New York State

PLANS to force police in France to intercept migrants on the beaches before they board boats for Britain have been rejected by powerful unions across the Channel.

They claim it would be too dangerous to try to tackle overcrowded dinghies at sea.

PA

Last Saturday, 1,195 migrants arrived on 19 small boats — the highest number for a single day this year.[/caption]

And their opposition is threatening to scupper efforts to close a loophole that means officers in France cannot stop boats once they are already in the water.

As a result, smugglers launch dinghies from inland canals and act as taxis to pick up migrants who wade into the sea, while law enforcement officials watch on from the shore.

France Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau wants to change the law so officers can intervene up to 300m from the coastline but progress has been slow.

A new strategy is being drawn up to coincide with President Emmanuel Macron’s State visit to Britain in July. But unions in France are opposed to the plan.

A senior source at Alliance — the largest police union in the country — said: “People don’t seem to realise how dangerous it is to try to carry out arrests at sea, while trying to force a boat to change course.

“If there are 80 people on an overcrowded boat, including women and children, then it is extremely dangerous to try to stop them.

“The potential for disaster, including further deaths, is immense. Turning us into sea police is not the way forward.”

A source at the maritime branch of the General Confederation of Labour, which represents seamen across France, told The Sun: “If a potentially vulnerable boat is stable then it should not be interfered with until it reaches a safe place on the shore.

“Such boats should only be interfered with at sea if they are in serious trouble.”

Frédéric Okonek, coastal delegate for the Un1té union, said previously: “If the police intervene in the water, the boat sinks with a hundred people on board. It’s too dangerous.

“We also have orders: When the boat is in the water, we no longer have the right to intervene. It’s to prevent tragedies.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has told Mr Retailleau she wants the law changed as swiftly as possible.

Last Saturday, 1,195 migrants arrived on 19 small boats — the highest number for a single day this year.

Fewer than 40 per cent of boats have been turned back despite a £480million deal with France to combat crossings.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Belgium has been very successfully intercepting returning boats at sea and has almost entirely stopped embarkations.

“Trade unions and the Left have no interest in stopping illegal immigration.”

PA

Plans to force police in France to intercept migrants on the beaches before they board boats for Britain have been rejected by powerful unions[/caption]

IT’S National Fish and Chip Day tomorrow – and last week the classic combo was also named our top dish to order in the pub.

But while a chippy tea remains a favourite, rising costs means many of us are forced to skip it.

Darren Fletcher

Celebrity chef Aldo Zilli rates a selection of battered cods[/caption]

Luckily, there are plenty of similar fish fillets available in the supermarkets to give you all the taste without the higher cost.

Celebrity chef Aldo Zilli, who is a Scottish Fish and Chip Awards judge and head chef at Elaine’s Restaurant in London, tucks into a selection of battered portions.

Tesco Battered Cod Fillet Portions

4 pieces, 500g, £3.39, 52% fish

Darren Fletcher

I don’t know how they make this cod so cheap[/caption]

THESE frozen portions are Atlantic cod, which is sustainable and a good source, so I don’t know how they make it so cheap.

It’s an excellent price for four pieces.

For those nights when you want a chippy tea, you could absolutely cook an alternative with this box on standby in the freezer.

With some chunky homemade or oven chips, it’s perfect for a takeaway taste.

It is not quite authentic in flavour as the batter is a bit soft.

But the fish tastes fresh, with a good, firm texture and it’s flaking and moist.

The size of each piece is generous, too.

RATING: 4/5

Sainsbury’s Battered Cod Fillets

4 pieces, 500g, £3.39, 58% fish

Darren Fletcher

When picking up this Sainsbury’s fish, be prepared for something more like a canape[/caption]

ONE of the higher ratios of fish but they do not seem plentiful.

The pieces of cod have been cut in a meagre way and look like offcuts. I suppose that’s how you keep the price down, and it doesn’t affect the taste.

The batter is a bit uneven and thicker around the edges.

It looks like it has a batter crust, which is quite strange.

But the fish tastes decent, is flaking and plump and appears and smells very fresh for a frozen piece of cod.

Not oily at all.

It’s less than a pound for a portion but size-wise, be prepared for something more like a canape.

Good for small appetites.

