Man arrested on suspicion of killing 13-year-old girl after 31 years

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 13-year-old girl, three decades after she vanished.

Lindsay Rimer was 13 years old when she went missing in Hebden Bridge in November 1994. She had left her home to buy a packet of cornflakes from the Spar supermarket in Crown Street.

She was initially believed to have run away, but five months later, in April 1995, her body was found by two canal workers at Rawden Mill Lock on the Rochdale Canal, about a mile from the centre of Hebden Bridge.

Detectives from West Yorkshire Police arrested a man on Monday morning at an undisclosed UK prison, where he is serving a sentence for other offences. The suspect will be interviewed over the course of Monday and Tuesday. He is expected to be bailed and returned to prison while enquiries continue, the force said.

Officers have also approached a number of specific potential witnesses in the Hebden Bridge and wider Halifax area, who were identified by the investigation.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle said: “We remain very firmly committed to doing everything we can to get justice for Lindsay, and to give her family the answers they still so desperately need after all these years.

“The arrest we have made today comes as a result of our continued focus on progressing the investigation. We are keeping Lindsay’s family updated and, while we appreciate the understandable public interest that today’s arrest will bring, we do not anticipate any immediate developments at this stage.

“Although it is now more than 30 years since Lindsay was murdered, we remain convinced there is someone out there who has vital information that could finally help to ease her family’s pain, and we urge them do the right thing and tell us what they know.”

Anyone with further information has been urged to contact police by calling 101 and quoting Operation Posemill, or sending a text or voicemail to 07707 147314.

No more tinkering, chancellor – it’s time to rip up the tax system

With a tax-raising Budget looming, every think tank and its aunts, uncles and cousins are busy sharing their fever dreams of what Rachel Reeves should and shouldn’t be doing. Chancellor, chancellor! Listen to me…

But if there’s one person she ought to be taking seriously, it’s Isaac Delestre, senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), who hit the nail when he said: “The last thing we need in November is directionless tinkering and half-baked fixes.” What Britain’s faltering economy needs instead is something… dramatic.

Fortunately, the IFS report not only contains good – and dramatic – ideas, but some of them might actually work.

As we know, Reeves is in a nasty bind, with a multibillion-pound fiscal black hole sucking the life out of Keir Starmer’s government. She has to plug it, because if she doesn’t, she risks plunging the nation into a financial crisis. You can’t buck the markets – just ask Liz Truss – and the markets have made it clear that Reeves must stick to her fiscal rules. They hold that the government should not borrow to fund day-to-day expenditure.

The black hole – now estimated to have hit £40bn – has been created because the chancellor isn’t bringing in enough from taxes. A sluggish economy only makes the hole bigger. Her job is likely to be further complicated if the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which marks chancellors’ homework, downgrades its economic forecasts following her second Budget.

The problem for Reeves is that she can’t turn to any of the easiest ways to raise revenue: hiking income tax, VAT or national insurance. Labour promised not to increase them in its manifesto.

There are also significant problems with targeting the next four biggest contributors: corporation tax, business rates, council tax and fuel duties, not least the promises Reeves made not to hit business again after she hiked employer national insurance contributions (Nics).

What about a “wealth tax”, a popular idea with the country at large? In a recent YouGov poll, 49 per cent said they would “strongly support” a wealth tax of 2 per cent on those with more than £10m in assets, with 26 per cent being “somewhat” supportive.

But the IFS cautions against – because it would incentivise wealthy people to leave, or not come in the first place, while discouraging saving. The hard fact is that Britain is heavily reliant on a small number of very wealthy taxpayers – people earning more than £200k, or who have more than £2m in assets. These people account for 25 per cent of the UK’s tax take. Squeeze them too hard and they’ll be buying plane tickets. A wealth tax would do that.

The IFS also worries about changes to the tax breaks for saving through a pension. I can understand this. The UK needs to encourage greater pension saving.

So what would the IFS do? It argues that tax rises should go hand in hand with tax reforms to address an (often) unfair system that hurts growth and is full of perverse incentives. An example of that would be the stamp duty on houses that Kemi Badenoch has promised to scrap. It disincentivises moving.

