6 h. ago STEPHEN GLOVER: Starmer doesn't know it yet, but by fiddling at the edges on migration today he'll be signing his own political death warrant

By far the most interesting thing about today's White Paper on immigration is that it is happening at all.

Events

33 h. ago Farmers like Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper reckon they're Britain's best bonkers

Farmers brag about how good they are in the sack as they hold off the challenge from doctors and builders to be Britain's best in bed

Politics

64 h. ago Bulgarian spy ring ‘chief minion’ was world away from a classic spy, Old Bailey told

Katrin Ivanova’s barrister says her sentence should reflect her admin duties and not equate her with ‘classic spy cases’ A woman said to be “chief minion” in a ring of Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia in Britain should not be treated like George Blake, the double agent sentenced to four decades in jail in the 1960s, the Old Bailey has heard.Katrin Ivanova was said by her barrister, Rupert Bowers KC, to have been manipulated by her partner, Biser Dzhambazov, and to then have endured the discovery of his affair with a fellow member of the spy ring while in prison. Continue reading...

Politics

64 h. ago Bulgarian woman in Russian spy ring is no George Blake, Old Bailey told

Katrin Ivanova’s barrister says her sentence should reflect her admin duties and not equate her with ‘classic spy cases’ A woman said to be “chief minion” in a ring of Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia in Britain should not be treated like George Blake, the double agent sentenced to four decades in jail in the 1960s, the Old Bailey has heard.Katrin Ivanova was said by her barrister, Rupert Bowers KC, to have been manipulated by her partner, Biser Dzhambazov, and to then have endured the discovery of his affair with a fellow member of the spy ring while in prison. Continue reading...

Politics

65 h. ago How Singalong Starmer got his deal and a bit part in Trump, the Musical | Marina Hyde

Finally, a British prime minister has landed a trade agreement with the US. It’s just a shame it’s not a very good oneA huge day in import-export yesterday, as even Rome’s billion-per-cent tariff on American popes was lifted. The much bigger news, though, concerned the partial easing of recently imposed import taxes on British goods in the form of a starter UK-US trade deal, leaving the biggest little country in the world basking in the glow of an achievement our own prime minister seemed to hint had something of VE Day to it. In Britain, we have an old saying about dejection – “you look like you’ve lost a pound and found a sixpence” – but this was an entirely new spin on that scenario, given we were mostly celebrating being back to paying 10% more tariffs than we were subject to a few weeks ago. Yessss! A sixpence! Good times.Before we get to the specifics of the deal, the theatre. I do find myself increasingly mesmerised by Trump’s Oval Office tableaux, which typically feature him...

Politics

66 h. ago Investors pin hopes on Burberry’s recovery amid China and US trade upheaval

The global fashion house, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, will unveil its full-year financial results on Wednesday.

Economics

4 d. ago It will be a hard road for the Tories, but yesterday Kemi took an important step forwards: STEPHEN GLOVER

Will the Conservatives survive as a major political force? I can hardly believe I have asked that question. They are the most successful party in human history.

Events

6 d. ago As we celebrate the nation's triumph on VE Day... now Reform's Battle FOR Britain has to begin

Despite Reform UK's spectacular success in the local elections , this wasn't exactly VE Day. It was more like the Battle of Britain, where against the odds a few defeated a formidable enemy.

Events

8 d. ago I was in prison with one of Britain's most notorious child killers... he strutted about like he was king of the hill

The killer was housed at Lancaster Farms Young Offenders Institute while he awaited trial for a murder which shocked the nation.

Events

8 d. ago Britain's most popular nutritionist EMILY ENGLISH on why Ozempic is like sticking a plaster over a wound that needs stitches

Her straight-talking 'eat normally' ethos has made her Britain's most popular social media nutritionist.

Politics

9 d. ago TikTok hit with £450MILLION fine after Ireland finds social media giant illegally sent user data to China

European Union privacy watchdogs fined TikTok £450million (530 million euros) on Friday after a four-year investigation found that the company illegally transferred data to China

Economics

1 week ago STEPHEN GLOVER: Sack the most dangerous man in Britain before the lights go out!

Ignore the subsequent declarations of both sides that they are on the same page as far as Net Zero is concerned. They aren't. Sir Tony knew exactly what he was doing.

