Dylan Phelan, also 21, was sentenced to six years and four months in prison at Leeds Crown Court after pleading guilty in March to encouraging the suicide of Travis Dyer in Louisiana on 30 October 2024. During the call, which also involved two other people based in the US, Mr Dyer was encouraged to kill himself with a shotgun, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. The pair had been communicating for several months on the online platform Discord in the lead-up to Mr Dyer's death. Phelan's phone was also found to have an indecent image of a child and other extreme pornography images. In May, Phelan, of Morley in West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to one count of making an indecent image of a child in November 2024 and three counts of possessing extreme pornography in March 2025, neither of which were linked to Mr Dyer's death. On Friday, Phelan also received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. Alex Johnson, a senior prosecutor in the CPS Special Crime Division, said the sentence was the result of a "deeply disturbing case involving the sustained exploitation of a vulnerable young man through an online platform". "Dylan Phelan did not simply witness these events - he deliberately and persistently encouraged Travis Dyer to take his own life, intending that he would do so," he said. "His actions were calculated, cruel, and had devastating consequences." Phelan went to the helpdesk at the Leeds District Police Headquarters with his parents on 27 March 2025 and said he had assisted the suicide of a man in Louisiana in the US, who he referred to as "Tyler". The man was later identified as Mr Dyer. After his arrest, Phelan made full admissions in an interview and said he had been drawn into darker groups on Discord. In a police interview, Phelan told officers he had spoken to Mr Dyer via text messages and video calls in the months leading up to his death. In a recording of the call in which Mr Dyer ended his life, Phelan can be heard encouraging him to pull the trigger and laughing afterwards. Read more from Sky News:Meningitis B jab offered to one million young peoplePolice officer, 19, dies after being hit by car Detective Inspector Dan Ridgway, of the Leeds Criminal Investigation Department, said Phelan's conviction was the result of a "complex investigation" which involved enquiries being made in the UK and with Homeland Security in the US. "We were able to secure digital evidence of the video call as well as wider evidence of Phelan's communications with Travis and others prior to Travis's death," he said. He added: "This case highlights the dangers that certain individuals can pose on an international level in these online communities. "Whether in person or online, if someone is making you feel unsafe or encouraging you to harm yourself or others, then please report it." Phelan's parents took him to the police station after a woman he had initially met online and later in person told them about their son's involvement in Mr Dyer's death. He had told the woman about Mr Dyer's death months after it happened. Mr Johnson said: "Today's sentence reflects the seriousness of that offending. Those who use online spaces to encourage self-harm or suicide will be held to account. "The anonymity of the internet does not place anyone beyond the reach of the law." Mr Dyer was known to be vulnerable and struggling with his mental health and had lost his mother and younger sister in a car crash 10 years before his own death. Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

A multi-Grammy-winning artist, in 2023 Swift smashed touring records when her Eras Tour became the first to take over $1bn (£745m). Her success inspired the coining of the term "Swiftonomics" to describe the boost in local spending which would accompany each of her gigs as she travelled around the globe. Accepting the honour, Swift told the audience: "It was instinctual. No one taught me how to do it". She went on to thank her family for their sacrifices, moving from Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tennessee, to support her music career when she was just 14. Just last year, Swift officially bought back the rights to her first six albums, after re-recording them as "Taylor's Versions". Swift also offered young songwriters advice: "You really have to prioritise what you love, down to your very core. Because you'll need that." The prize was introduced by Disclosure Day director Steven Spielberg, who said of Swift's songwriting prowess: "Somehow Taylor knows us all too well". Although making history as the youngest woman to be inducted, the overall record for the youngest songwriter ever inducted is held by Stevie Wonder, who started his recording career at just 13. Others taking awards on the night included Kiss founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Footloose writer Kenny Loggins, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart - who's the songwriter behind Rihanna's Umbrella - and Alanis Morissette. Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honours those creating popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalogue of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song. In recent years, the trend of established artists selling off their back catalogues for large sums has put the business value of songwriting firmly in the public eye. Stars already in the hall include Elton John, Gloria Estefan, Carole King, Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Olivia Newton-John and Phil Collins.

