Tory peer: ‘I took Mounjaro but can’t shed any more weight – it’s no miracle drug’

While shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has become the British political poster boy for weight-loss jabs, one of his former colleagues has been less impressed.

Tory peer Lord Ed Vaizey has been left frustrated in his bid to trim his weight after taking Mounjaro to try to get down to a lower number on his scales.

The ex-culture minister told The Independent that despite hundreds of thousands of people taking weight-loss jabs, in his experience it was “certainly not a miracle drug” – but admitted he could have taken other measures to help him shed the pounds.

“My suspicion is that, I am a typical man in the sense that I think ‘I buy this drug, I inject it, it should do all the work’. But I suspect that if I stop drinking and had a reasonably sensible diet, it would probably have helped me lose weight quicker than if I was just doing it as a diet.” he said.

The intervention comes after the NHS started rolling out weight loss jabs to tackle the obesity crisis in the UK.

Lord Vaizey, who has lost around a stone in total, says his healthy weight is about 13 stone and admitted he was “about two stone overweight” when he first decided to take action.

Having lost that excess weight during Covid, which he says was the result of no longer being wined and dined on the Westminster lunch circuit, he put it back on once lockdown ended. Ultimately his desire to get back in shape led him to the weight-loss jabs.

He said: “I went on to Wegovy first and then Mounjaro. Wegovy definitely did the trick.”

But his experience with Mounjaro was not such a success, which he started using after a break of about nine months “when my weight started creeping up again”.

“It helped get it down but I’m stuck at about 14st 10lb now, which I regard as for me being about stone overweight.

“It definitely does reduce your appetite a bit; I definitely feel fuller at meal times that way that I didn’t before. But I’m stuck on 14st 10lb – it’s not going to take me any lower.

“It doesn’t seem right and I was, at one point, on the maximum dose. I still use it, partly because I think my weight will creep up again if I stop using it.”

While he eats less, he says the jabs have not put him off his love for desserts or “sinking a bottle of wine”.

“I have zero side effects, and as I think it kind of maintains me in a stable weight, I’m happy to carry on using it, but it’s certain that I’ve got to be slightly more disciplined, I think, if I really want to lose weight now.

“I’m quite happy to go out to dinner and sink a bottle of wine. I’m quite happy to have a dessert at dinner. It’s not rewired my brain to not like fatty foods or anything.”

However, friends have told Lord Vaizey he is looking more trim.

“People definitely comment. I had dinner with a friend last night who I haven’t seen for a while, and he commented, ‘You look like you’ve lost weight. You look really healthy.’ People keep telling me, I look very healthy. And well, that’s certainly true.

“But I read those stories about people who took Wegovy and shed four stone, but that’s not happened to me.”

Is Dubai’s glossy expat lifestyle all it’s cracked up to be?

Imagine a place with high temperatures, high-end lifestyles and even higher skyscrapers. Oh, and there’s no income tax. Ever since oil was discovered off its coast in the Sixties, catalysing a rapid expansion, Dubai has acquired a reputation as the ultimate playground for the super-rich. Now the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, it has become a spot where millionaires come to live out the fantasy of a rarefied (and perfectly air-conditioned) existence by the beach, in the shadow of some of the world’s tallest buildings.

But it’s no longer just the 0.01 per cent who are falling for the allure of the “sandpit”, as the city has been nicknamed. Over the past few years, Dubai has become increasingly tempting for ordinary Brits, swayed by the promise of a glossy lifestyle with way more disposable income. It’s estimated that there are around 240,000 British expats currently based in Dubai, a number that’s surely only going to tick upwards.

In 2024, the relocation firm John Mason International Movers revealed that over the previous five years, it had received a 420 per cent increase in enquiries from British nationals hoping to move to the city; it also found a 50 per cent year-on-year rise in online searches for “move to Dubai” and “jobs in Dubai” from people in the United Kingdom.

