Donald Trump has described how a “bullet ripped through his skin” at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night, after a gunman fired a volley of bullets at him from a nearby roof.

The Republican nominee, 78, dropped to the ground amid the sound of shots and screaming a few minutes into his address to thousands of supporters.

A bullet appeared to have grazed his ear, and blood dripped down his face as he was led away by US Secret Service agents with one arm lifted defiantly in the air.

Witnesses reported that a man armed with a rifle had climbed on a nearby roof as the former president delivered remarks at his last rally before the Republican National Convention on Monday.

One audience member was killed in the attack, and two others were injured. 

The gunman, who was identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, was shot dead by Secret Service snipers moments after he opened fire.

The FBI confirmed that the incident was an assassination attempt against Trump. 

The former president, who was assessed by doctors at a nearby medical centre, said he had been hit but not seriously hurt.

“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” he wrote on Truth Social, his online platform. 

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. 

“Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

As he was ushered away, he said: “Fight! Fight!”

Joe Biden, the US president, spoke to Trump by phone on Saturday evening and gave a brief statement from his home state of Delaware, where he had been spending the weekend. 

“There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it,” he said, describing the attack as “sick”.

“It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” he added.

A Secret Service spokesman said an immediate investigation had been launched, and the Butler Farm Show Grounds near Pittsburgh, where the assassination attempt took place, has been designated a crime scene.

Graphic images circulating on social media show the apparent shooter lying dead on the roof of a nearby building. The New York Times reported that he appeared to have been carrying an AR15-style assault rifle.

Wearing a red Make America Great Again cap, the former president was discussing a chart detailing border crossing numbers when gunshots were heard.

Trump appeared to grab his ear amid the sound of bangs and screams from audience members.

He was then seen ducking behind the podium as terrified audience members scrambled to the ground behind him.

Secret Service agents instantly swarmed around him, while officers carrying rifles stalked the stage.

Officers could be heard shouting “shooter’s down, we’re good to move” before Trump was helped up to his feet, his hair dishevelled.

Sir Keir Starmer joined world leaders in condemning the attack.

“I am appalled by the shocking scenes at president Trump’s rally and we send him and his family our best wishes”, the Prime Minister said.

“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.”

Barack Obama called for “civility and respect” in US politics, and said he and his wife Michelle wished Trump a “quick recovery”.

“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” he said.

“Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former president Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.”

However, some Republicans immediately blamed Mr Biden for the attack, accusing him of whipping up opposition to his political rival.

JD Vance, who is one of the front-runners to be Trump’s running mate, said the fatal shooting was “not just some isolated incident”.

“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that president Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to president Trump’s attempted assassination,” he said.

Mike Collins, a GOP congressman from Georgia, called for Mr Biden to be prosecuted.

The incident came ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday, where Trump will formally receive the party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential race.

Donald Trump Jr, Trump’s eldest son, posted a photo on X, formerly Twitter, of Trump, his fist raised and his face bloody in front of an American flag, with the words: “He’ll never stop fighting to Save America.”

Eric Trump, another of the former president’s sons, posted the same image, remarking: “This is the fighter America needs!”

The incident raised immediate questions about the security protocols at the event. 

As a former president, Trump is entitled to protection from the US Secret Service, and all attendees at his rallies are screened with metal detectors.

However, eyewitnesses said the shooter was stationed on a nearby roof, outside of the security perimeter. 

Video footage of the shooting appears to show that Secret Service snipers noticed the gunman only after he had fired the first shots.

One witness, who was not inside the rally, told the BBC he had tried to alert police officers to the shooter for several minutes before he opened fire.

“We noticed a guy bear crawling up the roof of the building beside us, 50ft away from us,” he said.

He said he was “100 per cent sure” the shot had come from the man on the roof who was then killed by Secret Service agents.

“They crawled up on the roof, they had their guns pointed at him [and] made sure he was dead. He was dead, and that was it, it was over,” he said.

Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, said he would hold an evidence session for officials responsible for Trump’s security to brief Congress.

