The deadline is set to close for Conservative nominees vying for a vacant federal seat in a long-time Tory riding.
Read More »
In open London-area riding, Tories lining up to seek nomination
Preta Gil: Entenda o tratamento oncológico da cantora
O Brasil inteiro está acompanhando Preta Gil em seu luta durante o tratamento de câncer em um processo complexo que não se encerra com a remissão da doença, sendo o acompanhamento médico contínuo fundamental, especialmente nos primeiros anos após o tratamento inicial. Preta, que enfrenta um câncer no intestino, é um exemplo de como a...
The post Preta Gil: Entenda o tratamento oncológico da cantora appeared first on O Antagonista.
We would not be here without Royal British Legion…they saved us after Taliban IEDs left us with devastating injuries
THE Royal British Legion’s poppy appeal launches today, with the aim of raising £50million for forces veterans and their families.
If you ever wondered why your donation is so desperately needed, here two best friends who suffered devastating injuries in explosions just minutes apart while serving in Afghanistan reveal how the Legion helped save their lives.
“The Taliban were hunting gingers that day,” jokes David Plant, “and they got two in just three minutes.”
Redhead soldiers Anthony Cooper and his comrade David, from The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, were on a routine patrol in Helmand Province on the morning that their lives changed forever.
First Anthony — nicknamed Coops — stood on an improvised explosive device which blew off both his legs, his finger, took out an eye and left him with “one of the worst brain injuries in military history”.
Just three minutes later, David — known to mates as Jack — stood on a second Taliban IED and he, too, lost both his legs.
The Privates — referred to as Kingsmen in their regiment — spent years in hospital together, but lost contact a decade ago as they struggled with their horrific injuries.
Tragically, both attempted suicide but were saved by the British Legion.
Jack, now 34, moved to Spain but struggled to escape his demons.
He was rescued by an RBL overseas team set up to look after the thousands of veterans living abroad.
‘Taliban opened fire’
To mark this year’s Poppy Appeal, the Legion brought the pair together for the first time in a decade for an emotional reunion.
As they met in a park near Coops’ home in Chorley, Lancs, the years disappeared and they exchanged some enjoyable Army banter.
In a heart-wrenching exclusive interview, both former soldiers told the harrowing story of how they survived against the odds when the bombs they stepped on detonated And they revealed how they both owe their lives to the British Legion.
Sitting on a bench waiting for his old comrade, Jack’s prosthetic legs reach to the ground.
Anthony arrives in a wheelchair, and hops on the bench on his stumps to give his old pal a massive hug.
Jack reveals that, before the 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment went to Helmand Province in early 2010, his sister had a tarot card reading which had predicted bad news.
But nothing could have prepared him for the devastating blast which would rob him of his lower limbs.
The friends’ six month tour was in fact almost finished when, on the morning of July 6, 2010, Coops was at the head of a patrol checking for IEDs with a metal detector.
Just before 11am, he stepped on a 45kg bomb that was big enough to take out a truck — and a split-second later, a Taliban fighter detonated it.
Coops, now 38, says: “I lost both legs above the knee, two fingers on my left hand, the fingertips on my right hand, the pupil in my right eye blew up and I suffered what the medic described as the worst blast brain injury in modern military history. I can’t remember anything after the explosion.”
But Jack recalls every detail of the horror which maimed his comrade, though he has not spoken about it publicly until now.
He says: “I remember Coops getting hit. It took 0.2 of a second to realise what was going on.
“There was a massive cloud of smoke. It was obvious an IED had gone off. Everyone started shouting.”
As his comrades battled to save Coops’ life, the Taliban opened fire with AK47 rifles.
Moments later, two US Black Hawk helicopters landed — one to winch up Kingsman Cooper on a stretcher while the other attacked the enemy, who were firing rockets.
Jack tells Coops: “They were hovering 40ft above the ground. It was just too dangerous for them to land.
“Our section commander ordered everybody out of the way of the helicopters’ down draft because it would set off more IEDs.
“We were running, I was following the man in front. My foot went into the footprint he’d left in the sand.
‘I thought I was dead’
“That’s when I hit the second IED, which the entire section had already walked over more than twice.”
Three minutes after his mate was blown up, a second explosion threw Jack 15ft into the air, severing both his legs.
Pointing to where his right limb once was, Jack says: “I hit the ground and that side was like a fountain. I figure I’m bleeding out.
“I was conscious and was trying to get into my med pouch. That’s when I noticed the thumb had gone. I managed to get a tourniquet on and tightened it the best I could to stop the red-hot bleeding. That’s where the pain really kicked in. The lads were slowly edging towards me with another metal detector, but there was shrapnel everywhere, so I just started crawling towards them. They said, ‘Stop! You’re going to set off more IEDs’, at which point I really didn’t care.
