DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

THE TIMES

Monday August 24 2026 | thetimes.com | No 75119

The Game is back

Day of late drama for City and Liverpool's new managers

16-PAGE PULLOUT

Sussexes' secret weekend bolthole

Times2

Meghan's gangster series role 'leaked to suggest she was in demand'

Alex Farber Media Correspondent

Preliminary conversations between the Duchess of Sussex and Guy Ritchie about a role in his gangster series The Gentlemen were leaked to bolster her acting credentials, TV insiders believe.

Meghan, 45, was widely reported to have held exploratory talks with the Hollywood director about appearing in

his Netflix show after an initial article was published on the US entertainment website Deadline on Friday.

The reports emerged hours after an Australian news website said she was evening a return to acting as part of her move back to Britain with the Duke of Sussex and their two children.

At present Meghan is not thought to have been offered any role on The

Gentlemen, which is yet to be recommissioned for a third series.

One well-placed source said the reports that she was being considered for a part on such a high-profile show served to make her appear in demand.

'You can well imagine her people might take [a conversation] like that and spin it to create a 'build it and they will come' narrative,' the source said.

Netflix bosses were understood to have been in the dark about any potential offer, indicating that discussions had taken place between the duchess and Ritchie directly. Usually any decisions relating to casting such a high-profile person in a television show would be taken jointly between the broadcaster and production company.

'If I was Netflix then I would want to

be across that approach,' an executive at a rival streaming service said.

Another industry figure who has worked closely with Meghan said they doubted that a role on The Gentlemen would materialise and dismissed the reports as a cynical PR tactic.

'It makes her look good and intimates that the relationship with Netflix Continued on page 7

Burnham to gift Ukraine blueprints for missiles

PM on first visit to Kyiv for independence day

Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor

Britain has agreed to give Ukraine secret blueprints for a long-range missile that can strike deep behind enemy lines as Andy Burnham arrives for his first visit to the country since becoming prime minister.

He announced that the government had given the green light for the defence company MBDA to share classified information on UK components for the French long-range missile Scalp, an equivalent of Britain's Storm Shadow cruise missile.

The British components will allow Ukraine to start producing the missile. The decision follows a ground-breaking defence deal between Kyiv and France last week to establish local assembly lines to build the weapons in the war-torn country.

Both Scalp and Storm Shadow use shared French and British technology.

The UK first gave Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine in 2023 but their use was restricted to within Ukrainian territory because Joe Biden, then US president, blocked their use in offensive attacks over fears of escalation.

However, he then changed course and authorised their use in late 2024. They have been deployed frequently to hit Russian targets since then.

Stockpiles of the cruise missile have become significantly depleted after extensive transfers to Ukraine. The new agreement will allow the French-produced Scalp missile to be manufac-

tured in factories in Ukraine. The missile is an air-launched, long-range, conventionally armed deep-strike weapon designed for planned attacks against high-value fixed or stationary targets such as hardened bunkers and key infrastructure.

The decision to produce Scalp in Ukraine rather than Storm Shadow was made because the project between France and Ukraine was already under way. To avoid duplication Britain is allowing the export of UK components in the French-made missile.

The government said the UK would continue to develop separate, low-cost advanced long-range strike weapons for Ukraine through Project Brakestop, built without US components to ensure supply chain sovereignty.

Burnham's visit to Ukraine is his first foreign trip as prime minister and will mark the country's independence day.

After arriving in Kyiv this morning, he will chair his first meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing, set up by the UK and France to support Ukraine under his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer.

The prime minister will also take part in independence day events and accept an award on behalf of the British people recognising the UK's support.

Burnham will use the visit to tell international allies that the UK's leadership on Ukraine will remain steadfast under his government. Starmer's close relationship with President Zelensky Continued on page 2

PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades died in an early-morning collision with suspected joyriders in Middlesbrough

Family's pain beyond words over police deaths

Sian Bradley Northern Correspondent David Woode Crime Editor

The wife of one of the Cleveland police officers killed in a crash with five suspected joyriders on Saturday morning has said the pain is 'beyond words'.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were in an armed response car when it collided with a Volkswagen Passat being driven in the wrong direction on the A66 in Middlesbrough. Both officers died at the scene.

Blades and Clough, believed to be an Iraq war veteran, were not involved in a

police pursuit of the Passat and their marked car was going in the right direction, investigators said. The police watchdog is investigating.

Blades's wife paid tribute to her 'beloved husband, my best friend and the most devoted father to our two young boys'. She said: 'The pain of losing him is beyond words and our lives will never be the same. Neither will the love he gave us ever fade.'

Clough's family said: 'He was our hero with a fantastic sense of humour. Jumped into action whenever needed, and willing to help anyone for any rea-

son. Proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place.'

The five occupants of the Passat were named as Michael Cahill and Jakub Matusiak, both 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and Theo Rae and Cole Worthy, both 17. Police began a pursuit after the 'suspicious' car, believed to be using cloned plates, triggered number plate recognition cameras. The chase was aborted after seven minutes when the Passat drove into oncoming traffic. Seconds later, at 3.39am, it collided with Clough and Blades's police car.

Driving for social media likes, pages 4-5

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2

Monday August 24 2026 | THE TIMES

News

Today's highlights

• 7am Luke Pollard, minister for defence readiness
• 7.45am Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK
• 10.10am Paul Johnson, the economist and Times columnist
• 1.20pm Sir David Gauke, right, the former lord chancellor, on No 10 North controlling growth policy
• 5.45pm Preston Harp, the brother of Natalie Harp, an aide to President Trump

TODAY'S EDITION

COMMENT 21 LETTERS 24 LEADING ARTICLES 25

WORLD 26 BUSINESS 31 REGISTER 43

SPORT 49 CROSSWORD 50 TV & RADIO TIMES2

Flights, visas and kidnappers: the new migrant route to Britain

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Iranian cyberattack on British power plant was a 'warning shot'

A cyberattack that shut down a small power facility in the UK last month has been described by security officials as a "warning shot" by Iran that sent a message about its ability to attack critical British national infrastructure.

Hackers affiliated with the Iranian regime were behind the attack at an undisclosed power plant, which disabled it for four days. The incident was reported to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), an arm of GCHQ, but it did not receive any reports of power cuts in relation to the cyberattack.

A government source told the Sunday Telegraph: "We have thresholds for important generators to legally notify us of cyberactivity, and this site is nowhere near. It's a very small-scale site, less than a rounding error compared to grid capacity."

However, the attack has prompted fresh fears of Iran's appetite and capacity to target critical infrastructure.

A former security official said: "This is a clear warning shot from the Iranian state. They've already disrupted global oil supplies. Now they're threatening to attack critical national infrastructure".

Alicia Kearns, the shadow security minister, said that the attack "must not be shrugged off".

She said: "It should be the shot across the bow needed to wake up the government. Our critical infrastructure was built for reliability, not for an age of contest. It is lightly defended and in many cases laid bare on Google Maps for any hostile actor to identify."

"Take out one asset or electricity prison and a few hundred homes go dark. Take out the wrong node and it's thousands, for weeks. At that point you are no longer managing an outage, you are managing public confidence in the state's ability to keep the lights on."

"Frontier AI has collapsed the cost of finding and exploiting those weaknesses. The capability that used to require a state now requires little more than a laptop. We spend billions deterring threats that arrive by submarine and ballistic missile, but the government is insufficiently focused on the vulnerabilities of the everyday infrastructure we rely on. We need an immediate strategic review of where Britain is genuinely vulnerable, and government action to defend us, now."

Lord Walney, the government's

former adviser on political violence, said: "This underlines that Iran is conducting a hybrid war against the UK with significant impact on British citizens. The UK government likes to emphasise it did not join the recent military action against Iran but it is clear that the Iranian regime is trying to harm the country whether or not we stand on the sidelines."

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero briefed energy losses and wrote to companies with advice in response to the attack.

The government said: "The UK has a highly resilient energy system. We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and ensure the highest security standards. This story refers to an incident impacting a small-scale energy generator, and at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system."

The government is planning to pass new legislation to strengthen the UK's resilience against cyberattacks. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will require all operators to report suspicious activity after concerns that too many public and private bodies fail to disclose attacks or attempted hacks for fear of bad publicity or punishment.

Burnham plans overhaul of pub and hotel business rates

Matt Dathan

Andy Burnham has launched an overhaul of the way in which business rates are calculated for pubs and hotels.

The prime minister has appointed Jerry Schurder, a retired business rates expert, to lead an independent review and report to the Treasury by March in time for the next reevaluation.

Schurder has called for "fundamental reform, not tinkering", to ensure competitiveness with local property taxes in the EU. He has stopped short of scrapping business rates but said re-evaluations should be undertaken annually and fluctuate in line with changes in property values.

The government is also launching a call for evidence from landlords, brewers, hoteliers and business owners.

The ending of pandemic-era valuations led to big increases in rateable values of pubs and hotels in April. Last month Burnham announced a 20 per cent cut to bills for pubs, social clubs and live music venues from next April.

Downing Street has said that it would look to set out further reform, including small business rates relief, at the budget on October 28.

James Murray, financial secretary to

the Treasury, said: "Pubs and hotels are vital for communities and bringing growth to every postcode."

"Last month we announced tax cuts for pubs to give them the breathing room they need. Today we're going further with a rethink of valuations — so that we can build a fairer system for the future."

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: "For years pubs have paid a disproportionately higher business rates bill, which has ground down their ability to keep the doors open, so this review is sorely needed and hugely welcome."

Neal Jones, of Marriott International, the hotel company, said: "The current valuation methodology creates a significant burden for hotels, and it is right that the system is being examined to ensure it is fair, transparent and reflective of today's market realities."

Allen Simpson, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said: "Business rates remain a significant burden for hospitality businesses and the system needs to better reflect the trading realities for the sector. Comprehensive review and reform can address these challenges, while also supporting investment and growth."

Taxman may inspect homes valued at £2m

Will Humphries

People who own a house or flat that could be worth at least £2 million could have to open their doors to government inspectors who will decide if it is liable for the so-called mansion tax.

Officially known as the high-value council tax surcharge, it will require a huge revaluation exercise.

Homeowners who refuse an inspection would be committing a criminal offence, carrying a fine up to £200, and failing to provide requested information without a reasonable excuse could lead to a fine of up to £500.

The Conservatives said it was a "sinister assault on civil liberties" and an invasion of privacy.

Rachel Reeves introduced the mansion tax at last year's budget and it will come into effect in April 2028. The owners of more than 165,000 properties worth more than £2 million will be liable for extra tax of between £2,500 and £7,500 a year, depending on the value of their home. The government said visits would be arranged in advance and would follow a code of practice.

Politics, pages 8-9

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Burnham in Ukraine

and support for Ukraine were among his biggest legacies in office. Burnham is set to assure Ukrainians of the UK's backing and reiterate that Russia's threats only strengthen British resolve.

Last week Moscow threatened 'consequences' after Ukraine used British drones to carry out strikes on Russian targets as part of its recent ramping up of deep strikes into Russia's mainland.

Burnham will say: "On Ukraine's 35th anniversary of independence, the Ukrainian people should be in no doubt the UK is behind you today and for as long as it takes.

"I am proud of the contribution our country has made to Ukraine and I

want the Ukrainian people to hear it directly from me that our support will not waver. After all, Ukraine's security is our security.

"The friendship between our two countries will long outlast Russia's illegal war. Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace."

Relations between the UK and Russia have worsened and the Kremlin has withdrawn its ambassador to the UK. Andrei Keltin, who served for more than seven years, left his diplomatic posting on July 21. There are concerns that the lack of a replacement has effectively downgraded diplomatic relations between the two countries, prompting fears of a complete breakdown.

Russia tests Nato, page 26

Shared technology

Designed to attack heavily fortified positions, the two-stage Storm Shadow/Scalp warhead punctures external shell, then detonates inside target

Target size Large compounds, military bunkers, command and control hubs Used in 2003 invasion of Iraq and in 2011 Libya conflict

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THE TIMES | Monday August 24 2026

1

News

A BRUEN MEMBER THOMAS FALLS/STETZ PHOTOS

Dated tastes blow hole in big boomer art giveaway

A great wealth transfer is under way but family 'treasures' are fetching disappointing prices, David Sanderson writes

Own a 19th-century watercolour of Dorset? Georgian dining table? Charming handpainted map of Derbyshire? It could be destined for the charity shop.

As the 'great wealth transfer' — whose value has been estimated from £5.5 trillion to £7 trillion — from the baby boomers begins to pick up pace in the UK, experts have warned that the artistic and design tastes of history's most acquisitive generation are proving problematic.

In short, their heirs have no interest in the watercolour, the dining table will fetch less than half what it cost a few decades ago and the map will almost certainly end up in the charity shop.

And the taxman after inheritance duties will still be there wondering — like many a boomer — who on earth dreamt up the £7 trillion figure.

'When people come and ask us to have a look through the house they are generally disappointed by the values of the more middle-market things,' Werner Freundel, a director of Chor-

ley's Auctioneers, said. 'A lot of the things baby boomers collected and treasured aren't really worth a huge amount at the moment and [they are] flooding the market at the same time.'

John Black, a director at Sworders auction house, said: 'The children have no room for the oak furniture, they don't want the silver card cases and we have to explain it will be sold for whatever we can get. People are holding receipts and the prices are a lot less than they paid in the Eighties.'

While most of the wealth transfer will be property, shares and cash, there is expected to a multibillion-pound 'avalanche of art'.

'My guess is that there is £100-£200 billion of [decorative and fine] art that is waiting to be transferred to the next generation in Britain,' Philip Hoffman, the chief executive of Fine Art Group, said. 'And the next generation have no idea what the hell to do with it.' Hoffman's company, which has dozens of in-house experts, is regarded as one of the world's leading art advisory groups. However, he said he had also been stung on his own investments. 'Sadly a lot of

A Hockney, Birkin bag or Chanel outfit will sell well, unlike old maps, second-class Old Masters or brown furniture

my English and continental furniture that was perhaps worth £5,000 a piece 20 years ago I was lucky to get £300-£500 for English furniture has been a bad investment.

Second-class Old Masters have been a bad investment. Lots of Impressionist artists now won't sell for £5,000.' Alexandra Mollof, of the

eponymously-titled art advisory service, said: 'If you have been collecting big names — Picasso, Rothko, Calder, Basquiat, Haring — then it is not going to be a problem. For other artists then the art market is very cyclical. Tastes do change. Collectors I know have been buying a lot of minor Impressionists and Old Masters because they really think the cycle will come back.'

Not everyone agrees. Hoffman said there were between 20 and 30 artists every century who were bulletproof, ranging from Leonardo, Vermeer and Rembrandt among the Old Masters to Monet and Pissarro in the Impressionists. And, therefore, much of what Generation X had been buying in 1980s and 1990s may not be a wise investment in the long term.

Black said there were clear trends emerging as heirs began the boomer carve-up and separate what they think of as the chaff from the wheat.

He said that an Old Master came through to sale a lot more often than a modern picture by Graham Sutherland

or a print by David Hockney, which were being kept.

The Victorian watercolours and charming maps of Derbyshire 'which were a mainstay of every hallway of all our parents' did not have a big market, Freundel from Chorley's Auctioneers added. 'People are now putting up posters of films they loved as kids, or family photos or some generic Ikea picture.'

Many objects cherished by baby boomers will, however, retain their value, the art-market insiders said. Although white diamonds and silver objects do not have the cachet or cash value of the past, coloured diamonds, rubies and sapphires are in demand. Chanel outfits and Birkin handbags also have a solid future and while 'brown furniture' in general has a dark future, a Chippendale would still be OK.

In the art market, according to Hoffman, a Canaletto bought for £300,000 in 1990 would now be worth £3 million. But beyond artists such as Van Dyck and Rembrandt, he added, 'very few people are interested in Old Masters now'.

Parliament loses dozens of political portraits and cartoons

Harry Taylor

Works of art, including of Benjamin Disraeli and the leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade, are among those missing from the Houses of Parliament.

A portrait photograph of Queen Victoria's favourite prime minister is one of dozens of artworks that House of Commons authorities are looking for, along with a 19th-century engraving print of William Wilberforce.

They are on a list of more than 65 pieces that have been misplaced

since the start of 2024. The list has been released after a Freedom of Information request by the Press Association.

A photograph of Britain's first female foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, who is now a Labour peer, is also missing, as is a satirical cartoon of Harold Wilson's effective deputy, Barbara Castle, in which she is depicted as Florence Nightingale.

Parliament indicated that art may have been lost while being moved around during work on the estate and none of the items listed had been 'written off'. Five have been 'found'

since the turn of the year, including one by the 19th-century satirical cartoonist Isaac Cruikshank. Among those missing by living creators is a cartoon by the satirist Martin Rowson from the Conservative Party leadership election in 1995. It depicts John Major seeking to lance the literal 'boil' of the leadership contest, as Michael Heseltine, his deputy, and his challenger-apparent Michael Portillo look on.

Rowson told the Press Association the issue of cartoons going missing was not uncommon. He said that a Times cartoon of the Foreign Office Christ-

mas party in 2004, sent to Denis MacShane, then a junior minister, 'never got beyond reception'. He said: 'It's a shame but it's hardly the crown jewels.'

The photograph of Disraeli was by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. Mayall took photos of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as well as Charles Dickens and one of the most famous images of Karl Marx.

The print of Wilberforce, who died days after the abolition of slavery across the British empire, was by the Victorian-era printmaker William Holl.

The number missing is vastly down

on the 220 reported in 2018 after an audit was carried out. At the time it included portraits of William Pitt the Younger, and a wartime oil painting by William John MacLeod of the scene after parliament was bombed.

A parliamentary spokesperson said: 'There is little evidence of works of art going permanently missing ... As a working collection, artworks are frequently moved between recorded locations and are often subsequently found, meaning none of the items currently recorded as missing have been written off or are considered a financial loss.'

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4

News Fatal crash

Teens drive at high speed with

Fintan Hogan

As he weaves through roadworks, the motorcyclist keeps to a measured 50mph. But having slipped past a yellow van, he spies an opportunity to impress his fans and opens up the throttle.

Within seconds, the bike hits 120mph and the rider pulls into a wheelie. The first-person video, set to a heavy beat and posted online in July, advertises its creator as a member of the “100mph club” to his TikTok followers.

The video is one of hundreds shot in the UK and posted online to encourage

young drivers to act recklessly for kudos, analysis by The Times suggests.

Social media companies are being urged to crack down after the “horrifying” videos were linked to a number of fatal accidents.

A collision on the A66 in Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday morning left PC Matthew Blades, 37, PC Tom Clough, 38, and five people in a Volkswagen Passat dead.

Cleveland police have named Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18, as those who

died in the Volkswagen. The car had been identified by police as “suspicious” and was being pursued at speed when it joined the dual carriageway in the wrong direction. It struck the oncoming armed-response vehicle of Blades and Clough shortly before 4am.

Social media accounts linked to the passengers in the Passat appeared to show men in balacavas on motorbikes and previous police pursuits set to rap music.

Five teenagers were recently killed in Ireland in the early morning when they drove a BMW down the wrong side of

the M9 motorway and collided with a family heading to Dublin airport for a UK wedding.

The boys, aged 15 to 18, died at the scene. The four family members, three sisters and a seven-year-old boy, were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Social media accounts said to be linked to the teenagers had shared a large number of videos of cars being stolen and driven recklessly, a crime known as joyriding, for online acclaim.

The boys apparently identified with the so-called “Lucky Dip” gang, a loosely organised group police believe

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One video shows a driver overtaking a lorry while not holding the wheel.

is behind a large number of carjacking and dangerous driving incidents near Dublin.

Social media platforms say they proactively monitor content posted online and react to user reports.

However, Irish authorities said gangs had been repeatedly “trying to outdo each other” with videos of dangerous driving. Footage purportedly taken inside the BMW minutes before the fatal crash has been shared widely.

Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister, said it was shocking that such reckless behaviour was “being done for likes on social media”.

The Times has found a large number of accounts promoting joyriding and illegal driving in the UK, including several viral videos. A TikTok account under the name Ghost has posted more than 80 videos of dangerous night-time driving. One viral video this month shows the driver repeatedly flicking his headlights on and off full-beam while travelling quickly down country lanes. The clip has been viewed more than 2.5 million times — top comments include “best way to live” and “go fast to feel alive”. Another appears to show the driver speeding down a narrow road with no lights at all for about three seconds.

Other platforms also host this kind of content. A Snapchat video from this week shows a car overtaking seven others by driving on the wrong side of the road.

A motorbike rider with an anonymous Instagram account posts montages of tricks and 200mph sprints down public roads. One from March with more than 155,000 likes shows the rider swerving across all three motorway lanes, captioned: “If I die, just know I sounded like this.”

Campaigners argue that not enough is being done to take down dangerous clips that go viral. Nicholas Lyes, policy director at IAM RoadSmart, said it was “horrifying” to see people “flaunting such dangerous behaviours online”.

The charity’s research suggests one in seven drivers aged 17 to 24 use a

Boy racers had posted car chases on TikTok

mobile phone to record videos or take pictures while driving, while one in six go on social media.

“These sorts of actions pose not only a personal threat to their lives but to many others on the road,” Lyes said. “Social media companies have a duty to ensure that dangerous criminal activities are not circulated for likes and shares.” Many of the accounts label content “AI generated” in an apparent attempt to reduce the risk of removal by moderators.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “Young men are disproportionate-

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5

News

lights off for social media likes

Blue lights flash in the background as a teenager leads police through a housing estate, swerving an Audi into a field to evade capture. The video, posted on TikTok in March last year and set to rap music, shows Makai Saddington behind the wheel (Sian

Bradley, David Woode and Kevin Donald write).

Less than 18 months later he was dead, with four friends, after a chase in Middlesbrough that he was believed to be leading.

A Volkswagen Passat was filmed by a doorbell camera speeding down residential roads pursued by police, before

driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway and colliding head-on with another marked police car in the early hours of Saturday. All five occupants and two policemen were killed.

The suspected joyriders were named as Saddington, 18, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert

Worthy, 17. Four blue balloons tied to a lamppost had a note for Cahill saying: "Fly high my best [mate] from day 1. F*** the haters No1." Another read: "You were my one and only boy. Forever 23. Lots of love, kisses and hugs." A card addressed to Saddington and Matusiak read: "Be careful, love you. A saying we said so many

The family of PC Tom Clough, far left, said he was "our hero"; PC Matthew Blades had two children; the five young men in the VW Passat were Theo Rae and Cole Worthy, top; Jakub Matusiak, above; Michael Cahill, above right; and Makai Saddington. Police believe that the Passat had cloned number plates

times so please, he careful up there."

In other videos on TikTok, Matusiak is riding in the back of a car without a seatbelt, waving cash. In another, he is handcuffed in a police vehicle, protesting because the car "wasn't stolen" and he "wasn't even driving".

The five young men were in a "suspicious"

Passat believed to be using cloned number plates. Cleveland police had received intelligence linked to the car and when it triggered automatic number plate recognition cameras, a pursuit was launched.

Officers aborted the chase after seven minutes when the Passat began travelling the

wrong way down the A66. Ten seconds later, at 3.39am, it collided with a police car.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, a father of two, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were pronounced dead at the scene. The officers were not involved in the pursuit, but were in the area "to assist with the search".

Victoria Fuller, chief constable for Cleveland, said: "These were brave officers protecting our communities who didn't return home to their families at the end of their shift."

Andy Burnham said he was devastated by the deaths of the two policemen.

In a statement, PC Clough's family called him "our hero with a fantastic sense of humour".

At police headquarters, officers laid flowers with a note that read: "PC Matthew Blades, PC Tom Clough, you will be missed, never forgotten, rest in peace".

Roisin Sherrington, a local teacher, told The Times: "I hope that there is a lasting impact in terms of some of the enforcement of the laws. We only moved here a few years ago but we came across a phenomenon of young lads on motorbikes and balaclavas, arguably a social cancer, and it's just awful."

Derrick Campbell, from the Independent Office for Police Conduct, said: "We have obtained initial accounts of officers involved in the pursuit, the incident log and in-car footage of the incident."

ly represented in serious and fatal collisions, despite driving substantially fewer miles than the average driver.

"Unfortunately, these are not new statistics and there is significant work across the road safety sector around education, supporting parents in speaking to their children around safe driving behaviours and how to encourage young people to behave responsibly behind the wheel."

The consequences are sometimes fatal. In February, Liberty Mitchell, 21, was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison after she admitted

overtaking on the wrong side of the road and causing a collision which killed two people, a taxi driver and a teacher.

Mitchell caused a pile-up when attempting to overtake at almost 100mph in a 60mph zone. During their investigation, police found she had regularly filmed Snapchat videos while speeding, despite having passed her driving test only weeks before. Her sentence has since been extended to nine years and three months after review by the Court of Appeal for undue leniency.

In November 2024, George Taylor

was sentenced to 26 months in a young offender institution for causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Taylor, then 17, drove into the back of a car waiting to turn. The crash left its driver, a mother identified only as Catherine, paralysed from the neck down. Police found the teenager had filmed himself overtaking vehicles driving with his knees shortly before the crash.

Content from overseas is also available to impressionable young people in the UK, including the "ghosting" trend in which drivers turn off all

lights before accelerating. In a video posted on TikTok by an account linked to Brisbane, Australia, the passenger films a driver travelling at more than 230km/h. "Cheeky joyrides," the caption says. An anonymous motorcyclist, apparently in North America, has amassed more than 10,000 followers by posting extensively about their speeding.

TikTok has since deleted all referenced posts for breaking its community guidelines. The platform claimed that 99 per cent of violent or criminal content it removes was done proactively.

Snapchat said: "Content depicting dangerous or illegal activity, including reckless driving, has no place on Snapchat and is prohibited by our community guidelines. Our rules are designed to discourage sharing or distributing content featuring dangerous behaviour and limit the spread of prohibited content."

Instagram rules ban footage from high-risk viral challenges and restrict under-18s from seeing dangerous driving content.

Meta, the platform's parent company, was approached for comment.

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6

News

A 0071 023

Brush and polish Henry Moore's bronze sculpture Reclining Connected Forms, which is on show at Wakehurst wild botanic garden in West Sussex, is given a clean

Bowel cancer patients spared surgery under new treatment

Poppy Koronka Health Correspondent

Thousands of rectal cancer patients may be able to avoid life-changing surgery after chemoradiotherapy.

“Breakthrough” findings from a trial mean that in the future thousands of people may not require colostomy bags or major operations.

Each year, about 4,100 people in the UK are diagnosed with early-stage rectal cancer, a type of bowel cancer. Patients are at present treated with surgery to remove their rectum, which can have life-changing side-effects, including needing a colostomy bag, bowel dysfunction, and sexual and urinary problems.

Researchers from University College London, the University of Birmingham and the University of Leeds have now found that chemoradiotherapy — and more localised rectum-preserving surgery when needed — allowed four in five patients to keep their rectums.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "This breakthrough could be life-changing.

“Thanks to bowel screening, more rectal cancers are being spotted at an earlier stage, where people are more likely to survive the disease, but that hasn't made treatment any easier — many patients still have to cope with extremely difficult and often life-altering side-effects.

“Remarkably, that could finally be about to change with this new treatment option, which has the potential to transform the lives of

'Greater chance of survival'

Case study

Hugh Chown, 65, from Harrogate, has

completely avoided the need for surgery so far, thanks to his enrolment in the trial in January 2021, after his diagnosis in December 2020 (Poppy Koronka writes).

Chown's wife, Janet, died aged 41 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2001. His daughter, Rachel,

Hugh Chown, 65, with his daughter, Rachel

said: "I was nine when my mum died of bowel cancer but outcomes now are very different. Patient survival is improving all the time and in many cases people are now living well with and beyond cancer." She said that her

own work in cancer care and research meant that she knew “how diligently trials are conducted and how much follow-up they involve, so I was confident that he would get excellent care”.

people affected by this cancer and their families."

The study, funded by the charities Cancer Research UK and Stand Up to Cancer, was published in The Lancet Oncology. More than 500 patients in

five countries, including England, were recruited for the study.

They were split into three groups and given either the current treatment of radical surgery, five weeks of chemoradiotherapy or five days' radiotherapy.

Those who were given chemotherapy or radiotherapy had the radical surgery only if the treatment did not shrink their tumour enough. Where small areas of cancer remained, these were removed using a more localised, less invasive procedure.

After 12 months, those given five weeks of chemoradiotherapy were less likely to later need the radical surgery than those who had received the radiotherapy.

Simon Bach, co-chief investigator of the Star-Trec trial and a professor at University College London, said: "For decades we've asked patients to accept the loss of their rectum — and often a permanent stoma — as the price of curing their cancer. These results suggest that for many people, that price no longer has to be paid.

"Four in five patients treated with chemoradiotherapy kept their rectum. The next step is to confirm these results hold over the longer term, and then to make sure the approach is available to every patient who could benefit."

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England's national clinical director for cancer, said: "The NHS is always seeking to improve the treatment of cancer, and many patients already benefit from having radiotherapy before an operation for their rectal cancer. The results of this research are important in pointing the way for us to avoid radical surgery for more people in the future."

It is hoped that the results of the phase II/III trial could change how bowel cancer patients are treated.

Quintagram® No 2654

Solve all five concise clues using each letter underneath once only

1 Perceive (5)

2 Affluence (6)

3 Advertise, promote (6)

4 Pulverised, milled (6)

5 Awareness (of) (9)

A	A	D	D	E	E	E	E
E	E	G	G	H	K	K	L
L	M	N	N	N	O	O	R
R	S	S	T	T	U	W	W

Solutions see T2 MindGames p15 Cryptic clues T2 MindGames p14

Murder arrest after fire

A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a house fire in Hounslow, west London. The Metropolitan Police said that a 48-year-old woman died in hospital after the fire in the early hours of Wednesday, and a 40-year-old woman was in a life-threatening condition. Six men and another woman had minor injuries.

E-bikes 'ruining shop'

A stationery shop owner said an “overflowing” e-bike parking bay outside her store was damaging business and making customers feel unsafe. Julia Jewell, who owns Choosing Keeping in Covent Garden, a favourite of celebrities including the actor Gemma Arterton, said Lime bikes had contributed to a decline in the character of the area.

Watering can plight

Hosepipe bans are being blamed for a surge in back and neck injuries as gardeners carry heavy watering cans around their parched gardens. Clare Marriott, a chiropractor in Twyford, Hampshire, said she had seen a “huge increase” in patients complaining of back, neck, shoulder or elbow pain that they ascribed to watering cans.

Infamous ball nets $3m

The football with which Diego Maradona scored his “Hand of God” goal has sold for more than $3.3 million. However, the Adidas Azteca ball, which was punched past goalkeeper Peter Shilton in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between England and Argentina in Mexico, fell well short of the $10 million estimate at the Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

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7

News

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George and the King and Queen were photographed driving to Crabbe church yesterday morning during the royal family's annual retreat at Balmoral, Aberdeenshire

Harry and Meghan ought to have police escort, ex-ministers suggest

Two former home secretaries have called for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to be given a limited and temporary security package until it is clear what their long-term plans are.

Lord Blunkett said there was a 'happy medium' in which their family could be given a medium level of security protection.

He said it could be reviewed in a couple of years' time and upgraded or downgraded depending on the intelligence of the threat posed to the family.

Another former home secretary, who did not wish to be named, said Harry and Meghan's security should be 'limited and restricted and not full time' but said it was 'hard to imagine how he and his family would not receive some protection'.

Sources close to the couple told The Sunday Times that their return to Britain could be temporary and for as little as six months.

The royal and VIP executive committee (Ravec), the independent body responsible for determining whether high-profile individuals should be given taxpayer-funded security and at what level, is understood to be reopening its review of Harry's request for automatic right to police protection.

An assessment of the risks posed to the Sussexes is believed to have been completed last month but that was based on the threat posed during visits to the UK rather than returning to live here. No decision is understood to have been made on the level of protection the Sussexes should receive despite the conclusion of the assessment.

A decision on their security arrangements is not expected to be made

before they move back to Britain next week, although a temporary solution could be put in place until a full Ravec decision is made.

Blunkett, who served as home secretary between 2001 and 2004, said there were different levels of protection granted to high-profile individuals and a middle layer should be given to Harry and Meghan.

He told The Times: 'If I were looking back on my time, there's a happy medium here. There are three areas of security. There's the fully blown, blacked-out back-up car with two or three close protection — one in the passenger car and the others in the back-up on a 24-hour basis.

'There's then the middle ground, which is security where you have one or

two officers who travel with the principal, as they call it. And the third is that they get a driver with security training.

'I think the middle of that is a perfectly reasonable thing to offer for the time being and then it could be reassessed in a couple of years.'

Asked if it was fair on the taxpayer to offer the duke government-funded armed protection given he is not a working royal, Blunkett said: 'I think on a temporary basis it is, because he is still a very close member of the royal family, irrespective of what duties he's undertaking on their behalf, and he's still in the top ten in line for the throne.

'I think that we just need to take a deep breath, take a step back and say, well, can't we manage something that is seen by everyone to be rational, under-

standing but not necessarily permanent? I would review it in a couple of years. It can be reviewed in terms of, 'Has there been any indication, any intelligence whosoever of a threat?'

Another former home secretary told The Times: 'There are many questions to ask about potential security provision and protection. Yes, the cost is very high, but it could be limited and restricted and not full time but that's down to His Majesty and the wider royal family. I think it's hard to imagine how he and his family would not receive some protection, but as ever let's not forget he did go to court over it and sued the government on this matter just when we were making very important changes to protective security and costs. I suspect this will all be part of a 'phased approach'.

Emily Thornberry, the Labour MP who chairs the foreign affairs committee, told The Sunday Telegraph: 'I would want to be reassured that his family are going to be safe. They deserve to be secure. We have to remember [the Duke of Sussex] has made a contribution to this country through his public service and heroism ... that puts him and his family at risk.'

The Sussexes lost their automatic right to armed police protection when they stepped down as working royals in 2020 and subsequently lost a legal challenge against the decision.

Harry was told at the end of last year that Ravec would carry out a fresh assessment of the threat posed against him and his family but it was delayed for months owing to a backlog of high-profile people requiring security.

The duke is understood to have written to the home secretary in the last month pleading with her for answers.

In the meantime his longstanding security adviser and friend, David Langdown, is understood to have established a team of British security staff, The Sunday Times reported.

However, Richard Aitch, a former member of the Royal Military Police close protection unit, said there was 'a huge void' between private sector and government-level protection. Private security staff cannot carry guns. School runs and grocery shopping present particular challenges.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'The UK government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements.'

Harry and Meghan's mini-break bolt hole in Portugal, Times2

Netflix casting talks 'used as PR tactic'

Continued from page 1

is ongoing,' the insider said. 'They like to use Netflix as a way to keep stories about Meghan going.'

Yesterday Tina Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, reported that the offer had been withdrawn after a negative response: 'Public backlash was too fierce,' Brown said. 'This does not bode well for Meghan's acting comeback in the UK.'

However, those close to the show said the news of the talks had mainly been greeted with surprise. 'There might have been some hate from the usual suspects in the dark corners of the internet — but there hasn't been a huge backlash,' one said.

One senior Netflix executive is understood to have suggested 'the best

thing [Meghan] could do is return to acting' after an underwhelming response to her reality series With Love, Meghan.

A third series of The Gentlemen, which stars Theo James as a duke who becomes a drug baron after quitting his post in the army, is expected to enter production in the Cotswolds after its return to screens next month.

Drama chiefs believe there is an appetite among viewers to watch Meghan if she were cast in the right project. 'She would be a good get if the project is decent,' one prominent producer said. 'People will definitely turn on to see her, at least initially.'

In November Meghan made a first step towards an acting comeback when it was revealed she had signed up to

play a small cameo role as herself in the comedy Close Personal Friends, starring Brie Larson and Lily Collins.

Prince Harry's return to live in Britain is not expected to automatically bring a thawing in relations with his brother, Prince William. The lack of a fraternal rapprochement will limit the extent to which Harry can reintegrate into the Windsors, according to The Sunday Times.

Andrew Morton, Princess Diana's biographer, told Times Radio that William was 'deeply, deeply hurt' by what Harry had said and written about him. 'William felt utterly abandoned,' he said. 'I think it's going to take a long, long time for him to recover from that.' Harry fuss fuels our need for family sagas, Libby Purves, page 23

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8

News Politics

Domestic abuse survivors ‘need time to prepare for jail releases’

Domestic abuse campaigners have demanded that Andy Burnham delay the release of prisoners convicted of violence against women and girls to give victims the time to protect themselves.

They reiterated calls for domestic abusers to be excluded from the government’s early release scheme but said their release must be pushed back if not.

Alex Norris, the justice secretary, will announce the government’s final plans for the early release scheme when parliament returns next Tuesday. He has already set out plans to exclude rapists, serious child sex offenders and groomers from the scheme, which has been delayed by a month until October and will result in up to 5,000 prisoners being released over the next year after serving as little as a third of their sentence.

Several of the UK’s leading campaigners against domestic abuse accused Burnham of neglecting victims and warned there were inadequate safeguards put in place to stop perpetrators pursuing revenge.

Ministers have refused calls to exclude domestic abusers from the scheme, including killers convicted of voluntary manslaughter, even though they are planning to exclude other killers convicted of the lesser “unlawful act of manslaughter” offence to block the release of the two men who killed

PC Andrew Harper. Dame Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner, said the plans showed ministers were failing to understand the threat the early release scheme posed to domestic abuse victims. She told The Times: “If the government moves ahead with its plan to only exempt some forms of manslaughter from early release, then it’s clear ministers are still not grasping the sheer danger this scheme poses to victims of domestic abuse.”

“Right now, survivors across the country are anxiously trying to put in place any measures they can to protect themselves, such as tightening security on their homes, changing their routines or putting in place safety plans at their children’s school. These are things no one should be forced to think about, but this is the reality victims are facing because they do not trust that the system will keep them safe.”

Nikki Bradley, director of delivery at Women’s Aid, said: “We urge the government to exclude perpetrators of violence against women and girls from the scheme. Should the government make the decision to go ahead without this exclusion, we request a delay to any release to ensure that survivors can be given proper notice, that adequate risk assessments can be carried out and further safeguards can be put in place.”

Nahar Choudhury, chief executive of Solace, London’s largest domestic abuse and sexual violence charity, said

that the government had betrayed their promise that domestic abuse survivors and their families would be prioritised under the scheme. “We’re calling on the government to halt any further early releases until proper safeguards are established, and until there is real confidence that survivors will be notified, protected and supported,” she said.

Natalie Queiroz, the victims’ advocate for the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, who was stabbed 24 times by her partner while she was eight months pregnant, said that domestic abusers should be barred from early release because they were uniquely dangerous to their victims and most likely to manipulate the risk assessment process.

“Domestic abuse offenders can be very clever and by nature are highly manipulative — it is the modus operandi of their offending — and therefore it is very difficult to assess their risk, especially in a prison environment,” she said. “Domestic abuse offenders can behave very well in institutional environments and conform to rules as they know how to work the system. The utter fear and panic for the victim of a domestic abuse offender who is coming out early is huge.”

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said it will use new powers to confine sex and violent criminals to “restriction zones” after their release from prison. The zones, which could be as small as a few miles, will replace “exclusion zones”, which prevented offenders from entering specific areas, such as their victims’ home or workplace. The approach is designed to give victims more freedom.

However, Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, chair of the domestic abuse charity Refuge, who was among those who successfully campaigned for restriction zones, said the MoJ had given victims no assurances about their use.

“Restriction zones restrict the offender to a particular place, so it’s a game-changer,” she said. “But we have not had any reassurance whatsoever from the MoJ that they are going to, on masse, implement restriction zones in October.”

“It’s crazy because I’ve been talking to victims and they are very worried that their perpetrator could be released. There’s a lack of certainty and therefore they are having to wait with their liaison officer before they can apply for specific restriction zones. And there is no guarantee for domestic abuse victims that their perpetrator will be subject to restriction zones.”

The MoJ said: “Public safety will always be our priority. We are fast-tracking a plan to keep more of the most serious offenders behind bars.” Other measures included building 14,000 prison places, expanding electronic tagging and investing in probation services.

Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, was interviewed at the Edinburgh Fringe at the weekend where she ruled out a “monstrous” pact between her party and Reform UK. Andy Burnham and his wife, Marie-France van Heel, watched Everton beat Crystal Palace while Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, was spotted in Hampstead, north London

Put working Britons first in housing queue, says Reform

Matt Dathan

British-born workers under 35 would be placed at the front of the queue for social housing, with priority given to married couples with children, in a new pledge from Reform UK.

Nigel Farage’s party has announced radical plans to overhaul the way such accommodation is allocated, with veterans also given preference.

Those on benefits would be regarded as a lower priority under the new policy, to be announced by Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader.

The party has already pledged to bar foreigners from social housing and said they would be evicted after a “short grace period” Reform UK estimates that 540,000 social homes are occupied by foreign citizens and that of the 1.3 million people on waiting lists, 15 per cent — about 195,000 households — are foreign.

Tice said: “There are now 1.3 million people waiting for social housing in Britain. The vast majority of them do not have jobs. In terms of the social houses we have, less than half of households are in work and over half a

million social homes are currently occupied by foreign nationals.

“Meanwhile, young British men and women, who are working hard, can’t afford to move out of their family home, and when they do, often find themselves sharing a house with strangers, with no realistic prospect of forming a family or getting on. It is time for us to prioritise young British workers, and that is what our policy is about.”

A Labour spokesman described Reform’s plans as unserious and unworkable. “Access to social housing is already tightly controlled. Illegal migrants, asylum seekers and migrants on student or work visas are not eligible for social housing,” the spokesman said. “This policy would go after long-term UK residents that have contributed to our country but are not British citizens, including NHS staff. It would leave more families at risk of homelessness and drive up use of temporary accommodation at the taxpayers’ expense. It would also mean renegotiations with the EU, resulting in years of wrangling.”

Integration is the best way to handle immigration, Trevor Phillips, page 21

Ex-officer who killed lover could be freed next year

Case study

When the judge came to sentencing Timothy Brehmer, he ruled that his crime was too serious to be sentenced on the grounds of unlawful act of manslaughter. The former police officer was jailed for 13 and a half years for killing a nurse after she threatened to expose their affair to his wife. He could now be freed as early as the middle of next year under the government’s early

release scheme. Lord Burnett of Maldon, the judge who oversaw his sentence, dismissed a plea from Brehmer’s defence team that while guilty of an assault, he lacked the intent for murder and should therefore receive a sentence for involuntary manslaughter.

Instead, the judge decided that Brehmer had the necessary intent for murder but lost control and thereby sentenced him for voluntary manslaughter.

However, that decision could now mean that Brehmer is released from prison

early. Ministers are considering barring prisoners convicted of the lesser “unlawful act of manslaughter” from early release — but not those convicted of the more serious voluntary manslaughter offence.

The proposal is being made in order to block the release of two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers, but in doing so, they will be enabling the release of a series of domestic killers such as Brehmer, who campaigners have warned pose a greater danger to their victims and the wider public.

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9

News

Greens look at removing police Tasers

Matt Dathan

The Green Party will consider adopting an official policy to remove Tasers and pepper spray from police officers.

A motion drawn up by the party's crime and justice working group also proposes scrapping Prevent. the government's counterterrorism programme. It calls for the end of police presence in schools and to move money away from police and prisons and would make it official party policy to aim for the "closure of all prisons through systemic obsolescence".

The proposal is being put through the party's formal policy process before its conference in October, according to documents seen by The Times.

Political opponents said the proposals raise fresh questions about the Greens' commitment to protecting the public from terrorists and violent criminals. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, described the plans as the "latest madness" from the Greens.

The party's leader, Zack Polanski, criticised police officers who responded to a man suspected of stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green in north London in April.

He was forced to apologise after sharing a post on X that said: "Essentially

ly his officers were repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated by Taser."

Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, accused him at the time of fuelling "rising tensions" against the Jewish community.

Footage showed two police officers using a Taser on Essa Suleiman, and kicking him in the head while trying to prise a knife from his hand. Suleiman will stand trial in March on three charges of attempted murder.

The proposal says the party should pledge to "withdraw lethal tools and tactics, eg Tasers, pepper spray" from police. Police officers routinely carry Pava spray — known as pepper spray — as standard personal protective equipment. Only trained officers can carry Tasers, although their use is increasing.

The policy document says the Greens should reduce reliance on police "with the aim of eliminating this reliance". It calls for the party to adopt a position that would move money and investment away from "policing, prisons and surveillance".

It calls for the scrapping of policy programmes that target "over-police marginalised communities", citing Prevent as an example of those it would

axe. The counterterrorism programme is the government's main scheme to detect and intervene against individuals at risk of becoming radicalised.

The document says teen offenders should avoid prosecution altogether by raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 and create a presumption against prosecution for 14 to 18-year-olds unless there is a compelling public safety reason.

The paper also wants a policy to repeal laws on drugs, sex work, migration and vagrancy, and calls for protest-related laws to be repealed.

The Green Party said motions were currently at an early draft stage and their wording was not yet finalised.

A Greens spokesperson said: "There is a prioritisation process, and not every motion submitted will be debated."

However, Labour and the Tories said the proposals would make life easier for criminals while endangering officers.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "These plans would make it harder for the police to stop dangerous criminals and to protect the public from potential future terrorist attacks."

Philp said: "This latest madness from the Greens will leave our brave police officers unable to protect themselves and the public."

Fake Trump aide got Lammy to give PM their phone number

Max Kendix Washington Correspondent

Andy Burnham exchanged messages with an impersonator pretending to be a senior White House adviser after being passed a phone number by David Lammy, it has emerged.

President Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles changed her contact details months before Lammy gave the number to the prime minister, The Times understands.

The incident has raised security concerns as well as questions over the strength of the new government's links to the Trump administration. Wiles is understood to have changed her number for security reasons this year.

Downing Street denied Burnham was the one to initiate contact.

A White House official said: "White House staff are routinely trained on best practices to protect the integrity of their devices, and the entire administration has robust security protocols."

Last year the FBI opened an investigation into efforts by unknown actors to access or impersonate Wiles, who is Trump's most senior aide. The White House added that the Burnham incident had "nothing to do with the chief of staff's devices being hacked". Instead Lammy, the former foreign secretary, is understood to have fallen for a separate scheme.

He handed Burnham the wrong number after being approached by someone claiming to be Wiles asking if he could pass their contact on to the prime minister. According to one source privy to the exchanges, Lammy did so and the contact exchanged messages with Burnham. Soon after contact was made, Burnham flagged to the official government channels that this exchange was taking place.

This immediately rang alarm bells and the White House was contacted by conventional diplomatic channels. At this point, it became clear that Wiles had not initiated contact and that the person on the other end of the phone

was an unknown actor. There are now concerns that it could have been a foreign agent.

"Susie is a pro," a figure close to the Trump administration said. "She would not be messaging heads of states. That's for the president."

It is not custom for advisers to message leaders of other states, raising questions as to why there was not more scepticism after the initial contact.

Lammy has in the past talked up his links to the Trump administration, including a personal friendship with JD Vance, the vice-president. This month the foreign secretary Ed Miliband travelled to Washington, where he met his counterpart Marco Rubio. The same week Vance met Robert Jenrick, the Reform UK MP.

Lammy's involvement, first reported by The Sun on Sunday, raises questions over whether he interacted with the impersonator before passing on the number to Burnham. No 10 and Lammy's team declined to comment.

Downing Street has said Burnham exchanged only a few messages and they were of "no significance". The first message took place before Burnham became prime minister and continued after he took office on July 20.

Burnham said last week: "There was a minimal exchange, nothing of consequence and quickly I realised that this needed to be reported and I did so. So I handled it in the right way. All politicians are receiving these pressures and these challenges, but I did everything right."

Trump was also asked about the incident last week. "I'm sure that he had a miscommunication," he said. "He's the prime minister, I spoke to him, we had a good conversation, couple of them."

An FBI investigation into security breaches of Wiles's phone last year did not result in any arrests, but agents said they did not suspect involvement of foreign powers. Burnham's interactions were limited to messages, and they did not speak on the phone or video.

Truss and her cabinet still have passes for parliament

Anna Mikhailova

Political Editor, Times Radio

The number of former MPs with a parliamentary pass has increased from 330 to 464 in two years, despite attempts to limit them after concerns the system is open to abuse.

They include Liz Truss and the majority of her cabinet as well as MPs who have been out of the Commons for four decades or longer. Some have had access to parliament for ten times longer than they were an MP.

The number of category X passes given to former MP passes fell in 2021 after a change in the rules to limit who qualified for them. But an influx of MPs and former ministers after the 2024 election has pushed the numbers back up to previous levels.

The passes grant former MPs unescorted access to the parliamentary estate, allow them to hold meetings and use its dining facilities, including in the Strangers' Dining Room and Pugin Room. They cannot access the Members' Tea Room or Smoking Room.

The passholders are banned from lobbying, but there have been calls to

scrap passes after concerns they have been granted to former MPs who also held jobs in companies that carry our lobbying or political consultancy work.

Reg Race was Labour MP for Wood Green for four years between 1979 and 1983 and had his pass for 43 years. Five MPs who left the Commons 39 years ago also have passes, analysis by Dr Alex May, a blogger, has shown.

Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staff's Association, said: "The Commons should not be a privileged sanctuary or a private members' club for failed politicians who were hooted out by the electorate. It's particularly outrageous that Tories like Liz Truss and others who were so recently voted out, after causing such pain for working people and mortgage holders, have sneaked in via the back door in this way. It's high time that this cosy and privileged club for failed politicians was closed down."

MPs must now have served in two parliaments or six years, whichever is longer, to qualify for a pass.

A Commons source said that all pass-holders must follow parliament's behaviour code.

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11

News

Find way to buy playing fields from 'fraudster', council urged

David Brown Chief News Correspondent

A council has been asked to compulsorily purchase suburban playing fields linked to international investigations into allegations of sextortion and human trafficking.

An offer by the community to buy the Udney Park playing fields in southwest London was withdrawn when it emerged that the owner was the alleged leader of a multibillion-pound crime operation. Wu An Ming, a Chinese businessman, is alleged to be second in

command of the Prince Group, which is claimed to be linked to 'pig butchering' romance scams, investment frauds and forced labour.

Wu bought the Udney Park playing fields for £3.5 million in 2022 via a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. The keen badminton player planned to revamp the 13-acre site in Teddington. He was placed under US sanctions in October last year and the UK followed suit in March. This led to a restriction being placed on the fields' Land Registry listing that no transfer

can be completed without an assurance that it does not breach sanctions law.

Wu, who is alleged by the UK authorities to use aliases including Hu Xiaowei, Chen Xiao'er and Hu Shi, is said to have been arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of falsifying paperwork.

Jonathan Dunn, chairman of the Udney Park Community Fields Foundation, said: 'In the face of what will almost certainly be years, if not decades, waiting while this complex criminal mess plays out, action needs to be taken to bring this asset into the ownership of

the foundation — a charity — with the proceeds being placed in a Treasury approved escrow account.'

The fields were dedicated to those who died in the First World War. Lord Beaverbrook donated them to St Mary's Hospital's medical school in 1938 for the 'playing of amateur rugby in perpetuity'. The site passed to Imperial College London, which sold them for 16 million in 2015 to a property development company whose plans to build flats were thwarted by residents.

Monira Wilson, the Liberal Demo-

crat MP for Twickenham, said: 'It's a scandal that Udney Park playing fields ... have been lying all but derelict for over a decade now, when grassroots local community sports groups are crying out for pitch space. It's time to explore all viable legal and planning avenues to ensure we can return these precious fields to community use.'

Richmond council said: 'We would welcome the fields returning to wider community use, while protecting their important environmental and open-space value.'

Tennis club that culled its geese faces member revolt

Charlotte Wace

The chief executive of a prestigious tennis club is facing a revolt by members after a row over the secret culling of Canada geese.

St George's Hill Lawn Tennis Club, a gated estate popular with the rich and famous, has been inundated with criticism after it emerged the club had the gaggle of birds shot dead because of droppings on the courts.

Miles Hill, the chief executive, previously defended the culling, claiming that the club, in Weybridge, Surrey, was 'unable to keep pace with the volume of faeces being produced'.

It is understood that the board, which is due to meet in the coming days, are narrowly behind him. A spokesperson for the club said yesterday: 'Mr Hill is not fighting for his job and any assertion that he is is false'. However, Hill is set to face a battle with members still enraged by the scandal and how it has been handled.

Some members were upset over secrecy surrounding the cull, claiming they were initially told the birds had been reborn. Witnesses heard gunshots at 5.25am on July 16 and it was later discovered eight birds, including goslings, had been killed.

One member has formally raised 'serious questions' about the 'judgment, integrity and accountability of the CEO and the club's senior leadership' in a letter to the chair and board.

The email, written by Seema Parikh, a member of 19 years, questioned why members were initially told the birds had been moved. 'It appears to have

Eight geese and goslings were killed by the St George's Hill Lawn Tennis Club because of droppings on courts

been a deliberate attempt to conceal what had happened,' she wrote.

Parikh said she was 'particularly concerned that staff, including young and relatively junior employees, appeared to have been given the reborn story and expected to repeat it to members'. Parikh also claimed that staff had on one occasion been instructed to remove newspapers carrying coverage of the 'Goosegate' scandal. Lastly, she raised concerns about a gosling who was the 'sole survivor' of the cull. A spokesperson for the club said:

'Following the cull on 16 July, information was deliberately restricted to the small number of senior employees involved in the decision. This was an exceptionally sensitive matter, and the club was conscious that some staff, particularly younger and more junior employees, might find the details distressing. This is why, initially and immediately following the cull, staff were wrongly informed the geese had been reborned. The cull was carried out lawfully by a licensed contractor ... While there was no obligation to notify the

Residents' Association in advance, the club recognises the strength of feeling on this and has agreed to work collaboratively with the association on any comparable matters in future. A single newspaper was removed from a staff area following the initial coverage. No instruction was given to staff to remove newspapers from the club.'

Hill said in a previous statement the cull 'was not a decision the club wished to take, nor one that was taken lightly'. Club embroiled in civil war over fowl play, leading article, page 25

RSPB swoons over high-flyer who's a hit with the chicks

Rhys Blakely Science Editor

As five summers went by without a single fledgling leaving a nest, conservationists feared the Montagu's harrier, one of our most graceful birds of prey, was no longer breeding in Britain.

A mule known as AU had other ideas. For ten days in May he climbed high into the air. Again and again, he plunged earthwards, falling like a stone in a courtship display that has paid off more richly than experts had dared hope.

The ten-year-old raptor, known as AU from the letters on his leg ring, at-

Three of the six chicks fathered by the Montagu's harrier known as AU

tracted two females. He fathered two broods and helped raise a total of six chicks — making him, in the words of the RSPB, responsible for 'single-handedly propping up' Britain's rarest species of breeding bird. It is the second summer running that AU has helped raise chicks in the UK. Last year he and a separate female nested at the same site and raised four chicks. That marked the first time Montagu's harriers had successfully bred in the UK since 2019.

'AU is a truly awesome bird,' said Mark Thomas of the RSPB, which has been monitoring his progress and keep-

ing watch over his nests. 'He's like the last of the Mohicans.' Thomas described AU as 'very aristocratic', with grey plumage, black wingtips and piercing yellow eyes. 'He knows that he's the most handsome of the harriers.'

AU spends each winter in sub-Saharan western Africa. When he returned to Britain this summer he began his aerial displays above a secret location.

Human help will be needed for the species to recover. Montagu's harriers nest on the ground, leaving chicks vulnerable to foxes and combine harvesters.

Carr in the driving seat for Top Gear presenter role

Alex Farber Media Correspondent

The comedian Jimmy Carr and former England rugby international Joe Marler are understood to be in the frame to host the rebooted series of Top Gear.

BBC Studios, the broadcaster's production arm, plans to revive the motoring format four years after it was shelved because of a crash in 2022 that left the presenter Andrew 'Freddie' Flustoff with severe injuries. Flustoff's co-presenters Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris also left after the accident.

BBC bosses are understood to be talking to potential presenters before a revival, which could air next year.

Carr, 53, who was first connected to the show by The Sun, is a motoring enthusiast who named an E-Type Jaguar and an Aston Martin DB6 as among his favourite cars. He set the fastest lap on the celebrity leaderboard when he appeared on Top Gear in 2004.

A source told the newspaper that producers had set their sights on him to return. 'He's the ideal host to take the show into a new era,' they said.

Carr is preparing to return as host of a third series of Amazon Prime Video's comedy show Lost One Laughing next year, with a Halloween special also being prepared.

He is being considered alongside Marler. The Times understands. Bosses have warmed to the former England prop after he became the breakout star of last year's Celebrity Traitors, reaching the final in front of 15 million viewers.

'Bosses are looking at Joe and Jimmy,' one individual with knowledge of the situation said. 'The chemistry between the presenters is so important but Joe gets on with everybody.'

Marler, 36, who drives a Range Rover, is less well-known for his love of motoring than Carr. Last year, he admitted to having owned 14 Volkswagen Golfs. 'I'd change it every 8,000 miles or three months,' he said. 'It was just the deal I had.'

A third man is likely to complete the line-up, with bosses expected to find a role for a woman in a non-hosting capacity.

The rebooted show, which could return next year, will face competition from a new line-up on Amazon's motoring rival The Grand Tour. The streamer is relaunching the show after the departures of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. It will return on September 4 with the You-Tubers James Engelsman and Thomas Holland, and Francis Bourgeois.

Earlier this year Clarkson said that a 'halley' Top Gear revival that focused on electric cars had a good chance of succeeding. 'It will work if they do it right,' he added.

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Second weight-loss drug goes on high street sale for £100 a month

Eleanor Hayward Health Editor

Pharmacies are expecting thousands of people to buy a new daily weight-loss pill available in the from UK today.

Orforglipron, a tablet made by the US firm Lilly, will be sold privately under the brand name Foundayo from about £100 a month from high street and online pharmacies.

In total, 20 million adults in the UK are eligible for the drug, which has been approved for use in all those with a body mass index (BMI) over 30, or with a

BMI over 27 if they have a weight-related health condition.

Foundayo helps people to lose 12 per cent of body weight, on average, and trials show it is an effective long-term 'maintenance' tool to stay healthy.

Lilly is in talks with the health watchdog Nice about getting the drug approved for use on the NHS. Because weight-loss pills are cheaper to manufacture and store than jabs, they could provide a more cost-effective way for the health service to tackle obesity.

Khalil Asmar, of Lilly Northern

Europe, said: 'The UK is the first country in Europe where Foundayo is now available. We're pleased that this means there is another oral treatment option for eligible UK patients alongside licensed injectable treatments.'

Foundayo works by targeting the same GLP-1 receptors as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounparo. It is being sold by Boots, Superdrug, Lloyds and Asda, among other retailers.

There is no restriction on the time of day the tablet is taken, nor whether food or water should also be consumed.

This makes it more convenient than a rival Wegovy pill, made by Novo Nordisk and launched in the UK last month, which can be taken only in the morning and on an empty stomach.

In May a trial found that orforglipron could be used as a long-term tool to maintain a healthy weight. The study, of 376 patients who had been taking Mounparo or Wegovy, found that switching to the pill helped them to maintain 75 per cent of their previous weight loss and kept blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar stable.

More than two million people in the UK take weight-loss drugs. Analysts believe this could rise to seven million by next year as pill versions become widely available.

Dr Claire Grainger, a GP at Superdrug Online Doctor, said: 'The prospect of a second oral weight management treatment is significant because it could mean greater choice for eligible patients. For some people, the option of taking an oral medication rather than using an injectable treatment may be appealing.'

Trump clears his desk for 22kg book

Walking into the Oval Office for an audience with the US president was always going to be a pinch-me moment for Karl Fowler, a history buff from the UK (Ali Mitih writes). Seeing The American Opus, his 22kg American history book, placed on the Resolute Desk was beyond his wildest imagination. 'It's the most famous desk in the world in the most iconic office in the

world. We didn't for one moment think our work would ever be there,' Fowler, the co-founder of Opus, a company which specialises in creating large collector's books which sell for up to £1 million, said. 'We were told that President Trump had instructed his staff to make sure that the copy was on his desk and he cleared things away to make space. That made us very proud.' Fowler, 57, a former Goldman Sachs derivatives trader, was

Karl Fowler, above left, said that meeting Trump was 'surreal'. He expects a copy of his book The American Opus signed by the president, top left, to sell for at least £1 million

invited to the White House after Kelsey Grammer, the actor and comedian who has presented American history documentaries, told the president over dinner that he was involved in producing the book. Trump was so

intrigued that he had advance sight of early chapters and asked the creators — Grammer, Fowler and Zenon Texeira — if he could write the foreword. What was meant to be a 20-minute meeting on August 3 before

publication turned into an hour-and-a-half-long discussion on history, Opus and its new book. Fowler said: 'It was surreal. I founded Opus with my school friend, Zenon, 20 years ago. We come from Coventry with no airs and graces

and suddenly we're in the Oval Office with President Trump.' Trump signed one of 2,500 copies of the marquee 800-page edition.. Fowler expects it to sell for at least £1 million, and the money will go to charity.

Rise in 'crypto-muggings' by gangs

David Woode Crime Editor

Boxing fans were on a high after Tyson Fury and Arslanbek Makhmudov's heavyweight clash in April. Eddie, who has withheld his surname, was among 60,000 people who saw the fight at Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London.

The 28-year-old lost his friends in the rush for the exit but had plans for a post-fight beer. At 12.20am three young men approached him as he queued to enter Seven Sisters tube station and invited him to their comedy show the next evening.

'They were normal, well-dressed guys. We chatted for a few minutes and joked around,' Eddie, a property developer, told The Times. 'One of them said, 'Let me add you on Instagram so I can get you a spot'' Eddie passed his phone over. 'The guy had it for about 30 seconds. I tried to take it but he

pulled back. I thought it was weird but then he handed it to me seconds later.'

When Eddie checked his phone the next morning, he discovered his Coinbase app, for cryptocurrency investing, was missing along with £2,102 in bitcoin.

Cryptocurrency transfers are irreversible and can only be refunded by the receiving party, a feature that is attractive to thieves.

'I felt frustration, anger and betrayal; it was very stupid of me,' Eddie said. 'I was in a good mood and my guard was down. I was surrounded by hundreds of Tyson Fury fans and there were police everywhere.'

Eddie suspects the gang requested and approved the transfer before deleting the app. The illicit transaction was logged on a digital ledger known as a blockchain.

Within hours, the money was moved into two accounts, creating a digital

paper trail for the police. The Times has seen evidence of seven transfers totalling £6,000 going in and out the gang's account over a seven-week period.

Eddie contacted Report Fraud, the national service for cybercrime and fraud, but was later told his case would not be investigated.

Cryptocurrency is one of the fastest-growing ways of facilitating cybercrime and fraud. Police said many cryptocurrency activities 'remain unregulated in the UK' and often went undetected.

A wave of 'crypto-muggings' fuelled by phone thefts was reported in London in the wake of the pandemic. Digital-savvy thieves forced victims to disclose their access codes before seizing thousands of pounds in digital currencies.

Gang experts said organised criminals were increasingly using crypto as a method to launder money.

'We're finding that phone thefts are not committed for the handset but for what it holds,' a police source said. 'Gangs will befriend victims and claim to sell clothes, trade watches or other items. They will find a way to get the phone and access bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets — they've been known to clear up to £30,000 in minutes.'

Andrew Gould, the National Police Chiefs' Council's lead for cryptocurrency, said organised criminals tended to target big financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges.

However, he acknowledged that 'social engineering' tactics adopted by gangs appeared to have borrowed elements of online fraud and brought it to the street.

'It's more sophisticated than running up and threatening someone with a knife for a phone,' he said. 'This takes

more time and effort, so gangs have to be charming, credible and plausible.'