They include Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, and other officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

Ms Cheatle was among the officials that briefed Mr Biden on the incident on Saturday night.

The White House said that the president would return to Washington in light of the attempt on Trump’s life, while the Biden-Harris campaign said they would pull all political ads immediately.

Trump received an outpouring of support in the hours after the attack, including from Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla chief executive, who used the moment to officially endorse him for the first time.

Sharing a video of the moment Trump pumped his fist on the air, he wrote: “I fully endorse president Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”

The incident is expected to have a major impact on the 2024 election, after weeks of national polls that show Trump is narrowly ahead of Mr Biden in terms of public support.

Following his shooting in 1981, shortly after taking office, Ronald Reagan received a poll boost of eight percentage points.

A US Secret Service spokesman said: “An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania.

“The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former president is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”

The Princess of Wales has appeared with Princess Charlotte at Wimbledon for the men’s singles final.

The Princess, 42, is making her second public appearance since she announced her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

It comes a month after her first foray back into the public eye at Trooping of the Colour in June.

She was accompanied on Centre Court on Sunday by Princess Charlotte, her nine-year-old daughter who is third in line to the throne.

They will watch Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, face Novak Djokovic in a rematch of last year’s final.

The Princess of Wales wore a purple dress by Safiyaa.

Her sister Pippa Matthews also attended.

The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte met the Ladies champion upon entering the club house. They brought her flowers.

The Princess of Wales received a standing ovation as she and Princess Charlotte entered the royal box and took their seats on Centre Court.

Kate smiled broadly and waved to the crowd after ushering Charlotte to a seat to her right in the front row of the royal box.

Pictures shared on social media by Kensington Palace showed Princess Charlotte holding a tennis racket.

The racket was given to the Princess of Wales by Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčiková, who used it on Saturday to win the ladies’ final.

Other distinguished guests at Wimbledon on Sunday included Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor, Sir Cliff Richard, Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunter.

Also seen in the crowds lining Centre Court were Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hiddleston, as well as politicians Nigel Farage and Chris Grayling.

Princess Charlotte attended with brother Prince George last year to watch the men’s singles final.

On Saturday the Princess missed the ladies’ singles final for the first time in three years.

Kensington Palace had confirmed in advance the Princess of Wales would be attending Sunday’s final and is set to present the winner’s trophy.

As patron of the All-England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, the Princess of Wales has traditionally presented the trophies.

She took over the patronage of the AELTC from Queen Elizabeth II in 2021.

The All-England Club has traditionally enjoyed a close relationship with the Royal family, with the Princess of Wales being the 10th member of the Royal family to present the trophy since 1907, when the future King George V became the club’s president.

The Duchess of Gloucester was informally sounded out as a potential replacement for the Princess of Wales if she was unable to attend on Sunday, The Telegraph understands.

The Prince of Wales, president of the Football Association, will be in Berlin to attend England’s Euro 2024 final against Spain later on Sunday.

The suspect in the suitcase murder investigation ran from the scene shouting “my boss is really bad” before human remains were found.

The man was pursued by an onlooker on a bike from Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge and made the comment in Spanish before apparently trying to stop the person filming.

In the early hours of Thursday morning police found the remains of two men in suitcases nearby. Further remains were found at a flat in West London on Friday while a manhunt was underway.

On Saturday, armed police detained a 34-year-old man at Bristol’s Temple Meads railway station who is understood to be undergoing questioning in London.

Metropolitan Police officers had earlier said that they wanted to speak to 34-year-old Colombian national Yostin Andres Mosquera.

The Sun published a video of the suspect running away from the Clifton Suspension Bridge, where it is understood he had been challenged by witnesses who thought they saw blood leaking from the luggage he was carrying.

The video shows him being pursued by a person on a bike before he appears to say “mi jefe es muy malo”, Spanish for “my boss is really bad”.

Human remains connected

Detectives have confirmed that human remains found at a flat in Shepherd’s Bush belong to the same two men whose remains were found in Bristol.

It has been reported that the victims lived together and one had recently travelled to Colombia. They have not yet been identified.

