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A HERO yoga teacher who relived her desperate bid to save girls from the Southport killer said “if I didn’t get out, everyone would die”.

On July 29 last year teenage killer Axel Rudakubana burst into a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at The Hart Space armed with a knife.

BBC

Leanne Lucas relived the moment she saved children from the Southport killer[/caption]

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Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 52 years[/caption]

Social media

The dance teacher was stabbed five times[/caption]

He murdered Elsie, seven, as well as Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Bebe King, six, and injured several others.

Rudakubana, 19, was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 52 years in prison last month.

Yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who had organised the dance class, was knifed five times while she bravely protected children as the horror unfolded.

She was able to help several girls out and shield them from the attacker – while she bled from stab wounds to her spine, head, lung, ribs, and shoulder blade.

Speaking to the BBC’s Panorama, the heroic teacher said: “I just knew that if I didn’t get out, everyone was going to die.

“He was bigger than me. And I just thought: I need to get some help.

“So we all run towards the door. We were shouting ‘run!’ I called 999 on the landing and I asked for the police.”

Once Leanne had escaped, she begged members of the public to “go and get the children”.

She told how she felt her body failing her, while her mind was still “going 100 miles and hour”.

Another Southport killer survivor, a 14-year-old girl who has been called Sarah to protect her identity, has also broken her silence.

The teen recalled how she pushed children down stairs to help get them out.

“I thought that he wasn’t going to stop until he killed everyone. I thought that he wanted to kill us all,” she added.

Leanne’s quick-thinking colleague Heidi Liddle also escaped uninjured after locking some of the children inside a toilet.

And, businessman Jonathan Hayes who was working in the office next door, was attacked after he ran inside and bravely tried to stop the carnage.

Leanne has previously spoken about the trauma, in a heartbreaking statement at Rudakubana’s sentencing hearing.

She said: “As a 36-year-old woman I cannot give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died.

“I spent many months thinking about the incident 24 hours a day seven days a week.

“Just when I felt I could settle and try to move forward, the trauma of that day is now back at the forefront.

“I constantly see his face; new memories have appeared, and this will continue to happen for the rest of my life.”

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Read more on the tragedy

• Axel Rudakubana told police “I’m glad they’re dead” after the horror
•  The families of victims told how their lives were ‘shattered in an instant’
•  Shocking pictures show a cache of weapons found in Rudakubana’s home
•  All the missed chances to stop the killer have been revealed
• Furious MPs demanded the death penalty should be brought back for monsters like Rudakubana
•  A Sky News reporter broke down on air while covering the sentencing

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Leanne said she has been affected both physically and mentally by the horror and has been left with scars that serve as “visual daily reminders” of what Rudubakana did to the victims.

She also revealed how she had to endure three stays in hospital and undergo multiple surgeries.

Leanne continued: “The trauma of being both a victim and a witness has been horrendous.

“There are times when I will spiral into trauma and the effect this has had on those close to me is unforgivable.

“The impact this has had on me can be summed up by one word: trauma.

“He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey.

“To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible.”

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Elsie Dot Stancombe was tragically killed[/caption]

FAMILY HANDOUT/UNPIXS

FAMILY HANDOUT/UNPIXS

Bebe King was the youngest of the three victims[/caption]

This comes after the heartbroken families of Elsie, Alice, and Bebe, bravely spoke out about the tragedy earlier this month.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Bebe’s dad cast his mind back to the horror.

He said after hearing news of the attack, he thought Bebe might have still been at home safe.

The 43-year-old, who works for HM Revenue & Customs, said: “We had given people Bebe’s description. When that person came towards me, I could feel the blood drain from me and I went cold.

“I knew she was going to tell me something. And she did. ‘Are you Bebe’s dad?’ As soon as I said yes she said she had passed away.”

Bebe’s mum recalled how she was in Marks & Spencer when her husband called to tell her.

She ran outside and got into a taxi, which dropped her to the scene.

When she heard the devastating news, she fell to her knees screaming.

Also speaking to the Sunday Times, Elsie’s mum, Jenni Stancombe, recalled the unthinkable events.

She and her husband David dropped Elsie, a passionate Swiftie, off at the class at 10am.

The parent of another girl in the class had offered to have Elsie round to play afterwards, and agreed to drop her back round at 3pm.