His pitch to the voters of Makerfield in the North West is that he is for them. His proof point is how hard he fought for Greater Manchester during the COVID-19 crisis. Burnham's fury - caught live on the cameras in the centre of Manchester - in 2020 when he learned that the Conservative government was cutting financial support and putting Manchester into a stricter lockdown, was immortalised in memes that spread all over social media as he launched a blistering attack on Westminster for trying to grind people down. "It's brutal to be honest, isn't it? This is no way to run the country in a national crisis. It isn't. This is not right," he said. His campaign slogan, "Vote Andy, for us", is borne from that period. Now he wants to take that fight from Manchester to No 10, and is knocking on doors around the small towns and villages that make up the constituency, promising voters he will put their communities and others like them that have "been at the back of the queue" at the front of it. I do understand where he is coming from and why his argument is potent and has appeal. For someone who grew up in the south of England, went to Cambridge and now lives in north London, you might at first bundle me into that "Westminster elite bunch". But my parents came from a very different place and background. 'I spent much of my childhood in Makerfield' My late mum was born and grew up in Orrell, in the Makerfield constituency. It was a place where I spent much of my childhood, visiting my grandparents, Ann and Bill, in their red-brick terraced house in Upholland Road. It is a place surrounded by beautiful countryside, near the lakes, where we used to go camping as kids. The people are warm and look out for each other, the communities are proud, and there is a real sense of place. It is also a place that my parents, like countless others of that post-war generation, left in order to pursue their careers. My sense as a child was that my mum and my dad, who grew up in Lancaster and won a scholarship to Cambridge, felt they had to move away from Wigan to get the sort of jobs they wanted. When I was a teenager in the late 1980s and early 1990s, one of my family members came south to live with us to train to be a bricklayer - as my grandfather Bill was - because he couldn't get the training in Wigan. I still have family in Makerfield and Wigan. Makerfield is a working-class place made up of former coalfield communities. There is little immigration, not much social housing, and its population tend to be educated to GCSE level or have apprenticeships rather than higher education qualifications. Nearly 97% of the population is white, against an average of 82% across the country. Makerfield is also badly served by rail links, which means that, despite being nestled between Manchester and Liverpool, it has not become a commuter belt. Its town centres have become run-down and have become a big conversation in this election. It is also now Labour's sixth most vulnerable seat in the North West. So it has become not just a local election but a symbol, a test case of whether Andy Burnham's Labour Party can win back the red wall that in the 2019 general election turned to Boris Johnson and in the most recent local elections turned to Reform, as the party picked up 24 out of the 25 council seats contested in Wigan in May. Voters thinking 'very carefully' who to vote for We travelled up to Makerfield this week to talk to some of the people who will decide the by-election with the More in Common polling company. The group of voters selected was made up of people who have, or are considering, voting for all the main parties standing. It was clear from the conversation I observed between them and pollster Luke Tryl that they are thinking very carefully about how to vote this time. Our group all understood how important this by-election is and what the implications might be, not just for Makerfield but the entire country. Mike Irving, a veteran who told us he had never voted Labour in his life, said he had been to a coffee morning hosted by Burnham and was considering lending Burnham his vote in this by-election. "We've got a voice here to change the country," he told us. "We've got a chance of a lifetime here to impact the way we want it to be." Gillian Reed was considering her vote against the other leadership options: "There's gonna be a leadership challenge regardless of the outcome. So your choices then are looking like Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband, and possibly David Lammy. They're the names that are being touted. I'd rather have Andy Burnham than any of them." Andrew Gower said he thought Andy Burnham was "one of us". "I like him more than Keir Starmer. I think he's more for the working class. That's how he just comes across, like he's one of us, you know, rather than one of these politicians, like the majority of them, who you can't trust," he explained. Anthony Wood, a retired firearms officer, was less sold on Burnham as he spoke of the Manchester growth effect not spilling out to places like Makerfield, citing what he thought were poor transport links. He said: "In my profession, quite a lot are anti-Andy Burnham… Just about what they feel he hasn't achieved or what he hasn't done for Manchester itself." Laughing group dismissive of Starmer When the group was asked what they thought of Keir Starmer, they looked at each other and laughed. There wasn't anger towards him; the mood was instead dismissive. Leah Aldred told us:  "I don't know much about him, but I know that I don't like him. But when I'm actually asked that question, I can't tell you why I don't like him." Others picked up on the U-turns, with some criticising Starmer's decision to reverse the two-child benefit cap and the Mandelson debacle. Anthony Wood said: "All the U-turns they've done. [They say] we'll do this and everyone goes 'ooohhh' so they drop it and go back. And then they do something else and somebody else [says something]. How can they not have got this right with all the years they've had a chance to plan it?" Gillian Reed said Starmer doesn't represent the Labour she grew up with, adding: "Just everything he does seems to be against the working people. "Everybody might need help at some point in their life. But what about young families, young working families who are both going out to work? They've got a couple of kids and they are scraping by week to week. Where's the help for those people?" This part of the North