Andrea Jenkyns: The ex-Tory MP’s journey from working in Greggs to Reform mayor
Just a week ago Dame Andrea Jenkyns still did not know whether she would be ruled eligible to stand to be mayor of Greater Lincolnshire.
But now, with the question marks over her residency status still hanging over her, the former Tory MP turned Reform defector is suggesting putting migrants in tents and stopping energy secretary Ed Miliband covering East Anglia’s fields with solar panels.
But the events of the last seven days are not unusual for a rightwing politician who has courted controversy in a headstrong political career which has given her opponents plenty of ammunition.
Whether it is flipping the bird at protesters outside Downing Street while going in to mark Boris Johnson’s departure as prime minister, or ending Ed Balls’ political career, Dame Andrea has never been far from the drama.
It all started when 16-year-old Andrea Jenkyns left school in Beverly, Humberside after her GCSEs and got herself a job serving pasties and sausage rolls at Greggs.
At 18 though, her father persuaded her to start competing in beauty pageants and her public career really began on the stage of Miss UK, where she was a finalist.
The desire to perform has never left her, even beyond politics, and many years later as a good soprano she would release her own album and perform live in the UK, Europe and Asia, including for the former prime minister of Pakistan.
Her political career could not have begun in a more spectacular fashion in 2015. Having been a county councillor in Boston, Lincolnshire, Dame Andrea was asked to run against former Labour cabinet minister Ed Balls in the Morley and Outwood seat on the edge of Leeds.
Mr Balls clearly thought he had the seat in the bag and instead focussed local campaigning in trying to oust the then Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg in nearby Sheffield.
It came as a shock to everyone when in the early hours of the morning on 7 May 2015, Jenkyns was declared the winner and in effect ended the political career of a man who had been expected to challenge for the Labour leadership.
Once in parliament it became clear that Jenkyns was firmly on the right of the Tory party. She quickly joined the European Research Group of hardcore Brexiteers and became a big cheerleader for Boris Johnson.
After the 2016 EU referendum she pushed for a no-deal Brexit, and in 2018 she became the first person with a government position to quit her job in Theresa May’s premiership in protest over trying to compromise with the EU.
Such was her strong support for Brexit that the millionaire Nigel Farage ally Arron Banks gave £2,000 for her 2019 election campaign, in a much-criticised move. Jenkyns was accused of trying to help entryism into the Conservatives.
Almost all of her nine-year parliamentary career was spent on the backbenches with little appetite to trust her with a ministerial job.
But as dozens of ministers quit Boris Johnson’s government in protest over Partygate lockdown boozing in Downing Street and the Chris Pincher scandal, Dame Andrea was appointed a junior education minister.
She was always a fan of Johnson and on the day he departed as prime minister, she became the image of Tory contempt when she was pictured flipping the bird at protesters on her way into Downing Street to hear his farewell speech.
Mr Johnson was grateful, though, making sure she got her damehood in his resignation honours list.
While Boris Johnson was her leadership love in politics, Dame Andrea had also found love with one of her colleagues Jack Lopresti who fell for her despite being on the moderate One Nation side of the Tories.
Lopresti left his family for her and they had a son in 2017, marrying in December that year.
But things fell apart quite quickly and in 2024 she announced they had divorced.
Lopresti was last heard of joining the Ukrainian army to help in the war against Russia having also lost his seat in the election last year.
Jenkyns relationship with Reform has been typically hot and cold. Ahead of the 2024 election she accused Reform of trying to bribe her to defect to them. She then had a bitter feud with party leader Richard Tice after she was deliberately targeted by Reform to lose her Morley and Leeds South West seat which she duly did.
The animosity did not stop her from turning up as a guest at Nigel Farage’s 60th birthday party ahead of the election last year in what was seen as a sign that she would eventually switch. She was pictured with Farage and Arron Banks.
Then as a seatless ex-Tory MP, she became Reform’s 100,000th member and was declared as the mayoral candidate for Greater Lincolnshire – the county where her political career began as a councillor in Boston.
