F1 Qatar GP live: Norris eyes maiden title with Piastri on pole

Lando Norris failed to complete his last lap in qualifying for Sunday’s crucial Qatar Grand Prix to allow F1 championship rival Oscar Piastri to take pole position.

Norris, who will start alongside his McLaren team-mate for the penultimate round of the campaign in Doha, held a slender advantage heading into the decisive concluding laps. But the British driver made a mistake when he ran wide at the second corner, and was forced to abort, leaving Piastri the chance to usurp him at the top of the order.

Piastri, a winner of the earlier sprint race here, which took him to within 22 points of Norris’ lead with 50 points still to play for, did not waste his opportunity, clinching pole by 0.108 seconds. Max Verstappen starts third to ensure he remains in the title hunt.

Norris will be crowned world champion on Sunday if he outscores Piastri by four points and Verstappen by one.

Follow live coverage of the Qatar Grand Prix with The Independent

Month’s worth of rain to fall in 24 hours as flood warnings issued

Heavy rain and blustery winds are set to batter parts of the country, bringing a month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours, as an amber “danger to life” warning comes into force on Sunday night.

The most significant rain will fall across parts of South Wales, with 100 to 200mm of rain possible in some areas. The Met Office has upgraded the impact level of its warning of travel disruption and flooding to high.

The western and south-western areas of the UK are also due to be hit by heavy bands of rain, with yellow warnings in place in London and South East England, South West England, and West Midlands from midnight on Monday to 3am on Tuesday morning. 

The Met Office’s senior meteorologist Marco Petagna said: “Later today, we’ll start to see some wet and windy weather coming in from the west, and then for a very unsettled day for most parts of the UK going into tomorrow, particularly western parts of England, Wales and southwest Scotland as well. 

“We could see up to 120mm of rain, so almost five inches of rain in a few places, that’s on top of what’s been a pretty wet month already. We’re likely to see flooding issues, particularly across South Wales, through tomorrow.”

Mr Petagna said warnings could also be issued for later in the week, but it was too far ahead to be concerned about that, “given the high importance of the weather” on Monday.

A yellow rain warning has also been issued for areas in the East Midlands, North West England, South West Scotland, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber from midnight until 3am on Tuesday, bringing 20 to 40mm of rainfall, and 100 to 120mm in a few places over the Cumbrian fells.

Strong southwesterly gusts will accompany the heavy rain, with gales possible around coasts and over high ground, the Met Office said.

In Central, Tayside and Fife, North East England, and Strathclyde, rain warnings are in place from midnight until 9pm on Monday.

Richard Preece, Natural Resources Wales duty tactical manager, said people should be alert to potential flooding.

He said: “With some rivers already swollen and the ground saturated, we expect to see a number of flood alerts and warnings issued. We also expect the rain to cause surface water issues.

“We’re urging people to be vigilant and to make preparations for potential flooding now. You can check if you live in an area at risk of flooding on our website and sign up for our free flood warning service.”

Here is the weather forecast for the UK for the coming week, according to the Met Office:

A better day for most, with many seeing a dry day with sunny spells. Showers affecting coastal counties, mainly in the north and northwest, turning wintry over hills. Becoming unsettled from the west later with spells of rain and cold temperatures.

A clear evening in the east with some frost. Wind and rain will continue to push in from the west, heavy in places, with some snow across Scottish mountains. Milder.

Outbreaks of rain, persistent across southwest England and south Wales, where disruption from flooding is likely. Windy for many with coastal gales possible. Turning brighter in the north. Mild.

Rain clearing early on Tuesday leaving sunshine and showers for most of the week. These are most frequent in the south and west. Temperatures are around average for the start of December.

The experimental drugs being marketed by influencers as ‘miraculous’

Why would I want to wait six months when I can inject peptides and look like the best version of myself in 30 days?”

Walker Harrell speaks from behind a screen that pans down to show his body – slim, muscular, the kind of physique many can only attain through a strict diet and exercise regime. Except, he tells his audience, hard work isn’t how he achieved this.

