As conference season begins for the UK's political parties, Reform UK will be seeking to use its gathering in Birmingham to maintain the momentum it has gathered since the general election.

But with Nigel Farage claiming that he is ready to be the country's next prime minister, Reform's economic plans are coming under greater scrutiny.

BBC Verify has examined what we know - and don't know - about the party's aspirations when it comes to taxation, spending and borrowing.

Net zero

The party has long claimed it will be able to make considerable government savings from entirely scrapping attempts by the government to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The party's 2024 manifesto - which it called a "contract" - suggested it could save £30bn every year for the next 25 years by ending subsidies related to renewable power generation and emission reductions.

Richard Tice, the party's deputy leader, told the BBC on Friday that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the Government's independent spending forecaster, now "agrees" with those figures.

In its most recent Fiscal Risks and Stability Report from July 202 the OBR said the peak annual public sector investment cost of the Government's decarbonisation policy was £16.1bn in 2035, declining to £2.8bn in 2050.

It added that the average annual cost over the 25 years would be £9.9bn, or 0.3% per cent of GDP.

In that report, the OBR did put the overall "fiscal cost" of the net zero transition at an average of £30bn a year - though it attributed around two third of this figure to lost fuel duty receipts, as people choose to switch to electric vehicles, not additional public spending.

If people continued to switch to electric vehicles - and the government did not replace fuel duty with a new levy on road users - those fiscal costs would still face a future Reform government, even if they scrapped all net zero public investments.

It's also important to bear in mind that the OBR stresses the economic and fiscal costs to the UK from the UK and the world not reaching net zero.

Its latest report estimates the fiscal costs from climate-related damage - where global temperatures rise to just below 3°C above pre-industrial levels - could add 2% of GDP to UK primary borrowing (before interest costs] by the early 2070s.

Tax plans

Richard Tice told the BBC on Friday that: "The manifesto in July 2024 is not appropriate for a manifesto, or a contract, whenever the next general election is."

Nevertheless, that document is the most comprehensive and recent guide to the economic aspirations of the party - and the leadership have indicated that parts of it still stand.

The manifesto pledged considerable tax cuts to individuals and businesses.

The party said it would, among other things, lift the income tax starting threshold to £20,000 (from its current level of £12,570) and take 7 million people out of paying income tax.

It said its personal tax pledges would add up to an estimated cost of £70bn a year.

Reform also said it would abolish business rates, which are charged on most non-residential premises by councils.

It put an estimated cost of £18bn a year on its various proposed tax cuts on businesses.

That total £88bn a year of tax cuts would have been almost double the £45bn a year of tax cuts in Liz Truss's 2022 mini budget.

As well as cutting taxes, Reform's manifesto also said it would considerably increase spending, including on the NHS, defence, policing and prisons.

It said its health pledges would cost £17bn a year and its defence pledges £14bn a year and total spending pledges would add up to £53bn a year.

Since the election, Reform has pledged to deport some 600,000 unauthorised migrants over the next Parliament, which it has claimed would cost £10bn but save £17bn - so delivering a net saving of £7bn over the Parliament.

We don't have a detailed document from Reform, breaking down these costs and where these savings would be made, so it's not possible to verify this.

But these costings would, in any case, be subject to very high uncertainty. Any savings would depend on how much of a deterrent it would be in discouraging asylum seekers from coming to the UK.

In his conference speech on Friday, Nigel Farage also pledged to cut welfare spending, but did not lay out any specifics about which benefits would be targeted and by how much,

Also, in May 2025, he backed lifting the two-child benefit cap, which carries an estimated cost of £2.5bn a year.

Cutting waste

Reform has insisted that it would balance its tax cuts and additional spending plans by cutting waste in government spending.

The 2024 manifesto pledged £50bn a year of savings from government departments and quangos.

It didn't specify what these savings would be and at the time the Institute for Fiscal Studies cast doubt that on this figure.

"Saving this sum would require much more than a crackdown on waste; it would almost certainly require substantial cuts to the quantity or quality of public services," said the IFS's Carl Emmerson.

• We must be ready for early election, Nigel Farage tells party
• Reform may need to rethink £90bn tax cuts pledge, deputy suggests
• Ex-Tory minister Nadine Dorries defects to Reform UK

Analysts think there are potential savings from such a move - which would be functionally equivalent to a new tax on banks - though they argue that £35bn a year figure is a considerable overstatement.

The IFS said any savings would likely be below £20bn a year.

If a future Reform government were to stick to its tax cutting and spending pledges set out in its last manifesto, while failing to achieve its pledged savings, government borrowing would have to rise.

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Hamas has released a video showing two Israeli hostages seized from a music festival during its cross-border attack in October 2023.

The video claims to show Guy Gilboa-Dalal in Gaza City in late August, where he says he and eight others are being held and will remain despite Israel's planned ground offensive. It also shows captive Alon Ohel.

Earlier videos of hostages released by their captors in Gaza have been condemned by world leaders and families as propaganda.

Israel's far-right national security minister called for the full occupation of Gaza in response, claiming this was the only way to "bring back the hostages in security".

The video shows Mr Gilboa-Dalal, who was seized from the Nova festival in southern Israel, pleading for his release. In footage dated 28 August, he is filmed in a car in what he says is Gaza City.

The footage also shows Mr Ohel for the first time since he was seized in the attack 700 days ago. Mr Gilboa-Dalal was previously seen in a Hamas video in February.

They are two of the 48 hostages still being held by Hamas, 20 of whom are thought to be alive.

Defence minister Israel Katz meanwhile said Israeli military activity would "intensify" until Hamas accepted Israel's conditions to end the war, which include the release of release of all hostages, threatening that the armed group would be "destroyed" otherwise.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Israeli negotiators to resume talks on a ceasefire deal to free the hostages.

On Friday, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said 30 Palestinians had been killed in the territory in the past 24 hours, including 20 in Gaza City.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it had struck a tower block there, which it claimed was being used by Hamas.

It said precautionary measures had been taken to mitigate harm to civilians, "including advance warnings to the population" and the use of "precise munitions".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans a month ago to take control of Gaza City after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.

Israel has intensified its operations around Gaza City in recent weeks, and says its offensive has established control of some 40% of the city, which it claims is a stronghold of Hamas.

The UN and aid groups have warned that the offensive was already having "horrific humanitarian consequences" for displaced families sheltering in the city, which is home to a million people and where a famine was declared last month.

Satellite imagery shows several neighbourhoods in parts of the city have been levelled by Israeli strikes and demolitions over the past month.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led 7 October attack in 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 more were taken hostage.

At least 64,231 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

The Duchess of Kent, who has died at the age of 92, carried out her royal duties with the minimum of fuss.

She was best known to most of the public as the elegant woman who presented the trophies at Wimbledon each year, once famously having to comfort a distraught losing finalist.

She became the first member of the Royal Family to convert to Catholicism since the Act of Settlement in 1701 - but that was not, perhaps, her most surprising decision.

Recognising that her twin passions were music and children, she quietly withdrew from royal life and took a job as a music teacher at a primary school in Kingston upon Hull.

She even stopped using the title Her Royal Highness. In the staff room she was simply "Kath", and to the children "Mrs Kent".

Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley was born in Yorkshire in 1933. Home was Hovingham Hall, a grand manor house that had been in the family for centuries.

She was not royal, but the Worsleys were wealthy. Her grandfather, John Brunner, had founded the paint and chemical company that evolved into ICI.

A lonely childhood

With her brothers sent away to boarding school, Katharine's childhood was a lonely one. During World War Two, her mother and elderly governess were frequently her only companions.

She took refuge in the hills and moorlands of Yorkshire; the photographer Cecil Beaton, a regular visitor, described her as "the perfect outdoor girl".

At the age of 10, she was allowed to go to school - first St Margaret's in York and, later, Runcorn Hill in Norfolk.

Runcorn Hill was a bleak establishment, but Katharine was introduced to music, her lifelong passion. She learned to play the piano and violin, and - gifted with a beautiful voice - took singing lessons.

On leaving, she failed to gain a place at the Royal Academy of Music, and instead went to Miss Hubler's Finishing School in Oxford.

Debutante

Despite her lack of qualifications, her parents found her employment at an exclusive kindergarten - but their real focus remained finding her a husband.

As a beautiful, wealthy debutante, Katharine was introduced to many of the most eligible young men of the 1950s - and she met Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a grandson of George V.

At the time of his birth, Prince Edward had been sixth in line to the throne - close enough to make it legally necessary for the home secretary to attend the birth, to verify any future claim to the monarchy.

Prince Edward was fresh out of Sandhurst and serving as an army officer at Catterick, not far from her family home - but his mother, Princess Marina, was said to have disapproved of their relationship.

She may have been rich, but Katharine was still a commoner. The duke was sent to Germany to cool his ardour, but the imposed distance failed to quench the flame.

Katharine and a friend went on a greyhound bus trip to Mexico. The journey took several months, but - on reaching their final destination - she found a bunch of flowers waiting for her.

The card that came with it said "E". The couple announced their engagement in March 1961, and married a month later.

Fashion icon

To add insult to family injury, they decided not to use Westminster Abbey or St Paul's Cathedral for the ceremony. Instead, friends and family were invited to York Minster - a venue that had last hosted a royal marriage in 1328.

The newspapers couldn't get enough of the newest member of the Royal Family, and Katharine did not disappoint.

On the eve of the wedding, she was photographed wearing the most fashionable garment of the 1960s: the miniskirt.

And the wedding itself was a glittering affair, with Noel Coward and Douglas Fairbanks Jr adding Hollywood sparkle and Queen Elizabeth II leading a procession of the royal families of Europe.

At the reception, Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece found themselves seated next to each other. One slow foxtrot later, they were on course to become King and Queen of Spain.