But even then things were not settled between her and Reform. Dame Andrea’s public support for Boris Johnson on X (formerly Twitter) upset party chairman Zia Yusuf who then suddenly started doing interviews on how the ex-Tory PM would never be welcome in Reform.
Dame Andrea’s first reaction on winning was to complain about the “smear campaign” against her by her opponents. Having picked up 42 per cent of the vote, she was more concerned about the questions which had been asked about if she was eligible to stand.
While she was cleared by the returning officer to stand as a candidate there is a possibility that her vague residency qualifications could become the subject of another legal challenge.
Now she has won though and is backed by a likely Reform majority on the county council, the sleepy East Anglian county could become a real testbed for Reform rightwing policies.
Already she is discussing putting illegal migrants in tents. She is also likely to try to stop renewable energy sources be it wind or solar farms being allowed in the county.
More interesting will be the Lincolnshire version of DOGE in slashing costs and cutting services that Mr Farage wants.
Lincolnshire’s farmers and fishing communities may be worried about having a vegetarian animal rights activist in charge.
But overall Lincolnshire now will be the real test of whether Reform is a party fit to govern. And Dame Andrea will become the face of that.
Russell Brand granted bail after court hears comedian ‘raped woman in hotel room’
Russell Brand has been granted bail after a court heard he allegedly raped a woman in a hotel room when she attended a Labour Party conference.
The comedian and actor appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday after flying back to the UK from the US for the hearing.
The 49-year-old spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he understood his bail conditions during the short hearing.
Brand, wearing an open shirt and jeans and holding his sunglasses behind his back, listened intently to the details of the charges as he sat in the dock.
He was charged by post last month with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, relating to four separate women.
The court heard that Brand allegedly raped a woman in a hotel room when she attended a Labour Party conference.
Following a theatrical event in Bournemouth in 1999, it is alleged that while the woman went to the bathroom, Brand removed some of his clothing and later pushed her on the bed, removed her underwear and raped her.
The court heard another of Brand’s alleged victims, who accuses him of indecent assault, is alleged to have been grabbed by her forearm by the actor as he attempted to drag her into a male toilet at a television station in 2001.
The court heard the third alleged victim was a television worker Brand met in Soho in 2004.
He is accused of grabbing her breasts before allegedly pulling her into a toilet and orally raping her.
The final complainant is a radio station worker who met Brand while he was working for Channel 4 on Big Brother’s Big Mouth between 2004 and 2005, the court heard.
Brand is alleged to have grabbed her by the face with both hands, pushed her against a wall and kissed her before grabbing her breasts and buttocks.
A criminal probe was launched after a joint investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times in September 2023, in which several women accused Brand of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse.
Press surrounded Brand’s car as it arrived on Marylebone Road, as he arrived wearing sunglasses and a navy open-buttoned shirt.
He did not speak to reporters as he walked the short distance into the court – which took over two minutes as he moved through photographers attempting to take his picture.
In a video previously posted on his X account, Brand said he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence. He will appear at the Old Bailey on May 30.
Brand, who was born in Essex, rose to fame as a comedian and media personality in the noughties.
Through the decade, he became a household name as he presented Big Brother spin-off shows Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.
He also hosted a BBC Radio 2 show between 2006 and 2008. before he left the role following an on-air prank in which he left a “lewd” voicemail for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter.
He now lives in the US with his wife Laura Gallacher, the sister of presenter Kirsty, with their two children.
Mike Waltz embroiled in fresh Signal controversy after ousting
Donald Trump’s ousted National Security Adviser Mike Waltz faces fresh controversy after being spotted using Signal on his cell phone during a cabinet meeting.
Waltz was photographed using the messaging app a day before he was replaced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and, instead, tapped as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Rubio appeared to be among those who Waltz had recently texted on the app. Vance, Gabbard and Rubio were among senior officials embroiled in the original Signalgate scandal in March.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung attempted to defuse the incident, stating: “Signal is an approved app that is loaded onto our government phones.”
