DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

THE TIMES

Friday August 21 2026 | thetimes.com | No 75117

Living rent free at the Hotel of Mum and Dad

£3.20 £2.35 to subscribers

(based on a 7 Day Print and Digital Subscription)

GCSE results and tables

Pages 10-11, 50-51

King puts William first as Harry heads home

Charles pleased at second son's planned return but heir and institution will remain his priority

Lara Wildenberg

Kate Mansey Assistant Editor

The King has made it clear that the Prince of Wales and the future of the royal family remain his priority after the Duke of Sussex announced his return to the UK.

Charles was said to be naturally pleased with the opportunity to see more of his family regularly in a private and personal capacity.

However, it is understood the King, who was with William when the news broke, has insisted privately that the work of the institution will not change.

The duke and duchess will remain private individuals, in accordance with the late Queen's belief there is no "half-in, half-out" to royal duties.

It is understood Charles will not provide the Sussexes with accommodation but the family will move to a private, non-royal residence thought to be outside London.

The Times has also been told there are no plans to provide the Sussexes with any taxpayer-funded armed police protection.

Andy Burnham said yesterday that the Sussexes' security arrangements were a private matter. The prime minister added: "We wish them well in the move that they're making."

A review of the family's security arrangements was due to be carried out in March by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee but sources with knowledge of the process said that it had still not taken place.

The news of the Sussexes' return from the United States came suddenly after years of tensions between the royals. Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior working royals in 2020, had an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and released a Netflix series in 2022.

Harry released his memoir, Spare, in 2023. It is understood the Sussexes decided to move back to the UK after their visit last month. The family visited the King and Queen, as well as Prince Harry's uncle, Earl Spencer, over five days.

Harry launched the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games as

Prince Harry at an event discussing support for veterans in Washington DC on Wednesday, when it was revealed he would be returning to the UK with his family

ALEX BRANDI/AP

disagreements continued over the family's security and accommodation requirements.

Harry and Meghan had made their decision to relocate only five weeks after their flying visit. It is understood the King was first informed of the move on Sunday, suggesting he was not involved in the decision-making.

The King and Queen hosted the Sussexes at Highgrove, their country house in Gloucestershire. The meeting was described as a private family occasion and was the first time Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, had seen their grandparents since 2022, when they were three and one.

At the time, sources close to Harry said he was "buoyed, very happy and really energised" afterwards.

The Sussexes visited Spencer at the Althorp Estate, the Spencer family seat in Northamptonshire where his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, is buried. After the trip, Meghan posted pictures on Instagram of their star, including an image of Harry, Archie and Lilibet in the grounds of Althorp, with Harry and Archie holding bunches of flowers, thought to have been laid at Diana's grave.

A spokesperson for Earl Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, declined to comment on whether he knew about the Sussexes' plans before the King.

The Sussexes did not visit the Waleses during their trip as a rift continues between the two brothers. The last time they were seen publicly together was at the funeral of their uncle Lord Fellowes. Locals in attendance said both Harry and William appeared to be "keeping their distance", choosing not to speak to each other at the service.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were informed of the Sussexes' move, although it is not known when or how the news was communicated.

Critics have debated how the Sussexes' return will affect royal relationships.

Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator who used to edit The International Who's Who, said: "The Waleses are the future of the Continued on page 6

Gove reforms 'are turning England into maths power'

Nicola Woolcock Education Editor

England is becoming a maths powerhouse thanks to reforms introduced by Michael Gove when he was the education secretary, the head of the exams regulator has suggested.

Sir Ian Bauckham, the chief of Ofqual, said maths grades were rising in part due to the adoption of maths mastery programmes used in other countries such as Singapore. These were included in Gove's reforms as education secretary from 2010 to 2014.

Bauckham's comments came after Andy Burnham set out plans to overhaul GCSEs with a greater focus on vocational qualifications.

GCSE results for hundreds of thousands of teenagers yesterday showed boys had narrowed the pass-rate gap with girls to its lowest point in history. There were more top grades in English and maths. However, more pupils failed.

Strong maths results among 16-year-olds were dragged down by resits by older teenagers, highlighting a widening divide between the most and least academic. Although more than 22 per cent of 16-year-olds achieved at least a grade 7/A in maths, only 16 per cent of 17-year-olds retaking their maths GCSE managed to pass at a grade 4, or C. GCSEs in England are graded 9 to 1, and most exams in Wales and Northern Ireland are A* to G.

Bauckham told The Times: "We've had a strong focus on mastery approaches, making sure every step is properly understood... Those developments are now beginning to reap dividends. We're becoming a maths powerhouse."

Figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications show that 22 per cent of entries in all subjects were awarded at least a grade 7/A, up from 21.9 per cent last year. But the overall pass rate at 4/C fell to 67.3 per cent from 67.4 per cent last year; it remained above the pre-pandemic level of 67.1 per cent in 2019.

For 16-year-olds, the pass rate went from 70.5 per cent to 70.7 per cent and results at a 7/A, from 23 per cent to 23.1 per cent. However, for those aged 17 and over, taking resits, the pass rate fell from 28.6 per cent to 26.3 per cent.

Reports, pages 10-11

GCSE results and tables, pages 50-51

IN THE NEWS

185 boats stopped

France says it has prevented 185 small boats from crossing the Channel in the three months since Britain agreed a £660 million deal to patrol the beaches. Page 2

Arday accuser

An American academic who made plagiarism allegations against the Cambridge professor Jason Arday before he died has been suspended by a Belgian university. Page 4

Deadly strikes on Kyiv

Ukrainian air defence shortages allowed Russian missiles to strike a dozen locations, including a school and children's hospital in Kyiv, killing at least 16. Pages 26-27

City scam warning

The City regulator has told consumers to avoid unregulated "loan notes", which it said were often "potential scams", after a Times investigation. Page 31

David Sullivan inquiry

The independent football regulator has contacted the police as part of its inquiry into allegations made against David Sullivan, the West Ham United co-owner. Page 66

---

2

News

Friday August 21 2026 | THE TIMES

Today's highlights

10.30am Amelie Roscoe, a student, on what it's like to be interviewed by AI for a graduate internship 2.05pm Asne Seierstad, below, war correspondent and writer, on her new book Never Say War: Life In Russia Today 2.50pm Phil Grabsky on a new version of his documentary My Childhood, My Country: 20 Years in Afghanistan 6.50pm Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of the Maggie's cancer charity 7pm The comedian Matt Green joins Geoff Norcott

TODAY'S EDITION

NEWS

CAR FIREBOMBS

Lamborghini and McLaren set alight at wedding venue

PAGE 5

SPORT

PREMIER PICKS

Can anyone stop Arsenal? Our writers' predictions

PAGES 48-48

TIMES2

TV REVIEW

Forget the puzzles, Ludwig's Mitchell is a joy in corduroy

PAGE 11

COMMENT 21

LETTERS 24

LEADING ARTICLES 25

WORLD 26

BUSINESS 31

REGISTER 47

SPORT 56

CROSSWORD 66

TV & RADIO TIMES2

INVESTIGATION:

On the Line — Whack-a-mole (episode five)

County lines drug gangs are constantly shifting their business model to avoid detection. Sarah Jones, the policing minister, explains how the government plans to fight back. Episode five of a special investigation into the issue.

Available on the Times Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts

OFFER

Save up to 30% with a subscription to The Times and The Sunday Times

THETIMES.COM/SUBSCRIBE

THE WEATHER

Mostly dry and bright in Scotland, sunny intervals and showers elsewhere. Full forecast, page 55

If a section of your Times is missing, please call 020-7711 2025 or e-mail help@timesplus.co.uk and we will send it to you, subject to availability.

© TIMES MEDIA LIMITED, 2026. Published in print and all other derivative formats by Times Media Ltd, 1 London Bridge St, London, SE1 9GF; telephone 020 7782 5000. Printed by Newsgreeters Holdings Ltd, Great Cambridge Rd, Waltham Cross, ENB 8DY; Killing Rd, Prescot, Merseyside, L34 9HN; and Byramsmuir Road, Holytown, Motherwell, ML1 1NP. Webprint, 2023 Bianconi Avenue, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin, Ireland, 8/F Services, Le Rue Martel, La Rue des Pres Trading Estate, St Saviour, Jersey, JE2 7QR. For permission to copy articles or headlines for internal information purposes contact NLA media access at copyrights.co.uk; telephone 01892 525273. For all other reproduction and licensing inquiries contact Licensing Department, 1 London Bridge St, London, SE1 9GF; telephone 020 7711 7888; email enquiries@newslicensing.co.uk.

We stop two small boats a day reaching Britain, say French

Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor

The French government says it has prevented 185 small boats from crossing the Channel in the three months since Britain agreed a £660 million deal to patrol the beaches.

The figures account for 61 per cent of all attempted crossings, which is a 5 per cent rise on the same period last year but slightly lower than the three months before the deal was struck. It raises questions about the effectiveness of the cash Britain is paying the French as part of an agreement signed in April.

The 185 boat interceptions prevented 4,312 migrants from reaching Britain, the figures showed. Over the same period, 130 dinghies evaded French patrols, bringing a total of 8,916 migrants to Britain. This means that while 61 per cent of boats were intercepted, the proportion of attempted crossings by individual migrants that were prevented was significantly lower, at 34 per cent.

The statistics suggest that migrants who fail to board boats that are seized simply wait for another crossing.

Video released by French and British authorities shows a specialist riot police squad apparently being attacked by mi-

grants when they intercepted the launch of a boat last month. Objects were thrown at police to try to keep them away from their dinghy. The officers used Pava spray before slashing the inflatable boat with a knife.

The officers were from a new 50-strong unit from the nationwide Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (CRS), who are trained in the use of riot and crowd-control tactics.

The 50 officers will be dedicated to combatting small boat crossings as part of the terms of the Britain - France deal, while a unit called the Compagnie de Marche will provide 75 officers also deployed to tackle migrant crossings. These 125 officers have the authority to enter the water to intercept boats, which regular gendarmes do not.

Shahana Mahmood, the home secretary, said the interception figures showed that the deal with the French was "already having a real impact, stopping crossings before they happen and disrupting the criminal gangs behind them".

Mahmood responded to critics including Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, who filmed French police officers last month doing nothing as mi-

grants boarded an overloaded dinghy. Boat crossings were down about 40 per cent on last year but increasing numbers of migrants were boarding the boats, including 230 on a so-called mega-dinghy this month. The average number of migrants in each boat has risen to 80.

This week Mahmood told The Times: "Sometimes you'll hear commentators who are saying 'Why are they just filming them on the beach?' but that's actually a crucial part of the evidence-gathering exercise because that's the only way to make sure that people face justice."

Philp branded the home secretary's claims "a joke" and pointed to figures showing that the number of migrants prevented from crossing the Channel by French police had more than halved to 14,462 in the past 12 months from 30,032 in the previous year.

He said: "French police are under instruction not to intervene when immigrants are attempting to cross. The only way we can stop the crossings is by having a proper deterrent. If people know they can stay in the UK, get put up in a hotel and claim benefits, then they will keep risking these journeys."

Rayner accepts oil group's cash despite past criticism

Steven Swinford Political Editor

Angela Rayner took a £20,000 donation from an oil advisory group to cover some of her staffing costs despite having criticised the industry in the past.

The housing secretary accepted the donation from Signum Global Advisors on July 8. She has previously criticised the Tories for failing to "take on oil and gas giants".

She is a strong advocate of the net zero agenda and has been a prominent supporter of the government's windfall tax on oil and gas companies. She once accused Liz Truss, the former Tory prime minister, of being "hell-bent" on protecting the industry's profits.

Rayner was also paid £10,000 for a speaking engagement with Signum but asked for the fee to be paid to charity.

Signum organised a gathering of hedge fund and oil company executives in Venezuela this year to discuss opportunities for oil exploration.

Kevin Hollierske, chairman of the Conservative Party, said: "It's a classic Angela Rayner case of do as I say, not do as I do. She was one of Ed Miliband's cheerleaders as he repeatedly blocked North Sea drilling. Now, it seems her

opposition isn't strong enough to stop her from taking £20,000 from an oil adviser. She can't have it both ways."

A spokesman for Rayner said: "All donations have been declared in line with the rules."

This week Rayner defended earning tens of thousands of pounds from speaking engagements while she was out of government. She received £84,000 in fees for six speaking engagements since leaving government in September last year, according to the register of MPs' financial interests. Of this, £69,000 was paid to Rayner and £15,000 went directly to charities. She also received a £61,500 advance for a book.

Asked on Sky News whether taking the money was hypocritical given her previous opposition to MPs having second jobs, Rayner said: "Well, I was focusing on my constituents during that time, and you'll have seen from the members' interest [there were], I think, around six engagements in 12 months for a couple of hours ... and that's all declared appropriately." She added that she did not consider speaking engagements to be a second job.

Running like the wind to net zero will backfire, Emma Duncan, page 22

Israeli plan for settlements condemned

Gabrielle Weininger

Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada issued a joint statement urging Israel to "retract" plans to expand settlements in the West Bank and warned firms not to bid for construction tenders.

Israel has opened tenders for the construction of more than 1,000 settlement homes in a key area of the West Bank, known as E1, east of Jerusalem. The development would prevent any continual territory for a future Palestinian state, slicing the West Bank in two and separating it from Jerusalem.

Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, condemned the plans as "an unacceptable and destructive act". The joint statement added: "Not only will they take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel's international standing. Businesses should not consider bidding for construction tenders."

A Human Rights Watch report claimed that 107 Palestinian communities have been displaced by Israeli settlers since October 2023.

Gideon Sa'ar, the Israeli foreign minister, rejected the statement as "patronising" and "entirely one-sided"

UK weapons jobs rise by more than half

Larisa Brown Defence Editor

British weapons jobs have risen by more than 50 per cent in a year as the government increases military readiness and investment in defence, new figures show.

Thousands more people across the UK are working in weapons and ammunition manufacturing, with data showing jobs in the two sectors have risen from 3,900 in 2023-2024 to 5,900 in 2024-2025.

Overall, there are now 462,000 defence roles across the armed forces, industry, and the civil service, a 5 per cent

increase from 439,000 jobs the previous year, according to the MoD's employment estimates.

Luke Pollard, the minister for defence readiness and industry, said: "These figures show that a rising defence budget is creating more good jobs across the UK. Defence is an engine for growth and our investments are driving reindustrialisation."

In the northwest there have been 4,000 additional roles created year-on-year and the southeast has benefited from more than 3,000 extra jobs over the same period.

Ministers want critical capabilities,

such as artillery and missiles, to be produced at greater scale in the UK.

The growth in defence-supported roles is set to accelerate further under the defence investment plan which has committed £298 billion to defence over the next four years. However, under current planning assumptions the UK will be spending just 2.68 per cent of its national income on defence by 2030 — far short of the 3 per cent John Healey, the current chancellor, has said would be necessary. The UK has vowed to spend 3.5 per cent on core defence by 2035 in line with Nato targets but has no plan to reach the figure.

---

THE TIMES | Friday August 21 2026

News GETTY IMAGES

Marie Antoinette, all is forgiven

The opulent Palace of Versailles, home to royals before the French Revolution, is holding an exhibition for the 20th anniversary of Sofia Coppola's film about Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst, below

A host of exhibitions in France recast the ancien régime as an age of glamour and style, Adam Sage writes

Among revolutionaries, high society life in 18th-century France was considered degenerate and immoral under the influence of an extravagant, frivolous and adulterous monarchy.

Such views may still hold sway on the left, but much of the rest of the country is having second thoughts as a host of exhibitions have been organised this year on the upper classes in the 1700s.

In a notable break with the revolutionary discourse that has flooded France for the past two centuries, the 18th-century aristocrats are being depicted in glowing terms as a fount of the art de vivre that reigns today.

Le Monde newspaper said that France was gripped by an "18th-century fever" that showed no sign of waning. Some commentators say that this is a reflection of the country's current doldrums as it looks back to an era marked by revelry and trend-setting.

Take, for instance, Marie Antoinette, the Austrian-born Queen of France who was put to death in 1793 after a show trial in Paris. Once depicted as a

symbol of ruin, she is now being hailed as early influencer and fashion icon.

The Château de Fontainebleau outside the French capital, where she stayed on seven occasions with King Louis XVI, her husband, is holding an exhibition dedicated to the couple this autumn. It will underline Marie Antoinette's imprint on the château, with interiors like the Turkish Boudoir and the Queen's Grand Cabinet. The exhibition "highlights the work and legacy of the last sovereigns of the ancien régime at Fontainebleau", the monument said.

At about the same time, the Palace of Versailles, which was home to the royal family before the Revolu-

tion, is due to hold an exhibition to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of the cult movie on Marie Antoinette directed by the American filmmaker Sofia Coppola. On its website the palace said that the film had helped to change perceptions of the guillotined queen by

portraying her as a "young woman confronted with isolation, boredom and the pressures of court life". Coppola had transformed Marie Antoinette into a "cultural icon", it said.

The queen's corset featured prominently in an exhibition this year at

Palais Galliera, the Paris fashion museum. The exhibition — entitled Fashion in the 18th Century. A Fantasised Legacy — set out to show that the era was "a major stage in the evolution of the female appearance that continues to influence the world of fashion and popular culture today". The museum said that 18th-century fashion, jettisoned after the Revolution, had become a "source of inspiration" from the 1830s onwards. Marie Antoinette's corset was first put on display in 1894, a year after the centenary of her death.

The Cognacq-Jay Museum in Paris, which is dedicated to the 18th century, is also holding an exhibition on female fashion in the 1700s this year.

"During this era, France established itself as an essential place of refinement and prestige," the museum says on its website. The exhibition, Revealing Femininity: Fashion and Appearance in the 18th Century, features garments as well as portraits and paintings of fêtes galantes (courtship parties) by artists like Antoine Watteau.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts) in Paris is following the trend, too, with an exhibition entitled A Day in the Eighteenth Century: Chronicle of a Parisian Townhouse. Paris was "the capital of luxury", it says, and visitors to the immersive exhibition are given a chance to witness such practices as the "pleasures of the morning toilette", a visit to the library, the main meal of the day between 2pm and 4pm and a snack later on in the boudoir.

In an interview with Ouest France, the regional daily, Pascale Gorguet Ballesteros, curator of the Palais Galliera exhibition, said that views of life in France before the Revolution had undergone wild swings. Loathed by some, it was presented by others, notably in the 19th century, as a "lost paradise". The curator said that it was now seen as a "whether when everything is going badly".

Sailing soldiers rescue barn owl that got in a flap at sea

Araminta Plumptre

While there was no sign of a pussycat and the boat was red and white rather than pea green, an owl who went to sea was rescued by a group of soldiers participating in a sailing race around Britain and Ireland.

The Army Offshore Racing Team spotted the exhausted barn owl flying above their yacht about 70 miles off the coast of Newcastle.

After several failed attempts to land on the vessel and a few falls into the sea, the bird eventually collapsed on the deck, from where the soldiers scooped

the owl up and gave it a place to rest his wings.

The soldiers named it Little Reg after a nickname used in the regiment of Mark Petherbridge, a crew member, because the bird would not give up.

Petherbridge told the BBC: "We saw it behind the boat, it came alongside and was sort of clearly tired. It flew alongside and was trying to find a place to land and get on board.

"It's been a tough 24 hours for him; it's not the most comfortable boat to be on, but he's doing well, and hopefully he gets the help he needs now."

The owl sailed with the crew to

Norfolk before he was handed to Cais-ter independent lifeboat crew the next day and brought to shore.

The team went on to complete the Royal Ocean Racing Club's race around Britain and Ireland.

Dan Goldsmith of the Marine and Wildlife Rescue said that, after an assessment at East Winch Wildlife Centre in King's Lynn, he hoped that the owl would be back in the wild as soon as possible.

"It will be dehydrated, run down, quite thin. We've got to get it there as quickly as we can, get it to the vet to assess it, and all going well, it will make a

Sergeant Mark Petherbridge and Captain Tom Court with "Little Reg"

full recovery," Goldsmith said. "It's very unusual ... barn owls shouldn't be 70 miles off Newcastle."

According to the Barn Owl Trust, in summer, when there is more food, the area which barn owls use most — known as their home range — shrinks to about 350 hectares, whereas in winter it can be up to 5,000 hectares (equivalent to about 7,102 football pitches).

Staying in one area enables the owls to develop a highly detailed "mental map" of their home range including where the best hunting places are, favoured roost sites, their nest site, and the flight paths that connect them.

---

4

News

Jurassic lark Eden Project gardeners Grace Perry and Louise Hay with a T. rex from Dinosaurs Return, which brings 15 animatronic giants to the Cornwall site

'Race realist' suspended after accusing Arday of plagiarism

Herbie Russell

An American academic who made plagiarism allegations against Jason Arday before he died has been suspended by a Belgian university.

Arday resigned from his role as a professor at the University of Cambridge this month after facing intense scrutiny of his work and claimed achievements. He was found dead at his address in Battersea, south London, last Friday.

Nathan Cofnas, the self-proclaimed "race realist" who wrote a Substack post last month highlighting concerns about Arday's work, has now been suspended from his role at Ghent University.

The university has begun a "preliminary disciplinary investigation" into Cofnas. The institution said yesterday that Arday's death "should prompt reflection", adding that it "opposes discrimination, hatred and racism".

In a statement, it added: "Pending this preliminary investigation, Ghent

University has suspended the staff member as a precautionary measure."

The university said, as part of its investigation, it would assess whether there were sufficient grounds to refer the case to the competent disciplinary body for further consideration.

Cofnas is a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University's department of philosophy and moral sciences, according to his website.

In a post on X yesterday, he wrote: "I was just suspended by Ghent University. They will almost certainly fire me."

Cofnas was sacked by the University of Cambridge in 2024 after he wrote that without imposed diversity in recruiting, black people "would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment".

In a joint statement on Wednesday, Ghent University's rector, Petra De Sutter, and vice-rector, Herwig Reynaert, said: "Ghent University stands for respect for human dignity and

opposes discrimination, hatred and racism. We attach great importance to academic freedom and to open academic debate, even when views are controversial.

"However, that freedom is not unlimited. It goes hand in hand with

Nathan Cofnas claimed Ghent University would "certainly fire me"

responsibility and may be restricted in order to protect the rights of others.

"For this reason, the university takes the recent public statements made by a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University regarding this matter very seriously. Ghent University has decided to take appropriate action."

In a letter to Cofnas, seen by The

Times, De Sutter told him that his work on "race realism" and the "hereditarian revolution" had violated the terms of his contract.

It also said that his Guide for the Hereditarian Revolution — a 23-page essay published in February 2024, in which Cofnas argues that "elites" should accept that racial disparities stem from genetic difference rather than environmental discrimination — fell outside the scope of his research mandate.

The university has also taken issue with numerous interviews that Cofnas has given since the Arday allegations came to light. It argued that statements he has made could breach Belgian anti-discrimination law.

Cofnas said: "I'm a 60 per cent part-time post doc and I'm free to do what I want with the rest of the time. They're saying I'm doing work which is outside what I do for the post doc — but that's just what I'm allowed to do."

I received a lot of attention, says sex trial teacher

A chemistry teacher has denied having sexual relationships with two teenage pupils at an all-boys' school, telling a jury: "I didn't flirt with students, I was just friendly."

Sally-Anne Bowen, 65, is alleged to have indecently assaulted the boys when they were aged about 14 to 15 and she was in her mid-twenties, her trial at Harrow

crown court heard. Bowen joined Christ's College Finchley, in north London, in the late 1980s and told the court yesterday that as a young female teacher she caught the attention of some boys. She said she believed in hindsight she had been "too friendly" with them.

Sally-Anne Bowen denies indecent assault

"I wanted to be liked, as we all do, and I received a lot of attention," she told the court. "I was asked lots of questions... I was friendly, I was nice and I wanted to answer their questions."

Bowen denies seven counts of indecent assault against the two boys. One boy alleged he had sex with the teacher "about 20 or 30 times" over several months, that he would visit her at her home, considered her to be his girlfriend and had fallen in love with her.

Asked about the allegations, Bowen said: "There was no sexual activity, he's made this story up." The other alleged victim said she kissed him and let him touch her breasts, which Bowen also denied. She said she had never been inappropriate with pupils.

Bowen told the court she had a medical condition that had not been diagnosed at the time and which made sexual intercourse difficult and painful. The hearing continues.

Quintagram® No 2652

Solve all five concise clues using each letter underneath once only

1 1980s Sheffield band (1,1)

2 Tea, eg, without the stimulant (5)

3 Italian dumplings (7)

4 Spam (4,4)

5 Statement of political aims (9)

A	A	A	A	B	C	C	C
C	D	E	E	F	F	G	H
I	I	I	J	K	L	M	M
N	N	N	O	O	S	T	U

Solutions see T2 MindGames p15 Cryptic clues T2 MindGames p14

DJ 'on mend' after op

Trevor Nelson, the BBC Radio 2 DJ, has revealed that he had "very serious surgery" after being diagnosed with a brain tumour but is now "on the mend". The radio star, 62, said that his "world was turned upside down" when he was diagnosed but he feels "great right now" and is "almost back to myself". He added: "I feel raring to go and in good health."

Boy dies after bus crash

A bus driver has been arrested after a 14-year-old boy died following a collision in Portsmouth. Police are appealing for information and say the teenager's family are being supported by specialist officers. A spokesman said the driver "was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and then released on bail".

Bricklayer sets record

A college tutor has been crowned the UK's fastest bricklayer after laying 859 bricks in just one hour. Dale Wharton, 35, beat 15 other competitors and set a British and European record when he won the "Super Bowl of bricklaying" — the "Super Trowel" — at Hertfordshire County Showground in St Albans. He called it a "dream come true".

TIMESRadio Breakfast: 6am to 10am

Our free radio station has all the latest headlines, interviews and debates every morning.

Listen seven days a week

On DAB, exp. website and smart speaker

---

5

News

Travelodge boss out after safety scandal

Jessica Newman

Leisure Industries Correspondent

The chief executive of Travelodge has stepped down as the budget hotel chain acts to improve guest safety following a sexual assault at one of its hotels.

Jo Boydell, who left the business yesterday after 13 years, had been criticised over her handling of an incident in which a guest at a Travelodge in Maidenhead, Berkshire, was sexually assaulted by a man who had been given a key card to her room.

Boydell's departure highlights the pressure the company is facing to overhaul its safety and security measures.

Kyran Smith was given a key card in December 2022 after falsely claiming to staff at the Maidenhead hotel that he

was the woman's boyfriend. In February this year he was jailed for seven and a half years. As an apology, the woman was offered a £30 refund.

The case prompted a widespread outcry and more than 100 MPs demanded that Boydell face questions about the chain's failings. Sir Keir Starmer called the case "absolutely shocking" and said the company "must take serious action".

Boydell's conduct also came under scrutiny. She had been directly emailed by the Maidenhead victim in January 2023, despite later claiming she was only informed of

the attack years later. Boydell, who was copied into the email, seen by The Times, denied she was aware of the complaint and said that an employee in her office had handled it.

This month the BBC reported another incident at one of the company's hotels, which involved a domestic violence victim being attacked in her room by her abuser after reception gave him keys.

Travelodge said the safety of its customers was "extremely important", adding that it had acted swiftly to improve safety and security across

Jo Boydell was criticised over her handling of a sexual assault incident

its 632 hotels. The company said that an independent review, led by Paul Greaney KC, had been carried out and that an internal review was continuing.

Measures to improve guest safety and security are being introduced across the chain. They include extra training for its 12,000 customer-facing employees and the introduction of new room-access security protocols, meaning a guest must now give explicit permission for an extra or replacement room key to be given out.

Travelodge already has a policy never to confirm to any third party that a guest is staying at one of its hotels.

Boydell will be replaced by Ray Reidy, the company's finance boss, until a permanent successor has been found.

Reidy said: "We remain focused on

the safety and wellbeing of our guests and will continue taking the actions necessary to strengthen the business. We will also continue to engage proactively and constructively with government and the wider hospitality industry on the issue of safety and security."

Stephen Shurrock, Travelodge chairman, said Reidy brings "a strong track record of delivery and will have the full support of the board and the wider management team as Travelodge continues to deliver its strategic priorities".

He added: "This announcement does not change anything about our focus on safety and security."

Travelodge is owned by the American private equity firm GoldenTree Asset Management.

Cost pressures, page 37

Terror attack victims being neglected, activists say

It is a national scandal that survivors of terrorist attacks are still "mistreated and neglected", campaigners said as the UK marked the first dedicated memorial day for victims.

Brendan Cox, the husband of the murdered MP Jo Cox, said the findings of a report he had co-authored laid bare "the scale of failure" on some issues facing survivors.

"The public expect survivors to be cared for. Today's report shows that is a promise only being half kept," he said.

Founded in 2018, Survivors Against Terror has proposed a "survivors' charter" based on support provided in other countries. The principle underlying the charter is that the state has a particular responsibility to survivors of terror attacks as the targets are in most cases "not targets themselves, but are proxies for the state". The group said: "Many other countries acknowledge that principle and the extra responsibility that that brings. It's time we saw that systemic shift here too."

Assessing progress to meet the charter's requirements, the report found improvements in areas such as personal and psychological support. But elements such as financial help, compensation and access to legal advice were deemed to be falling short.

The report, based on the experiences of hundreds of survivors of terrorist attacks, found that financial support was fragmented and could depend on individual circumstances such as employment and pension arrangements.

"The absence of a guaranteed mechanism means that survivors and bereaved families may face unexpected and significant costs at a time of profound trauma, without certainty about whether financial assistance will be available or when it will arrive," the report said.

Similarly, the UK did not have a dedicated compensation scheme for victims and survivors of terrorism, requiring those affected to seek compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Cox said: "Today's first national memorial day for victims and survivors of terrorism is a moment when we hope the nation will remember the impact of terrorism on our fellow citizens.

"But survivors also want it to be a moment of accountability."

The government was approached for comment.

Supercars firebombed outside wedding hall

Two supercars were set alight after firebombs were hurled at a wedding venue

in Birmingham on Wednesday night (Eleanor Tait writes).

A Lamborghini and a McLaren caught fire and flames spread across the street after attackers targeted the Royal Shalimar in Sparkbrook during an event there.

Footage showed the cars catching fire after several firebombs were thrown by three men at about 8.30pm, sending guests sprinting out from the building.

One man holding a large bunch of balloons can be seen turning away in surprise before the

supercars burst into flames, while another man can be seen kicking one of the flaming devices away from the venue.

The suspected attackers, all dressed in black, were reported to have driven away from the scene in a white Volkswagen Golf.

West Midlands police said that no injuries had been reported and an investigation was under way. Firefighters were called to deal with the blazes.

In a statement yesterday, managers of the Royal Shalimar, which has capacity for up to 850 guests, said: "Our immediate priority was the safety of our guests, and we are grateful that no one was

CCTV footage showed guests rushing outside the Royal Shalimar in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, as flames spread following the attack

injured ... Royal Shalimar has always been a place for families, celebrations and the wider Birmingham community, and we remain committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for our guests."

Man charged over deadly attack on synagogue

Herbie Russell

A man has been charged in connection with the Manchester synagogue terrorist attack last year, police have said.

Hekmat Omar Ali Hakim, a 49-year-old Iraqi, is accused of failing to disclose information regarding terrorist activity, Counter Terrorism Policing North West said. He will appear before Westminster magistrates' court today.

The charge relates to the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, which took place on October 2 last year. The worshippers Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby were killed when Jihad al-Shamie, 35, a Syrian-

Adrian Daulby, left, and Melvin Cravitz died in the attack in October last year

born British citizen wearing a fake suicide belt, drove into the gates and then began attacking people with a knife.

Cravitz, 66, died from stab wounds, while Daulby, 53, died from a single stray or deflected bullet fired by armed police. Three other men suffered serious injuries. Shamie was shot dead by police.

The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who holds operational responsibility for Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: "This is a significant development in our investigation, and my thoughts are with all those affected by the attack, particularly the bereaved loved ones and survivors.

"Since the attack took place, we have been unwavering in our commitment to establishing the full picture behind the incident and identifying anybody who may have been involved in any way.

"The charge that has been authorised is the culmination of a substantial amount of meticulous work by the investigation team, supported by the Crown Prosecution Service, and I hope this update reaffirms that commitment."

---

6

News Royal family

Harry's return to Britain disturbs delicate balance

Kate Mansey Assistant Editor

The King and Queen were hosting the Prince and Princess of Wales at Balmoral when news broke that the Duke of Sussex was planning to relocate with his family to the UK.

Prince William's visit to the Scottish retreat for the annual royal getaway is usually a chance to reconnect and unwind. This year, however, there was much to discuss.

The King has had a few days to digest the news, having been informed of Prince Harry's plan before the headlines appeared. William can hardly have been thrilled. However, The Times understands the King has made it clear William, his heir, is his professional priority and the work of the institution won't change.

There will be no royal job for Harry — or, as the late Queen Elizabeth made clear — no "half-in, half-out" scenario where he and the duchess can continue their private enterprises while clocking in for the odd official engagement. Crucially, there will no royal cash.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his titles by the King last year, receives a financial stipend from Charles: an allowance from the King's private coffers which, to any ordinary citizen, would be considered extremely generous. It allows Andrew to cover the salaries of his household and security staff and other living expenses.

It is understood that no such stipend will be offered to Harry because he and Meghan plough their own commercial furrow while supporting various charity projects.

The King was made aware on Sunday that Harry would return to the UK, had found a place to live and had enrolled his children in school here. Charles

would be forgiven for feeling perplexed by his younger son's announcement, given that it may well appear, from his perspective, to be somewhat rushed.

It was only a few weeks ago that Charles and Camilla hosted Meghan, Harry and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, at Highgrove.

At the time, Charles and the rest of the inner royal circle appeared unaware the Sussexes were planning a more permanent return. It has long been known that Harry has wanted to return to what he calls his "homeland", but the announcement seemed to come out of the blue to those around the Palace.

One question remains why?

On the one hand, it makes little sense, Harry's security situation remains unchanged as far as the Home Office is concerned. He has been battling to have his UK police security reinstated for years, at huge expense. It is thought that his request for a risk management board is still going through the official channels at a snail's pace with, to date, no resolution.

On the other hand, Harry's return speaks to an off-stated ambition to be reconciled with his family and be more present for his charities in the UK.

Next year Birmingham will host the Invictus Games, Harry's sporting tournament for wounded veterans, so he'll be on hand for that. He'll also want to play a role in whatever tributes are planned next year to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

Those close to the King have dismissed theories swirling online about Prince Harry's return.

It is "nonsense" to

Sir Clive Alderton is due to step down

suggest, for example, that Harry's decision has anything to do with the departure of the King's private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, who will step down in spring. Harry barely disguised his contempt for Alderton, calling him "the wasp" in his memoir, Spare.

Nor is Harry's decision related to recent comments made by the Queen about the King's cancer. Charles is still living with the disease and busier than ever, aides say.

Instead, Harry's return is seen purely as a decision by a young couple to relocate for work and education.

If only it were that simple.

For William in particular, Harry's return makes life more complicated. The Prince of Wales will no doubt be pleased by reassurances from his father and stepmother that they're on his side, but he'll be wary of the Sussexes seeming to be a loose cannon.

William will want to focus on helping to secure a good start at Eton for Prince George next month, rather than the unsettling news that his absent uncle and cousins may wish to start a dialogue. William and Catherine will want to protect their children at all costs.

But Charles won't be a pushover. He has seen first-hand how a monarch's love for a son has blinded their decision-making, given the way in which Andrew was kept in the royal fold for too long by his late mother.

Six years ago Charles and William were together at Sandringham in Norfolk when Harry announced his plans to quit royal life altogether. Now he says he's coming back.

Arguably, he has far less bargaining power now than he did in 2020.

Optimists close to the King will see Harry's return as a chance to embrace some sort of normality. For example, no longer will each visit be preceded by briefing wars and drama over who offered which accommodation and where the prince will stay.

For those more wary around the Palace, the line is clear: he can come and make a life in the UK, but he'll never be part of the family business.

A-listers' favourite may be perfect fit

Ed Halford

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's return to Britain as non-working royals will provide them with greater freedom on where they can live.

Meghan's close ties to Ellen DeGeneres, the American chat show host who owns Kibedridge Farm, a 43-acre, £15 million estate in the Cotswolds, has triggered speculation within private family office circles that they could soon spend their weekends rubbing shoulders with A-listers and swimming at Soho Farmhouse.

During the Sussexes' visit to the UK in July, they are said to have stayed in the Cotswolds at a private residence belonging to a wealthy friend, from where they visited the King at Highgrove, in Gloucestershire, and the grave of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales,

at her ancestral home at Althorp, in Northamptonshire.

The couple know the area, having lived in a 12.5 million grade II listed farmhouse on the Great Tew Estate before their wedding in 2018. There they were a stone's throw from the Beckhams. While Harry and Sir David

A rendering of a proposed home on the Great Tew Estate in Oxford

Beckham were once friends, the relationship is said to have become strained because of a dispute over press leaks.

Other wealthy figures living nearby include Simon Cowell and Kate Moss. During a previous stay, the Sussexes were visited by Serena Williams, George Clooney and Nick Jonas.

The area is also award with independent prep schools for the Sussexes children. Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, are expected to start at a co-educational day school rather than a boarding school.

Settling in the Cotswolds would also put them near Harry's cousin, Princess Beatrice, and her husband who own a six-bedroom farmhouse in the area.

In preparation for their return, Harry is said to have sought advice from friends including DeGeneres and James Corden.

King puts William and future of royal family first

Continued from page 1

monarchy — both of them and their children — and that is also how the public see it, so there is only a certain amount the King would be wise to give."

Tom Bower, the author of Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, an unauthorised biography of Harry and Meghan, said: "I don't think the royal family will forgive him." He suggested Harry would try to revive friendships with those he had snubbed in the past but he did not think Meghan had a large circle before she left the UK. Among the royals, Harry is believed to have stayed close to his cousin Eugenie.

Apart from family reunions, it is possible Harry was motivated to move to

better support his UK-based charities and patronages. The couple have faced criticism over their businesses in the US, including low viewing figures for With Love, Meghan, the duchess's Netflix series. Spotify did not renew her podcast Archetypes. During his visit last month, Harry appeared to enjoy himself in Birmingham launching the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games. He also visited Birmingham Children's Hospital to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the WellChild nursing programme. The charity, of which he is patron, supports seriously ill children.

Meghan will continue to run As Ever, although there are no plans for the lifestyle brand — which only sells in the US — to expand into the UK.

---

THE TIMES | Friday August 21 2026 51

7

In New Zealand in 2018; the interview with Oprah Winfrey; a scene from With Love, Meghan; and with the Waleses after Queen Elizabeth's death in 2022

Family fallout

Skin tone

Meghan revealed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that while she was pregnant with Archie there were "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be". The claim provoked a rare statement from Queen Elizabeth that "recollections may vary". Harry later said that the remarks were "unconscious bias".

Physical altercation

In Spare, Harry detailed a confrontation in 2019. He claimed that Prince William called Meghan

"difficult", "rude" and "abrasive". The argument escalated until William "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and ... knocked me to the floor".

Denial of help

Meghan told Oprah that the media scrutiny had left her feeling like she "just didn't want to be alive any more". The duchess alleged she was denied help. 'War on Meghan' The couple claimed in their Netflix series that royal communication officers planted and leaked negative stories

about the duchess.

Jenny Afia, the duchess's lawyer, called it a "war against Meghan".

Screaming match

Harry described a tense meeting in 2020, saying it was terrifying to have his brother - "scream and shout" while his father said things that were untrue.

Pleading with Charles not to marry Camilla In Spare, Harry wrote that he and William had begged their father not to marry Camilla Parker Bowles.

MONDAY, MARCH 21, EARTH ECONOMIST/SEATTLE, MARCH 18/17/25E, JOHN FERRY/SEATTLE

Sussexes' security provision in limbo

There are no plans to provide the Duke and Duchess of Sussex taxpayer-funded armed police protection when they return home this month, The Times has been told.

A decision about his family's security arrangements has still not been made nine months after Prince Harry was told that a fresh assessment would take place. The review was due to be carried out in March by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), an independent body overseen by the Home Office that decides which public figures should be given armed protection and at what level.

However, sources with knowledge of the process said that it had still not taken place.

Andy Burnham would not be drawn on the couple's security arrangements on their return to the UK, saying the funding for it was a "private matter".

Asked by reporters on a visit to West Yorkshire whether the government would establish and fund the duke and duchess's security, the prime minister said: "Well, this is a private matter.

"It's a matter for Harry and for Meghan, and we wish them well in the moves that they're making."

The assessment is due to be taken by the risk-management board (RMB), which is part of the process in which Ravec determines security arrangements. Harry was told about the fresh assessment after he wrote to the home secretary requesting a review of his security.

This year he lost his long-running court battle with the Home Office over Ravec's decision not to provide automatic police protection. After the ruling, the prince told the BBC: "I can't see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point." His decision to return to Britain will raise questions about what has changed since then.

The Sussexes, who employed a private security team in the United States, have not commented on the status of their security arrangements when they return to Britain.

One source suggested that his decision to relocate his family could accelerate the RMB as it would change the circumstances surrounding his security requirements.

The duke last visited Britain in July and was joined at the end of a week of events promoting next year's Invictus Games in Birmingham by Meghan and their children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5.

During the visit, the duke and duchess took their children to see the King for the first time in four years at his Highgrove home, but were not thought to have raised the prospect of a return to Britain at that meeting.

The Sussexes lost their right to automatic police security when Harry left his role as a working member of the royal family in 2020.

He is required to give a month's notice before each visit to Britain, at which point the details and risk of his visit are assessed before security is granted. On each return trip, however, he has been declined full police protection.

The prince lost a legal challenge to Ravec's decision not to provide automatic police security in May last year. He wrote to Shahana Mahmood, the home secretary, to formally request a fresh risk assessment of his security and was told he had been granted an RMB.

He asked Ravec to "abide by its own rules", which state that a risk-management board should be conducted for each member of the royal family and other qualifying VIPs every year. The duke even called on the prime minister to "step in". The Home Office made clear the home secretary had no involvement in the process of deciding on his security arrangements. The department maintained that decisions on the protective security for individuals are taken by Ravec on behalf of the government.

The independent body faces an unprecedented demand for protecting VIPs, most notably politicians.

Sir Keir Starmer's departure from Downing Street has meant there are now a record nine former prime ministers that require round-the-clock armed police protection.

It is understood that the Ravec backlog is due in part to the body battling to cover top-level security for a high number of VIPs and officials, pausing RMB reviews.

This pause is understood to have lasted about four months and it is unclear when the duke's RMB would take place.

The alleged murder of the former minister Ann Widdicombe last month led to a renewed focus on the security of politicians.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The UK government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security."

Return of the Sussexes demands a clarified role, leading article, page 25

Duchess ran out of credit in Hollywood

Keiran Southern Los Angeles

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their move to California with plans to build a Hollywood empire in 2020, many major studios were eager to work with them.

Harry and Meghan were said to have held meetings with executives at Disney, NBCUniversal and Apple, among others. Warner Bros was especially keen to land the couple, it is believed.

Netflix, the streaming giant, eventually won the battle for the Sussexes, agreeing a five-year deal in September 2020 reportedly worth up to $100 million. Hopes were high that Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, newly unshackled from royal duties, could leverage their global profile into a successful Hollywood career.

It did not work out, many analysts

say. Aside from the 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan, which pulled back the curtain on their feud with the Windsors, the Sussexes failed to deliver hits for Netflix, which did not renew the deal.

"They were a success in Hollywood on one level," said Stephen Galloway, who runs the film school at Chapman University in California.

"They brilliantly scammed some of the powers that be, and I never ceased to be amazed that very shrewd, extremely astute, hard-bitten, cynical executives are still blinded by celebrity."

From a financial perspective the Sussexes may view their time with Netflix as a success, said David Offenberg, an associate professor of finance who specialises in entertainment at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

"They got paid," he said. "That's what a whole lot of people who are trying to

make it in Hollywood are ultimately trying to accomplish."

As the Sussexes embark on a new life in the UK, a question being asked around the entertainment industry is whether they will attempt to revitalise their brand. Doug Eldridge, a crisis PR expert and founder of Achilles PR, said that what actors and personalities fear most is irrelevance, and that may be where Meghan finds herself.

"She is loved by some, reviled by many, but disregarded by most," he said. "That is not necessarily a final destination but for Hollywood types it certainly feels like purgatory."

Offenberg, however, believes the future can still be bright for Harry and Meghan: "This is just the next chapter and they are a fascinating couple that a lot of people are going to be looking at for years to come."

---

8

News Politics

After quick wins, PM is talking rubbish

Tom Peck Political Sketch

It's always the last thing you do, isn't it, the bins? The final, unpleasant item to be crossed off the to-do list. In that sense, Andy Burnham is no different from the rest of us. He's done his big speech on social care, which, yes, OK, didn't amount to very much. We've had the reintroduction of the £2 bus fare cap. We've had the pledge to end rough sleeping. And now, with yet another day of news coverage to secure, the prime minister accepted the only thing for it would be to stand in front of an enormous pile of fly-tipped rubbish and do his best to look equal parts angry and sad.

It's not clear if this is to mark the end of Andy's big summer offensive, but we know the strategy now. There's an overnight press release, with a big promise to do something about something fairly inconsequential — in this case, illegal waste. And then, at noon, there's a two-minute interview, ideally somewhere in the north, and then tomorrow, we move on to the next thing.

Alongside the interview tend to come a small selection of still photographs. On this occasion, with just the photos alone, you might think the prime minister had been to visit the grieving families after some shocking national tragedy. In fact he'd been to see an illegal waste dump in Bradford. In one still, our leader holds a half-cupped hand

Angela Eagle, Naz Shah and Andy Burnham vowed to tackle fly-tipping at an illegal dump in Bradford

against his narrow lips, his head angled toward the ground, as if overcome by the sheer weight of human sorrow around him.

To his right stand Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, and Angela Eagle, the environment secretary, their lips curled half in revulsion, half determination, like a Kim and Aggie re-boot set after civilisational collapse. Even a full decade on, it's very hard to look at Eagle without

recalling the official launch of her Labour Party leadership bid, in that crazy Brexit summer. When, one by one, she went around the room, reading out in deathly silence the names of the journalists who she hoped might ask her a question, but all of them had left halfway through, because Andrea Leadsom had done something stupid and they had somewhere more important to be. We laughed at her then. But we're

not laughing now, are we, not now she's been named the official chair of the government's new "Waste Crime Crackdown Group". Naturally, we congratulate her on her success. But the wider nation will consider it a

shame that Count Binface has been so cruelly overlooked for the role.

Burnham would explain exactly what the waste crime crackdown group is going to do. The National Crime Agency is also going to get involved, and fines are going to rise "from £300 to £3,000" for waste-related offences. That will show them. "It's building the intelligence as to who is behind this," he said, with reference to the pile of rubbish behind him, "about bearing down on the organised crime that lies behind what you see behind me."

It seems a shame that, presumably from today, someone at the NCA who imagined an exciting life, possibly a bit like something out of Line of Duty, will be asked to "build the intelligence" with regard to a field full of waste in Bradford.

The prime minister is correct that such goings on infuriate people. Last year, at Kidlington in Oxfordshire, 21,000 tonnes of illegal waste were dumped, dangerously near the River Cherwell, and the Environment Agency and the local council have been arguing for months about who should pay to have it cleared. How such giant tips come into being is extravagantly complex, but fundamentally, organised crime groups offer cheap prices to businesses to take their rubbish away, undercutting legitimate services, then secretly dump it wherever they see fit.

It seems remarkable, given the number of television drama series about organised crime, that waste collection never gets a look-in.

Surely, we've had enough of the crystal meth and the gun running and the priceless stolen artworks? Aren't we, as a nation, crying out for a really good bin day box set? I can already see the title plate now. Burnham, Shah and Eagle are coming to take out the trash. Patrick Maguire, Burnham is banking on optimism, page 21

Greens elect 'proud anti-Zionist trans woman' to powerful council

Test asylum seekers on law, says MP

Mario Ledwith

A Green activist who called for "glory to the Iranian resistance" and says that "Zionist saboteurs" are seeking to destroy Zack Polanski's leadership has been appointed to one of the party's ruling bodies.

Eleanora Folan was this week elected to sit on the party's internal council alongside Polanski after saying that a "tiny faction of Zionists and transphobes" was seeking to overthrow the leader.

In a candidacy statement Folan said that a "small but well-resourced faction" sitting on internal committees was running a "scorched earth campaign of warfare" to destroy Polanski's project. The post was later deleted after accusations of antisemitism.

Folan, who runs the "Stats for Lefties" social media account, won an election by six votes to become the council's female representative for East Anglia. The body helps to shape the party's political direction and strategy while developing policy and governance.

Polanski, the party leader who is Jewish, is struggling to ward off accusations

of rising antisemitism within the party. This week The Times revealed that Green activists used private messages to describe British Jews as a "weapon" of Israel and say that hostility towards Jews was "understandable".

The party has recently said that it cannot cope with the sheer number of complaints against members for alleged wrongdoing.

Folan, who described herself as a "proud anti-Zionist trans woman", is known for her pugnacious online approach, including posting support for Iran and regular criticism of Zionists.

In June she posted an image of the Iranian flag on X alongside the caption: "Glory to the Iranian resistance, whose courageous fight against the imperialist dogs of the USA has utterly humiliated the Great Satan. Inshallah Iran will fully repel US imperialism, Palestine will be freed from the bloodthirsty Zionist entity and Israel will be abolished."

In a post in March, she said: "Praying for the total defeat and dissolution of Israel, a humiliating defeat for the USA and a shattering loss that guts Britain's imperial power."

On the second anniversary of the

October 7 attacks in which Hamas killed 828 civilians after ambushing Israel, Folan wrote online: "1999 off Zionist scum. Palestine will be free no matter how much you whine and moan." The post included an emoji denoting the middle finger gesture.

In another online rant, Folan said the UK's antisemitism crisis was a "constructed moral panic, invented by the

Eleanora Folan has praised Iran and called for Israel to be abolished

Zionist lobby". Folan has further attacked the "feral Zionist press".

Folan, a former Labour member who is aligned with the Greens for Palestine group, announced her council victory by saying: "Our party has changed and my election as a proud anti-Zionist trans woman symbolises that change." She pledged to create a "radical anti-imperialist Green Party".

Folan said "no comment" when

contacted by The Times.

Gender-critical groups raised questions about Folan's election to the female role. The Lesbian Green group said: "A trans woman has just been elected to a female seat in the Green party council. Are political parties exempt from the law?"

The campaign group Sex Matters pointed to the Supreme Court judgment in April last year, which ruled that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2000 referred to biological sex. Fiona McAnena from the group said: "This move is both tone-deaf and entitled. It ignores the decades-long struggle for women to be represented in political leadership."

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: "This shows that the Greens are no longer nice, cuddly people who want to be kind to badgers and whales."

Asked if it endorsed Folan's comments, the Green Party said: "Green Party council members are elected to a local region under a single transferable vote system. The Green Party has processes in place to look into views expressed by members which may not align with Green Party values."

Andy Burnham has defended a decision to hand out guidance to asylum seekers telling them rape and domestic abuse are illegal, after a former Labour minister called for migrants to be tested on UK laws before they could claim asylum.

On a visit to Bradford yesterday, the prime minister insisted it was right to make the UK's societal norms and laws "explicitly clear".

Earlier, Mike Tapp, who until last month served as the minister for migration and citizenship in the Home Office, said: "I can see what is being attempted here, but we should be testing whether people coming here understand these laws. If they do not then they should not be able to claim asylum here."

The Home Office published a booklet for newly arriving asylum seekers on Wednesday, titled Understanding Behaviours and Expectations in the UK. It provides guidance on gender equality and respect in public. It also advises that rape, sex with someone under the age of 16 and domestic abuse are "serious crimes" that could lead to prison and loss of support and accommodation, as well as affecting asylum claims.

---

9

News

Rail threat as rain falls on hard ground

Laurence Sleator Transport Correspondent

Rail bosses are bracing for disruption as flooding is likely to cause delays and cancellations across the country.

The ground around rail tracks is hard and parched after a sustained period of drought. Network Rail, which manages the infrastructure, has predicted that rainwater will not soak into the soil, leading to flooding.

The Met Office has forecast heavy showers over the coming days and into next week in much of the country and some parts are already experiencing thunderstorms.

Much of the network sits in cuttings and tunnels that are lower than surrounding areas, which means water runs on to it. Other lines are on flat,

low-lying land with limited drainage, which can be overwhelmed by rain.

When floodwater rises above the rails, trains have to reduce speed as debris may have moved on to the rails or the ground under the track may have washed away. Services may be cancelled because flooding can lead to the short-circuiting of power supplies, which causes signalling equipment to fail.

Disruption can last for some time if ballast — stones under the track that support the line — is washed away. Engineering work to replace it would have to be undertaken. There is also concern that earthworks that make up the embankments around railway lines could be washed away or damaged as water cascades downhill.

This month engineers from Network

Rail have been working on flood mitigation measures in north Wales, Shropshire, Gloucestershire, the northwest and across the East Midlands.

To mitigate flooding engineers will put netting on steep cutting sides, increase drainage along the top of cuttings and re-profile steep sides. They may also install pumping stations or ask farmers to plough fields so furrows are perpendicular to the railway rather than diverting water on to it.

One industry source said: "Network Rail is engaging with farmers and talking about how it's going to happen. There is some real nervousness about what comes next."

The expected disruption comes after a torrid period of heat-related disturbance on the railways. Many operators

have cancelled services or run trains at reduced speeds.

Martin Frobisher, safety and engineering director at Network Rail, admitted last week that "unprecedented hot and dry weather that we have experienced this summer has presented exceptional challenges to the railway."

Experts said disruption could occur even if trains were not cancelled. Dr Ioannis Koliousis, associate professor of logistics and supply chain management at Cranfield School of Management, said: "If the driver cannot see the lines or if the earth below the lines is murky or soft, then the train speed, for example, will have to be lower. This affects directly the capacity of the system because if we had, say, ten trains per hour running at 100kmph, after the

earth will have become a little more soft then those trains will have to run at, say, 70, 60 or 50kmph." Koliousis said it would reduce the capacity of the system "because we wouldn't have trains arriving at the same time or capturing the slots they should be".

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "We are not predicting major disruption from flooding in the short or longer term this year. However, we are not complacent... A programme of improving the railway's resilience is ongoing, with projects such as the recently completed scheme at Chipping Sodbury on the Great Western Main Line, alongside maintaining and checking drainage and working with landowners around the railway to keep our lines safe so people can travel with confidence."

Good to not quite so firm Racegoers at York shelter on Ladies Day and storm clouds over Southery in Norfolk as wet weather returns to parts of the UK following the driest July on record Weather, page 55

Thames Water's hosepipe ban will last until end of the year

Adam Vaughan Environment Editor

The recent rainfall will not be enough to solve a "worsening" drought, the government has warned as Thames Water said its hosepipe ban could last until the end of the year.

Meetings of a National Drought Group of officials, water companies, farmers, anglers and other groups will move from monthly to weekly as the Environment Agency steps up its response to dry conditions.

The regulator has applied for a drought order to cut the amount water companies can take from the Severn. It said it was "particularly concerned" by

the toll on Britain's longest river. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will decide whether to grant the measure. It is also considering whether to give Southern Water the power to ban non-essential water use including filling public swimming pools.

River flows are lower than in 2022, when high temperatures and a drought were ruinous for fish, and reservoirs are 16 per cent lower than normal. Restrictions on farmers' water use have been tightened in recent days. With all of Wales and 71 per cent of England in drought, hosepipe bans are in place for more than 27 million people.

"Drought conditions are worsening and yet we now face the risk of flash flooding," Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, a Defra minister, said. Most of the recent rain has fallen in the north of England, where areas are in "prolonged dry conditions", the final stage before drought. Heavy showers do not soak easily into ground that is hard and parched.

Thames Water warned 10.1 million customers that its hosepipe ban could last for months. Nevil Muncaster, the company's strategic water resources director, told Times Radio: "Realistically, it's going to be towards the end of the year before that comes off. That's something that we need to make sure we do

just to protect the environment." He said that when temperatures exceed 25C, people tend to use 25 per cent more water than normal. If temperatures breach 30C, as they have during this summer's five heatwaves, they use up to 50 per cent more.

Muncaster said more dry conditions were expected. "The Environment Agency forecast is that it will be drier than normal for the next few months, but we'll wait and see," he said.

Thames Water is Britain's biggest water company. It is £19.5 billion in debt and has been trying to stave off a collapse into temporary nationalisation. Muncaster said a new mega reservoir

at Abingdon in Oxfordshire was unlikely to come online until at least 2040. He defended the fact that the company's £250 million Beckton devaluation plant, opened in 2010 by Prince Philip to provide water in times of drought, had been offline this summer.

"It was something we planned. We had a very wet winter, so we took the opportunity to do that maintenance," he said.

Thames Water loses 569 million litres of water a day on average, down from 654 million litres a day ten years ago. Muncaster said: "Leakage is complex. We're fixing currently around 2,000 leaks a week."

---

10

News GCSEs

Top grades rise but pupils in

Nicola Woolcock, Education Editor Georgia Lambert, George Willoughby Millie Brigaud

The pass rate fell for GCSEs this year because of the low performance of those taking resits.

While the proportion of GCSE entries awarded top grades of at least a 7 or A rose from last year, the rate achieving a 4 or C grade returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Hundreds of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received GCSE grades and technical awards yesterday.

All year 11 students were able to view their results in an app for the first time following a successful trial last year.

While 22 per cent of entries were awarded the top grades, up by 0.1 percentage points on last year, the proportion of entries getting at least a 4/C grade, fell by 0.1 percentage points to 67.3 per cent. This was the same as in 2019, the last year before the Covid pandemic.

Overall, 24.4 per cent of girls' GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 7/A compared with 19.6 per cent for boys: a 4.8 percentage point gap, down from a difference of 5.1 last year.

Meanwhile, 70.2 per cent of girls' GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 4/C against 64.4 per cent of boys' entries — a 5.8 percentage point gap against 6.2 last year.

The gap in top grades between London, the best-performing region, and the North East, the worst, has widened to a record high of 10.9 percentage points, up from 10.6 last year.

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: "It is a damning indictment of 21st-century Britain that where you happen to grow up has such a profound impact on your educational and life chances.

"England's educational divide is a story of London increasingly pulling away from much of the rest of the country. But these broad regional divides conceal an even more troubling geography of opportunity: sometimes a few streets, or a different postcode, can make the difference between a life of opportunity and a life of overlooked talent."

More pupils aged 17 and above took English and maths this year, most of them resits after failing to achieve the pass rate last year. In England, pupils who do not secure at least a grade 4 in English and/or maths GCSE are

Gender gap

Proportion of entries by grade and gender 7 or above

	Girls	Boys
2019	24.1%	17.6%
2023	24.9%	19.1%
2024	24.7%	19%
2025	24.5%	19.4%
2026	24.4%	19.6%

4 or above

	Girls	Boys
2019	71.7%	62.9%
2023	71.7%	64.9%
2024	71%	64.7%
2025	70.5%	64.3%
2026	69.2%	64.1%

Proportion of candidates who failed to achieve a grade 4 (equivalent to grade C)

	Girls	Boys
Maths	47.8%	47.8%
Science: double award	41.5%	41.5%
English language	40.5%	40.5%
Engineering	36.4%	36.4%
History	35.9%	35.9%
Psychology	33.2%	33.2%
Film studies	34.8%	34.8%
Geography	34.4%	34.4%
Business studies	34.4%	34.4%
Design & technology	33.5%	33.5%

Source: JCI; Joint Council for Qualifications.

typically required to retake the subjects during post-16 education — sometimes repeatedly.

The proportion of post-16 UK entries for English rose by 6.5 per cent on last year, but the rate scoring a 4 or C fell by 1.4 percentage points to 21.7 per cent.

For maths resits, the proportion of entries rose by 5.8 per cent, but the rate

of achieving at least a 4 fell 1.7 percentage points on 2025, to 16.5 per cent.

Lucy Powell, the education secretary, has vowed to change the system of repeated resits that has led to pupils being branded a failure. A stepping stone qualification is being introduced so pupils can demonstrate their literacy and numeracy before working towards GCSE retakes in the two core subjects.

While traditional A*-G grades are still used in Northern Ireland and Wales, in England these have been replaced with a 9-1 system, where 9 is the highest. A 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade and a 7 is equivalent to an A.

Overall entries for GCSEs have risen slightly — up 0.6 per cent on 2025 — after dropping last year. The overall rate for grades 1/G or above is 97.9 per cent, the same as 2025, but lower than the 98.3 per cent seen in 2019.

In England, Ofqual brought GCSE grading standards back in line with pre-Covid levels in 2023. Exam regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland returned to pre-pandemic grading the year after. The move came after Covid-19 led to a rise in top GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.

The top 10 subjects remained the same as last year. Statistics had the biggest rise in entries, up by 11.2 per cent to 38,770, followed by business studies, sociology, media studies and PE.

Myles McGinley, managing director of Cambridge OCR, one of the big exam boards, said: "Business studies entries are a third higher than five years ago. This looks like an increasingly entrepreneurial generation, fascinated by how business works ... GCSE PE has risen in popularity again, and sports studies is our most popular Cambridge National vocational subject."

Grammar schools had the highest number of top grades, according to data for England from the exams regulator Ofqual. Its analysis found 63.2 per cent of GCSEs awarded to those at selective schools were graded a 7 (A equivalent) or above, the same as last year.

This compared with 48.4 per cent at private schools, down from 49 per cent in 2025. For state schools it was collectively 20.6 per cent.

Within the non-selective state sector, free schools had 21 per cent of GCSEs at 7 or above, up from 19.6 per cent last year, academies were at 19.7 per cent, up from 19.4 per cent and comprehensives were at 20 per cent, compared with 19.9 per cent last year.

Girls hold the lead but core subjects down

Analysis

More GCSE pupils are failing to pass core English and maths, even as top grades tick higher and the pass-rate gap between girls and boys shrinks to its smallest level this century (Georgia Lambert and Nicola Woolcock write).

Although girls maintain an overall lead — 25.7 per cent achieved a grade 7/A or above compared with 20.6 per cent of boys — male pupils are steadily gaining ground.

The figures were marginally higher than last year, when the proportions were 25.6 per cent and 20.4 per cent respectively.

Unlike at GCSE, young men outpaced young women at A-level for the second consecutive year, earning 28.9 per cent top grades versus girls' 28 per cent. However,

this is not yet being reflected at GCSE. Of the pupils taking seven or more GCSEs, 0.3 per cent of girls achieved grade 9 in every subject, compared with 0.2 per cent of boys.

Behind these headline figures lies a divide in subject choices once pupils step outside compulsory English, maths and science.

Professor Alan Smithers, director of education at Buckingham University, said the gap could be explained by the changes in the subject mix for both sexes.

He told The Times: "Boys tend to take and excel in quantitative subjects, such as maths, physics and economics. These award high percentages of top grades because there are right answers. Girls tend to opt for the arts, humanities and social sciences where many fewer top grades are awarded.

"At A-level, there is free choice of usually three subjects. Boys, for example, can specialise in maths,

further maths and physics. At GCSE, core subjects are compulsory, so in the seven or eight subjects entered, boys' lead in the quantitative is masked by girls' all-round performance."

Sir Ian Bauckham, the head of Ofqual, the exam regulator, said that although girls were outperforming boys at GCSE, it was not "a uniform picture". In maths, for example, boys continued to outperform girls, as they did in GCSE physics, he said.

Bauckham also suggested that an explanation for the gap at GCSE may extend beyond the classroom. "I think you've probably also got to look at wider social trends," he said, including "things affecting childhood differently for girls and boys".

Bauckham questioned whether the impact of social media and mobile phone use affected outcomes for girls and boys equally, stressing that he did not have the answer.

Behind the story

A 16-year-old pupil from Birmingham is celebrating after securing a sixth-form scholarship to Eton College. Yusuif Ahmed who lives in Wesley Castle and attends Lift Four Dwellings Secondary School, won the George Orwell Award after completing assessments and interviews. Yusuif, whose father came to Britain from Sudan in 2002, is believed to be the first pupil of Sudanese descent to go to the £65,673-a-year school. He applied after seeing the scholarship opportunity, telling himself that "the worst they can say is no".

When the letter arrived at school, Yusuif thought it was a rejection, but then spotted the words "we are delighted" and ran into the corridor screaming. "It's still surreal. It hasn't fully sunk in yet," he said. "It's a big honour for me, my family and my country. I hope it shows that anything can happen and that

education really can change your life."

Yusuif, pictured right with his school principal, Claire Stoneman, will study maths, geography, physics and economics.

Max Dowman, 16, received his results alongside fellow footballer classmates at Brentwood School. Dowman, the youngest goal scorer and Premier League title winner, plans to move into the football world after signing a pre-contract deal with Arsenal in January that will lead to him signing professionally in December once he turns 17.

He thanked Brentwood School for their "support both on and off the pitch" and gave special thanks to three of his teachers — Mrs Crowley, Mr Gamester and Miss Antonello — for their "kindness, support and encouragement".

Fellow Brentwood pupils Melvyn

---

11

News

resits bring down pass rate

GREEN HUMPHREYS/PH. MATTHEW HORWOOD/GETTY IMAGES

Let's bring back coursework, says new Eton head

Nicola Woolcock

GCSEs should be reformed and assessed partly by coursework, the incoming head master of Eton College has said.

Alastair Chirnside is currently head of St Edward's School in Oxford, which runs its own qualifications alongside GCSEs called "pathways and perspectives". He will move from the coeducational day and boarding senior school to become head master of Eton from September next year.

Chirnside told The Times that he was open to an overhaul of GCSEs but that the qualification should be retained. A-levels should be included in any planned reform because few other countries have such a narrow curriculum for sixth-formers, he said.

He urged the government to use the experience of independent schools that had taken the time to develop their own qualifications, saying it was a "real opportunity".

His school's own qualifications, which are externally accredited by the University of Buckingham and can be used on university applications, had succeeded because they had not sought to replace GCSEs, he said. Pupils take them in subjects including sustainability, design and entrepreneurship, music technology and sports science.

"It helps that we haven't set out to reinvent the wheel," he said. "Exceptionalism isn't the best route. We haven't set out to replace GCSE with them, they run alongside."

Chirnside said coursework, which was removed from most GCSEs by Michael Gove's reforms in 2014, should be reintroduced and could be made to work. He said the use of school-assessed grades during the pandemic showed teachers could assess work.

Critics say coursework is open to

abuse from artificial intelligence and from parental help, but Chirnside said: "As technology evolves, I think we will be able to identify whether AI has been used with a digital watermark."

Schools could also use controlled assessment — coursework completed in school — or vivas and oral assessment to ensure children are not cheating.

The government should consider new subjects at GCSE level, Chirnside said, including political systems, AI literacy and sustainability, and should cut the number of exams within each GCSE subject.

He agreed with plans to stop those who fail GCSEs enduring multiple resits but suggested stress could not be completely avoided. "You can join the army at 16 so pupils should be able to take some exams," he said.

Any GCSE reforms should go alongside A-level reforms, Chirnside said, adding: "If you reduce the number of GCSE subjects it doesn't make sense to retain a narrow number of subjects at A-level. They need to be looked at together. A-levels have good value. You don't want to tarnish A-levels but if you were starting the education system from scratch you would be unlikely to come up with the study of three subjects at 16 to 18."

Of Andy Burnham's plans to introduce more vocational alternatives to GCSE, he said: "Offering children a choice has to be a good thing. Children have different strengths and aptitudes so are more likely to find a pathway that's right for them if there is more choice."

He added: "The world changes very fast and we need to make sure the education system keeps up. We have to keep looking at what we're doing in schools.

"We need to do that periodically or we're doing a disservice to our country."

Fears for A-levels as pupils pick combined sciences

Nicola Woolcock

Fewer teenagers are studying physics, chemistry and biology as separate subjects, new figures show.

Experts sounded an alarm about the development, in which more pupils take double or combined science GCSEs and which continues a trend seen last year. Some said it could leave pupils less equipped to take science A-levels.

After a year-long curriculum review the government is preparing to introduce an entitlement for all pupils in England to attend schools that offer the three sciences separately.

However, the Royal Society of Chemistry said schools continued to be under significant staffing and funding pressures, which could harm their ability to provide the subjects separately.

Laura Daly, the society's education

programme manager, said: "While the reduction is smaller than last year's, it continues a clear downward trend and appears to reflect a shift towards combined science.

"We need to better understand what is driving these decisions. It is important to know whether this reflects student choice, school capacity, or wider pressures affecting what schools are able to offer."

She said school science departments continued to report difficulties recruiting and retaining specialist teachers.

Professor Jane Clarke, chair of the Royal Society's advisory committee on mathematics education, said: "The increasing number of combined science entries risks reducing the pool of potential A-level science candidates."

She said the system of multiple qualification pathways "often only offer an illusion of choice".

Kabongolo and Callum Stewart also received Premier League football scholarships, to Tottenham and Ipswich respectively, whilst completing their exams.

For Sienna, 16, from near Durham, finding the right environment

transformed her confidence and ambitions. She struggled with mainstream school from the age of eight, experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. When her father began looking into alternatives, he discovered King's InterHigh, and Sienna joined in Year 6.

She credits the

online school with changing her approach to learning. "We feel like it was meant to be ending up at InterHigh because it was just suited to my learning style. In mainstream, there are a lot of different distractions whereas in online school you're at your desk and fully focused," she said.

The online format helped her concentrate while also allowing her to make friends.

In September, she will begin studying biology, chemistry and physics at a sixth-form college, with an ambition to study medicine. Failure was not an option for Dr Ruth Barnich, 60. A grade 5 in her English

equivalency test has secured her a place on a teacher-training course, allowing the Luxembourg-born scientist to embark on a new career teaching German and French. Barnich, who is fluent in several languages and holds a PhD, was nevertheless required to pass a GCSE-equivalent English test before she could begin her training.

For 30 years, she worked as a marine taxonomist, specialising in invertebrates from the northeast Atlantic. But she had begun to feel dissatisfied and in March she and her department were made redundant. Inspired by her father, who was a teacher, she decided to pass down her knowledge. Now Teach, a charity, helped Barnich and other applicants navigate the process. "It was a challenging experience," she said, "but if you are going to be a teacher, you have to be resilient and resourceful."

---

12

News

Zuckerberg buys castle in Ireland

The tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have bought a 19th-century Gothic-style castle overlooking a river in southeast Ireland, 125 miles from his company's European headquarters. The Meta chief executive bought the three-storey property

from the Alen-Buckley family in recent weeks, his spokesman said yesterday. It is not known how much Zuckerberg paid and the transaction is not listed on the Irish state property price register, but The Irish Times, which first reported the purchase, estimated the property might be worth between €20 million and €30 million.

Strancally Castle will serve as the Irish base for Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan

to continue caring for this historic home and look forward to spending time in Ireland, where Meta maintains its international headquarters." Meta's Ireland operations include about 1,500 staff across 80 teams in three locations — offices in Dublin, Reality Labs in Cork and a data centre in

Clonee, Co Meath. Zuckerberg and his family will continue live in the US and will use the home when carrying out Meta business in Ireland. A number of US tech multinationals have their European headquarters in Ireland, in part due to the country's favourable tax regime. It was reported in the American media last summer that Zuckerberg and Chan were interested in a property in Ireland. The Wall Street

Journal quoted the US billionaire John Malone as saying that they were interested in buying Castlemartin in Co Kildare from him. Meta is being sued by a coalition of 29 US states over claims that its platforms were designed to be addictive for children. Hearings began this week.

Strancally Castle was built around 1830 on land overlooking the River Blackwater and underwent renovation in 2003, according to a state architectural archive. Zuckerberg's spokesman said: "Mark and his family are excited

Blood scandal victims told to repay £10,000

Herbie Russell

A government order for partners of infected blood scandal victims to pay back £10,000 in compensation they had been incorrectly given has been branded "unforgivable" by campaigners.

A 2021 rule change restricted the payments to those whose partners died after November 2017, but at least 12 ineligible people accidentally received the funds.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it had now suspended payment requests. A government spokesperson said that "no-body will want to see those families facing any more hardship or unfairness as a result of failings by the state".

The Hepatitis C Trust, a charity supporting people affected by the virus, said that the government's treatment of affected families was "unforgivable".

More than 30,000 people were infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. More than 3,000 are known to have died.

An inquiry, which took place between 2018 and 2024, found that the NHS "knowingly exposed patients to unacceptable risks of infection".

The England Infected Blood Support Scheme, launched in 2017, offered victims and their relatives compensation. Among the support on offer was a £10,000 one-off payment for those whose spouse or partner died before November 2017.

A policy update in 2021 restricted eligibility to people whose partners died after November 2017 — a move that the government said brought the scheme in line with Scottish and Welsh regulations. Twelve people later re-

ceived the payments despite their partners having died before November 2017.

"This issue was brought to the attention of ministers in the DHSC and Cabinet Office earlier this month," a government spokesperson said.

In one letter, seen by The Times, a bereaved spouse was told that they "should not have received this payment". It went on: "We do not expect you to repay the full amount in one payment", before suggesting reducing the recipient's regular monthly payments "until the full overpaid amount has been recovered".

However, the letter also provided bank details to which they could send the full amount.

Rachel Halford, of the Hepatitis C Trust, said: "If the aim of compensation was to provide peace and resolution to those who've suffered, the thought that at any moment they might be contacted to repay part of it flies in the face of that. It is unforgivable that people who've been through so much now have to live with the fear that the recompense they received for an injustice inflicted on them by the state may be taken away from them, even if the fault for the error lies with the government."

Many victims of the infected blood scandal have already faced emotional and financial stress, after being left unable to work due to being infected.

A government spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with all the victims and families who suffered from the appalling injustice of the infected blood scandal, and nobody will want to see those families facing any more hardship or unfairness as a result of failings by the state. We will keep in close touch with all affected families to advise them on next steps."

---

13

News

First minister tackled over £45,000 business-class World Cup trip

Carla Jenkins

John Swinney has defended flying business class to the World Cup after it was reported that the cost was more than £45,000 for him and two senior aides.

The first minister flew to Boston on June 11 to attend Scotland's opening match against Haiti, which Steve Clarke's side won 1-0.

Swinney also took part in trade talks

in Kentucky with the aim of strengthening ties between the Scotch and bourbon industries.

He travelled with Colin McAllister, his top political adviser, and John Webster, his private secretary. All three flew business class, in an apparent breach of government policies. Swinney and Webster's flights cost £17,893 and McAllister's cost £9,864.

Business class travel is permitted

under government policy only for flights taking ten hours or more. The flight from Scotland to Boston is about seven hours.

Swinney said the government had sought to "minimise" costs. Speaking to the BBC, he said: "Obviously, when flights have got to be booked, when there's intense pressure on the time involved, then the costs are likely to be higher." The justice secretary, Neil

Gray, said that flying business class allowed ministers to "arrive fresh" from overseas travel.

Maree Todd, the sports minister, flew to Miami where she watched Scotland's 3-0 defeat to Brazil in the third group stage match. She flew standard class at a cost of £1,471.

The overall cost to the public purse of the World Cup trip, which included Swinney's car hire bills of £7,878 in Bos-

ton and £2,217 in Kentucky, was £98,442 — £62,000 in flights, £16,892 in hotel bills and more than £15,000 for car hire for the two trips by ministers.

Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Conservative MSP, said: "Swinney and his ministerial colleague were clearly happy to escape all the challenges facing them back home, but they should have met these significant costs out of their own pocket."

Garden vandals behead Peppa Pig

As with Mary Queen of Scots, the beheading of a Peppa Pig hedge sculpture on a village street looks to be a somewhat shoddy attempt at decapitation (Will Humphries writes).

Laura Hinton, whose family created and maintained it near Newton Purcell in Oxfordshire, said it had become a local landmark and required years of dedicated care before it was vandalised this month.

Hinton said the damage across four separate stumps appeared to have been deliberate and police were now hunting the culprit. The destruction of the cartoon pig sculpture has left its owners and residents "devastated".

The Oxfordshire village's beloved sculpture of the cartoon pig, which took years to grow, before and after the attack. Police are investigating

"It has taken years to grow," said Hinton. "This was distressing not only because of the nature of the vandalism but also the time, effort and

dedication topiary takes. Peppa was loved by the locals and by visitors alike. The head they cut off was not left at the scene. They must have taken it with them. They must have also brought

their own saw. This was a targeted act of vandalism."

Thames Valley police are appealing for anyone with information, or dashcam or CCTV footage, to come

forward. The sculpture was vandalised between August 13 and 15.

Peppa Pig, which tells the story of a piglet and her family, has captured the hearts of millions of pre-schoolers around

the world. Its simply drawn, five-minute animations, featuring storylines about family life and doses of silly humour, are broadcast daily in the UK on Channel 5 and Nick Jr.

Billionaire gives $400m to brain research after daughter's illness

Josie Ensor Chief US Reporter

Bill Ackman, the billionaire investor, is donating $400 million to brain research after his daughter suffered a near-fatal brain haemorrhage.

