JD Vance to host Jenrick at Cotswolds holiday home – but not Badenoch

JD Vance is to host Robert Jenrick at his holiday retreat in the Cotswolds, in a move that will do little to dampen speculation about the senior Tory’s leadership ambitions.

But the US vice president will not meet the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, according to reports.

Mr Vance is taking a surprise summer break in Britain, staying with his family at an 18th-century Georgian manor after spending the weekend with the foreign secretary David Lammy.

They stayed at Mr Lammy’s grace and favour stately home of Chevening in Kent, where they held a meeting on the future of Ukraine on Saturday.

Since then, however, the senior Republican has been holidaying with his wife and children. But it appears he is still keen to speak to other politicians.

The shadow justice secretary has been invited for a one-to-one meeting on Tuesday before a drinks event, according to The Telegraph.

A Conservative spokesperson said aides for Mrs Badenoch and Mr Vance had been in conversation about a meeting but “just couldn’t make it work with schedules”.

However, reports suggest that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will meet the senior Republican on Wednesday.

Mr Farage hinted two weeks ago that he might see the vice-president while he was in the UK, saying “we’ll see” when asked about the prospect that the two men might go for a pint in the British countryside on radio station LBC.

Sir Keir Starmer did not meet Mr Vance during his trip, as senior politicians often meet what is seen as their counterparts, and the PM’s opposite number is Donald Trump.

Mr Jenrick is reported to have been put in touch with Mr Vance by Dr James Orr, a high-profile conservative thinker and an associate professor of philosophy of religion at the University of Cambridge.

Both the vice president and the justice secretary have similar views on a number of issues, including the need for a crackdown on migration.

Mr Jenrick is at the centre of speculation he will run to become the Tory leader the next time the job becomes available.

As she struggles to cut through with the public, senior Tories at Westminster increasingly believe it is a case of when, not if, Ms Badenoch will vacate the role.

The Tories are third place in opinion polls, trailing behind Labour and Reform UK.

Killing Palestinian journalists in Gaza renders the world blind – what is Israel so afraid of?

Anas al-Sharif, 28, feared he would be assassinated by Israel.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression were worried too.

The Al-Jazeera star correspondent, who had tirelessly documented the horrors in north Gaza, faced a deadly smear campaign from the Israeli military. They accused the Palestinian father-of-two of being a Hamas militant, which Sharif vehemently denied, and the CPJ said were completely unfounded accusations.

In fact just a few weeks ago, the CPJ said the campaign “represented an effort to manufacture consent to kill Al-Sharif” and that the danger to his life was now acute.

UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan urged the world to act against the “blatant attempt to endanger his life”.

No one did.

On Sunday night, Israel deliberately bombed the tent he was sleeping in, killing Anas, four of his Al Jazeera colleagues, as well as a freelance journalist in a neighbouring tent and a passerby. All within the complex of a hospital compound.

The military celebrated, claiming this state-sponsored assassination was a successful hit on a Hamas operative. The CPJ called it “murder plain and simple” and said it is part of a pattern of accusing Palestinian journalists without providing any credible proof.

And it is simple.

Israeli strikes have already killed more than 200 Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza since October 2023.

The more Palestinian journalists like Anas in Gaza that Israel kills, the fewer people there are to report on one of the most unprecedented humanitarian catastrophes of our time.

That renders the world blind.

Since the start of this war Israel has also barred international correspondents like me from entering and reporting in Gaza, except in controlled military embeds.

And so, newsrooms rely entirely on our courageous Palestinian colleagues to be the eyes on what is going on inside the besieged, bombarded, blasted strip. They are the eyes for the world.

I do not see any reason to bar international journalists from entering Gaza to also report. I, like hundreds of other correspondents, covered the devastating 2012 and 2014 wars on Gaza from inside Gaza. Back then, Israel permitted us to enter via land crossing points.

