15 h. ago ‘I’ve resisted buying a pricey heated airer by doing this clever free trick instead’

Drying clothes can be a challenge at this time of year when the weather's cold and wet, so I put this hack to the test to see if it would speed things up

Society

17 h. ago Strictly's Chris McCausland feared grim outcome as Dianne Buswell battled hidden illness

Chris McCausland won the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing with professional partner Dianne Buswell, but the pair faced a number of challenges during their time on the show

Events

18 h. ago Strictly's Chris McCausland reveals Dianne Buswell's secret health torment during show

Chris McCausland won the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing with professional partner Dianne Buswell, but the pair faced a number of challenges during their time on the show

Society

33 h. ago Life of luxury of drugs boss who had property empire, enjoyed Spanish villas and paid kid's private school fees in cash

Gregory Bell owned 34 properties across Manchester

Economics

42 h. ago A £2m home, £110k school fees, a £31k Lowry painting... but now couple's luxury life has come crumbling down

Mark Rowe and Nicola Rowe are now facing justice

Economics

50 h. ago Taxi for Labour! Ministers are 'running out of road' and plotting to slap VAT on cab fares, Tories warn

Labour has refused to rule out slapping VAT on private hire fares, sparking speculation the Chancellor will clobber cabbies at the Budget. Industry experts expect such a tax to raise £750million a year.

Events

51 h. ago Married couple caught in £28m holiday investment scam pose by private jet

Mark and Nicola Rowe spent proceeds of a holiday investment scam on £31,500 LS Lowry art, £110,000 on private school fees and more than £2million on a house with stables

Economics

51 h. ago Married couple caught in £28million holiday investment scam pose by private jet

Mark and Nicola Rowe spent proceeds of a holiday investment scam on £31,500 LS Lowry art, £110,000 on private school fees and more than £2million on a house with stables

Economics

57 h. ago Readers’ letters: Time to challenge the VAT on private school fees narrative

The impact on the state sector from adding VAT to private school fees has been massively overstated, a reader suggests

Politics

61 h. ago Phillipson: Disengaged boys vulnerable to ‘dark forces whispering poison’ online

Speaking at a conference, the Education Secretary warned some children disengaged from school feel ‘not supported but betrayed’

Politics

3 d. ago How elder care can rupture sibling relationships: ‘I didn’t have much choice’

Guardian readers shared how caring for ageing parents with siblings tested – and sometimes broke – family bondsWhen Katrina, 60 (who withheld her last name for privacy), moved in with her family in Mexico during Covid, it made sense for her to manage her aging parents’ medical care; she’s a nurse. Her sister, who has an MBA, took care of the administrative tasks. It was the first time the family had all lived together since Katrina was in high school. The lockdown was a “very challenging, wonderful” time, she says.At first, the division of responsibilities between the two sisters worked well. But slowly, Katrina started to feel there was “scope creep”. Instead of staying in her administrative lane, her sister started weighing in more and more on Katrina’s management of medical matters. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Readers’ letters: Calling Donald Trump – the UK needs your help

A reader suggests the US President could take some time out to get to grips with seemingly intractable problems here

Politics

4 d. ago Readers’ letters: Carers betrayed by withdrawal of free Covid vaccination

An unpaid carer writes to say he feels let down by the removal of free vaccine eligibility

Politics

4 d. ago ‘Under 5ft 5in? Forget about being a prince!’ How the Royal Ballet is kicking out the old rules

What will the ballet dancer of the future look like? We visit the hunting lodge where the next generation are being trained – and find huge changes are under wayIt’s an idyllic autumn day in leafy Richmond Park, London, where a grand Georgian hunting lodge houses the Royal Ballet school. Enter through the classical columns and it feels like a bubble away from the world. “I was on a video call with my son,” says the school’s artistic director, Iain Mackay. “He said, ‘Where are you? Hogwarts?!’” This is indeed a place of magic for children who come here, hoping to follow in the footsteps of generations of leading dancers. They touch the middle finger of Margot Fonteyn’s statue for luck as they pass, the bronze rubbed shiny by their superstition.Getting a place at the school, founded in 1926 by the formidable Ninette de Valois, is a huge achievement. Two years ago, 40 students were accepted from more than 1,000 applications (all on merit – 90% are supported by bursaries). Mackay, 45, a...

Politics

4 d. ago ‘Under 5ft 5in? Forget about being a prince!’ How the Royal Ballet school is kicking out the old rules

What will the ballet dancer of the future look like? We visit the hunting lodge where the next generation are being trained – and find huge changes are under wayIt’s an idyllic autumn day in leafy Richmond Park, London, where a grand Georgian hunting lodge houses the Royal Ballet school. Enter through the classical columns and it feels like a bubble away from the world. “I was on a video call with my son,” says the school’s artistic director, Iain Mackay. “He said, ‘Where are you? Hogwarts?!’” This is indeed a place of magic for children who come here, hoping to follow in the footsteps of generations of leading dancers. They touch the middle finger of Margot Fonteyn’s statue for luck as they pass, the bronze rubbed shiny by their superstition.Getting a place at the school, founded in 1926 by the formidable Ninette de Valois, is a huge achievement. Two years ago, 40 students were accepted from more than 1,000 applications (all on merit – 90% are supported by bursaries). Mackay, 45, a...

Politics

5 d. ago Readers' letters: Swinney the peacemaker ready to grace world stage

A reader suggests First Minister is too small for a role for such a ‘man of many talents’

Politics

6 d. ago Readers' letters: Labour must think radically to win Holyrood election

A devo-max argument could counter John Swinney’s belief that the ‘limits of devolution’ have been reached, a reader says

Politics

7 d. ago Made in Chelsea's Sam Thompson admits relief after being diagnosed with 'superpower' ADHD

The reality star was diagnosed with both ADHD and autism in 2023, after years of struggling with his attention span while at school. Sam says the label made him feel 'so much better'

Politics

8 d. ago Readers' letters: We need a steel industry in these troubled times

A reader says the challenges surrounding the production of steel in the UK must be overcome

Events

9 d. ago Gasps as BBC Question Time guest challenges Reform UK's Zia Yusuf on immigration

Zia Yusuf, of Reform UK, squirmed under pressure on Question Time on BBC One when an audience member in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, challenged him not to use the term "immigration"

Politics