Chris Robshaw is third contestant to exit Strictly Come Dancing

Retired rugby player Chris Robshaw has been eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing, making him the third contestant to be voted off the BBC ballroom show.

Robshaw, a former England rugby union captain, and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova exited the competition after a tense dance-off against

Both couples performed their routines from Saturday night’s show, with Robshaw and Bychkova dancing a Salsa to “Maria” by Ricky Martin and Sopal and Caillon performing a Paso Doble to “Diablo Rojo” by Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Judges Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas both voted to save Robshaw and Bychkova, but Craig Revel Horwood, the judge with this week’s deciding vote, chose to save Sopal and Caillon alongside judge Motsi Mabuse, meaning it was Robshaw who would leave the competition.

Summing up his time on Strictly, Robshaw told host Tess Daly that the show had given him a boost in confidence.

“For me, coming onto this journey, I had no confidence. To be told I had world class qualities on the dancefloor today, even though we have to go home, that’s amazing to hear so thank you very much. It’s given me such confidence,” he said.

“To my partner Nadiya, I’m sorry. But it’s been an amazing journey, she’s been a brilliant teacher, I’ve developed so much, and it’s been a great ride – so thank you.”

Bychkova praised her celebrity counterpart, saying: “Sometimes on this show you win by getting a glitterball, but I feel this year I won just getting you as my partner.”

The couple had received a score of 24 for their Salsa during Saturday night’s live show, placing them second to last on the leaderboard. While the score was low, judges had praised Robshaw for his improvement throughout the series, while Ballas told Robshaw his “lifts were champion level” and Du Beke called it his “best dance so far”.

Robshaw follows in the footsteps of TV star Ross King – best known from Lorraine and Good Morning Britain – who was eliminated from last week’s competition, and divisive internet personality Thomas Skinner, who was the first celebrity to be eliminated from the 2025 series.

Saturday night’s show saw ER star Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe topping the leaderboard with their rumba to “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman. The routine received high praise from Ballas, who gave the routine a standing ovation – and even arose from her chair to hug Kingston. The pair scored 36 out of a possible 40, with Ballas awarding the second 10 paddle of the series. Emmerdale star Lewis Cope and professional partner Katya Jones were two points behind, scoring 34, for their foxtrot to “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole.

Model Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola also wowed judges with their couple’s choice routine to “Golden” by HUNTR/X, a celebration of Goldstein herself and her groundbreaking achievements in her life so far. The couple were awarded 31 points, with Du Beke calling Goldstein “amazing”, while Revel Horwood said: “OMG darling, don’t let your energy move ahead of the beat but what a display of self-expression”.

The remaining 12 couples will return to the dance floor for Icons Week on Saturday 25 October, which will see each celebrity perform as a musical icon.

‘Nothing has changed since Brexit – we’ve been sold down the river’

For Martin Gilbert, fishing has been his lifeblood since the day he was born. Now aged 62, he first began working in the Cornish sea when he was seven years old, and has spent the last five decades braving all weathers to capture crabs and shellfish.

Yet he is among a growing number of disillusioned fishermen who feel they have been “sold down the river” by successive governments after securing their vote for Brexit.

Sir Keir Starmer hailed his reset deal with the EU in May as a “win-win” for both parties, which would allow British travellers to use passport e-gates and farmers would get easier access to trade on the continent.

In return, European fishing trawlers have been granted another 12 years of access to British waters, in a move that was described by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation as a “horror show”.

“It’s very disappointing,” Mr Gilbert told The Independent. “We were promised to get our own little island, and as far as I’m aware, it’s still an absolute nightmare for merchants to sell abroad due to paperwork, inspections and stamp approvals. It’s too much hassle, and now only 50 per cent of the fish we produce goes abroad.

“Meanwhile, we’ve got French and Belgian trawlers fishing within the six- to 12-mile limit, which causes so much damage to our fishing fleet. They have no regard for anyone but themselves, I’ve lost tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of gear over the last 30 years.”

