Stephen Graham reveals he had to have an operation on a flight

Stephen Graham has revealed that he had to undergo an operation to fit a catheter during a recent flight to the United States after experiencing an emergency medical problem.

The actor, who has won widespread acclaim for his Netflix show Adolescence this year, appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday (5 June) where he recounted the incident, which occurred on his previous visit to the States.

Meyers asked the A Thousand Blows stars if his trip was less eventful than his previous journey which Graham called a “hell of an experience”. The 45-year-old explained that like most men he has reached a stage in his life where he needs to go to the toilet quite often.

Graham said that to solve the problem he had had an “uninvasive procedure” where a tube is fitted which does enlarge your prostate but after three or four months it should result in fewer trips to the toiler. The actor said that everything went fine until a flight to America where he naturally needed to use the bathroom.

While using the plane’s toilet, Graham said that he couldn’t urinate and thought to himself: “‘Oh, this doesn’t feel right.’”

Returning to his seat he believed the best way to solve the issue was to continue drinking more water. A few hours later he returned to the bathroom and “long story short, all of a sudden I went, but it was just pure blood”.

“It was very scary. I couldn’t stop this trajectory of blood and I’m having a slight panic attack. I’m about to cry and I’m having a moment,” Graham added.

Despite being worried the actor said he was overcome with calmness after he remembered that he had taken a selfie with a doctor who he had met before they boarded the plane together, named Dr Ola.

Graham spelled out the situation to an air stewardess who asked the doctor for his assistance. “Next minute, the doctor comes around the corner, and he goes, ‘Stephen!’ and I’m like ‘Doc, hello!’, and I explained the situation,” the British star said.

“He had another friend with him, who was a surgeon, so I’m there, and I explain. He’s like, ‘Okay’, and the surgeon, Dr Haji, says, ‘We can work this out.’”

The medics then proceeded to sterilise the lounge area between economy and first class and also brought out a catheter from an emergency medical kit.

To maintain his privacy Graham says that the aircrew held curtains around the operating area while the star “dropped me kecks” and “got on the couch”. He was told the issue had been caused by a clot that had got stuck behind his urethra.

After the operation was complete the actor joked: “I went to the toilet, and it was one of the nicest experiences with me and my penis!” He also noted after he was done “he came running out like a kid that had just learned to use the toilet”.

Graham took a photo with the crew after the operation was done, where he is visibly happy. He also showed the selfie he got with the two doctors who he called “wonderful people”.

Fans have since been sending their well wishes to Graham after Late Night with Seth Meyers shared the video on Instagram with many praising the actor’s storytelling abilities.

“This is one of the best stories I’ve ever heard anyone tell on a late night show. Love Stephen! Glad he’s okay!” said one person.

Another added: “What a lovely bloke and a great story! Glad he’s ok, and what a great group of people all round!”

A third said: “Stephen Graham is a national treasure. What a charming storyteller!”

New clues over Surrey sinkhole after network of tunnels discovered

Months after a massive sinkhole sparked a major incident in Surrey, a network of underground Victorian tunnels have been discovered close to the site.

Residents of quiet Surrey village of Godstone were told to “get out as quickly as possible” after a huge crater swallowed a street overnight on February 17.

More than 30 homes were evacuated as the sinkhole grew to up 19 metres in length, before a second one opened up days later.

Engineers working to repair the hole have now confirmed the discovery of abandoned sand mining tunnels around the site, which may “provide a clue” into what caused the havoc.

Lloyd Allen, infrastructure manager at Surrey County Council, told the BBC: “Currently, we’re investigating the Victorian tunnels, plotting them to see the extent of them and where they go.

“We’ll likely be finished by the early part of December, but there’s a lot of reconnecting services and redoing water mains, gas mains and electric cables.”

He told the broadcaster that the discovery of the eight-metre deep tunnels “puts one of the pieces into place” over why the hole opened up, but added there were “several scenarios that could have happened that led to this collapse”.

In February, an expert suggested the incident could be related to the collapse of a nearby abandoned sand mine.

Andrew Farrant, the British Geological Survey (BGS) regional geologist for southeast England, said how old maps of the area, published in 1872, appeared to show an entrance to a sand mine very close to the crater.

“It is possible other unrecorded sand mines occurred in this area,” Farrant said. “It is also possible that a leaking pipe has weakened the rock and led to the failure of a putative mine, assuming it exists and extended under the road. Equally, it is possible that gradual failure of a mine roof caused the water main to fail, triggering further subsidence.”