Shortly before midday, Jenni got a call from the other mum who said: “Something awful has happened. Somebody’s stabbed the kids.”

Jenni bolted in her car to the studio, beeping her horn and running red lights to get through traffic.

She abandoned the car in the middle of the road once she saw the chaotic scene but police stopped them from entering.

The parents were later told Elsie had died inside the studio during the attack.

Dad David said: “No human being should ever have to witness what we witnessed on that day.”

Bebe and Elsie’s killer – who also attempted to murder eight other children at random – was jailed for life with a minimum of 52 years last month.

Jenni and David have also spoken about the need for accountability after a Government inquiry was launched.

In their first TV interview, the parents told of their heartbreak and said they would give anything to swap places with their daughter.

Asked about what they want to come out of the inquiry into the failings that led to Rudakubana slipping through the cracks despite being flagged up as a danger, Jenni said: “An element of accountability.”

She continued: “So someone has made a decision that has resulted in an element of failure, then there needs to be accountability for that.

“And I believe that the announcement of the inquiry will do that and it will hold people to account for some of the decisions that they’ve made.”

It comes after a damning Government report confirmed earlier this month that counter-extremism police three times closed investigations on twisted Rudakubana prior to the Southport murders.

A separate review of the entire scheme is being conducted to see how it can stop more atrocities.

As well as murdering Elsie, Bebe and Alice, Rudakubana also attempted to murder eight other children, as well as class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

Among other atrocities, the report said he was fascinated by the Ariana Grande concert bombing in 2016 which killed 22 people, including children.

He is also said to have asked during a 2019 art lesson why he was able to draw images of guns but not search them on the internet.

He then asked “can we have a picture of a severed head then”.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the killer was reported to Prevent three times but not referred for further monitoring.

FIORENTINA have released an update on Moise Kean’s wellbeing after he collapsed on the pitch.

The former Everton striker was rushed to hospital after being stretchered off against Hellas Verona.

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Moise Kean was stretchered off against Hellas Verona[/caption]

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Kean collapsed after a collision with two Hellas Verona players[/caption]

Kean, 24, fell to the ground in the second half after he was involved in a three-way collision with Verona duo Pawel Dawidowicz and Diego Coppola.

Play was stopped as Kan received treatment as he had been hit in the head by Dawidowicz’s knee.

The injury resulted in a big gash above his left eye.

Kean tried to play on after being bandaged up but then collapsed moments after returning to the pitch.

There was plenty of concern for the Italian as he was rushed to hospital.

Fiorentina have since released an update on Kean with a statement on social media.

It read: “ACF Fiorentina announces that Moise Kean was discharged from the Verona hospital during the night and returned to Florence.

“The clinical and diagnostic tests carried out were all negative.”

Team-mate and former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea reacted to the news with a praying emoji and purple heart.

Fans have also reacted to the positive news on social media.

One posted: “Fantastic news. Get well soon Moise!”

A second wrote: “This is good news.”

A third commented: “At least one piece of good news.”

A fourth said: “Support Moise Kean.”

Another added: “That is such a relief to hear.”

Reports in Italy said Kean was conscious during his trip to the hospital.

He was replaced on the pitch by Nicolo Fagioli in the 67th minute.

The match ended 1-0 to Verona after an injury-time winner from Antoine Bernede.

Kean has played for Fiorentina since last summer after completing a transfer from Juventus, scoring 19 goals in 30 games in all competitions.

SCOTTISH politics is the centre of the world for many people, including a lot of the 1,700 or so folk who turned up at Glasgow’s SEC venue this weekend.

Sir Keir Starmer was there yesterday, closing a Scottish Labour conference where bigwigs were frankly in a bit of a daze after the ups — and now the downs — of the past year.

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Scottish Labour saviour now a Keir and present danger[/caption]

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Starmer was the future seven months ago, but he alre­ady looks like yesterday’s man says Musson[/caption]

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There’s still the chance of a bright tomorrow for Sarwar, but he has to grasp it, he adds[/caption]

Andrew Barr

The Scottish Sun’s Chris Musson thinks the PM has bigger fish to fry than dealing with the woes of the Scotland wing of his party.[/caption]

But as important as Scots leader Anas Sarwar’s plight may be — he has a Holyrood election to fight next year — the PM has bigger fish to fry than dealing with the woes of the Scotland wing of his party.