A neighbour told the Mail on Sunday that one of them “had been on holiday in Colombia… they were quite well travelled and had a villa on the border of Spain and France too. They’d lived here for a couple of years.”

It is believed that one of the men may have worked as a concierge for Harrods Estate, the property company, before retiring in 2019.

On Saturday, investigators in blue forensic suits, wearing masks and gloves, could be seen working behind a cordon outside the property in Scotts Road.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police are leading the investigation and are working with their counterparts in Avon and Somerset Police.

Dept Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine, of Scotland Yard, said of the arrest: “This is a significant development in our investigation, and I would like to thank the public for their support.

“We understand the concerns of local communities in both Bristol and London, and officers will remain in the Clifton and Shepherd’s Bush areas over the coming days to reassure those affected by this tragic incident. Anyone with any concerns is encouraged to speak with them.”

The suspect is believed to have travelled to Bristol from London in a vehicle in which he was not the driver. He was picked up in a taxi outside a pub in Clifton, an affluent area in the west of the city.

It is thought he then made a short journey from outside the pub to the other side of the bridge, which connects Bristol with Leigh Woods in North Somerset.

The manhunt began at 11.57pm on Wednesday, when police received reports of a man seen “acting suspiciously” near the Bristol bridge.

Officers arrived within 10 minutes but the man had left the scene, leaving a suitcase behind. A second suitcase was found nearby a short time later and both contained body parts.

A 36-year-old man who was arrested in Greenwich on Friday in connection with the investigation has since been released without charge.

Ed Miliband has been accused of endangering the nation’s food security after giving the go-ahead for Britain’s biggest solar farm on green land despite the objections of officials.

The Energy Secretary’s decision to overturn the planning inspectorate and give the green light to the controversial project in rural eastern England has sparked fury from MPs and campaigners.

The scheme will see Sunnica, an energy firm, building a 2,792-acre solar farm and energy storage infrastructure around several villages in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, providing power for 100,000 homes. Mr Miliband has also given the go-ahead along to two solar farms in Lincolnshire. 

It is feared this will be the first of many further decisions that will sacrifice vast amounts of farmland to net zero energy projects. 

The danger is that the fall in domestic agricultural production will compromise the nation’s food security, meaning it will face the prospect of greater dependence on food imports and increasing vulnerability to price rises on international markets.

The decision suggests it is likely that Mr Miliband will make meeting net zero targets a priority over preserving agricultural land in the dozens of other solar farm decisions making their way through the planning system.

On Saturday night, he defended the move, saying: “Some of these cases had been held up for months before I arrived in the department. They were put on my desk on Monday, and I’ve made a decision in three days.

“This is the speed we’re working at to achieve energy independence, cut bills for families and kick-start green economic growth. We will make tough decisions with ambition and urgency – all part of our plan to make the UK a clean energy superpower.”

It comes as the Labour Government is set to introduce a number of net zero measures in the King’s Speech on Tuesday, including legislation to set up GB Energy, a publicly-owned energy company.

More than 35 new Bills will be announced, which will include overhauling planning rules to boost house-building and legislation to nationalise the railways.

The speech, which will be delivered by King Charles at the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday, will include a cyber security Bill, aimed at reining in the ability of hackers from rogue states to target public services such as the NHS.

There will be legislation empowering the Office for Budget Responsibility to publish independent forecasts of major fiscal events.

It is understood legislation to lower the voting age to 16 – one of Labour’s manifesto commitments – will not feature.

Other measures include abandoning zero hours contracts, a national truant register and more breakfast clubs.

The Sunnica project, which is equivalent to the size of 2,115 football pitches, was one of three solar farms Mr Miliband waved through on Friday evening.

Critics have decried the size of the solar farm on agricultural land and the potential danger of the large lithium-ion battery units needed to store the electricity generated by solar panels before transfer to the National Grid. In recent years, similar units have been involved in fires and explosions in Britain and abroad.

Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said: “It’s clear that Ed Miliband has more interest in listening to the demands of Just Stop Oil than the needs of rural communities, even going as far as to overrule an expert Examining Authority to impose a large-scale solar farm in one case.

“Climate policy cannot come at the expense of struggling families, or the nation’s food or economic security or it will fail.”

Nick Timothy, the Tory MP for West Suffolk, hit out at the “arrogant” decision, adding: “It was made with such haste it is difficult to believe that the Secretary of State respected the process or acted with good reason. I am already receiving correspondence from residents who are extremely worried about what it means for their families, homes and futures.”

Mr Timothy pointed out that the Examining Authority – the Government’s planning inspectors – stated that the scheme’s significant costs were not outweighed by any kind of public benefit.

“Across the country, people living near proposed giant solar and battery farms should beware – the Government has made clear it is not willing to listen to the evidence, the experts or local residents,” he said.

Charlotte Cane, the Liberal Democrat MP for neighbouring Ely and East Cambridgeshire said she was “shocked” that the Energy Secretary had “overridden all advice to the contrary and given this scheme permission”.

She added: “Green energy is vital, and solar farms are key to meeting our net zero targets. But that must not mean that every solar farm application should get permission regardless of its impact on our food security, biodiversity, landscape character and our existing farming and horse racing businesses.”

Of the 1,360 representations received by the Government, all the relevant local authorities expressed their opposition and the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service raised concerns about the safety of the battery energy storage system.

South Korea had 23 battery farm fires in two years, while Lithium-ion batteries used in solar farm energy storage systems were deemed an “unacceptable risk” in Arizona after causing two serious ­fires in 2019. Solar farm battery units are not covered by the Control of Major Accident Hazards regulations, and are unregulated under UK law.

Dr John Constable, the director of the Renewable Energy Foundation, said Mr Miliband was already “looking like a liability to his party’s growth agenda because he simply does not understand how damaging these renewable plans are to the economy. This is beginning to look like it is some kind of dogmatic ideology”.

He added: “There are dozens of solar projects across the UK at all stages of development. If this is a sign of things to come, it looks to me as though developers are going to get a free hand.

“Any concern for planning balance and environmental impact for reasonable decisions is being thrown to the winds. Food security matters – why not let the land make good food rather than second or third-rate electricity?”

A Sunnica spokesman said: “Sunnica is immensely pleased with the decision to grant development consent for Sunnica Energy Farm. Sunnica would make a nationally significant contribution towards the UK’s legal obligation to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and its ongoing energy security.

“This important milestone, and the decision by the Secretary of State, has come after many months of intense scrutiny and robust engagement with the planning process and wider public consultations.

“We will now move forward towards the implementation phase, ultimately allowing us to create clean renewable energy for the UK, and look forward to meeting with local authorities and the wider community to plan the next steps.”

To the unsuspecting onlooker, it would appear that Sir Keir Starmer is running a rather slick operation. 

With his Cabinet appointed and his Downing Street team in place, a steady drumbeat of Government announcements has dominated the news agenda this week.

But just over a week into the new regime, tensions are bubbling under the surface. Allies of Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, fear she is being “frozen out” and believe she is already being unfairly stripped of responsibilities.

Ms Rayner, directly elected by Labour members as Deputy PM and therefore unsackable, has already been identified as the biggest potential threat to Sir Keir’s authority.

The darling of the Left, she has her own power base within the party and is particularly popular among those who, like her, have come up through the ranks from the trade union movement.

A Savanta poll earlier this month showed she was by far the most popular choice among Labour voters to succeed Sir Keir. She has a powerful mandate from the membership, having been elected deputy in 2020 with more than twice as many votes in the final round as Rosena Allin-Khan, her nearest rival.

However, friends of Ms Rayner are growing concerned that her authority is being gradually and subtly undermined.

While in opposition, she had been leading one of Labour’s flagship policies, the new deal for working people, which promises to boost wages and give workers more rights.

But it is now Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, whose department will take the lead. “This probably means that the new deal will get killed off as Jonny Reynolds will want to do what is best for business, not what is best for the unions – it will be a clash,” said one Labour source.

