interviews, malicious software and an internal AI tool to carry out the attack, the company said yesterday.

The world's largest cryptocurrency exchange was compromised in an operation that began with an inadvertent download of malware in June. This led to a recruitment scam in September and then a raid last week of infrastructure. A different engineer was then contacted on a legitimate job-hunting platform by a fake project director, leading to a first-round video interview with a sham HR representative.

“hot wallets”, where billions of dollars of crypto assets were taken.

The FBI has blamed North Korea for the heist but the rogue state, a prolific crypto hacker, described the accusation as “absurd rhetoric” yesterday.

According to an incident update released by Binance, the hackers got their first foothold in the summer when a Binance engineer inadvertently downloaded malware that exposed the employee's role and that of others on the team that looked after Binance's crypto wallet

KCNA quoted Kim Yo-jong as saying: “The FBI is trying to brand the DPRK [the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] as a ‘cyber-criminal state’, claiming that it obtained information that a hacking organisation ‘supported’ by the DPRK was involved in the incident.

During a second-round interview on a chat app with the “CEO” of a fictitious company, the engineer was tricked into downloading malware on to his computer.

On 20 October the attacker used the compromised computer plus an internal AI tool to gain control of the engineer's system and that of a second wallet developer on the team.

Then, last Thursday, the attacker used the second developer's computer, using stolen credentials from the first engineer, and triggered a malicious script to launch the attack.

Binance said that \$2.85bn of the

Deepfake job interviews are a known part of North Korea's cyber arsenal, but normally bogus IT professionals apply for jobs as a way to funnel money back to Pyongyang.

Kim Yo-jong, sister of Kim Jong-un, called the US assertion that Pyongyang was behind the attack ‘absurd’

“But the US assertion is absurd rhetoric and nothing new. It is a grave political provocation against the DPRK that the US misleads international public opinion as if all the cyber crimes in different parts of the world are our deeds.”

Burnham to reveal EU youth visa pact and trade deals worth billions

← Continued from page 1

They include an agricultural agreement, which the government believes will be worth over £5bn to the British economy by 2040; a deal to give the UK access to the EU's emissions trading scheme; and a youth visa scheme for tens of thousands of people under 30.

Officials on both sides say the final text for the deals is nearly agreed. Among the key details not yet finalised are the number of people who should be allowed to travel under the youth mobility scheme.

Both sides are understood to have agreed that each European member state should get its own quota under the scheme - an attempt to spread out its benefits and potential costs.

Under the proposed agricultural deal, British companies and travellers would no longer have to get a certificate to transport live animals - including pets - into Europe. Those wanting to bring domesticated animals into the bloc would be issued with a pet passport, eradicating the need for complicated paperwork on each trip.

UK producers will be allowed to continue selling some products that are banned under EU law, such as certain pesticides, for a set “transition period”. Trade in other products, including live molluscs and Scottish salmon, would be freed up.

Under an agreement on emissions, the UK will pay the EU billions of pounds to avoid a cross-border carbon tax, which comes into place next January. Under a separate agreement the UK will join the EU emissions trading scheme to avoid being trapped.

And under the “youth experience scheme”, Britain and the EU will issue visas to people under 30 to live, work and travel in each other’s territory.

The UK is negotiating an emergency brake-style mechanism to make sure that if a member state refuses to issue its quota of visas, the UK will restrict the numbers of their nationals looking to travel to Britain.

Officials on both sides have now started talks over a separate joint statement setting out areas of future cooperation, including on industrial policy and tuition fees. A draft of that agreement seen by the Guardian would seek to conclude an agreement on charging European students lower fees within the next six months.

The Guardian revealed this week the UK was willing to spend hundreds of millions of pounds compensating universities for any financial loss as a result - but only if the EU agrees to allow Britain access to its protectionist Made in Europe scheme.

The draft statement, which has been prepared by the EU and not yet agreed by the UK, describes the

The details in brief What the deal will cover in practice

What is the overall deal on 20 November?

The food deal is one of three main issues identified by Keir Starmer for his “reset” of relations with the EU. Andy Burnham promised to stick with them and to focus on food, electricity and a youth travel scheme for British and EU citizens between 18 and 30.

What does the reset mean in practice?

● A youth mobility scheme will start possibly next year, with 18- to 30-year-olds able to get a special visa to work, study or simply travel.

● Exports of fresh meat, fish, shellfish and seed potatoes (largely from Scotland) can resume without costly paperwork to prove they comply with EU standards.

• Exporters will no longer need the £200 veterinary certificate proving their produce is safe in the EU.

• Exporters will not need the £25 plant health certificate proving they are free of pests and diseases, paving the way for easier exports of trees, shrubs and wooden or leather goods.

So if this is being announced on 20 November, what happened today? The remaining loose ends in the food and drink deal, which was largely agreed and announced

£200

Cost of certificate to prove British produce is safe in the EU - no longer needed by exporters after the reset in May, were finally agreed by both sides. The details of the youth mobility scheme are still being thrashed out, with the EU still insisting that the UK allow EU students to study in British universities on home fees.

What does it mean for exporters? It will make exporting easier, but the food sector will be looking for substantial financial and marketing support from the UK to get British food back to the continent at scale. Food exports, particularly poultry and eggs, have collapsed by a third since Brexit, NFU analysis of trade data showed last month.

When will it be implemented?

The food deal is expected to be implemented in early 2028 as it needs legislation on the British side to align with the EU. The National

Farmers' Union has also asked for a transition period to allow trade in crops grown with fungicides and herbicides yet to be EU approved.

Will it mean more variety on British and EU food shelves? Yes. It should mean the return of a variety of fresh produce in British supermarkets along with a wider range of wine. After Brexit, supermarkets reduced the range of fresh produce from the continent because of the red tape while small artisan producers of cheese, wine and olive oil stopped selling into the UK for the same reason.

What about pet passports?

As of April this year EU pet

passports could no longer be

used by residents in England,

Scotland or Wales to travel to the

EU, causing headaches for families

The prime minister is close to finalising deals with the EU that would allow farmers to sell freely to the continent and travellers to take animals abroad more easily

PHOTOGRAPHS: JEFFREY GREENBERG/ UNIVERSAL IMAGES/ GETTY; DAN KITWOOD/GETTY; BLOOMBERG/GETTY

two sides as “trusted partners” - language the UK believes will allow it to participate in Made in Europe.

But European countries are pushing Britain to sign up to higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in particular, something UK ministers and business are resisting. The European draft text says both sides will “cooperate closely and explore further solutions”.

It also says the UK is likely to pay a financial contribution to the EU's “cohesion” budget to help poorer member states - though this has not been signed off by the UK and is understood to be more likely as part of a future agreement. The EU has

holidaying abroad, mainly with pet dogs. Before Brexit a single EU pet passport (issued by an authorised vet in the UK or another EU country) was valid for multiple trips into the EU, provided the pet's rabies vaccination remained in date. The new deal will see this system restored by 2028.

What about fish?

Scottish salmon producers were among the first to devise a way of centralising exports to cut red tape but the risk of having a truckload of fresh fish being detained in Boulogne meant many producers gave up. The deal would reopen the door for Scottish seafood exports.

What about Northern Ireland? Checks and paperwork of fresh produce were controversially introduced on goods going from also raised concerns about the UK's plans for an accelerated programme to deport “foreign national offenders from the UK to the EU”, which it is pushing the government to drop.

The agreement being announced this month forms one half of Burnham's attempts to reset the British conversation over Europe. Burnham is also planning a big announcement setting out his vision for how the UK could interact with the union in the future, including possible re-entry.

Downing Street has said this will take place “around the time of the summit” - though it has not yet been decided whether it will be before, during or after.

Great Britain to Northern Ireland in a trade-off designed to ensure there were no checks on the border with the Republic of Ireland.

The Democratic Unionist party opposed what they saw as a border in the Irish sea and today said the new deal did not go far enough as it does not get rid of all checks. The so-called sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal will bring the end of physical checks and veterinary certificates on farm produce and the “green” and “red” lanes for trucks bringing food from Great Britain.

It will also mean those who sell into Northern Ireland will no longer need to label their food “not for EU”. But checks on anything that comes with excise duty, wine and cigarettes will continue to prevent smuggling into the Republic of Ireland. Lisa O’Carroll

Europe PM says he has not proposed a return to free movement

Jessica Elgot

Deputy political editor

Andy Burnham has denied proposing a return of free movement in talks between the UK and EU, saying any decision about the future relationship would be led by the will of the British people.

Senior ministers have expressed caution about the talk of the UK returning as a full member of the EU or single market and the consequences of a return to free movement.

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she wanted to abide by Labour's manifesto, which ruled out free movement.

In an interview with ITV, Burnham said he wanted an “honest discussion” about how leaving the EU had affected migration, saying it was replacing temporary migrants from Europe with those from elsewhere.

"I have not proposed freedom of movement coming back," he said. "I do believe that we should have an honest discussion with people about how immigration has changed since the Brexit vote because the shorter-term migration of people coming from Europe and then going back has been replaced with long-term settlement in bigger numbers, and that was the Boriswave."

Burnham told ITV that he believed public opinion had shifted on EU membership but he would “not run ahead of public opinion. The public need to be the boss when it comes to whatever happens with Brexit.”

He said for this parliament he was committed to the red lines in Labour's manifesto, ruling out a return to the customs union, single market or freedom of movement.

Mahmood said she would not “indulge” the speculation about freedom of movement.

“What I am keen on is abiding by our manifesto,” she told Sky News. “The prime minister has himself recognised that there were significant issues with the free movement of people, and that should also be part of the debate that we’re going to have as a country about our Brexit settlement and what we do for the future.”

But she said there had been a loss of control over migration post-Brexit and said losing access to EU-wide databases had “had a very significant impact on us and our ability to manage migration into this country”.

"It's also been really clear that we are absolutely bound by the terms of our manifesto. We had a manifesto commitment not to reopen in this parliament the question of freedom of movement, and that will not change in this parliament."

The immigration minister, Anna Turley, told Sky she wanted to prioritise getting more young British people into jobs. “My priority is sorting out the system that we’ve got,” she said.

Sketch

John Crace

We're all aboard with

Kaptain Kemi - and the

Tories are lost at sea on

the good ship amnesia

H MS Wellington. A decommissioned Grimsby-class sloop from the second world war. A warship that has been moored on the Thames, going nowhere for the best part of 80 years. Today's venue for the leader of the opposition

to explain why the Conservative party hollowed out defence spending throughout their time in office. Sorry. Scrub that. To welcome in a brave new world order. Come aboard the good ship Badenoch. There are times when you wonder if the Tory media team have been infiltrated by Labour HQ.

After a brief introduction from the loyal but dim Lieutenant “Steady as she goes, chaps and chapesses” James Cartlidge, who for reasons not even he fully understands is the shadow defence secretary, Kaptain Kemi appeared to take over the helm. “Why have I brought you here?” she began. A good question. Though if she doesn’t know, it seems a bit much expecting us to have answers. Maybe this was more of a rhetorical cry for help. It wouldn’t be the only time her memory failed her on this latest public outing.

Let's hear it for the Britannia Shield, said Kaptain Kemi. Trying to inject some energy into a speech that was already sinking fast. James had come up with

If Brexit was to mean anything, it was the right to impoverish yourself. So she would be stockpiling water after declaring war

the Britannia Shield, she added. Which should have been a warning in itself not to take it seriously. Commander Cartlidge had only really envisioned it as a couple of drones being piloted from his back garden. He had never thought anyone would take it seriously.

Kaptain Kemi then wandered into a long ramble about how things were all terrible and how Shabana Mahmood had weakened our borders by putting in place immigration controls

that were far tougher than anything the Tories had ever done. Luckily, she appeared to have no idea how embarrassing the speech had just become. An extended cry for help. Living proof of terminal cognitive decline. She tried to cheer herself up by asking some more questions.

“Where is the prime minister?” she said. It was nice of her to show an interest in Andy Burnham’s whereabouts. And at least she knew the answer. “Antigua!” she yelled triumphantly. A victory that was short-lived as it soon became clear she thought he had gone there for a holiday rather than to attend the Commonwealth heads of government meeting.

That just left time for a few questions for the media. Kaptain Kemi was dead against any form of dynamic alignment with the EU on food products. Any hint of regulations to make it easier to trade with our neighbours was a red line. Trade should be made as difficult and as expensive as possible. That was what the British public had voted for. If Brexit was to mean anything, it was the right to impoverish yourself. Which was why she would be stockpiling water after declaring war. It turns out that the only terms on which Kaptain Kemi would visit China was if she had bombed it into submission first.

The longer the session went on, the more delusional Our Kaptain became. It wasn't long before she was offering her thoughts on making an apology for Britain's part in the slave trade. "Saying sorry is always a weakness," she said. The first rule of any contested area is never to admit liability.

King Charles with Commonwealth heads of state and representatives in Antigua and Barbuda yesterday

PHOTOGRAPH: BEN STANSALL/GETTY

King Charles stops short of slavery apology but acknowledges 'horror'

Natricia Duncan

St John's

King Charles has said that deepening his understanding of the horrors of slavery has made him more determined to address the wrongs of the past, as Caribbean leaders and campaigners intensified demands for an apology and reparations from Britain.

“We cannot change the actions of those who came before us,” Charles told leaders at the opening of the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda yesterday. “We can, however, learn from the past.

"The transatlantic trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over these islands and other members of our Commonwealth," he said. "That shameful chapter of history is one that fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow."

Charles said the more he had furthered his understanding “through listening, learning and looking”, the more committed he had become to building modern partnerships capable of addressing past wrongs.

But the king stopped short of an apology or support for reparations, instead pointing to education, employment, intra-Commonwealth trade and climate resilience as ways of tackling hardship and disadvantage.

"For, as any sailor navigating the seas knows, we cannot command the winds, least of all where the winds of yesterday have delivered us, but we can choose how we set our sail," he said.

Though speaking as head of the Commonwealth, and this speech would have been drafted by Charles personally along with his advisers, palace aides indicated there would be “no surprises” in it for the UK government.

Reparations are not formally on the agenda of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, where trade, climate resilience and finance, sustainable debt, democracy and opportunities for young people were among the stated priorities of the 56-member bloc.

But campaigning by Caribbean governments and a growing international reparations movement have propelled the issue to the centre of political debate.

Opening the summit in St John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, the country's prime minister, Gaston Browne, said "fairness" required an "honest engagement with our shared history" and called for meaningful and respectful dialogue on reparatory justice and the enduring consequences of slavery and colonialism.

Andy Burnham, the UK's prime minister, has said he is open to Britain apologising for slavery, with officials holding talks with national leaders in Antigua about what that could entail.

He has also proposed discussions on debt resets for smaller Commonwealth nations and announced £40m for critical infrastructure in the Caribbean over three years.

But Caribbean leaders have stressed that dialogue must extend beyond an apology. Philip J Pierre, the chair of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), described an apology as an “essential first step” but said an “apology without repair is incomplete”.

He said any structured dialogue must allow consideration of the entirety of Caricom's 10-point reparations plan, including public health, education, cultural restitution, psychological rehabilitation, debt cancellation and monetary compensation.

Britain's royal family benefited from the trade, but Charles is politically neutral and is not expected to offer an apology. A palace spokesperson said it would “not be appropriate” for the king to announce a change in government policy.

According to the AFP news agency, Burnham discussed slavery with the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, during a meeting on Monday, one of several bilateral meetings he is expected to have at the summit.

They discussed how Britain was “offering a structured dialogue for communities impacted by the transatlantic slave trade”, including the “next steps”, Downing Street said.

Outside the heavily secured summit venue, protesters gathered with placards declaring: “We know what you did and we can see you” and “You say appalling atrocity, yet you refuse to apologise.”

One protester, Lenworth Johnson, said that if the king's constitutional position prevented him from apologising, the British government should authorise him to do so. "We feel an apology is necessary," said Johnson.

Another protester said the demonstration was intended to ensure those entering the summit knew campaigners were “watching them and listening to what they’re saying”.

Dorbrene O'Marde, chair of the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission and one of the protest's organisers, said: "Genuine moral consciousness demands apologies - the acknowledgment of wrong, the acceptance of responsibility and the commitment to pursue reparations. Unfortunately King Charles III does nothing of the sort. He has failed the people who recognise him as king."

▲ King Charles and Andy Burnham. The UK government has made sharp cuts to its overseas aid budget

PHOTOGRAPH: AARON CHOWN/GETTY IMAGES

Overseas aid Countries at summit have fared poorly from UK cuts

Fiona Harvey

Environment editor

The British government has slashed overseas aid to Commonwealth countries, the Guardian can reveal, in contrast to the warm words for the group from the king and Andy Burnham this week.

Amid sharp cuts in the UK's aid budget overall, the Commonwealth has fared poorly, an analysis of the most recent and projected aid figures has shown.

Funding from the UK to the Commonwealth nations that previously had bilateral aid programmes will be cut from £546m in 2024-25 to £131m in 2028-29. Of that total, a large chunk - £68m - will go to Nigeria, leaving £63m for other countries.

The revelations come as the king attended the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) this week in Antigua and Barbuda where he said it was “only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering and injustices” of slavery. However, the British government has fought to ensure that discussion of reparations will be off the agenda.

The government has been cutting back on aid to countries that have been rapidly developing and are now judged to be middle income, such as India and Antigua and Barbuda, but the cuts to Commonwealth countries go much further, including many countries that are still among the poorest and many that are struggling under heavy debt burdens.

For instance, Sierra Leone, one of the world's least developed countries, will see its aid slashed from nearly £30m in 2024-25 to £5m in 2028-29. The UK and Sierra Leone will act as co-conveners of a strand of talks focusing on adaptation to the effects of the climate crisis at the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey next week.

Aid to Rwanda, where the previous government had a scheme to send refugees, is also being cut from nearly £30m in 2024-25 to £5m in 2028-29.

Aid to Tanzania will be slashed from £60m in 2025-26 to £5m in 2028-29. The Caribbean Development Team will have its funding cut from more than £98m in 2025-26 to £45m in 2026-27.

Nigeria will continue to be one of the biggest destinations for Commonwealth aid. It is scheduled to receive £68m in 2028-29, down from £137m this year.

Funding for nature has been particularly hard hit, experts said, as many Commonwealth countries have not only seen their aid funding slashed but have also been cut off from applying to the Darwin Initiative funds for nature protection. At least 26 countries from the Commonwealth have been prevented from receiving funds under the longstanding Darwin funding stream, worth about £40m a year.

Adrian Gahan, the UK lead at the Campaign for Nature charity, said: "UK aid to Commonwealth countries has fallen dramatically in recent years, with further cuts on the horizon. Some of the world's most biodiversity-rich countries, many of which are also grappling with high levels of poverty, are facing severe reductions in support. For example, the UK's Caribbean Development Team is set to see its funding cut by more than half between this year and next."

He noted the contrast between the government's stance at Chogm and the royal visit. “This week the king attended the launch of the Commonwealth Nature Initiative, a major new effort to protect nature across Commonwealth countries,” said Gahan. “Yet the UK government failed to make a financial contribution.”

Jean McLean, the chief influencing officer at Oxfam GB, said: "The UK government has really dropped the ball when it comes to the aid budget at exactly the moment when conflict, humanitarian crises, hunger and climate breakdown are driving global need to record levels.

"These cuts will not be felt in Westminster - they will be felt by families facing starvation, children denied healthcare and education, and communities struggling to survive the impacts of conflict and climate disasters."

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was approached for comment. The Chogm meeting is scheduled to finish today.

Parliament Decaying estate is a serious fire risk, MPs say

Peter Walker

Senior political correspondent

The Palace of Westminster was at risk of a Notre Dame-style fire or another catastrophic event if MPs did not tackle the issue of funding refurbishments, a committee report has said.

How and when to begin a full restoration of the parliamentary estate, which is Grade I-listed and a Unesco world heritage site, has been delayed amid disagreement over how it should be done and spiralling costs.

The cost of maintaining the estate will soon hit £2m a week and a recent estimate found the refurbishment work could cost as much as £40bn and potentially last for six decades.

In a report, the cross-party Commons public accounts committee said urgent action was needed to avoid the risk of a major fire or similar disaster and to staunch fast-increasing costs, with every year of inaction adding an estimated £420m to the restoration programme.

There had been a “political allergy” to making decisions, said Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative MP who chairs the committee.

He said MPs should also “imagine the blow suffered by the UK’s morale and reputation by some kind of catastrophic failure”.

He added: “Consider the impact of news footage of Notre Dame-like flames licking out of the building’s roof, resulting in the destruction of our heritage, or worse, injuries or loss of life. These are not notional possibilities but real and rising risks.”

