The officer – who worked extensively within Border Force in the UK and Europe – claims there are staff shortages and told us they believe there needs to be continuing investment in training and technology to help with the sheer volume of passengers coming through the Channel Tunnel. A separate source – a civil servant at the Home Office who works in immigration and asylum enforcement – told us it was "no surprise" the Channel Tunnel is being targeted. "We deal with people in immigration cases who tell us they came through the Channel Tunnel using fake passports," they said. "Some of them actually say that they saw a customs officer or a Border Force officer and they presented the document and they allowed them through." 'There's potential for people to slip through' Our investigation shows an Albanian people smuggler claiming that for £24,000 he can arrange for a migrant to be brought to London in the passenger seat of a £100,000 Range Rover. The officer who formerly worked within border control told us: "It's very difficult, but if somebody's managing to get through and they're that confident that they can sit openly in the car, then you have to ask yourself, is it the technology, or is it the officer on the desk? "The pressures that staff are under are immense. At times it can be overwhelming. You might look at a vehicle and think, 'Okay, it's a British vehicle – they're coming home.' "So you may well then consider that actually it's British vehicles, so it's less likely there'll be anybody in the vehicle that would potentially be an imposter." Passing through border control, documents are scanned, and there may be additional checks. The officer said: "If an officer's looking out the window and there’s a lot of traffic and it's up on the board saying 'waiting times are X amount of time', it's going to put pressure on them to think, 'Well, I need to get them through more quickly.' "But I guess it's always in the back of your mind that it's so busy there’s potential for people to slip through. But we always did our best to make sure that we checked everybody as thoroughly as we possibly could using the technology that we had available to us." How smugglers try to game the system Both of our sources told us the technology at border controls is very good – but they admit it's a constant battle to stay one step ahead of those trying to reach the UK illegally. The officer who formerly worked within border control said: "Individuals chancing it run a very high risk of getting caught. A lot of people do get stopped. But there are people out there with extensive skills who attempt to bypass document safeguards. "People may try to use genuine documents, but they are not the person in that document, so the document could be stolen. You get a lot of imposters. It is entirely possible that they [officers] may have missed something from someone in a vehicle that might have looked very similar to the person in the document. "People are becoming more creative as to how they can circumvent the checks and balances put in place, which means you always have to be on the front foot to stop these people." The officer who formerly worked within border control told us following a fast-track migrant returns deal between the UK and Albania – designed to deter illegal small boat crossings – they noticed a rise in Albanians and other nationalities trying to reach Britain using fake documents. They said: "I think it had a big impact. When it’s more difficult to get through one way, people try another." The Home Office civil servant told us the Channel Tunnel "is still a problem" – but small boat crossings "are taking up a lot of the publicity because that's what you see every day". Exploitation and debt bondage Our investigation raises concerns not only about security checks at the Channel Tunnel but also migrants coming to the UK illegally, then working in crime to pay back people smugglers who brought them here. And in particular, fuelling the drugs trade in Britain. Those who work in the anti-slavery sector have told us there needs to be a "concerted effort" to "go after criminal gangs". Justine Carter, deputy CEO at anti-slavery charity Unseen, told us their caseload has risen "exponentially" since 2018, and last year 44% of their cases involved some kind of financial control. She said: "Debt bondage is used as a deliberate tool to coerce and trap victims through inflated or manipulated debts. "I'm very concerned about people who sign up to this because I don’t think they understand the repercussions of being here illegally, which creates specific vulnerability. "In most situations of debt bondage, you never pay off the debt, so you're beholden to that individual crime gang. "It’s important that we follow the money. Exploitation, debt bondage – it's all about money. And it's absolutely imperative that when we get victim testimony we go after the criminals." 'Now easier for people smugglers to move around' Dr Andi Hoxhaj, an associate fellow at the RUSI think tank, says there are 3.5 million regular cannabis users in the UK. He has written a research project on Albanian migrants in the UK. He says: "My sense is there’s something important missing from the conversation – and that's why in the first place we have a drugs trade and a drug market in the UK. There's a big market that needs drugs to be grown in the UK or transported into the UK." Dr Hoxhaj says Brexit has impacted the amount of time it takes UK law enforcement agencies to obtain information from European counterparts. He said: "One of the biggest issues that law enforcement agencies are struggling with is to identify people who have been involved in drug smuggling and other sorts of crime in parts of Europe when they arrive in the UK. "Now it takes double the time when we used to be part of the EU to get the data and information, and that puts pressure on tackling organised crime and how you identify them so it’s easier for them to move around." A spokesperson for the Home Office, who are in charge of border checks, said: "We have extensive checks and world-leading technology protecting our borders at the Channel Tunnel. For that reason, the instances of illegal entry through the Channel are extremely small. "Asylum claims from those entering illegally via lorry or car are down by 25% in the past year, showing our approach is working. "Those who attempt to cross should be in no doubt you will be removed, with 70,000 people with no right to be in the UK removed since the election."

UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said in June she was "minded" to intervene in Paramount Skydance's $110bn (£81.4bn) acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) over public interest concerns. But a statement from her department on Thursday said she would not due to the legally binding commitments provided to her by Paramount. Money blog: HMRC repays £50m to thousands of pension savers The media and entertainment conglomerate said it would invest £80m in the UK and ensure the news brands it acquired would remain editorially separate, as would the children's TV channels. It has promised that Channel 5 will continue to operate as a public service broadcaster and be separate to the US news brands it owns: CNN and CBS. It added that CNN International will continue to be available in the UK. A letter from the company to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it had "no intention to change Channel 5's commissioning strategy, scheduling approach, news provision, UK origination levels, children's content". Paramount has agreed to make the assurances legally binding. The deal is now effectively green lit by the UK as competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, decided there are no aspects necessitating its intervention. Ms Nandy said, however, she will be meeting with Paramount in the coming weeks seeking assurances about the impact of the deal on wider creative industries. Why does it matter? Ms Nandy had expressed concern over media plurality and the shrinking number of news media owners. Fears for streaming service concentration had also been voiced. A merger of WBD and Paramount Skydance is one of the biggest media deals in history, with significant impacts on TV, filmmaking, and the possible future of the cinema. Other entities that would be owned by Paramount Skydance and WBD in the event of a deal include TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon, as well as the Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming services. TV channels will remain distinct from the streaming services, the UK government was assured. The joining of two of Hollywood's five legacy studios could prompt cinema operators' concerns over possible reductions in jobs and the ​number ⁠of films released in theatres. The company is also headed by David Ellison, the son of Trump-ally Larry Ellison, who put up tens of billions of dollars to satisfy funding guarantees for the WBD bid. While the EU has approved the takeover, regulatory approval is still required in the US, where state attorneys general led by California have sought to block the deal on antitrust grounds.