Just after midnight Friday, a U.S. tariff exemption that spurred the rise of Chinese e-commerce companies such as Shein and Temu was eliminated, that left American online shoppers facing higher prices. The major shipping loophole, known as the de minimis exemption, allowed goods worth under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free if sent directly to consumers or small businesses.
Sycamore Gap suspect reported friend to police for felling tree
A suspect in the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree anonymously rang police to blame his co-accused, a jury has been told.
Groundworker Daniel Graham, 39, and mechanic Adam Carruthers, 32, are accused of driving from the Carlisle area to Sycamore Gap on the night of 27 September 2023, when one chopped down the sycamore using a chainsaw and the other filmed it.
Each deny two counts of criminal damage to the sycamore and to the Roman Wall.
On Friday, on the fourth day of the trial at Newcastle Crown Court, jurors were told an anonymous call was made to the emergency services 101 number on August 23 last year, naming Carruthers as being responsible for the crime.
Detective Inspector Calum Meikle told the jury he was “absolutely” certain that the caller was Graham.
On the call, played to the court, the caller said: “One of the lads that done it, Adam Carruthers, has got the saws back in his possession.”
Asked by Andrew Gurney, defending for Carruthers, whether the purpose of the call was to report his client for the crime, Mr Meikle said: “That could be a conclusion that could be drawn by the court.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan battles Zhao for place in World Snooker Championship final
Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered a damaging morning in his bid for a history-writing eighth snooker world title at the Crucible Theatre today as Zhao Xintong secured every frame in the early session in Sheffield.
The pair had matched each other in Thursday’s opening session to close at 4-4, but Zhao surged into a 12-4 lead with a fine display of potting, capitalising on regular opportunities offered by an error-ridden O’Sullivan. The pair will be back on the baize later in the evening with the seven-time world champion needing to launch a mighty fightback to retain hope of reaching Sunday’s decider.
In the other semi-final, the world No 1 Judd Trump led Mark Williams 5-3 overnight after coming out on top of a scrappy evening session in which neither player found much fluency – that is until Trump’s closing century break that may give the World No 1 momentum as they resume this afternoon.
Follow the score between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Zhao Xintong and all the key action from the World Snooker Championship below.
How online schools can help children form friendships as they learn
When thinking about the best education for your child, it’s naturally not just academic success that comes to mind. A good quality school experience is made up of many parts and one key element is the socialising opportunities that school can provide. Socialisation is crucial for building social skills, growing emotional intelligence and helping children form their own individual identity, as well as giving them an additional incentive to attend a place where they have fun and feel part of a community.
While it might be assumed that the social options are reduced when children attend online school, this is not the case. In fact, there are a number of advantages in terms of the structures, support and diverse social opportunities offered to children who join online schools.
Online schools give students the opportunity to form connections with a much more diverse community of students. The online model allows schools to welcome young people from around the world and this gives pupils a chance to make friends with students from differing backgrounds and cultures. Furthermore, this means they can meet more like-minded individuals and form stronger bonds and more meaningful friendships. This access to such a big and vibrant community also ensures that students can really find ‘their people’ and avoids situations where students are stuck in small circles or forced to engage with classmates that don’t share the same interests or passions.
This is something that Grace, who is now in year 13, has experienced since moving to online school. At her previous school, she was struggling with socialisation and felt that she didn’t really have a self-identity. At an online school, she has found she can be more herself. “A lot of people think that online school is about being alone, but I’ve found that without the physical element, I can express myself better,” Grace explains. Subsequently, the majority of her closest friends are from her online school and many she has met offline too. “I feel like I’ve met my people,” she says.
Isabella, who is in year 10, has also found that her experience of socialising at an online school has suited her much more than previous bricks and mortar schools. With her father’s job meaning the family moves country every three years, she has always previously struggled forming new friendships at the schools she joins. “I’m always the ‘new’ student, and it’s tough,” she says. After experiences with bullying, she found that online school is an environment she can thrive in. “You don’t have to turn on your camera or use your microphones if you’re not feeling comfortable. I’m not really a ‘social’ person, but I have made some friends here because we have these breakout rooms where we can talk to each other,” she adds.