I have repeatedly asked the Israeli authorities why they will not let us in, and have yet to receive a clear explanation.

It begs the question: What is it we are not supposed to see?

The slaughter of Palestinian journalists, and the blockade on international reporters, means that you, me, all of us sitting in the comfort of our living rooms, know less about what is going on in Gaza.

In Gaza, where Israel’s bombardment and war with Hamas militants has killed over 61,000 people, according to local officials; where famine is unfolding, according to the UN-backed global hunger monitor; where more than 90 per cent of the 2.3 million population have been forced to flee their homes multiple times, trapped within this kill box.

It means we know less about conditions in Gaza, where at least 50 hostages and captives seized by Hamas militants during its deadly 7 October raids on southern Israel are being held.

The deliberate targeting and killing of journalists constitutes war crimes under international humanitarian law.

If the killing of the Al-Jazeera journalists – and freelancer Mohammed al Khalidi– goes unanswered; if there is no truly impartial investigations and no accountability into the killings of all of the journalists and no justice for their families, it sets a dangerous precedent for our brave colleagues who are still (barely) alive in Gaza and under threat.

And it sets a dangerous precedent for journalists everywhere. And the pursuit of truth.

It signals that it is acceptable for a western ally – of the UK and the USA – to engage in the killing of reporters with impunity.

That makes us all less safe.

Right now, Gaza is the most dangerous place on earth to be a journalist.

To cite Amnesty: “No conflict in modern history has seen a higher number of journalists killed than Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

For the sake of the Palestinian journalists still inside Gaza.

For the sake of all of those suffering inside Gaza right now.

For the sake of the future of journalism.

For the future of truth itself, we must demand answers and justice.

Poverty is worse than 50 years ago – and its grip is tightening every day

We’re dealing with a divided Britain. We’re dealing with a social crisis,” Gordon Brown said last week. It was a stark warning, yes, of the realities of a country steeped in instability – but it was also a recognition of something unnerving: regression.

“I live in the constituency in which I grew up,” the former prime minister continued telling the host of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday. “I still live here. I see every day this situation getting worse, and I did not think I would see the kind of poverty I saw when I was growing up; when we had slum housing, when we had travelling people coming to my school.

“This is a return to the kind of poverty of 60 years ago, and I think we’ve got to act now. And that’s why it’s urgent that we take action in this Budget,” he said.

Brown’s comments came as he backed reforms to gambling taxes in order to generate the £3.2bn needed to scrap the two-child benefit cap – a policy that is now estimated to affect the lives of more than 1.5 million children. And his admission carries with it an unsettling truth: that, in 2025, the UK is not only facing new forms of deprivation, but potentially circling back to old ones, too.

Perhaps, half a century ago, it was easier to see. Back then, poverty appeared to live primarily in ghettoised estates – sprawling pillars of concrete; reeking stairwells, broken swings; kids playing outside in coats too small for them. In 1975, poverty had a physical presence in picket lines and soup kitchen queues, in a way that we’d like to imagine is now confined to sepia-tinged photos and “gritty” ITV dramas or Ken Loach films.

But the decades since have not only dramatically transformed wealth and living standards, but what poverty looks like, too. Things have, undoubtedly, improved – on the surface anyway.

Average household incomes have doubled, moving the poverty line upwards. Lifespans have lengthened and rates of poverty among pensioners have seen considerable progress.

Yet, the number of children living in relative poverty is not only slightly higher than it was in the 1970s, but double the rate at 31 per cent, or 4.5 million. An incredible 56 per cent of people living in poverty in the UK are in a working household, says the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), and deep poverty – where families live on less than 40 per cent of the median income – is significantly more widespread than ever.

Now, families face more invisible barriers: digital exclusion (approximately 6 per cent of UK homes have no access to the internet), gentrification, unstable zero-hours contracts (1.05 million people), and the mental load that comes with managing survival every single day. Mind and the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute found last year that people living in poverty are twice as likely to experience mental health problems, while Turn2Us found that 7 in 10 low-income parents experience anxiety or depression as a direct result of financial stress.