Upon laying his crab pots, which cost around £100 a piece, Mr Gilbert and other fishermen on England’s south coast will contact the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, which uses WhatsApp and live maps of marine traffic to contact EU vessels to inform them where the pots have been anchored.

Five years ago, he was left devastated after a French vessel destroyed £15,000 of equipment in one night, after claiming they ignored his readings as to the locations of 200 crab pots.

It is a common issue facing British fishermen, who are struggling to compete with the larger EU fishing vessels, which can measure up to 100 metres in length, compared to the 10-metre vessels setting off from Cornwall.

“Once a month, we’ll lose 10 to 15 crab pots,” Mr Gilbert added. One fisherman previously said he spent £60,000 to £70,000 each year on new pots and ropes after his gear was continually damaged.

Fishing had formed an integral part of the 2016 Leave campaign, with politicians such as Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson pledging that Britain would regain control of its waters.

Nine out of 10 fishermen said they intended to vote Brexit, with many attracted to the promise that European trawlers would be pushed beyond the 12-mile exclusion zone.

Marc Evans, the chief executive of charity Fishermen’s Mission, said: “If you go back to the campaigning days of Brexit, the fishing community, without a shadow of a doubt, got a disproportionately powerful voice.

“Getting UK territorial water was a bit like the £360m NHS figure – the reality was that it wasn’t exactly true. Nothing has changed – fishermen are still in direct competition with the French, Dutch and Spanish, the waters are being overfished and their quota is being suppressed.”

Other challenges are also facing the industry, including an influx of octopus preying on shellfish, a naturally occurring algae bloom which has affected the north-east coast, as well as the rising costs of marine fuel and essential safety gear.

Speaking of the deal in May, Mike Cohen of the National Federation of Fishermen said: “It was a blow. Not only did we not get anything, but the little bit we got from Brexit, we lost.”

Recruitment has also become a tricky area for the fishing industry, with fewer young people seeking a life at sea.

“The issues include an ageing workforce, a lot of businesses being single-handedly run, and the costs and risks feel very high for people wanting to enter the industry,” Mr Cohen added.

“Recruitment is hard, given that you have to stay in education until you’re 18 and you don’t have any fishing apprenticeships. At an age when you’re able to go to sea, you might have spent two years learning another trade.”

As a result, mental health issues have become more prominent as many fishermen consider leaving the industry and giving up their businesses, which may have been in the family for generations.

“Even myself, it’s caused a lot of issues such as anxiety,” Mr Gilbert said. “Half of the people I know probably suffer from some mental health problem.

“I’m a fisherman through and through, it’s all I’ve ever known. I certainly push for more days at sea, go further afield and through more weather in the last two years than I used to to try and make a living.

“It’s long, strenuous hours, most days I work 12 to 14 hours. On Tuesday, I did 12 hours at sea, and I had to do a market run with the fish. I started at 3am, came home at 7.30pm and went back out to sea at 3.45am.”

Mr Gilbert said he is fortunate that both his sons have followed in his footsteps and are both fishermen, with his grandchildren also enjoying their time at sea.

“My sons are in it for the long run,” he said. “There are a couple of people I know who have given up and said enough is enough, there’s too much paperwork and bureaucracy and regulation – I’m getting that way inclined.

“I enjoy the job tremendously, it’s just hard work.”

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesperson said: “We value the hard work and dedication of all those working in our vital fishing industry.

“We have announced the £360m fishing and coastal growth fund to support the next generation of fishers and will work with the industry to target investment where it matters most.

“This government is working with the fishing industry to promote British seafood and ensure we fish sustainably so the sector can thrive for generations to come.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.

How the cracks are beginning to show in Nigel Farage’s Reform UK

The warning to one of her fellow councillors by Linden Kemkaran, Reform’s leader on Kent County Council (KCC), may well be one which voters will have to get used to if Nigel Farage becomes prime minister.

“I’m afraid if you don’t like it you are just going to have to f***ing suck it up,” she said in a rather chaotic Zoom meeting.

During the tape of the video conference, first published by The Guardian, Cllr Kemkaran also made a very pertinent point and one which should worry Mr Farage and other senior figures in Reform.

