Dennis The Menace marks seven decades in special Beano edition

A special edition of The Beano is to mark seven decades since Dennis The Menace first appeared in the comic.

The special issue, which celebrates 70 years since the character made his debut on March 17, 1951, features YouTuber and former Strictly Come Dancing star, Joe Sugg, in his own comic strip.

Also featured is his girlfriend and dance partner Dianne Buswell, Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood and other friends and family.

It includes a bespoke illustration from longtime Dennis artist Nigel Parkinson showing changes to the character’s appearance over the decades.

Mike Stirling, editorial director of Beano Studios said: “We’re celebrating 70 years of Britain’s favourite 10-year-old!

“For 70 years, the Menace family has been spreading laughs and

unique Beano cheer across multiple generations of children and adults alike.

“It’s fantastic to see the impact today’s Dennis has on kids, just like his dad and grandad did before him for readers in the fifties-eighties.

“We believe that everyone has a little bit of the Dennis spirit within them, so this March 17,

on his birthday, we’re encouraging everyone to be more Dennis for one day to see how many laughs and smiles you can spread.”

The strip Birthday Prank-Ageddon sees Joe team up with Dennis for a prank on Beanotown and refers to his stint on Strictly and pokes fun at his fainting spell in the Bake Off tent.

Boris Johnson has vowed to protect The Black Watch, invest in RAF Lossiemouth and boost Scottish shipbuilding as part of a 10-year plan to bolster Britain’s defences.

The prime minister warned, however, that a “reckless” second independence referendum could “endanger” the strategy.

The integrated review sets out the UK’s foreign policy priorities until 2030, including a plan to increase nuclear weapons and will see post-Brexit Britain tilt towards the IndoPacific region as the world’s “geopolitical and economic centre of gravity” moves east.

But closer to home, Russia still remains the “most acute threat to our security”, the document said.

The strategy acknowledges the risks posed by increased competition between states – including a more assertive China – along with terrorism, organised crime, climate change and the “realistic possibility” of another pandemic.

The review includes the creation of a new counter-terrorism operations centre.

The Army is expected to see troop numbers slashed by more than 10,000, main battle tanks reduced by a third and the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle retired.

Mr Johnson, in response to SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, said: “This government continues to invest massively in projects that will bring benefits to the whole of the UK, including to Scotland.

“I can tell him that there’ll be further investments in Lossiemouth, that there is no threats to The Black Watch.

“We will continue to invest in shipbuilding, which drives jobs across the whole of the UK, and particularly in Scotland.”

Former Cabinet minister David Davis has accused senior figures in the SNP of “collusion, perjury and criminal conspiracy” in relation to the investigation into Alex Salmond.

Mr Davis suggested there had been “interference” from the highest levels in the complaints process against Mr Salmond.

The Tory MP read text messages, leaked to him by a whistleblower, which he said showed a “concerted effort” by SNP staffers to drum up complaints against Mr Salmond in a bid to see him jailed.

Mr Salmond was cleared last year of sexually assaulting nine women.

Mr Davis also alleged the text messages poked holes in Nicola Sturgeon’s testimony before the Salmond inquiry as to when she became aware of complaints against the former first minister.

The ex-Brexit secretary later hit out at the Crown Office for ordering redactions of Mr Salmond’s submission to the Holyrood inquiry, saying: “The redactions are clearly not designed to protect the complainants, they are designed to protect the first minister from accountability.”

Mr Davis called for amendments to the 1998 Scotland Act to bolster the powers of Holyrood.

Replying for the Government, Scotland Office minister Iain Stewart did not comment specifically on the allegations.

A spokesman for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a statement: “As with Mr Salmond’s previous claims and cherrypicking of messages, the reality is very different to the picture being presented.

“Every message involving SNP staff has been seen by the committee previously.”

It is 70 years since the character made his debut.