The 24-year-old did two things nobody - not even his teammate - has achieved so far this season.
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Oscar Piastri celebrates ‘perfect’ Bahrain Grand Prix victory to reach second in F1 championship standings
Scunthorpe steelworks debacle must be a wake-up call for Labour & an end to Miliband’s eco-madness
Lack of steel
LABOUR’S last-minute intervention may have saved the Scunthorpe steelworks and thousands of jobs for now.
It has also ensured Britain has avoided the humiliation of suddenly becoming the only G7 country without the ability to make its own vital virgin steel.
But what is the Government going to do about British Steel’s massive daily losses of £700,000?
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds — a man with zero experience of business who spent years saying he had been a solicitor when he hadn’t — is now in charge of its perilous future.
Whatever his skills, the truth is he cannot do anything to protect taxpayers from coughing up hundreds of millions of pounds to keep the plant going.
Not when the Government remains wilfully determined to press ahead with Net Zero madness and saddle the UK with the highest energy costs in the world.
Like most industries, British Steel cannot hope to compete globally while bearing such massive costs.
And how embarrassing is it that the Royal Navy remains on standby to escort Japanese coal bound for Scunthorpe just months after Ed Miliband bragged about banning new coal mines in this country for climate change reasons.
Keir Starmer likes to describe himself as a pragmatist.
So let the Scunthorpe debacle be a wake-up call for his Government.
And a turning point which finally signals an end to Miliband’s eco-madness.
Den of spies
MINISTERS like to talk tough on tackling underhand Chinese tactics aimed at destroying our steel industry.
So why is the Government seemingly so relaxed about allowing China a super embassy crawling with spies in the heart of London?
Even the Tories — who spent years sucking up to China on trade — blocked the plans on security grounds
Yet Rachel Reeves wants it to go ahead in return for a paltry £700million deal with Beijing.
Is that really worth the risk, Chancellor?
Non-stop tide
IT’S been four months since Labour announced it was planning tough sanctions against smuggler gangs.
In that time 8,000 illegal migrants have arrived — including 656 on Saturday alone — which is up 46 per cent on last year.
What the numbers will be by mid-summer is anyone’s guess.
Do ministers really think a clampdown on dinghy suppliers will make any meaningful difference?
Sanctions without deterrent are surely doomed to fail.
Moment furious Newcastle star Joelinton ‘offers Manuel Ugarte a SCRAP down the tunnel’ as he’s subbed off vs Man Utd
NEWCASTLE hero Joelinton appeared to invite Manchester United rival Manuel Ugarte for a tunnel fight in a “crazy” flare-up.
Brazilian midfielder Joelinton was being taken off in the Toon’s 4-1 home win when he clashed on the field with his Uruguayan counterpart.
Ironically, stand-in Newcastle boss Jason Tindall was taking the attacker off to help him avoid a booking and a ban.
But Joelinton looked furious as he argued with Ugarte, confronted him and was held back by two team-mates.
Observers believe the 28-year-old “offered to scrap” the former PSG anchorman.
Joelinton gestured to the tunnel and pointed to Ugarte as if inviting him there to sort it out afterwards.
Newcastle fans will be relieved that their exciting attacker avoided a yellow card in the skirmish.
That’s because he was just one booking short of a two-game suspension.
And Tindall was delighted to get Joelinton off the pitch before the matter could escalate again.
Newcastle were already 4-1 up at the time and certain to leapfrog Manchester City back into fourth spot.
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Joelinton was involved in the 77th-minute fourth goal for compatriot Bruno Guimaraes.
But two-goal Harvey Barnes was the Magpies’ surprise second-half matchwinner as United‘s defence once more made catastrophic errors.
Red Devils’ winger Alejandro Garnacho had earlier cancelled out Sandro Tonali’s opener before the interval.
And Joelinton making it off the pitch without seeing yellow completed a near-perfect day for Newcastle, whose manager Eddie Howe is still too unwell to attend.
But viewers were still unhappy with the Toon raider.
One claimed: “Joelinton should’ve received a red card for inciting violence.”
Another posted: “Why would he say that kind of thing?”
and a third said it would be “crazy” if Ugarte responded.
CBB to blame for Mickey Rourke exit as source blasts ‘they knew what they were doing putting him in with JoJo & Danny’
CELEBRITY Big Brother bosses were playing with fire when they recruited Hollywood hellraiser Mickey Rourke, it was claimed last night.