West voted Reform in May's local elections, with all the council seats in this constituency going to Nigel Farage's party. Burnham's team know this is a high-risk race and it is flush or bust. They hope that Labour voters who have left the party will come back to give Burnham a chance. One senior figure who knows Makerfield well explains that voters here think Labour has left them and they want Labour to be better. They want a leader who "represents the people to the system not the system to the people". Welfare and immigration main topics for voters One thing that struck me in the focus group was voters' approach to welfare and immigration. These were clearly a group of people who believe in the social contract, but think the government has let them down on welfare and immigration. They spoke often about fairness and their perception that political leaders are not being fair when it comes to people working hard and paying in and others - be those on long-term benefits or illegal migrants - who are not. Mike Irving made the point that he thought some people "treat benefits as a salary and it shouldn't be, it's not affordable". Tracey Lay also dived into the sense of fairness around welfare, saying: "I think we need to shake up the welfare system. I don't think it's about cutting the welfare bill, as in lowering the amount of money that people are paid. "What people are currently paid is not liveable. It's disgraceful. But I think there are people that are being paid benefits that should not be entitled to benefits and I'm not necessarily talking about immigrants. I'm talking about the situation that you have with generational benefits claimants, of never having any intention of working regardless. "I think if you've paid in, fine. If you've never paid in, then I think they should give them work in order to claim their benefits. Clean the streets, pick up the litter." Gillian Reed spoke of a sense of unfairness about having to provide for those arriving in the country on small boats: " If you're a young couple, a single person with no children, and you're made homeless, then you're just left to fend for yourself. You won't be put up in a hotel or in temporary housing or anything. "Now, if you come over on a boat, on a dinghy, immediately that night you've got a bed for the night, you've got a roof over your head and you've got all your basic things that you need. You'll get health care. You'll get dental care which is inaccessible to most people at the moment. "And that's why people are up in arms about it, because that's fundamentally unfair." Mixed views on Reform candidate Reform's Robert Kenyon had mixed reviews from the group. The local plumber has made his lack of political experience a virtue, but some voters picked up on that when he was placed against Burnham, with Gillian Reed calling him "a bit wet behind the ears". "He's not going to be able to make any real changes for us or for the country," she added. Mike Irving thought Kenyon would have "walked it" in a general election but was facing much greater scrutiny and pressure in the by-election. Kenyon's disparaging remarks about women split the group. Leah Aldred said Kenyon was "your average narcissistic, sexist man to be honest", while Gillian Reed and Tracey Lay were a little more forgiving. "I've heard most of those comments from extended family members. It's the kind of thing people say. I don't think it necessarily represents exactly what you believe," Tracey said. But Anthony Wood made the point that those comments could cost you your job in other professions and you wouldn't have got to your 30s or 40s in your career: "You'd have said that, and you'd have been binned." 'It's a two-horse race between Labour and Reform' As for the other parties, our focus group had little to say about them. Saxon Bright was positive about the Greens, but made the point that this was a two-horse race between Labour and Reform. "I think if we could get the Green Party in there, I think they would do a lot of good. And I think in other areas they've done a lot of good," he said. "But again, you've got to vote tactically. And I think if you vote for Green now, you kind of shoot yourself in the foot in a lot of ways." Mike Irving thought Michael Winstanley for the Conservatives came across well on the BBC Question Time panel: He said: "He's used to public speaking as an ex-mayor of Wigan. When you're comparing him against the way the Reform candidate spoke, it's like chalk and cheese, but they've no chance round here." The focus group didn't know much about the Lib Dems. Read more: Who is standing in the Makerfield by-election? But Rupert Lowe's Restore Party is getting some cut-through in this by-election. When I asked Nigel Farage about why he thought the former Reform MP's new outfit was picking up support in Makerfield earlier this week, he was quite tetchy, saying it was being driven by Elon Musk's support for Restore and the amplification the world's richest man and owner of X gives you on social media platforms. But the competitor on the right of Reform is causing difficulties for them in this race. "I really like Rupert Lowe. I think he comes across a lot better than a lot of other politicians," Tracey Lay said. "I don't think he should have put his cap in the game for Makerfield. I think it's splitting the right vote and it's going to allow Andy Burnham to win. I think he's made a mistake." Little love lost for Labour government My main takeaway from the focus group is that there is very little love lost among these voters when it comes to the Labour government, and that they are fed up with politicians making promises that they don't keep. There is genuine concern about the cost of living, welfare and immigration and a desire to put a sense of fairness and personal responsibility back into the social fabric of our country. It was also pretty clear to me that if Burnham does win the Makerfield by-election next week, it will be his personal brand that carries it, and he will be able to go to Westminster emboldened as the politician that can beat Reform. John Healey's resignation this week has only served to hasten Starmer's departure from No 10 should Burnham succeed in Makerfield next week. Team Burnham would like an orderly transition, and the pressure will only build on Starmer if Burnham succeeds. An election to be decided next week by 76,800 people living in this constituency nestled between Manchester and Liverpool will affect millions more.

