How rival protesters were kept apart by £4.5m police operation

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2 hours ago

May 17, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Serious clashes between Unite the Kingdom and pro-Palestinian protesters were avoided on Saturday.

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Hampshire v Notts, Yorkshire v Surrey and more: county cricket day three – live | County Championship

Published

56 minutes ago

May 17, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

An early wicket at Headingley as Jhye Richardson gets one to snort off the pitch and surprise Rory Burns, who can fend only to gully. Burns strides down the pitch and pokes pointedly at the offending area before stalking away. Yorkshire 41 for one.

Good morning Des Platt!

“I was up at 4:45 this morning hoping to see the young blue tits leave the nest as the first one was at the hole for the last couple of hours yesterday without leaving. Two textbooks I have on the subject say that they often leave at dawn. I’ve had blue tits or great tits nesting 15 years in the last 16 and have found they very rarely do as the book says. Mind you, I don’t blame them not leaving because it is damn cold here and I’ve actually put the heating on for an hour which is most unusual for me in May.

“I was hoping they would all have gone before my team Rainford, play at my local club Rainhill in a cup game later. I support Rainford because of the amateur philosophy ; Rainhill pay out a lot on pros. Rainford are just a bunch of mates who have done very well these last four years competing against semi professional teams but it is getting harder each year.”

How lovely! Crossing everything they venture out before your cricket game. I once delayed my kids going to school to see some butterflies hatch from one of those kits you can buy. It was amazing but they took their time and we were very late. I got a wrist slap.

Ready to fly: baby blue tit Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/REX/Shutterstock

Ali Martin

OK, scratch Beau Webster from the below, he’s just been wiped out by Tom Norton, a full delivery, and an edge snaffled up by Colin Inrgam low at first slip. Warks 141-7

Not much to report yet here at Headingley. St Michael’s church looks lush and lovely with greenery and that many-capped slip cordon awaits.

Paul Edwards phones in from Southport, where he’s enjoying bobbing home to get his seeds and cereal for breakfast before play. The sun is out, but there’s a chill, and not too many spectators through the gate yet. And the first ball of the day is a no ball.

Ali Martin

Glamorgan haven’t just been promoted to make up the numbers, they’re in Division One to compete. And with two wins on the board already, they could put themselves in pole position for a third if they get the better of today’s play at Edgbaston. Warwickshire are 123 for six and need two all-rounders, Beau Webster and Jordan Thompson, to take a huge chunk out of what is a 237 run deficit.

In other news, am enjoying one of the rare good days as a folically-challenged man following an outbreak of head lice back at base. Blimmin’ school kids.

Weather watch

Sunshine and showers, say the Met office, heaviest and most frequently in the west. Sorry, Southport.

“It could have bee very different”

A very happy Ben Aitchison, having a match to remember: “It was great fun. I’ve just said to Wayne, we were having a laugh out there and really enjoying ourselves. That’s what makes it so much easier when you’ve got someone at the other end who it is a joy batting with. There were balls out there that were doing all sorts and we couldn’t get near to them, so you just had to laugh it off and then go again.

“I nearly didn’t go out as second nightwatchman last night because I got told at the last second to get my pads on and I was almost not ready. So it could have all been very different. I definitely didn’t think that (a hundred) was going to happen this morning, but obviously very happy.

“I was on 64 and I was starting to think about it then as I’d had a little bet with the gaffer as well that I probably can’t tell you about here. It was when I got to 97 where the field was still up and I knew I was one four away and that’s when I thought I can actually do this.”

Apologies for plugging my own writing, but this is such a wonderful cricket set-up.

Saturday’s round-up

A rainy Saturday inspired county nightwatchmen. At Lord’s, Derbyshire’s Ben Aitchison followed up his five wickets with a maiden first-class hundred, stacked with charming drives. As he crossed the line, he got a huge hug from Wayne Madsen and smiled the widest of smiles. Madsen followed up with his first hundred at Lord’s on a tiring day for Middlesex’s bowlers.

Also on overnight duties was Jamie Porter, whose first first-class 50 was the Sellotape Essex needed from the mess of 39 for four. Charlie Allison put on 96 with Porter, and collected 72 before nibbling at Josh Hull. Wiann Mulder (70) and Simon Harmer (33) then punished Leicestershire further and took the to within 52 runs of parity.

Emilio Gay celebrated his England call-up with a duck at Beckenham, where Durham found themselves in surprise trouble on a pitch where Kent merrily gathered 523. David Bedingham was 72 not out at stumps but found little other support. Earlier, Matthew Potts had collected six for 92.

A morning’s play was enough for Surrey to rattle through the rest of Yorkshire’s batting. Matt Fisher gathered four for 92, removing Friday’s centurion Jonny Bairstow in the second over of the day. After Adam Lyth fell for 141, George Hill (34) and Dom Bess (42) hit Yorkshire towards 500.

Rain and Abell were the dominant themes at Taunton, where Tom Abell, Division One’s second highest scorer, reached his third century of the season, accompanied by Craig Overton, who biffed his second. Somerset declared on 525 for eight, and there was just time for Overton to send Sussex’s Tom Haines on his way, before the floodlights failed.

Kyle Abbott bowled Nottinghamshire’s Haseeb Hameed for a duck shortly before a lunchtime ceremony to celebrate the South African’s 500th Hampshire wicket. Sonny Baker, running in with pace, then removed Ben Slater and hit the fingers of Freddie McCann, who subsequently retired hurt. After play, Baker said of his England call-up: “It is a dream come true. I feel like I’ve beaten the bat a lot this season, which has been frustrating, but in terms of the outcomes I’ve had, I’d be lying if I wasn’t pretty pleased.”

