Sir Keir Starmer is poised to hand above-inflation pay rises to teachers and nurses, despite warnings that the move may need to be funded by extra taxes or borrowing.

The independent pay review bodies representing 514,000 teachers and 1.36 million NHS workers have both recommended pay rises of around 5.5 per cent.

Labour is understood to have budgeted for a pay rise of only 3 per cent, and the extra cash “can only come” from either higher borrowing, higher taxes or cuts, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

However, refusing to offer the 5.5 per cent pay rise, or refusing to fully fund it, would put the Prime Minister on a collision course with union bosses who have threatened to strike if they are offered any less.

Sir Keir, who has pledged to “end the chaos” of the Tory government, does not want to risk a row with the unions that could end in large-scale industrial action in key public services.

Sir Keir is understood to be open to an above-inflation pay rise for public sector workers, but Downing Street sources said he was not willing to give into union demands at any cost.

Economists said a 5.5 per cent pay deal for teachers and nurses alone would cost the Treasury an extra £3.5 billion. But if the 5.5 per cent figure was replicated across the entire public sector, this could cost an extra £10 billion.

‘There is no fourth option’

Paul Johnson, the director of the IFS said that implementing the pay recommendations “can only come from higher borrowing than they’re planning, higher taxes than they’re planning or cuts in spending elsewhere. There is no fourth option”.

It raises the prospect that the Government will have to break its election promises and find extra cash by raising taxes or higher borrowing after just two weeks in office.

The Labour leader repeatedly said during the election campaign that all his plans would be “fully costed” and that he would not raise taxes on working people aside from those outlined in his manifesto.

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has said she will only borrow to invest as part of her new fiscal rules, pledging her “iron-clad” discipline to balance the books.

It is unclear whether Sir Keir will accept the full 5.5 per cent that the independent pay review body is recommending, or whether he and Ms Reeves will sign off on an amount that is less than this but still above inflation, which is currently running at 2 per cent.

Labour has already rejected demands by some unions for far larger pay rises. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, said during the election campaign that he will “not be able to afford” the 35 per cent multi-year pay rise that junior doctors are demanding.

The independent pay bodies recommended the 5.5 per cent pay rise for NHS workers and teachers because the figure is in line with pay rises in the private sector. The average weekly pay of private sector workers rose by 5.5 per cent in three months to May compared with 2023, Commons Library data show.

‘Finances are in a poor state’

When asked during last week’s Nato summit in Washington whether he would give unions asking for above-inflation pay rises what they wanted, Sir Keir said: “No is the answer to the last bit of that question.

“Obviously there are a number of pay settlements to be gone through on an annual basis, but the finances are in a very poor state. I think that is obvious.

“And that’s why we’ve been careful in what we said going into the election, and we’ll be careful what we say coming out of it.”

Downing Street sources insisted he was referring to his refusal to write the unions a blank cheque when it came to their pay demands.

Education and health union chiefs have both pressed for above-inflation pay rises, explaining in their submissions to the pay review body that this would help boost recruitment and retention.

Both education and health unions intend to put any pay rise offer from the Government to their members, and if it is rejected they will consider balloting for strike action.

Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the National Education Union, told The Telegraph: “If the Treasury intervenes and makes a pay award below 5.5 per cent, that would be highly inflammatory and a strike would be unavoidable.”

He said any pay offer would be used as a basis for negotiations for a much larger multi-year settlement, adding: “Teachers have lost 25 per cent of pay since 2010 and we are not expecting this all in one go, but over the course of the parliament.”

Mr Kebede added: “This Government has come into power pledging to reset the relationship with the profession and pledging a new deal for working people.

“The onus on them is to avoid [strike] action. The way to do that is to ensure that the award is 5.5 per cent and that it is implemented in full with appropriate funding. And then commit to work with the union to restore the pay offer the course of the parliament.”

Strike action on the cards

Head teachers fear that even if the Treasury signs off on the 5.5 per cent pay rise, they may choose not to fully fund it, meaning that schools would be left to make up the shortfall through their existing budgets.

Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it would be a “real problem” if the pay rise is not fully covered by the Treasury, and warned it could lead to classroom budgets being cut to “make up the shortfall”.

