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Joe Lycett has put his money where his mouth is, shredding £10,000 of his own cash after David Beckham failed to end his controversial multimillion-pound World Cup promotion deal with Qatar.

Wearing a rainbow-coloured ruffled top, and noise cancelling headphones to protect his ears, Lycett tossed in the cash in two goes, with the resulting shreds spewing out of the end of a wood-chipper.

Remaining expressionless throughout, the 34-year-old star then curtseyed to the camera, and exited left.

David Beckham attended the Doha Forum in March
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David Beckham attended the Doha Forum in March

The Brummie comedian, who is known for his high-profile stunts, had posted an ultimatum on social media last week, warning the former England star that along with the cash, Beckham‘s “status as a gay icon will be shredded”.

Lycett had directed the message to Beckham personally and had said he would donate the money to LGBTQ+ charities if the sports star ended the sponsorship deal ahead of the tournament.

However, Beckham did not publicly acknowledge or respond to the ultimatum.

While it is illegal in the UK to deface a banknote in any way (through the Currency and Banknotes Act of 1928), it is not illegal to destroy a banknote altogether, for example through burning.

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However, if Lycett had burned the equivalent number of dollars in the US, or destroyed £10,000 of coins, he could have faced prosecution for his actions, as burning or destroying money in America is illegal, as is destroying coins minted after 1969 in the UK (according to the Coinage Act of 1971).

Lycett, set up a dedicated website to livestream the shredding, which took place in a dingy, brick-walled building at midday on Sunday, just before the World Cup opening ceremony.

He later shared a video of the act on Twitter and wrote “A platform for progress”.

His original video issuing the ultimatum showed him sat at a desk with wads of cash, praising Beckham as a gay icon and joking that marrying a Spice Girl was “the gayest thing a human being can do”.

Going on to explain that Qatar was “voted as one of the worst places in the world to be gay”, he then appealed to Beckham to rethink his deal with the Middle East country.

It has been reported that Beckham signed a multi-million-pound deal with the FIFA World Cup hosts, which Lycett said was worth £10m – but other reports have put as high as £150m.

The comedian dressed flamboyantly as he picked up the cash. Pic: Joe Lycett
Image:
Lycett dressed flamboyantly for the occasion. Pic: Joe Lycett

Qatar has faced an onslaught of criticism since being chosen as the host nation, with the country’s poor human rights record and ban on same-sex relationships proving particularly problematic.

In Qatar, participating in same-sex sexual activity can be punished with up to seven years in prison, or even the death penalty.

Read more: Being gay is ‘damage in the mind’ – Qatar World Cup ambassador

The safety of migrant workers and the logistics of holding a football tournament in desert heat has also attracted negative attention.

Three days before the shredding, Lycett shared a message he had sent to Beckham’s PR team asking: “Could you let me know if there’s any chance he might budge on his position, or am I to expect radio silence on this?”

Adding: “There’s still time for David and his team to do the right thing”. He also shared a picture of the £10k and the red woodchipper he would go on to use to shred it.

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There had been a mixed response to the comedian’s pledge to destroy the money, with some praising him for raising awareness of Qatar’s poor human rights record and criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people, while others urged him to donate the money to a food bank rather than shredding it at a time when the cost of living is soaring.

Ahead of the shredding, fellow comedian Harry Hill wished Lycett luck, saying he would be “voting with my feet” and not watching any of the World Cup, or buying any products endorsed by Beckham.

Beckham had recently impressed the public with his distinctly un-starry approach to viewing the Queen laying in state, queuing for 13 hours to pay his respects. The negative press around his association with Qatar may now be sullying some of the good-will he has built up.

Bill Drummond performing with KLF and Extreme Noise Terror in 1992. Pic: Richard Young/Shutterstock
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Bill Drummond performing with The KLF in 1992. Pic: Richard Young/Shutterstock

It’s not the first-time stars have hit the headlines for burning money.

In 1994, electronic band The KLF burned £1m as a work of performance art. Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty torched the cash – which represented the bulk of the money they had previously earned from their music – in the back of a disused boathouse on the Ardfin Estate on the Scottish island of Jura.

And just last month, art’s enfant terrible Damien Hirst set fire to millions of pounds of his famous spot paintings after offering buyers the choice to keep NFTs of his work or the real thing.

