PM signals youth mobility scheme could be part of EU deal

The UK already has reciprocal agreements with countries, including Australia, that allow young people to work in another country

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has described the possible scheme as "free movement through the back door".

While Sir Keir said it would be a "reciprocal" arrangement in which young people would be able to move abroad for up to two years, no specific details about the ages of those who could be eligible and whether there would be a cap on numbers were given.

Speaking to the Times ahead of a summit on Monday between the bloc and the UK, he insisted such a scheme would not amount to a return to pre-Brexit freedom of movement.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has given his strongest signal yet that a youth mobility scheme could form part of a new deal with the EU.

She understands that the EU has been pushing for stays as long as four years, while the UK is not contemplating more than one or two.

The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg has been told that it will only be an agreement in principle, not the final deal.

An agreement is expected to be announced at Monday's summit, which is being held at London's Lancaster House.

Sir Keir has denied these accusations, saying that Labour has a "red line in our manifesto about freedom of movement" and that "youth mobility is not freedom of movement".

Reform UK has echoed these sentiments. Its deputy leader, Richard Tice, said earlier this week such a scheme would be "the thin end" to EU free movement.

"We're not against youth mobility schemes. We're against uncapped migration schemes," she wrote on X.

No sequins or dancing at EU summit - but it'll be an extravaganza nonetheless

Prior to Brexit, young people in the UK had the right to travel and study freely, without a visa, in the rest of Europe and vice versa. A new deal could see a return to a similar state of affairs.

The prime minister has pointed to reciprocal youth mobility schemes (YMS) that the UK already has with the likes of Australia - where people between the ages of 18 and 35 are allowed to work in each other's countries.

The UK currently offers visas allowing young people from 12 non-EU countries including Japan, South Korea and Uruguay to study or work in the UK for up to two years. Those from Australia, Canada or New Zealand can extend by a further year.

These visas are subject to annual quotas, ranging from 100 visas for Andorra to 42,000 for Australia, with ballots held where they are oversubscribed.

The former Tory government last year rejected an EU offer that would have made it easier for people aged between 18 and 30 to study and work abroad in the wake of Brexit.

Labour at the time said it had "no plans for a youth mobility scheme" if it won the general election.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC's Newsnight programme on Friday that the current government was giving "mixed messages" and that he wanted to hear it "speaking in one voice and say they would like a youth mobility scheme".

He said such a scheme would "put rocket boosters up businesses in London", where there are gaps in sectors including hospitality, creative industries, health and social care.

The UK's European relations minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, publicly confirmed last week that the government was considering setting up a youth mobility scheme as part of a new partnership agreement with the EU.

He told the Financial Times that "a smart, controlled youth mobility scheme would of course have benefits for our young people" - provided the government's red lines are respected.

Asked whether the UK might in the future consider re-joining the Erasmus student scheme, Thomas-Symonds said there were not currently plans to do so but added the government was "always open to listening to sensible proposals from the EU".

Universities and students the BBC has spoken to recently say Brexit has made studying in the UK less attractive.

For example, since August 2021, new students from the EU generally have had to pay international fees and do not qualify for tuition fee loans.

As well as youth mobility, issues such as fishing rights are also expected to be discussed during Monday's meeting - the first since Brexit.

Sir Keir described the upcoming talks as a "really significant moment", saying they would help to create greater wealth for British people.

"Nobody wants to relitigate the last nine years and I think [the things] they will be most concerned about — am I going to be better off, is this going to help my living standards, is it going to make sure my job's preserved, are there jobs in the future, is my community going to benefit from that? — that'll be test number one," he said.

