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The influence that Marcus Rashford wields extends way beyond his campaign to put food on the tables of those struggling with the stigma attached to asking others for help. A message to the family of a six-year-old who died when he was hit by a car while riding his bike. Recognition of a child's school project, sent in by the boy's mother. Thanks to warehouse staff delivering food to those in need. The responses to his tweets on these subjects range from 31,000 to 82,000. Some perspective here. The Prime Minister's tweet on the reasons to 'get kids back to school' had garnered around 9,500 responses on Tuesday night. Marcus Rashford is using his social media following to help tackle serious issues off the pitch The concept they all talk about in the world of lobbying and PR is 'authenticity' and Rashford — who has now formed a taskforce with some of the UK's biggest food brands to try to help reduce child food poverty — brings it in abundance. He was born

‘So long as I keep performing week in, week out for Everton, I will have the chance to stay England No 1.’ Jordan Pickford October 2018 He knew the requirements. It had been a whirlwind four months in which he had become a national hero after starring in a World Cup shootout and signed a bumper new Everton contract, but Pickford had not lost sight of what was expected. Consistency was demanded, improvement too. Pickford was riding high, enjoying the plaudits that came following a sparkling performance during England’s first win in Spain for 31 years, but he was ready to take it up again. Jordan Pickford finds himself in dangerous waters with his England position under real threat The idea he would not start the European Championship between the posts for England was unthinkable back then, but here we are. The dip in Pickford’s form means he begins the campaign with questions to answer for club and country. Gareth Southgate handed Pickford his first major international call-up five year

Jordan Pickford's position as England's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper is in doubt heading into the international restart. The shot-stopper - who has been a virtual fixture in Gareth Southgate's plans since the start of World Cup 2018 - is facing a battle to keep the gloves with Burnley keeper Nick Pope believed to be applying genuine pressure on Pickford. The 26-year-old has suffered an alarming dip in form in recent months, a number of high-profile errors costing Everton goals towards the back end of last season. Jordan Pickford's place as England's No.1 goalkeeper is now coming under serious threat Indeed, Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti publicly warned Pickford that his performances must improve in July following a defeat to Wolves. And the keeper's slump in form has not gone unnoticed by Southgate and his backroom team, who, sources claim, are duly concerned. Burnley stopper Nick Pope is set to become first choice following a stellar season As a result, Sp

Stephen Hendry is making an amazing return to top-level snooker after eight years in retirement. The 51-year-old is still the King of the Crucible having claimed a record seven world titles at the Sheffield venue. The Scot enjoyed a decade of near total dominance in the 1990s before packing away his cue in 2012 after his form and motivation ebbed away. Stephen Hendry is making a return to top-level snooker after eight years in retirement But working with sighting and alignment coaching guru Stephen Feeney saw Hendry produce his best displays for years at the recent World Seniors. That persuaded him to take advantage of the offer of a two-year invitational wildcard from World Snooker Tour to re-join the pro ranks. The season starts on Sunday week, but with the Championship League draw already made, the first event for which Hendry is eligible is the European Masters a week later. That, like all of the first eight tournaments on the calendar, will take place in Milton Keynes. Hendry has

Kyle Edmund was not kidding when he described facing Novak Djokovic as ‘the hardest match on tour right now’. The British No 2 will, over the best of five sets, try to do what no man has managed in this truncated year and defeat the imperious-looking Serb. Edmund earned his shot in the second round of the US Open through an excellent victory over Alexander Bublik, which saw him come back to win 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-0. Kyle Edmund insists he feels no pressure as Novak Djokovic is simply expected to win The mercurial Kazakh was virtually unplayable early on, but the 25-year-old from East Riding rode out the storm. Djokovic has a 24-0 record in 2020, and last week his form survived even the substantial off-court distractions of creating a new players’ union to try to shake up the tennis establishment. Edmund will, of course, be playing with house money, but he pointed out that it is not as simple as going out with the freedom to exercise his bludgeoning forehand. ‘All the pressure is on Novak

Ministers did not take responsibility for decisions made during the initial response to the coronavirus pandemic, a think tank has claimed.  A report by  the Institute for Government said leaders 'lacked a wider sense of strategy' at times and relied too heavily on scientific advice. It concluded that the Government should have been prepared to act in the 'absence of scientific certainty' about the disease which, at the time, was shrouded in mystery. Ministers repeatedly claimed they were being 'led by the science' after making tough and controversial decisions from closing schools to advising against face masks. One which cost thousands of lives was the decision not to test 25,000 hospital patients who were discharged into care homes. The Government said it did not test them because the 'scientific advice' was that asymptomatic transmission was uncommon.  But critics accused the Government of trying to shift blame and abdicate their political duty.  Oth

Britain is facing a cash crisis, with shoppers routinely turned away when they try to pay for goods or services with notes and coins. Money Mail has been flooded with emails and letters from readers who say they had to walk out of shops empty-handed after being told they could no longer use cash. Some had left their bank card at home and don't have a smartphone that stores their payment details. Money Mail has been flooded with emails and letters from readers who say they had to walk out of shops empty-handed after being told they could no longer use cash Others just didn't want to use their card to make small payments for newspapers, greetings cards and confectionery. Parents have also told of being forced to run to restaurants where their children were dining out with friends because the youngsters didn't own a debit card. One reader visiting her father in hospital couldn't buy a drink because she had left her debit card at home in her rush to leave the house, but the