RATING: 3/5

Asda Battered Cod Fillets

4 pieces, 440g, £3.75, 55% fish

Darren Fletcher

Asda battered cod looks more like a biscuit[/caption]

AFTER cooking, I already don’t much like the look of it and I’m not excited to tuck in.

The batter is an odd, nutty brown colour.

It should be a rich golden amber.

It looks more like a biscuit than a piece of fish and the coating is so crunchy you could crack your teeth.

There’s a huge amount of batter that is so solid it’s breaking away in shards, plus the cod is chewy and tasteless.

This resembles something that has been sitting under a canteen hotplate for hours drying out.

Not exactly a treat to replace a takeaway.

RATING: 2/5

M&S Battered Cod Fillets

2 pieces, 300g, £4.50, 58% fish

Darren Fletcher

M&S cod fillets are a bit more expensive[/caption]

THE fish inside are fresh, not pre-cooked, which means the luxury level has been upped here – along with the price tag.

It is very good quality.

You get good chunky pieces of cod and can tell from the shape it is a proper, bouncy, fish fillet inside.

On the downside, there are only two pieces for the higher price, so great for couples but not for families.

And it took longer to cook than the packet said.

They taste very nice but the batter- to-fish ratio is off and the coating is too thick.

But it does taste like chip shop batter and the cod is moist.

RATING: 3/5

Aldi Battered Cod

4 pieces, 500g, £3.39, 52% fish

Darren Fletcher

This Aldi cod is my winner![/caption]

THE ingredients are pretty minimal, which is good, and as a freezer-friendly batter goes, it’s a fairly authentic recipe.

I really liked the look of these.

Four chunky pieces of cod that will fill you up.

The fish in the batter is the right proportion to allow you to enjoy both flavours without either overwhelming the other.

And they both taste delicious.

Excellent flaking fish and the golden coating is crispy, tasty and exactly the right texture.

Frozen batter is hard to get right because it often goes soggy when you warm it back up.

RATING: 5/5

Lidl Battered White Fish Fillets

4 pieces, 500g, £2.50, 53% fish

Darren Fletcher

Lidl offer cheaper pollock instead[/caption]

LABELLED as “battered white fish”, inside the batter you get pollock.

Not one you’ll see on the board at your local chippy but it’s not a bad alternative.

The firm texture is similar to a piece of cod, so it works well even if it’s not as flavoursome and moist.

The main difference is price.

Pollock is much cheaper, which is why these portions are more budget friendly.

But if you are going to add ketchup, mushy peas and all the other trimmings, you probably won’t notice it’s not cod.

Great as a kids’ meal option to save you money.

The batter had a strange texture though.

RATING: 3/5

Iceland Battered Skinless Cod

4 pieces, 440g, £3.50, 52% fish

Darren Fletcher

Iceland’s option has a dense coating[/caption]

SADLY, these were not good at all. They were a decent size and the batter looked thick.

But after I heated it up I realised just how dense the coating was.

In fact, there was hardly any fish inside at all.

When I pulled off all the outer layer, I was left with a teeny tiny amount of white fish.

That wouldn’t be so bad if the golden casing was incredible, but it was not great.

It’s not crispy and it dried out when cooking, so it sticks in your mouth.

Altogether, tasteless, watery and lacks flavour.

Not like battered fish at all.

RATING: 2/5

Young’s Chip Shop

2 pieces, 300g, £4.50 (was £5.75) Ocado.com, 54% fish

Darren Fletcher

Young’s Chip Shop fillets are in an exceptionally crumbly, yet still light, crispy batter[/caption]

PROMISES to have bubbly batter just like you’d get fresh from the fryer.

In fairness, even when still frozen, this looks like a genuine chippy piece.

You get two really big pieces of cod and they’ve used the tail cut of fish like the longer, thinner pieces you are served in takeaways.

They are in an exceptionally crumbly, yet still light, crispy batter made with sodium bicarbonate for a golden chip shop texture and flavour.

Moist and tasty and there’s more fish and less batter, which works well.

It looks, smells and tastes incredibly like a chippy offering.

RATING: 4/5

IF you want a very quick insight into what is wrong with this country, just take a look at the case of Police Constable Lorne Castle.