Instead, he says, he has been injecting peptides – and by following the link in his bio, you too can appear “more youthful”, leaner, and tanned.

Social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, are filled with creators claiming they can help promote healing, erase acne, and build thicker muscles, all through a simple injection.

Even the popular podcaster Joe Rogan, who does not sell peptides, has claimed on his popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience to be reaping the benefits of experimental peptide BPC-157 for healing an injury, claiming that the compound fixed tendinitis in his elbow “in two weeks”.

For teenage boys in particular, the messaging can be potent. Videos seen by The Independent tout the compounds as essential for “looksmaxxing” – a trend in which people attempt to boost their physical attractiveness – and even suggest that taking them during puberty can impact your “results” as you move into adulthood.

But underneath the ripped torsos and perfect skin, there is a murky world of unknowns and risk.

Peptides were first discovered in the 1920s with the isolation of insulin, now a lifesaving treatment for millions of people with diabetes. But many others – including those being promoted on social media platforms – are still considered “experimental” and have never been subject to rigorous clinical trials. In the UK and the US, these are sold with a warning label: “For research purposes only. Not for human consumption.”

Speaking to The Independent, experts said the risks of using these research chemicals are “substantial”.

Dr Adam Taylor, professor in anatomy at Lancaster University, says that if peptides sound too good to be true, that’s because they probably are – and those who are using them are “running the risk of turning themselves into a lab rat”.

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that serve as the building blocks of proteins, Dr Taylor explains. They work by acting as messengers, telling specific parts of the body what to do – whether that be repair, grow, or heal.

“What we’ve got now is a lot of peptides coming to the market that are being advertised as helping you be able to heal quicker,” says Taylor. “A lot of these are the quest for the holy grail in terms of regeneration and rejuvenation.”

He adds that the newer compounds are often advertised by influencers who have “limited scientific authority” to speak to their legitimacy, meaning that viewers are unable to see the full picture behind the image being sold.

One copper-based peptide, GHK-CU, purports to possess “exceptional anti-ageing, regenerative, and even anti-cancer properties”, according to one online seller.

Another set, dubbed the “Wolverine stack” after the Marvel character’s exceptional healing properties, promises to accelerate healing and support muscle recovery.

But Taylor says that if this were proven, we would see these substances being used in medical settings.

“If these peptides were safe for human use, we would be using them to treat patients,” he said. “Some haven’t been trialled in patients. But in some circumstances, where they have been trialled, they’re just not showing the kind of benefits that we would need to make them effective enough to bring them to market through the NHS.”

Taylor says that using these unregulated peptides carries serious risks. “If you have an allergy and you’re sticking a peptide into a muscle, or even into a vein, into your blood supply, you could end up with a really serious anaphylactic and potentially life-ending reaction to something that was unknown in there,” he warns.

“Sticking needles into your body as an untrained professional comes with high risk. If you hit a nerve or a blood vessel, or you introduce an air bubble into your vasculature, you’re going to end up potentially doing serious, if not life-ending damage.”

Taylor adds that there is even some suggestion that these substances could activate pathways used by cancers to attack the body – although he stresses that this has not been proven with direct evidence.

“Users are running the risk of turning themselves into a lab rat,” he says. “One of the biggest challenges with a lot of these peptides is that you don’t know your own physiology. You don’t understand what underlying things are lurking beneath, and what may they may trigger.”

The sudden explosion of the compounds on social media appears to target teenage boys – something Taylor says is “particularly risky”.

“Not only is your body still developing in the way that you can see, but you’re also still developing physiologically,” he explains. “The hormones that you produce for various tissues in the body are still not potentially at their full effect. You wouldn’t want to interrupt those hormonal pathways.”

It is difficult to obtain exact data on how many people are using peptides in the UK, as the drugs are unregulated. However, analysis of Google search trends reveals nearly 10 times as many searches for these compounds in 2025 compared with 2020 – and studies suggest that the number of gym-goers using performance-enhancing drugs has more than tripled since 2014.

Taylor believes that it may take many years for the full story behind peptides to emerge. “I think it’s going to be when this generation get to middle age,” he says. “They may have some desired effects, but they can also have undesired effects, and I think that’s what we will see with a lot of these products in the future.”