“Let’s not forget, we are the shop window in KCC. People are looking at us, they are judging us every single minute of every single day. Nigel knows that. He is super aware that we are the flagship council.”

The problem the party has is, if the party was a shop, it is increasingly looking like one of those “everything for £1” shops in a run-down high street where the once great flagship stores (the Tories and Labour) are now mostly boarded-up.

Reform are still massively ahead in the polls (32 per cent to the Tories’ 17 per cent and Labour’s 15 per cent according Find Out Now) but cracks are beginning to show which could throw some doubt on whether its big lead is sustainable.

This rather shambolic video from Kent has coincided with new issues regarding people close to Mr Farage and the arrival of a very right-wing, anti-abortion, Christian nationalist adviser for the Reform leader.

Let us start with Kent, where Reform took over last May promising to bring down council tax with their new Elon Musk-inspired Doge units.

It said a lot about those Doge units, run by former party chair Zia Yusuf, that they were recruiting video experts for online more than accountants.

But Kent was the first council they took over with serious hopes they would slash spending.

Now on the video, Cllr Kemkaran is admitting that she is struggling to find £2.5bn of cuts and is still going to have to raise council tax.

Her one hope is that they raise it less than the 5 per cent maximum which she told her fellow councillors was the main aim. Not quite reducing people’s council tax bills.

It was reminiscent of the pledge to sack diversity officers by Lincolnshire’s new mayor Andrea Jenkyns, who was met with the news after her election that the county council did not employ any.

Reform took control of 10 councils last May, one of which they have had to appoint an 18-year-old to lead. With low turnouts expected, they could be in charge in Wales after the next elections and win many other councils.

But the experience so far is that governing and running things is hard work. Easy political slogans and simple solutions are much more difficult to implement than say.

By 2029 Reform will have a record of governing which voters will be able to see. So far it is not looking good.

At Reform’s conference in September Mr Farage publicly mocked the idea that the party is “a one-man team”. At the time he pointed to a row of football shirts with other prominent party names on the back such as Zia Yusuf, Dame Andrea Jenkyns and Richard Tice.

But at the shop only one shirt was for sale – the one with Mr Farage’s name on the back.

The fact is that Reform is the Nigel Farage party.

Political opponents from the 2024 general election and last year’s local elections report how at the doorstep voters would tell them: “I’m voting for Nigel.”

It was never voting for Reform. His abundant skills and personality have elevated him and his party on a path to national power.

But while Mr Farage is a strength, he is also the weakness. A microscope is now being applied to those closest to him and surrounding him. The picture is less than pretty.

This weekend it was revealed that Mr Farage’s French partner Laure Ferrari is at the heart of a fraud investigation in Brussels.

The investigation is related to her former role as executive director of the Institute for Direct Democracy in Europe (IDDE), a think tank based in the Belgian capital, which auditors refused to sign off spending of hundreds of thousands of euros of public funds in 2016.

But it is not only her. Reform’s former Welsh leader Nathan Gill, a longtime friend and ally of Mr Farage, has just been found guilty of taking Russia-linked bribes. Gill, from Llangefni, Anglesey, pleaded guilty last month to eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019.

While some, including the pollster and commentator Matthew Goodwin, believe that this is just an attempt to throw mud at Farage, eventually, if there is enough of it, the mud begins to stick.

Politicians embroiled in scandals tend to struggle to get the mass support they need to win. Ask Marine Le Pen in France. But without Mr Farage, Reform’s support is likely to nosedive.

At their conference in Birmingham in September, corporate advisers visiting Reform’s get-together were impressed by their enthusiasm and energy, but all of them were concerned by the policy vacuum.

Now we are seeing this vacuum being filled and in a way which has already raised eyebrows.

Within in a matter of weeks, right-wing MP Danny Kruger, an anti-abortion, Christian nationalist, has joined Reform and been given the role of working up Reform’s policies for the next election.