Sky News has contacted Beckham and Lycett’s representatives for comment.

World Cup kicks off – Qatar take on Ecuador as fans celebrate start of event

The World Cup kicks off today, with the opening ceremony at 2.40pm UK time, and the first match at 4pm UK time, with Qatar playing Ecuador.

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PM ‘angry’ over Mandelson scandal – as emergency debate set to ramp up pressure

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PM 'angry' over Mandelson scandal - as emergency debate set to ramp up pressure

An emergency debate will take place in parliament today over Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as his ambassador to the US.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has agreed to allot three hours for questions about what the government, and particular the prime minister, knew and didn’t know about the depth of Lord Mandelson’s relationship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Lord Mandelson was appointed in January 2025 to the UK’s most senior overseas diplomatic position – the ambassador to the US.

He had always admitted to having known Epstein, but last week the US Congress unveiled the contents of a 50th “birthday book” which revealed a much closer relationship.

Among the tributes to Epstein in it, Lord Mandelson had described him as “my best pal”.

A picture of Epstein and Mandelson together in the 'birthday book' released by the US Congress. Pics: US House Oversight Committee
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A picture of Epstein and Mandelson together in the ‘birthday book’ released by the US Congress. Pics: US House Oversight Committee

Then, emails published by The Sun and Bloomberg were even more damning, showing the former Labour minister sympathising with the convicted sex trafficker, saying: “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened.”

Lord Mandelson was removed from his ambassadorial post on Thursday, but not before Sir Keir had defended him at PMQs the day before. He has come under fire over his handling of the issue.

I’m ‘angry’, says PM

On Monday, in his first remarks about the sacking, the embattled prime minister – who earlier this month lost his deputy Angela Rayner to a tax affairs scandal – insisted he would have “never appointed” Lord Mandelson if he’d known then what he knows now.

He told Channel 4 News he was “angry” to have ended up in a situation where he pivoted from defending him to sacking him within 24 hours, suggesting he was unaware of the “detailed allegations” before PMQs.

But questions remain about what exactly the PM – or the vetting team – knew, and the government has declined to release the details of the procedure Lord Mandelson underwent before he was appointed.

The Conservatives hope to use today’s emergency debate to increase pressure on the government to publish all the information – just hours before Donald Trump lands in the UK for a state visit.

The US president is himself embroiled in questions about his own relationship with the disgraced billionaire.

Analysis: No state visit has had a backdrop quite like this

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted the emergency debate. Pic: PA
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Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted the emergency debate. Pic: PA

Sir Keir was also hit by the resignation of Number 10’s director of strategy, Paul Ovenden, on Monday. He quit after it emerged he’d sent sexually explicit messages about independent MP Diane Abbott.

It’s all added up to a rotten start to the new parliamentary term for the prime minister, who just two weeks ago confidently declared “phase two” of his government was now under way.

He’s ruled out resigning, despite discontent on his backbenches and Reform UK’s sustained lead in the polls.

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Former PM Gordon Brown rallied to Sir Keir’s defence

But former prime minister Gordon Brown has come to Sir Keir’s defence.

Speaking to Sky News, he said he expected the PM to be “completely exonerated” over the Mandelson scandal.

Mr Brown, the last Labour PM before Sir Keir, said he didn’t want to criticise his judgement because he faces “very difficult decisions”.

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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon jailed for 14 years each after killing their newborn daughter

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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon jailed for 14 years each after killing their newborn daughter

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been jailed for a total of 28 years after they were convicted of killing their baby.

Marten, 38, who is from a wealthy family, and her partner Gordon, 51, were each handed sentences of 14 years at the Old Bailey on Monday.

Latest updates from the sentencing

They went on the run with their newborn daughter, Victoria, to get away from social services after their four other children were taken into care.

Victoria’s body was found with rubbish inside a Lidl shopping bag in the corner of an allotment in Brighton on 1 March 2023.

The pair had been the subject of a nationwide manhunt for 54 days.

Read more:
Why did Constance Marten and Mark Gordon go on the run?

How the runaway couple killed their baby

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Pic: Met Police/PA
Image:
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Pic: Met Police/PA

‘No genuine expression of remorse’

Judge Mark Lucraft told the pair during sentencing that “neither of you gave much or any thought to the care or welfare of your baby”.

“Your focus was on yourselves,” he said, before adding: “There has been no genuine expression of remorse from either of you.