It comes following a draft set of alcohol policies, published by the council, which encouraged venues to prioritise sitting areas over standing space in a bid to discourage so-called "vertical drinking". Politics Hub: Follow the latest However, Paul Swaddle, the Conservative leader of Westminster City Council, said "there is no plan" to stop standing-up drinking in his borough. Mr Swaddle said the policies are currently out for public consultation, with the survey due to close on Sunday. A No 10 spokesperson said: "Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs." They said that new licensing powers would be devolved to the mayor of London to help provide support to the city's pubs and nightlife. "Soho did not become world famous by taking last orders early, switching the lights off at 10 o'clock," the spokesperson added. "The prime minister encourages local leaders to work with the industry so that pubs can continue to thrive." PM 'a defender' of pubs Andy Burnham has previously vowed to be "a defender" for British pubs and recently announced plans to cut business rates by 20% for pubs, clubs and live music venues across England from April next year. The prime minister described pubs as being "at the heart of high streets" and said it was "really important to signal" at the start of his premiership that he would support them. Mr Burnham insisted he would "speak up for them and act". Included in Westminster City Council's draft statement of licensing policy is an intention to "discourage excessive drunkenness and encourage the provision of more seating in premises that serve alcohol for people to sit and enjoy a drink and order food by table service in place of open bar space that caters for high-volume vertical drinking". One proposed policy is to "normally refuse" pub, bar, fast food or music venue licences in an area known as the West End cumulative impact zone – the area roughly between Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square, including Leicester Square and Soho. "The introduction of measures to reduce the extent of, or to remove opportunities for, vertical drinking could address the underlying reasons for the policy," the document reads. 'We don't need lectures' Mr Swaddle said he wanted "to be straight with people" and accused the press of writing "confusing stories" about what the document meant. He said: "There is no plan, and never has been, to ban drinking while standing up in a Westminster pub." Read more from Sky News:Reality TV star jailedFarmer gets life for murder Mr Swaddle also hit back at London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who criticised the proposals on social media, writing: "You can't run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset." The council leader said: "We don't need lectures from City Hall on backing hospitality when they have directed the police to object to every new licence application as their solution to curbing crime in the West End." He added: "Growth is central to everything this administration is doing. That means backing our hospitality sector, not making things harder for them." Business owners have also criticised the proposals, with one owner of a venue in Soho telling the Press Association that "we rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates put upon us". Meanwhile, a Conservative Party spokesperson said: "Standing inside or outside a pub with a pint in hand is a British tradition." They also called for Westminster City Council to strike a balance between the nighttime economy and concerns from neighbours, adding: "We hope the council's consultation will recognise its importance whilst addressing any particular local issues in crowded late-night locations."

Talks over a deal have therefore halted for now. It remains to be seen whether Barcelona return with a higher offer but their interest in signing him remains. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Man City news & transfers🔵Man City fixtures & scores | FREE Man City highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream PL games with no contract📺 Sources in Spain believe Rodri would prefer a move to Barcelona over Real Madrid. City do not want to sell Spain's World Cup-winning captain and instead want to agree a new contract with him. If Rodri asks to leave, however, then they would not stand in his way. Chelsea's Fernandez would be 'dream' signing for Maresca As City assess their options for a replacement, Sky in Italy have reported that Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez would be boss Enzo Maresca's "dream" signing. Sky Sports News reported earlier this summer that Fernandez was not an option they were looking to sign, however, as they have been looking to keep hold of Rodri. The fluidity of the situation, therefore, means it remains to be seen whether circumstances change with regards to Fernandez, as City may look to bring in two players if Rodri joins Barcelona. Carra: Don't sell Rodri for £40-50m! Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher: "£40-50m? If you're Manchester City, what's the point in selling them? You might as well just keep them for the extra year. "He's as good as anybody in that position in the Premier League, probably the best. Seeing what he was like in the World Cup, it was like he was back to his best. "I thought the second half of the season him and Bernardo Silva were fantastic and almost took Manchester City to the title. "So, if I was the manager of Manchester City, I'd be keeping Rodri at that price. It'd have to be something really special to want me to lose arguably the best midfield player in world football. "I think it'd be really tough for them to win the Premier League without Rodri, even though they've got a lot of midfielders. He's the best, even though they've brought Elliot Anderson, who is one who I'm sure will learn off Rodri. "And for me, I'd see those two as a pair. I see Elliot Anderson as almost the replacement for Bernardo Silva, who's gone to Real Madrid. So, I think that'd be a big hole. It'd be really difficult to fill. "When Liverpool won the title under Arne Slot, Rodri got an injury in that season very early on, which helped Liverpool and was to the detriment of Manchester City. So if I was Manchester City, I'd be keeping him and letting him go on a free. "City paid £60m for him. If they're getting £40m back now, what can they do with that type of money? Not a lot, really. So, I'd rather keep him." How much of a loss would Rodri be to Man City? Sky Sports' Laura Hunter: Massive. Despite his age, and recent injury record, Rodri remains the most complete central midfielder to have operated in the Premier League over the past five years. "The best midfielder in the world by far," maintains Pep Guardiola. Under Guardiola, City's in-play strategy revolved entirely around him, always impressing with his use of the ball and ability to receive in tight situations. He set the tempo for his team and controlled games as a result, doing the same for triumphant Spain this summer. There is no current player who can condition a game like Rodri, and it is no coincidence City failed to retain their Premier League crown in the two seasons he was injury-plagued. So, how is he replaced? In short, he isn't. But in Anderson City have got a surrogate of sorts. The England international might not yet be the dictator Rodri is but he can evolve to become something close. As a box-to-box midfielder, the 23-year-old is putting up numbers that at least mean he is comparable.