The last few decades – burdened by austerity, cuts, Covid, war, inflation, the cost of living crisis, more cuts – have given rise to deprivation that crosses social class lines and postcode borders. Today, living below the breadline could even look like a semi-detached house with a car on the drive. But those more visible – unignorable – markers are now coming back into play.

According to the JRF’s extensive research, as many as one in four people are going without basic needs and one in five are living in absolute low income after housing costs. More than one in 10 people – 11 per cent of the population, or 7.5 million – are struggling to eat.

“We’ve got poverty data going back to 1961,” says Peter Matejic, a chief analyst for JRF, “and what we’ve seen is that for working-age adults and children, poverty rates have increased quite a lot over the last 50 years. If you had a profile of people in poverty 50 years ago and now, you’d have a very different mix of people in the room [in terms of class and education]. I think there’d be some success stories – like the quality of housing would be a lot higher now than it was there.

“But, certainly in the last decade or so, the more visible forms of poverty and deeper forms of poverty have actually increased. For all the progress we’ve made, we’re now looking at regression.”

It’s particularly true in schools where poverty is becoming impossible to miss. A recent report by the National Education Union (NEU) documented the reality of teaching today in horrors witnessed by teachers – one such example found that more than a third of teachers are personally providing essentials like toothpaste, sanitary products or warm clothing for their students.

Back in January, The Independent reported from a primary school in Lincolnshire where young children are in such desperate situations that they are living in tents, and teachers are now “first responders”, rather than educators.

“We have to provide food, clothing, sometimes even pay for bus fares,” one teacher quoted in the findings explained. “We’re not just teaching any more – we’re crisis managing.”

In the mid-1970s, just 14 per cent of people fell below the relative poverty line – the official line drawn at 60 per cent of median household income after housing costs. Today it stands at 22 per cent in England. Essentially, says Matejic, much of the difference can be traced back to the 1980s – a pivotal decade defined by rising unemployment and significant tax reforms (particularly the reduction of higher tax rates for top earners).

“Higher rates of taxes were reduced for very high-income people, and there was quite a lot of growth of incomes at the very top of the income distribution as well,” continues Matejic. As a result, those on the bottom rungs of the ladder fell further behind into joblessness or because of benefit cuts, while those at the top surged ahead. The gap between the rich and the poor grew, as did that between lower- and middle-income households.

There have been periods of reprise – noticeably at the dawn of New Labour in the years after Tony Blair’s 1997 election – and of escalation. “Destitution more than doubled between 2017 and 2022,” explains Matejic – by the end of 2022, 3.8 million people (including 1 million children) experienced it, largely due to inadequate social security, rising costs of essentials and high levels of debt.

“The deeper you go, the worse it gets. Destitution – what we define as going without two of seven essentials like food, toiletries or shelter, or having such a low income that you can’t afford them – is rising faster than deep poverty.”

Even record employment levels haven’t been able to touch poverty, which has either flatlined or worsened for many. More than 8 million people are trapped in what is now routinely referred to as “in-work” poverty, with 60 per cent of low-paid workers regularly skipping meals (according to a study by The Living Wage Foundation); half are falling behind on bills despite being employed. The country is teetering on breaking point: one in three low-income workers say they are “one unexpected expense away” from being in crisis.

Further cuts to the welfare system – particularly to those unable to work, like carers and the disabled – have left millions more below the poverty line. Between 2010 and 2020, the poorest tenth of households saw their income fall by over 11 per cent, while the richest tenth lost just 2 per cent.

And when the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) compared cuts in the most and least deprived 10 local authorities just over five years ago, they found the poorest places were hit six times harder.

