On Tuesday afternoon, the British fashion outlet unveiled its latest cover, in which the singer and actor is seen posing with her baby, whose name she has not disclosed.
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In her accompanying interview, Suki revealed that she and her partner, fellow actor Robert Pattinson, had “really planned” their decision to become parents.
Breaking into what Vogue described as “the hugest ear-to-ear smile”, she told the magazine: “One day we looked at each other and said, ‘Well, this is as ready as we’re going to be’.”
“I was like, ‘What can make more chaos?’,” she added with a laugh.
Describing the early stages of motherhood as “shocking”, Suki went on to recall how the former Twilight actor was “there with me and like all dads”.
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“He was really nervous, but for someone who’s quite an anxious person, he’s been very calm,” Suki noted, describing the Batman actor as “the dad I could have hoped for”.
Suki also admitted that her initial reaction to the news she was having a baby girl was to phone her mum “in floods of tears”.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my God, am I going to have to go through what [you] went through with me?’” she said.
“I was just such a little bitch. [My mum] usually loves telling my terrible teenage stories, but she was like, ’No, no, you were great. You were amazing, you were fine.”
During her performance, Suki joked to her fans that she wanted to “wear something sparkly today because I thought it might distract you from something else that’s going on”, referring to her pregnancy bump.
Concerns that postal ballots are not arriving at some voters’ doors have triggered a blame game between the Royal Mail and the government.
Here’s what happened, why it matters for Thursday’s general election – and what to do if you are yet to receive your own postal ballot.
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What’s happened?
There have been widespread reports that thousands of postal ballots have not being delivered in time by their local councils.
According to The Telegraph, more than 90 constituencies across England and Scotland – including seats where cabinet ministers are standing for re-election – have expressed fears that ballots have still not been delivered.
Why does this matter?
Postal voters have until Wednesday to cast their ballot by mail, otherwise they can take their ballot to the address on their postal voting pack during office hours before 5pm on polling day.
There were 1.3m postal vote applications made between May 22 and June 19, according to the Local Government Association, which represents councils.
It said: “This unprecedented increase adds more pressure to an already complex process and overburdened system.
“Councils and electoral staff across the country have been doing their utmost to ensure the smooth running of this election and that people can vote.
“We are aware of reports of incidents where delays have happened.
“The postal vote system could benefit from review and more could be done to support Royal Mail and printers to be ready to deliver elections.”
This delay with the postal votes is a particular issue in Scotland because school summer holidays have already begun – and some families have already left the country.
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The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said his party had warned the government this could happen if an election was held in July.
He told BBC Breakfast: “If their postal vote didn’t land in time then they’re now disenfranchised in this election.”
On Tuesday, Conservative minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News the government is “urgently” looking into why some voters are still waiting to receive their postal ballots.
She said postal affairs minister Kevin Hollinrake is taking this “very seriously” and speaking to Royal Mail.
Caulfield added: “I know there’s extra resources going into this to try and do a sweep of all the sorting offices and make sure they’re out there.”
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Hollinrake has publicly pressed Royal Mail to “do all they can” to ensure postal votes get to voters on time, while warning of a “resourcing issue”.
He told the Telegraph: “They have recruited extra people and I welcome that but they’ve got to make sure they’ve got the right number of people to deliver the mail at busy times like this.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Electoral Commission – which oversees UK elections – said there were pressures on the postal voting system due to the holiday season”.
It said it intends to carry out a review after the election, adding: “The vast majority of postal votes have been delivered, with tens of thousands landing on doorsteps over the weekend. We are not aware of any outstanding large-scale issues.”
What does Royal Mail say?
The organisation says it is delivering the postal ballots as soon as they can, and said where specific concerns have been raised, their investigations have confirmed they are “being delivered as soon as they arrive in our network”.
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A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We have no backlog of postal votes and, whilst we are not complacent, we remain confident that postal votes handed to us on time will be delivered prior to polling day.”
It is now calling for a review into the timetable of how the printing and administration of the ballots are handled before they are given to Royal Mail for distribution.
