The Government’s consultation on whether to switch off Freeview in favour of online-only TV by 2034 ends Monday night, with opponents saying that renewed fears of a Russian cyber attack could force ministers to delay these plans.
Ministers say there is a compelling case for ending broadcasts over digital terrestrial aerials by 2034, citing the growing number of households with internet access. But they accept that a more cautious timeline, of a slower transition to TV via internet streaming by 2044, could be required.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is set to make a decision later this year.
Scottish students discover 1,000-year-old Viking church
Students discovered the remains of what is thought to be a medieval Viking church about 1,000 years old during an archaeology field trip to an uninhabited Scottish island.
Where was the medieval site found?
Pupils from Gordonstoun, a private school once attended by the King, made the discovery on a six-day field trip to Swona, a tiny Orkney island about seven miles north of John O’Groats where only feral cattle live.
The medieval building bears similarities to other Viking churches from the 10th and 11th centuries. Its remains, including what is thought to be the foundation of its altar, were found beneath a more recent building.
How was it found?
The Gordonstoun team helped professional archaeologists from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (Orca) to uncover the remains.
Gordonstoun housemaster Dan McLean, who organised the trip, said: “The only real hint about a church being on the island is a map reference to a ruin known locally as the ‘Twinly Kirk.’”
After discovering a step leading to the possible church altar, the group found other clues regarding construction method, layout and orientation.
Another clue was that it was dry stone, and there was no clay bonding or mortar. There are also cairns nearby and a wall that blocks access to a landing point.
dan mclean, gordonstoun housemaster
More conclusions to come?
- Radiocarbon dating of the students’ samples could draw more conclusions about the structure.
- The pupils also explored a probable prehistoric settlement in the centre of the small, privately-owned island.
- Elsewhere, they investigated a circular ditch believed to have been the site of a Viking warning beacon.
3 min read
UK POLITICS
Mayor hopeful Cleverly swipes at Reform on London crime
Sir James Cleverly has said mayoral candidates cannot “credibly” stand for election to run London while “obviously” hating the city, in remarks that will be interpreted as a swipe at Reform UK.
Battle for the capital
The former home secretary, who has announced he’s stepping down as shadow housing secretary to bid for the Conservative nomination for London mayor, made the comments when asked about claims from Reform’s mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, that the capital is unsafe.
2 min read
6 min read
Is London safe?
Cunningham said this week that her children are “petrified” to visit Shepherd’s Bush following a stabbing, and has frequently characterised London as gripped by crime, telling The i Paper last year that there are “no safe parts” in the capital.
Asked directly about her comments, Cleverly told The i Paper: “I’m not here to talk about her. Let her talk about her and let her justify her statements.”
Cleverly on London crime
- Cleverly argued responsibility for crime in London lay with the current mayor, Lord Khan of Tooting.
- He said the capital’s performance on crime was “an outlier” in the UK while he was home secretary.
- Cleverly went on to criticise those who often depict London as afflicted by crime.
2 min read
I don’t think you can credibly be the candidate for mayor of London if you obviously hate the city you’re trying to get elected for. I love London. I’m unapologetic about that.
james cleverly
Reform: Cleverly is ‘out
of touch’
- A Reform UK spokesperson said Cleverly was “out of touch”.
- If “James Cleverly thinks crime is not an issue in London then he’s even more out-of-touch than we originally thought”, they said.
- The spokesperson added: “London needs a mayor that is realistic about the issues the city faces, not one that will turn a blind eye to them.”
2 min read
US and Iran trade strikes in first hostilities for weeks
The United States and Iran have traded strikes for the first time since late July, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Here’s what we know.
Where did the US strike?
US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, with Central Command claiming the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines.
News outlets in Iran reported explosions near Larak island.
Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on his Truth Social platform of the bombing of the Kharg Island oil hub, claiming it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”.
What was Iran’s response?
Later, Iranian state TV showed what it said were ballistic missiles being fired by Iran at US bases in Jordan in response to the American strikes. Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight missiles in the country’s airspace early Monday.
The UAE air force also intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters, the country’s defence ministry said.
US ‘eliminated’ Iran’s threat
- The US disputed Iran’s claim that its strikes were an act of aggression.
