11 m. ago Is this REALLY the UK's most romantic town? Residents of faded seaside community once ranked among the worst resorts in Britain refuse to believe it has become the new hot spot for lovers

It was ranked one of England's worst seaside resorts in Britain in 2023 but its new claim to fame is that the most top-of-the-range bouquets are bought here.

Politics

32 m. ago Can a brown Hindu be English? English people say yes. Why do so many on the right say no? | Kenan Malik

An argument about Rishi Sunak’s identity reveals how ideas of ethnicity and race have become conflated‘They think they’re English because they’re born here. That means if a dog’s born in a stable it’s a horse.” That was a staple of the comedian Bernard Manning’s routine back in the 1970s. Enoch Powell had, a decade earlier, expressed the same sentiment in more refined language: “The West Indian or Asian does not, by being born in England, become an Englishman. In law he becomes a United Kingdom citizen by birth; in fact he is a West Indian or an Asian still.”Few today would laugh along with Manning or take seriously the claim that only white people can be English. Britain has transformed over the past half-century and most English people now embrace Ian Wright and Idris Elba as being as English as David Beckham or Joanna Lumley. Continue reading...

Politics

62 m. ago What can Keir Starmer say at the White House that Donald Trump might listen to? | Andrew Rawnsley

The stakes couldn’t be higher and the risks couldn’t be greater when the prime minister visits Washington this weekFor British prime ministers, with their ideas about the world shaped by the histories of Churchill and Roosevelt, Maggie and Ronnie, and the rest of the folklore about the transatlantic alliance, the prospect of a visit to the White House usually causes tingles of excitement. One of our senior diplomats once offered me an explanation of the allure: “The red carpet is laid out, the national anthems are played, all that stuff is very seductive.” This will be customarily accompanied by ritualistic words about the importance and invincibility of the “special relationship”.Number 10 lobbied hard to get Sir Keir Starmer across the Atlantic early in the second term of Donald Trump and, until recently, Downing Street people were telling themselves that an encounter between the two men needn’t be a disaster and might even turn out to be a success. In the weeks since Trump’s re-e...

Politics

92 m. ago ‘Photography is therapy for me’: Martin Parr on humour, holidaying and life behind the lens

He has a prolific career and extensive portfolio, with his images of British life especially iconic. At 72, he tells Miranda Sawyer, he’s still thinking about what to shoot nextAbout 20 years ago, I was on a judging panel for a photography competition, and one of the other judges was Martin Parr. He was charming and affable, almost teddy bear-ish. He was also utterly ruthless. When it came to deciding which photographs were worthy of a prize, he went through the selection swiftly – no, no, yes, no – without hesitation or doubt. His eye was impeccable. Has he always known what makes a good photograph? “Oh yes,” says Parr. “Right from the beginning. Total conviction. I knew I would be a photographer from the age of 13, 14, and I knew what was good even then. I was obsessive about photography. All artists are obsessive, I think.” We are in his agent’s office, a small upstairs flat on a market street in east London. Parr owns the building, and this room used to be packed with his work a...

Culture

3 h. ago Europe’s big carnivores are on the rise – but can we live with bears next door?

Numbers of animals once hunted as vermin are rising across the continent. But scientists worry about how we are going to get along with these predatorsEurope’s carnivores have had a remarkable change in fortune. After tens of thousands of years of persecution that wiped out sabretooth tigers, hyenas and cave lions, there has been a recent rebound in the continent’s surviving predators.Across mainland Europe, bear, wolf, lynx and wolverine numbers have risen dramatically as conservation measures introduced several decades ago have begun to make an impact. There are now about 20,500 brown bears in Europe, a rise of 17% since 2016, while there are 9,400 Eurasian lynx, a 12% increase. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Melania ‘laughed’ at Trump campaign’s attempts to get her to accompany him on trail, new book claims

Controversial author Michael Wolff makes claim in upcoming book about the 2024 election titled All or Nothing,

Politics

4 h. ago People with these surnames have no idea they could be in line for a huge inheritance