Santander branches will be open from 9.30am until 4.30pm on Monday to Friday as of September 7 Santander has extended its branch opening hours after Money Mail revealed how banks had failed to resume normal services after lockdown eased. Branches will be open from 9.30am until 4.30pm on Monday to Friday as of September 7.  The bank had restricted its weekday hours to 10am until 3pm due to the pandemic. Its opening hours were 9.30am until 5pm before lockdown. Santander’s Saturday hours will return to normal, with branches open from 9.30am to 12.30pm or 4pm. Experts have warned of a cynical attempt to speed up branch closures, as firms will be able to claim fewer customers are using them. m.dilworth@dailymail.co.uk Deals of the week

Royal Bank of Scotland is offering £100 to customers who open a bank account Royal Bank of Scotland is offering £100 to customers who open a bank account. The bribe comes just weeks after the bank was voted one of the worst current account providers.  Out of 19 banks, RBS ranked 18th for overall service and bottom for its branches in the Competition and Markets Authority survey. The cash is available to new and existing customers until November 19, but you must not have claimed a switching bonus since October 2017.  You can choose between the bank's free Select account or its £2-a-month Reward account.  To qualify, customers must pay in at least £1,500 each month, and log into online or mobile banking before December 30. Halifax also offers £100 to customers who switch to its reward current account before September 14.  The account is free if you pay in £1,500 a month, or £3 a month if not. a.murray@dailymail.co.uk Deals of the week

Jorge Messi's meeting with Josep Bartomeu looks set to be one of the most important in Barcelona's history. Do they get to keep club legend Lionel Messi for maybe three more years, enjoying all the landmark matches that would come in his final seasons? Or do they lose him in an undignified jumble of missed training sessions, leaked conversations, disputed contract clauses, and with the 8-2 defeat to Bayern his last ever game? And is there even an ugly court case thrown in at the end for good measure? Before Barcelona president Bartomeu meets with Jorge Messi this week he will need to find unity in the boardroom. Jorge Messi is set for an historic meeting with Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu Bartomeu is determined to use the meeting to convince Messi's camp to agree a new contract Messi is disillusioned with life at the club and communicated via fax that he intends to leave There are directors who believe the club's financial situation makes trying to get the best pr

Sixty percent of Americans say the federal government's handling of the coronavirus crisis is making the pandemic worse, according to a new poll.  An Axios-Ipsos poll found that 80 percent of Democrats believe the White House's response to the virus is making the country's recovery from the pandemic worse, and just 19 percent believe it is making it better. Republicans, on the other hand, voiced their support for the White House and just 25 percent say its handling of the pandemic is making the country’s recovery worse.  Meanwhile, 74 percent say the government is making recovery better. Today there are more than 6million cases of the virus and over 183,000 deaths in the US.  60 percent of Americans say the government’s coronavirus response is making the pandemic worse, according to a new Axios-Ipsos poll released Tuesday Independents largely agree with Democrats with 68 percent saying the government isn’t helping.    Trump has falsely insisted that the US has the world’s l

The arrival of a new Martin Amis novel is never a humdrum affair.  Even when this month he is one of almost 600 authors struggling to be heard — and read — in a post-Covid glut of new books, there will always be some teasing revelation to make the writer, a diminutive 5 ft 4 in tall, stand out in a very congested crowd.  Over the years, he has regularly used his own life and the people in it as a backdrop to his storytelling.  But the ballyhoo for Inside Story, to be published on September 24, takes that concept a mischievous step further by raising questions about his own paternity.  In the book, described by its publisher, Jonathan Cape, as an autobiographical novel, one character suggests that the larger-than-life Sir Kingsley Amis may not, after all, have been Martin's biological father.  Pictured: Martin Amis with Kingsley Amis at home in Notting Hill, London in September 1989 Instead, the story suggests, it might be Kingsley's fellow writer, the poet Philip Larkin.  The t

With her track record of mammoth global music sales, Adele is well used to setting records. And the picture she posted on Instagram on Monday — showing her dressed in a Jamaican flag-print bikini with a feathered collar and her hair in African Bantu knots, to mark what would have been that day’s Notting Hill Carnival — did just that. Gaining five million likes, the snap also sparked a global debate about ‘cultural appropriation’, which has led to some calls for the singer to be ‘cancelled’ or culturally boycotted. Numerous voices, many of them American, have accused her of offering racist disrespect through her hairstyle, which is traditionally associated with women who have Afro-textured hair. Others — many of them black-British — have disagreed. So far, Adele’s only response has been to post a comment in Jamaican patois, ‘Wah Gwaan!’ which roughly translates as ‘What’s up?’ Adele posted to Instagram on Monday — showing her dressed in a Jamaican flag-print bikini with a feathered coll