We’re ready and willing to take in Ukrainian refugees – so where are they?
We have a log cabin with two bedrooms, underfloor heating – and all mod cons. We registered our willingness to take refugees the day after the website…
France’s future hangs in the balance
The received wisdom is that in the electoral runoff in France on April 24 between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, the president will win. The French,…
The West has gambled everything to defeat Putin – and it’s paying off
Vladimir Putin shocked the world when he audaciously gambled everything on taking Ukraine. But the West has in turn stunned its own detractors with its striking capacity…
Worlds Collide: The Manchester Bombing, review: a powerful search for the truth behind an atrocity
On 22 May, 2017, 22 people were killed and over 1,000 injured when Salman Abedi detonated a homemade bomb in the foyer of Manchester Arena, shortly after…
Shehbaz Sharif says ‘evil has been defeated’ after becoming Pakistan’s new prime minister
Mr Sharif used his speech to say Mr Khan’s allegations were a “lie, drama and fraud”, but he would hold a special session of parliament attended by…
Northern Ireland could be forced to follow EU rules on Covid tests
The DUP, which walked out of the power-sharing government in protest at the protocol, argues that it is driving a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest…
British scheme to take in Ukrainians needs enhanced ‘matching’ element
Ukrainian refugees should be able to pick British homes from a public list, a Tory councillor who flew to Poland on a matching mission has urged the…
Rishi Sunak should publish tax returns in full, say senior Tories
Senior Tories said the publication of tax returns – a convention for US presidential candidates – would help restore public confidence. It would follow a precedent set…
Retirees to lose three years’ income as state pension fails to keep pace with inflation
The full new state pension will cover just a quarter of the required income in retirement, as it rises to £9,628 from Apr 11. Sir Steve Webb,…
‘I let my spare room at a 40pc discount in exchange for help in the kitchen’
Prices are rising fast. Between February and March the average rent in England rose by 4pc to £1,006 per property, according to Goodlord, a lettings website. Fierce…
The best ways to add value and space to your home on a budget this spring
Retired midwife Margaret Biddle and her husband, John Hughes, went a lot further than this, using savings and money borrowed from family to retrofit their 1970s bungalow…
‘Boots vitamins contained mystery pill and I’m scared it’s something sinister’
Dear Reader, It was only a few years ago that you were out shopping in your home town when Sergei Skripal and his daughter were struck down…
Landlords snap up homes as rents bounce back
Almost three quarters of London-based landlords bought their buy-to-lets outside the capital in the first three months of this year, compared with less than a quarter a decade…
‘My neighbour won’t cut down dangerous trees that could flatten my house. What can I do?’
Finding out who your neighbour’s insurer is would be really useful, as you could approach them directly with your evidence. If your neighbour won’t take heed of…
Money Makeover: ‘Should I sell my home and use buy-to-lets to fund retirement?’
Elena Todorova, director of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients Ms Lovatt-Fraser has to make a fairly quick decision about her home. If she does nothing her mortgage will…
BMW i4 eDrive40 review: the electric car more popular than the Tesla Model 3 – and for a good reason
The BMW is significantly down on power versus the Tesla, however; 335bhp plays 434bhp. That said, with a 0-62mph time of 5.7 seconds, the i4 in this…
It is time for the NHS to recover the lost art of convalescence
In his new book, Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence, Edinburgh GP and writer Gavin Francis recalls local hospitals, sanatoriums and asylums where patients were once admitted…
The breakthrough year for prostate cancer
As the CEO of Prostate Cancer Research, Oliver Kemp has spent the past five years supporting new therapies for advanced prostate cancer. There has long been little…
Nine words we all need to stop using
As in physically attractive. Never liked it, always seemed too reductive and mainly it’s confusing. Fit like a butcher’s dog, or fit like Kim Kardashian? Not the…
The truth about my raucous lunch with JK Rowling
This week a perfectly nice woman canvassing for Labour knocked on my door and I explained to her that I would not be voting for a party…
I never know where my husband is – and I like it that way
Much of the time, I have no idea of my husband’s whereabouts and what he is doing. He is not hiding, or dabbling in something suspect that…
How to grow an avocado from seed in the UK
Avocado trees are native to Mexico and Central America, and grow in warm, humid environments. In the UK, it is possible to grow avocados from seed, starting…
The 20 most stylish garden updates to welcome spring
Now that spring has finally arrived, bringing with it warmer weather and longer days, many of us will be turning our attentions towards how to enhance our…
My 10-year old son’s swearing is out of control – and I don’t know how make him stop
You know how your children go through a series of phases, and some you want to last for ever and others you just wish would be over…
New peril in Ukraine
The city of Kyiv may have been safe enough for Boris Johnson to visit at the weekend, but it would be unwise for anyone to conclude that…