Reforms to property tax (and capital gains tax) would, says the IFS, be a good place to start.

Council tax, particularly in England, is highly regressive. Poorer people living in smaller houses pay disproportionately more than do those who live in large, comfortable homes. Absurdly, property valuations in England are based on a system dating back to 1991. The IFS argues for a new property tax which would be “proportional, and based on up-to-date property values” to replace both council tax and stamp duty.

Designing such a levy would be a big task. It should be a long-term goal. But Reeves could at least start on the iniquities of council tax by doubling what those in the top two bands pay. So, a mansion tax? Call it what you will. Such a move would net £4bn. Abolishing relief on inheritance tax for main homes could add a further £6bn. All of a sudden, we’re halfway there.

The IFS also thinks Reeves should look at reforming VAT. For a start, there is a sizeable “tax gap” because small businesses don’t pay as much as they should, thanks to cash-in-hand and the like. Yes, this would make some business owners cross – but cheating is costing too much.

Where the IFS gets more radical is with its argument to broaden the VAT base. The UK allows far more exemptions and zero-rated items than other countries. A 1 per cent levy on zero-rated items – which include some basic foodstuffs, prescription medicines, and children’s clothing and textbooks – would deliver £4.1bn, and go some way towards addressing the £80bn-plus that the zero-rated items are costing the exchequer.

I’m afraid this is where the IFS is entering the sort of fantasy land the Institute for Public Policy Research strayed into by arguing that Reeves should raise “sin taxes” – namely, duty on alcohol – a move that would see her dubbed a killjoy by punters and a wrecker by the beleaguered hospitality industry.

Putting a penny on zero-rated items would raise a substantial chunk of change. But it would mean taxing food at a time when inflation is running hot. Supermarket inflation is currently a significant concern, with the latest data showing food and drink prices increasing annually by around 5 per cent.

Scrapping zero rates on some items – say, magazines – would seem easier to swallow. As the IFS points out, why should music lovers pay VAT on a product that brings them joy when those who are fond of reading celebrity gossip sheets get a free ride? The only downside is that the move mightn’t raise that much.

Reeves will likely extend the freeze on income tax thresholds, dragging ever more people into higher bands as their pay goes up, which comes dangerously close to breaking that manifesto pledge to not increase taxes on “working people”. Nobody said this was going to be easy.

However, there is still much in the IFS paper that Reeves should consider. Its prescriptions might even create some winners (previous Reeves tax hikes have left only losers). Careful, strategic tax reform is also surely overdue.

Here’s the problem: the IFS’s employees tend to be strategic thinkers, with their eyes on long-term benefits. People like that are hard to find in the current government, which has lurched from crisis to crisis, responding to each with quick fixes that the think tank decries.

Some of the best IFS ideas – notably, property tax reform – would also require a degree of political courage. It is in part because they so clearly lack it that the political class sometimes appears to be allergic to any good ideas. I’d love to read a paper with some suggestions on how to fix that.

Disruption at Heathrow airport caused by 170mph tail strike

Thousands of passengers had their flying plans disrupted on Sunday afternoon when two of the UK’s busiest airports were hit by separate problems.

At Heathrow, Europe’s biggest airport, operations were disrupted due to a spectacular tail strike involving a freight plane. No one was hurt.

At 5.13pm a DHL Airbus A300 cargo aircraft was landing from Leipzig when the tail struck the northern runway. According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft was travelling at 170mph when the incident happened.

Jerry Dyer, who runs the YouTube channel Big Jet TV, was commentating at the time. He later said: “If you look, at around 40ft [above the ground], there’s a gust, which destabilises them, which leads to the left side touching first, then they correct it to the right side, then it really starts going wrong, almost into oscillation. The engines were retarded and spoilers were up.

“Looks like they tried to save the nose slamming into the runway, which resulted in the sharp nose-up pitch.

“Based on the high angle of pitch, seems they were looking to go around at touchdown but had to wait for the engines to spool full power.”

The pilots then took off again to perform a “go-around”, landing safely 20 minutes later on the southern runway.

A spokesperson for DHL UK told The Independent: “We are pleased to report that the crew are all safe. We will be investigating the circumstances around this incident in cooperation with the respective aviation authorities. Until that investigation is completed, we are unable to provide any further information.”