Many people have no idea that they were entitled to claim estates from the government

Politics

5 h. ago Man Utd news: Ruben Amorim reacts to VAR controversy vs Everton after 'wrong angle' claim

Manchester United received a late let-off during their Premier League draw with Everton after David Moyes' side saw a late penalty overturned following a VAR check

Politics

7 h. ago Shakes sold to nursing homes across the U.S. recalled after listeria outbreak linked to 11 deaths

Investigators have been unable to trace the source of the outbreak

Events

7 h. ago Chief Scout and former SAS man Bear Grylls nearly became our US envoy, diplomatic sources claim

Grylls is said to have been on a shortlist of three for the job, which went to former Labour minister Peter Mandelson.

Politics

9 h. ago TALK OF THE TOWN: Duchess of Talk... Fergie set for trial as presenter on Loose Women

I can reveal the Duchess of York is in talks with producers to join the team of 15 high-profile women on the rotating roster of presenters and panellists. A source confirmed she will undertake a trial week.

Politics

10 h. ago Minister dismisses call to award wartime SAS hero Paddy Mayne a posthumous Victoria Cross

Defence minister Lord Coaker has rejected appeals to reverse a decision to deny Britain's highest gallantry award to Lieutenant-Colonel Blair 'Paddy' Mayne (pictured).

Politics

10 h. ago Artists who represented Australia at Venice Biennale call for Khaled Sabsabi to be reinstated

Open letter from some of the country’s most distinguished artists ‘strongly protests’ at the removal of Sabsabi and curator Michael DagostinoGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiving artists who have represented Australia at the Venice Biennale over the past five decades – and the estates of a number of now deceased artists who have done the same – have signed an open letter to the board and chief executive of Creative Australia to reinstate sacked artist Khaled Sabsabi and his curator Michael Dagostino.Some of Australia’s most distinguished living artists, including Imants Tillers, Mike Parr, Susan Norrie, Fiona Hall, Judy Watson, Patricia Piccinini and Tracey Moffat have signed the petition, as has the estate of Howard Arkley who represented Australia in Venice more than a quarter of a century ago.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

11 h. ago Donald Trump 'secretly recruited as KGB spy nearly 40 years ago on Moscow trip'

Former Kazakh intelligence chief Alnur Mussayev made the claims.

Politics

11 h. ago Sheikh Jassim net worth amid fresh Manchester United ownership claim

Qatari billionaire Sheikh Jassim could have been handed the keys to Old Trafford, but instead he will be watching what happens next with INEOS and the Glazers.

Politics

13 h. ago Magnificent Hibs show Bayern Munich how it's done as Celtic knocked off their perch

Campbell at double as Hibs claim Champions League scalp

Politics

13 h. ago Celebs Go Dating heading to UK tourists party isle to lure stars in 'raunchy edition'

Producers are in talks with a string of reality stars about a raunchy new edition of the hit TV show Celebs Go Dating that could take stars to sunny Ibiza, sources say

Society

14 h. ago Arsenal’s title challenge in tatters as West Ham claim away win

Arsenal 0-1 West Ham: Jarrod Bowen scored the only goal of the game before Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off

Politics

14 h. ago Former PGMOL chief has his say on Man United vs Everton controversy

The latest Manchester United news as a respected former referee has given a clear verdict on the decision to overturn a decision to award Everton a late penalty.

Politics

14 h. ago Steve Witkoff: from property developer to global spotlight as Trump’s tough

His friendship with the president dates back to a late-night encounter in a deli. Now he is a loyal envoy brokering the Gaza ceasefire and peace talks on UkraineWith the first phase of the ceasefire nearing its end, an American property developer has emerged as a key figure in determining whether Gaza attains a more enduring peace or slips back into war.Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s typically idiosyncratic pick as special Middle East envoy, has also found his way into the midst of talks with Russia over Ukraine’s future, sitting opposite Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, instead of the official special envoy for the region, Keith Kellogg. Continue reading...

Politics