While engineers say they hope the repairs to be finished by December, local businesses told the BBC they have been “left in the dark” over the repair plans.

One businesses owner said his income had been slashed to a third of what it once was due to the sinkhole.

“They said they would keep us up to date, but this hasn’t happened,” Shane Fry, who runs DD Services, a garage on the high street said.

“We need to know. It will benefit everyone in the area.”

Will McLean, the owner of a residential windows and doors company described how the sinkhole had “reduced footfall to virtually zero”.

“Financially it has been massive,” he said.”In terms of business, we are down 60% to 70%, which is huge – devastating in fact.”

Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member Highways, Transport and Economic Growth at Surrey County Council, said, “This continues to be a highly complex incident involving a number of investigations led by our Highways Officers and other agencies, including specialist teams and utility companies.

“We are continuing to update local residents and businesses as we progress through each stage of the process. We’re also looking at how we can minimise the impact on local businesses while the necessary road closures are in place.

“Thorough investigations need to continue to understand the cause of the collapse and subsequently how we fully and effectively repair the area. We hope to have the road re-opened during December this year, but our focus will be on ensuring the road is safe to use so the exact date will be confirmed once we are fully assured of this.”

Reform councils in ‘paralysis’ with dozens of meetings cancelled

Councils taken over by Reform UK have been left in a state of “paralysis” as dozens of key meetings are cancelled and newly elected councillors fail to show up.

Nigel Farage’s party won huge victories in May’s local council elections, gaining control of nine councils and minority control in a further three.

However, opposition councillors have claimed organisation and productivity have been a “shambles” since the election, with some claiming the Reform representatives “do not know what they’re doing”.

Across the 12 Reform-controlled councils, 33 meetings have been cancelled or postponed within the first nine weeks since the election.

Additionally, at least 21 Reform councillors have missed their first meetings, despite the majority of these only having had one meeting to attend in their first month.

The worst-affected councils are Kent and Nottinghamshire, where Reform holds 57 and 39 seats respectively.

In Kent, nine out of the 22 meetings – 40 per cent – scheduled have been cancelled since the election up to 4 July. That compares to just 15 per cent in 2024.

These include legally required meetings such as the governance and audit committee, a crucial part of local government structures, ensuring accountability and transparency of the council’s finances.

Other meetings, such as the police and crime panel, were cancelled as membership of the committee was yet to be confirmed – something opposition councillors say suggests their Reform counterparts “are not ready or prepared” for their roles.

In Nottinghamshire, four of the 10 meetings scheduled had been cancelled in the first nine weeks.

These include the governance and ethics committee and the overview committee, which is responsible for scrutinising the operation of the chief executive’s department.

Opposition councillor in Kent, Rich Lehmann, said the cancellations were “shocking” and made him question whether Reform was capable of leading the council.

“Reform did better than anyone expected, and clearly better than they expected as well,” he told The Independent.

“There’s a general feeling among opposition councillors that a number of elected councillors are not ready or able to attend committee meetings that take place during the day.

“The fact they’ve not even named who is sitting on committees suggests they are having trouble filling committee places and that’s why they’re being cancelled.

“No one knows what’s going on. There’s a lot of confusion.”

Kent is the home of Reform UK’s first Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) unit, which has been set up to look at “wasteful spending” in councils.

The announcement on Sunday evening came as a surprise to many councillors, Mr Lehmann said, who claimed the move was a “barrage of distraction” from the “paralysis” the council is in.

It is understood that Reform UK councillors have chosen to cancel meetings with the intention of rescheduling them once they are more prepared. It is also understood that as the meetings were scheduled by the previous administration, they were not scheduled to the new Reform council’s timetable.

In Nottinghamshire, the opposition Conservative group said the cancellations had sparked “serious concerns about leadership, accountability, and the future of local service”.

“This is a shambolic start from Reform,” said Sam Smith, leader of the Conservatives.

“Scrapping every key meeting in their first full month in charge is not only reckless – it’s dangerous. This puts public services at risk and shows just how unprepared Reform really are.”

He added: “There’s no excuse for this. They should be in their offices, speaking to officers, and getting to grips with their jobs. Instead, the car park is empty, and the council is effectively leaderless. This is what happens when you elect people who had no plan and no idea what the job involved.”

While local councils are independent bodies responsible for their own decisions, it is understood that the government expects them to operate within the law and to hold meetings in order to deliver for residents.