According to party insiders, there is now growing speculation that Ms Rayner is also set to have the planning brief taken away from her after Rachel Reeves made it the focus of her first major speech as Chancellor.

“Angela has been frozen out of everything. She was sitting in the front row of a speech about her own department,” said a source.

Others point to the fact that many of Ms Rayner’s shadow cabinet team were overlooked when it came to getting jobs in the Government. 

Mike Amesbury, Paula Barker and Flo Eshalomi, close allies and members of her shadow housing team, have been relegated to the backbenches. Matt Pennycook and Jim McMahon, also members of her shadow team, have been appointed as ministers in her department.

Friends of Ms Rayner are urging her to “get out there” more and take ownership of her brief. One said: “Everyone has been looking busy – Wes, Ed and Rachel have all been out there doing things. Within a few days, she is already being frozen out of stuff, having parts of her brief taken off her – it is not a great start.”

Wes Streeting used his first day as Health Secretary to declare that the NHS is “broken” and this would be his department’s official policy. He went on to hold a first round of talks with the British Medical Association, aimed at breaking the deadlock on junior doctor strikes.

Meanwhile, Ms Reeves chose the Churchill Room at the Treasury, where the creation of the NHS was announced, to deliver her maiden speech as Chancellor, and Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, has spent the past few days implementing a ban on North Sea oil and setting up a new net zero task force.

One issue said to be hampering Ms Rayner is that the office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not yet been defined. Nick Parrott, her chief of staff, was not able to get hold of Sue Gray, Sir Keir’s powerful chief of staff, to discuss it before election day.

But John McTernan, who was political secretary to Sir Tony Blair from 2005 to 2007, said that this should not pose a problem for her.

“Angela has got the position in the party with its own mandate and a position in the Cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister,” he said. “She has the relationships with the powerhouses at the centre of the operation – Keir, Rachel and Ed – and if you look at her department, she is at the heart of Labour’s growth agenda.”

The Telegraph understands Ms Rayner is happy with her team of ministers and will still remain closely involved with the  new deal.

Meanwhile, a restructure at Labour’s campaign headquarters, which was meant to take place last week, has been delayed because David Evans, the party’s general secretary, has been unable to get the green light from Ms Gray.

“David was meant to be overseeing this but can’t start it as he hasn’t had a steer from Sue Gray about what the structure of Downing Street will look like,” said a Labour source. “He is blowing up because Sue Gray isn’t answering the phone to him.”

While some staff have been offered plum jobs in either Downing Street or government departments, dozens of others are now left in limbo. Anyone hired on a general election contract is now officially working out their notice, which was triggered on polling day.

A Labour source said: “Following the election, many members of the team have moved into government roles, meaning changes to the HQ operation. This will allow the party to support the Government on delivering its mission of national renewal.

“The restructure of the Downing Street operation has moved at pace. It would not be correct to say that this has caused frustration for senior personnel in the party.”

Tourists in Crete were forced to wade into the sea and throw their backpacks on board a ferry after locals reportedly banned the use of a floating platform.

A line of tourists can be seen bobbing along with the help of a rope from the shore in Balos beach to the waiting ferry.

Many can be seen desperately trying to hold their belongings above water before having to throw it to others to catch onboard.

The ferry had stopped at the picturesque lagoon as part of a sightseeing trip and was due to go to the town of Kissamos when the tourists were ordered to disembark and reboard through the water. The reason behind the passengers having to disembark the ferry is unclear.

One American tourist told local news website zarpanaws it was an “unacceptable situation”.

“People have to walk through neck-deep water to reach the edge of the sea. Elderly people are unable to walk,” they said.

Giorgos Mylonakis, the mayor of Kissamos, said the platform had been removed by mistake but has since been repositioned and “the situation is better”.

“It’s not only a matter of safety, but also of the visitors’ general experience. Balos is one of the most beautiful places in Greece and we must ensure the best possible experience for everyone,” he told broadcaster ERT.