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Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades has resigned from the King’s Foundation after being charged with engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour towards his wife.

The 54-year-old had previously won a daytime BAFTA TV award for a special of the programme that had featured the King (who was then the Prince of Wales).

He had supported the King’s Foundation – formerly the Prince’s Foundation – as an ambassador and visited its Dumfries House location in Ayrshire for the BBC special programme The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit.

But the education charity confirmed on Sunday that Blades had informed them of his resignation.

King Charles III talking to Jay Blades (left) during his 75th birthday party at Highgrove Gardens in Tetbury on the eve of his birthday, with community champions who are also celebrating turning 75 in 2023. Picture date: Monday November 13, 2023.
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The King talking to Blades (left) during his 75th birthday party at Highgrove Gardens. Pic: PA

Blades – a furniture restorer who was made an MBE for services to craft in 2022 – is the face of the popular BBC show, which features people having treasured objects repaired and given a new lease of life.

The 14th series is due to air later this year.

On Friday, Blades appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court after being charged by West Mercia Police with one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.

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The charge relates to his fitness instructor wife Lisa Zbozen, who announced on her Instagram page on 2 May their relationship was over, according to court documents.

Police launched an investigation after they were called to an address the day after Ms Zbozen’s post.

The couple have been married since 22 November 2022.

A repeat of another show fronted by Blades with actor David Jason, David & Jay’s Touring Toolshed, was dropped from the BBC schedule on Friday night after the court appearance.

The organisation will not schedule any programmes in which Blades features, it is understood.

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Blades has also resigned from his role as chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University.

He will appear at Worcester Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on 11 October.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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