超级市场 宰客
作者：卡米拉·特纳 (Camilla Turner) 周日政治主编
财政大臣 约翰·希利 警告超级市场，他绝不会允许它们利用中东危机来“欺骗”公众。在为《电讯报》撰文时，希利先生表示，他将密切关注“任何迹象”，无论是在购买基本杂货还是在加油站为汽车加油时，只要有顾客被宰客的情况，他都会予以关注。他誓言要打击“加油泵或收银台”前的任何“哄抬物价”行为，并提醒监管机构“在这种情况发生时有权进行严厉打击”。
由伊朗冲突引发的石油和汽油价格上涨，威胁到 安迪·伯纳姆 首相在经历了多年的生活成本危机后，给家庭和企业提供“喘息空间”的承诺。能源价格的上涨对货物运输以及粮食生产所需的化肥价格产生了连锁反应，进而推高了通货膨胀。
在承认随着伊朗战争的持续，英国人民将承受更多痛苦的同时，希利先生表示：“坦率地说，面对如此规模的全球冲击，我们无法完全阻止家庭和企业感受到的压力。”但在直接向选民呼吁时，他补充道：“我对我们作为一个国家的韧性充满信心。我对英国人的毅力，以及依然在我们的社区中流淌的坚定希望充满信心。”
希利先生这些低调的言论将加剧人们的担忧，即他的秋季预算案将被糟糕的经济增长预测和税收上涨所掩盖。据《金融时报》报道，官员们表示，首相 伯纳姆 先生与 希利 先生一致认为，预算案必须建立一个 £23.6bn 的缓冲区，以应对政府自行设定的借款规则。但在 伯纳姆 先生宣布一系列支出计划之后，包括 £2 的公交车票上限、5 per cent 的能源账单增值税减免以及降低酒吧的商业税率，
《电讯报》可以披露，一名曾因发布“令人不安”的视频而被举报给反恐警察的“幻想狂”曾在 凯米·巴德诺克 的安保团队中工作。
据称，同一名男子在 6 月担任警卫期间，被发现携带一把“8 英寸猎刀”进入一个高安全级别的国防部 (MoD) 站点。尽管他的同事向雇主发出了关于此次事件及其社交媒体活动的警告，
电视节目单 28 天气 30
他随后继续在保守党领导人的安保细节小组中工作。
这是《电讯报》在对国会议员安保情况进行调查期间发现的众多事件之一，此举已促使保守党要求内政部发起紧急调查。
《电讯报》还可以披露： z 另一名曾为国会议员担任保镖的男子称自己是一名“十字军战士”，并发布了自己戴着巴拉克拉法帽以及与枪支合影的照片； z 安杰拉·雷纳 在担任副首相期间被指派了一名安保人员
作者：Daniel Martin 政治副主编
分析师表示，能源冲击、借款成本增加以及经济前景转弱的共同作用，可能会使 £23.6bn 的缓冲资金减半。在德黑兰封锁了运载全球约五分之一石油和天然气供应的霍尔木兹海峡后，冲突引发了燃料价格的剧烈上涨。周五，由于中东地区再次爆发战斗，汽油价格达到了伊朗战争爆发以来的最高水平。根据 RAC 的数据，无铅汽油价格攀升至每升 160 便士。汽油价格目前处于 2022, 年以来的最高点，当时俄罗斯入侵乌克兰导致能源价格飙升。希利先生表示：“我们将密切关注任何关于消费者在加油站或收银台被坑骗的迹象。各公司在这次危机期间与政府合作的意愿是积极的，目前还没有所谓‘价格欺诈’的显著证据，但我想直截了当地向公众保证，如果这种情况发生，我们的监管机构有权进行打击。” 他的这次干预表明，他将成为一名亲力亲为的财政大臣，随时准备介入以保护消费者免受价格上涨的影响。他表示：“我知道人们在目睹冲突升级、伤亡增加以及贸易船舶停滞不前时会有什么样的感受。他们会担心这对国内日常生活的冲击，担心能源账单、加油站的汽油价格以及每周购物的成本。‘当然，这场冲突影响了我们的国家安全，影响了我们在中东的英国基地、人员以及盟友。但它也威胁到我们的经济安全：影响数百万英国人的家庭财务。‘而且我知道，许多英国企业也因为成本增加而承受压力。”在给《电讯报》读者的信息中，他承诺无论在这个“危险的新世界”中面对什么，都将“始终把英国人民的利益放在首位”。
ANDREW MILIGAN / PA
作者：Akhtar Makoii
偷渡网络正在降低前往英国的小船跨境价格，以利用日益严重的欧洲移民危机。
《电讯报》周五收到报价，每人的英吉利海峡跨境费用低至 600 欧元（£513）——比前一周至少便宜了 200 欧元。
在 60,000 名移民本周冲击西班牙海外飞地 塞塔 之后，走私者谈到了他们的“兴奋之情”，尽管大多数人被遣返回摩洛哥。一名走私者表示，在竞争对手团伙的激烈竞争中，一些走私网络正在欧洲各地雇佣新操作员，以“最大限度地利用这一局面”。一名走私者说：“毫无疑问，这是一个巨大的机会。”
（此处文本缺失 / 断裂）
一位没有安全审查许可的部长； z 鲁莎娜拉·阿里，一位曾面临死亡威胁的前女性部长，也被分配了一名没有安全审查许可的官员； z 议员的保镖通过在网上透露其工作细节和审查级别，违反了官方规定，使自己容易受到敲诈。
在 安·威德科姆 去世后的近几周里，议员的安全问题受到了更严格的审视。
法院获悉，这位前保守党部长于 2019 年转投英国脱欧党，后来加入了英国改革党，在头部被锤子击中 21 次后死亡。
内政部与外包服务公司 Mitie 签署了合同，为被认为具有高受袭风险的部长和议员提供包括司机在内的保镖和安全团队。
Mitie 的合同是在保守党议员 大卫·艾姆斯 于 2021 年被一名伊斯兰恐怖分子杀害后制定的。五年前，工党议员 乔·考克斯 同样被一名极右翼恐怖分子谋杀。
在 威德科姆女士去世后，
（此处文本缺失 / 断裂）
国家警察首长委员会 (NPCC)，认为法律已明确规定，无论对方如何认同自己的性别，strip search（脱衣搜查）必须始终由同性别的人员执行。
但周五，高等法院裁定，只要双方同意，警察可以合法地对不同性别的跨性别者进行脱衣搜查。
NPCC 关于脱衣搜查的建议指出，“所有公众成员”都应获得“公平、尊严和尊重，包括跨性别群体”。
该建议补充称，只要“在操作上可行”，如果“一个人的生活性别与其生物学性别不一致”……
一名走私者表示：“当然，西班牙当局不可能找到所有人，但我们已经确保了一些正前往我们这里，随后将前往英国的人。” 本周，从土耳其到意大利的四天船旅价格下降了高达 $2,000 (£1,480)。 “我们正在降低价格并加快流程，因为很多人会来找我们，”这名走私者告诉一名伪装成想从塞塔 (西班牙海外飞地) 抵达英国的移民亲属的《电讯报》记者。 “不必担心——我们正在扩大网络，因此您的亲属可以由我们的人接走并快速送往英国。” 几个中东国家的人表示，他们在看到移民进入塞塔的片段后，认为西班牙已经开放了边境。西班牙官员称，这一误解是由人口贩卖团伙刻意播种的，而现在正驱动着需求。 《电讯报》获悉，这种重新燃起的兴趣一直延伸到走私路线的尽头，即前往英国旅程的起点。 在伊朗与阿富汗边境以及伊朗与土耳其边境运营的网络表示，咨询量已大幅上升。 “在这种情况下，你 10 天内赚的钱比一整年还多，”一名走私者说，“钱虽然只有一半，但人数翻倍——而且人数将远超平常日子。”
内政大臣 夏巴娜·马哈茂德 表示，她打算审查议员的安全安排——此举可能会要求 Mitie (外包服务公司) 部署更多保镖来保护议员。 Mitie 旨在雇佣安全专业人员仅担任议员和部长的保镖，前提是他们必须通过严格的背景检查并符合相关的安全审查要求。 一名 Mitie 发言人表示：“我们所有的安全同事在入职时都经过适当的招聘、审查和核准程序，其社交媒体活动将根据我们的政策进行审查。一旦提出担忧，我们将认真对待、进行调查，并在适当的情况下采取行动。” 一名政府发言人表示：“保护当选代表和敏感运行场所对于维护我们的民主和国家安全至关重要。议员能够安全、自由地开展其关键工作是不可逾越的底线。”
警员、被拘留者以及执行搜查的具体警员”。 虽然指南确实规定女性警员可以拒绝搜查一名跨性别女性，但 Sex Matters 组织认为，如果女性警员这样做，会担心被贴上“恐跨”的标签。 林登法官驳回了该挑战，表示：“只要同意是真实的，且搜查在所有其他方面均合法，我认为公共利益并不要求法律拒绝认可一个人根据其被不同性别人员搜查的偏好而同意接受脱衣搜查。” 这位高等法院法官补充说，需要同意将“减轻被拘留的跨性别者可能感到的痛苦，而非增加痛苦”，且指南明确规定“是否愿意对一名不同性别的人进行搜查，取决于个体警员，且他们可以随时撤回其同意”。 该争议涉及 1984 年《警察与刑事证据法》(Pace)，其中部分规定警员仅应搜查与被搜查者相同性别的人。
在释放囚犯计划中需谨慎 以降低公众风险及再犯率
作者：Charles Hymas 内政事务编辑
缓刑监管机构警告称，安迪·伯纳姆在提前释放数千名囚犯方面的延误可能会“产生严重后果”，并使公众处于风险之中。 首席督察 Martin Jones 表示...
在布莱克浦动物园出生
布莱克浦动物园
作者：Alex Bolot
布莱克浦动物园在十年以来首次迎来了狮崽的出生。这三只狮崽的父亲是 Khari，他是 2015 年在该动物园出生的最后一只狮子。动物园分享的照片显示，狮崽的母亲 Hira 正用嘴叼着其中一只狮崽，并舔净她的后代。
Hira 是一位“缺乏经验的母亲”，她在白天在室外产崽，巡逻员认为这是一个“不寻常”的决定。这意味着室外区域的一部分已被封锁，以禁止公众进入，从而为母亲和新出生的狮崽提供私密空间。
动物园的分区经理 Adam Kenyon 表示：“我们非常高兴地迎来了十多年来的第一批狮崽。自从它们的父亲 Khari 出生那天起，他一直是我们团队和访客心中的宠儿，因此他成为父亲的这段历程让这一刻变得更加特别。”
“对于 Hira 和她的狮崽来说，现在还处于非常早期的阶段，幼崽在这个阶段仍然很脆弱，因此我们的首要任务是给他们所需的时间和空间，以便他们安定下来并建立家庭纽带。”
“不寻常的是，Hira 选择在白天在室外生产，这就是为什么目前大猫栖息地的一些区域限制访客进入，以便她在适应母亲角色。”
布莱克浦动物园耗资 150 万英镑m 的大猫栖息地于 2023 年开放，旨在为动物创造更多室内空间。新设施中安置了 Khari 以及三只精心挑选以组成狮群的母狮，其中包括 Hira。动物园已宣布计划在适当的时候公布狮崽的名字和性别。
作者：Dominic Penna 高级政治记者
安迪·伯纳姆正面临工党内部的新一轮反弹，因为他在戴安娜·艾伯特被指控传播“亲普京宣传”后，恢复了她的职务。
艾伯特女士在上周四被伯纳姆先生恢复职务，此前她因过去关于犹太人的言论被第二次停职并收到正式警告。
然而，在最近几个月中，她多次公开表态，批评英国军队支持乌克兰对抗弗拉基米尔·普京的非法入侵。
工党高层指责这位党内任职时间最长的议员“传播亲普京宣传”，并告诉伯纳姆先生，她不应在公众生活中继续担任活跃角色。
上周末，艾伯特女士称有关俄罗斯未来入侵西方国家的警告是“离奇的”，并且...
他在接受《电讯报》采访时表示，部长们必须确保缓刑监督员有足够的时间为囚犯的提前释放做准备，以降低被释放的罪犯再次犯罪给公众带来的风险。 他表示，伯纳姆先生的审查以及随后对该方案的修改如果出现任何延迟，都可能导致缓刑监督员在面对提前释放时准备不足，从而增加被释放囚犯进一步犯罪、违反假释条件并被重新召回监狱的可能性。 首相和司法大臣亚历克斯·诺里斯计划于下周公布其提前释放方案审查的结果。《电讯报》周五披露，在 10 号办公厅和司法部（MoJ）本周末讨论的计划中，强奸犯（包括儿童强奸犯）将被排除在方案之外。 然而，被判定犯有误杀罪的罪犯可能仍会被提前释放——潜在对象包括杀害安德鲁·哈珀警员的 2 名凶手，尽管最终决定尚未做出。 上周，伯纳姆先生“暂停”了原定于 9 月 2 日启动的方案，并表示在审查决定谁可以安全地提前释放以及可以为受害者采取哪些额外保护措施之前，6,000 名符合条件的罪犯均不应被释放。 琼斯先生表示，在将某些罪犯排除在方案之外方面存在“一些有限的操纵空间”。司法部表示，该方案对于避免监狱在 11 月出现空间不足至关重要，否则可能会导致刑事司法体系崩溃，因为警方将无法逮捕和拘留罪犯。 “我的诚实评估是，如果暂停时间过长，暂停本身将开始引发问题。时间在流逝，”他说道。“缓刑部门需要确定谁将在何时被释放，以确保有方案能够实现安全管理的释放。” “短时间暂停虽然不便，但可以处理；而极长时间的不确定性将给一个已经承受巨大压力的服务部门带来进一步的问题。” 对缓刑工作的检查发现，三分之二的案例未达到确保公众得到充分保护的必要标准。 在提前释放方案下，包括杀人犯和强奸犯在内的严重罪犯有资格在刑期过半时被释放。
她声称，对弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基所在国家的支持增加了英国面临的风险。 阿博特女士在左翼报纸《晨星报》撰文道：“现在人们对军事支出如此大肆喧哗，并不是因为俄罗斯军队在乌克兰；那是在四年多以前就发生的事了。” “不，关于俄罗斯即将入侵的离奇主张，单纯是因为特朗普要求北约成员国增加军事支出……” “北约正参与一场现在已经深入俄罗斯领土的战争，这引发了广泛要求报复北约国家的呼吁。” 在 6 月的一次“停止战争”会议演讲中，她表示：“我们在一个对所有反对战争和追求和平的人都至关重要的时刻聚集。因为我们不仅仅是在试图停止一场战争，我们必须奋斗以停止非常……”
阿博特女士还在2月份为《独立报》撰写了一篇文章，号召英国“摒弃俄罗斯对西欧构成军事威胁的观点”。阿博特女士声称，认为俄罗斯在可预见的未来任何时候都可能“横扫”西欧的观点“并非严肃的主张”，并补充道：“欧洲现在陷入了战争狂热，并鼓动增加军费开支。”
现任财政大臣约翰·希利在6月份辞去了国防大臣一职，称基尔·斯塔默爵士拒绝在 2030 年前将国防开支提高到 GDP 的 3 %，这使得英国在俄罗斯的侵略面前显得脆弱。上周，伯纳姆先生在欢迎乌克兰总统访问英国时告诉泽连斯基先生：“我 100 % 支持你”。
阿博特女士对英国支持乌克兰的反复批评引起了工党内部的反弹，他们要求伯纳姆先生采取行动。一名工党议员表示：“我们不想要一个既宽容又包含传播亲普京宣传的‘大帐篷’（broad church）。”
工党温和派的一名消息人士补充道：“北约并未对俄罗斯发动战争，西方也没有阴谋制造威胁。俄罗斯入侵乌克兰是为了夺取领土，并进行了一场歼灭战。如果这些言论出自普通民众，可能会被认为是妄想；但出自一名现任议员，则是危险且不负责任的。”
阿博特女士在 2025 年 7 月被工党暂停党籍，此前她坚持认为犹太人经历种族主义的方式与黑人不同，这一言论曾导致她在 2023 年第一次被暂停党籍。
她还为自己在社交媒体上发布的另一条帖子道歉，在其中她将以色列国防军称为“犹太国防军”。阿博特女士和工党已收到评论请求。
新闻简报
而非刑期的三分之二。低级别罪犯最早可以在服刑达到三分之一而非 40 % 时获释。
司法部官员警告称，该计划的任何重大延迟或显著豁免，都可能导致英格兰和威尔士的监狱空间耗尽。
然而，伯纳姆先生面临来自保守党、工党议员、受害者、活动人士以及一线监狱狱警的巨大压力，要求停止对最严重的性犯罪者和暴力犯罪者的提前释放。
前保守党司法大臣大卫·高克为工党提交的一份独立报告中建议实行“以功换假”的提前释放计划，他警告伯纳姆先生，其对计划的“暂停”和审查可能会产生反效果，因为这提高了受害者的期望，而他可能无法满足这些期望。
他表示：“现实情况是，这件事没有简单的选择，而他将预期设定在了他难以达到的高度。”
司法部已收到评论请求。
一名曾任护士的人员已从巴巴多斯被引渡回英国。他被指控在 2000 年代与一名在伦敦接受精神障碍治疗的女性进行了非法性行为。 法院文件显示，56 岁的杰森·福德 (Jason Forde) 涉嫌在伦敦哈克尼 (Hackney) 的霍默顿医院 (Homerton Hospital) 与该女性发生性关系。 其他指控显示，福德还涉嫌在该女性受其照顾期间与其进行其他性活动。 他在周五抵达希思罗机场后，于昨日在威斯敏斯特治安法院出庭。他目前被还押候审，将于 8 月 25 日在伍德格林刑事法院再次出庭。
一名 22 岁的男子在昨日抵达利物浦治安法院时逃脱警方监管，目前警方正在对其进行搜寻。默西赛德郡警方表示，居住在利物浦公主路 (Princess Drive) 的斯蒂芬·格日布 (Stephen Grzyb) 在由囚犯运输承包商 GEOAmey 从警方羁押中心运抵法院后，于上午 10 点左右徒步逃离。 警方补充称，格日布被指控犯有与家庭相关的入室盗窃罪，他沿着红十字街 (Red Cross Street) 向斯特兰德 (The Strand) 方向逃窜。该男子被描述为白人，短深色头发，最后一次被目击时穿着海军蓝色 T 恤和海军蓝色短裤。督察贝森·汉农 (Bethan Hannon) 表示：“我们理解此次事件会引发的担忧。”
在收到伊普斯威奇市中心发生爆炸的报告后，一名 18 岁的男子已被逮捕。 萨福克郡警察局表示，警方在周五晚上 8.45 分前接到报案前往一栋公寓楼，发现那里有几扇窗户被损坏。 一名男子在晚上 9.05 左右被逮捕，涉嫌纵火 / 蓄意造成刑事损坏以危及生命。他被带到马特尔舍姆警察调查中心接受审讯并仍被羁押在此，警方补充道。 尽管针对爆炸案的调查仍在进行，但据信是一罐喷雾罐在被置于热源后爆炸所致。
电视节目主持人兼演员谢恩·里奇 (Shane Richie) 将于下月因醉驾指控出庭。 里奇（原名谢恩·罗什 Shane Roche）将于 9 月 9 日在科尔切斯特治安法院出庭。 这位 62 岁的肥皂剧明星以在《东区故事》(EastEnders) 中饰演阿尔菲·穆恩 (Alfie Moon) 而闻名。埃塞克斯警方表示，在接到关于疑似醉酒驾驶的报告后，警方于晚上 11.20 分前在哈洛 (Harlow) 将其逮捕。 警方称：“周三 7 月 29 日晚上 11.20 分前，警方接报在丘奇朗利路 (Church Langley Way) 地区有疑似醉酒驾驶员。”里奇的代表已收到置评请求。
本报是独立新闻标准组织 (IPSO) 的成员，并遵守其《编辑实践守则》。如果您对编辑内容有投诉，请访问 www.telegraph.co.uk / editorialcomplaints 或致信至我们的邮寄地址（见下方）的“编辑投诉”部门。如果您对我们的答复不满意，可向 IPSO 申诉，网址为 www.ipso.co.uk。
作者：马克·卢德洛 (Mark Ludlow)
杰米·奥利弗 (JAMIE OLIVER) 呼吁各地方议会禁止嚼口香糖，因为它“毁了”英国的街道。 这位名厨在伦敦市中心举办的新书《烧烤》(BBQ) 启动活动上表示，包括伦敦市长萨迪克·汗 (Sadiq Khan) 在内的英国市长们必须解决废弃口香糖造成的垃圾问题。 当被问及他想禁止哪些口味组合时，他说：“如果我可以禁止任何东西，那就是口香糖。”“我走在街上的时候……”
首次参加苏格兰 活动，尽在 欢乐与游戏之中
作者：汉娜·弗内斯 (Hannah Furness) 王室编辑
当威尔士王子和王妃的孩子们在苏格兰首次公开亮相时，这本可以被视为对各组成国而言具有宪法意义的时刻。然而，这看起来更像是一次非常平常的家庭出游。威廉王子开玩笑说他让长子感到尴尬，夏洛特公主对他弟弟倒立能力的评价不高，而路易王子戴着顶渔夫帽，看起来正享受着人生中最快乐的时光。这是 8 岁的路易首次被认为年龄足够大，可以与兄姐一同在镜头前观看体育赛事。这三个穿着得体的孩子在不同活动之间穿梭，观看了一场篮网球赛和场地自行车赛，期间他们握手并礼貌地提问。在面对名为 Finnie 的独角兽（赛会吉祥物）提供的击拳和击掌邀请时，他们自信地参与其中，并收到了来自威尔士队的纪念泰迪熊和渔夫帽。在场地自行车馆，他们会见了克里斯·霍伊爵士 (Sir Chris Hoy) 和劳拉·肯尼女爵 (Dame Laura Kenny)。夏洛特公主和路易王子获得了更新奖牌榜的荣誉。在格拉斯哥市中心的威尔士之家 (Wales House)，威尔士一家与威尔士运动员们坐在一起，讨论赛会情况以及孩子们在学校的体育活动。威尔士王妃透露，五次奥运冠军自行车选手劳拉女爵曾试图说服威廉和凯特“来尝试一下”，她开玩笑地回答道：“小心你所希望的事，因为他们想让我们在场地自行车馆里骑双人车。”威尔士电视节目主持人盖辛·琼斯 (Gethin Jones) 问乔治、夏洛特和路易：“你们想在稍后看到爸爸妈妈在场地自行车馆骑双人车吗？”13 岁的乔治王子回答道：“不想”。威廉王子说：“我们现在的表现已经足够让你们尴尬了。”这家人还见到了在本周早些时候赢得铜牌的体操运动员阿比盖尔和艾米莉·罗珀 (Abigail and Emily Roper)。王妃在对话中引导她的幼子参与，对他说道：“路易，你正在完善你的倒立动作。”“有一点，”他说，“但夏洛特说我做得不太好。”随后，罗珀双胞胎问夏洛特是否会倒立，她回答道：“会”。当他们问乔治同样的问题时，这位青少年王子告诉她们：“只要涉及柔韧性的，我都很糟糕。”他的父亲表示，夏洛特公主“热爱体操和芭蕾”，随后威尔士体操运动员向她赠送了一套签名版的威尔士队体操服。路易王子还透露，他最近参加了学校的运动会，很喜欢跳高，而乔治则表示他最喜欢的项目是标枪。
作者：Albert Tait
在最近的一次公开命名活动中，一艘价值 2 亿英镑 极地研究船差一点被命名为“Boaty McBoatface”。
因此，研究人员希望在请求公众帮助为在康沃尔海岸发现的一种新粉条纹海藻命名时，能得到更理智的建议。
专家将这一发现描述为“具有重大意义”，它是某位将其视为终身执念的学者在经历了四十年的研究和努力后取得的结果。
40 年前在攻读博士学位期间，克里斯汀·马格斯（Christine Maggs）教授发现了一小块粉色海藻，她怀疑这是一个新物种。
然而，她需要一块更大的样本才能进行正式鉴定。她在整个职业生涯中一直继续寻找，但从未找到足够的材料来确认它是一个新物种。
直到两年前，研究人员在研究一种被称为“maerl beds”（石灰藻床）的坚硬粉色海藻水下地毯时，认为他们在康沃尔海岸发现了一个样本。
潜水员一直在绘制海藻地图并进行分析，以检查石灰藻床的健康状况，就在那时，他们采集到了一些小型红藻的切片，而这些
前几天，街道被一片由口香糖组成的“拼布被”给毁了。
“我不会禁止某种口味的组合，但我会禁止口香糖。除非你能用高压水枪把它冲掉，但你做不到。”
奥利弗（Oliver）还启动了一档配套的电视节目，并与社交媒体品牌 Pinterest 共同推出了一系列食谱。他表示希望与萨迪克爵士（Sir Sadiq）探讨清理伦敦街道的问题。
“萨迪克·汗（Sadiq Khan）就在这里，也许我该跟他谈谈，”这位厨师在活动启动仪式上补充道。
虽然新加坡为了保持城邦的整洁而禁止销售和进口口香糖，但目前的法律中并不存在
嚼 口香糖。除非 你能用 高压水枪把它 冲掉，但 你做不到”
MAX MUMBY / ANDREW MILLIGAN
粉色带状且具有钳形尖端。参与此次调查的海洋生物学家 Francis Bunker 怀疑这种微小的海藻可能就是 Maggs 教授一直寻找的东西，并将样本寄给了她在伦敦的实验室。
Maggs 教授使用了一个酒柜来培养海藻，使其长大到足以进行 DNA 测序。“这种特定的海藻太小了，我需要获取一些分子数据，”她告诉首先报道这一发现的 BBC。 “这就是为什么这花了我 40 年时间。”
在参与 DNA 测序的 Beatriz de Barros Barreto 教授的帮助下，Maggs 教授得以证明这种海藻确实是科学界的新物种。她表示：“我一直希望能够发现它，这已经过去了四个多十年。我们知道马耳海藻（maerl）是一个丰富且生物多样性高的栖息地，但我们并不一定会意识到，我们仍然能在这种马耳海藻上发现新物种。”
Maggs 教授的发现即将发表在同行评审期刊《藻类学》(Phycologia) 上，该物种的一个样本已加入自然历史博物馆的正式馆藏。
三一学院康涅狄格分校的生物学教授 Craig Schneider（未参与此次研究）表示，这一发现对于科学潜水员来说具有“重大”意义，其拟名为“粉色斑马藻”，而其他想法包括“粉色带状强盗”和“丝带爪”。
这是科学家让公众为新海洋物种命名这一日益增长的趋势的一部分，此举可以提高公众对发现的关注度。
今年早些时候，在西太平洋发现的一种稀有几丁类动物（一种软体动物）引发了一场全球命名活动，来自世界各地的人们提出了 8,000 多个建议。
为了向公众的努力致敬，该物种最终被命名为 Ferreiraella populi，意为“人民的”。
在波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那，一种新的洞穴虾在公众投票后被命名为 Spelaeocaris electa。
在开展此类活动时，通常设有严格的护栏以确保名称具有科学性，研究人员最终会从候选名单中选择最终选项。这避免了类似 2016 年发生的事件，当时公众投票将一艘价值 2 亿英镑m 的英国极地研究船命名为 Boaty McBoatface。
感到尴尬的官员拒绝了这一选择，转而以著名的自然主义者和广播员大卫·爱登堡爵士（Sir David Attenborough）的名字为船命名。
但他们随后允许这种傻气得胜，将该名称保留给了一艘潜水器。
Jamie Oliver 并不 喜欢在街道上 嚼口香糖
在英国，将口香糖吐出或扔在街道上是违法行为，现场罚款在 1000 万英镑0 到 £150 之间。
Oliver 长期以来一直是反口香糖的斗士。2015 年，作为《独立报》“如果我是首相”系列的一部分，这位厨师宣布，如果他执政，禁止口香糖将成为其政策宣言的核心条款。
“我会禁止嚼口香糖，直到他们能发明一种不会让英国每条街道看起来都像被炸弹袭击过的口香糖为止，”他当时这样说道。
社区团体 38 Degrees 发起了一项请愿——目前已有超过 27,000 人签名——要求在英国禁止嚼口香糖，该团体估计每年的清理费用高达 6000 万英镑m。该团体还呼吁寻找一种更环保、无塑料的口香糖替代品，称每块口香糖都含有“相当于一根吸管量的隐藏塑料成分”。
议会中也有一项动议，警告目前口香糖中存在的塑料基聚合物。
一名发言人表示，伦敦市长已就 Oliver 的提案收到联系。
由 Keep Britain Tidy 管理，并由 Mars Wrigley 和 Perfetti Van Melle 等主要口香糖制造商资助的“口香糖专项工作组资助计划”，为英国地方当局提供最高 £27,500 的资助，用于清理历史遗留的口香糖污渍并开展教育活动。总计有 1000 万英镑m
作者：Alice Lilley
玛莎百货 (MARKS & SPENCER) 在一项关于胸罩量身禁中使用卷尺的争议性禁令上态度大转弯，这被视为一次“常识的胜利”。
这项于 5 月引入的举措此前要求量身人员通过估算罩杯和底围尺寸，然后提供一系列胸罩让顾客尝试以寻找合适的尺码。员工和顾客表示，该禁令非常耗时，JK 罗琳也批评该店将“男性的意愿”置于女性之上。
8 月，在一名顾客投诉称一名跨性别员工提出要帮其 14 岁女儿在胸罩区提供帮助后，JK 罗琳敦促女性抵制 M&S。
这位作家在 X 平台的一篇帖文中表示，在最高法院裁定 2010 年《平等法》(Equality Act 2010) 中的“性别” (sex) 一词是指生物学性别而非社会性别后，该商店“优先考虑男性的意愿”是错误的。
她表示：“现在是女性用钱包投票的时候了。如果像 M&S 这样的商店继续无视最高法院关于女性专属空间的裁决，优先考虑那些希望在青少年女孩附近脱衣或帮其试穿胸罩的男性的意愿，那么发起抵制似乎是合适的。”
这位《哈利·波特》作者表示，她认为其女儿在内衣区接受一名生物学男性的帮助是“完全不恰当的”。
在收到投诉后，M&S 表达了歉意，并称该员工意在提供一般性指导，而非协助量身。
该店一直坚称，禁止使用卷尺量身与跨性别争议无关，且该决定是遵循专业胸罩公司 Rigby and Peller 以及 Bravissimo 所采取的政策。
但在该店宣布放宽政策后，一名员工称其为“常识的胜利”。
一名 M&S 发言人表示：“我们不断改进服务。我们拥有一支经过培训的专业胸罩量身团队，如果他们或顾客倾向于使用卷尺，他们可以使用。我们最近已将此传达给同事，以使之更加明确。”
M&S 在 100 年前推出了首款胸罩，并在 1947 年首次为顾客提供量身服务。当时的员工接受过在顾客外衣下测量腰封、胸罩和紧身内衣的培训。
2025 年 4 月，最高法院裁定，洗手间和更衣室的进入权限应基于生物学性别。
（此处接下一段） 在截至 2026 年底的五年期可用资金中。
奥利弗 (Oliver) 在此前一次尝试于 2019 年进入行政接管程序后，在英国重新启动了 Jamie's Italian 餐厅，他同时表示，希望炎热的夏天能鼓励英国人将烧烤作为日常烹饪习惯的一部分。
他表示，大多数人仍然不知道如何正确使用烧烤炉。
“英国人倾向于直接烧烤。他们不知道盖子怎么用，”他说道。“盖子为你提供了选择，可以将（烧烤炉）变成烤箱并封住烟雾。通过将木炭放在一侧，可以实现梯度加热法。你拥有一个高温区和一个低温区，这让你能获得更多的掌控力。”
“如果我今年做到了，希望人们能受到启发去尝试新事物。”
第一枚奖牌 授予那位... 从未获胜的赢家
一名来自图瓦卢的拳击手在没有赢得任何一场比赛的情况下，为这个南太平洋小国赢得了首枚英联邦运动会奖牌。
周五，塔罗娜·塔法基（Tarona Taafaki）在女子75公斤级的唯一一场比赛中被印度的洛夫利娜·博戈海恩（Lovlina Borgohain）击败，在三位裁判的评分卡中均输掉了每一轮。
由于共有五名参赛者，塔法基直接晋级四强，这意味着她至少被保证获得一枚铜牌。
但她的教练兼父亲表示，图瓦卢（位于汤加东南部的岛国）的民众将庆祝这枚奖牌，并利用它来强调气候变化的紧急状态。
巴迪·塔法基（Badi Taafaki）的儿子帕索尼（Pasoni）早些时候参加了本届运动会，但在70公斤级的唯一一场比赛中落败。巴迪表示：“对于图瓦卢人民来说，这枚奖牌意味着一切。”
“我们是世界上最小的国家之一，所以这样一枚奖牌具有巨大的意义。为了来到这里，我们付出了艰苦的努力。对我作为教练而言，这是一个阶梯。”
塔罗娜和帕索尼是八个孩子中年龄最大的两个，所有的孩子都是拳击手。他们常驻新西兰，以便利用更好的设施。
“我的孩子们非常幸运，”巴迪·塔法基说。“他们拥有我当年从未有过的机会和设施。拳击就是我们的全部生活。”
从顶部起顺时针方向依次为：罗塞赛公爵夫人与劳拉·肯尼女爵（Dame Laura Kenny）；罗塞赛公爵及其家人；克里斯·霍伊爵士（Sir Chris Hoy）与爱丁堡公爵夫人。
猛烈批评后，西班牙总理 呼吁召开紧急会议
作者：Lily Shanagher 和 James Crisp
佩德罗·桑切斯（PEDRO SÁNCHEZ）批评欧盟领导人“自私”，此前 22 位欧洲首相和总统就塞塔 (西班牙海外飞地) 突然出现的移民激增问题对他进行了抨击。
在意大利和法国针对 60,000 名冲击北非西班牙飞地的摩洛哥移民加强边境管制后，西班牙总理向欧盟机构负责人写了一封信。
在这起引发西班牙外交危机的事件中，共有 67 人死亡，其中许多人溺毙或被挤压致死。
意大利总理乔治亚·梅洛尼（Georgia Meloni）带头要求暂时将马德里排除在欧盟的申根免签区之外。“在当前的国际环境下，欧盟无法承受这种自私、极化且不合法的反应，”作为欧盟中少数剩余的社会主义领导人之一，桑切斯先生在信中如此写道，并呼吁召开紧急会议。
他猛烈抨击那些“选择攻击西班牙并要求将其暂时排除在申根区之外”的人。
但桑切斯先生显得十分孤立，包括梅洛尼女士和德国总理弗里德里希·梅尔茨（Friedrich Merz）在内的 22 位欧盟领导人，
大规模跨境行为让人产生 非法进入欧盟可行的 印象”
向欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩（Ursula von der Leyen）、欧洲理事会主席安东尼奥·科斯塔（António Costa）以及担任欧盟轮值主席国的爱尔兰总理米歇尔·马丁（Micheál Martin）写了一封他们自己的信。
这封表达对欧盟边境威胁“深切担忧”的信函还由奥地利、比利时、保加利亚、克罗地亚、塞浦路斯、捷克共和国、丹麦、爱沙尼亚、芬兰、希腊、匈牙利、拉脱维亚、立陶宛、马耳他、荷兰、波兰、罗马尼亚、斯洛伐克、斯洛文尼亚和瑞典的领导人共同签署。
信中特别批评了桑切斯先生的移民特赦计划，该计划将被定为欧洲历史上最大规模的黑市工人合法化行动。7 月初，在西班牙申请合法身份的 1.17 million 名移民中，约有 609,737 人已获得了临时工作许可。
“我们有责任通过协调行动、加强外部边境以及处理所有可能起到吸引作用的政策（例如对极大量不法移民进行合法化），来有效地震慑并毫不留情地打击非法移民，”领导人们在信中写道。
“我们不能允许失控的大规模跨境、移民工具化或其他混合威胁让人产生非法进入欧盟是可行的，或者非法进入可以转化为合法居留的认知。”
领导人们警告称，他们准备强化或引入临时
作者：Antonio Sempere，发自塞塔 (西班牙海外飞地)
当奥马尔（Omar）爬上塞塔 (西班牙海外飞地) 的海岸时，他的目光投向了北面 1,000 英里之外。在绕过标志着摩洛哥与西班牙边境的防波堤（那里已有数十人丧生）游抵此地后，这名少年完成了这个筹划八年之久的旅程的第一步。
“我来塞塔是因为我想学习，”这名 15 岁的少年告诉《电讯报》。“我的姐姐已经住在西班牙了。她结婚了，有一个女儿。我想在塔拉索纳学习六年，然后也许去英国。我真的很喜欢英国，但这并不意味着我不爱摩洛哥。”
奥马尔从七岁起就在家中学习英语，希望有一天能到达英国。
作者：Camilla Turner 周日政治编辑
安迪·伯纳姆（ANDY BURNHAM）被敦促利用国家安全权力，打击伊朗最“有害”的间谍机构。
在上个月基尔·斯塔默爵士（Sir Keir Starmer）卸任前，将国家支持的团体指定为恐怖组织的立法工作已获快速推进。
新法立即被用于禁止伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC），以及另一个与伊朗相关的组织和俄罗斯前军事情报局的志愿军。
但保守党表示，现在必须利用该法律禁止伊朗情报部（MOIS）及其主要的犯罪代理组织 Zindashti 网络。情报部负责该国的海外行动。
根据议会情报与安全委员会（ISC）去年发布的一份报告，情报部与革命卫队此前曾计划针对英国公民进行暗杀和绑架。
英国情报部门认为，情报部和革命卫队都对英国国家安全构成了“重大威胁”。然而，他们并未将两者区分开来。
委员会表示：“伊朗将暗杀作为国家政策的工具——针对异见人士是其高优先级……”
JON NAZCA / 路透社
在他周围，数千人仍在试图强行通过 Tarajal 边境。在那里，恐慌、拥挤以及抵达海岸的绝望尝试，将欧洲防御最严密的边境之一变成了这一代人以来最大的边境危机。
在摩洛哥北部传闻称，6 月底法律变更后可以轻易进入西班牙，奥马尔（Omar）随后踏上了这段旅程。西班牙最高法院裁定，在海上被拦截的移民将不会被立即遣返，这激发了摩洛哥人的希望，认为他们可以通过塞塔 (Ceuta) 进入大陆。
虽然西班牙将责任归咎于走私团伙，但有人怀疑摩洛哥鼓励这种涌入是为了惩罚……
传统情报机构，领导着 该政权的镇压计划”
马德里因其与竞争对手阿尔及利亚日益紧密的关系而受到影响——后者将移民作为一种武器，以此提醒欧洲其拥有的筹码。移民们告诉《电讯报》，他们被允许直接向海滩走去，而没有被边境警卫拦截，这与他们通常的预期相反。几个人还描述了摩洛哥官员在海岸线上使用警棍，导致恐慌并促使人们冲入海中。西班牙首相佩德罗·桑切斯前往塞塔，他在那里将这些事件描述为“对西班牙领土完整的一次攻击”。桑切斯先生就站在距离边境仅数米的地方，他承诺其政府将动用“国家的所有资源”来恢复安全，并拒绝指责摩洛哥。西班牙的应对措施是
伊朗革命卫队（IRGC）的恶名，而这正是关键所在”。 她敦促部长们利用《2026年国家安全（国家威胁）法》赋予的新权力将伊朗情报部（MOIS）列为指定对象，称其为“伊朗国家更阴险、更微妙的机构”。 她表示：“MOIS主要在冲突区之外运行，是一个悄无声息且致命的、更传统的情报机构，在伊朗境内搜捕异见人士，并带头执行该政权的全球镇压计划，尤其是针对我们的犹太社区。” “它在阴影中运作以在全球范围内提取情报，运行‘黑客攻击并泄露’小组，并且更有可能诱骗目标前往另一个国家，然后将其绑架回伊朗。” 内政部一名发言人表示：“我们极其严肃地对待伊朗带来的威胁，我们的首要任务是保护英国的利益和生命。” “我们已经推出了一套全面的措施，旨在应对伊朗政权带来的威胁，包括制裁伊朗革命卫队。”
申根区的边境管制。 马德里坚持认为，进入塞塔的人员中没有人能够从大赦政策中获益，该政策目前已经关闭，且要求申请人在申请前必须在西班牙居住满五个月。 桑切斯先生在欧盟中是一个异类，因为他支持移民、反对以色列，并且是该集团中少数剩下的左翼领导人之一。 昨天，梅洛尼女士暂停了意大利与西班牙之间为期一个月且允许航空和海运免护照往来的申根安排。最近面临一个新极右翼政党压力且心情愉悦的梅洛尼女士，发布了一张自己签署该信函的照片。她表示：“这是一个重要的信号：意大利长期支持的路线正被越来越多的人所认同。”
移民奥马尔，15 岁，表示他在摩洛哥没有未来，因为在那里“生活艰苦”
作者：Ruby Cline
《电讯报》可以揭露，超过 8500 万英镑 的求职者资金正被投入到为外语使用者教授英语中。 成人技能基金 (ASF) 是一项政府资助的项目，旨在为求职者提供数学 GCSE 或职业课程等资格培训，以提高就业能力。 但该项目的资金正被倾注于为外语使用者教授英语。 提供数据的当局在 2025-26 财政年度花费了 8500 万英镑,857,165 来提供面向其他语言学习者的英语 (ESOL) 课程。 约 76,167 名学习者接受了这些课程，课程教授基础英语语言技能。 保守党影子内政大臣克里斯·菲尔普表示：“本应花在让人们就业上的钱，现在却花在让移民学习一种他们本该已经会说的语言的基础知识上。勤奋的纳税人们正……”
欧洲国家数量。”法国和葡萄牙没有签署该信函；尽管它们是仅有的两个与西班牙接壤的欧盟国家。埃马纽埃尔·马克龙（Emmanuel Macron）周五向桑切斯先生表示了声援。
法国加强了对西班牙边境的检查，并表示到昨天为止，将把警力增加五倍至 334 名警察和宪兵。
法国内政部长洛朗·努内斯（Laurent Nunez）表示，当地警方和军事单位将被部署用于边境检查，而中右翼总统候选人爱德华·菲利普（Edouard Philippe）呼吁法国“立即加强对我们与西班牙边境的控制”。
西班牙表示，它已将“几乎所有人”遣返回摩洛哥，并且在不出示身份证件的情况下，无法从塞塔或另一个飞地梅利利亚前往西班牙本土。
（行动）迅速且广泛，几乎所有抵达的人都被送回摩洛哥。数百名警察和国民卫队（Guardia Civil）人员被部署到该飞地，包括暴徒警察、边境专家、水下搜寻部队、海上资产和直升机。
西班牙军队继续部署在边境敏感区域周围，而当局已宣布计划安装浮动屏障以加强海上边界。
但对于许多在塞塔内部的人来说，这次行动是在巨大的苦难背景下展开的。约 60,000 名移民设法进入人口约 80,000 人的塞塔，据报道至少有 57 人死亡，死因是溺水或在边境围栏处被挤压。
许多跨境人员在抵达时因精疲力竭而倒下。其他人则在绝望地寻找在跨境过程中失踪的亲人。食物、饮用水和医疗服务的匮乏也阻碍了移民的计划。
面对被遣返回摩洛哥的处境，奥马尔（Omar）说：“我爱我的国家。但在那里我看不到未来。所有东西都很贵，生活很艰难。我的父母离婚了。我母亲不得不独自抚养四个孩子。我的大姐结婚了。我的二姐在工作。然后是我和小妹。我母亲无法独自承担一切。”
奥马尔说他的志向很朴素。“我想学习，工作，为自己和家人创造一个未来，”他说。而目前，那个未来仍留在摩洛哥。
西班牙警察和军队人员在发现部分移民潜藏在塞塔后，护送数千名摩洛哥移民前往边境。
（在）警察检查站，以保证“申根区的完整性”。
西班牙内政部长费尔南多·格兰德-马拉斯卡（Fernando Grande-Marlaska）昨天批评了意大利，称：“我要求更大的团结，更多的责任感，以及更少的自私。那种自私的态度是没有必要的。记得兰佩杜萨（Lampedusa，靠近突尼斯的意大利岛屿，曾有大量移民抵达）；有些人的记忆似乎很短。”
画面显示，一些移民攀爬梅利利亚的边境围栏，但被安保部队击退。明年将面临选举的桑切斯先生指责偷渡团伙试图利用西班牙最高法院最近的一项裁决，该裁决认定在试图抵达塞塔或梅利利亚时在海上被拦截的移民不能被简易遣返回摩洛哥。
（被）敲诈”。该资金旨在为低学历的失业或低收入成年人提供资助培训，特别是数学和英语 GCSE 以及职场功能技能。但根据剑桥郡和彼得伯勒（Cambridgeshire and Peterborough）的说法，政府“期望”这笔钱被用于英语教学。
“技能收入预算应被用于支持 ESOL（英语作为第二语言）。这是促使市长进行审查的因素之一。” 据了解，财政研究 institute (IFS) 也在调查 ASF 资金的流向。
在工党赢得 2024 年大选后的一个月，ASF 推出了一种新形式，采用了保守党制定的重组计划，旨在将该基金大幅下放到地方。
在一定限制内，目前由战略和联合当局负责决定这 £1.4bn 资金的使用方式。 大伦敦政府花费了 7690 万英镑m 为 64,900 名学习者提供 ESOL 课程。其他当局每名 ESOL 学生每年的支出金额相似，通常在 £600 至 £1,000 之间。 剑桥郡和彼得伯勒花费了 180 万英镑m，为其 2,249 名 ESOL 学生每人支出约 £800。
工作与养老金部表示：“合法留在本国的人能够融入社会、在工作中取得进步并为经济做出贡献，这是理所应当的。”
剔除鸽子引发 鸟类活动人士焦虑
作者：Alice Lilley 和 Eric Williams
伦敦交通局 (TfL) 承包了狙击手来剔除鸽子。根据曼彻斯特鸽子康复中心 (MPR) 的数据，在截至 3 月的一年里，在 123 次以上的射击行动中，至少有 655 只鸽子被击毙。承包人员的照片显示，一名穿着高可见度制服的工作人员手持狙击步枪，在伦敦地铁站瞄准鸽子。另一张照片显示，在哈罗的斯坦莫尔站，一名工作人员的靴子踩在一只血淋淋的鸽子身上。尽管英格兰自然署 (Natural England) 建议在该期间“避免使用致命控制手段”，但剔除鸽子的行动仍在繁殖季节进行。被困在网中的鸟类往往被射杀而非被释放。《电讯报》获悉，TfL 使用的是“人道鸟类处置员”来执行剔除工作，这是行业的普遍做法。该机构拥有指导文件，规定了如何控制“害鸟物种”，旨在确保 TfL 及其承包商在遵守健康与安全标准的同时，避免虐待动物。但 TfL 面临着环境活动人士的强烈抵制，后者已向英国运输警察局举报这些杀戮行为为犯罪。他们声称鸽子承受了不必要的痛苦。MPR 指责 TfL 未能探索其他非致命方法来防止伤害鸟类。该团体指称，杀戮行为经常发生在凌晨 12 点到 5 点之间。该团体还声称，一些鸟类在被击中后并未立即死亡，有报道称鸟类带着严重的伤势逃走。8 月，一名工作人员表示，鲁斯利存放处的一只鸽子被击中但从敞开的门中逃脱。他们补充道：“尽管尽了最大努力，但仍未能找到它。”MPR 表示：“我们认为伦敦交通局应立即停止致命控制，转而采用栖息地改良、人道威慑及其他非致命管理措施。在某些情况下，这可能意味着要接受野生动物将继续存在于共享的城市空间中。现代野鸽是由曾经被人类驯养的鸟类演变而来的，它们曾为我们传递信息，并在我们的战争中战斗。”一名 TfL 发言人表示，他们“非常严肃”地对待避免虐待动物的问题，但表示他们有“照顾责任”来维持一个“安全、干净的环境”。
该公司可能使议员们 “面临风险”，且其员工 违反反勒索条例
作者：Camilla Turner 周日政治主编
是在大卫·艾姆斯遭遇不幸谋杀后，政府决定是时候加强对政治人物的保护了。 2021 年，一名伊斯兰恐怖分子在一名保守党议员于其绍森德选区举行诊疗咨询时，将其刺了 20 次以上。五年前，工党议员 乔·考克斯 被一名极右翼恐怖分子谋杀。 到 2024 年，内政部与外包服务公司 Mitie 签署了一项价值数百万英镑的协议，由其提供数百名私人保镖，负责保障议员诊疗咨询的安全，并陪同部长及其他高知名度政治人物。 但一项《电讯报》的调查揭露，包括安杰拉·雷纳在内的高级部长（她在基尔·斯塔默爵士政府担任副首相期间）被分配的安保人员并未经过安全审查。 此前已有报道披露，保守党党魁 凯米·巴德诺克 的安保人员中有人因发布“令人不安”的视频而被举报至反恐警察部门。 现已重返内阁担任住房部长的雷纳女士拒绝发表评论。一名消息人士告诉《电讯报》，在……工作的 Mitie 员工
Georgina Halford-Hall
Kos 参与者 Katy Perry 在领衔普里什蒂纳的 Sunny Hill 音乐节演出后，出现在 Dua Lipa 的 Instagram 上。Lipa 写道：“第一天 @sunnyhillfestival !!!!!!! @katyperry 将我们带到了月球”。该音乐节目前是科索沃规模最大的，由 Lipa 和她的父亲 Dukagjin 共同组织。
议员安保合同相关人员在获悉部分员工没有安全审查许可后感到“震惊”。他们表示：“设置安全审查许可和标准是有充分理由的。我们接触到如此多敏感的对话、信息、行踪、政策讨论等。对我们所保护人员的高度谨慎是我们自豪地坚守的最基本底线。”
该消息人士接着表示，如果团队成员在没有许可的情况下工作，这将使高级政治人物和其他安保人员处于“风险”之中。他们补充道：“为什么你们对某些团队成员要求标准，却让另一些人处于监管之外？”
《电讯报》获悉，在 2025 年 8 月之前在基尔爵士政府中担任初级部长的鲁莎娜拉·阿里，也曾被 Mitie 分配过没有安全审查许可的安保人员。
阿里女士在收到死亡威胁后被分配了近身保护人员，她表示《电讯报》的发现令人“警觉”，并要求进行全面调查。
她表示：“多年来，我一直面临、且继续面临无数的生命威胁。在公众生活中，我们有太多的人生活在对生命的恐惧中，并担心周围人的安全。”
“ these revelations 令人警觉，必须进行全面调查。我反复警告说，除非采取进一步行动，否则我们将在这个国家看到更多政治动机的谋杀。我们必须严肃对待公众人物的安全与保障。在我们的生命面临严重威胁之时，我和许多像我一样的人感到被辜负了。”
我们中有太多人 生活在对自身生命 以及周围人 安全的恐惧之中”
已经与这些指控相关的人员进行了沟通，他们表示曾通过内部渠道提出了严重关切。当他们认为这些关切未被重视时，便将其上报至国防部和警方，因为他们认为这涉及真正的公共安全问题。 如果保护高级部长和政党领导人的人员认为，向警方反映比通过雇主的报告系统更安全，那么说明某些根本性的环节出了问题。 过去三十年里的每一次重大公共丑闻都遵循一个令人沮丧且熟悉的模式。前线人员发现了风险，他们向管理层报告，但被管理层否决。随后伤害发生。直到之后，公开调查才得出结论：预警信号一直存在。 无论是希尔斯伯勒（Hillsborough）、邮局 Horizon 丑闻、格伦费尔（Grenfell）、感染血液、诱拐团伙、新冠疫情，还是无数次在警务和金融监管方面的失败，重复出现的主题是：组织的失败极少是因为没人知道。 他们的失败是因为那些知情的人没有被倾听，因为这些组织认为自己规模太大或权力太强，而不会垮台。这告诉了我们一些深层且令人不安的事情。
在本报联系 Mitie 寻求评论后，该公司向担任议员安保人员的员工发送了一封关于安全审查的电子邮件，要求需要“SC clearance”的人员“尽快”联系。 SC 代表“安全检查”（security check）审查，这是由英国安全审查机构（United Kingdom Security Vetting）管理的一项正式国家安全审核级别。它允许“频繁且不受控”地接触秘密资产，以及在“监督下偶尔”接触最高机密资产。 《电讯报》还注意到，一些 Mitie 的员工在网上公开宣传自己的安全审查状态，并将工作性质描述为“议会和政府官员的保镖”。 这违反了政府指南，指南规定由于潜在的敲诈风险，此类信息“绝不能”公开。 今年早些时候，一封泄露的信函称，部分高级内阁部长的保镖在没有安全审查的情况下工作。信中指称，为政府工作的近身保护人员在“多次”情况下被部署而“没有适当的安全审查或通行证”。 这封信于 5 月由 Mitie 的工会成员作为正式申诉提交，信中解释说，他们的担忧“并非孤立事件”，而是“在较长一段时间内，多个团队和操作部署中共同经历的重复且一致的问题”。 信中的一个章节涉及对“安全审查和情报共享”的担忧。
英国的举报机制。 仍有太多人认为，举报严重的错误行为可能会导致他们的职业生涯终结。 太多人担心法律威胁、保密条款或非正式的黑名单。太多人认为，组织对举报人的调查会比对指控本身的调查更彻底。 WhistleblowersUK 一直主张设立一个独立的举报者办公室（Office of the Whistleblower），赋予其法定权力以接收披露信息、监督调查、保护发声者，并确保组织不能简单地忽视令人不安的真相。 任何个人都不应在对潜在安全风险保持沉默与冒着失去生计的风险之间做出选择。当担忧涉及那些负责保护国家政治领导人的人员时，公众理应绝对确信，每一项警告都将得到客观审查，每项指控都将得到独立评估，且每位举报人都将受到保护，免受报复。 与目前碎片化的框架不同，举报者办公室将不会简单地建议个人在事后提起就业法庭（Employment Tribunal）申诉。
“据报道，曾多次出现个人在没有适当安全许可或通行证的情况下被部署的情况，”该信函称。“这给合同、合作伙伴机构以及受保护主体的安全带来了严重的运行和声誉担忧。 “此外，令人担忧的是，缺乏与外部利益相关者和合作伙伴机构之间正式的情报共享协议及结构化沟通路径。有效的情报共享和运行协调至关重要。缺乏强有力的议定书会增加运行失败、响应延迟和安全风险的可能性。” 《电讯报》看到的这封信解释说，员工已决定在工会的帮助下对 Mitie (外包服务公司) 提起正式申诉，因为他们觉得之前提出的担忧要么被忽视，要么给提出者带来了“负面后果”。 在回应该申诉时，Mitie (外包服务公司) 承认，在大选期间，尽管部分员工的安全许可尚未获得政府审核官员的签署，但仍担任政治家的近身保护人员。
在与 Mitie (外包服务公司) 接触后， 员工随后撤回了 申诉。
WhistleblowersUK 的首席执行官 乔治娜·哈尔福德-霍尔 (Georgina Halford-Hall) 表示： “我们已向举报人提供了支持……”
暗示她将扭转 20世纪80年代曼彻斯特的 “去工业化”
多米尼克·彭纳 (Dominic Penna) 资深政治记者
安迪·伯纳姆 (ANDY BURNHAM) 的大曼彻斯特市长继任者暗示，她将消除玛格丽特·撒切尔留下的遗产。贝芙·克雷格 (Bev Craig) 在周四赢得工党的市长选举后表示，她将寻求扭转 1970 年代和 1980 年代的“去工业化”。
她的言论呼应了伯纳姆先生此前暗示，他将通过国家干预市场、大规模社会住房以及重新关注技术教育，将英国带回几十年前的状态。
撒切尔男爵女在 1979 到 1990 年担任首相期间，将电信、水务和铁路私有化，并启动了大规模的去监管计划。
在胜选结果确认数小时后（此次投票率仅为 25%），克雷格女士表示：“我认为如果你……”
曼彻斯特市长选举
第一志愿票份额
贝芙·克雷格，工党 21%
希安·阿斯特利，改革党 12.2%
杰拉尔丁·考金斯，绿党 8.7%
马龙·韦斯特，恢复党 7.7%
理查德·基尔帕特里克，自民党 2.8%
马库斯·法默，独立人士 0.6%
看看曼彻斯特和大曼彻斯特地区，尤其是在 70 年代和 80 年代的去工业化时期，我们的许多社区感到被遗弃了。“我认为，直到今天，人们仍然能看到那的影响。”左翼和工会活动人士将 80 年代曼彻斯特重工业和工程公司的衰落归咎于撒切尔夫人的自由市场愿景。然而，她以坚定地捍卫其议程作为回应，称这些问题不能归咎于“限制性做法、人员过剩、设计缺陷或交付延迟”。
克雷格女士表示，在伯纳姆先生赢得梅克菲尔德补选并触发市长选举后，她能为工党守住该城市地区，感到“非常高兴且深感荣幸”。她说：“真正的起步是在周一我进入工作状态并撸起袖子时。”“我认为人们需要信任政治家，需要理解他们为什么从事这份工作。而我从事这份工作，是因为我看到这个城市地区还有很多可以做得更好的地方。作为市长，我的工作就是做出能够切实改善人们生活的决策，让他们明白政治至关重要，能够带来改变，并且他们能看到这种变化。”
克雷格女士随后承认，她受益于所谓的“伯纳姆效应”（Burnham bounce），在伯纳姆先生担任首相的前两周里，工党的支持率大幅上升。当被问及前任市长的全国人气是否增加了她的胜算时，她回答道：“绝对有帮助，你可以看到工党在民调中表现更好，在安迪·伯纳姆担任首相的领导下表现更好，这起到了作用。”
“但我认为我们在这里看到的获胜幅度实际上源于两点：一是工党在全国范围内的表现更好，二是人们对工党在大曼彻斯特地区所取得的成就、我所主张的平台以及我想带来的改变充满信心。”
47.1%
ANNABEL LEE-ELLIS / PA WIRE
安迪·伯纳姆在贝芙·克雷格赢得曼彻斯特市长选举后与其庆祝
伯纳姆先生担任市长九年期间被誉为“北方之王”，昨天他在胜利集会上将克雷格女士称为“北方女王”。
首相在演讲中极力推崇他将权力从西敏寺和白厅下放到各地区和各国的激进计划。
他告诉克雷格女士：“所以这是我今天给你的挑战——在此基础上，恐怕你必须走得更远，做得更多。”
伯纳姆先生声称，他的继任者是带领曼彻斯特进入他所说的“史上最辉煌十年”的最佳人选。
在周四的投票中，克雷格女士获得了 47.1% 的第一志愿票，领先于阿斯特利女士的 21%。紧随其后的是绿党，以 12% 的第一志愿票排名第三；“恢复英国”（Restore Britain）党以 8.7% 排名第四；而保守党则以 7.7% 掉至第五位。
随后将第二志愿票计入总数。克雷格女士以超过 300,000 票获胜，而阿斯特利女士仅获得了 150,000 多票。
克雷格女士公开宣称自己是一名社会主义者，并担任了四年半的曼彻斯特市议会领导人。这位 41 岁的市长誓言，在大曼彻斯特地区，她的市长任期内将继续支持企业发展，尽管她的政治对手警告说，她在社会问题上的立场将大幅向左倾。
伯纳姆先生在 5 月份对其支持跨性别权利的立场有所回撤，表示保护生物女性的单一性别空间“时机已到”。然而，克雷格女士坚持其支持跨性别的立场，拒绝否认她此前关于“跨性别女性是女性，跨性别男性是男性”的说法。
今天 对你们的 挑战 —— 恐怕 你们只能 进一步 做更多”
在 2023 年的一次“领导力自豪感”（Pride in Leadership）活动演讲中，克雷格女士表示，她很自豪地持有这样一种信念：跨性别女性——认同自己为女性的生物学男性——就是女性。 她当时表示：“这是全国唯一一个在市议会上通过一致通过动议，重申我们认为相当基础的真理的议会：即跨性别女性是女性，跨性别男性是男性，而且实际上每个人都应该享有基本人权。” 《观察报》刊登的最新 Opinium 民意调查结果显示，工党（27%）自 2025 年 1 月以来首次领先于改革党（23%），随后是保守党（17%），绿党和自民党均为 12%。
作者：Sabrina Miller 白厅记者
《电讯报》披露，西米德兰兹警察局工作的非穆斯林警员和工作人员受邀在斋月期间禁食，以表达“团结之举”。 西米德兰兹穆斯林警察协会表示，同事们可以在宗教节日期间参与一天的禁食，以为慈善机构筹款。 西米德兰兹警察局表示，这一做法有助于警员理解斋月对穆斯林的“重要意义”。
作者：Eric Williams
PETA（动物权利基金会）的活动人士要求一年一度的世界黑布丁冠军赛使用纯素替代品。 在贝里郡拉姆斯博顿村举办的年度活动中，参赛者通过投掷血肠，试图将约克郡布丁从边缘击落。 在该动物权利组织发送给组织者的一封信中，他们表示，为了“好玩”而将猪的“血液和脂肪投向目标”是错误的。 据信，这一传统可追溯到玫瑰战争的一场战斗，当时反对派士兵在弹药耗尽后据称采取了互相投掷食物的方式。 Peta 写道：“在有人受伤之前，这一切都只是游戏。在世界黑布丁投掷冠军赛的情况下，确实有人受伤了：那就是猪。” 该组织提出愿意出资提供
血肠和约克郡布丁的“无残酷”替代品。 9 月冠军赛的组织者保罗·詹金斯表示，该活动已经为运动员提供了投掷纯素替代品的选项。 他将这次冠军赛描述为“一个典型的英国活动”，声称：“它与滚奶酪赛处于同一水平。” Peta 的活动人士还将目标对准了一个威尔士小镇的鲧鱼节，要求将其更名为卷心菜节。 沿海小镇阿伯艾伦每年举办的鲧鱼盛宴吸引了“数百”名游客，庆祝捕鱼季的结束。 当地人在八月底前，会抬着一只巨大的纸浆鲧鱼在街道上进行模拟葬礼游行，然后在海滩上将其焚烧。 一名男子说：“我们烧的甚至不是真的鲧鱼！”
作者：Tim Sigsworth
游客和电视制作人员因未经授权拍摄海马而面临罚款威胁。 根据海洋管理组织（MMO）的说法，英国本土这些脆弱海洋生物的种群正受到摄影师和电影制作人的干扰。 公众被敦促不要使用闪光灯摄影，且观察海马的时间绝不能超过五分钟，以免因压力导致其死亡。 MMO 警告称，将对任何未经政府许可拍摄或拍摄海马的人采取行动。
禁止行业协会参加慈善活动
英国红十字会因禁止两家行业协会（livery companies）参加一项慈善活动而被指责为“觉醒文化”（wokery）。
每年在伦敦塔举行的“逃离伦敦塔”慈善午宴通过伦敦市的行业协会为红十字会筹集数万英镑。
但今年，两家古老的城市贸易协会被告知无法参加。《每日邮报》报道称，烟斗制造者敬业公司（Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers）因属于“不道德行业”而被禁止，而枪械制造者公司（Gunmakers）则因其“与国防工业的联系”而被禁止。
据报道，红十字会表示，尽管其“深表感谢长期以来的支持”，但它意识到有“极少数行业协会与我们排除在外的行业有直接的公众关联或资金往来”。
这场慈善午宴的环节包括行业协会的会长被伦敦市警察“逮捕”并带到伦敦塔。随后，会长将享用赞助的香槟和午餐，而其同行则努力通过支付“保释金”来确保其获释。
一名协会成员批评了该慈善机构对待这两家公司的方式，并警告称其他公司现在可能会退出。
他补充道：“几乎所有会长都说，‘好吧，如果你不愿意接受其他公司的会长，我们也不会参加’。以前人们对红十字会有很多支持。但——没有冒犯的意思——他们这次真是搬起石头砸了自己的脚。”
英国红十字会成立于 150 年前，国王为其赞助人。这家人道主义慈善机构通过政府合同获得了 3730 万英镑m，并获得了 4400 万英镑m 的政府拨款。
居民们。但该计划的批评者对一线警员在长时间自愿禁食禁水的情况下，能否有效地履行职责提出了担忧。
影子司法大臣尼克·蒂莫西（Nick Timothy）表示，鼓励非穆斯林员工观察斋月是“完全不恰当的”，并敦促官员废除“公共部门职责”（Public Sector Duty），该职责要求公共服务部门在所有工作中都要考虑平等与多样性。
《电讯报》还可以披露，在其他公共服务部门（如议会）中，非穆斯林同事也在斋月期间禁食。
《电讯报》通过信息自由请求获得的文档显示，西米德兰兹郡警察局被新森林议会的多元化培训引用为最佳实践的例子。
PETER POWELL / PA
在年度比赛中，参赛者通过投掷黑布丁来击倒约克郡布丁，该比赛纪念玫瑰战争中双方耗尽弹药而改用食物互相投掷的那一天。
持有许可证，最高处罚为六个月监禁或无上限罚款。
“我们知道这些事件源于真正意识的缺乏，这就是为什么我们希望人们明白，他们在法律保护之下，而如果没有野生动物许可证就故意干扰海马，可能会导致执法行动，”海洋保护负责人杰斯·丘吉尔-比塞特（Jess Churchill-Bissett）说道。
“这适用于所有潜水员、浮潜者以及电视和电影制作公司，如果他们故意寻找海马，应该意识到自己的法律义务。”
英国海域是两种……
在包容性方面的实践。 一份来自新森林议会（New Forest council）的备忘录在称赞该警队的斋戒计划时指出：“在斋月期间，[西米德兰兹警察局] 通过灵活的工作安排来支持其斋戒同事，以确保他们有时间陪伴家人。” “此外，越来越多的非穆斯林员工也采取斋戒，以此表达与穆斯林同事的团结，这增加了[西米德兰兹警察局]文化的家庭氛围。” 新森林议会的议员们被鼓励通过“头脑风暴”来寻找“创建包容性团队”的新方法，并将他们自己的“最佳想法付诸实践”。 西米德兰兹警察局博物馆的前遗产经理科琳·布雷齐尔（Corinne Brazier）在 28, 2024 年 3 月发表的一篇博客文章中也对该举措表示赞赏。该文题为《遗产经理日记》，其中写道：“如今，属于
本土海马品种（长嘴和短嘴品种）在多塞特郡的普尔港（Poole Harbour）和斯图兰湾（Studland Bay）以及德文郡托贝（Torbay）海域的分布浓度特别高。 这些水生动物可能会因为与人类接触而失明并死亡。 根据海马信托基金会（Seahorse Trust）的说法，此类接触“会导致压力，从而削弱其
海马极易产生压力
在 2022. 年。烟斗制造者崇敬公司（The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers）的历史可追溯到 1619 年，当时它获得了詹姆斯一世国王授予的皇家特许状。当查理一世国王在 1637 年授予枪械制造者崇敬公司（The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers）自己的特许状时，枪械正成为一项关键的军事技术。 英国红十字会的一位发言人表示：“英国红十字会非常重视与伦敦行业协会（livery companies）和伦敦市公司（City of London Corporation）之间长期的合作伙伴关系及其慷慨捐助，多年来他们的持续支持帮助我们向英国及全球陷入危机的人们提供至关重要的援助。” “为了确保我们的筹款方式与我们的全球人道主义使命和价值观保持一致，我们不接受极少数特定行业的捐款。” 这两家被禁的公司已被联系以寻求评论。
各种不同宗教的人都被欢迎加入警察队伍，并努力确保他们感到得到了支持。 “例如，在斋月期间，斋戒的穆斯林同事在需要开斋时会得到支持和照顾。相关信息也会与非穆斯林同事分享，以”
符合一种宗教的习俗 而改变警察文化”
帮助他们理解斋月的意义，有时会导致非穆斯林警员和工作人员也加入其中，以支持他们的同事。” 针对这些调查结果，蒂莫西先生表示：“警察应该是服务于我们所有人的国家力量，遵守同样的
海马群体的闪光灯可能会导致它们失明。 “随后，海马体内许多潜伏疾病中的一种将在其虚弱状态下占据主导，并在数周内将其杀死，”该警告称。 公众被警告观察海马的时间不得超过五分钟，不得触摸或移动它们，也不得成群地拥挤在动物周围。 “如果海马显示出压力迹象（例如颜色变深，
作者：Mark Ludlow
BOY GEORGE 在其唱片公司经理拒绝发行他那首具有争议的亲以色列歌曲后，与其分道扬镳。 这位歌手昨天在社交媒体上确认他已与托尼·庞蒂乌斯（Tony Pontius）分开，并称这位经营其唱片公司 BGP 多年的高管为“没骨气”。 这位前 Culture Club 乐队主唱在 X 上写道：“我想发行《We Will Dance Again》，但他 [庞蒂乌斯] 态度明确地表示，‘我不想与这首歌有任何关系’，而我的回应是，‘好吧，我们结束了’。” “当一个人没骨气时，说再见真的并不心痛。我对人类的信念不会减少，真理永远会胜出。我会发行它的！” 庞蒂乌斯先生是一名电子音乐 DJ，已被联系请求置评，但尚未对 George 的声明做出回应。Boy
无论信仰如何，标准都应一致。不应对任何信仰采取特殊措施。我们不应改变警察文化以适应某种宗教的惯例。 “期望应当是统一的，鼓励非穆斯林警察在斋月期间禁食是完全不恰当的。我们需要废除‘公共部门平等义务’（Public Sector Equality Duty），该义务为这类行为提供了法律框架，并确保所有人都遵循同一套规则，而不是给予某些群体特殊待遇。” 亨利·杰克逊协会（Henry Jackson Society）高级研究员安德鲁·福克斯（Andrew Fox）少校补充道：“西米德兰兹警察局的判断力正日益受到质疑。 “这个警察部门在排除以色列支持者时，使用了后来被发现是虚假或夸大的证据，而与此同时，该部门竟然鼓励非穆斯林警员在斋月期间禁食，将其视为一种宗教团结的行为。支持所有信仰的警员是完全恰当的，但鼓励员工参与宗教仪式则不然。警察的存在是为了公正地执行法律，而不是为了推广或便利宗教实践。” 今年1月，克雷格·吉尔福德（Craig Guildford）从西米德兰兹警察局局长一职退休。此前在欧联杯客场比赛期间，来自维拉公园（Villa Park）的以色列足球迷被排除在外。针对该事件的一项官方调查发现，该警队使用了“夸大且不实”的情报（包括人工智能生成的虚假信息），以此证明在 6, 2025 年 11 月 6 日排除特拉维夫马卡比（Maccabi Tel Aviv）球迷的合理性。西米德兰兹警察局的一位发言人表示：“多年来，西米德兰兹穆斯林警察协会一直邀请来自所有信仰和背景的同事在斋月期间禁食一天，以为慈善事业筹款。是否参与完全由警员和工作人员自行决定。”
（当海马在游走或蜷缩时），缓慢撤退至至少五米远，避免突然动作，”该指南写道。 该信托基金执行董事尼尔·加里克-梅德门特（Neil Garrick-Maidment）表示，对待海马应“极其小心”。 “海马是娇嫩、敏感的动物，如果你看到或不小心捕捉到一只，应采取极其谨慎的态度，”他说。“如果在蟹笼中发现，请迅速行动；使其脱离水中的时间尽可能短，拍一张简短的照片，然后轻轻将其放回水中，远离海鸥。 “如果你在潜水或深潜时发现一只，请保持冷静并与它保持距离，禁止使用闪光灯拍照。至关重要的是，请报告所有目击情况，以便我们将其添加到‘国家海马数据库’中。了解这些珍贵动物是保护它们的关键。” 根据 1981, 年的《野生动物与乡村法》（Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981），任何寻求拍摄海马影片或照片的人必须先从海洋管理组织（MMO）获得野生动物许可证。 丘吉尔-比塞特（Churchill-Bissett）女士说：“我们可以理解人们对我们本土海马物种的高度关注和着迷。然而，它们是非常脆弱且娇弱的海洋动物。” 目前尚未有报道称，有个人因在没有野生动物许可证的情况下干扰海马而受到执法行动处罚。
乔治（George）并非犹太人，但在近年来一直支持犹太事业，他表示这一立场导致他“失去了一些生活中的人”，并坚持认为艺术家应当能够自由表达自己的观点，即使这些观点并不受欢迎。 他的最新歌曲探讨了 Oct 7 2023, 哈马斯在诺瓦音乐节（Nova Musical Festival）对参加者的屠杀，并对以色列在加沙的战争表示支持。开篇
歌词为：“你说这是种族灭绝，而我看到的是战争 / 当你遭受攻击，这就是军队的作用 / 过程会变得丑陋吗？当然会 / 当我知道你想杀掉我们每一个人时。”
这首歌的标题是以色列人在大屠杀后，为了表达对未来的希望而反复使用的一种措辞。
歌词中包含的一行字提到，参加音乐节的人们因为“跳舞之罪”而被“谋杀”。
在社交媒体渠道发布这首新歌几天后，乔治退出了在伦敦帕拉迪姆剧院上演的新版《耶稣基督超级巨星》。
作者：Albert Tait 教育编辑
苏埃拉·布雷弗曼表示，英国改革党 (REFORM UK) 将要求学生私人资助“觉醒”大学学位。该党的教育发言人表示，对于性别研究以及其他“结果糟糕且价值较低”的课程，将不再向学生提供学生贷款。
她表示，在改革党政府的领导下，想要修读这些课程的学生需要自行支付学费，因为“英国纳税人将不再为此提供资金”。
她在接受《电讯报》采访时表示：“像性别研究、社会公正、批判性种族理论和酷儿理论这样结果糟糕且价值较低的‘觉醒’课程，不能仅仅因为它们是由所谓的大学提供的，就继续享有纳税人的补贴。如果人们想学习这些课程，他们需要私人出资。英国纳税人将不再为其提供资金。”
这位前内政大臣还确认，在改革党政府下，“提供低质量教学且持续失败的大学”将失去获得纳税人支持的学生融资资格。她的言论代表了该党对大学部门的最新攻击，此前该党曾威胁要削减那些未能维护言论自由或未能保护学生免受反犹主义侵害的机构的资金。
该党在上一周的一项选民意向调查中，首次在一年多时间内被工党反超。该党认为有太多的学生进入大学，并主张更多地关注技术教育。
布雷弗曼女士说：“年轻人被诱骗地背负了数万英镑的债务，去追求那些往往让他们就业前景不佳的学位，而纳税人却在为此买单。与此同时，我们的经济正急需本土培养的工程师、科学家、技术员、建筑工和熟练技工。”
性别研究是一个探讨性别的社会和文化构建的学术领域，在英国通常由研究生学习。
《电讯报》在英国大学中发现了 35 个以上开设性别研究硕士、博士及其他研究生课程的案例。
硕士生每年可从政府获得 £13,000 以上的贷款，而博士生的贷款可超过 £30,000。
根据《完整大学指南》(Complete University Guide)，性别研究专业的毕业生可从事多样性与包容性官员、社会工作者和人力资源官员等职业。
近年来，欧洲的右翼政府越来越多地将性别研究课程作为目标。
2018 年，维克多·欧尔班在担任匈牙利总理期间，撤销了该国性别研究项目的认证和资金支持。
2020 年，当波兰由右翼民粹主义政党“法律与公正党”执政时，一名部长呼吁禁止性别研究。
性别研究领域此前在英国面临批评，被指偏袒支持跨性别肯定的学者，并压制质疑性别的学者。
CATHERINE BRAID / SOLENT NEWS
外带午餐：一只海鹦在苏格兰东海岸福斯峡湾的梅岛附近捕鱼后，喙里塞满了沙鳗，正努力将其带回喂给雏鸟。
更难获得兼职工作
作者：Albert Tait 和 Ollie Corfe
工党被指责增加了学生获得兼职工作的难度。《电讯报》对国家统计局 (ONS) 数据的分析发现，超过 50 万名学生希望在学习之余工作，但无法获得工作机会。
根据对劳动力调查数据的分析，这一数字在过去两年中跃升了 40%，达到了十多年来的最高水平。
这些数据被归咎于政府的决定：增加了雇主在员工工资上支付的国家保险缴款 (NICs)、最低工资的剧烈上涨以及疲软的就业市场（尤其是酒店业和零售业）。
Policy Exchange 数据分析负责人 Ben Sweetman 表示：“许多学生愿意在学习期间工作，而青年失业预计每年给英国造成 1250 亿英镑 (£125bn) 的损失，政府不应为年轻人创造更苛刻的劳动力市场条件。”
生活成本的上升导致越来越多的学生在学习之余寻求有偿工作。然而，截至 2026, 年 5 月为止的最新 ONS 数据发现，尽管 514,000 名学生希望就业，但他们处于经济不活跃状态。
这是自 2015. 年 1 月底以来最高的一次。这一数字此前已连续多年稳步下降，在 2024, 年 4 月底的一年周期内达到了 363,000 人的低点，随后才跳升至目前的水平。
这被认为与
计划“将耗资 £2.2bn”
作者：Dominic Penna 高级 政治记者
一项分析发现，安迪·伯纳姆 (ANDY BURNHAM) 为社会护理工作者提高薪酬的计划将耗资高达 £2.2bn。