The two-child cap is only exacerbating the entire situation for millions of children in the UK. The original justification for the policy, which denies financial support for third and subsequent children born after April 2017, was to promote “responsibility” in family planning, cutting the benefit was short-sighted. In reality, the decision failed to acknowledge the reality of modern living: illness, separation, redundancy and other unexpected events that life throws at us all, and that render us vulnerable. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, it also disproportionately affects marginalised groups like single mothers and ethnic minority families.

Worsening deprivation is in what happens next: right now, we’re raising millions of children growing up with less opportunity, less security and, crucially, less hope than the generations before them. And this isn’t simply rhetoric – it’s a return to Dickensian levels of poverty, actively playing out in classrooms and kitchens across the country, and will be for years to come yet.

Scrapping the policy, most experts agree, is an imperative to improve rates of poverty and lives in the UK right now: this single change would lift a quarter of a million children out of poverty, and reduce the path of hardship for many more. But it can’t stop there, says Matejic. “You have to invest in social security to lower poverty,” he explains: uprating benefits in line with inflation, for example, restoring lost disability payments, and making universal support systems work with – not against – the rhythms of working life.

Investing in the labour market and in communities surviving on threadbare infrastructure, too, should be a priority: hollowed-out local authorities, oversubscribed schools, deteriorating hospitals and non-existent libraries. But, to make a difference long term, there needs to be a long-term plan in place. Social mobility is now at a standstill, workers’ rights (especially those caught in the grift of exploitative zero-hours contracts) are worsening and a genuine living wage is still not in sight.

As long as poverty is treated like a personal failing rather than a systemic outcome, that won’t change. Until politicians stop weaponising hardship and, instead, start addressing it with honesty and urgency, things will only continue to worsen.

The face of poverty may have changed in the last 60 years – sometimes we might not even recognise it. But the insecurity, powerlessness and injustice it brings only tightened its grip.

People living in 7th-century England found to have West African grandparents

DNA recovered from skeletons buried in a 7th-century cemetery on the south coast of England reveals the buried individuals had West African ancestry, raising further questions about early medieval migrations to Europe.

Archaeologists documented significant migration during this period into England from continental northern Europe, with historical accounts describing the settlement of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.

However, the extent of movement from further afield has remained unclear.

To further understand early medieval migration in Europe, researchers performed DNA analysis on individuals buried at two 7th-century AD cemeteries on England’s south coast – Updown in Kent and Worth Matravers in Dorset.

The findings, published in two studies in the journal Antiquity, show clear signs of non-European ancestry of two buried individuals with affinity to present-day groups living in sub-Saharan West Africa.

While most of the individuals buried at the cemeteries had either northern European or western British and Irish ancestry, one person at each cemetery had a recent ancestor from West Africa, scientists said.

“Kent has always been a conduit for influence from the adjacent continent, and this was particularly marked in the 6th century – what might be termed Kent’s ‘Frankish Phase,’” said Duncan Sayer, an author of one of the studies from the University of Lancashire.

“Updown is also located near the royal centre of Finglesham, indicating that these connections were part of a wider royal network,” Dr Sayer said.

In contrast, Dorset was on the fringes of continental influence, researchers say.

“The archaeological evidence suggests a marked and notable cultural divide between Dorset and areas to the west, and the Anglo-Saxon-influenced areas to the east,” said Ceiridwen J Edwards, one of the authors of the other study, from the University of Huddersfield.

The individuals showed clear signs of non-European ancestry with affinity to present-day Yoruba, Mende, Mandenka, and Esan groups from sub-Saharan West Africa, the study noted.

Further DNA analysis revealed they had mixed descent, with both having one paternal grandparent from West Africa.

The Updown grave was found to contain several goods, including a pot likely imported from Frankish Gaul, and a spoon hinting at the individual’s Christian faith or connections to the Byzantine Empire.

This cemetery was part of Kent’s royal network, and these grave goods and genetic indicators point to the region’s continental connections, the study noted.

The other individual at the Worth Matravers grave site was buried alongside a male with British ancestry and an anchor made of local limestone.