Kent County Council said some meetings, such as planning committees, were scheduled on an ‘if required’ basis, and were cancelled because there were no applications requiring an immediate decision.

A spokesperson said: “Regarding the changes to the meeting calendar, a number of meetings were squeezed into June due to the election and induction period preventing them from being held in May as would be the case in a non-election year. Because there are no time-sensitive issues due at these June meetings, consideration is being given to deferring business to relevant July meetings to make best use of member and officer time.”

The Independent contacted Nottinghamshire Council’s new Reform leader Mick Barton for comment. He did not respond but told local democracy reporters the comments are “political rhetoric from the opposition”.

He said: “That’s absolute nonsense. We’ve only been here three weeks. We’re still setting policies, we’re having weekly cabinet meetings with officers to find out what we’re going to be doing going forward.”

What the Trump administration doesn’t get about the ‘fake news’ media

It was the summer of 1997 – a few months after a notable marathon libel case in which our crime correspondent, Duncan Campbell, had successfully defended his exposé of suspected corruption at Stoke Newington police station.

Around four in the morning, I was jolted awake by a burly policeman in the bedroom. We were living in Highbury, north London, and I soon worked out that the house was swarming with police officers, along with their dogs.

It turned out that a burglar had smashed through our front door in the middle of the night. The police eventually left and, as the last one disappeared up the path, he said to me: “You’re the editor of the Guardian, aren’t you? You might like to know we’re all based at Stoke Newington nick.”

My heart may have missed a beat. Duncan had, after all, just vanquished five of his colleagues in court. But I was wrong: as the copper tugged his dog into the van and drove off, he said: “Tell your Mr Campbell to keep digging.”

That was the thing some people struggled to understand about the way Duncan – who died recently – worked. You could expose bent cops and be in favour of the police. You could be dealing with the Met Commissioner as chair of the Crime Reporters Association in the morning and have a drink with a bank robber in the evening.

Of course, with Duncan, it went further, as anyone who attended one of his publishing parties would know. There would be chief constables, great train robbers, judges, barristers, old lags and old hacks. The art was to work out which was which.

Everyone trusted Duncan – except Mr Justice French in the Stoke Newington trial. In the previous 33 months, the police union, the Police Federation, had fought and won no fewer than 95 libel cases in a row. They were called “garage actions” because coppers would use the guaranteed settlement money for home extensions.

If Mr Justice French had had his way, the score would have been 96-0. But Duncan went into the witness box to give evidence. The jury, like everyone else, trusted Duncan. It cost him a huge amount in sleepless nights and anxiety, but the stand he took did his colleagues in the British press a considerable favour. It was now much safer to write about police corruption; it was a game-changer.

Duncan died within a week of another reporter, Andrew Norfolk, whose reporting on child-grooming gangs for The Times was similarly widely lauded for its courage and integrity. At a time when trust in the media is underwater, it’s heartening to be able to celebrate the best among us.

Duncan wrote about the world of crime like no other reporter could even dream of. How he did it, no one could quite explain. Nick Reynolds, son of the great train robber Bruce, told me: “You know, most villains hate journalists. I mean, the whole point of it is to try and do something and get away with it and be discreet. But somehow, through his integrity, approach, sense of humour, diligence, and demeanour, he managed to get the Golden Pass to the underworld, and they all respected him. “

Freddie Foreman, who killed people for the Krays, loved him. Mad Frankie Fraser, who extracted the teeth of his victims with pliers, adored him. But so did lawyers and police officers who cared about the truth.

He was very proud of the website he created, Justice on Trial, which ran until 2017 and covered numerous miscarriages of justice. He took an interest in so many. The Miami Five, the Craigavon Two, the Shrewsbury 24, the Birmingham Six, the Cardiff Three. The Torso murders, George Davis, and Gary McKinnon. Kiranjit Ahluwalia, who had been sentenced to life for killing her abusive husband. They and many, many more had reason to thank Duncan for swimming against the tide and taking the time and trouble to investigate their cases.

But most of the time, when people think about journalists, they don’t think of the Campbells and Norfolks. They don’t think of the risks that reporters take in covering events in the Middle East, or Ukraine, or even, as a new Amnesty International report highlights, in Northern Ireland, where there have been 71 attacks or threats against journalists since 2019.

