Author: Henry

AN Army reservist who served on a Ukraine mission was denied paternity pay from his civilian job as his deployment counted as a break from work. MPs and campaigners hit out at the rule, which could affect thousands of other reserve soldiers answering a call to duty. The sergeant, who works as a lorry driver in his civilian life, spent six months on UK operations supporting Ukraine.  He then returned to his normal job, where he has worked since 2017, before welcoming a son weeks later in February. He believed he was eligible for two weeks’ statutory paternity pay, but HMRC informed him he was not entitled to…

Micky van de Ven refused to sugarcoat Tottenham Hotspur’s season, insisting it was ’embarrassing’ that it took until the final game to stave off relegation. Spurs have burned through Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor as managers this season, only recently turning to Roberto De Zerbi in a desperate bid to keep them up. While Sunday’s 1-0 win at home to Everton ensured Premier League safety, Van de Ven was in no mood to celebrate. ‘It is unacceptable that the last game we played this season we play for relegation,’ the Dutchman said. ‘This club has some unbelievable players. It was…

Mercedes F1 driver George Russell is out of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal after an engine problem led to his eventual retirement from the race. Russell was leading the race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the Île Sainte-Hélène when he suffered an engine issue going into turn eight. His Mercedes machine suffered an engine issue that was audible on the broadcast – leading the British driver to stop on the track after losing power. In something of a fit, an irate Russell began to throw some of his equipment out of his car in a clear demonstration of frustration. This…

A former boxer who made almost £50,000 from selling drugs has been ordered to pay back a mere £1. Leon Coker, 35, from Caerphilly, south Wales, was caught with £20,000 worth of amphetamine in a suitcase last summer and sentenced to three years and one month in prison. The drug dealer was also selling cocaine, cannabis and Valium and made a profit of £48,168, a proceeds of crime at Cardiff Crown Court heard. But Coker has no assets which can be seized and was ordered to pay a fine of £1 within 28 days or face five days in prison. The boxer,…

Labour’s leadership hopefuls have been urged to rule out a tax raid on pensions to show they are ‘firmly on the side of people who do the right thing’. Savings and investment firm AJ Bell said ‘whoever is leading the country’ should reassure workers that their retirement pots will not be targeted by the taxman. The comments came as Labour wannabes including Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting vie to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister – with the future of Chancellor Rachel Reeves also in doubt. It is feared that a PM and Chancellor in search of cash ahead of…

Louise Thompson has said she is ‘grieving’ the fact she’ll never carry another child as she opened up on ‘wonderfully, painfully different’ £50,000 surrogacy journey.  The TV personality and personal trainer partner Ryan Libbey, both 35, revealed their plans to expand their family earlier this year, after Louise almost died while giving birth to her son Leo in 2021 following an emergency caesarean. After Leo’s birth, she went on to suffer with PTSD and post-natal anxiety due to her near-death experience and has since been diagnosed with Lupus, Asherman’s syndrome, suffered a second haemorrhage, and has also had a stoma bag fitted. The…

A body has been discovered in the search for one of two missing hillwalkers in the Highlands. Police said the family of 36-year-old Adam Chalmers, who was reported missing while hillwalking in the Ben Lawers mountain range, have been informed. Police Scotland said that around 1.25pm today, the body of a man was recovered in the An Stac area. ‘Adam’s family wishes to thank Police Scotland, Tayside Mountain Rescue, RAF Mountain Rescue and all the agencies involved in the searches,’ said the force. ‘There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.’ Police…

Katy Perry has praised Air Canada’s crew after witnessing a medical emergency during a recent flight from Montreal to Los Angeles.  Perry, 41, who is dating Canada’s former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, applauded the staff’s ‘quick action’ and ‘consideration’ for a passenger in need of medical assistance.  ‘Last night I flew on an @AirCanada flight #AC779 from Montreal to LAX and I watched a medical emergency happen on the plane,’ she posted to X on Saturday evening. ‘I was so impressed with the level of attentiveness and quick action from the crew that I just want to highlight the level of professionalism and consideration they…

Dani Dyer is reportedly set to make a Strictly Come Dancing comeback, a year after she was forced to quit the series after fracturing her ankle during rehearsals.  The Daily Mail broke the news that Dani, 29, one of the show’s favourites, had to bow before she even got to perform a single routine for the judges. You can read the full story here.  Now sources are claiming the TV personality ‘jumped at the chance’ to return to the dance floor as part of the 2026 line-up, after being approached by BBC bosses. During her brief appearance she was paired with Nikita Kuzmin,…

The SNP will never slash Scotland’s runaway £7billion benefits bill, the finance secretary said yesterday. Jenny Gilruth was branded ‘out of touch’ after signalling she would rather slash all other areas of public spending before tackling the country’s bloated welfare bill. Ms Gilruth said that benefits is ‘the last place’ she would look to make cuts. The Scottish Conservatives said the ‘ludicrous’ comments would alarm Scots worried about even higher taxes being used to balance the books. Ms Gilruth, a former modern studies teacher, put in charge of a £68billion budget by John Swinney last week, was also accused of ‘keeping Scots in the dark’ about…