Politics

1 week ago SUVs 44% more likely to kill cyclists and pedestrians than conventional cars when involved in collisions

New research has suggested that SUVs - Britain's favourite car type in 2024 - are far more likely in a collision to kill pedestrians and cyclists compared to standard cars.

Events

1 week ago Monty Python and the Holy Grail at 50: a hilarious comic peak

The endlessly quoted 1975 comedy remains both a clear product of its era and a timelessly funny masterworkIt was with some surprise, as I gathered my recollections of Monty Python and the Holy Grail before its 50th anniversary this week, that I realised I had seen it in full only once, back when I and the film were both considerably younger. It felt like more. The first fully narrative feature by Britain’s best-loved TV sketch troupe is among the most fondly, frequently and recognisably referenced comedies in all cinema; the film’s best scenes are hard to separate from various everyday quotations or pub impressions thereof. Some comedy is made not so much to stand as individual art than to be absorbed into our collective comic language, and so it is with Monty Python, their best work a stew of endlessly imitable idioms and accents, to be relished with or without context.In all truth, I remembered laughing at Monty Python and the Holy Grail more vividly than I remembered exactly what...

Politics

2 w. ago Charming UK seaside town so small tourists barely even know about it

With exciting attractions like an Iron Age fort and Britain's smallest church, it's a wonder that this breathtaking UK town has managed to fly under the tourist radar for so long

Politics

2 w. ago You're eating chocolate digestives all wrong: McVitie's factory boss reveals 'proper' way to enjoy your biscuits

Britain's biscuit enthusiasts have likely been enjoying their favourite teatime treat incorrectly for years, a McVities factory boss has revealed.

Culture

2 w. ago ‘One father threatened to stab the referee’: why does kids’ football bring out the worst in parents?

When they’re not shouting at their own children, many of Britain’s soccer dads like nothing more than swearing at the officials, or even trading blows on the touchline. Isn’t this supposed to be fun? A chilly Saturday morning on the Astroturf pitches at Coram’s Fields in central London and several youth football matches are under way. I’m watching an under-11s game. The sound is the thud of boot on ball, the shrill interruption of the referee’s whistle, and a whole lot of shouting. From the players (“Mine!”, “Here!”, “Pass!”, “Ref!”, etc). From the two coaches (“Press!”, “Stay wide!”, “Push up!”, “Ref!”, etc). And from the touchline dads. There is one mum here today, but she’s less vocal.To varying degrees, the dads are part fan, part coach, part personal trainer to their progeny. There is one dad (there’s always one) who’s taking it a bit further, who’s a bit shoutier than the others. “Get rid of it!” he screams at the defence, meaning hoof it upfield, which is the opposite of the ...

Sport

2 w. ago Stock markets rise as Trump backtracks on high China tariffs and firing Fed chair

Weeks of tough talk from the US president, who now says he will be ‘very nice’ to China, had rattled investors Stock markets have risen around the world after Donald Trump said his tariffs on China would come down “substantially” and he had “no intention” of firing the chair of the US central bank, Jay Powell.Weeks of tough talk on trade from White House officials have rattled investors and Trump now appears to be softening his tone. The president told reporters in Washington on Tuesday he planned to be “very nice” to China in trade talks and that tariffs could drop in both countries if they could reach a deal, adding: “It will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago My nose turned black after a rhinoplasty gone wrong: This is my warning to other people having plastic surgery

After a Chinese actress revealed her nose turned black after a cosmetic procedure went wrong the BBC investigated the disturbing rise in botched surgeries in China.

Events

2 w. ago UK annual borrowing nearly £15bn above official forecast; stocks rise as Trump rows back on Fed attack – business live

UK government borrowed £151.9bn in year to March; investors cheered by hopes of US-China trade dealEuropean stocks have also opened higher, as a wave of relief spread across markets.The UK’s FTSE 100 index is up by 1.2% at 8,430, while the Italian FTSE MiB rose by 1.4%.Bessent threw a lifeline to fragile US sentiment with conciliatory remarks on the US-China trade war. Bessent said the current tariff situation is “unsustainable” and expects a de-escalation in the near term.We could witness a period where the dollar is tossed around by headlines of Fed independence risk and market-friendly news on US tariff policy. What is clear by now is that no other G10 currency has a higher positive beta to trade news than the dollar. Continue reading...

Politics