British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves meets with Comcast NBCUniversal’s Universal Destinations & Experiences Chairman and CEO Mark Woodbury, in London, Britain. — Reuters
Comcast NBCUniversal will invest more than £5 billion in building its first European theme park in Bedfordshire, north of London, supported by £1.3 billion of government money to upgrade road and rail links and other infrastructure.The resort, which was first announced in April 2025, will be named “Universal United Kingdom Resort”, the US media giant said on Wednesday.It will employ nearly 20,000 during construction and create a further 8,000 jobs when it opens in 2031, it added.Universal Studios has five resorts and parks in the US states of California and Florida as well as in Singapore, Japan and China, offering rides and attractions based on Jurassic Park, Harry Potter and other movie franchises.The company has said the UK park will feature “several themed lands” and aims to attract 8.5 million visitors in its first year.Once completed, the resort would mark Universal’s first move into the European theme park market, positioning Bedfordshire as a major new leisure destination and adding to the UK’s portfolio of large-scale tourism projects. The government support will focus on transport links and surrounding infrastructure needed to serve visitors and workers.British finance minister Rachel Reeves and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy joined Comcast chairman Brian Roberts in Downing Street to unveil the name and logo for the resort, with Nandy calling the investment a “huge vote of confidence” in Britain.Roberts said Comcast had a “long and proud history” in Britain through pay-TV business Sky, which is in talks to buy ITV’s broadcasting unit and NBCUniversal; and it looked forward to creating “a spectacular destination”.Comcast bought a 500-acre former brickworks in Bedfordshire, about 55 miles north of London, in 2023 for the park and it was granted planning permission in December 2025. — Reuters
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Universal to open first UK theme park
Linnets land former Leicester City prospect Lindsay
King’s Lynn Town have completed the signing of former Leicester City academy defender Jahmari Lindsay.The 21-year-old left-back arrives at The Walks after leaving The Foxes this summer, having been among 10 players released by the Foxes following their relegation from the Championship.Lindsay spent five years with Leicester after joining from Manchester United’s academy in 2021.New King’s Lynn Town signing Jahmari Lindsay at The Docherty Walks Stadium. Picture: Tim SmithRegarded as a highly promising prospect when he made the move to the King Power Stadium, the Manchester-born defender now takes his first step into senior football with the Linnets.Speaking after completing the move, Lindsay said he was excited to begin a new chapter in his career.“It feels good, to be fair. I’m delighted,” he said.“It’s obviously a new chapter in my career and I’m excited to get started. “My agent got in contact with Paul and sent him a couple of clips. “We spoke on the phone and from that conversation I could see there was a good future for me here and that it would be a good place to take my game to the next level as a professional footballer.”After seeing his Leicester career come to an end, Lindsay admitted he felt the time was right to seek regular men’s football.“To be honest, I could see it coming,” he said. “As you get older, clubs naturally want to push the younger players through. I felt it was the right time for me to move on, find somewhere I could play men’s football regularly and take the next step in my career.“Men’s football gives me a platform to showcase my skills and my love for the game. Hopefully I can show the King’s Lynn fans what I can do and help the club have a successful season.” Lindsay, who featured more than 70 times for Leicester City’s under-18 and under-21 sides, believes the physical nature of National League North will suit his game.“I’m an energetic player who contributes in both attack and defence,” he said. “I work hard for my teammates and for the manager. I’m quick, strong and I like getting into tackles.” I enjoy getting crosses into the box and arriving in dangerous areas, but I’m also prepared to do the defensive side of the game when needed.“I know the league is physical, and that’s one of the strongest parts of my game. I’m looking forward to showcasing that side of my game.”Manager Paul Caddis believes the club have secured a player with significant potential despite interest from clubs higher up the football pyramid. “We’re delighted to welcome Jahmari to the football club,” said Caddis.“He comes to us from the highly respected academy system at Leicester City, where he has developed into an exciting young player with tremendous potential.“Jahmari offers us huge athleticism both in and out of possession down the left-hand side.”He is a player blessed with great pace and has the quality to provide a real attacking threat, whether that’s driving forward with the ball, creating opportunities for team-mates, or impacting games in the final third. “We’re pleased to be able to provide Jahmari with a platform to continue his development and take the next step in his career.”There was interest from clubs at higher levels, so we’re particularly delighted that he has chosen to join us.”Caddis added: “Jahmari is a hungry, ambitious young player who wants to improve and succeed, and I’m sure our supporters will see someone who gives everything for the football club every time he pulls on the shirt.”Lindsay becomes Lynn’s fifth summer acquisition, following the arrivals of Ronnie Hollingshead, Aaron Jones, Zak Mills, Noah Rubio. We have launched a twice-weekly newsletter covering sport in Fenland and West Norfolk.To subscribe, visit: https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/newsletter