The fact that the individuals were buried along with typical members of their communities indicates that they were valued locally, archaeologists noted.

“What is fascinating about these two individuals is that this international connection is found in both the east and west of Britain,” said Dr Sayer.

“Updown is right in the centre of the early Anglo-Saxon cultural zone and Worth Matravers, by contrast, is just outside its periphery in the sub-Roman west,” he explained.

The findings, according to researchers, raise further questions about long-distance movement and demographic interaction in Britain during the Early Middle Ages.

“Our joint results emphasise the cosmopolitan nature of England in the early medieval period, pointing to a diverse population with far-flung connections who were, nonetheless, fully integrated into the fabric of daily life,” Dr Edwards concluded.

It’s surreal that I was arrested at the Palestine Action ban protest

It was certainly not part of any life plan for my seventies that I should be facing a charge under the 2000 Terrorism Act. However, as one of the 532 arrested in Parliament Square on Saturday, under Section 13 of the Act, that is where I am. And it still seems vaguely surreal.

Section 13 relates to any public display indicating “that one is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation” – in this case, Palestine Action.

Our alleged crime is that we were directly supporting Palestine Action by holding up a sign calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and the reversal of home secretary Yvette Cooper’s dangerous decision to proscribe it as a terrorist organisation.

So I sat there, mostly in silence, for two and a half hours before being arrested. I spent a lot of time looking around at all those holding identical signs (“I oppose genocide: I support Palestine Action”), and on one occasion burst out laughing at the absurd idea that these calm, predominantly old or middle-aged, middle-class citizens are now seen by our government as linked to or even the equivalent of members of al-Qaeda, the IRA, Boko Haram or the Wagner Group.

One of the reasons why Mr Justice Chamberlain, sitting in the High Court on 30 July, expedited the appeal by Palestine Action against its proscription (now to be heard in November) was that the home secretary failed to consult with any individual or organisation other than those who had been pressing for years for Palestine Action to be proscribed. Any sensible, non-partisan person could have told Cooper she was going to end up looking like a bit of a chump – and I bet you any money her civil servants did.

Even the government’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre’s assessment acknowledged that “Palestine Action does not advocate for violence against persons” – the very essence of terrorism.

Weirdly, what I was most upset by was not the behaviour of the police, which I personally – though others had a different experience – found to be uniformly courteous and attentive, but the behaviour of all the no doubt well-meaning non-sitters, screaming insults at the police as they carried out their duties in removing us from Parliament Square. “Shame on you, shame on you!” Shame on whom, I found myself asking?

Shame, primarily, on our government. I’m in no doubt whatsoever that this government will be found, in due course, to have been complicit in the genocide being carried out in Gaza today – not just through continuing arms sales to Israel, but in its reckless refusal to act on states’ duties to prevent genocide under international law.

The vast majority of people here in the UK now see that genocide for what it really is. Seven days ago, a Jordanian flight to airdrop aid revealed the full extent of the devastation wrought by Israel’s assault on Gaza over the last two years. Just 48 hours after that, the commemoration of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima 80 years ago reminded us of all of those terrible scenes. It was hard to tell the difference.

Yet, Cooper has doubled down on her determination to persuade us all that Palestine Action is a “violent organisation … causing significant injury to an individual”. Apparently, she can’t reveal the evidence that lies behind that assertion because of national security.

Let’s be clear: it is not our national security that is at stake in this moment; it is the integrity of our ministers.

Palestine Action has proved to be the most effective organisation in laying bare the extent of the UK government’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza, through its direct action campaigning against some of the manufacturers of the weapons that are killing Palestinians day after bloody day.

Has property been damaged in the actions? Yes, it has. Has that damage been costly to those involved? Yes, it has.

That does not make Palestine Action a terrorist organisation, though. The government has so many other ways of prosecuting Palestine Action for what it has been doing, including criminal damage – which already carries heavy penalties. But that would not have silenced Palestine Action.