The Victorian estate is beset by problems that are barely kept in check by ongoing maintenance, including plumbing failures, leaking roofs, crumbling masonry protected by a maze of scaffolding, and a persistent risk of fire, mainly from ancient electrics, necessitating 24-hour patrols.

This results in a maintenance bill totalling about £1.5m a week, with the committee report warning that without action this was expected to reach £2m a week.

The issue is seen as a matter for MPs and peers to decide rather than the government. While the committee stressed it was not its role to recommend a particular programme, the report made a series of recommendations for improving the process.

It said that in the next six months the clerks of the Commons and Lords - who are nominally in charge of the process - should set out a plan to properly engage parliamentarians, something it said had been lacking.

▲ Refurbishing parliament could take 60 years and up to £40bn

Other recommendations include a more robust set of estimates for cost and timetables to help a decision be made for the main project in 2030, as well as a more urgent approach to finalising accommodation for both chambers while the work takes place.

Calling the current governance of the scheme “far too complex”, it called for a new select committee to be formed, allowing MPs to hold senior officials to account.

Four proposals for refurbishment - ranging from a nearly-full exit from the estate during the works to a version in which only the Lords would move - have now been narrowed to two, from which MPs must choose.

The first, a “full decant”, would move staff to buildings on the north side of the estate, with the Commons in Richmond House and the Lords in the Queen Elizabeth II Centre. This would last up to 24 years and cost an estimated £15.6bn.

The other, a “staged decant”, would last anything from 38 to 61 years and see the Commons move to the Lords Chamber for up to two years at a cost of £39.2bn.

The report said there were particular worries about the temporary accommodation in terms of ensuring availability and the cost.

With the estimate to refurbish the Queen Elizabeth II Centre at £417m, with an estimated £2bn bill to set up the northern part of the estate for a move, the report added these felt “very high”.

It said: “We are concerned that the programme is being shaped around the availability of temporary accommodation rather than temporary accommodation being delivered to meet the programme’s needs.”

Lib Dem peer Harassment inquiry will not reopen

Jessica Elgot

Deputy political editor

The Liberal Democrat peer Chris Rennard has been told there will be no further investigation into sexual harassment allegations made against him, after an independent panel concluded it could not reopen the claim.

The party leader, Ed Davey, said he was “disappointed and upset” by the conclusion. He suspended Rennard from the party after an investigation was reopened earlier this year amid claims a previous inquiry was flawed.

Rennard said the complaint should now be published in full and said it made clear that the reopened investigation should never have happened.

The Lib Dems had asked three independent adjudicators, who are party members, to reassess Rennard's conduct after it received advice that a 2013 investigation into the claims made by four women had been “flawed in several respects”.

But it is understood that, after taking legal advice, the panel concluded that the case could not be reopened without new evidence. Rennard is a former chief executive of the party and was awarded a life peerage in 1999.

Davey has said previously he does not believe Rennard, 66, should be a member of the party or the House of Lords but does not have the power to remove him.

He said: “People will share my disappointment and upset that the independent process has come to this conclusion.

"The women who made complaints were let down by a flawed investigation 13 years ago, which is why we've changed the system, and it is deeply frustrating that they are now let down again.

“I do have complete confidence that the current complaints system would handle a new complaint of this nature in a wholly different and much more reliable way."

▲ Four women claimed they had been sexually harassed by Rennard

Rennard was subject to investigations by police and lawyers that concluded that the allegations against him could not be proved. He has said he apologises if he “inadvertently encroached” on anyone’s “personal space”.

The four claimants are former deputy party chair Alison Goldsworthy, the academic Alison Smith, a former adviser to Nick Clegg, Bridget Harris, and the former councillor, Susan Gaszczak.

A review carried out by the senior lawyer Alistair Webster KC in 2013 concluded that there was a less than 50% chance of the case against Rennard being proved beyond a reasonable doubt. But in a statement summarising his findings, he said there was “broadly credible” evidence of “behaviour which violated the personal space and autonomy of the complainants”.

Rennard said all the allegations had been “thoroughly and professionally investigated and dismissed by both police and by independent inquiries over 17 months in 2013-14.

He said: “The large volume of evidence which led Alistair Webster KC to dismiss the complaints remains confidential to his inquiry and there is no basis for suggesting that a different process could have come to any other conclusion.”

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Rent rises of up to 88% approved since tenants' rights overhaul

Jessica Murray

Social affairs correspondent

The rent tribunal system is “not working for anyone”, tenants and landlords have said, as rent increases of up to 88% continue to be approved despite Labour’s pledge to curb unfair rises.

Tenants have challenged rent increases in record numbers since the Renters' Rights Act came into effect in May, making the process easier and less risky for renters in England.

But tenants and landlords have said people are facing increasingly long delays for hearings, and that there is a lack of consistency in how “fair market rent” is being decided.

Analysis of data from May to October by London Renters Union (LRU) showed 80% of tenants who went through the tribunal process saw their rent go up, by an average of £1,200 a year, although in most cases it was less than the landlord's proposed increase.

In 36% of cases, the landlord's proposed increase was approved in full, and in 42% of cases the rent increase was reduced. In 16% of cases the rent increase was cancelled, and in 6% rent was lowered.

In one case, a rent tribunal approved an 88% rent increase on a property in Dagenham. The tenant, who paid rent via housing benefit, argued the increase would lead to undue hardship but his monthly rent still went up from £1,200 to £2,250.

In another case, a tenant who challenged a £17-a-month rent increase received a £200 rent decrease after the tribunal ruled the rent was actually too high.

Tenants' unions have expressed concern over rent increases of $30\%$ or more being regularly approved.

Jae Vail from LRU said: “The system is just clearly not doing what Labour said it would do in their manifesto, which was helping people challenge unreasonable rent increases. What could be a better definition of an unreasonable rent increase than 40% or 80%?

“And in places where rents in an entire area are rising really rapidly, this doesn’t protect you because it’s quite hard to evidence this is actually out of character.”

He added that renters were starting to face long delays to have their cases heard, and that tenants in London had been asked to attend hearings in the Midlands due to backlogs.

The changes to renters' rights mean the tribunal can no longer increase rent higher than the landlord's application, and rent increases can no longer be backdated to before the tribunal decision. The abolition of “no fault” evictions also reduced the risk of landlords retaliating against tenants. The cost of applying is £47.

Chris Norris, from the National Residential Landlords Association, said the system “wasn’t working for anyone” and there were concerns that inaccurate decisions were being made by an overstretched workforce.

“It’s very difficult for landlords to have faith in the system,” he said.

Renters' groups want controls on rent increases across the country to make renting more affordable.

Vail said: “What we’re seeing right now is a really inefficient case-by-case form of rent control. So why not have the version that would actually protect everyone?”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We’re already seeing evidence that our changes are working - with cases across the country where tribunals have reduced above-market rents by hundreds of pounds a month or ruled there should be no increase.”

$\triangleleft$ Bondi beach in Sydney. Australia's PM says the high number of UK backpackers based in the city's beachside areas has distorted the jobs market

PHOTOGRAPH: JESSICA HROMAS/ THE GUARDIAN

Australia flags visa rule changes after influx of UK backpackers

Jessica Elgot

Deputy political editor

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has told Andy Burnham he is looking at changing rules for British backpackers after an increase in the number of travellers flocking to popular destinations such as Sydney.

Albanese, who met Burnham on Monday at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in the Caribbean, told reporters he wanted to discuss changing the agreement between the UK and Australia that removes a regional work requirement for British travellers.

87,000

The number of UK citizens who travelled to Australia last year on working holiday visas

Backpackers from the UK on working holiday visas previously had to do about three months of work in a regional area to help with shortages in some occupations. But the free trade agreement signed when Boris Johnson was prime minister exempted Britons from the rural work that many other nationalities have to do under the visa's rules. It also extended the maximum period for the visa to three years and the age limit to 35.

Australia says the changes have led to traveller numbers more than doubling, from 40,000 two years ago to 87,000 last year, with many visitors basing themselves in Sydney and beachside suburbs. The easing of visa restrictions also applies to Australians coming to the UK, but fewer than 10,000 came last year.

Albanese told Australian MPs the numbers of Britons arriving to popular areas was putting pressure on the local workforce. “They are staying at Bondi Beach or Coogee [in Sydney] or around particularly the capital cities and working in hospitality there ... it’s distorting the labour market,” he said.

Burnham confirmed he was meeting Albanese but said “we’ll see” when asked if the visas would be on the agenda. No 10 later said there had been discussions about the visas but the two leaders had stopped short of making any commitments.

A readout of the meeting said: "The leaders underlined the importance of ensuring opportunities for young people both at home and abroad. On broader migration, the prime minister updated on the new rules being rolled out for migrants looking to settle in the UK."

'Mogging' leaves rivals in shade to be crowned word of the year

Jamie Grierson

Mogging - meaning to outperform or outshine someone or something - has been named Collins's word of the year.

Announcing the 2026 winner in an article for the dictionary brand, the copywriter Rachel Quin said the term described making someone or something look inferior in terms of appearance, confidence or status.

Believed to originate as a shortening of “Amog” (alpha male of the group), the word had first appeared in bodybuilding culture about a decade ago before spreading through online communities, Quin said.

By 2026, the expression had entered everyday slang. “Teenagers mog elite athletes, a new video game mogs an old favourite, and your friend’s sourdough mogs the loaf you spent all weekend proving,” Quin said. “Basically, if someone or something has made you look a bit rubbish by comparison, you’ve been mogged.”

Quin said much of this year's short-list of terms felt like “one big mogging contest”, pointing to trends across transport, politics, climate, employment and culture.

In transport, the shortlist featured “carspreading”, which describes the tendency of carmakers to produce increasingly longer, wider and heavier vehicles. Quin said sport utility vehicles made up more than half of new car sales in 2025, leading to tighter spaces in parking bays and country lanes.

Political terminology was dominated by “Manchesterism”, the philosophy associated with Andy Burnham that focuses on devolving regional power and combining economic growth with social progress.

Burnham had revived the 19th-century term in a newspaper article in January, before replacing Keir Starmer as prime minister in July, Quin said. “His supporters hope the formula that gave Greater Manchester its glow-up can work for the whole country, whilst his critics are still asking what it actually means.”

Environmental entries included “firewave”, a term coined by researchers at Imperial College London last year to describe multiple wildfires breaking out over a short period during dry spells. In the employment sector, “ghost job” made the list, referring to positions advertised by employers who had no intention of hiring.

Quin also noted that while this year had been defined by competition and escalation, the lexicon also reflected how society adapted. "If 2026 has taught us anything, it's that mogging can take many forms, but some resilience - and a little fun - could be the key to winning through."

Minister sorry that Ukrainian refugees were told to take GCSE in Russian

Matthew Weaver

The government has apologised to Ukrainian child refugees who were told to study Russian in English schools, as it launches funding for a new GCSE in Ukrainian.

Ukrainian children who were forced to seek refuge in the UK after Vladimir Putin's invasion in 2022 said it was “insulting” that their teachers suggested they studied Russian in the absence of a GCSE in Ukrainian.

Announcing the new qualification the schools minister, Georgia Gould, said: “So many students were pushed into having to do Russian. I’m really sorry that they were put in that position. It’s really important that they will have access to a Ukrainian GCSE.”

The new qualification, which will be ready in England in 2028, is being developed by the AQA exam board, with the help of a £340,000 grant from the Department for Education.

It comes after years of lobbying from the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian community groups on behalf of more than 30,000 Ukrainian children who have fled to the UK. In a letter to the DfE in 2024, the education ministry in Kyiv said:

▲ Georgia Gould, centre, announced a new Ukrainian-language GCSE at a school in west London PHOTOGRAPH: GRAEME ROBERTSON/THE GUARDIAN

'It's still hard to comprehend that we don't need to fight for this any more'

Inna Hryhorovych

Head of St Mary's Trust “We are deeply concerned that due to the lack of Ukrainian GCSE many Ukrainian children are being pressured by their school staff to pass the Russian GCSE.”

Gould said: “It was one of the Ukrainian government’s asks of us that we deliver a Ukrainian GCSE, and one of the asks from the community and young people. We’re really proud to be able to do it, and proud of that partnership with the Ukrainian government.”

The Ukrainian language is on the cultural frontline of the conflict with Russia. Putin has banned Ukrainian books and the teaching of Ukrainian in land Russia has occupied.

Gould said: “Whether it’s military or this kind of cultural support, our message as a British government is that we stand absolutely steadfast behind the Ukrainian people.”

Gould made the announcement on a visit to St Mary's school in west London, the centre of a network of 13 Ukrainian language schools in the UK.

She was introduced to Vitalii Andronik, 20, who told the Guardian in 2024 how he had been urged to study Russian GCSE as a 15-year-old refugee.

Andronik welcomed the new qualification and said: "It's too late to me, but I want future generations of refugees to study Ukrainian. It's a recognition of the trauma that we went through. It's brilliant news to hear that in future, kids here won't have to study Russian."

Sofiia Chonka, 16, who fled to London from Zakarpattia in southwest Ukraine in June 2024 with her family, said: “I was told to study Russia in year 9; I just said ‘no’. I didn’t want anything to do with Russia – they killed my people and injured my family.”

Chonka, who has just started A-levels, said she would take the new exam when it was available. “It’s such a beautiful thing to be speaking Ukrainian when the Russians are trying to mute you,” she said, adding: “I’m really sad that it has taken so long, but at least some of my younger friends will have the opportunity to do it. It’s a stereotype that they are similar languages; they are completely different. Because Ukrainian is so beautiful, the Russians don’t like it … [But] they can’t ban people.”

Inna Hryhorovych, the head of St Mary's Trust, said: "It's still hard to comprehend that we don't need to fight for this any more."

Hryhorovych, who has been calling for the GCSE since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, said her next campaign will be a new A-level in Ukrainian.

Gould also encouraged British children to study the new qualification as an act of solidarity. “I think it would be wonderful if more people were taking up Ukrainian GCSE,” she said.

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Brazil sets out first global roadmap for moving away from fossil fuels

Fiona Harvey

Environment editor

All countries can start to break their dependence on fossil fuels now, without needing to wait for new technologies or economic changes, Brazil's government has said before a global climate summit.

Brazil, the host of last year's UN climate conference, set out the world's first global roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels yesterday, showing that countries could boost their economies and pull people out of poverty while breaking the link with coal, oil and gas. In a second roadmap it set out how to tackle deforestation.

But Joeri Rogelj, a professor of climate science and policy at Imperial College London, said although the Brazilian roadmaps represented a step forward, they were limited. "The roadmaps are valuable but fall short of clearly indicating the pace of change needed by including no timeline or key benchmarks," he said.

“Because of this omission, they still leave much to be imagined about what is needed to achieve the Paris agreement’s ultimate goal: limiting global warming to well below 2C, and preferably to 1.5C, to avoid dangerous climate harm.”

André Corrêa do Lago, Brazil's president of the Cop30 summit, said the roadmaps were intended to help move the annual UN Cops away from negotiating global agreements to tackle the climate crisis and on to implementing the targets that had already been agreed. Cop31 begins in Antalya, Turkey, on Monday.

“They are documents of implementation,” Corrêa do Lago said. “There is a different group of people that negotiate and that implement. The problem we’ve had at many Cops is to think that the same people who negotiate might also need to coordinate the implementation - this is not the case.”

He said the roadmaps should be taken up by ministries of finance, transportation, energy and infrastructure to work on how they could be implemented in each country.

Brazil hosted the Cop30 summit last November in the coastal city of Belém, where a bitter dispute broke out over whether the final set of resolutions should include pledges on fossil fuels. As a compromise, the presidency agreed to produce two roadmaps, one on “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner" and the other on halting and reversing deforestation.

These roadmaps are separate from similarly named plans from governments that met after Cop30 at a conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, in April, to discuss the transition away from fossil fuels. At that conference, nearly 60 countries formed a “coalition of the willing”, separate to Cops, to set out national roadmaps to phase out fossil fuels. Several countries have since produced national plans, including Germany, France and the Netherlands.

The roadmaps produced by governments under the Santa Marta initiative are much more specific and prescriptive than Brazil's, because each one was written by the national government responsible for implementing the policies recommended.

The Brazilian roadmaps only set out steps that are possible. They are not binding, they contain no deadlines for actions and they leave it to individual countries to “diagnose” their degree of dependence on fossil fuels and select steps to reduce it.

Among the steps Brazil suggests is for oil and gas producers to urgently cut the flaring and venting of gas from extraction sites. Methane is a greenhouse gas 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, so this would have an immediate impact. Countries could also reduce subsidies covering fossil fuel use or production and build up renewable generation.

The roadmap on deforestation notes the large sums that are expected to be needed to help poor countries with heavily forested areas such as the Amazon, the Congo rainforests and south-east Asian tropical forests that are under threat from fires and palm oil exploitation.

About \$300bn (£224bn) is likely to be needed every year for forests by 2030, and \$500bn a year by 2050, according to the roadmap, citing UN figures. The current amount available falls far short at about \$85bn a year.

At Cop30 last year, Brazil set up the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a fund aiming to preserve forests, which raised about \$7bn from various countries including a £400m loan from the UK.

\$300bn

The annual amount likely to be needed by 2030 to protect rainforests from exploitation

Brazil was able to publish the roadmaps after its president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, won a fourth election term last week. In the past four years under Lula, deforestation rates have fallen by about 70%. His defeated opponent Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of the jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, had been expected if elected to return to his father's policies of rampant exploitation of the Amazon rainforest.

[Collective action Musicians] add voices to calls for change

Olive Pometsey

mid tense and long-winded negotiations, and with the future of the planet at stake, emotions can often run high

at Cop climate summits. But last year, when the annual conference arrived in Brazil, one UN official was unexpectedly moved to tears by five women singing about the power of water.

“She gave me a massive hug after the event and said: ‘We need to bring music into Cop,’” says Nikita Llerena, the project manager for Flow, a music collective that is hoping to bring art to the centre of the climate movement. What started as a handful of musicians meeting over Zoom last year has grown into a full-length album,

▼ Members of the Flow music collective (from left) OneDa, Bebé, Keila, Sohini Alam, Birna Eyfjörð and Valdís PHOTOGRAPH: FELIPE PAGANI uniting female artists from around the world, including Charlotte Church, Maxine Peake and Nadine Shah. This month, members of the collective will return for Cop31, in Turkey, where they have been promoted to a slot at Global Cultural Action's opening event.

“We are moving beyond awareness,” says Llerena. “Cop is now starting to realise the importance of art and culture to bring the climate debate forward. We can reach levels of human subjectivity that data alone cannot.”

The album focuses on the common theme of water, and is co-produced by the Grammy winner Jennifer Decilveo. The artists have roots in Bangladesh, Canada, the UK, India, Brazil and beyond. Shingai, vocalist and bassist for the pop-rockers Noisettes, draws from her Zimbabwean heritage, singing in Shona about the importance of environmental conservation.

It is an ambitious project in scale and intent. But can art bridge the gap between statistics, lived experience and meaningful political change?

“Music is the most powerful way to help people connect emotionally with what is happening,” says Church. Her song on the album - My Mother, the Ocean - begins as a hypnotic ode to water before breaking into a distorted, electropop expression of mourning and rage. Amid the all-too-evident effects of global heating, says Church, “there’s an enormous amount of grief, at our separation from the natural world, at what’s being lost, and the fear and existentialism that’s wrapped up in all that. It requires people to feel, and so much of modernity is pushing us away from feeling.”

The album, which is released tomorrow, will also be the soundtrack to a documentary about women on the frontlines of the crisis. Márcia Mura, an Indigenous teacher from the Brazilian Amazon, is one of them. As a child, she could drink directly from the Madeira River. Now, she says, the area resembles “a state of war”, damaged by floods and droughts exacerbated by dams and pollution.

Peake, whose spoken-word piece ends the album, hopes Flow will inspire people to feel less helpless. "Even if you don't spark a revolution, it's about slowly chipping away," says Peake. "If enough people throw enough "If enough people throw enough pebbles into the sea, we can cause a tidal wave."

National

Man who drugged wife 'found many men whose fantasy is an unconscious woman'

Hannah Al-Othman

North of England correspondent

A Stockport man who drugged, raped and sexually assaulted his wife had personally found a large number of the “many men whose fantasy is an unconscious and unresponsive woman”, a court has heard.

Nine men are on trial at Manchester Minshull Street crown court, accused of either participating in the abuse, which took place at the couple's home, or encouraging it online.

The husband, who is in his 60s, has pleaded guilty to multiple offences against his wife, committed over a period of more than 20 years. He cannot be named in order to protect the anonymity of his victim.

