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Craig sits on the edge of his chair, his hands shaking as he looks blankly at the church wall.

He’s fighting a withdrawal from crack and alcohol that rattles through his body.

His eyes are empty, but you can sense the turmoil he’s fighting.

Some 20 years of addiction has left him teetering on the edge of life and death – and he knows it all too well.

“I’ve been told by a few doctors, if you don’t stop you will be dead soon. Your body can’t take much more of this.”

Drug addiction still - Craig
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Craig’s been an addict for 20 years

More and more people are dying and Craig’s lost friends along the way.

Since 2012, drug deaths in England and Wales have almost doubled, rising from 2,597 to 4,859 deaths in 2021 according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

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Drug deaths graphics - source ONS

Craig’s enveloped by his yellow hoodie which only emphasises the yellow tinge of sickness in his skin.

He’s swallowed up by the luminous fabric, he seems so small, but this is the heaviest he’s been in a long time – 15 days sober and he’s put on a stone in weight.

He went cold turkey to get accepted into a rehabilitation centre.

Spots are few and far between and local authorities often ask addicts to show they’re willing to “do the work” by getting sober, or at least significantly reducing their intake, before they get approved for rehab funding.

Over the last 10 years councils have cut funding by half in real terms according to analysis shared with Sky News from UK Addiction Treatment Centres, the UK’s largest supplier of rehabilitation services.

In 2013, 31% of the public health grant (£828m) was spent on drug and alcohol addiction services, but that’s dropped to 16% (£608m).

Public health grant pie chart

And when looking at drug addiction treatment services alone, funding has dropped by a third in a decade – that’s before considering the effects of inflation.

In 2013, £569m was spent on drug addiction support services; in 2023 that funding is forecast at £379m despite the need for life saving treatment being more urgent than ever.

Detox or die

Detoxing on your own can kill you but for Craig the risk is worth it.

A spot in rehab is his golden ticket to a new life, a ticket that will whisk him away from the monster that’s always on his heels.

“You’re not supposed to do it, just stop, because you can die. I were really, really ill for four days.

“I was vomiting blood and shaking uncontrollably.”

A tear rises up to his eyes, but he swallows it back down. He says he’s just been through some of the worst days of his life and the pain is palpable.

Addicts like Craig can sign up to a medical detox before rehab, but the waiting list can be months long, and once you’re clean you join the queue for rehab which can take another six months – time Craig said he doesn’t have.

“It’ll only be a matter of time before I start drinking and doing drugs again.

“Something could just trigger me and then, I’m stubborn, I’ll just go and get a can or a bottle and the spiral starts again.

“I’ve been stealing from supermarkets, it’s got that bad.”

Craig knows he’s just weeks away from getting help, but no one, including himself, knows if he’ll get there.

He’s been here before, about to get in and then back to square one all because he relapsed.

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Who’s responsible for the cuts?

There are thousands of people like Craig waiting for help and support workers say addiction treatment services are more stretched than ever.

The Local Government Association acknowledged “the enormous funding pressures that vital addiction services are under” but it said this is “due to cuts in funding by central government”.

In July 2021, Dame Carol Black’s report into drug treatment services said the system is “not fit for purpose” and that cuts had left services “on their knees”.

Largest cuts bar chart

In response, the Department for Health and Social Care published its long-term drug strategy in December 2021 which pledged to spend £538m on improving addiction treatment services by the end of 2025.

So far £103m of that fund has been rolled out in April this year.

But services say it’s too little too late.

Julie Rigby, Senior Support worker at Oasis Recovery Runcorn said: “We’re seeing a general decline in funded places for people that are coming in from the local authority. Over the last few years it’s decreased by at least 50%.

“People with drug and alcohol misuse issues that are in the community are desperate, trying to get help, and they just can’t get funding to get through the door.

“People are dying to get into rehab.”

Families destroyed

Karen offered us tea as we sat down in her front room. She’s warm and welcoming but her smile can’t mask the grief hanging over her.

She told us the last year has stood still since she lost her son Kane to a heroin overdose.

Kane was fun-loving and empathetic, the type of guy that would give his last fiver to a homeless person, Karen and her son Adam said.

But Kane had suffered from an 18-year addiction to alcohol that started when he was 16 years old.

“It’s heartbreaking to see somebody you love just ruining their lives, he couldn’t help it, he couldn’t stop himself.

“He would say to me, ‘I need to go into rehab mum, I need help’.

“If he had got the help he needed, I think he could still be here today. And I think he was failed.”

Karen Johnson holding photo of Kane
Image:
Karen Johnson lost her son Kane to a heroin overdose

In Wiltshire, where Kane lived, the local authority cut funding for addiction treatment services by £2.6m over a decade – the fifth largest cut across the country.

Kane’s brother Adam told Sky News he had been crying out for help but that the life-threatening severity of his addiction had been ignored.

“When he did try to get help he would go to the GP drunk to make sure they knew how bad it was.

“He was totally honest with them, he was up front and clearly needed help.”

