The Green Party leader had faced mounting questions over whether it was his primary residence. Politics Hub: Updates from our Westminster team Government guidance says a person may be liable for council tax on a boat if it is their "sole or main" residence. A party spokesperson said Mr Polanski had been living on the boat, moored in east London, "until relatively recently", which "came with its own unique practical circumstances and considerations". "He has immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe," they added. "Zack apologises sincerely for the unintentional mistake." They said they would not comment on Mr Polanski's address "for security reasons", adding: "There have recently been two serious incidents which have been reported to the police and are under investigation." Mr Polanski has come under heightened scrutiny since taking leadership of the Greens. The party's popularity has increased under his watch, and it enjoyed gains in last week's local elections. The Greens previously told The Times he only stayed on the houseboat "occasionally" and rented a room at another address where council tax was included in the rent. The newspaper had reported seeing an advert for the sale of the boat in which Mr Polanski's partner wrote: "We are moving to a house and so will sadly be leaving the gorgeous community behind." Read more from Sky News:PM's future in the balanceRod Stewart praises King's US visit The Daily Mail separately reported that Mr Polanski was registered to vote at a building near the marina, which he is also said to have used as a mailing address. Tax lawyer Dan Neidle, founder of Tax Policy Associates, analysed Mr Polanski's situation this week and wrote: "If the boat was in fact Mr Polanski's 'sole or main residence' then he and/or his partner should have registered for, and paid, council tax for those three years." Mr Polanski's apology over the houseboat comes after he said sorry for sharing a post criticising the police response to the recent Golders Green terror attack.

Look Mum No Computer, real name Sam Battle, will take the stage in Vienna, Austria, to perform his song Eins, Zwei, Drei in front of millions this week. Speaking to the Press Association ahead of the semi-finals, Battle said he was "really excited" to take part – but admitted it was "a lot of work" given he's just become a dad. He joked that if he were not gearing up for Vienna, he would be "probably changing my newborn baby's nappy". "I'm really proud of what we've pulled together and can't wait to put it into practice," Battle added. "Working with (choreographer Fredrik Rydman) has been brilliant; he's a really cool guy and has been pushing the boundaries of what we want to do up on that stage. "It's going to make for a really interesting live performance." Battle also promises a "mega synthesiser" built especially for his performance, although he added some of his plans did not come to fruition, as he did not think the BBC "trusted my welding". "I don't want to give it all away, so you'll have to tune in to see me when I perform on the Eurovision stage for the first time at Thursday's semi-final," he said. Who is Sam Battle? Since beginning his YouTube career in 2013, the Lincolnshire-born musician has amassed more than 85 million views and 1.4 million combined subscribers and followers across all social media platforms. Battle has become known for his videos about making and playing unusual electronic music equipment, having made an organ out of Furby toys, fused a synthesiser with a Raleigh Chopper bicycle, and made a triple oscillator synthesiser out of Nintendo Game Boy consoles. He has won the support of long-time Eurovision host Graham Norton, who told the BBC: "The song is different to anything else we've ever entered, and I can really imagine the whole arena getting behind it." Read more from Sky News:Should this kitchen product be banned?British Steel to be nationalised, says Starmer But does it stand a chance of winning? "Never say never," Norton joked, noting that the UK last won the coveted competition in 1997's Love Shine A Light by Katrina And The Waves. This year's edition of the song contest – the 70th anniversary – has seen controversy, though. Last year, Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all announced their withdrawal from Eurovision 2026 over Israel's participation in the competition. It came after a vote on whether members were happy with tougher new rules introduced in November – following claims of Israeli government "interference" in last year's contest. The majority agreed the changes were enough and Israel's place was confirmed. Israeli national broadcaster KAN described attempts to remove them as a "cultural boycott". Battle will represent the UK at the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest this week, with the final set to take place at Vienna's Wiener Stadthalle on 16 May. The semi-finals will take place on 12 and 14 May.

