UK sending more RAF jets to Middle East

The UK last announced it had deployed jets to the region last year, when the government said British aircraft had been playing a role in preventing escalation.

He said the situation was fast-moving and there were ongoing discussions with allies, adding: "The constant message is de-escalate."

Sir Keir Starmer said the military aircraft, including Typhoons and air-to-air refuelers, were being sent "for contingency support across the region".

More RAF jets are being sent to the Middle East amid intense fighting between Israel and Iran, the prime minister has said.

Sir Keir made the remarks as he travelled to Canada for the G7 summit, where he said the weekend's "intense" developments would be further discussed.

"We've already been moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support across the region," he told reporters.

"Our constant message is de-escalate, and therefore everything we're doing, all discussions we're having are to do with de-escalation."

The prime minister would not be drawn on whether the UK would be involved in defending Israel.

"I had a good and constructive discussion with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu yesterday, and that included discussions about the safety and security of Israel, as you would expect, between two allies," he said.

He reiterated that the UK had "long-standing concerns" about Iran's nuclear programme and recognised Israel's right to self-defence.

Iran has threatened to target UK, French and US military bases in the region if they offer Israel help to stop Tehran's strikes.

Sir Keir spoke to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday afternoon, Downing Street said.

"They discussed the gravely concerning situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to de-escalate," a spokesman said.

Tensions between Israel and Iran have ramped up in recent days.

Iran launched a fresh attack on Israel on Saturday night, while the Israeli military said it was continuing to strike military targets in Tehran.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has threatened a "more severe" response if Israel doesn't stand down. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz earlier warned that "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues to launch missiles.

Iranian state TV reported 60 people had been killed in a strike in Tehran, while in Israel, officials said three people had been killed and dozens injured in strikes.

Washington DC and Tehran were due to resume talks on Iran's nuclear programme on Sunday, but the talks have now been cancelled, mediator Oman said.

'It's heavy on the heart': Israelis survey damage in city hit by Iranian missile

4 hours ago Share Save Tom Bennett BBC News Reporting from Rishon LeZion, central Israel Share Save

Anadolu via Getty Images Two people were killed when a missile hit Rishon LeZion early on Saturday

As sirens rang out across Israel in the early hours of Saturday morning, Ifat Benhaim and her family ran into their basement. "We closed the door, and suddenly there was such a big boom," she says. "I thought all the house fell on us." When they emerged minutes later, they found their windows shattered and layers of dust and debris strewn across the front room. On their quiet suburban street in Rishon LeZion, just south of Tel Aviv, the roofs of several homes had caved in. Glass littered the road. At least 30 cars were badly damaged, with smashed windows and huge dents.

The Iranian missile struck shortly after 05:00 local time (03:00 BST). It came amid six waves of Iranian attacks overnight - launched in response to large-scale Israeli air strikes on Iran - that sent millions of people running for shelter. Two were killed in Rishon LeZion, with one named by Israeli media as 73-year-old Israel Aloni. Around 19 others were injured.

Ifat Benhaim and her husband Zion had lived in their home for 29 years

Ambulances and rescue crews arrived shortly after the missile struck. Sniffer dogs were used to search among the smashed concrete and warped metal for any unexploded ordnance. Now, Ifat, her husband Zion, and six younger relatives are packing up what they can from the home they've lived in for 29 years - and trying to decide where they'll stay over the coming days. One of their neighbours, who did not want to be named, said she had chosen to stay with her daughter that night - just in case. It may have saved her life. Another local, 48-year-old Sally Ilan, clutched some crockery she managed to salvage from the ruins of her parents' home. "It was the first house to be built in the neighbourhood," she says, gesturing behind her. "My father was so eager to build it." "Forty years of memories are gone... It's heavy on the heart."

Sally Ilan's childhood home was destroyed by the missile impact and explosion

PM announces national inquiry into grooming gangs

4 hours ago Share Save Chris Mason and Isabella Allen Political editor and senior political producer, travelling with the prime minister Share Save

Reuters

The prime minister has announced there will be a full national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs. Sir Keir Starmer said he had accepted the recommendations of an audit by Baroness Louise Casey into the data and evidence on the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse. Baroness Casey has recommended a national inquiry is required, he said. The inquiry will cover England and Wales. For months, Sir Keir has faced criticism for not being willing to set one up.

At the start of the year, the government dismissed calls for a national inquiry, arguing it had already been examined in a seven-year inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay. But speaking to reporters on his way to the G7 summit, which begins in Canada tomorrow, the prime minister said: "I've never said we should not look again at any issue." He added that Baroness Casey had originally thought a new inquiry was not necessary, but she had changed her mind having looked into it in recent months. "She's come to the view there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she's seen," Sir Keir said. "I've read every single word of her report, and I'm going to accept her recommendation. "I think that's the right thing to do, on the basis of what she has put in her audit. "I asked her to do that job, to double-check on this. "She's done that job for me, and having read her report… I shall now implement her recommendation." He added that it "will take a bit of time" to set up the inquiry, but added that "it will be statutory under the Inquiries Act". This means the inquiry will be able to compel witnesses to provide evidence. A senior government source said the inquiry would "co-ordinate a series of targeted local investigations". This will include new local investigations, which will take place even if local authorities don't want one. The local investigations will have the power to compel evidence to be given and witnesses to appear. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to make a statement in the Commons on Monday, and Baroness Casey's report will be published alongside this.

Crowds cheered as King Charles and Queen Camilla attended the Trooping the Colour parade to mark the monarch's official birthday.

The royal couple rode in a carriage in the military procession along the Mall and into Horse Guards Parade where the King reviewed guardsmen on parade.

