Moscow tests nuclear missiles after plans for Trump-Putin summit collapse

Russia tested its nuclear capabilities on land, sea and air on Wednesday – just a day after Trump said he did not want to have a “wasted” meeting with Vladimir Putin.

The test included the launch of a land-based “Yars” intercontinental ballistic missile and the launch of nuclear-capable cruise missiles from strategic bombers. Moscow holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal during a period of soaring tensions with Nato and western Europe.

On Tuesday night, Trump said: “I don’t want to have a wasted meeting. I don’t want to have a waste of time — so we’ll see what happens.”

His comments followed a phone call between Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which Lavrov stated that Moscow’s negotiating position remained unchanged since the Alaska summit that failed to yield progress.

“No one wants to waste time, neither President Trump nor President Putin,” the Kremlin said on Wednesday. “Preparation is necessary. It takes time.”

Trump has said preparatory talks between senior US and Russian officials showed that the gap between the two countries was too large to begin negotiations over ending the conflict.

Rayner says resignation was ‘incredibly tough’ on her family as she breaks silence

Angela Rayner said the situation surrounding her resignation has been “incredibly tough” on her family, as she told MPs she will pay any taxes she owes in her first statement since stepping down as deputy prime minister last month.

In an emotional resignation statement, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne spoke about the toll that the “intense scrutiny we face places on our loved ones”.

Ms Rayner, who said her error was an “honestly made mistake”, promised to co-operate with HMRC and said she hoped her situation would make families with disabled children aware of complex tax positions.

Ms Rayner resigned in September after the prime minister’s ethics adviser found she had breached the ministerial code over whether she had paid enough stamp duty when buying a home in Brighton.

The former deputy prime minister had referred herself to the standards watchdog for investigation after she admitted she had paid as much as £40,000 less surcharge than she should have done on the purchase in May.

Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister’s ethics adviser, had found she had “acted with integrity” over the issue.

Ms Rayner, whose hands were shaking as she read her statement, said: “The last few weeks have been incredibly tough on my family, with my personal life so much in the public eye. All of us in public life know all too well the toll of the intense scrutiny we face places on our loved ones.

“But I’ve always believed in the highest standards of transparency and accountability, and it is what the public expects and it is the price we pay for the privilege of service.

“That’s why I referred myself to the independent adviser and gave them access to all of the information he needed. As I set out then, parents of a disabled child with a trust who divorce and seek different properties face a complex tax position.

“If there is one good thing that can come out of this, I hope that other families in this situation may be aware of that, and avoid getting into the position that I am now in.

“I am of course corresponding with the HMRC and they have my full co-operation.

“There is no excuse not to pay taxes owed, and I will do so. This was an honestly made mistake, but when you make a mistake, you take responsibility.”

Her voice cracked as she spoke about the Grenfell Tower fire survivors, as she made reference to the public inquiry.

Ms Rayner was sat next to Jim McMahon, a constituency neighbour who was sacked in the reshuffle that followed her resignation.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves listened from the government frontbench. Her successors David Lammy, and Steve Reed, who took over as housing secretary were also present.

Bridget Phillipson, who is vying with Lucy Powell to win Labour’s deputy leadership election to replace Ms Rayner, was also in attendance.

There has already been calls for Ms Rayner to return to government since her departure. At Labour’s party conference in Liverpool, health secretary Wes Streeting told members: “We need her back.”

On Wednesday, Ms Rayner recalled her maiden speech in 2015 when was elected as MP for Ashton-under-Lyne. She said “working-class communities” like hers were central to decisions she made when she was in government – including its flagship Employment Rights Bill.

Ms Rayner said: “I promised then to bring determination, commitment and my socialist values to this House while representing them, and I intend to continue to do so.”

She said she had confounded expectations from people after being pregnant with her son aged 16.

She said: “I know the power of politics to change lives because it changed my own. The last Labour government gave me the foundation to build a better life for me and my young son.”

She added: “I was pregnant with my child, needing a job and a home.