“I thought I wouldn’t mind if it happened right now. I got to the lads and they put me on to a stretcher made from a tarpaulin. A few of the lads were still having a firefight.”
Dragged on his makeshift stretcher through a river to a landing site, Jack waited for the second US helicopter to turn around and return for him as enemy rockets exploded.
They got me on to a helicopter and pumped me full of ketamine.
Jack Plant
I remember thinking, ‘am I alive, am I dead?’
He says: “I remember floating upwards thinking, ‘This is it’. “I was shocked, I was scared, I thought I was dead. I remember praying and thinking that I hoped I’d followed the right religion. Why had I been so bothered about such petty things? None of it mattered.
“They got me up on to a helicopter and pumped me full of ketamine.
“I remember waking up at various points along the way thinking, ‘Am I alive, am I dead?’.”
Jack came around briefly in hospital at Afghanistan’s Camp Bastion military base, but remembers nothing more until he woke in an intensive care unit in Birmingham, where he was reunited with Coops, who had been in a coma for weeks.
The pair ended up at Headley Court military rehabilitation centre in Surrey, where Coops stayed for four years — their longest patient ever.
But, sadly, the pals went their separate ways and lost touch.
The Legion pick up on stuff. I don’t know how they do it. But they get involved. It’s heart-warming
Anthony Cooper
Coops tried to take his own life numerous times until the Royal British Legion came to his aid.
He says: “The Legion is different to other charities that just leave you.
“The Legion — they pick up on stuff. I don’t know how they do it. But they get involved. It’s heart- warming. You know someone’s always there if you need help.”
The British Legion also helped Jack after he moved from his home in Nelson, Lancs, to Spain, where the charity has an overseas support team.
Haunted by the past and frustrated by his injuries, Jack says: “I thought I’d escape and go to a place where I could be on my own. But I ended up in a very dark place. Instead of ending it, I remembered I’d been given a card for the Royal British Legion and rang their number.
“Within an hour, the guys were there. They scooped me up and took me to stay with them in Murcia.
“They saved my life. Without them, I would not be here.”
The RBL overseas team also helped fund a £10,000 handcycle to aid Jack physically and mentally.
He recently returned to the UK, where the RBL again assisted him in finding a house in Talkin, Cumbria.
He says: “To everyone who buys a poppy, I want to say, ‘Thank you for saving my life’. I would not be here without you and the RBL.”
Coops adds: “Thanks to the Legion, we’re together again — and this time we won’t lose touch. The Taliban may have injured us, but they haven’t got us. We’re still here, aren’t we?”
Scan QR code to donate
THE SUN has joined forces with the Royal British Legion so our readers can donate direct to this year’s Poppy Appeal by scanning the QR code, below left.
Money raised during the annual appeal, which launches today and brought in £51.3million last year, will help the RBL to continue its vital work supporting the Armed Forces community, past and present, with whatever they need, whenever they need it.
This year’s Poppy Appeal is highlighting the mental scars linked to military service.
An army of 50,000 volunteer poppy sellers will be collecting in towns and cities across the UK.
Saddest farewells to two heroes of epic battles
A BLIND D-Day hero who was due to march at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday has died.
George Chandler, 99, was set to lead the contingent from the charity Blind Veterans UK in the march-past of 10,000 former servicemen and women.
He never forgot the horrors he witnessed as a 19-year-old gunner on a torpedo boat protecting American troops as they landed at Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Retired BT engineer George, of Burgess Hill, West Sussex, previously recalled: “You had to be there. It was like all hell had been let loose. Unfortunately, due to a navigation error, the Americans were landed a mile and a half too far to the West and were slaughtered as they came in. It was something I wouldn’t want anybody to watch.”
And Korean war veteran Tom Clough, who has also marched at the Cenotaph with the blind charity, has died aged 93.
Tom, of Staverton, Gloucs, was one of the last survivors of the 1951 Battle of Imjin River in Korea.
He saw active service there as a gunner attached to the Gloucestershire Regiment, known as the Glorious Glosters.
Captured after the battle, he was punished for trying to escape from a Chinese prisoner of war camp, and was kept in “a wooden cage about 4ft high that was not big enough to lie down in”.
Labour meddling in US election to help Kamala Harris is politically stupid… it will swing voters to pick Donald Trump
HAVING infuriated almost the entirety of this country with rotten policy decisions and taking freebies, this Labour government has now turned its eyes to the US.
“There’s 336million people there,” they thought to themselves. “Can we p*** all of them off? Let’s have a go.”
It has been revealed that some 100 Labour Party workers have been SENT to the States to help Kamala Harris’s campaign to become President.
Labour says it’s just a bunch of people volunteering in their spare time.
Trouble is, the co-ordinator for the trip — Labour’s Head of Operations — was Sofia Patel.