“Whilst there have been expressions of sorrow about the death throughout, you’ve adopted the stance of seeking to blame everyone else other than yourselves for what happened.”

Sky’s home affairs reporter Henry Vaughan reported that neither showed much emotion during sentencing, and that after they stood up, Gordon stared at Marten as she left the dock.

They were both convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence following a second trial at the Old Bailey.

Constance Marten being interviewed by police.
Pic: Met Police/PA
Image:
Constance Marten being interviewed by police.
Pic: Met Police/PA

They had previously been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, and child cruelty after an Old Bailey trial lasting almost five months.

A second trial was ordered after the first jury failed to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charges.

Marten is now seeking permission to appeal against her conviction for manslaughter. A previous application to appeal her conviction of cruelty to a child was rejected in February this year.

Both trials were hampered by disruption and delays, taking up more than 33 weeks of court time, which – at an estimated £30,000 per defendant a day – could have cost in the region of £10m.

A search for Marten and Gordon was launched after a placenta was found in the couple’s burnt-out car on a motorway in Bolton in January 2023.

Marten said they went on the run so their fifth child would not be removed from them after her other children were “stolen by the state”.

The couple spent vast sums of cash from her family trust fund on taxi journeys as they travelled from Bolton, to Liverpool, to Harwich in Essex, to London and then to Newhaven on the south coast.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were captured on CCTV with their baby
Image:
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were captured on CCTV with their baby

Baby’s clothing inadequate, judge says

Prosecutors said the baby was inadequately clothed in a babygrow and that Marten had got wet as she carried the infant underneath her coat, alleging Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered while co-sleeping.

Judge Lucraft said that while Marten and Gordon claimed they wanted dignity for Victoria’s body, their “conduct showed the opposite”.

He also said the baby had died by 12 January 2023, and that the couple then concealed her and perverted the course of justice before her “decomposed body” was found.

“When you were arrested,” the court heard, “neither of you was willing to give any assistance to the police about the whereabouts of your daughter’s body.

“Your silence at that stage of events is highly significant.”

Police at the allotment where Victoria's body was found
Image:
Police at the allotment where Victoria’s body was found

Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, who led the investigation, said the couple’s “selfish actions” resulted in the death of Victoria, “who would have recently had her second birthday and should have had the rest of her life ahead of her”.

She added: “We know today’s sentencing won’t bring Victoria back, but I am pleased our investigation has resulted in the couple who caused her death finally being brought to justice.”

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Prosecutors drop charges against two men accused of spying for China

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Prosecutors drop charges against two men accused of spying for China

Prosecutors have dropped charges against two men, including a former parliamentary researcher, who had been accused of spying for China.

Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, had both denied accusations of providing information prejudicial to the interests of the state in breach of the Official Secrets Act between December 2021 and February 2023.

It was alleged they obtained, recorded and published information “for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state” and which could be “directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy”.

They were due to go on trial next month, but prosecutor Tom Little told London’s Old Bailey they would offer no evidence against the pair.

He said: “We simply cannot continue to prosecute.”

A spokesperson for the Home Office said it was “disappointing” the pair would not face trial “given the seriousness of the allegations”.

They said the decision was made by the Crown Prosecution Service “entirely independently of government”.

“National security is the first duty of government and we remain steadfast in upholding this responsibility,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to use the full range of tools and powers to guard against malign activity.”

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “In accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, the evidence in this case has been kept under continuous review and it has now been determined that the evidential standard for the offence indicted is no longer met. No further evidence will be offered.”

Read more from Sky News:
Prime Madeleine McCann suspect refuses UK police interview
New details emerge about suspect in Charlie Kirk killing

Mr Cash’s lawyer said his client was “entirely innocent and should never have been arrested, let alone charged”.

Speaking outside court, Mr Cash said: “While I am relieved that justice has been served today, the last two and a half years have been a nightmare for me and my family.”

He said he hoped “lessons are learned from this sorry episode”.

China had dismissed the charges as “self-staged political farce”.

Mr Cash previously worked as a parliamentary researcher and was closely linked to senior Tories including former security minister Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns, who served as chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

He was director of the China Research Group, which was chaired by Mr Tugendhat and then Ms Kearns.

Mr Berry has worked in various teaching posts in China since September 2015.

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