“People wrote me off, assumed that I would be on benefits the whole of my life. But I wanted to prove them wrong.

“I’ve carried that with me, whether it’s on these benches, at the despatch box or representing this country abroad, the support and advice of so many friends and colleagues has kept me going.”

Boy who killed Harvey Willgoose during school lunch break named in court

A 15-year-old boy who murdered teenager Harvey Willgoose at a school in Sheffield has been named for the first time.

A judge lifted a ban on naming Mohammed Umar Khan ahead of his sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday.

Khan, 15, has been detained at Sheffield Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 16 years for the murder of teenager Harvey Willgoose at their school.

During his sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, the defendant was told by judge Mrs Justice Ellenbogen: “You were the aggressor and… you acted in hurt and anger at what you considered to be his betrayal of your friendship.”

Khan took a hunting knife to school and stabbed Harvey, 15, in the heart in front of horrified children.

The boy was found guilty of murder in August.

The judge on Wednesday described the murder as “a serious crime carried out by one pupil against another on school property”.

She also said that the “public will wish to know the identity of those who commit such serious offences”, and said that Khan’s age was not a sufficient reason for him to remain anonymous.

The jury in Khan’s trial was shown CCTV footage of the incident, which showed how he stabbed Harvey twice.

One of those blows cut through one of his ribs and pierced his heart.

Jurors heard how Khan told All Saints’s headteacher Sean Pender immediately after the stabbing: “I’m not right in the head. My mum doesn’t look after me right.”

The school’s assistant head, Morgan Davis, took the knife off the defendant and heard him say “you know I can’t control it”, which the teacher took to be a reference to his anger issues, given previous incidents of violent behaviour at school.

The jury was told how Harvey and Khan fell out following an incident in the school five days before the fatal stabbing, on 29 January.

On that day, Khan tried to intervene in an altercation involving two other boys and had to be restrained by a teacher.

When he claimed one of these boys had a knife, a lockdown was declared and police were called, although no weapon was found.

Harvey was not at school that day and stayed off for the rest of the week, texting his father: “Am not going in that school while people have knives.”

Over the weekend before the stabbing, Harvey and Khan fell out on social media, with each siding with a different boy involved in the lockdown incident.

When Khan returned to school on 3 February, he was asked by Mr Davis whether he had anything he should not and said he did not.

The jury heard about a series of encounters between Harvey and Khan that morning before the defendant pulled out the knife and used it just after the start of the lunch break, which began at 12.10pm.

The court was shown images and video found on the defendant’s phone, which captured him posing with knives and other weapons, and was told how he had used search terms relating to weapons on the internet.

Khan told the court that he decided to carry a knife for protection as he feared other teenagers who he believed were carrying weapons.

His barrister, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, told the jury that the defendant “snapped” after years of bullying and “an intense period of fear at school”.

Since Harvey’s death, his family have campaigned against knife crime, with a particular focus on getting knife arches into schools.

Harvey’s parents, Mark and Caroline, watched from the back row of the public gallery as the sentencing got underway on Wednesday.

Also present were other family members, including Harvey’s sister Sophie.

Khan’s family sat in the front row of the gallery, which looks down on the courtroom at Sheffield Crown Court.

Khan wore a waterproof black hoodie in the glass-fronted dock, and he was flanked by three security guards and an intermediary.

Russian troops stranded and starving in ‘death zone’ on Dnipro River

Hundreds of starving and marooned Russian troops are being killed by Ukrainian drones in the “death zone” of the Dnipro delta, according to a report.

The river, surrounded by low-lying marshy islands, is split between Russian control on the left bank and Ukrainian control on the right.

At least 5,100 Russians have died in the area since January this year, some from starvation, according to Ukrainian intelligence.

Footage shared by the 40th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Marine Corps shows several makeshift Russian boats approaching the coastal swamp, only to be blown apart by Ukrainian suicide drones.

“The area is a death zone for Russia,” Colonel Oleksandr Zavtonov of Ukraine’s 30th Marine Corps told The Telegraph. “There is nowhere to hide.”