Gould added: 'This is street crime but not phone theft. In this case, they did not have the owner's authority to access the Coinbase account. Legally it's an offence under the Computer Misuse Act because they hacked his account.'

Chief Superintendent Amanda Wolf, the head of Report Fraud operations, said Eddie's report was 'assessed ... but has not been passed to a police force for investigation at this time'.

Eddie said: 'I'm in a fortunate position and this hasn't had a massive impact on my life — but it was still my money. People are ... losing huge amounts of money which could be used for rent, mortgages and family bills. In my case there was CCTV. I told the police where it happened and provided a description of the guys — what more do they need? It felt so silly.'

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THESE IS THE EARTH, HOME, VICTOR OF JEZEY

Skeleton may be first victim of trebuchet

In 1304 the English king, Edward I, unveiled a new weapon as his forces laid siege to Stirling Castle in Scotland. Known as "War Wolf", it was a giant trebuchet: a siege engine built to knock down castle walls by hurling boulders at terrifying speeds.

Now researchers believe they have found the first known victim of a trebuchet — possibly of War Wolf itself. The discovery came when Dr Jo Buckberry, an archaeologist at the University of Bradford, was re-examining a set of

Jo Buckberry believes Skeleton 150's injuries were inflicted by a trebuchet

human remains, roughly 700 years old and known as Skeleton 150, discovered beneath the castle's royal chapel in 1997.

As an expert in medieval warfare she realised the injuries were unlike anything she had seen from the period. "Every single rib on both sides has at least one fracture. The whole shoulder complex is crushed. The skull alone has over 60 fractures," she said.

The man, who was in his twenties or early thirties, had 167 fractures in all. According to Buckberry, his body would have resembled that of a victim of a modern day explosion or "a really high-speed car crash". Death, she added, would have been instantaneous. The leading theory is that it was caused by a direct hit from a trebuchet, which would make him the only victim of this class of siege engine to have been identified.

These weapons used a huge counterweight, which was winched into posi-

tion then released. As it fell, the weight swung a long throwing arm, releasing a sling loaded with a heavy stone. The main aim was not to kill individual soldiers, but to smash down castle walls.

One important clue was a deep zig-zag fracture through an upper arm of Skeleton 150. Bone that has dried after death loses its elasticity; it tends to snap cleanly, like a dry twig. This break was quite different. "I had never seen anything like it, ever," Buckberry said. At a forensic anthropology workshop she encountered a similar injury: it came from someone killed in a car crash. "The reason it's weird is that it's a high-velocity injury, and you just don't get high velocity in the medieval period."

Working with Dr Patrick Randolph-Quinney, a biological anthropologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, Buckberry mapped the fractures using microscopy, radiography, micro-CT and 3D scanning. The scans suggest a single, violent impact concentrated on the back of the head and right shoulder while the man was standing, his arms bent in front of him. A direct trebuchet strike was more plausible, she said, than the man being crushed by falling masonry, which would not have been travelling at the same high speed.

One possibility is that the man died in 1304, the year Stirling, the last centre of Scottish resistance to Edward I, was subjected to a three-month bombardment by siege engines including War Wolf, one of the largest trebuchets ever built. According to Historic Environment Scotland, which looks after the castle and funded the research, it appears to have hurled a missile weighing about 140kg into the castle's curtain wall. When they saw the new weapon, the garrison defending the castle is said to have decided to lay down their weapons. However, Edward "refused to let them surrender until he'd actually played with his toy", Buckberry said.

She stressed that she could not be certain how Skeleton 150 died, "but it's a tantalising glimpse into what what may have happened".

Rail passengers frustrated as power cut cancels trains

Tom Gould

CrossCountry trains cancelled almost all services yesterday after a power cut at its control centre.

The train operator said the power failure started in Birmingham on Saturday, affecting many of the systems used to manage the railway.

CrossCountry apologised to passengers for the "unforeseen disruption" and said that tickets were being accepted by other operators.

"While we will run as many trains as possible, passengers should expect significant reductions to services and cancellations across almost all Cross-Country routes throughout the day," a spokesman said.

Yesterday the company said a "very limited number" of services had resumed, mainly on routes towards Leicester and Derby.

Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, acknowledged the cancellations

would "be very frustrating to passengers". She said she had asked publicly owned operators to lay on extra services and had sent Network Rail engineers "to restore power and systems as soon as possible".

Chiltern Railways said it had added services between Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford to help with the disruption and would accept all Cross-Country tickets "via any reasonable route". LN:ER, or London North Eastern Railway, also confirmed it would accept CrossCountry tickets "to help get affected customers to their destination".

CrossCountry said it planned to restore "as close to a normal service as possible" today. The CrossCountry network runs across most of Britain, including services from Edinburgh to Penzance and Cardiff to Stansted airport. Tickets bought for CrossCountry services yesterday will remain valid until Wednesday.

A trebuchet hurled boulders at castle walls during sieges. One of the largest was built by troops of Edward I of England

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE BUSINESS AND PROPERTY COURTS OF ENGLAND AND WALES COMPANIES COURT (ChD)

No: CR-2026-002324

IN THE MATTER OF THE CO-OPERATIVE BANK PLC

and

IN THE MATTER OF COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY

and

IN THE MATTER OF

PART VII OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, on 18 August 2026, The Co-operative Bank plc ("Bank") and Coventry Building Society ("CBS") made an application (the "Application") to the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts of England and Wales, Companies Court in London (the "Court") for:

(1) an Order under section 111(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) ("FSMA") sanctioning a banking business transfer scheme (the "Scheme") providing for the transfer to CBS of the Transferring Business (as defined in the document setting out the terms of the Scheme (the "Scheme Document")). The Transferring Business consists of the entire business of the Bank, including, amongst others, all current accounts, savings accounts, mortgages, credit cards and loans, with the exception of a small number of contracts and arrangements, including employment-related contracts, its obligations to registered pension arrangements and assets and liabilities (including contracts) governed by non-UK law, which constitute Excluded Business (as defined in the Scheme Document); and

(2) the making of ancillary provisions in connection with the Scheme under section 112 of FSMA.

The proposed transfer will result in the Transferring Business, which is currently being carried on by the Bank, being carried on by CBS.

A copy of the Scheme Document, an explanatory statement setting out the terms of the Scheme and this notice will be sent free of charge to any person who requests it using the contact details set out below. These documents will also be made available to collect from 1 Balloon Street, Manchester, United Kingdom, M4 4BE from the date of publication of this notice until the date on which the Application is heard by the Court. These and other documents relating to the Scheme are also available on the Bank's website at www.co-operativebank.co.uk/coventry-transfer/.

All questions or concerns and any requests for information relating to the Scheme should be referred to the Bank using the following contact details:

Online form: www.co-operativebank.co.uk/coventry-transfer/

Telephone: 0800 028 4321

By post: 1 Balloon Street, Manchester, United Kingdom, M4 4BE

The Application is due to be heard before the Court at the Rolls Building, Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1NL, United Kingdom on 2 December 2026. If approved by the Court, it is currently proposed that the Scheme will take effect on 1 January 2027.

Any person (including any customer or employee of either the Bank or CBS) who thinks that they may be adversely affected by the carrying out of the Scheme may attend the Court hearing and express their views either in person or by a representative.

Any person planning to attend the Court hearing or send a representative is requested to notify the Bank (along with their reasons for objecting) before 25 November 2026 using the contact details set out above. Any person who does not intend to attend the Court hearing but wishes to make representations about the Scheme or considers that they may be adversely affected should communicate their views to the Bank using the contact details set out above, preferably before 25 November 2026.

A record of the number of respondents will be maintained and, together with copies of any representations, provided to the Court at the date of the hearing and a summary of any objections will be provided to the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority. A failure to give notice in advance does not prevent any person who wishes to do so from attending the Court hearing in person or by a representative, or from making representations in writing to be put before the Court. Any representative does not need legal training.

The costs of any representative will be borne by the person appointing them. If objections are to be made by a representative, they will need the permission of the Court to speak or have appropriate rights of audience before the Court.

Addleshaw Goddard LLP, 41 Lothbury, London EC2R 7HG

Ref: KOEHB / BROOOC

Solicitors for Bank and CBS

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15

News

Wet winter needed to escape the drought

Britain will need to be drenched in double its usual winter rainfall if low river levels are to return to normal, experts have warned (Ben Cooke writes).

The country will probably still be in drought conditions in the spring without an exceptionally wet winter, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology told The Times.

Katie Facer-Childs, a hydrologist at the research centre, said if this winter's weather did not prove torrential Britain would probably experience much worse drought impacts next year, when a strong El Niño weather system is predicted to bring record-breaking temperatures.

While parts of the country received their first rainfall in nearly two months last week, it was not nearly enough to restore river and soil moisture levels after this summer's five heatwaves.

About 71 per cent of England and all of Wales remains in drought, and 27 million households are subject to hosepipe bans. Although El Niño is expected to bring a stormy winter, the Met Office expects September to be drier than average.

"We're looking at the drought pushing through into next spring," Facer-Childs said. "We're at a

A heron in Glastonbury, Somerset, and a perfectly still day at Buttermere in the Lake District, left. Rainfall is expected to remain below average this September

crunch point. This winter is really, really critical, because if we have a dry winter we're going to start hitting groundwater drought, and that's when the country will start to get really stressed."

Thames Water said on Thursday that it expected to keep its 10.1 million customers under a hosepipe ban until December. Forecast, page 47

Labour 'was ideological' on Islamophobia

Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor

The government secretly lobbied the equalities watchdog to adopt its new definition of anti-Muslim hostility, which the body had opposed.

A freedom of information response revealed that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will not be adopting the non-statutory definition, which was introduced this year in an effort to crack down on Islamophobia but faced a backlash over concerns it would impinge on free speech.

It also revealed that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government tried to persuade the EHRC to change its position during an "informal discussion".

Baroness Falkner of Margravine, who chaired the equalities watchdog from 2020 until November last year, accused Labour of pursuing the definition in order to win over the Muslim vote. Falkner told The Times that the documents showed how "ideological" the government was.

She said: "They have been warned again and again that this definition will restrict speech and legitimate criticism of a religion or culture.

"If they really want to restrict our freedom of expression, they should come up with a proper legal definition... instead of adopting underhand tactics, presumably in pursuit of a Muslim vote which they have, for far too long, taken for granted."

The government's broad definition includes "discrimination on the basis of being Muslim or perceived to be Muslim" and negative characterisation as a collective group with the intention to encourage hatred against them.

The EHRC opposed an official definition, warning that it could have a "chilling effect" on freedom of speech and harm community cohesion.

A ministry spokesman said there had been "no attempt to lobby the EHRC."

Terrorists can learn to build bombs using uncensored AI

Larisa Brown Defence Editor

Terrorists without significant technical expertise could use readily available artificial intelligence systems to build bombs or acquire bioweapons such as anthrax, according to a new report.

Research found safety mechanisms on so-called open-weights models could be easily turned off to "walk unsophisticated malicious actors through the specific steps to create explosives, or chemical and biological weapons".

Bad actors could also exploit the technology and run these models on their devices "offline", with no internet connection, meaning their search history could not be monitored by security services such as MI5 and GCHQ, Britain's eavesdropping agency.

A report examined uncensored open-weights large language models (LLMs), meaning models which can be downloaded and run on any persons computer, but which have had their safeguards removed.

A recent popular open-weights model is Qwen3.8-27b — released by a Chinese AI lab owned by Alibaba. Meta

also releases some open-weights models.

Whitehall officials have become concerned about the impact artificial intelligence could have on national security and have engaged with the report's authors on the issue, it is understood.

Dani Ismalov-Law, the lead author of the report and founder of Crimson Flare, an independent research laboratory, said: "This research looked at how these offline, uncensored models respond to queries across a range of different threats — such as creating explosives or acquiring bioweapons like anthrax.

"While there is still practical knowledge and know-how that would prevent a layperson from being able to cause the greatest degree of harms, the risk here is that these models could still help a malicious actor cause much more harm than they otherwise would be able to, through a medium that can't be monitored like conventional search engines or AI platforms can."

LLMs like ChatGPT typically have controls that refuse harmful requests.

However the report, seen by The Times, warns of a new method, informally called "abliteration" that enables safety mechanisms in open-weights models to be "disabled in minutes".

The models, first released by big companies, with safeguards, respond with phrases such as "sorry, I can't do that" if you ask them for something illegal. These are widely available to download on online platforms.

These base models are then "abliterated" or uncensored, by third-party developers, and then reuploaded. It is also possible to "uncensor" the models with very little coding knowledge.

Zain Ui-Haq, a former digital forensics lead with Lancashire police, noted that would-be malicious actors could be protected from "attribution", with this being a "one-stop shop" that "does that all for you ... in your own home".

The report stated that the ability to move the research offline meant "nuisance leaves no identifiable trace for security services or model providers to monitor, for warning or prevention".

Ui-Haq noted that some of the

responses on uncensored models lacked depth and detail but, having reviewed a range, said this was a "national security risk worthy of further attention".

This was especially the case, he added, "if uncensored models are only going to get smaller, more capable, and — unless action is taken — remain widely accessible. There are no Google searches that can be tied back to you, and it's a one-stop shop".

Professor Alastair Hay OBE, a renowned British toxicologist and foremost expert on chemical warfare and biological warfare, suggested that "[f]or someone ... intent on doing something nefarious ... this is a great starter".

When shown responses regarding cultivating harmful pathogens at home, he said: "It's absolutely superb ... it's almost like a recipe: it gives the concentrations to use. That's pretty good, really ... almost student-level lab work."

The report, entitled Avoiding Total "Abliteration", concluded that open-weights models should not be banned but rather that companies behind them should implement extra safeguards.

Energy bill payouts for HMRC staff

Ministers have been accused of treating taxpayers "like a bottomless money pit" after it emerged that HM Revenue & Customs has spent more than £610,000 subsidising the home energy bills of civil servants.

The payments were made to staff whose contracts stipulate that they work solely from home.

Such payments at the department have more than doubled over four years, rising from about £95,000 in 2022 to £211,000 in the financial year ending in April this year, according to figures obtained by The Telegraph under freedom of information laws.

The department has 5,259 employees classed as contractual home workers. The annual payment is equivalent to about £40 for each of those workers, although the figures do not establish how many individuals received money.

HMRC said the payments were restricted to staff whose contractual workplace was their home, about 7 per cent of the total workforce, and were not available to staff who worked from home for part of the week under hybrid arrangements.

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16

News

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Happy couple The Rivals actress Emily Atack married Alistair Garner, a scientist, on Saturday in front of family and friends. The couple, who have a son, are planning a second ceremony, said to be in Spain

Fleabag ‘too risky to do today’

David Sanderson Arts Correspondent

The cost of bringing a show to Edinburgh has risen from £10,000 in 2013 to £100,000 this year, according to the superproducer behind Fleabag and Baby Reindeer.

Francesca Moody said that the price of accommodation was “crippling” the Fringe, with most of its 4,000 shows playing to only a handful of audience members.

She has brought three shows to the festival this year — Garry Starr: Classic Penguins, Crybabies: The Scaring and Roleplay which has been described as the “new Fleabag” — and said that her production company’s track record gave it

an advantage in the “really hard, very saturated market”.

“We brought Fleabag to Edinburgh for £10,000,” she said. In contrast, Roleplay — which is described as the new Fleabag — was expected to cost £100,000.

Moody is promoting the not-for-profit Shedinburgh, a rolling roster of productions from the Fringe’s past and present. The costs of bringing the shows to Edinburgh are picked up by the organisers, a move that she said had been “born of frustration”. She added: “People can come and try something out, which feels a lot riskier to do these days. Whereas it is that culture that will create the next Fleabag.”

Moody was unknown when Fleabag, which was adapted

for television, making a star of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, made its Fringe debut in 2013.

She said: “I have a genuine concern that there is not enough space for artists to do that any more.”

Shedinburgh will come to London next month, when the Young Vic will host a selection of its shows.

Moody said that Fleabag had not been entirely understood by those who had tried to emulate its success.

“There has been this move recently towards this idea that people have to mine their own trauma, commodify their own trauma. I don’t think that’s the right way to think about it,” she said. “Authenticity is personal to you but not necessarily your true story.”

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News

Younger crowds fuel cinema’s blockbuster year

Younger audiences have been flocking back to cinemas, which are anticipating their best year since the pandemic because of blockbusters including Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey and the cult horror Obsession.

Marvel’s superhero sequel surpassed the benchmark of taking $2 billion globally last week as Christopher Nolan’s version of the Greek myth grossed $1.35 billion to become the biggest R, or adult, rated film ever.

Other strong performers this year have included Toy Story 5, the Michael Jackson biopic Michael and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, prompting experts to project that UK cinemas are

on track to take more than £1 billion at the box office this year.

However, lower budget films have played a part. Obsession, written, directed and edited by the YouTube creator Curry Barker, has taken an estimated £20 million, and helped to draw younger audiences into theatres.

Tim Richards, chief executive of Vue, said that the strong performance was being driven by a combination of a return to a broad slate of films following a post-pandemic lull and the return of youngsters. “This summer has proved that for the last five years we have had a supply, not a demand issue,” he said.

Cinemas had been operating with up to 25 per cent fewer films than before Covid-19 disrupted production. “This

year we are back to a completely normal slate,” he said. “We have had an audience for all genres of films and across all demographics.”

The number of Gen Z cinemagoers was up by 30–40 per cent on the previous year and continued to grow. “This is the future of our industry,” Richards said. “They are the generation that suffered the most during lockdown.”

Vue has encouraged younger consumers by removing box offices to eliminate queuing. In February the chain

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the Marvel superhero sequel, last week swung past the benchmark of $2 billion in global ticket sales

opened its “Vue Your Way” theatre in Swindon, which replaced concession stands with an open-plan foyer where customers build snack combos, including healthy options, at different stations before paying at self-checkouts.

“The goal is to have a frictionless journey using facial recognition where you don’t even need to use your phone or wallet,” he said.

Phil Clapp, chief executive of the UK Cinema Association, said that younger audiences had been tempted back by young directors they could relate to such as Obsession’s Barker and Kane Parsons who is responsible for the viral horror hit Backrooms.

“We have seen the emergence of a new strand of film in terms of its origins. Both directors cut their teeth on YouTube and they have bought that audience with them,” he said. “Youngsters are finding it nice to be cut off from social media for a few hours.”

Box office takings are up by about a fifth against same period last year, according to data from the Cinema Association.

Richards said that the outlook was positive. He cited upcoming titles such as this autumn’s Tom Cruise disaster film Digger, Avengers: Doomsday, Dune 3 and Jumanji: Open World.

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Vault of rare veggie genes keeps future food secure

Countryside Correspondent

The wild relatives of broccoli and Brussels sprouts grow happily in the cracks of Mediterranean cliffs, where searing temperatures and a severe lack of water and nutrients fail to hinder their hard-scramble existence.

Such genetic qualities may prove valuable in the future as farmers contend with an increasingly extreme climate. These wild varieties' genetics, which could help plant breeders ensure future British food security, are held among 14,000 vegetable seed samples in a secure facility in Warwickshire.

Charlotte Allender, head of the UK Vegetable Genebank, is in charge of storing and cultivating the vegetable seed samples from around the world to

maintain a living library of potential crops.

Standing inside a secure area at the University of Warwick's crop centre, where about 120 species a year are regenerated from the collection to resupply their seeds, she was surrounded by flies.

"We use flies as pollinators because they do the job just as well as bees, they are cheaper and they don't sting you, so what's not to like," she told The Times.

Inside individually gated growing bays, maggots are released to pupate into common flies and begin their work pollinating the flowers, enabling the reproductive cycle of each precious species to be fulfilled.

"Some of these plants don't flower for several years under our glasshouse condition so they can grow into trifids

before we can harvest the seed," she said, as a wild kale variety tumbled over her head. "They do need a lot of care because growing so many plants close together you get pests. Aphids are a perennial problem here."

The genebank's 14,000 vegetable seed samples are the raw material for plant breeding and research. Stored in two giant freezers at minus 20C, they are one of the only genebanks in the world which focuses on vegetables. Last

year more than 2,000 seed samples were requested from breeders across the UK and the world. Seeds were sent to Singapore, South Korea and the US.

Farming systems will need to use fewer fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation to grow crops in a warming climate and genetic diversity will underpin the development of new crop varieties for future food production.

Commercial crops that are more resilient to emerging diseases and

Charlotte Allender is the head of the UK Vegetable Genebank and its 14,000 seed samples from around the world

changing weather patterns can be developed using the diversity present across the whole crop genepool, including wild species related to crops.

Allender, who was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal by the Royal Horticultural Society last year for her two decades conserving crop genetic diversity, has dried new seed specimens in a controlled room at 15C and 15 per cent relative humidity — to remove the moisture from the seed — before they were vacuum-packed, heat-sealed and placed in the minus 20C cold store.

"We dry it down to ensure that it can survive long term and it can survive for decades, if not longer, under those circumstances," she said. "We opened in 1980 and we still have some of the original seed samples that were donated to us back then. We germination test them every ten years and they're testing fine."

As well as British vegetables, they hold 108 vegetable varieties from around the world. Their minimum seed sample weight is five grams and their maximum is about two kilograms. Most samples are between 50 and 100 grams.

They share some samples with the Dutch plant genebank, who in return hold some of theirs, in an attempt to spread the risk of losing them. They also send samples to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the secure underground facility on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, which stores duplicate crop seeds from global genebanks to protect agricultural diversity against wars, disasters and climate change.

"The last time we sent some seed out there it was so David Lannpy [the foreign secretary at the time] could hand some over," Allender said. "We hadn't sent some in a while so the timing worked out well."

The Svalbard vault is the ultimate insurance policy for crops that make up 80 per cent of the world's food supply. It contains more than 1.3 million unique varieties of the most important food crops, and 600 million individual seeds in total, developed by farmers and crop breeders over millennia.

The UK Vegetable Genebank recently underwent its own security upgrade, Allender said. Its 156,000 paper seed packets were upgraded to waterproof packaging and relabelled by hand.

"That took about 18 months," she said. "Before that, if there was water damage you wouldn't know what was in each packet."

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News

Predators use online support groups to find child victims

George Odling

Online predators are seeking out support groups such as those dealing with self harm or eating disorders to target vulnerable children, experts have warned.

They use similar tactics to cults and terrorists to move their targets to private spaces where they can be radicalised or abused, according to the director of Resolver, an online risk intelligence firm.

Henry Adams said perpetrators targeted gaming chatrooms, groups tackling eating disorders and other communities they knew would include vulnerable children.

His warning followed a report from the Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner for England, that revealed British children were "becoming intoxicated by extremism". Young people repeatedly discussed weapons, violent attacks and shared videos of beheadings, yet failed to meet the threshold for counterterror action.

De Souza advised the government to impose measures on technology companies to prevent children accessing their platforms until they could demonstrate they were protected from harm. She told the Times: "We have known for years that groomers and exploiters target young people in children's homes or those who have been excluded from school.

"Bad actors use the same techniques online — seeking out places where vulnerable children find sanctuary. We must learn from past safeguarding failures and make sure we protect vulnerable children in online spaces too."

Many sites aimed at young people, including Roblox, the gaming platform, have technology in place which scans a user's face to determine their age and

then prevents them communicating with others in a different age bracket.

Adams, who has a background in counterterrorism, explained that such tools were not enough to protect children — partly because it was often other young people who sought to groom them. "In these digital ecosystems, the line between victim and offender is frequently blurred," he said. "Young people who start as targets of manipulation or extortion can be drawn — through a mix of coercion, desensitisation and a search for online status — into recruiting or harming their peers."

He added: "Age verification tech can perform well in laboratory settings, but in the real world, young people who want to access adult spaces will try repeatedly to circumvent those barriers. So it isn't just adults pretending to be kids — it's often kids trying to age up, or kids drawn into targeting other kids, which age verification alone doesn't solve."

Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, founded after a schoolgirl took her own life when she was bombarded with harmful content online, said the growing phenomenon of "Com" groups, which aim to subjugate and humiliate victims, was having devastating consequences.

"This phenomenon is driven by sadistic and nihilistic individuals and we are increasingly seeing this as the leading edge of suicide and self harm," he said.

Adams called for tech firms and regulators to do more to educate their users about threats. "In safety engineering and law enforcement we call this 'designing out crime' — much like fixing a broken streetlight in a dark alleyway to mitigate physical assaults," he said.

Dog lost on mountain is found after 19-day hunt

A dog missing for nearly three weeks on a mountain in the Lake District has been rescued. Teddy, a terrier,

vanished on August 2 on Helvellyn, which rises to 950 metres. On Friday volunteers were out looking for him when they heard barking coming from Dry Gill, a steep ravine.

They found Teddy but he was stuck so Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was called in to help. Three hours later he was free and had no obvious injuries, although he had lost a lot of weight. He

was put in a rucksack and given some food before being reunited with his owner and taken to the vet.

The rescue took three and a half hours and involved seven team members.

Keswick Mountain Rescue said: "The team are absolutely delighted to share this update, as the news of this missing dog had deeply affected so many people across

It took more than three hours to get Teddy to safety but he was unhurt

our local community. He was ... safely secured in a rucksack for the journey back down to Swirls car park.

"A remarkable outcome after nearly three weeks on Helvellyn, and a huge well done to everyone who kept searching and never gave up on Teddy."

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The Tories' new candidate policy is anti-conservative Malcolm Rifkind Page 22

Comment

Integration is best way to handle immigration

Giorgia Meloni is showing the way by combining tough border controls with generosity to achievers from overseas

@TREVORPTWEETS

The old joke about Italian governments was that Italy never needed to print expiry dates on yoghurt pots. Each pot carried the name of the current prime minister who would have resigned before the contents went bad. But as they might say in Rome, sei tu a restaine beffato, ruga — the joke's on you, guys.

On September 4, Giorgia Meloni will have led her country continuously for more days — 1,413 — than any other individual in the 68 administrations since Benito Mussolini's body was hung by his feet from a Milanese girder. She has seen off four British and four French prime ministers and a US president. Her Brothers of Italy-led coalition has survived through her force of personality, some luck on the economy and a canny approach to migration, combining tough border control with a judicious generosity to labour market migration.

But Europe's most powerful politician may be facing her hardest challenge in the run-up to elections due next year. As ever the casus belli is apparently immigration. The threat to Meloni comes from the right in the form of National Future (FN), a party less than a year old led by a former paratrooper, Roberto Vannacci, whose central policy is "remigration" — that is, the return of illegal migrants to their country of origin followed by the

encouragement to leave of those who "fail to integrate". One can only imagine what that "encouragement" might constitute. The FN, polling at about seven per cent, holds the key to whether Meloni wins or not.

The confrontation is not merely about who can be nastier to immigrants. It is more fundamental: who should have the right to call themselves a true Italian? Vannacci's view is that it can never be enough to be born on Italian soil. In 2023 he cast doubt on the claims of a black Italian volleyball star, Paola Egonu, saying her "features do not reflect Italianness". Last week, after the European athletic and swimming championships, he refused to acknowledge victories by Italian athletes who happen to be black.

It is not an original sentiment, not so far from Donald Trump's dogged questioning of Barack Obama's Americanness. The argument is that the place of your birth is never

Remigration is simply code for a return to a primitive tribalism

enough, genes count, and as per the recent speeches of the US vice-president JD Vance, so does your choice of faith and culture. Ergo, for some people it doesn't matter how far back your lineage stretches, you may never be a real American. Or as one Trump supporter put it to me: "Doesn't matter how long a log lies in the water, it ain't never gonna become a shark."

Until recently this kind of thinking was fighting against the historical tide. Over the past few centuries, most of the world moved slowly from the presumption of jus sanguinis, citizenship based on blood relations,

towards jus soli, citizenship based on place of birth. Of course the impetus for the change was hardly a generous one: the modern concept of birthright citizenship originated as a way of ensuring settlers in the Americas would never be deprived of their God-given right to seize the lands and property of indigenous peoples.

But as so often with these issues of identity, equality turns out to be a one-way street. In 1998, the then leader of France's National Front, Jean-Marie Le Pen, declared that the nation's World Cup-winning team was "artificial" because five of the starting 11 were children of immigrants from countries as various as Algeria, Ghana and Poland, and therefore they could not be regarded as true Frenchmen.

In spite of the reality of a world in motion, what once seemed an extreme view has gained currency across the developed world. Remigration was championed by Trump's policy guru, Stephen Miller, during the 2024 presidential election campaign. In the crucial German state elections next month the Alternative for German (AfD) party, which has put remigration front and centre, has 20-point leads over the conservative CDU in Saxony-Anhalt and the SPD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. National polling puts the AfD in the high twenties, well ahead of all other parties.

Here, Rupert Lowe's Restore is flirting dangerously close to endorsement of a "blood and soil" Britain. Its head of policy, Charlie Downes, has written of his support for remigration. I don't think Nigel Farage believes that Britishness is related to ethnicity but he has yet to make it clear that the expulsion of "those who fail to integrate" is not part of the Reform package.

To be fair, this is not exclusively

Giorgia Meloni is set to lead Italy for longer than anyone since Mussolini

big, rich-country thinking. In 2004, India abolished the automatic right to citizenship to anyone born within its borders. The Indian government, whether for reasons of security or prejudice, refuses to countenance the prospect of Indian-born babies of Bangladeshi heritage. But it is in the West that it matters electorally. Here at home, the issue of remigration divides the Conservatives, Reform and Restore.

Kemi Badenoch unsurprisingly refuses to accept that she cannot be a true Brit, while Lowe remains uncharacteristically opaque; the fact that the King's father was born outside of these shores leaves the Restore leader uncertain as to whether the sovereign can truly be described as a Briton. I can say unequivocally that the royal household's DEI database should

have the King down as "white British". But integration doesn't happen automatically. And with the decline of religious institutions, of large workplaces and an increasingly atomised society it's harder for newcomers to learn the habits of a harmonious society. We have to work at it intentionally and expensively. It does not inspire confidence that we are having to explain to new neighbours that rape is wrong, as the Home Office admitted this week. This is all grist to the mill of those who argue that integration of some kinds of migrants is simply impossible, people now calling themselves "race realists". Personally I would simply take out the letters "e" to "l" in that phrase, that would be more accurate.

Meloni, as is her way, has not temporised. On the night the Italian swimmer Sara Curtis (Nigerian mother, Italian father) broke the world 50m backstroke record, Meloni rang to congratulate her on behalf of the nation. Meloni, like Badenoch, is banking on the belief that most people regard citizenship as a civic virtue rather than a genetic inheritance, that with determined effort one of us can find a place in our chosen home and that our citizenship regime should reflect that belief.

She is right. There is no prosperous future for an ageing Europe which does not involve immigration. Remigration is simply code for a return to a primitive tribalism in which the only way to greet a stranger is not with a hand of friendship but with the point of a spear.

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Comment

Why China now depends even more on exports

Sentencing of property boss marks end of an era of frantic, often corrupt, debt-fuelled growth

@CINDYXIAOANYU

Nine years ago, Xu Jiayin was China's richest man. He'd founded the property giant Evergrande and his rise from an impoverished Henan village had been meteoric. Last week, Xu was given a life sentence by a Shenzhen court on various charges of embezzlement, bribery and fraud. His billions, the jets and the yachts have been forfeited. The end, when it came, was quick.

Xu was emblematic of China's "reform and opening" era, a time of bombastic, debt-fuelled growth. Along with the death this month of former premier Zhu Rongji, the architect of that economic model, an exceptional chapter of Chinese history has closed. President Xi has tried to follow it with a new economic model, albeit one riddled with its own problems.

In the 1990s, Zhu's reforms — privatising housing, courting foreign investment and rolling back state-owned enterprises — set the country on a path to stellar economic growth. In the ten years to 2008, China's GDP per capita more than quadrupled, from $835 to $3,500. Property propelled this economy: at its height the real estate industry accounted for a quarter of Chinese GDP.

Xu was the ultimate creature of that world, a former steel worker

with no economic education but chutzpah, brains and luck. As the country got richer, men like Xu got very rich indeed. They approached opportunities with the reckless abandon of gamblers, whether in borrowing or the ostentatious courting of corrupt politicians.

That heady time is recounted in gory detail in the memoir of businessman-turned-critic of the Chinese Communist Party. Desmond Shum, who now lives in the UK, Shum tells of one trip he and his wife organised to Europe with three other powerful couples. Their group included the daughter and son-in-law of a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, and Xu and his

By 2015, 30% of China's wealth was owned by the top 1%

wife. The eight crazy rich Asians took three private jets (two flew empty, just in case they might be needed), and one evening spent over $100,000 on wine at dinner in Paris.

So for all the good Zhu's economic model did for the average Chinese, there was an uglier side. Economic inequality in the nominally communist country grew by 2015, 30 per cent of national wealth was owned by the richest 1 per cent, while the poorest 50 per cent owned only 6 per cent, according to the World Inequality Database. House prices rocketed while each corruption scandal damaged the party's standing.

The rampant growth was also

getting dangerous. Developers were encouraged to be ambitious, to borrow and invest boldly. But over time they became overleveraged, overextended leviathans. Instead of completing construction on the properties they'd sold, developers expanded their fieldoms by putting the money into new projects. By 2022, Evergrande had about 1.2 million unfinished homes but had branched into football clubs, a bottled water brand and a $13 billion mega-resort in Hainan province. Xi feared that as soon as the debts were called in there would be a reckoning akin to the 2008 financial crisis.

So he deflated the overheated property market before the bubble burst itself. In 2020, new rules restricted how much debt developers could hold while banks were instructed to hold back on loans. Xi brought back the klaosot slogan of "common prosperity", supposedly hoping to move on from the era of maximising wealth to a more stable phase of sharing that wealth out.

The rest is history. The property market has contracted every year since 2021, as financially troubled developers halt construction and limit new investments. Evergrande defaulted on its debts in December 2021 and Xu was detained in September 2023 on suspicion of serious financial crimes, leading to his sentencing last week.

With the oligarchs' fall, the world that Zhu created and Xu thrived in has truly come to an end. In its place is an economy driven by high-tech manufacturing and exports rather than by ever-rising house prices.

But is China now more equal? In

fact, the property developers have merely been replaced by a new elite — the men who lead the likes of Huawei and the car-maker BYD. Their products have made China an industrial and technological powerhouse, capable of giving Silicon Valley a run for its money, but at home the economic rewards they create are even more exclusive. At least the economy dominated by property magnates needed builders, decorators, lawyers and so on; the world of robotics and AI needs fewer human hands.

Today, the country's wealth distribution is as skewed as it was ten years ago. And having put most of their wealth into housing, the confidence of Chinese consumers has been deflated along with their house prices. As proud as anyone might be that their country is racing ahead on technology, life on the ground feels harder and more pessimistic than during the Zhu era. With growth officially at a below-target 4.3 per cent last quarter, the economy has simply not recovered from the property crash.

Chinese consumers buying less means Beijing must rely on exports more than ever to grow its economy. Yet, the affordability and sheer volume of Chinese exports flooding world markets is undercutting global competitors, a trend that worried Europeans have dubbed "China shock 2.0".

The world of Xu was never going to last, but it's not clear that the economy Xi has built is much better for the little person. If anything, the buccaneering era of Zhu and Xu at least held more hope.

The Tories' new candidate policy is anti-conservative Malcolm Rifkind

The Conservative Party is the oldest continuously serving political party in the world. It has been the government of the UK more often and for more years than any other political party. What has been the magic ingredient that has made this possible? In essence it is because the Conservatives were never burdened by an ideology that justified and explained their existence.

Most others, in Britain and overseas, were not so fortunate. Communism, socialism, fascism and various other "isms" had their day and ended in the darling of history. The Conservative Party, in contrast, never claimed that its political creed had the unique ability to solve the nation's problems. What it did have were principles, values and an approach to the role of government which have proved to be timeless and relevant to our society and nation.

At the risk of oversimplification these can be summarised as the rule of law, the liberty of the individual citizen, the need to curb arbitrary government and the promotion of wealth and comfort for the population as a whole through free enterprise. These principles have led to the party always seeing itself as a broad church and accepting into its membership those who, manifestly, shared these values. That tradition seems now, for the first time, to be under threat.

It is being made a condition of becoming a parliamentary candidate that an applicant must support current policy to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and must not support a commitment to net zero. Grant Shapps has been denied entry to the candidates list and so too, apparently, has Penny Nordaunt.

This approach by the party leadership has no precedent in Conservative history. Imagine if Chamberlain had blocked Churchill from being a Conservative MP because he refused to support Munich and appeasement policy. Churchill would never have become prime minister in 1940. Imagine if John Major or David Cameron had blocked Conservatives from the House of Commons unless they pledged their support to the UK remaining in the EU. The government would have lost almost half its MPs.

The Conservative policy on leaving the ECHR and rejecting net zero are important. It would not be unreasonable if MPs who did not support the official line did not become ministers or shadow ministers. But to deny them the opportunity to become parliamentary candidates is grossly unfair and in conflict with Tory tradition throughout our long history.

Kemi Badenoch has much in common with Margaret Thatcher but on this issue the lady should be for turning. That is what Mrs Thatcher did from time to time, though I do not recall her ever admitting it.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind was a Conservative MP 1974-97 and 2005-15

Emma Duncan Notebook

Lucy Powell must reverse errors over education

There are two surprising things about Michaela Community School. One is how good its exam results are. While 40 per cent of the school's pupils are on free school meals, compared with 27 per cent nationally, a third of A-level grades this year were A*, compared to a tenth nationally. The other is that, rather than celebrating the achievements of the school's head teacher, Katharine Birlshough, and spreading her methods throughout the country, Labour treats her like a bad smell in the corridor and is taking education in the opposite direction. Bridget Phillipson weakened the focus on academic achievement, undermined Ofsted and gave councils more control over academies and free schools. Standards are bound to decline. With a change in No 10, the new education secretary, Lucy Powell, has a chance to reverse those errors. I am not, however, holding my breath.

Puzzling admission

I quit smoking 20 years ago. I drink moderately and am not hooked on social media. I thought I was free of self-harming habits but I recently realised that this was a delusion. My name is Emma and I am an online puzzle addict.

It started slowly, with the occasional sadoka. Then I discovered Wordle and soon I was doing it daily. After a while I needed something stronger and turned to Hardie (a more difficult version of Wordle), Quordle (four Wordles at once) and Nerdle (Wordle with numbers).

Then my partner introduced me to the hard stuff — The Times's codeword. We do it together, though not in public, obviously: we don't want anyone else to see the depths to which we have descended.

I pretend it's all in the interests

of good mental health but I know I'm kidding myself. How is a brain that has spent half an hour a day filling up empty squares with letters better than one that has been reading a good book? That, I'm afraid, is where the time I

spend doing the accursed puzzles has come from. My reading time has probably fallen by half. I'm losing three and a half hours a week of nourishing mental activity. I know I'm no better than the losers who scroll ceaselessly through their Instagram and TikTok accounts. The puzzles, just as the "likes" on social media, deliver a delicious little dose of dopamine.

Gimme another hit, man, I'm begging ya. I'm sharing this with you as the first step in my recovery. I'm going to stop. Well, maybe not altogether, but I'm definitely going to cut down. Really I am. Only we haven't yet done today's codeword, so I'll start tomorrow.

Tossing the tomatoes

I've never grown vegetables before but last year my sister-in-law brought me some tomatoes from her garden, so I dried their seeds and had a go this year. I grew seedlings on the dining room table then moved them to pots outside where I lavished them with love, attention and manure. I watched them grow to six foot and more with pride and anticipation.

They have been a disappointment. I can't blame the drought, since they started to fruit before the hosepipe ban. There's nothing wrong with the seeds. My sister-in-law's tomatoes were excellent but mine have nasty brown patches on their ends and, even when I slice off the bad bits and dress them up with the best olive oil and the finest salt, they are not a patch on the supermarkets' best.

I'm not normally one to walk away from a challenge but I look at this as an economist. The division of labour is at the root of human progress. The supermarkets can't fill my garden with flowers but they can grow better veg than me. Over time I might catch up with my sister-in-law but I have limited leisure and only another couple of decades of active gardening. I love flowers as much as food, and, measured in the amount of joy produced per hour spent in the garden, the dahlias win hands down.

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Comment

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Harry fuss fuels our need for family sagas

The Sussexes' return has captured our attention because it satisfies a deep-seated human need for dramatic stories

Libby Purves

@LIR_THINKS

Whatever else it is, Prince Harry's proposed return is a gripping story to tell around the

smouldering national campfire. Animals live in the moment but human beings need narrative: gossip, myth, parable, legends. Stories can be inspiring or malicious, sacred or profane, downright dirty or innocently funny, but we need them. The problem and pleasure lies in embroidering: inflating villains, weeping for victims, adjusting the plot (Dickens and Evelyn Waugh wrote alternative endings to fictions of their own, and many modern novelists never resolve anything but let the reader dream on alone). Soaps are companionship for decades, and from Sophocles to The Forsyte Saga, family narratives are best of all.

So all weekend millions gasped at the suddenly reanimated tale of a discontented prince and his wife: as twisty as an 18th century picaresque, only posher and unsettlingly subversive to a functioning monarchy.

They fled, hurling resentment at fatherland and family, made big money and friends and lost some of both. They gathered sympathetic admirers, angry opponents and gleeful mockery. They waged legal battles and lost the biggest, narrated a new family story and served it on rainbow platters. But after a few years the story began to falter and repeat. Even mockers grew jaded.

Then with immaculate dramatic timing, in a decaying August of fires and political upheaval, our heroes announced they were coming back. Now! This month! With anticlimactic chutzpah their spokesmen pinned this abrupt timing to the new school year, suddenly getting places after being "on a waiting list". This last

I am neither a 'Sussex squad' member nor 'disgusted-of-Windsor'

detail may possibly be true, and if so one can only admire the idea that even after the VAT blow, smart fee-paying schools are capable of haughtily turning their noses up at a monarch's grandchildren. Respect!

I am neither Sussex-squad nor disgusted-of-Windsor: I can't go beyond murmuring about kindness to elderly parents and the unwisdom of suing newspapers on flimsy evidence.

Never mind: Harry and Meghan Mountbatten-Windsor are entitled to private feelings, and being old and tired and Christian I can only wish them happiness and familial reconciliation. It really needn't be that hard. Nobody died, offence fades, dog bowls can be mended. What I do appreciate, though, is our glorious human need to make and re-make stories: the weekend's crazy paving of narratives, mainstream and social.

The pair's supposed reasons for an abrupt return fed countless imaginations: it's taxes; no, it's Trump! It's money getting tight or Montecito getting tedious. It's about English schools, or her film career or his charities. Or it's because he disliked California and feared a historic drug-use visa row with the Magasaars. He missed his mates or she fell out with the neighbours. Some prefer the sentimental simplicities like love for an ailing father, uncle and cousins; one letter-writer sternly says William must and will forgive because he has to be head of a Christian church one day. Others harrumph about the two-court peril to a constitutional monarchy and interpret the usual royal August family holiday as a crisis "summit at Balmoral". These, and those worrying about security costs, are probably closer to hard sense than either the mockers or the sentimentalists.

But royals can't escape being

legends, preferably dramatic. I remember a moment in the National Maritime Museum when I had in my briefcase two front-page splashes confidently describing a furious no-speaking rift between Prince Philip and his son Andrew, both fellow trustees. The pair promptly rolled up from opposite directions, could easily have ignored one another in a thicket of admirals but instead hurried to hug, grin and swap news.

I drew the moral that we can't

Everyone except sad psychopaths becomes tired of endless feuding

confidently define others' emotions. Even friends sometimes conceal their family feelings. Harry spoke openly of that dog bowl violence and William has been silent, but feelings erode. Everyone except sad psychopaths (or, my husband insists, Yorkshiremen) gets tired of feuding. I always enjoy the Oldie of the Year lunch, observing affable meetings between people who can't for the life of them remember why they hate each other.

In a way the most creative bit of the Harry Comes Home saga is everyone fondly imagining their new domestic life (we do love a family soap). There was selfish wariness at reports that they'd live in a "private

house outside London", with yelps of "Dear Lord, let it not be Suffolk!" No community looks forward to invasive reporters or bossy security. Some love to draw fantasy school-run routes for the duke and duchess, usually Cotswold. My own favourite was to imagine them cosily in a house on Earl Spencer's well-fenced Northamptonshire estate, which is surrounded by top-rated village schools. Imagine the impact of seeing royal grandchildren romping round at a jolly state primary in a not particularly fashionable area; wee Archie perhaps enrolling in the Royal & Derngate theatre youth group to join a ribbit-ribbit chorus in makeshift green cagoule for a reprise of Aristophanes' The Frogs.

Actress Mum might even do a fundraising turn there, I dreamt, between filming Guy Ritchie's Netflix gangster show (deliciously, it's about an army officer who's a duke). But alas, after 12 hours with Tina Brown's ear assiduously pressed to the US showbiz wall, that authority's tweet revealed the deal is off due to an "intense backlash".

Come on, Tina, there hasn't been time for a backlash! Vox pops in the street are bemused but mixed, and we're all just crafting dramas out of tumbleweed. And if being made into a naff drama seems unfair on a real human family, they might reflect that they've helped to build it.

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24

Letters to the Editor

Monarchy's appeal

Sir, AN Wilson is too pessimistic and (mecharacteristically) secular in his suggestion that the feud between Prince William and Prince Harry could spell "the end of the royal story" ("The feud between the brothers is the monarchy's moment of truth", Aug 22). The appeal and strength of the monarchy is deeper and more visceral than he suggests. Indeed, it has a considerable role to play in resisting the dangerous trend towards Christian nationalism noted by Sarah Dittum ("We're right to be wary of Christian nationalism", Aug 22) and championing what she calls the "normal English way of Christianity". The King's constitutional position as supreme governor of the Church of England and commitment to a multi-faith United Kingdom are likely to be continued by his elder son. They form one of the surest defences against the country's descent into a narrow Christian nationalism.

The Rev Professor Ian Bradley Author, God Save the King: The Sacred Nature of the Monarchy St Andrews, Fife

Call into question

Sir, One autumn Peter Snape MP (obituary, Aug 22) sporting a luxurious moustache, rose with several others in the House of Commons, indicating to the Speaker that they wished to be called to ask a question. The Speaker called a name and they all sat down. This was repeated several times until eventually the Speaker pointed at Snape and said: "You, you!" After Peter had finished his question, the Speaker said "May I remind the House that members who change their facial appearance during the recess should inform the chair."

Mike Thomas (former MP) Brill, Bucks

Unsaid words

Sir, As one of Winston Churchill's biographers, I can answer Hugo Rifkind's question about whether Churchill ever said that the Americans always do the right thing after exhausting all other alternatives ("With lawyers on its tail, Meta looks vulnerable", Aug 20). He did not, but he should have.

Lord Roberts of Belgravia London SW1

Letters to The Times must be exclusive and may be edited. Please include an address and phone number.

Corrections and clarifications

Bible Regulated The Times takes complaints about editorial content seriously. We are committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation ("IPSO") rules and regulations and the Editors' Code of Practice that IPSO enforces. Requests for corrections or clarifications should be sent by email to feedback@thetimes.co.uk or by post to Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

Risks and rewards of backing new technology

Sir, Electricity, cars, x-rays, radium and drugs such as thalidomide were once hailed as amazing innovations, but we quickly realised they needed regulating to ensure they were safe. Fraser Nelson's tech-optimistic article ("Anti-tech populism will cost British lives", Aug 22) promotes innovation but ignores safety and good science — for instance, almost all refereed research on medical AI is technically so vague and unrepodable it is worthless. The main reason that companies such as Merck find the UK uncompetitive is because there is less regulatory burden elsewhere, because other countries ignore the risks.

A story in the same edition about a 13-year-old girl who took her own life ("Blake was fine before social media swamped her with suicide content") highlights the problems of unregulated innovation. The Ministry of Justice is working out how to manage the avalanche of currently unsafe computer evidence that leads to injustices such as the Post Office Horizon scandal. Personally, I would rather the UK led the world in innovative regulation so we end up

with safer and more effective healthcare, safer social media, safer driverless cars, just legal processes and more real benefits for people. Professor Harold Thimbleby Cardiff

Sir, Fraser Nelson identifies why potential losers from new technology often organise more effectively than beneficiaries: the letter do not know who they are or what they stand to gain. One remedy would be to insist that every time a regulator reviews a new technology, whether self-driving vehicles or a medicine, it should estimate the harm caused by non-approval or delay, alongside the risks of proceeding. Had Londons mayor published an estimated number of crimes unsolved by blocking Palantir, the Met might not be eliminating police officers.

Terence Sinclair London SW4

Sir, In addition to the examples Fraser Nelson gives, one could add objections to phone mark on spurious scientific grounds by

protesters clutching their mobile phones and opposition to data centres by keyboard warriors busy storing their files on the cloud. Nicholas Bennett Bromley, Kent

Sir, Your article asks "Would you live near a data centre?" (Aug 15), but if that data centre helped to heat your home and cut your energy bills, why wouldn't you? Data centres produce huge amounts of heat. With the right technology, that heat can warm nearby homes, schools and hospitals, turning essential digital infrastructure into a valuable community asset. You rightly highlight concerns about what communities get in return for hosting data centres. The answer should be more than one-off donations or promises — it should be a lasting, tangible benefit for the people living nearby. The question should not be whether we want data centres on our doorstep, but how we make them good neighbours.

Mark Lee Chief executive, Deep Green (builder of data centres)

Future of the arts

Sir, Edward Turner (letter, Aug 22) is right to worry about the fate of the philosophers, linguists and artists in an AI-dominated world. I am less certain that they are the ones who should be worried. If AI is destined to do much of the calculating, coding and analysing presently undertaken by humans then the ability to ask an intelligent question, recognise a foolish answer, understand another human being and occasionally write a decent sentence may become more valuable, not less. The machines may inherit the algorithms. We might yet need the humanities to remind us what they are for.

Michael Thompson Bourton, Cheshire

Sir, This summer I marked more than 900 English literature A-level and GCSE essays by teenagers from around the world. They wrote about the craftsmanship involved, the importance of resourcefulness, equality and robustness, and of love, loss and joy. Our British education offers doctors, scientists and businesspeople understanding and compassion.

Susie Cochrane-Dyet Mevagissey, Cornwall

Land rental costs

Sir, Large landowners such as the National Trust, Duchy of Cornwall and Church are all concerned about the viability of farms but there is not one mention of the high rents that their agents try to justify when discussing the rates that they charge ("Prince William's 18m estate warns farms face 'existential risks'", Aug 22). Farmers that own their land are finding it difficult but those paying a rent of £120 per acre or more annually are in no man's land. David Reading Corby, Northants

Golfing degrees

Sir, Not for the first time, I find myself at odds with Suella Braverman's thinking ("Golf degree's up to par", Aug 22). I am not a golfer in any sense, but I would have thought a degree in golf-course management would be far from the "Mickey Mouse" course she implies it is. Studying horticulture and greens maintenance, especially in a time of drought, developing the skills of personnel management and learning about the economics of running such an enterprise suggest to me the

students would gain a wide range of useful and transferable skills. Clir Robert Evans Weybridge, Surrey

Sir, Many people graduate in law and never go near that profession. It is all about how the person uses their qualification. Tom Cullen Ardlehem, Argyll

Rescued at sea

Sir, The story of the barn owl rescued by two sailors in a race round Ireland ("Sailing soldiers rescue barn owl that got into a flap at sea", Aug 21) reminded me of a similar experience we had a few years back. As we approached Kinsale after an overnight trip from Falmouth, a swallow landed in the cabin of our small 32ft sailing boat. Too exhausted to show any fear, it perched on the bunk end and accepted a sip of water, resting there for about an hour. Then, deciding it was ready to move on, if flow towards land. Touchingly, it circled back to the boat in a sort of grateful salute and finally disappeared. It was an unforgettable moment. Margot Andrews Manningford Abbots, Wilts

TRAVELLING IS A JOY IN THIS HUMBER

FROM THE TIMES AUGUST 24, 1926

The 15-40 horse-power Humber touring car makes a good five-seater to be looked after by the owner. Everything has been so arranged as to help him.

The body is a comfortable five-seater with four panel V-front screen and V-shaped instrument board which contains three cupboards with doors. There are a rear windscreen, a folding grid and four doors. The driver, in spite of off-side control of the gears and hand brakes, can get to his seat fairly easily from his side. The side pieces of the hood are contained in

the doors and sides of the body and are concealed when not in use. Each section is divided into two and is hinged either side in the pockets. To put one into place one has only to raise the hinged cover, pull up the two halves, spring them into position, and turn a hand screen near the bottom, when the section is erected and firm. The jack, brace and oil can are stored under the bonnet, and the spare wheel in front of the driver's door. The floorboards, front and back, can be positively secured down, yet are easily lifted out.

Engine and gear-box, which are separate, are carried on a sub-frame at four points. The engine is flexibly held. The two forward points float on enclosed springs surrounding the bolts which pass through the bearer arms and the sub-frame. At the back the arms rest on semi-circular steel trunnion blocks secured by spring-loaded bolts. The engine is thus kept in a fore-and-aft direction by the

back-bearers, but it is still free to swing to the extent allowed by the front damping springs. Thus engine vibration is successfully damped. The bore and stroke of the four cylinders are 80 and 140mm, so that the unit comes out at 2.8l5cc. The Treasury rating is 15-9bp.

There are four forward speeds, and they are governed by a lever working in a visible gate with a catch for reverse. The tires are 55in for 21in rims, and the petrol and oil capacities are 84 and one gallon respectively. The chassis and the complete touring car cost 3.490 and £645. The engine had fair liveliness and pulled well. Its greatest charm is its quietness and smoothness at fairly high speed. The suspension was thoroughly efficient, and as there was no mechanical vibration or noise, travelling was a pleasure.

THETIMES.COM/ARCHIVE

Duty to Afghans

Sir, Your report ("You have abandoned us, say Afghan troops who risked lives to help UK", Aug 22) focuses on elite special forces, but this abandonment is not confined to soldiers. In 2019, as a non-executive member of the RAF Board, I accompanied the Commander-in-Chief, Air on a visit to Lashkar Gah. He stopped to thank a gardener tending a rose garden, an incongruous, almost defiant thing to find in that landscape. The man burst into tears simply at being noticed by a senior British officer, Lania Brown's. The Gardener of Lashkar Gah tells of an Afghan who built exactly such a garden and was later hunted by the Taliban for it. Such men were never soldiers. They tended gardens, cooked meals, cleaned barracks and were no less exposed for it. The report quotes a former interpreter's view that the government is stepping back from a responsibility of once accepted, and I agree. There was a time when a Briton's word was his bond. It should still be.

Alan Coppin Bourne End, Bucks

Weaving magic

Sir, Without wishing to get into a "tapestry-off" (letter, Aug 22), I was visiting my aunt in Fishguard last weekend when she asked if I had seen the tapestry at the town hall, which was created to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the 1797 invasion of Wales by the French. So I went, and it was fascinating, from the creation of "the cartoon" by a local artist to all the transfer processes to the final embroidery by numerous local women. An inspiration and so worth the £3.50 admission fee.

Polly Russell-Stearcy Farnham, Surrey

Spinning a yarn

Sir, Your article ("At 1/2 Ethel celebrates a year of firsts", Aug 22) mentions that "the title of the oldest person ever is held by Jeanne Calment, a Frenchwoman who lived to 122 years 104 days". May I remind your readers of the comte de Saint-Germain, a noteworthy figure at the court of King Louis XV? On one occasion he regaled his interlocutors with an anecdote concerning a conversation he had once held with Pontius Pilate on the eve of the crucifixion. When one of his auditors expressed mild scepticism, the count turned to his valet for corroboration. To which the latter apologetically reminded his master: "You forget, monsigneur, that I only entered your service in the reign of Charlemagne."

Nikolai Tolstoy Abingdon, Oxon

Sir, Ethel Caterham is to be congratulated on reaching 1/2. She can now take life easy, as it is the only record I can think of that can never be broken in the holder's lifetime.

Dennis Rolfe London NW3

Quite a mouthful

Sir, Ever since Robert Crampton used the word "imprecation" in an article on swearing many years ago, I have kept a list of words and phrases I have never used but would like to. This morning's article (Comment, Aug 22) contains my greatest challenge to date — "mandibular prognathism". Magnificent. Can't wait.

Zara Hunwicks Fowey, Cornwall

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25

Leading articles

Daily Universal Register

World: Coalition of the Willing leaders' meeting in Kyiv and virtually on Ukrainian independence day.

Nature notes

The blue underwing moth is known, less prosaically, as the Clitiden nonpared in reference to its beauty, which was thought by early

lepidopterists to be "beyond compare". First recorded in 1749 at the Cliveden estate in Buckinghamshire (then often spelt "Clitiden"), it is one of only a very few British moths possessed of blue pigment: a striking azure stripe on its underwings not visible when the moth is at rest and camouflaged on the trunk of a tree. When first recorded it was a very scarce visitor to these shores, but it began to breed in southern and eastern counties in the 1930s and, as a resident, is thought to be spreading north as our climate warms. MELISSA HARRISON

Birthdays today

Sir Stephen Fry, pictured, actor, Jieves and Wooster (1990-92), presenter, QI (2003-16), writer, Odyssey (2024), and president, Mind (mental health charity), 69; Dan Aldridge,

Labour MP for Weston-super-Mare, 42; Anne Archer, actress, Natal Attraction (1987), 79; Peter Gummer, Lord Chadlington, chief executive, Huntsworth (2000-15, public relations group), 84; Paulo Coelho, author, The Alchemist (1988), 79; Elizabeth Debricki, actress, The Crown (2022-23), 36; Simon Dennis, rower, Olympic gold medallist (2000), 50; David Freiberg, musician, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, Jane (1979), 88; John Green, author, Looking for Alaska (2005), The Fault in Our Stars (2012), 49; Rupert Grint, actor, Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films (2003-11), Servant (2019-23), 38; Baroness (Poppy) Gustafsson, investment minister (2024-25, Department of Business and Trade and HM Treasury), co-founder of Darkrnas (cybersecurity firm), 44; Steve Guttenberg, actor, Three Men and a Baby (1987) and the Police Academy film series, 68; Jared Harris, actor, Chornobyl (2019), Foundation (2021-25), 65; Dabold Iwan, folk singer and politician, president, Plaid Cymru (2003-10), 83; Jean-Michel Farre, musician, Oxygène (1977), 78; Linton Kwesi Johnson, dub poet and activist, 74; Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary (2025-end of August 2026), 29; Prof Sir Alexander McCall Smith, novelist, The No I Ladies' Detective Agency (1998), How to Raise an Elephant (2020), 78; Charlie Massey, chief executive and registrar, General Medical Council, 56; Marlee Matlin, actress, Children of a Lesser God (1986), 61; Dr Madsen Pirie, co-founder and president, Adam Smith Institute (think tank), 86; Edward Roussel, chief digital officer, The Times and Sunday Times, and publisher, The Times Literary Supplement, 61; Ali Smith, novelist, the season quartet of novels (2016-20), 64; Sir John Sunderland, businessman, chancellor, Aston University (2018-24), president, Confederation of British Industry (2004-06), 81; Sam Torrance, golfer with 21 European Tour wins, 73.

On this day

In 2016 a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck central Italy, causing about 300 deaths.

The last word

"Progress celebrates Pyrrhic victories over nature. Progress makes paress out of human skin." Karl Kraus, Austrian writer, The Discovery of the North Pole (1909)

Promises, Promises

As the trials of Hong Kong democracy campaigners conclude, China has completed the dismantling of agreements on free elections and free speech made before 1997

The Basic Law is the prosaic name given to the quasi-constitution of Hong Kong, a result of hard-fought negotiations and agreements forged as Britain transferred its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997. It was more fundamental than a set of laws: it laid out the guiding principles under which Hong Kong was to be governed under the heading of "one country, two systems". But it was not fully a constitution. Only sovereign nations have those.

Nevertheless, it made some things quite clear. One was that Hong Kong's people would enjoy "freedom of speech, of the press and of publication, freedom of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration". Another was that the territory would retain its capitalist way of life. That was well understood to mean more than just respect for private property. Mainland China had already, in a narrow economic sense, moved a long way towards capitalism itself, albeit with "Chinese characteristics" as Communist Party leaders liked to say. In case the broader implication was not clear, the Basic Law spelt it out. Both the legislative council and the chief executive, who took over the role of the British governor, were to be elected, and the "ultimate aim" was that those elections should be by "universal suffrage".

By 2020, when President Xi forced the chief executive to impose national security laws, there had been no movement towards that electoral goal. A weighted, non-universal system maintained Beijing loyalists in power. Once the laws were in place, it became clear that Mr Xi intended no movement in future either. Leaders of the opposition Democratic Party and other activists were rounded up and jailed for "sedition" or "subversion". The Democratic Party itself has folded, its mission, to argue for true electoral democracy and freedom of speech, having become impossible.

Trials of democracy campaigners, which have been going on for six years now, are reaching a natural conclusion, with all opposition now silenced. The latest verdicts, passed down on Friday, nevertheless mark a milestone. Chow Hang-tung, 41, and Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, were convicted of subversion, as everyone expected, but their case was unusual in that they were not arguing over the politics of Hong Kong but of China as a whole. They were accused not of subverting the territory's authorities but rather party rule itself.

Their lawyers argued that their call for an end to one-party rule, made in the context of vigils held annually to remember those killed in the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, was not against the

national, Chinese, constitution. That constitution does indeed claim that China is a multiparty people's democracy, and there exist other legal parties beside the Communist Party. As Chow and Lee well know, however, as do all Chinese, that is a fig leaf. The constitution also guarantees Communist Party leadership, turning other parties into subordinate showpieces. The party argues that calling for an end to its rule is the essence of subversion: support for the party is synonymous with loyalty to the state. For Hong Kong's people that was never the case, until now as hand-picked judges side with Beijing.

And so the last silver of Hong Kong's political freedom has been stripped away. Non-Chinese who still find the territory a profitable place to do business should be mindful. They are now under the same management as they would be in Beijing or Shanghai. Lord Hoffmann and Lord Neuberger of Abbotbury, retired British law lords who, bizarrely, continue to sit as visiting judges in the Hong Kong court of final appeal, should take note.

The British government should also pay bond, even as it seeks better relations with Beijing. No doubt that is necessary from a political and diplomatic perspective. But it should remember the value China places on its agreements.

Rights and Wrongs

Amnesty International been captured by a pernicious form of progressivism

Striving too hard to court fashionable values, many once-estimable charities have recently lost their way. Amnesty International, an organisation founded in 1961 to support the victims of human rights abuses, has suffered its own particularly ironic fall from grace. Once a champion of prisoners of conscience across the world, Amnesty has been exposed in the act of attempting to blacklist and oppose women's rights organisations. It has done so on the spurious pretext that these groups are hostile to trans people. It is a sorry turn of events for an organisation that once stood firmly on the side of those defending their rights.

Amnesty's internal dysfunction was exposed last month when it published a report on its website under the title "A growing threat: the anti-rights movement in the UK". Painting with an inaccurate and broad brush, the report identified 117 groups as part of the "anti-rights ecosystem". Among those smeared were many small charities, volunteer networks, victim support groups and evidence-based medicine associations. Sex Matters, a prominent charity that campaigns for women's sex-based rights, was named. So too

was For Women Scotland, the group whose legal advocacy culminated last year in the landmark Supreme Court ruling which clarified that in equality law the words "man" and "woman" referred to biological sex. For Amnesty to condemn these groups as "anti-rights" is strange, given the valuable work many of them have done in rectifying misunderstandings about the law.

Odder still, Amnesty targeted Beira's Place, a centre for women who have endured sexual violence. It did so presumably because Beira's Place operates a female-only service, and was founded and funded by JK Rowling, a prominent sex-realist advocate. That Amnesty would brand a charitable service for sexually abused women a "threat" to anyone's rights only underscores the perverse logic of those in the grip of gender ideology.

