Zia Yusuf returning to Reform UK two days after quitting

4 hours ago Share Save Chris Mason • @ChrisMasonBBC Political editor André Rhoden-Paul BBC News Share Save

PA Media

Zia Yusuf, who resigned as Reform UK chairman on Thursday, is to return to work for the party in a new role. Yusuf will lead what the party calls its "Doge team" – which is modelled on the Department of Government Efficiency set up by US President Donald Trump. Earlier this week, Yusuf quit the party, saying working to get it elected was no longer "a good use of my time", without expanding further. On Saturday, Reform leader Nigel Farage told the BBC he was "delighted" Yusuf was had returned to the party and that he will now take on a more public role for the party in a new role, appearing more frequently in the media.

He said: "Zia regrets what he said and did the other day. It was a combination of 11 months hard work and exhaustion." In a post on X, Yusuf said he had received a large number of messages urging him to reconsider leaving the party and explained why he quit two days ago. "After 11 months of working as a volunteer to build a political party from scratch, with barely a single day off, my tweet was a decision born of exhaustion," he wrote. Yusuf said he came into politics "out of belief that Nigel Farage was the man" to lead the country, adding "I believe in these things more than ever". Before his resignation, Yusuf had criticised Sarah Pochin, who won last month's Runcorn and Helsby by-election for the party. She urged Sir Keir Starmer to ban the burka "in the interests of public safety" during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. Yusuf said it was "dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do". A burka ban is not Reform party policy.

Six killed by Israeli gunfire near Gaza aid site, Hamas officials say

2 hours ago Share Save Barbara Plett Usher BBC correspondent Reporting from Jerusalem Dearbail Jordan BBC correspondent Reporting from London Share Save

Getty Images

Six Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded by Israeli gunfire in the latest deadly incident close to an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency says. People had gathered to collect food supplies on Saturday morning when the shooting started, a spokesman for the agency said. Reports quoting an eyewitness said the Israelis opened fire when people tried to advance towards the site. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at suspects who approached them in a threatening manner. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured trying to get to the distribution centre this week.

The US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) which runs the centre says it has paused its operations to deal with overcrowding and improve safety. But people have gathered nearly every day at a roundabout on the edge of an Israeli military zone, through which they have to pass to reach the aid site. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had told Gazans the area was an active combat zone during nighttime hours. GHF said it had not been able to distribute food on Saturday because of direct threats from Hamas - something the group has denied. Whatever the case, the new incident will almost certainly strengthen international criticism of the new distribution model. The United Nations insists it puts Palestinians in danger and does not provide enough food and medicine to deal with Gaza's humanitarian crisis. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said at least 15 people had also been killed by Israeli air strikes on a residential home in Gaza city, with reports that some of the casualties remained trapped in the rubble. The Israeli army said the strikes had eliminated the head of a Palestinian militant group known as the Mujahideen Brigades. The Israelis have accused the group of killing and kidnapping some of the victims of the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, including a Thai national named Nattapong Pinta. His body was recovered in the Rafah area of southern Gaza in a special operation on Friday.

Trump says relationship with Musk is over

It came after the tech billionaire - who donated millions to Trump's election campaign and became a White House aide - publicly criticised the president's tax and spending bill, a key domestic policy.

The comments were Trump's latest since the epic fallout between him and Musk unravelled on social media.

"I would assume so, yeah," Trump told NBC News on Saturday, when asked if he thought the pair's close relationship had ended. He replied "No" when asked if he wished to mend the damaged ties.

US President Donald Trump has said his relationship with Elon Musk is over.

A majority of Republicans have fallen in line behind the president. Vice-President JD Vance said that Musk had "gone so nuclear" and may never be welcomed back into the fold.

Vance told podcaster Theo Von that it was a "big mistake" for the Tesla and SpaceX CEO to attack the president.

For weeks, Musk had been criticising Trump's signature legislation - dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill" - as it made its way through Congress.

He said that, if passed, the bill would add trillions of dollars to the national deficit and "undermine" the work he did as the head of Doge, the Department of Government Efficiency, and its efforts to cut government spending.

Shortly after leaving Doge after 129 days in the job, Musk posted on his social media site X that the bill was a "disgusting abomination" - but did not criticise Trump directly.

On Thursday, however, Trump told reporters he was "disappointed" with Musk's behaviour.

Musk responded with a flurry of posts on X, saying that Trump would have lost the election without him and accusing Trump of being implicated in files of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in jail awaiting sex trafficking charges.

He has since deleted the post and Epstein's lawyer has come out denying the accusations.

Trump responded on his social media platform Truth Social, saying that Musk had gone "crazy". In one post, he threatened to cut Musk's contracts with the federal government.

In his interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump said Musk had been "disrespectful to the office of the president".

"I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president," Trump said.

Musk, the world's richest man, who donated roughly $250m to Trump's presidential campaign, suggested during the social media feud that he might back some of Trump's opponents during next year's midterm elections, throwing his support behind challengers to the lawmakers who supported Trump's tax bill.

When asked about the prospect of Musk backing Democratic candidates that run against Republicans, Trump said he would face "serious consequences".

Ocean damage unspeakably awful, Attenborough tells prince

6 hours ago Share Save Esme Stallard Climate and science correspondent Justin Rowlatt Climate editor Share Save

The Prince of Wales interviewed TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough ahead of the UN oceans summit

Sir David Attenborough has told Prince William he is "appalled" by the damage certain fishing methods are wreaking on the world's oceans. The Prince of Wales interviewed the TV naturalist ahead of a key UN Oceans conference which kicks off on Monday. The world's countries are gathering for the first time in three years to discuss how to better protect the oceans, which are facing growing threats from plastic pollution, climate change and over-exploitation. The UN's key aim is to get the High Seas Treaty - an agreement signed two years ago to put 30% of the ocean into protected areas - ratified by 60 countries to bring it into force.

"What we have done to the deep ocean floor is just unspeakably awful," said Sir David. "If you did anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms," he said in the interview released on Saturday. It was conducted at the premiere of his new documentary, Ocean, last month. The documentary draws attention to the potential damage from some fishing practices, like bottom trawling, for marine life and the ability of the ocean to lock up planet-warming carbon. Governments, charities and scientists will come together at the UN Oceans Conference (UNOC) in Nice to try and agree how to accelerate action on the issues most affecting the world's seas. Sir David said he hopes the leaders gathering for the UN conference will "realise how much the oceans matter to all of us, the citizens of the world".

