FACE-TO-FACE appointments should be mandatory ahead of approving fat jab prescriptions, leading pharmacists say.

The Independent Pharmacies Association called for tighter restrictions after The Sun revealed that 82 Brits have died using weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

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Online sellers were told last month to stop accepting photo and text applications for the drugs amid concerns slimmers are pretending to be fatter than they really are.

But there are concerns people are using friends as stand-ins or tweaking the scales — so regulators have been urged to step in and fight misuse.

IPA boss Dr Leyla Hannbeck said: “We feel that this medication is liable to misuse and should be subject to a face-to-face consultation to ensure the patient understands the risks and the prescriber can check they meet the criteria to use the medication.

“The sharp rise in the popularity and ease of online access to such high-risk medicines is undoubtedly putting patients at risk – more must be done to put patient safety first.

“We are aware of patients misrepresenting their weight and some are even using proxies to conduct online consultations.

“It is also a lot easier for people to change the settings on their scales at home so they say they are heavier than they are, just to get their hands on these new drugs.

“We need the General Pharmaceutical Council and MHRA to tighten the policing around these medicines.”

The number of people in the UK buying the injections privately for weight loss is projected to hit one million this year.

Ten of the deaths were in patients taking them for weight loss, though they have historically been used to treat type 2 diabetes.

Ade Robinson, 60, of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, died in November after taking Mounjaro he bought online.

His family said the public should be made more aware of the risks.

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FENERBAHCE accused Galatasaray of “pathetic slander” after the latter claimed Jose Mourinho made “racist statements”.

Ex-Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho, now in charge of Turkish giants Fenerbahce, made comments about the Galatasaray bench “jumping like monkeys” after an early tackle in Monday’s 0-0 draw.

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The Portuguese was alleged to said the match was made better by the fact it was NOT officiated by a Turkish ref, with Slovenian Slavko Vincic in charge.

Galatasaray announced they intended to “initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho”, and would submit official complaints to Uefa and Fifa.

Fenerbahce responded: “A statement made by Jose Mourinho after the match was taken completely out of context and deliberately distorted.

“These expressions, used by Jose Mourinho to describe the extreme reaction of the opposing team’s technical staff to the referee’s decisions during the match, can in no way be associated with racism.

“Trying to portray this discourse as racist is a completely malevolent approach.

“We would like to inform the public that we will exercise our legal rights regarding this pathetic slander that aims to take the competition out of the field, change the agenda and manipulate it.”

Fenerbahce vice-president Acun Ilicali said: “As a club I can clearly say that we are behind our coach, we are supporting him 100 per cent.”

Galatasaray’s statement, said: “Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people.

“We formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho, and shall accordingly submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA.”

The 0-0 draw means Galatasaray maintain their six-point lead at the top of Super Lig ahead of fierce rivals Fenerbahce.

KEMI Badenoch has fired the starting gun for leaving an international court making it easier to deport illegal migrants.

The Tory leader paved the way for quitting the European Convention on Human Rights, saying officials will start work on leaving.

But the move will provoke fury from some in her own party, following Nigel Farage’s Reform saying they would leave to restore UK sovereignty.

The treaty is key to human rights law with the party chief saying in a speech yesterday that the rules were stopping Britain from being in control of its borders.

Ms Badenoch, who will set up several policy commissions, said: “Let’s start doing the work to see what should be done.”

She gave a huge indication that she is prepared to leave the convention if it stops the UK from doing “what is right” for our national interest.

Speaking to Policy Exchange, she added: “I have always been very clear that the ECHR should not stop us doing what is right for the people of this country and what is in our national interest.

“And if it continues to do so at some point we will probably have to leave.

“What I have not agreed with is deciding we should leave without having a plan for what that looks like and how to do so in a way that makes sense.

“Without rules then things just don’t work.

“But other countries are breaking the rules and we need to get serious about that and not pretend that those things aren’t happening and that’s really what I was us to focus on.”

In his Tory leadership bid last year, Robert Jenrick backed an ECHR exit for the party to survive.