His warnings are echoed by Dr Laura Grainge, medical director at It’s Me & You aesthetics clinic. She told The Independent she has seen a distinct rise in patients presenting with complications – mostly injection-site reactions – after buying research chemicals online.

Grainge adds that the risks are “entirely down to a lack of regulation”, as customers have no guarantee of the purity, sterility, or true contents of their purchases.

“Since these are not proven medical compounds, they can cause unpredictable and potentially severe systemic issues, such as hormonal imbalances, heart palpitations, anxiety, and unexplained inflammatory responses,” she adds. “The risk is simply not worth the unproven, short-term gain.”

The UK regulatory body for medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, told The Independent that it “disregards” claims that these products are for “research purposes” if it is clear that such claims are being used in an attempt to avoid regulations.

A spokesperson added that the agency “strongly advises against purchasing and using unauthorised medicinal products, particularly those promoted on social media”.

Meta said it had removed the accounts brought to its attention by The Independent, adding that it does not allow content that “aims to sell or encourage the consumption of potentially unsafe drugs, products or supplements”.

A TikTok spokesperson said its community guidelines forbid “trading, marketing, or providing access to regulated, prohibited, or high-risk goods and services”, adding that this “includes regulated substances such as products marketed for weight loss or muscle gain”.

“We have banned the hashtag #peptide, and we have removed the accounts shared for violating our Community Guidelines,” it said.

Joe Rogan and Walker Harrell have been approached for comment.

Aurora: ‘We’re more scared of activists than the world dying or war’

Aurora Aksnes is not naive about her mission to be a musician and an activist. Ten years ago, this was a variant on the cool multi-hyphenate job description in everyone’s Instagram bio. Now, not so much. The current cultural moment is something she describes as a kind of collective dip: a time when public political expression feels unfashionable, even suspect.

“People are more scared of activists than they are of the world dying,” she says, with what sounds like genuine bewilderment. “More scared of activists than of war. Isn’t that interesting?” She pauses and wrinkles her nose, but it’s not a rhetorical question – Aurora is nothing if not curious.

This intersection of activism and music, she says, is made more complicated by who is speaking – look at how people responded to Bob Vylan’s calls for an end to the Israeli military. Most people are generally accepting when a preternaturally youthful white woman talks about Palestine, but not a Black man.

“It’s really sad how scared people are to be in touch with someone who is speaking up against the large forces of the world. It makes us so weak,” says Aurora. “But with Bob Vylan, I was so surprised by how the industry reacted and how the people reacted. Two very different things.” After the duo’s Glastonbury performance, when frontman Bobby Vylan chanted “Death to the IDF” (the Israel Defense Forces), they were dropped by their agent, and their US tour was cancelled after their visas were revoked. Large pockets of the general public were supportive of them, as well as artists like Amyl & the Sniffers, Fontaines D.C. and Massive Attack.

Sitting in the Independent office podcast studio, the 29-year-old Norwegian is pale, bright, and a little otherworldly, like a snow angel. There’s a trace of Björk’s eccentricity in her, that same charge of unpredictability, with the elemental pop sensibility you get from Florence Welch. The offbeat inventiveness of early-career Grimes is there, too, not just in Aurora’s livewire observations but also in her music.

Her vocals on songs, including her most popular, the haunting folk ballad “Runaway”, seem to rise from the mist. In the past couple of years, she has caught the attention of Gen Z for her viral small-screen meditations on life, death and the strangeness of society. But increasingly, music and moral agency are inseparable for her.

To stay silent, as someone who is actually listened to – ie a musician with a public platform – is unthinkable. “To avoid using your voice simply because it’s uncomfortable? It’s just so sad to me, because you’re avoiding a very important part of you and what makes you human.”

Aurora is in London to help promote her intimate charity show at the beautiful Union Chapel on 10 December to raise money for War Child, an organisation that helps children whose lives have been torn apart by war and genocide, ahead of a cold winter. She’s split the show into two parts: Dusk, which will explore activism, humanity and the power of people, and Dawn, which will lift audiences into emotions of hope and renewal. “I admire so much these organisations like War Child, who fight that instinct to go back into your bubble and relax,” she says.