Planetary life support system

The ocean is crucial for the survival of all organisms on the planet - it is the largest ecosystem, is estimated to contribute $2.5 trillion to world economies and provides up to 80% of the oxygen we breath. The key aim for the UN is to galvanise enough support to bring the High Seas Treaty into force - including commitment from the UK. Three years ago countries agreed to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030, across national and international waters. International waters - or high seas - are a common resource with no ruling country so nations signed the High Seas Treaty in 2023 agreeing to work together to put a third of them into Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Since then only 32 countries have ratified the treaty - 60 are needed to bring it into force. But many scientists and NGOs are worried MPAs will not be effective whilst practices like bottom trawling are still allowed within them.

Getty Images Environmental charities and MPs warn that bottom trawling can accidentally kill larger marine animals

"Our ocean is 99% of our living space on the globe, we have huge dependency on the ocean in every possible way, but bottom trawling does a lot of damage," Dr Amanda Vincent, Professor in Marine Conservation at The University of British Columbia told BBC's Inside Science. Bottom trawling or dredging is currently allowed in 90% of the UK's MPAs, according to environmental campaigners Oceana, and the Environment Audit Committee (EAC) has called for a ban on it within them. What is the UN High Seas Treaty and why is it needed? But some fishing communities have pushed back on the assertion that certain fishing practices need to be banned in these areas. "Bottom trawling is only a destructive process if it's taking place in the wrong place, otherwise, it is an efficient way to produce food from our seas," Elspeth Macdonald, CEO of Scottish Fisherman's Association told the BBC. Scientists point to evidence that restricting the practice in some areas allows fish stocks to recover and be better in the long term for the industry.

The conference had been called after concern by the UN that oceans were facing irreparable damage, particularly from climate change. The oceans are a crucial buffer against the worst impacts of a warming planet, absorbing excess heat and greenhouse gases, said Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Exeter. "If the sea had not absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat that has been added to the planet as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, then the world wouldn't just be one and a half degrees warmer it would be about 36 degrees warmer. "Those of us who were left would be struggling with Death Valley temperatures everywhere," he said. This excess heat is having significant impacts on marine life, warn scientists.

Stéphane Lesbats ClimaClam is one of a number of projects being undertaken by scientists to study the impact of rising heat on ocean species

"Coral reefs, for the past 20 years, have been subject to mass bleaching and mass mortality and that is due to extreme temperatures," said Dr Jean-Pierre Gattuso, senior research scientist at Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche and co-chair of the One Ocean Science Congress (OOSC). "This really is the first marine ecosystem and perhaps the first ecosystem which is potentially subject to disappearance." The OOSC is a gathering of 2,000 of the world's scientists, prior to the UN conference, where the latest data on ocean health is assessed and recommendations put forward to governments. Alongside efforts on climate change the scientists recommended an end to deep sea activities.

The most controversial issue to be discussed is perhaps deep sea mining. For more than a decade countries have been trying to agree how deep sea mining in international waters could work - how resources could be shared and environmental damage could be minimised. But in April President Trump bypassed those discussions and signed an executive order saying he would permit mining within international waters. China and France called it a breach of international law, although no formal legal proceedings have yet been started. Scientists have warned that too little is understood about the ecosystems in the deep sea and therefore no commercial activities should go forward without more research. "Deep sea biology is the most threatened of global biology, and of what we know the least. We must act with precaution where we don't have the science," said Prof Peter Haugan, Co-chair of the International Science Council Expert Group on the Ocean.

Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.

EastEnders star suspended over 'unacceptable' language

2 hours ago Share Save Noor Nanji • @NoorNanji Culture reporter Share Save

Getty Images

EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick has been suspended by the BBC after using a slur against people with disabilities on the set of Strictly Come Dancing. The offensive remark was made last November during filming for the BBC dance show’s flagship Blackpool week, the Sun on Sunday reported. The BBC said his language was “entirely unacceptable and in no way reflects the values or standards we hold and expect”. The newspaper said that Borthwick, who plays Jay Brown - a key long-running character on the soap - apologised for "any offence and upset". BBC News has approached his representatives for a comment.

Disability charity Scope said Borthwick should reflect on what he said and educate himself. "We hope he takes the opportunity to get to know the reality of disabled people's lives,” said the organisation's media manager Warren Kirwan.

'Deeply embarrassed'

Borthwick is said to have made the offensive remark on a phone video while backstage during rehearsals at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. He reportedly used the term to describe the people of the seaside town. In his statement to the Sun on Sunday, Borthwick said: "I want to apologise sincerely and wholeheartedly for the words I used in the video showing my reaction to making it through Blackpool week on Strictly.” He added: "It is no excuse, but I did not fully understand the derogatory term I used and its meaning. "That is on me completely. "Now I am aware, I am deeply embarrassed to have used the term and directed it in the way I did."

Getty Images Jamie Borthwick took part in Strictly's 20th anniversary series

Trans ex-judge says gender ruling risks lives

Victoria McCloud has argued the ruling on gender, which led to updated guidance about shared public spaces, puts trans people at risk.

That led to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issuing new interim guidance to services and businesses on access to public facilities , such as toilets and changing rooms.

Dr Victoria McCloud is planning to take the government to the European Court of Human Rights over the April ruling, which said a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law.

The UK's only judge to ever publicly say they are transgender has told the BBC she is concerned the Supreme Court's ruling on biological sex puts lives at risk and fears "someone's going to get killed" because of it.

Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg on Newscast, the BBC's daily news podcast, Dr McCloud said: "This incident is putting lives at risk. I can't go out to the pub now, for example. It might not be the be all and end all of life but I am a lawyer.

"I've got to use the men's loos in a south London pub with a bunch of blokes who are drunk. I mean, come on. That's now government policy. Someone's going to get killed."

Dr McCloud said she agreed with an argument put forward by "the gender critical ideological movement" that it is "risky" or "at least rather intimidating" to have a space designated for women, such as a changing room, that is occupied by men.

"But that applies to me too," she added.

"That danger is all the more if it is not going to be me and a bunch of women and one man, instead it's me - one woman - in an entirely male space in a drunk pub.