And the volunteers were sent to swing states, where the votes were tight.
And Labour seemed to be offering to sort out the accommodation for those who were going. So it all seems pretty official to me.
This is now big, big trouble for Keir Starmer.
Back when I worked as a speechwriter for the party in the 1980s, people sometimes volunteered to go and work for Michael Dukakis, the Democratic Party candidate taking in Ronald Reagan.
But the difference then was a) Labour were not in government b) very few people went and c) it had nothing whatsoever to do with the party itself.
The leaders had more political nous than to allow that to happen.
Now Donald Trump is demanding that America’s Federal Election Commission should investigate.
It is, after all, direct intervention by a foreign government in a domestic US election.
Can you just imagine if the Russians or Chinese were to have done something similar?
Do you think they will say: ‘Well, golly gosh — that brilliant man Keir Starmer has sent a whole bunch of Brits over to work for the Democrats. How wonderful. I will change my vote to Kamala Harris as a consequence’.
It is also politically beyond stupid.
Dimwitted, idiotic and hapless.
As Nigel Farage said yesterday: “Our relationship with America when it comes to intelligence, when it comes to defence, when it comes to commerce, is our most important relationship in the world.
“And for a governing Labour Party to be seen officially acting on behalf of a rival candidate to the man that is going to win is a very major political mistake.”
Exactly right. Relations between Labour and this country’s most important ally were already pretty strained.
What with that plank of a Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, dissing Trump every chance he got.
And Trump remembers the nastiness from Labour when he last visited the UK.
Tea-sipping limeys
But that’s not the only reason why Labour is being stupid.
What effect does it believe that this news will have on the average American voter?
Do you think they will say: “Well, golly gosh — that brilliant man Keir Starmer has sent a whole bunch of Brits over to work for the Democrats.
“How wonderful. I will change my vote to Kamala Harris as a consequence.”
Nope, me neither.
Rightly, they don’t care for foreign interference in their elections.
Kamala Harris — not the brightest lass in the world — has already decided she wants nothing to do with it.
They think they can get by without that help. Perhaps especially if it comes from left-wing, tea-sipping limeys.
Indeed, Kamala Harris — not the brightest lass in the world — has already decided that she wants nothing to do with it.
“They’re not helping me,” she said.
Even she can grasp how this could harm her campaign.
I remember when the Guardian organised lots of leftie readers to send letters to people in the swing state of Ohio, begging them to vote for Al Gore, the Democrat, against George W Bush.
That little campaign aroused the fury of Ohio voters — and the state voted for George W.
Let’s hope Labour’s initiative has a similar result in all of those swing states — as I can’t wait to see how Starmer and Lammy get on with President Trump.
If only I could Connect with Vic
FANS of Only Connect are tiring of Victoria Coren Mitchell. And I don’t blame them.
Every week she opens the show with a slew of words which make even less sense than the questions which follow.
I think she’s trying to be funny. But she doesn’t seem to have a funny bone in her entire body.
Maybe that’s how come she married David Mitchell, I guess.
Just play it straight, Victoria.
Sadiq’s a right stirrer
OF all the idiotic statements made in the wake of the shooting of Chris Kaba, the one from London Mayor Sadiq Khan must be the worst.
It seemed to me a deliberate attempt to stir up racial hatred.
Khan said that the “black community” had a lack of trust in the police.
But Kaba was not shot because he was black.
He was shot because he tried to ram a bunch of policemen in his Audi.
And the overwhelming majority of black British people understand that.
And they are not grieving for Mr Kaba.
THE Scottish National Party has just decided that there are a total of 24 different genders.
These include agender, which means you don’t have a gender. And pangender, which means you’ll shag anything with a pulse.
Or quite possibly without a pulse.
Still, it does make Scotland quite unique. The only country in the world with 24 genders but only two kinds of veg (neeps and tatties).
Rachel thieves
THE ghastly Rachel Reeves, our Chancellor, is to raid private pensions.
But apparently she WON’T be taking any money from people who get pensions from the public sector.
It’s another case of Labour rewarding those dim enough to vote for them.
There is a growing divide between the public and private sectors.
Public sector workers often get paid more, work fewer hours, have longer holidays and take more days off sick.
Now they will see their pensions protected, too.
It’s a disgraceful policy.
Funks a million Johnnie
IT will be a very poignant Sounds Of The 70s this coming Sunday.
It will be the last time Johnnie Walker will be presenting the BBC Radio 2 show.
He has been gravely ill for a long time. He’s not so much at death’s door as inside, hanging his coat on the rack and taking his boots off.
But all this time he’s continued to broadcast his brilliant programme.
Which gives enormous pleasure to sad old buggers like me who wish we still lived in the Seventies.