Ackman, the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, described on X how his daughter Lucy, 26, was found unconscious in her apartment in Brooklyn in February and underwent emergency surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, 19 hours after the haemorrhage.

Ackman, 60, said he was told that surgery was not usually performed to save a patient with a large brain bleed if more than five hours have passed since the haemorrhage. "Even when the surgery is done, I was told that the likely outcome for the patient is a few months in a nursing home and death from pneumonia," he wrote to his nearly three million followers.

"When I met Lucy's doctors, I did my best to inspire them: 'Let's see what can be accomplished if we give her the best care possible and we invest unlimited

resources to restore her to life.' And I promised that whatever we learned we would make available to everyone."

Ackman said Lucy was in a coma for several weeks before waking up "not being able to breathe on her own, unable to walk, see or speak". But, he wrote: "Over the last six months, she has recovered her cognition — she understands everything including her circumstance — is able to walk a hundred or more steps at a time with assistance, is making progress with sounds, vowels and consonants and the beginnings of speech, but she remains unable to see.

"Each day, she makes a little progress ... Every day I tell her that she just needs to make a little progress and it won't be long before she is back."

The experience inspired him, with his wife, Neri Oxman, to open The Ackman Oxman Institute, a study centre dedicated to brain research, rehabilitation and life extension programmes. In addition to the $400 million, the couple have also donated 10,000,000 shares of Pershing Square Inc.

"Our goal is to build the world's great-

Bill Ackman and his wife Neri Oxman are "all-in" on the research mission

est brain research, rehabilitation, recovery, human optimisation, and longevity institute," Ackman wrote. "We have named it The Ackman Oxman Institute or the AOI for lack of a better name, but also to reinforce the point that Neri and I and our family are all-in on the mission."

The institute will focus on neurosurgery, neuroscience, rehabilitation and nutrition along with the development of medical devices. He added: "The advance of AI in the last few years will also

enable us to greatly accelerate our mission. AI still has a lot to learn about human intelligence and the brain, and the AOI should be at the forefront of the interplay between the brain and AI."

The centre will be based in Manhattan. The nonprofit's board members will include a Nobel laureate, the founder of a pharmaceutical company and the neurosurgeon who led his daughter's care.

As of April, Ackman's net worth was estimated at $8 billion by Bloomberg. His investment strategy focuses on buying a small number of companies rather than holding hundreds of stocks.

Pershing Square has invested in Chipotle and the Hilton Hotel, and previously owned 10 per cent of Universal Music Group.

Ackman concluded by saying: "We remain optimistic that Lucy will return to normal function. It will likely take years, but I believe it is only a matter of time, hard work, and technological progress, along with some, and perhaps a lot, of divine intervention."

Maradona trial suspended after medical mix-up

Stephen Gibbs

The second trial over the death of Diego Maradona has been suspended after it was found that key laboratory results presented by the prosecution belonged not to the footballer, but to his father.

Seven members of Maradona's medical team deny providing inadequate care to the 60-year-old as he recovered from brain surgery in Buenos Aires in November 2020. He died of acute heart failure and pulmonary oedema.

The mix-up came to light after a defence lawyer noticed laboratory reports supplied by a private health firm carried the correct name but the wrong clinical history numbers for the patient. Diego Maradona Sr, who died aged 87 in 2015, had received treatment from Swiss Medical.

The prosecution insisted the mix-up had not undermined its case.

The first trial was annulled last year after revelations that one of the judges took part in an undercover documentary about the case. The second trial, held near Buenos Aires, began in April and was in its closing stages.

---

14

News

Never mind the ravens ...

Puppeters, dancers and musicians entertained the crowds in the grounds of the Tower of London yesterday with Imagining Animals, inspired by creatures from around the world, including those that once lived at the tower in the Royal Menagerie. These included lions, tigers, elephants, kangaroos and a polar bear that was allowed to swim in the Thames

BAR-ATHODO/GETTY IMAGES

Unions pledge to resist EHRC guidance on single-sex spaces

Bill Curtis

Trade unions representing millions of workers and students are pushing back against new guidance aimed at protecting single-sex spaces.

Eight unions — with 3.6 million combined paying members — have criticised guidance by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) that came into force earlier this month.

Unison, which has 1.3 million members, has vowed to “fight” every employer to make them “trans inclusive”, despite guidance saying access to single-sex spaces is dependent on biological sex, not gender identity.

Andrea Egan, the Unison general secretary, said it was “unacceptable” that companies have “withdrawn their trans equality policies”.

In a video posted on X, Egan said: “Over 600 members have written to us and provided examples of how the updated EHRC guidance is unworkable. We’ve also heard many employers have

withdrawn their trans equality policies in response to this guidance and that is unacceptable.” She added: “I’ll be working with our network and equality team to ensure that we are taking the fight to every workplace to make them trans inclusive.”

The National Union of Students (NUS), which represents seven million students, has issued a booklet to members telling them to set up “inclusive sports teams”, put up trans rights posters on toilet doors and lobby senior management on campuses.

Avery Greatorex, the union’s vice-president for liberation and equality, accused the EHRC’s legal advice of being driven by bias.

“We are wholeheartedly against this new guidance,” Greatorex said, “and believe that it is not the result of unbiased legal advice, as it should be, but is ideologically motivated by the so-called ‘gender-critical movement’. We thus encourage activists to resist trans-exclusionary policies.”

The guidance by the EHRC sets out how organisations should interpret last April’s landmark Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman which ruled in favour of biological sex, not gender identity. It applies to service providers, such as shops, gyms, and hospitals, but not all workplaces.

Other prominent unions have been critical of it since the draft copy was released in May.

This includes Unite, GMB, the British Medical Association and the University and College Union.

Lisa Lockey, a nurse who took part in a successful claim against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust over a trans colleague using single-sex changing rooms, quit Unison in 2024 after 30 years, a day after its president at the time called the group “transphobic bigots”.

She said: “Unison has repeatedly declared hostility toward female members. When you see statements like this, I feel like I deserve a refund.”

Fiona McAnena, of the sex-based rights group Sex Matters, said: “The mad rush by unions to prioritise the feelings of trans-identifying men over the rights of women to safety and dignity in the workplace is a shocking scandal. Many of them have failed female members in their hour of need, including women who have been hounded from workplaces for saying that biological sex is a fact.”

The NUS said: “Our trans siblings should always be and feel welcome at colleges and universities. Our guidance provides practical means of challenge for individual students who wish to maintain universities and colleges as trans-inclusive spaces.”

Unison said: “As a responsible organisation, Unison is complying with the judgment of the Supreme Court and the recent ruling of the certification officer. The impact on trans, non-binary and gender diverse members is devastating. The union will be campaigning for a change in the law.”

Reform council’s net zero cuts ‘put children at risk’

Adam Vaughan Environment Editor

A Reform UK council has been warned that its cuts to net zero plans could end walking and cycling schemes, putting more children at risk of air pollution, car accidents and obesity.

The party’s councillors announced a £3 million cut to net zero initiatives last month after gaining control of Essex county council in May.

Minutes from an internal meeting on August 12 revealed internal disagreements over potential negative impacts of the cuts. Opposition parties called the cuts “desperately short-sighted”.

The council’s director of public health told Reform leaders that cutting support for safe cycling and walking routes directly threatened children’s safety and wellbeing. In a report made public after a freedom of information

request by The Times, the director said active travel schemes were at risk. Such programmes keep “our children safe but also helps them reach their 60 minutes of activity per day, reduces local traffic congestion and lowers emissions around school gates”, the director said.

Council insiders said it was unusual for a local authority to ignore advice from a senior public health official.

Russell Quirk, the Reform deputy

leader of Essex, claimed the cuts would only affect “ideological elements” of goals related to reaching net zero emissions. “For example, planning for head-teachers that seeks how to support parents to emit less carbon,” he said.

He told The Times: “Our position is that pursuing net zero targets as currently defined may present significant financial and practical challenges and are not, in themselves, worthwhile.”

Amazon nets Lineker’s life story for £2m

Alex Farber Media Correspondent

Gary Lineker is to share “candid insights and reflections” about his career in an Amazon documentary estimated to be costing up to £2 million.

The 65-year-old former England captain and Match of the Day presenter will appear in a four-part Prime Video series, Lineker, due to be released globally next year.

The streaming giant has said the documentary will be the “definitive” guide to Lineker’s life and career, which includes his departure from the BBC last year after he shared a post on social media containing an image considered antisemitic.

He quickly deleted the post and apologised, saying he was not aware of its connotations.

The series will draw on archive footage and unseen personal material from Lineker’s childhood in Leicester and trace the success of a media career that includes the creation of Goalhanger, a podcast business responsible for shows such as The Rest is Football, The Rest is History and The Rest is Politics.

Critics of Lineker — who also caused controversy in 2023 for comparing the government’s policy rhetoric on illegal immigration to that of 1930s Germany — will feature, along with interviews with friends and family.

The series has been announced as Lineker prepares to start broadcasting two episodes a week of The Rest Is Football on Netflix over the course of the Premier League season.

A two-year deal was struck in July after the success of the show during the World Cup, when it consistently appeared in Netflix’s most-watched chart.

---

15

News

Belittling the boss is not a sacking offence

Seren Hughes

It is not a sackable offence for an employee to say behind their boss's back that they could do a better job, an employment tribunal has ruled.

It found that it was "reasonable" to expect that employees would sometimes say "unflattering" things about their managers.

James Dick, an employment judge, made the ruling in the case of Sahir Rahim, a senior manager at Associated British Ports (ABP), who made scathing remarks about his boss while unaware he was in earshot. Rahim's behaviour was later deemed "gross misconduct" and he lost his job because the relationship with his manager and the company, which operates 21 ports in the UK, had "broken down beyond repair".

Rahim, who was in charge of capital projects worth between £20 million and £150 million, resigned in January 2024, citing constructive dismissal, after several months off for stress. The tribunal has now found he was unfairly dismissed as he was not paid sick pay.

The tribunal in Watford heard that Rahim raised an "internal governance issue" in March 2023 and afterwards felt that Hodgkin began to reduce his role. He also complained about unrealistic deadlines and being required to work "in excess of 37 hours a week".

On July 5, 2024, Rahim was warned in a meeting with Hodgkin against "undermining his colleagues in front of others". The tribunal heard that later that day, Hodgkin overheard Rahim complaining loudly about him with a junior colleague outside the company's headquarters in central London.

Rahim complained that Hodgkin was not listening to him and said "what the f*** does [Hodgkin] know about contracts". Rahim was asked why he didn't take Hodgkin's job, a question described as "flippant or jokey" by the tribunal. Rahim told his colleague "he could and that he should not be reporting to Mr Hodgkin", the tribunal heard.

Hodgkin overheard the conversation and was "genuinely upset". He told his own boss, but was said not to think his relationship with Rahim was beyond

repair. Rahim, who was suspended, told investigators that he could not remember the conversation, but it was "the sort of thing that he would say and he accepted it was inappropriate".

Rahim's employers concluded he had committed gross misconduct, but he was given a final written warning as they recognised he was under stress.

He then went on a sick leave from July 2023, and indicated he was going to appeal. However, the company decided not to pay him contractual sick pay beyond October 2023 because of a clause in his contract which said it could be withheld during a disciplinary process.

The tribunal found that in doing this, ABP breached Rahim's contract. It found evidence from a senior manager that she thought withholding sick pay "was the right course of action because of how the claimant had behaved in undermining Mr Hodgkin", which said it was wrongly being used as "a disciplinary measure".

Dick accepted Rahim's conduct contributed to the decision to give him a final written warning, but not the decision to dismiss him. The tribunal agreed Rahim's actions had amounted to gross misconduct. It heard: "Whether in public or not, the claimant was

loudly undermining his manager to a junior colleague ... having been asked not to do that only hours before." It accepted that Hodgkin reporting Rahim for berating him was "reasonable", but added he "might well reasonably have considered that many employees, letting off steam, will say things about their managers, sometimes in unflattering terms, that they would not wish to be overheard".

An ABP spokesperson said it was "considering closely the small number of matters the tribunal upheld" and "ABP is committed to being an employer where everyone feels welcomed".

TMS

diary@thetimes.co.uk | @timesdiary

Binface v the recyclers

A week on from his strong showing in Clacton, Count Binface can now identify a clear target for victory at a general election. The pollster More in Common has done national surveys looking at which leaders could be beaten by the intergalactic candidate in a head-to-head vote and, surprisingly, it is not all bad news for him. Yes, he is more than 20 points behind Andy Burnham and Kemi Badenoch, but he gets within single digits of Nigel Farage and Ed Davey, and there's more. "Zack Polanski is the only one of the big five who would lose in that head-to-head, 39 to 25," the pollster Luke Tryl told Times Radio. This stands to reason. Voters like realistic promises, and only one of those two candidates knows the limits of hypnosis.

MEGHAN'S TAXING QUESTIONS

Why have Harry and Meghan decided to come back to Britain at this precise moment? Theories abound. Of course, it is surely a coincidence that their return after six years sees them narrowly avoid temporary non-resident rules on capital gains tax, something which was spotted by the tax adviser Nimesh Shah. Well, at least a tax bill won't be affecting the Sussexes' security costs. Another question is where they will live. Reportedly it will be a non-royal residence, but this is surely a missed opportunity. Back in California, Meghan's home economics programmes saw her dubbed as the "Martha Stewart of Montecito". Why not become the Ruth Rogers of Royal Lodge? Though we can definitively rule out Sandringham. There's at least one neighbour there for whom Meghan wouldn't deign to make a gift basket.

Sometimes brevity is not the best idea. The Conservatives' Julia Lopez has been keen to keep her constituents well abreast of delays to repairs at Gallows Corner in Romford. She has been taking the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to task about it and has been unimpressed with his response. All very usual opposition behaviour, but abbreviation might not have been the best idea when she entitled her update "Mayor of London silent on Gallows".

TABLE MANNERS OF A TYRANT

The actress Maureen Lipman, below, has just completed a stint in a musical, where sadly she had to have security due to a number of anti-Israel activists harassing her. She didn't let such repression affect her until after the show was done and she went to dinner. "It was a boiling night and the cold tomato soup seemed a good bet," she tells The Spectator. Unfortunately, she had a Freudian slip and told the waiter: "We'll both have the Gestapo."

On the subject of slips of the tongue, the historian Lucy Worsley says she was once talking about Jane Austen's eyesight and spoke about a pair of the author's glasses which are owned by the British Library. "I tried to say that the library had tested the strength of the spectacles," she said. "Unfortunately, what left my lips was that the library had 'inspected the strength of her testicles'." Perhaps this explains why Pride and Prejudice features so many balls.

TIME FOR A QUICKIE

Yesterday's story about pronunciations in Morningside caused reader Ian Hinmarch to tell me about a young woman from the posh part of Edinburgh who had a male admirer. The suitor asked her what she did about sex. She replied: "About sex, we have our tea."

JACK BLACKBURN

PruFunded

a retirement built for me & homes built for the future

My adviser recommended PruFund for my retirement. It spreads my investment across a wide range of global assets to help manage risk and support long-term investments, including businesses like Greencore Homes, which builds homes across the UK.

So I can invest for my future, while helping more families build theirs too. That's why I'm a PruFund !?

Speak to your financial adviser or visit prufund.co.uk

Your capital's at risk and you may not get back what you paid in.

The Prudential Assurance Company Limited (company.org, no. 15454) is authorised and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Part of M&G.

M &G

---

16

News

Mushroom killer ‘should die in prison’

Roger Maynard Sydney

A woman who killed three of her relatives with mushrooms should spend the rest of her life in prison, an Australian court has been told on the final day of her appeal against her conviction.

The prosecution called Erin Patterson’s crimes “truly dreadful” and said her sentence was “manifestly inadequate” because it allowed for parole. The prosecution added their submission was “harsh” but merited because of the scale of the crimes.

The 51-year-old was found guilty last year of murdering her husband’s parents and an elderly aunt in 2023 by serving them a beef Wellington lunch laced with lethal death cap mushrooms.

Patterson, from Leongatha, Victoria, was also convicted of the attempted murder of her husband’s uncle, who survived only after weeks in hospital.

After her conviction in July last year, Patterson was sentenced to life imprisonment. But the trial judge also ruled she would be eligible for parole after 33 years, taking into account that much of incarceration would be spent in isolation due to the notoriety of her case.

Prosecutors insisted, however, that her crimes involved “betrayal” and represented “worst-case offending”.

The motive of the killings remains a mystery.

Patterson watched proceedings via a live video link from her maximum-security prison.

Twenty four hours earlier, her lawyers urged the judges to quash her conviction. She had, they claimed, suffered a “catastrophic” miscarriage of justice, alleging a litany of irregularities and the misuse of evidence during the trial.

The appeal court judges will announce their decision at a later date.

Bright young things Outfits created by Glasgow School of Art fashion students get an outing before the postgraduate show

Briton who was on FBI’s most wanted list runs for Congress

Stuart MacDonald

A British-born businessman who was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list for carrying out a luxury car fraud is campaigning to become a US congressman.

Afzal “Bobby” Khan, originally from Edinburgh, spent more than five years on the run from the US authorities before he was jailed for conning a string of customers and financial companies at a motor dealership he ran in New Jersey.

Khan, 44, handed himself into the authorities in the United Arab Emirates in February 2020 and was flown back to the US.

He admitted a massive fraud involving supercars including Lamborghini, Porches and Rolls-Royces and was sentenced to two years in prison in September 2022.

Khan was released after serving eight months and has reinvented himself as an aspiring politician after

moving to Las Vegas. He is standing as an independent candidate in Nevada’s 1st Congressional District in November’s US midterm elections for the House of Representatives.

Khan, who maintains his innocence, said that his experience with the justice system had inspired him to enter politics. He has embraced his criminal record in campaign materials and his official website features “Wanted for Congress” posters.

His platform includes ending taxes for veterans, no taxes on winnings from gambling and prison reforms.

In a campaign video in which he stands in front of a prison cell, he says: “They came after me and tried to lox’s me up for something that could have been handled in civil court. Now I’m one of 80 million Americans with a criminal record. I lived the American dream and I lost it — that’s why I get it.

“I know what it feels like to fight, I know

Afzal “Bobby” Khan with the former basketball star Shaquille O’Neal. Khan’s campaign references his past

what it feels like to lose everything and I know what it feels like to win. I’m not running from my past, I’m running for Congress because of it. I’m going to fight the system that has been screwing Americans for ages.”

Khan said he accepted a deal to plead guilty to a charge of wire fraud because he thought he would not get a fair trial and could spend many years in prison.

The flamboyant businessman opened the Emporio Motor Group in New Jersey in 2013 and maintained a high profile. He appeared on the American reality television series The Real Housewives of New Jersey and counted members of the cast among his clients.

The US district court of New Jersey heard that he obtained loans from a bank for cars that he never delivered, but for which purchasers were still responsible. He also received loans for cars that were delivered, but for which neither he nor Emporio had title documents. As a result, the purchasers of the cars were liable for the loans, but could not register the vehicles.

Khan also offered to sell cars for customers, then neither returned the cars nor provided money from car sales.

The offences took place between December 2013 and September 2014 and he was ordered to pay his victims £2.8 million in restitution after being convicted.

Khan was born in Edinburgh to Pakistani parents and moved to the US more than 30 years ago. Police and the FBI attempted to arrest him at his New Jersey home in October 2014, but could not locate him. He was placed on its ten most wanted white-collar criminals’ list.

Conman lied about cancer and special forces past

A conman who claimed he was a special forces soldier-turned-multi-millionaire cancer patient has been jailed for three years and two months.

Joseph Gibson, 35, lied that he had served in the Special Boat Service (SBS), owned luxury yachts and cars, and was worth £400 million.

He was eventually arrested and admitted four counts of fraud, relating to three women and one man, who he conned out of £68,000 between July 2020 and October 2021.

The fraudster previously asked a judge at Bristol crown court to delay sentencing in his case — claiming he had £40,000 in savings to repay his victims after working in the engineering industry in the UK, Bulgaria and Dubai.

Yesterday, Gibson admitted he had been unable to raise the sum and could only provide £15,000 until more funds became available.

A judge described the claims made by Joseph Gibson as “total fantasy”

He told Recorder Jaron Crooknorth that he could save £5,000 per month for compensation and asked for his sentence to be deferred for a further nine months to fully repay his victims.

However, the judge refused and instead jailed Gibson. The judge also ordered the start of proceedings to recover money gained through his fraud.

“Joseph Gibson, you are simply a fraudster,” the judge said. “It has taken years for you to admit that. Pity those who have had the misfortune to have you come into their lives, prey on their affections, steal their money, steal their goals and fracture their relationships.”

The judge said Gibson had been of previous good character and admitted his offending, albeit shortly before his trial. He added that the defendant would get “very little” reduction in his sentence for remorse.

“You are sorry for the position you have found yourself in,” the judge said. “You have tried to persuade this court that you have more money than you have. You have not shown evidence of that money to me. You have sought to deceive this court into believing that you had it.”

The court heard how Gibson met two of his victims on Tinder and convinced one of them they were in a relationship. He showed them pictures of large houses and claimed he was thinking of buying them. He told his victims that he had cancer, had served in the SBS and had been blown up by an improvised explosive. The judge described these claims as “total fantasy”.

Gibson, of Ruthin, Denbighshire, appeared to be shaking throughout the court hearing. He will next appear for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act, to recover his assets to repay his victims, in March.

Jenny Williams, the lead investigator at Avon and Somerset Police said: “Joseph Gibson is a confident and manipulative man who developed an extensive web of lies for his own personal gain.

“His deception has left his victims struggling to come to terms with the extent of his dishonesty.

“Those duped by Gibson have been left with significant debt, a loss of trust and the difficult task of rebuilding their lives.”

---

17

News

Fossilised finger points to prehistoric species of giant Asians

Rhys Blakely Science Editor

An extinct species of human was something of a giant by prehistoric standards, new evidence suggests, with some standing well over six feet.

The Denisovans, who lived in Asia for hundreds of thousands of years before they vanished about 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, were evolutionary cousins to modern humans.

Their existence was unknown until

2010 when scientists extracted DNA from a child's finger bone, excavated two years earlier in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. Genetic analysis showed that it belonged to an entirely unknown archaic human lineage

For years, little more was recovered beyond a few teeth and more bone fragments, leaving researchers largely in the dark when it came to what the Denisovans might have looked like.

A new study may help fill in the

picture. It looked at part of a thigh bone and a shin bone, known as Penghu 2 and Penghu 3, and dredged from the seabed near Taiwan. Proteins recovered from these samples show they were Denisovan.

The researchers estimate that Penghu 2 belonged to an individual about 5ft 11in tall and weighing about 8.3kg. Penghu 3 is estimated to have come from someone about 6ft 3in, weighing 98kg. That would mean that Penghu 3 was

about 7.5 inches taller than the global average for a man today, and 6 inches taller than the average British man, who is about 5ft 9in.

The fossils came from the Penghu Channel in the Taiwan Strait. Dating of Penghu 3 has suggested that it is at least about 43,000 to 45,000 years old. As well as being large, the bones were thick and robust, with several features seen in archaic humans. However, the thigh bone had a pronounced ridge known as

a femoral pilaster, seen in later modern human hunter-gatherers.

The findings may explain why some Denisovans appear to have had unusually large brains: part of the reason, the scientists suggest, may have been that they had unusually large bodies.

The study was led by researchers at the University of Tokyo and Taiwan's National Museum of Natural Science. It has been posted online as a preprint and has not yet been peer reviewed.

Python saved by human cancer care

A 15ft python named after the Hollywood star Jodie Foster has made a full recovery after receiving groundbreaking electrochemotherapy for a malignant tumour in its jaw (Mark Ludlow writes). It is believed to be the first time a snake

has received the human cancer treatment. In order to complete the 90-minute operation on the 50kg reticulated python, the veterinary team at Chester Zoo had to push two operating tables together. Keepers had become concerned about Jodie when the 23-year-old non-venomous snake

began eating less and spending more time inactive. Tests confirmed Jodie, who has been at the zoo for 20 years, had a fibrosarcoma. It was

removed, but returned. "When the tumour came back and started destroying part of her jawbone, we knew more surgery on its own

probably wasn't going to be enough," said Ian Ashpole, veterinary officer at Chester Zoo. Working alongside cancer specialists from

the University of Liverpool, Ashpole took out the mass and performed a hemi-mandibulectomy, removing parts of Jodie's

Jodie, who weighs 50kg, snakes around the two operating tables needed for her life-saving electrochemotherapy

diseased jawbone, before electrochemotherapy was administered to target any remaining cancerous cells. The treatment combines the cancer drug bleomycin with a series of electrical pulses delivered directly to the tumour site. The pulses temporarily make the cancer cells more permeable, allowing the drug to enter more effectively. Jose Alvarez Picornell, of the University of Liverpool, said the procedure was a "special career highlight"

"Electrochemotherapy was an emerging treatment and this was the first time it has been used in a snake."

Jodie was named after she arrived at Chester Zoo and keepers saw her paperwork was marked "JF" for juvenile female.

A final check this week confirmed Jodie remained free of cancer. "Seeing her back to her normal bright and feisty self has been incredibly rewarding," Ashpole said.

English, lit! Great Expectations goes Gen Z

Lucy Bannerman

Brut, this bildungsroman is lit, said no one — until now. Great Expectations has been reimagined to reflect the way teenagers speak today.

A new artificially generated version has "upped the vibes" on Dickens' classic coming-of-age tale about an orphan's scramble up the social ladder. Depending on your view, the results are either "lit" (positive), "mid" (mediocre) or seriously "cringe".

The original novel is about 180,000-190,000 words long, depending on edition. It has been fed into an AI model and "translated" into a condensed version, retold in today's teenage slang.

Great Expectations has become "Bare Expectations". The plot and characters remain the same, albeit with a very different sound. "So I call myself Pip," says one of the most celebrated narrators in English literature. "I can't lie. It's not a name with much rizz. But here we are."

In this version, the Kent graveyard where his parents are buried gives "proper bleak vibes, all mist and sadness" — "it was just me, doomscrolling through my own trauma". Abel Magwitch, the escaped convict who back's

Pip's rise rather than the cold Miss Havisham, below, "absolutely clapped (ugly, ruined). Proper grimy. No aura."

Estella is still cold. But instead of insulting Pip by remarking on "what coarse hands he has! And what thick boots!", her disdain is reimagined as "she thought I was an absolute L, and my drip gave her the major ick".

The abridged version was generated using Claude Opus 4, an AI model developed by Anthropic. It is available as a 35-minute audiobook on Spotify and Apple Music. It was created by Tesco Mobile, for the launch of a mobile phone package for children aged 10-13 with extra parental controls.

Tesco Mobile said it was intended as an aide for parents struggling to understand

how their children communicate online, after its research showed that 70 per cent of parents of children aged

Miss Havisham as played on stage by Paula Wilcox

Slang and original

She was, without question, the most long person I'd ever peeped. An absolute baddie. The kind of fit that makes you forget your own name. But she looked at me like I was something unpleasant she'd stepped in.

Though she called me "boy" so often, and with a carelessness that was far from

complimentary, she was of about my own age. She seemed much older than I, of course, being a girl, and beautiful and self-possessed; and she was as scornful of me as if

she had been one-and-twenty, and a queen.

No cap, I thought I was about to get slimed right there in the churchyard. I started mewing like mad. Not to define my jawline, mind you. But because I'd gone non-verbal.

When the church came to itself — for he was so sudden and strong that he made it go head over heels before me, and I saw the steeple under my feet — when the church came to itself, I say, I was seated on a high tombstone, trembling, while he ate the bread ravenously.

"Stop being such a

beg," I'd reply. I've got bare expectations, haven't I? The Ps will sort itself out. The Ps did not get sorted. But I was too busy trying to shoot my shot with Estella to notice.

Yet Estella was so inseparable from all my restlessness and disquiet of mind, that I really fell into confusion as to the limits of my own part in its production. That is to say, supposing I had had no expectations, and yet had had Estella to think of, I could not make out to my satisfaction that I should have done much better.

10-16 said they had been stumped by a slang term. It will also help parents recognise bullying and harmful content.

Those who reach the end will find that Pip still learns his lesson, even though he expresses it rather differently. "We fam?" I [Pip] asked. "We fam," [Estella] she replied. I'd spent my whole youth chasing aura, trying to look-smaxx my way to being a top G, desperate for rizz, status and approval. I'd been so focused on trying to be a gentleman, I'd forgotten how to be a good person. But here at the end of it all, I'd finally understood money isn't about aura or status or how leng (attractive) someone thinks you are. It's about kindness, loyalty, showing up for people, being sigma (cool/self reliant)."

Tesco Mobile is offering parents a "safe start" package, which includes scam and spam protection as well as L2-months access to Sway2y, an app that helps flag harmful content. However, Daisy Greenwell, the co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood campaign, said: "The safest approach ... is not to give them a smartphone at all, or to stick to a simple brick phone." We must learn to call Dickens 'Chazzy Dee', leading article, page 25

---

Harvey Norman®

HOME APPLIANCES | TVs | COMPUTERS | MOBILE PHONES | FURNITURE | BEDS AND MATTRESSES

Easy to use. Easy to buy.

Shop the latest Apple products online and in store at Harvey Norman. Discover our full range of Apple products including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, AirPods and more. Get expert device support with flexible payment options.

Apple MacBook Air 15.3"

M5 Laptop | 512GB. M5X4M8A

£1499

Apple iPad 11 Tablet | 256GB.

M5X4M4C8A

£529

Apple Watch SE 3 | 40mm.

M5X4C4WPA

£219

Apple iPhone 17 SIM-Free

Smartphone | 512GB. M5X4P4D8A

£999

Apple iPhone 17 SIM-Free

Smartphone | 256GB. M5X4P4D8A

£799

Apple AirPods 4.

M5P4L5D8A

£119

OFF TO UNI

ALL THE TECH YOU NEED

FOR THE NEW TERM

Offers end 31/08/2026. *Terms and conditions apply. Finance is subject to credit assessment and not guaranteed. Harvey Norman Trading (UK) Limited (registered office: 62a The Parade, Sutton Coldfield, B721PA) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 1013915 for credit broking and is a credit broker and not a lender. Lending criteria, terms and conditions apply. Credit facilities are subject to repayment capacity and financial status

552742_P01_GBR

---

UP TO 24 MONTHS INTEREST FREE ON TECHNOLOGY, HOME APPLIANCES & TVs WHEN YOU SPEND £1,000 OR MORE

0% APR

Borrowing more than you can afford or paying late may adversely affect your financial status and ability to obtain credit. Penalties for late or missed payments apply.

MacBook Neo

MacBook Neo

'699

APPLE MACBOOK NEO 13" A18 PRO LAPTOP | 256GB. MNF548A

'799

APPLE MACBOOK NEO 13" A18 PRO LAPTOP | 512GB. MNF548A

Harvey Norman®

MERRY HILL SHOPPING CENTRE

Brierley Hill, W. Midlands, DY5 1QX | 0121 630 1590

FREE STOREFRONT PARKING

GRACECHURCH SHOPPING CENTRE

Unit 14 - 20 The Parade Sutton Coldfield, W. Midlands, B72 1PD | 0121 823 0590

NEW STORE IN SUTTON COLDFIELD

and are not available to those under 18 or over 80 years at time of application. Finance provided by Creation Consumer Finance Limited which is authorised and regulated by the FCA as a lender under FCA firm reference number 311518. Penalties for late or missed payments apply. For full terms and conditions visit harveynorman.co.uk/finance.

552742_P02_GBR

---

20

News

Busy beavers bring green lifeline to parched estate

Ben Cooke Environment Correspondent

For the cattle farmers on the National Trust's Holnicote estate in Somerset, this summer has been as nerve-racking as it has been dry.

"The landscape's parched, they're really struggling," said Ben Eardley, the estate's project manager. "They're having to use feed they would have been using in winter."

Although much of the 12,500-acre estate is yellow and dusty, a swathe of it is luscious and green — thanks to industrious new arrivals.

Since being released into the wild in February, 20 beavers have been busy damming the River Aller, turning its banks into lush wetlands, meadows and ponds. This oasis has provided a lifeline for the tenant farmer, Holly Purdy, who has been grazing her shorthorn cattle there. She said the area had "flourished", providing the cattle with "significant cooling and shade".

This 75-acre "beaver meadow" has also provided habitat for voles, cranes, white-tailed eagles, kestrels and even white storks, which were reintroduced to Somerset in 2024 after 600 years.

Eardley said: "Holding all that water in the landscape, recharging the groundwater, really does make a massive difference in these dry periods. It creates refuges for the animals; they've got lots of food, which is often

Dams provide an oasis at the National Trust's Holnicote estate in Somerset

what's missing in the landscape during drought. Birds are a very visible indicator of an abundance of biodiversity."

Wetlands created by beavers are crucial hydrological buffers, steadily releasing water into soil and downstream channels during dry periods. A study of a Canadian river catchment found that where beavers were active, there was 60 per cent more open water present during drought than before their return. Early research on British beavers indicates similar benefits.

Once common throughout the UK, beavers have escaped from captivity into rivers in Devon in recent years, and were first released into the wild by Natural England in February last year.

The nature watchdog plans to release

hundreds more in coming years, but this summer's arid weather has prompted calls to speed up their reintroduction, to make the most of their ability to store water during drought.

Their dams are also a defence against flooding; since Eardley called on them to help reshape the river, its peak flow during storms has reduced by 40 per cent.

Craig Bennett, the chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, has called on the government to release them into every catchment in England within this parliament.

Eardley is also glad that they have created a natural barrier against wildfire, which could break out at any moment in the "tinderbox" conditions. "With so many visitors to the estate you do worry that someone will drop a cigarette in the wrong place," he said.

After this summer's fires, such as the blaze at the National Trust's site at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, the Countryside Alliance and others have suggested that rewilding efforts have provided extra fuel for fires.

Yet Eardley said the way to fight wildfires was to create "sponge landscapes" that "hold a huge quantity of water".

He said: "Rewilding is a bit of a nonsense term. What we're trying to do at Holnicote is just bring back elements of wildness, not just to benefit wildlife but to benefit local communities too."

Fun guy A wood mouse caught on camera on top of a toadstool in Dumfriesshire

HALF PRICE DEAL + FREE BOTTLE ... BUT HURRY!

Black Reds are the smoothest, darkest reds in our cellars. Proudly presenting the pick of the bunch – including The Club's bestsellers from Australia and southern France, a super juicy Californian Zinfandel and Gold-medal winners from Portugal, Spain and Italy.

This is a bumper 14-bottle case of huge favourites. Plus there's a FREE bottle of a richly concentrated, old-vine classic (worth £15.99) and FREE delivery.

Yours for JUST £7.64 a bottle with code 150FF. Deal ends 27th August.

THE SUNDAY TIMES Wine Club

Order now at sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk/august

T&Cs: Full terms: sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk/terms. 18+ only. Black Reds Bumper Deal (code A10585) is 14 x 750ml bottles shown and 1 x 750ml bottle of Caballé Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 2025 (worth £15.99). 150FF voucher code is valid for one use per household and cannot be used with any other offers. New customers only. 15% off when ordering the Black Reds Bumper Deal shown. Free standard delivery in the UK (excluding CI and BFPO). See other delivery options at sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk/delivery. Offer valid to 23:59 on 27 August 2026. Savings based on individual bottle prices. Wines contain sulphites. For queries, email customerservices@sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk or call 03330 142 771. The Sunday Times Wine Club is operated by Direct Wines Ltd. Registered in England and Wales (No 1095091). 1600 Arlington Business Park, Theale, Berkshire RG7 4SA. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

---

21

Can Democrats pretend woke never happened?

Justin Webb

Page 23

Comment

Burnham is banking on optimism over rage

PM believes public is buying his message of hope, but his fears of US-style division could be realised without action soon

Patrick Maguire

@PATRICKKMAGUIRE

He'd had only one pint of mid-strength continental lager, but Andy Burnham had started to see things — terrifying visions of the future. It was the last Saturday in May, he'd been a parliamentary candidate for little more than a fortnight and we were sitting behind the old Labour club at Stubshaw Cross, on the Bolton Road out of Ashton. Some tiny scrap of decorum prevented him, at that strange liminal juncture, from actually saying he wanted to be prime minister. But by then he knew he would be, and he worried aloud and at length about the mood in the country.

It felt more polarised than ever, he said — nearly as bad as America. "Finding common ground, live and let live. You know, that's the Britain of my youth, and that's the Britain I grew up in." That country seemed to be slipping away. Burnham's great literary hero, Philip Larkin, had once known the same ominous stirrings of loss. "For the first time I feel somehow," he wrote in Going, Going, "That it isn't going to last." The prime minister to be was less splenetic — not yet as embittered and misanthropic — but the fear was the same.

"We're going to end up with the Americanisation of our politics," Burnham told me. "Which will mean, in a place like Wigan, you'll have homes in streets ... that's a Reform house, that's a Labour house. There'll

just be a sense that people at work can't speak to each other."

Now, if he saw "a Tory in the pub", they could "at least have a laugh about the football". That, to him, was the "quintessential essence" of the country. "We've never been like that," he said of America, with its political violence and entrenched opposites and immovable bloc votes. But that sense of fellow feeling was going, going, and if we weren't careful, Burnham worried it would be gone for ever.

"I really worry I can see it going. I honestly feel this so much. I can feel it a bit in this by-election. We've got to see that and not just carry on down that road. How do you get out of that?" Then, at least, he did not quite have the answer. "If Westminster doesn't change, I'm not sure where we go in the future."

Well, we live in the future now. Burnham has been prime minister for a month, and has spent much of

Burnham is always at his most fluent as a cultural critic of politics

it touring that changing country. I was with him again on Tuesday, in Wolverhampton — ground zero for that very British politics of irreconcilable, absolutist division preached by Enoch Powell, still the best known of its MPs, in 1968.

On the train back to London, I remembered what Burnham had said that day in Ashton. He had seen that country up close now: in forgotten towns such as Ilkeston and Stourbridge, on remote farms in Cornwall.

Was it fulfilling his dark prophecy? Much of it was quite literally on fire, after all. Were the people angry?

They were certainly poorer. The headlines that had punctuated the time that had passed between those two conversations seemed to tell their own miserable story: Ann Widdecombe, 78, beaten to death with a hammer. Another pensioner raped outside a church in Harrow. Asylum riots in Thetford. Home Office leaflets reminding people that non-consensual sex is a crime. A national screaming match about Professor Jason Arday, allegations of treachery thrown across the political divide. So it went on, and on. Surely this Britain was a darker place than even he had expected?

He did not think so. "I haven't, if I'm being honest," he said when I asked him if he'd found that unhappy, unrecognisable country he had warned me about. "I'm not just saying this because it's a self-serving thing to say. I haven't because people have responded to the mood I'm trying to create. And people have been waiting, I think, for something to latch on to a bit."

He was permitting himself a measure of very cautious optimism. "That hope message that I've tried to get going has been replayed back to me a lot ... don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there's wild support for everything I'm doing. What they're saying is: we need that positivity. Can you keep it going? Can you keep doing what you're doing?"

Burnham is always at his most fluent as a cultural critic of politics. Policy wonkery it is not — and soon, come October's budget and the ten-year plan for the country he says will follow in the subsequent weeks, we will see whether his government can really offer the material, fully coded kind of "positivity" he has mostly offered in word rather than deed. But for now those big

PM's hopeful rhetoric has echoes of Bill Clinton's 1992 acceptance speech

omissions are quite deliberate. "I've deliberately gone out this first month just doing things, saying we'll do it, and doing it. No reviews, no commissions, no consultations." Nor, he added, would he start "endlessly going on" about Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage.

If there is to be a new dividing line in British politics, Burnham would like it to be this. Hope versus despair, hope versus anger, hope versus learned helplessness and all the other stodgy, unappetising staples served up by the prime ministers who preceded him. It's more redolent of Bill Clinton's Deep South than Burnham's post-industrial north. That president still believed, he said in 1992, in "a place called Hope". He was talking literally about his hometown in Arkansas, but also of redeeming politics itself.

"I don't have all the answers," Clinton, the triumphant Democratic nominee, admitted in that same speech. "But I do know that the old ways don't work. Trickledown economics has sure failed. And big bureaucracies, both private and public, they've failed too."

We've heard Burnham say much the same and even his opponents would agree with what Lord Blunkett, the prime minister's great

If there's to be a new dividing line, it is hope v despair, hope v anger

friend and mentor, told me of his effortless facility with the people he meets in the street. In fact, Blunkett said it reminded him of Clinton.

For now the polls suggest there might be something in it — that much of this country is at least intrigued by the possibility of visiting that place called Hope. It's what Baroness (Sue) Gray of Tottenham, the first casualty of Sir Keir Starmer's doomed strategy of sacking his way out of self-inflicted crisis, was talking about when she contrasted the two Labour leaders in her first extended interview this week.

But look forward to what's coming next when parliament returns: the boats, the budget, the prisoners who will still get their early releases despite the prime minister's interventions; a version of Reform UK that is more aggressive, more ruthlessly populist, more pugilistic than ever.

Hope is one thing. Its fulfilment, when faced with all this, is quite another. And that, soon, is what Burnham will need to provide if he does not want to see that other America come to Britain.

We're

The Business

From start ups to tech titans, market movers to City CEOs, our weekly podcast dissects the biggest stories in business with the entrepreneurs living through them.

Find The Business wherever you get your podcasts

THE TIMES THE SUNDAY TIMES

SPORTSHEET BY

pwc

---

22

Comment

Running like the wind to net zero will backfire

Pricey power is killing UK industry and discouraging people from buying cleaner cars or boilers

Emma Duncan

Now that Ed Miliband has been safely pensioned off to the Foreign Office, there's talk that the government is going

to row back on its net zero commitments. After a summer that has finally persuaded all but the most stubborn that climate change is real, that seems perverse. It isn't, though, because our energy policy needs a fundamental rethink.

We've got things the wrong way round. In the rush to stop using fossil fuels to generate electricity, we've pushed up the price of power. That is slowing the electrification of the economy, which is the only route to using less fossil fuel in the economy as a whole.

If our aim was solely to phase out fossil fuels from power generation, we've done a remarkable job. Starting from scratch 20 years ago, we generated more than half of our electricity from renewable sources last year. That's mostly wind, since we don't have a lot of hydro and the sun doesn't shine much in the winter.

The figures for the "revelised" cost of power that the government produces suggest that wind is very cheap, but they represent the raw cost of the electricity the turbine produces. Getting power to customers adds another layer of cost. Thanks to the Nimby's who persuaded the Tory government to stop permitting

onshore turbines, wind power is mostly generated offshore, far from population centres. That has required an expensive grid upgrade.

Wind power is also intermittent, so we have to retain "firm" (or reliable) power capacity for when the wind drops: electricity generated by gas or nuclear, or imported through our interconnections to other countries. Gas and nuclear power plants are relatively cheap if you run them all the time but expensive when, as now, they're not much used. And when the grid can't cope with all the power that turbines are producing, companies have to be paid to switch their turbines off. They don't, however, have to cite these extra costs to the

Most emissions are produced by vehicles and heating systems

system when bidding to supply power, so the auction system encourages the building of more wind capacity.

The result, as Dieter Helm, Oxford economics professor and author of a forthcoming book, Climate Ruslim, points out, is that our electricity system has become hugely inefficient. Twenty years ago, peak demand was 45GW, and we had 65GW of capacity. Peak demand has fallen since then, partly because of deindustrialisation and partly because buildings have got a bit more efficient, but we now have about 120GW of capacity. So while the switch to renewables isn't wholly responsible for the high cost of our electricity — an ancient

grid is another culprit — it's a big contributor.

The high cost of electricity has two perverse effects. One is to drive established industries, such as chemicals and steel, to countries that are less focused on cutting emissions. That does nothing for the climate, while damaging the UK economy. It is also putting off new industries from setting up in the UK. OpenAI recently shelved StargateUK, a huge data centre project in the northeast, citing the cost of power in Britain.

The other is that it's discouraging decarbonisation of the wider economy. Most of our carbon emissions are produced by vehicles and heating systems. The best way of cutting emissions would be to get people to drive electric cars and to replace their gas boilers with heat pumps. But expensive electricity discourages people from doing so. A report from the think tank Onward on the insanity of current policy shows that where electricity is relatively expensive, as in the UK and Belgium, nobody has heat pumps. Where it's cheap, as in Sweden and Switzerland, most people do.

Labour is not responsible for this. It's a bipartisan policy which Miliband accelerated. He oversaw two new rounds of renewable power contract allocations, which will increase the country's wind power generating capacity by more than half. A third is now taking place. That makes sense if you believe, as Miliband does, that new storage technologies will solve the intermittency problem and turn Britain into a net exporter of wind power. Ofgem has identified 16 different long-term storage projects,

including compressed air storage and large lithium-ion batteries, that it wants to support.

This plan, however, is speculative, long-term and means an extra layer of costs. In the interests of economic growth, hard-pressed householders and electrifying the country, we need to bring down the price of electricity soon. The Burnham government has announced plans to cut VAT on bills and subsidise them. That may help keep down the cost of living, but more fundamental changes are needed.

Realistically, the current 2030 deadline to decarbonise the electricity system is bonkers. It is little more than three years away. Replacing a third of our generating capacity by then will be hugely expensive, because the faster you try to do something, the costlier it is.

Then the system needs to recognise the real cost of wind. As Helm suggested in a review he carried out for the government in 2012 any future auctions should be conducted on the basis of the full cost of power, including the system costs. That would tip the balance back in favour of "firm" power and encourage wind power companies to invest in storage.

If the long-term storage idea comes good, that may sort us out. If not, we need to develop a programme to revive nuclear power, for it is the only other realistic carbon-free option for firm power.

No doubt the government will be accused of torching our children's futures if it pushes back the 2030 deadline. Actually, it would help keep down the price of electricity, which is the best thing it could do for the planet.

James Marriott Notebook

Scars on the Irish hills are most moving relics of all

I'm in Mayo on the west coast of Ireland visiting my girlfriend's family. There are many beautiful things about the wild and green Irish landscape. Most striking to an English visitor is the emptiness. Walking through the Lakes or the Dales you get used to encountering noisy, tramping platoons of waterproofed, GPS-guided hikers brandishing walking poles or (a horrific recent development) playing music out loud on speakers. Then there are the traffic jams, ice-cream trucks, coffee vans and tea shops. We don't encounter any of this. Western Ireland feels truly remote, as nowhere in England does.

As a local farmer points out, guiding us through the ruins of a small settlement on his land, much of this desolation is historically speaking quite recent. Ireland's population has still not recovered to its pre-famine numbers. We gaze across a valley that was home to hundreds in the 1840s.

It is now almost empty save a few shattered ruins of tiny hovels. Most pathetic are the still-visible ridges marking old potato fields scraped into the exposed and boulder-strewn sides of hills and cliffs.

It's traditional to go on holiday and be moved to solemn thoughts by the remains of palaces, temples and aqueducts in Rome. But these sad little fields are among the most tragic ruins (if the word is not too grand) I have seen. And certainly a better clue to the way most people in history have lived than any palace.

Wounding words

The thought that I could have been born a 19th-century Irish potato farmer puts my anxieties about my forthcoming book into some useful perspective. As I fret and whimper my way towards publication, friends keep telling me not to worry so much and that I'll have forgotten the whole ordeal in a year. Alas, I believe they are wrong. Recently, rereading The Unexpected Professor, the memoir of the eminent literary critic and former Sunday Times chief book reviewer John

Carey, I noticed that he devotes a surprising amount of space to complaining about negative reviews of his books. He was almost 80. Time heals many things. Not book reviews.

Up on Tynan

Last week I was dispatched to Newcastle to have my picture taken for The Times Magazine in the city's magnificent Lit & Phil Library. I was instructed to stand awkwardly on ladders winding various books as props. One of them, serendipitously, was the critic

Kenneth Tynan's first collection of theatre reviews, Curtains. I love reading old essays and cultural journalism but nothing has dazzled me like Tynan's writing — confident, witty, polished, programmatic. I could hardly look away from the page.

Here are some favourite hits. Of Katharine Hepburn's acting: "She glittered like a bracelet thrown up at the sun; she was metallic, yet reminded us that metals shine and can also melt". On the difference between Irish and English drama: "the English hoard words like misers, the Irish spend them

like sailors". In a play by Brendan Behan, "language is out on a spree, ribald, dauntless, and spelling for a fight". For sheer confidence I love, "William Congreve is the only sophisticated playwright England has ever produced".

I immediately ordered my own copy on AbeBooks and kept reading. I found myself engrossed but also rather depressed. Periodically you check the date of a particularly breathtaking piece and realise Tynan was just 24 when he wrote it. But the effort it must have taken to do it week after week! No wonder he burnt out and died young.

Hackney regenerated

It's often said that clichés lose their life through too frequent repetition. Do they therefore revivify as they fall into disuse? I think they might. Often, rereading old journalism, I'm struck by the unexpected freshness of once-hackneyed phrases. Recently I was taken with the vividness of "roaring boy", to describe a riotous or swaggering young man. Overused in the mid 20th century it has since lain dormant and regathered its strength, allowing us to see the qualities that made people want to use it so much in the first place. How many similar archaeological treasures lie buried deep in the strata of our language?

Martin Samuel is away

We need bouncers on trains to stop headphone dodgers

James Ford

I Wetheropoos can ban "bare beating", why can't my train operator? Bare beating is the scourge of our times — the ghastly practice of playing music (or videos or phone calls or social media clips) out loud on a phone in shared public spaces has reached epidemic proportions.

I have lost count of the number of times that my commute has been ruined by some "headphone dodger" noisily devouring a surfeit of TikToks. And I am not alone. A recent survey found that eight out of ten passengers hate this abominable practice.

There is some good news, however. Wetheropoos, that last, great bastion of civilisation and manners, has vowed to eliminate bare beating from all of its 792 pabs. So if they can stamp out this noise pollution, why can't the same happen on trains?

Of course, pubs have one advantage over transport providers: they employ bouncers. The idea of enforcement is baked in to their business model. Transport operators, on the other hand, have largely given up on enforcing rules across their networks. Regulations and financial penalties already exist to tackle bare beating, but they are rarely applied and seldom enforced.

This lack of enforcement seems most egregious on the London Underground. Not only do headphone dodgers go unmolested but carriages are festooned with graffiti, fare evaders go unchallenged, and those consuming alcohol openly (in spite of an existing ban) go unadmonished.

And the absence of meaningful consequences does not just apply to anti-social behaviour. Out-and-out criminality has also been left to fester. Sexual assaults on the Tube network are at a five-year high and last year the number of assaults on staff doubled compared to just one year prior. Anarchy reigns on the Tube, it seems.

We cannot expect the travelling public or even regular rank-and-file staff to confront miscreant headphone dodgers any more than we can expect them to wrestle the honde of gropers, graffiti artists and fare evaders to the ground. To do so would risk confrontation, intimidation and even violence. That is too much to ask.

What we urgently need are the equivalent of transport bouncers to patrol the network and actually enforce the rules that exist to protect us. I don't care if they are British Transport Police, PCNOs or just trained security staff. But a visible deterrent is required to combat bad manners and criminality alike.

James Ford was an adviser to the mayor of London Boris Johnson, specialising in transport, technology and environment policy

---

23

Comment

Buy prints or signed copies of Times cartoons from our Print Gallery at timescartoons.com or call 0800 912 7136

Can Democrats pretend woke never happened?

AOC's rejection of the party's recent past suggests a refocus on economic issues but the culture warriors won't go quietly

@JUSTINONWEB

A newspaper report from June 2020: "US books world rocked by racism rows ... The US literary establishment is in turmoil after a wave of resignations from the Poetry Foundation and the National Book Critics Circle over their responses to Black Lives Matter protests".

The response that caused most of the outrage was this: a statement in which the Poetry Society said it was happy to "stand in solidarity with the black community, and denounce injustice and systemic racism", adding, "as an organisation we recognise that there is much work to be done".

Cue utter horror. And an open letter from (some of) the nation's poets which said, "Given the stakes, which equate to no less than genocide against black people, the watery vagaries of this statement are, ultimately, a violence. We demand that the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine do more and do better."

Eventually the top brass at the Poetry Society fell on their swords. In his book Summer of Our Discontent, the cultural critic Thomas Chatterton Williams tells us that their resignation letter "reads like a written confession in Stalinist Russia".

In institution after institution, in private companies, in universities, in neighbourhood chat groups, the revolution came. People lost friends and livelihoods. A recent BBC Storyville documentary featured one of them, a woman called Carole Hooven, who mentioned on a TV programme in 2021 that there were two biological sexes and promptly lost her job. That job was at Harvard, teaching evolutionary biology.

How long ago was all of this? You might say, just a few short years. But here is a little trick you can play. Turn the telescope round and look down it the wrong way. See? Now it seems rather distant. You can exclaim, with a light laugh that suggests there are better things to talk about: "Woke 1.0 was crazy."

This was the phrase the formerly very woke and still very glamorous 36-year-old Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used in a TV interview this month, which has captured the attention of the whole of political America. The past, we were being told, is a foreign country. They do things differently there.

Can it work? The intervention of AOC, as she is known, appears to be well timed. The Democrats are having a very happy summer. But they know that a triumph at the midterm elections in November, highly likely as that is, cannot be the main goal. They need to find a way of winning the presidency again and doing it convincingly. They need a candidate for 2028 who can excite and unite.

Many in the party want to go to the left, even to socialism, to something muscular and vivid. But

Some on the left are fully on board, Zohran Mamdani among them

as Kamala Harris discovered (remember the Republican adverts ending "Kamala Harris is for they/them. President Trump is for you"), the progressive politics of the past can be a millstone.

So: find a way of keeping the economic populism, focusing on cost of living issues as Zohran Mamdani did in his brilliantly successful campaign to become mayor of New York, but ditch the woke. That seems to be the AOC line.

Is it feasible? Some on the progressive left are fully on board, Mamdani himself among them.

"Sometimes what you believe in can change," he said when he was asked about the AOC interview.

He is completely clear that defunding the police — which both he and AOC once vociferously supported — is no longer something he wants to do. He has been allowed the space to change his mind.

By the time 2028 comes and a presidential election is fought on the future not the past, this may well work with the wider American public. But it's going to be bruising to get there.

In 2025 a group of middle-of-the-road Democrats issued a manifesto they called "Deciding to win". It contains an analysis of election literature and online messages from the party.

When the authors tracked key word usage from 2012 to 2024 they found the frequency of the word hate increasing by 1,323 per cent; white/black/Latino/Latina by 1,044 per cent; LGTBQI+ by 144 per cent. The use of equity was also up by a more modest 766 per cent. Over the same period father/fathers fell by 100 per cent; crime/criminal by 30 per cent; responsibility by 83 per cent; middle class by 79 per cent; and veteran by 31 per cent.

The authors were clear about what was happening: "Since 2012 highly educated staffers, donors, advocacy groups, pundits and elected officials

have reshaped the Democrats' agenda, decreasing our party's focus on economic issues that are the top concerns of the American people".

This supertanker will take some turning. Plenty of party members will not want it turned. At least one woman likely to be elected to Congress in November, Dariaiza Avila Chevalier, from New York, is still a believer in closing all prisons, apparently even for murderers. It will take more than one breezy TV interview to manage this project. But AOC is up for it: asked if she herself will be a presidential candidate she said she had not ruled out the possibility. She could be a powerful voice in 2028. Young, articulate and now free of baggage.

In the cult TV series Mad Men there's a scene in which the advertising boss Don Draper visits his assistant Peggy in hospital after she has had a breakdown. She is at sea, thinking her career ruined. He leans close to her bed and whispers, "Get out of here and move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened."

In the past few days the Democrats might just have found their Don Draper.

Justin Webb presents the American podcast on BBC Sounds

Gerard Baker is away

---

24

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor should be sent to letters@thetimes.co.uk or by post to London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

Gaza peace process

Sir, Roger Boyes is right that a peace process requires patience, but it also needs clarity about the core trade-offs required for success: an end to violence and a recognition that all sides have an equal right to determine their future ("It is hard to see why Hamas would disarm", Aug 19). It took nine years to progress from the signing of the Good Friday agreement to Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness sitting around the same table in government. That was only possible because collectively we insisted on two things: IRA decommissioning and a recognition by Unionists of the need to share power. Both sides had to give, and in parallel.

Achieving that sequencing was difficult enough here, but will be even more so in Gaza given the level of death and destruction not just there but in the West Bank and southern Lebanon and the heightened atmosphere in Israel as it nears its next general election. True peace will only be possible if Israelis and Palestinians feel not just secure but equal. Anything else will simply be another staging post in the conflict. Tom Kelly

Director of communications, Northern Ireland Office 1998-2001; prime minister's official spokesman 2001-07; Coleraine, Co Londonderry

Top of the class

Sir, It may surprise Janice Ketley (letter, Aug 18) that in substance I agree with her. I took the 11-plus and went to a coeducational grammar school where girls invariably topped the classes, except in maths and the physical sciences. What makes a single restrained remark (Aug 17) in a long research report newsworthy is to say that these differences are likely to be inherent, as strangely it is liable to offend and court cancellation.

Professor Alan Smithers Centre for Education and Employment Research, University of Buckingham

Flying Daleks

Sir, Dr Andrew Cairns (letter, Aug 19) says "without stairs we would now be ruled by the Daleks". He must have missed the 1988 Doctor Who serial Remembrance of the Daleks, in which the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) was pursued by a Dalek that could levitate. Tommy Coyne Brighton

Corrections and clarifications

● Matthew Izett, who was struck off for secretly filming his female colleagues at the Royal Marsden hospital in London, was a radiographer, not a radiologist as we wrongly said (News, Aug 18).

Regulated

We are committed to abiding by the

Independent Press Standards Organisation rules and regulations and the Editors' Code of Practice that IPSO enforces. Requests for corrections should be sent to feedback@thetimes.co.uk

Need for infrastructure to solve water crisis

Sir, Juliet Samuel ("Our water crisis calls for radical solutions", comment, Aug 20) lays bare the scale of investment required to bring our water infrastructure up to modern standards, and the need for clear thinking about how to do so. Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg. As one of the first countries to build national networks for rail, roads, water and power, Britain now faces the need to modernise, renew and expand them. The sums required are vast, and only long-term thinking can meet the challenge. A higher percentage of GDP should be allocated to infrastructure investment, and the welfare state must be rethought to make this possible. Major projects take at least a decade to plan and build, and cannot all be undertaken at once. Sustained investment, rather than intermittent bursts of spending, is therefore essential. Wherever possible, the private sector should be mobilised to bring about this national renewal programme, bringing capital, expertise and generally greater efficiency than the public sector alone can provide.

Simon Lawrence London SW12

Sir, I agree with Juliet Samuel that "the water crisis calls for radical solutions", and that bickering over the public or private ownership model of water is a distraction. Apart from the need for the improvements in infrastructure that she rightly mentions, it is also vital that more focus is applied to the outcomes required from any restructure of the water industry, instead of the ownership model. What is needed above all in any reorganisation is a well-funded and highly motivated regulatory body with adequate legal powers, and the political support to use them. The Environment Agency in its present form has evolved into a paper tiger with neither the staff nor budget to hold a water industry of any stripe robustly to account.

John Aston Norby, N Yorks

Sir, Apropos your article "Water reuse scheme sits idle as officials refuse to turn on tape" (news, Aug 20), surely the present drought means that the 1991 Water Industry Act needs to be reviewed regarding water harvesting systems. I have always wondered why we use drinking water to flush lavatories and for non-potable

purposes. There is certainly a need for stricter regulation for such an essential resource.

Valerie Rigarbford Tansley, Derbyshire

Sir, I have been using my bathwater for my newly planted garden, remembering the guidance from 1976. However, at the age of 75 I thought it not sensible to be carrying heavy buckets of water downstairs, so have invested in a hand siphon set complete with houspipes, all for under £10. The water now flows straight from my bath out through the window and into a water butt at the bottom.

Anne Curtis Bratton, Wilts

Sir, Juliet Samuel's piece reminded me that James Brindley, one of the great canal builders of the 18th century, proposed a "contour canal" to link England's four great river systems — the Thames, Severn, Humber and Mersey — into a unified national water transport system. Had his "Grand Cross" scheme been built it would have been the ideal conduit for moving water to the dry southeast.

Richard Jarrett London E11

Skin cancer vaccine

Sir, The success of a personalised melanoma vaccine represents an exciting breakthrough for people with skin cancer ("Vaccine for skin cancer helps fight off disease", Aug 20). The prospect of tailoring mRNA vaccines to the unique genetic profile of an individual's tumour offers new hope to thousands of patients. However, personalised treatments depend on highly skilled pathology and laboratory teams to analyse tumour samples, identify cancer-specific mutations and generate the genetic information needed to design each vaccine. Without this expertise, the NHS risks lacking the capacity to advance personalised medicine. If these therapies are to become widely available through the NHS, we must ensure the pathology workforce is equipped to meet growing demand. That means investing now in the training, recruitment and retention of pathologists. Cutting-edge treatments will only reach patients if we have the diagnostic capacity to support them.

Dr Bernie Croal President, The Royal College of Pathologists

Strategic vacuum

Sir, Your report (Aug 19) on the government's shift of "growth" to No 10 North demonstrates a rather rapid approach to the most critical economic challenge faced by the UK. No 10 North is still central government, so this cannot be part of any "devolution" agenda. It is simply a reorganisation from the Treasury to a geographically split No 10. Sadly, there is nothing in the announcement that gives the reader any clue as to what the growth strategy might be. This should form the core of the announcement, along with the reasons why moving staff, at some expense to the taxpayer, to Manchester is essential for the implementation of the strategy. I await with interest the details of the growth strategy, no matter what accent it is presented in.

Matthew O'Connor Surbiton, Surrey

Cohabitation fears

Sir, In her article (Aug 18; letters, Aug 19 & 20) on cohabitation rights, Melanie Phillips might have

mentioned the potential for a predatory relationship. If a lone elderly woman has assets and is in need of help at home, what would stop a younger man from moving in, claiming he is her carer and claiming marriage rights? It has always been possible for such a predator to try to talk a woman into marriage, which relatives might attempt to challenge on her behalf but, with the proposed new cohabiting rules, simply living in the same house right end up handing him her entire estate.

Valerie Moyses Bloxham, Oxon

Two-stage alerts

Sir, Further to your report "'Cry wolf' fears over wildfire alert" (Aug 18), perhaps there should be two levels of emergency alerts that can be sent to mobile phones by the government, like there are at sea and in the air raising a pan-pan is serious but not as serious as a mayday.

Anna Wood Bembridge, Isle of Wight

Letters must be exclusive to The Times

LIVERPOOL

MOTORS INTO THE FUTURE

FROM THE TIMES AUGUST 21, 1926

Negotiations between the Ministry of Transport and the local authorities, which have extended over five years, being now practically complete, a beginning will be made in the autumn on the new Liverpool and East Lancashire road. This will provide a main highway, 27½ miles long and 100 feet broad from fence to fence, between Salford and Liverpool at a total cost of about £3,000,000, and it will be the largest undertaking of its kind in the country.

The Treasury will provide 75 per cent of the money. The remainder

will be found by the local authorities, which include the County Council, the County Borough of Liverpool, the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, and the County Boroughs of Bootle, St Helens and Warrington. Work will be found in the construction of the road during four or five years for a large number of unemployed men, drawn exclusively from the contributing areas. About 20 new bridges will be built, and the carriage way between kerbs will be 40 feet wide. The only preliminary arrangement that has still to be made is the confirmation of the agreements with Warrington and Bootle.

At one time it was proposed that the road should be continued to Leeds, but this part of the project will not be carried out. The new highway does not enter Manchester, but stops at the outskirts of Salford, a borough which supported the scheme from the first. Manchester, however, has not participated, as it is believed that the

new road will open up a competitive transport route which will have an adverse effect on the traffic of the Ship Canal. Liverpool, on the other hand, regards the prospective new road as a valuable complement to the Mersey tunnel scheme, which will link up the city with the great industrial districts in the vicinity. The new thoroughfare, without touching Manchester, will probably carry a very considerable amount of traffic, and it is expected to be a main artery from the West Riding of Yorkshire, as well as through East Lancashire, to Liverpool. In conjunction with the Mersey tunnel, it will bring a big area into direct touch not only with that city, but with an extensive district to the south of it.

Now known as the A580, the East Lancs road was Britain's first A-road

THE TIMES.COM/ARCHIVE

Bicycle licences

Sir, Peter Hitchens makes some valid points in his letter (Aug 19) when he says that North Korea is the only country to have successfully introduced licence plates for pedal cycles. This has not always been the case. I was working in Beijing in 1988 and on a Monday morning one of the Chinese staff in my office asked what I had done at the weekend. When I said I had bought a bike, he looked at me and asked if I had obtained a licence. On hearing I had not, as I had no idea that it was required, he shut off to the post office to buy one for me.

John Foster Woking, Surrey

Sir, In the 1950s I lived in South Africa. All bikes had number plates. When I returned to England at the age of 11 I thought my bike with me and it was a source of interest everywhere I went on it. We should introduce number plates for bikes.

Brian Simpson Gosport, Hants

Idle minds

Sir, I used to pick my granddaughter up from primary school and in winter there was always someone in the car park with their engine running. My efforts to ask for engines to be turned off were also discriminatory (letter, Aug 20) — I only asked women.

Penny Dent Norleywood, Hants

Sir, The worst example of engine idling Fve seen was in my local Tesco car park during the heatwave. Empty car, locked and with its engine left running. I assume the owner wanted to return to an air-conditioned car.

Gerard Bell Ascot

Harry's return

Sir, The reported inability to forgive his brother does not bode well for Prince William as the future head of the Church of England ("Royal return: Harry and Meghan are moving back", Aug 20). Love and forgiveness are at the heart of the Christian message and people find it possible to forgive even the most heinous crimes. Continuing anger only harms us and those around us. We should welcome Harry and his family back to England.

The Rev Rita Holden Droitwich Spa, Worcs

In the mood

Sir, From personal experience we can confirm the importance of a shared interest in music as an indicator of compatibility (letter, Aug 19). We first met at a student party in Belfast in 1963. The party was slow to get started, so a friend put on some Glenn Miller and said: "You two are about the same height so get up and dance to get the party moving." We did, and we still are, having now been married for 57 years.

Josephine and Robert Burch Larne, Co Antrim

Sir, Learning how to teach English to foreigners, I was paired with a fellow student to practise question technique. When I asked what the first record she'd ever bought was, she said Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West) by Benny Hill. Same as mine. Marriages have been built on less: 40 years later, we're still together.

Phil Mason Northallerton, N Yorks

---

25

Leading articles

Daily Universal Register

Inaugural National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism includes a ceremony in London.

Nature notes

The shrub grows flush against the garden wall and its foliage is never permitted to grow more than an inch from the brickwork;

yet wewns have nested in it successfully. To boot, the wall is south-facing, meaning the brood has survived the direct heat of the cruellest summer on record. Perhaps they were helped by daily drenching from the house owners' hosepipe, but the weekly cuts from topiary scissors can't have helped. Superezing their nest into this tiny space, the parents created a wide "front door" as they came and went feeding their six chicks. The fledged youngsters are now hiding in the garden, their piercing calls begging for food. The parents bring hard-won caterpillars, flies or spiders. JONATHAN TULLOCH

Birthdays today

Usain Bolt, pictured, right-time Olympics gold medallist, holder of the 100m and 200m world records, 40; Dame Janet Baker, opera singer, 93; Scott Bessent, US secretary of the

Treasury, 64; Millie Bright, footballer, Chelsea Women (2014-Apr 2026) England (2016-25), 33; Sergey Brin, co-founder (1998) of Google, 53; Dina Carroll, soul singer, So Close (1993), 58; Ethel Caterham, oldest verified living person in the world, 117; Kim Cattrall, actress, Samantha Jones in Sex and the City (1998-2004, 2008, 2010), 70; Jackie DeShannon, singer-songwriter, What the World Needs Now Is Love (1965), 85; Julie Etchingham, presenter, ITV News, 57; Laura Haddock, actress, White Lines (2020), 41; Lindy Hemming, costume designer, Topsy-Turvy (1999, Oscar for best costume design), the Wonder Woman film series (2017, 2020), 78; Anne Hobbs, tennis player, former British No 1, 67; Liam Howlett, musician, the Prodigy, Firestarter (1996), 55; Glenn Hughes, rock bassist and singer, 75; Gerald Jones, Labour MP for Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney, assistant whip (2024-25), 56; Pierre Koffmann, chef, 78; King Mohammed VI of Morocco, 63; Kacey Musgraves, singer-songwriter, Some Trailer Different Park (2013), 38; Baroness (Lindsay) Northover, Liberal Democrat politician, 72; Leslie Palmer, director of the Notting Hill Carnival (1973-75), 83; François Pinault, founder of luxury goods group Kering (including Gucci) and Artemis investment company, 90; Amber Butter, sport shooter, Olympic silver medallist (Paris 2024, skeet), Great Britain's most decorated international shooter, 29; Kenneth Taylor, former cricketer, England (1959-64), and footballer, 91; Peter Weir, film director, Dead Poets Society (1989), 82; Cameron and his twin brother Tyler Winklevoss, co-founders of Winklevoss Capital Management and Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, co-owners of Real Bedford football club and former Olympian rowers (2008), 45; Gary Wolstenholme, golfer, British amateur champion (1991, 2003), 66.

On this day

In 1959 Hawaii became the 50th US state, having become a US territory in 1898.

The last word

"The opposite of an idealist is too often a man without love," Albert Camus, winner of the 1957 Nobel prize for literature, A Happy Death (1971)

Patriot Games

President Zelensky is facing missile salvoes from Russia while fending off political attacks over corruption in his circle. The latter could be more damaging for him

These are testing times for President Zelensky. Even as his country basks in summer heat, the threat of winter power cuts, due to attacks on energy infrastructure, looms in the distance. In the fifth year of Ukraine's existential war against Russia, the latter has lost none of its capacity to inflict pain on the Ukrainian people, even if landing a knockout punch appears to be well beyond President Putin's reach.

This week ballistic missiles rained down almost randomly on Kyiv, killing young and old. In terms of the butcher's bill they impose — people killed per missile and drone — Russia's attacks are hugely inefficient. Millions of roubles are expended for what are, in Second World War strategic bombing terms, limited numbers of dead and injured. But the missiles damage something else: morale.

Although Ukraine has become adept at shooting down drones and cruise missiles, its defences against ballistic missiles, arching their way high into the atmosphere from sites deep inside Russia, are threadbare. American-made Patriot missile interceptors, the only remedy, are in desperately short supply. The sense of vulnerability this creates in the minds of ordinary Ukrainians is bound, however unfairly, to dent the faith of some in Mr Zelensky's management of the war.

Added to the deadly missile duel between Russia and Ukraine is a patriot game of another kind. As Ukraine's defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov became something of a folk hero for his tech-bro approach to war, helping to foster a domestic drone industry that has given Ukraine the means to hit back against its vastly bigger antagonist. But Mr Fedorov's career was cut short suddenly last month when Mr Zelensky sacked him. Supposedly, this was to quell a row between the young defence minister and the head of the armed forces, who was also subsequently dismissed. However, critics of Mr Zelensky suggest Mr Fedorov's growing popularity in the country was a contributory factor in his sacking.

In power for seven years now, Mr Zelensky is accused of developing an intolerance to potential rivals while being only too tolerant of the corruption that appears to be endemic in Ukrainian public life. This week Mr Fedorov broke cover, arguing that "democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia" and calling for an end to the ban on elections in Ukraine imposed with martial law in response to Russia's invasion in February 2022.

Mr Zelensky is right to resist this opportunistic gambit. A fair election would be all but impossible to stage when so many Ukrainians are away fight-

ing or living in exile. In addition, a khaki election would provide Mr Putin with no end of opportunities to plant disinformation and sow discord in a war-weary society that he still hopes to weaken from within, even as success on the battlefield continues to elude him.

Mr Zelensky deserves the full support of all those who wish Ukraine to survive as a free and independent country. But at the same time he must have a mind to the impression created by the corruption scandals that erupt around him with monotonous regularity. Only this week he was forced to sack the deputy head of his office, Iryna Morka, in connection with a money laundering inquiry. Mr Zelensky was elected in 2019 on a promise to root out corruption but too often appears to be blindsided by revelations of wrongdoing in his inner circle. Mr Fedorov claims that corruption has affected Ukraine's war effort by depriving the armed forces of weapons.

Mr Zelensky has been busy in recent weeks lobbying for more Patriots. It is understandable that, with death falling from the skies, corruption is not always centre stage in his mind. Nevertheless, a more robust response to graft within Ukraine's government is needed if it is not to become a weapon for those who wish its leader ill.

Homeward Bound

The return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to the UK demands a clarified role

The impending return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to live in Britain — six years after their departure for the United States — has taken the nation by surprise. The same might be said, no doubt, of the effect upon the King, who is reported to have learnt of the development only on Sunday. But given that the couple's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are to start at a British school next month, it is expected they will set up home in England before the end of this month.

On a personal level, it must be hoped that a greater rapprochement between the King and his younger son brings solace to both. Charles, who has stoically endured much turbulence in recent years, was known to be grieved by their estrangement: Harry's visit to Highgrove House with his family last month was the first time that the King had seen his grandchildren and the duchess in person for four years. Harry, too, may well have a strong desire to spend more time with his father, especially since the latter's cancer diagnosis.

On the national and constitutional stage, however, difficult challenges remain: some sympathy is due to both the King and the Prince of Wales in

managing them. Since Harry's heavily publicised departure from royal duties, and Britain itself, his approach to the royal family, the British government and the UK press has often been a combative one largely defined by recrimination.

In the 2021 interview that Harry and Meghan conducted with the chat show host Oprah Winfrey, their suggestions of racism in the royal family — which Harry later redefined as "unconscious bias" — provoked a response from Queen Elizabeth, who promised to address the "concerning" matter privately while famously noting that "some recollections may vary". Harry's 2023 memoir, Spare, made numerous critical and unflattering revelations about the Prince and Princess of Wales and Camilla, leading to a continuing rift with his brother, William. Meanwhile, his long-running court battle to regain an automatic right to UK taxpayer-funded security protection — decided by an independent UK body known as Ravec — ended with a Court of Appeal judgment last year. It found that Ravec's case-by-case approach was permissible and that the duke's "sense of grievance" did not translate into a legal

argument. On the couple's return, the issue may reignite. Yet the prime minister has said that their security is "a private matter": it should stay so, unless Ravec decides otherwise.

Harry's views on the British judiciary, of which his father is the symbolic head, should also remain private. After losing his recent court case against Associated Newspapers, he made the wrong-headed remark that the judge's ruling was an "obvious whitewash". Such behaviour cannot bear repetition. It is understandable that the duke should wish to be closer to his family, including his late mother's relatives, and for his children to grow up in a British context. Yet his relationship to royalty has been altered not only by his decision to depart from it, but also by the accusatory manner of his leave-taking. Greater clarity on the termination of his formal royal role, such as his possible removal from the position of counsellor of state, would define a new space for the private man and his charitable endeavours. The shape of the future relationship will require thoughtfulness on both sides. But for this homecoming to be a happy one, Harry's age of acrimony must come to an end.

What the Dickens!

Great Expectations has been rewritten in teen slang to help parents decode children

Spying on their children's smartphone exchanges, many mums and dads don't have a clue what they're reading. Such is the impenetrability of adolescent angst that the texts and posts might as well be in Sumerian. To help out, Tesco Mobile has come up with a handy guide. Bizarrely, this takes the form of brutally abridging Charles Dickens's masterpiece, retitling it Bare Expectations and then using AI to transport Pip and Joe from the 19th century to 2026. This yields gems such as poor Magwitch looking "absolutely clapped, proper grimy", a graveyard giving off "proper bleak vibes" and Pip asking Estella if "we fam?"

The flaw surely is that the parents need to be familiar with the original novel for its reworking to be of any use. Perhaps updates of Dickens's other great lines are in order, by way of a primer? Hence, in Oliver Twist, for instance, the Main Character Energy Kid famously holds up a bowl and asks "Yo, Bumble, bussin' gruel, bruv?" A Christmas Carol is celebrated for "Top Gee, bless we all up!". Tiny Timi's deathless festive benediction. In the same book, Scrooge is always muttering "Rizzmas? Six-Seven, Six-Seven!" to express his disapproval of seasonal shenanigans.

Over in Hard Times, some Basic Boomer called

Gradyrini is running up the beige flag about how education should consist purely of facts, facts and more effing facts. Like, actually learning stuff.

The sensationally melodious killer intro to A Tale of Two Cities, "it was slaps, it was dog water", is recognised as one of the top openers in English literature. And the sign-off sentence, "it's a massive W that I do, than I have ever done; it is way chungus straight vibing that I go to, than I have ever known", is similarly globally renowned.

Or rather, it should be, but sadly, not everyone these days reads Charles Dickens. Or Chazzy Dee, as we must learn to call him.

