Joe Biden has referred to Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” and Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”, in a pair of significant gaffes set to worsen the crisis engulfing his presidency.

The US president, who is facing calls to stand down over concerns about his age, confused the Ukrainian president with the Russian leader on stage at an international summit.

He then referred to Ms Harris, his vice president, as “Vice President Trump”.

The gaffes came at the end of a Nato summit in Washington DC, which had been pitched as an opportunity to rescue Mr Biden’s ailing reelection campaign.

Standing on a stage with 23 other allied world leaders, Mr Biden spoke for several minutes about the importance of protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression, before turning to Mr Zelensky and introducing him by the wrong name.

“Now, I want to hand over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” he said. “Ladies and gentlemen: President Putin.”

He returned to the microphone and attempted to explain the error. “I’m so focused on beating Putin,” he said.

“I’m better,” Mr Zelensky replied. “You’re a hell of a lot better,” Mr Biden said back.

Ninety minutes later, during a second press conference, Mr Biden was asked whether Kamala Harris was qualified to take over his job if necessary.

“I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, that I think she was not qualified to be president,” he replied.

Donald Trump immediately seized on the moment, writing on social media: “Great job, Joe!”

Within minutes, the clips were being circulated online by official Republican Party accounts.

Mr Biden later defended his health, but said he must do more to “allay” concerns by appearing more often at public events.

The president’s advisers had been braced for the possibility of more errors on the world stage, after two weeks of criticism for his performance at the presidential debate on June 27.

The two slip-ups produced more calls for Mr Biden to end his campaign and make way for a younger candidate.

Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the Democrats must put forward the “strongest candidate possible” to beat Trump, and he “no longer believe[s] that is Joe Biden”.

Polls show that Mr Biden’s popularity has tanked since the debate. He is now behind Trump in almost all swing states, and some previously safe blue states are now “in play” in November.

Thursday’s incidents came as aides worked on a pitch to convince Mr Biden to stand down his presidential campaign, amid concerns he can “never recover” from questions raised about his age in the last two weeks.

Aides on the US president’s campaign and White House teams are working out how to persuade him to leave the race, after concluding that he has no chance of beating Trump.

Earlier this week, the Hollywood star and Democrat donor George Clooney called for Mr Biden to abandon his campaign, while the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stopped short of defending his decision to remain in the race.

Mr Biden’s press conference at the end of the Nato summit was the first event of its kind for eight months.

The US president gave remarks and took questions from journalists for an hour, defending his record on the economy and foreign policy. He also addressed concerns about his age.

Insisting he would stay in the race, he said: “I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job I started. I think I’m the best qualified person to do the job.”

He said he was “ready” to deal with Mr Putin and Xi Jinping “now, and three years from now”, when he will be 84 years old. He said the “gravity of the situation” required his experience in office.

But Mr Biden also acknowledged that he had dealt poorly with recent criticism from his own party, describing his errors on the debate stage two weeks ago as “stupid”.

“I’m determined on running, but I think it’s important that I allay fears by letting them see me out there,” he said.

Defending his health, he added: “My schedule has been full bore. So if I slow down and I can’t get the job done, that’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it, but there’s no indication of that yet — none.”

He denied a story that he intended to go to bed at 8pm every night, but said he thought it was important to “pace myself”.

“I love my staff, but they add things. They add things all the time. I’m catching hell from my wife,” he said.

Asked whether he would take a cognitive test, he replied: “I’ve taken three significant and intense neurological exams by a neurosurgeon, by a neurologist… as recently as February and they say I’m in good shape.”

“The only thing age does is it creates a little bit of wisdom if you pay attention”.

Mr Biden was asked repeatedly whether he planned to step down if polling data showed that Ms Harris would be more likely to beat Trump in the election.

He replied: “No, unless they came back and said, ‘there’s no way you can win’.”

Leaning into the microphone to whisper to the audience, he added: “No one is saying that. No poll says that.”

He had previously said that only “Lord Almighty” could convince him to step down.

Some Democrats praised Mr Biden for his performance in the latter half of the press conference, when he spoke in detail and without notes on US relations with China, South Korea and Russia.

David Axelrod, a former Barack Obama aide who has called for him to step down, said he was “very comfortable on national security issues”.