And to a whole new bunch of fans who have suddenly found an affection for Jackson Browne and the Sweet.
So thank you, Johnnie, for those wonderful shows. And I hope you have a happy retirement for a decade and more to come.
Take it easy, as they used to say back then.
CONGRATS to South Kesteven Council in Lincs.
They are making all cab drivers pass a test in spoken English.
Locals are sick of getting into a taxi and not being able to understand a thing the driver is saying.
I hope this idea gets taken up by other councils. And also by the big corporations who have outsourced their communications departments to India, or Kazakhstan.
I’m sick of getting through to someone who says: “Meesta Rod, gravadlax gubbya smaug?”
Kemi top of the class
WELL said, Kemi Badenoch. She has insisted that schoolkids should be taught a new history curriculum.
One that doesn’t make the kids ashamed of being British.
But looks at the contentious historical issues, like colonialism, from different sides.
Quite right, Kemi – but first you’ll have to deal with the teachers.
Good luck with that.
Incidentally, I hope she wins the Tory leadership race by a landslide.
Especially when she provokes articles like this in the Pink News: “Six Times Kemi Badenoch Has Proved She’s No Ally of the LGBTQ+ Community.”.
I’ve spent £115k to get the ‘perfect body’ but still can’t keep a man – at least I’m not a caricature like Katie Price
LYING on a surgery bed, Tracy Kiss grimaces with pain as the surgeon injects 4ml of filler “down below”.
The mum-of-two hopes the procedure will FINALLY make her happy, but deep down she knows it won’t — which is why she is already booked in to have another procedure in the New Year.
Tracy, from Bucks, says: “I’ll be getting internal tightening of my vagina as a birthday present to myself.
“It needs it after having two children.”
Despite spending £115,000 on getting the “perfect” body over the past two decades, Tracy has failed to find lasting love.
“Men just want me for my looks,” says the holistic and wellbeing gift shop owner.
“Even though lots of men approach me, I’ve failed to find someone who wants me for me.
“I’m an old soul who is looking for a man who doesn’t care what I look like and would love me, wrinkles and all.
“I want someone to grow old with and I’m disappointed I haven’t found that yet.”
Tracy, who is mum to Millie, 17, and Gabe, 12, is one of an increasing number of women turning to surgery to boost their looks.
A 2024 report from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons showed nearly 26,000 had surgical treatments in the UK in 2023.
However, that figure might only be the tip of the iceberg, as increasing numbers of women travel abroad for surgery, as Tracy has done.
She was just 18 when she first went under the knife, having breast implants to take her from an A to DD cup.
She explains: “My friends were stunned and said I didn’t need it, but I felt that my natural boobs were deformed.
“One was a small A cup and the other was completely flat.”
“I took out a loan of £4,000 and worked three jobs — in a bar, a shop and at an estate agent — to pay it back.”
As a teen, Tracy longed to look like her then-idols, Katie Price and Jodie Marsh.
She says: “People said I was pretty, but I looked in the mirror and saw a tiny, mushroom-headed schoolgirl who needed work.
“I wanted to have blonde hair, fake tan, big boobs and fake nails. I wanted to look like a Wag.”
“I didn’t get to go out or go on holiday as I had my daughter, Millie, at 19 so I just saved and when I could, I spent the money on surgery.”
Surprisingly, Tracy is against other young women having cosmetic treatment.
She explains: “I hate the idea of them having it and hope the tide is starting to turn towards more natural beauty.
“When I heard Love Island star Anna Vakili had spent thousands in her 20s on botched procedures in the hope of getting her ‘perfect’ body, I felt so sad for her.”
Last week, the 34-year-old revealed how she got a boob job and a Brazilian bum lift “all in the space of six months”.
Anna said: “I think they were £14k each or something like that. It was crazy.”
But the surgery went wrong and Anna described it as “the worst experience ever”.
Despite being addicted herself, Tracy would discourage her daughter from having work done.
She says: “I see people like the Love Island girls having it in their early twenties and they don’t need it — they are already beautiful.
“I’m now either reversing things, or doing things internally.”
She also feels her one-time role model has gone too far.
“I look at Katie Price and I feel sad for her.
“She looks like a caricature of what she once was.
“We’ve had similar amounts of surgery, but mine is more subtle.”
‘RECOVERY WAS TOUGH’
After having breast implants at 18, Tracy increased them at 25 and again when she was 28 to an H cup.
She also had ab-etching, a procedure to create a six-pack, and fillers around her eyes, jaw and cheeks.
“At 29 I got a Brazilian butt lift, where implants are put into your bum,” she says.
“It was very painful and recovery was tough.”
She says she has been trolled for what she describes as her “porn star” look.
“I would pose for mags and people told me I was a bad influence,” says Tracy, who has 1.2 million followers on Instagram.