---

26

World

In Kyiv, sun rises on the lives

The toll is increasing as Ukraine struggles to defend itself,

Anthony Loyd reports

Two dead men lay on the pavement among a sea of glass. They wore no shoes.

Killed in the night by Russian missile strikes on an apartment complex in Kyiv, their bodies were almost ignored in the pale, pre-dawn light among the vista of shattered masonry and shredded trees. Listless survivors stumbled from the ruins of a nine-storey apartment block, clutching whatever belongings they could salvage.

Then, an elderly lady in a dressing gown stepped forward and stood before the two bodies, stifling a sudden burst of grief as she stared at one. "I've been was my only grandson," cried Alla, 73, gazing at the barefoot corpse of the younger man. "He survived the first missile strike but the apartment caught fire and he was trapped by rubble. We couldn't get him out in time." She put her hand to her face and turned away.

At least 16 people were killed and more than 40 wounded in Kyiv during strikes on a dozen locations, including a children's hospital and a school.

President Zelensky said the deaths were the result of a critical shortage of air defence missiles. Writing on Tele-

Two victims were covered in a blanket

gram, he said: "As long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistics, Russia will not seriously think about peace."

He added: "The interceptors for the Patriot (US air defence system) have not yet been replaced, and they are needed every day. Each additional missile saves the lives of our people."

International stockpiles of Patriot interceptors and missiles are low after their use in the US-led war on Iran.

Russia fired Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles, as well as Iskander and North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles in the attack, according to Ukraine's air force. At least 20 missiles penetrated air defences and hit Kyiv shortly after midnight yesterday. Russian Shahed drones were also used.

A day of mourning for those who were killed has been declared for today.

Solomianskyi district, in the southwest of the capital where four people died and 29 were wounded, bore the brunt. At least four apartment blocks were hit, and a nine-storey building was reduced to ruins by a strike on the rooftop that set the upper floors alight.

Snatches of ruined lives emerged as the sun rose. The sounds of weeping, the sudden avalanche of jingling glass, the bark of a maddened dog, firefighters' shouts, water from the fire hoses cascading through the wreckage.

Deathly dawns are becoming commonplace in Ukrainian cities, as the frequency and intensity of Russian missile strikes surge. Two weeks ago, a Russian attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region killed 17 people, and nine were killed in the city two days before that.

Last month, the UN recorded at least 437 civilians killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine, marking the highest monthly death toll since May 2022. The overall casualty toll is a 70 per cent rise over the same month last year.

In a similar period, Russia fired a record 376 missiles at Ukraine, more than double the number it launched during the previous month, as well as nearly 5,000 long-range attack drones.

Russian strikes are also testing the nerve and response of Ukraine's Nato neighbours. Poland and Romania deployed aircraft overnight to monitor breaches of their airspace. Unidentified drones crashed and burnt in Romania's border region with Ukraine, while a drone seen near a Black Sea gas plant was destroyed by Romanian F-16 jets.

Ukraine has responded with an escalation of its own, launching several waves of strike drones this month, each involving hundreds of unmanned air vehicles targeting Moscow and the surrounding region, attacking logistics centres, warehouses, oil infrastructure and industrial targets.

At least nine Russian civilians have been reported killed in these strikes, though the numbers are hard to verify.

But there is no equivalence in the levels of civilian harm, and outside the ruined apartment blocks in Solomianskyi, survivors and rescuers alike moved with the tired wariness of those who have already been repeatedly hit.

"For a time, we thought if we just endured this it would be over and we could carry on with our lives again," said Major Pavlo Petrov, 31, a press officer with the state emergency service, whose men clambered through the ruins. "Now we realise that it's not over, it continues, and we have to learn to live a life alongside the war."

Petrov had shrapnel scars down his left arm and leg, wounds he sustained in a Russian double strike on a nearby building last year that killed three state rescuers and wounded 19.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, 122 state emergency service rescuers have been killed and 629 wounded. "That's a lot of firemen dead and wounded working to save people far from the front line," another rescuer, Sergeant Vasyl Yatsenko, 28, said. "We've become familiar with rescuing people from burning buildings, taking cover quickly as more missiles come in, then going back into the fire. When it comes to ballistic missile strikes, we feel lucky when we pull someone alive from the rubble."

The sun rose slowly over the scene. The two dead men had been shrouded in silver space blankets.

Two blocks away, commuter traffic began to build along the main road, as a war-weary populace tried to put the horrors of the night behind them.

Zelensky must beware corruption scandals, leading article, page 25

A stallholder tries to salvage what she can after at least 20 Russian missiles evaded Ukraine's defences and struck the capital, above. Among the targets was a food warehouse, below, a children's hospital and a school

Without Patriots, Ukraine is racing to build its own shield

Behind the story

The celebrations of the success of Ukraine's deep-strike campaign in bringing the reality of the war home to ordinary Russians were short-lived (Catherine Philip writes).

They have been overshadowed by a hail of Russian ballistic missile strikes, exhausting Ukraine's supplies of American-made Patriots

and renewing the demand for it to develop the capacity to shoot down the hypersonic missiles without outside help.

Iryna Terekh, the chief executive of Fire Point, the Ukrainian weapons start-up, said impatience for a domestically built shield was a natural response to the Russian attacks.

"We are living in a very trauma-sensitive society," she said. "Ukrainians are a little bit cooked and I understand. I'm one of

them too." Ukraine is now the global leader in drone and counter-drone technology, going into partnership with European nations and advising Gulf states on how to combat a fast-evolving threat.

But the exhaustion of Ukraine's stock of Patriot interceptors, announced by President Zelensky this month, has put new pressure on the race to build a Ukrainian analogue capable of taking down ballistic

missiles. More civilians were killed in Ukraine in July than in any other month since May 2022, largely as a result of Moscow's stepped-up missile campaign.

"We are fighting for our survival," Terekh said, "and we need to survive just one day longer than [the] Russian Empire. Russia only wants to finish this war when Ukraine does not exist at all."

Fire Point announced that after deals with European partners, they aimed to deliver Ukraine's first native-built interceptor by the end of this year and have it on the battlefield by next summer.

The Freyja project will

---

27

Migrant boat lands on Spanish beach Page 28

Prison for billionaire whose fall shook Xi Page 30

ruined by a new Russian raid

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHIC AND WILL CROSS-SUPPORT/AFFILIATED IMAGES: WILENTIN ZIMMERHORSTROM

Discomfort floods from Nord Stream

Oliver Moody Berlin

It has taken the best part of four years but German investigators are finally closing the net around some of the people they hold responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater gas pipelines from Russia in 2022.

On Monday Volodymyr Zhuravlev, a Ukrainian diving instructor, was arrested in the Croatian coastal city of Pula. He was there to work as a consultant on Snake Island, a film starring Sean Penn and Adrien Brody and directed by Doug Liman, known for the Jason Bourne thrillers. The movie was to dramatise the Nord Stream sabotage, the alleged crime for which Zhuravlev was detained for, and will now be extradited to Germany.

In two months' time his alleged accomplice Serhii Kuznietsov, a former counterespionage officer in Ukraine's SBU security service, will stand trial in Hamburg. He is accused of war crimes offences that include destroying an edifice and attacking civilian property.

Four words in the German federal prosecutor's announcement of the charges against Kuznietsov foreshadow the world of political discomfort that awaits both Germany and Ukraine: he is said to have acted im Auftrag staatlicher Stellen, on the orders of state authorities.

If this highly sensitive claim is proven, the German government is going to have to explain why it continues to transfer roughly the equivalent of its transport ministry's annual budget to a country that has blown up a central plank of its energy infrastructure.

The fallout would extend far beyond Germany. The relationship between Berlin and Kyiv has seldom been easy, but over the past few years it has been the fulcrum of western support for Ukraine.

Since President Trump's return to the White House, Germany has taken over from America as Ukraine's biggest source of bilateral aid in absolute terms. Over the past 20 months it donated armaments worth at least €12 billion, and committed itself to a €23 billion package over the next two years. Where Berlin once dithered over whether to send a handful of tanks and howitzers, it now funds the development of Ukraine's long-range strike drones.

The attempted drone attack on a Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig airport this month has only underlined Germany's role as a logistical hub for the flow of munitions to Ukraine, which is second only to that of Poland.

This arrangement is a two-way street. Germany's burgeoning arms industry is deeply entangled with Ukraine's. German generals and defence executives receive not only detailed and classified feedback on the performance of their weapons but also valuable technologies pioneered by the Ukrainians. The Ukrainian military shares battlefield data from its Delta command and control system and its

Avenger A1 targeting suite with the German armed forces.

Joint production deals abound, particularly for drones and the underlying software. Fire Point, the manufacturer behind some of Ukraine's most effective deep-strike drones and missiles, is in talks with several German companies over a possible collaboration.

All of this means that the forensic and intensely public scrutiny of what role, if any, the Ukrainian state played in the Nord Stream bombings will be profoundly awkward for both countries. President Zelensky and his government have always denied having anything to do with the attack. Yet the evidence to the contrary is piling up, as documented by the journalist Bojan Panzewski in his recent book The Nord Stream Conspiracy.

Should the court in Hamburg find that Kuznietsov and his accomplices were acting on official orders, this will strengthen the hand of those in Germany who argue that it is needlessly antagonising Russia on behalf of a state that has committed an act of war against an arterial route for gas imports.

If that would be problematic for Kyiv, it would be positively excruciating for the ruling coalition in Berlin, which must tread a tightrope between ensuring that justice is seen to be done and sustaining public consent for Germany's Ukraine policy. The hard-right Alternative for Germany party, which is campaigning for the cessation of all aid to Ukraine and the immediate restoration of ties with Russia, would mercilessly exploit the situation and accuse the government of recklessly damaging core national interests of energy and geopolitical security.

Germany is out on a limb relative to its neighbours. Sweden and Denmark both swiftly wrapped up their criminal investigations into the bombings, which occurred in their respective exclusive economic zones, without publicly identifying any suspects.

Poland, which opposed the Nord Stream project from its inception, came close to an outright endorsement of the attack. Last October a court in Warsaw declined to extradite Zhuravlev to Germany, ruling that the pipeline had been a legitimate target in the context of Ukraine's defensive war.

This is consistent with the tacit view, widespread in Poland and several other states on Nato's eastern flank, that the Ukrainian saboteurs nobbling Russian assets in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas are essentially doing God's work, and good luck to them.

For Germany, neither of these approaches was a viable option. Its fixation with due legal process precluded any attempt to brush the matter under the carpet. The pacifist and Russophile strands in its public opinion would have punished any political leader who tried to justify the bombing.

That left only this long, tortuous investigation, which is about to enter an agonising final act.

bring together a Ukrainian interceptor, German radar and Norwegian guidance technology all in one weapon.

"We are trying to achieve in a couple of years what would usually take a couple of decades," Terekh, right, said.

Fire Point's outsize role in the deep-strike campaign — first on Russian oil refineries and then on the online retailer Wildberries, that also serves as a pipeline to the military front line — has raised expectations

about what it can deliver. According to Ukraine's defence ministry, its FP-1 drones have been used in 60 per cent of all Ukrainian deep strikes in Russia.

"These expectations provide a lot of support but it's also a lot of pressure," Terekh said. Some in the global defence industry have

expressed scepticism about whether Fire Point can produce all that it is promising. Its partnerships with European governments and

defence firms suggest that foreign allies believe it is their best bet to develop a ballistic missile shield for all of Europe.

To date, the Patriot system is the only one capable of intercepting the hypersonic ballistic missiles with which Russia is bombarding Ukraine.

At last month's Nato summit, President Trump said Ukraine could manufacture Patriots under licence, only to withdraw the offer.

Numbers of Patriot interceptors are running dangerously low worldwide since the start of the Iran conflict.

Only 600 interceptors are manufactured each year at a cost of almost

$4-million each. Fire Point's FP-7X interceptor is estimated at $700,000.

Fire Point's first ballistic missile could be ready as soon as this winter, Terekh said, putting Ukraine among the small club of countries with a ballistic arsenal.

The FP-7 is designed for use against ground targets. A longer-range version, the FP-9, which is still in development, could reach as far as Moscow.

As for the strikes into Russia, Terekh rejects that responding in kind invites retaliation.

"I do not see a single Ukrainian attack of any kind as an offensive move," she said. "I think we are forgetting from what it all started."

---

28

World

Migrants' boat lands amid holiday-makers

Tourists looked on in surprise when a packed migrant boat arrived at the beach next to La Manga Club on Spain's Costa Calida in Murcia on Wednesday, as the fallout from last month's mass crossing to Ceuta continued (Isambard Wilkinson writes).

There has been a rise in cases of speedboats packed with migrants landing on the Spanish mainland coast, the conservative newspaper ABC reported. So far however, the total number arriving on the coast has decreased this year compared with the last.

Yesterday, Spanish police began clearing about 4,000 migrants from where they had set up a makeshift camp on Ceuta's El Trampolin beach. About 30 police

vehicles arrived shortly after 7am and officers sealed off the beach before moving residents in groups.

Officials told migrants that they were being taken to temporary accommodation rather than being immediately returned to Morocco.

Morocco has blocked the return of the bodies of several citizens who died in last month's crossing, intensifying criticism of the monarchy's silence over a disaster that claimed more than 140 lives.

Four Moroccan bodies have remained in the Spanish enclave in north Africa despite completed identification procedures, judicial approval and requests from their families, local media reported.

The incidents have sharpened scrutiny of Mohammed VI. No

Migrants leap from their boat as it approaches La Manga Club in Murcia. Top left, the authorities in Ceuta have cleared a makeshift migrant camp

public royal message of condolence has been issued by the palace and the Moroccan authorities have refused to acknowledge the number of the dead.

The crisis began on July 30 when about 80,000 people entered Ceuta from Morocco.

Most returned within hours but up to 9,000 have remained in Ceuta, which has a population of 80,000, prompting fears over security and health emergencies and criticism of the government's handling of the crisis.

About 500 migrants

who had initially been removed from El Trampolin beach in Ceuta returned yesterday with blankets and other belongings, forcing the authorities to suspend a planned cleaning and disinfection operation, Europa Press reported.

This week José Manuel Albares, the foreign minister, promised that "every last person" who entered Spain irregularly would return to Morocco. He acknowledged that returns must comply with Spanish law and judicial decisions but

gave no timetable. The government is preparing to transfer about 500 migrant girls to mainland Spain after at least 15 sexual assault claims, arguing that each child's safety, family circumstances and best interests must be assessed first.

Why US is getting in a tangle over nuclear deal with Saudis

Saudi Arabia

Samer Al-Atrush

Middle East Correspondent

For decades, Arab states held fast to the belief that the road to America goes through Israel. Establishing ties with their Jewish neighbour, so the theory went, was the surest way to gain the White House's favour.

The Saudi-American agreement on nuclear co-operation announced last month tests that theory. A day after the deal was signed, President Trump, stung by Israeli criticism, added a new condition. There would be no civil nuclear plant for Saudi Arabia unless the kingdom joined his Abraham Accords, the agreements under which the Gulf states would make peace with Israel.

The belated demand has thrown the future of the agreement into doubt. Officials and analysts say the slow process to have the deal ratified by the US Congress is under way, but the White House has had itself into knots by announcing a new condition that was not in the original agreement.

For America's Arab allies, the debacle has become a test of whether they can

be viewed by Washington as being on an equal footing with Israel, which has traditionally been favoured by the White House for its advanced military equipment and co-operation. Trump has already approved the sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia, calling the kingdom "a great ally".

The White House "has a problem", according to Michael Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia and a non-resident senior adviser with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. "The nuclear agreement was signed with Trump's authority, and a day later the president changed the terms," he said. "If I were the legislative affairs people at the White House I wouldn't know what to do. So I can see that would result in the whole system seizing up."

The deal would set up a nuclear plant in Saudi Arabia, earning billions of dollars for US engineering and construction companies, something the Saudis believe would continue to entice Trump. It would also establish a study on whether Saudi Arabia should be able to enrich uranium, a clause that drew objections from US critics and Israel.

The nuclear agreement was envisaged by Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, as part of a broader bargain that would include a defence pact in return for Saudi Arabia establishing ties with Israel. Those plans unravelled after Israel refused to commit to allowing the Palestinians their own state, a key demand for Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom argued that the nuclear deal should be treated separately.

The kingdom appeared to have got its way before Trump's reversal, which angered the Saudis. Some in Riyadh still believe the agreement will overcome these bureaucratic hurdles and the vote in Congress, which would require a joint resolution of disapproval to block the deal.

"I don't think Israel is a real obstacle or joining the Abraham Accords is a real condition for Saudi-American nuclear co-operation to be elevated," said Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi political scientist. "I think if it's uncertain it's because bureaucracy in the US [that] is slow-footing the situation."

For now, the chances of Saudi Arabia making a deal with Israel are remote, according to American and Gulf offi-

cials, given Israel's hardline government and the fallout from the war in Gaza over the past three years.

"The Saudis are in no hurry, and they don't see the upside," said one American diplomat, while a Gulf source said the talks over Israel were deadlocked, adding: "Nothing is going to happen until there's some progress. But [the Israeli government] is not in the business of progress."

Jared Kushner, one of the architects of the Abraham Accords, said this week that Israeli elections in October could give new life to the agreements. "Hopefully when we get after the Israeli elections, there will be some opportunities for expansion," he told Fox News.

That may be wishful thinking. The crown prince, the de facto Saudi ruler, has doubled down on insisting that Israel commits to a Palestinian state, while Saudi officials have been angered by Israeli officials briefing journalists and legislators that the kingdom was not serious about the Palestinians.

"I know the Israelis desperately want to believe that there's a shortcut to this but there isn't, especially now," said Ratney.

Trump threat of 'D-Day' for Iran economy

Iran

George Grylls Washington

President Trump has declared "economic warfare" against Iran and condemned its leaders for failing to make a deal to end the war.

Having announced an end to peace negotiations this week, Trump said on Wednesday night that he was initiating an "ECONOMIC D-DAY" in which all allies of the United States would be expected to end trade with Iran. He said he would try to isolate Iran further and threatened to punish those still offering a lifeline to its economy. "Today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY! This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale," he wrote on Truth Social.

Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, dismissed the threats, saying they were "a diversion from America's own crisis: unprecedented debt and surging interest costs".

Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, said it was time for countries "to make a decision" on Iran, telling CNBC: "You are either with us or against us." He said China, which last year bought more than 80 per cent of Iran's shipped oil, should "get with the programme".

---

29

World

ChatGPT's alleged copying becomes sore point for unicorn writer

Germany

Oliver Moody Berlin

In one of Germany's most popular series of children's books, the titular character is a grumpy unicorn that responds to each unwelcome request with the word "nein".

That is how Marc-Uwe Kling the author of Das NEINhorn (The NO-nicorn), is now reacting to what he and his publisher cast as the illegal abuse of

their copyright — by suing the maker of ChatGPT. The lawsuit claims that the Dublin-based European branch of OpenAI is routinely and illegally copying the "significant creative elements" of the books.

It is the latest in a series of cases where German groups have taken action in Munich against operators of AI chatbots on the basis that they are violating copyright law.

The Carlsen publishing house argues

that even the "simplest prompts" lead ChatGPT to reproduce the content of the NEINhorn series. It said ChatGPT produced illustrations that could "scarcely be distinguished" from the originals by Astrid Henn, and proposed its own NEINhorn texts without mentioning the copyright holders.

Carlsen said these "exceptionally detailed copies of the original" demonstrated that OpenAI was illegally using the works to train its AI language and

The book features a stubborn unicorn

image models and retaining them for reference purposes.

Kling said: "If anyone illegally downloads even a single film, book or audiobook, they face a grave penalty. But OpenAI simply steals the entire world's art and culture, and thinks it can get away with it? Only one word occurs to the NEINhorn in response: Nein!"

Henn said: "For me, the unauthorised use of my illustrations ... amounts to theft."

Dogs enjoy a Lidl breather from the heat

Tom Kington

Managers at a Sicilian branch of the supermarket Lidl have been showered with praise on social media after they let a group of stray dogs take refuge from a dangerous heatwave and enjoy the store's air conditioning.

The strays showed up at the Lidl in Licata as temperatures reached 35C and entered through an automatic door to reach an atrium where they lay down along a wall and panted.

Rather than begging for food, barking or trying to enter the aisles, the six dogs simply lay still, enjoying the gusts of cool air coming from inside the supermarket.

Instead of ejecting the dogs, staff did not disturb them, nor did shoppers.

Dog lovers soon arrived to leave water and dog biscuits for the strays, who soon became TikTok stars.

People leaving comments on social media lamented the number of stray dogs found in Sicily, arguing that it was down to the local council to save them from potentially fatal heat.

Earlier this summer, four puppies were found dead from heat exposure on a balcony in Sciacca in Sicily.

Some viewers of the video reportedly complained about the hygiene risks, but the majority praised the store's staff for not turning the dogs away.

"That's what humanity looks like," read one post on social media.

Sharp move A confident frog, seemingly unfazed by rows of razor-like teeth, uses a crocodile as its chauffeur in the Padang area of West Sumatra, Indonesia

Parisians bear brunt of anger over second homes

France

Charles Bremner Paris

Holidays in Brittany were soured for three families this week when they found their car doors gouged with the slogans "No to Parisians" and "Tourists go home".

The vandalised paintwork in the Finistère port of Plobannalec-Lesconil, 370 miles from the French capital, was another symptom of bitterness across the country towards city dwellers who have priced residents out of housing since the urban exodus and surge of second-home buying that began with the pandemic in 2020.

Breton mayors deplored the anti-Parisian hostility, which has led to graffiti and insults hurled at a female jogger. "The spirit of these acts deeply shocks us," Loïc Le Fur, the mayor of Plobannalec-Lesconil, said.

Some residents disagreed, however.

"With the pressure from second homes, the explosion in prices and the

One of the vandalised cars in Brittany

fact that local young people are being driven out of their own homes, I completely understand the anger," Antoine Guéguen responded to the mayor.

From Brittany to the Basque country and the Alps to central France, resentment is burning towards the "neo-rural" new residents and especially the city slickers who have joined the rush for holiday homes in beauty spots.

Much property is being snapped up by foreigners and other provincials but blame is falling on les Parigots. The derisive term covers those who dwell in

the capital, identified by their supposed arrogance, their accent and their "75" number plates, or the surrounding area.

Tension is highest among those with separate identities, such as the Bretons and the Basques. In Corsica a dormant "liberation" movement re-emerged last week when masked and heavily armed men staged a menacing "news conference". Addressing second-home buyers, they said: "We only have one message to you: stay home. If you do not do so, do not consider yourselves safe on our national territory." The threat from the "Union of Combatants" wing of a banned Corsican movement stirred fears of a wave of 1980s-style attacks on mainlanders' property on the island.

Local authorities have responded by raising property taxes on second homes and applying other penalties.

Then there are those caught in the middle. The owners of all three Paris-area cars vandalised in the Breton port were not Parisians but local people who had moved to the capital.

Women rush to Italian beach where men are out of reach

Italy

Tom Kington Rome

A historic beach club in Italy which gained notoriety this year when bathers complained about its segregation of male and female customers has seen visitor numbers soar ever since.

Open since 1903, the La Lanterna beach at Trieste in northeast Italy is one of the last beaches in Europe that keeps up the tradition of separating the sexes.

The once common policy is maintained with a 74-metre wall that cuts the beach in half and stretches into the shallows, allowing women to sunbathe topless without being viewed by men, if they choose.

Should bathers of different sexes at the council-run beach wish to communicate, they can wade out to the end of the wall. In June a man and woman visited from Milan and both walked into the men's section.

When the woman was asked to leave she initially refused, loudly denouncing the segregation policy as "medieval", adding, "You're a bunch of sexist oafs ... This is a form of discrimination. Shame

on you." The couple finally agreed to leave, but the debate about keeping men and women apart was soon stoked by social media and news sites.

Most Trieste residents came to the defence of La Lanterna, with one posting that the club "is part of Trieste's traditions. Now it's a victim of cancel culture." Another wrote, "It's not from the Middle Aged It's part of the history of Trieste. No Triestino wants to remove that wall!"

Instead of losing customers the row achieved the opposite effect. Record numbers showed up for a swim this summer, the local newspaper Il Piccolo reported. Last month 53,680 tickets were sold, compared with 34,895 in the same month last year.

The extra customers were mainly women, the daily reported. La Lanterna was "a tradition worth preserving", said Elisa Lodi, a council official.

The beach is nicknamed pedocin, which is local dialect for "louse" and may refer to the habit of Austro-Hungarian troops washing themselves free of bugs at the beach in the early 20th century.

---

30

World

PHOTO THOMAS TAYLOR/STUDY

Out of this world: Rock formations in the Wulanhada Volcano Geopark in Ulunga, Inner Mongolia, China, have become a Mars simulator for spacesuit-clad visitors

The Blue Danube

CRUISE

WITH AN EXPERT CRUISE DIRECTOR AND CRUISE HOST THROUGHOUT

SAVE £450m on select October and November river cruises

Uraviud on our magical river cruise and enjoy an escorted tour to imperial Budapest, the Pearl of the Danube. See Bratislava, Esztergom, Melk, Salzburg and unforgettable Vienna along the course of Eastern Europe's mightiest river.

Departing October 2026 and April to October 2027

EIGHT DAYS FROM

£1,999

PER PERSON

Return flights plus transfers

Seven nights on board a five-star ship

Your choice of spacious cabins with window or French balcony

Delicious full board dining (except one lunch if choosing the Salzburg excursion), plus Chef's Dinner

Free drinks package*

INCLUDED EXPERIENCES

Seven guided tours including the Esztergom Basilica, Bratislava, Dilomtein, Melk Abbey, Linz or Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest

Live classical quartet recital on board

Hungarian folklore show on board

0808 291 3154

thetimes.com/riviera-rcd

TIMES Travel Partner

Here, based on two people sharing. Single cabins available at a supplement. Additional entrance costs may apply. Travel insurance is not included but is strongly recommended. This holiday is operated by and subject to booking conditions of Riviera Travel, 4838-14594-4555, 5100 yesterday, company independent of News UK. Subject to availability, images used in conjunction with Riviera Travel. For further information please write to Riviera Travel, New Home, 120 Wetmore Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffs, 3514 7SP quoting The Times. See website for full details. There are no issue details including unlimited quantity of drinks from 10am to midnight while on board (selected drinks available). Turn up to £450p on select Riviera Travel European river cruises departing on selected dates. Valid on new bookings made between July 4 and August 25, 2026. The saving has already been applied. May be unaltered with other promotions. Riviera Travel reserves the right to amend or withdraw this offer at any time. All bookings are subject to Riviera Travel's standard booking terms and conditions.

Prison for billionaire whose fall shook Xi

The crash of Hui Ka Yan's property firm led to economic woe, Richard Spencer in Beijing reports

His was a classic rags-to-riches tale of the new China. He survived the Cultural Revolution, started working life in a cement factory and ended up one of the country's richest billionaires.

As he rose, he and his property business, Evergrande, became entangled with politics and international finance. When it unravelled, it triggered a nationwide slump and threatened the economic credibility of President Xi's government.

So from the moment he was arrested in 2023 and accused of financial crimes, Xu Jiayin, 67, could have expected little mercy.

Nor was much granted. Yesterday, Xu, better known abroad under the Cantonese version of his name, Hui Ka Yan, was jailed for life by a court in the southern city of Shenzhen for crimes ranging from financial fraud to bribery and embezzlement. He could have faced the death penalty.

His Hong Kong-registered firm and its mainland subsidiary were fined a total of 15.8 billion yuan, £1.7 billion, the second largest fine in Chinese corporate history but a fraction of the $300 million (£220 billion) the firm owed when it collapsed.

Evergrande and another company, known as Country Garden in English, had been the two largest property developers in China before the pandemic struck in 2020.

They had a seemingly flawless economic model, working with local governments to build huge apartment complexes as a population growing in wealth sought to move out of crumbling Soviet-era blocks. Prices rose inexorably, and developments could be funded by advance sales to eager buyers.

Hui, who born in a poor part of rural central China in 1958 before going into business in Shenzhen, made a fortune. By 2017, his shareholding and other wealth were estimated to be at $45 billion.

But the model collapsed for both companies as the pandemic hit public confidence and over-mortgaged consumers panicked. Country Garden was eventually restructured, but Evergrande proved irrecoverable. Developments were never completed, leaving owners high and dry.

Hui and associates including his two sons, who were also given jail terms, were accused of a familiar litany of crimes in what is often seen as the wild west world of Chinese property companies.

They were said to have used false accounting to inflate the value of their company, and to have squirrelled the money via a complex network of holding companies to personal accounts outside the country. Hui and his wife, Ding Yumei, have divorced, meaning any overseas assets held in her name are outside the jurisdiction of Chinese court orders.

She is a Canadian citizen and believed to spend time in London, where the couple in 2020 bought the most expensive house to come to the market in Britain, in Rutland Gate, Knightsbridge. The house, which cost £20 million, was said by The Guardian in June to be unoccupied, except for a homeless Dutch journalist who lived in its large porch. When The Times visited, Anders Fernstedt was not present but a tent was pitched hidden behind guitar cases, a giant teddy bear, Harry Potter merchandise and plastic bottles of water with the label "flat but still drinkable".

Property companies collapse the world over, while their owners often face legal consequences. In Evergrande's case there were also huge political ramifications.

At a formal level, Hui liked to keep close to his political masters. He joined the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee, an advisory body, in 2008. Five years later he was appointed to its standing com-

mittee, which would have given him direct access to the politburo.

More significantly, Evergrande's base in Shenzhen gives it political significance in its own right. Founded as a special economic zone by the late paramount

Hui Ka Yan in court in Shenzhen yesterday

Extradition of ex-Assad officer over war crimes

Syria A former Syrian military officer has been extradited by Lebanon to his home country, where he is expected to face trial over alleged war crimes committed during the country's civil war. Adel Issa, 67, who was a major general, is the first former military officer of Bashar al-Assad to be handed over by Lebanon since the leader was removed from power in December 2024, marking a significant development in efforts to hold former members of the government accountable. Issa is accused of serious crimes including killings, torture resulting in death and encouraging sectarian violence.

Town recognises trees as living beings with rights

Canada A small Quebec town has made history by recognising trees as living beings with fundamental rights. The municipal council of Terrasse-Vaudreuil unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights. The move recognises trees' rights to life and natural growth, hoping to strengthen environmental protection by encouraging a greater respect for nature. The declaration was announced in 2018 by the French environmental advocate and author Ricardo Rey amid growing concerns over deforestation and the treatment of trees as resources.

leader Deng Xiaoping, the city is China's boomtown, a metropolis of 18 million people, and a centre of the tech industry. It is also a key nexus of political and business interests and the leadership takes a close interest.

An intriguing report by Caixin, China's leading business magazine, connected the collapse of Evergrande to the fall of Ma Xingrui earlier this year. Ma, the first civilian member of the politburo to be purged for a decade, had been Communist Party secretary of Shenzhen and then governor of Guangdong at the height of Evergrande's success.

Caixin alleged that Ma's brother, a Guangdong-based businessman, was linked to dubious deals involving Evergrande money via a secretive business syndicate. What Caixin did not point out was that for President Xi there was a personal element to this scandal — his father, Xi Zhongxun, had been governor of Guangdong, oversaw the launch of the Shenzhen special economic zone and even lived there in retirement. Ma and his crosses had sullied his legacy.

Xi is also left in the lurch by Hui and Evergrande more directly. He took a firm hand with the company, refusing to bail it out, and has taken a similarly tough position on the homeowners struggling with the after-effects of the property crash.

Economic growth, once regularly 10 per cent a year, now struggles to reach half that. The heights that it does reach are due to debt-filled industrial development and exports rather than consumer spending.

In a speech this week, Li Qiang, the prime minister, admitted that weak consumption was a drag on growth and promised new measures to boost employment and household incomes. But several similar recent attempts have failed to gain traction.

Not all of these woes can be laid at Hui's door. But for the Shenzhen court, he was a good place to start.

"The criminal acts of Xu and the two companies seriously disrupted the socialist market economy, infringed upon public and private property rights, and undermined the integrity of public officials," it said.

"Given the exceptionally large sums involved, the particularly egregious circumstances, the extraordinarily heavy economic losses caused, and the extremely serious harm to society, they should be severely punished in accordance with the law."

Additional reporting by Colette Fountain and Oliver McCann

Twist in the tale of why a narwhal's tusk is special

Denmark In the Middle Ages, narwhal tusks were sold as unicorn horns blessed with magical powers. Even today they remain objects of mystery, as they are true oddities of nature. The tusk is an upper tooth that grows through the whale's lip and is also the only mammal tusk that grows straight. A study, in Nature Communications, from Aarhus University, suggests why: x-rays showed the tusk, which may grow to 10ft, is made of an outer layer of a dental tissue called cementum, in a leftwards spiral, and an interior of dentine, growing in a rightwards spiral. These opposing spirals force it to grow straight.

---

31

Business

WORLD MARKETS (Change on the day)

COMMODITIES

CURRENCIES

US bonds hit by fresh sell-off on Iran war and deficit fears

Mehreen Khan Economics Editor

US government borrowing costs have climbed despite pledges by the Trump administration that it will intervene in the bond market to contain yields.

Investors continued to sell off US Treasury bonds yesterday over worries about the inflationary impact of the war in Iran and a rising budget deficit.

The yield on 10-year bonds, a proxy for the federal government's borrowing

costs, gained 0.07 percentage points to hit 4.7 per cent.

Yields on longer-dated debt, which reached their highest level since 2007 at 5.3 per cent earlier this week, gained 0.05 percentage points to 5.25 per cent.

The rise in yields erased the brief rally in bond prices after Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary, announced on Wednesday that the government would be increasing its bond-buying to try to calm the sell-off. The interven-

tion was announced hours before official figures showed the US debt pile had hit a record $40 trillion.

Analysts said the Treasury buyback operation, which will be doubled from $2 billion to at least $4 billion in the next month, was not significant enough to contain long-term borrowing costs.

"To borrow from the movie Jews, 'We're gonna need a bigger boat.'" Daniel Casali, chief investment strategist at the wealth manager Evelyn Partners,

said. "The increase in buybacks has done little to alter underlying supply-demand dynamics. If policymakers are serious about capping long-end yields, more intervention may be required."

The sell-off in US debt also dragged the UK's 10-year yields higher by 0.02 percentage points to 5.06 per cent, increasing UK government borrowing costs just as John Healey, the chancellor, is considering tax and spending plans before the budget on October 28.

The dollar gained 0.2 per cent against a basket of currencies while US equity markets fell. In New York, the benchmark S&P 500 closed down 0.9 per cent at 7,641.16 and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite finished 1 per cent lower at 26,067.17.

Bessent has said he wants the 10-year Treasury yield to fall to 3 per cent. However, the rise reflects fears that the US Federal Reserve under Kevin Warsh will tolerate higher inflation levels.

Investors told to avoid loan notes

Regulator acts on 'mini bonds' fraud concerns

James Hurley Assistant Business Editor

The City regulator has told consumers to avoid unregulated "loan notes" following an investigation by The Times into a rise in schemes estimated to have put billions of pounds of consumer money at risk.

The Financial Conduct Authority issued a warning about loan notes, which it said were often "potential scams", and told regulated firms including banks, accountants and lawyers working on such investments to do more to prevent the "devastating" harm

How promoters made £100m selling failed loan note investments

The Times report on August 6

they are causing. It told consumers not to "risk your savings on promises of high returns" after dozens of large investment schemes attracted several billion pounds of investors' money. Several have subsequently collapsed; some victims have lost their life savings.

The FCA said the failure of Woodville Consultants, a litigation funder that raised funds from retail investors via loan notes, "shows the potential risk". The Times revealed on Monday that investors have £300 million at risk in Woodville, and there are concerns about its governance and its use of sales networks that also promoted a series of other failed investment schemes.

Loan notes or "mini-bonds" are the

high-risk debt instruments at the centre of FCA concerns about mis-selling, undisclosed commissions and misuse of investor funds.

The failures of just three such schemes since April last year — Woodville, Godwin Capital and 79th Group — have put more than £650 million at risk. Insolvency practitioners have alleged that both Godwin and 79th were Poxui schemes.

The regulator banned the marketing of "speculative illiquid securities", including mini-bonds and loan notes, to retail investors from January 2021 following the failure of London Capital & Finance, a £237 million scheme.

However, there are signs the problem has grown worse, with loan note companies relying on an exemption that allows them to be marketed to people who self-certify as "sophisticated" or "high net worth". The FCA is concerned that this is being abused, with ordinary and often vulnerable elderly investors being pressured into certifying.

Loan notes and mini-bonds are marketed to consumers "in everyday places, including social media, online adverts or websites promoting high fixed returns", the FCA said.

NatWest is under pressure over its banking of 79th Group, a £250 million scheme being investigated as a "suspected widespread fraud" by City of London Police. 79th's operators have denied wrongdoing.

The FCA shut down a regulated entity called Equity for Growth (Securities) in March because it cannot afford to pay the level of compensation ordered by the Financial Ombudsman Continued on page 32

Bitcoin bounce After President Trump met crypto bosses in the White House, bitcoin rose above $70,000 Full story, p34

Tractor maker farms data centre boom

Robert Lea Industrial Editor

The world's largest manufacturer of farming equipment has become an unlikely winner from the artificial intelligence boom.

John Deere's tractors and combine harvesters have been under the weather for some time, a casualty of rising costs and falling agricultural yields.

However, yesterday the venerable US company posted its first quarterly profit increase in three years — driven by a boom in America in the construction of A1 data centres.

The group's construction and forestry equipment business, which accounts for about a third of total revenues, reported an 84 per cent jump in third-

quarter operating profits to $436 million, with sales up 18 per cent. Demand is such that it has been able to increase prices and profit margins.

The rise offset a slide in its agricultural business, enabling the 189-year-old Deere & Co to report a 7 per cent increase in total net income to $1.4 billion on revenues 5 per cent better at $12.6 billion. It raised forecasts for the rest of the year, sending the shares 9 per cent higher.

While its green and gold tractors and prancing deer logo are known around the world, John Deere, which is based in Illinois, started out as manufacturer of ploughs in the 19th century, a piece of equipment so well-made the Smithsonian has pronounced it one of the items

that changed US history. It got into tractors by acquisition in the early 20th century and further diversified into construction equipment after the Second World War, when it helped meet the demand for military vehicles.

John May, the chief executive, said the results reflected "our commitment to helping customers succeed".

He forecast that 2026 would mark the end of the downcycle in demand for agricultural equipment.

"Across our business, early order programme trends, improving used equipment inventories and increasing customer adoption of our advanced technologies give us confidence that Deere is well positioned for long-term value creation," he said.

---

32

Business

Need to know

1 The City regulator has told consumers to avoid unregulated “loan notes” following an investigation by The Times into a rise in schemes estimated to have put billions of pounds of consumer money at risk. Page 31

2 US government borrowing costs have climbed despite pledges by the Trump administration that it will intervene in the bond market to contain yields. Investors continued to sell off US Treasury bonds over worries about the inflationary impact of the war in Iran and a rising budget deficit. Page 31

3 The world’s largest manufacturer of farming machinery has become an unlikely winner from the boom in AI data centres. John Deere, a venerable US company hit by a slide in its agricultural business, posted a profit from selling construction equipment. Page 31

4 JD Sports Fashion, the self-styled “undisputed king of trainers”, has suffered a mighty fall from grace after the British retailer issued a profit warning following weak sales in North America.

5 Hays, Britain’s biggest listed recruiter, has fallen to its first annual loss in more than two decades and tempered suggestions that the hiring market is on its way out of an unprecedented downturn. Page 34

6 Cryptocurrencies and related stocks rose sharply after President Trump urged the US Congress to pass legislation establishing clear rules for trading digital assets, following a White House meeting with industry leaders. Page 34

7 A £2 billion war chest is being amassed by Standard Life as it prepares for a deal-making spree to take over the biggest legacy pension funds. Page 36

8 Profits at Travelodge were broadly flat in the first half of its financial year as the hotel company said a tighter grip on costs only “partially mitigated” inflationary pressures and higher employment costs. Page 37

Some people’s need to feel indispensable overrides any notion of unplugging their phone

Rhymer Rigby, page 35

For expert business analysis subscribe to the business newsletter thetimes.com/newsletters

JD Sports cuts forecast as

Isabella Fish Retail Editor

The self-styled “undisputed king of trainers” has suffered a mighty fall from grace after the UK retailer issued a profit warning following weak sales in North America.

JD Sports Fashion said it now expects full-year profit before deductions of between £700 million and £800 million, down from a range of £750 million to £850 million, citing cost of living pressures as well as weaker footwear demand in the US.

Régis Schultz, chief executive, said trading remained tough in the second quarter, with the market “highly promotional”, the industry facing “consumer and footwear product cycle headwinds”, and core consumers hit by “incremental cost of living pressures”.

The FTSE 100 company was the biggest faller on the main index as the shares dropped 13½p, or 14.3 per cent, to 80p. The stock has fallen by almost 60 per cent over the past five years.

North America experienced the “most acute impact”. Schultz said, compounded by weaker demand for “high-heat” footwear and the timing of back-to-school sales.

Schultz has repeatedly warned over youth unemployment affecting consumer spending in the UK. He previously urged the government not to increase the cost of giving people jobs as unemployment was already “going in the wrong direction”.

JD Sports posted a sales decline of 1.3 per cent for the second quarter, a worsening from the previous quarter’s 0.1 per cent decrease. Like-for-like sales fell 3.1 per cent.

North America experienced a significant 4.5 per cent organic sales drop, reflecting weaker consumer sentiment among its core customer base, a slower quarter for popular footwear products, and deferred “back-to-school” demand from July into the first half of August.

Europe suffered a 0.4 per cent decline and the UK a 0.2 per cent decrease. The company said this was an improvement, driven by football replica kit sales during the Fifa World Cup, despite a more “subdued” consumer backdrop.

Sales in Asia Pacific grew by 10.2 per cent as shoppers bought into its footwear and clothing ranges despite “tougher prior-year comparatives”.

JD Sports was founded in 1981 by John Wardle and David Makin, whose first-name initials form the JD name. It

built its powerhouse status through aggressive global expansion, key acquisitions of major US retailers and a dominant multi-brand store format that capitalised on youth culture.

However, post-pandemic inflation, shifting consumer spending and a product innovation slowdown at Nike — which generates nearly half of JD’s sales — has severely squeezed growth and profit margins in recent years.

Under Schultz the retailer is actively rebuilding its momentum by opening hundreds of new stores worldwide, expanding non-Nike brand offerings and tightening operational efficiency.

Schultz recently survived an attempt to remove him by Andy Higginson, then chairman, who left the business after failing to win support for the move. Its largest shareholder, Pentland Group, backed the boss.

Schultz was brought into the company in 2022 to replace executive chairman Peter Cowgill after governance issues. Previously Schultz was president of retail at Al-Futtaim Group in the UAE, overseeing a brand portfolio that included Ikea and Zara.

His plan on taking over was to simplify the group, with a number of smaller fashion businesses sold to allow it to concentrate on the core sports-fashion proposition. At the same time, JD has pursued a more integrated “omnichannel” model, blending stores and online retail together rather than treating them as separate parts of the business.

Pamnuze Liberum, which maintained its “hold” rating on the shares, said “there is little confidence left in management guidance after multiple misses over the last few years”.

North America experienced a significant organic sales drop, reflecting weaker

Behind the story

Should he stay or should he go? JD Sports Fashion may well be hearing an echo of the Clash song as it announces yet another cut to its profit outlook.

The latest warning inevitably raises questions over whether chief executive Régis Schultz is still the right man to lead the retailer through its turnaround. Schultz has already survived one attempted

boardroom coup: Andy Higginson, JD’s former chairman, tried to remove him before ultimately leaving the business. Crucially, Schultz retained the backing of Pentland Group, JD’s largest shareholder and majority owner.

That support matters. Pentland appears to be taking a longer view, despite frustration among some investors at a share price still well below its pandemic-era highs.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

Loan notes ‘potential scams’

Service. Equity for Growth gave regulatory cover to loan note firms including Hunter Jones, which a High Court judge found “frequently breached regulatory obligations” when it promoted schemes including Dolphin, a Ponzi whose operator has been jailed.

Hunter Jones and a related loan note property business called HJ Collection are controlled by Reece Mensie, a podcaster, and remain active. They rely on the exemption the regulator wants the government to close. Hunter Jones says it has changed its approach and that “lessons were learnt” and it always operates “within the applicable legal and regulatory framework”.

Lucy Castledine at the FCA said: “We are working with banks, law enforcement, government and overseas regulators to share intelligence and act where we can. Too often, we see potential scams exploiting exclusions in the law. People can be encouraged to tick a box saying they are an experienced investor when they really aren’t, which can mean they lose important protections.”

Analysis

Loan notes are a source of growing alarm for the City regulator (James

Hurley writes). The Financial Conduct Authority previously issued guidance to the public last September, calling them “particularly risky”. Following a series of articles by The Times highlighting the growing, multibillion-pound scale of the problem, the FCA has gone further, calling them “potential scams” and telling consumers to avoid them altogether.

As the authority points out, the regulated firms and individuals that enable these investments, from banks to accountants to lawyers, need to do more to

prevent the “devastating” harm they are causing.

Yet the FCA itself has questions to answer about its approach, too. When it grew so concerned about one business, 79th Group, that it reported it to City of London police in August 2024, why was the company allowed to continue raising funds from unwitting investors until at least March the following year?

And what did it tell NatWest, the receiving bank for 79th Group, which kept the

£250 million scheme’s account open for seven months after the report? Is the authority being robust enough? It issued a warning last November about another loan note group, Hunter Jones and

HJ Collection, saying that “you should avoid dealing with this firm and beware of scams”. The warning was withdrawn in December after the firms threatened legal action.

A High Court judge had previously found that Hunter Jones “frequently breached regulatory obligations”, and findings by the Financial Ombudsman Service have shown it mis-sold schemes including Dolphin, a pan-European Ponzi scam. Victims of its mis-selling included a 90-year-old woman.

The absurdity of the current approach is underlined by the FCA’s action against a regulated firm called Equity for Growth, which provided cover for unregulated

firms including Hunter Jones. Equity for Growth was shut down for mis-selling by those it was supposed to oversee — Hunter Jones and others. Yet Hunter Jones has not faced any consequences and has subsequently sidestepped regulation altogether by relying on people ticking a box that they are “sophisticated” or “high net worth”.

The watchdog says its hands are largely tied on loan note operators because they are unregulated and rely on a loophole to promote the schemes. Yet it has the power to shut down Ponzi schemes, and examples including 79th Group have been accused by insolvency practitioners of being just that.

---

33

Business

US demand slows

consumer sentiment, warned Régis Schultz, the chief executive of JD Sports

But the latest cut makes the leadership question harder to ignore. JD operates in a market where its core young customer base is under pressure from inflation, the cost of living and weaker employment prospects.

So is it fair to blame Schultz? Probably not. Much of what is hurting JD is macroeconomic and affects retailers across the sector. Peel Hunt argues that JD is still adopting the right tactics, remains a partner of choice for brands and customers, and that its low valuation

needs only a macroeconomic or product "fillip" to improve.

However, leadership is ultimately judged on what happens when conditions are difficult. Analyst Julie Palmer says JD faces a test: "Does leadership management stay the course of the long-term turnaround plan, or review again?"

That makes September important. Peter Agnefjalk's appointment does not necessarily signal a change at the top, but it does give him the opportunity to assess Schultz's progress independently.

Falling out of fashion?

For decades, Nike and Adidas dominated the trainer and sportswear scene. Nike was comfortably No 1 and Adidas was the challenger, while brands such as Puma and Gola drifted in and out of the next tier. JD Sports and Sports Direct fought tooth and nail for access to their footwear, paying big money for exclusivity.

But now, consumers appear more interested in wearing shoes and clothes that other people do not have. They increasingly want to look different, rather than simply follow trends. That has created space for brands such as Onitsuka Tiger, On, Hoka and Salomon — once niche or specialist brands but now increasingly mainstream.

Nike's performance suggests this is more than just a fashion cycle. It generated $46.4 billion in revenue last year but sales were flat, and have failed to grow for 11 consecutive quarters.

The sportswear giant has itself to blame for many of its problems. A push towards direct-to-consumer sales reduced its presence in the stores of specialist sellers, giving competitors more space to be discovered and recommended. Nike is now trying to reverse this, with wholesale revenue up 4 per cent and its running business recording five consecutive quarters of double-digit growth.

Adidas is in a stronger position but faces the same structural challenge. It saw a surge in popularity in recent years with its Spezial and Gazelle styles, but investors remain nervous: the shares fell 17 per cent after second-quarter profits missed expectations, partly because World Cup marketing costs rose 30 per cent. And this was despite a 39 per cent increase in revenue.

The Nike and Adidas names are no longer enough on their own to define sports fashion. The market has become fragmented and consumers are increasingly valuing discovery, individuality and difference. The trainer giants are still giants, but they are no longer unbeatable.

Walmart suffers rare miss on sales

Louisa Clarence-Smith US Business Editor

Walmart has missed sales estimates for the first time in at least five years as Americans rein in their spending amid higher fuel costs.

The US retail giant said same-store sales in the second quarter rose 2.6 per cent, short of Wall Street estimates of a 3.8 per cent increase.

Overall revenue rose 5.9 per cent year-on-year to $183.9 billion, while net income fell 8.7 per cent to $6.5 billion.

The sales miss was unusual for the retailer, which has a track record of comfortably beating comparable sales estimates. Walmart shares fell $10.46, or 9.2 per cent, to close at $103.84 in New York last night.

Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management, said: "For the consumer economy, this is like Nvidia posting a slowdown."

Walmart said it had cut prices on 11,000 items during the quarter to appeal to cautious consumers but

added that this only began in July, and corresponding sales growth might not show up until next quarter.

Store traffic growth slowed to 1.5 per cent in the latest three months from 3 per cent in the first quarter.

Ecommerce sales rose 24 per cent as delivery speeds improved, with the company saying it doubled the number of units delivered in less than 30 min-

$188bn

Overall revenue in the second quarter Source: Walmart

utes compared with a year ago. Some 70 per cent of all ecommerce orders were delivered same-day.

Walmart Connect, the advertising business, grew 43 per cent.

The company now expects fiscal 2027 net sales to grow by between 4 per cent and 5 per cent, compared with its earlier target of growth of between

3.5 per cent and 4.5 per cent. John David Rainey, chief financial officer, said that Walmart was "raising our full-year guidance to reflect confidence in our ability to sustain growth and share gains".

He added: "Importantly, we're raising in the face of more than $2 billion of incremental cost tied to higher fuel prices in arguably a softer consumer environment than in February, when we introduced our initial outlook.

"As such, we feel it's prudent to remain cautious by only raising the guide modestly."

Rainey said the retailer was hit by higher petrol prices after benefiting from President Trump's retroactive tax refunds in the first quarter.

"It's tough to determine how much you sacrifice to what's going on in your business versus the overall macro environment," he said. "But I think we definitely benefited from that [the tax refund]. And then, as we went into the second quarter, we saw gas prices peak at higher prices than what we saw in the first quarter."

How to stop making scams so easy

BUSINESS COMMENTARY Alistair Osborne

How time flies in financial scam world. Is it really as long ago as January 2019 that London Capital & Finance went bust, having fleeced 11,600 punters out of £237 million?

It caused quite the furore. A High Court judge branded the mini-bond scandal the "largest Ponzi scheme in British history". And then along came a retired Court of Appeal judge, Dame Elizabeth Gloster, to give the Financial Conduct Authority a pasting over 494 pages. It provoked a riveting spat with the regulator's then boss — Andrew Bailey — who took umbrage at her suggestion that he had tried to have his name excised from her report.

Naturally, having presided over a regulator with "significant gaps" in its "policies and practices", as Gloster put it, Bailey was promoted to greater heights: Bank of England governor. And in classic style, the FCA embarked on one of its stable-door-bolted-horse routines. By January 2021, it had "banned the marketing of speculative illiquid securities, including mini-bonds and loan notes" to retail investors.

So, you'll be delighted to hear that, if anything, the situation has got worse — as my colleague James Hurley has disclosed in a series of exclusives. Indeed, they've triggered a fresh FCA warning over the "risks of investing in loan notes and mini-bonds, issued by unregulated companies": now home to billions of pounds of investors' cash and supposedly backed by gold, whisky, art, property and crypto assets.

The latest blow-up? Woodville Consultants, a litigation funder that collapsed in July. It is shaping up into a bigger scandal than LCF, given that administrators from Kroll believe it took investors for "more than £300 million". It was offering "loan notes" with quarterly returns of up to 12 per cent: a doomed business model when it was reliant on proceeds from lumpy legal cases, such as car finance, to pay punters.

True, anyone who piles into an unregulated product dangling 12 per cent returns has largely themselves to blame. As Lucy Castledine, the FCA's consumer investments chief, put it: "Big, fixed returns are a warning sign, not a guarantee."

Yet there are mitigating factors. Many investors are elderly, having succumbed to high-pressure selling techniques from overseas promoters on 20 per cent commissions in Asia, the UAE and South Africa.

They simply plug new rip-off products into sophisticated selling networks. Woodville was promoted by the same crews as 79th Group, the provider of a property-based loan note, offering fixed returns of 15 per cent for a minimum £25,000 investment. It collapsed in April last year owing £250 million to investors. City of London Police said it was investigating a "suspected widespread fraud". 79th Group's operators have denied wrongdoing.

So, how do you make the scammers' lives harder? First, the banks have to do far better. As The Times has previously reported, NatWest continued to receive funds on behalf of 79th Group for at least seven months after the FCA had

tipped off the police and even after four of its operatives were arrested. Lloyds Banking Group is under scrutiny for banking another alleged Ponzi scheme, Godwin Capital, while Barclays is facing questions as the receiving bank for Halcyon Developments Group, where a director has been charged with alleged organised fraud and money laundering. The banks have declined to comment on individual cases, while bigging up their pledge to tackle financial crime.

Second, the likes of Google and Facebook should face more pressure to remove scammers' ads. And third, the FCA and the government need to work closer together.

Whatever its faults, the regulator has since September 2020 been calling for two changes that require legislation. Present rules allow certain investments to be promoted to "sophisticated" investors and those deemed "high net worth". But as the FCA points out, fraudsters get round the first by pressuring people to tick a box self-certifying as "sophisticated", while the high net worth threshold — £100,000 annual income or £250,000 in net assets — is far lower than in, say, the US or Australia. It wants self-certification axed and the net wealth bar raised.

Do that and there's a chance of a bit of improvement: that the next victims of a Ponzi scheme can at least afford to lose their money.

JD gets a kicking

No wonder JD Sports Fashion was so desperate to hang on to Régis Schultz, the chief executive that the group's former chairman, Andrew Higginson, tried to oust — at the cost of his own job. Look what Schultz has come up with now: another profits alert, sending the shares down 14.3 per cent to 80p, or well below the 109p when he joined in September 2022.

Sure, the entire trainers market's had a kicking lately. And Schultz is hamstrung by a lack of new designs: still largely Air Force Is and Dunks at Nike, which is half JD's business, and Gazelles at Adidas. He's tried to diversify, too, into the likes of Hoka and On. Yet it's his fault he ramped up JD's exposure to the US just as discretionary spending is falling, with underlying sales down 6.8 per cent in the past 13 weeks. And despite JD reising back full-year pre-tax profits guidance to as little as £700 million, Panmure Liberum analysts aren't alone in having "little confidence in management guidance after multiple misses".

New chairman Peter Agnefjalk, ex of Ikea, arrives next month. If JD doesn't step up, he'll be tempted to send Schultz (flat) packing.

Keep smiling

A Burnham bounce? Consumer confidence is at its highest since Labour came to power, on GfK data (report, page 34). Learn from Starmergeddon, prime minister, and don't fly confidence-sapping kites ahead of the budget.

alistair.osborne@thetimes.co.uk

---

34

Business

Bitcoin tops $70k as Trump pressures Congress to pass crypto bill

Charlotte Bend

Cryptocurrencies and related stocks rose sharply yesterday after President Trump urged the US Congress to pass legislation establishing clear rules for trading digital assets following a White House meeting with industry leaders on Wednesday.

Trump, who has promised to make America the “crypto capital of the world”, called on senators to pass a “fair version of the Clarity Act”, an industry-backed bill whose progress has stalled.

He also signalled that the US government may buy bitcoin directly at a “sizeable” scale — without giving fur-

ther details on the timeline, amount, or funding source.

Bitcoin jumped 3.6 per cent yesterday, crossing the $70,000 mark to hit its highest level since June. The sudden change hit short-sellers who had been betting against the value of the world’s most traded cryptocurrency: market data suggested the bears had suffered a $3 billion wipeout.

The notoriously volatile digital asset’s price remains well below a 2026 high of $94,820, achieved in mid-January, and an all-time high of $126,198 reached on October 6 last year.

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, if passed, would define whether crypto-

currency qualifies as a security or a commodity, ending a long “jurisdictional turf war” between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over regulation of the sector.

Industry executives and analysts have said that without legislation, regulations are vulnerable to shifting political winds and court challenges.

However, many Democrats, and some Republicans, say they would not support a bill without strong language banning politicians, including Trump, from profiting from their own crypto ventures.

Trump disclosed about $1.4 billion in

Bitcoin price

earnings from his family’s crypto ventures in 2025.

Analyst Bo Pei said: “Trump’s comments are incrementally positive because they suggest the White House

is putting more direct pressure on Congress to get the legislation done.”

Brian Armstrong, chief executive of Coinbase, the biggest US crypto exchange, posted on X following the White House meeting that Trump’s message “was clear: this administration is committed to passing the Clarity Act — answering voters’ call for consistent rules for crypto”. He added: “Congress has set a date, and the entire industry is ready to get this across the finish line.”

The shares of some large crypto firms also rose. Strategy Inc, Coinbase Global, Circle Internet Global and Galaxy Digital were all up at least 4 per cent in lunchtime trading in New York.

Confidence rises to two-year high

Consumer confidence in the UK is at its highest since the aftermath of Labour’s election in the summer of 2024, as households grow more optimistic about their personal finances (Mehreen Khan writes).

A closely watched measure of sentiment, published by GfK, rose two points to -14 this month — the highest reading in two years. It comes in the first full month of Andy Burnham’s premiership and was the best reading since Labour returned to power. The index has gained 11 points since April, when Labour’s

local council election losses triggered a leadership challenge.

Households said they were more likely to make a major purchase in the coming weeks and more said they were optimistic about the state of the economy over the coming year.

Neil Bellamy, the UK director of consumer insights at GfK, a German market research company, said it was “too soon to tell” if the government change was lifting consumer spirits.

“Does all this mean that people have greater faith in the new government to increase growth and job

opportunities? Can consumers finally see an end to the cost of living crisis? It would be tempting to say yes, but frankly it’s too soon to

tell. With inflation back on the rise — now at 2.9 per cent and the highest in four months — and with continued uncertainty in the

Middle East and elsewhere, there are still many challenges ahead that will test the mettle of UK consumers,” he said.

Borough Market in London attracts shoppers with money to spare. The arrival of Andy Burnham, far left, helped ease worries about bills

British households have amassed sizeable savings since the pandemic — offering a buffer to those dealing with higher mortgage costs, rents and a growing tax burden. GfK’s measure of savings intentions fell by five points this month to 22 points. It stood at 30 points a year ago.

Consumer prices rose by more than the Bank of England expected in July on the back of higher gas and energy bills, while food price inflation remained modest despite the knock-on effects on supply chains from the US-East war. A measure of core inflation that removes food and energy, rose by 2.2 per cent over the year — just above the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target.

The Office for National Statistics revised its estimate for economic growth yesterday, up by 0.1 percentage points for 2023 and 2024.

Hays posts its first loss in 20 years

Tom Howard

Professional Services Correspondent

Britain’s biggest listed recruiter has fallen to its first annual loss in more than two decades and tempered suggestions that the hiring market is on its way out of an unprecedented downturn.

Hays fell to an annual pre-tax loss of £54.5 million in the 12 months to the end of June, down from a small profit of £1.5 million in the previous year.

It marked the first time since 2003 — when the company launched a “radical” restructuring that led to it selling other businesses to focus on recruitment — that it has fallen into the red.

After making more money than ever during the pandemic-era “great resignation”, recruiters have seen fee income steadily decline for the past three and a half years. It is the longest slowdown anyone in the industry can remember.

Trade wars, real wars, political up-

heaval, higher payroll taxes and worries about artificial intelligence have made companies reluctant to hire and employees hesitant to move.

As a result, the number of recruiters Hays employs has almost halved since 2022 to 5,194.

Recruiters’ shares have enjoyed a remarkable bounce over the summer after comments from some of Hays’s peers that the backdrop was finally starting to improve.

However, Hays said yesterday that there had been “no significant change to activity levels” in recent weeks compared with what it reported in early July, when it told shareholders that the near-term market backdrop was likely to “remain challenging”.

James Hilton, chief fi-

nancial officer at Hays, said: “It’s not for me to comment on [other companies’] performances. What we’ve seen so far over summer has been a continuation of what we saw [in the spring]. Septem-

ber’s the key month for us. That’ll give us a good gauge of where the business is versus June or March.”

Hays shares, which have doubled since the start of July amid

the growing optimism around the sector, re- treated 3’s p, or 4.8 per cent, to 68p at the close yesterday.

Hays is known for being Britain’s biggest recruiter of qualified accountants, although its largest

Mark Dearnley wants to focus on higher-value roles

specialism is now technology. It is headquartered in London but has offices around the world.

In the 12 months to the end of June the group’s net fee income fell for the third consecutive year, dropping another 8 per cent to £905.5 million from £972.4 million. Trading in Germany and France, as others have also found, remains particularly tough.

Hilton, 48, said: “It’s a really hard market in France. Northern Europe generally is quite challenging. If I think back to the sequencing into this downturn, Europe held up the longest — and now it’s lagging on the recovery.”

The statutory loss before tax was the consequence of a number of “one-off” actions Hays took during the year that its chief executive, Mark Dearnley, thinks will return it to growth.

He wants Hays to concentrate its efforts on higher-value roles in a handful of sectors such as engineering, finance

and technology, in only 16 countries. “It’s all about focus,” Dearnley, 57, said.

As part of this “momentum strategy”, Hays has closed scores of offices, looked to exit a dozen or so countries and restructured some of its back-office and management functions.

All of that has taken about £50 million of annual costs out of the business, and Hays expects to make cost savings of “a similar quantum” over the next year.

Excluding the one-off costs, Hays turned an operating profit of £48.6 million, which is 3 per cent more than the £45.6 million delivered in 2025 and better than the £46 million the company guided towards last month.

The final dividend, to be paid on November 26, was unchanged at 0.29p per share.

Across the year as a whole, Hays paid out a total of 0.44p per share, a third of what it returned in the previous year.

---

35

Business

Rhymer Rigby

Expecting staff to be available on the beach is bad management

A friend was recently told that he needed to be available for at least one call a day on

holiday. When he pushed back, his boss (who is executive level) said: "Well I am, so why do you expect not to be?"

The answer, of course, is that she is several levels above him and earns five times as much. But this got me thinking: what is a reasonable expectation of holiday availability?

I used to think of myself as a holiday fundamentalist. Your holidays are your contractual time off. You should not have to work during them at all. Ideally you shouldn't even think about work. And the idea that you have to make yourself "available" during your time in Tuscany or Thailand or Turkey should be a no-no, as it defeats the point of a holiday.

But then I thought again and remembered calling someone for a quote some years back. I didn't know he was off work and caught him on the beach. He told me he was on holiday and couldn't speak. I really needed the quote (it was the summer, I had a deadline and hardly anyone was around) and so I said: "This will only take two minutes."

He replied very curtly that he was spending precious time with his children and the answer was no. Obviously I wasn't his boss, but this struck me as a bit much. It was a tiny ask — he could have done it off the top of his head in less than the time it took him to tell me I'd crossed a line in the beach sand. And it was also an example of a perfect work favour for the doer — one that costs you nothing but is greatly appreciated by the recipient.

But then again, perhaps I was the third person who'd pestered him that morning. Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his flip-flops.

I recently had an interesting chat with Richard Dana, co-founder and chief executive of Tembo, a mortgage and savings business. He told me that he'd just come back from his first "non-contact" holiday. Up until now, he'd taken a laptop and phone and worked during every break, but earlier this month he spent a week on Isle of Wight, completely off-grid. The reason? "My brain had got really tired and I wanted to relax fully. Plus, I wanted to be around for my family."

Dana says that although he does not expect his staff to be contactable, it's quite a leap to do this as a CEO. "Disconnecting totally was hard to do, but it turned out to be a very positive thing. Next time, I might try two weeks."

In general, this is a noble aim. There's plenty of research that suggests large numbers of workers do not disengage fully on holiday. One survey last year, by the recruitment company Robert Walters, found that half of professionals checked work email while away. Another, by YouGov, put the figure at three in five. Studies also suggest that most people would prefer to switch off fully, and that a failure to do so results in anxiety and reduces the regenerative benefits of the holiday, harming staff productivity in the long run.

It's not only work channels like calls and email, either. Social media such as LinkedIn can keep you partially in work in a slightly more

passive way. In fact, in some industries, even "non-work" platforms like Instagram and Facebook can be a link to the office.

All work against those dreamy moments, perhaps on a Greek clifftop, when the light takes on the tangerine tones of early evening and it occurs to you that you haven't thought about work for two days.

But the ideal of total disconnection isn't always practical. So what is a reasonable amount? I think your level of seniority and your pay are important here. Those in "big" jobs may be required at some point.

There are other factors too: Dana notes that when Tembo was a start-up, being off-grid wasn't practical. Plus there are plenty of times where business and leisure blur, giving us that 21st-century portmanteau "bleisure".

A guy I know who works in finance deals with this pretty well. He recognises that his input may be

needed when deals are being done (and that this can be when he is on holiday), and so he occasionally disappears for an hour to take a call in his Mediterranean villa or ski chalet. But the time is pretty ring-finned. I daresay if you go away for a week, but have to do two calls at pre-arranged times, that's OK. It still feels like a holiday.

Of course, I also know people who are glued to their smartphones on the beach and in restaurants. They never seem to switch off and I think they like it. This is usually not down to their employers' insistence on digital presenteeism; it's down to their need to feel indispensable overriding any notion of unplugging. I don't think this is healthy, but if it's their choice, well fine.

Less fine is some combination of it not being your choice, not being well-defined and you not being a big (or well-paid) cheese. A friend who is a chief executive often talks about locking together power and responsibility and this feels related to that. It's simply not fair to expect those in middling jobs to be available throughout their holidays — because the buck stops elsewhere (and the big bucks accrue elsewhere). It also reflects poorly on the company.

However, if you really struggle — either with your employer's insistence that you are contactable or your own inability to switch off — there is a solution. Go very long haul. In recent years, I've taken holidays in southeast Asia and found myself disconnecting without really thinking about it.

The thing is, when your working (and waking) days are completely out of sync, colleagues and managers tend not to bother you. Being seven time zones ahead means people solve urgent problems themselves. The torrent of thought leadership on your LinkedIn feed slows to a trickle. And your boss decides important calls aren't important enough to do at 8am, their time.

So if you really, don't want to be bothered while away, try. Hawaii

(10 or 11 hours behind), Fiji (11 or 12 hours ahead) or New Zealand (11, 12 or 13 hours ahead).

Rhymer Rigby is a journalist and author. His book The TV MBA is out on October 29

Specsavers founders eye £12m payout on big year

Isabella Fish Retail Editor

The founders of Specsavers are to benefit from a £12 million dividend after low prices and savvy marketing drove a jump in profits at the UK's largest high-street optician chain.

Profit before tax rose 26.6 per cent to £430 million in the year to the end of February, while turnover increased 7 per cent to £4.26 billion.

The Guernsey-based company said it "continued to attract customers to the brand despite a challenging macroeconomic landscape". The dividend was paid to its parent company. It did not issue a dividend last year.

Specsavers was founded in 1984 by the husband-and-wife optometrists Doug and Dame Mary Perkins. The couple, now in their eighties, launched the retail business from their home in Guernsey and took advantage of deregulated advertising laws to pioneer an affordable, accessible model for eye-care. The company operates about 950 UK high street stores and spans more than 2,700 locations globally.

It put marketing at the centre of its business model, which has helped the company boost sales.

Launched in 2002, "Should've gone to Specsavers" is one of the most effective catchphrases in modern advertising. One of its most famous commercials featured a short-sighted farmer who accidentally shaved his fluffy border collie clean after mistaking the dog for one of his sheep.

In its latest accounts, Specsavers noted that while its financial performance remains strong, "there are potential headwinds that need to be factored into our business plans. In particular, movements in foreign exchange rates and inflation will continue to present both challenge and opportunity and our regional plans are constantly being reviewed and updated to respond."

It said it had so far been able to avoid passing increased costs onto its customers, "enabling us to continue to support them through these challenging economic times".

The group ended the latest financial year with net assets of £506.2 million, up from £422.2 million the year before, and cash and cash equivalents of £358.2 million.

Vision Express UK is its largest direct rival on the high street. Backed by the eyewear giant EssilorLusottica, it generally targets a slightly more premium market tier. Boots Opticians makes up the high street's "big three".

---

36

Business

Standard Life, which sponsors the Race for Life charity, wants to buy out funds

Standard Life puts aside £2bn for pension deals

Ben Martin Financial Editor

A £2 billion war chest is being amassed by Standard Life as it prepares for a deal-making spree to take over the biggest legacy pension funds.

The FTSE 100 insurer said yesterday that it was teaming up with a consortium that includes CVC Capital Partners, the Luxembourg-based private equity firm, and the American group

Explore. Plan. And now book with The Times.

The Times and Sunday Times is a unique and trusted source of travel inspiration. Now you can trust us to take you there too.

Call 0808 231 5090 or visit thetimes.com/holidays

TIMES Holidays

Prudential Financial to expand its business that absorbs company pensions.

Known as pension risk transfers, this market has boomed in recent years as higher long-term interest rates have boosted the funding positions of defined benefit (DB) retirement schemes.

This in turn has made it viable for employers to offload the unwanted distraction posed by the assets and liabilities of these legacy plans — which are largely closed and being replaced by defined contribution (DC) schemes — to insurers including Rothexay, Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) and Legal & General.

Standard Life already has a business in this area but has lacked the firepower to go after the biggest pension buyouts. The partnership with the consortium is aimed at putting the British insurer in a stronger position to compete for a larger chunk of the estimated £1.1 trillion of assets held in DB schemes in the UK, over half of which is expected to pass to an insurer through a pension risk transfer deal in the next decade.

"The market is huge," Andy Briggs, Standard Life's chief executive, said. "Historically we've focused on the mid-sized schemes up to about £2 billion in size. This basically gets us into the larger end of the market, which is over half of the total."

The involvement of CVC is the latest move by a private capital firm to focus on pension risk transfers, where competition is already intensifying as other investment firms pile into the market.

Apollo, the American private capital group, has pushed into this area through a £5.7 billion takeover of London-based PIC by Athora, the European insurer backed by Apollo, in a deal that was finalised in March. The following month Brookfield, the Canadian fund management group, com-

pleted its £2.4 billion acquisition of Just Group, another British insurer that pursues pension risk transfers.

Briggs said the interest of players including Apollo and Brookfield "was necessary to fulfil the demand there will be from corporate clients" for transfers. "I've never met a single finance director that is pleased to have a DB scheme," he said. "They all want to offload it if they can and get back to their core manufacturing, or services, or retailing business."

MS&AD Insurance Group, the Japanese company that is Standard Life's biggest shareholder, and Goldman Sachs are also part of the consortium.

Standard Life will fund £500 million of the consortium's initial five-year commitment of up to £2 billion, giving it a 25 per cent economic interest. However, it will hold 51 per cent of the voting rights, giving it control of the new venture, from which it will earn fees.

Separately, the FTSE 100 insurer will also continue to deploy £200 million of capital a year into pension risk transfers of mid-sized retirement schemes through its existing buyout business.

Its tie-up with the consortium is the second significant deal Standard Life has struck this year after it agreed in April to buy Aegon UK for £2 billion, an acquisition that bulks up its workplace pension and retail pension businesses, which are the insurer's two other main operations.

Regulators have increased their scrutiny of pension risk transfers amid concerns about the use by some players of arrangements that move assets and liabilities offshore. Briggs said the new tie-up with the consortium was an onshore approach "and therefore works well from a regulatory perspective".

Standard Life shares closed up 6½p, or 0.7 per cent, at 910½p.

Gulf blockade sinks shares in subsea engineer Ashtead

Robert Lea Industrial Editor

Donald Trump's ongoing hostilities in the Gulf continue to hit the value of Ashtead Technology, the offshore subsea engineer, as its shares fell sharply following a profit warning.

The Iran war and its impact on the oil and gas industry in the region had already put Ashtead under pressure.

Yesterday its admission that it now predicts this year's profits will come in 15 per cent lower than expected sent shares in the company down by a similar amount, with a fall of 70½p, or 16.5 per cent, to 358p. The stock is now trading at less than half its value this time two years ago.

Ashtead is a specialist in providing underwater vehicles, winches and tooling for offshore energy projects, renting out or providing access to equipment. It also advises clients on the best approach and operates the machinery.

The company was formed in the 1980s during the boom time for the North Sea oil and gas industry and has its headquarters near Aberdeen.

Ashtead has a base in Abu Dhabi but the region is not its biggest market, accounting for up to 9 per cent of annual revenues, even though the work there does tend to be higher margin.

What is causing a bigger problem for the group is that traditionally whenever there are shifting demands, Ashtead

has been adept at moving its equipment to where the market is in need. In the current blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf, Ashtead is not only seeing business drop off, but its kit there is locked in, unable to be redeployed to other parts of the world where it can be used.

Last month Ashtead told investors that its financial outturn for this year would be contingent on an easing of the conflict and no changes in project scheduling.

In an unscheduled trading update yesterday, the company reported: "There has been no easing in the Middle East conflict and a number of projects in the region earmarked for the second half of 2026 have now been postponed until 2027.

"The continued and broader economic uncertainty, and changes to vessel scheduling, has also now resulted in some project delays, particularly in Europe and the Americas.

"The board now anticipates full-year revenues to be around 5 per cent below the current market consensus [of £214 million].

"The deferral of rental revenues ... combined with the operating leverage in the business means this is likely to contribute to lower margins and adjusted ebits — underlying operating earnings — around 15 per cent below the market consensus [of £59 million]."

---

37

Business

Revelation of Ocado's mystery partner fails to excite investors

Guy Taylor Retail Correspondent

The announcement that a Danish minnow was the mystery retailer behind Ocado's latest robotic warehouse deal failed to impress investors yesterday, dealing a further blow to the grocery technology group in the battle to restore confidence in its business model.

Shares in the FTSE 250 company fell 4p, or 1.7 per cent, to close at 2335p yesterday after Ocado announced that Nemlig, a pure-play online supermarket with annual sales of about £380 million, was the previously unnamed partner for its next customer fulfilment centre (CFC) in Copenhagen.

Ocado's CFCs — depots where swarms of robots pack online orders — represent the cutting edge of the technology it sells to grocers worldwide. However, the company's cost-to-value has faced intense scrutiny over the past year after two key supermarket partners in North America, Kroger and Sobeys, announced plans to scale back use of the technology.

When Ocado first informed markets in July that it had struck a fresh warehouse deal with a "fast-growing European national retailer", the shares rose by more than 12 per cent, signalling investor relief that the value proposition of its CFCs remained intact.

But while Nemlig is the largest pure-play online supermarket in Denmark, it pales alongside Ocado's previous partnership deals with the North American giants, as well as the Japanese retailer Aeon and even Lotte Shopping of South Korea.

"This deal shows our platform's flexibility in practice and demonstrates how far the efficiency of our technology has come," Tim Steiner, the co-founder and chief executive of Ocado, said.

"Nemlig competes hard on price, and this partnership demonstrates our platform's ability to deliver profitable online economics for even the most price-competitive retailers. Pure-play online

Ocado sells its tech to online grocers

retailers are taking a growing share of the market globally, and partnerships like this continue to show why Ocado's technology is a game-changer."

The deal came in the aftermath of weeks of boardroom turbulence at

Ocado, with Steiner's future looking increasingly uncertain after the chairman, Adam Warby, led an attempted boardroom coup aimed at forcing him out. While certain investors and board members mounted a rungguard action to save Steiner, a timeline for his succession has been laid out and he is expected to step down in 2028.

Stefan Plenge, the chief executive of Nemlig, said: "We are very excited to partner with Ocado and to bring their world-leading automation technology into our operations. This partnership marks an important next step...and will significantly strengthen the efficiency and scalability of our business."

Travelodge facing cost pressures as interim boss takes command

Jessica Newman

Profits at Travelodge were broadly flat in the first half of its financial year as the hotel company said a tighter grip on costs only "partially mitigated" inflationary pressures and higher employment costs.