Opposing genocide is not terrorism. That’s what brought all 532 of us to Parliament Square on Saturday, and I believe it will now bring the whole country together.

Jonathon Porritt is a former environmental adviser to King Charles and author of ‘Love, Anger and Betrayal: Just Stop Oil’s Young Climate Campaigners’ (Mount House Press, £9.99)

Jet, Set, Glow: How to turn pre-flight time into a wellness ritual

The airport might not be the first place you think of when you think about wellness, but believe me, you can hone healthy habits just about anywhere. Feeling well is about small incremental changes that are easy to manage and I’ve got plenty of tips on how to apply these ahead of a holiday.

Part of my job is travelling to health retreats around the world so there are a few things I do when I arrive at Heathrow to prepare me for this. Read on for my tips on how to transform waiting at your gate into a wellness ritual.

There are great wellness wins to be found in Duty-Free if you know where to look. Discounted skincare? Yes please. I’ll always head to the World Duty Free stores to stock up on my flight favourites to hydrate, protect and soothe stressed out skin and wellness tools to fight jet-lag and keep my healthy habits up on the other side.

Don’t believe what you see on TikTok – you don’t want to be putting on a load of skincare and facemasks on a plane. Dermatologists agree that less is more, so I pick up one of Aesop’s simple Venturer kits and use it as soon as I’m on the plane. The mouthwash and deodorant contain no nasties and the natural scents soothe the nervous system.

I also head to the Charlotte Tilbury counter to make the most of the deals there. The Magic Cream is gentle and hydrating so I use it on the plane once I’ve taken any make up off to stop my skin drying out in transit. I also usually pick up an In-Flight Hydrate, Protect and Glow kit, which contains a hydrating travel-sized mist, primer and lip oil.

If you’re concerned about your circulation on a flight, you can find incredible ayurvedic massage tools and neurocosmetic oils from Mauli Rituals to give the brain and skin a boost while you’re waiting to board and in flight. The brand’s bath salts are great for jet lag recovery too.

I slather hand cream on to prevent dryness while I’m in air conditioned spaces so I also make a beeline for L’Occitane products while I’m in the World Duty Free store – the minis are great for travelling and there are some cute travel exclusives available, such as the Shea Travel Must Have’s Set. Elemis also does a great selection of minis. If you don’t want to bring your entire skincare routine on holiday, opt for the whole Elemis protocol in minis in a travel exclusive set for a gentle hydrating pro‑collagen fix.

You can reserve your products online up to 30 days before your trip, so rather than stressing about what’s in stock or turning up without a clue, I recommend pre-ordering and heading straight to the desk for what you need. Then enjoy a bit of a browse. Stress isn’t great for you at any time, let alone when you travel so don’t stress yourself out by spending too long looking for what you need and having to run to your gate.

I recommend pre-ordering the Aesop kit, Charlotte Tilbury skincare or Mauli Rituals’ travel-size oils. It’s also worth looking for travel-exclusive offers and sets. The Charlotte Tilbury, Elemis and Clinique travel sets are often much better value than high street versions

There are a host of other stores I like to visit for essentials when I arrive at Heathrow and Boots is obviously one of them. This is where I find all my supplements – magnesium for sleep and muscle tension, electrolytes to maintain hydration while travelling and probiotics or digestive enzymes to keep my gut happy.

I also head to the Rituals store for more aromatherapy goodness but usually I’ll have already stocked up in World Duty-Free. One thing I won’t have found in Duty-Free is clothing, so I go to Lululemon for buttery-soft comfies to wear on the plane. Of course, no airport visit is complete without popping into WH Smiths for a book – next on my list is Genius Gut by Dr Emily Leeming.

Did you know that Terminal 2 and Terminal 5 both offer quiet areas for stretching? This is a must if you’re going to be sitting down for ages on your flight. A quick stretch or yoga session helps to alleviate tight hips, back and neck pain and avoid swelling – especially if you do it before you board and after you land.