After condemnation, and the threat of legal challenge from Ms Rowling, Amnesty has apologised and withdrawn the report, saying it "should never have been published". In doing so it has tried to convey the impression that it was a big, a document that bypassed checks and "does not represent" its position. That explanation is unconvin-

citing. Detailed documents tend not to be commissioned and published in error.

Amnesty has exhibited a pattern of similarly wayward behaviour. The Times unearthed another report published in May, also since withdrawn, that condemned the rise of sex-realist feminists as a "worrying" trend. It has also supported the use of puberty blockers in trans-identified children. In addition, it has called for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the non-departmental public body that has published guidance on compliance with equality law, to be stripped of its international accreditation. More recently, Amnesty has sought to curb freedom of speech by promoting a petition for "Arday's Law", an attempt to use the death of the former Cambridge professor Jason Arday to limit legitimate reporting.

These initiatives suggest that a worryingly naive worldview has taken hold at Amnesty's headquarters. Like other charities, it has strayed well beyond its original, admirable purpose, and been captured by pernicious forms of progressivism. Amnesty would do better to return to its origins and champion the genuinely oppressed.

Fowl Play

An exclusive tennis club is embroiled in a civil war over the dawn culling of geese

"The cover-up is worse than the crime," the old saw has it. This is being painfully reheard to his cost by Miles Hill, chief executive of St George's Hill Lawn Tennis Club, who aroused the wrath of some of its members by organising a dawn cull of the Canada geese that have made its grounds their home for years. Now Mr Hill must explain to his critics not only why he thought it necessary to shoot birds that have been featured on the club website, but also why he thought it appropriate to conceal the killings by instructing staff to answer questions about their sudden absence by saying they had been "rehomed".

This handlisted attempt at pre-emptive damage limitation has, unsurprisingly, turbocharged the affair, with the result that "Goosegate" has become a cause obliterate. That will not go down well in privacy-obsessed St George's Hill, a gated community in Surrey dotted by mansions, some of them ghastly, beloved of pop stars and sportsmen.

Leading the charge on behalf of the deceased — and a forlorn survivor, a poking she describes as "lost and despondent" — is a club member, Seema Parikh. Ms Parikh says that not only did the club peddle the "rehomed" falsehood but, she is told, removed newspapers featuring the story.

For his part, Mr Hill pleads droppings, lots of them, deposited by the geese on his lovingly tenured grass courts. They were, he said, a threat to "health and safety." Just everything nowadays? Inconvenient sounds more like it. On the "rehoming" fabrication, Mr Hill is reported as saying that it was used to protect staff during an "unprecedented and highly sensitive situation". From what? Marauding ladies and gentlemen in tennis whites?

The killing is done and the courts are cleaner and quieter. But there is a whiff in the air. The club's hoard is meeting today. Mr Hill is on the menu. Is that the smell of his goose being cooked?

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26

World

Russia tests Nato with drone strike 'deception'

Russia Oliver Moody

Russia is steering Ukrainian strike drones into Nato territory in an effort to undermine European support for Kyiv and potentially to "test our vulnerabilities" in preparation for a more serious provocation, Estonia's foreign minister has said.

As Ukraine has intensified its campaign of long-range attacks on Russian targets around St Petersburg, at least a dozen drones are thought to have been thrown off course by electronic warfare into the airspace of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Finland since March.

Last week an Italian Eurofighter jet on Nato's air policing mission in the Baltic states shot down a drone that had entered Latvia from Belarus. On Thursday the Latvian armed forces confirmed that it was from Ukraine.

So far there have been no casualties and only minor damage to a power station in Estonia and a Latvian oil depot.

There are concerns that the craft are being deliberately steered by Russian GPS "spoofing" systems and that it may be the prelude to a graver act of aggression. Poland and Lithuania have warned that they believe Moscow is stockpiling captured Ukrainian drones in preparation for a possible false flag attack on a Nato member.

Margus Tsahkna, Estonia's foreign minister, said the episodes were part of a pattern of escalating "hostile activity" by Russia against European states, ranging from sabotage and cyberattacks to "instrumentalised" migration. "Some of this activity may be intended to test our vulnerabilities or prepare the ground for further action," he said. "But we should not automatically interpret every hybrid operation as preparation for a military attack on Nato. At this point, breaking western unity around support for Ukraine has become a critical necessity for Russia as western support severely undermines its ability to achieve its goals in Ukraine. We need vigilance, not alarmism. Nato deterrence works and Russia knows it."

Tsahkna said there was no cause for speculating about "individual scenarios" such as the intelligence about a possible Russian false flag attack with Ukrainian drones. However, he said Nato should steel itself for "Russian deception in different forms" across its territory.

"Russia has repeatedly used deception and false narratives as part of its warfare. We therefore have to take such scenarios seriously, without helping Moscow by amplifying every hypoth-

ical possibility," he said. "The important point is that Nato has the intelligence, surveillance and investigative capabilities to establish facts. Russia would like to create confusion about who is responsible and make allies hesitate. Our job is the opposite: establish attribution quickly, communicate clearly and make sure there is no advantage to be gained from deception."

Russia has been continually saturating the eastern and southern Baltic region with electronic interference for nearly four years. Officials believe this was originally meant to defend its own assets against Ukrainian attacks.

Martins Vargulis, a former senior civil servant in the Latvian defence ministry who is now managing partner

Drone sightings thought to be Russian 'spoofing' incidents

of the PowerHouse Latvia consultancy, said Moscow had discovered that it could cause havoc by directing some drones towards Nato's eastern flank.

In May one such episode prompted the resignation of the Latvian defence minister and ultimately contributed to the collapse of the country's coalition government, exacerbating previous tensions between the ruling parties.

Vargulis, who is also a lecturer at Riga Stradins University, said the tactic allowed Russia to "probe Nato air defence, response times, command-and-control procedures and political decision-making at very low cost". It sows confusion because attribution requires analysis that can take at least a few days.

It is also designed to drive wedges between Ukraine and its most committed friends in Nato.

"Every Ukrainian drone that crashes in Latvia, Estonia or another Nato country creates uncomfortable questions about Ukrainian operations, national air defence and whether gov-

ernments are capable of protecting their own territory," Vargulis said.

"The more important disruption is institutional and psychological. Drone incidents have forced repeated military alerts, Nato fighter responses, restrictions and emergency procedures. Across the Baltic region they have also produced airport disruption, shelter warnings and interruptions to schools and transport. In Latvia specifically, they have exposed a gap between very substantial defence investment and the public expectation that every low-flying drone should nevertheless be detectable and interceptable. That creates political pressure disproportionate to the military significance of an individual drone."

Poland and the Baltic states have redoubled their efforts to build a "drone wall" across their frontiers with Russia and Belarus. But Eva Sula, an Estonian defence strategy adviser, said: "There is no technological wall that we can put along the eastern border and declare the problem solved ... A radar in Estonia, a sensor in Latvia, an aircraft operating under Nato command and civilian authorities responsible for critical infrastructure may each hold a different piece of the same picture," she said.

It is not clear how much control Russia has over where the misdirected drones end up. It is also possible that some of the incursions are accidental.

"Imagine a redirected drone striking a school, an aircraft, a major energy installation or a military facility and killing civilians," Vargulis said. "Governments would immediately face enormous domestic pressure to respond, even while investigators were still trying to establish whether the aircraft was Russian, Ukrainian or manipulated electronically. That ambiguity makes escalation management much harder."

Drone debris ignited a fire yesterday at a warehouse used by the retailer Ozon near St Petersburg. Above left, an attack drone and, below, damage to an oil facility in Latvia in May

Saint goes marching in as

Tom Parfitt

The Ukrainian battlefield is dominated by high-tech warfare but combat robots and AI-targeted drones will soon be joined by the remains of a 14th-century Russian warrior saint.

The Kremlin is mobilising the recently unearthed holy relics of Dmitry Donskoy, the grand prince of Moscow and patron saint of Russia's military police, as a spiritual boost for troops at the front line.

The recently excavated remains of the prince, who died more than 600 years ago, are to be dispatched to army positions in eastern Ukraine in the latest sign of the Russian Orthodox Church supporting President Putin's invasion.

The remains were uncovered at the Kremlin's Archangel Cathedral after workers found the saint's stone sarcophagus as they repaired sinking floor slabs. The lid was caving in so they had to remove the relics to save them.

Putin took part in prayers at the site last week and hailed the "glorious acquisition" of the relics. The Church confirmed that parts of Donskoy's body

would be dispatched in three reliquaries to several churches as well as to the Ukrainian front, where military priests serve alongside Russian troops.

Donskoy is famous for defeating the Turco-Mongol forces of the Golden Herde at the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, near the Don river. While history recorded his burial in the Archangel Cathedral in 1389, the crypt had never been opened or scientifically examined.

Andrii Sybina, Ukraine's foreign minister, was laconic in response to news of the prince being extracted from his tomb. "Unlikely to help end the war," he wrote on X. "But if Putin took his place, that just might."

Russian clergy are already heavily involved in the war effort, with priests blessing weapons and tanks, operating mobile field chapels and collecting funds for soldiers' equipment such as night vision goggles.

Vakhtang Kipshidze, a spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate, said it was a "sensible decision" to send Donskoy's remains to the zone of "the special military operation", Russia's euphemism for the war. He said Russian soldiers "have

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One look is all it takes for singer to risk a jail term Page 28

Strange case of fraudster, 38, who claimed to be 12 Page 30

AFP/SKETT ANGELS, EPA, JAMEL LAGLAND/REUTERS

holy relics sent to Ukraine front line

Remains of the Russian saint Dmitry Donskoy were uncovered in renovation works at the Archangel Cathedral in the Kremlin and will be dispatched to eastern Ukraine in an attempt to inspire troops

a need and a desire to worship the relics of the blessed prince Dmitry Donskoy".

Venerating holy relics such as bone fragments is a central part of Orthodox faith and the remains of saints or their possessions frequently attract tens of

thousands of visitors. The Church and the army have also long had deep ties. In 2020, the Main Cathedral of the Armed Forces was consecrated in a military theme park, west of Moscow, and dedicated to the 75th anniversary

of Soviet victory over Nazism, as well as to "the military feats of the Russian people in all wars".

The metal floor of the cathedral is made from melted German tanks and there are mosaics of men holding Kalashnikovs in more recent conflicts.

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has said he hopes the war in Ukraine ends but that "sacrifice in the course of carrying out your military duty washes away all sins". Putin, a former KGB officer who was secretly taken to be baptised by his mother as a baby, has nurtured a close partnership with Kirill and his predecessor, Alexy. The patriarch helps Putin to promulgate conservative, anti-western values while gaining funding and cultural and political clout.

Seen as a representative of the "collective West", which has strayed from Moscow's leadership of Eastern Orthodoxy, Ukraine is a prime target for both the Kremlin and the Russian Church.

In 2024 Kirill chaired a congress that concluded the conflict with Ukraine was a holy war, in which Russia was on the side of good and the West embodied evil.

Elegant scion of the globalist elite eyes a shot at the Élysée

Raphaël Glucksmann has a colourful family history and is a red rag to right-wing populists, Adam Sage reports

His grandfather was a Soviet spy arrested by M15. His father was the poster-boy of French 20th-century philosophy. His longtime partner is a star TV presenter and news anchor. Now Raphaël Glucksmann, an elegant, well-connected and wealthy member of the left-leaning Parisian establishment, is seeking to become president of France.

Glucksmann, 46, used a primetime television interview last night to announce he was running in a primary election to pick a candidate to represent the Socialist Party and its sister movement, Public Square, which he co-founded. He is expected to win the primary, but the presidential election next year will be more of a challenge.

Polls credit him with about 10 per cent of the vote in the first round, well behind Marine Le Pen, the National Rally candidate, on 36 per cent. Edouard Philippe, a centre-right former prime minister under President Macron, on 19 per cent. and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a radical leftist, on 15 per cent.

Glucksmann told TFI: "If I am a candidate, it is to ensure that France stands tall again. Are we going to offer the country to Marine Le Pen and the extreme right, [who are] the lackeys of Trump and Putin? I think that a majority of French people do not support the Americanisation of French society."

Pledging to cut taxes for working people but raise them for the rich, Glucksmann ruled out an alliance with Mélenchon, paving the way for divisions on the left. Critics say Glucksmann embodies the liberal, globalist, politically correct elite being rejected by voters around the world, including in France. Yet recent French history shows that public opinion often shifts once a campaign is under way.

Glucksmann's backers say voters will turn away from Mélenchon, who is running for the presidency for the fourth time while facing accusations of antisemitism, and that Philippe will be dragged down by his ties to the unpopular Macron. As for Le Pen, they believe that although she has dropped her calls for "Frexit", she will end up losing support amid claims that her Euro-sceptic policies would hurt the economy.

Glucksmann may describe himself as a moderate, but his family roots are on the extreme left. Take, for instance, his grandfather, a Jew born in what is now western Ukraine. Rubin Glucksmann moved to Palestine in the 1920s and was re-

Glucksmann once advised a pro-EU president of Georgia

Léa Salamé will cease hosting the TV news during her partner's campaign

cruited by the Comintern, the body set up to carry Bolshevism around the world. He was a Soviet spy in France, Germany and the UK, where he pretended to be a businessman. After being denounced by a Soviet defector he was arrested by M15 in London in 1940. He was expelled to Canada but died when the ship carrying him was torpedoed by a German U-boat off Ireland.

Glucksmann's father, André, was a Marxist and then a Maoist before changing his opinion in the 1970s to denounce the gulags in Russia and the Great Leap Forward in China. He was good-looking, articulate and a frequent participant in television debates — a household name in his prime.

After attending Sciences Po, the higher education institute in Paris that is the breeding ground for the country's future leaders, Glucksmann embarked on a career as a journalist and documentary maker. His CV is a red rag to les souverainistes, as the right-wing populists like to call themselves. He made a prize-winning film about the Rwandan genocide and was an adviser to Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia's pro-European president who was imprisoned after the country fell back into Moscow's orbit. He launched Public Square in 2018 and has become a central figure in social democratic circles.

As befits a pillar of the Parisian establishment, he is fervently pro-European and an internationalist. He believes in state intervention and industrial planning, and says that immigration is necessary to some extent. His backing for Ukraine is staunch.

He has a child with Léa Salamé, 46, the host of a popular television chat show and the main evening news on France 2, the state broadcaster.

She is expected to step down from her news anchor role for the duration of the campaign. She told a parliamentary committee in February: "Why?

I do not want the French people to have the slightest doubt, the smallest suspicion [of bias]."

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World

Israel bombs ‘terrorist’ in Syria after US condemns earlier strike

Golorielle Weiniger

An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in southern Syria has injured several people days after Israel attacked an air-base where it claimed Damascus had offered to host Turkish forces.

Israel said that its strike on Saturday targeted a “terrorist who advanced attacks in their final stages of preparation” in southern Syria, where Israeli troops are stationed. The attack took place near the town of Beit Jinn. Syria

said Israel struck a “civilian vehicle”, resulting in several injuries.

On Tuesday, Israel struck the defunct Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib province, close to the Turkish border. Over the weekend Israel claimed it had intelligence that Turkey was seeking to establish a military presence there.

Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, said it had warned Syria and the US before the bombing, citing intelligence of activities that would “endanger the security of the state of Israel”. Israel is wary of any perceived attempt by

Turkey to expand its influence in the region. On Friday, Turkey requested that Interpol arrest Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, over allegations that Israeli soldiers tortured activists on an aid flotilla bound for Gaza.

Netanyahu’s office called President Erdogan of Turkey “an antisemitic dictator who has massacred Kurds, harbours Hamas terrorists, occupies hall of Cyprus and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians”. The US rebuked Israel after Tuesday’s strike. Tom Barrack, the ambassador to Turkey and

Syria envoy, called it an “unnecessary escalation” and suggested it may have been aimed at “baiting the Turks”. Damascus and Ankara denied the prospect of a Turkish base in Syria.

Asaad al-Shaibani, the Syrian foreign minister, met Roman Gofman, the director of the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, yesterday to try to calm tensions, the US news site Axios reported. They discussed establishing “a special operations room” in Jordan under US supervision to prevent any confrontation in Syria, according to AFP.

AIM KRISHNATH OF S’KETTY MUGS

Light fantastic Children run through the recently opened Space and Time Cube in Surabaya, Indonesia. The immersive space includes digital art installations and interactive light and shadow technology

One glance could put singer in jail

Liz Cookman Istanbul

Wedding guests gather underneath the cream and orange drapes of a bohemian marquee in a field, surrounded by long grass. The singer Mabel Matiz, dressed in a pink shirt, drops in and out of the scenery, performing his new song Ha Leylim, a jangly pop tune about desire. Then, there is a tense exchange of looks between the groom and a male guest in a yellow suit jacket.

Since the music video was released earlier this month, it has racked up millions of views on YouTube and social media quickly filled with commentary saying it depicted a gay man living as if he were straight.

Within days of its release Istanbul prosecutors launched an investigation on the grounds of “obscenity” into Matiz, a queer artist with more than two billion streams on Spotify who is known for cultural metaphors.

Matiz, whose real name is Fatih Karaca, denied the charges in court on Friday, saying that his song was a “work of art... It is not a crime for two people to look at each other and dance with each

other. They may be looking at each other with love, hatred or resentment. All these are part of cinema, art and literature and should not be condemned.”

He is not the only artist facing such charges. The authorities have intensified what critics say is an attempt to police artistic expression and silence those seen as challenging the government’s conservative stance.

Details of the case against Karaca, 40, are yet to be made public, but he has been here before. Three months ago, he was acquitted of another obscenity charge over the lyrics of his song Perperisan, which prosecutors argued contained metaphors with erotic connotations that indirectly stimulated sexual desire.

Turkish law prohibits the publication of obscene content in the media but does not strictly define obscenity. Violations can carry a prison sentence of up to three years.

The charge had been used against adult and social media content creators but was first levied at musicians last September, when the all-female pop group Manifest were investigated over a concert in Istanbul. Prosecutors ac-

cused them of “obscene acts” and “exhibitionism” for dancing, but later handed the six members and a guest performer suspended sentences of three months and 22 days for “indecent acts”.

Actors and other public figures have been caught up in a series of drug raids, and several comedians have been accused of insulting President Erdogan and denigrating religious values with

Mabel Matiz, far left, appears in a music video in which a groom exchanges a look with a male wedding guest. The scene has landed him in court on charges of “obscenity”

their jokes. The tensions reflect the pursuit of “cultural hegemony” by Erdogan’s ruling party, according to Lisel Hintz, a lecturer at Soas University of London who specialises in Turkish identity politics and culture.

The legal cases sat amid wider efforts to eliminate opposing voices from the public sphere and the vilification of LGBT artists in the name of “family

values”, she said. “The country is not becoming more conservative, but the government is increasingly relying on identity politics to target critical voices and try to please the existing conservative base. The language of conservatism is used to paint any critical voices as immoral, while rallying the base against what they call ‘western imperialism’.”

In 2023 conservative groups and pro-government commentators began using the term “socio-cultural terrorism” to describe western media and entertainment containing queer content. Hintz said — part of a campaign to cast LGBT identities as a foreign threat to Turkish society. The government has since proposed legislation that would criminalise what it defines as publicly promoting or praising LGBT identities, with prison sentences of up to three years, while participation in same-sex engagement or wedding ceremonies could carry up to four years in prison.

“It is the politics of repression via exhaustion, impoverishment and intimidation, with particular ire towards a culture industry the [ruling party] paints as morally corrupt,” Hintz said. “It is a tactic to silence critical voices.”

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World

CATHOLICISM & WORLD WAR, 8.4/25

Pope meets a Blues Brother in Christ

The Blues Brothers' take on Catholicism is irreverent: the 1980 film includes an unhinged, violent nun and a holy light that appears during a gospel service. But the Pope has long been a fan, and he quoted it in an encounter with one of its stars on Saturday (Tom Kington writes). Leo met Lou Marini, the saxophonist in the movie, at a religious event in the eastern Italian city of Rimini. When the Pope, 70, shook Marini's hand, he surprised by reminding him "that he was still on a mission from god", the Vatican press office reported. Dan Aykroyd, who played Elwood Blues, exclaimed "We're on a mission from God"

several times in the film. Marini, 81, appeared as a member of the band formed by Elwood and his brother Jake, played by John Belushi.

An old friend of the Pope's has said that in 1980, when as Robert Prevost he was a 25-year-old Augustinian friar, he was "very excited" when the film came out because it was set in his native Chicago.

The Vatican has released a photograph of a young Prevost at a party, appearing to copy the Blues Brothers look in a fedora and sunglasses.

When they met on Saturday, Marini gave Leo a pair of Ray-Bans like those worn in the film, and said if he had had time he would have inscribed "Papa Cool" on them. Accepting the

Meeting the faithful in Rimini, the Pope told Lou Marini: below left, he was a fan of the film starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. For left: Below, a young Leo adopts the look

glasses, Leo said "Oh great" and gave Marini two rosaries.

A muffled recording of the meeting suggests Leo did not directly quote Aykroyd's line but paraphrased it, telling Marini: "We all pray that the mission that God gave us will allow us to carry on."

A former member of

the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, Marini joined the house band on the US TV comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1975, where Belushi and Aykroyd performed as the Blues Brothers in sketches before turning the act into a film.

Cast along with other Saturday Night Live musicians in the film as

the Blues Brothers' band, Marini played a solo sitting on a café counter as Aretha Franklin sang Think. Marini told the Vatican's news channel that band members knew Leo loved the film. "To know he is a Blues Brothers fan, all my friends in the band were like, 'Yeah!'", he said.

Tourists swarm pharmacies in rush for Parisian potions

From our correspondent

ADAM SAGE PARIS

For older generations of tourists, a trip to the chemists is rarely an appealing prospect. It is more the sign of a headache, an upset stomach or some other symptom of a holiday bug.

For the young, however, there seem to be few more attractive destinations — at least if they are heading to Paris.

Platforms such as TikTok have been inundated with posts vomiting the merits of the capital's biggest and plushot chemists, and notably of the skincare products they stock.

The general message is that tourists should make the most of their stay in Paris to reach for French-style beauty at prices well below those charged elsewhere, and particularly in the US.

With terms like #Frenchpharmacy-haul going viral, some Parisian chemists have become so popular among tourists, notably from the Americas and Asia, that they have had to take on multilingual employees to cope with demand.

Take, for instance, Citypharma on the Left Bank, where staff speak English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and

Portuguese, and where about half the customers are tourists.

Carré Opéra on the Right Bank has a similarly cosmopolitan feel, with international visitors queuing for French creams and ointments, while locals turn up for their prescription medicines. As for Pharmacie Monge on the Left Bank, it became so well known among South Koreans that at one point they were arriving in their busloads. Managers had to put a stop to the practice.

"I'm back in Paris and you guys know [the] drill," said a South Korean influencer who posts under the name Ava Lee. "The first stop is the pharmacy."

Aylen Park, an influencer based in the US, said: "If there's one thing you have to do in Paris, it's definitely to go to a French pharmacy and get some of the best skincare in the world." A TikTok video shows her in the Grande Pharmacie du Forum in central Paris.

The location in Les Halles in Paris is considered tawdry by the Parisian elite because it is frequented by youths, from the city's troubled suburbs, but to Park, the chemist proved to be delightful.

The influencer Aylen Park touts French skincare online

"This place is huge," she said. "It's completely different from the pharmacies in the US."

Whereas American chemists often resemble supermarkets, stocking food and household essentials, their French counterparts can feel more like beauty stores, with row upon row of products from the likes of La Roche-Posay, Avène, Noxe and Caudalie.

Unlike the US, where chemists can sell food and supermarkets can sell medicines, the French sector is strictly regulated and chemists have a monopoly on the sale of medicines. Even over-the-counter medical products such as paracetamol are prohibited in supermarkets.

Officials claim that the rules have helped to turn French chemists into a tourist attraction. Didier Arino, director of Protourisme, a tourist sector consultancy, told Le Figaro: "French

chemists have been attracting tourists for years. But this trend has become considerably bigger in recent years because of social media."

The trend is global, according to a poll of 22,000 people for Skyscanner, the travel platform. It found that 27 per cent of Gen Zitowellers planned to visit skincare stores while on holiday.

Secret history shows Rock was hard place to conquer

Isambard Wilkinson

The Rock of Gibraltar, looming above the Spanish coast and set in sparkling waters, is an instantly recognisable image of Britishness abroad, but the overgrown cliff had secrets that are only now being revealed: Gibraltar's pre-British history.

The territory's capture by an Anglo-Dutch force in 1704, cession to Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, Spanish sieges, connection with Trafalgar and Second World War tunnels are familiar chapters of its history.

Now archaeologists and engineers are exposing what lay beneath them: Islamic towers, Spanish walls and Renaissance fortifications that Britain's soldiers breached and then incorporated into their own defences.

The work is centred on the northern defences, a network of walls, galleries, gun positions and passages guarding Gibraltar's only landward approach. Known for years as "the jungle", it became a rubbish-choked no-go area after the Second World War.

Carl Viagas, the government's project director leading its restoration, remembered exploring it illicitly as a boy: "We're all very proud to be British," he said. "But there is an earlier story."

Workers have removed thousands of tonnes of dumped material. Beneath it they have found staircases, chambers, a gunpowder magazine, defensive walls and routes that had disappeared from maps and local memory. The discover-

ies are beginning to challenge accepted accounts of medieval Gibraltar. A large and imposing gate on the northern heights was traditionally regarded as an entrance to the old town. Viagas, an architect, argues that its steep position, small surrounding enclosure and relationship with nearby firing points make that unlikely.

Clearance has revealed the remnants of a round tower, a secondary wall, a ramp and connecting positions that appear to form a co-ordinated defensive complex. "It's not an entrance into Gibraltar. It's a military complex," Viagas said. "That pushes us to ask the next question: this is not the old town. Where is our old town? And I think that changes everything."

An uncovered staircase and supply route may be older still. Viagas believes they could be Islamic.

The research brings into question the conventional description of Gibraltar as having been founded in 1860. Viagas said a medieval Arabic manuscript in Oxford's Bodleian Library, which is being translated, appears to describe an existing fortress being enlarged that year as a bridgehead for campaigns into al-Andalus. "You don't build a city in one year," he said. "Gibraltar already existed as a fortress and it commanded the straits."

The government plans to develop visitor experiences with films, soundscapes, interactive displays and adventure activities. Teaching materials and school visits are also intended to change the way history is taught locally.

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10

World

SACRIN KUMAR/AP/GETTY INM/EDS

Every cloud Young Indians take advantage of heavy rain that swelled the Ganges in the northeastern city of Patna, where flooding has caused widespread travel disruption

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• Return flights from London Gatwick
• Seven nights' half-board four-star accommodation
• Cruise to Bergen and guided tour of Sognefjord
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Terms and conditions apply. Price shown is per person and based on two adults sharing on September 23, 2026 departure from London Gatwick. Price correct as of August 21, 2026 and subject to change and availability, and includes all mandatory local taxes and charges. £100 off Times+ offer applicable to each Times Holidays booking made by December 31, 2026 with a minimum speed of £2,000 when quoting your unique Times+ code. Visit thetimes.com/timesplus for full terms and conditions. ** 25% discount applies to one 2026 and 2027 tour bookings made between August 14 and September 1, 2026 inclusive and cannot be applied retrospectively to bookings already confirmed. Offices and bookings are subject to availability, see supplier analysis for full TAC's. This holiday is sold to Times Holidays as an agent for Newmarket Holidays and protected under AFDL 2525, ABTA P8770. For full booking conditions, visit thetimes.com/holidays/terms-and-conditions.

She said she was 12. In reality, she was 38

A Brazilian woman has been convicted of fraud in an 'emotional kidnapping' case, Stephen Gibbs writes

She lived in a little girl's room full of toys and celebrated her 12th birthday with the couple that treated her as their child. She spoke with a high-pitched voice and usually carried a doll.

For those that were curious, she said her distinctly adult physique was a consequence of her early years, when, she claimed, her father had forced her to take hormonal supplements.

But it was all a lie. Last week, Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, a 38-year-old Brazilian woman, was convicted of fraud.

Her pretence that she was only 12 years old managed to convince a well-meaning couple in the southern state of Santa Catarina for more than a year, but not a trial judge, who sentenced her to one year and six months in prison. She is appealing against the conviction.

The bizarre case has gripped Brazilian media. Last year, Oliveira began attending services at an evangelical church in the city of Joinville, presenting herself as an 18-year-old called 'Gabrielle' who was looking for work.

The local pastor introduced her to a middle-aged couple at the church, who took pity on her and invited her to stay with them.

Once she had gained their trust, she exaggerated her story, claiming that she was only 11 and was fleeing abuse from her home, thousands of miles away in the northern state of Para. They believed it all.

For about 14 months she lived as the couple's daughter. She pretended she was severely autistic. Many of her antics were those of a baby, not a preteen. She drank from baby bottles and used dummies.

She also persuaded her unwitting carers to pay for a course of weight-loss drugs. The couple, according to police, were 'emotionally kidnapped' by her.

It was a relative of the hosts who finally uncovered the fraud. Convicted that Oliveira was far older than she said she was, the woman researched online and found reports

Iran says threat of tough US sanctions 'desperate'

Iran The foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, dismissed the threat of new US sanctions as a sign of desperation and said the measures would not defeat Tehran. Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary, has threatened to impose 'the toughest sanctions in history'. Iran's economy has already been hit by international sanctions since the start of the war in February. Araghchi said on Telegram that the US must speak to Iran respectfully to find 'a solution based on justice and honour'. Tehran has brought shipping to a standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, blocking unauthorised tankers and pushing up oil prices.

Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira carried a doll, spoke in a high-pitched voice and pretended to be severely autistic

from 2023, describing someone named Amanda who had perpetrated a similar deception in Rio de Janeiro. It was Oliveira.

The police were alerted and Oliveira was arrested. When officers entered her bedroom they said she appeared to realise immediately that the game was up and spoke in a normal adult voice. She later admitted her deception and told investigators she had pulled the same trick for at least 15 years across multiple states in Brazil.

'It is clear that I deceived people, I lied. But I did not intend to scam anyone,' she told police.

Court records show she had pretended to be a child in Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Goias, Ceara, Rio Grande do Sul, Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Norte and Mato Grosso do Sul. Last year she was convicted of false identity in Goias after posing as an abused 11-year-old seeking donations. She received a sentence of one year and ten months, but under a lax detention regime she escaped by simply moving states.

Delivering its verdict, the judge in Santa Catarina rejected Oliveira's defence that she was mentally ill and therefore not criminally responsible, concluding that she had acted deliberately and consciously.

Renata Magalhaes, a nutritionist from Rio de Janeiro, was another victim of Oliveira. She said the fraudster had contacted her seeking help with her autism. 'I believed everything she told me ... it was as if she were my little daughter, since I never had a girl,' she said.

'I took her to restaurants, bakeries for coffee and churches. She was affectionate and became very attached

to me — she would ask to stay with me all day,' she added.

It was only when she discreetly tried to uncover her friend's identity that she realised she had been the victim of an elaborate trick. She sent photos to a police contact who quickly uncovered the truth.

Police later showed Magalhaes the online browsing history of Oliveira. It included searches for 'how an autistic person behaves', and 'how to make drawings to move evangelical people'.

'She takes pleasure in deceiving people,' said the nutritionist, who said she wanted to see the person she once cared for 'locked up' or 'committed to an institution'.

Oliveira's lawyers said they would appeal. They argued in court that their client had done nothing more than adopt the 'survival strategy' of a deeply troubled woman. They claimed she was seeking the love and affection that she did not receive as a child.

The prosecution said a jail sentence was merited given the financial and psychological damage to the family that housed and supported her for more than a year.

The case has prompted reflection in Brazil about how stories of childhood suffering are easily believed by vulnerable but well-intentioned people. Several online memes have also been circulated portraying those that tried to help as extraordinarily gullible.

Magalhaes told O Globo, a Brazilian newspaper, she felt such humour was in bad taste. 'Has kindness become a joke now?' she said. 'Generosity shouldn't be something to laugh about.'

Trump marks 250 years of America with car race

United States President Trump capped the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the US with a motor race through the streets of Washington, closing a summer defined by sports and spectacle as drivers piled past some of the capital's most famous landmarks. IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix, zoomed through the National Mall, past the Capitol, down the historic Pennsylvania Avenue and around the National Archives yesterday afternoon. The race had been expected to draw 200,000 spectators and tickets were free but passes to private trackside clubs were sold for $5,000.

School stabbing suspect 'was abused by his father'

Sweden Liam Nebel, 18, has been charged with murder and attempted murder after a 17-year-old girl was killed and three other children were injured in a sword attack at a school in the small town of Fagersta on Fridøy. The police said officers were trying to establish a motive for the attack and were investigating whether Nebel was connected to a TikTok account that posted a picture of a sword 20 minutes before the attack. According to court documents seen by Sveriges Radio, Nebel, a pupil at the school, had been taken into care last autumn after he was subjected to violence by his father.

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31

Business

WORLD MARKETS (Friday's close. Change on the week)

COMMODITIES

CURRENCIES

Poundland overstated sales by millions in run-up to £1 deal

Guy Taylor Retail Correspondent

Poundland overstated sales by £60 million in the year before it was sold by Pepco for a token £1, newly published accounts reveal.

Filings for Poundland Ltd show that numerous balance-sheet errors were uncovered by a review of the business during its acquisition by Gordon Brothers, the investment firm. The deal, which was announced in June last year, preceded a restructuring in which

about a fifth of its store estate was closed and more than 2,000 jobs lost.

According to the accounts, revenue and cost of sales have had to be reduced by £61.1 million for the financial year ending September 2024, because the retailer failed to strip out internal sales between its British stores and branches in the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland. There was no ultimate impact on profits for the period because the cost of sales was also inflated.

The review found £17 million worth of

equipment and hardware 'no longer existed [or] could not be substantiated' as belonging to the company, while certain advance payments from suppliers could no longer be recovered, resulting in retained earnings being cut by £33.4 million as at October 2023. Miscalculations in lease liabilities contributed to a £32.5 million reduction in net assets.

Poundland has been pressing ahead with a turnaround since the takeover. However, the filings show a 'material uncertainty' hangs over it unless more

funding is secured before the expiry of a £30 million loan facility from Gordon Brothers next August. The new owners are reported to have recently appointed advisers to run an auction of the business, with a sale process expected this autumn. It is also planning to begin a refinancing in the early part of 2027.

For the year ending September 2025, Poundland's revenue fell to £1.6 billion from £1.8 billion, as pre-tax losses nearly doubled to £85.2 million.

A spokesman for Poundland said

that any revenue adjustments have had 'no impact on overall profit or like-for-like sales reported in previous updates. The filing is historic, covering a period that ended in September 2025 and reflects the challenging year that led to the well-documented need for a comprehensive restructuring plan. Since the period covered by the filing, Poundland has made very significant progress under fresh leadership, returning, as we announced last week, to profitability.'

Pepco declined to comment.

Productivity boom hidden by ONS data

'Flawed' official statistics mask rise in output

Mehreen Khan Economics Editor

Britain's economy has undergone a silent 'productivity boom' in the past two years, according to new research which suggests that official statistics have masked a dramatic improvement in output.

The Resolution Foundation, a think tank, said UK productivity has been expanding by 1.1 per cent a year since late 2024, far above the 0.2 per cent recorded by the Office for National Statistics.

Productivity growth, based on a worker's output per hour, is central to ensuring long-term prosperity and acts as a stabilising force on a government's public finances.

The think tank said the UK's productivity growth had been 'respectable' and not as 'dismal' as the 'flawed' measurements from the ONS suggest. The higher estimate comes from an analysis of payroll data from HMRC, and tax returns from the self-employed, which it considers more reliable than official estimates. It said: 'Britain's dismal productivity record since the global financial crisis explains a lot of its economic stagnation and weak living standards growth, but while official figures suggest the output of workers has worsened further in the mid-2020s, our more accurate... measure suggests it has been improving in recent years.'

The ONS derives its measure of productivity from its labour force survey, which has been plagued by low response rates since the pandemic and is being revamped. It expects to launch a long-delayed transformed labour force survey (TLFS) next year.

The UK, along with Italy, has consistently registered the worst productivity growth in the G7 group of advanced economies since the financial crisis, when rates of output per hour fell across western economies. Average UK productivity growth was 2.1 per cent in the decade before the 2008 crash, and has fallen to 0.3 per cent a year since. This is the worst run since the 1800s, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Separate analysis from the Centre for Economic Performance, which uses the same data sources as the Resolution Foundation, calculated annual productivity growth expanded at a rate of 2.37 per cent between the third quarter of 2024 and first three months of 2026.

Explanations for improvement include suggestions that the introduction of AI into sectors like IT and financial services is boosting output per hour, while the government's increase in employment taxes has forced firms to rein back hiring, leading to raised productivity in sectors such as leisure and hospitality. The Resolution Foundation said its findings suggest neither of those trends is visible in the data, and the take-up of AI is not widespread enough to draw conclusions.

Simon Pittaway, its principal economist, said: 'Some have suggested recent productivity gains have been driven by an early AI boom and workers leaving low-productivity sectors. But neither explanation is borne out by the data.

'This is a broad-based recovery, with 12 of 19 sectors seeing improved productivity growth in the past two years ... but it needs to be sustained.'

Take that! Competitors take to the ring yesterday at the second world humanoid robot games in Beijing, where about 2,000 droids are taking part. A robot named Lightning 'broke' Usain Bolt's 100m world record from 2009, clocking 9.32 seconds

Alibaba seeks $10bn share sale to fund AI

Simon Freeman

Alibaba, the Chinese technology conglomerate, has followed in the footsteps of US rivals by issuing $10 billion in new shares to fund the expansion of its artificial intelligence capabilities.

The share placing by the ecommerce and cloud computing group is the largest ever offering by a Hong Kong-listed company: only Alphabet, the parent of Google, and Intel, the Silicon Valley chipmaker, have raised more money through primary share sales this year.

The company said it planned to use the net proceeds to invest in its 'full stack' AI capabilities, which include chips, data centres and the development and deployment of AI models.

Documents show that Alibaba planned to sell 710 million ordinary shares at HK$112.70 a share, representing a 3.6 per cent discount to its most recent closing price.

Alibaba's net profit for the June quarter was down 75 per cent from a year earlier as it ramped up AI-related capital spending, its most recent financial results showed. It increased the size of the offering after the deal was oversubscribed, with strong demand from investors, including sovereign wealth funds.

'In order to be able to capture that future growth, we first need to make these capex investments to build out the necessary compute capacity,' Eddie Wu, the chief executive, said.

Since 2022, the global AI boom has

fuelled staggering capital outlays on infrastructure and data centres, including in the United States and China.

Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta — the four major US hypercalers — together are expected to spend $725 billion in capital expenditure this year, much of it tied to AI data centres, chips and cloud infrastructure.

Founded in 1999 by Jack Ma as an Amazon-style marketplace, Alibaba has grown to become one of China's biggest tech companies and a backbone of Beijing's digital commerce with a market value of more than $300 billion. Its operations span retail, grocery delivery, payment processing, cloud computing and AI through Qwen, an open-source ChatGPT-style chatbot.

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12

Business

Need to know

1 Britain's economy has enjoyed a silent "productivity boom" in the past two years, according to new research which suggests that official statistics have masked a big improvement in output. Page 31

2 Poundland overstated sales by £60 million in the year before it was sold by Pepco for a token £1, newly published accounts reveal. Page 31

3 Alibaba, the Chinese technology conglomerate, has followed in the footsteps of US trials by issuing $10 billion in new shares to fund the expansion of its artificial intelligence capabilities. Page 31

4 Magnet, one of Britain's oldest kitchen companies, has warned more store closures are "inevitable" after 15 outlets closed this year in a restructuring. The future of a further 39 Magnet showrooms is likely to be decided "in the next few weeks". Page 36

5 India is one of the world's most closely watched retail growth markets as international brands look beyond slowing prospects in the United States, China and parts of Europe, betting on a young population, rising disposable incomes and expanding digital ecommerce. The country's retail market is already the world's third largest. Page 36

6 A record speed of 107.63 km/h was achieved when 13 high-speed foiling catamarans raced in the Larry Ellison-backed SailGP championship at the weekend. The contest, which drew more than 13,000 paying spectators to Sassnitz, Germany, has been dubbed the "Formula I of sailing", with locations including Portsmouth, Saint-Tropez, Sydney, New York and Dubai. Page 37

7 When wildfires crept within a few miles of his holiday park sites in the New Forest and Cornwall, it brought home the risks of a scorching summer for Raoul Fraser, the founder of Lovat Parks. However, the heat this summer has mostly been a boon for his business, which operates nine holiday and residential parks across the country as staycat owners head to home shows. Times Entrepreneurs Network, pages 38-39

The government bond market is having another anxious moment

Simon French, page 35

For expert business analysis subscribe to the business newsletter thetimes.com/newsletters

Storm clouds gather as

Prudential's boss will try to reassure nervy investors about Beijing's crackdown, write Helen Cahill and Ben Martin

Sir Douglas Flint is no stranger to the Chinese market, or the outsized impact its opaque regulatory workings can have on investors in the UK.

The City veteran navigated apprehension towards China as the chairman who launched HSBC's pivot to Asia, and now finds himself at the centre of another outbreak of investor nerves as the chairman of Prudential.

Prudential's shares have been under pressure this year amid concerns over a tax crackdown on its Hong Kong business from regulators in Beijing. Flint will need to muster his finest persuasive powers when he seeks to reassure UK investors on the issue at his first meet-up as chairman in the coming weeks.

Shareholders in the FTSE 100 group are worried about reports of China taking a stronger approach on tax because Hong Kong is the Pru's biggest market, responsible for about 40 per cent of its new business. Analysts estimate about half of that business comes from mainland Chinese customers, who have to physically cross the border into Hong Kong to buy their Prudential policies. These customers are the target of Beijing's reported bid to raise tax revenues, and there has long been an outside chance regulators would step in to outlaw the practice entirely.

The Chinese authorities stoked fears of an outright ban in May when they clamped down on Tiger Brokers and Futu Holdings, stockbrokers operating in Hong Kong. Tiger and Futu were fined $60 million and $271 million respectively for allowing mainland Chinese customers to trade shares in foreign companies, activity that is only permitted through official structures such as Stock Connect, an access programme for mainland investors seeking to buy Hong Kong-listed stocks.

At this point, the market feared regulators could take a similar view of insurance policies, potentially wiping out a significant chunk of Prudential's Hong Kong business. Prudential's market

valuation collapsed by almost a third during the fallout, dropping from a peak of £11.84 at the start of May to 91bp in early June.

Market speculation picked up again when a publisher based in Beijing reported that some regional Chinese tax authorities were levying personal income tax of 20 per cent on insurance policies issued in Hong Kong, making the returns on these policies less attractive to consumers, and sending Prudential's shares down by more than 6 per cent on the day.

Analysts at Jefferies described the market response to the report as "just another investor panic" and said levies were "highly likely to weigh on sales". Yet, they pointed out that regulatory clarity might assuage investors' worst fears, with a complete ban on insurance sales now "less likely".

They said: "For many years the market has worried — on and off — that cross-border flows into insurance policies would be banned, reducing sales to zero, and potentially impairing the back book as well. In our view, if Chinese authorities are now explicitly levying tax against these policies, then this amounts to an acknowledgment that buying one of these policies was allowed in the first place."

Another City source agreed that if the authorities were imposing a tax on a particular business line then "it is accepted it is legal". Yet, they acknowledged fears of a more aggressive regulatory regime generally had spooked investors, adding: "I don't know what's next — that's the big question mark. I don't think anyone knows. This news started to come through when Hong Kong overtook Switzerland as the biggest wealth hub in the world.

"China likes to kind of dampen things, they like to control things when they are getting out of hand. But they don't bring things down to zero because they know Hong Kong is quite dependent on the flows from China."

Prudential's uncertainty is fuelled in part by the opaque way the Chinese authorities take action, resulting in news that seeps out in the press, which can make investing in an Asia-focused company tricky for fund managers in the West.

One longstanding UK institutional investor who holds Prudential stock said: "You see these stories flash up ... and the shares move 10 per cent before you've even found out what the hell is

Under pressure

Prudential share price

Prudential has operated in Hong Kong since 1964. Sir Douglas Flint, a veteran of

Ebury in profit after decade of losses

Ben Martin Financial Editor

The Santander-backed British payments company Ebury has swung back into the black after almost a decade of losses.

Accounts filed at Companies House show the business, which as recently as last year was planning a £2 billion stock market flotation in London, posted a pre-tax profit of £3.1 million in the 12 months to end of March, rebounding from a £12.9 million loss a year earlier.

Ebury's first profit since 2017 was fuelled by a sharp rise in revenues, which climbed by almost 24 per cent to £354.4 million. Net profits were £10.6 million, reversing a £6.9 million loss in 2025, a performance Ana Muñoz, its finance chief, described as a "significant milestone" in the accounts.

It is a boost for boss Juan Lobato as he eyes Ebury's next phase of growth.

Majority-owned by Spanish banking giant Santander, the London-based Ebury is a financial technology company set up in 2009 by Lobato, previ-

ously a consultant at McKinsey, and Salvador Garcia, a former carroness and fixed income trader. It handles cross-border payments for small businesses and has about 1,900 employees serving more than 27,000 clients in over 30 markets around the world.

Two years ago, it appointed Bruce Carnegie-Brown, a City veteran who previously chaired the Lloyds of London insurance market, as its chairman as part of preparations for an initial public offering. Bankers

from Goldman Sachs and Barclays were working on the IPO, which was targeting a valuation of about £2 billion.

However, volatile markets forced Ebury to pull its flotation plan. The fintech company raised

Ana Muñoz, the finance chief, called the news a "significant milestone"

about £535 million in April from a funding round led by Cointebridge Partners, an American private equity firm, and which also included investments from Ebury's existing backers Santander, Vitruvian Partners and $3North. Santander put in a further £50 million and remains Ebury's controlling investor with a 52 per cent stake, having first bought a majority shareholding in 2019.

Ebury is run at arm's length from the Spanish bank and it is thought an IPO is no longer on the cards. Lobato

said in the accounts: "These investments come at a pivotal moment, as the evolution of digital money infrastructure and agentic payment workflows will... further accelerate our growth.

"The proceeds will be deployed to accelerate product development ... and AI capabilities."

Lagarde ready for Davos role

Helen Cahill Financial Correspondent

Christine Lagarde has said she is "ready to serve" as the chair of the World Economic Forum, the organisation behind the annual Davos meeting.

The president of the European Central Bank made the comments at a board meeting of the WEF, which runs the summit in the Swiss Alps.

Lagarde, who sits on the WEF board of trustees, would succeed co-chairs Larry Fink, of BlackRock, and Andre Hoffmann, of Roche. She has been president of the ECB for seven years. Fink and Hoffmann were appointed as co-chairs of the organisation on an interim basis in August 2025.

WEF founder Klaus Schwab stood down amid an investigation into claims he engaged in unauthorised spending, bullying and inappropriate treatment of female employees. The investigation ultimately cleared him.

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China stokes tax fears

the City, has become chair of the financial services firm during a turbulent time

going on.” Stakeholders will then “scrabble around for the next day or so” trying to understand the situation, but “even then it’s still not entirely clear”.

Sources told The Times that Flint’s arrival at Prudential would prove “very important” as the company seeks to reassure its UK investor base. They said Flint was well known among regulators in Beijing, Singapore and Hong Kong. He is likely to try to address concerns at an informal investor gathering in London next month, about a month after Prudential’s half-year results, due this Wednesday.

Jacky Chan, a regional chief executive of Hong Kong business at AIA Group, Prudential’s largest competitor, gave a flavour of how the industry is responding when he answered analysts’ questions on the topic last Thursday. He said speculation over cross-border capital flows and tax changes was “always there” and that there had been “no change in those regulatory requirements”. Chan said income from Chinese mainland visitors had been “a major business segment in the Hong Kong life insurance industry for more than two decades” owing to its “strong underlying structural drivers, including the access of a diversified global investment opportunities”.

Flint is also likely to face investor questions about Prudential’s operational performance, and how it will

mount a response to AIA, the Asian insurance powerhouse chaired by another HSBC veteran, Sir Mark Tucker.

AIA Group has amassed a far more impressive agency force, with more sellers who have secured the sought-after Million Dollar Round Table membership, a status reserved for the top percentile of agents. Prudential hired John Cai, previously a top regional executive at AIA, to lead a sales turnaround. Yet, Cai quickly determined the role was not the right fit for him and departed within six months. Insiders say that Cai maintains good relations with his former colleagues, many of whom he greets regularly at his local church, but his loss was regarded as a blow to Prudential’s efforts to catch up.

Prudential has made progress in its campaign, with its valuation discount to AIA now standing at about 28 per cent, compared with a historic 0.30 per cent, according to analysts at UBS. The institutional investor said Pru’s shares were still “really cheap”, and that Anil Wadhwani, Prudential’s chief executive, had been doing a good job.

They said: “He’s upped the dividend significantly, he’s done a share buyback — you’ve got to be happy with that, he’s disposed of part of the ICICI fund management business, and he’s bulking up in India, all of which seems to be quite sensible.”

The week ahead

Few earnings reports are as closely scrutinised as that of Nvidia, the world’s most valuable public company, worth $5.2 trillion.

When the chip designer releases its second-quarter numbers on Wednesday, analysts expect to see evidence that the artificial intelligence trade is still in full swing and that the company continues to benefit from the race among cloud computing providers and technology groups to upgrade their computing capabilities needed to power AI models.

Demand for AI infrastructure is so high that it has pushed up prices and caused a supply shortage of components such as memory chips. Analysts forecast sales to rise 97 per cent to $92.06 billion and profit is expected to climb 93 per cent to $50.94 billion.

TOMORROW

Interims: Chesnara

WEDNESDAY

Investors in Prudential have endured a difficult time of late after shares in the Asia-focused insurer, which counts Hong Kong as its biggest market, were knocked by reports this month of a tax clampdown by authorities in mainland China on returns from offshore insurance policies.

The Pru’s stock was further shaken between May and June after it emerged that Beijing was imposing tighter capital controls, fuelling concerns this could also hit the FTSE 100 insurer’s Hong Kong operations. Investors are likely to ask Anil Wadhwani, the chief executive, what impact these events have had on its operations.

Analysts expect the group to post a rise in new business profit to about $1.44 billion for the six months to the end of June, up from $1.26 billion a year earlier.

Interims: Central Asia Metals, Empresaria, Faron Pharmaceuticals, Hochschild Mining, Prudential (Item) Trading update: S&U Economy: SMMT UK monthly automotive manufacturing figures, CBI Distributive Trades Survey

THURSDAY

After eight months on the auction block, PPHE Hotel Group had to admit last month that it was no longer in talks with any

prospective buyers. The share price of the FTSE 250 hotel group behind Park Plaza and Art’otel is down 12 per cent since the start of the year. Investors will be keen to hear management’s plans to grow the business with no bidders in sight and whether it is on track to meet full-year expectations. The analysts’ consensus is for PPHE to deliver revenues of between £475 million and £483 million and adjusted profit of between £140 million and £147 million.

Interims: MacFarlane, PPHE Hotel Group Finals: South32

FRIDAY

No major company announcements scheduled

Millions pumped into bank amid auditor warning

Ben Martin Financial Editor

A further £37 million has been injected into the troubled Bank of London amid warnings from the loss-making fintech about its future.

Accounts filed at Companies House show the parent company of the clearing bank, which was recently fined £2 million for misleading the City regulator, suffered its eighth consecutive year of losses in 2025, when it fell £27 million into the red, following a £46.5 million pre-tax loss in 2024.

Its directors and external auditor at Ernst & Young also cautioned in the accounts that there was a “material uncertainty” over the group’s ability to continue as a going concern because of its reliance on additional funding from its shareholders.

An extra £37 million of capital has been pumped into the business by its owners so far in 2026, it said in a separate statement. This is on top of £25.1 million from its shareholders the previous year and comes after the

group was plunged into turmoil in 2024 when it faced a funding crunch, which led to £65.2 million being injected in a rescue by an investor consortium led by Mangrove Capital Partners.

That crisis represented a sharp reversal of fortune for Bank of London, which in 2021 had trumpeted a $1.1 billion valuation and had outlined its bold ambitions to shake up the industry. It also drew attention at the time for the prominent figures it had appointed to its board, including Harvey Schwartz, a former top Goldman Sachs executive who now runs Carlyle, the $485 billion American private equity firm, as Bank of London’s chairman. Lord Mandelson was also a director.

However, the clearing bank’s finances faced scrutiny two years ago when HM Revenue & Customs issued a winding-up petition against it over unpaid tax. Shortly afterwards the Mangrove consortium stepped in with fresh funding and there was subsequently a boardroom exodus, including the departures of Schwartz, Mandelson

and Anthony Watson, who had founded Bank of London and had been its chief executive.

It then emerged last year that the business was being investigated by the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority, which in March fined the clearing bank and its parent com-

Henry Schwartz, the top US private equity boss, was once chairman of Bank of London

pany £2 million. The authority said that both entities had repeatedly misled it about their capital positions, including through the use of fabricated documents, and had acted “without integrity”.

The accounts for TBOI, Holdings UK Limited, the parent business, show it will pay the PRA penalty in quarterly instalments starting later this year. It

said it “remains subject to enhanced regulatory supervision” from both the PRA and the Financial Conduct Authority. It is also abiding with a voluntary agreement with the FCA to pause the onboarding of new customers.

TBOI, Holdings UK has reported losses every year going back to 2018, before which it did not disclose profits and losses.

It said in the statement that the £27 million deficit last year reflected “significant investment in building the bank’s capabilities and banking platform, as well as addressing legacy issues and exiting unprofitable operations”.

It went on: “Further investment in 2026 and 2027 is planned including a new banking platform and general ledger, enhancements to the bank’s [anti-money laundering] and transaction monitoring platform, and selective investment in AI.”

Tony Bullman, its chief executive, said: “Bank of London will be well placed to succeed.”

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Kitchen firm is feeling the heat

One of Britain's oldest kitchen firms has warned more store closures are "inevitable" following the closure of 15 outlets this year in a restructuring (Guy Taylor writes).

The future of a further 39 Magnet showrooms is likely to be decided "in the next few weeks" as negotiations for more favourable terms with landlords reach their final stages, Sophie Rose, the kitchen retailer's chief executive, said.

Magnet was established in 1918 as a joinery business in Bingley, West Yorkshire, with its founder Tom Duxbury naming the company after his horse. By the 1970s, it had become Britain's largest manufacturer of joinery products and was a founding constituent of the FTSE 100 index of Britain's biggest companies.

Magnet is a shadow of its former self today,

however, and was sold for free in January by the Swedish kitchen furnisher Nobia after more than two decades of ownership. It employs about 1,500 people in the UK and operates a manufacturing site in Darlington, Co Durham,

alongside a retail network that stood at 159 showrooms prior to the restructuring.

The new private equity owners, Alteri Investors, confirmed plans to close 15 stores in June through a restructuring process known as a company

voluntary agreement (CVA). The other 39 stores have been placed in an "amber" category and it is yet to be determined how many will be shut down, or how many jobs will be lost as a result. The company has

redeployed about 30 per cent of staff so far, while other businesses, including the FTSE 100 kitchen supplier Howdens, have also stepped in to offer alternative roles. Rose said Magnet had struggled with

Sophie Rose, below, the chief executive of Magnet, said that the future of a further 39 showrooms is likely to be decided "in the next few weeks". She said the firm was pivoting to smaller showrooms

oversized stores, whose rents and overheads were too costly to run efficiently. She is now looking to pivot the company toward smaller showroom formats.

"It's much more intimate. It's much more about having that kind of personal experience and feel when you come into the showroom. You know, it's got creative spaces, it's got kitchens on display. It's amazing how many kitchens you can get on display still in these small showrooms."

Magnet said it was targeting a return to profitability next year after moving past the restructuring, although it did not specify by which metric this would be measured. In the immediate term, it is also facing consumer confidence headwinds, with Rose saying people were delaying spending on big-ticket items and home improvements amid macroeconomic uncertainty, fuelled in part by the war in Iran.

Housebuilders plead for more help

Tom Howard Property Correspondent

Smaller British housebuilders are struggling to sell even one home a month as demand for new builds drops to lows not seen since the financial crisis.

The slowdown in the housing market is affecting builders of all sizes, but data from Savills, the property agent, and the Land, Planning and Development Federation, shows that the smallest companies are facing the biggest squeeze.

Larger developers have seen their sales rates drop from 0.6 sales per week at each site in 2022 to 0.4 per week.

However, sales rates for those developers building fewer than 50 homes a year have fallen to between 0.15 and 0.25 homes a week, meaning they are selling only ten homes a year.

"It's not quite comparable to 2007-08, but it's not far off," Dan Formston, in Savills' residential research team, said.

After booming during the lockdown-induced "race for space", demand for new homes has been subdued for much of the past three years due to pricier mortgage rates, higher stamp duty costs and the removal of support for first-time buyers. War, inflation and political upheaval have not helped consumer confidence.

As well as weaker demand, developers are battling against rising build costs, more regulation, stagnant house prices and higher taxes, mostly related to fixing the cladding crisis.

"Set against rising build costs, these conditions are making survival increasingly difficult for the very firms the country is relying on to meet its housing ambitions," Savills and the LPDF said.

Even the major listed developers,

Prices bulge in northern commuter belts

The suburbs of northern cities are now enjoying the rapid appreciation in house prices that the London commuter belt enjoyed in the Noughties and 2010s (Tom Howard writes).

Homes on the outskirts of Glasgow and Manchester have recorded the biggest rise in asking prices over the past 12 months, according to new data from Rightmove, the property search website.

Of the top 15 fastest-growing commuter hotspots, 11 were on the outskirts of those cities. Asking prices in Falkirk, about 40 minutes outside Glasgow city centre, have increased by 13.5 per cent to £183,596 over the past 12 months; while in Rochdale, ten miles or so outside Manchester, prices were up by 8.2 per cent year-on-year.

Commuter towns around Cardiff and Birmingham also made it into the top 15, which featured only one London suburbs Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire, where

Asking prices for property in Falkirk have been blooming

prices were 8.1 per cent higher than they were at this point last year.

That leaderboard would have been dominated by the towns dotted around London's so-called stockbroker-belt earlier this century, when southeast England was the engine of the UK's housing market.

However, that trend has reversed since the pandemic, with prices in more northerly regions starting to catch up. Economists have attributed the shift to more people, in a world of hybrid working,

looking to avoid London's high housing costs. Similarly, cheaper property prices outside the capital mean the jump in mortgage rates over the past few years has had less of an impact.

Data from other sources, such as the Office for National Statistics, Nationwide and Zoopla, has confirmed this north-south divide since the pandemic.

Colleen Babcock, of Rightmove, said there were "two very different stories playing out across some of Britain's commuter markets". She

said: "In the more affordable locations around Glasgow and Manchester, asking prices are rising strongly as buyers look for value within reach of major cities. Meanwhile, some of the more expensive commuter hotspots are seeing prices ease."

Of the 15 suburbs with the fastest-growing house prices, 12 have an average house price of below £250,000. Most of the 15 commuter towns with the biggest annual house price decreases are in the home counties, where prices regularly exceed £500,000.

Haywards Heath in West Sussex, a 45-minute train ride into London, recorded the biggest year-on-year fall in house prices of any commuter town, with prices 4.8 per cent lower than last summer.

Maidenhead in Berkshire, another popular town in London's commuter belt, recorded a 3.9 per cent fall in prices over the past year, while those in Reading were down by 2.9 per cent year-on-year.

which build thousands of homes each year, have not been immune to the slowdown. Most have all but stopped buying new land and are scaling back their businesses as they run for cash instead.

The smallest companies are feeling the pinch most acutely, however. In the 1980s, small and medium-sized builders delivered about 40 per cent of all new homes in the UK, but that proportion has dropped to less than 10 per cent today.

Savills and the LPDF urged the government to "restore demand and improve viability" or risk the developers it needs to fulfil its 1.5 million new homes pledge being "squeezed out of the market".

Chief among their recommendations is that Help to Buy, or some form of "targeted demand support" for first-time buyers, is brought back, echoing recent calls from within the industry. The government has repeatedly said "there are no plans" to bring back Help to Buy, although there is now widespread acceptance within Whitehall that the government's attempts to revive housebuilding have not gone far enough.

Samuel Stafford, managing director at the LPDF, praised the government's efforts to free up the planning system but said more was needed.

"Planning reform on its own will not build a single home if the builders are not there to deliver it," he said. "The country needs more builders, not fewer. Put the demand and viability measures set out in this report in place alongside the planning reforms already under way and we can keep these firms in the market and get Britain building. Fail to, and we risk losing the very capacity the government's targets depend on."

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Simon French

Governments won't sit idle when faced with a crippling debt crisis

“The government bond market is having another anxious moment. Such moments occur when interest rates move higher and commentators fall over themselves to explain why. This column inevitably does some of that. Yet what might happen next is infinitely more interesting. It seems unlikely that governments faced with increasingly punishing debt-servicing costs will sit idle.

The price of any asset — and a government bond is no different — is a function of the incentives to own it. Governments have more levers than most to pull and, in turn, to influence those incentives. For investors and savers concerned about government debt levels, losing sight of those levers can be a costly mistake.

Let us begin with the backdrop. Across the world, there are now multi-decade highs in the cost of servicing government debt. Paying higher interest rates on more than $100 trillion of government debt is a painful evolution for government treasuries. As recently as December 2020, more than $18 trillion of government debt had a negative interest rate. Today, none attracts such a low yield.

Political leaders — of all economic persuasions — have built public sectors around decades of declining interest rates. They are now facing a very different financing backdrop. Left unchecked, this means trillions of extra dollars, pounds, euros and yen spent on interest payments, and unavailable for healthcare, education and defence. Good luck explaining that to an electorate.

So what is going on? Well, the first thing to note is quite a lot is going on. Investors have choices about what they want to own to maximise their returns. One reason there was so much negative-yielding government debt in 2020 was that investors were concerned, with a global pandemic in full swing, that corporate debt and equities might be a dangerous place to park their money. With central banks also buying government debt at an unprecedented pace, there was little concern about finding someone else to sell that debt to.

Such was the enthusiasm — indeed, with hindsight, the hubris — that in June 2020 the Austrian government

President Trump with Sanae Takaichi. The US Treasury intervened to buy yen

issued debt for one hundred years at an interest rate of just 0.85 per cent.

But over the past six years, the backdrop has changed. Company earnings have recovered strongly, and earnings per share growth on global stock markets is currently running at three times its long-term average. Inflation has re-emerged as a persistent concern as trade wars have been ignited, energy markets disrupted and AI-related investment pushed up the prices of digital infrastructure. Central banks have been forced to raise rates and sell government debt. The amount of government debt owned by central banks is down from $38 trillion at its peak to $28 trillion today.

To complete the picture, the rapid build-out of the infrastructure that powers the AI economy has meant large US corporates have been actively issuing their own debt. In short, government debt faces far more vibrant competition for capital than it did a few years ago.

There are also ructions in the world's third-largest economy, Japan, where the export of savers' capital to buy higher-yielding debt across the

world now risks going into reverse. While many of these changes are welcome developments in how investment is allocated — as the legacy of hyper-low interest rates was often inefficient financing of speculative activity — they are proving a challenge for spendthrift governments. So are these governments going to sit back and allow the painful financing transition to continue? That appears unlikely.