Quite apart from the UK economic turmoil, recent events and Donald Trump’s wild attacks on Volodymyr Zelensky have threatened to upend world order and security.

A big section of Starmer’s speech focused on Ukraine, ahead of a big week for the PM. He flies to Europe and to Washington this week for talks on Russia, including with Trump.

Frankly, he could have done without a trip to a rainy Clydeside to read out some words written for him on quite a few subjects he has little intricate knowledge of.

That was evident in the press “huddle” after the speech — an off-camera quizzing by reporters — where Mr Sarwar stood dutifully by Starmer, ready to jump in if questions got heavy on Scots details.

That happened twice, on Grangemouth and polling.

People still want change, they no longer think that guy who appeared on stage yesterday is the man to deliver it

Chris Musson

On public opinion, Starmer insisted that he didn’t get up every day and “rummage” through polls. A nice line, but it’s only true because he has someone to do that for him.

And looking at public opinion — and what the PM has on his plate — now seems to be a mutually convenient point in time for Scottish Labour and Keir to take a break from each other.

According to YouGov, his popularity rating — the balance between those with a positive and negative view — has gone from -14 in August to -40 now.

A poll out yesterday asked people if the actions of Starmer or Sarwar had more influence on them when considering how they’d vote in the 2026 election. More than twice as many said Starmer.

Conference fringe discussions were peppered with questions to Labour panellists about how to counter this Starmer drag.

Because a year ago, he was an asset to his party in Scotland, and received a rapturous response at the Scottish Labour gathering.

Twelve months later, he was in the same venue, on the same stage, saying many of the same things. But the hall wasn’t even nearly full.

The applause may have been warm, but many Scottish Labour figures are only too aware that the asset has become a liability — a danger to their hopes — in the eyes of many who voted for them last July.

It’s hard to believe it’s only been seven months, given how much bad news the new UK Government has managed to squeeze in.

Starmer was the future just seven months ago, but he alre­ady looks like yesterday’s man

Chris Musson

Winter fuel payments, increasing employer’s National Insurance after pledging no tax hikes, refusing to honour promises to compensate Waspi pensioner women.

Inflation is up, GB Energy has been created and, despite the PM tying it directly to cutting energy prices, the company’s chair had said that’s not its job.

Starmer pointed to some of his popular policies yesterday, such as the increase in the national living wage, or boosting workers’ rights.
But they’ve been drowned out amid the noise. And the big problem is that big promise: Change.

There was the small print during the election campaign, of course. It would take time. Things would get worse before they would get better. But who reads the small print?

Above all, Labour underestimated people’s impatience Having seen what they think is the same old story, they have drifted to Reform UK or back to the SNP.

Sarwar and Scottish Labour may have flattered themselves into thinking they made a significant difference at the General Election and weren’t just hanging on the coattails of the UK party.

But greater forces are at play, notably the story unfolding at Westminster.

There is, however, a captivating story to be told about Scotland, and about the SNP’s failures after nearly 18 years in government — 19 by the time of next year’s election.

Scottish Labour needs to turn the focus to that. Indeed, Starmer made a start yesterday, as did Sarwar in his speech on Friday.

The SNP want the 2026 election to be as a verdict on Starmer.
Scottish Labour needs to turn the focus back to the SNP.

People still want change, they no longer think that guy who appeared on stage yesterday is the man to deliver it.

The good news for Scottish Labour is that, as the last year has shown, voters can change their minds very quickly.

There’s still the chance of a bright tomorrow for Sarwar, but he has to grasp it.

Starmer was the future just seven months ago, but he alre­ady looks like yesterday’s man.

Over the next year at least, Starmer will be judged on his first year as much as anything else. That period is also crucial to Scottish Labour.

So he should go off and fry those bigger fish. Perhaps he’ll come back stronger.

For now, he and his Scottish party are better off apart.

HAVING your thermostat in the wrong place could be needlessly driving up your energy bills by hundreds of pounds.

The average household on the Ofgem price cap is forking out £1,738 a year on gas and electric, and prices are predicted to go up in April.

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Having your thermostat in the wrong place could be driving up bills needlessly[/caption]

Should the price cap rise again this Spring, it will mean houses have been hit with three consecutive hikes since last October.