The shock announcement comes after he played in the first Test against England at Lord's, bringing to an end a career spanning 16 years and including a staggering 19,346 international runs. Williamson, 35 captained his country for eight years between 2016 and 2024, with his side winning the World Test Championship in 2021 and reaching two ICC World Cup finals in that period. Ben Stokes considering his future after nightclub incidentGot Sky? Watch England vs NZ live on the Sky Sports appNot got Sky? Get instant access with NOW - no contract "I've thought about it for a while, but over the last few days it's become clear now is the right time," Williamson said in a press release. "I've always felt a strong drive and hunger for international cricket, and I take pride in knowing I've given it my all in every match I've played for New Zealand. "Continuing with anything less wouldn't be right and I feel fortunate to step away on my own terms. "I leave feeling optimistic about where this group is heading. There's a huge amount of talent, and a real desire to do something special with this New Zealand team. "It's a team I love, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of it for so long. It will continue to be dear to my heart." New Zealand's greatest ever? The numbers behind Williamson's illustrious career Williamson scored 18 across two innings in his final Test, the defeat at Lord's, with his last international dismissal an lbw decision for Josh Tongue as his side lost by 115 runs - but that ending does not do justice to a career that will go down in cricketing history. The Kiwi batter was part of the 'Fab Four' alongside Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith - with the group widely regarded as comprising the four best batters in the world over the last decade. He notched the most international centuries (48) and double centuries (6) for his nation, whilst boasting the highest win percentage of any New Zealand Test captain at 55 per cent, with 22 wins in 40 Tests. The former New Zealand captain finishes with a staggering Test average of 54.06 over 110 Tests, the Black Caps' highest ever and the 21st highest in Test cricket history. In 2016, Williamson - then 25 - was the youngest player in history to score a century against all major Test-playing nations, including 131 on debut against India in Ahmedabad at 20 years old. "Anyone who has had the privilege of working with Kane understands he is a special player and person," Black Caps head coach Rob Walter said. "Although it's been short-lived, it's been a real privilege to watch him go about his work and listen to his thoughts and views on the team and the game itself. "His numbers and batting skills speak for themselves, but it's what he means to this Black Caps team, as well as world cricket - that will be his legacy." England vs New Zealand - results and schedule All times UK and Ireland, all games live on Sky Sports First Test (Lord's) - England won by 115 runsSecond Test (The Kia Oval) - June 17-21 (11am)Third Test (Trent Bridge) - June 25-29 (11am) Watch the second Test of the England vs New Zealand series live on Sky Sports from June 17. Not got Sky?