Motherhood

A year later, Katharine's first child - George, Earl of St Andrews - was born. Almost immediately, the couple travelled to Uganda to represent the British Crown at the country's independence celebrations.

As an army wife, she was expected to follow her husband on assignment to Hong Kong and Germany.

Two more children swiftly followed: Lady Helen and Lord Nicholas Windsor - but, in 1975, Katharine caught German measles during her fourth pregnancy.

Doctors advised her to have an abortion because the disease can often damage the unborn child. After consulting religious authorities, Katharine terminated the pregnancy.

Two years later, a fifth pregnancy went to term, but baby Patrick was stillborn. "It had the most devastating effect on me," she later said.

"I suffered from acute depression for a while. I think it would be a fairly rare individual who didn't cave in under those circumstances."

Nervous exhaustion

In 1976, Prince Edward retired from the Army, took on more royal duties and became vice-chairman of the British Overseas Trade Board.

The couple's new role demanded plenty of travel, and the duchess began to feel the strain. The deaths of her parents made matters worse.

Two years later, she was admitted to hospital suffering from "nervous exhaustion" but gradually returned to public life - where she took a close interest in organisations that helped the young and the elderly.

Her most famous role was to present the trophies at Wimbledon, where - it was reported - she was instrumental in ending the tradition of players bowing and curtsying when passing the royal box.

In 1993, Katharine showed that royalty and compassion could happily co-exist when Jana Novotná lost to Steffi Graff in the women's final.

The 25-year-old Czech player had been four games to one ahead in the final set, and burst into tears. The duchess leaned forward and gave a her a royal shoulder to cry on.

"I just remember from the far side of the net, her face crumpled," the duchess later recalled. "It's the natural thing isn't it? That's what you do when people are crying."

Catholicism

For years, Katharine struggled with her mental and physical health.

It was reported that she suffered from a debilitating infection known as the Epstein Barr virus, and from the chronic fatigue syndrome, ME. It was also thought that she had coeliac disease, which made her feel exhausted.

She sought comfort in religion. In January 1994, Katharine was received into the Roman Catholic Church - the first royal to do so since 1685.

Her decision was supported by her husband's cousin, Queen Elizabeth - who decided that Prince Edward's position in the line of succession would remain unaltered.

Katharine continued to work with the UN children's charity Unicef, and to help victims of landmines in Cambodia - but she drifted further and further away from the Royal Family.

She even announced that she would no longer use the title Her Royal Highness, and she and her husband began to lead separate lives.

Call me 'Katharine Kent'

She took to introducing herself simply as Katharine Kent.

"I don't like being a public figure and I say that very humbly," she admitted. "It's my nature, the way I was born. I like to do things quietly behind the scenes. I'm a very shy person."

She became a music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull, which has a progressive programme for the inclusion of children with learning difficulties. Only the headteacher knew who she really was.

"Primary school children are like little sponges," Katharine said. "They are very eager to learn, so teaching them is very satisfying."

In 2004, Katharine founded the charity Future Talent to give children from deprived backgrounds the opportunity to take up music.

In partnership with primary schools, children are given instruments and encouraged to develop their musical ability.

And she didn't just teach them classical music.

A passion for rap

In an interview with the Guardian, the duchess revealed a passion for Eminem and Ice Cube - although admitted the same could not be said of Kanye West or Stormzy.

"If you see someone on the M40 looking particularly dotty," she told a surprised reporter, "it's me trying to rap in the car going home."

Katherine, Duchess of Kent, rarely emerged from her self-imposed exile, although she did attend Prince Harry's wedding in 2018.

She was, at Queen Elizabeth's invitation, one of the small group of mourners invited to the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh - but was too frail to attend the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.

She will be remembered for that hug with Novotná, her dignity and quiet compassion, and as a reluctant royal, who eventually decided that her true path lay in teaching children to love music.

Graham Linehan has told a court his life has been "made hell" by transgender activists, including one who he is accused of harassing.

Giving evidence on the second day of his trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, Mr Linehan said: "Trans activists have spent the last 10 years demonising anyone who stands up to them."

The prosecution alleges Mr Linehan "relentlessly" posted abusive comments about Sophia Brooks, 18, on social media last October, before throwing her phone in a road.

The Father Ted co-creator has pleaded not guilty to charges of harassment and criminal damage.

Mr Linehan told the court his "life was made hell by activists, by journalists" because of his views about gender identity, and the trial is "just the latest attempt to punish me by process".

He said: "Anyone can select themselves into that [transgender] group... predatory men are doing that, and police are doing their bidding... the police believe them at their every word."

The Irish comedy writer added: "I heard about how certain people who were being targeted by him [the complainant]. I'm in a group of eight people now who have suffered various forms of harassment."

He told the court: "I felt he was able to get away with a lot of his activities because he was almost like a Twitter avatar floating around with no real connection to the earth."

District Judge Briony Clarke said the prosecution addressed the complainant according to their "affirmed gender name", while the defendant's position was that the "complainant is male".

On Thursday, the trial heard that Mr Linehan posted messages on social media calling the complainant - whom he referred to as Tarquin - a "deeply disturbed sociopath" and a "domestic terrorist".

Asked on Friday why he used "sociopath", Mr Linehan replied: "Because the things he was involved in caused great misery to people."

Asked why he used other insults including "scumbag, grooming, homophobic, sadist", Mr Linehan replied: "I don't think there's anything lower than a man who bullies a woman.

Mr Linehan also said he had moved to Arizona, USA, from the UK six months ago after being "isolated" because of his views.

"And whilst I was isolated, the press... were able to beat me up in the dark. That's been happening for about the last eight years. And I chose to leave the UK."

Prosecutors have said Mr Linehan harassed Ms Brooks on social media, accusing her of a "homophobic attack" by being involved in the disruption of an LGB Alliance conference on 11 October 2024 when thousands of live crickets were released.

His messages were "not merely irritating or annoying, but rather oppressive and unacceptable, thereby crossing the threshold into harassment", Julia Faure Walker, for the prosecution, said on Thursday.

Mr Linehan is also accused of damaging Ms Brooks's phone when she tried to confront him outside the Battle of Ideas conference in London on 19 October last year.

The prosecution alleged that Mr Linehan "deliberately whacked" Ms Brooks's phone out of her hand after she challenged him while filming.

A video played to the court appeared to show Mr Linehan grabbing the complainant's phone.

In his evidence, Mr Linehan said the complainant's behaviour at the event was "incredibly annoying and persistent".

"My adrenaline was up... I felt angry," he said. "Then... I took his phone put it behind my back... I could see he was furious... then I threw the phone."

It was an "instinctive" action, he said. "As soon as I did it I thought... that was a mistake."

The trial continues.

This trial is not connected to the allegations that led to Mr Linehan's much-publicised arrest at Heathrow Airport on Monday.

He said he was met by five armed officers over messages he had previously posted about trans people on X, sparking a backlash from some public figures and politicians, and inflaming a fierce debate about policing and free speech.

In that case, he was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence, and has been bailed "pending further investigation".

Angela Rayner has resigned as housing secretary and deputy prime minister two days after admitting she underpaid the stamp duty due on her £800,000 flat in Hove.

She has also stepped down as deputy leader of the Labour Party, a position to which she was elected by party members.

Her departure comes ahead of the publication of a report from the prime minister's ethics adviser into Rayner's tax situation.

Rayner had been on the Labour frontbenches since 2015 and took on her government jobs in July 2024, when Labour won the general election.

Her resignation leaves a big hole at the top of government, both as deputy PM and in her role at the housing department where she was responsible for delivering one of Labour's key pledges – to build 1.5 million homes by the end of the Parliament.

On Wednesday, Rayner acknowledged that she had not paid enough tax when buying her East Sussex flat but said this was a "mistake" resulting from legal advice that had failed to "properly take account" of her circumstances.

She said she had contacted HMRC to work out the additional tax she needed to pay and referred herself for investigation by Sir Laure Magnus, the PM's standards adviser.

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Nigel Farage has told Reform UK members they must be ready for an early general election, following the resignation of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

The Reform leader took to the stage for his keynote conference speech three hours earlier than planned after Rayner announced her resignation.

"We're about to witness a big rift in the Labour Party," he told cheering supporters, "I think there's every chance now of a general election happening in 2027 and we must be ready for that moment."

He announced the setting up of a new department to prepare for government, with former Reform chairman Zia Yusuf as head of policy.

He said Reform would "set out some serious cuts to the welfare budget" shortly and that if elected his party would "stop the boats within two weeks", scrap "harmful, wasteful" net zero polices and make Britain safer with "zero tolerance policing".

He revealed he was planning to have lunch with the Albanian prime minister to discuss possible migrant returns agreements.

But the speech was more about firing up the Reform troops than setting out policies, as he sought to capitalise on the party's recent local election victories and consistent lead in the national opinion polls.

"We are seeing the rise of the turquoise tide," he told supporters, who had been summoned to the hall three hours earlier than expected over the Birmingham venue's public address system.

In another surprise move, he broke off from his speech to introduce Nadine Dorris, who defected to Reform on Thursday, to make a brief speech.

After a break, Farage returned to claim that Reform was the "last chance we have to get this country back on track".

"All I can do is to promise you that I will give this everything," he added, claiming "no one cares more about the state of this country than I do" and "I'm determined to do something about it."

Earlier in the speech he hit back at claims that Reform was a "one man band" but said it had to more to prepare for power.

"In order to get all these policies brought together under one roof - and it's a massive workload - I'm going to ask Zia Yusuf, from this day, to be our head of policy to bring all of this together.

"I will, in the next few weeks, open up a new department within the party, leaning on the experience that Nadine (Dorries) and others have - and others will come.

"Others with experience will come. Don't worry about that, and we will open a department for preparing for government so that when we win, we can hit the ground running."