Meanwhile a health union source said that while strike action is always a last resort, it would be on the cards “if members rejected any offer”.

He repeated the warnings about the need for any pay rise to be fully funded, saying: “The NHS would find it very difficult to find savings in areas because it is running at full tilt and has been for a while. We would immediately pass that back to the Government and say that not fully funding it isn’t an option.”

A government spokesman said: “We value the vital contribution the almost six-million public sector workers make to our country. The pay review process is ongoing, and no final decisions have been made. We will update in due course; however we are under no illusions about the scale of the fiscal inheritance we face.”

An NHS hospital told a nurse who wanted to support Lucy Letby she should not give evidence in her case, it has been claimed.

A nurse who trained with Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital told The Telegraph that she was asked to be a character witness by the defence but her NHS trust advised her against getting involved.

A second nurse, and a registrar who still work for the hospital, also said they had been instructed by NHS bosses not to talk about the case, despite previously voicing their support for Letby.

Last year, Letby, 34, was convicted of the murders of seven newborns and the attempted murders of six at the hospital between 2015 and 2016. Earlier this month she was also convicted of the attempted murder of another baby girl.

But recently many scientific and medical experts have come forward to challenge the evidence that was presented to the jury.

The nurse who trained with Letby said she believed she was innocent, and had been made a scapegoat for bad practice on the neonatal ward, which she witnessed first hand.

Speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, she said: “I never felt comfortable working on the ward, there was always an attitude of if you were a bit ballsy and happy to mock other people you fitted in very well and if you were a bit quieter and wanted to get on and do your job and keep your head down you would become a victim.”

She added: “Lucy was always very quiet with people she didn’t know but she adored looking after those babies and building that relationship.

“She got on really well with families and children and she used to get a lot of thank-you cards from the families.

“She was always very good at building rapport and looking after babies was her passion, you could tell as soon as she walked on the ward she loved it.

“I was approached by her lawyers to ask if I would be a character witness. I talked to my trust about it and I was advised it would be better not to, as it could hurt my career.”

The nurse said she had not realised how dysfunctional the Countess of Chester neonatal ward was until she moved to a different hospital.

She described how during night shifts, nurses on the ward would “pull a name out of a hat” and whoever got picked would be able to leave early, despite still being in charge of a baby.

Instead of carrying out a correct handover, they would leave a written note by the infant, leaving the baby without oversight for hours at a time.

“One thing that really struck me as odd, was on night shift, if it was quiet, they would pick a name out of a hat and that nurse would go home early,” she said.

“And it wasn’t like ‘you go home I’ll take your patient’ it was ‘write the handover on an A4 bit of paper, stick it next to the baby’. I look back and think, what an absolute idiot I was to go along with it and think that was normal.

“It wasn’t until I left and went somewhere else I realised this wouldn’t be allowed anywhere else. The ward definitely had its own little special practices.”

She also described practical jokes played on the nurses by senior staff who would use a voice changing device to phone the nurses station pretending to be patients. On one occasion after being tricked she found staff “having a right old giggle” at her expense.

According to the nurse, on one occasion Letby was also left humiliated after being called and asked to find a patient named “Micky Button”. After a fruitless half-hour search, Letby discovered it was the nickname for a piece of medical equipment.

“They thought it was really very funny that they had been able to trick Lucy when obviously it wasn’t and it was unprofessional,” she added.

“That would never happen in the hospital I am in now, so there was definitely a culture of this being fun to mock and attempt to humiliate people.”

Speaking about her thoughts when Letby was arrested she added: “My first thought was it’s not true. I thought they’ve got this massive spike in death rates and they found a scapegoat.

“I think there are some things that Lucy has done such as taking handover sheets home which isn’t normal and isn’t right, but that’s not evidence of anything more.

“Other people that I know that I’ve spoken to were all under the impression that it’s all a massive mistake. But it’s been really hard to find the courage to talk about it.

“I think she is innocent and I think there should be a retrial and I don’t understand why her defence doesn’t seem to have called some of the witnesses that could have helped. I think there has been a miscarriage of justice.”