首相承诺将基于其前任基尔·斯塔默爵士 (Sir Keir Starmer) 达成的一项协议，为护理人员提供“公平薪酬”。但保守党指责伯纳姆先生正计划一次薪资增长，这将造成一个超过 £2bn 的新预算黑洞。
基尔爵士通过他的《公平薪酬协议》拨款 5 亿英镑m 供议会提高社会护理薪酬，并计划在 2028 年前设定具有法律约束力的最低薪资和条件。
但保守党的研究发现，将社会护理薪酬与 NHS 薪酬接轨的成本中位预估值为 £2.7bn，从而留下了 £2.2bn 的黑洞。
一项由 Skills for Care 提供的估算显示，在两年内将社会护理工作者的薪酬提高至与 NHS 3 级 (Band 3) 薪酬相匹配的成本为 £4.2bn，其中包括每年给纳税人带来 £2.7bn 的成本。在上周他的首次重大政策演讲中，伯纳姆先生赞扬了基尔爵士在 2028-29. 年为社会护理工作者提供更好薪酬方案方面所做的工作。他暗示自己将在薪酬方面走得更远，承诺将“研究如何将公平薪酬协议转化为更大规模的改革，以改善社会护理劳动力”。
伯纳姆先生补充说，他希望“将其提升至接近 NHS 的标准……并考虑进入社会护理行业的年轻人的晋升路径，以便他们能从社会护理岗位晋升到 NHS 岗位”。
影子财政大臣梅尔·斯特赖德爵士 (Sir Mel Stride) 表示：“首相再次发布了一个带有天文数字价格标签且伴有相应黑洞的公告。这就是定义了基尔·斯塔默的同样失败。斯塔默在反对党中度过了四年时间来制定政府计划，但他没有这样做。”
一名政府人士表示：“安迪专注于解决问题，而不是为了得分和编造数字。”
青年失业给英国经济每年带来的损失金额
随着雇主削减兼职和入门级岗位，青年失业率在上升。
18 至 24 岁人群的失业率目前接近 15 per cent，高于两年前的 12.1 per cent。
这一增长部分被归咎于瑞秋·里夫斯 (Rachel Reeves) 在担任财政大臣期间，在其 2024 年 10 月的就职预算案中决定将雇主支付的国民保险贡献金 (NICs) 税率从 13.8 per cent 提高到 15 per cent。该变更于 2025 年 4 月生效。
今年早些时候，里夫斯女士承认，认为她不应提高 NICs 的说法具有“合理的依据”，并承认“围绕青年失业的特殊问题”，但表示此次变更是为了向公共服务部门投入资金。
本月早些时候，约翰·希利 (John Healey) 接替里夫斯女士出任财政大臣。
自成为首相以来，安迪·伯纳姆 (Andy Burnham) 将解决青年失业危机作为其优先事项之一。他本周透露，计划为 14 岁起的学生提供技术教育课程，并正计划打击针对青年的病假补贴。
此前，前工党卫生大臣艾伦·米尔本 (Alan Milburn) 的一份报告显示，英国有超过 100 万年轻人不在就业、教育或培训状态 (Neets)。
对一位技巧精湛的吸血鬼 及其流行公主 永恒之爱的家园
尼克·凯夫与 坏种子乐队 (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
布赖顿，普雷斯顿公园
★★★★★
作者：尼尔·麦考密克 (Neil McCormick) 首席音乐评论家
尼克·凯夫与坏种子乐队在布赖顿的演唱会，对于这位将英国海滨小镇作为数十年居住基地的澳大利亚移民来说，是一次充满狂喜的回归。演出甚至得到了另一位更为著名的澳大利亚移民偶像凯莉·米诺格 (Kylie Minogue) 的光临，她身着一件蕾丝白色舞会礼服翩翩而至，为这场气势磅礴的摇滚演唱会洒下了一些迷人的流行魔力。
在她出现时，公园里爆发出了欢呼声，人们热情地地合唱起《Where the Wild Roses Grow》，这首 1995 年的“古怪组合”二重唱是凯夫唯一的一首热门单曲。你永远不会听到有比这更令人愉悦的合唱，而歌曲的主题竟然是一首关于流行公主被一个色眯眯的哥特人杀害的谋杀民谣。
歌曲结束时，这位身材细长但气场强大的 6英尺2英寸 创作歌手弯下腰，拥抱他那 5英尺 纤小且同样在演唱的搭档，就像一只吸血鬼欣喜地扑向一个心甘情愿的受害者；与此同时，她对他宣告着“永恒且不灭的爱”。紧接着，这支 10 人的乐队爆发式地演奏起《The Mercy Seat》，这是一首如洪流般奔涌的歌曲，讲述了一个坐在电椅上的男人的最后忏悔。
在 43 年的时间里，凯夫及其不断变动的乐团已成为最灵活、最宏大且最令人敬畏的……
作者：阿尔伯特·泰特 (Albert Tait) 教育编辑
一名处于剽窃争议中心的剑桥大学教授，正因其声称有猪头被寄到其家中而面临质疑。 杰森·阿戴 (Jason Arday) 教授此前在一次采访中表示，一个被斩断的猪头被……
作者：加雷斯·考菲尔德 (Gareth Corfield) 交通记者
一名伦敦巴士司机批评市长萨迪克·汗 (Sir Sadiq Khan) 爵士关于空调损坏的巴士会被停止运行的说法。 安东尼娅·普格-托马斯 (Antonia Pugh-Thomas) 曾是一名高级定制裁缝，她表示在近期的热浪期间，她巴士驾驶室内的温度比撒哈拉沙漠还要热。
50 岁的普格-托马斯夫人表示：“伦敦交通局 (TfL) 和萨迪克·汗告诉所有人，所有巴士都配备了空调，如果没有空调，就配备了空气冷却系统。”
“但实在是太热了。根本没有空调，或者空调根本不起作用，我驾驶室里的温度是 43°C。”
萨迪克爵士声称，他已授权伦敦交通局 (TfL) 停止让巴士司机在过热的驾驶室中工作。但普格-托马斯夫人声称，她有朋友因此导致身体不适。
“我看着朋友们被热得脸色发灰，”她说，“我看着朋友们起来呕吐。至于公众，他们至少可以选择下车，但我们真的不行。然后你被告知要多喝水，没错，你确实出了一身汗。但司机的座椅是铺地毯的，你坐上去时，屁股底下就是另一个司机留下的完全湿透、黏糊糊的汗水，这简直太恶心了。”
今年夏天已经打破了……
作者：Gareth Corfield 和 Matt Davis
成千上万在英国道路上使用外国驾照的驾驶员并未被追踪——而且即使他们未能通过英国驾驶考试，法律上他们仍能继续驾驶。
移居英国的外籍人士可以使用其原籍国签发的驾照驾驶最长一年。之后，他们必须通过英国驾驶考试。
然而，驾驶员与车辆牌照局 (DVLA) 证实，该局没有关于有多少此类外国驾驶员在使用这一豁免权的记录、登记册，甚至没有估算数据，这引发了人们对成千上万的人可能在无视法律的担忧。
交通部的一位发言人表示，政府正准备打击滥用该漏洞的外国驾驶员。
12个月的宽限期本应从驾驶员“成为居民”之日起算，最初旨在允许定居于此的移民参加英国考试并获得完整的英国驾照。然而，这个日期在任何地方都没有记录，因此没有人知道计时何时开始。
（此处为关于 Nick Cave 的音乐评论片段）
……地球上最出色的乐队之一。他们的动态范围极其广阔，从颤抖而细腻的民谣（安静到能听到针掉地上的声音），转变到交织着福音合唱启示的强力曼特拉蓝调摇滚。
作为有史以来最大胆的作词人之一，Cave 已经从边缘的、实验性的局外人变成了受人尊敬的家喻户晓的人物，他的个人特质在某种程度上将 Jim Morrison 那种狂野的萨满力量与 Leonard Cohen 的温柔睿智结合在了一起。
他的冲动是将音乐会变成一种蜕变体验，让观众在音乐中迷失并找回自我，而在普雷斯顿公园（Preston Park），他遇到了一个极具接受力的观众群：30,000 名户外狂欢者被彻底地迷住了两个半小时。
Cave 频繁地提到他选定的故乡，他指着天际线，指出了其 2013 年单曲《Jubilee Street》的背景设定。
民谣《Wide Lovely Eyes》献给了他的妻子 Suzie。“这是关于她的，也是关于布赖顿海滩——肯普顿端（Kemptown end）……不是天体浴区。”
在歌曲之间，Cave 的谈话融合了深刻与冷幽默。当他唱歌时，他似乎被带动了——在阴郁的曼特拉歌曲《Hollywood》中，他那长而富有表现力的脸上刻满了痛苦；在细腻且带有喘息感的《Rings of Saturn》中，他被希望所化境；而在催眠般的《Red Right Hand》演绎中，他则充满了顽皮的快感，他在密集的人群中表演，被人们高高举起。
“我完全不知道我在这里做什么，”他在结束时说道，仿佛从咒语中惊醒。“能请你们轻轻把我放下来吗？”正是这样一种体验，一场由地球上最伟大的乐队之一带来的、极具沉浸感的演出。
（此处为关于 Prof Arday 的片段）
……作为一项他多年来面临的恐吓和虐待活动的一部分，（该物品）被送到了他父母的住址。据报道，他表示警方已对此事展开调查，并发现了一家屠宰店，该店在涉嫌事件发生的当天早晨出售了一头“整猪”。
然而，大都会警察局已证实并未进行任何调查，并表示找不到警员访问过任何屠宰店的记录。据称，Prof Arday 点名的屠宰店也否认过有警方到访。
Prof Arday 担任教育社会学教授，一直以来……
（此处为关于巴士驾驶员的片段）
普格-托马斯夫人“别无选择，只能驾驶一辆空调损坏的巴士”
……温度记录显示，5 月最高温达到 35.1°C (95°F)，6 月达到 38°C。该记录还显示，30°C 的天数与 1976, 年的夏天一样多，那个夏天因干旱而为人铭记，当时水龙头干涸，迫使人们使用街道上的立管。
今年夏天早些时候，萨迪克爵士告诉 LBC 广播电台：“我不希望任何巴士司机在 2026. 年的伦敦处于不可接受的工作条件下工作。让我……”
CHLOE HASHEMI
尼克·凯夫（Nick Cave）和凯莉·米诺格（Kylie Minogue）向布莱顿普雷斯顿公园的 30,000 名观众致意，他们在那里表演了凯夫 1995 年的热门单曲《Where the Wild Roses Grow》。
在《电讯报》披露他被指控抄袭另一名学生的博士论文部分内容后，他成为了剽窃指控的对象。 在对阿戴（Arday）教授的博士论文进行分析后，发现有超过 180 段文字与另一名学生的论文完全相同或近乎相同，这一剽窃风波引发了包括美国在内的国际关注。 他还面临关于他曾在 35 天内跑了 30 场马拉松（其中部分时间腿部骨折）以及其慈善募捐活动的质疑。剑桥大学坚称阿戴教授是针对其信誉的“卑劣活动”的受害者”，但该大学因拒绝重新审查其学术资质而面临员工的抗议。 阿戴教授长期以来一直声称自己遭受过身体虐待和恐吓——
阿戴教授被指控剽窃及其关于自身运动能力的说法
直接向巴士司机喊话：如果你的驾驶室太热，我已经给了伦敦交通局（TfL）许可，并告知巴士运营商，你绝不能驾驶那辆车。” 普格-托马斯（Pugh-Thomas）女士曾试图拒绝驾驶一辆空调损坏的巴士，但被告知她别无选择。 “在听到萨迪克（Sadiq）爵士说巴士司机因拒绝驾驶空调损坏的巴士而不会受到处罚后，我想，我要做个小实验。今天的巴士没有空调，所以我拒绝（接手）这辆车。 “哦，我的天呐！我的意思是，考虑到这引起了多么大且多么剧烈的反弹，我很惊讶我竟然还活着。” 她被指示无论如何都必须将巴士开出去以维持服务，因为车上安装了 TfL 所称的“空气冷却”设备。这实际上是一个在巴士驾驶室内吹风的内部风扇系统。真正的空调能够降低温度。 这位土生土长的伦敦人两年前开始为一家著名的伦敦公司驾驶巴士，但现在因为剧烈的夏季高温而辞职。 “在新冠疫情、脱欧和一项坏账导致我于 2024 年 7 月被迫关闭公司之前，我经营了一家裁缝店 20 年。 “所以当时我想，我需要一份收入，因为我让最小的女儿接受私立教育，我想支持她。所以从那年 9 月起我就在开巴士，”她告诉《电讯报》。 伦敦交通局和伦敦市长办公室已被要求就此发表评论。
回到 L 牌（实习牌）状态，且副驾驶席必须有一名合格的驾驶员。 根据国家统计局的数据，去年共有 171,000 名移民在英国定居，而前一年的这一数字为 331,000。驾驶员及车辆牌照局（DVLA）唯一统计的外国司机是那些来自批准国家名单的人，他们无需参加考试即可将原驾照更换为英国驾照。 这些国家包括澳大利亚、南非和阿拉伯联合酋长国，被判定其驾驶标准与英国相似。 交通部的一位发言人表示：“很明显，任何人在驾驶考试不合格后，都不应能够继续在英国道路上行驶。 “这就是为什么我们正在积极研究可以做出哪些改变。”
自 2023 年被任命为剑桥大学最年轻的黑人教授以来。 据《卫报》报道，他在之前的一次采访中表示，有人向他位于伦敦南部的父母家中寄来了一个装在纸箱里的被斩断的猪头。 他声称自己拦截了该包裹并立即将其扔掉，直到几个月后才告知警方。 大都会警察局向《电讯报》确认，他们没有发现任何涉及猪头的指控记录，也没有警员访问肉铺的记录。
据报道，Arday 教授没有对该猪头拍摄照片，也无法提供在他所称事件发生时的任何消息记录。 剑桥大学表示，不会对具体指控发表评论。 但该大学的一名消息人士表示，Arday 教授曾收到死亡威胁、辱骂以及称他不属于剑桥的信件。 他们表示，鉴于对其健康状况和安全的担忧，大学和学院正在为 Arday 教授提供支持。 已联系 Arday 教授寻求评论。
公开且自豪 昨日，数千人参加年度骄傲游行，布莱顿市沉浸在闪粉与色彩之中。此次活动在“爱的力量”主题下庆祝其 35 周年。
安德鲁·哈森 (ANDREW HASSON)
新坦克 “惨淡” 短缺
作者：汤姆·科特里尔 (Tom Cotterill) 国防编辑
作者：汤姆·科特里尔 (Tom Cotterill)
一名国防前首长警告称，陆军在将要获得的新坦克和装甲车数量上面临“惨淡”的短缺。 在 2006 年至 2009 年期间负责领导英国陆军的丹纳特勋爵 (Lord Dannatt) 对第 3 (UK) 师的状态表示担忧，该师是英国首屈一指的装甲作战部队。 他表示，由于缺乏足够的挑战者 3 (Challenger 3) 坦克，无法为这支作为任何重大军事部署中“矛尖”的战斗力量提供适当的装备。 丹纳特勋爵的担忧在一份由 878 发布的报告中提出，该报告由雅各布·里斯-莫格 (Jacob Rees-Mogg) 共同创立的一家英美智库撰写，重点强调了武装部队的“缺口”。 在报告的前言中，丹纳特勋爵写道，第 3 (UK) 师的“设备短缺情况十分惨淡”。他补充道：“安迪·伯纳姆 可能会向我们承诺世界上最好的社会护理，但如果我们没有根本的安全保障，良好的护理又有什么价值？首相，确定优先级——那是你的工作，而不是凭空幻想。” 英国已订购了一批 148 辆挑战者 3 坦克，总额略低于 £1bn。开发商表示，它们将比前代产品拥有更厚重的装甲，并配备更好的武器和传感器。 预计这些坦克将于明年开始服役，并将在隶属于第 3 (UK) 师的三个团中运行：国王皇家轻骑兵团 (King’s Royal Hussars)、女王皇家轻骑兵团 (Queen’s Royal Hussars) 和皇家坦克团 (Royal Tank Regiment)。 然而，报告警告称，在作者将当前 168 辆的规模进行对比后，该师在坦克到货时仍将缺口 42 辆。
出动应对俄罗斯舰船
数据显示，英国军舰平均每周出动两次，以跟踪俄罗斯海军舰艇和受制裁的油轮。
在过去的一年里，海军共“激活”舰船 116 次，以监测莫斯科派遣进入英国专属经济区的近 90 艘舰船。在过去 12 个月中，共有 61 艘克里姆林宫的军舰和潜艇由海军护送，因为弗拉基米尔·普京试图加大对英国的压力。
此外，海军还跟踪了 28 艘“俄罗斯商船”，据信这些船只属于该国商业船只的影子舰队。这些船只是俄罗斯的重要生命线，通过非法销售受制裁石油来为普京在乌克兰的战争提供资金。
这些由国防部在年度报告中公布的数据，详细描述了在应对莫斯科舰船时所面临的压力。
一名国防消息人士表示：“俄罗斯一直在试图向英国施压并收紧绞索；这对皇家海军来说是一个巨大的挑战。”
英国国防官员警告称，在过去一年中，进入英国海域的俄罗斯军舰和潜艇数量增加了约 30%。
与此同时，海军规模已缩减至记忆中最小的程度，仅拥有 6 艘驱逐舰和 2 艘航空母舰。上个月有 2 艘护卫舰退役，这意味着目前仅有 5 艘在役，而 2014 年时有 13 艘。
目前有计划引入 13 艘新军舰，其中包括 8 艘 26 型反潜护卫舰和至少 5 艘 31 型通用舰。但这些舰船距离交付仍有数年之久。
今年早些时候，一艘俄罗斯军舰在英吉利海峡向一艘由两名英国退休人员操纵的无武装游艇开火。6 月 16 日上午约 11.40，一艘长 409 英尺的格里戈罗维奇海军上将号（Admiral Grigorovich）护卫舰发射了警告炮弹，随后声称由珍和艾伦·凯尔维（Jane and Alan Kelvey）拥有的“光明未来号”（Bright Future）采取了“危险航线”。此前几天，一艘携带受制裁俄罗斯石油的影子油轮“斯米尔托斯号”（Smyrtos）在海峡中被皇家海军陆战队登临并扣押。
海军此前还瓦解了一次涉及 3 艘潜艇的俄罗斯秘密海军行动，这些潜艇在试图监测关键水下数据电缆时在英国海岸附近被拦截。
英国前线车辆及其他 22 辆车辆正在装甲中心进行维护。
与此同时，报告对新型 Boxer 装甲车提出了担忧，该车型将取代陆军中老旧的 Warrior 舰队，成为步兵机械化突击部队未来的骨干。
该 878 报告指出，“623 辆平台中仅交付了 100 辆”，这现在威胁到“随着 Warrior 被逐步淘汰且没有作战替代方案，将留下巨大的能力缺口”。
保守党议员、前步兵军官本·奥贝塞-杰克蒂（Ben Obese-Jechty）担心，第 3 (英国) 师“目前无法部署”，如果被要求出击，将难以履行重大战争作战角色。
他补充道：“我们实际上是在一只手背在身后的情况下进入冲突。如果你这样做，你能期待的最佳结果就是运气好。我们有 100 辆 Boxer。那是两个团。这在部署门外的机械化步兵数量上并不具备可信度……我们是在通过虚张声势来掩盖目前还不需要部署这些装备的事实。”
英国已宣布，将于明年将其较旧的挑战者 2 型（Challenger 2）坦克从爱沙尼亚撤出，并用无人机“反装甲部队”取而代之。国防部表示，该部队将更加灵活且更难被击中。
在其他方面，报告作者表示，他们并不认同海军的“混合”舰队战略，该战略将由一个更大的无人机舰队支持有人驾驶舰船。
这一转变导致了 83 型驱逐舰的取消，该舰原计划取代现役的 6 艘 45 型驱逐舰。
国防部已被要求就此发表评论。
在根本上缺乏保障， 优质的社会护理 价值何在？”
作者：Tom McArdle 和 Cameron Henderson
“野化”被指是触发萨福克郡这场山火的原因。这起 371 英亩的火灾于周三下午在 RSPB（英国皇家鸟类保护协会）的明斯米尔场地开始，随后蔓延至国家信托基金会拥有的邓威奇希斯（Dunwich Heath）。
这场火灾距离 Sizewell B 核电站及新建的 Sizewell C 施工现场仅数英里，昨日在火灾发生第四天时情况趋于稳定。
消防员表示，在“采取积极的灭火行动……并创建了进一步的防火隔离带”之后，他们能够在昨日早晨将参与扑救的设备数量从 14 辆减少到 8 辆。但居民和专家
STEVEHOGAN / BNPS
作者：Laura Donnelly 健康编辑
英国最高级别的救护车主管发出警告，在首都，急救人员应对的心理健康紧急情况几乎是三年前的两倍。
杰森·基伦斯（Jason Killens）表示，救护车团队正在应对高风险、复杂患者需求的“大幅”增长，这类患者越来越难以管理。
全国数据显示，针对工作人员的袭击人数创下纪录，酒精、药物和心理健康危机加剧了这种暴力行为。
基伦斯先生是伦敦救护车服务中心负责人，同时也是救护车首席执行官协会主席
英国最大的私人医疗保险公司将开始提供基因检测和个性化预防计划，转向在疾病发展之前进行预测。
Bupa 表示，它将成为第一家将基因组学主导的预防措施纳入标准承保范围的主要私人医疗保险公司。
在该计划下，DNA 分析将被用于在症状出现之前，识别出患乳腺癌、心脏病和糖尿病等疾病风险增加的人群。
该服务将于 Sept 1, 启动，旨在识别能够从早期监测、预防性药物或手术中获益的人群，而不是等到疾病发展。
符合条件的客户将首先接受对其个人和家族医疗史的临床评估。评估结果显示基因检测可能影响其护理的人员，随后将被提供 DNA 检测。客户
称该地区因为 RSPB 的“野化议程”而成了“火药桶”。
这场大火使这片荒原处于“彻底毁灭”的状态。
一名住在荒原附近的西特尔顿（Westleton）村居民对 RSPB 的土地管理方法提出了质疑，并声称其“绿色项目”使整个村庄陷入风险。
这名不愿透露姓名的人士说：“那些推行绿色议程的人需要考虑住在农村的人。经常有东西（从树上）掉下来，他们就任其散落在那里。每当他们似乎在做任何工作时，他们都做得并不好。多年来这里总是有这么多碎片遗留。整个地区绝对就是一个火药桶。”
“我们在这里很幸运。如果风是从海边吹来的，西特尔顿就不得不撤离。他们会说这不是他们的错，但他们需要认真审视一下。”
火势在由石楠花和其他灌木组成的植被中传播速度极快
高管们表示：“在过去三年中，因心理健康相关问题拨打 999 急救服务的患者人数增加了 90%。” “在过去 24 个月中，这一数字增加了 60,000 份工作量。规模巨大。这些患者通常具有高风险，且情况复杂，难以管理，将他们安置在合适的医疗服务中是一个真正的挑战。” Killens 先生表示，由于传统培训无法让人员充分应对日益增长的需求，服务部门正在培养心理健康专科救护员。他说道：“我们必须重新思考如何培训和支持我们的员工，因为需求已经发生了变化。”
被发现携带与严重疾病相关的遗传变异者将获得后续护理，其中可能包括专家建议、增加筛查、药物治疗或预防性手术。 例如，被评估为遗传性乳腺癌风险增加的女性，可以获得包括 BRCA1 在内的基因突变检测。
一名消防员在邓威奇荒野（Dunwich Heath）与巨大的野火搏斗，面显疲惫。
服用常规药物的人可以进行唾液测试，以帮助确定哪些药物最可能产生效果，以及哪些可能会引起副作用。 与通常仅提供信息而无持续医疗护理的直接面向消费者的 DNA 检测不同，Bupa 的计划将基因检测与临床决策、基因咨询、全科医生（GP）预约以及适当的专家治疗联系起来。 该公司估计，到 2027. 年底，将有超过 200,000 名客户通过该计划获得预防性护理。预计仅乳腺癌预防路径就将使超过 36,000 名女性受益。该举措是在一项涉及 12,000 多名客户的试点项目之后实施的。 Bupa 临床创新与基因组学总监 Rebecca Rohrer 博士表示，该计划代表了医疗保健的“转折点”。她补充道：“它使人们能够更加主动地预防或延迟疾病，并能更快地获得适合自己的药物。”
萨福克郡（Suffolk）的大部分荒原地区。在英国皇家鸟类保护学会（RSPB）的明斯米尔（Minsmere）地区，在该慈善机构启动鹿群管理计划后，灌木丛被允许过度生长。 活动团体警告称，针对农业的净零排放打击提高了野火吞噬英国乡村的风险。该居民声称，RSPB 和国民信托（National Trust）已经
在接受《电讯报》采访时，Killens 先生表示，心理健康紧急情况的急剧增加没有单一的解释。 他表示，非法药物使用“肯定”起到了作用，酒精也是原因之一。“我认为，可以说人们变得更加脆弱，或者说在我们的社区中确实有一些脆弱的人，他们可能发现很难获得以前能让他们保持健康的医疗服务。” 官方数据显示，在截至 2026 年 1 月 31 日的一年里，伦敦救护车服务处理了 99,287 起与心理健康相关的 999 电话——几乎是 2022-23 年 52,753 起的两倍。这一增长也伴随着警方政策的转变，即停止将 23.
作者：Patrick Sawer 和 Sarah Limbrick
一名哈利街的牙医正起诉环境局 (Environment Agency)，原因是其诊所周围的防洪设施问题。Mehrdad Honarvar 博士声称，拙劣的防洪工程使其位于肯特郡汤布里奇 (Tonbridge, Kent) 的诊所处于风险之中。
这位专注于美容牙科和皮肤护理程序的牙医声称，他现在无法出售这家估值为 100 万英镑m 的牙科诊所，也无法出租其上方的住宅公寓。Honarvar 博士在哈利街也有一家诊所，他现起诉环境局 (EA) 索赔 100 万英镑m 的损害赔偿金，理由是尽管该局承认了责任，但未能实施修复损坏的补救工作。
这位 58 岁的医生将向高等法院表示，他担心防洪设施面临灾难性失效的风险。他声称这座河边建筑现在“本质上是不稳定的”，这意味着他无法将其出售、出租或投保。
Honarvar 博士在巴登村 (Barden) 经营的河滨牙科诊所 (Riverside Dental Surgery) 设在房产的一楼，而二楼则出租为住宅公寓。
法院将获悉，环境局于 2015, 年开始在梅德韦河 (River Medway) 开展防洪工作，当时该局拆除了建筑后方的平台和河道入口，并在河床中打入桩基，并且
“未能成为”该土地的良好管理人”。他声称，居民们在绿色项目的名义下被忽视了，并补充道：“你可以拥有野生动物，是的，但你还必须为整个社区管理环境。这是一个巨大的警钟。幸运的是没有人员死亡。如果这件事发生在夜里，天知道会发生什么。”
该郡的副消防局长 Henry Griffin 表示，由于许多植物是油基的，火势蔓延迅速。他表示：“（火）非常喜欢那种油基的松树或薰衣草。它们富含油脂，燃烧速度极快。”
伦敦政治经济学院环境地理学副教授 Thomas Smith 博士表示，近期英国的“火灾入侵”可以用地面上可供燃烧的“燃料”量来解释。他表示：“一些人对‘再野化’ (rewilding) 的想法过于天真，认为只要不管这片土地就行，但要恢复到森林景观需要积极的管理。”
英国皇家鸟类保护协会 (RSPB) 表示，今年夏天的山火
经常处理心理健康事件。自 2023, 年该政策实施以来，另一些数据表明，被派遣处理心理健康危机的救护车数量增加了约 40%。
Killens 先生表示，全国范围内的员工也面临着暴力和攻击行为的急剧增加。这位在近 30 年前接受救护车技术员培训的救护车负责人表示，在过去一年中，全国报告的此类事件增加了 15%。
这意味着在英国某处，每 20 到 25 分钟就有一名救护车工作人员遭受暴力或攻击。来自伦敦救护车服务中心的统计数据显示，增加了 35%。
攻击性 是一个 大问题。 它还带有 一种恶劣的 成分”
梅赫达德·霍纳瓦尔 (Dr Mehrdad Honarvar) 博士声称，他的河畔诊所现在“本质上是不稳定的”
此前曾是“规模前所未有，由干旱和气候变化加剧的长期高温所驱动”。 一名发言人表示：“虽然我们正努力降低风险，但必须认识到山火是不分选择的；它们可以在各种地貌中迅速点燃并蔓延，尤其是在炎热、干燥和多风的条件下。” “我们在整个保护区内持续进行生境管理，以降低火灾风险。我们还开展公众意识宣传活动，敦促人们不要使用一次性烧烤架、点燃营火或留下可能引发火灾的垃圾。” 国民信托基金会 (The National Trust) 表示，英格兰和威尔士地区极低的降雨量和广泛的干旱创造了“极端条件”，导致山火激增。 一名发言人表示：“证据表明，更健康、更湿润的地貌对火灾的抵御能力更强。更广泛的问题很明显：气候变化正在加速，我们紧迫需要国家层面的领导力，在我们共同面对漫长恢复期的同时，帮助保护人员、场所和自然。”
本月之渴 昨日（8月1日），太阳在汉普郡新森林林德赫斯特附近的荒原上冉冉升起。 英国气象局透露，7月将成为英格兰有记录以来最干燥的7月。过去一个月里，英格兰总共降雨 5.6mm。 之前的记录设定在 1911 年，当时降雨量为 13.4mm。其次是 1868 年7月，降雨量为 18.1mm，以及 1869 年，降雨量为 20.2mm。
短短两年内袭击事件增加，2025-26 年共有 2,921 起案件。 他表示，部分事件是由酒精和药物驱动的，而另一些事件则似乎源于对公共部门尊重的丧失，或是对等待时间的沮丧。“对公共部门和制服工作者的尊重普遍下降，这是一个问题，”他说道，并暗示对医疗服务状态的“沮丧”有时会转化为攻击行为。 “暴力和攻击性部分对我们来说是一个大问题，但对于我们的员工来说，这还带有一种相当恶劣的成分。我们看到患者和 / 或旁观者对临床医生实施性侵犯的趋势在增加，”他说道。
支撑金属柱开始失效。在当年 3 月的一封电子邮件中，这位牙医告诉环境局 (EA) “防洪墙和支撑金属柱正在崩溃”，并且“板桩墙的位移仍在继续”。 法庭将听取这样一种观点：认为最可能的原因是河岸软床的嵌入深度不足。 环境局在 2022 年 11 月承认，防洪工程存在缺陷，且设计的河墙与实际建造的之间存在差异。 居住在坦布里奇韦尔斯的霍纳瓦尔博士指控环境局玩忽职守，并称其未能修复建筑问题。 环境局一名发言人表示：“环境局仍致力于保护社区免受洪水侵害，包括通过 Avebury Avenue 防洪计划，在 2013 年洪水造成毁灭性影响后，帮助保护整个汤布里奇的居民免受洪水风险。”
作者：詹姆斯·克里斯普 (James Crisp)
美国和以色列正准备对伊朗发动整个战争中规模最沉重的打击。 唐纳德·特朗普已下令针对能源基础设施发起新一轮袭击，袭击可能于本周末开始并持续数日，旨在迫使伊朗回到谈判桌前。 这些袭击将与
ALEXANDER DEMIANCHUK / TASS VIA ZUMA PRESS
作者：Connor Stringer
昨晚，莫斯科一家高端餐厅发生简易爆炸装置爆炸，导致三人死亡。 俄罗斯国家新闻机构称，在库德林斯卡亚广场（Kudrinskaya Square）发生的此次爆炸中，至少 21 人受伤。 国家反恐委员会的官员表示，一名身份不明的女性试图将该装置带入餐厅时发生爆炸，导致一名保安、一名顾客以及该女性本人死亡。 新闻机构俄新社（Ria Novosti）报道称，该女性试图将炸弹走私进该场所，但在装置爆炸前，保安拒绝让她进入。
私人广告
5(0(0%(57+(VDEEDWKGD\WRNHHS LWKRO\ ([RGXV $9
通用私人广告
据报道是针对以色列。如果他们继续执行，这将是以色列自 4 月由美国斡旋停火以来，首次对伊朗采取军事行动。 “我们将沉重打击他们，”特朗普先生在周五的营大卫（Camp David）内阁会议上表示。“而且你知道，在某个时刻，他们会说，‘我们再也承受不住了’。” 官员们告诉《华尔街日报》，特朗普先生已在营大卫批准了袭击计划。然而，他们表示，如果外交上取得突破，总统仍可能改变主意并停止袭击。 一个潜在的目标是皮卡克斯山（Pickaxe Mountain），以色列情报部门声称伊朗在该处隐藏了用于制造
在网上流传的爆炸视频显示，在距离克里姆林宫 1.5 英里的 Balzi Rossi 意大利餐厅有全副武装的执法人员，该餐厅当时因私人活动而关闭。 Telegram 监测频道 Astra 援引目击者称，当时该处正在举行一场将军的生日庆祝活动。 据称，该活动防卫森严，因此避免了大规模伤亡。 俄罗斯媒体报道，广场附近的街道被暂时封锁，巴里卡德纳亚（Barrikadnaya）地铁站的入口也被关闭。 “一个自制爆炸装置在莫斯科库德林斯卡亚广场的一家餐厅爆炸，导致三人死亡”
由衷感谢圣犹达（St Jude）让祈祷得到了回应。BD。 在线参考号：W0051352
5 0 0% 7
伯纳姆挺身而出
作者：Joe Barnes 和 James Crisp
基尔·斯塔默爵士在同事们的掌声中，以及一个英国在任首相首次获得的荣誉——法国最高荣誉的陪伴下，退出了世界舞台。在本月的“志愿联盟”会议上，埃马纽埃尔·马克龙率领众人向基尔爵士的“历史性角色”致敬，毫无疑问，马克龙也意识到自己作为领导者的日子已进入倒计时。
两人结束了伦敦与巴黎之间多年来关于脱欧、疫苗和渔业的争端，共同把握一个因唐纳德·特朗普的漠不关心而摇摇欲坠的欧洲的领导权。他们的“双人组”行动聚集了 30 多个国家来支持乌克兰，并最终部署军队以确保任何停火协议的执行。欧洲这两个核大国还在牵头制定清理霍尔木兹海峡水雷的计划。
但随着基尔爵士的离去以及马克龙无法参加明年的总统选举，人们担心会出现领导力真空，导致欧洲失去方向。委员会（据塔斯社引用）表示，那些能够填补这一真空的候选人（如德国的弗里德里希·梅尔茨）其国内稳定性仍存在疑问。与此同时，一些对俄罗斯更为同情且觊觎领导权的候选人（如玛丽娜·勒潘）正在候场，并可能重塑欧洲对乌克兰的支持。
众所周知，安迪·伯纳姆对国内议程的掌控力更强，但缺乏外交政策经验。自执政以来，他一直试图向盟友保证，在乌克兰和北约问题上可以期待高度的连续性。为了强化这一点，伯纳姆在上周于朴次茅斯接待弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基时，将其作为他与另一位世界领导人的首次面对面会晤。
关于“志愿联盟”将“缓慢死亡”的担忧更多地集中在马克龙的离任上。在明年的总统选举后，这位法国总统别无选择，只能搬出爱丽舍宫。但在没有明显连续性候选人候场的情况下，博彩公司预测接替他的人选热门是极右翼国民联盟领导人玛丽娜·勒潘。她此前曾承诺将使法国脱离——
（此处接续原文中关于铀矿及核武器的部分） ——铀，这些可用于制造核武器。 CBS新闻报道称，多个美国消息来源表示，美国正与以色列协调，但一名以色列官员表示，并不知晓重启行动的决定。 特朗普坚持认为，伊朗必须放弃其核计划，以及对霍尔木兹海峡的控制。 本周早些时候，他曾表示“非常友好的谈判”正在进行，从而导致战斗一度暂停。但在伊朗对约旦发动突袭以及美国采取报复性打击后，谈判破裂。 本周，在经历了数日的战斗间歇后，伊朗和美国恢复了夜间的火力交锋，尽管从周五晚上到昨天没有报道称有袭击发生。 周五，特朗普指责伊朗人“非常不光彩”，并在之前的谈判中违背诺言。 德黑兰没有表现出同意其要求的迹象。一些官员认为，伊朗计划拖延谈判——
在某个时间点，他们会说， ‘我们再也承受不起了’ ”
（此处接续关于俄罗斯餐厅爆炸的部分） ——人们，”该委员会在塔斯社的报道中称。 当局没有公布死伤者名单，也没有说明谁可能对此负责。 俄罗斯联邦安全局（FSB）今年早些时候表示，在发生一系列其归咎于乌克兰的暗杀和企图暗杀事件后，当局将加强对高级军事官员的保护。 俄罗斯日报《商业报》（Kommersant）报道称，这枚炸弹旨在杀伤在餐厅室外夏季露台上就餐的客人。 报道称，炸弹由他人远程触发，携带炸弹的女性可能并不知道该装置是爆炸物。
作者：Samaan Lateef
威尔士亲王向一名在巴基斯坦山脉雪崩中丧生的廓尔喀士兵致敬，称其为“真正独一无二”且是“世界上最伟大的登山家之一”。
他在得知 Nirmal Purja MBE 遇难后表达了悲痛。Purja 当时正率领一支 10 人的国际登山队攀登巴基斯坦第 12 高峰——宽峰（Broad Peak），当地时间周四正午左右，一场雪崩袭击了该地。
在经过搜寻后，他所创立的登山组织 Elite Exped 昨日确认，已发现其遗体以及其他登山者的遗体。
在 X 平台发布的一份声明中，威尔士亲王表示：“惊闻 Nirmal Purja 以及在宽峰雪崩中丧生的人员不幸逝世，我深感悲痛。Nims 在成为世界上最伟大的登山家之一、将尼泊尔登山者推向世界舞台之前，曾在英国武装部队中以卓越表现服役。”
“他对看似不可能之事的不懈追求，结合他的谦逊与无私，使他真正独一无二。我的思绪与他的家人以及所有遇难者的家属同在。”
Elite Exped 补充道：“我们怀着深沉的悲哀和巨大的心碎，确认 Nirmal Purja 不幸丧生。我们也已收到确认，远征队的其他成员遗憾地未能幸存。”
安迪·伯纳姆 在朴次茅斯迎接 乌克兰总统 弗拉基米尔· 泽连斯基
（接前文）……希望特朗普先生在面对国内日益增加的战争反对声时会退让。
伊朗军方昨日指责美国在中东“升级紧张局势”，并警告该地区的国家在当前的冲突中不要与华盛顿合作。
“美国正迅速沿着升级地区紧张局势的道路前进，”伊朗军事中央司令部负责人 Ali Abdollahi 表示。
他在国家电视台说道：“任何充当犯罪且具有侵略性的美国的防御盾牌的国家，都将被战争的火焰吞没。”
科威特军队表示，自黎明起已在国家领空检测并摧毁了敌对无人机，据称伊朗的袭击针对了几个重要设施。
军方称，科威特北部的一处政府设施以及布比亚岛（Bubiyan Island）上一家公司所属的民用财产遭到袭击，并补充说，碎片造成了物质损失，但未造成人员伤亡。
英国的一家海事机构昨日表示，随着霍尔木兹海峡紧张局势升级，一艘油轮在阿曼海岸附近被一名“未知发射物”击中。
英国海运贸易行动局（UK Maritime Trade Operations）表示，该船报告称“被一个未知发射物击中，导致机舱受损”，并补充说未收到人员受伤报告。
（接前文）……从北约的军事指挥部撤出，取消对俄罗斯的制裁，并敦促乌克兰根据莫斯科的条件达成和平协议。被视为九个月后投票选举中主要竞争对手之一的极左翼激进分子让-吕克·梅朗雄（Jean-Luc Mélenchon）甚至走得更远，承诺退出西方军事联盟。
一名消息人士告诉《电讯报》，英国官员已经在探讨他们的胜利对英法关系意味着什么，包括“志愿之 coalition”（Coalition of the Willing）的未来以及机密情报的共享。与此同时，一名西方官员警告称，如果上述任何一名强硬派赢得权力，北约将面临“大问题”。这引发了外交圈的进一步讨论，即谁能填补马克龙先生留下的空白，与英国共同占据最高地位。显而易见的候选人是德国总理默茨（Mr Merz）先生，他目前正监管着一个项目……
一排排的 桨板运动员 参加 2026年 丰坦卡 国际 立式 桨板 节，活动在 圣彼得堡的 丰坦卡河上举行。 该节日 设有沿城市历史 河流和运河的9公里 路线，参赛者 将经过30 座桥梁。它吸引了 来自多个国家的 10,000多名 参与者，他们身着 奇装异服，活动将 评出最佳服装奖 和最佳桨板设计奖。 该节日甚至 举办了一场 立式桨板 小姐竞选赛。
这次远征还包括其他五名 尼泊尔登山者，以及分别来自 美国、中国、阿曼和巴基斯坦的一名队员。 “今天，登山社区 不仅在哀悼我们这一代最伟大的 登山者之一，而且在哀悼这次悲剧中失去的 每一个生命。我们最深切的 思念、祈祷和衷心的慰问 向所有受影响者的家人、朋友、 队友和爱人们致以，”Elite Exped 表示。 普尔贾先生最著名的成就是在 189天内登顶所有14座 海拔8,000米以上的山峰，打破了之前的 记录。他的这次冒险是Netflix电影《14座高峰： 没什么是不可能的》的主题。这位43岁的人 也是第一个在48小时内 登顶珠穆朗玛峰、洛措峰和马卡鲁峰的人。
将他国家的武装部队 转变为欧洲最大的军队。 但他正深陷国内危机， 领导着一个日益反叛的政党， 并面临关于他还能 生存多久的日益增多的质疑。 德国总理还 破坏了欧盟禁止俄罗斯外交官 在申根区内自由活动的努力， 并拒绝关闭俄罗斯之家——这是一个 位于柏林的文化中心，已知是 莫斯科间谍网络的掩护机构。 如果欧洲未能支持乌克兰，或者 未能兑现对基辅的承诺， 地缘政治后果可能会 非常严重。未来的乌克兰政府 可能会背弃不可靠的 西方，转向邻近的其他大国。但德国 总理并不是唯一被认为 可能是弱点的外国领导人。 波兰总理唐纳德·图斯克 由于其国家与俄罗斯邻近， 已拒绝参加任何部署到乌克兰的行动。 意大利总理乔治亚·梅洛尼 也必须在明年年底前 在意大利举行选举。虽然这两位 领导人（与英国、法国和德国一起 构成了欧洲五国小组的残余部分） 预计将会获胜，但他们不太可能 被视为马克龙先生的潜在继任者。 如果基尔爵士离开权力顶峰时 伴随着对其工作的庆祝， 那么马克龙先生的离职 则更有可能被视为一场哀悼。 除非伯纳姆先生能够独立 接过“意愿联盟”领导层的重任。
正吸引着各种 政治倾向的女性
反对男性参与女性体育项目的 “火爆”立场也引起了总统的关注
作者：Ben Stockton 和 Andrew Buncombe
当被认为是有史以来最优秀的女性篮球运动员之一的凯特琳·克拉克在 2025 年 6 月的一场对阵康涅狄格太阳队的比赛中被戳到眼睛时，印第安纳热火队的队友索菲·坎宁安愤怒了。
在裁判未能判定犯规且比赛仅剩不到一分钟时，坎宁安女士将违规者撞翻在地，这一动作更适合美式足球场而非篮球场。这一时刻以及随后的冲突在网络上疯传，这位篮球明星赢得了那些赞赏她在场内外率直风格的粉丝们的青睐。
她还引起了一个特定人物的注意：唐纳德·特朗普。在 7 月 21 日——就在她与 Adidas 合作设计的亮粉色篮球鞋发布前不久——坎宁安女士公开表达了她的观点，认为不应允许跨性别运动员参加女性体育项目。
“我想保护更衣室里的年轻女孩，或者体育运动中的年轻女孩，她们不应该面对生理男性，”她告诉 ESPN。
这些言论在网上引发了激烈的争论，周二她在西雅图的一场比赛中遭到了嘘声。坎宁安女士的前队友布里安娜·泰勒在 X 的一系列帖子中对这些言论做出了反应。“我作为 WNBA [美国女子职业篮球联赛] 球员已经进入了第八个赛季。到目前为止，联赛中只有一名公开身份的跨性别球员。他们没有制造过任何问题，”她写道。
韦斯特·威尔逊，坎宁安女士的儿时好友以及她的播客
作者：Abbir Dib
唐纳德·特朗普政府已撤销对一名被指控破坏林肯纪念堂反思池的前奥运选手的所有指控。
大卫·希恩，67 岁，在被指控犯有破坏财产的重罪后，面临最高 10 年的监禁。
但美国司法部承认，损坏是由一次“搞砸了的安装”造成的。
特朗普先生此前曾多次指责“病态、疯狂”的破坏者导致了该设施的恶化。
詹姆斯·罗斯韦尔 (James Rothwell) 柏林通讯员
这一切始于一场代孕风波，最终以一场混乱的内阁改组告终，这场改组让基尔·斯塔默爵士领导的工党看起来简直成了纪律的典范。
德国总理弗里德里希·默茨 (Friedrich Merz) 上周急于挽回他对其所属基民盟 (CDU) 的掌控权，此前他最亲密的盟友之一延斯·斯潘 (Jens Spahn) 已经辞职。斯潘先生在基民盟中担任相当于首席党鞭的职务，在被揭露其利用美国代孕者绕过本国代孕禁令以成为父母后，他被迫辞职。
默茨先生的团队想出了一个他们认为绝妙的主意：利用这次辞职作为机会进行一次改组，在政府高层中安插一些新面孔。
日期定在 7 月 24 日，与此同时，关键部长职位的候选名单开始流传，其中包括一名新的交通部长——这是一个长期资金不足、且默茨先生曾誓言将提供帮助的部门。
当默茨先生在 7 月 23 日晚上准备就寝时，由于一些关于改组的正面报道，他可能觉得最糟糕的时刻已经过去。
他没有意识到另一场危机即将到来，而这场危机是以一条短信的形式，来自那个本应成为他下一任交通部长的男人。
凌晨 4 点，弗里茨·君茨勒 (Fritz Güntzler) 给总理发了一条简短的消息，告知他最终并不想接手这份工作。据称，这位 60 岁的前审计师声称，他完全不知道该如何管理交通部，因为他的专长在于金融监管。
德国曾经强大的铁路网络现在正处于名副其实的崩溃状态，这与严重的投资不足有关，这可能也是他突然变得“谦虚”的原因。
据报道，默茨先生在早上 6 点阅读了这条消息，而此时记者们正前往新闻发布会的现场，在那里，君茨勒先生的新职务本应是一项关键公告。
在令人想起 BBC 政治喜剧剧集《权力之巅》(The Thick Of It) 的场景中，默茨先生随后面临着……
描述 610m 泳池的状态，其中大面积的新蓝色密封胶正在剥落。
美国总统 $16.4 (1240 万英镑) 的翻新工程在重启后不久，由于水面出现厚厚的绿藻覆盖而被广泛批评。白宫此前曾在周边部署国家警卫队巡逻和 AI 驱动的摄像头以抓捕嫌疑人。
希恩先生上个月被起诉。当时，哥伦比亚特区检察官珍妮妮·皮罗 (Jeanine Pirro) 声称他……
……共同主持人也对此表示反对。“跨性别运动员在美国体育界几乎是一个不存在的问题，”她在发布在 TikTok 上的一段视频中说道。这次 ESPN 的采访巩固了她在日益增长的右翼粉丝和保守派评论员中的地位。这位出生于密苏里州、金发地篮球明星据报道在大学期间首次被赋予“MAGA芭比”的绰号，尽管她在 2025 年告诉《纽约时报》，她在政治立场上是“中立”的。在同一场 ESPN 采访中，她暗示人们会根据她的外表和背景对她做出假设。但她可能终于要接纳这个身份了。“她是个火辣的角色。她的星光正在冉冉升起，”XX-XY Athletics 创始人珍妮弗·赛 (Jennifer Sey) 说道，这是一家与前大学游泳运动员及反跨性别活动人士、保守派知名人物莱莉·盖恩斯 (Riley Gaines) 合作的运动服品牌。
圈子。“不单是因为她的篮球能力——你知道，她的三分球很准——还因为她的个性。她非常漂亮，而且非常敢于表达，活泼有趣。”周二，一群支持者在西雅图的比赛外组织了一场集会，几名参与者坐在场边，身穿 XX-XY Athletics 的 T 恤，手持支持坎宁安女士的标语。组织者告诉《电讯报》，这些座位来自一名“匿名捐赠者”。集会组织者之一艾米·索萨（Amy Sousa）表示：“我们知道西雅图对她来说可能是一个具有挑战性的城市，所以我们非常希望向她表达可见的感谢，让她知道她的努力没有被忽视。”索萨分享的一段体育场内部视频显示，坎宁安女士的支持者与一些篮球迷之间发生了激烈的争论。西雅图风暴队（Seattle Storm）未回应《电讯报》的置评请求。在拥有超过三百万粉丝的 TikTok 上，坎宁安女士显然转发了一段标题为“关于非法移民的对话让我非常困惑”的视频，以及一段声称“说唱音乐是恶魔之作”的视频。这也不是她第一次就跨性别女性参与体育运动发表看法。2022年，在围绕跨性别大学运动员利亚·托马斯（Lia Thomas）参加女子游泳赛事的风波中，坎宁安女士转发了一篇帖子，称
MICHAEL REAVES / GETTY IMAGES / AP PHOTO / LINDSEY WASSON
“女性大学运动员理应获得更好的对待”。 同样参加那场赛事的还有盖恩斯女士，她随后在共和党全国委员会和保守派政治行动会议（CPAC）上发表了演说。 盖恩斯女士主持一个名为《盖恩斯之女》（Gaines for Girls）的 Fox Nation 播客，她已成为反对跨性别运动员运动的旗手。 但坎宁之女士随后删除了该转发并发表了道歉：“我与所有人站在一起，特别是我的运动员同行。我不评判，而是支持所有
曾以“强力且暴力”的方式撕毁了泳池底部的衬里，这是一次“蓄意行为”，造成了超过 $1,000 (£750) 的损失。 然而，在周五提交的一份 20 页的法院文件中，皮罗（Pirro）的办公室请求撤销此案。检察官承认，内部文件显示损坏程度在整个结构中是一致的，包括那些“破坏者不太可能尝试剥离衬里”的深水区域。 法院文件指控内政部提供的“信息不够充分”。
发表一次内阁重组演说，且完全没有提到交通部门的职务。更糟糕的是，当时德国媒体广泛报道，一名相对无名的基民盟（CDU）议员刚刚冷落了自己的总理。 《电讯报》获悉，施潘（Spahn）先生辞职与内阁重组的双重危机，加深了东部两个关键战场州对梅尔茨（Merz）先生的怨恨。 一名参与萨克森-安哈尔特州（Saxony-Anhalt）和梅克伦堡-前波美拉尼亚州（Mecklenburg-Vorpommern）选战的高级基民盟消息人士表示，他们感到被总理抛弃了。 该消息人士暗示，如果民调显示极右翼的德国选择党（AfD）在其中一个或两个州获得足够支持以组建政府，基民盟将要求梅尔茨先生辞职。“内部有一些推测，如果我们输掉这些选举，即 AfD 获得绝对多数席位，那么他将面临辞职压力，”该基民盟消息人士说。
德国总理 弗里德里希·梅尔茨（Friedrich Merz） 因其强悍的 管理风格 而树敌
文件指出：“直到这些文件被出示后，[检方] 首次意识到，信息显示损害是由安装失误造成的，而非最初所陈述的蓄意破坏。”
曾三次代表美国参加奥运会皮划艇单人激流回旋赛的希恩先生，在骑行途中停在这一地标建筑时，于 6 月 19 日被捕。在这次打击行动中，他至少是六名被逮捕或被传唤的人员之一。
“特朗普政府对戴维·希恩（Davey Hearn）提起的诉讼根本不应该被提起，”他的律师表示。“今天的撤诉并不能抹除政府在逮捕和指控一名毫无过错的爱国美国公民时所滥用的权力。政府欠希恩先生一个道歉。”
这项引发争议的 $16.4m (1240 万英镑m) 翻新工程是由特朗普先生亲自倡导的，他下令了……
……种族、宗教、性取向和性别平等，”她写道。
然而，这一次她没有做出此类让步。
塞伊女士认为，有迹象表明坎宁安女士及其他人的努力正在改变这一问题的局面。
“有些球员已经公开反对她，但她并没有被球队或联盟禁赛，”她说。“我相信如果是在一年前，这种情况就已经发生了。所以我会说，文化正在发生变化。”
在 2025 年就任后不久，特朗普先生签署了一项行政命令以……
消息人士补充道，当基民盟（CDU）的几位重量级人物突然不得不退出东部的竞选活动时，基层成员感到非常失望。他们的理由是被迫留在柏林处理党内混乱。 “我们此前支持弗里德里希·默茨（Friedrich Merz），但现在有很多不满，”该人士表示。“我们正处于竞选活动之中，而这一切都对我们毫无帮助。”
基民盟内部人士表示，一名总理在任期如此之早就出现人事调整，这本身就是最明显的信号，表明情况不妙。虽然这种调整对于英国首相来说可能是典型的手段，但在德国政治中则罕见得多。这个中右翼政党曾以其“稳健的操作（safe pair of hands）”而闻名。
“撤销所有剥夺妇女和女孩公平运动机会的教育项目的资金”。但坎宁安女士的一些支持者坚持认为这不是一个党派问题。加利福尼亚州激进组织“女性真实” (Women Are Real) 的让·查德伯恩表示，约三分之二的支持者是民主党人。“我不支持苏菲·坎宁安在政治上的其他任何观点，但我尊重她，”她说道。“作为一名女性主义者和终身注册民主党人，我发现自己与政治光谱中所有我不同意的女性建立了联盟。”
地标底部被刷成了“美国国旗蓝”。 该工程合同在没有经过公开招标程序的情况下，被授予给大西洋工业涂料公司 (Atlantic Industrial Coatings)，该公司由总统的一名关联人士所有。 该水池在三个月内第二次被完全排空，导致华盛顿的一处旗舰纪念碑在工程师试图确定内衬是否可以挽救时处于空置状态。 白宫未立即回应置评请求。
在安格拉·默克尔领导下的风格，但在梅尔茨先生领导下，它却倾向于内斗。 许多人将其归咎于梅尔茨先生本人，理由是他经常在言语上失礼。这位亿万富翁、前 BlackRock 高管在闲暇时喜欢驾驶私人飞机。在 CDU 党于 2025 年 2 月的联邦选举中获得第一名后，梅尔茨先生成为了总理。AfD 获得了前所未有的第二名，成为事实上的反对派。 尽管他因对伊朗和俄罗斯采取强硬立场而获得赞誉，但他的总理任期起步艰难。2025 年 5 月，当他在联邦议院进行总理职位的投票时（这在传统上仅是形式），他未能获得足够的支持，不得不重新投票。 由于处于一个与中左翼社会民主党组成的充满分歧的联盟中，他也难以通过一些最宏大的改革，例如恢复征兵制。另一个主要问题是他的性格以及一种大男子主义的管理风格，这让党内盟友以及选民都感到反感。 “弗里德里希·梅尔茨的沟通和领导风格在 CDU 内部和外部的许多人看来都是对抗性的且不具包容性，”哈勒-维滕贝格马丁路德大学的德国政治学家克丝汀·弗尔克尔博士说道。“在州选举之后，没有什么是不可能的，这取决于选举结果。届时不能排除严重的联盟危机。”
移民问题几乎导致了本世纪每一任工党领导人的垮台。如果安迪·伯纳姆想要避免同样的命运，他就必须停止回避这个问题，并正面应对。正如本周西班牙边境发生的事情所表明的，他不可能永远躲避下去。
周四，欧洲见证了有史以来最大规模的边境突破。约 60,000 名移民（大多为年轻男性）从摩洛哥进入西班牙的塞塔领土，这是一个自 1580 年以来由马德里控制的北非小飞地。
这些移民大多是通过海路抵达，并在 24 小时内被遣返。但西班牙对非法移民的特赦，加上令人费解的西班牙法院裁决（该裁决增加了遣返通过海路抵达者的难度），表明这些非同寻常的景象可能是未来趋势的预兆。
公众会很自然地想，在卑劣的人贩子、我们宽松的福利政策以及崩溃的庇护制度的刺激下，这些人中会有多少人会再次尝试，并最终乘坐小船来到这里。
政府喜欢假装这个问题已在很大程度上得到解决，因为人数已从令人震惊的峰值有所下降。然而，周三有 752 名移民乘坐超载的橡皮艇穿越英吉利海峡，这是今年单日最高人数，使自 2018 年底以来完成此行的人数增加到了 200,000 人。
事实上，无论合法还是非法移民，其规模在历史标准来看都处于极高水平，给我们的公共服务带来了无法承受的压力，降低了人均 GDP 并引发社会冲突。伯纳姆先生计划如何处理这个问题？自从进入唐宁街以来，他几乎没有在这个话题上说过一个字。
这或许是因为伯纳姆先生意识到，移民问题正是他那幻想中的选举……
先生 —— 尽管我们有了新任首相，但政府仍打算在未经查戈斯群岛居民同意的情况下，将该群岛的主权移交给毛里求斯（见 7 月 26 日报道《查戈斯人敦促首相取消岛屿赠予》）。
这是一桩暴行，尤其是考虑到英国曾强行驱逐查戈斯人，以便在迪戈加西亚岛建立军事基地。
有时人们会觉得，殖民主义态度在英国依然根深蒂固。即便是一位出身工人阶级、接受过牛剑教育的领导人，在面对如此显而易见的不公正时，似乎也无法察觉。显然，为他工作的政府律师也同样如此。 林登·罗宾逊中校（退役） 白金汉郡，默斯利
先生 —— 英国正确地拒绝了阿根廷对马尔维纳斯群岛（福克兰群岛）的主权要求，因为岛民希望保留英国国籍。安迪·伯纳姆在处理查戈斯群岛问题时，应警惕摒弃这一原则。
民族自决要么是一项原则，要么是一种权宜之计；两者不可兼得。 乔尼·格雷 威尔特郡，马尔伯勒
先生 —— 艾莉森·皮尔逊对劳拉·昆斯伯格在 BBC 对安迪·伯纳姆的采访评价得非常正确：采访中完全缺乏强有力的质疑，而在这位新救世主面前，却充满了谄媚的顺从（见 7 月 29 日特写《选民希望在唐宁街看到一名着装得体的政治家，而非一个熟人》）。
其中一段对话尤为突出。在给首相提供了慷慨陈词、宣称他所做的一切都将以英国利益为先的机会后，昆斯伯格女士本应询问，这是否意味着他将取消——或者至少重新评估——那场灾难性的查戈斯协议。当然，她没能这样做。 约翰·蒙西 格洛斯特郡，明钦汉普顿
先生 —— 斯蒂芬·费尔（Stephen Fell，7月 29日来信）写道，约克郡和林肯郡有数千公顷的土地被用于安装太阳能电池板，而这些土地本应被用来种植粮食。
事实是，我们需要电力，而且在我看来，一个国家能够自给自足是更好的。这样一来，本应用于购买燃料的资金就可以用来购买海外粮食。虽然这在 1930 年代可能是一场危险的游戏，但我认为今天并非如此。
我在萨福克郡经营农场 —— 或者更准确地说，我接受了被称为“可持续耕作激励计划”的 30 枚银币，并在我们的庄园中实施了环境计划。继续种植谷物的主要是承租农户，但即便如此，他们也尽可能多地将土地纳入了这些计划。是的，小麦价格在近几周有所上涨，但这还远远不足以让英国的谷物种植在长期内具备可行性。
在理想的世界里，农民负责耕种，而民众购买季节性的本地食物，但现实并非如此。此外，由于政府对农场征收遗产税，农民和土地所有者必须尽可能多地创造收入，以便将财产传给下一代。
尼克·莱维特-斯克里夫纳 (Nick Levett-Scrivener) 萨福克郡，萨克蒙德姆
先生 —— 既然无法回到每个家庭都自种粮食的时代，就需要农民来承担死亡、受伤、恶劣天气、作物和牲畜疾病以及许多其他风险。很少有人愿意在工作中面对这些。然而，政策制定者继续表现出对农业及其如何与环境计划相结合的缺乏理解。
混合耕作（牲畜与作物）对于支持数千年来适应该系统的生命至关重要。牲畜排出的排泄物是土壤中植物和动物的主要天然能量来源，也是食物链底层大量昆虫的养分，而这些昆虫在春季到秋季支持着许多哺乳动物和鸟类。
因此，在环境、食品与农村事务部 6 月发布的《2050年农业路线图：培育英格兰的未来》中读到政府认为应该种植更多的油籽和豆类以减少排放，且是因为对植物基食品的需求增加，这多少令人惊讶。要对排放产生哪怕微小的影响，需要向这些作物进行大规模转移，而这种举措可能需要使用农药，可能会对昆虫种群造成严重损害。也许答案应该是邀请人们来到乡村散步，并搜寻蚜虫、毛毛虫、甲虫、蛞蝓和其他形式的无脊椎动物。
联盟面临破裂的风险。工党之所以信任伯纳姆先生，是因为他承诺既能削弱英国改革党 (Reform UK) 的支持率，又能遏制工党向极左翼绿党的流失。如果仅讨论公交车和社会护理，这或许可行。但整治英国边境问题并不给伯纳姆先生提供这样的奢华空间。
左翼最糟糕的病态心理让伯纳姆先生的任务更加艰巨。许多人并未将本周的事件视为警钟，而是依然执迷于重新加入欧盟的想法，尽管这样做会让我们的边境更加不堪地敞开。另一些人则继续盲崇人权法，而这些人权法使得驱逐非法移民变得更加困难，且正是欧洲麻烦的核心所在。
伯纳姆先生通过重新任命夏巴娜·马哈茂德为内政部部长而有了一个良好的开端。他现在必须证明，他愿意治疗那些最初导致英国陷入低谷的左翼病态心理。
市长的 malaise (不适感)
大曼彻斯特市长选举的结果对于曼彻斯特人民来说是个坏消息，对于英国来说也是个坏消息。 就在几个月前，当安迪·伯纳姆辞职参加马科菲尔德补选时，许多人认为他是在拿工党对该联合当局长达十年的掌控权在做赌注。改革英国党在五月选举中表现强劲，似乎处于能够发起严肃挑战的有利位置。但这从未真正实现。 相反，工党的贝芙·克雷格以 47.1% 的第一志愿投票率获胜。改革英国党取得了其有史以来最好的成绩，但所得份额仍不足工党的一半。这种情况
蛋白质，以保护并补充 他们的植物性食物，仅留下 足够的份额给鸟类。 蒂姆·马丁 德文郡，霍尔斯沃思
先生 —— 佐伊·斯特林佩尔（Zoe Strimpel）关于勤奋的日本首相高市早苗的文章（评论版，7月 26日）勾起了我对玛格丽特·撒切尔的回忆，她当年同样工作时间极长，睡眠极少。
当然，重要的不是小时数，而是生产力。令人遗憾的是，人们普遍认为勤奋工作仅仅是一种执念，而那些致力于此的人“需要休息”。
虽然我不支持为了工作而工作，但我始终受到我学校校训的启发：Per manendo vincimus（通过坚持，我们获胜）。
迈克尔·尼科尔森 (Michael Nicholson) 德文郡，莫顿汉普斯特德 (Moretonhampstead, Devon)
先生 —— 佐伊·斯特林佩尔对日本首相日程表的赞赏过于热情了。睡眠不足不应被视为一种公民美德。
人们常说玛格丽特·撒切尔和罗纳德·里根每晚仅睡几个小时。但较少被认可的是，缺乏睡眠与晚年的痴呆症密切相关。不幸的是，两人在晚年都变得衰弱，睡眠不足可能起到了一定作用。
温斯顿·丘吉尔在战争期间每晚可能只睡四个小时，但他通过下午两小时的午睡来弥补。他提到过，这能“将一天变成两天”。
亨利·贝特森 (Henry Bateson) 诺森伯兰郡，惠廷汉姆 (Whittingham, Northumberland)
先生 —— 在炎炎夏日，天黑后开了一道缝的窗户曾是对“爸爸长腿蜘蛛”的公开邀请。它们现在都去哪里了？
迈克尔·吉布森 (Michael Gibson) 萨里郡，贝奇沃思 (Betchworth, Surrey)
先生 —— 尼克·吉布 (Nick Gibb) 的文章（“儿童需要知识才能在学校茁壮成长”，评论版，7月 26日）引起了我的共鸣。我曾听一个俄罗斯人在广播里说“重复是知识的关键”，我非常赞同。
知识是我们生活的基石。有些人习得知识的速度比其他人快，但所有人都必须获得习得知识的机会。我提醒人们，坚实的基础才能造就优质的建筑。让我们将教育体系建立在坚实的基础之上 —— 通过重复。
决策者似乎认为，如果某样东西在最近没有更新，那么它就必须被改变。通常这意味着，在以后，我们不得不重新学习以前简单且成功的方法。
约翰·格洛弗 (John Glover) 西萨塞克斯郡，佩特沃思 (Petworth, West Sussex)
创立于 1961
先生 —— 乔利昂·考克斯 (Jolyon Cox)（读者信函，7月 26日）坚持认为，他的大家庭在海滩上享受美食的唯一方式是使用一次性烧烤炉。吃个果酱三明治、喝杯茶怎么就不行了呢？
帕齐·古尔丁 (Patsie Goulding) 萨里郡，雷盖特 (Reigate, Surrey)
先生 —— 读完乔利昂·考克斯为一次性烧烤炉辩护的信，我不禁在想，就像对待电子烟一样，我们以前竟然能在那没有它们的情况下生活。
罗尼·克利夫 (Ronnie Cleave) 德文郡，温克利 (Winkleigh, Devon)
先生 —— 您在（7月 26 日）的报道中提到，伦敦的驾驶者每 2.6 秒就会收到一张罚单。
这已经足够糟糕了，而那 10 个未能回应关于处罚通知书发行数量之信息自由请求的议会，很可能就是最严重的违规者，这意味着每天 13,800 张罚单的数字可能只是冰山一角。
在伦敦开车而又不触犯某些迂腐的规定，已变得几乎不可能。虽然像萨迪克·汗爵士这样的人雄心勃勃地想让首都变得没有交通压力，但这显然永远无法实现。
地方议会存在的目的是为居民服务，并通过征税来覆盖提供服务的成本。如果他们无法利用筹集的资金维持运作，就应该相应地缩减开支。他们的角色不应该是建立一个唯一目的是惩罚合法经营的个人的产业。
特雷弗·乔伊斯 肯特郡，坎特伯雷
先生 —— 我于 1967 年在都柏林结婚，那时爱尔兰还是英国贫穷的亲戚。如今情况已大不相同。
我的妻子和我刚刚结束在爱尔兰为期九天的度假回来，期间我们行驶了 350 多英里。那里的道路令人惊叹 —— 像台球桌一样平整 —— 且与乡村景色完美融合。我们没看到一个坑洞。
相比之下，访英客人在看到英国道路的糟糕状况时一定感到震惊。
多年来，全国各地区关于路面坑洞的投诉不断增加，但几乎没有采取任何措施来解决这个问题。我们可以愚蠢地花费 £102bn 在
对于保守党来说情况更糟，下滑至 7.7%，落后于绿党和Restore党。自由民主党则完全没有存在感，支持率低于 3%。投票率低得可怜，仅为 25% —— 这很难说是对伯纳姆先生的存在理由（raison d'être）：权力下放的有力支持。这使得大曼彻斯特地区的人民得到了一位似乎支持了工党近年来每一个糟糕想法的市长。
克雷格女士是一名自称的社会主义者，她支持杰里米·科尔宾竞选工党领导人，主张征收财富税，认为女性可以拥有阴茎，并主张大曼彻斯特公共部门养老基金应撤出军工产业。这一切对于我们最大的城市之一的繁荣都没有好兆头。
乔治·奥斯本推广由大都市市长组成的拼贴体系，是基于这样一种信念：这将使保守党在此前由工党主导的城市地区获得立足点。在取得一些初步成功后，事实证明这是错误的。如今，城市版图几乎全成了红色。
在美国，最成功的州是那些拥抱自由市场，并利用联邦权力减税并激励人才迁入的州。遗憾的是，在英国，情况恰恰相反。从曼彻斯特到伯明翰，每一个本应成为经济增长引擎的地区都陷入了左翼统治的泥潭。
随着我们的商业街和道路崩塌，税收却在激增。伯纳姆先生那种表面文章式的权力下放只会让情况变得更糟。
城市并非天生就是工党的领地。但右翼必须向城市居民阐明自由市场的必要性。否则，我们的城市将被注定走向最终的衰落。
ALAMY
法国诺曼底 Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne 附近的塞纳河上的一艘河 cruise 游轮
先生 —— 毫无疑问，乘坐邮轮的乐趣之一就是在晚上盛装打扮（见 7月 26日 信件栏）。因此，请想象一下我的惊恐：在我为期一周的塞纳河邮轮之旅中，我的行李没有送达。我身上只穿着到达时的一套衣服，手袋里只有少量选定的项链和耳环。然而，由于同行乘客慷慨地愿意借给我衣服，这次旅行最终成为了我参加过的多次邮轮之旅中最愉快的一次。从巴黎到阿罗曼什航程中的大部分景点都是没有服装店的小村庄，但我很幸运地在一家超市里找到了一些廉价的衣服和洗漱用品。
我永远不会忘记那个场景：热心的顾客们围在我身边，在没有试衣间的情况下，就一件裤子的合身程度和适用性给我建议。
凭借几件精心挑选的单品，加上我的项链，并确保在晚上赤脚跳舞，我度过了一个非常快乐的假期。 盖尔·莫顿 (Gaile Morton) 贝尔法斯特
先生 —— 我和妻子在 2000 年代初期曾两次访问古巴。我们带了 Primark 的全新衣服，自己穿过一次，然后将其捐赠给当地的女佣和工人，他们对这些衣服的感激之情远超现金小费。对我们来说，这意味着回来后无需洗衣服（见 7月 26日 信件栏）。 勒罗伊·霍夫 (Leroy Hough) 牛津
（此处接前文） 伦敦和伯明翰之间的高铁线路，但我们却无法修复公路。历任政府应当感到羞愧。 我希望 安迪·伯纳姆 有勇气承担这项工作。 克里斯·詹金森 (Chris Jenkinson) 怀特岛，考斯
中场休息回来时，人们带着袋装糖果。下半场伴随着不断的拆包装声和吮吸声。 我丈夫之前并不太想看这场戏。幸运的是，这些吃东西的声音并没有阻止他在这期间大睡一场。 桑德拉·克劳利 (Sandra Crawley) 怀特岛，尚克林
E
I
是英国最美好的一面， 将友情的 正式感 与日常生活的 随意性 融合在一起
每个人的一生都有其成年礼。对于孩子来说，可能是渴望已久的风筝；对于青少年，则是春天承诺的初吻。成年后，在酒吧里与长辈一起喝的第一品脱啤酒，是值得等待的奖赏。然后，如果你足够幸运，就能进入英国社交的伟大行列：“轮流买单”（the round）。当你听到那句令人愉悦的“要不要帮你也点一杯？”，并伴随一个心照不宣的微笑时，你就被认可为一个亲近的人，一个被认知且被信任的人。一旦你掌握了其中的潜规则，这就是个简单的游戏。如果你接受了同饮者的请客，那么回报对方也是理所应当的。这就是规矩。然而，现在我们听说一些二十多岁的年轻人竟然鄙视这一最珍贵的本土习俗。这一悠久的仪式，在所有习惯中，最能定义我们这个岛国民族。难道就没有什么东西是神圣的吗？对于 Z 世代那些蒙昧的灵魂来说，似乎是的。他们依然在酒吧买酒——干杯，伙计——但似乎并不愿意在买自己酒的同时给伙伴也带一杯。“我的就是我的”，这是他们传达的信息。多么可怕的前景！一排年轻的小伙子，紧握着拉格啤酒杯——他们中的大多数甚至不喝正经的酒。他们看起来多么阴郁，脸上带着像是在执行任务的执达吏般的表情。如果这种行为流行起来，伦敦塔的乌鸦恐怕都要飞走了。熟悉更具同志情谊之习俗的饮酒者们，可能会在喝完大杯酒后气得喷口水。他们明白，不能履行这一社交义务的饮酒者，无法通过“合格且正当之人”的测试。事实上，他们可能会产生一种与中年诗人 W.H. 奥登（Wystan Auden）共鸣的感觉，奥登认为自己“尚未准备好面对死亡，但已经到了开始厌恶年轻人的阶段”。他们说得有道理。“轮流买单”揭示了这个岛国的许多特质，因为它展示了习惯法是如何影响日常生活的。尽管分享烈酒是普世的，在许多社会中都被理解，但这种“回请”的集体体验是英国独有的。可以说，这是在循规蹈矩地行事。例如在德国，聚集在啤酒馆桌旁的酒客们可能会碰杯并大喊“Gemütlichkeit!”（惬意！）。但每只啤酒杯都被记录在杯垫上，关门时所有账单分别结算。那里没什么团队精神。在任何地方都找不到像在我们的酒吧里那样，因工作或娱乐而自然形成的联系。并非每家酒吧都如此，也非时刻如此，但在足够多的酒馆中，这一传统使我们独树一帜。如果常客未能履行义务，他们将被指控犯下极其“英国式”的错误：拖后腿。那些在轮到自己买单时突然消失的人，可能会被点名并公开羞辱。随之而来的可能是社交上的耻辱。没人喜欢逃避者。没有任何一个资深饮酒者愿意花超过一分钟的时间与那些刚出校门的年轻人待在一起，因为后者将酒精的蒸馏和交谈视为来自遥远而模糊时代的赘生物。轮流买单是英国最美好的一面，将友情的正式感与日常生活的随意性融合在一起。没人能像英国人那样对待友谊——互相开玩笑，且毫无伤感之情。我们不是冷漠的人。但我们，或者说曾经是，不善于表达情感。如果你不介意的话，我们并不想祝你“有美好的一天”。当你面前有一品脱苦艾啤酒，且有一个幽默的人正引起阵阵大笑时，大多数日子已经足够惬意了。所以，成熟点吧，你们这些阴郁的 Z 世代。在你们这个年纪，没有理由蜷缩在角落里，好奇自己的分分钱花到哪里去了。迟早都会花掉的，而且喝酒比吸可卡因对你更有好处。与此同时，在这个顾客永远是上帝的土地上，还有轮流买单的任务在等着。给我来一杯 Pride。
饮酒者 应停止 鄙视这一 如此定义 我们岛国 民族的 社交 义务
英雄主义有时出现在最意想不到的地方，并在最不可能的群体之间建立起像血缘一样深厚的、最出人意料的纽带。绝大多数英国犹太人无论如何也预想不到，此时此刻——实际上是这个十年中——他们的关键人物会是那位以古怪著称、支持跨性别者、深受鲍伊影响的流行巨星 George Alan O’Dowd，即人们熟知的 Boy George。
然而，在我们最黑暗的时刻，正是 Boy George 的名字像护身符一样，开启了我们的许多对话。我们对那些关于犹太国家的、致命谎言所构成的地狱之火感到深切地作呕——而这种地狱之火似乎正受到一位首相的鼓励，该首相在就任后的第一份重大外交政策声明中，就誓言要向以色列政府施加更多压力——以至于我们
如需订购《电讯报》任何漫画的印刷版或签名本，请访问 telegraph.co.uk / prints-cartoons 或致电 0191 603 0178 readerprints@telegraph.co.uk
这看似矛盾，但关于提供“社会护理”（实际上是指老年人护理）的困境，与国家认为自己在儿童护理方面面临的问题非常相似。我说“认为自己”是因为，国家接管儿童护理提供与监管全部责任的理由——甚至包括那些在法律意义上并非“被监护”的儿童——从未经过适当的辩论。人们只是简单地假定其合理性。父母和家庭对于谁应该照顾自己孩子的判断不再被认为足够，而这一政治决定具有完全的法律效力。
曾经在朋友之间或当地社区内为监督幼儿和学前儿童而达成的协议（以便母亲们可以工作，通常是兼职），现在变成了非法。儿童护理被“国有化”了。那些将学前儿童接到自己家中照顾的邻里看护者，那些在母亲们回家前接走几个孩子的朋友并给他们准备“下午茶”的小学生母亲，甚至那些由母亲们轮流监督的学前游戏组。全部消失了。
取而代之的是一套全面的许可制度，要求任何对他人孩子（即便年龄最小的孩子）负有责任的人，实际上都被视为教育系统的一部分。看护者现在必须经过资格认证并接受 Ofsted 的监管，以确保他们提供的是规定的学校
阅读更多内容请访问 telegraph.co.uk / opinion
渴望一位朋友。我们所指的，是一个尽管困难重重，却能理解这一切，并能洞察所有那些谎言对犹太人所造成的侮辱与危险之深的人。一个能直觉地感受到这与以往屠杀（pogroms）之间平行之处的人。一个人，尽管面临着巨大的压力，被要求相信那些关于以色列的诽谤、恶毒的谎言和虚假叙事（种族灭绝、饥荒、以色列国防军热衷于屠杀儿童和医院患者、用狗强奸囚犯、定居者殖民主义、种族隔离），尽管他行业内和社交圈中几乎每一个人都陷入了深重的道德病态，但他不知为何仍能看清这无数的扭曲本质：这是一次为了让根深蒂固的反犹主义合理化而进行的蓄意尝试。
因此，一种基于对这位流行巨星的感激而锻造的深厚爱之纽带，正是在此时公开存在于
许多犹太人和 Boy George。 在过去的一周里，观察 Boy George 的表现令人惊讶。首先，他在 10 月 7 日之后的局势下，做出了一个音乐家所能做出的最大挑衅：他发行了一首支持以色列的歌曲。他长期以来一直拒绝屈服于那种认为以色列已经或正在对巴勒斯坦人实施种族灭绝的谎言。这包括谴责因以色列参与而要求抵制欧洲歌唱大赛的呼吁，并在今年的比赛中代表圣马力诺演出，宣布他“绝不会”抛弃他的犹太朋友。 但通过这首由 AI 共同创作的歌曲《We Will Dance Again》（我们将再次起舞），他更进一步，该曲提及了诺瓦音乐节（Nova Festival）的大屠杀。其歌词简练而克制，尽管相当直白。“你说种族灭绝，我说战争。当你感到疲惫时，那就是...”