Just last week, the world's most powerful finance minister, America's Scott Bessent, intervened to buy back long-dated US debt by issuing shorter-dated debt. Long-dated US debt is the instrument most closely tied to the cost of US mortgages. Earlier in the month, Bessent used the US Treasury's financial firepower to buy Japanese yen, at the cost of selling euros. Given Japan's role in financing the US deficit, this was not a passive intervention. It was the world's largest economy — and its largest debtor — feeling the pinch.

Questioned by journalists in recent days, President Trump called military intervention in the bond market the 'ultimate intervention'. For investors,

this brings back memories of what has been dubbed the 'Mar-a-Lago Accord' — proposals in a paper by former Trump adviser Steve Miran that explicitly tie together US military might with how it might treat creditors. Should a weaker US dollar ensue the implications for UK savers are profound. In the UK, intervention in government debt markets has been more subdued, but the signals are there. The prime minister's economic team have questioned whether the Bank of England's strategy of selling UK government debt is appropriate.

There has been a recent consultation on encouraging retail investors to buy more short-term UK debt, with next steps expected at the upcoming budget. Speculation around the potential for UK defence bonds, and their post-tax treatment, also speaks to consideration of skewing the incentives towards owning UK government debt. At a time when private pensions are being brought into scope for inheritance tax, such a slave could be a powerful feature.

The reason these UK policies are being actively considered is that defined-benefit pension schemes — a cornerstone buyer of UK government debt — are drastically reducing purchases as the UK pensions system becomes more of a defined-contribution system: less suited to owning large quantities of debt.

All this activity is not without risk. If such cornerstone assets as sovereign debt are going to become political pawns, then the classic risk-free assets don't look quite so risk-free. And if governments incentivise their own cost of capital, the risk is this comes at the expense of private capital and a negative impact on private-sector growth. Recent moves in assets such as gold and the Swiss franc, alongside a bounce in cryptoassets, speak to concerns about what happens next in debt markets.

The likelihood is governments will use policy levers to support their own financing costs.

The risk is the collateral economic damage this creates.

And that is what investors are trying to price in at this moment.

Simon French is managing director, head of research and chief economist at Panmure Liberum

Staff costs eating into food chain profits

Lescure Industries Correspondent

Profits at Britain's 100 biggest restaurant groups have fallen by almost half in the past year as hospitality businesses grapple with mounting employment costs.

The country's largest restaurant companies based on turnover, which include Pizza Express and Five Guys, together generated £204 million in profits, according to analysis by the accountants UHY Hacker Young.

The figure, from research conducted in July and based on each company's most recently filed accounts, marks a 44 per cent decline on the £365 million the companies made a year earlier.

While the total is considerably higher than the £673 million loss made during the pandemic in 2021, the drop highlights how steep increases in employers' national insurance contributions and the national minimum wage are eating into profits.

However, Britain's biggest restaurant businesses — which also include The Restaurant Group, owner of Wagumama; Lemon Pepper Holdings, which operates the Wingstop franchise in the UK and Ireland and Zizzi and Loungers — generated revenues of £13.3 billion in the past year, up from £12.9 billion a year before.

Martin Jones, a partner at the accountancy firm, said: 'A lot of individual restaurant companies are showing that they can attract customers, but turning those sales into profit has become more difficult.'

As well as higher employment costs, restaurants are also struggling to combat rising prices of ingredients such as olive oil, beef, chocolate and coffee.

Measures these businesses have taken to increase sales and protect margins, Jones said, included offering more chicken menu options to capitalise on consumers' desire for protein, expanding their drinks menu with mocktails and implementing QR code menus and investing in automated payment systems to cut printing and staff costs.

'If people are eating out less often, restaurants have to give them more reasons to come back and spend money,' he said.

A survey released in June by the trade bodies UK Hospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping and Hospitality (Shier, found 22 per cent of businesses said they were operating at a loss, up from 15 per cent these months earlier.

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Business

The new Galeries Lafayette store in Mumbai. A “live for now” attitude is said to be creating opportunities for youth-focused fashion and beauty brands

West ready to cash in on India’s retail boom

Isabella Fish Retail Editor

India is emerging as one of the world’s most closely watched retail growth markets as international brands look beyond slowing prospects in the United States, China and parts of Europe, betting on a young population, rising disposable incomes and rapidly expanding digital ecommerce.

The country’s retail market is already

the world’s third largest, valued at about $950 billion to $1 trillion, and is growing by between 9 per cent and 20 per cent annually. EuroShop data estimates that the market could reach $1.6 trillion by 2030, putting India on a trajectory towards the $2 trillion mark.

For global retailers, the attraction is not simply scale but the changing nature of Indian consumption. Generation Z and millennials are increasingly spending on fashion, beauty, fitness and other aspirational categories, while ecommerce is pushing brands well beyond the traditional retail centres of Mumbai and Delhi.

“India represents one of the largest current opportunities,” Nick Carroll, an analyst at Mintel, said, particularly as “prospects in the US and China have slowed significantly”.

Carroll said a combination of government reforms, ecommerce growth, consumer confidence and exposure to global trends through social media was persuading western retailers that “now is the time to try to crack the market”.

That is already visible in the growing list of international entrants. Lalulemon has partnered with Tata CLiQ to enter the Indian market, with its first physical store opening in Delhi at the DLF Promenade centre in the autumn.

Fabletics is also preparing to expand into India. Mark Ralea, European general manager, said the athleisure brand was entering the market because India’s fitness industry was projected to grow from $1.9 billion in 2024 to $4.5 billion by 2030, driven by younger consumers, rising disposable incomes and increasing interest in health and wellness.

The fast-fashion giants Inditex and H&M are expanding their portfolios with Bershkhha and Cos. Abercrombie & Fitch is developing physical and online operations with Myntra, while Foot Locker is working with Metro Brands and Nykaa.

Beauty is attracting a similar wave of interest, with Yves Rocher expanding, also with Nykaa. Lush, the ethical beauty brand, has also returned to India through a licensing agreement. Charlotte Tilbury and other premium beauty names are part of a broader shift

towards international brands targeting India’s increasingly sophisticated beauty consumer. Charlotte Tilbury, the eponymous beauty brand founder, told The Times in June that there was a “huge opportunity in India. It is opening up as a bigger market.”

Luxury is following the same path. The French department store Galeries Lafayette has opened a shop in Mumbai with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, while jewellery brands including Messika and De Beers Forevermark are expanding their footprints.

The consumer economics helps explain the rush. Mintel data showed that 48 per cent of Indian consumers define financial success partly through being able to buy discretionary products such as clothing or jewellery, compared with 34 per cent citing retirement funds and 36 per cent financial investments. Meanwhile, 73 per cent believe that a higher price signals higher quality.

Carroll described this as a more “live for now” attitude, creating opportunities for youth-focused brands.

However, India is not an easy market to crack. Foreign brands face regulatory requirements, regional differences and intense competition. Multi-brand retailers face restrictions on foreign investment, while single-brand operators with majority foreign ownership can face local sourcing requirements.

Partnerships with franchise and licensing partners such as Reliance, Tata and Aditya Birla can provide expertise, speed and scale, but they also come with trade-offs, including reduced control over certain aspects.

Prime retail space is also scarce, and consumer preferences vary sharply between regions and city tiers. Beauty brands face a particularly clear localisation challenge. Mintel found that 25 per cent of Indian beauty shoppers said they had not purchased global brands as they were not suitable for their skin.

Still, the long-term prize appears difficult for global retailers to ignore. “India is expected to see some of the strongest consumer spending growth over the next five to ten years,” Carroll said, adding that brands willing to “test and learn early” could adapt faster.

Sales jump shows fears for the high street may be overblown

Isabella Fish

Britons are spending more in bricks-and-mortar shops despite fears the pandemic would permanently shift spending online, as new data suggests retailers are getting more value from their stores than ever before.

Retail sales per occupied square foot reached a record £61.92 in the second quarter of 2026, up 23 per cent from £50.39 in the final quarter of 2019, according to analysis by the commercial real estate data firm CoStar Group.

The rise suggests fears that consumers would shun physical stores in favour of online shopping may have been overstated. Retailers are generating significantly more sales from the same amount of shop space, even as online shopping remains important.

Sales excluding fuel and online spending reached £105.3 billion in the second quarter, 9 per cent higher than the £97 billion recorded in the final quarter of 2019. Over the same period, occupied retail space remained unchanged at 1.7 billion square feet. That

has driven a sharp improvement in the efficiency of physical stores. Sales per occupied square foot have risen nearly twice as quickly as they did in the six-and-a-half years before the pandemic.

Mark Stansfield, senior director of UK market analytics at CoStar Group, said: “Physical stores have never been more productive in driving retail sales.”

There are signs that momentum has continued. Retail sales volumes rose 11 per cent in the three months to July compared with the three months to April, according to the Office for National Statistics. Warmer weather, summer sporting events and promotions helped encourage spending.

Online retailers have performed strongly, while household goods stores and department stores have also recorded growth of 2.5 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively over the latest three-month period.

For retail landlords, the figures could prove optimistic. Although individual retailers and locations vary, the data suggests retailers may be better positioned to absorb higher rents.

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17

Business

'F1 of sailing' grows at full throttle

SailGP, set up by Larry Ellison, is attracting thousands of people to its big events, writes Louisa Clarence-Smith

When 13 high-speed foiling catamarans raced in the Larry Ellison-backed SailGP championship this weekend, a new record speed of 107.63 km/h was achieved on the opening day.

The contest, which attracted more than 13,000 paying spectators to Sassnitz, Germany, has been dubbed the "Formula 1 of sailing" for its combination of high-speed racing and global locations, including Portsmouth, Saint-Tropez, Sydney, New York and Dubai.

Each "Grand Prix" weekend features five fleet races over two days. Teams navigate around robotic marker buoys — that use GPS technology to hold position without anchors — and try to avoid crashes with rival boats within a tight boundary close to the shore. Last year, the final contest, and $2 million of prize money, went to Sir Ben Ainslie's Great Britain SailGP team.

Mike Buckley, 44, the world champion sailor who co-owns the US SailGP team, compares the experience of a SailGP race weekend to a circus-like atmosphere.

Looking out over the Hudson River in New York in an interview before Sassnitz, he said: "You could see a sailboat go by right now and say, 'Oh I want to learn to sail', but the circus isn't there, right? And when the circus is there it starts to feel more real."

He added: "Larry [Ellison's] vision was to bring the racing closer to land so the fans were closer to the racing, and you know, when we race here in New York City, you race between the Statue of Liberty, the financial district and Governor's Island."

The league was set up in 2019 by Ellison, 82, the billionaire Oracle founder, and the America's Cup veteran Sir Russell Coutts, 64.

While the America's Cup, founded in 1851, remains sailing's most prestigious event, SailGP is revolutionising sailing as a fast-paced five spectator sport. Races are held close to shore and the calendar of regular contests is more appealing to sponsors than the America's

Catamarans sail in Portsmouth; below left, Larry Ellison with Christian Horner; and Mike Buckley, co-owner of the US team

Cup, which has no fixed calendar but generally takes place every three to four years.

Everyone in hospitality, in the grandstands or out on a boat has a view of the entire race course the entire time. The format makes it accessible as a TV product racing fans can follow from home.

Buckley had been trying to create an "all-American" team for the America's Cup, but he found the commercial model was all about "patronage" and "politics". He added: "It's just really tricky to get the funding. If you go into

an office to meet with the CMO [chief marketing officer] and you can't tell them when the next race is going to be, or who's going to be there or what TV station it's going to be broadcast on, you've got an uphill battle."

At first, he said he tried to ignore SailGP. "Then it just got to the point where it was like, 'Wow this is incredible. What they're building, this solves almost all the things we were struggling with when we would pitch sponsors.'"

In 2023, Buckley helped attract a group of investors in the purchase of the US team with Ryan McKillen, a former Uber engineer-turned investor. The Avenue Sports Fund, an American investment firm led by the billionaire Marc Lasry, was a lead investor.

Can the America's Cup continue to thrive as SailGP grows? "I believe that, you know, the best sailors want to compete against the best sailors in the world and SailGP is the only place where that exists right now," Buckley said. "I think the growth has been undeniable, so I don't see anything stopping SailGP

from continuing to hold that top spot."

Buckley believes the biggest opportunity for growing sailing is introducing the sport's personalities to consumers. "Who are the interesting people in our sport? Who likes each other, who doesn't? Who's got a family? Who's going through a break-up? Who's having a hard time all of those things?"

Buckley wants to bring back the level of sailing fandom not seen since the 1980s when Ted Turner, Dennis Conner and John Bertrand attracted huge fanbase with their outgoing personalities. "Over the last 30 years sailors have sort of been told, 'Be vanilla.' Vanilla doesn't sell."

F1 has transformed as a business in recent years and a growing fanbase has discovered the sport through Netflix's documentary series Formula 1: Drive to

Survive. Buckley said: "We can certainly learn a lot from that right? I fell in love with Max Verstappen's killer instinct and Daniel Ricciardo's smile, and you know, like Lewis Hamilton wanting to save the world and his love for fashion and people, right? You learnt about what makes these guys tick."

He said that rather than mimicking Drive to Survive, SailGP should "figure out what that next thing is that's gonna connect us with people." Last year, Paramount+ launched a three-part docuseries, Uncharted: SailGP that follows sailing legend Jimmy Spithill as he leaves Team USA to build the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team, creating a fierce rivalry. Buckley would not give specifics about his new project but noted "we've got some really cool people in our investor network that have been very successful in Hollywood storytelling."

Safety fears have been raised after some nasty collisions, including between the New Zealand and France boats in Auckland six months ago. "I think everybody understands the risk of when you go out there and you're racing at 60 miles an hour on a boat that what kind of precautions can you take," Buckley said. He said everybody's required to wear an impact vest, a helmet, a harness, an air bottle and a knife. Team members also practice being thrown in the water, when they have to get oxygen to their mouth and then unclip their harness. He hopes SailGP will create a more secure career route for aspiring professional sailors.

"The trickle-down effect hasn't fully made its way downstream yet, but if I could go back to being 18 and you see these people in SailGP and there's sort of that dream. I can be in NFL, I can be in NBA, I can be in SailGP — and that wasn't there."

The top three SailGP teams compete in a final contest, which this year will take place in Abu Dhabi in November with $2 million up for grabs for the winning team. Buckley said: "Everybody makes different amounts but you can make a really good living."

Pressure on athletes to get a so-called "real job" is fading, he added. "SailGP is a real job now ... that's been a big shift."

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Business Times Entrepreneurs Network

Riding the wave of our great staycation summer

No fuss and no airport queues — a holiday in Britain has never looked so attractive, Jessica Jones writes

When wildfires started creeping within a few miles of his holiday park sites in the New Forest and Cornwall, it brought home the risks of a scorching summer for Raoul Fraser, the founder of Lovat Parks. The incidents have made the hot

weather “really real”, he said, adding: “Everyone has to be super alert.” In July the business stopped the sale of disposable barbecues because it was worried about just how dry the conditions were. “We have easy access to water but we do a huge amount of safety training so all the teams understand what to do in those situations,” said Fraser, 46, who founded the company in 2017.

However, the heat this summer has mostly been a boon for his business, which operates nine holiday and residential parks across the country as so-called staycationers head to home shores for some R&R.

Lovat said its holiday rental revenue in the past four months was up 36 per cent on last year, while summer occupancy was 2 to 3 percentage points higher. It expected to end its April-October season at about 88 per cent occupancy.

“We’ve had a great year so far, particularly on the holiday rental side, not surprisingly given the weather’s been so good,” Fraser said. “People are worried about travelling given what happened in Iran. They can’t be bothered with airports, with all the security arrangements.

“People have decided, instead of renting a traditional cottage in the south of France or Spain or Portugal, they’ve thought, ‘Look, why don’t we just do it in the UK?’”

In August Lovat had its busiest week so far across its 400 rental units, with only four available at one point. Its average weekly rate this year was up 8 per cent on last year, partly reflecting several premium units added last winter. The company turned over £23 million last year.

“The standards have got better and better and they offer really good value versus foreign holidays,” Fraser said. “I’m not in any way saying that people are not going to go abroad. I’m just saying that perhaps that natural inclination to assume a holiday abroad might be less.”

The sunshine has even helped Lovat’s costs. Some of its parks use solar energy and the company is looking to introduce more after seeing a 40 to 50 per cent drop in electrical bills at one Cornish site.

Lovat employs about 150 people full-time throughout the year, with an extra 100 seasonal staff over the school holidays. Alongside holiday lets, it sells static caravans and lodges — double units joined together — which buyers can sublet. Unlike traditional bricks-and-mortar properties, buyers of caravans or lodges can escape stamp duty.

Larger hospitality businesses are

Raoul Fraser, founder of Lovat Parks,

seeing an effect too. Fuller, Smith & Turner, the 337-strong pub chain, said in June it was seeing rising demand for its hotel rooms as consumers opted for getaways closer to home amid the conflict in the Middle East and queues at airport borders.

However, Simon Emeny, Fuller’s executive chairman, warned that the sector continued to grapple with “additional taxes and regulations”, taking aim at the increase last year to employer national insurance contributions, as well as costs such as alcohol duty and a sugar tax.

Fraser agreed that increases in the minimum wage for many of the young people Lovat employs posed a challenge, as did business rate hikes. The biggest challenge, though, was expanding the number of parks and adding accommodation. “The planning system has gotten a lot harder and slower than it used to be,” he said. “In many respects that’s a good thing because they take the

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Lovat’s holiday rental revenue over four months was up 36 per cent on last year

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Business

says the standard of holiday facilities in Britain has got better and people are saying: "Why don't we just stay in the UK?"

applications extremely seriously, but if there was one thing I'd love the government to do, it's provide more funding for councils for planning."

Another company that has enjoyed strong staycation demand this summer is Unplugged, which operates digital-detox cabins where guests lock away their phones and other devices.

It achieved 95 per cent occupancy in August and was on track for at least 85 per cent in September and October. By comparison, its average year-round occupancy was about 75-78 per cent, falling to 60-65 per cent in December and January.

"It's been a busy period," the co-founder Hector Hughes said. "Anecdotally, talking to people. I definitely think there's more [people] not flying, they're not going far. Obviously there's lots of extreme heat and so on going on in Europe during the summer. The UK staycation market has been boosted as a result."

Hughes, 32, said spring had been quiet but the past few months had brought more last-minute bookings, particularly from people who felt desperate for a break. "If you are in that state, then you want to do it next month rather than in six months," he said. "So our booking window generally is pretty short. But we have seen higher than usual short-term bookings."

Like Lovat, Unplugged has had to adapt to the heat. Last year it improved its fans, while newer cabin models had more windows. It sent guests advice before arrival on how to keep cool. "It's a big focus for us and there's always more you can do, but I think the big thing is just preparing people and making sure they have the means to cool themselves down," he

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said. "Obviously getting out into the countryside generally is a bit cooler than the city, but it's been a hot one. I think this will continue going forward."

The drought forced Unplugged to cancel and refund a handful of stays after private reservoirs serving some sites ran into problems. "There was one occasion where we had a couple of cabins that were waterless for a few weeks because somebody had filled up a swimming pool," Hughes said.

"We've decided to invest in improving the water system because that water pressure hasn't been as good at those sites. When you get these countryside droughts, it definitely puts a lot of pressure on the whole water system."

The majority of Unplugged's 50 "off-grid" cabins are in the southwest of the UK, although some are just 45 minutes from central London's high concentration of workers seeking to switch off. There are advantages to staying close to home. "Some people love the convenience," Hughes said. Others who prefer more distance between themselves and their desk might opt for a four or five-hour journey to a cabin in north Wales.

Unplugged, founded in 2019, encourages guests to stay for three or four nights to experience the full "digital detox experience". Hughes said this would provide enough time to acclimatise to being without a phone and "benefit from the deep sense of calm you get afterwards".

The hot weather might be a draw for some, but it has others fleeing north in search of respite.

The founders of the holiday cabin business Beside the Loch, near Loch Lumbe in the Scottish Highlands, told Radio 4 last week they had seen a rise in holidaymakers who were seeking out cooler climes — despite the midgets enjoying it too.

Nick Cochrane, who runs the company with his wife, Esther, said: "What's been interesting this year is the fact we've had the same 'cockatonians' but they've been coming up from southern England."

Esther said one guest even asked: "Is it going to rain at any point? Because this is what we came up for."

Tech unicorns are breeding Britain's next founders

Emily Turner

Ask any venture capitalist to judge the health of the UK's technology sector and you'll hear a familiar scorecard: funding rounds closed, unicorns created and impressive valuations achieved.

We should celebrate unicorns. They attract global investment, create highly skilled jobs and show that the UK can build businesses capable of competing with the very best in the world. It's no surprise they have become shorthand for the health of our tech sector.

But if we judge the success of our innovation economy by funding rounds, valuations and unicorn numbers alone, we're missing one of the clearest signs that it is maturing.

Our latest research, produced with Dealroom, shows the UK's innovation economy is now worth $1.7 trillion, with 217 unicorns and 18 added already this year. Those are milestones worth celebrating. Yet the real legacy of a successful scale-up is not just the company it becomes, but what it creates next.

Increasingly, Britain's most successful tech companies are becoming what venture investors call "founder factories" — businesses whose greatest contribution is the next generation of founders they produce.

Building a successful company is hard with many challenges that can't be learnt from a textbook. Founders who have lived through those challenges once are far better equipped to do it again. They also have trusted networks, investor relationships and a level of commercial discipline that first-time entrepreneurs often take years to develop.

Working with founders every day, I've seen first-hand how much confidence comes from having already experienced the realities of building and scaling a business. Knowing how to navigate an early stage funding round, recruit an executive team or expand into a new market isn't theoretical. Those experiences shape better decisions the second time around. That's why founder factories matter.

The latest Dealroom data identifies 54 British founder factories that have already helped create hundreds of new start-ups. Deliveroo alumni alone have gone on to found 57 companies. Businesses founded by former GoCardless employees have collectively raised more than $2.2 billion.

David Silver, founder of the AI company Ineffable Intelligence, spent more than a decade at DeepMind before launching his own business. Whatever the next chapter for DeepMind looks like, its influence is already extending well beyond the company itself through

the founders and companies it has helped create.

Britain's most successful scale-ups aren't simply creating enterprise value. They're passing on experience, confidence and capital to the founders who follow them.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this trend is that it is no longer confined to London; founder factories are increasingly emerging across the country.

Edinburgh has produced 27 founder factory start-ups, Bristol 18, Cambridge 14, York 11 and Manchester 10. The trend is also visible in towns like Warrington, where Blue Prism, the AI agent developer, has helped produce a new generation of founders.

This matters because successful scale-ups become local anchor institutions: They attract talent, strengthen investor networks and create communities where ambitious people can see a credible path to building a business outside the capital. That's how regional ecosystems become deeper, more resilient and increasingly capable of generating their own momentum.

For a long time, much of the conversation about Britain's innovation economy has focused on universities. Their importance cannot be overstated. They remain

one of our greatest competitive advantages, producing world-leading research, attracting exceptional talent and creating the discoveries that underpin many of tomorrow's businesses.

But they are only part of the story. As the ecosystem matures, successful scale-ups are increasingly playing their own role in creating the next generation of founders.

That's a sign of an innovation economy becoming deeper, more connected and more resilient.

This should also change how we think about supporting scale-ups. Helping ambitious businesses grow is not simply about creating larger companies or higher valuations.

Every successful scale-up has the potential to become the training ground for dozens of future founders. Every successful exit creates experienced leaders, mentors and investors who often choose to build again.

That's why unicorns remain so important. We should continue celebrating them and the investment they attract. But perhaps we've become too focused on the valuation itself, rather than what those companies go on to create.

The legacy of a successful scale-up isn't measured only by the business it becomes, but by its founders, the companies they go on to build and the stronger innovation ecosystem they leave behind.

If Britain wants to remain one of the world's best places to start and scale globally significant companies, that may prove to be the most valuable legacy of all.

Emily Turner is UK chief executive officer at HSBC Innovation Banking

"The UK's most successful tech companies are becoming 'founder factories'"

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Business

EQUITY PRICES

Dividend yields Please note dividend yields are supplied by UIC Data Services. The yield is the sum of a company's annual 12-month dividend payments divided by the last day's closing share price.

12-month high and low High/low prices for UK equities and investment trusts are based on intra-day figures.

Mix cap (million)	Company	Price Wkly bpl	Y/Y	Y/Y%	P/E

Automobiles & Part

547.64	Auton Martin Lay	595,-	-	( \frac{1}{2} )	( -0.7 )

Banking & Finance

4,424.23	Alberdeen Group	2425,-	-	25	4.6	11.2
1.93	Avon 2394	45,-				-1.1
12,176.79	Admiral	2595,-	-	44	5.1	16.1
2,430.64	Al East	611,-	-	7	7.0	15.0
55,254.28	ACN Coq	2604.71,-		15.25	0.9	-
132.82	Arbuthnot	800,-	-	59	4.9	7.5
1,612.22	Alstom	2165,-	-	11.7	5.5	16.6
58,880.48	Australia & NZ	2952,-	-	103	5.9	19.1
31,156.48	Alvina	1721,-	-	91	5.4	16.7
161,947.60	Basra Sathastie	1035,-	-	22	5.5	15.0
66,360.48	Barristers'	4925,-	-	275	1.1	11.2
2.02	Blue Star Capital	75,-	-	1.1	-	-2.0
292.25	BP Bond & Pte Ltd	635,-			5.4	5.1
2,062.07	Bridgeport & Co	531,-	-	195	5.0	64.2
359.37	Charcoal	539,-	-	91	4.9	64.6
200.20	Cite of London Inc	499,-	-	6	4.7	16.6
445.36	China Bros	1205,-	-	5	-	-4.4
2,679.43	CMC Markets	592,-	-	41	5.9	15.0
52,752.48	Deutsche Bank	2760,-	-	100	1.1	16.2
1,402.81	CTA Revenue Mfg	725,-	-	5	4.9	-
51.68	CPC Special Dept	111,-	-	2	-	0.7
7.99	Fulmer	675,-			1.7	5.9
97.79	Freundin Services NCT	10,-			4.9	15.5
1,475.79	General Capital	4300,-	-	109	-	1.7
39.13	General Estate	8,-	-	2	4.7	39.2
156.64	Hollow S/NW	2200,-	-	1	4.5	7.7
5,736.21	Hiloxon	1799,-			2.2	15.5
260,700.80	HIGEC	10105,-	-	91	5.6	17.1
4,403.36	IG Group	1104,-	-	29	1.2	9.2
147.27	Impex Asset Paper	116,-	-	15	4.5	7.7
5,567.93	ICSI	2016,-	-	44	4.3	11.1
2,929.62	Ind Public Pdnr	1405,-	-	15	4.2	10.9
6,440.05	Invested	637,-	-	375	4.0	8.3
19.39	Investment Co	750,-				-
426.35	IP Group	592,-	-	15	5.0	9.0
5.04	Jewis Securities	8,-	-	5	4.0	2.5
160.32	Jupiter Fund Mgmt	3425,-	-	5	1.7	8.5
1,440.28	Lancaster HNpar	6000,-	-	121	3.8	6.9
15,603.68	Legal & General	204,-	-	1.2	7.7	26.4
5,629.24	Lim Finance Group (10)	429,-	-	429	2.4	5.2
479.52	General Asset Mgmt	1205,-	-	55	4.1	26.2
61.39	Lawrence Mrs Co	375,-			8.3	15.0
64,616.88	Liquids Banking	1115,-	-	4	5.6	25.9
12.99	LMS Capital	175,-	-	5	0.4	-
45,420.88	London Stock Exch	1043,-	-	66	5.3	34.1
2,436.57	MAAS	1043,-	-	51	5.9	27.5
5,479.56	Max Group	1605,-	-	191	4.2	36.9
31.87	Mass Financial Sca	255,-	-	1	5.0	4.7
23.12	Masstech Capital	75,-	-	5	-	-13.0
1,198.99	Metro Bank	1950,-	-	10	-	21.5

Mix cap (million)	Company	Price Wkly bpl	Y/Y	Y/Y%	P/E
62,567.34	National Australia	2667	-	100	4.5
74,500.00	Northwest Group	1951,-	-	39	5.1
372.92	Analyst	620	-	176	4.7
25,609.56	Prudential	3600	-	3	3.0
5.33	Spainian Electric	45,-			-5.0
2,640.21	Spiller	2995,-	-	45	5.3
1,542.95	Baltimore Group	2704	-	6	5.9
200.47	Spurwood Strategic	1005,-	-	4	-
256.96	S & G	2050	-	28	5.0
12.49	Seacoa Lending	15,-			7.2
153.22	Silvester BISTs	44	-	15	8.2
9,966.55	Schneider	104	-	1	8.2
6,119.36	St James's Place	1110	-	8	5.5
47,274.76	Standard Court (E)	57	-	57	2.4
9,267.92	Standard Life	5395,-	-	61	6.0
22,266.30	Sun Life Canada	53025,-	-	200	2.5
13.95	Taintout Inc	25,-	-	5	5.6
2,693.17	TBC Bank Grp	4370	-	162	5.4
11.32	Turin	15,-	-	5	-
53.19	Time Finance	535,-	-	5	-
4.05	Tumor	95,-			-1.7
2.59	Trading	25,-			-5.0
199.27	Yonago Banking Co	375,-	-	25	-
45.33	Valence	2019	-	30	-
120,500.00	Wells Corp	41240,-	-	4321	3.4
66,841.76	Weshan Way Corp	17785,-	-	725	4.6
9.98	Wesley Investors	100,-
51,287.76	Zwick Insurance	550395,-	-	2200	5.1

Construction & Property

20.01	Worcester	100	-	3	4.0	0.9
14.88	Avonco Properties	50,-	-	5	-	1.3
7.10	Jell & Associates	15,-	-	5	-	10.0
6,229.79	Radical Realty	800	-	100	1.6	16.8
6,371.28	Burratt Redman	1125,-	-	125	5.5	15.0
2,000.48	DeBaay	2110	-	68	3.4	15.9
1,201.55	Debakey	2150	-	68	-	10.7
1,271.25	Big Holler Grp	9000,-	-	50	5.2	-
54.48	Billingson-Maguy	400	-	19	2.7	20.9
208.62	Bank (Power)	159	-	1	5.1	5.3
1,256.22	Brooklyn	3600,-	-	75	4.2	14.9
6,244.81	British Land	4200,-	-	85	5.4	-
27.15	Cardiff Property	1750	-	1	1.1	20.7
2,242.24	Denver London	2050	-	44	4.0	-
42.52	DIS Salience	45,-				-2.7
19.34	First Property	120,-	-	5	1.9	7.3
4.36	Fletcher Group	425,-			5.3	20.7
107.96	Fortune Group	365,-	-	5	1.1	10.5
613.92	Gulfland Try Mfg	400	-	17	2.3	16.0
15.06	Gerald Group	200	-	5	4.6	10.5
164.89	Glazeon (M)	210	-	1	4.0	20.1
1,392.08	Geoffroy & Smith	10325,-	-	191	3.7	14.7
1,204.51	Georges	1392,-	-	25	4.7	6.3
1,461.91	Good Portland Co	3075,-	-	125	2.4	6.0
2,222.69	Holmescan	525	-	51	4.5	-
591.14	Harwich Group	1000,-	-	15	1.0	42.3
6.25	North Central	399	-	3.2	39.6	-
202.28	Helical	301	-	4	1.3	41.6

Mix cap (million)	Company	Price Wkly bpl	Y/Y	Y/Y%	P/E
159.71	Imbech	35,-	-	31	1.1
537.13	James Kettlesoft	1100,-	-	51	4.4
1,381.26	Asher	2010	-	129	1.0
15,441.66	Sturgeon Group	10415,-	-	6.6	17.0
5,113.49	Land & Business	607	-	20	4.0
4,527.46	Landes/Morris Prop (E)	-	-	1	4.0
5.10	Marine Pte Ltd	75,-	-	5	-0.3
625.98	Maridalis	1675,-	-	25	4.2
64.69	McAuley's Estate	75,-	-	2	4.1
2.11	Mead Inc	45,-			-1.2
11,121.24	Monroe GmbH	4370,-	-	292	7.7
109.31	Mead & Son Estate	4700	-	104	6.0
554.96	Needham (E)	315,-	-	5	8.2
19.30	Palace Capital	1000,-	-	1	8.2
51.22	Peatier Sound设备	370,-	-	4.1	12.1
1,649.42	Paranowman	1211,1	-	30	5.2
0.99	Place Culture	190,-			-0.1
2,568.43	Peterson Health Group	365,-	-	5	5.6
1,000.00	Real Estate Inc	315,-	-	5	4.5
1,267.56	Salbutian	600	-	275	5.1
1,320.23	Castle	1000,-	-	4.2	20.1
0.65	Jensen Pte Ltd & Inc	35,-			-0.1
12,964.18	Segars	9375,-	-	25	2.1
2,567.56	Clothstone Capital	1100,-	-	5	1.0	8.1
150.98	SK	35,-	-	5	-1.6
1,169.53	Uppalot	150	-	5	17.9
1,354.29	Silica Real Estate	965,-	-	5	5.7	3.8
1,564.17	US	115	-	25	3.0	8.0
47.89	Stappe General	315,-	-	5	19.4	-
2,884.77	Tyler Whippy	325,-	-	25	5.0	29.6
94.68	Trans Centre	1190,-			3.9	-
1,378.12	Trans Prettos	6400,-	-	1	1.0	4.3
4,299.76	Triton Big Short	1590,-	-	25	5.2	-
2,714.23	Delta Group	520	-	11	3.1	11.6
309.25	Delta Group	2640,-	-	125	-	4.3
645.35	Workspace Group	361	-	5	5.2	-
10.67	Alberton Private	915	-	11	12.7	-

Consumer Goods

734.88	ADP Refurbions	1925,-	-	105	3.1	11.3
19.96	Alcox	250,-			0.0	0.4
14,600.40	ADP Foods	3010,-	-	4	5.1	16.6
675.83	Sun (M)	600	-		3.1	14.3
99,379.50	British Amer Tob (E)	10	-	0.9	3.9	11.0
3,060.61	Embassy Group	10000,-	-	10	-	-
336.84	C&C Group	995,-	-	70	5.4	-
20.68	Capital Markets	40,-	-	5	-	-10.1
43.89	Churchill China	400	-	5	5.2	18.1
16,562.38	Coca-Cola (MD)	4500,-	-	62	2.1	20.5
72.85	Calabas	1440	-	16	6.8	26.2
2,918.81	Cosmopol	5260,-	-	104	2.1	20.1
38,275.26	Shigato	1710	-	46	2.1	36.0
1.17	McCle	-				-0.6
93.36	Cross (M) P	1750	-	34	3.4	16.0
75.19	Evans	165	-	45	1.7	4.3
4,104.17	Amoco Wharfunder	4000,-	-	66	3.1	29.9
4,626.98	Glenker	19500,-	-	465	2.0	36.1
11,979.91	Genocore	1000,-	-	15	1.0	20.2
7.26	Hoolam	35,-	-	5	-0.1	-0.1
594.12	Wine Food	450,-	-	5	5.7	17.0
19,234.90	Imperial Brands	2550	-	100	6.7	20.0
16,962.36	Kerry Group	10025,-	-	135	2.8	26.2
204.03	Holmes	1600,-	-	5	1.2	6.4
158.28	Malbury Group	225,-	-	5	-	-2.3
407.75	McGraw	1115,-	-	4	1.0	24.0
200.28	Marine	150	-	2	3.5	-
481.36	Inkyo (U) &	3025,-	-	105	3.9	9.0
0.39	PAC Ltd	35,-				-0.0

Mix cap (million)	Company	Price Wkly bpl	Y/Y	Y/Y%	P/E
27.53	Fortune Inc	50	-	25	-1.2
26.29	Parasola	15,-			-16.2
448.82	PTC(Loose)	1595,-	-	5.6	12.1
67.26	MLA	169	-	2	-13.2
10.36	Trading	330	-	4	1.6
54.65	The Charcoal Corp	315	-	2.2	46.7
2.96	Deconstrl Inc	75,-	-	5	-17.3
108,844.00	Unilever	4600	-	90	1.0
63.88	Victor	540,-	-	15	-0.2

Engineering

6.46	Jena M & Day	20	-	-	-6.9
591.91	Jena Technologies	2020	-	129	1.0
5,442.39	Balconell	11040,-	-	89	4.7
10,400.00	AGG Systems	2510,-	-	132	1.0
11.32	Barlow & N/W	1200	-	1.4	6.4
11.28	Barlow Group	1550	-	4.7	12.5
12.27	Cyfora	450	-	34	1.1
14.00	Cap Oil Ltd	95,-			-3.6
1,181.79	Caribou	500	-	7	4.1
21.48	Chalid W	20	-	1	-7.7
1,352.40	Chewing Group	1950,-	-	57	1.4
11.55	Chewshield Spec Ltd	20	-	-	-30.9
588.68	Cyber	1250	-	159	1.3
24.56	Hallett	531	-	1	-
0.88	Football	65,-	-	5	-0.3
529.32	Geer & Assoc	1200	-	3	1.1
1,465.00	Junihills	10720	-	166	1.5
11,525.66	Hedma	2010	-	176	0.7
27.29	WCL Smith	2900	-	38	-20.2
1.06	Jones Tune	25,-			-12.4
7,200.33	BMI	3050	-	13	1.2
259.73	Jungle Inc	2900	-	104	2.0
19.47	UTW	775,-	-	3	-29.4
1,666.00	Weinman	4700,-	-	24	1.6
146.44	Worpe Alderand	2320,-	-	161	5.2
99.29	Wax	330	-		-19.4
266.42	Wichita	2000	-	16	15.6
1,564.39	Global Instruments	2000,-	-	78	0.0
19,000.00	Philips Elec	20225,-	-	15	1.6
0.69	Paythorn	1000,-	-	3	-2.7
1,152.22	Reinforce	5100	-	75	1.5
1,95,433.00	Radio-Bayaar	25021,-	-	185	6.7
20.94	Roberts	4000,-	-	125	-7.9
2,672.74	Swiss Pacific	9500,-	-	281	3.0
10.91	Saratka's Cooke	8	-		-7.0
144.66	Yoshimori	100	-	15	-4.0
42,637.95	Toledo Pharma	20615,-	-	97	3.5
798.94	Prince	1815	-	3	7.2
26.73	AmeriCorp	375	-	25	4.6
315.96	Zakrham	420,-	-	110	1.0

Health
0.2571 Tradewide	1000,-	-	5
26.42	McAuley	86.97	36.23
1,664.39	Global Instruments	2000,-	78
1,532.96	Auto Group	80	45
0.89	Paythorn	1	5
1,712.22	Reinforce	5100	75
1,95,433.00	Radio-Bayaar	25021,-	185
20.94	Roberts	4000,-	125
10.67	Saratka's Cooke	8	-
1,145.26	Senior	1000,-	15
1,665.00	Telecom Pharma	20615,-	97
1,95,433.00	PhD	1	5
1,95,433.00	Air	1	1
1,95,433.00	Real Group	1200,-	3
1,95,433.00	Air	1	1
1,95,433.00	Air	1	1
1,95,433.00	Air	1	1

---

THE TIMES | Monday, August 24 2026

41

Business

Mkt cap (million)	Company	Price Mkt (g)	+/-	Y4%	F/E
33.39	Egypti Resources	65	-	-	15.7
179,252.00	EMF Group	3505	+	319	14 26.6
94.34	Exeter & Sifra Net	205	+	-	-91.1
95.05	Baugheville	9	-	-	-13.5
96,294.00	BIP	5495	+	355	6.5
2.00	Consumer Energy	0	-	-	4.6
29.95	Cabarrus Minerals	6	+	15	-11.4
9.42	Cabayan Energy	35	-	-	11.3
363.59	Calvaryis Mining	2000	+	275	12 9.1
44.77	Capstan Sentinel	15	-	-	5.9
277.23	Cars Asia Metals	256	+	300	17 6.0
41.15	Chintal 16th	15	-	-	-
1.52	Chintal Energy	0	-	-	4.2
36.64	Crisco	65	-	-	-2.4
6.91	Crisco Therapeutics	141	+	-	-2.2
1,416.58	DBS Gold	2375	+	415	15 18.7
5.19	CCS Minerals	65	-	-	-3.9
3.86	Empirex Energy	0	-	-	4.4
11,340.10	Embiconium	4600	+	569	13 12.0
961.69	Erdipost	365	+	25	14 -
65.62	Escudo Mining	25	-	-	25.5
39.36	Escudo Oil & Gas	15	-	-	-9.2
170.95	Fenopost	205	-	-	-4.6
23,378.68	Prepardite	3239	+	199	15 25.4
109.99	Galaxias Solar	245	+	25	-7.3
63.75	CCM Resources	17	+	135	-19.3
5.74	Core Chemicals	45	+	-	-4.1
5.64	Caltech	35	-	-	-7.9
70,952.28	Claracore	3965	+	475	13 -
6.21	Gas Explanations	65	-	-	-4.2
11,112.75	Gold Fields	3450	+	1235	14 -
36.49	Goldstar	175	+	5	13 26.6
11.52	Goldstone Bank	65	-	-	-6.9
6,628.58	Great Seal Resources	7341	+	71	-21.4
400.67	Griffes Mining	201	+	11	-11.0
337.67	Gulf Ketches	3875	+	3	14 36.7
3,392.55	Hechothill	640	+	1300	47 22.4
426.19	Hechite	465	+	83	15 21.1
5.10	Innovate	0	-	-	-2.5
743.26	ITM Power	3975	+	15	-16.5
87.95	Jadima Metals	25	+	-	-3.9
1.55	Kauf Diamond Bank	65	-	-	-3.9
174.91	KBT Gold and Copper	15	-	-	-11.5
107.38	Kovacun Res	230	+	9	-4.0
7.45	Landson Bank	2	+	-	-2.0
2.05	Landstone Resources	65	-	-	-1.3
11.74	Landorgan Gold	25	+	-	-10.4
471.48	Markit Explanations	355	+	15	-26.6
3.23	Markit Resources	65	-	-	-4.1
1.24	Montreal Oil & Gas	65	+	35	-4.0
16.16	Otoko Resources	65	-	-	-16.5
	Osmonds Mining
66.00	Otokar Mining	365	+	-	-
1,355.82	Pim African Res	2365	+	275	14 25.9
39.14	PimBrain Bank	4	+	-	-16.3
28.59	Potomcal Group	215	+	2	-3.3
28.16	Potco Business	75	+	-	-4.2
1.77	Potco Resources	65	-	-	-4.0
18.59	Potco Metals	1	-	-	-4.5
6.06	Planta Holdings	75	+	-	-5.4
396.91	Pioneer	892	+	36	12 21.7

Mkt cap (million)	Company	Price Mkt (g)	+/-	Y4%	F/E
95.28	PTS/PM	425	+	-	-
6.07	Potato	10	+	-	-19.9
6.00	PACSA	75	-	-	-2.4
30.75	Powerhouse Energy	65	-	-	-3.0
90.39	Powell	445	+	5	12 11.3
752.85	Powers Holdings	911	+	35	21 10.4
1,604.63	Roots&B	1845	+	65	27 25.2
395.73	Pasture	2915	+	0	25 16.0
4.47	Elion Global Inc.	25	-	-	-4.3
26.30	Plantant Food Group	30	-	-	-4.0
1,563.62	PT Group	1975	+	1	21 21.3
11.61	PTT Group	95	+	3	7.1 6.7
493.79	JDRI Holdings	1225	+	25	12 -4.5
235.08	Sunoco Group	535	+	1	17 -7.7
1,527.23	Serra	260	+	35	18 28.1
175.38	Seattle News	40	+	5	6.6 5.9
65.45	Software Credit	10	+	-	-31.1
40.58	Seattle Group	425	+	2	-30.0
40.58	Silicon	290	+	75	44 21.0
32.92	Sportsite	20	+	2	2.4 4.4
5.00	Strawberry Group	15	-	-	-1.3
131.94	Skoda	145	+	5	13 14.7
10.62	Visorite	435	+	1	17 45.0
1,046.29	ZHEP	460	+	115	53 15.0
Retailing
541.31	All World	95	+	-	-25.0
1,575.69	EMR Company	2365	+	5	41 18.5
350.75	CanTractory	755	+	5	44 4.4
802.68	CCS Group	1250	+	11	47 37.6
195.78	JPTI Solutions	3605	+	5	41 35.3
1,702.15	Quinlan	860	+	75	79 11.5
1,682.59	Powers Group	6225	+	5	-9.5
1,219.98	Oregon	3035	+	15	53 25.2
304.96	McDonald	2125	+	3	19 35.3
4,358.31	Homeless Johnson	760	+	29	23 16.2
1,020.69	Indraport	2305	+	5	44 11.5
1.49	Imaging Research	65	+	-	-3.5
4,007.25	JD Sports	645	+	75	14 6.0
5,298.95	AnyPusher	1315	+	55	19 33.9
7,904.18	Markit & Spencer	1025	+	5	13 30.1
4.52	Midwest	65	+	-	-6.9
45.72	Robert Winsor	60	+	25	-7.5
10,209.59	Markit	2020	+	10	11 39.1
2,622.25	Ovalia	239	+	55	-5.1
946.06	Pets at Home	2125	+	25	15 31.4
532.77	Provincial Tech Comp	495	+	15	-92.0
502.46	Sean	675	+	16	-
5,300.06	Subinsbury's	1335	+	105	41 18.1
690.76	SW Smith	4145	+	145	-3.7
35.13	Scandale	13	+	-	-92.9
20,644.28	Tracos	4575	+	45	12 16.6
95.01	Team Time	10	+	5	8.0 12.0
Technology
502.25	Alfa Financial	3605	+	15	5.7 16.5
117.22	Andrews Software	225	+	4	25 29.5
40.54	Europe	60	+	-	-6.7
51.29	EDTM Life Savers	145	+	-	-3.6
111.57	Berkeley Res	25	+	-	-95.1
6.09	Shadeline	15	+	-	-3.0
33.09	Alliance Solar	61	+	10	17 18.1
21.81	Ovalia	135	+	-	-3.0
1.00	Oceofulma	95	+	-	-9.5
5,400.54	Computacontor	1015	+	75	15 14.7
311.35	Generative Tech	2325	+	15	41 36.1
37.13	Groove	75	+	-	-95.0
400.00	Greenwood	1800	+	16	13 13.5
5.75	Grisman Tube	875	+	-	-30.0
35.57	CoreControls Hldgs	95	+	-	-4.4
4.25	Elkhartan Group	12	+	-	-6.2

INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Mkt cap (million)	Company	Price Mkt (g)	+/-	Y4%	F/E
29,095.88	JB Group	2001	+	106	19 5.4
3,011.88	JJ Infrastructure	3915	+	30	14 12.2
1,598.98	ManTech Sdn	1392	+	10	17 17.9
5,458.55	Alliance Wiltse	1535	+	17	21 74.1
112.71	Alman, M Value	1440	+	25	19 51.7
1.56	Alliance Trust	1440	+	62	14.5
1,036.38	AM Global	2625	+	2	17 51.0
175.85	AM Japan	349	+	2	13 57.5
167.42	Baillie Gifford, Inc	349	+	5	4.6
354.58	Baillie Gifford, Inc	134	+	15	6.6
607.67	Baillie Gifford, Inc	3000	+	9	8.9
327.89	Baillie Gifford, Inc	2995	+	25	4.4
239.72	Baillie Gifford, Inc	216	+	2	2.7 16.3
1,364.98	Badron Investors Sdn	1495	+	35	16 46.2
1,377.02	BB Money Sdn	430	-	-	30.1
328.83	DeKoch Growth	1732	+	19	-9.1
395.89	BioMed, Inc	1732	+	7	5.4 48.1
100.28	BioMed Equities Inc	2015	+	4	12 52.4
310.64	BioMed Inc Inc	165	-	5	4.0 25.6
543.16	BioMed Inc Inc Inc	609	-	12	12 37.0
43.35	BioMed Inc Inc Inc Inc	2000	-	5	3.2 11.4
1,392.75	BioMed, Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc
1,392.75	BioMed, Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc
1,364.98	BioMed, Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc
1,377.02	BB Money Sdn	1732	-	-	-
328.83	BioMed, Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc
195.89	BioMed, Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc
195.89	BioMed, Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc Inc
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The first gold one-tenth sovereign ever to depict Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II, our two longest reigning monarchs, side by side in Gothic style. Struck in 24 carat gold!

Just 5,999 available, and one can be yours for just £99 (plus £4.99 P&P)

AT A GLANCE

• Our nation's two longest reigning monarchs - Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II, depicted together in 'Gothic' style for the first time on a one-tenth sovereign
• Minted in pure 24 carat gold - an incredible 99.99% pure gold!
• Presentation case and Certificate of Authenticity make it the perfect keepsake for you and your family
• Total worldwide mintage is only 5,999!
• Order today and own it at the introductory price of £99 (plus £4.99 P&P) but this price ends 31st December 2026 after which the price will be £189, subject to availability

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the death of Queen Victoria and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II - a double Royal anniversary. To mark this event, a new one-tenth sovereign has been struck and it is the first of its kind to depict our two longest reigning monarchs together in the historic 'Gothic' style.

It's been minted in pure 24 carat gold, which is purer than the 22 carat gold that sovereigns are customarily minted from. This coin is 99.99% pure!

The significance of this double-anniversary, and the fact it is minted in pure 24 carat gold, means the mintage of just 5,999 coins is likely to be subject

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Hattons of London has a five star Trustpilot rating | Technical specifications: Coin: one-tenth sovereign | Date of coin: 2026 | Weight: 0.733gm | Alloy: 24 carat gold - 99.99% pure | Diameter: 13.0mm |

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43

Irish banker embroiled in the 2008 financial crash Michael 'Fingers' Fingleton Page 44

Register

Obituaries

Captain Stuart Farquharson-Roberts

Royal Navy officer who used a dictionary to deliver a battle ultimatum in French, survived Arctic convoys and commanded a frigate at 22

On September 23, 1940, Stuart Farquharson-Roberts, not long turned 18 and a midshipman still in training, was in his action station in the air-defence lookout high above the bridge of the heavy cruiser Australia, as Force M closed on the Vichy naval base in Dakar in French Senegal.

After surrender to Nazi Germany that summer, the collaborationist regime under Marshal Philippe Pétain in Vichy-governed unoccupied France and overseas territories and departments, retained a powerful navy, including the new battleship Richelieu. Churchill judged it essential to prevent the fleet from falling into German hands.

Emboldened by the recent defection of some of the Vichy colonies, he asked the Free French leader Brigadier-General Charles de Gaulle if he could rally Dakar to their cause. De Gaulle was convinced that a strong show of force would do the trick. Consequently Force M, comprising the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, two battleships, five cruisers and eleven destroyer escorts, sailed from Scapa Flow in Orkney to 'show' off Dakar — the aptly named Operation Menace — with de Gaulle himself and Free French troops aboard the requisitioned Dutch liner Westernland ready to land and take control.

Force M was not welcome, though. When a Walrus seaplane took off from HMAS Australia to scout and direct fire, it was shot down by Vichy fighter planes. Shore batteries opened up, and French warships put to sea. As the destroyer L'Audacieux made towards the Australia, the latter's captain decided to signal her in French to surrender or she would be sunk. As neither he nor the other officers on the bridge knew much French, however, Farquharson-Roberts was summoned. At first he had difficulty with 'sunk' until a dictionary was brought, and then the ultimatum was delivered by signal lamp.

But L'Audacieux signalled back 'Jamaïs', which Farquharson-Roberts informed Captain Richard Stewart RN meant 'Never'. Stewart gave the order to open fire and three minutes later L'Audacieux was ablaze from stem to stern. Meanwhile the Free French troops attempted a landing but heavy fire thwarted the attack and de Gaulle called off the operation, saying he did not want to shed the blood of Frenchmen for Frenchmen.

Stuart Murray William Farquharson-Roberts, an only child, was born near Farnham, Surrey, in 1922. His father, the son of an Army Veterinary Corps officer, had served in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, but later transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps. Farquharson-Roberts was educated at Brighton College and entered the Britannia Royal Naval College. Dartmouth, as soon he left school in June 1940. On his 18th birthday he learnt that his father had escaped from Dunkirk aboard a destroyer.

At the end of the accelerated first term, 20 cadets volunteered to continue training as midshipmen in Allied warships. Farquharson-Roberts one of these who joined HMAS Australia. When he left her the following year when HMAS Australia was

Farquharson-Roberts was first lieutenant of HMS Conn, above, which sunk three German U-boats during early 1945

'repatriated', his 'flimsy' (confidential report) said he was 'cool and collected in action'.

He returned to England from Sydney on Port Dunedin, a Dems (defensively equipped merchant ship), transiting the Panama Canal to join a convoy at Halifax, Nova Scotia. There he was astonished to see Churchill aboard HMS Prince of Wales smoking a cigar. The prime minister had just signed the Atlantic Charter with Roosevelt, the agreement outlining Allied postwar goals, although the United States's formal entry to the war was still some months away.

Still a midshipman, after shore leave in England he joined the heavy cruiser Cumberland and spent the winter of 1941-42 between Iceland and Greenland, then joined the First World War R-Class destroyer Skate followed by the V-Class Vanity, escorting east coast convoys.

He briefly served on the battlecruiser Renown before answering a call for volunteers for special operations with the Army. He only discovered what the operations were on arriving at No 1 Combined Operations Training Centre Inveraray in Argyllsher, part of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten's Combined Operations headquarters, where he learnt to command 'Landing Craft Assault' vessels (LCAs).

From Inveraray he joined a huge convoy in the Clyde carrying American troops, learning only after sailing that it was Operation Torch, the Allied landings in Vichy-held north Africa. His squadron of four LCAs landed men at Les Andalouses, Algeria, with complete surprise, but when Vichy French shore batteries opened fire he had to use smoke dischargers to mask his LCAs' movement.

After Torch he returned to England and, having passed his seamanship

He witnessed Churchill smoking a cigar on HMS Prince of Wales

promotion exam, joined HMS Archer, a 'Woolworth's Carrier' as they were archly known — escort carriers built quickly on the cheap from the hulls of merchant ships. In May, one of Archer's Swordfish torpedo bombers carried out the first successful attack with rocket projectiles, sinking U-boat 752 in the mid-Atlantic.

On promotion to lieutenant in December 1943, he joined HMS Westcott, a 1918 destroyer adapted for long-range escort, as navigation officer, sailing at once to escort Arctic convoy RA55A back from the Kola inlet in northern

Russia. During the mission he witnessed, albeit at a distance, the Battle of the North Cape in which the German battleship Scharnhorst was sunk.

In January HMS Westcott accompanied convoy JW56B from Loch Ewe in Wester Ross to the Kola. Navigating in 21 hours of darkness, with seasickness a constant companion and U-boats an ever-present threat, escort duty was a trial of nerves. Though Scharnhorst had been sunk, Treptz, bigger yet, was skulking in the Norwegian fjords. In March and April, Westcott made the same passage again to supply the Red Army with war materials for its grinding offensive in the east.

In a vignette for Hard Lying, the journal of the V&W Destroyer Association, Farquharson-Roberts wrote of the business of going on watch: 'And now the very careful opening of the starboard watertight door to the upper deck ... and seize the moment when returning from the big starboard roll to get out. You now have a few seconds in which to close all five clips [of the door], get round forward of your superstructure where you reach a long, high, taut jackstay reaching to the break of the forecastle. From it hang strips of rope called Izzards, with hard eyes so they can travel along the jackstay.'

'You grab one and start walking along the iron deck ... Once or twice

progress will be interrupted when the big roll lets seawater foam across the deck — 'shipping it green', as they say ... but as long as you keep hugging that lurial you will soon get going again ... Arriving at the forecastle you change grip with care to a metal rung ladder — gloves essential, the icy rungs would take strips off your bare hands.'

Farquharson-Roberts was subsequently appointed first lieutenant of HMS Conn. Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Raymond Hart, was senior officer of the 2st Escort Group and led them in sinking three U-boats in March 1945 in the Western Approaches, two in one day. Farquharson-Roberts briefly commanded Conn, a mark of especial confidence in a 22-year-old lieutenant. When off the Channel Islands she came under accurate German shore fire, which he skilfully evaded.

He even had to turn his hand to assisting the ship's surgeon in an emergency appendicectomy while Conn was conducting depth-charge attacks. In May 1945 he led Conn's company in the liberation parade at Bergen, although he wondered if it was appropriate. 'The Norwegians have had quite enough of armed men marching over their land!'

After the war, as a regular officer rather than 'for the duration', Farquharson-Roberts began specialising in torpedo and anti-submarine warfare, commanding motor torpedo boats, HMS Brocklesby after her conversion for trials and training, and the depot ship Berryhead.

In 1951 he married Josanne Atwill, a Women's Royal Army Corps officer. Her father was the Royal Army Service Corps regimental colonel — her mother was Swiss — and the couple met at one of his father's RASC reunions in Aldershot. Josanne died in 1987, and in 1990 he married Ursula Hancox, a schools inspector. Ursula died in 2020. He is survived by two daughters from the first marriage. Sally, a former teacher of physically and mentally handicapped children; and Caroline, a nurse and midwife.

In 1956 Farquharson-Roberts was seconded to the Pakistan Navy for two years to train officers, for which he was appointed OBE (Military) in 1958, and was naval attaché in Cairo and Khartoum in the early 1960s. He was captain of the shore establishment ('close frigate') HMS Vernon, the torpedo and anti-submarine training school, and then director of foreign and commonwealth training from 1973 until retiring 1977.

He subsequently studied mathematics and science with the Open University and taught at the Pilgrims' School, Winchester, until 1987. In semi-retirement he tutored pupils from home at Steep, near Petersfield in Hampshire, where he lived for more than half a century. He enjoyed sailing, cricket (a national coach) and Gilbert and Sullivan, as well as more serious classical music — he was a collat and pianist — gardening, bridge and travel.

It was said of him that 'he just loved being on water'.

Captain Stuart Farquharson-Roberts RN, OBE (Mil), was born June 3, 1922. He died on June 26, 2026, aged 104

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44

Register

Michael 'Fingers' Fingleton

Head of Irish Nationwide who ran it as a personal fiefdom in the Celtic Tiger era before its collapse cost the Irish public billions

Flann O'Brien's aphorism that banking was the world's second-oldest profession, but not half as respectable as the first, might have been coined for Michael "Fingers" Fingleton. He acquired his colourful moniker for having his fingers in so many financial pies in Ireland, Britain and elsewhere.

For nearly four decades, Fingleton was head of the Irish Nationwide Building Society, presiding over an institution that grew into one of the most extraordinary lenders of Ireland's "Celtic Tiger" years. He advanced enormous sums to property developers as Ireland's boom gathered pace. When the bubble burst, Irish Nationwide was left with losses that made it one of the most spectacular casualties of the Irish banking collapse in 2008.

From distinctly modest beginnings, Fingleton built Irish Nationwide in his own image. When in 1971 he joined its predecessor, the Irish Industrial Building Society, it consisted of one office in Dublin, with a staff of five. Four years later, he became managing director, and the society was renamed Irish Nationwide. By the end of the century it had 50 branches across Ireland and, under Fingleton's direction, had grown into an ambitious lender whose fortunes became closely tied to the property boom in Ireland and Britain.

Fingleton ran the society as a near personal fiefdom. Decisions that elsewhere might have passed through layers of committees could depend heavily on his own judgment, and he cultivated close relationships with the property developers who became Irish Nationwide's most important borrowers. He had a penchant for large deals, great confidence in his own instincts and little enthusiasm for those who questioned them.

As the property boom gathered momentum, lending expanded dramatically, and Irish Nationwide became heavily exposed to a relatively small circle of developers and to speculative property ventures in Ireland and Britain. Fingleton understood early that money was only one form of currency. Influence was another. He cultivated journalists assiduously: many

Fingleton at the opening of the Irish Nationwide's new head office in 1997

found that a mortgage that had proved difficult to obtain elsewhere could be arranged through Irish Nationwide, although Fingleton was no philanthropist and could charge a premium for the risk. The cosy relationship did him no harm in the financial pages, where his annual results generally received close and often favourable attention. At Christmas in the 1980s, he sent journalists a card depicting himself as Santa Claus.

Fingleton was never especially flashy. There were no Lamborghims or other displays of conspicuous wealth, although by the height of the boom he was reported to be worth about €75 million. He preferred a more old-fashioned stage. He was a habitué of the Horse-

shoe Bar at the Shelbourne hotel, where Dublin's political, journalistic and business worlds rubbed shoulders, and of the nearby Unicorn restaurant, where the ringmasters of the Celtic Tiger circus regularly gathered for lunch. A Dublin wag once described the Horseshoe as the place where "women with a past met men with no future". In the boom years, at least, many of the men around Fingleton appeared to have futures of almost limitless promise.

By the height of the Celtic Tiger, Irish Nationwide's loan book had swollen to about €10 billion. Fingleton moved easily among the developers, financiers and politicians who populated boom-time Ireland, and large loans could be

agreed with remarkable speed and on terms that reflected his confidence in the borrower and the deal.

His supporters regarded this as decisiveness and an ability to spot opportunities that more conventional bankers missed; his critics saw something much more dangerous. To them it represented an institution of formidable size whose lending culture had come to depend to an extraordinary degree on the judgment of one man.

A warning came in 2007 when Fingleton came close to selling Irish Nationwide to Landsbank, the Icelandic bank, in a deal that might have valued the

Fingleton got his moniker for having his fingers in so many financial pies

society at about €1.3 billion and brought him a substantial windfall. Landsbank examined the books but eventually backed away, reportedly unnerved by the scale of Irish Nationwide's commercial property lending. The Icelandic bank collapsed the following year in Iceland's banking crisis.

When the Irish property market collapsed in 2008, the weaknesses concealed by years of easy growth were exposed with remarkable speed. Irish Nationwide was covered by the government's guarantee of the banking system, yet only weeks later Fingleton collected a €1 million bonus. For 2008, the society recorded a pre-tax loss of €280 million as bad debts mounted, and Fingleton retired the following April. What had once been presented as one of the success stories of Irish finance was becoming a catastrophe, with an eventual cost to the taxpayer of about €5.4 billion. An economist calculated that if that sum were represented by one-dollar bills laid end to end, they would stretch to the moon and back one and a half times.

The bonus became one of the enduring symbols of Celtic Tiger excess. Under mounting public pressure, Fingleton announced that he would repay the €1 million while insisting that

he had been legally entitled to it. He never did. Nor did the disclosure that his retirement pension pot amounted to some €276 million improve the public mood. By then, "Fingers" had become a shorthand in Ireland for the banking excesses of the boom and the bill that followed.

Michael Fingleton was born in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo, in 1938, the son of a policeman. From the age of 11, he boarded at St Nathy's College, Ballaghadereen, before entering All Hallows Seminary in Dublin to study for the priesthood. He left before taking view. Years later, he told his daughter that chastity and poverty had not been the problem. It was obedience. He did not like being told what to do.

He is survived by his wife, Eileen, their daughters, Anne and Eileen, and their sons, William and Michael.

In 1961, he joined Allied Irish Finance while studying commerce at night at University College Dublin. After graduating, he worked for the state-run Dairy Disposal Agency, which operated creameries in the west of Ireland while continuing his accountancy studies. He subsequently went to Nigeria with the relief agency Concern during the Biafra war. On one mission, he was flown into rebel-held Biafra by a "crazy Italian pilot" carrying a suitcase of money as part of an effort to free priests and nuns who were being held hostage. It was something he appreciated later when he became the subject of kidnap threats himself. He qualified as a burnster, though he never practised.

Fingleton remained combative long after Irish Nationwide disappeared. Appearing before the parliamentary banking inquiry in 2015, he defended his record and rejected the suggestion that his decisions had brought the society down. A subsequent Central Bank inquiry into his conduct was permanently stayed in 2019 after a severe stroke the previous year left him unable to participate.