This year the King asked members of the Royal Family taking part in the parade to wear black armbands, as a mark of respect to the victims of the Air India plane crash.

Read more on this story here: King and Queen cheered by crowds at Trooping the Colour

Museum's plea after couple break crystal-covered chair

5 hours ago Share Save Joshua Cheetham BBC News Share Save

Watch: Visitors sit on and break artwork chair in Italian museum

An Italian museum has called on patrons to "respect art" after a couple was filmed breaking a chair covered in hundreds of glittering crystals. Footage released by the Palazzo Maffei, in Verona, shows a man and woman taking pictures of each other while pretending to sit on the so-called "Van Gogh" chair. The man then appears to slip and fall onto the chair, crushing it underneath him. Officials say the couple fled the museum before staff noticed what happened.

They have since notified police about the pair, who have not been identified. "Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don't think about the consequences," says museum director Vanessa Carlon. "Of course it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us - that isn't an accident," she adds. "This is a nightmare for any museum".

Palazzo Maffei Two legs and the chair's main seat were broken during the incident

'Best of Britain' and the country on a 'war footing'

17 minutes ago Share Save Share Save

There is an array of different stories across the front pages of Sunday's papers, but a majority of them reference the Trooping of the Colour celebrations for King Charles III's official birthday. The Sunday Express hails the day as ''The best of Britain".

The Royal Family wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph, a recognisable scene for the Trooping of the Colour. Elsewhere, the paper accuses the prime minister of "caving" after announcing a national inquiry into grooming gangs - something he previously ruled out.

The Sunday Mirror leads on the call of a London 7/7 terror attack survivor, who wants the prime minister to launch an inquiry into the events of that day in 2005. The paper also comments on how Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Princess Charlotte are "twins" for both wearing teal dresses for the Trooping of the Colour.

The Mail on Sunday also comments on the matching royal dresses but the paper leads on a story about convicted serial killer Lucy Letby. The paper quotes a prosecution witness who has accused Letby's supporters of being attracted to "pretty young blonde females".

The Observer features a full-page image of an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv. The paper points out that the UK has sent fighter jets to the Middle East. The UK sent jets to the region last year. Sir Keir Starmer said aircraft were being sent "for contingency support across the region".

The photograph of Catherine and Charlotte dressed in teal has captured the attention of the newspapers, featuring in a large form on the front of the Sun on Sunday. The paper joins the Observer oi its coverage of the PM's RAF deployment.

Britain is on a "war footing", according to the Sunday Times. The paper reports on the UK's deployment of further jets to the Middle East, while also highlighting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warning that his jets will be seen over Iran's capital, Tehran.

On a completely separate story, the Daily Star on Sunday leads on how reggae musician Shaggy attributes his risque hit It Wasn't Me to God.

Wait for bodies deepens pain of families after Air India crash

49 minutes ago Share Save Zoya Mateen BBC News Share Save

AFP via Getty Images The plane crashed shortly after takeoff in a residential neighbourhood in the city of Ahmedabad

For Mistry Jignesh, 72 hours feel like an eternity. Since Thursday evening, Mr Jignesh and his family have been doing the rounds of the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, trying to find details of his 22-year-old niece - one of the 242 passengers that died in an Air India plane crash earlier that day. Authorities had been telling him they would return his niece's body in the 72 hours normally required to complete DNA matching - which end on Sunday. But on Saturday, he was told that it might take longer as officials are still searching for bodies from the site of the crash, he claimed. "When people are still missing, how can they possibly complete the DNA process by tomorrow? What if my niece's remains have not even been found? The wait is killing us," he said. Officials have refused to comment on Mr Jignesh's claim, but a fire department officer and a police official told the BBC on the condition of anonymity that a search for remains of the passengers is still under way. Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent of the Civil Hospital, said on Saturday that 11 victims had been identified so far based on their DNA samples, adding that their families had been informed.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was on its way to London's Gatwick Airport, erupted in a fireball merely seconds after it took off from Ahmedabad's main airport, in what has been India's worst aviation disaster. Only one of the 242 passengers and crew on board survived. At least eight others were killed as the plane struck the hostel of a medical college when it came down on a densely populated residential area near the airport. Things have moved swiftly since. The Indian government has ordered a high-level investigation into the incident and has ordered all Boeing 787s operated by local carriers to be inspected. While the reason of the crash remains unknown, the country's aviation authority has said it is looking into all possible causes for the accident, also bringing in foreign aviation experts to assist with the inquiry. BBC Verify on what could have caused the crash

Everything we know so far about flight AI171

Analysis: What does this mean for Boeing? Back at the hospital, doctors are racing to complete the DNA sampling of the victims so that they can start returning bodies to their families. But for families like Mr Jignesh's, time passes in dragging lulls. Officials have talked about how the process of identifying bodies has been extremely challenging - and is being carried out in small batches - as most of the remains have been charred beyond recognition. "There is no scope for mistakes here - we have to ensure that every family receives the right body," said HP Sanghvi, the director of Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Gandhinagar city. "But DNA identification is a time-consuming process. Besides, given the scale of the disaster, there is also a possibility that the DNA of several passengers was damaged due to the extremely high temperature of the blast." Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist at the hospital, told reporters that his team has been trying to collect dental records from charred bodies, as that might be the only source of DNA left.

The wait has been beyond agonising for the families, many of whom refused to speak to the media, saying they just want to go back home with "whatever is left of their loved ones". "We are in no condition to say anything. Words fail us right now," a woman, who was waiting with three members of her family outside the autopsy room, told the BBC impatiently, as she quickly slipped into her car. As details continue to emerge, who are the victims?