This weekend the theologian James Orr – a similarly anti-abortion, Christian nationalist – has formally joined the party and become Mr Farage’s adviser.

The two highly intelligent men have seen the vacuum and perhaps an opportunity to shape a party with the sort of extreme social conservatism they believe in and is seen with Viktor Orban in Hungary.

Not surprisingly, Orr considers asylum seekers arriving in the UK to be “invaders”.

No surprises that both are close to the Maga movement in the US and in particular vice-president JD Vance who shares their views.

While there is certainly a space for this sort of party in the UK, the question is whether it is a winning formula.

The narrow perspective is unlikely to get the sort of broad appeal needed to win in the UK.

Reform is popular at the moment, largely because the two traditional main parties, Labour and the Tories, are at historic low levels of support.

But that 32 per cent or so that they are consistently polling is made up of a very diverse group of voters whose views often clash.

In addition to that, about 10 per cent are people who either rarely or never vote, so cannot be relied on to go to the polls.

The experience at the Reform conference was enough to suggest that one set or other on the right and left of politics will be disappointed.

At the conference, The Independent spoke to a former Tory donor in the network of super-rich donors who once bankrolled the Conservatives.

He hailed Reform as a breath of fresh air and a party that would finally deregulate Britain to a sort of very low tax, zero employment rights, Singapore-style economy.

Soon after, The Independent had a conversation with a Reform member who is a Tube train driver in London. Unlike the millionaire businessman, he was looking forward to Reform nationalising everything and raising taxes. In fact, he was a member of the RMT union and planned to go on strike the following day.

UK politics is used to broad churches in its main parties, but the gulf between these positions is unbridgeable.

While Mr Farage can nod to the left and right and hope to unite them on issues like immigration and culture war politics, this will only go so far and could spell problems at the next general election.

Wes Streeting launches maternity inquiry into Leeds hospitals

Wes Streeting has announced an independent investigation into maternity and neonatal service failures in Leeds following campaigning by bereaved families.

Parents have welcomed the launch of the independent investigation into Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, where they say their babies were harmed due to failures.

The health secretary, who met the families on Thursday, said he was “shocked” by their experiences of “repeated maternity failures in Leeds – made worse by the unacceptable response of the trust”.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was previously only set to feature in a national rapid review of maternity services launched by the health secretary this summer, into 14 hospital trusts. This review is being led by Baroness Amos.

However, families have campaigned for an independent inquiry similar to those launched for Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust (SATH) and Nottingham University Hospitals Foundation Trust (NUH).

It comes after a report by the National Audit Office warned the UK is spending billions in negligence claims linked to failures by NHS maternity services.

Announcing the review, Mr Streeting said there was a “ stark contradiction between scale and safety standards is precisely why I’m taking this exceptional step to order an urgent inquiry in Leeds.”

He added: “We have to give the families the honesty and accountability they deserve and end the normalisation of deaths of women and babies in maternity units.

“These are people who, at a moment of great vulnerability, placed their lives and the lives of their unborn children in the hands of others – and instead of being supported and cared for, found themselves victims.”

Families have called for Donna Ockenden, who is currently chairing the Nottingham inquiry and led the Shrewsbury inquiry, to head up the investigation in Leeds. They have also said the police should be involved, as forces in both Nottingham and Shrewsbury have also launched investigations.

The inquiry into Nottingham hospitals was launched following reports by The Independent revealing dozens of allegations of harm and poor care.

In March 2022, the Ockenden review into SATH found 200 babies died or were left with brain damage due to failings by the trust’s maternity services.

The NUH review is so far the largest ever inquiry into maternity failings and is looking into around 2,500 cases of alleged poor care. The final report into NUH is expected to be published in June 2026.

Fiona Winser-Ramm, whose daughter Aliona died in 2020 after what an inquest found to be a number of failures, is “welcoming the inquiry to ensure that it’s the best and most thorough that it can possibly be and it is imperative that Donna Ockenden is appointed to lead this review”.

She added: “We have all been thrust into this life that none of us should be living.