In her mind, numbness is the enemy. “There is so much information that we forget to think about what we’re seeing,” she says softly. Social media – “designed to make people more stupid, more numb” – is the prime culprit, of course. “When you see footage of a real war happening right now, real people burning and dying, in between makeup tutorials – ‘This is how you make a pecan pie’, ‘This is how I do the blah blah’ – and when it’s put like that? The really sad, inhumane things that you can’t even understand what you’re seeing, mixed with completely brain-dead things… Imagine how it makes our brain connect this war, or these inhumane things, with numbness.”

On stage, Aurora has hinted to fans that she has a neurodivergent brain, but hasn’t spoken before about how this impacts her life as a musician. “With age and with time, I’ve become a bit better at managing being neurodivergent, and trying to not completely overwhelm myself until a point of no return. It’s not spoken about so much: neurodivergence and artistry – how they’re so meant for each other, but also so not,” she explains. “The opposite of what you want and need from this world is everything that comes along as a ripple effect from just you making your music.”

For instance, what autism and ADHD communities call “executive function” – the mental skills that help with planning, organising, and managing tasks – can be difficult for her. “It can be really hard when it’s not things that are burning in my chest, where I can go into hyperfocused mode and forget that I have a body,” she says. “When I perform, it’s very easy to forget that I’m tired or sick; it’s just gone, which is very cool. But with things that are more through the head and not the heart, it can be really difficult from day to day.”

She gets overstimulated by people very quickly, which isn’t ideal, given that being an artist means she’s constantly surrounded by them. “I don’t like the connection that happens in my head [where] individuals sometimes become like a large entity, or a wall.” She does, though, love meeting other people, because her neurodivergence means she’s especially open to strangers. “It’s like a superpower, but if it’s too much all the time, this superpower disappears. It makes me sad, because [then] I’m missing out on a lot of good meetings with people.”

Artists spend a lot of time existing in liminal spaces, an observation the pop star Charli xcx made in a recent Substack newsletter. They’re always on the way somewhere: in airport lounges, tour buses, cold warehouses ahead of photoshoots. “I’m quite good at letting all the wishy-washiness of this life trigger good things in me,” says Aurora brightly. “Like, if I travel a lot, I use that time to read a book or draw. I make it cosy. When I feel time is just wasting away, waiting to arrive somewhere or whatever, I escape into my brain and I really like it there. And I find it very easy.”

Unsurprisingly, Aurora’s solution to our activism fatigue is a return to the physical world – to the stubbornly analogue act of gathering. “When people meet in the same room for a cause, it’s so pure,” she explains. “You can see the crowd. You can feel the number. You can understand it.” Statistics become real only when embodied. “One in five children in our world are affected by war or conflict that impacts their will to grow up, to make something of their talents, their thirst to be a human and explore and play,” she says.

As a figure, that certainly sounds horrific, but cross out the face of every fifth child in your school yearbook and it’ll touch your heart. “It’s a good rehearsal to do, to pull statistics that are hard to feel,” she tells me, putting a hand to her chest, “into something that can ground the numbers into reality.” And it can go the other way, too, to help people understand positive change. War Child has helped 180,000 children in Palestine. “That’s the size of my whole city,” says Aurora. “That’s a lot of lives.”

For her global concerns, Aurora remains intensely local. She still lives in Bergen, Norway, a city with mountains for walls and winters that can stretch to eight months. As a child, she didn’t listen to much music – she’s still not sure she likes it – but at home she heard artists like Leonard Cohen, Enya and Nina Simone. Cohen taught her that feminine softness can be a form of political force. Simone taught her that good artists reflect the times they live in. Enya is just Enya (she’s evidently had a huge influence on Aurora). “If you do it right,” Aurora says, “your voice lasts for ever. And it’s a shame if that voice only spoke about useless crap.” She smiles, amused at herself. “But we need useless crap, too. I love that as well.”