Lorne, 46, worked for the plod in Bournemouth. Twice decorated for bravery. A popular policeman with the public and within the force.

BNPS

Police Constable Lorne Castle, twice decorated for bravery, was sacked over his aggressive arrest of a knife-carrying teen[/caption]

Dorset Police

And then, one day, his career was over. Sacked for “gross misconduct”.

What happened was this. Lorne was called to make an arrest of a teenager suspected of assaulting two people.

He turned up and the 15-year-old resisted arrest. He continued to resist even when the PC had hold of him.

This scrote was carrying a knife, by the way.

Lorne shouted at the boy to stop screaming and resisting arrest. He pushed him to the floor and put a hand over his face. He swore at him. Swearing is of course very rude. None of us should swear.

The result was that after a 16-month inquiry, during which he was suspended from his duties, Lorne was sacked.

He was placed on the police debarred list, which stops him ever working with the police again.

His life has been ruined. The panel that sacked him claimed he had failed to treat the suspect with “respect and courtesy”. Incredible, no? “Hello old chap! I hope you are living your best life! I ­wonder if I could ask you . . . Oh, OK, goodbye then.”

The panel also said that Lorne’s behaviour made the boy feel “frightened and intimidated”. Good! How was he meant to feel? Elated and relaxed? Warm and comfortable?

A whip-round among officers has ­provided him with some of his wages. And a retired Chief Inspector has spoken in his favour.

DID HIS JOB

But what did his boss have to say? Dorset police’s deputy chief Rachel Farrell said the sacking was right.

She added: “(Officers) do a tough job and when their actions are proportionate, necessary and reasonable they will always be supported.”

That, it turns out, was a lie. The ­constabulary even issued footage of the arrest in an attempt to make Lorne look more aggressive. Stripped out of context, the film is quite brutal.

But here’s the point. The boy was not hurt. And an armed suspect was arrested. Maybe Lorne shouldn’t have called him a bitch. We can argue over that.

But the truth is that Lorne did a wholly effective job in what was a very dangerous situation. And then got dragged through the mire for doing what he thought was his duty.

To keep the public safe from hoodied scrotes carrying knives.

But today our society is on the side of the skanks and the scrotes. They have their Yuman Roights which must not be transgressed. Doesn’t matter what they do. They must be respected.

The truth is that Castle did a wholly effective job in what was a very dangerous situation.

Rod Liddle

And so we let shoplifters go free, cos they’re poor innit.

Almost no burglars are caught because society today doesn’t think crimes against property are terribly important.

Judges and tribunals tell asylum seekers they can remain here no matter what heinous crimes they have committed.

Because their rights trump our right not to be raped or stabbed or burgled.

And the few people who try to do the right thing? Like Lorne Castle, they end up being sacked.

An E.T. solution for gloomy-moon mob

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A psychic American man called Ingo Swann claims a colony of aliens are on the dark side of the moon[/caption]

Supplied

He also claims the CIA got him to train his powers on the moon’s far side[/caption]

APPARENTLY there’s a colony of aliens living secretly on the dark side of the moon.

The Americans know all about it, but have been sworn to secrecy.

They look like us and have built a tower bigger than the Empire State Building. (The aliens, I mean. But the Americans too I suppose).

This all comes from the diaries released by a psychic American man called Ingo Swann, who claims the CIA got him to train his powers on the moon’s far side.

And what I want to know is did these spies do this exercise for a laugh in their lunch hour?

And if not, shouldn’t we point out to the aliens that the other side of the moon is far nicer?

ONE LAW FOR ISLAM?

HAMIT Coskun burned a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy.

Hamit was protesting about the increasing Islamisation of the country of his birth.

PA

Hamit Coskun was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence and fined £240 for burning a Koran[/caption]

While he was making his protest he was attacked by a man with a knife.

A delivery driver then kicked him in the back as he lay on the ground.

Remarkably, the fact he was attacked was used by the judge to support his guilty sentence to the crime of “using disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress.”

The judge is, I think, an idiot. And no matter how they try to word it, we now have a blasphemy law in this country – but only for Islam.

Burn a Bible and nobody will turn a hair.

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Getty

A dozen new attack submarines are planned as Britain moves to a war footing[/caption]

DOES anybody, anywhere, understand when the UK is to raise its defence spending to three per cent of GDP?