So what is it that’s driving this exodus, despite the fact that most of us are aware that the Dubai dream is not as shiny as it appears on our phone screens? Put bluntly, the main attraction for most would-be expats is financial. Because the UAE famously doesn’t impose income tax, a worker’s take-home pay is exactly the same as their salary: no calculations about tax brackets and national insurance required. So, even if you don’t manage to command a massive pay rise if you move out there, on paper, you’ll have more spending power. There is no capital gains or inheritance tax, either.

When Rhian Lindley moved to Dubai with her then husband and children in 2010, “it was the tax-free earnings without a shadow of a doubt that became the attraction”, she says. She had been working in corporate marketing back in the UK, and the steep cost of childcare meant that she had essentially been “paying to go back to work, and we were out of pocket”. In Dubai, the family could live on one salary and she was able to stay at home with her three kids, “without the financial pressure”.

The family’s expat lifestyle, Lindley adds, felt “luxurious, extravagant and high end, whereas in the UK we felt like we were struggling to make ends meet monthly and life had become pretty mundane”. In Dubai, she says, it felt like “the financial ‘noise’ had gone and I felt relaxed and able to focus on my children and really enjoy the time with them”.

Indeed, ask around about Dubai’s appeal and the concept of the “Dubai lifestyle” crops up again and again. There are the more superficial aspects, the ones that make the city feel like Instagram incarnate: the picture-perfect, hyper-modern homes; the glamorous events; the fancy restaurants and hotel bars; the designer shopping. But the idea of safety is also a huge factor. “Families feel comfortable allowing their children to move around independently, whether that’s walking in malls or taking taxis, because of the high levels of security,” says Marie O’Neill from relocation agency EER Middle East.

It’s not that hard to see the appeal of a breezily tax-free stint in the sun, especially if you’re constantly finding yourself wondering exactly where your salary has gone in the week leading up to payday. Over the past few years, the cost of living crisis has caused the cost of essentials (particularly food and energy bills) to skyrocket in the UK. Why pay through the nose to heat your dingy flat in winter – the one that you can barely afford already – when you could be living it up in the Middle Eastern heat, you might think?

And for young people, who are facing sluggish wage growth, a depressing job market and a truly bleak housing landscape, the allure might be especially pronounced. In 2024, a report from the British Council found that 72 per cent of 18- to 30-year-olds would consider living and working in another country in the short or long term. And the year before that, a YouGov survey showed that 36 per cent of respondents believed young people are more likely to do better in life if they go abroad, rather than stay put. No wonder, given that over in the UK, the prevailing mood feels gloomy, even futile; for Gen Z, there’s a question hanging over exactly what they’re working for, when all the traditional, stable markers of adulthood feel so out of reach.

Dubai, in contrast, seems to have cultivated a sort of can-do image. Mark Timms, chief growth officer at Dubai-based recruitment company GRG, believes that it is “an unashamedly welcoming and ambitious place”, boasting “a positivity that you don’t see elsewhere”, so “for the young it feels that anything is possible”. And its social media-friendly appeal seems perfectly calibrated to draw in younger expats: it is, after all, “a city that feels like it was built for Instagram and TikTok ‘moments’”, Timms adds. From bottomless brunches to luxury spas to infinity pools, it’s a bit like the influencer version of Disneyland.

This specific appeal, combined with “media coverage of UK ‘names’ making the move” – from reality stars to sportspeople such as Amir Khan and Rio Ferdinand – forms a “desirable advertisement”, Timms says, one that’s constantly cropping up in our feeds. Of course, this won’t necessarily work for everyone: one of the main criticisms that gets levied at Dubai is that it’s a veritable cultural desert, leaning into artificiality rather than authenticity and history.

Timms reckons that industries such as tech, hospitality and property “feel way more progressive in the UAE than they do in the UK at the moment”, and notes that “many Brits are attracted to commission-only roles in real estate and sales” as a sort of “foot in the door in the UAE, especially for younger, single expats”.