Asked what could have caused the deaths in the neonatal unit if Letby was not responsible, the nurse said: “It sounds like it was short-staffed and they maybe shouldn’t be looking after babies that were that sick and premature.

“That probably contributed to what happened, but a spike in mortality isn’t necessarily an unusual thing. You do have ups and downs.”

Other staff have also felt unable to come forward to support Letby because they are still working for the NHS.

When The Telegraph approached former colleagues, this paper was largely met by a wall of silence, with doctors and nurses concerned about jeopardising their careers should they question the evidence and the decision reached by the jury.

One doctor who had worked alongside Letby on the Countess of Chester’s paediatric ward said he had been advised not to comment by the NHS hopsital.

Asked at his home in Chester, a 15-minute walk from the hospital, about the possibility that Letby may have been a victim of a miscarriage of justice the 41-year-old said: “Yes I did work with Lucy, but I’m afraid I just can’t say anything.”

The registrar added: “I still work at the hospital and we’ve been asked and advised not to say anything about the case.”

Another nurse who had also worked with Letby, summed up the mood both of doubt about the safety of the convictions and the widespread reluctance to discuss the matter.

“I know there are lots of people who still want answers,” she told The Telegraph.

A spokesman for the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “Due to the ongoing police investigations and the pending public inquiry, it would not be appropriate for the trust to comment further.”

NHS England declined to comment.

The European Union will demand access to British fishing waters in return for a closer relationship with Britain, The Telegraph understands.

Sir Keir Starmer is pursuing a reset to European relations and last week hosted a summit for European Political Community (EPC) leaders at Blenheim Palace.

The Prime Minister hoped to use the summit as a springboard to forge closer trade, security and foreign policy ties with Brussels, as well as work on a migrant returns deal.

However, the EU is said to be preparing a list of “offensive interests” it will use in any future talks with the UK Government.

Government officials believe access to British fishing waters will be one of the key trade-offs in response to Sir Keir’s requests.

‘We don’t know what they want’

The Government has also said it will attempt to improve the UK-EU trade deal agreed by Boris Johnson’s government in 2020, and Sir Keir has been offered a symbolic EU-UK summit in Brussels by Charles Michel, the European Council president, to begin those negotiations.

The bloc’s 27 prime ministers and presidents are understood to be keen to hear from Sir Keir about his plans to overhaul relations.

“We still don’t know what they want,” a European diplomatic source told The Telegraph at the EPC summit.

An EU official added: “First they have to work out exactly what they want and then come to us and we will talk about it.”

Top of the agenda for the EU, especially France, will be renewing the UK-EU fisheries deal, which expires at the end of June 2026.

Emmanuel Macron has listed the issue of fishing as a priority, alongside migration and defence, for talks with the UK.

The EU also wants a deal on greater access to Britain for young Europeans.

Brussels’ current “youth mobility” proposal, tabled in April, has no limits placed on 18- to 30-year-olds coming to work or study in Britain for four years, with rights to bring their family members.

Starmer may rethink university fee rules

The bloc also wants rules that would prevent EU students being charged international fees by British universities.

At the time, the scheme was rejected by Labour, but it would likely be brought back to the negotiating table if Sir Keir is to secure deals to reduce red tape on trade with the bloc.

He is likely to want to negotiate better terms on animal health standards, mutual recognition of qualifications and a regulatory deal on chemicals.

A deal with Spain on the post-Brexit future for Gibraltar will also become an early priority in talks with Europe.

Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, has said “clarifying this issue” would help advances between London and Madrid.

But it has prompted warnings that Sir Keir will be exploited in his efforts to reset Britain’s relations with the bloc.

Veteran Brexit negotiators have said the Prime Minister will suffer if he attempts to please the EU by giving ground early with a deal on fisheries.

They told The Telegraph that it would be “mad” to believe striking an early fisheries deal would convince Brussels to go easy on Labour in future talks to reopen parts of Mr Johnson’s trade deal.

Single Market cannot be ‘cherry-picked’

Despite the positive response from Europeans to the Prime Minister’s desire to reset relations, they said they would not allow their Single Market to be “cherry-picked”.