Aurora is flying home tonight. It’s snowing in Bergen; she can’t wait. She’ll be moving in her new broken piano, a cheap purchase she’s excited about because it sounds “seasick”. In her home studio, she will continue to nurture an ongoing desire to create something completely shocking, and new: “It’s very clear that, as humans, we always react to either what the generation before us did or what we used to do. That’s what I’m doing, also: just following a predestined pattern of my own, where I’m currently reacting to myself before.”

Between now and when she returns to London in December for the War Child show, fans will see the start of this different phase in her career. “I’m excited to see what it becomes,” she says. Then a tiny smile. “Life can still feel unexpected.”

The only way to watch Aurora’s winter show is by entering the prize draw, in which fans can win a pair of VIP tickets. The more times they enter, the better their chances of winning.

The prize draw for the tickets closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 30 November, but you can still use the draw page to donate to War Child.

Can’t handle rejection? You shouldn’t be dating, then

There’s no good way to dump someone. But I wouldn’t recommend doing it via voicemail. Of all the rejections in my life, that one – courtesy of my first boyfriend, at the tender age of 13 – felt like a dagger to the face. I’d like to think I’ve got better at handling rejection since those early years – I know about empathy! I can process my emotions! I’ve been to therapy! – but, being honest, I’m not sure.

Being told “no” is still one of my least favourite things, whether it’s delivered by someone I’m dating, a friend, a family member, or literally anyone else I’ve ever spoken to. Thankfully, this week, I was delighted to learn that I’m not the only person who feels this way, particularly in the case of romantic rejection.

On Twitter/X, a woman shared a screenshot of a text from a man she’d been on a first date with after two weeks of messaging, in which he explained that he wasn’t ready to date. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” the message states. “I realised I’m not in a place where I want to date right now.” The texter goes on to paraphrase the usual platitudes: “This isn’t about you”, “You’re genuinely a great person”, and finally, “Dating just isn’t on my list of things to do rn [sic].” Furious, the woman shared the screenshot with the caption, “We met on HINGE btw”, accruing more than 6 million views and thousands of replies from people weighing in.

Many people, particularly other women who’d been burned by men they’d met on dating apps, were equally cross. “Literally then why go on a date then if dating was not something he wanted to do rn,” replied one user. “Hinge men are all the same,” vented another. “They’re always emotionally off or are not ready to date lmao, they just want to get relationship privileges without being official.”

However, the majority of users disagreed with the original poster. This seemed like a polite, rational, and kindly worded rejection, they argued. “Completely reasonable,” commented one person. “This is literally just a nice way to reject a person, which is common knowledge,” added another. “Ppl are allowed to reject you. If you can’t handle rejection, then don’t date.”

Knowing my history with rejection, I was surprised to find that I agreed with the latter camp. It’s a reasonable text. And while obviously it’s frustrating to learn that someone on a dating app isn’t ready to date, it seems like a kinder and more polite way of letting a person know that they aren’t interested in seeing them again. If it’s a choice between that and being told by a man that he didn’t find me attractive, smart, or interesting enough, I know which I’d pick. And I suspect it’s the same one a lot of other people would choose, too.

And yet, when faced with the softer option, so many of us refuse to accept it. I know that I’ve been incensed by similarly thoughtful rejections; messages in which the person has taken the time to list all the various positive aspects of our brief relationship, and let me know that their lack of interest has very little to do with any shortcomings on my side. It can feel condescending, and yes, “It’s not you, it’s me” is a cliché, but it’s certainly better than the reverse: pity the man who tells a woman, “It’s not me, it’s you.”

As for why none of us can handle rejection properly, I think it’s because we’ve all become increasingly siloed. Whether it’s dating apps or social media platforms, much of the content we consume is being dictated by algorithms that have been designed to reflect us back to ourselves. We’re all living in increasingly small cultural echo-chambers, where our ideologies and interests are only ever being reinforced instead of challenged. We’re the stars of the show. It’s easy to see why, in that mindset, being turned down in any capacity might be particularly hard to take.

Still, I wish I’d become a little better at handling it. Like many women, perhaps the thing I’ve mastered is not rejection but the art of concealing the rage and resentment that simmers beneath a palatable, people-pleasing surface. Now, that is something I’m good at.