The actor “agreed to leave” the ITV house on Saturday night amid concerns over his aggressive behaviour and language.
A source said: “Big Brother knew what was going to happen when they booked bad boy Mickey Rourke.
“They wanted a lion but expected him to act like a lamb.
“They knew what they were doing putting him in alongside young people when he’s 72 and from a totally different generation.
“He never intended to offend anyone and had every intention of staying in there.”
After leaving, Rourke partied with pals at a £600-a-night hotel.
He then slept through the drama he left behind — but woke to the realisation his £500,000 fee is likely to be slashed.
The 72-year-old had been summoned into the show’s Diary Room following an altercation with Love Island’s Chris Hughes, 32.
During a pirate task, Rourke accused Chris of giving him a side eye and ranted: “Don’t eyeball me. Don’t f***ing eyeball me, you c***.”
Rourke had already offended JoJo Siwa, Donna Preston and Patsy Palmer.
In the Diary Room, Big Brother said: “This is not the first time Big Brother has had to speak to you about your offensive and inappropriate language and as a result Big Brother has no option but to ask you to leave the Big Brother house.”
Rourke — who sparked 89 official complaints from viewers for leering over host AJ Odudu on launch night — said: “Yes sir. I did wrong. I apologise. I stepped over the line ’cause I lost my temper.
“I’ve been trying to work on it my whole life.
“I’m ashamed of myself for losing it for a few seconds there. Nobody got touched or hurt.
“I just wanna pack my bags and leave.”
Rourke had warned The Sun he had a temper before entering the house, admitting: “I need to chill the f*** out.”
Mickey Rourke's Career Timeline
1970s: Early career
Mickey Rourke began his acting journey in 1971 after studying at the prestigious Actors Studio in New York, under the tutelage of Lee Strasberg. He appeared in minor roles in television shows and films to gain experience.
1978: Made his film debut with a small role in the Steven Spielberg-directed comedy-drama 1941.
1980s: Breakthrough and stardom
1981: Achieved recognition with his role as the arsonist Teddy Lewis in Body Heat, a neo-noir thriller starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner.
1982: Delivered a critically acclaimed performance in Barry Levinson’s Diner, showcasing his talent and earning attention as a rising star.
1983: Played a memorable role in Rumble Fish, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, alongside Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, and Dennis Hopper.
1986: Starred in 9½ Weeks, a provocative romantic drama opposite Kim Basinger. The film became a cult classic, cementing his status as a Hollywood leading man.
1987: Gave a standout performance in Angel Heart, a psychological thriller directed by Alan Parker, co-starring Robert De Niro and Lisa Bonet.
1990s: Career decline and transition to boxing
1991: Mickey shifted focus from acting to professional boxing, citing dissatisfaction with Hollywood and the roles he was being offered.
He competed in several matches and sustained injuries during his career in the ring leading which led to an addiction to plastic surgery.
Throughout the 1990s, Rourke’s film appearances were sporadic and mostly in lesser-known or poorly received productions.
2000s: Career comeback
2000: Returned to the screen in supporting roles, including in The Pledge, directed by Sean Penn, and Get Carter alongside Sylvester Stallone.
2005: Achieved a major career revival with his performance as Marv in Sin City, a visually striking neo-noir film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller.
2008: Delivered an award-winning performance in The Wrestler, directed by Darren Aronofsky. Rourke played Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a washed-up professional wrestler seeking redemption. The role earned him a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
2010s: Continued success
2010: Portrayed the villain Ivan Vanko/Whiplash in Iron Man 2, starring alongside Robert Downey Jr.
2011: Appeared in Immortals, a fantasy-action film directed by Tarsem Singh.
Throughout the decade, Rourke continued acting in smaller films and projects, maintaining a presence in Hollywood while occasionally taking on eccentric or offbeat roles.
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Manchester terrorist was ‘silent and grinning’ as he attacked 3 officers with makeshift ‘cooking tray’ knives
MANCHESTER Arena terrorist Hashem Abedi was “silent and grinning” as he stabbed and scalded three prison officers in a horrific attack, with sources saying it was a miracle they survived.
Monster Abedi hoarded sachets of butter before melting them down for a “hot oil” attack on a female prison officer.
The warder, in her 30s, was scalded and two male guards stabbed with makeshift knives when ambushed in the kitchen of a separation unit at HMP Frankland, County Durham.