Heathrow’s northern runway was closed for an inspection after the incident. While the closure was for 10 minutes or less, a number of aircraft had to perform “go-arounds”, adding to pressure on air-traffic controllers.

More than 20 departing flights were delayed by an hour or more – including at least seven transatlantic departures.

At around the same time, Manchester airport was hit by fog, which led to many delays, diversions and cancellations.

An easyJet flight from Istanbul to Manchester spent half an hour circling south of the airport before attempting an approach and then diverting to East Midlands airport.

The passengers on the Airbus A320 operating flight 2152 spent over two hours on the ground at the airport before departing for Manchester. Once again, the plane had to fly a holding pattern before landing safely, three and a half hours late.

Due to the delays at Manchester, easyJet grounded a total of 16 arrivals and departures, affecting around 2,500 passengers. Links to and from Venice, Berlin and Dalaman in Turkey were among the cancellations.

A spokesperson for easyJet said: “Due to the impact of adverse weather conditions in Manchester yesterday resulting in air traffic control restrictions, some flights were unable to operate.

“While this was outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused and provided customers with options to rebook or receive a refund as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required.

“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority.”

Tommy Robinson ‘stopped at the border driving a Bentley to Benidorm with thousands in cash’

Far-right activist Tommy Robinson was stopped at the border in a silver Bentley SUV with thousands in cash, a trial has heard.

The 42-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was driving to the Spanish tourist hotspot of Benidorm when he was stopped by officers at the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone.

Police were suspicious of Robinson’s “vague replies” about what he was doing and demanded access to his iPhone under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

The act gives police the power to stop anyone passing through a UK port “to determine whether they may be involved or concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”.

Robinson told police he would not give up the PIN for his phone because he did not want them to see his “journalist material”.

The campaigner had more than £13,000 and €1,900 (£1,650) on him when he was stopped, his trial heard.

He denies failing to comply with the counterterrorism powers during the incident on 28 July last year.

Opening the case on Monday, prosecutor Jo Morris said officers “became concerned” about the far-right activist’s “demeanour” after he drove alone into the police inspection area.

“He gave short, vague replies and made no eye contact,” she continued.

Robinson, who was recognised by police, was led to an interview room and his phone was seized, the court heard.

Asked to hand over the phone’s PIN, Robinson replied: “Not a chance bruv… you look like c*** so you ain’t having it.”

“It’s my work, I’m a journalist,” he said, adding that the phone held information about “vulnerable girls”.

“The process by which journalistic material would be protected was explained to him,” Ms Morris said.

PC Mitchell Thorogood, of the Channel Tunnel policing team, told the court that Robinson arrived on the day to buy his tickets rather than booking in advance, which he said was “unusual”.

He was also travelling in a high-value car that was not registered under his name, the trial heard.

Under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, the person who is detained can be held for up to six hours, is legally obliged to answer questions, and must provide the password or PIN for electronic devices or be held to have committed a criminal offence if they refuse.

Alisdair Williamson KC, defending, suggested the stop may have been “discriminatory” against Robinson’s political beliefs.

Robinson sat in the dock wearing a waistcoat and tie, and paced up and down looking at his phone during a break in the trial.

If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to three months and/or receive a £2,500 fine.

Robinson denies the charge, and the trial continues.

Strictly’s Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell share health update after ‘cover-up’ claim

Strictly Come Dancing stars Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell have shared an update on their participation in the BBC competition, after Dennis was forced to step out of the show this weekend due to sickness.

Appearing in a pre-recorded message on the Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, the pair confirmed that they will return to the dancefloor next weekend.

“I just wanna say thank you very much for all your support and well wishes while I was away last week,” Dennis said. “We’re back in the training room, and if all goes well – which it will! – I’m gonna be back on the floor with the lovely Dianne this Saturday. Looking forward to it!”

“And what dance are we doing?” asked Buswell.

“We might just be doing the charleston!” Dennis replied. “I can finally use my basketball hand!”

Buswell added: “Thank you for all the support and love, and we’re very excited to be back in the training room.”