Michael Fingleton, banker, was born on January 26, 1938. He died on August 2, 2026, of a long illness after a severe stroke, aged 88

Peter Cannon-Brookes

Art curator who championed a scientific approach to conservation and held an exhibition of Czech art behind the Iron Curtain

"Science", "insurance" and "data" are terms not generally embraced by those in the art world, but they defined Peter Cannon-Brookes's long career as a curator. When appointed keeper of art at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 1964, he invited the press into the museum's art stores, which were in bad condition, then launched an exhaustive project to build a conservation studio to clean, repair and preserve historical and artistic objects. Few museums outside London had a conservation room at the time. The British Museum opened Britain's first scientific laboratory in 1920 when, after the First World War, antiques stored in humid underground offices suffered severe corrosion, but restoration of artworks rarely followed published guidelines.

The concept of "museum conservation" developed in the second half of the century, when scientific practices backed a shift from "intervention" to "prevention" and authors such as Dr Garry Thomson at the National Gallery, a close friend of Cannon-Brookes's, began publishing guidelines for appropriate conditions in which collections should be displayed and stored.

Studying natural sciences at Cambridge had given him a wide knowledge

of organic and inorganic chemistry and his scientific and never left him; later he admitted that he had probably irrevocably damaged his taste buds with a mouthful of acid from a pipette. He was later a fellow of the Institute of Conservation and taught hands-on curatorial practice to generations of conservators.

Cannon-Brookes had been a practical boy who built a magnetron in his back garden with his two younger brothers. He was shyer and more cerebral than them, though during one of their adventures he blew off the tip of his thumb while mishandling a .303 cartridge.

He was born just outside London in 1938, the eldest son of Nancy (née Markham-Carter) and Victor, known as Joe, a solicitor who worked part time for MI6 after the war. At Bryanston School he made better friends with the staff than his contemporaries and at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he befriended the dean of the college, Robert Runxie, the future Archbishop of Canterbury. By now Cannon-Brookes's interest in collecting objects — his rooms were furnished with antiques rather than Beatles posters — led him to switch from natural sciences to history of art, in which he excelled.

After graduating he studied the Italian Renaissance for his PhD at the Courtauld Institute, then run by Anthony Blunt, a member of the so-called Cambridge Five, the British spy ring that passed information to the Soviet Union during the Second World War and the Cold War. The secret was not entirely well kept. Peter knew, perhaps because of his father's connections to MI6 Blunt inspired Cannon-Brookes and his wife, Caroline, whom he had met at the Courtauld, to write a book on baroque churches (1969).

After the Courtauld he briefly worked at Christie's before he was catapulted into a senior curatorial role at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Cannon-Brookes's campaign to raise the profile of the museum was expedited by his connections to London dealers and the purchase not only of significant baroque works but a wide range of other pieces.

He also made contacts in what was then Czechoslovakia, travelling behind the Iron Curtain to organise with the National Gallery of Prague a major exhibition, Baroque in Bohemia, shown in 1969 at the V&A and in Birmingham.

In 1978 he was appointed curator of art at the National Museum of Wales, with the promise of building a national gallery. In the event, his right years in Cardiff were devoted mostly to promoting contemporary Welsh artists and funding a conservation studio by exhibiting 90 per cent of the museum's notable impressionist collection in Japan. This, as well as the purchase of over £1.25 million of tapestry cartoons attributed to Rubens, landed Cannon-Brookes in deep water. He was suspended after an investigation into his running of the museum; it was alleged that two of three specialists had disputed the authenticity of the Rubens, though

Cannon-Brookes reached a settlement with the museum.

In 1986 the couple moved to a remote country pile in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, where they founded the International Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship, a publication for museum professionals across the world. Cannon-Brookes also started a consultancy that organised data management systems for museums before returning to curatorial work, mainly with private collections. He is survived by his wife and children, Stephen and Emma.

Cannon-Brookes's world was submerged with paper piles of books, notes, records and press cuttings spread across the kitchen table like a banquet. He was a serious, deeply professional man whose pursuit of knowledge was Olympic. family holidays usually involved driving around Europe in a bust-up Renault, visiting museums, galleries and prospective contacts. His son Stephen recalled one picnic in Poland in 1977, on a trip to see baroque churches, that was interrupted by a convoy of Soviet tanks.

Peter Cannon-Brookes, art curator, was born on August 23, 1938. He died on May 3, 2026, aged 87

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45

Register

Law Report

Claimant entitled to written reasons for tribunal's decision

Employment Appeal Tribunal Railroad August 28, 2026

Jeffery v Givaudan UK Ltd

Before Judge Jeffs (2026) EAT 114 Addressee: 149 28, 2026

The subsequent settlement of proceedings in an employment tribunal did not deprive the claimant of their entitlement to written reasons for the tribunal's decision at an earlier stage in the proceedings.

Written reasons for a tribunal's decision, even where oral reasons had already been given, served an important function, particularly for unrepresented parties, in enabling them to understand why they had lost or won on a particular issue.

There was no provision in the Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedure 2013 (subsequently the Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedure 2024) to the effect that settlement, whether by way of a COT3 agreement or otherwise, of itself terminated the claimant's entitlement to written reasons. It followed that an employment tribunal was obliged to provide written reasons upon request pursuant to rule 62 of 2013 Rules (subsequently rule 60 of the 2024 Rules).

The employment appeal tribunal so held in a reserved judgment in allowing an appeal brought by the claimant, Mr Gary Jeffery, against the decision of Employment Judge Corrigan, who had declined to give written reasons for her decision refusing an order for reinstatement or re-engagement, after her finding that the claimant had been unfairly and wrongfully dismissed by the respondent, Givaudan UK Ltd, on the basis that the parties had subsequently agreed a settlement recorded on a COT3 form via Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service).

Ian Rees Phillips for the claimant, the respondent employer did not appear and was not represented.

JUDGE JOFFE, allowing the appeal, said that Employment Judge Corrigan found that the claimant had been unfairly and wrongfully dismissed but, after a remedy hearing, the judge declined to make an order for reinstatement or re-engagement. Within the time limit for making a request for written reasons set out in the note appended to the judgment, and in accordance with rule 62 of the 2013

Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedure then in force, the claimant wrote to the tribunal asking for written reasons for the decision on reinstatement and re-engagement.

Six weeks later, the parties agreed a COT3 settlement via Acas and informed the employment tribunal of the settlement.

The tribunal wrote to the parties informing them that Employment Judge Corrigan concluded that since the proceedings had come to an end via a COT3 agreement, that superseded the claimant's request for written reasons in respect of the re-employment decision, which would therefore not be provided. After a request by the claimant's solicitors, the employment judge declined to reconsider or vary her decision not to provide reasons.

A very important function of reasons was to enable a party to understand why they had won or lost on a particular issue. Written reasons following oral reasons furthered the same purpose as reasons generally.

It might be said that a professionally represented party, with no wish to appeal but a desire to understand more fully why they

had won or lost, could simply have a discussion with their representative, who would no doubt have taken a careful note of the reasons.

However, the rules also applied to unrepresented litigants. Such a party listening to a legally and factually complex judgment could not realistically be expected to derive anything like the understanding that would be gained from having time to carefully consider written reasons.

Written reasons might play other and important functions for parties. For individual respondents or witnesses in discrimination claims they might provide an enduring record that they had not been found to have committed serious acts of discrimination. For successful claimants, they were a tangible acknowledgement that they were correct to pursue their claims and that their wrongs had been seen. Where reasons contained a reasoned critique by a tribunal of a particular policy or process pursued by an employer, that might provide useful materials for institutional reflection and learning.

The entitlement to written reasons for a decision given orally came from rule 62 of the Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedure 2013. There was no discretion in rule 62 itself, or elsewhere in the rules, for written reasons not to be provided if the party applying complied with rule 62(3) by requesting them at the hearing or by presenting a written request within 14 days of the sending of the written record of the decision.

The rules made provision for claims to come to an end in various ways, including by way of withdrawal by the claimant. Although it might be argued that the effect of rule 51 of the 2013 Rules (now rule 50 of the 2024 Rules) was that a withdrawal brought the claim to an end for the purpose of any request for written reasons of a previous decision, the employment judge had not in terms said that she considered that there had been a withdrawal in her understandably brief explanation of her decision to refuse to provide written reasons and simply referred to the fact of settlement.

In those circumstances, it was not appropriate to interpret the employment judge's decision as having been made on the basis that there had been a withdrawal. Whatever the proper construction of rule 51, in the absence of a withdrawal, it did not take effect.

There was simply no provision in the rules to the effect that settlement, whether by way of a COT3 agreement or otherwise, of itself terminated the claimant's entitlement to written reasons.

It followed that the employment judge erred in law in concluding that such a settlement terminated the tribunal's obligation to provide written reasons.

Solicitors: Hallett & Co Solicitors.

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Court Circular

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21st August, 2026 Divine Service was held in Crafine Parish Church this morning The Reverend Dr Grant Barclay preached the Sermon.

Legal Notices

CR-2026-00406Z IN THE HIGH COURT OF NOTICE BUSINESS AND PROPERTY COURTS OF ENGLAND AND WALES COMPANIES COURT (CBD) IN THE MATTER OF RIVER GLOBAL PLC AND IN THE MATTER OF

THE COMPANIES ACT 2006 NOTICE is hereby given that the Order of the High Court of Justice (Chaisary Division) dated 23 July 2026 confirming the cancellation and extinguishing of the 1.19.1.90.3.21.1.5 Ordinary Shares of 4,876,184,947,214% piece each in the capital of The above named Company and a Statement of Capital approved by the Court in respect of the same securities was registered by the Registrar of

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Notice is hereby given to the Trustees of the OTRA UK (1995) Group Pension Scheme (formerly known as the British Central Electrical Company Limited (1995) Pension Scheme), pursuant to section 27 of the Trustee Act 1925, that any person that believes that he or she has a claim against, or entitlement to a pension of any benefit from, or interest in the Scheme is hereby required to provide the claim in writing within two months of the date of publication of this notice of his or her claim or entitlement (together with full name, present address, date of birth, Age of the Trustee, number, details of the period of employment to which their claim relates (where relevant) to the full name of the Scheme, Details should be sent to PO Box 17, WYDE STREET, WYDE, Cheshire, WA16 6AY and marked for the attention of The Trustees of the OTRA UK (1995) Group Pension Scheme. After the expiry of two months from the date of publication of this notice, the Trustees will proceed to write up the Scheme and will also have the assets of the scheme among the persons entitled to them having regard only to those persons of whose claims and entitlements they have notice. The Trustees shall not, with respect to the Scheme or the Scheme assets so distributed, be liable to any person of whose claim they did not receive notice. Any individuals who have already been contacted by or on behalf of the Trustees about this matter should not respond to this notice as the Trustees already have details of their claims and entitlements. The Trustees will remain responsible for administration of the Scheme until this process is complete and you are welcome to liaise with the Trustees (using the contact details above) should you have any queries in relation to this notice, respect by the Trustees of the OTRA UK (1995) Group Pension Scheme

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12

47

Weather

Today Mostly dry with sunny spells and the odd shower in eastern England later. Max 25C (77F), min 8C (46F)

Around Britain

Max. 8-10 days in Poland, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in Poland, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10 days in the Netherlands, 8-10

	Temp. 4°C		Rain mm	Sun hr( ^{-1} )
	middle	min	24°C	24°C
	middle	min	24°C	24°C
Aberdeen	17	C	0.0	1.6
Aberdeen	17	C	0.0	6.0
Aberdeen	17	C	0.0	11.1
Anderman	17	C	0.4	1.7
Barnstaple	23	PC	0.0	++
Bedford	22	PC	0.0	++
Elkhur	16	PC	0.0	7.7
Birmingham	20	S	0.0	++
Brentwood	21	C	0.0	11.9
Bridlington	21	C	0.0	++
Bristol	20	PC	0.0	11.7
Camberne	21	S	0.0	7.3
Cardiff	20	S	0.0	11.3
Edinburgh	21	PC	0.0	5.4
Edinburgh	17	C	0.0	5.3
Glasgow	17	S	0.0	7.0
Haverford	20	S	0.0	++
Northaveness	20	C	0.0	7.2
Ryomits	20	S	0.0	5.9
Isle of Man	16	C	0.0	11.6
Isle of Wight	21	S	0.0	++
Jersey	22	S	0.0	6.0
Knoxick	19	S	0.0	++
Malden	19	C	0.0	++
Leeds	19	PC	0.0	++
Lonsdale	19	P	1.2	0.2
Liverpool	20	PC	0.0	5.3
Lincoln	16	C	0.0	6.4
Liverpool	19	S	0.0	++
London	20	C	0.0	11.2
Lonsdale	21	PC	0.0	9.5
Manchester	19	PC	0.0	6.6
Memphis	21	PC	0.0	10.5
Milford Haven	21	S	0.0	++
Newcastle	20	PC	0.0	++
Nottingham	20	S	0.0	5.4
Orkney	17	C	1.0	++
Oxford	23	S	0.0	++
Plymouth	20	C	0.0	++
Portland	21	PC	0.0	++
St. Mary's	20	PC	0.0	++
Stamford	21	PC	0.0	11.6
Stoke'sburg	19	PC	0.0	5.1
Somalawia	16	S	0.0	++
Southend	21	PC	0.0	5.0
South Sled	15	C	0.0	++
Shrewsbury	16	C	0.0	1.5
Stou	17	C	0.0	6.6
Wichitawan	17	PC	0.0	6.1
Wick	19	C	0.4	++
Yewellton	22	PC	0.0	11.6

The world

All numbers are median moderate

Allicarba	22	PC	Muskova	27	PC
Anschundjay	28	PC	Muskul	26	P
Athens	33	S	Mukasa	28	PC
Auckland	17	E	Mukesva	32	PC
Edinburgh	17	E	Mukita	34	PC
Esmaha	38	E	Mukhacova	14	PC
Esmaha	38	PC	Muskova City	23	D
Barcelona	38	PC	Miami	33	PC
Esidma	38	PC	Milan	27	PC
Guina	++	++	Mombasa	25	D
Honolulu	38	S	Munich	25	PC
Jordan	38	PC	Moscow	25	PC
Normala	38	PC	Munichal	30	++
Northsea	32	S	Munich	21	PC
Brussels	23	PC	Nahvlet	25	D
Budapest	36	S	Naples	33	S
Budapest	25	S	New Orleans	32	PC
Buenos Aires	17	S	New York	25	D
Cairo	32	S	Naples	25	PC
Calcutta	32	S	Nassica	29	PC
Canberra	14	PC	Oslo	16	S
Cape Town	19	S	Paris	22	PC
Chicago	27	PC	Perth	19	D
Copenhagen	14	PC	Prague	22	PC
Corfu	36	S	Rodriguez	12	D
Delhi	29	S	Ripe	19	PC
Dubai	44	S	Rio de Janeiro	21	C
Dublin	17	S	Riyadh	42	S
Faro	24	S	Rome	22	S
Florence	32	S	San Francisco	1	PC
Frankfurt	28	S	San Diego	23	S
Geneva	24	S	São Paulo	19	PC
Gibraltar	28	PC	Seoul	32	PC
Helsinki	19	S	Scotchifco	30	PC
Hong Kong	19	PC	Singapore	19	D
Honshills	++	S	St Petersburg	1	PC
Istanbul	22	S	Stockholm	16	PC
Jerusalem	32	PC	Sydney	25	D
Johannesburg	25	S	Tall Aviv	32	PC
Kuala Lumpur	34	PC	Yaoyama	29	D
Kyle	22	S	Tokyo	29	PC
Laounwela	26	PC	Vancouver	21	D
Las Palmas	27	PC	Venice	20	S
Lima	22	PC	Vienna	24	S
Lidman	28	D	Warsaw	18	D
Los Angeles	27	PC	Washington	25	D
Luxor	38	S	Zurich	23	PC

Five days ahead

A changeable period with bright intervals and frequent outbreaks of rain and showers

Tomorrow

Fairly cloud and showers rain across southern Ireland, England and Wales. Dry mountains with sunny periods. Max 26C, min 8C

Wednesday

Sheltering with heavy sunshine in Scotland, bright periods and spells of rain and showers elsewhere, heavy at times.

Max 25C, min 8K

Thursday

An uncolthed day with heavy outbreaks of rain, perhaps turning thorners across southwest Britain by the afternoon.

Max 27C, min 8C

Friday

Bright intervals and showers outbreaks of rain, heaviest and most widespread across western Ireland and Scotland.

Max 25C, min 7C

Saturday

Shaking uncolthed and blizzling with patchy cloud and scattered showers, heaviest in Scotland through the afternoon.

Max 25C, min 7C

The Times weather page is provided by

WeatherQuest

General situation: A dry day for most with lots of sunshine, one or two showers in parts of eastern England. Republic of Ireland, N Ireland: Early mist and fog clearing to leave a largely dry day with the best of the sunshine in the east at first. Light to moderate east to southeasterly winds. Maximum 25C (75F), minimum 10C (50F). NW Scotland, NE Scotland, Aberdeen, Can Highland, Murray Firth, N Isles, Argyll: Dry with lengthy spells of sunshine, especially across western

Scotland through the morning. Light south to southeasterly winds, moderate along the coast. Maximum 25C (60F), minimum 8C (46F). Edinburgh and Dundee, SW Scotland, Glasgow, Borders, Lake District, IsM, NE Eng: A dry day with hazy sunny spells. Light to moderate east to southeasterly winds. Maximum 22C (75F), minimum 9C (46F). Can N Eng, NW Eng, W Mids, Wales, SW Eng, Channel to: Dry for much of the day with plenty of sunshine. One

or two spots of rain may move into the southwest towards the end of the day. Moderate to fresh east to southeasterly winds. Maximum 25C (77F), minimum 10C (50F). London, E Anglia, SE Eng, Can S Eng, E Mids, E Eng: Dry with long sunny spells in the morning. Bright periods and a chance of the odd isolated shower by the afternoon. Light to moderate east to southeasterly winds, fresh in the far south. Maximum 24C (75F), minimum 11C (52F).

Tides

Tidal predictions, weights in meters. All times in local time

Tides	HI	HI
Aberdeen	—	12:18:14
Arnewouth	20:01	4:8 17:14 10:2
Botfleet	09:45	2:8 22:04 3:1
Cardiff	04:52	4:8 17:25 9:7
Donanart	03:42	4:1 16:07 4:5
Dover	09:33	5:4 22:03 5:5
Dublin	03:14	3:3 22:19 5:6
Falmouth	05:34	3:9 19:56 4:3
Greenock	03:36	2:6 23:21 3:0
Haverhill	09:52	3:2 22:34 3:4
Holthcoat	04:12	4:4 21:28 4:6
Hall	04:13	5:6 17:44 5:7
Leith	—	—
Liverpool	09:45	7:3 21:59 7:9
London Bridge	11:54	5:6 — —
Lowestoft	07:17	2:2 18:55 2:2
Milford Haven	06:35	3:2 17:02 5:6
Monroeville	09:57	7:1 22:31 7:7
Newhaven	09:37	5:2 21:57 5:4
Newspay	03:30	5:0 19:56 5:4
Olton	05:05	2:4 14:57 3:2
Pascalves	03:03	4:6 16:56 4:5
Portsmouth	10:07	3:8 22:18 3:9
Shenham	09:42	4:2 22:08 4:9
Southampton	00:43	3:6 21:05 5:7
Swansea	04:27	6:9 17:01 7:4
Toes	01:42	4:4 14:39 4:5
Weymouth	04:53	2:2 17:18 1:5

Synoptic situation

High pressure control close to the weak coast of Scotland will bring a dry day across most of Britain and Ireland with the best of the sunshine in western Scotland and eastern Ireland through the morning. Sunshine will turn hazy for many by the afternoon, with perhaps one or two isolated showers moving into eastern Norfolk and Suffolk.

Highs and lows

24hrs in Spm yesterday

Warrnam: 6:41, 24 hr

Colbert: Stop, Cambric, 1.2C

Wolfram: Wink, Caldmore,

Carter

Sunnard: Lissombe,

Sun and moon

For Greenwich

Sun Hams: 01.20

Sun with: 02.04 Moon Hams: 01.50

Moon Hams: 01.50 Moon with: 02.26 Top

Full moon: August 28

Hours of darkness

Allentown 28:57-05:26

Belfast 21:30-05:48

Birmingham 20:04-05:37

Cardiff 18:47-05:44

Carter 18:47-05:47

Glasgow 21:02-05:38

Liverpool 20:58-05:29

London 20:59-05:32

Manchester 20:48-05:36

Newcastle 20:49-05:38

Newark 20:55-05:26

Pescanos 20:53-05:54 Sheffield 20:44-05:10

Weather Eye

Paul Simons

For many people this summer's extreme weather has marked a new climate, fuelled by the carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

So it comes as a shock to learn of claims that this summer's heat was something to celebrate, benefited the homegrown wine industry and in any case the weather was unremarkable because the climate has always fluctuated, even though the last time global CO ( _{2} ) ran out of control was during a devastating but era 56 million years ago triggered by huge volcanic eruptions.

But life for many people this summer was intolerable, and worst of all led to a big increase in deaths. The stress of living in overheated homes caused вечерless nights and a growing demand for air-con, which could push power generation to the limit. There were wildfires raging across parts of Europe and the UK, the decimation of farming as crops shrivelled up and livestock suffered and much of the world's oceans are experiencing record overheating, even before El Yidao this year is expected to raise global temperatures to a record high. And despite fluctuations in climate, the trajectory in world temperatures is unmistakably upwards.

Although climate change and its cause is clear, there is a growing resistance to doing anything about it. Net zero has now become the new bogeyman, viewed by some as too expensive and disruptive, although no one has come up with a reasonable alternative that does not involve burning oil and gas. And there is the view that whatever Britain does, we are only a minor player in world greenhouse gas emissions so it is pointless to reduce carbon emissions. But despite our small size in the world, we play an outsized role in climate science and fighting air pollution. After all, this is the country that raised the alarm over the pollution creating the Antarctic ozone hole, and the UK was the first country in the world to legislate for controlling coal smoke to get rid of killer smog. Refusing to get climate change under control is no longer an option.

Speak directly to one of our forecasters on 09065 777675

8am to 5pm daily (calls are charged at £1.55 plus network extras)

WeatherQuest

weatherquest.co.uk

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49

Before Brennan sports on Las Valtas stage win in the first Grand Tour

Cycling

Young British rider Matthew Brennan finished strongly to win the second and longest stage of La Vuelta ahead of race leader Tadej Pogacar yesterday.

The 21-year-old Brennan capitalised

on good work from Vama-Lease a Bike team-mate Wout van Aert in an uphill sprint and get ahead of second place Pau Wapak and third-place Pogacar to complete the 234.3km (13.1) mile fully trek through Provence in southern France in 4hr 47min 47sec.

Pogacar, who edged Ethan Hayter by 0.09secs in the opening time-trial on Saturday kept the race leaders red jersey by finishing with the same time as the stage winner. The Sherman leads the general classification by nine seconds from Van Aert, with Brennan

another second behind in third.

Hayter broke away from the peloton on his own with just a under 54km to go. The British rider was caught, however, and Pogacar was at the front with 34km remaining. Van Aert attacked with just under 2km to go, followed by Pogacar.

They were joined by Alessandro Romele, then others, before Brennan emerged to take his first stage victory on his Grand Tour debut just over two weeks after his 234 birthday. “Hopefully it’s not the last one, but it’s nice,” he said afterwards.

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50

Sport Tennis

'Fery has given me belief I can do it too'

Briton Felix Gill enters US Open qualifying in positive frame of mind, says Tom Kershaw

The majority of fans in SW19 might only have shown a passing interest in the opening match on Court 3 this summer because Rafael Jodar, the rising star of Spanish tennis, was making his Wimbledon debut. His opponent, Felix Gill, a 24-year-old wild card from Redditch, was brushed aside in three competitive sets.

At first glance, it was a mere footnote on a bruising day of results for British tennis, but that was a disservice to one of its most remarkable stories of resilience. When Gill made his first appearance at Wimbledon, in the boys' singles in 2019, his mother, Elizabeth, was in an intensive care unit with leukaemia. His most recent match in SW19 prior to this year was in the doubles with his best friend Arthur Fery in 2022. Gill's father, Matthew, died two weeks beforehand after a long battle with blood cancer. "I was in a state of shock," Gill says. "I'd say I was quite lost as a person, especially after losing my dad."

It would have been understandable — expected even — if Gill quietly slipped off the radar. And, for a while, he did after moving to Spain for a fresh start. Gill's ranking plateaued and he struggled to make a living, but the past year has been a revelation.

From September onwards, Gill won five titles on the bottom-rung Futures circuit in as many months. Then, at French Open qualifying in May, he came within a match of reaching the main draw. This time last year, he was ranked No 654 in the world. Now, he is on the cusp of cracking the top 200, and Gill spent the build-up to US Open qualifying today by rallying with John McEnroe in New York.

"We were at his academy. I think he was just showing face, but he was looking for a chat. I spoke with him for about half an hour and he was messing with my racket, and he was obviously itching to hit," Gill says, smiling. "He's about as big a legend as they come, isn't he?" Johnny Mac. A superstar.

"I feel like I'm putting a lot of good work in and it's been really rewarding to have those moments. At the French Open, beating Alex Molcan [the world No 75, in qualifying], he's a

US Open

Qualifying: three rounds from today until Thursday

Main draw: From August 30 TV: Sky Sports

very good player, and to come through that and play on Court Suzanne-Lenglen in front of 8,000 people — it's not often you get rewarded in tennis.

"You can fight your arse off in the Challengers with three people and their dog watching you. To have that moment playing on Court 3 against Jodar [at Wimbledon] was unbelievable. Those are the experiences I'm pushing for and I feel like I can do really well this week at the US Open."

Seeing Fery's extraordinary run at Wimbledon was a reminder that nothing is out of reach. "To be able to practice with him the week before, and you're toe-to-toe, and then Arthur goes and makes the semis of Wimbledon, it gives you the belief that you could do it," he says. "The competitive spirit between all the boys in the UK right now is crazy."

Gill was among the leaders of that crop, which also includes the likes of Jacob Fearnley, Tréle Samuel, and Jack Pinnington-Jones, as a junior. His father was the chairman of Redditch Tennis Club and, although he quickly transitioned to Edgbaston Priory in Birmingham, where Dan Evans is among the notable alumni,

Gill played in the first round at Wimbledon for first time since 2022, the year his father Matthew, right, died from blood cancer

Redditch remains close to Gill's heart — and a thorny issue.

Shortly after Matthew died in 2022, Gill says the leaseholder began demanding "extortionate" rents, which the club couldn't afford. In July 2023, the stalemate led to the club being locked out of its own courts. "My dad was a big strong voice and no one would challenge him in the

way the people who tried to take over did when he passed away," Gill says. "It's on a communal sports ground in a disadvantaged area. The courts have been derelict for three years now. You cannot believe how much of an impact those little tennis clubs around the country make. There are probably five or six players from that club in one town who've got

scholarships to colleges. The coach there was amazing. He taught people for free who couldn't afford it."

Gill, who has two siblings, is from a working-class background — Matthew was the general manager at a car manufacturer's warehouse and his mother worked as a secretary — and the money required to sustain a junior tennis career was already tight before his parents' health issues. After they fell ill within a year of each other and spent long periods in hospital, Gill's coach, Gary Norton, helped out financially.

"We'd travel to the ITF [junior events] and share the cheapest Airbnb rooms we could find so we could save money on not going out to restaurants. Gary would cover a lot of the meals for me and stuff," Gill says. "Tennis was an escape, but it was what I wanted to do. My parents always wanted me just to continue life as normal, and luckily I probably wasn't as emotionally intelligent back then. You don't really realise how big of a deal it was. Thinking back now, it's like, 'How did we even do that as a family?' But it gave me something to focus on. I went home, I'd be on my own, put a pizza in the oven, string up a few rackets, and then get picked up in the morning. My brother and sister were both at university. It was nuts."

Elizabeth made a recovery and Gill could have stayed at home or pursued the US college route, but Spain seemed like a good place to test his level. "There were definitely a lot of doubts about everything," he says. "There were times in Spain when I was just on my own for hours on end in my hotel room, not speaking the language, a completely different culture, and I found it really difficult."

However, one advantage was that about 40 Futures events are held in the country each year, as opposed to ten in the UK. That meant Gill could compete nearly every week without racking up as many travel expenses. "When you first come out of juniors, it's great because it's the journey, right? You get some success, you get your first [ranking] points, it's all new. After a few years, then it's like, 'Am I going to get stuck here?'"

The key that spurred Gill to the five Futures titles that helped him "break free" was new "habits" — not so much diet or lifestyle, but hunger and mindset. Gill's present coach, Mark Taylor, has helped a lot with that. Right on cue, Taylor starts banging loudly on the door of Gill's hotel room because it is time for them to head to training. It has been among the rougher rides, but Gill's persistence is finally paying off. "Just keep going, day-by-day. That's all you can do," he says. "The tennis will work itself out."

Leach makes key breakthroughs to keep Somerset in title race

Somerset v Essex

Taunton (final day of four): Somerset (22 points) beat Essex (2) by eight wickets

Rothesay County Championship Geoffrey Dean, Mark Baldwin

Somerset closed the gap behind Division One leaders Nottinghamshire to two points after Jack Leachs first five-wicket haul of the season wrestled an important victory that was far from certain at the start of the day. It was the first time since 2019 that Somerset had won a championship match without Craig

Overton, who was on paternity leave. Despite following on 3/1 behind, Essex had battled very hard to reach 3/4 for three when play began. Charles Allison and Matt Critchley had put on 2/2 in 78 overs for the fourth wicket when Leach finally made the breakthrough, spinning one to have Critchley caught at second slip for 94.

Allison's, though, was the key wicket, and soon after, Leach removed him for 1/4 with a beautifully flighted ball that turned to grace the edge. Leach was now in a beautiful rhythm, probing away relentlessly, and he produced further turn to have both Michael Pepper and Noah Thain well taken at second slip.

Essex were now only 58 ahead with three wickets in hand, but Simon Harmer and Shane Snater resisted gamely for ten overs while adding 28. Lunch was taken, with Leach having bowled all morning from the river end, but the decision to give Archie Vaughan a bowl from that end at the start of the afternoon session proved inspired.

Unearthing a pair of big off-breaks, he bowled both Snater, offering no shot, and Harmer, off an inside edge. After last man, Jamie Porter, was also defeated by Vaughan's turn, Leach walked off to a standing ovation after returning the analysis of 55.2-22-81-5. Somerset chased the target of 102 without trouble.

Peter Moores, Nottinghamshire's head coach, believes Olly Stone — so often injury-plagued in a stop-start career — can spearhead the county's drive for back-to-back championship titles. Stone's genuine pace and hostility earned match figures of ten for 94 in a three-day win over Surrey.

Moores said "Olly missed a lot of last year's win with injuries but he's now moved on from all his rehab and led our attack magnificently in both innings. He's a fast bowler with great skill, he really wants to achieve and it's so important to have him bowling like that going into the final five weeks."

Hampshire remain bottom after

losing their last three wickets inside three overs to come up 39 runs short in a tense fourth-inning chase at the Utilita Bowl against Yorkshire, who move up past Surrey and Essex into sixth.

Dom Best, with five for 103 from 46 overs, was Yorkshire's off spinning hero while Leicestershire's captain, Ian Holland, had the remarkable figures of 24-12-19-5 in an important 42-run win against Glamorgan.

In Division Two, second-placed Kent prevailed by 46 runs against Middlesex in another nervy finish to boost promotion hopes, as did Nottinghamshire, who thrashed troubled Lancashire by 316 runs at Old Trafford.

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51

How ever-shorter Test matches are helping England's quick bowlers

Mike Atherton

Chief Cricket Correspondent

England's team at Leeds contained three bowlers who boast strike rates among the best of all time. What is going on? Have a team that struggled to beat Australia and India lately and that have won three of their previous II Tests, suddenly happened upon a world-class attack? Or is there, in part, some other explanation?

The three bowlers in question are: Gus Atkinson, who has the tenth-best strike rate (39.6 balls per wicket) of all at present; Josh Tongue, one place below at 11th (strike rate 40.5) and Ollie Robinson 26th on the list, strike rate 45.1. At Headingley, Tongue and Robinson shared 16 wickets in 45 overs, which did their strike rates no harm at all. Atkinson, after a slow start, bowled well but took only one wicket, dampening his own a touch.

Best Test strike rates

At least 2,000 balls bowled

	Strike-rate	Wickets
GA Lohmann (Eng)	34.1	112
S Joseph (WI)	36.0	64
JJ Ferris (Aus/Eng)	37.7	61
M Jansen (SA)	38.2	89
SE Bond (NZ)	38.9	87
D Olivier (SA)	38.8	59
SM Boland (Aus)	38.9	82
Kuldeep Yadav (Ind)	39.3	80
K Rabada (SA)	39.9	340
AAP Atkinson (Eng)	39.6	80
JC Tongue (Eng)	40.5	65
SF Barnes (Eng)	41.6	189
W O'Rourke (NZ)	41.7	49
DW Steyn (SA)	42.3	439
JJ Bumrah (Ind)	42.8	234
AEE Vogler (SA)	43.1	64
Waqar Younis (Pak)	43.4	373
A Nortje (SA)	43.6	70
KA Jamieson (NZ)	43.8	90
L Npob (SA)	44.4	58
FR Spofforth (Aus)	44.5	94
W Barnes (Eng)	44.8	51
J Cowie (NZ)	45.0	45
JV Saunders (Aus)	45.1	79
J Briggs (Eng)	45.1	118
OE Robinson (Eng)	45.1	91
SR Harmer (SA)	45.4	69
FH Tyson (Eng)	45.4	76
C Blythe (Eng)	45.4	100
P Cummins (Aus)	45.5	322

Source: cricinfo.com

Throw Jofra Archer into the mix, and there is no doubt that England's attack is potent, one of the main reasons why Joe Root fancied a second crack at the captaincy. Two of them — Archer and Tongue

— are genuinely quick, Atkinson is sharp and Robinson accurate and skilful. They complement each other well. Archer and Atkinson's straight lines contrast with Tongue's unusual angle, and Robinson's height and smarts make up for his lack of pace.

It would be wise, though, not to jump to too many conclusions from the Headingley Test. At present, as a result of the existential angst over the future of Test cricket, and partly because the matches get more blanket coverage than before (everyone has to find a topic over which to ruminate), every game becomes a referendum on the five-day game, the respective teams or whichever individual player happens to be under the spotlight at the time.

England played well in Leeds. Pakistan were awful. As a spectacle it was underwhelming, given how uncompetitive it was. As tempting as it is to pass definitive judgment on Pakistan after two days, it is probably unwise. After all, they beat England the last time the teams met in Test cricket and avoided defeat in the Caribbean recently, which has been beyond England on their past two trips there. As for England and Root: it was a terrific start, but only a start.

The strike rates in question for the bowlers obviously do not lie, relatively early in their Test careers though Atkinson and Tongue are, but they tell only part of the story. The context is revealing: of the 30 bowlers with the best strike rates of all (minimum 2,000 balls in Tests), more than half of them are playing at present — which is extraordinary in a game that has been going for almost 150 years. To that extent, they reveal as much about the changing nature of Test cricket and about how games are progressing far more quickly, for a variety of (fairly obvious) reasons.

It is a fascinating list, consisting of mainly modern bowlers, playing in an era when Test cricket is on fast forward, or those from the late 19th century, and early 20th century, when pitches were more challenging for batsmen. George Lohmann of England (1886-98; strike rate 14.19) tops it, and he is joined by contemporaries or near-contemporaries like JJ Ferris (England and Australia), Fred Spofforth (Australia), Johnny Briggs, Colin Blythe and Sydney Barnes, all from England.

Their modern equivalents are well represented, with 16 of the 30 still playing. Shamar Joseph (West Indies), Marco Jansen (South Africa), Scott Boland (Australia) and Atkinson are in the top ten. Among others in the

list include Will O'Rourke (New Zealand), Jasprit Bumrah (India), Simon Harmer (South Africa) and Pat Cummins, followed closely by Mitchell Starc, 31st on the list with a strike rate of 45.64.

Starc and Cummins were in action in Mackay, as Australia wiped the floor with Bangladesh in a match that lasted only 125 overs — a full day and a session's worth of cricket, in other words. It was

Ollie Robinson

the second-shortest Test on Australian soil, the shortest for almost 100 years there and, of course, it followed an Ashes series in which two of the five Tests, at Perth and Melbourne, also finished inside two days.

These rapid finishes are not aberrations. The Headingley Test between England and Pakistan wa a short one, lasting 175 overs, which is fewer than two days' worth of play, although rain stretched it into the third day. At Lord's, earlier in the year, the New Zealand Test lasted 166 overs and was the second-shortest completed Test at Lord's and the eighth-shortest in England. This is a general trend: in the 1990s, about 7 per cent of Tests finished within three days: in the 2020s that number is 23 per cent.

Analysis from ESPN Cricinfo in June looked at the three World Test Championship cycles between 2019-21, 2021-23 and 2023-25. Draws have declined (13 per cent to 5 per cent); run rates are up (3.14 runs per over to 3.65); strike rates for bowlers are lower (58 balls per wicket to 47); Tests are shorter (an average of 1,855 balls per Test has fallen to 1,638) and those matches ending in 200 overs or fewer have trebled in number.

The reasons are not hard to fathom and include other reasons as well as the outstanding present crop of fast bowlers, who are, of course, to be celebrated. Batting techniques and mentality are heavily influenced by short-form cricket; there is a desire to score quickly and a lack of desire (or ability) to try to stay in if the game is gone. Since the advent of the World Test Championship, pitches designed to favour home advantage are probably more commonplace and, since the advent of DKS, umpires are more likely to give fows. The

Kookaburra ball has been altered in Australia as well, to become more howler-friendly.

You can debate the extent to whichever of these factors dominates, but that Tests are shortening in duration is not in doubt. Is this a good thing? One accepts that the occasional extreme outcome has always been a part of the game and that no one wants to see a glut of boring run-fests that dribble into a draw.

Equally, Test cricket is scheduled over multiple days to allow for the broadest range of skills and for the game to ebb and flow. Very short Tests rarely encourage that. The Ashes Tests in Perth and Melbourne last winter were, ultimately, unsatisfying.

For spectators there is a conundrum. For a Wednesday start, such as we had at Headingley, Saturday becomes the fourth day and only an optimist would buy tickets for a fourth day at present. Of course, grounds must offer a refund if there is no play, but they lose out on discretionary spend as does the spectator on travel and hotel costs (especially if, as last winter, large numbers of spectators from the UK found themselves in Melbourne and Perth). Thursday starts mean that Sundays become a debate.

Last winter, Cricket Australia officials were not slow to bemoan the commercial cost of the short Tests at Perth and Melbourne, although the solutions are not obvious. Mind you, Atkinson and Tongue are not complaining: with the third and fourth-best strike rates (at present) of any bowlers to have played for England, and pipping the great Barnes, they are riding high. What would the notoriously waspish Barnes have had to say about that?

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52

Sport Rugby union

Erasmus is in trouble if he opts for more muscle

Stuart Barnes

This wasn't the same South Africa that have dominated the world for three years. Seemingly en route to the 2027 World Cup in Australia as favourites to win an unprecedented third consecutive title, the Springboks were ambushed by their old rivals.

The 12-Test winning run comes to an

end. It will be nothing more than a footnote in their rugby history if they win the next three Tests (or two wins and a draw) to claim the series against New Zealand. Before it kicked off, 1-1 was the series scoreline I thought most likely. There's more pressure than Rassie Erasmus would prefer as his team head

to Cape Town for the second Test, but there's no panic. If there is, he was hiding it well in the post-match press conference.

Lessons to be learnt in defeat? Bah, nothing but a cliché to the coach. According to Erasmus, they didn't have to learn from the shock loss. "We knew what we had to do on the day and we didn't do it."

They did blast the All Blacks scrum to smithereens for the majority of the match. That was one of the less subtle parts of the masterplan.

Thereafter it gets confusing. Was the purpose of the set-piece pressure merely to force, not only the penalties that duly arrived, but also a few cards to weaken resistance? What an irony that it was South Africa who went down to 13 men late in the game. If the objective was to turn Test-match rugby into nothing more than a sequence of scrums, why not pick Handré Pollard with all his percentages and experience?

Surely the selection of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, off form on his return from injury against Argentina, was the statement of bold intent. This was to be the splendid Springboks team revealed way back in 2023. The one that destroyed the All Blacks at Twickenham on the eve of the World Cup. Rarely, if ever, had I witnessed such an extraordinarily cocktail of power and pace from forwards and backs in the first ten minutes. They were even better in the 43-10 humiliation served up when the two sides met most recently in Wellington.

The world champions are not a one-dimensional side. Not usually. Yet this first Test looked like an attempt to beat up the All Blacks with nothing but their bruising scrum. In the process, the link between the raw power of the pack and the electrification of their back play was cut. We, the observers, can scratch our heads as much as we want and wonder why they didn't utilise their threequarters. Why they didn't do what they were supposed to do.

There's an answer too obvious for many to consider. The inaccuracy of their passing game was staggering. How many times were passes thrown behind Feinberg-Mngomezulu and how many times did he — in turn — overrun his man or throw poor passes of his own?

The scrum half and fly half were never remotely on the same wavelength. The sinuous fly half was forced to apply his running game around the breakdown where black jerseys lined up to smash him. He finished the match a forlorn figure at full back, out of position, out of shape and out of form. For all the headlines focused on the bludgeon, there has been little concentration on the shapeless backline.

Erasmus selected a 6-2 split on his bench, with André Esterhuizen a hybrid centre/flanker, and two specialist half backs in Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok. The head injury that forced Kurt-Lee Arendse from the field from the ninth minute typified the problems of an imbalanced bench short on pace. Erasmus could have switched the rapid Grant Williams from scrum half to wing, but he was selected to use that pace as a threat behind the Springbok scrum. It was too early for such a move on the chess board.

Initially it appeared to be another of those inspired Erasmus calls as Esterhuizen came off the bench to stomp all over Josh Moorthy for an early try. The

Reinach is stopped in his tracks during

brutalism epitomised South Africa. However, this alteration required a change in the centres. Esterhuizen lacks the speed to cover wing. So too, perhaps, does the centre Jesse Kriel, but he is considerably sharper than the former Harlequin. Watch the positional mess Kriel gets himself in, stuck in limbo between Tupou Vaa'i and Moorthy, who received the inside pass to race away and atone for his earlier missed tackle and score.

The Springboks have one of the most experienced midfield combinations in world rugby, with Kriel and Saturday's centurion, Damian de Allende. In tandem they open defences and shut down attacks. They play off one another in every aspect of the game. In the fracturing of their solid partnership, Jordie Barrett thrived for the All Blacks.

New Zealand fielded 14 of Saturday's starting XV in their previous Test, against Ireland. In contrast, the only two Springboks starters from the weekend who faced Argentina were Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Eben Etzebeth. I wonder whether Erasmus regrets not giving Williams an hour alongside Feinberg-Mngomezulu in Argentina. The question of a collective rustiness is

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53

Sport

South Africa's 33-16 defeat by the All Blacks in the opening Test, with the world champions looking confused and chaotic

amplified when one considers the team selections throughout the Nations Championship.

The nearest Erasmus came to a "best" side was in the first game against England, when 12 of Saturday's team started. Only five of the team started against Scotland and seven against Wales. Unquestionably, South Africa have not built towards this first Test anything like as obsessively as Dave Rennie's New Zealand.

The All Blacks finished the match in control; South Africa with an unrecognisable backline of Reinach and Libbok as half backs, regular full back Damian Willemse at No12 and De Allende at No13. The back three comprised Feinberg-Mngomezulu — the fly half — at full back, Williams — the scrum half — on the wing, and Kriel — the centre — on the other wing for 71 minutes.

South Africa's set piece was strong, the rest of their game was chaotic (and they were unlucky with injuries). The mastermind was outwitted. The team and management out-thought. If Erasmus thinks the answer to their problems is simply more scrum and more might, South Africa and their grand master are in trouble.

Watching Six Nations in bar led to Mo'unga return

Alex Lowe

Richie Mo'unga's return to the All Blacks jersey was inspired by watching the Six Nations in a Japanese karaoke bar. The 32-year-old fly half will make a first appearance for New Zealand since the 2023 World Cup final tomorrow when the All Blacks face Johannesburg-based Lions at Ellis Park.

Mo'unga has spent the past three years playing for Toshiba Brave Lupus. His desire to pursue an international comeback was triggered by watching the 2025 Six Nations — the championship in which England beat France at Twickenham but lost out on the title to the French on a dramatic final day.

Those games reminded Mo'unga of the tribalism, the passion and the fervour that only Test rugby can generate — and confirmed that he wanted one more crack at winning a World Cup.

"It was sitting in Japan one night

watching the Six Nations [that I knew I wanted to make a comeback]," Mo'unga said. "It was in the early hours with karaoke blasting out in the back. Just understanding that there is no better feeling of being in the arena. One reason to come back was to win a World Cup but also to not have any regrets of, 'Jeez, I wish had given it another crack or maybe there was more to give'."

NZ Rugby regulations prevented Mo'unga from being selected by the All Blacks until he had played a game on home soil. Having played in a National Provincial tie for Canterbury, he was summoned to South Africa as an injury replacement for Billy Proctor.

Ruben Love, 25, is the incumbent fly half but Dave Rennie, the head coach, believes Mo'unga has improved as a player. "They all want to play, but you have to earn the right, and Richie gets a chance to put some pressure on Ruben," he said.

English referee leaves the Boks in no doubt about who's in charge

Alex Lowe

Rugby Correspondent, Johannesburg

Almost 60 per cent of voters in a "Rate The Ref" poll conducted by SA Rugby Magazine concluded that Matthew Carley's performance at Ellis Park on Saturday night had been poor or below par. That verdict alone would be enough to confirm who won the Test match. To all neutral observers, the English referee had an excellent and authoritative game in testing circumstances.

Carley is a strong-minded, no-nonsense official. He was the ideal referee to take charge of the first Test, which was played after a spicy build-up in which both teams had used the media to try to drive a narrative and highlight concerns about the other. Almost immediately, with strong communication and a firm hand, Carley left no one in any doubt who was in charge at Ellis Park — the television match official (TMO) included.

"You are not the captain. I know the storyline," Carley said to Jesse Kriel, who had approached him about the number of stoppages in the game. Carley then informed Ardie Savea, the All Blacks captain, of his conversation and said, "I am killing it now so it does not foster all game."

Carley had already marched Codie Taylor, the All Blacks hooker, back ten metres for not immediately returning the ball to South Africa after a penalty. "We all want the same. That is the standard now," Carley said.

The Nations Championship in July was dogged by interference from TMOs. Angus Gardner was reluctantly talked out of awarding Argentina a try against England in Santiago del Estero that would have given them a conversion to draw the match. But there has been a welcome trend during New Zealand's tour to South Africa towards the man in the middle assuming ultimate responsibility.

Twice on Saturday, the TMO Mike Adamson called upon Carley to review incidents of potential foul play. On both occasions, the referee correctly rejected the opinion of the man in his ear. The most significant decision was a review of suspected head contact in a tackle from Savea on Jasper. Wiese is try thousand Springboks fans inside Ellis Park cried foul.

It was a critical point in the game. South Africa trailed by ten points with 11 minutes remaining. "There is clear shoulder-to-head contact," Adamson said. A yellow card for the All Blacks captain at that stage could have been decisive.

But Carley concluded that the tackle had been legal, with any subsequent head contact the result of whiplash caused by the impact. "Mike, we're not seeing this as foul play. We believe the contact was on the shoulder and the

Carley correctly rejected two TMO calls on Saturday

head rocks forwards," Carley said. Adamson pressed again. "The head rocks forwards and there is contact with the head," he said. But Carley stuck to his guns. "There is clearly no foul play," he said. It is understood that Carley was not convinced there had been head contact at all, based on how Wiese and the players in the immediate vicinity reacted.

The review ended with Marco van Staden being sent to the sin-bin for illegally tackling Cam Rogard, the All Blacks scrum half, at the base of a ruck five metres from the Springboks line. Two minutes later Cobus Reinach received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on and the game was over.

Dave Rennie, the All Blacks head coach, applauded the general shift back towards referees being the final arbiter. "Yeah, it's awesome. The ref is in the middle because he's the best of the officials," Rennie said. "You have seen historically where TMOs have really pushed for something to happen that was actually inaccurate. You want the guy with the whistle making the final call in the end. It was really positive. It's really good refereeing, and good to see at this level."

South Africans were upset that the first yellow card of the game went to the Springboks, given how dominant their scrummaging had been. The match turned with a sequence of scrum around the 55-minute mark. Three times the All Blacks were penalised and three times the Springboks, having failed to score with advantage, opted for another scrum.

Carley could have easily shown a yellow card. He was the referee in Dublin last November when the Springboks ground Ireland's scrum into the dirt, resulting in the props Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy both being sent to the sin-bin. The Springboks, loose and wasteful in attack all game, were turning towards their scrum again as a route to victory. But then Carley awarded a scrum penalty to the All Blacks and New Zealand escaped.

Did he have Dublin in the back of his mind? Not at all. It is understood that Carley felt the penalty against South Africa's scrum for walking around the outside was one of the easiest decisions of the game.

Each team had gone public with concerns about the other because World Rugby has changed the regulations around coaches meeting the referee pre-match. Both coaches must now agree to attend a joint meeting, which denies them a chance to flag any tactical innovations they have.

Rennie and Rassie Erasmus, the South Africa head coach, declined to meet Carley last week — and instead turned to the media. As Carley said, he knew the storyline and was unaffected.

Five years ago Erasmus filmed an hour-long video hammering

Nic Berry's performance in South Africa's first-Test defeat by the British & Irish Lions. It turned the series toxic. The Boks had only themselves to blame for losing the first Test at Ellis Park on Saturday night. Erasmus should know that, even if half the Springbok public would rather blame the man in the middle.

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54

Sport Dutch Grand Prix

Norris revival continues after

Molly Hudson

Formula One Correspondent, Amsterdam

Max Verstappen's farewell to his home race in Zandvoort lasted less than a lap as he dramatically crashed out in front of his adoring fans — while world champion Lando Norris continued his mid-season revival.

The final Dutch Grand Prix at this unique Zandvoort circuit in front of a record 325,000-strong crowd was a fitting farewell, with rain, a red flag, and several virtual safety cars causing chaos.

If the unpredictable weather has always been a part of this race, it was not to the advantage of home favourite Verstappen. The final banked corner was the dampest on the circuit, and the four-time world champion lost control at high speed at the end of the first lap, hitting the outside left wall before spinning across the track and into the right-hand side barrier. Replays appeared to show he took a tighter line at that corner than everyone else, putting him onto the damper patch of tarmac.

Pieces of his Red Bull were left scattered across the track, as Verstappen quickly reported on team radio that he was "OK." A red flag was required, with his Red Bull abandoned on the pit straight.

"I got caught out," Verstappen admitted. "It was still quite wet in that corner, and as soon as I saw the dry patch coming, I was like, 'Now you can accelerate, but clearly that didn't work. So probably it was still a bit too early.'"

After his contract extension announcement on Thursday, committing to Red Bull until the end of 2030, it has been a miserable weekend for Verstappen who has been suffering from the flu, and had started in seventh.

Gabriel Bortoleto, the Audi driver, also spun in the same area, but miraculously managed to continue, avoiding the walls. Nico Hülkenberg, driving through the smoke, managed to swerve at the last millisecond to avoid his Audi team-mate.

Despite Norris's victory, he played down hopes of retaining his title, with the McLaren still having some weaknesses in slower speed corners compared to Mercedes in particular. "At the minute I don't have the car to fight for a championship . . . I think they [Mercedes] have a better all-round performing car than we do," Norris said.

Kimi Antonelli emerged from the weekend with a bolstered championship lead, 59 points ahead of his team-mate George Russell who is now tied for second with Lewis Hamilton.

He was frustrated by what he felt was slow decision making by the Ferrari pitwall, which he believes cost him a better chance of reaching the podium.

"I don't know whether or not we would have got by because Mercedes are just so quick . . . but I do think the time was lost when I was behind Charles [Leclerc, his team-mate]," said Hamilton.

"I think what's clear is I'm looking ahead and seeing the Mercedes execute like that [quickly]. They've got the car. They're fighting for the championship, in the lead, and they did it [made the decision] straight away. And here, [at Ferrari] I'm sitting back, losing seconds. It's something that we need to discuss offline."

The rain was a factor all weekend, falling as the cars reached the chequered flag in the sprint race, and then in the final moments of qualifying on

Saturday, forcing everyone to complete their flying laps earlier than usual.

Yesterday, gazebos were hurriedly erected on the grid with about 45 minutes to go, and drivers faced treacherous reconnaissance laps, but conditions dried up again with 20 minutes until lights out.

The FIA instructed drivers to complete one lap behind a safety car on the drying track, before a normal standing start. Russell had a poor start from second on the grid, and blocked off the progression of Oscar Piastri, allowing Antonelli into second. Leclerc moved up to fourth, after Hamilton was swamped by others and ended up wheel to wheel with Verstappen, before his crash.

The red flag restart also required an extra formation lap after Ollie Bearman reported a suspected engine failure on his Haas and had to abandon his car. Norris, the original pole-sitter, had a good getaway first time but struggled at the restart, with Antonelli nipping ahead of him in the Mercedes, which it was expected would have the better race pace.

The early drama was a welcome relief after the sprint race on Saturday passed with barely an overtake. Even with the extra power available to drivers when they are within one second of the car in front, overtaking at this cir-

How they finished

1	⊕ L Norris McLaren	2hr 4min 44.859s
2	( ) K Antonelli Mercedes	+11.536s
3	⊕ G Russell Mercedes	+15.906s
4	⊕ L Hamilton Ferrari	+16.755s
5	⊖ C Leclerc Ferrari	+17.258s
6	⊕ O Piastri McLaren	+32.332s
7	⊖ L Lawson Red Bull	+1: 19.915s
8	⊖ N Hülkenberg Audi	+1 lap
9	⊕ F Alonso Aston Martin	+1 lap
10	( ) P Gasly Alpine	+1 lap
11	+ Y Tsunoda Racing Bulls	+1 lap
12	⊕ A Lindblad Racing Bulls	+1 lap
13	⊕ G Bortoleto Audi	+1 lap
14	⊕ F Colapinto Alpine	+2 lap
15	( ) S Pérez Cadillac	+2 lap
16	⊕ C Sainz Williams	+2 lap
17	⊖ M Verstappen Red Bull	DNF
18	( ) E Ocon Haas	DNF
19	⊖ A Albon Williams	DNF
20	⊖ L Stroll Aston Martin	DNF
21	⊕ O Bearman Haas	DNF
22	+ V Bottas Cadillac	DNF

Overall standings

1	K Antonelli Mercedes	242pts
2	G Russell Mercedes	183
3	L Hamilton Ferrari	183
4	L Norris McLaren	159
5	C Leclerc Ferrari	155
6	M Verstappen Red Bull	112
7	O Piastri McLaren	104
8	I Hadjar Red Bull	68
9	L Lawson Red Bull	49
10	P Gasly Alpine	44

Fastest lap C Leclerc 1:14.230

Constructors'

1	Mercedes	425pts
2	Ferrari	338
3	McLaren	263
4	Red Bull	186
5	Racing Bulls	66
6	Alpine	63
7	Haas	21
8	Audi	16
9	Williams	11
10	Aston Martin	3
11	Cadillac	0

cuit is extremely difficult. That made strategy even more important, with Piastri frustrated to lose third to Russell after a slow pit-stop undid all of the work he had done on track on the hard tyre.

Hamilton opted for a much bigger tyre offset, pitting last of the front-runners and eight laps later than Russell. That paid off, as both Ferraris managed to pass a toiling Piastri.

Hamilton was still the faster, though, causing a headache for Ferrari with Leclerc having track position but on older tyres. Leclerc was told to come into the pits, to prevent the issue escalating as Hamilton complained, but on the first opportunity to do so, he appeared to ignore the command.

"We are just losing time," Hamilton complained, before Leclerc pitted the following lap. "Great way of wasting time guys, good job," Hamilton said.

Norris produced a brilliant overtake around the outside of Antonelli to claim what was effectively the race lead on lap 54, with McLaren significantly improving their race pace here compared to in the shorter format sprint on Saturday.

Another stricken Haas caused late chaos — with Esteban Ocon pulling to the side of the track this time, at turn three. That created a virtual safety car (VSC), and Hamilton benefited the most, having been the race leader by

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55

Sport

Verstappen crash

MARK SATTEN/TERMILA | SHOTTY BRADLE | SIMANN SBRIN/ALISTA

Verstappen, right, seemed to shrug off the first-lap crash from which he emerged unscathed while it was Norris who was able to savour the winner's champagne after the Dutch Grand Prix on a day when Antonelli bolstered his championship lead ahead of team-mate Russell

Ceferin, left, was shocked by Infantino's scheme and says his time at Fifa must come to an end

'This is shameful': Ceferin takes the fight to Infantino

CONTINUED FROM BACK

can do anything to people, but don't take football away from them. It happened in Super League. It happened again. Now, you see again the unbelievable power of football.'

Ceferin said he was sure that Infantino's plan was 'dead' and that it was 'even worse' than the failed European Super League launch in 2021.

'The most important thing is that we stopped another try to sell the sport,' he said. 'It's hard to imagine what kind of people would sell the sport that belongs to everyone.'

'The governance at Fifa on paper is clear: Fifa Council decides the main things. Fifa Congress decides, and things like that. The president cannot decide by himself. But you know, we have had experience with this organisation for 100 years. All the time, there are some problems, some controversies. There are some people who feel like kings.'

Ceferin is also a Fifa vice-president and said the first he knew about the World Cup sell-off plan was from The Times — and similarly with Fifa's announcement last November of a Peace Prize to be given to Donald Trump.

He was, however, heartened by the immediate reaction with Uefa's 55 federations agreeing at an emergency meeting to boycott Fifa tournaments unless Infantino dropped the scheme, which had lined up Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared

Kushner, as the lead investor. 'Everybody saw a different angle, but everybody was unanimous that this is shameful,' he said. 'Which, for me, it's great that [the] football community is so strong, and I was very positively surprised by [the] Asian Football Confederation and by Concacaf, who joined.'

Ceferin also decried the scandal around the USA striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup, where Fifa lifted the automatic suspension for his red card following a phone call from Trump to Infantino, allowing him to play against Belgium in the last-16 match. The Uefa president boycotted the World Cup final after a number of incidents at the tournament.

'That was more than shocking,' he said. 'We have rules, and if you don't respect your own rules, then the game doesn't make any sense.'

'Some of the federations, not in Europe, are suspended because of governmental interference. Now here, the president of a country says, 'I called him, and I told him to look at it.' And then the Fifa president says, 'But it was an independent decision.' For us as football fans, or for us as a governing body, that's shocking.

'And trust me, almost everybody was shocked. Just not everybody dared speaking.'

Asked about not attending matches in the USA, Ceferin added: 'There were so many reasons that I decided not to go. I knew that the decision is right.'

Carse was briefly detained by police but not arrested

CONTINUED FROM BACK

by Rob Key, England's managing director, before the T20 World Cup in February but has since been scrapped by the new captain and coach, Joe Root and Stephen Fleming.

This is not Carse's first brush with disciplinary issues. He was sent home from a tour of the Caribbean a few years ago and was left out of England's next

Carse is in the Test squad to face Pakistan

limited overs tour. He was also banned for three months in 2024 for betting on cricket matches, which contravenes the ECB's anti-corruption regulations.

Root said last week that his team need to 'be adults'.

'We should be known for how we play our cricket. Ultimately, you're grown adults. You know what it takes to play for England. You know what your responsibilities are off the field.' Durham and Derbyshire Police have been approached for comment.

Cricket coverage, pages 50-51

CONTINUED FROM BACK

Ferrari's slow decisions lose us seconds, says Hamilton

Molly Hudson

Lewis Hamilton said delayed decision-making by Ferrari could have cost him a podium.

Hamilton ends the weekend in third place in the championship — level on points with second-placed George Russell but with fewer race wins — having

Hamilton said he would have 'offline' talks with Ferrari

finished fourth in Zandvoort.

He could not pass Russell in the closing laps, and wasn't helped by a late virtual safety car, but believed momentum had been lost earlier in the race when Ferrari failed to invoke team orders to let him past Charles Leclerc, who was on older tyres in front of him.

'I don't know whether or not we would have got by because Mercedes are just so quick ... but I do think the time was lost when I was behind Charles [Leclerc, his team-mate].'

'I think what's clear is I'm looking ahead and seeing the Mercedes, they execute like that [motions quickly]. They've got the car. They're fighting for the championship, in the lead, and they did it [made the decision] straight away. And here [at Ferrari] I'm sitting back, losing seconds. It's something that we need to discuss offline.' Hamilton told Sky Sports: 'My goal is to try and lead this team to the championship, and we've got some work to do for sure.'

Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, acknowledged the team could have executed the weekend better, and were initially expecting to pit Leclerc, who would then not have been in Hamilton's way.

It was another missed opportunity for Ferrari and Hamilton, with Kent Antonelli, the championship leader, emerging with an extended 59-point cushion despite a couple of uncharacteristic errors across the weekend.

virtue of not yet pitting. A stop under a VSC means losing only half as much time as under normal track conditions.

That left a gripping finish — with the top two of Norris and Russell out front but on older tyres, while Antonelli and the Ferraris chased them.

Russell was the one to lose out, told to 'invert' the two Mercedes — the British driver briefly argued on team radio but allowed Antonelli through. 'We've lost a double podium,' he said.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, played down any team order dramas, saying it was agreed before the race that his two drivers would not waste time fighting one another if under pressure from their rivals.

Russell would probably have been right, were it not for a virtual safety car caused by the two Williams cars, far off the pace and the points but still managing to collide, with their debris on track. With two laps of unrestricted racing at the end, Hamilton could not find a way past Russell and had to settle for fourth.

'We weren't unlucky! We lost time earlier on and that cost us P3,' Hamilton said on team radio, referring to the Leclerc incident.

Fernando Alonso produced a typically brilliant recovery drive for Aston Martin, capitalising on the chaos ahead of him to finish a remarkable ninth, having qualified 18th.

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THE TIMES

Sport

Verstappen crashes out

Dutchman hits wall at high speed in home race

Pages 54-55

Carse in nightclub incident

ECB investigate after England bowler handcuffed then released without charge

Elizabeth Ammon

English cricket's drinking culture is once again under the spotlight after Brydon Carse was involved in an altercation at a nightclub that ended with him being led away in handcuffs by police.

Carse was filmed surrounded by police officers after an apparent night out in Derby on Saturday evening. His Durham and England team-mate Matthew Potts is seen in the video

trying to talk to Carse, while Ben Stokes is also in view. Carse is understood to have been briefly detained by police at the scene, but not arrested.

The Times understands that Carse is still in the England squad for the team's second Test against Pakistan on Thursday.

A spokesperson for the ECB said: "We are aware of an incident which is reported to have taken place in Derby last night, and are currently investigating. We will provide a further update

when possible." Carse was not on England duty at the time of the incident — having been an unused member of the squad for the first Pakistan Test — and was sent to play for his county Durham at Derby in the County Championship. He was out celebrating with the Durham team after they had beaten Derbyshire by 338 runs to extend their lead at the top of Division Two.

The incident follows on the heels of a number of drinking-related incidents that have plagued the England team in

recent months including Harry Brook, England's white-ball captain, being hit by a security guard last November in Wellington, Ben Duckett being filmed under the influence during England's Ashes break in Noosa and culminating in the incident in the Rex Rooms nightclub in Chelsea this summer which led to Stokes and Gus Atkinson being suspended although subsequently cleared of wrongdoing by the regulator.