PM Rishi Sunak praised the organisation’s approach, saying: “It’s right that the Royal Mail have said that they will look at any concerns where they’re raised, because obviously we want to make sure everyone can vote because this is an important election.”
What happens if you receive your postal vote late?
If you have not yet received your postal ballot, you are advised to contact your local authority for a replacement.
You can take your postal vote to your local polling station on Thursday if you receive it late.
It is no longer possible to apply for a proxy vote – where someone else votes for you – as that deadline has passed.
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Some Scottish councils have set up emergency voting centres for those going on holiday who are yet to receive a postal ballot.
The Princess Royal was supposed to go to Canada this week to mark the 100th anniversary of the Newfoundland National War Memorial, but instead sent a personal message expressing her remorse for being unable to attend the transatlantic engagement.
“It is with deep regret that I am unable to be with you today, as you commemorate the brave efforts and sacrifices of the members of the Newfoundland Regiment who went into battle on the first day of the Somme,” Anne said in a statement relayed by Mary Simon, the governor general of Canada, on Monday.
“I have fond memories of joining you in 2016, on the 99th occasion that the people of this Island commemorated the Battle of Beaumont Hamel, and I am deeply saddened that I’m unable to join you again,” the royal said, before signing off with her “warmest best wishes on this special day of commemoration.”
Buckingham Palace issued a statement last Monday revealing that the 73-year-old had “sustained minor injuries and concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate yesterday evening.”
The palace assured the public that she was hospitalised “as a precautionary measure” and was “expected to make a full and swift recovery.”
No set timetable has been announced for when the princess will return to royal duties.
The former Super Bowl headliner was awarded the Lifetime Achievement prize as part of Sunday night’s ceremony, but when it came to accepting his award, the Burn singer had censors reaching for the mute button pretty much immediately.
“By the way, I should caution you that I like to talk and I have a way with words,” he said at the beginning of his speech, which aired live on the US network BET.
“I’m sorry I’m cursing, this is how I really feel,” he told the crowd at one point during his speech. “At one point it got really thick, and motherfuckers wasn’t fucking with me. I get it, I understand, sometimes you gotta go through some shit to get to something.”
Later in the speech, he turned his attention to his male role models, saying (via Vibe): “They’re solid, and it ain’t about a motherfucking hit record. They’re solid, and they’re going to always have my back. And I will always have theirs.”
Last month, the Strictly judge weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding the show, after the BBC began investigating complaints made by three of Giovanni’s former celebrity dance partners (including actor Amanda Abbington) about his conduct behind the scenes of the show.
Over the weekend, Shirley and Giovanni took part in a dance workshop together, where the Daily Mail reported that she told those in attendance: “I’ve known him for 10 years and we’re good friends.”
She reportedly added: “I will be one person who will be by his side forever. What you see is what you get with him.”
Giovanni at a Strictly Come Dancing launch event in 2018
Tim P. Whitby / Getty Images
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Two weeks ago, Shirley was quoted by The Mirror as saying: “I don’t condone bullying on any path, but also I don’t believe gossip and what you read in the newspapers, because things get escalated and they are blown way out of all proportion and it can turn into a great big snowball.
“My feeling for Giovanni is, let them do this investigation, or whatever it is they are doing, and the truth will come out. So we don’t judge anybody until I know absolutely 100 percent. I won’t pass on the gossip unless I know 100 percent it is true.”
Insisting she’s “never ever ever experienced any ill will or bad feeling or bad sportsmanship or rudeness” from Giovanni, Shirley apparently added: “I can only talk from my own perspective. He has always been to me – and I will make that clear, to me – a perfect gentleman.”
Giovanni told fans last month: “I am co-operating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth.
“As requested, I have stayed silent, but I am looking forward to the conclusion of the investigation and ultimately clearing my name and establishing the truth.
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“I am so happy to be back on tour. Thank you all for your continued support – [your] messages and love mean so very much to me. I will hopefully see many of you very soon and I look forward to clearing my name.”
“It is a longstanding position that the BBC does not comment on specific matters related to individuals,” a spokesperson said. “Nor ordinarily, would we comment on whether we are reviewing any individual complaints.
