White House says second strike that killed alleged drug boat survivors was in ‘self defence’

The White House has confirmed that the admiral overseeing U.S. military operations against alleged drug-carrying boats had issued the order for a second strike that killed two survivors, an attack that has intensified legal scrutiny into the Trump administration’s lethal campaign.

Following new reporting about the September 2 strike and allegations that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commanded military personnel to “kill everybody” on board the vessels, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Admiral Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley had issued the order to fire on the vessel in the Caribbean a second time.

At the time of the attack, Bradley led the Joint Special Operations Command, which operates under the U.S. Special Operations Command and typically is responsible for performing classified military operations. He was later promoted to lead the parent organization.

Asked to clarify whether Hegseth had ordered the second strike on the boat, Leavitt told reporters that Bradley — not Hegseth — gave the order and stressed that the veteran naval officer was “well within his authority and the law” when he did.

“He directed the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat from narco terrorists was eliminated,” she said.

Leavitt added that the strikes were “conducted in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict.”

The strike on September 2, the first among more than a dozen attacks that have killed more than 80 people in recent months, “was conducted in self defense to protect Americans” and “vital United States interests,” she said.

When two survivors emerged from the wreckage, Bradley issued an order to comply with Hegseth’s alleged instructions to “kill everybody,” according to The Washington Post, citing officials with direct knowledge of the operation.

The two men were then “blown apart in the water,” according to the report.

News of Hegseth’s alleged command follows growing questions about Trump administration’s deadly campaign and allegations that the attacks amount to illegal extrajudicial killings, which law-of-war experts speaking to The Independent have labeled outright murders and war crimes.

According to the Pentagon’s own Law of War Manual, people who are “wounded, sick, or shipwrecked” on the high seas are supposed to be “respected and protected in all circumstances” by U.S. forces, even during hostilities.

The Defense Department’s manual specifically states that “making them the object of attack is strictly prohibited.”

But when pressed on how her claim that the strikes on the survivors were “in accordance with the law of armed conflict” when the Pentagon’s own guidance explicitly says otherwise, Leavitt declined to offer an explanation and instead repeated her early prepared statement.

One day earlier, Donald Trump told reporters that Hegseth told him “he did not order the death of those two men.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted that — not a second strike,” the president told reporters Sunday. “The first strike was very lethal.”

Leavitt also defended Trump’s pardon of Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras who was convicted in U.S. court last year of leading a drug trafficking conspiracy that enriched cartels — allegations at the center of the president’s current military pressure campaign against Venezuela.

“The people of Honduras have highlighted to [Trump] how the former President Hernandez was set up,” Leavitt said.

She repeated claims from Hernández’s legal team that his case was “over-prosecution” and “lawfare” under Joe Biden’s administration.

“He’s of course within his constitutional authority to sign clemency for whoever he deems worthy of that,” she said.

Democratic and Republican members of both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee are pledging “vigorous oversight” of the Pentagon in the wake of the news as members of Congress join growing calls for investigations into alleged criminal acts.

Over the weekend, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke by phone with the Republican and Democratic leaders on the House and Senate armed services committee following reports of Hegseth’s alleged command.

They discussed “the intent and legality of missions to disrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere,” according to a readout of the call.

Leavitt‘s confirmation of the second strike on the alleged drug trafficking boat marked an abrupt reversal of the administration’s position from days earlier, when White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to the Post story by accusing the newspaper of having fabricated their report, writing on X that the Post had “literally just printed what some unnamed random person said and reported it as fact.”

The Pentagon initially declined to comment on Hegseth’s alleged command, though Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell later hit back in his own X post by claiming that the story’s “entire narrative was false.”

“These people just fabricate anonymously sourced stories out of whole cloth,” he added.

Hegseth later issued a lengthy statement on X defending the campaign without denying whether he ordered officials to “kill everybody” on the boats despite not posing any immediate threat to the United States.

“As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” he wrote Friday. “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict — and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”

Just days later, Trump himself confirmed what his top defense adviser had denied while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.

British teen goes missing on hike near Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania

Mountain rescuers are in a race against time to find a British teenager who went missing on a hike near Bran Castle in Romania.