Abedi, 28, made two 30cm knives out of cooking trays he was allowed to use and wrapped kitchen towels around them for handles.
Other extremists are thought to have helped him plot the horror and last night Abedi is believed to have been moved to another jail to keep him away from them.
A source said: “This is a terrorist attack in a prison, not just an assault. It was extremely serious and clearly pre-meditated and planned.”
Counter-terror police and the Ministry of Justice are investigating Saturday morning’s horror.
Life-threatening injuries
The female warder was discharged from hospital that afternoon.
Her two male colleagues, one in his 30s, the other around 60, were stable with life-threatening injuries.
The older prison officer was slashed in the neck on the jail’s E wing. His colleague was stabbed five times in the back and suffered a punctured lung.
That officer’s partner wrote on his social media his family had suffered “the worst day of our lives”.
She added: “Thank you to all the people with well wishes of love.”
A source said yesterday: “Abedi was completely silent and grinning as he carried out the attack.
“There is no doubt he wanted to kill and it is miraculous they all survived. But he was acting like a silent assassin.
“Prison staff think Abedi collected loads of sachets of butter or margarine, hid them and used dozens to make the hot oil.
“They don’t give out bottles of olive oil as it’s dangerous, but they also don’t monitor how many little sachets of butter you take.
“The attack came totally out of the blue and he first threw the boiling substance over the female officer then stabbed the two guys.
“All hell broke loose. The guy stabbed in the neck was walking down a corridor and holding his wound, with blood pouring out.
“He was particularly lucky to survive. Other officers raced to the scene and helped the injured guys while a riot team formed outside.
“Luckily the men responded well to treatment and both are talking.
“After the attack, Abedi was restrained by the response team.
“He stayed totally calm throughout and is obviously unhinged.”
A white prison van understood to be carrying Abedi and escorted by two police cars was seen leaving Frankland at 5.45pm last night.
At least six guards are believed to have led Abedi to the bullet-proof van for transfer to HMP Full Sutton, York, which has its own close supervision centre unit.
Mark Fairhurst, national chair of union the Prison Officers’ Association, called for access to cooking facilities and items to be removed.
The extremists on the unit could have been planning the attack right in front of the staff and they’d have been none the wiser.
Source
Our source said inmates on the separation unit, which houses only extremist inmates, often speak to each other in Arabic.
The source added: “The officers are mostly local and none speak Arabic. So the extremists on the unit could have been planning the attack right in front of the staff and they’d have been none the wiser.
“Abedi acted alone but probably colluded with others.
“It is the sort of wing where they put Islamists who are never going to change their mindset.
“The only way they can punish them is by removing TV privileges, or access to the kitchen. Unfortunately that is why Abedi was allowed in there.”
Abedi is serving at least 55 years’ jail for helping suicide bomber brother Salman plan the 2017 attack at Manchester Arena which killed 22 and injured more than 1,000 at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.
In 2022, Hashem Abedi and two prisoners were found guilty of a 2020 attack on two prison officers at Belmarsh in South East London.
Abedi was handed another three years, ten months over that assault.
Yesterday Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick urged the Ministry of Justice to “get a grip”.
The MoJ said: “There will be a full review into how this attack was able to happen, alongside the police inquiry.”
A Counter Terrorism Policing spokesperson confirmed: “The investigation into a serious assault of prison officers remains ongoing.
“We are keeping an open mind as we investigate to establish the facts.”
Latest figures show 27,000 assaults on jail staff and inmates in 2023, up 28 per cent in a year.
‘Too softon prison Islamists menace’
THE Government was last night urged to “get a grip” on jail safety as anger over soft-touch prison bureaucrats mounted.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick called the stabbing of three guards on Saturday “a catastrophic security failure”.
He called on the Ministry of Justice to address officer safety and tackle Islamic extremists “ruling the roost” in prisons.
Mr Jenrick asked: “Why was one of the most dangerous prisoners in the country allowed access to materials which could be used to attack prison officers?
“We need a full independent investigation into the catastrophic security failure at HMP Frankland.
“I and others warned of Islamist extremists ruling the roost in prison wings across the country. Prison governors need to stop appeasing these offenders.
“The safety of prison officers is infinitely more important than the supposed ‘welfare’ of wicked individuals. We need to know the truth and the Ministry of Justice needs to get a grip.”