It was announced just 24 hours ahead of Saturday’s live show that Dennis was too ill to participate, which – per Strictly rules – meant he would automatically transfer to the following week’s show.

This, however, led to conspiracy theories online that Buswell was subsequently forced to deny. Claims circulated over the weekend that it was actually Buswell who was too ill to take part in the show. Buswell is the first Strictly professional to perform on the series while pregnant.

On her Instagram, Buswell wrote: “Just to clarify I’ve had lots of people messaging me thinking this is a cover up for me not being able to dance?! Firstly, we wouldn’t lie, especially about someone being sick. And secondly, I am fine. Yes I am pregnant, but I’m also very capable and feeling good!”

She continued: “Thirdly, there are things in place if any pros were to get sick or injured.”

Dennis, 66, best known for playing the villainous businessman Paul Robinson on the Australian soap Neighbours, is partnered with Buswell, who won last year’s competition with comedian Chris McCausland.

This weekend saw the exit of television presenter Ross King from the series, while viewers all seemed to be rendered confused by the decision to have guest judge Cynthia Erivo not score the week’s performances.

From galleries and museums, delve into enriching Norwegian experiences

Culture lovers will feel right at home in Norway. Whether you want to delve into its ancient Viking history, learn more about Norwegian traditions, or just explore the countless museums and galleries, there is something for all curious culture seekers. From the colourful fishing villages of Lofoten to the Indigenous Sámi traditions in the north, Norway’s got it all.

The best way to learn about the Norwegian way of life is to go on a Hurtigruten cruise alongside their local Expedition Team, who know Norway better than anyone. Between them, they have many years of knowledge and are on hand to help you delve deep into Norway’s compelling culture. They also provide unique experiences beyond typical tourist spots, with specialised team members hosting lectures and leading optional, guided hikes and activities.

Choose from an Original Voyage or a Signature Voyage, both offering the chance to wholly experience Norwegian history and culture. The former follows the original Coastal Express route founded by Hurtigruten over 130 years ago, traversing up to 34 diverse ports, with opportunities to hop off and explore charming towns, fascinating sites and local experiences, and enjoy delicious Norwegian dishes as you sail, with regional ingredients sourced along the way.

While on premium Signature Voyages, you can enjoy a journey around up to 14 handpicked destinations. Between lengthy on-shore visits, you can enjoy all-inclusive options at the onboard restaurants serving fine Norwegian cuisine amid exquisite surroundings. Every meal tells a story of Norway’s bountiful coastline, from fresh Arctic char and cod to cloudberries and reindeer meat.Read on to discover cultural must-sees and dos you can experience en route…

Start your cultural exploration in Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city and the starting point for the iconic Coastal Express route, founded in 1893 and one many describe as the world’s most beautiful voyage. This old city goes back to the year 1070 and is brimming with cultural hotspots, like the UNESCO-listed wharves of the colourful Bryggen district. If you have time before you depart, grab lunch from the famous fish market before swinging by the KODE art museum, where you can see works from iconic Norwegian artists like Edvard Munch. You could also hop on the Fløibanen funicular to Mount Fløyen for epic views of the city and surrounding fjords.

Further along the route, you’ll visit the Trøndelag region, Norway’s third-largest city, dotted with historic buildings like Nidaros Cathedral, nicknamed Norway’s Notre Dame. It’s considered the most sacred building in all of Norway and sits side by side with the Archbishop’s Palace, home to Norway’s crown jewels belonging to the monarchy, dating back more than a thousand years.

The Lofoten Islands are a highlight on the Coastal Express route. This stunning archipelago is known for its towering peaks, fishing villages, and thriving art scene. Visit local galleries scattered around the region, each housing a curated collection that tells a story inspired by the soaring Lofoten peaks and the Arctic waters. Magic Ice Lofoten in Svolvær celebrates ice art and coastal culture, while The Glass Hut Vikten is on the outskirts of the island Flakstadøya and is all about rustic works of art made from glass, inspired by the rugged nature of Norway. And if you want to explore the landscapes behind this, there are also plenty of hiking trails leading to breathtaking viewpoints or the chance to kayak among the waterways.

