The Prime Minister will meet football bosses and fans on Tuesday in a bid to halt football’s new European Super League.
Boris Johnson will take part in crunch talks with representatives from the FA, Premier League and supporters’ groups after six of England’s top clubs announced plans to breakaway and form their own division.
In a direct message to fans via The Sun newspaper, the PM said: “It is your game – and you can rest assured that I’m going to do everything I can to give this ludicrous plan a straight red.”
Fellow cabinet members have joined Johnson in his opposition to the new league.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the government will do “everything to protect our national game.”
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“The football authorities have robust rules in place to deal with this, and I know from my conversations today that they are rightfully considering a wide range of sanctions and measures to stop this move in its tracks,” he stated.
“My message to them was clear: they have our full backing. But be in no doubt: if they can’t act, we will. We will put everything on the table to prevent this from happening.”
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If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that football is nothing without its fans.
These owners are only the temporary custodians of their clubs; they forget fans at their peril. pic.twitter.com/W82mhFtrDu
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson denounced the Super League on Tuesday morning – claiming it was a concept “dreamed up by money men” and “must be stopped”.
Many local MPs have also expressed concern over the division – including Manchester’s Lucy Powell, who called it “disastrous for the game and its fans.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham echoed the sentiments of ex-Manchester United star Gary Neville – who has repeatedly called the proposals “disgusting.”
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Fans are united in their outrage over the #SuperLeague announcement. I've supported @ManCity from Division 2 to the Champions League and that's part of what makes our national sport what it is. These proposals will be disastrous for the game & its fans. My Question in Parliament pic.twitter.com/A4mpxTAEOh
The European Super League has even come in from criticism from the monarchy – with Prince William publishing a statement deploring the move.
Writing via the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s social media account, he stated: “Now, more than ever, we must protect the entire football community – from the top level to the grassroots – and the values of competition and fairness at its core.
“I share the concerns of fans about the proposed Super League and the damage it risks causing to the game we love.”
Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have all agreed to take part in the European Super League alongside Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan – which would have no promotion or relegation.
The division is set to be funded by investment bank JP Morgan – with participation expected to be highly lucrative for all the clubs involved.
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The chairman of the league – Real Madrid President Florentino Perez – claimed the tournament would “save football“.
He told Spanish TV: “We’re doing this to save football, which is in a critical moment.
“The important clubs in England, Italy, and Spain must find a solution to a very bad situation that football is going through.”
But critics have called the league “anti-competitive” – and anger has continued to mount since the official European Super League statement was released on Sunday evening (April 18).
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has already warned that players who take part could be banned from representing their countries at international level.
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On Monday, fans from clubs across England hung banners at stadiums protesting the formation of the league, with some claiming they would not return to watch their team if the division went ahead as planned.
During Liverpool’s game against Leeds last night, United’s players wore t-shirts bearing anti-Super League messages – including ‘earn it’ next to the Champions League logo and ‘football is for the fans’.
A plane also flew overhead trailing a ‘Say No To Super League’ banner.
The 14 Premier League clubs not involved in the Super League will discuss the situation together on Tuesday.
It is understood that the six clubs preparing to breakaway will not be invited.
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Government to begin giving millions of UK workers ‘significant’ pay rises from this week
Emily Sergeant
The Government is to begin giving more than three million workers across the UK a ‘significant pay boost’ from this week.
Announced as part of last year’s Budget, and in a bid to ‘put thousands of pounds back in the pockets of working people every year’, the Government confirmed back at the beginning of February that a new National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour, and a new National Minimum Wage of £10 per hour would take effect from April onwards.
Ministers said the 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage – which is now worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker – is a ‘significant step’ towards delivering the manifesto commitment to deliver a ‘genuine’ living wage.
Today, millions of working people will get a pay rise as the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage increase.
New rates:
🔹 from £11.44 to £12.21 if you’re 21 and over 🔹 from £8.60 to £10.00 if you’re 18-20 🔹 from £6.40 to £7.55 if you’re under 18 or an apprentice
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 1, 2025
On top of this, the National Minimum Wage for 18-20-year-olds is also set to go up by a record increase of £1.40 an hour, which means full-time younger workers eligible for the rate will see their pay boosted by £2,500 a year.
The minimum wage pay boot has also been called the first step towards removing the ‘unfair’ age-bands that see a 21-year-old getting paid more than a 20-year-old for doing the same job.
According to the Government, this is also the first time the National Living Wage has taken into account the cost of living and inflation.
Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise from this week / Credit: Pexels
“In the last Parliament, living standards were the worst on record and sky-high inflation was crushing working people’s finances,” commented Chancellor Rachel Reeves, explaining why the pay boosts are being introduced.
“Making work pay is good for workers, will strengthen businesses’ workforces, and will grow our economy for years to come.
“It’s a key milestone on my number one mission to get more money in people’s pockets as we deliver our Plan for Change.”
Not only that, but the minimum hourly wage for an apprentice is also set to be boosted later this year too, with an 18-year-old apprentice seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by 18% to £7.55 an hour.
As a result of these particular changes, a further four million workers also could benefit from the positive spill-over impacts of the rate increases.
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Manc -
20th April 2021 
