MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: Jo Konta emerged again as the last surviving British player when she powered into the last 16 of the US Open with a 6-2, 6-3 win over China's Shuai Zhang.

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: Martina Navratilova described the British No 1's performance in beating China's Zhuai Shang on Friday night as 'A-plus' as she prepares to take on Karolina Pliskova next.

The actor, 38, looked enthralled as he watched Johanna Konta of Great Britain play against Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic on Sunday.

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: Hardly anyone walks tightrope of deciding sets as well as Jo Konta this year, and she successfully did so once again to make the last eight of the US Open.

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: Words with negative connotations are out when it comes to the work she does with Dimitri Zavialoff. The hairdryer is strictly confined to the hotel room.

He's been taking advantage of his temporary American residency by enjoying the US Open. 

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: This time there were no recriminations or spats with the media, just the numbing disappointment of another missed opportunity.

Konta has not played since losing in the US Open quarter-finals in early September - it is a disappointing end to a brilliant year, who began the year ranked 39 and is currently sitting 11th.

British No 1 Jo Konta has recovered sufficiently from lingering knee issues and expects to be fully fit for the Australian Open.

Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland will 'always be' a European nation while on a visit to Brussels, where she embraced the European Commission President.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford delivered the extraordinary tirade at PMQs, hammering Mr Johnson for describing muslim women in veils as 'letterboxes'.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon delivered a withering assessment of the would-be PM, saying he would 'damage the UK's reputation'.

MPs insisted Boris Johnson and rival Jeremy Hunt must 'prove' their commitment to the union during the campaign.

On his first visit to Scotland, Mr Johnson told the SNP leader the UK would leave the EU on Halloween. He was booed by protesters in Edinburgh.

Nicola Sturgeon said the case for breaking up the UK was 'stronger every day' after the research found 52 per cent would support the move.

Nicola Sturgeon warned that Jeremy Corbyn would have to take a 'very firm anti-Brexit position' in order for the parties to work together.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind delivered the stark message after allies of the PM made clear he will try to cling on if he is defeated on a confidence motion by rebel Tories determined to head off No Deal Brexit.

John McDonnell has been accused of treating Jeremy Corbyn 'like a puppet' amid claims he failed to warn the Labour leader the party would not block a second Scottish independence referendum.

Caroline Lucas has written to ten female MPs calling for an all-women Cabinet. The Green MP proposes a cross-party female leadership team to deliver a new referendum after winning a confidence vote.

Labour was last night accused of betraying the Union to get Jeremy Corbyn into No10 after it crawled over to the SNP and offered them a second independence referendum.

The Good Morning Britain host said MPs had tried to 'thwart the will of the people' who had voted to leave the EU in angry exchanges with the SNP leader today.

The SNP leader vowed to pass the law on the issue by the end of 2019 with a view to holding the vote in the second half of next year.

Labour looked set to stop Boris Johnson's plans for an early election last night following talks with the SNP. The parties are thought to have agreed an election can only come after a Brexit extension.

Jeremy Corbyn met Ian Blackford, the Scottish nationalists' Westminster leader, yesterday to agree an election should only be held after Britain has secured another Brexit delay from the EU.

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: Just imagine the reaction if a bunch of pro-Brexit English MPs had got onto their hind legs in the Commons and started singing Land Of Hope And Glory.

The Scottish Labour leader today fired a public broadside at Jeremy Corbyn as he warned him not to agree a back room deal with the SNP to get into power.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon broke ranks with other Remainers by suggesting that a confidence vote to oust Boris Johnson should be held before an extension is secured.

Dominic Cummings told Downing Street staff that Bill Clinton was more popular as he ignored the Monica Lewinsky scandal and concentrated on his political agenda instead.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said today that any vote of no confidence would have to come after a crunch EU summit in three weeks time otherwise ex-Tory Remainer rebels would not back it.

Labour has been stepping up the pressure for opposition parties to back Jeremy Corbyn as head of a 'unity' government to avoid No Deal Brexit.

Piers Morgan challenged Nicola  Sturgeon to 'suck it up' comparing her defeat in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum to Scotland's rugby loss to Japan yesterday.

The State Opening of Parliament saw Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn engage in one of the newer political traditions today - the awkward silent walk to the Lords.

Nicola Sturgeon today issued a fresh rallying cry for Scottish independence as she claimed the SNP is 'winning the case' for a split from the rest of the UK, but Downing Street was quick to rebuff her.

The SNP Westminster leader backs Mr Corbyn's (pictured) claim to be the best person to form a government if a no confidence vote against Boris Johnson succeeds.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson could get a Christmas general election. MPs from across the UK are set to vote on Mr Johnson's call for election.

The Labour leader was effectively given no choice but to cave in and back the PM's bill for a snap poll after it became clear it had Liberal Democrat and SNP support.

The scale of infighting within Labour was underlined last night when more than 100 of Jeremy Corbyn's own MPs ignored his orders to back holding a snap election.

The first minister of Scotland said that her party's message would be 'clear, simple and unambiguous - vote SNP to demand independence and secure Scotland's right to choose'.

Jeremy Corbyn said he last spoke to Ms Sturgeon around 10 days ago, insisting as leaders they had to speak regularly.

Jeremy Corbyn is ready to 'throw the UK under a bus' by forming a coalition with the SNP that would break up Britain, Michael Gove has warned. He said that Labour and the SNP were now 'in bed together'.

Boris Johnson said the 2014 ballot - when Scots voted to stay in the union - was a 'once in a generation' decision.

Ian Blackford said today the SNP will draw up a 'wish list' of demands ahead of potential post-election cooperation talks with Labour as he hinted scrapping Trident could be one of the party's red lines.

Jeremy Corbyn caused confusion on a visit to Glasgow by declaring that there would be no ballot on splitting the UK before the next election.

Jeremy Corbyn made yet another attempt to clarify his stance on a Scottish independence referendum today, saying: 'Certainly not in the first two years.'

The Labour leader said he wanted to add 'realism' to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NNPT), with discussions about 'every country's nuclear weapons'.

Mr Johnson has poured cold water on the idea of sharing a stage with Ms Sturgeon, because he is only prepared 'to contest the debates with whoever theoretically could be Prime Minister.'

Nicola Sturgeon has condemned Jo Swinson after the Liberal Democrat leader said without hesitation that she would authorise the use of nuclear weapons.

Nicola Sturgeon tonight claimed Jeremy Corbyn would be willing to sacrifice the Union of the United Kingdom if that was the price of taking power after the election.

Nicola Sturgeon today confirmed she would demand the UK's Trident nuclear deterrent be scrapped as the price of SNP support for a minority Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour's leader in Scotland, Richard Leonard, today suggested that if would only require 'the election of parties into a majority' to provide a mandate.