The budget chain, which operates 632 hotels, reported adjusted underlying profit of £47.9 million in the six months to the end of June, compared with £47.3 million in the same period a year ago.

Despite investing to deliver cost efficiencies, Travelodge said that it still faces "significant inflationary and regulatory pressures", citing increases to the national minimum wage, employer's national insurance contributions and business rates, as well as the multi-year inflationary impact on its rent costs.

"To maintain profitability when we have had to contend with significant inflationary and regulatory cost pressures is a creditable performance, and is a testament to the hard work of our teams and the strategic progress we have made," Ray Reidy, the company's interim chief executive, said.

Revenues for the period rose 4.2 per cent to £491.3 million as the business benefited from high demand for its hotel rooms — particularly in London from people attending Harry Styles concerts at Wembley and the capital's marathon event. Take That's UK tour also buoyed demand in the regions, Travelodge said.

However, demand from corporate customers in the capital had been weaker, it said, which it put down to hot weather during the second quarter.

Sales from its food and beverage offering were up about 8 per cent and re-par — industry speak for revenue per available room, a key industry metric — edged up 0.1 per cent at its UK hotels.

Sales at its Spanish division, which operates 13 hotels, rose 22 per cent in the first half, helping lift underlying profitability by £2.1 million to £3.9 million.

London trading was strong in the first few weeks of the current quarter, offsetting "modest declines in the regions".

Travelodge opened two new lease-hold hotels in the UK

Travelodge, whose boss Jo Boydell has quit, benefited as people attended Wembley concerts by Harry Styles, below

over the period. The pace, it said, reflected "continued development challenges in the UK" such as higher construction costs, planning timeframes and the availability of financing.

The results were announced alongside news that its chief executive Jo Boydell had left the business yesterday following a backlash over how the company handled a sexual assault at one of its hotels.

In December 2022 a woman was sexually assaulted at a Travelodge in Maidenhead by Kyran Smith, who was given a key card after lying to staff saying that he was the woman's boy-

friend. He was jailed in February for seven and a half years. The victim was offered a £30 refund as an apology.

Further reports of guests being given keys to access other people's rooms piled more pressure on both the company and Boydell.

Travelodge said the safety of its customers is "extremely important", adding that as part of an ongoing internal review to improve guest safety and security it has already rolled out extra training for its 12,000 customer-facing employees.

It has also introduced new security measures on room access, meaning a guest must now give explicit permission for an extra or replacement room key to be given out.

Travelodge, the UK's second-largest hotel chain after Whitbread's Premier

Inn, was formed in 1985 when Lord Forte opened its first UK hotel in Burton-upon-Trent.

Since then the company has bounced around between different owners. It became part of Granada Group and was later demerged before being acquired by Permira, the private equity firm, in 2003.

The company was taken over by lenders GoldenTree Asset Management, Goldman Sachs and Avenue Capital through a debt-for-equity swap in 2012, which reduced its debt to £329 million from £635 million. GoldenTree now has full control.

After lockdown forced the closure of its hotels during the Covid pandemic, Travelodge pushed through a restructuring known as a company voluntary arrangement to secure rent cuts.

Behind the story

To many across the hospitality industry, Jo Boydell's departure from Travelodge felt somewhat inevitable (Jessica Newman writes).

The budget hotel chain has been at the centre of a storm this year amid incidents at its hotels. While her exit has been framed as a leadership transition, it highlights the pressure the company is facing to overhaul its safety and security measures.

What has become apparent is that these safety issues were not one-offs.

The primary catalyst for the backlash came in February when a man was jailed for sexually assaulting a female guest at a Travelodge hotel in Maidenhead in December 2022, after he lied to staff to get a key to her room.

Reports of guests being handed keys to other people's rooms continued to come to light. Earlier this month a domestic violence victim claimed she was attacked in her hotel room after reception staff at a Travelodge hotel gave a key to her abuser.

The constant drip-feed of incidents — with the initial response from Boydell coming across as "ham-fisted", according to one industry observer — along with an intervention from Sir Keir Starmer effectively made her position untenable.

Now Travelodge is attempting to turn the page by finding a new boss who will need to implement significant operational changes and ultimately try to repair the chain's reputation.

For the wider hospitality sector, there is no getting away from the fact that these events have served as a wake-up call. In response to the Travelodge scandal, UK Hospitality, the industry body, and its members have been working together to update guest safety protocols for accommodation providers.

The updated guidelines are being finalised and will be published shortly. If any good comes out of this, it will have galvanised the whole industry to take guest safety and security much more seriously.

---

38

Business

Bosses spurn Hamptons for Palantir's bootcamp

Louisa Clarence-Smith

US Business Editor

Alex Karp, chief executive of Palantir Technologies, acknowledged on Wednesday the paranoia of business leaders who were choosing to spend a hot day in August at a software bootcamp in Manhattan while "bankers are in the Hamptons, explaining to us how the world should work."

He said: "One of the things, interestingly, that makes American business especially so strong is we're in a very, very competitive environment. It's not the same as being at war, but nobody in business is just hanging around pretending your business is going to exist tomorrow, the next day."

The company was hosting its second "sovereignty bootcamp" in less than a month after high demand from executives eager to meet with peers from a range of industries and share insights on how to effectively use its software.

Corporate America, which six months ago was "tokenmaxxing", or encouraging employees to consume a high number of AI tokens as a measure of productivity, is now re-evaluating AI strategies after realising runaway token costs were not translating into a clear return on investment.

Palantir is tapping not just into business leaders' fears over tokens, but concerns they risk handing over their competitive edge to token providers like Anthropic and OpenAI. Which is why the Miami-headquartered firm launched its "sovereignty" campaign in the US this summer, featuring customer bootcamps, billboard advertisements and a nine-point manifesto.

Palantir claims the frontier AI labs could absorb an organisation's institutional knowledge, or "alpha", and eventually monetise it.

Karp told a room full of executives from nearly 100 companies on Wednesday that they had better make sure their "alpha does not leave your building and end up in a competitor's

hands or in a company that will someday compete and try to kill you".

Karp's "sovereign movement" is a sales pitch for Palantir's software, which allows enterprises to swap one AI model for another. While Palantir develops and licenses software platforms, it does not own, sell, or monetise customer data.

Chad Wahlquist, a "forward-deployed architect" at Palantir — a software engineer embedded with customers to solve their problems — said he does not think AI labs are taking enterprise data "exactly" from a company's prompts and turning on them as competitors. Instead, he said businesses are suspicious about AI labs's incentives. They are thinking: "Wait, I'm competing with this. How are they getting this intelligence? What are they doing?"

He said some customers believed the "Silicon Valley software industrial complex" has "found ways over the years to lock me in" and the same could happen with AI models. "I build my business on it, and then I can't change. I have to spend years, millions, hundreds of millions of dollars to change or move things ... Now that I see it's not so easy to switch models, is this a new way that I'm going to get screwed over?"

The terms of service at Anthropic and OpenAI both bar them from using data from business users to train or improve models. However, that does not stop them from potentially monitoring how their tools are used, seeing what customers appear to want and then building products to fill those needs.

Customers are not locked into Palantir's systems, argues Wahlquist. However, he says they will struggle to find a competitor that enables comparable outcomes: "At every point in the stack, you can actually export and take whatever you want with you at any point."

Palantir's sovereignty blitz appears to be resonating. Garrett Mucha, senior director for enterprise analytics at Trinity Industries, a Texas-based railcar manufacturer, told the bootcamp

Executives from nearly 100 companies missed the chance of a Hamptons break for a day spent listening to Alex Karp

Out of the shadows

the company could "blindly throw an AI model" at its rich dataset generated from railcars, but it has to be "incredibly careful ... about the risk of IP leakage".

He added: "Are we about to throw our 50 years of building records over the fence to a frontier model provider? Absolutely not. Palantir, perhaps through dumb luck, has given us the opportunity to retain that IP, and be able to build and scale aggressively from that point."

One executive attending the bootcamp, who did not want to be named,

said: "How do you maximise your business value from that knowledge that you have?" He was at the event to learn from other businesses about how they are dealing with the challenges of such a fast-moving technological environment while managing costs.

"All of these LLM [large language model] companies are changing their terms and moving to consumption-based AI. The cost for this technology is going to go up dramatically. So if you don't have visibility or control over your cost, you may very well erode the value that you seek to create."

American business customers are fast becoming the engine of Palantir's growth, as anxious boardrooms race to demonstrate to investors how they are harnessing AI tools productively. Shares of Palantir climbed nearly 30 per cent in one day at the start of the month after the company revealed that second-quarter US commercial sales rose 149 per cent year-on-year to $764 million, beating analysts' estimates, while US government revenue grew 90 per cent to $809 million.

Palantir now faces the challenge of maintaining its momentum, as rivals

seeking to mimic its business model are popping up all over the place. Amazon Web Services and Microsoft are assembling teams of forward-deployed engineers themselves.

Alex Covrljan, vice-president for digital transformation at Nouryon, a chemicals manufacturer, said the company wanted to work with Palantir over alternatives primarily because of its tech, which has enabled it to "pull that data in and get real-time insights and ... then being able to use that in multiple modalities, with AI, without AI, and the speed that we can get that data".

He also said its outcome-driven pricing model and "phenomenal" forward-deployed engineers were a factor. "For us, Palantir's coming in, like, 'What do you need to do? What's your business problem? Here's our team that can help you solve your business problems'. Versus other platforms that are like, 'Here's the text and the features and the capabilities and, you know, there's other service companies that'll help you map it'. A lot of PowerPoints to review."

He added: "Nobody has yet caught up with what I've seen from Palantir. But who knows if that'll change?"

TikTok UK sets aside $1bn for legal battles with Irish watchdog

TikTok's UK arm has increased the sum set aside for potential legal battles and regulatory investigations to more than $1 billion as a crackdown on social media platforms continues.

Provisions and contingent liabilities for "legal and related matters" rose by more than 13 per cent to about $1.05 billion for the year ending December 2025, according to the filings for TikTok Information Technologies UK, whose operations also cover Europe, Latin America and Africa.

TikTok said it recorded liabilities when it was "probable" they would be incurred and total losses could be "reasonably estimated", adding that the outcome of any proceedings was "in-

herently uncertain". The latest accounts show these were driven substantially by ongoing cases and appeals involving Ireland's data watchdog, the Data Protection Commission (DPC).

Last year the DPC imposed a €530 million fine on TikTok for failing to guarantee data from European users sent to China would not be accessed by the Chinese government. It previously fined the group for breaking EU data laws in its handling of children's accounts, such as by putting 13 to 17-year-olds on a public setting by default.

The amounts set aside would not yet factor in the UK government's social media ban for under-16s, which comes into effect in the spring, nor Ofcom's investigation into whether TikTok is failing to protect children from harmful

content, which was announced in July and is still at an "early stage".

Responding to the social media ban, the technology group said it would "continuously monitor regulatory developments of this kind and engage constructively with policymakers, ensuring our safety tools keep pace with the evolving regulatory landscape".

TikTok UK swung to a profit last year after a 45.7 per cent increase in turnover to $9.2 billion. Pre-tax profits rose by $280.4 million from a loss of $616 million the previous year, while it achieved an annual operating profit for the first time of $451.9 million.

TikTok, whose platform serves more than a billion users each month, said 2025 was an "inflection point" in its transition from a "capital investment

phase to sustained operating profitability", adding that the turnaround in part reflected the fact that fixed costs for infrastructure such as data centres were spread across a "larger revenue base".

Performance was also driven by "continued scaling of livestreaming and ecommerce monetisation", TikTok said, referencing the rise of TikTok Shop, the UK's fourth-largest retailer of beauty products after a 60 per cent increase in sales last year.

Total assets rose to $75 billion, alongside a reduction in the group's net liabilities, driven primarily by the issuance of $2.7 billion of share capital and the acknowledgment of a "previously unrecognised deferred tax asset".

Last year TikTok's Chinese owners, ByteDance, announced plans to use ar-

tificial intelligence to tackle harmful content. However, hundreds of British jobs in content moderation were culled as a result, alongside some in its trust and safety teams in southeast Asia.

The proposals enraged unions and campaigners, who called on MPs to stop TikTok "sacrificing online safety with mass AI-driven job cuts". Sacked moderators launched a legal challenge in January, accusing the company of "oppressive and intimidating" union-busting, which it strongly denied.

Average monthly headcount across TikTok UK and its international subsidiaries fell by more than 1,000 year-on-year to 6,842. Those in operational and administration roles dropped to 4,671 from 5,289, while those in sales and marketing fell to 1,834 from 2,330.

---

39

Markets Business

John Ficenec Tempus

Buy, sell or hold: today's best share tips

Africa is proving upwardly mobile

AIRTEL AFRICA

Market cap £12 billion

Customers 189 million

Airtel Africa was one of the best-performing FTSE 100 companies last year as buoyant profits led to the shares doubling in value. It has stumbled this year as increased capital spending and the delayed float of the money business troubled investors but as growth and profits have continued, the stock is looking good value again.

The market dynamics are attractive, to put it mildly, as it is exposed to the youngest and fastest-growing population in the world. More customers use more mobile phones to access more data every year. In stark contrast to mature markets across Europe, average revenue per user increased to $3.30 at the end of June, up from $2.80 a year earlier. Multiply that by the close to 20 million new customers added during the year and it is easy to see why results are motoring.

Those dynamics helped revenue increase 31 per cent to $1.85 billion and pre-tax profits rise 32 per cent to $360 million during the first quarter ended June, once adjusted for currency movements.

One thing to be aware of is currency movement. Taking Nigeria as an example — Airtel's biggest market, worth nearly a quarter of total revenue — the naira collapsed by 75 per cent against the dollar, reaching a low at the end of 2024. Since then, it has slowly recovered as the dollar has weakened, easing the pressure on debt repayments, and

Cash call

Share price

ADVICE Buy

WHY: Rapid profit growth, cash generation and a fast-growing market make the shares attractive following a sell-off

higher commodity prices have also helped national budgets.

The rest of the business includes 47 per cent in east African countries such as Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, while the balance of 28 per cent of revenue is in francophone countries such as Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Republic of Congo and Seychelles. The currency movements across most have mirrored Nigeria.

There is a generational shift in

Financials

behaviour, where customers in Africa are increasingly managing payments and finances on their phone, rather than through a traditional bank account app. The mobile money division experienced a 26 per cent revenue increase in constant currency during the first quarter and now contributes 22 per cent of the group, the balance being made up by mobile voice and data parts of the business, which are responsible for 35 per cent and 40 per cent of the revenue, which increased 11 per cent and 27 per cent in constant currency. One area that surprised investors was capital spending, which more than tripled in the first quarter to $389 million, up from $121 million a year earlier. The target for the year is $11 billion as the group improves coverage and expands the fibre network. Even with this spending

Airtel still generates plenty of cash, with operating free cashflow of $539 million during the three months ended June, largely flat on the same period last year.

The other factor to consider is Sunil Bharti Mittal, owner of the ultimate parent group Bharti Airtel. Mittal is also the single largest shareholder in BT, at 25 per cent, but was blocked by the UK government from increasing his stake on national security grounds in May.

The Airtel money division was due to be floated separately in what would have been one of the biggest fintech floats of the year, with a value of up to £10 billion, but the initial June deadline has been and gone. Management insists that it is still due for this year, but they are yet to decide which banks will even manage the deal.

Analysts from investment bank Citi expect another 40 per cent jump in pre-tax profits to $1.95 billion in the year to March, giving 27 cents, or 20p, in earnings per share. That would leave the shares trading on 16.4 times forecast earnings, much more reasonable than the 21 times they were at the start of the year. We should get a clearer picture on progress at the half-year results due on October 30.

This high-growth option comes with currency risk and you need to be comfortable being a passenger for Mittal's grand ambitions. That said, the shares have already quadrupled from the 80p at which they came to market in 2019. If the dollar stays weak and commodity prices stay high, then the growth should remain highly profitable, so we're happy to join the ride.

Higher FTSE 100 bucks trend of global markets

MARKET REPORT

Against the prevailing direction of global equity markets yesterday, the FTSE 100 proved to be a rare winner (Robert Miller writes).

While rival European exchanges continued their run of negative sessions, London's main index closed higher for a third consecutive trading day albeit with a modest gain of just 4.81 points, or 0.04 per cent, to 10,748.16.

The rise was all the more remarkable when some firms had their shares trading without the right to the next dividend. These included InterContinental Hotels Group, down 2p, or 1.2 per cent, to 1595p and Legal & General, 1l5p, or 3.9 per cent, lower at 2865p.

The downward drag on stocks trading ex-dividend was evident in the case of Anglo American, which fell 49p, or 1.2 per cent, to £39.66 on a day when rival miners were making most of the gains even though the price of industrial metals trended lower. Rio Tinto, for example, rose 116p, or 1.6 per cent, to £75.04 and Glencore was up 45p, or 0.8 per cent, at 5845p. Engineer Weir Group hitched a ride on upbeat sentiment across the mining and industrial sectors with a table topping rise of 108p, or 4.1 per cent, to £2750.

Wall Street report

The relief that swept the bond market after the Treasury stepped in to calm investors lasted less than a day as high oil prices, inflation worries and the US debt of $40 trillion dampened sentiment. Traditional retailer Walmart was one of the biggest follow, down 9.2 per cent, after disappointing results. The S&P 500 shed 66.82 points, or 0.9 per cent, to 7,641.16 as the Nasdaq fell 263.92 points, or 1 per cent, to 26,067.17. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 703.84 points, or 1.3 per cent, at 52,759.21.

The day's biggest movers

Company	Owners
Weir	4.1%
Fresnillo	2.7%
BP	2.4%
Endowour Mining	2.1%
Diageo	2.0%
Barratt Bodrow	-2.1%
Markx & Spencer	-2.1%
Compass Group	-2.1%
Burberry	-2.5%
JD Sports Fashion	-14.3%

The Guinness brewer Diageo was seen as a safe bet for risk-averse investors

More risk-averse investors sought out companies with premium brands, which they reason benefit from a "demand floor". Guinness owner Diageo climbed 34p, or 2 per cent, to £17.24 while Unilever, with a portfolio ranging from Colman's mustard to Vaseline, rose 101p, or 0.2 per cent, to £46.49.

The biggest loser on the FTSE 100, by a large margin, was JD Sports Fashion, down 135p, or 14.3 per cent, at 80p, after the self-styled "King of Trainers" issued a profit warning.

The FTSE 250 closed down 134.86 points, or 0.6 per cent, at 24,508.66. The

losses might have been greater but for the miners providing gains, with Pan African Resources up 101p, or 8.9 per cent, to 129p and Hochschild Mining 44p, or 7.9 per cent, higher at 598p.

The stand-out winner on the index for a second day was Oxford Nanopore, up 245p, or 17.8 per cent, at 1640p after the gene-sequencing company set a target to make $1 billion-plus revenue.

At the other end was Transline, down 185p, or 9 per cent, at 190p, extending a two-day sell-off after the Competition and Markets Authority launched a formal inquiry into "drip pricing".

NEWS IN BRIEF

CVC mulls Aldermore offer

The private equity giant that backs Breitling watches and Six Nations rugby is mulling a possible bid for Aldermore, the specialist UK bank that is embroiled in the multibillion-pound motor finance scandal.

CVC Capital Partners is considering a takeover offer for Aldermore, which has been put up for sale by its South African owner, FirstRand, Sky News reported yesterday.

FirstRand is seeking to offload Aldermore amid frustration at plans by the Financial Conduct Authority, the City regulator, to force tenders across the car loans industry to pay an estimated £75 billion in compensation to motorists who were mis-sold motor finance. Aldermore is a player in the car loans market through its Motolowo business.

FirstRand, a financial-services group, said in April that it had set aside £750 million for the redress scheme and that it was looking for a buyer for Aldermore.

CVC declined to comment on its interest in Aldermore. The private equity firm, which is based in Luxembourg, is one of several suitors that are expected to have tilts at the British banking business. The deadline for bids is next month and Lloyds Banking Group is also rumoured to be considering an offer.

The redress scheme is being held up by legal challenges, including from three lenders that say it is unlawful.

Pastry merger ruling

The Competition and Markets Authority has ordered Vandemoortele to sell its dough factory in Worcester and sales operation in Staines-upon-Thames after an investigation into its merger with Delifrance. The regulator said the merger would "substantially reduce competition" in the supply of frozen viennoisette products. The forced sales would "restore the competitive constraint that would otherwise be lost as a result of the merger," the CMA said. "Transferring Vandemoortele's UK sales operations to an independent operator will protect competition and help keep prices in check for consumers."

Boohoo fined €2.3m

Fast fashion firm Boohoo has been fined €2.3 million by the French consumer watchdog over misleading prices. The regulator said Manchester-based Boohoo had given shoppers a false impression about discounts being offered on the French version of its website either by not taking previously applied promotions into account, or increasing prices before applying a discount. It found 95 per cent of the listings analysed failed to comply with its rules, with 40 per cent offering no price reduction, 7 per cent offering a smaller discount than advertised and 48 per cent actually increasing prices.

Al spending hits Alibaba

China's Alibaba reported a 75 per cent fall in quarterly net profit yesterday as the tech giant heavily ramped up AI capital expenditure, betting on future growth in its enterprise cloud and AI model services. The group reported a 9 per cent rise in revenue between April and June, as strong AI demand fuelled growth in its cloud business. Demand for the cloud computing power needed to train and run enterprise AI systems has surged, benefiting China's largest technology companies. Eddie Wu, the chief executive, said that Alibaba expects to break even on AI-related investments within the next three years.

---

---

THE TIMES | Friday, August 21 2026

41

Business

The Times unit trust information service

	Soft	Buy	+/-	Ytd %
ALLIANCE GLOBAL INVESTORS
Inv Serv: 020 7065 1400 Helpline: 0800 317 973
Strategic Bond Fund	129.87		-0.19	0.88
UK Equity A	397.83		-2.24	3.97
UK Growth I	1029.68		-0.91	2.25

AHTEMIS FUND MGRS

0800 092 2051

Authorized Inv Funds

Global Income Fund A Inc	579.87	-1.56
Global Income Fund B Inc	323.00	-0.49
Global Invest Fund B	227.37	1.09
High Income Fund B Inc I	66.79	-0.03
Income Fund B Inc I	99.61	-2.42
Income Fund B Inc I	304.71	-0.93
Monthly Debt A B Inc I	92.07	-0.14
Inter/Exp Corp Equity B	1089.78	-4.94
Inter/Exp Global Equity B	1451.71	-1.62
Inter/Exp UK Equity B	1087.97	-11.64
Strategic Invest A Inc I	96.71	-0.18
Strategic B A B Inc I	416.39	-0.05
Strategic B A B Inc I	52.61	-0.02
Strategic B A B Inc I	216.17	-0.84
Strategic B B B Inc I	52.06	-0.02
UK Select A Inc I	1316.83	-5.22
UK Smaller Can B Inc I	1329.24	-1.99
UK Special Sits A Inc I	1095.11	-1.28

AXA FRANKINGTON UNIT MGMT

Bring: 0845 602 1952 Pror: County:0545 777 9311

Month I	3467	-49.00
UK Select Signs Inc I	2122	-1.00
UK Smt Can Inc I	258.4	-3.50
UK Smt Expy B Dis I	233.8	-0.10

AXA FUND MANAGERS

Admin & Exp 0117 909 0000

UK Global Investment Companies

Global Exch Ac-E I	208.1	0.52
Japan Acc A I	162.3	1.91

CIS UNIT MANAGERS

00057 66 66 66

European Growth I	295.4	-0.03	1.14
Sun Leaders I	1016	-0.10	1.47
UK Growth I/P	1078.4	-0.02	1.49
UK Income I/P	257.1	-0.08	3.03

CLOSE FUND MANAGEMENT

Dealing: 020 7426 6232

Winchester I	5687.29	-44.16	0.60

COLUMBIA THREADMEDLE INVESTMENTS

Exp:0079 601 6333 Dealing: 0070 6483

Share Class 5 Retail

Euro Exch A Inc I	1092	-0	0.10
FTSE 100 Inv Fund I	745.4	-0.1	2.70
Global Exch S/O I	267.1	-0.2	-
Strategic Bd I	228.5		3.90

EDRYTREE INV MGMT

0800 393 3010

Sect Eur Expy A Dis I	493.5	-0.48	1.86
Sect Ssh Expy A Dis I	457.6	-1.68	0.93
Sect Expy Income I	640.1	-0.94	4.66
Sect Sterling Bond A Dis I	134.95	-0.02	4.97
Sect UK Expy A Dis I/P	258.7	-0.99	1.79
Sect UK Expy Expy A Dis I	326.7	-0.48	1.46

FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL

Private Cnto:0800 414161 Broker Dtys:0800 414185

Amer Spec I	2989	-
American I	3981	-
Amer Spec I	736.7	0.42
European I	4486	0.73
Global Trans I	3649	-
Global High Income Fund A	1217	6.70
Global Special Sits I	6000	-
Japan I	994.5	0.31
Manuslder Bat I	40.5	3.55
Manuslder Bat I	28.22	5.00
Manuslder S&I Bat I	200.45	2.50
Special Sits I	2449	1.66

	Soft	Buy	+/-	Ytd %
UK Opportunities Fund A Dis	1203.1		1.92

HALIFAX INVESTMENT FUND MGRS

01296 006 006

Authorized Inv Funds

Share Class 1

Corporate Bond I	37.25	-	4.76
Ind Exch I	214.8	-	0.46
UK FTSE 100 IT I	100.1	-	-
UK FTSE 101 I/O	129.0	-	-

HSBC GLOBAL ASSET MGMT (UK)

Exp:0070 749 6123 Dty:0007 745 6124 Mew F140 4

HSBC Index Tracker Investment Funds (IDIC)

Amer Ind Acc I	1659	-6	0.79
Euro Ind Acc I	1045	-	2.36
Euro Ind Acc I	2269	-	2.51
FTSE 100 Ind Acc I	437.2	-0.1	2.52
FTSE 100 Ind Inc I	237.9	-	2.67
FTSE 250 Ind Acc I	408.7	-1.6	2.07
FTSE 250 Ind Inc I	221.6	-0.9	2.06
FTSE 410 Acc I	1102	-2	2.44
FTSE FTSE 410 Ind I	499.6	-0.5	2.02
Japan Ind Acc I	231.4	-1.7	1.46
Japan Ind Inc I	167.9	-1.3	1.56
Pacific Ind Acc I	1066	-17	1.55
Pacific Ind Inc I	603.2	-9.6	1.50

HSBC Investment Funds (IDIC) Retail Share Class

Corp Bn Inc I/P	312.1	-0.2	4.29
Income Acc I	1062	-	3.28
Monthly Inv Inc I/P	312.4	-	1.75
Monthly Inv Inc I/P	320.9	-	4.02
UK GrtA A Inc Bat A Inc I/2215.9	-	-0.8	3.03
UK GrtA A Inc Bat B Inc I/206.02	-	-0.30	3.99

HSBC Specialist Investment Fds (IDIC)

American Index Retail Inc I	1244	-6	0.77

INVESTD FUND MGRS LTD

Bring:0800 800 8575 Inv Serv:0800 805 8677

Bmr Serv:0800 020 2121

Invoice Funds

Corp Bond I	230.94	-	6.05
High Income Dis I	426.01	-	3.36
Income & Growth Dis I	368.11	-	3.13
Income Acc I	1007.02	-	2.06
Money Acc I	187.99	-	3.64
Monthly Inv Plus Dis I	92.1	-	5.76
UK Deps (Mr Acc I)	1364.79	-	1.46
UK Smt Can Expy Acc I	1250.9	-	1.21

INVESTIC FUND MGRS LTD

Broker Support and Dealing: 020 7997 1906

IDIC Series 1, 6.61 & iv

American A Acc I	674.97	-5.15	-
Cardless Managed A Acc I/471.36	-1.29	2.64	-
Cardless Managed A Inc I/169.97	-0.72	2.52	-
Diversified Growth A Acc I/151.83	-2.21	0.21	-
Diversified Growth Inc I/ 122.11	-0.01	0.96	-
Diversified Income A Acc I/316.47	-0.41	3.09	-
Diversified Income A Inc I/ 67.79	-0.07	5.26	-
Energy Mkt Books Unit A I/ 134.12	-4.25	5.70	-
Energy Mkt Books Unit A Inc I/ 61.5	-0.12	7.40	-
Emerger Mkt Exports A Ac I/95.29	-4.37	0.04	-
Emerger Mkt Leaders A Ac I/205.99	-131.94	-	-
Global Equity A Acc I	299.71	-1.51	-
Global Translkty A Acc I	402.96	-1.39	-
Global Free Enterprise A Ac I/203.04	-0.74	-	-
Global Exch A Acc I	484.09	-44.56	-
Global Special Shatters A Ac I/125.01	-1.12	-	-
Global Special Shatters A Inc I/68.02	-0.06	-	-

	Soft	Buy	+/-	Ytd %
UK Special Shatters A Ac I/495.6	-	-	-4.68	1.95
UK Special Shatters A Inc I/92.70	-	-	1.6	1.06

Our ISIS Asset Mgmt are FGC F4 Mgmt Ltd (IDIC)

JAMES HENDERSON INVESTORS

American Serv: 0000 822 031 Dtys:0549 946 4446

UK Grtts Exch A Inc I	113.4	-	4.59
Exch Dts Bn II Smt Inc I/95.26	-	-	5.89
Cardless Managed B A Inc I/95.6	-	-	3.85
Cardless Managed B Inc I/ 201.6	-	-	5.89
Other Exp Fund A Acc I	1289	-7	3.22
Corp Mkt's Expy B A Inc I/80.2	-	-	-
Corp Ssh Expy B A Inc I/ 0207	-	-	0.3
Divs Exch A Inc A Inc I/ 0208	-	-	0.98
Global Equity Fund Acc I	4536	-	-
Global Exch Exch A Inc I/ 0210	-	-	-2.2
Global Exch S & Inc I/ 0211	-	-	-2.2
Corp Ssh Exch A Inc I/ 0212	-	-	0.76
All Blue Active S & A Inc I/ 2167	-	-0.1	1.29
All Blue Active S & A Inc I/ 2167	-	-	-2.6
All Blue Active S & A Inc I/ 2167	-	-	2.6
Sterling Bond A S & Inc I/ 2261	-	-	4.26
Sterling Bond A S & Inc I/ 2261	-	-	4.26
Strategic Bond A Inc I/ 95.39	-	-	5.76
UK Smt A S & A Inc I/ 206.4	-	-0.1	2.13
UK Exch S & A Inc I/ 206.4	-	-0.1	2.13
US Growth Fund A Acc I/ 2969	-	-18	-

J.P. MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT

IDIC

UK Exchs (v) & Inc I/ 0594.000	-6.3000	2.94

APPTISE UT TRUST MANAGERS LTD

0100 7961 5000

Wolfshafer A Growth I	123.47	-5.3600	2.93
Euro Special Sits I	566	-4.2774	4.21
European I	2952.93	-5.2021	0.61
Financial Exps I	1152.97	-1.6961	1.65
Other Items M1 S&P M2	436.77	-4.7079	2.81
Martin Sol Acc I	244.67	-4.7039	2.26
Martin Growth A	624.06	-4.3245	6.29

	Soft	Buy	+/-	Ytd %
Extra Income Inc I	612.22	-0.35	5.13	-
Gift & Free Int Inc I	46.76	-0.07	6.79	-
GI Wt Tel Bn Inc I	39.07	-0.04	6.27	-
Index Growth Bn Inc I	241.36	-0.49	2.06	-
Index Free Int Inc I	1601.68	-0.62	3.03	-
Short Global Corp Bd Inc I	35.35	-0.01	4.29	-
UK Select A Inc I	1002.72	-131.25	2.46	-

Sterling Class A Investment Funds 3

Corp Bd A Inc I/P	32.60	-0.63	5.10
Dividend Inc I/P	46.00	-0.08	5.42
Dividend A Bm I/P	241.36	-0.46	2.63
Jmt Can Bm I/P	461.49	-0.51	2.03

Sterling Class A Investment Funds 4

Schade Allocation A Inc I/2168.02	-0.38	5.02

MARKS & SPENCER UNIT TRUST

0800 005 5555

High Income I	36.96	-	4.60
High Income Acc I	296.2	-	4.60
UK Grit Comp Bn I	102.1	-	5.22
UK Grit Comp Bn I	315.3	-	5.22
UK Select Part I	410.9	-	2.96
UK Select Part Acc I	1099.5	-	2.96
All India Mgt Acc I/P	1102	-	0.20
Worldwide Mgt Acc I/P	741.8	-	0.20

MORGAN STANLEY INVESTMENT MGMT

Exporters: 0800 9961 962

The Morgan Stanley Funds (UK)

Class A Shares

Equity

Gold Sol Inc I T Acc I	1049.48	-	1.64
Gold Sol Inc T T Acc I	355.63	-	1.91
Gold Sol Inc T T Acc I	794.49	-	1.94
Gold Sol Inc T T Acc I	1096.53	-	1.67
Gold Sol Smt T T Acc I	1096.45	-	1.67
Gold Sol Smt T T Acc I	1093.95	-	1.69
Gold Sol Smt T T Acc I	1054.12	-	1.71
Gold Sol Smt T T Acc I	985.45	-	1.60
Gold St Smt Smt T Acc I	1106.66	-	4.11
Gold St Eq Fund I Acc I	2742.25	-	4.21
Gold St Eq Fund I Inc I	1169.06	-	4.90
Gold St Smt I Do (Ptt) 1016.52	0.0	-	0.12

Estate for

fire new

TIMES ratio

Martin Inv Acc I/P	367.07	-0.2211	2.48
Martin Pacific Inv	402.45	-0.3112	2.47
UK Energy Exports A Ac I/95.26	-0.0900	1.31	-
UK Growth I	330.9	-0.0900	0.69
UK Exports Fund I	1009.32	-0.2425	0.28

LEGAL & GENERAL (UT MANGRS) LTD

Exporters: 0070 050 0935 Dealing: 0070 050 0956

Euro Ind Acc I/P	368.4	-0.1	1.96
Euro Ind Inc I/P	400	-0.1	1.96
Fixed Net Inc I	109.9	-	0.68
Fixed Int Bn I	61.97	-0.01	0.60
Fixed Pacific I	120	-0.1	0.58
High Inv Acc I/P	354.5	-0.2	5.70
Index Std Acc I	131	-1	1.39
Pacific Ind Acc I	426.1	-1.7	1.46
All Index Total Acc I	529.6	-0.2	2.05
All Index Total Bn I	531.8	-0.2	2.05
US Sol Acc I	1405	-1	0.50
Worldwide Acc I	466	-0.4	0.36

M&G SECURITIES

Exp:0000 749 290 Dealing Line: 0000 320 3196

Authorized Inv Funds

Overhead Inv I/P	1097.35	-0.71	5.19

Sterling Class A Investment Funds 2

Gold St Fund I Inc (Ptt) 1049.05	0.01
Gold St Fund I Inc (Ptt) 1056.26	0.01
Gold St Fund I Inc (Ptt) 1060.39	0.01
Gold Exch Fund I Inc (Ptt) 1146.05	0.01
Gold Exch Fund I Inc (Ptt) 1149.95	0.01
Gold Exch Fund I Inc (Ptt) 1161.39	0.01
Gold Exch Fund I Inc (Ptt) 1161.37	0.01
Top Corp Bond I T Acc I	1149.22
Top Corp Bond I T Inc I	97.8
Top Corp Bond I T Inc I	1277.25
Top Corp Bond I T Acc I	1051
US Adv I T Acc I	2952.38
US Adv I T Acc (Ptt) I	1487.90
US Adv I T Acc I	2952.70
US Adv I T Acc (Ptt) I	2048.54

SANTANDER UNIT TST MGRS

00457 613002

Equity Inv Inc I	216.7	-
Interest 2D Bn I	226.0000	-
UK Interest A Acc I	430.1	-
UK Growth Inv I	312.2	-

SCOTTON MUTUAL INV MINGRES LTD

0541 240 6100

For Eartners Inc	667.0700	649.0700
Interest For Eartners	1379.0100	1346.5000
Interest UK Eq	1429.4900	1366.3000

	Soft	Buy	+/-	Ytd %
UK Equity Inc	562.2300	593.3000	-	7.01

SCOTTON WIDONS-UNIT TRUST MINERS

0545 500 2104

Overseas Growth Investment Funds

Tracker & Special Investment Funds

UK Tnts A Acc I	-	-	-1.29	2.96
UK Tnts A Inc I	274.0	-	-0.68	2.90

UK & Income Investment Funds

Corp Bond A Acc I/P	320.3	-0.48	4.28
Corp Bond A Inc I/P	107.7	-0.29	4.20
Extrk from A Acc I	467.2	-3.38	3.53
All Inv Bond A Acc I/P	388.3	-1.79	6.98
All Inv Bond A Inc I/P	76.75	-0.36	6.46
All Inv A Acc I	546.1	-1.29	5.70
All Inv A Inc I	255.4	-0.39	3.68
Strat In A Acc I/P	220.3	-0.29	0.60
Strat In A Inc I/P	36.02	-0.09	4.68
UK Eq Total A I	135.7	-0.38	2.90

IDIC & Class

UK Tnts B Acc I	667.0	-1.39	2.60
UK Tnts B Inc I	272.5	-0.68	2.60

IDIC & Class

UK Eq Tnc C I	122.5	-0.29	2.60

STANDARD LIFE INVESTMENTS

0545 279 3003

Investment Funds (IDIC) Retail Shares

---

42

Business

EQUITY PRICES

Dividend yields Please note dividend yields are supplied by UIC Data Services. The yield is the sum of a company's annual 12-month dividend payments divided by the last day's closing share price.

12-month high and low High/low prices for UK equities and investment trusts are based on intra-day figures.

12-monthHigh Low Company		Price (p)	Forecast +/ Ytd% P/E

Automobiles & Part

0%()	03	Active Works Cap	59%	-	2%	-	-0.7

Banking & Finance

007	177	Allenham Group	240%	-	2%	4%	11.1
	51	By Accty FOM	0%	-	-	-	-1.2
4004	2629	Admiral	992%	-	2%	5%	15.9
4425	1965	A/SAT	60%	-	4%	1%	15.9
3050	2037	ASW Corp	299%	-	137%	0.9	-
1538	768	Arbuthnot	10%	-	-	4%	7.9
2761	1987	Amberon Group	236%	-	5%	7%	18.6
1526	1990	Australia A & M	1930%	-	34%	5%	19.4
7492	1992	Jedson	730%	-	5%	5%	18.6
1122	1487	Barra Santander	104%	-	4%	1%	13.9
9542	2012	Banclops	40%	-	7%	5%	11.2
27	8	Blue Star Capital	4%	-	-	-	-2.9
722	612	BP Marsh & Frac	67%	-	-	-	5.5
3551	1212	Bridgeport Grp	322%	-	7%	2%	14.6
1012	1042	Delaware	12%	-	2%	4%	14.4
492	340	City of London Grp	40%	-	-	6%	16.9
3561	1262	Coral Bros	424%	-	-	-	4.3
753	255	CNC Markets	70%	-	-	1%	25.8
2967	2859	Brooklyn Bank	2797%	-	2%	1%	18.2
2	752	FTC Finance Mktg	73%	-	-	0.9	-
2401	136	EFE Special Spp	21%	-	-	-	6.7
69	12	Falcon	67%	-	-	-	1.7
92	58	Inverclyt Ventures	92.92	-	-	4%	13.5
4708	2215	Jersey Capital	4568	-	3%	-	2.6
0	40	General Union	5%	-	1%	2%	16.3
238	194	Hollie & FOM	22%	-	5%	4%	7.7
2904	1297	Hiscox	179%	-	1%	2%	12.9
1613	940	MSBC	1362%	-	5%	1%	16.9
1956	1353	IG Group	130%	-	1%	1%	9.8
204	901	Inspa Asset Mgrs	212%	-	1%	1%	7.2
1304	1029	KCB	206%	-	2%	4%	12.8
1491	1191	MTs Nails (Pldg)	140%	-	5%	4%	10.7
499	1997	Invested	63%	-	36%	4%	6.2
372	58	Investment Co	7%	-	-	-	-
75	48	IP Group	7%	-	5%	1%	9.7
24	41	Jurich Securities	8%	-	5%	4%	2.5
2141	1171	Jupiter Fund Mgrs	16%	-	5%	2%	8.5
834	549	Luxurious Mgrs	199%	-	4%	1%	6.8
5261	2217	Legal & General	106%	-	11%	7%	10.7
2363	1899	Lion Finance Group	17%	-	6%	2%	9.8
3821	2211	General Asset Mgrs	306%	-	8%	4%	20.8
61	35	Lincheon Iron Grp	37%	-	-	8%	17.8
1171	171	Libyris Banking	109%	-	5%	7%	15.7
23	18	HRT Capital	31%	-	-	25%	-
3598	4668	Linden (Ned) Exchange	59%	-	1%	1%	35.8
8671	147	MM&E	342%	-	4%	4%	27.2
5171	1961	Max Group	366%	-	5%	4%	26.9
391	28	Mass Financial Grp	25%	-	5%	1%	4.7
19	31	Marathon Capital	3%	-	-	-	-14.8
1061	901	Metro Bank	178%	-	2%	-	21.9

12-monthHigh Low Company		Price(p)	Forecast+/-Ytd% P/E
2637	1884	National Australia	2808% - 20%
736	1981	NatWest Group	677% - 4%
6251	1982	Radford	42% - 12%
1278	1923	Prudential	101% - 11%
	51	By General Merchants	0%
109	1901	Quillor	193% - 1%
2968	1968	Rothmans Group	256% - 8%
129	199	Amberonl Stamps	321% - 1%
2450	1620	I & K	1000
	45	By Sanoa Loofing	1%
391	421	Scholar REIT	43% - 1%
1991	1991	Scholarsen	501% - 1%
1575	1030	St James's Place	116% - 9%
1276	1197	Standard Chart	155% - 1%
4481	167	Standard Life	922% - 6%
6347	4290	Sun Life Canada	1700% - 80%
61	25	To Tacholo Aves	2%
5208	3613	TBC Bank Grp	475% - 2%
11	35	Sy Tense	1% - 5%
68	1981	Time Finance	97% - 5%
81	35	Yuen	0%
4	31	To Tech	3%
132	75	Venture Banking Gr	76% - 5%
2868	2008	Volcan	2868
7239	5403	Wells Fargo	6228% - 9%
2275	1730	Windsor Bldg Corp	1767% - 34%
311	23	Windsor Investors	20%
1704	4990	Zurich Insurance	5360% - 111%

12-monthHigh Low Company		Price (p)	Forecast +/ Ytd% P/E
2637	1884	National Australia	2808% - 20%
736	1981	NatWest Group	677% - 4%
6251	1982	Radford	42% - 12%
1278	1923	Prudential	101% - 11%
	51	By General Merchants	0%
109	1901	Quillor	193% - 1%
2968	1968	Rothmans Group	256% - 8%
129	199	Amberonl Stamps	321% - 1%
2450	1620	I & K	1000
	45	By Sanoa Loofing	1%
391	421	Scholar REIT	43% - 1%
1991	1991	Scholarsen	501% - 1%
1575	1030	St James's Place	116% - 9%
1276	1197	Standard Chart	155% - 1%
4481	167	Standard Life	922% - 6%
6347	4290	Sun Life Canada	1700% - 80%
61	25	To Tacholo Aves	2%
5208	3613	TBC Bank Grp	475% - 2%
11	35	Sy Tense	1% - 5%
68	1981	Time Finance	97% - 5%
81	35	Yuen	0%
4	31	To Tech	3%
132	75	Venture Banking Gr	76% - 5%
2868	2008	Volcan	2868
7239	5403	Wells Fargo	6228% - 9%
2275	1730	Windsor Bldg Corp	1767% - 34%
311	23	Windsor Investors	20%
1704	4990	Zurich Insurance	5360% - 111%

Construction & Property

1071	1631	Holman	23%	-	4%	9.2
41	41	Aurora Properties	3%	-	5%	-
1111	1132	Jones Holdings	13%	-	5%	4%
973	5401	Esther Realty	860%	-	19%	1%
4181	1351	Barratt Redraw	309%	-	6%	5%
1209	1710	Belleve	211%	-	1%	1%
4442	2796	Berkeley	353%	-	1%	-
1288	3001	Big Yellow Sp	902%	-	4%	5%
460	211	Billington Mktg	40%	-	2%	2%
237	1191	East (Honey)	154%	-	1%	1%
3821	2012	Brooklyn	354%	-	5%	4%
4021	1321	British Land	424%	-	1%	5%
1096	2906	Cardiff Property	270%	-	1%	1%
2296	1449	Bennett London	202%	-	4%	6%
71	41	NCM Johnson	4%	-	-	-
391	11	First Property	1%	-	-	1%
75	29	Halman Hinge	42%	-	-	5%
27	121	Enchman Group	5%	-	5%	2%
438	4071	Gulfland Try Mktg	60%	-	7%	1%
3921	261	Grand Group	23%	-	4%	6%
435	321	Gleason OKS	16%	-	0%	4%
1062	1901	Grafton Ice Units	1025%	-	11%	7%
287	1491	Cochigan	191%	-	1%	4%
377	239	Great Portland Ice	340%	-	5%	1%
3931	2021	Hammerson	17%	-	1%	4%
185	1161	Hannett Group	139%	-	1%	1%
2821	2021	North (Green)	10%	-	5%	1%
2961	1801	Hebra	19%	-	2%	1%

12-monthHigh Low Company		Price(p)	Forecast+/-Ytd% P/E
1461	1021	Belvoiri	84% - 5%
1651	1112	Jones Holdings	139% - 5%
3918	1258	Keller	209% - 64%
8770	8101	Kingspan Group	1963% - 5%
1019	1021	Land Securities	65% - 21%
2361	1271	London/Mark (Prop)	90% - 5%
291	41	Recap Imp Dgr Ed	7% - 5%
1951	1124	Merchids	162% - 21%
66	66	Mohammed Arora	7% - 6%
1	81	Whettler	8% - 6%
5758	3903	Wagner Global	432% - 48%
1868	2838	Moyamaa Claims	306% - 23%
69	691	Westflow REIT	88% - 5%
1359	1364	Capitol	26% - 31%
1335	361	Portier Securities	29% - 6%
1942	1971	Persimmon	1243% - 18%
24	19	Plum Centers	14% - 6%
1871	1971	Private Health Prop	95% - 5%
1351	1361	Portier	30% - 6%
1491	1091	Scholars	408% - 4%
1163	1091	Saolin	100% - 2%
91	85	Secon Imp Dgr & Ins	8% - 6%
4971	463	Sergent	91% - 21%
1091	1091	Johnson Capital	140% - 5%
12	41	UK	8% - 5%
1381	1381	Valuella	126% - 21%
123	1061	Univ Real Estate	95% - 5%
149	204	Univ F D	1% - 1%
231	18	Seque Consol	21% - 5%
2161	1761	Turbo (Money)	82% - 2%
1194	1164	Canin	129% - 21%
1231	1091	Trans Probio	44% - 5%
25	1311	Triton Bldg Bisc	15% - 5%
737	4421	John Group	517% - 4%
1461	1281	Wiley Group	266% - 9%
4340	1281	Workpano Group	55% - 3%
109	159	Wannapl Pn A	92% - 1%

Consumer Goods

129	1121	AEP Restrictions	190% - 21%	2.2	11.2
10	171	Arica	26%	-	1.8
2359	1271	AEP Foods	101% - 8%	1.1	14.2
7315	589	Barr (AS)	60% - 3%	1.1	14.2
5326	3677	British Amer Tob	616% - 48%	1.9	11.9
1376	976	Burberry Group	1056% - 26%	-	-
100	191	CSC Group	98% - 2%	5.5	-
91	21	Capital Metals	4% - 5%	-19.8	-
460	271	Churchill Chie	40%	6.2	10.2
5219	3229	Coca-Cola MBC	444% - 74%	2.2	20.8
2121	521	Lotola	144%	-	6.4
1063	4979	Cosmetics	333% - 38%	1.1	10.1
2142	1291	Diagans	1210% - 34%	1.1	10.1
71	8	Wolfe	9%	-	-0.6
3918	1164	Evans (W.P.)	170% - 8%	1.6	10.8
1151	1161	Evans	14% - 1%	1.7	6.2
2368	1401	Geesei Holdings	0% - 9%	1.1	10.8
2109	1184	Vimbini	1902% - 85%	1.9	19.9
1071	1091	Emerson	163% - 5%	1.8	20.8
76	41	Hudson	7% - 5%	-	-0.1
1881	1091	Wright Food	424% - 21%	1.7	7.9
3612	2671	Imperial Brands	251% - 10%	6.6	10.8
5646	1947	Every Group	7190% - 27%	1.7	21.8
1	1061	Brickie	100% - 5%	1.9	4.4
240	38	Mulberry Group	20% - 1%	-	-16.2
2378	380	Molson	109% - 10%	1.6	16.6
159	252	Morris	10% - 1%	1.5	-
2891	289	Bricki-Drick	10% - 1%	1.9	9.2
1	81	PACTA	0%	-	-0.8

12-monthHigh Low Company		Price(p)	Forecast+/-Ytd% P/E
3772	9097	ActraZeneca	1200% - 18%
31	31	Cambridge Natl Sci	1% - 2%
2091	1591	Camatac	225% - 3%
34	28	Peter & Waver	2% - 2%
2361	51	Lic Animal Health	10% - 10.8
32	21	Lic Vet Stopwicks	2% - 5%
185	85	Future Medical	8% - 4%
1220	1392	Seva	129% - 4%
2202	1289	GSK	1920% - 4%
1611	1611	Genes	8% - 1%
1661	1611	Genes	89% - 1%
2061	1611	Genes	89% - 1%
2061	1611	Genes	89% - 1%
2061	1611	Genes	89% - 1%
2061	1611	Genes	89% - 1%
2061	1611	Genes	89% - 1%

Engineering

991	10	Asian Bell Org	20	-	-	-	-	-	-
2500	1400	Asian Technologies	100%	-	5%	1%	19.5	-	-
1527	1921	Balnecki	111%	-	11%	1%	7.26%	-	-
2348	1274	BAE Systems	100%	-	1%	1%	10.1%	-	-
1000	500	Braine A N/S	100%	-	-	-	-	-	-
1000	1376	Braine Group	250%	-	6%	7%	12.1%	-	-
500	500	Collins	40%	-	2%	2%	12.1%	-	-
91	91	Cip 50 US	0%	-	-	-	-	-	-
1000	1001	Cochigan	10%	-	1%	1%	10.1%	-	-
27	121	Challa	0%	-	-	-	-	-	-
4001	4001	Cochiga Group	50%	-	4%	1%	10.1%	-	-
50	50	Churchill Ctrs Ctr	0%	-	-	-	-	-
1538	1011	Colin	1.6	-	1%	1%	10.1%	-	-
1570	1071	Colin	1.6	-	1%	1%	10.1%	-	-
1271	4671	Cook & Housing	100%	-	5%	1%	10.1%	-	-
3000	9000	Cochans	1062%	-	14%	1%	9.6%	-	-
3228	1994	All & Smith	100%	-	6%	-	10.1%	-	-
1011	60	500 Group	37%	-	2%	-	-	-	-
2101	161	Senior	29%	-	1%	4%	7.08%	-	-
2021	2997	Self Group	2021%	-	-	1%	10.1%	-	-
2791	4001	Smith	200%	-	5%	1%	10.1%	-	-
210	100	Safe Stat	20%	-	12%	1%	21.2%	-	-
250	119	Serrano Cntr	34%	-	5%	1%	17.1%	-	-
3000	9000	Senior Group	245%	-	6%	1%	17.1%	-	-
71	31	Turbo	4%	-	5%	-	-	-	-
1001	1001	Recap Fld	25%	-	5%	2%	11.1%	-	-
1021	67	Panama Tech	0%	-	-	-	-	-	-
1071	1091	Veronica	17%	-	4%	1%	10.1%	-	-
1728	1091	Volvo	51%	-	3%	0%	10.1%	-	-
7000	2254	Wisk	270%	- 10%	-	1%	10.1%	-	-
2060	1921	Power	270%	- 4%	1%	2%	10.1%	-	-

---

43

Business

12 monthHigh Low Company		Price(£)	Y+	ForecastY+ Yr.
8%	Boscel Resources	8%		... 11.1
34%	2018 DNP Group	34%	34	17 24.3
14	7% Sector & Ultra Inc	14%	1	... 19.9
122%	8% Bouquivalle	9%	1	... 13.0
409%	299% BIP	302%	12%	4.5
0	B. Recurrent Energy	0		... 9.6
8%	1% Lehman Minerals	9%	1	... 10.4
5%	8. Cellulose Energy	3%		... 11.4
296%	129% Cellulose Minerals	310%	5	2.3 3.0
3%	1% Glucose Sanitani	1%		... 3.9
14%	22% (Low Asia Metals)	336%	1	5.5 4.0
2%	1% Chertel Ltd	1%		... 1
0	B. Chertel Energy	0		... 4.2
8%	6% Unica	9%		... 0.3
10%	B. Chow Therapeutics	11%		... 2.2
300%	100% DMG Gold	316%	12%	1.6 10.3
8%	6% DMG Minerals	8%		... 4.9
9%	B. Emporex Energy	0		... 6.4
360%	200% Endowment	49%	9	8% 1.9 12.4
20	9% DuPont	27%	1	1% 1.9
0	B. Suresia Mining	2%	1	... 15.7
2%	9% Europe Oil & Gas	1%	1	... 9.5
87%	17% Farnopal	28%		... 4.6
407%	161% Freundel	316%	10	1% 2.0 2.0
30	1% Solution Gold	26%	1	... 7.2
11	2% GCR Resources	12%	1	... 17.0
7%	2% Low Biomed	3%	1	... 8.1
5%	1% Suresia	3%		... 7.9
307%	181% Ekenzone	366%	4	4% 2.1
8%	9% Sea Exploration	8%		... 4.8
4962%	2518% Gold Fields	3299%	5	5% 1.5
21	4% Solids	17%	1	1% 2.0 2.0
2	4% Solids Inc	9%		... 0.9
30%	219 Greatland Resources	70%	26	... 21.1
352%	1% Griffin Mining	22%	10	... 21.0
23%	30% GAF Petroleum	102%	1	1% 20.4
35%	246% Redbuild	59%	44	4% 20.9
35%	297% Waring	472%	2	1% 24.6
9%	B. Inovaid	0		... 2.9
159%	57% DTM Power	106%	1	... 14.4
5%	2% Jubilee Metals	2%		... 3.2
1%	9% GAF (Barnard Rice)	9%		... 5.9
2%	8% HTP Gold and Copper	1%		... 15.2
33%	178% Northern Bio	20%	3	... 6.0
3%	1% London Rice	1%	1	... 4.9
9%	8% Lansdow Resources	9%		... 1.3
4%	2% Lansdow Gold	2%		... 29.9
29%	13% Mureta Exploration	14%	1	... 19.3
8%	4% Mureta Resources	8%		... 6.1
4%	1 Northern Oil & Gas	8%	1	... 6.0
8%	3% Bride Resources	8%		... 10.9
	Bridwells Mining			... 1
4%	11% Dretal Mining	16%	1	... 1
296%	69% Pim African Res	126%	10	1% 29.9
35%	1% Northern Rice	14%	1	... 51.4
27	12% Reformed Group	21%	1	... 3.3
21%	9% Pima Biomed	1%	1	... 4.2
1%	9% Pimel Resources	8%		... 4.0
2%	9% Pima Metals	1		... 4.5
8%	2% Phoma Holdings	2%		... 1.4
93%	67% Pimel	94%	10	0.0 21.4

12 monthHigh Low Company		Price(£)	Y+	ForecastY+ Yr.
3%	2% Procyon Energy	3%		... 4.2
0	8% Doudron	1		... 0.9
14%	39% Reddell Resources	42%		... 10.2
0	B. Red Rock Rice	0		... 4.3
1992%	1992% Fire Tests Ltd	1992%	1	100% 1.9 12.3
912T	4400% Rite Tintal	7004	1	11% 4.5 16.7
8%	8% Roane Resources	8%		... 10.2
57%	100% Sands Gold	31%	5	1.4 6.0
302%	146% Serica Energy	266%	4	6% 6.1 17.3
1592%	1592% Shell	304%	1	19% 4.4 12.5
7	2% Sheila Minerals	5%		... 2.3
11	1% Suresi Energy	1%		... 1.6
27	6% Star Energy	21%	1	... 1.0
4%	8% Suresi Energy	2%		... 2.2
0	B. Suresia Resources	0		... 0.2
0	Suresia Energy	0		... 0.6
8%	B. Turfary Minerals	6%		... 7.2
8%	8% Star Energy	6%		... 4.7
396%	4295% Total Day SE	4752%	5	56% 4.5 12.5
0	B. Tintan Resources	0		... 4.4
29%	3% Tschan Oil	19%	1	1% 67.0
0	B. Oil Oil & Gas	0		... 4.2
11	2% GMS Metals	0		... 4.7
9%	2% GAF Resources	4%	1	... 4.7
0	2% Reformed Energy	3%		... 4.2
1%	9% GAF Resources	1%		... 4.4
4%	2% Jubilee Energy	3		... 4.1
Professional & Support Services
1121%	2900 (Kings)	456%	1	16% 6.0 12.0
42%	464 Amineus Sures	997%		4.5 13.0
13%	1101% PTA Consulting	10%		4% 20.6
206%	1701 Biscuit	1756		2.7 19.5
45%	123 Capita	17%	7%	... 1.9
49%	21 CITS	4%		... 12.4
16%	94 Christia Group	31%		2.3 29.0
1992%	1991 Compress	2239%	1	51% 2.2 26.0
67%	64% Unica Suresia	7%		1.4 12.3
474%	1401 BOC Energy	1217%	1	1% 1.6
3%	10% Platin Gips	34%		4% 26.0
1992%	1991 Diploma	7229	1	3% 0.9 12.7
66%	1981 Bouvard	74%	1	5% 2.0 26.4
125%	70% Excerc	105%	1	2.0
1992%	1991 Experian	2966	1	4% 1.7 24.6
33%	120% Fd Group	142%		4% 7.5 2.5
30%	1981 Hargreaves Sures	42%	1	4% 6.0 8.0
306%	352% Intertek	304%	1	5% 2.0 26.4
2592%	1631% NCT Workpass	176%	1	1% 6.6
172%	1270 Johnson Service	143%	1	2% 1.6 21.4
95%	360 Jauhse	90%		... 20.0
262%	1795 Koc Group	253%	1	1% 19.0
121%	1961 Johnson Life	166%		1% 11.3 12.3
300%	2100 Jauhse Suresia	300%		2% 10.0
29%	104% LTC Property Servs	27%	2	4% 16.7
9%	59% Macfarlane	72%	1	5% 10.3 12.3
106%	64% Muretal Holdings	48%		... 4.0
3%	1% Mureta Ltd	26%		... 2.7
46%	100 Mureta Group	42%	1	4% 4.2 7.7
1992%	1991 Midland Rep	110%	1	8% 1.1 76.1
21%	1190 Mureta Group	200%	1	2% 2.3 31.6
16%	8% Midlilyland	6%		... 4.1
13%	1171 Reformed Consulting	106%		... 19.3
26%	179 Norman Roadlands	19%		... 6.0
10%	64% Northern Rice	106%	1	5% 4.3
107%	130 MRT Group	106%		5% 8.1

12 monthHigh Low Company		Price(£)	Y+	ForecastY+ Yr.
6%	42 PO-Pil-A	62%		... ...
12%	7 Private	18%		... 10.3
12%	7 PHO-A	7%		... 0.4
8%	3% Prometheus Energy	8%		... 1.9
62%	41% Biscuit	6%	1	1% 0.4 12.3
93%	772 Brown Holdings	93%	1	1% 2.0 2.2
50%	1192 Bostelco	94%	1	1% 2.0 4.2
7	1% DMC Global Inc	2%		... 4.0
30	14 Bostelco Food Group	2%		... 4.0
45%	1992 MIA	5%	7%	1% 20.0
23%	85 4TC Group	9%		7% 4.7
11%	68 0901 Holdings	120%	1	5% 4.5
42%	100 Science Group	51%	1	1% 7.7
135%	1121 Sures	256%	2	1% 10.0
1%	74 Smiths News	69%	1	5% 0.9
29	1121 Software Corp	6%	1	... 76.2
52%	1992 MIA Group	20%	1	... 10.9
300%	1121 Silsen	25%	2	4% 21.2
10%	106 Suresia	100%	1	2% 9.5
2	8% Thruclose Group	1%		... 1.3
1%	4% Tissue	1%	1	1% 21.3 10.5
52%	90 Vianet	69%		1% 47.0
49%	1992 LTRAP	462%	1	5% 12.7
Retailing
117%	101% M World	95%	1	... 10.8
269%	146 MDR European	210%	1	5% 4.1 16.5
131%	1992 Leaf Factory	7%	1	5% 4.7 12.3
164%	1962 CTS Group	110%	1	5% 12.0
19%	113 1976 Northern	257%	1	5% 10.0 23.8
19%	707 Snacks	57%	1	1% 0.0 11.3
68%	1990 Nance Group	30%	1	... 9.2
206%	1987 Suresia	101%	1	8% 3.0 15.1
23%	1270 McFadden	210%	1	5% 19.0 24.4
96%	172 Monodon January	79%	1	1% 2.0 16.2
89%	4400% Indosport	352%	1	4% 11.2
1%	9% Smelting Chemicals	8%		... 4.1
106%	44 2R Sports	68%	1	10% 1.9 9.7
171%	1992 Amigallister	100%	1	9% 19.0 23.8
435%	1992 Mureta & Sammon	176%	1	8% 11.2 29.6
1%	9% Mothstone	6%	1	... 4.9
91%	41% Muretal	69%	1	... 7.6
1990	1990 Muretal	69%	1	... 0.8
362%	1991 Duda	210%	1	... 4.9
202%	1971 PHO at Home	210%	1	1% 10.6
57%	200 Pinnamod Tech Group	44%	1	... 92.7
74%	1921 Says	66%	1	... ...
306%	1921 Bairndonry's	120%	1	6% 4.2 10.0
1117%	1795 MRT Smith	41%	1	... 4.7
14%	9% Suresia	12%		... 91.1
520%	4121 Tonsa	448%	1	1% 1.2 16.3
9%	1992 Tonga Mui	59%	1	1% 21.6
Technology
25%	1491 4516 Financial	16%	1	2% 5.0 16.2
50%	1991 McFadden Software	21%	1	2% 29.6
11%	59 Group	6%		... 4.7
2%	1121 MRT AIA Corp	12%	1	... 4.0
3%	1992 Berkeley Inc	2%	1	... 40.5
3%	1% Dardish	1%		... 1.1
19%	59 Embraco Tech	9%	1	3% 3.7 10.0
2%	1121 Cora	11%	1	... 4.1
3%	8% Chowdich	9%		... 9.5
510%	1294 Compalaceor	564%	1	2% 19.4 4.0
28%	1791 Conquered Tech	237%	1	5% 8.0 40.0
13%	6% Cores	7%		... 40.0
166%	100 Conquered	126%	1	2% 3.0 3.0
11%	59 Coresan Toba	67%		... 20.0
3%	1% Conquered Middle	9%		... 6.9
31%	0 100 Stone Group	1%		... 4.2

12 monthHigh Low Company		Price(£)	Y+	ForecastY+ Yr.
8%	0 Property	0		... 0.0
165%	991 1996 Group	113%	1	5% 4.2 21.8
48%	114 1996coe	247%	1	7% ...
26%	1963 1996 Group	156%	1	3% 2.0 4.1
5%	24 1996	26%	1	... 4.4
13%	56 Property	69%	1	5% 4.9 5.0
17%	79 Intertech	113%	1	... 19.9
26%	111 Intertech	14%		... 5.0
72%	45 1996	43%	1	... 11.6
4403%	1121 1st Electronics	1033%	1	8% 1.3 ...
7%	37 1995 Minutare	6%	1	1% 0.9 6.0
13%	0 Science Group	2%		... 0.4
10%	99% Mureta	11%		6% 0.0 0.0
5%	22 Northambe	2%		2% 2.4 1.7
48%	375 Bostel Mureta	39%	1	5% 8.2 42.4
1%	17 Pinnamot Ltd	2%		... 0.0
44%	210 Pinnam	391%	1	10% ... 0.9
57%	1996 China Group	39%		... 0.1
576%	1991 Chowdich	53%	1	2% 26.7
11%	89 1996	10%	1	... 29.2
6%	1% Smelting Machine	6%		... 0.9
6%	35% Suresmator Group	57%		... 1.4
256%	1803 Schofal	104%	1	4% 1.5 30.6
3%	0 World Group	0		... 0.2
1010%	979 1996 Johnson	742%	1	8% 3.1 11.3
110%	1791 The Says Gry	106%	1	1% 1.1 20.0
9%	52% Tsuchita	0%		1% 0.4 4.0
45%	200 Tsuchia	12%	1	5% 0.0 ...
45%	25 Total Group	42%		2% 4.2 1.1
36%	210 Water Initial	34%	1	... 16.2
19%	96% Kail	11%	1	... 26.7
1%	8% Jua Digital	14%		... 4.2
Telecoms
436%	1121 Market Africa	135%	1	2% 1.6 23.8
242%	171 1977 Group	201%	1	1% 4.1 10.3
149%	106 Cores	140%	1	7% 2.0 9.6
126%	647 Universal Coms	969%	1	12% 2.2 13.9
267%	121 Media Towers	20%	1	2% 9.9 74.0
9%	9% New Media	8%		... 0.2
155%	1991 Meda Group	23%	1	... 5.0
7	2% Suresia Mureta	4%		... 0.4
165%	812 1992 Air	101%	1	1% ... ...
Utilities
218%	1931 Cambriac	194%	1	1% 5.7 40.0
92%	1921 Sura Group	53%	1	1% 4.2 10.9
46%	420 Living Electricity	44%		5% 12.3
1400%	1990 National Grid	1106%	1	7% 4.1 26.1
40%	4391 Pannet	458%	1	2% 6.4 23.6
155%	1991 Suwens Trust	189%	1	2% 4.1 25.0
256%	1947 1990	238%	1	3% 2.9 21.6
149%	1973 United Utilities	145%	1	7% 3.0 16.4

INVESTMENT COMPANIES

---

44

Friday August 21 2025 | THE TIMES

Business Recruitment

Join the race for e-sport innovation

Formula E is gaining traction as a sector that is ideal for building an engineering career, Jane Hamilton writes

It's billed as the "live test-bed for the boldest concepts in tech and sustainability", encouraging rising numbers of engineering graduates to plug into a career with Formula E.

In a week where Ferrari's first electric car sold for $40 million at auction — and where UCAS data revealed a 14 per cent surge in acceptances for engineering and technology degrees — the all-electric motorsport is a sector where the UK excels.

At the season's finale in London last weekend, Oxfordshire-based Jaguar TCS Racing clinched the sport's team world championship title, while Taylor Barnard, a 22-year-old driver from Norwich, became the youngest Formula E race winner.

Formula E's fanbase skews younger with almost half of its 422 million global fans aged under 35, ensuring its career appeal with the emerging workforce.

"Formula E helps bring engineering and sustainability to life for young people by demonstrating how technologies developed on the race track can support careers across the wider engineering sector," says James Bamborough, sustainability and net-zero policy manager at the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

"With many world-leading motorsport teams and engineering organisations based here in the UK, Formula E provides a compelling example of how engineering can help tackle global challenges while also opening up exciting career opportunities."

As the cars are designed to race on city streets rather than on tracks, much of the tech is transferable to consumer-market vehicles. Ground-breaking developments include the new GEN4 car which is made entirely from recyclable materials.

This innovation is creating high-paid employment in a number of electric vehicle tech areas. These blend hardware, software and sustainability, including battery engineering to enable fast charging, energy management specialists for optimising power delivery, plus software and data roles such as control systems and simulation.

Industry experts report rising demand for AI-driven analytics, cybersecurity engineers and power electronics specialists, while sustainability-focused positions, such as circular economy experts and materials engineers, are growing. As well as graduates, the industry promotes apprenticeship entry, while the "FIA Girls on Track" initiative offers hands-on activities, workshops and behind-the-scenes access for girls aged 12 to 18 at every race.

As team principal at Jaguar TCS Rac-

'With a passion for learning, you'll be a perfect fit'

Case study

Mari Mitchell is technical lead at Jaguar TCS Racing. The 33-year-old from Leamington Spa said: "A Stem degree helps for engineering roles, but it's not essential. What

matters most is a data-driven mindset and a passion for learning.

"Motorsport development moves at incredible speed — delivering a race car in one year compared to around five years for a road car — so you have to be adaptable.

"Only 1 per cent of racing licences are held

by females in the UK, but I'm hopeful that can improve. Initiatives like Race to Inspire, which showcases opportunities in motorsport, are driving both progress and job applications.

"If you love innovation and fast-paced problem-solving, working in Formula E will be a perfect fit."

Top tips for a future in the fast lane

• Build strong foundations by focusing on Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects or relevant technical skills like data analysis, software and electrical systems. For non-technical roles, develop expertise in marketing, communications or business management.
• Gain hands-on experience by volunteering at local motorsport events.

Internships with automotive companies or racing teams are invaluable. - Stay ahead of industry trends by learning about developments in Formula E. - EV technology, battery systems and data-driven performance. - Network relentlessly by attending motorsport events, trade shows and webinars. You can also easily engage with professionals on

LinkedIn and motorsport forums. - Be flexible and open to change. Many careers start in adjacent industries such as aerospace, tech or renewable energy before transitioning into motorsport. Adaptability is key — roles evolve quickly as technology advances. - Motorsport rewards curiosity and innovation, so never stop upgrading your skill set.

ing and managing director of JLR Motorsport, Ian James is at the forefront of the sector's development. "We need fresh perspectives and diverse skills to keep pushing boundaries," he says. "It's not just about racing, it's about innovation, sustainability and shaping the future of mobility. There's never been a more exciting time to get involved."

Bamborough adds: "The skills driving innovation in Formula E, like those in electrification and battery technology, software, data and energy management, mirror what's needed to support a net-zero future. The demand for engineers continues to grow and inspiring more young people to go after these careers is essential if we're going to build the workforce needed to tackle what's ahead."

Six from the best

As a social entrepreneur, Natalie Campbell helps organisations rethink leadership and opportunity for a changing world. She chairs the Workforce Development Trust and the Trussell Trust, is chancellor of Westminster University and is a leading voice on skills, governance and social impact.

1 Build skills, not job descriptions. Jobs change. Skills travel. The best workforce isn't built for today's roles, but tomorrow's challenges.

2 Stop rewarding busy. The workforce does not need another hero answering emails at midnight. Reward judgment and collaboration.

3 Promote the translators. Every organisation has people who connect departments, generations and ideas. They turn strategy into action and conflict into progress.

4 Design careers with more than one base. Portfolio careers and career breaks build resilience and perspective and better leaders than climbing one uninterrupted ladder.

5 Treat AI like an apprentice. Don't ask whether AI will replace jobs. Ask which skills become more valuable. Curiosity, judgment and creativity are appreciating assets.

6 Make work worth talking about. People don't leave because another employer has beanbags or better coffee. They stay where they grow, contribute and feel trusted.

Appointment of the week

London TravelWatch seeks new board members

London TravelWatch, funded by the London Assembly, is the independent, statutory transport watchdog for London, representing the interests of passengers and road users, and handling unresolved transport complaints, while campaigning for improvements across the capital's public transit and road networks.

This remit includes responding to change — from new forms of transport, climate change, hybrid working, or the cost of living.

There are vacancies for up to three board members, one of whom will serve as deputy chair. Candidates should live in or around London and regularly use its transport system. Applicants will be comfortable in a complex political environment, or bring expertise in using analysis and campaigning to achieve positive change. Interest is particularly welcomed from the rising generations who travel in and around London.

The positions are remunerated with a time commitment of circa two days a month. Board meetings are held in central London and physical attendance is preferred. Apply by September 31 at appointments.thetimes.com

Working week

Staff fear to take holidays

Fears for job security mean 51 per cent of employees did not take their full holiday allowance last year. One in five said holiday was treated as an inconvenience in their organisation, while 17 per cent were worried they would not be seen as a top performer. Breathe HR suggested "holiday boarding" has negative consequences, with those failing to use annual leave twice as likely to take an above-average number of sick days.

'Trust mark' for hiring

Calls are growing to introduce a certified "trust mark", proving job applications were written by a human. Dr Alan Finkel founder of Proudly Human, believes this could break the AI hiring stalemate. "Job recruitment is a human-to-human communication. We need clearer standards of AI use, to encourage recruiters to revert to vetting by humans and encourage applicants to write their own cover letters," he said.

Inspiring young talent

UK business leaders are backing a campaign to support young talent by sharing their personal stories on social media. #WhoBelievedInYou, run by leadership developers Circl, challenges professionals to reflect on their mentors. It is backed by eBay, NatWest and Zoopla. Circl's Charlie Stainforth said: "Our challenge to the professional community today is to actively share that same belief with young talent entering the workforce."

AI-generated expenses

One in 20 UK employees confesses to "regularly" submitting AI-made expenses receipts. Perk, the travel platform, claimed. While staff were almost half as likely to commit expenses fraud compared to the global average, misrepresented claims still cost UK businesses an estimated £320 for each employee who admitted deception. The most misrepresented categories were personal meals, mileage and car-related expenses.

---

Bathrooms designed for independent living

Shower safely.

Bathe comfortably.

Comfortable seats, grab rails & latest safety features

Designed for comfort, style & independence

Fast, expert installation with minimal disruption

Your journey to a safer bathroom

1 Free home consultation

Design advice, a free 3D design and fixed-price quote.

2 Survey & planning

Your dedicated project manager ensures every detail is planned.

3 Expert installation

Professionally fitted in just a few days by your local team.

4 Aftercare & warranty

Enjoy ongoing support and complete peace of mind.

"Safe, easy access bathing can help maintain your independence and wellbeing."

Dr Hilary Jones - GP and Health advisor

"Delighted!"

Everyone was very helpful, friendly and caring. We can't wait to show our family and friends our new wetroom.

MobilityPlus

www.mobility-plus.co.uk

For your FREE brochure call

0800 088 4810

Please quote reference

MCK704

---

We urgently wish to acquire your Cartier, Rolex, Patek Philippe & fine jewellery!

• WATCHES • JEWELLERY • OBJECTS • GOLD POCKET WATCHES • ANTIQUE JEWELLERY

Specialists in ALL diamond set watches especially PIAGET

We are happy to travel anywhere in the country to evaluate your items or you're welcome to visit us by appointment at our Mayfair location. Please see the details below.

Since 1970 we have specialised in buying Rolex, Cartier & fine watches - vintage or modern

Patek Philippe wanted

Gold Pocket watches wanted (even broken)

Piaget wanted & all 18ct watches

call freephone number below to request an insured prepaid Royal Mail Pack

We also purchase these other fine watch and jewellery designer brands:

• Blancpain

• Audemars-Piguet

• Jaeger le Coultre

• Vacheron

Constantin

International (IWC)

• Georges Lenfant

• Sterle

• Charles de Temple

• Suzanne

Belperron

• Boucheron

• Schlumberger

• Lalaounis

• Buccelati

• Andrew Grima

• David Webb

• Marchak

• Gilbert Albert

• John Donald

• Kutchinsky

• Tiffany

• Harry winston

• Van Cleef Arpels

• Chaumet

• Bulgari

• Lacloche Frères

• Patek Philippe

• Piaget

• Gubelin

• Chopard

• Liberty

• Asprey

• Garrard

• Mauboussin

• Zolotas

We are specialists in buying all fine watches old or new, all jewellery antique or modern and all gold.

MARTIN KAYE

WATCHES & JEWELLERY

OPENING SOON IN BRIGHTON!

The Lanes Jewellery & Watch Exchange

9 Brighton Square BN1 1HD

For further details please call FREEPHONE 0800 055 7001.

If lines are busy call Martin K 07885 893190 or email martin@classicwatchcompany.com

MARTIN KAYE WATCHES & JEWELLERY • 12 OLD BOND STREET LONDON W1S 4PN (STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY)

---

47

Counsel to the committee on JFK's assassination

Robert Blakey

Page 48

Register

Obituaries

John Irvin

Director who coaxed Alec Guinness back to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and went on to make the Vietnam War classic Hamburger Hill

Alec Guinness once called John Irvin "a director with balls behind the camera". He was spot on.

When directing Guinness as George Smiley, the retired intelligence officer brought back to active duty in the 1979 adaptation of John le Carré's spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Irvin got into something of a pickle: the first day of shooting called for a scene with Guinness on a location in Primrose Hill, north London, but as the cast and crew assembled Guinness suddenly decided that he was not right for the part and, without a word, began to walk away.

When Irvin saw what was happening he stormed after his star, shouting in a voice that could not be ignored: "Alec! Alec! Come back here!" For several uneasy minutes the crew watched as, in the distance, their director and star got embroiled in an argument that might have brought the production to a close.