George Smyth, 18, was trekking in the Bucegi Mountains alone on November 23, when he started to suffer from hypothermia and exhaustion and called the emergency services.

Mountain rescue services searched for Mr Smyth over the next few days but were only able to locate his rucksack containing his equipment and supplies in the area where he made the emergency call.

An appeal for information was issued on Friday by the Salvamont Brasov rescue service alongside a photograph of Mr Smyth, who had recently started studying at the University of Bristol.

His mother, Jo Smyth, has flown to Transylvania to support the search for her son. She said he left without telling anyone that he was going hiking alone.

According to rescuers he set off from the Poiana Brasov neighbourhood on Sunday morning and started hiking towards Bran, a village known for its castle suggested to be the home of Dracula.

However, the teenager reached Tiganesti Valley where he made the call to rescue teams.

“The backpack had quite a lot of equipment in it – a sleeping bag, a tent. My colleagues even found food all around. So we don’t understand what happened and where he could have gone,” Sebastian Marinescu, director of Salvamont Brasov, told a local media site.

The rescue service said that 20 mountain rescuers were mobilised on Friday and Saturday, but the operation was hindered by adverse weather with snow reaching more than 2m deep.

Thermal imaging cameras, sniffer dogs, and a Black Hawk helicopter were used by rescuers to reach inaccessible parts of the mountain.

His mother has described him as a “sporty and strong young man” who enjoyed travelling.

“We hope and pray that he somehow survives,” she told local news site the Observator. “Just the thought of life without him is unbearable.”

A University of Bristol spokesperson said: “We’ve been informed that one of our students has been reported missing after independently travelling to Romania to go hiking.

“We are deeply concerned for his welfare and are in close contact with his family. Our thoughts are with them as they await any updates.”

Ben Stokes needs an Ashes miracle – at the most hostile ground in cricket

Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle, Agra Fort… The Gabba. A sporting fortress for Australian cricket to lean on, with England already playing catch-up in the Ashes.

“It’s the most uncomfortable I’ve been on a cricket field,” former England cricketer Mark Butcher said in 2017 of playing at the Gabbatoir. “It hurt your eyeballs. You couldn’t even blink properly.”

The venue is synonymous with Australian cricketing dominance, as the iconic series resumes following the stunning two-day blitz of Ben Stokes’s men in Perth. The shell-shocked tourists, who had the first Test in control at lunch on day two, only to capitulate and succumb to a violent, inspiring innings from Travis Head, face a daunting reintroduction to Ashes cricket. The multi-coloured seats to give an illusion of a full-house, heat hazes caused by the intense Queensland sun and 11 green baggys swarming and hollering as another wilting tourist plays an ill-judged shot. England have not won here since 1986. For 32 years, between 1989 and 2021, no one else won here at all. Just… those guys.

“Can’t wait to get you at The Gabba,” was former Aussie captain Tim Paine’s famous sledge to Ravichandran Ashwin in 2021. “Ooph, wait until you get to The Gabba.”

A week later and India had gone to the Gabba. And won. The hoodoo was lifted.

Australia’s least hospitable venue has, in recent years, plumped its cushions up a tad for those arriving. After a 31-match streak where the home team had won 24 and drawn seven, the last five matches have seen Australia lose twice and draw once. One of those victories came against England (uh oh), and the other came in a two-day shootout against South Africa on a wicket Steve Smith described as “the most difficult wicket I’ve played on in Australia.”

It is, admittedly, on such morsels that England pin their hopes. The weather in Brisbane this week has been bruising, the heat suffocating, and the thunderstorms sporadic but seasonal. The extreme nature of the location was a factor in why England skipped out on the Prime Minister’s XI match in chilly Canberra to let their bodies adapt to an environment Ben Stokes describes as closer to Sri Lanka than Perth.

“As soon as you step off the plane you get hit by that heat and humidity,” Stokes said to the press this week. “It’s a lot more sweaty, muggier, stickier. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be hard, but that’s why it’s called Test cricket.”