A midnight curfew was introduced Continued on page 55

Step down or face challenge, Infantino told

Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter

Gianni Infantino has lost the support of the majority of the football world and should step down — or he will face a challenge for his position, the Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has warned.

Ceferin has ruled himself out of running for the Fifa presidency but says the global reaction in football to Infantino's plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors leaves no room for doubt.

Infantino dropped his plan three days after it was revealed by The Times and now faces combined opposition from Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf — three of Fifa's four biggest confederations.

In an interview with Alastair Campbell for The Rest Is Politics podcast, Ceferin said: "Things are changing every day. Every day there are different discussions. I didn't speak with him. He didn't contact me since this happened.

"But there are two options. One option is that he realises that he doesn't have the support, and not only the political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of the football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players and coaches.

"The second option is that he goes to the elections in March, but in that case, I think he will have a candidate against him. I don't know yet who."

Ceferin, a former lawyer from Slovenia, said he was "not interested" in the Fifa presidency and also doubted that Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Qatari president of Paris Saint-Germain and chairman of European Football Clubs organisation, could be persuaded to run.

"He also says to me that he's not interested," Ceferin said, "but it's really too soon. The date is November 18 [nomination deadline]. Let's see what happens until then. But I'm always fascinated by the power of football. You Continued on page 55

Times Crossword 29,629

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DOWN

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Prize solution 29,622

Check today's answers by ringing 0905 757 0141 by midnight. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP: Spoke 0333 2012 3390.

The winners of Prize Crossword No 29622 are C. Anderson, Newcastle upon Tyne S Lee, Ooclebury, Hampshire R Martin, Manfield, East Sussex I McGregor, Brentwood, Essex N Melton, Twickenham, Greater London

Newspapers support recycling

The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2024 was 34.7%

9 9 7 7 1 7 4 2 4 9 8 7 1 1

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TIMES 2

August 24 | 2026

What the death of my parents taught me about grief, depression and courage

By Professor Tanya Byron

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What are William and Kate thinking? Well, it's not about olive branches

So how did they tell the Prince and Princess of Wales about Harry and Meghan's imminent return to the UK? Let's hope the news was not delivered via a whisper in William's ear at a formal dinner, or relayed by an aide in the back of a Range Rover en route to a charity event.

In an ideal world you would hope King Charles delivered the message himself: 'Dear boy, are you sitting down?' Then again, the last thing William might want, after a couple of years of health and Andrew crises, is to hear his beloved father grappling with the right words to tell him that his world is about to implode, again. Maybe, in the end, it was Camilla who got on the phone to Kate, and in her deep soothing bedtime-story voice, said: 'It is a blow. I am so sorry for you both. Pour him a whisky before you tell him — I would.'

There are no prizes for guessing how William reacted. The Prince of Wales, we can comfortably assume, will be seething at the prospect of having to now consider where he can and can't go, the rigmarole of staggering arrivals and exits. (A black-tie event in September hosted by the Diana Award, a charity of which both William and Harry are supporters, is the first social minefield that will need negotiating).

A job that has never been a walk in the park for William has overnight become fraught with potential for clashes and upstaging. Today William and Kate take time out to visit a struggling tweedmill ... which is lovely ... Ooh, but, hang on a minute, here's Harry and Meghan going walkabout in Burford Garden Centre and employees report that she ordered a poolside gazebo and a dog bed piped with tartan 'because my husband adores tartan'.

Which of these is social media catuity? Which couple scores highest on prince and princess vibes, if you're an amateur jam maker and Pilates teacher? Is it the duty-bound future King and Queen (Kate wearing skinny jeans and a wax jacket, hood up

against the mizze) or flash Harry and faun Meghan, wearing a bechamel turtleneck from Loro Piana, white pants from Ralph Lauren and Manolo Blahnik heels (all items available to buy online).

What's William thinking now? Something along the lines of, 'don't let them near me', obviously, but that's just a symptom of his one, all-consuming white-noise thought which is: 'How Dare They Do This to Us?'

The 'Us' are the core members of the royal family who have been forced to ramp up commitments to fill the gaps since H and M decided to find 'other ways to serve' that involved substantial financial compensation. The Us is

when the consequences for Harry kick in. He's probably said to the King, 'Dad, FFS. Do they just get to swan back as if nothing has happened?'

The issue is not just that Meghan and Harry abandoned him and Kate — in his view, they then threw them under a bus. Never mind the unprecedented horror of a senior member of the royal family deciding to dish the dirt on the institution, in his book Spure, but Harry specifically took aim at Kate. She made Meghan cry over the issue of Charlotte's dress fitting, he said, and she cringed at Meghan's request to borrow her lipgloss (hygiene freak? Uptight? Snob? You decide why he felt compelled to mention this detail).

Either way the intention is not nice and William will not forgive. When brothers fall out there is hope of reconciliation — that's the basis of the Prodigal Son parable. But this is the story of the Prodigal Son without any sign of contrition, plus wives, and Kate is not just any wife. This is someone who pledged to

play the game, never complain, look great, behave beautifully, raise children who likewise know the rules backwards and never let the side down, who has fulfilled the brief and kept on fulfilling it in spite of a cancer diagnosis.

Her priority — like all good members of the royal family — is stability and continuity and her children (George is off to Eton in September, remember, if everyone isn't too busy looking out for sightings of Meghan in Chipping Norton).

Is Kate thinking about extending an olive branch to Meghan, maybe serving her tea at Anmer Hall, as Camilla did at Highgrove? Probably not.

Is William up for burying the hatchet? You must be joking.

It's often said that William was particularly incensed by the passage in Spure accusing him of flooring Harry, breaking his necklace in the process, but this is so obviously the one bit of the book (true or not) that William will have loved. It's the part where he shows how he really feels about Harry and his new wife, and that was well before Megxit. It's got a lot, lot worse since then.

him and his father, a unit of three after the death of Diana, now reduced to two. But the big Us is Kate and William, on whom the hopes of the royal family now rest heavily. Leaving everything else aside, their job is lonelier, bigger, harder and more fraught post Megxit and, having just adjusted to the new normal, now the people responsible are looming once again on the horizon, smiling and waving. Wearing fancy clothes and touching their hearts. Hob-nobbing with the Guy Ritchies of this world, while Kate and Wills keep on doing exactly what's expected of them. Yesterday they turned up to the service at Crabie Kirk near Balmoral, with all the family, because that's what they do at this time every year.

William no doubt wonders

The Prince of Wales, we can assume, will be seething

Harry and Meghan's mini-break bolt hole in Portugal

They may be living in England for the foreseeable but what better escape for school holidays than a secret farmhouse in Praia da Galé? Lauren Clark reports

I was reclining in Hunza G, on a pristine beach in mid-July, with my fiancé, just the ocean massaging the shore as my soundtrack, when an Instagram post made me nearly drop my freshly made limonada. The Duchess of Sussex had posted a 'summer holiday' carousel of snaps showing her on the exact stretch of Portuguese sand where I was scrolling.

Comporta, now known as the 'Hamptons of Europe', has become shorthand for a large rural area that is just over an hour's drive south from Lisbon and is where the agricultural Alentejo region meets the Atlantic coast. Its epicentre is the former fishing village of Comporta but the village of Melides. 18 miles down the road, is increasingly spoken about in the same (bated) breath.

Meghan shared photos of herself and her husband, Prince Harry, along with their young children, Archie and Lilliet, splashing about in the sea on Praia da Galé, wandering around the homeware shop Caju and visiting the restaurant O Melidense, which serves petiscos, the Portuguese version of tapas.

My instant thought then was, are the Sussexes fed up with America and mulling a move to Europe? If only I had bet on it, given the news of a reverse Megxit last week.

Assuming that Harry and Meghan are moving to England for the long haul of their children's schooldays, Portugal makes perfect sense as a bolt hole for those long summer private school breaks. They already have friends in Praia da Galé: Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank have lived on the luxurious 722-acre CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club since 2022. Nicole Kidman is said to own a place here and, according to some reports, Harry and Meghan bought a property in the development in 2024.

Except, one local insider says, they didn't. Instead the Sussexes bought an old farmhouse nearby, they claim. 'It's very close by. You wouldn't even know it is there. The thing about that whole area is the privacy... everyone is so private. I can understand why they would like it, just to get away from everything.'

Yes, they've been seen locally — at boutiques in Carvalhal and at a beach restaurant near Melides — but locals are more interested in news that the Formula I driver Max Verstappen has just bought a piece of land in the luxury Pinheirinho Comporta resort. 'I've even heard people say the Sussexes' presence potentially puts them off the area because of their reputation,' the insider adds.

Comporta is a place that prizes seclusion and where stealth wealth reigns, so most entertaining goes on in people's houses. 'Maybe, if you want to go out for dinner one night, you get a big group and you go to a nice restaurant. But other than that you'd never really see anyone — that's why people love it.'

I visited Comporta in 2020, weeks after moving my life from London to Portugal, on my own, aged 27, to tick 'living abroad' off the bucket list. I like the uninterrupted, untouched coastline that is home to the longest continuous stretch of beach on the Iberian peninsula. It is 40 miles — from the tip of Troia at the top to the streets of Sines at the bottom — so even at the peak of the season it still feels like you have much of it to yourself.

It was still a relatively unknown holiday spot when Madonna — who called Lisbon home from 2017 to 2020 — was pictured on horseback along the sand with the Cavalos na Areia riding school in 2017 (a coastal hack remains one of my own favourite activities in Comporta). That's because

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SPLAIN GETTY IMAGES

The horror of working at a dog screening

Having just graduated from a Russell Group university with a first-class degree I was looking forward to a career that would provide me with financial stability and purpose in life. I ended up working for the “doggie screening” at a London cinema.

Netflix and streaming means cinemas have been forced to dream up “events” to bring in paying customers who would otherwise be slumped in front of a TV or iPad. The doggie screening is one of these “events”.

My day starts at 9am. The two events on are the doggie screening and the parent and toddler screening. One consists of stressed first-time parents with their little angels, the other is people taking their “fur babies” — their words, not mine.

The parents arrive first. Next come the dog people. One customer is an extravagantly dressed woman with a pug in a sling on her chest.

“Rufus and I would like a ticket to Superman and a large sweet popcorn — to share.”

I try to hide my shudder. “Sure, that would be...” BARK! “... it will be...” BARK! “IT WILL BE $12.99”

Rufus is still barking. “DO YOU HAVE A MEMBERSHIP?”

A puddle of Rufus’s drool is on the

wine list. “Oh no! I’m sorry about that,” says his owner, not wiping it up.

More people and dogs are piling in. A large husky begins to howl, causing at least five other dogs to howl, causing children to cry, which leads to more howling. Rufus, released from his sling and lured by the scent of popcorn, makes his way behind the bar, and I spend at least 15 minutes trying to coax him back into the arms of his owner.

Suddenly my manager pops up. “I can cover this, screen 3 has come out.”

I reel away from the bar, drunk on fatigue. Screen 3 is showing Tuner. Surely people watching a film about a gifted piano tuner can’t have left a mess? Up to a point, I’m right — a few cans of IPA, some lattes. Then I see it. A collection of eggshells. What kind of a person sneaks in boiled eggs?

As I sweep up the shells I realise my shift has ended. I make my way back into the foyer. The only evidence of the earlier carnage is piles of popcorn and the occasional tuft of fur. I slump down on the stool we use to access the cleaning cupboard. I wonder if all this is worth the free popcorn and Pepsi.

Dominic Bradshaw

this is a place where an exclusive crop of Portuguese families have visited for generations. While trendy Lisboetas have long pitched up with beach pouffes and tasselled parasols, arguably it is the steady stream of celebrity visitors — including Monica Bellucci, Harry Styles, Carla Bruni and Cristiano Ronaldo — who have put what was once a best-kept secret on the map in recent years.

The area, once entirely owned by the Espirito Santo banking dynasty, has been protected for decades by strict building regulations. It was only in 2014 that the first hotel there, Sublime Comporta, opened its doors. Then came the wellness-focused Quinta da Comporta. Comporta’s historic village centre only has one hotel, AlmaLusa. Christian Louboutin — who first came across the area in the 1990s — opened his hotel, Vermelho, in 2023. Otherwise, holidaymakers can rent stylish beachy villas such as Casa dos Pescadores by Praia do Carvalhal, where rooms are €1,100 (£943) a night in high season. Comporta, which translates as “a gate

that holds back water”, sits on the edge of the 240 sq km Sado Estuary nature reserve. Its lone houses, fishermen’s huts and villages are so spread out that the next notable village to Comporta is Carvalhal, a 15-minute drive away. Behind the sand dunes are acres of rice paddies and pine forests; wildlife reigns to the point where storks nest on top of power lines and the evening mosquito problem is so pervasive that there are vending machines selling bug repellent.

There is also the gentle buzz of chic boutiques, stocked with elegant ceramics and stylish swimwear, including Casa da Cultura (for upscale Portuguese products such as Torres Novas beach towels), the Life Juice (handmade jewellery by Sofia Simoes can set you back thousands at the till) and Fashion Clinic (for floaty Zimmermann dresses). There are vibey restaurants aplenty, with fresh oysters and lobster rice. The best inland hotspots to dine at are Cavalarica, located in a former horse stable, along with Mesa Comporta, Sado and Dona Bia. Stock up on the best wine at Herdade da Comporta and pick up groceries at the supermarket Mercearia Gomes (which even sells Tyrrells salt and vinegar crisps, should the prince be feeling homesick).

There are murmurings that Comporta is the “new Ibiza”, but bar the dazzling JNCQUOI deli (€18 for a margarita) and Colmo (perfect for a chilled vinho verde), this is no party place. The main scene is found at the beach spots, including Sublime

Comporta Beach Club, Comporta Café and Sal.

There’s an early morning ethos that suits wellness types like Meghan. I love cycling to the bakery Simone for a flat white and to pick up a baguette. If it’s açaí bowls and kimchi you want, then it’s Almo and Be Comporta. A reformer Pilates studio has opened at Sublime, Quinta da Comporta has the best spa and on my last visit there was a flurry of early morning joggers heading to the fields.

It is a place where you can go make-up-free, barefoot and waft around in linen and Havaianas for the entirety of your stay. Its laid-back, understated, boho-chic glamour is certainly never pretentious. The unwritten dress code reflects the wild, earthy setting — creams, greens and blues — and the interiors likewise feature rattan rugs and wicker lampshades aplenty.

“This is why Portugal is the dream, because I can go to the supermarket in my exercise gear and my hair piled on my head and not mind. Not care. No one cares,” Princess Eugenie told Jessie and Lennie Ware’s Table Manners podcast in 2023.

I do worry whether Comporta may become a victim of its own new-found fame. It was recently reported that access to the beach near CostaTerra, favoured by royals, was being restricted by the presence of gates, fences and security guards. And if there is one thing the Portuguese hold as sacred as pastel de nata, it is that its beaches should remain open for all — including the “Bola de berlimt” sellers — to roam. Although the likelihood of Algarve levels of development feel remote, there are rumblings about the nature of forthcoming construction in the area, with JNCQUOI and Six Senses hotels slated to open in 2028. Because, at present, Comporta is almost a perfect ecosystem, where the only essentials are SPF and good company.

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I am a trained clinical psychologist

Professor Tanya Byron rails against the misapplication of mental health labels to normal feelings — yet when her father died, she succumbed to exactly that herself

I should have known better. I wasn't clinically depressed, of course I wasn't, but that's exactly what it felt like. Years of training, thousands of hours spent listening to other people's pain, a career built on helping people untangle their emotional knots, and yet there I was, a full-grown clinical psychologist, misreading my own emotional state with clinical precision and a complete lack of self-awareness. Turns out that professional training is no match for personal denial — who knew?

My father died suddenly. He was only 67, still working, still directing plays, still very much himself, full of unfinished thoughts and as sharp as ever. I was filming for the BBC in London when my sister called. I remember everything about that moment except the actual words. She said his name, and then mine, and then something about it being quick. He'd collapsed at the theatre. No warning, no goodbyes, just gone. I collapsed, too, and got on the next train to be with my mother and sister. The next days were a blur of shock, love, disbelief and decisions. And then, because I didn't know what else to do, I returned to work.

I was a working mother of two young children, simply trying to keep it all together. And suddenly I wasn't. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't think straight. I would burst into tears at the school gates or while boiling the kettle. Then I realised that numbness makes for good functioning. I made lists. I took care of logistics, I spoke calmly at the funeral and I sent thank-you notes. I checked in on my mum. I even reassured people I was "doing OK", which, on paper, I was. But what I couldn't admit, even to myself, was that I'd confused coping with healing. I was holding it together so tightly that nothing could get in or out, least of all the grief.

I got on with it. I even began to self-monitor. I'd wake up early, feel flat and think, "Low mood, early-morning waking — tick, tick."

I noted my irritability, my difficulty in concentrating, my sense of disconnection, "Probably mild depression," I thought. "Grief-induced." I told myself this wasn't surprising. I even rehearsed the narrative that I might use, if anyone asked, but no one really did. Or if they did, I smiled and said I was fine.

Eventually I booked a therapy session with someone I'd worked with during my training, more than ten years earlier. As I sat with her, I told my therapist what I was sure was true: I was clinically depressed.

How else could I explain it? The brain fog, the fatigue, the unfathomable sadness, the complete inability to function in any meaningful

Tanya Byron with her mother, Elfie

I needed a diagnosis... I needed it to have a name, so that I could begin to make it stop

You Are Not a Diagnosis: The Therapy-Speak Trap and the Lost Art of Listening to Ourselves by Tanya Byron (Penguin £18.99) is published on September 3. To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Special discount for Times+ members

way — it had to be more than grief, I said. It had to be depression, I needed a diagnosis. I needed treatment. I needed it to have a name, so that I could begin to make it stop.

My therapist, M, listened kindly. Nodded. Tilted her head slightly to one side, as therapists do when they're about to lob a grenade very gently into your psyche. I remember vividly one particular exchange with her. Not

because it was dramatic or shocking, quite the opposite: because it was so simple, and so subtle, that it got under my skin and changed everything.

T: Look at me! I can't sleep; I can't eat. I have to remember to breathe. I either cry or I feel dead, utterly numb inside. There is no joy in anything, and I wonder whether there ever will be again. I see people older than my father who are in poor shape, but alive and well, and I feel enraged. Why is their world still functioning as it always does, when my world is

shattered? I want to scream and run away. I want to not feel like this. I want him back.

M: You are clearly in great pain — pain that, I suggest, matches the depths of your love for your father. Pain that, in grief and grieving, is completely normal.

T: If you're saying that this is normal and I'm not depressed, then how will I ever get better?

M: I'm not sure what 'better' means.

T: Then why am I here?

M: For me to help you learn to live with the pain.

T: That will never happen. I can't accept that he's gone, and I can't live with what I can't accept.

M: Then let's start there.

And so we did.

That line — "let's start there" — was the thread that pulled me through the miasma. Not because it made things better, not because it healed the pain, but because it gave me permission to stay inside it long enough to begin to understand it.

The conversations that followed over those first few weeks started to shift something fundamental in me. I began to realise that what I was experiencing wasn't clinical pathology. It was grief. Profound, raw, soul-ripping grief. And if I could reframe it that way — as something that felt unbearable but human, devastating but not disordered — then maybe I could survive it.

You might think that because I'm a clinical psychologist — someone trained to hold and contain other people's pain — I'd be equipped to handle my own. But while I'd been trained to notice patterns, to map distress onto frameworks, to understand pain, I did not know how to feel it. And something about the word "grief" felt too raw, too human, too uncontained. Too hard.

COVER AND REVIEW: SAM KENNEDY FOR THE TIMES MAGAZINE. PSYCHOTERSTOCK, 2017

And so the truth is that my first instinct was to pathologise it. I'd reached for what felt safer: a label. But what I really needed wasn't a diagnosis, it was to feel it. I couldn't think my way out of my grief, I had to sit with it and, eventually, to accept that there was no immediate fix. There was only the long, slow, human work of mourning.

And over time, as I cried (there were a lot of tears) and sat in silence, and talked and talked and talked, gradually I discovered that the feelings I'd initially rejected as symptoms — the grief, the rage, the emptiness — were exactly what I needed to feel in order to begin healing.

That conversation with M was a

turning point. Not because she gave me any grand advice or "solved" anything. She gently and expertly spotted that, without realising it, I'd confused emotional pain with psychological illness. I learned to go through the pain to reach a place where I can live with the fact of my father's absence. I'll never stop missing him. Even now, two decades later, I have tears in my eyes when I write about my father. I miss him dreadfully, but I am here. I breathe, I function, I live.

What I learned that day was simple, but hard-earned: sometimes we don't need to diagnose the feeling, we just need someone to help us bear it. It was humbling. As a clinical psychologist, I

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but I didn't recognise my own grief

was trained to assess, identify and formulate. I'd spent years becoming fluent in diagnostic language, refining my ability to distinguish depression from grief, trauma from burnout, ADHD from anxiety. But what I hadn't been taught was how seductive those diagnoses can become when the pain is your own. There is a strange comfort in naming things. A sense of control, but sometimes that control is a cover for avoidance.

And let's be honest, sometimes we desperately want a label because it feels like a shortcut. If I can call it something, then maybe I can fix it, or medicate it, or google it, or find a podcast about it. But here's the catch: not all pain is a pathology, not all distress is a disorder. Some of it — often the hardest, deepest, longest-lasting stuff — is simply what it means to be a human being with a heart that loves and loses.

That experience changed how I think about suffering because I realised I wasn't alone in the reflex to name, label and contain. We live in a culture that is increasingly fluent in diagnosis and have forgotten that distress is not always disorder. Over time, I also began to notice a new trend in my practice. More and more patients (especially younger people) were coming in already armed with a label: 'I've got high-functioning anxiety'. 'I'm definitely on the spectrum', 'I think I've got trauma.' These weren't clinical conclusions; they were borrowed diagnoses, gathered from the explosion of mental-health dialogue on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit. The tone was often tentative, but urgent, as if what they were really asking was, 'Is there something wrong with me? Or am I merely feeling too much?' This concerned me, because I could see that by self-diagnosing they had fooled themselves into believing, exactly as I did 20 years ago, that the label meant they could be fixed. There was no space for ordinary pain, temporary struggle or merely being human. If I felt low, it had to be depression. If I found social situations hard, maybe I was autistic. If I couldn't concentrate, surely it was ADHD. The grey area — you know, that messy, normal, complicated space of emotional life — vanished. And in its place: a diagnosis-shaped void that I felt pressured to

confirm. And more often than not, what people needed wasn't confirmation, it was containment. They needed to talk, not be interpreted; to be seen, not categorised. Just as I had.

As a therapist, these concerns weren't abstract — they were urgent. As a clinician, they made me bloody furious. Watching real, painful clinical conditions turned into internet aesthetics wasn't raising awareness, it was erasing it. The idea that all this online noise was somehow

What I hadn't been taught was how seductive diagnoses can be

'destigmatising' mental illness was complete and utter nonsense. It wasn't breaking down stigma; it was diluting it beyond recognition, by hijacking the language that my patients needed to survive and turning it into clickbait. Having a shitty day is not depression. Being challenged or disagreed with is not gaslighting. And no, no, no, no; being reminded of something upsetting is not being triggered. That's not breaking down stigma, that's not advocacy, that's insult.

But I knew I had to step back from the anger and ask, 'What's really

going on here? Why are so many people reaching for these labels?' I didn't want to join the lazy chorus condemning the so-called 'snowflake generation' — that wasn't it. But then the anger turned to worry, because this wasn't something to mock; it pointed to real distress. As a clinician, I couldn't dismiss it. These self-diagnoses were signals of deeper issues that needed to be understood, not ridiculed.

In my 30-plus years of clinical practice, I have seen the conversation around mental health shift dramatically. When I first started practising, talking openly about emotional distress was still taboo. Now celebrities talk about their anxiety, influencers post tearful videos about burnout, schools roll out well-being curriculums, and social media is awash with therapy-speak. In many ways this is a brilliant development, because silence never helped anyone. But somewhere along the line, an epidemic of silence has turned into an epidemic of noisy mental-health mis-speak.

Words that we now toss around like confetti, such as 'trauma', 'triggered', 'OCD', and 'gaslighting', were never meant for TikTok rants or hashtag therapy. Misusing them doesn't only water them down; it burns the dictionary and calls it self-care. It is language theft, and it leaves invisible the people who genuinely suffer.

As we have opened up the conversation about mental health, we have also blurred the boundaries and have started using the language of illness to describe experiences that are painful but human, distressing but not disordered.

This isn't just about discourse; it's also about diagnosis. Clinicians are prescribing more and more medications for depression and anxiety, even as our living conditions, for most of us, are better than they have ever been. Inevitably there will come points in all our lives when we will feel unhappy. Sometimes life sucks. When my father died, the pain was so huge, so annihilating; but, as I learned, profound, consuming grief is not a mental-health condition, even though it mimicked the symptoms. And accepting that truth gave me a path forward. It stopped me waiting to be 'cured' and helped me learn to live without him.

Byron with her friend Claudia Winkleman in 2005

Alzheimer's took so much of my mother, yet she showed extraordinary courage

We have started believing that any negative emotion must be a red flag. That if we're not relentlessly upbeat, we must be doing something wrong — or we must have a mental health condition. To be clear: if your emotional distress is intense, long-lasting or interfering with your daily life, then it's absolutely worth getting support. But emotional discomfort in itself? That's not pathology. That's life.

What do we do with uncomfortable feelings? We learn to manage negative emotions not by fighting them off, but by understanding and accepting them. That's where ancient wisdom comes in handy. The Stoics — ancient Greek philosophers like Marcus Aurelius — were ahead of their time. They didn't pretend life was easy. They taught that our real power lies in how we respond to what happens, and not in trying to control everything around us. Often paraphrased from Marcus Aurelius's Meditations: 'You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.'

This isn't about repressing our feelings or passive resignation. It's about radical clarity: separating what's in our control from what isn't, and saving our energy and focus for where we can make a difference.

This was a lesson I learned when my mum, Elfie, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's — something we always feared would come, given the family history. Watching her slowly fade over seven years was one of the hardest and most painful experiences for my sister Katrina and me. And yet my mother showed extraordinary courage. She faced it. She made plans. She focused on what she could control.

I, on the other hand, was furious. I had dreams where she was trapped in a locked room, crying, and I couldn't get in. I couldn't fix it: the horrible, cruel disease called Alzheimer's. But even when my sister and I were struggling, and our darling mother was staring down the barrel of the most hideous neurodegenerative gun, she would gently remind us, 'Girls, how does worrying help? How will it change anything?' Her resilience showed me that strength isn't about fighting what's inevitable, but about facing it with dignity. It was Stoicism in action: meeting pain with grace.

Alzheimer's had taken so much of her by the end, but even at her final breath she was unmistakably her — the light of her extraordinary personality still shining through. Even as the disease chipped away at her world, she remained calm in the face of confusion and fear, and her courage never wavered. She seemed to absorb the discomfort without letting it define her. There was strength in how she sat with the unknown, how she stayed present even when the ground kept shifting. Her ability to endure, without anger or despair, was one of the quietest, most powerful things I've ever witnessed.

Tanya Byron. Top right: her father, John Sichel, right, in 1972

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Rishi Sunak arriving at No 10 Downing Street as prime minister on October 25, 2022

'Brace for impact!'

How Boris fought for his 'fatberg' list

Boris Johnson had been forced out of Downing Street in 2022, but the following year he attempted one last power move on the new prime minister. In this exclusive extract from Sunak at 10, Anthony Seldon reveals how badly it went

With so many of his difficulties largely beyond his control, Rishi Sunak needed above all to avoid

distraction from friendly fire.

Cauterising any association with sleaze and corruption in the public mind was fundamental to the strategy. Boris Johnson clearly hadn't read the memo. In his view, it should have been him, not Sunak, in Downing Street.

Forced out of Downing Street in July 2022 he had fired a parting shot: "like Cincinnatus I am returning to my plough", imagining that, like the great Roman consul, he would return as PM when the moment proved fortuitous. Sunak knew all too well about Johnson's machinations, having held his nerve at the Millbank meeting the previous October when Johnson attempted to reinstate their duumvirate. But Johnson was not going to disappear quietly into the night. Why on earth should he?

"Boris thought Sunak had behaved appallingly, had cheated him out of his job and was now squandering the entire inheritance of his hard-won 2019 election victory," a Johnson ally recalled. His entourage had bided their time, and decided that the moment was ripe for causing Sunak the first serious blue-on-blue headache of his premiership.

Charlotte Owen

Partygate, Johnson's supreme scandal that involved several in his No 10 breaking Covid regulations during numerous drinking sessions, was now to become his sharpest knife, angled and jabbed into Sunak to exact maximum revenge. On March 3 2023, Johnson had received the first interim report of the Privileges Committee, the parliamentary body assigned by Johnson himself to investigate whether he had misled the House over it.

Matters deteriorated on May 18 when Johnson's lawyers were forced to pass over evidence of 16 breaches of Covid regulations that they had discovered to the police and the Privileges Committee. The chief whip Simon Hart noted, "the committee at

this stage is split on the 'sentence' but agreed on the verdict (guilty) for their inquiry". The nation was gripped by the ordeal, which became one of the most watched select committee hearings in British history. The drip, drip, drip was excruciating to Sunak and his team.

To make matters worse, Johnson was still attempting to secure his resignation honours list, described by civil servants as a "fatberg" packed with dubious nominees. The longstanding convention of the prime minister recommending titles and honours for those who had served them regularly provoked controversy, particularly for shorter premierships. The parallel to Wilson's controversial "lavender" list is unmistakable, itself containing several ill-fitting candidates, and written, allegedly, by Marcia Williams, his chief aide. Johnson's proposals similarly threatened to explode conventions, with loyalty seemingly preferred over merit, and with criticisms of cronysm. While he fell short of appointing his own father a lord (just), he offered peerages to Ross Kempsell, his staunch partygate defender, aged 30, and to adviser Charlotte Owen, aged 29, who was to become the youngest person ever to be given a life peerage. Despite their talents they were felt to be too junior to be appointed to the House of Lords. Even Johnson's allies were mystified. Peerages arouse jealousy

"Johnson was not going to disappear quietly into the night. Why on earth should he?"

and suspicion from those who miss out; they act as a powerful reflection of status, aiding ex-MPs, ministers and advisers in their lives after politics, not just through a healthy lifelong Lords allowance but by its ability to open doors for business and ministerial opportunities.

Sunak was advised nevertheless to accept the list, given the implicit threat that blocking it would trigger Johnson's wrath. But there was a problem; Nigel Adams, Johnson's ultra-loyalist placed in charge of sorting the honours, had not realised that peerage candidates, who are vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC), must undertake to stand down within six months of the announcement.

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TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POYLE SIMON SAMSON AND LEONARDO STREET

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Several of Johnson's were MPs who wrongly believed they could take up their peerages after resigning from the Commons at the next general election. So why not appoint them at a later honours list after they resign? Well, any delay was both unconventional, breaking the one-and-done precedent of prime ministerial honours, and would take up slots on further lists. A delayed list would also dominate future media headlines with Johnsonite patronage returning to the fore, and the added complexity of another vetting process as each candidate's HMRC tax returns had to reflect recent financial activities within the window they were checked. It was plainly something Sunak was not going to accept, especially from Johnson.

The process, therefore, had to be speeded up. Johnson was desperate to secure his peerages before the vetting cycle expired and, more importantly, before the Committee's investigation might find him guilty. But without Sunak making an unprecedented exception, his candidates had no chance. All of this meant that Johnson's peerages would likely be denied for two of his closest allies, Nigel Adams and Nadine Dorries, as well as others who had failed to resign or signal their intention to do so. The situation had been totally mishandled and a major crisis loomed that threatened to prise out of the woodwork all the old rancour and bitterness. To try to circumvent the issue ahead of HOLAC's announcement, Sunak and Johnson met in the PM's Commons office on June 2 to iron out a deal. The meeting started convivially, the two exchanging tactics on how best to beat Starmer.

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak in February 2022. Left: Carrie Johnson at No 10 for her husband's leaving speech, with Nadine Dorries

© Anthony Seldon and Tom Egerton 2026. Extracted from Sunak at 10. The Last Conservative Prime Minister! by Anthony Seldon and Tom Egerton, to be published by Atlantic Books on August 27 at £25

Johnson begged Sunak to support all his nominations: 'Please, matey, just let them through, you know this process is silly. Look, in return I'll even campaign in the red wall for you.' Given his continuing popularity, it was not an offer to be dismissed lightly.

Sunak though was friendly but emphatic: 'I will sign off on the list I'm given by the civil service once everyone has been officially vetted, but I'll make no additions or subtractions.'

'Come on, Rishi, can you get Nadine and Nigel a peerage? You know HOLAC will block them, just put them on one of your later honours lists,' Johnson harrumphed.

'I'm not offering a deal on honours to anyone, it's their decision if they want to go.' Sunak knew that making an exception for Johnson would break convention and open the door to an ugly lobbying spree for honours.

'No,' came the reply.

Johnson was exasperated. 'Oh come on, Rishi! You're just being ridiculous, it's in both of our interests to avoid by-elections!'

Rapprochement proved impossible: Johnson slumped out, hugely antagonised. The apprentice had become the master. Cincinnatus would have his revenge yet. Johnson immediately began communicating with his allies, texting Dorries that she was 'all good to go' for her peerage. Sunak and No 10 were dumbfounded: how could Johnson possibly have come to that conclusion after they had repeatedly told him no? 'It was an example of very shitty people declining his honours as was his right as a former PM,' was the riposte from Johnson's team.

Five days later, on June 7, the mood darkened further when the Privileges Committee shared its bombshell verdict privately with Johnson and No 10: a 20-day suspension that would trigger a recall petition and, in all likelihood, a by-election. 'Brace for impact,' Hart noted in his diary. Johnson was apoplectic, scrambling to save his own seat of Uxbridge and

Johnson begged Sunak to support all his nominations

South Ruislip while desperately trying to get his peerages through in time. A very 18th-century scandal was unfolding, reminiscent of Walpole and rotten boroughs. Johnson resorted to 21st-century technology to press his case while away on another holiday, demanding to know the status of his honours and lobbying to escape his impending by-election doom.

Over the next two days his pleas intensified directly to Hart: 'Come on, Simon, is there no way you can kill off the Privileges report, or at least vote it down?'

'I'm sorry, Boris, but that is impossible. May I also gently remind you that it was you who set up this process?' Hart slyly responded.

Johnson blustered. 'Oh, but I was in India and I wasn't concentrating, I just left it all to the whips.'

'Even if that is true it won't wash,' Hart ended.

'I'm f***ed,' Johnson told aides as he put down the phone.

Donald Trump at his 2024 trial. Left: Melania Trump in a Samantha Cameron dress in 2017

Cameron came to confer on Ukraine; Trump wanted to discuss Brexit and Melania's dresses

'In Washington, the arrival of Cameron went down very well, big uplift, he knew people, very polished, very respectful, understood how to conduct himself,' said ambassador Karen Pierce. He needed all that guile when visiting the US in early April 2024 to lobby Congress to approve a huge military package for Ukraine that had been blocked. His main contact in the administration was with secretary of state Antony Blinken, known well from the Obama days, and whose ability to see the world through Europe's eyes he had always admired. Blinken and the State Department were sympathetic, more so than the fading and cautious president. 'The problem was Biden thought he 'owned' the risk of nuclear escalation, and it was difficult to move him,' said one of Cameron's party. But isolationist-inclining Congress was where the immediate difficulty lay, and Cameron worked hard to persuade the Speaker of the House, the Republican Mike Johnson, to secure the votes.

Trump was the weather maker for the Republicans. Although not formally adopted as Republican candidate till July 15, he became the 'presumptive' candidate on March 12 following overwhelming victories on 'Super Tuesday' and the withdrawal the following day of Nikki Haley, his main challenger. Cameron hoped he could see Trump and persuade him to get the Republicans in the House behind releasing the money. Some doubts were expressed about the propriety of the meeting but 'it was standard procedure for the foreign secretary of the day to meet the leading presidential candidates in election year', said an Embassy source. They asked for a meeting with him in Washington but the message came back: 'Come to Mar-a-Lago.'

Cameron read up about his host and how relationship building had to precede business, and about the estate, built in the 1920s and purchased by Trump in 1985 at a knockdown price of $8 million. The research proved useful when Trump insisted on a tour before their dinner on April 9. By Cameron's plate in the small dining room was placed carefully curated polling showing how Trump's victory over 'sleepy Joe' was a given in the November election. Cameron spent the first hour of the three engaging his host in conversation about his two golf resorts in Scotland.

They had never met before and Trump was curious about Cameron, wanting to learn about Brexit and why he had stood down voluntarily. 'I don't understand,' he said. Cameron tried to explain, without great success. 'Melania has worn your wife's dresses,' Trump said, referring to Samantha Cameron's now-defunct womenswear brand. 'I hope she liked them,' Cameron shot back, but rather than responding himself, Trump picked up his phone to ask her. Relationships duly established. Cameron launched his primary mission: 'Unblocking the financial package will help get Ukraine in a much stronger position for your talks to Putin after November,' he told his host. Trump listened carefully but Cameron knew he wasn't over the line yet, and further pressure from sympathetic Republicans, notably senator Lindsey Graham, would be needed. As Cameron got up to leave, Trump had one final surprise: 'Well, Dave, I don't know what age you are but you've sure got a great head of hair: you should stand again as leader.'

Eleven days later on April 20, Congress duly approved the $61 billion in US military aid for Ukraine. Three days before, Cameron had been with Samantha on the Italian island of Capri, for the G7 foreign ministers' meeting. While in his hotel suite, he decided to call Trump to exert some last-minute persuasion. When Samantha switched on the television she saw the cameras on Trump exiting his car talking on the phone to her husband, walking into court for the hearing for the case of 'The People of the State of New York v Donald J Trump'.

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first night

MAY, EDINBUR

classical

Bach to Bach

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

★★★★★

Saturday was all about Bach. In a day-long celebration of Johann Sebastian, the Edinburgh International Festival began with a come-and-sing event, where more than 600 people turned up in the morning to practise and perform chorales from Bach's Pensions under the tutelage of James Grossmith, the director of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus.

The day's other concerts each focused on only one extraordinary performer, starting in the afternoon when Alisa Weilerstein took on the cellist's Everest of playing all six of Bach's Cello Suites in one concert. Even attempting this is a remarkable feat of stamina and, as Weilerstein played them without a score, also of memory. She turned the suites into masterpieces of contemplative depth.

There was virtuosity, of course, but above all else there was deep beauty and, even in the faster music, profound thoughtfulness that seemed to go beyond the notes. At times it felt as if the audience were participants in an act of collective worship, the opening Preludes seeming to have an almost prayerful stillness, and the faster movements often felt like meditations rather than dances. The Sarabandes were the soulful heart of every suite, but everywhere there was intimacy and depth to the collective experience.

That evening Vikingur Olafsson's piano recital focused as much on Bach's impact as on JSB himself. He played through his recent Opus 109 album, which traces Bach's impact on Schubert and Beethoven, and playing through the whole programme without a break turned it into an exploratory journey that went deep into the music's heart.

Olafsson's playing is a marvel of poetic expression and structural clarity, managing the impossible combination of velvety smoothness and crystalline sparkle all at once. He played Bach's Partita No 6 as though he was whispering to the keyboard with nobody else present, and if his traversal of Beethoven's Op 109 sonata sometimes adopted extraordinarily slow speeds, here they sounded nothing short of heavenly.

Simon Thompson

Lola Shalam as Rosalind and Charlie Josephine as Orlando

Chuckles and cross-dressing

There are laughs aplenty in the Bard's classic comedy, says Rachel Halliburton

theatre

As You Like It

Shakespeare's Globe, London (160min)

Crazy Restoration wigs and courtly capers mark the opening of the Globe's latest production of As You Like It, introducing a world of colourful intrigue and aristocratic absurdity. As with A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare whisks his characters into the woods to escape oppression, replacing the earlier play's realm of bickering fairies with an eccentric rural utopia.

In their staging of the cross-dressing pastoral comedy, the co-directors, Sean Holmes and Charlie Josephine, inject a distinct flavour of Wes Anderson into the scenes at the dastardly Duke Frederick's court, as

aristocrats strut like high-performance poodles before a gallery of blank canvases. If the cast seem to enjoy themselves here — at one point you suspect they're about to break into a 17th-century Gangnam Style — euphoria really takes hold in the country. After Lola Shalam's charmingly bolshie Rosalind, disguised as a boy, flees from her corrupt uncle, Duke Frederick, who has already banished her father, she finds herself in a sylvan setting of folk music, free love and fertile frivolity.

How do you make such a staple of the summer repertoire shine? Here, in no small part through music and design. Katie Richardson's ebullient

You expect them to break out into a 17th-century Gangnam Style

band, featuring percussion, wind, and herself on guitar and vocals, shifts compellingly from baroque formality to folk, while Paul Willis's elegant set blooms as woodland inhabitants draw trees and leaves onto the blank canvases.

Shalam extracts suitable erotic mischief from her flirtation with Orlando, enjoying his confusion now that he's meeting her as a boy after falling in love with her as a woman. Josephine, who plays Orlando as well as co-directing, is a little challenged on vocal volume, but compensates amply with a twitchy physical comedy.

The true test of a Globe production at full throttle is the performance of its minor characters and while there are weak links there are also gems. Jonnie Broadbent, half-naked with a ruff and white underpants, is an endearingly pompous Touchstone, while as a gawkily flamboyant Audrey, the hilarious Phoebe Naughton steals every scene she's in.

Some weak singing from cast members mars the overall impact but doesn't sap the mood of amiable anarchy. As you leave the Globe to survey the City's glittering skyline from the Millennium Bridge, this remains one of the more magical ways of celebrating London's fading summer.

To Oct 25

proms

Chineke!/Heyward

Royal Albert Hall, London

The American soprano Angel Blue was presented very much as the star of this Prom by the Chineke! Orchestra, and she certainly enthralled in Samuel Barber's languidly evocative Knoxville: Summer of 1915. The author James Agee's wistful recollection of his Tennessee childhood and long-departed family, and Barber's artfully folky and lusciously harmonised music, are potent enough. But Blue added to that a rich, superbly focused tone, pure intonation right up into the ledger lines and the supremely reassuring feeling that this nostalgic masterpiece was deeply embedded in her soul.

Then, after surely the quickest costume change in Proms history, she delivered four numbers from the Great American Songbook. It was supposed to be five and it was rather peculiar that a minority-ethnic orchestra should decide to cut the one number by a black woman (Margaret Bonds) and keep the familiar numbers by white men (George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen). I was also less persuaded by Blue's performances here, and by Anthony Parnther's rather heavy-duty orchestral arrangements. Gershwin's Love is Here to Stay seemed pitched too high for her; Arlen's That Old Black Magic seemed too low.

Oh well, at least I can file Knoxville into my memory bank, along with a real discovery: a three-movement orchestral work called Ballet by the black American composer Edmund Thornton Jenkins who came from Charleston to work in London and Paris just after the First World War but died at 32. What a loss; this work (reconstructed from what manuscript parts survive by Jenkins's great-nephew, Tuffus Zimbabwe) is light music par excellence — tuneful, breezy, well-crafted and full of decorative counter-melodies.

Under the conductor Jonathon Heyward the Chineke! players delivered it with charm and style. I enjoyed it a lot more than a routine and sometimes careless performance of Dvorak's Symphony No 8.

Richard Morrison Available on BBC Sounds

pop

Lorde

Victoria Park, London

Eight years after playing one of the smaller stages at the inaugural All Points East festival in London's Victoria Park, Lorde returned as the triumphant main-arena headliner with a highly energised, cleverly constructed, superbly staged performance. The New Zealander, 29, born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, consistently tops the charts globally but only scored her first No 1 UK album, Virgin, last year. Part of a final victory lap for the album's accompanying Ultrasound tour, which began a year ago, this sold-out concert was the Kiwi electro-pop star's biggest British show.

Opening with a blast of glitchy electronic burbling, Lorde's 90-minute set struck a mostly successful balance between arty, left-field, indie-rock aesthetics and throbbing, arena-sized rave-pop bangers. Her swaggering 2013 debut single Royals, a worldwide

hit that propelled her to Grammy-winning fame in her teens, was dispensed with impressively early in a truncated, almost perfunctory rendition. Lorde does not rest on her laurels.

Enhancing and elevating the musical component of this show was the dazzling set design, which initially had the functional, industrial look of a backstage rehearsal space before opening up into a deconstructed high-tech spectacle of digital screens, laser lights and stealth-stage props, notably four bulky cubes that doubled as giant video walls and floating mini-stages.

This was maximalism masquerading as minimalism, high-art theatricality dressed down as artless spontaneity. Credit is due to Lorde's main visual collaborator Tino Schaedler, who trained as an architect under Daniel Libeskind before moving into screen and stage work.

Amplifying the confessional

Lorde: a night of cathartic emotion

intimacy of her songs, Lorde also used portable selfie cameras extensively throughout. On the brooding power ballad Perfect Places, she lay atop one of the floating cubes, her face squished up against its transparent Perspex cover. For Hard Feelings, she prowled the stage, filming herself in close-up, every sweat-slicked pore of her angular, Frida Kahlo-esque features magnified to Imas-sized dimensions.

While most major-league pop shows are designed to flatter their stars, these unfiltered visuals felt refreshingly raw. An adrenaline-pumped finale, which included the Charli XCX collaboration Girl, So Confusing and the defiant post-heartbreak anthem Green Light, delivered pure dancefloor hedonism. But it felt as if Lorde had earned this ecstatic release after an evening of cathartic emotion and brilliantly kinetic staging.

Stephen Dalton Touring to Aug 28

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9

arts

Raymond Gubbay at 80, the man who saved British classical music

The impresario looks back on 60 years of staging concerts. It's been a lot of fun, he tells Richard Morrison

To call Raymond Gubbay "the man who saved classical music in Britain" is an exaggeration but not much of one. There was a time in the 1980s and 1990s when he was promoting 125 concerts a year at the Barbican, another 100 or so at the Royal Albert Hall (he ended up, he reckons, putting on 2,000 events there, including several epic opera productions) and mounting his sold-out "classical spectaculars" and Christmas festivals at cities all over the UK and Ireland. "It takes a good Jewish boy to give them what they want at Christmas," he famously quipped one year, and later observed that "if only Jesus had had a brother, we could do this twice a year". And he achieved all this without a penny of subsidy ("I've never knowingly taken state funding in my life," he says) in a period when the UK's highly subsidised orchestras and opera companies sometimes struggled to get even half-full halls.

"I remember when the Barbican opened in 1982 and the London Symphony Orchestra thought it could get audiences by doing mad things like programming Berlioz's Harold in Italy five times in a week," he says. "Of course, almost nobody came." By contrast, Gubbay's concerts of popular orchestral classics, garnished with cunning marketing tricks such as "a rose for every lady" on Valentine's Day, were packing the hall.

"The LSO's managing director at that time, Peter Hemmings, took me to lunch at the Garrick — always a bad sign," Gubbay recalls. "He said, 'Look, we don't want you to do more than 12 concerts a year because it's affecting our sales.' Well, I immediately phoned the Barbican management and said, 'What shall I do?' and they replied, 'Ignore him; your concerts are keeping us going.'"

Gubbay turned 80 in April and sold off his company more than a decade ago — under Sony's ownership the business, now called BCI Live, still promotes more than 900 nights of live events a year. The man himself lives alone (although with frequent contact with his ex-wife, children and grandchildren) in a penthouse overlooking Westminster, stuffed full

Raymond Gubbay. Below: Craig Downes as Pinkerton and Liping Zhang as Madam Butterfly at the Royal Albert Hall in 1998

The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, sings at the Wigmore Hall, Oct 21

of the art collection he has lovingly acquired over the decades. "Come and have a look," he says. "I've got a Sickert, a lovely Munnings, a gorgeous Turner, several Henry Moores..."

It is a surprising insight into the private passions of a man who in his heyday was frequently accused of being interested only in making money and for striking the hardest possible deals that he could with venues, companies and ordinary musicians alike. Indeed, in his irrepressibly indiscreet

autobiography, Lowering the Tone & Raising the Roof, he self-mockingly recounts how, when he was promoting cricket talks organised by Brian Johnston, the genial Test Match Special commentator would warm up the audience by announcing, "I've got my Raymond Gubbay suit on tonight — small checks."

But Gubbay's critics, and there were many, overlooked the expertise with which he crafted and marketed his promotions, and the financial risks he often took. When he briefly went into partnership with the Royal Opera to mount a production of Turundot at Wembley Arena (the show where he famously threatened to put a clock above the stage counting down the minutes to Novum Dormut), he and his other backers lost the best part of a million pounds. He personally lost another half a million, he says, by

overestimating how many punters were interested in seeing a double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Albert Hall — although he triumphed there with a production of Madam Butterfly for which he used 65,000 litres of water to create a Japanese-style lake in the centre of the venue. Even Rodney Milnes (then The Times's opera critic and no great Gubbay admirer) was impressed by that. "Gubbay strikes gold with arena Butterfly" was the headline on his review.

Gubbay is now publicising one last concert. On October 21, 60 years to the day after the first concert he promoted by himself ("at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, and I remember paying the young Philip Langridge six quid to sing in it"), he has invited the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, to perform at the Wigmore Hall in an event that will raise money for the Wigmore itself. No prizes for guessing why he has picked that venue as the beneficiary. It's because John Gilhooly, the Wigmore's director, has severed the hall's connection with Arts Council England and is now following in Gubbay's footsteps of managing entirely without subsidy.

What does Gubbay think of the Arts Council these days? He insists he has nothing personal against the people running it. "I've known Darren Henley [its chief executive] for years, back when he was the reserve newsreader for Classic FM when the regular one

wasn't there," he says. Nevertheless, Gubbay says he is "absolutely gobsmacked" that the Arts Council allows the heavily subsidised Royal Festival Hall to be closed on Mondays. "They should say, 'Right, we will cut a seventh of your grant if you can't put on concerts seven days a week.'"

And he's similarly incredulous that English National Opera gets a £12 million annual subsidy when it is putting on performances at the London Coliseum for barely five months a year. "At least invite the private opera companies, Glyndebourne and Garsington and so on, to do a fortnight each at the Coliseum during the rest of the year so that more people can see their productions," he suggests.

Gubbay was raised in Golders Green ("is there anywhere else?") and left school at 16, working for Pathé News for a few months. Then his father, an accountant, got to hear that Victor Hochhauser, the veteran impresario famous for his '1812 nights" (with cannon effects) at the Albert Hall, as well as for bringing over Russian ballet companies, choirs and orchestras, needed an assistant. "So I went to his office above a fridge shop in Kensington," Gubbay recalls, "and he asked me three questions: 'Are you a Jewish boy? Where did you go to school? Can you start on Monday?'"

Gubbay must have given the right answers because he was taken on. "I worked for Victor for 10 months, 28 days and 12 hours," he says. "Long enough to read through all his files." And also, at the age of 18, to get priceless experience in handling all the unforeseen hitches of event promotion. "Once I was on tour with the Russian Red Army choir in Coventry when I got a call from the police. They had arrested one of the company for shoplifting in Woolworths. Cufflinks, I think. Anyway, I phoned Victor and he told me to get over to the police station and persuade them not to press charges. That evening the Russians held a big meeting on the stage — a lot of arguing — and the guy was in the middle of it. When they got back to Russia I rather doubt they let him out again."

In his autobiography Gubbay describes the exhilarating moment six decades ago when he cut loose from Hochhauser, started to put on his own little concerts and realised he could actually make a profit from classical music — something not many people in the history of western civilisation have been able to claim.

"Those early days were the best," he says. "I remember turning up in Bridlington on a freezing February day, with the sea crashing over the wall by the stage door. The theatre manager greeted me with the words, 'We never do anything in winter but I thought I would take a chance on you.' And that night 500 people turned up. I thought, 'This is the life. This is what I want to do.' And it's been a lot of fun."

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10

times2

Your weekday brain boost

More puzzles

Pages 14-16

Every day, Monday to Thursday, a page of extra puzzles to give your brain an extended workout

Samurai easy

Fill each grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Where the puzzles overlap, the rows and columns do not go beyond their usual length.

	9		4
		8	2	6	9
	2	1		3		9
2				1	4	5		3
3	1		6		7		8	2
4		5	8	2				1
		6		9			3
			3	7	6			5
					8

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11

television & radio

This crime series' novel premise is on the money

Carol Midgley TV review

One Dollar

ITV ★★★★☆

TV can't think much of its newly acquired thriller series One Dollar or it wouldn't have broadcast it at the bafflingly terrible time of 11.20pm on a Sunday night. It deserves better.

OK, it is quite old now (it was released in America in 2018), and it was cancelled after one series, but I rather enjoyed it. Set in a Pennsylvaniaan rust-belt community with an anti-aesthetic of ugly industrial plants, smoking chimneys and electricity pylons silhouetted against bleak grey skies, it is a refreshing corrective to the never-ending churn of luxe TV series about

rich people with perfect houses and even more perfect teeth.

Plus it has an interesting concept: a dog-eared one-dollar bill with numbers scribbled on it is constantly being passed into different hands in the normal transactional way. This is a way of connecting various characters who come into receipt of it in the town, where there has been a bloody murder — although I suspect the $1 bill will become a gimmick rather than central to the plot.

Anyway, make that possibly seven murders. At the local steel plant, a major employer of blue-collar manual workers, much human blood has been found, but no body. Tests show seven types of blood, suggesting a possible multiple killer.

Each episode will focus on a different character. The first was Garrett Drimmer (Philip Ettinger), a single father of a little girl who can't even afford to pay his childminder. She says he will have to stop bringing the child if he can't pay. He receives the $1 note when sitting exhausted outside a grocery store and a wealthier woman places it in his polystyrene cup of coffee, assuming he is begging, which leaves him humiliated.

There is a raw realism that the director Craig Zobel later brought to the excellent Mare of Easttown, starring Kate Winslet, though sometimes it is so dark (literally —

Philip Ettinger as the struggling single father Garrett Drimmer

even with the brightness turned up) that it was difficult to see the action.

The depth of Garrett's desperation is shown when his boss at the plant, Bud Carl (John Carroll Lynch), tells him that savings need to be made but that Garrett and his friend could both keep their jobs if they agreed to drop eight hours a week. Garrett seems like a nice man but is willing to throw his colleague under the bus, suggesting he goes and Garrett stays, because he can't afford to lose the hours.

That night he gets a distressed call from someone saying they need his help at the mill and he leaves his little girl alone, asleep in bed, to go out. No! If that child is abducted, I swear I'm baling out, I thought. But that didn't happen. Instead we cut to a little while later, Garrett stumbling in shock through the woods with blood on his face. Did he see the alleged murder? Did he commit it? In a strange segue he then misinterprets a young man tickling his squealing girlfriend, Dannie, as attempted rape and knocks the man out. The problem is, she saw his face and later recognises him, fearing he is connected to the crime.

There are other, lighter story threads and a real sense of the haves and have-nots living cheek by jowl. You can stream the whole series on ITVX but, given the vote of no confidence from that graveyard dot, I wonder how many will bother.