“Recently, we have seen a number of media reports about a high profile show. We would urge people not to indulge in speculation. Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process.
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“If a complaint is made to the BBC, we assess and take any necessary steps to establish the facts, whether there is a case to answer, and, if appropriate, what action should be taken.”
“This is all within the context of the BBC having duties of care to everyone linked to a complaint – that applies to those that have raised the complaint and to those that have been complained about,” the statement added.
“Whilst we know our shows have been positive experiences for many of those who have taken part, we will always look at any issues raised with care, fairness and sensitivity to everyone concerned.”
The past couple of years have been incredible for Alzheimer’s research with experts seemingly getting closer to the truth of how Alzheimer’s is developed, and, crucially, how it can be prevented.
Now, researchers have revealed that the gut health link to Alzheimer’s is becoming more apparent with gut inflammation being tied to an increased risk of developing the neurodegenerative disease.
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69 humans with Alzheimer’s disease and 64 healthy humans donated blood for research with some also providing gut microbiota via stool samples.
The gut microbiota from Alzheimer’s patients was then transplanted into 16 young adult rats whose microbiomes had been depleted by antibiotics for a week. A matching group of 16 rats received gut microbiota from humans in the healthy control group.
The researchers found that Alzheimer’s could be given to young rats through a transfer of gut microbes, confirming a link between the digestive system and the health of the brain.
This news could mean earlier diagnosis is possible
Lead researcher Yvonne Nolan said: “People with Alzheimer’s are typically diagnosed at or after the onset of cognitive symptoms, which may be too late, at least for current therapeutic approaches.
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“Understanding the role of gut microbes during prodromal – or early stage- dementia, before the potential onset of symptoms may open avenues for new therapy development, or even individualised intervention.”
Professor Sandrine Thuret, Professor of Neuroscience at King’s College London and one of the study’s senior authors said: “Alzheimer’s is an insidious condition that there is yet no effective treatment for. This study represents an important step forward in our understanding of the disease, confirming that the make-up of our gut microbiota has a causal role in the development of the disease.
“This collaborative research has laid the groundwork for future research into this area, and my hope is that it will lead to potential advances in therapeutic interventions.”
Reform UK has also gone to war with Channel 4 after it broadcast secretly recorded footage showing one of the party’s canvassers, Andrew Parker, advocating shooting people arriving in the UK on small boats across the Channel.
Farage has insisted it was a “set-up” because Parker is an actor – claims denied by the broadcaster.
On Sunday Morning With Trevor Philips, the presenter asked him: “Do you ever ask yourself this question, in the words of the immortal Mrs Merton, what was it about you, Nigel Farage, that first attracted these racists and homophobes and anti-Semites to your party?”
But Philips hit back: “Come on, Reform is your party, you own it, they knew it’s your party. So answer my question, what is it about you that attracted them?”
Farage said: “Ironically, destroying the BNP, means people who are minded that way don’t any longer have a home to go to, and some will gravitate in our direction. When we find out who they are they’ll be gone.”
The presenter then asked: “Why do you think that is? Why do they think that you are the person that’s going to give them a home?”
But Farage pointed out that at a Reform UK election rally in Birmingham later today, the “star of the show” will be Zia Yusuf, who he described as “a practicing Muslim who is going to say things about the growth of Islamic extremism”.
He added: “I can assure you that anybody who has a racist point of view, I don’t want to know.”
Rishi Sunak has insisted has insisted he is “proud” of the Tories’ disastrous general election campaign.
The prime minister made the surprising comment during an ill-tempered interview with Laura Kuenssberg this morning.
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With just four days to go until the country goes to the polls, the Conservatives remain as far behind Labour as they were when Sunak called the election nearly six weeks ago.
Since then, the PM has been hit by a string of gaffes, controversy and scandal.
Despite this, Sunak said: “This campaign is something that I am proud of, and that’s what I’m here to talk about.”
An incredulous Kuenssberg replied: “Really? After everything, you’re proud of the campaign.”
The PM said: “Yes, I am.”