When, at last, Guinness returned to the set, he was all smiles and happy to continue. The result was a Bafta-winning series — which also starred Beryl Reid, Patrick Stewart and Ian Richardson — that became an international success, thought by many to be the best television drama yet. It was then the most expensive drama the BBC had ever attempted, partly because Irvin insisted on shooting it on film rather than using studio electronic cameras.

As a result Irvin developed a reputation for being able to handle big stars with sometimes difficult temperaments, and to get fine performances from them. Hollywood came calling. In 1980 he made The Dogs of War (1980), starring Christopher Walken, an adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's bestselling novel about the activities of mercenary soldiers. War was perhaps Irvin's greatest muse. He had chronicled the war in Vietnam and was so embroiled in documenting the war in North Yemen (1962-1970) that MI6 took an interest; Irvin was never enlisted as a spy, he said, because "I was far too left-wing, for a start, but was anti-apartheid, anti-war, anti-nuclear".

The year after The Dogs of War was made Irvin left the battlefield to make Ghost Story, another big-budget film starring Fred Astaire and Douglas Fairbanks Jr about the Chowder Society, a club of four elderly friends whose sessions telling each other ghost stories become haunted by the vengeful spirit of a woman from their past. Ghost Story was not a critical success — it was the last film that Astaire and Fairbanks made — but the film grossed over $24 million and has a cult following.

Irvin's experiences in Vietnam were a strong influence on his critically acclaimed film Hamburger Hill (1987), which depicted the US army's ten-day assault on Hill 93? that resulted in more than 700 dead and wounded and proved to be of no strategic value. Irvin said that members of the crew came to resent his demands that they track the camera on a half-tonne dolly, in the pouring rain, up the steep sides of the muddy, slippery slopes.

Irvin's oeuvre was not restricted to the violence of war; on the website Flashback Files, the journalist Roel Haasen described Irvin as having "as diverse a filmography as possible, jumping from genre to genre, highbrow

Irvin on the set of Hamburger Hill in 1987; right, his film The Dogs of War, 1980; below, Alec Guinness as George Smiley

to low, touching to tough". In 1984 he cast John Hurt to play Bob Champion in a film about the racing world, Champions, about the jockey's struggle with testicular cancer and his triumphant ride on the horse Aldaniti to win the 1981 Grand National. Carl Davis wrote the music and the theme he produced is still played at

Aintree every year on Grand National day. As well as Davis, with whom he had worked since the 1960s, Irvin commissioned Geoffrey Burgon to write the memorable theme for Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy.

"In England, people saw me as an actor's director," Irvin said. "But in Hollywood, after The Dogs of War, I got pigeonholed as a big-budget action guy. I moved back to England so I could get back to making character-driven movies." In 1985 Irvin made the romantic comedy, Turtle Diary, which starred Glenda Jackson as an author of children's books and Ben Kingsley as a shy assistant in a bookshop.

The script, an adaptation of Russell Hoban's 1975 novel and written by Harold Pinter, told the story of the two protagonists plotting to smuggle turtles out of London Zoo and release them into the sea. Four years later he directed Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson in the Appalachian murder mystery Next of Kin and in 1991 made Robin Hood star-

ring Patrick Bergin and a 20-year-old Uma Thurman.

He returned to the subject of war with the 1998 HBO television drama When Trumpets Fade, which depicts the fighting in the Hürtgen Forest, the Allied attempt to break through Germany's Siegfried Line at the end of 1944.

He brought a painter's eye to the film and directed his art department to use the limited palette of colours that he had seen while filming his Vietnam documentary Beautiful Beautiful.

When Trumpets Fade opened in June 1998 in direct competition with the bigger-budget Saving Private Ryan, and Irvin's description of the unheroic nature of war won him critical acclaim.

He was not sentimental about war; he once said that, when the action began to kick off, his first instinct was to get away from harm as quickly as possible. But Irvin followed the journalist Michael Herr's line, that "you can't take the glamour out of war ... it's like trying to take the glamour out of the Rolling Stones".

In 1998 Irvin again turned to comedy drama with the film Widows' Peak, about an eponymous small village in Ireland that is ruled by wealthy widows and upended one day by the arrival of a seductive young American widow — a plot aptly summed up in the tagline, "Scandal, seduction, blackmail and

murder. Thank heavens their husbands aren't alive!" Among the cast were Joan Plowright, Mia Farrow and Natasha Richardson; the screenplay was by Hugh Leonard, the music was composed by Carl Davis, and the story narrated by Jim Broadbent, whose opening dialogue begins, "It was a lovely little town ... a place of peace and quiet until one day a new widow came along."

John Charles Greenway Irvin and his twin brother, David, were born in 1940, in Wallasey, Cheshire, to Elsie (née Bending) and Charles Irvin, a Cambridge-educated engineer who during the war served in the Royal Engineers and laid pipelines in north Africa. John and David did not meet their father until they were five years old as he was away fighting. He died in 1952 when the boys were 12.

Both went to the independent Durham School. Irvin liked to recount an early memory when he escaped the school and made his way into Durham to see a film. While he could not recall the film, he remembered in graphic detail that he was discovered, dragged back and flogged. He was a natural rebel and was seen as being "too arty." To protect himself he took up boxing and became a formidable opponent in the school pugilistic tables.

Irvin decided he did not want to go to university. For a short while he taught Latin in a preparatory school and then enrolled in the London Film School. He left to join British Movietone News where he persuaded the British Film Institute to finance his first film, a documentary called Gala Day (1963), which recorded the annual gathering of coal-

miners and their families, known as the Durham Miners' Gala.

A disciple of the Free Cinema movement, which espoused directing verbi-style documentaries, in the same year he made Inheritance, a short documentary about the war in Algeria, and hired Richard Burton to record the commentary. The film won Irvin his first Bafta, presented to him by Audrey Hepburn. War was a constant in Irvin's life and work. In 1969 he made the documentary Beautiful Beautiful for the BBC Omnibus slot, about war correspondents and photographers, which included pieces on Don McCullin and Larry Burrows.

In the early Seventies, Granada Television commissioned Irvin to make two dramas, The Nearly Man, about a Labour MP, and an adaptation of Charles Dickens's Hard Times starring Timothy West. At Granada Irvin met the producer Jonathan Powell, who soon left to run the BBC series and serials department. There he asked Irvin to direct Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

In 1970 Irvin married Sophie Litchfield with whom he had three children, Emilie, Luke and Amy, who survive him. Sophie died of cancer in 1991.

Irvin had homes in London, Devon and California, but for the last 20 years

War was perhaps his muse but he showed its unheroic nature

of his life divided his time between London and Sussex. In 2009, with Claire Evans, he founded the production company Dear Heart. His final film was Mandela's Gun, a biopic of Nelson Mandela released in 2016.

Irvin enjoyed life at the Garrick Club, where few will forget his strong booming laugh. He delighted in sharing the bottles of rare wine that he stored in the club's cellars and, after a small struggle with his conscience, came to support the club's acceptance of women.

With a strong physical presence and a profile that would have done a Roman emperor proud, Irvin was a leader and on set he could play the general. Yet underneath his occasionally stern exterior was the complex, difficult sensibility of an artist.

John Irvin, film director, was born on May 7, 1940. He died from complications with cancer on August 11, 2026, aged 86

---

48

Register

Robert Blakey

Lawyer behind the Rico statute that broke the mafia's grip on the US who later claimed the Mob had a role in JFK's assassination

Early in his long legal career, while prosecuting a mobster in Pennsylvania, Robert Blakey encountered the defendant in the courthouse gents during a break in the proceedings. "You're doing a good job," the man chuckled, "but you can't win because the rules don't work for you."

The defendant was right. As it stood, the law let prosecutors go after individual members of mafia organisations for specific crimes, but made it almost impossible to convict the leaders of those organisations because they could easily insulate themselves from the crimes they ordered their subordinates to commit. "Law enforcement was like a wolf to a herd of animals," Blakey told The New York Times much later. "Prosecutors... picked off the sick and wounded, and only made the herd — organised crime — stronger."

In 1969 he was offered a chance to rectify that glaring loophole, and seized it. He was appointed chief counsel to a Senate sub-committee on criminal laws and procedures, and used the position to craft the landmark Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act. Rico, as it became known, gave prosecutors a powerful new tool to go after mafia bosses by allowing them to target anyone linked to an organisation engaged in a pattern of illegal activity, and to seize their ill-gotten assets.

As the General Accounting Office, Congress's investigative arm, put it: "Before the act, the government's efforts were necessarily piecemeal, attacking isolated segments of the organisation as they engaged in single criminal acts. The leaders, when caught, were only penalised for what seemed unimportant crimes. The larger meaning of those crimes was lost because the big picture could not be presented in a single criminal prosecution. With the passage of Rico, the entire picture of the organisation's criminal behaviour and the involvement of its leaders in directing that behaviour could be captured and presented." President Nixon signed Rico into law in 1970, and acknowledged Blakey's role in its development by giving him the pen he used to sign it.

The law took a while to take hold, but

eventually proved a game-changer. It enabled prosecutors to put scores of Mob bosses in New York, Chicago, Boston and Las Vegas behind bars. "No one made life more difficult for the Mob than Robert Blakey," says the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. Beyond that, it enabled prosecutors to target all manner of criminal syndicates including drug cartels, street gangs, terrorist groups and corrupt unions, politicians and police departments. It was also used to establish that the tobacco industry had engaged in a decades-long conspiracy to deceive the world about the health hazards of smoking.

He asserted Mob leaders had been talking about 'whacking the president'

Less than a decade after securing Rico, Blakey collared the mafia again, but rather more controversially. He was appointed chief counsel to a congressional committee set up to investigate the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King. His report, which was accepted by only seven of the committee's 12 members, agreed that Lee Harvey Oswald had killed Kennedy.

But it also asserted that a second gunman had fired at the president that fateful day in Dallas, and that John F Kennedy was "probably" a victim of Mob leaders angered by his appointment of his younger brother Robert as attorney-general despite their support for JFK's election. RFK was a zealous campaign against organised crime and corruption.

George Robert Blakey was born to Irish-American parents in Burlington, North Carolina, in 1936. His father, the president of a local bank, died when he was nine, after which his mother went to work in a local department store and became its manager. He earned a law degree from Indiana's University of Notre Dame. There he met his wife, Elaine, with whom he had three sons, one of whom became a federal judge in Illinois, and five daughters. Elaine died in 2002.

Blakey carries the US flag on the 50th anniversary of John F Kennedy's death

There, too, his lifelong interest in organised crime was first piqued when he edited an article for the law review on a summit of roughly 100 mafia leaders held at the home of Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara in Apalachin, New York, in 1957.

After graduating in 1960 he went to work for the organised crime section of Robert Kennedy's US Justice Department. In 1967 he became a consultant on President Johnson's Commission on Law Enforcement, where he helped to draft a law that permitted court-authorised wiretapping and electronic surveillance of organised crime. Two years after that he was appointed chief counsel to the Senate judiciary committee's sub-committee on criminal law and

procedures. There he drafted Rico, then proselytised widely for its use because prosecutors did not immediately understand its significance.

Blakey was believed to have named Rico after an eponymous Italian-American lowlife character in a 1931 gangster movie, Little Caesar, but he never confirmed that. "It's a matter of speculation whether Rico... was named after Rico, the film character," he wrote. "Be that as it may, the statute was designed to change the ending of the movie. Rico, the film character, died at the hands of the police. The only due process he received was that of alley justice. A less memorable character in the film was 'Big Boy', the upperworld figure behind Robinson's underworld

character. 'Big Boy' was neither shot by the police nor prosecuted under the law. Rico was, in fact, designed to change that result."

In 1973 Blakey became a law professor specialising in organised crime at Cornell University in upstate New York, but he returned to Capitol Hill in 1977 as chief counsel and staff director of the House assassinations committee. He told the committee chairman, Louis Stokes, that he believed Oswald had acted alone, but promised to keep an open mind.

In the event he found what he called "seemingly irrefutable evidence", primarily in the form of a recording from a motorcycle patrolman's microphone, that a second gunman had fired a single shot at Kennedy while Oswald fired three. He further asserted that Mob leaders had been talking privately about "whacking the president", and that Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner with Mob connections, killed Oswald two days later "on behalf of organised crime". He concluded: "The evidence had to be faced; it was probable that the president had been killed as the result of a conspiracy."

In 1980 Blakey returned to teaching as a law professor at his alma mater, Notre Dame, where he remained until his retirement in 2012, but he never recanted his hotly disputed claims about Kennedy's assassination. On the contrary, he doubled down on them in a bestselling book titled The Plot to Kill the President: Organised Crime Assassinated JFK that he first published in 1981 and republished as Fatal Hour: The Assassination of President Kennedy by Organised Crime in 1992.

"Did the Mob do it? I don't know for sure, but it explains more of the evidence than anything else," he told the Las Vegas Sun in 2012. "They were the one element of society that profited the most by the assassination because the (federal government's) organised crime programme basically collapsed" — at least until he secured the passage of Rico seven years later.

Robert Blakey, law professor, was born on January 7, 1936. He died on May 1, 2026, aged 90

Jim Leaviss

Prominent fund manager in the City who popularised investment in fixed-interest debt and viewed bonds as a 'giant riddle'

In 2016 Jim Leaviss (pronounced Lewiss) made a four-and-a-half-minute video on how aspects of the Japanese economy were affecting the country's bond prices. Nothing odd about that, except that the video was in the form of a game in which he was Super Jim Leaviss driving a go-kart around night-time Tokyo dressed as Super Mario.

Over a 32-year City career, Leaviss became one of Britain's most prominent fund managers and did much to popularise investment in the otherwise esoteric niche of fixed-interest debt issued by companies and governments. He illustrated shrinkflation by counting the declining number of monster feet in packets of Pickled Onion Monster Munch crisps, and dramatised the power of gold with the impact on Middle-earth's economy of the dragon Smaug's board in Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Leaviss was at the height of his powers in a tumultuous period that covered the 2007-08 financial crisis, Covid-19, the Ukraine war and Liz Truss's misbudget. "I remember being very, very scared during the global financial crisis that we were not just in the trouble that we ended up in, but that we would

Leaviss explores David Bowie's Berlin

see a domino effect where the UK banks would start falling over," he said. James Paul Leaviss was born in London in 1971 to John Leaviss and Jane (née Wilson). His father became personnel director of Royal Mail's Midlands division, while Jane, who died in 2012, taught maths at Nottingham and Northampton girls' high schools. Jim's younger sister, Joanna, became

a research fellow in evidence synthesis at the University of Sheffield.

Jim attended Woodborough Wood's Foundation School in Nottinghamshire and when the family moved to Rugby, he went to Addison School. He liked creative writing and wrote a column in the Rugby Advertiser reviewing video games for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer. Having achieved the highest geography A-level mark nationally, he won a £25 book token and later became a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He played guitar and ukulele, formed a short-lived group, the Jim Leaviss Big Band Experience, and captained the Woodborough football and cricket teams, becoming an avid Nottingham Forest fan and, in later years, an MCC member.

Leaviss applied to the University of Manchester, not only because of its economics reputation but also for his interest in the "Madchester" music scene, and he wrote, edited and published Halcyon Daze, a photocopied A5 fanatue for the Happy Mondays band. It famously received an official catalogue number, FAC239, from Factory Records, a huge 1970s and 1980s Manchester independent music label.

From university he went to the Bank of England on Black Wednesday, September 16, 1992, the day the Bank's base rate briefly touched 15 per cent and the chancellor, Norman Lamont, was forced to pull the UK out of the European exchange rate mechanism.

In 1995 Isobel Perkins, a graduate trainee, was sent down to the basement gifts desk to assemble a presentation on gilt repo (government stock repurchases). "It was love at first sight," she said. "Jim was assigned as the mentor and we started dating almost immediately." Isobel went on to Goldman Sachs and the London Development Agency and they married in 1997, spending nearly ten years seeing the world. They had two boys, Stanley and Frank, who are about to go to university.

A fund management career beckoned after Leaviss met M&G's fixed income head, Theodora Zemek, at a City Christmas party. When Zemek went on maternity leave in 1997, she recommended Leaviss to fill the gap. In 1999 he launched the M&G Global Macro Bond Fund, which he managed for almost 25 years, and he ultimately oversaw M&G's entire fixed income division, which reached £139 billion in value. As

the internet developed, he started the Bond Vigilantes blog in 2006, followed 14 years later with Uncle Jim's World of Bonds podcast. In 2017 he won the outstanding industry contribution award at Investment Week's fund manager of the year awards.

Leaviss left M&G for the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2024 to pursue a master's in art history, focusing on German modernism between the world wars. He called it "the only thing more exciting than the bond market".

He contributed to Cancer Research UK, West London Action for Children, Teenage Cancer Trust, Mencap and Oxfam, cycled 100 bill climbs for Cascaid, the asset management industry charity, and was an ambassador for West London Action for Children.

The secret of his success was to think of fixed-interest securities as a giant riddle. "I have always found the people who do best are those who live and breathe bonds," he said, "and see it for what it is: an incredible puzzle that pulls together everything from everywhere."

Jim Leaviss, bond investor, was born on February 18, 1971. He died of cancer on July 23, 2026, aged 55

---

49

Register

Law Report

Foreign state can be sued for hacking of activists in UK

Supreme Court Published on August 21, 2026 Kingdom of Bahrain v Shahabi and another

Before Lord Lloyd-Jones, Lord Hamilton, Lord Leggett, Lord Burrows and Lady Solder [2026] UKSC 25 Judgment July 27, 2026

There was no sovereign immunity for a foreign state for proceedings in respect of personal injury caused by an act, or acts, in the United Kingdom, even if other causative acts took place abroad and the actor was not present in the United Kingdom.

The Supreme Court so held (Lord Leggett and Lord Burrows dissenting) in dismissing an appeal by the defendant, the Kingdom of Bahrain, against the decision of the Court of Appeal ([2024] EWCA Civ 1158; [2025] KB 490; The Times, October 4, 2024 affirming the refusal of Mr Justice Julian Knowles ([2023] EWHC 99 (KB)) to grant a declaration that, pursuant to section 5(i) of the State Immunity Act 1978, it was immune from the jurisdiction of the court in relation to harassment claims brought by the claimants, Dr Saeed Shehabi and Mr Moosa Mohammed.

Tom Hickman KC, Robert Volterra and Stephen Donnelly for the defendant, Timothy Otty KC, Ben Silverstone and Professor Philippa Webb for the claimants.

LORD LLOYD-JONES, LORD HAMBLEN and LADY SIMLER said that the appeal concerned the correct interpre-

tation of section 5 of the State Immunity Act 1978 ("the SIA"), which was an exception to the general rule of state immunity from jurisdiction conferred by section I of the SIA. It provided that a state was not immune as respects proceedings brought in respect of death or personal injury or damage to or loss of tangible property "caused by an act or omission in the United Kingdom".

The courts below held that the exception applied if it could be shown that an act or omission took place in the UK which caused personal injury or property damage.

The defendant contended that they were wrong and that the exception only applied: (i) where the act or omission causing injury or damage was the responsible or precipitating act or omission; or (ii) where every act or omission causing injury or damage took place in the UK; or (iii) where the author of the injury or damage was present in the UK at the time when the facts which occasioned the injury or damage occurred.

If the defendant was correct about any of those submissions, state immunity would apply to the present proceedings.

The alleged factual circumstances in which the issues arose concerned the hacking, by the servants or agents of the defendant, of the claimants' computers with spyware. The claimants were pro-democracy activists and prominent members of the Bahrain opposition movement,

who now lived in the UK. On the assumed facts, while the hacking was initiated outside the UK, the computers and the claimants were in the UK.

The hacking allowed access to and exfiltration of information on the computers, interception of communications conducted using the computers and use of the computers' microphones and cameras to survey the claimants. It was alleged that that involved a course of conduct amounting to harassment, contrary to the Perception from Harassment Act 1997, and that both claimants suffered personal injury, in the form of psychiatric injury, as a result of learning about the acts committed by the defendant.

Section 5 of the SIA was expressed in straightforward language. It required an act in the UK which was causative of personal injury or property damage. As a matter of ordinary language, there was no requirement in section 5 for "the" act or "all" acts to be in the UK, still less was there any express requirement of presence in the UK for the author of the relevant act.

The words "caused by an act or omission" naturally imported the legal requirements of causation, which would exclude acts which were not legally causative because too remote, insignificant or non-operative, but no further qualification was necessary.

The words of section 5 had, of course, to be understood in their wider statutory context and in

light of the purpose of the SIA. In that regard, it was common ground that one reason for the enactment of the SIA was to enable the UK to ratify the European Convention on State Immunity (1972) ("ECSI").

It was also common ground that the claim brought by the claimants would not fall within the scope of the exception to immunity contained in article II of the ECSI, since under that provision "the facts which occasioned the injury or damage" had to have "occurred in the territory of the state of the forum" and the author of the alleged tort had also to be present in the forum state.

By contrast, section 5 of the SIA was not concerned with "the facts" which occasioned the injury or damage, but with "an act" of the foreign state which was causative of relevant harm, and no requirement for "the author of the injury or damage" to be present in the forum state was expressed in section 5.

There was no basis for reading into section 5 a concept of exclusivity so that the harm had to be caused only by an act or acts in the UK. Provided that the causative acts relied on by a claimant were in the UK, there was no reason why the claimant should also have to show that there were no other causative acts elsewhere. There was also no good reason why the word "act" should be read as meaning only the initiating, precipitating or responsible act.

The central issue, therefore, was whether section 5 required the presence of the responsible actor in the UK at the time of the act that was causative of personal injury.

As the defendant accepted, unlike article II of the ECSI, there was no express presence requirement in section 5 of the SIA. The defendant, however, contended that, since section 5 was reasonably capable of being read in a manner that complied with article II, section 5 had to be read in that way.

However, while the SIA was intended to give broad effect to the ECSI, it was not intended to implement it precisely. The exception to the statutory immunity established by section 5 of the SIA corresponded broadly to article II of the ECSI but was not, nor was it intended to be, a precise implementation. That was permitted by a power of derogation conferred by article 24(i) of the ECSI and the UK declaration on ratification.

In the context of section 5 of the SIA, article 24(i) of the ECSI permitted the UK to deny immunity in wider circumstances than those identified in article II of the ECSI, provided that in doing so it did not deny immunity in respect of such sovereign acts for which customary international law required immunity.

The words of section 5 were not reasonably capable of bearing the same meaning as the words of article II. Death, personal injury or damage could be caused by an act in the UK without the author being present in the UK at the time of the act. The natural meaning of the word "act" in that context was not limited to the act of a person

or the "physical movement of a human being".

Even if there was in customary international law no territorial tort exception which extended to sovereign acts, or even if such an exception existed but was limited by a requirement that the actor had to be present in the jurisdiction at the time of the relevant act, it was clear that the principle that legislation should be interpreted in a way that was compatible with the UK's international obligations had no application in the present case because the departure from the treaty scheme was deliberate. That was determinative of the appeal.

While, therefore, it was not necessary to express a concluded view on the issue, there was a reasonable basis in customary international law for the UK to conclude that it could lawfully give general effect to a territorial exception to immunity in section 5 of the SIA (and not just by mutual consent with contracting states to the ECSI) which did not distinguish between sovereign and non-sovereign acts and which employed a different jurisdictional linking factor from that contained in article II of the Convention.

Moreover, even if no territorial tort exception existed in customary international law, that did not support the defendant's interpretation of section 5. To read down section 5 to comply with the defendant's claimed position in customary international law would require that sovereign acts performed by foreign state agents present in the UK be entitled to immunity, which would clearly conflict with parliament's intention.

Limiting section 5 of the SIA to situations in which the relevant injury or damage was caused by the act of an agent of a foreign state present in the territory of the forum state would be an unduly restrictive reading. It failed to take account of the fact that modern technology enabled acts to be carried out remotely from abroad.

Where a foreign state caused an explosion in the UK, the infringement of sovereignty was just as great whether it was caused by agents of the foreign state present in the UK or by a drone remotely controlled from abroad. Where a foreign state sabotaged NHS computer systems in the UK, the infringement of sovereignty was just as great whether it was caused by agents of the foreign state present in the UK or by remote manipulation of those computers from abroad.

Accordingly, section 5 of the SIA meant there was no sovereign immunity for a foreign state for proceedings in respect of personal injury caused by an act (or acts) in the UK, even if other causative acts took place abroad and the actor was not present in the UK.

LORD LEGGATT and LORD BURROW'S gave dissenting judgments.

Solicitors: Volterra Fietta; Leigh Day.

There is no Court Circular for Thursday August 20, 2026

Births, Marriages and Deaths

To book a Birth, Marriage or Death announcement in the Register, visit: newskadvertising.co.uk for help, please call 020 7782 7553 or email (McGuj@netnews.co.uk)

DO NOT deceive yourselves by just listening to his word, instead, put it into practice. James 122 (2008)

Bible verses are provided by the Bible Society

Births

SYME on 17th July 2026 to Annabel (née Snell and Rozen), e-boughter, Topicky Ariel Annabel, later to Tallulah Storm Elsie.

TARAIMOVYCE on 10th August 2026 to Darla and Alexander, a son, Nikolai (McKry), brother to Niko.

Deaths

BOLTON Richard John ("BJI") on 10th July 2026, aged 50, died peacefully at his home in Elthia, a London, UK, and a daughter loved brother, uncle, godfather and friend. Following a family blessing in the Chapel of Rest in Mottingham on 19th August, he is due to be buried with his beloved late wife Claire in the church, an early father, Switzerland, following a fille of Committal. This will take place on Friday August 28th at 1.30pm. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at a later date in Eltham.

DIGBY-BELL Laura Marianne Gray (née Smith) on 2nd August 2026, aged 76, died peacefully at home. Adored mother of Anna and Jonathan and an exceptional Grandpa of death. The United Kingdom's life will miss her beyond words. Private family cremation.

EMMOTT Ronald Wyndham on 27th July 2026, aged 84, 40/60, veteran of 22 years service, he was father to Dawn and Dale (and grandfather to Francisco) and William. Donations requested to SSARA.

MCSHARRY Deirdre, In Bath, previously of Dublin and London. Date of birth 4th April 1932. Peacefully died at home on Friday 14th August 2026. Professional by husband Jan Deirdre. Will be held by himself by sister Mary McEntee, and brothers Sean McEntee, Harry, Frank and James McEntee, by stepson Matthew King, her stepchildren, Lucy Dareen, Malachi and Patrick Smylit, and by carer Bill O'Connell, and all their families. Funeral to be held at Valley Chapel, Maccombe, Connahtown, Bath on Tuesday 1st September at 2pm.

WILLIAM George, Former circuit judge, 28th September 1944 – 25th July 2026. Susan George and her daughters Francesca and Elizabeth are deeply saddened to announce the passing of William George (Bill), in Liverpool, at the age of 60 beloved husband, father and grandfather, valued colleague and friend. Born in Cromford, Derbyshire, William was the son of the late Elizabeth and William George and brother to Henry and James. He will be remembered for his sense of humour, tenacity and love for his family and will be greatly missed by all.

In Memorandum – Private

MURRAY LYNIS BELL 21ST AUGUST 2012 Former retired, former loved.

BEN WHITEHEAD Beloved son and brother. Reministered with love by Geoffrey, Mary, Jetty and Clara.

The simple way to place your Birth, Marriage or Death announcement in the Register. Available 24 hours a day. Go to: newskadvertising.co.uk

Legal Notices

PROCUREMENT NOTICE BTPs, in effect from Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) – N/E Firms State Bank of India – London Branch (SBILB) invites proposals from reputable, qualified, and experienced Mechanical and Electrical (M/E) Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) firms to provide comprehensive maintenance services at its London Branch premises. The successful tenderer will be appointed as the Bank's senior provider for the Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC), covering HVAC, electrical and plumbing services at the Bank's premises in the City of London. Please contact: Joginder Sath, Tel: 020 7567 1224, Email: joginder.sath.london@statebank.com https://london.statebank/procurement/obets

The perfect wedding of it

'It felt like I was floating on a cloud'

Jodi Shurey, 30, and Dan Tostesin, 31, were married on October 27, 2024, on the outskirts of Edinburgh. They featured in The Times on Saturday April 12, 2025

Mark an unforgettable day with a feature in Readers' Lives, a service in contracted tributes

Call 020 7782 5583 or email readerslives@thetimes.co.uk

THE TIMES

---

50

Register

KEY

M Mixed = B Boro + B Girls

Camp Campotterone = Set Selective + Ind Independent = RC Roman Catholic

FS Free school = Acad Academy + Val Voluntary aided + Call College + LA Local Authority

	Numb	Numb	Numb	Numb
	Pupils entries		%	%
Brighton G18, Brighton & Hove, M, Sol, Ind	231	1,175	82.2	97.2
Green Elizabeth's S16, Barnet, B, Sol, Acad	192	1,098	87.4	97
City of London S4, City of London, G, Ind	146	1,167	83	96.4
Wilburn S4, Sutton, B, Sol, Acad	193	1,177	86.7	96.5
Highgate S4, Homburg, M, Ind	162	1,195	86.6	96.2
South Hamptown M1-GP15, Camden, G, Sol, Ind	118	1,176	84.2	95.6
Southport S4, Surrey, G, Sol, Ind	118	1,074	87.2	95.1
The Wilbur S4, Waltham upon Thames, G, Sol, Acad	151	1,167	87	95.1
Lady Deane Hales, S4, Richmond upon Thames, G, Ind	142	1,414	83.8	94.8
City of London S19 for G, City of London, G, Sol, Ind	243	1,082	85.3	94.3
Dubesh G18, Southwark, M, Ind	215	1,319	82.1	94.2
University G18 S4, Camden, M, Ind	215	1,175	83.6	93.8
Elburn G8, Eronika, M, Sol, Ind	117	1,140	82.7	93.8
Wimbledon H5-GP15, Merion, G, Sol, Ind	147	979	82.2	93.6
Wilmington F7, S4, Manchester, G, Sol, Ind	97	998	80.5	93.8
Albany S4, Southwark, M, Sol, Ind	171	1,081	79.1	92.5
Somerset S4, Hark, M, Ind	215	1,203	80.4	92.7
James Albert V7, S4, Southwark, G, Ind	144	1,279	76.9	91.6
Pottery H5-GP15, Wandsworth, G, Sol, Ind	186	1,256	79.8	91.7
St Albert's A 19, Smitry's S5, Eronika, B, Sol, LA	120	1,281	79.5	91.5
Notting Hill A 6, Colby H5-GP12, Colby, G, Sol, Ind	94	912	73.6	90.7
King Edward H H5 for G, Birmingham, G, Sol, Ind	102	1,018	80.7	90.4
Kingston S5, Surrey, M, Ind	174	1,469	73.9	90.1
King Edward's S4, Birmingham, B, Sol, Ind	123	1,280	77.2	90.1
Leicester S4, Hark, M, Sol, Ind	154	1,556	73.1	90
Manchester S4, King, Warwickshire, G, Sol, Ind	164	1,649	74	89.9
Emansell S4, Wandsworth, M, Sol, Ind	156	1,502	70.4	88.7
Southborough H15, Kingston upon Thames, G, Comp, Acad	164	1,492	69.6	88.6
Oxford H5-GP15, Oxfordshire, G, Sol, Ind	107	1,070	73.8	88.2
Wingell S4, Croydon, B, Ind	215	1,176	69	87.9
King Edward H G5, Essex, M, Sol, Acad	151	1,085	79	87.7
TPW S4, Kingston upon Thames, G, Sol, Acad	140	1,075	73.6	87.6
Peter's S5, Gloucestershire, M, Sol, Acad	149	1,217	76.6	87.4
Cheshire G12, Gentry H5 for G, Essex, G, Sol, Acad	175	1,295	71.3	86.8
Walthamton G12, Sutton, G, Sol, Acad	149	1,214	65.9	86.1
King Edward H S4, Warwickshire, B, Sol, Acad	90	880	70.5	86.3
Reading S4, Reading, B, Sol, Acad	154	1,159	63.8	85.3
Norman H5 for G, Sutton, G, Sol, Acad	204	1,042	60.5	84.7
Cathedral Road G3, Essex, G, Sol, Acad	120	1,270	66.3	84.6
The Latymer S4, Enfield, M, Sol, LA	290	1,300	65.3	84.4
Hudington H5 for G, Sutton, G, Sol, Acad	200	1,170	64	83.9
The Manchester S5, Manchester, B, Sol, Ind	200	1,062	66.2	83.6
Stirling Street S4, Birmingham, B, Sol, Acad	191	1,352	62.7	83.6
King Edward H S4, Sutton & B144 for G, Somerset, M, Ind	216	1,209	60.1	82.9
St Johnston's G6, Lewisham, M, Sol, Ind	123	1,185	59.1	82.5
Gill's S4, Somerset, M, Sol, Ind	130	1,209	60.0	82
Redneals H5-GP15, Bristol, G, Sol, Ind	100	900	62.8	81.9
Alexander Park S4, Homburg, M, Comp, Acad	225	1,099	70.8	80.7
King Edward H Camp Hill S4 for G, Birmingham, G, Sol, Acad	149	1,470	62.6	79.9
Abbeham G5 for G, Suffield, B, Sol, Acad	200	1,240	62.2	79.7
The Jute S4, Kent, G, Sol, Acad	150	1,182	56.6	79.5
Darthen G5, Kent, B, Sol, Acad	182	1,090	57.2	79.3
Junction H5 Wimbledon, Warley, G, Comp, Acad	212	1,092	70.3	78.7
Colton G5, Deane, M, Sol, Acad	153	1,459	57.2	78.1
Darthen G5 for G, Kent, G, Sol, Acad	179	1,179	56.7	77.9
Yedbridge G5, Kent, B, Sol, Acad	175	1,250	55.3	77.2
King Edward H Camp Hill S4 for G, Birmingham, G, Sol, Acad	120	1,197	59.0	76.9
Suffield S4, Suffield, M, Sol, Ind	210	1,306	54.7	75.4
Cardiff S4, Harrow Hill, Cardiff, M, Sol, Ind	54	907	61.3	76.3
The New York S4, Liverpool, M, Sol, Acad	170	1,075	53.8	74.7
Stroud H5, Gloucestershire, G, Sol, Acad	154	1,275	50.8	74.6
South Hill's G5, Wilmington, G, Sol, Acad	159	1,657	53.2	74.3
Lemto G5, Trafford, G, Sol, Acad	154	1,551	50.8	74.1
Wendell H5 for G Road, Southampton Sea, B, Sol, Acad	171	1,903	54.2	74.1
Brantley H5-GP15, Dorothy, G, Sol, Ind	93	953	52.3	74.1
Southfield G5, Sheffield, G, Sol, Ind	86	737	50.4	73.9
Queen's Gate S4, Kensington & Oxford, G, Ind	51	662	48.3	73.4
St Thomas G5, S4, Gloucestershire, B, Sol, Acad	145	1,640	51.8	73.6
Cheshire G5, Buckinghamshire, M, Acad	175	1,763	51.8	72.9
Bishop's, Stortford G4, Hertfordshire, M, Ind	135	1,260	51.3	72.9
The Ivey S4, Lunenburg, M, Sol, Ind	114	1,050	46.5	72.8
Suburban A Dubek G-GP15, Camden, G, Sol, Ind	90	821	54.3	72.7
Wendell H5 for G, Southampton Sea, G, Sol, Acad	180	1,097	47.7	72.5
Barne Allen Deane S4, Hertfordshire, M, Comp, Acad	196	1,075	53.9	72.5
Wolverhampton G H5, Wolverhampton, G, Sol, Acad	175	1,259	48.5	72.5
Oklahoma's S 5, Talbot, G, Boring, M, Sol, Acad	202	1,203	47.2	72.2
London S4, Hammersmith, Chichester's Poole, M, Sol, Ind	143	1,222	52	71.5
Wimbledon H5 for G, Sutton, G, Sol, Acad	180	1,460	52.5	70.6
Southend H5 for G, Southampton Sea, B, Sol, Acad	179	1,692	47.7	70.6
St Chatham G5, Buckinghamshire, B, Sol, Acad	185	1,030	51.4	70.3
Teerley G5, Brody, G, Sol, Acad	215	1,300	45.7	70.2
Cheshire G5, Croydon, B, Sol, Ind	91	954	48.5	69.6
Yarm S4, Sheldon-on-Sea, M, Ind	100	970	48.1	68.6
St Henry Road G3, Buckinghamshire, M, Sol, Acad	179	1,775	46.7	66.3
Yedbridge Poole G H5, Kent, G, Sol, LA	147	1,471	46.6	67.0
Salford H5-GP15, Sutton, G, Sol, Ind	195	1,511	43.9	66.5
The Jersey S4, Lunenburg, M, Sol, Ind	123	1,166	42.8	65.6
Lancaster G G5, Lancaster, G, Sol, Acad	144	1,384	42.1	64.7

When I saw

my results the stress fizzled away

Ishan

Visvanath Comment

hen I began my GCSEs, I felt intimidated but eager to

prove myself in my first proper set of exams. I set myself the ambitious target of achieving grade 9s in all ten subjects.

I studied maths, English language and literature, biology, chemistry, physics, Spanish, geography, history and religious studies (RS).

Choosing all three humanities was unconventional, but they suited my stereogifes. My long-term ambition is to study PPE at Oxford, and I knew strong GCSE results would be an important step.

I particularly enjoyed history, RS and English literature because they gave me the freedom to explore ideas beyond the syllabus and apply wider knowledge.

I enjoy reading philosophy and had fun applying its ideas to characters and events in my literature texts. While studying Macbeth, for example, I explored how Sartre's Being and Nothingness could inform

a modern interpretation of Macbeth's decline.

While I received strong grades in my mock exams, I was still very nervous for my first GCSE exam but these nerves quickly faded as I got into the swing of things.

I felt ambivalent going into results day. Although I was nervous — more than I was when I sat the exams — I was also excited for the future.

It felt like the culmination of all my hard work and sacrifices. I hoped it would all pay off. I was also excited to start sixth form, where I will study maths, further maths, economics and politics.

On Wednesday night, I told myself that whatever grades I received, I had given the exams everything I could and had no regrets about how I had approached my studies.

I was especially grateful to my parents for their support. They never put pressure on me about grades, making clear that as long as I worked hard and did my best, the grades themselves did not matter.

By Sam yesterday, the stress had fizzled away. I was delighted to see straight grade 9s in all ten subjects. I scored full marks in English Literature, putting me at the top of the national cohort, and 96 per cent in maths.

	Numb	Numb	Numb	Numb
	Pupils entries		%	%
John Hampden G5, Buckinghamshire, B, Sol, Acad	105	1,026	43	64.6
Delray Macdonald's Call G5, Wiltshire, B, Sol, Acad	130	1,137	42.0	64.6
Lancaster Road G5, Lancaster, M, Sol, Acad	168	1,652	41.5	64.2
Wetherby H5, Leeds, M, Comp, G	133	951	41.6	63.9
The Royal G5, Buckinghamshire, B, Sol, Acad	202	2,084	40.7	63.5
The Royal S4, Lincolnshire, B, Sol, Acad	177	2,176	40	62.9
Norwich H5 for G-GP15, Norfolk, G, Sol, Ind	65	497	41.2	62.8
Clifton H5, Bristol, M, Ind	71	618	41.2	62.7
Newcastle H5 for G-GP15, Newcastle upon Tyne, G, Sol, Ind	67	629	39.7	62.6
Shamokensh S4 for G, Hammersmith, Chichester's Poole, G, Sol, Acad	177	1,792	39	62.3
Newark's S4-GP15, G, Sol, Ind	64	639	38.5	62
The Silkworm S4, Kent, B, Sol, Acad	180	1,627	38.9	61.4

Brighton tops

GCSE table with haul of grade 9s

Case study

Brighton College came top of the Times GCSE results table after pupils were awarded 1,350 grade 9s in their national

exams. Sixty per cent of all GCSEs taken were graded a 9 and more than 97 per cent were graded at least a 7, equivalent to an A.

The school's two highest achievers, Oliver and Artemis,

	Numb	Numb	Numb	Numb
	Pupils entries		%	%
Whealtes Park S4, Oxfordshire, M, Comp, Acad	136	1,432	23	61.3
Nottingham G H5-GP15, Nottingham, G, Sol, Ind	80	576	40.0	61.3
Yedneval's Gate G H5, Blackburn with Darwen, G, Comp, Acad	125	1,361	36.3	60.4
Edwards S4, Sheffield, M, Sol, Ind	80	790	39.2	59.6
Saint Anthony G6, Trafford, B, Sol, Acad	156	1,551	38.5	59.6
St Adam's Call H5, North Yorkshire, M, Comp, Acad	251	2,277	21.7	59.3
West Kirby G5, Vilova, G, Sol, Acad	174	1,577	36.6	58.6
Ripon G5, North Yorkshire, M, Sol, LA	120	1,300	37.7	58.5
Carron G5, Lincolnshire, M, Sol, Acad	180	1,305	38	57.9
West London Fire S4, Hammersmith's Fulham, M, Comp, FS	175	1,411	40	56.6
Woodbourne Victoria Park A24, Hackney, M, Comp, Acad	210	1,100	39.9	56.3
Would of Kent G5, Kent, G, Sol, Acad	311	2,972	33.1	56.2

This table shows A-level results submitted by schools and colleges to The Times. Where schools have identical scores the table ranks them according to two decimal places. Table compiled by Meehan O'Neil, Tilly Frain-Bell, Millie Briquard and George Willoughby.

Results by subject

All UK candidates	Number	7/8 %	4/C %	1/G %	U %
All subjects
Female	1,072,193	24.4	70.2	90.4	100
Male	1,127,063	19.6	64.4	97.9	100
Australian A-Land Use
Female	382	34.1	85.7	90.9	100
Male	332	18.1	75.5	99.4	100
Aeroport History
Female	759	33.5	68.1	93.1	100
Male	367	36.8	69.0	89.9	100
Aeroport Under-takers
Female	140,546	29.2	83.3	99.7	100
Male	70,023	12.8	65.2	99.2	100
Autonomy
Female	367	20.2	62.9	97.4	100
Male	606	29.7	70.1	97.7	100
Biblical History
Female	467	57.8	88.0	99.1	100
Male	169	30.5	81.7	98.8	100
Biology
Female	88,945	45.3	89.0	99.2	100
Male	91,820	42.1	89.5	99.4	100
Business & Career, Systems
Female	994	20.6	72.2	99.0	100
Male	1,294	12.7	65.7	97.3	100
Business Studies
Female	57,645	22.9	68.7	99.3	100
Male	91,106	17.6	64.2	98.2	100
Chemistry
Female	33,235	47.6	91.9	99.5	100
Male	87,709	46.6	92.2	99.5	100

All UK candidates	Number	7/8 %	4/C %	1/G %	U %
Chlamydge Studies
Female	11,359	19.9	71.0	90.4	100
Male	31,209	14.1	62.3	96.4	100
Clinical Collocation
Female	2,951	46.5	96.1	99.5	100
Male	2,236	39.8	80.2	90.6	100
Clinical Conds
Female	364	88.7	90.9	100.0	100
Male	475	91.4	97.9	99.8	100
Dementia
Female	33,392	36.0	76.3	90.1	100
Male	65,704	20.1	68.9	96.7	100
Construction
Female	174	40.9	90.4	100.0	100
Male	1,322	27.4	80.0	99.2	100
Dietary & Technology
Female	24,251	33.2	70.1	99.2	100
Male	65,129	10.6	62.4	98.0	100
Digital Technology
Female	1,770	30.9	80.8	98.3	100
Male	4,675	24.5	66.9	95.6	100
Drama
Female	35,096	31.6	82.4	99.7	100
Male	16,020	19.3	60.3	99.2	100
Dynamics
Female	2,177	30.0	81.0	99.4	100
Male	5,449	36.8	83.6	99.2	100
Electronics
Female	45	20.9	82.2	95.6	100
Male	702	58.2	85.7	97.0	100

All UK candidates	Number	7/8 %	4/C %	1/G %	U %
Engineering
Female	334	43.1	84.4	99.4	100
Male	1,916	13.8	60.4	98.3	100
English & language
Female	422,664	19.2	86.4	99.9	100
Male	460,396	11.8	54.2	97.4	100
English & Literature
Female	320,159	20.0	79.3	98.6	100
Male	325,000	25.4	60.4	96.8	100
Arts Studies
Female	3,473	26.3	73.7	98.6	100
Male	3,392	12.8	59.0	97.1	100
Food Preparation & Nutrition
Female	16,571	29.2	77.9	99.5	100
Male	24,752	11.4	57.9	98.9	100
French
Female	64,790	33.9	77.6	98.7	100
Male	55,080	26.8	69.8	98.5	100
Geology
Female	180	52.1	92.9	100.0	100
Male	134	26.9	88.8	100.0	100
Geography
Female	135,063	20.2	67.0	98.8	100
Male	163,442	25.2	64.8	98.8	100
Geology
Female	156	56.4	88.5	99.4	100
Male	344	62.5	92.4	100.0	100
German
Female	16,503	37.3	83.3	99.6	100
Male	16,970	32.6	77.7	98.9	100

---

51

Register

received 27 grade 9s between them. Artemis is a member of the National Youth Clear and Oliver is on the Brighton College dance team. "We really wanted each other to do well, and there was a lovely sense that we were all in it together," Artemis said after achieving 14 grade 9s in addition to a higher project qualification, which involves independent pupil-led research.

Richard Cairns, principal of the Brighton College group, said: "Our pupils throw themselves into sport, music, drama, dance, robotics, debating, societies and all sorts of adventures beyond the

classroom." Steve Marshall-Taylor, head master, said: "The results matter enormously, but we never want examinations to become the whole purpose of an education. They are a beginning, rather than an end."

Meanwhile, at another independent school in East Sussex — Roodean — Zlata Byrsan and Elizabeth, Horbatenko two Ukrainian pupils, collected a haul of top GCSEs even though when they fled Kryvyi Rib aged 12 in 2022, they did not speak a word of English.

Zlata, who lives in Horsham with her mother and brother while her father remains in

Ukraine for got

grade 9s in

English

literature and

English

language.

Elizabeth scored

an 8 in English

literature and 7 in

English language.

The pair, now fluent

English speakers, will study A-

levels at the institutions' sixth

form.

Zlata, 16, said: "I cannot

believe I got a 9 in both

English language and

literature. I had no English

when I arrived.

"I think the most important

Pupils at Grosvenor Grammar in Belfast, left. Elizabeth Horbatenko, a Ukrainian, below

thing is I found good friends and pushed myself out of my comfort zone to not be too shy and just make mistakes when I spoke." She plans to study politics, psychology and economics at A-level.

Elizabeth, who lives in Henfield in Sussex, added: "I felt so out of place when I arrived in England and now I am so happy with today's results. I have gone from knowing no English words to now planning to study for A-levels and go to university."

She will study drama and English literature and hopes to become an actress.

Angela and Marie, said their close friendship had "100 per cent" helped them through the pressure of the crunch year, and both had received nine grade 9s and one grade 8 at Portsmouth Grammar School.

The 16-year-olds studied additional maths together. They both received the top grade and will be going on to study further maths at A-level.

Marie, from Southsea, Hampshire, said: "We've done maths together since we were in year 7 and it's just great finally getting the results after

waiting." Angela, from

the Isle of Wight,

said of the hard

work "I think it's

really paid off;

I'm really

happy with

what I got."

She hopes to

study dentistry

after her

A-levels in biology,

chemistry, maths and

further maths, while

Marie will study English

literature, biology, maths and

further maths.

Other pupils at the school

scored highly too — Oscar

Robinson achieved nine grade

9s and two 8s, including in

further maths. He hopes to become an engineer.

	Pupils	Ends	9 or 8	9.8 or 7
		centries	%	%
Teague © V.S. Terlay, IL Sel, Acad	255	1,527	36.5	56.1
St. Anselm Williamson's (Adolescents) Sch, Medway, IL Sel, Acad	218	1,566	39	58
Woodbridge Sch, Suffolk, NJ, Ind	67	570	38	55.9
Hearnswale HS for G, Barnet, IL Comp, Acad	92	589	38.1	56.6
St. Columbus Coll, Hertfordshire, NJ, Ind	88	766	36	55.7
Brighton G-GESS, Brighton & Hove, IL Sel, Ind	57	487	35.6	55.5
Woodlawns Corner Acad, Hackney, NJ, Comp, Acad	202	1,693	39	55.5
JPL Street, NJ, Comp, LA	257	1,595	35.4	54.6
Reinister H.S. Braverneuth, Christchurch & Pride, IL Sel, Acad	159	1,268	33.9	54.5
Highworth H.S. Kent, IL Sel, Acad	223	1,495	32.9	54.3
Reinister J.S.A. Hertfordshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	255	1,503	32.7	53.6
Hearnswale HS for B, Barnet, IL Comp, Acad	94	790	34.0	53

	Pupils	Ends	9 or 8	9.8 or 7
		centries	%	%
Kodman & Grantham © Sch, Lincolnshire, IL Sel, Acad	184	1,945	38.1	52.0
Avanti House Sch, Harlow, NJ, Comp, FS	180	1,946	38	52.7
St George's Sch, Hertfordshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	189	1,856	33.2	52.2
Wafford E.S. for E, Hertfordshire, IL Comp, Acad	218	2,166	32.7	53.2
The Central Vaughan Memorial H, Sch, Kensington & Chelsea, IL Comp, Acad	121	1,175	32.9	52
Windelake Coll, Merion, IL Comp, LA	194	1,990	33.2	52
Belfast HS M, Sel, Md	150	1,401	33.3	52
Harvey Sch, Sheffield, NJ, Comp, FS	177	1,525	35	51.3
Belfast Royal Acad, Belfast	89	1,037	33.1	51.2
The Kingston Acad, Kingston upon Thames, NJ, Comp, FS	211	1,672	35.2	50.7
Long Court Sch, Richmond upon Thames, NJ, Comp, Acad	251	2,296	33.9	49.4
Enniskillen Royal G.S. Enniskillen	147	1,336	33.1	49.1

	Pupils	Ends	9 or 8	9.8 or 7
		centries	%	%
Dave Court US, Kent, NJ, Sel, Acad	175	1,579	20.2	48.0
Highland US, Kent, IL Sel, Acad	145	1,432	23.2	48.7
Green Acad Findlay, Barnet, NJ, Comp, Acad	107	1,672	31.5	48.4
The Hall Sch, Wokingham, IL Comp, Acad	157	1,950	31.1	48.2
Stevenberg HS, Shephton, M, Sel, Ind	18	345	36.7	47.8
Outwood Acad (Liverpool), North Yorkshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	126	927	17.3	47.7
Northampton HS (GESS, West Northamptonshire, IL Sel, Ind	57	521	36.1	47.6
Adelphia HS, Melbourne	162	1,659	13.1	46.0
Sheridan Sch, Sheffield, NJ, Comp, Acad	102	1,466	26.2	46.5
Ferndry HS, Salford, NJ, Comp, Acad	171	1,739	36.1	46.3
Greenley Sch, Wandsworth, NJ, Comp, Acad	276	2,515	36.2	46.1
St. John the Baptist Catholic Comp Sch, Surrey, NJ, Comp, Acad	157	2,135	28	46
The Piggott Sch, Wokingham, NJ, Comp, Acad	129	1,337	29.4	45.6
Seven Kings Sch, Redbridge, NJ, Comp, LA	74	1,515	26.0	44.6
Waldstone US, Kent, IL Sel, Ed	197	1,617	25.5	44.3
Westwood Canadian Common HS, Essex, IL Comp, Acad	141	1,535	26.5	44
Swisher Sch, Surrey, NJ, Comp, Acad	173	1,725	44	44
Kalanna Sch, Gloucestershire, NJ, Comp, Acad	194	1,647	25.6	44
Erving Stephen Sch, North Northamptonshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	156	2,022	24.4	42.9
High Street Sch, Sheffield, NJ, Comp, Acad	242	2,120	26.0	43.6
The St. Thomas the Apostle Coll, Leichhardt, IL Comp, LA	176	1,426	26.3	42.4
Calley George US, Milford, IL Sel, Acad	212	1,964	21.5	42.0
The Cheswell Sch, Oxfordshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	263	2,737	27.7	42.3
Churchesign Corner Coll, Devon, NJ, Comp, Acad	135	1,672	17.3	41
St. Peter's Catholic HS, Derbyshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	395	2,691	43	40.9
The Queen Elizabeth's HS, Lincolnshire, NJ, Sel, LA	190	1,693	40.9	40.9
Adrenale Acad, Barnet, NJ, Comp, Acad	259	2,272	22.5	39.9
Fallford Sch, York, NJ, Comp, Acad	220	2,056	29.1	39.0
Goldford County Sch, Surrey, NJ, Comp, Acad	176	1,451	24.5	39.5
Harvford Sch, Leeds, NJ, Comp, Acad	256	2,590	23.0	39.4
Spalding HS, Lincolnshire, IL Sel, LA	195	1,655	10.9	38.6
Wickham HS, Manchester, NJ, Comp, FS	266	2,420	27.5	38.5
Queen Elizabeth's US, Lincolnshire, NJ, Sel, Acad	120	1,524	19.6	38.5
Downlands Corner Sch, West Sussex, NJ, Comp, LA	159	1,675	21.1	38.3
Graham Johnston Comp Sch, Exeter, Newark, NJ, Comp, LA	206	2,703	19.6	38.1
The Gettyswell Acad, Gloucestershire, NJ, Comp, Acad	240	2,336	24.1	38
Waldstone US for E, Kent, IL Sel, Ed	173	1,680	39.3	37.9
Billys US, Bradford, NJ, Comp, Acad	320	2,719	24.9	37.9
Geffen Walden County HS, Essex, NJ, Comp, Acad	301	2,634	22.0	37.2
Cheddar Grove Sch, Wandsworth, NJ, Comp, Acad	295	2,650	20.0	36.6
Howard of Effingham Sch, Surrey, NJ, Comp, Acad	157	1,336	22.6	35.3
Sheridan Sch, Belfast, NJ, Comp, Acad	250	2,732	28	36.5
St. Paul's Catholic Coll, Surrey, NJ, Comp, LA	165	1,798	17.4	34.5
Richard Sch, Hampshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	303	2,609	29.2	34.2
Roundhay Sch, Leeds, NJ, Comp, LA	303	2,554	18.2	33.9
Spalding HS, Lincolnshire, IL Sel, Acad	254	1,805	28.6	33.6
Highlands Sch, Enfield, NJ, Comp, LA	239	1,653	16.0	32.7
Northampton Sch for E, West Northamptonshire, IL Comp, Acad	257	2,330	19.4	32.6
The Webster Sch, Northamptonshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	240	2,140	18.3	32.5
The Blue God Coll Sch, Oldham, NJ, Comp, Acad	249	2,242	16.9	31.7
Archbishop, Newark, IL Sel, York, NJ, Comp, Acad	201	2,527	13.9	31.5
Ipilton for Central HS, Elysean West & Elysean, NJ, Comp, LA	279	2,127	17.5	31.5
All Nations Catholic HS, Exeter, NJ, Comp, Acad	276	1,966	17.4	31.4
King Street HS, Liverpool, NJ, Comp, LA	125	1,605	19.1	31.2
The HS Confiscantion, Gloucestershire, NJ, Comp, LA	118	1,137	4.7	30.9
Gate Sch, Surrey, IL Comp, Acad	255	2,135	10.5	30.4
Kinney Coll, Sch, West Sussex, NJ, Comp, Acad	129	2,097	25.7	30
Prisky Sch, East Sussex, NJ, Comp, LA	229	1,701	15.0	29.0
Langone Sch, Oxfordshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	129	1,133	14.2	29.2
Egglendith Sch, Stockton-on-Tees, NJ, Comp, Acad	252	2,049	16.6	29.0
The Brookstone Sch, Hertfordshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	212	1,679	16.6	28.5
Whitley Bay HS, North Spencils, NJ, Comp, LA	370	1,337	16.1	28.5
The Hayfield Sch, Newcastle, NJ, Comp, Acad	201	1,612	13.9	28.6
Portisland HS, Northumberland, NJ, Comp, Acad	252	2,200	14	26.3
Malmestown Sch, Wiltshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	268	1,953	15.2	26.1
Park Jerk Coll, London, NJ, Comp, Med	26	295	13.0	25.6
Seftonbridge Sch, Elysean East, NJ, Comp, Acad	231	1,942	15.9	25.1
Hager Valley Coll, Derbyshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	165	1,470	13.9	23.6
Ellershire Junior Sch, Derbyshire, NJ, Acad	220	1,653	9.9	22.3
Owen Valley Sch, East & North East Somerset, NJ, Comp, Acad	201	1,542	11.8	21.1
Norris Hill Acad, Beth & North East Somerset, NJ, Comp, Acad	201	1,457	10	20.6
Ringwood Sch Acad, Hampshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	255	2,230	10.5	20.4
Accrington & Christopher's Coll, NS, Lancashire, NJ, Comp, Acad	302	1,632	7.3	10.9
The Grigston Sch, Norrist, NJ, Comp, Acad	225	1,897	7.5	10.5
Whitburn Coll Acad, South Spencils, NJ, Comp, Acad	191	1,759	9.2	10.4
Weatherhead HS, Milford, IL Comp, Acad	245	1,830	8.1	10.2
Harbor Coll Coll, Lancashire, IL Comp, LA	166	1,420	6.1	10
Gerbyshire Catholic Sch, Kent, NJ, Comp, LA	200	1,400	6.0	10.0
Queen Elizabeth's US, Derbyshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	194	1,663	6.4	10.1
St George's Catholic Sch, Kent, NJ, Comp, Acad	102	1,596	6.7	10.6
The Sandon Sch, Essex, NJ, Comp, Acad	395	1,602	7.6	10.6
Braemfontein Coll, West Sussex, NJ, Comp, LA	112	894	6.2	14.3
St Robert Robinson Acad, Lincolnshire, NJ, Comp, Acad	305	1,736	6.3	13.5
Forest Gate Corner Sch, Newtown, NJ, Comp, Acad	264	1,657	6.7	10.0
The Rochester US, Medway, IL Sel, Acad	160	1,760	7.8	9.2
The Highfield Sch, East and North, Kingston upon Thames, NJ, Comp, Acad	103	1,330	5.7	9.5
Eastwood Sch, North Somerset, NJ, Comp, Acad	264	2,326	5.0	1.5

All UK candidates	Number	7/A %	4/C %	1/G %	U %
Health & Social Care
Female	6,012	15.3	65.6	98.1	100
Male	372	5.6	43.0	96.5	100
History
Female	245,563	30.0	67.7	97.6	100
Male	231,409	23.0	62.0	95.2	100
Home Economics
Female	2,139	21.0	77.7	99.1	100
Male	25	13.0	65.2	95.7	100
Hospitality
Female	340	9.7	72.6	97.1	100
Male	230	0.6	45.6	97.5	100
Irish
Female	966	54.2	95.2	99.7	100
Male	741	44.5	94.2	99.5	100
Latin
Female	4,337	75.1	93.9	99.6	100
Male	5,030	71.6	93.2	99.3	100
Labour & Tourism
Female	262	9.9	63.0	97.5	100
Male	70	1.4	44.3	91.4	100
Mathematics
Female	450,050	15.4	55.6	96.9	100
Male	454,332	18.6	59.0	97.1	100
Mathematics (Additional)
Female	2,106	63.0	96.2	99.9	100
Male	2,454	55.1	93.0	99.5	100
Mathematics (Summary)
Female	9,335	10.4	46.3	93.2	100
Male	9,226	13.3	52.5	94.3	100

All UK candidates	Number	7/A %	4/C %	1/G %	U %
Media Studies
Female	16,527	26.6	78.0	99.2	100
Male	13,696	10.6	60.4	97.7	100
Motor Vehicle
Female	56	10.3	55.2	98.1	100
Male	991	8.3	57.7	97.5	100
Music
Female	10,656	36.3	80.1	99.0	100
Male	10,044	32.9	74.3	98.2	100
Other Modern Languages
Female	22,991	75.0	94.7	98.2	100
Male	19,322	69.3	91.0	97.4	100
Performing / Expression Arts
Female	6,761	27.7	78.0	99.3	100
Male	375	30.2	75.6	99.9	100
Physical Education
Female	31,242	33.9	80.9	99.4	100
Male	60,949	19.6	69.0	99.3	100
Physics
Female	82,209	42.9	96.7	99.3	100
Male	80,476	49.1	92.3	99.2	100
Political Studies
Female	358	49.4	84.2	98.1	100
Male	209	36.8	36.1	98.6	100
Petty for Life and Work
Female	1,722	29.1	85.8	99.7	100
Male	1,440	36.5	78.5	99.6	100
Psychology
Female	25,692	22.9	66.6	98.4	100
Male	5,474	34.5	56.9	97.2	100

All UK candidates	Number	7/A %	4/C %	1/G %	U %
Religious Studies
Female	128,450	38.3	70.8	98.9	100
Male	109,799	26.2	68.3	97.0	100
Science
Female	4,295	7.3	50.9	96.7	100
Male	4,653	4.5	56.0	96.5	100
Science (Inside Award)
Female	499,742	10.0	59.2	97.9	100
Male	537,006	0.8	57.4	97.2	100
Sociology
Female	14,140	22.5	70.2	99.3	100
Male	6,325	12.6	58.2	98.0	100
Spanish
Female	75,303	33.2	76.3	98.7	100
Male	61,933	24.7	67.9	98.4	100
Statistics
Female	16,627	20.1	70.6	97.9	100
Male	22,145	24.5	73.5	97.3	100
Social Literature
Female	2,304	32.6	84.3	99.3	100
Male	2,857	14.5	69.4	99.5	100
Worlds (First Language)
Female	2,702	20.5	77.1	97.2	100
Male	2,620	9.0	61.4	96.9	100
Media (Second Language)
Female	10,639	20.5	72.2	98.1	100
Male	10,509	15.6	55.9	96.3	100

---

MotoNovo

Car Finance Agreements Between 2007 & 2024

Customers of MotoNovo Finance have been refunded over £2,260.87* using our partner law firm.

In less than 60 seconds, you could locate your old agreements that might be eligible for a refund.

Enter your basic details to get started.

CLUB / 1st

Agreements found: 2

Average refund: £2,260.87*

Find My Agreements*

Scan the QR Code

Or visit: makeapcpclaim.co.uk/times

Fountain Finances is a claims management company. You can complain for free directly to your lender, the Financial Ombudsman Service, or through the FCA's free motor finance redress scheme. We receive a referral fee from our partner law firm if you choose to proceed. £2,260.87 is the average claim value per MotoNovo agreement of our partner law firm, HD Law as of July 31st 2025. Our Free Check confirms whether motor finance agreements have been identified from your credit search and the number found. Further details of any agreements will be provided once HD Law is instructed.

---

TOP PARTNER FOR

CUNARD

EXCLUSIVE PROMOTION ENDS 8PM 31ST AUGUST 2026

ROL

CRUISE

TRUSTED FOR OVER 30 YEARS

THE 2027 NO-FLY

SPAIN, PORTUGAL & MOROCCO SALE FT. A SOLAR ECLIPSE AT SEA

14 NIGHTS DEPARTING 23RD JULY 2027

Depart Southampton on Queen Victoria

Lisbon, Portugal

Cádiz (tours to Seville), Spain

Nestled on the sun-drenched

shores of southwestern

Spain, Cádiz beckons as a

timeless gem steeped in

history and Mediterranean

charm. As one of Europe's oldest

continuously inhabited cities, its

narrow cobblestone streets wind through centuries

of architectural splendour, from grand cathedrals to

Moorish fortifications

Valencia, Spain

Valencia, nestled along Spain's eastern coast,

is a captivating blend of modern innovation and

rich history. This vibrant city boasts futuristic

architecture, such as the stunning City of Arts and

Sciences, alongside its historic treasures like the

bustling Central Market and the iconic Valencia

Cathedral

Barcelona, Spain

Tangier, Morocco

★OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS

THE SOLAR ECLIPSE★

La Coruña (tours to Santiago de

Compostela), Spain

Arrive in Southampton

STATERDOM/DUSTS	GRADE	FULL BOARD FANS (PF)	ALL-INCLUSIVE FANS (PF)
Inside	IF	£1,949	£2,789
Oceanview	FB¹	£2,049	£2,889
Balcony	BE	£3,049	£3,889
Club Balcony	A2	£5,499	£6,339

ALL HIGHER SUITES ARE SOLD OUT

Solo fares are available from £3,829

PAST PASSENGERS TO CUNARD RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL 10% SAVINGS. PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS

THE ELEGANT QUEEN VICTORIA

Welcome to the enchanting Queen Victoria, where elegance and unique features blend effortlessly with exceptional hospitality. From the moment you step onboard, you'll find yourself immersed in a captivating world of relaxation. Spend leisurely days basking in the sun or gazing at the calm ocean from the bright, airy Winter Garden. Learn something new with the unique Cunard Insights programme, or unwind with a good book. As evening falls, choose from a wide range of dining options and enjoy world-class entertainment at the Royal Court Theatre. On Queen Victoria, the freedom to create your perfect trip is all yours.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

CHOOSE ALL-INCLUSIVE - DRINKS, WI-FI & SPECIALITY DINING

ON BOARD SPENDING MONEY OF UP TO $450*

OR

CAR PARKING OR COACH TRANSFERS

• Luxury full board no-fly cruising on board Queen Victoria, including**:

• On board spending money of up to $450* OR car parking OR coach transfers
• White star fine dining, bars and lounges, as well as 24-hour room service

CHOOSE FROM:

SAVE UP TO 30% WHEN CHOOSING ALL-INCLUSIVE & ENJOY*:

• Beverage collection including beers, spirits and liqueurs, wines, cocktails & non-alcoholic beverages
• Essential Wi-Fi
• Speciality Dining credit worth up to $100, covering the cost of premium dishes that incur a supplement

OR

FULL BOARD LUXURY CRUISING

EARN EXCLUSIVE CRUISE MILES® worth up to £126 with ROL Cruise††

ROL CRUISE SUMMER REWARD

Reason for part on August 2026**

rolcruise.co.uk/times

TRAVEL WITH

CONFERENCE

ABTA

AIRPORT

CALL ONE OF OUR

CRUISE SPECIALISTS

FREE ON

0808 239 1478

QUOTE OFFER REF 644771

WE ARE OPEN 7

DAYS A WEEK

FROM 8:30AM – 8PM

Trustpilot

Malware Trusted Service Award

Taxis and availability correct at time of sign off 23/08/2026. Taxis are based on two adults sharing, may increase or be withdrawn at any time. Offer applies to new bookings only. Offensive abstracted rates. Clarings based on 20% off the all-inclusive package. already applied to advertised Taxis. Life additional charge will apply. HSR is based on two per booking, for UK mainland addresses only. Subject to cruise line T&Cs. *On board spend is per classroom and tiered depending on voyage/guide booked. Minimum spend of £3,999 applies. Discount is per booking, for two adults travelling and will be deducted from total booking value. For new bookings only and not combinable with FCC's Further T&Cs apply. HCV size 999m* T&Cs apply. Cunard T&Cs apply. E&OE

---

A TOP PARTNER FOR

PRINCESS

✓ 5★ SERVICE, WE'RE HERE WHEN YOU NEED US ✓ ABTA & ATOL PROTECTED

✓ THE UK'S NO.1 INDEPENDENT CRUISE SPECIALIST ✓ UNBEATABLE VALUE

ROL

CRUISE

30

TRUSTED FOR OVER 30 YEARS

THE BRAND NEW ALL-INCLUSIVE 2028

Mediterranean & Western Europe Launch

8 DAY FLASH SALE

EXCLUSIVE

LOW DEPOSIT

FROM £50PP

DRINKS, WI-FI

& GRATUITIES

INCLUDED**

FREE

ON BOARD SPEND

OF UP TO $600*

EXCLUSIVE

PROMOTION

ENDS 8PM

28TH AUGUST 2026

YOUR INCREDIBLE EXPLORATION

Experience an extraordinary 19-night Mediterranean and European voyage on board Caribbean Princess®, exploring a collection of iconic destinations rich in culture, history and breathtaking scenery. Wander through the picture perfect streets of Mykonos, uncover the ancient wonders of Crete and Olympia, and discover the hidden gem of Sarandé on Albania's stunning Riviera.

Sail along the dazzling Adriatic coast to the historic cities of Dubrovnik and Kotor, where dramatic mountains meet sparkling blue waters in one of Europe's most spectacular cruising regions. In Italy, immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of Sicily, the timeless beauty of the Amalfi Coast and Capri, and the world-famous treasures of Rome.

Continue your journey through the Mediterranean with a visit to Sardinia before heading to the colourful shores of Spain and Portugal, including Málaga, Seville and Lisbon. Your voyage concludes with the historic charm of Normandy and the timeless allure of Paris, creating an unforgettable journey through some of Europe's most captivating destinations.

Plus, book with ROL Cruise, the top partner for Princess Cruises®, to enjoy exceptional all-inclusive value, free gifts and award-winning 5★ service from a dedicated team of cruise specialists.

19 NIGHTS DEPARTING 10TH APRIL 2028

• Fly from London to Athens, Greece. Upon arrival, transfer to Piraeus port and embark Caribbean Princess®

• Mykonos, Greece

• Chania, Crete, Greece

• Katakolon (for Olympia), Greece

• Sarandé, Albania

• Dubrovnik, Croatia

• Kotor, Montenegro

• Cruising the Bay of Kotor

• Catania, Sicily, Italy

• Amalfi Coast, Capri & Pompeii (from Salerno), Italy
• Rome (from Civitavecchia), Italy
• Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
• Málaga, Spain
• Seville (from Cádiz), Spain
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Paris/Normandy (from Le Havre), France
• Arrive in Southampton

WHAT'S INCLUDED

EXCLUSIVE LOW DEPOSIT FROM ONLY £50PP - ONLY AVAILABLE WITH ROL CRUISE UNTIL 8PM 28TH AUGUST 2026

✓ 19 night all-inclusive cruise on board Caribbean Princess® including**:

• Drinks Package – including sodas, speciality coffees and teas, cocktails, wine and beer up to $15 each
• Gratuities – pre-paid to help recognise the team that make your holiday so wonderful
• Single device unlimited Wi-Fi – stay connected to whatever you need with the best Wi-Fi at sea

✓ Movies Under the Stars® at the poolside theatre with FREE popcorn ✓ FREE dining options including Dine My Way™, 24-hour buffet, 24-hour International Café, poolside grill, ice cream bar, pizzeria and afternoon tea ✓ Flight from London (regional and premium class flights may be available on request*) and overseas transfers

EARN EXCLUSIVE CRUISE MILES®

worth up to £127 off your next booking**

SECURE YOUR BOOKING WITH A DEPOSIT

Inside* from £2,999pp

Ocean View from £3,469pp

Balcony* from £3,559pp

Mini Suite* from £4,269pp

Suite (1 left) from £6,369pp

Solo fares are available from £4,799

rolcruise.co.uk/times

TRAVEL WITH CONFERENCE

ABTA

CALL ONE OF OUR CRUISE SPECIALISTS

FREE ON

0808 239 0719

QUOTE OFFER REF 644760

WE ARE OPEN 7

DAYS A WEEK

FROM 8:30AM – 8PM

Trustpilot

Platinum Trusted Service Award

Pricing and availability correct at time of sign-off (30/08/2026). Fares are based on two adults sharing, except single statements/suites, may increase of be withdrawn at any time. Offer applies to new bookings only. Statement is on a guarantee basis. On board spend is tiered depending on grade booked. Will incur supplementary costs and may require an additional overnight stay. Subject to the cruise line's T&Cs. **Cruise Miles® T&Cs apply. Princess® T&Cs apply. E&OE.

---

55

Weather

Today Mostly dry and bright across Scotland, sunny intervals and showers elsewhere. Max 23C (73F), min 5C (41F)

Around Britain

Box of British, Ireland, Australia, or nearby cloudy
Arnholt, Frida, Spring, Ireland, Ireland, Wales, or elsewhere, of infant, or maize, crops, trifluoroid
Provinces day 1 day, or available

	Temp C		Rain mm		Sun hr( ^{\circ} )
	Intake	Intake	Intake	Intake
Aberdeen	14	8	4.6	2.4
Abogaville	13	8	4.6	2.5
Anglesey	10	8	2.4	5.2
Ardmore	11	8	3.4	4.6
Barnclays	11	8	4.2	—
Bedford	11	8	5.0	—
Bedford	11	8	11.4	8.9
Birmingham	11	8	5.6	—
Birmingham	11	8	2.4	2.7
Bridlington	11	8	4.2	—
Bristol	11	8	2.4	9.1
Camberton	11	8	4.5	2.5
Cardiff	11	8	10.5	8.6
Edmunds	11	8	4.6	8.3
Edinburn	11	8	16.4	8.4
Glasgow	11	8	20.2	8.6
Hersford	11	8	1.4	—
Hertsmansco	11	8	12.4	3.7
Horsley	11	8	4.4	2.4
Isle of Man	11	8	4.4	1.8
Isle of Wight	11	8	3.4	—
Jersey	11	8	3.4	4.8
Knoxick	11	8	3.2	—
Kilders	11	8	2.4	4.1
Leeds	11	8	10.4	—
Lincoln	11	8	2.4	1.4
Lincoln	11	8	16.4	2.2
Lincoln	11	8	3.4	5.2
Liverpool	11	8	10.4	—
London	11	8	2.4	5.2
Lynchley	11	8	2.4	4.7
Manchester	11	8	2.7	4.5
Margate	11	8	10.0	1.8
Milford Haven	11	8	8.6	—
Newcastle	11	8	8.6	—
Nottingham	11	8	2.4	5.4
Orkney	11	8	3.8	—
Oxford	10	8	1.6	—
Plymouth	10	8	0.2	—
Portland	11	8	0.2	—
Scilly, St Mary's	11	8	0.8	—
Shenham	11	8	0.6	1.9
Shrensbury	11	8	1.8	0.9
Snowdenia	11	8	12.2	—
Southend	11	8	5.0	2.1
South Utd	11	8	0.2	—
Stonemore	11	8	2.4	4.3
Sting	11	8	2.4	1.3
Whitehaven	11	8	19.4	3.7
Wick	11	8	1.4	—
Yewelton	10	8	1.4	3.8

The world

All readings have average yesterday

Alicante	33	PC	Madona	27	PC
Amsterdam	20	PC	Madrid	18	T
Athens	34	PC	Malaga	21	PC
Auckland	13	PC	Madonna	27	PC
Bahrain	30	S	Malta	32	PC
Bangkok	21	PC	Melbourne	24	PC
Barbados	35	PC	Mexico City	24	R
Barcelona	33	PC	Miami	25	R
Beijing	22	T	Milan	26	R
Beirut	21	T	Mombasa	30	PC
Bulgaria	37	T	Montreal	21	SM
Berlin	21	T	Moscow	21	PC
Bermuda	30	P	Montreal	21	—
Bonheim	24	T	Munich	21	T
Brussels	21	T	Nairobi	23	R
Budapest	42	T	Naples	21	PC
Budapest	33	T	New Orleans	21	PC
Buenos Aires	21	T	New York	21	PC
Cafe	20	T	New York	21	T
Calcutta	29	T	Nicosia	15	S
Canberra	17	T	Oulu	20	SM
Cape Town	18	T	Paris	22	R
Chicago	26	T	Perth	19	PC
Copenhagen	24	T	Prague	21	PC
Delhi	34	PC	Richmond	21	DO
Delhi	33	T	Riga	21	T
Dubai	39	PC	Rio de Janeiro	21	S
Dublin	21	T	Riyadh	21	S
Faro	22	PC	Rome	21	S
Florence	34	PC	San Francisco	9	PC
Frankfurt	24	T	Saratoga	21	S
Geneva	29	T	São Paulo	29	S
Gibraltar	29	T	Seoul	26	R
Helsinki	17	SM	Septhelis	9	PC
Hong Kong	29	SM	Singapore	21	R
Honshills	21	T	St Petersburg	9	PC
Islandet	31	T	Stockholm	21	PC
Jerusalem	32	T	Sydney	21	PC
Johannesburg	29	T	Tel Aviv	22	S
North Lansing	32	T	Seawells	29	PC
Kyiv	31	T	Tokyo	21	PC
Lausanne	29	T	Yamawara	21	PC
Las Palmas	30	T	Venice	29	PC
Lima	21	T	Vienna	21	S
Lisbon	29	T	Warsaw	21	R
Los Angeles	26	PC	Washington	9	PC
Lorain	36	T	Zurich	27	SM

Five days ahead

A changeable period with some dry and sunny days, as well as a few cloudy and wet days

Tomorrow

Boy far most with plenty of sunshine in southern England. A few spots of light rain in Wales and Scotland through the morning. Max 23C, min 5C

Sunday

Shapely dry with healthy sunny spots across southern Ireland and Britain. Patchy cloud and outbreaks of rain elsewhere.