He added: “The prisoners that our fighters recently took on the islands talked about the inability to deliver food and drinking water to them, and they have to drink water from the river.”

One of the deadliest and most perilous fronts, the area can be valuable for observation and the establishment of radio networks for unmanned aerial operations. Controlling the area can enable soldiers to affect resupply and the movements of small boats.

However, it leaves soldiers completely exposed.

“It is a large water area; there is nowhere to hide on the islands themselves, and the terrain is mostly swampy, and units passing through them will be too vulnerable,” he explained.

Desperate troops appear to be attempting to camouflage themselves using reeds and mud as they attempt to make their way back to areas of Russian control across the water.

“Enemy advances are carried out by small groups that try to camouflage themselves – a tactic not seen at the beginning of the war,” Oksana Kuzan, head of the analytical department at the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, told the publication.

“Russian military units remaining on the islands in the Dnipro delta are facing serious problems with food, ammunition, and rotations.”

Last month, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered his highest conscription of troops in nine years, mandating 135,000 people to be recruited into the military by 31 December 2025.

Ukrainian intelligence estimated that 180,000 of Russia’s military personnel could consist of former prisoners, who were made eligible for conscription by Putin in 2022.

The Economist’s meta-estimate of Russian casualties since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 until January 2025 was between 137,000 to 228,000 soldiers dead. By 13 October this year, it estimates this number has risen by 60 per cent to 190,000 to 480,000 dead, with between 984,000 and 1,438,000 casualties recorded.

‘I was a bad parent’: Baby P’s mother says nothing ‘justifies or excuses’ her abusive behaviour

Baby P’s mother has told a parole hearing she was a “bad mother” to her children, and that they “deserved a whole lot better than me”.

Tracey Connelly, now in her 40s, was jailed in 2009 for causing or allowing the death of her 17-month-old son Peter at their home in Tottenham, north London, on 3 August 2007.

Giving her first public statements since her conviction, she repeatedly told the panel that she was “selfish” and that she had ignored the warning signs about her former boyfriend Steven Barker as she wanted her “prince charming”.

Barker, and his brother, Jason Owen, were also convicted of the same crime and imprisoned for mistreatment and death of Peter.

Connelly said “deep down” she knew Barker was abusing her son, but was “so busy trying to prove all the professionals wrong that I ignored my gut”.

The case received widespread attention and prompted an overhaul of social services, with three inquiries and a nationwide review assessing how authorities handle safeguarding of vulnerable children.

Known publicly as Baby P, Peter had suffered more than 50 injuries, including a broken back and ribs, despite receiving 60 visits from social workers, police officers and health professionals over eight months.

Asked about approach to parenting, she said: “I was going through a very emotional time, it’s no excuse, I wasn’t taking my anti depressants, I wasn’t well. It doesn’t justify or excuse any of my behaviour, I wasn’t emotionally available to be the mum that my children deserved.”

She openly admitted to slapping her children, and said: “I used to do it if they misbehaved. The reality is that it was more when I wasn’t coping. There’s no point trying to say they were naughty so I slapped them, it was easier for me to slap them rather than deal with it and try to explain like a proper mother would have done.”

Connelly told the hearing that her childhood had been “torture”, and said of her own parenting: “I failed to protect them, I put my needs first. I took all my anger at the world on my older children, I didn’t give them what they needed and they deserved a whole lot better than me.

“Unfortunately as to having me as a mother, they have endured similar tortures that I went through. While I’d have loved to be a mother that broke the cycle, I was a mother that perpetuated the cycle.”

She added: “They were stuck in a worse situation that allowed my son to die.”

She is facing her first open parole hearing, after being recalled to prison for developing an intimate relationship with a man and failing to disclose it to those supervising her.

Connelly was first released in 2013 having served the minimum term of five years of an indefinite sentence for public protection (IPP), after admitting the offence of causing or allowing the death of her son.

She was recalled in 2015 after developing “intimate personal relationships via the internet” and inciting another resident at her accommodation to “engage in inappropriate behaviour”.