No sequins or dancing at EU summit - but it'll be an extravaganza nonetheless

29 minutes ago Share Save Laura Kuenssberg • @bbclaurak Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg Share Save

BBC

Stand by for a dazzling European event. Cameras everywhere. Famous faces. Red carpets. No, not Eurovision in all its noisy glory, but the first European summit of what the prime minister hopes will be a new era, where governments around the continent concentrate not on instant verdicts – douze points or nul points – but on creating long-term relationships that make life easier. The UK is hoping to show that just as you don't have to be European to enjoy Eurovision, you don't have to be in the European Union (EU) to get some of the benefits of the club. Expectations of Monday's summit are high. One minister joked they hope you'll "Remember Monday" – get it? It's a moment to fix what they consider were the mistakes of Boris Johnson's Brexit deal. It's the first formal summit for European leaders since Brexit, and Downing Street is going for the full extravaganza: the grandeur of London's Lancaster House, a warship brought up the Thames to be shown off and used as a lunch venue, then, it's hoped, even a press conference in the Downing Street Rose Garden. "It's clearly designed for the telly – everyone will be there apart from the King and Paddington Bear," said a diplomatic source about the plans. The atmosphere is entirely different to the last time the UK and the EU circled each other at a formal summit. The two main negotiators – Nick Thomas-Symonds for the UK, who'll join us in the studio on Sunday, and the EU's Maros Sefcovic – have struck a friendly partnership, sinking wine (Slovakian reds) and whisky (Welsh). What's the actual point of the summit? In private, government insiders are not expecting a giant whizz-bang new deal with our closest trading partners. The public gave Labour permission to improve the existing Brexit agreement in the general election but not totally rewrite it, and the EU doesn't have the mandate from its members to draft something totally new either. Be on guard for any declarations of a heroic or profound shift.

Reuters Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said Labour would focus on delivering its manifesto rather than rejoining EU programmes

But it's a significant moment nonetheless, after all those years of bitterness and brinkmanship, and the government hopes there will be meaningful agreements, particularly on defence, opening up billions of euros to UK firms, and tidying up some of the existing cooperation between the UK and EU countries on security. Expect an easing of the admin hassles Brexit created for farmers and the food industry – sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements, or SPS to use the horrendous jargon. There will be important commitments – diplomatic language at least – on energy, on migration, agriculture, on data sharing, the list goes on. My colleague Damian Grammaticas has taken a closer look at some of the issues here.

In the classic tradition of UK-EU negotiations, though, there is heavy briefing from sources on both sides that it's "going to the wire". Will there be a deal to allow young Brits and EU citizens to live and work more easily in each other's countries? As I write I'm told only an "agreement in principle", not the real final deal, will be ready for Monday. The EU was pushing for stays as long as four years to be allowed, the UK not contemplating more than one or two. Will the French (who sources are referring to when they talk diplomatically about "coastal states") relent on demands for more protection for their fishing fleets in return for giving the UK the kind of favours it wants? "The French have been trying to link fish to lots of things," a source close to the talks says – it might be five years since we left the EU, but maybe the more things change, the more things stay the same.

Reuters Ursula von der Leyen has led the European Commission as president since 2019

Indeed, just like on so many occasions during the Brexit wrangles, as we go on air this weekend, EU ambassadors will be gathering at their COREPER (Comité des représentants permanents) meeting to go through the agreement. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. And even then, agreements in principle will leave many details to be hammered out in the weeks and months to come. For the UK government, agreement of any sort means "we'll have scored the hat trick", says one minister. No one in government would dream that Monday will mean an end to their domestic woes, but a trade deal with India, an agreement with the US, and then the EU gives evidence of progress, and insiders hope it could build on a sense that Starmer's operation and the economy has picked up some pace.

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"It's not just about the footnotes of a trade agreement – it's also about the vibes," says a government source. Put three deals together with better growth figures last week and maybe, just maybe, the doom generated in part by Downing Street itself is fading. But not so fast! It will be imperative to look at the footnotes of any text that emerges on Monday. Cash and the power of the EU courts were both toxic issues during the Brexit era – so what extra cash might the UK be asked to contribute if it's joining in with some EU schemes? Access won't come for free, though I'm told the UK would not contribute to the overall EU budget. And to what extent will the UK be expected to accept authority of EU rules? There are clear political sensitivities around any sense the government is giving too much back to Brussels. Ministers hope to be able to outline extra cooperation to combat illegal migration, and to present the changes as practical measures to make the existing arrangements work better: not the kind of deal that would excite Remainers' hearts, nor anger Brexiteers.

EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Prime Minister Starmer has promised a "reset" with the EU

Keir Starmer's promise of a "reset" with the EU may not quicken the pulse, but his team hopes that it will be "another delivery moment" – in other words, another chance for them to say to a cynical and obviously disappointed public: look, we said we'd get a more sensible deal with the EU after all that Brexit hassle, and that's what we've done. The irony is that the man who was once seen as Labour's Remainer-in-Chief is now, as prime minister, trying to fill in the blanks and smooth the many wrinkles of the Conservatives' original Brexit deal. "It might be a broken record," says a diplomatic source, "but at least they are trying to fix it". Monday might not have the sequins and screeching choruses of tonight's Eurovision, the inexplicable dance routines or pyrotechnics, but it will be a show no less. The source adds: "Maybe it will be Starmer who will drive some sort of Humvee that says 'got Brexit done' on the side."

Youth mobility scheme could be part of EU deal, PM signals

The UK already has reciprocal agreements with countries, including Australia, that allow young people to work in another country

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has described the possible scheme as "free movement through the back door".

While Sir Keir said it would be a "reciprocal" arrangement in which young people would be able to move abroad for up to two years, no specific details about the ages of those who could be eligible and whether there would be a cap on numbers were given.

Speaking to the Times ahead of a summit on Monday between the bloc and the UK, he insisted such a scheme would not amount to a return to pre-Brexit freedom of movement.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has given his strongest signal yet that a youth mobility scheme could form part of a new deal with the EU.

She understands that the EU has been pushing for stays as long as four years, while the UK is not contemplating more than one or two.

The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg has been told that it will only be an agreement in principle, not the final deal.

An agreement is expected to be announced at Monday's summit, which is being held at London's Lancaster House.

Sir Keir has denied these accusations, saying that Labour has a "red line in our manifesto about freedom of movement" and that "youth mobility is not freedom of movement".

Reform UK has echoed these sentiments. Its deputy leader, Richard Tice, said earlier this week such a scheme would be "the thin end" to EU free movement.

"We're not against youth mobility schemes. We're against uncapped migration schemes," she wrote on X.

No sequins or dancing at EU summit - but it'll be an extravaganza nonetheless

Prior to Brexit, young people in the UK had the right to travel and study freely, without a visa, in the rest of Europe and vice versa. A new deal could see a return to a similar state of affairs.

The prime minister has pointed to reciprocal youth mobility schemes (YMS) that the UK already has with the likes of Australia - where people between the ages of 18 and 35 are allowed to work in each other's countries.

The UK currently offers visas allowing young people from 12 non-EU countries including Japan, South Korea and Uruguay to study or work in the UK for up to two years. Those from Australia, Canada or New Zealand can extend by a further year.

These visas are subject to annual quotas, ranging from 100 visas for Andorra to 42,000 for Australia, with ballots held where they are oversubscribed.

The former Tory government last year rejected an EU offer that would have made it easier for people aged between 18 and 30 to study and work abroad in the wake of Brexit.

Labour at the time said it had "no plans for a youth mobility scheme" if it won the general election.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC's Newsnight programme on Friday that the current government was giving "mixed messages" and that he wanted to hear it "speaking in one voice and say they would like a youth mobility scheme".

He said such a scheme would "put rocket boosters up businesses in London", where there are gaps in sectors including hospitality, creative industries, health and social care.

The UK's European relations minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, publicly confirmed last week that the government was considering setting up a youth mobility scheme as part of a new partnership agreement with the EU.

He told the Financial Times that "a smart, controlled youth mobility scheme would of course have benefits for our young people" - provided the government's red lines are respected.

Asked whether the UK might in the future consider re-joining the Erasmus student scheme, Thomas-Symonds said there were not currently plans to do so but added the government was "always open to listening to sensible proposals from the EU".

Universities and students the BBC has spoken to recently say Brexit has made studying in the UK less attractive.

For example, since August 2021, new students from the EU generally have had to pay international fees and do not qualify for tuition fee loans.

As well as youth mobility, issues such as fishing rights are also expected to be discussed during Monday's meeting - the first since Brexit.

Sir Keir described the upcoming talks as a "really significant moment", saying they would help to create greater wealth for British people.

"Nobody wants to relitigate the last nine years and I think [the things] they will be most concerned about — am I going to be better off, is this going to help my living standards, is it going to make sure my job's preserved, are there jobs in the future, is my community going to benefit from that? — that'll be test number one," he said.