Max 24C, min 6C

Max 24C

Monday

A dry and warm day with the best of the sunshine in central England and Wales through the afternoon. Max 24C, min 5C

Tuesday

A motion of sunny spells and patchy cloud across Britain and Ireland with a few spots of rain in the far south and west.

Max 24C, min 6C

Max 24C

Wednesday

An unsatisfactory with patchy cloud and spells of rain and showers, beautiful and most widespread by the afternoon.

Max 27C, min 7C

Max 27C

The Times weather page is provided by

WeatherQuest

Wind speed

34 (High)

Temperature

18 degrees C

Sea state

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Slight

Moderate

Rough

Flood alerts and warnings

At 17:00 on Thursday there were no flood alerts and one warnings in England and no flood alerts or warnings in Wales and Scotland. For further information and updates in England visit check-for-flooding.surviva.gov.uk. For Wales: natural resources: water/flooding and for Scotland SEPA.org.uk

General situation: Sunny periods and frequent showers in Ireland, Wales and England, largely dry across Scotland. Republic of Ireland, N Ireland: Sunny intervals and scattered showers, heaviest in the northwest through the afternoon. Light to moderate north to northwesterly winds, Maximum 13C (64F), minimum 7C (45F). Edinburgh and Dundee, Con Highland, NW Scotland, NE Scotland, Aberdeen, Moray Firth, Argyll, Glasgow, N Isles: A largely dry day with bright periods

Tides

Tidal predictions. Heights in metres. All times in local time
Tides	—	90°	90°
Aberdeen	80.21	3.3	20.93 3.1
Annemouth	—	—	19.16 8.7
Bedford	89.50	3.8	10.25 2.9
Cardiff	—	—	13.85 8.8
Davenport	11.54	4.3	—
Essex	85.48	5.3	10.52 5.3
Dublin	86.62	5.2	19.51 3.2
Falmouth	11.41	4.6	—
Greenock	86.30	3.0	19.15 2.9
Hornock	86.01	3.3	10.32 3.3
Holphoed	84.56	4.2	17.27 4.5
Hull	—	—	12.48 4.1
Leith	89.40	4.3	10.08 4.2
Liverpool	85.34	7.3	16.12 7.2
London Bridge	80.06	5.8	20.41 5.8
Lowestoft	84.14	2.1	16.53 2.2
Milford Haven	—	—	12.48 5.2
Monroande	89.47	7.0	18.26 6.9
Newhaven	85.22	5.6	17.49 5.8
Norquay	11.46	4.9	—
Olan	—	—	12.17 2.8
Pencana	11.17	4.2	—
Portsmouth	86.01	3.7	18.05 3.8
Shenham	89.37	4.7	18.07 4.7
Southampton	84.52	3.4	16.56 3.5
Swanson	—	—	12.37 7.8
Toes	10.40	4.4	23.04 4.3
Weymouth	—	—	12.31 3.4

and perhaps the odd spot of light rain in western areas through the morning. Light to moderate north to northwesterly winds, Maximum 17C (63F), minimum 5C (42F). SW Scotland, Borders, Lake District, NE Eng, Con N Eng, NW Eng, Nalt: Patchy cloud and a few showers at first. Turning drier and brighter by the afternoon with one or two showers remaining. Light to moderate north to northwesterly winds, Maximum 13C (64F), minimum 6C (43F).

W Mids, Wales, Con S Eng, SW Eng, Channel Is: A day of sunny periods and intermittent showers, heaviest in the southwest through late afternoon. Light to moderate north to northwesterly winds, Maximum 21C (70F), minimum 7C (45F). London, E Anglia, E Mids, SE Eng, E Eng: Bright intervals and showers, heaviest across Norfolk by the afternoon. Light to moderate north to northwesterly winds, Maximum 23C (73F), minimum 5C (46F).

Synoptic situation

A trough will move southwards across eastern England throughout the day bringing patchy cloud and showers outbreaks of rain, heaviest and most widespread across Norfolk by the afternoon. Sunny periods and scattered showers in Ireland, western England and Wales, heavy at times, Mainly dry and bright in Scotland with the odd spot of rain.

Highs and lows

20hrs to 5pm yesterday
Womack (Wolfe, Elyse, 25, 6)
Caldon: Carragons, L 4C
Welford: Moncandia, Moncandia, 26, 6mm
Sunnick: Almondskyn, Ghaunmorshen, 9, 2m/1

Sun and moon

For Greenwich
Sun Halls 20.10
Sun sets 20.10
Moon clans 16.45
Moon sets 23.20
Full moon August 20

Hours of darkness

Aberdeen	21.00-00:20
Bedford	21.12-00:42
Birmingham	20.58-00:32
Cardiff	20.53-00:39
Exeter	20.53-00:42
Glasgow	21.09-00:32
Liverpool	20.57-00:34
London	20.41-00:27
Manchester	20.54-00:31
Newcastle	20.56-00:24
Norwich	20.58-00:19
Penzance	20.59-00:52
Sheffield	20.51-00:28

Weather Eye

Paul Simons

For anyone taking a flight with a window seat, it is worth looking out for some fascinating weather sights. One spectacle can be seen from a seat on the opposite side of the aircraft from the sun. If you look down on to clouds below you can see the aircraft's shadow on the clouds wrapped around by a glory of concentric multi-coloured rings.

The effect is created when the sunlight is scattered back upwards by tiny water droplets in the cloud. The muted, pastel-coloured rings are blueish-white towards the centre and red on the outside, created by diffraction of the sunlight by the cloud droplets. And as the aircraft passes over the clouds, you can sometimes see the glory expanding and shrinking with the various sizes of the droplets, with smaller droplets creating larger glories.

Circular rainbows can sometimes be seen. A completely circular rainbow sounds bizarre because from the ground we are so used to seeing rainbows as incomplete circles, the bottom part of the bow hidden under the horizon.

From an aircraft, a rainbow can be revealed as a full circle, although it still needs the sun to be shining behind you, with falling rain so that the sun's rays are refracted by the raindrops. Something similar can sometimes be seen looking down on a waterfall with the sun behind you, when the droplets in the spray of the waterfall refract sunlight and can beam out into a full rainbow circle.

Aircraft can give dramatic views of thundercloud tops with their typical flat anvil shape shining in sunlight, particularly striking when the sun is low in the sky at dawn and sunset. In a particularly powerful thunderstorm the updraught inside the cloud can punch through the top of the anvil and create a dome of cloud thrust up above.

Another dramatic sight is when the sun is low and clouds become backlit by crepuscular rays, the beams of sunlight shining through gaps in the clouds. From the ground these rays appear to fan outwards, but that is a trick of perspective—the rays are actually nearly parallel.

Speak directly to one of our forecasters on 09065 777675

8am to 5pm daily (cabs are charged at £1.55 plus network extras)

WeatherQuest

weatherquest.co.uk

Enjoy a spectacular concert like no other courtesy of the Dutch maestro, André Rieu, in his idyllic hometown of Maastricht. Joined by his Johann Strauss Orchestra, choir and soloists - as well as celebrity guests - André takes to the stage for a series of his famous summer shows on Vrijtthof Square.

Board the Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Brussels, then by coach into the Netherlands for a three-night stay in Eindhoven, Veldhoven or Helmond. Admire Utrecht's marvellous architecture, canals and captivating museums, and explore historic Maastricht ahead of an extraordinary evening with André Rieu.

Air packages available from E953pp

The 1st of our paper applies to Andi Rieu's two pictures made by Sutander, 92, 2024, and used to explain a major body in building always without 1976, especially in the past and when it is seafood with the other 1976. Contains only 1976, about 1000, 1000, and 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1

Our trusted partner

Newmarket HOLLAND

AETOT Aetot Aetot

ABTA Aetna Aetna

FOUL LESS SIGN FROM

£796

Sunderland

CALL TODAY ON

0808 231 5021

You have a copy of an-andremasstrich2027 QUOTE TIM

---

56

Sport

York

Rob Wright

1.50 (Hanna Vivian

2.25 Columbia

3.00 Acapaho Gold (ob)

3.35 Bayevka

Going: good to soft

Draw: no advantage

4.10 Waves Rider (cup)

4.45 Lancaster Tower

5.20 Silver Lake

Racing TV

1.00

Sky Bet Mile Handicap (Heritage

Handicap) (3-7-0: £55540: 1m) (20 runners)

1	(1)	(4)	(6)	EXCLUSIVE GIRL (2-10) 6 Raritan 9-9	J Becks	W17
2	(1)	(5)	(6)	ST ARTER 41 (2) 8 Raritan 9-7	P Dobbs	W17
3	(6)	(6)	(6)	INTRACIE HEAT (4-10) Harry Collass 9-6	Kolce Fraser	W16
4	(6)	(6)	(6)	COMBINED TEE STARS (2-10) 5 Scott 9-4	B Roman	W16
5	(6)	(6)	(6)	BLUE COVERSMOKE (4-10) 6 Cox 9-3	B Ryan	W16
6	(6)	(6)	(6)	BLUE COVERSMOKE (5-10) 5 Garrett 9-2	B Turlman	W16
7	(6)	(6)	(6)	ZENNERS STORM (2-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	T Marquand	W15
8	(6)	(6)	(6)	LOW OF RAIN (2-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	B Robert	W15
9	(6)	(6)	(6)	WILLIAMS (2-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	B Dye	W15
10	(6)	(6)	(6)	INTRACIE HIGERS (2-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	S De Sessa	W15
11	(6)	(6)	(6)	EXHERAL (2-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	K Shoemark	W15
12	(6)	(6)	(6)	INTRACIE HIGERS (2-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	B Martin	W15
13	(6)	(6)	(6)	EXHERAL (2-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	B Murphy	W15
14	(6)	(6)	(6)	EXLLIER (4-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	W Reich	W15
15	(6)	(6)	(6)	EXLLIER (5-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	C T Kanne	W15
16	(6)	(6)	(6)	EXLLIER (6-10) 10 Raritan 9-2	J Ashley Levels (2)	W15
17	(6)	(6)	(6)	STOREMAN PERRY (2-10) 6 L J Moore 8-9	R Murphy	W15
18	(6)	(6)	(6)	INTRACIE SHYINGHARA (1-7) 6 Snyder 8-9	JP Sullivan	W15
19	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	S Osborne	W15
20	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	K Snyder	W15
21	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
22	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
23	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
24	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
25	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
26	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
27	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
28	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
29	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
30	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
31	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
32	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
33	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
34	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
35	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
36	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
37	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
38	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
39	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
40	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
41	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
42	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
43	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
44	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
45	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
46	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
47	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
48	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
49	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
50	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
51	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
52	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
53	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
54	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
55	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
56	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
57	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
58	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
59	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
60	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
61	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
62	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
63	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
64	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
65	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
66	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
67	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
68	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
69	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
70	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
71	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
72	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
73	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
74	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
75	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
76	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
77	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
78	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
79	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
80	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
81	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
82	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
83	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
84	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
85	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
86	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
87	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
88	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
89	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
90	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
91	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
92	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
93	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
94	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
95	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
96	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
97	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
98	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15
99	(6)	(6)	(6)	STARTER 48 (2-10) 7 Snyder 9-4	T Marquand	W15

1-4 Acapaho Gold with a soft 5-4-0/5-4-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

3.35 Coolmore City OT Troy Nunthorpe Stakes (Group) £340260: 0f) (18)

1. (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6)

2. (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6)

3. (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6)

4. (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6)

---

THE TIMES I Friday August 21 2026

57

Racing Report

Newmarket

Rob Wright

2:00	Esquibel	4:45	Liberale
3:35	Atlantic Jade	4:20	Persian Scholar
3:20	Zigby	4:55	Sakich

Going: good to firm, good in places

Draw: no advantage Racing TV

2:00 Novice Stakes

(2+0: 63.985 7ft (7)

1	25	HEARER 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2	25	ONE WE 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3	25	JESSEA 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
4	25	LAST SAINT SMITH 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
5	25	SAVO WE 62 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
6	25	SAVO WE 62 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
7	25	SAVO WE 62 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
8	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
9	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
10	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
11	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
12	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
13	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
14	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
15	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
16	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
17	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
18	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
19	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
20	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
21	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
22	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
23	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
24	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
25	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
26	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
27	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
28	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
29	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
30	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
31	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
32	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
33	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
34	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
35	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
36	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
37	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
38	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
39	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
40	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
41	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
42	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
43	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
44	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
45	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
46	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
47	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
48	25	JIMYAMAR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2:45 Handicap (E3:454: 7ft (7)

1:00	NEW SIFARIS 17:00 thru 8:45am 8:45am	8:45am
2:25	NEW SEARLIMENFORDERS 15:25 25:30 30:00am 4:45am	8:45am
3:25	NEW COWNSET DIAGNOA 17:00 25:30 30:00am 4:45am	8:45am

4:00 -002 KALENDERSHIP (V5.17:03.9.1) (V4.00.0.0)

5:00	NEW SIFARIS 17:00	8:45am

6:00 -002 KALENDERSHIP (V5.17:03.9.1) (V4.00.0.0)

7:00	NEW SIFARIS 17:00	8:45am

2:10 HARDICAP (E4:057: 7ft (8)

1:00	NEW SIFARIS 17:00	8:45am

2:10 NEW SIFARIS 17:00 8:45am 8:45am 8:45am

2:10	NEW SIFARIS 17:00	8:45am

2:10 NEW SIFARIS 17:00 8:45am 8:45am 8:45am[{"box

---

58

Sport Rugby union

SUGGESTIONS SETTA IMAGES

Erasmus out to stifle Kiwi dynamism

Alex Lowe

Rugby Correspondent, Johannesburg

Six weeks ago, England were holed up in Sandton, Johannesburg, for a one-off Test against South Africa. No one was in any doubt that week about how the game would go. SA Rugby had to issue some late cut-price tickets in the hope of attracting a respectable crowd to Ellis Park. Rassie Erasmus could not even remember the name of the competition, such was his disdain for the Nations Championship. It was all quite flat.

Even in this sanitised part of Johannesburg, with its vast interconnected shopping mall, hotels and conference centre, there is a different vibe in the air this week. The All Blacks are in town ready to launch into their first Test series against the Springboks for 30 years. 'The Bokke are staying here?' my excited taxi driver said, wide-eyed at seeing the branded team bus. 'We play the All Blacks on Saturday. This is always the best game.'

The temperature has been rising during a lively week, with coaches from both sides exchanging barbs over foul play, time wasting and style of rugby. The tone has been nicely spicy without yet reaching the levels of poison witnessed here on the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour. There was more of the same yesterday as first New Zealand and then South Africa named their teams for the first Test at Ellis Park tomorrow.

True to form, Erasmus walked into the mezzanine room of the Springboks hotel armed with a laptop and a message. South Africa have taken umbrage with the All Blacks over their stated desire to play a fast game and Erasmus accused them yesterday of 'preaching' to the rest of the world how the game should be played.

That is not really what has happened but Erasmus, who saw no need to play any of these games when England were in town, is not one to pass up an opportunity to push a narrative in a big week

against the No 2 team in the world. On the laptop in front of him was the All Blacks' selection, which reinforced New Zealand's intention to try to stretch the Springboks with pace and mobility in the final quarter.

They have barred up in the starting side with Fabian Holland, the physical Dutchman, fast-tracked into the second row and Tupou Vaa'i at blind-side flanker. Ardie Savea leads the team from No 8 after arriving late and there are first tour starts for Cam Roigard and Will Jordan, who have both overcome injury concerns. Damian McKenzie was passed fit to start at full back, while Josh Moorby won the race to start on the left wing.

Where it gets interesting is on the bench, where Dave Rennie has opted to go without a specialist lock, leaving no room in the 23-man squad for Patrick Tuipolotu. The All Blacks will instead unleash Peter Lakai and Anton Segner, two mobile loose forwards, in the hope of injecting some extra dynamism in to an attacking game plan that has changed since Rennie replaced Scott 'Razor' Robertson as head coach.

'Everyone knows the game plan they have been preaching all over the media,' Erasmus said. 'I guess preaching that and making their supporters believe that's the way they are going to play. I've got no doubt that they will play that way. They can't go away from it now. They have double the breakdowns and double the passes from Razor's era. We will have to handle their speed and intensity, which they are very proud of and they mention a lot. They say it all the time.'

Rennie used his press conference to rebuff the suggestion from Felix Jones, the South Africa assistant coach, that the Springboks had identified a pattern of illegality from the All Blacks during the three tour matches, insisting three of the penalties referenced were one-off offences and that New Zealand's discipline had improved. 'We sent in clips

Holland, the 6ft 8in Dutch-born lock, has been impressive since he made his debut against France last year

South Africa v New Zealand

First Test Ellis Park, Johannesburg Tomorrow, 4.10pm TV Sky Sports

[to the officials] of areas we are concerned about. I've got no plans to share any of those clips. I'm not sure why they are trying to air stuff in the media,' Rennie said, despite knowing exactly why.

There has been a co-ordinated effort among the South African franchises through this tour to slow down the game where possible to break up any momentum that the All Blacks want to generate. The Springboks have been affronted by the suggestion that they might look to do the same.

Both teams will spend tomorrow afternoon trying to disrupt and force the other out of their comfort zone. That is Test rugby. And it will be enthralling, electrifying. To say South Africa want to avoid engaging in a lightning fast game played on New Zealand's terms is very different from saying they are a one-paced, one-dimensional team, because clearly they are not. Tony Brown, South Africa's Kiwi attack coach, has expanded their attacking game beautifully. The Boks have the capacity to beat a team any which way.

In Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse they have two prodigiously gifted playmakers. The midfield of Damian de Allende, who will win his

How they line up

South Africa	New Zealand
Damian Willemse	15 Damian McKenzie
Cheslin Kolbe	14 Will Jordan
Jesse Kriel	13 Quinn Tupaea
Damian de Allende	12 Jordie Barrett
Kurt-Lee Arendse	11 Josh Moorby
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu	10 Ruben Love
Grant Williams	9 Cam Roigard
Da Nché	1 Ethan de Groot
Malcolm Marx	2 Codie Taylor
Wilco Louw	3 Tyrel Lomax
Eben Etzebeth	4 Josh Lord
Ruan Nortje	5 Fabian Holland
Paul de Villiers	6 Tupou Vaa'i
Petter-Steph du Toit (c)	7 Luke Jacobson
Jasper Wiese	8 Ardie Savea (c)

Replacements	Replacements
Jan-Hendrik Wessels	Asafo Aumua
Gerhard Steenekamp	George Bower
Zachary Porthen	Fletcher Newell
Cobus Wiese	Anton Segner
Andre Esterhuizen	Peter Lakai
Marco van Staden	Kyle Preston
Cobus Reinach	Anton Lienert-Brown
Manie Libbok	Leroy Carter

Referee: M Carley (RFU). Assistant referees: K Golison (RFU). N Amashekelli (GRU). TMO M Adamson (SRU).

100th cap, and Jesse Kriel is made of granite. And Grant Williams is a linswire running threat from scrum half, with Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse deadly finishers.

They can play rapid rugby too if they want to, because the platform up front is formidable. England were 17-0 down in 12 minutes six weeks ago. There was no need to risk the captain Siya Kolisi's hamstring. Not only is this a four-Test series but Paul de Villiers, who made his debut against England, has been outstanding in the No6 jersey alongside Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese is a shudderingly powerful back row.

Ox Nché returns at loose-head prop with Wilco Louw at tight-head. So powerful are the Springbok options that Thomas du Toit missed out on the match-day 23. But Erasmus made a point of stressing the importance of his squad in a four-Test series, a lesson he learnt from the 2021 Lions tour which went to a decider.

'We found in the Lions series that you can lose the first game and come back to win the series,' Erasmus said. 'Make no mistake, the pressure is certainly on. I was not really a fan of the Nations Championship. This is a massive Test series.'

Five greatest rugby teams of my lifetime – how do Springboks rank?

Stuart Barnes

How to rank the greatest rugby teams of my lifetime? The present New Zealand side will not be listed among them – even if they win the hugely anticipated four-match Test series against South Africa. However, that's not to say it wouldn't be one hell of an effort. Since Rassie Erasmus took over in 2019, South Africa have enjoyed a 75 per cent win rate. Most importantly, they achieved the rare feat of back-to-back World Cup wins.

If the Springboks were to whitewash

New Zealand they would be closing in on the greatest team of my lifetime. If they lift the Webb Ellis Cup again they will be the greatest.

My criteria are based on: 1) Winning the matches that matter most (and primarily World Cups); 2) Longevity; 3) Teams that break historic barriers; 4) Technical excellence; 5) The bigger picture, which entails style and integrity – the famous Barbarians 1973 win against New Zealand is synonymous with these concepts that usually crumble under the pressure of tournament sport.

Based on the purely subjective Barnes requirements for greatness, here are the top five teams in my lifetime.

5. NEW ZEALAND WORLD CUP FINAL LONERS, 1995

One year later they won a series in South Africa, but this was the tourna-

ment where the All Blacks played an almost perfect game in Bloemfontein against Japan, winning 145-17 and scoring tries at a rate of one every four minutes. They pursued perfection. There was also the small matter of Jonah Lomu. The pace, the power and the sheer brilliance of his four-try semi-final demolition of England was poetry in bruising all black motion.

4. 1971 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS

Magical and mythic, Gareth Edwards, Barry John and JPR Williams to name a few. Had these legends been able to beat the All Blacks while wearing the red shirt of Wales, the riotous romance of the Welsh side in the 1970s would have made the list. As it is, Carwyn James's men makes fourth place based on the essence of emotion rather than statistical analysis.

3. SOUTH AFRICA 2019-PRESENT

Two World Cups, a 75 per cent win rate and a determination to make rugby a sport for everyone. The Springboks are much loved in their own country. Erasmus has utilised technology and the press conference in a way some find distasteful. Whatever the opinion, they are a third consecutive World Cup from being my undisputed No 1 side. A conclusive series victory in the next few weeks would mean they jump to No 2.

2. ENGLAND 2000-2003

Sir Clive Woodward broke down barriers. It has proved harder for a European side to win the World Cup once than New Zealand, South Africa and Australia doing so on multiple occasions. Hence the rating above the present Springbok side. Woodward's England was a long-term project. They took

their time to win a grand slam but, en route, played a brand of attacking rugby never before or since seen in England. The 42-6 grand-slam win in Dublin 2003 was the greatest performance I have ever seen from an England team. In the same year they won in both New Zealand and Australia before the final in Sydney on November 22 and Europe's sole triumph. That was not the greatest performance but it turned the rugby hemispheres on their head.

1. NEW ZEALAND 2010-2018

With an 85 per cent win rate they won big and nearly always. Dan Carter and Richie McCaw were at the head and heart of a team who ticked the longevity, technically excellent, bigger picture and poetic boxes. What the All Blacks would give for a latter-day Carter, McCaw, Ma'a Nonu and Aaron Smith.

---

59

Formula One Sport

Why Verstappen chose to stay

Molly Hudson

Formula One Correspondent

Max Verstappen's decision to remain at Red Bull until 2030 was such a sizeable moment in this Formula 1 season that his manager, Raymond Vermeulen, had to stand on a chair on the upper deck of the team's hospitality suite to fit every member of the assembled media into the picture he was trying to take.

The saga of Verstappen's future has been almost ever present in the sport in recent months and was even discussed before the departure of Christian Horner, the former Red Bull team principal, more than a year ago.

Largely that is because of the exit clauses that existed in his contract, allowing other teams to flirt (a word used by Toto Wolff to describe Mercedes's pursuit of Verstappen last season) with the four-times world champion.

Verstappen's decision not only to decline to use the exit clause — which was triggered when he could not finish in the top two of the drivers' championship by the summer break — but also to extend his contract, is an abrupt end to all of that discourse.

In the short to medium term, at least. In FL a contract is only worth so much, and if Red Bull fail to properly compete for a period of Verstappen's contract there will almost certainly be mechanisms that allow him to leave. But, crucially, this new contract gives Red Bull time to prove they are able to recover from their recent struggles and boosts their profile on and off the track.

He will, of course, be favourably compensated for doing so with an increase on his already grid-leading salary, which was thought to be about £60 million a season. From a sporting perspective, Verstappen was convinced that the team shared his ambitions to lift trophies again in a world-beating car. To use his own words, 'time will tell' if that becomes reality.

He is also given more control than many other drivers when it comes to commercial commitments and is allowed to pursue his passions outside of FL such as driving for his Verstappen Racing team at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. That means the financial element of the deal is not particularly the driving factor. The Times understands at least one other team was considering paying even more for his services.

But, as Verstappen explained, he has never felt the need other greats have to change teams simply to try something new. 'I never felt that desire — or need

Verstappen will remain with Red Bull until 2030 after he decided not to trigger an exit clause in his previous deal, much to the delight of Mekies, the team principal

also — to change [to another team] to try and win somewhere else,' he said. 'If I feel well [happy] within the team here, why should I? Because I know that they do everything for me, and they know that I do everything for them once I'm on the track and trying to get the results.'

When asked if he ever truly thought he would leave Red Bull, he joked: 'I think I was closer to retiring than changing team.' That is partly a measure of his character — he was willing to walk away from the sport because he did not enjoy driving the 2026 cars.

From as far back as Miami, at the start of May, Verstappen had been asked whether he would drive for Red Bull and see out his contract, which originally ran until 2028. He largely avoided answering. In Spa he was asked four questions in quick succession about the topic.

He used a grand total of 16 words to make clear he had 'nothing to say' about his future. That irked some senior figures at Red Bull and gave weight to the idea that an exit could really be a possibility. In reality, the best driver in

the sport, and his representatives, were simply utilising their position.

But staying always appeared to be the more likely option. On the eve of the season, in an exclusive interview with The Times to celebrate a decade at Red Bull, he noted that he had been the stable figure, while others had left. When he revealed a conversation he'd had with the Red Bull founder several years ago, and said he operated on loyalty, it did not feel like a throwaway soundbite.

'I remember when Dietrich [Mateschitz, who died in October 2022] was still alive ... I told him my dream — and his dream — was that I would stay here for ever, as long as my career lasts,' Verstappen said. 'I'm very happy that before he passed away I said that my intention is still to fulfil that dream, and so far that is going quite well.'

Verstappen recounted that same story about Mateschitz yesterday in the Red Bull hospitality suite, adding it would be an 'amazing story' if he could end his career with the team. The length of his new contract also allows Verstappen time to assess a possible return of V8 engines, expected to be in-

troduced in either 2029 or 2030. There is a suggestion that he could even extend again with Red Bull.

But that does not mean his decision to stay was a foregone conclusion. On July 6, speculation spread like wildfire. Seemingly everyone in the FL world, from contacts to fellow journalists, had heard a rumour that Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, of McLaren, would swap seats, perhaps as soon as next season.

After several calls with trusted sources, it became clear that no such decision had been made. It is understood that conversations did take place between Zak Brown, the McLaren chief executive, and Verstappen and his management about the possibility of the Dutchman driving in papaya next season or in 2028. They were the most likely team to secure Verstappen if he had chosen to leave, with Mercedes' interest cooling from last year after Kimi Antonelli's emergence and subsequent world championship lead.

But for the first time it had seemed actually feasible that Verstappen could leave Red Bull. At times this season he had complained he was not being lis-

tened to — like at Silverstone when he wanted to change his power unit before the race — and the team have struggled generally and are fourth in the constructors' standings.

'What a demonstration of trust Max has put in the team by making this decision,' Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, said. 'We don't take it lightly with that trust comes a huge amount of responsibility in living up to being able to give him the best package for the years to come. The role Max has in the team — he's a lot more than the fastest driver in the world for us. He's the central point of the team, one we always refer to for all the strategic decisions we are making, and to know that he is going to be with us in order to build that next winning cycle is phenomenal.'

In FL there are no guarantees. There was nothing that Mekies or the Austrian and Thai shareholders could specifically say to assure him they would have a winning car again — but Verstappen feels at home at the team. He trusts that they will rediscover their best and, in the end, the flirting from elsewhere could not compete with that.

Tarling back after brother's death

Cycling Sean Russell

Josh Tarling will start the Vuelta a España tomorrow to 'honour the love and pride' of his 19-year-old brother, Finlay, who died racing in Portugal a week ago, his mother Dawn has said.

'On Saturday Joshua will be riding the Vuelta,' Dawn wrote on Instagram. 'He has chosen to do so in honour of his brother Fin, with the full support of his family, surrounded by a team who have been incredibly supportive of whatever decision he made.'

'I could not have wished for two boys who were closer growing up and into adulthood we have watched with pride as Joshua has been the most loving and

supportive big brother to Fin. Following this devastating news he has been an incredible strength for us all.

'Finlay was so incredibly proud of his big brother, and would be watching nose to the TV and shouting as he competed. So it is right that Josh honours that love and pride by doing what Fin always loved watching him do.'

The British team Netcompany Ineos announced their line-up for the third grand tour of the year later than usual, giving time for the 22-year-old Welshman to make a decision on his participation.

Tarling will be supporting his fellow Briton Oscar Onley in his general classification quest over the three weeks between Monaco and Granada.

Coach's licence suspended

Athletics The leading English athletics coach Leon Baptiste, who is serving a prison sentence in Morocco for sexually assaulting a minor, has had his coaching licence suspended and is expected to face a formal disciplinary process upon his return to the UK (Matt Lawton writes).

Baptiste, who as a paid UK Athletics consultant was in charge of a Loughborough-based elite training group that included the 400m star Charlie Dobson, has been jailed for eight months. When it was confirmed on Wednesday by the Moroccan authorities that Baptiste was in prison for an extremely serious offence, UKA responded by suspending his coaching licence with a view to examining the case in more detail once their consultant coach has returned.

CONTINUED FROM BACK

Alcaraz set to play US Open

immediately returning to a five-set format without a warm-up appeared to put Alcaraz's participation at the US Open, which starts on August 30, in further doubt. But a joint Instagram post yesterday with Fabrizio Romano, a journalist known for his football transfer news, was captioned 'Here we go!'

Romano's catchphrase — and another post on X featured an emoji of the American flag and a plane.

Alcaraz, the defending champion, will be the third seed in the singles draw, while doubts still remain over the fitness of his great rival and world No1 Jannik Sinner, who is managing a knee injury and also missed the Cincinnati Open. Alcaraz could take to the court as soon as Tuesday in New York in the revamped mixed doubles event, with a

wild card available for a mooted partnership with Serena Williams.

Alcaraz's return is a boost for both the tournament and the sport. Sinner has dominated in his absence, barring his spectacular unravelling at the French Open, but the lack of rivalry has often rendered tournaments a formality.

Meanwhile, the United States Tennis Association has raised prize money for this year's US Open by 20 per cent to $108 million (£79 million), making it the most lucrative tournament in history. The singles champions in 2026 will earn $5.5 million (£4 million) each — a $500,000 (£367,000) increase — while first-round losers in the main draw will earn $140,000 (£103,000), an increase of $30,000 (£22,000). Players who enter the first round of qualifying will be entitled to at least $32,000 (£23,500), with the biggest increases having been weighted towards the earlier rounds.

---

60

Sport Premier League

Can anyone stop Arsenal? Our

As the Premier League returns, our experts pick who will finish top, who is at risk of the drop and the signings they are excited about

WHO WILL WIN THE LEAGUE?

Paul Joyce Arsenal. A lot of teams have issues, but the champions look a little less flawed than everyone else notwithstanding injuries. Ezri Konsa would be a good signing.

Paul Hirst Arsenal. Yes, I know the Community Shield is basically just a friendly, but I came away from Cardiff thinking Arsenal will take some beating. They played with such a swagger.

James Gheerbrant Arsenal. Good institutional decision-making, over the long arc of the Mlad Arleta era, has wrested supremacy from Manchester City and Liverpool. They have ungodly squad depth and the best set-piece operation.

Alyson Rudd Chelsea. After a wobbly start they will pick up steam and blow teams away with their scintillating attacking trio of João Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer. Appointing Xabi Alonso as manager was the coup of the new season.

Gary Jacob Arsenal. Helped by the burden of the title being lifted, they have a versatile and deep squad if — and it is a big if — everyone is fit. They just need more sparkle up front.

Peter Rutzler Arsenal. Hardly an original thought but it is impossible to look beyond them. Stability, maturity and quality in nearly every area puts them ahead of their rivals at the starting gun.

Gregor Robertson Arsenal. Arleta's squad is stronger and deeper than ever, while Arsenal's rivals are all in a period of transition, regression or dysfunction.

Charlotte Duncker Arsenal. They look like they can build on last season and while the rest of the chasing pack look to have improved there are a lot of teams in transition with new managers so it's a perfect opportunity for Arsenal to push on.

WHO WILL MAKE UP THE REST OF THE TOP FOUR?

PJ Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool/Manchester United. They may not be the closest challengers, but a fit and firing Alexander Isak gives Liverpool a chance of recovering from last season.

PH Second: Manchester City — despite a drain of experienced players this summer, Pep Guardiola has left a strong squad and Enzo Maresca is a quality coach. Third: Liverpool. Fourth: Manchester United. JG Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool. Chelsea have no European football, a great first XI and a manager who showed generational talent at Bayer Leverkusen — the upside for them is clear.

AR A smiling but not smug Arsenal are most pundits' favourites and definitely the team that will challenge most robustly for the title, followed by Liverpool and Manchester United.

GJ Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, if they strengthen up top.

PR Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City. This could age badly, given United now have to deal with European football this season, but United ended last term so

Opening weekend fixtures

3pm unless stated

Today Arsenal v Coventry (8pm) Sky Sports

Tomorrow Hull City v Manchester United (12.30pm) TNT Sports

Everton v Crystal Palace

Ipswich Town v Sunderland

Nottingham Forest v Leeds United

Brentford v Tottenham (5.30pm) Sky Sports

Sunday Brighton v Aston Villa (2pm) Sky Sports

Manchester City v Bournemouth (2pm) Sky Sports

Newcastle v Liverpool (4.30pm) Sky Sports

Monday Fulham v Chelsea (8pm) Sky Sports

strongly under Michael Carrick, and their midfield has a younger tinge to it now. The lack of noise and uncertainty is uncharacteristic and disconcerting, but ideal for a strong campaign.

GR Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City. I think United will be Arsenal's closest challengers, although their Champions League return means it probably won't be that close.

CD Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool. I think it will be tight between the rest of the chasing pack but after a few misfiring seasons Chelsea could be the closest to Arsenal.

WHO WILL BE RELEGATED?

PJ Sunderland and Leeds United showed it is possible to drop anchor in the top flight after promotion but there are obvious concerns about Hull City, Ipswich Town and Coventry City. Fulham could get dragged into the dogfight.

PH Ipswich, Hull, Coventry — I hope I'm proved wrong but the gap in quality between the top two tiers is vast — and those who just avoided relegation last year have spent greatly this summer.

JG Seemingly minor event with potentially big repercussions: Fulham, already minus last season's manager and two leading attackers, selling Issa Diop and Sasa Lukic to Ipswich. Ipswich survive, Fulham drop, Coventry and Hull yo-yo.

AR Hull and Ipswich will give it a go and come close to avoiding the drop but not quite make it while Coventry, under the ever-improving and canny Frank Lampard will steer clear leaving Sunderland, busy in Europe, and Newcastle United, busy losing their best players, to fight it out for the drop.

GJ Hull, Ipswich and Coventry. Last season West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers paid for their transfer dealings last summer, so two promoted teams survived. This time perhaps Fulham, who have changed coaches, and Sunderland and Crystal Palace, due to Europe, may give the promoted sides a chance.

PR Coventry, Hull and Ipswich. Last year was a bit of an outlier for newly promoted sides. Given how so much of the league is in transition, I expect all three won't be cut adrift. Crystal Palace and Fulham are among sides I expect could struggle. But the leap from the Championship remains enormous.

GR Coventry, Hull, Ipswich. Coventry, the Championship winners, are tactically flexible and excellent in both boxes, so will be competitive. Hull and Ipswich have gone wild in the transfer market, but probably had to. I think Ipswich, under Gary O'Neil, will be much improved this

time around, but I'm struggling to pick a team that any of them will finish above (yet).

CD Hull, Coventry and Ipswich. After a couple of seasons of newly promoted sides defying the odds it feels like (looking at the squads and the opposition) that normal service could resume and the three newbies go straight back down again.

WHO WILL BE THE TOP SCORER?

PJ Erling Haaland.

PH Haaland.

JG Haaland.

AR Igor Thiago.

GJ Haaland (boring call, I know).

PR João Pedro.

GR Haaland, obviously.

CD Haaland.

WHICH TEAM WILL BE A SURPRISE PACKAGE?

PJ Tottenham will do considerably better having finished 17th in each of the past two seasons, but after spending £250 million would that be deemed a surprise?

PH Leeds. Sign a striker and a top-ten finish is possible.

JG Palace have kept Adam Wharton, Ismalla Sarr and Pierre Sage has been a overachiever in Ligue 1. Top half.

AR Brentford are on an upward trajectory and will reap the benefits of having just the league to focus upon.

GJ Leeds. They seem to be in good shape and have invested heavily.

PR Brentford. I expect their front three of Dango Ouattara, Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade to shine.

GR Leeds might even push for Europe if they sign a striker.

CD Leeds. The arrival of the Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic and James Trafford make them more solid at the back.

WHICH MANAGER COULD COME UNDER EARLY-SEASON PRESSURE?

PJ Turn the question around the other way: which manager will not come under-early season pressure if their team wobble? Everything about modern football (including the media) points to a lack of patience.

PH Oliver Glasner. Not because of his skills — he is an excellent coach — but because his boss, Evangelos Marinakis, sacked four managers last season and is known for having a short fuse.

JG The fixture computer has given Manchester United a tricky October-November stretch and I could see Michael Carrick coming under pressure.

AR Given that many Evertonians are feeling underwhelmed right now, should their club suffer a slow start with few goals then David Moyes will come under pressure with demand for a new, younger model to be in charge.

GJ Sergej Jakirovic excelled in unexpectedly leading Hull to promotion but their summer signings suggest his side will struggle.

PR Matthias Jaissle. Newcastle's summer has been brutal and while Jaissle has good references, particularly for his work within the Red Bull multi-club structure, pleading patience will be difficult, particularly for a coach who is an unknown.

GR Andoni Iraola. Leaving aside the size of the step up from Bournemouth, Liverpool's squad still has some sizeable holes in it. I'm not convinced that enough of the players they do have can

Rice, main, and Arsenal are favourites to retain their title while Madjo, above, looks an exciting prospect for Aston Villa

---

61

Sport

writers' predictions

DAVID PRICE/ARIZAL FUSETTY IMAGES

already Premier League players. The exceptions: Jérémy Jacquet and Manzambi. Would love to see Jacquet make the spot next to Virgil van Dijk his own.

AR Luka Vuskovic has signed for Brighton as a highly competent, high scoring centre back but what we really want to see is him replicate his goal of the season in the Bundesliga; a splendid scorpion kick finish for Hamburg against Werder Bremen.

GJ Vuskovic, Brighton broke their transfer record to sign the 19-year-old from Spurs.

PR Mamadou Sangaré. He was a hugely important player for Lens as they went on to win French Cup and finish second to Paris Saint-Germain. He could quickly become a standout player outside the top six.

GR Sangaré. The all-action displays of Brentford's £39 million record signing have propelled the 24-year-

old Mali midfielder from Rapid Vienna to Lens and on to the Premier League in the space of 12 months. CD Brian Madjo. Technically not a "new" signing because he signed in January, but the teenage striker is now allowed to play and based on his Super Cup showing he could make a big impact for Aston Villa.

ONE WISH FOR THE NEW SEASON PJ Players created the unsightly problem of wrestling at set pieces; let's hope referees enforce their plan to deal with that — one warning, then a penalty or free kick.

PR A fiercely contested title race, not one in which Arsenal run away with it and are 15 points clear by April. JG In a January panic, Jamie Vardy returns; adds five goals, two assists; joins Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Andy Cole, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Mohamed Salah on £50

Premier League goals and 50 assists. AR There is a cloud hanging over all of football that goes by the name of Gianni Infantino. It would be wonderful if Fifa could be run by someone with integrity.

GJ We finally hear the outcome of Manchester City's 115 charges. The hearing was nearly two years ago.

PR That referees stop pausing matches at corners to tell players off for grappling, and just let the scraps unfold and award a foul when the ball is in play.

GR That people stop saying: "The problem isn't VAR, it's the people using it!" every time a polarising incident sparks controversy this season — the eighth since VAR was introduced to the Premier League. Won't hold my breath, though.

CD That we can get to at least the first international break without having to discuss VAR.

England squad delayed amid Uefa boycott threat

Kit Shepard

The FA could neither confirm nor deny that Uefa's boycott threat was behind the decision to delay the naming of England Women's Under-20 World Cup squad by 24 hours.

The U20 World Cup is the first Fifa competition since Gianni Infantino's failed attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. It is due to be held from September 5 to September 27 in Poland, and England are one of six European participants alongside the hosts, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

The FA attributed the delay in naming the squad to "operational reasons", however Uefa threatened to boycott Fifa events in protest against Infantino's Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme on July 30. Although the plan collapsed on July 31, Uefa said on August 6 that the boycott remained possible. To remove the threat, European football's governing body said "assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again".

An impasse has developed since. Infantino is clinging to the Fifa presidency despite widespread condemnation, and Uefa nations are preparing for the U20 tournament as normal while insisting a boycott is on the table.

England's postponed squad announcement enhances speculation that no resolution has been found. The delay was confirmed less than four hours before the squad was meant to be

announced. It is now expected to be revealed at 2pm today.

A boycott would set a crucial precedent for Fifa competitions, which would be severely weakened without European nations.

The next Women's World Cup is scheduled for next summer in Brazil, and European countries including all four UK teams have qualifying playoffs from October 9.

Uefa has not detailed its required "assurances", but has called for an independent review of the FFE plan and the preservation of relevant documents. It also wants Infantino to resign.

While the boycott threat remains live, the U20 World Cup will be shrouded in uncertainty. The Polish federation said last week that it "believes the current situation will be resolved swiftly", but could provide no update yesterday. The French federation said last week that it "expected" to participate "for the moment", and announced its squad last Friday. Spain have also named their squad. The England U20 coach, Lydia Bedford, told the BBC last week that she had been advised to "continue as usual".

Meanwhile, an alliance of fans' groups based in all six Fifa confederations has published a petition calling for Infantino to step down. The petition also calls for substantial Fifa reform.

"The shameful attempt by one individual [Infantino] to sell off the World Cup to private investors exposed a betrayal football will never forget," Football Supporters Europe said.

Fifa was approached for comment.

City chase £85m-rated Allan

Window watch

Paul Hirst, Kit Shepard

Manchester City have opened talks with Palmeiras over a potential deal for Allan Elias, the 22-year-old Brazilian winger.

Allan is one of a number of options that City are assessing in their hunt for a replacement for Savinho, who is likely to join Tottenham Hotspur before the transfer window closes on September 1. Palmeiras have told any suitors that they must pay Allan's £85million release clause. It remains to be seen whether City will go that high, but talks are continuing over a possible deal for the winger, who likes to play on the right. He has played 95 times for Palmeiras

Allan has played 95 times for Palmeiras

ras and this season has scored six goals in all competitions for the club.

Meanwhile, Adam Wharton is set to stay at Crystal Palace for this season, his new manager Pierre Sage has revealed.

In his first press conference, Sage said that the 22-year-old is capable of playing "anywhere in Europe", and the midfielder has attracted interest from City. Yet even though Palace have sold several high-profile players over the past two years, Wharton is expected to stay for now.

"We did it [sold key players] and now it's not the moment to do that," Sage, who was appointed in June, said. "I think he is able to play in another club, in a big club, here or anywhere in Europe. But I think one year with us and a new dynamic will be good for him, and we need him. That's why I think he will stay."

Club's 'anti-Palestine' song

West Ham United have urged supporters not to sing a chant with an "anti-Palestine message" heard after Manor Solomon scored in the 2-2 draw away to Burnley in on Sunday.

The club said they were aware of the "offensive and divisive" chant being sung by some away fans. The same chant was sung by some Leeds United fans when the Israel winger was on loan there two seasons ago.

Some fans had asked West Ham on social media not to sign Solomon before he joined on a three-year deal.

"We encourage our supporters to sing loud and proud about their football club and the players wearing the claret and blue shirt — but never in a way that creates division or causes offence among fellow fans," West Ham said.

Glasner: I won't miss Elliot

Oliver Glasner believes Nottingham Forest will have no problem coping with the loss of Elliot Anderson (Charlotte Duncker writes).

The 23-year-old signed for Manchester City in a club record £116 million deal. However Glasner, who arrived at Forest after the season had ended so did not get to work with the midfielder, is confident his new side will be just fine.

"I knew that he would leave the club, then it is always finding solutions for the team," Glasner said. "I am used to losing star players. At Palace we sold Michael Olise and won two trophies, then we sold Eberechi Eze and Marc Guëhi in the winter and we won the Conference League. It is always about finding solutions."

---

62

Sport Premier League

Coventry falls for Lampard on the pitch – and in the pub

Before opener against the champions tonight, Owen Slot meets club's fans who regard their manager as a Messiah

In Mister Shenanigans, the Irish pub in Coventry, we are discussing whether or not you would save Frank Lampard.

This is me and a gaggle of Cov fans. Real proper nutty obsessed ones. One of them, Neil, has every Coventry City home match programme since 1953. What about before 1953, you might ask? They didn't make football programmes before 1953 is your answer. Thus do you learn something every day — even here in Coventry — where they might not save Frank Lampard.

Here is the question. You're in a hot air balloon, but there's too much weight so you need to jettison some cargo. You have two options: you can either toss out Lampard, who will be leading the club back into the Premier League against Arsenal this evening after a 25-year absence, or you toss out Mark Robins, Lampard's predecessor, who got them through two promotions and then to the brink of the Premier League. Who would you save?

There is a lot of gurning. A lot of head-scratching. Finally the silence is broken by Ian Rose ("Rosie"), whose Sky Blue days extend back to Ronnie Rees scoring in the Cup against Tranmere Rovers in 1968. "I've got it," he says. "I'd throw myself out."

Everyone agrees that this is a great decision until Anthony Hornsby ("Lurch") emerges from serious thought with a better option. Lurch is a football statto whose opinions are only ever fact-based. "I'd chuck out Robins," he says, "because Robins is God, so we know he'd be all right."

This is how it has been in Coventry: you wait two decades for a Messiah and then along they come like London buses.

Some people have an 1-met-the-Messiah anecdote. Lurch cites the moment he had physical contact with him. It was before Wrexham away last season: Lampard was walking past and Lurch offered him a fist-bump greeting. Lampard returned the fist bump and then Coventry lost 3-2. Lurch remains convinced it was his fault.

Listen to the podcast, That Cov Pod, for instance, Every week, naturally, they talk about Lampard. Then backstage, at one of the celebrations post-promotion last May, one of the presenters, Jig, actually found himself in Lampard's presence. "Jelly-legged," he says was how he felt. Then he took courage in his hands and went to talk to him.

"You're Jig!" Lampard said. "I froze," Jig says. But then they had "a good chat," he recalls, and at the end of it he was so overwhelmed he "needed to sit down".

This is Rosie's: Lampard showed up

to a supporters' club evening at Bedworth Liberal Club; they thought he might do his duty for half an hour but he stayed for three. "I couldn't believe it," Rosie says.

This is Neil's from the same evening: "I had a pint with him. He drank Coors, I said, 'How can you drink that stuff?'"

This is another from Rosie from that night: "He said, 'Christine [his wife] says she's never seen me as happy since I've been at Coventry.''

That last one is the kind of inside knowledge a grown man will hang upon. In terms of big-name managers who have taken a team up to the Premier League, it's hard to come up with anyone higher profile than Lampard. Roy Keane when he took Sunderland up in 2007, perhaps, and Kevin Keegan with Newcastle United in 1993. Here in Coventry, they're not only still pinching themselves that Lampard got them up, but they're also celebrating the fact that he's stayed with them for the journey.

Lampard's profile and his success have made him a natural target for "bigger" clubs. On this, I have some crumbs to share in Mister Shenanigans because I have just come from Lampard's final pre-season press conference where he was asked if he could give an insight into the number of head-turning offers that came his way during the summer.

"No!" was his answer. He laughed but then followed by saying: "I'm very, very happy to be here. I've had an amazing 18 months and now I can really think about the future. I am hopefully a manager or a man that respects the opportunity given to me by the football club and also respects how I've been taken to by fans and I enjoy working here every day. So that's it."

In Mister Shenanigans, these words are roundly celebrated. "Class act" is the cliché widely applied to Lampard, but this is one of those over-used expressions that seems abundantly true.

I relate another theme from the Lampard press conference which comes on the back of the new José Mourinho documentary. Early on in the doc, there's quite a lot of Lampard being interviewed and he shares an anecdote about Mourinho coming to talk to him when he's in the shower and telling him that he's the best player in the world. Lampard manages to make light of this whopping compliment by laughing about the fact that he had been given it in the shower. The point he uses it to make, though, is that Mourinho had an ability to build a player and to massage his psychology unlike anyone else.

Lampard's specific quote about Mourinho elevated him to a kind of messianic level. "Some players would do anything for him," he said. "I was that player."

This very quote was cereal to Lampard at the press conference with the question: is that how your players now behave towards you?

"I always get asked the question: what do you take from all the managers [you played for]?" was how he started his response. "I can never be José and

none of us can. It's pretty unique. But I do try and have my own way of making the players feel good and feel like I'm with them for good or for bad.

"It's not easy right through a season because there will be moments you get challenged. I do try and do that and I don't think I'm being boastful to say this but from what we've done in 18 months, hopefully it says that I am."

"This is a typical Lampard answer. It's full of self-awareness about how he comes over, it's not him saying that he's good at his job but it is him saying that there's reasons to believe why he might be. It's going to be a different matter when Coventry are trying to live with the big beasts in the Premier League but, for now, it's intelligently and modestly pitched and you can see why anyone would want to play for him.

"Class act," is the reaction, again, in Shenanigans.

The bottom-line question for everyone here is: can Coventry stay up? My answer is yes. They're better equipped than the other two going up. Hail City don't have the same momentum and haven't had the same spend. Ipswich

Town have spent more but are building a new team with a new manager. They then only need one other club to falter.

And surely the Lampard effect — on players who might be thinking that they'd do anything for him — is worth a point or three.

"I want to show in how we approach the game that we're not coming to it in any form of fear," he says. His success, his demeanour, his story — everything that has brought Lampard back to the Premier League — suggests he can.

Survival, or even a plucky relegation, will lead to an accumulation of further head-turning offers from other employers. It'll only take a few disappointing results from Thomas Tuchel and he'll be right bang in the conversation about the next England manager. It's one of those backwards equations: the better he does with Coventry, the more likely he is to leave.

"We're very accepting it's going to happen," Rosie says.

Indeed, if you've been led to the promised land, you thank your one Messiah for getting you there. And if he goes, you know where to find the other.

Journalling

Gary Jacob

Mikel Arteta has revealed he spent the summer journalling his vision for Arsenal and his future over the next few years.

The Arsenal manager said his writings provided clarity about the changes he and the club needed to make to lift back-to-back Premier League titles and create a dynasty. They will begin their title defence at home to the newly promoted Coventry City tonight.

Writing down thoughts, feelings and experiences, sometimes to aid self-reflection, problem-solving and focus is not just the reserve of angsty teenagers — it is used by artists such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga as a creativity tool.

Arteta said his writing made him realise he needed to show more enthusiasm and energy. "It helped me, made me feel better, gave me energy, clarity and a clear direction," he said. "Then I have to have the ability to convince all

---

63

Sport

Clockwise from left: Lampard oversees a pre-season friendly as Coventry prepare for

their first Premier League campaign for 25 years. A supporter shows the love for the

manager at a game in April, with the club celebrating promotion the following month

is Arteta's latest tool for domination

of them that this is the right way to go. It was a period of self-reflection to understand where do we want to take the club, the players, what happens to me, my family in the next few months and years?"

Arteta is expected to sign a new three-year deal, which would take his tenure as Arsenal manager to ten years if he sees it out. An estimated 1.5 million people watched Arsenal parade a first Premier League title in 22 years in May and Josh Kroenke, the co-chair, said the club was a "sleeping giant that we needed to awaken".

Arteta and his league champions take on Coventry at home tonight

Arteta said watching those fans celebrating meant more to him than the trophy. "It is like creating a beast and monster inside you, I want to go through that again," he said.

He is known for putting up positive messaging around the training ground

but said his players would not rest on their laurels now that they had a winners' medal. "They don't need any kicks," he said. "If they need a kick, believe me, they will get a kick. What they need is the realisation of the energy, desire and passion to go again this season.

"We have built something that is special. We need to make sure we look after it daily.

The message came from players, immediately after [winning the title], they were talking about what is next and what they want to do."

Arsenal are keen on Kenan Yildiz, 21, but Juventus do not want to sell the winger and Arteta ruled out making panic signings, as well as selling the midfielders Myles Lewis-Skelly, who attracted interest from Manchester United, and Martin Zubimendi, who led his starting place at the end of last season due to fatigue. "The purpose has to be to be better or evolve in a different way that can increase our probability of winning again," he said. "They are the right reasons to sign. Otherwise, we're going to regret it.

"My kids say, 'Are you signing this? Or how close are we with this?' I gather information from [sporting director] Andrea Berta at the board, or Josh [Kroenke], to understand where we are with the transfers and what we are able to do and why not."

Liverpool's £50m Minteh bid rejected

Paul Joyce

Northern Football Correspondent

Brighton & Hove Albion have rebuffed a £50 million bid from Liverpool for the winger Yankuba Minteh.

Liverpool are seeking to bolster their attacking options and ideally want to sign Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain as well as another wide player.

It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will now increase their offer for Minteh. The pacey 22-year-old is unable to play for about two months after undergoing surgery on a big injury sustained in Brighton's pre-season win against Roma, but is believed to be keen on the move, which was first reported by The Athletic.

Minteh, a Gambia international, moved to Brighton from Newcastle United for £30 million in the summer of 2024 and has nine Premier League goals and eight assists across his two seasons at the club.

Brighton's stance comes with Liverpool and PSG still apart on their respective valuations of Barcola.

Minteh, 22, will miss about two months after undergoing surgery

who would be utilised on the left flank should he end up making the move to Merseyside. The French champions initially placed a £145 million price tag on Barcola.

Liverpool have already signed Victor Muñoz from Osasuna in a £34.5 million deal and he can operate on both flanks. In addition, they have Cody Gakpo, Rio Ngumohua and Federico Chiesa.

Minteh would be an option for the right side of Andoni Iraola's team, with attempts to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig having floundered earlier in the summer. Liverpool offered the Bundesliga side a package worth £85.6 million, which was rejected and the player ended up joining Real Madrid for £120 million.

Meanwhile, the Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones is set to complete a move to Inter Milan in a transfer that could be worth £30 million. He has had permission to fly to Italy to undergo a medical after a deal was agreed yesterday. Inter will pay £26.7 million initially and a further £4 million in bonuses after Liverpool dropped their £35 million asking price.

Brighton held in Arctic Circle

Tromso

Brighton

Conference League play-off, first leg Joe Harston

When Brighton & Hove Albion last appeared in a European competition, their fans were treated to away days in Amsterdam, Marseille, Athens and Rome in the Europa League, but after romanticising another trip following their team around the continent, 407 of their most committed supporters learnt exactly what the Conference League is all about, and where better to do it than the northernmost professional football stadium in the world.

More than 200 miles above the Arctic Circle, on a sticky artificial pitch, they were forced into a frustrating goalless encounter against Tromso, who — thanks to an impressive display by their goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard and a resolute performance from their back five — will travel to Sussex next week with their hopes of qualifying for the league phase still intact.

Ibrahim Osman proved to be Brighton's main source of attack in the open-

ing stages and he could not have struck his first shot on goal much cleaner, taking the fallout from a corner on his chest and stinging Haugaard's gloves with a volley.

Efforts from Georginio Rutter and Yasin Ayari either side of the break led to similarly impressive saves, while the Norwegian side showed how they could patiently wait to launch a counter attack. An excellently weighted ball threaded through the middle of Brighton's defence left Olivier Boscagli and Luka Vuskovic looking hopefully for an offside flag before Bart Verbruggen, the goalkeeper, came to their aid to make a crucial save in a one-on-one with Heine Asen Larsen.

Tromso breached Brighton's high line again shortly before the final whistle but the centre half Isak Vadebu skewed his effort high and wide.

Tromso (5-3-2): J Haugaard — I Dahlqvist (S. Høvik Inhuser Klimin), I Vadebu, V Skjaervik, M Tomessen, A Wærnøyd — D Edvardsson, R Yttergaard Jenssen, L Oldon Larsen (J Candies 64) — T Nyhammer (D Braut 90), H Asen Larsen (J Grundt 90).

Brighton & Hove Albion (4-3-3): B Verbruggen — M Wiefler, G Boscagli, L Vuskovic, P Kadioglu (Z Yohanna 87) — Y Ayari, P Grisey, M Halvinder (A Cozier-Duberty 68) — D Gómez (C Kostoulas 68), G Rutter (J Hirshkolevsof 78), I Osman (M De Cuyper 78). Booked Vuskovic, Kadioglu. Referee E Malcevs (Lat).

CONTINUED FROM BACK Regulator goes to police

Gold family. Sullivan has the right to buy El per cent, which would take him to 51 per cent and trigger the need to take control of the club. The deadline for the take-up of the shares is September 2.

The regulator does not have the power to stop an incumbent owner increasing their stake, only a potential new owner such as Staveley.

"We are aware of the potential sale of shares at West Ham," the IFR spokesperson said.

"Any new owner, director or senior executive of a club that falls within the

scope of our ODSE regime will need approval from the IFR before they take up that role."

"We have a broad but fixed list of matters we can consider — all set out in statute. This includes assessing all candidates against the IFR's test on financial soundness, sufficient financial resources, source of wealth, and honesty and integrity — including a check on any criminal proceedings or convictions, civil actions and other regulatory investigations."

Even so, the regulator does have the power to make an existing shareholder direct their shares if they are no longer considered suitable under the ODSE framework.

---

64

Sport First Rothesay Test: England v Pakistan

Wonder boy Brook puts side

Mike Atherton

Chief Cricket Correspondent, Headingley

England v Pakistan

Headingley (day two of five): England, with two first-innings wickets in hand, lead by 195 runs

"Not ready" was Rob Key's verdict on Harry Brook, when the Test captaincy was up for grabs a month ago. You can take issue with the verdict if you wish — though leading across three formats would be a burden too far in my view at this stage — but there is little doubt that when it comes to batting, and especially batting against Pakistan, Brook is not just ready but positively drooling at the prospect.

Before this Test, Brook averaged more than 80 against them, which he nudged a touch higher with 91, the prize score of the day. It was against them that he came of age as an international player on his first tour of the country, scoring three hundreds, and against them that he made his highest Test score, a mammoth 317 in Multan. They must like watching him too, because they dropped him right at the start of his innings here, when he had made just a single.

That is not a wise thing to do to someone sitting at the top of the world rankings, which is where Brook moved back to on the eve of this game. It was to Salman Ali Agha that the chance fell at second slip in the 47th over of the innings, a relatively straightforward chance it was too, a little to his right and at knee height. In the event, Brook fell short of what would have been his first Test hundred on his home ground, though his innings helped put England in a commanding position.

Brook made 99 against India here last year, out hooking, and placed his hand to his head in agonised frustration after doing so. His reaction here, after missing one from the left-arm spinner Ali Usman, was the same. Looking to work to leg, somehow the ball slipped through, leaving Brook wondering what might have been once more. Some day soon, the locals will rise to acclaim a hundred on this ground from their wonder boy, but not yet.

It meant that Brook became one of four England batsmen to pass the half-century mark, on a day when they wiped out Pakistan's advantage in the morning and stretched their lead to 195 by the close. On a dry pitch offering plenty to both seamers and spinners — Usman took two more wickets after Brook to finish with five for 92 — that feels like an unassailable position, given the way England's bowlers exposed the obvious frailties of the Pakistan line-up first time around.

In his extensive round of media interviews during the build-up to this Test, Joe Root, the man eventually chosen as captain, emphasised one thing over and over again: he did not, he said, want to impose a predetermined style upon his team. He wanted them to assess conditions, the situation and the opposition and play accordingly. Here the view for his team was about as straightforward as it gets: there were runs to be had against a modest attack, and a match to set up.

Those who like their numbers will have noticed that England have scored at a healthy 4-46 in their first innings so far, almost exactly the same as the run rate scored over a four-year period under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCallum. The difference, though, was that they did not have to make the running,

Root looked comfortable before departing for 66 in his 66th game as captain

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN First Innings 171 Abdullah Shafique 61; J Tongue 5 for 46, O Robinson 5 for 51)

ENGLAND First Innings	R	B	M
(Overnight 112-2)
J Cox c Rizwan b Usman	73	100	170
*J Root Ibw b Shahzad	66	112	169
H Brook b Usman	91	93	142
D Lawrence c Rizwan b Usman	51	79	110
†J Smith not out	16	35	54
G Atkinson Ibw b Usman	3	15	16
O Robinson b Usman	0	1	1
J Archer not out	0	3	8
Extras (b 4, tb 9, nb 5)	18
TOTAL (8 wks, 82 overs)	366

J Tongue to bat. Fall of wickets 1-36, 2-48, 3-198, 4-202, 5-322, 6-356, 7-364, 8-364. Bowling Abbas 21-5-61-1; Shahzad 19-1-111-1; Ali 19-2-89-1; Usman 23-1-92-5.

Umpires A Paleker (SA) and C Gaffaney (NZ). Match referee R Madugalle (SL).

or take any risks at all, to compete; they simply had to take what was on offer from a Pakistan attack that was a pale imitation of those of previous years.

During the extended break for morning rain, Sky Sports showed some old footage of the last time Pakistan won in England, 30 years ago. There, steaming in on our television screens, were Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, followed by the magic of Mushtaq Ahmed, the beguiling wrist spinner. Not just that, though, there was the sight of a crowd full of Pakistan supporters, flags and banners to the fore, support noisy and colourful.

The contrast could not have been sharper once play began in the afternoon under grey skies. Pakistan's attack, by comparison, is as monochrome today as the skies were above, consisting of three right-arm medium pacers and a finger spinner — a very un-Pakistan-like attack, in other words. More than that, there is little discernible evidence of boisterous Pakistan

support on the terraces.

Their followers have not had much to shout about these past few years and the second day of this game went predictably, amid dropped catches, shoddy ground-fielding and ill-directed bowling, until late wickets brought a little more respectability. Before Brook was put down by Salman, Jordan Cox had been dropped by Khurram Shahzad, a seamer with a penchant for bowling a bad ball every over. He conceded 16 boundaries in his first 15 overs.

It was Cox, making his bow at No 3, who took advantage of Khurram's waywardness, taking four boundaries in an over on one occasion and three in another. He looked the part, upright and imposing in making a stylish 73. To make the place his own, he will require a bigger score than that in the next two Tests, with Jacob Bethell waiting in the wings, but he did his chances of a prolonged involvement no harm here, before Usman found his outside edge.

Root was purring along nicely too, all but two shots in his first 50 runs coming behind square, so late and delicately was he playing. Somehow, he then missed a straight ball from Khurram, when he looked utterly set and secure, and his decision to review what looked like an obvious leg-before may have been inspired by this frustration. Dan Lawrence, in a more accustomed position at No 6, then added 120 with Brook, which cemented an already strong position.

Lawrence looked more settled here, than he had done opening in his previous Test two years ago, albeit that his preference for the leg side remains. With his big initial movement across his stumps, and strong bottom-hand grip, he pounces on anything directed at the stumps or his pads, which means that more disciplined bowling units will plug a wider line, and challenge him to play through the off side. It was sweeping to leg that brought his downfall, when he top-edged Usman into the hands of Mohammad Rizwan.

In the first over, Usman, at third man, had produced an awful piece of outcricket, which summed up Pakistan's efforts in the field, running around from third man and kicking the ball over the boundary. But with ball in hand he did his bit, holding an end through 23 overs, finding turn off the pitch almost immediately which he combined with a canny arm ball. His final two wickets, of Gus Atkinson and Ollie Robinson, summed up his threat: he trapped Atkinson with an arm ball, and then produced a beauty to beat Robinson's forward prod. On a difficult day for Pakistan, his five wickets was a lone good news story.

Brook's 91 came off 93 deliveries, and although he is yet to make a Test century

If not at No 3, Cox

Steve James

The story has been well told. It relates to a County Championship match at Taunton in 1999 in which Marcus Trescothick made a big hundred for Somerset against Glamorgan, whose coach then was Duncan Fletcher, waiting to begin his role with England only a few short months later.

I was playing in that game and Fletcher repeated frequently: "This kid has got something," in relation to Trescothick, who is, of course, England's stand-in head coach in this match at Headingley.

Now, Fletcher was the most perspicacious of coaches, with the sharpest eye for detail, but it was telling that he could only say that Trescothick had "something," because the truth is that batting is such a complex mix of the technical, mental, physical and tactical that pin-

pointing exact reasons for potential is difficult.

Sometimes you just know. Sometimes years of experience tell you that what you are seeing looks and feels right. And Fletcher knew that with Trescothick, who, despite moderate numbers behind him at the time, made his England debut in 2000 and went on to enjoy a magnificent career.

So, to bring this story up to date, I think Jordan Cox has "something." This is not to class myself in any way, shape or form as an equal to Fletcher's unparalleled expertise — even if most of my coaching ideas have been pinched from him — or to predict that Cox will be as good as Trescothick. It is not even as if Cox is being touted from nowhere, because he is 25 and came into this Test with a first-class average of 43, and this is also his IIth international match, but there is something intangible about his

---

65

Sport

in a commanding position

at his home ground of Headingley, he was in excellent form to help England build healthy lead over a lacklustre Pakistan

deserves Test spot elsewhere

game and character that seems to set him apart from others.

And before anyone gets too carried away, this is a poor Pakistan bowling attack. It is not as if Cox began his innings with Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis steaming in at him. But it is just that there is a calmness and a confidence to him that bodes so well. It may even be that as the ginger replacing Ben Stokes in the side he has that fiery competitive spirit that some others lack.

Whatever it is, he looked damned good here. Conditions are not easy, with both seam and spin available, but at times he was dismissive in the power and timing of his boundaries, which flowed, as they can so easily do at this ground. In the modern parlance he "took down" the unthreatening seam of Khurram Shahzad in the most unforgiving manner, taking him for four hours in one over and three in another.

That second occasion had actually been sparked by a dropped return catch by Khurram after Cox's attempted pull had headed nowhere near its intended destination. Cox was on 57 then and berated himself by pushing the toe of his bat between the grille and peak of his helmet.

He knew what was on offer here. The celebration of his maiden Test fifty — in only his second Test — had been muted; a man contemplating a much longer and more exalted journey. So for him to perish on 73 was both a surprise and, for the player, an extreme disappointment.

It was an odd dismissal, the ball from left-arm spinner Ali Usman turning sharply as Cox played back and edged to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. It was not immediately obvious that Cox had been given out, but he had, whereupon he reviewed, reasoning he had hit

back pad rather than ball. In fact he had done both.

Clearly, batters do not always know when they have hit the ball, but they do know when they have missed out. Cox had missed out here.

The most impressive of his 14 boundaries had been a drive through mid-off from Mohammad Ali and there had been a couple of back-foot punches through the covers that had screamed class, even if his method of not actually moving back to play them, rather going up on his toes with head well forward from a position deep in his crease, could spell danger on pitches of steeper bounce and bowlers of higher pace.

For that reason alone No.3 is probably not his spot moving forward, but on this evidence he should always be pushing for a spot somewhere because, quite simply, he can undoubtedly add something.

Why snub Headingley when pitches are great and the players love it?

ECB's decision not to give historic ground Test in 2027 or 2028 is cultural vandalism, writes Simon Wilde

Ascend the stairs to the Yorkshire members' Long Room at Headingley and the history of a great cricketing county is immediately apparent. First of all portraits can be glimpsed of Geoff Boycott and Fred Trueman, who in their ways typified the character of the batsmen and fast bowlers who hail from these parts.

Further on are paintings of Lord Hawke and Wilfred Rhodes, two men who helped to build the club into the most powerful in the land in the early 1900s; then more still of Len Hutton, the first professional formally appointed England captain, who won the Ashes home and away.

Yorkshire is the largest historic county in England and there is a case for saying that large swathes of its land have been dedicated to the pursuit of cricket. It is a popularly held view that it possesses more cricket clubs than all of Australia combined; this is not the case, but it carries a wider truth: Yorkshire cricket is a force to be reckoned with.

It is more than just a recreational activity, too, but a serious business. Yorkshire have won more championship titles than any other county and produced more England Test cricketers than any other. With Joe Root, already England's most-capped captain, back in charge for this match against Pakistan, Yorkshire players have now led the country in 174 Tests, another record.

It is therefore a particular slight that Headingley has not been allocated a Test match in either 2027 or 2028. For many years, this venue was effectively guaranteed a central role in the Test summer, staging a match every year between 1961 and 1989 (five contests against a Rest of the World team in 1970, including one at Headingley, were originally sold as Test matches but later downgraded). It is true that England did not play a Test here in 2010 or 2011, the only other time since the Second World War that they have gone two years without playing here, but in fact in the first of those seasons Leeds played host to a Test between Pakistan and Australia at a time when Pakistan were unable to host games in their own country for security reasons. So

what is about to happen is the gravest deprivation of Test cricket in Yorkshire since the 1930s.

The ECB's precise reasons for preferring to grant a Test match next year to the arrivistes of Hampshire, for example, have not been articulated, but the locals here

Former England cricketer Boycott watched day one at Headingley

have their theories as to why this act of cultural vandalism has been inflicted upon them. Sympathy was certainly in short supply towards all things to do with the club in the wake of the racism scandal — when the club were fined and hit with points deductions in 2023 after former players and coaches were found to have used racist language.

No one disputes that Headingley could do with further investment, and investment is planned, but as Edgbaston has shown this summer by staging big matches while one side of the ground is in the hands of the builders, redevelopment does not mean that a venue needs to be mothballed. High-quality infrastructure is only one measure of excellence. Many insiders, including Root, take the view that Headingley produces the best Test pitches in the country.

Who would dispute that the cricket here is better than on the rogue surfaces being produced at Lord's, or the mortician's clubs so often on show at the Utilita Bowl? The fact that Headingley has not seen a drawn Test match since 2012 says a lot. If this group of players were asked if they would like to play at Headingley in 2027 and 2028, they would definitely say yes. After all, they have won their past six Tests here, equalling their own best run at any home ground set at — yes, you've guessed it — Headingley between 1956 and 1962.

Great pitches tend to produce great cricket and this ground has produced an inordinate number of great Tests. Don Bradman scored two triple centuries here, including what still stands as the largest single-day feat of runscoring in Test history when he made 309 on the first day in 1930. On his final tour of England in 1948, Bradman helped Australia to chase 404 on the final day of a match watched by 158,000, which still stands as the largest attendance for any Test in this country.

I was a youngster hanging on to the railings on the Western Terrace when Boycott scored his 100th first-class century, against Australia in 1977, and four years later from the same stands watched Bob Willis bowl England to victory in the Miracle of Headingley '81. The crowd that Tuesday was no more than a few thousand, but the atmosphere was one of near hysteria. The Ben Stokes Test of 2019 was better attended and every bit as frenzied in the closing stages.

"Everybody associated with cricket in Yorkshire is disappointed around there being no men's Test in 2027 and 2028, and a Test match outside the India se-

ries in 2029 against which oppo-

nents we do not yet know,"

Yorkshire chief executive

Sanjay Patel said.

"For whatever reason this ground has always thrown up iconic moments. Test cricket is under pressure from a global perspective and if we want to make sure it keeps being strong, we've got to create these moments,

and they often happen at Headingley."

---

THE TIMES

V.0.04

Sport

Premier League returns tonight

Why Arreta has taken up journalling

What Coventry thinks of Lampard

Pages 62-63. Tonight: Arsenal v Coventry, 8pm

Regulator

goes to police over Sullivan

It seeks information on his ownership suitability

Matt Lawton

Chief Sports Correspondent

The independent football regulator has contacted the police as part of its inquiry into the "extremely serious allegations" made against the West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan.

A joint investigation by The Times and the BBC revealed in June that multiple women had accused the billionaire businessman of abusing his power by preying on them for sex. The regulator said it would seek "urgent information" about the suitability of the 77-year old, who is the largest shareholder at the club with 38.8 per cent, for the role. Sullivan "categorically" denies the claims.

It emerged in 2023 that the club had put certain safeguarding measures in place in conjunction with the FA. Sullivan is banned from having one-to-one contact or direct access to the club's women's and youth teams after the FA received a historical complaint about him. The Times also reported in August that Sullivan was advised not to attend home matches because of the potential for fan unrest. However he attended West Ham's Carabao Cup match against Portsmouth on August 8 at the London Stadium.

Now, The Times understands, the regulator has been in touch with both Essex Police, which is investigating the claims made against Sullivan, and the FA as part of the new checks it can make under its new owners, directors and senior executives (ODSE) framework.

A spokesperson for the independent

football regulator (IFR) said: "The IFR's enquiries into the suitability of David Sullivan under our ODSE regime are active and ongoing and we are in touch with relevant authorities as part of this process."

The IFR was created in 2025 and this is one of the most significant cases in which it has been involved with. The IFR has three primary objectives: to protect and promote financial sustainability of individual clubs; to protect and promote the financial resilience of English football as a whole; and to safeguard the features of English football.

This development comes at a time when there remains huge uncertainty about the ownership of a club that was relegated from the Premier League last season. Sullivan resigned as joint chairman in the wake of the sexual misconduct allegations. Daniel Kretinsky then agreed to increase his personal stake from 27 to 43 per cent by buying more than half of the shares belonging to the family of the late David Gold. The situation was then complicated by the fact that a consortium led by Amanda Staveley, the former Newcastle United director, had reached an agreement with Vanessa Gold — who is acting on behalf of the Gold family — to buy the entire 25.1 per cent family stake.

But a pre-emption measure exists that gives both Sullivan and Kretinsky first refusal on the Gold shares. Kretinsky remains keen to increase his shareholding but it is believed Sullivan may yet attempt to strike a deal with the Continued on page 63

Brook's 91 puts England on top

Harry Brook falls short of what would have been a first Test ton at his home ground, Headingley, but England are in control. Mike Atherton, pages 64-65

Verstappen: I nearly retired

Molly Hudson

Formula One Correspondent

Max Verstappen said after committing his future to Red Bull until 2030 that he had been closer to retiring than swapping teams.

The four-times world champion, 28, had been linked with moves to McLaren or Mercedes but was unsure whether he wanted to stay in the sport at all after the 2026 regulations led to cars that he described as "anti-racing".

His new contract — announced to coincide with this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix — features a pay increase beyond the grid-leading £60 million a year he already earns.

"I think I was closer to retiring than changing team," Verstappen said. "I never felt that desire — or need also — to change [to another team] to try to win somewhere else," he said.

Why driver is staying at Red Bull, page 59

Alcaraz set to play US Open

Tom Kershaw

Tennis Correspondent

Carlos Alcaraz is set to make his comeback at the US Open after missing four months with a wrist injury.

The 23-year-old became the youngest man to complete the career grand slam by defeating Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in February, but he has not played a competitive match since April 14 after injuring his right wrist at the Barcelona Open.

The seven-times grand-slam champion's team have taken a cautious approach to the injury, with the wrist being a notoriously fragile area for tennis players. Alcaraz had initially been expected to return at the Cincinnati Open this week but ultimately decided to spend another week practising in his hometown of Murcia, Spain. The risk of Continued on page 59

Times Crossword 29,627

1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8
9								10
11						12
13											14
								15		16
17
				19		20
21										22				23
24								25
26						27

ACROSS

1 Spooner's dish? His number two pan! (4,5) 6 Panelist judging illusionist with vanishing trick (5) 9 Obliquely question note in card (7) 10 Golden-brown tan covering area on sunbather's back (7) 11 A lot of loose Australian plugs stopped working (5) 12 Stand for a revolutionary broadcast again (9) 13 Street name for Parisian housing is on return address there (8) 14 Order restricting bad egg smells in the East End (4) 17 Stick large probes down (4) 18 4 most significant spending limits (8) 21 Old symbols of numeric variable (9) 22 Reflecting some in Italy? (5) 24 Can containing last drop of kiwi cordial (7) 25 Principal character in Harry Potter introduces philosopher (7) 26 Heartless twelve year cuts for respected authority (5) 27 Maybe North Pole expert's trapped (9)

DOWN

1 Noisy disturbance going uphill without a muffler? (5) 2 Nanny won't quit UK novel that's hard to read (7,8) 3 Medical upset spreading alarm (8) 4 English dons fighting at university in the sixties? (3,5) 5 Rule out fire resistance in passage (6) 6 Jumper's lower in the field? (6) 7 Irate spinner's behind putting South African pitch on film (15) 8 Family congress over in New Orleans (9) 13 Wonder-workers fixed up toilet with rod (5,4) 15 With hour to go, media struck the right chord (8) 16 Juvenile snubbed cold platter (8) 19 Primate rebuffed important toff on retreat (6) 20 Appear with setter in triumph (4,2) 23 Bottle opener vexing hosts (5)

Yesterday's solution 29,626

Check today's answers by ringing 0905 757 0143 by midnight. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP-Spoke 0333 202 3390.

