Rock’s best frenemies: Inside Rod Stewart and Elton John’s 50-year ‘war’
The bad cover was forgiven, clearly, because by the early Seventies, when Elton’s then boyfriend lived near Rod, the two young singers became so inseparable that Baldry…
Why is everyone suddenly playing the ukulele?
The ukulele was invented in Europe, but took root in Hawaii in the 1870s when an immigrant called Joao Fernandez started playing it to fascinated islanders. The…
Succession, series 3 episode 7 review: Kendall’s chaotic 40th birthday gave us Succession perfection
Warning: contains spoilers Let’s be honest: series three of Succession (Sky Atlantic) hasn’t been perfect, even if it is better than anything else on TV right now….
Winter Walks, review: Amanda Owen’s solo hike was restorative TV – if only it had a bit more peace and quiet
That rarest of sightings on BBC Four: a programme that isn’t a repeat. Winter Walks has made it onto the channel because, one suspects, it is cheap…
Don’t cancel holidays but accept ‘element of risk’ with omicron variant, says minister
Britons should not cancel their holidays but must accept there is a renewed “element of risk” when travelling, the health minister has said. All new arrivals to…
Watchdog to bite back at MPs who use Twitter for ‘unreasonable’ personal attacks
MPs who launch “excessive” personal attacks on Twitter could be investigated by Parliament’s standards watchdog under a package of measures to clean up Westminster. Under the proposed…
Monday evening UK news briefing: Booster vaccine programme for all adults to fight omicron variant
It comes as two new cases of the omicron variant have been detected in London, taking the UK’s current total to 11. Speaking in the Commons, Health…
London rivals abandon hope of post-Brexit City exodus
Europe’s financial centres have given up hope of triggering an exodus of companies and jobs away from London in the wake of Brexit. The head of Luxembourg’s…
Recall Commons over Christmas so MPs can debate any extension to Covid rules, say Tories
Tory MPs have demanded that the Commons be recalled during Christmas recess if the Government wants to stretch new Covid restrictions beyond three weeks. Calls for MPs…
Omicron fightback begins among the bad boy MPs who refuse to wear masks
On Monday, head boy Sajid Javid gave a statement about the new Covid restrictions to the Commons. He said, in essence: “I don’t like ’em, but we’ve…
The failed Whitehall blob threatens to push Britain back into lockdown
Days before news of the omicron variant broke, the former chair of the Vaccine Taskforce, Dame Kate Bingham, paid a tearful tribute to her liberty-loving late father…
New rift at top of Labour as Angela Rayner blindsided by Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle
However, as the details of the reshuffle began to emerge, her allies said she had been blindsided by the timing and detail of the announcement, which also…
Money Makeover: ‘How do I turn my house and inheritance into a £10,000 a year travel fund?’
Anna Clare Harper, chief executive of SPI Capital, a property consultancy, said: Ms Dempsey’s goal of making £10,000 to £15,000 a year is achievable from property investments…
For sale: a £3.3m converted orangery with grounds designed by ‘Capability’ Brown
The landscape architect Lancelot “Capability” Brown got his nickname from his persistent use of a euphemism. He was known for telling his clients – a roster of…
‘My horse was injured and my insurer refused to pay for a farcical reason’
When her complaint fell at the first fence with the ombudsman, she asked for a review of her complaint and sent a copy of my article as…
One in every 16 homes in Britain was sold in 2021
In the aftermath of the stamp duty holiday, which ended in September, the race for space among buyers has continued to shape the market. The availability of…
Banks sneaking restrictive T&Cs onto unsuspecting savers
Andrew Hagger, of Moneycomms, said: “Savers don’t want to have to have to delve in the T&C’s before discovering their ‘great rate’ is let down by a…
Eco rules may force me to sell two thirds of my buy-to-let empire
If they are banned from renting out their properties by this rule, landlords like me will sell up, creating a crisis in the rental sector that even…
Peugeot 5008 Allure SUV vs Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer MPV – what’s the best seven-seat family car for 2021?
It’s horses for courses here, then – but the simple fact is that if you’re struggling for space in either of these cars, you probably need a…
Which makes the best family car in 2021, SUV or conventional estate?
That, combined with its smaller diameter wheels, means it’s even more comfortable than the Karoq. You get a little less road noise, too, though both of these…
Ben Okri: I knew if I spoke the wrong language I’d be taken into the bushes and shot
Ben Okri, 62, was born in Minna, Nigeria, in 1959. Aged two, he was brought to England; his father had come to study law in London. The…
Have you been drinking your wine from the wrong glasses all along?
Jancis Robinson x RB, £75/set of two (richardbrendon.com) The widespread use of larger wine glasses is relatively new, and often associated with a modern greed and lack…
Have you caught the ‘super cold’? Here’s how to tackle the symptoms
The tweet received more than 15,400 likes, with many people responding with their own accounts of the dreaded malady. In the pre-pandemic world, colds weren’t something to…
Do Mick Jagger’s SAD therapy glasses actually work?
Light therapy is still considered the gold standard for SAD sufferers, although it doesn’t work for everyone. Patients in the UK are prescribed a SAD lamp, or…
Competition, conflict and crying: Eight things men need to learn about women
Rod Stewart was in the news again last week, this time sharing his experience of the menopause. According to Rod, Penny Lancaster’s mood swings left him so…