But while these can prove to be a “quick win”, he also cautions against the “fallacy” of “landing at DXB airport and walking straight into job opportunities”. The employment landscape in the UK “might feel bleak for job seekers”, he says, “however the old trope that the UAE, Dubai and wider GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] is crying out for an influx of British talent simply isn’t true”. Expat packages featuring school fees and housing costs “do not exist at the level they did 10 or even five years ago” and as the city has become increasingly popular with expats from all over the world, not just Britain, competition has risen starkly.

Then there’s the fact that the much-vaunted “Dubai lifestyle” doesn’t come for free. “Tax-free income is easily offset by other charges”, says Timms, such as rents and utilities, “and the cost of setting up home takes many incomers by surprise”. Renters may end up paying “quarterly, in six-month increments or even a year up front”, and the cost itself has increased significantly, with some tenants facing double-digit rental hikes. Former expat Lindley, who returned to the UK in 2020 and now works as a divorce coach, agrees that “the cost of living in Dubai is very high. We had more money, but we spent it, so we didn’t save as we had planned, and the lifestyle is seductive.”

But what about the other, darker side of Dubai? Behind the glamorous developments and super-tall skyscrapers lurks countless claims of the abuse and mistreatment of the migrant workers involved in constructing these glitzy new buildings; reports of builders living in squalid accommodation, facing appalling working conditions and having their passports confiscated have been all too common over the past few decades. During her 10 years spent in the city, Lindley says she found herself questioning “the ethics, or lack of, in the construction industry in particular”, noting that “by being part of a society that normalises it, I felt complicit”.

And once the buildings have gone up? Things don’t necessarily improve. In 2022, for example, human rights group Equidem claimed that security, hospitality staff and cleaners employed at Dubai’s Expo 2020, an international showcase for tech and sustainability, faced “highly abusive conditions”, with some allegedly suffering racism and having their wages confiscated (at the time, a statement from the organisers said they were “committed to the health, safety, welfare and dignity of all workers”).

Against this backdrop, the “playground” seems rather less, well, playful. Then there’s the strict rules that underpin this apparent safe haven. I’m not necessarily talking about the laws around alcohol, or public displays of affection, the ones that have been the centre of various high-profile stories of British holidaymakers falling foul of convention, although those are certainly worth bearing in mind. What’s arguably even more striking is just how tight a grip the UAE maintains over the press and social media. In May, a new set of 20 rules for the media was rolled out, ensuring that news outlets must “avoid addressing anything that might harm the State’s foreign relations” and must not “publish or circulate anything that harms national unity and social cohesion”. And for ordinary social media users, a derogatory post about a company or institution could result in fines or even jail.

The lavish lifestyle, then, seems to come at a cost. Beyond questions of salaries and perks, any would-be expats will surely have to weigh up those deeper conundrums. But the fact that so many seem prepared to look the other way to seek out an apparently better quality of life? It’s certainly pretty damning of what the UK is offering right now.

Harry Potter director says reunion ‘won’t happen’ due to Rowling

Harry Potter director Chris Columbus has said there cannot be a reunion due to JK Rowling’s controversial trans views.

Columbus, who made the first two films, previously suggested he’d like to adapt the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for the big screen, but said “it’s never going to happen” with the original child stars.

“It’s gotten so complicated with all the political stuff,” Columbus said, referencing the fact Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and Hermione actor Emma Watson spoke out against Rowling’s stance on trans rights.

“Everyone in the cast has their own opinion, which is different from her opinion, which makes it impossible,” the Thursday Murder Club director toldThe Times.

Columbus said he hasn’t spoken to Rowling in a decade or so, adding: “I have no idea what’s going on with her.”

But he keeps very close contact with Radcliffe and still has “a great relationship with all the kids in the cast”.

In the last five years, Rowling has repeatedly come under fire for various comments about gender ideology, with many, including stars of the Potter film adaptations, accusing her of transphobia.

The author has become ostracised from the former child actors due to her views – and she previously said she would not forgive the actors for criticising her opinions, telling them to “save their apologies”.

In 2020, Radcliffe wrote an essay for The Trevor Project as a way of showing support for the trans community, and apologised “for the pain” Rowling’s comments have caused the Harry Potter fandom.