Traffic calming measures to improve road safety in March
A public consultation on the plans ran from 4 to 25 February and received four concerns and one letter of support for the plans.One resident did not believe the speed limit had contributed to incidents on the road, but supported introducing the traffic island to help with vehicles cutting the corner when turning onto the west end part of the road.In response to the objections, council officers said the island would be combined with the speed pads to “provide a more effective traffic calming solution over a greater length of road”. They added: “Regarding noise and vibration, these are generally associated with vehicles traversing traffic calming measures at excessive speeds.”The proposed design, including narrowing with the island, is intended to encourage lower vehicle speeds and smoother vehicle movements, which should help to minimise such effects.”
Strong financial performance praised
Staffordshire County Council has successfully balanced its books, while spending two thirds of its budget on vulnerable residents, and investing in infrastructure.
A final report on the authority’s financial performance for 2025/26 shows that the council delivered within one per cent of its £753 million budget.
Of that almost £330 million was spent on adult social care and £223 million on services for vulnerable children, young people and their families.
Sean Bagguley, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for Finance and Resources, said:
Successfully delivering a £753 million budget with a small surplus in the face of rising costs for fuel, materials and wages is an excellent achievement.
This is the result of consistently strong, detailed management with a focus on delivering the services people need, while remembering that every pound of public money must be spent wisely.”The report to Cabinet shows that despite rising demand for social care, the council underspent by 0.89 per cent of its £753 million budget.
At the same time, a combination of successfully obtained Government grants, and statutory contributions from housing and supermarket developers, have allowed the council to oversee the investment of £74 million on highways projects, and more than £29 million on building new schools, while expanding or upgrading others.
Those highway projects have included extensive maintenance on the A4091 in Fazeley; improvement work in the centre of Tamworth; and new cycle routes and improved crossings in Newcastle, helping connect Keele University with Stoke train station.
Investment in schools included in Oldfields Hall Middle School, Uttoxeter; Blythe Bridge High School; Shortbutts Lane, Lichfield; Paulet High School, Burton; and Dunstall Park, Tamworth.
Sean Bagguley added:
A council that cannot control its budget cannot meet its promises to residents.
We will continue to meet our day-to-day responsibilities while investing in Staffordshire’s future.”
Transfer news LIVE: Real Madrid open Enzo Fernández talks as Man Utd eye Cucurella
June 9th©IMAGO
The summer transfer window is approaching quickly on the horizon and clubs are already busy working on deals to acquire their top targets. For most clubs, planning will already be complete and they will have identified which players they want to sign, and which players they want to sell.
Managers will be constantly assessing their squads with sporting directors and recruitment staff scanning the market for potential deals this summer. The rumour mill is still gathering pace and we’ve collated some of the biggest current transfer stories – you can access the full rumour mill below.
Today’s biggest transfer storiesManchester United and Manchester City are keeping tabs on Marc Cucurella, according to reports in Spain. The 27-year-old is reportedly unhappy at Chelsea due to their failure to qualify for the Champions League and could be sold this summer with Real Madrid also interested.
Real Madrid have reportedly made contact with Chelsea over Enzo Fernández. Like Cucurella, Fernandes is another player considering his future at Stamford Bridge and the Argentina International has spoken on his desire to live in Madrid.
Bayern Munich hold an interest in Marcus Rashford with the England international destined to leave Manchester United this summer. Barcelona have a €30m buy-option that remains active until June 15th but they are hesitating over the costs involved.