Kane’s family hope fresh government funding over the next two years will mean cries for help won’t go ignored and families across the country won’t be torn apart like theirs.

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‘Immigration is killing Europe’: Donald Trump issues warning to leaders as he arrives in Scotland

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'Immigration is killing Europe': Donald Trump issues warning to leaders as he arrives in Scotland

Donald Trump has landed in Scotland ahead of a four-day trip, which includes high-level meetings, praising Sir Keir Starmer as “a good man” but also calling illegal migration a “horrible invasion” that was “killing Europe”.

Crowds gathered at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire amid a major security operation for the US president’s visit.

Mr Trump told reporters: “I like your prime minister. He’s slightly more liberal than I am… but he’s a good man… he got a trade deal done. It’s a good deal for the UK.”

Trump latest: Donald Trump arrives in Scotland

The pair are expected to discuss potential changes to the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month.

Trump left Air Force One to head to Turnberry, one of his Scottish golf courses. Part of the trip will include the opening of another course in Aberdeenshire, billed as “the greatest 36 holes in golf”.

Trump supporters watch on as a plane carrying US President Donald Trump arrives at Prestwick Airport
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Trump supporters waved as Air Force One landed. Pic: PA

“There’s no place like Turnberry. It’s the best, probably the best course in the world. And I would say Aberdeen is right up there,” the US president said.

Sean Connery helped get me the [planning] permits. If it weren’t for Sean Connery, we wouldn’t have those great courses,” he added.

During the trip, President Trump will also hold discussions with Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is keen to secure a trade deal with the US.

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media after he arrived at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire, Scotland, Friday, July 25, 2025.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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Donald Trump spoke to reporters after landing at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire. Pic: AP

Mr Trump told reporters there was “a good 50-50 chance” of an agreement with the EU but added there were “maybe 20 different” sticking points.

EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15% tariff on EU goods and half of the 30% Trump is threatening to impose by 1 August.

A motorcade carrying U.S. President Donald Trump drives to Turnberry, in Minishant, Scotland, Britain, July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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He travelled to Turnberry, one of his Scottish golf resorts, amid tight security. Pic: Reuters

The US president touched on illegal immigration and gave European leaders a stark warning.

“You better get your act together or you’re not going to have Europe anymore. You got to get your act together,” he said.

“But you’re allowing it to happen to your countries and you got to stop this horrible invasion that’s happening to Europe. Immigration is killing Europe,” he told reporters.

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What do Scots think of Trump visit?

He was also scathing about the installation of wind turbines across Europe.

“Stop the windmills. You’re ruining your countries,” he said. “It’s so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds.”

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Domestically, President Trump faces the biggest political crisis of his second term in office over his administration’s handling of files linked to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.

He faced another round of questions after stepping off Air Force One. “You’re making a big thing over something that’s not a big thing. I’m focused on making deals, not on conspiracy theories that you are,” he said.

Mr Trump added that “now’s not the time” to discuss a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s imprisoned accomplice.

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Trump in Scotland amid Epstein storm

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While the president’s visit did attract some enthusiastic flag-waving supporters at Prestwick Airport, he is also likely to trigger a number of protests, prompting Police Scotland to call in support from other forces in the UK.

The Stop Trump Scotland group has planned demonstrations on Saturday in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dumfries.

About 70% of Scots have an unfavourable opinion of Trump, while 18% have a positive opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found.

President Trump is staying at his Turnberry property on Scotland’s west coast this weekend, before travelling to Aberdeenshire on Monday, where he will open a second 18-hole course.

He is due to return to the UK in September for a state visit hosted by the King – the first world leader in modern times to undertake two UK state visits.

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‘It’s the Wild West’: Dozens of women develop botulism linked to anti-wrinkle injections

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'It's the Wild West': Dozens of women develop botulism linked to anti-wrinkle injections

A woman who thought she was being injected with Botox was left unable to swallow and doctors thought she had suffered a stroke – after she contracted a life-threatening illness from a potentially illegal product.

Nicola Fairley is one of dozens of people who have developed botulism linked to unlicenced anti-wrinkle injections.

She had the procedure done with her regular beautician after winning a Facebook competition for three areas of “Botox”.

Nicola Fairley
Image:
Nicola Fairley

“Within two or three hours my forehead and the sides of my eyes had started to freeze,” Nicola says.

“At first I thought ‘amazing’, that’s what I wanted – then it just carried on.”

Nicola was eventually sent to A&E in Durham, where she met several other patients who all had similar symptoms.

Doctors were stumped. “They thought I’d had a stroke,” she says.

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“We all had problems with our eyes, some of us with our breathing. I couldn’t swallow – they put me on nil by mouth because they were worried I would choke in the waiting room.”

Nicola Fairley
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Doctors were worried Nicola could choke after she was injected with a suspected illegal product

It turns out all of the patients had recently had anti-wrinkle injections containing botulinum toxin.

Health officials believe they were imported, illegal products.