培训计划。对场所的严格要求几乎排除了使用家庭托管员自有住宅的可能性——尽管对于蹒跚学步的孩子来说，邻居的房子实际上似乎是最令人安心的环境——而对教育资历的要求则让大多数曾经热爱这一职业的年长女性望而却步。
其中一个实际后果立即变得清晰： childcare（儿童照护）变得如此昂贵，以至于必须设计一整套福利体系来帮助家庭应对成本。提供免费的儿童照护现在已成为福利体系的关键部分，因为法律允许的唯一服务形式受限于国家管控的强制执行。但除此之外，还产生了另一种代价，即失去了能够跨越世代的自发且即兴的纽带。
我个人深切感受到了这种变化，因为我依然深情地记得，我曾经通过当地广告招募“成熟女性”来提供照顾，以及后来接孩子们放学并照顾他们直到我到家的那些像祖母一样的人物。当然，在让他们单独照顾孩子之前，我会核实推荐信并仔细观察这些潜在照顾者与孩子相处的情况。是的，在自己家中雇佣任何你喜欢的人来照顾孩子依然是可行的。但让我惊讶的是，在与我现在认识的年轻母亲交谈时，发现很少有人会考虑这个选项。因为文化已经完全改变了。
现在的假设是，一个拥有国家认证工作人员的正规托儿所是唯一可能的选择，而且令我十分震惊的是，这不仅适用于学前、能独立行走的孩子，甚至适用于婴儿。我诚实地认为，在我那个时代，我认识的没有哪个家长会考虑把一个九个月大的婴儿（这是入托的最低年龄限制）送进托儿所。而现在，这不仅被视为正常，甚至被认为优于雇佣一位值得信赖的朋友在婴儿家中提供照顾，这令我震惊。我认为，这证明了政府政策接管原本属于个人决策的责任所带来的影响。
现在，政府正试图解决人生另一端人们的护理问题。再一次，现成的解决方案是建立由政府提供并管理的国家供应体系。唯一困难的问题似乎不在于国家运行的垄断服务是否合适，而在于如何为其提供资金。每个人都担心成本。似乎没有人关心，那些生活轨迹迥异、经历截然不同的成年个体，是否能在相同的供应方案和指南下得到妥善安置。
人们在年长后会变得不那么有个性或不那么特立独行吗？在我的经验中并非如此。难道他们可以被简单地归类为“老年人”，并被对待得好像他们极其多样的人生不再具有重要意义吗？如果出现不恰当的统一对待，那并不是护理院工作人员的错，因为他们必须遵守官方规定和
军队的……你从未提到 10 月 7 日，年轻女孩在树下被强奸，因为跳舞这种“罪行”而被残忍杀害……但如果你感到困惑，我支持真相……我不觉得自己勇敢，我只是需要像一个人一样行动……相信我，我们会再次起舞，且不再有战争。”
他的道德卓越性就体现在那句关于需要“像一个人一样行动”，而不是表演某种政治戏剧的台词中。你内心要么拥有那样一颗不可摧毁的体面之钻，要么就没有。
随后在上周晚些时候，有消息称他的（犹太籍）经纪人保罗·凯姆斯利（Paul Kemsley）在最后时刻将其从伦敦帕拉迪姆剧院（London Palladium）演出《耶稣基督超级巨星》中希律王（King Herod）的主角一角中撤下来，显然是因为《我们会再次起舞》（We Will Dance Again）发布后引发的激进分子骚乱。
他们根本无法在处理被照顾者的身体需求的同时，应对成熟人格的无穷多样性。但正如在儿童看护方面的情况一样，强加统一性的问题总是因为国家控制而变得更糟。政府对一项服务的权力越大，所能容纳的多样性和个人差异就越少。
在这次讨论中必须时刻记住的是，我们试图设计的是一种家庭生活的替代方案。照顾儿童和老年人曾经都被视为个人责任，首先由大家族承担，然后由他们所属的密切社区承担。在意大利、印度和东欧等地，这种情况在很大程度上依然成立，远胜于这里。但这种责任在很大程度上落在女性身上，而现代生活的经济状况——更不用说社会预期——意味着很少有女性能够进行这种终身奉献。但如果我们想要寻找这些自然纽带的替代品，那么国家标准化的供应方案不太可能实现这一点。
最好的解决方案必须与自然的家庭关系相似，且像人们自身一样具有差异性和独特性。旧时的临时儿童看护安排差异巨大，从我所在的北伦敦中产阶级育儿圈，到我丈夫成长期间工人阶级母亲们在露台上共同看管孩子的场景。它们的共同点在于，它们是真实社区的一部分，人们通过参与其中而变得更加亲近。
Kemsley 表示：“在这种情况下，我认为退出的决定是正确的，这样可以让制作本身成为关注焦点。” 这位 65 岁的歌手还声称，由于其唱片公司经理 Tony Pontius 拒绝发行《We Will Dance Again》，两人已分道扬镳。
Boy George 没有放弃，也没有让步。他像激光一样坚定地在轨道上前进，并对此作出了精妙的解释。他在周五发布的声明值得引用：“暗示我对巴勒斯坦人没有同情心的说法既不真实也很荒谬。
“我对这场战争双方无辜生命的逝去感到心碎，我呼吁和平。我来自一个和平之地。我是一个热爱犹太人、拥抱跨性别者的酷儿嬉皮士，我的母亲会为我感到自豪。”
我们的母亲们也会如此。
E
A
“我们都知道该怎么做，”嗜酒的欧盟官员让-克洛德·容克（Jean-Claude Juncker）曾这样说道，“但我们不知道在做完之后如何赢得连任。”
与任何政党的议员交谈，他们都会在私下里承认几件他们在公开场合不愿承认的事情。三倍锁定（triple lock）已难以负担。福利金正发放给数百万人，而这些人本应在工作。我们的脱碳目标无法实现。NHS（国民医疗服务体系）挥霍了自2020.年以来为其投入的额外资源。国家法定退休年龄必须提高。社会护理需要全面改革。
安迪·伯纳姆抓住了最后一项，并建议进行跨党派讨论。理论上，跨党派讨论是一件好事。上述许多问题之所以得不到解决，恰恰是因为反对党几乎从未支持过他们自己呼吁的艰难选择，而是在时机到来时，倾向于诉诸人们的恐惧。
但首相通过将NHS模式扩展到该领域来补救社会护理的计划，是一个真正糟糕的想法。事实上，这恰恰与我们应该做的事情相反。我们不应将失败的NHS国家垄断模式扩展到护理院，而应反其道而行之：我们应该让NHS像护理部门一样，更加多元化且更具成本效益。
这将是建立跨党派共识的正确方式。
伯纳姆的部长生涯始于托尼·布莱尔时期，尽管直到令人不快的高登·布朗时代他才出任卫生大臣。他会记得布莱尔政府如何在NHS中引入适度的内部市场，在维持“使用时免费”原则的同时提高生产力。
布莱尔的许多改革在戴维·卡梅伦时期被允许失效，卡梅伦认为，选民能够接受的保守党医疗保健政策只有一张开空支票的支票簿。但那些改革显然奏效了。
詹姆斯·弗赖恩 (JAMES FRAYNE)
PA
每个人都能看出世界正变得更加危险。全英国的家庭在翻看新闻、打开报纸或浏览社交媒体动态时，都能看到伊朗战争再次升级。我知道人们在看着冲突扩大、伤亡增加以及贸易商船停滞不前时会有怎样的感受。他们会担心这对国内日常生活的的影响：能源账单、汽油价格以及每周购物的成本。当然，这场冲突影响着我们的国家安全，以及我们在中东的基地、人员和盟友。但它也威胁着我们的经济安全：影响着数百万英国人的家庭财务。我知道许多英国企业也因成本上升而承受压力。冲突和不确定性会增加通货膨胀，威胁增长，并推高企业和政府的成本。这不是一场
由我们发起的战争。而且我们理所当然地确保了英国没有被卷入其中。但坦率地说，面对如此规模的全球冲击，我们无法完全阻止家庭和企业感受到的压力。我们能做的是成为一个积极、高效的政府，将英国利益放在首位——为那些感受到财务压力的人提供喘息空间，并增强我们国家的韧性，以便在未来更好地应对这些冲击。最重要的是，我们将给人们希望，无论他们来自哪里，无论其背景如何，他们都将生活在一个繁荣的英国。人们在过去两周中看到了我们是如何在过去两年的进步基础上，将英国人民的利益放在首位。取消电费账单中的增值税 (VAT)，并将英格兰的巴士票价上限设定为 £2，将为家庭在日常生活中提供额外的财务喘息空间。将
财务权力下放到地方社区（此前这些权力在白厅掌握的时间太长），将有助于在每个邮政编码区域实现增长。为自封锁禁足那些黑暗日子以来一直承受巨大压力的酒吧、社交俱乐部和现场音乐场所大幅削减商业率账单，将帮助英国人应对经营成本以及生活成本。此外，支持英国工业，使这个国家的每一个部分都能在其中发挥作用。
帮助 那些承受 财务 压力的人，我将 努力 确保 这个国家 能够更好地 应对 像 伊朗战争 这样的危机
在 NHS（国民医疗服务体系）改革上建立一个共同立场应该是可能的——工党拥有其他政党所没有的一种道德许可。当其发言人谈到如何从有限的预算中获得更高的价值时，选民们不会将其听作是将 NHS 出售给唐纳德·特朗普的阴险计划。 当然，伯纳姆可能不希望在这里达成共识。他可能更倾向于继续将医疗保健作为一种政治试金石，
提高我们国家的韧性将创造就业机会，并为那些被遗忘了数十年的社区注入新的生命。我们本周在核威慑领域投入的 £8.4bn 资金支持了英国供应链中数万个工作岗位和数千家公司，包括在接下来的十年中创造的 22,000 个学徒岗位。这是将英国的资金花在英国公司和英国工人身上。我们正在采取首相在就职首周所阐明的一种不同的商业方案——给予企业更大的确定性、长期方向、更快速的决策制定，并赋予企业更强有力的发声渠道。这种对我们自身国家利益的无情聚焦不会动摇，因为这样做将是对政府保护人民的首要职责的渎职。但这并不意味着背弃世界其他地区。这关乎硬实力、强大的联盟以及可靠的外交。我在担任财政大臣的最初几天里，与我的国际同行讨论了我们如何在应对中东危机的经济措施上共同协作。作为政府，我们正致力于让停火转化为稳定的和平；如果美国和伊朗破坏了这种和平，我们将领导一个由 30 个国家组成的联盟，以确保该地区的航运安全。在国内，我们将密切关注任何关于消费者在加油站或收银台被欺诈的迹象。在整个危机期间，企业与政府合作的意愿是积极的，目前没有显著证据表明存在所谓的“价格欺诈”。我清楚地认识到，英国许多家庭的生活依然艰难。但我对我们作为一个国家的韧性充满信心。对我英国人的坚毅，以及依然在我们的社区中流淌的坚定希望充满信心。我在全国各地都能深刻地感受到这一点：哈洛的酒吧老板、利物浦的护理员和唐卡斯特的销售员，今晚都会定好闹钟，准备在明天无论发生什么都努力工作。作为你们的财政大臣，我对《电讯报》读者的承诺是：在这个危险的新世界中，无论面对什么，我将永远把英国人民的利益放在首位。
重复工党最喜欢的指控，即“保守党计划将 NHS 私有化”——尽管保守党在拥有绝对多数席位时从未采取过此类行动，但这一指控在部分选民中依然具有诡异的影响力。 话又说回来，如果他希望在职时间超过一个任期，他将不得不面对那个核心挑战：
安迪·伯纳姆在看到塞塔的照片——数万名北非移民强行进入西班牙及欧盟领土——时，内心定会感到巨大的挫败感。因为这些令人震惊的画面直接挑战了伯纳姆迄今为止显而易见的政治策略：通过宣布一系列受欢迎的政策，让选民忘记工党在非法移民问题上的失败，同时轻描淡写地思考国家面临的其他重大挑战。人们很难不得出结论，该策略的目标是为了创造举行闪电大选的可能性。除非你接触过焦点小组研究，否则很难意识到伯纳姆的政策宣布与近期此类民调研究是多么一致。他提出的让中学生能够学习与制造业相关的科目，在政治上是一个轻而易举的目标——任何之前的首相（或反对党领袖）都应该这么做。地方工人阶级选民，以及越来越多的都市中产阶级选民，一直渴望政治家能给予职业教育同等的地位。其他受欢迎的宣布还包括限制公交车票价、降低酒吧税率以及削减能源税。这些政策在伯纳姆轻松魅力的推动下，共同促成了民调中的一次小幅飙升：在伯纳姆的领导下，工党已经与改革党持平（在某些民调中领先），而在此前几个月一直落后。在其他问题上的这一非常稳固的政治开局，意味着伯纳姆将非法移民问题边缘化了。即便小船——而且这些船似乎变得越来越大，上个月有一艘载有创纪录的 165 名移民——仍在不断抵达，他依然成功地做到了这一点。毕竟，即使是对移民极其痴迷的改革党选民依然关心其他问题；事实上，他的政策宣布正是为改革党的工人阶级基础量身定制的。到目前为止，伯纳姆在非法移民问题上所做的唯一事情就是承认这是一个问题。但塞塔事件改变了局面。尽管估计有 60,000 人的大多数非法进入西班牙海外飞地的人员似乎现在已返回摩洛哥，但这一事件是对边境管制松懈后果的惊人警告。选民们将被提醒，既有政党在应对当前的移民危机上已经失败，且在想到未来涌入人数如果进一步增加会发生什么时，将不寒而栗。
届时，即便改革党自身存在问题，也不可能再让其处于被动地位。它注定将再次成为国家政治对话的核心。
伯纳姆目前的直接反应十分谨慎，暗示他将很快访问南海岸，亲自评估非法移民问题。另外（考虑到其记录，这简直可笑），政府还向西班牙提供了边境管制方面的帮助。这是不够的：依赖模糊的陈词滥调是不可能的。
这不仅仅是改革党将会……
安迪·伯纳姆在寻求彻底改革社会护理服务的过程中，提出了开展跨党派谈判的建议
英国政治生活，即我们的税收、支出和借贷水平正在扼杀增长这一事实。由于我们最大的两项预算是医疗保健和社会保障（第三项，令人心惊地，是债务利息支出），他必须在这些方面寻找效率节省。当然，一些公共部门工会会发出抗议，但正如布莱尔所理解的那样，这有助于确立工党的信誉。
既有政党在解决 当前的移民危机方面 已经失败
要求伯纳姆给出答案，但他的欧洲同行们则在要求西班牙给出答案。塞塔使非法移民成为了一个任何可靠的领导人都无法忽视的地缘政治问题。
意大利总理乔治亚·梅洛尼曾谈到非法移民所带来的“具体威胁”，并提出了将西班牙暂停出入欧洲自由通行申根区（Schengen Area）的可能性。即使是自认为温和的波兰总理唐纳德·图斯克也表达了担忧。
那么改革党（Reform）呢？它终于迎来了将政治重心移回其拥有不可撼动优势的唯一领域的时刻。由于奈杰尔·法拉奇的私人事务受到审查，该党此前在伯纳姆谈论教育等问题时几乎无话可说，因为在这些方面，改革党完全没有专业知识或信誉。
现在他们可以合理地询问什么
与整个国家一样。无论他们的工会代表如何主张，如果国家垄断地位有所减轻，NHS（国民医疗服务体系）的雇员将比患者获益更多。
适用于NHS的逻辑同样适用于另一个巨额预算项目：福利。就化解我们前进道路上的“未爆炸炸弹”——难以负担的国家养老金、难以负担的公共部门养老金以及难以负担的福利申请增长——进行跨党派讨论是可行的，原因与NHS相同，即伯纳姆将以此争取中间阶层的支持。
解决方案是可见的。在社会民主主义的瑞典，国家养老金领取年龄随寿命自动增长，而选择推迟领取年龄的人则有资格获得更高的领取率。其他国家则鼓励国家雇员领取一次性现金，以替代其养老金权益。对福利规则进行小幅调整，即可扭转那些深谙如何通过陈述来被判定为“精神不适”从而获取资格的人员所带来的申请量剧增。
这些正是跨党派-
这些规则将扭转那些深谙说辞之道的申请人所带来的申请激增现象
政党支持可能会起作用。工党需要争取保守党、自民党和改革党的参与（绿党几乎肯定无法说服）。部长们知道，所有这些政策都涉及集中的损失（例如，面对推迟退休的人群）和分散的收益（一个增长的经济体）。只有在所有主要政党都不全力争取那些损失者的选票时，这些政策在选举上才具有可行性。 你可能会问，为什么反对党会放弃这次轻易攻击的机会？事实上，为什么任何政府甚至想要开启这个话题？政治家何时会将长期稳定置于短期追逐选票之上？选民又何时允许他们这样做？ 简单的回答是，“在金融崩溃之后”。而且，由于在谁的任期内发生这种崩溃，谁就会被毁灭，因此通过今天进行审慎的节省来避免崩溃是有意义的。对于所有相关政党来说，这也将是爱国之举。仅供参考。
伯纳姆迄今为止为阻止小船抵达所采取的措施，以及他从现在起计划做的事情。与此同时，改革党可以重点强调其具体计划，即快速处理并将失败的寻求庇护者遣返回原籍国或安全的替代地点。虽然有些人可能怀疑改革党方案的可行性，但这些方案具有具体性，并要求其他政党提出同样详尽的替代方案。工党迄今为止未能做到这一点。伯纳姆面临的问题是，处理如此规模的非法移民的唯一方法是修改人权法。但他的同事或活动人士似乎没有合理的可能支持此举。因此，很难想象他将如何说服选民，让他像在其他领域一样，准备以果断的方式思考和行动。他下周会做什么？除了在照片中穿着泽连斯基风格的服装，看起来很“坚定”之外，很难说。大概就像在公屋建设、社会护理和财富税等问题上一样，他可能会仅仅沉思于需要采取某种重大举措。他可能会谈到需要一种跨国响应；也许他会说他已与其他领导人进行对话，且大家都同意需要成立某种特别工作组。这是不够的。现在说塞塔 (西班牙海外飞地) 将彻底阻止伯纳姆显然的选前策略还为时过早。他以极其政治敏锐的方式提升了工党的民调支持率。我从未认为安迪·伯纳姆是一个可靠的长期领导者。相反，我预计他在实际进展甚微的情况下，民调支持率会暴跌。即便如此，我认为他有可能提升工党的民调支持率，从而在短期内获得赢得选举的机会。这仍然有可能，但塞塔 (西班牙海外飞地) 让这件事变得更难了。接下来的几天将全部围绕非法移民展开，而改革党将大放异彩。除非有最明确的政策响应，否则伯纳姆将无法脱身。他短暂而甜蜜的蜜月期可能已经接近尾声。
这意味着该词应当被弃用
O
本周在哈克尼市政厅外，正当议会投票决定解除这座东伦敦自治市镇与以色列海法市的“友好城市”关系时，一名携带巴勒斯坦国旗的女性向两名抗议者投掷鸡蛋，并透过遮住面孔的库菲亚围巾解释说，他们不受欢迎，因为他们是“犹太复国主义者”。与此同时，据称在一家伦敦电影院发现的鸡尾酒菜单上写着：“不要性别歧视者，不要种族主义者，不要跨性别恐惧者，不要犹太复国主义者，不要法西斯分子。”
这些事件并非孤立发生。本月早些时候，英格兰教会总议会投票决定“听取”——即考虑并接触——一份由巴勒斯坦基督徒编写的名为《Kairos II》的文件，其中包含此类表述：“对加沙的种族灭绝战争是犹太复国主义项目的延续，旨在夺取整个巴勒斯坦，并将其中的巴勒斯坦人民驱逐出去。”
上个月，言论自由倡导组织 PEN America 报告称，许多犹太作家在“社交媒体上遭到骚扰，在（图书网站）Goodreads 上被刷差评，并且如果他们曾表达过对以色列或犹太复国主义的支持，则会在网上遭到号召，要求人们不要阅读其作品、不为其提供平台或与其接触”。校园内反对加沙战争的抗议活动中出现了诸如“犹太复国主义者不得进入”的标语，社交媒体上还流传着一份名为“你最喜欢的作者是犹太复国主义者吗？？？”的电子表格，允许人们核查他们崇拜的作家是否持有对以色列而言“过于友好”且不可接受的观点。而在哈马斯于 Oct 7 2023, 发起种族灭绝袭击仅数周后，身材瘦小的全球变暖活动人士格蕾塔·通贝里被观察到在斯德哥尔摩的以色列大使馆外高喊“摧毁犹太复国主义！”。
到底发生了什么？这些人所说的“犹太复国主义”和“犹太复国主义者”是指什么？他们究竟如何看待犹太人？
避风港
“犹太复国主义”一词的含混之处很多，且自诞生起就一直存在。Zionismus 这个词由维也纳犹太作家纳森·比恩鲍姆于 1890 年在德语中创造，用于描述新兴的犹太民族主义思想。
锡安（Zion）是耶路撒冷山丘之一的名字，也经常被用来指代整个城市或整个“应许之地”。比恩鲍姆的同胞、文学评论家兼剧作家西奥多·赫茨尔观察到了俄罗斯针对犹太人的大屠杀以及法国的德雷福斯事件，并得出结论——用历史学家西蒙·塞巴格·蒙蒂菲奥里的原话来说——“犹太人如果没有自己的家园，就永远无法获得安全”。赫茨尔创立了犹太复国主义组织并定期召开犹太复国主义大会，希望为犹太民族在巴勒斯坦——犹太教发源地以及此前曾存在主权犹太国家的地理区域——创建一个“家园”。
在那个阶段，许多犹太复国主义者设想的是一个犹太人和阿拉伯人在奥斯曼帝国的统治下和谐共处的巴勒斯坦，并且一个“国际化”的耶路撒冷对所有信仰开放。但随后的发展，包括奥斯曼帝国的崩溃，使得在随后的英国委任统治区中开辟一个犹太民族国家的想法聚集了势头。
犹太政治理论家汉娜·阿伦特在 1945, 年的著作中，对这种“修正主义犹太复国主义”的胜利表示遗憾，这种主义之所以取得主导地位，部分是由于“欧洲发生的恐怖灾难”，即大屠杀。她主张：“认为将一个如此狭小的领土进一步分割——其目前的边界线已经是前两次分割（第一次与叙利亚分割，第二次与外约旦分割）的结果——能够解决两个民族之间的冲突，这简直是荒谬的。”尽管如此，分治方案仍得到了联合国 (UN) 的批准，以色列于 1948 年宣布独立。
从此，锡安主义在支持者与敌对者口中的含义开始激增。在20世纪的其余时间里，锡安主义至少可以代表五种含义：第一，犹太民族的民族自决权；第二，犹太人希望居住在祖先土地上的愿望；第三，以色列国最初成立时的建国；第四，该国的领土扩张；第五，单纯是指以色列国在未来的生存。
许多现代的锡安主义批评者将这五种含义混为一谈，或者至少拒绝明确他们指的是哪一种。需要说明的是，那些在最后一种意义上使用锡安主义的人，认为以色列国在 2026 年应该从字面上不存在：也就是说，一个 78 年前在联合国法律支持下成立的国家，现在必须以某种方式被解散或拆除。至于如何在不引发巨大暴力的情况下完成此事，则交给读者自行思考。
以色列的敌人整个20世纪都在以各种方式贬义地使用关于锡安主义的措辞。这一努力的核心是苏联，它将关于犹太人的纳粹观点注入反以色列的宣传中。研究苏联反锡安主义的学者伊莎贝拉·塔巴罗夫斯基（Izabella Tabarovsky）指出，“当今驱动反锡安主义左翼的许多核心比喻，完全是克格勃（KGB）和宣传部意识形态专家在 1967 年六日战争后，以极高强度开发、武器化并推广的观点之翻版”。
塔巴罗夫斯基写道：“苏联当时开展的宣传和虚假信息运动将以色列和锡安主义妖魔化，服务于其特定的国内和外交利益，并同时面向国内和国外受众。很可能正是苏联反锡安主义的后一阶段，在极左翼的流行意识中锻造了锡安主义与纳粹主义、法西斯主义、种族主义、种族灭绝、定居者殖民主义、帝国主义、军国主义以及种族隔离制度之间的虚假联系。”
奥地利出生的作家及大屠杀幸存者让·阿梅里（Jean Améry）在 1969 年的随笔《高尚的反犹主义》（Virtuous Antisemitism）中观察到，左翼的大部分群体倾向于“恳请‘锡安主义’的以色列国自我解散”，而当时该国仅存在了 21 年。
1975 年，联合国大会通过了第 3379, 号决议，宣布：“锡安主义是一种种族主义和种族歧视形式”。其签署国包括苏联，后者
部署了其反犹太复国主义宣传以推广该决议，与此同时，不出所料地，约旦、埃及、伊拉克、叙利亚和黎巴嫩也参与其中，而这些国家在 27 年前曾入侵并试图摧毁初创的以色列国。
历史学家西奥多·H·弗里德古特（Theodore H Friedgut）指出，在 20 世纪 80 年代初，一个名为“苏联公众反犹太复国主义委员会”的苏联宣传单位推广这样一种观点，即“以色列国充当了美国帝国主义在中东的打击力量，使用类纳粹手段来达成其目标”。
刻意的去人性化
以色列的近邻对手们感激地采用了苏联的词汇，这有助于巩固人类学家亚当·路易斯-克莱因（Adam Louis-Klein）所谓的“antizionism”（反犹太复国主义意识形态）。他将其与 anti-Zionism 区分开来，因为前者不再关乎以色列生存的原则，而是利用殖民主义、种族隔离和种族灭绝的指控，来抹黑全球犹太人及其在中东的国家。
例如，已故且不被缅怀的最高领袖阿里·哈梅内伊曾在 1997 年的一次广播中告诉他的追随者，“美国及其国会和政府，在不同的金融、经济、文化、政治和宣传领域都处于犹太复国主义的魔咒之下。此外，世界大众媒体的大部分宣传机构都由犹太复国主义者控制。”
伊朗前总统马哈茂德·艾哈迈内贾德在 2006 年解释道，解决中东问题的“主要方案”将永远是“消灭犹太复国主义政权”；换句话说，就是摧毁以色列国。事实上，对于伊朗及其代理人来说，以色列一直被称作“犹太复国主义实体”，这是一个刻意去人性化的措辞（一个“实体”甚至可能不是人类），同时也有效地暗示这是一种临时状态。
2011, 哈马斯对一项向巴勒斯坦儿童教授大屠杀知识的建议反应激烈，称：“在难民营中进行大屠杀研究是一个卑劣的阴谋，服务于犹太复国主义实体，旨在创造一种现实并讲述故事以……”
为独立国家之日， 便已实现了其目标”
上月在伦敦参加 亲巴勒斯坦 游行活动的 抗议者
以证明屠杀巴勒斯坦人民的行为正当”。同年，另一名哈马斯官员写道：“锡安主义大屠杀的谎言，在锡安主义者于贝特哈嫩、法库拉学校以及巴勒斯坦其他地方实施的无数次大屠杀面前崩溃了。”哈马斯 1988 年的宪章将“共济会、扶轮社、间谍组织等”列为“锡安主义组织”的例子，并将 1903 年在俄罗斯出版的反犹伪作《锡安长老会纪要》视为福音。当然，对于西方的极左翼来说，哈马斯和其他反以色列武装组织是英雄般的反殖民主义自由战士，这或许可以解释为什么杰里米·科尔宾在 2009 年在议会中称哈马斯和真主党为他的“朋友”。他后来试图将其解释为“包容性的语言”，但并未否认他曾说过：“一个致力于巴勒斯坦人民福祉以及整个地区长期和平、社会公正和政治公正的组织 [哈马斯]，竟被英国政府贴上恐怖组织标签，这确实是一个巨大的错误。”在 Oct 7 2023 的袭击之后，科尔宾是否仍然相信哈马斯致力于长期和平与社会公正，并没有记录在案。2013 年，科尔宾表示，一群英国锡安主义者遗憾地“不理解英语中的反讽”。到那时，在工党内部及其他地方，“锡安主义者”一词经常被简单地用作“犹太人”的代号。在侮辱性的简称“Zio”中，这一点更为露骨——奇怪的是，左翼分子热衷于从三K党领导人大卫·杜克那里接纳这个词，后者在 2010 年代通过其广播节目中关于“Zio-共产主义”、“Zio-经济学”、“Zio-历史”、“Zio-至上主义”和“Zio-占领下的美国”的激进言论使这一蔑称流行起来。在 2012 年桑迪胡克小学枪击案后，杜克说：“真正的杀手不是子弹，而是 Zio 媒体的恶霸。”（也许并非巧合，自加沙战争开始以来，在 X 和 YouTube 播客上，公然否认大屠杀的情况显著增加。）去年，牛津大学的一名本科生在一次亲巴勒斯坦游行中高喊“把 Zios 埋进地里”后被逮捕并被指控煽动种族仇恨（他否认该指控）。校园流行语
VUK VALCIC / ZUMA PRESS WIRE / SHUTTERSTOCK, VLADIMIR SICHOV, IMAGNO / GETTY
左翼接纳此类种族主义的行为到 2016 年时已变得根深蒂固，沙米·查克拉博蒂在关于工党内部反犹主义的报告中指出：“‘Zio’这个词似乎在校园中，特别是社交媒体上获得了一定的流行度，”她注意到，“这是一个单纯的侮辱性词汇，在我看来，它不应出现在工党成员的词汇表中。”但查克拉博蒂还观察到，“锡安主义者”也过于频繁地被以同样的方式使用。她写道：“我听到了证词，也亲耳听到‘锡安主义者’这个词是如何被用于个人攻击、辱骂，或者作为‘犹太人’的委婉语，甚至针对一些对现代以色列的历史形成或发展没有明确立场、甚至持批评立场的人。我想说的是，某些词汇在无意中或蓄意地被使用和滥用，以至于模糊、改变或变异了其
文学评论家、剧作家西奥多·赫茨尔及其锡安主义同志，1896 年于维也纳 Cafe Louvre
含义。我对以色列国家和 / 或政府批评者的建议是：在使用“锡安主义者”（Zionist）一词时应当审慎、小心，绝不能将其作为委婉语或人身攻击的一部分。” 这是一个明智的建议，但至少有一名工党成员未能遵守，他在 2019 年在社交媒体上发布：“当巴勒斯坦人面对这些杀人犯、锡安主义[sic]混蛋时，我们怎么能没有同情心呢？他们的纳粹主人把他们教得很好。” 科尔宾去年向支持者解释说，他新成立的议会边缘团体“你的政党”（Your Party）是基于“绝对反对锡安主义”而创立的。与此同时，在美国，一项 2022 年的学术研究——《Twitter 上的平台化反犹主义：围绕 2018 年美国中期选举的政治话语中的反犹修辞》发现，在该网站上，近 50 ％的“锡安主义者”一词被清晰地用作反犹主义的侮辱词汇。
左翼使用此类侮辱性语言的事实，远早于 2023 年开始的加沙冲突，这揭穿了任何关于这仅仅是面对残酷战争时令人遗憾的情绪过激，或是对无辜受害者可以理解的同情泛滥的说法。恰恰相反，加沙战争只是让此类语言在公众层面变得更可接受。自 10 月 7 日以来，在亲巴勒斯坦抗议活动中挥舞的大量横幅中，包含的口号和图案与 1970 年代和 1980 年代苏联海报和游行中所使用的几乎完全相同。在英国，绿党似乎吸引了许多对于改革后的后科尔宾时代工党来说过于反犹的人：一名纽卡斯尔市议会候选人在社交媒体上发帖，希望“每一个锡安主义者”都被杀死。在该党 10 月的会议上，预计将讨论一项名为“锡安主义即种族主义”的动议。纽约市市长 Zohran Mamdani 在 2023 年的一次集会中解释说，锡安主义是“一个寻求[sic]根除本土原住民的现代政治运动”。大卫·米勒（David Miller）是一名英国社会学家，他在 2024 年的一场法庭审理中胜诉，反击了布里斯托大学以其“反锡安主义”观点为由将其解雇的行为，法院认定该观点属于受保护的哲学特征；他现在在 X 上发布关于“锡安主义威胁”的长篇大论；本月早些时候，他称 Josh Simons 为“锡安主义资产”，后者是为安迪·伯纳姆腾出梅克菲尔德议席的议员，且具有犹太血统。
但那些使用“锡安主义者”一词的人，通常在具体场合中也并不清楚他们究竟在表达什么；其受众同样如此。根据政治学家 Mira Sucharov 在 2022 年开展的研究，如果将该词定义为“相信一个犹太且民主的国家”，72 ％的美国犹太人认为自己是锡安主义者；但如果该词意味着“相信在以色列中犹太人的权利优先于非犹太人的权利”，则只有 10 ％的人同意——她解释说，后者正是“大多数反锡安主义者脑海中浮现的定义”。Sucharov 在以色列报纸《哈阿雷茨》（Haaretz）上写道，她得出结论：“当锡安主义的话题出现时，自称的锡安主义者（无论是犹太人还是其他人）和反锡安主义者（无论是犹太人还是其他人）讨论的是完全不同的事情。” 今天的 Google Trends 查询显示，在 2023 年 10 月之后，对“锡安主义者”和“锡安主义”这两个词的搜索量大幅增加，这意味着该词被更频繁地使用，同时也意味着人们对其含义感到不确定。
隔离仇犹者
也许这个词已经失去了其实用价值，是时候将其彻底废弃了。在 2018 年，以色列作家乔纳森·沙米尔（Jonathan Shamir）认为，由于该词的含义如此“模糊且多样”，导致“锡安主义”（Zionism）一词经常地“扼杀了任何有成效的对话”——尤其是他指出，许多认同自己是锡安主义者的以色列人其实属于主张和平的左翼人士。“对于很多人来说，认同自己是锡安主义者是一条红线：相关人员立即被视为种族主义者，”他观察到。“然而，这么多所谓的锡安主义者却处于为巴勒斯坦人争取正义斗争的最前沿。同样，反锡安主义也带有反犹主义的恶劣含义。因此，这些极具两极分化的词汇应该被搁置，只有在我们讨论政治哲学时才拿出来，而大多数时候，我们并不在讨论政治哲学。”在社交媒体上，该词极少被用于这种意义。
在 2024 年，Meta（Facebook、Threads 和 Instagram 的所有者）宣布，它将禁止在其平台上出现明显的、反犹主义的“锡安主义”用法：即那些将该词“作为犹太人或以色列人的替代词”的情况。历史学家德博拉·利普斯塔特（Deborah Lipstadt）对这一认可表示欢迎，她的著作《审判历史》（History on Trial）记录了她如何成功防御大屠杀否认者大卫·欧文（David Irving）发起的诽谤诉讼；她欢迎承认“将‘锡安主义者’作为表达对犹太人整体仇恨的掩护，这种现象令人担忧且广泛存在”。与此同时，康奈尔大学的历史学家罗娜·伯恩斯（Rhona Burns）认为，以色列的捍卫者应当直接拒绝参与关于锡安主义争论的语言游戏。“锡安主义在以色列成立并被国际社会认可为一个独立国家之日，就实现了其目的，”她在 2024 年于《以色列时报》（The Times of Israel）中指出。为什么要放弃这个词？因为，她现在解释道，“以色列应当在常规政治领域内被讨论。我认为‘锡安主义’不应被用作描述所谓‘以色列特质’、以色列政策、以色列爱国主义或以色列国家愿望的主要词汇——例如，在维持该国的犹太国家认同的同时，保持其自由西方价值观，这在历史上是犹太国家经典的锡安主义愿景和目标。”她补充道，虽然“锡安主义”曾为一个具体的政治理念命名，但“如今这个词的使用方式已与这一历史和实际意义完全脱节，成为旨在重新定义历史以适应单一视角的普遍运动的一部分”。换句话说，它被人类学家路易斯-克莱恩（Louis-Klein）所描述的“反锡安主义者”活动分子劫持了。那么，很难不同意“锡安主义”和“锡安主义者”作为理性讨论的术语，其政治保质期现已远超。让那些希望以色列国被摧毁或被解散的人明确表达出来；让那些渴望两国方案或一国方案的人明确指出；让那些哀悼 1947-1948 年不公正现象的人明确他们在进行历史研究。这样一来，剩下的唯一还在愤怒攻击锡安主义的人，就只有那些单纯仇视犹太人的人了。
“你知道，我 72 岁了。这是一个巨大的冒险，”特雷弗·菲利普斯爵士（Sir Trevor Phillips）说道，“如果有人愿意给你机会，谁会拒绝冒险呢？”这是一个明媚的七月下午，菲利普斯心情很好，而他确实有理由如此。在许多广播员被鼓励去拍摄关于运河船纪录片的年纪，菲利普斯在美国获得了一份光彩夺目且薪酬丰厚的新工作。在 Sky News 主持了三年的《周日早晨与特雷弗·菲利普斯》（Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips）之后，这位记者、广播员、有时兼任公职人员且一直是工党心头大患的人物，被任命为美国 CBS 网络的资深全球事务特派员。在上周末录制完最后一期 Sky 节目后，他现在正搬到纽约，在那里他将承担广泛的职责。忘掉埃利奥特·安德森（Elliot Anderson）从诺丁汉森林转会到曼城吧——在广播新闻界，这才是今年夏天最高身价的转会。
“我不是电视上最流畅的主持人，也不是最擅长读提词器的，但我猜他们认为我能够很好地应对（现场嘉宾带来的）混乱局面，”在谈到对方为何选择他时，他这样说道。“在某种程度上，广播新闻已经变成了娱乐的产物。我们需要回归报道本身。用最粗鲁的话来说，故事应该排在记者之前。太多从事我这份工作的人把自己置于观众和故事之间，而那不是我们的职责。”我们在猎头公司 Green Park Executive Recruitment 的伦敦中心办公室见面，菲利普斯担任该公司的董事长，他将其描述为自己的“日常工作”。他穿着一件白色牛津领衬衫，戴着厚框黑眼镜，下巴上带着淡淡的灰色胡茬，对于一个在公共议论中打滚了半个世纪的人来说，菲利普斯显得格外年轻。他似乎依然准备好迎接战斗。
在接任新职的同时，菲利普斯也被卷入了美国媒体最激烈的冲突之一。去年 10 月，一名 42 岁的“反觉醒”（anti-woke）记者巴里·魏斯（Bari Weiss）被任命为该网络的总编辑，尽管她几乎没有任何广播经验。魏斯在 2020 年离开《纽约时报》时曾成为头条新闻，她认为该报未能保护她免受社交媒体及新闻编辑部内部的批评。魏斯一直是多样性计划的著名批评者，她表示这使她成为了其他员工攻击的目标。她接管了历史悠久的自由派网络 CBS，这导致了罢工、解雇和激烈的内斗，而这一切似乎完全没有困扰到菲利普斯。
“巴里和她的团队需要掉转一个如巨型油轮般的网络新闻机构，而他们正在舰桥上组建一个小团队，”他说。“她的伟大之处在于，她是那种要么改变世界，要么彻底毁灭的人。但当他们毁灭时，那将是绚丽的彩色景象。”他表示，将领导层的更替视为一场“反觉醒”十字军东征是错误的。“在美国，这场争议被定义为‘CBS 新闻正在变得反觉醒’。但巴里的目的并非如此。她有自己的观点，其中一些我认同，一些我不认同，但她的观点是媒体应该是异质的。应该有多样化的声音。”上个月有报道称，魏斯将资深记者霍莉·威廉姆斯（Holly Williams）从一项原定的对奈杰尔·法拉奇（Nigel Farage）的采访中撤除，转而交给菲利普斯。菲利普斯不愿透露细节，但表示采访法拉奇等政治人物将是其职责的一部分。“现在政治中有趣的是这个...”
“一种由法拉格 (Farage)、乔治亚·梅洛尼 (Giorgia Meloni) 和玛丽娜·勒庞 (Marine Le Pen) 代表的思想潮流，其核心观点是，在这样一个新世界里，我们以往进行常规政治的方式已经失效，我们需要用不同的方式去做事情，”他说。“我们一直试图将其纳入旧有的左右翼两极体制，但我认为这并不完全正确。我感兴趣采访的将包括那一组[领导人]。”我们见面时，安迪·伯纳姆 (Andy Burnham) 担任首相还不到两周，期间伯纳姆发布了几项引人注目的声明——£2 的巴士票价、“No 10 North”——以及关于改革福利和社会关怀的传闻。菲利普斯表示，尽管在北方设立 No 10 是“胡闹，是权力下放的反面，是为了确保曼彻斯特没有人敢做任何他不喜欢的事”，但除此之外他持谨慎乐观态度。“我认识安迪很久了，”他说。“他是个好人。关于他有两个重大问题。第一个是个人层面的。他很有魅力且富有同理心，但他是否只是个空壳？当你敲门询问‘你为什么从政？’时，是否有答案？在布莱尔时期，绝对是有答案的。他认为我们应该能够将市场的动态与社会正义协调起来。”他说，虽然很容易将伯纳姆刻画成一个“戴着平顶帽、养着灵缇犬、说着曼彻斯特口音的漫画人物”，但有“迹象”表明，这位新首相是某个可识别的工党传统的传承者。“他准备好做出选择了吗？”菲利普斯补充道。“各种各样的人都可以成为优秀的沟通者。最终，政治只关乎一件简单的事情——那就是选择，而且选择几乎总是在‘坏’与‘更坏’之间。否则，我们就无需做出选择，也不需要政治。他必须做出的核心选择是在党派与国家之间。”上周，有建议称伯纳姆的福利改革将包括对心理健康补贴的重新审查，而这些补贴一直以来是
我们以往进行传统政治的方式 已经破产，我们需要 采取不同的做法”
才意识到他们是多么被厌恶”
新闻、跨性别“幻想家”的兴起，以及为何某些文化并非同样地“令人向往”
公众财政负担在迅速增加。超过 430,000 名 16-24 岁的英国人正在领取病假津贴，这一数字的增长是由报告的心理健康问题增加所驱动的。 在 Phillips 多年来深入探讨的无数原因中——多元文化主义、平等、净零排放、言论自由、媒体——没有哪个比心理健康更让他心切，尤其是儿童和青少年的心理健康。2021 年 4 月，他的两个女儿中年长的那个、身为作家兼编辑的 Sushila 在与厌食症抗争数十年后，在年仅 36 岁时去世。这段经历让 Phillips 对严重精神疾病与焦虑或 ADHD 等较轻症状之间的区别有了清晰的认识。 “在她被这件事掌控的 22 年里，我终于明白了被恶魔附身意味着什么，”Phillips 说道。“除非你经历过这样的情境：因为你的孩子备受折磨，想要跳车自杀，你不得不把她强行按在疾驰汽车后排的脚垫处，否则你无法理解真正的精神疾病是什么样子。” 他说，目睹 Sushila 的痛苦降低了他对名人以牵强的借口援引心理健康问题的容忍度。“当人们，尤其是名人或公众人物，谈论他们的心理健康，而他们真正的意思只是他们感到悲伤，或者听到了一条特别糟糕的消息时，我觉得很难接受，”他说。“这与像 Sushila 经历的事情完全不同。我们将人类的经验病理化，并模糊了真正的折磨与绝望之间的界限。” 尽管他长期与工党保持联系（最初在 21 世纪初担任伦敦议会议员），但近年来，作为《泰晤士报》的专栏作家以及在 Sky News 的身份，Phillips 进一步转向了一种小写 c 的保守自由主义，对左翼的一些长期执念采取了“严厉之爱”。他认为，缺乏国家认同已成为比直接种族主义更严重的问题；而因为历史关联而更改街道名称或推翻雕像，有沦为单纯“表面文章”的风险，这更多地与白人的内疚感有关，而非为了解决结构性不公正。他还表示担心身份政治掩盖了有意义的辩论。 “我唯一真正出名的地方，就是不停地唠叨多元文化主义是否正确，或者某些人所谓的‘觉醒文化’（wokery）。” 随着近年来移民人数激增，“我对多元文化主义的看法变得更加强烈”，他解释道。“在过去的几年里，我们变得更加多元，而且将继续如此。但你越是允许人们主张自己的身份，无论是种族、性别还是任何其他身份，就越需要用清晰的表述来平衡这一点。
“什么样的行为和举止是可接受的，以及什么样的关系是可接受的。” 我建议，听起来他提到的问题之一是近亲结婚。他说：“我正在谈论近亲结婚，我谈论的是在那些礼拜场所中，女性被安置在一个地方，而男性在另一个地方的情况。”他说：“在某些社会中，女性的地位较低，而且每个人都接受这一点。[英国]不能成为那样的社会。在我们的社会中，并非所有文化都同样令人向往或合法。” 在 2020 年，菲利普斯因涉及其历史言论的伊斯兰恐惧症指控而被杰里米·科尔宾领导的工党暂停党籍，这些言论包括关于部分穆斯林未能佩戴纪念罂粟花，以及对巴基斯坦穆斯林男子在北部虐待儿童的担忧。他在次年恢复了党籍。 他对自由主义、以伦敦为中心的群体思维一直持深刻的批评态度。在我们见面几天前，埃隆·马斯克接受了《经济学人》的采访，他在采访中重复了一个在右翼部分群体中获得支持的观点，即英国爆发内战并非不可想象。 “他选择通过《经济学人》这么做并非巧合，”菲利普斯说，他认为马斯克故意说这些话是为了挑衅，在这种情况下，挑衅的是该报的自由派读者（及员工）。他说：“特朗普和埃隆只是在耍我们。”他说：“请原谅我的措辞，但他们就是在操纵我们的思想。”
菲利普斯说，英国真正的问题是像他这样的人——他住在肯蒂什镇——将参加他们北伦敦晚餐派对的人的观点，误认为是人口中具有代表性的一个阶层。 他说：“自由主义的国际化伦敦及其郊区——布赖顿、牛津、剑桥——直到最近才意识到国家的其他地区多么讨厌我们，而我们却想将其解读为一个[平均]分裂的国家。”他说：“我们是一个极小的少数群体，因为我们聪明、灵活且拥有实用技能，成为了全球化的受益者。而这个国家的很大一部分人并非处于那种境地。” 他说，如果伯纳姆想要成功，就必须让国家的其他地区放心，让他们知道他理解他们的愤怒。 “[伯纳姆] 所讲述的故事之所以有力量，是因为全国大部分地区在看着伦敦及其前哨站并想：‘你们根本不明白我们失去了什么，这就是为什么我们讨厌你们，更糟糕的是，你们还不停地告诉我们应该如何思考这些事情。’” 他说，净零排放“不是一个坏主意”，但不应该成为一种信条。他说：“净零不应该被变成一个宗教对象。”他说：“如果它在财务上或政治资本上的代价超过了你认为它值得的价值，那么政府不应该为此死守阵地。” 作为平等与人权委员会的主席，菲利普斯参与制定了 2010 年的《平等法》，其中包含了对正在进行性别重塑的人员防止歧视的保护。他说，他未能预料到随后几年跨性别运动的强势。他说：“我们一秒钟都没有想到过，竟然会有人认为性别除了由生物决定之外还能是其他任何东西。”他说：“这是我们的失察，导致了一个基于幻想的运动兴起。我们从未想象过竟然有人在推销这样一种幻想：你竟然可以随意定义自己的性别。”他补充道：“问题在于，房间里的成年人们变成了懦夫，他们都在逃避那些幻想家。”“当我还是学生时，我们争取的事情之一就是女性可以独立于男性而存在。而现在，在这个新的幻想世界里，女性唯一不能做的事情就是决定她们什么时候想要成为”
与男性分开。这不仅是令人愤慨，简直是疯狂。”他还不同意政治家将自己的种族或性别作为自身最重要特征的做法，他点名批评蕾切尔·里夫斯（Rachel Reeves）反复谈论自己是首位女性财政大臣，以及他的“好朋友”大卫·拉米（David Lammy）以首位黑人副首相的身份吸引关注。“当他们[强调种族或性别]时，全国其他民众会想：‘你怎么回事？’”他说。“这不仅仅是你在吸引人们关注这些事情，你其实是在说，‘如果你认为这不是关于蕾切尔·里夫斯或大卫·拉米最重要的事情，那你就是一个性别歧视者、一个偏执狂和一个种族主义者。’”
菲利普斯起初更像是一个激进分子。他说 CBS 雇佣他是因为他擅长“控制混乱”，但你也可以看出，他的背景和多样的职业经历使其成为一名美国广播公司眼中极具吸引力的人选。他 1953 年出生于伊斯灵顿，是 10 个孩子中最小的一个，父母近期从圭亚那移民而来。他的童年在加勒比地区和伦敦之间度过，随后在伦敦帝国学院学习化学。从 1978 到 1980 年，他是国家学生会 (NUS) 的首位黑人主席，之后进入广播新闻领域。“当我在 NUS 的任期快结束时，一个女人找我谈进入电视领域的事情，”他回忆道。“我痛斥了那个使者。当时我是一个极其激进的左翼活动家。‘记者，你们是寄生虫，你们什么都不做，我为什么要去做那个？我们在这里是为了改变世界。’”六个月后，他带着一点羞愧，在伦敦周末电视公司（London Weekend Television）开始了职业生涯。
在学生政治期间，菲利普斯与彼得·曼德尔森（Peter Mandelson）建立了长期的友谊，后者在圣凯瑟琳学院就读期间成立了牛津工党学生协会。两人随后在广播领域共同工作。曼德尔森在菲利普斯 1981 年的第一次婚礼上担任伴郎（自 2013 年起，他与电视制片人海伦·维尔（Helen Veale）结婚）。当菲利普斯进入政坛时，曼德尔森产生了关键影响，首先体现在 2000 到 2002 年间他两次担任伦敦议会主席，随后在托尼·布莱尔领导下，从 2003 年起担任种族平等委员会主席，并从 2007 到 2012 年担任其继任机构平等与人权委员会的主席。
当去年公布的文件揭露了曼德尔森与已故儿童色情金融家杰弗里·爱泼斯坦（Jeffrey Epstein）的深厚友谊时，菲利普斯在天空新闻（Sky News）上谈到了这段友谊，称曼德尔森“往好里说是天真和愚蠢，往坏里说是贪婪和两面三刀”。此后两人再未交谈，但菲利普斯说他的大门依然敞开。“我们显然再也没法拥有同样的关系了，”他说。“我发现了一些关于彼得的事，是我以前不知道的，这使得我们不可能恢复之前的关系。‘我不知道我们是否还是朋友。我们完全没有联系，’他说道，并补充说他不会采取第一步行动。
幸运的是，他还有很多其他事情要忙。他将继续撰写他在《泰晤士报》的专栏，并可能保留在 Green Park 的职位。他的美国实验是一个机会，用来探索他几十年前可能选择的另一条道路。他在佛罗里达州有一个兄弟，当他的父母在 1966 年离开英国返回圭亚那时，他们在途中停留在了纽约，结果停留时间比计划的要长。“大概可以公平地说，他们在很长一段时间内都是非法移民，”菲利普斯说。
“我更喜欢[英国]，因为‘互不干扰’（live and let live）的核心理念依然很重要，”他说。“在这一切之下，英国人倾向于根据你的所作所为以及你是一个什么样的人来评判你。”他补充道：“我怀疑如果我去了美国，在物质上可能会过得更好。在美国，像我这个年纪的非裔美国人拥有他们父母不曾具备的优势。我有几十个美国的侄子和侄女，而且大多数”
他们中有一些就读于常春藤盟校。他们是富裕的人。但大多数美国人仍然生活在由与自己相似的人组成的社区中。这仍然是一个隔离的社会。”不过，如果他对这份工作有任何严重的顾虑，他也隐藏得很好。“对我来说，唯一的问题是：‘一个英国人能否在向美国人讲述美国生活时得心应手？’”他说。“但如果你能直接地讲述故事，那么用什么口音讲述并不重要。无论如何，理论上是这样的。”
保罗·格罗弗 (PAUL GROVER)
订阅我们的免费每日 商业简报
收购谈判 面临 崩溃风险
合并谈判后降低了 对这家高街巨头的 报价
作者：Ben Marlow
《电讯报》可以披露，Weston 家族对 Boots 的 £7bn 收购计划面临崩溃风险。在经历了数月的谈判后，这家亿万富翁家族降低了报价，导致 Weston 家族与 Boots 的私募股权所有者之间的谈判陷入僵局。修正后的报价被拒绝，使得交易处于不确定状态，并引发了关于这家英国最知名高街企业之一未来的新疑问。
一名接近讨论的消息人士表示，交易能否挽回的可能性是“50 / 50”。在澳大利亚的 Sigma Healthcare 六月份放弃了对这家药房巨头的竞争收购后，Weston 家族修改了对 Boots 的报价，这使得这家英裔加拿大亿万富翁家族成为了唯一的追求者。
“这还没完全死掉。这是一个僵持局面。他们在意识到自己是唯一的竞标者后，试图压低价格，”该消息人士说。“他们提出了一个较低的数字，这被认为是不可以接受的。差距并非完全无法逾越。然而，所有者不会以任何价格出售。”
一名金融城消息人士表示，自复活节前后开始谈判以来，经济背景的剧烈恶化令 Weston 家族成员感到心惊。投资者不得不应对美国对伊朗战争带来的后果，这重新引发了通货膨胀并增加了利率上升的风险。10 年内更换第七任英国首相也损害了商业信心。
Weston 家族是世界上最富有的零售家族之一，其商业帝国分为英国和加拿大两个分支。正是拥有加拿大最大超市连锁店 Loblaw 控制权的加拿大方面，一直在考虑收购 Boots。
自其母公司 Walgreens Boots Alliance 去年被美国金融机构 Sycamore Partners 以 $24bn (£18bn) 买断以来，Boots 的所有权再次陷入不确定。Boots 此后被拆分为一个独立实体，导致人们预期它将通过出售或股票市场上市而被分拆。Stefano Pessina，这位意大利
自己是唯一的 竞标者后，试图 压低价格”
作者：Matt Oliver
《电讯报》可以披露，由于国防巨头 BAE Systems 与罗尔斯-罗伊斯在成本上产生分歧，一架“全英制”自主战斗机将使用美国发动机。
上周亮相的 Brontanax 无人机被推介为英国皇家空军“忠诚僚机”无人机计划的唯一国内候选方案。它面临的是大部分为美国制造的替代方案。BAE 正在一个由 70 多家英国公司组成的财团支持下开发原型机。
然而，长期以来一直是国内战斗机项目中坚力量的罗尔斯-罗伊斯，在一次
作者：Pui-Guan Man
由于对安迪·伯纳姆的房产税计划感到担忧，出租房屋的建设量骤降至 12 年低点。
数据显示，今年 4 月至 6 月间仅启动了 3,455 个“以租为建”项目，比去年同期下降 80%，触及 2014 年以来的最低水平。
根据 Savills 和 Real Estate:UK 的数据，伦敦以外的地区承受了减速的 brunt，建设量同比下降 84%，从 13,893 套房屋降至 2,176 套。
分析师认为，这次下跌是由与伯纳姆先生税收政策相关的投机心理驱动的。
来自 Real Estate:UK 的 Kate Henderson 表示，关于重大税收和监管变化的传闻“毫无帮助”。
她说道：“围绕比例房产税或土地价值税的投机也毫无帮助，并产生了与关于……的投机类似的效应。”
百万富翁，在他与收购巨头科尔伯格-克拉维斯-罗伯茨（Kohlberg Kravis Roberts）合作将其私有化后，他的家人在 2007. 分拆时重新投资于该公司。当时，这是最大规模的由私募股权主导的英国上市公司收购案。
在与韦斯顿（Weston）家族及 Sigma Healthcare 开启谈判之前，Sycamore 一直在探索在中断近 20 年后让 Boots 重返伦敦证券交易所的可能性。据了解，如果销售谈判未能达成协议，Sycamore 将在明年重启 Boots 的上市计划。
Walgreens 曾在 2022, 探讨出售 Boots，吸引了包括 Asda 所有者 TDR Capital 在内的私募股权基金的兴趣。
在出价低于预期后，这些谈判破裂了。
作为更广泛的成本削减计划的一部分，Boots 随后关闭了数百家在英国表现不佳的门店。
与此同时，投资重点集中在 400 家较大的核心门店上，其中大多数位于市中心或零售园区。此外还辅以一个由小型当地药房和交通枢纽门店组成的网络。总计，Boots 拥有约 1,800 家店铺。它还拥有美容品牌 No7 和 Soap & Glory，并正成为 NHS 服务日益重要的提供者，如医生诊疗、疫苗接种和血压检测，以及针对皮肤和脱发问题的专业治疗。
Boots 最近任命了 Currys 前老板 Alex Baldock 为新任首席执行官，作为重返公开市场的准备工作的一部分。Baldock 先生将于秋季就职。
韦斯顿家族的英国分支通过其 Wittington Investments 投资工具控制着 Primark 所有者 Associated British Foods 以及 Fortnum and Mason。
该公司在该百货公司于 2022 年以 £4bn 价格出售给由泰国 Central Group 和奥地利奢侈品地产巨头 Signa Holding 组成的财团之前，曾对其拥有近 20 年的所有权。后者创始人 Rene Benko 后来被判定犯有欺诈罪。
Sycamore 和 Boots 均拒绝发表评论。
据了解，这是公司之间关于定价的争议。
Rolls 研发了一款名为 Orpheus 的小型演示发动机，高管们正寻求将其推广用于无人机，这些无人机在战斗机身旁飞行以提供保护。
但据一名知情人士透露，在关于 Brontanax 演示机的谈判中，Rolls 被认为没有完全“投入”到该项目中，且其发动机被 BAE 认为过于昂贵。
相反，该飞机将使用来自美国竞争对手 Williams International 的系统，被认为更具成本效益。
BAE 的决定意味着，尽管 Rolls——作为一家国家冠军企业——正在努力工作
租金管制。”政府一直试图澄清其在租金管制方面的政策，安杰拉·雷纳已将其排除在外，官员们则暗示更大范围的财产税改革并非迫在眉睫。
然而，由于预算案计划在 Oct 28 之前发布，在伯纳姆先生详细阐明其计划之前，活动可能不会回升。
YING TANG / NURPHOTO / SHUTTERSTOCK
在粉色 A 中，一名 cosplayer 在上海新国际博览中心举行的 China Joy 开幕式上摆姿势。这是亚洲最大的游戏盛会，也是中国产业的展示窗口，现已进入第 23 年，涵盖 AI、动画、漫画和硬件。
作者：James Titcomb
工党的区域AI中心未能交付足够的新数据中心项目，该计划下仅有一座站点获得批准。
工党去年将英国的五个区域指定为“AI增长区”，旨在吸引项目落户到那些能够从更便宜的电费和当地支持中获益的国家地区。
然而，规划记录显示，该政策迄今为止在很大程度上失败了，且大多数计划中的投资早在该政策出台前就已确定。
来自房产科技公司 Search Acumen 的数据以及《电讯报》对规划记录的分析显示，仅有一个增长区促成了一项新项目的成功申请。
牛津郡、东北英格兰、南威尔士、北威尔士以及苏格兰的拉纳克郡这五个地区被指定为增长区。
Brontanax无人机的估计最高成本，据称其具备台风战斗机高达 80% 的功能。
尽管劳斯莱斯（Rolls-Royce）与美国和德国在外国无人机计划上开展合作，但目前它并未参与英国自己的旗舰项目。
这一分歧出现之时，劳斯莱斯正就国内研发短途飞机新发动机的资金问题与政府陷入僵局，公司高层警告称，相关工作可能会转移到德国。
在接受《电讯报》采访时，劳斯莱斯首席执行官 Tufan Erginbilgic 坚持认为，公司“绝对”有能力为像 Brontanax 这样的无人机提供发动机。
当被问及为何其公司没有参与该演示机项目时，他回答道：“我期待这两家伟大的公司能就此开展工作。至于我们如何在这种局面中结束，我不想猜测。但展望未来，这种机会绝对存在。”
“我预计我们在自主推进能力方面将处于主导地位，因为我们具备这种能力——且比其他一些公司更强。我们的技术比目前市场上的许多技术要新得多。”
上周，BAE 试图淡化对该城市中大型租赁住房摩天大楼的资金支持。
来自 JLL 的 Marcus Dixon 表示，政治不确定性加剧了已经在压制市场的更广泛的商业压力。
他表示：“投机行为绝对没有帮助。投资者中存在一种观点，即他们将等待所有这些事情尘埃落定，并在投入项目之前明确政府的确切立场。”
Dixon 先生还警告说，增速放缓可能会损害工党更广泛的住房建设雄心。
他表示：“这一切意味着我们将看到交付的房屋数量减少。虽然从长远来看这可能意味着我们能获得更多房屋，但它使得 1.5 million 套住房的目标看起来越来越遥远。”
住房部的一位发言人表示：“我们深知‘先建后租’（build-to-rent）部门在为全国人民提供住房方面是多么至关重要，我们正支持该部门的发展。”
欠税局 £265,000
作者：Luke Barr
巴克莱兄弟在失去其零售帝国的控制权之前，欠下税局巨额债务。 Very Group 前母公司 Shop Direct Holdings 的新破产申请文件显示，该公司在去年清算前欠英国税务海关总署 (HM Revenue & Customs) £265,000。 尽管 Shop Direct 的银行账户中拥有近 50 万英镑，但仍积累了这些债务。 在艾丹 (Aidan) 和霍华德·巴克莱 (Howard Barclay) 将 Very 的所有权交给美国私募巨头凯雷 (Carlyle) 后，该公司的财务细节才浮出水面。 作为控制权变更的一部分，Shop Direct 被分拆，随后由 Interpath 进行清算。 凯雷最近启动了针对 Very 的 20 亿英镑出售进程，但对欠 HMRC 的债务不承担任何责任。 此前拥有《电讯报》所有权的艾丹和霍华德·巴克莱在 Shop Direct 破产前已辞任董事，因此据信也不承担责任。
由于他们已在 Shop Direct 破产前辞职，霍华德·巴克莱及其兄弟艾丹被认为不对该债务负责。
监督 Shop Direct 资产的破产专家目前计划使用该公司银行账户中剩余的 £480,000 来偿还税局。 虽然 HMRC 可能会收到还款，但
自 2025. 4 月以来一直处于停滞状态。这些区域接收政府资金，并被设定为享受折扣电价、更便捷的规划审批以及更快的电网连接。 部长们吹嘘这些计划创造了数千个就业机会和数十亿英镑的投资。 虽然大多数增长区都有在建的数据中心项目，例如在东北地区投资 £10bn 数据中心以及在南威尔士的微软设施，但这些项目在很大程度上是在这些地区被划定为 AI 增长区之前就已规划好的。 牛津郡是 15 个月前首个被指定为增长区的地区，但此后未收到过一份申请或获得一项批准。地方议会去年表示，满足该地的能源和水资源需求将是一个“挑战”。 OpenAI 在该地点被指定为增长区后，以能源成本高昂为由，退出了在东北地区的数据中心项目。
由于缺少 Rolls 的参与，这表明无人机的发动机是一个“替换件”。 然而，BAE 已经明确表示其正将成本降至最低。该公司在 Brontanax 上投入了数百万英镑，并将该无人机宣传为仅需 25% 的价格即可提供 70-80% 的台风 (Typhoon) 战斗机能力。 BAE 实验性 FalconWorks 部门的 Dave Holmes 在范堡航展上表示，这家国防巨头正与 Rolls 合作，以“扩大” Orpheus 的规模，从而“不仅满足推力要求，而且符合价格点”。 国防部官员最近在《国防投资计划》中明确表示，他们希望为皇家空军 (RAF) 的无人机打造一个“主权且世界领先的推进系统”。 Rolls 被认为是仅有的两家能够开发所需发动机的欧洲公司之一——另一家是法国的 Safran。 独立国防分析师 Francis Tusa 表示，未能加入 Brontanax 项目表明 Rolls “过分高估了自己的筹码”。 他呼吁部长们采取强硬手段，并补充道：“当然，Rolls 对其股东负有责任，但这是一个具有国家重要性的项目。如果他们还在为回报率而争论，坦白说，他们应该收敛起来。” BAE 首席执行官 Charles Woodburn 暗示 Brontanax 的大门依然敞开。“只要可能，我们很乐意购买英国产品，”他说道。
他们的配送业务 Logistics Group 暴露了欠汇丰银行（其主要贷方）1.435 亿英镑m 的债务。
这导致汇丰银行在今年早些时候双方达成和解之前，在高等法院对这对兄弟启动了破产程序。
两人同意了一项被称为“个人自愿安排”的债务偿还计划，不过具体细节尚未披露。
巴克莱帝国的瓦解最初是由劳埃德银行集团（Lloyds Banking Group）在 2023 年因另一组逾期债务而夺取《电讯报》的控制权所触发的。
Very 曾被视为巴克莱帝国的皇冠上的明珠，而失去 Very 则集中体现了该家族的财务崩溃。
据报道，美国投资巨头 Elliott 和中国的京东 (JD.Com) 正在考虑收购该业务。
英国税务海关总署 (HMRC)、Very 和 Interpath 均拒绝置评。
林恩 (Matthew Lynn)
就是一个 单枪匹马的 工业 破坏之锤
完全由新任外交大臣承担。而令人担忧的是，“红色埃德”还没有收手
埃德·米利班德 (ED MILLIBAND) 卸任能源大臣之职时，英国正面临全球最高的工业电价。化学品和建材等行业承受着巨大的压力。而现在，作为外交大臣，他已经在全球各地四处招摇，在“道德领导力”上大肆作秀，而不是尝试重建与唐纳德·特朗普的关系，并支持商业大臣乔纳森·雷诺兹 (Jonathan Reynolds) 达成一项更好的贸易协议。米利班德损害英国经济的方式如此之多，以至于即使是他最勤勉的批评者也往往难以全部记录在册。然而，有一件事绝对应该排在首位。随着 BP 宣布退出北海的消息传出，一个曾经繁荣的油气工业的毁灭，将被记录为近期最严重的经济自我破坏行为之一——而米利班德对此负有责任。
将决定放弃北海的责任归咎于 BP 是不可能的。BP 是六十年前近海石油勘探的先驱之一，但它现在决定这不再值得费心。超额利润税没收了它可能赚到的任何资金，它面临着不断的法律战；尽管安迪·伯纳姆已经示意将采取更务实的做法，但政府至今仍拒绝允许其扩大油田。当挪威国有的 Equinor 等竞争对手凭借在北海份额中产量的增加而获得巨额利润时，BP 面临的只有限制和征税。它只是在做对股东有意义的事情，而这意味着退出。问题是，这对更广泛的经济来说是一场灾难。购买 BP 位于阿伯丁附近油田的买家，可能是一个由私募股权支持的资产剥离者，在业务萎缩的同时榨取尽可能多的现金。无论买家是谁，都不会拥有 BP 那样的专业深度，也不会拥有其资源。这个国家在关闭一项本应是最具价值的资产方面又迈出了一步。我们需要坦率地指出对此负责的人。
作为能源大臣，米利班德犯了两个关键错误。首先，他将“净零”目标置于能源安全之上。鉴于英国在全球排放量中占比不足 1%，且我们已经大幅降低了排放（不幸的是，几乎完全是通过关闭重工业实现的），除了电网脱碳外，我们能为气候做的事情寥寥无几。但我们能源供应的安全性在我们的掌控之中，任何人都能看出，国内生产比进口油气要可靠得多，而且更有利于国际收支。能源大臣本可以达成一个合理的折中方案，但米利班德没有任何迹象表明他考虑过这样做。其次，他在欧洲需求巨大时，未能抓住扩大生产（尤其是天然气生产）的机会。这不是是否严肃对待气候变化的问题。每个人都知道，在向清洁能源过渡期间，我们仍然需要化石燃料，而这些燃料最好是在本国创造就业机会和税收，而不是在卡塔尔、美国或挪威。如果米利班德能展现出哪怕一丁点灵活性，BP 现在可能仍在扩张，而不是关停。
在掌权两年后，米利班德在身后留下了一连串破坏。能源价格失控飙升。英国的工业能源价格现在是美国的四倍，法国的两倍，且短期内没有下降的迹象。这使得它
在能源成本可占成本基数 40% 至 50% 的钢铁或建筑材料等行业中，想要保持竞争力完全是不可能的。由于能源成本以及额外增加的绿色税费的双重打击，大片工业领域已被迫关闭。去年，英国跌出了全球 10 大制造业国家之列，被台湾、墨西哥甚至俄罗斯超越，且几乎没有重新夺回该位置的迹象。与此同时，水泥产量已跌至 75 年来的最低点，这意味着即使政府想要建房，也没有足够的国内材料可以使用。当然，每个决定背后的原因各不相同。但米利班的灾难性决定显然是一个主导因素。
情况还将进一步恶化。任何理智的首相都会将其赶出政府，而米利班现在却成了新任外交大臣。米利班在接管外交事务的第一周里，并没有直接前往华盛顿试图说服特朗普政府取消针对英国的最新一轮关税，而是飞往西班牙，就共同应对气候变化进行一些毫无意义的空谈。我们可以断定，对于一个背负巨额债务且急需增长的国家，其外交大臣的核心优先事项应该是支持商业大臣处理关税、贸易协定和促进出口等基础问题，但这些都将被遗忘；取而代之的将是让米利班可以吹嘘其“道德领导力”的拍照机会。
“红色埃德”已变成了一个单枪匹马的破坏球，摧毁了我们工业基地的巨大份额，毁掉了北海，并在国家能源供应变得愈发不稳定时自我感觉良好。BP 退出北海仅仅是最新的、或许也是最剧烈的例子，展现了他独特的破坏天赋。不幸的是，几乎没有迹象表明他已经收手。
与绿色 税费的 沉重打击 导致 工业 关闭”
旨在吸引向上流动阶层
KALLUM PICKERING
对他起到了积极作用——但 他必须以一份 坚实的经济计划 为其支撑
便装夹克、开襟羊毛衫、原色牛仔裤、 Polo 衫和运动鞋。虽然本版读者可能会发现 安迪·伯纳姆 对便装的偏爱不仅在审美上令人不适，而且缺乏一个目前领导国家的人应有的尊严，但请思考一下，为什么这种风格对他有效。首先，它能激怒对手。那些希望看到总理穿着更标准服装——深色西装、白衬衫，最好配一条蓝色领带——的人，会被诱导去进行虚假的道德愤怒，而不是分析实际政策。这是现代政治中的一个常见把戏。就像鲍里斯·约翰逊的发型一样。其次，这是一种微妙的诉求，旨在吸引大量向上流动的工人阶级和中下层阶级选民，如果 伯纳姆 想要扭转工党的政治局面，就必须赢得这些人。每当政府能为这些群体带来实惠时，他们就会给予回报。
所谓的“埃塞克斯人”在 1979 到 1997 年间助力保守党赢得了四次大选。下一代“蒙迪欧人”（以当时时尚的新款福特 Mondeo 家庭车命名，该车型取代了福特 Sierra）则是托尼·布莱尔的“新工党”的目标选民。虽然我们目前还没有为现代的对应群体命名，但这类选民数量庞大，且是任何政党通往权力之门的钥匙：他们是英国选民中沉默且理智的多数。根据初步民调， 伯纳姆 在选民中的认可度似乎高于他的前任。在基尔·斯塔默爵士领导下，工党的支持率在 7 月跌至 20% 以下的低点，而近期部分民调显示已回升至 28%。但现在还处于非常早期的阶段，风格上的加分必须转化为实质性的成果。 伯纳姆 的吸引力在于他与那些被一代英国领导人辜负的向上流动阶层的相似性。他们的要求很简单：提高自身及其子女的生活标准，以及一个在世界上有影响力的英国。 伯纳姆 表示，他将在今年晚些时候公布针对国家的 10 年计划。具体内容如何仍有待观察。为了不辜负他通过衣着所争取到的选民，该计划应通过多种手段，集中地致力于提高生产力和繁荣度，并减轻税收负担。这包括废除净零排放，转而采取更务实的政策，旨在迅速扩大能源生产并降低成本；削减福利支出以及
LIAM HALLIGAN
英国税务海关总署（HM Revenue and Customs）上周报告称，根据最新的年度数据，仅有 0.5pc 的非定居纳税人离开了英国。 由保守党发起并随后被工党进一步收紧的规定，一直在打击“非定居者”（non-doms）——即居住在英国，但出于法律和税务目的其永久居住地在其他地方的富裕企业主和投资者。 亲商的评论员（包括笔者在内）长期以来一直担心，试图从那些已经通过在英国创建企业以及雇佣数百甚至数千名员工而做出巨大财政贡献的人身上榨取更多税款，将会产生反作用。 这类企业家通常在多个司法管辖区拥有公司，倾向于流动、灵活且充满动力——因此，许多人直接选择离开这个国家。 对商业活跃人士征收激进的税收会让他们更有可能放弃英国，并带走他们的资金——从而让我们其余的人处境更加糟糕。 随着 HMRC 暗示过去一年仅有 400 名非定居者离开，该数据引发了多条大肆宣传的头条新闻，声称：“关于英国非定居者大逃亡的担忧被夸大了”。 无数英国记者似乎认为，增加政府支出是解决每一个问题的答案。 他们抵制关于税收存在上限的说法，否认日益增加的
IAN FORSYTH / GETTY IMAGES
重新设定工作激励机制；增加国防支出；放宽土地、劳动力、金融服务和私人市场的管制；充分利用脱欧创造的机遇；以及彻底拥抱未来的技术。 理智的人们在净零排放问题上存在分歧，但对于任何支持增长的政府来说，这些都是公正的考验。 在其中许多方面，伯纳姆无法交付。他抨击去监管化，并且是欧盟的坚定支持者。但如果他在能源和基础设施增长方面取得进展，且他纠正英国过度集权政府的计划奏效，他将有望从经济命运的潜在改善中获益。 与前任相比，他也是一名更具说服力且表达更清晰的沟通者。选民的沮丧不仅仅是某种“氛围”。英国实际工资大约花了 17 年时间才回升到金融危机前的水平——这是自拿破仑战争以来最严重的工资停滞。 如果伯纳姆能找到这种规模的缓解措施，将会获得回报。但现在是 2026 年，而“氛围”确实很重要。 许多问题仍未解决。名列前首的是，他的政党内部产生了严重的撕裂。 虽然伯纳姆吸引了所谓的“红墙”区域、工人阶级和中下阶级选民（这些人将从更便宜的能源和再工业化中获益），但此类政策的主要障碍之一是那些以伊斯灵顿为中心的工党议员阶层，他们继续错误地认为
惩罚性的税收体制破坏了企业和就业，最终削弱了我们的公共财政。 在离开的约 400 名非定居者（non-doms）基础上，必须再加上另外 800 名“视同定居者”——即由于在英国居住时间过长而被视为英国定居者的非定居者。因此，在过去一年中，共有 1,200 人逃离——这是广泛报道的总数的三倍。 除此之外，正如最新的 HMRC（英国税务海关总署）数据所表明，这些数字尚未涵盖 2025-26 税年——这是工党惩罚性的新规定开始实施的第一年。 因此，我们实际上甚至不知道这一新非定居者制度的最初影响——但这并没有阻止无数荒谬头条新闻的出现。 现实情况是，即使只有相对少部分富有的商业领袖离开英国，其财政影响也可能是灾难性的。 最富有的 10% 的人创造了超过 60% 的所有所得税收入，其中顶层 1% 占据了 30%。 事实上，顶层 0.01% 的人——仅 3,500 个个体——就缴纳了所有所得税的 6%。 所以，如果仅有少数人离开，关闭他们拥有的英国公司，并拒绝投资和建立其他英国公司，以及随之而来的所有就业和公司税缴纳，这将产生重大影响。 通过劝阻富有的企业主留在英国——甚至像无数工党活动人士习惯的那样说“走得好”——可能会讨好那些阶级战争神经质患者。但当涉及到这些人们如此渴望改善的公共服务资金时，这简直是极大的愚蠢。 长期以来，随着公共支出的增加，历届政府过度借贷，以至于我们的国家债务现在相当于 GDP, 的 100% 左右，且我们在工业化世界中拥有最高的债务利息支出。 英国还实施了完全适得其反的加税政策——这不仅破坏了增长，而且削弱了税收。 工党提高的雇主国民保险缴款推高了失业率（尤其是年轻人），资本利得税率的上升降低了收入，而针对非定居者更高且更严苛的规定导致富有的企业主离开该国。 当保守党在 2024, 年 7 月离任时，总税收收入约为 GDP, 的 35%，接近 70 年来最高水平。工党此后欣然将这一税收负担推高至 38% 以上。
赋税之艰
按收入群体划分的所得税总额占比
最富有的 10% 最富有的 1% 最富有的 0.01%
目标失准
替代投资市场（AIM 上市）股票数量
1,600
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025
英国在绿色能源革命中处于世界领先地位。也许 安迪·伯纳姆 决定将超绿色派的埃德·米利班德从能源大臣晋升为外交大臣，是某个马基雅维利式计划的一部分，旨在将其送出国门，并最终重置能源政策。至少人们可以对此抱有希望。 在如此多的问题上，工党的这两个翼派有着截然相反的感性认知。对于试图平衡两方需求但最终失败的基尔爵士来说，结果是失去了对右翼改革英国党（Reform UK）和极左翼绿党的支持。 通过在曼彻斯特建立 10 号唐宁街基地，安迪·伯纳姆 正向工党更传统的选民基础倾斜。 这是明智的。工党目前流向绿党的选民可能只是暂时的——许多被扎克·波兰斯基的激进信念所吸引的年轻理想主义者最终会对此产生倦怠并回归工党。 但整个欧洲的教训是，当左翼的传统工人党失去选民给右倾的民粹主义政党时，他们很难被赢回来。 然后是市场。安迪·伯纳姆 的初始措施中没有一项能真正对经济或财政前景产生太大影响。从 10 月 1 日起将能源账单的增值税从 5% 降至 0. (0%)（为期六个月），在英格兰恢复 £2 的单程巴士票价上限，以及为酒吧、俱乐部和现场音乐场所降低 20% 的营业税，这些都是小打小闹。 市场几乎没有反应。然而，如果 安迪·伯纳姆 试图推出
安迪·伯纳姆 是一位比其前任更具说服力的沟通者
然而，如果他实施一些最具野心的政策，包括建立国家护理服务（National Care Service）以及将公共事业国有化——这两项目前均未公开核算成本——那情况就截然不同了。任何此类措施都可能出现在即将到来的秋季预算案中。在那之前，国债可能将继续计入适度的“伯纳姆溢价”（Burnham premium），这主要反映了对通胀持续性的担忧，而非对过度借贷或债务水平的担忧。
随着预算案的临近，预计国债市场的溢价将维持，市场将对双向风险进行定价：一旦出现任何反增长或导致通胀的政策迹象，市场将撤回；而一旦有明确证据表明政府正采取真正的亲增长倾向，则会随之走高。
但最大的谜团在于，尽管伯纳姆的外在形象和行为像是一个反复支持撒切尔和布莱尔的选民，但他却反复声称英国在过去 40 年里一直走在错误的道路上——就好像“蒙迪欧男人”（Mondeo man）已经失去了对成就他们现状的体制契约的信心。
也许这种矛盾正是关键所在，至少目前如此。
那件针织开衫在传达“相信我，我是你们的一员”，而其辞令则在说“整个体制辜负了你们”。
选民们或许还能在一段时间内容忍这种衣着风格。但原色牛仔裤会褪色，运动鞋会磨损，等到预算案出台时，人们审视的将是伯纳姆的数据是否契合，而非他的夹克剪裁。
再多的休闲装也无法掩盖公共财政的漏洞。
实权人物 税负过重。 所以当他们 决定离开时， 不要感到 惊讶”
– 创纪录以来最高水平。 即便在目前的政策组合下，国际货币基金组织也预测，到本十年末，英国的税收负担将达到 GDP, 42%。 但现在，将我们的新任首相送进唐宁街的工会成员和活动人士正叫嚣着要求投入更多支出，安迪·伯纳姆正在准备在此基础上引入一项财富税。 英国最富有的 1000 个家庭控制着约 £750bn。2% 的年度财富税将筹集约 £15bn —— 这在如今政府单月借款的金额面前不过是九牛一毛。 但即便这相对较小的金额，也只有在所有这些家庭都留下的情况下才能筹集到 —— 当然，他们不会留下。这就是为什么如此多实行财富税的国家最终都选择了废除该税项。 财富和企业的高税收影响也正波及到收入阶梯的更低端。 根据瑞银（UBS）的一项调查，过去五年中，英国人的平均财富下降了五分之一以上，在调查的 37 个国家中跌幅最严重。 资产净值（包括房产、养老金和投资）超过 £1m (注：此处应包含 100 万英镑) 的人数也在骤减，去年下降至仅 442,000 人，而 2021 年这一数字还超过 100 万。 英国需要打破如今“高支出-高税收-高借贷-低增长”的厄运循环。相反，我们需要鼓励财富创造，尤其是创造了我们一半 GDP, 并雇用了三分之二劳动力的中小企业。 这些公司发现很难筹集资金。商业银行几乎不向他们放贷，替代投资市场（AIM）也已陷入停滞。 英国的实权人物税负过重。所以当他们决定离开时，不要感到惊讶。
来源：LSEG, HMRC
来源：LSEG, HMRC
2026 605
“AI 预言家” 未能预见 市场崩盘
作者：James Titcomb
就在一个月前，利奥波德·阿申布伦纳（Leopold Aschenbrenner）还被誉为天才少年。
六月底，这位 24 岁年轻人的 $20bn (£15bn) 对冲基金在短短六个月内就实现了 439% 的利润，这归功于他对 Anthropic、SK Hynix 和 Nebius 等一系列 AI 公司的押注。投资者兼播客主持人蒂姆·费里斯（Tim Ferris）称他为“AI 界的诺斯特拉达姆斯”。
“利奥波德预测成功的次数之多令人震惊，”费里斯在三月份说道，“这简直就与预知未来几乎没有区别。”
但上周，全球股市的一次剧震意味着这一切都崩塌了。
周四，在出借方的压力下，阿申布伦纳的高杠杆基金——“情境意识”（Situational Awareness）被迫对其大部分资产进行贱卖。该公司将其公开持股出售给了由美国亿万富翁肯·格里芬（Ken Griffin）经营的东海岸投资巨头 Citadel，导致该基金规模缩减至此前的一小部分。
尽管该基金仍在勉强维持，但对于这位所谓的“神童”来说，这无疑是一次令人震惊的陨落。此前，他一直押注于自己能够洞察投资界其他人都无法预见的事物。
阿申布伦纳出生于德国，父母均为医生，他似乎一直行色匆匆。他 15 岁进入纽约哥伦比亚大学，在 19, 岁毕业时他表示：“我希望我能更早地开始学习。”
他的学习经历包括在牛津大学的人类未来研究所（Future of Humanity Institute）学习一段时间，该研究所由 AI 哲学家尼克·博斯特罗姆（Nick Bostrom）创立，资助者包括埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）。
该研究所与大学的有效利他主义中心（Centre for Effective Altruism）密切相关，后者是有效利他主义（EA）运动的机构发源地，该运动致力于应对失控 AI 等生存风险。苏格兰哲学家、EA 的领军人物威尔·麦卡斯基尔（Will MacAskill）后来表示，他说服了阿申布伦纳不要去法学院，而是将其引入 FTX 未来基金（FTX Future Fund）——一个由萨姆·班克曼-弗里德（Sam Bankman Fried）的加密货币风投资助的慈善计划。FTX 在 2022, 年底崩溃，班克曼-弗里德最终被判处 25 年监禁，其基金也成了随之而来的损失。
阿申布伦纳在危机中化险为夷，于 2023. 年加入了 ChatGPT 制造商 OpenAI。然而，该公司在一年后将其解雇，显然是因为泄露内部信息（阿申布伦纳否认这一指控）。不过，这次解雇反而成就了他。
2024, 年 6 月，阿申布伦纳发表了一篇 165 页的在线论文，题为《情境意识》。论文的第一行就总结了其论点：“在旧金山，你可以率先预见未来。”文中认为，只有少数身处该市 AI 初创公司周围的人才能预见到，AI 繁荣的规模将远超世界其他地方的认知。“很少有人能意识到即将发生的事情，”他写道，并将其与新冠疫情的最初迹象进行类比。
这篇文章迅速走红，为阿申布伦纳吸引了足够的关注，使他能够启动一只基金，承诺将他的想法转化为资本。他的哲学是，大多数投资者（其中许多位于美国的另一海岸）未能预见即将到来的浪潮——即对 AI 数据中心、芯片和能源公司投资的即将到来的激增。
“我曾经相信 [有效市场假说],” 他告诉 AI 播客主持人 Dwarkesh Patel。“但现在，我认为存在一些聪明人群体，比如旧金山的人，他们在预见未来方面比社会其他部分拥有‘阿尔法’（超额收益）……社会还没有将其计入定价。”
阿申布伦纳深耕于这座城市的 AI 圈。他的未婚妻 Avital Balwit 是 Anthropic 首席执行官 Dario 的幕僚长。
利奥波德·阿申布伦纳对一系列 AI 公司的押注在上周全面崩盘。
Amodei，并将他的论文献给 OpenAI 的创始人之一 Ilya Sutskever。“情境意识”（Situational Awareness）基金在启动时获得了包括支付巨头 Stripe 的创办者——爱尔兰兄弟 John 和 Patrick Collison 在内的支持者。
Aschenbrenner 在该基金启动时年仅 23 岁，且没有交易经验，但他将其变成了一个庞然大物，大量投资于芯片公司 Marvell、核电股票 Constellation Energy 以及 Anthropic。
在该基金的大部分生命周期中，胜利似乎在不断累积。2025 年——该基金第一个完整的年度——据报道其收益率约为 200%，而标准普尔 500 指数（S&P 500）为 18%。在其 93 位投资者中，包括以技术见长的交易公司 Jane Street。
但成功或许来得太容易了。Aschenbrenner 对自己的论点如此深信不疑，以至于通过过度借贷来资助对韩国 SK Hynix 等公司的押注，这家芯片制造商在今年早些时候获得了万亿美元的股市估值。
据报道，该基金上个月的杠杆率高达四倍，使其在面对任何轻微下跌时都处于极大的风险暴露之中。其披露资产的大大部分集中在期权交易而非股票。对冲基金经理 Andreas Steno Larsen 将其描述为“我见过的最愚蠢的市场”的证据。
一名 AI 投资者表示，该基金对韩国的风险敞口变得“疯狂之巨”，而韩国股市在担忧此前涨幅过高的情绪下，在过去一个月内已经暴跌。
随着损失增加，寻求保护投资的贷方开始收网。在紧急谈判后，Aschenbrenner 被迫投降，将其公开投资组合出售给了 Griffin 的 Citadel。
Griffin 本人在 25 年前 32 岁时就被称为“神童”——他正是 Aschenbrenner 坚称已经过时的华尔街巨头的缩影。
作为全球最大的对冲基金之一，它还因为在紧急交易中从陷入困境的公司手中购买投资资产而赢得了“坟墓舞者”的声誉。
在一次案例中，Griffin 在 2007 年信贷危机期间，在对冲基金 Sowood Capital 进行了一系列与债务相关的投资后，迅速将其吞并。
比如 旧金山 那些人， 在社会 其余部分 拥有 超额收益”
结果却恶化了。至于 Situational Awareness 的获救，据报道，该交易是在 Aschenbrenner 与 Griffin 之间的一次深夜电话中达成的。
在网络上，迅速出现了这样一种理论，认为 Citadel 在上周预测美联储将加息时，试图操纵该基金下跌，从而导致 Situational Awareness 的投资价值降低。毫无疑问，Aschenbrenner 会对他的投资者缺乏耐心而感到懊悔——在交易达成后，股价在周四和周五大幅飙升。
投资者质疑该基金能否生存，但 Aschenbrenner 誓言将继续前行。
据《金融时报》报道，他给投资者写信称，他将“在另一天继续战斗”。他的基金仍持有 Anthropic 等公司的数十亿美元股份，尽管有所亏损，但今年以来仍上涨了 80%。
在两年前的一次采访中，Aschenbrenner 曾说：“显然，不爆仓是第一和第二项任务……你必须把握好时机。”
很难说他成功了。
可能会拯救 失败的 热泵推广计划
能同时提供 热水、暖气 和制冷功能的 设备可能会 受到欢迎。 作者：Matt Oliver
随着创纪录的夏季高温和干旱席卷英国大部分地区，此时担忧居家取暖似乎显得很奇怪。但在英国尚处于起步阶段的热泵市场上（热泵为燃气锅炉提供了一种潜在的更环保的替代方案），情况并未完全按计划发展。政府最初设定的目标是在 2028 年前每年安装 600,000 台此类设备，但这一目标已然破产，工党将其进一步下调至 2030 年前达到 450,000 台。但现在，即便这个目标看起来也极其不切实际——根据《电讯报》的分析，2026 年可能会出现十年来首次改造安装量下降。尽管如此，目前正计划采取措施扭转局面，包括降低相关的高成本，以及推出在夏季可以切换到制冷模式的型号。
专家表示，热泵安装停滞不前的原因是高电价与混乱的政府政策变动共同作用的结果。“就我们目前的现状与政府希望我们达到的目标相比，我们完全偏离了轨道，”监管援助项目（Regulatory Assistance Project）的供暖专家 Richard Lowes 表示。“英国近期热泵的增长势头很强，但与其他市场相比，仍然相对较小，”他补充道。
自 2022 年夏季以来，热泵销量一直快速增长，当时政府通过锅炉升级计划推出了每台最高价值 £7,500 的补贴。据热泵协会（Heat Pump Association）称，这助力 2024 年和 2025 年分别实现了 56% 和 27% 的爆发式销量增长。然而，每年约售出 125,000 台热泵，仅占供暖市场的 7%——与购买的约 1.7 million 台燃气和燃油锅炉相比，规模之小不值一提。
在 2026 年，也有迹象表明销量受到了严重打击。认证机构 MCS 的数据显示，1 月至 7 月的数字比去年同期下降了 22%，至约 27,500 台。行业专家表示，这些数字没有计入新房的安装量，但为改造工程提供了很好的衡量标准。按照目前的趋势，这表明年度改造数量将自 2016 年以来首次下降。许多人将矛头指向了政府取消能源公司义务（ECO）的决定。
我们目前的 现状与 部长们 希望我们 达到的 目标相比， 我们完全 偏离了 轨道”
以及税制改革共同导致了 衰退的恶性循环， 汤姆·桑德斯 (Tom Saunders) 称
在 20 世纪 30 年代后期，Tate & Lyle 选择了在伦敦证券交易所 (LSE) 上市，以获取英国经济复苏的红利。 这标志着股票市场的重要性，并开启了数十年的增长，使 LSE 成为英国资本主义的引擎。 但这一切在上周三戛然而止。Tate & Lyle 的股东投票批准了一项由一家美国竞争对手发起的价值 £2.7bn 的收购案，结束了其在股市 90 年的上市历史。 对于许多人来说，这家英国最古老的上市企业之一的退出具有高度的象征意义，突显了人们对 LSE 影响力下降的担忧，因为公司们押注于他们的未来在于华尔街或风险投资者的手中。 近几周，针对 easyJet、Intertek、Mitie (外包服务公司) Group、Rotork 和 Segro 等伦敦市场骨干企业的收购要约，也加剧了人们对未来的担忧。 随着公司以极快的速度离开，人们开始质问，为什么伦敦股票市场被允许如此萎缩，以及为什么英国
该计划出现在去年 11 月的预算案中。ECO 计划由向消费者收取的税费资助，旨在通过为贫困家庭支付安装绝缘材料和其他能源升级费用，来帮助解决燃料贫困问题。Lowes 表示，近年来，许多管理该计划的地方当局已将提供外墙绝缘改为安装热泵，因为热泵的性价比更高，从而推动了销售。热泵的能效极高，其工作原理类似于反向运行的冰箱，每消耗一度电可产生四单位的热量。但 ECO 计划在去年的一份国家审计署报告中遭到抨击，原因是绝缘工程质量低劣，导致数万户家庭出现了潮湿和霉菌等问题。再加上该计划平均每年给典型家庭带来约 £60 的税费支出，这使得取消 ECO 成为前财政大臣 Rachel Reeves 看来一个具有吸引力的选择，该计划已于今年 3 月停止申请。Lowes 表示：“人们预期会有后续计划，但至今尚未出台。”尽管头条数据表明热泵安装量正在下降，但 ECO 相关销售额的下降掩盖了其他领域的潜在改善。例如，随着更多房屋建筑商为了符合政府长期延迟的“未来房屋标准”（计划于 2027 年 3 月至 2028 年 3 月分阶段引入）而将其纳入考量，新住宅中的热泵安装量一直在逐渐上升。Lowes 补充道：“这掩盖了因 ECO 削减而本应出现的下降。”然而，或许最重要的一点是，许多专家认为阻碍热泵普及的是过高的电价。去年的官方数据显示，英国的家庭电价在发达国家中排名第二高，为每千瓦时 30.45p。这部分原因是电力的税收比天然气更高。根据 Nesta 的研究，电气价格比率最低的欧洲国家通常也是热泵普及率最高的国家，而英国则处于该排行榜的底部。这一点同样至关重要，因为安装热泵所需的预付成本和时间仍然很高——这意味着家庭收回投资所需的时间更长。根据 Checkatrade 的数据，更换一台燃气组合锅炉的典型费用在 £2,500 至 £4,000 之间，安装时间在 4 到 6 小时之间。对于热泵，MCS 数据显示平均成本约为 £13,500 ——在申请政府补贴后为 £6,000 ——且可能因更换散热器而产生额外费用。然而，一些公司已成功将其成本降低至远低于此水平并发展繁荣。Octopus Energy 于 2023, 推出了其自研的英产 Cosy 6 热泵，该公司表示能够安装
投资者们并未前来救场。随着伦敦曾经的领军者们纷纷撤离市场，随之而来的外流导致这个拥有数百年历史的市场规模急剧萎缩。 早在 1997 年，英国养老基金每投资 £2 中就有 £1 投入到英国股市。而如今，这一数字更像是每 £20 中仅有 £1。 十年前，该市场有 2,365 家上市公司，但现在仅剩 1,500 家——下降了 36%。 远离公开市场的趋势并非英国所独有，但这里的情况比大多数发达国家都要糟糕。 一些确定受益养老金计划完全放弃了股票，在计划到期并关闭时将其替换为债券。 然而，其他一些计划在顾问的鼓励下，用追踪全球指数的基金取代了英国股票。 作为英国最大的养老金提供商之一，Scottish Widows 去年表示，将大幅削减其在英国股票中的配置比例
从 12% 降至 3%，因为其寻求更高的海外回报。 即使是像地方政府计划这样规模较小的养老金基金也削减了其风险敞口。在 Brunel Pension Partnership 的建议下，牛津郡议会几年前就表示担心其英国持仓过高。该议会建议将其比例从 25% 降低至 4% 左右——大致相当于英国在全球指数中的权重。 同样的对话也在其他议会董事会中上演，因为养老金基金被美国科技股的繁荣所吸引。 “英国市场的低回报给养老金计划，尤其是他们的投资顾问，提供了一个借口，让他们可以说：‘你看，英国股票的回报率很低……因此，我们建议你从传统模型转向全球模型，’”智库 New Financial 的负责人 William Wright 表示。 “他们抛出了一堆关于多元化和长期风险调整后回报的金融理论。而英国股票的糟糕表现支撑了这一论点，”他说道。 责任还在于历届政府，他们取消了用于吸引养老金基金投资英国股票的税收激励措施。 在戈登·布朗（Gordon Brown）的首次预算案中，他宣布取消养老金基金在股息上可获得的税收抵免。 澳大利亚保留了类似的税收激励，其养老金基金将其约 $2.7tn 资产的 24% 投资于澳大利亚股票市场，而英国基金目前的投资比例仅为 4%。 尽管如此，养老金基金仍享有大量的税收减免，而这在某些领域日益受到批评。 伦敦证券交易所集团负责人 David Schwimmer 本周早些时候表示，新任的安迪·伯纳姆政府应更仔细地审查这些税收补贴。 “我们特别关注的一点是关于养老金基金改革……不是以任何强制方式，而是考虑到目前向养老金基金提供的约 £50bn 税收优惠，以一种适当激励的方式进行，”他说道。 随着养老金基金抛弃英国，专注于英国的股票挑选者很难获得成功。许多最大的英国基金都专注于美国，仅持有极小比例的英国股票。 那么，为什么英国的基金经理没有被鼓励购买更多英国股票呢？ Terry Smith 的成功在很大程度上归功于英国，但他的旗舰基金 Fundsmith 仅有 2.8% 的投资在英国股票中，而对比之下……
让他们每台获得 £3,000 的补贴——有些消费者在获得补贴后甚至可以免费获得。 一旦安装完成，消费者还可以受益于定制的电费率。Octopus 声称，与燃气锅炉相比，这可为典型用户每年节省 £200 以上的费用。这家能源供应商表示，它继续看到“来自希望转换设备的家庭的巨大需求”。 今年第二季度的销量增长了 67%。 “6 月是我们迄今为止热泵销售量最大的一月，而 7 月有望将其超越——随着我们进入冬季，我们预计这一趋势将继续，”一名 Octopus 发言人说道。 尽管如此，英国仍落后于欧洲同行。虽然热泵销售在英国的加热市场份额仅占 7%，但在德国已占据近一半的销量。 热泵协会（Heat Pump Association）首席执行官 Charlotte Lee 表示，该数据的部分原因是欧洲统计数据中包含了空调。 但她也承认，解决高电价目前是该行业的首要任务。 安迪·伯纳姆最近决定取消家庭电费账单中的增值税（VAT），这一举措在这一方面受到了欢迎，使英国的电气价格比从估计的 3.56 降至 3.39。 但这仍然远差于欧洲同行，例如核电比重较高的法国，其比率约为 2 – 且热泵销量强劲得多。 另一个可能有助于提升热泵……
JAMES MANNING / PA
伦敦证券交易所，此处富时 100 指数 (FTSE 100) 的表现优于美国标普 500 指数 (S&P 500)
爱丁堡， 这可能 不会是一个 关键因素。 但如果你在 东南部， 天气 只会 变得 更热”
销售额的增长在于那些在夏季月份也能切换至制冷模式的设备。Octopus 将于本月开始测试其“Cosy Cooler”（舒适冷却器），这是一款可插入中央加热系统的附加空调，并与 Cosy 热泵配合使用以冷却家居，该产品可能会在明年广泛上市。 随着我们的夏季变得越来越热，有些人建议这类设备，或者三星（Samsung）的新款 Quint Outdoor（可一次性提供热水、加热和制冷），可以帮助提高热泵的销售额。 “我认为这确实可能成为一个驱动力，”热能专家 Lowes 表示。 “如果你在爱丁堡，这可能不会是一个关键因素。 “但如果你在东南部，天气只会持续变得更热。”
美国公司的占比为 7.5pc，法国为 5.7pc，西班牙为 4.8pc。 由 Tom Slater 管理的 Baillie Giff ord 旗下 Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust 仅持有一家英国公司 Wise 的股份，该公司仅占其整体投资组合的 1.3pc。 同样，规模达 £50bn 的 St James’s Place Polaris 3 基金在英国股票中的投资仅占 6.8pc，而北美股票的占比则高达 39.8pc。 基金经理表示，这反映了英国股市规模相对较小，尤其是与美国相比。英国的上市公司约占全球股票市值的 3pc。 Baillie Giff ord 全球营销主管 James Budden 表示： “寻求专门英国敞口的投资者可以通过专注于英国的基金和策略来实现。 “相比之下，全球基金旨在让股东能够获得全球范围内最好的机会。” 尽管如此，英国仍有许多成功的公司，大型基金可以从中获得丰厚回报。 在某些情况下，伦敦证券交易所（LSE）的困境甚至增强了这些英国企业的吸引力。 在过去一年中，富时 100 指数（FTSE 100）的表现优于美国标准普尔 500 指数（S&P 500），并在本周早些时候创下新高。 “问题在于养老基金是想要跟上脚步，还是满足于坐视英国市场如此强劲的回报而不采取任何行动，”资深英国基金经理 Gervais Williams 说道。 对于未来的 Tate & Lyles 等企业，英国需要希望伦敦证券交易所能在为时太晚之前重新找回其魔力。
Maga 的好莱坞接管是如何变得有毒的
一场政治代理战—— 但好莱坞正在反击。 作者：James Warrington
很少有人能指责派拉蒙（Paramount）缺乏决心，这家好莱坞巨头正计划大胆收购华纳兄弟（Warner Bros）。当派拉蒙第二大投资者 RedBird Capital 的负责人 Gerry Cardinale 被派去为该报价辩护时， he 急于抨击竞争对手 Netflix。去年 12 月，他在 Puck 的 The Town 播客中表示：“我们的监管路径更清晰。看看 Netflix 的方案，说实话，你需要戴上 3D 眼镜才能理解它。”八个月后，Cardinale 的言论反而显得目光短浅。由亿万富翁 Larry Ellison 控制的派拉蒙可能凭借一份高达 $110bn（£82bn）的敲出价击败了 Netflix，但这场紧张的收购战引发了政治反弹，且已失控。批评者担心，Ellison 家族与唐纳德·特朗普的联系意味着这次合并等同于 MAGA 对好莱坞的接管，这一观点得到了 Lisa Nandy、Mark Ruffalo 以及 12 个美国州组成的意外联盟的挑战。加利福尼亚州的民主党总检察长正率领各州抵制该交易，声称其不合法——随着压力增加，派拉蒙上周同意暂停该进程直至 2027, 年 6 月，或在审判完成后为止。对于 Ellison 家族加强对美国媒体控制的努力来说，这是一个意外且可能是致命的挫折。通过向特朗普靠拢，派拉蒙将一次好莱坞合并变成了政治代理战。但好莱坞不会在不反击的情况下地认输。针对派拉蒙-华纳兄弟交易的法律挑战理由与竞争担忧有关。“当太少数量的企业在对美国生活至关重要的市场中拥有过多权力时，会导致物价上涨且情况恶化，”加州总检察长 Rob Bonta 上周表示。Bonta 警告说，这次合并将使好莱坞主要制片厂的数量从 5 家减少到 4 家，将对电影院、有线电视运营商和观众造成“实质性损害”。好莱坞演员工会 Sag-Aftra 已支持该诉讼，称派拉蒙关于该交易将有益于 the deal would be good for the
Avanti 列车前往 No 10 North
铁路运营商糟糕的 表现凸显了 未来的挑战
随着准点率骤降，工党将继承数十年来表现最差的一部分火车服务。今年夏季，延误和取消情况达到了新低，这凸显了安迪·伯纳姆在试图通过大不列颠铁路公司（Great British Railways）恢复可靠性时所面临的挑战。
当然，伯纳姆并非不知道交给他的任务有多艰巨。表现最差的火车公司是 Avanti，它通过西海岸干线（欧洲最繁忙且最拥挤的城际铁路）将伦敦与首相深爱的西北地区连接起来。
根据铁路与道路局（Office of Rail and Road）的数据，在截至 3 月的一年里，Avanti 约 43pc 的班次到达时间延误三分钟或更久，比英国 24 家火车运营商中排名第二差的运营商高出近四分之一。
在第一季度，Avanti 运行的班次中超过 6pc 被取消，这是仅次于 CrossCountry Trains 的第二差记录。
而在过去几周内，Avanti 航线中垫底的是——根据其官网数据——从尤斯顿（Euston）发往曼彻斯特皮卡迪利（Manchester Piccadilly）的班次，而新任首相此前在麦基弗德（Makerfield）补选后，正是从那里凯旋返回威斯敏斯特。
从 5 月 31 到 6 月 27, 超过 70pc 的曼彻斯特班次出现延误，其中一半延误超过三分钟，10pc 延误至少 20. 伦敦至苏格兰的火车——途经离伯纳姆新选区最近的站点威根（Wigan）——情况也好不到哪里，三分之二的班次延误。难怪他在成为首相后，首次返回曼彻斯特地为他的新“北方 10 号”揭幕时，选择乘坐私人飞机。
通过每周乘火车，伯纳姆可能计算出他将损失大量宝贵时间，尤其是考虑到 Avanti 极其不稳定的 WiFi 信号。
Avanti 与交通部的合同将于 10 月到期，之后可以通过三个月的通知将其国有化。预计国家控制将在春季实施。
与其他运营商一样，它将被并入大不列颠铁路公司，后者将包括国家铁路网（Network Rail），这将是 30 年来首次将轨道与火车统一。
对于 Avanti 的乘客来说，傍晚和夜间服务受影响最严重，因为问题在一天中累积，导致火车及司机在全国范围内的位置错乱。
应对措施通常是取消部分行程以帮助时刻表恢复正常，结果导致两整列火车容量的乘客——即 1,000 很多人——最终被挤在同一个班次中。
资深旅行者深知其中门道——这导致了“尤斯顿大踩踏”，数百人冲向车站走廊，绝望地寻找座位。
许多人可能不得不站立数小时。前往格拉斯哥的火车的首站是在 165 英里外的沃灵顿（Warrington），在那里，空出的座位会引发新一轮的争抢。
外国游客和其他不熟悉情况的人可能会在整个旅途中拖着行李在火车上下穿梭，寻找可以坐下的地方。
拉里·埃里森与唐纳德·特朗普有联系； 丽莎·南迪对该交易提出了质疑
行业和消费者认为，这“与以往经验和实际情况相矛盾”。在周五的一份文件中，各州请求法官为 2027. 4 月的为期三周的审理设定日期。然而，Paramount 正在争取 11 月开庭，称将程序推迟到明年的做法是“拖延战术”。
然而，在商业顾虑之下，是一场更具毒性的政治斗争。
Paramount 的老板大卫·埃里森今年早些时候在华盛顿举办了一场宴会以向特朗普致敬，而美国总统则将埃里森的父亲、甲骨文（Oracle）的拉里·埃里森描述为...
亿万富翁，称其为“好朋友”。 人们对 CNN 和 CBS 两家新闻网络的结合表示了特别担忧。包括 CNN 任职多年的首席国际主播克里斯蒂安·阿曼普尔（Christiane Amanpour）在内的怀疑论者警告称，这笔交易可能会导致“不恰当的政治干预”，并对民主构成威胁。他们将埃利森（Ellison）承诺给特朗普（Trump）在 CNN 进行“全面变革”的报道作为证据。
在代上周举行的白宫记者晚餐会上，特朗普赞扬了大卫·埃利森（David Ellison）对 CBS 的管理，称：“他买下了它，投入了大量资金，我认为他将做出极佳的改变，并让一些优秀的内容延续下去。”而其反对者——派拉蒙（Paramount）则认为，特朗普的支持是对这笔交易的默许。
事实上，尽管有报道称司法部内部的反垄断官员对此表示担忧，但司法部还是在上个月批准了这笔交易。然而，埃利森家族将一场好莱坞合并演变成一个公开的政治过程，这反而激怒了特朗普的对手。据《纽约时报》报道，演员马克·鲁法洛（Mark Ruffalo）协调了此次法律挑战，并请求领先的反特朗普律师诺姆·艾森（Norm Eisen）提供帮助，以努力阻止这次巨额合并。此外，派拉蒙还面临着由股东保罗·罗宾斯（Paul Robbins）发起的另一项单独的法律挑战。
这起诉讼得到了新闻自由基金会（Freedom of the Press Foundation）的……
与此同时，登机口 / 通道被行李挤满，使得 Avanti 运营的 125mph Pendolino 列车——为了能在转弯时不碰撞桥梁和站台，其车厢本来就更窄——变成了障碍赛场。今年夏天的崩溃状态甚至考验了老乘客的耐心。安德里亚·辛诺特（Andrea Sinnott）是一名核废料顾问，她经常支付 £570 购买从普雷斯顿（Preston）到伦敦的一等座往返票，她表示，在五年来使用该服务的过程中，服务标准明显下降。她说，现在的火车很少能在延迟 15 分钟以内到达，而一等座的热餐则像在抽奖。她补充道，WiFi 和座位充电插座也只是偶尔能用。Avanti 是 FirstGroup 与意大利 Trenitalia 的合资企业，该公司在 2019, 年取代了维珍（Virgin），它坚称大多数干扰是由其无法控制的原因造成的，例如信号问题或超时的轨道工程。
但一位在西北部 Avanti 运营车站工作的列车调度员（要求匿名）称，随着国有化的临近，高层管理人员已经“放弃了希望”。一名拒绝透露姓名的 Avanti 列车经理表示，服务标准的下滑和劳资关系的恶化应由公司直接负责。该运营商面临着火车司机工会 Aslef 成员可能发起的罢工，该工会称公司违背了薪酬协议。Aslef 已经实施了加班禁令，这加剧了混乱，并声称该公司雇用的司机不足，依赖员工在休息日工作。Avanti 和 CrossCountry 是最后几家尚未被交通部接管的公司。虽然这部分是因为他们的合同直到明年才到期，但也反映了部长们的担忧：延迟和取消可能会揭示国家控制并不比三十年的私有化好到哪里去。游说团体 Railfuture 的布鲁斯·威廉姆森（Bruce Williamson）表示，公众中存在一种“天真的乐观”，认为国有化将是“灵丹妙药”，而事实上管理者、司机、列车和线路都将保持不变。他补充道：“无论谁来运营，最终总会与财政部起冲突。”无论安迪·伯纳姆（Andy Burnham）是冒险乘坐 Avanti 还是从他的私人飞机上俯瞰，这都将是一个令人担忧的问题。
公共诚信项目（Public Integrity Project）指称，该公司通过以编辑独立性换取特朗普政府的“偏袒”，违反了其信托责任。新闻自由基金会（Freedom of the Press Foundation）的倡导负责人塞斯·斯特恩（Seth Stern）认为，这次合并从一开始就是“显而易见的政治驱动”。
他表示：“如果右翼或与特朗普结盟的亿万富翁想要光明正大地购买新闻机构，我们并不担心。但如果他们在交易中将记者的第一修正案权利作为谈判筹码，交给一位以利用影响力压制异议和批评而闻名的总统，那么这就成了一个问题。” 派拉蒙（Paramount）否认曾向特朗普政府做出任何承诺，并称该起诉书的内容为“炒冷饭”的指控。
文化大臣丽莎·南迪（Lisa Nandy）在6月表示，出于公共利益考虑，她“倾向于干预”，这使得监管机构 Ofcom 进行调查的可能性增加。
与此同时，对于卡迪纳莱（Cardinale）而言，这次抵制可能会勾起他收购《电讯报》失败的回忆。当时 RedBird 与阿联酋合作，出价 5 亿英镑m 试图收购该报，但由于遭到政治反对而被迫撤回。看来即使在特朗普的美国，获得白宫的支持也无法保证成功。
A
让你成为陌生人的遗嘱执行人
担任遗嘱执行人可能是一项沉重的负担。在管理他人遗产的过程中，涉及大量的行政工作、时间，有时还包括费用。我们中的许多人可能只愿意为挚爱的人承担此项职责——而相应地，他们在任命谁来担任这一关键角色时，可能也经过了痛苦的权衡。
但有一项重要的规则可能会让所有这些周密的计划付诸东流，这意味着你最终可能会成为一个你从未见过的人的遗嘱执行人。
“代表链”（chain of representation）规则仅适用于非常特定的情况，旨在确保遗产管理能够顺利进行。但它仍然可能给相关人员带来混乱。
我们采访了律师和遗产规划专家，以了解这一规则如何运作，以及你如何避免它所带来的复杂问题。
法律解决方案， 旨在避免家庭成员 在执行人每次 去世时， 都必须重新 申请一份 遗嘱认证书”
什么是代表链 (Chain of Representation)？
代表链是英格兰和威尔士的一项法律规则，适用于执行人在完成工作前去世的情况。JMW 律师事务所的乔·科布 (Joe Cobb) 解释道：“如果某人是一笔遗产的唯一执行人，或是最后一名留任的执行人，他们会获得遗嘱认证来处理该遗产。如果他们在完成工作前去世，且其个人遗嘱中指定了一名执行人，那么该执行人不仅继承其个人遗产，还将继承管理此前那笔遗产的未完成工作。
“这是一个巧妙的法律解决方案，旨在避免家庭成员在执行人未完成工作而去世时，每次都必须重新申请一份遗嘱认证书。”
实际如何运作
假设杰克 (Jack) 被任命为其朋友凯特 (Kate) 遗产的执行人。
凯特去世后，他以她的名义获得了遗嘱认证书，并开始管理她的遗产。 在完成之前，杰克去世了。 在他的个人遗嘱中，他指定儿子尼克 (Nick) 为其执行人。这意味着尼克现在介入管理杰克的遗产，并且通过代表链，尼克同时也继续管理凯特的遗产。代表链可以在连续的执行人之间传递。因此，如果尼克在任期中途去世，他的执行人最终可能会同时管理尼克、杰克和凯特的遗产。
为什么需要代表链？
代表链的存在是为了保护家庭免受不必要的延迟和额外的法院申请之苦。遗产规划公司 Honey Legal 的托马斯·肯德里克 (Thomas Kendrick) 解释道：
“如果没有代表链，每次执行人在完成遗产处理前去世，管理工作可能会陷入停滞，直到向法院提交新申请以获得继续执行的授权。 “相反，在满足法律要求的情况下，代表链允许另一名执行人接手前任的工作，从而提供了连续性。”
代表链何时断裂？
Birketts 律师事务所的蕾切尔·温特 (Rachel Winter) 表示，代表链的强度取决于下一任执行人。她解释道：“如果没有愿意且能够执行任务的执行人，代表链就会断裂。
“因此，如果执行人在去世时没有留下遗嘱，或在遗嘱中没有指定执行人，或者执行人在获得遗嘱认证书之前去世，代表链即告结束。”
理财通讯 每周将《电讯报》 理财板块的最佳内容 直接发送至您的邮箱 telegraph.co.uk/ moneynewsletter
在这些情况下，可能需要申请“de bonis non administratis 授权书”（即对未管理遗产的授权书），允许他人介入继续管理遗产。然而，申请该授权书可能会增加遗嘱认证程序的时长、成本和复杂性。 如果存在多名执行人，代表链通常不适用。温特表示：“当多名执行人共同获得遗嘱认证，其中一人随后去世时，幸存的一名或多名执行人通常将继续进行管理。”
代表链可能会产生 哪些问题？
虽然代理继承链（chain of representation）旨在防止不必要的延误，但它可能会给接任者带来挑战。
执行人可能会发现自己同时管理多份遗产，这意味着他们需要为每份遗产保留独立记录、处理税务责任并完成相关文书工作。如果他们从未见过死者，或者对死者的财务状况知之甚少，这项工作可能会更加艰巨。
Payne Hicks Beach 律师事务所的 Dean Ryan 表示：“主要问题在于，执行人可能会继承一份他们几乎完全不了解的遗产的管理责任。他们可能没有关于死者资产、负债、受益人或前任执行人已采取措施的任何信息。”
“这可能会导致延误并占用大量个人时间——有时需要数月之久，具体取决于遗产的复杂程度。”
如果记录不完整或受益人之间存在争议，也可能会出现问题。
Ryan 表示：“继任执行人可能需要投入巨额的专业费用，以重建管理历史并确定遗产的现状。”
如何降低并发症的风险
你可以采取几个步骤，以便在原执行人在完成管理前去世时，让你的亲人或继任执行人更容易处理你的遗产。
一种选择是为你的遗产指定两名或更多执行人，这样如果其中一人去世，幸存的执行人可以直接接任，而无需通过代理继承链。
Wedlake Bell 律师事务所的 Hugo Smith 表示：“对于年长的遗嘱制定者来说，确保其指定的执行人中至少有一位来自年轻一代也是一个好主意。完全避免该风险的唯一方法是指定一家信托公司作为执行人，因为公司永远不会‘死亡’。许多专业机构都提供此项服务。信托公司既可以被指定为唯一的执行人，也可以作为家庭成员的补充。”
此外，每当你更新遗嘱时，都值得重新审视执行人的选择，并保持资产和重要文件的准确记录。这将为最终负责管理你遗产的人减轻负担。
遗嘱撰写者来说， 确保其指定的 执行人中 至少有一位 来自年轻 一代 是有好处的”
沃尔沃车主因电动汽车“缺陷”而愤怒
沃尔沃因其中一款畅销电动汽车的技术故障而面临日益增加的批评。在英国路上的 EX30 车型中，有 10,000 多辆被标记为存在潜在安全问题，客户被告知由于担心火灾风险，车辆充电量不得超过 70%。但车主们表示，他们已经等待必要维修数月之久，另一些人报告了额外的故障，甚至有人指控车辆出现导致自动行驶的故障。《电讯报》获悉，律师目前正在寻找受影响的客户以发起集体诉讼。对于这家瑞典汽车制造商来说，这是一个打击。近年来，它已将其此前优先考虑安全特性而非风格的品牌声誉，转变为被认为拥有市场上最好的部分家庭 SUV。其 XC90、XC60 和 XC40 是英国最受欢迎的 SUV 车型之一，但
相对较新的 EX30（沃尔沃“最小的 SUV”）的所有者现在正寻求全额退款，此次召回影响了全球约 37,000 名客户。一名驾驶沃尔沃超过 20 年的忠实车主 Allan Rhodes 表示：“这些年来沃尔沃对我一直很好，但购买 EX30 是我犯过最大的错误。”这位退休电气工程师于 2024, 年 9 月从格拉斯哥的一家经销商处购买了该车，但他表示该车出现了“持续性”的问题，包括钥匙遥控器和定速巡航设置的问题。今年年初，Rhodes 先生和其他客户收到了沃尔沃正式的安全召回通知。在由其英国客户服务负责人发送的信函中，沃尔沃表示，它已发现 EX30 单电机长续航版和双电机高性能版车型的高压电池存在问题。公司称，在极少数情况下，该故障可能导致电池在充电至 70% 以上时过热，并导致“可能的火灾”。公司还警告用户，在建筑物或车库内充电时，不要将车辆置于无人看管状态。沃尔沃声明，故障率仍大幅低于受召回范围影响车辆的 0. 1%，以及所有售出 EX30 车辆的 0.01%。然而，这款零售价在 £33,000 至 £46,000, 之间的车型此后一直闲置在 Rhodes 先生的私人车道上。
“我快 75 岁了，我一直担心这辆车会突然起火。”
Allan Rhodes
甚至无法进入那个阶段。这不仅仅是因为选举周期将迫使反对党通过反对和抹黑该计划来获取政治资本。更根本的问题在于，保守党和工党内部的大量成员，至少在私下里，都反对寻找任何此类解决方案。保守党反对社会护理改革的理由是，国家不应救助那些能够自立的人。不得不卖掉房子确实非常不幸，但房屋既是住房，也是价值的存储手段。国家的角色不应进一步扩展到为那些有能力支付但由于完全可以理解的原因而不想支付的人提供中产阶级福利。NHS（国民医疗服务体系）本身也并非取得了巨大的成功，那么我们为什么要试图通过将生活的另一个部分社会化来复制它呢？工党的理由则是：
支付护理院费用是一种巨大的平衡机制，因为它减少了留给中产阶级的遗产数量。对于左翼的一些人来说，人们能够传给子女的财产减少，其本身就是一件好事。《卫报》专栏作家的领军人物波莉·托因比（Polly Toynbee）曾明确主张，让富裕阶层支付社会护理费用是实现她心中追求更大社会平等的“圣杯”的引擎。在 2022 年，当利兹·特拉斯（Liz Truss）政府在备受嘲讽的小预算案中推迟鲍里斯·约翰逊（Boris Johnson）提出的社会护理成本终身上限方案时，托因比写道：“上周预算案中的内容并非绝对全部错误。其中正确的一点却引起了愤怒的雪崩。政府放弃了一项长达十年的承诺，即保护英格兰境内那些必须自费社会护理的富裕人士的资产。”很少有工党议员会像托因比那样直白。而保守党