On the second day of the prosecution case, Louise Oakley KC told the jury the husband had met the first defendant, Robert Stewart, 70, who also lived in Stockport, Greater Manchester, on Craigslist in 2015.

His interaction with Stewart, the jury was told, was “to be his blueprint for future offending”. Stewart had asked if the victim would ever participate in a “threesome”, but the husband “made it clear that there was absolutely no chance of that”, the court heard.

Rayner repeatedly asked the husband for images, Oakley said, and “he knows that what he wants, he gets”.

The jury was told the husband also sent pictures of his wife to another “non-contact offender”, Daniel Rayner, 42, from Whitstable in Kent.

The pair had also discussed drugging the victim, and Rayner's ability to obtain the date rape drug GHB. "[Rayner] knew [the wife] was unaware, and he knew that she was being sexually abused by her husband," Oakley said.

The two men had then discussed the use of date rape drugs and opportunities to spike her drink to try to render the woman unconscious. Stewart had provided the husband with anti-depressants and Tramadol, a strong painkiller, on agreement the husband would invite Stewart to go to their home if she was unconscious, the jury was told.

▲ Clockwise: Graham Brougham, Jonathan Kirk and Alan Keelan (right), three of the co-defendants charged with participating in or encouraging abuse, arriving at Manchester Minshull Street crown court PHOTOGRAPHS: PETER BYRNE/PA

The name of the WhatsApp group was a pseudonym for the woman that her husband had used online, but was later renamed to “Taxi” in an apparent bid to avoid suspicion.

The contact between the two men was, Oakley said, “no doubt the first big step [the husband] took in realising his own fantasy of having another man come to him and ‘fuck’ his unaware wife”.

Five other men are on trial accused of participating in the abuse of the woman. They are Jordan Wallace, 31, from Manchester; Alan Keelan, 42, from Manchester; Jonathan Kirk, 43, from Stockport; Mohammed Sabir, 28, of no fixed abode; and Richard Townsend, 37, from Heywood in Greater Manchester. All of the men on trial deny the charges against them.

The court heard the husband had visited news websites and online forums, where he searched for information on date rape drugs, GHB and sleeping tablets. “[The husband’s] perversity did not wane,” Oakley told the court. “He wanted to share her but recognised that alcohol alone was not going to be enough.

“So desperate, you may think, was he, he would share imagery of [his wife] with complete strangers and then discuss how they would supply him with drugs in order that she be raped. Sharing her, his desire, in their own home.”

Graves, who was described as a “non-contact offender”, had supplied the husband with tablets to drug his wife, and in return the husband had agreed to send him imagery of the abuse. The husband had asked Graves to post the tablets to the house of a close relative of his wife’s who had recently died, the court heard. “The house where [the relative] had been living was empty,” Oakley told the court.

Louise Oakley KC

Prosecutor

The husband had also discussed with a second defendant, David Graves, 60, from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, the need to find “something to knock her out completely”.

The court heard Graves then became “incredibly impatient” when there was a delay in sending the images. The husband told him he had “tried the tablets but they tasted so bitter and his wife thought there was something wrong with the curry", Oakley said. "Obviously the tablets he had put in the food."

'Any right-minded human who walked into that room would have realised she was not conscious'

Three men - Sean Peers, 38, from Stockport; Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee; and Graham Brougham, 74, from Northwich in Cheshire - have already admitted to abusing the woman, while Karl Lindsay, 56, from Somerset, has pleaded guilty to “non-contact” offences.

A third defendant, Philip Wild, 58, from Stockport, had visited the couple's home in August 2023, the court heard. The husband told him he had to be quiet, so he did not wake the victim, and advised him to step out to the landing if she stirred, and that "he would deal with the situation".

Wild had touched the woman sexually, and “was fully aware that [she] was not conscious and not able to consent to any sexual activity”, Oakley told the court.

The husband put Wild, a taxi driver, in touch with another man, Graham Brougham, who also lived close to the couple's Stockport address, the court heard, and they had discussed having sex with the woman using WhatsApp.

"The sad reality of this case is that there are many, many men whose fantasy is an unconscious and unresponsive woman," Oakley told the court. "[The husband] found a large number of them. We suggest they sit in this dock today."

While all of the men may not know exactly what drugs the husband had administered, Oakley said, “they expected her to be ‘wasted’ and ‘out of it’”.

Oakley said the harsh reality was that “any right-minded human being who walked into that room, that bedroom, with two eyes, two ears, and half a brain would have realised she was not conscious.

“They knew. It’s what they wanted,” she said. “Anyone who didn’t, would have run a country mile.”

While the defendants may claim the wife had consented, Oakley said, "any defendant that suggests they had any conversation with her, I suggest is lying".

The trial, which is expected to last for three months, continues.

'Trailblazing' poet Grace Nichols awarded £10,000 Pioneer prize

Emma Loffhagen

The poet Grace Nichols has been named the winner of the 2026 Royal Society of Literature Pioneer prize, a £10,000 award that recognises women writers over 60 who broke through at a time when the literary world was less open to them.

Nichols, 76, who was born in Guyana and moved to the UK in 1977, made her name with I Is a Long-Memoried Woman, which took the Commonwealth poetry prize in 1983, and The Fat Black Woman's Poems, a collection published the following year. Her poems have been GCSE set texts for decades, and she has written extensively for children as well as adults.

The Pioneer prize was established last year by the then president of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL), Bernardine Evaristo, who donated the £100,000 she received from the 2025 Women's prize outstanding contribution award to fund it for 10 years. The award will rotate between forms, and this year was given for poetry.

Nichols' poems draw on Guyanese folk tales, oral tradition, landscape and on the history of slavery. She was also one of a group of West Indian poets whose work tackled racial tensions during a time of inflammatory immigration debates in Britain.

▲ Grace Nichols, who was born in Guyana and moved to the UK in 1977, has written extensively for children and adults PHOTOGRAPH: SUKI DHANDA/THE GUARDIAN

Ruth Borthwick, the chair of English PEN, who led the judging panel, called Nichols “one of our most important contemporary poets”, who had developed “her own poetic language - an earthy mix of Creole and standard English”.

The poet Sarah Howe, who was also on the panel, described Nichols as “a trailblazer in the truest sense”.

Nichols said: “I am honoured and delighted to have the RSL Pioneer prize bestowed on me and grateful to poetry for all that it’s given me, as well as to the judges and my parents who made books a part of our lives.”

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National

Exhibition review Bewitching celebration of two golden cities in their imperial prime

Constantinople to Istanbul

V&A, London

★★★★★

Jonathan Jones

Two empires compete to bewitch you in this exhibition that offers a double bubble of beauty. It collides the Byzantine empire,

whose capital Constantinople was officially inaugurated on 11 May AD330, with the Ottoman Turks who conquered this great city in 1453 and turned it into Istanbul. The combined glories of two lost worlds - the Ottoman empire was dissolved in 1922 - produce an utterly enrapturing blockbuster. I lost all track of time in this dream city of gold and ivory.

Even the human form is magically transfigured here. The martyred abbess St Eudokia becomes a Byzantine icon of marble inlaid with coloured glass, wearing a crown of precious stones and an exquisite dress patterned with diamonds and decorated with pearls and emeralds. It is a masterpiece of abstract splendour that looks like a Gustav Klimt painting, but it can't have influenced him because it wasn't excavated until 1929.

The Ottoman empire could beat that for splendour. A 16th-century kaftan, probably worn by Sultan Selim II, irradiates you with light-giving yellow and white designs, part flower, part solar disc: it is made of zerbaft, a fabric said to be “woven from gold”, and looks it.

It's not all precious metals. There are blue and white glazed tiles from a hammam that conjure images of steaming bathhouse comfort, along with a bath wrap of red silk. Wooden foot supports from a women's hammam are inlaid with mother of pearl.

The story begins with Constantine, the emperor who accepted Christianity. He created New Rome, or Constantinople, at a strategic point between Europe and Asia to deal with the unmanageably vast Roman empire. You can see here sublime relics of this eastern capital, including a mosaic of a huge moustached face of weird godlike mystery.

That luxury was seen in public places too. Constantine brought the Roman policy of ▲ Treasures on show, from top: a 16th-century velvet covering; a 5th-century ivory relief panel; part of a 6th-century mosaic from the Hagia Sophia; the mosque in 1852; and an 1887 painting by Osman Hamdi Bey

“bread and circuses” here and adorned the chariot racing hub, the Hippodrome, with artistic masterpieces pillaged from ancient Greece and Egypt. Here you can see the bronze head of a snake that was part of the celebrated Serpent Column, while ivory reliefs portray consuls at the Hippodrome holding a mappa, the piece of cloth they let

fall to start the games. These men are ancient Romans, with names like Flavius Taurus Clementius, but by the 6th century AD, the Roman Empire in western Europe and North Africa was finished.

Yet it lived on in the east. Byzantine school children studied Homer and monasteries preserved Plato's writings. Facing the final Turkish attack in 1453, the last Byzantine emperor urged his people to throw their javelins and spears to let the enemy know they were fighting “the descendants of the Greeks and Romans”. Unfortunately for them, the Ottomans had cannons.

By the end, the Byzantine Empire was reduced almost entirely to Constantinople with its massive walls and secret weapon, “Greek fire”. The survival of this final fortress of ancient civilisation for so long gets politely passed over in history books as a kind of wondrous but irrelevant exception to the laws of progress: the mystical Byzantium where nothing changed. This exhibition takes you to the unreal city WB Yeats evokes in his poem Sailing to Byzantium.

Then you cross a gap between galleries that feels like a rupture in time, and find yourself looking at Gentile Bellini's portrait of Sultan Mehmed II, painted from life in 1480. Mehmed poses in a white turban and fur-lined red robe, and the Venetian artist shows the sensitive profile of this ruler whose Muslim empire terrified European Christians. The Ottomans were culturally curious, as this experiment in importing Renaissance art reveals. Was there in fact an Ottoman Renaissance, to mirror and match the western one?

A wooden chest made to hold a copy of the Qur'an in the late 16th century may look like yet another luxury but it is also a document of that Istanbul Renaissance, for it takes the shape of a magnificent dome. The conquerors of Constantinople were fascinated by one of its wonders above all others: the church of Hagia Sophia, consecrated in AD537, with its colossal, dreamlike cavern of an interior beneath a majestic dome.

The Ottomans made it a mosque but with minimal changes to its fabric. Just as Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and Wren were inspired by antiquity to build domes, Istanbul's Blue mosque and Süleymaniye mosque are inspired by Hagia Sophia. Watercolours by early European visitors show how the mystery of Hagia Sophia became globally known. From 1935 to 2020 it was a museum. Now it is a mosque again by edict of the populist president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who described the change as “Hagia Sophia breaking away from its chains of captivity”

\- a strange way to characterise a building that is 90% ancient Roman and was built as a church.

This is a sumptuous voyage to Byzantium via Istanbul. I spent two hours here, but I wanted to do the whole thing again immediately, in reverse.

From Saturday

From top: Marcie Docherty's PE; Ellie Ramsden's A Young Elvis; Max Pattenden's Havannah, Lee Moor (second prize); Untitled by Cheryl Newman.

Main: Jess by Carmina Ripolles.

Opposite, from top: Waiting at Herne Hill Velodrome by Cameron Hendry and Jessica Lax; James Clifford Kent's Neisser Yoel Gálvez Tabares (third prize); Julia Appa's Head in the Clouds; Katie Hitchcock-Smith's Moroccan (Amazigh) Cowboys (first prize)

MILK SHAKES

Best of the Winston Taylor Photo Portrait prize 2026 Formerly the Taylor Wessing prize, the contest is open to all, with the best shots on show at the National Portrait Gallery in London from tomorrow until 17 January

[World] US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island as Vance talks up hopes of a deal

Patrick Wintour

Jonathan Yerushalmy

The US launched limited strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island late on Monday, hours after the vice-president, JD Vance, said he was optimistic that diplomatic efforts to end the war were moving in the right direction.

The strikes, disclosed by Iranians on social media and confirmed by US Central Command (Centcom), came on the eve of crucial midterm elections. Diplomatic mediators believe it will be clear within two days whether the basis for continued indirect talks between the US and Iran exists.

The US tried to downplay the significance of the attacks by stressing they were limited and not the precursor of a much-anticipated assault on Iran that Donald Trump has promised after the midterms if the US concludes Iran's nuclear programme continues as a threat to the west.

The US described the strikes as defensive, aimed at missile batteries from which Iran had mounted attacks on US planes the day before.

Israel insisted it had no role in the attacks. Similar military exchanges have happened at least three times since the cessation of major hostilities, as the US and Iran jostle for control of the strait of Hormuz.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, referring to the overnight US strikes, said: “We are still in a state of war. The aggression against Iran has not ended in our view, and until the military aggression is completely and permanently terminated Iran has the right to legitimate defence.” He added Iran was not waiting for the results of the midterms, saying: “We do not tie our foreign policies to the elections of other countries.”

Iran would like to see Trump weakened in those elections, but recognises the two months between the elections and the start of the newly elected Congress will be the point of maximum tension.

The chief negotiator, Mohammad Ghalibaf, made no direct mention of the attacks during an address to parliament, but said any miscalculation by the US would lead to an unpredictable Iranian response. In common with other Iranian leaders, he suggested the attacks would extend to US bases in Europe. Maps of Nato bases in Europe have appeared on the front page of some newspapers, implying they will be targets in any war.

The greater concern in Tehran appears to be the Qatari mediators' apparent inability to bridge the gap between Iran and the US over the commitments Iran must make to end its nuclear programme irreversibly, a phrase used by Vance. In a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of the supreme national security council, Vance had proposed restarting talks, but so far they have not led to direct contact between the US and Iran.

Yesterday Rezaei appeared to reject the US response as inadequate, saying on X: “America’s response to Iran’s rights and demands was not convincing, and they must fully and explicitly address Iran’s seven conditions and act upon them; only in this case will the strait of Hormuz be reopened.” The conditions include unfreezing Iranian assets abroad, and lifting sanctions on oil exports.

Iran has offered to lift the blockade on the strait of Hormuz within two days of the US lifting economic constraints on Iran, and then enter into talks about its nuclear programme. But Tehran has refused to give upfront concessions over the return of UN inspectors or the shipping of its 400kg of highly enriched uranium to a third country. The most likely compromise is a down-blending of the stockpile inside Iran under international supervision.

Esmail Baghaei, the foreign ministry spokesperson, said the US attitude to Iran's nuclear programme was “the biggest and most costly lie of the century”, and was fundamentally based on having a problem with Iran as an idea and historical entity.

Qatar said its mediation was continuing, and there was a high level of coordination by countries in the region. Most of them know they would be attacked by Iran if the US mounted an assault, and are desperate to avoid further damage. Majed al-Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry, insisted both sides remained committed to the process.

Speaking to Fox News hours before the polls opened in the US yesterday, Trump continued to play down the conflict and its effect on the US economy. “There’s no war raging,” he said. “It could happen if they don’t make a deal, but they want to make a deal very badly and there’s a very good chance we make a deal.”

'Protecting our children' West Bank school besieged by settler violence

William Christou and

Sufian Abu Taha al-Mughayyir

This year parents in al-Mughayyir had to be persuaded to send their children back to school. Israeli settlers had killed five teenage

students in the last academic year - one of them at the school gates.

To reassure parents, teachers at the secondary school gave a tour of the facilities, which they had spent the summer break fortifying. Metal fences now towered over the schoolyard's walls and the door had been replaced by a sturdy metal gate. A new wall shielded the classrooms from a hilltop where, in the previous academic year, a

settler had shot dead two people, including a student.

Al-Mughayyir, a town of about 3,000 people north-east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, is under siege by Israeli settlers. Armed settlers regularly raid the village, assaulting residents, attacking homes and seizing livestock. Israeli soldiers set up checkpoints that prevent people from entering or leaving for hours at a time.

The school is isolated on the edge of the village, close to its entrance. Settlers have staged raids around the school, attacking under the watchful eye of the Israeli military.

A single Israeli soldier stands at the entrance of the village, his rifle slung over his shoulder as he paces back and forth idly. It is he who decides who can come and go in the village. The excited shouting of schoolchildren playing can be heard from where he stands; the children's voices echo across the otherwise quiet village, where most shops are shuttered despite it being a weekday.

Residents say the violence is part of a wider project to displace Palestinians from their land, one that has already driven smaller communities from their homes. Now, they fear the same tactics are being turned against an entire village in an attempt to make life so intolerable that residents leave.

Ameen Abu Alia, 54, the mayor of the town, said: "When the settlers began their attacks, they began in the Jordan valley area, displacing communities of farmers

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consisting of 10, 20 people. Now they are trying to displace entire villages. What's happening in al-Mughayyir is the beginning of this project."

Abu Alia has watched as the number of settler outposts - small groups of Israeli shepherds who establish outposts near Palestinian communities - has multiplied around the town over the past three years. In 2023 there was just one settler outpost near the town. Today there are 12.

Settlers now enter the town on a regular basis, shutting down roads and harassing residents as they graze their sheep on fields next to the school and deeper inside the village. Residents say settlers steal sheep from villagers, provoking fights with residents who depend on the animals for their livelihood. When villagers resist they can be arrested or killed.

In 2024 settlers attacked a home in Al-Mughayyir. Waheed Abu Naim, a 37-year-old schoolteacher, rushed to help defend it, trying to push the settler away. The settler put a pistol to Abu Naim's breast

Palestinian pupils start a new term in al-Mughayyir. The school yard has been fortified with metal fences

PHOTOGRAPH: ALAA BADARNEH/EPA

and squeezed the trigger. Abu Naim closed his eyes, but no explosion followed - the settler had already fired his last bullet.

The settler siege is a tactic seen in the West Bank before. Small settler outposts run by teenagers and a few adults have popped up around small Bedouin communities in the Jordan River valley since 2023 and engaged in a steadily escalating campaign of violence to make life intolerable for the Palestinians who live there. In Ras ‘Ein al-‘Auja in the south Jordan valley, settlers drove out the last inhabitants of the community in January after they could no longer endure the constant attacks, in a pattern similar to what is now happening in al-Mughayyir.

Despite settlements being considered illegal under international law, the Israeli government has taken few steps to curtail steadily expanding settler violence, beyond issuing a few condemnations. Extremist ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu's government have equipped settlers with guns and vehicles and the rate of settlement expansion has soared.

The settler outposts are not visible from al-Mughayyir but are present just beyond the arid hills that surround the village. Residents drive fast along the winding mile-long road that leads into the town, wary of how exposed they are to settler attacks along the way.

Local people describe close cooperation between Israeli soldiers and settlers. They often see them talking as settlers enter the town, and soldiers provide protection for settlers, only intervening when they - not Palestinians - are under threat.

In early September two teenagers, Omar al-Nassan, 19, and Khalil Abu Alia, 16, had been killed by settlers and Israeli soldiers as the pair tried to stop settlers from taking their sheep, Abu Alia said.

"The last theft was of 60 sheep in the centre of the village. Ten military vehicles came. They came into the centre of the village and laid siege to that area. They stole the sheep and opened fire on people," said Abu Alia.

The Israeli military said it had entered the village to provide security for an Israeli civilian and police trying to retrieve livestock, and that it fired on “key instigators” when Palestinians threw stones at the soldiers.

The village's olive groves remain unpicked, despite the arrival of the season's first rains, which signal the fruit is ripe: villagers are wary of the settler violence they have seen accompany harvests in neighbouring villages. According to Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, settlers have carried out more than 170 attacks since the start of the harvest at the end of September.

While settlers attack residents, the Israeli military is placing increasing restrictions on villagers. Olive production is a key industry, but residents have been prohibited from harvesting without previous approval. The military closes the only entry to the village for several hours a day, several times a week, preventing people from going to work and teachers from reaching the school. The result has been a slow strangulation of people's livelihoods. Already, three families have left the village to be closer to their workplaces, fearful of the constant road closures.

At the secondary school, teachers have developed

'When the settlers began their attacks, they displaced 10, 20 people. Now they are trying to displace entire villages'

Ameen Abu Alia

Mayor of al-Mughayyir

▼ A funeral for Palestinians who were shot dead by settlers during an attack on the school last April

PHOTOGRAPH: MOHAMMAD NAZAL/GETTY

▲ Waheed Abu Naim, a teacher. His brother was killed in a settler attack

emergency plans for settler attacks and incorporated lessons on avoiding confrontations into their curriculum, trying to preserve a sense of normality for their students.

"The school's aim is that when the children enter the school, and when they go home, they are protected," said Bassam Abu Assaf, 54, the principal of al-Mughayyir secondary school. "The amount of time we spend sitting is almost nonexistent. Our eyes are outside the school. We're thinking, God forbid, there could be a settler attack against us."