Why Sean Diddy Combs' trial hinges on ex-girlfriend Cassie's testimony

7 hours ago Share Save Madeline Halpert BBC News in New York court Share Save

Reuters Sean Combs and Cassie at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in 2015

In a trial that is undoing the legacy of one of music's biggest moguls of the 2000s, the focus of the opening week of proceedings was not Sean "Diddy" Combs himself - but his ex-girlfriend. R&B singer Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura took the witness stand for four days, describing in emotional details the years of beatings and drug-fuelled sex encounters with prostitutes that she alleges she endured at the hands of the rap superstar, who she dated for more than a decade. But while her story clearly left an impression on those in the courtroom, which one onlooker described as an "aura of sadness", it is just one piece in the puzzle that prosecutors must present to prove that Mr Combs was not just an abuser, but a mastermind of a criminal, sexual enterprise. On Tuesday, gasps erupted in a Manhattan overflow courtroom when prosecutors called Ms Ventura - their star witness - to the stand. All eyes were fixed on the eight-months pregnant singer, as she strolled past her ex-boyfriend, whom she had not seen in six years. Ms Ventura was there to testify in the federal sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution case against Mr Combs, whom she accuses of abusing her and coercing her into unwanted sex acts - so-called "freak-offs" - during their 11-and-a-half year relationship.

Cassie settles civil case against Sean "Diddy" Combs

Who is the US rapper accused of sex trafficking?

The parties that led to Diddy's downfall Mr Combs is charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution - all of which he has vehemently denied. Surrounded by his children and dozens of family and friends, Mr Combs has watched Ms Ventura from his chair at the defence table just a few dozen feet away. All the while, US District Judge Arun Subramanian has pushed attorneys to stay on schedule, as prosecutors have expressed worry their star witness could go into labour with her third child as soon as this weekend.

An aspiring musician falls in love with a 'larger-than-life' rapper

On her first day on the stand, Ms Ventura began by taking prosecutors through the start of her tumultuous relationship with Mr Combs, whom she met when she was a 19-year-old aspiring musician. Mr Combs, 17 years her senior, signed her onto his record label. Their romantic relationship began soon after, when Ms Ventura fell in love with the "larger-than-life" musician and entrepreneur, she said. But it was not long before she noticed a "different" side to him, Ms Ventura testified, at times wiping the tears from her eyes. Mr Combs, she said, wanted to control every aspect of her life. He paid for her rent, her car, and her phone, sometimes taking the items away to "punish" her when he was upset, she said. Eventually, the relationship turned violent. She testified about the time when he attacked her because she was sleeping, slashing her eyebrow as he threw her onto the corner of her bed as her two friends tried to stop him. The court was shown a photo of the gash that Ms Ventura said Mr Combs hired a plastic surgeon to fix secretly. There was another time at a party where he kicked her head as she cowered behind a toilet in a bathroom stall, she said. While jurors remained concentrated on her testimony and the evidence, betraying little emotion, some in the courtroom wiped away tears or looked away from the graphic photos and videos - including the viral video of Mr Combs beating and dragging Ms Ventura in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. Published by CNN last year, the video has been viewed by millions - including many of the jurors before they were seated in the trial - and Ms Ventura, who was forced to rewatch the incident of abuse several times this week.

Watch: Hotel surveillance footage shows Diddy kick and drag Cassie

Freak-offs become 'a job'

Ms Ventura testified that the hotel incident took place after she tried to leave a "freak-off", a sexual encounter in which the couple would hire male escorts to have sex with Ms Ventura while Mr Combs watched and recorded from the corner. Ms Ventura said the rapper introduced her to freak-offs around a year into their relationship, and at first, she did it to make him happy. But over time, the encounters humiliated her, she said. They would sometimes last as long as four days, and require Ms Ventura to take countless drugs to stay awake, she said. She endured injuries like painful urinary tract infections - and once even blacked out, waking up in the shower, she said. "It made me feel worthless," she told the court. "Freak-offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again." The couple would go on to have "hundreds" of freak-offs, Ms Ventura estimated. After years of temporary break-ups - some fuelled by Mr Combs' affairs - Ms Ventura ended her relationship with Mr Combs for good in 2018, the same year she alleges the rapper raped her in her home as she cried. Ms Ventura went on to date and marry her personal trainer, Alex Fine, with whom she has two children, but the trauma of her relationship has stayed with her. Through tears, Ms Ventura told the court of a time two years ago when she considered taking her own life, when traumatic flashbacks of her time with Mr Combs became too much to handle. Her husband helped her seek therapy to recover, she said.