Meanwhile, Watson wrote: “I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are,” and appeared to make a dig at Rowling at the Baftas in 2022.

Columbus, whose film credits include Home Alone and Mrs Doubtfire, previously told Variety:“ I like to sometimes separate the artist from the art, I think that’s important to do. It’s unfortunate, what’s happened. I certainly don’t agree with what she’s talking about. But it’s just sad, it’s very sad.”

He also questioned the necessity for a new HBO series based on Rowling’s book franchise, calling it “more of the same”.

Columbus’s new film, an adaptation of Richard Osman’s best-selling mystery series The Thursday Murder Club, is on Netflix now. It stars Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie.

Meet the van dwellers living in a park – and locals who want them out

It’s a warm, humid weekday afternoon in northwest Bristol.

As steam rises from the brown grass on the historic Durdham Down after a brief downpour, the iconic 12-sided concrete water tower comes into view, followed by Georgian shops at the summit of Whiteladies Road.

Around the huge parkland are the wealthy suburbs of Stoke Bishop, Redland and Sneyd Park, where many families have worked hard to afford homes that today command seven-figure price tags.

Joggers plod the well-trodden perimeter paths that lead them to the western edge of the park, where the cliff edge gives views over the River Avon and Isambard Brunel’s famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Steeped in history, the area, known locally as “The Downs”, was long used as common land for grazing, before, in 1861, it became part of the Victorian craze for park creation, with an act established for it to be a place of “public resort and recreation”.

But today, more than 160 years on, it’s not football or kite-flying that’s making this park famous – it’s dozens of caravans and vans.

The rising number of vehicles and caravans on the roads that dissect the parkland has led some to dub the area “caravan city”, with tensions mounting between homeowners and van dwellers. The council, it appears, is stuck between the two.

The issue on The Downs represents a growing problem in a city with a housing crisis, with latest council estimates of between 640 to 680 lived-in vehicles and caravans.

Now, city leaders, faced with concerns over antisocial behaviour and crime, are taking action. Bosses are currently busy drawing up a policy to balance support for vehicle dwellers with the demands from the local community.

But speaking to those living in vehicles, there appears to be no easy answer.

“I believe I have a right to be here,” says Frankie Turton, who lives in a converted Ford Transit van decorated with flowery stickers.

The 29-year-old women’s charity worker sold her house in Warrington to travel the UK with her partner, and when they turned up in Bristol two years ago, they decided to stay.

“We made like-minded friends and were surprised how easy it was to park up and stay here,” she says. “It felt like a big adjustment at first – people tell you van life is amazing but they don’t tell you about sh***ing in a bucket – but you can save money and have the freedom to go away on weekends.

“After arriving I got a job at a nearby pub. I’d heard of the complaints, and didn’t tell the locals I lived in a van. When I eventually did, they were like ‘we would never have known’.

“I understand some people’s concerns, but I think we need to stop generalising. People here are from all different backgrounds and for different reasons. Yes, I’m sure some do go to the toilet outside, but that’s only a minority.”

Ms Turton – whose van has a bed, kitchen, shower, sink and electricity supply – says she and her partner are in the process of buying a house in the city.

“I don’t particularly feel the tension with locals, but that’s maybe because we are moving away soon,” she adds. “It’s a complex situation and I don’t think there is a solution without restructuring society.”

Many local residents are part of a campaign group called Protect the Downs, which recently presented a petition to the city council calling on it to “remove van-dwelling encampments”.

Campaigners say the park is not for people to live in vehicles, and claim there is evidence of sex offences, threatening behaviour and antisocial behaviour linked to the van dwellers. Some say they are too scared to go out at night, while others are unhappy over claims bushes are being used as open-air toilets.

Tensions have led to some altercations.

In June, while filming with the BBC, Tony Nelson, chair of Protect the Downs, was reportedly pushed by a man from the van-dwelling community during an interview.