Sir Keir Starmer, who made the announce­ment, clearly doesn’t have a clue.

It looks very much like it won’t be by the end of this Parliament, for a start.

There is talk of the UK needing to raise defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2034.

But it wouldn’t surprise me if 2034 is far too late.

Starmer was strong on defence for a while. But that interest now seems to have deserted him. Meanwhile, our enemies are looking on and sniggering.

WITH fists pumping and arms aloft, racing great Michael Schumacher celebrated his many victories with the same energy as his driving.

And that is how the Formula One team boss who turned the German legend into a champion three decades ago prefers to think of him.

AP:Associated Press

Michael Schumacher in his prime competing for Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix in 2004[/caption]

Nick Haley

Netflix

Not as the incapacitated survivor of a horrific skiing accident that Schumacher is said to have become.

Italian businessman Flavio Briatore said this week: “If I close my eyes. I see him smiling after a victory.

“I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed.”

Flavio’s comments reveal the day-to-day struggles faced by the now-reclusive sporting hero, who once epitomised the swashbuckling spirit of adrenaline sport.

Schumacher, 56, would go wheel-to-wheel with rivals at extreme speeds on the scariest of bends en route to a record-breaking seven Formula One world championships.

Off the track he would party with pals, smoke big cigars, sky dive, scuba dive and fly helicopters.

‘Michael communicates with his eyes’

But nothing has been seen of Michael since his near-fatal crash on Alpine slopes in France on December 29, 2013.

Rumours of medical miracles, appearances, fresh photos and interviews frequently spread online.

But a Formula One insider tells The Sun that like Flavio, the world needs to get used to not seeing Michael’s beaming smile anymore.

Craig Scarborough, who has been covering the sport for around 25 years and interviewed Michael many times, reveals: “I spoke to someone who is very, very close to him and they just explained we’re not going to hear any more from him.

“He’s in a comfortable position as far as he can be with his state of health.”

It has been reported that only three people see Michael at his secluded home on the Spanish island of Majorca.

Even Flavio, 75, who has been a close friend of Michael since they began working together at the Benetton racing team in 1991, has not seen him for a while.

But the Italian says he “often” speaks to Michael’s wife Corinna, 56.

Much of her time is said to be consumed by maintaining her husband’s care and keeping the exact details of his current health condition a secret.

And Corinna has also had to cope with the distress of dealing with a blackmail plot.

Yilmaz Tozturkan, 53, and his son Daniel Lins, 30, threatened to publish videos and pictures of Michael unless they were given £12million.

Security guard Markus Fritsche had copied the private material while working for the Schumachers and sold it to the two men.

Rex Features

Rex

In February the trio were found guilty of their part in the blackmail plot.

Fritsche was given a two-year suspended sentence, while Tozturkan was jailed for three years and Lins was given a six-month suspended prison sentence by a German court.

Corinna wanted a harsher sentence for Fritsche.

She said: “What still shocks me most is the massive breach of trust.

“He should receive a punishment for this that deters others from potentially doing the same.”

And last October stories emerged claiming that Michael had attended the wedding of his daughter Gina, 27, in Majorca.

Guests and staff had to hand over their mobile phones, while security guards made sure no one could snoop on the ceremony or party.

But Michael’s former Benetton teammate Johnny Herbert said: “From what I understand, that was all fake news.”

We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable.

Corinna Schumacher

While it remains possible that Schumacher did attend the wedding in a wheelchair, another story was definitely made up.

Last year Corinna successfully sued German magazine Die Aktuelle for claiming on its cover “Michael Schumacher, the first interview!”

In fact the quotes had been generated by artificial intelligence.

What no outsider can be sure about is whether Michael could give an interview if he wanted to.

There have been conflicting accounts of his health condition.

When Michael’s head hit a boulder in the skiing accident 12 years ago, it split his helmet in two.

The brain injury was so serious that he spent 250 days in a coma.

The best medical treatment that money could buy brought the sports star, worth £468million, back to consciousness.

There had been rumours that further treatment in Paris had allowed Michael to take small steps, but that was later dismissed.