"That's absolutely clearly dangerous."

Ms Forstater said: "Women have already been assaulted and many, many are self-excluding because of the policy Dr McCloud endorses of allowing men to self-identify into women's toilets, showers and changing rooms.

"Where's the concern for the female half of the population who need privacy, safety and dignity?

"If McCloud isn't comfortable using male-only spaces, then there are usually gender-neutral options available. This is irresponsible alarmism."

In the wake of the unanimous Supreme Court judgement, Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson, speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme in April, stopped short of explicitly saying trans women should use the men's toilets.

She said: "The ruling was clear that provisions and services should be accessed on the basis of biological sex."

Pushed further for clarification on whether a trans woman should use the men's or women's toilets, she repeated: "The ruling is clear."

The EHRC has already suggested trans people should use their "powers of advocacy" to campaign for so-called third spaces that are gender-neutral to avoid these sorts of dilemmas.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in April the ruling gave "much-needed clarity" for those drawing up guidance.

"We need to move and make sure that we now ensure that all guidance is in the right place according to that judgement.

"A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear."

Dr McCloud moved to Ireland after leaving her job as a judge last year and says she visits the UK only on essential trips.

She said she is going to challenge the Supreme Court judgement at the ECHR, arguing the court did not hear from trans people before its ruling, and therefore breached her human rights.

The Supreme Court did consider arguments on trans issues from the human rights campaign group Amnesty International, but not from exclusively trans activists.

Andrew Tate caught speeding 146km/h over limit in Romania

4 hours ago Share Save Mircea Barbu BBC News Reporting from Bucharest Share Save

Getty Images Andrew Tate is known for his predilection for sports cars

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has been caught speeding at 196km/h (121mph) in a 50km/h zone in Romania, officials have said. The British-American national was recorded driving at nearly four times the speed limit in a village about 184km from the Romanian capital, Bucharest. The 38-year-old received a fine of £310 ($420), in line with local traffic legislation, and had his driving licence suspended for 120 days due to the severity of the offence, police said. Tate has denied he was speeding and said he would appeal. The self-proclaimed misogynist and his brother, Tristan, are currently facing charges including rape and human trafficking in Romania, as well as separate allegations in the UK and US. They deny any wrongdoing.

The brothers are allowed to travel in Romania, where they live, and abroad, subject to court-ordered conditions while their cases are pending. Andrew Tate was caught speeding on Saturday in the central village of Bujoreni, police said. They added in a statement that excessive speed remained one of the leading causes of road deaths in Romania. Tate later described the assertion that he was speeding as "grossly false" and said he would contest the matter in court on Monday. He wrote on social media that he had attempted to explain to the officer who stopped him that the radar gun - used by police to measure a vehicle's speed - "must be calibrated incorrectly because I would never do this". Tate said he looked forward to being proven innocent, and claimed he would "enjoy full and normal driving privileges in the mean time", despite the suspension.

The elder Tate has often flaunted his collection of sports cars, including Bugattis and Lamborghinis, frequently posting photos of himself alongside them on social media. The former kickboxer has gained millions of followers online, where he has often mixed political messages with showcasing a flashy lifestyle. He has been caught speeding on numerous occasions in Romania. In April 2021, Tate was stopped in a town near Bucharest for allegedly driving a Porsche at 138km/h, according to local reports. A year prior, he had received a speeding fine in Germany. Several of his luxury cars were seized by Romanian authorities in 2023, as part of legal proceedings against him.

Getty Images Andrew Tate has had several of his sports cars impounded by Romanian authorities

Plane returns to Heathrow due to windscreen crack

An Airbus A330-200 had taken off from London Heathrow a short time before the windscreen issue was reported

A passenger plane from Heathrow to Detroit had to return to the London airport due to a cracked windscreen.

Delta Air Lines flight 017 was carrying 188 passengers and 12 crew on board when the pilot reported the fault shortly after taking off at 11:44 BST on Saturday morning.

The crew followed procedure by returning to London Heathrow, where the plane landed safely a short time later, the airline said.

Some customers were re-booked onto flights later today and those who could not be offered flights until tomorrow were offered meals and hotel rooms, Delta Air Lines said.

Restaurant asked Tommy Robinson to leave after staff 'felt uncomfortable'

7 hours ago Share Save André Rhoden-Paul BBC News Share Save

Reuters

Far-right anti-Islam activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, was asked to leave a London restaurant after the business said guests and staff felt uncomfortable. The 42-year-old said he and four others were told to leave the Hawksmoor steakhouse, near Piccadilly Circus, on Thursday. Yaxley-Lennon has accused the restaurant of "discriminatory behaviour" due to his political beliefs. Hawksmoor, which did not name Yaxley-Lennon in its statement, said the group left the restaurant "politely", adding that its decision was "not about politics or belief" and it was "not trying to engage in a public debate".

The restaurant chain has been contacted for further comment. Video footage, posted on X by a member of Yaxley-Lennon's group, shows a member of staff telling them that his colleagues felt "uncomfortable serving" them. The staff member is then heard saying that he had a "duty of care", adding that he would waive the bill for their drinks and apologising for the inconvenience. Posting on X, Yaxley-Lennon said: "Restaurants and businesses should not be political. We weren't loud, aggressive or inappropriate, so this can only be my politics." Tripadvisor has temporarily suspended reviews on some Hawksmoor restaurants due to an influx of reviews "that do not describe a first-hand experience". It comes after Yaxley-Lennon called for a boycott of the restaurant and for his followers on X to leave reviews. The steakhouse chain has seven restaurants in London, with branches in Liverpool, Edinburgh, Manchester and abroad.

'Huge amount of fallout'

Auctioneer's wonder as tiara smashes expectations

Clients marvelled at the tiara at viewings, said Bonhams

Auctioneers said they were left stunned as a dazzling Cartier tiara, once owned by former Plymouth MP Nancy Astor, soared far beyond its estimated value at auction.

The diamond-encrusted tiara, expected to fetch about £400,000, instead reached nearly £890,000.

"We were on tenterhooks in the sale room, it just kept going and going, it was wonderful, truly wonderful," said Jennifer Tonkin of auctioneers Bonhams.

American-born Nancy Astor was elected in 1919 to represent Plymouth Sutton in Parliament and held the seat until she stood down in 1945.