议员们也不太可能公开表达他们的保留意见。但这些情绪无疑非常普遍。即便大家一致认为寻找解决方案是理想的，但在新税种上达成共识将永远被证明是困难的。而目前的情况远非如此。所以，不要指望伯纳姆会是最后一个唱这首歌、并宣称其终身使命是解决社会护理难题的首相。
迈克尔·莫斯巴赫 (Michael Mosbacher)
我们又来了。 历届政府都承诺要找到为老年人社会护理提供资金的解决方案。他们谦卑地宣布，将确保人们在暮年不再被迫卖掉房子来支付护理院的费用。而且，他们将以协作的方式工作，允许跨党派共识的出现。这种新模式将是经久耐用的，并像 NHS（国家医疗服务体系）一样受到全国人民的珍视。 当然，事实是，情况从未如此顺利。首相安迪·伯纳姆对此重复上演的进程有个人经验。2009 年，他在担任卫生大臣期间，提出了一项“公平且普遍”的国家护理保险计划，并试图争取保守党和自民党的支持。 随后大选临近，保守党反悔了，将其贴上“死亡税”的标签。 特雷莎·梅在 2017 年针对她的“失智税”也有类似的经历，而鲍里斯·约翰逊为了支付社会护理费用而增加的 1.25% 国家保险附加费，也被其继任者迅速撤销了。 伯纳姆的运气会更好吗？ 如果他的计划细节——正如亲伯纳姆派智库 Re:State 所传闻和吹捧的那样——确实出炉，那么它相当精妙。34 岁以上的人员将在超过 £6,240 的收入上被征收 1.8% 的税款。 筹集的资金将不会进入一般税收池，而是被投资，然后在你的同龄人群体变老时用于社会护理。 这不会是个人的保险，而是针对你年龄组的集体社会保险。 该计划引发了一些质疑。资金将在未来几十年内可用，但短期内如何帮助解决社会护理成本？如果资金确实被投资，那么今天的老年人将无法使用。 它们实际上会被真正投资吗，还是资金仅仅被用来购买国债？他们可能会借口政府债务是最安全的投资之一。但在这种情况下，这将是投资计划的障眼法。 这实际上无异于财政部账上的未来一项负债。 即便该计划证明确实是令人耳目一新的真诚之作，政府也很容易被诱惑，将基金“投资”于他们宠爱的项目中。未来的部长看到国家支持的资金池中累积了数十亿英镑，可能会觊觎这些钱，用于例如最新的风电场项目或桑德兰的某项“升级计划”(levelling-up scheme)。 极有可能我们永远无法找到这些问题的答案，因为该计划将在其 1.
限制充电 英国有超过 10,000 名 EX30 车主被告知，充电不要超过这个水平，否则有起火风险。
“它给我带来的焦虑简直难以置信，”他说。
德博拉·史密斯（Deborah Smith）也是那些等待零部件更换已数月的客户之一。作为一名自雇心理治疗师，她原定于 7 月在普雷斯顿（Preston）对车辆进行检查，但预约被取消了。
“如果这很危险，为什么解决起来要花这么长时间？”她说道。
她补充说，在 70% 充电限制下，她的 EX30 现在的续航里程仅约 180 英里，而非广告宣传的 280 英里。“我绝不会买续航这么短的车。我宁愿买辆拖拉机，”史密斯女士说。
由于充电限制导致必须增加充电频率，沃尔沃（Volvo）被迫向客户发放 200 英镑（£200）的充电代金券。
除了直接向沃尔沃投诉外，史密斯女士和罗兹先生正寻求通过 Reject My Car 拒收他们的车辆。
这家消费者咨询公司还考虑对沃尔沃汽车英国公司（Volvo Cars UK）提起诉讼，“以强迫他们收回车辆并向受影响者退款”。其董事总经理伊恩·弗格森（Ian Ferguson）表示：“电动汽车领域的消费者理应得到更好的对待。在看不到修复方案的情况下，这些车主每天都面临着一个挑战：在‘能行驶多远’和‘车内是否安全’之间做选择。”
与此同时，一些感到沮丧的客户承认，尽管制造商发出了警告，他们仍将车辆充电至超过建议的 70%。一名社交媒体用户写道：“我的行程需要这样做……我知道这是我的风险。”
在驾驶员超出建议充电限制的情况下，部分人收到了沃尔沃英国公司发来的后续信函，告知其一直在监控车辆数据，而数据表明其并未遵循相关建议。
信中称：“一旦发生事故，未遵循此指南的行为在考虑责任归属时可能会被纳入考量。”
《电讯报》（The Telegraph）获悉，金融监察员（Financial Ombudsman）正在审查涉及 EX30 型号的数起案件，而汽车监察员（Motoring Ombudsman）也确认其拥有“关于沃尔沃 EX30 召回相关事项的活跃案件”。
对于其他客户而言，这款车出现了不同的问题。来自兰开夏郡克利瑟罗（Clitheroe, Lancashire）的酒店业工作人员克里斯·吉布森（Chris Gibson）称，去年节礼日（Boxing Day），他的 EX30 在驾驶席无人状态下突然自动倒车撞上了另一辆车。当时他的妻子正进父亲家吃午饭并取一些礼物。他说，当妻子在道别时，坐在前排乘客席上的九岁儿子试图使用控制台看视频。由吉布森先生提供的闭路电视（CCTV）画面显示，他的沃尔沃车倒车撞上了邻居的车，随后他的妻子冲上前将儿子从前排乘客席拉了出来。他说，回到家后，儿子立即上床睡觉，感到很沮丧并“认为是他造成的”。
他在 1 月将车留在沃尔沃处，检查过程耗时三个多月。沃尔沃表示未能发现车辆有任何故障，吉布森先生正就此事向监察员提出质疑。“我们只是买了一辆车的普通人——我不想把它闹大，但我妻子觉得不安全，”他说道。
有报告称，此次召回可能涉及更换电池模块及维修，总费用至少达 1.95 亿美元（$195m，约 1.46 亿英镑 £146m），不过预计沃尔沃将从供应商处追回成本，对这家由中国吉利控股的公司产生的影响“较小”。
沃尔沃英国公司表示，其正在“不懈努力”地解决这些问题，但拒绝透露已在英国修复了多少辆故障车。其他国家在处理此次召回时似乎速度快得多。在
在最近的一次更新中，沃尔沃泰国和马来西亚的首席执行官表示，这些市场中 50% 的受影响车辆已经完成修复，目标是在 9 月前完成所有车辆的重新安装。沃尔沃汽车英国公司表示：“自从我们 4 月份开始免费更换受影响的电池模块以来，我们取得了显著进展，许多修复工作现已完成，且修复率在接下来的几周和几个月内将进一步提高。”
JEREMY SUTTON-HIBBERT
钥匙扣和定速 巡航设置方面 出现过问题 “我快 75 岁了。 这给我带来的 焦虑感非常巨大”
观看指南
范德瓦尔克 (VAN DER VALK) ITV1, 晚上 8 点
马克·沃伦饰演的那个脾气暴躁的荷兰侦探今晚回归，带来一部扣人心弦的惊悚剧
距离我们上次看到皮埃特·范德瓦尔克已经过去了三年。不过，奇怪的是，这部第 4, 季曾在 2024 年在美国广播公司 PBS 播出——这似乎是全球合拍协议在现代产生的一种奇特现象。无论如何，马克·沃伦饰演的那个脾气暴躁的荷兰侦探今晚回归，带来一部扣人心弦的惊悚剧，故事围绕一名即将出庭指证一名强大的阿姆斯特丹犯罪头目的举报人展开。与往常一样，范德瓦尔克的
《狮女》(Lioness) Paramount+ 这部星光熠熠的谍战惊悚剧第三季以一场发生在乌克兰的紧张且高能的任务拉开序幕。佐伊·索尔达娜饰演的资深 CIA 特工乔必须抓获一名俄罗斯资产。然而，乌克兰并非普通的战争地带。引用一名士兵的话，这里就像是“第一次世界大战和《星球大战》猛烈撞击在一起”。
理查德·E·格兰特的《非常现代的奥德赛》 Channel 4, 晚上 8 点 缪斯啊，请向我歌唱理查德·E·格兰特，他追随《奥德赛》的脚步，拍摄了这部充满活力的四部分旅行纪录片。他游历了地中海的许多城市，今晚从马耳他开始，
场景设定是其最大的优势，持枪的荷兰警察带来了精彩的动作场面，例如这里皮埃特在安全屋中发现一名潜伏刺客的情节。 这位执着的警司依然像往常一样厌世，沃伦在演绎每一句台词时，仿佛是对着镜子在低吼。“哪里有尸体吗？”他在某处问道，“我需要让自己高兴起来。”他的心情
《狮女》以一场发生在乌克兰的紧张且高能的任务开场
可能成为了女神卡吕普索的灵感来源。 随后，他前往土耳其，那里曾是神圣的特洛伊城堡所在地。
2026 年英联邦运动会 TNT Sports 2 / HBO Max 英联邦运动会
因疏远的前女友卡莉（金·里德尔饰）的出现而变得更加糟糕。两人在这一集的大部分时间里都在互相讽刺，比如：“你就算用卫星导航也找不到我的痛点。”幸好，在极其阴险的犯罪家族长辈比比（阿纳斯塔西娅·希尔饰）身上能找到更多乐趣，而达雷尔·德西尔瓦饰演的花俏法医亨德里克再次抢尽风头。 SK
迎来了最后一天，在 the netball（篮网球）、柔道、草地滚球和场地自行车赛中将决定奖牌归属。与此同时，苏格兰摇滚乐队 Simple Minds 将于晚上 7.30pm 起担任格拉斯哥运动会闭幕式的领衔表演嘉宾。没有 TNT Sports 2 或 HBO Max 的观众可以在晚上 10 点在 Channel 5 观看
精彩回顾。
巴罗：诱骗谎言背后的真相 Sky Documentaries, 凌晨 2 点 / 晚上 9 点 2020 年，一名来自巴罗的女性埃莉·威廉姆斯在虚假声称自己是亚洲诱骗团伙的受害者后，引发了激烈的动乱。这部深刻的三部分纪录片重新审视了此案，认为威廉姆斯的谎言导致人们忽视了更广泛的诱骗问题。
Proms 音乐节上的伟大小提琴家 BBC Four, 晚上 9 点 新星朴素耶在 Proms 音乐节首次亮相，带来了西贝柳斯《小提琴协奏曲》的惊艳版本。朴素耶给了凯蒂·德汉一个挖掘 Proms 档案的机会，找出了由名曲小提琴家尼杰尔·肯尼迪和尼古拉·贝内蒂演绎的表演。 SK
《莎翁在恋爱》重新构思了这位诗人的生活
电影
《莎翁在恋爱》(1998) BBC Two, 晚上 10 点 ★★★★★ 约瑟夫·法恩斯和格温妮丝·帕特森在这部由约翰·马登执导、横扫奥斯卡的电影中组成了一对般配的情侣。该片重新构思了莎士比亚在创作《罗密欧与朱丽叶》期间的生活。影片充满了关于莎士比亚私人生活的有趣理论，并聚集了大量 1990 年代的英国演艺圈面孔，是一个欢快的故事。杰弗里·拉什和科林·费尔特共同主演，而朱迪·登奇凭借仅六分钟的伊丽莎白一世角色演出，成功赢得了最佳女配角奖。
6.00 am Breakfast (S) 9.00 News (S) 10.00 Prayer and Reflection (R) (S) 10.30 Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales (AD) (R) (S) 11.30 Money for Nothing (R) (S) 12.15 pm Bargain Hunt (R) (S) 1.00 News; Weather (S) 1.15 Songs of Praise (S) 1.50 Escape to the Country (R) (S) 2.15 电影：《长靴靴子猫》(Puss in Boots) (2011) 由安东尼奥·班德拉斯配音的动画喜剧衍生剧 (AD) (S) 3.35 The Mating Game (AD) (R) (S) 4.35 Homes Under the Hammer (AD) (R) (S) 5.35 News (S) 5.50 Regional News; Weather; Weather (S) 6.00 Celebrity Escape to the Country (AD) (R) (S)
The Rapture 板球：The Hundred Force of Nature
7.00 Countryfile 探讨新一代农民生活的四集系列节目之首 (S)
8.00 Antiques Roadshow 团队在莫雷郡的布罗迪城堡为物品估价 (R) (S)
9.00 The Rapture Gabs和Dick发现了Leonard在隐瞒某些事情的证据 (AD) (S)
10.00 BBC News at Ten (S) 10.25 Regional News; Weather (S) 10.30 电影：《不可能》(The Impossible) (2012) 由娜奥米·沃茨和伊万·麦克格雷主演的剧情片 (AD) (S)
12.10 am Who Do You Think You Are? 1.15 - 6.00am News
目前播放：英国的 机器人军队 Radio 4, 1.30pm
RADIO 4
由于国防支出目前成为新闻焦点， 前陆军军官 Will
RADIO 1
FM 97.6-99.8MHZ
6.00am Radio 1 舞曲派对启动 7.00 Radio 1 舞曲周末，由 James Cusack 主持 10.00 Radio 1 00年代曲目，由 James Cusack 主持 10.30 Newsbeat 10.32 Radio 1 00年代曲目，由 Nat 和 Vicky 主持 11.00 Radio 1 10年代曲目，由 Nat 和 Vicky 主持 12.00 Radio 1 20年代曲目，由 Nat 和 Vicky 主持 1.00pm Radio 1 舞曲周末 4.00 Radio 1 舞曲周末 7.00 Radio 1 最惬意节目 9.00 Martha 11.00 BBC Radio 1 新人推介，由 Jaguar 主持 1.00am 1Xtra R&B 节目，由 Chuckie 主持 2.30 1Xtra R&B 慢曲混音，由 Chuckie 主持 3.00 Radio 1 惬意混音 3.30 Radio 1 惬意混音 4.00 Radio 1 健身赞歌 5.00 - 6.58am Radio 1 早起早餐，由 Dean McCullough 主持
RADIO 2
FM 88-90.2MHZ
6.00am 周日早安 9.00 情歌时间，由 Michael Ball 主持 11.00 Paddy McGuinness 1.00pm Elaine Paige 周日时间 3.00 七十年代之声，由 Lulu 主持 5.00 流行精选 6.00 流行精选。 7.00 Tony Blackburn 的黄金小时 8.00 Paul Gambaccini 收藏集 10.00 Radio 2 放松时间，由 Angela Griffin 主持 11.00 Radio 2 放松时间，由 Angela Griffin 主持 12.00 Richie Anderson 3.00am 九十年代替代之声，由 Dermot O’Leary 主持 4.00 - 6.30am Owain Wyn Evans
6.40 am 电视园艺 A 到 Z (R) (S) 7.25 俯瞰壮丽花园 (R) (S) 8.10 乡村生活 (R) (S) 9.05 气象员漫步精选 (S) 9.35 Beechgrove 花园 (R) (S) 10.05 周六厨房最佳美食 (S) 11.35 简易印度美食 (R) (S) 12.05 pm 简易印度美食 (R) (S) 12.35 电影：《尼斯湖》(1996) 由 Ted Danson 主演的家庭剧 (S) 2.15 板球：The Hundred 伦敦女队 v 曼彻斯特超级巨人女队 (开始时间 2.30pm) (S) 6.00 板球：The Hundred 伦敦男队 v 曼彻斯特超级巨人男队 (开始时间 6.00pm) (S)
9.30 Apollo 现场喜剧，由 Nabil Abdulrashid, Jake Lambert 和 Rachel Fairburn 表演 (R) (S)
10.00 电影：《莎C恋爱》(1998) 由 Joseph Fiennes 和 Gwyneth Paltrow 主演的时代浪漫喜剧 (AD) (S)
11.55 高尔夫：2026 年女子公开赛集锦 12.55am 手语区：Ann Droid 1.25 手语区：家庭中的魔鬼：Ruby Franke 的陨落 2.20 - 6.30am 这是 BBC Two
Robson 报道技术如何影响 英国的国防系统。 他前往索尔兹伯里平原、 英国无人机制造设施 以及伦敦国王学院 以观察基于屏幕的
以及 BBC 交响乐团演奏柴可夫斯基的 小提琴协奏曲 10.00 夜间轨迹。一段 适合深夜聆听的配乐 11.30 未分类 12.30 - 6.30am 彻夜不眠
FM 92.4-94.6MHZ; LW 198KHZ
6.00am 新闻头条 6.05 心灵与灵魂 6.35 你的农场 6.57 天气预报 7.00 新闻 7.00 星期日报 7.10 星期日 7.54 Radio 4 呼吁 7.57 天气预报 8.00 新闻 8.00 星期日报 8.10 星期日崇拜 8.48 见证历史 8.58 今日推文 9.00 广播大楼 10.00 荒岛唱片 11.00 亚瑟一家 12.15pm 最后的词：以不同方式面对死亡 12.30 仅限一分钟 12.57 天气预报 1.00 本周末的世界。由 Jonny Dymond 主持 1.30 英国的机器人军队 2.00 园艺问答时间。来自林肯郡的平奇贝克村 2.45 自然爆炸 3.00 戏剧：《心之忧》。两部分之二。Alice Childress 的 1955 年剧作 4.00 读书会 4.30 英国之脑 5.00 见证历史 5.10 走进教堂，与 Giles Fraser。Giles 回到了他年轻时担任牧师的教区。本系列最后一集 5.54 航运预报 5.57 天气预报 6.00 六点新闻 6.15 每周精选。Maryam Moshiri 呈献精彩回顾 7.00 亚瑟一家。Jazzer 提出了一个有争议的建议 7.15 宝石。一个家庭必须决定如何处理他们已故父亲的岩石收藏 7.45 与 Michael Mosley 探讨一件事。Michael Mosley 解释转向全谷物的好处 8.00 反馈 8.30 最后的词 9.00 祝酒 9.26 Radio 4 呼吁 9.30 来自我们自己的通讯员 9.59 天气预报 10.00 约翰·辛普森的独裁者 11.00 伟大的生命 11.30 更多 Wow 11.45 短篇作品 12.00 新闻与天气预报 12.15am 健康内部 12.45 星期日的钟声 12.48 航运预报 1.00 As 世界服务 5.00 新闻摘要 5.04 最后的词 5.32
世界服务 (WORLD SERVICE)
AI 辅助战争正在迅速演变。他探讨了重大问题，包括资金以及需要根本性的思维转变，以确保培训、装备和
天气预报 5.34 航运预报 5.43 今日祷告 5.45 - 6.00am 今日农业
RADIO 5 LIVE
MW 693 及 909KHZ
6.00am Martin Lewis 播客 7.00 星期日早餐 10.00 Colin Murray 12.00 5 Live 体育 6.45pm 606 8.00 回到我们所属之地 8.30 回到我们所属之地。Doug King 的接管迅速带来了变化 9.00 Stephen Nolan。当天的主要新闻故事、热门辩论和访谈 12.00 Don’t Say a Word 12.30am 离奇真实罪案 1.00 Dotun Adebayo 5.00 - 6.00am 财富觉醒
CLASSIC FM
FM 99.9-101.9MHZ
6.30am Classic FM 早餐，由 Sam Pittis 主持 9.00 Classic FM 名人之堂小时，由 Tim Lihoreau 主持 10.00 Tim Lihoreau 12.00 John Brunning 3.00pm Stephen Mangan 6.00 古典先驱 7.00 与 Zeb Soanes 共度放松之夜。Zeb 主持一个最放松音乐的夜晚 10.00 宁静古典 1.00am Bill Overton 4.00 - 6.30am 早早早餐
仅限数字化 (DIGITAL ONLY)
仅限数字化 (DIGITAL ONLY)
6.00am 周末 9.00 新闻 9.06 来自我们自己的通讯员 9.30 食物链 10.00 新闻 10.06 修复世界的人们 10.30 五楼 11.00 新闻室 11.30 亲爱的女儿 11.50 多或少 12.00 新闻 12.06pm 纪录片：软实力的声音 1.00 新闻小时 2.00 新闻 2.06 气候问题 2.30 快乐新闻 3.00 新闻 3.06 体育世界 7.00 新闻室 7.30 好的坏亿万富翁 8.00 新闻 8.06 意外元素 9.00 新闻小时
6.00 am James Martin 的美国冒险 (AD) (R) (S) 7.00 James Martin 的星期六早晨 (R) (S) 9.25 新闻 (S) 9.30 与 Alan Titchmarsh 共度周末 (R) (S) 11.30 Fern Britton：走进兽医 (AD) (S) 12.30 pm Tom Kerridge 烹饪意大利 (AD) (R) (S) 1.00 新闻；天气预报 (S) 1.10 自然之力 (AD) (R) (S) 2.10 电影：《金枪客》(1974) 由 Roger Moore 和 Christopher Lee 主演的詹姆斯·邦德冒险电影 (AD) (S) 4.35 《追击》名人特辑 (AD) (R) (S) 5.35 《追击》环球赛 (AD) (R) (S) 6.30 新闻 (S) 6.45 ITV 伦敦新闻；天气预报 (S)
7.00 自然之力 降雨转移考验三位母亲，洪水改变栖息地 (AD) (S)
8.00 Van Der Valk 新剧集。由 Marc Warren 主演的犯罪剧 (AD) (S)
10.00 新闻；天气预报 (S) 10.15 电影：《侠盗猎手：绝地反击》(2016) 由 Tom Cruise 主演的动作惊悚续集 (S)
12.25 am 电视购物 3.00 英国赛车 (Motorsport UK) 3.50 ITV 舒缓时光 5.05 - 6.00am 迪金森的真实交易 (Dickinson’s Real Deal)
为士兵们准备应对一种 完全不同的战争方式。在《70年代之声：与露露在一起》(Sounds of the 70s with Lulu，广播 2 台，下午3点) 中，这位歌手依然精力充沛。 Gerard O’Donovan
10.00 新闻 10.06 气候问题 10.30 任务 11.00 新闻室 11.30 第五层 12.00 新闻 12.06am 来自我们的特派记者 12.30 BBC 内部科学 1.00 新闻室 1.30 探索 2.00 新闻室 2.30 众科学 (CrowdScience) 3.00 新闻 3.06 修复世界的人们 3.30 第五层 4.00 新闻室 4.30 对话 5.00 - 8.00am 新闻日
RADIO 4 EXTRA
6.00am 重温《荒岛唱片》(Desert Island Discs Revisited) 6.45 大卫·爱登堡的人生故事 7.00 诗歌特辑 7.30 伦敦之声：首都黑人音乐 100 年 8.40 传承之轨 (Inheritance Tracks) 8.50 小岛 10.00 认清你的位置 10.30 从这里开始 11.00 重温《荒岛唱片》 11.45 大卫·爱登堡的人生故事 12.00 诗歌特辑 12.30pm 伦敦之声：首都黑人音乐 100 年 1.40 传承之轨 1.50 小岛 3.00 认清你的位置 3.30 从这里开始 4.00 远方的呼唤 4.45 夏日幽灵 5.00 重温《荒岛唱片》 5.45 大卫·爱登堡的 人生故事 6.00 诗歌特辑 6.30 伦敦之声：首都黑人音乐 100 年 7.40 传承之轨 7.50 小岛 9.00 认清你的位置 9.30 从这里开始 10.00 令人反感的人们 10.30 亚历克赛·赛尔的火车上的陌生人 10.55 喜剧俱乐部访谈 11.00 厨房内外 11.30 电墨 (Electric Ink) 12.00 远方的呼唤 12.45am 夏日幽灵 1.00 重温《荒岛唱片》 1.45 大卫·爱登堡的 人生故事 2.00 诗歌特辑 2.30 伦敦之声：首都黑人音乐 100 年 3.40 传承之轨 3.50 小岛 5.00 认清你的位置 5.30 - 6.00am 从这里开始
6.20 am Cheers (R) (S) 6.45 Cheers (R) (S) 7.15 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD) (R) (S) 7.40 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD) (R) (S) 8.05 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD) (R) (S) 8.30 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 9.00 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 9.30 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 10.00 Sunday Brunch (S) 1.00 pm Jamie Cooks the Mediterranean (AD) (R) (S) 2.00 Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids (AD) (R) (S) 3.05 Britain’s Favourite Railway Stations with Si King (AD) (R) (S) 4.05 Kirstie and Phil’s Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds (AD) (R) (S) 4.35 电影：Sister Act (1992) 伍皮·戈德堡主演的喜剧片 (AD) (S) 6.30 Channel 4 News (S)
Murder by Decree Sister Boniface Mysteries The Bargee Withnail & I The Piano Inside the Four Seasons: Park Lane
7.00 Gogglebox 第 27 季精选 (AD) (S)
8.00 Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey 新剧集。演员回顾了荷马史诗《奥德赛》中奥德修斯的路线 (AD) (S)
9.00 The Piano Claudia Winkleman 和 Mika 在伦敦与 Jools Holland 汇合 (AD) (S)
10.05 电影：Erin Brockovich (2000) 朱莉娅·罗伯茨主演的基于事实的奥斯卡获奖剧集 (AD) (S)
12.30 am Ramy 1.05 Ramy 1.40 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 2.35 Mr & Mrs ’55 Remembered 2.50 电影：Mr & Mrs ’55 (1955, 黑白) Madhubala 主演的印度浪漫喜剧。印地语版 5.20 Kirstie and Phil’s Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds 5.50 - 6.30am Countdown
更多频道 Variations FV Freeview FS Freesat (AD) 音频描述 (R) 重播 (S) 字幕 (SL) 画面内手语翻译
FV 9 FS 173 SKY 116 VIRGIN 108
7.00 pm The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank 8.00 Cairngorms: A Year in the Wild 9.00 Great Violinists at the Proms 10.00 Bill Paterson Remembers – The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil 10.20 The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil 11.50 7:84 : Keep Right On? – Ex-S 12.20 am Munro: Mountain Man 1.20 The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank 2.20 - 3.20am Cairngorms: A Year in the Wild
U&Dave
11.00am Red Bull Soapbox Race 1.00pm Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing 3.00 The Hairy Bikers’ Asian Adventure 5.00 Would I Lie to You? 7.00 Border Force: America’s Gatekeepers. 官员将一名囚犯移交给墨西哥当局 8.00 Special Ops: Crime Squad UK. 兰开夏郡警方揭穿了一起加密货币阴谋 9.00 Have I Got a Bit More News for You. Richard Ayoade 主持问答环节 10.00 QI 10.40 Mock the Week 12.00 Live at the Apollo 2.00am QI XL 3.00-4.00am Parks and Recreation
ITV2
11.05am Deal or No Deal 2.10pm Celebrity Catchphrase 3.15 电影：Penguins of Madagascar (2014) 动画喜剧，由本尼迪克特·康伯巴奇配音 5.00 电影：Johnny English (2003) 罗温·艾金森主演的间谍喜剧 6.45 电影：Miss Congeniality (2000) 桑德拉·布洛克主演的喜剧 9.00 The Only Way Is Essex. 新剧集。Essex 团队回归，从一开始就充满戏剧冲突。Elma 难以原谅 Harry，而 Saff 和 Ella 在就 Freddie 产生冲突时揭开了旧伤口 10.00 Family Guy 11.35 American Dad! 12.35am Plebs 1.05 G’wed 2.00 Deal or No Deal 2.55
6.00 am Milkshake! 9.00 娱乐节目 5频道新闻 (S) 9.15 电影：《鼠格郎》（Rango） (2011) 由约翰尼·德普配音的奥斯卡获奖动画喜剧 (S) 11.30 2026年 Commonwealth Games (R) (S) 12.30 pm 快乐露营者：房车公园 (R) (S) 1.30 与苏珊·卡曼一起巡游 (R) (S) 2.30 简·麦克唐纳的约克郡：没有像家一样的地方 (R) (S) 4.00 现场直播：2026年英国最强壮的人 在米尔顿凯恩斯的 Planet Ice 拍摄的第二天赛事报道 (S) 6.55 5 新闻周末 (S)
7.00 20世纪70年代的饮食：对你有效吗？乔西·吉布森让自己沉浸在70年代的饮食、饮品和文化中 (R) (S)
8.00 (非常) 糟糕的狗 格雷姆·霍尔遇到了一只食欲不绝的 11 岁比格犬 (R) (S)
9.00 四季酒店内幕：帕克巷 新剧集。客房管理经理伊万试图寻找两个马毛枕头 (S)
10.00 2026年 Commonwealth Games 决赛日精彩片段 (S)
11.05 JFK 遇刺案：创伤室内幕 1.00am 巡航电视与 LoveitBookit 2.00 全科医生：闭门之后 2.50 假期骗局：不要上当 3.40 朋友 4.05 朋友 4.30 高地兽医 5.20 5 频道娱乐新闻 5 5.35 米洛 5.45 - 6.00am 帕丁顿的冒险
FV 10 FS 115 SKY 119 VIRGIN 117
11.50 am 阿加莎·克里斯蒂的马普尔小姐 2.00 pm Midsomer Murders 4.00 Midsomer Murders。一名被称为“潜行者”的窃贼将目标对准了 Midsomer。里克·梅亚尔客串出演 6.00 Midsomer Murders。巴纳比调查一名当地议员的谋杀案 8.00 Midsomer Murders。巴纳比调查一起在布赖顿的可疑土地交易 10.00 薇拉。一名码头工人从多层停车场坠亡 11.50 怀克利夫 1.30 am 触发点 2.20 与ITV一起放松 2.30 - 6.00am 电视购物
与ITV一起放松 3.00-6.00am 电视购物
Challenge
正午 名人关键词 1.00pm 可守之位 2.00 谎言之桥 3.00 追击 5.00 追击名人特辑 6.00 名人追击 7.00 追击 9.00 追击名人特辑。由 Mike Bushell, Annabel Croft, Rhea Bailey 和 Rylan Clark-Neal 出演 10.00 追击 11.00 Bullseye 2.00-4.00am 追击
Quest
正午 约克郡拍卖行 1.00pm 修复店 5.00 约克郡拍卖行 6.00 安格斯·阿什沃思：约克郡遗产英雄 7.00 强尼·维加斯的古董小店。强尼在西北威尔士搜寻可在店中出售的小件物品 8.00 修复店 1.00am 迈克·布鲁尔：天生交易商 3.00- 4.00am 轮毂交易商：梦想之车
威尔士
FV 26 FS 117 SKY 120 VIRGIN 118
11.00 am 卡德法尔 12.40 pm 卡德法尔 2.20 电影：《马兵》（The Horse Soldiers） (1959) 由约翰·韦恩和威廉·霍顿主演的西部片 4.45 夏普 6.55 夏普 9.00 电影：《时间匪徒》（Time Bandits）(1981) 由 Craig Warnock 和 David Rappaport 主演的奇幻喜剧 11.25 巅峰澳大利亚 12.45 am 监护人 1.40 舍伍德的罗宾 2.35 半个男人 3.00 - 6.00am 电视购物
time 11.00 强力卡车司机 12.00 Kindig Customs 3.00-5.00am 美国砍车王
PBS America
11.30am 西西里：被征服之岛 1.00pm 间谍行动 9.05 西西里：被征服之岛 12.00 间谍行动 1.00am 历经风霜：地球之极 2.00-6.00am 电视购物
Sky History
正午 仓库猎手 1.00pm 罗马：帝国的兴衰 7.00 汉尼拔：进军罗马。迦太基人的翻越阿尔卑斯山路线 8.00 罗马帝国的兴衰。记录罗马帝国兴起与没落的历史纪录片 10.00 汤姆·汉克斯讲述第二次世界大战 12.00 仓库猎手 2.00- 6.00am 究竟是什么？
FV 36 FS 143 SKY 822 VIRGIN 123
6.00 am Making a Maestro (AD) (S) 7.00 Making a Maestro (AD) (S) 8.00 Making a Maestro (AD) (S) 9.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 9.30 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 10.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 10.30 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 11.00 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (S) 12.00 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (S) 1.00 pm Cirque du Soleil: Varekai (S) 3.00 André Rieu: Live in Malta (S) 4.30 Classic Artists: Cream (S)
7.00 Grand Ole Opry: Opry Live With Vince Gill, Patty Loveless and Dustin Lynch (S)
8.00 电影：Murder by Decree (1978) 由克里斯多弗·普卢默主演的夏洛克·福尔摩斯推理剧 (S)
10.20 Johnson & Knopfler’s Music Legends Brian和Mark与Nile Rodgers一同演出 (S)
11.20 Gary Moore: One Night in Dublin 12.40am Jeff Beck – Live in Tokyo 2.40 BB King: Live in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall 4.25 Discovering: Eagles 4.50 Classic Albums 5.50 - 6.00am Sky Arts Ambassador Bursary Shorts
FV 18 FS 124 SKY 136 VIRGIN 147
Noon A Place in the Sun 1.00 pm A Place in the Sun 2.00 A Place in the Sun 3.00 A Place in the Sun 3.50 Come Dine with Me 6.25 Four in a Bed 6.55 Four in a Bed 7.25 Four in a Bed 7.55 Four in a Bed 8.30 Four in a Bed 9.00 The Emergency Ward 10.00 24 Hours in A&E 11.00 24 Hours in A&E 12.05 am The Emergency Ward 1.00 24 Hours in A&E 2.05 24 Hours in A&E 3.10 - 3.40am A Place in the Sun
10.00 Tell Them You Love Me 12.00 电影：Tina (2021) 庆祝蒂娜·特纳的一生与职业生涯 2.15- 4.00am AKA Mr Chow
Sky One
10.45am The Hundred Live. Trent Rockets Women v Sunrisers Leeds Women (开赛时间 11.00am) 2.00pm The Simpsons 3.30 Best Medicine 4.30 Animal Control 7.00 The Simpsons 8.00 David Attenborough’s Dragons and Damsels. 蜻蜓与豆娘的世界 9.00 Micky Flanagan: If Ever We Needed It. 喜剧演员的单口喜剧表演 10.15 电影：Rambo III (1988) 由西尔维斯特·史泰龙主演的动作冒险续集 12.15am La Brea 2.10 The Walking Dead: Dead City 3.10- 5.00am Road Wars
Great! Mystery
Mysteries: Her Last Breath (2019) 由泰勒·科尔主演的惊悚剧 12.50am Good News on GREAT! Extra 1.00 电影：Out of Control (2009) 由劳拉·万德沃特主演的犯罪惊悚片 2.25 Good News on GREAT! Extra 2.35-4.00am 电影：Labour, Lies and Murder (2022) 由布鲁克·伯菲特主演的惊悚片
FV 20 FS 158 SKY 143 VIRGIN 116
6.00 am 电视购物 7.10 The Bill (S) 8.00 The Bill (S) 9.00 The Bill (S) 10.00 The Bill (S) 11.00 The Bill (S) 12.00 Call the Midwife (AD) (S) 1.20 pm Call the Midwife (AD) (S) 2.25 Catherine Cookson’s The Rag Nymph (S) 5.45 Home Fires (S) 6.50 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (S)
8.00 Sister Boniface Mysteries 当一名居民被发现中毒身亡时，其手段与数年前的一起谋杀案极其相似。然而，那次犯罪的凶手已知身在精神病院 (AD) (S)
9.00 Silent Witness Nikki调查一起前美国大使遇难的坠机事故，证据开始表明该飞机是被蓄意破坏的 (AD) (S)
11.15 New Tricks 12.15am Call the Midwife 1.35 2point4 Children 2.10 2point4 Children 2.55 Hotel Portofino 4.00 - 6.00am 电视购物
[!NOTE] 本章节源文包含大量外语数据与图片版面，已进行结构化对齐优化。
SKY 110 VIRGIN 124
11.25 am Red Dwarf 7.00 pm Gavin & Stacey 7.40 Gavin & Stacey 8.20 Dad’s Army 9.00 The Royle Family 9.40 The Royle Family 10.20 The Fast Show 11.00 The Fast Show 11.35 The Fast Show 12.15 am The Royle Family 12.55 The Royle Family 1.35 Red Dwarf 2.15 Red Dwarf 2.45 Red Dwarf 3.25 - 4.00am The Royle Family
Sky Cinema Premiere
10.10am Wicked: For Good (2025) 由 Cynthia Erivo 和 Ariana Grande 主演的奇幻续集 12.35pm Normal (2026) 由 Bob Odenkirk 主演的动作喜剧 2.15 Heretic (2024) 由 Hugh Grant 主演的恐怖片 4.15 Mortal Kombat II (2026) 由 Karl Urban 主演的奇幻冒险片 6.15 Anaconda (2025) 由 Jack Black 和 Paul Rudd 主演的喜剧冒险片 8.00 Normal (2026) 由 Bob Odenkirk 主演的动作喜剧 9.40 Heretic (2024) 由 Hugh Grant 主演的恐怖片 11.40 Primate (2025) 由 Johnny Sequoyah 主演的恐怖片 1.15am Anemone (2025) 由 Sean Bean 和 Daniel Day-Lewis 主演的剧情片 3.30-5.10am In Cold Light (2025) 由 Maika Monroe 主演的犯罪惊悚片
FV 82 FS 306 SKY 324 VIRGIN 445
6.00 am 电影：《未知世界》(1951, 黑白) 由 Bruce Kellogg 主演的科幻冒险片 (S) 7.35 电影：《年轻之地》(1959, 黑白) 由 Dan O’Herlihy 主演的西部片 (S) 9.25 Cinebox Memories 9.30 The Lucy Show (S) 10.00 电影：《他们的荣耀》(1946, 黑白) 第二次世界大战期间阿纳姆战役的重演 (S) 11.40 Batman (S) 12.10 pm 电影：《情况证据》(1952, 黑白) 由 Rona Anderson 主演的犯罪剧 (S) 1.20 电影：《霍布森的选择》(1953, 黑白) 由 John Mills 主演的喜剧片 (S) 3.30 For the Love of Ada (S) 4.00 The Man from UNCLE (S) 5.00 The Footage Detectives (S) 6.00 电影：《驳船工》(1964) 由 Harry H Corbett 出演的喜剧片 (S)
8.10 Look at Life
8.20 A Game of Murder 林肯夫人的侄子希望拿回狗项圈 (S)
9.25 电影：《追逐阴影》(1957, 黑白) 由 Richard Todd 主演的惊悚片 (S)
11.10 The Best of The Adventurers 12.50am The Heritage Chart Show 1.55 电影：《老母亲赖利遇见吸血鬼》(1952, 黑白) 由 Bela Lugosi 主演的喜剧恐怖片 3.20 Look at Life 3.30 The Rogues 4.30 The Adventures of Robin Hood 5.00 The Buccaneers 5.30 - 6.00am Supercar
FV 27 FS 159 SKY 155 VIRGIN 129
Noon Canal Boat Diaries 1.00 pm Canal Boat Diaries 2.00 Canal Boat Diaries 3.00 Explore 4.00 Explore 5.00 Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy 7.55 Bangers & Cash 8.55 Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics 9.55 Canal Boat Diaries 10.55 Canal Boat Diaries 11.55 Canal Boat Diaries 12.55 am Flipping Bangers 1.55 Abandoned Engineering 3.00 - 6.10am Teleshopping
女子高尔夫球直播。AIG女子公开赛冠军赛 6.30 The Hundred 直播。MI 伦敦男队 v 曼彻斯特超级巨人男队 (开赛时间 6.00pm) 9.00 网球直播。华盛顿特区公开赛女子决赛 10.00 网球直播。华盛顿特区公开赛男子决赛 12.00-4.00am 网球直播。加拿大公开赛
Sky Sports Premier League Noon Netbusters 6.00pm Premier League Stories 6.30 Transfer 360 7.00 Premier League Stories 7.30 Premier League 100 Club 8.00 Premier League Review 10.00 Premier League Stories 11.00 Premier League Years 1.00am PL Retro 3.00-4.00am PL Greatest Games
TNT Sports 1
11.00am 世界拉力锦标赛直播。芬兰拉力赛 1.30pm 直播：男子自行车职业系列赛。2026年丹麦之旅 2.30 直播：环法女子赛。大巡回赛第二赛段报道 5.45 The Gruppetto 6.00 TNT Sports Reload 6.30 MLB 直播。坦帕湾光芒队 v 芝加哥白袜队 (开赛时间 6.40pm) 9.30 MLB 每周精彩瞬间 10.00 世界拉力锦标赛 10.30 SailGP – 极限竞速 11.00 英国超级摩托车赛 12.00
FV 14 FS 300 SKY 855 VIRGIN 428
11.00 am 电影：《千日之恋》 (1969) 由理查德·伯顿主演的历史剧 (S) 1.55 pm 电影：《奥利弗！》(1968) 由朗·穆迪主演的音乐剧 (AD) (S) 4.50 电影：《呼唤原野》(2020) 由哈里森·福特主演的历史冒险片 (AD) (S)
6.45 电影：《独立日：新生》(2016) 在世界从外星人袭击中获救二十年后，第二次且更致命的入侵开始了。由杰夫·高布伦和利亚姆·海姆斯沃斯主演的科幻冒险片 (AD) (S)
9.00 电影：《菲利普斯船长》(2013) 一艘在索马里海岸航行的货轮船长在海盗袭击船只时被劫持。由汤姆·汉克斯和巴克哈德·阿卜迪主演的基于事实的惊悚片 (S)
11.40 电影：《维特内尔和我》(1987) 由理查德·E·格兰特主演的邪典黑色喜剧 1.50 - 4.00am 电影：《你能原谅我吗？》(2018) 由梅丽莎·麦卡西和理查德·E·格兰特主演的喜剧
SKY 108
11.20 am 凶杀案：街头生活 (Homicide: Life on the Street) 12.25 pm 白莲花度假宝典 (The White Lotus) 1.35 白莲花度假宝典 (The White Lotus) 2.40 白莲花度假宝典 (The White Lotus) 3.50 白莲花度假宝典 (The White Lotus) 5.00 白莲花度假宝典 (The White Lotus) 6.15 白莲花度假宝典 (The White Lotus) 7.30 白莲花度假宝典 (The White Lotus) 9.00 龙之家族 (House of the Dragon) 10.15 蛾都：起源 (Gomorrah: The Origins) 11.20 蛾都：起源 (Gomorrah: The Origins) 12.15 am 凶杀案：街头生活 (Homicide: Life on the Street) 1.10 凶杀案：街头生活 (Homicide: Life on the Street) 2.00 龙之家族 (House of the Dragon) 3.15 - 4.20am 亿万 (Billions)
训练日 (Training Day) 12.15am MLB直播。洛杉矶道奇队 v 波士顿红袜队 (开始时间 12.20am) 3.00-4.00am UEC山地车欧洲锦标赛
BBC News
Noon BBC新闻 1.30pm 媒体秀 (The Media Show) 2.00 BBC新闻 2.30 科技现在 (Tech Now) 3.00 BBC新闻 4.30 全球之眼 (Global Eye) 5.00 BBC新闻 8.30 媒体秀 (The Media Show) 9.00 BBC新闻 11.30 科技现在 (Tech Now) 12.00 BBC新闻 12.30am 全球之眼 (Global Eye) 1.00 BBC新闻 1.30 媒体秀 (The Media Show) 2.00 新闻日 (Newsday) 2.30 今日商业 (Business Today) 2.45 BBC体育 3.00 新闻日 (Newsday) 3.30 今日商业 (Business Today) 3.45-4.00am BBC体育
GB News
11.00am 迈克尔·波蒂略的星期日 (Sunday with Michael Portillo) 1.00pm 周末 (The Weekend) 3.00 娜娜·阿夸 (Nana Akua) 6.00 卡米拉·托米尼秀 (The Camilla Tominey Show) 7.00 言论自由之国 (Free Speech Nation) 9.00 亚历克斯·阿姆斯特朗今夜秀 (Alex Armstrong Tonight) 11.00 亚历克斯·阿姆斯特朗今夜秀晚间版 12.00 晚间秀直播 3.00-5.00am 亚历克斯·阿姆斯特朗今夜秀
北爱尔兰
BBC One: 10.30pm 民谣节 (Fleadh Folk) 11.30 - 1.10am 电影：《不可能》(2012) BBC Two: 无变动 UTV: 无变动
无变动
无变动
苏格兰
BBC One: 10.30pm 足球偶像 11.30 体育场景：英超集锦 12.15am 电影：《不可能》(2012) 2.00 - 6.00am BBC新闻 BBC Scotland: 7.00pm 苏格兰报道：七点新闻 7.15 体育场景：英超集锦 8.00 我与戈登·布坎南的史诗骆驼之旅 9.00 现场急救员 10.00 依然在游戏中 (Still Game) 10.30 苏格兰小队 11.00 走进卡巴莱！ (Cumming to the Cabaret!) 11.25 走进卡巴莱！ (Cumming to the Cabaret!) 11.45 苏格兰最偏远的俱乐部之夜 midnight 闭幕 STV: 3.50 - 5.05am 与STV一起放松
ITV1 各地区
S4C
6.00am Cyw 9.00 宇宙 (Y Cosmos) 10.00 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 11.00 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 12.00 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 3.00pm Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 6.40 Newyddion S4C a’r Tywydd 6.50 Pobol y Cwm Omnibws 8.00 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 9.30 Gemau’r Gymanwlad: Glasgow 2026 10.30 - 12.15am Sgorio
*
Redbourn板球俱乐部将在干燥的球场上对阵Hemel Hempstead
作者：Peter Stanford
如果你正渴望从酷暑中解脱，那么有一个好消息。英国近期持续两周气温达到 30°C (86°F) 或更高的局面即将结束。尽管天气会转凉，但在本周早些时候并不会凉快太多，且到下周末，部分地区将重新进入热浪模式。
本月主导我们天气的北大西洋高压中心位置正在向西略微偏移。由于风在高压区域周围呈顺时针方向吹动，这将为新鲜的北北东风打开大门，而这些风近期尤其在北海沿岸降低了气温。
因此，今天将又是一个干燥的日子——这对我们的农民来说很可惜——大部分地区阳光充足，尽管东海岸早晨的海雾需要时间才能消散。但北风的影响正日益显现，气温正在缓慢下降。
最温暖的地区在西南部，南威尔士为 26°C (79F)。包括大伦敦在内的英格兰南部以及中部地区为 24°C (75F)，英格兰西北部和苏格兰南部及中部为 22°C (72F)，北爱尔兰为 21°C (70F)，而从阿伯丁到东海岸萨福克的地区，气温最高不会超过 20°C (68F)。
随着下周开始，由于高压中心继续向西漂移，气温将开始回升，但云层会增多，尤其是在苏格兰和英格兰北部。南部地区的阳光将继续维持，气温将回升至 30°C (86F)。
stood up to Infantino at last Sport
not allow supermarkets to rip you off
of Iran war, but vows to be hands on to protect public
By Camilla Turner SUNDAY POLITICAL EDITOR
By Camilla Turner SUNDAY POLITICAL EDITOR
CHANCELLOR John Healey has warned supermarkets that he will not allow them to take the public “for a ride” as a result of the Middle East crisis. Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Healey said he would be watching closely for “any suggestion” that customers are being ripped off , either when shopping for essential groceries or when fi lling up their car at the petrol pump. He vowed to crack down on any “price-gouging” at “the pump or the till”, cautioning that regulators “have the powers to clamp down on it if it hap- pens.” The higher oil and petrol prices trig- gered by the Iranian confl ict threaten to undermine Andy Burnham’s pledge to give families and businesses “breathing room” following years of a cost-of-living crisis. Increased prices of energy have a knock-on eff ect on transporting goods as well as the price of fertiliser for food production, feeding into infl ation. In an admission that there will be more pain for British people as the Iran War continues, Mr Healey said: “Being frank, we can’t completely stop the squeeze that families and businesses will feel with a global shock of this scale.” But making a direct appeal to voters, he added: “I have confi dence in our resilience as a nation. In our British grit, and the determined hope that still runs through our communities.” Mr Healey’s downbeat comments will fuel fears that his autumn Budget will be overshadowed by poor eco- nomic growth forecasts and tax rises. According to the Financial Times, officials said Mr Burnham, the Prime Minister, and Mr Healey agreed the Budget must build in a £23.6bn buff er against the Government’s self-imposed borrowing rules. But following a series of spending announcements by Mr Burnham, including £2 cap on bus fares, a 5 per cent cut in VAT on energy bills and a reduction in business rates for pubs,
A “FANTASIST” who was reported to counter-terrorism police for posting “disturbing” videos worked on Kemi Badenoch’s security team, The Telegraph can reveal. The same man was allegedly caught carrying an “eight-inch hunting knife” to a high-security Ministry of Defence (MoD) site in June during his deploy- ment as a guard. Despite his colleagues raising the alarm about this incident and his social media activity to his employer,
Business 21 TV listings 28 Weather 30
watching closely for any suggestions that customers are being taken for a ride’
he went on to work as part of the Con- servative Party leader’s security detail. It is one incident of many discovered by The Telegraph during an investiga- tion into MPs’ security, which has prompted calls by the Conservative Party for the Home Offi ce to launch an urgent inquiry. The Telegraph can also reveal: z Another man who worked as a body- guard for MPs said he was a “crusader” and posted photographs of himself in a balaclava and posing with guns; z Angela Rayner was assigned a secu- rity offi cer while she was deputy prime
By Daniel Martin DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR
analysts said the combination of the energy shock, higher borrowing and a weaker outlook on the economy could see the £23.6bn buff er halved. The confl ict has triggered sharp rises in fuel costs after Tehran cut off the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fi fth of the world’s oil and gas supplies. On Friday, petrol prices hit their highest level since the start of the Iran war after renewed fi ghting in the Mid- dle East. Unleaded climbed to 160p per litre, according to the RAC. Petrol is now the most expensive it has been since 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices surging. Mr Healey said: “We’ll be watching closely for any suggestions that custom- ers are being taken for a ride at the pump or the till. Companies’ willing- ness to work with the Government throughout this crisis has been positive, and there has been no signifi cant evi- dence of so-called price gouging, but I want to be blunt in reassuring the pub- lic that our regulators have the powers to clamp down on it if it happens.” His intervention signals that he will be a hands-on Chancellor, ready to intervene to protect consumers from price rises. He said: “I know how people will feel as they watch the confl ict grow, casual- ties rise and trade ships stuck motion- less. They’ll be worried about the impact on their daily lives here at home, on their energy bills, petrol prices at the pump and the cost of their weekly shop. “Of course, the conflict affects our national security, our UK bases, person- nel, and Allies in the Middle East. But it also threatens our economic security: impacting the family finances of mil- lions of Brits. “And I know that many British busi- nesses have been put under pressure by increasing costs too.” In a message to Telegraph readers, he pledged to “ always put the interests of the British people fi rst”, no matter what “is thrown at us in this dangerous new world”.
ANDREW MILIGAN/PA
By Akhtar Makoii
PEOPLE smuggling networks are cut- ting prices on small boat crossings to Britain to exploit the growing European migrant crisis. The Telegraph was off ered a Channel crossing for as little as 600 euros (£513) per person on Friday – at least 200 euros cheaper than the week before. Traffickers spoke of their “excite- ment” after 60,000 migrants stormed the Spanish enclave of Ceuta this week, even though most were returned to Morocco. Some smuggling networks are hiring new operatives across Europe to “get the most out of the situation” amid fierce competition from rival gangs, a trafficker said. “Without a doubt, it’s a big opportunity,” a smug-
minister who did not have security clearance; z Rushanara Ali, a former female min- ister who had faced death threats, was also given an offi cer who did not have security clearance; z MPs’ bodyguards have left them- selves open to blackmail by revealing details of their work and clearance level online, in breach of offi cial rules. The security of MPs has come under greater scrutiny in recent weeks follow- ing the death of Ann Widdecombe. The former Tory minister, who defected to the Brexit Party in 2019 and
NPCC, arguing the law was clear that strip searches must always be conducted by someone of the same sex, regardless of how they identify. But on Friday, the High Court ruled that police officers can lawfully strip -search trans people of a diff erent sex, as long as both sides consent. The NPCC advice on strip searches states “all members of the public” be treated with “fairness, dignity and respect, including the trans community”. It adds that, whenever “operationally viable”, if “an individual whose lived-in gender is not the same as their biologi-
later joined Reform UK, died after being hit on the head with a hammer 21 times, a court heard. The Home Offi ce has a contract with Mitie, the outsourcing fi rm, to provide bodyguards and security teams includ- ing drivers for ministers and MPs who are deemed to be at a high risk of attack. Mitie’s contract was created after David Amess, the Conservative MP, was killed by an Islamist terrorist in 2021. Five years earlier, Jo Cox, a Labour MP, was also murdered by an extreme Right- wing terrorist. After Miss Widdecombe’s death,
officer whether they are willing to search a person of a different sex’
gler said. “Of course the Spanish author- ities are not going to fi nd all of them, but we’ve already secured some who are coming to us and then to Britain.” The price of a four-day boat journey from Turkey to Italy also fell by up to $2,000 (£1,480) this week. “We are reducing the prices and speeding up the process, because a lot of those people will come to us,” the smuggler told a Telegraph reporter pos- ing as a relative of a migrant wanting to reach the UK from Ceuta. “And do not worry – we’re expanding our networks, so your relative can be picked up by our men and sent to Brit- ain quickly.” People in several Middle Eastern countries said they believed Spain had opened its borders after watching foot-
Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secre- tary, said she intended to review secu- rity arrangements for MPs – a move which could see Mitie asked to deploy more bodyguards to protect parliamen- tarians. Mitie is meant to employ security professionals to work only as body- guards to MPs and ministers if they meet stringent background checks and have met the relevant security clear- ance requirements. A Mitie spokesman said: “All our security colleagues are subject to the appropriate recruitment, vetting and
offi cer, the person detained and the par- ticular offi cer/s conducting the search.” While the guidance does say that female officers can refuse to search a trans woman, Sex Matters argued that female officers would fear being labelled transphobic if they did. Mr Justice Linden dismissed the chal- lenge, saying: “Provided the consent is genuine and the search is lawful in all other respects, I do not consider that the public interest requires that the law should refuse to recognise the consent of a person to a strip search which is in accordance with their preference to be
make more money in these situations in 10 days than in the whole year’
age of migrants entering Ceuta. That misunderstanding – which Spanish offi - cials say was deliberately seeded by traf- fi cking gangs – is now driving demand. The renewed interest reaches all the way to the end of the smuggling routes where the journeys to Britain begin, The Telegraph understands. Networks operating along the fron- tier between Iran and Afghanistan, and between Iran and Turkey, said inquiries had risen sharply. “You can make more money in these situations in 10 days than in the whole year,” a smuggler said. “Half the money, but double the people – and there will be far more people than on a normal day.”
clearance processes for their role, with social media activity reviewed in line with our policies. Where concerns are raised, they are taken seriously, investi- gated and action is taken where appro- priate.” A government spokesman said: “Pro- tecting elected representatives and sen- sitive operational sites is essential to uphold our democracy and our national security. It is non-negotiable that MPs should be able to go about their vital work safely and freely.”
searched by a person of a diff erent sex.” The High Court judge added that the need for consent would “mitigate the distress which the detained transgen- der person may feel, rather than to increase it” and that the guidance is clear “that it is a matter for the individ- ual offi cer as to whether they are willing to undertake a search of a person of a different sex and that they may with- draw their consent at any time”. The dispute concerned the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Pace), part of which says that offi cers should only strip-search people of the same sex.
early release safety
care needed over freeing prisoners plan to cut risk to public and of reoffending
By Charles Hymas HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR
ANDY BURNHAM’S delay in the early release of thousands of prisoners could “go badly wrong” and put the public at risk, the probation watchdog has warned. Martin Jones, the chief inspector of
11 years born in Blackpool Zoo
BLACKPOOL ZOO
By Alex Bolot
LION cubs have been born at Blackpool Zoo for the fi rst time in a decade. The three cubs were fathered by Khari, who was the last lion to be born at the zoo in 2015. Pictures shared by the zoo show the cubs’ mother, Hira, carrying one of the cubs in her mouth and licking her off spring clean. Hira, an “inexperienced mother”, gave birth outside during the daytime in what rangers deemed an “unusual” decision. It has meant a section of the outdoor area has been cordoned off from the public to give the mother and the new cubs privacy. Adam Kenyon, the zoo’s section man- ager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome our fi rst lion cubs in more than a decade. Since the day their dad, Khari, was born, he has been a firm favourite with both our team and our visitors, so his journey to fatherhood makes this moment even more special. “It is still very early days for Hira and her cubs, and the youngsters remain vulnerable at this stage, so our priority is giving them the time and space they need to settle in and bond as a family. “Unusually, Hira chose to give birth outside during the daytime, which is why some areas of the big cat habitat has limited visitor access at present as she adjusts to motherhood.” Blackpool Zoo’s £1.5m big cat habitat opened in 2023 to create more indoor space for the animals. The new facility housed Khari as well as three lionesses, including Hira, who had been carefully selected to form a pride. The zoo has announced plans to share the cubs’ names and genders in due course.
By Dominic Penna SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
ANDY BURNHAM is facing a fresh Labour backlash for reinstating Diane Abbott after she was accused yesterday of spreading “pro-Putin propaganda.” Ms Abbott was reinstated by Mr Burnham last Thursday, having received a formal warning after serving a second suspension for past comments referring to Jewish people. However, she has repeatedly spoken out in recent months to criticise British military backing for Ukraine in its fi ght against Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion. Senior Labour fi gures have accused their party’s longest-serving MP of “spreading pro-Putin propaganda”, tell- ing Mr Burnham that she should no longer have an active role in public life. Last weekend, Ms Abbott called warnings of a future Russian invasion of western countries “outlandish” and
Probation, told The Telegraph that ministers must ensure that probation officers had adequate time to prepare for the early release of prisoners to reduce the risk to the public of freed criminals reoff ending. He said any delays in Mr Burnham’s review and subsequent changes to the scheme risked leaving probation offi cers inadequately prepared for the early releases, increasing the prospect of freed prisoners committing further crimes or breaching their licences and being recalled to prison. The Prime Minister and Alex Norris, the Justice Secretary, are set to
New mother Hira licks one of her cubs clean after they were born outside during the daytime, in what keepers described as an ‘unusual’ decision by the lioness
claimed that support for Volodymyr Zelensky’s country put the UK at increased risk. Writing in the Morning Star, a Left- wing newspaper, Ms Abbott said: “The reason there is such a hue and cry about military spending now is not because Russian forces are in Ukraine; that hap- pened well over four years ago. “No, the reason for the outlandish claims about an imminent Russian invasion is simply because Trump demanded more military spending from Nato members… “ Nato is engaged in a war which is now striking deep into Russian terri- tory, provoking widespread calls for retaliation against Nato countries.” In a speech at a Stop the War confer- ence in June, she said: “We meet at a crucial time for all those who are opposed to war and strive for peace. Because we are not trying to stop one war, we are having to fi ght to stop very
announce the results of their early release scheme review next week. The Telegraph revealed on Friday that rap- ists, including child rapists, are set to be exempted from the scheme under the plans being discussed this weekend by No 10 and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). However, offenders convicted of manslaughter may still be released early – including, potentially, two of the killers of Pc Andrew Harper, although fi nal decisions are yet to be made. Last week, Mr Burnham “paused” the scheme, which was due to be launched on Sept 2, and said none of the 6,000 eligible off enders should be freed until
the review had decided who could be freed early safely and what extra safe- guards could be put in place for victims. Mr Jones said there was “some limited room for manoeuvre” to exclude some off enders from the scheme, which the MoJ said was critical to avoid jails running out of space in November, which could precipitate a breakdown in criminal justice as police would be unable to arrest and detain off enders. “My honest assessment is that it will be the pause itself that starts to cause the problem if it goes on for too long. The clock is ticking,” he said. “Probation needs the certainty of who is going to be released when, to ensure that the plans are in place for a safely managed release. “A short pause is inconvenient but can be handled, a very long period of uncertainty will cause further problems for a service already under huge strain.” Inspections of probation found that two-thirds of the cases were not up to the necessary standard to ensure the public was adequately protected. Under the early release scheme, seri- ous off enders including killers and rap- ists are eligible to be freed halfway
Ms Abbott also wrote an article for
The Independent in February that called
on Britain to “lay to rest the idea that
Russia poses a military threat to West-
ern Europe”. Ms Abbott claimed the
idea Russia could “sweep through”
Western Europe at any point in the fore-
seeable future was “not a serious prop-
osition”, adding: “Europe is now in a
frenzy of warmongering and agitation
for higher military spending.”
John Healey, now the Chancellor,
resigned as defence secretary in June,
saying Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to
spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence by
2030 left Britain vulnerable to Russian
aggression. Last week, Mr Burnham
told Mr Zelensky: “I am with you 100
per cent”, as he welcomed the Ukrain-
ian president to Britain.
Ms Abbott’s repeated criticisms of
British support for Ukraine prompted a
backlash in Labour ranks, who called
for Mr Burnham to take action. One
rather than two-thirds of the way through their sentence. Lower-level criminals can be freed as early as a third rather than 40 per cent of the way through their sentences. MoJ officials have warned that any major delay or signifi cant exemptions to the scheme risked prisons in England and Wales running out of space. However, Mr Burnham has come under intense pressure from the Tories, Labour MPs, victims, campaigners and front-line prison officers to halt the early releases of the most serious sexual and violent off enders. David Gauke, the former Tory justice secretary whose independent report for Labour recommended the “earned” early release scheme, warned Mr Burn- ham that his “pause” and review of the plans could backfi re by raising expecta- tions among victims that he would not be able to satisfy. He said: “The reality is that there are no easy options on this matter and he has set expectations at a level that he will struggle to meet.” The MoJ has been approached for comment.
Labour MP said: “We don’t want a ‘broad church’ that also includes spreading pro-Putin propaganda.” A source on Labour’s moderate wing added: “There is no Nato war on Russia, no Western conspiracy to invent a threat. Russia invaded Ukraine to seize territory, and has waged a war of anni- hilation. From a member of the public, such claims might be dismissed as delu- sional. From a sitting MP, they are dan- gerous and irresponsible.” Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour in July 2025 after doubling down on a claim that Jewish people experienced racism differently from black people, remarks that prompted her fi rst suspension in 2023. She has also apologised for a separate post on social media in which she referred to the Israeli defence forces as the “Jewish Defence Force”. Ms Abbott and the Labour Party were approached for comment.
NEWS BULLETIN
to UK on sex charges
A former nurse has been extradited to the UK from Barbados charged with having unlawful sexual activity with a woman being treated for a mental disorder in London in the 2000s. Jason Forde, 56, allegedly had intercourse with the woman at the Homerton Hospital in London’s Hackney, court papers say. The other charges show that Forde is also alleged to have engaged the woman in other sexual activity while she was in his care. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday after arriving at Heathrow Airport on Friday. He was remanded in custody to next appear at Wood Green Crown Court on Aug 25.
escaped police custody
A hunt is under way for a 22-year-old man who escaped police custody on arrival at Liverpool magistrates’ court yesterday. Stephen Grzyb, of Princess Drive, Liverpool, made off on foot at about 10am after being transported from a police custody suite by prisoner transport contractor GEOAmey, Merseyside Police said. Grzyb, who was charged with a domestic-related burglary, fl ed down Red Cross Street in the direction of The Strand, the force added. He is described as white, with short, dark hair and was last seen wearing a navy T-shirt and navy shorts. Inspector Bethan Hannon said: “We understand the concern this incident will cause.”
town centre explosion
An 18-year-old man has been arrested following reports of an explosion in Ipswich town centre. Offi cers were called to a block of fl ats shortly before 8.45pm on Friday where they found several windows had been damaged, Suff olk Constabulary said. A man was arrested at around 9.05pm on suspicion of arson/criminal damage with intent to endanger life, and was taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre for questioning, where he remains, the force added. Although the investigation into the explosion is ongoing, it is believed an aerosol can exploded after being placed on a heat source.
drink-driving charge
TV presenter and actor Shane Richie will appear in court next month charged with drink-driving. Richie, who’s real name is Shane Roche, will appear at Colchester magistrates’ court on Sept 9. The 62-year-old soap star, best known for playing Alfi e Moon in EastEnders, was arrested in Harlow after offi cers were called to reports of a suspected drink-driver shortly before 11.20pm, Essex Police said. The force said: “Offi cers were called to reports of a suspected drink driver in the area of Church Langley Way shortly before 11.20pm on Wednesday 29 July.” Richie’s representative has been contacted for comment.
is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and we subscribe to its Editors’ Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content, please visit www.telegraph. co.uk/editorialcomplaints or write to ‘Editorial Complaints’ at our postal address (see below). If you are not satisfi ed with our response, you may appeal to IPSO at www.ipso.co.uk.
gum is a blight on Britain and is urging mayor of London to take action
By Mark Ludlow
JAMIE OLIVER has called on councils to ban chewing gum because it “ruined” British streets. The celebrity chef, who was speaking at an event in central London to launch his new book, BBQ, said UK mayors, including London’s Sadiq Khan, had to address the litter problem caused by used gum. “If I could ban anything, it would be chewing gum,” he said, when asked which fl avour combinations he would outlaw. “I was walking up the street the
first Scottish engagement is all fun and Games
By Hannah Furness ROYAL EDITOR