The 30-year-old striker, who currently plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli, is accused of assault causing actual bodily harm on 6 December 2025 at a nightclub on Wardour Street, central London. He was charged on Thursday, 31 July and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 24 September. A spokesperson for Toney said: "Ivan acknowledges the charge and although he is naturally shocked, he looks forward to being given the opportunity to clear his name in court." Who is Ivan Toney? The footballer started his career at Northampton Town, his local club, making his debut in 2012. At the age of 19 he was signed by Premier League club Newcastle United. After an impressive run at Peterborough United, Toney began playing for Brentford in 2020. Read more from Sky News:Police officer 'seriously bitten' during Thetford violenceEasyJet agrees to £5.7bn takeover He helped the club enter the Premier League for the first time in their history the following year after scoring a then division-record of 31 goals during the regular season and twice more in the play-offs. Toney was at the centre of one of the most curious transfers on deadline day in August 2024, when he completed a late move to Al-Ahli worth a reported £40m. In 2026, he made his World Cup tournament debut for England, with two appearances.

The Celebrity Big Brother 2016 winner had been placed on the sex offenders register, handed a five-year restraining order and given a 21-month jail sentence in 2023 for sharing a private sex tape of his ex-girlfriend, former The Only Way Is Essex star Georgia Harrison, on his OnlyFans website. The tape was posted without Ms Harrison's knowledge or consent. The 36-year-old was then charged with harassment for posting on social media between March and July last year about the case, in which sentenced in June. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he made degrading comments about Ms Harrison and encouraged others to comment about her in repeated posts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube, despite a restraining order banning him from doing so. Ms Harrison, 31, gave police screenshots and screen recordings which showed Bear made a series of accusations and degrading comments about her. At Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison and handed a new restraining order banning him from contacting Ms Harrison indefinitely. Speaking after his sentence was handed down, Ms Harrison, who was appointed MBE in 2025, praised the police for their handling of the case, saying: "Essex Police took me seriously when so many women in my position are overlooked. "They treated this as the serious crime it is - not a celebrity story. It is a real offence against a real person. "They built the case properly, they stayed with it, and when the order was breached, they acted instead of shrugging. From the messages I get every day, I know how rare that still is. "If every force treated this the way Essex Police did, thousands of women would feel safer today." Read more:Oasis granted Knebworth licenceFemale officer 'bitten' during violence Ms Harrison, who has previously waived her anonymity in this case, has starred in reality TV shows including The Only Way Is Essex and Love Island. After becoming a victim of revenge porn, Ms Harrison has actively campaigned against violence against women and girls. Bear's behaviour shouldn't be 'normalised or accepted' Detective Constable Swarv Stafin, who led the investigation into the breach of the restraining order, said: "Stephen Bear's behaviour is not okay and it should not be normalised or accepted. "The impacts of being harassed are very real. It causes a great deal of stress and anxiety - it is something no-one should have to experience." Mr Stafin also paid tribute to Ms Harrison's "courage and dignity," adding, "I would urge anyone that is experiencing any sort of harassing behaviour to the police, no matter how small or big it is, it will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly." Bear was taken into immediate custody and must serve at least half before release.