Australia’s two defeats here were at the hands of India in 2021 and the West Indies in 2024. Both were historic victories. For India, it secured them a series win after they chased 329 on the final day, thanks to Rishabh Pant’s 89 not out. While for the West Indies, it was their first win in Australia full stop since 1997 and was down to an inspired fast-bowling performance from Shamar Joseph. In the commentary box, West Indian legend Brian Lara was reduced to tears.

“This West Indies team can stand tall today,” Lara said. “West Indies cricket can stand tall.”

The good news for England is that it shows that it is possible; the bad news is that both results are landmarks in Indian and West Indian cricket history, such is the scale of the achievement. None of the current team were even born the last time England won here. Since 1986, England have played nine matches, lost seven and drawn two.

What’s more, there is a further factor at play that England is coming up against. The pink ball.

Australia have played 14 day-night Tests, winning 13, with the West Indies defeat last year their only slip up. By contrast, England have played seven and only won twice.

The day-night Test has become a staple of the Australian summer. Carrying its own intricacies, the Aussies have got better at it, while for the most part, everyone else’s practice session is when they come to play Australia at their own game.

Time management becomes a factor, with matches pivoting in the moments where bowlers get a new ball in their hand as twilight comes in. Mitchell Starc, who ran through England in Perth, is the world’s best in such conditions. In all, he has 81 pink ball wickets. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon are joint second with a distant 43.

“It’s his high pace, it’s late swing,” said teammate Marnus Labuschagne, three days out from the start of the Test. “And you combine them and in the right conditions at the right time the pink ball just does swing more, or it swings later and more inconsistently, which makes it hard to line up. I think it’s a combination of being a left-hander, swinging it at high pace and swinging it late, that’s probably what makes him so dangerous.”

It makes people do funny things, including Aussie batter Steve Smith, who, to counteract the unique glare on the wicket that occurs just as the sun drops and the floodlights take over, has been experimenting with NFL-style black eye strips that sit on the cheekbones.

“The pink ball in general is a completely different game,” Smith has said previously. “Personally, I find it quite tricky just picking the ball up at certain times of the day and things like that, and the way it behaves is completely different to a red one.”

The final disadvantage England face is the time of year. Both of Australia’s recent defeats here came in January, later in the summer when the wicket is older, more tired and slower as a result. The defeat to India in particular had several Australian players complaining off the record that “this isn’t the Gabba”. For years, Australia traditionally started their Test summer in Brisbane to hit their opponents with pace, heat and bounce. England will face, pace, heat, bounce and the pink ball.

The legend of the Gabba was built over the years through a combination of facts and feelings. Rumours of its demise are based purely on the latter.

After Rishabh Pant scored the winning runs against Australia in 2021, India celebrated, and Pant’s captain Rohit Sharma pulled him to the side.

“You don’t know what you have done,” Sharma said to him. “When you leave cricket, you will realise.”

England go into the second Test facing the same pressure, but with an even greater reward waiting.

‘My ex racked up debts in my name and left our family with nothing’

Nearly 4 million children are believed to be affected by economic abuse, with one in seven mothers claiming their child or teenager had experienced poor mental health as a result.

A study conducted by the charity Surviving Economic Abuse and Ipsos, which surveyed 5,094 adults, found more than a quarter of mothers (27 per cent) have experienced this form of abuse – when a current or ex-partner controls a victim’s money like income and bank accounts – in the past year, suggesting that 3.9 million children are being affected by this “hidden crisis”.

In Becky’s* case, her ex-partner had seemed like the “best thing since sliced bread” when they first met and she was just 18 years old. He would buy her gifts, take her on fancy holidays and encouraged her to move in with him after six months of dating.

Given that he had a decent job and had taken control of the household bills, she was unaware that he was avoiding paying council tax and was racking up significant debts in her name.

After the birth of their first child, he pressured her to give up her job by insisting he would “take care of her”, making it impossible for her to continue working by cancelling the car insurance and refusing to pay for childcare costs.

Isolated from friends and family due to his insistence that they continually move house further and further away, she was then subjected to verbal abuse, which left her depressed, while he became more volatile by throwing plates whenever she stood her ground.

He pressured her into taking out a loan and a credit card for him to use, with Becky eventually suffering stroke-like symptoms during a panic attack while she was eight months pregnant with their second child.