Israeli strikes and demolitions have destroyed dozens of buildings in areas of Gaza City, satellite images show, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its offensive has established control over 40% of the city.

The new images reviewed by BBC Verify show that intensive bombardments and controlled explosions have levelled several neighbourhoods over the past four weeks.

Rows of tents - which have sprung up over the city to shelter Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military campaign - have also disappeared over the past month, the images show.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to seize all of the strip and launch an incursion into Gaza City after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.

UN humanitarian officials have warned that the impact of a full-blown offensive would be "beyond catastrophic". Strikes have intensified in areas of Gaza City in recent weeks and dozens of Palestinians have been killed in attacks this week alone according to the Hamas-run health ministry and civil defence agency.

Satellite images show that significant damage has already occurred in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun and Tuffah neighbourhoods in recent weeks. The photos show that dozens of buildings in the city were levelled between August and September.

In a statement to BBC Verify, the IDF said it was "locating and destroying terror infrastructures embedded, among other things, inside buildings".

In Sheikh Radwan - a neighbourhood located about three kilometres from Gaza City centre - a number of buildings have been wiped away. BBC Verify previously geolocated footage of strikes carried out by the IDF to the area on 29 August.

The images clearly show track marks left by Israeli armoured vehicles, many of which pass through sections of the neighbourhood where buildings and trees once stood.

BBC Verify also geolocated footage of an explosion which levelled dozens of high-rise buildings as part of a demolition in the adjacent Jabalia area.

The footage, which first appeared online on 31 August, mirrors similar demolitions carried out by Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Thousands of buildings in areas including Rafah and Khan Younis have been demolished by controlled explosions and demolition contractors in the area, a BBC Verify investigation revealed last month.

In Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood images show what appear to be four clusters of IDF armoured vehicles. In a 24-hour period between 1 and 2 September, dozens of buildings which had stood in an area between the vehicles have been demolished.

By 4 September the armoured vehicles had moved on, images reviewed by BBC Verify showed, with further damage inflicted on buildings in the area.

Elsewhere in Zeitoun, rows of tents set up by displaced Palestinians have disappeared in little over a month. According to the UN, more than 1.9 million Gazans - about 90% of the population - have been displaced by the Israeli military campaign.

According to the UN, hundreds of thousands of people displaced by fighting had returned to northern Gaza earlier this year after the Israeli military opened a corridor from the south of the strip during the short-lived ceasefire agreement.

High-rise buildings which had surrounded the tents have also been destroyed, while signs of activity on the streets have also disappeared. Fresh track marks left by IDF vehicles passing through areas where buildings once stood are also visible.

Similarly, in the Tuffah neighbourhood - where Israeli strikes killed at least eight people on Thursday, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency - more buildings have been levelled.

On 1 August IDF armoured vehicles were visible in the area. By 1 September buildings near where the vehicles were active had been destroyed, including a school.

The images also appear to show fresh tracks left by armoured vehicles crossing through a cemetery, where over 3,000 troops killed fighting for the British Empire in World War 1 are buried. The cemetery has already been heavily damaged by bombardments earlier in the conflict, with a crater left by a previous strike also visible.

An IDF spokesperson told BBC Verify, without providing evidence, that: "In certain cases, entire neighbourhoods in the Gaza Strip are converted into combat complexes which are utilized for ambushes, housing command and control centres and weapon warehouses, combat tunnels, observation posts, firing positions, booby-trapped houses, and for setting explosives in the streets."

Last month, Hamas said it had accepted a plan from regional mediators Qatar and Egypt that would see 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages released during a 60-day truce in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.

Israel has not responded to the plan but insists all the hostages must be released in one go.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led 7 October attack, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 more were taken hostage.

At least 64,231 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Additional reporting by Paul Brown and Merlyn Thomas.

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Struggling health and beauty chain Bodycare says it will immediately shut 32 of its stores across the UK and make 450 staff redundant, after going into administration.

Known for being a bargain stop for cosmetics and beauty products, including big tubs of popular moisturisers and conditioners displayed on floor-to-ceiling shelves, the firm has about 1,500 employees.

It has 147 bricks-and-mortar shops which have become too expensive to maintain amidst rising rents, the firm said.

The retail chain is the latest casualty as stores grapple with higher staffing costs and fewer sales.

The firm said the majority of its stores will continue to trade as normal while it explores "options" including looking for a buyer.

It will shut stores in places including Croydon, Edinburgh, Hemel Hempstead, Scunthorpe and Wrexham.

The news comes after the US owner of accessories and jewellery store Claire's, which also has a prominent High Street presence, said it secured a buyer after filing for bankruptcy, suffering from higher costs in its supply chain.

Poundland recently avoided collapsing into administration after its turnaround plan was approved days before the chain was due to run out of money.

Nick Holloway, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator, said: "These remain challenging times for high street retailers as rising costs and reduced consumer spending continue to weigh heavily on trading.

"Unfortunately for Bodycare, which was also contending with a significant funding gap and increasing creditor pressure, these challenges proved too difficult to overcome."

The stores which are to close with immediate effect are:

• Beverley
• Cameron Toll
• Cannock
• Clydebank
• Cramlington
• Croydon
• Darwen
• Dumfries
• Edinburgh
• Erdington
• Falkirk
• Hemel Hempstead
• Kirkcaldy
• Loughborough
• Lytham St Annes
• Macclesfield
• Maidstone
• Morecambe
• Newport
• Northfield
• Paisley
• Parkhead
• Perth
• Port Talbot
• Rhyl
• Royton
• Scunthorpe
• Stourbridge,
• Tamworth
• West Bromwich
• Wood Green
• Wrexham

Actor John Alford has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two teenage girls.

The London's Burning star had denied sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl at a friend's house in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, in April 2022.

The 53-year-old, of Holloway, north London, had been standing trial under his real name of John Shannon.

Appearing at St Albans Crown Court, Alford put his head in hands and shouted "wrong, I didn't do this" from the dock as the verdict was read out.

Alford played Billy Ray in the ITV fire brigade drama and Robbie Wright in the BBC's children's series Grange Hill.

Prosecuting barrister Julie Whitby said both girls were drunk when the incidents happened.

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US rapper and singer Post Malone has been forced to reschedule his two stadium shows in London because of planned Tube strikes.

The 30-year-old star was due to perform on Sunday 7 September and Monday 8 September at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but promoters Live Nation said no event licence could be provided without adequate public transport.

Instead, shows will take place on the 20 and 21 September, with refunds available for those who cannot attend the rescheduled dates.

Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) working on the London Underground are walking out on Sunday evening until Friday morning over pay and working conditions.

News of Post Malone's rescheduled shows comes after Coldplay also moved the final two dates of their record-breaking 10-show run at Wembley Stadium.

The band said: "We're very sorry for the inevitable disappointment, frustration and inconvenience that this situation causes."

Post Malone is yet to make a statement on the rearranged dates, but his promoters said it would be "impossible to get people to the concert and home again safely" without London Underground services.

Some fans have complained about the timing of the postponement announcements for both Coldplay and Post Malone's shows, considering the strikes were announced more than two weeks ago.

Coldplay rearranged their shows on 30 August.

On 26 August, Post Malone was announced as a performer at the 2025 MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards), which will take place in New York on Sunday 7 September.

This would have clashed with his Tottenham shows, which were postponed on Friday morning.

The BBC has contacted representatives for Post Malone for comment.

This is devastating for Angela Rayner.

Having overcome a difficult upbringing and personal adversity to climb the heights of the Labour Party and become only its second ever deputy prime minister, it has all come to a premature end within just 14 months of government.

It has pretty devastating implications for Sir Keir Starmer too. Right now there is a long list of unanswered questions.

When will a deputy leadership election take place? Who will stand? Will a candidate who wants to force the government into a more left-wing position make it onto the ballot paper?

Or, as some believe the Labour rulebook permits, could the cabinet designate an interim deputy leader from among their number who would, in time, be anointed permanently?

• Reaction and analysis after Rayner quits - follow live

Would Sir Keir commit to appointing a new deputy leader to the position of deputy prime minister as well? Would any new deputy leader want that, or would they rather establish a new powerbase on the backbenches?

Could Sir Keir even revisit Jeremy Corbyn's attempt to abolish the deputy leadership? That was mooted to me by one insider this morning, acknowledging that it would be a terrible look but musing on whether it might be a less terrible option than the others.

Who will be the new housing secretary, responsible for delivering one of the government's most ambitious and important policy commitments, on housebuilding?

Will the prime minister use this as an opportunity to carry out a much wider shakeup of his cabinet and ministerial team, or will he want to minimise the political drama?

We'll begin to find out the answers to some of these questions over the coming hours and days.

Other questions - such as the impact on the government's popularity of its housing secretary being forced to resign for having underpaid tax on a home - will take longer to answer.

Safe to say this isn't how "phase two" of Starmer's government was meant to begin.

Until this week, Angela Rayner was considered to be one of the most powerful women in Britain, a deputy prime minister who was widely tipped to be a future candidate for the top job in politics.

A self-described "proper working-class" woman, Rayner grew up in poverty and left school without any qualifications at 16. She entered high office in the wake of a landslide election victory.

It was a remarkable journey.

But Rayner's extraordinary rise to the apex of British politics with the Labour Party has culminated in an equally spectacular fall.

She resigned as deputy prime minister and housing secretary after admitting she did not pay enough tax on the purchase of a new home.

She has also resigned as deputy leader of the Labour party.

It means a return to the backbenches for a high-profile MP who was considered to be a big political asset to her party and who remains a popular figure within many Labour circles and beyond.

Her against-the-odds story, personality, and ability to connect with parts of the electorate that might be less accessible to others, gave her a special status in Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's cabinet and underscores why she will be so hard to replace.

