In a moment of controversy no one could have predicted, more than 35,000 people have signed a petition to have Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby removed from This Morning.
The two otherwise beloved daytime TV presenters were seemingly spotted jumping the queue to see Queen Elizabeth II‘s coffin during her state funeral on Monday, 19 September and people have been left outraged.
It didn’t help their case that footage circulating on social media showed the ITV duo being escorted around the gates lining the 13-hour-long queue and straight into Westminster Hall.
The Change.org petition has now surpassed 37,000 signatures, with the description stating that ‘ITV should be ashamed of exploiting the situation’ and allowing the pair to ‘push pass thousands’ that had been waiting overnight.
Phil and Holly had been airing special episodes of This Morning throughout the official period of mourning and issued a special message of clarification denying the accusations, insisting they would ‘never jump a queue’ and that they were obviously given access specifically for press coverage.
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Those online are even unhappy with their so-called ‘apology’, arguing that they could have delivered a more sincere piece to camera.
With respect, I’m not impressed with this explanation of why Phil and Holly were there. You couldn’t do a piece to camera in there so what was the point? Stating it was the most profound moment of your life made it worse. You could have queued for that, surely? #ThisMorningpic.twitter.com/EbxmRYxytL
Speaking on Tuesday morning’s episode, Phil and Holly stated: “Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists, we were given official permission to access the hall.
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“It was strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event for millions of people in the UK who have not been able to visit Westminster in person.”
They went on to explain that hey had to be quickly escorted around the edges of the platform where the Queen’s casket was displayed rather than being given time to pause and reflect like others, adding that ‘none of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone’s place in the queue’.
That being said, the two acknowledged that the footage didn’t look great, whether they had special journalistic dispensation or not.
More specifically, around 250,000 people queued up to see the Queen lying in state, with some reports suggesting people waited as long as 17 hours to say goodbye to the late monarch.
Laura Harrison, who created the petition, concluded that people’s ‘feelings on the monarchy’ shouldn’t matter and that the anger is more about ‘the TV show being toxic’ going so far as to suggest it ‘humiliated’ others ‘in the same way Jeremy Kyle’s show did.’
Featured Image – BBC
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Glitzy Manchester restaurant KAJI has quietly shut down
Daisy Jackson
A glamorous Manchester restaurant famed for its Japanese cooking and sushi has quietly closed its doors for good, it seems.
KAJI, on Bridge Street, has pulled table reservations and repossession notices have been stuck into its windows.
The glitzy, futuristic restaurant made a pretty big impact on the city’s dining scene since opening in 2022 – but not always for the right reasons.
It first launched as MUSU, and hit headlines when vandals smashed the windows and threw paint all over the restaurant space in the middle of a busy Valentine’s Day service.
It attracted other famous faces too, including Man City boss Pep Guardiola, and Jason Derulo.
Then in 2024, the restaurant rebranded to KAJI, promising dishes cooked over fire in ‘homage to ancient Japanese cooking techniques’.
And last year it received a review in The Telegraph, where William Sitwell said that KAJI was ‘all tummies, bald heads, tattoos and heat’, describing the experience of eating there as ‘brash (and pricey) torture’.
KAJINotices in the windows of KAJI
But now, it appears the business – which launched a new menu concept just weeks ago – has oh-so-quietly shut its doors for good.
When you try to book a table, no availability is showing.
And walking past its glamorous Bridge Street location now, you can see repossession notices have been displayed in the windows.
It appears that the landlords of the building took possession way back on 10 April – and KAJI has been silent on social media ever since.
‘Prolific’ burglar jailed following crime spree with dozens of incidents across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed following a four-week crime spree in Greater Manchester.
Callum Daniels, of no fixed abode, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday 29 April 2026), after previously pleading guilty to 19 offences committed over a four‑week period between December 2025 and January 2026, primarily in the Ashton-under‑Lyne and Audenshaw areas of Tameside.
His sentencing comes after an investigation, led by officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Tameside Neighbourhood Crime Team, linked Daniels to dozens of offences – including burglaries of homes and business, attempted burglaries, and thefts from vehicles.
In late December of last year (19 December 2025), Daniels broke into a business on Stockport Road by gaining access through the roof and stealing goods.
He later targeted another premises on two separate occasions, forcing entry and stealing cash, alcohol, and cigarettes, and then in January 2026, he targeted properties in Ashton where he attempted to force doors, searched vehicles, and in one case, even entered a family home while the occupants slept upstairs, and proceeded to steal high‑value items like laptops, a games console, and bank cards.
Police trawled through CCTV footage, clothing comparisons, and recovered stolen property that linked Daniels to the offences, before he was subsequently arrested on 20 January 2026.
Daniels was sentenced and jailed for five years this week.
Speaking following Daniels’ sentencing, Sergeant Playford, of GMPs’ Tameside Neighbourhood Team, said: “Callum Daniels carried out a sustained series of offences which caused fear and disruption across several communities. His actions showed a clear pattern of targeting homes and vehicles during the night, regardless of the impact on victims.
“In total, more than 20 victims across Tameside were impacted, with losses including cash, personal belongings, household items and damage to properties.
Danny Jones -
21st September 2022 