He's a former special adviser parachuted into a safe seat in 2001 who declared when he stood for leader in 2010: "No more special advisers parachuted into safe seats." He's the Liverpool-born Everton supporter who was booed at the Hillsborough disaster 20th anniversary memorial at Liverpool's Anfield football ground. Politics latest: First members of government resign in call for Starmer to quit And he's the Greater Manchester mayor who, when re-elected in 2024, insisted: "I'm here for a full third term. I'm not planning to head back to Westminster any time soon." Yet this self-styled "King of the North", Andy Burnham, is seen by many Labour MPs and activists as their salvation and the party's best hope - if he's allowed to run for leader. He's certainly popular. Opinion polls consistently put him well ahead of Sir Keir Starmer and other Labour leadership rivals. He's the only major Labour politician viewed favourably by voters. For example, a YouGov poll suggested 36% of voters view him positively and 27% unfavourably. Wes Streeting's rating was minus 20, Angela Rayner's minus 31 and the PM's minus 45. Another YouGov poll suggested 27% believe he would do a good job as PM compared with 22% a poor job. Among Labour voters it was 48%, compared with 60% who think Sir Keir is doing a poor job. Born in Aintree in 1970, Mr Burnham is a Cambridge graduate who became a researcher for the late Tessa Jowell and then special adviser to Chris Smith, who was culture secretary in Tony Blair's first term. He became MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, with a majority more than 16,000, after the retirement of former Labour whip Lawrence Cunliffe and within two years was parliamentary aide to David Blunkett. He was on his way. After Labour's 2005 election victory, he became a junior minister, then middle-ranking minister at the Home Office before a sideways move to the Department of Health. When Gordon Brown became PM in 2007, he joined the cabinet as Treasury chief secretary, and then became culture secretary a year later and health secretary in 2009. After being heckled at Anfield as culture secretary in 2009, he became a champion of the Hillsborough bereaved, and eventually won a second inquiry, winning him cheers at the 25th anniversary. As health secretary, he was criticised for rejecting calls for a public inquiry into an unusually high rate of deaths at Stafford Hospital after concerns about its standards of care. After Labour's 2010 election defeat, he stood for the leadership, but came fourth behind the winner Ed Miliband, his brother David and Ed Balls, but ahead of left-winger Diane Abbott. He served as shadow education secretary, and then health, and stood for the leadership again after Miliband's defeat in 2015, and this time came second to Jeremy Corbyn. He was shadow home secretary under Corbyn, but a year later announced he was running for Greater Manchester mayor. He was elected in 2017 with 63% of the vote, in 2021 with 67% and in 2024 with 63% again. When he was first elected, Corbyn travelled to Manchester to celebrate his triumph, but Burnham chose to celebrate with his supporters instead. First challenge to Starmer thwarted As mayor, he has been a high-profile voice for northwest England, and promoted what he calls "Manchester-ism", with moves such as taking the city's buses back under public control. Tackling homelessness, he initially pledged to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020, but by late 2019 he was forced to admit he would miss his target. He earned plaudits when he clashed with Boris Johnson over COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic, a high-profile rearguard action that earned him the title the "King of the North" for the first time. He ordered reviews into sex abuse allegations and grooming gangs in Rochdale, Manchester and Oldham, and backed calls for a national public inquiry. Despite pledging to serve a full term as mayor, as Starmer's woes deepened last autumn Burnham claimed on the eve of Labour's conference last year that he was being urged to stand for the Labour leadership. But that backfired, and Starmer saw off the challenge for a few months. Then, in early 2026, Burnham made his next move, a bid to stand as Labour's candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election. He was thwarted when a sub-committee of Labour's national executive voted 8-1 - with deputy leader Lucy Powell his sole backer - to block him. Labour lost the by-election, and Burnham allies claimed he would have won. Now he's back again, this time with powerful allies, including Powell, Angela Rayner and Lisa Nandy, calling for him to be allowed to stand in a by-election this time. But time is not on Burnham's side. A swift contest, if it's triggered by Labour MP Catherine West's rallying call to mutineers, there almost certainly wouldn't be time for him to enter the race. His best hope is a contest delayed until later in the year. And even then, with Labour support at rock bottom in last week's elections, there's no guarantee he could win a by-election. But Burnham has proved before that he's a resilient politician and a fighter. That's what those MPs calling for Sir Keir to set a timetable for quitting claim Labour needs right now. And despite the obstacles potentially standing in his way - Labour's national executive and a volatile electorate in a by-election - he's ready to answer the call.