“I would get comments on social media that I looked like a bimbo.
“Other mums would glare at me at the school gates. I was treated like scum.
“It shattered my self- esteem and I felt I wasn’t good enough.”
Then in her thirties, Tracy started undoing her previous work, including having a breast reduction at 36.
She has also had her first labiaplasty — surgery to reduce the size of the labia.
“That’s why I think I am probably addicted, or it is at least an obsession,” she says.
Tracy believes her autism could be the reason she keeps having surgery.
“I hyperfocus on things,” she says. “And one of the things I hyperfocus on is surgery.”
Despite undergoing so many procedures, Tracy insists she has always taken a cautious approach.
“I carefully research the company and I don’t go overboard,” she says.
“I know the amount I’ve spent, £115,000, is staggering and I could have put it in savings, but it’s over nearly two decades and I’ve always worked.
“I’m vegan, don’t drink or smoke, and only spend money at the gym.
“Surgery is my only vice.”
She says she has no plans to quit her surgery habit, but adds she would never get anything done to please anyone but herself.
“I have quite a male mindset,” says Tracy, who is single.
“So while I wouldn’t ever get breast implants because a man wanted me to, I knew when I got them, they would be popular.”
Despite having spent so much money on altering her looks, Tracy still isn’t 100 per cent happy with what she sees in the mirror.
“I don’t think I’m beautiful,” she says.
‘SCARED OF NEEDLES’
“And spending so much on surgery hasn’t given me the perfect life.
“My life is far from amazing and my appearance will never make me happy.
“People always try to tear down my self-esteem for trying to look nice.
“My true happiness comes from my children, who I would hate to get surgery.”
Her daughter Millie, who is studying for A-levels, says: “I’m not really fussed by Mum’s surgery.
“I don’t think she needs it and I’ve told her that.
“I don’t think I would get surgery myself — I’m scared of needles.
“One girl I know says she’s getting a boob job as soon as she is 18, but it’s not on my radar.”
What Tracy has had...
Hair and eyebrow transplant – £5,000
Eyelids, neck contouring and ab-etching (all in one deal) – £11,000
Laser eye surgery – £8,000
Rhinoplasty – £7,000
Teeth-straightening – £4,000
Lip, cheek, jawline, nose and undereye fillers – £35,000
Vampire facial – £2,000
24k gold facials – £1,000
Botox (all over face) – £1,000s
Plasma eye lift – £700
Scalp injections (pre-hair transplant) – £1,200
Breast implants (aged 18) – £4,000
Breast removal and reconstruction (aged 25) – £11,000
Breast enlargement to H cup (aged 28) – £6,000
Breast reduction and uplift, E cup (aged 36) – £5,000
Injections into abs to define them – £600
Electro-magnetic stimulation to ‘shock’ abs – £300
Labiaplasty – £6,000
Labiaplasty part two to rejuvenate it (4ml of filler) – £900
Bottom lift with implants – £6,000
TOTAL: £115,000
Five ways to keep your indoor shrubs flourishing this winter
GREENERY in your home can help improve the air quality, not to mention your mood.
But if you have splashed out on indoor plants, the last thing you want is for them to then wither and die.
Here’s how to keep your shrubs flourishing . . .
PERK UP: Tea and coffee gives us a boost — but it can also revive greenery.
Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are among the nutrients in old coffee grounds that can help plants to grow while tannic acid in tea leaves also has benefits.
Adding these occasionally to soil can act as a fertiliser but it’s best to do this in moderation — just a couple of spoonfuls of grounds or leaves every couple of months or so is enough.
WASTE NOT: You can also use other kitchen scraps to nourish soil. Elise Harlock, brand manager at florist Prestige Flowers, said: “Banana skins are a fantastic, simple way to enrich your soil.
They decompose quickly and provide essential nutrients.
“Or try crushing leftover eggshells and sprinkle them around your plants. They are rich in calcium, which is vital for plant cell walls.”
POT LUCK: It may be easier to keep your plant in the pot it came in, but if it is too small it could cause issues.
You ideally need a pot that gives its roots room to grow.
Ikea has a really lovely range of plant pots with prices starting from just £1.50.
HOT TIPS: Try to keep your plants in a place where there are no big fluctuations in temperature.
So avoid putting them near to any radiators where it can get hot, or windows where it can get very chilly at night.
WATER TIGHT: Try to strike a balance between under or over-watering your plant.
A pot with drainage can help to avoid drowning your greenery with too much water.
You can also help nutrient absorption and boost plant health by dissolving a teaspoon of Epsom salts in one litre of water and using it on plants once a month, Elise says.
- All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability
Deal of the day
SPOOK your neighbours with this “family” of inflatable pumpkins, which make the perfect Halloween decoration.