British man is only passenger to survive India plane crash Meanwhile, officials at the BJ Medical College have started to vacate several wards of the hostel, near which the plane struck. So far, four wards - including the hostel canteen, the site of the crash - have been completely emptied out. But students living in other nearby wings of the hostel have also begun to leave. "In one of the wards, there are just three people left - everyone else has gone back to their homes for now. They will leave soon too, but until then, they are sitting there, all alone, haunted by the memory of what has happened," their friend, who is also a student at the college and wanted to stay anonymous, said. But between the college and hospital - in the vast expanse of this city of more than seven million people - there are many others who also are reeling from the tragedy. The last Kartik Kalawadia heard of his brother Mahesh was on Thursday, some 30 minutes before the crash. It was a phone call Mahesh made to his wife: "I am coming home," he said to her. She never heard from him again. A music producer in the Gujarati film industry, Mahesh had been on his way back home from work that day and was crossing the area when the plane hurtled down and crashed into the buildings. Mr Kalawadia told the BBC that his brother's last location before his phone became unreachable was just a few hundred metres away from BJ Medical college. The family has since filed a police complaint and has made countless visits to the Civil Hospital. They have found nothing so far. "The hospital told us they have no record of my brother. We also tried tracing his scooter, but nothing came of that either," Mr Kalawadia said. "It's like he vanished into thin air."

Mahesh Kalawadia, a music producer in the Gujarati film industry, was walking in the area where the plane crashed

I quit TikTok to avoid eating disorder relapse

2 hours ago Share Save Charlie Buckland BBC News Share Save

Eve Jones Eve Jones says messaging promoting extreme thinness online is detrimental

A woman who struggled with anorexia said she had to delete TikTok to protect her health after "skinnytok" flooded her feed with "damaging" weight loss advice. If you have not heard of it, "skinnytok" is a controversial side of social media where people promote weight loss tips focused on restrictive eating with the aim of being "skinny". TikTok recently blocked the search for the term but Eve Jones, 23, from Cardiff, said, despite it being a step in the right direction, it "scratches the surface" on a larger issue - which people can find a way around. TikTok said it continued to restrict videos and blocked the search as it became linked to unhealthy weight loss content.

Despite the ban, many videos promoting "skinnytok" which do not use the hashtag are still available on the app. As someone who has been in and out of hospital since the age of 13, Eve said the search ban was "too late" as the messaging is already out there.

Eve has removed herself from the platform as she said users promoted "detrimental and disordered" eating and she was worried about the impact it is having on younger people. "It's almost a compulsion to watch it. There is a self-damaging part of eating disorders where you try to access this," Eve said. "Once you interact with one post like that, your feed is flooded with it so quickly." Letter accents and numbers can also be used to disguise damaging hashtags, Eve said, so content was still "very easy" to access. "I'm lucky to be in a position where I have had my treatment and I how to avoid my triggers, but people on the other side of this won't be aware of that."

Eve Jones Eve says while it's a positive step, people can access damaging content as it still exists online

The trend has seen a resurfacing of diet culture compared to that of the 2000's, with supermodel Kate Moss's "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" frequently quoted as a source of inspiration. Other controversial quotes include: "You're not a dog, you don't deserve a treat." Eve said she blocked certain words from her social media feeds, including TikTok and X, but the videos still appeared. Many users insist people should avoid consuming the content if it is harmful, Eve said, or come off social media, but she argues it is not that simple. "Anyone who is actively searching 'skinnytok' is either not going to recognise what they are doing is unhealthy, or they are not going to seek help about it," she said. The word skinny has become a buzz word online, Eve said, with many promoting extreme weight loss under the guise of having "healthy" self control and willpower. "There is a lot of denial in having an eating disorder" Eve said, adding that people often were not aware the content is damaging. Her anorexia spiralled from clean eating she believed was healthy.

Eve Jones Eve says she had to come off the TikTok as a form of self protection

"The videos are encouraging people to take up habits I spent the last seven years trying to overcome," she added. "I don't know if I have a friend who hasn't struggled with their food at some point, even if it's not a diagnosed eating disorder, it's affecting a lot of girls on social media. "I personally don't think anyone needs to know what someone eats in a day, it's a comparative thing." Eating disorder charity Beat surveyed people with eating disorders in 2022 about their experiences online and 91% of respondents said they had encountered harmful content which could fuel eating disorder thoughts and behaviours. In 2024, popular TikTok user Liv Schmidt was banned from the platform over her controversial weight loss posts, with many viewers reporting her account for "triggering" language. Known for "what I eat in a day" and "skinny girl essential" suggestions, Ms Schmidt was accused of "rage baiting" to boost her profile views.

Tilly Short Tilly Short, 21, said social media companies should be monitoring content more closely

Tilly Short, 21, from Cardiff University, champions body positivity but said it was concerning as a lot of teenagers relied on social media for information. There is a constant pressure online, Tilly said, and despite trying to adjust the way she interacts with content so it does not appear on her feed, she said it was "almost impossible" to avoid. "You should take everything you see on social media with a pinch of salt. A lot of content creators are not qualified, they are not health professionals."

Research from University College of London found people aged 10-24 who used social media sites were potentially at risk of developing image concerns, eating disorders and poor mental health. Alexandra Dane, lead researcher, said social media platforms enabled young people to constantly compare their appearance to others, which can "encourage young people to view themselves as objects that should be judged based on their appearance". Ms Dane described it as an "emerging global public health issue" and called for more recognition, funding and research to ensure the education and early identification of at-risk individuals.

Steve Copley Beat spokesman Tom Quinn says more needs to be done to ensure social media users are safe

Tom Quinn, a spokesman for eating disorder charity Beat, welcomed the ban of the "skinnytok" but said TikTok and other social media platforms "must now take steps to ensure their platforms are free of all harmful content". Mr Quinn said people would often find workarounds to content blocks and there will still be damaging content that is not under the hashtag. "While social media will never be the sole and direct cause of an eating disorder, we know it can make things worse for those already at risk," he said. "It's important to note that some people who create this kind of content may be unwell themselves, so it isn't intended maliciously."