His pitch to the voters of Makerfield in the North West is that he is for them. His proof point is how hard he fought for Greater Manchester during the COVID-19 crisis. Burnham's fury - caught live on the cameras in the centre of Manchester - in 2020 when he learned that the Conservative government was cutting financial support and putting Manchester into a stricter lockdown, was immortalised in memes that spread all over social media as he launched a blistering attack on Westminster for trying to grind people down. "It's brutal to be honest, isn't it? This is no way to run the country in a national crisis. It isn't. This is not right," he said. His campaign slogan, "Vote Andy, for us", is borne from that period. Now he wants to take that fight from Manchester to No 10, and is knocking on doors around the small towns and villages that make up the constituency, promising voters he will put their communities and others like them that have "been at the back of the queue" at the front of it. I do understand where he is coming from and why his argument is potent and has appeal. For someone who grew up in the south of England, went to Cambridge and now lives in north London, you might at first bundle me into that "Westminster elite bunch". But my parents came from a very different place and background. 'I spent much of my childhood in Makerfield' My late mum was born and grew up in Orrell, in the Makerfield constituency. It was a place where I spent much of my childhood, visiting my grandparents, Ann and Bill, in their red-brick terraced house in Upholland Road. It is a place surrounded by beautiful countryside, near the lakes, where we used to go camping as kids. The people are warm and look out for each other, the communities are proud, and there is a real sense of place. It is also a place that my parents, like countless others of that post-war generation, left in order to pursue their careers. My sense as a child was that my mum and my dad, who grew up in Lancaster and won a scholarship to Cambridge, felt they had to move away from Wigan to get the sort of jobs they wanted. When I was a teenager in the late 1980s and early 1990s, one of my family members came south to live with us to train to be a bricklayer - as my grandfather Bill was - because he couldn't get the training in Wigan. I still have family in Makerfield and Wigan. Makerfield is a working-class place made up of former coalfield communities. There is little immigration, not much social housing, and its population tend to be educated to GCSE level or have apprenticeships rather than higher education qualifications. Nearly 97% of the population is white, against an average of 82% across the country. Makerfield is also badly served by rail links, which means that, despite being nestled between Manchester and Liverpool, it has not become a commuter belt. Its town centres have become run-down and have become a big conversation in this election. It is also now Labour's sixth most vulnerable seat in the North West. So it has become not just a local election but a symbol, a test case of whether Andy Burnham's Labour Party can win back the red wall that in the 2019 general election turned to Boris Johnson and in the most recent local elections turned to Reform, as the party picked up 24 out of the 25 council seats contested in Wigan in May. Voters thinking 'very carefully' who to vote for We travelled up to Makerfield this week to talk to some of the people who will decide the by-election with the More in Common polling company. The group of voters selected was made up of people who have, or are considering, voting for all the main parties standing. It was clear from the conversation I observed between them and pollster Luke Tryl that they are thinking very carefully about how to vote this time. Our group all understood how important this by-election is and what the implications might be, not just for Makerfield but the entire country. Mike Irving, a veteran who told us he had never voted Labour in his life, said he had been to a coffee morning hosted by Burnham and was considering lending Burnham his vote in this by-election. "We've got a voice here to change the country," he told us. "We've got a chance of a lifetime here to impact the way we want it to be." Gillian Reed was considering her vote against the other leadership options: "There's gonna be a leadership challenge regardless of the outcome. So your choices then are looking like Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband, and possibly David Lammy. They're the names that are being touted. I'd rather have Andy Burnham than any of them." Andrew Gower said he thought Andy Burnham was "one of us". "I like him more than Keir Starmer. I think he's more for the working class. That's how he just comes across, like he's one of us, you know, rather than one of these politicians, like the majority of them, who you can't trust," he explained. Anthony Wood, a retired firearms officer, was less sold on Burnham as he spoke of the Manchester growth effect not spilling out to places like Makerfield, citing what he thought were poor transport links. He said: "In my profession, quite a lot are anti-Andy Burnham… Just about what they feel he hasn't achieved or what he hasn't done for Manchester itself." Laughing group dismissive of Starmer When the group was asked what they thought of Keir Starmer, they looked at each other and laughed. There wasn't anger towards him; the mood was instead dismissive. Leah Aldred told us:  "I don't know much about him, but I know that I don't like him. But when I'm actually asked that question, I can't tell you why I don't like him." Others picked up on the U-turns, with some criticising Starmer's decision to reverse the two-child benefit cap and the Mandelson debacle. Anthony Wood said: "All the U-turns they've done. [They say] we'll do this and everyone goes 'ooohhh' so they drop it and go back. And then they do something else and somebody else [says something]. How can they not have got this right with all the years they've had a chance to plan it?" Gillian Reed said Starmer doesn't represent the Labour she grew up with, adding: "Just everything he does seems to be against the working people. "Everybody might need help at some point in their life. But what about young families, young working families who are both going out to work? They've got a couple of kids and they are scraping by week to week. Where's the help for those people?" This part of the North