This year’s Spirit of Mother Jones Award has been presented to Ken Fleming, the trade unionist who has spent more than a decade fighting for the rights of exploited seafarers both here and in Britain.

The death of Baroness Thatcher was a “great day” for coal miners, David Hopper, general secretary of the Durham Miners’ Association said today.

The Dean of Durham has written an open letter to new Sunderland manager Paolo di Canio calling on the Italian to publicly renounce fascism or risk being associated with “toxic far-right tendencies”.

Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out last night called on Paolo Di Canio to state his commitment to anti-racism after the newly-appointed Sunderland manager refused to confirm or deny whether he is a fascist.

Paolo Di Canio has refused to confirm or deny whether he is a fascist today as the furore over the new Sunderland manager’s political views intensified.