AS the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales made their fi rst public appearance in Scotland, it could have felt like a constitutionally significant moment for the home nations. Instead, it seemed like a very normal family outing indeed. Prince William joked that he embar- rassed his elder son, Princess Charlotte was less than impressed with her younger brother’s handstand abilities, and Prince Louis looked to be having the time of his life in a bucket hat. It was the fi rst time Louis, eight, has been deemed old enough to join his siblings to watch a sports tournament in front of the cameras. The young trio, dressed smartly, shook hands and asked polite questions as they moved between events, watch- ing a netball game and the track cycling. Offered a fist bump and a high five from the Games’ mascot, a unicorn called Finnie, they joined in confi dently and were given souvenir teddies and bucket hats from Team Wales. At the velodrome, they met Sir Chris Hoy and Dame Laura Kenny. Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were given the honour of updating the medal tally board. At Wales House in the centre of Glas- gow, the Wales family sat down with Welsh athletes to talk about the Games and the children’s own school sports. The Princess of Wales disclosed that Dame Laura, the five-time Olympic champion cyclist, had tried to convince William and Catherine to “come and give it a go”, joking that she had replied: “Be careful what you wish for as they want to put us on a tandem bike in the velodrome.” Gethin Jones, the Welsh TV pre- senter, asked George, Charlotte and Louis: “Would you like to see mum and dad on a tandem in the velodrome later?” Prince George, 13, replied: “No”. Prince William said: “We embarrass you enough as it is.” The family also met gymnasts Abigail and Emily Roper who won bronze med- als earlier in the week. The Princess included her younger child in the con- versation, turning to him to say: “Louis, you’re perfecting your handstand.” “A bit,” he said. “But Charlotte says I’m not very good.” The Roper twins then asked if Charlotte can do a handstand, and she said “Yeah”. When they asked George the same question, the teenage Prince told them: “I’m rubbish at anything that involves fl exibility.” Princess Charlotte “loves gymnastics and ballet”, said her father, before the Welsh gymnasts presented her with a signed Team Wales leotard. Prince Louis also disclosed that he had recently participated in his school sports day, enjoying the high jump, while George said his favourite event was the javelin.
seaweed succeeds – now she wants name for it
By Albert Tait
ON ONE of the last public naming campaigns, a £200m polar research ship almost ended up being called Boaty McBoatface. So researchers will hope for more sensible ideas as they ask for public help to name a new species of pink-striped seaweed found off the Cornish coast. The find, described as “significant” by experts, is the result of four decades of research and eff ort from an academic who has made it a lifelong obsession. While studying for her PHD 40 years ago, Prof Christine Maggs found a tiny bit of the pink-coloured seaweed which she suspected was a new species. However, she needed a larger piece for formal identifi cation. She continued the hunt throughout her career but never found enough material to confi rm it was a new species. Then, two years ago, researchers believed they had found a sample off the coast of Cornwall while studying underwater carpets of hard, pink seaweed known as maerl beds. Divers had been mapping and analys- ing seaweeds to check on the health of the maerl beds when they brought up cuttings of a small red algae that was
other day and the street was ruined by a patchwork quilt of chewing gum. “I wouldn’t ban a flavour combina- tion, I would ban chewing gum. Unless you could jet wash it off, but you can’t.” Oliver, who also launched an accom- panying television programme as well as a range of recipes with social media brand Pinterest, said he would like to talk to Sir Sadiq about tidying up Lon- don’s streets. “Sadiq Khan’s here, maybe I should have a word with him,” the chef added at the event launch. While Singapore has banned the sale and import of chewing gum to keep the city- state clean, no cur- rent laws exist in the
chewing gum. Unless you could jet wash it off, but you can’t’
MAX MUMBY/ANDREW MILLIGAN
pink-banded with pincer tips. Francis Bunker, a marine biologist who was part of the survey, suspected the tiny seaweed could be what Prof Maggs had been looking for, and sent samples to her in London. Prof Maggs used a wine fridge to grow the seaweed big enough to be DNA sequenced. “This particular sea- weed is so small I needed to get some molecular data,” she told the BBC, which first reported the find. “That’s why this has taken me 40 years.” With the help of Prof Beatriz de Barros Barreto, who worked on the DNA sequencing, Prof Maggs was able to prove the seaweed is indeed new to science. She said: “I just kept hoping that I would fi nd out, it’s been over four decades. We knew maerl was a rich, biodiverse habitat, but we didn’t neces- sarily realise that we’d be still fi nding new species that live on that maerl.” Prof Maggs’ fi ndings are soon to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Phycologia and a sample of the species has joined the Natural History Museum’s offi cial collection. Prof Craig Schneider, professor of biology at Trinity College Connecticut, who was not involved in the study, said the discovery was “significant” to
Jamie Oliver is not a fan of chewing gum on the street
UK. It is, however, an offence to spit out or throw gum on the streets, with on-the-spot fines of between £100 and £150. Oliver has long been an anti-gum crusader. In 2015, as part of The Independent “If I were prime minister” series, the chef declared a ban on gum would be a key plank of his policy manifesto if he ran the government. “I’d ban chewing gum until they can invent one that doesn’t make every street in Britain look like a bomb site,” he said at the time. C o m m u n i t y g ro u p 38 Degrees has launched a petition – which currently has more than 27,000 signatures – to ban chew- ing gum in the UK,
scientific divers is “pink-zebra weed” while other ideas include “pink-banded bandit” and “ribbon claw”. It is part of a growing trend of scientists letting the public name new ocean species which can increase public awareness of a discovery. Earlier this year, the discovery of a rare chiton, a kind of mollusc, in the western Pacifi c triggered a global nam- ing eff ort with more than 8,000 sugges- tions from people around the world. The species was fi nally named Ferrei- raella populi, meaning “of the people”, in tribute to the public eff ort. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a new species of cave shrimp was named Spe- laeocaris electa following a public vote. With such campaigns, there are often strict guardrails in place to keep the name scientifi c, with researchers ulti- mately choosing the fi nal option from a shortlist. This avoids situations such as the 2016 incident where the public voted to name a new £200m British polar research ship Boaty McBoatface. Embarrassed officials rejected the choice and instead named the ship after the famous naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. But they let silliness prevail by pre- serving the name for a submersible.
which it estimates costs £60m a year to clean up. The group also called for a more environmentally friendly, plastic-free alternative to gum, saying each piece of gum contained a “straw’s worth of hidden plastic ingredients”. There is also a motion in the Parlia- ment warning of plastic-based poly- mers currently found in chewing gum. A spokesman said the London Mayor has been contacted about Oliver’s proposal. The Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme, administered by Keep Britain Tidy and funded by major gum manu- facturers such as Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle, provides grants of up to £27,500 to local authorities in the UK for cleaning up historic gum stains and implementing education cam- paigns. There was a total of £10m
over bra-fitting ban
By Alice Lilley
MARKS & SPENCER has about-turned on a controversial ban on tape measures for bra fi ttings in a “victory for common sense”. The move, introduced in May, had required fitters to estimate cup and band sizes and then give customers a range of bras to try to fi nd the right fi t. Staff and customers said the ban was time-consuming and JK Rowling criti- cised the store for putting “the wishes of men” above those of women. In August, JK Rowling urged women to boycott M&S after a customer com- plained that a transgender staff member had offered to help her 14-year-old daughter in the bra section. The author said in a post on X that the shop was wrong to have “prioritised the wishes of men” after the Supreme Court ruled the word sex in the Equality Act 2010 meant biological sex, not gender. She said: “It’s time for women to vote with their wallets. If stores like M&S continue to flout the Supreme Court ruling on women-only spaces, prioritis- ing the wishes of men who want to undress near, or help fi t bras on teenage girls, a boycott seems appropriate.” The Harry Potter writer said she felt
in funding available over a five-year period to the end of 2026. Oliver, who has relaunched Jamie’s Italian restaurants in the UK after a previous effort went into administra- tion in 2019, also said he hoped the hot summer would encourage Britons to embrace barbecues as part of their daily cooking routine. He said most people still didn’t know how to use their barbecue properly. “British people tend to direct grill. They don’t know what to do with the lid,” he said. “The lid gives you options, to turn [the barbecue] into an oven and encapsu- late that smoke. By putting the coals on one side, that gives you a graduated method. You have a hot and a cold area, which gives you so much more control. “If I’ve done my job this year, hope- fully people might get inspired to try new things.”
it was “completely inappropriate” for her daughter to be off ered help by a bio- logical male in the lingerie section. M&S apologised following the com- plaint and said that the staff member had intended to off er general guidance rather than help with the bra fi tting. The store has always said that the ban on tape measurements was not associ- ated with the transgender row and that the decision followed the policy adopted by specialist bra firms Rigby and Peller and Bravissimo. But one staff member hailed a “vic- tory for common sense” after the store announced it was relaxing the policy. An M&S spokesman said: “We contin- uously improve our service. We have an expert team of trained bra fi tters, and they can use a tape measure if they or the customer prefers this. We have recently communicated this to our col- leagues to make this clearer.” M&S released its fi rst bra 100 years ago and, in 1947, off ered its fi rst bra fi t- tings to customers. Staff were trained in measuring customers’ girdles, bras and corsets under customers’ coats. In April 2025, the Supreme Court ruled lavatories and changing room access should be based on biolog- ical sex.
First medal For winner... without a win
A boxer from Tuvalu earned her tiny South Pacific nation’s first Commonwealth Games medal without winning a fight. On Friday, Tarona Taafaki was defeated in her only bout in the women’s 75kg class to India’s Lovlina Borgohain, losing every round on all three of the judges’ cards. Because there were five entrants, Taafaki received a bye to the last four, meaning she was guaranteed at least a bronze medal. But her coach and father said the population of Tuvalu – an island southeast of Tonga – will celebrate the medal and use it to highlight a climate change emergency. Badi Taafaki, whose son Pasoni competed earlier in the Games and lost his only bout at 70kg, said: “For the people of Tuvalu, this medal means everything. “We’re one of the smallest nations in the world, so a medal like this is hugely significant. We have worked so hard to get here. For me as a coach, it’s a stepping stone.” Tarona and Pasoni are the two oldest of eight children, all of whom are boxers. They are based in New Zealand to take advantage of better facilities. “My children are very fortunate,” Badi Taafaki said. “They have opportunities and facilities that I never had. Boxing is our whole life.”
Clockwise from top, the Duchess of Rothesay with Dame Laura Kenny; the Duke of Rothesay, with his family; Sir Chris Hoy with the Duchess of Edinburgh
emergency meeting after
stinging criticism from
22 European leaders
By Lily Shanagher and James Crisp
PEDRO SÁNCHEZ criticised “selfish” EU leaders after 22 European prime ministers and presidents attacked him over the sudden migrant surge in Ceuta. Spain’s prime minister wrote a letter to the heads of the EU institutions after Italy and France ramped up border con- trols in response to the 60,000 Moroc- can migrants who stormed the Spanish enclave in North Africa. In an incident that triggered a d iplomatic crisis for Spain, 67 people died, with many drowning or being crushed to death. Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni led the calls for Madrid to be temporarily frozen out of the EU’s pass- port-free Schengen zone. “In the cur- rent international context, the EU cannot afford this kind of selfish, polar- ising and unlawful reaction,” wrote Mr Sánchez, one of the few remaining socialist leaders left in the EU, and called for an emergency meeting. He hit out at those who “have chosen to attack Spain and to call for its tempo- rary exclusion from the Schengen Area”. But Mr Sanchez looked isolated after 22 EU leaders, including Ms Meloni and German chancellor Friedrich Merz,
mass crossings to create the impression that illegal entry to the EU is possible’
wrote their own letter to Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission pres- ident, António Costa, the European Council president, and Micheál Martin, the Irish Prime Minister, whose country holds the presidency of the EU. The letter addressing “serious con- cern” over the threat to the EU border was also signed by the leaders of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fin- land, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Roma- nia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden. It singled out for criticism Mr Sanchez’s migrant amnesty, which is set to be the largest regularisation of black market workers in European history. In early July, some 609,737 of the 1.17 million migrants in Spain who applied for legal status had obtained temporary work permits. “We have a duty to effectively deter and relentlessly combat illegal migra- tion, by coordinating our action, strengthening our external borders and addressing all policies that can serve as pull factors, such as the regularisation of [a] very large number of irregular migrants,” the leaders wrote. “We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats to cre- ate the perception that illegal entry into the EU is possible, that a migrant’s ille- gal entry can turn into legal stay.” The leaders warned they were ready to reinforce or introduce temporary
By Antonio Sempere in Ceuta
WHEN Omar scrambled to the shores of Ceuta, his eyes drifted 1,000 miles to the north. Having swum around the breakwater marking the border between Morocco and Spain, where dozens have died, the teenager had made the first step of a journey eight years in the making. “I came to Ceuta because I want to study,” the 15-year-old told The Telegraph. “My sister already lives in Spain. She’s married and has a daughter. I want to study for six years in Tarazona and then maybe go to England. I really like England, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love Morocco.” Omar started learning English at home from the age of seven with the hopes of reaching Britain one day.
down on Iran’s ‘subtle’ spy agency
By Camilla Turner
SUNDAY POLITICAL EDITOR
ANDY BURNHAM has been urged to use national security powers to crack down on Iran’s most “pernicious” spy agency. Legislation to designate state-backed bodies as terrorist organisations was fast-tracked last month just before Sir Keir Starmer stood down. The new law was immediately used to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolution- ary Guards Corps (IRGC), along with another Iranian-linked group and the volunteer corps of Russia’s former military intelligence service. But the Conservatives say the law must now be used to ban Iran’s intelli- gence ministry (MOIS), which is respon- sible for the nation’s overseas operations, alongside its main criminal proxy, the Zindashti Network. According to a report published by Parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC) last year, the MOIS, along with the IRGC, previously
JON NAZCA/REUTERS
Around him, thousands of people
were still trying to force their way
across the Tarajal border, where panic,
overcrowding and desperate attempts
to reach the shore turned one of
Europe’s most heavily fortified
frontiers into its biggest border crisis
in a generation.
Omar made the journey after
rumours spread across northern
Morocco that they could easily enter
Spain after a law change at the end of
June. The Spanish supreme court
ruled migrants would not be
summarily returned if intercepted at
sea, fuelling hopes among Moroccans
that they could gain access to the
mainland through Ceuta.
While Spain holds smuggling gangs
responsible, some suspect Morocco
encouraged the influx to punish
planned assassinations and kidnap- pings against British citizens. Britain’s intelligence services believe that both the MOIS and the IRGC pose a “significant threat” to UK national secu- rity. However, they have not drawn a distinction between the two. The committee said: “Iran uses assas- sination as an instrument of state policy – targeting dissidents is a high priority
traditional intelligence service, heading the regime’s repression project’
Madrid for its growing ties with rival Algeria – using migration as a weapon to remind Europe of its leverage. Migrants told The Telegraph they were simply allowed to walk towards the beach without being stopped by border guards, as they normally would expect to be. Several also described Moroccan officers using batons on the shoreline, which caused panic and prompted people to rush into the sea. Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s prime minister, travelled to Ceuta, where he described the events as “an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity”. Standing only metres from the border, Mr Sánchez pledged that his government would use “all the resources of the state” to restore security and refused to blame Morocco. Spain’s response was
the IRGC’s notoriety, and that is precisely the point”. She urged ministers to use their new powers under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026 to designate MOIS, which is the “more pernicious and subtle agency of the Iranian state”. She said: “Primarily operating out- side of conflict zones, MOIS is a quietly lethal and more traditional intelligence service, hunting down dissidents in Iran, and spearheading the regime’s global repression project, most espe- cially our Jewish communities. “It works in the shadows to extract intelligence around the world, runs hack-and-leak groups, and is more likely to lure a target to another country to kidnap them back to Iran.” A Home Office spokesman said: “We take the threat posed by Iran incredibly seriously, and our first priority is pro- tecting British interests and lives. “We have introduced a comprehen- sive set of measures aimed at counter- ing threats posed by the Iranian regime, including sanctioning the IRGC.”
border controls in the Schengen zone. Madrid insists that none of the people who entered Ceuta would have been able to benefit from the amnesty, which has now closed and requires someone to have lived in Spain for five months before applying. Mr Sanchez has been an outlier in the EU because he is pro-immigration, anti-Israel and one of the few remaining Left-wing leaders in the bloc. Yesterday, Ms Meloni suspended Italian Schengen arrangements with Spain, which allows passport-free movement between the countries by air and sea, for a month. A gleeful Ms Mel- oni, who has recently come under pres- sure from a new hard-Right party, posted a picture of herself signing the letter. She said: “It is an important sig- nal: the line that Italy has long sup- ported is shared by an ever-growing
Migrant Omar, 15, says he would have no future in Morocco where ‘life is difficult’
skills used for teaching English
By Ruby Cline
MORE than £85m of jobseekers’ fund- ing is being funnelled into teaching English to foreign language speakers, The Telegraph can reveal. The adult skills fund (ASF) is a gov- ernment-funded programme to teach jobseekers qualifications such as Maths GCSE or vocational courses to improve employability. But money from the programme is being poured into teaching English to foreign language speakers. Authorities that provided figures spent £85,857,165 to provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses in the 2025-26 financial year. Some 76,167 learners received the lessons, which taught foundational English language skills. Chris Philp, the Tory shadow home secretary, said: “Money that should be spent on getting people into work is being spent on immigrants learning the basics of a language they ought to speak already. Hard-working taxpayers are
number of European nations.” France and Portugal did not sign the letter; despite being the only two EU countries with a land border with Spain. Emma- nuel Macron had offered solidarity to Mr Sánchez on Friday. France tightened checks on its Span- ish border and said it would increase its police presence fivefold to 334 officers and gendarmes by yesterday. French interior minister Laurent Nunez said local police and military units would be deployed for border checks, while centre-Right presidential candidate Edouard Philippe called for France to “immediately strengthen con- trol of our border with Spain”. Spain said it had returned “almost everyone” to Morocco and that it was not possible to travel from Ceuta or Melilla, another enclave, to mainland Spain without presenting identification
immediate and extensive, with almost everyone who arrived sent back to Morocco. Hundreds of police officers and Guardia Civil officers were deployed to the enclave, including riot police, border specialists, underwater search units, maritime assets and helicopters. The Spanish army remains deployed around sensitive areas of the border, while authorities have announced plans to install floating barriers to reinforce the maritime frontier. But for many inside Ceuta, the operation unfolded against a backdrop of immense suffering. About 60,000 migrants managed to enter Ceuta, which has a population of about 80,000, with at least 57 people reported to have died, either by drowning or being crushed at the
being fleeced.” The funding is intended for jobless or low-earning adults with low qualifications to get funded train- ing, particularly for Maths and English GCSEs and functional skills for work. But there is a “government expecta- tion” that the money is spent on teach- ing English, according to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Spanish police and army personnel escort thousands of Morrocan migrants to the border, after finding some hiding out in Ceuta, left
at a police checkpoint, guaranteeing the “integrity of the Schengen area”. Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spain’s interior minister, criticised Italy yester- day, saying: “I would ask for greater sol- idarity, more responsibility and less selfishness. That selfish attitude is uncalled for. Remember Lampedusa [the Italian island near Tunisia that has had large migrant arrivals]; some peo- ple seem to have a short memory.” Footage showed some migrants scal- ing the border fences of Melilla, but they were pushed back by security forces. Mr Sánchez, who faces elections next year, accused people-smuggling gangs of trying to exploit a recent ruling made by the Spanish supreme court which decided migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla could not be summarily returned to Morocco.
border fence. Many who crossed the
border collapsed from exhaustion on
arrival. Others searched desperately
for relatives lost during the crossing.
A lack of food, water and medical
services also hampered the migrants’
plans.
Facing a return to Morocco, Omar
said: “I love my country. But I don’t see
a future there. Everything is expensive
and life is difficult. My parents
divorced. My mother has to raise four
children on her own. My older sister is
married. My second sister works. Then
there’s me and my little sister. My
mother can’t do everything alone.”
Omar said his ambitions were
modest. “I want to study, work and
build a future for myself and for my
family,” he said. For now, that future
remains in Morocco.
skills revenue budget should be used to support ESOL. This was one of the fac- tors that prompted the mayor’s review.” The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is also investigating where ASF cash is going, it is understood. A new format of the ASF was rolled out the month after Labour won the 2024 election, using restructuring plans created by the Tories to largely devolve the fund. Strategic and combined authorities are now in charge of how the £1.4bn funding is used, within certain limits. The Greater London Authority spent £76.9m to deliver 64,900 learners ESOL lessons. Other authorities spent similar amounts per ESOL pupil a year, usually between £600 and £1,000. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough spent £1.8m, around £800 for each of their 2,249 ESOL pupils. The Department for Work and Pensions said: “It is only right that people who are legally in this country can integrate into society, progress in work and contribute to the economy.”
a flap over TfL’s cull of pigeons by snipers
By Alice Lilley and Eric Williams
TRANSPORT for London (TfL) has contracted snipers to cull pigeons. At least 655 pigeons have been shot and killed in more than 123 shoots in the year to March, according to data from Manchester Pigeon Rehab (MPR). Photos of contracted staff appear to show a worker in hi-vis uniform and holding a sniper rifl e to target pigeons at London underground stations. Another image appeared to show a worker with their boot on a bleeding pigeon at Stanmore station in Harrow. Pigeon culls also took place during breeding season despite advice by Nat- ural England who emphasised “avoid- ing lethal control” during the period. Birds that got trapped in netting were often shot instead of being freed. The Telegraph understands that “humane bird dispatchers” are used by TfL, which is a common industry practice, to perform culling. The organisation has guidance docu- ments that set out how to control “pest bird species”, which are designed to ensure that TfL and its contractors com- ply with health and safety standards while avoiding animal cruelty. But TfL has faced backlash from envi- ronmental campaigners who have reported the killings as a crime to the British Transport Police. They claimed the pigeons experi- enced unnecessary suff ering. MPR blamed Tfl for failing to explore other non-lethal methods to prevent harming the birds. The group has alleged that the killings often took place between 12am and 5am. Some birds were not instantly killed after being shot, with reports of birds fl eeing with serious injuries, the group claimed. In August, a worker said that one pigeon at a Ruislip depot was shot but escaped through open doors. “Despite best efforts, it couldn’t be located,” they added. MPR said: “We believe Transport for London should immediately end lethal control in favour of habitat modifica- tion, humane deterrents and other non-lethal management measures. “In some circumstances this may also mean accepting that wildlife will con- tinue to exist in shared urban spaces. “Modern feral pigeons descended from birds that were once domesticated by humans, where they carried our messages and fought in our wars.” A TfL spokesman said they take avoiding animal cruelty “very seriously” but said they have “a duty of care” to maintain a “safe, clean environment”.
reveals firm may have put MPs ‘at risk’ and its workers broken anti-blackmail rules
By Camilla Turner SUNDAY POLITICAL EDITOR
IT was after the tragic murder of David Amess that the Government decided it was time to step up protection for politicians. An Islamist terrorist stabbed the Tory MP more than 20 times while he held a surgery in his Southend constituency in 2021. Five years previously, Jo Cox, the Labour MP, had been murdered by an extreme Right-wing terrorist. By 2024, the Home Offi ce had signed a multi-million-pound deal with the outsourcing fi rm Mitie to provide hun- dreds of private bodyguards, to secure MP surgeries and to accompany minis- ters and other high-profi le politicians. But a Telegraph investigation has revealed that senior ministers, including Angela Rayner while she was deputy prime minister under Sir Keir Starmer’s government, were assigned security details who did not have security clearance. This comes on top of the revelation that Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, was assigned someone on her security detail who was reported to counter-terrorism police for posting “disturbing” videos. Ms Rayner, who is now back in the Cabinet as Housing Secretary, declined to comment. One source told The Tele- graph that Mitie staff working on the
every MP, party and taxpayer
Georgina Halford-Hall
Kos players Katy Perry made an appearance on Dua Lipa’s Instagram after headlining the Sunny Hill Festival in Pristina, Kosovo. Lipa wrote: ”DAY ONE @sunnyhillfestival !!!!!!! @katyperry took us to the moon”. The festival, which is now Kosovo’s largest, is organised by Lipa and her father, Dukagjin.
MP security contract were “shocked” to learn that some employees did not have security clearance. They said: “Security clearance and standards are there for good reason. We are privy to so many sensitive conversations, information, movements, policy discussions, etc. Absolute discretion regarding the people we protect is a base minimum that we proudly uphold.” The source went on to say that it put senior politicians and other security staff “at risk” if members of their teams were working without clearance. They added: “Why are you expecting stand- ards of some team members and letting others go by the wayside?” The Telegraph understands there were also occasions when Rushanara Ali, who was a junior minister in Sir Keir’s government up to August 2025, was sent a security detail by Mitie who did not have security clearance. Ms Ali, who was assigned close protection offi cers after receiving death threats, said The Telegraph’s findings were “alarming” and called for a full investigation. She said: “For years I have faced, and continue to face, countless threats to my life. Too many of us in public life live in fear for our lives, and fearful for the safety of the people around us. “These revelations are alarming and must be investigated fully. I have repeatedly warned that we will see more politically motivated murders in this country unless further action is taken . We must take the safety and security of people in public life seri- ously. I and many like me feel let down at a time when there are serious threats against our lives.”
of us in public life live in fear of our lives and of the safety of those around us’
has spoken with individuals connected to these allegations who say they raised serious concerns through internal channels. When they believed those concerns were not being taken seriously, they escalated them to the Ministry of Defence and the police because they considered there to be a genuine public safety issue. If people protecting senior ministers and party leaders believe they are safer speaking to the police than through their own employer’s reporting systems, something has gone fundamentally wrong. Every major public scandal of the past three decades has followed a depressingly familiar pattern. People
on the front line identifi ed risks, they reported them to management who dismissed them. Harm occurred. Only afterwards did public inquiries conclude that the warning signs had been there all along. Whether it was Hillsborough, the Post Offi ce Horizon scandal, Grenfell, infected blood, grooming gangs, Covid or countless failures in policing and fi nancial regulation, the recurring theme is that organisations rarely fail because nobody knew. They fail because those who knew were not listened to because the organisations believed they were too big or too powerful to fail. That tells us something deeply troubling about
After Mitie was contacted for a com- ment by this newspaper, an email went out to staff working as security guards for MPs regarding security clearance, asking them to get in touch “asap” if they require “SC clearance”. SC stands for “security check” clear- ance, which is a formal national secu- rity vetting level managed by United Kingdom Security Vetting. It allows for “frequent and uncontrolled” access to secret assets as well as “occasional and supervised” access to top secret assets. The Telegraph has also been made aware of Mitie employees who have advertised their security clearance status and the nature of their work as “bodyguards for parliamentary and government offi cials” online. This is in contravention of govern- ment guidelines which state this infor- mation should “never” be made public because of the potential blackmail risk. Earlier this year, a leaked letter claimed that bodyguards for senior Cabinet ministers had been working without security clearance. Close protection offi cers working for the Gov- ernment were deployed “without appropriate security clearances or passes” on “multiple occasions”, the letter alleged. The letter, which was submitted as a formal grievance by Mitie union mem- bers in May, explained that their con- cerns were “not isolated incidents”, and instead “represent repeated and con- sistent issues experienced collectively across multiple teams and operational deployments over a prolonged period ”. One section of the letter relates to concerns about “security clearances and intelligence-sharing”.
Britain’s whistleblowing framework. Too many people still believe that reporting serious wrongdoing could end their careers. Too many fear legal threats, confi dentiality clauses or informal blacklisting. Too many believe that organisations will investigate the whistleblower more thoroughly than they investigate the allegations themselves. WhistleblowersUK has consistently argued for an independent Offi ce of the Whistleblower with statutory powers to receive disclosures, oversee investigations, protect those who speak up and ensure organisations cannot simply ignore uncomfortable truths. No individual should have to choose between remaining silent about a potential security risk and risking their livelihood. When concerns involve those responsible for protecting the nation’s political leaders, the public deserves absolute confi dence that every warning will be examined
“There have reportedly been multi- ple occasions where individuals have been deployed without appropriate security clearances or passes,” the letter said. “This creates serious operational and reputational concerns for the con- tract, partner agencies and the safety of principals under protection. “Additionally, there is concern regard- ing the absence of formal intelli- gence-sharing agreements and structured communication pathways with external stakeholders and partner agencies. Eff ective intelligence sharing and operational coordination are critical . The absence of robust protocols increases the risk of operational failures, delayed responses and safety risks.” The letter, seen by The Telegraph, explained that staff had decided to launch a formal grievance against Mitie with the assistance of their union because they felt that previous con- cerns raised had either been ignored or led to “negative consequences” for those raising them. Responding to the grievance, Mitie admitted that during the general elec- tion, a number of their employees were working as close protection offi cers for politicians despite not having their security clearance signed off by Government vetting officials. Following engagement with Mitie, the employ- ees went on to with- draw the grievance. Georgina Halford-Hall, chief executive of Whistle- blowersUK, said: “We have provided support to whistle-
objectively, every allegation assessed independently and every whistleblower protected from retaliation. Unlike the current fragmented framework, an Offi ce of the Whistleblower would not simply advise individuals to bring Employment Tribunal claims after
people raised the warning signs internally and believe they were ignored’
Kemi Badenoch’s security detail was assigned an individual who had been reported to counter-terrorism police for posting ‘disturbing’ videos
blowers at Mitie . The seriousness of their work means that when things go wrong, it puts the political leadership of our country at risk and therefore every citizen of this country at risk. We are calling on the government to investi- gate the alleged failures at Mitie and those responsible should be held to account. We would like a guarantee that the Government will properly act on these concerns to prevent this from happening in the future.” Ms Halford-Hall is calling for a new regulator to be set up, the Offi ce of the Whistleblower, which would offer a secure and confi dential reporting plat- form and independent and targeted investigations that would hold wrong- doers to account. A Mitie spokesman said: “All our security colleagues are subject to the appropriate recruitment, vetting and clearance processes for their role, with social media activity reviewed in line with our policies. Where concerns are raised, they are taken seriously, investigated, and action is taken where appropriate.” A Government spokesman said: “Protecting elected representatives and sensitive operational sites is essential to uphold our democracy and our national security. It is unne- gotiable that MPs should be able to go about their vital work safely and freely. All security operatives deployed by the Government under contracts with Mitie are subject to s t r i n ge n t b a c k- ground checks .”
In sectors such as defence, policing, intelligence, cyber security and critical national infrastructure, this is not merely good governance it is an essential part of the UK’s national security. An Offi ce of the Whistleblower would not require years of constitutional reform. It would command support from across Parliament, improve national security, strengthen public confi dence, reduce the cost of regulatory failure and help prevent the scandals that ultimately lead to lengthy public inquiries. It is exactly the sort of practical reform that demonstrates a government is serious about accountability. Britain has become exceptionally good at investigating institutional failure after lives have been lost and billions of pounds spent. What we have never truly invested in is preventing those failures in the fi rst place.
informed at home
Read the full Telegraph newspaper on your phone or tablet, free for your first month - then half-price for your next three months.
Download our Digital Edition app to enjoy all the
trusted, award-winning journalism that you would
in our printed newspaper, from expert coverage
of health and politics to all of your favourite
supplements, including Stella and Travel.
The Digital Edition App is only available with our All Digital Access subscription. For full terms and conditions visit telegraph.co.uk/substandc
mayor:‘I’ll
tear up legacy
of Thatcher’
suggests she will reverse
the ‘deindustrialisation’
of Manchester in 1980s
By Dominic Penna
SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
ANDY BURNHAM’S successor as Mayor of Greater Manchester has hinted she will undo Margaret Thatcher’s legacy. Bev Craig suggested she would look to reverse the “deindustrialisation” of the 1970s and 1980s after winning Thursday’s mayoral election for Labour. Her remarks echo Mr Burnham’s indication that he will take Britain back decades with state intervention in the markets, mass social housing and a new focus on technical education. Baroness Thatcher privatised tele- coms, water and rail and embarked on a huge deregulation push during her time as prime minister from 1979 to 1990. Speaking hours after confirmation of her victory – which was on a turnout of just 25pc – Ms Craig said: “I think if you
Manchester mayoral election
Share of first preference votes
Bev Craig, Labour
Sian Astley, Reform
21%
Geraldine Coggins, Green,
12.2%
Marlon West, Restore
8.7%
Phil Eckersley, Conservatives
7.7%
Richard Kilpatrick, Lib Dem
2.8%
Marcus Farmer, Independent
0.6%
look at Manchester and Greater Man- chester, particularly in the 70s and the 80s with deindustrialisation, many of our communities felt left behind. “And I think, to this day, people still see the consequences of that.” Left-wing and union activists blame Lady Thatcher’s free market vision for the decline of heavy industry and engi- neering firms in Manchester through- out the 1980s. However, she responded with a staunch defence of her agenda, saying that it could not be blamed for “restricted practices, over-manning, poor design or for late delivery”. Ms Craig said that she was “really pleased and really humbled” to have held the city region for Labour after Mr Burnham’s victory at the Makerfield by-election triggered a mayoral race. “The hard start works on Monday when I get into work and roll up my sleeves,” she said. “I think people need to trust politicians and they need to understand why they’re in this job. And I’m in this job because I see a lot of things that could be even better in this city region. And that will be my job as mayor, making decisions that practi- cally make a difference to people’s lives so that they can understand that politics matters, it makes a difference and they can see change.” Ms Craig went on to admit that she had benefited from a so-called “Burn- ham bounce”, with Labour enjoying a surge in popularity during Mr Burn- ham’s first fortnight as Prime Minister. Asked whether her predecessor’s national popularity had helped her chances, she responded: “Definitely, you can see that Labour’s doing better in the polls, they’re doing better under Andy Burnham as Prime Minister and that’s made a difference. “But I think the margin of victory that we’ve seen here is two things, really. It’s Labour nationally doing bet- ter but also people having confidence in what Labour’s been achieving here in Greater Manchester, the platform I’ve stood on, the difference I want to make.”
47.1%
ANNABEL LEE-ELLIS/PA WIRE
Andy Burnham
celebrates with
Bev Craig after
she won the
Manchester
mayoral election
Mr Burnham, whose nine years as mayor saw him dubbed “King of the North”, dubbed Ms Craig the “Queen of the North” as he joined her at a victory rally yesterday. The Prime Minister used his speech to talk up his radical plans to devolve powers out of Westminster and White- hall to the regions and nations. He told Ms Craig: “So here’s my chal- lenge to you today – on the back of that, I’m afraid you’re just going to have to go further and do more.” Mr Burnham claimed that his replacement was the best person to lead Manchester into what he said would be its best ever decade. At the ballot box on Thursday, Ms Craig won 47.1pc of first preference votes ahead of Ms Astley’s 21 pc. They were followed by the Green Party in third with 12pc of first ballots and Restore Britain in fourth on
8.7pc, with the Tories beaten into fifth on 7.7pc. The second-choice votes were then added to the totals. Ms Craig won with more than 300,000 votes, with Ms Ast- ley securing just over 150,000. Ms Craig has openly declared that she is a socialist and spent four-and-a-half years as leader of Manchester city coun- cil. The 41-year-old has vowed that Greater Manchester will remain pro-business under her mayoralty, although her political opponents have warned she will tack significantly far- ther Left on social issues. Mr Burnham backtracked on his sup- port for trans rights in May, saying that “the time has come” to protect sin- gle-sex spaces for biological women. However, Ms Craig has stuck to her pro-trans position, refusing to disavow her previous claim that “trans women are women, trans men are men”.
challenge
to you today
– I’m afraid
you’re just
going to
have to go
further and
do more’
During a talk at the Pride in Leader- ship campaign group in 2023, Ms Craig said she was proud to hold the belief that transgender women – biological men who identify as female – are women. She said at the time: “This is one of the only councils in the entire country that’s passed a unanimously passed motion at our city council reaffirming what we think to be fairly basic truths: that trans women are women, trans men are men and that actually every- body deserves to have human rights.” The findings of the latest Opinium poll, featured in The Observer, placed Labour (27pc) ahead of Reform (23pc) for the first time since January 2025, fol- lowed by the Conservatives on 17pc, with the Greens and Lib Dems both on 12pc.
inappropriate’ invitation and call for end to equality and diversity obligations
By Sabrina Miller WHITEHALL CORRESPONDENT
NON-Muslim officers and staff working at West Midlands Police have been invited to fast during Ramadan in an “act of solidarity”, The Telegraph can reveal. The West Midlands Association of Muslim Police has said colleagues can take part in a fast for the day during the religious festival to raise money for charity. West Midlands Police said the practice helped offi cers understand the “signifi cance of Ramadan” for Muslim
target black pudding and fish festivals
By Eric Williams
By Eric William
PETA activists have demanded that the annual World Black Pudding Champi- onships use vegan alternatives. Competitors throw blood sausages to try to knock Yorkshire puddings off a ledge at in the annual event in the village of Ramsbottom in Bury. In a letter sent to the organisers, the animal rights group said it was wrong for pigs to have their “blood and fat thrown at a target for a bit of fun”. The tradition is believed to date back to a battle in the War of the Roses, when opposition soldiers supposedly resorted to throwing food at each other after running out of ammunition. Peta wrote: “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. In the case of the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships, someone does indeed get hurt: pigs.” The group offered to pay for
until someone gets hurt – in this case someone does indeed get hurt: pigs’
“cruelty-free” alternatives to the blood sausages and Yorkshire puddings. Paul Jenkins, an organiser of the Sep- tember championships, said that the event already offered athletes the option to throw vegan alternatives. He described the championships as “a quintessential British event”, claiming: “It’s on the same level as cheese-rolling.” Peta activists have also targeted a small Welsh town’s mackerel festival, demanding that it be rebranded as a cabbage festival. The small coastal town of Aberaeron attracts “hundreds” of visitors with its annual mackerel fiesta, which cele- brates the end of the fi shing season. Locals carry a giant papier-mâché mackerel through its streets in a mock funeral procession before burning it on the beach at the end of August. One man said: “It’s not even real mackerel we’re burning!”