It's been a difficult campaign for Liverpool, who have fallen dramatically since winning the Premier League in Slot's first season last year. Their wait to secure Champions League football goes on after a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea last Saturday - a result that was greeted with boos from the Anfield crowd. It was yet more criticism for Slot from supporters but it is thought he retains the backing of the Anfield hierarchy and has pledged to win back fans next season, saying he is "100 per cent convinced" his side will be a different team next season. Speaking on Sky Sports News, Merson gives his verdict on how next season might go for both Liverpool and and improved Man Utd, plus he discusses Arsenal and that disallowed West Ham goal and who could be next for Chelsea... Read on for all the Magic Man's latest views... Live Premier League table | Watch FREE PL highlightsGot Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱No Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺'Liverpool will finish above Man Utd next season' It's been a frustrating season for Liverpool and Slot. They're knowledgable fans at Liverpool. There was the debate at the weekend with Rio Ngumoha coming off in the draw against Chelsea. I know Slot said Rio was cramping up, but it's not like he was on the floor and they were stretching him out. It's easy for managers sometimes to say who's the youngest? And bring them off. The fans weren't silly. Gakpo could've easily come off and Rio stayed on. Only he knows if he had cramp, but Slot's up against it, when the crowd are letting you know that. A lot's gone on at Liverpool. I do feel sorry for them with everything that's gone on. They've had a lot of injuries too. However, I don't think it's all bad for Liverpool and I think they will finish above Man Utd next season. That's also without knowing what happens this summer. Why? So many players have had good seasons for Man Utd and hardly anyone has for Liverpool, bar Dominik Szoboszlai. You go through Man Utd's team and there's six or seven players who have been above average this season. Alexander Isak will be fit, Florian Wirtz will have a year in the league. I'm confident Liverpool will finish above Man Utd. Watch Aston Villa vs Liverpool (Friday, 8pm) and Man Utd vs Nottingham Forest (Sunday, 12.30pm) on Sky Sports this weekend Merson: Invincibles will always be best Arsenal side ever Meanwhile, Merson believes Arsenal's invincible season would still surpass potentially winning the Premier League and Champions League. Gunners legend Ian Wright said Mikel Arteta's side would go down as the best team in the club's history if they complete the double this season. But Merson reckons the achievement wouldn't be better than the unbeaten side of 2003/04. "Winning the Premier League and winning the Champions League could be done again," he said. "Being invincible will never be done again. "Winning the Champions League has already been done but no one's been invincible before bar that team. It's a lot harder to go invincible in this day and age. "I don't [agree with Wright] because Man Utd and Man City have already done that, but they haven't been invincible." 'If Raya takes the catch then West Ham get a penalty' Merson also had his say on the decision to disallow a crucial West Ham goal at the end of Sunday's Premier League match against Arsenal. Referee Chris Kavanagh initially awarded Callum Wilson's stoppage-time equaliser but changed his decision after being advised to review it by VAR Darren England. The officials ruled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was fouled by Pablo Felipe as he attempted to claim a corner. It was described as one of the most pivotal VAR calls in Premier League history, impacting both the top and bottom of the division. "It's a stonewall foul but there's so much going on around the foul," Merson said. "If Raya comes and catches the ball, West Ham will get a penalty because Declan Rice is fouling, Trossard's fouling. "I don't think the goalkeeper should have come in the first place. I thought it was in no man's land, in my opinion. When he comes, he's just not going to get there. "You've got to look at the start as well with Havertz, he is getting fouled. "Fair play to the ref in the end, you know, because he's gone and made a big decision in front of 60,000 West Ham fans, which is a big, big decision." Watch Arsenal vs Burnley on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports from 6.30pm; kick off 8pm Merse: Silva to replace Rosenior at Chelsea? Finally, former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has emerged as the candidate with the best CV for the Chelsea job. The Blues want a manager with experience at the highest level. Alonso is highly regarded because of his playing career and his managerial record at Bayer Leverkusen. There is also a general feeling that he wasn't given enough time at Real Madrid and he would have been successful if he had kept his job. However, while Merson thinks Alonso could be a good fit for Chelsea, he put forward another name to take the permanent job at Stamford Bridge. He said: "You always think Xabi Alonso is going to be the next Liverpool manager - I'd keep Slot, because of what he did last year. But unless he's been told he's not getting the Liverpool job, he might say yeah Chelsea's a good fit. "He was brilliant at Leverkusen, he messed with the wrong people at Real Madrid. You can't do that, messing with Vinicius Junior, so it'll be interesting. "I like him, he was a special player and did great in Germany but not so much in Spain. Plus, he hasn't managed in the Premier League. "I think it could be Marco Silva. He ticks the boxes. Iraola won't like what he sees with Chelsea being outrun in every game, I don't know how he'd turn that around. "Silva's only up the road too, wouldn't have to move, he's been in the Premier League a long time and is steady. He's done a really good job at Fulham."