Thomas Tuchel criticised England's "attitude" and felt they "played with fire" in a narrow 1-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Andorra.

The Three Lions laboured against the world's 173rd-ranked side in Barcelona, squeezing out a third successive win through captain Harry Kane's 50th-minute strike to top Group K.

Tuchel's men were jeered off the pitch at half-time and again at the end, leaving the England manager "not happy" with the disappointing display.

"I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I did not like the attitude that we ended the game with," said the German.

"I didn't like the lack of urgency and it did not match the occasion - it is still a World Cup qualifier. We will let them know [on Sunday] what we want from them.

"I think we lacked the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier.

"I think we played with fire. I didn't like the attitude in the end. I didn't like the body language. It was not what the occasion needed."

England dominated the ball with 83 per cent possession, but frustratingly could not break down Andorra's well-organised defence and were mainly restricted to efforts from distance.

Kane slid home the winner from a Noni Madueke cross for his 72nd international goal, but the Three Lions had few clear-cut chances.

England next face Senegal in a friendly at Nottingham Forest's City Ground on Tuesday and Tuchel expects a better performance.

"I think we started well in the first 20 or 25 minutes," he added. "We created a lot of chances and half chances, and we lost completely the momentum and couldn't get it back in the first half.

"Got a little bit [back] in the second half, but then ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency.

"We can just admit that, it's not what we expect from us. We need to look at it in detail and do better on Tuesday."

Charlotte Edwards was tasked with rebuilding England after a brutal Ashes drubbing which resulted in heavy criticism of the team's attitude, culture and on-field performances.

The legendary former captain has started her era as head coach with a T20 and one-day international clean sweep over a depleted West Indies side, but this was no surprise.

Ultimately, Edwards and new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt could not have asked for an easier start to their tenure.

Edwards' predecessor Jon Lewis also began his stint as head coach with a clean sweep over the Windies away from home, creating a sense of optimism and excitement before it all came crashing down with two disappointing T20 World Cup campaigns and the ill-fated Ashes series to start this year.

So this series win comes with a word of caution - we have seen this one before.

England have regularly dominated home bilateral series, and then crumbled on the big stage. Prior to this series, they had won 79.3% of their completed white-ball games at home since 2020, and that number rises to 87.8% when you take out Australia and India.

There are much tougher tests to come, starting with India's arrival in late June before the very challenging prospect of a 50-over World Cup in India and Sri Lanka at the end of September.

World Cup-winning spinner Alex Hartley says that England are in a "good place" because of the dominant manner in which they have been winning, but has this series provided anything to suggest things will be different and whether the "new" England can finally perform under pressure when it matters?

Three years ago, the image of a distraught Coco Gauff crying under a towel was one of the rawest moments from a one-sided French Open women's final.

Still a teenager, Gauff cut a lonely figure as she sobbed on her chair in the aftermath of a brutal straight-set defeat by Poland's Iga Swiatek.

Gauff vowed to come back stronger - and she has.

Winning the maiden Grand Slam trophy of her career at the 2023 US Open to fulfil her prodigious talent was the first step.

And in Paris, the American world number two demonstrated her gritty mindset once again, fighting back from a set down to beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka and claim the Roland Garros title.

Reflecting on her 2022 defeat, Gauff, 21, said: "It was a tough time.

"I was doubting myself, wondering if I would ever be able to circumnavigate it, especially my mentality going into that match.

"I was crying before that final and I was so nervous. I was like, if I can't handle this, how am I going to handle it again?

"I just felt really ready today."

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill was proud of the character shown by his players in Saturday's 2-1 friendly defeat in Denmark.

Northern Ireland made the perfect start when Shea Charles' effort touched off Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and into the net in the sixth minute.

However, Denmark rallied and their pressure was rewarded when the impressive Gustav Isaksen curled home on the stroke of half-time.

The hosts carried that momentum after the restart and took the lead in the 67th minute through Christian Eriksen's close-range finish.

Substitute Mika Biereth swiftly had a goal ruled out for offside, but O'Neill was pleased with how his young squad soaked up pressure and stayed in the game until the final whistle.

"We showed a lot of character, we stayed in the game at 2-1 which isn't easy," he told BBC Sport NI.

"You have to get to that final phase of the game when you can get an opportunity."

Yet having been on the ropes for so long, the Sharks hit back with virtually their first visit to the Leicester line when a spell of pressure ended with Ford feeding du Preez's run under the posts.

The crowd were on their feet to welcome long-time servants Cole and Youngs on to home turf one last time, but the momentum and energy seemed to be all with the visitors who levelled through Ford's third penalty with 15 minutes left.

Yet it was another Tigers replacement, Perese, who stole the show almost instantly, hitting the line at full tilt just inside the Sale half and scorching away on a diagonal run to the left corner.

Chessum went close to sealing the match after Freddie Steward's try-saving tackle on Du Preez and Emeka Ilione had made a crucial turnover in front of his own posts.

And in a frantic finale, the Tigers had to summon up one last huge defensive push in front of their own line to withstand a late, late Sale surge and ensure it would be them who made it to Twickenham next weekend.

Leicester Tigers head coach Michael Cheika told BBC Radio Leicester:

"It was tough. First half I thought we were excellent, and second half I thought Sale upped their game.

"We didn't go backwards or drop our game but maybe we didn't have enough impact forward to keep them away.

"I always knew it would be a game that would go right down to the wire. Once you're ready for a game like that and think about it mentally then when it comes you're okay with it and I think we handled that pretty well.

"We need to go up a level that's for sure, so it will be on us as coaches to give the lads some tips on how they can get up that extra level."

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson told BBC Radio Manchester:

"It's crushing. The season crashes to a very abrupt end in the semi-finals when you're hoping and have planned for something more.

"I don't think we deserved to get to a final on that performance.

"I thought how they (Leicester) played in terms of their game plan and how they executed it - aerial contests and scrums on what was a slippy pitch, I thought they played that game very well and deserved to win by a few more if I'm honest.

"We came right back into it, scored a try and those moments when you've just scored are the ones when you can't take a collective breath.

"So to concede so quickly after scoring opens the door for them again and after that it was always a difficult task on that kind of day with the form they were in."