Despite the precautions, schooling has inevitably been disrupted. About 80% of the school staff live outside the village, and they are often prevented from entering the school by the Israeli military checkpoint. School is only in session for three days a week, and ends early so teachers do not get caught by the road closure, which typically happens in the afternoon. Once, the Israeli army fired teargas near the school and the noxious fumes blew into the classrooms.

“Today there was news that settlers were present outside. Now, the student is sitting in front of you, but they’re not paying attention. He’s thinking about the danger that could come from the army, from the settlers,” said Abu Naim, the teacher. His own brother was killed last April in a settler attack outside the school.

Abu Assaf, who attended the school he now heads, remembers a different childhood in the village, when children could roam freely through the surrounding hills.

"We could walk around, coming and going. Everything was open. We'd have fun, we'd barbecue. Now, the kids are stuck in their homes, seeing the world through their phones," he said.

At noon the bell rang, marking the end of the school day. Students gathered in the yard as teachers peered over the gates to see if any settlers were about. Seeing none, they let the students out.

“There is a plan of displacement. But we will raise another educated generation regardless. Our aim is to confront these attacks through education,” said Abu Naim.

The tale of the missing peacock stopped in his tracks by sight of own reflection

Tracey Ferrier

A peacock that seemingly fell hopelessly in love with himself in a bathroom mirror after breaking into an Australian home remains on the run after being evicted.

Geoff and Delwyn Ballantyne left their house in Brisbane last week for an evening coffee and returned to find a peacock gazing adoringly at himself in their bathroom mirror.

"[We] assume the bird was in the front yard and as we opened the garage door he must have walked in because when we got in, there he was, admiring himself," Geoff said. "There was a lot of screaming from my wife. She thought there must have been an intruder, but then she says it's a peacock."

▲ The wayward peacock was found gazing at himself in a Brisbane couple's bathroom mirror

PHOTOGRAPH: GEOFF BALLANTYNE

The couple attempted to lure the bird out by offering it water and crackers. When that failed, wildlife rescuers were called in. They wrangled the peacock into a towel then released it into nearby bushland.

Since then the bird has been paying visits to Suzie Tafolo's home, also in Brisbane. Tafolo suspected the bird might have belonged to a local tattoo artist, Elliot Ross, who had been looking for his missing peacock, Hex.

Ross subsequently confirmed 'There was a lot of screaming from my wife, but then she says it's a peacock'

Geoff Ballantyne

on the avian invader that the bird photographed in the Ballantynes' bathroom and spotted at Tafolo's property was Hex.

"I've googled how to catch a peacock, which is something I never thought I'd have to do," Tafolo said. "One of the things it says is that they love mirrors, which makes sense in terms of how he ended up in the bathroom."

Tafolo has put a full-length mirror in the shed where Hex has been turning up each day and said she was hopeful the peacock would soon be reunited with his owner.

Ross said: “This is the first time he’s gone walkabout besides going into our neighbour’s property. We’ve got a female here as well and she’s stayed. I’m guessing he’s gone walkabout trying to find another female. We’re hoping to try to catch him.”

Prof Darryl Jones, an urban ecologist and the author of Wild Neighbours, has studied how birds respond to their reflections.

He said he believed Hex might have been looking for companionship - but not necessarily for love.

“Most birds would see [the reflection] as a rival or a threat and usually fight it, but this bird might be just lonely,” he added.

"It's pretty unusual for two males to be hanging out together, but they will sometimes. Peacocks are not that smart ... but he knows what a female looks like."

Rise in women taking top jobs in firms globally

Agence France-Presse

The number of women in top leadership jobs at firms worldwide has risen since 2013 but inequalities remain at lower managerial levels, the International Labour Organization said in a report yesterday.

The share of companies with a female board chair surged from 13.1% in 2013 to 30.9% last year, the UN agency said. The share with a female chief executive rose from 23.4% to 28.2% in the same period.

But the report found women remained under-represented in the corporate hierarchy overall, holding 30.5% of managerial jobs globally - up from 24.5% in 2000.

The report was based on a survey of 11,957 companies in 99 countries. While nearly three-quarters of firms had a gender equality and diversity policy or equivalent measure in place in 2025, the share implementing such initiatives - such as maternity leave - fell from $37.4\%$ in 2018 to $26.5\%$ last year, it said.

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World

At least 31 dead as Russia bombs aid centre and hospitals in Ukraine a day after truce

Pjotr Sauer

Russia bombed a humanitarian hub in southern Ukraine overnight on Monday, killing at least 31 people and leaving dozens missing, as part of a wave of strikes across the country.

Other Russian strikes targeted power plants across Ukraine, damaged hospitals and wounded scores of people, as Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the US was distracted by its midterm elections.

Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles across nine regions, triggering emergency power cuts, the Ukrainian president said in an online post.

"The Russians think America won't notice this signal of theirs," he said. "But we need to notice and stop such terror. We need to help Ukraine defend its skies; otherwise, Russia will never stop its missile strikes."

The barrage came just a day after a rare local ceasefire in neighbouring Kherson ended, underscoring the limits of the temporary truce.

The deadliest guided-bomb attack first targeted a school building used to distribute humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha, a village in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, and then took aim at a nearby shelter.

The dead included four police officers and two rescue workers, said Mykhailo Semikin, the acting regional governor. At least five people were hurt. Semikin said 48 people were considered missing.

As night fell in Komyshuvakha, emergency responders used torches to search through the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Efforts to rescue people on Monday evening were hindered as Russian drones launched additional attacks in the area that had been bombed, according to Semikin.

Zelenskyy said the Russians could not have been unaware that residents remaining in Komyshuvakha gathered each week to pick up humanitarian packages from the site.

The attack, he said, had shown that Moscow was intent on killing people instead of building on the past week's ceasefire in the embattled southern city of Oleshky.

“Russians continue to demonstrate, time and again, their hatred of Ukraine and everything that exists here,” Zelenskyy said.

In the north-east region of Kharkiv, a combined Russian missile and drone attack had wounded at least 62 people, local authorities said. A strike damaged a medical facility in the Nemyshlianskyi district, shattered windows in four apartment buildings and damaged cars. More than 200 patients had been transferred to other medical facilities, said the head of the regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov.

The Ukrainian president said: "If ▲ Ukrainian soldiers shoot at a Russian drone from a humanitarian hub in Komyshuvakha. Efforts to rescue people were hindered as

Russia launched additional attacks on the aid area, below, which was already largely reduced to rubble

PHOTOGRAPH: REUTERS; THE GUARDIAN

Russia genuinely wanted de-escalation, there was an opportunity following the situation in Oleshky to continue taking humanitarian steps. We proposed this. But Russia continues to kill people.”

The ceasefire last week, apparently brokered by the US first lady, Melania Trump, enabled an evacuation of the Russian-occupied Oleshky. It was the longest pause in fighting in the five years of the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. The Kremlin said that no other similar missions were being planned “at the moment”.

US-led talks between Russia and Ukraine were due to resume next week, the US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday.

Donald Trump, who pledged during the US midterm elections to end the war in a single day, has repeatedly pushed for a settlement but has so far failed to secure a breakthrough.

The latest round of talks is scheduled for 10 to 11 November in Abu Dhabi, according to Witkoff, amid growing concerns in Kyiv and among its European allies over Trump's increasingly close ties with Moscow and discussions of potential business deals between the US and Russia.

Medinsky's earlier appointment as chief negotiator was met with scepticism by Ukrainian officials and analysts, who questioned whether he had the authority to make meaningful concessions. A key architect of the historical revisionism used by Vladimir Putin to justify his invasion of Ukraine, Medinsky has long promoted the Kremlin's narrative that Ukraine is inseparable from Russia.

Russia announced yesterday that its delegation would be led by Vladimir Medinsky, a hardline former culture minister who has led several previous rounds of negotiations with Ukraine.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, arrived in Berlin for talks with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz. Germany has become Ukraine's largest provider of military aid since Merz took office in May 2025, overtaking the US as American support has declined.

The Ukrainian president is also expected to attend this year's Berlin Security Conference.

Additional reporting

Reuters and Agence France-Presse

ANC faces voter frustration in South African elections

Rachel Savage

Johannesburg

The African National Congress is on course for a bruising result in South Africa's local elections today as voters go to the polls amid deep discontent over water outages, power cuts and crumbling infrastructure.

The former liberation movement, which Nelson Mandela led to power in 1994 at the end of apartheid as South Africa's first black president, is still likely to be the largest party. However, polls show it getting less than a third of the vote, down from $45.6\%$ at the last municipal elections

▲ Plastic pollution in a township: poor services have hit ANC support

45.6%

The ANC's share of the vote in the last municipal elections in 2021. It is currently polling at about $30\%$ in 2021 and $40.2\%$ in 2024's national elections.

Vote fragmentation means the ANC could still end up leading many city coalition governments while losing control of others.

Unstable coalitions are already a feature of many of South Africa's 257 municipalities, and analysts point to their high turnover as a major reason for poor service delivery.

Johannesburg, a city of 4.8 million people that has faced water shortages for more than a week, has had 10 mayors in as many years. The neighbouring municipality of Ekurhuleni has had three mayors since 2021. To the north, in Tshwane, which contains the capital, Pretoria, the mayoralty has rotated between parties four times since 2020. In October, more than 800 people contracted a gastrointestinal illness from contaminated water in Bronkhorstspruit, in east Tshwane.

Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane are in Gauteng, South Africa's most populous and densely populated province and its economic engine. The centre-right, white-led Democratic Alliance (DA) is leading the polls in all three metros but has not been polling above 40%.

The ANC's national leadership is open to working with the DA in Gauteng, according to South African media, mirroring the government of national unity, where the two parties are the largest in the national coalition.

In Johannesburg, the DA's Helen Zille has led a spirited campaign, with viral stunts including the 75-year-old snorkelling in a pothole and kayaking along a flooded street. However, the former Cape Town mayor is still viewed with suspicion due to controversial past comments appearing to excuse colonialism.

The former Johannesburg DA mayor Herman Mashaba, who leads ActionSA, which is polling around 10%, has ruled out working with Zille. Mashaba has called Zille a “racist”, an allegation she has always denied.

The ANC, for its part, has three possible mayoral candidates for the city, amid factional infighting.

In eThekwini metro, which contains the port city of Durban, the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party of the former ANC president Jacob Zuma is polling above 40%. The 84-year-old Zuma, who has weathered and denied numerous corruption allegations, is set to take many of the votes of his former party, which won 42% in eThekwini in 2021 and is now polling around 10%.

The DA looks set to retain its majority in Cape Town, though probably with less than the 58% of the vote it won in 2021, as unaffordable housing turns more voters against the party.

World

New wave China's failed AI film may yet be start of seismic shift

Amy Hawkins

Senior China correspondent

China's first fully AI-generated movie has flopped, earning 1.7m yuan (£191,000) at the box office despite costing "tens of

millions" to make, according to its producer. But is it any good?

The Guardian watched Sanxingdui: Future Past in a virtually empty cinema in Beijing, and found it no worse than plenty of human-centred mindless action flicks. OK, well, maybe a bit worse.

Sanxingdui tells a confusing tale of a future society in which every decision has been outsourced to algorithms and AI, leading to a global catastrophe. The only way to avert the impending doom is to unlock a code hidden in the Sanxingdui, bronze sculptures linked to the ancient kingdom of Shu. Cue astronauts racing through ancient Egypt and archaeologists diving through space-time vortices.

Use of the production company's in-house AI scriptwriting tool, called Bowen, was evident in lines such as “That is the superbrain super-intelligence that costs \$10m a month to subscribe to”, and “Avoid that thing!” when a plane was about to crash in an incident foretold by the evil algorithm. But the sole other audience member and I agreed that it exceeded our very low expectations.

All of the film's visuals and some of its sound effects were created using AI tools, while it was edited by humans.

▲ A scene from Sanxingdui, China's ‘confusing’ AI-generated feature

Many of the characters were uncanny - uncannily life-like for the most part, and uncanny valley for the remainder. The Chinese characters seemed more realistic than the white people. All of them struggled with running (which they do a lot). They uniformly fell into that steady, smooth gait of video-game characters who gently bounce up and down as they jog to the next scene.

One of the main characters, an astronaut called Wu Xingyan, looks creepily like Tilly Norwood, the name of an artificial “AI actor” who is controversially “starring” in an upcoming Hollywood feature film called Misaligned.

But despite Sanxingdui's unpopularity, people who work in the film industry believe it's just the beginning of AI cinema in China.

Sanxingdui flopped because “the movie isn’t entertaining”, said Yu Yaqin, an independent film critic in Beijing. However, at least in the short term, “AI films will continue to be produced in China because investors place a high value on AI”, she said.

One person who works in screenplay development in Beijing said the majority of projects for which she has been approached in the past few months have been AI films. “Chinese investors believe this is the future,” she said, not least because AI films have the potential to be much cheaper than traditional productions.

“What used to take 100 people to do, can now be done by five people, and the rest won't have any jobs," she said.

One state media commentary said that although Sanxingdui was “riddled with flaws and imperfections”, it may “yet go down in cinematic history as the starting point of what came next”.

Chinese audiences are no stranger to AI-generated content. Tens of thousands of AI-generated micro-dramas, one- to three-minute-long films designed to be watched on mobile phones, are uploaded to streaming platforms each month. The industry, which did not exist a few years ago, is now worth an estimated \$3bn (£2.2bn). That is still much smaller than the traditional film industry, but a sign of the direction of travel.

Sanxingdui may also have performed poorly because people don't want to pay 50 yuan for a cinema ticket when they can watch similar content on their phone for free.

“Perhaps audiences are still more willing to spend money on films that offer a more unique experience,” said Yu, hopefully.

Additional research Yu-chen Li

Book revisiting a 77-year-old murder wins France's top literary prize

Philip Oltermann

European culture editor

A literary true-crime investigation that tries to solve a 77-year-old cold case and ends up rehabilitating the reputation of its life-model victim has won France's most prestigious literary prize.

The author Philippe Jaenada was announced yesterday afternoon as the winner of the Prix Goncourt for L'Inconnue du quai de Javel (The Unknown Woman of the Quai de Javel), a recreation of the murder of 29-year-old Breton woman Louise Cansot.

Known as “the woman with a hundred portraits” because she was so sought-after as a model for artists in Montparnasse in Paris, Cansot was found dead on 7 September 1949, but police never managed to establish the identity of her murderer.

This year's edition of the Prix Goncourt has been overshadowed by the allegation that one of the other longlisted books, the Canadian-Hai-tian author Thélyson Orélien's C'était ça ou mourir (It Was That or Die), was "almost entirely" written by artificial intelligence.

▲ Philippe Jaenada, right, ends up rehabilitating the reputation of Louise Cansot with his winning book

In the wake of the claims, the Académie Goncourt, a Paris-based literary organisation, withdrew Orélien's book from its longlist, and his Canadian publisher Boréal severed ties with the writer following an investigation. Orélien has denied using AI to write his novel.

Having been previously shortlisted for the Goncourt four times, winner Jaenada has finally triumphed with the 13th novel of his career.

The Île-de-France-born writer has made investigations into old news stories his trademark style since 2013's Sulak, the story of a notorious and charismatic robber and escape artist who targeted jewellery stores in the 1980s.

The subject of L'Inconnue du quai de Javel, Louise Cansot, had left Brittany aged 16 to work as a maid but then started to work as a life model for painter Jean-Louis Boussingault, who introduced her to other Parisian painters and sculptors.

The original 300-page police report into Cansot's murder concluded that she was a woman of “ill repute”, and newspaper reports at the time speculated that she was a sex worker or drug addict.

Jaenada's 530-page book goes to some lengths to right the wrongs of the original investigation, not just by suggesting the name of the murderer but also in its empathetic portrayal of the victim.

“He spares no effort in trying to understand his heroine,” wrote Le Monde newspaper about the book, also praising its humour and “touch of grumpy tenderness”.

The author drew inspiration for his book by reading and re-reading 74 of the 75 novels in George Simenon's Inspector Maigret series, about the chief inspector of a criminal brigade in 1940s Paris.

Final mile Hundreds of people join in the funeral procession for the Irish runner Ciara Mageean in Portaferry, County Down, yesterday. Mageean, who won European gold and competed in two Olympic Games for Ireland, died on Sunday aged 34 after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer last year.

PHOTOGRAPH: LIAM MCBURNEY/ PRESS ASSOCIATION

US judge allows satanic group's Christmas event in Iowa capitol

Michael Sainato

A US judge has ordered officials in Iowa to allow a local Satanic Temple group to hold a Christmas event in the rotunda of the state capitol after years of denying the group's applications.

The religious organisation and Iowa Republican state officials have been in a legal battle over the applications in recent years.

Republicans in Iowa have cited the capitol building's policies prohibiting gratuitous violence and obscene displays as justification. According to the office of the attorney general, Brenna Bird, state Republicans intend to appeal against the decision.

The Satanic Temple (TST) and Iowa chapter leader filed a lawsuit in August, alleging discrimination from former and current state officials.

Judge Stephanie M Rose stated in her court order that the group was likely to succeed on its free speech claim and ordered the director of the Iowa department of administrative services to approve the event application within seven days.

TST, which was founded in Salem, Massachusetts in 2013, calls itself a “non-theistic religious organisation” that advocates for secularism and emphasises separation from the Church of Satan, which was founded in 1966.

TST argues it does not believe in Satan but uses Satan as a symbol to protest against religious authoritarianism. In December 2023, the group had a religious display in the Iowa state capitol, but it was vandalised by a Christian military veteran. The following year, the Satanic Temple's application for a display and event was denied.

'Patrons are safe' Impunity for men who buy street sex fuels calls for action

World Japan

Justin McCurry

Tokyo

K abukicho is not known as “sleepless town” for nothing. The bustling centre of Tokyo’s night-time economy is a magnet for tourists

and locals in search of a bite to eat, a few drinks and a karaoke session. But behind its famous neon entrance lies a darker side: backstreets populated by women offering sex in exchange for money.

Tokyo has an established fuzoku commercial sex industry that revolves around regulated establishments catering to an array of predilections, from “soapland” bathhouses to “pink salons”. But since Covid-19 restrictions were eased a new phenomenon, fuelled in part by the boom in international tourism, has emerged: women who solicit on the street, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and sexually transmitted infections.

It is hard to gauge how many women work the streets of Kabukicho, but last year police arrested 112 women on suspicion of soliciting near a notorious Kabukicho park. The rise in tachinbo - Japanese slang for “standing around” - has heightened concern that Japan is becoming known as a destination for international sex tourism, triggering calls among MPs and campaigners to tighten the law and, for the first time, penalise men who buy sex on the street as well the women who sell it. A 1956 prostitution law punishes anyone offering vaginal intercourse - but tolerates other forms of sexual contact - in return for payment in a public place with up to six months in prison or a fine of ¥20,000 (£94). But men who seek out sex workers do not face penalties.

The clients of Japan's new street sex workers include a rising number of foreign men who learn about Kabukicho's dark underbelly through social media and no longer have to worry about the language barrier or unofficial bans on non-Japanese customers at regulated sex shops. Instead, they negotiate directly using smartphone translation apps.

“Japan’s image is changing because of this, and that’s a great shame,” said Arata Sakamoto, the head of Rescue Hub, a charity that supports vulnerable young women in the Kabukicho area. “But this isn’t a foreigner problem – it’s a problem for Japanese society.”

Campaigners are among those calling for change, claiming it would act as a deterrent to men who know that under the current law they will never pay a legal price for their use of street sex workers.

In September a justice ministry panel of experts released a report that called for changes to the law. The report, now being studied by the ministry, did not specify which new penalties should apply, saying only that the current law was “unbalanced” and that buyers needed to be “regulated” in the same way as providers.

The opposition MP Kazunori Yamanoi is among those pushing for change. “At a time when nations around the world are cracking down on those who buy sex, in Japan the patrons are safe,” he told a parliamentary committee last year, according to the Asahi Shimbun. “Unfortunately, newspapers and TV stations around the world are reporting that legal, cheap sex with young girls is possible … in Tokyo.”

Sakamoto supports the introduction of penalties for men. "As the law stands, men know that they won't face any consequences, and that encourages some to use ▲ Kabukicho, also below, is an area of Tokyo where rising numbers of vulnerable women work the streets

PHOTOGRAPHS: RICHARD BROOKS/GETTY; GETTY

violence or film themselves having sex," he says. "Penalties might help, but there is also a risk that street prostitution will go underground, and that could put women in even more danger."

Pressure to address the rise in street sex work is increasing among Kabukicho residents who say it is ruining their neighbourhood's atmosphere and reputation. Local

112

Number of women arrested last year for soliciting near one Kabukicho park, suggesting a rise in the trade

£94

Fine faced by women who sell vaginal intercourse in a public place. Male customers face no penalties

officials and residents' associations patrol the streets and broadcast messages in Japanese and English warning people that selling sex there is illegal.