Luckily, there are ways you can drive down costs now, starting with putting your thermostat in the right place.

Thermostats work by detecting the warmth of a room, switching on when the temperature drops below a certain amount.

But have yours in the wrong room or part of your property and it will get an inaccurate reading and could turn on when you don’t need it to.

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Deciding where to place your thermostat is important because it can affect how well your heating works.

“Placing it in a room that is colder than the rest of the house, such as a hallway, is a bad idea as it will turn on and off at the wrong times.

“For example, if you open the front door and let in cold air, then the thermostat may tell your heating system to send out more heat as it thinks the whole house is below your desired temperature.”

It’s not just your hallway you’ll want to avoid having your thermostat in – avoid warm spots at all costs too so you can keep toasty.

Ben added: “Having a thermostat near to a radiator, window or in direct sunlight will also skew the readings.

“These spots are warmer, so the thermostat may switch off before the whole space has been heated to the target temperature.”

Where should you actually put it though? The room that you use the most, most likely your living room, Ben explained.

“This is where it’s easiest to control the temperature, and in an area of good airflow.”

It’s not just the location of the thermostat that’s key if you want to lower your energy bills either.

Having it at the right temperature could save you an extra couple of hundreds of pounds.

Ben explained: “The Energy Saving Trust recommends heating your home to between 18 to 21 degrees Celsius during winter.

“Turning down your thermostat by just one degree can reduce your energy bill by up to 10%.”

How else to save money on energy bills

Turning down the flow temperature of your boiler could save you around £325 a year.

Ian Palmer-Smith, supplier and heating service director at Domestic & General, told The Sun many combi boilers come with this temperature set wrong.

The boiler heating flow temperature should be about 70 degrees and the water side flow temperature roughly 60.

Dial them down in seconds and watch your energy bills drop.

Putting furniture like sofas in front of radiators will drive up your energy bills too.

Instead, make sure any upholstery is a few centimetres away so any hot air can flow freely throughout the room.

You could try using reflective foil on your radiators too.

These sheets reflects heat back into the room and limit the amount that can escape outside.

What is happening with energy bills?

Around 26million households on Ofgem‘s price cap have seen their energy bills rise in recent months.

The price cap, which changes every three months, affects those on standard variable tariffs (SVTs) but not if you’re on a fixed deal.

The current cap means the average household on a dual-fuel tariff is paying £1,738 a year for their gas and electricity.

You may be paying more or less than this based on your usage as the cap just sets a limit on what energy suppliers can charge per unit of gas and electricity.

Cornwall Insight, which is usually accurate in its predictions, has forecast the price cap to go up to £1,823 a year from April.

Dr Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said it is predicting the cap to rise due to the cost of wholesale gas in Europe spiking.

Ofgem will officially announce the price cap for April to June by February 25.

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IT has been a difficult year so far for retail and that trend is set to continue as more shops will shut their doors in March.

Shoppers have watched as many of their favourite chains have abandoned the high street in recent years.

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Major retailers, including Greggs and New Look, are leaving the high street[/caption]

With changes to employment costs set to come into force in April it seems unlikely that this year will be any different.

Several major retailers have warned that the increase to employer National Insurance rates and minimum wage will force them to put up prices and abandon plans for expansion.

The British Retail Consortium has estimated that the Treasury’s hike in employer National Insurance Contributions from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.

The increases come at a time when the high street is already struggling.

Major shops have recorded months of reduced footfall and have seen less money land in their tills due to the cost of living crisis.

As costs have risen customers have been forced to cut back their retail spending.

Meanwhile, increases in rent and bills have forced several chains to restructure and close locations.

This year has already seen some high profile names including Monki and The Entertainer close stores.

Other retailers may shut shops as they have a similar store nearby that is performing better or they may want to move to a location where they will have a higher footfall.

Here are all the shops we know are closing stores in March 2025.

Trespass

Trespass will close its store at Highcross shopping centre, Leicester, for good on March 31.

It is not known why the shop is shutting.

The store has launched a closing-down sale with items on offer for up to 60% off. 

The news comes just weeks after Trespass announced its branch at the Hillstree Shopping Centre, Middlesbrough, would shut.