Nigel Farage in his maiden speech in the Commons called for a referendum on leaving the European Court of Human Rights.

The court which was set up in 1959 interprets the ECHR.

A Reform UK spokesman last night said: “Once again Kemi has put party unity ahead of the country.

“She said during her leadership election it would divide her party and clearly that’s still the case.

“Only Reform UK would leave the ECHR and take back control of our immigration and asylum system.”

AFP

FOR years, he was lauded for his blessed right foot.

Now, as he approaches his 50th birthday, David Beckham is ­gaining plaudits for a whole new body part — his pecs.

Scott Trindle

Scott Trindle

Insight News and Features

The star reckons near-daily workouts — those focusing on his upper body — have helped him “go up a few cup sizes” in the man-boob department.

Goldenboobs, if you will.

The ex-Manchester United midfielder, who for years prioritised leg day in the gym, credits former Team GB athlete-turned-PT Bobby Rich for his body transformation.

Becks says: “It was never upper body — I didn’t have pecs until I met Bob.

“I never really had a desire to, either.

“I wanted to be as lean as I could.

“You could say I’ve gone up a few cup sizes as a result.

“But since retiring, I’ve put a bit of meat in my pecs.

“I used to hate pull-ups with a passion.

“I could literally only do two or three.

“Now, we do them most days.

“I feel good.”

While the Inter Miami boss has always had a chiselled torso and quads like nicely shaped Iberian hams, today he is fitter than ever.

A former Barry’s Bootcamp and Soul Cycle devotee — I’ve seen him leaving classes for both — he now trains both smart and hard under Bobby’s eagle eye.

Home gyms in the Cotswolds, ­London and Miami mean there is no excuse to skip a session, and wife Victoria also regularly joins him for a cardio beasting.

‘I broke my back’

Becks adds: “I’ve been trying to get Victoria to work out with Bob for years and she finally agreed.

“We now do five days a week, sometimes six, together.

“I love training with Victoria.

“We give each other plenty of grief.

“She’s not very good at listening to Bobby . . . she does her own thing.

“She’s not great at resting.

“He’ll give her a 90-second rest and she’ll be ready to go after 25.”

While Posh Spice, who has the body fat of a whippet, prefers the Stairmaster and Versaclimber — two particularly torturous pieces of gym kit — Becks favours pull-ups, metcon workouts (a sequence of challenging exercises often repeated without rest) and strength ­sessions.

He’s also taken up the sport du jour, racket game padel, playing three times a week.

Retired from football for 12 years, undoubtedly his body took a bashing during his sterling career, which saw him win 19 trophies as well as 115 caps for England.

In fact, in a new interview with Men’s Health magazine, he admits to secretly breaking his back during one of his final games for LA Galaxy.

The break was only discovered weeks after the event, but could have left him with long-term damage had it not been treated.

He cites growing up in an era when stretching, mobility, ice baths, foam rollers and proper warm-ups weren’t really a “thing”, and says that contributed to some of his injuries.

He adds: “I think that’s probably why certain parts of my body were a real mess.

“My last game at Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, I had three cortisone injections in my ankle and my Achilles purely to play . . . I’ve had cortisone injections in my back, too.

“I actually broke my back.

“I was living in LA and cracked my spine.

“I had pain after a game, I went for a scan and they couldn’t find anything wrong with it.

“I was insisting there was something not right there — I could feel it.

“So they injected me with dye and then it came up.

“It was a bad one.

Scott Trindle

Reuters

“I broke my wrist in South Africa and I still get issues with it.

“I was told that it was a dissolvable screw.

“Turns out it wasn’t, I’ve still got it.”

Becks — one of the canniest ­players of all time on and off the field — is, of course, a millionaire many, many times over.

He single-handedly paved the way for future footballers to become brands in their own right, and has encouraged hundreds of younger players to get their assets — and endorsement deals — in order while they’re still playing.

‘A smart move’

He also recently launched a brand new supplement range, IM8 — a move designed to break into the rapidly expanding wellness market while appealing to Gen Z — 43 per cent of whom don’t touch alcohol.

It’s a smart move.