West voted Reform in May's local elections, with all the council seats in this constituency going to Nigel Farage's party. Burnham's team know this is a high-risk race and it is flush or bust. They hope that Labour voters who have left the party will come back to give Burnham a chance. One senior figure who knows Makerfield well explains that voters here think Labour has left them and they want Labour to be better. They want a leader who "represents the people to the system not the system to the people". Welfare and immigration main topics for voters One thing that struck me in the focus group was voters' approach to welfare and immigration. These were clearly a group of people who believe in the social contract, but think the government has let them down on welfare and immigration. They spoke often about fairness and their perception that political leaders are not being fair when it comes to people working hard and paying in and others - be those on long-term benefits or illegal migrants - who are not. Mike Irving made the point that he thought some people "treat benefits as a salary and it shouldn't be, it's not affordable". Tracey Lay also dived into the sense of fairness around welfare, saying: "I think we need to shake up the welfare system. I don't think it's about cutting the welfare bill, as in lowering the amount of money that people are paid. "What people are currently paid is not liveable. It's disgraceful. But I think there are people that are being paid benefits that should not be entitled to benefits and I'm not necessarily talking about immigrants. I'm talking about the situation that you have with generational benefits claimants, of never having any intention of working regardless. "I think if you've paid in, fine. If you've never paid in, then I think they should give them work in order to claim their benefits. Clean the streets, pick up the litter." Gillian Reed spoke of a sense of unfairness about having to provide for those arriving in the country on small boats: " If you're a young couple, a single person with no children, and you're made homeless, then you're just left to fend for yourself. You won't be put up in a hotel or in temporary housing or anything. "Now, if you come over on a boat, on a dinghy, immediately that night you've got a bed for the night, you've got a roof over your head and you've got all your basic things that you need. You'll get health care. You'll get dental care which is inaccessible to most people at the moment. "And that's why people are up in arms about it, because that's fundamentally unfair." Mixed views on Reform candidate Reform's Robert Kenyon had mixed reviews from the group. The local plumber has made his lack of political experience a virtue, but some voters picked up on that when he was placed against Burnham, with Gillian Reed calling him "a bit wet behind the ears". "He's not going to be able to make any real changes for us or for the country," she added. Mike Irving thought Kenyon would have "walked it" in a general election but was facing much greater scrutiny and pressure in the by-election. Kenyon's disparaging remarks about women split the group. Leah Aldred said Kenyon was "your average narcissistic, sexist man to be honest", while Gillian Reed and Tracey Lay were a little more forgiving. "I've heard most of those comments from extended family members. It's the kind of thing people say. I don't think it necessarily represents exactly what you believe," Tracey said. But Anthony Wood made the point that those comments could cost you your job in other professions and you wouldn't have got to your 30s or 40s in your career: "You'd have said that, and you'd have been binned." 'It's a two-horse race between Labour and Reform' As for the other parties, our focus group had little to say about them. Saxon Bright was positive about the Greens, but made the point that this was a two-horse race between Labour and Reform. "I think if we could get the Green Party in there, I think they would do a lot of good. And I think in other areas they've done a lot of good," he said. "But again, you've got to vote tactically. And I think if you vote for Green now, you kind of shoot yourself in the foot in a lot of ways." Mike Irving thought Michael Winstanley for the Conservatives came across well on the BBC Question Time panel: He said: "He's used to public speaking as an ex-mayor of Wigan. When you're comparing him against the way the Reform candidate spoke, it's like chalk and cheese, but they've no chance round here." The focus group didn't know much about the Lib Dems. Read more: Who is standing in the Makerfield by-election? But Rupert Lowe's Restore Party is getting some cut-through in this by-election. When I asked Nigel Farage about why he thought the former Reform MP's new outfit was picking up support in Makerfield earlier this week, he was quite tetchy, saying it was being driven by Elon Musk's support for Restore and the amplification the world's richest man and owner of X gives you on social media platforms. But the competitor on the right of Reform is causing difficulties for them in this race. "I really like Rupert Lowe. I think he comes across a lot better than a lot of other politicians," Tracey Lay said. "I don't think he should have put his cap in the game for Makerfield. I think it's splitting the right vote and it's going to allow Andy Burnham to win. I think he's made a mistake." Little love lost for Labour government My main takeaway from the focus group is that there is very little love lost among these voters when it comes to the Labour government, and that they are fed up with politicians making promises that they don't keep. There is genuine concern about the cost of living, welfare and immigration and a desire to put a sense of fairness and personal responsibility back into the social fabric of our country. It was also pretty clear to me that if Burnham does win the Makerfield by-election next week, it will be his personal brand that carries it, and he will be able to go to Westminster emboldened as the politician that can beat Reform. John Healey's resignation this week has only served to hasten Starmer's departure from No 10 should Burnham succeed in Makerfield next week. Team Burnham would like an orderly transition, and the pressure will only build on Starmer if Burnham succeeds. An election to be decided next week by 76,800 people living in this constituency nestled between Manchester and Liverpool will affect millions more.