While young people might not be meeting their fellow students physically every day, online schools put in place extensive measures to ensure that socialising is available for those who want to. This can be seen clearly at King’s InterHigh, the UK’s leading global online school which welcomes children aged 7 to 19 from across the world. Here, students join a warm and welcoming community with a huge range of opportunities for socialising. There’s dozens of clubs and societies for students across all year groups, representing a vast range of interests from chess to technology, sculpture to debate. Throughout the yearly student calendar, there are a number of events, showcases, and competitions of all kinds that provide a chance to socialise in different settings. Some happen internally, like the King’s InterHigh Arts Festival, while others allow students to interact with peers from outside their school when attending events like the International Robotics Competition.
Assemblies bring students together on a weekly basis and give them the chance to celebrate each other’s achievements, hear from their Student Council representatives, and find out what’s coming up at school. Each student is also assigned to one of the school’s eight houses and these smaller, tight-knit communities bring students a sense of belonging and camaraderie. Additionally, inter-house competitions are a fun and friendly way for students to engage and bond.
Although much socialising can come as a result of activities organised by the school, students at King’s InterHigh who are aged over 13 can continue building these relationships in a more informal setting thanks to the in-house, monitored, social media platform. Restricted solely to school students, the platform is safe, secure, and monitored to ensure a positive socialising environment for all those who choose to use it.
Online schools don’t just offer opportunities to socialise online but also offer ample opportunities to cement these connections in offline settings. At King’s InterHigh, there are global meet-ups throughout the year which bring together families allowing both children and parents and guardians to connect in real life. Regular educational school trips, from Geography excursions to science practical exams at other Inspired schools (the group of premium schools of which King’s InterHigh is part of) also allow children to socialise and have fun together in different settings.
Meanwhile, the annual summer camps, themed around a variety of interests and passions, including adventure sports, fashion, football, and tennis, are open to students across all Inspired schools and are held at spectacular Inspired campuses worldwide. Furthermore, the Inspired Global Exchange Programme offers a range of school exchange opportunities, lasting from one week to a full academic year.
Choosing where to educate your children is a big decision for any parent or guardian that involves many factors. However, when it comes to the social benefits, for the right child, online schools offer something truly transformative. To find out more about King’s InterHigh and whether it might be the right learning choice for your family, visit King’s InterHigh
Uefa confirm Europa League final stance if Man United play Tottenham
The Europa League final in Bilbao will not be moved if Manchester United face Tottenham Hotspur on May 21.
Both teams are in a strong position to contend for the trophy after winning the first legs of their semi-finals on Thursday night, with United beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away from home and Tottenham earning a 3-1 advantage over Bodo/Glimt ahead of next week’s return leg in Norway.
An all-English final would give two of the Premier League’s underperforming teams a chance to save their seasons and gain direct access to next year’s Champions League. United are in 14th place in the Premier League and Tottenham, who have not won a trophy since 2008, are 16th.
However, there is no chance that a Manchester United-Tottenham final could be moved to an English venue, with Bilbao’s San Mames stadium awarded the rights to host the Europa League final way back in 2021, the same year that Uefa decided the Basque city would host the 2024 Women’s Champions League final.
The San Mames has an official capacity of 53,289 but demand for tickets from Manchester United and Tottenham supporters will be far higher than what both teams would be allocated if they reach the final.
Uefa has confirmed that the two teams who reach the final will receive up to 15,000 tickets each, with a further 11,000 tickets up for general sale and the remainder offered to hospitality and sponsors.
And, as has been the case for recent all-English European finals between Manchester City and Chelsea in 2021 (Porto), Liverpool and Tottenham in 2019 (Madrid) and Arsenal and Chelsea in 2019 (Baku), the final will be played in Bilbao regardless of who advances.
Athletic Bilbao were dreaming of appearing in the Europa League final at their home stadium but United produced their finest performance under Ruben Amorim to win 3-0 against the 10-man hosts.
Tottenham were in a commanding position against Norwegian underdogs Bodo/Glimt but their late goal means there remains some danger for Ange Postecoglou’s side before a potentially tricky trip to the Arctic Circle next week.