Now aged in her 40s, she left prison in July 2022 after the Parole Board ruled she was suitable for release in March that year – having rejected three previous bids in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

This was despite the panel highlighting concerns over Connelly’s ability to manipulate and deceive, and hearing evidence of how she had become embroiled in prison romances and traded secret love letters with an inmate.

She was recalled again in August 2024 after failing to disclose another intimate relationship with a man she had met online, and deleting material on her phone to avoid being detected.

Parole hearings are usually held in private, but a judge approved applications for Connelly’s review to be heard in public, concluding it was a “landmark case” as “one of the most high-profile and devastating child protection failures in UK history”.

Asked about this 2024 relationship, she accepted she had lied about visiting a hotel with the man and inviting him to her home address.

She tearfully said: “I lied again, not good enough excuses. There was a whole list of fear of judgement, being recalled, the rejection if I told him who I was. Anyone with a right mind would run a mile.”

She added: “I was like ‘what if I tell him who I am, how can a normal person ever look at me again after being told that?’. I have to live with it and I hate my past, how can I ask someone else to be okay with that?.”

Her prison offender manager (POM) said that she recommended re-release in line with a management plan, stating that she was “more likely” to disclose future relationships as a result of the therapy programmes undertaken in custody.

Asked of the likelihood of her entering another “unhealthy relationship”, she responded: “That’s a difficult one. Based on discussions I’ve had with Tracey, I think she’s got an awareness of an unhealthy relationship and the warning signs of what that could be.”

When asked by psychologist panel member Fiona Ainsworth if Connelly had made any progress to “understanding why she’s getting in the same patterns of behaviour,” her POM said that the relationship had “made her feel good about herself”.

She had also voiced concerns that if she were to disclose her relationship, parole officers may insist that her convictions be disclosed to her new partner, which could leads to fear of “rejection”.

Asked if she perceives herself as being a risk to children, Connelly said: “Children in my care? Yes.

“Given how bad I was at it, I have to always accept that there is always a risk if I am left looking after children, which I can’t see ever being the case. Am I a risk to children walking down the street? No.”

The panel also heard that she had been subjected to abuse and threats in jail, but had not retaliated during her last year in prison.

Statements from members of Peter’s family were not read aloud but the panel chair Sally Allbeury said: “We found these statements extremely moving. There can be no doubt Peter’s death has caused life-long harm to those who loved him and as such are also victims of Ms Connelly’s offending.”

The public parole hearing will continue on Thursday.

Epic adventures: Trips that follow history’s most intrepid explorers

They say travel broadens the mind – and throughout history that has been the case for some of the world’s pre-eminent scientists, geographers and explorers, whose globetrotting adventures have led to medical breakthroughs, new scientific theories, spectacular art and, above all, a greater understanding of the world we live in.

In celebration of that adventurous spirit, specialist tour operator Travelsphere – who for over 60 years has created extraordinary itineraries to incredible destinations around the world – has partnered with the Royal Geographical Society to encourage people to follow in the footsteps of these pioneering explorers.

With a shared commitment to purposeful and inspiring travel, the Royal Geographical Society have selected a collection of Travelsphere itineraries that have significance to the society and its near 200-year history. Each one explores areas, regions or countries represented within their archives, immersing travellers in a country’s cultural heritage and enabling their own unforgettable journey – while working with, and in support of, the communities and environments visited.

Travelsphere’s escorted tours have everything you need for an enriching adventure. Besides return flights, overseas transfers, handpicked accommodation and many meals, there’s also a range of authentic experiences and excursions included and an expert Holiday Director on hand to guide you through your trip. You’ll get insights into local cultures and see sites you won’t find in a guidebook – with plenty of free time to explore on your own, too. On each tour you’ll share the experience with a group of like-minded travellers.

From the wonders of South America to the historical romance of the Silk Road, iconic India to incredible Indonesia, here’s five examples of the epic adventures awaiting you….