Getty

Michael won a record-breaking seven Formula One world championships[/caption]

Getty

Flavio Briatore, seen here at Monaco GP last month, spoke about his former Benetton driver[/caption]

Most people in the know indicate that he is unable to talk, although it is possible he could use eye movements to send messages like the late scientist Stephen Hawking did.

In 2020 Flavio’s former wife Elisabetta Gregoraci claimed: “Michael doesn’t speak, he communicates with his eyes.”

Friends do visit and he still follows sports.

Former Ferrari F1 chief Jean Todt said: “I can see him but of course, what I miss is what we used to do together.

“I watch Grand Prix with Michael.”

Corinna also indicated there was an attempt to maintain normality in difficult circumstances.

She said in a 2021 Netflix documentary: “We’re together.

“We live together at home.

“We do therapy.

“We’re trying to carry on as a family’

“We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.

“And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will.

“We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does.”

I hope they can find happiness in the situation they find themselves in.

Craig Scarborough

It was reported by German media, ahead of the ten-year anniversary of his skiing accident in 2023, that Schumacher receives 24-hour care from a team of up to 15 people.

He has been driven in a Mercedes road car, and played sounds from the F1 track, to stimulate his brain with familiar noises.

There has been plenty of good family news to lift Michael’s spirits.

Last month he became a grandfather for the first time when Gina gave birth to her daughter Millie.

And his son Mick, 26, is said to have found love with Danish model Laila Hasanovic, 23, who is reportedly trusted enough to have visited Michael.

Mick, who spent two years as a F1 driver, was only 14 when his dad suffered the debilitating head injury.

In the Netflix documentary he said he would give “anything” to talk to him about the sport again.

He commented: “I think dad and I would understand each other in a different way now, simply because we speak a similar language, the language of motorsport, and we would have a lot to talk about.

“That’s where my head is at most of the time, thinking that would be so cool. I’d give anything just for that.”

Craig reckons having close personal time with Mick and other family members is vital for the stricken motorsports star.

Physical workload

He says: “I think a lot of people demand stuff from him and I think that’s wrong.

“He is himself, and his family have a lot to contend with.

“Until you’ve cared for somebody, I don’t think anyone realises the emotion and the physical workload.

“The fact that they have been bold enough to withdraw from public life and not be tempted to do exclusives out there to various people, I think, is noble, and I hope that continues.

“I hope they can find happiness in the situation they find themselves in.”

Like Flavio, Craig is more comfortable talking about the Michael people knew before the ski tragedy.

He says: “He was a guy who enjoyed his personal time.

“He loved his family.

“He did lots of lovely things.

“He clearly liked a drink.

“He loved a big cigar.

“But he had lots of time to bring up his son.”

While it is understandable that Michael’s army of fans want to hear from him again, they may have to make do with recalling his past glories.

There were certainly more than enough of them for Flavio and others to remember.

DEAR DEIDRE: I LEFT my wife to have a baby with my mistress, but I’ve had a one-night stand and got another woman pregnant.

She says she’s having the baby but I want nothing to do with it. How can I tell my girlfriend without wrecking our relationship?

I’m 38 and was married for seven years. We didn’t have kids and our marriage was difficult.

When I confided my unhappiness to my wife’s best friend, we grew close, and started an affair.

I fell in love with her, and when she told me she’d accidentally got pregnant with my child, I knew I had to leave my wife to be with her.

We had the baby six months ago. But dealing with a nasty divorce, at the same time as becoming a dad, was stressful and led to lots of rows.

My girlfriend felt we needed some time apart, so asked me to move out for a while.

One night, I got very drunk and had a one-night stand with a woman I met in a bar.

I regretted it instantly. I didn’t think my girlfriend would ever find out. A few weeks later, we got back together.

Things have improved massively. I love being a dad and was thinking about proposing.

But then, the woman I’d slept with contacted me to say she was pregnant.

She said she intended to have the baby and nothing I said would change her mind.

However, she didn’t need me to be involved. I’m in a real mess.

Do I have to explain what happened to my girlfriend? I can’t sleep.

DEIDRE SAYS: Getting one woman accidentally pregnant is unfortunate. Two, shows you turn to sex rather than dealing with tricky relationships.

Now it’s time to deal responsibly with the consequences of your actions – you can’t keep running forever.

Even if you’re not active in this second baby’s life, you are legally obliged to provide for it financially.