Black Friday cruise deals – enjoy luxe all-inclusive trips for less

Already dreaming about your next unforgettable escape? Picture this: gazing at a postcard-perfect horizon, margarita in hand, before tucking into delicious, made-to-order dining amid superyacht inspired luxury…

Well, it’s time to make waves, Sailor: Virgin Voyages’ Black Friday offers are here, running from 21 November – 4th December, with epic savings to be made across 2025, 2026, and their newly-launched 2027 sailings. What’s more, you can get 80 per cent off a second ‘Sailor’ and up to $500 in free drinks – find out more at Virgin Voyages.

And these aren’t just any cruises; these are award-winning, exclusively adult cruises, providing a playground at sea for discerning grownups, with no buffets, and certainly no beige (they favour red, instead). There’s over $1,000/£750 in value built right in, from WiFi and group fitness classes to essential drinks and award-winning dining – all with no hidden extras. Prices are all-in, and stay that way, leaving you to focus on pure, effortless indulgence.

Exemplifying the modern luxury and romance of sailing, there are no  lacklustre, elbows-at-the-ready meals to be queued for here: instead you’ll enjoy freshly prepared food from over 20 unique eateries, guaranteeing culinary flair with distinct, delicious flavours. And prepare to have dinner with a view – every single restaurant on board has panoramas out to the ocean.

When you’re not eating (or sipping), explore the ship’s sleek, design-led spaces. Think nautically cool cabins with roomy rain showers and heavenly hammocks made for lazy afternoons. Hit The Manor, Virgin’s sexy, disco-glam nightclub reached through a mirrored corridor straight out of a K-pop video. Or lose yourself in The Red Room, where cutting-edge shows and dance parties keep the energy high till sunrise. Then there’s The Groupie – your private karaoke den for those ‘we’re definitely forming a band’ moments (crafted cocktails highly encouraged).

Need inspo for which cruise to choose? How about this one: 2026 sees the introduction of one of Virgin Voyages’ most highly anticipated routes – the debut of its sailing to Alaska, running from May to September aboard Brilliant Lady.

The ship will take 16 memorable journeys roundtrip from Seattle (with some from Vancouver), lasting from between seven to 12 nights. You’ll experience the region’s wild beauty and authentic ports which most cruise lines skip, from the dramatic fjords of Tracy Arm to hidden gems like Haines (the Bald Eagle capital of the world) Icy Strait Point, an indigenous-owned destination perfect for whale watching and adventure, and Sitka – where you’ll find a blend of Russian and Native heritage – taking you deeper into America’s Last Frontier.

You can also immerse yourself on-land via Virgin Voyages ‘Shore Thing’ experiences, with over 250 excursions crafted for adults, including bear spotting, dog sledding, glacier hikes, and indigenous-led cultural immersions, designed for adults – not busloads. And with longer port times, you’ll be able to explore exciting destinations like Alaska’s capital, Juneau, without feeling rushed; there are no early departures here, so you can spend a generous eight unhurried hours marvelling at the epic panoramas from the Mount Roberts Tramway, watching whales in Auke Bay, or visiting epic natural wonders like the Mendenhall Glacier.

And it’s never too late to think even further ahead; Virgin Voyages has also just launched its new 2027 itineraries, expanding to a range of fresh destinations. Feeling hot, hot, hot? A few of them depart from Miami and take in the Caribbean, such as the St Thomas, US Virgin Islands cruise – a brand new port which also stops at Tortola, Antigua and St Kitts and Nevis – and the shorter Cayman Isles and Bimini Beach cruise, where you can swim with stingrays, bask in the sun, and savour authentic Caribbean cuisine.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, there’s the Greenland & Transatlantic cruise, where you’ll sail from  Iceland’s hip capital, Reykjavik to Greenland’s colourful villages, Qaqortoq and Nuuk, before making your way towards New York City. And the best part? If you take advantage of Virgin Voyages’ Black Friday offers, from 21 November – 4th December 2025, you’ll make significant savings plus get up to $500 in free drinks. Which leaves all the more money to spend on Christmas presents….