After a brief separation, their relationship continued after he promised to change. “He didn’t change at all; if anything, it got worse,” she said. “He took credit cards out in my name, we moved house again, he wasn’t paying council tax or bills and debt letters were constantly coming in.

“A credit card came through with my name on it, but by that point, I was just in survival mode –don’t argue with him, as the repercussions could be worse.”

Eventually, she was able to free herself from the relationship, but the economic abuse continued.

“He stopped paying child maintenance, stopped paying finance and insurance on the car, which meant I had no way of getting around, knocking on my neighbour’s house and asking who had been in the house and following me,” she added.

She said she contacted both the police and social services for support after he sent her continuous abusive emails, called her workplace, was allegedly drink-driving with the children in the car and showed up at her house with a knife.

While he no longer knows where she lives, moving to her own place was also an ordeal. Her credit card score was so low that she was unable to get wifi or purchase a TV, and struggled to furnish her property with white goods.

“It’s been horrific, it’s so debilitating. It takes over your whole life,” Becky said. “Applying for benefits is mentally draining with the judgement you receive. I’ve always worked and paid into the system, but it’s like you’re no longer seen as a valued member of society.

“I was on antidepressants, I was suicidal, and I had to make a really difficult choice of ‘I’m either going to stay in this pit or pull myself out’. There was a point where I didn’t see a way out other than killing myself.”

Abusive parents have also been found to use tactics that directly target their children’s economic security, with a third of women who have endured economic abuse stating that their ex-partner refused to pay child support or paid it unreliably.

It comes as a survey published by the victims’ commissioner last month found that less than half of the victims surveyed were confident that the criminal justice system is effective.

One in six also reported that a current or ex-partner had stolen money from their child, such as birthday money, or had tried to stop them accessing benefit payments they were entitled to receive.

Of the mothers surveyed, 17 per cent said they could not provide food, clothes or other essential items for their children, while 20 per cent said they felt afraid for their children’s safety or wellbeing because of their current or ex-partner’s economically abusive behaviour.

The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign with Refuge last year raised almost £600,000 to build two new safe havens for women fleeing abuse. Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service has vowed to tackle the “complex web of harm” relating to violence against women and girls as part of its newly published five-year strategy.

Sam Smethers, CEO of Surviving Economic Abuse, said: “Economic abuse is a dangerous form of coercive control and children are being harmed by it every day. Our research shows that perpetrators are stealing children’s pocket money, stopping mums accessing child benefit, and refusing to pay child support. Economic abuse means women and children go without at Christmas and every day of the year, with some pushed into poverty and homelessness.

“The prime minister has described economic abuse as a national emergency and it’s a scandal that so many mums and their children are living with its devastating consequences. We help families to escape economic abuse by providing vital online information to survivors and training professionals, like children’s services, to spot the signs of economic abuse.”

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.

Court hears how facial feature of suspected assassin Luigi Mangione led to arrest

A distinctive facial feature helped alert patrons of a Pennsylvania McDonald’s that suspected UnitedHealthCare CEO killer Luigi Mangione was eating at the restaurant, prompting management to call the police who ultimately arrested him, a New York court heard on Monday.

A manager at an Altoona McDonald’s called police at 9:14 a.m. on December 9, 2024, telling dispatchers a “frantic” female customer was “really upset” because she thought the masked Mangione was inside the franchise.

As the operator asked for more identifying information about how Mangione looked, the manager responded, “The only thing you can see are his eyebrows.”

Police officers were dispatched two minutes later, and Mangione was eventually arrested. The arrest followed police flagging Mangione’s face in the first place after he lowered his mask to smile at a hostel clerk in New York.

The 911 audio was played for the court as part of pre-trial deliberations over evidence obtained in the arrest.

Ahead of the state murder trial over CEO Brian Thompson’s killing in Manhattan last year, Mangione is seeking to stop the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office from showing or describing to jurors a gun and a personal notebook police say they recovered from his bag during his arrest.

The prosecution has quoted from the notebook extensively as it makes it case, including sections where Mangione allegedly praised the Unabomber and wrote that Thompson was a “greedy bastard that had it coming.”