However, Mr Biden’s two gaffes in the final hours of the 75th anniversary Nato summit will overshadow three days of intense diplomacy by its member states, as discussion turns to the future of his campaign.

Sir Keir Starmer waved away Mr Biden’s confusion between Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin in his own press conference, arguing that the US president “should be given credit” for the summit.

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, said that “slips of tongue happen”, while Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said Mr Biden was “in charge” and on top of matters.

Mr Biden repeatedly referred to other Nato leaders while defending his record.

He said this week’s Nato summit had been the most successful “for a long time”, and that attendees thanked him for bringing them together.

“I know it sounds self-serving, but other leaders and heads of state have thanked me,  saying: ‘The reason we’re together is because of Biden’,” he said.

The Duke of Sussex said the bond between a mother and son “transcends even the greatest losses” as he was honoured at this year’s ESPY awards in the US.

Last month the decision to give the Duke a sports award named after an US war hero killed in Afghanistan was criticised by the soldier’s mother.

The Duke on Thursday night received the Pat Tillman Award for Service, awarded by sports channel ESPN to individuals in the sporting world who have made significant contributions to the lives of others.

The Duke was recognised for founding the Invictus Games a decade ago to support injured and sick servicemen and women – both on active duty and veterans – who are navigating physical and invisible injuries.

The Pat Tillman Award for Service is named after former NFL player and US Army Ranger Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.

But Mary, the mother of Pat Tillman, last month told the Mail on Sunday: “I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award.

“There are recipients that are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans.

“These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has. I feel that those types of individuals should be recognised.”

The Duke opened his speech by acknowledging the family of Mr Tillman, “especially Mrs Mary Tillman – Pat’s mother”.

“Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal, and one that I respect,” he said.

“The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”

It comes ahead of the anniversary of the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The 2024 ESPY (Excellence in Sport Performance Yearly) ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles was hosted by tennis champion Serena Williams – a friend of the duchess who also attended the event.

During her opening monologue, Williams joked: “Please Harry and Meghan, try not to breathe too much tonight, because this is my night, and I don’t want to be overshadowed by the accusations that you guys are taking up too much oxygen.”

ESPN previously said the Duke was being honoured for his “tireless work in making a positive impact for the veteran community through the power of sport” as the Invictus Games has “transcended borders and impacted lives across every continent”.

The Duke said: “While so much progress has been made since those first games, the world outside seems to be in an even more precarious state.

“We live in an age marked by polarisation and division. Conflicts rage around the globe. Anger and resentment towards those who are different, seem to pervade societies everywhere.

“Our community challenges that. Our community proves that unity is not just possible, but formidable.

“The beauty of the Invictus Games lies in how it brings people together, no matter one’s nationality, background, or personal struggles.

“It is a collective, built from courage and mutual respect, where athletes discover time and time again, the common denominator of their humanity.

“Having survived the crucible of armed combat, and forged through the challenge to rebuild bodies and minds impacted by conflict, they form a family.

“They exemplify the very best in all of us.”

The Duke travelled to the UK in May for a special event at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games.

He served on two front-line tours in Afghanistan and spent 10 years in the British armed forces.

But he was stripped of his military patronages by his grandmother the late Queen in 2021, a year after stepping down as a senior working royal.

The Duke said “I stand here not as Prince Harry”, but as a “voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation”.

“This award belongs to them, not to me. That said, it is of great importance to me to highlight these allies, athletes and their amazing families, for their achievements, their spirit, and their courage at every opportunity, especially on nights like this, in front of people like you,” he said.

He concluded his speech making a promise on behalf of the foundation.

“No matter the road ahead, we are here for you, we will leave no one behind,” he added.

Past recipients of the award include Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, who waged a high-profile campaign to persuade the Government to provide free meals to vulnerable youngsters in England through the school holidays during the Covid pandemic.

Four migrants died after their dinghy capsized as they attempted to cross the Channel just days after Sir Keir Starmer scrapped the Rwanda deportation scheme.

The French coast guard reported 63 migrants were rescued after their small boat got into trouble after leaving the north French coast.

However, four migrants were pulled unconscious from the water and could not be resuscitated by the emergency services who came to assist them.

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said the further loss of life was “truly awful.”

“My thoughts are with all those affected. Criminal gangs are making vast profit from putting lives at risk. We are accelerating action with international partners to pursue and bring down dangerous smuggler gangs,” she said.