Mr Michel, who will be replaced as European Council president later this year, said it was “legitimate” for Brussels to defend its interest, adding: “In the end what is important is common sense and political courage so that we can make the right decisions, the right choices for the benefits of our citizens.”

Meanwhile, Mr Macron, referring to Mr Johnson’s deals, told reporters at the EPC: “This one obviously has to respect what was decided at the time and should not be a sort of cherry picking.”

The French president will position himself as a defender of EU interests in any talks with the UK, despite his public determination to improve relations since Sir Keir’s election victory.

Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, who is expected to take softer positions, said: “It is too early now to go into the details, but there is a willingness to solve every question that needs to be solved in order to have good relations.”

Severe autism can be reversed and symptoms reduced to an indistinguishable level, scientists have discovered.

Two non-identical twin girls in the US were found to have a level of autism at 20 months old that required “very substantial support”.

A groundbreaking trial saw their parents and a team of medical experts create a bespoke two-year programme of interventions designed to help the children thrive and flourish as much as possible.

Scientists say the programme was successful, with both girls undergoing “dramatic improvements” in the severity of their symptoms.

The progress of one of the girls, described only as Twin P, was heralded as “a kind of miracle” by one of the paediatricians. Twin P scored a 43 out of 180 on the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist scale in March 2022 and this was reduced to just four by October 2023.

“One of the twins’ symptoms were reversed to the point of being indistinguishable from children who had never had a history of autism symptoms,” Dr Chris D’Adamo, study author from the University of Maryland, told The Telegraph.

“This twin’s functions are comparable to those who never had an autism diagnosis.”

The other girl, known as Twin L, had more severe autism aged 20 months, scoring 76, and this was reduced to 32 a year and a half later.

“[This twin] improved dramatically, but not quite as much,” said Dr D’Adamo.

Improvements unlikely to be undone

The scientists do not use the term “cure”, but believe the improvements are unlikely to be undone over time.

“Because autism is a developmental condition, one can safely say that once they have overcome the developmental aspects of autism and returned to a typical developmental trajectory, they are very unlikely to exhibit the common symptoms of autism again,” said Dr D’Adamo.

“Symptoms that could return might be more along the lines of things like anxiety, gastrointestinal issues, sensory issues, but not necessarily the behavioural aspects of autism.”

The twins underwent behavioural analysis, speech therapy and a strict gluten-free diet and nutrition programme as part of the trial to reduce inflammation.

The diet was casein-free, a protein found in milk; low-sugar; had no artificial colours or dyes; zero ultra-processed foods; primarily organic; and locally sourced.

The girls were also given daily supplements for omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins, vitamin D, carnitine, and others.

‘No singular cure to reverse symptoms’

Writing in the study, published in the MDPI journal Sexes, the anonymous parents said they knew there would not be a “singular cure” to reverse the symptoms and instead the programme focused on alleviating the “total load” on the children.

“Despite sharing similar genes and identical conception, gestation, birth experience, and post-natal factors – as well as benefiting from consistent nurture, home environment and family dynamics – each daughter presented an ASD diagnosis entirely uniquely,” they write.

“Conventional statistics have stacked the odds against the ability to recover a child from an ASD diagnosis.

“Our approach was therefore focused on following a nonconventional, holistic understanding of each daughter’s individual needs, exploring root cause and designing customised support.

“We committed to being highly involved in all the interventions we explored, educating ourselves and advocating for what we felt was best for our children.

“Most importantly, our experience as parents has been the desire to create and maintain a profound and loving bond with each of our daughters – and to remain parents, not practitioners.

“Through this approach, we have witnessed the radical recovery of one daughter – who presents today as a joyful, engaging, spirited, extremely bright four-year-old.

“We remain steadfast in our support for our other daughter whose progress has also consistently amazed us and has reminded us that recovery is possible at each person’s individual pace.”

The case study is published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine.

A couple who embarked on a “green odyssey” across the Atlantic were found dead in a lifeboat after being forced to abandon their wind and solar-powered yacht.

Sarah Packwood, 54, from Warwick, and Brett Clibbery, 70, were reported missing on June 18 after leaving Nova Scotia, Canada, in their 42-ft sailing boat, Theros, a week earlier. They were en route to the Azores.