Leicester: Steward, Radwan, Kata, Woodward, Hassell-Collins, Pollard, Van Poortvliet; Smith, Montoya, Hayes, Henderson, Chessum, Liebenberg, Reffell, Cracknell.

Replacements: Clare, Cronin, Cole, Rogerson, Ilione, Youngs, Volavola, Perese.

Sale: Carpenter, Roebuck, Robert du Preez, Ma'asi-White, Reed, Ford, Quirke; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Van Rhyn, Hill, Tom Curry, Ben Curry, Jean-Luc du Preez.

Replacements: McElroy, McIntyre, John, Bamber, Dan du Preez, Warr, James, O'Flaherty.

Doctors try 'poo pills' to flush out dangerous superbugs

35 minutes ago Share Save James Gallagher • @JamesTGallagher Health and science correspondent Share Save

GSTT

UK doctors are attempting to clear dangerous superbug infections using "poo pills" containing freeze-dried faeces. The stool samples come from healthy donors and are packed with good bacteria. Early data suggests superbugs can be flushed out of the dark murky depths of the bowel and replaced with a mix of healthy gut bacteria. It is a new approach to tackling infections that resist antibiotics, which are thought to kill a million people each year.

The focus is on the bowels which are "the biggest reservoir of antibiotic resistance in humans" says Dr Blair Merrick, who has been testing the pills at Guys and St Thomas' hospitals. Drug-resistant superbugs can escape their intestinal home and cause trouble elsewhere in the body – such as urinary tract or bloodstream infections. "So there's a lot of interest in 'can you get rid of them from the gut?'," says Dr Merrick. The idea of poo-pills isn't as far-fetched as it might seem. Faecal transplants – also known as a trans-poo-tion - are already approved for treating severe diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile bacteria. But scientists noticed hints that faecal transplants for C. difficile also seemed to get rid of superbugs.

New research has focused on patients who had an infection caused by drug-resistant bacteria in the past six months. They were given pills made from faeces which people had donated to a stool bank. Each stool sample is tested to ensure it does not contain any harmful bugs, undigested food is removed and then it is freeze dried into a powder. This is stored inside a pill that can pass through the stomach unscathed and reach the intestines where it dissolves to release its poopy powdery payload.

Getty Images The stool samples were tested to ensure they did not contain anything dangerous

The trial has taken place on 41 patients at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals in London to lay the groundwork for a large-scale study. It showed patients were up for taking a poo pill and the donated bacteria were still being detected in the bowels at least a month later. Dr Merrick says there are "really promising signals" that poo pills could help tackle the rising scourge of superbugs and that donor bacteria could be going to microbial war with the superbugs as they compete over food and space on the lining of the gut and either rid the body of them completely or "reduce them down to a level that doesn't cause problems". The study also suggests the array of gut bacteria becomes more varied after the therapy. This is a sign of good health and "may well be promoting colonisation resistance" so it is harder for new infectious bugs to get in. "It's very exciting. There's a real shift from 20 years ago where all bacteria and viruses were assumed to do you harm; to now where we realise they are completely necessary to our overall health," says Dr Merrick. Earlier this week scientists showed the good bacteria our bodies meet – in the hours after we are born – seem to halve the risk of young children being admitted to hospital with lung infections.

Trump-Musk row fuels 'biggest crisis ever' at Nasa

5 minutes ago Share Save Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent Share Save

NASA/Johns Hopkins The heart-shape on Pluto was captured by a spacecraft that will be turned off mid-mission if Nasa cuts are approved

The row between Donald Trump and Elon Musk over a major spending bill has exacerbated uncertainty over the future of Nasa's budget, which is facing deep cuts. The space agency has published its budget request to Congress, which would see funding for science projects cut by nearly a half. Forty science missions, which are in development or in space already, are in line to be stood down. The president has threatened to withdraw federal contracts with Musk's company, Space X. Nasa relies on the firm's Falcon 9 rocket fleet to resupply the International Space Station with crew and supplies. The space agency also expects to use its Starship rocket to send astronauts to the Moon and eventually to Mars once it has been developed. Dr Simeon Barber, a space scientist at the Open University said that the uncertainty was having a "chilling impact" on the human space programme. "The astonishing exchanges, snap decisions and U turns we've witnessed in the last week undermine the very foundations that we build our ambitions on. "Space science and exploration relies upon long term planning and cooperation between government, companies and academic institutions."

BBC News

Aside from the feud between the President and Mr Musk, there is also concern about deep cuts requested by the White House to Nasa's budget. All sectors have been earmarked for savings, apart from an effort to send astronauts to Mars, which has received a $100m (£736,000) boost. According to Casey Dreier, chief of space policy for the Pasadena-based Planetary Society, which promotes space exploration, the potential cuts represent "the biggest crisis ever to face the US space programme". Nasa has said that its request to reduce its overall budget by nearly a quarter "aligns (its) science and technology portfolios to missions essential for the exploration of the Moon and Mars". Dr Adam Baker, a space analyst at Cranfield University told BBC News that if these proposals are approved by Congress, it would fundamentally shift the agency's focus. "President Trump is repurposing Nasa for two things: to land astronauts on the Moon before the Chinese and to have astronauts plant a US flag on Mars. Everything else is secondary."

NASA Several missions to monitor the Earth's environmental health face closure

Those who back the proposals say the White House's budget has given Nasa a clear purpose, for the first time since the days of the Apollo Moon landings of the 1960s and 70s, when the aim was to beat the Soviet Union to the Moon. Nasa's critics say that since then the space agency has become a bloated, unfocussed bureaucracy which routinely goes massively over budget in its space missions and wastes taxpayer's money. One of the most egregious examples of this is Nasa's new rocket for its plans to return American astronauts to the Moon, the Space Launch System (SLS). Its development has been delayed, and costs have spiralled such that it costs $4.1bn (£3.3bn) for each and every launch. By contrast, SpaceX's equivalent rocket system, Starship, is estimated to cost around $100m (£80m) per launch because it is designed to be reusable. Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin space company promises similar savings for its proposed New Glenn rocket. To no one's surprise, SLS will be phased out under the White House proposals, in the hope that Starship and New Glenn can take its place. But the past three development launches of Starship have been unsuccessful, and Blue Origin has only recently begun to test its Moon rocket. "The worry is that Nasa may be jumping out of the frying pan, into the fire," says Dr Barber. "The development of these alternatives to SLS is being bankrolled by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. "If they lose their appetite for this endeavor and SpaceX or Blue Origin say they need more money to develop their systems, Congress will have to give it to them," says Dr Barber.