Their deaths were reported shortly after 7am on Friday. Emergency services had reportedly also been deployed to the port of Boulogne where some of the rescued migrants were taken.

At approximately 8am, around 20 migrants wrapped in survival blankets were sheltered in Capécure, near the quay in Boulogne. A rescue operation was ongoing.

Dinghy deflated

The French coastguard confirmed that the first reports of a vessel deflating in the strait came at 4.30am local time (3.30am BST). Rescue ships arrived on the scene 30 minutes later to find people clinging to the dinghy.

A medical team was winched aboard the French Navy ship Cormoran using a helicopter and taken to the scene.

Fourteen of the surviving migrants were taken back to Boulogne-sur-Mer by fishing vessel with the remaining 49 rescued by the Minck coastguard ship.

Another migrant dinghy is thought to have successfully made the crossing several hours before the tragedy.

It follows the deaths of five migrants including a woman and a seven-year-old girl on April 23 when they were crushed in a dinghy carrying 112 people leaving a beach in northern France.

It is the first Channel tragedy since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister last Friday. 

Home Office figures show 419 people made the journey in six boats on Tuesday following 65 on Monday, taking the provisional total for 2024 to date to 14,058.

That is 10 per cent higher than the number recorded this time last year (12,772) and up 6 per cent on the same period in 2022 (13,318), according to government data.

James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary, said: “Reports of more deaths in the channel are a tragedy.

“As a country we must do everything in our power to stop the boats and put an end to this vile trade in human suffering.”

While on his trip to Nato on Wednesday, Sir Keir admitted that the small boats crisis could get worse before it gets better and that numbers coming across the Channel are going up, not down.

He scrapped Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda scheme on his first day in office, with the money to be diverted to a new Border Security Command that oversees the recruitment of hundreds of new officers and investigators tasked to smash the people-smuggling gangs.

The Home Office confirmed that Ms Cooper spoke to Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s foreign minister, on Thursday to discuss “how they will work together on the process of bringing an end” to the Rwanda migration partnership.

“Both countries reaffirmed their ongoing commitment to tackling the global issue of migration, as well as the strong and longstanding relationship between the UK and Rwanda,” said a spokesman.

The first postbox bearing the King’s cypher has been unveiled by children who posted letters to Buckingham Palace asking for advice on the environment.

The postbox was installed on the high street in Great Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, where a commemorative plaque records its historic status.

Royal Mail has also updated its own famous yellow logo, the Cruciform, to reflect the King’s cypher by replacing the St Edward’s Crown with a Tudor crown.

Since the 1800s, every post box has carried a royal cypher to show which monarch was on the throne when it was constructed.

While more than half currently carry the late Queen’s EIIR crest, some 15 per cent still display the mark of George V, who reigned from 1910 to 1936, while others are said to date back to Edward VII and even Queen Victoria’s reign.

The King’s cypher features his initials, CIII, for Charles III, and title, Rex, which is Latin for King, alongside a representation of the Tudor Crown.

Although a number of new or replacement post boxes have been installed since he ascended the throne, until now, existing stocks carrying the late Queen’s cypher had been used.

Emma Gilthorpe, the chief executive of Royal Mail said: “More than 115,000 postboxes across the UK have recorded the succession of monarchs since the first box bore the cypher of Queen Victoria.

“We thank His Majesty for granting us the use of his personal cypher as we begin the next chapter in the story of the iconic Great British postbox in Great Cambourne.”

The new box was unveiled by children from The Vine Inter-Church Primary School in Upper Cambourne, and Julie Spence, the Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire.

The children posted the first letters in the box using special stamps produced to celebrate the King’s Coronation.

As a school project, each child was asked to write a letter to the King about their new Forest School, which will open in September. They also asked for his advice on moving towards a more sustainable future.

The new royal cypher has also been applied to the doors of Royal Mail vehicles, with an initial rollout seeing 100 trucks updated to bear  the King’s version from Friday, and a further 290 due to receive the new logo over the next six weeks.

In total, 3636 delivery vehicles will be updated between August and October.

Meanwhile, the new version of the Royal Mail logo will be rolled out on new and replacement signage, stationary and vehicles, in line with guidance from the Royal Household, to avoid waste.

Similarly, the introduction of the King’s new cypher on insignia such as buttons, liveries and uniforms has been gradual.