Yellow and black signs which read “everything must go” have been posted on the store’s windows.

The Middlesborough store was opened less than two years ago.

The outdoor clothing specialist, which has 300 stores, announced it would axe six sites from its estate in July 2023.

The closure of branches in Norwich and Sutton Coldfield followed.

New Look

Fashion chain New Look will close several of its stores this month as it significantly reduces its store footprint.

The popular fashion chain will close its branch at the Team Valley Retail World in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, on March 9.

Its St Austell store in Cornwall will close on March 4.

The chain has already shut stores in the Carillon Court Shopping Centre in Loughborough, Essex, and Porth in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The news comes after reports emerged that the fashion retailer is accelerating plans to close nearly 100 stores, following challenges linked to the tax changes announced in the Autumn Budget.

Approximately a quarter of the retailer’s 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire. 

This is equal to about 91 stores, which will have a significant impact on its 8,000 strong workforce.

New Look has also announced that it is winding up its business in the Republic of Ireland.

The fashion chain has 26 stores in the republic and employs 347 people, of whom 32 are full-time.

WHSmith

WHSmith is set to close a store in Accrington, Lancashire on March 15.

The popular store is set to shut due to its lease expiring.

WHSmith has already shut stores in Bolton, Bournemouth and Boscombe in recent weeks.

The company said it was disappointed to be pulling out of Bolton town centre.

The popular store shut due to redevelopment plans, according to bosses.

The stationery chain has also earmarked shops in Essex, West Midlands, Norfolk, Newport and Suffolk for closure next month.

WHSmith is actively seeking to offload its high street estate in order to focus on its fast-growing travel business of shops in airports and train stations.

It has over 1,100 stores across the UK, including over 520 high street shops.

It is working with advisers at Greenhill Investment Boutique.

It is hoped that a deal can be reached within three months, according to sources.

Investors have not wanted WHSmith to spend any more money on its high street arm, which has no real growth prospects.

Scope

Disability charity Scope is considering shuttering 77 of its 138 shops.

Last month the charity’s bosses said the difficult decision is being considered in light of declining footfall on high streets and spiralling costs.

Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said: “Despite our teams’ best efforts our shops are collectively now losing money when taking account of all of their costs. A number make strong profits but there are loss making shops too.

“We will be putting forward proposals to close some of our shops, in stages, over the next 18 months.”

Under the proposal the first 41 shops could close by March 31.

A further 31 shops would close between April 1 and March 31, 2026.

The final phase of five more shops would close when leases came up for renewal or when there is a break.

Select Fashion

Select Fashion has begun to close a dozen stores, with the majority of shops impacted in the North East of England. 

The 12 stores are set to close in February and March in the following locations: 

• Merthyr Tydfil – March
• Wellingborough – March 15
• Southshields – TBC
• Peterlee – TBC
• Thornaby – TBC
• Hartlepool – TBC
• Scarborough – TBC
• Hull Hessle – TBC
• Hull St Stephens – TBC
• Ashington – TBC
• Scunthorpe – TBC
• Chippenham – TBC

It has already shuttered branches in Wolverhampton and Kidderminster in January.

The British fashion brand – which has 105 stores – fell into administration in 2019.

At the time, the retailer blamed tough high street conditions and was later bought out of administration by Genus UK Limited.

But it entered into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) last summer.

A CVA is a way for a company to restructure by negotiating its debts, such as cutting rent costs with landlords.

It is a common way for struggling businesses to try and stay afloat.

Chains including Caffe Nero and The Body Shop have previously entered into one.

Greggs

Bakery chain Greggs is set to pull down the shutters of one of its Cambridge stores for the last time on March 31.

The shop is set to shut as part of the Greggs estate strategy, which will see the chain open more stores this year.

It already has over 2,500 shops across the UK including 500 with franchise partners such as petrol stations.

Staff at the Cambridgeshire shop will be relocated to nearby branches where possible.

The nearest shop is located in Station Square.

The Cambridge store is not the first Greggs shop to shut this year.

A Greggs store in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, closed for good on January 18.

The branch reportedly closed due to a dispute over rent, according to the Bucks Free Press.

Meanwhile, a Greggs shop on Foleshill Road, Coventry, shut forever on January 4.

Dobbies

Dobbies garden centre has confirmed a second wave of closures across the UK.