Newspapers support recycling

The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2024 was 34.7%

---

TIMES Events

An evening with Lewis Moody

From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action. Join us as Lewis sits down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe for an honest, inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.

Thursday, November 5 | 7.30pm

The Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 3DW

Book your tickets at thetimes.com/events

---

Google

Pixel 11 Pro

Google Pixel

©Visual Partner of Arsenal Football Club

---

THE TIMES

August 21 2026

2 ARTS

Ahhh... they missed us

But did anyone miss Harry and Meghan?

---

2

the arts column

Richard Morrison

Is A-level music about to disappear from state schools entirely?

In music, of all subjects, exams are not the he-all and end-all. Self-taught musicians — learning chords by trial and error, picking out tunes by ear and figuring out by themselves how great songs are put together — can and do succeed, especially in the pop world. But a great music teacher, preferably in a school where music flourishes not only in lessons but also at lunchtimes and after hours, can unlock so many of music's mysteries and pass on so many useful techniques.

In a school like that, too, musical activities crucially nurture all those other essential ingredients of a rounded personality: social skills, discipline, concentration, teamwork, the confidence to be creative and articulate, a sense of self-worth but also of contributing to something greater than yourself. Such schools tend to be places where students start to value music so much that they want to study it to GCSE level at least, and A-level in many cases.

That's why the figures released over the past week have been so shocking to those who care about music's future in the UK. The number of students taking A-level music has fallen by 6 per cent in a year. It's now under 5,000. Only 15 years ago it was more than 10,000.

The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), which has commendably led the fight to get music back into state schools, doesn't mince its words. "We are facing the worst-case scenario prospect of A-level music disappearing from English state schools entirely," says Deborah Annette, the ISM's chief executive. "If that is allowed to happen, music will become the preserve of those in private education."

The decline in GCSE music entrants is not quite so stark this year, down a mere 1 per cent or so. Even so, what it means is that, of the roughly 700,000 students who took GCSE exams this year, fewer than 1 in 20 did music. Of the 95 per cent who didn't, how many even had the opportunity to do it? I would guess very few because what these figures really reveal is that those wonderful schools I described above, where music flourishes in every corner, are becoming rarer and rarer in the state sector.

The government doesn't deny this. How could it? But it claims it has set in motion plans to give music and other arts subjects more prominence in the curriculum. And it did seem to be

on the right track last November when it scrapped the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) — the biggest decision to come out of Professor Becky Francis's wide-ranging review of the curriculum.

For 15 years the EBacc had excluded music and the arts from the magic circle of subjects deemed mandatory at GCSE. So schools saw no point in teaching subjects that wouldn't give their pupils a meaningful qualification or boost their own standing in league tables.

But opening up the curriculum is one thing, providing trained teachers for these restored subjects quite another. The number of people doing teacher training in arts subjects has shrunk by 66 per cent since 2010 and declines further each year.

Far from taking steps to attract new music teachers, however, the

Education secretary Lucy Powell

government has decided, perversely, to do the opposite. In the very month that EBacc was scrapped, the education secretary, then Bridget Phillipson, abolished bursaries (tax-free incentives) for people wanting to train as arts or music teachers. They were worth only £10,000 per applicant anyway (those training in science and maths get £29,000).

Then last month, in practically her last act in the role, Phillipson also cut what's called the Strategic Priorities Grant for high-cost performing arts courses at universities. Phillipson acknowledged that losing this £12 million subsidy would be

The university cull of courses could become a full slaughter

"challenging" for universities already under huge financial pressures, but I wonder if she realised just how challenging. Dozens of music and creative arts courses have already been closed, including by some very well-regarded universities. The cull could now become a full-scale slaughter.

What will be the consequence? The answer is: another vicious twist to a vicious circle. If arts subjects cease being taught by most universities, there are fewer graduates to teach those subjects in schools. That means even fewer state school students are sufficiently trained to compete for places in music conservatoires and art and drama colleges.

And that, in turn, exacerbates the very situation this Labour government is constantly bloating about: too many privately

educated people from wealthy backgrounds dominating the arts. "Talent is everywhere but opportunity is not," is the oft-repeated cry of Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary. That's true. But who's responsible for the lack of opportunity? Labour has been in power for two years now, and the dreadfully patchy state of music and arts education in state schools has, if anything, worsened.

Initiatives that look good on paper — Francis's curriculum reforms or the launch of a National Centre for Arts and Music Education — are taking ages to stagger into life. The National Centre, for instance, is supposed to open next month but we don't even know yet who's going to run it. Meanwhile, year after year of teenagers are leaving school having had virtually no classroom contact with the arts.

Now there's a fresh complication: a new prime minister and education secretary apparently intent on introducing two separate streams of education — vocational or academic — for children to choose (or to have chosen for them) at 14.

How will this be aligned with the curriculum review already published? It would make sense to give 14-year-olds the chance to receive vocational training for the creative industries sector, which delivers £140 billion a year to the economy and is a rare good news story in 2020s Britain, but not if there are no teachers trained in creative subjects.

The dots need joining urgently. Otherwise Lucy Powell, the new education secretary, will simply be foisting yet another half-baked and wholly unworkable policy on a confused and demoralised teaching profession.

From Spare to where?

It's Harry's third act

The Sussexes are coming home. Could peace finally break out in the royal family or will it shake the foundations of the House of Windsor? By Hilary Rose

You have to wonder when Harry decided. When did he think, enough, I want to go home? Was it when he had tea with his dad a few weeks ago? Was it when he came over

for Invictus, where he excelled at what he does best? We know he has looked at his kids and wished they could grow up knowing the country of his birth, because he has told us. Or maybe he woke up one day to more blue skies in Montecito and thought wistfully of rain pouring down windows.

Whenever it was, the news that the worldwide privacy tour is embarking on a UK residency is, how shall we put it? Unexpected. He apparently didn't mention to his father and stepmother that he'd soon be living up the road, or at least in the same country, when he saw them last month. Then again, in Spare he wrote that Camilla "sacrificed me on her personal PR altar". Perhaps he didn't want her to choke on her scene.

What's odd about it all, apart from everything, is that in the six years since Megxit he hasn't stopped telling us how swimmingly it's all going in America and how happy he is. He has banged on and on about how awful his family are, and how beastly everyone in England is, going on American TV to describe Camilla as "the villain" who "left bodies in the street" on her road to becoming queen, but sweetly clarifying, "I don't look at her as an evil stepmother." He described Prince William in Spare as "my arch-nemesis", adding bitterly that his role as younger brother was perhaps to provide a kidney if required, or some bone marrow. Perhaps they'll reminisce about it fondly, when hell freezes over and William meets him for a pint.

Yet Harry said just last September that he planned on educating his children here. According to the Daily Mail, "Harry feels his children are missing out on the extensive family network that [his] niece and nephews are enjoying. Harry wants his children to have the very best education. He

has retained his closest friendship group of confidants from his days at school at Ludgrove and Eton. He wants that for his own children."

He told The Guardian in September, on a solo trip to the UK, "I always will love the UK... I feel a lot of support from the British public." Asked if he'd like to spend more time in the UK and bring his children, he replied: "Yes, I would. This week has definitely brought that closer."

Still, their big fat American adventure has definitely been a rip-roaring success, and it's our recollection that varies, not his. From over here it looked sunny and sad. He seemed to lack purpose and friends, with his closest mate said to be one of his security guards. Harry's only skill is being a royal: shaking hands,

Harry described Prince William in Spare as 'my arch-nemesis'

making sick children smile, dominating the front pages with an impromptu race against Usain Bolt. Over there his career high was juggling in the back of one of Meghan's promotional videos. He has spent six years creating the very circus they said they sought to escape, and now, unlike football, he's coming home, because all is forgiven, at least by him.

"I love my mother country and I love my family," he wrote. He has said repeatedly how much he would like his children to have a childhood like his, or at least the good bits. The singer Joss Stone, a friend of his, reported that he was very interested in her decision to move from the US to the UK to educate her children. And he wrote in Spare how prep school had been a comforting refuge for him, where the matrons were "mums away from mums" who showered him with affection.

---

COVER: KEVIN MACON/GETTY IMAGES, BELOW: JOE SCARING, SAMIR HUDSON/GETTY IMAGES

3

times2

He loved as a child running around big country houses with his extended family, as his children did at Althorp this summer with his uncle. They're unlikely to run around Anmer Hall any time soon with the Wales children, but Harry is still close to the Tindalls, and to Princess Eugenie and her family. He has a house in the same development as theirs in Portugal, where the two families spent part of the summer. Archie and Lili will, we are told, start at British schools next month, and it's a fair bet it will be similar to Ludgrove, where Harry went, or Lambrook, where his brother's children go: lots of sport and extracurricular activities, cricket teas, speech days, singing Jerusalem in chapel and standing on the touchline on Saturdays.

Yet Harry's memoir was notable for rage, not nostalgia. It was a 400-page slagging-off of everyone he knew, everywhere he'd been and all the beastly things everyone else had done. No grievance was too petty, no memory too private: the fist fight with William, the smashed dog bowl; the sister-in-law, Kate, who balked at lending Meghan her lipgloss; the father begging his sons, "Please, boys — don't make my final years a misery."

Even the royal bricks and mortar took a pasting; they had to bow to a statue of Queen Victoria at Balmoral, where his bedroom was smaller than William's. His cottage at Kensington Palace was so small and cramped that he was embarrassed to take Meghan there when they started dating. Still, it doesn't seem to have put her off.

But the American model has failed. They thought they were going to be the Clooneys with tiaras, but they don't even get invited to the Clooneys' charity gala. They swept into all sorts

of ceremonies to accept awards everyone knew they'd done little to earn. They created drama wherever they went — remember the New York car chase that wasn't? — and jumped up and down saying, "Look at me! Don't look at me!" Sources close to Harry have let it be known that he was "heartened" by our "interest" in Meghan when he was here for Invictus. Were we? Are you? Already, those same "sources" are painting William as stubborn and unreasonable, the heir who bears a grudge and doesn't like hugging, when all poor Harry the peacemaker wants is for everyone to be friends. "[It] completely freaked him out. He recoiled," Harry writes of William when he introduced him to Meghan, who hugged him. "Willy didn't hug many strangers."

Hugs or not, the royal family have a nightmare scenario on their hands.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last year. Right: Harry with his father, then the Prince of Wales, at the Natural History Museum in 2019. Below: Meghan's recent Instagram posts

What the duchess will do next

Shane Watson Page 4

Ignoring the noise from California blows up if H&M are effectively standing at the end of the drive with a megaphone. And at what point does Prince William's principled stance of "no contact" with the couple who trashed him and his wife start to look petty and vindictive? What happens when Harry, who served and lost friends on the front line, lets it be known that he'd like to be there on Remembrance Sunday? Which royals, if any, go to Invictus next year? What happens this Christmas — do they get invited to Sandringham and, if so, do they do the walk to church? If not, will all hell break loose and will "sources" say how sad but stoic H&M are, what a pity the festive season can't be all about family.

Everyone concerned knows that nothing will shift jam like a picture of Meghan with Kate, and they'll no doubt avoid it like the plague. But

anyone who watched the Commonwealth Games, to name but one recent event, would know what an enormous asset H&M would have been to that organisation, as Queen Elizabeth intended.

So yes, there's the kids. Yes, there are good schools here with no gun drills. Yes, he misses going for a pint in the pub with his mates, and his dad isn't well, and blood is thicker than water yada yada, but still. Uprooting your Californian family from California, apparently on a whim, seems a bit extreme, and then it hit me: Netflix. They'll be filming it for a new fly on the wall. The only way such a dramatic move makes sense is as content. H&M need money, and if the past six years have shown nothing else, it is that both of them find it quite difficult to earn it, because they're not very good at anything.

The one thing they truly excel at is being royal-adjacent, photogenic and gobby, and they have three houses and a huge security bill (although the cynic in me suspects we'll soon be footing the bill for the latter). It's the Kardashian way: Kourtney and Kim Take Miami, Kourtney and Khloé Take the Hamptons. We've had H&M take America, now it's H&M take England. Next year: Paris? Milan? And what will the tagline be? "They're back! And this time they're madder than ever"? They'll sell it as a fresh new chapter, but are they really just a busted flush?

"If they didn't know why I'd left," he said of his father and brother in Spare, "maybe they just didn't know me. At all. And maybe they never really did." Well, now's their chance. Also, I have a question. If Montecito's being mothballed, who's going to look after the chickens?

---

4

times2

What the duchess will do next

Farewell, Montecito rescue chickens. Meghan is facing a new life of London Fashion Week shows, food halls and the grind of school runs. By Shane Watson

What will Meghan do next? It's a question we've asked frequently over the past six

years, but now more questions are coming thick and fast — starting with where the family will live as they return to the UK. We know it won't be London. It might be somewhere in the Northampton area (you can blame the Sussexes' recent stay at Althorp for their sudden rediscovery of the delights of the UK; they spent the heatwave lying on sunloungers by the pool, as apparently has never happened before). More likely they'll have found a house somewhere between Althorp and the Cotswolds, which is the nearest we have to Montecito — especially the golden triangle around Soho Farmhouse, the Beckhams and whichever other American celebrities happen to be in residence at the moment.

Meghan will have no interest in dropping into Jeremy Clarkson's pub or using the spa at Soho Farmhouse (she's come a long way since when, pre-Harry, she hung out there with Made in Chelsea's Millie Mackintosh) but she will want to be where the rich and famous and the gentleman farmers (or the gently farming) live.

Back in California, Meghan keeps chickens (or are they rescue chickens?) and, since her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, she's become a keen kitchen gardener and connoisseur of "farm-to-table produce". So she'll be wanting the full raised-bed set-up: some beehives, a small lake, possibly stocked with fresh, nutritious fish. All of this is now perfectly normal landscaping in the Chipping Norton area, and David Beckham will be only too happy to advise on bees, growing roses, pizza ovens and outdoor kitchens.

Plenty of reasons for choosing the Cotswolds — local companies are also well versed in security arrangements (JD Vance visited recently, after all, and he's the vice-president).

There is still a mix of old money and celebrity money in the Cotswolds, with its bucolic scenery, very big Georgian houses and proximity to London. It attracts successful business people who like to retreat to the country for the weekend (though not so far that

they can't shop at Daylesford Organic), including scions of the fashion industry. Jade Holland Cooper, of Holland Cooper fame, lives on a 230-acre estate near Cheltenham, and of course there's Victoria Beckham, so plenty of likeminded women of roughly the same age to advise on Meghan's next move.

The Sussexes are moving back to the UK at the start of September, in time for the new school year — or so we are told — but also on the eve of London Fashion Week, when we can expect Meghan to pop up on the front row. Maybe she'll make a surprise appearance at Marks and Spencer's first ever catwalk show, as a precursor to launching a collaboration with the retailer. Meghan x M&S does have a certain ring to it.

The Princess of Wales has stepped back from fashion — much like Meghan stepping back from royal duties — so there is a vacancy for a celebrity with top notes of royalty. Brands will be keen on her image, while she can monetise her clothing choices and rub shoulders with the people (fashion and lifestyle retailers, fashion editors and buyers) she intends to be "her" people in future.

What will Meghan actually do next? It's fairly safe to say that she'll be putting her film commitments on hold since the latest film she executive produced, Cookie Queens, bombed.

Her lifestyle brand. As Ever, is ongoing and, up until yesterday, the news everyone was waiting for was which direction she was going to take it in next — homeware, perhaps? (The clue being the Instagram post of her in a luxury homeware store in Portugal.)

Or perhaps in the direction of food (clue: her appearance on MasterChef Australia) or fashion (clue: her appearance on the front row at the Balenciaga show in Paris last October).

London Fashion Week would be an excellent place to relaunch herself as a person of wide-ranging good taste and clean, barely-there make-up.

Maybe a standalone pop-up section in the best food halls will follow featuring jams (obviously), flower sprinkles (of course) but also hand-labelled guest bathroom treats, silk eye masks, some cashmere pieces, some monogrammed dressing gowns.

Classy separates, maybe, stocked at the Burford garden centre, among the Pooky lights and Blundstone boots.

The Duchess of Sussex's Instagram post after she relaunched her lifestyle brand as As Ever last April

"Anything is possible, is no doubt what Meghan is thinking — with the possible exception of another Netflix contract

Anything is possible, is no doubt what Meghan is thinking — with the possible exception of another Netflix contract. Lucky for Giorgio Locatelli that he's just secured the presenting job on Celebrity MasterChef UK, and Nigella is probably breathing a huge sigh of relief that the ink is dry on her Bake Off contract.

Of course anything is possible but we who live in the UK, rather than come and go between California and the Costa Terra Golf and Ocean Club in Portugal, know that it's not all roses, fabulous weather and fashion shows.

Yes, Meghan is returning to the UK on her own terms, which means she doesn't have to go walkabout on rainy days or talk to locals in musty old churches, but we have long winters. There will be mud. There will be rain. There will people who insist on walking past the bottom of your garden because it's a right of way.

Mainly there will be the weather. And the worry is that, lying on that sunlounger by the pool at Althorp, having been given the full bells-and-whistles Spencer experience by Harry's uncle, Meghan had one of those epiphanies we've all occasionally had on holiday in a beautiful place, when the weather is perfect.

She's thought: "We can start again here. Maybe we can grow grapes for wine? We can recreate the best of Montecito and make sure the kids have British accents."

Well, the country hasn't changed that much since they took their freedom flight. Recollections may vary, but there was lots that Meghan didn't fancy when she was last in residence. Yes she will be able to choose a house that's a cut above the grace and favour house in the grounds of Kensington Palace, which Meghan described as not as "regal" as it sounded and "so small" in the 2022 documentary Harry & Meghan.

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX/WITHDRAW

But still there will be nosy neighbours and planning permission issues and the parish council up in arms about some infringement, such as lighting around the newly dug out six-acre ornamental lake.

There will be Harry's old Etonian chums and birthday parties featuring Beatles tribute bands and Strip the Willow (if heading further north).

Then there will be the school run to dress for (she'll have to do it, since Kate and William managed it).

There's also the issue of entertaining that she'll need to take a long hard look at because precision rainbow fruit platters will not cut it. And then there's the Kate crossover, since they're both involved in child development — social media and bullying being particular interests of Meghan and Harry's.

Might there be a chance — given that the Sussexes were booed outside St Paul's during the Queen's Jubilee in 2022 — that Meghan will not be received everywhere with open arms?

The Oprah interview revelations — including her claim that an unnamed member had raised "concerns and conversations" about how dark her unborn son's skin might be, thereby casting a cloud of suspicion over the whole family ever after — are still fresh in most people's minds. The rumours of bullying at Kensington Palace, her mocking of the protocol surrounding the late Queen, the claims of whispering "I can't believe I'm not getting paid for this" on the Sussexes' 2018 tour of Australia when they were still acting members of the royal family, none of it has gone away.

In the circles in which Meghan will hope and plan to move, there's probably an uneven split between those who can't wait to get a look at her when she swings through Burford, and those who think she's got a bit of a nerve imagining that she and Harry can just slot back in. We shall see.

---

5

television

The real Lion King: 'It's the holy grail of natural history films'

A groundbreaking new documentary follows a lion cub from birth to adulthood. By

Michael Hodges

A dramatary? A docurama? It's not easy to categorise Lion, joint creation of Jon Favreau, director of Disney's 2019 computer-generated remake of

The Lion King, and the natural history film-maker Mike Gunton.

The four-part National Geographic and Disney series is a genuine natural history show, featuring remarkable footage of lions in Kenya's vast Masai Mara National Reserve. But it is also a drama, with a story arc that echoes that of The Lion King's Simba, the cub who suffers tragedy, exile and, finally, redemption as he comes to understand the circle of life, as explained in Tim Rice's original lyric. Hans Zimmer's score nods to the soundtrack and the series is dotted with shots of lone lions looking suitably majestic. Is this Disneyfied documentary-making?

"Both the Lion King movies show a human story superimposed on animals," says Gunton, a producer of Planet Earth and creative director of BBC Studios' Natural History Unit since 2009. "This is real but it's not a factual show, we don't tell you how big a lion is, how fast it runs or how many kilos of meat it eats. You can look all that up on Wikipedia. What you are getting here is deep learning through an understanding of the dynamics of the place. We wanted to give people a sense of putting their roots down in the Masai Mara."

Gunton's many credits include executive producing the 2018 Bafta-winning series Dynasties, narrated by David Attenborough, which followed a family of lions in the Masai Mara for one episode. It fascinated Favreau. "When we met in Hollywood the first thing Jon said was, 'I've got to talk to you about Dynasties,'" Gunton says. "He had spent months watching it as inspiration for his own Lion King."

Now Favreau wanted to follow a similar story in the wild. Doing it would take four years, involving 52 separate shoots over 1,400 days of filming, but their first task was to find a suitable pride. "Since the first Lion King came out 30 years ago, we have

lost over half of the lions in the continent of Africa, which is just so shocking," says Sophie Darlington, the Lion cinematographer, who also worked on Dynasties.

The pride they settled on sleeps in an area of grassland equivalent in size to 90,000 football pitches. Moreover, their coats are the same colour as the grass. They were identified with the help of local trackers and each lion's image was logged with a name. The film-makers then had to decide which of the lions was the star. "It's like Traitors," says the series producer Jane Atkins. "You have a cast and you work through what the best stories are, what the twists and turns are, and how you might rebuild after disasters. We always knew that we wanted to have a little hero."

After 18 months in the Masai Mara, a little hero emerged. "We were filming a lioness we called Summer and there beside her, about the size of a loaf of bread, was her new cub Kio," Darlington says. "He was born out of sync with the rest of the pride, so his brothers were a year older than him. But from then on he was at every single shoot."

Looking at what would eventually be 1,000 hours of rushes, it became apparent that Kio and his big brothers could be the central drama of the show. But

Lion concludes on National Geographic on Thu with a double bill at 8pm and 9pm. All four episodes are on Disney+

following one lion from cub to adulthood is an immensely risky undertaking. "It's the holy grail of natural history film-making," Atkins says. "No one's been able to film it before. The data says half the cubs in the wild don't survive. About 20 cubs were born in our pride over the time we were filming and Kio was the only one that survived."

The actor OJ Lynch's occasionally portentous voiceover (he was Mufasa in the stage production of The Lion King) frames Kio's encounters with danger as steps on the way to the throne. But it's the guile and energy of the female lions — especially Summer — and the pride's mutual support systems that keep the show on the road. Isn't this a workers' co-operative rather than an absolute male monarchy?

"Lion scientists have been trying to unpick what goes on in lion society for decades," Gunton says. "The centre of gravity of thinking has moved between highly co-operative, highly individualistic or just random association. I think monarchy is a reasonable parallel to draw but not too strictly — this isn't the English royal family." There are, though, some similarities. The males' get an enormous amount of benefit from power. They get more food. They get more mating. But with power comes rivalry and danger, and it's a very risky life," says Gunton.

Each day of filming would begin with the same anxious question: was Kio alive? "Buffalo target cubs because they will grow up into big lions," Atkins says of a scenario we see play out in the show.

"Hyenas do the same thing. Sometimes the cubs' mothers are just inexperienced and they leave them in the wrong place, or male lions come in and kill cubs."

Other things can go wrong. Kio and his brothers, when forced into exile by the dominant older lions in the pride, might have padded across the border into Tanzania, where the crew had no permit to shoot, or simply starved. On several occasions filming stopped because it was too wet to follow the lions: rivers had flooded, the savannah had become a waterlogged marsh. Gunton, though, likes risks. "When we did Dynasties David Attenborough said, 'I think you're crazy doing this, but if you pull it off, it will be amazing,'" he says. "It turned out to be very successful."

Having the same state-of-the-art zoom lenses Darlington used on Dynasties, coupled with low camera mounts on the outside of their vehicles, means much of the action is at the level of the lion's eyes, and the crew could keep at least 30 metres away. She quotes the advice lead specialist film driver Sammy Munene gave crew members who were new to the Masai Mara. "Stay in the car, not because you'll be eaten, but because you'll scare the lions.' They read us as a sort of boring moving tree. If we broke that silhouette, then the lions would be gone."

Nonetheless, there were some startling interactions. "Once I was filming on the camera mount and I just felt this pressure on my backside," Darlington says. "I looked down and there was a lion filling up the space between me and the camera. He was marking the car like he would mark a tree. It was an incredible privilege because he didn't see me as something scary. It was quite nerve-racking in the moment but there was no intent." Then there are the other animals. "I had a little hut and I would wake up and hear an elephant," she says. "I'd open my curtain carefully and there'd be a ginormous bottom just facing me, which is, I mean, magnificent. These are moments that bring me great joy."

Lion leans heavily on local knowledge, using Kenyan cinematographers, film drivers and producers, and there are Kenyan musicians and singers on Zimmer's soundtrack. It was thanks to the skill of Munene that the camera was in place to catch the first footage of Kio. The dazzling drone photography is by Anthony Njuguna, a 34-year-old Kenyan film-maker who had long hoped to work on such a project, inspired, in part, by once coming across a BBC team filming lions in the Masai Mara. "Me and my friends decided to park and observe this film vehicle, as it was our dream to be part of such a team," he says. "When we were filming Lion I just happened to tell Sophie this story, and she said, 'That was me.' She was the one I was observing all those years ago. So I have come full circle."

David Attenborough and Mike Gunton

---

6

THE CRITICS

Biff, bang, boom! The Stath hits upon a winning formula

The actor's latest action thriller is set at sea — and perfectly silly, says Kevin Maher

Fourth time's a charm for Jason Statham, big-time film producer. Tired of snapping necks and kicking ass as a lowly multimillionaire cast member, "the Stath" launched a company, Punch Palace Productions, in 2022. The apparent brief? To make regular, seemingly interchangeable versions of a core story about a Cockney special forces veteran — exclusively played by the Stath — who is just trying to live a quiet and unassuming blue collar existence until a ruthless and heavily armed gang of malfeasants kill his neighbour, kidnap his niece or shoot his dog. And then? Biff, bang, boom, it's payback time!

So far he has delivered the workmanlike Beekeeper, the bland A Working Man and the dreary Shelter. He seems to have found his form, however, with this latest outing, courtesy of a savvy French director (Jean-François Richet), a thundering sense of irony and some of the niftiest action set pieces since early John Wick.

Statham plays Cole Reed, a maverick Cockney bobby turned lethal supercop turned private contractor who is just trying to live a quiet, unassuming life as the bodyguard of a Bangkok-based shipping billionaire and substitute father figure, Tibu (Ramon Tikaram). When Tibu is killed by a heavily armed gang of malfeasants who then retreat onto a container ship that is headed into the Pacific, it's time for the Stath to kick, some, serious, ass! On a ship.

Along for the ride is Adrian Lester

Jason Statham as lethal supercop-turned-private contractor Cole Reed and Annabelle Wallis as Angie Ellis

Mutiny 15, 95min ★★★★☆

as commander of the nearby American navy frigate the USS Narrative Exposition. Lester's job is to stare open-mouthed at the on-board computer terminals and recite key bits of intel, mostly regarding Reed's backstory — "Hmmm. It says here that his father was killed on duty while saving him!" It's a testament to the charming, tongue-in-cheek energy of the non-punchy sequences that the stage veteran Lester barely attempts an American accent, even as he's waxing lyrical about his '57 Chevy back home.

The punchy sequences, nonetheless, are exquisitely handled. There's a close-quarters staircase mêlée — featuring Reed, a knife, a machinegun

and a typically endless supply of heavies — that is one of the most thrillingly choreographed murder ballets Statham has attempted yet. An earlier set piece depicting Reed dispatching a phalanx of baddies using only the power of a skidding Audi with an open passenger door demonstrates the kind of crackpot invention that has been absent from Punch Palace Productions so far.

The ending is phenomenally silly, the Die Hard references glaring (look out for the Rolex) and the entire project perfectly pitched in that elusive sweet spot where achingly familiar formula can briefly satisfy once again. In cinemas

the classic film

Billy Liar (1963)

PG, 94min

★★★★★

The genius of this kitchen sink drama, and the reason it is the finest film from the British new wave, is that it dares to deliver a bleak social realist message through bonkers flights of fancy. It's like Ken Loach meets Wes Anderson but with better lighting, as the ace director John Schlesinger plonks a versatile Tom Courtenay into a dark and shadow-drenched Bradford — the symbol of a dull, monochrome mid-20th century Britain to a new generation of postwar youth.

Courtenay's Billy, a disgruntled undertaker's assistant, dreams of escaping to the exotic, soon-to-be swinging London, as represented by Julie Christie's bohemian Liz. But Billy has been institutionalised by small-town life, so retreats into Walter Mitty-style fantasies about war and heroism in the fictional kingdom of Ambrosia. This gives Schlesinger free rein with lavishly recreated news reels, battle sequences, military parades and firing squads. And all in a so-called kitchen sink drama?

Courtenay's range is mesmerising as he whips between aristocrat, general, prisoner, soldier and back again to Billy. The film looks gorgeous, and is richer and darker thanks to a crisp 4K restoration. But mostly, in the end, it's the end that matters. That devastating conclusion (spoiler alert: he doesn't leave for London!) marks the film out for clear-headed greatness.

On 4K UHD from Mon, and streaming (in non-4K) on Prime Video and Apple TV

Tom Courtenay and Julie Christie

Save a third on RHS Membership

Times+ members can discover the beauty of a discounted RHS Membership. Including unlimited days out to five RHS Gardens and 240 RHS Partner Gardens, reduced-rate tickets to RHS Flower Shows, and more. Visit thetimes.com/timesplus

TIMES+

RHS

T&C's apple.

---

7

film reviews

First, the caveat. If you're a fan of Eighties slasher movies, the career of Gillian Anderson and graduate-level film studies — particularly post-Freudian analysis of spectatorship — this is the horror comedy for you. Everyone else? Well, at least you'll have plenty to discuss in the lobby afterwards.

Anderson is the project's North Star, kitsching it up magnificently as Billy Presley, the Norma Desmond (from Sunset Boulevard) of the US indie horror scene. You haven't lived until you've seen Anderson, resplendent in evening gown and vintage flapper cap, proffering a fast food chicken tender with the line, "Do you like dipping sauce?" Presley is a vampy cultural icon who has been living in rural seclusion for several decades and is ready for her close-up.

Her home is an abandoned lakeside holiday park in the Pacific Northwest, first used in her debut slasher movie, Camp Miasma (think Friday the 18th meets Sleepaway Camp). This is a typically arch set-up from the film-maker Jane Schoenbrun, an award-winning writer-director whose last film, I Saw the TV Glow, also blurred the boundaries between lurid screen fiction and commonplace reality.

Presley is the focus of a Camp Miasma reboot, to be directed by the "Sundance wunderkind" Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder), who has arrived at the star's spooky and snowy retreat for a pre-production confab. What ensues is initially a heady two-hander, very Sunset Boulevard, as our protagonists tease out each other's likes and limitations while a vague erotic attraction emerges. Quiet looks, montages and slow-mo sequences are backed by some sublime needle drops, including A Long December by Counting Crows and Andy Shauf's Satan.

Soon, however, and because this is a Schoenbrun film, the barrier separating the world from cinema

Gillian Anderson kitsches it up

the big film

The actress is magnificently hammy as a reclusive horror movie star in this knowing slasher comedy. By Kevin Maher

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

15. 122min

★★★★☆

collapses, the spear-wielding killer from the Miasma franchise appears and Williams must decide whether she's living in a bonkers cinematic fiction or a demented reality — or if there is a difference between the two.

There is lots of deadpan humour and even more film studies. At times, especially in the busy third act,

the film veers close to pseudo-scholarly sermonising. Williams, a self-declared intellectual (Schoenbrun is a film studies graduate), drops heavy references to the spectatorship models of the theorists Christian Metz and Laura Mulvey and the psychoanalytic principles of Jacques Lacan.

In the film's most "meta" sequence, during a screening of the first Camp Miasma film, Presley watches Williams watching Presley (on screen) in a sex scene where Presley's character is watching herself telepathically through the eyes of the killer (don't ask), just as she's simultaneously being slaughtered and orgasming.

True pleasure, Presley explains, involves being "the watcher and the one being watched". All this is catnip

for film nerds (my hand's up) but is grounded by the moving central relationship, one that's made tender and credible by winning turns from Anderson and Einbinder.

There are issues. The film's biggest idea is that slasher movies are enjoyable for women because they permit the female audience to fantasise about being chased through the woods in their underwear by a serial killer (is this a thing?). And there, in Williams's words (from Schoenbrun's script), while the women's "tits are bouncing" they exist in a state of sexual arousal, waiting to be "penetrated" by the big spear of the misogynistic murderer. Again, a thing? If it is, it sounds very Carry On Serial Killing.

In cinemas

Bill Nighy as a cadaverous recluse and Anna Geislerova as his housekeeper

bemoaning the plight of a wealthy, adored yet creatively stymied author.

Enter the grown-up sons, delicately played by Flynn (as Richard) and George MacKay (as Jamie), who are masters at brittle masculinity mixed with wounded vanity. They're typically impressive here, as is Staunton as Dyer's ex-wife, Isabel, still nurturing primal ache from the split, 20 years on. Yet after a fitful start the narrative cogs are barely clicking before the director Pablo Trapero, who adapted the novel with Sarah Fulley (Women Talking), unleashes the twist. And it's just hopeless.

To reveal it would be to spoil it, although it's already self-spoiling, and Nighy certainly can't sell it. Hints are there in Dyer's initials (an inversion of DNA), and it is enough to know that Trapero frequently deploys match cuts to parallel the physical gestures of Dyer and his youngest son, Andy (Noah Jupe). I may have said too much already but it hardly matters. The film falls to pieces. It is farcical. In cinemas

Coyote vs Acme

PG. 108min

★★☆☆☆

If we've learnt anything from Megalopolis, John Carter or The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, it's that a film's tortuous production backstory is nearly always a red flag. This live-action Looney Tunes feature began as a 1990 New Yorker parody that imagined Wile E Coyote suing the Acme Corporation over their dangerous and defective gadgets. It spent almost three decades in development hell, before settling with Dave Green (Earth to Echo). It was then shot and edited in 2022, shelved in 2023 as a Warner Bros tax write-off, then quickly unshelved. It was put on the market, then shelved again, then put on the market again.

And now, finally, here it is, as it was meant to be seen: a David v Goliath legal thriller that pitches Wile E and his jaded jobsworth lawyer, Kevin Avery (Will Forte),

against the might of Acme and its terrifying chief counsel, Buddy Crane (John Cena). Cinematic antecedents include The Verdict, Erin Brockovich and The Rainmaker, while the film is crammed with self-satisfied shout-outs to your favourite Looney Tuners, including Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. There is a great scene in which Wile E finally catches the Road Runner and his eyes fill with the tears of elation and yet sadness, the crushing awareness of a lifelong raison d'être melting tragically away.

Otherwise the film is not very good. It is poorly served by the stuffy legal narrative and by the dispiriting sight of cartoon characters threatening to sue, overlooking the anarchic joy of the Looney Tunes universe and instead imagining that preteen audiences would prefer the smarmy cultural satire of a late 20th-century New Yorker article. Laggy, messy — this is no better than the similarly lethargic effort from 2003, Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

In cinemas

& Sons

15. 120min

★★☆☆☆

Even the combined power of Bill Nighy, Johnny Flynn and Imelda Staunton firing on full thrusters can't rescue a film that is fatally undone by its midpoint twist. The 2013 book of the same name by David Gilbert, on which it is based, has the same problem. It revolves around a reclusive JD Salinger-like author who, over the course of a New York week, discloses to his two resentful adult sons a stunning secret about their younger half-brother, Andy. When the twist is revealed the novel falls to pieces. It makes no sense.

Ditto the film, which is transplanted to London and features Nighy as AN Dyer, who is now less Salinger and more Father Jack from Craggy Island, a cadaverous alcoholic who scampers around his mansion home like a bearded skeleton on crystal meth

---

8

music reviews

Are we human? Or are we line-dancer?

Brandon Flowers mixes feeling with spectacle on his country album, says Victoria Segal

It's no surprise that the singer who famously asked "Are we human? Or are we dancer?" on the Killers' 2008 single Human has a philosophical bent. Brandon Flowers's third solo album opens with Does It Ever Cross Your Mind?, a song contemplating a grand cosmic conundrum: how much of life is preordained? "Of all the corners in the universe/ We wound up hand in hand," he marvels, pondering destiny, coincidence and — his preferred option — design.

The biggest mystery Thrasher will present for many, however, will be why Flowers — historically a glam-inclined anglophile in thrall to the Stetson-free Pet Shop Boys and New Order — should have recorded a pure country album. His stage of life is partly responsible: now 45, he's been thinking about his adolescence in Nephi, Utah, an upbringing soundtracked not just by Las Vegas's siren song but also by the outlaw country of Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash that blasted from his father's car.

There have long been signs of this gathering midlife storm: The Killers' 2006 album Sam's Town struck a chord with Bruce Springsteen thanks to its heartland sound, while the band's last album, Pressure Machine, was inspired by Flowers's Nephi adolescence and John Steinbeck. Those influences reverberate again through the lost-potential lament of Plans and the runaway trains of Tiger's Blood.

Flowers is hardly the first rock star to take a country route but Thrasher isn't about adopting a cosmetic twang to showcase versatility or making hipster-

pop

Brandon Flowers Thrasher

Island

★★★★☆

approved Americana that keeps a tasteful distance from the Grand Ole Opry. Recording took place at Nashville's RCA Studio A — the historic location of sessions by Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. Accompanying Flowers are the producers Shawn Everett and Jonathan Rado and a high-class crew of session players including David Rawlings (Gillian Welch's musical foil) and the harmonica ace Charlie McCoy, who appeared on Bob Dylan's late 1960s run of country albums. There are gusts of mariachi trumpet and pedal steel. Flashes of rustic phrasing — a reference to the "Big Ol' Bang" — enhance the backroads yarn spinning. One listen and you'll be finding rhinestones under the sofa for days. One more, you'll be scouring Vinted for cowboy boots and craving coffee poured by a waitress called Jolene.

Thrasher also comes with a strong spiritual undertow, from Does It Ever Cross Your Mind?s thoughts of eternity to An American Dream's

deathbed fantasia. "Gold and silver/ God and glitter," sings a ragged choir, the whole thing sounding like Jim Steinman producing Leonard Cohen. Anyone still using Elvis as shorthand for nostalgic Americana should probably incur a fine but Flowers makes Presley's ghostly appearance authentically strange and séance-like. There's a powerful mythmaking to the best of these songs. Miss America's references to Footloose lead to a bleak story of abuse, while One of Us invents in-law country, tenderly celebrating his sister's late husband.

There is a slight synthetic quality here: a soundstage glow and the feeling of a runner throwing artful tumbleweed in Flowers's path. That doesn't make it any less impressive: it underlines a bold showmanship, matching authentic feeling with grand spectacle. Are we human? Or are we line-dancer? It's testament to Flowers's ability to sell a song that suddenly the latter seems perfectly desirable.

Will Hodgkinson is away

Afghan Whigs

Soft Control

Royal Cream/BMG

★★★★☆

If you're looking for evidence that Greg Dulli is a reformed character since Afghan Whigs' bruised yet swaggering 1990s pomp, you could pick out the moment in Davateen where he sings about "bangin' Nicorette". In truth, however, there's nothing ersatz about the Cincinnati band's new album, their fourth since they regrouped in 2012. Jungle Roux confirms the band's way with a groove, shuddering with the stress of its rhythmic self-discipline, while Memphis, Texas and A Simulation stand rumpled in the eye of their formidable storm. No substitutes here: Afghan Whigs are still making music with the filter ripped out.

Weezer

Weezer (The Gold Album)

Reprise/Warner

★★★★☆

"Cranking out another Nineties jam," Rivers Cuomo sighs on CEO, the most self-referential track from Weezer's 20th album. "Wish I could do something new/ But nobody wants to hear that." It's a depressing assessment of the life of a vintage cult band. Yet there's a ferocity that ensures Weezer sound far from creatively moribund. We Might as Well Be Strangers features both North Carolina country-grunge band Wednesday and killer references to Nietzsche and Nancy Spungen; The LA Sound, a brilliant reimagining of We're An American Band, fulfils its promise to "melt your face". Moments grate — Hoops is driven by a fury over buying a toaster — but Weezer handle past and present with enduring, distinctively gawky grace.

Jorja Smith

What Are the Odds

Fumm

★★★★☆

Vocal flamethrowing in four different languages

Born in the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan, the mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina is now a British citizen. As far as vocal repertoire goes,

though, she's a citizen of the world. The album's title is "femme fatale" in Spanish, which is the language of seven of the tracks.

French is heard briefly, four tracks are in Russian, five in English. All spin their own variations on the multiple facets of human love.

One track is wordless: Ravel's Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera. This is the recital's highlight and the most potent vehicle for the smoky timbres that may well be her multicoloured voice's best asset. Not every singer can convince in Ravel's Vocalise but Akhmetshina, above, does absolutely, as does her piano partner Antonio Pappano, accompanist to the

stars and the man who assisted her rise to fame during his years as the music director of the Royal Opera House. He's less of a help in Satie's waltz Je te veux, a heavyweight rendition all round.

Akhmetshina's vocal flamethrowing also jars in Gershwin's The Man I Love, sung by someone who sounds far too proactive ever to wait around for the lyrics' ideal man to arrive.

Still, there are plenty more exotic tracks to enjoy: Cuban and Spanish niceties, interesting Balakirev plus a scorching song from Bizet, the composer who hoisted Akhmetshina towards fame with the opera role of Carmen, the greatest femme fatale of them all. File this album under "mixed blessings".

After a slow start the American Missy Mazzoli keeps writing one opera

classical

Aigul Akhmetshina Mujer Fatal

Decca

★★★★☆

Houston Grand

Opera

Breaking the Waves

Pentatone

★★★★☆

after the other. Breaking the Waves, based on the 1996 film by the Danish provocateur Lars von Trier, was her first big success and here we have its first recording, captured from live performances by Houston Grand Opera. The film's stark melodrama of imperilled love was overwhelming enough. Now searing voices and striking orchestral textures deliver another knockout punch: the kind you expect from Puccini or Verdi.

Vowel sounds may appear odd, the mixed result of singers trying to adopt Scottish accents (the opera is set on the Isle of Skye). The sound balance lies in the splendid orchestra's favour (conductor: Patrick Summers), slightly disadvantaging Lauren Smooffer's vulnerable heroine, Ryan McKinny's sturdy Norwegian oil-rigger and the chorus of Calvinist churchgoers who frown on earthly pleasures. But the work's force is still amazing. Geoff Brown

Even if it didn't include a track simply called

Dancing, it would be clear that Jorja

Smith's third album has left its heart in the club. Ten years after

her debut single, Blue Lights, the Walsall singer-songwriter has moved through the stations of modern pop stardom — Brit awards, Grammy nominations, high-profile collaborations (Stormzy, Drake) — but her follow-up to 2023's Falling or Flying moves with a focus that suggests Smith is seeking new laurels. Despite the intoxicating blood-warm dancefloor atmospheres, these songs are often steeped in sadness. What's Done Is Done's UK garage echoes make Smith seem haunted by the past and This City, featuring the grime hero Devlin, suggests life was "best when I had nothing".

---

9

T

he greatest pirate radio MCs ever to have emerged from the west London suburb of Brentford, within a five-mile radius of DJ Steves's granny's council flat, are back.

From 2014-18 Kurupt FM's fortunes were captured in People Just Do Nothing, a BBC sitcom to rank alongside The Office and I'm Alan Partridge in that truly British formula for comedy success: delusions of grandeur. You don't need to know anything about UK garage music or pirate radio to recognise the scenario. MC Grindah is the egomaniac struggling in the face of his own limitations, DJ Beats is the faithful sidekick basking in Grindah's faint glow and Steves is the fatalistic stoner hanging out with them because he doesn't have anywhere else to go. Throw in Kurupt FM's serially unsuccessful manager, Chabuddy G, and Grindah's sweet, simple, celebrity-loving girlfriend, Miche, and you have a sitcom for the ages.

"The last time we saw Grindah he had moved to Piteea in Essex and got a job as a postman," says the man who played him. Allan "Seapa" Mustafa, recalling the 2021 spin-off film in which Kurupt FM reunited after one of the two tracks they actually managed to finish, Heart Monitor Riddom, became a surprise hit in Japan. "The small taste of success put a lot of pressure on Grindah's relationship with Miche and he ends up moving in with his mum in Brentford — but in his twisted vision he's back. Now the boys have to be back too."

Mustafa, looking a lot like his on-screen alter ego with a gold tooth and cropped hair, is with his old friends Hugo Chegwin and Steve Stamp, aka DJ Beats and Steves respectively, in the offices of Universal Music in King's Cross because they, or rather Kurupt FM, have a new record. It features the blend of peerless UK garage and lyrical nonsense you would expect. One track, Reload, takes the hip-hop tradition of repeating a section of the song to its logical conclusion, meaning the entire thing is just a verse and chorus repeated endlessly. And it isn't always easy to separate Kurupt FM from its creators. Mustafa and Chegwin started out in a garage crew before turning to comedy. Mustafa is as voluble as Grindah, Chegwin has something of DJ Beats's morose air and Stamp is unassuming. Although you can't imagine dopey Steves writing a line as sharp as "It's like my dream job. If it was quite a boring dream", as Stamp did.

"Steve is not really like Steves," Mustafa says. "When I was younger I would get incredibly disappointed if things didn't work out, which is what Grindah does. I like to think I'm a nicer person than him though."

People Just Do Nothing works because it is about old friends trying not to do something we all have to do eventually: grow up. "You could look at the show and think it's about a group of wasters," Mustafa says, "but really it's about people who have never let go of their passion, even as normal life comes in."

"That's how it mirrors our real lives," Stamp says. "We had this amazing adventure. We actually did go to Japan. Then we did our own jobs, went our own way... and realised how special the Kurupt FM thing was. It

The return of pirate radio's finest

The stars of the brilliant BBC sitcom People Just Do Nothing are back. Will Hodgkinson meets them

has been proven that we do our best work together."

Mustafa adds: "We've all gone off and done our own thing..."

"... and they've all been shit," poker-faced Chegwin says.

Perhaps People Just Do Nothing was so convincing because the principal cast were not actors or comedians but people from the underground hip-hop scene who saw the comic value in the tendency for rappers, DJs and MCs, however insignificant, to take themselves incredibly seriously. In 2008 Stamp, having left university with an English literature degree, was travelling in Thailand when he met up with Chegwin, an old schoolfriend who had been making garage tracks with Mustafa. When Asim Chaudhry, another friend with a background as a rapper, came on board to film some material, basing Chabuddy G on his irrepressibly entrepreneurial dad, a world was built. What started off as a few sketches on YouTube developed into a BBC comedy classic.

Allan "Seapa" Mustafa as MC Grindah and Hugo Chegwin as DJ Beats with Kurupt FM at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in 2018. Top: with Steve Stamp as Steves and Dan Sylvester as Decoy

"We all liked The Office, Peep Show, Alan Partridge," Mustafa says. "We started riffing on these characters we knew from the UK garage world but we didn't think it was actually possible to make a TV series about it. Steve was the one who knew it could be done."

Still, a comedy series about a UK garage pirate radio station is a niche idea to get off the ground. "Ash [Atalla, producer of The Office] said to us, 'Probably most people

won't be into this," Mustafa says of the BBC's less than high hopes for the show. "But there was more money knocking around then and they took a chance. It certainly wasn't massive when it started."

People Just Do Nothing created a dilemma for Mustafa and Chegwin, who at the time saw themselves as proper rappers and producers. "I thought, nobody's going to take my rap seriously," Mustafa says. "We were

arts

into underground music and back then rappers didn't have a personality. You certainly weren't meant to have fun in front of the camera. It was Hugo who said to me, 'But you like having fun in real life. You don't have to be serious all the time.'"

Capturing a niche world with accuracy caused its own problems. Various garage MCs have accused the Kurupt FM crew of basing the characters on them, but in the main it has been welcomed with open arms. Dizzee Rascal even got in touch to say the show portrayed the tower block world he came from so accurately it made him emotional.

"It's a love letter to the scene, and all the humour comes from the characters' delusions," Mustafa says. "In that way the show could be set in an office. Actually, we did rip off The Office quite shamelessly."

The power of People Just Do Nothing is in its smallness. The characters rarely get beyond their slate-grey world of council flats and nightclubs. An entire episode might be built around Steves putting a fruit bowl on a table in an attempt to look normal when his probation officer comes round. They can never be too successful — certainly not as successful as the people behind it.

"That's what the film was about," Mustafa says. "Grindah gets a tiny bit of success in Japan and what happens? He throws his mates under the bus!"

In keeping with his character, Mustafa assumed his life would change entirely the moment People Just Do Nothing went out on the BBC. Chegwin had co-written two No 2 hits before the series started — Heaven and Next to Me by Emeli Sandé — and had seen the effects of fame up close. He called his friend the night before the first episode went out and told him to get ready for his life to change entirely.

"I was lying in bed thinking, 'I wish I didn't wear a cap in the show, because usually celebrities wear caps so they don't get recognised and now that won't work,'" Mustafa remembers. "Then it went out and it was the biggest flop. We got 200,000 on the first episode and it went down from there. Nobody watched it."

Just like The Office, however, People Just Do Nothing became a word-of-mouth hit, and in 2017 won a Bafta. Did some big-shot producers try to get them to sell out, as happens to Grindah in the film? "I wish," Mustafa says. "We thought that would happen with the BBC, which is why we all turned up to the first meeting in tracksuits. We thought 'the Man' would try to change everything, when all the BBC wanted was for it to be as good as possible."

Now Kurupt FM are famous, with albums, worldwide tours and proper American stars such as Justin Bieber and Post Malone proclaiming their greatness. Which begs the question: where do they go from here?

"Kurupt FM still mirrors our own lives," Stamp says. "The new album is us wanting to come together, do funny shit and have an excuse to go on tour. People ask if there is going to be another series, and doing this kind of thing makes it more likely because it means we're still messing around with the characters. Everything about Kurupt FM has happened naturally, so when it feels like the right time we'll do it."

GDWDMA by Kurupt FM is out on Polydor on Aug 28

---

10

first night

proms

BBCSO/Macelaru

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★☆

From the birth of the universe to the death of one of history's most ruthless dictators, this BBC Symphony Orchestra Prom didn't shy away from profound subject matter. Taking on the cosmos was Edith Canat de Chizy, the first (and still the only) female composer to be elected to France's lofty Académie des beaux-arts. She aimed for the heights here too in Skyline, a concerto for three percussionists and timpani. Worth noting that at this UK premiere the three percussion soloists were women: Lucy Landymore, Emma Arden and Delia Stevens. Richard Cartlidge was the timpanist; all were superb.

Skyline emerged not with a big bang but with mysterious rumbles. That thoughtful opening set the tone for a 20-minute score in which we were invited to savour the subtlety and variety of her palette: clattering woodblocks, silvery chimes, wind-rushing bullroarer, resonant gongs evoking the vastness and busyness of space. Eventually the universe died, fading out into an eerie emptiness.

We were still in the bleak void after the interval, albeit this time one of human creation. Shostakovich shared his Tenth Symphony in the wake of Stalin's death in 1953, and though the composer didn't give the music a programme, it's generally understood to be about the tyranny of the Soviet dictator. The evening's conductor, Cristian Macelaru, grew up in Ceausescu's Romania in the 1980s, so is no stranger to the brutality of communism. But this was a performance full of humanity, drawing particularly heartfelt playing from the orchestra.

In the expansive opening movement the strings groped around in the labyrinthine darkness, the way faintly lit only by beautifully characterised clarinet and flute solos. Macelaru didn't seek to make the angry scherzo's point via exhilarating speed, as some conductors do, but instead brought a fearsome discipline to this purported portrait of Stalin. The composer's own name, and that of a musician with whom he was infatuated, are both encoded in the third movement's haunting dance — and in the finale, with its strange juxtapositions of questing uncertainty and perky playfulness, his motto triumphs. It was a powerful testament to human survival in the worst of circumstances.

Rebecca Franks

Available on BBC Sounds

Gorgeously soul-stirring

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's exploration of his heritage is memorably vivid, says Donald Hutera

dance

Ihsane

Edinburgh Festival Theatre (100min)

★★★★☆

Created for Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève and presented by the Edinburgh International Festival at Festival Theatre, Ihsane is a highly impressionistic, often melancholic and yet celebratory exploration of the Moroccan-Flemish choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's north African heritage. Sometimes overly languorous but always vivid, with lush dancing and superb live music, it wraps itself around our senses and lingers in the mind.

The work's origins follow several strands. It is an indirect means for Cherkaoui to reflect on his complicated relationship with his father, a Moroccan who emigrated to Flanders. Cherkaoui has since established himself on the world stage as a maker of dance theatre productions with a roving, magpie sensibility. The title is also a tribute to Ihsane Jarfi, a young, queer Moroccan man beaten to death in the Belgian city of Liège in 2012. The name Ihsane is also associated with goodness, kindness and benevolence.

References to grief, in both word and deed, recur in the performance. The evening, however, commences humorously with a lesson in the Arabic language. Our stick-carrying instructor (Nassim Baddag, a standout) is strict but funny and his teaching of phrases immediately gets us on side. It helps that the cast not only parrot his words

but begin embodying them via intricate, geometrical gestures, and a fluid, curving physicality that is essentially calligraphy in motion.

The designer Amine Amharech's simple, handsome architectural setting then splits apart, opening up the stage and leading to a series of shifting scenes that vary in tone from dreamy to brutal. Acts of violence, whether one-to-one or in states of war, are portrayed both through images projected onto wheeled or suspended screens and the 18-person agile ensemble's remarkable facility for movement. Cherkaoui's approach, however, is inherently gentle and compassionate to the core. Early on we witness a brief, savage beating, stylised in such a way that the cruelty seems somehow softened without at all diminishing its dramatic impact.

Marked by a sense of spirituality, Ihsane is a meditative spectacle and a theatrical ritual. It is also more than a touch too long, with a surfeit of swirling dancing set to a score (by Jasser Haj Youssef, expertly leading a four-piece band on a raised platform upstage) whose seductively repetitive rhythms could easily lull you to sleep. But the musicianship — including haunting vocals by Fadia Tomb El-Hage and Mohammed El Arabi Serghini — is soul-stirring and the stage imagery consistently gorgeous.

A memorable experience.

comedy

Daniel Kitson: Thrum

Queen's Hall, Edinburgh (100min)

★★★★☆

"I don't want to tip you the wink too much," Daniel Kitson says as he sees some Edinburgh Fringe fainthearts considering leaving his Queen's Hall show a mere 70 minutes into its extravagant 100-minute running time, "but structurally it does cohere." This is a very Kitson utterance: arrogance dances with mock-arrrogance in a way that respects your intelligence while asserting its own. Whatever the game plan, each moment is watermarked by genius.

And yes, genius is a fair word for Kitson, winner of the Edinburgh Comedy award in 2002, since then a studious treader of his own off the beaten path. It's the first night of a big tour, but he goes almost seamlessly from one strand of present-tense storytelling to another, returning to each one just when you've forgotten it was there.

One second he is in Australia eating figs, the next he is in his London home dealing with a beeping fire alarm. One second he is musing about the life expectancy of worms, the next he is funning at the aggressive swimmer who chides him for being too slow in the medium lane. One moment he is Mr Comedy, mocking the circle jerk of stand-ups appearing on each other's podcasts, the "torture porn" of Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, celebrating whether his determination to charge only £15 a ticket wherever he goes is principled or self-defeating vanity. The next he is in nature, cocking an eye at insects and ducks and pigeons and dogs.

Does it structurally cohere? Kitson will eventually make a case for why simply everything we see and do matters: the micro is the macro. He makes that idea resonate in context, albeit not quite enough to justify the marathon set-up to the payoff. An uninterrupted 100 minutes of an only semi-guided tour around Daniel Kitson's head is an ask, whatever the incidental delights.

Moment by moment, though, he's in a league of his own. And, aged 49, this bearded wonder knows himself better than ever: has fun with his stutter, has fun with his pretensions, has fun with his crowd. The bloke's a genius. A genius who needs an editor, but a genius all the same.

Dominic Maxwell

Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, tonight, touring Sep 6 to Nov 18

"I ow do you like your eggs," Francis Bacon asks the stranger after a night of passion that is less like lovemaking, more a grim

bout of Greco-Roman wrestling. And so we're thrown into a twilight world where lust and toast, alcohol and self-loathing fuel an increasingly fractious relationship. Alistair Hall's portrait of the painter's years with George Dyer, the "delicious piece of rough trade" who inspired many of his works, is bleak yet utterly compelling.

In a small upstairs space at Pleasance Courtyard it sometimes feels as if we have been locked in Bacon's studio at the dead of night. If you are sitting in the front row you're

theatre

Buggers

Pleasance Courtyard,

Edinburgh (60min)

★★★★★

almost close enough to put a hand in the water of the tin bath from which the two men top up their drinks. In unalluring vest and underpants they circle each other warily. Bacon (superbly played by Hall) radiates patrician disdain yet cannot help being drawn to the uneducated petty criminal who had barged into his conversation in a Soho bar.

The script, drawing on research from the Bacon estate, amounts to a sadomasochistic romance. (Dyer, a brash presence at the artist's gala launches, died from an overdose in

Alistair Hall as Francis Bacon and Peter Clements as George Dyer

1971.) Watching this ill-matched couple drift away from each other puts you in mind of the doomed

partnership of Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell in Prick Up Your Ears, the Stephen Frears-Alan Bennett film based on John Lahr's Orton biography.

As Dyer, Peter Clements delivers an utterly convincing portrayal of an inarticulate outsider, adrift in a world that lives by entirely different rules. Alice Wordsworth's immaculate production is enhanced by Jack Baxter's claustrophobic sound design, laced with ghostly, Miles Davis-style fusion. Lucy Adams's atmospheric lighting is as murky as some of Bacon's canvases. You emerge from the play dazed but exhilarated.

Clive Davis

To Aug 31

---

11

television & radio

Forget the puzzles, Mitchell is a joy in corduroy

Ben Dowell TV review

Ludwig

BBC1

★★★★☆

Not only does the jolly, escapist comedy drama that is Ludwig come with David Mitchell in the lead, it has a fitting anthem.

Beethoven's Ode to Joy, the German composer's timeless paean to brotherly love and peace. Our hero puzzle-setter's moniker is Ludwig, after all, he turns to Beethoven for comfort and the series is even scripted by a man called Mark Brotherhood.

In series one Ludwig's detective twin, James, went missing and John — Ludwig's real name — impersonated him to help his sister-in-law, Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), solve the

mystery of his disappearance. After a two-year wait we find Ludwig working as an official police consultant and with only two characters knowing about the slightly improbable ruse.

Bumbling of manner, corduroyed of appearance and a likeably clever stranger to modernity, Ludwig is said to be the role Mitchell was born to play (while not inaccurate, this description did not feel wholly welcomed by the man when I interviewed him).

Still, Ludwig's double act with Lucy, who has her own raft of eccentricities, is delightful: a fond, funny, frustrated friendship that bubbles with a pleasing fleck of sexual tension. John, you feel, is probably rather miffed that the twin got to her first.

Into this stew comes an array of fresh characters: two new junior detectives and Sian Clifford (the sister from Fleabag) playing a slippery MP called Joanne Kemper. Mark Bonnar, another actor who cannot grace a scene without making it ten times better, is a cynical local newspaper editor whom Lucy uses to secure journalistic access to those she and Ludwig believe are the key players in the James mystery.

It's not perfect. Now that the main conspiracy takes up so much episode time, the diverting hokum of the weekly crime puzzle sometimes feels like a slight afterthought. In the first

David Mitchell's sleuth remains a likeable stranger to modernity

episode Doon Mackichan and Rebecca Front both admit to murdering their awful mother in a box at the theatre when only one of them could have plunged the blade in. John's solution draws on the biblical story of Solomon to elicit a confession — a leap of improbability where the killer doesn't really have a need to confess at all.

Two more episodes, also now on iPlayer, have similarly thin twists that collapse under scrutiny. One involves a stalker who drops dead in the middle of an elaborate wedding dance and another where an influencesre is murdered in the middle of town without the killer appearing on CCTV. Such gossamer plotting speaks to a trend in modern TV where mysteries now have to be solved in one sitting. It also means that some excellent guest stars feel slightly wasted on occasionally anaemic characterisation.

But the satisfaction and emotional investment lies elsewhere in Ludwig. As with some classical symphonies, the bigger creative architecture can be the thing that matters most and, with James still unfound, it is the wider conspiracy that holds our interest and keeps this ticking. Or in other words: some of the movements and motifs you hear along the way may not be quite in the class of the 19th-century Ludwig but his 21st-century successor is still able to bring his own distinctive abundance of joy.

Heart and Soul World Service, 1.30pm

In The Vatican's Al Battle, Isobel Cockerell looks at how Pope Leo XIV, above, and the Vatican have emerged as a most powerful voice against artificial intelligence, questioning the tech bros about the future they plan with the Pope warning of "the risk of dehumanisation". In Rome she meets Father Michael Baggot, a Catholic priest and professor who teaches courses on AI and ethics at Vatican universities, and who sees both sides of the argument. Cockerell also talks to Bryan Johnson, the American tech entrepreneur who suggests that in creating AI humans may be building God. Clair Woodward

Times Radio

Digital, web, smart speaker, app 5.00am Tom Nunan with Early Breakfast 6.00 Rosie Wright and Calum Macdonald with Times Radio Breakfast 10.00 Ed Vaizey 1.00pm Ryan Tubridy 4.00 Cathy Newman with Times Radio Drive 7.00 Geoff Norcott 10.00 Henry Bonsu. The day's key events 1.00am The Best of Times Radio

Radio 2

FM: 88-90.2 MHz 6.30am The Sara Cox Breakfast Show 9.30 Vernon Kay 12.00 Jeremy Vine 2.00pm DJ Spoony 4.00 Jason Macford 7.00 Michelle Visage 8.30 Michelle Visage's Handbag Hits 9.00 Sophie Ellis-Benton's Kitchen Disco 11.00 The Rock Show with Shaun Keaveny 12.00 Romesh Ranganathan: For the Love of Hip-Hop (r) 1.00am Tony Blackburtt's Sounds of Soul 2.00 Pick of the Pops (r) 3.00 Pick of the Pops (r) 4.00 Radio 2 in Concert: Kool and the Gang (r)

Radio 3

FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz 6.30am Breakfast 9.30 Essential Classics 1.00pm Classical Live Including highlights from the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh Festival. Mozart (Symphony No 40 in E flat, K.550); Bach (Chorale — Konnnst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter — BWV.650); Tailleferre (Pancarte pour une Porte d'entrée — excerpts); Shostakovich (Symphony No.10 in E minor, Op 93); Byrd (Justorum animari; Vivaldi (Concerto for strings in G minor, RV.157); and Mozart (Symphony No 41 in C, KV551 — Jupiter)

4.00 Composer of the Week: Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Kate Molleson has followed Felix Mendelssohn's travels across Europe. In the fifth and concluding episode, he returns to Germany after years on the road 5.00 In Tune 7.00 Live BBC Proms Martin Handley presents as the BBC Philharmonic and Anja Böhmaier are joined by Jamie Barton and Clay Hilley in a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Bushra El-Turk (Mosaic); Haydn (Symphony No.45 in F sharp minor — Farewell); and Mahler (Das Lied von der Erde). During the interval, writer and broadcaster Katy Hamilton talks to Martin Handley about Gustav Mahler's epic symphony Song of the Earth 10.00 Late Junction The impact of dubstep on the world of experimental listening 11.30 'Round Midnight Sowers Koch with the best in jazz 12.30am Through the Night

Radio 4

FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz 5.00am News Summary 5.04 The Briefing Room (8/9) (r) 5.34 Shipping Forecast 5.43 Prayer for the Day 5.45 Farming Today 6.00 Today 9.00 Desert Island Discs (r) 10.00 Woman's Hour 11.00 The Food Programme 11.45 Book of the Week: The Fire in the Mountain: Sicily, Etna and her People By Helena Attlee. The author learns about the bright green pistachios that grow in abundance on Etna's lava landscape. Read by Juliet Aubrey and abridged by Libby Spurrier (5/5)

12.04pm Rare Earth (2/6) 1.00 The World at One 1.45 Human Intelligence (5/10) 2.00 The Archers (r) 2.15 Drama: Central Intelligence By Greg Haddrick. Rumours are spreading through the Bolivian jungle — Che Guevara is back. With Kim Cattrail (7/10) 2.45 Living on the Edge (8/10) (r) 3.00 Gardeners' Question Time Experts answer listeners' queries 3.30 Short Works 4.00 Last Word 4.30 Sideways (6/8) (r) 5.00 PM 6.00 Six O'Clock News 6.30 The People Have Spoken Ian Smith, Bella Hull and Ashley Storrie try to solve the world's biggest problems (2/3) 7.00 The Archers There is a development for Lily 7.15 Add to Playlist Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe are joined by Nadine Shah, David Arnold and Charlotte Harding to create a Proms playlist (2/6) 8.00 Any Questions? Topical discussion from Medway Centre, Bakewell, Derbyshire 8.55 This Week in History (r) 9.00 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics The work of mathematician and philosopher Hypatia (4/7) (r) 9.30 Breakin' the Cycle (4/6) (r) 10.00 The World Tonight 10.45 Book at Bedtime: Mr Sidhu's Post Office (5/10) 11.00 Americas 11.30 All Under One Magnetosphere (r) 12.00 News and Weather 12.30am Book of the Week: The Fire in the Mountain: Sicily, Etna and her People (r) 12.48 Shipping Forecast 1.00 As BBC World Service

Radio 4 Extra

Digital only 8.00am The Confessional 8.30 Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years 8.45 Agnes Grey 9.00 Olga Koch: OK Computer 9.30 The Essay: British Film Comedians 9.45 Daily Service 10.00 Soul Music 10.30 Tanning Tales 11.00 A Study in Sin 12.00 Flying the Flag 12.30pm Beyond Our Ken 1.00 The Confessional 1.30 Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years 1.45 Agnes Grey 2.00 The Museum of Curiosity 2.30 Millport 3.00 There Are Such Things 4.00 Soul Music 4.30 Tanning Tales 5.00 A Study in Sin 6.00 Flying the Flag 6.30 Beyond Our Ken 7.00 The Confessional 7.30 Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years 7.45 Agnes Grey 8.00 The Museum of Curiosity 8.30 Millport 9.00 There Are Such Things 10.00 Comedy Club: Olga Koch: OK Computer 10.30 The Mark Steel Lecture 11.00 I've Never Seen Star Wars 11.30 The Show What You Wrote

Radio 5 Live

MW: 693, 909 5.00am Wake Up to Money 6.00 5 Live Breakfast 9.00 Kylie Pentelow 11.00 Gordon Smart 1.00pm Elis James and John Robins 2.00 Adam Fleming 4.00 5 Live Drive 7.00 Premier League Kick-Off with Darren Fletcher. Preview of games 10.00 Stephen Nolan 1.00am Joel Mitchell

talkSPORT

MW: 1053, 1089 kHz 5.00am Early Sports Breakfast 6.00 talkSPORT Breakfast with Alan Brazil 10.00 Sam Matterface & Alex Crook 1.00pm Hawksbee and Jacobs 4.00 talkSPORT Drive

7.00 Kick Off: Arsenal v Coventry City (Kick-off 8.00) 10.00 The Sports Bar Weekender 1.00am Extra Time with Ben Fletcher

Talk

Digital only 6.00am Mark Dolan 10.00 Alex Phillips 1.00pm Ian Collins 4.00 Kevin O'Sullivan 7.00 Peter Cardwell 9.00 What Just Happened? with Kevin O'Sullivan 10.00 Andre Walker ft. Ash 1.00am Ben Fletcher

6 Music

Digital only 5.00am The Remix with Chris Hawkins 5.30 Chris Hawkins 7.00 Nick Grimshaw 10.00 Lauren Laverne 1.00pm Craig Charles 4.00 Deb Grant 7.00 The People's Party with Femi Koleoso 9.00 Indie Forever 11.00 The 6 Mix with Mary Anne Hobbs 12.00 Rave Forever 1.00am Forever Dark 2.00 Focus Beats 4.00 Ambient Focus

Virgin Radio

Digital only 6.30am The Chris Evans Breakfast Show 10.00 Emma 9.2.00pm Ben Jones 6.00 Stu Elmore 10.00 Goldkrocks 2.00am Jen Thomas

Classic FM

FM: 100-102 MHz 6.30am Classic FM Breakfast with Tim Liboreau 9.00 The Classic FM Hall of Fame Hour with Tim Liboreau 10.00 Aled Jones 1.00pm Anne-Marie Minhall 4.00 Margherita Taylor 6.00 Classic FM at the Movies with Jonathan Ross 8.00 Classical Spotlight with Alexander Armstrong 10.00 Calm Classics 2.00am Katie Breathwick

---

12

television

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Miles Davis: A Celebration at the Proms BBC4, 8pm

The Proms celebrates the centenary of the great American jazz musician, who was born in Alton, Illinois, in 1926. His music teacher mother wanted him to play the violin but it was not to be — a patient and friend of his dentist father gave the nine-year-old Davis a trumpet and his future was

secured. Tonight celebrates his sweeping influence with a deep-dive into the sounds he created with the pianist and arranger Gil Evans, who turned Davis's Juilliard-trained trumpet into an orchestral instrument. The US trumpet virtuoso Ambrose Akinmusire dominates the evening. He is joined by the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Japanese composer-conductor Miho Hazaina, who leads the players through an evening that includes the Davis/Evans arrangements of Gershwin's Porgy

Miles Davis in 1984

and Bess and her orchestration of Miles Ahead. Helen Stewart

You're Killing Me U&Drama, 8pm

The creator of this Brooke Shields cosy crime vehicle, the venerable writer and producer Robin Bernheim, cut her teeth on the 1980s detective show Remington Steele, a stylish and amusing caper starring Stephanie Zimbalist as a detective forced to invent a male boss (Pierce Brosnan) to attract

clients. Forty years later Bernheim sticks to the formula, casting Shields — as a popular writer whose agent has told her she must attract a younger readership — against Amalia Williamson's pushy young podcaster, who is annoyingly au fait with all things Gen Z. As with Remington Steele, the two leads need each other to be able to work in a fast-changing world. It's screwball, frenetic, even a little histrionic; tonight a wedding party is interrupted by the sudden death of the best man. HS

BBC1

• 6.00am Breakfast
• 9.30 Countryfile Treasures (r)
• 10.30 Garden Rescue (r)
• 11.15 Homes Under the Hammer (r) (AD)
• 12.15pm Bargain Hunt (AD)
• 1.00 BBC News at One; Weather
• 1.35 BBC Regional News; Weather
• 1.45 BBC News at One; Weather
• 2.00 The Hairdresser Mysteries. A mysterious American charms the village with plans to save the church tower, but investigating her sudden death leads Lily to wonder who she really was. Last in the series (AD)
• 2.45 Escape to the Country. Briozy May Williams helps a couple to find a new home in the Buckinghamshire countryside (r)
• 3.30 The Repair Shop. The experts set out to restore a suit of armour, a pre-war typewriter and a pane of stained glass (r) (AD)
• 4.30 The Answer Run. Quiz show
• 5.15 Pointless. Quiz series (r)
• 6.00 BBC News at Six; Weather
• 6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather

BBC2

• 6.15am Homes Under the Hammer (r) (AD)
• 7.15 Money for Nothing (r)
• 8.00 Sign Zone: A House Through Time. The history of an Edinburgh house (r) (AD, SL)
• 9.00 BBC News
• 1.00pm Richard Oxman's House of Games. Nina Conti, Nick Helm, Athena Kugblen and Toby Tarrant take part on the quiz (r)
• 1.30 The Finish Line. Quiz show (r)
• 2.15 Do You Know Your Place? Owain Wyn Evans, Greg Rutherford and Abby Cook look to test their knowledge of Bangor (r)
• 2.45 Animal Park Summer. A beloved wolf is laid low with a mystery illness (r) (AD)
• 3.30 Serengeti II. Duma ends up lost when he tries to take on the vultures (r) (AD)
• 4.30 Flog It! An assortment of items are valued at Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire (r)
• 5.00 Live Gymnastics: European Championships 2026. Coverage of the third day of the men's event which is held at Arena Zagreb in Croatia, where the apparatus finals are scheduled to take place

ITV1

• 6.00am Good Morning Britain
• 10.00 This Morning. Daily magazine show with celebrity chat and lifestyle features
• 1.00pm ITV News; Weather
• 1.30 Live ITV Racing. Francesca Cumani and Ed Chamberlin present coverage of the third day of the Ebor Meeting in York, including feature race the Northrope Stakes. Analysis comes from Jason Weaver, Adele Mulrennan and Ruby Walsh, with reporting by Matt Chapman, Oli Bell and Mick Fitzgerald, and commentary from Richard Hoiles
• 4.30 Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals. Two more of the most thrilling and nerve-racking endgames from the arcade-themed quiz show hosted by Ben Shephard (r)
• 5.00 The Chase. Bradley Walsh hosts as contestants from Sutton Coldfield, London, Falkirk and Stalybridge hope that they can take home thousands of pounds together, if they can beat one of the Chases (r)
• 6.00 Regional News; Weather
• 6.30 ITV News; Weather

Channel 4

• 6.30am The King of Queens (r) (AD)
• 7.45 Everybody Loves Raymond (r) (AD)
• 9.10 Frasier (r) (AD)
• 11.10 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA. Help for a bar and grill in New Jersey (r)
• 12.05pm Channel 4 News Summary
• 12.10 Find It, Fix It, Flog It. The lads head to Birmingham to restore more items (r) (AD)
• 1.10 The Great House Giveaway. A property bought at auction in Greater Manchester (r)
• 2.10 Countdown. With Debbie McGee assisting Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner
• 3.00 A Place in the Sun. A search for a home near Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote (r)
• 4.00 The Great B&B Challenge. The first couple is eliminated from the contest (r)
• 5.00 Château DIY. At the Château de la Boutinière, a fairy-tale turret reveals a rotten secret. In central France, a special birthday dinner party is planned (r) (AD)
• 6.00 American Pickers. Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz visit a hot rod mechanic with a collection of rare bubbletop cars (r)

5

• 6.00am Milkshake!
• 9.15 Jeremy Vine
• 11.30 Storm & Alexis
• 12.45pm 5 News at Lunchtime
• 12.50 Matt Allwright
• 2.20 FILM: Stranger in My Home (U, TVM, 2023) After a break-up, a woman needs a new roommate to supplement the rent, and finds something strange is going on with the tenant who moves in. Thriller starring Angela Cole, Zane Henry and Taylor Carter
• 4.00 Castle. Part two of two. Beckett goes on the run with a team of mercenaries but on her trail and must figure out who wants her dead before they can finish the job (r)
• 4.55 Love Nature. The group trying to restore Lough Neagh to pristine condition (r)
• 5.00 5 News with Dan Walker
• 6.00 Croatia: Jewel of the Med. A look at Hvar, the Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, which is home to more than 10,000 residents, and a magnet for the rich (r)

• 6.55 5 News Update

• 7.00 The One Show Weekday magazine with Angelica Bell and JB Gill

• 7.30 The Travelling Auctioneers A globetrotter looks to clear the family home, with proceeds funding an art exhibition showcasing her late grandmother's paintings (r)
• 8.00 Celebrity MasterChef The celebrities work in teams to serve up a three-course meal, before recreating a recipe provided by chef and author Seema Pankhania. At stake is a place in the semi-finals (AD)
• 9.00 Would I Lie to You? With Taj Alwal, Richie Anderson, Chris McCausland and Katherine Parkinson (5/9) (r)
• 9.30 Ann Droid Michael decides to return Linda, but Sue starts to wonder if she can live without her. Last in the series. See picks of the day (AD)
• 10.00 BBC News at Ten
• 10.30 BBC Regional News and Weather

• 10.40 FILM: 27 Dresses (12, 2008) A singleton acting as a bridesmaid at her sister's wedding struggles to hide her love for the groom — with her predicament attracting the attention of a reporter fascinated by her story. Romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman and Edward Burns

• 7.00 Live Athletics: Diamond League Lausanne Coverage of the Athleticians held at Stade Olympique de la Portale et Switzerland. Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson won the women's 800m here last year, with Audrey Werro in second and Georgia Hunter Bell third, and another high-quality race over that distance is expected this time around. There was also an impressive performance from Jamaica's Oblique Seville in the men's 100m last year, as he finished ahead of America's reigning Olympic champion Noah Lyles in a time of 9.87 seconds. See picks of the day