Compression socks can also help with swelling and improve your circulation but it’s great to wake the body up too. Try ankle rolls, neck rotations, legs up the wall and cat-cow stretches. You can also use this time to use your Mauli Rituals massage tools to boost circulation and get your muscles nice and relaxed before having to sit still for an extended period.

Even if you’re flying economy, you can also book into lounges like Plaza Premium or No1 Lounge for a fee. Many include quiet zones, hot food, showers and complimentary herbal teas. Terminal 5 also has a spa inside some lounges like the Sofitel Heathrow if you’re really in need of some downtime whilst passing through the airport, perhaps for a connecting flight.

There are so many eateries and shops I recommend at Heathrow, you just have to know where to look for the healthiest finds. Eating high protein and fibre options will mean you stay fuller for longer and feel comfortable on your flight. You might also want to think about whether you plan to sleep on the plane or not, and either go for foods and drinks that will relax you, or give you an energy boost, depending on your plans.

I’ll always go for a high protein breakfast from Pret over a fry up at ‘spoons. I also love their ginger shots for an extra immunity boost before breathing in aeroplane air.

If I want to feel awake and invigorated, I’ll go for a juice and a matcha from Joe and the Juice. Leon is a great shout if you want something more filling that won’t leave you feeling sluggish – think fast, fresh options including quinoa bowls, grilled chicken, and veggie pots.

For a sit-down meal, head to Giraffe for global-inspired meals with veggie options, smoothies and herbal teas. My all-time favourite spot is Itsu for sushi, miso soup, edamame and gut-friendly options that won’t leave me feeling bloated or uncomfortable during the flight.

Then I’ll stock up on snacks from M&S food for the plane – fresh fruit, nuts and coconut water for hydration. Eating mineral-rich food like this and staying hydrated can help lessen jet lag.

Heathrow has water refill stations in every terminal after security. Staying hydrated is one of the easiest ways to reduce jet lag, boost focus, and support digestion—especially important if you’re flying long haul. I fill mine up with filtered water and then drink it before I go through security. On the other side it’s easy to refill your bottle or buy a new bottle of filtered water.

You can also bring your own herbal tea bags, electrolytes and soothing adaptogenic drinks from home. Most come in travel-size sachets and all you have to do is politely ask any coffee shop or restaurant for hot or cold water in a takeaway cup or your reusable cup to mix them up.

I always create a personal ritual to feel grounded whilst I’m in an airport. They can be busy frenetic places and you might already feel tired from an early start. I like to do a guided meditation (there are plenty of free ones on Spotify) with my headphones on while I’m sitting down paired with some box breathing exercises. I also do it again once I’m in my seat on the plane. This relaxes the nervous system and gets you into a more positive mental state. It’s great for alleviating any stress, preparing you for any stressful or challenging situations or calming your nerves if you happen to be a nervous flyer.

You can also use your aromatherapy oils, a rollerball or a spray to soothe your senses and reset. Just be mindful of other people around you if you’re spraying something. I also try to use the opportunity of time spent waiting at my gate to read a book, instead of doom-scrolling on my phone. If I’m doing this, I pop my earplugs in to drown out the noise around me – my favourites are from Loop. If you prefer to take in your surroundings, pop your headphones on and listen to a soothing or uplifting playlist. I like to curate these before I head to the airport to help me get into the right headspace when I need it.

If you do suffer with anxiety around crowds, feel nervous about flying or just want to feel more grounded, you can practice saying a few affirmations and mantras for confidence and calm. This could be something as simple as: “I am safe and I travel with ease”.

Armed with all these tips you’ll hopefully be able to board your flight feeling relaxed, prepared and excited to travel to destinations far and wide. Though the unknown can be stressful, there are plenty of ways to feel more optimistic and resilient if we know how to take better care of ourselves, wherever we are.