The Silk Road – a network of ancient trade routes connecting East Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe – is primed for monumental voyages. In the mid 19th century, explorers Thomas and Lucy Atkinson travelled 40,000 miles, mostly on horseback, through the region. Ella Christie, a pioneering Scottish explorer and one of the first female fellows of the Royal Geographical Society, journeyed by train and carriage along the Silk Road, publishing a book, Through Khiva to Golden Samarkand, about her travels. Keeping the spirit of these intrepid voyagers alive, Travelsphere’s Silk Road Adventure: The Five Stans spends 21 days visiting fascinating and off-the beaten track destinations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Weaving through ancient Silk Road cities, breathtaking mountain landscapes and remote desert wonders, highlights include visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites in Samarkand and Bukhara, eagle hunting demonstrations in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and the magnificent Charyn Canyon. You’ll also dine with Dungan families, learn how to make regional dishes and visit a traditional tea house on a trip that’s as immersive as it is exciting.

Indonesia offers an irresistible blend of fascinating cultural heritage, dramatic natural wonders and idyllic islands. Naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, co-discoverer of the theory of natural selection, collected 126,500 natural history specimens from the islands of Indonesia, East Malaysia, New Guinea and Brunei – a sign of just how much there is to discover in this corner of the world. Travelsphere’s 16-day Spirit of Indonesia adventure engulfs you in the history and landscapes of the country. You’ll follow in the footsteps of prolific globetrotter, photographer and Royal Geographical Society fellow Edith Beatrice Gibbes, who spent several months on the island of Java. Like her, you’ll want your camera ready at sites like Borobudur – the largest Buddhist temple in the world, and the volcanic crater of Mount Bromo, where you’ll witness the sunrise slowly illuminating the landscape. You’ll also explore the bustling cities of Jakarta and Bandung, delve into the fascinating cultural heritage of Yogyakarta, learn traditional batik methods, search for Komodo dragons in Komodo National Park and relax on the island paradise of Bali.

Peru has long attracted explorers intrigued by its history, architecture and landscapes. Modern day voyagers follow the likes of Victor Coverley-Price, an artist who joined a Royal Geographical Society expedition in 1932, documenting Peruvian landscapes in a series of watercolour paintings. Or Clements Markham who, on a trip to Cuzco in the mid 19th century, discovered the benefits of the cinchona plant to treat malaria – and co-led a later mission to transplant and cultivate it in India. On Travelsphere’s Wonders of Peru tour, expert guides will help you uncover the history of capital city Lima and Cuzco, with its captivating fusion of Inca heritage and Spanish colonial architecture. Other highlights include a stay deep in the Amazon rainforest, with a twilight walk through the jungle and wildlife spotting at Lake Sandoval. You’ll also experience the natural wonders of Lake Titicaca and the Uros and Tequile islands. And no trip to Peru is complete without a visit to the “lost city” of Machu Picchu. Rediscovered in the early 20th century, the 15th century Inca settlement high up in the Andes is every bit as magical as you’d imagine.

In 1893, Fanny Bullock Workman – explorer, travel writer, mountaineer and campaigner for women’s rights – embarked on a two year, 14,000 mile cycling tour of India, Burma, Java and Ceylon with her husband. The couple later published an account of their adventure, ‘Through Town and Jungle’, detailing the architectural marvels they discovered during their trip. At 15 days, the Wonders of India and the Tiger Trail tour is a more manageable itinerary – but still packed with plenty to explore. A journey of contrasts, you’ll enjoy the vibrant streets of Mumbai, get up close with incredible wildlife in the Indian wilderness and discover historic temples, including the Ram Raja in Orchha and the impressive western temple complex at Khajuraho. The trip takes in three national parks, including Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, where you’ll observe tigers in their natural habitat. You’ll hear from a naturalist about how India’s national parks inspired Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book and visit a local village to hear about conservation efforts. This unforgettable Indian adventure is rounded off with a sunrise visit to the iconic Taj Mahal to witness one of the world’s most magnificent sites at its most glorious.