Mr Polanski said that "people of colour... can sometimes be held by higher standards" in society - and claimed the University of Cambridge had already carried out investigations. Professor Jason Arday quit his high-profile role at the university on Wednesday after it launched an investigation into his "academic qualifications and honorary appointments". In his open resignation letter, the professor of sociology of education, who became Cambridge's youngest black professor in 2023, said the "only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away". His decision to step down comes after a series of media reports, including a story in The Daily Telegraph, alleging he plagiarised his PhD thesis and other research. Questions were also raised about the truth of other claims he made, including that he ran 600 miles in six days and that he had raised £5.5m for charity. He said his resignation should not be "mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me" or "interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship". He added that he had "reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure". Speaking on LBC, Mr Polanski sought to defend his decision to sign a letter which criticised the "sustained and malicious attacks" on the academic's integrity. He said: "I think the whole affair sounds pretty sad. "I think it would be good, actually, if the (university) investigation still was carried out, because I think it would be good to know the truth. "And ultimately, I think these things should be about fair process and transparency rather than trial by media." He added: "(The university) had already done, I think, two investigations and found there was no problem here or that the allegations were unfounded, and so (the letter) was about essentially saying that people of colour, particularly in society, can sometimes be held by higher standards." The letter was also signed by a number of other prominent left-wing figures. Read more from Sky News:Boxer accused of killing UK aid worker back in courtExplosive German drone 'attack' carried out 'professionally' On Wednesday evening, the University of Cambridge announced it had launched an investigation - which Mr Polanski urged them to continue. In a statement, it said: "Separately, there remains a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic misconduct, which are being handled in line with our misconduct in research policy." Jesus College said in a statement that it was launching its own process in relation to the allegation. Prof Arday's memoir, Great And Unfortunate Things, is due to be published by Simon & Schuster later this month.

On Saturday, live on Sky Sports at the 3Arena in Dublin, McKenna fights Etinsoa Oliha for the IBF championship. Both came in under the middleweight limit, McKenna was 159.6lb, Oliha 159.1lb. Britain's best prospect? Sam Hickey is a real showmanThe dangerous jobs of Callum Walsh - the making of a fighterGet Sky Sports or stream boxing and more with no contract McKenna proved himself world class with a tremendous victory over Liam Smith, a former WBO 154lb champion, last year. He wants to demonstrate his quality again against Oliha and become Ireland's first middleweight world champion since Andy Lee. "It did definitely open a lot of eyes, my last fight [against Smith], because of the fashion I did it in, it was a really dominant fight in my favour," McKenna told Sky Sports. "To fight a former world champion in Liam Smith was a massive name to have on my record. A lot of people were predicting me to lose. So that was another bonus, once I beat him in the fashion I did, it opened a lot of eyes and really got my name out there. "Going into that fight I was the underdog and not many people gave me a chance. But I knew that was my time to really show the world how good of a boxer I am. Not many people expected me to have that style but I've been saying it for years, of how good of a boxer I am. "Now's another chance to really shine again." McKenna is determined to build from here. "Once I become world champion I'm going to take over the division," he said. "I want to clean up the division. The 160lb division is there to be cleaned up. So I want to become undisputed and then become a multiple-weight world champion. "I want the biggest and best fights, I want to take on guys with undefeated records, or guys who are world champions and prove to myself I'm the best in the world. If I can't get the champions at 160lb, I'll take them on at 168lb, it doesn't matter to me. I'll take care of business on Saturday first." On the undercard Callum Walsh fights Tyler Denny in a dangerous test. Walsh, who has spent much of his previous career at super-welter, was exactly on the 160lb limit. Denny was 159.7lb. Light-heavyweight talent Joe Ward hopes to announce himself to the professional sport against hard-punching, unbeaten contender Artjom Kasparian. Both made weight, Ward scaled 174.08lb and Kasparian was 174.2lb. "It's going to be unbelievable," Walsh told Sky Sports. "It's going to be a great card the whole way through. "The buzz is going to be high. Quick fights, good fights back to back and keep the buzz going and by the time I come out it's going to be unbelievable in there. "We can continue to show that Ireland does produce some of the best fighters in the world." Watch Aaron McKenna and Etinosa Oliha fight for the IBF world middleweight title in Dublin on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports or stream boxing with no contract.