Some routes also stop at Mehamn, where you can go on an excursion among the Sámi, Europe’s northernmost indigenous people. Sámi history and culture are deeply connected to Arctic nature, which has played a pivotal role in their traditional nomadic way of life. They’re known for their reindeer herding, traditional crafts, and unbreakable bond with nature. You’ll get to spend some time alongside a Sámi family and learn about their traditions, reindeer culture, and traditional crafts, known as duodji.

You’ll also have ample time to explore Tromsø on Hurtigruten’s North Cape Line on one of their premium, all-inclusive Signature Voyages. It’s the gateway to the Arctic and home to the Polar Museum, where you can learn all about exploration in the region. The Northern Norway Art Museum here celebrates Norwegian and international art, including contemporary Northern and Sámi art and crafts. You’ll have plenty of time here, so enjoy a meal at Bardus in Tromsø for authentic Norwegian dishes, like reindeer steak with lingonberries, or try Fiskekompaniet for locally sourced fish and shellfish, all prepared in a traditional Norwegian way.

Whether feasting on fish in Tromsø or gallivanting around the museums of Lofoten, Hurtigruten Cruises provide the perfect way to get to know the history, heritage and culture of Norway alongside those who know it best.

Book your Norwegian adventure for less, with up to 30% off, plus 10% off excursions on selected Coastal Express and North Cape Line voyages. For offers, routes and excursion info, visit Hurtigruten.

Two inmates charged with murder after Ian Watkins dies in prison

Two men have been charged with murder after paedophile former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins died in prison.

Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, were charged with murder after Watkins, 48, was pronounced dead after being seriously assaulted at HMP Wakefield on Saturday morning.

The pair appeared at Leeds Magistrates Court on Monday morning, West Yorkshire Police said.

The men were brought out separately and each only spoke to confirm their names and dates of birth during the brief hearing. Both were remanded in custody until they are due to appear at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday.

Emergency services were called to the prison in West Yorkshire on Saturday morning after reports Watkins was attacked with a knife. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Watkins had been serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences.

Watkins pleaded guilty to 13 charges in 2013, including trying to rape a baby, sexually touching a one-year-old, encouraging a fan to abuse her child and making indecent images of children.

At the time of his sentencing, Judge John Royce described Watkins as a manipulative and dangerous sexual predator who had abused his fame to help satisfy his “insatiable lust”.

The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of Watkins’ killing, it was reported.

Watkins had previously been stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non-life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates for six hours.

He appeared back in court in 2019 for possessing a phone behind bars, and described his fellow inmates as “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst”.

The prison, which has been in use since 1594, is a high-security facility with an ultra-secure unit for the country’s most dangerous prisoners, and is known for holding some of the UK’s most notorious murderers and sexual offenders. Previous prisoners include Harold Shipman, Charles Bronson, and Ian Huntley – though the latter is now imprisoned in HMP Frankland, another high-security prison.

This year, an inspection of HMP Wakefield revealed a facility grappling with “ageing and deteriorating infrastructure” and a shifting prisoner demographic, which the report said “challenged its ability to deliver safe, decent and purposeful outcomes”.

The July report also found that “violence had increased markedly since our last inspection, with a 62 per cent rise in incidents and a 72 per cent increase in serious assaults”.

It added: “Many prisoners told us they felt unsafe, particularly older men convicted of sexual offences who increasingly shared the prison with a growing cohort of younger prisoners.”

In 2014, Watkins was told he could not appeal against the length of his 29-year jail term.

Watkins’ lawyers suggested he should have his jail term cut because his last-minute guilty plea spared a jury from having to watch his homemade abuse imagery.

However, the Court of Appeal turned down his application, with presiding judge Lord Justice Pitchford saying: “These were offences against infant children of such shocking depravity that a very lengthy sentence of imprisonment was demanded.

“It is not demonstrated the total sentence of 29 years together with the extended licence period was arguably manifestly excessive. Accordingly, the application in his case is refused.”

Among the disturbing videos due to be shown at his trial were his attempted rape of a baby and a webcam chat in which he instructed a fan to abuse her child.

Watkins was given 14- and 15-year consecutive prison terms for engaging in sexual activity with a child and the attempted rape of an 11-month-old baby.

He was also convicted of 11 other offences, with those sentences running alongside his 29-year term.