Fifteen killed by Israeli fire near Gaza aid site, hospitals say

6 hours ago Share Save Sebastian Usher BBC News Reporting from Jerusalem Share Save

AFP Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said 12 people were killed by Israeli fire as they waited for a convoy of aid lorries on the coastal road

At least 15 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire as they gathered near an aid distribution centre in central Gaza, hospitals say. Officials at al-Aqsa and al-Awda hospitals said people were shot by troops near a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by Israel and the US. It is inside the Israeli military's Netzarim Corridor. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots at a group they believed posed a potential threat. An aircraft also struck one person who advanced rapidly towards them, it added. The IDF noted the GHF site was closed until Sunday. The GHF posts updates on Facebook, but Gaza has been without internet for more than two days.

This has only added to the confusion that has increasingly surrounded the delivery of aid, with each day seeing incidents in which people are shot at by Israeli troops or local gunmen. Aid supplies and the internet are vital for people in Gaza - the current lack of both lifelines is rendering their plight even more desperate. Large numbers of Palestinians appear to be staying near the aid distribution sites - one in the Netzarim Corridor and three others further south - so that they will be ready to get hold of food parcels when and if they are opened. In another incident on Saturday, al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said 12 people were killed by Israeli fire as they waited for a convoy of aid lorries on the coastal road. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said at least 29 people had been killed across the territory while seeking aid over the past two days, bringing the total killed since the GHF began operations two weeks ago to 274.

EPA The GHF site in the Netzarim corridor was closed on Sunday (file photo)

Thousands turn out for firefighter's funeral procession

10 hours ago Share Save Nathan Briant BBC News Reporting from Bicester Share Save

Hundreds of firefighters lined Queen's Avenue in Bicester ahead of Ms Logan's funeral

Thousands of people gathered on Saturday morning to remember a firefighter who died alongside a colleague and a member of the public in a major blaze. Jennie Logan, 30, died in the fire at the Bicester Motion site on 15 May alongside colleague Martyn Sadler, 38, and 57-year-old father-of-two Dave Chester. A public procession started at 10:00 BST, with hundreds of firefighters and members of the emergency services lining up along Queen's Avenue, where a minute's silence was held outside Bicester's fire station before a private funeral. Crowds of people waited in silence for about 20 minutes ahead of the cortege's arrival to honour the firefighter, who lived in the town.

Bicester Fire Station Jennie Logan had a fierce determination, a friend said

Two other firefighters were seriously injured in the incident, which is under investigation. One remains in hospital in a stable and improving condition, while the other has been discharged. Paying tribute after the fire, Ms Logan's family said her "bravery and fearlessness shone through right until the end". They added: "She will always be our hero and we are so immensely proud of her. Forever in our hearts." Ms Logan's coffin, draped in the Union flag, was carried atop an aerial ladder platform fire engine.

Alongside firefighters, many of whom were in tears, members of the Bicester Rugby Union Football Club lined the road waiting for Ms Logan, who played for its Bicester Vixens side. Mr Sadler, who worked for the London Fire Brigade and was a retained firefighter for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, was another member of the rugby club. It has raised more than £27,000 in their memory. Firefighters around the country held their own silence, including in Southampton and London, which was organised by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). Ms Logan was the second female firefighter to die on duty in peacetime, after Fleur Lombard, 21, died in Bristol in 1996.

PA Media Crowds, five or six people deep in places, waited behind firefighters along the route

Friend Stuart Smith, also from Bicester, said Ms Logan was "strong, modest and reliable". He told the BBC last month: "She was like, 'I'm going to join the fire service.' She did it. 'I'm going to play rugby.' She did it. 'I'm going to get a motorbike and learn how to ride it.' She did it." Mr Chester's family said he was "the most amazing man we will ever know", who said he "died the way he lived – helping others and putting them ahead of himself". He ran his family company, Chester & Sons, at Bicester Motion and was well known by others on site.

Family photos (L-R) Martyn Sadler, Jennie Logan and Dave Chester died last month

It is home to more than 50 specialist businesses, focused on classic car restoration and engineering, and is located on the former RAF Bicester. The fire was reported at about 18:30 on 15 May and rapidly spread through a former aircraft hangar at the site on Buckingham Road. A major incident was declared. Ten fire and rescue crews were called to tackle the blaze as witnesses around Bicester reported seeing black smoke in the sky. Following the fire, Bicester Town Council opened books of condolence, while church services and silences have also taken place over recent weeks.

Firefighters across the country, including in Southampton, observed a minute's silence

Firefighters from Harrow in London also took part in the minute's silence

Newscast

Israel-Iran: The World Reacts

And Iran warns the UK, US and France not to help Israel.

The grid gives the Australian a good chance to extend his championship lead over Norris, who had a tricky session.

He missed the final chicane on his first lap of the top 10 shootout and had to be reminded not to push too much in the braking zones.

His second attempt was slower than Alonso's first and Norris failed to improve on his final run, and was bumped further down by Russell, Antonelli and Hamilton.

Norris said: "Just a couple of big mistakes. One, hitting the wall on the last lap in the exit of (Turn) Seven and first lap, I think, last corner. So, yeah, just two mistakes that cost me, I guess.

"We've clearly not been as quick as normal. I think that's just because of the layout of the track. I think the cars have been performing relatively well and I was happy through all of qualifying. Maybe not the car to take pole today, but good enough to be up there and fighting for top three."