Botulism – the disease they caused – is so rare many doctors never see it in their entire careers.

It can cause symptoms including slurred speech and breathing problems, and can be deadly.

The disease is so unusual, and so many cases were coming in, that doctors exhausted their stocks of anti-toxin and had to ask hospitals as far away as London to get more.

Botulism

The UK Health Security Agency has so far confirmed 38 cases of botulism linked to cosmetic toxin injections, but Sky News has been told of several more.

The outbreak began in the North East but cases have now been seen in the East of England and East Midlands as well.

There are only a handful of legal botulinum toxin products in the UK – of which Botox is one.

But cosmetic treatments are largely unregulated, with anyone allowed to inject products like fillers and toxins without any medical training.

Cheap, illegal products imported from overseas are easily available.

Steven Land
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Dr Steven Land

‘It’s the Wild West’

Dr Steven Land runs Novellus Aesthetics clinic in Newcastle upon Tyne. He worked for decades as an emergency medicine doctor before moving into aesthetics.

He says he has been warning health officials of an outbreak for years.

“It’s the Wild West,” Dr Land told Sky News.

“Because anyone can do this, there is a lack of knowledge around what is legal, what’s not legal, what is okay to be injected.

“These illegal toxins could have 50 units, 5,000 units or rat poison – there could be anything in there.”

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Botulism

Dr Land showed us messages that he says he gets on a weekly basis, from sellers trying to push him cheap, unlicenced products.

They advertise “limited time offers” and cheap bundles on toxins imported from overseas. He calls them “drug dealers”.

“They are preying on the lack of knowledge among non-medical practitioners,” he says.

Consultations on how to regulate the aesthetics industry have been ongoing for years – but so far, no changes have been introduced.

The UK government now says it does plan to regulate certain procedures, but it’s not said how it will do this, or when.

“What will it take?” Nicola says. “One of the women we were with did almost die – she had to be resuscitated.”

Nicola’s beautician has stopped responding to her messages, so she says she still has no idea what the product was “or how much of it is in me”.

She doesn’t know how long her symptoms will last, but just hopes she will eventually recover.

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Over 200 MPs sign cross-party letter demanding Starmer recognise Palestine as a state

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Over 200 MPs sign cross-party letter demanding Starmer recognise Palestine as a state

Sir Keir Starmer is under increasing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state, with 221 MPs signing a cross-party letter demanding he take the step.

The letter is being organised by the Labour backbencher Sarah Champion, who also sits as the International Development Committee chair.

They write: “British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine.

“Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that Mandate.”

Explainer: What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?

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‘Many more deaths unless Israelis allow food in’

Earlier this month, nearly 60 Labour MPs called on David Lammy and the Foreign Office to immediately recognise Palestine as a state in a private letter, but this new call shows how dissatisfied many still are with the government’s refusal to change its stance on the issue.

More on Gaza

As Number 10 came under growing pressure, Sir Keir on Friday released a statement on Gaza calling the “appalling scenes” in the Strip “unrelenting”.

Israel has denied there is a food shortage in Gaza – despite earlier this week more than 100 aid agencies warning of mass starvation in Gaza – and claims it had to take control of the supply and distribution of aid because Hamas fighters have been stealing aid before it reached civilians. Hamas has denied this, as have some humanitarian groups, including USAID.

Talking about the need for a regional “lasting peace”, the prime minister said: “Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that. But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis.”

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Dozens of MPs call for UK to recognise Palestine as a state

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Trump: ‘It doesn’t matter what Macron says’

In light of a tweet by the French President Emmanuel Macron, also sent last night, declaring France would recognise a Palestinian state in September at a UN conference, a number of MPs now say Number 10’s current position is untenable.

“They had said they wanted to be in lockstep with allies, but this means that position won’t hold,” said one Labour MP.

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Emily Thornberry says it’s ‘insulting’ that the Israeli govt rejected a statement calling for a ceasefire

US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House before heading to Scotland, was dismissive of Mr Macron’s statement. “What he says doesn’t matter,” he said. “He’s a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn’t carry weight.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We strongly condemn President Macron’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the October 7 massacre. Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.

“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it.

Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, on Friday morning defended the government’s resistance to calls for immediate UK recognition of a Palestinian state.

“We want Palestinian statehood. We desire it, and we want to make sure the circumstances can exist where that kind of long-term political solution can have the space to evolve and make sure that it can become a permanent circumstance that can bring peace to the entire region,” he told Sky News.

“But right now, today, we’ve got to focus on what will ease the suffering, and it is extreme, unwarranted suffering in Gaza that has to be the priority for us today.”

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Aid waiting to be distributed in Gaza

An emergency call with Germany and France was scheduled for Friday to discuss what Sir Keir described as a “human catastrophe” which has “reached new depths”.

The Foreign Office has maintained it is committed to recognising a Palestinian state but has expressed a willingness to do so only when it will have the “most impact in support of a peace process”.

It said: “We continue to provide lifesaving aid to support Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and to work closely in support of the Palestinian Authority.”

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