• 209.1 km from Lauwin-Planque Boulogne-sur-Mer

• Stage by stage guide | Email Tom your thoughts

I should point out that we have a bumper afternoon of sport on Big Website today. Rob Smyth has over-by-over coverage of the fifth day of the second Test between England and India:

If tennis is more your thing, Daniel Harris is across everything at Wimbledon. Follow that here:

The American could next move for Sheffield Wednesday or Watford while Palace wait to see if dealings fall favourably

A champion skateboarder in his youth, John Textor has never been averse to risk. The American businessman even warrants a mention in Craig Snyder’s book A Secret History of the Ollie as “one of the few who beat eight-time world champion Rodney Mullen in freestyle competitions during the turn of the 70s”, but a serious head injury put an end to his competitive career.

Textor surprisingly turned his attention to football club ownership in 2021 when he bought a stake in Crystal Palace after making his fortune in digital technology and the next week could prove decisive for his latest venture.

Exclusive: Letter to government says lower prices for repaired goods would cut waste, create jobs and help households save money

Ministers are facing fresh calls to scrap VAT on all repaired and refurbished electronics, with businesses, charities and community groups arguing the move would help households cut costs and stop electrical goods being binned prematurely.

In a letter to the environment secretary, Steve Reed, the signatories say that removing VAT on repaired electronics should be part of a wider push to cut waste, extend the life of products and develop a “truly circular economy”.

Shop-bought rarely compares to the punch of homemade baba ganoush, and it really isn’t very difficult to make at home. Here’s how …

Public service announcement: baba ganoush does not require smoked paprika, acidity regulators or indeed any kind of preservative beyond lemon juice. There are some dips I will happily buy – tzatziki, taramasalata, even hummus, with due caution – but tubs of this smoky Middle Eastern aubergine dish always seem to be slimy and underpowered in comparison with the real freshly made deal.

Prep 15 min
Drain 30 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 2-4

Diquat is banned in the UK, EU, China and other countries. The US has resisted calls to regulate it

The herbicide ingredient used to replace glyphosate in Roundup and other weedkiller products can kill gut bacteria and damage organs in multiple ways, new research shows.

The ingredient, diquat, is widely employed in the US as a weedkiller in vineyards and orchards, and is increasingly sprayed elsewhere as the use of controversial herbicide substances such as glyphosate and paraquat drops in the US.

Mechanisms designed to limit executive power – Congress, the courts and internal safeguards – are being undermined

Near corn dog and cookie vendors, Ray Seeman was washing his hands on a sweltering day. He had come to the rally in a Maga cap and a T-shirt that proclaimed: Cult 45: proud member. Is this a cult? “It seems like it,” he laughed. “It seems like you’re either in or you’re out.”

A cult, perhaps, but not an imperial presidency, Seeman insisted, though he does understand Donald Trump’s frustrations. “I don’t like executive orders,” he said. “I like it to go through due process. But at the same time you’ve got to get stuff done sometimes.”