Find out more about Heathrow’s Redefine Your Beauty campaign, including treatment menus, participating brands and exclusive offers here.

Police told to reveal ethnicity of suspects after claims of cover-up

Police forces have been told to share suspects’ ethnicity and nationality with the public after authorities were accused of covering up offences carried out by asylum seekers.

The interim guidance by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, which comes after mounting pressure on police over the details they make public, said forces should consider disclosing the extra details about suspects charged in particularly high-profile and sensitive investigations.

But decisions on whether to release such information will remain with the forces themselves, the NPCC said.

It is hoped the change could combat misinformation spread on social media, after Merseyside Police was criticised for not revealing more about Axel Rudakubana when he was arrested on suspicion of murder after attacking a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last July.

Within hours of the attack, posts spread on the internet claiming the suspect was a 17-year-old asylum seeker who had come to the country by boat in 2024.

In the first press conference after the event, at 6.30pm that day, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told journalists the suspect was originally from Cardiff.

But the police statement did little to quell the misinformation spreading online, and riots began across the country the next day.

In a separate incident, to suppress rumours that a car that had ploughed into a crowd of people during Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade in May was a terror attack, the force promptly revealed the ethnicity and nationality of a man they had arrested, who was white and British.

Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya, said: “We saw during last summer’s disorder, as well as in several recent high-profile cases, what the major, real-world consequences can be from what information police release into the public domain.

“We have to make sure our processes are fit for purpose in an age of social media speculation and where information can travel incredibly quickly across a wide range of channels.

“Disinformation and incorrect narratives can take hold in a vacuum. It is good police work for us to fill this vacuum with the facts about issues of wider public interest.”

There is nothing that bars police from sharing information about the nationality, asylum status or ethnicity of someone who has been charged with an offence in the College of Policing’s existing guidance on media relations.

Earlier this month, Warwickshire police and crime commissioner Philip Seccombe pressed the Home Secretary for an urgent update on the issue after the charging of two men – reported to be Afghan asylum seekers – prompted accusations that the force withheld information about their immigration status.

The force denied a “cover-up” after being criticised by Reform UK.

The new guidance, which comes into force immediately, was welcomed by police and crime commissioners.

Emily Spurrell of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners said: “I am pleased the NPCC and College of Policing have recognised the need to update guidance for forces in the light of recent high-profile cases.

“PCCs and Deputy Mayors act on behalf of the public and it is clear there was a need to review the guidance to address growing public concern.

“We have seen the speed with which mis- or disinformation can spread online and the danger to public safety that can cause, so it is right police keep the public informed as far as is possible whilst preserving a suspect’s right to a fair trial.”

Woman killed by falling tree branch ‘while walking with child’ in park

A young woman has died after being hit by a falling branch in a park.

The woman, in her 30s, was struck by the branch near the Buncer Lane entrance of Blackburn‘s Witton Country Park, Lancashire, just after 8.30pm on Monday.

Paramedics rushed to the park shortly after she was hit but she died shortly afterwards, according to Lancashire Police.

According to local reports, the woman was walking with a child at the time.

A Lancashire Police spokesperson: “We were called to Witton Park, Preston Old Road, Blackburn following reports a woman had been struck by a falling tree branch.

“Emergency services attended and found the woman unresponsive. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, she was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.

“Her death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for HM Coroner in due course.”

A council statement said: “Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has tragically died following an incident in Witton Park yesterday, when a large tree branch fell.”

Witton Country Park is 480 acres of mixed woodland, parkland and farmland, and is to the west of Blackburn.

The estate was once owned by the Feilden family, who built and lived in Witton House (1800 – 1946) and created the park at the same time.

From approximately 1900 the house was empty for long periods and during both world wars the house and estate were used by the army.

Witton House was demolished in 1952, after being sold to Blackburn Corporation in 1946. The Witton Estate, comprising some 485 acres, was included in this sale.