Tough upbringing

Born Angela Bowen in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in 1980, Rayner grew up on one of the area's poorest council estates and from an early age, was caring for her mother, who was bipolar and suffered from depression.

Both Rayner's parents were unemployed and speaking in 2017, she remembered having to grow up very quickly.

"My mum was a really vulnerable person. I remember, at 10, my mum being suicidal and me sleeping like a dog on the end of her bed, just to try and stay next to her so she didn't do any harm to herself," Rayner said.

She has also recalled going to her grandmother's flat on Sundays, so the family could take it in turns to have a bath there. Hot water was too expensive for them to use at home.

Rayner has often spoken about being told she would "never amount to anything", after she left school without any qualifications.

But after having her first child at 16, Rayner studied part-time at college, learning British sign language and gaining a vocational qualification in social care.

She spent a number of years as a care worker in Stockport, mainly looking after elderly people in their own homes, while also rising quickly through the ranks of the union, Unison.

She has described herself as "mouthy", someone who would "take no messing from management".

In her 20s, she became a full-time union official and eventually, after battles over working conditions and zero-hour contracts, rose to the most senior elected role in Unison in north-west England.

It was at Unison she met Mark Rayner, a fellow union official whom she married in 2010 and divorced in 2023. The couple went on to have two sons, one of whom was born so prematurely he is registered blind and has special educational needs.

She credits the trade union movement with encouraging her to enter politics and taking her from - in her own words - "the girl on a council estate" to "a woman who feels like she can conquer the world".

Those ambitions started to be realised in 2015, when she was elected as the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester. She later said she had only stood to make the point that "people like me can't get elected" and had "accidentally" won the seat.

The Prescott role

Rayner rose quickly in Westminster, taking up the women and equalities, and education briefs in the shadow cabinet of former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

When Corbyn stood down in 2020, following Labour's worst general election result since 1935, Rayner did not run for the leadership, and backed her ally Rebecca Long-Bailey, who came second to Sir Keir.

Instead, Rayner stood for the deputy leadership and won election to that post comfortably.

But relations between Sir Keir and Rayner have sometimes been tense. After Labour lost control of eight English councils and lost the seat of Hartlepool in a parliamentary by-election in May 2021, the deputy leader was removed from her post as party chairwoman.

She pushed back and was appointed shadow first secretary of state among other titles.

By that point, Rayner had a strong support base and a powerful role likened to that of John Prescott, who was seen as a political bridge between the working class and the New Labour project during Tony Blair's premiership.

Rayner heavily leaned into that role and tried to use it to her party's advantage in the years before Labour's general election win in 2024.

Outspoken and combative at times, Rayner repeatedly accused the Conservatives of being "out of touch", and hammered the party with lines such as "one rule for them and another rule for us" during the scandal over pandemic parties in Downing Street.

Sometimes Rayner admitted she had gone too far, once apologising for describing senior Conservatives as "a bunch of scum".

Her prominence and the venom of her political attacks had put a target on her back and attracted unwanted headlines.

In 2021, Rayner lashed out at "sexism and misogyny" in politics, after a newspaper reported that she crossed and uncrossed her legs during prime minister's questions to distract Boris Johnson.

And in 2024, she was investigated by the police over the tax paid on the sale of her council house, again following a slew of reports by unfriendly newspapers, cheered on by the Conservatives. She was not found to have committed a criminal offence.

Her tendency to brush through political controversies gave her an air of untouchability, with some dubbing her "Teflon Ang".

Her stock had risen further still as deputy prime minister, leading on one of Labour's key pledges to build 1.5 million homes by 2030, and helping Sir Keir quell a rebellion by Labour MPs over welfare cuts.

Days before her resignation, the prime minister mounted a full-throated defence of Rayner, hailing her a "great story of British success" who gave working-class children "a real sense of aspiration".

And yet the political optics of a housing secretary admitting she had not paid enough tax on her home were not easy on the eye.

Rayner faced charges of hypocrisy and calls for her to stand down.

She resigned from government after the prime minister's ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus declared that she had breached the ministerial code.

While he said that she had "acted with integrity", he told the prime minister that "she cannot be considered to have met the 'highest possible standards of proper conduct' as envisaged by the [ministerial] code."

Having overcome a difficult upbringing and personal adversity to climb the heights of the Labour Party and become only its second ever deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner's political career has come to a premature end within just 14 months of a Labour government.

Angela Rayner has resigned as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and the deputy leader of the Labour Party, after admitting she underpaid tax after buying a flat in Hove.

Below is her resignation letter in full, along with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's response and a letter from Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministerial ethics, in which he sets out that Rayner breached the ministerial code.

Rayner's resignation letter

Dear Keir,

Thank you for the personal and public support you have shown me in recent days. As you know, on Wednesday I referred myself to your Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, to conduct a thorough investigation into my personal financial circumstances after I became aware that it is likely I inadvertently paid the incorrect rate for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT).

I have always taken my responsibilities as Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as a Member of Parliament with the utmost seriousness. I have long believed that people who serve the British public in government must always observe the highest standards, and while the Independent Adviser has concluded that I acted in good faith and with honesty and integrity throughout, I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.

I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice given both my position as Housing Secretary and my complex family arrangements. I take full responsibility for this error. I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount.

I must also consider the significant toll that the ongoing pressure of the media is taking on my family. While I rightly expect proper scrutiny on me and my life, my family did not choose to have their private lives interrogated and exposed so publicly. I have been clear throughout this process that my priority has, and always will be, protecting my children and the strain I am putting them under through staying in post has become unbearable.

Given the findings, and the impact on my family, I have therefore decided to resign as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

For a teenage mum from a council estate in Stockport to serve as the highest level of government has been the honour of my life. The challenges of government are nothing compared to the challenge of putting food on the table and getting a roof over our head when I brought up kids working as a home help. Too many people face the same across our country.

I've always known that politics changes lives because it changed mine. The last Labour government gave me the tools I needed to build a better life for me and my young son, and that's why I've been working relentlessly from day one in government to do the same for the next generation. Every day I had in office, I worked to serve working class communities like the one that I grew up in, which are too often overlooked by those in power. I am proud that in every decision I made, I did it for them. I would never have become Deputy Prime Minister if not for the decisions taken by the last Labour Government, giving me a council house to support me, Sure Start to help raise my kids, and the security of a minimum wage - and I can only hope that the changes I made in government will have the same impact for young girls growing up on council estates like I did.

Through my Employment Rights Bill people across the country will receive the biggest uplift in workers' rights in a generation. This landmark legislation will be game changing for millions of people stuck in insecure and low-paid work, giving them the dignity and security they don't just need but also deserve. I am and will remain deeply proud of that legacy. I am so proud to have worked alongside the trade union movement, who have given me everything, to deliver that.

Our Renters' Rights Bill will finally ban the oppressive rule of no-fault evictions and will reset the balance between renters and landlords through ground breaking protection for renters. Everyone deserves to live in a safe and decent home, and I know this legislation will deliver that for millions of people across the country.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will also be instrumental in getting the homes so many people across this country need built, and I am so proud that at the Spending Review we announced the biggest investment in social and affordable housing in a generation with the overwhelming amount of this going to genuinely social rent homes.

And last week, I introduced the English Devolution Bill to Parliament. The largest single package of devolution from any Westminster government to local people across England. This landmark legislation will permanently change the balance of power, giving true control to those with skin in game. We delivered an Elections Strategy which will mean 16 and 17 year olds getting the vote for the first time, as well as ambitious plans to ensure the most marginalised communities are registered to vote. We took steps to stabilise the broken foundations of local government and deliver the first genuinely fair funding review and the first multi-year settlement for a decade.

My department, through my excellent team of Ministers, has also provided the largest ever investment in homelessness prevention services to local authorities, to get Britain back on track to ending homelessness for good. We've worked relentlessly to bring an end to the building safety crisis and developed new measures to get peoples' homes fixed quicker and hold rogue freeholders to account. We've also worked to boost community cohesion, tackle hate crime and reset the relationship with faith communities.

I have been lucky to work alongside the most talented group of Ministers who worked with dedication to deliver for working people. I thank Matthew Pennycook, Jim McMahon, Alex Norris, Wajid Khan and Sharon Taylor. I too am grateful to my brilliant parliamentary team, Harpreet Uppal, Mark Ferguson, and Gen Kitchen.

For me, being in office is the chance to change the lives of the people I grew up alongside. I will do whatever I can to continue doing so.

Thank you for your leadership and for your friendship. I will continue to serve you, our country and the party and movement I love in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Yours sincerely,

The Rt. Hon. Angela Rayner MP Representing Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Droylsden and Dukinfield Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

Sir Keir's reply to Rayner

Dear Angela

Thank you for informing me of your decision to resign from the Government. I am very sad that your time as Deputy prime Minister, Secretary of State and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party has ended in this way.

As you know we acted in accordance with the strengthened system relating to ministerial conduct that we put in place on coming into Government. You were right to refer yourself to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and right to act on his conclusions.

Although I believe you have reached the right decision, it is a decision which I know is very painful for you. You have given your all to making the Labour Government a success and you have been a central art of our plan to make Britain fairer for working families. Your work at MHCLG to help build the homes that Britain needs has been hugely important and your work to create more fairness in the workplace through the Employment Rights Bill represents a very significant achievement that will change the lives of millions of people.

On a personal note, I am very sad to be losing you from the Government. You have been a trusted colleague and a true friend for many years. I have nothing but admiration for you and huge respect for your achievement in politics. I know that many people of all political persuasions admire that someone as talented as you is the living embodiment of social mobility.

Given though you won't be part of the Government, you will remain a major figure in our party. I know that you will continue to fight for the causes you care so passionately about.