It costs less than 1p an hour to run and is down from £50 to £35 at Homebase.
SAVE: £15
Cheap treat
SWEETEN up breakfast time with a bowl of Inventure S’mores cereal, featuring chocolate, marshmallow and crunchy crackers, £2.50, from Morrisons.
What's new?
POUNDLAND has released a new rewards programme through its new app Poundland Perks.
Customers can snap up more than 100 offers through the scheme, plus earn points, which can be exchanged for digital reward vouchers.
Top swap
STAY toasty with The North Face 100 glacier zip fleece, £75, from John Lewis.
Or keep the chills away and save a few pounds into the bargain with Lidl’s Rocktrail fleece jacket, £7.99, in stores now.
SAVE: £67.01
Little helper
VAMP up your lunchtime with Ginsters’ limited-edition spicy sausage and red pepper pasty, £1.25, from Sainsbury’s with a Nectar card or £1.95 without.
Shop & save
YOUR morning cuppa will be even better out of this flamingo mug, which is down from £5 to £3.50 at Flying Tiger.
SAVE: £1.50
Hot right now
VIRGIN Media O2 customers can get up to a third off train travel with a £10 railcard until November 9. The rail-card is usually £30.
PLAY NOW TO WIN £200
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle.
Every month we’re giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers – whether you’re saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered.
Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket.
The more codes you enter, the more tickets you’ll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!
Labour don’t get fuel duty hike will hammer workers – Net Zero zealotry means they want to price millions out of driving
DURING the General Election, Labour promised they would reduce utility bills by £300. It was a bold promise.
Now Ed Miliband doesn’t dare repeat the claim. In fact, energy bills are set to shoot up this winter. The energy price cap will rise by ten per cent for the average household this month.
This price hike comes just as Labour takes the winter fuel payment away from 10million pensioners. OAPs on as little as £13,000 could be up to £600 worse off.
Tragically, thousands of vulnerable older people will die from the cold. Labour must be held accountable.
And after all her talk of not raising taxes on working people, Rachel Reeves now cannot rule out piling extra duty on petrol, either.
British motorists already pay some of the highest fuel taxes in Europe. A hike at the Budget would hammer millions of working people, as well as the most vulnerable who rely on cars to get around.
Make no mistake — this is a tax paid by millions of working people every time they fill up at the pump.
Labour is a party of the metropolitan elite and just don’t get how important cars are to people across the country.
It’s why, as a Treasury Minister, I backed The Sun’s Keep It Down campaign — and froze the duty.
But Labour is a party of the metropolitan elite and just don’t get how important cars are to people across the country.
Their Net Zero zealotry means that they want to price millions out of driving.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Astonishingly, they are still committing to banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, even though the tech and charging points won’t be ready.
After 100 days, Labour’s pledges to lower energy bills are already unravelling.
It’s the latest in a long list of broken promises.
But my real fear is that it’s only going to get worse from here. Much worse.
Why? Because of Ed Miliband’s crazy plans to try to “decarbonise” the entire grid by 2030 — in just six years’ time.
Such a rapid change can only lead to bills spiralling. Or worse, blackouts across the country.
No respected expert thinks it’s possible.
But Ed Miliband is pressing on regardless, sacrificing our economy on the high altar of Net Zero.
It’s reported that he will impose heat pump targets next year, in what the industry has warned will lead to a “boiler tax” for households.
Labour doesn’t seem to understand that there are no prizes for reaching Net Zero first.
We only emit one per cent of global emissions, so we shouldn’t rush to decarbonise at the expense of working people nor the industries that drive our economy.
Of course, most people want the UK to do its bit to reduce emissions.
But we’re not fools. We know there are clearly trade-offs we have to balance against.
Such as ensuring our energy security and keeping prices low.
Or, indeed, preserving our agricultural land, food security and countryside.
Labour have already started approving enormous and ugly solar farms that will sprawl across our precious farmland.
That’s only going to leave us more dependent on foreign imports of food.
I say: solar panels are for roofs, not farms.
And where are these solar panels made?
Often they are imported from China, where the materials in them are linked to the forced labour of imprisoned Uyghurs.
We are risking a made-in-China energy transition, with all the dangerous consequences for our security.
Meanwhile, Labour are rushing to phase out gas.
That’s all well and good. But when our competitors realise it’s here to stay for the medium term, we risk our energy prices putting British industry out of business.
Not to mention the loss of countless jobs in the North Sea.
They’re not even looking at the serious alternatives — such as speeding up nuclear power. It’s barmy.
I’ve set out a plan to build five new nuclear power stations by 2032 by getting rid of endless environmental impact assessments, simplifying planning and copying designs from countries such as South Korea.
That would generate 28GW of electricity annually — or, put another way, almost a quarter of the electricity we need.