You may also be interested in Nasa needs saving from itself – but is this billionaire right for that job?

Of greater concern, says Dr Barber, is the potential loss of 40 missions to explore other planets and to monitor the impact of climate change on Earth from space, many of which involve collaborations with international partners. "I think it is very sad that what has taken so long to build can be knocked down with a wrecking ball so quickly with no plan to rebuild it afterwards." The projects facing the axe include dozens of planetary missions already in space for which most of the development and launch costs have already been paid for, with relatively small savings proposed on their operating costs.

Getty Images SpaceX has been partnering with Nasa

Also under threat are two collaborations with the European Space Agency: An ambitious plan to bring martian rocks collected by Nasa's Perseverance Rover back to Earth and a mission to send Europe's Rosalind Franklin Rover to the red planet to search for signs of past life. Prof Sir Martin Sweeting, head of the UK space firm Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, and co-author of a Royal Society report on the future of space says that while the development was "unwelcome", there may be an upside for Europe as it takes greater responsibility for its own space exploration programme. "Maybe we have been too reliant on Nasa the big player to carry a lot of the emphasis in space," he told BBC News. "It is an opportunity to think about how Europe wants to get a better balance in its space activities." But there is much more downside for Europe in the short term. As well as the return of Mars samples and its Rover, ESA risks reduced access to the International Space Station if it is wound down, and the budget cuts cancel Nasa's extensive contributions to its successor, the Lunar Gateway, a multinational space station planned for orbit around the Moon.

NASA Nasa's delayed and over budget Moon rocket (SLS) is in line to be phased out to be replaced by private sector developed alternatives

Families of Ukraine's missing fear peace will not bring them home

35 minutes ago Share Save Joel Gunter Reporting from Bucha, Ukraine Share Save

BBC Tatyana Popvytch's son was taken to Russian. "He is so vulnerable," she said. "I worry that he will lose his sanity there."

Tatyana Popovytch had contacted every agency she could think of. She had walked every step her son Vladislav could have taken after the Russians opened fire at his car, leaving him to flee with a bullet in his leg. She had looked in mass graves, reviewed pictures of the dead, watched exhumations. And after a month, she knew no more than when she had started. Then a stranger called. Serhii had just been released from a Russian prison in Kursk. At morning roll call, the prisoners could not see one another, but they could hear each person state their full name and home village. Serhii memorised as many names and places as he could – 10 in total, he said – and on 9 May 2022 he called Tatyana to say that he had heard her son's voice. Like Vladislav, Serhii was a civilian captured from Bucha at the start of the war, when hundreds of civilians were taken from this area. Vladislav was 29 at the time. Now 32, he is still in the prison in Kursk. Serhii couldn't explain to Tatyana why he had been released and Vladislav hadn't. Tatyana was just glad to hear that her son was alive. "I was so overjoyed I lost the stutter I'd had since he was taken," she said. Three years later, to the day, Tatyana was sitting in a café in Bucha, not far from where her son was abducted, looking over the scant evidence that he was still alive: two letters from him – short, boilerplate texts, written in Russian, telling her he was well fed and well looked after. Each letter had taken around three months to reach Tatyana, making it hard for her to feel very connected to her son at any point in time. "My son is very gentle and sensitive," she said, with the pained expression of a parent who cannot protect their child. She was looking at pictures of Vlad ballroom dancing – a hobby from a young age. "He is so vulnerable," she said. "I worry that he will lose his sanity there."

Julia Hripun with a picture of her captive father. She has launched an charity to help bring civilians home.

According to Ukrainian authorities, nearly 16,000 Ukrainian civilians are still in captivity in Russian prisons after being abducted by the invading army – not counting the more than 20,000 Ukrainian children estimated to have been taken to Russia. There are growing fears now among their many thousands of loved ones, amid the apparent progress towards peace talks, that they could be forgotten or lost in the process. And those fears appear to be justified. Under the Geneva Convention, there is a recognised mechanism for exchanging prisoners of war, but no such mechanism exists for the return of captured civilians, leaving even top Ukrainian and international officials searching for an explanation as to how they might be brought home. "When I attend official meetings, at the ombudsman's office or elsewhere, no one talks about getting the civilians back in the event of a ceasefire," said Yulia Hripun, 23, whose father was kidnapped early on in the war from a village just west of Kyiv. In the weeks after learning of her father's captivity, Yulia used Facebook to contact another daughter of an imprisoned Ukrainian and the pair launched a new organisation to campaign for all the civilians' release. The group has met representatives from the UN, the European Parliament, the governments of several EU countries and the US embassy in Ukraine. "We spoke with them but it came down to the fact that they honestly don't understand what's going to happen," Yulia said, of meeting the Americans. "The only thing they said is that Trump is interested in the issue of deported children and that maybe civilians could somehow fit into that category. But they are actually different categories that can't be combined." Worryingly for Yulia and other relatives of the captured civilians, top Ukrainian officials are not pretending to have a stronger idea. "I do not see the real, effective approach to returning the civilian detainees to Ukraine," said Dmytro Lubinets, the country's human rights ombudsman. "We do not have a legal basis or the mechanisms for returning them," he said, frankly.

Petro Sereda with a picture of his missing son. "You want to believe he is coming home," Petro said.

'Army too small' and Yusuf's return to Reform

24 minutes ago Share Save Share Save

SUNDAY EXPRESS Britain needs a bigger army to stand up to Putin's Russia, says former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt in the Sunday Express

DAILY STAR The Daily Star reports of a panther-like creature near singer Ed Sheeran's country home

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH In the Sunday Telegraph, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch says bosses should have the right to ban staff from wearing burkas in the workplace

The Sun The Sun reports on EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick's apology for "any offence and upset" over his use of a slur against disabled people

The Sunday Times The Sunday Times leads with a report that the White House has warned Downing Street against allowing a new Chinese super-embassy to be built at the Royal Mint Court, between critical financial sites

The Observer The Observer focuses on the oceans crisis - noting that 300 species face extinction and 90% of the UK's marine reserves are bottom-trawled.