- “Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it,” Centcom said.
- This was “to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce” in the Strait of Hormuz, it added.
3 min read
Return to open conflict?
Since last confirming it had struck Iranian targets on 29 July, the US had turned its focus to increasing economic pressure in a bid to end the months-long war.
A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran has targeted US military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the fighting began on 28 February.
4 min read
2 min read
Thousands of prisoners set for early release
Thousands of prisoners are set for an early release as part of controversial Government plans to ease jail overcrowding.
Here’s what we know.
Cutting the numbers
About 5,000 prisoners were due to be released early from October, down from 6,000, after ministers intervened to block rapists and “serious” child sex offenders from being eligible.
Under further changes announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Sunday, several hundred more criminals will now be exempt from the early release scheme.
More exemptions
- Anyone convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter, is now ineligible.
- The exemption extends to those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving or allowing the death of a child.
- Grooming gang perpetrators will also be blocked from early release amid concerns about a potential loophole in the system.
The unlawful killing exemption means two men tied to the killing of PC Andrew Harper will remain behind bars after backlash over their initial eligibility for early release.
Burnham also confirmed the Government will seek to end imprisonment for public protection sentences (IPPs), releasing offenders previously assessed to pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to the public.
5 min read
What are IPPs?
IPPs, available between 2005 and 2012, meant offenders given such a sentence could only be released once the Parole Board determined they no longer posed a threat. They essentially meant some offenders could be held indefinitely; several hundred still were as of June 2026.
More than 2,000 IPP offenders are in jail, including 1,415 who were recalled to prison.
5 min read
Potential problems
However, Labour’s justice minister Jake Richards warned MPs in January that abolishing IPP sentences retrospectively “would result in prisoners being released whom the independent Parole Board has determined are too dangerous”.
Meanwhile, Sir David Gauke, the ex-Tory justice secretary who helped Labour craft the early release scheme, has warned that freeing IPP prisoners could be even riskier than releasing killers and rapists early.
Patel to be replaced by Tugendhat in Tory reshuffle
Ex-Tory leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat is set to replace senior Conservative Dame Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary, it has emerged.
New international role for Patel
Dame Priti said she would now look to strengthen Tory links with global centre-right and fellow conservative parties through a new “international role”.
Tugendhat, her reported replacement in Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet, returns to the frontbenches, having previously served as security minister under former Tory prime ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
China hawk Tugendhat
- Patel called for stronger action to protect the UK from threats posed by China, Iran and Russia.
- Tugendhat is one of the most hawkish MPs on China and has campaigned against plans for the new super embassy in London.
- He has been on the backbenches since a failed Tory leadership campaign in 2024.
3 min read
Tory reshuffle continues
The move comes as part of Tory leader Badenoch’s impending reshuffle of her frontbench, with the role of shadow housing, communities and local government secretary also vacant after Sir James Cleverly quit to run for London mayor.
5 min read
2 min read
Weekend lie-in may be good for your health
Having a lie-in at the weekend may actually have health benefits, new research suggests.
Here’s what we know.
No shame for sleeping in
Researchers from Korea University gathered data on 41,000 adults over a seven-year study, measuring participants’ “catch-up” sleep at the weekend as well as their blood pressure and level of physical activity.
One key takeaway, the team said, was that people should not feel “lazy or guilty” for staying in bed a little longer at the weekend.
4 min read
Weekend slumber: facts and figures
Blood pressure boost
1 h 27 min
The study showed one to two hours extra sleep helped maintain good health.
Sleeping for an extra hour and 27 minutes resulted in .
9%
This amount of extra sleep was linked to a nine per cent less chance of high blood pressure.
The study also found any level of extra sleep on the weekend was linked to a six per cent lower likelihood of high blood pressure.
But don’t overdo it…
When weekend catch-up sleep becomes excessive, the degree of sleep irregularity and circadian disruption may increase, which could offset that benefit.
Dr Nawton Lee, korea university
A common problem
It comes as one in three adults in Britain have high blood pressure, or hypertension. The average British adult also records less than the NHS-recommended seven to nine nightly hours of sleep.