While battery storage technology lags behind, we desperately need nuclear and gas power for when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow.
But Labour seem to be in denial about the basic physics of this.
The truth is, we need to be more realistic about our energy policy.
In the past 20 years, prices have spiralled fourfold. You can’t keep industries such as steel or heavy manufacturing going when our energy is four times the price of that in other countries.
‘These are mad policies’
There are real decisions to be made here that matter to millions. Not that you’d know it.
MPs rushed through the 2050 Net Zero target in a 90-minute debate.
The Government spent more time analysing the impact of moving to paper straws than changing the entire foundations of our economy.
Like so much of our political debate, democratically elected politicians have washed their hands of responsibilities.
Driving is not a vice. The public did not vote to be colder, poorer, and priced out of their own cars.
The Climate Change Act, passed by Labour in 2008, committed our country to Soviet-style, sector-by-sector, five-year targets for reducing emissions.
If they’re not hit, activist groups can sue the Government.
And they do — even blocking a mine for coking coal used to make steel last month.
It’s made it incredibly difficult to build the critical infrastructure we need and handcuffed the ability of elected politicians to balance decarbonising with energy security and economic growth.
That’s why we need to scrap them.
These are mad policies that are bad for working people.
Driving is not a vice. The public did not vote to be colder, poorer and priced out of their own cars.
We must get serious and scrap these plans.
‘The kids would love these!’ praise parents over Aldi’s £1.49 Nutella-flavour pancakes dupe
PARENTS are rushing to pick up Aldi’s brand-new chocolate pancakes – that taste just like Nutella.
The pancakes, which contain Nutoka chocolate chips, Aldi‘s Nutella dupe, come in servings of four, and sell for £1.49 in the bakery section.
A picture of the breakfast item was posted on the Newfoodsuk Facebook group, and quickly wracked up more than 500 reacts and comments.
One commenter wrote: “I need these.”
Another said: “These look good”.
A third tagged another user, saying: “Think we need some of these x”.
Several others were excited to get the pancakes for their children, with one saying: “The kids would love these.”
On the Instagram account John’s Snack Reviews, the item received a respectable six out of ten rating, with the poster praising the “chocolate quality”.
It comes as another new chocolatey treat, Cadbury’s Fuse Mini Treats, hit supermarket shelves.
Chocoholics were sent into a frenzy over the launch, having feared the classic Fuse bar was “extinct”.
Meanwhile, B&M shoppers went wild for a new twist on the Dream bar.
And customers raved about a new type of M&M – the Candy Popcorn M&M Minis.
Nestle has also added a new chocolate to its Quality Street “Favourites Golden Selection” pouch: the Toffee Penny.
But in sad news for chocoholic vegans, Aldi has axed its popular Moser Roth Vegan Blond chocolate.
How to save money on chocolate
We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don't have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…
Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.
Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.
Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.
Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.
They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.
Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.
So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.
I’m in my 40s & tried viral face-shaving to see if it knocks years off…a pal called me Benjamin Button but I’ve 2 issues
IT’S first thing Monday morning, the kids are wailing about misplaced homework and there’s a harassed parent in front of the bathroom mirror, razor in hand, battling to get ready for work.
Typical family scene, right?
Except the person shaving their face isn’t my husband — it’s me.
Before you assume I’m some secret werewolf, trying to shed evidence of last night’s full moon, I’d better explain.
For the past three years, I’ve been one of a growing breed of women who swear by the benefits of face-shaving — or dermaplaning as it is also known.
It promises glowing, softer and more youthful skin, perfectly primed to absorb your favourite lotions and potions.
Best of all, it is now very affordable.
What took off as a defuzzing-meets-exfoliating salon treatment in the Noughties is now booming at home, too, so allowing women to shave off cost as well as facial fur.
Just take a quick scroll through social media to see face-shaving is not a niche activity for people with a bearded-lady fetish.
There are nearly three million Instagram posts about #Dermaplaning, and more than 150,000 TikTok videos pulling in over four billion views.
Then there are the celebrity fans, such as Eva Mendes and Gwyneth Paltrow, who use it to amp up their A-list glow.
So it’s amid all this back-ground noise that I’ve found myself regularly brandishing a dermaplaner.
I wouldn’t describe myself as especially hairy, but like many women I’ve got a fair bit of facial peach-fuzz.
I need to stress, this is perfectly normal. And if you perhaps prefer to just leave your facial hair alone, however much nature has blessed you with, fair play.
Personally, though, I’ve never liked mine. As an avid fake-tanner, I’d noticed my lady sideburns taking on a slightly orangey hue and, come to think of it, my foundation also had a slightly furry feel.
The first time I dermaplaned, I definitely felt a little trepidation — as I applied a standard skin oil, held the scalpel-like razor beneath my cheekbone and began to defuzz.