The 27-year-old inmate’s attorneys claim his rights were “trampled” during the arrest because officers initially searched his backpack without a warrant and questioned him for about 20 minutes before reading him his rights.

Elsewhere during Monday’s proceedings, where Mangione sat quietly and listened to the evidence as supporters looked on from the court gallery, a Pennsylvania corrections officer testified about speaking with Mangione during his time being held in the state prior to his extradition back to New York.

Tomas Rivers, a guard at SCI Huntingdon, a high-security prison near Altoona, said he and Mangione spoke of “the difference between private health care and nationalized health care,” and added that Mangione claimed at one point he “wanted to make a statement to the public” during his detention, a suggestion the guard ignored.

In September, Judge Gregory Carro threw out state terrorism charges against Mangione.

The 27-year-old faces up to life in prison in the state case and could face the death penalty if found guilty in a separate federal case.

No trial date has been set for either case.

Education for all: How your skills could make you a great teacher

From construction and engineering to hospitality and beauty, Further Education teaching opens up doors to a wide range of careers. Encompassing a range of technical and vocational courses and qualifications for those over 16 who aren’t studying for a degree, it offers a more hands on, industry-led approach to learning.

Further Education offers a more focused, vocational approach and a fast-track into the workplace. It allows you to build on your existing skills and experience while shaping the next generation of professionals in your field. To find out more, we spoke to Further Education students and teachers about how it works and what they get out of it.

Further Education qualifications can be started from the age of 16. “It’s a step up from school but it doesn’t involve so much independent learning and research as many Higher Education degrees,” explains Susan Simmonds, 52, a Further Education lecturer in Land and Wildlife Management at Sparsholt College Hampshire. “During this time, learners gain so much maturity and a qualification that can take them out into industry,”

Sometimes this study might be full-time in college, while other Further Education opportunities offer apprenticeships, with students gaining qualifications while working on the job. Overall, the courses are generally more practical and directly linked to industry and preparing learners for their future careers. “These courses give students a wide range of relevant experience, knowledge and skills during a time when they’re maturing, and becoming ready to transition into the world of work,” Susan says.

There are often myths and misconceptions about the world of Further Education. From the learner side, many people don’t necessarily realise the opportunities available to them through Further Education, as Meri, 17, who is studying an Extended Technical Diploma in Land and Wildlife Management Level 3 at Sparsholt College, explains. “Many people I have spoken to don’t realise there are multiple ways to prepare for a career in industry, and that courses like mine can open those doors.”

For Meri, it’s been a really positive experience, and one that has helped prepare her for the workplace. “The college has a lot of contacts with industry and the assignments we do are similar to professional reports.” Meanwhile, Zach, 17, who is on the same course, has also thrived at the Further Education college: “I have been able to meet far more friends and great people and I feel as though it has helped me grow. It’s also provided many opportunities to experience real-world practical work.”

For those training or working as Further Education teachers, often after years spent in a specific industry sector, it’s the students that make their new career so rewarding. David Hobson, 54, who teaches the Motor Vehicle course at Stockton Riverside College, found that the job satisfaction he gets from sharing his personal know-how with the next generation of workers has kept him in Further Education teaching for 16 years. “The benefits of passing on my skills to young people keep me going. It’s an opportunity for me to equip learners with the industry skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers”

Susan, who teaches Further Education part-time alongside her work as a Community Ecologist, has had a similar experience: “I find the work really energising. Young people are so full of life and enthusiasm that I come home feeling uplifted.”

Whether it’s part-time alongside your current job or a switch to full-time teaching, Further Education teaching can be a really rewarding and valuable career move.

Teaching in a mixture of colleges (often General Further Education Colleges or Sixth Form Colleges) and Adult and Community Learning Centres, as well as workplace and apprenticeship settings, it can fit around your life and other commitments. While typical full-time contracts are around 35 hours a week, there are also some part-time or flexible options available.

Real world industry experience across a wide range of jobs can set you on a path to becoming a Further Education teacher, with opportunities in everything from construction and healthcare, to engineering, digital, hospitality, tourism and beauty. You don’t always need teaching qualifications to start teaching in further education, you can undertake training on the job which is often funded by your employer.