“None of us should know each other. The only place that we should ever potentially have become friends is through a baby or a child playgroup – instead, we are supporting each other through the worst possible time.

“But this is a compulsion and we have no choice in this matter.

“This is the only way that we can now parent our children. Our girls all deserved a voice. They all deserved a life, and we deserved that life with them.

“Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust has stolen that from all of us. We now have to be the voice for our children, but that also goes wider to being the voice for other women and children, because everybody deserves to be safeguarded.”

The terms of reference for the Leeds review have yet to be published, and a chair has yet to be announced.

In June, the Care Quality Commission downgraded the trust to “inadequate”, citing serious risks to women and babies and a deep-rooted “blame culture” that left staff afraid to speak up.

Whistleblowers have warned that units remain unsafe, and the BBC reported that at least 56 baby deaths between January 2019 to July 2024 might have been preventable with better care.

Lauren Caulfield, whose daughter Grace died in the days before her birth in 2022, said: “Something had gone very, very wrong and what I found after was such a refusal to admit their faults, to be honest with me about what had been going on about the failings of individuals, a very, very defensive kind of leadership team.

“I was so dismissed and gaslit and almost blamed for a lot of things that happened in my experiences.”

She said the families want Ms Ockenden to lead the inquiry as they feel “no-one else has the experience, the expertise, the trust of families and staff, the compassion and the capability to investigate a trust of this size and we’ve been very clear with the secretary of state that it must be Donna and her team”.

Verstappen closes in on F1 title comeback after perfect Austin weekend

Max Verstappen continued his march into the Formula One championship battle by cruising to victory at the United States Grand Prix.

The lights-to-flag win completed a perfect weekend in Austin for the resurgent Red Bull driver after he also won Saturday’s sprint from pole.

Lando Norris sealed second after winning a race-long tussle with Charles Leclerc in the closing stages as the British driver reduced McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri’s championship lead to 14 points after the Australian finished only fifth.

Verstappen’s 33 points from the weekend mean he has reduced his own deficit to Piastri to 40 points – from 63 – following the costly collision during the sprint which dumped both McLarens out.

The Red Bull driver declared his bid for a fifth straight title over before the summer break, but he has slashed the gap to Piastri from 104 points after Zandvoort five races ago.

That race was the last win for the previously-dominant McLaren pair as a genuine three-way title scrap has emerged, with five rounds remaining and 141 points left to fight for.

Piastri will have the most to ponder ahead of Mexico next weekend, having been beaten by both Norris and Verstappen in each of the last four races.

Leclerc claimed third with Lewis Hamilton fourth on an improved day for Ferrari as George Russell finished sixth for Mercedes.

Norris’ chances of threatening Verstappen at the Circuit of the Americas were dashed as he was undone by the fast-starting Leclerc, the only one of the top 15 to begin on soft tyres.

The Ferrari driver used his extra grip to charge round the outside of turn one and past Norris on the inside at turn two as Piastri gained a place from sixth and Hamilton jumped to fourth, with Russell slipping two places from fourth.

Russell attempted to hit back at Piastri but was thwarted as Norris’ battle to get past Leclerc allowed Verstappen to pull clear out front.

Norris attacked Leclerc at turn 12 on lap three and four but could find no way through. It was a dream scenario for Verstappen, who had a three-second lead by lap five.

Norris bided his time before launching another sustained attack on Leclerc on lap 15, but the Monegasque’s resolute defence continued to ruin the British driver’s hopes of victory, now over seven seconds behind Verstappen.

Norris finally got the move done on Leclerc on lap 21 but had another concern as he was shown a black-and-white flag for track limits, meaning one more would result in a penalty.

Piastri pitted after lap 30, with Norris in two laps later only to emerge once again behind Leclerc after a sluggish stop.

Norris complained that his used set of soft tyres had “gone” with 16 laps still to go and he dropped away behind Leclerc.

His race engineer told him to cool the tyres before attacking again and he did just that, hunting down Leclerc and getting through at turn 12 with five laps remaining.

Piastri was off the pace all weekend and that did not change in the closing stages as the title leader trudged home in fifth.