By Tim Sigsworth
TOURISTS and television crews have been threatened with fi nes for fi lming seahorses without authorisation. Britain’s native population of the fragile sea creatures is being disturbed by photographers and filmmakers, according to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The public has been urged not to use fl ash photography and never to spend more than five minutes observing seahorses to avoid killing them through stress. The MMO has warned that it will take action against anyone who fi lms or pho- tographs seahorses without a govern-
from charity event over ‘values’
THE British Red Cross has been accused of wokery after banning two livery companies from a charity event. The annual Escape from the Tower charity lunch at the Tower of London raises tens of thousands of pounds for the Red Cross from City of London livery companies. But this year, two of the city’s ancient trade associations have been told they cannot take part. The Worshipful Com- pany of Tobacco Pipe Makers was barred for being an “unethical indus- try”, while the Gunmakers was barred for its “links with the defence industry”, the Daily Mail reported. The Red Cross reportedly said that while it was “deeply grateful for long-standing support”, it was aware of a “very small number of livery compa- nies with direct public association with, or funding from, our excluded indus-
residents. But critics of the initiative have raised concerns about how eff ec- tively front-line offi cers are able to carry out their duties while voluntarily abstaining from food and water for extended periods. Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said encouraging non- Muslim staff to observe Ramadan was “wholly inappropriate” and urged offi cials to scrap the Public Sector Duty, which obliges public services to think about equality and diversity in everything they do. The Telegraph can also reveal that non-Muslim colleagues are fasting during Ramadan across other public services, such as councils. Documents, obtained by The Tele- graph through freedom of information requests, reveal that West Midlands Police was cited in New Forest council’s diversity training as an example of best
PETER POWELL/PA
Competitors throw black puddings to knock down Yorkshire puddings during the annual contest that commemorates the War of the Roses day the sides ran out of ammunition and resorted to throwing food at each other
ment-issued licence, with the maximum punishment being six months in prison or an unlimited fi ne. “We know that incidents come from a genuine lack of awareness, which is why we want people to understand that they are protected under the law and intentionally disturbing seahorses without a wildlife licence could result in enforcement action,” said Jess Churchill-Bissett, its head of marine conservation. “This applies to all divers, snorkellers and TV and fi lm production companies who should be aware of their legal obli- gations if intentionally seeking out sea- horses.” Britain’s waters are home to two
tries”. The charity lunch involves the master of the livery company being “arrested” by the City of London police before being taken to the Tower. They are then plied with sponsored cham- pagne and a lunch while his fellow liv- erymen work to secure his release with a “bail payment”. One liveryman criticised the charity’s treatment of the two companies , warn- ing that others may now drop out. He added: “Pretty much all of the masters have said, ‘Well, if you’re not willing to accept masters of other com- panies, we’re not going to take part’. Previously, there’s been a lot of support for the Red Cross. But, no pun intended, they’ve really shot them- selves in the foot.” The British Red Cross was founded 150 years ago and counts the King as its patron. The humanitarian charity received £37.3m from Government con- tracts and £44m in Government grants
practice when it comes to inclusivity. Praising the force’s fasting plan, a memo from New Forest council states: “Dur- ing the month of Ramadan, [West Mid- lands Police] supports its fasting colleagues through the use of fl exi-working arrangements to ensure that they have time with their families. “What’s more, increasing numbers of non-Muslim staff have taken up fasting as an act of solidarity with their Muslim colleagues, adding to the family feel of [West Midlands Police] culture.” Councillors at New Forest were encouraged to “brainstorm” new ways to “create an inclusive team” and then put their own “best ideas to practice”. Corinne Brazier, the former heritage manager of the West Midlands Police Museum, also praised the initiative in a blog post published on March 28, 2024. Titled “Diary of a Heritage Manager”, it states: “Nowadays people belonging
native seahorse species, the long- snouted and the short-snouted variety, that are found in particularly high concentrations in Poole Harbour and Studland Bay in Dorset and the waters off Torbay, Devon. The aquatic animals can be blinded and die as a result of contact with humans. According to the Seahorse Trust, such contact “causes stress, which weakens the
Seahorses are very susceptible to stress
in 2022. The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers dates back to 1619, when it was granted a royal charter by King James I. Guns were emerging as a crucial piece of military technology when King Charles I granted the Wor- shipful Company of Gunmakers its own charter in 1637. A spokesman for the British Red Cross said: “The British Red Cross greatly values the longstanding part- nership and generosity of London’s liv- ery companies and the City of London Corporation, whose consistent support over many years has helped us provide vital assistance to people in crisis across the UK and around the world. “To ensure that our fundraising approach is consistent with our global humanitarian mission and values, we do not accept donations from a very small number of specifi c industries. ” The two banned companies have been approached for comment.
to all diff erent religions are welcomed into policing, and efforts are made to ensure they feel supported. “For example, during Ramadan, Mus- lim colleagues who are fasting are sup- ported and accommodated when they need to break their fast. Information is shared with non-Muslim colleagues to
changing police culture to comply with the practices of one religion’
help them to understand what Rama- dan is all about, sometimes leading to non-Muslim offi cers and staff joining in to support their colleagues.” Reacting to the fi ndings, Mr Timothy said: “The police should be a national force for all of us, observing the same
body” of seahorses and fl ash photogra- phy can cause them to lose their vision. “In turn, one of the many dormant diseases seahorses have in their bodies will take over the seahorse in its weakened state and kill it within weeks,” it warns. Members of the pub- lic are warned not to spend more than five minutes observing sea- horses, not to touch or move them and not to crowd the ani- mals in groups. “If a seahorse shows signs of stress (such as darkening,
record boss over pro-Israel song
By Mark Ludlow
BOY GEORGE has split from the manager of his record label after he refused to release his controversial pro-Israel song. The singer confi rmed on social media yesterday that he had parted ways with Tony Pontius, calling the executive, who had run his record label, BGP, for several years, “gutless”. The former Culture Club front man wrote on X: “I wanted to release We Will Dance Again, but he [Pontius] was unequivocal and said, ‘I want nothing to do with this song’, and I responded, ‘OK, we are done’. “When someone is gutless, it really does not hurt to say goodbye. My faith in humanity will not diminish and the truth will always win. I will release it!” Mr Pontius, an electronic music DJ, was contacted for comment but has yet to respond to George’s statement. Boy
standards regardless of creed. There should be no special measures in place for any faith. We should not be chang- ing police culture to comply with the practices of one religion. “Expectations should be uniform, and non-Muslim police being encouraged to fast in Ramadan is wholly inappropriate. We need to abolish the Public Sector Equality Duty, which provides the legal framework for much of this, and ensure there is one rule for all of us – not special treatment for certain groups.” Major Andrew Fox, a senior associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, added: “West Midlands Police’s judg- ment is increasingly open to question. “The force that excluded Israeli sup- porters using evidence later found to be false or exaggerated was also encourag- ing non-Muslim offi cers to fast during Ramadan as an act of religious solidar- ity. Supporting offi cers of every faith is
swimming away or curling up), retreat slowly to at least five metres away, avoiding sudden movements,” the advice reads. Neil Garrick-Maidment, the trust’s executive director, said the seahorses should be treated with “extreme care”. “Seahorses are a delicate, sensitive animal and extreme care should be taken if you see or accidentally catch one,” he said. “If found in a crab net, act quickly; keep them out of the water for as little time as possible, take a brief photo, then gently return them to the water away from seagulls. “If you spot one while snorkelling or diving, be calm and keep your distance, no fl ash photography. Crucially, report
George, who is not Jewish, has championed Jewish causes in recent years, saying his position had resulted in him “losing a few people from my life” and insisting art- ists should be free to express their views even when they are unpopular. His latest song addresses the Hamas massacre of partygoers at the Nova Musical Festival on Oct 7 2023, and voices sup- port for Israel’s war in Gaza. The opening
entirely appropriate. Encouraging staff
to participate in a religious observance
is not. The police exist to enforce the
law impartially, not to promote or facil-
itate religious practices.”
In January, Craig Guildford retired
from his role as West Midlands Police
chief after Israeli football fans from
Villa Park were excluded during the
Europa League away match. An offi cial
inquiry into the incident found that the
force used “exaggerated and untrue”
intelligence, including AI-generated
falsehoods, to justify the exclusion of
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans on Nov 6, 2025.
A spokesman for West Midlands
Police said: “The West Midlands Associ-
ation of Muslim Police has, for a num-
ber of years, invited colleagues from all
faiths and backgrounds to fast for a day
to raise money for charity during Ram-
adan. It is entirely a matter for offi cers
and staff if they wish to take part. ”
all sightings so we can add them to the National Seahorse Database. Knowl- edge of these precious animals is key to their protection.” Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, anyone seeking to fi lm or pho- tograph a seahorse must fi rst acquire a wildlife licence from the MMO. Ms Churchill-Bissett said: “We can understand the high levels of interest and fascination people have with our native seahorse species. However, they are incredibly vulnerable and fragile marine animals.” There are no reported cases where enforcement action has been taken against individuals for disturbing sea- horses without a wildlife licence.
lyrics are: “You say genocide, I saw war / When you’re attacked, that’s what the army’s for / Does it get ugly? You bet it does / When I know you wanna kill every last one of us.” The track’s title is an expres- sion Israelis have repeatedly used to express their hopes for the future following the massacre. Its lyrics include a line saying festival goers were “murder[ed] … for the crime of danc- ing”. Days after posting the new song on social media channels, George pulled out of a new production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium.
degrees, says Reform
of gender studies and queer and critical race theory should pay for courses
By Albert Tait EDUCATION EDITOR
REFORM UK would make students privately fund “woke” university degrees, Suella Braverman said. The party’s education spokesman said students would not be offered student loans for gender studies and other courses “with poor outcomes and little value”. She said students wanting to take these courses would need to pay for their own studies as “the British tax- payer would not fund them” under a Reform government. “Woke courses with poor outcomes and little value such as gender studies, social justice, critical race theory and queer theory would no longer enjoy taxpayer subsidies simply because they are offered by a so-called university,” she told The Telegraph. “If people wanted to study those courses, they
would need to fund them privately. The British taxpayer would not fund them.” The former home secretary also con- firmed that “persistently failing univer- sities offering poor-quality provision” would lose access to taxpayer-backed student finance under a Reform govern- ment. Her comments represent the party’s latest attack on the university sector, having previously threatened to defund institutions for failing to uphold free speech or protect students from anti-Semitism. The party, which was overtaken last week in a voter intention poll by Labour for the first time in more than a year, believes too many students are going to university and has pushed for more focus on a technical education. Mrs Braverman said: “Young people have been conned into tens of thou- sands of pounds’ worth of debt for degrees that too often leave them with poor job prospects while taxpayers are left footing the bill. Meanwhile, our economy is crying out for home-grown engineers, scientists, technicians, builders and skilled tradespeople.” Gender studies, an academic field that explores the social and cultural
construction of gender, is typically studied by postgraduates in the UK. The Telegraph identified more than 35 examples of master’s, PhDs and other postgraduate courses in gender studies being run at UK universities. Master’s students can receive a loan of more than £13,000 a year from the Government, while a PhD student’s loan can exceed £30,000. Gender studies graduates are equipped for careers as diversity and inclusion officers, social workers and human resources officers, according to the Complete University Guide. Right-wing governments in Europe have increasingly targeted gender studies courses in recent years. In 2018, Viktor Orbán revoked accreditation and funding for gender studies programmes in Hungary when he was the country’s prime minister. When Poland was governed by the Right-wing populist party, Law and Justice, in 2020, a minister called for gender studies to be banned. The gender studies field has previ- ously faced criticism in the UK for favouring trans-affirmative academics and silencing gender-critical ones.
CATHERINE BRAID/SOLENT NEWS
Lunch to go A puffin struggles with a beak full of sand eels after a fishing trip off the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth, off the east coast of Scotland, to feed its chicks.
harder’ for young to work part-time
By Albert Tait
and Ollie Corfe
LABOUR has been accused of making it harder for stu- dents to get part-time jobs. More than half a million students want jobs alongside their studies but cannot get them, a Telegraph analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has found. The number has leapt by 40 per cent over the past two years and is at its highest level in more than a decade, according to the analysis of Labour Force Survey figures. The figures have been blamed on the Government’s decision to increase National Insurance contributions (NICs) paid by bosses on their workers’ wages, a sharp increase in the minimum wage and a weak job market, particularly in hospitality and retail. Ben Sweetman, head of data analytics at Policy Exchange, said: “With many students willing to work dur- ing their studies and youth unemployment costing the UK an estimated £125bn per year, the Government should not be creating harsher labour market conditions for young people.” The rising cost of living has led to an increasing num- ber of students seeking paid work alongside their studies. However, the latest ONS data, for the year ending in May 2026, found that 514,000 students were eco- nomically inactive despite wanting employment. This is the highest since the year ending January 2015. The number had been declining steadily for years and reached a low point of 363,000 in the year ending April 2024, before jumping to its current level. It has been linked to
plan ‘will cost £2.2bn’
By Dominic Penna SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
ANDY BURNHAM’S plan to give social care workers a pay rise will cost up to £2.2bn, analysis has found. The PM pledged to build on a deal struck by Sir Keir Starmer, his predecessor, to offer “fair pay” for carers. But the Tories accused Mr Burnham of plotting a wage increase that would create a new budgetary black hole of more than £2bn. Sir Keir allocated £500m through his Fair Pay Agree- ment for councils to increase social care pay and set legally binding minimum pay and conditions by 2028. But Tory research found that the median estimate of the cost of aligning social care pay with NHS pay was £2.7bn, leaving a black hole of £2.2bn. One estimate, by Skills for Care, of the cost of increasing pay for social care workers to match NHS Band 3 pay in two years was £4.2bn, included a £2.7bn annual cost to the tax- payer. During his first major
increasing youth unemploy- ment as employers cut back on part-time and entry-level roles. Unemployment among 18 to 24-year-olds stands at almost 15 per cent, up from 12.1 per cent two years ago. The rise has been partly blamed on the decision by Rachel Reeves, as chancellor, at her inaugural Budget in October 2024 to raise the rate of NICs that employers pay from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent. The change came into effect in April 2025. Earlier this year, Ms Reeves admitted there was a “valid argument” that she should not have increased NICs and acknowledged “particular issues around youth unemployment” but
Amount that youth unemployment costs the British economy every year
said the change was needed to put money into public ser- vices. Ms Reeves was replaced as Chancellor by John Healey earlier this month. Andy Burnham has made tackling the youth unem- ployment crisis one of his priorities since becoming PM. He revealed plans this week to offer technical edu- cation subjects to students from the age of 14 and is also plotting a crackdown on youth sickness benefits. It follows a report by Alan Milburn, the former Labour health secretary, which revealed that more than one million young people in the UK were not in employment, education, or training (Neets).
policy speech last week, Mr Burnham hailed Sir Keir’s work on a better pay offer for social care workers in 2028- 29. He suggested he would go further on pay, promising to “look at how we turn the fair pay agreement into a bigger reform to improve the social care workforce”. Mr Burnham added that he wanted “to lift it closer to NHS standards ... and think about progression routes for young people coming into social care, so they can pro- gress from social care into NHS positions as well”. Sir Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said: “Once again, the Prime Minister has pro- duced an announcement with an astronomical price tag and a black hole to match. This is the same failure that defined Keir Starmer. Starmer had four years in opposition to write a plan for government and did not.” A government source said: “Andy is focused on problem solving, rather than point scoring and made -up numbers.”
for a virtuosic vampire and his pop princess
Nick Cave and
the Bad Seeds
Preston Park, Brighton
★★★★★
By Neil McCormick
CHIEF MUSIC CRITIC
NICK CAVE and the Bad Seeds’ concert in Brighton was a kind of rapturous homecoming for the Australian émigré, who has made the British seaside town his base for decades. It was even blessed by the appearance of an even more famous Aussie immigrant icon, Kylie Minogue, who glided on in a lacy white ballgown to sprinkle some glamorous pop magic on a barnstorming rock concert. The park erupted in delight upon her arrival, joining in lustily with Where the Wild Roses Grow, the 1995 odd-couple duet that gave Cave his only hit single. You will never hear a more joyous sing-along of a murder ballad in which a pop princess is done in by a leering goth. At the song’s conclusion, the spindly yet imperious 6ft 2in singer- songwriter folded himself over to embrace his dainty 5ft singing partner, like a vampire swooping gleefully on a willing victim, while she declared “never-ending, undying love” for him, just as the 10-piece band exploded into The Mercy Seat, a gushing torrent of a song about the last confession of a man sitting on the electric chair. Over 43 years, Cave and his ever- shifting ensemble have become one of the most fluid, epic and awe-inspiring
claims about severed
head sent to his parents
are denied by Met police
By Albert Tait EDUCATION EDITOR
THE Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row is facing questions over his claim a pig’s head was sent to his family home. Prof Jason Arday previously said in an interview that a severed pig’s head was
Khan on cab hotter than Sahara
By Gareth Corfield TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT
A LONDON bus driver has criticised Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan’s claim buses with broken air conditioning are taken out of service. Antonia Pugh-Thomas, a former haute couture dressmaker, said the temperature in the cab of her bus has been hotter than the Sahara desert during recent heatwaves. Mrs Pugh-Thomas, 50, said: “Trans- port for London (TfL) and Sadiq Khan say to everybody that all the buses have air conditioning, and if they don’t have air conditioning, they have air cooling. “But it’s just too hot. There’s no air conditioning, it does not work, and the temperature in my cab is 43C.” Sir Sadiq claimed he gave Transport for London (TfL) permission to stop bus drivers having to work in overheating cabs. But Mrs Pugh Thomas has claimed she has friends who have been left physically unwell. “I’ve watched friends go grey from the heat,” she said. “I’ve watched friends get up and throw up. As for the members of the public, at least they have the option to get off, but we really don’t. Then you’re told to drink a lot of water, and yes, you do sweat quite a lot of it out. But the drivers’ seats are carpeted, and you get in and you sit on a completely sodden, soggy seat from another driver’s sweat, which is disgusting.” This summer has already broken
By Gareth Corfield and Matt Davis
THOUSANDS of motorists using foreign licences on British roads are not being tracked – and even if they fail a UK driving test, they can legally keep on driving regardless. Foreign nationals moving to Britain can drive for up to a year using a licence issued by their home nation. After that, they must pass a UK driving test. Yet the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) confirmed it keeps no record, register or even an estimate of how many such foreign drivers are using this exemption, raising fears that thousands may be ignoring the law. A Department for Transport spokes- man suggested that the Government was preparing a crackdown on foreign motorists who misuse the loophole. The
live bands on the planet. Their dynamic range is immense, shifting from tremulously delicate balladry in which you could hear a pin drop, to pounding mantric blues rock laced with choral gospel epiphanies. One of the boldest lyricists of all time, Cave has gone from marginal, experimental outlier to revered household name, with a persona that somehow crosses the wild, shamanic power of Jim Morrison with the tender sagacity of Leonard Cohen. His impulse is to make concerts a transformational experience where the audience can lose and find themselves in the music, and in Preston Park he found a receptive audience: 30,000 outdoor revellers held absolutely spellbound for two and a half hours. Cave made frequent references to his adopted hometown, gesturing towards the skyline to point out the setting of his 2013 single Jubilee Street. The ballad Wide Lovely Eyes was dedicated to his wife Suzie. “It’s about her, and it’s about Brighton beach – the Kemptown end… not the nudist section.” Between songs, Cave talks with a mix of profundity and dry wit. When he sings, he seems carried away – his long, expressive face creased with pain on the dark mantra Hollywood, transfigured with hope on the delicately wheezy Rings of Saturn and filled with mischievous glee on a mesmeric rendition of Red Right Hand, which he performed among the dense crowd, held aloft on raised hands. “I’ve no idea what I’m doing here,” he said at the end, as if snapping out of a spell. “Can you just gently lower me down?” It was that kind of experience, an overwhelmingly involving show by one of the greatest bands on Earth.
delivered to his parents’ address as part of a campaign of intimidation and abuse he has faced for years. He reportedly said that police had investigated the incident and found a butcher’s shop that had sold a “whole hog” on the morning of the alleged incident. However, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed that no investigation took place and said it could find no record officers had visited any butchers. The butchers named by Prof Arday are also said to have denied any police visit. Prof Arday, who is the professor of sociology of education, has been the
Mrs Pugh-Thomas ‘had no choice but to drive a bus with broken air-conditioning’
temperature records with highs of 35.1C (95F) in May and 38C in June. It also recorded as many 30C days as the summer of 1976, remembered for its drought conditions that left taps running dry and forced people to use standpipes in the street. Earlier this summer Sir Sadiq told LBC radio: “I don’t want any bus driver to work in conditions that are unacceptable in London in 2026. Let me
12-month grace period is supposed to run from the date a driver “becomes resident” and was originally intended to allow migrants settling here to take a British test and get a full UK licence. Yet that date is written down nowhere, so no-one knows when the clock starts.
be able to continue driving on Britain’s roads after failing a driving test’
CHLOE HASHEMI
Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue acknowledge the crowd of 30,000 at Preston Park, Brighton, where they performed Where the Wild Roses Grow, Cave’s 1995 hit single
subject of plagiarism claims after The Telegraph revealed he was accused of copying parts of his PhD thesis from another student. The plagiarism row has made inter- national headlines, including in the US, after analysis of Prof Arday’s PhD thesis showed more than 180 separate passages were identical or near-identi- cal to the other student’s thesis. He is also facing questions over claims that he once ran 30 marathons in 35 days, partly with a broken leg, and his charity fundraising. Cambridge insists Prof Arday is the victim of a “vile
speak directly to bus drivers: if your cabin is too hot, I’ve given TfL permis- sion, and told the bus operators, that you must not be driving that bus.” Mrs Pugh-Thomas tried to refuse to drive a bus with broken air condition- ing, but was told she had no choice. “After hearing Sir Sadiq say bus driv- ers wouldn’t be penalised for refusing buses with broken air conditioning, I thought, I’ll do a little bit of an experi- ment. Today’s bus doesn’t have air con- ditioning, so I’ll refuse [to take] this bus. “Oh my merry God! I mean, I’m sur- prised I’m still alive, the amount and the height of the waves it caused.” She was instructed to take the bus out regardless to maintain the service, as it was fitted with what TfL describes as “air cooling”. This is an internal fan sys- tem that blows air around the bus cabin. Proper air conditioning lowers the temperature. The lifelong Londoner began driving buses for a prominent London company two years ago but has now resigned because of the intense summer heat. “I ran a dressmaking business for 20 years before a combination of Covid, Brexit and a bad debt meant I had to close it down in July 2024. “So then I thought, I need an income because I have allowed my youngest daughter to be privately educated, and I wanted to be able to support her in that. So I’ve been driving a bus since that September,” she told The Telegraph. TfL and the Mayor of London’s office were approached for comment.
back to L-plates and to having a quali- fied driver in the passenger seat. Last year, a total of 171,000 migrants settled in Britain, according to the Office for National Statistics, while in the year before that figure stood at 331,000. The only foreign drivers the DVLA does count are those from a list of approved countries who can swap their licence for a British one without taking a test. Those countries, including Australia, South Africa and the United Arab Emir- ates, are judged to have driving stand- ards similar to Britain’s. A Department for Transport spokes- man said: “It is clear no one should be able to continue driving on Britain’s roads after failing a driving test. “That’s why we are actively looking into what changes could be made.”
Prof Arday has
been accused of
plagiarism and
making claims about
his athletic prowess
campaign to undermine his credibility”, but the university is facing a staff revolt over its refusal to re-examine his academic credentials. Prof Arday has long claimed that he had suffered physical abuse and intimi-
dation since his appointment as Cam- bridge’s youngest black professor in 2023. According to The Guardian, he said in a previous interview that a severed pig’s head had been delivered to his par- ents’ home in south London in a card- board box. He claimed that he intercepted the package and immediately threw it away, only telling police several months later. The Met confirmed to The Telegraph it could find no records of any allegation involving a pig’s head, or of officers visiting butcher’s shops.
Prof Arday reportedly had taken no photographs of the pig’s head and could produce no messages from the time in which he said the incidents occurred. Cambridge University said it would not comment on specific allegations. But a source at the university said that Prof Arday had received death threats, abuse and correspondence saying he does not belong in Cambridge. They said the university and the faculty are supporting Prof Arday amid con- cerns for his well-being and safety. Prof Arday was contacted for comment.
Out and proud
The city of
Brighton is doused
in glitter and colour
as thousands turn
out for the annual
pride parade
yesterday. The
event is celebrating
its 35th year, under
the theme “The
Power of Love”.
ANDREW HASSON
‘woeful’ shortfall in new tanks
chief warns lack of equipment is threat to UK’s security
By Tom Cotterill
DEFENCE EDITOR
By Tom Cotterill
THE Army is facing “woeful” shortfalls in the number of new tanks and armoured vehicles it will get, a former defence chief has warned. Lord Dannatt, who was in charge of the British Army between 2006 and 2009, expressed concern at the state of 3rd (UK) Division, the UK’s premier armoured war- fighting unit. He said there would be “insufficient Challenger 3” tanks to properly equip the fighting force, which is the “tip of the spear” for any major military deployment. Lord Dannatt’s concerns were raised in a report pub- lished by 878, a British-Amer- ican think-tank co-founded by Jacob Rees-Mogg, which highlighted “gaps” in the Armed Forces. Writing in a foreword to the report, Lord Dannatt said the 3rd (UK) Division’s “equipment shortfalls are woeful”. He added: “Andy Burnham may promise us the best social care in the world, but what is the value of good care if we are not fundamen- tally secure? Priorities, Prime Minister – that is your job, not wishful thinking.” Britain has ordered a fleet of 148 Challenger 3s, for just under £1bn. Developers say they will be more heavily armoured and equipped with better weapons and sensors than their predecessors. They are expected to start entering service next year and will operate in three regiments which are part of 3 (UK) Division: the King’s Royal Hussars, Queen’s Royal Hussars and the Royal Tank Regiment. However, the report warned that the division would be “under strength” by 42 tanks when they arrived, after authors com- pared the current fleet of 168
to Russian ships twice a week
BRITISH warships are deployed twice a week on average to shadow Russian navy vessels and sanctioned oil tankers, figures have revealed. The Navy “activated” ships 116 times in the past year to monitor almost 90 vessels dispatched by Moscow into the UK’s exclusive economic zone. A total of 61 Kremlin warships and submarines were escorted by the Navy during the last 12 months, as Vladimir Putin sought to intensify pressure on the UK. Twenty-eight “Russian merchant vessels”, believed to be part of the country’s shadow fleet of commercial ships, were followed. The ships are a vital lifeline to Russia and help fund Putin’s war in Ukraine through the illegal sale of sanctioned oil. The figures, released by the Ministry of Defence in its annual report, detail the pressure in dealing with Moscow’s vessels. “Russia is constantly try- ing to pressure the UK and tighten the screws; it’s a sig- nificant challenge for the Royal Navy to contend with,” one defence source said. The number of Russian warships and submarines entering UK waters has increased by about 30 per cent in the past year, British
front-line vehicles and 22 others being maintained at an armoured centre. At the same time, it raised concerns about the new Boxer armoured vehicle, which will replace the Army’s ageing fleet of Warri- ors to become the future backbone of the infantry’s mechanised assault units. “Only 100 out of 623 plat- forms” have been delivered, the 878 report said, which now threatens to “leave a sig- nificant capability gap as Warrior is phased out with no operational replacement”. Ben Obese-Jechty, a Tory MP and former infantry officer, fears 3 (UK) Division was “currently undeploya- ble” and would struggle to fulfil a major warfighting role, should they be called on. He added: “We’re effec- tively going into a conflict with one hand behind our back. If you do that, the best outcome you can hope for is to get lucky. We have 100
of good social care if we are not secure fundamentally ?
Boxers. That’s two regi- ments. That’s not a credible amount of mechanised infan- try to roll out of the door… we’re bluffing our way through the fact we don’t have to deploy this stuff yet.” Britain has announced it will be withdrawing its older Challenger 2 tanks from Estonia and replacing them with a drone “anti-armour force” next year. The Minis- try of Defence said the force would be more agile and harder to hit. Elsewhere, the report’s authors said they were not convinced by the Navy’s “hybrid” fleet strategy, which will see manned ships being supported by a larger fleet of unmanned drones. The shift has led to the cancellation of the Type 83 destroyer, meant to replace the six Type 45s in service. The MoD was approached for comment.
defence officials have warned. At the same time, the Navy has shrunk to its smallest size in living memory, with just six destroyers and two air- craft carriers. Two frigates were retired last month, meaning there are just five in service, down from 13 in 2014. There are plans to intro- duce 13 new warships made up of eight Type 26 subma- rine-hunting frigates and at least five Type 31 general - purpose ships. But these are still years away from being delivered. Earlier this year, a Russian warship fired shots at an unarmed yacht crewed by two British retirees in the English Channel. The Admi- ral Grigorovich, a 409ft frig- ate, fired warning shots at about 11.40am on June 16, later claiming Bright Future, owned by Jane and Alan Kel- vey, was following a “danger- ous course”. It came days after the Smyrtos, a shadow tanker carrying sanctioned Russian oil, was boarded and seized by the Royal Marines in the Channel. The Navy also previously disrupted a covert Russian naval operation involving three submarines, which were intercepted off the UK coast while attempting to monitor crucial underwater data cables.
accused of allowing shrubs to overgrow, causing Dunwich Heath blaze
By Tom McArdle
and Cameron Henderson
REWILDING has been blamed for triggering the wildfire in Suffolk. The 371-acre blaze began on the RSPB’s Minsmere site on Wednesday afternoon before spreading to the National Trust- owned Dunwich Heath. The fire, which is just a few miles from Sizewell B nuclear power station and the construction site for the new Sizewell C, was stable on its fourth day yesterday. Firefighters said they were able to reduce the number of appliances tack- ling the blaze from 14 to eight yesterday morning, “following positive firefight- ing action... and the creation of further firebreaks”. But residents and experts
STEVEHOGAN/BNPS
By Laura Donnelly HEALTH EDITOR
By Laura Donnelly HEALTH EDITOR
PARAMEDICS are responding to almost twice as many mental health emergencies in the capital as three years ago, Britain’s most senior ambu- lance chief has warned. Jason Killens said crews were dealing with a “massive” rise in demand from high-risk, complex patients who were increasingly difficult to manage. National figures show record numbers of assaults on staff, with the violence fuelled by alcohol, drugs and mental health crises. Mr Killens, who is head of London Ambulance Service, and chairman of the Association of Ambulance Chief
to predict disease as standard
BRITAIN’S biggest private medical insurer is to start offering genetic test- ing and personalised prevention pro- grammes, in a shift towards predicting disease before it develops. Bupa said it would become the first major private medical insurer to integrate genomics-led prevention into its standard cover. Under the programme, DNA analysis will be used to identify those at increased risk of conditions including breast cancer, heart disease and diabe- tes before symptoms appear. Launching from Sept 1, it is designed to identify people who could benefit from earlier monitoring, preventive medication or surgery, rather than wait- ing until disease develops. Eligible customers will first undergo a clinical assessment of their personal and family medical history. Those whose assessment suggests genetic testing could influence their care will then be offered DNA testing. Customers
said the area was a “tinderbox” because of the RSPB’s “rewilding agenda”. The blaze has left the heathland in a state of “complete devastation”. One resident of the nearby village of Westleton, who lives near the heath- land, questioned the RSPB’s methods of land management and claimed its “green projects” had put the whole village at risk. The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “People with their green agendas need to think about peo- ple who live in the countryside. Quite often when anything falls [off trees], they leave it lying around. Whenever they seem to do any work they are not very good at it. There is always so much debris left behind over the years. This whole area is an absolute tinderbox. “We have been lucky here. If the wind had been going in from the sea, Westleton would have had to be evacu- ated. They will say it’s not their fault, but they need to have a proper look.” Fire travels quickly through heather and other shrubbery that makes up the
their green
agendas
need to
think about
those of
us who
live in the
countryside’
Executives, said: “We’ve seen a 90 per cent increase in patients accessing the 999 service for mental health related issues in the last three years. “It’s up 60,000 jobs in the last 24 months. Massive. Each of those patients is often high risk, often com- plex, difficult to manage, and placing them into services which are appropri- ate for them is a real challenge.” Mr Killens said services were creat- ing specialist mental-health paramedics because traditional training did not adequately prepare crews for the grow- ing demand. He said: “We’re having to think differently about how we train and support our people because the demand has changed.”
60,000 jobs
in the last
24 months.
Each is often
high risk
and difficult
to manage’
found to have inherited genetic variants linked to serious disease will be offered follow-up care that could include specialist advice, increased screening, medication or preventive surgery. For instance, women assessed as being at increased risk of inherited breast cancer could be offered testing for genetic mutations including BRCA1
A firefighter
shows the strain
of battling the
huge wildfire on
Dunwich Heath
regular medication could be offered a saliva test to help determine which drugs are most likely to work effectively and which could cause side effects. Unlike direct-to-consumer DNA tests, which generally provide informa- tion without ongoing medical care, Bupa’s programme links genetic testing to clinical decision-making, genetic counselling, GP appointments and spe- cialist treatment where appropriate. The company estimates that more than 200,000 customers will receive preventive care through the pro- gramme by the end of 2027. It expects more than 36,000 women to benefit from its breast cancer prevention path- way alone. The initiative follows a pilot involving more than 12,000 customers. Dr Rebecca Rohrer, Bupa’s clinical innovation and genomics director, said the programme represented “a turning point” in healthcare”. “It enables people to be more proactive in preventing or delaying ill-health and having faster access to medication that works for them,” she added.
majority of the heathland in Suffolk. At RSPB Minsmere, the shrubs had been allowed to overgrow after the charity started a deer management programme. Campaign groups have warned a net zero crackdown on farming has raised the risk of wildfires engulfing the Brit- ish countryside. The resident claimed the RSPB and the National Trust had
In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr Killens said there was no single explanation for the sharp rise in mental health emergencies. He said illicit drug use was “defi- nitely” playing a part, along with alco- hol. “I think we’ve got, arguably, people are more vulnerable, or certainly in our communities there are people who are vulnerable, who perhaps find it difficult to access services which might previ- ously have kept them healthy.” Official figures show 99,287 mental health-related 999 calls handled by London Ambulance Service in the year to Jan 31, 2026 – a near doubling from 52,753 in 2022-23. The rise also follows a shift in police policies to stop rou-
over ‘botched’ flood defences
By Patrick Sawer and Sarah Limbrick
A HARLEY STREET dentist is suing the Environment Agency over flood defences surrounding his surgery. Dr Mehrdad Honarvar claims botched flood defence works put his surgery in Tonbridge, Kent, at risk. The dentist, who specialises in cosmetic dentistry and skin care proce- dures, claims he is now unable to sell the dental practice, which he values at £1m, or let the residential flat above it. Dr Honarvar, who also has a practice in Harley Street, is now suing the Envi- ronment Agency (EA) for £1m in dam- ages, claiming that it failed to put in place remedial work to repair the dam- age – despite admitting liability. The 58-year-old will tell the High Court that he fears the flood defences are at risk of failing catastrophically. He claims the riverside building is now “inherently unstable”, meaning he cannot sell, rent or insure it. The Riverside Dental Surgery run by Dr Honarvar in the village of Barden has
“not been good custodians” of the land. He claimed the residents were being overlooked in the name of green pro- jects, adding: “You can have wildlife, yes, but you also have to manage the environment for the whole community. This is a big wake-up call. They’re lucky there have been no fatalities. If this had happened in the night, God knows what would have happened.” Henry Griffin, the county’s deputy chief fire officer, said the fire spread quickly because many of the plants were oil-based. He said: “[Fire] loves that oil-based pine or lavender. It’s oil- rich and burns incredibly quickly.” Dr Thomas Smith, associate professor in environmental geography at the London School of Economics, said the recent “fire invasion” in the UK could be explained by the amount of “fuel” avail- able to burn on the ground. He said: “There’s a naivety in some people’s ideas of rewilding that you leave the land alone, but it requires active manage- ment to go back to forested landscape.” The RSPB said this summer’s wildfires
tinely attending mental health inci- dents. In the year since the policy was introduced in 2023, the number of ambulances sent out to deal with men- tal health crises rose by about 40 per cent, separate data suggest. Mr Killens said staff across the coun- try were also seeing a steep rise in vio- lence and aggression. The ambulance chief, who trained as an ambulance technician almost 30 years ago, said reported incidents had risen by 15 per cent across the country in the last year. The increase means an ambulance worker somewhere in Britain is sub- jected to violence or aggression every 20 to 25 minutes. Figures from London Ambulance Service show a 35 per cent
its consulting rooms on the ground floor of the property and he lets out a residential flat on the floor above. The court will hear that the EA began flood defence work on the River Med- way in 2015, when it removed decking and river access at the back of the build- ing, drove piles into the river bed, and
violence and
aggression
is a big
problem.
It’s also
got a nasty
element to it’
Dr Mehrdad
Honarvar claims his
riverside practice
is now ‘inherently
unstable’
had been “unprecedented in scale, driven by drought and prolonged heat exacerbated by climate change”. A spokesman said: “While we work hard to reduce risk, it is important to recognise that wildfires are indiscrimi- nate; they can ignite and spread quickly across a range of landscapes particu- larly in hot, dry and windy conditions. “We carry out ongoing habitat man- agement across our reserves to reduce fire risk. We also run public awareness campaigns urging people not to use dis- posable barbecues, light campfires, or leave litter that could spark a blaze.” The National Trust said very low rainfall and widespread drought across England and Wales had created “extreme conditions” that have driven a surge in wildfires. A spokesman said: “ Evidence shows healthier, wetter landscapes are more resilient to fire . The wider issue is clear: climate change is accelerating, and we urgently need national leadership to help protect people, places and nature as we face a long recovery together.”
Thirst of
the month
The sun rises
over heathland
near Lyndhurst
in the New Forest,
Hampshire
yesterday, the
first day of August.
July is set to go
down as England’s
driest on record,
the Met Office has
revealed. A total of
5.6mm of rain fell
in England during
this past month.
The previous
record was set in
1911, when 13.4mm
of rain fell. That
was followed by
July 1868, with
18.1mm, and 1869,
with 20.2mm.
increase in assaults in just two years, with 2,921 cases in 2025-26. Some incidents were fuelled by drink and drugs, while others appeared to stem from a loss of respect for the public sector, or frustration about waiting times, he said. “There’s a general kind of downturn in respect for public sector and uniform workers, that’s an issue,” he said, suggesting that a “frustration” about the state of the health service sometimes overspilled into aggression. “The violence and aggression piece is a big problem for us, but it’s also got quite a nasty element to it for our peo- ple. We’re seeing a growing trend of sexual assault against clinicians from patients and/or bystanders,” he said.
ing metal posts began to fail. In an email in March that year the dentist told the EA “that the flood wall and the support- ing metal posts were falling apart” and that “the movement in the sheet pile wall continued”. The court will hear that it is consid- ered most likely that the failure is because of insufficient embedment in the soft bed of the river side. The EA admitted in November 2022 that the flood defence works were defective and that there was a discrep- ancy between the designed river wall and what was actually built. Dr Honarvar, who lives in Tunbridge Wells, accuses the EA of negligence, and says it has failed to put right the building’s problems. An EA spokesman said: “The Envi- ronment Agency remain committed to protecting communities from flooding, including through the Avebury Avenue Flood Alleviation Scheme which is helping protect residents from flood risk across Tonbridge following the devasting impacts of the 2013 flooding.”
bombardment of energy infrastructure to force Tehran back to talks
By James Crisp
THE United States and Israel are pre- paring to hit Iran with the heaviest strikes of the entire war. Donald Trump has ordered fresh attacks targeting energy infrastructure, which could begin this weekend and last days to force Iran back to the nego- tiating table. The attacks will be co-ordinated with
ALEXANDER DEMIANCHUK/TASS VIA ZUMA PRESS/
By Connor Stringer
THREE people were killed after an improvised explosive device detonated at a high-end restaurant in Moscow last night. Russian state news said at least 21 people were injured in the blast on Kudrinskaya Square. The device detonated as an unidentified woman tried to bring it into the restaurant, killing a security guard, a patron and herself, according to officials from the National Anti-Ter- rorism Committee. Ria Novosti, a news agency, reported that the woman attempted to smuggle the bomb into the establishment but the security guard refused to let her in before the device exploded.
Personal
5(0(0%(57+(VDEEDWKGD\WRNHHS LWKRO\ ([RGXV $9
General personal
Israel, it has been reported. If they go ahead, it will be Israel’s first military operations against Iran since the US-brokered ceasefire in April. “We will be hitting them very hard,” Mr Trump said at a Camp David cabinet meeting on Friday. “And you know at some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it any more.’” Officials told the Wall St Journal that Mr Trump had approved the attack plan at Camp David. However, they said the president could still change his mind and halt the strikes if there were a diplo- matic breakthrough. One potential target is Pickaxe Moun- tain, where Israeli intelligence claims Iran has hidden centrifuges to make
Video of the explosion circulating online showed heavily armed law enforcement officers at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant – 1.5 miles from the Kremlin – which had been closed for a private event. The Telegram monitoring channel Astra, citing witnesses, reported that a birthday celebration for a general was taking place at the time. It was said the event was heavily guarded and so numerous casualties were avoided. Streets near the square were tempo- rarily blocked and the entrances to the Barrikadnaya metro station were closed off, Russian media reported. “A homemade explosive device blew up at a restaurant in Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow, killing three
GRATEFUL THANKS to St Jude for prayers answered. BD. Online Ref: W0051352
of the willing... unless Burnham steps up
By Joe Barnes and James Crisp
SIR KEIR STARMER bowed out
from the world stage with a round of
applause from his colleagues and, in a
first for a serving British prime
minister, France’s highest honour.
Emmanuel Macron led the tribute to
Sir Keir’s “historic role” at the meeting
of the Coalition of the Willing this
month, no doubt aware that his days as
leader were also numbered.
The two men had ended years of
rows between London and Paris over
Brexit, vaccines and fish to grasp the
leadership of a Europe reeling from
Donald Trump’s indifference. Their
double act brought together more than
30 countries to support Ukraine and
eventually deploy troops to guarantee
any ceasefire. Europe’s two nuclear
powers are also spearheading plans to
de-mine the Strait of Hormuz.
But with Sir Keir gone and Mr
Macron unable to fight next year’s
presidential elections, there are fears
of a leadership vacuum that could
leave Europe rudderless. The domestic
stability of candidates who could fill
uranium, which could be used to make nuclear weapons. CBS News reported that multiple US sources said it was co-ordinating with Israel, but an Israeli official said it was unaware of a decision to restart opera- tions. Mr Trump insists Iran must give up its nuclear programme, as well as its control of the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier this week, he had said “very friendly negotiations” were under way, leading to a pause in the fighting. That broke down after an Iranian surprise attack in Jordan and a US retaliatory strike. This week, Iran and the US resumed overnight exchanges of fire after a days-
people,” said the committee, quoted by Tass. The authorities did not name those killed or injured and have not said who might have been responsible. Russia’s FSB security service said e arlier this year that authorities would step up protection for high-ranking military officials after a series of assassinations and attempted killings it blamed on Ukraine. Kommersant, a Russian daily newspaper, reported that the bomb was intended to maim and kill guests who were on the restaurant’s summer terrace outside. The bomb was set off remotely by someone else, and the woman carrying it may not have known it was an explo- sive device, the newspaper reported.
that void, such as Germany’s Friedrich Merz, remains in doubt. Meanwhile, leadership hopefuls who are more sympathetic to Russia, such as Marine Le Pen, wait in the wings and could reshape Europe’s support for Ukraine. Andy Burnham is known to have a tighter grasp on the domestic agenda but little foreign policy experience. Since taking power, he has sought to reassure allies they should expect a high level of continuity when it comes to Ukraine and Nato. To drive it home, Mr Burnham made Volodymyr Zelensky his first face-to-face meeting with another world leader, when he hosted him in Portsmouth last week. Worries about a “slow death” for the Coalition of the Willing are much more focused on Mr Macron’s departure. The French president has no choice but to vacate the Élysée Palace after next year’s presidential elections. But without an obvious continuity candidate waiting in the wings, the bookmakers’ favourite to replace him is Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-Right National Rally. She has previously promised to remove France
long lull in fighting, although there were no reported strikes overnight Fri- day to yesterday. On Friday, Mr Trump accused the Iranians of being “very dishonourable”
very hard. And at some point, they’re going to say, “We can’t take it any more”’
and of having broken their word in pre- vious talks. Tehran has shown no sign of agree- ing to his demands. Some officials believe they plan to string out the nego-
By Samaan Lateef
THE Prince of Wales has paid tribute to the Gurkha who died in an avalanche on a Pakistani mountain, describing him as “truly unique” and “one of the world’s greatest mountaineers”. He spoke of his sadness on hearing of the loss of Nirmal Purja MBE, who was leading a 10-man international climbing team on Broad Peak, Pakistan’s 12th-highest mountain, when an ava- lanche hit at around midday local time on Thursday. A search was carried out and yester- day, Elite Exped, the mountaineering group he founded, confirmed that his body had been found along with those of fellow climbers. In a statement on X, the Prince of
Andy Burnham greets Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Portsmouth
tiations in the hope that Mr Trump backs down in the face of rising domes- tic opposition to the war. Iran’s military accused the US of “escalating tensions” in the Middle East yesterday and warned countries in the region against co-operating with Wash- ington during the ongoing conflict. “The United States is rapidly moving down the path of escalating tensions in the region,” said Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military central command. “Any country serving as a defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war,” he said on state television. Kuwait’s army said it had detected and destroyed hostile drones in the
Wales said: “I was truly saddened to hear of the tragic death of Nirmal Purja and those who lost their lives in the ava- lanche on Broad Peak. Nims served with distinction in the British Armed Forces before becoming one of the world’s greatest mountaineers, putting Nepa- lese climbers on the map. “His relentless pursuit of what seemed impossible, combined with his humility and selflessness, made him truly unique. My thoughts are with his family and the families of all those who died. W” Elite Exped added: “It is with pro- found sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal Purja trag- ically lost his life. We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive.”
from Nato’s military command, lift sanctions on Russia and urge Ukraine to agree to a peace deal on Moscow’s terms. Far-Left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is seen as one of her chief rivals in the ballot set for nine months’ time, has gone even further, pledging to withdraw from the Western military alliance. A source told The Telegraph that British officials were already exploring what their victories could mean for Anglo-French relations, including the future of the Coalition of the Willing and the sharing of classified intelligence. While a Western official warned of “a big problem” for Nato should either of the hardliners win the keys to power. This has prompted further discussion in diplomatic circles about who could step into the void left by Mr Macron and take the top seat alongside Britain. The obvious candidate is Mr Merz, Germany’s chancellor, who is overseeing a project
country’s airspace since dawn, and an alleged Iranian attack had targeted sev- eral vital facilities. A government facility in northern Kuwait and civilian property belonging to a company on Bubiyan Island were hit, it said, adding that shrapnel caused material damage but no casualties. A tanker was also struck by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Oman, a British maritime agency said yesterday, as tensions ran high in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel reported it was “struck by an unknown projectile which has caused damage to the engine room”, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said, adding no injuries were reported.
Row upon row
Paddle boarders
take part in the
2026 Fontanka
International
Stand-Up
Paddleboard
Festival on the
Fontanka River
in St Petersburg.
The festival
features a 9km
route along the
city’s historic rivers
and canals, with
participants
passing under 30
bridges. It attracts
more than 10,000
participants from
multiple countries,
who dress in fancy
dress, with prizes
awarded for best
costume and best
designed board.
The festival even
stages a Miss
Stand-Up
Paddleboard
pageant.
The expedition included five other Nepali climbers and one each from the US, China, Oman and Pakistan. “Today, the mountaineering commu- nity mourns not only one of the greatest climbers of our generation but every life lost in this tragedy. Our deepest thoughts, prayers, and heartfelt condo- lences go out to the families, friends, teammates, and loved ones of all those affected,” Elite Exped said. Mr Purja was best known for climb- ing all 14 mountains higher than 8,000m in 189 days, breaking the previ- ous record. His venture was the subject of the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. The 43-year-old was also the first person to reach the summits of Mount Everest, Lhotse and Makalu within 48 hours.
to transform his country’s armed forces into Europe’s largest military. But he is mired in domestic crises, leading an increasingly mutinous party and facing growing questions about how much longer he can survive. The German chancellor has also scuppered EU efforts to ban the free movement of Russian diplomats across the bloc’s Schengen Area and has refused to close the Russian House, a cultural centre in Berlin known to be a front for Moscow’s network of spies. If Europe fails to back Ukraine or does not keep its promises to Kyiv, the geopolitical consequences could be severe. Future Ukrainian governments could turn away from the unreliable West to other powers in the neighbourhood. But the German chancellor isn’t the only foreign leader who is considered a potential weak link. Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, has refused to join any deployment to Ukraine because of his country’s proximity to Russia. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian premier, must also hold elections in Italy before the end of next year. While the two leaders, who make up the remains of the European Group of Five, alongside Britain, France and Germany, are expected to win, they are unlikely to be considered possible successors to Mr Macron. If Sir Keir’s departure from the top table was marked with a celebration of his work, Mr Macron’s exit is more likely to be met with mourning. Unless, Mr Burnham can pick up the mantle of leadership for the Coalition of the Willing on his own.
Maga appealing to women of all political shades
‘firecracker’ stance against men in women’s sports has also caught president’s eye
By Ben Stockton and Andrew Buncombe
WHEN Caitlin Clark, arguably one of the best women’s basketball players of all time, was poked in the eye during a game against Connecticut Sun in June 2025, Sophie Cunningham, a fellow Indiana Fever player, saw red. After the referee failed to call a foul, and with less than a minute to go, Ms Cunningham tackled the off ender to the ground in a move more fitting of an American football fi eld than a basket- ball court. The moment, and ensuing fi ght, went viral, and the basketball star
won over fans who applaud her brash style on and off the court. And she has also caught the eye of one person in particular: Donald Trump. On July 21 – shortly before the launch of a bright pink basketball shoe she designed in collaboration with Adidas – Ms Cunningham spoke out about her belief that transgender athletes shouldn’t be allowed to play in women’s sports. “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport, who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” she told ESPN. The comments caused a firestorm online, and she was booed at a game in Seattle on Tuesday. Brianna Taylor, Ms Cunningham’s former teammate, reacted to the comments in a series of X posts. “I’m in my eighth season as a WNBA [Women’s National Basketball Association] player. To date, there’s been one out trans player in the league. They caused zero problems,” she wrote. West Wilson, Ms Cunning- ham’s childhood friend and her podcast
By Abbir Dib
DONALD TRUMP’S administration has dropped all charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalising the Lincoln Memorial refl ecting pool. David Hearn, 67, was facing up to 10 years in prison after being indicted on a felony charge of property destruc- tion. But the US justice department has admitted that the damage had been caused by a “botched installation”. Mr Trump had repeatedly blamed “sick, deranged” vandals for the deteri-
serious threat to his reign as chancellor
James Rothwell BERLIN CORRESPONDENT
IT began with a surrogate baby row and ended with a shambolic cabinet reshuffl e that made Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour look like a paragon of discipline. Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, was desperate to regain authority over his Christian Democrats (CDU) party last week, in the wake of the resignation of one of his closest allies, Jens Spahn. Mr Spahn, the CDU equivalent of a chief whip, had been forced to quit when it emerged he had skirted his own country’s ban on surrogacy by using a US surrogate to become a parent. Mr Merz’s team came up with what they felt was a fi ne idea: use the resignation as an opportunity for a reshuffl e that would put some new faces at the top of the government. A date was set, July 24, as names began to circulate for key ministerial roles, including a new minister for transport – a chronically underfunded sector
Sophie Cunningham, right and below, has engaged young females with a range of political views, below
orating state of the 610m pool, with large areas of its new blue sealant peel- ing off . The US president’s $16.4m (£12.4m) renovation was widely criticised after thick blooms of green algae were seen covering the surface of the water shortly after it reopened. The White House had previously deployed National Guard patrols and AI-powered cameras around the perimeter to catch suspects . Mr Hearn was indicted last month. At the time, Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, claimed he
which Mr Merz had vowed to help. As Mr Merz settled into bed on the evening of July 23, buoyed by some positive coverage of the reshuffl e , he may have felt the worst was over. He was unaware that another crisis was coming, in the form of a text message from the man who was meant to become his next transport minister. At 4am, Fritz Güntzler sent a brief message to the chancellor informing him that he did not want to do the job after all. The 60-year-old former auditor is said to have claimed that he would have no idea how to run the transport ministry, as his expertise lies in fi nancial regulation. The state of Germany’s once-mighty rail network, literally crumbling due to severe underinvestment, may also have had something to do with his sudden bout of modesty. Mr Merz reportedly read the message at 6am, by which point journalists were on their way to the press conference where Mr Güntzler’s new job was set to be a key announcement. In scenes reminiscent of the BBC’s political comedy-drama The Thick Of It, Mr Merz then had
co-host, also pushed back. “Transgen- der athletes in American sports is such a borderline non-existent issue,” he said in a video posted to TikTok. The ESPN interview cemented her position among a growing group of Right-wing fans and conservative com- mentators. The Missouri-born, blonde-haired basketball star fi rst reportedly earned the nickname “Maga Barbie” while at college, even though she told the New York Times in 2025 that she was “right down the middle” politically. In the same ESPN interview, she suggested people make assumptions about her based on her appearance and background. But she may finally be stepping into those shoes. “She’s a fi recracker. Her star is on the rise,” said Jennifer Sey, founder of XX-XY Athletics, an activewear brand that has worked with Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer and anti-trans activist who has become a prominent fi gure in conservative circles. “Not just because of her basketball – you know, she shoots a mean three- pointer – but because of her personality. She’s very pretty. She’s very outspoken. She’s sassy and fun.” On Tuesday, a group of supporters organised a rally outside the game in Seattle and a couple of the attendees sat court-side wearing XX-XY Athletics T-shirts and holding signs in support of Ms Cunningham. Those seats came from an “anonymous donor”, organis- ers told The Telegraph. “We knew that Seattle was going to be potentially a challenging city for her to come to,” Amy Sousa, one of the rally organisers, said. “So we really wanted to show her a very visible thank you so that she would see that her efforts have not gone unnoticed.” A video from inside the stadium shared by Ms Sousa showed heated arguments between Ms Cun- ningham’s supporters and some of the basketball fans. Seattle Storm did not respond to The Tele- graph’s request for comment. On TikTok, where she has more than three million followers, Ms Cunningham apparently reposted a video titled “the illegal immi- grant conversation confuses me so much” and one that claimed “rap [music] is demonic”. It’s also not the first time that she’s spoken out about trans women in sports. In 2022, amid furore over Lia Thomas, a trans college athlete, competing in a women’s swimming event, Ms Cunningham retweeted a post that said
MICHAEL REAVES/GETTY IMAGES/ AP PHOTO/LINDSEY WASSON
“female collegiate athletes deserve so much better”. Also competing in that event was Ms Gaines, who has since gone on to speak at the Republican National Convention and the Conservative Political Action Conference. Ms Gaines, who hosts a Fox Nation podcast called Gaines for Girls, has become the standard-bearer of the anti-transgender athlete movement. But Ms Cunningham later deleted the retweet and issued an apology: “I stand with all people, especially my fellow athletes. I do not judge, but support all
had “forcefully and violently” ripped up the lining at the bottom of the pool in a “deliberate act” that caused more than $1,000 (£750) in damage. However, in a 20-page court fi ling on Friday , Ms Pirro’s offi ce requested the dismissal of the case. Prosecutors acknowledged that internal documents showed the damage was consistent throughout the structure, including deep sections “where a vandal would not likely attempt to peel the lining”. The department of the interior was accused in the court documents of sup- plying “less than fulsome information” .
to deliver a reshuffl e speech with no mention of the transport role. To make matters worse, by then it was being widely reported in the German press that a relatively obscure CDU MP had just snubbed his own chancellor. The Telegraph understands that the dual crises of Mr Spahn’s resignation and the reshuffl e have deepened resentment towards Mr Merz in two battleground states in the east. A senior CDU source involved in the election campaign, unfolding in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, said they felt abandoned by the chancellor. The source suggested the CDU will confront Mr Merz with a request to resign if, as polls suggest, the hard-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party wins enough support in one or both states to form a government. “Internally, there is some speculation that if we lose these elections, in that the AfD gains an absolute majority, then he will come under pressure to resign,” the CDU source said.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has made enemies with his macho management style
have been brought. The administration owes Mr Hearn an apology’
“It was not until after these documents were produced that [prosecutors] fi rst became aware of information showing the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as ini- tially represented,” the fi ling stated. Mr Hearn, who represented the US in canoe slalom at three Olympic Games,
players that have spoken out against her, but she hasn’t been suspended by the team or the league’
races, religions, sexual preferences and gender equity,” she wrote. However, she has made no such concession this time. Ms Sey believes there are signs that Ms Cunningham and others’ eff orts are moving the needle on this issue. “There are players that have spoken out against her, but she hasn’t been suspended by the team or the league,” she said. “I believe that would have happened a year ago. So I would say the culture is changing.” Shortly after he took offi ce in 2025, Mr Trump signed an executive order to
was arrested on June 19 after stopping at the landmark during a bicycle ride. He was one of at least six people arrested or cited during the crackdown. “The Trump administration’s case against Davey Hearn should have never been brought,” said his attorneys . “Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong. The administration owes Mr Hearn an apology.” The controversial $16.4m (£12.4m) renovation had been personally cham- pioned by Mr Trump, who ordered the
The source added that grassroots members were sorely disappointed when several big-hitters in the CDU had to pull out of campaign events in the East abruptly. Their reason was that they had been forced to remain in Berlin to deal with the internal party chaos. “We were behind Friedrich Merz , but there is a lot of discontent now,” the source said. “We are in the middle of an election campaign and none of this is helping us.” CDU insiders say the mere existence of a reshuffl e this early in a chancellor’s premiership is the most obvious sign that all is not well. While they might be a typical tool for British prime ministers, they are much rarer in German y. The centre-Right party used to be famed for its “safe pair of hands”
leadership style is perceived by many, inside and outside the CDU, as not inclusive’
“rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities”. But some of Ms Cunningham’s fans insist that this is not a partisan issue. Jean Chadbourne of Women Are Real, an activist group in California, said around two-thirds of supporters were Democrats. “I do not endorse any- thing else political about Sophie Cun- ningham but I respect her,” she said. “As a feminist and life-long registered Dem- ocrat, I have found myself making ally- ships with women that I disagree with all across the political spectrum.”
bottom of the landmark painted “Amer- ican fl ag blue”. The contract for the work was awarded without a public tender pro- cess to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a fi rm owned by an associate of the presi- dent. The pool has been fully drained for a second time in three months, leaving one of Washington’s flagship monu- ments empty as engineers attempt to determine whether the lining can be salvaged. The White House did not immedi- ately respond to requests for comment.
style of leadership under Angela
Merkel but under Mr Merz it has a
penchant for in-fi ghting.
Many blame Mr Merz himself , citing
his tendency to put his foot in his
mouth . A billionaire former BlackRock
executive who unwinds by fl ying his
private jet, Mr Merz became
chancellor after his CDU party came
fi rst in the February 2025 federal
elections. The AfD secured an
unprecedented second place,
becoming the de facto opposition.
Though he has won plaudits for his
hawkish stance on Iran and Russia , his
premiership got off to a rocky start. In
May 2025, when his position as
chancellor was put to a vote in the
Bundestag, traditionally a formality, he
failed to secure enough support and
had to re-run the vote.
He has also struggled to pass some of
his most ambitious reforms, such as
bringing back conscription, because of
being in a fractious coalition with the
centre-Left Social Democrats. Another
major issue is his personality and a
macho management style which has
grated on party allies as well as voters.
“Friedrich Merz’s communication
and leadership style is perceived by
many, both inside and outside the
CDU, as confrontational and not very
inclusive,” said Dr Kerstin Völkl, a
German political scientist at Martin
Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg.
“Nothing is impossible after the
state elections, it depends on the
election results. A severe coalition
crisis could then not be ruled out .”
I
mmigration has contributed to the downfall of almost
every Labour leader this century. If Andy Burnham is to
avoid a similar fate, he must stop skirting around the
issue and address it head on. As events at the Spanish border
this week have shown, he cannot hide from it forever.
On Thursday, Europe witnessed its greatest ever border
break. Some 60,000 migrants, mostly young men, crossed
from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Ceuta, a small
exclave in North Africa held by Madrid since 1580.
Most of these migrants came by sea and were returned
within 24 hours. But Spain’s amnesty for illegal immigrants,
combined with the baffl ing Spanish court ruling that makes
it harder to deport those arriving by sea, suggests the
extraordinary scenes may be a sign of things to come.
The public will understandably wonder how many of
those men will try again, and end up making their way here
on small boats, spurred on by vile human traffi ckers, our
soft-touch on welfare and our broken asylum system.
The Government likes to pretend that the issue is largely
dealt with because numbers are down from their scandalous
peak. Yet on Wednesday, 752 migrants crossed the channel
in overloaded dinghies, the highest number in a single day
this year, adding to the 200,000 who have already made the
trip since late 2018.
Indeed, both legal and illegal immigration is running at
very high levels by historic standards, putting impossible
pressure on our public services, depressing GDP per capita
and driving social confl ict. What does Mr Burnham plan to
do about this? He has barely uttered a word on the subject
since entering Downing Street.
Perhaps this is because Mr Burnham realises that
immigration is the issue on which his fantasy electoral
to the EDITOR
failure to scrap the Chagos deal brings shame on Britain
SIR – Although we have a new Prime Minister, the Government still intends to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, without the consent of the Chagossian people (“Chagossians urge PM to axe island giveaway”, report, July 26). This is an outrage, especially given that the UK forcibly removed the Chagossians to build a military base on Diego Garcia. Sometimes one feels that the colonial attitude is alive and well in the UK. Even a leader from working-class stock, with an Oxbridge education, seems unable to perceive an injustice when it is staring him in the face. Nor apparently can the government lawyers who work for him. Lt Col Lyndon Robinson (retd) Mursley, Buckinghamshire
SIR – Britain rightly rejects Argentine claims over the Falklands because the islanders wish to remain British. Andy Burnham should be wary of setting aside this principle when dealing with the Chagos Islands. Self-determination is either a principle or a convenience; it cannot be both. Jonny Gray Marlborough, Wiltshire
SIR – Allison Pearson is quite right about Laura Kuenssberg’s BBC interview with Andy Burnham: there was a total absence of tough questioning, and a lot of simpering acquiescence in the presence of the new saviour (“Voters want a properly dressed statesman in Downing Street, not a mate”, Features, July 29). One exchange stood out. Having given the Prime Minister the opportunity to state grandiloquently how everything he does will be about putting Britain’s interests fi rst, Ms Kuenssberg should have asked whether this meant that he would be scrapping – or, at the very least, reassessing – the disastrous Chagos deal. Of course, she failed to do so. John Mounsey Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire
SIR – Stephen Fell (Letters, July 29) writes that thousands of hectares across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire are given over to solar panels, which we should be using to grow food. The fact is, we need power, and in my opinion it’s better for a country to produce its own. It can then spend the money that would’ve gone on fuel on food from overseas. While this may have been a dangerous game in the 1930s, I don’t believe it is today. I farm in Suff olk – or, more correctly, I have accepted the 30 pieces of silver known as the Sustainable Farming Incentive, and have put in place environmental schemes on our estate. It is mainly tenant farmers who continue to grow grain, but even they have put as much land into schemes as they can. Yes, the price of wheat has gone up in recent weeks, but by nowhere near enough to make grain farming viable long term in the UK. In an ideal world, farmers would farm and the population would buy seasonal local food, but it doesn’t work like that. Moreover, as a consequence of the Government’s death duties on farms, farmers and landowners have to generate as much income as possible so that they may pass their property on to the next generation. Nick Levett-Scrivener Saxmundham, Suff olk
SIR – As there is no going back to a time when every family grew their own food, there is a need for farmers, who take on the risks of death, injury, bad weather, crop and livestock diseases and many others. Few would entertain these in their work. However, policymakers continue to show a lack of understanding of farming, and of how it can be integrated with environmental schemes. Mixed farming (livestock and crops) is vital for supporting life that has adapted to that system over millennia. Excreta deposited by livestock is a major natural energy source for fl ora and fauna in soil, and scores of insects at the bottom of food chains that support many mammals and birds from spring to autumn. It was somewhat surprising, then, to read in “Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England’s Future”, published in June by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Aff airs, that the Government thinks that more oilseeds and pulses should be grown to reduce emissions, and because there is increasing demand for plant-based food. A massive shift towards these would be needed to make one iota of diff erence to emissions, and such a move, which would probably require the use of pesticide, would likely be very harmful to insect populations. Perhaps the answer is to invite people to the countryside to walk and forage for aphids, caterpillars, beetles, slugs and other forms of invertebrate
coalition risks shattering. Labour put its faith in Mr Burnham because he promised both to peel off support from Reform UK and to stem Labour’s losses to the far-Left Green Party. That is perhaps possible when talking only about buses and social care. Fixing Britain’s borders off ers Mr Burnham no such luxury. The Left’s worst pathologies make Mr Burnham’s task all the more diffi cult. Far from seeing this week’s events as a wake-up call, many still cling to the idea of rejoining the EU, even though doing so would open up our borders even more egregiously. Others continue to fetishise human rights laws, which make it harder to deport illegals and are at the heart of Europe’s troubles. Mr Burnham made a good start by re-appointing Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary. He must now show that he is willing to treat those Leftist pathologies that have helped lay Britain low in the fi rst place. Mayoral malaise
The result of the Greater Manchester mayoral contest is bad
news for the people of Manchester and bad news for Britain.
Only a few months ago, when Andy Burnham resigned to
fi ght the Makerfi eld by-election many thought he had
gambled with Labour’s decade-long grip on the combined
authority. Reform UK had performed strongly in the May
elections, and appeared well-placed to mount a serious
challenge. It never really materialised.
Instead, Labour’s Bev Craig won with 47.1 per cent of
fi rst-preference votes. Reform achieved its best-ever result,
but still received less than half Labour’s share. The situation
protein to protect and supplement their plant-based food, leaving just enough for the birds. Tim Martyn Holsworthy, Devon
SIR – Zoe Strimpel’s article (Comment, July 26) about the hard-working Sanae Takaichi, the Japanese prime minister, brought back memories of Margaret Thatcher, who also worked long hours with minimal sleep. Of course, it’s not the number of hours that matters, but how productive they are. It does seem a pity that there is a widespread belief that working hard is merely an obsession, and those committed to it “need a break”. While I am not in favour of factitious work, I remain inspired by my school’s motto: Per manendo vincimus (Through perseverance we conquer). Michael Nicholson Moretonhampstead, Devon
SIR – Zoe Strimpel is too enthusiastic about the Japanese PM’s schedule. Sleep deprivation should not be considered a civic virtue. It is often stated that Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan slept only a few hours each night. Less widely recognised is that lack of sleep is closely associated with dementia in later life. Unfortunately, both became debilitated in their fi nal years, and sleep loss probably played a role. Winston Churchill may have had only four hours each night during the war, but he made it up with a two-hour nap in the afternoon. He mentioned that this “turns one day into two”. Henry Bateson Whittingham, Northumberland
SIR – In the heat of the summer, a window left ajar after dark used to be an open invitation for a daddy longlegs. Where have they gone? Michael Gibson Betchworth, Surrey
SIR – Nick Gibb’s article (“Children
need knowledge to thrive at school”,
Comment, July 26) resonated with me.
I once heard a Russian on the radio
saying that “repetition is the key to
knowledge”, and I agree.
Knowledge is the foundation of our
lives. Some pick it up faster than
others, but all must be given the
chance to acquire it. I remind people
that strong foundations make good
buildings. Let’s get our education
system built on strong foundations –
using repetition.
Policymakers seem to think that if
ESTABLISHED 1961
something has not been updated very recently, then it has to be changed. Usually this means that, later on, we all have to relearn what was easy and successful before. John Glover Petworth, West Sussex
SIR – Jolyon Cox (Letters, July 26) maintains that the only way for his extended family to enjoy a meal on the beach is to use a disposable barbecue. What’s wrong with a jam sandwich and a cup of tea? Patsie Goulding Reigate, Surrey
SIR – Reading Jolyon Cox’s letter in defence of disposable barbecues, I am forced to wonder how, as with vapes, we ever managed without them. Ronnie Cleave Winkleigh, Devon
SIR – You report (July 26) that motorists are being given fi nes in London every 2.6 seconds. This is bad enough, but the 10 councils that failed to respond to freedom of information requests for the number of penalty charge notices issued are likely to be among the worst off enders, meaning that the fi gure of 13,800 fi nes per day could be the tip of the iceberg. It is becoming impossible to drive in London without infringing some pedantic regulation. While it is the ambition of the likes of Sir Sadiq Kahn to make the capital traffi c-free, this will clearly never be achieved. Local councils exist to serve their residents and raise taxes to cover the cost of providing services. If they cannot manage on the money raised, they should cut their cloth accordingly. It is not their role to create an industry whose sole aim is to punish individuals going about their lawful business. Trevor Joyce Canterbury, Kent
SIR – I got married in Dublin in 1967, when Ireland was the poor relation of the UK. How things have changed. My wife and I have just come back from a nine-day holiday in Ireland, during which we drove more than 350 miles. The roads were sensational – as smooth as a billiard table – and beautifully in keeping with the countryside. We didn’t see a single pothole. By contrast, visitors to the UK must be alarmed when they witness the appalling state of the roads. Complaints about potholes in every area of the country have been mounting for years, and yet almost nothing is done to tackle the problem. We can stupidly spend £102bn on a
for the Conservatives was even worse, slipping to 7.7 per cent, behind the Greens and Restore. The Liberal Democrats were utterly anonymous, polling below 3 per cent. Turnout was a pitifully low 25 per cent – hardly a ringing endorsement of Mr Burnham’s raison d’être: devolution. This has left the people of Greater Manchester with a mayor who has seemingly championed every bad idea Labour has had in recent years. A self-avowed socialist, Ms Craig backed Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership, advocates wealth taxes, believes women can have a penis and argues that the Greater Manchester public sector pension funds should divest from the arms industry. None of this bodes well for the prosperity of one of our biggest cities. George Osborne promoted the patchwork of metro mayors in the belief that it would give the Conservatives a toehold in urban areas hitherto dominated by Labour. After some initial success, that has proven false. Today the urban map is almost entirely red. In the United States, the most successful states are those that have embraced the free-market and use their federal powers to cut taxes and incentivise talent to move there. Sadly in Britain, the opposite is true. From Manchester to Birmingham, every area that ought to be an engine of economic growth is bogged down by Left-wing rule. Taxes have soared as our high streets and roads crumble. Mr Burnham’s potemkin devolution is only going to make matters worse. Cities are not inherently the preserve of Labour. But the Right must make the case for free markets to urban residents. Otherwise our cities will be condemned to a terminal decline.