Alonso's sixth place was Aston Martin's best grid position of the season and confirms the progress the team have made since introducing an upgrade at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

"We maximised for sure the potential of the car," Alonso said. "I feel happier with the car since Imola, since the upgrade.

"At the beginning of the year, it was a challenge to understand what the car needed and what kind of direction in the set-up I needed to go, but since Imola I am more comfortable and I can be more precise on the feedback and make the changes that I know will make the car faster and sometimes you succeed on that.

"Last four races, four Q3 (places). It makes the whole team a little more relaxed."

Rounding out the top 10 behind Leclerc were Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar and Williams' Alex Albon.

However, Hadjar was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Williams' Carlos Sainz at the end of the first session, preventing the Spaniard from progressing. Alpine's Franco Colapinto will now start 10th.

Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda, who qualified 11th, will start at the back because of a 10-place penalty for overtaking Piastri's damaged McLaren after a red flag during final practice.

Stewards rejected Tsunoda's explanations for his actions, saying Piastri was not going slow enough to excuse the breaking of a safety rule.

Rory McIlroy says he has "earned the right to do whatever I want to do" after skipping media duties following his opening two rounds during what he called a "pretty average" US Open performance.

The Masters champion spoke to the media for the first time since the tournament started after Saturday's four-over 74 pushed him back to 10 over par after three rounds.

McIlroy said he hoped Sunday's final round will be a case of taking "four and a half hours and out of here" to put a disappointing week behind him.

The 36-year-old has cut a frustrated figure throughout the tournament at Oakmont, only just making the cut on Friday.

And, after Saturday's round, he said making himself less available to some sections of the media is partly due to a story leaked surrounding his driver before last month's PGA Championship.

It emerged the USGA asked McIlroy to change the club just two days before the event after an equipment inspection deemed it 'non-conforming'.

"It's just frustration with you guys [some sections of the media]," the Northern Irishman said.

It was the first time he has spoken to the media post-round at a major since winning the Masters at Augusta in April.

"I have been totally available for the past number of years," McIlroy added. "That [driver issue] was a part of it but at Augusta I skipped you guys on Thursday. It's not out of the ordinary as I've done it before, but I am doing it a little more often. I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do."

The Oakmont course has proved to be a challenge for the entire field and, although McIlroy has been happy with some aspects of his game, retaining focus has been an issue at times.

"The name of the game this week is staying patient and I've tried to do a good job of it out there, but it's just one of those golf courses where you can lose patience pretty quickly," he said.

"I have driven the ball as good as I have for a long time, so that's a positive from this week. I was hoping to play better, but didn't."

Spencer joined Bath in 2020 after nine years with Saracens where he won seven major trophies - including four Premiership titles - through the London club's era of dominance.

The 32-year-old was made captain in 2022-23 as head of rugby Johann van Graan's tenure at Bath began, just months after the club had finished bottom of the league the season before.

"The amount of hard work this has taken to turn the ship around... we were bottom three years ago," added Spencer.

"I can't credit [Van Graan] enough, he's been absolutely brilliant. If we [understand] there's always an opportunity to get better then I'm really excited for the next couple of years."

Bath narrowly lost to Northampton in the Twickenham showpiece last June but were overwhelming favourites this time around.

They ended the regular league campaign 11 points clear at the top of the table and wrapped up top spot and a home semi-final in the play-offs with three rounds of games still to play.

Scrum-half Spencer said he mainly felt "relief" at the final whistle because of the prolonged build-up.

"To get the mindset right when you qualify early as we did is quite tough," he said.

"I played that semi-final in my head hundreds of times. Day in, day out it was, 'who are we going to get?' It's a hard place to be mentally.

"It's relief for me, the players, staff and fans."

England's Luke Humphries and Luke Littler are out of the World Cup of Darts after suffering a shock defeat by hosts Germany in the last 16.

The German pair of Martin Schindler and tournament debutant Ricardo Pietreczko took advantage of a string of missed doubles and some sloppy play by the top two players in the world to win 8-4 in Frankfurt.

Humphries and Littler, who both became MBEs on Saturday in the King's Birthday Honours, were aiming to lead England to a record-extending sixth World Cup crown - with Humphries partnering Michael Smith to victory last year.

But playing together for the first time, the tournament favourites looked far from comfortable from the start as Germany broke throw in the opening leg, cheered on by a home crowd.

The English pair recovered to level the match at 2-2, but it was then Germany who rose to the occasion with some brilliant play, winning the next five legs to leave them on the brink of a famous victory.

England pulled a couple of legs back to give them hope, but Pietreczko, nicknamed Pikachu, sealed a 62 checkout in the 12th leg to secure the win.

The families paying £1,500 for 'private bobbies' to police their homes

22 minutes ago Share Save Luke Mintz BBC News Share Save

BBC

Listen to this article on BBC Sounds We are driving at speed through the green hills of rural Hertfordshire. Through the passenger seat window, large elegant houses flash by. Each front lawn is neat, each hedgerow well-kept. It looks like England from a storybook - but this part of the country is actually on the frontline of a relatively new (and some might say divisive) approach to crime prevention. In the driver's seat is Robert, a guard employed by Blueline Security. His car is painted with blue and yellow stripes, meaning it looks a lot like a police car. Inside there's a walkie-talkie, a first-aid kit, and a Belgian Malinois dog called Bella (given similar training to a police dog, I'm told). But Robert - who wears a bullet-proof vest and carries a pair of handcuffs - is careful to point out that he is not a real policeman. "The more keen eye will realise that this isn't a police car," he says as he flicks his indicator. He points out that they follow the regulations on vehicle markings designed to distinguish police cars from other cars. "But it looks similar enough where criminality will see it at a distance and think, 'Let's maybe not go there'."