So, if you don’t want to live a complicated lie, you need to tell your girlfriend.

At some point, you may want a relationship with the child, the mum may change her mind, or your child may come looking for you.

It would help to speak to someone impartial, who can advise you and support you emotionally, as you understandably aren’t coping well.

Consider counselling to help you resolve conflict rather than run from it. Read my support pack, How Counselling Can Help, for more guidance.

ESCORT PAL REFUSES TO SLEEP WITH ME ANY MORE

DEAR DEIDRE: THE escort I befriended will no longer have sex with me – but she is still having sex with other clients.

This has left me feeling confused and rejected. I’m not expecting anything for free, but she won’t even let me pay her.

I’m a divorced man in my mid-50s. She is in her early 30s. We first met about five years ago, when I became one of her regular clients.

Then I moved abroad, so I stopped seeing her. We kept in touch on messenger and became real friends.

She told me she’d stopped escorting.

Recently, I moved back to the UK. We have met several times, been out for drinks and even went away for a weekend.

But we haven’t had sex at all – neither as friends with benefits, or for money.

I have since learned she is escorting again. If she is seeing other customers, why won’t she let me pay for it? Is she not attracted to me any more?

DEIDRE SAYS: Your friend may not want to have sex with you now because she sees you as a friend, not as a client.

For her, sex is business, and perhaps she doesn’t want to blur the boundaries – or to feel that you still see her as a prostitute. She may also feel ashamed or embarrassed that she’s gone back into escorting.

But only she can explain how she feels.

Ask her to be honest. If you truly care for her as a friend, make it clear you value her for more than her body.

REGRET MOVING IN WITH FIANCE

DEAR DEIDRE: SINCE moving in with my boyfriend and getting engaged, I’ve started feeling more like a housemaid than a partner – and sex is rubbish.

We were so happy when we were dating, but now I’m having major doubts about our relationship and feel our connection has gone.

I’m 28 and he’s 30. We’ve been together for four years. We bought a flat and moved in together last year, and got engaged shortly after.

If you’d asked me a couple of years ago, I’d have said he was “the one” – my soul mate. Our sex life was brilliant, we went out and had fun together.

Now it feels like we’re flatmates who occasionally have sex.

There’s no romance any more – no little love notes or dates – and sex feels mechanical, not like love-making.

I’m exhausted from working full time, but he expects me to do all the housework and cooking.

If I say I need to go to bed early, or don’t feel well, he tells me I’ve turned into a bore.

Is this it forever now? Have I made a big mistake or do all relationships become like this?

I just want to go back to being happy.

DEIDRE SAYS: Moving in with a partner does change a relationship, and it’s difficult to maintain those heady early days of romance.

Hiccups are natural. But it is concerning things have changed so much, and you’ve gone from being very happy to doubting your future.

Don’t despair. It might not sound romantic, but all relationships require effort and good communication – from both sides.

Be honest with your fiancé and work out ways to get things back on track. A weekend away, date nights, hiring a cleaner – all these things could help.

Miss the love notes? Start writing them yourself. Read my support pack, Looking After Your Relationship, for more advice.

“IF you want to catch a lot of fish, set out many fishing rods,” a wise man in the motor industry once said.

Toyota is definitely following that advice.

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Toyota will relaunch its baby Aygo X as a hybrid instead of pure-petrol at the end of the year[/caption]

Toyota

The C-HR+, looks, and is, different from the C-HR hybrid[/caption]

Supplied

The small pure battery Urban Cruiser, on sale shortly[/caption]

So any potential customer swimming into a Toyota dealership will find a huge range of cars ready to hook them.

It’s working.

Sales of Toyota and its posher Lexus arm keep growing.

A cascade of new cars and updates will likely keep the momentum going into next year.

The RAV4 family SUV is a massive seller and returns next year as a plug-in hybrid only.

It should be economical when running on petrol alone. But if you can find somewhere to plug in, the electric range is now a very handy 62 milles.

The angular new body has a proper rugged look to it, standing out from the crop of softy crossovers it competes against.

Toyota keeps driving down the cost of hybrids.

At the end of the year it will relaunch its baby Aygo X as a hybrid instead of pure-petrol.

That will have the lowest consumption and CO2 rating of any car without a plug.