Their two bodies were finally found on a three-metre liferaft last week, after it washed ashore on Sable Island, 180 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Mystery surrounds how the couple’s planned voyage turned to tragedy, with fears growing that their reliance on sail and an electric engine powered by solar panels, may have left them without back-up when things went wrong.

Before they set sail, Mr Clibbery, a Canadian, said in a video posted on April 12: “We’re doing everything we can to show that you can travel without burning fossil fuels.”

After they departed, Ms Packwood posted a farewell video message: “Captain Brett and First Mate Sarah set sail on the 2nd leg of The Green Odyssey on board Theros – GibSea 42 foot sailboat. Powered by the wind and sun. Heading east to the Azores.”

Ms Packwood, who was a poet, musician and reiki healer as well as being described by friends as an accomplished sailor, added: “It’s probably the biggest adventure of our lives so far.”

Police in Halifax, Nova Scotia, have launched an investigation into the deaths and have yet to rule out accidental collision, power failure, fire or suspicious circumstances.

The couple’s life of adventure began when they met during a chance encounter at a bus stop in London in 2015.

They married on the yacht a year later before holding a Celtic marriage ceremony at Stonehenge known as “handfasting”. They then returned to Canada, where they bought a tract of land on Salt Spring Island, near Vancouver.

Ms Packwood learned to sail at university in England and became a crew member on the Lord Nelson for the Jubilee Sailing Trust on the first leg of the European Tall Ships race.

With Mr Clibberry she went on to sail 5,000 miles along the Pacific Coast of Canada, the USA and South America.

Ms Packwood had previously worked as an aid worker in Africa, South America and South East Asia.

She blogged about their travels and the pair ran a YouTube channel updating friends, family and fans on their plans to turn Theros into a fully-solar powered vessel.

Ms Packwood had previously written during one of their journeys together on Spain’s Camino Frances: “I believe in the mystical and often feel as though guardian angels watch over us.”

Writing on her online blog about one of their voyages she said: “We spent a year aboard Theros on the high seas together, sailing on the first leg of our round-the-world voyage in stages from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia to Dartmouth in Nova Scotia, via Central America, the Panama Canal and crossing the Western Caribbean.”

Their trip in Theros from Halifax in Nova Scotia to the Azores was meant to be the first in the yacht after it had been fully converted to eco-friendly power.

Mr Clibbery, with the assistance of Ms Packwood, converted the Theros to solar power himself by removing the diesel engine.

He fitted the boat with six solar panels powering a lithium battery pack and auxiliary electric engine.

The solar panels were attached to the roof of a steel frame, with side panels made of fibreglass and plexiglass creating a waterproof “hard dodger’” cabin.

In a YouTube film, Mr Clibbery chronicled how he had carried out the conversion, using hand tools and readily available DIY materials.

Some experts said the addition of the solar panels and battery pack will have added weight to the yacht and made it potentially unstable. There were also fears that salt water may have led to the lithium battery pack being corroded and catching fire.

In her last message before the couple set sail on June 11, Ms Packwood wrote on Facebook: “We aim to sail across the ocean, all being well, fair winds and following seas with us!”

At that stage Theros was 10 nautical miles from shore and sailing at five and half knots towards the Azores. In the video Mr Clibbery said they were sailing away from a large tanker that had also left Halifax.

When Theros appeared to lose contact with shore, friends began posting anxious messages on the Facebook page.

Catherine Allison wrote: “The coastguard are on the lookout for Theros. Fingers crossed when they get within 150 miles or so of the Azores they’ll make an AIS [Automatic Identification system] ping and we can all breathe again.”

However, after more than a month’s radio silence, their friends’ worst fears were confirmed.

Dozens of well wishers have since posted messages of condolence.

Tim O’Connor, 64, and John Dolman, 63, who were friends with Mr Clibberly and Ms Packwood for years, described them as “like two peas” in a pod.

“They were the kind of couple that you see at a table, and rather than staring at their phones, they always had something to say to each other. They laughed together all the time. They were one of the happiest couples we know,” Mr Dolman said.

