3 h. ago What Tudor treasure now owned by Keir Starmer holds a tragic secret about Queen Elizabeth I and her executed mother Anne Boleyn?

Historian Kate Williams discusses one treasured item Elizabeth I wore until her dying day, which may signal her lasting love for her mother and a secret act of rebellion against her tyrannical father.

Politics

21 h. ago We didn't mislead anyone, claims Starmer as he desperately defends Reeves's Budget lies... and she now admits Cabinet WASN'T shown true OBR figures

Keir Starmer is holding a press conference defending the Budget and begging Labour MPs to stick with his 'long term plan' amid recriminations at Rachel Reeves.

Politics

24 h. ago How can lying Rachel survive? PM to hold press conference TODAY defending Chancellor Reeves's lies as even ministers say they were 'kept in dark' about OBR's positive figures

Keir Starmer is holding a press conference defending the Budget and begging Labour MPs to stick with his 'long term plan' amid recriminations at Rachel Reeves.

Politics

8 d. ago Holbein: Renaissance Master by Elizabeth Goldring review – a magnificent portrait of the artist

The first scholarly biography in more than 100 years of the man who immortalised the Tudor court does not disappointMuch of what we know, or think we know, about the court of Henry VIII comes directly from the paintings of Hans Holbein. There’s the famous portrait of the king himself – puffy, phallic and cruel, looking more like a murderer than a monarch. But there is also ascetic Thomas More, hiding his cruel streak behind fine bones, and sly yet thuggish Thomas Cromwell, with those shifty eyes and the beginnings of a double chin. “Hans the Painter” did the wives too – an appropriately sketchy drawing of Anne Boleyn, a saintly portrait of Jane Seymour who died after giving birth to Henry’s heir, and a pin-up version of Anne of Cleves.It was this last portrait that caused an international incident in 1539 when Holbein was sent by Henry to the Low Countries to check whether Anne was pretty enough to be his next wife. Based on Holbein’s portrait, Henry committed to the marriage i...

Culture

1 week ago Keir Starmer to hold crunch G20 talks on Donald Trump's Ukraine peace plan

The PM is set to discuss the US President's 28-page plan with international allies at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa - as Trump gives Volodymyr Zelensky until Thanksgiving to respond

Politics

1 week ago ‘The sword swung so close to her head!’ What it’s like to commit one of TV’s most unforgivable murders

From Claire Foy’s Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall to Adriana in The Sopranos, we meet the actors who had to bump off TV legends and then face the wrath of the publicTalk about being a pantomime villain. It’s unpopular enough playing the antagonist who murders a long-running TV character. When your victim is a fan favourite, though, you risk being vilified even more. So what’s it like being the ultimate baddy and breaking viewers’ hearts? Do they get booed in the street or trolled online? We asked five actors who killed off beloved characters – from Spooks to The Sopranos, Wolf Hall to Westeros – about their experiences Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Pressure is on PM to talk Donald Trump out of his $5billion legal threat to the BBC as looming bill 'will hit taxpayers'

Keir Starmer was due to hold a crunch phone call with the US President as the fallout intensifies over the corporation twice broadcasting doctored footage of his speech before the Capitol riots.

Economics

2 w. ago From Streeting to Miliband: Who could challenge Keir Starmer for the leadership?

Keir Starmer appears to be in so much trouble holding on as Labour leader and PM that Downing Street had to warn his potential successors. Political editor David Maddox looks at who could replace him

Politics