So the hybrid system is still a massive part of Toyota’s success.

When hybrid arrived here in the Prius at the turn of the millennium, it was a minority sport.

Gradually it went mainstream, spreading across nearly all Toyota and Lexus models. So much so that the company took flak for not jumping from there on to the full-electric car bandwagon.

Now that caution looks wise.

The speed of changeover to EVs is softening, and the legal push to ban hybrids is paused five years to 2035.

Shifting predictions for EVs are affecting Toyota-Lexus too.

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For families wanting more space as well as battery power, Toyota will add a Touring estate version to the bZ4X electric crossover[/caption]

For some years, the plan was to build standalone electric cars, wholly different from the hybrids.

But that’s going to change.

Andrea Carlucci, European marketing boss, told me the plan now is to build cars that you can buy as either full-electric or hybrid.

Selling completely separate hybrid and EV models, he says, “causes a complexity challenge”, confusing buyers and choking dealerships.

“We should simplify the number of silhouettes.”

So Lexus is launching its sharp-looking new luxury saloon, the ES, in both a hybrid and a 330-mile electric.

In the UK the plan is we’ll get the electric only, but no doubt that could alter if the politics of EVs change again.

For families wanting more space as well as battery power, Toyota will add a Touring estate version to the bZ4X electric crossover

Inside, it’s luxurious but with a clean Japanese-garden feel. The door trim looks like back-illuminated bamboo.

But despite the new plan for dual-powertrain cars, there are still a bunch of pure battery cars in the launch phase.

The small one is the Urban Cruiser, on sale shortly.

It’ll be followed by the C-HR+, which looks, and is, different from the C-HR hybrid.

All those two share is a general theme: both are compact coupe-crossovers.

For families wanting more space as well as battery power, Toyota will add a Touring estate version to the bZ4X electric crossover. That’s spring next year.

The all-electric Lexus RZ gets an update next year, including steer-by-wire using an aircraft-style yoke instead of a steering wheel, plus fake “gearbox” effects to make driving a single-speed EV feel more interesting.

More like a petrol car, in other words.

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The RAV4 family SUV is a massive seller and returns next year as a plug-in hybrid only[/caption]

IT will never be a darling of the chic Renault set like the trending 4 and 5, but Austral has been given another season to try and reel in the punters, now with more contemporary looks and boosted refinement.

Being one of arguably seven SUVs in Renault’s line-up doesn’t help the sensibly-sized Austral stand out from the crowd.

But Renault likes to call this “choice”, not overkill.

Bosses swear blind their SUVs don’t compete with each other but rather complement.

Regardless of Gallic spin, we do agree that choice is a good thing.

Austral is the last Renault to receive the brand’s latest design language, and with that it is ultimately a facelift of the 2022 car rather than an all-new motor.

The front and rear ends have been substantially redesigned and successfully banish that uninspiring vibe the previous generation gave off.

Cleaner, edgier, more posh.

As a full-hybrid – that’s one without a plug – it’s capable of taking you up to 683 miles on one tank of gas thanks to its frugal 1.2-litre turbo engine, pair of electric motors and diddy 2kWh battery, which combine to deliver out a brilliant 58mpg. It also does it with notably more comfort than before.

The mega comfy new seats are a revelation here. Love at first sit.

Sound insulation has been significantly bolstered to deliver decently hushed progress.

And the upgraded gearbox and suspension dial out the sub-premium edges of the older model’s ride and handling – despite my test car rocking the big new 20in alloy rims option.

It also comes loaded with the full Google suite, including Google Maps navigation and Google Assistant voice control, with handy over-the-air software updates through the 12in portrait touchscreen so things can only get better yet.

While there is only one automatic powertrain available there will be three trim levels from launch that starts with the £35k Techno.

The line-up tops out with the £39k Iconic Esprit Alpine.

Austral Season 2 is out August and well worth putting on your watchlist

That’s pretty decent pricing for a decently efficient, decent looking, decently tech’d-up SUV that will take 527 litres of family junk in the trunk.

Austral Season 2 is out August and well worth putting on your watchlist.

The podcaster has signed multi-million dollar deals recently.

Things are tense between the exes.

Liverpool have seen off strong competition to win the race for Wirtz.