Luke Mintz/BBC Blueline is staffed by ex-police and army officers, including Robert (pictured)

Blueline is one of a handful of "private policing" firms that have emerged in recent years. It has operated mostly in wealthy enclaves of southern England since 2019 and, for a fee, its team of ex-police or ex-army guards can patrol villages, looking for burglars and car thieves. Robert, in fact, spent 14 years working in the police force. Various similar businesses have sprung up around the UK in recent years, including My Local Bobby, which was founded in 2016 and now has almost 150 security guards, as well as a fleet of cars. According to some customers who spoke to the BBC, this fills a gap left by the real police, who they claim they no longer trust to turn up promptly to a 999 call in their villages. To residents who can afford these firms, they are a "lifeline", as one customer tells me. But to others, they represent an affront to the values on which British policing was founded; a step towards a country in which the wealthy get better access to law enforcement than the poor. One former senior figure in the Metropolitan Police says she fears the emergence of a "two-tier society". So, with pressures on real police growing, is there room for private firms to help ease the load - or do so-called "private bobbies" blur the lines between police and profit?

Rise of 'private policing'

The firms offering "private policing" that I've spoken to say that demand for their services has risen. According to a paper published last year by criminologists from the universities of Sheffield and Brunel, the UK's private security industry grew substantially between 2008 and 2021, with an increase in revenue and in the number of licensed security guards. And, according to the Home Office, the number of real police officers in England and Wales fell most years from 2009 onwards, reaching a low of about 122,000 in 2017 - before ticking back up, to about 147,000 last year.

The study's co-author, Dr Matteo Pazzona, a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Brunel University, describes a shift in policing from the "public to the private" realm. Whilst most UK security guards work in shops and other businesses, his data does also signal a rise in the sort of residential work carried out by private firms, he says. There are lots of reasons why the security industry might have grown over this period. But David Spencer, a former Detective Chief Inspector at the Metropolitan Police, thinks that private firms could be filling the gaps left by police. "If you've got money and you don't feel that the police are effective, then it's no surprise if you decide to use your resources to keep your family safe," he says.

Confidence 'hangs by a thread'

Until the 19th Century, protection from crime was largely a privilege enjoyed by the rich. Wealthy people employed "thief takers" to guard their property, whilst ordinary folk had to make do with volunteer watchmen, who focused on the more basic task of keeping order. That changed when Sir Robert Peel, a Tory prime minister, started London's Metropolitan Police - Britain's first modern, professional force funded from general taxation. He instilled in the force several principles that can still be reeled off from memory by many constables today: being visible in the community; treating members of the public equally, regardless of wealth or social standing - and perhaps more important than all: policing with trust. Now, some worry that trust is being undermined.

Joe Giddens/ PA Wire A YouGov poll found that half of adults in Great Britain have "not very much" or "no confidence at all" in their local police

Most burglaries and car thefts go unsolved. A YouGov survey from last month found that 50% of adults in Great Britain held "not very much confidence" or "no confidence at all" in their local force - up from 42% in 2019. The government's police inspector, Andy Cooke, said in a report in 2023 that confidence in police "hangs by a thread" (although his report last year noted some improvements). Mr Spencer, who is now head of crime and justice for the centre-right Policy Exchange think tank, says demands on police time have risen dramatically. Online fraud has shot up in recent decades, and police have recognised the need to tackle issues that were once considered "private" (like domestic abuse and sexual violence). And police resources are failing to keep up pace, he says. This, he thinks, helps explain the interest in so-called private police.

A deterrent to burglars?

Laura (who didn't want to share her full name) signed up for private security to patrol her road a few weeks ago, after a spate of burglaries in the area. She lives in rural Hertfordshire with her husband and one of her three children. She already had CCTV installed and, on the night that her neighbour was burgled, it showed a gang of masked men sitting on her garden chairs. "You can see them looking at the camera, and they've seen it's zoomed in on them. And then they went." Her neighbours held a meeting; about 40 households decided to subscribe to a private firm. Each pays £1,500 per year. In return, guards patrol the area daily. Laura says she can call a guard at any time. "I don't think we can afford to be confident that [the police] would get here in good time," she says. However, private guards have no more power than a member of the public. The aim for many is not to catch or restrain criminals but to act as a deterrent.

Andy Rain/EPA - EFE/REX/Shutterstock English and Welsh police forces now aim to attend a property following every burglary report

Jamie Strickland, a former soldier who founded Blueline, stresses that he does not regard his business as a replacement for the police and argues that even a perfectly-resourced force would struggle to reach remote areas of the countryside. "The police can't be everywhere all the time," he adds. But a spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs' Council says they remain "resolutely committed" to attending the scene of crimes, and that all English and Welsh police forces now aim to attend a property following every burglary report. They added that private firms "should not replace or supplement police and it is for properly trained officers to intervene when a crime has been committed".

'I'm lucky I can afford it'

The question, though, is whether so-called private police firms signal the emergence of an unfair two-tier system, in which the wealthiest can pay to be better protected from crime. This is a concern for Parm Sandhu, a former chief superintendent at the Metropolitan Police who left the force in 2019 and has since written a book about her experiences of prejudice. "If you're living on a council estate, you cannot afford to pay for policing," she says. "Does that mean you deserve to be burgled, sexually assaulted, or mugged? No you don't." She argues that the correlation between falling police numbers and an expanding private security industry signals something "totally wrong". Andy, who also lives in rural Hertfordshire, near Laura, and employs a private security firm, has his own feelings on this. "I look at it and say, 'It's £1,500 a year, I'm lucky I can find that,'" he says. But he argues that not everyone who uses the service is wealthy. "You watch the CCTV [of burglaries], you feel worried for your family." The expense, he adds, is worth it for that reason. Still, doubts remain.