“People are being excluded from using the park because it is now thought the people living in vehicles have claimed the space,” Mr Nelson says. “It’s not right for anyone to be living in a residential street or a park and claiming it as their own space.

“Imagine your local park is used by people who feel they have a right to live in it. Would you want to take your family to that park?”

Last week, the Green Party-run city council wrote to housing secretary Angela Rayner asking for more funding to address the city-wide issue and build more social housing for “more options” for vehicle dwellers.

The city’s housing problem has worsened significantly since the Covid pandemic. More than 22,000 households are on the council waiting list, while housing rents increased by more than 23 per cent between 2020 and 2023.

Green Party councillor Barry Parsons, who is in charge of housing, also wants greater powers to remove vehicles from council land, and a new requirement for caravans to have registrations of ownership, to help with enforcement.

“We have wrestled with this a lot,” he says, when asked if people should be able to live on vehicles on The Downs. “Where we have come to is we don’t think that living permanently in the same place on the kerbside in a vehicle is really a sustainable housing option for anybody.

“We don’t want to see long-term large encampments of vehicles by the highway, we recognise this for some people is something they choose to do and there is a lot of people who move around… but we think that what our role is in this is rather than our focus being on getting rid of people is really providing people with options.”

Among the options are five “meanwhile” sites – temporary sites for van dwellers with access to toilets and running water – with two more planned to open soon. In total, there are 67 pitches across the sites available, and the council aims for 250 by the end of March next year.

People living in caravans question if this is the answer.

Friends Tyler Overall, 30, Kalvin Aisles, 27, and Anthony Owens, 29, have been living on The Downs for “several years”. Each has their own caravan, which they say they use as a living base for work at nearby breaker yards.

Sometimes they travel elsewhere for work, such as festivals, before returning.

“This is my lifestyle, no-one has the right to tell me stop,” says Mr Owens, whose caravan has a bicycle across its living area sofa inside. “We get grief from locals, we’ve had lots of shakers [people shaking the caravan], they are doing that because they don’t like us, they think we’re ugly, but this is my heritage.

“We are here because it is safer for us than being isolated on a roadside somewhere else in the city.”

He adds: “These meanwhile sites, they are a good idea, but there aren’t enough, so they [the council] can’t expect us all to disappear to one of them.”

On the other side of The Downs, in the shadow of rows of smart, Georgian houses is another line of caravans and vans – but also the remains of a torched caravan, set alight almost two weeks ago.

The wreckage of metal is undoubtedly an eyesore in the road.

Tim, who does not want to give his surname, lives in a van a few minutes’ walk away. He is a full-time plumber who decided to give up his £1,800-a-month house in the city, and convert his van into his home, where he has lived for three years.

“It’s not a community here – you do get some problems, but it’d be unfair to paint everyone with same brush,” he says.

“I like living here, the freedom of the van and saving money. It’s not for everyone, van life, but it shouldn’t be something people look down on, want to push away. Most of us look after the area, it’d be nice if we all could live together in harmony.”

Is ChatGPT killing off Gen Z friendships?

No one enjoys a good chat like my old best friend. Supper used to signify our favourite time of day, reserved for over-analysing whatever social fiasco had been occupying her mind. We’d pick apart friendships gone awry and laugh over our most absurd dating dilemmas. But at some point, these gossip sessions stopped, and in their place, a laptop was brought in, and ChatGPT positioned itself as the newest and most opinionated member of our social circle.

I was and still am deeply offended by my friend’s apparently replacing me with AI. How could she replace all the wisdom and care that I’ve gathered from our years together with a chatbot that requires monthly financial upkeep? Like many other people in their early 20s, I am accustomed to hearing how AI is stealing any future jobs I might have. I was not prepared to discover that it would be stealing my friends, too.

For my friend, her use of chatbots started out as academic assistance and morphed into something more personal. Friendship problems began to be solved by asking a prompt rather than thinking it through herself, with answers delivered in a tone and style that bizarrely mimicked her own. And it wasn’t just answers she was seeking; it was comfort, support, even empathy – an emotion I assumed to be exclusively human. Our conversations were eventually replaced by a one-sided monologue regurgitated from her interactions with this new AI pal, and God forbid I tried to suggest that this might be wrong.