My very best wishes, and with real sadness,

Keir

Ethics adviser's letter to PM on Rayner's conduct

Dear Prime Minister,

Following a self-referral by The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 3 September 2025, I have undertaken an examination of the circumstances and facts connected to recent allegations about Ms Rayner's property ownership and tax affairs.

I should acknowledge that Ms Rayner has provided her full and open cooperation in assisting me with my inquiries. Her decision to provide greater public transparency by applying to remove the confidentiality undertaking in a court order protecting her family's domestic financial circumstances was, in particular, clearly very difficult to reconcile with her understandable wish to shield members of her family from the glare of media attention.

It is a sad reflection of the almost intolerable pressures that can face prominent politicians in protecting the privacy of their families, not least, as Ms Rayner highlighted in her statement on 3 September, "the reality that family life is rarely straightforward, particularly when dealing with disability, divorce and the complexities of ensuring your children's long term security".

Ms Rayner has explained publicly that, following recent allegations and speculation, and in order to assure herself of compliance with her obligations, she sought legal advice from leading tax Counsel. This covered her personal position in relation to council tax, stamp duty land tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax. I have had access to this written opinion and, as a result of its conclusions, have focused my inquiries - and this advice - on the issues relating to Ms Rayner's acknowledged failure to pay the correct amount of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) on the purchase of a property in Hove, Sussex, in May 2025.

It is the realisation of this error that prompted Ms Rayner, shortly after having received the final tax law advice, to refer the matter to me on Wednesday 3 September. Ms Rayner has set out in detail, publicly, the details of her family's domestic arrangements and her decision to sell her 25% interest in the freehold of the family home in Ashton-under-Lyne and to purchase a property in Hove. I do not need to repeat these details here, other than to note that they inevitably entailed a considerable degree of complexity.

Having sold her 25% share in the family home in Ashton-under-Lyne, Ms Rayner ceased to own any part of that property. However, under the relevant legislation, a person who does not own a property can nonetheless be deemed to hold an interest in it if certain circumstances apply; these include where that property is held by a trust, and the beneficiary of the trust is a child of that person under the age of 18. I understand there are additional complexities, for example concerning the particular type of trust in question and the reason for which the trust was established.

Taken together, it appears that - particularly in the context of the specialist type of trust in question - the interpretation of these rules is complex. With Ms Rayner's full cooperation and assistance, I have reviewed relevant documentation from the property transaction. This has included the advice she received at the time from the legal firms involved and the associated documentation that was prepared for her to effect the purchase. This advice gave rise to Ms Rayner's understanding - which I consider to have been held in good faith - that the lower rate of SDLT was applicable when purchasing the property in Hove.

It is not necessary for me to detail the specific contents of this advice or the associated documentation but, having reviewed it, I would draw four conclusions:

a) Ms Rayner was open about the existence of the Trust and considered that, between them, the firms advising her had appropriate knowledge and awareness of the details and circumstances of the Trust;

b) on the basis of the advice she received, Ms Rayner believed that the lower rate of SDLT would be applicable; indeed she was twice informed in writing that this was the case; but

c) in those two instances, that advice was qualified by the acknowledgement that it did not constitute expert tax advice and was accompanied by a suggestion, or in one case a recommendation, that specific tax advice be obtained; and

d) if such expert tax advice had been received, as it later was, it would likely have advised her that a higher rate of SDLT was payable.

The Ministerial Code sets out the high standards that, as Prime Minister, you expect all ministers to follow. It enshrines the commitment to uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life, and details "the overarching duty on Ministers to comply with the law and to protect the integrity of public life". The Code begins at 1.2 by stating that "Ministers are expected to embody the principles of public service and to set a positive example as they govern in the national interest. Ministers should recognise that, as office-holders, they are held to the highest possible standards of proper conduct, and ensure that they are living up to those standards in their words and actions".

Ms Rayner deeply regrets the mistake she has made in relation to the underpayment of SDLT for the purchase of her property in Hove. On realisation of this error, she has sought quickly to correct the mistake and to refer herself to HMRC in order to ensure that she pays the correct amount. I have no doubt that she has been motivated in the management of her property and financial arrangements by a desire to act in the best interests of her children, and with the intention to pay all appropriate taxes and fulfil all her legal obligations.

It is highly unfortunate, however, that Ms Rayner failed to pay the correct rate of SDLT on this purchase, particularly given her status and responsibilities as the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and as Deputy Prime Minister. She believed that she relied on the legal advice she had received, but unfortunately did not heed the caution contained within it, which acknowledged that it did not constitute expert tax advice and which suggested that expert advice be sought. I am conscious of the acute challenges Ministers face - perhaps uniquely - in managing the demands of their personal lives and their public responsibilities.

However, the responsibility of any taxpayer for reporting their tax returns and settling their liabilities rests ultimately on themselves alone. Given the conjunction of the acknowledged complexity of her family circumstances, her position in Government (most importantly as Deputy Prime Minister) and the consequences of getting such a calculation wrong, it is deeply regrettable that the specific tax advice was not sought.

I believe Ms Rayner has acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service. I consider, however, that her unfortunate failure to settle her SDLT liability at the correct level, coupled with the fact that this was established only following intensive public scrutiny, leads me to advise you that, in relation to this matter, she cannot be considered to have met the "highest possible standards of proper conduct" as envisaged by the Code. Accordingly, it is with deep regret that I must advise you that in these circumstances, I consider the Code to have been breached.

Yours sincerely,

Sir Laurie Magnus CBE. Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards

Angela Rayner is fighting for her political future after admitting she should have paid more stamp duty when she bought a flat in Hove earlier this year.

The deputy prime minister has denied trying to dodge the extra tax, but faces a probe into whether she broke ministerial rules.

Here is a breakdown of how the story unfolded.

Rayner buys a house in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, with her then-husband Mark, which becomes their family home.

A court orders that a trust be set up to manage a financial award made to her severely disabled son, reportedly from the NHS, linked to his premature birth.

During their divorce, the couple each decide to transfer some of their share in the family home to the trust set up for their son.

Rayner sells her remaining stake in the house to the trust, receiving a lump sum thought to be £162,500.

The deputy prime minister uses the sum, along with a mortgage, to buy a three-bedroom flat in Hove, East Sussex, for £800,000.

According to Rayner, she was advised she would only need to pay the standard rate of stamp duty on the purchase.

The Mail on Sunday and Sun on Sunday report her purchase of the Hove flat, with the Tories calling on her to clarify where she pays council tax.

The Daily Telegraph reports Rayner saved £40,000 in stamp duty by not paying the higher rate reserved for additional home purchases.

In the story, published on its website late in the evening, the newspaper quotes a spokesperson for Rayner saying she paid the "correct duty" on the purchase.

The Tories announce they have written to Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister's ethics adviser, asking him to investigate Rayner's tax affairs.

Rayner instructs a senior lawyer to review her tax position that evening.

Downing Street tells reporters Rayner cannot give further details of her situation due to a court order, which she is "urgently" trying to lift.

Shortly afterwards, Sir Keir Starmer rallies round Rayner during a BBC interview, saying he is "proud" of his deputy.

The senior lawyer commissioned by Rayner gives a draft opinion on her situation in the evening, whilst seeking further information.

The court order is lifted late in the evening.

The senior lawyer's final legal opinion is received in the morning, with Rayner contacting HMRC and referring herself for investigation by Sir Laurie.

Shortly before Sir Keir is due to appear at Prime Minister's Questions, Rayner releases a statement admitting she should have paid the higher rate of stamp duty when purchasing the Hove flat.

She denies she tried to dodge the extra tax, saying the initial legal advice she received failed to "properly take account" of her tax liability resulting from the nature of her son's trust.

Sir Keir again backs his deputy, but the Conservatives and Reform UK call for her to resign.

Sir Keir repeatedly refuses to say if he will sack Rayner if the standards adviser concludes she broke the ministerial code.

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Three British nationals were killed in the Lisbon funicular crash, Portuguese police have said.

The Glória funicular, a popular tourist attraction, derailed and crashed into a building on Wednesday, killing 16.

More than 20 people were also injured, with five in a critical condition.

Nationals of Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, Ukraine, France, and the US are also among the dead, police said.

It is not known what caused the crash. The capital's public transport operator, Carris, said all funiculars would be inspected and that it had launched an independent investigation.

The 140-year-old carriage derailed at around 18:15 local time (17:15 GMT) near the city's Avenida da Liberdade boulevard.

More than 60 rescue personnel raced to the scene to pull people from the wreckage.

Videos and images of the site showed an overturned, crumpled yellow carriage lying on the cobblestone street.

Portugal's Prime Minister Luís Montenegro called the crash "one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history" and a national day of mourning was declared.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

The Duchess of Kent has died at the age of 92, Buckingham Palace has announced.

She "passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family", a statement said on Friday, with the flag on Buckingham Palace now lowered to half mast.

The duchess, Katharine, was the oldest member of the Royal Family, married to Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

She will be remembered as a familiar figure at the Wimbledon tennis championships, where she handed over trophies - and consoled those who had lost, famously including a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993.

The duchess was also a great music lover - supporting music charities and teaching music in a Hull primary school, where pupils knew nothing of her royal identity, and where she was known as "Mrs Kent".

Perhaps the most familiar images of the duchess are from her appearances at Wimbledon, where she was regularly seen watching the tennis and stepping on to the court to give out prizes.

She gave a shoulder to cry on to the defeated Novotna - but five years later was there to hand over the trophy to the Czech tennis star.

The duchess also spoke of her deep sadness at the 49-year-old Novotna's death from cancer in 2017.

It was claimed that the duchess later fell out with Wimbledon authorities over her attempt to bring the 12-year-old son of a bereaved friend into the Royal Box.

Born as Katharine Worsley, from an aristocratic land-owning family in Yorkshire, the duchess became part of the Royal Family in 1961 when she married the Duke of Kent, a grandson of King George V.

Princess Anne was among the bridesmaids at their wedding in York Minster, with the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in the congregation.

The duchess took on a regular round of royal duties, but throughout her life she also carved out an individual path.

She became a Catholic in 1994, the first royal to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years, describing it as "a long-pondered personal decision".

The duchess was received into the Catholic church by the then Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Basil Hume.

She became a volunteer in the Passage homelessness charity, which Cardinal Hume had helped to set up - and which is now given high-profile support by the Prince of Wales.

The Duchess and Duke of Kent had three children, but another son was stillborn.

That loss in 1977 saw a period of intense emotional turmoil. The duchess emerged after a seven-week stay in hospital for what palace officials described at the time as "nervous exhaustion".

It was an era with much less openness about mental health and wellbeing - but she later revealed how much she had suffered from "acute depression".

Music was a big part of the life of the duchess, having spoken of how emotional it made her feel, as a listener and as a musician, including singing in the Bach Choir.

Her tastes were eclectic - picking Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus as her favourite piece on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs - but also later speaking of her liking for gangsta rap.

In later years, she stepped back from using her royal HRH title and spent more time working to improve music education for young people.

As Katharine Kent, or Mrs Kent, she lived something of a double life, working from the mid-1990s as a part-time music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull, without parents or pupils knowing about her royal background.

She spoke of talented children trapped by deprivation - describing "estates with Berlin Walls around them" - and subsequently set up a charity to help young people get access to learning instruments.

The duchess espoused the "power of music to give confidence and self-belief" and said of her time as a teacher: "My connection will always be there. I love those children, I love East Hull, I wouldn't have stayed there for 13 years if I hadn't."

She is survived by her husband, the Duke of Kent, aged 89, and their two sons and a daughter.

Sunny weather and the women's Euro football tournament helped to lift retail sales in July, according to the latest official figures.

Retail sales volumes rose by 0.6% in July, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which was higher than analysts' forecasts.

The release of the figures had been delayed by two weeks over concerns about the quality of the data.

The ONS has come under fire recently over the reliability of some of its statistics.

While sales volumes in July rose, sales in the three months to July were down 0.6% when compared with the previous three months.

"Supermarkets, sports shops and household goods stores had a strong start to the year, but spending there has fallen since March," said the ONS's director general of economic statistics, James Benford.

However, he added this was partially offset by strong sales online and at clothing and footwear stores.

Mr Benford apologised for errors in past data, and said the ONS had "improvement plans" in place.

US immigration authorities have raided a massive Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia, leading to the arrest of over 450 people allegedly in the country illegally.

The 3,000-acre site, which was built by the Korean automobile manufacturer to make electric vehicles, had been operational for a year.

The Department of Homeland Security told the BBC's US partner CBS News that agents executed a search warrant due to allegations of "unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes".

Korean nationals were among those detained, the South Korean foreign ministry said, calling it an "unjust infringement" of their rights.

"The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during US law enforcement operations," the statement said.

The ministry added that it was dispatching diplomats to the site.

"In Seoul, we also conveyed our concerns and regrets today through the US Embassy in Korea and urged them to exercise extreme caution to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of Korean citizens are not infringed upon."

The state's governor, Republican Brian Kemp, had touted Hyundai's new electric vehicle operation as the biggest economic development project in the state's history, employing 1,200 people.

The search by federal agencies had also shut down construction on an adjacent battery plant, CBS News reports.

President Trump campaigned for his second term in office on the back of a pledge to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants although he said the priority would be those who committed crimes.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has instructed factory staff to stay at home until at least Tuesday as the company continues to grapple with the fallout from a cyber attack.

The attack on the weekend forced the company to take vital IT systems offline, which has affected car sales and production.

Production remains halted at car factories in Halewood on Merseyside and Solihull in the West Midlands, as well as at its engine manufacturing centre in Wolverhampton.

The situation remains under review and output could remain suspended for longer.

Car sales have also been heavily disrupted, although the BBC understands some transactions have been able to take place.

The company, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, shut down its systems on Sunday in order to limit potential damage from the cyber attack.

It is now working to restore them in a controlled manner, but this is understood to be a highly complex process. It is also introducing work-arounds for systems that remain offline.

The disruption extends well beyond JLR's own production lines, with its network of parts suppliers also forced to restrict their operations. Some have complained of a lack of transparency from the company.

On Wednesday a hacker group which was also responsible for a highly damaging attack on Marks and Spencer earlier in the year said it had infiltrated JLR's systems.

It is understood they are now trying to extort money from the company.

JLR says it is investigating the hack, but there is no evidence at this stage any customer data has been stolen.

It feels like crunch time for Angela Rayner.

Plenty of folk at Westminster reckon today is the day her fate will be determined.

The prime minister told me yesterday he expected the investigation by the independent adviser on ministerial standards to be quick and he thought that was a good thing.

That suggests Sir Keir won't prevaricate in offering his own judgement about Sir Laurie Magnus's findings once he himself has them.

• Follow live: Rayner's political future hangs in the balance as ethics report expected as early as today

As ever, there is always scope for unforeseen wrinkles or unrelated stuff that pushes things back a bit.

Does the prime minister want to do a wider reshuffle at the same time?

Aside from the timing, this is a 'heads it's awkward, tails it's awkward' situation for the prime minister.

If Sir Laurie's report left scope for the deputy prime minister to stay on, it's not an easy argument to make after all the revelations of recent days.

But if she goes, as most I talk to now think is more likely, there are then two big questions: who replaces her and what does she do next?

Does Rayner remain deputy leader of the Labour Party, a position she was elected to by party members, even if she is no longer deputy prime minister and housing secretary?

If she resigns as the party's deputy leader, a contest to replace her would begin.

When I spoke to Sir Keir in Glasgow on Thursday, he was talking up a £10bn deal to sell warships to Norway.

He talked with an enthusiasm about digital ID cards I had never heard before as a potential tool for tackling illegal immigration.

He also talked about tweaks to the implications of the European Convention on Human Rights he's determined to push through.

But all of this, inevitably, generates fewer headlines than the conduct of his deputy.

All told, this is not exactly the start he wanted to what the prime minister described as the beginning of "phase two" of his government at the beginning of the week.

The leaders of about 30 Western countries are taking part in a summit in Paris with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, with the aim of giving Kyiv security assurances if a ceasefire is agreed, and persuading the US to provide support.

Hopes of a deal to end the fighting have receded since Russia's Vladimir Putin met Donald Trump in Alaska, although the US president said on the eve of Thursday's talks that "we're going to get it done".

Trump was due to talk to leaders of the "Coalition of the Willing" by phone after the Paris summit, and French officials said it was important for many European partners that any military guarantees for Kyiv involved an "American safety net".

Last month he said the US was willing to help "probably" with air support, and Western allies are keen for Trump to confirm that.

The summit opened on Thursday, chaired by France's Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and many of the leaders took part remotely.

Nato chief Mark Rutte said the aim was to have "clarity" on what the coalition could deliver so they could discuss what the Americans could provide.

Air support could include help with air defence or intelligence, but details so far are vague.

A source at the Élysée Palace said there were three aims behind the security guarantees: to strengthen Ukraine's armed forces; to support them by deploying a separate force to make it clear to Russia that Ukraine has Western backing; and to have a US safety net, which the Americans would obviously have to maintain.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of the talks that Kyiv had received "signals" from the Americans that they would provide a backstop.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Paris ahead of the summit and reports said he was due to meet Zelensky.

• 4,000 miles from Ukraine this Asian city is part of Russia's war

• Putin: Russia will achieve aims military with no deal

More than 40 months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin has said this week that there is "a certain light at the end of the tunnel" and that "there are options for ensuring Ukraine's security in the event the conflict ends".

However, Russia has made clear that no Western forces should be deployed to Ukraine and it has insisted that it should be one of the countries acting as "guarantors" - an idea rejected by Kyiv and its allies.

Putin has also raised the unrealistic prospect of Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky coming to Moscow for talks.

Mark Rutte said on Thursday that Russia had no veto on Western troops being deployed to Ukraine: "Why are we interested in what Russia thinks about troops in Ukraine? It's a sovereign country. It's not for them to decide."

President Trump told CBS News on Wednesday that he remained committed to reaching a deal to end the war and said he continued to have a good relationship with both Putin and Zelensky.

"I think we're going to get it all straightened out," he said.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey has praised Trump, who he says "brought Putin into talks" and "not closed off any options".

Ukraine is looking to the Coalition of the Willing to come up with a reassurance force involving British, French and other European troops. Germany has said it is too soon to make that kind of commitment.

The Russian leader, who spent Wednesday with China's Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, claims that his country's military is pushing forward on all fronts in Ukraine.

He warned that without a deal Moscow was prepared to "resolve all our tasks militarily".

While Ukraine and its allies say a ceasefire should be agreed initially, Russia has insisted its campaign will not end before a full peace deal.

The source at the Élysée Palace said it had already become clear that Russia had no intention of having a ceasefire as part of a peace deal.

The source pointed to the demarcation line between North and South Korea, where a ceasefire had lasted for years with a powerfully armed, allied American deployment serving as a signal to North Korea. That concept was extremely important for the Ukrainians, the source added.

US President Donald Trump is directing that the Pentagon be known as the Department of War.

He will sign an executive order on Friday for the Department of Defense to use the new name as a secondary title and for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to be known as Secretary of War.

The Pentagon - which oversees the US armed services - is the successor to the War Department, which was first established as a cabinet-level agency in 1789 and existed until 1947.

The responsibility of creating executive departments rests with the US Congress, meaning that an amendment would be required to legally change the department's name.

The BBC has seen the text of the executive order, which says: "The name 'Department of War' conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to 'Department of Defense,' which emphasizes only defensive capabilities."

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of the name change, arguing that the US had "an unbelievable history of victory" in both world wars under the previous name.

He has also expressed optimism that lawmakers would support such a change.

"I'm sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don't even think we need that," the president said last week. "But, if we need that, I'm sure Congress will go along."

Trump and Hegseth have sought to refocus the department on "warfighting" and a "warrior ethos".

They have argued that the department has become too focused on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes and "woke ideology".

It feels like crunch time for Angela Rayner.

Plenty of folk at Westminster reckon today is the day her fate will be determined.

The prime minister told me yesterday he expected the investigation by the independent adviser on ministerial standards to be quick and he thought that was a good thing.

That suggests Sir Keir won't prevaricate in offering his own judgement about Sir Laurie Magnus's findings once he himself has them.

• Follow live: Rayner's political future hangs in the balance as ethics report expected as early as today

As ever, there is always scope for unforeseen wrinkles or unrelated stuff that pushes things back a bit.

Does the prime minister want to do a wider reshuffle at the same time?

Aside from the timing, this is a 'heads it's awkward, tails it's awkward' situation for the prime minister.

If Sir Laurie's report left scope for the deputy prime minister to stay on, it's not an easy argument to make after all the revelations of recent days.

But if she goes, as most I talk to now think is more likely, there are then two big questions: who replaces her and what does she do next?

Does Rayner remain deputy leader of the Labour Party, a position she was elected to by party members, even if she is no longer deputy prime minister and housing secretary?

If she resigns as the party's deputy leader, a contest to replace her would begin.

When I spoke to Sir Keir in Glasgow on Thursday, he was talking up a £10bn deal to sell warships to Norway.

He talked with an enthusiasm about digital ID cards I had never heard before as a potential tool for tackling illegal immigration.

He also talked about tweaks to the implications of the European Convention on Human Rights he's determined to push through.

But all of this, inevitably, generates fewer headlines than the conduct of his deputy.

All told, this is not exactly the start he wanted to what the prime minister described as the beginning of "phase two" of his government at the beginning of the week.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is at risk of a fine from the tax authorities in addition to having to pay an additional £40,000 in underpaid stamp duty, tax experts have said.

Rayner, who is also the minister in charge of housing, has admitted she paid less in stamp duty on her £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex, than she should have done, claiming she was badly advised.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) can levy penalties when tax has been underpaid if someone has been "careless" with their tax affairs.

Any penalty for Rayner, which is typically 20% or 30% of the underpaid tax, could hinge on whether she took appropriate legal advice.

Rayner has said she was misinformed by lawyers, but questions have been raised about whether she sought specialist tax advice.

Even if she did, she could still face a fine likely to be 30% of the underpaid tax, meaning an additional £12,000.

"Someone has made a big mistake. Whether it's the law firm acting for her on the purchase, or whether it is her," said Sean Randall, an independent stamp duty expert.

He said she was at "significant risk" of a penalty because blaming an adviser may not be a sufficient defence.

"She might say I relied on my tax advisers to advise me correctly. And I definitely sympathise with that [but] usually simply relying on your adviser is not a defence for a penalty of carelessness," Randall added.

What we know

The dispute centres around a three-bedroom flat in Hove, East Sussex which Angela Rayner bought for £800,000 in May this year.

When she bought the flat, she declared that it was the only property she owned, meaning £30,000 of stamp duty was paid, rather than the £70,000 due if it is a second home.

She claimed it was the only home she owned because she had previously given up her stake in the family home in her constituency in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.

Rayner had bought that property with her then-husband, Mark Rayner, in 2016.

As she outlined in a statement, in 2020 a trust was set up under the instructions of a court to manage a payout for a medical incident which had left their son with life-long disabilities.

In 2023, when her divorce from Mark was finalised, the pair elected to place part of their stakes in the home into their son's trust, for which they are among the trustees.

This was to enable a "nesting" arrangement, meaning the children could remain in the family home while the parents alternated living there.

Rayner sold her remaining 25% stake in the home to her son's trust in January this year, for which she received £162,500.

The trust had been set up by Shoosmiths, a major law firm which offers advice on many areas of law including tax and property.

But when she purchased the flat in Hove , she sought legal advice from a different, unidentified firm.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Shoosmiths told BBC News that they "did not act for the Rt Hon Angela Rayner in relation to the purchase of her Hove property and/or the [stamp duty] aspects of that property.

"Ms Rayner is not a current client of the firm and has not been for some time."

Rayner's team have not provided details of the law firm she used instead, and it is not clear if this was a conveyancing lawyer who specialises in property transactions or more specialist tax advice.

Rayner said that when she bought the Hove flat, "my understanding, on advice from lawyers, was that my circumstances meant I was liable for the standard rate of stamp duty".

This was because she had no financial stake in the Ashton home, even though her children remained there and she considered it her main residence. She also spends time at a government-provided flat in Admiralty Arch, central London.

However, this legal advice was wrong. This is because under tax law, if a property has been placed into trust for the benefit of children under 18, the parents of those children are deemed to be owners of the home for stamp duty purposes.

"If you have a trust in favour of your children, then it's treated as your property," said Dan Neidle, founder of Tax Policy Associates and a member of the Labour Party.

"We're talking about a deeming rule which deems a person, in this case Angela, to own a property in the stamp duty world…in circumstances [where] she doesn't own it at all in the real world," Randall added.

Unanswered questions

The question of what legal advice Rayner took when she bought the Hove property is crucial.

If it was simply a conveyancing lawyer with no tax expertise it is likely to be much harder for her to argue that she hasn't been negligent - and to avoid harsh penalties levied by the taxman.

"My suspicion in this case…is that she didn't give all the circumstances of the trust to the conveyancing lawyer," said James Quarmby, head of private wealth at Stephenson Harwood.

"The conveyancing lawyer may have just asked the bland question 'do you own any other properties?' And she says 'no'".

He said property lawyers typically state in their contracts that they don't provide tax advice.

Quarmby said he believed there was a "high" risk of Rayner being fined and that tax officials would want to see the advice she relied on and details of the instructions she had given her lawyer

"Relying on advice is not a complete defence - it must be reasonable to do so in the circumstances and that advice cannot be 'obviously wrong'," he said.

"Someone in the Revenue now with the whole glare of the UK's media on them is going to make a decision as to whether Rayner was careless," he said.

"If she gets a penalty for carelessness she is politically screwed".

Another key question - if the legal advice sought was from a conveyancer - is whether Rayner even mentioned her son's trust and the role it played in the ownership of her family home.

A spokesman for Rayner declined to answer these questions.

"If you're buying property and you have complicated affairs involving a trust, you need to speak to a tax adviser and tell them about the trust," Neidle said.

"If she did that and they got it wrong, {it is} not her fault. But if she didn't go to a specialist or didn't tell them about the trust, I think it was her fault," he added.

"I think a normal person with any sophistication would realise they should mention the trust when getting advice about something else. And a deputy prime minister who's already got into a previous tax scrape involving properties, surely should have a go."

He said this would also affect how HMRC levied penalties on the underpaid tax.

Rayner now faces an inquiry by the standards watchdog.

She has previously been critical of tax avoidance and also called former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi's position "untenable" when details emerged that he was in dispute with HMRC over his tax affairs.

Zahawi, who was forced to resign as Tory party chairman for failing to declare that he paid a settlement to HMRC, ended up paying £5m to settle the dispute - a sum which included a 30 per cent penalty for being "careless".

A similar verdict on Rayner's conduct from Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent ethics adviser, or from the tax authorities may prove politically fatal.

Angela Rayner is fighting for her political future after admitting she should have paid more stamp duty when she bought a flat in Hove earlier this year.

The deputy prime minister has denied trying to dodge the extra tax, but faces a probe into whether she broke ministerial rules.

Here is a breakdown of how the story unfolded.

Rayner buys a house in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, with her then-husband Mark, which becomes their family home.

A court orders that a trust be set up to manage a financial award made to her severely disabled son, reportedly from the NHS, linked to his premature birth.

During their divorce, the couple each decide to transfer some of their share in the family home to the trust set up for their son.

Rayner sells her remaining stake in the house to the trust, receiving a lump sum thought to be £162,500.

The deputy prime minister uses the sum, along with a mortgage, to buy a three-bedroom flat in Hove, East Sussex, for £800,000.

According to Rayner, she was advised she would only need to pay the standard rate of stamp duty on the purchase.

The Mail on Sunday and Sun on Sunday report her purchase of the Hove flat, with the Tories calling on her to clarify where she pays council tax.

The Daily Telegraph reports Rayner saved £40,000 in stamp duty by not paying the higher rate reserved for additional home purchases.

In the story, published on its website late in the evening, the newspaper quotes a spokesperson for Rayner saying she paid the "correct duty" on the purchase.

The Tories announce they have written to Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister's ethics adviser, asking him to investigate Rayner's tax affairs.

Rayner instructs a senior lawyer to review her tax position that evening.

Downing Street tells reporters Rayner cannot give further details of her situation due to a court order, which she is "urgently" trying to lift.

Shortly afterwards, Sir Keir Starmer rallies round Rayner during a BBC interview, saying he is "proud" of his deputy.

The senior lawyer commissioned by Rayner gives a draft opinion on her situation in the evening, whilst seeking further information.

The court order is lifted late in the evening.

The senior lawyer's final legal opinion is received in the morning, with Rayner contacting HMRC and referring herself for investigation by Sir Laurie.

Shortly before Sir Keir is due to appear at Prime Minister's Questions, Rayner releases a statement admitting she should have paid the higher rate of stamp duty when purchasing the Hove flat.

She denies she tried to dodge the extra tax, saying the initial legal advice she received failed to "properly take account" of her tax liability resulting from the nature of her son's trust.

Sir Keir again backs his deputy, but the Conservatives and Reform UK call for her to resign.