Ms Sandhu points out that the police-like appearance of some of these security firms could be confusing. "If you've got somebody who's under the influence [of] drugs or alcohol, they will look up quickly and think, 'Oh, this is a police officer'," she says. "It's really important to have that differential between police officers and security guards. "Members of the public [could] go to them thinking they're talking to police officers, and take their advice." Which raises the question of what, exactly, private guards can do. The companies I speak to are clear that their staff can restrain somebody they suspect to be a criminal, only in the same way that any member of the public can, a power commonly known as a "citizen's arrest". And it comes with risk. Under English and Welsh law, a citizen's arrest can only be used for an "indictable" offence - a serious crime tried at the Crown Court. You cannot use a citizen's arrest for a lesser "summary" offence (tried at the magistrates' court). In the heat of the moment, it may be difficult for a guard to judge the difference - and if they get it wrong, they could be guilty of a crime themselves.

Questions about accountability

There are also questions about accountability. Police forces are inspected by the Government's Inspectorate of Constabulary; if a serious complaint is made against a constable, it will be investigated by an independent regulator. Few such tools of accountability exist for private firms - other than having their licence revoked by the Security Industry Authority. But Martin Gill, a criminology professor and the director of Perpetuity Research, a security consultancy, points out that in shopping centres and hospitals, the "majority of policing is undertaken by private police forces" (in other words, security guards). Most of them, he argues, do a "very good job". In his view, when a private firm starts operating in a residential area, the local police force should engage.

Getty Images Martin Gill says police should work with private security firms when they start operating in neighbourhoods, not treat them with suspicion

The founder of My Local Bobby, David McKelvey, says he now has a "good relationship" with police forces, after a rocky start. "There was a lot of reticence [from the police] in the first place, but now they're starting to see the benefit of [our service]," he claims. He would like police to work closer with firms. "At the moment, there's a reticence still within policing to sharing information [and] intelligence. Often that information is absolutely vital for us to do our job." The College of Policing has said police forces should only share intelligence under strict circumstances.

Not quite Starsky & Hutch

Ultimately, the sort of work carried out by 'private bobbies' is a tiny fraction of the real police work carried out across the country. But whether more residential communities will in future opt for the private model depends largely on whether the police are able to restore public confidence, says Mr Spencer of Policy Exchange. "If it doesn't, then I think it's inevitable we will see more people […] turning to private providers," he says. Back on the road with Robert, midway through his patrol, his radio buzzes. A customer has called: a horse is loose and wandering in a country lane. Within minutes, he has driven there and helped return it to its field. It's not quite Starsky & Hutch, Robert concedes, but it's an insight into the sort of work they do. And yet, he admits, there are limits. He recalls one shift, on an April night this year, when he drove along a country road in his patch and saw a car that looked like it was being used for drug dealing. "If they've had drugs and they're behind a wheel, that's a summary offence - I have no power to deal with it," he says. Instead, he sat in his car and called the real police. Top image credit: Getty Images

Can the Beckham brand survive reports of family feud?

27 minutes ago Share Save Yasmin Rufo & Alex Taylor Culture reporter Share Save

Getty Images Sir David Beckham and wife Lady Victoria with son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz

The anointment of Sir David Beckham is a moment of establishment recognition three decades in the making. But as the former footballer was conferred his knighthood on Friday, reports of family drama threaten to overshadow the milestone. Known for his precision on and off the pitch, Sir David has spent decades carefully curating his family's public image. This year is one of celebration for the former England captain - turning 50 at the helm of an estimated £500m empire. But for the past few weeks, much of the online interest around the Beckhams has focused on reports that eldest son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz have fallen out with the rest of the family. An expert in reputation management says reports of the feud have begun to affect the family's public image, noting press coverage of the Beckhams has taken on a more soap-opera-like tone. Celebrity crisis PR Lauren Beeching says recent media conversation has "started to feel more like something you'd see around a reality TV family".

Getty Images German Glamour magazine called Brooklyn and Nicola the "world's most talked about couple" earlier in June

Reports of a family fallout began three years ago as stories emerged claiming that Nicola had refused to wear one of Victoria Beckham's designs on her wedding day. Nicola later said she had wanted to, telling the Times Victoria realised her atelier couldn't make it in time so she had to pick a different designer. Nicola denied there was a feud in the family. But scrutiny continued, with shows of unity (from warm social media posts to shared events) being framed as the Beckhams putting the feud behind them, or discouraging rumours of discord. Eventually, speculation seemed to die down. But reports of a rift returned last month after Brooklyn, 26, and Nicola, 30, were absent from David Beckham's 50th birthday celebrations and didn't post a birthday message online. A source told the BBC Brooklyn had chosen not to go to the party as his younger brother Romeo was attending with a woman Brooklyn had previously been linked to. The source added that this woman's invitation had been "a big source of further tension". Sir David and Lady Victoria have never acknowledged the rumoured rift, and have not responded to the BBC's requests for comment. Ms Beeching believes there's now a risk the feud stories could start to shape the family's image, "instead of the achievements they actually want to be known for". "Once you start being spoken about like a reality TV family," she continues. "That reputation starts to slip".