It’s also clear that with his ­landmark birthday looming in May, David’s relentless work ethic remains as strong as ever.

He credits ex-United boss Sir Alex Ferguson for helping him with his leadership in business skills, adding: “Sometimes I’m first in the office and the last out.”

Becks, happily married to Spice Girl turned award-winning designer Victoria for 25 years, reckons he embraces ageing.

“Doesn’t bother me one bit,” he muses.

“People are asking me about it gently, like it should be a big issue.

“It’s not something that I’m ­worried about.

“As long as I’m fit and healthy and my family are healthy, that’s all I care about.

“I’m really happy.

“I’ve got the ­business and an amazing family.

“My kids are working hard and they’ve all got passions — that’s what’s important to me.”

David — dad to Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and 13-year-old Harper — is indisputably a family man.

And unlike most young bucks, his boys actively relish spending time with their Dilf dad (Google it).

He clearly dotes on his teenage daughter, too — and fears, like many a middle-aged parent, the dreaded empty nest syndrome.

Even a man with intense OCD would do anything to have “wet bathroom towels” lying around again.

He says: “What I would give to have that back and be able to walk in, moaning to them about it!

“That said, my boys are pretty good.

“They’ll always ask me to the pub when they go with their mates.

“Cooking is a real passion for me now.

“When we harvest my honey and I’m sat in my kitchen looking at it all, I get quite emotional.

“I turn to my kids looking for respect and they’re like, ‘Yeah, whatever, Dad’.

“It’s so satisfying for me, though.”

•  Interview available in the April issue of Men’s Health UK from March 4 or now on the Men’s Health UK website.

Bradley Ormesher - The Times

Eroteme

Instagram/@mrbobbyrich

Scott Trindle

BRITAIN’S wasteful foreign aid budget is to finally be slashed — with billions of pounds diverted to defence instead.

Sir Keir Starmer yesterday increased military spending by £6billion a year, saying Britain has to “fight for peace”.

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AFP

Getty Images - Getty

It comes after the Sun revealed aid was being squandered on crazy projects including a study on prawn health.

Starmer yesterday warned that “tyrants like Putin only respond to strength”, as he vowed to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on the military by 2027.

Explaining his decision, Sir Keir insisted the world is at a “moment where we have to fight for peace, through the action that we take” amid US threats to call time on its funding for Europe’s security.

But he denied the timing of the announcement was due to his meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington DC tomorrow.

Sir Keir claimed the decision to increase defence spending has been “three years in the making” ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He added: “I think we’ve known that this decision had to be taken.”

Labour will raise the defence budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP within two years — and then three per cent after the next election.

That will add £13billion a year to military spending from 2027.

But only £6billion is actually new money, calculated as the difference between spending 2.3 per cent and 2.5 per cent of domestic output.

Part of the increase will be funded by cutting £6billion from the foreign aid budget, reducing it from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of GDP.

Aid charities and Labour MPs said they were shocked but Sir Keir defended the bold move.

He told a No10 press conference it “is not a decision I wanted to make” but that it was “necessary for the protection of our country”.

Sir Keir said there was a security imperative but insisted it was also a tremendous opportunity.

He went on: “Unless Ukraine is properly protected from Putin then Europe will only become more unstable — and that will hurt us even more. So today I have announced the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.”

The move comes before Sir Keir’s showdown with Mr Trump, who has warned European nations to increase defence budgets rather than rely on American cash.

Asked if he was under pressure from the White House, Sir Keir replied: “I think in our heart of hearts we’ve all known that this decision has been coming for three years, since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. The last few weeks have accelerated my thinking on when we needed to make this announcement. Because it is absolutely clear the decision that started life three years ago needs to be taken now to rise to the challenge that we have to face.”

Tyrants like Putin only respond to strength. If we do not achieve a lasting peace then the economic instability, the threats to our security, will only grow

Keir Starmer

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly hailed the hike as a “great leadership step”.

The Sun understands UK Defence Secretary John Healey called him moments after the announcement in Parliament.

The PM told MPs: “I know this House will endorse the idea of achieving peace through strength.