ALAMY
A river cruise ship on the Seine near Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne in Normandy, France
SIR – Undoubtedly one of the pleasures of cruising is getting dressed up in the evening (Letters, July 26). Imagine my horror, then, when my luggage did not arrive for my week-long cruise on the Seine. I had only the clothes I’d arrived in, plus a small selection of necklaces and earrings in my handbag. However, in the end it was one of the most enjoyable of the many cruises I’ve taken because of the kindness of fellow passengers who off ered to lend me clothes. Most of the visits along the voyage from Paris to Arromanches were to small villages with no clothes shops, but I was fortunate in fi nding a small selection of inexpensive clothes and toiletries in a supermarket. I will never forget the experience of the helpful customers standing in
high-speed railway line between London and Birmingham, but we cannot fi x our roads. Successive governments should be ashamed. I hope that Andy Burnham has the courage to take on the job. Chris Jenkinson Cowes, Isle of Wight
a circle around me, advising me on the fi t and suitability of a pair of trousers, as there were no changing rooms. With a few well chosen items, plus my necklaces, and ensuring I danced with bare feet in the evening, I had a very happy holiday. Gaile Morton Belfast
SIR – My wife and I visited Cuba twice in the early 2000s. We took brand new clothes from Primark, wore them ourselves once, and then donated them to the local maids and workers, who appreciated them much more than cash tips. For us, it meant no laundry upon our return (Letters, July 26). Leroy Hough Oxford
interval returned with bags of sweets. Continuous unwrapping and sucking accompanied the second half. My husband hadn’t been keen to see the show. Fortunately, the eating noises didn’t stop him sleeping through much of it. Sandra Crawley Shanklin, Isle of Wight
E
I
Gen Z, and buy the next round
is Britain at its best, blending the formality of friendship with the spontaneity of everyday life
very life has its rites of passage. For children it may be the longed- for kite; for adolescents, the promised kiss of springtime. Adulthood brings that fi rst pint in the pub with one’s elders, a prize worth the wait. Then, should you be lucky, comes admission to that great British gathering: “the round”. When you catch those pleasing words “care for the other half?”, accompanied by a complicit smile, you have been recognised as a kinsman, known and trusted. It’s an easy game to play, once you have cracked the code. If you accept a drink from fellow topers, then it’s only fair to do return the favour. Those are the rules. Yet, now we hear of twenty- somethings who scorn this most cherished of native customs. The time-honoured ritual, which above most other habits, defi nes our island race. Is nothing sacred? Not to the benighted souls of Gen Z, it seems. They still buy drinks in the pub – cheers, dude – but don’t stretch, it seems, to getting their pals one while they’re at it. “What we have, we hold,” is their message. What a ghastly prospect! Ranks of young shavers, clutching beakers of lager – they don’t even sup proper stuff , most of them. How grim they look, wearing the faces of bailiff s on an errand. If this behaviour catches on, the ravens may fl ee the Tower. Boozers familiar with more comradely customs have cause to splutter over their bumpers. They understand that the drinker who fails to honour this social obligation fails the “fi t and proper person” test. Indeed, they may feel at one with the middle- aged poet Wystan Auden, who considered himself “unready to die but already at the stage when one starts to dislike the young”. They have a point. “The round” reveals a lot about this island, for it shows how the common law colours daily life. Although the sharing of strong drink is universal, understood in many societies, the communal experience of “doing it back” is exclusively British. Playing with a straight bat, one might say. In Germany, for instance, the guzzlers who congregate at tables in beer halls may clink glasses and cry “Gemütlichkeit!”. But each stein is jotted down on a coaster, and all accounts are settled separately when the doors close. Not much team spirit there. Nowhere do you fi nd the associations rooted in work or play that develop so naturally in our pubs. Not in every pub, and not at all times, but in enough taverns to make our tradition unique. Should regulars fail to fulfi l their obligations, they will be accused of that very British off ence: letting the side down. The ones who make themselves scarce when the round heads their way are liable to be named and shamed. Social disgrace may follow. Nobody likes a ducker or diver. And no bottle-aged drinker wants to spend more than a minute with those fresh out of school, who regard the distillation of alcohol and conversation as an excrescence from the dim and distant. The round is Britain at its best, blending the formality of friendship with the spontaneity of everyday life. Nobody does friendship quite like the British, with mutual joshing and no trace of sentimentality. We are not a cold people. But we are, or used to be, undemonstrative. We don’t want to “have a nice day”, if you don’t mind. Most days are pleasant enough when there is a pint of bitter in front of you, and a wag is setting the table on a roar. So grow up, you dismal Gen-Zers. At your time of life there is no excuse for sulking in the corner, wondering where your pennies have gone. They all go, sooner or later, and booze is better for you than cocaine. In the meantime there are rounds to be bought, in a land where the customer has always been king. Mine’s a Pride.
drinkers should stop scorning a social obligation that so defines our island race
S
ometimes heroism appears from the most unexpected quarters and makes for the most unexpected bonds, as thick as blood, between the most unlikely groups. Most Jewish people in Britain would not in a million years have anticipated that their man of the moment – and actually, man of the decade – would be the queer, pro-trans, Bowie-inspired pop star George Alan O’Dowd, known as Boy George. Yet in our darkest hour, it is the name of Boy George that, like a talisman, starts so many of our conversations. We are so deeply sickened by the hellfi re of lethal lies about the Jewish state – a hellfi re seemingly being encouraged by a Prime Minister whose fi rst major foreign policy statement in offi ce was to vow to put more pressure on the Israeli government – that we are
star’s new pro-Israel anthem is a beacon of hope for Jewish people worldwide
To order prints or signed copies of any Telegraph cartoon, go to telegraph.co.uk/prints-cartoons or call 0191 603 0178 readerprints@telegraph.co.uk
the elderly than it is for children
t may seem paradoxical but the dilemma over providing “social care” – which, in practice, means care for the elderly – is not unlike the problem that the country believed itself to face over childcare. I say “believed itself” because the justifi cation for the state taking over full responsibility for the provision and regulation of the care of children – even those who were not “in care” in the legal sense – was never subjected to proper debate. It was simply assumed. The judgment of parents and families on who should look after their own children was no longer considered adequate, and that political decision had the full force of the law. The sort of arrangements that had once been made between friends or within a local community for the supervision of toddlers and pre-school children, so that their mothers might work (generally part-time), were now unlawful. Childcare had been nationalised. The neighbourhood childminders who took pre-school children into their own homes, the mothers of primary-school pupils who collected several of their children’s friends and gave them their “tea” before their mothers got back, even the pre-school playgroups that mothers took turns to help supervise. All gone. They were replaced by a full-on licensing operation that required anyone who had responsibility for other people’s children, even of the youngest age, to be regarded as eff ectively part of the education system. Childminders were now to be qualifi ed and monitored by Ofsted in order to ensure that they were providing a prescribed school
power a government has over a service, the less room there is for varied needs and individual differences
READ MORE at telegraph.co.uk/ opinion
READ MORE at telegraph.co.uk/ opinion
gasping for a friend. By this, we mean someone who, against all the odds, gets it and gets the depth of the insult and danger to Jews of all those lies. Who intuits the parallels with previous pogroms. Someone who, despite overwhelming pressure to believe the libels and the vicious falsehoods and false narratives about Israel (genocide, famine, IDF zest for slaughtering children and hospital patients, raping prisoners with dogs, settler-colonialism, apartheid), who, despite the profound moral sickness of almost every single one of his industry and social peers, somehow manages to see the myriad distortions for what they are: a committed attempt to rationalise inbuilt anti- Semitism. And so, a bond of deep love, forged in gratitude to the pop star, is exactly what lives in the open now between
many Jewish people and Boy George. It has been astonishing to observe Boy George over the past week. First, he made the biggest provocation a musician can make in the post-October 7 landscape: he released a pro-Israel song. He has long refused to give in to the lie that Israel has committed, or is committing, genocide against the Palestinians. This included condemning calls for Eurovision boycotts because of Israel’s involvement, and performing in the contest for San Marino this year, declaring that he would “never” abandon his Jewish friends. But he went one further with his AI-co-written song, We Will Dance Again, in reference to the massacre at the Nova Festival. Its lyrics are sparing and restrained, if somewhat to the point. “You say genocide, I say war. When you’re tired that’s what the
preparation programme. The strict requirements on premises pretty much ruled out the use of a childminder’s own home – even though a neighbour’s house might actually seem like the most reassuring sort of surroundings to a toddler – and the demand for educational qualifi cations put off most of the older women who had so enjoyed this vocation. One of the practical consequences of this became clear immediately: childcare became so expensive that a whole system of benefi ts had to be devised to help families cope with the cost. The off er of free childcare is now a crucial part of the welfare system because the only legally available forms of the service are limited by the imposition of state controls. But there was another cost too, in the loss of spontaneous, improvised bonds that could reach across generations. I felt this change personally, because I remembered with great fondness the grandmotherly fi gures I used to recruit with local advertisements for a “mature woman” to provide care, and later to collect my children from school and look after them until I got home. Of course, I took references and observed these prospective carers with the children carefully before ever leaving them alone. And yes, it is still true that you may employ anyone you like to look after your children in your own home. But I am struck, talking to the young mothers I know now, how few of them even consider that option. Because the culture has completely changed. The assumption now is that a fully fl edged nursery with state-qualifi ed
staff is the only possible choice and, rather to my amazement, this applies not just to pre-school, fully ambulatory children but even to babies. I honestly believe that no parent I knew back in the day would have contemplated putting a nine-month-old baby (which is the lower age limit for entry) in a nursery. That this is now regarded not only as normal but as preferable to employing a trusted friend to provide care in the infant’s own home, astonishes me. It is, I believe, a testimony to the eff ect of a government policy taking over responsibility for what had once been a personal decision. Now the Government is attempting to cope with the provision of care for people at the other end of life. Once again, the ready solution is for the establishment of national provision to be supplied and administered by the Government. The only diffi cult question appears to be, not whether a state-run monopoly service is appropriate but how it can be funded. Everyone worries about the cost. No one seems concerned about whether individual adults who have lived hugely diff ering lives and had vastly diff erent experiences can be accommodated under the same provisions and guidelines. Do people become less diff erentiated and idiosyncratic as they grow older? Not in my experience. Can they all simply be lumped together as the “elderly” and treated as if their hugely varied lives were of no more signifi cance? If there is an inappropriate uniformity of treatment, that is not the fault of care home staff , who must obey offi cial regulations and
army’s for… You never mention October 7, young girls raped against trees, murdered brutally for the crime of dancing… But if you’re ever confused, I stand with the truth… I don’t feel brave I just need to behave like a human…Trust me, we will dance again and there will be no war.” His moral excellence is encapsulated in that line about the need to behave like a human, rather than perform this or that bit of political theatre . You either have that diamond of indestructible decency in you, or you don’t. Then late last week, the news broke that his (Jewish) manager Paul Kemsley had withdrawn him last minute from the starring role of King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium, apparently because of the activist fi restorm created by the release of We Will Dance Again.
who simply cannot cope with the infi nite variety of mature personalities alongside dealing with the physical needs of their charges. But, as is the case with childcare, the problem of imposed uniformity is always made worse by state control. The more power a government has over a service, the less variety and personal diff erence will be accommodated. What has to be kept in mind always in this discussion is that we are trying to design something that is a substitute for family life. The care of children and old people were both once regarded as the personal responsibility, fi rst of the extended family and then of the close community to which they belonged. This is still true, to a much greater extent than here, in places like Italy, India and Eastern Europe. But the responsibility for this rested largely on women and the economics, not to say the social expectations, of modern life mean that few women are available for this lifelong dedication. But if we are to fi nd substitutions for those natural bonds, it is unlikely to be in state- standardised provision. The best solutions are going to have to be similar to natural family relationships, and as diff erent and distinctive as people are themselves. The old ad hoc childcare arrangements varied enormously from my middle- class north London baby-sitting circle to the working-class mothers’ shared watch over the kids on the terrace when my husband was growing up. What they had in common was that they were a part of genuine communities that grew closer through participating in them.
Kemsley said: “In this instance, I felt it was right to step aside, allowing the production to remain the focus.” The 65-year-old singer also claimed to have split with the manager of his record label, Tony Pontius, over his refusal to release We Will Dance Again. Boy George has not given up or given ground . Like a laser, he stays on track, and has explained himself beautifully. His statement, released on Friday, is worth quoting: “The suggestion that I feel no compassion for Palestinians is both untrue and absurd. “ I am devastated for the loss of the innocent lives on both sides of this war and I call for peace. I come from a place of peace. I am a Jew- loving, trans-hugging queer hippy and my mother would be proud of me.” So would all our mothers.
E
A
Burnham on NHS and welfare reform
‘W
e all know what to do,” as the bibulous Eurocrat Jean- Claude Juncker once put it. “But we don’t know how to get re-elected once we have done it.” Talk to MPs of any party and they will privately acknowledge several things that they don’t like to admit in public. The triple lock is unaff ordable. Benefi ts are going to millions who ought to be at work. Our decarbonisation targets are unachievable. The NHS has squandered the extra resources shovelled at it since 2020. The state pension age will have to rise. Social care needs an overhaul. Andy Burnham has pounced on this last item and suggested cross-party talks. In theory, cross-party talks can be a good thing. Many of the problems just listed go unaddressed precisely because opposition parties almost never back the hard choices that they have called for, preferring, when the moment comes, to appeal to people’s fears. But the Prime Minister’s plan to
PA
dreadful
idea for
social care is
too divisive,
but surely
cross-party
co-operation
to rein in
spending is
the patriotic
thing to do
NHS, like the care sector, more pluralist and more cost-effective
remedy social care by extending the NHS model to the sector is a truly dreadful idea. Indeed, it is precisely the opposite of what we should be doing. Rather than extending the failed NHS model of state monopoly to care homes, we should do the converse: we should make the NHS, like the care sector, more pluralist and more cost-eff ective. This would be the proper way to build cross-party consensus. Burnham’s ministerial career began under Tony Blair, though he was not health secretary until the baleful Gordon Brown years. He will remember how the Blair government introduced a modest internal market into the NHS, improving productivity while maintaining the principle of “free at the point of use”. Many of Blair’s reforms were allowed to lapse under David Cameron, who took the view that the only healthcare policy voters would accept from the Tories was an open chequebook. But the reforms plainly worked.
JAMES FRAYNE
resilient in a dangerous world
veryone can see that the world is getting more dangerous. Families across Britain are seeing the war in Iran escalating again as they fl ick on the news, open their newspaper or scroll their social media feed. I know how people will feel as they watch the confl ict grow, casualties rise and trade ships stuck motionless. They will be worried about the impact on their daily lives at home: on their energy bills, petrol prices and the cost of their weekly shop. Of course, the confl ict aff ects our national security, our bases, personnel and allies in the Middle East. But it also threatens our economic security: impacting the family fi nances of millions of Britons. I know that many British businesses have been put under pressure by increasing costs too. Confl ict and uncertainty increases infl ation, threatens growth and pushes up prices for businesses and governments alike. This isn’t a war we started. And rightly we made sure Britain wasn’t drawn in. But, being frank, we can’t completely stop the squeeze that families and businesses will feel with a global shock of this scale. What we can do is be an active, hands-on Government that puts British interests fi rst – giving breathing space to those feeling fi nancial strain and making our country more resilient so we can better weather these shocks in the future. And most importantly, we will give people hope, wherever they come from, whatever their background, that they will live in a prosperous Britain . People have seen in the past fortnight how we are building on the progress made over the past two years to put the interests of the British people fi rst. Removing VAT from electricity bills and capping bus fares in England at £2 will give families that bit of extra fi nancial breathing space day to day. Transferring fi nancial fi repower to local communities, after it has been held in Whitehall for too long, will help deliver growth in every postcode. Slashing business rates bills for pubs, social clubs and live music venues that have been under huge pressure since those dark days of lockdown, will help Britons with the cost of business as well as the cost of living. And backing British industries so that every single part of the country has a role to play in
helping
those under
financial
strain, I’ll
fight to
ensure the
country
is better
equipped
to weather
crises like
the Iran war
It should be possible to build a common position on NHS reform – Labour has a kind of moral permission that other parties do not. When its spokesmen talk of getting better value from a limited budget, voters do not hear it as a sneaky plan to sell the NHS to Donald Trump. Of course, Burnham might not want a consensus here. He might prefer to keep using healthcare as a shibboleth,
making our nation more resilient will create jobs and breathe life back into communities that were left behind for decades . Our £8.4bn investment in our nuclear deterrent this week supports tens of thousands of jobs and thousands of companies across the UK supply chain, including 22,000 apprenticeships created right into the next decade. That’s British money spent on British fi rms and British workers. We are taking a diff erent approach to business as laid out by the Prime Minister in his fi rst week of offi ce – giving it greater certainty, long-term direction, faster decision-making and giving businesses a stronger voice . That ruthless focus on our own national interests will not waver, because to do so would be a dereliction of a government’s fi rst duty to protect its people. But that doesn’t mean turning our backs on the rest of the world. It’s about hard power, strong alliances and sure diplomacy. I spoke to my international counterparts in my fi rst days as chancellor about how we work together on the economic response to the Middle East crisis. We are working as a government to see a ceasefi re turning into a settled peace, and we are leading a coalition of 30 nations to secure safe shipping in the region if the US and Iran strike that peace. At home, we will be watching closely for any suggestions that customers are being taken for a ride at the pump or the till. Companies’ willingness to work with the Government throughout this crisis has been positive, and there has been no signifi cant evidence of so-called price gouging, . I am under no illusions that many families across Britain are still fi nding life tough. But I have confi dence in our resilience as a nation. In our British grit, and the determined hope that still runs through our communities. I see it in spades across the country: the pub landlord in Harlow, the carer in Liverpool and the sales assistant in Doncaster are all setting their alarm tonight ready to work hard tomorrow, whatever is happening. My promise to Telegraph readers as your Chancellor is this: whatever is thrown at us in this dangerous new world, I will always put the interests of the British people fi rst.
repeating the favourite Labour allegation that “the Tories are planning to privatise the NHS” – a charge that remains bizarrely potent with chunks of the electorate, despite the Tories never having made any such move when they had large majorities. Then again, if he wants more than a single term in offi ce, he is going to have to tackle the central challenge of
border have been a gift to Farage
ndy Burnham will be looking at the pictures from Ceuta – where tens of thousands of North African migrants forcefully entered Spanish, EU territory – with huge frustration. For these shocking images directly challenge Burnham’s apparent political strategy to date: getting voters to forget Labour’s failure on illegal immigration by announcing a raft of popular policies, while gently musing on some of the country’s other big challenges. It’s hard not to conclude the strategy’s objective was to create the option of a snap election. Unless you’ve been in the world of focus-group research, it’s hard to appreciate just how in line Burnham’s policy announcements have been with recent opinion research of this type. His proposal that secondary-school pupils will be able to study subjects linked to manufacturing was an open goal politically – one that any previous prime minister (or opposition leader) should have made. Provincial working-class voters, and increasing numbers of middle-class metropolitan voters too, have been crying out for politicians to give parity to vocational education. Other popular announcements have been made on capping bus fares, cutting rates for pubs and clipping taxes on energy. Together, these policies, delivered with Burnham’s easy charm, have led to a mini surge in the polls: under Burnham, Labour is already tied with Reform (ahead, in some polls), having trailed for many months. This very solid political start on other issues meant Burnham sidelined illegal immigration as an issue. He managed to do so as the small boats – which are seemingly also getting much bigger, with one carrying a record 165 migrants last month – kept arriving. After all, even immigration- obsessed Reform voters still care about other issues; in fact, his policy announcements were tailor-made for Reform’s working-class base. All Burnham has done so far on illegal immigration is to acknowledge that it’s a problem. Ceuta changes the game. Though most of the estimated 60,000 people
crossing into EU territory has thrust illegal immigration back on to the agenda, allowing the Reform Party to make hay
Andy Burnham has suggested cross-party talks in his quest to overhaul social care
British political life, namely the fact that our levels of taxation, spending and borrowing are killing growth. Since our two biggest budgets are healthcare and social security (the third, horrifyingly, is debt interest payments), he is going to have to fi nd effi ciency savings there. Sure, some public-sector unions will squeal in protest, but, as Blair understood, that helps establish Labour’s credibility
who crossed illegally into the Spanish exclave appear to have now returned to Morocco, the incident is a stunning warning of the consequences of lax border control. Voters will be reminded of the established parties’ failure to tackle our current migration crisis, and shudder to think of what would happen if infl ows become even greater in the future. It will then no longer be possible to keep Reform on the back foot, even with its own self-infl icted problems. It is set to become central to the national political conversation once again. Burnham’s immediate response so far has been cautious, suggesting he will visit the south coast soon to assess the problem of illegal immigration for himself. Separately (and ludicrously, given its record), the Government has also off ered help to Spain on border control. This isn’t going to be enough: it’ll be impossible to rely on vague platitudes. It’s not just that Reform will be
of the established parties’ failure to tackle our current migration crisis
demanding answers from Burnham, but his European counterparts are demanding answers from Spain. Ceuta makes illegal immigration a geopolitical issue that no credible leader can ignore. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, has talked of the “concrete threat” posed by illegal immigration, and raised the prospect of suspending Spain from the Schengen Area of free European movement. Even the self-consciously moderate Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has voiced concern. What of Reform? It fi nally has its moment to shift politics back to its one area of unassailable advantage. Pegged back by scrutiny into Nigel Farage’s aff airs, the party has had little to say as Burnham has talked about issues such as education, where Reform simply has no expertise or credibility. Now they can reasonably ask what
with the nation at large. In any case, whatever their shop stewards claim, NHS employees stand to gain even more than patients from an easing of the state monopoly. What goes for the NHS goes for the other big budget: welfare. Cross-party talks on defusing the unexploded bombs in our way – unaff ordable state pensions, unaff ordable public-sector pensions and unaff ordable rises in benefi ts claims – are feasible for the same reason as on the NHS, namely that Burnham would be appealing to the middle ground. Solutions are available. In social- democratic Sweden, the state pension age rises automatically with longevity, and people who choose to defer the age at which they start qualify for a higher rate. Other countries have encouraged state employees to take a cash sum in lieu of their pension entitlement. Small tweaks to the benefi ts rules would reverse the huge rise in claims from people who know what to say to qualify as mentally unfi t. These are the areas where cross-
rules would reverse the spike in claims from people who know just what to say
party support could work. Labour would need to involve the Tories, the Lib Dems and Reform (the Greens are almost certainly unpersuadable). Ministers know that all these policies involve concentrated losses (people facing later retirement, for example) and dispersed gains (a growing economy). They would be electorally feasible only if none of the main parties went all-out for the votes of the losers. Why, you might ask, would Opposition parties forego the easy hit? Why, indeed, would any government even want to open the issue? When do politicians ever put long-term stability before short-term vote-chasing? When does the electorate ever let them? The short answer is, “in the aftermath of a fi nancial meltdown”. And, since the party on whose watch such a meltdown happens is obliterated, it would make sense to try to avoid it by making judicious savings today. It would also, for all the political parties concerned, be the patriotic thing to do. Just a thought.
Burnham has done so far to deter the arrival of small boats and what he plans to do from now on. Meanwhile, Reform can highlight its own specifi c plans rapidly to process and return failed asylum seekers to their countries of origin or safe alternatives. While some might doubt the practicality of Reform’s proposals, they do have specifi city and they demand that other parties put forward equally detailed alternatives. Labour has failed to do so thus far. The problem Burnham has is that the only way to deal with illegal immigration on this scale is to change human rights laws. But there appears no reasonable prospect that his colleagues or activists will go along with such a move. As such, it’s hard to see how he will be able to persuade voters that, as with other areas, he’s prepared to think and act in decisive ways. What will he do next week? Other than look “determined” in pictures, with Zelensky-style attire, it’s hard to say. Presumably, as with issues such as council-house building, social care and wealth taxes, he’ll likely just muse on the need for something big. He’ll likely talk of the need for a pan- national response; perhaps he’ll say he’s had conversations with other leaders who all agree on the need for some task force or other. It won’t be enough. It’s too early to say that Ceuta will stop Burnham’s apparent pre-election strategy in its tracks. He has put several points on Labour’s poll ratings with an extremely politically astute approach. I have never thought that Andy Burnham was a credible long-term leader. Instead, I expected him to tumble in the polls amid little progress on the ground. Even so, I considered it possible that he could boost Labour’s poll ratings to give him a short-term shot at an election win. It’s still possible, but Ceuta makes it harder. The next several days will be all about illegal immigration and Reform will be fl ying. Burnham won’t be able to get away with anything other than the clearest policy response. His brief but sweet honeymoon might already be drawing to a close.
means the term should be retired
O
of abuse aimed at anyone who questions pro-Palestine propaganda. By Steven Poole
utside Hackney Town Hall this week, while the council was voting to “de-twin” the east London borough from Haifa in Israel, a woman carrying a Palestinian flag threw eggs at two protesters, explaining through the keffiyeh covering her face that they were not welcome because they were “Zionists”. Meanwhile, a cocktail menu allegedly found in a London cinema read: “No sexists, No racists, No transphobes, No Zionists, No Fascists.” These incidents did not occur in isolation. Earlier this month, the General Synod of the Church of England voted to “hear” – to consider and engage with – a document produced by Palestinian Christians known as Kairos II, which includes statements such as: “The genocidal war on Gaza is the continuation of the Zionist project to seize all of Palestine, emptied of its Palestinian people.” Last month, the free speech campaign group PEN America reported that many Jewish writers had been “harassed on social media, review-bombed on [the books website] Goodreads, and subjected to online calls not to be read, platformed, or engaged with if they had ever shown support for Israel or Zionism”. Campus protests against the Gaza war have featured signs such as “Zionists not allowed” and a spreadsheet was distributed on social
media entitled “Is Your Fav Author a Zionist???”, allowing people to check whether the writers they admired held views that were unacceptably friendly to Israel. And mere weeks after the genocidal attacks by Hamas on Oct 7 2023, diminutive global-warming activist Greta Thunberg was observed chanting “Crush Zionism!” outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm. What is going on? What do these people mean by “Zionism” and “Zionists”? And what do they really think about Jews? Place of safety
The ambiguities of the word Zionism are manifold and have existed from the beginning. The word Zionismus was coined in German in 1890 by Nathan Birnbaum, the Jewish Viennese writer, to describe emerging ideas of Jewish nationalism. Zion was the name of one of the hills of Jerusalem, and was also often used to denote the whole city or the entire “promised land”. Birnbaum’s compatriot, the literary critic and playwright Theodor Herzl, had observed the Russian pogroms against Jews and the Dreyfus affair in France, and concluded, in the words of Simon Sebag Montefiore, the historian, “that Jews could never be safe
without their own homeland”. Herzl founded the Zionist Organisation and its regular Zionist Congresses with the hope of creating “a home in Palestine”, the geographic region where Judaism began, and where sovereign Jewish states had formerly existed, for the Jewish people. At this point, many Zionists envisioned a Palestine where Jews and Arabs lived together harmoniously under Ottoman rule, with an “internationalised” Jerusalem welcoming to all faiths. But subsequent developments, including the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, helped to ensure that the idea of a Jewish nation state carved out from the ensuing British Mandate gathered momentum. Writing in 1945, Hannah Arendt, the Jewish political theorist, deplored the victory of this “revisionist Zionism”, which had achieved supremacy in part owing to “the terrible catastrophe in Europe”, the Holocaust. “It is simply preposterous to believe,” she argued, “that further partition of so small a territory whose present border lines are already the result of two previous partitions – the first from Syria and the second from Transjordan – could resolve the conflict of two peoples.” None the less, partition was approved by the United Nations (UN) and Israel declared its independence in 1948.
From there, the meanings of Zionism in the
mouths of its friends and enemies
proliferated. During the rest of the
20th century, Zionism could mean one of
at least five things: first, the right of
self-determination of the Jewish people;
second, the desire of Jews to live in their
ancestral land; third, the establishment of the
state of Israel as it was originally constituted;
fourth, the territorial expansion of that state;
and fifth, simply the survival of the state of
Israel into the future.
Many modern critics of Zionism conflate all
five meanings, or at least refuse to specify
which they intend. Those who use Zionism in
the last sense, to be clear, think that the state
of Israel should literally not exist in 2026: that
is, that a country founded 78 years ago, under
the legal auspices of the UN, must now be
somehow dissolved or dismantled. How this is
to be done without enormous violence is left
as an exercise to the reader.
The enemies of Israel deployed the rhetoric
of Zionism pejoratively in all these ways
throughout the 20th century. At the heart of
this effort was the Soviet Union, which
infused anti-Israel propaganda with Nazi ideas
about Jews. Izabella Tabarovsky, the scholar
of Soviet anti-Zionism, has pointed out that
“many of the core tropes that animate the
anti-Zionist Left today are carbon copies of
ideas that the KGB and the Department of
Propaganda’s ideologues developed,
weaponised and popularised with
particular intensity in the wake of the
Six-Day War” in 1967.
“The propaganda and disinformation
campaign that the Soviets developed then,
which demonised Israel and Zionism, served
their specific domestic and foreign interests
and was aimed both at domestic and foreign
audiences. It was most likely this latter stage
of Soviet anti-Zionism that forged in popular
consciousness on the far-Left false links
between Zionism and Nazism, fascism,
racism, genocide, settler-colonialism,
imperialism, militarism and apartheid,”
wrote Tabarovsky.
The Austrian-born writer and Holocaust
survivor Jean Améry observed in 1969, in his
essay Virtuous Antisemitism, that large parts
of the Left were inclined to “plead for the
self-disbandment of the ‘Zionist’ state of
Israel”, which had existed for only 21 years.
In 1975, the UN General Assembly adopted
Resolution 3379, which announced: “Zionism
is a form of racism and racial discrimination”.
Its signatories included the USSR, which
deployed its anti-Zionist propaganda to promote the resolution, along with, unsurprisingly, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, those countries that had invaded and attempted to destroy the nascent state of Israel 27 years previously. In the early 1980s, a Soviet propaganda unit called The Anti-Zionist Committee of the Soviet Public promoted the idea, according to historian Theodore H Friedgut, that “the state of Israel served as the striking force of American imperialism in the Middle East, using Nazi-like methods to accomplish its goals”. Deliberate dehumanisation
Israel’s near adversaries gratefully adopted the Soviet lexicon, helping to cement what Adam Louis-Klein, the anthropologist, calls “antizionism”, an ideology that he distinguishes from anti-Zionism because it no longer relates to the principle of Israel’s existence but uses accusations of colonialism, apartheid and genocide to tar the Jewish people worldwide, as well as their state in the Middle East. The late, unlamented Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for one, had told his followers in a 1997 radio broadcast that “the United States, its Congress and its government, are under the spell of Zionism in different financial, economic, cultural, political and propaganda arenas. The bulk of the propaganda organs of the world mass media, furthermore, are controlled by the Zionists.” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s former president, explained in 2006 that “the main solution” to troubles in the Middle East would always be “the elimination of the Zionist regime”; in other words, the destruction of the state of Israel. To Iran and its proxies, indeed, Israel has always been “the Zionist entity”, a phrase of deliberate dehumanisation (an “entity” might not even be human) that also usefully implies a temporary state of affairs. In 2011, Hamas reacted with alarm to a proposal to teach Palestinian children about the Holocaust, saying: “Holocaust studies in refugee camps is a contemptible plot and serves the Zionist entity with a goal of creating a reality and telling stories in order
abuse, pure and simple, and should not in my view have any place in the vocabulary of Labour members’
A May Day parade in Moscow, USSR,
in 1972. It reads: “Zionism is the
weapon of Imperialism”
its purpose on the day Israel was established and recognised internationally as an independent state’
Protesters on a pro-Palestine demonstration in London last month
to justify acts of slaughter against the Palestinian people.” In the same year, another Hamas official wrote: “The lie of the Zionist Holocaust crumbles with countless holocausts committed by the Zionists in Beit Hanoun, al-Fakhoura school and other places in Palestine.” Hamas’s 1988 charter names “Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, espionage groups and others” as examples of “Zionist organisations”, taking the anti-Semitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, published in Russia in 1903, as Gospel. For the Western hard Left, of course, Hamas and other militant anti-Israel organisations were heroic anti-colonialist freedom fighters, which may help to explain why Jeremy Corbyn called Hamas and Hezbollah his “friends” in Parliament in 2009. He later tried to explain this away as “inclusive language” but did not resile from the fact that he had also said: “The idea that an organisation [Hamas] that is dedicated towards the good of the Palestinian people and long-term peace and social justice and political justice in the whole region should be labelled as a terrorist organisation by the British government is really a big mistake.” Whether Corbyn still believes, after the attacks of Oct 7 2023, that Hamas is dedicated to long-term peace and social justice is not recorded. In 2013, Corbyn said that a group of British Zionists, regrettably, “did not understand English irony”. By this time, in the Labour Party and elsewhere, the term Zionist was now often being used as simple code for “Jew”. This was more blatant in the abusive shortening “Zio” – which, oddly, Leftists had eagerly adopted from David Duke, the leader of the Ku Klux Klan, who popularised the slur throughout the 2010s with his radio rants about “Zio-Communism”, “Zio-economics”, “Zio-history”, “Zio-supremacism” and “Zio-occupied America”. After the Sandy Hook school massacre in 2012, Duke said: “The real murderers are not the bullets, but the Bullies of the Zio Media.” (Perhaps not coincidentally, there has been a marked increase, on X and YouTube podcasts, in outright Holocaust denial since the start of the war in Gaza.) Last year, an undergraduate at the University of Oxford was arrested and charged with stirring up racial hatred after he chanted “put the Zios in the ground” at a pro- Palestinian march (he denies the allegation). Currency on campuses
VUK VALCIC/ZUMA PRESS WIRE/SHUTTERSTOCK, VLADIMIR SICHOV, IMAGNO/GETTY
The adoption of such racism by the Left had already become endemic by 2016, as noted by Shami Chakrabarti in her report on anti- Semitism within Labour: “‘Zio’ is a word that seems to have gained some currency on campuses and on social media in particular,” she noted. “It is a term of abuse, pure and simple, and should not in my view have any place in the vocabulary of Labour members.” But Chakrabarti also observed that “Zionist” was too often used in the same way. “I have heard testimony and heard for myself first-hand,” she wrote, “the way in which the word ‘Zionist’ has been used personally, abusively or as a euphemism for ‘Jew’, even in relation to some people with no stated position or even a critical position on the historic formation or development of modern Israel. What I will say is that some words have been used and abused by accident and design so much as to blur, change or mutate their
Theodor Herzl , the literary critic and playwright, and fellow Zionists in Cafe Louvre, Vienna, in 1896
meaning. My advice to critics of the Israeli
state and/or government is to use the term
‘Zionist’ advisedly, carefully and never
euphemistically or as part of personal abuse.”
Wise advice, though at least one Labour
member failed to follow it, posting to social
media in 2019: “How can we not have empathy
with the Palestinians when they are up against
these murdering, Zionest [sic] b-----ds. Their
NAZI masters taught them well.”
Corbyn explained to supporters last year
that his new fringe parliamentary grouping,
Your Party, was founded in “absolute
opposition to Zionism”. In America,
meanwhile, a 2022 academic study,
“Platformed antisemitism on Twitter:
Anti-Jewish rhetoric in political discourse
surrounding the 2018 US midterm election”,
found that, in nearly 50 per cent of its uses on
the site, the word Zionist was clearly being
deployed as an anti-Semitic slur.
The fact that such abusive language on the
Left predates by many years the Gaza conflict
that began in 2023 gives the lie to any claim
that it is just a regrettable excess of emotion in
the face of a brutal war, an understandable
overflow of sympathy for innocent victims.
On the contrary, the Gaza war just made such
language more publicly acceptable.
Numerous banners brandished at
pro-Palestine protests since Oct 7 have
included slogans and motifs that are almost
identical to those used in Soviet posters and
parades in the 1970s and 1980s. In the UK,
the Green Party appears to have attracted
many of those who were too anti-Semitic for
a reformed post-Corbyn Labour: one
candidate for Newcastle city council posted to
social media her hope that “every single
Zionist” be killed.
At its conference in October, the party is
expected to debate the motion “Zionism is
racism”. The mayor of New York City, Zohran
Mamdani, explained to a rally in 2023 that
Zionism was “a modern political movement
seeking for [sic] the eradication of a native
people”. David Miller, the British sociologist
who won a 2024 tribunal against his dismissal
by Bristol University on the grounds that his
“anti-Zionist” views were a protected
philosophical characteristic, now posts
screeds about the “Zionist threat” to X; earlier
this month, he called Josh Simons, the MP
who vacated his seat in Makerfield for Andy
Burnham and who is of Jewish ancestry, a
“Zionist asset”.
But people who deploy the term “Zionist”
are often no clearer about what exactly they
mean by it in any given instance; and nor are
their audiences. According to research
conducted by Mira Sucharov, the political
scientist, in 2022, 72 per cent of American
Jews consider themselves Zionist if the term is
defined as “a belief in a Jewish and democratic
state”, but only 10 per cent agree if the word
means “the belief in privileging Jewish rights
over non-Jewish rights in Israel” – the
definition, she explained, that “comes to the
minds of most anti-Zionists”.
Writing in Israeli newspaper Haaretz,
Sucharov concluded that “when the subject of
Zionism arises, self-proclaimed Zionists
(Jewish or otherwise) and anti-Zionists
(Jewish or otherwise) are talking about
completely different things.” A query to
Google Trends today shows that searches for
the terms “Zionist” and “Zionism” increased
enormously after October 2023, implying
both that the word was being used more often and that people were unsure as to its meaning. Isolating the Jew-haters
Perhaps the word has simply outlived its usefulness and it is time to retire it altogether. In 2018, Jonathan Shamir, the Israeli writer, argued that, because it is so “ambiguous and varied in its meaning”, the term “Zionism” routinely “stifles any productive conversation” – not least because, as he pointed out, a lot of Israelis who identify as Zionists are on the peacenik Left. “For so many, identification as a Zionist is a red line: the person in question is immediately considered racist,” he observed. “Yet so many of these so-called Zionists are at the forefront of the fight for justice for Palestinians. Similarly, anti-Zionism is also loaded with nasty connotations of anti-Semitism. These polarising terms should therefore be shelved, and taken out only when we are discussing political philosophy, which most of the time, we are not.” It is rarely used in this sense on social media. In 2024, Meta (the owner of Facebook, Threads and Instagram) announced that it would ban clearly anti-Semitic uses of “Zionist” on its platform: those that used the term “as a proxy for Jews or Israelis”. Deborah Lipstadt, the historian whose book History on Trial recounts her successful defence of a libel action brought by the Holocaust denier David Irving, welcomed this recognition of “the alarming, widespread use of ‘Zionists’ as a cover for expressing hatred of Jews in general”. The historian Rhona Burns, of Cornell University, meanwhile, argues that Israel’s defenders should simply refuse to play the language game of arguing about Zionism at all. “Zionism realised its purpose on the day Israel was established and recognised internationally as an independent state,” she pointed out in The Times of Israel in 2024. Why abandon the word? Because, she explains now, “Israel should be discussed within the realm of normal politics. I believe that ‘Zionism’ should not be employed as the main word to describe what might be referred to as Israeliness, Israeli policy, Israeli patriotism, or Israeli national aspirations – for example, to sustain the country’s Jewish national identity alongside its liberal western values, which historically was the classic Zionist aspiration and goal for the Jewish state.” While “Zionism” once named a concrete political idea, she adds, “the term today is used in completely detached ways from this historical and actual meaning, as part of the general campaign to redraw history to suit only one perspective”. In other words, it has been hijacked by activists that Louis-Klein, the anthropologist, describes as “antizionists”. It is difficult not to agree, then, that “Zionism” and “Zionist” are by now well past their political sell-by date as terms of rational discussion. Let people who want the state of Israel to be destroyed or otherwise dissolved say that explicitly; let those who desire a two-state or single-state solution specify that instead; let those who lament the injustices of 1947-1948 make it clear that they are doing history. And then the only people left raging against Zionists will be those who just hate Jews.
ou know, I’m 72. It’s a great adventure,” says Sir Trevor Phillips. “And who turns down adventures if someone is willing to take a chance on you?” It is a bright afternoon in July, and Phillips is in a good mood, as well he might be. At an age when many broadcasters are encouraged to take up documentaries about canal boats, Phillips has a glamorous, not to mention well-paid, new gig in the United States. After three years of hosting Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News, the journalist, broadcaster, sometimes public official and enduring bee in the bonnet of the Labour Party, has been appointed as a senior global affairs correspondent for US network CBS. Having recorded his final Sky show last weekend, he is now moving to New York, where he will have a wide-ranging brief. Forget Elliot Anderson leaving Nottingham Forest for Manchester City – in broadcasting news, this is the big-money transfer of the summer. “I’m not the smoothest presenter on television or reader of the autocue, but I guess they think that I manage the chaos [of live guests] well,” he says, of why they have gone for him. “Broadcast journalism has, to some extent, become the creature of entertainment. We need to return to the business of reporting. To put it in its crassest terms, the story needs to come before the reporter. Too many people who do what I do put themselves between the viewer and the story, and that’s not our job.” We meet at the central London offices of the headhunting firm Green Park Executive Recruitment, of which Phillips is chairman, a role he describes as his “day job”. In a white Oxford-collar shirt, with thick-framed black glasses and a dusting of grey stubble around his chin, Phillips is remarkably boyish for someone who has spent half a century rolling around in public discourse. He is seemingly still up for a scrap. In taking on the new role, Phillips has also been dragged into one of the most bitter conflicts in American media. Last October, Bari Weiss, a 42-year-old “anti-woke” journalist, was appointed editor in chief of the network, despite having almost no broadcast experience. Weiss made headlines when she quit The New York Times in 2020 over what she argued was the paper’s failure to protect her from criticism on social media and from within the newsroom. Weiss had been a prominent critic of diversity initiatives, which she said made her a target for other members of staff. Her takeover of CBS, a storied liberal network, has led to reports of walkouts, firings and bitter infighting, none of which seems to bother Phillips one bit. “Bari and her team have a huge tanker of a network news organisation to turn around, and they are assembling a little team on the bridge,” he says. “The great thing about her is that she’s one of those people who will either change the world or crash and burn. But when they crash and burn, it’s in Technicolor.” He says it is a mistake to see the change of leadership as an anti-woke crusade. “In the US, the controversy has been framed as, ‘CBS News is becoming anti-woke.’ But that’s not what Bari is about. She has her own views, some of which I’m sympathetic to, some of which I’m not, but her point is that the media should be heterodox. There should be a variety of voices.” Last month, it was reported that Weiss had removed a veteran reporter, Holly Williams, from a planned interview with Nigel Farage and given it to Phillips instead. Phillips won’t be drawn on the details, but says interviews with politicians such as Farage will be part of his brief. “What’s interesting in politics now is this current of thought, represented by Farage, Giorgia Meloni and Marine Le Pen, which essentially says the way we have done conventional politics is bust in a new world and we need to do things differently,” he says. “We keep trying to fit it into the old Right/Left duopoly, and I don’t think that’s quite right. The interviews I’m interested in doing will include that group [of leaders].” We meet less than a fortnight into Andy Burnham’s time as Prime Minister, during which Burnham has made several eye-catching announcements – £2 bus fares, “No 10 North” – and rumblings about reforming welfare and social care. Phillips says that although No 10 in the North is “nonsense, the opposite of devolution, a way of making sure nobody in Manchester does anything he doesn’t like”, he is cautiously optimistic otherwise. “I’ve known Andy a long time,” he says. “He is a good guy. There are two big questions about him. The first is personal. He’s charming and empathetic, but is he an empty suit? When you knock on the door and ask, ‘Why are you in politics?’, is there an answer? With Blair, there was definitely an answer. He thought we ought to be able to reconcile the dynamic of the market with social justice.” He says that while it is easy to characterise Burnham as a “cartoon with the flat cap and the whippets and the Mancunian vowels”, there are “signs” that the new Prime Minister is part of a recognisable Labour tradition. “Is he ready to choose?” Phillips adds. “All sorts of people are good communicators. In the end, politics is about one simple thing – it’s about choice, and the choice is almost always between bad and worse. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have to make a choice, and we wouldn’t need politics. The central choice he has to make is between party and country.” Last week, it was suggested that Burnham’s welfare reforms would include a re-examination of mental health benefits, which have been a
conventional politics is bust in a new world and we need to do things differently’
realising how hated they are’
news, the rise of trans ‘fantasists’ and why some cultures are not equally ‘desirable’
rapidly growing burden on the public
finances. More than 430,000 UK people
aged 16-24 are claiming sickness
benefits, a number driven by a jump in
reported mental health conditions.
Of all the countless causes Phillips
has weighed in on over the years –
multiculturalism, equality, net zero,
free speech, the media – none is closer
to his heart than mental health,
particularly in children and young
adults. In April 2021, Sushila, the eldest
of his two daughters, a writer and
editor, died at just 36 after a decades-
long struggle with anorexia. The
experience has left Phillips with clear
views on the difference between
severe mental illness and milder
conditions such as anxiety or ADHD.
“During the 22 years that she was
in the grip of this thing, I finally came
to understand what it means to be
possessed by demons,” Phillips says.
“Until you have been in a position
where you are wrestling your own
child into the footwell in the back of
a speeding car because she is so
tormented she wants to throw herself
out and kill herself, you do not
understand what mental illness really
looks like.”
He says seeing Sushila’s suffering has
lowered his tolerance for celebrities
invoking mental health on flimsy
pretexts. “I find it hard to hear people,
particularly celebrities or people in
public life, talking about their mental
health when what they mean is they’re
sad, or they’ve had a particularly bad
piece of news,” he says. “That is a
completely different thing from what
someone like Sushila went through.
We are pathologising the human
experience and blurring the lines
between true torment and despair.”
Despite his long-standing affiliation
with Labour (initially as a member of
the London Assembly in the early
2000s), in recent years, as a columnist
for The Times and on Sky News, Phillips
has moved further towards a small-c
conservative liberalism, with tough
love for some long-standing fixations of
the Left. He has argued that a lack of
national identity has become a bigger
problem than direct racism, and that
changing street names or toppling
statues because of their historic
associations risks being mere “window
dressing” that has more to do with
white guilt than addressing structural
injustice. He has also expressed a fear
that identity politics obscures
meaningful debate.
“The only thing I’m really known for
is banging on about whether
multiculturalism is right, or what some
would call ‘wokery’.”
As immigration has surged in recent
years, “my views on multiculturalism
have intensified”, he explains. “Over
the past few years, we have become
more diverse, and will continue to
become more so. But the more you
allow people to assert their identity,
whether that’s ethnic or gender or
whatever it is, the more you need to
balance that with a clear articulation of
what conduct and behaviour are acceptable, and what kinds of relationships are acceptable.” It sounds like one of the issues he’s referring to is cousin marriage, I suggest. “I’m talking about cousin marriage, I’m talking about places of worship where women are in one place and men in another,” he says. “There are societies in which the status of women is inferior, and everyone accepts that. [Britain] cannot be that society. In our society, not all cultures are equally desirable or legitimate.” In 2020, Phillips was suspended by Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party over allegations of Islamophobia related to historic comments he had made, including about the failure of some Muslims to wear Remembrance poppies and concerns over Pakistani Muslim men abusing children in the North. He was reinstated the next year. He remains deeply critical of liberal, London-centric groupthink. A few days before we meet, Elon Musk gave an interview to The Economist in which he repeated the argument, which has gained traction in parts of the Right, that a UK civil war is not unthinkable. “It’s not an accident he’s doing this through The Economist,” says Phillips, arguing that Musk says these things deliberately to provoke, in this case, that newspaper’s liberal readers (and staff). “Trump and Elon are just messing with us,” he says. “Forgive my language here, but they are just f---ing with our heads.”
The real problem in the UK, Phillips says, is people like him – he lives in Kentish Town – mistaking the views of people who come to their north London dinner parties for a meaningful tranche of the population. “Liberal cosmopolitan London and its suburbs – Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge – have only recently become aware of how much the rest of the country hates us, and we want to interpret that as an [evenly] divided country,” he says. “We are in a tiny minority who have been the beneficiaries of globalisation because we’re clever, we’re mobile and we have skills that are useful. Much of the country is not in that place.” If Burnham is to succeed, he says, it must be in reassuring the rest of the country that he grasps their anger. “The story [Burnham] is telling is powerful because most of the country is looking at London and its outposts and thinking, ‘You guys do not understand what we have lost, and that is why we hate you, and worse still, you keep telling us what we should think about stuff. Net zero was “not a bad idea”, he says, but should not have become a shibboleth. “Net zero shouldn’t be turned into a religious object,” he says. “If it costs either financially or in political capital more than you think it’s worth, it’s not something a government should die on a hill over.” As chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Phillips
helped to shape the Equality Act 2010, which included protections from discrimination for people undergoing gender reassignment. He says he failed to anticipate the strength of the trans movement in subsequent years. “It never occurred to us for one second that anybody would think of sex as anything other than biologically determined,” he says. “It was an oversight on our part that you would get the rise of a movement based in fantasy. We never imagined that there would be people peddling the fantasy that you can just make up what sex you are. “The problem is that the grown-ups in the room have turned into cowards, and they are all running away from the fantasists,” he adds. “When I was a student, one of the things we fought for was that women could operate independently of men. Now, according to this new fantasy world, the one thing women cannot do is decide when they want to be separate from men. It’s not just outrageous, it’s insane.” He also disagrees with politicians making their race or sex the most important thing about them, singling out Rachel Reeves for repeatedly talking about being the first female chancellor, and his “good friend” David Lammy for drawing attention himself as the first black deputy prime minister. “When they [highlight their race or sex], the rest of the country is going, ‘What is wrong with you?’” he says. “It’s not just that you are drawing attention to these things, it’s that you are saying, ‘If you don’t think this is the most important thing about Rachel Reeves or David Lammy, you are a sexist and a bigot and a racist.’” Phillips started out as more of a firebrand. He says CBS hired him for his knack of “controlling the chaos”, but you can also see why his background and varied career make him an intriguing prospect for an American broadcaster. He was born in Islington in 1953, the youngest of 10 children born to parents who had recently emigrated from Guyana. His childhood was spent between the Caribbean and London before he studied chemistry at Imperial College London. From 1978 to 1980, he was the first black president of the National
Union of Students (NUS), before moving into broadcast journalism. “When my time at the NUS was coming to an end, a woman approached me about coming into TV,” he recalls. “I gave the emissary a blast. I was a massive Leftie activist. ‘Journalists, you’re parasites, you don’t do anything, why would I do that? We’re here to change the world.’” Six months later, only slightly sheepishly, he started his career at London Weekend Television. In student politics, Phillips began a long-standing friendship with Peter Mandelson, who formed the Oxford Labour Students Association while at St Catherine’s College. The two men went on to work together in broadcasting. Mandelson was best man at Phillips’s first wedding in 1981 (since 2013, he has been married to Helen Veale, a TV producer). Mandelson was a key influence when Phillips entered politics, first during two stints as chairman of the London Assembly between 2000 and 2002, and later as chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality under Tony Blair from 2003, and chairman of its successor, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, from 2007 to 2012. When files released last year revealed the extent of Mandelson’s friendship with the late paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein, Phillips spoke about his friendship on Sky News, saying that Mandelson had been “at best naïve and foolish, at worst greedy and duplicitous”. The two have not spoken since, but Phillips says his door is open. “We obviously could never have the same relationship,” he says. “I’ve discovered some things about Peter that I did not know, and that’s made it impossible for us to have the relationship we had before. “I don’t know if we are still friends. We have had no contact at all,” he says, adding that the first move won’t come from him. Luckily, he has plenty else to occupy him. He will continue his Times columns and possibly retain a role at Green Park. His American experiment is a chance to explore an alternative path he might have taken decades ago. He has a brother in Florida, and when his parents left the UK in 1966 to move back to Guyana, they stopped in New York on the way and ended up staying longer than planned. “It’s probably fair to say they were illegal immigrants for quite a long time,” Phillips says. “I prefer [Britain] because the central idea of ‘live and let live’ is still important,” he says. “Underneath it all, British people tend to judge you for what you do and what kind of person you are.” He adds: “I suspect I would have been better off materially if I had gone to the US. In the US, African Americans of my age had advantages that their parents did not have. I have dozens of American nephews and nieces, and most of them have been to Ivy League universities. They are prosperous people. But most Americans still live inside communities composed of people like themselves. It is still a segregated society.” If he has any serious reservations about the job, though, they are well hidden. “The only question for me is, ‘Can a Briton get away with telling Americans about American life?’” he says. “But if you tell the story straight, it doesn’t matter what accent you tell it in. That’s the theory, anyway.”
PAUL GROVER
Sign up for our free daily
Business Briefing
takeover talks at risk of collapse
offer for high street
stalwart after months
of merger negotiations
By Ben Marlow
BOOTS’S £7bn takeover by the Weston family is at risk of collapse, The Telegraph can reveal. Talks between the Westons and Boots’ private equity owners have hit a standstill after the billionaire fam- ily reduced their offer following months of talks. The amended bid was rejected, leaving a deal hanging in the balance and raising fresh questions over the future of one of Britain’s most promi- nent high-street businesses. A source close to the discussions said it was “50/50” as to whether a deal could be salvaged. The Westons revised their offer for Boots after Australia’s Sigma Healthcare abandoned a rival bid for the pharmacy giant in June, leaving the bil- lionaire Anglo-Canadian family as the sole suitor. “It isn’t totally dead. It’s a stand-off. They tried to knock down the price after realising they were the only show in town,” the source said. “They came in with a lower number that was deemed unacceptable. The gap isn’t completely insurmountable. However, the owners won’t sell at any price.” A City source said that members of the Weston family had been spooked by the sharp deterioration in the eco- nomic backdrop since talks had begun around Easter. Investors have had to contend with the fallout from America’s war against Iran, which has reignited infla- tion and heightened the risk of interest rate rises. A seventh UK prime minis- ter in 10 years has also dented business confidence. The Westons are one of the world’s richest retail families with a business empire split into British and Canadian branches. It is the Canadian side, which owns a controlling stake in Loblaw, Canada’s largest supermarket chain, that has been weighing a takeo- ver of Boots. The ownership of Boots has been a subject of renewed uncertainty since its parent company Walgreens Boots Alli- ance was bought out by American financiers Sycamore Partners for $24bn (£18bn) last year. Boots has since been split into a standalone entity, leading to expectations that it will be spun off either through a sale of stock market listing. Stefano Pessina, the Italian bil-
down the price after
realising they were
the only show in town’
By Matt Oliver
AN “all-British” autonomous fighter jet will use an American engine following a clash between defence giants BAE Sys- tems and Rolls-Royce over costs, The Telegraph can reveal. The Brontanax drone, unveiled last week, is being pitched as the sole domestic candidate for the RAF’s “loyal wingman” drone programme. It is up against largely US-made alternatives. A demonstrator is being developed by BAE with support from a consortium of more than 70 British firms. However, Rolls-Royce – long a stal- wart of domestic fighter jet projects – has not been included following a
low over Burnham tax fears
By Pui-Guan Man
CONSTRUCTION of rental homes has plunged to a 12-year low amid fears over Andy Burnham’s property tax plans. Just 3,455 build-to-rent projects started between April and June this year, down 80pc on the same period last year, to hit the lowest level since 2014, figures show. Regions outside of London bore the brunt of the slowdown, with construc- tion falling 84pc year on year from 13,893 homes to 2,176, according to the figures from Savills and Real Estate:UK. Analysts believe the fall was fuelled by speculation linked to Mr Burnham’s tax policies. Kate Henderson, from Real Estate:UK, said that rumours of signifi- cant tax and regulatory changes had been “unhelpful”. She said: “The speculation around proportional property tax or land value tax has also been unhelpful and has had similar effects to the speculation around
proportional property
tax or land value tax
has also been unhelpful’
lionaire, and his family reinvested in the business when it was split out, after teaming up with buyout behemoth Kohlberg Kravis Roberts to take it pri- vate in 2007. At the time it was the big- gest ever private equity-led takeover of a UK-listed company. Before opening talks with the Weston family and Sigma Healthcare, Sycamore had been exploring the possibility of returning Boots to the London Stock Exchange after a near-20-year hiatus. It is understood Sycamore will revive plans to float Boots next year if the sale negotiations end without a deal. Walgreens had explored a sale of the Boots in 2022, attracting interest from private equity including TDR Capital, the owner of Asda. Those talks collapsed after bids fell short of expectations. Boots has since closed hundreds of under-performing UK stores as part of a broader cost-cutting drive. At the same time, investment has been focused on a core estate of 400 larger stores, most of which are in town centres or on retail parks. This is sup- plemented by a network of smaller local pharmacies and travel stores. In total,
Boots has about 1,800 shops. It also owns the beauty brands No7 and Soap & Glory, and is becoming an increasingly important provider of NHS services such as doctor consultations, vaccina- tions and blood-pressure checks, as well as specialised treatments for skin and hair loss. Boots recently appointed Alex Bal- dock, former boss of Currys, as its new chief executive, as part of its prepara- tions for a return to the public markets. Mr Baldock takes up the post in the autumn. The British arm of the Weston fam- ily controls Primark-owner Associ- ated British Foods and Fortnum and Mason through its Wittington Invest- ments vehicle. It was also the owner of Selfridges for almost two decades before the department store was sold for £4bn in 2022 to a consortium of Thailand’s Cen- tral Group and Austrian luxury prop- erty giant Signa Holding, whose founder Rene Benko was later con- victed of fraud. Sycamore and Boots both declined to comment.
dispute between the companies over pricing, it is understood. Rolls has developed a small demon- strator engine known as Orpheus and bosses are seeking to market it for use in the drones, which fly alongside fighter jets to provide protection. But in talks about the Brontanax demonstrator, Rolls was seen to not “lean in” fully to the project and its engine was deemed too expensive by BAE, according to a person briefed on the situation. Instead, the aircraft will use a system sourced from US rival Williams Interna- tional, deemed more cost-effective. BAE’s decision means that while Rolls – a national champion – is working
rent controls.” The Government has sought to clarify its policy on rent con- trols with Angela Rayner ruling them out and officials signalling wider prop- erty tax reform is not imminent. However, with the Budget not sched- uled until Oct 28 there may be no rebound in activity until Mr Burnham’s spells out his plans.
YING TANG/NURPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
In the pink A cosplayer poses at the opening of China Joy at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Asia’s largest gaming event, and showcase for Chinese industry, now in its 23rd year, covers AI, animation, comics and hardware.
By James Titcomb
LABOUR’S regional AI hubs have failed to deliver enough new data centre pro- jects, with just a single site being approved under the scheme. Labour designated five areas of Brit- ain as “AI growth zones” last year to attract projects to parts of the country where they could benefit from cheaper power and local support. However, planning records show the
with the US and Germany on foreign drone programmes, it is absent for now from the UK’s own flagship effort. The dispute comes as Rolls is sepa- rately at loggerheads with the Govern- ment over funding to develop a new engine for short-haul planes domesti- cally, with bosses warning that work could be moved to Germany. Speaking to The Telegraph, Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of Rolls- Royce, insisted the company was “abso- lutely” capable of providing engines for drones such as Brontanax. Asked why his company was not working on the demonstrator, he replied: “I expect these two great com- panies to work on this. How we ended
financial backing to major rental hous- ing skyscrapers across the city. Marcus Dixon, from JLL, said politi- cal uncertainty had reinforced wider commercial pressures already weighing on the market, He said: “The speculation definitely hasn’t helped. There’s a view among investors that they will just wait until all of these things settle and find out exactly the Government’s position before they commit to projects.” Mr Dixon also warned that the slow- down risks undermining Labour’s wider housebuilding ambitions. He said: “All of this means that we’re going to see fewer homes delivered. While it might mean we get more homes over the longer term, it makes the 1.5 million homes target seem fur- ther and further away.” A Housing Department spokesman said: “We know how vital the build-to- rent sector is in providing homes for people across the country, and we’re supporting the sector to grow.”
policy has largely failed to date, with most of the investments planned well before the policy. Figures from property-tech firm Search Acumen and analysis of planning records by The Telegraph show that only one of the growth zones has led to a successful application for a new project. Five areas in Oxfordshire, the North East, South Wales, North Wales, and Lanarkshire in Scotland have been des-
Estimated maximum cost per Brontanax drone, which is said to offer up to 80pc of the capabilities of a Typhoon jet fighter
up here, I don’t want to speculate. But going forward, that opportunity defi- nitely exists. “I expect us to lead sovereign propul- sion capability in autonomous because we have the capability – better than some others. Our technology is a lot newer than many others out there.” Last week, BAE sought to downplay
owed taxman £265,000
By Luke Barr
THE Barclay brothers racked up large debts to the taxman before losing control of their retail empire. New insolvency filings for Shop Direct Holdings, the former parent company of Very Group, show HM Rev- enue & Customs was owed £265,000 before it was wound up last year. The debts were accumulated despite Shop Direct having almost half a million pounds in the bank. Details of the company’s finances have emerged after Aidan and Howard Barclay surrendered ownership of Very to US private equity giant, Carlyle. As part of the change of control, Shop Direct was hived off and has since been put into liquidation by Interpath. Carlyle, which has recently launched a £2bn sale process for Very, has no liability over the debts to HMRC. Neither Aidan nor Howard Barclay, who formerly owned The Telegraph, are also believed to be liable after they
ignated since April 2025. These receive government funding and are set to receive discounted electricity, easier planning and faster grid connections. Ministers have boasted of thousands of jobs created and billions in invest- ment as a result of the schemes. While most of the growth zones have data centre projects in the pipeline, such as a £10bn data centre in the North East and a Microsoft facility in South Wales, they were largely planned well
the absence of Rolls and suggested the drone’s engine was a “swap item”. However, BAE has made clear that it is keeping costs to a minimum. It has spent millions of pounds on the Bron- tanax and is marketing the drone as offering 70-80pc of a Typhoon jet’s capabilities at 25pc of the price. Dave Holmes, from BAE’s experimen- tal FalconWorks division, said at Farn- borough airshow that the defence giant was working with Rolls to “upscale” the Orpheus to “meet not only the thrust requirements, but also the price point”. Ministry of Defence officials recently made clear in the Defence Investment Plan that they wanted “a sovereign, world-leading propulsion system” for
resigned as directors of Shop Direct before it went bust. Insolvency experts overseeing Shop Direct’s assets are now planning to use £480,000 that was left in the company’s bank account to repay the taxman. While HMRC is likely to be repaid,
Howard Barclay and his brother, Aidan, are not believed to be liable for the debt as they resigned from Shop Direct before it went bust
before the areas were classed as AI growth zones. Oxfordshire, the first area to be desig- nated a growth zone 15 months ago, has not seen a single application or approval since then. Councils said last year it would be a “challenge” to meet energy and water needs there. OpenAI has pulled out of a data-cen- tre project in the North East since the site was designated as a growth zone, citing high energy costs.
the RAF’s unmanned drones. Rolls is thought to be one of just two European firms – the other being France’s Safran – able to develop the required engine. Francis Tusa, an independent defence analyst, said the failure to join the Brontanax project suggested Rolls had “overplayed its hand”. He called on ministers to “knock heads together”, adding: “Of course, Rolls has a duty to its shareholders, but this is a project of national importance. If they are quibbling over returns they should, frankly, wind their necks in.” Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE, has hinted the door remains open with Brontanax. “We love to buy British wherever we can,” he said.
their delivery business, the Logistics Group, which exposed debts of £143.5m owed to HSBC, its main lender. This led to HSBC launching bank- ruptcy proceedings against the broth- ers in the High Court before a settlement was reached between the parties earlier this year. The pair agreed to a debt repayment plan known as an individual voluntary arrangement, though full details have not been disclosed. The unravelling of the Barclays’ empire was first triggered by Lloyds Banking Group seizing control of The Telegraph in 2023 over a separate set of overdue debts. The loss of Very, once viewed as the jewel in the crown of the Barclays’ empire, has epitomised the family’s financial implosion. US investment giant Elliott and China’s JD.Com are reportedly consider- ing a takeover of the business. HMRC, Very and Interpath declined to comment.
Lynn
a one-man industrial wrecking ball
squarely on the shoulders of the new Foreign Secretary. And Red Ed, worryingly, is not finished yet
ED MILLIBAND leaves his energy secretary role with the UK facing the highest industrial electricity costs in the world. Industries such as chemicals and building materials are under enormous pressure. And now as Foreign Secretary he is already swanning around the world showboating on “moral leadership” instead of trying to rebuild relations with Donald Trump and support Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, in getting a better trade deal. There are so many diff erent ways that Miliband has damaged the British economy that it is often hard for even his most assiduous critics to keep track of them all. And yet there is one that should absolutely top the list. With news that BP is exiting the North Sea, the destruction of a once-thriving oil and gas industry will go down as one of the greatest acts of economic self-sabotage of recent times – and Miliband is responsible. It is impossible to blame BP for the decision to give up on the North Sea. It was one of the pioneers of off shore oil exploration six decades ago but it has now decided it is no longer worth the hassle. A windfall tax confi scates any money it might make, it is subject to constant lawfare and while Andy Burnham has signalled a more pragmatic approach, the Government has until now refused to give it permission to expand its fi elds. While rivals such as Norway’s state-owned Equinor deliver bumper profi ts, driven by increased output in its share of the North Sea, BP faces nothing but restrictions and levies. It is only doing what makes sense for its shareholders, and that means getting out. The trouble is, that is a disaster for the wider economy. The buyer of BP’s fi elds off Aberdeen will probably be a private equity-backed asset- stripper who extracts as much cash as possible while the business is run down. Whoever it is won’t have BP’s depth of expertise, nor its resources. The country will have taken another step towards closing down what should be one of our most valuable assets. And we need to be straightforward about the person responsible for that. As energy secretary, Miliband made two crucial mistakes. First, he prioritised net zero over energy security. Given that Britain accounts for less than 1pc of global emissions, and we have already dramatically reduced them (unfortunately almost entirely by closing down heavy industr ies ), there is little we can do about the climate, decarbonisation of the grid aside. But the security of our energy supplies is within our own control, and anyone can see that domestic production is far more reliable, as well as better for the balance of payments, than imported oil and gas. The energy secretary could have reached a reasonable compromise, but Miliband gave no sign of even contemplating that. Next, he failed to seize the opportunity to expand production, especially of gas, when there was huge demand across Europe. It is not an issue of taking climate change seriously or not. Everyone knows that we will need fossil fuels while making the transition to cleaner forms of energy, and they may as well create jobs and tax revenue in this country instead of in Qatar, the United States or Norway. If Miliband had demonstrated just a sliver of fl exibility, BP might still be expanding, instead of shutting down. After his two years in power, Miliband has left a trail of damage in his wake. Energy prices have soared out of control. Industrial energy is now four times more expensive in Britain than in the US, and twice the price of France, and shows little sign of coming down any time soon. That has made it completely impossible to remain competitive in industries such as steel or building materials where energy can account for 40pc to 50pc of the cost base. And whole swathes of industry have been left to close down as the costs of both energy and the green levies added on top have crushed them. Last year, Britain dropped out of the top 10 largest manufacturing nations, overtaken by Taiwan, Mexico and even Russia, and shows little sign of recapturing that place. Meanwhile cement production has fallen to a 75-year low, meaning that even if the Government wanted to build houses, there wouldn’t be any domestic materials for the job. Of course, there are diff erent reasons for each decision. But Miliband’s disastrous decisions have clearly been a major factor. It is going to get even worse. Instead of being thrown out of offi ce, as any sensible PM would do, Miliband is the new Foreign Secretary. Instead of going straight to Washington to try to persuade the Trump administration to lift its latest round of tariff s on Britain, Miliband spent his fi rst week in charge of foreign aff airs fl ying to Spain for some meaningless waffl e about fi ghting climate change together. We can safely assume that backing the Business Secretary on the bread and butter issues of tariff s, trade deals and promoting exports, which should be the core priorities for the Foreign Secretary of a country with massive debts and desperately in need of growth, will be forgotten, while there will be photo ops where Miliband can boast about “moral leadership”. Red Ed has turned into a one-man wrecking ball, taking out huge chunks of our industrial base, destroying the North Sea,and patting himself on the back as the country’s energy supply becomes more precarious. BP’s exit from the North Sea is just the latest, and perhaps the most dramatic example, of his unique talent for destruction. Unfortunately there is little sign that he is fi nished yet.
have closed as the costs of energy and green levies have crushed them’
appeals to the aspirational classes
KALLUM PICKERING
is working for him – but he must back it up with a solid economic plan
CASUAL jackets, cardigans, raw denim, polo shirts and trainers. While readers of these pages may fi nd Andy Burnham’s penchant for casual attire not only aesthetically jarring but also lacking the dignity one might expect from a man now running the country, consider for a moment why it might be working for him. First, it off ends his opponents. Those who would prefer to see the Prime Minister in more standard fare – dark suit, white shirt and preferably a blue tie – are invited to engage in fake moral outrage instead of analysing actual policies. A common trick in modern politics. Boris Johnson’s hair anyone? Second, it is a subtle appeal to the hordes of aspirational working-class and lower-middle-class voters that Burnham needs to win over if he is to turn around Labour’s political fortunes. Whenever governments have delivered for these demographics, they have been rewarded. The so-called “Essex man” carried the Conservatives to four election victories between 1979 and 1997. The next-generation “Mondeo man”, named after the then-fashionable and new Ford Mondeo family car, which replaced the Ford Sierra, was the target voter for Tony Blair’s New Labour. While we do not have a name for the modern equivalent, such voters exist in huge numbers and are key to any party’s route to power: a quiet, sensible majority of the British electorate. Judging by initial polling, Burnham seems to be landing better with the voters than his predecessor. Support for Labour has recovered from a July low of below 20pc under Sir Keir Starmer to as high as 28pc in some recent polls. But it is still very early days and style points have to turn into substance. Burnham’s appeal lies in his likeness to the aspirational classes that have been badly served by a generation of British leaders. Their demands are straightforward: higher living standards for themselves and their children, and a Britain that matters in the world. Burnham has said he will announce his 10-year plan for the country later this year. It remains to be seen exactly what this may include. To keep faith with the voters his wardrobe courts, the plan should be squarely focused on both lifting productivity and prosperity, and reducing the tax burden, through a combination of things. That includes scrapping net zero in favour of more pragmatic policies aimed at rapidly expanding energy production and reducing costs; cutting welfare spending and
LIAM HALLIGAN
highly mobile wealthy entrepreneurs quitting the country is catastrophic
HM Revenue and Customs last week reported that, on the latest annual data, just 0.5pc of non-domiciled taxpayers left Britain. Rules instigated by the Tories, and since made more stringent by Labour, have clamped down on “non-doms” – wealthy business owners and investors who live in the UK but whose permanent home for legal and tax purposes is elsewhere. Business-friendly commentators – including this one – have long raised concerns that trying to squeeze more tax from those already making a massive fi scal contribution via the UK-based businesses they create, and the often hundreds or even thousands of people they employ, will backfi re. Such entrepreneurs, often owning fi rms in multiple jurisdictions, tend to be mobile, fl exible and motivated – so many just leave the country. Aggressively taxing the commercially active makes them more likely to abandon Britain, taking their money with them – leaving the rest of us much worse off . With the HMRC suggesting just 400 non-doms have left over the last year, the data sparked multiple gushing headlines claiming: “Fears of UK non-dom exodus are overblown”. Countless UK journalists seem to view ever more government spending as the answer to every problem. They resist claims there are limits to taxation, denying that increasingly
IAN FORSYTH/GETTY IMAGES
resetting the incentives to work; spending more on defence; deregulating land, labour, fi nancial services and private markets; making the most of the opportunities created by Brexit; and radically embracing the technologies of the future. Reasonable people disagree about net zero but these are fair tests for any pro-growth government. On a number of these counts, Burnham cannot deliver. He rails against deregulation and is an ardent backer of the EU. But if he makes progress on energy and growing infrastructure and if his plan to correct Britain’s overly centralised government works, he stands to benefi t from a likely improvement in economic fortunes. He is also a more persuasive and clearer communicator than his predecessor. Voter frustration is not just vibes. UK real wages took roughly 17 years to climb back to their pre- fi nancial-crisis level – the worst pay stagnation since the Napoleonic Wars. Relief on that scale, if Burnham can fi nd it, would be rewarded. But it is 2026 and vibes do matter. Many issues remain unresolved. Topping the list, his party is split down the middle. While Burnham appeals to so- called Red Wall regional, working and lower-middle-class voters who would benefi t from cheaper energy and re-industrialisation, one of the main blocks to such policies is the Islington-centric class of Labour MPs that continues to falsely believe the
punitive tax regimes destroy enterprise and jobs, ultimately weakening our public fi nances. Of the 400 or so non-doms who’ve left must be added another 800 “deemed domiciles” – non-doms treated as UK-domiciles given how long they’ve lived here. So over the last year 1,200 have fl ed – three times the widely reported total. On top of that, as the latest HMRC data makes clear, the numbers don’t cover the 2025-26 tax year – the fi rst in which Labour’s punitive new rules apply. So we don’t actually know even the initial impact of this new non-dom regime – but that didn’t stop countless nonsensical headlines. The reality is that even if only a relatively small number of wealthy business leaders leave Britain, the fi scal impact can be catastrophic. The richest 10pc of people generate over 60pc of all income tax revenues, with the top 1pc accounting for 30pc. The top 0.01pc, in fact – just 3,500 individuals – pay 6pc of all income tax. So if just a few leave, closing the UK-based businesses they own and refusing to invest in and build other British fi rms, with all the employment and corporation tax payments that would entail, that really matters. Discouraging wealthy business owners from staying in Britain – even saying “good riddance” as countless Labour activists are wont to do – may please class war neurotics. But it amounts to utter stupidity when it comes funding the public services such people so often want to improve. For far too long, as public spending has risen, successive governments have borrowed excessively to the point where our national debt is now equivalent to around 100pc of GDP and we have the highest debt interest payments in the industrialised world. Britain has also imposed utterly counter-productive tax rises – which
60 %
1,200
UK is leading the world in the green energy revolution. Perhaps Burnham’s decision to promote ultra-green Ed Miliband from energy secretary to Foreign Secretary is part of a Machiavellian plan to get him out of the country and eventually reset energy policy. At least one can hope. Across so many issues, these two wings of the Labour Party have antithetical sensibilities. For Sir Keir, who tried and failed to balance the demands of the two, the result was to lose support to the Right-wing Reform UK and the far-Left Greens. By setting up a No 10 base in Manchester, Burnham is leaning towards Labour’s more traditional base. This is wise. Labour’s current losses to the Greens are likely to be short-lived – many of the young idealists drawn to Zack Polanski’s radical convictions will eventually outgrow them and return to Labour. But the lesson across Europe is that, when traditional workers’ parties on the Left lose voters to Right-leaning populist parties, they can be hard to get back. Then there are the markets. None of Burnham’s initial measures really aff ect the economic or fi scal outlook much. Cutting VAT on energy bills from 5pc to 0pc from Oct 1 for six months, reinstating the £2 single bus fare cap in England and cutting business rates by 20pc for pubs, clubs and live music venues are small fry. Markets have barely reacted. If, however, Burnham tries to roll out
Andy Burnham is a
more persuasive
communicator
than his
predecessor
Taxing times
Share of total income tax paid, by income group
Richest 10pc Richest 1pc Richest 0.01pc
Off target
Number of Alternative Investment Market (AIM-listed) stocks
1,600
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025
don’t only destroy growth and but undermine tax revenues. Labour’s rising employer National Insurance contributions have driven up unemployment (especially for youngsters), rising capital gains tax rates have lowered receipts and higher and harsher rules for non-doms are resulting in wealthy business owners leaving the country. When the Tories left offi ce in July 2024, total tax revenues stood at around 35pc of GDP, close to a 70-year high. Labour has since gleefully pushed that tax burden up above 38pc
some of his most ambitious policies, including building a National Care Service and making utilities public – neither of which has been costed publicly – that would be a diff erent story. Any such measures could come in the forthcoming autumn Budget. Until then, gilts may keep pricing in a modest “Burnham premium”, which mostly refl ects worries about infl ation persistence more than excessive borrowing or debt levels. As we approach the Budget, expect the premium in gilt markets to remain and for markets to price in two-way risks, pulling back at any signs of anti-growth or infl ationary policies, and ticking higher on any clear evidence that the Government is taking a genuinely pro-growth tilt. But the biggest puzzle of all is that, while Burnham looks and acts like the voter that repeatedly backed Thatcher and Blair, he also repeatedly claims that the UK has been on the wrong track for the past 40 years – as if Mondeo man has lost faith in the deal that built him. Perhaps that contradiction is the point, at least for now. The cardigan says “trust me, I am one of you” while the rhetoric says “the whole system has failed you”. Voters may indulge the wardrobe for a while yet. But raw denim fades and trainers wear through and by the time the Budget lands, it will be the fi t of Burnham’s numbers under scrutiny, not the cut of his jacket. No amount of casual wear can disguise a hole in the public fi nances.
mover and shakers are grossly overtaxed. So don’t be surprised when they up and leave’
– the highest since records began. Even under the current policy mix, the International Monetary Fund is forecasting the UK tax burden will hit 42pc of GDP by the end of this decade. But now, with the trade unionists and activist who put our new Prime Minister in Downing Street screaming for even more spending, Andy Burnham is making preparations to introduce a wealth tax on top of that. The richest thousand families in the UK control around £750bn. A 2pc annual wealth tax would raise around £15bn – a drop in the ocean, the amount the Government borrows in a single month these days. But even that relatively small amount would only be raised if all those families stayed – which, of course they wouldn’t. That’s why so many nations with wealth taxes have ended up repealing them. The impact of high taxation of wealth and enterprise is also being felt much further down the income scale. The average Briton’s wealth has fallen by more than a fi fth over the last fi ve years, according to a survey by UBS, the worst slump across 37 countries it surveyed. The number with a net worth of more than £1m in property, pensions and investments is also plummeting, falling to just 442,000 last year, down from over one million in 2021. The UK needs to break out of today’s high-spending-high-tax-high- borrowing-low-growth doom loop. We need instead to encourage wealth generation, not least small-and medium-sized enterprises that generate half our GDP, employing two-thirds of the workforce. These fi rms fi nd it hard to raise fi nance. High street banks barely lend to them and the Alternative Investment Market is moribund. The UK’s mover and shakers are grossly overtaxed. So don’t be surprised when they up and leave.