When journalists are not being attacked physically, they are under attack verbally. It is now routine White House policy to denigrate, mock, discredit and delegitimise the so-called legacy media. The objective seems plain: if Donald Trump can persuade you that the New York Times is fake news, you might not believe them the next time they investigate his affairs.

The White House press secretary is 27-year-old Karoline Leavitt, who believes that Donald Trump won in 2020 and who used her very first briefing to (falsely) claim that $50m a year of US taxpayers’ money was going to fund condoms in Gaza. It’s unclear whether she has any journalistic experience, although she did once apply for an internship at Fox News.

This week, she took it upon herself to lecture the BBC on editorial standards, tearing into a report about deaths in Gaza and claiming the BBC had been forced to retract its claims.

This was fantasy stuff, as the BBC’s Ros Atkins demonstrated in a devastating three-minute film the following day. But, as the old cliche goes, truth often takes some time to get its boots on. GB News presenters, for example, chortled with glee at the “humiliation” of the BBC seemingly without lifting a finger to interrogate whether any of Leavitt’s claims were actually, you know, true.

Atkins works for BBC Verify, which GB News owner, Paul Marshall, incidentally wants closed down. Truth, lies – who cares?

So journalism is struggling today. Which is why it’s worth pausing to remember and celebrate the best rather than dwell on the worst.

We said farewell to Duncan on Tuesday. He himself was a veteran of reporting on the funerals of the villains he’d known, including gangland figures such as Charlie Richardson and Ronnie Kray, as well as the Great Train Robbers, Buster Edwards and Ronnie Biggs. Though with one, Peter Scott, a noted jewel thief who died bankrupt and penniless in 2013, it was Duncan himself who ended up organising his funeral at Islington cemetery.

He arranged it at 10.15 in the morning: “There was a discount for the early hour,” he recalled. The undertaker demanded the deceased’s occupation. “Cat burglar,” said Duncan, who also chose the music for the ceremony. The coffin disappeared to the old gospel song, Steal Away.

It helps to have a sense of humour if your life is spent covering crime. Not to mention today’s White House.

UK ‘could face up to £30bn of tax rises’ to fund defence spending aims

Rachel Reeves could be forced to raise up to £30bn through tax rises or funding cuts as the chancellor seeks to meet Labour’s pledge to boost defence spending, an economist has claimed.

The government has promised to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, and has an “ambition” – but no firm commitment – to raise it to 3 per cent in the next parliament, after 2029.

But the UK’s Nato allies are expected also to push for a fresh target of 3.5 per cent, with the alliance’s chief Mark Rutte pushing for a “dramatic increase”, with discussions over a possible 5 per cent target – as called for by Donald Trump – also taking place.

And Sir Keir Starmer this week vowed to make Britain “a battle-ready, armour-clad nation” as a long-awaited defence review called for major upgrades to the UK’s military.

While the major proposals were based around Labour’s current spending pledges for 2027 and the next parliament, the report warned that “as we live in such turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster” on increasing the UK’s defence capabilities.

Michael Saunders, a senior economic adviser at the Oxford Economics consultancy, suggested that the government could take steps towards this in the chancellor’s next Budget.

“To establish a more credible path to defence spending ‘considerably north of 3 per cent’ next decade, the government may decide in the autumn Budget that it needs to add some extra spending within the five-year OBR forecast horizon,” said Mr Saunders.

“It’s not hard to see pressures for extra fiscal tightening of £15bn to £30bn,” he told The Telegraph. Fiscal tightening involves either raising taxes or cutting government spending.

Earlier this week, Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), also warned the only way to pay for the increased defence budget would be through “chunky tax rises” as the government grapples with other key areas of public spending.

He told Times Radio: “You really do have to ask that question, what are the choices that you’re going to make? Bluntly, it really does seem to me that the only choice that is available, is some really quite chunky tax increases to pay for it.”

According to the IFS, hitting the 3 per cent target by 2030 would require an extra £17bn pounds between now and then which is yet to be accounted for.

Sir Keir has previously said that increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent would mean “spending £13.4bn more on defence every year from 2027”.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has also estimated that reaching 3 per cent by the next parliament would cost an additional £17.3bn in 2029-30.

Speaking in parliament as the defence review was unveiled this week, Lib Dem defence spokesperson Helen Maguire said: “It is staggering that we still don’t have an answer to the vital question: ‘Where is the money coming from?’ The government has flip-flopped a number of times on 3 per cent.”

