Three men have been arrested in connection with a deadly house explosion in Newcastle.

Seven-year-old Archie York and Jason Laws, who was in his 30s, were killed following the blast in Violet Close, in the Benwell and Elswick area of the city in October.

Police said at the time that six others were taken to hospital “with varying injuries” after the blast and subsequent fire.

Three men – two in their 30s and one in his 50s – have been arrested on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, and the production of a Class B drug, namely cannabis, Northumbria Police said.

They all remain in police custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Katie Smith said: “This has been a truly tragic incident which resulted in the loss of two lives.

“As a result of our ongoing enquiries, three men have today been arrested in connection with the explosion.

“Our investigation will remain ongoing as we seek to provide answers to what has happened.

“We would continue to ask people to avoid speculation surrounding this incident both online and in the community.”

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The blast tore through a row of six properties divided into two flats each.

Drone footage showed how six flats in the middle of the building appeared to have been completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, while piles of debris could be seen in the street outside.

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Superintendent Darren Adams, from Northumbria Police, said on the day of the fire: “As a result of the incident in the early hours of this morning, a seven-year-old boy has sadly passed away.

“Despite the efforts of the emergency services, he tragically died at the scene.

“This is a truly devastating outcome.”

Prince William has given an update on the Princess of Wales’s health, describing her as “amazing”.

Ahead of tonight’s Earthshot Prize awards in Cape Town, he was asked how his wife Kate was doing and replied: “She’s doing really well thanks. Hopefully she’s watching tonight and cheering me on.

“She’s been amazing this whole year and I know she’ll be really keen to see tonight be a success.”

Kate revealed in March she was having preventative chemotherapy following the discovery of pre-cancerous cells.

In September, she announced she had completed her treatment and said her focus now is on “staying cancer free”.

Throughout the year, Prince William hasn’t discussed his wife’s diagnosis, despite still continuing with his own public duties.

William answered questions after taking part in rehearsals for tonight’s Earthshot Awards, the environmental prize he launched in 2021 to try to inject some optimism into the climate crisis debate.

Since he’s been in Cape Town he’s been spotted wearing a bracelet with the word ‘papa’ on it, given to him by his daughter Princess Charlotte.

He explained: “This is a relic from a Taylor Swift concert that my daughter decided that she wanted to create a bracelet for, and she gave it to me when I came away so I’ve promised her that I’d wear it and try not to lose it while I was out here.”

He also shared how he’s trying to make sure his three children feel involved in his environmental work, including doing things around the house.

The prince said: “Every family tries to do what they can to help with the environment and we go through the basics of recycling and making sure we minimise water use, turning lights off when you leave the house. We’re sensible with what we do around the environment. I think every family has those conversations.

“The Earthshot is trying to be more global than that – we’re trying to do big-scale ambition and business. I’ve brought the children along on that journey and I hope they’re proud of what we are trying to do here which is to galvanise that energy and enthusiasm to make real impact.”

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Asked about the tough political climate for the environment right now, Prince William didn’t make any comment about the US election result and Donald Trump’s climate credentials, but said: “Everyone wants some hope and some optimism and Earthshot comes with urgent optimism.

“And as you’ll see tonight the amount of youth from Africa who will be in here – they’ll be letting you know and letting everyone know that it matters to them.

“Without them, the future is looking pretty bleak so these are the game changers, the innovators, the inventors who are going to make the world a better place for us in future.”

The annual Earthshot Prize awards five entrepreneurs, innovators, startups or conservationists with £1m each to help scale their ideas to tackle some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.

This is the fourth year the awards have been held.

Reform MP Lee Anderson has been told to apologise in the House of Commons for “swearing twice at a security officer after his pass did not work” as he tried to enter parliament.

A report by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) now requires Mr Anderson to “make an apology in the House of Commons for a breach of parliament’s bullying and harassment policy”.

The MP for Ashfield was found to have sworn twice at a security officer after his pass did not work when he was trying to enter the parliamentary estate in November 2023.

According to the report, on 3 November last year Mr Anderson instructed the guard to open a door at the Derby Gate search post, an entrance to parliament.

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When asked to show his pass, Mr Anderson allegedly said: “F*** off, everyone opens the door to me, you are the only one.”

Asked again to show his pass, Mr Anderson said ‘f*** you, I have a train to catch’, before walking out of the search post”, according to the complaint.

The report said Mr Anderson “accepted that he was ‘upset, impatient and angry’ but not ‘aggressive’, and denied swearing at the complainant.

The finding followed a complaint made to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) and an investigation by an independent investigator appointed by the ICGS who recommended that the complaint should be upheld.

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Mr Anderson appealed the finding to the IEP, but the sub-panel considering the case dismissed it, concluding it failed to raise any substantive grounds.

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It concluded Mr Anderson should apologise to the complainant, and to the House by way of a personal statement.

Mr Anderson was first elected to the seat of Ashfield in 2019 as a Conservative. He defected to Reform in March this year after he was kicked out of the parliamentary Conservative Party for refusing to apologise after alleging that London mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by “Islamists”.