Consent vs compliance: Prosecutors build their sex trafficking case

Get all the latest trial updates on the BBC Sounds 'Diddy on Trial' podcast available wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Throughout Ms Ventura's harrowing story of domestic violence, prosecutors have tried to thread in elements of their larger sex trafficking and racketeering case against Mr Combs. Mr Combs's attorneys have already conceded that the rapper was abusive - and have argued they would not have fought a domestic violence case against him. But, "domestic violence is not sex trafficking", Mr Combs' attorney Teny Geragos argued this week. The federal government has charged Mr Combs with transportation to engage in prostitution and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. He is also charged with leading a racketeering conspiracy, or directing an illegal enterprise under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The statute was created to take on mob bosses, but has since been used in other cases, including sex trafficking, such as the case against disgraced R&B singer R Kelly. Assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson used parts of Ms Ventura's story to boost this case, asking her about the guns the rapper had access to and the ways he allegedly blackmailed her. Ms Ventura told the court of a time when she said Mr Combs pulled up videos he recorded of their freak-offs on his laptop, in view of others on a commercial flight. She said he told her he would release them if she didn't behave. "I felt trapped," Ms Ventura said. Arick Fudali, a lawyer who represents an unnamed victim in the government's case against Mr Combs, said "the fear of what would happen if they didn't comply" is a crucial element of the government's case. "Someone can consent to a sexual act of course," Mr Fudali told the BBC. "But someone can also be coerced into being compliant, and that's different." The government has also used Ms Ventura's testimony to try to build up their racketeering argument - the allegation that Mr Combs used his loyal network of associates to run a criminal enterprise and cover up his alleged crimes. Prosecutors have asked Ms Ventura about security guards who she said stood by while Mr Combs abused her. Ms Ventura has testified about Mr Combs' employees' involvement in setting up freak-offs with supplies like baby oil, and booking travel for the male escorts they hired.

Watch: The BBC's Nada Tawfik on how Diddy's lawyers used freak-off texts against Cassie

Mr Combs' team says jealousy and drugs fuelled violence

Cancelling park festivals would be 'devastating'

1 hour ago Share Save Jess Warren BBC News Share Save

Getty Images Six live events are planned for Lambeth's Brockwell Park this summer

Cancelling a series of music festivals would be a "devastating blow" that leaves tens of thousands of people "in limbo", the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has warned. A series of events, including the Mighty Hoopla, Cross The Tracks and Wide Awake, are due to be held at Brockwell Park in south London from 23 May until 8 June. But on Friday, resident Rebekah Shaman won a High Court challenge over the use of the site this summer, after arguing that the council did not have the correct planning permission for the events. A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: "We are currently assessing the impact of this judgment and determining next steps."

Michael Kill, chief executive of the NTIA, said cancelling the series of festivals "would directly impact thousands of people... many of whom rely on the summer season to sustain their livelihoods". "The supply chain, from staging and lighting companies to local food and drink vendors, would suffer heavy financial losses," he said. "The local economy - including independent shops, pubs, restaurants, and hotels - which sees a surge in business during these festivals, would be hit hard."

Mr Justice Mould found that Lambeth Council granted use of the park for nine days more than it was able to without seeking additional planning consent

Ms Shaman's legal argument centred around planning laws that prohibit changing the use of a park for more than 28 days each year without additional planning consent. Presiding over the case, Mr Justice Mould found that parts of Brockwell Park would be used for these events for as many as 37 days during the series of festivals. The judge said his ruling was only about the lawfulness of the council's decision to grant permission for the additional days - a decision he described as "irrational". Ms Shaman said she did not want to take Lambeth Council to court, but felt as though it was not engaging with residents. "This has been going on for years, it isn't a one-off situation and it has been a consistent deterioration of the park, to the point where the community had to speak up to protect the park for future generations," she said. She added: "We are hoping to come to an agreement where events can still continue, but on a much lower level and also much more connected to the community." Lawyers for Lambeth Council and festival organisers Summer Events Limited both asked for permission to challenge his decision but the judge refused. However, they are still able to ask the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge the decision directly.