All Kinds of Minds Radio 4, 11am

"Neurodiversity" is one of the buzzwords of the day but what exactly does it mean? In this three-part series in the Understand strand, the author and mental health academic Nathan Filer, above, takes a deep dive into the subject, beginning with the language around it. The term "neurodivergent" has provided comfort to people who seem to have found a reason for the way they feel and behave, but due to the amount of self-diagnosis people are doing, confusion abounds. With interviews with experts and those living with the condition, Filer explains neurodivergence with clarity and warmth. Clair Woodward

Times Radio

Digital, web, smart speaker, app 5.00am James Kitchin with Early Breakfast 6.00 Kate McCann and Calum Macdonald with Times Radio Breakfast 10.00 Hugo Rifkind 1.00pm The Times at One: with Daniel Finkelstein 2.00 Jane Garvey 4.00 John Pienaar with Times Radio Drive 7.00 The Evening Edition with Kait Borsay 10.00 Josh Glancy 1.00am The Best of Times Radio

Radio 2

FM: 88-90.2 MHz 6.30am The Radio 2 Breakfast Show 9.30 Mark Goodier 12.00 Tina Dpheley 2.00pm DJ Spoony 4.00 Jason Manford 7.00 Jo Whiley's Shiny Happy Playlist 7.30 Jo Whiley 9.00 The Blues Show with the Black Keys 10.00 The Good Groove with Melvin Odoom 12.00 DJ Borg 2.30am One Hit Wonders with DJ Borg 3.00 Dance Sounds of the 90s with Vernon Kay 4.00 Owain Wyn Evans

Radio 3

FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz 6.30am Breakfast 9.30 Essential Classics 1.00pm Classical Live Mark Forrest presents highlights from the Proms and the Cheltenham Music Festival. Haydn (Symphony No 45 in F sharp minor — Farewell); Bach (Chorale — Kommut du nuu, Jesu and vom Himmel herunter, BWV 650); Thornton Jenkins; av. Tufus Zimbabwe (Dance Suite); Beethoven (Trio in B major for clarinet, cello and piano — Gassenhauer); Mahler (Das Lied von der Erde); and Mozart (Violin Sonata in E minor, K 304)

4.00 Composer of the Week: Sally Beamish Donald Macleod joins Sally at her home to celebrate her 70th birthday, beginning with the composer reflecting on a childhood steeped in music 5.00 In Tune 7.00 Live BBC Proms Ian Skelly presents live from the Royal Albert Hall as Marin Alsop conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in a programme of American classics. Joan Tower (Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman); Copland (Appalachian Spring — Suite); Gershwin, orch. Grofe and arr. Marcus Roberts (Rhapsody in Blue); Moossa (The Big Country — Prelude); Bernstein (Symphonic Dances from West Side Story); Grant Still (Three Visions — No 2, Summerland); and Bernstein (On the Town — Three Dance Episodes) 10.00 Night Tracks (r) 11.30 Round Midnight (r) 12.30am Through the Night

Radio 4

FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz 5.00am News Summary 5.84 Last Word (r) 5.34 Shipping Forecast 5.43 Prayer for the Day 5.45 Farming Today 6.00 Today 9.00 The Great Crime Mystery (2/3) 9.30 How Did We Get Here: No World Order (5/6) 10.00 Women's Hour 11.00 Choice All Kinds of Minds 11.45 Book of the Week: All the Beauty in the World Patrick Bringley's memoir in which he comes to terms with the loss of his brother by becoming a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Read by Billy Howle (1/5)

12.04pm You and Yours 1.00 The World at One 1.45 Human Intelligence (6/10) 2.00 The Archers (r) 2.15 Fags, Mags and Bags (1/6) (r) 2.45 Opening Lines (r) 3.00 Great Lives (3/9) 3.30 You're Dead to Me (9/13) (r) 4.00 The WhatsApp Underground A network that mobilised during race riots in Belfast (r) 4.30 Soul Music (2/5) (r) 5.00 PM 6.00 Six O'Clock News 6.30 Just a Minute With panellists Paul Merton, Rachel Parris, Gyles Brandreth and Lucy Porter. Last in the series 7.00 The Archers: Alice faces a rude interruption 7.15 Front Row 8.00 The Briefing Room With David Aaronovitch (8/9) (r) 8.30 BBC Inside Science The latest scientific research (r) 9.00 The Great Crime Mystery Examining the public perceptions of the crime rate (2/3) (r) 9.30 How Did We Get Here: No World Order (5/6) (r) 10.00 The World Tonight With James Coomarasamy 10.45 Book at Bedtime: Mr Sidhu's Post Office (6/10) 11.00 There's Something I Need to Tell You (1/5) (r) 11.30 Everything is Fake and Nobody Cares (1/6) (r) 12.00 News and Weather 12.30am Book of the Week: All the Beauty in the World (r) 12.48 Shipping Forecast 1.00 As BBC World Service

Radio 4 Extra

Digital only 8.00am 55 and Over 8.30 Underland 8.45 Breathing Underwater 9.00 Just a Minute

9.30 Human Hosts 9.45 Daily Service 10.00 Sounds Natural 10.30 Children of the Enemy 11.00 Five Red Herrings 11.30 Kill the Pharaoh! 12.00 The Adventures of John and Tony 12.30pm Dad's Army 1.00 55 and Over 1.30 Underland 1.45 Breathing Underwater 2.00 Wordaholics 2.30 A Whole 'Nother Story 3.00 The July Ghost 3.45 Rose-Coloured Teacups 4.00 Sounds Natural 4.30 Children of the Enemy 5.00 Five Red Herrings 5.30 Kill the Pharaoh! 6.00 The Adventures of John and Tony 6.30 Dad's Army 7.00 55 and Over 7.30 Underland 7.45 Breathing Underwater 8.00 Wordaholics 8.30 A Whole 'Nother Story 9.00 The July Ghost 9.45 Rose-Coloured Teacups 10.00 Just a Minute 10.30 Truly, Madly, Bletchley 10.45 Quando, Quando, Quando 11.00 The People Have Spoken 11.30 The In Crowd

Radio 5 Live

MW: 693, 909 5.00am Wake Up to Money 6.00 5 Live Breakfast 9.00 Rima Ahmed 11.00 Emma Vardy 2.00pm Nick Watt 4.00 5 Live Drive 7.00 5 Live Sport: The Monday Night Club. A debate of the weekend's football 9.00 5 Live Cricket 10.00 Laura McGhie 1.00am Dotun Adebayo

talkSPORT

MW: 1053, 1089 kHz 5.00am Early Sports Breakfast 6.00 talkSPORT Breakfast with Jeff Stelling 10.00 Jim White and Simon Jordan 1.00pm Hawksbee and Jacobs 4.00 talkSPORT Drive 7.00 Kick Off: Fulham v Chelsea (Kick-off 8.00): The Premier League match at Craven Cottage

10.00 The Sports Bar 1.00am Extra Time with Paul Ross

Talk

Digital only 6.00am Jeremy Kyle 10.00 Julia Hartley Brewer 1.00pm Ian Collins 4.00 Kevin O'Sullivan 7.00 Peter Cardwell 10.00 Petrie Hosken 1.00am Paul Ross

6 Music

Digital only 5.00am Chris Hawkins 7.00 Nick Grimshaw 10.00 Lauren Laverne 1.00pm Craig Charles 4.00 Steve Lamaczy's Teatime Session 7.00 New Music For Daily 9.00 Riley & Coe 11.00 6 Music Artist in Residence: Loyie Carner 12.00 Beastie Boys at the BBC 1.00am Beastie Boys Live 2.00 Beastie Boys on 6 Music 4.00 The Beastie Boys Playlist

Virgin Radio

Digital only 6.30am The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Moneybox 10.00 Emma B 2.00pm Ben Jones 6.00 Will MacDonald 10.00 Golderocks 2.00am Steve Denyer

Classic FM

FM: 100-102 MHz 6.30am Classic FM Breakfast with Dan Walker 9.00 The Classic FM Hall of Fame Hour with Dan Walker 10.00 Aled Jones 1.00pm Anne-Marie Minhall 4.00 Margherita Taylor. Three hours of classical favourites 7.00 Relaxing Evenings with Zeb Soares. An evening of the most relaxing music 10.00 Calm Classics. Presented by Ritua Shah 1.00am Bill Overton 4.00 Early Breakfast

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12

television

PICKS OF THE DAY

Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace — What Happened Next ITV1, 9pm

In reintroducing Natasha and Lee-Ann, Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall naturally offer a reminder of their original appearance in 2022. But it's unlikely that you will have forgotten their stories if you saw it. Natasha was left as a baby in a toilet cubicle in St Thomas's hospital in 1989. Eighteen months

earlier Lee-Ann had also been left in a south London hospital loo when a few days old. No birth parents were found but DNA identified them as full sisters, and they were poignantly brought together. Also returning in this What Happened Next episode is Liz, who was discovered in a basket in a hedge in Birmingham in 1965. Now a professor of nursing, she learnt her late mother's name when she first appeared in 2024. Here she talks about inspiring other care leavers to aim high. John Dugdale

Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall

The War Cabinet PBS America, 8.30pm

A US-made film about the American president's second-term foreign policy team would sound rather dry in normal times. But when the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is Donald Trump and when he is actively engaging US forces in the Middle East and trade choke points like the Straits of Hormuz, these are not normal times. The director Michael Kirk's film is packed with candid

insider access and profiles of key figures like Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth while asking all the key questions. How did an administration built on "America First" non-interventionism swiftly pivot to high-stakes military manoeuvre across Iran, Yemen and Latin America? Why has the strategy shifted so markedly? And how has Trump's new cabinet been able to act with such apparent consistency, freedom and independence? It's a disconcerting picture. Ben Dowell

BBC1

6.00am Breakfast 9.30 Morning Live Top Tips and Best Bits 10.30 Garden Rescue (r) 11.15 Homes Under the Hammer (r) (AD) 12.15pm Bargain Hunt 1.00 BBC News at One; Weather 1.35 BBC Regional News; Weather 1.45 BBC News at One; Weather 2.00 Money for Nothing. Jacqui Joseph is at Altrincham recycling centre, where she tries to get a rocking chair back in full swing 2.45 Escape to the Country. Nicki Chapman helps a couple swap suburban life for rural Cheshire and fresh countryside walks 3.30 The Repair Shop. Experts restore a ring that is missing its original onyx stone, a severely cracked mechanical doll, a banner for a jazz band from the 1920s and a handmade wooden whirligig (r) (AD) 4.30 The Answer Run. Fast-paced quiz (r) 5.15 Pointless. Quiz hosted (r) 6.00 BBC News at Six; Weather 6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather

BBC2

6.15am The Answer Run (r) 7.00 Sign Zone: The Repair Shop (r) (AD, SL) 8.00 Match of the Day (r) 9.00 BBC News 1.00pm Richard Oxman's House of Games. Jessie Dave, Ayesha Hazarika, Simon Hickson and AJ Pritchard compete (r) 1.30 The Edge. Game show (r) 2.15 Do You Know Your Place? With Susan Calman, Max Fosh and Noreen Khan (r) 2.45 Animal Park. Very perform surgery on a zebra that has lumps on its stomach (r) (AD) 3.30 Serengeti II. The great river crossing begins for numerous animals (r) (AD) 4.30 Vintage Antiques Roadshow. Items are valued in Redruth in Cornwall (r) 5.15 Flog III Revisiting historic venues (r) 6.00 Richard Oxman's House of Games. Jimi Famurewa, Harriet Kemsley, Colin Murray and Sara Pascoe take part (r) 6.30 Great Continental Railway Journeys. Michael Portillo travels across north-west France, beginning his trip in Nantes (r)

ITV1

6.00am Good Morning Britain 10.00 This Morning 1.30pm ITV News; Weather 2.00 Dickinson's Real Deal. David Dickinson and the team of experts are in Oldham to hunt for items to put up for auction, with Alison Chapman coming across a ring that brings back family memories (r) (AD) 3.00 Deal or No Deal. Stephen Mulhern hosts as another contestant tries to open the 22 red boxes in the right order, taking on the infamous Banker for the chance to win a life-changing cash prize (r) (AD) 4.00 Tipping Point. Ben Shephard hosts the arcade-themed quiz in which contestants drop tokens down a choice of four chutes in the hope of winning a £10,000 jackpot (r) 5.00 The Chase. Bradley Walsh hosts the quiz as another group of contestants come together in the hope they can take on one of the country's finest quiz teams (r) 6.00 Regional News; Weather 6.30 ITV News; Weather

Channel 4

6.30am The King of Queens (r) (AD) 7.45 Everybody Loves Raymond (r) (AD) 9.10 Fraser (r) (AD) 11.10 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA. Help for a restaurant in New York (r) 12.05pm Channel 4 News Summary 12.10 Find It, Fix It, Flog It. Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien head to Staffordshire (r) (AD) 1.10 The Great House Giveaway. Two strangers renovate a crumbling house (r) 2.10 Countdown. With TV personality Richie Anderson in Dictionary Corner 3.00 A Place in the Sun. A mother and son seek a holiday home near La Duquesa, which is located on the Costa del Sol (r) 4.00 The Great B&B Challenge. The second heat week begins, and three new couples take the keys to the properties (r) 5.00 Château DIY. Restoring the power to a fire-damaged chateau proves tricky (r) (AD) 6.00 American Pickers. Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz discover and unleash a sleek 1967 Jaguar in a New Jersey garage (r)

5

6.00am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine 11.30 Storm & Alexis 12.45pm 5 News at Lunchtime 12.50 Matt Allwright 2.20 FILM: A View to Kill For (PG, TVM, 2023) A woman's family relocate when she inherits her estranged father's mansion, but a stranger breaks in and leaves a warning. Thriller starring Tiffany Montgomery 4.00 Castle. The author poses as a college professor so he can investigate the gravester's murder of a student, but he and Beckett soon discover dark secrets the university wants to keep hidden (r) 4.55 Love Nature. An edition about the process of hand-harvesting sea salt (r) 5.00 5 News with Dan Walker 6.00 Motorforming with Merton & Webster. Paul Merton and Suki Webster head to Cornwall, home to crystal-clear waters, fishing villages and beautiful beaches (r) 6.55 5 News Update

7.00 The One Show Roman Kemp and Lauren Lawrene present topical stories and celebrity chat

7.30 EastEnders Priya and Jean join forces to uncover the truth, Penny accepts support and Amy overhears a development in the case (AD)

8.00 Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon A lively family of six enlist the help of the team in decluttering their home and letting go of half of their belongings to pave the way for a reorganised future (1/7) (r) (AD)

9.00 Death in Paradise When a prestigious chess match ends in murder, the team members have to work out how and why the killing was carried out. Meanwhile, the Commissioner is confronted with his past by the very last person he was expecting to see (8/9) (r)

10.00 BBC News at Ten

10.30 BBC Regional News and Weather 10.40 Have I Got News for You Stephen Mangan hosts with Andy Hamilton and Chloe Petts (7/10) (r)

11.10 FILM: Emily (15, 2022) Emily Brontë is assigned French lessons with the new parish curate, William Weightman, and an initially combative relationship kindles forbidden desire. Drama with Emma Mackey and Oliver Jackson-Cohen

7.00 Global Eye Investigations from BBC correspondents all over the world

7.30 Mastermind Specialist subjects are the Tour de France, George Harrison, Virgil's The Aeneid, and Lyndon B Johnson. See picks of the day

8.00 Only Connect The Six Sevens take on Meat and Two Veg in a first-round match. See picks of the day

8.30 University Challenge Pembroke College, Cambridge takes on St Andrews. See picks of the day

9.00 Buried with Michael Sheen The actor's search leads him to Ruabon in north Wales, where many locals have voiced concerns about what they believe is a high incidence of cancer cases in the community. See picks of the day (2/2) (AD)

10.00 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing The Surrey Hills (5/6) (r) (AD)

10.30 Newsnight With Adam Fleming

11.05 FILM: Jaws 2 (PG, 1978) A man-eating shark menaces teenagers adrift off a seaside resort, while the police chief tries to alert the community to the danger they face. Thriller sequel starring Roy Scheider. See film choice (AD)

12.55am Sign Zone: Countryfile Adam Henson is in Cumbria with a 27-year-old farmer and the flock of goats she keeps in partnership with her dad (r) (SL) 1.50-2.45 Bergerac. The race is on to find Kim before she comes to harm, and Jim has a shocking realisation. Last in the series (r) (AD, SL)

7.30 Fletchers' Family Farm The family carry out a sheep-worming treatment, and Mamie and Milo discover bat boxes in the barns (4/10) (r) (AD)

8.00 Emmerdale It is Joe and Dawn's wedding day, while Caleb is delighted at a plan coming together (AD)

8.30 Coronation Street Tim makes a confession to Lucy, and Bethany does her best to reassure Sarah (AD)

9.00 Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace — What Happened Next Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell find out what happened to a woman and her sister, who were left in hospitals as babies less than two years apart. See picks of the day (AD)

10.00 ITV News at Ten; Weather; followed by Regional News 10.45 FILM: Rush Hour (12, 1998) An overly zealous Hong Kong detective investigating a kidnapping in Los Angeles is teamed with a loud-mouthed local cop — and the new partnership proves to be an explosive combination. Action comedy adventure starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker (AD)

10.00 ITV News at Ten; Weather; followed by Regional News

10.45 FILM: Rush Hour (12, 1998) An overly zealous Hong Kong detective investigating a kidnapping in Los Angeles is teamed with a loud-mouthed local cop — and the new partnership proves to be an explosive combination. Action comedy adventure starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker (AD)

11.05 Celebrity Gogglebox A rolling cast of famous faces — including Rylan, Jennifer Saunders, Danny Dyer, Zoe Ball, Clare Balding and Jane McDonald — critique the week's television shows (1/6) (r) (AD)

12.25am Shop on TV 3.00 The Staircase. In 2001, an ill-fated Thanksgiving leaves Kathleen stressed and Margaret with questions about her past (r) (AD, SL) 4.00 Unwind with ITV 5.10-6.00 Dickinson's Real Deal. David Dickinson and the team of experts value items in Oldham (r) (AD, SL)

7.00 Channel 4 News

8.00 Martin & Roman's Irish Road Trip Martin and Roman Kemp head to snowy Northern Ireland, diving into Selkie myths, vampire legends, hurling, haunted hotels and Deny's Hallowen festival (3/3) (AD)

9.00 Celebrity Hunted Two runners make a high-risk appearance at Bristol Pride, and an audacious prank in a Milton Keynes pub threatens to backfire badly (7/8) (AD)

10.00 Celebrity Hunted Two runners make a high-risk appearance at Bristol Pride, and an audacious prank in a Milton Keynes pub threatens to backfire badly (7/8) (AD)

10.00 Secret Lives of Gypsy Wives Trewley's sister Pearly tries on wedding dresses, while Trewley rebels against traditional roles by going on a date, and faces a dilemma over a six-figure deal (6/6) (AD)

12.05am Emergency Helicopter Medics (r) (AD) 1.00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (r) (SL) 1.55 FILM: Dirt Music (15, 2019) Drama starring Kelly Macdonald 3.40 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (r) 3.45 Couples Come Dine with Me (r) (SL) 4.40 Hollyoaks (r) (AD, SL) 5.50-6.30 Countdown (r)

7.00 Cycling: Vuelta a España Rebecca Charlton presents action from stage three of the Grand Tour race, a 17-8km mountain route from Gruissan through to Font-Romeu

7.55 5 News Update

8.00 Street Cops: Catching the Yobs Armed officers are called to Northampton high street after a frustrated bank customer takes his rage out on passing street cops. In Wellingborough, a PC chases down a potential drug deal in the park

9.00 Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law In north London, TIL investigators prepare to track down a suspected serial fare evader who is accused of using a blocked card to rack up more than £2,000 in unpaid Elizabeth line fares in just a month

10.00 Police Interceptors: Taking Down the Shoplifting Gangs An officer must collate intelligence from 23 police forces across the country before putting evidence to two people suspected of being connected to UK-wide shop thefts (4/4) (r)

11.05 Traffic Cops In North Yorkshire, officers are out in force protecting lorry drivers and their cargoes as gangs target goods and trucks travelling through the county. On the outskirts of Leeds, a helicopter is called in to help search for suspected fuel thieves hiding out in woods (r)

12.05am Police Interceptors (r) 1.00 Cruise TV with Lone@book) (r) 2.00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors (r) 2.50 Castle (r) 3.35 Friends (r) (AD) 4.35 The Highland Vet (r) (SL) 5.25 Entertainment News on 5.5.35 Paw Patrol (r) (SL) 5.45-6.00 The Adventures of Paddington (r) (SL)

1.15am-6.00 BBC News

---

13

television

Mastermind/Only Connect/ University Challenge

BBC2, 7.30pm/8pm/8.30pm

In Clive Myrie's Mastermind (7.30pm), Lyndon "LBL" Johnson, George Harrison, the Tour de France and The Aeneid are the specialist subjects. Then Victoria Coren Mitchell referees an Only Connect (8pm) match between Meat and Two Veg (a carnivore and two vegans) and Six Sevens (teachers fed up with the 6-7 school meme). And at 8.30pm, Pembroke College,

Cambridge, play against the University of St Andrews in University Challenge, with Amol Rajan overseeing. JD

Buried with Michael Sheen

BBC2, 9pm

Michael Sheen concludes his investigation into allegations that "forever chemicals" were dumped in south Wales by an agrochemicals giant, finding anecdotal evidence of strange cancers forming in potential clusters and visiting a lake so toxic

that the barrels dumped there have rotted away. Sheen rails about the unfairness of it all but will he prove powerless against a long-held political obduracy ossified by the prospect of a colossal clean-up bill? Helen Stewart

STREAMING CHOICE

Your Friendly Neighbourhood

Spider-Man Available Monday

In the 1980s and 1990s, if you

wanted to watch superhero adventures then Saturday morning cartoons were your only option. The creator and animator team of Jeff Trammell and Leo Romero hark back to those more innocent times, devising a striking blend of 2D and 3D animations to (re)tell the story of Peter Parker's coming of age, from a fresh non-MCU perspective. It's all knowingly witty and playful, but behind the sheen of youthful innocence it is doing something quite daring and interesting. Andrew Male

FILM CHOICE

Jaws 2 (PG, 1978)

BBC2, 11.05pm

This follow-up was pilloried at the time for being a cash-in but it's a respectable and entertaining film that captures a fair hit of the first film's energy. Teenagers are picked off from below, boats are terrorised, but most of all Roy Scheider gives it his all as police chief Brody, haunted by events on the Orca. (Ilfemin) James Jackson

BBC4

7.00pm The Architecture the Railways Built. Tim Dunn sets out to explore Metroland (5/10) (AD) 7.45 The Flying Gardener 8.00 Archaeology: A Secret History. Archaeological breakthroughs (1/3) 9.00 Mastermind. The third heat of the 1977 series of the past show 9.30 Call My Bluff. Robert Robinson hosts an edition from 1974 10.00 John Betjeman. The Last Laugh – Reputations. A 2001 profile of the former Poet Laureate (AD) 11.05 Beside the Seaside: Bird's Eye View. John Betjeman sets out to tell the story of the English seaside 11.55 Metroland. Reflection on the suburbs along the Metropolitan Line 12.45am A Passion for Churches 1.35 The Flying Gardener 1.50 John Betjeman. The Last Laugh – Reputations (AD) 3.00am-3.55 Archaeology: A Secret History (SL)

Sky Arts

6.00am Musical Masterpieces 7.00 Battle of the Irish Dancers 8.00 Artist of the Year: Masterclass (AD) 9.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) 10.00 Alfred Hitchcock Presents 11.00 Discovering: Peter Finch 12.00 The Art of Film with Ian Nathan (AD) 1.00pm Tales of the Unexpected (AD) 2.00 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour 3.00 The Nineties 4.00 Discovering: Gene Wilder 5.00 Portrait Artist of the Year 2023 (AD) 6.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) 7.00 Alfred Hitchcock Presents 8.00 André Rieu: The Flying Dutchman. A concert in Kerkrade 10.30 HMS Pinafore with ENO 12.30am Mozart's Women: A Musical Journey 2.00 National Theatre Live Much Ado About Nothing 4.30 Inside Art: Van Gogh at the Courtauld Gallery (AD) 5.00am-6.00 The Art of Film

More4

8.55am Find It, Fix It, Flog It (AD) 10.00 Four in a Bed 12.40pm Come Dink with Me (AD) 3.20 Four in a Bed 5.50 Car SOS (AD) 6.50 Car SOS: Fuzz Townshend and Tim Shaw secretly fix up a World Rally-winning car (AD) 7.35 Grand Designs. A couple building a home that looks like a work of art in south Devon (AD) 9.00 PopAsia: TV: Ken Bruce hosts the second heat of the music-based quiz show 10.00 24 Hours in A&E. An 81-year-old cyclist is brought into A&E after being hit by a car (AD) 11.05 24 Hours in A&E. A train driver is rushed in to hospital with badly fractured ankles after falling 12ft from a tree (2/11) (AD) 12.10am 999: On the Front Line 1.15 24 Hours in A&E (AD) 3.20am-3.50 The Perfect Pitch

Chelsea forward Joao Pedro

Live Snooker TNT Sports 2, 12.30pm-3.30 The fourth session from round one of the Wuhan Open at the Optics Valley Gymnasium, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China

Live US Open Tennis Sky Sports Tennis, 4pm-2am, Sky Sports +, 4pm-7, Sky Sports Mix, 4pm-12midnight Day one of the qualifying event at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York

Live MNF: Fulham v Chelsea Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, 6.30pm-11 (Kick-off 8.00): The Premier League game at Craven Cottage

Live Tennis Sky Sports +, 7pm-2am The ATP Winston-Salem Open and WTA Monterrey Open

Live MLB: Miami Marlins v Boston Red Sox TNT Sports 1, 11.30pm-2.30am (Diah-time 11.40): The inter-league game at loanDepot park

Talking Pictures

6.00am The Vise (b/w) 6.30 FILM: Operation Stogie (U, 1959) (b/w) 7.40 FILM: Who Killed the Cut? (U, 1966) (b/w) 9.25 Mad Mel and Mister Gibson 10.30 2 Cars 11.30 FILM: The Dark Light (PG, 1951) (b/w) 12.50pm Look at Life 1.00 Richard the Lockheed (b/w) 1.20 FILM: Hell Drivers (PG, 1957) (b/w) 3.40 FILM: Window to the Sky (1967) 4.00 That's My Boy 4.35 FILM: Blanche Fury (U, 1948) 6.35 The History of Disquems in Chichester 1954. Short film 7.00 The Footage Detectives 8.00 Malport 9.55 FILM: Mort D'un Pourri (12, 1977) Thriller starring Alain Delon 12.25am FILM: Sea of Sand (U, 1958) Adventure (b/w) 2.25 FILM: Siengail (PG, 1954) 4.05 Glimpses 4.25 The Veil (b/w) 5.00am-6.00 The Man from UNCLE (b/w)

Film4

11.00am Charade (PG, 1963) Romantic thriller with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant (AD) 1.15pm Howards End (PG, 1992) Period drama starring Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins (AD) 4.05 Shenandoah (PG, 1965) American Civil War western starring James Stewart and Glenn Corbett 6.15 American Gangster Special 6.25 Moonfall (12, 2022) A mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit and two astronauts join forces to avert catastrophe. Sci-fi thriller with Patrick Wilson and Halle Berry (AD) 9.00 Public Enemies (15, 2009) Fach-based drama about 1930s bank robber John Dillinger. With Johnny Depp and Christian Bale 11.45pm-3.10am Heat (15, 1995) Crime thriller starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer

UKDrama

6.00am Teleshopping 7.15 The Bill 8.10 Doctors 9.20 Classic Holly City 10.40 Casualty (AD) 11.40 The Bill 12.40pm Classic EastEnders 2.00 Classic Neighbours 3.05 Whitsnable Pearl (AD) 4.10 Kingdom 5.15 As Time Goes By 6.00 Last of the Summer Wine 8.00 The Brokenwood Mysteries. An ex-finance boss is found floating in a swimming pool with a samurai sword in his back (4/4) (AD) 10.00 New Tricks. The team reopens the case of a murdered palaeontologist after learning he opposed his muteness dealings with a fuel company (1/10) (AD) 11.20 Luther (2/2) (AD) 12.40am Lorepo: Drama series 1.50 Sister Boniface Mysteries (AD) 2.50 The Chelsea Detective (SL) 4.00am-6.00 Teleshopping

BBC3

7.00pm The Catch Up 7.05 Deadly 60. Reports on wild animals that are endangered 7.30 Deadly 60. Steve Backshall searches for reptiles in Indonesia 8.00 The Great British Sewing Bee. The sewers are tasked to make tubs, cuddly toys and superhero costumes for children's week (AD) 9.00 Top Gear. James May test drives the updated Fiat Panda 10.00 Silent Witness. Part one of two. The team agree to investigate a recent rail crash (7/8) 11.00 Silent Witness. Part two of two. The team stages a reconstruction of the crash (8/8) 11.55 FILM: Monkey Man (18, 2024) Action thriller starring Dev Patel, Sharita Copley and Pibobash 1.55am The Trouble with Kanye (AD) 3.05am-4.00 Vigil (AD, SL)

ITV2

6.00am Backyard Builds (SL) 6.30 Dress to Impress (AD, SL) 7.30 The Real Housewives of Potomac 8.20 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills 9.15 The Only Way Is Essex 10.15 Dawson's Creek 11.15 Charmed 12.10pm Deal or No Deal (AD) 1.10 Celebrity Supermarket Sweep (AD) 2.10 The Floor (AD) 3.10 The Only Way Is Essex 4.10 The Real Housewives of Potomac 5.00 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Reality series 6.00 Celebrity Catchphrase (AD) 7.00 The Floor (AD) 8.00 The 1% Club Rollover (AD) 9.00 The Only Way Is Essex 10.00 Family Guy. Triple bill (AD) 11.35 American Dad! (AD) 12.35am Bob's Burgers (AD) 1.30 Phelo (AD, SL) 2.00am-2.25 Deep Fake Neighbour Wars (SL)

ITV3

6.00am George and Mildred 7.05 Classic Emmerdale (AD) 8.05 Classic Coronation Street (AD) 9.10 Agatha Christie's Poirot (AD) 11.30 Heartbeat (AD) 1.35pm Midcomer Murders (AD) 3.35 Classic Emmerdale (AD) 4.40 Classic Coronation Street (AD) 5.50 Heartbeat. Rural drama (AD) 6.55 Heartbeat. PC Crane's wayward mother arrives in Aislesfield (AD) 8.00 Midcomer Murders. Barnaby and Nelson investigate when the race leader of an international cycling competition is killed (AD) 10.00 Lewis. A professor is found dead after her internet dating video is leaked onto a website (2/4) (AD) 11.50 Trial & Retribution. A new case begins when a girl falls to her death from a Ferris wheel (2/6) 1.45am-2.15 George and Mildred

Sky Atlantic

6.00am The Guest Wing (r) (AD) 8.00 Billions (r) (AD) 18.15 House of the Dragon (r) (AD) 12.40pm Hornicide: Life on the Street (r) 2.30 Billions (r) (AD) 4.40 Django (r) (AD) 6.35 House of the Dragon. IRbamry's positions herself to take King's landing (r) (AD) 7.45 House of the Dragon. Ailcent risks everything in order to fulfil her end of the bargain (r) (AD) 9.00 FILM: Nightcrawler 9.00 FILM: Nightcrawler 15, 2014 A pretty crook goes into business filming crime and accident scenes and selling the footage to news broadcasters. Drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo (AD) 11.05 Possession. Claudia must embrace both her feelings to defeat Charlotte's spirit (r) (AD) 12.05am Dune: Prophecy (r) (AD) 2.50 House of the Dragon (r) (AD) 4.10am-6.00 Urban Secrets (r)

Sky Docs

6.00am History of the Slicom (r) 7.00 Discovering: Jeremy Irons (r) (AD) 8.00 The Directors (r) (AD) 9.00 Janet Jackson (r) (AD) 10.00 The Story of Late Night (r) 11.00 Juan Carlos: Downfall of the King (r) 12.00 On the Line: The Richard Williams Story (r) (AD) 1.45pm My Icon: Duke McKenzie (r) (AD) 2.00 Jackie Stewart (r) (AD) 4.00 The Directors (r) (AD) 5.00 Discovering: Jeremy Irons (r) (AD) 5.55 Chimp Crazy (r) (AD) 7.00 Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God (1/3) (r) (AD) 8.00 The Girl Who Caught a Killer. Rachael Watts' story (1&2) (r) (AD) 10.30 I Am Patrick Swayze (r) (AD) 12.10am FILM: Steve McQueen: The Last Movie (12, 2021) (AD) 2.00 Alexia: Labor Omnia Vincit (r) 5.00am-6.00 Discovering: Jeremy Irons (r) (AD)

UK Yesterday

6.10am Abandoned Engineering (AD) 8.00 Bangers & Cash. Restoring Classics (AD) 10.00 Secret Nazi Bases 11.00 The World at War 12.00 Antiques Roadshow 2.00pm Bangers & Cash (AD) 4.00 Secret Nazi Bases 5.00 The World at War. The battle for North Africa 6.00 Antiques Roadshow. The team visits the Roadshows. Derby 7.00 The Blue Planet. The marine ecosystem of coral reefs (AD) 8.00 Canal Boat Diaries (4/4) 8.30 Canal Boat Diaries. A journey from Wigan to Burnley (1/4) 9.00 Canal Boat Diaries (2/4) 9.30 Canal Boat Diaries (3/4) 10.00 Bangers & Cash (AD) 11.00 Bangers & Cash (AD) 12.00 Bangers & Cash. Restoring Classics (AD) 1.00am Find It, Fix It, Flog It 2.00 Abandoned Engineering (AD) 3.00am-6.10 Teleshopping

Variations

BBC1 It Ireland 10.43pm Girl Fight (r) 11.10 Have I Got News for You (r) 11.40 FILM: Emily (2022) Drama starring Emma Mackey. 1.45am-6.00 BBC News BBC1 Scotland 11.10pm Sportscene: SWPL Highlights (r) 11.40 Scotcast (r) 12.10am FILM: Emily (2022) 2.15am-5.00 BBC News BBC1 Wales 9.00pm-10.00 Buried with Michael Sheen. Cancer in Ruabion BBC2 It Ireland 10.03pm-10.30 Ar an Slíath (r) BBC2 Wales 9.00pm-10.00 Death in Paradise. A chess match ends in murder (r) STV 10.40pm Scotland Tonight 11.05 Password (r) 11.45 Sean's Scotland (r) 12.05am-3.00 Shop on TV 4.00am-6.00 Night Vision

BBC Scotland 2.00pm-4.00 Sign Zone (r) 7.00 Reporting Scotland: News at Seven 7.30 Sportscene: SWPL Highlights 8.00 The Mountain (r) 8.30 Race Against the Tide 9.00 Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr (r) 10.00 River City 10.30 Two Doors Down (r) 11.00 Scotcast 11.30pm-12.00 Gary: Tank Commander (r) SAC 6.00am Cyw 12.00 News 12.05pm Richard Irish: IV Academy Fehrs (r) 12.30 Heno (r) 1.00 Strawn Harri Parri (r) 2.00 News 2.05 Pynhawn Du 3.00 News 3.05 Mwang Fiy Mywyd (r) 4.00 Awr Fawr (r) 5.00 Shwish 6.00 Arfordle Cymru: Sir Benfro (r) 6.30 Lown Mowgan: Her 333 (r) 6.39 News 7.00 Heno 7.30 News 8.00 Spens Dan y Llorr (r) 8.25 Garddio a Mwy 8.55 News 9.00 Cefn Gwlad (r) 9.58 Y Tywydd 10.05 Y Deis (r) 10.35pm-11.40 Y Fehs (r)

PBS America

8.00am Weathered: Earth's Extremes 8.35 The World After Stonehenge 9.55 The Normans 11.10 The War Cabinet 1.00pm Weathered: Earth's Extremes 1.35 The World After Stonehenge 2.50 The Normans 4.05 The War Cabinet 6.05 The World After Stonehenge 7.15 The Normans (1/3) 8.30 The War Cabinet. Part one of two. Examining the key players behind Donald Trump's use of the military. See picks of the day 9.30 The War Cabinet. Part two of two. Clashes with allies, the deaths of foreign leaders, and war in the Middle East. See picks of the day 10.30 Oren Upon a Time in Northern Ireland. Telling the stories of the Troubles from people on all sides of the conflict (1/5) 12.00 The Normans 1.15am-2.00 Weathered: Earth's Extremes

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14

MindGames

General Knowledge Crossword No 352

Across

1 Thack discs of flaked salmon or cod, eg, mixed with potato and coated in breadcrumbs (9) 6 Light crisp biscuit often served with ice cream (5) 9 Event including competitive bareback riding and roping (5) 10 Barbra —, singer-actress in Funny Girl and Yentl (9) 11 Integrated sideboard and shelving unit (7) 12 Carmaker whose models have included the Xsara and Saso (7) 13 Star of two films as the greed-driven Gordon Gekko (7?) 17 Game in which one may ruff, finesse and rednable (8,6) 21 Athletics event in which the men's world record is 23.56 metres (4.3) 23 Blue wire in a plug (7) 25 Female warrior on the reverse of many £2 coins since 2015 (9)

Last week's solution

26 Currency of Sweden (5) 27 Frederick —, musical partner of Alan Jay Lerner (5) 28 Playwright widely thought to have worked with Shakespeare on Times of Athens (9)

Down

1 Hazardous coalmine gas mainly comprising methane (8) 2 Grasslike wetland plant with triangular stems (5) 3 Flaky bakery item made by "laminating" yeast dough (9) 4 Bird poeticised by Hopkins in The Windhover (7) 5 Hot wind blowing from north Africa to southern Europe (7) 6 Nontechnical name for the carpal joint (5) 7 18th-century French painter best known for The Swing (9) 8 Chinchilla or lemming, eg (6) 14 Animal in the title of a song by Elton John and book by Roald Dahl (9) 15 Art —, singer whose solo hits include Bright Eyes in 1979 (9) 16 Murray —, US physicist who conceptualised the quark (4-4) 18 Word of opposite meaning (7) 19 Isle of Man's parliament (7) 20 — Allende, Chilean author of The House of the Spirits (6) 22 English name of a large river and estuary of Argentina and Uruguay (5) 24 Sleeping location for birds (5)

Codeword No 5927

K B E D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26

Every letter in this crossword-style grid is represented by a number from 1 to 26. Each letter of the alphabet appears in the grid at least once. Use the letters already provided to work out the identity of further letters. Enter letters in the main grid and the smaller reference grid until all 26 letters of the alphabet have been accounted for. Proper nouns are excluded. Saturday's solution: right

Cluelines Stuck on Codeword? To receive 4 random clues call 0901 293 6262 or text TIMECODE to 64343. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company's network access charge. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. For the full solution call 0905 757 0142. If you have an old newspaper and need clues from the past 7 days, call 0905 624 0024. Calls to 0905 cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm).

Lexica Easy No 9073

Hard No 9074

Slide the letters either horizontally or vertically back into the grid to produce a completed crossword. Letters are allowed to slide over other letters.

Train Tracks No 2952

7 Lay tracks to enable the train to travel from village A to village B. The numbers indicate how many sections of track go in each row and column. There are only straight sections and curved sections. The track cannot cross itself.

Quintagram® No 2654

Solve all five cryptic clues using each letter underneath once only

1 Hearts of savage hellions exuding sound (5)

2 Love unaltered in spring (5)

3 Caught flower child being aggressive (6)

4 Following a party, journalist is embarrassed (7)

5 Heat anvil to break giant monster (9)

A	A	A	A	A	A	B	C
D	D	E	E	H	H	H	I
I	I	I	L	L	N	O	P
P	S	S	S	T	V	V	Y

Challenge your mind with puzzle books from The Times

Winning Move

Black to play.

This position is from Reymann-Ilamparthi, Titled Tuesday, chess.com 2026.

Black is a pawn up but in the normal run of events this would be hard to convert to a win. White has now offered to exchange queens but in doing so has missed a trick. How did Black conclude?

KenKen Easy No 6919

All the digits 1 to 6 must appear in every row and column. In each this's-line "block", the target number in the top left-hand corner is calculated from the digits in all the cells in the block, using the operation indicated by the symbol.

Futoshiki No 5467

Fill the blank squares so that every row and column contains each of the numbers 1 to 5 once only. The symbols between the squares indicate whether a number is larger (+) or smaller (-) than the number next to it.

Kakuro No 4426

Fill the grid using the numbers 1 to 9 only. The numbers in each horizontal or vertical run of white squares add up to the total in the triangle to its left or above it. The same number may occur more than once in a row or column, but not within the same run of white squares.

© PCCS3M MEDIA

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15

MindGames

times2 Crossword No 10,243

Across

1 Tub (4)

4 Flea or louse, eg (8)

8 Quadruple (8)

9 Kdn (4)

10 Largest internal organ (5) 11 Certificate of permission (7) 13 Rory McIlroy, eg (6) 15 Cheapest, cat roughly (6) 18 Observing (7)

Solution to Crossword 10,242

20 All of a contest's entrants (5)

23 Solid fossil fuel (4) 24 Long-legged pink bird (8) 25 Protect and repair (antiques, paintings etc) (8) 26 Main body of a ship (4)

Down

2 Garlic mayonnaise (5) 3 Feminine pronoun (7) 4 Cue sport (4) 5 Stop signal (1,5) 6 Feed (a fire) (5) 7 Sugar refining by-product (7) 10 Habitual convict (3) 12 Act of moving money between bank accounts (8) 14 South American river (7) 16 Celtic folk music and dance event (7) 17 Papa (3) 19 Water sources (5) 21 Lawful (5) 22 Funeral gathering; rouse (4)

Need help with today's puzzle? Call 0905 757 0143 to check the answers. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm).

Bridge Andrew Robson

Your right-hand opponent opens! ▲ yet your left-hand opponent leads something else — not a particularly appealing something else to boot. What inference do you draw?

Lefty is probably void in righty's suit Karen McCallum of Adelaide, Australia (who previously lived and played internationally for the USA) drew that inference on today's deal at the Asia and Pacific Bridge Federation Games in China.

Winning West's club lead, declarer cashed the other top club (discarding a spade) then drew trumps finishing in dummy to lead a diamond to the queen. West won the ace and led a second diamond.

Declarer read clubs to be six - four (West-East); West may have bid a seven-card club suit East, apparently holding ▲AKQ1087, would surely have done more with five clubs ("six-five, come alive") That meant West was ▲0-♥2-♥5-♣6 and East ▲6-♥1-♥2-♣4.

It is tempting to run the diamond to the ten, playing the five-card diamond length for the jack McCallum rose with the king, not prepared to chance East holding a doubleton jack.

This may appear fatal but declarer had a cunning plan. She led a third diamond from dummy (the seven) and discarded a spade. West won the right and led the jack, beating dummy's nine. And again declarer discarded a spade.

After this double loser-on-loser, West was finally roubled to give a ruff-and-discard. Whether he led a third club or a fifth diamond, declarer could ruff in dummy and shed her last spade from hand. Ten

Dealer: East, Vulnerability: Neither

(1) May make a negative double, essentially take-out for the miners.

Contract: 4♥, Opening Lead: ▲4

tricks and game made. Fabulous play from Karen, known as Kate. I played rubber bridge against Kate at the now defunct Green Street Bridge Club back in the late Eighties — she's a great player.

Postscript. It is a tad churlish to suggest that declarer could perhaps have led a diamond to the ten on the first round, rather than lead to the queen. She was never going to succeed if East held the ace of diamonds, for he could win and cash the ace-king-quens of spades: game over. But she would succeed whether the ten held or, as here, lost to West's jack. She would garner ten tricks via six hearts, two clubs and two diamonds. Still, the double loser-on-loser play was much more fun.

Thank you to Barbara Travis and the IBPA Bulletin for the details. andrew.rutcoo@batimes.co.uk

Brain Trainer

Polygon

From these letters, make words of three or more letters, always including the central letter. Answers must be in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, excluding capitalised words, plurals, conjugated verbs (past tense etc), adverbs ending in LV, comparatives and superlatives. How you rate 15 words, average, 21, good; 26, very good; 31, excellent

Saturday's answers

bish, bush, bushie, buss, census, cess, chess, chubbiness, cush, cuisse, cuss, echinus, hiss, huss, incus, incuse, issue, reddish, nesh, ness, nbs, sesh, shen, shin, shine, shun, sice, since, sine, sinus, snib, snub, such, sushi

Cell Blocks No 5810

Divide the grid into square or rectangular blocks, each containing one digit only. Every block must contain the number of cells indicated by the digit inside it.

Set Square No 4429

Enter each of the numbers from 1 to 9 in the grid, so that the six sums work. We've placed two numbers to get you started. Each sum should be calculated left to right or top to bottom.

Please note, BODMAS does not apply

Killer Gentle No 10,892

Killer Tricky No 10,893

As with standard Sudoku, fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Each set of cells joined by dotted lines must add up to the target number in its top-left corner. Within each set of cells joined by dotted lines, a digit cannot be repeated.

Closlines Stuck on Sudoku, Killer or KenKen? Call 0901 293 6263 before midnight to receive four clues for any of today's puzzles. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm).

Solutions

Quick Cryptic 3386

Trudoku 1956

Codeword 5926

Square Routes

Kakuro 4424

Train Tracks 2951

Set Square 4427

Lexica 9067

Call Blocks 5809

Futoshiki 5465

KenKen 4918

Lexica 9068

Sudoku 17048

Killer 10,891

Today's solutions

Concise

Quintagram

1 Ferrer

2 Health

3 Market

4 Ground

5 Knowledge

Word watch

Hudibosite (b) Mon-horsic in style (Celllist) Reptation (a) Squirming up a narrow passage (Chambers) Bagarre (b) A scuffle or fused (Hill2)

Chess — Winning Move

1. Ref in a classic diversion After 2 KSL! (2 Roof Quah is the main point) 2. Q64+ 3 g3 Q82 in mate

Sakuro 4828

Quiz

1 USA 2 Arctic Ocean

3 Treasure Island 4 Tower

of London 5 Jeremy

Thorpe 6 Sue 7 Joseph

Stalin 8 Calculator

9 Anderson shelter 10 The

Draughtsman's Contract

11 Baltimore 12 Paco

Rahanne 13 Matros 14 Jade Jones 15 Julie Etchingham

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THE TIMES

24.08.26

MindGames

For extra puzzles See page 10

Word watch

David Parfitt

Hudibrastic

a Vam, conceited b Mock-heroic in style c Expressing an idea in one word

Reptation

a Squirming up a narrow passage b The sound of bones c craking c A compensatory sum of money

Bagarre

a Strange, surreal b A scuffle or brawl c A small rectangular gem

Answers on page 15

Sudoku Easy No 17049

Difficult No 17050

Fiendish No 17051

					9	1
	7	6	4	2			8
			8				6
4	8	5		1		9
1		4	2		3	8
2			9	3		6
7	3			8		4
		4		1	6
6		9	2

		7			1	4
8			6
	5	9		6
	1		7	4	9	3
	7
	2		3	5	6	7
	3	6		9
4			9
		1			3	5

	1					9
3	5		9		8	2	7
			8		2
			1		4
9		1		7		8	6
	4	3				2	7
		7		4		3
		5				4

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

The Times Daily Quiz Clav Bjortomt

1 Washingtonians live in the national capital of which country? 2 The North Pole lies in which ocean? 3 Which Robert Louis Stevenson novel completes the title of Enid Briton's first Famous Five book, Five on a ...? 4 The ravens Harris, Jubilee, Poppy, Edgar, Georgie, Chaos, Henry and Poe reside at which London landmark? 5 In 1976, which MP resigned as Liberal Party leader after being accused of conspiracy to murder? 6 Which "gal" in the Little Richard song

Tutti Frutti "knows just what to do"?

7 The Old Bolshevik, Vyacheslav Molotov, was one of the closest allies of which Soviet leader?

8 Introduced by Clive Sinclair's firm Sinclair Radionics in 1976, the

Sinclair Sovereign was a high-end what?

9 In 1938, William Paterson and Oscar Kerrison designed which air-raid shelter for British back gardens?

10 Which 1982 Peter Greenaway film was shot on location at

Groombridge Place near Tunbridge Wells?

11 The 1990s US TV crime series Homicide: Life on the Street was set in which city?

12 Which fashion designer inspired the green disc mindress worn by Jane Fonda in the 1968 film Barbarella?

13 Which giant fish is the first avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu?

14 Which double Olympic champion in taekwondo named her 2034 autobiography Headbunter?

15 Which JTV News at Ten anchor is pictured?

Answers on page 15

Sakuro No 4828

Place the numbers 1 to 9 in the spaces so that the number in each circle is equal to the sum of the four surrounding spaces, and each colour total is correct

For interactive puzzles visit thetimes.com

The Times Quick Cryptic No 3388 by Shay

Across

1 Pressing need? (7,5) 8 Slates put back in box (4) 9 Therapist treated Erasmus (7) 11 Offensive misrepresentation of Moonies (7) 12 Go away and swot after end of classes (5) 14 Passion and principle of talented British artist (6) 15 Slim, small and delicate (6) 18 Regularly take against patronage (5) 20 Calm cook uses Aga (7) 21 Owned place to unload fish (7) 23 Old crook picked up musical instrument (4) 24 Invalid declines seat in shop (12)

Down

2 Revisiting theme of Republican revolt (9) 3 Fearful sun over Barking (7) 4 Count stupefied monarch (6) 5 Smashes sculptures (5) 6 Beer is whitish, lacking head (3) 7 Secret affair that's universally undetectable? (4,6) 10 United Nations diplomat ultimately stayed single (10) 13 Playing a grim part in complicated procedure (9) 16 They're taught comparatively little about origin of species (7) 17 Bat noise (6) 19 Some instructions to ICU patient (5) 22 Pulse of boy rising (3)

Friday's solution on page 15

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THE TIMES THE SUNDAY TIMES

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The Game

THE TIMES.COM/SPORT

THE TIMES

MONDAY AUGUST 24 2026

KARVREENS.COM/REPORT/GETTY IMAGES

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Premier League

Liverpool and Newcastle supporters pay tribute pre-match to the late Keegan, including a 'King Kev' tifo for Newcastle's former player and manager, right; the clubs also laid wreaths in his memory, bottom left

Fitting finale honours memory of Keegan

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Elanga 5, Willock ST

LIVERPOOL

Gakpo 55, Szoboszlai 90+9pen

Martin Hardy

At St James' Park

Perhaps only Kevin Keegan would have truly understood the emotion that filled St James' Park, nine minutes into stoppage time, when Dominik Szoboszlai cracked an equalising shot, from the penalty spot, into the top corner of the Newcastle United goal.

This was Keegan's day, and that was the kind of finale to this fixture that left a man revered by both sets of fans slumped over an advertising hoarding at Anfield in 1996.

His death, on July 20, meant this game marked a truly unique and extraordinary show of love and unity from both sets of supporters. In the vast expanse of the Leazes End of the stadium before kick-off, Newcastle fans

held aloft a mural that featured black and white stripes with a red No7 in its middle. Above them, the 3,300 travelling supporters from Merseyside held a display in red and white that read: "Keegan." It was a stunning show of what Keegan meant to two footballing cities.

It was his return to football in 1992 that revived this fixture. When Stan Collymore fired a shot into the Newcastle goal at the Kop end during what is recognised as the greatest game in Premier League history, to secure victory in a seven-goal thriller, Keegan's briefly limp body told you the push for a first title since 1927 was probably over for those from Tyneside.

There was not that expansion of energy during another dramatic finish to another thrilling game between these two sides. It is too early in the season, and these two teams are some way from what Newcastle and Liverpool were back then, in the 1995-96 season, but it still brought rage from Matthias Jaissle in his first game in charge of Newcastle.

The footballing scriptwriters in the sky push the boundaries of credulity in

this fixture, so while the jeers after 63 minutes that greeted Victor Muñoz's arrival off the bench were nothing compared with the afternoon-long vitriol hurled at Alexander Isak on his first return to Tyneside since he went on strike to get a move to Liverpool, they

were still audible. Muñoz turned down Newcastle at the 11th hour in the summer, after a deal had been agreed with Osasuna.

So of course he would be pivotal in the stoppage-time drama, tumbling under a clumsy and tired challenge

Liverpool have not lost their opening Premier League match since 2013-14 and the streak remains intact thanks to a late penalty after debutant Muñoz was brought down by Hall, left. Szoboszlai stepped up to make it 2-2 with one of the last kicks of the game

from Lewis Hall to earn the penalty from which Liverpool and Andoni Iraola — he, too, on game one with a new club — would save a point.

When the penalty was given, Jaissle, a hyperactive and immaculately dressed figure, turned in rage and gestured as if to tear off his blazer.

That referee Stuart Attwell took time to point to the spot and that there followed a near three-minute delay, presumably for a VAR check that was not announced on any of the four giant television screens around the ground, merely added to the tension.

Not that you would have thought it from the top-corner rocket of a penalty that Szoboszlai blasted past Lukas Hornicek, who will never have faced a better spot kick.

Officially it was the 99th minute when he equalised. Collymore struck in the 92nd minute. Last season, in the corresponding fixture, Rio Ngumoha scored the winner in the 100th minute. No wonder it is a Premier League fixture in which Liverpool have not tasted defeat in 20 games, not since Steve McClaren was head coach of Newcastle, and despite a 2-0 victory that day, on December 6, 2015, they ended the season relegated.

Both coaches cut animated figures throughout. Newcastle showed great speed and danger in transition. Wherever Eddie Howe watched this fixture from, there will have been a wry smile. Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga cost £110 million last summer and did next to nothing. Against Liverpool they were exhilarating. Elanga's first Premier League goal for Newcastle came in the fifth minute and the noise that greeted his pitch-length charge past Milos Kerkez, culminating with a finish

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SIRENA TAYLOR/GETTY MAG'S, EVER HIM/HISTLYN, ADDED, MY EMIRATI/AMAZETTE MAG'S

past Alisson, was something else, carrying with it the emotion of Keegan, the fury of Isak and the delight at going ahead so early in a new season, from which no one knows what yet will come.

That still bears true for Liverpool. Their fragility will have alarmed Iraola. The head coach spoke afterwards, correctly, of statistics that showed his side had pushed and dominated. Their expected goals (xG) total was almost twice that of Newcastle. They had 36 touches in the Newcastle penalty area to the 16 of the home team. There were twice as many shots and Hornicek was forced to make more saves (five to three) than Alisson.

But if Iraola's in-tray included adding intensity to his side all over the pitch and shaking off the looseness defensively that symbolised the end of the Arne Slot era, then those elements

should now be in red. Newcastle used that fragility to launch daring raids. The first goal came when Will Osula found the overlapping Elanga at full speed, leaving Kerkez in his wake. That danger was never nullified.

For two head coaches lauded for the intensity of their teams, it was a reminder that this was day one. Liverpool's first equaliser came in the 55th minute, and though it was another rocket, drilled in from 30 yards by Cody Gakpo, it was noticeable also for the time he had to pick his spot.

That was when Liverpool were on top, but another turnover in possession led to another rapier-like break, when Wissa could not be dispossessed on a 50-yard run before finding the substitute Joe Willock, who fired Newcastle back in front.

Isak ballooned a good chance way over the Newcastle crossbar in the 69th

minute, but those home supporters celebrating must have forgotten the history of this fixture.

There will always be time for late drama, and so it proved, though from Szoboszlai, and not Isak, with one of the last kicks of the game.

Twas ever thus, as Keegan knew all too well.

TEAMS

Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): L Hornicek – A Dedic, M Thaw, S Botman, L Hall – L Miley (A Bamba 'Rimin), S Steur (J Ramsay 56) – A Elanga (J Murphy 76), Y Wissa (F Schar 95), H Barnes – W Osula (J Willock 54)

Booked Wissa, Miley, Murphy, Ramsey, Hornicek. Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson – J Firmpong, J Jacquet (R Araujo 70), V van Dijk, M Kerkez – D Szoboszlai, R Gravenberch (L Koontes 78) – R Ngameha (V Muñoz 63), F Wirtz (A Mac Allister 63), C Gakpo – A Isak

Booked Kerkez, Firmpong, Van Dijk. Referee (I Attwell). Attendance 52,630

Fast but exceptionally loose, Liverpool still have design faults

Paul Joyce

Northern Football Correspondent At St James' Park

After first heading over to acknowledge the Liverpool supporters still celebrating up in the gods, Andoni Iraola then marched towards the tunnel and was deep in conversation with Dominik Szoboszlai as he did so.

How to take the perfect penalty probably came up given the nerveless manner in which one of his new vice-captains had thrashed a 99th-minute spot kick into the top corner to eke out a point. The challenge Szoboszlai, and countless others, failed to put in on Yoane Wissa in the build-up to Newcastle United's second goal? Well, that was a conversation for another time.

Preferably today, tomorrow and the day after until Liverpool start to take their responsibilities with regard to the art of defending a little more seriously.

Another dramatic denouement in this fixture at least demonstrated a desire to push to the end, but the focus for Iraola must now be strengthening the soft underbelly which will check another season's ambitions until it is rectified.

It was difficult to gauge which of the two goals conceded was most galling from a Liverpool perspective. The opener came when Ryan Gravenberch decided not to shoot when in space on the edge of the penalty area and compounded that error with a poor pass that Amar Dedic intercepted.

By doing so, the right back cut out seven red shirts to leave Will Osula attacking a retreating backline of Virgil van Dijk and debutant Jérémy Jacquet. There was not a Liverpool player within 15 yards of the forward and those who strained to get back, such as Milos Kerkez, soon found the jet-heeled Anthony Elanga bypassing him on the outside. Osula picked out Elanga, and he clinically converted.

Two passes, 80 yards, 1-0 Newcastle. For the hosts' second, Liverpool appeared to have learnt from being so open. Another move broke down on the edge of the Newcastle box and, while there was initially space for Wissa, he soon had numbers around him. One, two, three, four, five opponents.

No matter. A pass to substitute Joe Willock and a shot into the corner. Two passes, 80 yards, Newcastle 2-1.

Iraola's mission, as set by the Anfield hierarchy, is to bring front-foot,

attacking football back after the Arne Slot era, which yielded title success inside 12 months but, by the end, had alienated supporters. However, aside from Cody Gakpo's shot from distance and Szoboszlai's majesty from 12 yards, there is not too much entertainment to be taken from the sort of fast-but-exceptionally-loose football Liverpool played at St James' Park.

Perhaps Iraola should have been more across the potential for such problems. After all, Liverpool have conceded more goals via fast breaks in all competitions than any other Premier League team since the start of last season [nine]. Here, they also conceded two goals from such a source in a top-flight match for the first time since their opening game of last season. The team preying on mistakes that day? Iraola's Bournemouth (even if they eventually succumbed 4-2).

All of which cements the impression Liverpool have not addressed the design faults which blighted last term through their summer business. Nor does it seem a remedy is being sought given the focus is on recruiting widmen, with Yankuba Minteh and Bradley Barcola expensive targets.

Since Fabinho's legs went in the 2022-23 campaign, different Liverpool sporting directors have tried to sign Moisés Cacedo, Romeo Lavia and Martin Zubimendi. Still, there is only Wataru Endo who can play as an out-and-out No 6. He never does.

Iraola does not want someone who simply sits and offers protection. He believes his midfielders should be able to both raid forward and run back. When he watches the Newcastle goals again, however, he will see players who could not file back quickly enough in the first instance. Then, those who did, opting not to make a tackle.

That lack of aggression, Iraola insisted, is to do with mentality and the overall problem can be solved by players using their common sense. 'It's not just personnel,' he said. 'I understand that Ryan Gravenberch is basically the No 6 and is on the edge of the box, and if he shoots and scores then we are saying what a play from Ryan Gravenberch.

'I don't want us to take that from his game, but we have to adapt as a team to these situations. We have to know these situations can happen. The second goal we did better in terms of having the numbers to defend, but we don't make a foul or go to the first challenge. It's not just because one person is playing there. It's something we have to correct between a lot of players.'

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Gravenberch had the opportunity to shoot but lost the ball after opting to pass it

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TheGame

Premier League

Emery in a fight to steady his toppling Jenga set

BRIGHTON Lindelof (og) 8, De Cuyper 18, Hinshelwood 30, 31

ASTON VILLA

4

0

James Gheerbrant At Amex Stadium

For nearly four years at Aston Villa, Unai Emery has built steadily, patiently, methodically. Season by season, through painstaking coaching work, he has added levels to this team. And on May 20, only 95 days ago, his towering achievement reached its highest height, when Villa beat Freiburg to win the Europa League.

And then, over the course of one tumultuous summer, that patiently built edifice has been subjected to the perilous subtractions of a Jenga tower. How many pieces can be removed while leaving the project standing? One by one. Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konia have been pulled out. Emiliano Martinez seems certain to go too. Ollie Watkins was left out of the squad here, asked why. Emery said that only the player could answer. "I can't explain," he said. "I can only answer with my silence."

In that press conference, the Villa head coach — calm, measured, not giving into panic or anger — gave the impression of a man drawing on all his powers of leadership and composure to hold the whole, wobbling project together. The match that preceded it, though, had suggested a different, more terminal image: a dizzyingly fast disintegration, an era of success crumbling to pieces, leaving its architect raging amid the rubble.

The first seven minutes of Villa's Premier League season were normal enough. The next 25 were catastrophic, staggering. They conceded four goals, of which the middle two were merely bad defending. The first, an own goal by Victor Lindelof, and the fourth, scored by Jack Hinshelwood, were horribly self-inflicted, the product of overconfidence and carelessness in their own box.

When João Gomes was sent off five minutes before half-time for an entirely foreseeable moment of head-loss, it felt like we were witnessing a kind of cultural implosion, and the record Premier League scoreline of 9-0 didn't seem out of the question.

It was a wild first half, and Emery did not, at that point, look like a man trying to quell or hold back the chaos. He looked like a man swept up in the entropy and discontent, angry at the world. There were fractious scenes between the two benches throughout the first half, and as it wore on Emery seemed enraged at Fabian Hürzeler and his staff. It was an uncharacteristic loss of decorum from a usually dignified man.

In the end, Villa just about held it together. A 4-0 defeat, arguably, falls on the right side of the fine line between bad day and existential crisis. And there were positives in the second half, even if all the intensity had gone out of the game at that stage.

"The second half I am really happy with how we responded, the maturity we showed," Emery said. "The players are keeping the mentality I want, always not complaining and not blaming. It's my responsibility to find solutions."

One problem in want of a solution, evidently, is the situation involving Watkins. The England striker has not been part of Villa's training sessions in recent days, is understood to want to leave, and has been linked with the Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal. Emery was sticking to his policy of silence, and did not answer when asked if Watkins had refused to play, or if he felt let down by one of the longest-serving members of his squad.

Brighton & Hove Albion were great. They too, let's not forget, are missing their top scorer from last season (and the season before that). Danny Welbeck, who has joined Chelsea's new adventure under Xabi Alonso. Promise David, the Canada striker, has joined on loan but did not come off the bench. In his absence, Georginio Rutter, who hasn't truly established himself since joining from Leeds two seasons ago, led the line and had a fine game.

Hinshelwood, showing his knack of making late runs into the box, scored Brighton's third and fourth goals within the space of 79 seconds. "How he interprets the [No 10] role, that's just unique," Hürzeler said, "because he's not a guy who needs that many ball touches to create the danger in an opponent's box. That's something that is special and something that really helps us, because if you always rely on ball touches to feel [good], then every player comes towards the ball, towards the ball."

But perhaps the most impressive performer for Hürzeler's team was from

Maxim De Cuyper. Signed as a left back last summer but playing on the left wing here, he excelled. The Belgian looks primed for a big season.

For Villa, a testing season awaits. They have the Champions League to contend with. New signings Zion Suzuki and Johan Manzambi — both impressive in the World Cup, for Japan and Switzerland respectively — will add a jolt of positivity, and Matteo Ruggeri, who made his debut here, could prove to be a sound replacement for Digne at left back.

For now, though, this is a club subsumed by uncertainty. Three months since that glorious night in Istanbul, Emery is facing the greatest test of his considerable abilities.

TEAMS

Brighton & Hove Albion (4-2-3-1) B Verbruggen — M Viertler (Z Yohanes 78min), L Vuxkovic, L Stark, O Bozcegic — P Gross, Y Ayari (Costrina 64) — D Gómez (M Yalcouyé 86), J Hinshelwood (C Koshudas 64), M De Cuyper (J Daman 76) — G Rutter

Booked Gross, Ayari

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): M Bizot — M Cash, V Lindelof, P Torres (T Mings 76), I Miettien (M Ruggeri 82) — B Kamara, J Gomes — J McGinn (Alysson 82), R Barkley (L Bogarde 74), G Hemmings — E Buendia (A Garnacho 86)

Booked McGinn, Cash. Sent off Gomes

Referee P Bankes

Angry touchline

antics a reflection of deeper issues

TONY CASCARINO ON TOUR

Shorn of so many of his players who won the Europa League, seething Emery's histrionics only added to the sense of chaos enveloping the club

A team are often a reflection of their manager and as Unai Emery's touchline antics descended into chaos, so did Aston Villa's first-half performance as Brighton & Hove Albion demolished them at the Amex Stadium. Emery's anger has highlighted an underlying issue at the

club that could become exposed further as the weeks go on.

The match unravelled quickly for Villa, and the home side's first goal after eight minutes was a sign of things to come. Pau Torres's sloppy pass across the penalty area was intercepted by Maxim De Cuyper,

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5

TheGame

whose shot cannoned comically off the post and into Victor Lindelof for an own goal. Playing across the face of your own goal is one of the first things you are taught not to do, and for all of Torres's ball-playing ability, it was an amateurish mistake, much to the annoyance of Emery.

Brighton's second came from a back-to-front move which ended with De Cuyper scoring ten minutes later, and Jack Hinshelwood's point-blank header after half an hour added another. Villa were not at the races, looking unprepared for the start of the campaign and a minute after Hinshelwood's first, he scored again as Emery's side lost the ball from kick-off.

Emery began to seethe as Villa started to cede possession easily and more mishaps emerged. The 54-year-old clashed with Fabian Hürzeler on the sideline and left his technical area on multiple occasions throughout the first half to point his finger and berate the German head coach. Emery is usually a livewire on the touchline but I have never seen him go at an opposition manager like this. The frustration he showed felt like a symptom of a much deeper concern, as his side were fortunate to only be 4-0 down at half-time.

The Spaniard is Villa's main man

before any player but the departures of numerous key players this summer have clearly affected him, and I have sympathy for his frustration.

Of the 11 players who started Villa's Europa League final against Freiburg in May, four have left this summer. Your Tielemans, Eeri Konsa, Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne, while Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins weren't part of the squad to face Brighton and are rumoured to be leaving. These are all players who featured in the World Cup and who have been loyal troops for Emery

JAMES MARSHON/STORETRON, KENLEY WESTERN/POSTTERSTOCK, RILEY PARK/ING/GETTY IMAGES

sent off in the first half against Brighton, is a good player but not of the same quality as Tielemans. Alejandro Garnacho is not at the level of Rogers, and while Zion Suzuki and Johan Manzambi were impressive at the World Cup, they are unproven in the Premier League.

After finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League again, a remarkable achievement considering the financial muscle of the traditional "big six", it feels like Villa have failed to capitalise while many of those sides are in transition with new managers.

They have one of the best head coaches in the league, and while he has shown his capacity to help teams overachieve throughout his career, he needs players he can depend on, and he is well short of that.

Emery was much calmer in the second half with his Villa side already beaten. With the transfer deadline fast approaching, he may have to accept that this is the squad he will have to work with. I will never count out someone with his track record, but Emery will have to whip this group of players into shape quickly if Villa are to come close to what they achieved last season.

Villa show interest as Sarr asks to leave Spurs

Tom Allnutt, Gary Jacob

Pape Matar Sarr, the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, has told the club he wants to leave to play more regularly after the signings of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes this summer.

Sarr was not included in Tottenham's squad for the 3-0 defeat by Brentford on Saturday after Roberto De Zerbi said the 23-year-old felt a problem with his hamstring.

After the arrivals of Tonali for £100 million from Newcastle United and Fernandes for £95 million from West Ham United, as well as Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid in January, Sarr believes his role at Spurs will be limited this season.

Tottenham have accepted Sarr's position and want about £15 million for the midfielder and a permanent sale rather than a loan.

Galatasaray are an option for Sarr but Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are among the Premier League clubs interested and he would prefer to remain in England.

Tottenham's bold moves in the transfer market have unsettled a cluster of younger players. Another midfielder, Lucas Bergvall, asked for a move earlier this summer. De Zerbi said on Friday that Bergvall has since been persuaded to stay, although the Swede was taken off at half-time during the defeat by Brentford and De Zerbi said afterwards that he was at fault for the second goal.

Luka Vuskovic asked to leave Tottenham after the club signed Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi in central defence this summer. Vuskovic joined Brighton & Hove Albion for £50 million while De Zerbi said he was "disappointed" that Djed Spence also decided to join Inter Milan to play more regularly.

Sarr has three years remaining on his contract and has made 141 appearances for Spurs since joining them for £14.6 million from Metz in 2022. He provided the assist for the winning goal in the Europa League final when Tottenham beat Manchester United last year.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli is considering a move to Al-Hilal after the Saudi club submitted a bid of up to £47 million for the Arsenal forward.

Arsenal have yet to accept the offer for Martinelli, who was not included in the opening two match-day squads of the season having scored one league goal last term — his worst return since joining the club.

Al-Hilal are in talks with Arsenal and Martinelli but no agreement has yet been reached. He is Al-Hilal's second option after Pedro Neto, who is valued by Chelsea at £100 million.

Arsenal have also offered Martinelli to Juventus as part of a suggested deal for Kenan Yildiz, but the Serie A side do not want to sell the Turkey winger.

Martinelli, 25, has one year remaining on his contract, worth around £180,000 a week, but Arsenal have an option to extend it by one season to protect his value should he not leave. Galatasaray bid £38 million for him earlier this month. Bayern Munich made a low bid last summer.

Al-Hilal are also trying to sign the England forward Ollie Watkins who was omitted from the Aston Villa squad for the 4-0 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion yesterday.

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6

TheGame

Premier League

Maresca, inset, looked set to suffer defeat in his first Premier League match in charge of City until Guéhi headed home from a Cherki cross in the 84th minute, right, and Gvardiol followed it up with a stoppage-time winner, below

Maresca's in need of a perfect end to window

MANCHESTER CITY

Guéhi 84, Gvardiol 90+1

BOURNEMOUTH

Tavernier 26

Paul Hirst

At Etihad Stadium

A grey-haired Manchester City supporter in the Colin Bell Stand exchanged glances with another fan as she gingerly climbed the stairs towards the exit in the first minute of stoppage time as Josko Gvardiol was being serenaded for a second time on the pitch behind her. One hand on a supportive

crutch, the other patting her chest above the heart, a look of relief was plastered across her face.

Her team — and the officials — had put her through the wringer. Less than a minute earlier the assistant referee had flagged for offside after Gvardiol had swept the ball past the Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

He had not noticed that James Hill was playing Gvardiol onside when he ran on to a pass from Rayan Cherki, so the goal stood and Enzo Maresca had a satisfactory ending to what he would later describe as a 'perfect day'.

What Maresca needs now is a perfect ending to this transfer window because yesterday's match proved two things.

First, Cherki must be an automatic

pick this season. After spending most of the summer whining about being dropped by Didier Deschamps at the World Cup, Cherki sulked at being overlooked by his new club manager, but the Frenchman made a huge impact when he came on as a substitute in the second half, swinging in the cross that Marc Guéhi headed home to equalise, and cutting the Bournemouth defence open with an incisive pass to set Gvardiol on his way for the winner.

'Rayan is quite a nice and clear boy, if he is not happy he wants to show it,' Maresca said. 'He was not happy today, but at the end I had to take a decision, but the impact he made was unbelievable.'

The other thing we learnt is that City are in desperate need of signings, and

Maresca knows it, judging by his team selection. When reminded post-match about his claim on Friday that he needed to find a 'new Rodri', Maresca quipped: 'It's Marc Guéhi.'