Within seconds, fur was flying. Two, three little strokes and the blade was already coated with a surprisingly large amount of fluffy vellus. I can’t deny, it was deeply satisfying.
Immediately afterwards, my 40-something skin felt gorgeously smooth, and even more so after it slurped up my moisturiser.
The next day, my complexion seemed to have a fresh glow and my make-up floated on effortlessly.
I felt fairly confident that my peach fuzz was far too fine to cause any prickly regrowth and my husband agreed my skin felt lovely — once he’d stopped chuckling at my latest beauty experiment.
The clincher came when a friend asked me what I was using on my skin that day and, bless her, added: “You’re like Benjamin Button”.
Monthly regime
Just coincidence? Ego-stroking? Maybe, maybe not.
Dr Kemi Fabusiwa, an ambassador for the Venus Dermaplaner, says: “Done properly, derma-planing really does reveal a brighter, smoother complexion, by removing dead skin cells and peach fuzz.
“Imagine your skin without that layer of dullness and tiny hairs. It’s also going to help your skincare products work better, meaning more bang for your buck.”
But before we get carried away, let’s circle back to those two key words, “done properly”.
While dermaplaning is now part of my monthly beauty regime, I’m aware it’s not without potential pitfalls.
In particular, remember these blades are sharp. I’m guilty of being careless once or twice and ending up with a little nick to show for it.
But I’ve also seen a new viral trend on TikTok where influencers are adding a whole new layer, literally, to DIY dermaplaning.
As a pre-shave prep step, they are using “hair identifier” sprays, which coat the face with a white, botanical-based powder highlighting every fuzzy follicle for the ultimate shave.
Ever the willing — and furry — human guinea-pig, I thought I’d order a bottle for myself, which cost a fiver including razors.
Copying the ghostly effect I’d seen online, I sprayed it liberally, creating a look that was somewhere between Christmas window-frosting and dandruff.
As the spray dried, my facial hairs stood out in a rather unflattering way and I began gently shaving away at the residue, dislodging the chalky, hairy dust.
Since I was filming this for Fabulous, I did go over some areas again in a way I wouldn’t usually — and I paid the price, with a couple of irritated patches.
My bad, but I did think my skin felt quite dry after rinsing the spray off.
Yes, the facial hair was gone but, frankly, I’ve never had a problem identifying my peach fuzz and just found the process rather messy and cumbersome.
Consultant dermatologist Dr Aamna Adel (@dermatologist_adel) agrees.
She says: “These products are gimmicky.”
So, a hair-revealer spray may be eye-catching on TikTok but it’s not something I’ll be adding to my shaving regime.
HOW TO DO IT AT HOME
CLEANSE FIRST: Remove make-up, oil or dirt to reduce the risk of irritation and give the dermaplaner a smooth run.
Add something for “slip”.
“A foam, oil or cleanser softens hair for a closer shave and reduces irritation,” Dr Fabusiwa says.
TECHNIQUE IS KEY: “Always shave in the direction of hair growth,” says Dr Adel.
“Pull skin taut, work in short strokes and regularly wipe the residue off the blade with a pad.
“Switch razors every few shaves to reduce the risk of infection and razor burn.”
Afterwards, use a simple moisturiser.
PLAY SAFE: “I wouldn’t recommend dermaplaning for anyone with very active or inflammatory acne,” says Dr Adel.
“You’re likely to irritate the skin.
“Anyone with very sensitive, eczema or rosacea-prone skin should be cautious, as dermaplaning could lead to reactions.”
BEST DIY BUYS
‘Wish this was a permanent option’ say fans at TNT Sports suffer outage that goes down a treat during Liverpool clash
TNT SPORTS apologised after commentary stopped just five minutes into Liverpool’s Champions League clash with RB Leipzig.
In the opening stages the match, commentary from Darren Fletcher and Lucy Ward unexpectedly cut out.
The technical error – caused by an issue with microphones – lasted almost three minutes.
When everything resumed as normal, Fletcher explained: “Apologies for the early technical problems here.
“We can’t quite get the microphones to work inside the stadium. German technology and all that. Expected it to be better.
“Apologies sent though from Leipzig.”
Some fans actually seemed to enjoy the unintentional break from commentary.
One person took to social media to write: “That 2 minutes where TNT lost the commentary feed in the Liverpool game was absolutely bliss.”
Another said: “There’s no commentary on TNT at all?”
A third wrote: “TNT apologising for the loss of commentary. Don’t apologise, it’s great!”
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
While a fourth commented: “Wish TNT would just cut the commentary for the Liverpool game. It’s not working and it’s much more enjoyable without anyway.”
Reds striker Darwin Nunez broke the deadlock at the half-hour mark with a tap-in.