If you share the adventurous spirit that led countless explorers, artists and scientists to embark on epic expeditions through South America, then Travelsphere’s Latin Wonders of the World is for you. A packed 18-day itinerary takes you across four countries and countless iconic sites. In Peru you’ll tour the ‘City of Kings’ Lima, as well as the one time capital of the Inca Empire, Cuzco – plus visit the breathtaking “lost city” of Machu Picchu. Take in the snow-capped Andes before heading into Bolivia, where you’ll rub shoulders with locals at bustling markets in La Paz and visit the spectacular Moon Valley, a lunar landscape of canyons and spires. From there, it’s onto Argentina’s irresistible capital, Buenos Aires where you might choose to visit a gauche ranch or take in a tango show, before heading to the awe-inspiring Iguaçu Falls, one of the world’s largest natural wonders, which you’ll witness from both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides. Last but not least, you’ll head to Rio de Janeiro, a city bursting with energy and excitement, for a stay right on the famous Copacabana Beach.

For more information or to book visit travelsphere.co.uk

Sarkozy under police protection in prison after inmate threatens to kill him on first night

Two police officers have moved into the prison cell next door to former French president Nicolas Sarkozy following threats to kill him, it has emerged.

The dramatic development followed the 70-year-old spending a “frightening” first night in La Sante, the high-security jail in Paris.

He was incarcerated on Tuesday, following a five-year sentence for conspiring to accept laundered cash from the late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.

Within hours, a video appeared online in which a fellow inmate shouts: “We’re going to avenge Gaddafi, we know everything, Sarko … we know everything. Give back the billions of dollars.”

On Wednesday, a source at the interior ministry confirmed that two officers from the VIP Protection Service, the SDLP, were occupying the “cell next door to the former president’s for 24 hours a day”.

This led to Eric Ciotti, president of Sarkozy’s conservative party, The Republicans, expressing his concerns about death threats.

Mr Ciotti said: “It is completely legitimate that the security of a former president of the republic be ensured everywhere, at all times, in all locations.

“Especially since the threats against him will be much greater in the circles he finds himself in.

“I saw images of him being threatened with death upon his arrival. His security must be guaranteed.

“This incarceration is a terrible ordeal for his family. I think of the ordeal they are going through.”

Carla Bruni, Sarkozy’s third wife, has already spoken to him in prison, via a cell landline, lawyers for Sarkozy confirmed, saying his first night was “frightening”.

One of them, Jean-Michel Darrois, explained: “I saw him in the visiting room, we stayed together for a long time.

“He is the man everyone knows – strong, dynamic, a fighter. He has brought two books to read: The Count of Monte Cristo [the novel by Alexandre Dumas] about revenge, and The Life of Jesus Christ, about the resurrection.”

The video posted online refers to Sarkozy, and also to Ziad Takieddine, a former Lebanese arms dealer who died in mysterious circumstances earlier this year while on the run after accusations that he was the middleman between Gaddafi and Sarkozy.

An unidentified inmate in La Sante shouts: “Sarko, he’s right there, in an isolated area.

“He’s all alone in his cell. He just arrived, Tuesday, October 20, 2025 – he’s going to have a bad time.

“Right next to it, there’s solitary confinement below – it’s solitary confinement, he’s just above.

“And we know everything – we’re going to avenge Gaddafi. We know everything, Sarko, Ziad Takieddine, we know everything. Give back the billions of dollars.”

It was in 2011 that RAF and French air force jets led the mass bombing campaign that ended with Gaddafi being beaten to death by a mob.

David Cameron was the British prime minister at the time, and visited Libya with Sarkozy.

There have been claims that Sarkozy wanted his old friend and ally dead because of his potential to produce incriminating evidence.

Sarkozy kissed Bruni, a former supermodel, goodbye outside their £5m Paris townhouse on Tuesday morning before he was driven to La Sante.

He was checked into the notorious jail at 9.40am, as other inmates mocked him by chanting “Welcome, Sarko!” and “Sarkozy’s here!”