Meanwhile, Professor Ian Acheson, former head of security at London’s Wandsworth jail, said he fears a prison officer will be murdered if the Government does take jail safety more seriously.
Calling on Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to take action, he said: “Unless you get a grip on this, there will be a prison officer murdered by a terrorist on your watch.
“Helpless indifference and incompetence by officials is intolerable.”
He added: “Any senior prison official who says today front-line officers should not be given personal protective equipment to protect them from knives because ‘it’s too militaristic’ should be sued into oblivion.
“Or sacked. Or both.
“The safety of staff trumps woke points for bureaucrats.”
Nigel Farage & Reform have been warning about steel industry for weeks – it’s no surprise they’re edging ahead in polls
HOW many more times will we see the men from the ministry arrive to take control of part of Britain’s dwindling industrial supply?
How many more emergency Commons debates will we need as ministers drive to strip carbon from our factories and homes in just 25 years?
Saturday’s surreal scenes in Westminster and Scunthorpe should serve as a line in the sand, before they become a monthly occurrence.
Whatever noble intentions our unilateral dash to Net Zero by 2050 may have once had, even its most enthusiastic supporters must surely accept this is not what the public were sold.
And I very much doubt even the least impressive lobby-fodder MPs would have blindly voted to mandate this into law if they knew what it really meant.
I can’t remember being told the Royal Navy would be on standby to escort imported coking coal at double the price had we mined it here, with heaven knows how many more polluting travel miles behind it.
Disaster movie
Did we really imagine sending junior officials from Whitehall to a three-day battle to keep a blast furnace going or risk losing it for ever — and with it our last domestic capacity to produce critical virgin steel?
Were we warned there would be an open acceptance, at Cabinet level, that a Chinese company had been deliberately driving a British plant into the ground, leaving us a dangerously vulnerable outlier in the West, entirely dependent on imports just as the world is becoming increasingly isolationist?
These read more like plot lines for the opening of a disaster movie rather than what was meant to be a week so quiet the PM had been due to go on holiday.
Surely someone in the Government is going to play the role of the boy in The Emperor’s New Clothes at some point and stand up and say: “Stop!”
Instead, before it is even clear the Scunthorpe plant can be saved, we have ministerial backslapping and lofty claims Labour have won the day for the national security interest.
Their Net Zero zealot-in-chief Ed Miliband, fresh from another expensive jolly around the world on another jet, even had the gall to claim it was a victory for a party “standing up for British steelworkers and industry”.
He boldly boasted: “This government is delivering the muscular industrial policy this country needs in uncertain times.”
Try telling that to North Sea oil and gas workers or the chemicals industry so reliant upon fossil fuels.
Or to the 2,800 skilled steelmakers fired from Tata last September in Wales.
Where was the emergency legislation then, despite similar cries for help?
And hey, at least if you drive what’s left of domestic manufacturing into the ground with impossible energy costs, there won’t be any goods for people to pay tariffs on!
No, the Net Zero reality check still seems some way off for Red Ed.
Declining industry
The most telling sign in the short term of any wake-up call will be whether Labour slams on the brakes on allowing hostile firms linked to Beijing to sweep through any more of our declining industry, or if we continue to hand them contracts to build the solar, wind and hydro infrastructure urgently needed if we are to even keep the lights on in the coming decades.
The mess in Scunthorpe proves Chinese firms, and their Communist Party overlords, cannot be trusted, despite warnings at the time that we were letting the fox into the hen house.
A giant wind farm in the North Sea is up for approval, with a Chinese firm in line to make the turbines and build factories in the UK as part of a promised £600million investment.
UK security services say it could allow Chinese spies unfettered access to monitor our subs and coastlines or to simply turn off the power.
Surely it is time to call that one in, given the very clear warning tale of British Steel?
But if climate jihadis like Miliband will still not now join the reality-based community when it comes to Net Zero, this will need to come down to the ballot box.
The Tories have more than a lion’s share of the blame for all this mess, but the reality is this Labour Government is now in power, and the music is stopping on their watch.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has been on her own Net Zero journey after loyally defending it in government, despite her own reservations — but the turn-around will still sit heavy with many voters, I suspect.
Humiliating drama
So it was no surprise to see Nigel Farage failing to swallow that light smirk of his when he popped up on the BBC yesterday to correctly point out he had been calling for a full renationalisation of British Steel days before Labour realised they were up the creek and ordered MPs back from the ski slopes and Easter holiday.
The Reform leader and his deputy Richard Tice have been sounding the Scunthorpe warning alarm for weeks, so it’s little surprise to see them edging back into the lead in some polls this weekend.
Labour triumphed last year in regaining their northern Red Wall heartlands, paving Starmer’s path to dominance in Parliament.
But analysis by pollster Peter Kellner shows their vote share in these industrial parts of the UK actually went DOWN in 31 critical seats.
They won them back because the Tory vote collapsed by a greater amount, thanks to Reform eating into their support.
Now Farage is warning the PM he is here to finish the job and take swathes of those seats for himself.
Net Zero will be front and centre of that push in the very parts of the country that will be hardest hit by the ideological fanaticism to hit it by 2050.
And should he succeed, Downing Street will only have themselves to blame.
After last week’s humiliating drama in Scunthorpe, no one can say they were not warned.
SWEETNESS and light in the Shadow Cabinet at last?
At a recent tactics meeting of Kemi Badenoch’s top team, her former leadership rival Robert Jenrick discussed an intriguing conversation he’d had with SNP leader Stephen Flynn.
His boss immediately grilled him on why on earth he was cavorting with the Scots nationalists.
Attempting to laugh it off, Jenrick smiled sweetly and replied: “Oh I’m friends with everyone”.
Which had some others round the table spluttering, given they suspect the ambitious Shadow Justice Secretary is not exactly a team player . . .
Masters 2025 LIVE SCORES: Rory McIlroy moves FOUR shots clear as golfing icon closes in on first-ever Green Jacket
WE have reached the FINAL day of The Masters 2025 – and it has been a thrilling Augusta climax so far with Rory McIlroy in the hunt for his first-ever Green Jacket!
Rory hit a birdie to move four shots clear and put the pressure on DeChambeau after him.
Bryson tapped in for par to stay at-9, but it means McIlroy has extended his lead!
- TV Channel/live stream: Sky Sports Golf (UK) / CBS(US)
Follow our live blog below for all the action from Augusta
Who is Rory McIlroy’s wife Erica Stoll, and how many children do the couple have?
MULTIPLE major winner Rory Mcllroy is married to Erica Stoll and she’ll be cheering her man on as he goes for the only one he’s yet to win — The Masters.
Their daughter Poppy made headlines after impressively holing a 25-footer in the Par 3 Contest on the eve of the prestigious event at Augusta National.
FOLLOW OUR MASTERS 2025 LIVE BLOG
Rory McIlroy is hoping to win the Masters for the first time ever TONIGHT!
A green jacket is the only major missing from the Northern Irishman’s impressive trophy cabinet.
The day before The Masters was due to kick off, his daughter Poppy putted a monster 25-foot putt on the ninth hole at the traditional Par-3 competition, with Rory’s wife Erica Stoll caddying the round.
On his Masters chances, the golf ace said: “I feel like I’m better equipped than I ever have been to challenge this golf course.
read more on erica stoll
“I’ve made a real conscious effort this year to really be diligent with my course management and sort of how I’m strategically trying to plot my way around the golf course.
“I’ve putted well this year, my around-the-green game has been really good.
“Every aspect of my game has been really, really solid.
“So I think putting all those things together this week is obviously the formula to getting the job done.”
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Who is Rory McIlroy’s wife Erica Stoll?
Erica Stoll was born in 1988 and raised in Irondequoit, New York, with her sister, Natalie Stoll.
However, Erica later moved to Palm Beach Gardens in Florida.
She was working for the PGA when Rory met her as the manager of the Championship Volunteer Operations for the PGA of America in 2011.
She has always had an interest in sports, leading her to understand the pressures of his job.
They actually first set eyes on each other in 2012 when Rory nearly ruined the Ryder Cup Miracle at Medinah by oversleeping.
Erica was the PGA employee who came to his rescue before police rushed him to the course that September morning.
I’ve made a real conscious effort this year to really be diligent with my course management and sort of how I’m strategically trying to plot my way around the golf course
Rory McIlroy
She is a keen sailor and is a fan of American dating show The Bachelor — so she’s somewhat of a romantic.
Erica loves to bake and made special cookies for the Ryder Cup.
The pair welcomed their first child, daughter Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, on August 31 2020.
When did they get married?
The couple tied the knot on April 21, 2017.
Their guest list included soul legend Stevie Wonder, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and One Direction’s Niall Horan.
Three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington and former Ryder Cup skipper Paul McGinley also attended McIlroy’s wedding in the grounds of Ashworth Castle — one of Ireland‘s top hotels.
A spectacular fireworks display was estimated to have cost more than £50,000 alone.
On August 31, 2020, the couple welcome their first child together, Poppy Kenney Mcllroy.
Why did Rory McIlroy break up with Caroline Wozniacki?
Rory was once engaged to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki until famously calling things off in 2014 after their wedding invitations had already been sent out.
That was just before the start of that year’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
He went on to win that week and then captured the Open and US PGA later that year.
Explained Rory: “I thought at the time that being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer.
“But it isn’t, because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world.
“And that’s why I feel in such a good place now. I don’t feel Erica wants to change me in any way.
“I can be myself around her; there’s no bulls**t, no acting, no show.”
What does Erica Stoll do for a living?
There is little known about Erica’s private life as she likes to stay away from the spotlight.
Read More on The Sun
When she met Rory in 2012, she was reportedly working for the Professional Golfer Association of America.
She joined the PGA after completing her university degree.
Horse racing tips: This 25-1 tip has gone close from this mark
SUN Racing’s Monday picks are below.
Back a horse by clicking their odds.
LONGSHOT
LIGHTENING COMPANY (3.35 Pontefract)
Goes well fresh and won this race two seasons ago. He is on a workable mark and the ground is spot on.
THIEF
JEWEL MAKER (4.05 Pontefract)
Goes well at the track and has gone very close from this mark over the winter.
NORTHENER (5.35 Pontefract)
Who has dropped down the weights and can sneak into this from a wide draw.
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Much-loved burger restaurant to shut down after eight years leaving locals ‘absolutely gutted’
A BELOVED burger restaurant has announced it will pull the plug after eight years next month.
Fast food spot The Meat Shack on Birmingham’s Thorp Street left loyal customers gutted when they announced their lease was coming to an end.
But revellers have been reassured after the restaurant’s owners said they were scouting out a new home for its relocation.
“It had to happen someday, and sadly that day is today! Our little ‘pop up’ is coming to an end after 8 years,” owners Paul and Cat wrote via a poignant Instagram post.
“The shack will be closing its Thorp Street doors on Saturday, 10th May.
“We managed to survive Covid and all the latest ups and downs of running a small business in this mad world we are all now living in, but this one is out of our hands, the lease has come to an end and the site is up for demolition/redevelopment so our time here has finally ran its course.
“It’s been a mad eight years here and we can’t express our thanks enough to every single customer/friend that has passed through the shack doors over those years.
“Also a massive thanks to all our amazing team over the years, we’ve been blessed with some absolute belters and I’m sure most of you reading will agree our staff have been a massive credit and formed the basis of what the shack is.
“Big love to our current team Blake, Sonny, Jenni and Dev who will be smashing them out for you until the end.
“We are leaving Thorp Street with our heads held high knowing we did our best and we still are the best.
“We’re not exactly sure what this means for the Meat Shack ATM as we haven’t managed to find a new home yet…
“Any ideas/suggestions drop them in a comment.
“It’s going to be a few more mad weeks here while we sort all this out, so please bear with us. It would be great to see all you guys down the shack for one last Mr C or Rnb. Or just come down grab a beer, drink us dry and say goodbye!
“We will be behind the bar or in the kitchen crying a lot.
“Either way we will be there until 10.05.25.”
TROUBLE ON THE HIGH STREET
Plenty of other retailers are closing stores across the high street as households lean more towards online shopping and amid high business rates.
Soaring inflation in recent years has also dented shoppers’ pockets.
The Centre for Retail Research’s latest analysis suggests 13,479 stores, the equivalent of 37 each day, shut for good in 2024.
Of those, 11,341 were independent shops while 2,138 were shut by larger retailers.
The data also showed over half the stores that closed last year were shut due to the store or retailer going through insolvency proceedings.
This is when formal measures are taken to deal with tackling a business’s debt.
What is happening to the hospitality industry?
By Laura McGuire, consumer reporter
MANY Food and drink chains have been struggling in recently as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.
Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny’s closing branches.
Some chains have not survived, Byron Burger fell into administration last year, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.
Pizza giant, Papa Johns is shutting down 43 of its stores soon.
Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will shut sites as part of major restructuring plans.