• 9.00 Bergerac The race is on to find Kim before she comes to harm, and as Barney prepares to question Margaret again, Jim has a shocking realisation. Last in the series (AD)
• 9.50 The Secret Genius of Modern Life A look at refrigerators (r) (AD)
• 10.00 QI With Sarah Millican, Daliso Chaponda and Rob Beckett join Sandi Toksvig and Alan Davies (r)
• 10.30 Newsnight With Lucy Hockings

• 11.05 FILM: Silent Roar (15, 2023) A teenager in a Hebridean community refuses to accept that his father, who was lost at sea, is dead and has his hopes encouraged by an eccentric minister. Comedy drama with Louis McCartney and Fiona Bell

• 7.30 Abbey Clancy: Celebrity Homes Abbey visits homes in Cheshire and Somerset, belonging to entrepreneur Seema Malhotra and fashion designer Alice Temperley (5/6) (r)

• 8.00 Emmerdale Jimmy sells his haulage business as he is struggling with growing financial pressures (AD)
• 8.30 Coronation Street Glenda's stinging criticism gives Todd a taste for revenge. Meanwhile, Tim attempts to soothe a jumpy Lucy (AD)
• 9.00 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Celebrity Special Jimmy Clarkson hosts the quiz as Olympic medal-winning cyclist Laura Kenny and journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy answer questions to win a cash prize for their chosen charities (r)
• 10.00 The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox Free but haunted by Perugia, Amanda must confront the man who branded her a murderer to finally move forward in her life — regardless of the risks. Last in the series (AD)
• 11.00 ITV News at Ten; Weather; followed by Regional News
• 11.50 FILM: Rush Hour (12, 1998) A Hong Kong detective investigating a kidnapping in Los Angeles is teamed with a loud-mouthed local cop. Action comedy with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker (AD)

• 1.30am Shop on TV 3.00 Force of Nature. Animals that are struggling in a warming world (r) (AD, SL) 3.50 Long Lost Family (r) (AD, SL) 4.45-6.00 Unwind with ITV

• 7.00 Channel 4 News

• 7.30 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Highlights Steve Jones presents action from the battle for Sprint Race positions (AD)
• 8.00 Surgery Secrets of the Super Rich A Cheshire-based woman undergoes a non-surgical skin tightening treatment, and an entrepreneur invests in the growing trend of fat banking. Last in the series (AD)
• 9.00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Jimmy Carr hosts as Jon Richardson and Judi Love take on Rob Beckett and Katherine Parkinson. Spencer Jones joins Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner, while maths whizz Rachel Riley looks after the numbers (r)
• 10.00 Big Fat Quiz: Best Bits An hour of outbursts, meltdowns and Big Fat tantrums, as some of the biggest names in British entertainment take on the toughest quiz in television
• 10.05 Heat Word of the fires spreading adds anxiety to the house, but Brad insists the property is not in danger. Mia accuses Steve of cheating on Sarah, and Louise is furious that Brad has covered Steve's debt without consulting her (2/4) (r) (AD)
• 11.05 Sarah Millican: Bobby Dazzler A stand-up special in which the comedian explains the best way to eat a kiwi fruit, how a "vagina candle" should smell, and undergoing a surprisingly funny smear test (r)

• 12.10am FILM: Sumotherhood (15, 2023) Comedy drama starring Adam Deacon 1.50 Secret Lives of Gypsy Wives. The family host bonfire night for the estate (r) (AD, SL) 2.40 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (r) (SL) 3.30 Travel Man: 48 Hours in Marseilles (r) (AD, SL) 3.55-6.10 Come Dine with Me (r)

• 7.00 Tom Read Wilson's Grand Tour The presenter embarks on a scenic journey through Tuscany in a vintage Lancia, arriving in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, where he views Michelangelo's David (3/3) (r)

• 7.55 5 News Update
• 8.00 Alexander Armstrong in Sri Lanka The presenter embarks on the second leg of his Sri Lankan adventure, beginning with a train journey to the town of Haputale, followed by visits to Kandy and Udawalawa National Park (2/3) (r)
• 9.00 Heat Drama starring Danny Dyer and Pia Miranda. Two families of British ex-pats reunite in Victoria, Australia, for a summer holiday — but while the reunion is initially a warm one, various tensions are bubbling beneath the surface (1/4) (r) (AD)
• 10.05 Heat Word of the fires spreading adds anxiety to the house, but Brad insists the property is not in danger. Mia accuses Steve of cheating on Sarah, and Louise is furious that Brad has covered Steve's debt without consulting her (2/4) (r) (AD)
• 11.05 Piers Morgan: Uncensored The bold, opinion-led news and debate show hosted by Piers Morgan
• 1.00am Cruise TV with LovettBookit (r) 2.00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors. A patient seeks help for a painful, twitching ear (r) 2.50 Castle (r) 3.40 Friends (r) (AD) 4.35 The Highland Vet (r) (SL) 5.25 Entertainment News on 5.5.35 Paw Patrol (r) (SL) 5.45-6.00 Adventures of Paddington (r) (SL)

---

13

television

Live Athletics: Diamond League

Lausanne BBC2, 7pm

All eyes are on Team GB's Keely Hodgkinson as the track and field world meets in Switzerland. After a tricky start to the season she's hoping for a repeat of last year's win in the 800m, with her team-mate Georgia Hunter Bell also in the mix. The women's 200m is set to be an edge-of-your-seat affair, with Jamaica's Shericka Jackson in terrific form, while the men's

javelin should be very competitive. Emma Bullimore

Ann Droid

BBC1, 9.30pm

With Michael unemployed and living back at home, he can't afford the Basic Eldercare Robot Linda (Diane Morgan) and returns her. Linda had planned a busy week for Sue (Sue Johnston) — it would have been her 50th wedding anniversary — so she leaves Michael with Sue's itinerary. But when Sue's friends

and Michael let her down, she questions whether she can live without Linda. This is the sixth and final episode, but there are rumours of a second series. Chris Jervis

STREAMING CHOICE

Flight of the Conchords

HBO Max

After an eight-year absence from the stage, the Kiwi double act of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine

Clement are touring again as their alter egos, the awkward musical duo responsible for Foux du Fafa and The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room). Sadly no UK gigs are confirmed yet, so why not revisit the original HBO series, which remains a gentle hug of deadpan comedy and musical pastiches. The duo's Pet Shop Boys parody, Inner City Pressure ("No one cares, no one sympathises/ You just stay home and play synthesizers"), is one of their masterworks. Andrew Male

FILM CHOICE

Mort d'un Pourri (15, 1977)

Talking Pictures TV, 9.05pm

This French political thriller has been known by many names in English — Death of a Corrupt Man, Death of a Swiss zeal To Kill a Rat. Based on Raf Vallet's novel, it stars Alain Delon as Xavier Maréchal, who agrees to help his politician pal Philippe Dubaye to cover up the murder of a well-connected mobster. (120min) Joe Clay

BBC4

7.00pm Today at the Test. England v Pakistan. Action from the third day of the First Test at Headlingley 8.00 Miles Davis: A Celebration at the Proms. A tribute to the legendary trumpeter to mark what would have been his centenary in 2026. See picks of the day 9.15 TOTP: 1982. Acts include Captain Sensible, Kids from Fame, Soft Cell, Survivor and Duran Duran 9.55 TOTP: 1987. Including music by Was, Five Star and Bon Jovi 10.25 Nick Lowe: BBC Four Sessions. The singer performs an acoustic set at LSO St Luke's 11.25 K.d. Jang: BBC Four Sessions. The country singer-songwriter performs at LSO St Luke's in London 12.25am Damien Rice: BBC Four Sessions 1.25 TOTP: 1982 2.00 TOTP: 1987 2.30am-3.50 Miles Davis: A Celebration at the Proms

Sky Arts

6.00am Academy of Ancient Music: Vivadi's Four Seasons 7.30 The Joy of Painting (AD) 8.00 Artist of the Year: Masterclass (AD) 9.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) 10.00 Alfred Hitchcock Presents 11.00 Discovering: Jane Fonda 12.00 The Art of Film with Ian Nathan (AD) 1.00pm Tales of the Unexpected (AD) 2.00 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (b/w) 3.00 The Homeless 4.00 Discovering: Peter Finch 5.00 Portrait Artist of the Year 2023 (AD) 6.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) 7.00 Alfred Hitchcock Presents 8.00 Guy Garvey: From the Vaults 9.00 Queen: Champions of the World. The story of the rock band 11.40 FILM: Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road (15, 2021) 1.40am Classic Albums 2.55 Beach Boys: Good Vibrations Tour 4.00am-5.00 Discovering: John Lennon

More4

8.55am Find It, Fix It, Flog It (AD) 10.00 Four in a Bed 12.40pm Come Dive with Me Paedengers Special 3.20 Four in a Bed 5.50 Car SOS. A Mazda R8-7 is restored (AD) 6.50 Car SOS. A project to fix up a rusted 1959 MGA roadster (AD) 7.55 Grand Designs. Following a conservationist building a radical, self-heating family home (4/6) (AD) 9.00 Curge Diem. A woman asks Tom to defend her husband on a murder charge. In French (3/6) (AD) 10.05 24 Hours in A&E. A mechanic is rushed in after being crushed against a wall by his own car (AD) 11.10 24 Hours in A&E. A five-year-old is rushed into St George's struggling to breathe (AD) 12.15am 999: On the Front Line. A child is feverish and unable to speak 1.20 24 Hours in A&E (AD) 3.25am-3.55 A Place in the Sun

Live Test Cricket: England v Pakistan Sky Sports Main Event, 10.15am-6.30pm, Sky Sports Cricket, 10.15am-7pm The third day of the First Test staged at Headingley in Leeds

Live Tennis Sky Sports Tennis, 4pm-10 Day nine of the Cincinnati Open which is held in Mason, Ohio

Live PGA Tour Golf Sky Sports Golf, 5.30pm-12midnight Day two of the BMW Championship at Bellevue Country Club, St Louis, Missouri

Live FNF: Arsenal v Coventry City Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, 6.30pm-11 (Kick-off 8.00). Premier League game at Emirates Stadium

Live Super League: Wigan Warriors v Wakefield Trinity Sky Sports v, Sky Sports Action, 7.30pm-10.15 (Kick-off 8.00). Coverage from Brick Community Stadium

Talking Pictures

6.00am FILM: Return of a Stranger (PG, 1937) (b/w) 7.25 FILM: The Hangman Waits (PG, 1947) (b/w) 8.40 FILM: Big Boy Rides Again (PG, 1935) (b/w) 9.50 FILM: Miss Robin Hood (U, 1952) (b/w) 11.25 FILM: So Long at the Fair (PG, 1950) (b/w) 1.05pm The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (b/w) 2.15 Adventure of Robin Hood (b/w) 2.50 FILM: Ghost Ship (U, 1952) (b/w) 4.20 Look at Life 4.30 The Cheshire (b/w) 5.00 A Family at War 6.00 Rumpide of the Bailey 7.00 2 Cars (b/w) 8.00 Public Eye 9.05 FILM: Mort D'un Pourri (12, 1977) Thriller. See film choice 11.40pm Supernatural (8/8) 12.50am FILM: Les Yeux Sans Visage (15, 1960) (b/w) 2.45 FILM: Tread Softly Stranger (PG, 1958) (b/w) 4.30am-5.00 The Vise (b/w)

Film4

11.00am The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (U, 1974) Fantasy adventure starring John Phillip Law (AD) 1.10pm Enemy Mine (12, 1985) Sci-fi adventure starring Dennis Quaid 3.25 River of No Return (PG, 1954) Western starring Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe 5.15 Deck the Halls (PG, 2006) Christmas comedy starring Danny DeVito and Matthew Bodevick (AD) 7.05 Flamin' Hot (12, 2023) In the mid-1970s, a cleaner at a snack company suggests a spicy twist to a popular brand. Comedy drama with Jesse Garcia and Annie Gonzalez 9.00 Honest Thief (15, 2020) Crime thriller starring Liam Neeson (AD) 11.05 The Forever Purge (15, 2021) Horror starring Ana de la Reguera 1.10am-3.05 Little Monsters (15, 2019) Horror-comedy starring Lupita Nyong'o and Josh Gad

BBC3

7.00pm The Catch Up 7.10 Deadly 60. Contenders that did not make it to the final 60 list 7.40 FILM: Chicken Run (U, 2000) A headstrong chicken and her fellow foxes plan to escape from a farm before they are turned into pies. Animated comedy with the voices of Mel Gibson and Julia Sawatha (AD) 9.00 Death in Paradise. A man is shot dead at his villa (6/8) (AD) 10.00 Not Going Out. Lee and Lucy make plans to move house (AD) 10.25 Not Going Out. Lee brings home a second-hand sex doll (AD) 10.55 This Country. Kerry has turned over a new leaf (AD) 11.25 This Country (AD) 11.55 This Country (AD) 12.20am This Country (AD) 1.45 Funboys (r) (AD) 2.00 Funboys (AD) 3.40am-3.55 Rocket Fuel (r)

ITV2

6.00am Backyard Builds (SL) 6.30 Dress to Impress (AD, SL) 7.30 The Real Housewives of Potomac 8.20 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills 9.15 The Only Way Is Essex 10.15 Dawson's Creek 11.10 Charmed 12.10pm Deal or No Deal (AD) 1.10 Celebrity Supermarket Sweep (AD) 2.10 The Floor (AD) 3.10 The Only Way Is Essex 4.10 The Real Housewives of Potomac 5.00 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Reality series 6.00 Celebrity Catchphrase (AD) 7.00 The Floor (AD) 8.00 The 1% Club Valentine's Special. Hosted by Lee Mack (AD) 9.00 FILM: The Batman (15, 2022) Drama with Robert Pattinson (AD) 12.25am Family Guy. Animation (AD) 1.25 American Dad! (AD) 2.20am-2.45 Bob's Burgers (AD)

ITV3

6.00am George and Mildred 7.05 Classic Emmerdale (AD) 8.05 Classic Coronation Street (AD) 9.10 Agatha Christie's Poirot (AD) 11.30 Heartbeat (AD) 1.35pm Midcomer Murders (AD) 3.35 Classic Emmerdale (AD) 4.40 Classic Coronation Street (AD) 5.50 Heartbeat. Rural drama series (AD) 8.00 Doc Martin. The medic has to complete three refresher courses to be deemed fit to practice (2/8) (AD) 9.00 Doc Martin. Louisa plans a special evening to celebrate Martin's birthday, while her class tutorial ends in disaster (2/8) (AD) 10.00 Lewis. A botanist finds the body of a recently buried professor trusted upon solving a seemingly impossible riddle (1/4) (AD) 11.50 Trial & Retribution (1/6) 1.45am-2.15 George and Mildred

Sky Atlantic

6.00am Fish Town (r) 8.00 Billions (r) (AD) 10.15 House of the Dragon (r) (AD) 12.35pm Homicide: Life on the Street (r) 2.30 Billions (r) (AD) 4.30 Django (r) (AD) 6.30 House of the Dragon. Rhaenyra looks to gain an advantage (r) (AD) 7.45 House of the Dragon. As Aemond becomes more volatile, Larry plots an escape (r) (AD) 9.00 Station Eleven. Jeevan and Kirsten survive their first winter alone, until an argument sends him on an unexpected path (9/10) 10.05 Station Eleven. The Prophet has a final reckoning with Elizabeth and Clark. Last in the series 11.20 House of the Dragon. Rhaenyra summons a trusted knight for a risky venture (r) (AD) 12.35am House of the Dragon (r) (AD) 3.05 Billions (r) (AD) 4.10am-6.00 Urban Secrets (r)

ITV4

6.00am The Best of the 80s 6.15 River Monsters 6.45 Magnum, PI (AD) 8.55 Boon 10.00 Live World Series of Darts: Australian Masters. Coverage from Wollongong 2.00pm River Monsters (AD) 2.30 Magnum, PI (AD) 3.40 Boon 4.45 The Professionals (AD) 5.50 Sharpe 8.00 Cycling: Women's Tour of Britain Highlights. Action from stage three, a 154.7km route 9.00 FILM: RoboCop 3 (18, 1993) The cyborg joins rebel forces fighting against a corporation's sinister plans for the city of Detroit. Sci-fi thriller sequel with Robert Burke and Nancy Allen (AD) 11.05 All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite. Hard-fitting, high-flying action 1.05am Dark Side of the Ring. The life and death of Dino Bravo 2.00am-2.50 Two and a Half Men

U&Drama

6.00am Teleshopping 7.20 The Bill 8.15 Doctors 9.25 Classic Holby City 10.45 Casualty (AD) 11.45 The Bill 12.50pm Classic EastEnders 2.00 Classic Neighbours 3.05 Whittstable Pearl (AD) 4.10 Kingdom 5.20 As Time Goes By 6.00 Last of the Summer Wine 8.00 You're Killing Me. New series. Mystery drama starring Brooke Shields. A mystery writer probes her friend's death at a book convention. See picks of the day (1/6) 9.00 Fisher Brown. A mythical wild cat features in the sleuthing cleric's latest investigation (AD) 10.00 New Tricks (10/10) (AD) 11.20 Luther (1/2) (AD) 12.40am Longos: Drama series 1.50 Sister Boniface Mysteries (AD) 2.50 The Chelsea Detective (SL) 4.00am-6.00 Teleshopping

Variations

BBC18 Ireland 7.00pm-8.00 The Big Deal with Steph McGovern (r) 10.40 FILM: Monkey Man (2024) Action starring Dev Patel 12.35am-6.00 BBC News

BBC1 Wales 7.30pm-8.00 Best of Weatherman Walking. Wales's industrial past

STV 7.00pm STV Radio Football Takeover 7.30pm-8.00 What's on Scotland

UTV 7.00pm UTV Life 7.30pm-8.00 Hidden Northern Ireland

BBC Scotland 7.00pm Reporting Scotland 7.25 Live Sportcentre: Championship: Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Partick Thistle (Kick-off 7.30).

9.30 Best of Only an Excuse? Comedy sketch show (r) 10.00 Still Game (r) 10.30 Two Doors Down (r) 11.00pm-12.00 Situationships with Sophie and Christine (r)

SAC 6.00am Cyw 12.00 News; Weather 12.05pm Pysgod i Bawb (r) 12.30 Heno (r) 1.00 Y CI Perflaith (r) 1.30 Dan Do (r) 2.00 News 2.05 Prymbawn Da 3.00 News 3.05 Ty Filt (r) 4.00 Awr Fawr: Octocots (r) 4.10 Og y Draeng Hapus (r) 4.20 Misho (r) 4.30 Joyr Jet (r) 4.45 Paec Glan (Iwit) (r) 5.00 Dawnsh Lego Frindtau: Amdani Ferched! (r) 5.10 Bwystfit (r) 5.20 Pyss a! Pyyled (r) 5.35 A Goil an Oz (r) 6.30 Gandico a Mwy (r) 7.00 Heno 7.30 News 8.00 Mike Bubbles: Un Mewn Milieh (r) 8.55 News 9.00 Am Drol (r) 10.00 Y Deis (r) 10.30pm-1.35 Mwisig Fy Mywyd (r)

PBS America

8.00am World of Stonehenge 9.15 The Real Truth. Breaking down the myths behind fat 10.20 Pandemic — The Flu That Killed 50 Million 11.40 Hidden Killers of the Post-War Home 1.00pm World of Stonehenge 2.20 The Real Truth 3.20 Pandemic — The Flu That Killed 50 Million 4.50 Hidden Killers of the Post-War Home. Dangers in the 1950s 6.05 World of Stonehenge 7.15 The Real Truth. Breaking down the myths behind fat (3/6) 8.20 Pandemic — The Flu That Killed 50 Million. Dozo-drama about the 1918 Flu pandemic 9.40 Hidden Killers of the Post-War Home. The domestic innovations and resulting dangers of the 1950s 10.55 The Real Truth (3/6) 12.00 Pandemic — The Flu That Killed 50 Million 1.15am-2.00 Weathered: Earth's Extremes

Sky Atlantic

Sky Docs

6.00am The 2010s (r) 8.00 The Directors (r) 9.00 Urban Secrets (r) 10.00 The Story of Late Night (r) 11.00 David Frost Vs (r) (AD) 12.00 FILM: Val (12, 2021) (AD) 2.00pm FILM: Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (12, 2018) (AD) 4.00 The Directors (r) 5.00 Discovering: Nicolas Cage. A profile of the Oscar-winning American actor (r) (AD) 6.00 I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not. Documentary profile of the actor and comedian (r) (AD) 8.00 Becoming Madonna. Charting the singer's rise to stardom (r) (AD) 10.00 God Bless Ozzy Osbourne. A look at the life and career of the Black Sabbath frontman (r) (AD) 12.00 Mr Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (r) (AD) 2.15am FILM: Searching for Sugar Man (12, 2012) 4.00 The Directors (r) 5.00am-6.00 Discovering: Nicolas Cage (r) (AD)

U&Yesterday

6.10am Abandoned Engineering (AD) 8.00 Bangers & Cash Restoring Classics (AD) 10.00 Secret Nazi Bases 11.00 The World at War 12.00 Antiques Roadshow 2.00pm Bangers & Cash (AD) 4.00 Secret Nazi Bases 5.00 The World at War. Factors behind the growing support for Britain in America 6.00 Antiques Roadshow. From Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire 7.00 The Blue Planet. Earth's most densely inhabited waters (AD) 8.00 Canal Boat Diaries. Robbie Investigates a local UFO legend in Todmorden (10/10) (AD) 9.00 Canal Boat Diaries (1/10) (AD) 10.00 Bangers & Cash (AD) 11.00 Bangers & Cash (AD) 12.00 Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics (AD) 1.00am Find It, Fix It, Flog it 2.00 Abandoned Engineering (AD) 3.00am-6.10 Teleshopping

---

14

MindGames

Backgammon Chris Bray

Third time lucky

Petko Kostadinov, a Bulgarian who has lived in the USA for many years, had lost two world championship finals, in 2017 and 2019. Over the years he has been a magnificent ambassador for the game. His calm temperament when playing should be a lesson to all of us. This year he once more reached the final. Would it be third time lucky?

His opponent was Jason Pack. Originally from the US, Jason is currently resident in the UK and is well known in our backgammon circles. The crucial position in the match arrived early on with Petko (Black) leading 4-3 to 19. He had trouble bearing in his checkers and now had to play this awkward 53. He can move safely 6/3, 6/1, but that leaves a completely stripped position, which might result in multiple shots for White next turn.

The alternative is 8/5, 8/3, taking a big risk now to avoid future problems. What would you do? Petko took his time and eventually played 8/5, 8/3. Jason rolled double threes and stayed on the bar. Petko rolled well while the dice gods were out to lunch as far as

Jason was concerned. Petko easily won a gammon and took an 8-3 lead. Jason was visibly shaken and never quite recovered his composure for the rest of the match.

With the lead at 14-8, Petko won a doubled backgammon by rolling a well-timed double six, and he had finally achieved a long-cherished ambition. Undoubtedly, Jason was unlucky as he kept getting well-timed back games, but he ended up losing three doubled gammons and one doubled backgammon, accounting for nearly all of his opponent's points. Which reminds me of Rule One: try to avoid playing back games. They are great when they work but expensive when they go wrong.

What of Petko's 53? XG has the two plays tied in terms of equity, but the psychological pressure that Petko gained by winning that gammon was very well worth the risk that he took. He is to be applauded for making the bold play under the intense pressure of a world championship final. He will be in London next week with the USA team taking part in the world team championships.

chrisbraybg@gmail.com

Winning Move

Black to play.

This position is a variation from Tadic-Naumov, Belgrade 2026.

Black has a ferocious attack on the kingside and White's position gives the appearance of "all hands on deck". Even the king seems to be seeking to shore up the defences by adding protection to b4. However, advancing the king up the board is a risky business as Black quickly demonstrated. Can you spot the brilliant finish?

Codeword No 5925

A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R Z T U V W X Y Z

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26

Every letter in this crossword-style grid is represented by a number from 1 to 26. Each letter of the alphabet appears in the grid at least once. Use the letters already provided to work out the identity of further letters. Enter letters in the main grid and the smaller reference grid until all 26 letters of the alphabet have been accounted for. Proper nouns are excluded. Yesterday's solution, right

Cluelines Stuck on Codeword? To receive 4 random clues call 0901 293 6262 or text 7 IMECODE to 64343. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company's network access charge. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. For the full solution call 0905 757 0142. If you have an old newspaper and need clues from the past 7 days, call 0905 624 0024. Calls to 0905 cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm).

Lexica Easy No 9067

Hard No 9068

Slide the letters either horizontally or vertically back into the grid to produce a completed crossword. Letters are allowed to slide over other letters

Train Tracks No 2950

Lay tracks to enable the train to travel from village A to village B. The numbers indicate how many sections of track go in each row and column. There are only straight sections and curved sections. The track cannot cross itself.

Quintagram® No 2652

Solve all five cryptic clues using each letter underneath once only

1 Feline is crafty at intervals (3)

2 Don, perhaps, hiding in tower I've rebuilt (5)

3 Empty container within larger container (6)

4 Recon is a bad situation (8)

5 Old authors ultimately have identical password? (46)

A	A	A	A	A	C	C	C
E	E	E	E	E	I	I	M
N	N	N	O	O	P	R	R
R	S	S	S	T	T	V	V

Challenge your mind with these fiendish word and number puzzles

Solve Ponder crossword on Wednesdays and Fridays at thetimes.com/puzzles and on the Live app

KenKen Difficult No 6917

All the digits 1 to 6 must appear in every row and column. In each thick-line "block", the target number in the top left-hand corner is calculated from the digits in all the cells in the block, using the operation indicated by the symbol.

Futoshiki No 5465

Fill the blank squares so that every row and column contains each of the numbers 1 to 5 once only. The symbols between the squares indicate whether a number is larger (>) or smaller (<) than the number next to it.

Kakuro No 4424

Fill the grid using the numbers 1 to 9 only. The numbers in each horizontal or vertical run of white squares add up to the total in the triangle to its left or above it. The same number may occur more than once in a row or column, but not within the same run of white squares.

© P433LM 2026

---

15

MindGames

times2 Crossword No 10,241

Across

8 Companion (7) 9 Large Asian country (5) 10 Flawed (9) 11 Greek letter often transliterated as "f" (3) 12 Requirements (5) 14 Side road (7) 15 Lead the development of (7)

Solution to Crossword 10,240

Need help with today's puzzle? Call 0905 757 0143 to check the answers. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm).

Bridge Andrew Robson

Top Twenty Conventions

4. Transfers

Transfers and Stayman co-exist happily. You bid Stayman when you have a four-card major and transfer with a five-card major (Stayman with five four in the majors).

Whereas you'll usually have game-going values for Stayman, you transfer with any strength of hand. INT-2♦ shows five hearts; INT-2♥ shows five spades. Opener will normally complete the transfer (unless she has four-card support, when she can break to 3♥/♠).

There are five scenarios where Stayman and transfers operate.

(i) After a INT opener (most common). (ii) After a INT overcall. (iii) After a 2NT opener. (iv) After 2♠-2♠+2NT. (v) After a 2NT overcall over an opposing Weak Two.

The principle of transfers is brilliant. Because partner simply completes the transfer, the transfer bidder effectively has two bids in a row. This enables her to describe more hand-types. THAT's the main reason for playing transfers (the oft-quoted making the stronger hand declarer is really a side-benefit).

Partner opens INT. What is your bidding plan with these?

▲Q42 ▲A1643 ▲2 ▲AQ642 ▼974332 ▼Q ▼AQ4132▼AQ9 +6 ▲J64 ▲AX632▲X3 ▲G742 ▲K172 ▲G3 ▲K75

With the first, bid 2+ transfer and pass partner's completion to 2♥.

With the second, bid 2♥ transfer and move with 2NT over partner's completion to 2♠. There are only two game-institutional bids after INT-2♥-2♠: 2NT and 3♠. The latter shows six spades, so you

17 Amphitheatre's central space (5) 19 Clothing label (3) 20 Heavy waterproof fabric (9) 22 Perform better than (5) 23 Wise Old Testament king (7)

Down

1 Choice (6) 2 Filled tortilla (4) 3 Navel-gazing (13) 4 Stop and detain (a suspect) (6) 5 Great cascade on the Zambezi River (8,5) 6 (Of a parent) legal but not biological (8) 7 Decreasing in apparent size like the moon (6) 13 Stretch out (8) 15 Enchanted drink (6) 16 Most scarce (6) 18 Broad fabric summade (6) 21 Hobble along (4)

have to rebid 2NT with some unbalanced hands. The auction INT-2♥-2♠-3♠ is game-forcing.

With the third, bid 2♦ and, over the 2♥ completion, bid 3♦. This is game-forcing 5♥-4♦ (or better).

With the fourth, bid 2♥ and, over 2♠, bid 4NT. This is quantitative not ace-anking, like INT-4NT (the transfer doesn't set trumps). [Note, if all you want to do is set spades as trumps and ask for aces, jump to 3♠ then bid 4NT (preferably Roman Key Card Blackwood).]

(1) Transfer to spades, duly completed. (2) Institutional, 11-12 points but may not be strictly balanced (as 2NT is the only way to invite without a sixth spade).

As declarer, you win the ♥6 lead with dummy's ♥K and play clubs in the optimum fashion. You plan to lead to ♣1 but cash ♣K first in case something interesting happens. It does — Week/taze ♣Q drops.

You lead ♣3, planning to insert ♣5 but beat East's ♣9 with ♣1. You return to ♦A, lead ♣5 to (♣7 and) ♣8, cash ♣A4 and ♥A, and that's eight tricks.

andrew.mitsnejlthetimes.co.uk

Brain Trainer

Polygon

From these letters, make words of four or more letters, always including the central letter. Answers must be in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, excluding capitalised words, plurals, conjugated verbs (past tense etc), adverbs ending in LY, comparatives and superlatives. How you rate 12 words, average: 17 good, 21 very good, 26 excellent

Yesterday's answers

ergo, gene, generous, genre, gens, genus, goat, gone, gone, gore, gorse, green, grouse, gum, negus, ogee, ogre, rogue, rouge, rugose, rung, segue, siege, snog, snug, song, surge, surgeon, urge

Cell Blocks No 5808

Divide the grid into square or rectangular blocks, each containing one digit only. Every block must contain the number of cells indicated by the digit inside it.

Set Square No 4427

Enter each of the numbers from 1 to 9 in the grid, so that the six sums work. We've placed two numbers to get you started. Each sum should be calculated left to right or top to bottom.

Please note, BODMAS does not apply

Killer Moderate No 10,888

Killer Deadly No 10,889

As with standard Sudoku, fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Each set of cells joined by dotted lines must add up to the target number in its top-left corner. Within each set of cells joined by dotted lines, a digit cannot be repeated.

Clustines Stuck on Sudoku, Killer or KenKen? Call 0901 293 6263 before midnight to receive four clues for any of today's puzzles. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm).

Solutions

Quick Crypto: 3385

Codeword 5924

Kakuro 4423

Sudoku 17040

Tetoner 702

Train Tracks 2949

Sudoku 17041

Cell Blocks 5807

Set Square 4426

Lexica 9065

Sudoku 17042

Futoshiki 5464

KenKen 6916

Lexica 9066

Killer 10,886

Concise

Quintagram 1 ABC 2 Uncut 3 Crouchi 4 Josh mail 5 Mashbuin

Cryptic

Quintagram 1 Cat 2 River 3 Vacant 4 Scenario 5 Open sen

Sakuro 4828

Killer 10,887

Word watch

Quiz

Vanessa (b) A red admiral or related butterfly (Chambers) Gouyabera (c) An embroidered man's shirt (Collins) Anguiler (c) Snakelike (GR33) Chess — Winning Move 1. (2ng h) shows the white king to its doors in spectacular fashion. 2 Rugi Rohé+1 Kohé Rbh+4 Kgl Rbh mate

1 Literature 2 Spider-Man 3 Angelina Julie 4 Milk 5 Bangkok 6 Elizabeth I 7 Matthew Webb 8 Mitchell and Webb 9 Noël Coward 10 Live Forever 11 Ossicones 12 Paul Ricoeur 13 José Maria Velasco 14 Kylian Mbappé 15 Noddy Holder

---

THE TIMES

21.08.26

MindGames

Word watch

David Parrith

Vanessa

a A slat in the sail of a windmill b A red admiral or related butterfly c A fleeting moment

Guayabera

a An ancestral relative of the llama b The giant rhubarb c An embroidered men's shirt

Anguine

a A cry of distress b A French offal sausage c Snakefike

Answers on page 15

Sudoku Mild No 17043

Difficult No 17044

Fiendish No 17045

		1
8	5				7
	6		4	8	5	7
				5	9		3
6	1	2				5	8
3			8	1
		6	5	3	1		9
			9				4
						3

1				6
	6	5					1
			8			2	9
		8			4	1		9
			3		8
		1			9	7		8
			9			4	8
	9	7					5
6				4

	8	6
				4			9	2
			3		8	4
8		2			9	6
				3	2		7
3		5			7	9
			7		4	5
				9			1	4
	5	4

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

The Times Daily Quiz Olav Bjortomt

1 Which Nobel prize was awarded to William Golding in 1983? 2 Which Marvel Comics superhero is nicknamed "Spidey"? 3 Which US actress is the subject of Andrew Morton's unauthorised biography Angelina (2010)? 4 In Brazil, a café com leite is coffee mixed with which liquid? 5 Siam Paragon is one of the largest shopping malls in which Asian capital? 6 Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando begins during the reign of which Tudor queen?

7 Adam Riches' 2026 Edinburgh Fringe show The Captain is based on the life of which English Channel swimmer? 8 According to the title of a 2025 Channel 4 sketch comedy show, which duo Are Not Helping?

9 The libretto of André Previn's 2009 opera Brief Encounter is partly based on which dramatist's play Still Life? 10 Which 1994 Oasis single was inspired by the Rolling Stones' 1972 song Shine a Light?

11 A giraffe can have up to five blunt, short horns called what? 12 Which French philosopher wrote The Symbolism of Evil (1960) and the ethical treatise Oneself as Another (1990)? 13 The Valley of Mexico from the Hill of Santa Isabel (1877) is which Mexican painter's most celebrated work? 14 Which French football star won the Golden Boot at the 2022 and 2026 Fifa World Cups? 15 Which Slade frontman is pictured?

Answers on page 15

Sakuro No 4826

Place the numbers 1 to 9 in the spaces so that the number in each circle is equal to the sum of the four surrounding spaces, and each colour total is correct

For interactive puzzles visit thetimes.com

The Times Quick Cryptic No 3386 by Hurley

1		2		3			4	5		6		7
8						9
10						11				12
		13		14
15												16
17								18
19		20
21							22

Across

1 Fire in carousel (6) 4 Insist two daughters retain name, after reflection (6) 8 Annulment site unusually hard-nosed? (13) 10 Best leaders of enterprise leaving in the end (5) 11 Cutting second drink, much-liked (7) 13 Vegetable when of expected standard, first-class, ultimately pleasing us (9) 17 Extend beyond limit due to arguing at regular intervals (7) 18 Place of worship missing Queen's lustre (5) 19 The writer's beat, accepting shopping without much forethought (7,6) 21 Victim of railway vehicle reversing (6) 22 Enclosed space containing protesters? It will reach boiling point! (6)

Down

1 So be it about copper's shrewdness! (6) 2 Stubborn, set - obtain broadcast (9) 3 Slight burn, just one, after learner's gone (5) 5 Time of day, flat, is no good principally (7) 6 Something done in Ascot regularly (3) 7 Maybe tone down musical instrument after I'd flipped? (6) 9 Cover in case run goes awry? (9) 12 One admitted to appalling missteps — I see trouble ahead (9) 14 Herb, son, involved in wartime discussion perhaps (7) 15 Element beginning to show hatred (6) 16 Inadequately small, extremely minute — agree? Not quite (6) 18 Cheek dressing (5) 20 For every person? Not half! (3) Yesterday's solution on page 15

Subscribe

for more puzzles

• Puzzles updated daily
• Play against the clock
• Compete in our leaderboard
• Play offline and online

To try a digital subscription, visit thetimes.com/subscribe

THE TIMES THE SUNDAY TIMES

---

THE TIMES

FRIDAY AUGUST 21 2026

Bricks & Mortar

Inside

What does your postcode reveal about your decor? Page 6

Plus

Let us plan The Church of England builds on 'Benefits Street' Page 8

Buy. Sell. Move. Improve. Your weekly property guide

---

2

Bricks&Mortar

PROPERTY BAROMETER

£1,451

The average monthly rent for a home in England. In Scotland, it is £1076. in Wales, £843 and in Northern Ireland £875 Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Annual house price changes in England

Northwest	4.7%
Northeast	4.3%
Yorkshire and The Humber	3.6%
West Midlands	2.6%
East Midlands	2.4%
Southwest	1.9%
England	1.8%
East of England	1.1%
Southeast	0.3%
London	-2.5%

Source: Office for National Statistics

40%

of first-time buyers believe that being in their overdraft would stop them getting a mortgage Source: Lloyds Bank

Price premium to live near a park in the home counties

Price difference Price premium
Essex	£59,546	15.3%
Kent	£55,962	15.6%
Hertfordshire	£27,329	5.7%
Berkshire	£23,763	5.4%
Surrey	£23,508	4.4%
Buckinghamshire	£6,513	1.3%

Source: UKPD

20.4%

average price increase for prime residential property in Tokyo, Japan, in the year to June 2026, the fastest growing market in the world Source: Savills

Hardest places to buy a new-build property

Years of pay

Median new-build price

Median gross annual pay

Hertsmere 19 £815,000 £43,813

Oxford 16 £690,000 £43,289

Bath and North East Somerset 16 £635,000 £40,448

Cambridge 15 £664,447 £43,741

London (all boroughs) 15 £706,952 £46,657

Cotswolds 14 £560,000 £41,267

Woking 14 £592,500 £43,719

Ashford 13 £485,000 £37,440

Guildford 13 £605,000 £46,801

Rother 13 £460,000 £36,197

Source: Ballcliffe

Y

ou don't need family wealth to turn your children into homeowners — you just need a family home.

Figures show that the Hotel of Mum and Dad plays just as big a role as

the Bank of Mum and Dad in getting children on the property ladder.

Last year 63 per cent of first-time buyers lived at home rent-free for a period to save their deposit, while 53 per cent relied on cash, inheritance or a loan from their family. In London 71 per cent of first-time buyers live at home rent-free before they buy a property.

For the first time the estate agency Savills has worked out how much the Hotel of Mum and Dad is worth. Parents are collectively giving away £7.6 billion of accommodation to their adult children by letting them live at home, based on a room rent of £160 a week. In comparison, families are expected to give £11.3 billion to their children for their first home in 2026, according to the financial services company Legal & General.

Lucian Cook, the head of residential research at Savills, says: "While attention often focuses on direct financial gifts, the value of reduced housing costs over several years of living with family can be just as significant in helping buyers to build a deposit."

The research suggests that living at home is not a lifestyle choice but a reflection of a harsh property market where private tenants are spending 41 per cent of their take-home pay on rent, according to official statistics.

"This is much more about needs than it is convenience," Cook says. "As a result of not paying rent, [first-time buyers] are able to save to build up a deposit. This is also very much a function of the size of the deposit that they're having to put together to get a competitive mortgage."

Suppressed wages and a higher cost of living, notably expensive commuting costs, means that a record 28.7 per cent of 20 to 34-year-olds are living at home, up from 25.4 per cent a decade ago. There is a stark gender divide, with one in three men in this age bracket living at home compared with one in five women.

Savills' survey shows that slightly more first-time buyers used money from an inheritance (13.7 per cent) last year than used a government-backed scheme (11.7 per cent).

Gail Scott, 36, and Sam Barnett, 35, used the government's First Homes scheme to get a 30 per cent discount on their two-bedroom house, but needed to live at home to save enough to afford it.

Some parents are putting off downsizing and retirement to get their children on the ladder

Scott and Barnett lived an hour apart for 13 years — Scott with her parents in Downton, Wiltshire, and Barnett with his parents, then his grandmother, in Petersfield, Hampshire. Taking money from their family was completely unpalatable to them.

"I would have refused it," Scott says. "That's their money that they worked hard for. Now they're retired they should get to enjoy that money."

Scott paid £200 a month to her parents and Barnett lived rent-free but contributed to bills and treated his grandmother to takeaways.

Cover story

JACOB STICK, CHRISTOPHER ANDREID

The hotel

giving away £7.6bn

Allowing children to live rent-free in the family home plays just as big a role as the Bank of Mum and Dad, finds Melissa York

"It's quite hard living with parents when you're fully into adulthood because you both have your own routines, your own likes and dislikes," Scott says. But it was worth living at home to be able to save a £70,000 deposit, amassed over seven years using a Help to Buy Isa.

The couple have been engaged for a decade but prioritised buying a house. They fell in love with theirs while cat-sitting for Scott's boss. They discovered exactly the same style of house was on sale at Hawthorn Place, a new Pennyfarthing development in Fordingbridge, and were eligible to buy it for £250,000 with the discount, which is passed onto future buyers, because Scott works locally as a dental receptionist.

They moved in in April. "Living with Nan, we always had my aunties and uncles coming in and out of the house, and obviously I had to watch what she wanted on the telly," says Barnett, who is a painter and decorator, "it's great to finally come home from work and be able to do our own thing." And save for their wedding — although Scott

warns that a miniature dachshund may arrive first.

A typical guest at the Hotel of Mum and Dad stays for three years and seven months, saving £29,824 on rent, Savills research shows, but more than a quarter lived at home for five years or more.

While some families cannot afford to hand over a lump sum, they may find that providing a rent-free or heavily subsidised safety net is "a more palatable option because they can see their children having to save and therefore having a level of financial responsibility and discipline", Cook says.

Emilia Threadgill from Maidstone in Kent lived at home for ten years to save for her first home. At 26, she says most of her friends are still living with their parents but spending their money on holidays and going out instead.

The Savills survey shows that 39 per cent of people aged 25-34 are saving to cover short-term expenses such as holidays, while 38 per cent are saving towards a longer-term goal such as a wedding or house deposit.

---

3

Bricks&Mortar

Breakdown of the average first-time buyer deposit

"I've always been a bit of a home bird so I was happy to put my savings into a house instead of partying and drinking," Threadgill says. She was on a low wage when she left school at 16 to do an apprenticeship, so her parents, Fred and Katie, let her live rent-free until she got her first job in a children's nursery at 18. After that she paid £100 to each parent a month, then £300 when her wage increased.

This meant she was able to save £5,000 a year, which she put in a savings account and, on her grandparents' recommendation, topped up with winnings from premium bonds.

She viewed a new one-bedroom maisonette built by Fernham Homes in Sutton Valence, closer to the nursery, last year but could not afford it and resigned herself to saving for two more years. Then in March she found out that she qualified for a new Discount Market Sale scheme that

A record 28.7 per cent of 20 to 54-year-olds are living at home, up from 25.4 per cent in 2016

meant she could buy the home for £192,000 at a 20 per cent discount, and the developer paid 5 per cent of the deposit.

"I went straight to Ikea and bought everything. I took over the family house [with furniture for her new home], and my nan and grandad's house too," she says, noting that she would not have had anywhere to store it in a house share.

When she moved in in May she found the first night alone "quite scary", but now loves living alone, specifically "being able to have a nap without being woken up".

Some parents are putting off downsizing and retirement to turn their

Emilia Threadgill and her parents, Fred and Katie

63%

Proportion of first-time buyers who lived at home rent-free last year

children into homeowners. "This is probably one of the reasons we don't see the level of downsizing that we might have anticipated," Cook says.

Three would-be downsizers are typically missing out on releasing £72,400 in equity or saving £2,400 a year in rent, according to a Skipton Building Society report with the think tank Oxford Economics.

Reece Miles, 26, could not have bought a place of his own without his mother, Sharon, who put off downsizing and retirement so he could live at home and save.

Miles returned home to his mother's house in Plumstead, southeast London, after four years studying at the University of Surrey.

He started paying £180 a month in rent when he got his first job in recruitment in February 2024. Renting his own place did not make financial sense to Miles. "I knew I'd be paying a lot of money every month and not actually owning anything at the end of it," he says. "Shared ownership felt like a much smarter move, especially as it meant I could afford to stay local."

The scheme allows buyers to buy a share of a property they can afford, then pay rent to a housing provider on the share they do not own, with the option to increase their share of ownership over time.

Miles was disciplined about saving every month into a high-interest account, and set up an investment trading account on the side. He enjoyed living at home again, and the only conflict arose when he would occasionally go out after work and forget to tell Sharon that he wouldn't be home for dinner.

Within a year he had the £7,500 he needed to buy a 25 per cent share in a studio flat at L&Q's Rockcliffe Square development in Woolwich that had a full market value of £288,000. He moved in in January.

"I've got my independence, my own space, and I'm close enough to pop back home for dinner twice a month when I fancy it," he says.

He hasn't abandoned all home comforts, however — his mum comes over to clean his flat once a month. "She likes doing it, I don't force her to do it," Miles says. Sharon has since retired, sold the family home and is in the process of buying her own pad.

Sign up to our property newsletter for the latest analysis, gossip, tips and tricks every Tuesday at thetimes.com/newsletters

What £5 million buys you in ...

North Yorkshire

Nestled in six acres of unspoilt countryside in the Nidderdale area of outstanding natural beauty, this country home was originally a farmstead. The main property has five bedrooms and five bathrooms, plus there is a three-bedroom cottage and a self-contained two-bedroom apartment. In the grounds there are also equestrian facilities and additional outbuildings, including a home office and boot room. Harrogate is a 20-minute drive away.

EPC E — on a scale of A (best) to G (worst) Upside Has an indoor resistance pool, gym and sauna.

Downside The carpets, curtains and wallpaper could do with refreshing.

Contact carterjonas.co.uk

Cheshire

Live like a footballer in more than 8,600 sq ft of faux Georgian splendour behind gates at the end of Summerhill Road, a private road on the edge of Macclesfield. A vast underground leisure complex with a pool, games room, sauna, bar and cinema connects the six-bedroom manor with the garage and its one-bedroom annexe. The south-facing garden, comprising about three quarters of an acre, backs onto the playing fields of the independent co-ed the King's School. EPC C (potential B)

Upside You won't want to leave home with a leisure suite like this.

Downside Very grege interiors (unless that's your thing).

Contact jackson-stops.co.uk

Kent

The Grantham Hall Estate has 247 bucolic acres that call to mind The Darling Buds of May. The main house has six bedrooms and plenty of period character with beamed ceilings and an inglenook fireplace. There are five additional bedrooms in three courtyard cottages, a barn with flexible accommodation and a self-contained annexe over a garage. The grounds include formal gardens, paddocks, parkland, streams and ponds. Available to buy in lots, it's in the village of Lamberhurst, about eight miles from Tunbridge Wells.

EPC D (potential C)

Upside Storybook charm.

Downside Oil-fired heating.

Contact knightfrank.co.uk

£5 million

Or... a development site in Lincolnshire

A plot of 32 acres scheduled for both residential and commercial development in the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan. Located just under three miles southwest of Boston, the land is a former farm presently used for grazing. It's part of a much larger housing and employment allocation to deliver approximately 1515 new homes and just over six acres of employment-suitable land.

EPC N/A

Upside The site offers a mix of countryside and urban living.

Downside Unconditional sale offers only.

Contact brucemather.co.uk

---

4

Bricks&Mortar

Moving stories

Living near Portobello Road is like being on a 24/7 film set

A-listers and camera crews are par for the course for Kapu Lewis, who lives on a cobbled Notting Hill close

A crew is filming Only Murders in the Building — Steve Martin and Selena Gomez — right outside my front door. My neighbour's antique sports

equipment stall is part of the set. This is life on Denbigh Close, a cobbled, narrow street just off Portobello Market, and it is always like this [says Kapu Lewis, 54].

There are tourists and odd little scenes unfolding at all hours, someone ducking behind the bins to change outfits for an Instagram shoot, tour groups gathering outside our front door insisting that our reproduction red posthox is 200 years old and was once used by Queen Victoria — and Paddington Bear.

Our street has been the set of iconic films including The Italian Job and Paddington 2 — Alice's, an antique shop on the corner, became Gruber's Antiques in the film and was recently and rather sadly sold. Every six months or so, a filming notice is pinned to the door.

Over the years I've spotted the Kardashians, Rishi Sunak, Kate Moss and Gillian Anderson wandering through the market. You do pause for a moment, but it soon becomes normal and you don't jump so quickly to get your phone out and take a snap.

The film crews have rearranged our street to suit many of the scenes they are shooting. From planting window boxes outside our house to throwing out a rotting picnic bench and replacing it with a white one. They've arranged actors on our doorstep drinking bubble tea and removed our neighbours' cars. The doorbell has rung with all manner of requests too: props, permissions, requests to use the bathroom and once, memorably, a bandage for someone who had cut their arm.

Living somewhere so relentlessly cinematic does eventually get under your skin. I catch myself re-enacting the scene from Notting Hill where Hugh Grant strolls through the market saying hello to the traders and then realise that

From top: Kapu Lewis; shops capitalise on the area's links to the film Notting Hill

it is just my actual morning. You get to know the stallholders and we always stop to gossip.

I've also caught myself thinking things no normal person should think, such as whether I should put geraniums in the window box for the Instagrammers, or stopped myself from getting coffee in my frayed pyjamas in case someone is filming. It becomes a status of forever being ready for the cameras.

In summer it's most apparent. My husband, son and I can feel the tourists watching us with mild curiosity as we open our front door. We keep the blinds open to let the light in, which means

anyone who wants to can see straight in — it's us chasing the dog, making waffles, constructing assault courses out of cushions and hosting poker evenings. I'm a writer and artist and passers-by can see my case!, which probably looks very romantic to the tourists. A lot of what I witness on the street inspires my illustrations. It's a bit like being in The Truman Show, except we know when we are part of a film set.

I go to most places with my dog, Rascal, a six-year-old poodle mix — he's a star in his own right. He's been filmed for a Japanese travel show and is asked to pose for photographs almost daily.

When it's busy, I slip out in a hoodie, listening to the bubble of a dozen languages, the jazz drifting from somewhere down the street, social media influencers pointing their selfie sticks at the Travel Bookshop and announcing they've found the Notting Hill film set.

The market is a feast for every sense: the man selling sticks of crispy fried potato next to Atlam antiques shop; bitter Turkish coffee brewing from the stall outside the Silver Fox Gallery; and the faint smell of hairspray drifting over from yet another fashion shoot around the corner.

It would be hard to contend with life in the countryside away from lots of noise and people-watching — it has become part of the fabric of our everyday life. Would I want to live anywhere else? No, though I do wish Lake Denbigh would be fixed, which is what we call the pothole at the end of the street when it rains. I expect it is edited out of most films!

Interview by Annie Hayes

Transform your old worktops in less than a day.*

QUARTZIZE OVERLAYS

Bring the beauty of natural quartz to your kitchen. Quartzize is a new type of kitchen worktop, light enough to fit over your existing kitchen counters but made from solid quartz.

With all the benefits of natural stone, a Quartzize overlay is just as attractive as a standard stone worktop but much more affordable and can be fitted in less than a day.*

With a choice of 25 beautiful stone finishes, a Quartzize overlay is one of the easiest ways to add a touch of luxury to your kitchen.

To learn more & book a consultation

t. 0800 802 1792

w. quartzize.co.uk

SPECIAL OFFER

Complement

your brand

new worktop

overlays with this

FREE Sink

Worth 229**

Choice of

colours available

Present this voucher to our Home

Consultant on the day of your survey.

Based on straightforward fitting. *Subject

to status, terms and conditions apply.

QUARTZIZE

WORKTOP OVERLAYS

We've heavily invested to become the UK's only supplier of 100% silica-free quartz overlay, manufactured under fully water suppressed cutting conditions.

---

BuyAssociation

GetGround

Invest in Manchester, the UK's fastest-growing city economy*

Located just a 6-minute walk from the upcoming Manchester Digital Campus—the confirmed home of 'No. 10 North'. Benefit from 8,800 incoming government roles, driving significant, long-term rental demand right on your doorstep.

Apartments from £302,000

• Location: Canalside in the regeneration zone next to the £1.5bn Mayfield development, 3 minutes from Piccadilly mainline station.
• Property Details: 72 boutique apartments featuring a 24-hour concierge. Unlock limited-time launch prices and tailored payment plans direct from the developer.
• Market Demand:** Demand currently outstrips supply by 5:1, and properties are let in under 48 hours, with 17% rental forecast growth to 2029 (JLL).

For more information and to request your free brochure, scan the QR code

0800 316 7344

New developer-direct launch

— buy ahead of the market

The value of investments can go up and down, and BuyAssociation always recommends that you should seek independent financial advice. EY ITEM Club 2025; around £100bn city-region economy; eight in ten FTSE 100 present. *JLL forecasts 17% rental growth to 2029 on top of roughly 33% house-price growth over five years.

MEREBRIDGE

---

6

Bricks&Mortar

Homewares

Are you too posh for a pergola?

Katrina Burroughs reveals Britain's regional decor obsessions — from London's space-saving hacks to Scotland's passion for Im-Bru orange

Does your sofa colour match your posh country postcode? Where in the UK are the most passionate buyers of Love Island-style pergolas? Are the Scots truly mad for

plaid? We made an interiors map of Britain, with data provided by ufurnish.com, and discovered the nation's style stereotypes.

The data for the map was gathered by the furniture finder website from 4.4 million searches and purchases made by 2.9 million consumers in the UK from January 1 to July 31. Some 70 per cent of the shoppers were women, and the average household income of those searching was £70,000-plus. The suppliers they searched included more than 100 retailers, from Dunelm to John Lewis, M&S, Wayfair and The White Company, which together offer 3.7 million products. The map shows ufurnish.com's most prolific shopping locations.

London

If you were hoping for a tale of metropolitan excess, prepare for (partial) disappointment. What Londoners desired was space-saving foldaway or storage furniture, plus a few flash status accessories to cheer them up while they pay their punishing rent/mortgage. After 16,000 searches (a rise of 209 per cent on January-July 2025) Londoners spent £80,000 on high-gloss plinth-style lamp tables. "At least I have a tiny, shiny, fashionable table to show for my hard grind," was no doubt their thinking.

Londoners spent £52,302 on ottoman beds, and there was a surge in demand for folding single sofa beds. Signalling an intention to spend more time at home as the cost of living rises, Londoners spent £423,000 on settees, with teal velvet the favoured colour, clocking up 6.67 per cent of those sales.

Buckinghamshire

Fun-loving Buckinghamshire has been prepping for prosecco on the patio. Bucks dwellers spent £21,000 on festoon lights, as seen on Love Island, after 15,800 searches. They spent £91,000 on jute outdoor rugs after 18,000 searches, and floral outdoor cushions were 442 per cent more in demand here than in other counties, with £48 the average price paid per pillow.

Co Durham

Even during the heatwaves Co Durham's priority was cosying up. Dog beds were high on residents' wish lists, with 19,300 searches on the topic of canine comfort. For the humans it was all about boucle, with 33,400 searches for boucle beds and 26,500 searches for boucle armchairs, an uplift of 289 per cent on January-July 2025. Co Durham dwellers paired their pale boucle upholstery with dark oak, spending £81,432 on dark oak coffee tables.

Essex

Essex was the hotspot for buying aluminium pergolas, as seen on Love Island, with 27,800 searches, mostly between April and June. Essex conducted 198 per cent more searches for aluminium pergolas than other counties on ufurnish.com, browsing designs with an average value of £1,892.

Lovers of white furniture, Essex dwellers adored white dressing tables, with 27,000 searches and £34,362 spent (is the white vanity the new white stiletto?). They carried out 21,000 searches for country-style wall clocks.

Essex TWATs (working in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday), concerned for their lower backs, invested in standing computer desks, with 29,000 searches for the desks — 136 per cent higher than other counties on ufurnish.com.

Gloucestershire

It's the county of Jilly Cooper and the heart of the Cotswolds. So of course dog beds were in demand, with 9,200 searches and an average spend of £83. The most wanted couches were pink: there were 9,800 searches for pink sofas, with chenille and velvet being the popular materials, at an average price of £899. Decorative chairs were the items most ardently pursued, making up 5.8 per cent of all searches, possibly reflecting the Rivals-esque more-is-more decor style — the boarder-adjacent aesthetic of the deeply posh. There were 15,500 searches for accent chairs, with a particular interest in mid-century-style accent chairs. If in doubt about their decor, in Gloucestershire they add a pretty seat.

Hertfordshire

The Herts shopping list looked like Essex's, but sprogged up and settled down. Hertfordshire was in full agreement with its neighbour on the joys of aluminium pergolas, notching up 15,800 searches and browsing pergolas with an average value of £1,892. Hertfordshire too loved a white dressing table, and like in Essex they are blinging up their backyards, with garden mirrors accounting for 16,100 searches.

But, unlike work hard, play hard Essex, Herts was furnishing for a family: a surge in interest in children's high sleeper beds across the county was most pronounced in Hatfield, where there was a 467 per cent uplift in searches for high sleepers.

Kent

In Kent children's high sleeper beds were the most searched-for item on ufurnish.com, with 32,100 searches. Kent shoppers spent £34,391 on breakfast bar stools, for which searches were up 153 per cent this year. The uplift in bunk beds and kitchen makeovers points to a surge of upsizers leaving London and seeking out more space and good schools.

Deeply traditional choices such as wingback dining chairs and oak nests of tables were also popular with the Kentish consumer. And the garden of England has been doing up its outdoor spaces, spending £77,859 on outdoor chaise sofas this summer.

Lancashire

Resistant to faddy trends, the red rose county's armchair colour of choice is a deeply traditional dark blue. Navy blue armchairs were the focus of 18,800 searches and generated sales of £50,673.

Lancastrians love an extendable dining table, leading to 25,700 searches and a spend of £92,000. A countywide craving for bronze wall mirrors began in March, and has clocked up 19,100 searches.

Somerset

Can we brand them Cotswolds wannabes? Somerset folk punch above their weight in terms of shopping, making up 9.46 per cent of ufurnish.com users, second only to London's 20.87 per cent. In many ways the Somerset shopping list is the mirror image of its neighbour Gloucestershire, showing a

Spent in Somerset on artisan oak bedside tables

penchant for oak artisan beds, with £171,000 spent, and a love of oak artisan bedside tables, with £67,000 of sales. Pink sofas were trending in Somerset, as in Gloucs, with 15,000 searches. Residents showed a similar appreciation for natural materials, spending £36,000 on jute outdoor rugs.

Surrey

The stockbroker belt Surrey shares some design aspirations with London. The Londoners' fave teal sofas were

---

7

Bricks&Mortar

22,900

Searches for orange dining chairs in Scotland

with an average price of £1,399, and carried out 18,000 searches on that topic. If we were running an aesthetic twinning programme, Sussex could be paired with Kent. Sussex dwellers, like Kentish shoppers, were batty for winghack chairs, clocking up 28,700 searches and spending £78,684, with the most popular colours being greens and teals. They adored kitchen islands, with 22,200 searches on islands that cost, on average, £499, and swivel bar stools, on which they spent £21,804.

Warwickshire

Just under 9 per cent of ufumish.com users are based in Warwickshire, making it the third most prolific shopping county on our map after London and Somerset. The county combines some of the tastes of its neighbour Gloucestershire, spending £22,806 on accent chairs, but otherwise has the most idiosyncratic shopping profile in the UK. The most searched for item in the county was a bird feeder and bath, clocking up 25,000 searches. Industrial dining tables sparked 23,300 searches and a spend of £115,000. Warwickshire was keen on kitchen clocks, with 20,500 searches on that topic. And Shakespeare's county spent £32,391 on garden egg chairs.

Yorkshire

Turns out they love a bit of boucle up north. In God's own county 17.16 per cent of searches were focused on boucle sofas, boucle beds or boucle armchairs, and they spent £98,000 on this nubbly upholstery. While Co Durham paired its boucle with oak, in Yorkshire the look was "boucle plus bling" — shoppers spent £103,000 on round gold wall mirrors.

The story outdoors was about birds and eggs. There were 17,800 searches and £77,000 spent on stone bird baths. And since April rattan egg chairs for the garden have been in demand,

particularly in York, where 9.77 per cent of all searches were for rattan egg chairs.

Wales

Wales is the retro hotspot of the UK. Residents there have spent £59,200 so far this year on shabby chic coffee tables. Shabby chic sideboards were also

popular, with 21,000 searches. The second favourite decor style in Wales is another retro classic: industrial.

Industrial floor lamps were searched for 20,100 times, while industrial

dining tables clocked up 20,700 searches, with an average size of the tables browsed being a six-seater.

Scotland

They may not be buying up tartan homeware, but Scotland was bonkers for Irn-Bru orange. Orange dining chairs were the focus of 22,900 searches, a 177 per cent rise against the same months in 2025.

After several hot

summers they are investing in lighter bedding — so far this year the Scots have spent £29,600 on 2.5 tog duvets. Outdoor living and entertaining is a new focus, hence a hunger for rattan dining tables: 33,000 searches resulted in £368,890 in revenue. And the nation has spent £29,000 on metal wine racks so far this year.

Rental Health

Sasha Nugara, Property Reporter

I want our own place, but my boyfriend wants a flatshare

From dodgy landlords to housemate dramas, our columnist answers your questions

Q My boyfriend and I are ready to move in together. My partner wants to rent a two-bedroom flat with our friends to save money, but I feel like we need our own space in a one-bedroom flat to maintain our relationship and intimacy. It's the first time we will be living together. The money saved sharing with friends would be significant. It would cost almost twice as much to live on our own. What is more important; savings or our own space?

A While protecting your relationship can feel like the most important thing, the cost of living is no joke. Moving in together is a big deal, and you want to make sure you get it right, so it's definitely not worth rushing into a living situation that you don't agree on.

At the moment, the average rent on a one-bedroom flat in the UK is £1123 a month, or £561 between two, compared with £747 for a room — £373 between two. Either way, you'll be splitting the cost, which will be cheaper than living apart.

It's worth sitting down and properly breaking down your finances. How will you split the rent? Bills? Food shop? How much do you prioritise meals out or going on holiday? Creating a spreadsheet may sound like an unsexy chore, but it may convince your boyfriend that you would be able to afford your own place, and still have cash left at the end of the month to either save or have some fun.

Although having your own space is a bonus, living with another couple could be fun. I have lots of friends who live with their partner in a shared house, and it can add a new dimension to the relationship while also softening the process of moving in together.

If your boyfriend is set on house sharing, a good compromise would be to look for a three-bedroom property with your friends — you'll get a little extra room to share between you and you could turn it into a second living room so that both couples have a private space to relax. That way, even if your bedroom's feeling a little too small for the both of you, or if you're all working from home, you have space to spread out.

You'll need to be transparent

with your landlord about how many people are living in the flat. The other important thing to consider when moving in with friends is to make sure you get individual contracts. Since the Renters' Rights Act, joint tenancies have become slightly more complicated and it's harder for one to leave without breaking everyone else's tenancies. With separate contracts, whatever happens, you'll each be protected.

I asked Georgina Vass, a sex and relationships expert, for her advice on navigating moving in together with other people around. She says: "Intimacy exists in extended family and multi-generational households across the globe, so there is no rule that sharing a living space with friends will be inherently detrimental to maintaining connection.

"Common intimacy killers include emotional or psychological barriers, unhelpful relational patterns or habits, and stressors that can occur in any living arrangement. In this scenario, the likely intimacy wildcard is the adjustment, not the square footage — and thankfully, adjustments can be manageable.

"Disrupting the status quo can cause discomfort because when humans feel fear, our brains can amplify our perception of potential threats and losses, making avoidance feet safer than taking a risk.

"However, with this venture, you're not leaving the cave to hunt predators at night but entering a consensual agreement with friends on your terms. Before any agreements, it may be helpful to have a sit down, both as a couple alone and with potential housemates, to discuss boundaries, financial arrangements for shared costs, privacy and conflict resolution strategies.

"If money is the priority, intimacy may just require a little more investment through intentional and deliberate actions to protect it.

"For physical intimacy, you can manage logistics. Desire can be spontaneous and responsive, so the conditions for desire to thrive need to be intact. Ways to create those conditions vary, but having regular relationship check-ins can be a helpful start."

Got a query? Email

sasha.nugara@the-times.co.uk

trending in Surrey too, with 23,000 searches. Surrey dwellers were zhuching up their gardens — but no flash perებაა here. Picks tended to be toned down and tasteful. They were partial to an outdoor mirror (preferring the arch shape designs) and spent £15,500 on garden storage benches. They splurged on their kids' bedroom furniture, spending £69,345 on children's high sleeper beds, after 20,200 searches. And, like Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, Surrey dwellers loved accent chairs, with 19,300 searches on that topic.

Sussex

Residents of Sussex had firm opinions on beds. They preferred French-style beds,

---

8

Bricks&Mortar

Development

From Benefits Street to Benediction Street

The Church of England is building its first homes — in a notorious area of Birmingham. Martina Lees speaks to its first bishop of housing on helping to solve the property crisis

James Turner Street in Birmingham is not your average street. Twelve years ago it became infamous as "Benefits Street", after a controversial Channel 4 documentary charted the lives of its residents. Only 5 per cent were said to be in work.

Now the street is about to make news for more hopeful reasons: new homes, in a first for the Church of England.

Seventeen social rent homes are planned in the grounds of a former vicarage backing onto James Turner Street in the northwest of the city. They are set to be the first homes to be built by the church's new housing association.

It is a "flagship" moment for the Church of England's ambitions to help to solve Britain's housing crisis, its first bishop for housing, the Right Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, wrote in the planning application.

Five years ago, the church published a landmark report, Coming Home, which said it should use its assets as one of Britain's biggest landowners to support more "truly affordable" homes. Francis-Dehqani, who lost her own home at the age of 13, leads this work.

The daughter of the Anglican bishop of Iran, who had converted from Islam, the young Francis-Dehqani fled to Britain after her brother was murdered and her parents nearly assassinated in their bed during the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

She still keeps her father's pillowcase full of bullet holes in her office in Essex. It reminds her how her family were given refuge in empty church homes in Britain, which became a "springboard" to build a new life, Francis-Dehqani says.

In 2017 she became the first ethnic minority woman to be ordained an Anglican bishop, made history by taking part in the King's coronation, and to her surprise was widely tipped to succeed Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury. (Of this, Francis-Dehqani says: "It was an uncomfortable time. I didn't court it." Last year the accolade of the first female Archbishop of Canterbury went to the Right Rev Dame Sarah Mullally.)

It was Welby who, in 2021, appointed Francis-Dehqani to lead the church's work on housing — including in the House of Lords. "I knew really nothing about housing and still feel that my role is often about convening and drawing attention to [the issue], rather than being an expert," she says.

For the Church of England to build more homes was easier said than done. To begin with, no one knew exactly how much land it owned. In 2021 a Knight Frank audit for the church found it held 200,000 acres, more than half the size of Greater London.

On top of that, church entities with land are "very dispersed" with "no overarching authority", Francis-Dehqani explains. The Church Commissioners,

"

The Church Commissioners own enough development land for 30,000 homes, and have planning approval for 8,200

Right: the Right Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford

Above: a CGI vision for the land around Newbigin House

which administer the assets of the Church of England, own enough development land for 30,000 homes, and have obtained planning approval for 8,200 homes.

The 42 dioceses, 12,500 parishes and the church's 13.4 billion pension fund also hold land. Figures from a small number of dioceses show 225 homes have been built on church land, and 3,356 homes (including 1,952 affordable homes) on parish or diocesan land are in the pre-planning or planning stage, according to Francis-Dehqani.

"I've learnt that the work around

---

9

Bricks&Mortar

housing is very, very, very slow. From initial thinking through to a spade going into the ground takes many, many years and requires the co-operation of so many people," she says.

The painstaking process to set up the Church Housing Association (CHA) and register it with the government regulator took almost three years.

As the first body deliberately set up by the church to address the country's housing crisis at a national scale, it will build and manage social homes for people on low incomes.

This year the CHA applied for planning permission for the first 17 homes it aims to build, in the poverty-stricken Winson Green area of Birmingham. Francis-Dehgani, who has visited the site, says it is "a stone's throw from James Turner Street, which was made famous — or infamous — by Benefits Street in 2014".

It is also 500 yards from Birmingham prison, and round the corner from a school where as many as half the children are officially classed as homeless. "The context is an area of high economic deprivation," she adds.

All 17 homes will be for social rent, the cheapest form of affordable housing, let at less than half of market rents.

The CHA will rent them to people (of any faith) who are on Birmingham's council housing waiting list, most likely for between £520 to £820 a month.

They will be built on scrappy land behind a former vicarage, and on the next-door site of an

Below: Justin Welby

Left: homes in St Ewe, Cornwall, built on former church land. Above: a ribbon-cutting in St Ewe to mark the purchase of glebe land

illegal house in multiple occupation (HMO) that has been shut down.

The vicarage, Newbigin House, will remain a hub for a community trust that runs everything from special needs playgroups to blacksmithing workshops to rollerskating for 80 children.

Unusually for a site surrounded by multiple existing homes, the planning application "has had no objections, but actually letters of support", says Daniel Mayes, who was part of efforts to spearhead the project as the head of the Church of England's new development agency. A planning decision on the application is due by autumn.

Newbigin is one of 42 church sites the church development agency is working on, with a potential to deliver more than 1,000 homes.

Francis-Dehgani says: "There is no doubt that this country is facing a significant housing crisis, with far too many people either not in homes or in unsuitable homes. The church has considerable amounts of land. Why wouldn't we try to use that land in order to address a need?

"The church is about involvement in people's lives, we're not something disconnected. Jesus said, 'When you see a neighbour in need and help them, you're also serving me.' It's intrinsic to our faith."

Yet seemingly arcane reasons can often make it even harder to build homes on church land. Take Cornwall, an area where it is very difficult for young families to get a foot on the housing ladder.

In the tiny village of St Ewe, near the south coast, the community wants to build four social rent homes.

The site is classified as "glebe land", where a vicar could once graze his horse or cow. Today it is legally required to provide income to help pay clergy stipends (like salaries).

The community wanted to buy the land. The diocese wanted to sell it to them at a discount, but was advised that charity law required them to sell it to the community at the highest price available.

"It would take an act of parliament to change it," says Kate Cortez, of the diocese of Truro. "It was very frustrating," says Paul Sibley, chairman of St Ewe's community land trust. "The cost was far higher than we were expecting."

The village crowdfunded an extra £40,000, including from the free-range egg supplier St Ewe, and bought the site this year.

The case was carefully watched by the church's central team, Cortez says: "It is a really good example of everyone trying to do a good thing, but it's really hard when it comes to glebe land."

Get your business moving

The UK's number one commercial property destination

All claims can be verified at rightmove.co.uk/claims

rightmove

commercial

---

10

Bricks&Mortar

Historical homes

Left: the station's platform. Above: George VI's funeral procession from Wolferton in 1952; the signal box

All change at the royal station

Wolferton station near Sandringham is an award-winning restoration and a grade II* listed family home. It could be yours for £1.25m (including the signal box). By Carol Lewis

The royal family used the railway station in the tiny Norfolk village of Wolferton, two miles from Sandringham, for more than 100 years. During that time it played host to royal

honeymooners, hunting parties and funeral processions. The station closed in 1969, and the royal reception rooms were converted into a grade II* listed home, on the market for £1.25 million.

Queen Victoria bought Sandringham in 1862 for her son Albert, the Prince of Wales (known as Bertie). The prince and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark (Alix) and their family spent most autumns and winters at the house, hosting week-long hunting parties and Christmas and new year family gatherings. Foreign monarchs, politicians and diplomats were frequently invited to

join the royals, arriving by train at Wolferton.

The station master Harry Saward recorded that 645 special royal trains came in and out of Wolferton station during his first 27 years of service. He started working there in 1884 and was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal — a reward for personal service — by Edward VII in 1901. On retiring in 1924 he was appointed to the

Royal Victorian Order by George V.

The volume of royal traffic along the line led to the track being switched from single to double tracks and to new downside buildings being constructed to accommodate disembarking guests in 1898 (upside buildings — on the

Queen Alexandra's oak-panelled waiting room in 1899 and today

opposite side of the tracks — were used for embarking).

The Tudor-style downside buildings contained a royal suite of three oak-panelled rooms: a grand central

reception room for greeting guests, the prince's room (later the King Edward VII room) to the right of this, and the princess's room (the Queen Alexandra room) to the left — both with their own washroom. There was also an equerry's vestibule to enable staff to move around without disturbing the guests in the main rooms.

The railway station, described by the poet Sir

John Betjeman as "different from all other stations in England", has been a focal point for royal events. In 1892 mourners gathered for the funeral procession of Prince Albert Victor, the Duke of Clarence, who had died aged 28 at Sandringham from flu. In 1893 crowds

Left: Harry Saward, Wolferton's station master until 1924. Above: one of the two original George Jennings lavatories

returned for the Duke and Duchess of York on their wedding day as they arrived to spend their honeymoon at York Cottage. In 1925 there were crowds again, this time for the funeral of Queen Alexandra.

It doubled up as a hunting lodge. In 1908 the press reported that a hunting party of "The King, the Prince of Wales, Prince Arthur of Connaught, Prince Alexander of Teck and several of the King's guests" had enjoyed a "good day's shooting in the fields and woods near Wolferton railway station". It continued: "Lunch was served in the waiting-room used by the royal family at Wolferton station, and the sportsmen were there joined by the Queen, the Princess of Wales, Princess Victoria, Princess Alexandra of Teck and others."

The 1901 census shows how big a part the station played in village life, with eleven railway staff listed as living in Wolferton, including signalmen, porters, clerks, a platelayer and a gatekeeper. For some it was a family affair: Charles Webb, 39, a signalman, worked with his

son Horace Webb, 14, a railway clerk. Saward, as station master, lived in a detached house with his family across the road from the station.

After the station closed in 1969 it was earmarked for demolition and a housing development until it was saved by Eric Walker, a former railway employee, who with his wife, Herta, converted the downside royal suite and public waiting rooms into their home. The couple ran a museum at the station for a while.

After the Walkers, the station was put up for auction in June 2001 and sold afterwards to its owner, the railway enthusiast Richard Brown. He undertook a huge renovation to turn it into a modern three-bedroom house with all mod cons, including partial underfloor heating, air conditioning, a heat exchanger, EV charger and double glazing (where possible).

The interiors of the downside buildings, now called The Royal Station, remain true to the originals, although Queen Alexandra's bedroom is now a sitting room and the king's room is now the main bedroom. Neither looks radically different to how they looked in the past — the washrooms still have the original George Jennings flush loos. This is despite a fire in 1902, rumoured to have been started by a discarded cigar butt in the king's rooms, which meant the panelling had to be repaired.

"The station had already been converted into a house when the seller bought it but he put a lot more into it. He upgraded the downside buildings a lot and also acquired the old signal box, which was in a pretty poor state, and more or less rebuilt it," says Tim Landles of Landles estate agency, which is handling the sale.

Brown restored the signal box, turning it into a one-bedroom annexe, with the working levers (although the track they were connected to has long gone). His daughter Amy Brown says that the renovation of the station and signal box over the past 25 years has been "an absolute labour of love" for her father, who has won several awards for the restoration.

The Browns also opened the station platform to be enjoyed by others, hosting film crews, magazine shoots, classic car club meetings and charity events. The Royal Station at Wolferton has remained a focal point for the village for more than 160 years, but it is ready for new guests to embark on their journey.

---

PAPER LOVES TREES

European forests, which provide wood for making paper, paper packaging and many other products, have been growing by 1,500 football pitches every day!

Source: Two Sides Analysis of FAO data, 2005-2020 European Forests: EU27 + Norway, Switzerland and the UK

Discover the story of paper www.lovepaper.org

Scan for paper facts, activities, blogs and much more!

---

A revolutionary way to see your home transformed

When it comes to refreshing your furniture with made-to-measure covers or reupholstery, imagining the transformation is often the hardest part - but here at Plumbs, we have a brand new solution to help you choose with confidence.

With our Furniture Visualiser, you can simply take a photo of your furniture and enjoy an instant, personalised preview of it in up to 5 different designs. Free and simple to use, head to plumbs.co.uk/visualiser to see the transformation today.

Plus, enjoy up to 50% off furniture covers*

Try it today! To see your furniture transformed, scan the QR code or visit plumbs.co.uk/visualiser

or call 01772 901 505 to book a free home visit.

Quote offer code M271 NWE

Sofa covers measured, made & fitted just for you.

Trustpilot Rated Excellent

T&Cs: *Percentage discount varies by design. Ask your Home Consultant for full offer details, exclusions apply. Our interest free credit partner is Payment Assist Ltd, registered in England and Wales 822544. The registered address is Payment Assist Ltd, Pera Business Park, Nottingham Road, Molton Mowbray, LE13 0PB. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and entered on the Financial Services Register under firm registration number 822544. Credit is subject to status. UK residents age restrictions apply. Sarah Plumb Ltd, trading as Plumbs, Brookhouse Mill, Old Lancaster Lane, Preston, PR1 7PZ. Registered in England and Wales no. 15878225.

5 YEAR OR GRANTED

0% FUTURE OF FREE CHOICE*