Our supper-time gossip sessions fell by the wayside as it became obvious who of the three of us was actually the unwanted third wheel. In some ways, it’s reassuring to discover I’m not alone in feeling replaced; others are beginning to find themselves in the same predicament. Like that natural path from acquaintances to friends, more people are moving from using ChatGPT as a tool to perceiving it as a buddy. With AI performing the tasks that previously provided the bedrock to our friendships, it’s only inevitable to expect these friendships to weaken while our dependency on AI strengthens. “I feel useless”, one of my friends told me, “We don’t exchange dating advice anymore, we just type a situation into ChatGPT and wait for it to determine our next move.”

And it’s not just affecting our relationships with our friends. One friend holds ChatGPT’s opinion in such high esteem that she dumped a boy the second AI deemed him unworthy. Not to defend said boy – I never got to meet him – but I do hope that any future relationships I enter into won’t be subject to the judgment of a mysterious AI dictator.

The big problem here is that the advice we’re receiving from ChatGPT isn’t really advice at all, it’s self-validation. That it seeks nothing but your approval makes it incredibly addictive to use – how delicious being told you are always right. And unlike my supper-time availability for gossip, ChatGPT is at your disposal wherever and whenever you need it. It never goes to work or forgets to ring you back. It never judges you or asks you to switch the conversation onto itself. So, what’s even the point in seeking out human opinion when it’s messy, unreliable, and crowded with self-interest?

A new iteration of ChatGPT appeared this month, so I decided to message my old friend to ask her how she’s finding it. She informed me that this version is far more intelligent but slightly less complimentary. For a second, I felt hopeful. Would the lack of flattery within ChatGPT-5 mean I’ll get my friend back? But then it dawned on me, like many of us, she’s been hooked, and the fact that her robot friend has somehow discovered a more confident voice only risks making mine – human, unpredictable – even less necessary.

Make the most of London this summer with this stadium experience

Whether you’re experiencing London for the first time or you’re a family with kids keen to create unforgettable memories during the holidays, a visit to this world-famous stadium in North London is a must.

After 90 years at their beloved Highbury stadium, Arsenal’s ambitions outgrew their original home and in 2006, the club opened the Emirates. With a seating capacity of over 60,000, the Emirates stadium is one of the largest in England. The sheer scale of this field of dreams must be seen to believed — and thanks to its easy-to-reach location, you can hop on a bus or train and get there in no time.

Once there, Arsenal’s award-winning tours open the doors to parts of the stadium that are usually off-limits to the public. For sightseers who prefer to go at their own pace and for those with little ones who tire easily, the club’s self-guided audio-visual tour is a great option.

Fans and families can take their time to soak in the atmosphere and stroll in the footsteps of footballing legends, imagining the roar of the crowd as you step into the players’ tunnel. Afterwards, feel the tension rise in the dugout and experience the best seats in the house in the directors’ box.

It’s a rare opportunity to glimpse the inner workings of a prestigious football club and explore normally restricted areas that also include the home and away dressing rooms, the media lounge and the exclusive members-only Diamond Club.

Available in seven languages on a state-of-the-art handheld device, the tour is narrated by Arsenal presenter David Frimpong, otherwise known as ‘Frimmy’, as well as featuring commentary from Arsenal legends Alex Scott and David Seaman.

As well as audio, the tour recreates the electric atmosphere of matchday using 360-degree augmented footage and includes brand new interactive elements. You can also take souvenir photos with iconic Arsenal trophies, including that of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

The Arsenal Legend Stadium Tour is a more bespoke alternative to the self-guided tour, where visitors can explore the stadium for 90 minutes alongside an Arsenal hero. Tour guides include Nigel Winterburn and Perry Groves, as well as former women’s captain Faye White MBE.