On Tuesday, defence secretary John Healey failed to rule out tax rises to make Britain “war ready” and insisted he was “100 per cent confident” the 3 per cent target would be met – but struggled to say how it would be paid for.

It came as defence sources were reported to expect that Britain will be forced to sign up to a target to hike defence spending to 3.5 per cent by 2035 at a Nato summit later this month in a bid to appease the US president.

Win a luxury ticket package for two to this year’s Wilderness Festival

Music fans can win a luxury package for two to this year’s Wilderness Festival, all courtesy of Audi.

Wilderness returns this year to the picturesque nature reserve at Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, and will be headlined by rock band Supergrass, Nineties rave duo Orbital, and Brit Award-winning, Grammy-nominated indie-rock duo Wet Leg.

Completing the headliner lineup are Basement Jaxx, who are making their return to live shows for the first time in over a decade, as they celebrate the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking album, Remedy.

The winner will receive a pair of complimentary festival tickets and boutique accommodation in a luxury cabin for two. They will also be treated to an Audi Kitchen experience and, for the ultimate luxury, your own private chauffeur to take you and your guest to the festival and return journey.

Enter the prize draw here.

Wilderness Festival is known for its eclectic music lineup, which this year includes performances from pop singer Lapsley, singer-songwriter Bess Atwell, Scottish musician Jacob Alon and DJ Craig Charles.

At The Sanctuary and Spa, guests will discover an oasis of calm, whether that means taking part in disco yoga or a workshop to explore your sensuality. Highlights include boating, massage treatments, sauna rituals, hot tubs, a wild sauna, Wim Hof method ice baths and wild swimming.

Gourmet food offerings can be found at Ben Quinn’s long table banquet in the woods, a once-in-a-lifetime experience set in the woods and lit by chandeliers. There, Quinn and his team will serve up a feast of flavour cooked right in front of you five courses of carefully curated, responsibly sourced, local and seasonal ingredients.

Elsewhere, attendees can join a number of talks, comedy sets and conversations, from Food Stories with Jay Rayner to a live recording of Jamie Laing’s podcast, Great Company.

Comedian, writer and NHS doctor Matthew Hutchinson will share a sharp and moving look at life on the frontline of British healthcare, while cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith will uncover a bold and fascinating alternative history of female friendship.

The prize draw will open for entries at 3pm (BST) on 7 May 2025 and close at 3pm BST on 17 June 2025. Only one entry per person is permitted for the Prize Draw. Terms and conditions apply.

BBC Bargain Hunt expert jailed over art sales to ‘Hezbollah financier’

A BBC Bargain Hunt art expert who failed to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing militant group Hezbollah has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, sold artwork worth around £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by US authorities as a suspected financier for the Lebanese organisation.

Ojiri, of Brent, north London, previously pleaded guilty to eight offences under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. He is believed to be the first person to be charged with the specific offence.

The art dealer, who has also appeared on the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip, was charged with failing to disclose information about transactions in the regulated art market sector on or before dates between October 2020 and December 2021.

US prosecutors say Mr Ahmad was a “major Hezbollah financial donor” who used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and fund the group.

He is accused of evading terrorism sanctions by using front companies to acquire more than 160 million dollars (£120 million) in artwork and diamond services.

Following the introduction of new money laundering regulations in January 2020 that brought the art market under HMRC supervision, Ojiri is said to have discussed the changes with a colleague, indicating awareness of the rules.

The court previously heard the total value of the artwork sold was around £140,000.

The defendant was, at the relevant time, the owner and operator of Ramp Gallery – latterly Ojiri Gallery, Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said.

Mr Ahmad is understood to be based in Beirut, the court heard.

Mr Harris said: “The defendant engaged in discussions with and sales over a 14-month period with Nazem Ahmad and his associates, selling art to the value of £140,000 over that period.”

The defendant knew Mr Ahmad had been sanctioned in the US, a previous hearing was told.

Ahmad’s phone number was saved on Ojiri’s phone as “Moss”, the court heard.

“(It) appears to have been a name deliberately chosen to disguise Mr Ahmad as being one of his contacts,” the prosecutor said.

He added that Ojiri was warned by others about his conduct “but proceeded to engage in dealings with Ahmad in any event”.

Gavin Irwin, defending, said Ojiri was arrested while filming a BBC TV programme.

He said: “He has lost the work he loves. He was arrested while filming a BBC television programme.

“He has already lost, of course, his good name, he was until recently a man of good character.”

He said the defendant had been “naive” in relation to his participation in Ahmad’s art market, but that he was “preyed on by more sophisticated others”.

Mr Irwin also said the defendant has lost his business, accepted that he had done wrong and wanted to “apologise for undermining trust in the industry” and also to “apologise for the distress that he has caused principally to those who know him, who love him, but also those who have supported him throughout his career”.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb sentenced Ojiri to two years and six months in prison at the Old Bailey on Friday, with a further year to be spent on licence.

She told Ojiri he had been involved in a commercial relationship “for prestige and profit”, and that he had been “seeking the kudos of dealing with an eminent name in the dealing world”.

She added: “You knew about Ahmad’s suspected involvement in financing terrorism and the way the art market can be exploited by someone like him.”

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said that until these events he was “someone to be admired” and added “this is the nadir – there is one direction your life can go and I am confident that you will not be in front of the courts again.”

The judge said the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “The prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation is the first of its kind, and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, prosecute those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups.

“Oghenochuko Ojiri wilfully obscured the fact he knew he was selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, someone who has been sanctioned by the UK and US Treasury and described as a funder of the proscribed terrorist group Hizballah.

“Financial investigation is a crucial part of the counter terrorism effort. A team of specialist investigators, analysts and researchers in the NTFIU work all year round to prevent money from reaching the hands of terrorists or being used to fund terrorist attacks.”

Bethan David, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: “It is clear that Oghenochuko Ojiri was aware of new money laundering regulations in the art world and that he had knowledge of Nazem Ahmad’s background.

“Ojiri engaged in activity designed to conceal the identity of the true purchaser by changing the details on invoices and storing Mr Ahmad’s name under a different alias in his mobile phone.

“His motivation appears to be financial along with a broader desire to boost his gallery’s reputation within the art market by dealing with such a well-known collector.”

Ojiri has appeared on a number of BBC shows including Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip as a freelance presenter and is understood not to have worked on BBC programmes since 2023.

He described himself as “absolutely obsessed” with collecting contemporary art in a BBC Q&A.

He has previously worked as an auctioneer and is known for championing African and European contemporary art.

Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political and militant group based in Lebanon, backed by Iran and known for its armed resistance against Israel.

In the UK, the entire organisation – both its military and political wings – has been banned as a terrorist group since 2019.

UK’s biggest ever £210m jackpot still up for grabs

The winning numbers in Friday’s EuroMillions have been revealed in the draw for the UK’s biggest ever lottery jackpot.

A record jackpot of £210m had been up for grabs in Friday’s draw if a single ticket-holder had managed to choose the winning numbers.

The winning numbers were announced as 20, 21, 29, 30, 35, while the Lucky Stars are 2 and 12. Players must correctly choose all seven numbers in order to win the jackpot.

But it was announced later on Friday night that no winning tickets had been sold.

While the jackpot is now capped at £210m, any money in the next draw that would have gone into the jackpot will now boost prizes in the second tier – meaning multiple UK players could potentially bank large prizes for matching the five main numbers and one Lucky Star.

In Friday’s draw, seven players won the second-tier prize, entitling them to winnings of more than £2m each. A total of 18 ticket-holders correctly chose the main five numbers without a Lucky Star, a feat which could see them collect more than £17,000.

Tuesday’s draw of £199m would also have been a record-breaking jackpot, but no one held a winning ticket then either, with the jackpot now up for grabs once again in four days’ time.

“A win of this magnitude would create the biggest National Lottery winner this country has ever seen – making a single UK winner instantly richer than the likes of Dua Lipa and Harry Kane while also landing them at the number one spot on the National Lottery’s biggest wins list,” said Andy Carter, senior winners’ adviser at Allwyn.

An anonymous UK ticket-holder won the existing record jackpot of £195m on 19 July 2022.

Just two months earlier Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, won £184,262,899 with a Lucky Dip ticket for the draw on 10 May 2022.

The UK’s third biggest win came after an anonymous ticket-holder scooped the £177m jackpot in the draw on 26 November last year, while the biggest this year was £83m in January.

According to National Lottery, the winning code in Friday’s Millionaire Maker Selection raffle – which is included in all EuroMillions tickets – was VLWS75031, with one ticketholder set to win the £1m prize.

In other National Lottery draws on Friday night, the Thunderball – which has a top prize of £500,000 – drew winning numbers of 3, 14, 31, 32, 34. The Thunderball is a 6.