Sir Keir repeatedly refuses to say if he will sack Rayner if the standards adviser concludes she broke the ministerial code.

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Errors by machines used to diagnose diabetes mean at least 55,000 people in England will need further blood tests, a BBC investigation has discovered.

Some patients have been wrongly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and even prescribed medication they don't need - and there could be more people affected say NHS England.

NHSE has confirmed 16 hospital trusts use the machines, made by Trinity Biotech, which have produced inaccurate test results.

In a statement, Trinity Biotech says it is working closely with the UK health regulator and has contacted all hospitals who use the machines.

The BBC first reported in September 2024 that 11,000 patients faced re-testing after a machine at Luton and Dunstable Hospital issued incorrect diabetes results.

NHS England now say type 2 diabetes diagnoses rose by 10,000 in 2024, 4% more than expected.

The procedure, known as the haemoglobin A1C test, measures average blood sugar levels which are used to diagnose type 2 diabetes and monitor the condition.

According to the medicines and healthcare regulator (MHRA), issues with the tests on these machines was first reported in April 2024.

'It's had a huge effect on my life'

Vicky Davies, 36, from Kingston upon Hull was first told she had type 2 diabetes in October 2024.

She was advised to try and lose weight first, sent for eye screening and was later prescribed four tablets of Metformin a day - the maximum dose.

In April 2025 she had further blood tests as part of her three month review and was told that she wasn't diabetic, which she assumed was because she had been on Metformin.

Later that month though, she was told her blood results might not have been accurate and advised to come off the medication immediately.

During the four months she took metformin she suffered with stomach issues and dizziness and still feels stressed.

"It's had a huge effect on my life. Since the diagnosis I have suffered with stress and had to take time off work to attend appointments.

"I've complained to my GP, but I didn't really get an apology. I'm just so angry," she told BBC News.

In a letter from her GP, they said they were not aware of the problems occurring in the laboratories and that they work to the best of their ability with the medical information available.

In September 2024, a message on the Bedfordshire trust website said 11,000 patients needed to be re-tested.

It warned some of them could have been misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes as a result of problems with tests analysed at the hospital's laboratory.

The trust apologised "for any emotional distress and inconvenience".

In July 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it had received reports describing a positive bias delivered by the Trinity Biotech machines.

This resulted in some patients being incorrectly diagnosed as pre-diabetic or diabetic.

Side effects

NHS trusts are already recalling patients for repeat tests and NHS England says anyone who needs a repeat test will be contacted by their GP or local hospital.

It adds that, for people who may have been wrongly diagnosed as a result of this issue, the risk is low and they would be given lifestyle advice and offered support programmes first.

Metformin, which may have been mistakenly prescribed for some of these patients, works by lowering blood sugar levels by improving the way the body handles insulin.

If you experience these symptoms whilst taking diabetes medication:

• hypoglycaemia (shaking/trembling, sweating, confusion, loss of consciousness)
• and hyperglycaemia (excessive thirst, blurred vision, recurrent infections)

The advice is to seek medical attention immediately.

Dr Clare Hambling, diabetes national clinical director for NHS England, said: "Being potentially misdiagnosed with any long-term condition, such as type 2 diabetes, is understandably worrying, however the clinical risk of harm to patients following this issue is low."

NHS England says fewer than 10% of their laboratories were affected and all have either replaced the machines or addressed calibration issues.

In response to an inquiry from the BBC, Trinity Biotech said: "The company has worked closely with the MHRA to resolve the issues experienced by some UK labs using the system."

The statement also said the company had "issued three Field Safety Notices in 2024 to all UK users, informing them of a potential positive bias issue."

These notices included "reiteration of details of the actions to be taken to ensure optimum operation of the system, with an emphasis on the importance of operating the system per the manufacturer's instructions," the statement continued.

Dealers are using Snapchat to sell vape liquid laced with the dangerous synthetic drug spice to unwitting children as young as 13, a BBC investigation has found.

Our reporter, posing as a schoolgirl, bought four bottles through a dealer on the social media site that later tested positive for the so-called zombie drug.

Teenagers have described horrendous withdrawal symptoms after vaping it, while one parent said she feared finding her daughter dead in her bed.

A Snapchat spokesperson said using the site to buy and sell vapes or illegal drugs was strictly against rules and that it proactively shut down dealers' accounts.

New research from the University of Bath has warned of a growing threat to young people unknowingly ingesting spice, and found in one area more than a quarter of schoolchildren's confiscated vapes tested positive for the substance.

While it is illegal for under 18s to vape in the UK, Ella, 15, started using one when she was 12.

Within months of buying standard vapes from shops, she moved to vapes she believed contained the illegal drug THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis that causes its mind-altering effects.

She said she and her friend Sophie, 14, became addicted, getting the vape liquid from a dealer who advertised it on Snapchat for £10 a bottle, or three for £20.

"This girl at school just said 'try this', and I tried it, and it got me high, so I kept buying it," Sophie said.

The BBC spoke to both girls and their mums - whose names have all been changed - at Ella's home on a newly built estate in Warwickshire.

"If we had money, we would buy [the drugs] but mostly it was other people buying it for us," she added.

They were sold in liquid form in vials, which could then be decanted into refillable vapes from shops.

However, testing later revealed the vape juice was laced with spice.

What is spice and why is it dangerous?

• Spice is a nickname for a lab-made drug containing one or more synthetic cannabinoids, that mimics the effects of cannabis (and its main active ingredient THC) and is illegal in the UK
• It is cheaper to produce than cannabis, but has much more potent effects
• It can cause serious side effects, including breathing problems, heart attacks, seizures and hallucinations
• The substance may appear as a powder, liquid, or be dissolved and sprayed on to paper or dried plant material

Source: NHS Inform

Both Ella and Sophie's mums, Sarah and Dawn, said they grew scared for their daughters as their behaviour became erratic.

Sarah said Ella was coming home in extreme moods, sometimes angry, sometimes very emotional.

"She didn't want to engage with anything we did as a family, she just wanted to be in her room," she said.

Dawn said Sophie started sneaking out in the early hours and she instantly noticed the change in her when she got home.

"She could hardly talk, she was walking funny, and eventually it got so bad that she would come in and just collapse on the sofa."

During the summer of 2024, at different times, both teenagers went missing overnight, and on one occasion it took 36 hours for them to be found.

Dawn did her best to keep Sophie at home and, unable to vape, she began to suffer horrific withdrawal symptoms.

Sophie described feeling sick, cold and shaky. "Your heart would start slowing down, then get really fast," she said. "Then you just sleep and your stomach hurts all the time and you can't eat."

Dawn said this went on for over a week and Sophie was so violently sick, it put her completely off.

Sarah said being hospitalised overnight was the wake-up call Ella needed to stop.

"I literally said [to her], 'I don't want to wake up in the morning, come to your bedroom and find you dead in your bed - or your sister finds you, or your brother'," she said.

The mums sent the girls' vapes off to Wedinos, the only national drug-checking service in the UK for members of the public.

As their mums had suspected, two tested positive for spice.

Prof Rick Lines is head of the Substance Misuse Programme at Public Health Wales, which is part of Wedinos.

He said, of over 300 vapes samples received by Wedinos last year, they found about 40% contained spice.

"We have real concerns about the risk of people consuming potentially much more potent or more toxic substances than they might be expecting from consuming a herbal cannabis-based product," he added.

Dawn was not surprised by the results, but feels upset her daughter was targeted.

"This stuff's dangerous... for adults and it's highly dangerous for children," she said.

"Adults who are making money out of this are absolute scum. They should be locked up with the key thrown away."

Our undercover reporter messaged Sophie and Ella's dealer on Snapchat, posing as a schoolgirl looking to buy THC.

He responded within minutes and shared a menu of different flavoured vape liquids, offering same-day delivery across Warwickshire and Birmingham for cash.

The reporter bought four bottles of THC vape liquid for £50, which all later tested positive for spice.

Sophia and Ella's experience mirrors the University of Bath's findings that drug-laced vapes are prevalent in schools and can be bought through adverts posted on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, with spice often marketed as THC.

"Spice is a drug we find endemic in UK prisons," said Prof Chris Pudney.

"I am shocked at how blatant the sale of these drugs is on social media and the wide availability, particularly targeting platforms used by young people."

His team looked at vaping in English secondary schools in seven police force areas over the past two academic years, including Lancashire, London and Greater Manchester.

Of 1,923 vapes and liquids seized by teachers and passed to police from a total of 114 schools, an average of 13% from each region contained spice.

In Lancashire, the substance was discovered in 58 out of 215 samples, equivalent to 27%.

Researchers say these platforms are failing in their legal duty under the Online Safety Act 2023 to protect users, particularly children.

Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, which were named in the report, told the BBC they proactively shut down dealers' accounts, blocked drug-related search terms and supported law enforcement.

A Snapchat spokesperson said they removed more than 2.4m drug-related posts and disabled 516,000 related accounts in 2024.

They told the BBC: "Using Snapchat to buy or sell vapes and illegal drugs is strictly against our rules.

"We use technologies to proactively find and shut down dealers' accounts, block search results for a wide range of drug-related terms and support law enforcement efforts."

Sarah said she reported her concerns to Warwickshire Police a year ago while her daughter was still vaping. She was told it was an ongoing investigation and her call was logged.

"I was gutted in a way, because obviously they were still getting it," she said. "There is so much going around and so many dealers selling it to children, I think it's impossible to catch them."

Warwickshire Police Supt Helen Waite said the force had received local reports of THC or spice-laced vapes being sold to young people, and was working with partners to gather evidence.

Both girls are no longer vaping illegal drugs. Ella said she had realised she wanted to change, as spice made her lose weight and confidence.

"It's not a good thing to take because you get too addicted to it and you feel like you're physically dying."

Details of information and support with addiction are available at BBC Action Line.

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