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Keeping Bedford safe with series of knife sweeps
A series of knife sweeps were carried out across parks in the Borough by Bedford Borough Council’s Community Safety Team.
Council officers carefully searched areas in Bedford Park, Russell Park and Addison Howard Park in Kempston during three afternoons in May.
The recent knife sweeps help to keep parks and open spaces in the Borough free from hidden or discarded weapons, and continue to keep them a safe space for everyone to enjoy.
During the latest searches, Council officers did not find any concealed weapons or hazardous items.
This latest initiative is part of the Council’s commitment to tackle serious violence together with community partner, the Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Prevention Partnership (VEPP).
The knife sweeps also formed part of Operation Sceptre; a biannual national campaign aimed at reducing knife crime and serious violence across the UK.
Find out more about how Bedford Borough Council works with its partners to tackle violence and exploitation at https://bedsvepp.org/
Councillor Andrea Spice, Portfolio Holder for Economic Prosperity, Planning, Housing and Regulatory Services said; “To help minimise and combat serious violence in our Borough, our officers coordinated three knife sweeps in our parks to keep our well-loved green spaces free from weapons and dangerous items.
“We are determined to keep Bedford Borough safe for all and I am pleased to say that our officers did not find any targeted objects in the latest searches.
“We will continue to work closely with our community partners to ensure everyone across the Borough, young and old, is supported and continues to feel safe.”
Origi on the private training sessions which led to Champions League glory
Former Liverpool forward Divock Origi has announced his retirement from professional football on Monday afternoon – even though he is just 31Divock Origi (Image: (Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images))Divock Origi brought the curtain down on a career defined by iconic goals and major honours on Monday. And one of the forward’s most iconic moments in a Liverpool shirt had been months in the making.Origi wrote his name into the Anfield history books when he scored his side’s second goal in the 2-0 Champions League victory over Tottenham Hotspur in 2019. However, just a month before that game, the Belgium international starred with two goals, including the decider, when Liverpool beat Barcelona 4-0 in their Champions League semi-final second leg to overturn a three-goal deficit.And taking up the story of how things unfolded in the run up to the Reds winning the European Cup for a sixth time, Origi revealed that not only had he been due to leave Anfield for Wolverhampton Wanderers a couple of months before, but he had also visualised his big moment during private training sessions he was doing to improve his finishing.“When I came back from Wolfsburg, I was supposed to leave Liverpool,” he wrote in a special The Players’ Tribune. “Wolverhampton came with an offer of 30 million, and it made sense to go. I was out of the team. I wasn’t playing at all.“But when I prayed about it, for some reason it didn’t feel right. Something kept telling me to stay. And that’s when my faith kicked in. I can’t explain it, but I just felt like Liverpool was where God wanted me to be. I thought, It might not make sense now, but something good will come from this.“I stayed in Liverpool, and the first six months were extremely tough. Like I said, I wasn’t playing. I was doing heavy 5ks when I wasn’t in the matchday squad. Even during the 11 v 11 games at training I couldn’t participate. I had to be on the sidelines watching.“But Klopp was always there. I knew he believed in me. He’d always say, “Hey, keep training like this. Keep going.”“In private, I was training even more than anyone knew. It was like a little secret. The team used to train in the afternoon, and in the morning, I’d go to this little pitch in the city, and like every other day, I would go and just practice finishing — nothing but finishing. When the sun was rising, I’d load my balls up in the car, and I’d go on the pitch, hoping that there weren’t too many people there. I’d be praying no paparazzi snapped me. This little facility had six synthetic pitches. Sometimes you could rent all six, but usually not. And you put two small goals in the corner, and you had the big goal. And it was all about precision…… Now, visualize a moment, and finish.Divock Origi celebrates with Fabinho after scoring the fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg between Liverpool and Barcelona(Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)“You visualize it, you finish. You visualize it, you finish.“Like that for an hour. I was doing this in October, when I wasn’t even in the main team. But that drilling over and over, just transformed me. That gave me a different type of composure, beyond just being calm. It was like a focus. I started to really master my gift. At some point I was finishing on my left foot almost as well as my right.“Laces inside. Finish. Laces outside. Finish. Just simple.