Shortly before 1am on Sunday, police received a tip-off about three vans heading toward the RAF Fairford base in Gloucestershire. Within hours, five men were arrested in the village of Whelford – initially under the Explosives Act, and later on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack. As officers later revealed, the group had been under surveillance for some time.
US President Donald Trump‘s remarks on the matter suggested close co-operation between British and American intelligence around the base, which hosts the US Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing, and has been a forward operating base for US strikes against Iran.
The authorities are keeping an open mind about who is responsible for the plot, with inquiries ongoing into possible involvement by parties including Iran and Russia. Iran is understood to be the leading suspect. But regardless of who dispatched the vans, the real story lies in the modus operandi.
Avanti West Coast trains to be nationalised
The Transport Secretary said the operator has been underperforming “for years” as it becomes the latest service to be brought back into public ownership.
Andy Burnham said the service had failed people “time and time again” with cancellations and overcrowding.
What you need to know
- Avanti West Coast train services will be nationalised from March 2027, when its contract ends.
- Its London hub is Euston station, with services running to Wales, Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool and Scotland.
- All train services under Department for Transport contracts, including Avanti, are in the process of being transferred to public ownership.
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Reactions from the sector
“For years, we’ve heard stories of Avanti underperforming, with passengers left paying the price. Enough is enough,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.
Conversely, Andy Mellors, managing director at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved over the last six years – from refurbishing our Pendolino fleet and introducing our new Evero trains to running more services than ever before.”
The results for customers
- Labour claims nationalisation will mean fewer delays and cancellations.
- This is thanks to a £10m investment in power and signalling maintenance, faster and more reliable services, upgraded facilities at Euston, and more stable internet connection on board trains.
Several rail firms around the country are already publicly owned, including Great Anglia and South Western Railway.
Chess prodigy, 11, becomes youngest woman grandmaster
A London schoolgirl has made history while representing England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan.
Former chancellor, Rachel Reeves, called the young player “a chess superstar”.
Play by play account
Bodhana Sivanandan scored eight points across 11 games, qualifying for the title of woman grandmaster.
The International Chess Federation confirmed this performance made her the youngest person to gain the lifelong title.
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What makes a champion?
Neither of Sivanandan’s parents are good at chess. She taught herself to play during lockdown using YouTube tutorials.
She entered her first tournament at Harrow Chess Club in 2021.
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After she won the British Women’s Championship earlier this year, she said: “I want to become a [full] grandmaster as soon as possible.”
- She now has two of the three “norms” required to become an International Master, the next rank up on the path to becoming a grandmaster.
Women and child die attempting to cross Channel
A 10-year-old child and two women in their 30s have died just off the coast of France, near Calais.
Andy Burnham’s spokesman said the tragedy was a “stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs”.
What you need to know
- French authorities rescued 102 people from a dinghy which had left Bleriot Plage.
- At least 17 people, including children, have now died attempting to cross the Channel this year.
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The timeline of events
What happened this morning and when:
- The dinghy pushed off from Bleriot Plage, near Calais, on Monday morning.
- French maritime police received a distress call after the boat got into trouble in the water.
- A rescue ship and Navy helicopter were sent to the scene with a medical team.
- The emergency responders were unable to save the child and two women.
- French officials said the deaths were likely due to crushing rather than drowning, due to overcrowding on the boat.
The official response
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “We’re deeply saddened to hear about the deaths in France today.
“It is a stark reminder of the dangers posed by the criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people for profit, and we will continue to work relentlessly.”
An investigation has been opened into the incident.
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What we know so far about RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’
Five men were arrested on terror charges and villagers evacuated from their homes after a major incident was declared near the RAF Fairford airbase used by the US Air Force.
Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot inspecting three white vans in the area.
What are they accused of?
- The men were initially arrested on suspicion of Explosives Act offences.
- Police were called out to three suspicious vans heading towards the airbase in Gloucestershire at 12.45am on Sunday.