But a local official said the measures had failed to deter sex workers and their clients. “We hope the government will respond in a way that has a greater deterrent effect … including penalising the buyers,” they told the Yomiuri Shimbun.

A more visible police presence - and the arrests last year of 75 women, including nine teenagers, in Kabukicho - have forced sex workers to migrate to narrow alleyways outside the entrances to “love hotels” a stone’s throw from Shinjuku, the world’s busiest railway station. The average fee is ¥15,000 (£70) for an hour, according to campaigners. Extra payments exchange hands for particularly young or attractive women, and as an inducement to have unprotected sex.

Many of the women are Japanese, including a growing 'Media around the world is reporting that legal, cheap sex with young girls is possible here'

Kazunori Yamanoi

Opposition MP

number of teenagers. “Most of the women we help are from unhappy family backgrounds or suffer from a mental health condition,” Sakamoto said. “In some cases it’s physical abuse; in others they have pushy parents who won’t let them make choices about their education, hobbies or friends.”

While Sakamoto and other campaigners welcome moves to penalise men, others believe the debate on amending the law should be an opportunity to decriminalise and regulate sex work.

Writing last month for Nikkei Asia, Teppei Kasai and Stacey-Leigh Manuel of Human Rights Watch said introducing penalties for men who pay for sex would increase the risks faced by women, since clients would insist on meeting in secret and force them into even more dangerous situations.

As MPs wait for the justice ministry to submit a bill to parliament, possibly before the end of the year, campaigners warned that new penalties would do little to help women escape sex work.

"There has to be more government support," Sakamoto said. "Unless they get help with their rent and other bills, many more women will be forced to sell their bodies."

Porvoo — one of a kind, plenty of reasons to visit

Just 50 minutes from the Finnish capital, Helsinki, Porvoo offers a chance to experience Finland at its most authentic.

Here, colourful wooden houses, cobbled streets and the iconic red riverside warehouses create the backdrop for something increasingly rare: the opportunity to slow down and enjoy life's simple pleasures.

Compact, walkable and welcoming, Porvoo combines Nordic quality, genuine local character and a relaxed atmosphere, making it an ideal destination for travellers seeking more than just a place to visit.

Visit

Porvoo www.poundland.co.uk

Business

FTSE 100

-122.90

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5746.54

SOURCE: ICE www.ice.com/data

Dow Indl

-177.34

51806.64

Nikkei 225 Closed

63081.86 £/€

1.1984

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Protect high street retailers from ‘vultures’, MPs urge

Sarah Butler

MPs called on the government yesterday to protect Poundland and other high street stores from “predatory capitalism” and asset-stripping.

The fate of thechain and its 12,000 staff remains uncertain after it filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators at the high court last Thursday. The board of Poundland has lined up the advisory company AlixPartners to run the process after the owner, the US restructuring specialist Gordon Brothers, ceased providing funding.

In an urgent question in the Commons, Gareth Snell, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, asked what could be done to “send a message to Gordon Brothers that the predatory capitalism they are putting into this company will not be tolerated because we in this country will always stand with people before profit”.

Antonia Bance, the Labour MP for Tipton and Wednesbury, asked what measures the government would use to hold Gordon Brothers to account, and if it would “establish an urgent review of whether our corporate governance and insolvency frameworks give sufficient protection against asset stripping and short-term financial engineering at the cost of jobs and our high streets?”

Hannah Spencer, the Green MP for Gorton and Denton, said the “scandal” of Poundland “exposes a very serious problem - that our economy is vulnerable to private equity vultures who swoop in and prey on

The fate of Poundland and its 12,000 staff remains uncertain after it moved to appoint administrators

PHOTOGRAPH: LILY RENSHAW/THE GUARDIAN

our high street brands by loading them with debt and then trying to ditch them for a profit".

Kate Dearden, the minister for the future of work, told parliament government officials held talks with Gordon Brothers on Monday night and she would meet Poundland's management team along with Usdaw, the shop workers' union, today.

She said Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, would meet Gordon Brothers again this week as pressure mounts on the company to accept a solvent bid for Poundland.

Liam Byrne, chair of business select committee, has also asked Gordon Brothers to answer its questions about Poundland next Wednesday. Dearden said the government could not involve itself in the commercial negotiations with potential buyers or comment on individual bids. However, she said it was “taking a responsible approach not to sit by and do nothing” and was putting pressure on Gordon Brothers to accept it had “responsibilities as well as rights” over Poundland and its employees.

Gordon Brothers is understood to be in talks with at least two potential buyers for the whole company, including a fully funded offer from Northern Ireland's Martin Property Group. Another offer from Innovest, an investment group understood to be advised by the former Reform candidate Charles Bunker, is believed to have partial funding in place.

The chance of Poundland avoiding mass store closures and job losses is shrinking by the day.

The prime minister's spokesperson said: "We continue to stay close to what's an extremely worrying situation for Poundland staff, their families and communities."

In a letter to the government, reported by Sky News, the Gordon Brothers executive Mark Newton-Jones said it had “supported Poundland with £85m of additional financing” since acquiring it for £1.

However, the letter added: “Like other high street retailers, the company faces multiple economic challenges, including rising inflation, increasing staffing costs and shrinkage from severe levels of shoplifting, which means it is still not cash-generative at a sustainable level despite the turnaround efforts.”

Gordon Brothers has been approached for comment.

Poundland

Virgin Media O2 plans thousands of job cuts in cost-cutting drive

Mark Sweeney

Virgin Media O2 said yesterday it planned to cut thousands of jobs in an £800m cost-cutting drive as it aimed to tackle its £22bn debt pile.

The telecommunications company, which is jointly owned by Liberty Global and Telefónica, said £300m of the savings target would come from job cuts that would reduce the company's wage bill by 30% over the next two years.

The company did not specify the number of jobs this would equate to, but it could be up to 25% of its 16,000-strong workforce.

"While we will give a fuller update on the new strategic plan in the coming months, we are already progressing and making difficult decisions to prioritise investments and reduce costs, which includes the size of our workforce," said the chief executive, Lutz Schüler.

The company, which said most of the job losses would come from non-customer facing roles, also said it intended to increase the use of AI in areas including customer service, network planning and fault management. It has offices in London, Reading and Dublin.

The cost-cutting plans, which Virgin Media O2 said would save £800m annually by 2029, also include making savings by reducing the use of contractors and reviewing suppliers and supply chain contracts.

Noel McClean, the deputy general secretary of the Prospect union, said the scale of the cuts would be “devastating” for staff and significantly impact the operation of the business.

The Communication Workers Union said it hoped the job cuts could be managed on a voluntary basis to minimise the impact on staff.

The company said it had also moved to reduce capital expenditure by halting investment in upgrading its network to full fibre, which is 50% complete, beyond existing commitments it has with partners.

It said it was exploring wholesale deals to expand its services in areas its network did not cover, confirming reports that it was close to a deal with BT's Openreach to extend its potential footprint from 19m to 25m homes.

The company also was poised to slash its dividend, saying it is “reviewing options” relating to cash distributions to shareholders.

The cuts were announced alongside Virgin Media O2's latest results, which showed the company had shed 23,300 broadband and 7,800 consumer mobile customers in the quarter to the end of September.

Asda names ex-Morrisons boss Potts as new CEO

Sarah Butler

Asda yesterday appointed David Potts, the 69-year-old former boss of Morrisons, as its chief executive with immediate effect as it continues to struggle to lift sales.

The UK's third largest supermarket chain said its executive chair, Allan Leighton, 73, who has been running the business since 2024, would step back to a non-executive role focusing on “the long-term strategic agenda for the business”.

Potts began his career on the shop floor at Tesco aged 16 and worked at the UK's biggest supermarket chain for decades, eventually heading its UK business. He was the chief executive of Morrisons between 2015 and 2023, leaving after the supermarket group was taken private by the US investment house Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2021.

Asda and Morrisons are struggling as they face heavy competition and high levels of debt. Aldi is poised to overtake Asda to become the UK's third largest supermarket. Asda's sales fell by $0.5\%$ in the three months to 4 October, according to the latest figures from the market research group Worldpanel by Numerator.

The appointment of Potts was a surprise move as Leighton had indicated he expected to fill the role with an internal candidate.

“David has an outstanding record in our industry. His experience is exactly what we now require for the next stage of our transformation and beyond and it will be great to work with him,” Leighton said.

Potts said: “Asda has long been a great business, one I’ve admired and traded against over many years.

"The business has made good progress but significant opportunities remain and I'm delighted and very proud to have been asked by Allan to lead the team.

“Providing value to families across the UK has always been in Asda’s DNA and by making improvements to the shopping trip every week, which customers can experience and feel in their pockets, we will revitalise the business and bring benefits for all our stakeholders, including our 116,296 very hardworking colleagues.”

David Potts, 69, was the chief executive of Asda's rival Morrisons for nine years before leaving in 2023

Primark speeds up plan for home delivery as profits fall

Sarah Butler

Primark is to begin making home deliveries by the end of next year as it aims to win new shoppers after a slide in profits.

George Weston, the boss of

Associated British Foods (ABF), Primark's owner, said it had brought forward the launch of its home delivery plans by about two years.

The company sped up the process by snapping up a robot-assisted warehouse in Sheffield from Debenhams, the owner of Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing and Karen Millen.

Primark already offers a click and collect service in the UK. The chain, which has 511 stores across 21 countries, will launch home deliveries in the UK by December next year.

Primark has previously said it could not make money with home delivery, but Weston said delivery and returns charges had now become common across the industry, making it viable.

He added: “There’s a group of shoppers who don’t reject Primark but ... are too far away from a store or prefer to shop online.”

▲ Primark will start delivering to homes in the UK by December 2027

Primark faces tough competition from the rise of cut-price online specialists such as Shein as well as supermarkets' clothing ranges.

Sales at Primark rose 4% to £9.8bn in the year to 12 September led by new store openings. Sales at established UK stores rose just 0.5% and sales at established stores in mainland Europe slumped 4.7% and in the US were down 2.6% as shoppers reined in spending amid higher energy and fuel bills. Profits dropped 10% to £1bn, which it said reflected investment in marketing and digital initiatives.

Business view

Nils Pratley

Own the

daily grind

The UK's number one commercial property destination

Fashion retailer never quite fitted ABF empire but shaking it off won't generate big bucks

The business logic for demerging Primark from Associated British Foods' greater Ovaltine-to-Twinings empire - an event due

to happen by the end of next year - is impeccable. Read this year's results statement and you wonder why the controlling Weston family took 20 years to back the idea.

One paragraph can be about a yeast plant in India or the impact of high gas prices on sugar-refining margins; the next can jump to Primark's new “digital flywheel” or the progress of the “By Coleen” collection. Even by conglomerate standards, food staples and discount fashion is an odd mix. Separating into two FTSE 100 companies, with standalone governance, makes sense.

But it would be hard to say the rejig will reveal tons of value, another reason conglomerates often give for doing the splits. Primark obviously isn't a hidden jewel because it already makes two-thirds of the group profit - and it isn't currently on sparkling form.

Or, at least, it's not in continental Europe. A like-for-like sales decline there of 4.7% for the financial year is jarring even in the context of “weak” consumer sentiment. The way ABF tells it, the continental operation is simply a year or so behind the refresh treatment that has been administered to UK stores. We're talking sharper digital marketing campaigns, a

There is a sense, even while opening new stores, of working hard to go sideways. No new money will be raised in next year's demerger rejig of ranges, the introduction of click and collect and so on.

The trouble is, the same explanation was given in January, when the gap between the home performance and that on the continent became apparent. Ten months later, the story remains largely the same.

Since Britain is now the priority for a home delivery service to capture “incremental” shoppers, one can imagine the gap remaining wide for some time. Perhaps online-only operators such as Shein, Temu and Zalando are more of a headache on the continent.

None of which alters the underlying strength of the Primark machine. Never mind the U-turn on the economics of home delivery, there are still physical stores being opened, including in the US. This is still a formidable operation with almost £10bn of annual turnover.

But the potential for profits growth tends to be a metric would-be new investors in newly liberated companies look at. On operating profits, Primark stayed above £1bn (just) for the year, but the number was 11% down on a year ago. For this year, the forecast is for a same-again profit margin of about 10%. There is a sense, even while opening new stores, of working hard to go roughly sideways.

No new money will be raised in next year's demerger, so timing is irrelevant in one sense. All the same, the overall ABF, as currently constituted, is forecasting a second year in a row of lower earnings because the food ingredients side, especially sugar, is still sticky. Meanwhile, the £1.9bn of share buy-backs over the past four years have come to an end as the group is in long-term investment mode.

There could be another 12 months until the big split, which allows time for things to perk up. But in current “macroeconomic headwinds” conditions, ABF is travelling slowly to the historic separation. It’s still the right thing to do - just don’t expect fireworks.

Business

Barclays to be first lender to offer payouts in car finance scandal

Rupert Jones

Barclays will this month start offering compensation to tens of thousands of people who claim they were mis-sold car loans, with some of those who accept likely to see the money land in their accounts before Christmas.

Amid an ongoing legal battle over an industry-wide compensation scheme for victims of the UK's car finance scandal, Barclays has become the first big UK lender to begin offering payouts.

Under the rules, “early settlement” offers of this kind must at least match what people would receive under the scheme that is being challenged - which may help address fears banks might make “lowball” offers.

But consumers face a tricky decision as, depending on the outcome of the legal battle, they could end up with more money, less or nothing if they decline the offer and wait.

In March, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a £9.1bn compensation scheme for the millions of victims of the scandal. But legal challenges forced the regulator to partly suspend the scheme. A hearing to decide the next steps is set for February next year.

The FCA had expected to start paying out £829 on average this year to those affected by the scandal, in which drivers were overcharged for loans as a result of commission payments between lenders and car dealers between 2007 and 2024.

Millions of people were treated unfairly when they took out motor finance to buy a new or secondhand car, motorbike or van, and ended up paying more.

Until the legal challenge is concluded, lenders do not need to pay compensation to people owed money under the scheme. However, Barclays Partner Finance - part of the banking group - has decided to offer payments now. That has prompted speculation that other companies will follow suit.

Barclays is using the FCA model to calculate the compensation offers. Customers will have a month to accept or reject their offers. It is thought the first payments for those who accept the offer will arrive before Christmas.

Those who accept cannot then later seek additional compensation. Alternatively, people can reject the offer and wait to see what happens.

The FCA said that if it saw off the legal challenge and its scheme was upheld, payments could begin in 2027, but if the judgment was appealed or the scheme was partly or wholly overturned, any compensation could be delayed until 2028 or later.

Depending on the outcome, those who decline the early offers could end up being entitled to “more, less, or no compensation”, the regulator said. It added it supported lenders making settlement offers, “as long as customers are offered no less than they would receive through the scheme”.

Barclays Partner Finance said it would not ask people who accept now to repay any of their compensation if the final outcome meant they would have been entitled to less cash.

Barclays has set aside £430m in connection with alleged motor finance mis-selling.

Under the FCA scheme, compensation payments depend on the details of the case. By far the biggest category is deals that allowed the dealer or broker to increase the interest rate the customer would pay, to get a higher commission.

UK's 'largest source of CO2' aims to power huge new datacentre

Jillian Ambrose

Britain's most polluting power plant could soon power the country's largest datacentre under a £20bn deal to build AI infrastructure on the site of the Drax power station in North Yorkshire.

The plant's FTSE 250 owner has struck a deal with the infrastructure investor Brookfield and the AI infrastructure platform Radiant to develop a datacentre with an eventual capacity of more than 1 gigawatt that could begin operations in 2028.

In the initial phase, Drax will provide the datacentre project with land and access to the national power grid through existing connections, but it hopes to begin powering the datacentre directly by the early 2030s.

Drax said the development could attract more than £20bn in investment and represent “the next chapter” for the site after ministers signalled plans to limit its power generation in the future.

The Drax chief executive, Will Gardiner, said the project would “help secure the long-term future of the site and protect hundreds of jobs” while “supporting the north’s reindustrialisation and strengthening sovereign AI capability”.

The largest power plant in the UK produces almost $5\%$ of the country's electricity by burning woody biomass pellets, making the site Britain's single largest emitter of carbon dioxide, according to analysts.

These emissions are not accounted for by the UK government because Drax claims the equivalent carbon ▲ Drax power station in North Yorkshire hopes a datacentre on its site will begin operating in 2028

PHOTOGRAPH: DOMINIC LIPINSKI/GETTY IMAGES

emissions are absorbed by growing trees that provide the waste wood used to make the biomass pellets.

However, the government promised that Drax would play a “much more limited role” in future after growing concerns over the company’s sustainability claims, and it will get only half its current £2m a day subsidies from 2027 to 2031.

The firm hopes to clear regulatory approvals to begin supplying the datacentre directly before 2031 to secure its future revenues.

▲ First-time buyers will lead a recovery from 2028, says Savills

Middle East war forecast to hold homes market back next year

Alex Lawson

Britain's sluggish housing market is not expected to recover until 2028 as higher mortgage rates linked to the war in the Middle East deter buyers and weigh on prices, according to a forecast.

The property firm Savills said average house prices were expected to drift lower during the rest of this year and fall by 1.5% across 2027, as the conflict in the Middle East keeps mortgage rates higher.

However, improving economic prospects and mortgage affordability are expected to support a recovery from 2028.

Savills said it expected house prices to rise by 15.8% - or £56,500 on average - over the five years to 2031, with values starting to recover from the second half of 2028.

Nationwide last week said UK house prices grew by an annual rate of just 0.5% in October, the slowest pace in more than two years. The average price for a property in the UK stood at £273,566, it said.

The Bank of England is widely expected to increase interest rates from 3.75% to 4% tomorrow - fueling higher mortgage rates - after UK inflation rose to 3.5% in September.

More than 2.3m UK households face a sharp rise in mortgage payments as they come off fixed-rate deals in 2027.

Emily Williams, the director of residential research at Savills, said: "The drawn-out conflict in the Middle East has pushed back the prospect of meaningful mortgage rate relief, which will weigh on buyer sentiment and affordability.

“We expect this will suppress activity and put pressure on prices next year. But this is unlikely to trigger a sharper correction.”

“Most homeowners have already absorbed higher borrowing costs since late 2022, with relatively few still needing to refinance directly from rates below 2%, and the labour market remains resilient.”

Savills expects first-time buyers to lead the recovery from 2028, helped by deposit affordability and government initiatives including the Your First Home scheme. It expects house price growth to accelerate during the second half of 2028, reaching 3.5%.

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather ©2026

[Weather | Wednesday 4 November 2026] UK and Ireland Noon today | Sunny | Mist | Fog | Sunny intervals | Hazy | Mostly cloudy | Overcast/dull | Sunny showers | Sunny and heavy showers | Light showers | Rain | Sleet | Light snow | Snow showers | Heavy snow | Ice | Thundery rain | Thundery showers | Temperature, °C | Wind speed, mph | Windy |

Forecast

Carbon count

Daily atmospheric CO $_{2}$ readings from Mauna Loa, Hawaii (ppm): | 02 Nov 2026 | 428.26 | Weekly average | 25 Oct 2026 | 427.28 | 03 Nov 2025 | 425.16 | 03 Nov 2016 | 402.47 | Pre-industrial base | 280 | Safe level | 350 | Source: NOAA-ESRL | ### Around the UK

Atlantic front

Cold front

Warm front

Occluded front

......