“Fast forward, and it’s the 2019 Champions League semifinals versus Barca at Anfield. It’s pure chaos. Liverpool went into it down 3-0. We had injuries. And Klopp put me in.“You visualize it, you finish. You visualize it, you finish. You visualize it, you finish.“The rest is history — our history. By the end of that year, I was a Champions League winner. And I’m the one that scored one of the two goals.”Divock Origi celebrates with the trophy after the UEFA Champions League finalOrigi agreed to move to the Reds in the summer of 2014 from Lille but remained with the French team on loan for another season.But the Belgium international was restricted to just 175 appearances during his time at Anfield – of which he only made 68 starts.However, many of his 41 goals during that time were memorable, including six derby strikes against Everton, a brace in the Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona in 2019 and the clinching goal in the subsequent final against Tottenham Hotspur.Joining AC Milan on a free transfer at the end of his Liverpool contract in 2022, the striker endured a difficult time at the San Siro, making only 36 senior appearances and scoring twice before leaving in December.He also had stints with Wolfsburg and Nottingham Forest and earned 32 caps for Belgium, scoring three goals. He retires from professional football at the age of just 31.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo’s dedicated LFC Facebook page
Two primary schools set to open in 2027 in Leicestershire
The county council said money from the authority and Section 106 developer contributions would be used to fund the school in Garendon Park, which it added would be the first of two primary schools in the 3,200-home housing development.It said Broadnook Primary School would be built using Section 106 developer contributions from Davidsons and Cora Homes to serve the housing development, which is currently being built.Councillor Charles Pugsley, cabinet member for children and families, said: “Our school organisation team worked brilliantly to ensure that we have the right number of school places on both developments to help our growing county.”It’s great that we’ve reached the stage now where we’re inviting academy trusts to express their interest in running these future schools, and I’m confident that we’ll see lots of interest and a competitive process, so children get the best possible education.”The council added it would invite academies to apply to run the proposed SEND school in Husbands Bosworth.It said it was carrying out engagement with residents with a view to submitting a planning application to Harborough District Council.
Turner Prize nominee unveils artwork at new Cambridge South station
Mark Titchner’s installation will welcome passengers when the station opens later this monthTurner Prize nominee’s artwork unveiled at stationAuthor: Emma SmithPublished 5 minutes agoLast updated 4 minutes agoA public artwork by Turner Prize nominee Mark Titchner has been installed at the new Cambridge South railway station ahead of its opening on 28 June.The piece, called Together We, has been fitted to the station’s stairway balustrades and explores themes of movement, connection and community.Titchner, who was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2006, drew inspiration from physician William Harvey, a former University of Cambridge student who was the first to identify the circulation of blood around the body.The artwork was commissioned by GBR Anglia and the station project team, with Network Rail saying it reflects both human circulatory systems and the movement of people through transport networks.Titchner said he hopes the installation will offer travellers “moments of reflection” during their journeys.As part of the project, the artist will also work with pupils at three Cambridge primary schools to create posters inspired by the artwork.Cambridge South station, next to Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, will become the city’s third railway station when it opens later this month.
Knife crime drops by 12% in Cheshire, says deputy commissioner
Recent efforts target knife crime among young peopleAuthor: Adam SmithPublished 4 hours agoLast updated 4 hours agoKnife crime incidents in Cheshire have decreased by 12 per cent compared to the previous year, with 508 serious offences recorded in 2025, according to Deputy Police Commissioner Gemma Southern.Southern shared the update at a recent meeting responding to queries from the police and crime panel, which monitors the work of the commissioner’s office.The panel had raised questions about the current strategies the commissioner’s office is deploying to address knife crime, particularly among young people.Southern noted Cheshire ranks as having the 11th lowest knife crime rate per 100,000 population in the UK.Recent CampaignsA week-long national campaign aimed at reducing knife crime last month resulted in the recovery of over 250 knives and bladed articles across Cheshire.”This year’s campaign saw a particular focus on children and young people,” Southern said.Authorities and community partners visited 38 schools and youth organisations across Cheshire, delivering educational sessions and demonstrations on the dangers of knife crime and gang culture.Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.