The couple said Mr Clibberly’s son, James, was travelling from his home in Ontario to the island where a celebration of their life was being planned.

He posted a tribute saying: ““The past few days have been very hard. My father James Brett Clibbery, and his wife, Sarah Justine Packwood, have regrettably passed away. There is still an investigation, as well as a DNA test to confirm, but with all the news, it is hard to remain hopeful.

“They were amazing people, and there isn’t anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing. Living will not be the same without your wisdom, and your wife was quickly becoming a beacon of knowledge, and kindness. I miss your smiles. I miss your voices. You will be forever missed.”

It remains unclear how the couple got into trouble.

Medical examiners are carrying out a full examination of Ms Packwood and Mr Clibbery’s remains for any signs of injury.

If Theros is eventually recovered she will also be examined to establish whether it was accidentally rammed by a larger vessel or suffered a fire onboard, forcing them to abandon ship.

A veteran Nova Scotia sailor understood to be close to the investigation said, on condition of anonymity: “While they do not have conclusive proof, they suspect the sailboat whose crew washed up dead on Sable Island was struck by a bulk carrier only a few days after departing Halifax.

“The sailboat crew were either unable to avoid collision or they could have been down below with Theros on automatic pilot.”

Hugo Fontaine, Canadian transportation safety board spokesman, said: “At this time, we cannot say with complete certainty that the sailing vessel was struck by a ship, as we are still gathering information regarding the overdue sailing vessel Theros.”

There has also been speculation that a fire may have broken out after on board – a common danger on a boat – forcing them to abandon the vessel.

The couple do not appear to have made mayday calls or fired emergency flares before their boat vanished.

Guillaume Tremblay, public information officer for the Halifax Royal Canadian Mounted Police regional detachment, said that “investigators are looking at all possible avenues”.

Officer Tremblay said the couple may have run into trouble in the treacherous water off the coast of Nova Scotia.

“The Atlantic ocean can be very unfriendly, especially with the current weather and weather cycles that are coming from the south, such as hurricanes, so there’s certainly a lot of impacts and effects on ocean vessels,” he said.

Newly unearthed video shows Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole slapping his celebrity partner’s bottom during training and saying she was “pathetic”.

The edited montage, which was broadcast in 2005 on Strictly’s twin show It Takes Two, shows Cole’s partner Fiona Phillips, the former GMTV presenter, saying he “looked at me like I was something he’d stepped in”.

In a clip from the show introducing the historic training footage, which was light and playful in parts as well as dramatic in others, host Claudia Winkleman said: “The anger emanating from Brendan Cole is quite scary”, prompting a grin from Phillips.

Phillips said in the video: “I don’t think I was prepared for the physical closeness”, before clips of Cole slapping her on the bottom on three separate occasions were played.

In a separate moment, Phillips asked Cole to “stop shouting”, adding: “I just feel ridiculous… I don’t feel like doing it now you’ve said that,” after the professional dancer and veteran of 15 Strictly series called her “pathetic”.

Elsewhere, in a backstage clip from the show, Cole can be seen launching into a profanity-laden tirade at cameramen, saying: “Guys, get the f— out of my face for “f— sake,” before appearing to push a camera away.

Speaking in 2017, Phillips said “Brendan was a real bugger”, and that “he wasn’t very nice. He was really naughty”. She said it was “karma” when his contract was not renewed.

The footage also shows James Jordan, a professional dancer on Strictly from 2006 to 2013, telling his Casualty actress partner, Georgina Bouzova, that he would “kill her” and “drag her across the floor” if she forgot her moves.

In separate footage uncovered by The Times, Jordan can be seen telling a dance partner, “you’re the laziest person I’ve ever met in my life” and kicking a chair into a wall.

Jordan has denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the footage was edited “for the purposes of entertainment”.

He wrote on Instagram: “I just wanted to reassure you that footage was shot and edited together by the BBC team for transmission on It Takes Two 18 years ago in specific ways for the purposes of entertainment.

“Many of the clips were not related to Georgina at all (they are not allowed to do that these days as it misrepresents what actually happened) but were included for the purpose of exaggeration.