Sunak’s troubles began on the very first day of the campaign, when he was soaked to the skin while announcing the election date outside the front door of No.10.
The last two weeks of the campaign have also been overshadowed by the Tory gambling scandal, which saw Sunak eventually dump two candidates accused of betting on the date of the election.
Two senior party official have also taken leaves of absence over the controversy, while one of Sunak’s close protection team has been arrested.
Dozens of opinion polls throughout the campaign have also confirmed that the Tories are on course for their worst ever election result, with predictions that they could even end up with fewer than 100 seats.
Oliver Dowden was told the Tories are “on the brink of destruction” with just four days to go until the general election.
Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips also told the deputy prime minister his party’s campaign had been “a mess”.
The pair clashed as voters prepare to go to the polls on Thursday and with Labour still miles ahead of their rivals.
Phillips said: “This is your 738th weekend in charge. How does it feel to be essentially on the eve of destruction for your party, because that’s what every signal tells us.”
Dowden replied: “In an election campaign you can have commentators and you can have participants. I’m a participant, and my job, whether it’s on the doorstep or in this television studio speaking to you and your viewers at home, is to make the case for the Conservative Party and to warn – mark my words, dogs bark, cats meow and Labour put up taxes.
“Don’t take that risk, it’s in your hands. We have a clear plan to control migration, to start to reduce taxes. The game is on, the fight is on, now is the time for people to make up their minds about the future of this country.”
But Phillips hit back: “Liz Truss essentially made the party of sound money into the party of market chaos, and Boris Johnson made the party of law and order the party of lawbreakers.
“It’s really striking that in this interview you seem to refuse to accept that you’re carrying that burden – the gambling, D-Day, the rain. I mean, it’s been a mess.”
Dowden said: “Having been in power for 14 years, of course we haven’t got everything right. I totally accept that and apologies have been made for various things you’ve mentioned there.
“But fundamentally this is a choice about where we go as a country for the future.”
Following President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance on Thursday night, a number of prominent Democrats are privately hoping he withdraws from the presidential race and gives the party a chance to nominate someone younger who may have a better chance of beating Donald Trump.
But the logistics of any hypothetical attempt to replace Biden are complicated.
Things are different now. At this stage, Biden has locked up enough convention delegates to clinch the nomination, and party elders have no mechanism for forcing him out. He would have to voluntarily withdraw from the presidential race.
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Neither Biden nor his campaign has shown any sign of openness to stepping aside. He spoke with defiant exuberance at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday. “I might not debate as well as I used to,” he said. “But what I do know is how to tell the truth.” Former President Barack Obama offered words of support in a social media post linking to Biden’s campaign website.
But if Biden were to change his mind in the coming weeks, it would be simpler if it happened before the Democratic National Convention in August, when his status as the presidential nominee will be official.
If the August 19 convention convenes in Chicago without a presumptive Democratic nominee, the nearly 4,000 pledged delegates would be free to pick a different candidate on the first ballot. And, thanks to reforms passed in 2018, if no candidate achieved a majority on the first ballot, the group of 749 unpledged delegates known as “superdelegates,” which includes all Democrats in Congress and other party dignitaries, would only be able to cast votes on the second ballot.
In the scenario of such a contested or brokered convention, rival candidates for the Democratic nomination would duke it out for the loyalties of state party officers, precinct captains, union leaders, nonprofit officials and Democratic activists.
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“It would be very chaotic – like the Wild West out there,” said Casey Burgat, a specialist in political conventions at George Washington University.
“We have a strong party system playing out in a weak party era.”
– Casey Burgat, George Washington University
Party leaders could seek to steer the process to make it more orderly. Biden himself would likely have the biggest influence, since he could appeal to delegates on the basis that they were previously dedicated to him. Former President Barack Obama has also played a role in corralling disparate party factions in the past.
On the one hand, Obama, Biden and other party leaders lack some of the tools top Democrats wielded before reforms passed after the 1968 election democratized the nominating process.
Party elders in the pre-reform era were able to tap vast state and local-level political machines to overcome ideological and regional differences with promises of patronage jobs and other political perks.