Trough

High tides | Aberdeen | 0942 | 3.7m | 2148 | 3.9m | Avonmouth | 0245 | 10.3m | 1512 | 10.9m | Barrow | 0717 | 7.6m | 1940 | 8.0m | Belfast | 0709 | 3.0m | 1916 | 3.4m | Cobh | 0048 | 3.3m | 1333 | 3.5m | Cromer | 0204 | 4.3m | 1513 | 4.2m | Dover | 0655 | 5.7m | 1947 | 5.7m | Dublin | 0743 | 3.6m | 1955 | 3.8m | Galway | 0104 | 4.1m | 1326 | 4.3m | Greenock | 0844 | 3.0m | 2021 | 3.2m | Harwich | 0709 | 3.3m | 1953 | 3.6m | Holyhead | 0630 | 4.8m | 1843 | 5.1m | Hull | 0133 | 6.3m | 1432 | 6.4m | Leith | 1038 | 4.8m | 2300 | 5.0m | Liverpool | 0701 | 7.9m | 1924 | 8.4m |

© Crown Copyright and/or database rights. Reproduced by permission of the Keeper of Public Records and the UK Hydrographic Office | London Bridge | 0913 | 5.9m | 2153 | 6.3m | Lossiemouth | 0746 | 3.5m | 1953 | 3.7m | Milford Haven | 0152 | 5.6m | 1422 | 6.1m | Newquay | 0050 | 5.4m | 1319 | 5.9m | North Shields | 1144 | 4.4m | 2355 | 4.6m | Oban | 0218 | 3.0m | 1432 | 3.4m | Penzance | 0026 | 4.5m | 1251 | 4.8m | Plymouth | 0126 | 4.5m | 1346 | 4.8m | Portsmouth | 0738 | 4.3m | 1952 | 4.1m | Southport | 0609 | 7.6m | 1832 | 8.1m | Stornoway | 0309 | 3.9m | 1525 | 4.3m | Portland | 0234 | 1.5m | 1443 | 1.6m | Whitby | -- | -- | 1217 | 4.8m | Wick | 0726 | 3.0m | 1928 | 3.2m | Workington | 0728 | 6.8m | 1949 | 7.3m |

Sun & Moon

Lighting up | Belfast | 1643 to 0735 | Birm'ham | 1632 to 0710 | Brighton | 1630 to 0659 | Bristol | 1639 to 0711 | Carlisle | 1628 to 0723 | Cork | 1701 to 0735 | Dublin | 1647 to 0731 | Glasgow | 1631 to 0733 | Harlech | 1640 to 0721 | Inverness | 1623 to 0737 | London | 1627 to 0700 | M'chester | 1631 to 0715 | Newcastle | 1623 to 0719 | Norwich | 1619 to 0659 | Penzance | 1654 to 0719 |

Specieswatch

Penguin poo is making the Antarctic snow melt faster, a study shows. As temperatures rise, penguins are waddling closer to the south pole, with potential for this previously unrecognised phenomenon to affect a wider area.

Snow algae are tiny single-celled plants living in some of the coldest places on Earth. When nutrients are scarce, it produces red pigments to protect itself from the sun and slow growth. When nutrients are abundant, it proliferates, packing its cells with green chlorophyll to boost photosynthesis and grow.

Snow containing green algae absorbs significantly more solar energy than snow containing red algae, making it melt more quickly.

Alia Khan from the University of Colorado and her team wanted to understand the impact of penguin poo on snow algae. They gathered samples of red and green snow algae along the coast of the west Antarctic peninsula, in areas with and without penguin colonies.

Their results, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, show penguins track their poo, or guano, across snowfields, inadvertently feeding the algae and increasing green blooms, making the snow more likely to melt. Kate Raviliious

Around the world | Algiers | 21 | Lisbon | Ams'dam | 10 | Madrid | Athens | 21 | Malaga | Auckland | 22 | Melb'rne | B Aires | 24 | Mexico C | Bangkok | 33 | Miami | Barcelona | 17 | Milan | Basra | 32 | Mombasa | Beijing | 13 | Moscow | Berlin | 10 | Mumbai | Bermuda | 25 | N Orleans | Brussels | 10 | Nairobi | Budapest | 11 | New Delhi | C'hagen | 8 | New York | Cairo | 30 | Oslo | Cape Town | 29 | Paris | Chicago | 17 | Perth | Corfu | 20 | Prague | Dakar | 30 | Reykjavik | Dhaka | 31 | Rio de J | Dublin | 11 | Rome | Florence | 16 | Shanghai | Gibraltar | 20 | Singapore | H Kong | 29 | Stockh'm | Harare | 33 | Strasb'g | Helsinki | 7 | Sydney | Istanbul | 16 | Tel Aviv | Jo'burg | 29 | Tenerife | K Lumpur | 32 | Tokyo | K'mandu | 25 | Toronto | Kabul | 17 | Vancouver'r | Kingston | 31 | Vienna | Kolkata | 31 | Warsaw | L Angeles | 24 | Wash'ton | Lagos | 32 | Well'ton | Lima | 26 | Zurich | ### Rugby union Fin Smith faces make-or-break training session

Football Parker must right the wrongs of Nuno era at West Ham

Page 42 →

Jacob Steinberg Page 37 →

Sport

David Squires on ... Mikel Arteta's view that football is not Disneyland

IN THE AFTERMATH OF FLEETWOOD'S FILLETING OF ARSENAL IN THE CARABAO CUP LAST WEEK, GUNNERS BOSS MIKEL ARTETA ISSUED SOME STRONG WORDS OF ADVICE TO THEIR WUNDERURCHIN MAX DOWMAN, WHO WAS SENT OFF FOR RETALUATION WHEN THE GAME WAS WAY PAST HIS BEDTIME...

ARSENAL'S WIN MOVED THEM THREE (ASTERISK) POINTS AHEAD OF MANCHESTER CITY - THAT PARTICULAR GHOST TRAIN HALTED BY THE SUPERB BRIGHTON & JAMESTOWN ANALYTICS. THERE WERE NO FUN AND GAMES AT THE ETIHAD, APART FROM THE LITERAL FUN AND GAMES AT HALF-TIME, WHEN SUPPORTERS WERE INVITED TO PUT PUMPKINS ON THEIR HEADS AND RACE TO WIN A CITY TOP.

ARSENAL AGAIN DEMONSTRATED THAT THEY AREN'T PART OF THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY WITH A GRINDING I-O WIN AT ANFIELD ON SUNDAY, IN A GAME THAT UNDERLINED ARTETA'S POINT THAT THE PREMIER LEAGUE IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS FOR...

THE MATCH WAS DECIDED BY TWO KEY MOMENTS. FIRSTLY, MORGAN ROGERS WAS ALLOWED TO GALLOP IN A STRAIGHT LINE THROUGH THE UNITED HALF TO SCORE THE KIND OF GOAL MORE COMMONLY SEEN WHEN THERE'S A FOOTBALL MATCH IN A SOAP OPERA; THE AUTUMN BREEZE OFFERING MORE RESISTANCE THAN THE DEFENCE.

ANDREY SANTOS

• GOES TO GROUND,

OVERWHELMED

BY A SENSE OF

INSIGNIFICANCE

WHEN CONSIDERING

THE INFINITE VOID

OF THE UNITED

MIDFIELD.

UNITED MAY BE THE PREMIER LEAGUE'S SILLEST CLUB, BUT DISCOUNT ASTON VILLA AT YOUR PERIL. LAST WEEK THEY THREATENED TO SUE JAMIE CARRAGER. BECAUSE HE DISSED THEM IN A VODCAST. THIS ELITE-LEVEL SILLNESS WAS COMPOUNDED BY ZION SUZUKI DROPPING A CORNEROVER HIS OWN LINE AGAINST FULHAM. HOWEVER, THE GOALKEEPER HAS HAD A GREAT SEASON, SO ALL AT VILLA WILL FORGIVE HIM...

You've been served, Mr Suzuki. Aston Villa will not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football.

David Squires archive Peruse our resident cartoonist's previous work at theguardian.com/profile/david-squires

NO ONE COULD COMPARE MANCHESTER UNITED TO A DECAYING, ABANDONED THEME PARK, MICHAEL CARRICK WAS STILL IN THE DUGOUT FOR THEIR 2-0 DEFEET AT CHELSEA, ALLOWED TO CONTINUE WHILE THE DETAILS ARE IRONED OUT WITH THE NEXT POOR SAP. IT'S A TESTAMENT TO HIS DIGNITY (CARRICKER?) THAT HE ISN'T USING THIS TIME AS I WOULD AND JAMMING HIS CLUB BLAZER WITH SO MUCH OFFICE STATIONERY THAT HE WALKS OUT OF THERE EACH DAY LIKE A MATHEUS CUNHA OFFSIDE GOAL CELEBRATION.

THEN, MARTÍNEZ, SHOWING THE CAREFREE ABANDON OF A MAN WAVING A FLAG ABOUT OUNING LAS MALVINAS, REGARDLESS OF HIS COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE AND EMPLOYMENT, COLLECTED TWO YELLOW CARDS IN SWIFT SUCCESSION. THE SECOND OF THESE WAS THE RESULT OF SHOWING WESLEY FOFANA IN THE NECK, CONCEDING A PENALTY THAT COLE PALMER JUST ABOUT SCORED TO SECURE THE WIN.

Well, he's shot one foot off,

but he's still got another. It'll

be fine so long as he's careful

for the next few -

Steve, how many lever-arch files do you reckon can be concealed in a wool blend jacket?

ALL SERIOUS STUFF, THEN. AT LEAST OLIVER GLASNER CAN BE RELIED UPON TO RETAIN A SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE. SPEAKING AFTER ANOTHER NOTTINGHAM FOREST DEFEAT, AT BRENTFORD, WHICH LEFT HIS SIDE LANGUISHING IN 19TH, HE SAID: "FOR ME, I GO HOME AND HAVE BREAKFAST WITH MY FAMILY, SO IT'S NOT THE WORST SITUATION." A SENTIMENT WITH WHICH EVERYONE WILL AGREE...

Morning, Kinder... Hey, where are the Coco Pops? Don't tell me you've eaten them all already? You'll be bigger than Mr Marinakis at this rate, I think!

Rugby union

Prem clubs' debts and losses increase despite investment

Matt Hughes

Prem Rugby clubs' collective losses and debt levels are continuing to increase despite growing interest from global companies and financiers shown by the recent investment of Red Bull, Sir James Dyson, and the Black Knight group which owns AFC Bournemouth.

The third edition of the Leonard Curtis Rugby Finance Report shows that the financial losses of the 10 Prem clubs rose from £34m to £36.5m over the 2024-25 season and combined debt levels increased from £342.5m to £366.1m, while the top flight's total wage bills grew from £125.9m to £129.8m, 80% of revenues.

The impact of this increased spending was compounded by a decline in revenues from £182.2m to £178.9m, with the result that six of the 10 clubs are balance-sheet insolvent with Northampton, Gloucester, Leicester and Saracens the only exceptions.

The report from Leonard Curtis, a leading UK corporate recovery and insolvency firm, is compiled using publicly available figures for the 2024-25 season and echoes its findings in previous years of a sport overly reliant on owner funding leading to concerns over the long-term sustainability of many clubs.

All 10 Prem Rugby clubs are in debt with their average losses totalling £3.7m annually or £308,000 a month and Alex Cadwallader, a Leonard Curtis director and former England under-21 international, says major structural change is needed.

"The findings in our latest report should not come as a surprise to any-"

one who has shown an interest in the financial state of the professional club game in England," Cadwallader said.

"The figures show Prem Rugby sides have continued to make a combined loss of over £30m each year and highlight the significant challenges that remain within the game. Without any deep structural or governance changes, why would we expect the results to be any different?"

The 2024-25 figures precede the takeovers of Red Bull, Dyson and Black Knight at Newcastle, Bath and Exeter respectively, whose investment is expected to increase clubs' losses further in the short term.

Despite the high cost of the owner-funded model there continues to be interest from investors in Prem Rugby clubs, with Northampton, Gloucester and Leicester all attracting interest.

The former Scotland wing Simon Danielli, who contributed to the report in his role as head of operations at the private equity firm Agathos, said that Prem Rugby's decision to move to a franchise league this season will make the clubs more attractive but urged the need for greater spending restraint.

The Prem is aiming to expand from 10 to 12 sides for the 2029-30 season and is open to welcoming new franchises, with the proviso that newcomers must spend at least one season in the second-tier Champ.

“A closed league gives investors something rugby has never offered before: visibility of revenue and security of earnings,” Danielli said. “That is why serious capital is arriving.

“Investors back what they believe can grow. The challenge now, for everyone in the game, is turning that confidence into a clear path to sustainable profitability.”

[Sport In brief] Ice hockey Sweden joins growing boycott of Russia

Cricket

[Sport In brief] Ice hockey Sweden joins growing boycott of Russia

Cricket

Maxwell announces Australia retirement

Swashbuckling all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from international cricket aged 38 after his hopes of a farewell match on home soil were dashed by Australia's focus on youth in their short-format selections. One of the most talented batters of his generation, Maxwell helped Australia to 50-over World Cup triumphs in 2015 and 2023 as well as a T20 World Cup win in 2021. Reuters

Leading ice-hockey nations Sweden, Finland and Czechia will refuse to play against Russia at next year's world championship, as a growing boycott movement across Europe now includes six of the 16 nations in the men's event. The rift deepened yesterday as 11-time champions Sweden, Norway, Latvia and Denmark signed up for the boycott. A tournament sponsor, Nokian Tyres, has also threatened to walk away. Finland has been rallying other nations to refuse to play Russia after the court of arbitration for sport ruled last week that the International Ice Hockey Federation must reinstate Russian teams. AP

Sport

Rugby union

Reckon it's easy being an elite rugby referee? Well think again

Tough does not remotely describe the job of the world's best rugby officials and how they apply the sport's laws

Robert Kitson

The 13th team participating at the Nations Championship this month are an intriguing bunch. If you didn't know much

about rugby and had wandered into a first-floor conference room at a hotel near Windsor on Monday you might almost have mistaken them for a gathering of airline pilots from nearby Heathrow. Slim, intelligent, studious ... you'd trust them to stay calm on the flight deck.

Stick them in matchday kit, however, and the world's top rugby union referees do not always enjoy universal respect, certainly online. They can be unflappably brilliant for 79 and a half minutes and yet still be defined by one hairline call barely visible to the naked eye. Every Test in which they are involved is an away game and, popularity wise, they often receive the same unconditional love as traffic wardens and the chancellor of the exchequer.

A few hours in the company of, among others, Karl Dickson, Luke Pearce, Angus Gardner, Ben O'Keefe and Hollie Davidson is to get a rare glimpse of the flip side. And to wonder why World Rugby has previously not made a bigger deal of the pre-match lengths to which today's referees now go. Try doing the equivalent of a geometry exam while simultaneously having to run at least nine kilometres, explain your pivotal decisions to millions on TV and ignore

the collective screech of 80,000 agitated spectators. Tough doesn't remotely cover it.

Particularly when rugby's lawbook is so notoriously labyrinthine. One of the keynote sessions we attend, for example, concerns the internal mechanics of the scrum. The former Wales captain Jonathan Humphreys, now World Rugby's scrum consultant, explains the vital importance of ensuring loosehead props do not have their inside shoulders tucked before engagement, thus crucially skewing the whole angle of their front row and, all too often, the opposition's as well. Video clips are duly shown to illustrate the potential ramifications.

Cue a cameo appearance from the former British & Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland, a World Rugby coaching consultant these days, who comes up from the back of the room to bind on to Humphreys and demonstrate the precise shoulders-back, pre-engage position that officials should be mandating. Talk about poachers turned gamekeepers.

Then there is the hooker's “brake foot”, so called because of its importance in stabilising the scrum. If the heel of the hooker's front foot is not flat to the ground, a free-kick should be awarded. Got that? No heads on shoulders before engagement - front-rowers should instead be aligned temple to temple - make sure everyone pushes straight rather than walking around, no guesswork, etc etc. Forty minutes have passed and no one has even mentioned that backs play rugby, too.

All joking aside, it does seem the sport is inching slightly closer to the holy grail: a consistent balance between attack and defence, more clearcut messaging and a product that satisfies players of both sexes

▲ Leading officials including Angus Gardner (top) and Hollie Davidson (centre) were part of the recent rugby union refereeing event

GETTY IMAGES/WORLD RUGBY

The penny seems to be dropping that referees need to be backed to make their own strong decisions

and spectators of all ages. World Rugby even has a fresh four-pillar mantra when it comes to enhancing the game: protect the player, embrace the contest, promote continuity, win the fan. Tick all four boxes and, hopefully, greater interest and investment will follow.

And the penny also seems to be dropping globally that referees need to be backed to make their own strong decisions, for better or worse, rather than the game being fractured endlessly by unnecessary television match official interventions.

In the end perfection matters less than big calls around tries and dangerous play being managed correctly. “Get what matters. The rest doesn’t matter,” one official urges, stressing the “clear and obvious” ethos which forms the basis of modern whistleblowing.

Equally, though, teams may have to brace themselves for a few extra free-kicks and penalties early in games over the coming month as referees and players alike get up to speed with the latest sanctions for hip and knee drop tackles as well as the updated head-contact process around the breakdown, designed to reduce dangerous flying clear-outs among other things. The reality is that players' habits will change only when they are effectively given no other option.

There was also a significant initiative on Sunday when virtually all the world's leading head coaches met the top referees to exchange their hopes and fears for the game's future. The smart money is on certain aspects looking appreciably different.

among the concepts being lobbed around, for example, are special refereeing goggles capable of showing the aerial

view of a scrum, thus making awkward culpability calls slightly easier. Another suggestion is a separate specialist scrum referee - David Flatman, come on down - who would be invited to, er, sprint on and adjudicate on set pieces.

More research is also being commissioned to identify the parts of the game that fans most enjoy, assisted by the use of heart rate monitors. Early southern hemisphere studies have shown heart rates soar for interceptions, line breaks and the haka, with the biggest turn-offs being dull interruptions and scrum resets.

Recent stats also show the ratio of tries scored compared to penalty goals in major Tests has trebled in less than three years. Once the 2027 World Cup is over the debate surrounding the shape of the game seems certain to reignite.

In the meantime, here's to the dedicated men and women at the sharp end. Next time you're tempted to shout 'You don't know what you're doing' from your vantage point 100 metres away, be assured they do. And also bear in mind the most timeless rugby mantra of the lot: no referee, no game.

Mitchell ruled out of Nations Championship

← Continued from back page

Wallabies and a scan on Monday has determined that Mitchell will sit out the autumn campaign.

As a result, Jack van Poortvliet is expected to start at scrum-half against Australia with Ben Spencer and Harry Randall vying for a spot on the bench. For Mitchell, however, it is rotten luck given his premature withdrawal against Gloucester last Saturday marked the fourth time this year he has sustained a hamstring injury. "To see him go off like that is not nice, but these things happen," added Freeman. "It's sport. It comes with the game. But we're gutted for Mitch and hopefully it's a good recovery for him."

Mitchell suffered similar injuries during the Six Nations, at an England camp in May - recovering to take his place in the Northampton squad for the Prem final win over Exeter - and during the Test against Fiji. Van Poortvliet was England's starting scrum-half for the summer given Mitchell's lack of game time but when fit and firing the Northampton player is England's first-choice No 9.

Already Borthwick is without the Bath back-rowers Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill while the club's rookie hooker Kepu Tuipulotu is also missing with a knee problem. Bristol's centre Benhard van Rensburg is also absent after sustaining a nasty concussion against Northampton earlier this season, having also done so in England's final match of the summer against Argentina.

Archie McParland, Mitchell's fellow Northampton scrum-half, is also unavailable with a calf injury but England are hopeful he will feature later in the campaign.

'Our thoughts go out to the All Blacks'

Scotland's assistant coach Pete Horne expressed sympathy to the New Zealand camp after their long-serving head of security died in Edinburgh, days before Saturday's Nations Championship match.

The All Blacks announced that Logan Cadwallader, a “much-loved and respected member” of their set-up for the past decade, had passed away following a medical event at their team hotel in the Scottish capital on Sunday morning.

“I can only imagine what they must be going through just now,” said Horne. “I think if we lost anyone like that it would really hurt us to the core. Our thoughts go out to the All Blacks camp and of course Logan’s family.”

On the rugby front, Finn Russell is relishing what will be just his fifth meeting with the All Blacks since his Test debut more than 12 years ago.

"The way they're playing, especially since [head coach] Dave Rennie has come in, they've been awesome. They're up there in the top two in the world with South Africa. It's an exciting challenge for us to have. For Scotland you don't get to play the All Blacks that much so it's always great fun." PA

Sport

Football

◀ Nuno Espírito

Santo was given

the chance to

get West Ham

back into the

Premier League

but has endured

a difficult

start in the

Championship

JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/

GETTY IMAGES

Hammers had to call time on Nuno's passive reign

Graham Potter's successor did a dismal job at West Ham - now they must trust Parker to do what he does best

Jacob Steinberg

It has taken West Ham six months to come to their senses and sack Nuno Espírito Santo, but at least the decision has arrived early enough to revive their hopes — enough to revive their hopes of automatic promotion. Dithering was no longer an option after the dismal performance against West Brom last Saturday.

West Ham, who sat eighth in the Championship and four points off the top two after a second consecutive home defeat, had to act. They are in danger of slipping into a battle for a playoff spot and needed to move on from Nuno after just over a year of his confused, passive football.

Nuno did a terrible job after replacing Graham Potter as manager in September 2025. The 52-year-old had 33 games to save West Ham from relegation and failed. He has the most expensive squad in the Championship but his side have not lived up to their billing as title favourites and their stuttering form has exposed the folly of not sacking Nuno at the end of last season.