If, like Susan and David, you see the appeal of sharing the industry knowledge and skills you’ve developed with the next generation, exploring the option of becoming a Further Education teacher can be a great next step. As David points out, “You won’t know how enjoyable it is until you try it.”

Looking for a new role that’s rewarding, flexible and draws on your current career? Why not consider sharing your experience where it matters most – helping inspire the next generation of workers in the field you love? Visit the Further Education website to find out more

Teenager, 18, dies after exiting ambulance on motorway

A teenager died after he left an ambulance on a motorway and was hit by a car, police have said.

The 18-year-old exited the ambulance after it stopped to provide him with further treatment on the northbound carriageway of the M5 in North Somerset, between junction 21 (Weston-super-Mare) and 20 (Clevedon), while taking him to hospital.

The ambulance service informed police shortly after 11pm on Sunday that the patient was on the motorway, Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement. But he was hit by a car and died at the scene.

The M5 was closed as a result of the incident to allow emergency services to respond and investigations to take place. The road was reopened on Monday morning.

“Our thoughts are with the man’s family at such a devastating time. We will support them in any way we can,” Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall said.

“This incident has had a significant effect on our officers and ambulance crews who are understandably incredibly upset by what happened.

“As well as providing support to the man’s family, we are also making sure that the appropriate welfare arrangements are in place for our staff and also for those members of the public who were either directly involved or who witnessed the incident.”

The force said it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on what happened. The family has been notified of the death and are being supported by a police liaison officer.

Jane Whichello from South Western Ambulance Service told the BBC: “We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the man involved in this incredibly sad incident.

“Alongside police colleagues, our crews put their own safety at risk to help the patient and reduce the risk of harm to passing motorists, and I would like to thank them for their efforts.”

‘Great victory’ as cancer therapy given the go-ahead for NHS use

A method that uses low-energy X-rays to treat a type of cancer has been given the green light for NHS use, giving patients the chance to avoid surgery.

The treatment, known as Papillon, has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) for fit rectal cancer patients whose tumours measure 3cm or less, and who choose not to have surgery or are too high risk.

Papillon is a type of brachytherapy which involves inserting an X-ray tube through the anus and into the rectum to deliver low doses of radiation directly to tumours.

Without surgery, patients could bypass the need for a stoma – an opening in the abdomen connected to the digestive system that diverts waste into a bag worn on the outside of the body.

Nice said that avoiding this procedure “substantially improves” quality of life.

People with larger tumours may also become eligible for the Papillon procedure if other treatments reduce their tumour to 3cm or less.

Papillon was pioneered by Professor Sun Myint, a consultant in clinical oncology at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Merseyside.

He said: “I have been treating patients with this therapy for more than 33 years, which equates to about 3,000 people.

“This decision is a great victory for patients who will now have a choice for the treatment they prefer.

“It is wonderful that patients will now be given a choice of treatment and many of them will have a much better quality of life later because of it.”

Prof Myint led the Opera trial, which followed patients for five years.

It found Papillon helped preserve organs 93 per cent of the time in cases of rectal cancer where tumours measured 3cm or less.

Sharon Price was successfully treated as part of the study after being diagnosed with rectal cancer at 45.

The NHS worker from Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire said: “I was faced with the possibility of surgery, which would mean that I’d have to live with a stoma for the rest of my life.

“That was devastating – I was just too young to have to go through that. I was offered the chance to join the clinical trial, and I decided to do it immediately.”

Dr Caroline Brammer, medical director at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said: “Prof Myint is a world authority on the Papillon technique and thousands of Clatterbridge patients have benefited from this non-surgical treatment over the decades.

“It is heartening to know that many more patients across the NHS will now have the same opportunity.

“This development will help reduce surgical waiting lists and costs to the NHS and improve quality of life for many patients with rectal cancer.”

Prof Myint, who is 77 and still working as a consultant, said: “I feel that I have done my job and I can now hang up my gloves, but not until this treatment is embedded as the standard of care in the NHS and across the world.”

Colorectal cancer – which includes cancers of the rectum, bowel and colon – is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with more than 41,000 new cases diagnosed every year.