“Russia is a menace in our waters, in our airspace and on our streets. Instability in Europe will always wash up on our shores.

BAE Systems

iStockphoto

“Tyrants like Putin only respond to strength.

“If we do not achieve a lasting peace then the economic instability, the threats to our security, will only grow.

“When I meet President Trump, I will be clear I want this relationship to go from strength to strength, but strength in this world also depends on a new alliance with Europe.”

Sir Keir also vowed the boost will “translate into British growth, ­British jobs, British skills . . . to rebuild our industrial base”.

On Sunday Britain will convene a meeting of European leaders for talks on aid for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and bolstering armies across the continent.

Sir Keir had already pledged to raise military spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP but refused to lay out a timetable.

He was under mounting pressure from the US, Nato, military top brass and the Tories.

There was also a renewed urgency after his vow to send Brit peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.

The announcement sparked fury among Labour MPs.

Such a weak commitment to our security and nation puts us all at risk

Former Tory Defence Secretary Ben Wallace

The Sun understands some left-wingers considered quitting the Government.

International Development Committee chair Sarah Champion said: “Cutting the aid budget to fund defence spending is a false economy that will only make the world less safe.

“I am bitterly disappointed.”

Lib Dem MP Mike Martin, an Afghan war veteran, reckoned: “Deterrence is the name of the game.

“But we have been sending all the wrong signals.”

Former Tory Defence Secretary Ben Wallace warned: “Such a weak commitment to our security and nation puts us all at risk.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch tried to claim credit for the decision to raise spending, insisting: “Over the weekend I wrote to the Prime Minister, letting him know he would have the support of my party to make difficult decisions.”

Richard Dannatt, former Chief of the General Staff, told Times Radio that while he welcomes an increase in defence spending, taking from the aid budget is a “soft touch.”

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Splash

RTE Home Of The Year viewers have all been left making the same remark after an “over the top” Cork home left one judge riled up.

The RTE series that showcases Ireland’s most jaw-dropping houses made its return to the small screen last week.

This year the returning judges were architect and founding partner of Douglas Wallace Consultants Hugh Wallace and award-winning architect Amanda Bone.

And tonight, RTE introduced a new face to the judging panel, Siobhan Lam, who is the founder of the popular interior store April and the Bear.

Looking for individuality, functionality and clever design, the three judges will each score the homes out of 10 and the home with the highest combined score in each programme will go through to the final, where the winner will be crowned.

Tonight’s episode saw the judges headed to Cork, where married couple Angela showcased their one-of-a-kind family home.

The pair bought the house as a new build in 2000, but it looked almost unrecognisable to what it was all those years ago.

Through a combination of structural changes and, more importantly, upcycling and DIY elements, Angela created a quirky home that gives her a great sense of pride.

Upon entering the home, Amanda immediately remarked: “The layout works, but if you are going for a design like this, you have to have a contrast, but here it doesn’t; this is too much, they have gone too far with it.”

Hugh jokingly asked: “Do you think it’s a bit extreme?”

Amanda looked at Hugh with a shocked expression and sarcastically replied: “Extreme? A bit extreme!”

However RTE viewers all seemed to have the same reaction as they took to the comment section.

Patrick wrote: “I agree with Amanda, it’s over the top.”

Claire said: “I love a bit of dark drama but there was too much going on in that house.”

Sarah joked: “Jesus, welcome to the jungle.”

While Anna added: “This house is a serious overkill.”

IMPRESSIVE RENOVATION

After some intense scrutiny, the Cork home still managed to score a high mark of 24, with Hugh awarding 10 points.

But, in the end, it was the stunning 1962 Wicklow home which made it to the final, as they received the highest vote at 26.

Married couple Lynne and Nick’s home was formerly used as a nursing home.

The nursing home had been left vacant for nearly a decade until the couple bought the house in 2022 and with it, took on a massive project.  

Over the next two years an extensive renovation took place where they demolished the entire rear, built an extension, replaced all windows with appropriate period style sash windows whilst retaining any original features they could.  

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