- The five men were later further arrested on suspicion of the preparation of a terrorist act, with counter-terrorism policing officers now leading the investigation.
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How were they caught?
A local farmer spotted the seemingly abandoned white vans blocking a quiet country road a few hundred metres from RAF Fairford when driving home from a party.
The farmer told she saw a group of “young” men, some wearing “masks or balaclavas”, running into the trees and across fields towards the airbase. She called the police and warned neighbours to lock their doors.
RAF Fairford’s links to Iran war
A senior Western intelligence source told The i Paper the assumption is that those involved in this incident are likely to be proxies for a hostile state. Iran is understood to be the leading suspect.
- The US Air Force has used RAF Fairford to carry out bombing missions against Iran in a bid to protect ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
- In July, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) warned against allowing US bombers to fly from British bases, saying such sites would be legitimate targets.
- A UK Government spokesperson said at the time: “Our armed forces are ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it’s on our soil or from abroad.”
- Inquiries have yet to rule out Russia or even domestic activity.
What did the police say?
I can’t go into details, but I can give reassurance that we believe the matter to be contained and as a set of agencies working together across Gloucestershire, we are gathering and responding to local intelligence all the time.
Gloucestershire Police temporary Chief Constable, Maggie Blyth.
How puzzles may ‘reduce age-related cognitive decline’
Researchers found memory, logic and reasoning puzzles with advice on diet and exercise, can help improve thinking and memory problems.
How the study works
- The study examined people aged 60-85 with low cognitive scores.
- They were split into three groups. One group was given evidence-based advice on diet.
- The second used a website called Active Brains, which provides cognitive exercises in the form of puzzles.
- The third group were directed to the same website and also given “brief support” with a nurse.
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The study’s findings
- After 12 months, all groups showed improvement in their cognitive scores and a significant proportion no longer met the criteria for age-related cognitive decline.
- 28 per cent of people who were given simple lifestyle advice were no longer deemed to have cognitive decline.
- This increased to 33 per cent of those directed to the website and 32 per cent of those directed to the website and given additional support.
- Among those directed to the website and given additional support, there was an 18 per cent reduction in severe cognitive impairment compared to those who were just given advice, researchers found.
Hear from the researchers
Professor Paul Little, co-lead of the study, said: “These are really exciting findings that people can easily take on board.
“Simple messages and simple things that people can do really make a difference – and the NHS does not need to spend a lot of money.”
He added the research team was “surprised” by the cognitive improvement seen among people just given “brief advice”.
What do the experts say?
Experts said the study was “encouraging”, but added some caveats.
Dr Richard Oakley from the Alzheimer’s Society said: “People should not take this study to mean that doing puzzles can reverse dementia or improve symptoms for everyone living with memory problems.”
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Sycamore Gap stump shows new shoots three years after felling
Three years after it was illegally felled, photos show a thick ring of new shoots around the stump of the sycamore tree made famous by 1991’s Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
What happened to it?
The tree, which was planted in the late 1800s in Northumberland, was illegally felled in September 2023 by Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, causing national outcry.
In 2025, the pair were jailed for four years and three months for criminal damage for cutting down the iconic tree with a chainsaw.
Slow recovery starts to show
Now, the National Trust, which operates the site at Hadrian’s Wall, has revealed the stump has shown new growth.
Since it was felled, the remaining stump has been protected by a barrier, allowing nature to take its course and new green shoots to spring up.
Promising signs
These flourishing shoots are really encouraging and show that the special measures we’ve taken, including reducing soil compaction around the roots and limiting human disturbance, are paying off.
Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust at Hadrian’s Wall
How triple lock could be axed to pay for national care service
Andy Burnham’s plan to put free social care in Labour’s next general election manifesto could be part of a grand bargain to drop the state pension triple lock, Labour MPs believe.
What you need to know
- A Labour MP told The i Paper that introducing the NHS-style care service would be a “politically smart” way to “sugar the pill” of finally scrapping the lock
- On Sunday, the PM kicked off Labour’s conference in Liverpool by vowing to put forward a plan to voters at the next election in which “everyone contributes, everyone is covered” for social care.