A victory lap for Trump – but the beginning of the end for Netanyahu

The hostages are free. That – not the bombastic and performative speech given to the Knesset by Donald Trump, or the self-congratulatory and ingratiating performance by the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu – was the most important event of a historic day.

Stating that fact is not to take anything away from President Trump’s personal diplomacy – which has been a critical factor in delivering the ceasefire, the release of the hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and other detainees, and the hopes for a wider peace – but it feels like a necessary corrective at a moment when, understandably, emotions are running high and the air is thick with hyperbole and sycophancy.

The US president was entitled to have what’s been widely described as his “victory lap”, but some sense of perspective is also required on what is, at best, the first day of the beginning of the end of a decades-long conflict.

Arguably, indeed, this war could easily have ended more than a year ago had Mr Netanyahu really wanted it to, and had Joe Biden coerced him into ending it. That it was President Trump, rather than President Biden, who bullied the Israeli government adds some irony to the warm atmosphere earlier today in the Knesset chamber. President Biden always said he “had Israel’s back”, and he meant it; President Trump’s support is more conditional on Israel doing as America demands.

It was not, in truth, much of a celebration for Mr Netanyahu, to whom no one should be grateful. It cannot have been his desire, and must surely have been far from his calculations, that he should end up with his supposed ally Mr Trump launching a plan that has as its aim an implicit two-state solution and an eventual independent state of Palestine.

For his own political purposes, and to avoid returning to an Israeli courtroom on corruption charges, it would have suited Mr Netanyahu well to continue indefinitely the war against Hamas – though in reality, it involved bombing and starving Palestinian civilians. That is why his name was jeered in Hostages Square when Steve Witkoff, the US president’s envoy, attempted to give him some credit for the end to hostilities.

To a considerable extent, the Trump peace plan now being imposed on Israel is the result of Mr Netanyahu’s own disastrous actions. Israel became so diplomatically isolated, and its conduct of the war so intolerable to the Gulf states, that the US president had no alternative but to tell the Israeli leader to stop. Mr Trump coated that truth with some humour, but the message he delivered to the MPs and ministers assembled at the Knesset was clear: America is in charge, and Israel’s interests now come second to those of America’s wider regional strategy, even if on this occasion the two happily coincide.

Israel, because of its alienation from previously friendly Western powers, is more than ever a protectorate of the United States – a status that guarantees its existence, but not its endless expansion or a permanent state of war.

It was one of President Trump’s predecessors, George HW Bush, who famously found “the vision thing” irksome – and setting aside his own vainglorious tendencies, Mr Trump is also not a natural at delivering shining rhetoric about lofty purpose either. But, at least in the more scripted passages of his address, the current US president did project the image of a bright, tranquil and prosperous future for the entire region, underpinned by the regional superpowers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and indeed Israel, although under US tutelage.

As with his building projects, so with his peace plans – Donald Trump prefers them “the bigger, the better”. As he is at pains to stress, this is more than the typical hostages-for-prisoners deal attached to a brief ceasefire. It isn’t just about this war being over, as he declared on Air Force One as it crossed the Atlantic. The Trump peace plan is designed to see Israel recognised by all of its neighbours through an expanded series of Abraham Accords, an implicit two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine question, and the rebuilding of Gaza.

Of course, all of this is to assume that the Trump plan succeeds where so many others have foundered. That is hardly a given. Time and again we have seen painstakingly constructed efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East evaporate after a promising start. This, too, may prove to have been another false dawn, as so much has yet to be agreed, with the disarmament of Hamas one of the key issues still to be resolved. President Trump even posits the possibility of Iran joining the process, convinced that, despite its nuclear facility having been bombed and the icy hostility of the Islamic state towards the “Great Satan”, “they wanna deal” – and he’s the man to strike it.

For now, what President Trump has achieved – albeit with some luck, and a certain war-weariness among the combatants – is reason enough for him to enjoy thanks and praise. But it would be a surprise if there were no disappointments, setbacks or violence in the months and years ahead. An impatient man, Mr Trump will have to accept that his peacemaking work will not be done for some time to come. Maybe then, the superlatives will sound a little more convincing.