11 h. ago My weirdest Christmas: I tried to catch out Santa with a whoopee cushion – but the Big Man outwitted me

Who was Santa, really? Aged eight, I devised a cunning plan to catch him in the act, involving a booby trap and a camera. Unfortunately, the joke was on me It was Christmas Eve, 1987. The cold war was beginning to emit its last frosty guffs, Thatcher had set her sights on gay children, and Michael Fish was keeping his head down. In England’s deep south, my sister and I conspired in our bedroom. We are twins: she got the brains; I, being the eldest by a full six minutes, was to inherit the estates and titles, except there were none because my idealistic pinko parents had spent their working lives in public service.Earlier in the year, my sister had attempted to prove the existence of God. Worried about the health of her pet rabbit, Wodger, she penned him a letter pleading for help, with a rather clever “Please tick if you have read this” box at the end. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Christmas travel 2025: Which trains run on Boxing Day? One route continues service into London

Transport for London and National Rail services around and through the capital will be interrupted during the festive period

Politics

4 d. ago Christmas travel 2025: What train services run on Boxing Day?

Transport for London and National Rail services around and through the capital will be interrupted throughout the festive period.

Politics

6 d. ago Tiny pub is touring UK serving pints and its less than 6ft tall

The miniature inn made its debut serving passers-by this month

Politics

7 d. ago ‘The UK needs some media free of US control’: Comcast’s move for ITV starts to focus minds

With public service broadcasters starting to look like ‘endangered species’, many want Channel 4 and BBC to work more closelyThe prospect of Comcast taking over ITV has prompted concerns about the impact on British public service broadcasting, a fact that Channel 4’s new chief executive, moving from a senior post at Sky, will be all too well aware.Sky’s advertising chief, Priya Dogra, will now be expected to lead the charge to block her former employer’s takeover plan to protect Channel 4. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Private profit 'draining £3bn a year' from Scots public services, says report

A Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) report estimated that outsourcing is draining between £2bn and £3bn every year from Scotland’s public services.

Economics

8 d. ago Revealed: Jeremy Clarkson's Farmer's Dog pub serves food made on an industrial estate ten miles away

The kitchen - which is on an anonymous new-build small industrial estate - is being used to prepare a number of food items which are then sent on to the booked out pub.

Society

8 d. ago Utah repeals ban on collective bargaining for teachers, firefighters and police unions

Utah has repealed a collective bargaining ban that prevented labor unions serving teachers, firefighters, police and other public employees from negotiating on behalf of their workers

Events

9 d. ago Football fan and author, 60, dies after falling from ladder while putting up Union Flags on lampposts

Paul Lumber, 60, was one of the leading figures in Bristol City's notorious City Service Firm and published author of books about the 'football casuals' scene of the 1980s.

Events

9 d. ago Guinness names UK's best pubs for a pint but which London boozers made the list?

Guinness names UK's best pubs for a pint but which London boozers made the list?  News Shopper

Politics

9 d. ago Guinness has named 35 pubs that serve the perfect pour – and 9 are in London

Guinness has named 35 pubs that serve the perfect pour – and 9 are in London  CN Traveller

Politics

1 week ago Holiday warning as major strike in Portugal set to ground flights

The biggest walkout in a decade is expected to shutter public services and cause severe travel disruption in Portugal

Events

1 week ago London's 13 best pubs for 2026 named serving up hearty lunches and dinners

London's 13 best pubs for 2026 named serving up hearty lunches and dinners  My London

Politics

1 week ago Guinness names the 35 British pubs serving pints the right way

Brits are obsessed with Guinness - 2.2 million pints of the smooth, black drink are consumed in the UK alone every day. But there is much debate on how to pour the perfect pint.

Politics

1 week ago The Harp: New 'Michelin guide for Guinness' is missing some big names in London

Guinness has published its inaugural Harp Guide, a list of pubs in the UK that the brewer says pour the best pint.

Events

1 week ago UK will not be haven for dirty money, Lammy to say in corruption crackdown

Exclusive: Justice secretary to announce measures aimed at countering illicit finance as well as bribery in public servicesThe UK will no longer be a haven for dirty money and dictators’ laundered assets, David Lammy is to promise as he announces a new anti-corruption strategy also aimed at tackling bribery and other misconduct across government and public services.Setting out the plan in a speech in London on Monday, Lammy, the justice secretary and deputy prime minister, will announce a series of initiatives including extra funding for an elite anti-corruption police unit. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago I visited one of the best pubs in Wales, which has 'everything you could want from a country pub'

This award winning boozer is exactly what a pub should be: warm, welcoming, and serving excellent food.

Politics

2 w. ago Eugenie sends festive support to Kate after missing carol service

Beatrice and Eugenie missed Kate’s carol service but sent a public message celebrating the ‘incredible’ event.

Events

2 w. ago Trump wants to recreate a white America that never existed | Rebecca Solnit

The persecution of brown people and mass deportations will not create the white country of far-right fantasyAs Donald Trump deteriorates and his grasp on power fades, he has been lashing out furiously at female journalists and ethnic groups, most recently Somali Americans. His insults land because of their animosity and his power, not their accuracy. Likewise, his administration’s attacks on immigrants are sloppy and driven by lies. It’s strikingly clear that the target is not individuals with criminal records. It’s anyone and everyone guilty of being brown. Native Americans with tribal identification cards, US citizens, people doing crucial work from construction to nursing, military veterans, college students, people sleeping in their own beds, small children: all kinds of residents of this country are under attack.“ICE raids are cruel, inhumane, and do nothing to serve public safety,” declares Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor-elect. Masked thugs smashing car windows and dr...

Politics

2 w. ago Kate the glittering star: How Princess dazzled in £11,195 'Tsar Star' earrings picked for her Christmas carol service that was family's first public outing together since June

Smiling, the princess - who had arrived a little earlier for last-minute checks and to meet some of her guests - walked up to their car to meet them, warmly putting arms around their shoulders.

Politics