We English are never happier than when we’re losing at sport
Sitting with the family into the small hours, watching the excruciating death throes of the Ashes, had a distinctly Groundhog Day vibe. With the TV metaphorically shrouded…
Nature needs some human disturbance
Plans for nature recovery are gathering momentum. The reintroduction of lost species and the growing appetite for the restoration of depleted and degraded natural habitats marks a…
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, review: where’s JK Rowling when we need her most?
It clocks in at nearly two hours, including ad breaks. And almost everyone ever involved in Potter – again with one exception – appears to have been…
Worzel Gummidge: Twitchers, review – a beautifully plotted, confident piece of storytelling
The many fans of the quiet cult comedy The Detectorists would have particularly enjoyed the second episode of Mackenzie Crook’s Worzel Gummidge reboot. Both shows are written…
More Afghan women would have been rescued if Cabinet had a greater female presence, MP says
Ms Ghani, who is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, separately accused the Government of “ignoring the genocide being conducted in Xinjiang by the Chinese…
Taxpayers to foot £800k bill to make Nicola Sturgeon’s official residence eco-friendly
The Telegraph disclosed on Monday that experts advised Scottish ministers to move out of its St Andrew’s House headquarters in Edinburgh because the changes would be so…
Mark Drakeford’s Wales is the best advert for the Tories
English pubs and clubs are feverishly gearing up for one of their busiest nights of the year, but for the rest of the UK, 2021 looks set…
A telling admission from David Lammy
David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, was one of the 36 Labour MPs whose nominations narrowly secured Jeremy Corbyn his place in the ballot for the party…
Sajid Javid attacks Parkrun for cancelling Welsh runs amid tougher Covid rules
Nightclubs and pubs in England are expecting coachloads of Scottish and Welsh revellers to descend on the nation to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Nicola Sturgeon and Mark…
Do you know what ‘levelling up’ means? One in four have no idea, survey finds
People’s understanding of levelling up even appears to have declined over the past year, with the share of people who do not know what it means rising…
David Lammy says he made a mistake nominating Jeremy Corbyn for Labour leader
He was only able to stand for the leadership after 35 Labour MPs from across the party decided to back him, despite in some cases supporting other…
You asked us to look at your investments – this is what we discovered
There is, sadly, no such thing as a perfect portfolio. There is no sure-fire way to beat the market – and even chucking your money in a…
‘Can I pay my salary into my wife’s pension?’
Higher-rate taxpayers and claiming child benefit There is a complication that you need to be aware of as a higher-rate taxpayer, which could affect your child benefit…
Questor: a look back at some of our 2021 suggestions – the good, the bad and the ugly
As a great fan of spaghetti westerns, with Clint Eastwood on screen, Sergio Leone behind the camera and Ennio Morricone providing the music score, this column is…
How to (finally) get a good night’s sleep in the New Year
Sleep is the single most powerful health-enhancing weapon known to humankind. As a sleep doctor, I’ve spent years reading practically every paper published on the relationship between…
Forget booze – can you really be addicted to food?
“There hasn’t been a day of my life where I haven’t thought about problems with food,” said broadcaster Richard Osman this week, of his world since the…
Permanent switch to flexible working risks women falling behind in the workplace
He says: “If you just think about it in terms of WFH, then you’re only talking to that proportion of the population who have jobs which permit…
Three easy ways to… eat for strong bones
Osteopenia, or loss of bone mass, occurs naturally as we age but this can sometimes develop into the more serious condition osteoporosis. It’s often referred to as…
There is time yet to save Ukraine from Putin’s aggression
There was no surprise invasion of Ukraine during this year’s Christmas festivities, as the Soviets did when they rolled into Afghanistan in 1979. But that doesn’t mean…
Please do move to the countryside – just don’t expect your old life when you get here
Almost 100,000 people left London for the country in 2021. It is the greatest exodus for a generation and one of the stories of the year because…
We English are (secretly) never happier than when we’re losing at sport
Sitting with the family into the small hours, watching the excruciating death throes of the Ashes, had a distinctly Groundhog Day vibe. With the TV metaphorically shrouded…
It is right to resist the call for restrictions
Even though the latest coronavirus wave is less virulent than previous outbreaks, the country is facing a variety ofquarantine measures increasingly disproportionate to the threat. Some 22…
An energy supply crunch this winter would be an economic disaster
If fuel prices were rising as steeply as household energy bills, the Government would be facing a political crisis. The soaring cost of heating caused by rocketing…
Lessons of a story no one would now dare write
We in the media tell our audiences about the times we live in. That is our job. But it is difficult to understand the story of our…
The iconic pictures of 2021 – a year of angry protests, emotional farewells, famous victories… and more Covid
We were promised the Roaring Twenties – or at least that’s what we hoped for. This time last year, optimists among us made a bold prediction. 2021…