Anchors away! To set sail in style, book now at virginvoyages.com

‘I fought with UK in Afghanistan. Now I live in a damp flat in London’

The walls have been newly painted a bright white, and the floors are clean. But despite it being a grey cold winter’s day outside, all the windows in this two-bedroom flat in west London are wide open.

There is no visible mould, but Abdul’s family, including his pregnant wife Aisha, have been struggling with their breathing because of damp in the property ever since they moved in in October. They have opened the windows in a desperate bid to get some fresh air into the flat.

Their 11-year-old son’s asthma, which is usually controlled, has become much worse, says Abdul. When he struggled to breathe in one particular exacerbation a few weeks ago, Abdul rushed him to the emergency department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, scared that his son’s medication wasn’t enough to keep him well in their new living conditions.

A former Afghan special forces soldier who fought alongside the British, Abdul had dreamt of the day he would be able to bring his family to the UK, and was overjoyed when it finally came in August this year.

He had served with an elite Afghan unit known as Afghan Territorial Force 444 – one of two units set up and paid by the British to work alongside the best of the UK armed forces. In the chaos of the West’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, many of those who worked most closely with the UK were left behind, with dozens of allies killed, kidnapped or tortured by the Taliban.

While the Ministry of Defence (MoD) set up resettlement routes for those who had worked alongside the British, mistakes led to hundreds of applications for sanctuary from Afghans with credible links to special forces units being wrongly rejected.

The government has been undertaking a review of thousands of these applications after The Independent, along with Lighthouse Reports and Sky News, exposed how the applicants were being denied help. High Court judges found that defective decision-making had led to these Afghan commandos being abandoned.

Abdul had managed to escape Afghanistan in 2015, but his application to come to the UK was initially rejected in 2023 – despite his having risked his life to work alongside British troops.

He lived in Europe in fear of deportation, at times homeless, before he was finally granted sanctuary in the country he had served, in August this year, through the MoD’s resettlement scheme.

However, the move has meant coming face-to-face with the reality of trying to build a life in Britain with little support. Unlike some of his former colleagues, who are also here, Abdul can speak good English, but he is still struggling to navigate his new living situation.

There is little to do during the day, and he is unsure where he can turn to to find activities for his two boisterous sons, aged 11 and five. He is keen to work and to enrol his children in school, but he wants to do so only once they have a settled home. A friend of Abdul’s in the UK, Alex Isaac, a former paratrooper who fought alongside him, has being trying to help him build a new life in Britain, and calls him each night to provide companionship. He has offered him a job as a groundworks trainee in his construction company in Ipswich, but the family are unable to afford a deposit to start renting privately in the area.

Abdul said that his attempts to get help from the council and the Home Office with funding a deposit had been unsuccessful. After The Independent contacted the local council, they were able to start the process of helping Abdul and his family move to Ipswich. A Home Office source said that the council had also agreed to pay the deposit.

While Abdul said the family had received little support from their council support worker since they moved into the property in Fulham, a spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said the family had been offered help with furniture and household goods, financial support, school places for the children, and GP and maternity services.

The council said that Abdul had twice refused to allow the private landlord’s contractors to carry out repairs, but Abdul said that they only wanted to make temporary fixes that would not have solved the problems.

A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson added: “We have a long and proud history of going above and beyond to support refugees, helping more than 120 Afghan refugees into new homes and securing school places this year along.

“Abdul has asked for a move to Ipswich, and we’re working with the Home Office and the family to assist.”

Local authorities are able to claim £24,110 per Afghan from the government over three years to provide “integration support”. Further money to support children into education can also be claimed by the council, with payments of up to £5,130 per child aged five to 18. Local healthcare providers are also able to claim government money to support Afghan refugees.

The flat the local council has found for the family is sparse, with just a bed for Abdul and his wife, bunk beds for their children, a table and a sofa, and they have few belongings to make the place feel like home. The government, through Abdul’s housing benefit, is paying the landlord £1,850 a month for the property, he explained.