Getty Images Brooklyn (front, centre) as a young teen, pictured with his family at a 2012 performance of Spice Girls musical Viva Forever

As Manchester United's golden boy, David Beckham quickly transcended football to become a global celebrity. He and Spice Girl wife Victoria created Brand Beckham - fusing fame, fashion and football to redefine modern stardom. "Their brand has always been about control of narrative, image, and legacy," says Mr Borkowski. "The media didn't chase them. They gave it a trail to follow - blending scandal with strategy and high-end deals." Beckham "made metrosexuality mainstream", he adds. "He showed working-class lads you could wear nail polish, model for Armani, champion grooming rituals - and still bend a free-kick past the keeper at crunch time. All while embodying a very traditional ideal: devoted husband, hands-on dad, family first." "I lived my career through the spotlight," Sir David told BBC Radio 4's Front Row in 2013. "You have to be a certain person, you have to create a certain person, and you have to be yourself." These parallel identities - carefully constructed yet authentic - gave Beckham his unique pull. While the Beckham family have always been relatively private, Ms Beeching sees David's 2023 Netflix documentary as a turning point in how the public perceived them. "The Beckham brand has always been seen as aspirational, not accessible, but since the documentary, there's been a notable increase in how much the family share on their social media accounts, which puts them closer to being reality stars," she says. Ms Beeching says recent news has pulled the family "away from legacy-building and into soap opera territory, which was never their lane". The constant rumours about the family's dynamic have led some fans to take on a "Sherlock Holmes role" - so now, every absence in a photo becomes a hidden theory and every Instagram caption has a sub context.

Feud is 'built to go viral'

Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, tells the BBC fans expect to see social signals of closeness such as mutual follows, birthday posts and supportive comments. "When these signals are missing, people don't assume neutrality, they assume tension." Fans and tabloids were quick to pick up on Brooklyn and Nicola's German Glamour magazine shoot earlier this month as a signal that the rift was far from over - the couple avoided mentioning the Beckhams, but Nicola's love for her own family was referenced several times. Since then, every Beckham Instagram post and like (or lack thereof) has been agonised over, and even if discussion of the feud are eventually put to bed, it's unlikely that social media sleuthing will end. Mr Navarra explains that even if facts are revealed and the rift rumours are quashed, "the social media algorithm doesn't care about accuracy - it cares about engagement". This feud is the "perfect storm as it's built to go viral", and social media doesn't just fuel speculation, it manufactures and rewards it, he says. Of course, family drama is also more relatable than a knighthood, and there's always been an insatiable appetite for famous families feuding in the spotlight. Ms Beeching sees parallels between the Beckham family fallout and the rift between the Sussexes and the Royal Family, which continues to make headlines.

Getty Images Since stepping back from senior royal duties in 2020, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have seen their fractured relationship with the British monarchy go public

"The Royal Family lost control over the narrative as Harry and Meghan became more independent, and that's the same here with Brooklyn and Nicola, who are both adults and are forming their own public personas," she says. Like Meghan, Nicola Peltz was already a known figure before marrying Brooklyn. The daughter of a billionaire businessman and model, "Nicola doesn't need to rely on the Beckhams for money or fame", says Wayne Barton, who wrote a biography about Beckham in 2020. In a bid to not be perceived as nepo babies - children of celebrities who get fast-tracked to success - "Brooklyn and Nicola are in search of their own identities, which "may be putting them at odds with the careful public image that the Beckhams have created for the family", he says.

Sir David's polished image has, on occasion, been tarnished by scandal - in 2003, he faced accusations of an extra-marital affair with his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos. Nicole Lampert, the Daily Mail's showbiz editor at the time, says the Beckhams perfected "smiling through" issues - letting actions speak over words. In 2004, the couple staged a photocall skiing together to demonstrate a united front - with Victoria giving what Lampert describes as a pained "rictus grin". Generally, however, the Beckhams have remained tight-lipped when it comes to scandals, such as criticism over David Beckham's involvement with Qatar, and leaked emails in 2017 that included disparaging comments about singer Katherine Jenkins being awarded an honour over him.

Brand is 'bruised not broken'

Tatjana Maria says her Queen's run has been a "dream come true" after she came through qualifying to reach the final, where she will meet Amanda Anisimova.

The 37-year-old German became the oldest woman to reach a WTA 500 final with a stunning 6-3 7-6 (7-3) victory over Australian Open winner Madison Keys in the last four.

The mother-of-two arrived at Queen's on a nine-match losing streak but has beaten three top-20 players on her way to Sunday's showpiece.

"You always have to keep going. You never can stop, [it] doesn't matter how it goes," world number 86 Maria said.

"I love to play tennis, I love the sport and we live for these special moments - that's why it's amazing."

American eighth seed Anisimova beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 6-2 4-6 6-4 in a gruelling match to reach a first grass-court final.

Both players will now bid to become the first women's singles champion at Queen's for 52 years.

Leinster captain Jack Conan says winning the United Rugby Championship helped his side "silence a few critics".

Leo Cullen's team won the competition for the first time since 2021 - and ninth time overall - after a comfortable 32-7 victory against the Bulls at Croke Park.

And Conan was pleased with the success after the Irish side's recent shortcomings in European deciders.

"Definitely feeling a bit of relief, just so delighted for everyone who has put in so much work the last few years," he told TG4.

"I'm glad we showed up and performed and were able to silence a few critics."

Conan, who will now link up with the British and Irish Lions for their summer tour of Australia, revelled in winning the trophy at the GAA headquarters and in front of a crowd as Leinster's last triumph in the competition four years ago was behind closed doors due to Covid.

"It's incredibly special and not something you dream of growing up or even in the last few years it's been a while since we played here," he added in the post-match press conference.

Leinster led 19-0 at half-time and Conan believes the strong defensive effort to shut out South African visitors Bulls after racing into the lead helped his side over the line in the second half.

"To hold them out at half-time, credit to the lads for putting their heads in where you wouldn't put a shovel, the mental lift that gave us was huge," he admitted.

"Before the game we spoke about taking it moment by moment and not getting ahead of ourselves. We knew it was going to be unbelievably physical and there was no point focusing on the bigger picture, but we dealt really with how direct they were.

"I'm delighted for the lads that they have performed."