Sunday People The People claims a two-hour time limit on apps could be part of safety proposals to protect children on social media

Sunday Mirror And the Mirror leads with an interview with a mother reunited with her teenage son after a six-week search, partially championed by the newspaper.

'I burst into tears': How airline carry-on bag confusion triggered legal row

35 minutes ago Share Save Mallory Moench & Imran Rahman-Jones BBC News Share Save

Getty Images

Determined to avoid baggage fees for his holiday to Pisa, Benjamin Till trawled several different shops armed with a tape measure in search of the right suitcase. Eventually, he found a case within the dimensions EasyJet allows for a free underseat bag - or so he thought. When Mr Till arrived at London Gatwick Airport in December 2023, he discovered those measurements included wheels, meaning his bag was deemed slightly too big. He protested, but eventually paid £48 to bring the bag on board. He says he was told to remove the wheels for the way back - which he did. But at the gate on his way home, he was told the suitcase was still too large, so he sat on the floor, unpacking his dirty underwear and souvenirs into a bin bag. "I don't mind admitting that I actually burst into tears because it was so humiliating," he says. An EasyJet spokesperson told the BBC its ground crew had to ensure non-checked bags were within maximum dimensions "to safely and securely fit", and that rules were made clear to customers when they booked.

Benjamin Till Benjamin Till's removed wheels on his trip back from Italy

Stories of passengers caught out by baggage rules they feel are inconsistent or confusing are common, with many customers complaining or seeking clarity from budget airlines on social media. Different airlines have varying rules on the acceptable size and weight of an underseat personal item or an overhead cabin bag, with some charging customers to bring the latter. For people who fall foul of these rules, some airlines charge hefty fees to upgrade a bag from a free personal item to an overhead cabin bag at the airport gate, or to stow an oversized cabin bag in the hold. Passenger confusion has prompted the European Union's largest consumer group to push for fairer and more consistent hand luggage rules, and caused one government to start cracking down on airlines over bag charges. The EU is now looking at changing its laws - changes which would also affect UK passengers who are travelling to or from an EU destination using an EU-based airline. On Thursday, EU transport ministers proposed standardised sizing for free underseat baggage on EU airlines, among other air travel and passenger rights' changes - meaning this could become EU law if their position is accepted by the European Parliament. Budget airlines say their baggage policies comply with the law while keeping fares low, but they have been facing mounting pressure and calls for change.

What could change, or not, for hand baggage?

EU transport ministers proposed that passengers should be guaranteed one free personal item, measuring up to 40x30x15cm (including wheels and handles) - or which could reasonably fit under a plane seat. These rules would apply to EU-based airlines (such as Ryanair, Wizz Air and EasyJet), including when they are carrying passengers from a non-EU country like the UK to an EU country and vice-versa, but not third-party airlines. New rules would add clarity to an EU court ruling from 11 years ago, which stated hand baggage should not be subject to an extra fee, provided it met "reasonable" weight and dimensions, but did not say what reasonable was. Currently, Ryanair allows a free carry-on bag of 40x20x25cm, while EasyJet's dimensions for a free bag are a more generous 45x36x20 cm, including wheels and handles. The ministers' proposal was silent, however, on the issue of whether airlines could charge for overhead cabin bags – meaning that if their proposal was adopted into law, the current situation would not change and airlines could keep charging for that kind of hand baggage, which some in Europe have lobbied to stop. The European Consumer Organisation, BEUC, an umbrella group for 45 independent consumer organisations from 32 countries, believes Thursday's proposals do not go far enough, and legitimise "charging for reasonably sized hand luggage". In November, five airlines were fined a total of €179m (£150m) in Spain for "abusive" practices, including charging for hand luggage. Spain's Consumer Rights Ministry said at the time that it planned to ban charging extra for carry-on luggage and other policies. The airlines had said they would appeal the decision.

Regarding charges for overheard cabin bags, Ryanair said it fully complied with EU law in its policy, which allows one small bag on board free of charge. "If airlines were forced to include additional carry-on bags as part of the basic fare, it would reduce choice and drive up air fares for all passengers, which would harm consumers," the airline said. Industry group Airlines For Europe said charging different amounts depending on baggage "allows passengers to choose the exact services that best suits their needs".

What do customers want?

Hand luggage dimensions should be universal, says Jane Hawkes, a consumer expert specialising in travel. "I don't really see why it can't be, and why they can't come to a voluntary agreement as to what those requirements should be for your baggage," she tells the BBC. "There have to be restrictions, obviously, but a one-size-fits-all kind of approach would make it a lot simpler for passengers," she says. BEUC said policymakers should define what "reasonable" size and weight was "to avoid surprises at the airport and ultimately reduce the number of disputes costing consumers and airlines time and money". Ms Hawkes suggests passengers make sure they measure their bag after it is packed, as it may expand when it is full and go over the limit. She adds that consumers should not just be swayed by the fare price, as "if you've got an airline that encompasses [baggage] without you having to pay extra costs to start with, then that might be more of a better option for you".

Our mum went to jail for stealing our inheritance

3 hours ago Share Save Catriona Aitken BBC News Share Save

Jessica Thomas Jessica (left) and Gemma Thomas say they wouldn't have been able to get through the past 10 years without each other

Two sisters whose mother went from being their best friend to stealing their £50,000 inheritance say they have been left feeling anxious and unable to trust anyone. Katherine Hill, 53, from Alltwen in Pontardawe, Neath Port Talbot, and her 93-year-old father Gerald Hill from Fairwood in Swansea were found guilty of fraud by abuse of power after a trial last year. They were sentenced to 30 months in prison and a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, respectively. On Monday, Hill was ordered to repay the money, which was left to her daughters Gemma and Jessica Thomas by their grandmother Margaret Hill. "I'll never have a relationship with my mother now," said Jessica.

Swansea Crown Court previously heard, due to inflation, the sum stolen by the "greedy and spiteful" Hills was now worth about £65,000. Katherine Hill put the money in an instant access Barclays Everyday Saver account, despite being advised not to, and both she and her dad had cards to access it - draining the contents within a year. Between March 2016 and March 2017, the account where the money was held was emptied in 10 withdrawals, with £35,000 withdrawn in three transactions alone, the court heard.