The family are not using the washing machine because they say mould in the machine makes their clothes smell, so instead, Abdul’s wife Aisha is washing their clothes by hand. While they are able to use the fridge, the sealant around the door is mouldy and cracked.

The toilet sink is also leaking, and the bathroom often smells, Abdul explained. The sons have at times refused to sleep in their bunk beds because they spotted cockroaches in the room, and the carpet corners come up easily, creating a worrying trip hazard.

Because their breathing is exacerbated by being inside, the family often spend hours sitting in the nearby small park or wandering around the local shopping centre.

Aisha, who is pregnant, has been struggling with her breathing as well. A support letter from the local community midwife details her concerns about the family’s living conditions.

“The property has leaks, damp, concerning stains, and an insect infestation,” the letter said. “[Abdul] showed me some concerning photos during a midwifery appointment, including multiple insect bites on the two children, aged 11 and five years old.”

It continued: “I ask their case is urgently prioritised for the wellbeing of the whole family … It is imperative that the family be provided with alternative suitable housing that accommodates their needs and promotes a safe and healthy environment for the parents, young children, and a newborn baby.”

Abdul said: “We are not asking for luxury housing. I would rather be able to support myself. I already found an Ipswich property, where the rent is hundreds less. We would be saving the government money if we can move there. No one should pay this amount for this property, because it is not suitable.

“My son had asthma before, but not like this. [Since] we came into this property, he is always using the emergency inhaler. We are using both of the inhalers all the time.

“My wife is also now struggling with her breathing, and she is pregnant. The kids are scared to sleep in their room because there were cockroaches in their room. They are waking up in the night because they are scared, and they have no desk or space to do any homework. There is the smell in the flat, also.”

He continued: “I am so stressed, me and my wife. I don’t know what to do with this situation.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “This government is determined to fulfil our nation’s commitment to the brave Afghans who supported the United Kingdom’s mission in Afghanistan.

“Any concerns about accommodation should be reported to the local authority. We work closely with them to ensure every family receives the support they need.”

Alex Scott explains early departure from Australia after I’m a Celeb exit

Alex Scott has prematurely left Australia after becoming the first star to be eliminated from I’m a Celebrity 2025.

The contestants usually stay Down Under for the duration of the series to attend the finale as well as a wrap party, but the Football Focus pundit and former Lioness has headed straight back to the UK to be with her girlfriend, singer Jess Glynne.

Scott revealed the decision was based on the news that Glynne’s mother suffered a major stroke requiring urgent brain surgery, which occurred shortly before she entered the jungle.

“It’s been a tough time for us and obviously her family, and it was a tough decision to come into the jungle, but then Jess never wanted me to step away from not doing it,” Scott told The Mirror.

Addressing Glynne’s absence from her elimination, she continued: “I knew there was always a possibility of her not being across the bridge, if her mum hadn’t got better, or if things had been getting worse, which they have been.

“But it was a big decision for me to not pass this opportunity, and Jess was the one that pushed me to be here.”

She said speaking to Glynne for the first time after being voted off was an emotional moment, adding that, while she wants to reunite with her campmates at the wrap party, she needs “to get home straight away” to be with Glynne.

“She is my Jessica – I am going to go home and be her rock,” she said.

Glynne celebrated her girlfriend’s efforts on the show with a post on Instagram, telling followers she was “unbelievably proud” of her partner.

She said that Scott, with whom she’s been in a relationship for three years, had not received the airtime “to show how incredible she really is”, stating: “My woman might be out far earlier than she deserved, but I’m so unbelievably proud of her.”

Explaining why she was not there to meet Scott at the end of the bridge, Glynne wrote: “Over the last few weeks, my mum suffered a major stroke and needed urgent brain surgery.

“It’s been a really life-altering time for my family, and I’ve had to stay close to home. Alex would always want me to be where I’m needed most. I can’t wait to have her back by my side.”

After being eliminated from the series, Scott said she felt “free” – and admitted to struggling with the larger personalities in the jungle.

She said she wants former EastEnders star Shona McGarty to win the series, with rapper Aitch and YouTuber Angryginge in second and third place.