Despite being symptomless, high blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
4 min read
4 min read
Labour MP Luke Akehurst, who opposes the 2034 plan, told The i Paper: “This is the final say for campaigners, MPs and the public to respond to the Government’s consultation and urge them to save free terrestrial television.”
Opponents have cited the increased threat by hostile states such as Russia and the potential cost to vulnerable and low-income viewers as reasons to delay the timeline.
National emergency fears
Moving to online-only TV too early would leave Britain more vulnerable to cyber attacks from countries like Russia, media consultancy Liberty Sky Advisors warned in a report last week.
The report, titled “A Risk Too Far”, found that switching off Freeview in 2034 “would give up the one broadcast network the UK controls” – of 1,100 digital terrestrial television transmission masts – “just as hostile states step up their targeting of British infrastructure”.
Russia has in recent weeks ramped up threats against the UK and Nato as Britain hardens its stance. The Government would need a reliable transmission system to send emergency messages to the public if an attack happens.
The study quoted military figures who warned that a Russia-based internet hack could shut down TV networks reliant on streaming or even allow the perpetrators to hijack stations and control broadcasts.
Ian Whittaker, the report’s author, said: “It’s a national security decision. Choosing 2044 is not kicking the can down the road. It is what the Government’s own analysis points to. And the broadcasters get a decade to make the move in an orderly way, rather than in a rush against a deadline.”
Impact on vulnerable viewers
Opponents of the 2034 plan also fear that switching off Freeview could cut off millions of elderly, rural and low-income viewers who would be required to sign up to broadband contracts, costing up to £300 a year, to watch TV that is currently free.
Although the number of homes reliant on Freeview is predicted to drop to below one million by 2034, around five million UK homes are still waiting for access to full fibre broadband.
Akehurst said: “I fear with a rushed switch-off, the costs could be borne by those with the least. That’s why I’m urging the Government to protect free TV until at least 2044.”
However, supporters of the earlier switch-off said that Freely, the streamed free TV replacement for Freeview that offers around 70 channels including all BBC services, is expected to be in 10.5m households by 2034.
Freeview switch-off will deliver benefits
With new forecasts suggesting the number of UK homes without broadband in 2034 would drop to just 220,000, supporters believe there is a growing readiness among audiences for internet-only TV.
Natalie Ceeney, chair of the Connection Project representing broadcasters and connectivity providers said: “Delaying until 2044 would not protect those most at risk of digital exclusion but leave them relying on a declining service for another decade, only to require them to switch anyway.”
Ceeney said that setting a 2034 timetable “creates an opportunity that goes far beyond television.”
Nationwide digital connectivity would also allow people greater control over how they manage other parts of their lives, such as health and money, proponents say.
More money for shows if 2034 switch-off
Viewers could benefit too, according to a report published last week by media analysts Oliver & Ohlbaum.
The analysis found that Britain’s public service broadcasters spend around £156m a year broadcasting Freeview through home aerials, at the same time as paying to deliver those same channels over the internet.
Switching off Freeview would therefore allow the BBC, ITV and others to spend more money on programmes.
But critics pointed to a significant outage suffered by Freely last week, leaving viewers unable to access most channels for more than 24 hours.
A Freely source said the outage was caused by an issue with third-party software and had nothing to do with the internet.
Maintaining Freeview meant viewers had a “reliable fall-back option for watching live TV”, media consultant Christy Swords said.
“Thankfully, this issue occurred in the dog-days of summer. A few weeks earlier and hundreds of thousands – maybe, even millions – of viewers could have lost access to England World Cup matches on ITV1. That would have taken some explaining.”
Burnham must be ‘bold’
“Television is moving to the internet. The real argument is about how fast it happens, who pays, and whether our latest Prime Minister will be bold enough to tell millions of people he’s turning off their telly.”
Ministers will make a decision on the switch-over date later in the year.
A Government spokesman said: “The Government believes there is a strong case for a long-term transition to IPTV (streaming TV), but no decisions have been made. The purpose of the Media Green Paper is to gather views from across the sector and the public before any final decisions are taken.”
“Any future transition would only proceed once we are confident the right safeguards, infrastructure and support are in place so that everyone can continue to access television affordably, securely and with confidence.”