Gemma and Jessica grew up in Neath Port Talbot with their parents, and said Hill was a "good mother". "She was like my best friend", said Gemma, now 26, adding "no-one saw this coming". She said Hill did not have a good relationship with her own mother Margaret Hill - who split from her father when Hill was a teenager - though the girls did not know why.

Family photo Gemma and Jessica Thomas say they were close with their mum as children - now they have no relationship with her at all

Margaret Hill died in 2014, while [Katherine] Hill was divorcing the girls' father, Chris Thomas. At the time Jessica was just 12 and not told about the inheritance, but Gemma, who was 15 "understood a little bit more". The £50,000 was placed in a trust fund with their mother as a trustee - to be accessed when they were 25. Following the divorce, the girls stayed living with their mother for about six months, but say she would often leave them alone for long periods of time while she visited her new boyfriend. "It would start where she was going on dates and stuff. And I think I was at that perfect age of 'my mother's going out for the night, I can have friends over', and I was kind of loving it for a while," said Gemma. "But it got to the point where it was happening every weekend and people expected that I wasn't going to have a parent at home, and I would be like, 'please will you stay home this one time?'." Mr Thomas decided his daughters would be better living with him, so the girls moved out of their family home and with him, while Hill moved in with her current partner, Phillip Lloyd.

Family photo The money was left to the sisters by their grandmother, Margaret Hill, though they had not had much contact with her in the years before her death in 2014

The sisters said their mum would sometimes take them out on a weekend, to a pub or McDonalds, but the conversation would often centre around their father and her upset that they left. "I think she just could never get over the fact that we were choosing to live with him over her," said Gemma. Jessica said it was "clear from then that we weren't really a very important thing to her". "I remember when she came to see me on my 13th birthday, and took me out for the day, saying she had to leave early because she was going out with [her boyfriend] and his family. "It wasn't like she'd spend a lot of money on us... not 50 grand's worth, anyway."

Jessica Thomas Gemma says she thinks her mum could never get over the fact that they were choosing to live with their dad over her

They said, looking back, there were signs of extravagance from Hill and her partner, such as building a back garden pub and hot tub, and going on holidays. But nothing set off alarm bells, as Hill had also received her own money from her late mother. Now, the girls said, they know it was really them paying for their mum's lifestyle. It was when Gemma phoned her mum to ask about accessing the money early, as she planned to buy their childhood home from their dad, that the claims the inheritance never existed began. She said her mum told her "the money's not yours" and blocked her number, before later claiming in court it had been posted through the girls' letterboxes.

Jessica, who is now a nurse, recalled the shock of discovering the money existed, and then immediately that it was gone. "How can you grieve something you never had? But [also] she's robbed me of an opportunity not a lot of people get." She and her boyfriend currently live with his parents, and she said saving up to move out without her inheritance would take a very long time. Gemma said she was angry, adding she found it frustrating the more time went on and the more Hill lied. She said the initial confusion and hurt was hard, given their happy memories of their mum, and the woman she saw in court did not seem like the same person. "I'd sit there and be like, 'What if we're all wrong? What if she hasn't done it?' "But I have to accept that she has."

"She showed no remorse for anything that she did"

Gemma said giving evidence in court was stressful, but the relief came more from feeling validated, than from money or the sentences. "When it actually was the case that she was being sent down... it was like we were being told that we're not crazy," she said. The girls said they saw people on social media claiming they were in prison with their mum and she "was still saying that she was innocent". "And people would believe in her... that's the most shocking thing to me," said Jessica. "Even though the relationship had started to break down before this, it could have possibly been fixed, whereas we're at that point now that we'll never go back to how we used to be." She added their mum had "showed no remorse for anything she did". "She would look at me while we were standing up giving evidence, and she was shaking her head as if I was the one telling lies," she said. "It's like she'll never take responsibility for what she's done."

Family photo Chris Thomas helped his daughters fight to have their case heard at court, and they say they will always be grateful for that support

Jessica said she had been going to counselling for many years, to address "massive issues with trust", while Gemma said she became "very needy in friendships". "[I thought] 'if my mother doesn't love me, who the hell is going to love me?'" Now a mother herself to a two-month-old boy, she said she saw the betrayal on a new level. "I came home [after court] on Monday and I was feeding my son. I was looking at him, and I was like, I could not go 10 days, not even 10 hours really, without knowing how he was or what was going on in his life. Never mind the past 10 years. "It doesn't make any sense, she's missing out on all of that." Jessica was still living and working in the same area as her mum brought her anxiety and she lived with a tic, which a doctor told her had been triggered by trauma. "The whole thing has just had a massive effect on me, mentally and physically."

Lambourn stormed away from his rivals to win the Derby at Epsom and give Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien a record-extending 11th win in the Classic.

The 13-2 chance, ridden by Wayne Lordan, set a relentless gallop and could not be caught.

Outsider Lazy Griff (50-1) was three and three quarter lengths back in second, with Tennessee Stud (28-1) third.

Lambourn had been seen as the outsider of O'Brien's three contenders in the build-up to the race.

But favourite Delacroix - the pick of stable jockey Ryan Moore - could only finish ninth, while The Lion In Winter was 14th.

Lambourn was another victor to break from 'lucky stall' 10 - the 12th winner since 1977 to start from that gate.

He was sent to the front early by Lordan and his stamina proved crucial as he ran out an impressive winner in the race's 246th running.

"Wayne gave him an incredible ride. He's been a great fella, he's done so much hard work through all the years." said O'Brien.

The trainer was winning the Derby for a third year running and completing a Classic double after landing the Oaks with Minnie Hauk on Friday. He also won the Coronation Cup at Epsom with Jan Breughel.

Hull KR have not fared well in their pursuit of silverware in the past couple of years, let alone since 1980 when they most recently won the Challenge Cup.

After losing to Leigh in golden-point extra time in the 2023 Challenge Cup final, they were edged out by Wigan, one of the greatest sides the modern game has ever seen, in last season's Super League Grand Final.

But that near-half century drought ended on Saturday, when Mikey Lewis sailed his kick through the posts to help the Robins edge past Warrington with late drama at Wembley.

And what makes their recent success even more remarkable is they dropped out of Super League less than a decade ago.

BBC Sport takes a look at what the victory means to a side that might finally just be knocking on the door of greatness.