A spokesperson for the organisers said: "Summer Events Limited are considering the judgment concerning Brockwell Live with their legal team. "It would not be appropriate to comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing."

Rugby star Jamie Roberts 'excited' to become doctor

4 hours ago Share Save Jennifer Jones BBC News Share Save

Jamie Roberts says it’s a “privilege” to join the NHS as a doctor

Former Wales rugby international Jamie Roberts says he is "ready" and "excited" to become a doctor and complete his medical training in the NHS. Twelve years after graduating from Cardiff University's school of medicine, the former British and Irish Lion will begin two years of foundation training in hospitals in south Wales. Roberts won 94 caps for Wales and was the British and Irish Lions' Player of the Series following their tour of South Africa in 2009, before being selected again for the Australia tour in 2013. The 38-year-old said rugby had given him "some of the best experiences" of his life and he was "looking forward to the same in a medical career".

Roberts made his debut for Wales against Scotland in 2008, while he was a medical student. "I always wanted to play rugby. It was a passion of mine," Roberts told BBC News. "I loved the sport, I still do and it will stay with me forever. But I was a problem-solver at school. "I love maths and I love science and I love people, I guess. And medicine was the perfect fit and ticked a lot of boxes for me." In the UK, medical training involves an undergraduate degree which usually takes five years to complete, followed by a two-year foundation programme when trainees become resident doctors and are paid a salary.

Getty Images Roberts in 2008, as a medical student making his debut for Wales against Scotland

It took Roberts seven years to complete his undergraduate degree because of his commitments with Wales, the Lions and Cardiff Blues. "I reflect on it now and I wonder how on earth I did that. You know, the enthusiasm of youth helps. I was very busy. I was very driven," he said. He sat his final undergraduate exams in 2013 - the same week that he was part of a Wales side which won the Six Nations after defeating England by 30-3 - and graduated a few months later. "You know, we won the tournament here [in Cardiff], and then a month or two later - having sat my medical finals in that Wales v England week - I got my exam results," he recalled. "I guess it was the culmination of a lot of hard work over both disciplines."

Cardiff University Roberts graduated from Cardiff University's School of Medicine in 2013

After graduating, Roberts spent the next decade focused on his rugby career, playing at centre for several clubs including Racing Metro, Harlequins, Bath, Dragons and Waratahs. But academia continued to give the aspiring doctor the escape from rugby he said he "craved", and he completed postgraduate degrees at both Loughborough University and Cambridge University.

Jamie Roberts Roberts, his wife Nicole and their son Tomos outside Cambridge University, where Roberts earned a Masters degree in medical science

He became a father in 2021, before retiring from rugby the following year. "When you finish playing rugby, you know, when people ask you what you're doing it's sometimes challenging when you can't really answer that question and you're doing random bits and bobs," he said. In November 2023, Roberts passed a "return to medicine" exam which allowed him to resume his medical training. So, in which field does he hope to specialise? "I was obviously very interested in my own injuries. I had quite a few big ones," he said. "Reconstructive surgery to quite a few of my joints, a fractured skull as well. "Whether I can foresee a future in sports medicine, or orthopaedics, that's what I'm naturally leaning towards."

Stu Forster/Getty Images Roberts suffered a fractured skull after colliding with Australia's Stirling Mortlock in 2008

Roberts follows in the footsteps of several other Wales internationals who turned their hands to medicine, including Dr Jack Matthews, orthopaedic surgeon JPR Williams, former captain Dr Gwyn Jones and, more recently, Hallam Amos. "I've a massive amount of respect for everyone who works for the NHS," said Roberts. "I've no doubt it's challenging at times and I've no doubt I'm going to feel that, but again that's the challenge isn't it. It rewards you in many different ways, so I'm looking forward to it."

John Downing/Getty Images JPR Williams, who had just received his first cap for Wales, as a 19-year-old medical student in February 1969