During the tour, the Arsenal legend will share memories, anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories from their time on the pitch, offering a unique insider’s perspective on life at the club. Expect plenty of humour, fascinating insights and a chance to hear back-room gossip straight from the legends themselves. There’s also a chance for a Q&A and photo opportunity with your Arsenal legend of choice.

Included with every tour ticket is entry into Arsenal’s interactive museum situated right next door to the stadium. Chart the club’s evolution from humble origins in Woolwich in 1886 to its modern powerhouse status with a global following of over 100 million fans.

The museum features two impressive video theatres, showing highlights from the club’s origins to the present day as well as twenty major displays of Arsenal’s proud history. Feast your eyes on silverware from the club’s most successful eras, Michael Thomas’s boots from Anfield 1989 and Jens Lehmann’s goalkeeper gloves worn for every league match of the unbeaten Invincibles season in 2003/4.

For lifelong Gooners, it’s a trip down memory lane. For families and tourists, it’s an eye-opening lesson in why football matters so much to the UK and is the perfect outing to experience London at its most authentic.

This content is brought to you by Living360, a digital lifestyle destination keeping you up to date with health and fitness, food and drink, homes and gardens, beauty, travel, finance trends and more.

Exact time emergency alert drill will be sent to UK mobile phones

An emergency alert drill will send a test message to mobile phones across the UK next weekend.

It will mark the second test of the national emergency alert system, after the first in 2023.

This is what you need to know.

On Sunday, September 7 at around 3pm, mobile phones connected to 4G and 5G networks will vibrate and emit a siren sound for up to 10 seconds.

Mobile phone users will also receive a message making clear that the alert is a drill.

The government has used the system to issue real warnings five times, including in January during Storm Eowyn to warn people in Scotland and Northern Ireland about severe weather.

Approximately 3.5 million people across Wales and south-west England received an alert during Storm Darragh last December.

A 500kg unexploded Second World War bomb found in a Plymouth back garden triggered a warning to some 50,000 phones in February last year.

Messages can be targeted to relatively small areas to pinpoint those at risk.

Some 15,000 phones were alerted during flooding in Cumbria in May 2024, and 10,000 received a warning during flooding in Leicestershire in January this year.

The system is designed for use during the most likely emergencies to affect the UK and warnings would also be transmitted on television, radio and locally by knocking on doors.

Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “On Sunday, September 7, we will hold a UK-wide test of the Emergency Alerts system to ensure it works when we need it most.

“It is a vital tool for keeping the nation safe when lives are on the line – and every minute matters.

“During Storm Darragh and Storm Eowyn, as millions faced dangerous extreme weather, I saw first-hand how effective it was at getting life-saving advice to at-risk communities in an instant.

“We do not use the system often, but like the fire alarm in your home, it is always on standby should we need to act.”

Yes, you can opt out of emergency alerts by going into your phone settings.

For iPhone:

To turn off emergency alerts on an Android phone:

Transfers live: Liverpool chase Isak, Jackson refuses Chelsea return

The end of the transfer window is almost here with just a couple of days left for deals to be done – and the Alexander Isak saga still rumbling.

The wantaway Newcastle forward has spent much of the summer angling for a move to Liverpool to no avail, but could there be a late twist? Newcastle have secured one striker signing in Nick Woltemade and remain interested in Yoane Wissa, who has urged Brentford to “keep their word” and allow a move away before Monday’s deadline. A double deal that may yet mean they are able to be persuaded to part with Isak if Liverpool come in with a fresh bid that now seems likely. The Reds have also tabled a £35m bid for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi as their summer spending spree continues.

Elsewhere, Chelsea have called off Nicolas Jackson’s loan move to Bayern Munich after an injury to Liam Delap – but the striker is refusing to return to Chelsea and remains in Munich looking to push through a move to Germany.

A potentially pivotal summer at Arsenal may not be finished just yet – Piero Hincapie may bolster Mikel Arteta’s defensive resources before the window closes. Manchester United are likely to hold on to Kobbie Mainoo with the midfielder told to fight for his place.

Follow all the latest transfer news, gossip, rumours and done deals in The Independent’s live blog below: