This new radio rival wants to be the next Boom - with help of ex-BBC presenters

The BBC faces competition from a new sports radio station, which is fronted by the broadcaster’s former stars and hopes to emulate the success of Radio 2 rival Boom Radio.

Track Radio, mixing sports discussion with upbeat rock and pop, has hired Mark Pougatch, the former 5 Live presenter who led ITV’s football coverage, to front the drive-time show.

Six Nations rugby specialist Sonja McLaughlan has taken the afternoon slot with Vassos Alexander, Chris Evans’s Radio 2 sports presenter sidekick.

What Burnham as PM could mean for your taxes

Will World Cup be too hot for players? Scientists think so

Patsy Kensit to return to Emmerdale after two decades

Dentists reveal how to choose the best toothpaste

All the acts set to headline World Cup final half-time show

How a Labour leadership race actually works

How Burnham as PM may affect tax, welfare and immigration

There are reports that Andy Burnham is poised to attempt a dramatic comeback to Westminster. His record in government, mayoralty in Manchester, and a string of disagreements with Downing Street give a clearer picture of what his premiership might look like.

Can he make a bid for PM?

A path to parliament

Burnham’s allies claimed he found a Labour MP ready to stand aside so he could return to parliament.

He cannot stand in a leadership contest without a seat. He was blocked from securing one in January.

But with over 90 MPs calling on Starmer to go, pressure on the Prime Minister is growing.

Welfare spending and the NHS

Burnham has been among the most vocal Labour figures to oppose the Government’s welfare cuts. He is unlikely to continue the scale of cuts to welfare spending currently being pursued.

Burnham was health secretary under Gordon Brown between 2009 and 2010. His core argument is that the NHS and social care must be fully integrated into a single publicly run system, free at the point of use – what he calls a National Care Service.

What about tax and the economy?

Burnham has consistently argued that Britain taxes work too heavily and wealth too lightly.

He proposes a revaluation of council tax bands, land value taxation reform and replacing inheritance tax with a “care levy” to fund a National Care Service.

He caused turbulence when, in 2025, he said politicians needed to “get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets”.

What Burnham as PM could mean for your taxes, welfare and immigration

Immigration and foreign policy

Burnham has criticised the Government’s hardline stance on immigration, suggesting he would be less aggressive in pursuing lower net migration figures. In foreign policy, he was one of the first senior Labour figures to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, and urged the Government to recognise Palestinian statehood in 2025. He also said he hoped to see the UK rejoin the EU.

Inside the Burnham campaign launch plan – and the seat he's targeting

Burnham allies 'offer MPs peerages to stand aside' so he can run for PM

Watch more from The i Paper

@theipaper “Andy Burnham’s allies have been offering peerages to MPs willing to stand aside so he can return to Westminster, The i Paper has been told. Multiple sources claim the Mayor of Manchester’s allies have been making moves to position him for any leadership challenge which may come after the local elections. The results are likely to pile further pressure on Sir Keir Starmer, who has long known that these elections could be make or break for his premiership.” #Westminster #Parliament #KeirStarmer ♬ original sound – The i Paper – The i Paper

“Andy Burnham’s allies have been offering peerages to MPs willing to stand aside so he can return to Westminster, The i Paper has been told. Multiple sources claim the Mayor of Manchester’s allies have been making moves to position him for any leadership challenge which may come after the local elections. The results are likely to pile further pressure on Sir Keir Starmer, who has long known that these elections could be make or break for his premiership.” #Westminster #Parliament #KeirStarmer

Fifa is risking player safety in heat at World Cup, scientists say

World-leading scientists have said Fifa’s current heat safety measures for the 2026 World Cup are “inadequate” and could risk serious harm for players.

International experts in health, climate and sports performance have called on Fifa to introduce stronger measures. Heat is expected to be an issue at the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico. Researchers said temperatures at 14 of the 16 stadiums in use could exceed dangerous levels.

The stunning assist that resurrected Phil Foden’s World Cup hopes

Fifa has introduced compulsory three-minute cooling breaks in each half of all matches.

There will be climate-controlled benches for technical staff and substitutes at all outdoor matches.

Fifa uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) as a heat measure, which assess heat stress on the body.

If the WBGT is near, at or above 32°C, match organisers will agree precautions to prevent harm.

I coached Courtney Lawes in France – even at 38, he should be in World Cup squad

An open letter has been signed by 20 experts, including leading academics from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe. They want Fifa to change its approach, including:

Delaying or postponing matches above 28°C WBGT.

Longer cooling breaks of at least six minutes.

Improved cooling facilities for players.

Regular updates to guidelines based on the latest science.

Things can go wrong quickly

Player safety is an immediate and urgent concern because things can go wrong very quickly when people overheat. We’re worried that Fifa is playing recklessly with the health and safety of players. andrew simms, director of the new weather institute

Player safety is an immediate and urgent concern because things can go wrong very quickly when people overheat. We’re worried that Fifa is playing recklessly with the health and safety of players.

Patsy Kensit is making a return to Emmerdale

Patsy Kensit will return to Emmerdale after two decades to reprise her role as Sadie King. The actress played the villainous character on the ITV soap for a two-year stint between 2004 and 2006.

Sadie King arrived in the Yorkshire Dales by helicopter as the glamorous, scheming wife of Jimmy King.

Her devious ambition drove dramatic storylines including a house explosion and high-stakes affair.

'I didn't speak until I was 10 – but now I'm in Emmerdale'

A closer look at her career

Kensit went on to play Faye Morton in Holby City between 2007 and 2019.

“I am really excited to return to Emmerdale. I treasure the years I was here before,” she said.

“Sadie King is a character that I really loved playing. The cast and crew are absolutely brilliant and I am so grateful for the chance to return to the show.”

Her character will return to the soap later this year.

Be prepared for drama

Her return will be explosive and guaranteed to shock. Sadie’s seductive demeanour, combined with her utterly ruthless nature, are set to deliver a spectacular and highly dramatic touch of class to the Yorkshire Dales Laura shaw, emmerdale producer

Her return will be explosive and guaranteed to shock. Sadie’s seductive demeanour, combined with her utterly ruthless nature, are set to deliver a spectacular and highly dramatic touch of class to the Yorkshire Dales

How to choose the best toothpaste, according to the experts

As the price of toothpaste rises in supermarkets, dentists reveal what you should look for on the box and which expensive extras can be avoided

Fluoride is the most important ingredient to look for in toothpaste, dentists told Sky News.

The amount of fluoride is listed on the side of the tube, and is measured in parts per million (ppm).

Dr Deepak Aulak, co-founder of Toothfairy, said the best fluoride level is between 1,350 and 1,500ppm for adults.

He said the ingredient helps with strengthening enamel and reduces the risk of decay.

Nine easy ways to make your teeth look better in a month, according to dentists

Fluoride is one of the biggest success stories in public health. It strengthens the enamel and dramatically reduces decay. Opt for fluoride-free if you enjoy the taste of higher dental bills. dr James davies, specialist orthodontist at quayside orthodontic

Fluoride is one of the biggest success stories in public health. It strengthens the enamel and dramatically reduces decay. Opt for fluoride-free if you enjoy the taste of higher dental bills.

Which brand is best?

Dentists said there isn’t a single “perfect” toothpaste for everyone, but supermarket owned brands are suitable as long as they have the right level of fluoride.

A premium toothpaste can feel nicer, but doesn’t add protection. Dr Davies said: “You are often paying for the flavour, branding, fancy packaging and the celebrity smile.”

What ‘s best for children?

Fluoride is still important for children but they need less of it in their toothpaste.Under-threes should use a “smear of toothpaste” that contains at least 1,000ppm fluoride, Dr Aulak said. Children aged three to six should have a “pea-sized” amount.

England’s worst dental blackspots revealed, with patients pulling out own teeth

Madonna, Shakira and BTS to headline World Cup half-time show

They will co-headline the Super-Bowl style show at the tournament this summer, which is being hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

The first ever half-time show

Pre-match performances at showpiece occasions such as the Champions League final are common, but this is set to be the first half-time show at a World Cup final.

The final is taking place in New Jersey on 19 July.

The show will be 11 minutes long, according to the BBC, and has been curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

The performances will raise money for the Fifa Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative raising $100m (£73m) for children around the world.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the show “will be a historic moment for the Fifa World Cup”.

Who are the performers?

Madonna is the best-selling female music artist of all time. She is currently preparing to release her 15th album, Confessions II, on 3 July.

The seven members of boyband BTS are the best-selling music act in South Korean history. They are returning after a three-year break to complete mandatory military service.

A closer look at the detail

Colombian singer Shakira is releasing her official World Cup song ‘Dai Dai’, on Thursday. The title is an Italian phrase meaning “let’s go” or “come on”.The track also features Nigerian singer Burna Boy.

England should take Rio Ngumoha to the World Cup – who cares if he's 17?

How a Labour leadership challenge would actually work

Labour has never removed a sitting prime minister in its 126-year history. After the party lost more than 1,400 councillors in Thursday’s local elections, that record is under serious threat.

Pressure is mounting for Sir Keir Starmer to step down or set a timetable for when he will.

Over 90 MPs have called for Starmer to quit, while four ministers and six parliamentary private secretaries have resigned.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is reportedly preparing a formal leadership challenge.

The five stages of contest

1An election would begin if either Starmer resigns or a challenger comes forward to force him out.

2Candidates must get the backing of at least 81 Labour MPs to be successful, with extra requirements if Starmer resigns.

3The contest starts if enough candidates have secured sufficient backing.

4Once it begins, Labour’s National Executive Committee sets out the rules.

5Paid-up Labour members and affiliated trade union supporters vote for their preferred leader.

