25 m. ago Just when Keir Starmer thought he’d got Jeffrey Epstein off his plate – look who’s coming to dinner | Marina Hyde

After a tough week for Labour, Donald Trump is touching down for a state visit. Let’s hope the PM can stomach itQuick update on Keir Starmer’s government of “national renewal”: having just lost his deputy and housing secretary over her failure to pay the required stamp duty, the prime minister has also lost his US ambassador over his known close association with a known paedophile sex trafficker. Hang on – he’s now also lost his director of political strategy for relating some dirty jokes about Diane Abbott.Meanwhile, an increasing number of people think the solution to all this is Andy Burnham taking over, suggesting the current Greater Manchester mayor could run in a parliamentary seat that has only notionally become free because the previous Labour MP was suspended from the party after being found to have sent messages hoping a couple of constituents would soon be dead/“mown down”, and is now apparently “off sick”. On top of which, we’re having the Americans round. US president D...

Politics

26 m. ago CNN analyst says Trump looking at ways to outlaw Democratic party

Concerns rise after White House calls opposition party an ‘extremist organisation’

Politics

27 m. ago Majority of households clash over 'correct' dishwasher loading technique

A new survey has revealed that two-thirds of Brits living with others have had disagreements or rows over the proper way to load the dishwasher - and the debate is far from over

Politics

29 m. ago Geodesic genius: Nicholas Grimshaw brought futuristic grandeur to trains, planes, gardens – and even going shopping

As well as the Eden Project, Grimshaw’s ambitious and audacious work on railway stations, airports, sports complexes and supermarkets could elevate even the most mundane experience• Eden Project architect Nicholas Grimshaw dies aged 85 – news ‘I asked for the eighth wonder of the world and I got it,” declared Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, who has died at 85. In a Cornish china clay quarry, a cluster of geodesic domes resembling monumental soap bubbles enclose conservatories housing luxuriant plant eco-systems. Completed in 2000, it was one of Grimshaw’s most ambitious and audacious projects, seemingly springing from the mind of a science fiction novelist rather than an architect.But however thrillingly futuristic Grimshaw’s buildings appeared, they were grounded by an avid interest in engineering and craft, and how historic precedents could be transformed and adapted for the modern era. Instead of using glass for the Eden Project’s domes, Gr...

Economics

42 m. ago Birth control: why are influencers turning away from the pill and towards natural contraceptive methods? | Antiviral

Claims on social media feeds are that synthetic hormones cause infertility and affect romantic choices. Experts say unintended pregnancies have reached ‘concerning levels’Read more in the Antiviral seriesIn the 1960s it was considered a watershed moment of liberation for women. Now, a new generation is being inundated with messages online that birth control is “evil” and “poison”. Across social media feeds, influencers are venting about hormonal contraception. Some are spreading false claims that taking synthetic hormones causes infertility, or can even be responsible for bad romantic decisions because you are “attracted to different men than you would be if you were off the pill”. Others emphasise known side-effects, such as weight gain and depression.Meanwhile, millions of TikToks promote the effectiveness of natural contraceptive methods, with self-described “hormone experts” claiming it is “not that hard to prevent pregnancy naturally” with fertility awareness methods “just as e...

Events

43 m. ago UK households urged to 'switch off and unplug' these vampire appliances

As energy prices are set to increase again on October 1, and the temperatures already plunging, the stress of battling rising bills is returning in earnest

Politics

64 m. ago NASA responds to claims comet is alien spacecraft 'sent to destroy humanity'

The comet is the first we have spotted from outside our solar system and easily the fastest we have ever seen

Technology

77 m. ago More revelations will follow leak which led PM’s aide to resign, author says

‘A lot more revelations’ about senior figures at the heart of Sir Keir’s Government will come to light in a new book, author Paul Holden said.

Culture

80 m. ago UK households told to buy 99p tool to slash energy bills 'by hundreds' this autumn

Many people are looking for ways to keep their household bills down ahead of winter

Economics

83 m. ago ‘I had to think about Andrew Tate. That was miserable’: 150 years of masculinity, all in one play

Revered for her work on Succession and Normal People, Alice Birch has now written an era-spanning play about men, novels and the manosphere. Give me a Brontë any day, she saysEvery word is a wrestling match for Alice Birch. “I find it quite painful,” the award-winning playwright and screenwriter admits. “It’s ugly and horrible. It’s not just pouring out of me. It feels, yeah ” She shrugs in the empty courtyard of London’s Somerset House. “ not very healthy or whatever.”We meet early in the morning as Birch needs to race off to a secret project. She is a sought-after TV writer (on Succession and Normal People) but Birch’s blazing plays are known for their form and fury. Her brutal breakout in 2014, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again, was written in a 72-hour whirl. She wrote her latest, Romans – now on at the Almeida – in around 10 days. “Of course I didn’t ‘write’ it in 10 days,” she clarifies. “I wrote it in eight years. It’s just that the words,” she waves the air around her head, “we...

Politics

86 m. ago Drunk farmer went after teen in his tractor and threatened to shoot him after finding the boy outside his daughter's bedroom

'Old school' farmer Stephen Smith, 60, from Studland, Dorset, went after a teenage boy on his tractor and threatened to shoot him after catching him outside his daughter's bedroom, a court heard.

Events

88 m. ago 'I feel sorry' – Benjamin Sesko receives message as he faces same issue as Rasmus Hojlund

Benjamin Sesko was left to feed off scraps during Manchester United's defeat to rivals Manchester City, and former players are concerned it's the same scenario Rasmus Hojlund faced

Politics

88 m. ago ‘Alarming but not unexpected’: NYT lawsuit just latest example of Trump’s presidential lawfare

Intimidation strategy said to be part of broader campaign to quash and bypass independent and critical publicationsAs newsrooms learned that President Trump had filed another multibillion lawsuit against a major outlet to have provoked his scorn – this time his home town paper the New York Times – media executives again puzzled over his long-term aims in repeatedly deploying the law.Different theories abound over the strategy, from creating a chilling effect on the media to feeding an anti-mainstream media sentiment among his most vigorous supporters. One firm conclusion, however, is that the tactic is here to stay. Continue reading...

Politics

91 m. ago Jealous and violent man grabbed ex partner's neck and trashed her home

Haydn Davies, 32, assaulted the mother of his children after he mistakenly believed there was a man in her house

Politics

1 hour ago 'Brilliant' wireless lamp that is 'perfect for the autumn season' cut to £28

One shopper labelled this lamp a 'godsend' for bringing light to rooms that lack plug sockets.

Economics

1 hour ago Edinburgh woman who swindled £30,000 from vulnerable victims to feed gambling habit spared jail

She was placed on a 12 month supervision order.

Events

1 hour ago Households still divided over ‘right’ way to load dishwasher

Households continue to argue over correct way to load dishwasher - and everyone thinks they're right

Politics

2 h. ago Transform your houseplants into art with this Japanese gardening technique

The third week of September is National Houseplant Week, and it's a great time to explore kokedama

Politics

2 h. ago The exact date UK households should switch heating on in different parts of country

The date that you should turn your central heating on in each UK city has been revealed

Society

2 h. ago Exact temperature UK homes 'shouldn't get below' as Brits switch heating on

As the weather gets colder, many Brits are wondering when they should be putting the heating on - and experts have shared the exact temperature to look out for this winter

Society