Maresca was joking — he knows that Guéhi is not the long-term solution to City's midfield problems — but the England defender started there alongside Elliot Anderson, even though he had Mateo Kovacic and Nico González on the bench.

Kovacic would come on later to replace Anderson, City's sole summer signing, and the Serb will stay, but Maresca's team selection and refusal to bring González on said everything you need to know about how he views the Spanish midfielder, who is of interest to

Newcastle United. Late in the second half, when City were 1-0 down thanks to Marcus Tavernier's excellent opener, Erling Haaland, now shorn of his locks, bounded forward trying to dispossess Bournemouth's two centre halves and the man contesting the second ball, 20 metres ahead of his team-mates, was Guéhi.

'I know Marc from Palace and always thought he could be a good midfielder,' Maresca said.

'We trained two days with him as a defender coming into midfield, then the last two days with him in midfield. It was a good performance from him.'

In fairness, Guéhi was not the worst performer. He tried to carve open the Bournemouth defence but, as Maresca's joke about him being the new Rodri confirmed, he is not a long-term solution in midfield. For him, the sooner that Ayyub Bouaddi completes his £85 million switch from Lille, the better. Even then, City need another midfielder who can operate in tight spaces just like Cherki. If Enzo Fernández's £120 million price tag proves to be prohibitive, City could do worse than turn to Bournemouth's Alex Scott, who was confident in possession and worked hard all afternoon.

Maresca, quite rightly, pointed out we will not see the best version of his team for a few weeks. Nico O'Reilly,

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7

TheGame

CHRIS SAGHORN BUTZER, PETER FOWELL/EPA

The big pre-match news was Haaland's buzz cut, above, but the day also marked returns of Maresca, below, who was Guardiola's assistant in 2022-23, and Grealish, right, who played in his first league game for City since May 2025

who operated as a No10, Haaland, Cherki and Anderson, who looked confident and authoritative on his league debut for City, "are still in pre-season", he said. They will all improve, but more bodies are needed.

For the second successive week, Jack Grealish came off the bench even though Maresca would not guarantee that he would be at the club after the transfer window closes on September 1.

Antoine Semenyo is the only fully fit senior winger who wants to stay — Jér-

émy Doku has a calf injury — so Phil Foden was shunted out to the right flank, where he struggled, while Omar Marmouh, wanted by Tottenham Hotspur, stayed on the bench.

City's unused substitutes were Rayan Ait-Nouri, the back-up left back, and Vítor Reis, loaned to Girona last season. Guéhi spent a lot of time operating in the inside-left channel while Adam Smith kept Semenyo in check.

A week after Arsenal exposed the gap between City's centre backs and full

backs, Bournemouth had a lot of luck on the counter, especially down their left, where Tavernier drifted away from Rico Lewis on two occasions and punished him once with a curling shot into the far corner of the net having been picked out by Evanilson 26 minutes after the players walked on to the pitch to see a banner welcoming Maresca.

The Italian's team looked disjointed but, with the right additions, City will still be serious contenders this season.

Fans will remember that Pep Guardiola won his first match here 2-1 in a scrappy fashion thanks to a late goal against Sunderland. They may therefore see yesterday's result as a good omen, but Maresca needs a helping hand from his sporting director, Hugo Viana, in the final week of the window if City are to kick on.

TEAMS

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): G Donnarumma — R Lewis (M Nunes 57min), A Khusanov, R Dias, J Grandidi — E Anderson (M Kovacic 63), M Guéhi — P Foden (J Grealish 61), N O'Reilly (R Cherki 61), A Semenyo — E Haaland

Booked Foden

Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): D Petrovic — A Smith, J Hill, A Silva, A Truffert — L Cook (T Adams 75), A Scott — Rayan (B Garnon-Dusk 89), J Kluivert (A 10th 85), M Tavernier — Evanilson (D Jeldonon 75)

Booked Silva, Evanilson

Referee J Gilbert: Attendance 60,645

Arbeloa: I want to transmit Spartan attitude to Fulham

Peter Rutzler, Joe Harston

Álvaro Arbeloa arrives as a bit of an unknown at Fulham, given his limited prior coaching experience at a senior level and he faces a big task following in the footsteps of the long-serving Marco Silva. But one thing he is keen to tackle is Fulham's reputation of being a soft touch with a lovely ground by the River Thames. He is a big fan of the film 100, and the tale of the Spartan resistance against a Persian invasion of Greece at the Battle of Thermopylae. On his Instagram page, he quotes Gerard Butler as King Leonidas who, like his men, dies in heroic fashion. "No retreat, no surrender; that is Spartan law," it reads. Arbeloa wants to turn Fulham into Spartans.

"That would be great," he said. "I am a Spartan. You know that, but I am a Spartan. For me, I think it's not just football. It's about your attitude. For me, it's the most important thing. It's not about your circumstances. It's about your attitude and how you face what happens. That's what I want from my players and from my team.

"[It's] maybe [inspired] from the movie. Since I was a kid, I was a really competitive kid. I wanted to win in everything and in every game. It's not about football. It's about everything that I did. I have that mindset or that feeling inside of me that we need to fight and we need to show that winning mentality, that character. That's what I want to transmit as a manager."

Fulham will look different under their new coach, and this new Spartan vibe is translated into high-pressing football. He has worked his players hard in pre-season, piling on the double sessions. On the ball, expect his creative players to be a blur of passes and rotations, led by academy star Josh King and some new Spanish flair. "I would say a little bit of new Fulham," Sander Berge says. "Even more aggressive than before. Higher pressing, more dominant.

"Everyone is really enjoying his way of football, the way he sees it and the way he pushes us every day to become a better side. So far it's been really enjoyable, very refreshing and exciting. I think you see the best of many players and more will come, definitely. Oscar Bobb, Josh King, César Palacios, Gonzalo Garcia linking up, fantastic. A very brave back four, stepping in with the ball in and out of possession, dominant."

Arbeloa has hired recruits he

Arbeloa has point to prove with only 28 senior games managed and a young squad

knows well. Garcia, 22, and Palacios, 21, have signed at a big expense, £42.5 million, from his former club Real Madrid, and they are players who are also signed to the same agency as Arbeloa.

There will be focus on their performance, a big step up, and like the coach, they are a gamble. But they have brought the average age of the team down, a necessary challenge as Fulham were consistently one of the oldest teams in the league under predecessor Silva. Shea Charles, 22, signed from Southampton, has added to that cause.

"When I spoke with the owners, I think we have the same ambition," Arbeloa said. "The same ideas and the same vision.

"Obviously, for me, it would be easier with players with a lot of experience, that is normal. Because when you are young, you will make mistakes. We need the energy. We are signing players

FULHAM v CHELSEA

Bpm tonight, Sky Sports

with a lot of talent. My job is to help them and develop these players."

It is a quirk of fate that Arbeloa has arrived in the Premier League and set up shop down the road from his long-time friend Xabi Alonso. The pair worked together as coaches at Real Madrid, Arbeloa at Real Madrid Castilla, the second team, before succeeding Alonso when the Basque was sacked last January. But they played together for seven years at Liverpool, Real Madrid and with the Spanish national team.

Arbeloa says they have had probably just one row in that time. "I can't remember. I think he was asking me [about] a corner or a free kick," he said. The pair are both planning to live in Cobham and their children are set to go to the same schools. "We will be close," Arbeloa said. "[But] I will do my job. He

will do his job. I want to beat him more than anything. I think he will feel the same."

Arbeloa knows the importance of this west London derby and the enormous challenge ahead. So too does Alonso, as he embarks on his own huge task to restore Chelsea to the top end of the table. He plans to leave their friendship next to the Johnny Haynes statue outside Craven Cottage. "Of course you can have a relationship but once on the pitch, no friends, no past," Alonso said. "It's just the 90 minutes that we are playing, fighting for each club."

City agree £85m deal to sign midfielder Bouaddi, 18

Manchester City are closing in on their second summer signing after agreeing an £85 million deal with Lille for the 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi (Paul Hirst writes).

After weeks of negotiations, City agreed to pay the French club's asking price, with an initial fee of £81 million plus another £4 million in

add-ons. Bouaddi, one of the most exciting young players at the World Cup, has agreed a five-year contract at City with an option for a further year.

Provided that he passes a medical and all the paperwork is signed off, Bouaddi will become the most expensive teenage signing in Premier League history, eclipsing the £59 million fee that

Manchester United paid Lille for Leny Yoro in 2024.

Bouaddi will shore up a midfield depleted by the departures of Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders. So far, Elliot Anderson is the only senior signing the club has made this summer. The England midfielder joined City from Nottingham Forest for £116 million.

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8

TheGame

Saturday rewind

Teething problems – or

IAN WHITTELL ON MANCHESTER UNITED

Throwback result to dark days of Amorim leaves Carrick needing answers to several key questions

Michael Carrick remained calm after Manchester United's 2-0 defeat away to Hull City and rightly so, given that this was the first game of a long campaign. But there were still many worrying issues in his team's toothless display and he needs to start addressing them, with another Premier League newcomer, Ipswich Town, looming on Sunday.

Team selection

It is easy to be wise after an event but the key decisions that Carrick had to make all failed.

Opting for young defender Ayden Heaven and playing Noussair Mazraoui at right back were two examples, with both found lacking repeatedly.

Matheus Cunha as a false nine, Patrick Dorgu as a left winger, handing debuts to summer arrivals Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans as his midfield pairing ... the list of choices that failed to deliver went on.

Some of those decisions were forced on Carrick — a lack of match fitness for striker Benjamin Sesko, the fact centre half Lisandro Martinez played in the World Cup final last month, for example — but he cannot afford to get things so badly wrong on Sunday.

More broadly, Carrick's record of his team performing badly against opponents fielding a back five continued — defeat by Leeds United and last week's friendly loss to AC Milan are also in that category.

With the Hull manager Sergej Jakurovic reporting afterwards that his coaching staff had identified weaknesses in United's set-piece defending, leading directly to two goals, it was hard not to judge that Carrick was outcoached by him. "There are definitely issues playing against different systems," Carrick said. "We've got to find the answers for that, but [it] doesn't mean that everything needs dissecting."

Recruitment

If the jury was out on the success of United's summer business, this defeat was hardly a vote of confidence.

Yes, Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba will certainly strengthen that department but Santos's debut will not silence critics who questioned paying Chelsea £48 million for him.

There is no left-back cover for Luke Shaw, despite him being 31, and there is a worrying lack of central defensive depth given Matthijs de Ligt's back problems.

There are also a lack of attacking options. Sesko was one of three players to creep into double figures for Premier League goals last season, joint-top scorer with Bryan Mbeumo on 11, and that is not acceptable for a team aiming for honours.

Joshua Zirkzee remains in the squad, as a utility forward, and was used extensively in pre-season by Carrick. But he stayed on the bench against Hull despite United's attacking deficiencies and, with interest from Italian clubs, his future needs to be resolved this week.

Mentality

It was all eerily reminiscent of the dark days under Ruben Amorim when United would enjoy plenty of possession but concede as soon as their defence was pressured. As captain Bruno Fernandes put it: "Same mistakes as we did last season, every away game."

Such a lack of resilience and urgency can be excused once. If it happens again, as it did repeatedly under Amorim, it becomes a habit.

Question marks remaining

Recruitment remains foremost, of course, but there are some key questions around existing squad members that could have a major say on how United's season progresses.

Mason Mount has averaged 18 league games per season in his three years at Old Trafford, and was unavailable at Hull, while De Ligt has been out for nine months after back surgery. Martinez has not played more than 20 league games since 2022-33. That trio remaining fit all season would be a major boost for Carrick.

Then there is the Marcus Rashford issue. Very late in the day, he was handed the No 9 squad shirt by Carrick which hinted that he will remain at Old Trafford this season, after potential loan moves failed to materialise.

A motivated, in-form Rashford would be very welcome but, as with many of his concerns, it is something Carrick will need to sort out as soon as possible if he is to avoid a repeat of Saturday's fiasco.

Leeds highlight Glasner's need for striker upgrade

NOTTINGHAM FOREST

0

LEEDS UNITED

1

Stach 86

Gregor Robertson

What is Oliver Glasner's most pressing issue?

The new Nottingham Forest head coach perhaps deserved a point from his first competitive outing, but the display underlined why the addition of a striker before September 1 is a priority, with Chelsea's Liam Delap among a list of targets. Igor Jesus

struck 16 goals last season, but only six were in the Premier League and the Brazilian missed decent chances in both halves on Saturday. Chris Wood, 34, snatched at another opening before Anton Stach's late winner. An upgrade in that department feels vital.

Did any new signings make a mark?

Three Leeds United signings made promising debuts through the spine of the team. James Trafford kept a clean sheet and made one fine save from an Jesus header in the first half, Tarik Muharemovic looked solid and composed as the left-sided defender in a back three, and Harry Wilson came alive in the penalty area and could be

the difference-maker who turns a few of Leeds' 14 draws last season into victories. Forest's starting XI did not contain a single new arrival.

Is Leeds supporters' optimism for the season justified?

Absolutely. Since December 1, Leeds have collected 39 points, the sixth-highest haul in the top flight, just behind Liverpool and Aston Villa. Only Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United have lost fewer league games over the same period. Leeds' only defeat in their past ten outings was against West Ham United on last season's final day. Daniel Farke's side are now one of the toughest nuts to crack in the country.

Sage's lengthy Palace to-do list

EVERTON

Dewsbury-Hall 42, Barry 53

2

CRYSTAL PALACE

0

Paul Joyce

Northern Football Correspondent

Pierre Sage bemoaned Crystal Palace's defending, profligacy and lack of energy, yet those frailties paled compared with the manager's biggest headache.

The absence of Ismaila Sarr from the squad for Sage's first competitive match in charge was officially due to

a tight groin. However, there were enough suggestions on Saturday that the 28-year-old's head has been turned by the riches on offer at Galatasaray for that to seem an equally plausible explanation for his unavailability.

Sarr, the Senegal forward, scored 21 goals last season, one in which Palace won the Conference League, and why Galatasaray believed a bid of about €30 million (£26.7 million) would tempt their rivals into selling is something of a mystery. In today's inflated market, Sarr is probably a £70 million player.

Yet placating the winger can now be added to Sage's lengthy to-do list — and that may involve offering Sarr

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9

TheGame

signs of crisis brewing?

TOM ALLNUTT ON TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Spurs unfit and unprepared for season, but there's no need to panic as this is not yet De Zerbi's side

Roberto De Zerbi described it like a careless student had just showed up late for class and his Tottenham Hotspur side were dealt a heavy punishment.

"We are late for the start of the Premier League," De Zerbi said, and after being hammered 3-0 by Brentford on the opening day, it was hard to disagree.

Late because of another commercially driven pre-season tour to Australia and New Zealand, where jet lag and friendlies on bad pitches convinced De Zerbi not to risk key players, even when they needed minutes to build up fitness.

Late because of the World Cup too, although Spurs are certainly not the only team affected there, even if Brentford had three players involved in the tournament to Tottenham's nine.

And late because of the raft of new signings, including six who have already arrived at Spurs and two, perhaps even three more yet to come.

This is a Tottenham team in a state of flux, no doubt, exposed on Saturday as unprepared for the rigours of the Premier League after meeting a Brentford side who do preparation, cohesion and togetherness like no one else. Since being promoted in 2021, Brentford are 14th for net spend in the Premier League but they finished ninth last term and, on this evidence, should have ambitions to qualify for Europe.

They battered Tottenham in the first half, finished them off early in the second and, if Igor Thiago had not struck the post with his penalty, Keith Andrews's team could have enjoyed a proper rout. Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode had Brentford 3-0 up and cruising after only 49 minutes.

Spurs have spent more than £200 million this summer already and could be well clear of £300 million by the end of the month, with Savinho and at least one more forward expected to join Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, plus free transfers Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka. Four started but, despite the excitement among the Tottenham fans, this game showed there will be no quick fix for a side that finished two points above the relegation zone only three months ago. New players need time to gel and De Zerbi's precision tactics, based on baiting the

press and then playing through the opponent at exactly the right moment, will take time to bed in.

Still, "no excuses", De Zerbi said. Tottenham also lacked the basics of fitness and fight too, with De Zerbi admitting Brentford's win could be an "important result" for his players as he spoke about "becoming a team" and finding both "soul" and "style" — his two buzzwords for the start of this season — before they can know what they can achieve.

There is no need to panic. One of those reasons is that this is unlikely to be a team De Zerbi relies on, even in the short term, and he may not even pick this starting XI ever again, not only because of the miserable performance. Up front, Richardson, who won one out of ten duels against Brentford, is likely to give way to Dominic Solanke, who was one of those players protected in pre-season but came on in the second half. On the right, Mikey Moore is expected to go out on loan, probably to Cologne in Germany. On the left, Savinho would take over from Mathys Tel.

In central midfield, De Zerbi was particularly direct about the performance of Lucas Bergvall, 20, who was itching to leave earlier this summer in search of regular matches but appears to have been persuaded to stay. He was hooked at half-time after a performance that did little to advance his cause. "Today, Bergvall, why not [Rodrigo] Bentancur? Because he [Bentancur] came late in the pre-season. In the pre-season we worked with Bergvall," De Zerbi said. "But I knew before the game, Lucas Bergvall, in this type of game, maybe he could suffer more than Bentancur."

To play the De Zerbi way, with quick passes through tight spaces in the middle, Tottenham will need to find the right combination in midfield. Bentancur or Fernandes look the more natural partners for Tonali, or perhaps even both, in a midfield trio, especially while James Maddison is still returning to sharpness. At the back, Micky van de Ven, De Zerbi's new captain, and Pedro Porro, who won the World Cup with Spain, are expected back soon.

For now, a humbling defeat, even for a transitional Spurs, unfit and unprepared for the start of the season, has killed the summer buzz. "We need time," De Zerbi said. "We are better than we showed today."

now includes placating Sarr

new and improved terms despite the fact he has three years left to run on his existing contract.

Certainly, Palace carried less threat without him and, when they were dominant in the first half against Everton, his eye for goal would have been especially useful.

Misses by Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Philippe Mateta, another who is agitating over his future at the club, proved costly as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry then scored either side of the interval for David Moyes's side.

Sage was asked about Sarr and intimated that he would remain at the club. That position is surely non-negotiable.

The loss of Sage's predecessor, Oliver Glasner, and the defender Maxence Lacroix this summer, following the exits of Eberechi Eze and Marc Guéhi over the past year, already creates a sense of a club beginning to fray at the seams.

To add to Sage's worries, the defender Chadi Riad was taken off on a stretcher in the second half amid concerns he had suffered another serious knee injury. Interest in signing Chelsea's Axel Disasi on loan is advanced.

Still, Palace's season will be heavily shaped not simply by who they manage to recruit over the next week but by who they prevent from heading out of the exit door.

Ipswich's 'jewel' shines brightest among new faces

IPSWICH TOWN

Emerson 24, Clarke 90

2

SUNDERLAND

Angulo 39

1

Paul Rowan

Who stood out for Ipswich Town?

The man nicknamed "The Jewel" in his native Paraguay looks like the pick of the seven new signings in Ipswich's starting XI. Julio Enciso is in his second spell with Ipswich Town — the first was on loan in 2025 — and has also played for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League. Enciso

spent time at Strasbourg, where he impressed Gary O'Neil, and now both of them are together again at Portman Road. Brilliant as a ball carrier, he also has great vision, and Sunderland couldn't cope with him.

Is Shearer right about Sunderland?

While Alan Shearer is predicting a tough season for Sunderland because of their Europa League commitments, there is no need for the club's hierarchy to panic. Régis Le Bris has assembled a strong squad, though he could have done with signing new left back Dayann Methalie a few days sooner. Luke O'Nien was targeted by Ipswich and couldn't cope with the press. Methalie doesn't have that

weakness and should complement the new right back Thomas Meunier, who had a solid debut.

Who's next for O'Neil?

Ipswich's Carabao Cup clash against Leicester City tomorrow night carries a little bit more spice as O'Neil was once team-mates with the Leicester manager Russell Martin at Norwich City. "We were two of the moanies players you'd come across in training with an opinion on the game, so it doesn't surprise me that we both got into this side of it," Martin said in 2024. For Ipswich supporters, tomorrow's starting line-up will have a more familiar look, but it is the new boys who are selling the shirts.

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10

TheGame

EFL

If West Ham get stuck, who will pay the price?

CHAMPIONSHIP

Failure to earn immediate return to top flight amid ownership uncertainty would bring greater pressure to sell players, writes Dominic Akiboye

West Ham United's hoped-for one-season exile from the Premier League is already looking less certain, and the longer it lasts, the more expensive it could become. Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Charlton Athletic left Nuno Esposito Santo's side winless at the start of their Championship campaign, an uncomfortable beginning for a club whose finances make an immediate return to the top flight highly desirable.

West Ham are not facing an immediate crisis, but the financial imperative of returning to the Premier League at the first attempt is becoming apparent. The club lost £104.2 million on a revenue of £2275 million in the 2024-25 financial year, while employment costs climbed to £175.9 million, a club-record high. The club's own accounts had already warned that a liquidity shortfall was forecast in summer 2026, even before the 'severe but plausible' scenario of relegation was considered.

Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert, estimates West Ham face a £100 million-plus reduction in annual revenue as a result of relegation. He calculates that broadcasting income could fall from about £132 million to £45 million, with commercial income also potentially falling sharply.

The most eye-catching number attached to West Ham's most recent financial accounts is the almost £195.8 million owed to other clubs in player-related transfer payments, but this does not necessarily represent an immediate cash bill. Maguire believes

the club can manage much of those commitments through money they are due from other clubs, as well as by bringing forward future transfer receipts. The club have been able to generate substantial headline transfer income this summer, including the sales of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur for a reported £85 million and Cryonoco Summerville to Al-Hilal in a deal worth up to £60 million.

The more pressing question, in his view, is what replaces the Premier League revenue that has now disappeared. West Ham's accounts already showed the scale of the problem before relegation. Their £104.2 million loss was the second-largest reported in the top flight for 2024-25.

Now the club are navigating that financial squeeze while their ownership is being contested. Amanda Staveley's consortium has agreed a reported £150 million deal for 25.1 per cent of West Ham, although the transaction remains subject to pre-emption rights and regulatory approval. Daniel Kre-

Head coach Nuno is already under fire with promotion so important to club

equation becomes considerably less favourable if they remain in the Championship beyond this season. In the first year of parachute payments, West Ham will receive 55 per cent of the Premier League's equal-share broadcast revenue, estimated to be £55 million, before the share drops to 45 per cent in the second season and 20 per cent in the third. The longer the club stay outside the top flight, the greater the pressure to sell rather than buy.

The London Stadium also provides another complication. The club's 99-year concession provided remarkably cheap rent of about £4.6 million a year before relegation, with that figure falling by roughly half because of a relegation clause. It is a favourable deal for West Ham, but a lack of ownership of the ground means the club leave potential revenue on the table.

West Ham do not control the venue in the way that Tottenham Hotspur control their ground, limiting their ability to exploit non-match day commer-

cial opportunities. 'West Ham won't be in a position under the current relationship to sweat the asset in the way that we've seen at Spurs,' Maguire said. Spurs, who are considered by many in the industry as leaders in this respect, generated £2271 million in commercial and other income in 2024-25, including revenue from sponsorship, merchandising, stadium events, visitor attractions and conferences. West Ham's commercial revenue was £42 million, with a further £13.6 million from retail. While the comparison is not like-for-like, it illustrates the scale of the commercial operation that a club can build around a stadium they control.

The topic of the London Stadium has gained fresh relevance after Staveley said in a Bloomberg interview that 'there'll be a big property plan' if her consortium takes control of the club.

For supporters, the ownership uncertainty is just as important as the numbers. Speaking to a lifelong West Ham supporter, Tom Waltz, before Saturday's defeat by Charlton, he called for the prospective owners to 'hurry up and invest'.

'There's been a lot of messing around with who's buying what shares and who has control. I'd just like someone to step up and take the reins,' he said outside the London Stadium.

Other supporters expressed greater confidence in Kretinsky, while some favoured Staveley's group because of her previous involvement with Newcastle United.

Another season in the Championship would mean a further reduction in parachute payments, another year without Premier League broadcasting revenue and greater pressure to sell players to bridge the gap. At a club already navigating an ownership transition, the question is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid. If West Ham do not get back up, who will pay the price?

West Ham declined to comment on the club's financial position, the ownership situation and the London Stadium lease.

£100m

It is estimated relegation will cost West Ham a 100m in yearly revenue

tinsky, who already owns a substantial stake, is attempting to protect his position. For West Ham's financial future, however, the more important question is not simply who owns what percentage, but who is putting money into the club. Buying existing shares does not necessarily provide West Ham with new working capital.

Maguire believes uncertainty over who will ultimately control the club could make additional funding more difficult, increasing the pressure on West Ham to generate cash through player sales.

For now, West Ham have the protection of parachute payments and the ability to generate significant sums through player sales. But the financial

testament to his integrity. We all know he's an honest kid.

'It's really frustrating. We were shocked, it's something we had to accept quickly. He's deemed to have cheated the referee, which he didn't. It hit his hand but the pace of the cross, and with the 'keeper touching it, it's very hard to get out of the way. Let's

hope the decision is consistent throughout the season and with that we can all accept it.'

Burnley remain winless in the league under new manager Nicky Hayes, who could not call upon Zian Penning. The striker has been heavily linked with a move away from Burnley this summer although Hayes insists the Dutchman missed the game because of a call injury. Hayes said: 'Everyone knows how important Zian is for us as a club and

Morrison backed banned forward after the win

a team but you win together and lose together.

'He will be available again next week, I know there is a lot of transfer rumours but he had a little injury in his call in the last seconds [of the last game].'

'It's an eye-opener for everyone. We had a lot of defeats last season and maybe it's still going on a little bit — it's a mindset we're changing.'

Burnley took an early lead when Styles could only turn Jacob Brunn Larsen's dangerous cross from the left into the top corner of his own net when attempting to clear the ball.

West Brom equalised later in the first half when Burnley failed to deal with Price's cross from the left and Whitwell placed the loose ball into the bottom right corner to score his first league goal for the club.

The home side turned the game on its head one minute into the second half when the ball broke kindly into the path of Price, who curled a sublime effort into the bottom right corner from 20 yards.

Price sealed the points when he sent Max Weiss the wrong way from the penalty spot after Bashir Humphreys tripped Whitwell in the box.

Worldle, quick-thinking and a throwback celebration: three memorable EFL goals

Dominic Akiboye

Dominic Ballard (Bristol City) vs Birmingham City

Last season's League One top scorer, Dominic Ballard, opened his account for his new side, Bristol City, with an early goal of the season contender as they drew 2-2 with Birmingham City in the Championship. With the scores at 1-1 at St Andrew's, Ballard was introduced just after the hour mark, but he announced himself in spectacular fashion 20 minutes later.

As Bristol pushed for a goal, Rio Cardines crossed from the left. His delivery dipped and was not precise, forcing the 21-year-old to run away from goal to make contact with the ball, necessitating a moment of invention from Ballard. He flicked his right foot to backbeef the ball on the volley and send it flying toward the top left corner, past the unsuspecting James Beadle, clipping the crossbar as it went in.

Ballard, who joined for £5 million from Leyton Orient, could hardly contain himself and his team-mates could barely believe it either, with some wildly chasing the striker to celebrate while the likes of Gibson Yah simply stood with his hands on his head in disbelief. Only Demarai Gray's penalty stopped it being a sensational winner.

Josh March (Crewe Alexandra) vs Northampton Town

Josh March's stealth and quick thinking gave Crewe Alexandra the all-important goal in a unique fashion as they beat Northampton Town 1-0 at Gresty Road in League Two. In the 54th minute, with the home side building pressure on their opponent, a low Calum Agius cross was routinely collected by goalkeeper Zach Jeacock as the danger appeared to be over.

Agio's pass was aimed toward March's front-post run, but upon not receiving the ball, his momentum

West Brom victorious despite missing 'honest kid' Heggebo

LEAGUE ONE

WEST BROM

Whitwell 18, Price 46, 65 pen

3

BURNLEY

Styles (og) 8

1

Aaron Sutcliffe

At the Hawthorns

The West Bromwich Albion manager James Morrison expressed his shock at the FA's decision to ban his striker Aune Heggebo after yesterday's impressive win against Burnley.

A second-half brace from Isaac Price, the first a curling effort from 20 yards after 46 minutes and the second a penalty on 65 minutes, completed a come-from-behind win for West Brom. They found themselves behind after eight

minutes through a spectacular Callum Styles own goal, only for Harry Whitwell's precise finish on 18 minutes to draw the home side level.

West Brom secured the points without striker Heggebo, who served the first match of his two-game ban handed down by the FA, who said the forward deceived a match official when scoring with his hand on the opening day of the season.

But Morrison has publicly backed the striker with the club still awaiting clarification from the FA after a regulatory commission upheld the misconduct charge against the forward. Morrison said: 'We appealed the decision for Bo. He was the one who was pushing it — it's a

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11

TheGame

Kamwa's celebration, right, incensed his former Newport team-mates after swapping South Wales for Bristol in the summer. Above, March runs back onto the pitch to score for Crewe with a cheeky piece of opportunism

carried him off the pitch. As March looked to walk back on with the ball in Jeacock's hands, the striker spotted an opportunity and remained positioned off the field, behind the goalkeeper, until Jeacock placed the ball down to kick.

Jeacock releasing the ball was March's cue, and he sprinted back on to whisk the ball away from the

unaware Northampton goalkeeper and slot into an empty net. "I think he's just bright, Josh," the Crewe head coach Lee Bell said. "His momentum has taken him off the pitch, and he's caught the goalkeeper out." Bell's opposite number Chris Hogg complained of a "grey area" in the rules.

Ballard scores with his outrageous backheel into the top corner at St Andrew's before rushing to share the moment with fans, inset

Bobby Kamwa (Bristol Rovers) vs Newport County

In the highest-scoring game in the EFL this weekend, Bristol Rovers beat Newport County 5-3 in League Two, and Bobby Kamwa stole the show with his celebration after scoring against his former club.

Kamwa, who swapped County for Rovers in the summer, was booed by the travelling supporters throughout. With Rovers 3-2 up, Kamwa latched onto a long ball and drove into the box. The 26-year-old cut inside and beat Lee Jenkins before bending his effort into the top right corner in the 75th minute.

Kamwa then ran the length of the pitch in an Emmanuel Adebayor-esque moment to celebrate with arms out and a passionate fist pump in front of the travelling supporters, who could be seen throwing water bottles at him. Ciaran Brennan then confronted his former teammate and the Rovers players celebrating with him. At full time, more of County's squad approached Kamwa in what looked like heated exchanges before he was ushered down the tunnel.

'Hapless' duo defy odds while Arteta leaves rest trailing

Bill Edgar

1 New boys show their mettle Hull City and Ipswich Town each began the campaign odds-on with bookmakers for relegation from the Premier League. In fact, it was as low as evens that the seemingly hapless duo would go down together, yet they became only the third newly promoted pair in top-flight history to open with victory over opponents who finished in the top ten the previous season.

Hull defeated third-placed Manchester United while Ipswich saw off seventh-placed Sunderland, emulating the feats of Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion in 1902 and Notts County and Swansea City in 1981. For Hull, there was the added boast of a first two-goal win for a newly promoted side over top-three opponents on the opening day since Howard Wilkinson's Sheffield Wednesday beat Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in 1984.

United conceded twice before half-time in their 2-0 defeat: it was the first time in 20 months that they had trailed by at least two goals throughout the second half of a match in any competition. It was also their first league loss to the Tigers since the year Tiger Feet was the UK's biggest-selling single (1974).

2 Farewell to the long-serving manager For the first time the league does not contain a single manager who has been in his job as long as seven years. William Sudell had already been Preston North End's man in charge for seven years when, in 1888, he began overseeing their title-winning campaign in the inaugural Football League season. Ever since then — until now — at least one league manager across the divisions had been in his post for seven years or more at any given time.

That chain was maintained up to and beyond the Second World War by George Ramsay, Fred Everiss and Jimmy Seed and then continued by (among others) Sir Matt Busby, Tony Waddington, Sir Bobby Robson, Clough, Joe Royle, Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger, Morecambe's Jim Bentley, Wycombe Wanderers' Gareth Ainsworth, Jürgen Klopp and, finally, Pep Guardiola. The ending of the latter's ten-year spell at Manchester City leaves the longest server as Mikel Arteta, who became Arsenal manager only six years and eight months ago.

The nine top-flight managers new to their job at the start of this season are the most ever, pipping the eight in 1981-82, who included Coventry City's Dave Sexton and his replacement at Manchester United, Ron Atkinson.

3 Spurs miss out on capital gains Tottenham Hotspur's defeat away to Brentford means they have recorded more league losses than wins in London (52 to 51) since the start of September 2021, even though three-quarters of those

matches have been at home. Arsenal, in contrast, have managed 74 more league wins than defeats in the capital in that period (88 to 14), while Brentford, Crystal Palace and Fulham all have more such victories than losses. In these five years Spurs have registered 45 wins and 37 defeats at home and six wins and 15 defeats away to London rivals.

4 Plymouth out on their own Plymouth Argyle may be looking forward to their 198-mile trip to play Oxford United in League One on Boxing Day — it will be their shortest journey for an away league match this season. In fact, in this campaign they are more isolated geographically in League One — in terms of distance to their nearest rivals — than any other club has been in any division in Football League history. Plymouth, the most southerly and westerly club to have appeared in the league, have often been accompanied in the past by a Devon rival or a team from Bristol.

Plymouth's 'short' journey to Oxford is 50 miles longer than any to be undertaken in the division this season by their League One rivals Leicester City (other than Leicester's trip to Plymouth, of course). Distances are based on suggested AA routes.

5 Forest and Leeds see double Nottingham Forest's start to the season: home to Leeds United (league) and, three days later, home to Leeds (Carabao Cup). Forest and Leeds will thus be the first top-flight pair to have met in their first two fixtures of a campaign since Blackburn Rovers and Fulham played at each other's grounds in the league at the start of 1965-66. Forest, though, are the first ever to have played both matches at home.

Leeds have signed Harry Wilson to join his compatriots Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Dan James: they can become the first Welsh quartet of outfielders to start a top-flight match together since Ceri Hughes, Jason Rees, Kurt Nogan and Mark Pembroke did so for Luton Town against Norwich City in October 1991.

6 English power spread around Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion have begun the league season with big victories and are among the favourites to win the Champions League and Conference League respectively, which underlines the strength in depth of Premier League clubs. Neither are among the eight different English teams to have lifted a European trophy in the past ten years, four more than from any other nation. Spain have four such clubs, Germany and Italy two each, and France and Greece one each.

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12

TheGame

La Liga

MACEL BOOKMAN SERA MACELS SHUTTERSTOCK

José knows Vinícius is Real’s true special one

Ian Hawkey

Head coach has quickly wiped slate clean after clashing with winger while in charge of Benfica last season

Everyone has a past and, if it’s as storied and eventful as José Mourinho’s, you’re entitled to riff on it. In his 64th year, Mourinho has a retrospective documentary streaming. He has another big new job that is also his old job. He candidly acknowledges that he is back at Real Madrid not so much because of more recent achievements — these past ten years have been far leaner than his heyday — as for the legacy of what he did in Madrid in another era.

He had been 13 years away from the Santiago Bernabéu before his June invitation to return as Real’s third different head coach in barely 13 months. But he was never quite out of the loop, as Mourinho told reporters and above all let it be known to his squad of players. Real’s president

“An awkward chapter from their past consigned to a past as distant as the age of Di Stéfano and Pelé

Florentino Pérez has, he says, been in touch with Mourinho every time the club has won a major prize since he left, the implication that Mourinho, first hired to revive an ailing Real in 2010, is owed for leaving in place a winning culture that endured beyond his departure.

He knew details, too, from inside the dressing room. “I was here for three seasons and I have my base of contacts, so I came back with plenty of information,” he said pointedly. “I’ve got to know a lot.” And lest that sound menacing, he softened it. “But I’ve decided to start with a clean slate, start from zero.”

Which is more or less what Mourinho spelt out to Vinícius Jr, who, for all the abundant attacking talent collected at Real, remains, week in, week out, the club’s major headliner. He was again on day one of Mourinho’s second mission to rescue Real from a lengthy slump — their taut, last-gasp victory at Espanyol late

on Saturday. Vinícius had not performed especially well, outshone by Jude Bellingham, the scorer of an early headed goal, and by Arda Guler, who provided the cross for that opener, and, late on, by the 21-year-old substitute Carlos Espi, whose first Real goal earned a 2-1 win in the 90th minute and a big warm hug from Mourinho.

But the noise around Vinícius set the post-match agenda. He had, as is routine at away stadiums, been continually jeered by much of the crowd. Mourinho shared a view that Espanyol’s players had applied concentrated, choreographed aggression on the Brazil winger. He was fouled in the third minute by Alex Calatrava, who appeared to follow up the challenge by swinging his boot into the prone Vinícius’s lower back. No action was taken by the referee or VAR, although both players were later cautioned after further confrontations.

“It starts in the first minute, it’s as if there’s a premeditated formula,” Mourinho said, outlining what he described as systematic provocation of Vinícius. “It repeats itself from one opponent to the next: ‘First I land one [a heavy tackle] on him, then it’s your turn. If I get booked, then you have a go because you’ve not got a yellow card.’” Mourinho put the hounding of Vinícius in the strongest terms. He called it “bullying”. “It’s become too much,” he said. “We are in a period in society of anti-bullying. With Vini we are still in an era of bullying.”

A temptation here is to mark this down as classic Mourinho mind games, a master motivator cultivating a siege mentality for his Real rebuild. Or to scroll back through episodes of the long Mourinho backstory and wonder where, at certain moments of it, he would have fitted in to what he identifies as the “era of bullying”. Mourinho anticipated precisely that reaction while addressing the treatment of Vinícius at Espanyol. He took care to praise the way the match, his comeback to La Liga, had been refereed. He fully expected his own previous interactions with Vinícius would be pulled from the archive and set against this, his new, protective posture.

“Obviously, I am at risk of you going back a few months and looking up my words about Vini when I was on the opposing side,” Mourinho said. “But Vini is now my [player]. Vini is not a saint. But this is tough on him and it’s a frustration. He needs to keep huge control emotionally. I spoke to him at half-time and told him, if he were to score, ‘Be careful how you celebrate.’”

Echoes there of what Mourinho, then the coach of Benfica, said to —

and about — Vinícius, in a very different tone on a notorious night in Lisbon in February when the Brazilian, backed up by Real colleagues, alleged a racist insult was directed at him by Benfica’s Gianluca

Prestiani shortly after Vinícius had scored the only goal in the first leg of a Champions League knockout play-off. Mourinho, to whom Prestiani denied making the remark, accused Vinícius of “provoking a stadium” with his ostentatious celebrations. He asked Vinícius: “Why do you celebrate like that? Why don’t you celebrate like [Alfredo] Di Stéfano or Pelé? It’s the one thing I don’t understand.” Prestiani, deemed by a Uefa investigation to have uttered a homophobic insult while shielding his mouth from cameras, received a three-match ban.

Six months on, the professional alliance between Vinícius and Mourinho appears to have started with the cleanest of slates; an awkward chapter from their past consigned to a past as distant as the age of Di Stéfano and Pelé. The player signed a new Real contract not long after Mourinho’s appointment, blocking off some false summer transfer trails, including a possible move to Arsenal. Mourinho’s first Liga teamsheet had Vinícius at outside left, his preferred position, as well as the preference of Kylian Mbappé, who started in the centre of the front three. Vinícius played the full 90 minutes, despite being on a yellow card for almost 60 of them.

There were three points to chase, after all, a comeback to be launched from Espanyol’s first-half equaliser, and in Vinícius, Mourinho sees the most seasoned Real matchwinner on his staff. The 26-year-old is, with Federico Valverde, the longest-serving employee in the side. He’s the most emblematic figure from the club’s last great successes, a goalscorer in the winning Champions League

Mourinho has called out “bullying” of Vinícius whose status at club is secure despite heroics of Mbappé and Bellingham, below left

finals of 2022 and of 2024. He enjoys rare institutional support from the club’s upper hierarchy, as Vinícius learnt in the autumn of 2024. Pérez effectively ordering the mass 11th-hour boycott of that year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony when news reached Real that Rodri, then of Manchester City, and not Vinícius had finished top in the voting. The stand-off meant neither the coach at the time, Carlo Ancelotti, nor Mbappé, could collect their subsidiary awards in person. Last season Vinícius gathered that while the backing of the entire Bernabéu crowd may not be an absolute guarantee — he was booed by some home supporters at low points of a tortured, trophyless campaign — an individual confrontation with a head coach is likelier to be terminal for them than for him. When Vinícius was substituted by Xabi Alonso during Real’s Clásico victory over Barcelona last October, he again became the night’s headliner, first for his petulant touchline reaction to being withdrawn, then for an apology to his team-mates and employer that did not mention the coach.

By early January, Alonso had been sacked, a mere eight months into the job. The president’s thoughts turned to Mourinho, to a tried-and-trusted problem-solver. To someone who knows the terrain and how to recognise that, in a group of special talents, Vinícius should be regarded as the special one.

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14

TheGame

PREMIER LEAGUE

Brentford (2) 3	Tottenham (0) 0
Leona Potter 12(Janet) 33Kayside 49	17.180
Brighton (4) 4	Aston Villa (0) 0
Lindahl 8 (og)De Cuyper 18Hinshelwood 30, 31Sent off: João Gomes (Anton Villa) 40
Everton (1) 2	Crystal Palace (0) 0
Dewsbury-Hall 42Barry 50	51.820
Hull (2) 2	Man United (0) 0
Appe 17Mendy 38	24.470
Ipswich (1) 2	Sunderland (1) 1
Emerson 24Clarke 90	Angulo 3129.669
Man City (0) 2	Boumemouth (1) 1
Guilin 84Schenkel 90+1	Tavernar 2660.645
Newcastle (1) 2	Liverpool (0) 2
Elanga 5Willock 5752.630	Galipo 55Spidesslie90+9 (pen)
Nottingham Forest 3 0	Leeds (0) 1
30.739	Stach 88

SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP

Birmingham (1) 2	Bristol City (1) 2
Trickie 42 (og)	Twinie 33
Gray 90+4 (pen)	Ballard 85
Blackburn (0) 2	Middlesboro (1) 1
Sudphires 49	Sarmiento 12
Canfield 55	18.938
Derby (1) 2	Cardiff (2) 2
Morris 26, Clack 49	Ashford 19
28.506	Salach 39
Lincoln City (1) 1	Portsmouth (2) 3
Haskell 32 (pen)	Kavena McQueen 7
30.545	Segcoz 16, Adams 66
Millwall (1) 3	Norwich (0) 0
Arcante 18, 50	19.564
Cundle 64
Sent off: Cordoba (Norwich) 64
Preston (0) 1	Wolves (1) 3
Thompson 90+1	López 8, 82
39.301	Armstrong 71
QPR (0) 0	Bolton (0) 0
17.402
Southampton (1) 3	Stoke (1) 1
Lairn 8, Mubarra 89	Galbraith 26
Manning 90+4 (pen)	29.185
Sent off: Ingelsson (Stoke) 90+3
Swansea (0) 0	Sheffield Utd (0) 0
17.710
West Brom (1) 3	Burnley (1) 1
Whitwell 18	Stylus 8 (og)
Price 46, 63 (pen)
West Ham (0) 1	Charlton (1) 2
Price 74	Jones 7
62.264	Campbell 56
Wrexham (1) 1	Watford (1) 1
Inroy 22	Kjerumgaard 14
30.502

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

AFC Wrededon (0) 0		Reading (0) 0
Bronsley (0) 1	Cambridge U (0) 1
Adelssaye 81 4.938	Knight 67
Doncaster (0) 0	Barnsley (0) 0
Leicester (1) 1	Burton Albion (2) 2
Burns 42 27.768	Dennis 5 Chauke 25
Sent off: Skipp (Leicester) 29
Luton (1) 2	Notte County (1) 2
Wolls 42 (pen) 1	Roberts 49+1
Merzella 68 11.970	Cooper 61
MK Dons (0) 1	Huddersfield (1) 1
Oshins 54 9.500	Taylor 9
Peterborough (0) 2	Mansfield (0) 1
Woods 50	Smith 60
Leonard 90+5	8.902
Stevenage (0) 1	Oxford Utd (0) 2
Roberts 80+8	O'Donkor 67
Bramorgan 87 (pen)
Stockport (0) 1	Blackpool (2) 2
Mendron 90+5 9.991	Blackham 22 Bowler 40
Wigan (0) 0	Leyton Orient (1) 2
	Springett 35
	Altramroch 58
Wycombe (0) 1	Plymouth (1) 1
Taylor 76 6.050	Evans 25

	HOME					AWAY
	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A
1 Brighton	1	1	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	4
2 Arsenal	1	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	3
3 Brentford	1	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	3
4 Everton	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2
5 Hull	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2
6 Ipswich	1	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	1
7 Manchester City	1	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	1
8 Leeds	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
9 Liverpool	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
10 Newcastle	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0
11 Chelsea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12 Fulham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13 Boumemouth	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
14 Sunderland	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
15 Nottingham Forest	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
16 Crystal Palace	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2
17 Manchester United	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2
18 Coventry	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3
19 Tottenham	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3
20 Aston Villa	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4

TOP SCORERS

2 Hinshelwood (Brighton), pictured

1 Appe (Hall)

1 Angulo (Sunderland)

1 Barry (Everton)

1 Clarke (Ipswich)

1 De Cooper (Brighton)

1 Dewsbury-Hall (Everton)

1 Elanga (Newcastle)

1 Emerson (Ipswich)

1 Galipo (Liverpool)

1 Guilin (Manchester City)

12 other players have scored 1 goal

	HOME					AWAY
	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A
1 Millwall	2	1	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	2	0
2 West Bromwich	2	1	0	0	3	1	1	0	0	2	1
3 Charlton	2	1	0	0	2	1	1	0	0	2	1
4 Wolves	2	0	1	0	2	2	1	0	0	3	1
5 QPR	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	1
6 Blackburn	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	2	2
7 Watford	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	1	1
8 Swansea	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	1
9 Bolton	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	0	0
10 Portsmouth	2	0	0	1	1	3	1	0	0	3	1
11 Middlesbrough	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	1	2
12 Cardiff	2	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	0	2	2
13 Wrexham	2	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	0	1	1
14 Birmingham	2	0	1	0	2	2	0	1	0	0	0
15 Sheffield United	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
16 West Ham	2	0	0	1	1	2	0	1	0	2	2
17 Derby	2	0	1	0	2	2	0	0	1	1	2
18 Burnley	2	0	1	0	2	2	0	0	1	1	0
19 Bristol City	2	0	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	2	2
20 Lincoln City	2	0	0	1	1	3	0	0	1	1	2
21 Preston	2	0	0	1	1	3	0	0	1	1	2
22 Stoke	2	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	1	1	2
23 Norwich	2	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	1	0	3
24 Southampton*	2	1	0	0	3	1	0	0	1	1	3

• deducted 4pts for breach of league rules

TOP SCORERS

2 Alicante (Millwall)

2 Campbell (Charlton)

2 Chair (County Park Rangers)

2 Coburn (Millwall)

2 Fanning (Burnley)

2 Gulphimore (Blackburn)

2 Jones (Charlton), pictured

2 Leitchwar (McMindenough)

2 Lain (Southampton)

2 López (Wolverhampton)

2 Price (West Bromwich)

	HOME					AWAY
	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A
1 Bradford	2	1	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	1	0
2 Huddersfield	2	1	0	0	3	0	0	1	0	1	1
3 Luton	2	0	1	0	2	2	1	0	0	4	2
4 Oxford Utd	2	0	1	0	2	2	1	0	0	2	1
5 Cambridge Utd	2	1	0	0	3	2	0	1	0	1	1
6 Blackpool	2	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	2	1
7 Bolton Albion	2	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	2	1
8 Bromley	2	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	0
9 Stockport	2	0	0	1	1	2	1	0	0	3	1
10 Leyton Orient	2	0	0	1	1	2	1	0	0	2	0
11 Mansfield	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	1	2
12 Sheffield Wednesday	2	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	2	1
13 Peterborough	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	0	2
14 MK Dons	2	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	0	2	2
15 North County	2	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	0	2	2
16 Wycombe	2	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	0	1	1
17 Reading	2	0	0	1	3	4	0	1	0	0	0
18 Leicester	2	0	0	1	1	2	0	1	0	1	1
19 Stavenage	2	0	0	1	1	2	0	1	0	1	1
20 Doncaster	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
21 Burnley	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
22 Plymouth	2	0	0	1	1	3	0	1	0	1	1
23 AFC Wrededon	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3
24 Wigan	2	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	1	2	3

TOP SCORERS

3 Marrett (Reading), pictured

2 Addesye (Worlley)

2 Collins (MK Dons)

2 Fielder (Luton)

2 Sanchez Fernandes (Huddersfield)

1 Atkinsonish (Luton Orient)

1 Amsach (Plymouth)

1 Appiah (Cambridge)

1 Abbot (Burton Albion)

1 Baldwin (Bradford City)

1 Bloxham (Blackpool)

46 other players have scored 1 goal

Results and fixtures

Anton Stack's 88th-minute goal direct from a free kick inflicted defeat on Oliver Glasner in his first

SKY BET LEAGUE TWO

Bristol Rovers (1) 5		Newport Co (1) 3
Purrington 49+1Cavega 53, 90+4Jenkins 57 (og)Kansas 74		Rogers 1Georgetown 61Jannis 90+1763349
Colchester (0) 2		Oldham (1) 1
Anderson (0) 3Temple 90+4 (og)Sent off: Scott-Morrison (Oldham) 49+2		Aspash-Forson 203,386
Crewe (0) 1		Northampton (0) 0
March 93		5,375
Exeter (2) 2		Accrington (0) 0
Fitzwaler 2Comedy (1) (og)		5,939
Fleetwood (0) 0		Gillingham (0) 0
Port Vale (1) 1		Tranmere (0) 1
Byers 18 (pen)8,648		Ince 72
Rochdale (0) 1		Crawley (1) 2
Ebanks-Landell 54, 2,890		Adonzo 8Watson 72 (pen)
Rotherham (1) 1		York (1) 1
Dino 20, 9,807		Newby 40
Salford (0) 0		Chesterfield (1) 1
Shrewsbury (1) 1		Barnet (1) 3
Denson 41, 5,129		Reeves 13, Lakin 83Kravskis 90
Swindon (1) 2		Cheltenham (0) 1
Dreiss 17Clarke 55		Broom 855,833
Walsall (0) 0		Grimsby (0) 0

	HOME					AWAY
	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F
1 Barnet	2	1	0	0	3	1	1	0	0	3
2 Crewe	2	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1
3 Walsall	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	3
4 Tranmere	2	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	1
5 Colchester	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	2
6 York	2	1	0	0	3	2	0	1	0	1
7 Swindon	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	0
8 Fleetwood	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
9 Grimsby	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0
10 Bristol Rovers	2	1	0	0	5	3	0	0	1	2
11 Newport County	2	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	1	3
12 Oldham	2	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	1
13 Exeter	2	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	0
14 Cheltenham	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	1
15 Crowley	2	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	2
16 Chesterfield	2	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	1
17 Rotherham	2	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	1
18 Northampton	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
19 Accrington Stanley	2	0	1	0	2	2	0	0	1	0
20 Port Vale	2	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	0
21 Gillingham	2	0	0	1	0	3	0	1	0	0
22 Salford	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	1
23 Rochdale	2	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	1	0
24 Shrewsbury	2	0	0	1	1	3	0	0	1	0

TOP SCORERS

2 Boxes (York), pictured

2 Calon (Accrington)

2 Cavega (Bristol Rovers)

2 Georgetown (Newport County)

2 Kavanagh (Oldham)

2 Lukin (Barnet)

2 March (Crewe)

2 Newby (York)

1 Adonzo (Crawley)

1 Anderson (Colchester)

1 Appiah-Forson (Oldham)

36 other players have scored 1 goal

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15

TheGame

game in charge of Forest and gifted Leeds their first top-flight victory at the City Ground since 1972

NATIONAL LEAGUE

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GDPs
Southend Utd	3	3	0	0	7	2	5
Sutton Utd	3	3	0	0	6	1	5
Harrington	3	2	1	0	5	2	3
Boreham Wood	3	2	0	0	4	2	7
Hartington	3	2	0	0	4	2	6
Boston Utd	3	2	0	1	3	1	6
Hornchurch	3	2	0	1	5	4	1
Eastleigh	3	2	0	1	5	4	1
Worthing	3	2	0	1	4	1	6
Forest Green	3	2	0	0	5	2	5
Yeovil	3	2	0	0	5	2	5
Carlisle	3	1	1	1	7	5	2
Fylde	3	1	1	1	6	5	4
Aldershot	3	1	1	1	6	5	4
Kidderminster	3	1	1	1	2	4	4
Halifax	3	1	1	1	2	7	4
Gateshead	3	1	0	2	5	2	3
Micking	3	1	0	2	3	2	3
Scunthorpe	3	1	0	2	3	2	3
Barrow	3	0	1	2	5	6	3
Meadstone	3	0	1	2	5	6	3
Tamworth	3	0	1	2	5	9	4
Abhincham	3	0	0	3	5	5	4
Solihull Moors	3	0	0	3	3	10	7

Boston Utd 1 Abhincham 0 Carlisle 4 Hornchurch 1 Eastleigh 3 Scunthorpe 2 Forest Green 0 Boreham Wood 5 Halifax 4 Tamworth 1 Harrington 2 Barrow 2 Kidderminster 1 Aldershot 1 Solihull Moors 1 Southend Utd 5 Sutton Utd 2 Hartlepool 1 Woking 3 Fylde 2 Worthing 1 Wealdstone 0 Yeovil 3 Gateshead 0

TOP SCORERS 6 Rush (Boreham Wood) 3 Bunker (Carlisle) 3 Donnelly (Tamworth) 3 Gibeman (Halifax) 3 Katz (Hornchurch) 2 Tiddill (Halifax) 2 Coker (Southend) 2 McGuckin (Harrington) 2 McKeown (Hartlepool) 11 other players have scored 2 goals

NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GDPs
Chester	4	4	0	0	1	5	5
Oxford City	4	3	1	0	7	2	5
Hallburn	4	3	1	0	7	2	5
Macclesfield	4	3	1	0	5	2	3
South Shields	4	1	1	0	5	2	3
Hersford	4	3	0	1	5	2	3
Harborough	4	2	2	0	7	4	3
Scarborough	4	2	2	0	7	6	3
Cherley	4	2	0	0	5	5	1
Worksop	4	2	0	0	5	5	1
Southport	4	2	2	0	4	7	1
Merthyr Town	4	1	2	1	5	5	1
Spalding	4	1	1	1	6	2	4
Boston	4	1	1	1	5	6	1
Brackley	4	1	1	1	2	4	4
King's Lynn	4	1	1	1	2	4	4
Spenthorpe	4	1	1	1	2	4	4
Darlington	4	1	1	1	2	4	4
Bedford	4	1	0	3	5	9	3
Redcliffe	4	1	0	3	5	9	3
AFL Telford	4	0	2	2	5	7	2
Hudnesford	4	0	2	2	5	9	2
Merescombe	4	0	1	3	2	5	3

AFL Telford 1 Haddesford 1 Boston 1 Helliston 2 Chester 1 Spalding 0, Chorley 2 Scunthorpe 1, Harborough 4 Darlington 2, Longa Lynn 1 Manna 4, Macclesfield 2 Brackley 1, Radcliffe 2, Merescombe 1, South Shields 1, Merthyr Town 1, Southport 4 Bedford 1, Spenthorpe 1 Oxford City 4, Worksop 0 Hersford 3

TOP SCORERS 3 Pullock (Oxford City) 3 Assembahanga (Harborough) 2 Burgoes (Southport) 2 Cirkdale (Spalding) 2 Hearst (Worksop) 2 Madden (Merthyr Town) 2 McLaughlin (Darlington) 2 James (Hudnesford) 2 Taylor (Spenthorpe)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GDPs
Dagenham & R	4	4	0	0	7	1	6
Horsham	4	2	2	0	5	2	3
Maxton & Mans	4	2	1	1	8	5	3
Trove	4	2	1	0	4	3	7
Maidstone	4	2	1	1	8	5	3
H Hempstead	4	2	1	1	8	5	3
Farnborough	4	2	1	1	4	4	0
Billbridge	3	2	0	1	6	3	2
Tonbridge	3	2	0	1	6	3	2
Dover	4	2	0	0	8	8	0
AFL Totton	4	2	0	0	7	3	1
Falkestone	3	1	2	0	7	3	4
Trenton	4	2	2	0	4	4	1
Widdenstead	4	1	2	1	2	3	1
Salisbury	3	1	1	1	6	2	4
Dorking	3	1	1	1	2	4	4
Chalmsford	3	0	3	0	2	2	0
Chauham	4	1	0	2	4	7	3
Fairburn	4	1	0	0	4	3	4
Braintree	3	1	0	2	4	8	4
Hampden & R	4	1	0	2	5	10	3
Elmsford	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stough	3	0	0	3	6	11	0
Walton & H	4	0	0	4	1	12	11

Boreham 1 Horsham 2 Chauham 2 Walton 6 Horsham 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 2 Tondale 0 Dorking 2 Maidstone 3 Fareham 3 Billericay 4 Falkestone 1 Chalmsford 1 Hampden & Richmond 5 Stough 5 Maidenhead 1 Harborough 1 Salisbury 1 Hornet Hempstead 2, Tiddings 0 Truro 2, Westborough Mors 2 Dover 3

TOP SCORERS 3 Bartels (Salisbury) 3 Lukko (Falkestone) 3 Tanga (Tiddings) 2 Brown (Billericay) 2 Charles (Maidstone) 2 Evans (Fareham) 2 Pigott (Falkestone) 2 Rodan (Dagenham & Redbridge) 2 Ruff (Billericay)

WILLIAM HILL SCOTTISH PREMISESHP

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GDPs
Celtic	2	2	0	0	6	1	5
Dundee	3	2	0	1	4	1	3
St Mirren	2	2	0	0	3	0	3
Motherwell	2	1	1	0	2	1	1
Hearts	2	1	0	1	5	2	3
St Johnstone	2	1	0	1	4	4	0
Hibernian	2	1	0	1	3	3	0
Aberdeen	2	1	0	1	2	3	1
Rangers	2	0	1	1	2	3	1
Falkirk	2	0	1	1	0	2	2
Dundee Utd	3	0	1	2	1	7	6
Kilmarnock	2	0	0	2	4	9	5
Dundee Utd	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

WILLIAM HILL SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GDPs
Stephoosemuir	3	3	1	0	5	1	4
Raith	3	2	0	0	5	2	3
Partick	3	2	1	0	4	1	3
Livingston	3	2	0	1	4	2	2
Apr	3	1	1	1	3	3	0
Arbroath	3	1	1	1	2	3	1
Inverness CT	3	0	1	1	2	3	1
Dunfermline	3	0	2	1	1	3	2
Morley	3	0	2	1	1	3	2
Queen's Park	3	0	0	3	1	6	5

Morton (0) 1 Arbroath (1) 2

Slack 48	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1,800	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Livingston (1)	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
van Heenen 49-41	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Manhead 90	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Queen's Park (0) 0 Stanhuisemuir (0) 2

886	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rath (2)	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dover's 5, 15	3	2	0	0	0	0	0
Sent off: King (Ayr) 5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

LEAGUE ONE

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GDPs
Hamilton	4	3	1	0	10	0	10
Ross County	3	3	0	0	6	2	4
East Kilbride	4	2	1	1	9	5	4
Allos	4	2	1	1	5	1	4
Petehead	4	2	1	1	5	0	4
East Fife	4	1	2	1	3	2	1
Coxe	4	1	1	1	3	3	2
Montrose	4	1	0	3	4	10	6
Andreonemans	4	3	2	2	2	6	6
Queen of South	3	0	0	3	1	8	7

Aldinesboro (0) 1 Ross County (2) 3

Gibson 50 Emelia 26, Lindsay 34 Wright 14

Cove (0) 3 Petehead (0) 0

Teasdale 49 892

East Fife (0) 8 Hamilton (0) 0

811

Montrose (2) 3 East Kilbride (0) 0

Oliver 36 (pen), 41 547

Craig 61

Queen of South (0) 0 Allos (0) 2

741 Walker 47 Glasgow 55

LEAGUE TWO

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GDPs
Clyde	4	3	0	1	6	3	5
Elgin	4	3	2	0	5	3	9
Forfar	4	2	1	1	4	1	7
Kelly Hearts	4	2	0	2	7	1	5
The Spartans	4	1	1	2	7	8	1
Stirling Albion	4	1	1	2	6	8	2
Stranraer	4	1	1	2	4	7	5
Annan	4	1	0	2	4	7	3
Dunbarton	4	1	0	2	4	8	3
Edinburgh City	4	2	0	1	5	7	1
Clyde (2)	3	3	0	0	5	0	0
Hilton 11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Williamson 36, 61	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Edinburgh City (0) 1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jensen 69	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kelly (2) 3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0

Halsey 23 3 Dumbarton (1) 1

Halsey 19 Micronah 16 (pen)

Moore 20

Ferguson 73

Stirling Albion (0) 2 Stranraer (2) 2

Allan 47, Dobbs 57 Emelia 28 708

The Spartans (1) 3 Elgin (2) 3

McNulty 35, 66 (pen) Macleer 33 (pen) Storings 78 Hesper 45, 49

40

WOMEN'S SUPER LEAGUE

Next fixtures

Friday, September 4 London City v Manchester Utd (7.0)

Saturday, September 5 Chelsea v Aston

Villa (12.30)

Sunday, September 6 Brighton v Arsenal

(12.0) Charlton v Liverpool (2.0) Crystal Palace v Everton (2.0) Manchester City v Birmingham (2.30) Tottenham v West Ham (12.0)

WOMEN'S SUPER LEAGUE 2

Next fixtures

Friday, September 4 Watford v Burnley (7.40)

Sunday, September 6 C (2 unless stated)

Durham v Southampton (12.10) Ipswich v Nottingham Forest, Newcastle v Wolverhampton, Sheffield Utd v Leicester, Sunderland v Bristol City

WOMEN'S SUPER LEAGUE 2

Next fixtures

Wolverhampton, Sheffield Utd v Leicester,

Sunderland v Bristol City

DUTCH EREDVISE

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GDPs
AZ Alkmaar	3	3	0	0	6	1	7
Go Ahead Eagles	3	2	1	0	9	4	5
PSV Eindhoven	2	2	1	0	6	2	3
Feynimore	3	2	1	0	4	4	7
Groningen	3	2	1	0	7	0	6
Alps	3	1	1	0	4	7	2
Sparta Rotterdam	3	1	1	1	6	5	1
Fortuna Sittard	3	1	1	1	5	5	0
Heerenveen	3	1	1	0	4	4	1
Excelsior	2	1	0	1	5	2	3
NEC Nijmegen	1	0	1	0	2	2	3
Twente	2	1	0	1	3	2	1
Telstar	2	1	0	1	3	2	1
PEC Zvezda	3	1	0	2	3	5	2
Utrecht	3	0	1	2	5	4	1
Wilson II Tilburg	3	0	2	2	5	6	3
ADO Den Haag	3	0	0	3	2	9	7
Carlsbad	3	0	0	3	3	2	0

Carlsbad 2 Feyenoord 5, Fortuna Sittard 0

AZ Alkmaar 2 Go Ahead Eagles 2, 4820 Den Haag 1, Heerenveen 0, PCC Zvezda 2, NEC Nijmegen 0, Excelsior 0, PSV Eindhoven 5 Groningen 1, Sparta Rotterdam 3 Utrecht 3

FREMCH LIEGE 1

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