Hidden gem holidays: An insider guide to the Dominican Republic

The advent of autumn sees us thinking ahead to how to keep that sunshine feeling going through till winter; and there’s nothing better for keeping our spirits up than the idea of booking a holiday somewhere tropical. Enter the Dominican Republic, a warm and welcoming Caribbean nation perched to the south of the Turks and Caicos islands, and east of Jamaica. Known for its beautiful beaches, premium resorts and some legendary golf courses, there is, as the saying goes, genuinely something for everyone. If you want to make your holiday more than just a fly and flop, there’s plenty to explore, from Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s tallest mountain, to historic sites in the country’s lively capital, Santo Domingo.

But first, where’s the best place to stay? Consider Costa Esmeralda, in the Miches area on the Island’s northeastern coast, a picturesque and pristine stretch of sand fringed with coconut palms that lean over the calm, turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Neighbouring Punta Cana and the wider Bávaro area combine to form what’s known as La Costa del Coco, or the Coconut Coast, an area of lavish, all-inclusive hotels which is also popular for windsurfing, kayaking and sailing.

Base yourself at Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort Curio by Hilton, an oceanfront resort boasting 800-metres of secluded beach on the shores of Playa Esmeralda. Located just 90 minutes’ drive from Punta Cana International Airport, the emphasis here is firmly on fun and relaxation. It features six restaurants, six bars and lounges, four pools and several water slides, and for those who like to keep fit while away, there’s a pickleball court, a paddle tennis court, and a full-service fitness centre which offers yoga and pilates classes. The Acana spa aims to reconnect soul and spirit with therapies inspired by ancient traditions, while you’ll also find a daily programme of art and cultural activities, plus live nightly entertainment. Bringing the kids? They’ll love spending time at the Coki Cove Kids Club or Palmchat Teens Club.

There’s a choice of rooms, suites or bungalows, all tastefully decorated with Caribbean flair, and offering stunning views. Select accommodations even feature private plunge pools, and Club Azure and bungalow guests have access to additional dining options and a rooftop pool. Talking of dining, you’ll experience a world of flavour, with menus inspired by the traditions of the Caribbean, Thailand, and the Amalfi Coast; think spicy, street-food inspired dishes, wood-fired pizzas, and local favourites. All this, and unlimited drinks and cocktails, too!

What’s more, booking with British Airways Holidays means you can secure your holiday now with a low deposit and spread the cost with flexible payments*. Once you’re ready to jet off, you can enjoy increased checked baggage allowance, a dedicated 24-hour helpline during your trip and the option of quality car hire with no hidden fees, 24-hour support and roadside assistance.

Upgrade to Club World and you’ll also get lounge access**, increased baggage allowance, priority check-in and boarding, and a spacious seat that converts to a fully flat bed. Members of The British Airways Club enjoy even more benefits in the form of collecting Avios (British Airways’ frequent flyer currency) and earning tier points, which unlock frequent flyer status and other benefits. Avios can also be used towards the cost of your holiday, presenting even greater value for money for members.

All this means you can totally relax during your stay at Hilton Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort, knowing you’re getting the quality and peace of mind you’d expect from a British Airways Holidays.

If you can tear yourself away from the resort – tough, we know – there’s lots to experience throughout the Dominican Republic. Take a day trip to Santo Domingo, one of the Caribbean’s oldest cities; its walled, cobblestoned, historic centre, the Zona Colonial, has impressive Spanish buildings dating back to the 16th century, including the Gothic Catedral Primada de America and the Alcázar de Colón palace, which sits on the laid-back, cafe-lined Plaza de España. The latter is now one of the city’s many museums, displaying striking medieval and Renaissance art. In the pretty Parque del Este is the Faro a Colón, a large mausoleum and museum dedicated to Christopher Columbus, who landed on the island known as Hispaniola (now divided into the Dominican Republic and Haiti) in 1492. For a taste of life in bygone times, visit Altos de Chavón, a fascinating replica of a 16th century Mediterranean village, featuring art galleries and studios, boutiques and a striking amphitheatre.