Why this could benefit Starmer

The contest uses a preferential ballot where members rank candidates.Polling showed that Andy Burnham was the first preference of 42 per cent of members, but he is not an MP and would need to win a by-election.Without him, votes are more evenly distributed amongst candidates, which could allow Starmer’s second-preference support to prove decisive.

The five stages of a Labour leadership challenge – and why it favours Keir Starmer

Streeting allies 'begged' Starmer loyalist MPs not to back PM

While the BBC Sports department is facing a fresh round of cuts, with staff absorbing the recent decision to axe Football Focus, its former presenters are joining a new radio station masterminded by John Inverdale.

The distinguished broadcaster, who brought audiences rugby, tennis, football and athletics during 30 years at the BBC, has been hired to advise on the “tone” and line-up for the station, backed by investors including former Tory minister Baron Goldsmith.

“Track is doing what no one else is doing,” Inverdale told The i Paper.

“There’s always been a connection between sport and music. Why do so many football teams run out to music? Isn’t it easier not to change channels if one station is doing both?

“It’s the kind of station I would have listened to if it had been there for the past 40 years.”

Track, which began broadcasting this week, has received a good luck message from the founders of Boom Radio, the station which capitalised on Radio 2’s move to appeal to 30-somethings by poaching its older listeners and former DJs.

“Boom said, ‘Here’s a gap, let’s fill it.’ It was an absolute genius move,” Inverdale said. “One of the great things about Boom is, if you like music, you genuinely have no idea what the next record is going to be.”

Inverdale, famed for his seamless anchoring of events ranging from Wimbledon to the 2012 Olympics, will not be reserving a plum on-air slot for himself.

“At the moment there’s no ambition to present a show,” he said.

He has his eye on one much-loved BBC radio star whose departure left listeners bereft. “Liza Tarbuck is utterly brilliant. She’s bookended my Saturdays for seven years. I always left whatever I was doing after a game to listen to her in the car home. How could she leave Radio 2 before the season ended?”

“Can we afford you Liza?” asked Inverdale, who said he would return to the airwaves if Tarbuck wanted to present a “double header” show.

BBC right to axe Football Focus

After 30 years as a frontline presenter, Inverdale accepts the BBC has to make tough decisions to remain relevant, including axeing Football Focus.

“Everything has its day, que sera sera. I was there when they axed Grandstand and the angst at the BBC was like a Royal Family member had died.”

The BBC will increasingly be outbid for sports rights, including this summer’s Commonwealth Games which have gone to TNT Sports, now HBO Max.

“It’s what your priorities are. Say there’s a smart car you want, you probably could afford the car but you’d have to do without something else. Those are the decisions you have to make.”

Widely admired for his professionalism, Inverdale revealed that Gary Lineker “used to come in and watch my show with a notepad and pen writing down ‘do this, don’t do that’ when he was still playing”.

But the veteran broadcaster regrets that some on-air remarks marred his later BBC years.

Politicians complained to the BBC director-general in 2013 when he suggested that Wimbledon ladies champion Marion Bartoli had needed determination to succeed because she was “never going to be a looker.”

Inverdale, who apologised on-air for the “clumsy” phrasing of his attempt to praise Bartoli’s fighting spirit, said of the social media backlash such mistakes now prompt: “You can say sticks and stones… but of course it hurts. It goes with the territory. It’s the world we live in.”

The 68-year-old added: “The danger with so much broadcasting now is it’s pre-thought. ‘That’s a really good line but I’d better not say that in case it offends somebody.’ There are wider questions about our society and freedom of speech. But you just have to be sanguine and phlegmatic, it’s the way it is.”

AI reports can’t replicate human drama

Inverdale is passionate about the power of live radio over what he called the “sterility” of podcasts. “The [radio] presenter becomes a friend, a confidante,” he said.

He called for caution over the widespread introduction of AI, currently being trialled by the BBC to produce a daily football new audio bulletin.

“Sport is never an exact science. AI can’t do a piece about Cole Palmer’s body language on Monday (the Chelsea player missed a penalty in a 3-1 home defeat by Nottingham Forest), why he almost walked around as if he had his hands in his pockets then sparked into life for the last five minutes.”

Track Radio is still in a start-up phase – it airs weekdays from 7am to 7pm and will not launch a Saturday schedule until it can find a way to be “distinctive” from the alternatives on sport’s busiest day of the week. The station needs advertising and sponsorship to pay its way.

But Inverdale is convinced there is a “gap in the market” Track can fill. His vision is a station where Fifa boss Gianni Infantino submits to a probing interview about whether he truly has “sport in his soul” in between blasts of Bryan Adams.

Sport itself can be always relied upon to provide the raw material. “Did you see Mark Allen miss that black ball in the snooker?” Inverdale asked of the moment that cost the player a place in World Championship final. “That’s drama you can’t create in any other form of life.

“You can say, ‘That was a great Shakespeare play,’ but I’ll have a bet most of the characters are dead by the end. The thing about sport is you just never know until the very last second.”