The UK's benchmark borrowing cost rose to 5.12% on Tuesday morning - a near 20-year high. Last time investors demanded such a return to lend to the state for 10 years was in July 2008. Longer-term forms of borrowing also rose sharply. The interest rate, also known as the yield, on 30-year loans to the state - called bonds - hit a level not seen since May 1998 at more than 5.8%. For 20-year bonds, the rate demanded by investors spiked to 5.75%, a peak last seen in July 1998. Investors appear more nervous about the ability of the UK to repay those debts amid uncertainty over the prime minister's stewardship of the UK economy. Money blog: 'Walking' clause in hotel bookings Other major economies have seen increases in their borrowing costs as oil prices have remained high due to supply disruptions due to the war with Iran. Higher oil prices mean greater inflation, which can lead to central banks raising interest rates, which brings up borrowing costs. Even before the latest bout of political peril for Starmer, the UK's benchmark borrowing cost had reached financial crisis-era highs, as the UK is particularly exposed to energy price shocks due to its reliance on oil and gas imports. Why does it matter? Having to pay more on debt can disrupt government spending plans. If borrowing costs more, there may be less to spend on other projects or for tax cuts. What else is going on in markets? The value of the pound has also fallen, with one buying $1.352 - a low not seen since the end of April. The UK's benchmark stock index - the FTSE 100 - has also dropped 0.5% this morning, reaching a point not hit since the end of March.

The 30-year-old has accused the tech giant of using her image without permission to market its TV sets. The lawsuit alleges that Samsung featured a copyrighted ​image of the pop artist on the front of cardboard boxes containing ​televisions for retail sale. This enabled the company to benefit from what seemed ⁠like her endorsement of the product, the lawsuit alleges. The image alleged to have been used ​on the TV boxes is titled Dua Lipa - Backstage at Austin City Limits, 2024, and Lipa is the owner of all rights, title and interest in the image, according to the lawsuit. The suit was filed on Friday in the California federal court. Read more from Sky News:Adolescence dominates BAFTA TV ceremonyRemains of US soldier who fell off cliff found She has also accused Samsung Electronics of breaching publicity rights. Her lawyers have attached screenshots of social media postings and comments in the filing, claiming the singer's image on the front of the boxes drove potential customers to buy the ​product. One of ​the screenshots shows ⁠a fan saying they would get the TV "just because Dua is on it". The Grammy-winning artist became aware of Samsung's alleged ​infringement in June last year and demanded the tech company stop using ​her ⁠image, but it repeatedly refused to do so, her lawyers said. Samsung's alleged unauthorised use of Lipa's image has "caused and continues to cause dilution" of her "brand identity ⁠and ​commercial goodwill by falsely conveying to the consuming ​public that she approves of and endorses" the products in question, they said. A spokesperson for Samsung Electronics declined ​to comment to Reuters, saying it was unable to comment on pending litigation, while ​Lipa's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case.