Looking for something a little more adventurous? Get back to nature at Los Haitises National Park, where you can explore mangrove forests, caves and unique rock formations, or the 27 waterfalls of Damajagua, a series of tumbling falls perfect for swimming, splashing and jumping into. And don’t miss the incredible Hoya Azul, a cenote, or sinkhole, with crystal-clear, aquamarine waters; it’s located in Scape Park, a natural adventure park featuring lush jungles and jaw-dropping cliffs, where you can go zip-lining or explore the caves. There is whale watching in Samana Bay – humpback whales can be found here during their breeding season, January to March. While Lago Enriquillo, a salt lake with surrounding wetlands, is home to crocodiles and various bird species, including flamingos. All in all, your holiday to the Dominican Republic is guaranteed to be unforgettable; so get booking now!

British Airways Holidays packages include a generous baggage allowance for each customer and come with full ATOL protection for complete peace of mind. Secure your holiday to Hilton Zemi Miches Punta with a low deposit and enjoy flexible payments until you fly*.

*Based on two sharing. Full balance due seven weeks before departure. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply.

**Subject to availability

I know why Trump thinks Tony Blair is the man to bring peace to Gaza

As President Trump boarded the plane to travel to the Middle East for his Gaza peace summit this week, he stuck his head out of the plane window and told a gaggle of journalists that he would be looking to find out how popular Tony Blair was in the region before deciding on whether to appoint him to his new Board of Peace.

“I just don’t know that,” he said, rowing back on reports that Blair was a shoo-in for the top job. “I like Tony, I have always liked Tony. But I want to find out that he is an acceptable choice to everybody.”

The answer he gets will not be clear cut.

Few UK prime or foreign ministers have demonstrated such ability to interact and influence Arab leaders in modern times. Remarkably, Blair’s majlis interactions continue almost 20 years after he left Downing Street.

As a UK ambassador in the Gulf, I was impressed that despite his personal unpopularity in the Arab street, and despite having little Arabic language skills, Blair reinvented himself as an influential adviser to Arab leaders. He was at ease in the opulent environments of the rulers’ palaces in Doha, Riyadh or Abu Dhabi. Blair even managed to stay close to Gulf leaders at times when they were publicly at odds with each other, for example during the Gulf Cooperation Council’s blockade and isolation of their cousins in Qatar.

In such elite circles, Blair is seen as a power broker, with the US and Israeli leadership on speed dial. That is why Arab leaders – and others – want his advice. According to those who know, his ability to navigate Israeli politics is virtually unparalleled among Western leaders. That could prove vital for the success of Trump’s peace plan in the coming months.

Yet, while the international credentials and ability to work the top table are indisputable, at a popular level Blair’s legacy remains toxic in the region. Even within a country such as Israel – where Blair is seen as close to Prime Minister Netanyahu, the pair having worked together as political leaders since the Nineties – views on a role for Blair overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction are mixed.

Palestinians in particular feel uncomfortable about any new leadership role for Blair. They remember him – whether fairly or not – as the former Quartet envoy, representing the international community, who failed to improve their situation, make progress towards a sovereign Palestinian state or give sufficient priority to freedom of movement and equal rights for Palestinians.

While, of course, Trump’s plan excludes Hamas from any role in Gaza’s governance, Hamas themselves have made clear their outright opposition to Blair. That is not surprising given that he refused to recognise their 2006 electoral victory – something that Blair appeared to acknowledge as a mistake in 2017 when suggesting it might have been better to engage Hamas in dialogue. So, if Trump consults normal people in the region – which is perhaps unlikely – about Blair’s suitability to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, he is unlikely to get the answer he is looking for.

Blair himself has – at least according to one close adviser of many year – never suffered from an excess of self-awareness. He certainly has thick skin after a lifetime in politics. Both qualities would help in such an exposed leadership role. Blair to his credit has shown unusual courage in showing willing to take on a thankless task where the risk of failure is high. Given his personal history, he may see it as unfinished business, or even a possible path to redemption.