Sarkozy was found guilty of accepting millions in illegal cash from Gaddafi, so as to win office for five years, between 2007 and 2012.

He is currently serving a five-year term, but has also been convicted for two earlier offences, while facing further criminal enquiries.

Those who have spent time at La Sante – which means health – include notorious terrorists and armed robbers such as Carlos the Jackal (Ilich Ramírez Sanchez) and the armed robber Jacques Mesrine.

Sarkozy is now the first French head of state to go to a prison cell since Marshal Philippe Pétain, the wartime Nazi collaborator.

He will spend most of his time alone in a 29-foot-square cell equipped with a shower, bed, small desk, a landline phone and TV, which will cost him the equivalent of £13 a month to watch.

He will be allowed one solitary walk a day alone, in a small yard, but will not have a mobile phone.

Sarkozy used to be the interior minister in France, when his tough policies gained him the nickname “Le Top Cop”.

He once claimed that young offender “scum” on housing estates should be “blown away with a power hose”.

Such a background makes him an extremely vulnerable prisoner.

Christophe Ingrain, another Sarkozy lawyer, said he was appealing against having to go to prison, but it will be at least a month before the appeal is heard.

Mr Ingrain said: “He is taking it upon himself to ensure that no one can feel the indignation and anger he feels at suffering this injustice. Humanly, this is an extremely difficult ordeal.”

Sarkozy has also been found guilty of trying to bribe a judge and illicit campaign funding, following separate trials.

Carla Bruni is herself accused of being part of a £4m campaign dubbed “Operation Save Sarko” – a complex and illegal plan to try to keep her husband out of jail.

She has been charged with a range of corruption offences, including “witness tampering in an organised gang”, and could be imprisoned for up to 10 years if found guilty in a separate trial.

Like her husband, Ms Bruni denies any wrongdoing.

Teacher banned for ‘inappropriate’ comments in honour killings lesson

A teacher has been banned from the classroom indefinitely after inappropriate comments made during a lesson about honour killings left pupils “distraught”.

Alex Lloyd, formerly head of sixth form and a science teacher at the Bishop of Winchester Academy, was accused of telling a pupil to “imagine this was your mum being killed”, while telling another that honour killings were a serious matter affecting their culture specifically.

A misconduct hearing panel determined that the teacher’s comments were “inappropriate and unprofessional given the context of the lesson”, according to a Teaching Regulation Agency report. The panel noted his comments were “targeted and reinforced discriminatory stereotypes, which did not form part of the learning material, copies of which the panel considered as evidence”.

As well as his comment asking a pupil to imagine their mother being killed, he was accused of telling another student that female genital mutilation happened exclusively in their culture, and another that, if she were living in Iran, she would have been killed for what she was wearing.

Four statements from pupils reported Mr Lloyd sarcastically referring to a redacted faith as a “religion of peace” with a thumbs up. He then told another pupil “so you’re all not so bad after all”, after they said “we don’t believe in killing anyone in the religion”. He then told that student he was not sorry if he had offended them, as he went on to tell the class he would happily commit murder if anyone had hurt his daughter.

A witness told the panel that Mr Lloyd’s comments significantly impacted the pupils. She said she had “never experienced anything like it before” and was taken aback as the pupils were “distraught” and felt let down by Mr Lloyd.

Mr Lloyd admitted the allegations in a statement of agreed facts in June 2024. His admitted conduct amounted to “unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute”, according to the panel.

The panel went on to argue that the teacher’s actions constituted conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, warning that the general public would view comments made by Mr Lloyd as “inappropriate and unprofessional given the context of the learning material, the religious backgrounds of the pupils and the negative impact this had on the pupils thereafter”.

His conduct demonstrated a lack of tolerance and respect for the rights and beliefs of others, contrary to fundamental British values, the report alleged.

As a result of the ban, Mr Lloyd will be unable to teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

He will be unable to apply for the prohibition order to be set aside until October 2029 at the earliest; if he did apply, a panel would have to meet to consider whether the prohibition order should be set aside.