David Sullivan, then the club's largest shareholder, wanted a change. But Daniel Kretinsky favoured continuity and looked to capitalise on the shifting power dynamics in the boardroom. Karren Brady had stepped down as vice-chair in April - Karim Virani replaced her in an interim role - and there was further upheaval when Sullivan resigned as joint-chair and a director of the club to fight what he described as “false allegations” regarding his personal conduct.

Sullivan bears most culpability for West Ham's relegation. He still owns a 40% stake but is no longer on the board and West Ham are better off without him dictating key decisions. Equally, though, where Sullivan was not mistaken was in wanting Nuno gone. Kretinsky got his first big call wrong. At least the Czech billionaire has given Nuno's replacement time to get the team back on track. The task falls to Scott Parker, who has been on the market since leaving Burnley last April. Parker is regarded as a “safe” appointment and has been on West Ham's radar for a while.

Some wanted the former England midfielder in the summer and his name was mentioned again when West Ham failed to win their first three league games. Patience was wearing thin.

A subsequent run of four wins in a row swiftly proved a false dawn.

West Ham have not had the right mindset. They have two wins from their past six games and have often started playing only after going a goal down. A 6-0 win against Wrexham was a highlight but victory at Lincoln by the same scoreline came with the caveat that the Imps received two red cards before half-time.

There was no identity under Nuno. West Ham are unbeaten on the road and won 1-0 at the then table-topping Swansea last month but it has been hard to tell Nuno broke the Football League transfer record with the £22m signing of the Belgium midfielder Arne Engels from Celtic. Even Jarrod Bowen, who was convinced to sign a new deal in the summer, has been off colour. Nuno's tactics mean the winger, West Ham's top scorer, is often crowded out.

West Ham were lopsided against West Brom. Enough was enough. Kretinsky, who is not at every game, was unimpressed when he attended West Ham's 3-2 defeat by Southampton a week earlier. He pays attention to the views of Bowen, Tomas Soucek and Mark Noble, the technical director and former club captain.

Nuno, whose substitutions were almost as weird as his starting lineups, had lost the players. The mood darkened after the West Brom game. West Ham were easy to play through because of Nuno's reluctance to use a holding midfielder, an issue exacerbated by his refusal to use Edson Álvarez or Soungoutou Magassa after both sought moves during the summer.

Magassa's exile has caused disquiet. Not only is a young asset being devalued, a fragile defence is going without enough protection. West Ham have a lot of No 8s but they need a No 6. It is an area for Parker to address. He will also need to work out whether to stick with Mads Hermansen in goal, and the jury is out on summer signings.

One source questions whether West Ham targeted players equipped to handle the intensity of the Championship. Divine Mukasa, the 19-year-old midfielder, is talented but inconsistent. Manor Solomon and Edvin Austbø have flattered to deceive on the left. Joël Veltman, the 34-year-old Dutch right-back, has had fitness issues. Adama Boiro, on loan from Athletic Bilbao, has not been seen since a cameo against Derby in September. The three strikers signed by Nuno across two windows have toiled; Pablo Felipe, Taty Castellanos and Joël Piroe have five league goals between them this season.

Nils Koppen, the head of recruitment appointed in the summer, will have to be busy in January, but Parker will hope to have made his impact before the window opens. He is not known for expansive football but he is proven at this level. Parker won promotion with Bournemouth, Burnley and Fulham. The 46-year-old's track record is clear and it helps that he has an association with West Ham.

Parker, whose all-action playing style made him a fan favourite, knows how difficult it can be in east London. He played in some pretty bad West Ham sides, experienced relegation in 2011 and arrives with the club in a tricky spot again. It is not the moment to start worrying about Parker's questionable record as a Premier League manager. What do West Ham do if they go up? Do they stick with Parker? Well, how about they get promoted first? The rest can wait.

Parker's record of promotion and club links spark move

← Continued from back page

Ham to fight what he described as “false allegations” around his personal conduct. Kretinsky became West Ham’s biggest shareholder in September, buying a stake of 46%. The agreement saw Sullivan, who is not on the board, increase his stake from 38% to 40%.

Kretinsky has assumed more power and is said to have been unhappy with Nuno after attending West Ham's 3-2 defeat by Southampton at the London Stadium. There was further disquiet in the directors' box when West Brom handed West ham a second consecutive home defeat. Kretinsky has recognised it was a mistake to stick with Nuno, who is due £3m in compensation.

Nuno had 33 games to save West Ham from relegation after replacing Graham Potter in September 2025. But the former Nottingham Forest manager made inconsistent and baffling team selections, fell out with a host of players, made poor signings and was not popular with many non-playing staff members.

West Ham backed Nuno in the transfer market last January. There was surprise within the recruitment department when a search for more firepower in attack saw almost £50m spent on Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos. Both strikers underwhelmed in the Premier League and have not found it any easier in the Championship.

While West Ham's squad is far from perfect, the internal view is results should be better this season, especially as Nuno was able to break the EFL transfer record by spending £22m on Arne Engels from Celtic. It is understood Nuno lost support in the dressing room in recent weeks. Nils Koppen, the director of recruitment, was especially unhappy with him.

The hope is that Parker, a promotion specialist, can revive West Ham. The 46-year-old has led Burnley, Bournemouth and Fulham into the top flight. His managerial record in the Premier League is less impressive but West Ham's current aim is simply to get out of the Championship. They feel that Parker is a safe pair of hands and believe his connection with West Ham means he understands the club.

Parker joined West Ham from Newcastle in 2007 and loved his time in east London. He was named the club's player of the year on three occasions but he left for Tottenham following relegation in 2011.

▲ Taty Castellanos has struggled since his £26m move to West Ham

Sport

Football Champions League

Foden targets England recall but has not heard from Tuchel

Manchester City attacker says season is going 'really well' after enforced break

Jamie Jackson

Leipzig

Phil Foden is aiming for an England recall after the Manchester City attacker was left out of the squad for last summer's World Cup and the Nations League games this season by Thomas Tuchel.

While the next round of England games in the competition - the squad for which will be named on Friday - may come too soon for a recall, Foden wants to force his way back into Tuchel's plans. The 26-year-old said: "Hopefully, one day the call-up might come back. It's one of those things [being dropped]. Football is full of ups and downs. You have to try your best, keep putting on performances."

Foden revealed Tuchel has not been in touch since the World Cup to discuss what the manager wishes to see from him. "No, I haven't really spoken to him to be honest, so not much to say on that," he said.

In September's 1-0 win at Manchester United Foden was sent off after 23 minutes, resulting in a three-match ban. As this came a week before the last international window, he did not play again for more than a month.

Foden said: “Obviously, I had the unfortunate red against United but the break did me good, I came back fresh and sharp. I’ve been involved in a lot of goals recently and I’m happy. Personally [the season] - it’s gone really well. I took some family time [after the red card], went on holiday. It was a very long time, which felt strange. It gave me time to work on things I need to work on. I felt like I could help the team.”

Before City face RB Leipzig in the Champions League tonight, Enzo Maresca conceded that City cannot rely on Erling Haaland to score in every game, with the manager clear that more support is needed from the rest of the squad.

▲ Phil Foden scored a hat-trick in his last Champions League outing

Saturday's 1-0 loss to Brighton was the first time Maresca's side has failed to score this season. Yet despite racking up 36 goals in all competitions, Haaland's 13 is seven more than the next highest scorer, Rayan Cherki. Foden's four goals - including a hattrick in City's last European outing, against AEK Athens - is the third best.

Maresca said: “It’s very important that in each game we create chances. For sure when you have Erling inside the pitch, it’s better because he’s going to score goals. But you know that he’s always there, close. At the same time, we cannot rely on Erling for every game.

"We need the rest to score goals. But the last game against Brighton was the only game of the season where we didn't score. If Erling is on the pitch, we are happy. But also we need the rest to score goals."

In the 2023-24 season Foden scored 27 goals, a career high. He was asked if he can support Haaland more and produce his form of three years ago. “Hopefully,” he said. “[The key is] keep playing regularly, being happy and positive. Being in the right positions and hopefully I can get back to that level now.”

RB Leipzig v Manchester City

TNT Sports 2, HBO Max, 8pm

Arteta confident Saliba is ready to return for Arsenal

Ed Aarons

Prague

Mikel Arteta is confident that William Saliba is ready to make his first appearance of the season for Arsenal after he played 45 minutes of a match behind closed doors last week.

The France defender started training on his own last month after the back injury he sustained at the World Cup but has since resumed full training and yesterday travelled with Arsenal's squad to face Slavia Prague. It remains to be seen whether Saliba will feature in the Czech capital given such a lengthy absence, although Arteta insisted that he has no doubts the 25-year-old is primed to return.

Asked whether he would treat his comeback with caution, the Arsenal manager said: "Yes, but now you are in, or not. And now he's in, and he's in like anybody else. All the preparation has been done to measure all the loads and all the steps that he had to do to minimise that risk.

"Now he's in a really good place. He's built the capacity that we needed, and now it's about giving him minutes. He's a centre-back, and when that's the case, it's not like an attacking midfielder or a nine that you can change. A centre-back normally has to be able to play 90 minutes, and that's why all the preparation that we've done to build him."

Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhães were outstanding in Arsenal's landmark victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday and Arteta admitted that Saliba's return is likely to give him a selection headache. Konsa is also capable of playing at right-back, although he will face competition from Ben White and Jurriën Timber.

The latter escaped punishment against Liverpool when he pulled Alexander Isak's shirt inside the penalty area and Arteta hit back at suggestions that officials could try to balance out that decision in future.

"I have a lot of clips about shirts, pulls, grabs. So I have a massive library that we can talk about," Arteta said in an echo of his comments last month about straying outside his technical area. "We're talking about one in particular. I have a massive library that we can throw there to remind everybody what every team is going through."

Max Dowman is also in contention to play against Slavia as he serves a three-match domestic suspension for his red card against Fleetwood last week. He became the first 15-year-old to feature in the Champions League against the same opponents 12 months ago and could break Cesc Fàbregas's record as the youngest Arsenal player to start in the competition.

“That’s a chapter that is gone. It’s a moment of learning from all of us, and we move on,” Arteta said of Dowman’s dismissal against Fleetwood. “He’s been engaged. Today we spent some time together, talking about things in training. He’s always super positive. When you’re 16 you have a different way of looking at things and treating things, and that’s what he brings to the team as well.”

Slavia Prague v Arsenal TNT Sports 1, HBO Max, 8pm

▲ William Saliba has not played a competitive match since the World Cup

STUART MACFARLANE/ARSENAL FC/GETTY IMAGES

Liverpool need to sharpen up in attack, urges Iraola

Andy Hunter Istanbul

Andoni Iraola has said Liverpool must improve their attacking play but dismissed concerns over the contrast between his team's output in the Premier League and Champions League.

Liverpool boast a 100% record in Europe this season and can take a significant step towards qualification for the knockout phase with victory away at Fenerbahce today. Former Liverpool favourite Dirk Kuyt will take charge of his first European game with the Turkish club, having replaced Ismail Kartal on an interim basis last week.

Iraola's side failed to register a shot on target, according to Opta, during Sunday's defeat by Arsenal, the first time Liverpool have drawn a blank in a Premier League home game since Opta records began in 2003-04. The Liverpool head coach believes the statistic did not reflect his team's performance but admitted there is room for improvement.

“It is difficult when you lose but honestly I am happy with a lot of things from the other day,” said Iraola, who is without the injured Ryan Gravenberch in Istanbul. “But we still need to improve, especially attacking the box. A lot of times we were there with the numbers but we were not making the proper runs and waiting for second balls. We put Arsenal under pressure and they defended well but I liked a lot of things.”

Liverpool have scored more goals in three Champions League games this season (12) than in nine Premier League fixtures (11) but Iraola denied the disparity is a serious concern.

He added: “We have had better results in the Champions League and Carabao Cup than the Premier League but it's very early in the season for these comparisons. We want to continue this run in the Champions League. This is a good chance to get to 12 points and try to qualify, and then try to finish in the top eight, but Champions League away games are difficult, especially in this stadium and this atmosphere."

Kuyt returned to Fenerbahce as Kartal's assistant this summer - he played for the club for three seasons after leaving Liverpool in 2012 - but was appointed interim coach following Kartal's resignation in the wake of last week's 2-1 defeat by Galatasaray.

The former Liverpool striker said: "Tomorrow will be a very special occasion for me but, at the stage we are in, I'm not the important person. It's about the club. Romelu [Lukaku] was speaking about how important it is to show the fans - who deserve much more - a reaction and a good performance. We have really good players but we need to show up. Liverpool are an amazing team but so are Fenerbahce. If the fans show up, I think Europe will see how big this fanbase is."

Iraola, meanwhile, said he has not received or sought an explanation from Pro Ref over the decision not to award Liverpool a penalty for Jurriën Timber's shirt-pull on Alexander Isak on Sunday.

He said: “I didn’t ask for an explanation and I haven’t received an explanation, no. I told you what I thought about the penalties at the time but, honestly, I don’t have the time [to ask Pro Ref]. There is just two days between games and I have been preparing for Fenerbahce.”

Fenerbahce v Liverpool

TNT Sports 1, HBO Max, 5.45pm

▲ Dirk Kuyt faces his former club after taking the reins at Fenerbahce

Referee Davide Massa (It)

◀ Raphinha puts Barcelona two ahead as Villa sink at Camp Nou JOAN MONFORT/AP

Raphinha double delivers reality check for Villa

Barcelona

Lamine Yamal 7, Raphinha 52 64

Aston Villa

Barney Ronay

Camp Nou

This was a chastening night for Aston Villa, and a familiar one for Unai Emery in this corner of town. On a chilly, damp, oddly processional night at the Camp Nou Barcelona produced a performance of unhurried, high-grade incision, easing to a 3-0 victory that never really seemed to tip into an actual close-quarter contest before it was gone.

This Barcelona team will always give you a chance, a thrilling mix of gliding possession football and large open spaces behind their own teasingly high line. But Villa never looked like getting their teeth into those tender spots, always held at arm's length, fists whirling in the space between.

Two goals for Raphinha maintained his numerically superlative start to the season. But Pedri was the real star here, producing 69 minutes of elite midfield guile, a footballer who at times like these seems to be tickling you very slowly to sleep while someone else sticks the dagger in.

This was a significant game for its emotional, cultural weight, rather than any real sporting jeopardy, which is hugely minimised at this stage by the Champions League's mega-table format. For the Villa fans crammed into their pen at the top of the stand it was a chance to register a genuine note of progress for this high-wire, ever-evolving team.

Currently the Camp Nou is in a state of mid-renovation chaos, packed with debris and random clutter, and with vast gushing waterfall-friendly holes in the raggedy corrugated roof. Think: Old Trafford, but deliberately like that. The new tiers at the top of the stands are already in place. The internal fixtures are being laid between hoardings and fences. Even on a drab and chilly November night you can feel the skeleton of what will be starting to loom ominously.

Hansi Flick put out a strong team here, perhaps his strongest, with Lamine Yamal on the right and his hard-running straight-man Anthony Gordon on the other flank. Rodri and Pedri were the midfield pivot, a delicious-looking thing in outline, two physical extremes, the familiar wardrobe-like unit of high-spec midfield generalship, and next to him a more classically twirling, ball-funnelling Barça-issue sprite. Pedri is fun to watch even away from the ball, with that easy, fluid way of moving, just rolling along, never really seeming to stop or switch directions, like a paper bag being blown across the turf.

Unai Emery picked a team to press and stifle the space. It was always likely to be their strength against these opponents, ideologically wed to their own version of the Cruyffian omni-ball possession game.

Early on Villa sat deep and snapped into their challenges. There were some early long passes from John McGinn on the right to set Nicolas Jackson in beyond the Barcelona line. On the other side Lamine Yamal looked, as ever, like a different species of human every time he took the ball, just in the way he snaps and grooves inside, a player who walks on to every pitch carrying his own portable yard of space.

With seven minutes gone it was Lamine Yamal who opened the scoring, in a way that felt almost too easy and too natural, cutting in from the left, just too quick in his movements, all alone in front of goal suddenly in that crowded space, with time to clip a simple left-footed shot into the far corner.

The Camp Nou let out a devotional roar, Lamine Yamal ran through his brand-friendly celebration routine in front of the ultras behind the goal. And at that point you feared for Emery's team on that open right side.

Villa did come surging back straight away, pressing at Barcelona's tender points with a succession of corners. Johan Manzambi shot wide after good work from Jackson. But with 12 minutes gone Ian Maatsen was booked for bringing down Lamine Yamal as he eased away by the touchline, a Chekhov's shotgun-style scenario for any full-back given the nightmarish job of marking this miracle of feints and snaps and pond-skater glides.

Gordon had a shot well saved by Zion Suzuki after a disastrous attempt to play out from the back had been strangled by the Barcelona press. But the game wasn't really changed by Barcelona going 1-0 up. When they play like this the test is as much patience, concentration and retaining the energy to break when chance arrives. As it did on 33 minutes, Manzambi driving down the left before shooting powerfully but too close to Joan García.

Half-time arrived with Barcelona looking a little too easy and unbloodied for their lead.

Rodri was withdrawn at the break and replaced by 19-year-old Marc Bernal, another high-spec home-farmed Catalan central midfield product. Nothing much changed. Villa continued to chase shadows, and also press, mark and nibble at the ankles of shadows whenever they got the chance.

And with 52 minutes gone it was 2-0, the goal scored by Raphinha via a deflected shot, Villa seeming a little hypnotised by a sustained spell of possession and pressure. The goal was Raphinha's 18th in 13 appearances this season for Barcelona. But Pedri made the moment happen with a driving run through the centre followed by a nudged forward pass. It was a fascinating piece of midfield play. Pedri had spent the previous 90 seconds lurking behind João Cancelo, sitting in that space watching the play, then accelerating on to the ball like a rugby union full-back waiting for the moment to enter the line.

Emery made a triple substitution, refreshing his midfield for the final 30 minutes of chase and harry. But before long it was 3-0. This time it was Cancelo's turn to produce a moment of sublime skill. First Cancelo skipped away form McGinn like a man teasing the family labrador. Then he produced an outrageously cinematic low cross with the outside of his right foot for Raphinha to twinkle in and finish neatly again.

The final minutes ticked down in front of a steadily emptying stadium. Villa remain well-placed in the first phase mega-table. Emery will crave another chance to get closer to this calibre of opponent. But this was a demonstration of the gap, still, at the very top.

Barcelona

4-2-3-1

García; Fariñas (Balde 82), Cubarsí, Martin, Cancelo; Rodri (Bernal ht), Pedri (De Jong 70); Lamine Yamal, López (Gavi 70), Gordon; Raphinha ● (Gabriel Jesus 70)

Aston Villa

4-5-1

Suzuki; Cash, Lindelöf,

Torres, Maatsen●; McGinn

(Alysson 77), Kamara,

Gomes (Barkley 62),

Manzambi (Goretzka 62),

Buendía● (Mbaye 62);

Jackson● (Abraham 77)

Football In brief

Scotland McTominay, Tierney and Adams return

Scotland head coach Sébastien Pocognoli has recalled midfielder Scott McTominay, defender Kieran Tierney and striker Ché Adams for this month's Nations League fixtures against North Macedonia and Switzerland. McTominay, 29, missed the last international window after minor heart surgery. Tierney and Adams also return from injury, and defender James Penrice, on loan at Rangers from Greek club AEK Athens, has earned a call-up and could make his debut. Scott McKenna misses out with a back strain. Scotland are third in Group B1. Reuters

Crystal Palace Mateta's red card at Spurs to be appealed

Crystal Palace are appealing against Jean-Philippe Mateta's red card from last Sunday's 2-0 loss at Tottenham. Mateta was sent off in the 13th minute after he caught Micky van de Ven on the achilles with a lunge. With Ismaïla Sarr likely to be out until after the international window with a groin problem and Jørgen Strand Larsen's carrying an ankle issue, a three-match ban would come at a bad time for under-pressure manager Pierre Sage. Palace host Hoffenheim in the Europa League tomorrow. PA

Women's Nations League Lionesses draw France, Austria and Portugal

England have drawn France, Austria and Portugal in their Women's Nations League group, which is also a qualifying tournament for the 2028 Olympics. The top team from each League A group book their places in Los Angeles and also go into the Nations League semi-finals. There was no Team GB women's football representation at the 2024 Olympics after England, the nominated qualifying team, did not win their Nations League group. England's manager, Sarina Wiegman, said: "To go to the Olympics is a very special occasion and it becomes Great Britain, so it's bigger than just England." PA

Sarina Wiegman is aiming to lead the team to the LA Olympics

Cunha's late double rescues United after fan protests

Manchester United 3

Fernandes 58pen, Cunha 83 86

Roma 2

Soulé 11, Malen 17pen

David Hytner

Old Trafford

Michael Carrick enjoyed one of his finest nights as a Manchester United player in the Champions League against Roma, scoring twice in a 7-1 win in the quarter-final, second leg in 2007. The re-run here was all about his managerial survival at the club.