The ability to reinvent himself, and his chameleon-like quality to fit in and build a useful personal relationship with virtually anyone, anywhere, has allowed Blair to retain his place at the top table. It should not come as a surprise that he has emerged publicly as a contributor and potential leader for Trump’s Gaza peace plan. He appeared to be consulted and trusted by the presidential inner circle this summer when they were considering how to effect a ceasefire, secure the release of the hostages and move towards a sustainable regional peace.

His playbook with the powerful is also legendary. I watched in European Council meetings, soon after he became prime minister, as he wooed President Chirac of France, who was deeply sceptical about the UK’s approach to the European project, was on the other side of the political divide, and old enough to be his father. Blair encouraged Chirac to take a close interest and evident delight in the new Downing Street baby, Leo Blair, born in 2000, and played to Chirac’s lifelong interest in Asia by entertaining the president at top Japanese restaurants in London. Often it seemed more a case of Blair personally being at the centre of European discussions, rather than the UK.

What I can say is that I was always struck by how Blair engaged his interlocutors seemingly regardless of political and other major differences. In many ways, he demonstrated polished diplomatic rather than political skills. His trick was to build a personal relationship and leverage that into the public sphere. He is a diplomat’s diplomat at head-of-government level – and, right now, that is an asset.

Whether Trump decides to push ahead in nominating Blair – either as some sort of neo-colonialist governor general for Gaza or in a supporting role on his putative so-called “Board of Peace” – will probably depend on how he thinks it will play in the region and the answers he gets to the question he shared with journalists on Air Force One. It will not be enough that a handful of onside Gulf rulers, autocrats and a politically vulnerable Israeli prime minister think that Blair might well suit their various agendas. That said, Trump is hardly spoilt for choice in terms of respected statesmen he trusts, who might command confidence among the protagonists and people of the Middle East.

Nicholas Hopton served as the British ambassador to Libya (2019-21), Iran (2015-18), Qatar (2013-15) and Yemen (2012-13). He is a distinguished senior fellow at RUSI

Tel Aviv football derby abandoned after fan ‘riots and violence’

The Israeli Premier League derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was abandoned before a ball was kicked on Sunday night after violent clashes between rival fans and police.

Social media footage showed that smoke grenades and fireworks were thrown onto the pitch at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, with 12 civilians and three police officers known to be injured at this stage.

A police statement detailed that “disorderly conduct” also took place outside the stadium. Nine suspects have been arrested, with 16 others detained for further questioning, and the match was called off with the police citing the “endangerment of human lives.”

The incident comes three days after the much-criticised call to ban Maccabi fans from attending next month’s Europa League match at Aston Villa in Birmingham, after a decision from Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG).

An Israeli police statement on Sunday’s events read: “Disorderly conduct, riots, object throwing, smoke grenades, fireworks, injured police officers, and damage to stadium infrastructure — this is not a football match, this is a serious public disturbance and violence.

“In light of the disturbances and the endangerment of human lives ahead of the scheduled football match at Bloomfield stadium, the Israel police has informed the teams, team management, and referees that it has been decided not to allow the match to take place.

“We call on the fans to remain in place until a calm and orderly dispersal takes place.”

A Maccabi statement read: “Following the police’s decision, it was determined that the Tel Aviv derby will not take place tonight.”

Online footage also shows stones being thrown onto the pitch from the stands. Police announced the abandonment 20 minutes after the scheduled 8:30pm kick-off time, with around 25,000 spectators in the stands for the much-anticipated match.

Meanwhile, earlier on Sunday, energy secretary Ed Miliband warned that nowhere in the UK should be a “no-go area” for Jews and Israelis, after the decision to ban Maccabi fans for the European game on 6 November.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the decision last week, saying: “This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.

“The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”

Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for every match at Villa Park – had issued the ban after West Midlands Police said they had classified the fixture as high risk.

They stated this decision had been made based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”, which included last season’s Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

Violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli fans erupted ahead of the match, with five men handed prison sentences and more than 60 people detained in the riots.