SOURCE: LSEG, HMRC
SOURCE: LSEG, HMRC
2026 605
‘Nostradamus of AI’ failed to see a market crash coming
prices forces fire sale of wunderkind’s highly leveraged fund’s assets. By James Titcomb
JUST a month ago, Leopold Aschenbrenner was being hailed as a boy wonder. At the end of June, the 24-year-old’s $20bn (£15bn) hedge fund had made a 439pc profi t in just six months, thanks to bets on a string of AI companies such as Anthropic, SK Hynix and Nebius. Tim Ferris, the investor and podcast host, called him “the Nostradamus of AI”. “The number of actual hits, predictive hits that Leopold had is staggering,” Ferris said in March. “It is just really about as close to clairvoyant as you could possibly be.” But last week, a jolt in global stock markets meant it came crashing down. On Thursday, under pressure from lenders, Aschenbrenner’s highly leveraged fund, Situational Awareness, was forced into a fi re sale of most of its assets. The company sold its public shareholdings to Citadel, the East Coast investment giant run by US billionaire Ken Griffi n, shrinking the fund to a fraction of its earlier size. While the fund limps on, it was a stunning fall of grace for the so-called wunderkind, who had bet on his ability to see things that the rest of the investment world could not. Aschenbrenner, born in Germany to two doctors, has always seemed to be in a hurry. He entered New York’s Columbia University at 15 and when graduating aged 19, he said: “I wish I could have started even earlier.” His studies included a stint at the University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, set up by the AI philosopher Nick Bostrom and whose funders included Elon Musk. The institute was closely linked with the university’s Centre for Eff ective
Altruism, the institutional birthplace of the eff ective altruism (EA) movement devoted to addressing existential risks such as out-of-control AI. Will MacAskill, the Scottish philosopher and EA’s leading light, later said he convinced Aschenbrenner not to go to law school, instead bringing him into the fold at the FTX Future Fund, the philanthropic endeavour fi nanced by Sam Bankman Fried’s cryptocurrency venture. FTX collapsed at the end of 2022, with Bankman-Fried eventually sentenced to 25 years in prison, and its fund as collateral damage. Aschenbrenner landed on his feet, joining ChatGPT maker OpenAI in 2023. However, the company sacked him a year later, apparently for leaking internal information (a claim Aschenbrenner denies). However, the dismissal proved to be his making. In June 2024, Aschenbrenner published a 165-page online essay, titled Situational Awareness. The essay’s fi rst line summed up the thesis. “You can see the future fi rst in San Francisco.” It argued that only a handful of people, located around the city’s AI start-ups, could see that the AI boom would be bigger than the rest of the world realised. “Few have the faintest glimmer of what is about to hit them,” he wrote, drawing a parallel with the fi rst signs of Covid. The essay went viral, generating enough attention for Aschenbrenner to launch a fund promising to capitalise on his ideas. His philosophy was that most investors, many of them on America’s other coast, had failed to see what was coming – a pending surge of investment in AI data centres, chips and energy companies. “I used to believe in the [effi cient markets hypothesis],” he told the AI podcaster Dwarkesh Patel. “But now, I think there are groups of smart people, like those in San Francisco, who have alpha over the rest of society in seeing the future… Society hasn’t priced it in yet.” Aschenbrenner was deep into the city’s AI scene. His fi ancée, Avital Balwit, is the chief of staff to Anthropic’s chief executive Dario
Leopold Aschenbrenner’s bets on a string of AI companies came tumbling down last week
Amodei and he dedicated his essay to Ilya Sutskever, one of OpenAI’s founders. The Situational Awareness fund launched with backers including John and Patrick Collison, the Irish brothers behind the payments giant Stripe. Aschenbrenner was just 23 when the fund launched and had no trading experience, but he turned it into a juggernaut, piling into investments such as chip company Marvell and nuclear power stock Constellation Energy, as well as Anthropic. For most of its life, the victories only seemed to stack up. In 2025 – the fund’s fi rst full year – it reportedly generated a return of around 200pc, compared to the S&P 500’s 18pc. Among its 93 investors were the tech-heavy trading fi rm Jane Street. But success may have come too easily. Aschenbrenner was so convinced of his thesis that he borrowed extravagantly to fund bets on companies such as Korea’s SK Hynix, the chipmaker that earlier this year secured a trillion-dollar stock market valuation. Last month the fund was reportedly up to four times levered, making it
massively exposed to any slight downturn. A large chunk of its disclosed assets were in options trades, rather than equities. Hedge fund manager Andreas Steno Larsen described it as evidence of “the stupidest market I have ever seen”. One AI investor says the fund became “insanely exposed” to Korea, where a booming stock market has slumped in the last month amid fears that its earlier surge was overblown. As losses mounted, lenders seeking to protect their investments closed in. After emergency talks, Aschenbrenner was forced to capitulate, selling its public portfolio to Griffi n’s Citadel. Griffi n– who was himself dubbed a boy wonder 25 years ago at the ripe old age of 32 – is the epitome of the Wall Street titan whom Aschenbrenner insisted was behind the times. One of the world’s biggest hedge funds, it has also garnered a reputation as a “grave dancer” by buying investment assets from distressed fi rms in emergency transactions. In one instance, Griffi n pounced on hedge fund Sowood Capital during the credit crisis of 2007 after it made a number of debt-related investments
smart people, like those in San Francisco, who have alpha over the rest of society’
that turned sour. As for Situational Awareness’ rescue, the deal was reportedly agreed in a late night phone call between Aschenbrenner and Griffi n. Online, theories swiftly emerged that Citadel had sought to engineer the fund’s decline when it last week predicted that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates, thus sending Situational Awareness’s investments lower. Certainly, Aschenbrenner will rue that his investors did not have more patience – stocks soared on Thursday and Friday, after the deal had been agreed. Investors have questioned if the fund can survive, but Aschenbrenner has vowed to keep going. He has written to investors saying he will “fi ght another day”, according to the Financial Times. His fund still holds a multibillion-dollar stake in Anthropic among other investments, and despite the losses, is still up 80pc for the year. In an interview two years ago, Aschenbrenner said: “Obviously, not blowing up is task number one and two… You have to get the timing right.” It’s hard to argue he succeeded.
could save the failed heat pump rollout
provide hot water, heating and cooling all in one may prove popular, say experts. By Matt Oliver
WITH record-breaking summer temperatures and drought gripping much of the UK, it might seem like an odd time to fret about heating your home. But in Britain’s nascent market for heat pumps, which off er a potentially greener alternative to gas-fi red boilers, things are not going quite to plan. An original government target to install 600,000 of the devices per year by 2028 has crashed and burned, with Labour watering this down further to 450,000 by 2030. But now even this currently looks fanciful – with 2026 potentially on course to deliver the fi rst drop in retrofi t installations for a decade, according to a Telegraph analysis. None the less, plans are afoot to try to reverse course including bringing down the high costs involved, as well as introducing models that can switch to cooling in the summer months. The reason heat pump installations have stalled, say experts, is a combination of high electricity prices and a confusing mess of government policy changes. “In terms of where we are compared to where the Government wants us to be, we are way off track,” says Richard Lowes, a heating expert at the Regulatory Assistance Project. “The UK’s recent growth in heat pumps has been great, but it’s still a relatively small market compared to others,” he adds. Heat pump sales have been on a rapid upward march since summer 2022, when the Government introduced grants through the boiler upgrade scheme worth up to £7,500 each currently. This helped to deliver explosive sales growth of 56pc and 27pc in 2024 and 2025 respectively, according to the Heat Pump Association. However, with around 125,000 heat pumps sold per year, they still represent just 7pc of the heating market – and are dwarfed by some 1.7 million gas and oil boilers purchased. In 2026, there are also signs that sales have taken a signifi cant hit. The fi gure for January to July is down by 22pc compared with the same period last year, to about 27,500, data from certifi cation body MCS show. These fi gures do not account for installations in new homes, industry experts say, but provide a good barometer for retrofi t work. On current trends, they suggest the annual number of retrofi ts is on course to fall for the fi rst time since 2016. Many have pointed the fi nger at the Government’s decision to scrap the Energy Company Obligation (ECO)
of where we are compared to where ministers want us to be, we are way off track’
and tax changes helped create a spiral of decline, says Tom Saunders
IN THE late 1930s, Tate & Lyle chose to fl oat on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) to reap the benefi ts of Britain’s recovering economy. It was a sign of the stock market’s importance and ushered in decades of growth as the LSE became the engine room of British capitalism. But all that came to a shuddering halt last Wednesday. Shareholders in Tate & Lyle voted to approve a £2.7bn takeover by a US rival, ending its 90-year stock market residency. For many, the exit of one of Britain’s oldest listed companies is highly symbolic, underlining fears about the LSE’s waning infl uence as companies bet that their future lies on Wall Street or in the hands of venture capitalists. Takeover off ers for London market stalwarts like easyJet, Intertek, Mitie Group, Rotork and Segro in recent weeks have also fuelled fears about the future. With companies leaving at a rapid rate, questions are being asked about why the London stock market has been allowed to wither, and why British
scheme in last November’s Budget. ECO, funded by levies charged to consumers, was designed to help tackle fuel poverty, by paying for poorer households to have insulation and other energy upgrades installed. In recent years, says Lowes, many local authorities that administer the scheme had switched from providing external wall insulation to installing heat pumps because they represented better value, helping to drive sales. Heat pumps are highly energy effi cient, working like a fridge in reverse to produce four units of heat for every unit of energy consumed. But the ECO scheme was hammered in a National Audit Offi ce report last year over botched insulation jobs that left tens of thousands of homes with problems such as damp and mould. Combined with the fact it was costing a typical household roughly £60 per year in levies, this made scrapping the ECO an attractive option for former chancellor Rachel Reeves, with applications closed in March this year. “The expectation was that there would be a follow-on scheme, but it has just not arrived yet,” says Lowes. Despite headline fi gures suggesting heat pump installations are declining, the drop in ECO-related sales has masked underlying improvements in other areas. For instance, heat pump installations in new homes have been gradually rising as more house builders incorporate them to comply with the phased introduction of the Government’s long-delayed “future homes standard” from March 2027 to March 2028. “That has hidden the decline that would have been there because of the cuts to ECO,” Lowes adds. Perhaps most importantly, however, what many experts say is holding heat pumps back is the sky-high price of electricity. Britain has the second most expensive domestic electricity prices in the developed world, offi cial data showed last year, at 30.45p per kilowatt hour. This is partly because electricity is more heavily taxed than gas. European countries with the lowest electricity-to-gas price ratios were typically also the ones with the highest rate of heat pump adoption, according to research by Nesta. Britain sits near the bottom of the league. This is also important because the up-front cost and time needed to install a heat pump remains signifi cant – meaning it can take households longer to recoup their investment. According to Checkatrade, it typically costs between £2,500 and £4,000 to replace a gas combi boiler, with installation taking between four and six hours. For a heat pump, MCS data show that the average cost stands at about £13,500 – or £6,000 after a government grant is applied – and there can be added costs from having to replace radiators. Some companies have managed to do it at a much lower cost than this and are thriving, however. Octopus Energy, which launched its own heat pump in 2023, the British- made Cosy 6, says it is able to install
investors aren’t riding to its rescue. As London’s own former champions have deserted the market, the ensuing exodus has drastically shrunk the size of the centuries-old market. Back in 1997, £1 in every £2 invested by British pension funds was ploughed into the UK stock market. Today that fi gure is more like £1 in every £20. Ten years ago there were also 2,365 companies listed on the market but now there are just 1,500 – a 36pc drop. The drift away from public markets isn’t unique to the UK, but it is worse here than in most developed countries. Some defi ned benefi t pension schemes have shirked stocks entirely, replacing them with bonds as they have matured and closed. However, others – encouraged by advisers – have replaced UK stocks with funds tracking global indices. Scottish Widows, one of Britain’s largest pension providers, said last year that it would slash its allocation to UK stocks
from 12pc to 3pc as it sought higher returns from overseas instead. Even pension minnows, such as local government schemes, have cut their exposure. Advised by Brunel Pension Partnership, Oxfordshire council raised concerns several years ago that its UK holdings were too high. Rather than 25pc, it suggested around 4pc – roughly the UK’s weighting in global indices. That same conversation has played out in council boardrooms elsewhere, as pension funds became mesmerised by the boom in US tech stocks. “The poor returns [of UK markets] provided pension schemes, and particularly their investment consultants, with the excuse to say, ‘Look you can see the poor returns in UK equities … Therefore, we recommend you move from a traditional model to a global model,’” William Wright, boss of think tank New Financial. “They threw a lot of fi nancial theory around diversifi cation and long-term risk adjusted returns. And the poor performance of UK equities helped support that argument,” he said. The blame also lies with successive governments that have removed tax incentives to lure pension funds into British stocks. In Gordon Brown’s
them for £3,000 each – with some consumers even getting them for free after grants. Once they have them installed, consumers can also benefi t from a tailored electricity tariff that Octopus claims saves the typical user more than £200 per year compared with a gas boiler. The energy supplier says it continues to see “huge demand from households wanting to make the switch”. Sales rose by 67pc in the second quarter of this year. “June was our biggest month for heat pump sales to date, and July is on track to surpass it – and we expect this trend to continue as we head towards winter,” an Octopus spokesman said. Still, Britain is trailing European peers. While heat pump sales
JAMES MANNING/PA
London Stock Exchange, where the FTSE 100 has outperformed the US S&P 500
very fi rst Budget, he announced the abolition of a tax credit pension funds get on dividends. Australia has retained a similar tax incentive and their pension funds invest 24pc of their roughly $2.7tn assets into the Australian stock market, while UK funds now just invest 4pc. Still, pension funds receive plenty of tax relief which has increasingly come in for criticism from some corners. David Schwimmer, the boss of the London Stock Exchange Group, said earlier this week that the new Andy Burnham Government should look more closely at the tax grants. “One that we are particularly focused on is around pension fund
represented only 7pc of the heating market in the UK, they now make up nearly half of sales in Germany. Charlotte Lee, the chief executive of the Heat Pump Association, says part of that fi gure is muddied by the inclusion of air conditioners in European fi gures. But she also admits that tackling high electricity costs is now the industry’s number one priority. Andy Burnham’s recent decision to take VAT off domestic power bills has been welcomed on that front, taking the UK’s electricity-to-gas price ratio down from an estimated 3.56 to 3.39. But it remains far worse than European peers such as nuclear-heavy France, which has a ratio of about 2 – and much stronger heat pump sales. Another change that could potentially help to boost heat pump
reform … not in any kind of mandated way, but in a way that is appropriately incentivised given today the roughly £50bn of tax benefi ts that go to the pension funds,” he said. As pension funds have ditched the UK, it has become diffi cult for stock pickers focused on Britain to succeed. Many of the biggest British funds are focused on the US and have only a tiny proportion of UK stocks. So why are British fund managers not being encouraged to purchase more UK stocks? Terry Smith owes much of his success to Britain but his fl agship Fundsmith fund has just 2.8pc of its investments in UK stocks, compared
Edinburgh, it probably won’t be a big factor. But if you’re in the South East, things are only going to get warmer’
sales is the rise of devices that can also switch to cooling in the summer months. Octopus will this month begin testing its “Cosy Cooler”, an add-on air conditioner that plugs into your central heating and works with the Cosy heat pump to cool your home, which could be made widely available next year. With our summers getting hotter, some have suggested that devices like this, or Samsung’s new Quint Outdoor, which can provide hot water, heating and cooling all in one, could help to boost heat pump sales. “I think it really could be a driver,” says heat expert Lowes. “If you’re in Edinburgh, it probably won’t be a big factor. “But if you’re in the South East, things are only going to keep getting warmer.”
with 7.5pc in US companies, 5.7pc in French and 4.8pc in Spain. Baillie Giff ord’s Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, managed by Tom Slater, owns shares in just one British company, Wise, which accounts for just 1.3pc of its overall portfolio. Similarly, the £50bn St James’s Place Polaris 3 fund has just 6.8pc of its investments in UK stocks, compared with 39.8pc in North American stocks. Fund managers say this refl ects the relatively small size of Britain’s stock markets, particularly compared with the US. The UK’s listed companies account for around 3pc of the market capitalisation of stocks worldwide. James Budden, global head of marketing, Baillie Giff ord, said: “Investors seeking dedicated UK exposure can access that through UK-focused funds and strategies. “By contrast, global funds are designed to give shareholders access to the best opportunities available worldwide.” Nonetheless, there are many successful UK companies in which big funds could make strong returns. In some cases, the LSE’s struggles have even strengthened the attractiveness of such UK fi rms. The FTSE 100 has outperformed the US S&P 500 over the last year, and reached a new record earlier this week. “It’s a case of whether pension funds want to keep up or whether they’re happy to stand by and watch very strong returns in the UK without doing anything about it,” Gervais Williams, a veteran UK fund manager, said. For the future Tate & Lyles of the world, Britain needs to hope that the London Stock Exchange can rediscover its magic before it’s too late.
How Maga’s Tinseltown takeover turned toxic
merger into a proxy political battle – but Hollywood is fighting back. By James Warrington
FEW could accuse Paramount, the Hollywood giant plotting an audacious takeover of Warner Bros, of lacking conviction. When Gerry Cardinale, the boss of Paramount’s second-largest investor, RedBird Capital, was sent out to defend the off er, he was eager to take a swipe at rival bidder Netfl ix. “We have a cleaner regulatory path,” he told Puck’s The Town podcast in December. “You look at the Netfl ix proposal and to be quite honest with you, you need 3D glasses to understand it.” Eight months on, it is Cardinale’s comments that appear short-sighted. Paramount, which is controlled by billionaire Larry Ellison, may have triumphed over Netfl ix with a knockout $110bn (£82bn) bid, but the fraught takeover battle has prompted political repercussions that have careered out of its control. Critics fear that the Ellison family’s ties to Donald Trump mean the merger amounts to a Maga takeover of Hollywood, one that has been contested by an unlikely alliance of Lisa Nandy, Mark Ruff alo and a dozen US states. California’s Democratic attorney general is leading the states’ fi ght to contest the deal, claiming it is unlawful – and, with pressure ratcheting up, Paramount last week agreed to pause the process until June 2027, or once a trial has completed. It is an unexpected – and potentially fatal – setback to the Ellisons’ eff orts to tighten their grip on US media. By sidling up to Trump, Paramount turned a Hollywood merger into a proxy political battle. But Tinseltown won’t go down without a fi ght. The grounds for the legal challenge against the Paramount-Warner Bros deal relate to competition concerns. “When too few corporations have too much power in markets central to American life, it makes things more expensive, and it makes things worse,” said Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, last week. Bonta warned that the merger, which will reduce the number of major Hollywood studios from fi ve to four, would infl ict “substantial harm” on cinemas, cable TV operators and audiences. Sag-Aftra, the Hollywood actors’ union, has thrown its weight behind the lawsuit, saying Paramount’s claims that the deal would be good for the
an Avanti train to No 10 North
the rail operator’s dire performance highlights the challenges ahead
LABOUR is set to inherit some of the worst-performing train services in decades as punctuality plummets. Delays and cancellations have hit new lows this summer, highlighting the challenge facing Andy Burnham as he attempts to restore reliability through Great British Railways. Not that Burnham will be unaware of the size of the task bequeathed to him. Our worst-performing train fi rm is Avanti, linking London with the PM’s beloved North West via the West Coast Main Line, Europe’s busiest and most overcrowded intercity railway. Some 43pc of Avanti services arrived three minutes late or worse in the year to March, according to the Offi ce of Rail and Road, almost a quarter more than the next-poorest performer among Britain’s 24 train operators. More than 6pc of services run by Avanti were cancelled in the fi rst quarter, the second-worst record after CrossCountry Trains. And bottom of the heap among Avant’s routes in the past few weeks – according its own website – were Euston services to Manchester Piccadilly, from which the new premier made his triumphal return to Westminster after the Makerfi eld by-election. More than 70pc of Manchester services were late from May 31 to June 27, with half behind schedule by more than three minutes and 10pc by at least 20. London-Scotland trains – serving Wigan, the nearest stop to Burnham’s new constituency – fared little better,
Larry Ellison has ties to Donald Trump; Lisa Nandy has contested the deal
industry and consumers were
“contradicted by past experience and
the reality on the ground”. In a fi ling on
Friday, the states asked a judge to set a
date for the three-week trial in April
2027. However, Paramount is pushing
for a November trial, describing eff orts
to delay proceedings until next year as
a “stonewalling tactic”.
Beneath the commercial concerns,
however, is a more toxic political
battle.
David Ellison, the Paramount boss,
hosted a dinner in Washington earlier
this year in honour of Trump, while
the US president described Ellison’s
father, Larry Ellison, the Oracle
with two-thirds late. Little wonder he made his fi rst trip back to Manchester after becoming premier – for the opening of his new “No 10 North”– by private jet. By taking the train every week, Burnham may have calculated he would lose a big chunk of his valuable time, especially in light of Avanti’s patchy WiFi. Avanti’s contract with the Department for Transport expires in October, after which it can be nationalised at three months’ notice. State control is expected to be imposed in the spring. Like other operators it will be folded into Great British Railways, which will include Network Rail, uniting tracks and trains for the fi rst time in 30 years. For Avanti’s passengers late afternoon and evening services are often worst aff ected as problems accumulate during the day leaving trains – and drivers – out of position across the country. The response is often to cancel journeys to help get the timetable back on schedule, with the result that two full trains-worth of passengers – or more than 1,000 people – can end up crammed onto a single service. Seasoned travellers know the score – resulting in the “Euston stampede” as hundreds of people race down the station’s gangways, desperate for a seat. Many may have to stand for hours. The fi rst stop for Glasgow trains is in 165 miles at Warrington, where vacated seats provoke a further scramble. Foreign visitors and others unfamiliar can spend their whole journey lugging their bags up and down the train in search of somewhere to sit down.
billionaire, as a “good friend”. Particular concerns have been raised about the combination of news networks CNN and CBS. Sceptics, including Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s long-serving chief international anchor, have warned that the deal could lead to “improper political meddling” and pose a threat to democracy. As evidence, they point to reports that Ellison promised Trump “sweeping changes” at CNN. Speaking at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last week, Trump praised David Ellison’s stewardship of CBS, saying: “He bought it, spent a lot of money, and he’s going to make, I think, fantastic changes and keep some of the great stuff going.” Paramount, its opponents
Meanwhile, gangways become crammed with luggage, turning Avanti’s 125mph Pendolinos – already narrower so that they can tilt round corners without striking bridges and platforms – into an obstacle course. This summer’s meltdowns have tested the patience even of veterans. Andrea Sinnott, a consultant in nuclear waste who regularly pays £570 for a fi rst-class return from Preston to London, said standards had deteriorated markedly in the fi ve years she had been using the service. She said her trains now rarely got in less than 15 minutes late, while hot meals in fi rst class had become a lottery. WiFi and at-seat charging sockets functioned only sporadically, she adds. Avanti, a joint venture of FirstGroup and Trenitalia of Italy which ousted Virgin in 2019, maintains most disruption arises for reasons beyond its control such as signalling issues or overrunning track work. But a train dispatcher at an Avanti- run station in the North West, who asked not to be identifi ed, claims senior management had “given up the ghost” as nationalisation drew closer. An Avanti train manager who declined to give his name said responsibility for a slump in service standards and a deterioration in labour relations could be laid squarely at its door. The operator faces a possible strike by members of train drivers’ union Aslef, which says it reneged on a pay deal. Aslef has already imposed an overtime ban, which has added to the disruption, claiming the fi rm does not employ enough drivers and relies on people working on days off . Avanti and CrossCountry are among the last few fi rms yet to be taken over by the Department for Transport. While that’s partly because their contracts do not expire until next year, it also refl ects the concerns of ministers that delays and cancellations could reveal state control to be no better than three decades of privatisation. Bruce Williamson at lobby group Railfuture said there is a “naive optimism” among the public that nationalisation will be “a magic bullet” given there will be the same managers, drivers, trains and routes. He added: “And whoever runs it is always going to bang heads with the Treasury.” That will be a worry for Burnham, regardless of whether he braves Avanti or looks down from his private jet.
argued, viewed Trump’s support as tacit approval for the deal. Indeed, the Department of Justice waved through the deal last month, despite reports that antitrust offi cials inside the ministry had raised concerns about it. Yet by turning a Hollywood merger into an overtly political process, the Ellisons have merely infl amed Trump’s opponents. The legal challenge was coordinated by actor Mark Ruff alo, who enlisted the help of leading anti-Trump lawyer Norm Eisen in an eff ort to block the mega-merger, according to The New York Times. Paramount is also facing a separate legal challenge brought by shareholder Paul Robbins. The lawsuit, which is backed by the Freedom of the Press Foundation and
the Public Integrity Project, alleges that the company breached its fi duciary duty by trading editorial independence for “favouritism” by the Trump administration. Seth Stern, head of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, argues that the merger was “politically driven in plain sight” from the outset. “If Right-wing or Trump-aligned billionaires want to buy news outlets fair and square, that’s not a concern to us,” he says. “But if they are buying news outlets in deals that are where they’re putting the First Amendment rights of their journalists on the bargaining table as a negotiation chip with a president who is known for using his leverage to stifl e dissent and stifl e criticism, that becomes a
concern.” Paramount denies that any commitments were made to the Trump administration and dismissed the contents of the lawsuit as “recycled” allegations. Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, said in June that she was “minded to intervene” on public interest grounds, raising the prospect of an investigation by regulator Ofcom. Meanwhile for Cardinale, the backlash is likely to trigger memories of his failed bid for The Telegraph. RedBird teamed up with the UAE to swoop in with a £500m off er to buy the newspaper, but was forced to withdraw after political opposition. Even in Trump’s America, it seems, having the support of the White House is no guarantee of success.
A
make you a stranger’s executor
cting as an executor can be a heavy burden. There’s a lot of admin, time and sometimes expense involved in administering someone’s estate. Many of us would only agree to take this on for our loved ones – while they, in turn, are likely to have agonised over who to appoint in this vital role. But there’s one important rule that can throw all this careful planning out the window, which means you could end up as an executor for someone you have never even met. The “chain of representation” rule only applies in very specific circum- stances and is designed to keep the administration of an estate running smoothly. But it can still cause chaos to those involved. We’ve spoken to solicitors and estate planning experts to find out how this rule works and how you can avoid the complications it brings.
legal fix, designed to stop families having to apply for a fresh grant of probate every time an executor dies’
WHAT IS THE CHAIN OF REPRESENTATION?
The chain of representation is a legal rule in England and Wales that applies if an executor dies before completing the job. Joe Cobb, of JMW Solicitors, explains: “If someone is the sole execu- tor, or the last one left, of an estate, they get probate to deal with it. If they then die before finishing that job, and their own will names an executor, that per- son doesn’t just inherit their estate – they also inherit the unfinished job of administering the earlier estate too. “It’s a neat legal fix, designed to stop families having to apply for a fresh grant of probate every time an executor dies before the work is done.”
HOW IT WORKS IN PRACTICE
Let’s say Jack has been appointed as executor for his friend Kate’s estate.
After Kate dies, he obtains a grant of probate in her name and begins admin- istering her estate. Before he has finished, Jack dies. In his own will, he has appointed his son Nick as his executor. This means Nick now steps in to manage Jack’s estate, and, through the chain of rep- resentation, Nick also continues to administer Kate’s estate. The chain of representation can continue through successive executors. So, if Nick were to die mid-way through his role, his own executor could end up administering the estates of Nick, Jack and Kate.
WHY DOES THE CHAIN OF REPRESENTATION EXIST?
The chain of representation exists to protect families from unnecessary delays and additional court applica- tions. Thomas Kendrick, of estate plan- ning firm Honey Legal, explains:
“Without the chain of representation, every time an executor died before completing an estate, the administra- tion could come to a standstill while a new application was made to the court for authority to continue. “Instead, where the legal require- ments are met, the chain of representa- tion provides continuity by allowing another executor to pick up where the previous one left off.”
WHEN DOES THE CHAIN BREAK?
The chain of representation is only as strong as the next executor, according to Rachel Winter, of law firm Birketts. She explains: “If there is no executor willing and able to act, the chain breaks. “Therefore, if an executor dies without leaving a will or without appointing an executor in their will, or an executor dies before they obtain a grant of probate, the chain ends.”
Money newsletter Get the best of Telegraph Money, straight to your inbox every week telegraph.co.uk/ moneynewsletter
In these situations, it may be necessary to apply for a “grant de bonis non administratis”, which allows someone else to step in to continue the adminis- tration of the estate. However, obtain- ing one can add time, costs and complexity to the probate process. The chain of representation also won’t usually apply if there is more than one executor. Winter says: “Where mul- tiple executors obtained probate and one subsequently dies, the surviving executor or executors generally con- tinue the administration.”
WHAT PROBLEMS CAN ARISE FROM CHAIN OF REPRESENTATION?
While the chain of representation is designed to prevent unnecessary delays, it can create challenges for the person taking over. An executor may find themselves managing more than one estate at the same time, meaning they need to keep separate records, deal with tax liabilities and complete paperwork for each estate. The role can be even more diffi- cult if they have never met the deceased or if they have little understanding of the deceased’s financial affairs. Dean Ryan, of law firm Payne Hicks Beach, says: “The main issue is that an executor can inherit responsibility for an estate of which they have little or no knowledge. They may have no informa- tion about the deceased’s assets, liabili- ties, beneficiaries or the steps already taken by previous executors. “This can create delays and take up a lot of personal time – sometimes many months, depending on how complex the estate is.” Problems can also arise if records are incomplete or if there are disputes between beneficiaries. Ryan says: “The successor executor may need to incur significant profes- sional costs to reconstruct the history of the administration and establish the estate’s position.”
MILAN MARKOVIC/ E+/GETTY
HOW TO REDUCE THE RISK OF COMPLICATIONS
There are several steps you can take to make it easier for your loved ones, or a successor executor, to deal with your estate if your original executor dies before completing the administration. One option is to appoint two or more executors of your estate so if one dies, the surviving executor can take over the role without the chain of representation needing to apply. Hugo Smith, of law firm Wedlake Bell, says: “For older testators, it can also be a good idea to ensure that at least one of their appointed executors is from a younger generation. The only way to completely avoid the risk would be to appoint a trust corporation as executor, as a company will never die. This is a service offered by many professional firms. A trust corporation could either be appointed as the only executor, or in addition to family members.” It is also worth reviewing your choice of executors whenever you update your will and maintain accurate records of your assets and important documents. This will make life easier for whoever is ultimately responsible for administer- ing your estate.
testators, it can be good to ensure that at least one of their appointed executors is from a younger generation’
Volvo drivers in revolt over ‘faulty’ EVs
V
olvo is facing mounting criticism over technical faults with one of its best-selling electric cars. More than 10,000 of its EX30 models on the roads in Britain have been fl agged as having potential safety issues, with customers told not to charge their cars to more than 70pc because of fi re risk fears. But drivers say they have been wait- ing months for necessary repairs, with others reporting additional faults and some even alleging malfunctions that have resulted in the car driving by itself. Lawyers are now seeking affected customers for a class action legal battle, The Telegraph understands. It is a blow for the Swedish carmaker, which in recent years has transformed its former reputation as a brand that prioritised safety features over style to being regarded as having some of the best family SUVs on the market. Its XC90, XC60 and XC40 are some of Britain’s most popular SUVs, but owners of the relatively new EX30 – Volvo’s “smallest SUV” – are now seeking full refunds, with the recall aff ecting some 37,000 customers worldwide. Allan Rhodes, a loyal Volvo driver for more than 20 years, said: “Volvo has been good to me over the years, but buying the EX30 was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.” The retired electrical engineer purchased the car from a Glasgow dealership in September 2024, but has said he experienced “constant” trouble with it, including issues with the key fob and cruise control settings. At the start of the year, Mr Rhodes and other customers received a formal safety recall from Volvo. In the letter from its head of UK customer care, Volvo said it had identi- fi ed an issue with the high-voltage bat- tery in the EX30 Single Motor Extended Range and Twin Motor Performance models. In rare cases, the fault could cause the battery to overheat when charged above 70pc and cause a “possi- ble fi re”, the company said. It also warned users not to leave their cars unattended while charging in build- ings or garages. Volvo stated the failure rate remains substantially below 0.1pc of cars specifi - cally affected by the recall scope and around 0.01pc of all EX30 cars sold. However, the model, which retails between £33,000 and £46,000, has been sitting unused on Mr Rhodes’s driveway since. “I’m approaching 75 and I’ve got this fear of the car bursting into fl ames. The
Allan Rhodes
oppose social care reform
ever reaches that stage. And this is not only owing to the fact that the electoral cycle will compel opposition parties to make political capital out of opposing and stigmatising the plan. The more fundamental issue is that substantial sections of the Conservative and Labour parties are, at least in private, opposed to fi nding any such solution. The Tory argument against social care reform is that the state should not bail out those who can support themselves. Having to sell your house is most unfortunate. But homes are stores of value as well as housing. And the role of the state should not be further extended to off er middle class welfare to those who can pay their own way, but would rather not – for perfectly relatable reasons. The NHS has hardly been a resounding success, so why should we seek to replicate it by socialising another part of our lives? The Labour argument is that paying for care homes is a great equaliser, as it reduces the amount of inheritance going to the middle classes. For some on the Left, the fact that people are able to pass on less to their children is a good in itself. Polly Toynbee, the doyenne of Guardian columnists, has explicitly made the case that the more affl uent paying for social care is an engine to achieve her holy grail of greater social equality. Writing in 2022, when the Liz Truss government in its much derided mini-Budget delayed Boris Johnson’s proposed lifetime cap on social care costs, Toynbee wrote: “Not absolutely everything in last week’s Budget was wrong. One thing it got right was met with an avalanche of anger. The government abandoned a decade-long promise to preserve the assets of better-off people who have to pay for their own social care in England.” Few Labour MPs will be as explicit as Toynbee. And Tory MPs are also unlikely to air their reservations. But these sentiments are certainly widespread. Achieving a consensus on new taxes will always prove diffi cult, even if there was universal agreement that fi nding a solution would be desirable. But that is very far from the case. So don’t expect Burnham to be the last prime minister to sing this particular song and proclaim that their life’s mission is to solve the social care conundrum.
Michael Mosbacher
Here we go again. Successive governments have promised to fi nd a solution to funding social care for the old. They would ensure, they humbly pronounced, that people would no longer be forced to sell their homes to pay for a care home stay in their twilight years. And they would work in a collegiate fashion allowing for a cross party consensus to emerge. The new model would be built for the ages and become as cherished by the nation as the NHS. Except, of course, it has never worked out like this. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has personal experience of this repeat process. As health secretary in 2009, he proposed a “fair and universal” national care insurance scheme and attempted to get the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats on board. Then a general election hoved into view and the Tories welshed on the deal, labelling it a “death tax”. Theresa May had a similar experience with her “dementia tax” in 2017, and Boris Johnson’s 1.25pc surcharge on National Insurance to pay for social care was swiftly undone by his successors. Will Burnham’s luck be any better? The details of his scheme – if they turn
Held back More than 10,000 EX30 owners in Britain have been told not to charge their cars past this level, or risk a fi re
out to be as rumoured and touted by the Burnhamite think tank Re:State – are rather ingenious. Those aged over 34 would be charged a levy of 1.8pc on their earnings over £6,240. The money raised would not go into the general tax pool, but instead be invested and then spent on social care as your cohort grows old. It would not be an individual insurance, but rather a collective social insurance for your age group. The plan raises questions. Funds would be available in future decades, but how would it help with social care costs in the short term? If the funds are genuinely to be invested, they would not be there for today’s elderly. Would they in fact be genuinely invested, or would the money simply be used to buy gilts? They could make the excuse that government debt is one of the most secure investments. But in this case, it would be the smoke and mirrors of investment schemes. It would really amount to little more than a future liability on the books of the Exchequer. Even if the scheme turned out to be refreshingly genuine, it would be very tempting for governments to direct the fund to be “invested” in their pet projects. A future minister seeing billions building up in a state-backed pot could covet them for, say, the latest, wind farm project or some levelling-up scheme in Sunderland. In all likelihood we will never fi nd out the answers to these questions, because the scheme will falter before it
anxiety it’s causing me is unbelievable,” he said. Deborah Smith is also among the customers who have been left waiting for months for a replacement part. A self-employed psychotherapist, she was due to have her car examined in Preston in July, but the appointment was cancelled. “If it’s dangerous, why is it taking so long to get it sorted?” she said. She added that with the 70pc charge limit in place, her EX30 now has a range of about 180 miles, instead of the adver- tised 280 miles. “I would never have bought a vehicle with such a short range. I’d rather get a tractor,” Ms Smith said.
Volvo has been forced to hand out £200 charging vouchers to customers who have had to stop more frequently because of the charging restrictions. As well as pursuing a complaint with Volvo directly, Ms Smith and Mr Rhodes are looking to reject their vehicles through Reject My Car. The consumer advice firm is also looking at raising proceedings against Volvo Cars UK “to force them to take the cars back and refund those aff ected”. Ian Ferguson, its managing director, said: “Consumers in the EV sector deserve better. With no fi x in sight, these owners are facing a daily challenge choosing between how far they can
travel and is their car safe to travel in?” In the meantime, some frustrated customers have confessed to charg- ing the cars beyond the recommended 70pc, in spite of warnings from the manufacturer. “My journeys required it... my risk, I know,” one social media user wrote. Where drivers have exceeded the recommended charge limits, some have received follow-up letters from Volvo UK, informing them it has been monitor- ing data from the car, which suggest its advice has not been followed. “In the case of an incident, a failure to follow this guidance could be taken into account when considering liability,” the
letter said. The Telegraph understands the Financial Ombudsman is looking at several cases involving EX30 models, while the Motoring Ombudsman con- fi rmed it also has “active cases concern- ing Volvo EX30 recall-related matters”. For other customers, the car has presented diff erent problems. Chris Gibson, a hospitality worker from Clitheroe, Lancashire, claimed that on Boxing Day last year, his EX30 spontaneously reversed into another car – while there was nobody in the driver’s seat. His wife had popped into her father’s house for lunch and to pick up some presents. While she was saying goodbye, their nine-year-old son in the front passenger seat tried to use the console to watch a video, he said. CCTV supplied by Mr Gibson appears to show his Volvo reversing into the neighbour’s car, with his wife then rushing to take their son out of the front passenger seat. He said when they arrived home, his son immediately went to bed, upset and “thinking he caused it”. Leaving the car with Volvo in January, an inspection took more than three months. Volvo said it could not find any fault with the car, something that Mr Gibson is challenging with the Ombudsman. “We are just normal people who bought a car – I’m not trying to make a big deal out of it, but my wife does not feel safe,” he said. Reports have suggested the recall could involve replacement battery mod- ules and repairs totalling at least $195m (£146m), although Volvo is expected to recover costs from the supplier, with a “minor” financial impact on the firm, which is owned by China-based Geely. Volvo UK said it was “working tire- lessly” to resolve the issues, but refused to say how many faulty cars it had remedied in the UK. Other countries appear to have been dealing with the recall much more quickly. In a recent update, the chief executive of Volvo Thailand and Malaysia said 50pc of affected cars in those markets had already been fixed, with the aim of having all of them refi tted by September. Volvo Cars UK said: “Since we started to replace aff ected battery modules free of charge in April, we have made strong progress with many fi xes now complete, and a repair rate set to ramp up further in the coming weeks and months.”
JEREMY SUTTON-HIBBERT
issues with the key fob and cruise control settings ‘I’m approaching 75. The anxiety it’s causing me is immense’
What to watch
VAN DER VALK ITV1, 8pm
Marc Warren’s gruff Dutch detective returns tonight for an explosive thriller
I
t has been three years
since we last saw Piet
Van Der Valk. Although,
curiously, this fourth
series did air on American
broadcaster PBS in 2024 – a
modern quirk, it seems, of
global co-production deals.
Regardless, Marc Warren’s
gruff Dutch detective
returns tonight for an
explosive thriller set around
a whistleblower due to
testify against a formidable
Amsterdam crime boss. As
always, Van Der Valk’s
Lioness Paramount+ The third season of this starry spy thriller opens with a gripping high-octane mission set in Ukraine. Zoe Saldaña’s grizzled CIA agent Joe must capture a Russian asset. Yet Ukraine is no normal war zone. It is – to quote one soldier – like “World War I and Star Wars slammed into each other”.
Richard E Grant’s Very
Modern Odyssey
Channel 4, 8pm
Sing to me, Muse, of Richard
E Grant, who wandered in
the steps of The Odyssey
for this spirited four-part
travelogue. Many cities of
the Mediterranean he saw,
starting tonight in Malta,
setting is its greatest strength, with the gun- toting Dutch police leading to superb action-packed set-pieces like the one here in which Piet discovers an assassin hiding in a safe house. The dogged Commissaris is as misanthropic as ever, with Warren delivering every line as though he is growling it into a mirror. “Is there a corpse anywhere?” he asks at one point, “I need cheering up.” His mood is
Lioness opens with a gripping high-octane mission in Ukraine
a possible inspiration
for goddess Calypso.
Thereupon he travelled to
Türkiye, where once lay the
sacred citadel of Troy.
Commonwealth Games 2026 TNT Sports 2/HBO Max The Commonwealth Games
made even worse by the
appearance of estranged
ex-girlfriend Kalie (Kim
Riedle). The pair spend
much of the episode trading
barbs like, “You couldn’t
find my button with a
satnav”. Thankfully, there
is better fun to be had in the
deliciously devilish criminal
matriarch Bibi (Anastasia
Hille), while Darrell D’Silva’s
flamboyant forensic
pathologist Hendrik once
again steals the show.
SK
reaches its final day with
medals on the line in
netball, judo, bowls and
track cycling. Meanwhile,
Scottish rockers Simple
Minds will headline the
Glasgow Games’ closing
ceremony from 7.30pm.
Those without TNT Sports
or HBO Max can catch the
highlights at 10pm on Channel 5.
Barrow: The Truth Behind the Grooming Lie Sky Documentaries, 2am/9pm In 2020, a Barrow woman named Ellie Williams caused violent unrest after falsely claiming that she had been the victim of an Asian grooming gang. This chewy three-part documentary re-examines the case, arguing that Williams’s lie has led to a denial of a wider grooming problem.
Great Violinists at the
Proms
BBC Four, 9pm
Rising star Sueye Park
makes her Proms debut
with a dazzling version of
the Violin Concerto from
Sibelius. Park gives Katie
Derham an excuse to
plunder the Proms archive,
digging out performances
Shakespeare in Love re-imagines the bard’s life
by virtuoso violinists Nigel Kennedy and Nicola Benedetti. SK
FILM
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
BBC Two, 10pm
★★★★★
Joseph Fiennes and
Gwyneth Paltrow make a
handsome couple in this
John Madden-directed,
Oscar-snaffling reimagining
of the Bard’s life when
he was writing Romeo
and Juliet. Packed with
amusing theories about
Shakespeare’s personal life,
along with much of the
1990s British acting scene,
this is a merry yarn.
Geoffrey Rush and Colin
Firth co-star, and Judi
Dench managed to win
Best Supporting Actress for
her six-minute appearance
as Elizabeth I.
6.00 am Breakfast (S) 9.00 News (S) 10.00 Prayer and Reflection (R) (S) 10.30 Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales (AD) (R) (S) 11.30 Money for Nothing (R) (S) 12.15 pm Bargain Hunt (R) (S) 1.00 News; Weather (S) 1.15 Songs of Praise (S) 1.50 Escape to the Country (R) (S) 2.15 FILM: Puss in Boots (2011) Animated comedy spin-off with the voice of Antonio Banderas (AD) (S) 3.35 The Mating Game (AD) (R) (S) 4.35 Homes Under the Hammer (AD) (R) (S) 5.35 News (S) 5.50 Regional News; Weather; Weather (S) 6.00 Celebrity Escape to the Country (AD) (R) (S)
The Rapture Cricket: The Hundred Force of Nature
7.00 Countryfile The first of four episodes exploring the lives of a new generation of farmers (S)
8.00 Antiques Roadshow The team values items at Brodie Castle in Morayshire (R) (S)
9.00 The Rapture Gabs and Dick uncover evidence that Leonard is hiding something (AD) (S)
10.00 BBC News at Ten (S) 10.25 Regional News; Weather (S) 10.30 FILM: The Impossible (2012) Drama with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor (AD) (S)
12.10 am Who Do You Think You Are? 1.15 - 6.00am News
Currently: Britain’s
Robot Army
Radio 4, 1.30pm
RADIO 4
With defence spending currently in the headlines, former army officer Will
RADIO 1
FM 97.6-99.8MHZ
6.00am Radio 1 Dance Party Starters 7.00 Radio 1 Dance Weekend with James Cusack 10.00 Radio 1 00s with James Cusack 10.30 Newsbeat 10.32 Radio 1 00s with Nat and Vicky 11.00 Radio 1 10s with Nat and Vicky 12.00 Radio 1 20s with Nat and Vicky 1.00pm Radio 1 Dance Weekend 4.00 Radio 1 Dance Weekend 7.00 Radio 1’s Chillest Show 9.00 Martha 11.00 BBC Introducing on Radio 1 with Jaguar 1.00am 1Xtra’s R&B Show with Chuckie 2.30 1Xtra’s R&B Slow Jamz Mix with Chuckie 3.00 Radio 1’s Chill Mix 3.30 Radio 1’s Chill Mix 4.00 Radio 1’s Workout Anthems 5.00 - 6.58am Radio 1 Early Breakfast with Dean McCullough
RADIO 2
FM 88-90.2MHZ
6.00am Good Morning Sunday 9.00 Love Songs with Michael Ball 11.00 Paddy McGuinness 1.00pm Elaine Paige on Sunday 3.00 Sounds of the Seventies with Lulu 5.00 Pick of the Pops 6.00 Pick of the Pops. 7.00 Tony Blackburn’s Golden Hour 8.00 The Paul Gambaccini Collection 10.00 Radio 2 Unwinds with Angela Griffin 11.00 Radio 2 Unwinds with Angela Griffin 12.00 Richie Anderson 3.00am Alternative Sounds of the 90s with Dermot O’Leary 4.00 - 6.30am Owain Wyn Evans
6.40 am A to Z of TV Gardening (R) (S) 7.25 Glorious Gardens from Above (R) (S) 8.10 Countryfile (R) (S) 9.05 Best of Weatherman Walking (S) 9.35 Beechgrove Garden (R) (S) 10.05 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites (S) 11.35 Indian Food Made Easy (R) (S) 12.05 pm Indian Food Made Easy (R) (S) 12.35 FILM: Loch Ness (1996) Family drama starring Ted Danson (S) 2.15 Cricket: The Hundred MI London Women v Manchester Super Giants Women (start-time 2.30pm) (S) 6.00 Cricket: The Hundred MI London Men v Manchester Super Giants Men (start-time 6.00pm) (S)
9.30 Live at the Apollo Comedy from Nabil Abdulrashid, Jake Lambert and Rachel Fairburn (R) (S)
10.00 FILM: Shakespeare in Love (1998) Period romantic comedy starring Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow (AD) (S)
11.55 Golf: Women’s Open Highlights 2026 12.55am Sign Zone: Ann Droid 1.25 Sign Zone: The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke 2.20 - 6.30am This Is BBC Two
Robson reports on how technology is impacting Britain’s defence systems. He travels to Salisbury Plain, UK drone-making facilities and King’s College London to see how screen-based and
and the BBC SO perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto 10.00 Night Tracks. A soundtrack for late-night listening 11.30 Unclassified 12.30 - 6.30am Through the Night
FM 92.4-94.6MHZ; LW 198KHZ
6.00am News Headlines 6.05 Heart and Soul 6.35 On Your Farm 6.57 Weather 7.00 News 7.00 Sunday Papers 7.10 Sunday 7.54 Radio 4 Appeal 7.57 Weather 8.00 News 8.00 Sunday Papers 8.10 Sunday Worship 8.48 Witness History 8.58 Tweet of the Day 9.00 Broadcasting House 10.00 Desert Island Discs 11.00 The Archers 12.15pm Last Word: Doing Death Differently 12.30 Just a Minute 12.57 Weather 1.00 The World This Weekend. Presented by Jonny Dymond 1.30 Britain’s Robot Army 2.00 Gardeners’ Question Time. From the Lincolnshire village of Pinchbeck 2.45 NatureBang 3.00 Drama: Trouble in Mind. Part two of two. Alice Childress’ 1955 play 4.00 Bookclub 4.30 Brain of Britain 5.00 Witness History 5.10 Church Going, with Giles Fraser. Giles returns to a parish where he served as a young priest. Last in the series 5.54 Shipping Forecast 5.57 Weather 6.00 Six O’Clock News 6.15 Pick of the Week. Maryam Moshiri presents highlights 7.00 The Archers. Jazzer makes a controversial suggestion 7.15 Precious Stones. A family must decide what to do with their late father’s rock collection 7.45 Just One Thing with Michael Mosley. Michael Mosley explain the benefits of switching to wholegrain 8.00 Feedback 8.30 Last Word 9.00 Toast 9.26 Radio 4 Appeal 9.30 From Our Own Correspondent 9.59 Weather 10.00 John Simpson’s Dictators 11.00 Great Lives 11.30 More Wow 11.45 Short Works 12.00 News and Weather 12.15am Inside Health 12.45 Bells on Sunday 12.48 Shipping Forecast 1.00 As World Service 5.00 News Summary 5.04 Last Word 5.32
WORLD SERVICE
AI-assisted warfare are rapidly evolving. And he explores the big issues, including funding and the need for a fundamental mindset shift that ensures training, equipping and
Weather 5.34 Shipping Forecast 5.43 Prayer for the Day 5.45 - 6.00am Farming Today
RADIO 5 LIVE
MW 693 & 909KHZ
6.00am The Martin Lewis Podcast 7.00 Sunday Breakfast 10.00 Colin Murray 12.00 5 Live Sport 6.45pm 606 8.00 Back Where We Belong 8.30 Back Where We Belong. Doug King’s takeover brings change quickly 9.00 Stephen Nolan. The day’s main news stories, topical debate and interviews 12.00 Don’t Say a Word 12.30am Strange But True Crime 1.00 Dotun Adebayo 5.00 - 6.00am Wake Up to Money
CLASSIC FM
FM 99.9-101.9MHZ
6.30am Classic FM Breakfast with Sam Pittis 9.00 The Classic FM Hall of Fame Hour with Tim Lihoreau 10.00 Tim Lihoreau 12.00 John Brunning 3.00pm Stephen Mangan 6.00 Classical Pioneers 7.00 Relaxing Evenings with Zeb Soanes. Zeb hosts an evening of the most relaxing music 10.00 Calm Classics 1.00am Bill Overton 4.00 - 6.30am Early Breakfast
DIGITAL ONLY
DIGITAL ONLY
6.00am Weekend 9.00 News 9.06 From Our Own Correspondent 9.30 The Food Chain 10.00 News 10.06 People Fixing the World 10.30 The Fifth Floor 11.00 The Newsroom 11.30 Dear Daughter 11.50 More or Less 12.00 News 12.06pm The Documentary: The Sound of Soft Power 1.00 Newshour 2.00 News 2.06 The Climate Question 2.30 Happy News 3.00 News 3.06 Sportsworld 7.00 The Newsroom 7.30 Good Bad Billionaire 8.00 News 8.06 Unexpected Elements 9.00 Newshour
6.00 am James Martin’s American Adventure (AD) (R) (S) 7.00 James Martin’s Saturday Morning (R) (S) 9.25 News (S) 9.30 Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh (R) (S) 11.30 Fern Britton: Inside the Vet’s (AD) (S) 12.30 pm Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy (AD) (R) (S) 1.00 News; Weather (S) 1.10 Force of Nature (AD) (R) (S) 2.10 FILM: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) James Bond adventure starring Roger Moore and Christopher Lee (AD) (S) 4.35 The Chase Celebrity Special (AD) (R) (S) 5.35 The Chase Around the World (AD) (R) (S) 6.30 News (S) 6.45 ITV News London; Weather (S)
7.00 Force of Nature Shifting rains test three mothers as floods transform habitats (AD) (S)
8.00 Van Der Valk New series. Crime drama starring Marc Warren (AD) (S)
10.00 News; Weather (S) 10.15 FILM: Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) Action thriller sequel starring Tom Cruise (S)
12.25 am Shop on TV 3.00 Motorsport UK 3.50 Unwind with ITV 5.05 - 6.00am Dickinson’s Real Deal
preparing soldiers for a
completely new style of
warfare. In Sounds of the
70s with Lulu (Radio 2,
3pm), the singer is brim
full of energy as ever.
Gerard O’Donovan
10.00 News 10.06 The Climate Question 10.30 Assignment 11.00 The Newsroom 11.30 The Fifth Floor 12.00 News 12.06am From Our Own Correspondent 12.30 BBC Inside Science 1.00 The Newsroom 1.30 Discovery 2.00 The Newsroom 2.30 CrowdScience 3.00 News 3.06 People Fixing the World 3.30 The Fifth Floor 4.00 The Newsroom 4.30 The Conversation 5.00 - 8.00am Newsday
RADIO 4 EXTRA
6.00am Desert Island Discs Revisited 6.45 David Attenborough’s Life Stories 7.00 Poetry Extra 7.30 Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital 8.40 Inheritance Tracks 8.50 Small Island 10.00 Know Your Place 10.30 Take It from Here 11.00 Desert Island Discs Revisited 11.45 David Attenborough’s Life Stories 12.00 Poetry Extra 12.30pm Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital 1.40 Inheritance Tracks 1.50 Small Island 3.00 Know Your Place 3.30 Take It from Here 4.00 Calls from Far Away 4.45 Summer Ghosts 5.00 Desert Island Discs Revisited 5.45 David Attenborough’s Life Stories 6.00 Poetry Extra 6.30 Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital 7.40 Inheritance Tracks 7.50 Small Island 9.00 Know Your Place 9.30 Take It from Here 10.00 Revolting People 10.30 Alexei Sayle’s Strangers on a Train 10.55 The Comedy Club Interview 11.00 In and Out of the Kitchen 11.30 Electric Ink 12.00 Calls from Far Away 12.45am Summer Ghosts 1.00 Desert Island Discs Revisited 1.45 David Attenborough’s Life Stories 2.00 Poetry Extra 2.30 Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital 3.40 Inheritance Tracks 3.50 Small Island 5.00 Know Your Place 5.30 - 6.00am Take It from Here
6.20 am Cheers (R) (S) 6.45 Cheers (R) (S) 7.15 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD) (R) (S) 7.40 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD) (R) (S) 8.05 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD) (R) (S) 8.30 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 9.00 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 9.30 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 10.00 Sunday Brunch (S) 1.00 pm Jamie Cooks the Mediterranean (AD) (R) (S) 2.00 Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids (AD) (R) (S) 3.05 Britain’s Favourite Railway Stations with Si King (AD) (R) (S) 4.05 Kirstie and Phil’s Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds (AD) (R) (S) 4.35 FILM: Sister Act (1992) Comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg (AD) (S) 6.30 Channel 4 News (S)
Murder by Decree Sister Boniface Mysteries The Bargee Withnail & I The Piano Inside the Four Seasons: Park Lane
7.00 Gogglebox Highlights from series 27 (AD) (S)
8.00 Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey New series. The actor retraces the route take by Odysseus in Homer’s classic The Odyssey (AD) (S)
9.00 The Piano Claudia Winkleman and Mika are joined in London by Jools Holland (AD) (S)
10.05 FILM: Erin Brockovich (2000) Oscar-winning fact-based drama starring Julia Roberts (AD) (S)
12.30 am Ramy 1.05 Ramy 1.40 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 2.35 Mr & Mrs ’55 Remembered 2.50 FILM: Mr & Mrs ’55 (1955, b/w) Indian romantic comedy starring Madhubala. In Hindi 5.20 Kirstie and Phil’s Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds 5.50 - 6.30am Countdown
More channels Variations FV Freeview FS Freesat (AD) Audio description (R) Repeat (S) Subtitles (SL) In-vision signing
FV 9 FS 173 SKY 116 VIRGIN 108
7.00 pm The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank 8.00 Cairngorms: A Year in the Wild 9.00 Great Violinists at the Proms 10.00 Bill Paterson Remembers – The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil 10.20 The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil 11.50 7:84 : Keep Right On? – Ex-S 12.20 am Munro: Mountain Man 1.20 The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank 2.20 - 3.20am Cairngorms: A Year in the Wild
U&Dave
11.00am Red Bull Soapbox Race 1.00pm Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing 3.00 The Hairy Bikers’ Asian Adventure 5.00 Would I Lie to You? 7.00 Border Force: America’s Gatekeepers. Officers hand over a convict to Mexican authorities 8.00 Special Ops: Crime Squad UK. Lancashire police unravel a cryptocurrency conspiracy 9.00 Have I Got a Bit More News for You. Richard Ayoade hosts the quiz 10.00 QI 10.40 Mock the Week 12.00 Live at the Apollo 2.00am QI XL 3.00-4.00am Parks and Recreation
ITV2
11.05am Deal or No Deal 2.10pm Celebrity Catchphrase 3.15 FILM: Penguins of Madagascar (2014) Animated comedy with the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch 5.00 FILM: Johnny English (2003) Spy comedy starring Rowan Atkinson 6.45 FILM: Miss Congeniality (2000) Comedy starring Sandra Bullock 9.00 The Only Way Is Essex. New series. The Essex crew are back, and it’s high drama from the outset. Elma is struggling to forgive Harry, and Saff and Ella reopen old wounds when they clash over Freddie 10.00 Family Guy 11.35 American Dad! 12.35am Plebs 1.05 G’wed 2.00 Deal or No Deal 2.55
6.00 am Milkshake! 9.00 Entertainment News on 5 (S) 9.15 FILM: Rango (2011) Oscar-winning animated comedy with the voice of Johnny Depp (S) 11.30 Commonwealth Games 2026 (R) (S) 12.30 pm Happy Campers: The Caravan Park (R) (S) 1.30 Cruising with Susan Calman (R) (S) 2.30 Jane McDonald’s Yorkshire: No Place Like Home (R) (S) 4.00 Live: UK’s Strongest Man 2026 Coverage of day two from Planet Ice Milton Keynes (S) 6.55 5 News Weekend (S)
7.00 The 1970s Diet: Could It Work For You? Josie Gibson immerses herself in the food, drink and culture of the Seventies (R) (S)
8.00 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Graeme Hall meets an 11-year-old beagle with an insatiable appetite (R) (S)
9.00 Inside the Four Seasons: Park Lane New series. Housekeeping manager Ivan tries to source two horsehair pillows (S)
10.00 Commonwealth Games 2026 Highlights from the final day (S)
11.05 JFK Assassination: Inside the Trauma Room 1.00am Cruise TV with LoveitBookit 2.00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2.50 Holiday Scams: Don’t Get Caught Out 3.40 Friends 4.05 Friends 4.30 The Highland Vet 5.20 Entertainment News on 5 5.35 Milo 5.45 - 6.00am The Adventures of Paddington
FV 10 FS 115 SKY 119 VIRGIN 117
11.50 am Agatha Christie’s Marple 2.00 pm Midsomer Murders 4.00 Midsomer Murders. A burglar dubbed ‘the Creeper’ targets Midsomer. Rik Mayall guest stars 6.00 Midsomer Murders. Barnaby investigates the murder of a local councillor 8.00 Midsomer Murders. Barnaby investigates a dubious land deal in Brighton 10.00 Vera. A dock worker falls to his death from a multi-storey car park 11.50 Wycliffe 1.30 am Trigger Point 2.20 Unwind with ITV 2.30 - 6.00am Teleshopping
Unwind with ITV 3.00-6.00am Teleshopping
Challenge
Noon Celebrity Catchphrase 1.00pm Tenable 2.00 Bridge of Lies 3.00 The Chase 5.00 The Chase Celebrity Special 6.00 The Celebrity Chase 7.00 The Chase 9.00 The Chase Celebrity Special. With Mike Bushell, Annabel Croft, Rhea Bailey and Rylan Clark-Neal 10.00 The Chase 11.00 Bullseye 2.00-4.00am The Chase
Quest
Noon The Yorkshire Auction House 1.00pm The Repair Shop 5.00 The Yorkshire Auction House 6.00 Angus Ashworth: Yorkshire Heritage Hero 7.00 Johnny Vegas’ Little Shop of Antiques. Johnny scours northwest Wales for smaller items to sell at the shop 8.00 The Repair Shop 1.00am Mike Brewer: Born Dealer 3.00- 4.00am Wheeler Dealers: Dream Car
Wales
FV 26 FS 117 SKY 120 VIRGIN 118
11.00 am Cadfael 12.40 pm Cadfael 2.20 FILM: The Horse Soldiers (1959) Western starring John Wayne and William Holden 4.45 Sharpe 6.55 Sharpe 9.00 FILM: Time Bandits (1981) Fantasy comedy starring Craig Warnock and David Rappaport 11.25 The Summit Australia 12.45 am Minder 1.40 Robin of Sherwood 2.35 Two and a Half Men 3.00 - 6.00am Teleshopping
time 11.00 Mighty Truckers 12.00 Kindig Customs 3.00-5.00am American Chopper
PBS America
11.30am Sicily: The Conquered Isle 1.00pm Spy Ops 9.05 Sicily: The Conquered Isle 12.00 Spy Ops 1.00am Weathered: Earth’s Extremes 2.00-6.00am Teleshopping
Sky History
Noon Storage Hunters 1.00pm Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire 7.00 Hannibal: A March on Rome. The Carthaginian’s route across the Alps 8.00 The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire. History documentary chronicling the Roman Empire’s rise and fall 10.00 World War II with Tom Hanks 12.00 Storage Hunters 2.00- 6.00am What on Earth?
FV 36 FS 143 SKY 822 VIRGIN 123
6.00 am Making a Maestro (AD) (S) 7.00 Making a Maestro (AD) (S) 8.00 Making a Maestro (AD) (S) 9.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 9.30 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 10.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 10.30 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 11.00 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (S) 12.00 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (S) 1.00 pm Cirque du Soleil: Varekai (S) 3.00 André Rieu: Live in Malta (S) 4.30 Classic Artists: Cream (S)
7.00 Grand Ole Opry: Opry Live With Vince Gill, Patty Loveless and Dustin Lynch (S)
8.00 FILM: Murder by Decree (1978) Sherlock Holmes mystery starring Christopher Plummer (S)
10.20 Johnson & Knopfler’s Music Legends Brian and Mark are joined by Nile Rodgers (S)
11.20 Gary Moore: One Night in Dublin 12.40am Jeff Beck – Live in Tokyo 2.40 BB King: Live in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall 4.25 Discovering: Eagles 4.50 Classic Albums 5.50 - 6.00am Sky Arts Ambassador Bursary Shorts
FV 18 FS 124 SKY 136 VIRGIN 147
Noon A Place in the Sun 1.00 pm A Place in the Sun 2.00 A Place in the Sun 3.00 A Place in the Sun 3.50 Come Dine with Me 6.25 Four in a Bed 6.55 Four in a Bed 7.25 Four in a Bed 7.55 Four in a Bed 8.30 Four in a Bed 9.00 The Emergency Ward 10.00 24 Hours in A&E 11.00 24 Hours in A&E 12.05 am The Emergency Ward 1.00 24 Hours in A&E 2.05 24 Hours in A&E 3.10 - 3.40am A Place in the Sun
10.00 Tell Them You Love Me 12.00 FILM: Tina (2021) A celebration of Tina Turner’s life and career 2.15- 4.00am AKA Mr Chow
Sky One
10.45am The Hundred Live. Trent Rockets Women v Sunrisers Leeds Women (Start-time 11.00am) 2.00pm The Simpsons 3.30 Best Medicine 4.30 Animal Control 7.00 The Simpsons 8.00 David Attenborough’s Dragons and Damsels. The world of dragonflies and damselflies 9.00 Micky Flanagan: If Ever We Needed It. A stand-up show by the comedian 10.15 FILM: Rambo III (1988) Action adventure sequel starring Sylvester Stallone 12.15am La Brea 2.10 The Walking Dead: Dead City 3.10- 5.00am Road Wars
Great! Mystery
Mysteries: Her Last Breath (2019) Thriller starring Taylor Cole 12.50am Good News on GREAT! Extra 1.00 FILM: Out of Control (2009) Crime thriller starring Laura Vandervoort 2.25 Good News on GREAT! Extra 2.35-4.00am FILM: Labour, Lies and Murder (2022) Thriller starring Brooke Burfitt
FV 20 FS 158 SKY 143 VIRGIN 116
6.00 am Teleshopping 7.10 The Bill (S) 8.00 The Bill (S) 9.00 The Bill (S) 10.00 The Bill (S) 11.00 The Bill (S) 12.00 Call the Midwife (AD) (S) 1.20 pm Call the Midwife (AD) (S) 2.25 Catherine Cookson’s The Rag Nymph (S) 5.45 Home Fires (S) 6.50 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (S)
8.00 Sister Boniface Mysteries When a resident is found poisoned, the method resembles that of a murder several years earlier. However, the culprit for that crime is known to be in a psychiatric institution (AD) (S)
9.00 Silent Witness Nikki investigates a plane crash in which a former US ambassador is killed, and evidence begins to emerge that the aircraft was deliberately sabotaged (AD) (S)
11.15 New Tricks 12.15am Call the Midwife 1.35 2point4 Children 2.10 2point4 Children 2.55 Hotel Portofino 4.00 - 6.00am Teleshopping
SKY 110 VIRGIN 124
11.25 am Red Dwarf 7.00 pm Gavin & Stacey 7.40 Gavin & Stacey 8.20 Dad’s Army 9.00 The Royle Family 9.40 The Royle Family 10.20 The Fast Show 11.00 The Fast Show 11.35 The Fast Show 12.15 am The Royle Family 12.55 The Royle Family 1.35 Red Dwarf 2.15 Red Dwarf 2.45 Red Dwarf 3.25 - 4.00am The Royle Family
Sky Cinema Premiere
10.10am Wicked: For Good (2025) Fantasy sequel starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande 12.35pm Normal (2026) Action comedy starring Bob Odenkirk 2.15 Heretic (2024) Horror starring Hugh Grant 4.15 Mortal Kombat II (2026) Fantasy adventure starring Karl Urban 6.15 Anaconda (2025) Comedy adventure starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd 8.00 Normal (2026) Action comedy starring Bob Odenkirk 9.40 Heretic (2024) Horror starring Hugh Grant 11.40 Primate (2025) Horror starring Johnny Sequoyah 1.15am Anemone (2025) Drama starring Sean Bean and Daniel Day-Lewis 3.30-5.10am In Cold Light (2025) Crime thriller starring Maika Monroe
FV 82 FS 306 SKY 324 VIRGIN 445
6.00 am FILM: Unknown World (1951, b/w) Sci-fi adventure starring Bruce Kellogg (S) 7.35 FILM: The Young Land (1959, b/w) Western starring Dan O’Herlihy (S) 9.25 Cinebox Memories 9.30 The Lucy Show (S) 10.00 FILM: Theirs Is the Glory (1946, b/w) Re-enactment of the battle of Arnhem during the Second World War (S) 11.40 Batman (S) 12.10 pm FILM: Circumstantial Evidence (1952, b/w) Crime drama starring Rona Anderson (S) 1.20 FILM: Hobson’s Choice (1953, b/w) Comedy starring John Mills (S) 3.30 For the Love of Ada (S) 4.00 The Man from UNCLE (S) 5.00 The Footage Detectives (S) 6.00 FILM: The Bargee (1964) Comedy with Harry H Corbett (S)
8.10 Look at Life
8.20 A Game of Murder Mrs Lincoln’s nephew wants the dog collar returned (S)
9.25 FILM: Chase a Crooked Shadow (1957, b/w) Thriller starring Richard Todd (S)
11.10 The Best of The Adventurers 12.50am The Heritage Chart Show 1.55 FILM: Old Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (1952, b/w) Comic horror starring Bela Lugosi 3.20 Look at Life 3.30 The Rogues 4.30 The Adventures of Robin Hood 5.00 The Buccaneers 5.30 - 6.00am Supercar
FV 27 FS 159 SKY 155 VIRGIN 129
Noon Canal Boat Diaries 1.00 pm Canal Boat Diaries 2.00 Canal Boat Diaries 3.00 Explore 4.00 Explore 5.00 Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy 7.55 Bangers & Cash 8.55 Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics 9.55 Canal Boat Diaries 10.55 Canal Boat Diaries 11.55 Canal Boat Diaries 12.55 am Flipping Bangers 1.55 Abandoned Engineering 3.00 - 6.10am Teleshopping
Live Women’s Golf. The AIG Women’s Open Championship 6.30 The Hundred Live. MI London Men v Manchester Super Giants Men (start- time 6.00pm) 9.00 Live Tennis. The Washington DC Open women’s final 10.00 Live Tennis. The Washington DC Open men’s final 12.00-4.00am Live Tennis. The Canadian Open
Sky Sports Premier League Noon Netbusters 6.00pm Premier League Stories 6.30 Transfer 360 7.00 Premier League Stories 7.30 Premier League 100 Club 8.00 Premier League Review 10.00 Premier League Stories 11.00 Premier League Years 1.00am PL Retro 3.00- 4.00am PL Greatest Games
TNT Sports 1
11.00am Live World Rally Championship. The Rally Finland 1.30pm Live: Men’s Cycling Pro Series. The 2026 Tour of Denmark 2.30 Live: Tour de France Women. Coverage from the second stage of the Grand Tour race 5.45 The Gruppetto 6.00 TNT Sports Reload 6.30 Live MLB. Tampa Bay Rays v Chicago White Sox (start- time 6.40pm) 9.30 MLB Plays of the Week 10.00 World Rally Championship 10.30 SailGP – Racing on the Edge 11.00 British Superbikes 12.00
FV 14 FS 300 SKY 855 VIRGIN 428
11.00 am FILM: Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) Historical drama starring Richard Burton (S) 1.55 pm FILM: Oliver! (1968) Musical starring Ron Moody (AD) (S) 4.50 FILM: The Call of the Wild (2020) Historical adventure starring Harrison Ford (AD) (S)
6.45 FILM: Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) Two decades after the world was saved from an alien attack, a second even deadlier invasion begins. Sci-fi adventure starring Jeff Goldblum and Liam Hemsworth (AD) (S)
9.00 FILM: Captain Phillips (2013) The captain of a cargo ship travelling around the coast of Somalia is taken hostage when pirates raid the vessel. Fact-based thriller starring Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi (S)
11.40 FILM: Withnail & I (1987) Cult black comedy starring Richard E Grant 1.50 - 4.00am FILM: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) Comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Richard E Grant
SKY 108
11.20 am Homicide: Life on the Street 12.25 pm The White Lotus 1.35 The White Lotus 2.40 The White Lotus 3.50 The White Lotus 5.00 The White Lotus 6.15 The White Lotus 7.30 The White Lotus 9.00 House of the Dragon 10.15 Gomorrah: The Origins 11.20 Gomorrah: The Origins 12.15 am Homicide: Life on the Street 1.10 Homicide: Life on the Street 2.00 House of the Dragon 3.15 - 4.20am Billions
Training Day 12.15am Live MLB. Los Angeles Dodgers v Boston Red Sox (Start-time 12.20am) 3.00-4.00am UEC Mountain Bike European Championship
BBC News
Noon BBC News 1.30pm The Media Show 2.00 BBC News 2.30 Tech Now 3.00 BBC News 4.30 Global Eye 5.00 BBC News 8.30 The Media Show 9.00 BBC News 11.30 Tech Now 12.00 BBC News 12.30am Global Eye 1.00 BBC News 1.30 The Media Show 2.00 Newsday 2.30 Business Today 2.45 BBC Sport 3.00 Newsday 3.30 Business Today 3.45-4.00am BBC Sport
GB News
11.00am Sunday with Michael Portillo 1.00pm The Weekend 3.00 Nana Akua 6.00 The Camilla Tominey Show 7.00 Free Speech Nation 9.00 Alex Armstrong Tonight 11.00 Alex Armstrong Tonight Late Edition 12.00 The Late Show Live 3.00-5.00am Alex Armstrong Tonight
Northern Ireland
BBC One: 10.30pm Fleadh Folk 11.30 - 1.10am FILM: The Impossible (2012) BBC Two: No variations UTV: No variations
No variations
No variations
Scotland
BBC One: 10.30pm Icons of Football 11.30 Sportscene: Premiership Highlights 12.15am FILM: The Impossible (2012) 2.00 - 6.00am BBC News BBC Scotland: 7.00pm Reporting Scotland: News at Seven 7.15 Sportscene: Premiership Highlights 8.00 My Epic Camel Adventure with Gordon Buchanan 9.00 Paramedics on Scene 10.00 Still Game 10.30 Scot Squad 11.00 Cumming to the Cabaret! 11.25 Cumming to the Cabaret! 11.45 Scotland’s Most Remote Club Night midnight Close STV: 3.50 - 5.05am Unwind with STV
ITV1 Regions
S4C
6.00am Cyw 9.00 Y Cosmos 10.00 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 11.00 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 12.00 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 3.00pm Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 6.40 Newyddion S4C a’r Tywydd 6.50 Pobol y Cwm Omnibws 8.00 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 9.30 Gemau’r Gymanwlad: Glasgow 2026 10.30 - 12.15am Sgorio
*
Redbourn Cricket Club play against Hemel Hempstead on a parched pitch
summer heat will be brief respite
By Peter Stanford
IF YOU are hankering after a break from the heat, there is good news. The recent run of a fortnight of the UK seeing temperatures of 30C (86F) or more is coming to an end. Though it will be cooler, it will not be that much cooler in the early part of the week and, by next weekend, some areas will be back in heatwave mode. The position of the centre of the area of high pressure out in the Atlantic that has been dominating our weather this month is shifting slightly westwards. Since winds blow clockwise round areas of high pressure that will open the door more to the fresh north north-easterly winds that have been pushing the mercury down along the North Sea coast in particular recently. So today will be yet another dry day – pity our farmers – with plenty of sunshine in most parts, though the mist off the sea in the mornings down our eastern seaboard will take time to burn off. But the impact of those winds from the north is making itself felt more, and so temperatures are inching downwards. The warmest places are in the south west, with South Wales at 26C (79F). The southern part of England, including Greater London and up into the Midlands, is at 24C (75F), north west England and southern and central Scotland at 22C (72F), Northern Ireland at 21C (70F), but from Aberdeen down to Suffolk on that east coast, you won’t see much more than 20C (68F). As next week gets under way, the temperatures will start to pick up as the centre of the high continues to drift westwards, but there will be more cloud, especially in Scotland and northern England. In southern parts the sunshine will continue and the mercury will be back up at 30C (86F).
By Dominic Penna, African Americans, After Kate, After Miss Widdecombe, After Mitie, Agatha Christie, Alan Milburn, Alex Armstrong Tonight, Alex Armstrong Tonight Late Edition, Alex Armstrong Tonight
Northern Ireland - WARNING: source dates, money, or percentage tokens may be missing
本次翻译在主要文章内容上基本忠实，但在文档完整性和文本处理方面存在严重缺陷。出现了大规模的文本缺失（断裂）以及明显的翻译后清理痕迹。
（此处文本缺失 / 断裂） 等内部清理或占位标签。根据审计要求，此类标签被视为交付缺陷。02.08.2026，且 S4C 节目单出现 2026。虽与原文一致，但需注意该文档为预测性或虚构日期文本。£23.6bn、5 per cent 等部分单位在正文中直接保留英文，未统一转化为中文习惯（如：236 亿英镑）。strip search 在文中直接保留英文，虽附带中文翻译，但属于未完全处理的残留块。结论：存在阻碍性问题 (Blocking Issues Found)。 主要问题在于大规模内容缺失及内部清理标签外露，不符合完整性交付标准。