Glamorgan picked apart Warwickshire’s batting on a damp day in Cardiff. Alex Davies and Dan Mousely carefully collected 30 apiece, but there were slim pickings elsewhere, to leave Warwickshire 123 for six, 237 runs in the red.

There were chaotic scenes at in a low-scoring shootout at Bristol, after Northants were skittled for 127, with five wickets for Matt Taylor. Gloucestershire then opened their second innings with two tailenders, one – Will Williams – returning to the crease shortly after being out to act as a runner for the other – Craig Miles – who was out soon afterwards.

There was no play at Southport with Lancashire still trailing Worcestershire by 242 runs.

Scores on the doors

Chelmsford: Essex 281-8 v Leicestershire 333

Southampton: Hampshire 214 v Nottinghamshire 124-3

Taunton: Somerset 526-8dec v Sussex 22-1

Edgbaston: Warwickshire 123-6 v Glamorgan 360

Headingley: Yorkshire 486 v Surrey 17-0

Division Two

Bristol: Gloucestershire 154 and 21-3 v Northamptonshire 127

Beckenham: Kent 523 v Durham 173-5

Southport: Lancashire 28-0 v Worcestershire 270 no play today

Lord’s: Middlesex 177 and 13-1 v Derbyshire 376

Preamble

Good morning! From unpromising beginnings under south Manchester skies, it’s a fine truck through the Pennines this morning. Mytholmroyd station looked so pretty and I now know, thanks to the station noticeboard, that it was the birthplace of Ted Hughes in 1930.

A draw already looks on the cards at Headingley, but maybe Surrey will collapse in a heap and surprise us all. Elsewhere, Middlesex need to dig in, Durham are in trouble, everything is going in fast-forward on the hybrid pitch at Bristol, Essex are fighting back, Glamorgan are suprising (or maybe not, after two wins on the bounce) Warwicks, Sussex have a fight on their hands and it is early days at Southampton. Fingers crossed for some play at Southport.

All swings into action at 11am. Do drop in.

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Labour leadership talk ‘froth and nonsense’, says senior minister – UK politics live | Politics

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Nandy calls speculation on leadership challenge ‘froth and nonsense’

The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said the prime minister Keir Starmer will not have resigned by the school summer holidays, despite a major challenge to his leadership after the local election results.

“He was very clear with the cabinet on Tuesday, that if people want to challenge him there is a process for doing that, there is a way to trigger a leadership contest,” Nandy said. “Nobody has done that yet, despite the absolute feverish speculation.

“Most of it has turned out to be just froth and nonsense. We have got to get on with the job.”

Key events

Voters who abandoned Labour will return to support Burnham, says culture secretary

The culture secretary said voters who abandoned Labour have said they will return to the party to support mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election.

Lisa Nandy told Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC: “I have to say knocking on doors yesterday, people – because of Andy’s record as mayor – who didn’t vote for us last week were saying they would vote for us again.

“He won every single ward in Makerfield every time he stood to be mayor, even when Labour hasn’t and that’s why I make no apology for saying he is a really important voice that needs to be heard loud and clear in the centre of Westminster.”

Female Labour leader ‘long overdue’, Nandy says

Trevor Phillips asked Lisa Nandy why the Labour party had “three white blokes” who would face Kemi Badenoch across the dispatch box, suggesting it raises a question about the Labour party pointing a finger at others being institutionally sexist and racist.

The culture secretary pointed out she “did try to fix that” when she put her name forward for the leadership of the party in 2019.

But she added:

I agree with you, I think a woman leader is long overdue. We are talking as if we are in a leadership contest here, but on the way here – I have just come over from Wigan to Salford – I have had two people already say to me ‘can you just get on with the job’.

“If people want to trigger a leadership contest they can, but I think the idea the rest of the country is obsessing about who is the leader of the Labour party is just for the birds.”

Lisa Nandy told Trevor Phillips the leadership crisis in the Labour party was “really winding” her up, during her morning interview on Sky News.

“I am sorry if I am coming across as a bit irritated, I think what is really winding me up if I’m honest is that people told us loud and clear last Thursday that things weren’t good enough, that they needed far more fundamental far more urgent change in their lives.

“Somehow we seem to have just completely cut them out of the conversation in the last week and Westminster has gone into introspection mode where the debate is being led about personalities and about individuals,

“What I think the public really need to hear from us right now is that we’ve got a plan to turn things around.”

Culture secretary brands Streeting’s call to rejoin the EU ‘a bit odd’

Asked about former health secretary Wes Streeting’s call for the UK to re-join the European Union, the culture secretary called the stance “a bit odd”

Lisa Nandy said the government was “trying to take a far more pragmatic approach” of forming a closer relationship with the EU, “rather than re-opening the Brexit wars”.

Commenting on her former cabinet colleague’s position, Nandy said: “I just think it’s a bit odd if I’m honest. Essentially, If re-joining the EU is the answer to what we were just told loud and clear by the country and parts of the country like mine where we lost 25 out of 25 wards, then essentially what we are saying to people is life was fine in 2015, we just need to go back there.”

Nandy said Streeting will “hear loud and clear from people” while campaigning that the public in Leave voting areas did not agree with his stance.”

Asked by Trevor Phillips on Sky News why she had not told Andy Burnham to “stay in Manchester”, Lisa Nandy said she wanted the Greater Manchester Mayor – whose decision to stand as an MP has led to a by-election in Makerfield – to return to Westminster.

“When you say, ‘stay in Manchester’, we can hear you up north. Our voices matter in national politics. Andy brings a perspective from this part of the country that has not been heard loud and clear enough in Westminster for decades,” the culture secretary said.

The sort of fights we have been prepared to have in recent years, the fight for renters, the fight for workers, the fight for football fans – people need to see more of that from us. I think Andy can come and bring that perspective and that fight and that energy to this team.”