Davies said it was "goodbye" from him to Doctor Who but "hello to a big new future for the show", as he shared on social media a drawing of the Tardis - the spaceship from the hit show. The 2026 Christmas special was due to be written by Davies and produced by Bad Wolf, and would follow on from the series finale in May last year, which saw Ncuti Gatwa's incarnation of the Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper. The corporation announced last October there would be a 2026 Christmas special, but confirmed on Wednesday it will no longer happen. Davies, an award-winning screenwriter and TV producer, said on Instagram: "There won't be a Christmas Special - we only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there's no need for it. "You'll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who...but you'll be waiting for more Doctor Who than a one-off. So it's worth it!" He also said he was "excited as anyone to see what comes next" and reflected on the possible changes to come, adding: "Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! "It's all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who - exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future." The BBC said that the series, which launched in 1963, will be put out to "competitive tender" this year as part of its Royal Charter agreement. The broadcaster is inviting production companies to put themselves forward to help co-produce the next series, BBC News reported. Cancelling the Christmas special was "not taken lightly", the corporation said, and the BBC admitted the move will be "disappointing for fans". It added that "in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one-off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show". A spokesperson for the BBC added: "Doctor Who remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC's continued commitment to Doctor Who, ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come." In addition, the corporation assured that its previously announced Doctor Who animation series, which will air on CBeebies, is currently in production. Read more from Sky News:Henry Nowak protesters jailedUkraine strikes Russian factory Doctor Who is about an eccentric Time Lord who travels in a spaceship larger on the inside, which disguises itself as a 1960s British police box. Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy and William Hartnell are among the stars who portrayed The Doctor in the original show, which was cancelled in 1989. It was later revived in 2005 by Davies. Actors including Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Jodie Whittaker have played the leading role in the last two decades.

The former MP insisted he made the remark when he met with the woman because he was "sorry if she felt uncomfortable". He also denied a barrister's suggestion he had been "caught in the act" during a separate incident where he is accused of using a light to stare at another alleged victim. The former DUP leader, 63, who is on trial at Newry Crown Court, pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences, including one count of rape and allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency between 1985 and 2008. Two women, referred to as Complainant A and B, both allege they were abused as children and have given evidence at the trial for historic offences. Donaldson's wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, 60, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband's alleged offending. She is facing a trial of the facts on mental health grounds. On Friday, prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh KC continued to cross-examine Donaldson for a second day. She referred to a meeting between Donaldson in the 1990s and 'Complainant B', which also involved David Hoy, the founder of the Christian Family Centre in Armoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The jury previously heard 'Complainant B' stayed at the centre in the 1990s after developing an issue with drugs, and told a church pastor about the alleged abuse. The court previously heard Complainant B claim Donaldson apologised to her at that meeting. He said he was not apologising for any allegations of abuse. The barrister asked Donaldson if he did not see "anything strange" about the approach from Mr Hoy, to which Donaldson said it was "not unusual" for him to get a phone call from someone he had never met before. Ms Walsh suggested Donaldson needed to meet Mr Hoy because "he was going to be talking to you about a sensitive matter". Donaldson said: "That is absolutely not true," adding that he had not tried to "avoid the meeting", and was happy to meet Mr Hoy. Read more from Sky News:Girl charged with attempted murderMan 'launched frying pan' at policeSky News investigates Belfast attacks Ms Walsh pointed out that Mr Hoy's evidence to the court was that an "allegation" had been made. Donaldson answered: "The word allegation was never mentioned to me. If it had been mentioned I would have immediately asked what it was about." Ms Walsh said Donaldson attended the meeting in Amoy as he "knew this was something you needed to nip in the bud", but the defendant replied: "That is not true at all." Questioned over apology When asked about the apology at the meeting, the former MP told the court he had said he was "sorry if she felt uncomfortable". The barrister asked: "What were you apologising for?" He said: "That she felt uncomfortable." Donaldson also denied suggestions from Ms Walsh that he did not want Complainant B "going through allegations" and attempted to "shut her down". Donaldson denies touching girl Ms Walsh then moved on to allegations against Donaldson made by Complainant A, to which Donaldson denied any sexual abuse started when she was of primary school age. The barrister asked about the allegations of abuse, including "touching outside of clothing", putting his tongue in her mouth, and using a light, possibly a torch, to look at her genitals. In each case, he strongly denied the allegations. He also denied the barrister's suggestion that he was "panicking" over claims he was "caught in the act". The trial continues on Monday.