The situation looked impossibly grim for him at half-time. Amid an atmosphere of continued fan anger towards the United ownership,

Carrick's team had been implausibly bad. Roma took a 2-0 lead into the break and the truth was that the scoreline greatly flattered United.

What happened next was a fight-back for the ages. For Carrick, it might even have topped 2007. United's defending had been so loose, so generous. But they showed the other side to their game - the one about attacking punch; derring-do. They found a solution to their woes at the back. Keep the ball in the other half.

Matheus Cunha was the hero and it said plenty about the chaos of this tie, the wildness of the emotions, that he ended up being sent off for a second yellow card in the 90th minute for a lunge at Leonardo Balerdi.

Before that, he had supplemented a Bruno Fernandes penalty - which the captain converted after a retake - with a touch and finish following an

▲ Bruno Fernandes has his penalty saved by Roma's Devis Vásquez (top), but scores after the referee orders it to be retaken for encroachment

Referee Jesús Manzano (Sp)

\*Southampton deducted 4pts

How they stand

The United support sing about having seen it all. This was just extraordinary. Can it save Carrick? He will go into Sunday's Premier League game at home against Aston Villa with renewed belief.

The fragility of the United backline has been well documented. How the hierarchy decided that it did not need any reinforcements over the summer is beyond belief. With Luke Shaw still injured, Carrick was forced to persist with Diogo Dalot out of position at left-back.

Dalot pushed very high at the outset, which felt bold. It was plainly a demand from Carrick. Dalot's

Matheus Cunha unleashes his shot, beating Devis Vásquez at his near post for Manchester United's dramatic, late winner CONOR MOLLOY/ PROSPORTS/ SHUTTERSTOCK

positioning was pure folly on the opening Roma goal. The visitors transitioned quickly, far too quickly for United's ponderous defence and when Rodrigo Mora looked up from the inside left, all he could see was Soulé in acres of space on the opposite channel. Where was Dalot? Mora played the pass. Soulé took a touch and swept past the exposed Senne Lammens.

United's defending for the second goal was even worse. Leny Yoro turned and ran back towards his own goal as Roma advanced up the left, and when the move appeared to have broken down for them around the United box, there was Harry Maguire to gift it back to Soulé with a dreadful miskick. Soulé dropped his shoulder and shot; the ball hit Ayden Heaven's hand and Malen converted from the spot. Again, Dalot had been high up the pitch. The mutiny could be felt before kick-off; the sounds of it heard. There were the green and gold balloons of protest against the Glazers. The relentless chants against the club's owners. When the clock showed 20 minutes and five seconds - or 2005; the year of the Glazer takeover - the Stretford End erupted in a planned move; hurling tennis balls down on to the pitch.

Moments earlier, a grisly Dalot error on the ball had almost led to Malen getting in for a third and the first half was just an ordeal for United. Roma were well organised in their 3-4-2-1 shape and they got in up the inside right time and again. They might have had many more before the interval; Mora, Malen and Soulé all went close.

United offered minimal resistance. They were so easy to play through. There was nervousness from them on the ball, heavy touches. A glaring lack of cohesion. What was the plan? When Bruno Fernandes had a half-chance on the edge of the box in the 43th minute, he could not sort out his feet and blazed high.

Carrick was in the last chance saloon during half-time. He had to have a simple demand of his players: show some fight. There had been no evidence of it in the first period. Yet United emerged with purpose.

Carrick lost Carlos Baleba in the 46th minute. The midfielder stormed into the Roma area and was about to shoot only to pull his hamstring. Then, United caught a break - two, actually - and the mood shifted sharply.

It was a soft penalty award for a push by Gianluca Mancini on Cunha after he played a give-and-go with Fernandes. But when United had that sinking feeling after Fernandes saw his kick saved by Devis Vásquez, they were reprieved when the referee, Jesús Gil Manzano, ordered a retake for encroachment. Fernandes lashed it home.

United came alive. Bryan Mbeumo, played through by Cunha for a one-on-one with Vásquez, saw his shot hit one post and then the other one before refusing to cross the line. United threatened from corners. Maguire went close. Dalot had a header cleared off the line.

The United support had endured that familiar wrestle before kick-off; trying to find hope in face of the negativity, the deep sense of foreboding. Kobbie Mainoo's return to the starting XI provided a glimmer. He was in the mood to make his moves.

Carrick's major selection decision was to start Heaven over Lisandro Martínez in central defence. It shone a light into Martínez's headspace. It is a dark place. Martínez would get on for Heaven towards the end.

United fought. It was shocking to see how Roma, unbeaten so far this season in Serie A, fell apart. Cunha made the difference.

United deal only in the craziest of extremes.

Roma

3-4-2-1

Vásquez; Mancini (Ghilardi 75), Balerdi, Hermoso (Ndicka 76); Rensch (Lulli ● 21), Cristante, De Roon, Wesley; Soulé ●, Rodrigo Mora (Pisilli ht); Malen ● (Castro 78)

Manchester United

4-2-3-1

Lammens; Yoro,

Maguire (De Ligt 88),

Heaven (Martínez 75),

Dalot; Baleba

(Tielemans 51),

Mainoo; Diallo

(Lacey 75), Fernandes (Mount 88), Cunha (Mbeumo)

Football | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE | Atlético Madrid | (0) 0 | Bayern MunichKarl 54Laimer 74 | (0) 2 | BarcelonaYamal 7Raphinha 52 64 | (1) 3 | Aston Villa | (0) 0 | Bodø/Glimt | (0) 0 | Lille | (0) 0 | Feyenoord | (0) 0 | InterBisseck 8Esposito 34Zielinski 54 | (2) 3 | GalatasarayBatrakov 12 15 | (2) 2 | Stuttgart | (0) 0 | LASKJørgensen 19 37Ljubicic 44Adeniran 48 | (3) 4 | Slovan Bratislava | (0) 0 | Manchester UtdFernandes 58penCunha 83 86 | (0) 3 | RomaSoulé 11Malen 17pen | (2) 2 | Shakhtar Donetsk | (-) 0 | SportingDoumbia 59 | (-) 1 | Villarreal | (0) 0 | Paris Saint-GermainJoão Neves 9, Doué 12Mayulu 13, Ruiz 17 50Boly 78 | (4) 6 | SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Middlesbrough | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 17 | +13 | 28 | Birmingham | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 26 | 13 | +13 | 26 | Stoke | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 26 | Swansea | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 26 | West Brom | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 25 | Southampton* | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 14 | +15 | 24 | Wolves | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 16 | +7 | 24 | West Ham | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 18 | +15 | 22 | Sheffield Utd | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 22 | Portsmouth | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 16 | +3 | 22 | QPR | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 21 | Norwich | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 27 | 24 | +3 | 18 | Millwall | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 23 | 24 | -1 | 18 | Blackburn | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 22 | -2 | 18 | Bristol City | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 17 | -2 | 18 | Bolton | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 19 | 26 | -7 | 17 | Lincoln City | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 | -10 | 15 | Cardiff | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 14 | Wrexham | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 14 | Watford | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 23 | -10 | 14 | Charlton | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 22 | -11 | 14 | Burnley | 14 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 18 | 26 | -8 | 10 | Derby | 14 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 29 | -18 | 7 | Preston | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 30 | -18 | 5 | BirminghamCochrane 1, Bird 16Stansfield 29 | (3) 3 | Millwall | (0) 0 | BlackburnGudjohnsen 87 | (0) 1 | StokeMcGlynn 43, Baradji 68og | (1) 2 | Charlton | (0) 0 | BoltonDalby 18 | (1) 1 | Derby | (0) 0 | NorwichMusaba 8, Maghoma 27Yongwa 44, Makama 66 | (3) 4 | PortsmouthDevlin 36, 90+2Waddingham 90+8 | (1) 3 | SwanseaVipotnik 85pen18,897 | (0) 1 | PrestonLeroy 2, Lang 76 | (1) 2 | Sheffield UtdPeck 27 37 45+1 | (3) 3 | QPRVarane 65 | (0) 1 | BurnleyRamazani 38 | (1) 1 | WatfordMavididi 46 | (0) 1 | Lincoln City | (0) 0 | West BromPrice 22pen | (1) 1 | SouthamptonEdozie 53 | (0) 1 | SKY BET LEAGUE ONE | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Huddersfield | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 12 | +16 | 29 | Stockport | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 26 | 14 | +12 | 26 | Luton | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 21 | +6 | 24 | Oxford Utd | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 11 | +9 | 23 | Plymouth | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 23 | Reading | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 13 | +12 | 22 | Bradford | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 22 | Cambridge Utd | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 21 | Sheffield Wed | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 20 | Leicester | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 19 | +3 | 19 | Mansfield | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 18 | +2 | 19 | MK Dons | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 20 | +2 | 18 | Wycombe | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 23 | -2 | 18 | Leyton Orient | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 14 | +5 | 17 | Burton Albion | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 21 | -3 | 17 | Stevenage | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 13 | +4 | 16 | Notts County | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 14 | AFC Wimbledon | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 21 | -12 | 13 | Blackpool | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 21 | -4 | 12 | Doncaster | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 22 | -8 | 12 | Wigan | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 22 | -11 | 11 | Peterborough | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 23 | -12 | 10 | Barnsley | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 22 | -10 | 9 | Bromley | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 33 | -20 | 9 | SKY BET LEAGUE TWO | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Salford | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 15 | +10 | 31 | Barnet | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 18 | +10 | 26 | Walsall | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 21 | 12 | +9 | 22 | Crewe | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 22 | Cheltenham | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 25 | -2 | 21 | Grimsby | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 20 | York | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 21 | +3 | 20 | Gillingham | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 19 | +1 | 20 | Accrington | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 23 | 17 | +6 | 19 | Chesterfield | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 21 | +3 | 19 | Tranmere | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 19 | Exeter | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 19 | Swindon | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 17 | -2 | 19 | Newport County | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 18 | Shrewsbury | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 22 | -5 | 18 | Fleetwood | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 17 | Bristol Rovers | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 23 | -6 | 16 | Port Vale | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 14 | -4 | 15 | Rochdale | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 26 | -9 | 15 | Oldham | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 15 | Northampton | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 14 | Rotherham | 14 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 25 | -7 | 12 | Colchester | 13 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 19 | -7 | 12 | Crawley | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 21 | -8 | 9 | Northampton5,098 | (0) 0 | OldhamNorburn 70 | (0) 1 |

ENTERPRISE NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH

Dorking 3 Hampton & Richmond 2; Farnborough 0 Ebbsfleet 6

JERSEY MIKE'S EFL TROPHY

Cambridge Utd 6 Brighton U21 0; Newport County 1

Crystal Palace U21 2; Rochdale 1 Doncaster 4;

Rotherham 0 Newcastle U21 1

KDM EVOLUTION TROPHY

Last 32 Aberdeen B 1 Queen's Park 1 (2-4 pens); Airdrieonians 5 Elgin 0; Annan 0 Ayr 2; Arbroath 1 Queen of the South 0; Bonnyrigg 2 Dunfermline 4; Clydebank 1 Alloa 0; East Kilbride 7 Stirling 3; Edinburgh City 0 Partick 3; Formartine 0 Cove Rangers 2; Hamilton 1 Raith 1 (5-3 pens); Inverness 1 Montrose 0; Morton 0 Kelty 1; Ross County 2 Celtic B 0; Spartans 0 Livingston 2; St Mirren B 1 Peterhead 2; Stenhousemuir 4 Berwick 1

[Tennis] PARIS MASTERS (France)

First round: T Paul (US) bt H Rune (Den) 7-5 6-4; N Djokovic (Ser) bt V Faverot (Mnc) 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-1; M Berrettini (It) bt B Nakashima (US) 6-4-3-6 7-6 (10-8); N Borges (Por) bt M Kouame (Fr) 6-3 6-1; L Tien (US) bt A Vallejo (Par) 6-3 5-7 7-5; Q Halys (Fr) bt A Fery (GB) 7-6 (8-6) 7-5; A Rinderknech (Fr) bt F Cerúndolo (Arg) 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 2-0 ret; T Etcheverry (Arg) bt A Rublev (Rus) 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3); T Fritz (US) bt B Bonzi (Fr) 3-6 6-3 6-4; A Michelsen (US) bt J Lehecka (Cz) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4; JL Struff (Ger) bt A Gea (Fr) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Second round: B Shelton (US) bt C Norrie (GB) 6-3 6-4; C Ruud (Nor) bt R Jodar (Sp) 6-3 6-4.

HONG KONG OPEN (China)

First round: Z Sonmez (Tur) bt D Yastremska (Ukr) 6-4 6-2; T Gibson (Aus) bt O Oliynykova (Ukr) 7-6 (7-5) 6-1; M Joint (Aus) bt M Inglis (Aus) 7-5 6-2; S Cirstea (Rom) bt M Timofeeva (Uzb) 7-6 (8-6) 1-6 7-5; T Valentova (Cz) bt H Sakatsume (Jpn) 6-3 7-5; A Shubladze (Rus) bt L Samsonova (Rus) 5-7 6-1 6-2; A Eala (Phi) bt E Jones (Aus) 6-4 6-3; E Pridankina (Rus) bt P Badosa (Sp) 7-5 0-0 ret.

CHENNAI OPEN (India)

First round: O Selekhmeteva (Sp) bt T Kostovic (Ser) 6-4 6-3; R Montgomery (US) bt P Udvardy (Hun) 6-4 1-6 6-1; J Garland (Tai) bt J Teichmann (Swi) 6-3 6-4; A Zakharova (Rus) bt P Iatcenko (Rus) 7-6 (7-3) 6-1; J Vandromme (Bel) bt K Okamura (Jpn) 7-5 6-1; V Adkar (Ind) bt J Burrage (GB) 3-6 6-3 7-5; W Falkowska (Pol) bt L Fruhvirtova (Cz) 7-6 (7-3) 6-4; P Kudermetova (Uzb) bt V Morvayova (Svk) 6-3 4-6 6-1; J Tjen (Ido) bt K Hui (US) 6-1 6-2; M Uchijima (Jpn) bt R Sramkova (Svk) 6-3 6-2; L Stefanini (It) bt R Zolotareva (Rus) 6-2 6-2; M Linette (Pol) bt A Falei (Blr) 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 6-2; M Rajeshwaran Revathi (Ind) bt K Kawa (Pol) 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-5); M Rajeshwaran Revathi (Ind) bt K Kawa (Pol) 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-5); M Hontama (Jpn) bt M Sawangkaew (Tha) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2; Z Kulambayeva (Kaz) bt M Yamaguchi (Jpn) 6-4 7-5; S Waltert (Swi) bt S Yamalapalli (Ind) 6-4 3-6 6-3.

Snooker

INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (Nanjing, China)

Last 16: H Vafaei (Irn) bt Si J (Chn) 6-3; K Wilson (Eng) bt O Lines (Eng) 6-5; Chang B (Chn) bt Yuan S (Chn) 6-2; Zhao X (Chn) bt A Hill (Ire) 6-3; Fan Z (Chn) bt L Davies (Wal) 6-4; J Higgins (Sco) bt M Williams (Wal) 6-5; Ding J (Chn) bt S Maguire (Sco) 6-5; M Fu (HK) bt Wang X (Chn) 6-5.

[American football] NFL

Seattle 17 Chicago 34

Fixtures

Football (7.45pm unless stated)

Champions League

AEK Athens v Real Madrid (5.45pm); Borussia Dortmund v Real Betis (8pm); Fenerbahce v Liverpool (5.45pm); Lens v Como (8pm); Porto v Napoli (8pm); PSV v Club Brugge (8pm); RB Leipzig v Manchester City (8pm); Slavia Prague v Arsenal (8pm); Viking v Sabah (8pm)

Europa League

Rennes v Olympiacos (3.30pm)

Sky Bet Championship

Bristol City v Wolves (8pm); Cardiff v West Ham; Wrexham v Middlesbrough

Sky Bet League One

Oxford Utd v Reading

Cricket

First Men's One-Day International

New Zealand v India, Auckland (2am)

Greg Wood's racing tips

Musselburgh 12.05 Alnofoor 12.35 True Heart

1.10 Flying Moonlight 1.42 Gemini Man

2.15 Quercus Robur 2.45 Cavallo Pazzo 3.17 Rhoscolyn

3.50 Carolus Magnus

Nottingham 12.15 Chevere 12.45 Sonic Si

1.20 Autumn's Breeze 1.50 Temple 2.20 Arbaawy (nb)

2.53 Ghost Story 3.23 Thunder Roar 3.55 Rogers Dream

Chepstow 12.20 Annie Express 12.51 Red Acres Max

1.25 Order On Time 1.58 One Cool Kid 2.30 Black Hawk Eagle

3.05 Mr McWhinny 3.40 V Power 4.10 Smooth Landing

Kempton 2.25 Kitaro Kich 3.00 Snooker McCrew (nap)

3.30 Red Curry 4.00 Light Of The Stars 4.30 Unerring

5.00 Sea Baaeed 5.30 Amelia's Joy 6.00 Lieutenant Kije

6.30 Ataturk

Villa's lesson Lamine Yamal and Raphinha fire Barça to emphatic win

Page 39 →

Whistle while

you work

Behind the

scenes with top

rugby referees

Page 36 →

Sport

Matheus Cunha takes off his shirt to celebrate scoring his second goal, with the game at Old Trafford turned on its head

MOLLY DARLINGTON\GETTY IMAGES

Manchester

United

Roma

3

2

Fernandes 58 pen

Cunha 83 86

Soulé 11

Malen 17 pen

West Ham line up Parker after sacking Nuno amid poor run

Carrick's saviour Cunha inspires United to epic Roma comeback

Jacob Steinberg

Match report Page 40 →

West Ham are poised to appoint Scott Parker as manager after sacking Nuno Espírito Santo. The club have acted after a disappointing start to the Championship season and have moved for Parker, a former West Ham midfielder, in an attempt to get their push for promotion back on track.

Nuno was under increasing pressure after Saturday's 3-1 defeat by West Bromwich Albion left the favourites to win the title in eighth, four points off second-placed Swansea. West Ham kept faith with the 52-year-old Portuguese after last season's relegation but recent form placed Nuno under renewed threat and led to his dismissal yesterday morning.

West Ham had already identified Parker as their preferred candidate. The 46-year-old has been out of work since leaving Burnley after their relegation from the Premier League last April and is expected to take over on a two-and-a-half-year deal. It is hoped that Parker will be in charge for tonight's trip to Cardiff.

If a deal cannot be completed in time then Mark Noble, the club's sporting director, will oversee the match against Cardiff, with help from Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville. Noble, who is understood to have been one of several influential voices who felt Nuno's time was up after 13 months in charge, is expected to be part of Parker's backroom staff.

David Sullivan, then the club's largest shareholder, wanted to sack Nuno after last season's relegation. Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire, pushed for continuity. Sullivan then resigned as a joint-chair and director of West 37

Smith faces fitness test for England clash with Australia

Gerard Meagher

Fin Smith faces a make-or-break training session today to prove his fitness for the No 10 jersey in England's autumn opener against Australia on Sunday, amid cautious optimism the Northampton playmaker will come through unscathed.

Smith sustained a calf injury in Northampton's derby defeat by Leicester last month and the England head coach, Steve Borthwick, has been sweating on his fitness ever since. Smith's Northampton half-back partner, Alex Mitchell, meanwhile, has been ruled out of England's entire autumn campaign owing to his latest hamstring injury.

The 24-year-old Smith came through a running session at England's training base on Monday before being put on a modified programme and sitting out most of yesterday's session. There is a degree of positivity within the camp he remains on track but he will be put to the test in today's full bore session before Borthwick finalises his side.

“I think he’s tracking nicely,” said Smith’s Northampton teammate Tommy Freeman. “He’s doing the right stuff with the physios. It’s always good having him and the connection I have with him at the club will always be beneficial, for me anyway.”

Should Smith be available it would be a major boost for Borthwick given he has started the past five Tests at fly-half and cemented his status as England's first-choice No 10. George Ford and Marcus Smith are alternative options should Fin Smith lose his fitness race.

Mitchell, meanwhile, will miss England's Tests against Australia, Japan and New Zealand as well as their placings match on Nations Championship finals weekend. The scrum-half had already been deemed unavailable for this weekend's clash against the 36

▲ Fin Smith must prove his fitness today before the Australia showdown

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