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“We have a strong party system playing out in a weak party era,” Burgat said. “There isn’t a strong party cabal or leader or group of leaders who can basically point to a candidate and say, ‘Everyone fall in line.’”
At the same time, the Democratic Party is, relatively speaking, less ideologically divided than it was in the era when segregationist Southern conservatives made up a major party faction.
“The policy differences that exist among Democrats today, while they seem big, are trivial compared to what they had in the past,” said Hans Noel, a presidential nomination process expert at Georgetown University. “And they all agree that they don’t want Donald Trump.”
It would ultimately be up to the individual delegates themselves, however. And in a contest where perceived electability is likely to take precedence, the choices before them would be politically thorny.
Vice President Kamala Harris, an increasingly prominent surrogate for Biden, has a dedicated constituency within the Democratic Party, but also detractors who worry about her electability.
K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Getty Images
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Biden’s logical successor is Vice President Kamala Harris, who did a capable job spinning Biden’s performance in a CNN interview last night. As the nation’s first Black, first Asian, and first female vice president, she has made history.
But many Democrats lack confidence in Harris’ ability to win a general presidential election. In 2019, when she ran her own presidential campaign before joining the Biden ticket, her candidacy failed to take off and she ultimately dropped out before any votes were cast.
Harris now rates as only nominally more popular than Biden. The number of voters who disapprove of her job performance exceeds the number of voters who approve of her job performance by 10 percentage points, according to an average of available polls.
Meanwhile, there is a bench of prospective alternatives to Harris — California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro — who each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Rejecting Harris, though, would likely alienate Black officials and voters, who are the backbone of the Democratic base. And with the possible exception of Newsom, the other potential contenders would be new to the national stage.
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“You’re jumping over someone who would not only be presumptively in that place, you’re jumping over a Black woman, and so that’s going to have all kinds of frustration and spawn a lot of anger among Democrats,” Noel predicted.
There are practical advantages to a Harris nomination as well. Biden would be able to transfer his campaign war chest since she is already part of his presidential ticket.
If it were another candidate, Biden would be able to transfer funds earmarked for the primary, which has concluded, but would have to offer refunds on donations earmarked for the general election. The Democratic National Committee, the joint victory fund and pro-Biden super PACs would be constrained by those limitations.
“You’re jumping over someone who would not only be presumptively in that place, you’re jumping over a Black woman, and so that’s going to have all kinds of frustration and spawn a lot of anger among Democrats.”
– Hans Noel, Georgetown University
Biden withdrawing from the race after already accepting the nomination at the Democratic National Convention would be even trickier.
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It would be up to the Democratic National Committee to name a replacement, and it’s not clear if that responsibility would fall solely on Chair Jaime Harrison; a powerful panel within the DNC, such as the Rules and Bylaws Committee; or all 448 voting members of the party body.
Withdrawing at that late date would also make ballot access considerably harder since many states restrict presidential candidates from withdrawing after accepting the nomination. In Wisconsin, for example, a presidential nominee can only withdraw from the ballot in case of death.
The conservative Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project issued a memorandum in April outlining the potential legal hurdles to ballot access that would face a Democratic nominee in the event of Biden’s withdrawal.
“This isn’t as easy as ‘abracadabra,’” Mike Howell, executive director of Heritage’s Oversight Project, said in a Friday call with reporters.“There is going to be a lot of litigation.”
Howell and other Heritage attorneys maintain that there could be legal challenges to a new candidate even if they are nominated in lieu of Biden at the convention.
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But a Democratic elections attorney told HuffPost that ballot access is mainly only an issue after the formal acceptance of the party nomination.
Party officials are unlikely to allow Biden to be nominated at the convention only to have him withdraw later on, save for a reason related to his health, according to Noel.
Then again, in the absence of a consensus choice to replace Biden, Noel also suspects party elders will decide against pressuring Biden to withdraw altogether.
“There are so many people who not just want the job, but to whom Democrats want to give it, that it’s really messy,” he said. “The party is risk-averse, and I think that’s how they’re going to behave.”