The news comes after the gardening specialist closed 16 stores as part of a restructuring plan late last year.

Locations impacted in this round of closures include stores in Havant, Aylesbury and Northampton.

At least three more sites are now set to close over the coming months.

Its branch in Northampton will be taken over by British Garden Centres, a family-run business.

Action is expected to be completed by March.

Closure dates for the Northampton and Aylesbury stores have not yet been confirmed.

The news comes after a restructuring plan was given the go ahead by the courts in December last year.

The retailer shut a total of ten larger sites as part of the plans, with two stores confirmed to be taken over by other gardening chains.

At its peak Dobbies was the biggest garden centre operator in the UK and had up to 77 stores.

Craigdon Mountain Sports

Craigdon Mountain Sports will shutter its branch in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire at the end of March.

The outdoor shop sells footwear, snow gear, bags and accessories.

The reason for the closure is not yet known.

The independent company, which also has stores in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, has launched a huge closing down sale as it attempts to shift its remaining stock.

The business said “many” of the Inverurie store staff will be transferred to its Aberdeen site and its website remains operational.

While Patrick Mahomes III dominated headlines leading up to Super Bowl LIX, his father, Patrick Mahomes Sr., made waves of his own after a Bourbon Street altercation with fiery former MLB pitcher John Rocker. Mahomes Sr., who played for six teams during his decade-long MLB career from 1992 to 2003, gained viral attention after his […]

The post The alleged reason the Patrick Mahomes Sr. vs. John Rocker fight is off appeared first on ClutchPoints.

SUSANNA Reid was forced to issue a stark apology after a war reporter swore live on Good Morning Britain.

Just over an hour into Monday’s ITV daytime series – which saw the anchor return to screen after a half-term break – she called out the “offensive gesture.”

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Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid was forced to apologise after a guest swore live on screen[/caption]

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John Sweeney was reporting live from Kyiv, wearing his lucky orange beanie[/caption]

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John flipped the middle finger when he talked about one injured Ukrainian solder’s attitude to POTUS Donald Trump[/caption]

It came as Susanna, 54, was speaking to journalist John Sweeney.

He was being interviewed from a live video link to Kyiv, wearing his infamous “lucky” orange beanie hat, after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told how he would resign if it would foster a peace deal amid the country’s war with Russia.

His remark came as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s Russia held peace talks without Kyiv at the table.

Zelensky’s remarks and vow – which he made in return for a guarantee of Nato membership – came after Trump branded him a “dictator” for not holding an election during the war.

On GMB today, reporter John discussed the weekend updates – which also saw Putin blitz Ukraine with 267 drones in the biggest-ever bombardment on the eve of the war’s third anniversary.

A separate screen then panned to injured Ukrainian soldiers in a clinic, who were seen trying out new prosthetic limbs in a rehab session after being injured in the conflict.

Susanna’s co-host Richard Madeley then asked him “how shocked” the people of Ukraine were about Trump’s change in attitude towards the country.

John blasted the POTUS’ remarks as “disgusting” and continued to talk about the “titanium clinic” – which fits soldiers with bionic limbs – for recovery.

He continued: “There’s a bloke there that has lost both arms and one leg and so he’s got two plastic hands.

“And I said what do you think about Trump?” before he said: “I don’t want to swear.”

He added: “The Ukrainians have done some technology that the muscles in the stump in his arm can now control this thing [the hand.]

“And it’s slow and he’s learning, but he said ‘wait wait wait’ and he gave Putin the finger.

“And it made me cry.”

Susanna said: “Oh,” before gaining composure and said: “I understand it made you feel personally the power of that.

“We do have to apologise for that gesture on breakfast TV.

“It is still considered a highly offensive gesture John, and of course there are children watching.”

John then replied: “I am very sorry Susanna.

“I am an old war reporter – and sometimes I forget where I am.”

Richard then added: “Well, you’ve apologised now,” as they continued to chat.

John told how former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had just arrived – as the camera swirled around to capture the ex Tory MP.

He then told how he would try to get an interview with him before GMB wrapped for the day.

Those watching at home were left divided at Susanna’s scolding.

One took to X to muse: “Did I miss an unfortunate hand gesture?”

