Football is a natural tonic in these toughest of times – now is not the moment to take it away
The idea that our football clubs are socially important civic assets has been constantly challenged over the past 30 years. These days, anyone with money is invited…
Why Man City are Premier League title favourites in emerging two-horse race with Liverpool
Attacking options Will City rue not signing a centre-forward like Harry Kane? As free-scoring as they are they probably do not quite score as many goals as…
Exclusive: Gordon Taylor left PFA with £1.4m bonus to swell final pay to £3.1m
Gordon Taylor signed off at the Professional Footballers’ Association this year with an eye-watering £1.4 million bonus to swell his final pay to an extraordinary £3.1 million….
Mikel Arteta responds to critics over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang feud: ‘I’m no dictator’
Mikel Arteta has insisted he is not trying to establish his authority by being a “dictator” at Arsenal, saying he simply demands “respect and commitment” from all…
England have to go for broke – it is now or never for Joe Root
Joe Root insists he will “bang out” a hundred in this series and there would be no better time for his struggling England team than in front…
Alfie Barbeary: Wasps’ rising star on injury struggles, settling on No 8 and his England ambitions
“His immediate feedback was quite emotional but then he just got it. Maybe a year or so ago he would have got really annoyed, really frustrated and…
Unprecedented Premier League strike suggested by Pep Guardiola amid escalating player fatigue row
The prospect of an unprecedented Premier League strike was mooted by Pep Guardiola on Thursday amid the escalating row around players’ fatigue. Crisis talks involving managers and…
James Anderson: Don’t just blame bowlers for Ashes failings – we need more help from coaches
We are in a position now where we have to win three Test matches in a row which is incredibly difficult but we had a good chat…
Three-quarters want to keep working from home after Covid pandemic
There were, however, downsides, with 35 per cent saying the worst thing about working at home was an inability to switch off. This was followed by the…
‘Will Terry Smith and Nick Train help me buy a bigger house?’
Rob Morgan, chief analyst at Charles Stanley, said: Mr Marrow has built a geographically diverse portfolio with some good quality funds, but he is making a mistake…
Banking veterans back China-focused tech start-up
Banking grandees Lord Rothschild and Sir Simon Robey have backed a start-up that invests in Chinese tech companies, despite growing tensions about cross-border investments into the country….
Will Putin turn on the taps? Europe faces bleak winter and ‘astronomical’ gas prices
Gazprom, the state energy giant, has been fulfilling its contractual obligations but little else, according to researchers, with the amount it sells on the European spot market…
Broadcasters try to stop streamers stealing Christmas in festive television battle
Christmas television used to be dominated by national treasures including Lenny Henry, Bruce Forsyth and Ronnie Corbett to the delight of families gathered around the box for…
Another 400 pubs closed their doors for the last time this year
More than 400 pubs have disappeared from communities in England and Wales this year, but the number of pubs calling last orders flatlined despite the toll of…
China tightens its grip on rare earths
China has tightened its grip on the rare earth metals needed to make cars and gadgets after combining three companies into one giant business. The new entity,…
The scramble to keep Britain’s wine cellars stocked this Christmas
The added costs and lengthy supply delays are something many could do without. Already, growers across the world’s top wine-growing regions were struggling with difficult seasons. In…
Covid reminds us of liberty’s value – even if it cannot be measured
By reducing the virus’s prevalence, “flattening the curve” gave some people more confidence to interact with vulnerable relatives or other social contacts, eliminating costly self-imposed constraints that…
Prof Lockdown’s ‘apocalyptic’ omicron claims undermine faith in vaccines and have fuelled unnecessary shutdowns
“To talk of 5,000 deaths a day is a very high number. It is risky to push apocalyptic scenarios that are highly unlikely to happen,” said Professor…
Union calls for six months of night Tube strikes
Union bosses are calling on night Tube workers to walk out every weekend between January and June in a dispute over staff rotas. The disruption to London…
Sky Bet owner places £1.6bn bet on National Lottery contender
The bookmaker behind Sky Bet and Paddy Power has swooped an contender to run the National Lottery, handing it an outside chance of snaring the UK’s most…
Treasury typo omits £18bn of borrowing from the Budget
The Treasury missed £18bn of borrowing from a key table in its Budget document, it has admitted. The typographical error, which does not affect the Government’s overall…
Hold your nerve – 2022 should be another good year for shares
A year ago, when the S&P 500 stood at 3,750 a simple model that factors in earnings growth, the level of government bond yields, dividends and the…
Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi tell Brussels to turn on spending taps
Mr Draghi and Mr Macron said the EU must “act boldly and quickly” against a backdrop of rising challenges from technology, demographic change and geopolitical pressures, urging…
Selfridges sold to Thai and Austrian buyers for about £4bn
Selfridges, the upmarket department store chain, has been sold to a Thai conglomerate and an Austrian property group for just under £4bn. The price paid by Central…
Kwasi Kwarteng plots energy rescue package amid calls for VAT cut
Kwasi Kwarteng is racing to draw up a rescue package to protect millions of households from surging energy prices as demands grow for a VAT cut to…