Kane has enjoyed the best season of his career by scoring 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich, which has put him in contention for the Ballon d'Or. England head coach Thomas Tuchel controversially left out the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden from his World Cup squad in favour of fast wingers that Neville believes will suit Kane's style. Are England now ready to win the World Cup?World Cup day-by-day schedule | Group L guideFollow our World Cup coverage in the Sky Sports App "He's a star," said Sky Sports' Neville on ITV of the England captain. "You talk about England having talented players, but we have one genuinely world-class player and that is Harry Kane. "This whole squad that Thomas Tuchel has picked - in the attacking part - is all [to focus] around him. "There are form issues, but there's no (Phil) Foden, (Cole) Palmer, (Morgan) Gibbs-White - he wants players who can run past him. Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers are players who can sprint past him. "This whole squad is about Kane. This whole tournament - a lot of it rests upon his shoulders. "But the pressure? He won't feel that. He's as solid as a rock. He's as good as they come as a professional. You can't break him. "You talk about England players who come to tournaments who opposition players can maybe get at, he's the one where you can't. He's absolutely gold." Kane has struggled with fitness issues in previous tournaments at the end of a long season, but Neville reckons this squad can help manage his load. "I don't think he can tire himself out and run like crazy," said Neville. "England aren't going to be pressing from the front with Harry Kane so the game is going to have to be slightly different. "But he's got a lot of legs around him. The last thing you want with Kane is players around him who can't run. "They can all run, they've all got youth and energy. It's all set up for him. He's the leader in that group. How many world-class players have England had in the last 20 to 30 years? World-class, where there's not even a doubt. He's one of them." 'Kane enjoys pressure of being England's main man' Kane likes to drop deep off the front line and Sky Sports' Roy Keane says the striker can't do it too much. "No, we certainly don't [want to see him dropping too deep]," he said on ITV. "There were a couple of examples from the last few years where he'd go in and play off the back four. He's still dangerous when he drops in from high up the pitch. "But in terms of the pressure of being the main man for England, he embraces it, he loves it. You look back at his time at Spurs, they were very dependent on him. "Bayern Munich is a brilliant team and he's still the star man but he enjoys that pressure. Of course, he needs a bit of service around him and people running in beyond him. But when the ball drops, you want Kane running onto it because his goal record speaks for itself. "The goals at Bayern Munich are a big boost for him. He's obviously learned from being in a new league and throwing himself in with better players." 'Bellingham's narky attitude suits him' Keane reckons Jude Bellingham, who is fighting for his place in Tuchel's starting XI, is the second in charge behind Kane. "It seems that way. He enjoys that pressure," he said. "Yes, he's had a difficult spell at Madrid, he's had a few injuries. "But we've seen in the last week, he looks a bit narky, but I think that maybe helps his game. And he's the player who embraces the pressure of being the main man. Harry is captain and has that title, Bellingham's not far behind." Coping with the pressure and expectation will once again be a factor in England's mission to win the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. "If you're born and raised in England, you should be proud of that achievement," said Keane of the 1966 success. "Has it added pressure to the players over the last few tournaments? I think sometimes maybe it's an excuse. I think they should be proud of it and get on with it and embrace it and not feel it's a pressure. "If you look at those [1966] players, and go: well if they can achieve it, and England over the last few years have had enough quality, why haven't we done it? "There have been a number of reasons for it, but that should maybe spur them on, not put too much pressure on them." '1966 success should inspire - it's not a curse' Neville added: "I completely agree. I think there have been too many tournaments with England and there was the expectation that is on us because of the standards that previous great teams have set, and the 1966 team being a pioneering team. If you feel that's a curse, then you shouldn't be playing for England. "You should be inspired by the past, you should be inspired by success, and it's a failure in mentality when you start to look to the past when it's been successful and say: oh, they're causing us a problem because we just get compared to them. "That's not the attitude of a winner, and we were unfortunate. The biggest failure that I look at in my football career is the international performances of the teams that I played in. We were never able to go and do what they did, because England demands it, it needs it, but so does every other country and that's the problem."