“The BBC thought it would be fun to put this VT together in the way they did. You can see Georgina laughing about it in the studio and in the clips… And I have never received any complaints from any of my celebrity dance partners in the eight years I was on the show.”

He said: “Obviously if I had genuinely upset anyone, that footage would never have been allowed to be used in that way by the BBC themselves. The producers loved to paint me as the bad guy and I played along…always a perfectionist …but I would never have deliberately upset anyone and pride myself on good friendships with my celebrity dance partners.

“I strongly suggest that nobody attempts to link this edited BBC VT with the current alleged reports of abusive behaviour taking place behind the scenes by other Strictly professionals.

“There is no comparison to be drawn between those awful allegations and the highly produced and exaggerated VT from the BBC archives that is featuring on social media. To be clear, I deplore bullying or abusiveness in the workplace.”

Cole has been approached for comment.

It comes as the BBC grapples with a crisis over Strictly’s future following a slew of allegations about bullying and even physical violence doled out by the show’s professional dancers.

‘Crossed the line’

Last week, Graziano Di Prima quit the show after a video of him kicking his dance partner television presenter Zara McDermott was shown to BBC bosses.

A spokesman for Di Prima admitted he “crossed the line” in the 2023 incident but has been left in “a very vulnerable state” by the fall-out.

Di Prima’s exit followed that of Giovanni Pernice, who is under investigation by the BBC over his alleged behaviour towards Amanda Abbington, his partner last year. He has branded the claims against him as “false” and vowed to clear his name.

When approached for comment, the BBC directed The Telegraph to a statement from Kate Phillips, BBC’s director of unscripted, which says: “Whilst we know our shows have been positive experiences for the vast majority of those who have taken part, if issues are raised with us, or we’re made aware of inappropriate behaviour, we will always take that seriously and act.

“Concerns that have arisen have been fundamentally related to training and rehearsals.

“The decisive steps we have taken and are announced today, act to further strengthen the welfare and support in place for everyone involved with this production.”

Prince Albert’s memorial is “considered offensive” because it reflects a “Victorian view of the world that differs from mainstream views held today”, custodians say.

The 176ft Albert Memorial opposite the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington Gardens, west London, was built to honour Queen Victoria’s late husband in 1872, when the British Empire stretched across the globe. 

It includes a golden sculpture of the Prince Consort himself, along with four groups of large statues representing the people and animals of four continents.

Asia is depicted as a woman on an elephant, America as a native American, and Africa as a woman riding a camel. The African sculpture also includes a white European woman reading a book to a black African tribesman.

The Royal Parks website now says that the Albert Memorial’s “representation of certain continents draws on racial stereotypes that are now considered offensive”.

It tells how Victorian guidebooks about the memorial “describe how this ‘uncivilised’ man hunches over his bow. This pose was intended to represent him ‘rising up from barbarism’, thanks to his Western teacher. At his feet lie broken chains, which allude to Britain’s role in the abolition of slavery”.

It adds that “descriptions of the states that represent Asia and America also reflect this Victorian view of European supremacy”.

The website states: “Though the Empire has traditionally been celebrated as a symbol of British supremacy, many today consider this view as problematic because colonialism often relied on the oppression and exploitation of people, resources and cultures.”

The Royal Parks said that it added the information about the statue late last year as part of an attempt to “regularly review and update information about our landscape and heritage features, across all our parks to enhance visitor experience”.

It follows a nationwide clamour at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests during the lockdown in 2020 to address public monuments considered by some to be controversial.

Councils across the country created dossiers of monuments linked to slavery and colonialism.

Camden council has created a series of QR codes for statues in its area, which provide information explaining the “unacceptable” views of figures such as Virginia Woolf.

Some statues, like the monument to slave owner Robert Milligan near the Museum of London Docklands, have been removed entirely.

Welsh government guidance also suggested that statues of “old white men” such as the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson could be hidden or destroyed to create the “right historical narrative”.

The Albert Memorial was requested by Queen Victoria following her husband’s death in 1861.

He was a patron of emerging science, and the catalyst of the Great Exhibition of 1851, which showed off the discoveries and technological advances made by Britain in a vast “Crystal Palace” in Hyde Park.