- In private, many MPs across the political spectrum confide that the lock is fundamentally unsustainable over the long term.
Figures chime in
The think-tank said an Australian-style system would deliver savings of about £650m by 2030.
The ex-cabinet minister said getting rid of the triple lock is “an option that the Government should consider”.
The junior minister suggested tax rises would be needed to fund the policy, saying it “isn’t going to be cheap”.
A word of warning
A backbencher cautioned that Burnham would have to tread carefully. “We will need to try and secure a cross-party consensus on adult social care,” they said.
Back in 2017, Theresa May proposed replacing the triple lock with a “double lock”. The policy was dubbed a “dementia tax” and the Tories subsequently lost their majority.
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Hostile states have learned to exploit existing grievances within British society; they operate through networks of multiple intermediaries who often do not even know who actually commissioned them. An attack can be inspired by a state, linked to it, supported by it or directed by it. The UK can counter this only by clearly assigning responsibility and addressing the grievances that these networks exploit for their own ends.
Since the US and Israel became embroiled in a war with Iran in February, Fairford has served as a base for American B-1 bombers. In July, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the base a legitimate target. A motive, therefore, exists – though a motive is the easiest thing to find.
Russia also possesses both motive and means. In March 2024, young Britons recruited by the Wagner Group set fire to a warehouse owned by a Ukrainian national in Leyton. In July, the Government designated the “GRU Volunteer Corps” a threat; according to the Government, this group is used by Russian military intelligence to recruit individuals online for acts of sabotage and arson. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that Iran and Russia were using “proxies and thugs” to carry out their dirty work on British soil.
What makes Iran unique is its modus operandi. The Islamic Republic is a network state. Power flows through parallel institutions – ranging from the IRGC and the clerical establishment to the formal state – linked primarily by a narrative of resistance.
Abroad, the country operates in concentric circles. The Quds Force (the elite branch of the IRGC overseeing foreign operations) and Ministry of Intelligence set the country’s agenda at the core. Ideological partners such as the Axis of Resistance – a network of armed non-state actors, financiers, ideologues and logisticians – cluster around them. Further out are criminals paid to carry out specific tasks. On the outermost fringe are individuals whose grievances align with Tehran’s goals, even though they harbour no loyalty or connection to the regime. It is here where “useful idiots” come in – those who unknowingly or naively become surrogates of Iran’s agenda.
This model is evolving. In 2018, Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi was caught plotting a bombing against an opposition rally near Paris attended by five British MPs. Confronted with the costs of having its official exposed, Iran increasingly looked for proxies.
This spring, a previously unknown group claimed responsibility for seven attacks in the UK, including the arson of four ambulances belonging to Jewish-run volunteer emergency service Hatzola in Golders Green on 23 March. The British Government said the Quds Force orchestrated these actions with near certainty. In October 2025, MI5 said it had recorded at least 20 potentially lethal, Iran-backed plots targeting individuals in the UK in the previous year.
What actors like Iran and Russia are looking for in the UK are individuals with grievances ready to be ripened.
That is where cultivation or ripening of networks comes in. Millions of Britons oppose the US-Israeli war against Iran, which international lawyers deem illegal.
I do not believe that anyone opposing this war, which has undermined British interests and values in the Middle East, is a potential “useful idiot” for Iran. Yet, the war expands the pool from which a hostile army can select a handful of recruits.
For years, ministers ignored public anger over Britain’s role in the Middle East, even as Washington and the Israeli government trampled on British interests and values. A shift in the Government’s stance regarding the West Bank is long overdue. Meanwhile, the war has led to attacks on Britain’s Gulf partners and the blockade of vital shipping lanes. Unease about this extends far beyond the political left.
The sentiment of abandonment by mainstream politics and discourse is ripe across the political spectrum in the UK. It creates communities receptive to mobilising narratives and radical ideology – pushing a minority to take radical action.