A second put: “Prim & proper Susanna Reid tells off John Sweeney over a Ukrainian soldier who had lost multiple limbs in the war for using his prosthetic hand to make a ‘finger gesture’.”

A third commented: “Show men with arms and legs blown off and describe that in detail, show the devastation caused by war but DO NOT under any circumstances , show the bird, there are children watching. They can handle people being blown up but no hurty hand signs.”

Another wrote: “@johnsweeneyroar giving the finger on #GMB
Brilliant, John.”

Another posted: “Absolutely hysterical and totally warranted.”

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Susanna, 54, said the gesture was ‘offensive’ yet conceded she understood his emotion[/caption]

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It came as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told how he would resign if it resolved the war with Russia[/caption]

The Mega Agency

United States President Donald Trump has caused controversy with his shock remarks on the Ukrainian President of late[/caption]

IT was great to see Scotland’s salmon farming hitting the headlines recently with a couple of good news stories.

Scottish salmon continues to be Britain’s most popular food export, and not only that — export sales rose a huge 45 per cent last year, equating to £844million.

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Salmon farming is booming but still faces pressures[/caption]

Andrew Barr - The Sun Glasgow

Shaf Rasul says its great to see good news stories about Scotland’s salmon farming[/caption]

This was attributed to a rise in demand from Asian markets.

It really makes me proud that our country is a world-class producer of some of the most in-demand products, beating, for example, British beef and Cheddar cheese.

With that in mind, what better time to not only grow your salmon farming business, but combine it with another of our highest grossing industries — tourism.

Mowi, which already has 48 fish farms in Scotland and is a big employer within the sector, has bought two uninhabited Scots islands with plans to utilise them for salmon farming, while also harnessing their tourism potential.

The first island, Sanda, located in the Firth of Clyde, has been inhabited in the past and is already established as a tourist hotspot due to its resident seabirds.

‘Mystical and romantic’

Meanwhile, the second island, Fladda Chuain — the Isle of Perpetual Youth in Irish mythology — is positioned just north of Skye, which will stand it in good stead to capitalise on Skye’s Fairy Pools visitors.

The island, which was described as “mystical and romantic” when it went up for sale in July last year, offers views of Skye’s dramatic mountains and the picturesque Outer Hebrides — so it sounds like a perfect investment.

Plans for Sanda include refurbishing its existing hotel and accommodation and establishing yacht moorings.

There’s also potential for rewilding and nature enhancement projects.

When announcing the venture, Mowi said it had already established successful salmon farms on Rum, Muck and Colonsay, which have had wider benefits for the island communities through improved infrastructure, which helps to retain and attract people.

There’s a real gem of an opportunity here to combine two of Scotland’s industry giants.

And if it’s a success, is it perhaps something that could work for other uninhabited islands on our west coast?

The salmon industry isn’t without its controversies however, and as these good news stories hit Scots media, so did further calls to reform salmon farming regulation.

A report from the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has called for urgent reform due to concerns about the industry’s long-term viability and its impact on our populations of wild fish.

Coinciding with this, we’ve also seen charity WildFish campaigning for better transparency as it says consumers can be potentially misled over the origins and welfare of salmon.

It’s calling for the immediate disclosure of salmon farm inspection records from the Soil Association, which has certified a number of salmon farms as “organic”.

The charity wants clarification on why they have been deemed to be organic, as WildFish believes Scottish salmon farming does not follow the founding organic principles of the Soil Association.

With these things in mind, it’s fair to say that the industry is under intense scrutiny and pressure.

But I’m sure many people will agree that the industries we champion shouldn’t just be profitable, but should be sustainable and ethical, too.

Therefore, it’s important practices are examined.

Scottish salmon is such vital produce for our economy, the Holyrood Government must ensure its future by implementing the regulation reforms to help protect our wild fish and coastal eco-systems, while putting fair parameters in place to ensure we don’t scare away potential investment.

Perhaps Mowi’s islands will help shape the direction in which the industry flows, by looking at the bigger picture of helping not just the salmon farming industry to thrive, but also our island communities and their ecosystems, and opening up more areas of our beautiful country to visitors.

Is this fish farming utopia achievable, or are there too many opposing agendas for it to work?

Let’s watch this space.

I may even pay a little visit to Sanda and Fladda Chuain myself once they’re up and running as our latest tourist spots.