The Green Party leader had faced mounting questions over whether it was his primary residence. Politics Hub: Updates from our Westminster team Government guidance says a person may be liable for council tax on a boat if it is their "sole or main" residence. A party spokesperson said Mr Polanski had been living on the boat, moored in east London, "until relatively recently", which "came with its own unique practical circumstances and considerations". "He has immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe," they added. "Zack apologises sincerely for the unintentional mistake." They said they would not comment on Mr Polanski's address "for security reasons", adding: "There have recently been two serious incidents which have been reported to the police and are under investigation." Mr Polanski has come under heightened scrutiny since taking leadership of the Greens. The party's popularity has increased under his watch, and it enjoyed gains in last week's local elections. The Greens previously told The Times he only stayed on the houseboat "occasionally" and rented a room at another address where council tax was included in the rent. The newspaper had reported seeing an advert for the sale of the boat in which Mr Polanski's partner wrote: "We are moving to a house and so will sadly be leaving the gorgeous community behind." Read more from Sky News:PM's future in the balanceRod Stewart praises King's US visit The Daily Mail separately reported that Mr Polanski was registered to vote at a building near the marina, which he is also said to have used as a mailing address. Tax lawyer Dan Neidle, founder of Tax Policy Associates, analysed Mr Polanski's situation this week and wrote: "If the boat was in fact Mr Polanski's 'sole or main residence' then he and/or his partner should have registered for, and paid, council tax for those three years." Mr Polanski's apology over the houseboat comes after he said sorry for sharing a post criticising the police response to the recent Golders Green terror attack.

Spurs squandered the chance to go four points clear of 18th-placed West Ham after Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty cancelled out Mathys Tel's stunning opener at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Leeds were awarded the penalty after VAR advised Gillett to look at the monitor to review Tel's high boot while attempting to clear the ball with an overhead kick, which caught Ethan Ampadu in the head. Tottenham 1-1 Leeds - Match report & highlightsAs it happened | Teams | StatsLive Premier League table | Watch FREE PL highlightsGot Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺 Following a lengthy on-field check, Gillett overturned his initial decision and awarded a penalty to Leeds. Spurs then had a penalty appeal of their own in the 103rd minute when James Maddison went down inside the area after feeling contact from Lukas Nmecha, but VAR checked and cleared the incident, sticking with Gillett's on-field decision of no penalty. The controversy surrounding match officiating comes just over 24 hours after West Ham had their late equaliser disallowed against Arsenal for a foul on David Raya by striker Pablo inside the area. When asked about the decision-making from match officials during the game, De Zerbi said: "I think they were not calm today, maybe they suffered the pressure of yesterday's Arsenal game. "For sure we suffered the pressure today. We didn't play with passion with the ball, too frenetic but also the referee was not calm today. "I can't understand the polemic about yesterday's VAR because it was 200 per cent a foul, not 100 per cent, 200 per cent." Carra: De Zerbi will be furious with Tel - but must keep him onside Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher felt De Zerbi would have to park any annoyance with his young forward because of the attacking ability he had already shown the new head coach - which could prove crucial in their survival fight. Tel was at the heart of much of Spurs' good play in the first half against Leeds, before scoring a stunning opener after half-time, prior to his penalty nightmare. On the penalty, Carragher said: "It's just a crazy decision from Tel. What you think sometimes is we've been there as players where you don't see the opposition player coming in. "But he's about to make his decision and he sees him, he looks. So he's made his decision but as soon as he knows there's someone there, it has to change. "He still has time, he's got to change his mind. I thought he hadn't seen him initially, but he has. It's a really, really poor decision. "We're talking about a young attacking player, making two ridiculous decisions in this game. "De Zerbi will be furious - but he's got to remember he's a young attacking player who has actually made a massive difference to Spurs right now. "He came off the bench at Wolves, got the corner and the winning goal. He set up the second goal at Villa, and he scored the goal tonight. "He needs him, because they haven't got players with injuries but there's a player there. We've seen that in the last couple of games. "You'd be going nuts, but the good at the other end - everything we showed that was good from Spurs in the first half, and then he scored the goal in the second half. "That's the art of management, and De Zerbi knows that a lot better than me."